Brain Stew

I am not sure what it is, but when I see guys wearing these damn stupid bluetooth headsets I just want to walk up to them and POP them in the back of the head. People who wear these things either a) think that their crap don't stink, b) overvalue their importance to society or c) have incredibly small privates. By the way, I have never observed a woman wearing one of these, which seems to disprove my theory that women are supremely less intelligent than men.

Sure, I get the idea of wearing these things in your car. That makes sense. But why in the name of Kelly Clarkson do you need this thing strapped to your ear as you get your cup of coffee, or schlep around the mall or watch your kids ball game on a Sunday afternoon. Get over yourself moron. You really look like an idiot.

My head is going to explode

Feeling like crap. I have stuff to say, but my head feels like it's going to explode. I will post again tomorrow. I watched a couple of good movies over the weekend. I will talk about them later. Ben OUT

I have Jolie fever

Ok I take back everything I said yesterday. It is never worth it to watch a crappy movie to see Angelina Jolie. Mr & Mrs. Smith was probably one of the worst movies of 05'. Everything was just done wrong. Even the action scenes weren't that good. Don't see this movie for any reason.
Direction: 2 Cinematography: 3 Acting: 2 Overall: 2

I have to go. I have to go get ready to go to the game. I have a busy weekend. Tomorrow going to the parents. Then we leave and go out for Chinese new year. It's a yearly tradition. 8 days to the Big Dance.
Ben OUT

Meat Week?

I didn't get a chance to finish M. I liked the first half that I watched. Tonight I'm going to watch Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Now listen I know this movie sucks. I won't lie I'm watching it for 2 reasons. My wife wanted to see it and Angelina Jolie. I mean come on who wouldn't want to watch her run around firing guns for 2 hours? I know this is shameless but I have to watch some crappy movies once in a while. If I'm going to watch crap I might as well enjoy the view. HA HA!! Well I have to run.

I had a thought today. I am a vegetarian. Well I read a blog where the guy was a veg for 10 years. One day he just started eating meat. Now he says he will never go back to veggies. So anyways I am considering eating meat for one week. The only catch is that I have to meet my goal weight. I am about 40 pounds off so it will not be until the summer. I am thinking I might make it the week of my family reunion. We will see. I think I will over think it and chicken out (ha ha get it chicken out.) If I do this I am going to just pig out on meat (another cheesy pun). AAAAAHHH I don't know if I should. If I do it is only for a week. I am going to make a list of everything that I like and eat every single thing. I have a while to contemplate this radical idea.

Going to see arena football tomorrow. It should be fun. Plus the tickets are free. Ben OUT

P.S. Jim Gaffigan is one of the funniest comedians there is right now. He has a special on Comedy Central Sunday at 9 p.m. I highly recommend it. Very Funny!

The wrath of the evil nuns

The Magdalene Sisters was horrendous. I don't see how anybody could enjoy this film. I did not like this movie on any level. The whole thing from beginning to end was just poorly done. I couldn't really find one thing positive about this film. In it's place I would recommend Girl, Interrupted. A similar story, but much more interesting. The problem with this movie is that there was no emotional connection to any of the characters. There was a brief explanation to why they were sent to this "asylum"/rehab center and then that was it. I didn't have a problem with the subject matter. It was just like who cares if these girls are abused and demoralized. Next. I can't recommend this movie to anyone unless for some reason they had family who experienced the wrath of the evil nuns. Direction: 2 Cinematography: 1 Acting: 1 Overall: 1

So in the coming future I might have a couple of guest bloggers. So we will see how that will go. I am looking forward to some fresh views. One more week until "Big Ben" can shine. That one is for you Johnny boy.


Going to bed to watch a classic M. It stars one of my favorite actors Peter Lorre. Who I feel is one of the best actors of his generation. He had such good comedic timing and a truly original voice. He had the ability to make you laugh at moments when you shouldn't be laughing. He stars in one of my favorite comedies of all time Arsenic & Old Lace. If you haven't seen this classic run to your local video store or Netflix it right away.

Tomorrow the dreaded treadmill for me. 3 times a week and then I will change it to everyday. Come February I have to switch into attack mode with my weight loss. I am going to win this thing unless it kills me first. Ben OUT

I do it with my knees

Today was just a long blur. Once again we were 2 guys short at work. It is annoying. Found out some cool news today at work. Our largest manufacturer is doing a promotion. For every 25 units you sell the company gets an entry into a pool for a new Jeep Wrangler. We decided that if we win we will sell it and split the money. I could use 2500 bucks for doing nothing.

