What I've Watched: The Hangover

All I heard for weeks on end was that The Hangover was the best comedy of the decade. Friends of mine on Facebook were ribbing me for not having seen it on opening weekend and even more stupid for waiting weeks and weeks to check it out.

Well, jackoffs, I saw it. And I have to say, I was not sold. This isn't to say the movie was bad. It was, in fact, a decent movie and had some great comedic bits in it. But best comedy of the decade? Far from it. Maybe it's my sensitivity on what I consider funny these days. Old School, Knocked Up, Pineapple Express, these were all great comedies and I can almost quote them verbatim, especially Old School.

Sadly, I just think Hangover relied on too many old tricks. For awhile, it did a great job of sticking to traditional humor of put-downs between guys and some slightly awkward scenes of guys being silly. But after awhile it fell back on stuff that I just don't think are particularly "fall out of your seat" kind of humor. The youngins today laugh nonstop at watching Ed Helms puke three times and Zack Galif-whatever be nearly naked. Me, I'm just not that into puke humor. Gotta sell me another way.

The Rain Man scene was awesome, and beyond the stuff with Mike Tyson and the tiger (which is not nearly as funny as this scene with someone wrestling an animal), the best part of the movie was the photo slideshow during the credits. That almost had me falling out of my chair. But when it's the credits that make you laugh that hard, it's probably a bad sign because you shouldn't have to wait 90 minutes for that kind of laughter in a comedy. Oh well, it was still a solid flik, and I will hopefully find more to enjoy when seeing it on cable.

What I've Watched: Blindsight

I miss rock climbing. Damn, I was good at it, and maybe I still am. Who knows, maybe it's like riding a bike. I've never camped before, not once, but watching movies like Blindsight makes me think it could be really fun. Especially if there was a goal like the summit of Mount Everest at the end of it. Just kickin it at the gorge in Kentucky just isn't enough.

Watching Blindsight is something you should do if you're just looking for a pure-hearted documentary. It starts with a guy named Erik Weihenmayer, who was the first blind person to scale Everest. Think about that for a second. Oh, hell, think about it for a few minutes. A blind guy climbed to the top of the highest peak on the planet (and seven of the other highest peaks in the world as well). I'm happy when I catch the train on time in the morning.

Erik then decides that as a confidence builder and life-changing experience, he's going to get guides and lead a team of 8 blind tibetan children to the top of Everest. Sounds crazy, right? We're talking about a mountain and an experience that kills even the most seasoned climbers. Read Into Thin Air and tell me I this sounds like a good idea for a bunch of young kids with no climbing experience.

Well, in the end the movie breaks down some stereotypes and also shows the insides to cultures I thought I knew about but clearly only the surfaces. Gives you a better understanding of the power of giving yourself something to strive for that may be bigger than you can think possible.

Hello Takoma Park: Finishing Touches

Sure, we still have a lot to do to make the house perfect. The walls still lacks art, and there are plenty of little projects littered throughout the home to pursue, but one thing is for sure, one of the most important pieces of the home has been added. Lots of other houses have flags hanging from them, but now we are representing the Wildcats with pride and show the neighborhood we are not to be trifled with.

Game On: Week of July 24

Here is the link to this week's column.

The games I reviewed this week: Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Trailer Love 6

A movie that I had not heard much about but now have read up on more, The Cove looks like an important documentary on the issue of whaling and animal rights. Primarily it focuses on the work of Ric O'Barry, who trained the dolphins for the TV show, "Flipper." Decades later, he regrets that work and now strives to bring to light fishing and whaling atrocities that ensnare dolphins or outright targets them for slaughter. The trailer makes the documentary look more like a Bourne film almost, but in either case I will definitely be making time to check this film out.

Man Card Member, No. 404431, Issue 2

My renewing of the Man Card continues. Last night it was getting home in time to mow the lawn for the first time. Two and a half weeks into the new home, and I finally got around to cutting the grass. It wasn't crazy deep or anything like that, but it was still pretty hefty. Then I watered the half of the lawn that needs some fertilizer to keep it growing. Oh, and then I grilled pork chops on the grill with a marinade I made myself. Oh yeah, I kick some ass.

What I've Watched: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

It's amazing how good going to the movies feels when you realize you have not been in a really long time. Sure, there are tons of movies out right now that I really do want to see, but I've just not had the time and so I have been making do with massive Netflix viewings. But I was able to free up a couple hours to see the new Harry Potter movie, since it's been tradition that the wife and I go on opening weekend, and to let her down now would mean I'd have to sleep outside with all the bugs and I am not up for that.

