What a busy busy few weeks! I am sure that many of you might have thought I have just given up on the blog, but I assure you that this is not the case. There are just so many things that are tied into the beginning of my new life that I have barely had the time to catch my breath. I will try to share with you the highlights of the whirlwind that has been my last few weeks.
1) I closed on my condo. Yes, I am finally a homeowner. In this time of housing market uncertainty with banks, mortgage companies, and title companies scrutinizing each and every application with a fine toothed comb, I was able to convince them that I was a good risk. Of course, the closing was not without its share of anxiety. I had to come up with an extra 5% down payment within 2 weeks of the closing. If that were not enough, the day of the closing almost became the day that was NOT the closing. So there I was, sitting at Chicago Title Company with my agent, my attorney, and my mortgage broker signing away my life. The closing was going along very smoothly until the title agent asked about the certificate that brought me in compliance with the new Illinois Anti-Predatory Lending law that went into effect the month before. The minute my mortgage broker said "huh?", I started sweating. You see, I had already reserved the movers and the freight elevator for a Monday move, and here it was, Friday, and I might not close until Monday night. Panic set in, and I felt a little angry and frustrated. I had jumped through a LOT of hoops just to get to this point, and I could not believe that a little bit of red tape (a form that needed to be filled out by computer) would be the thing that threw a wrench in the works. Thankfully, the title agent was amazing. Not only did he stay with the closing throughout the next 5 hours (I was told to go home and wait), but he also stayed later than 6 PM on a Friday because he, too, recognized that this was not my fault and I should not be penalized for a new law whose implementation NO ONE understands. I ended up closing. On Friday. During this period of uncertainty, I became more aware of how much I wanted my new place, and I was glad that, by the end of 08-08-08, I was a new homeowner.
2. Moving. Having concluded the closing drama, I spent the next 2 days packing for the move. I expected the movers to be ready by 10 AM and be down at the new place by 1 PM (when I had reserved the freight elevator). Instead, I received a call at 7:30 (!) the next morning, with the movers telling me that they were outside. They had the truck loaded up by 9:30 and were on the way to my place by 10. We waited out another set of people who were moving in, but the movers started up again and completed the move by 1:30 PM. I was finally in my new place, surrounded by boxes, and utterly exhausted. Of course, the gas alarm was beeping every 30 seconds thanks to a low battery (and I did not have a ladder tall enough to reach it-my new place is a loft). The contractors had also failed to light the hot water heater, so I went back to the old place to shower. After moving day, I really needed one. Still, it was nice to spend my first night in my new place. With all of the boxes surrounding me, it should come as no surprise that I started with all of my electronics. A man's gotta be able to play Guitar Hero, right? The place is looking pretty good. Anonymous Hottie continued her design efforts by introducing me to her furniture guy. A major purchase is in the offing. At least I had enough furniture to entertain my parents. After all, they were coming into town for my brother's wedding on Thursday and would be staying with me on Thursday night. EGADS!!!!! At least it forced me to get the place habitable for guests. My parents loved the place and declared that I had done well (and I basked in the afterglow of THAT comment).
3. My Brother's Wedding. Many of you know of the drama that has surrounded my brother's wedding. There has been a little animosity on both sides (well, OK, mostly the GROOM's side of the family), but my folks were there for my brother, and my brother was great in getting them there. After spending Thursday night in my place, all of us went to stay at the wedding hotel in Itasca. My brother had arranged for suites at the Westin there, the site of the wedding. There, in a large tent on the Westin grounds, I watched my brother get married in a traditional (2 hours long!) Hindu ceremony. Of course, my brother being my brother, he decided to make a substitution to the tradition of the groom riding in on a horse. He decorated his BMW motorcycle with the headdress reserved for the ceremonial horse and rode it, with his best man and groomsmen surrounding him, to the ceremony. After all, he reasoned, why settle for one horse when you can have 90 (horsepower)? So I was one of the groomesmen and was dressed in traditional Indian garb for the ceremony. The unfortunate thing was that traditional Indian garb is VERY SIMILAR to traditional Muslim garb, and there was an Orthodox Jewish wedding that was occurring at the very same venue after our service. I can only imagine the feelings of concernation among the assembled members of Jewish society at the site of so many people dressed as we were.