So today I tried to hula hoop. My wife made me do it. Well I found out that I do it better with my knees. This isn't the conventional way, but hey whatever works right? I am pysched I finally went on the treadmill. Yeah!! I shouldn't get very excited. I ran for 15 minutes. Hey I'll get to an hour like I want.

Last night I started to watch Magdalene Sisters. I just couldn't get into it. I am going to finish it tonight. I have a feeling I am not going to like it. We will see. Hey Cristela! If you are reading this yes I did have an "accident" on Christmas Eve. What can I say?

I really don't watch TV that much anymore. All my entertainment time is devoted to Netflix. The only shows I watch are American Idol, Miami Ink, FUEL (skateboarding shows), and the best one is Wife Swap. This show is amazing. The families they get on here are a bunch of wackos. It is so great because they always pair them up with their worst enemy. If you have not seen this show you have to give it a try. Ben OUT

I am John Smith

I saw a beautifully shot film today. Although I am told by my history teacher friend that it is not historically accurate, but I really don't care. I enjoyed this film a lot. After leaving the film the more I thought about it the more I liked it. The New World was not just a movie, it was an experience. I loved the way this film was shot and edited. It is definitely Oscar worthy in that department. What amazed me was the maturity and ability of this new 15 year old actress Q'Orianka Kilcherhttp. Her scenes with Farrell were very intimate and sincere, but not in a dirty way. Their love for each other was very believable. Isn't she gorgeous? I like the way this movie was directed. It really made you feel like you were back at this period in history. Mallick really made up for that mediocre film he last did The Thin Red Line. Now just to warn everyone this film is long, running at 2 1/2 hours. I don't feel like the movie dragged. Everything in this film is necessary to get you to the point of understanding the situation and the characters. I applaud Mallick for not depicting the Indians as ignorant or blood thirsty savages. Bravo on this whole film. One of my top ten favorites of 2005.
Directing: 9 Cinematography: 10 Acting: 7 Overall:9

Today was cool jetted out of work early. Went to see The New World. Then got some very good pizza at Ciro's in Happaugue. Now I'm going to watch The Magdalene Sisters. Ben OUT

I thought I was going to die!

I have to go over a couple of movies I have seen recently. I'm not going to go in depth with all of them. Who am I kidding. HA HA. I will give a rating though.

Now I have nothing against political movies or movies that want to make a social statement. If anything I am all for them. After saying this though I recently watched The Life of David Gale which I kind of liked. I had heard very good things about this movie. The thing that I had a problem with is that Spacey's character is not a likeable guy, so it is very hard for the viewer to really care that this guy is going to die. Like in Dead Man Walking you got to know Penn's character and you cared about the guy. I don't know it just seemed like everything was kind of thrown together. I like Laura Linney but I always like her. Even with her though you didn't really feel like you knew her, like all of the characters in this film. I guess I enjoyed the film on a lukewarm level. I didn't like the ending it totally didn't fit. So I guess unless you really like the actors or have a strong opinion about the death penalty then this movie probably isn't for you. Direction: 5 Cinematography: 5 Acting: 6 Overall: 5.5

Now to a very good film. One of the most overlooked movies of 2002 Spider. How this movie did not receive more recognition is beyond me. Ralph Fiennes is once again excellent. This is probably his best role ever. He is very believable as a mentally ill person. The story is very complex. Multiple viewings of this movie would probably be wise. Cronenberg is once again genius. He doesn't point you in one certain direction but lets you almost become spider. The story is subjective so everyone who watches this film will have a different opinion. Some reviews have said it is similar to Memento but I don't think so at all. Two totally unique movies but not that much alike. I love the coloring of the scenes and the way this movie was shot. VERY VERY GOOD!! This movie is not for those who want action, fast paced dialogue or anything typical. This movie is far from typical. If you like Hollywood movies you will NOT like this movie. Direction: 8 Cinematography: 7 Acting: 8 Overall: 8

Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills
This is one of the best doc's I have seen. It is chilling to think that these kids were probably wrongfully convicted. It just goes to show how unjust our system is. These kids are poor so they are guilty. O.J. Simpson is a millionaire and he is innocent. Oh well definitely worth watching. Very interesting. Direction: 8 Cinematography: 8 Acting: even though this is a doc there a lot of funny characters in here that you would hope were acting but they are not. Overall: 9