Being the sixth movie and with only two more left (they are splitting the final book into two films, in case you hadn't heard), this means that the Half-Blood Prince was probably going to leave me with more questions than answers. Well it did. I guess I could be one of those millions of people who actually read the books themselves, but I am way too busy reading other stuff and my interest in the story and characters is quenched just fine by the films, thank you very much.

For those who grew up with the books and the subsequent movies, I bet they are interesting and fun to watch. I do wonder how those parents with kids around 9 or 10 are feeling about these movies, though, because they are by no means easy going. People are dying, the plot is getting more and more depressing and dark, and beyond your typical teenage puberty-induced recognition of the opposite sex, there is not much in the light-hearted, family film nature within this movie. It's one thing to have aged along with the actors who are playing these characters; you get used to it as the movies progress. Jumping in now at a younger age has got to be inducing some nightmares in these kids.

Seeing the movie in our new local cineplex was nice. At least it didn't turn out to be the talk/cell/text fest that Gallery Place or Bethesda theaters have become. The only real weirdness (and I have heard it from others) is that males are getting a little too into Emma Watson. I don't deny that she's cute and probably going to be quite the looker in years to come, but I'm getting a little weirded out listening to guys in the theater start talking about nailing that girl. It's just creepy.

In any event, the movie itself was tense and while I still wish I could see more of Alan Rickman (love that guy) and Helena Bonham Carter (ditto for the gal), I think the final two movies are going to be a great finale to a fantastic film franchise. I just wish they treated Marvel and DC franchises this well.

What I've Watched: Frozen River

If nothing else, you should see this movie because rarely do you get to see a female-dominated story that has nothing to do with 27 bridesmaid dresses, Julia Roberts, teen pregnancy or trying to fall in love with the guy who is your best friend and you two just didn't know that it was love and not friendship. And best of all, it's a movie that is pretty darn good.

Frozen River is also the rare film that has strongly written female leads in a compelling and present-day tale of economics and race. Ray and Lila have an unusual and needed friendship that relies on trust, which neither of them has. Ray (Melissa Leo in her Oscar-nominated role) is making every end meet in order to raise her two children and make payments on everything from keeping the TV to a new house. The house is a double-wide, not some McMansion. There is a daily urgency in her passion to keep her youngest believing in the mystery of their lives while her oldest fights to become the man of the house while possessing no real maturity to do so. Lila delivers a natural understanding to the native communities and their own struggles, which are one-in-the-same with Ray's but yet rooted in a completely different perspective.

They are both searching for a form of freedom, and therefore their decision to partner together (even if not by choice) makes perfect sense while their scheme is wrought with tensions and pitfalls. Whether they achieve their goals is for you to watch and discover, but I can say the 90 or so minutes is worth the viewing.

Game On: Week of July 17

As many of you know, I write a weekly video game column reviewing the latest releases across all the platforms. Well, Kelly and others were saying it's stupid that I don't promote myself and the column in this space, so here we go. I am going to make a point to start passing along links to my column. And my hopes are to share links to the various newspapers across the country that run my column.

This week's column: Fight Night Round 4, The Bigs 2.

Trailer Love 5

Sweet heavens I cannot wait for this movie to come out. This trailer was just a joke teaser from the Rodriguez/Taratino Grindhouse double feature, but it's gotten such acclaim for how hilarious and cool a full-length film could be, they are actually making the damn thing. I love it. De Niro and Jonah Hill just signed on to costar, and filming begins in two months. I'm thrilled. Estatic. Cannot wait.

What I've Watched: When We Left Earth

I actually watched this miniseries from the Discovery Channel months ago, but since this is the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, I thought I would toss out this review now.

Watching a beautifully edited miniseries about NASA and its quest to reach the moon, it definitely left me in awe of the men and women who did this kind of work and the enormous amounts of physical and emotional stress those astronauts experienced. Seeing all this in Blu-Ray format is something I highly recommend. I can definitely see Kelly and Douglass getting into a DVD set like this. The three of us always talk about random programs we have watched on Discovery, National Geographic or History channels, so I think they would dig it. Plus, Douglass all but has stars and stripes tatooed on his chest so an all-American video like this is right in his wheelhouse.

Unfortunately my appreciation of space travel and exploration is marred by the Discovery and Challenger explosions. The Challenger explosion is perhaps the first real "Where were you when ...?" moments of my life and probably my generation. But even those terrible moments don't detract from the amazement I feel when listening to these guys talk about what they went through, and the beauty of seeing the videos of the first space walks and the famed Earthrise photo, still considered 40 years later as perhaps the most influential environmental photo ever taken. So make a point to watch this DVD series. You won't be disappointed.