So the wedding and the pictures went off without a hitch, and it was now time to get ready for the reception. I was exhausted, but I was looking forward to the reception. After all, I had no responsibilities except to look after my folks. This was also the reason my sister-in-law told me not to bring a date. Oh well. All of the groomsmen looked replendent in their back suits and red ties as we marched in with the bridesmaids. The food at the cocktail hour was excellent, and I was settling back for an enjoyable evening when I saw the emcee, my sister-in-law's cousin, approaching our table.
"So you are set for your speech, right?" he asked.
"Yes," I replied confidently. "Wait, what?"
"The bride's side has 4 speakers and the groom's side has 3," he replied. "Your brother said that his best man, you, and another member of his wedding party are giving speeches."
"Oh, ok." I responded. Then, "wait, what?"
Right about that time, the first of the speeches started, and the salad course was beginning. I had 5 speeches worth of time to think about what I would say. I paid attention to the speeches and took in what was working with the crowd and what was not working. Then, with no rehearsal and no true outline of what I would say, I was called to the floor. Thanks to the stress of the occasion + a few glasses of wine, I was able to deliver a speech that was probably better than something I might have agonized over. I was proud of myself, but I was also grateful that my brother and sister-in-law seemed to really like it. I also wanted to throttle my brother for putting me in that situation, but that's just him.
I think that my favorite part of the wedding had to be the post reception party. My brother, his bride, and a few close family members and friends retired to one of the suites for some wine, pizza, and Olympics coverage. I went to sleep at 4 and was awoken by my Mom's phone call at 8:30. Some things never change.
4. Recovery. The rest of the week was recovery and more unpacking. I now am the proud possessor of an HD-DVR + the NFL Sunday Ticket, courtesy of Direct TV. I also realized the benefits of living 3 blocks away from Eddie and Anonymous Hottie. We were able to hang out on Monday and Tuesday. On Monday, Eddie and I assembled his new grill (cue manly music), and he, HASWOE, and I met Anonymous Hottie and another friend out for a late dinner. The next morning, I went over to Eddie's again to watch for furniture delivery from AH's furniture store (well, she doesn't OWN it, but all of us were turned onto it because of her), and Eddie and I dined on sandwiches from an AMAZING new Italian Deli in my new neighborhood. I can already see that living so close to so many of my friends is going to be a wonderful experience. And Eddie, I am not just saying that because you let me mooch off of your internet service. On Wednesday, I flew home to Virginia for some R & R, as work (for real) begins the day after Labor Day.
I hope that you all are having a pleasant summer. I cannot believe that it is almost over. I only hope that the rest of the year will be as fun.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Sunday, August 03, 2008
One month off and the Summer Movie Season in Review
Part I: Personal Stuff (the year in review)
This has been quite the busy year for me. I know that I have not been sharing a lot regarding my personal life (boring as it is), but my buddy Aaron was remarking on how many changes I experienced over the last year, and the list is amazing. Here is the year in review:
1. I completed law school. This was the last degree I will ever get. Really. It is. Honest Injun. No fooling. I am NOT going for my MBA. Nope. Not even for the executive program on weekends. Law school was an interesting exercise. I was able to live like a 25 year old for three more years, and I did not even come close to pulling THAT off. Finishing law school is the beginning of my real life. No more will I wander into a classroom to learn something for the sake of a test. When I first entered law school, I had doubts as to whether I could pull it off. I mean, it had been a good 10 years since my last written exam, and now I would be pitted against a group of students who were well versed in test taking as a result of their recent pasts in college. I felt that I was at a distinct disadvantage, but when the dust settled, I graduated with honors. This is something that would not have been possible without the care and support of my friends and family (you all know who you are, and the list is long but distinguished).
2. I took the Illinois State Bar Exam. Um...my mind is still in shock over the sheer difficulty of this most heinous of hazing rituals. The preparation for this test made for the single worst summer of my life. If I failed, at least the next time I take it will be in the dead of winter, and I will have a study buddy in HASWOE.