Melinda and Melinda This movie was just awful. Now I'm not saying this because it's a Woody Allen movie. I like Woody. This movie doesn't work on any level. Amanda Peet is a terrible actress. She should not be allowed to make movies anymore. How does she still continue to get work? I mean are directors really that desperate to find actors? Everyone else sucks, the script sucks, the acting sucks, the movie sucks. C'mon Woody we all know you are capable of better than this. Direction: 4 ( I know a 4 seems high after everything I just said, but this is Woody I can't be to harsh on him as a director. Cinematography: 3 Acting: 2 Overall: 3

So I'm out doing the grocery shopping and there is like nobody there. I get in my car and start to drive away. Now this is a HUGE parking lot. I pull out of my spot and start driving. When I turned my car on a green camaro pulled in by the light. Well I'm driving down one lane and he is driving on the next lane over. All of a sudden he just pulls right in front of me and I had to hit my brakes pretty hard. I thought I was going to die! This was one of the strangest things that has ever happened to me while driving. I mean literally out of nowhere he just pulls across parking spaces towards the front of my car. For no reason. I flashed him and gave him a few choice words and then continued to drive out of the parking lot. I figured if this guy is crazy enough to do that, then he is probably capable of doing a lot worse. So bizarre. I swear if I had a beater I would have smashed right into him. I hate people who drive camaros. What a joke. Ben OUT

Big Ben

This is the best time of year for sports. The NFL playoffs are so enjoyable to watch. I was half right on my predictions. Big Ben had another truly great performance. It is amazing that he is a 2nd year QB. I mean I didn't think Seattle would win let alone dominate the entire game. This should make for a pretty good Super Bowl. I am rooting for Pittsburgh. I would like to see Bettis win one in his final year. He deserves it more than anyone else on either two teams.

Well short post I am going to go to bed early. Have to get up in about 7 hours. Ben OUT

Never Again

Today I experienced the movie equivalent of the deepest parts of hell and than rose up to heaven. Let me explain. For Christmas I got a ton of gift certificates. I got 3 movie gift certificates which I loved. Anyways today me and the wife decided to go see 2 movies. I got to pick one and then she picked one out. Let's start with mine. I chose Capote which was great. Philip Seymour Hoffman is my hero. I love him. He completely transforms himself into every character he gets to play. I mean you don't even know your watching him. He should win every award there is for acting. This was a very impressive first movie for director Bennett Miller. It will be hard to top this one. I enjoyed this movie a lot. Catherine Keener and Clifton Collins Jr. gave a couple of nice performances as well. Direction: 8 Cinematography: 8 Acting: 10 (mainly for Philip) Overall: 9

Now for the second movie. If this had been the first movie I had ever seen I would never watch another one again. This movie could make you lose complete faith in the movie making process. Tristan & Isolde was absolutely horrendous. The surprising thing is that this is from the director who did The Count of Monte Cristo which I loved. Everything was wrong about this movie. The cinematography was just plain bad. The script was like an after school special. The acting was lousy. Probably one of my biggest movie pet peeves is bad accents. Ok this is supposed to be the Irish against England. Ok from the Irish side only one person had a good accent. Isolde who is supposed to be the Princess of Ireland doesn't even have a hint of an Irish accent. Not even close. Then there is Franco who is from England. His accent is so bad. It goes in and out. It's like are we really supposed to believe that these are people from their respective countries. Note to any directors who are going to do a period piece from another country. At least hire actors who are from those countries. Or spend money on a voice coach. The best part of this movie was watching two hot actors in James Franco and Sophia Myles. Direction: 2 Cinematography: 2 Acting: 2 Overall: 2 Please do yourself a favor and never watch this piece of garbage.

Well overall today was a good day. I slept till 11:30. Watched a great movie. Had good food. Won a bet with my wife. She went to a shoe store in between movies. I saw a pair that I really liked but she explained how she couldn't wear them because the heel was too big. So I left it alone. During dinner I brought them up again. Well once again she explained that she would never wear them because they would make her taller than me. Which isn't true. Anyways she said that it was a 5" heel and I said no way it was like 3" or 4". So the wager was on. She set it at $40 which I immediately agreed to. We bought a ruler then headed back to the shoe store for the big measurement. Well it came in at 4". I was right and she is out $40. I guess her ability to judge size is a positive for me HA HA. I told her the moral to this story is don't gamble with me because you will lose. BWAHHHAAAHAAHAHA

Looking forward to the football games tomorrow. My prediction is Pittsburgh and Carolina move on to the Big Dance. Ben OUT

I love Birds!!

