Indiana Jones 4 Review

Okay, so we went to see Indiana Jones - the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull last Thursday afternoon.

Pretty good stuff. Worthy of being with the other three films.

Now, it's not perfect. It takes the pulp aspects of the Indy films more than a bit too far in several instances. For example, when Mutt Williams (Shia LeBouf) swings through the vines of the jungle trees just like Tarzan, complete with monkeys swinging with him. That was just epically stupid. Or how Indy survives a test nuclear blast. There's a dash of logic to that one, but it's a bit hard to swallow. Or multiple falls down rather large and apparently rocky waterfalls.

But then again, this is a world in which the Ark of the Covenant is not only real, but has intense magical power and is kept in a wharehouse in Area 51. So let's be honest; this isn't the most realistic of worlds we are dealing with here.

But it was fun. It was thoroughly enjoyable and ultimately, that's about all you can ask for when it comes to an Indiana Jones movie. Harrison Fords owns that character. Even LeBouf did a pretty good job playing the greaser stereotype (well, on the outside anyway, there are actually glimpses of more inside his character).

It'll be on my DVD shelf next to the original three when the time comes. Brilliant film? No. A whole lot of fun? Heck yeah.

Just the most beautiful baby!

These are from the third photosession we did with Lorelei. There are also family pictures, but you don't really want to see my ugly mug, do you? Let's just keep it to the pictures of the most beautiful and talented and intelligent baby in the whole wide world!

Ironman: movie review

Well, we dropped off Sweet Pea with her grandma and grandpa and took in Ironman (we also hit other errands afterwards, but hey, like you care!).

It lived up to the hype as far as I was concerned. Very well constructed film with tight editing, excellent special effects (not always easy to tell where the digital Ironman began and the practical man-in-suit ended) and very sharp acting.

Robert Downey Jr. was excellent as Tony Stark. He brought a certain flippant gravitas to the role. I know, flippant gravitas, what the hell? Downey Jr. was able to be serious as required but also the playboy that is late because he's "doing a Vanity Fair piece." In that case, piece of ass...great line by the way. His transformation didn't seem in-depth, but did seem believable enough and real enough.

I find personally that the great cinematic actors have very expressive eyes. As in somehow, they are able to let you into their character's soul with their eyes. Downey I think is able to do that here.

So excellent film, great way to start off the summer blockbuster season. Don't forget to stay until the final scene after the credits...

Three Summer Movies

There are a number of films I'm looking forward to. Indiana Jones, Wall-e, and The Dark Night are just three of them. We actually have a list of the films we both want to see, starting with Ironman, on the our computer desk whiteboard. Thought I'd drop a few poster images here of the three that I think I'm most excited about.

*EDIT* Just saw the newest Dark Knight poster and had to replace the old one with the new one...

Relearning to be a husband

One of the things I didn't really expect after Amanda gave birth to Lorelei was the fact I would have to learn how to be a husband all over again. Okay, not totally, but enough that I feel like it's true.

I have to make sure I continue to give Amanda enough attention, and the right kind of attention, while not neglecting Lorelei either. I can't just treat her like a mother, she's also my wife and best friend too.

Kissing for example. There's a big difference between how you kiss your mother, your daughter and your wife. It's all too easy to ignore one or more of those things. To start kissing your wife like she's your mom/daughter. As in, on the forehead, on the cheek, but never on the lips. You know what I mean? And you can't just treat your wife like that, as a wife, because she's now a mother too.

It's kinda hard. I didn't really expect it, though I suppose I should have. We're working on it all though!

A rough couple of weeks over

A few weeks back, someone that was very near and dear to friends of mine passed away, Amanda Combs. I barely knew her, met her at the last LA GenCon, she seemed cool enough. But she must have been special to see how her passing affected Jim and Eric H. I hope they managed to find some closure in her memorial services.

A week ago, four Walnut HS kids passed away and another is in the hospital. They were driving too fast, may not have been wearing seatbelts, and crashed going to a church youth group function. Two were current students (though one only technically, he was taking classes at Mt.SAC), two were graduates, and the survivor is a junior here. I knew him and the kid taking JC classes. I've been okay, but it's been kinda rough at school, especially my English 4 Sheltered class, since so many of those kids knew them.

But things should get better now.

A few things

It's weird how much a game can preoccupy your mental processes. I'm in a Vampire LARP and there are days when my brain just returns to thinking about some element or other of the game whenever my brain seems to have a free moment. Strange.

We'll be taking Lorelei to see my grandmother and aunt and uncle in Tucson next week. I'm really excited about it. In a weird way it's like I've accomplished something. That now I'm really a grown-up.

I don't know when the last time they even held a baby was.

I just hope little Lorelei does well with the 7 to 8 eight hour car trip. I think she'll be okay; with a bit of luck the car will lull her to sleep for most of the trip. She does love to be held though, so we'll see...