3. I took (and passed) the Examination for Admission to Pratice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (the Patent Bar). Yes, I took this exam and passed it. Unlike the Illinois Bar exam, the USPTO test is taken at a computer testing site, and you are immediately told whether or not you passed. I took the test the second week of May, and I passed. This was one of the hurdles I needed to leap over in order to realize my goal of becoming a patent attorney. I was also the first person in my firm's entering class to pass it. At least I will not have to study for it while working! Please let there be no more tests!!!
4. My apartment was broken into. Many of you longtime readers are already aware of this, but my place was broken into while I was out of town for a weekend. I must take this opportunity to give a shout out to State Farm insurance, for they made my claim process painless and quick, and I was almost whole again (in terms of items that were missing) within a month. Wow. This, of course, was a major stressor in my life.
5. I purchased my first home. The closing is this Friday, and I am extremely excited about it. Of course, for the sake of sanity, I really should have thought better of undergoing two of the most stressful events that one can experience all at the same time (bar exam and home purchase), but the timing seemed right, and I fell in love with my new condo. I expect to move a week from Monday, and all of my friends (especially AH, Daisy, and HASWOE) have been extremely helpful with decorating and logistics suggestions concerning the new place. The housewarming should be a lot of fun.
6. I start a brand new job the day after Labor Day. The job market is not too kind out there for recently graduated attorneys, so I consider myself lucky to have a position at a good firm. I am not so naive as to believe that my PhD had nothing to do with my procuring a position, but I suppose this is a benefit for having taken my lumps in getting my degree. And here I thought the 90s were a complete waste :-)
Whew! What a list! And most of these things only happened within the last 7 months! I still have a good 5 months of the year to go, and I anticipate that (for better or for worse), October 1 will be a banner date . This is the date that the results of the bar are announced. At least I can pretend that I passed for another 2 months. I know that, on that date, I will be checking the website, my heart beating through my chest in full on tachycardia. Good times.
I must mention that NONE of this would have been possible without the support of all of my friends here in Chicago (and some who are NOW in Chicago). The list includes Xander, Daisy, AH, Scuba Steve, Eddie, HASWOE, Missy, Ricedogg and wife of Ricedogg, Funniestthing and Julie, my brother, his fiance, and, most of all, my parents. You all are the best, and there were so many times during this last year where you did something that, while you might not have known it at the time, made a HUGE deal of difference in my life. Thank you.
Part II: The Summer Movie Season.
As I write this entry, "The Dark Knight" is a few million away from passing the $400 million barrier and I am basking in the glow of a really enjoyable summer movie season. I still remember the horrible movie season of 2006, a season that spilled over into 2007 with the yawn-inspiring releases of "Spider-Man 3", "Shrek 3", and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." And then, the summer picked up with the releases of "Order of the Phoenix", "Live Free or Die Hard", "The Bourne Ultimatum", and "The Simpsons Movie". This summer, there were relatively few clunkers. I think that I was able to avoid a lot of them simply by reading the ratings at rottentomatoes.com before making my movie going decisions. As for the rankings of the list, the list merely reflects my own feelings as to which films I believe really succeeded (for me) this summer. Of the top 5, 3 have been the subject of multiple viewings. I have not yet watched "Stepbrothers", "The Clone Wars", or "Death Race", but I will be seeing them soon enough. For the moment, here is my list of the top films of the summer.
1. "The Dark Knight": No surprise here. Director Christopher Nolan picked up where he left off with "Batman Begins" and created a comic book movie that was one in the truest sense of the word. The Nolan brothers crafted a story that perfectly captured the nuances of the Batman universe while grounding it in reality. Much was made of how movie goers were motivated to see the film because of the death of Heath Ledger, but I believe a lot of the excitement surrounding this film was the crossover appeal from their first film. This film had it all (dark humor, angst, a gripping storyline, twists and turns, and respect for the underlying mythology). I loved it. #1 with a bullet.