Parental Advice for the O'Neills, Part 3

OK, it's time for the third and final installment of parenting advice for Dan and Ashley. If you missed parts 1 and 2, check them out. Good luck, Seamus, your parents may need it.

What I've Watched: Crips and Bloods: Made in America

Growing up, I listened to a lot of west coast rap. NWA, Ice Cube, Ice T and others. I'll be honest, I thought the lyrics were cool and the beats even better. It was just great music to play football and basketball to in my neighborhood. My friends and I once watched Colors and we thought the movie was crazy and no way could it be true. But let's be honest also, I was a white middle-class kid from Kentucky, so it's not like I really knew what the hell they were talking about.

Obviously as I have grown older and read more and watched more to educate myself on this world of ours, I get to experience some mediums that better open my eyes to how certain cultures are created. And the story of the Bloods and the Crips, the most violent gang rivalry in American history, is one that cannot be overlooked when discussing eras in our nation's history where we have failed a large number of our citizens.

It's not a perfect documentary, by any means. Too many times the film seems to give a free pass to the gangs simply because of America's racist history. I completely see how the poverty-stricken culture and psychologies prevalent throughout South Central were fomented by the uber-racist housing policies, a lack of job creation and an equally racist police department. Where the film fails is properly challenging the gang members and others interviewed about how all of this pervades and continues when so many of them seem to want to change but are not asked why they do not.

It's definitely a documentary worth seeing, if nothing else for besides the interesting lesson in how these gangs were created, it briefly but importantly touches upon the 1965 and 1992 riots in Los Angeles. These riots were not random events by a bunch of miscreants. Here were large communities pushed to a brink and having a flash point ignite their rage. Plus, I think for a bunch of us midwesterners and others who thought the rap we listened to back then was just for show or money or whatever, it's worth seeing that there is real pain and anger behind it.

Stacy Peralta made a great doc his first time out with Dogtown and Z Boys. This time he tackles a more precarious subject, which is not one to avoid but to dig deeper into to truly understand the problems and potential solution. Sadly we only skim the surface here.

Man Card Member, No. 404431

Renewed the man card tonight. No, I didn't get as fancy as some people and replace an entire floor in my house. But I did participate in one of the quintessential American male activities. I put together a grill. And not some basic black thing you get for $20 at K-Mart. No way, people, I went big time. This Weber grill is some serious action. Time to break this sucker in with some steak and a baked potato.

Return of the Cans

In many ways society is bring back some fashion and attitudes of the '80s. I'm not going to complain about all of this, because I never had to worry about wearing leg warmers. Plus, they are making boomboxes again that fit iPods, and I won't lie that owning one of those while watching the fellas skate or while playing cornhole would be pretty damn cool.

Something I am not thrilled about seeing back in the daily spotlight is the gigantic can headphones. I admit to owning a pair of Bose noise-canceling ones, but I only use them on airplanes or Amtrak when on travel. These days I am seeing people rock them out on the sidewalk or on the Metro. People going through the zoo or reading a magazine in a coffee shop. Frankly, I just don't see it.

We have iPods and tiny little media players and you can buy plenty of nice in-ear buds or chesticles (as Kelly coined them) that do the job just fine and make music or podcasts or whatever the hell you are listening to sound great. Lugging around these enormous headphones has got to be a pain in the ass. Plus, being able to hear sounds around you (oncoming buses, lurkers, a friend before they are kidnapped, whatever) is an important aspect of living in the city. I cannot underestimate how crucial it is to paying attention to what is around you in DC (or any other city, really). Bike messengers are out for blood it seems, tourists have no idea where they are going, city buses have no regard for pedestrians, you just need to be able to pay attention and keep your head on a swivel.

Twice in the last week I have seen people with these things on completely missing out on the world. When one of my trains was emptied for mechanical failure, she stayed on the train long afterward because she couldn't hear the conductor's instructor. Everyone mocked her as she sat oblivious before the cop finally roused her. Two days later I saw a guy living in his can-head world on the train platform blocking the escalator while four people yelled at him to step aside. I thought he was gonna get shoved onto the third rail, these folks were so pissed.

Just not sure that Taylor Swift or Twilight book on tape is worth the facial you might receive from city transit.

Parental Advice for the O'Neills, Part 2

It's time for another installment of Parenting Advice for the O'Neills, complementary of their good friend Chris. The first edition was a hit, so here we go with another round of images showing them the right path to bringing up Seamus.

Parental Advice for the O'Neills, Part 1

Now that baby Madeleine is with the clan here in DC, I thought it appropriate to give Dan and Ashley some friendly advice on how to properly take care of Maddy. Not that I don't trust them to handle the pressure, but if we can't get Seamus off to a good start, there's no telling what might happen. So here's part 1.