I finished two incredible docs last night. The first was The March of the Penguins. This movie was not as good as the hype. But after saying that I truly enjoyed this film. This sounds like a contradiction, but I can explain. The critics hailed this movie as the best doc ever. It was not. So lets try this rating thing. Direction: 8 Cinematography: 8 Acting: hello people these are animals. Overall: 8

The second film was Winged Migration. Now this movie was even better than the aforementioned. I can not get some of the sequences out of my brain. This was an absolutely incredibly shot film. Probably the best of all time for a doc. I highly recommend this film to anyone who likes nature. The only drawback (slight as it may be) is that the film is a little slow. Direction: 9 Cinematography: 11 Acting: we already went over this. Overall: 10

So there you have it my two first movie reviews. Hopefully in the future I can perfect this process a little more.

Still feeling like crap but things are getting a little better. I have to have to have to get on the treadmill this weekend. Ben OUT

P.S. I can not even begin to describe how much I am in love with the new Ms. Apple's CD. It is heavenly. Buy it now if you have any sense left in you.

Today is going to be a short post. I feel like a pile of poop today. I have a bad head cold. I can barely breathe. I just want this to go away.

I am doing this contest at work. We are copying the Biggest Loser. There are ten contestants who all put in $20 towards the final prize. Basically the person who loses the biggest percentage of body weight wins the whole pot. We started on Jan 3rd and as of yesterday I was down 11 1/2 pounds. Which is pretty good. I could do better but I have not been able to run on the treadmill because of this stupid cold.

Well I'm going to run. I have a couple of movies I'm going to attempt and finish. March of the Penguins and Winged Migration. So far I am half way through both and they are quite good. Ben OUT

My First Blog

Ok I still am undecided as to how the format of this blog is going to end up. So for now it is going to be lame. Nobody will read this anyways so basically I can write whatever I feel like jabbering on about at that given time. Now I can move on.

I would like to write reviews about movies, music and games. But since I have no review writing skills I probably will try to come up with a rating system. What the scale to rate these things will end up being I have no idea. I think for movies I would like to break it down into different categories. For example: Directing, Acting, Cinematography, Script, Overall. I hate when you see two movies and they both have 3 stars. So basically to a layman these movies are on equal footing. Like I can see a movie where the acting is incredible but the overall movie is horrendous. Like for example: I just recently watched Hustle & Flow. I didn't like the movie overall, but I would say that Terrence Howard was very good. So while I might rate the movie a 3 ( on a scale of 1-10) I would probably give the acting a 6 or 7. I think this is a much better way of rating a movie.

Now as for a CD it would probably just be one overall rating. With a video game which I probably will only put on here if it is REALLY good or REALLY bad will probably have categorized ratings.

Wow I thought that I lost this entire thing. I am still new to this so I went to preview it and I tried to go back I couldn't find anything. I hate that I don't know everything about this site yet. I read all these other blogs and I am envious of there mad skills.

I would like to possibly have a few friends also write reviews or just jabber and whine about nothing at all. I would like to have John F. write a political rant when he feels so inclined. To any future readers John is a W lover. So be kind to him. At least he is a Yankees fan which in my book is a free pass.

Ok how about those JETS!! I love Mangini!! Ok while I am definetly overreacting ( which is a necessary quality in a TRUE Jets fan ) this is a huge step in the right direction. I have to get this picture thing down. Oh well I will be better in the future.

Speaking about football what a wild game in Indy. I have never witnessed such a bizarre game in my entire life. You have to read this article. That is really funny. I have probably seen 95% of all NFL playoff games for the last 15 to 16 years so I have seen a lot of amazing games. This one is right up there. I couldn't be happier that Mr Manning got his come up-ins. ( I am hoping that his "little" brother Eli will always have the same luck come playoff games. Eli= 0-1 playoffs!!) I am looking forward to this weekends games. It should be fun.

Anyways enough about sports. I am going to wrap this one up. I am going to try as hard as possible to be faithful to posting every day. So as not to upset the masses (HA HA!!). Ben OUT