2. "Wall-E": Now, this film has been a controversial topic of conversation for my friends and I. I noticed something quite amusing. When I discussed the film with my married or "coupled" friends, they seemed to focus on the environmental message and the problem with Pixar's failure at even attempting subtlety. When I discussed the film with my single friends, they marveled at the romantic aspects of the film, the throwback nature of Wall-E and Eve's romance that harkened back to a more innocent time. What does that say about the existence of romance where people are already coupled? Maybe nothing, but it was an interesting phenomenon nonetheless. I stand by my earlier review in which I stated that "Wall-E" is my favorite Pixar film. Time will tell; maybe "The Incredibles" will regain the top spot. Who knows.
3. "Iron Man": What do you get when you combine a top notch director, an Academy Award-winning cast, and a faithful comics adaptation updated for the 00s? You get "Iron Man", the best pure popcorn film of the summer. There was nothing particularly deep about "Iron Man", but it did have a minimal level of the requisite seriousness required to inspire Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) into acting for the good of all. With this film, Jon Favreau cemented his reputation as a versatile director who is as at home with comedy ("Elf") as he is with a big budget studio summer tentpole film. I only hope that Marvel Films can keep the same cast and crew together for "Iron Man 2". "Iron Man" also wins the award for the best post-credit sequence of the summer.
4. tie-"Wanted" and "The Incredible Hulk": First, "Wanted". I am rarely surprised by action films anymore. I think it is because most stories within the general action genre are rather hackneyed and poorly executed. "Wanted" changed the rules for action films. Rather than the Michael Bay meets Tony Scott look of 90s action films, "Wanted" takes the lessons learned from films such as "The Matrix" (stories and stunts) and marries them to the fun vibe from 80s action films. I cannot wait for the sequel. As for "The Incredible Hulk", I only know of one person who enjoyed Ang Lee's travesty from a few years ago (Eddie, how can you actually LIKE that piece of tripe?). Marvel Films got it right this time and created a "Hulk" film that marries the best of the comics with the nostalgia of the television show from the late 1970s. The action sequences are fun to watch and the story is grounded in the romance between Betty and Bruce. Ed Norton and Liv Tyler have the chemistry so sorely missing from the Jennifer Connelly-Eric Bana coupling from the earlier film. A lot of you never gave this film a chance in the theaters. Please do so when it comes to video. It deserves to be seen (maybe as a double feature with "Iron Man", goven Robert Downey Jr.'s cameo as Tony Stark in "Hulk").
5. "Sex and the City": Now, I know that a lot of people (women and men alike) might disagree with this ranking, but I stand by it. Although I enjoyed it as a good sequel to the television series of the same name, there was nothing in the film that could not have been done for the small screen. Michael Patrick King fell into the trap of most small screen directors in failing to take advantage of the big screen. I expected New York to "pop", and I expected something more than just another good story about Samantha, Charlotte, Carrie, and Miranda. That is not to say that I did not enjoy the story. It is just that, in a summer of great films, this was just adequate. It is exactly what it should have been-but nothing more. That having been said, I would see another "SATC" film. There...I said it.
6. "Hellboy: The Golden Army": Wow-"Hellboy" is kinda low, huh? I suppose this comes from the little known factor of the forgettable film-those films that are good and enjoyable when you watch them but then fall away from your memory the minute you leave the theater. I felt this way about "Hellboy" and "Get Smart". "Hellboy" had wonderful visuals, a great story, and wonderful acting. With all that having been said, I did not really give the film a second thought upon leaving the theater. I would recommend it for a fun evening, but my thoughts following "Hellboy" were a far cry from my thoughts after my first screening of "The Dark Knight." When I left "The Dark Knight", the film was in my thoughts for hours. Indeed, I had numerous phone calls from people who accompanied me to that film just so they could discuss the film...hours after the fact. "Hellboy"? Not so much.
7. "Get Smart": I thoroughly enjoyed this film, but like "Hellboy", this is a film that just fell away from me after I left the theater. I loved the story, I loved the fact that Max was not an incompetent boob, I LOVE Anne Hathaway (seriously...I love her), and I appreciated the various homages the film paid to its inspiration-the Mel Brooks-Buck Henry-Don Adams series of the 1960s. With this having been said, this could just as easily been a rental.
