Entertainment Guide: Summer Movie Review(s)

It's been a long time since I've done much in the way of movie reviews. A few weeks ago, I did review the Dark Knight and Journey to the Center of the Earth. Prior to that, it looks like my previous reviews can be found here from May. I have watched many movies (lots of DVDs and a few in the theaters). So here's what you can expect in this post...number of stars (out of 5) and a few short lines about all movies. Without further ado, the movies I've watched since the start of the summer (sans Iron Man, Prince Caspian, and the Orphanage which I reviewed in May).

The Great Debaters - 3 1/2; An excellently acted and scripted film. Fairly predictable, but that doesn't take away from the power it has. Worth the viewing.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - 4; Didn't quite meet my sky-high expectations, but still was a very enjoyable movie. The setting works. The references to the past works. The story may be far-fetched, but so have the previous installments. A solid adventure.

Reign Over Me - 3 1/2; A surprisingly good drama. True concern for the main characters (excellently acted by Don Cheadle and Adam Sandler) really drives this film.

Flawless - 2 1/2; Fairly slow...but the payoff at the end was interesting. Certainly not tense, but interesting heist flick. Michael Cain and Demi Moore star.

Diary of the Dead - 3; Didn't completely embrace the handheld footage concept. That said, it was an interesting way to view the zombie apocalypse. An enjoyable zombie flick though. George A. Romero directs.

The Brave One - 2 1/2; Not the best film ever. I'd rather have seen more cat-and-mouse between Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard. Death Sentence was the better revenge movie.

Semi-Pro - 1 1/2; Pretty much unfunny from start to finish. No real redeeming quality. Will Ferrell is just not a funny leading man.

Untraceable - 3; A decent thriller. A little predictable, but still entertaining. Definitely has a little Saw in it, though. Diane Lane stars.

Fool's Gold - 3 1/2; I was pleasantly surprised. Entertaining story, with a good mix of humor, action to balance the romantic comedy aspects. Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson star.

Atonement - 2; A decent start, but painfully boring after the first hour. Lots of walking around with music playing, and no real story. Nominated for best picture (how?).

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - 2; Solid acting, an overall decent story, but boringly executed. No action and way too bloody long. Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck star.

The Spiderwick Chronicles - 3 1/2; Not much explanation about the fantasy world, but a decently entertaining kids movie. Solid acting by Freddie Highmore.

In Bruges - 2 1/2; Occasional funny banter, but very slow. Falls well short of the coolness that is Snatch. Colin Farrell stars.

Vantage Point - 3 1/2; A fairly unique film. Reshowing the same event from different points of view gets a little repetitive, but the payoff is decent. Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, and Forrest Whitaker star.

Grandma's Boy - 3; I was in the mood for dumb comedy, and this movie worked for me. Enough funny points to make it enjoyable. Still a dumb comedy though.

Be Kind Rewind - 3 1/2; An entertaining movie from the get go. Jack Black avoids being annoying. Watching them refilm classics is pretty hilarious. Also stars Mos Def and Danny Glover.

The Ruins - 2; I was hoping for a Descent-like movie taking place in a Mayan ruin. It was nothing like that, and actually really dumb. Not scary at all.

Day of the Dead - 2; Super cheesy zombie flick. NOT a remake of Romero's Day of the Dead though. A small step (barely) above SciFi channel originals.

The Omega Man - 3; Fairly entertaining, but very dated (part of the entertainment, actually). The bad guys really weren't that terrifying. 2 versions down (I am Legend and this one), one to go (the last man on earth). Charlton Heston stars.

The Dark Knight - 5; In a word...awesome. I really have no complaints about this movie. Good plot, excellent acting, and overall phenomenal. Christian Bale and Heath Ledger star.

Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D - 4; Good solid family fun. Entertaining from start to finish. The 3D effects were pretty neat. Good for audiences of all ages. Brendan Fraser stars.

[more detailed review of TDK and Journey to the Center of the Earth in this post here.]

Conspiracy - 2 1/2; Pretty standard action movie. Nothing really new gets done here. Along the lines of First Blood. Val Kilmer stars in this direct to DVD film.

Charlie Bartlett - 3; I thought the character of Charlie was well developed and acted. The story as a whole was okay, but far from great. Drags a bit for the last half-hour. Anton Yelchin and Robert Downey Jr. star.

Team America: World Police - 2 1/2; Has it's moments of being humorous, but on the whole fairly dumb. I laughed, but don't really ever need to see it again. Not for the easily offended.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army - 4 1/2; A fantastical movie. Guillermo del Toro creates a fantasy world with great detail, and keeps the movie entertaining. I really like the Hellboy characters. Ron Perlman stars.

Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay - 2 1/2; Basically more of the same as the first. Not quite as good. Has moments, but not enough throughout the film.

The Bank Job - 3; A decent heist movie. Less about the actual job and more about the surrounding plot. Slow start, but well set-up in the end. Jason Statham stars.

The Final Season - 3; Your standard underdog sports movie. No real twists or surprises. Sean Astin stars.

Doomsday - 3; A silly action movie. Combination of Mad Max and Resident Evil (minus zombies, but same feel). I enjoyed it. Here's a hint to help: Do NOT think during the movie. Rhona Mitra stars.

The Exorcism of Emily Rose - 4; A surprisingly good movie. A solid mix of courtroom drama and supernatural. Highly recommend. Tom Wilkinson and Laura Linney star.

Flightplan - 2 1/2; Really not that great of a flick. Watching Jodie Foster freak out on a plane for an hour isn't really my idea of a good movie. Too long of a setup before the plot ever gets going. 21 - 3 1/2; Overall a solid movie. Gets a bit slow in the middle and is somewhat predictable throughout. Pretty good ending though. Worth the time.

Starship Troopers 3: Marauder - 2 1/2; This is what the sequel to Starship Troopers should have been (not the crapfest that was ST2: Hero of the Federation). Dumb, but entertaining. Still missing something from the original, but silly fun to watch.

Khartoum - 4; Surprisingly excellent movie. Charlton Heston plays a very memorable General Gordon. Action is well paced. Kingdom of Heaven (one man won't leave or back down from a stronger opponent) meets Zulu (outnumbered brave fighters...and 1960s style action).

Shutter - 2 1/2; What you expect from a Japanese style horror movie. On pace with the Grudge, but not as good as the Ring. Rachael Taylor was pleasant to watch though.

Street Kings - 3 1/2; Some predictably, but still a good film about dirty cops. Keanu Reeves and Forrest Whitaker star. Well, there you have it. My summer viewing with recommendations.

Best movie I saw all summer was The Dark Knight (5 stars). Followed by Hellboy II (4 1/2 stars), Indiana Jones, Exorcism of Emily Rose, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Khartoum (rest 4 stars). So if you haven't seen any of these be sure to check them out. Disagree, or did I miss a great movie this summer, let me know. Chances are I'll get around to it when the DVD hits.

Peace out home skillet.

Entertainment Guide: Fall TV Schedule

Summer is winding down, and the fall TV schedule is about to kick into full gear. Stations are beginning to heavily advertise the return of their hits and some of the new shows. Premieres begin throughout the entire month of September. I would hate for any of my faithful readers to enter this hectic time of year without knowing the Kyle Johnson approved viewing schedule. I will first give you the shows I will certainly be watching, followed by the newcomers of interest (ie. I'll give them an episode or two and see how it goes). Without further ado (all times EST)...

Monday
Chuck 8pm NBC - loved this show last year, and can't wait for it to return.

Heroes 9pm NBC - enjoyed last season for the most part (couple of subpar story lines)

honorable mentions: How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men, 8:30 & 9 pm CBS...best sitcoms out there, but I prefer the NBC lineup, leaving these as back-up channels or repeat viewings.

Tuesday
NCIS 8pm CBS - my favorite of the cop/crime scene shows, right amount of humor and seriousness
Eureka 8pm SciFi - cool show, and has reairs at midnight (10pm in my time zone), so I can watch both of these shows

Wednesday Bones 8pm FOX - another forensic/crime show with good humor and excellent chemistry between the main characters

Note: I bowl on Wednesday, so I can only watch the early show(s).

Thursday
Grey's Anatomy 9pm ABC - not nearly as good as the first two years, but I'm still faithful to it

Friday
Nothing recommended on network stations. Probably should rent a movie, or go out, or something.

Saturday College Football

Sunday
Sunday Night Football NBC
The Amazing Race 8pm CBS - best reality show out there
Family Guy 9pm FOX - hilarious, irreverent take on all things

Those are the shows I will be taking time to watch. So if you are bored, check them out and enjoy. Now for the new shows on the schedule that sound interesting.

Monday - My Own Worst Enemy 10pm NBC - mostly worth checking out due to Chuck and Heroes as the lead-in. Christian Slater has dual personalities (homebody and secret agent). Really depends on how annoying Slater is.

Tuesday - Fringe 9pm FOX - a science fiction series. An FBI team (agent and scientists) investigate unexplained phenomenon and conspiracies. X-Filesesque, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Wednesday
Knight Rider 8pm NBC - if they can keep it light and each episodic (stand alone entries, no conspiracy, long story arcs), this could be an enjoyable romp. The two reasons to watch pictured below.