8. "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull": I must admit to being a bit surprised myself with how low I ranked this film. At the time of my earlier review, I was still reeling from the horrible experience of "Speed Racer", so perhaps my mood upon watching the film was simply one of relief for seeing something familiar. However, familiar just doesn't cut it when you are up against some truly good films. As the summer went on, Dr. Henry Jones' latest adventure just does not measure up. It just seemed like lazy filmmaking where the writer (in this case, George Lucas) was playing it safe and not taking any chances. Sometimes that can work, and Harrison Ford ably recaptured his glory days with his performance. Unfortunately, in the end, that simply was not enough. I had the distinct impression that I had seen it all before. Whereas this film would have been a blockbuster in the 1980s, a small part of me would prefer to believe that we were still more sophisticated than THAT...but then I remember how much I enjoyed "Rocky IV" and I cringe.
I will not rank the other film I saw this summer. That would be "Speed Racer". The less said about that travesty the better. Let's hope that the Wachowskis find their way...and soon.
So I did not see "The Happening", "Kung Fu Panda", "Prince Caspian", and "Hancock." Maybe that is why I enjoyed the summer as much as I did. I still have high (heh) hopes for "Pineapple Express" and "Tropic Thunder" as well as "Stepbrothers", but the real big films of the summer have come and gone. It was a good summer, and next summer looks to be pretty good as well if for no other reason than I will NOT be studying for the bar exam.
The rest of the year still looks to be fun, with "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", "Righteous Kill", and "Quantum of Solace" coming in the fall. Stay tuned for more reviews, and let me know what else you might want me to write about.
This has been quite the busy year for me. I know that I have not been sharing a lot regarding my personal life (boring as it is), but my buddy Aaron was remarking on how many changes I experienced over the last year, and the list is amazing. Here is the year in review:
1. I completed law school. This was the last degree I will ever get. Really. It is. Honest Injun. No fooling. I am NOT going for my MBA. Nope. Not even for the executive program on weekends. Law school was an interesting exercise. I was able to live like a 25 year old for three more years, and I did not even come close to pulling THAT off. Finishing law school is the beginning of my real life. No more will I wander into a classroom to learn something for the sake of a test. When I first entered law school, I had doubts as to whether I could pull it off. I mean, it had been a good 10 years since my last written exam, and now I would be pitted against a group of students who were well versed in test taking as a result of their recent pasts in college. I felt that I was at a distinct disadvantage, but when the dust settled, I graduated with honors. This is something that would not have been possible without the care and support of my friends and family (you all know who you are, and the list is long but distinguished).
2. I took the Illinois State Bar Exam. Um...my mind is still in shock over the sheer difficulty of this most heinous of hazing rituals. The preparation for this test made for the single worst summer of my life. If I failed, at least the next time I take it will be in the dead of winter, and I will have a study buddy in HASWOE.
3. I took (and passed) the Examination for Admission to Pratice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (the Patent Bar). Yes, I took this exam and passed it. Unlike the Illinois Bar exam, the USPTO test is taken at a computer testing site, and you are immediately told whether or not you passed. I took the test the second week of May, and I passed. This was one of the hurdles I needed to leap over in order to realize my goal of becoming a patent attorney. I was also the first person in my firm's entering class to pass it. At least I will not have to study for it while working! Please let there be no more tests!!!
4. My apartment was broken into. Many of you longtime readers are already aware of this, but my place was broken into while I was out of town for a weekend. I must take this opportunity to give a shout out to State Farm insurance, for they made my claim process painless and quick, and I was almost whole again (in terms of items that were missing) within a month. Wow. This, of course, was a major stressor in my life.
5. I purchased my first home. The closing is this Friday, and I am extremely excited about it. Of course, for the sake of sanity, I really should have thought better of undergoing two of the most stressful events that one can experience all at the same time (bar exam and home purchase), but the timing seemed right, and I fell in love with my new condo. I expect to move a week from Monday, and all of my friends (especially AH, Daisy, and HASWOE) have been extremely helpful with decorating and logistics suggestions concerning the new place. The housewarming should be a lot of fun.
6. I start a brand new job the day after Labor Day. The job market is not too kind out there for recently graduated attorneys, so I consider myself lucky to have a position at a good firm. I am not so naive as to believe that my PhD had nothing to do with my procuring a position, but I suppose this is a benefit for having taken my lumps in getting my degree. And here I thought the 90s were a complete waste :-)
Whew! What a list! And most of these things only happened within the last 7 months! I still have a good 5 months of the year to go, and I anticipate that (for better or for worse), October 1 will be a banner date . This is the date that the results of the bar are announced. At least I can pretend that I passed for another 2 months. I know that, on that date, I will be checking the website, my heart beating through my chest in full on tachycardia. Good times.
I must mention that NONE of this would have been possible without the support of all of my friends here in Chicago (and some who are NOW in Chicago). The list includes Xander, Daisy, AH, Scuba Steve, Eddie, HASWOE, Missy, Ricedogg and wife of Ricedogg, Funniestthing and Julie, my brother, his fiance, and, most of all, my parents. You all are the best, and there were so many times during this last year where you did something that, while you might not have known it at the time, made a HUGE deal of difference in my life. Thank you.
Part II: The Summer Movie Season.
As I write this entry, "The Dark Knight" is a few million away from passing the $400 million barrier and I am basking in the glow of a really enjoyable summer movie season. I still remember the horrible movie season of 2006, a season that spilled over into 2007 with the yawn-inspiring releases of "Spider-Man 3", "Shrek 3", and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." And then, the summer picked up with the releases of "Order of the Phoenix", "Live Free or Die Hard", "The Bourne Ultimatum", and "The Simpsons Movie". This summer, there were relatively few clunkers. I think that I was able to avoid a lot of them simply by reading the ratings at rottentomatoes.com before making my movie going decisions. As for the rankings of the list, the list merely reflects my own feelings as to which films I believe really succeeded (for me) this summer. Of the top 5, 3 have been the subject of multiple viewings. I have not yet watched "Stepbrothers", "The Clone Wars", or "Death Race", but I will be seeing them soon enough. For the moment, here is my list of the top films of the summer.
1. "The Dark Knight": No surprise here. Director Christopher Nolan picked up where he left off with "Batman Begins" and created a comic book movie that was one in the truest sense of the word. The Nolan brothers crafted a story that perfectly captured the nuances of the Batman universe while grounding it in reality. Much was made of how movie goers were motivated to see the film because of the death of Heath Ledger, but I believe a lot of the excitement surrounding this film was the crossover appeal from their first film. This film had it all (dark humor, angst, a gripping storyline, twists and turns, and respect for the underlying mythology). I loved it. #1 with a bullet.
2. "Wall-E": Now, this film has been a controversial topic of conversation for my friends and I. I noticed something quite amusing. When I discussed the film with my married or "coupled" friends, they seemed to focus on the environmental message and the problem with Pixar's failure at even attempting subtlety. When I discussed the film with my single friends, they marveled at the romantic aspects of the film, the throwback nature of Wall-E and Eve's romance that harkened back to a more innocent time. What does that say about the existence of romance where people are already coupled? Maybe nothing, but it was an interesting phenomenon nonetheless. I stand by my earlier review in which I stated that "Wall-E" is my favorite Pixar film. Time will tell; maybe "The Incredibles" will regain the top spot. Who knows.
3. "Iron Man": What do you get when you combine a top notch director, an Academy Award-winning cast, and a faithful comics adaptation updated for the 00s? You get "Iron Man", the best pure popcorn film of the summer. There was nothing particularly deep about "Iron Man", but it did have a minimal level of the requisite seriousness required to inspire Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) into acting for the good of all. With this film, Jon Favreau cemented his reputation as a versatile director who is as at home with comedy ("Elf") as he is with a big budget studio summer tentpole film. I only hope that Marvel Films can keep the same cast and crew together for "Iron Man 2". "Iron Man" also wins the award for the best post-credit sequence of the summer.
4. tie-"Wanted" and "The Incredible Hulk": First, "Wanted". I am rarely surprised by action films anymore. I think it is because most stories within the general action genre are rather hackneyed and poorly executed. "Wanted" changed the rules for action films. Rather than the Michael Bay meets Tony Scott look of 90s action films, "Wanted" takes the lessons learned from films such as "The Matrix" (stories and stunts) and marries them to the fun vibe from 80s action films. I cannot wait for the sequel. As for "The Incredible Hulk", I only know of one person who enjoyed Ang Lee's travesty from a few years ago (Eddie, how can you actually LIKE that piece of tripe?). Marvel Films got it right this time and created a "Hulk" film that marries the best of the comics with the nostalgia of the television show from the late 1970s. The action sequences are fun to watch and the story is grounded in the romance between Betty and Bruce. Ed Norton and Liv Tyler have the chemistry so sorely missing from the Jennifer Connelly-Eric Bana coupling from the earlier film. A lot of you never gave this film a chance in the theaters. Please do so when it comes to video. It deserves to be seen (maybe as a double feature with "Iron Man", goven Robert Downey Jr.'s cameo as Tony Stark in "Hulk").
5. "Sex and the City": Now, I know that a lot of people (women and men alike) might disagree with this ranking, but I stand by it. Although I enjoyed it as a good sequel to the television series of the same name, there was nothing in the film that could not have been done for the small screen. Michael Patrick King fell into the trap of most small screen directors in failing to take advantage of the big screen. I expected New York to "pop", and I expected something more than just another good story about Samantha, Charlotte, Carrie, and Miranda. That is not to say that I did not enjoy the story. It is just that, in a summer of great films, this was just adequate. It is exactly what it should have been-but nothing more. That having been said, I would see another "SATC" film. There...I said it.
6. "Hellboy: The Golden Army": Wow-"Hellboy" is kinda low, huh? I suppose this comes from the little known factor of the forgettable film-those films that are good and enjoyable when you watch them but then fall away from your memory the minute you leave the theater. I felt this way about "Hellboy" and "Get Smart". "Hellboy" had wonderful visuals, a great story, and wonderful acting. With all that having been said, I did not really give the film a second thought upon leaving the theater. I would recommend it for a fun evening, but my thoughts following "Hellboy" were a far cry from my thoughts after my first screening of "The Dark Knight." When I left "The Dark Knight", the film was in my thoughts for hours. Indeed, I had numerous phone calls from people who accompanied me to that film just so they could discuss the film...hours after the fact. "Hellboy"? Not so much.
7. "Get Smart": I thoroughly enjoyed this film, but like "Hellboy", this is a film that just fell away from me after I left the theater. I loved the story, I loved the fact that Max was not an incompetent boob, I LOVE Anne Hathaway (seriously...I love her), and I appreciated the various homages the film paid to its inspiration-the Mel Brooks-Buck Henry-Don Adams series of the 1960s. With this having been said, this could just as easily been a rental.
8. "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull": I must admit to being a bit surprised myself with how low I ranked this film. At the time of my earlier review, I was still reeling from the horrible experience of "Speed Racer", so perhaps my mood upon watching the film was simply one of relief for seeing something familiar. However, familiar just doesn't cut it when you are up against some truly good films. As the summer went on, Dr. Henry Jones' latest adventure just does not measure up. It just seemed like lazy filmmaking where the writer (in this case, George Lucas) was playing it safe and not taking any chances. Sometimes that can work, and Harrison Ford ably recaptured his glory days with his performance. Unfortunately, in the end, that simply was not enough. I had the distinct impression that I had seen it all before. Whereas this film would have been a blockbuster in the 1980s, a small part of me would prefer to believe that we were still more sophisticated than THAT...but then I remember how much I enjoyed "Rocky IV" and I cringe.
I will not rank the other film I saw this summer. That would be "Speed Racer". The less said about that travesty the better. Let's hope that the Wachowskis find their way...and soon.
So I did not see "The Happening", "Kung Fu Panda", "Prince Caspian", and "Hancock." Maybe that is why I enjoyed the summer as much as I did. I still have high (heh) hopes for "Pineapple Express" and "Tropic Thunder" as well as "Stepbrothers", but the real big films of the summer have come and gone. It was a good summer, and next summer looks to be pretty good as well if for no other reason than I will NOT be studying for the bar exam.
The rest of the year still looks to be fun, with "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", "Righteous Kill", and "Quantum of Solace" coming in the fall. Stay tuned for more reviews, and let me know what else you might want me to write about.
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