Thursday - 11th Hour 10 pm CBS - a scientist/doctor gets called in at the 11th hour to solve unexplained cases. Again, X-filesesque, but still not a bad thing

Friday - Crusoe 8pm NBC - a take on Robinson Crusoe's life stranded on an island. Could be fun. Of course, being started on Friday isn't really a big endorsement from the network.

Saturday - Nothing of interest

Sunday Merlin 8pm NBC - mid-season entry (after football is over), that examines Merlin and Arthur on their rise to Camelot. Medieval times are a personal favorite for games, books, movies, and possibly TV.

Kings 10pm NBC - also a mid-season entry following the football season. Follows David, a heroic soldier brought into the King's court. Set in a future world full of war/strife. Depending on where it goes, and how quick it gets there, could be an interesting show.

Well, there you have it. All that is important to watch this coming fall season. I'm sure there will be some show that fails and is pulled early. At which point, a new series could pop up. I also don't doubt that I left something(s) off that I'll probably end up watching. But this is a solid starting point. If nothing looks good, just play your Xbox...that's always good entertainment.

Stay tuned for my post-summer movie guide, and fall movie guide. I know you're excited, don't hide it.

My Fantasy Football draft

This past Saturday was the draft for my fantasy football league. I might end up in another league or two, but this is the only one I put a few bucks on, and it is with friends (and therefore bragging rights). I was relatively happy with my draft. Looking at my team now, I am admittedly weak in the RB department, but I'm hoping to overcome that with my WRs. I do have some question marks that could really make this a long and disappointing season for me. Oh well, here's my team in the order I drafted. Relatively standard rules apply: RB/WR/TE 15 yds/pt, 6pts/TD, -1 for fumbles, -2 for lost fumbles. QB 25 yds/pt, 6pts/TD, -2 for INT. K points based on FG yards, -1 for missed FG inside of 30 yds. Def/ST score for return TD, INT, sacks, fumbles, and lose points for giving up TDs/FGs (based on how many). Anyway, if you've played fantasy football, you understand how it goes. I had the 8th selection spot in a 12 team league with serpentine drafting (top to bottom, bottom to top, etc. etc.).

So my draft:

Rd. Ovr Pick Player, Pos., Team
1. 8 Peyton Manning, QB, Colts*
2. 17 Braylon Edwards, WR, Browns*
3. 32 Chad Johnson, WR, Bengals*
4. 41 Tory Holt, WR, Rams*
5. 56 Edgerrin James, RB, Cardinals*
6. 65 Selvin Young, RB, Broncos*
7. 80 Jonathon Stewart, RB, Panthers
8. 89 Kevin Curtis, WR, Eagles
9. 104 DJ Hackett, WR, Panthers
10. 113 Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, Giants
11. 128 Jeff Garcia, QB, Buccaneers
12. 137 Ben Utecht, TE, Bengals*
13. 152 Antwaan Randle El, WR, Redskins
14. 161 Leon Washington, RB, Jets
15. 176 Adam Vinatieri, K, Colts*
16. 185 Baltimore Ravens DST*

*-designates starter on my team to begin season

There it is. No free agent slots this year, so if I pick someone else up, I have to drop someone. My RBs are questionable, and I erred by not trying to draft Andre Hall (backup RB in Denver) and Tim Hightower (backup RB in Arizona). Hall was gone before I wanted him, but I could have had Hightower. I do have two solid backups in Bradshaw and Washington if the starters get injured, or potentially trade bait to the teams that drafted Brandon Jacobs (NYG) or Thomas Jones (NYJ). I'm obviously banking on Manning being healthy and ready to go. Same with Chad Johnson.

However, it turns out, it should be fun. I stuck to my draft strategy (mostly) and got some of the guys I targeted. Let the games begin...in 2 weeks.

I am Juror 4223

A potential title for my autobiography or at the very least a chapter title. Sorry for the confusion, allow me to set you straight as I tell you about one of the most formative events to ever occur in my life.

Despite being registered to vote and having a driver’s license since for as long as legally able, I have never been selected to jury duty. This was perfectly fine by me, in fact, I’ve never once complained about my lack of jury duty. However, this blissfully ignorant life of mine was about to change.

I recently moved, and even though I filled out a change of address card, my mail was not consistently forwarded. Luckily my previous landlord is an acquaintance and co-worker. This is important because my summons to appear for jury duty arrived at my previous address, and she was able to promptly pass along this important piece of mail. Originally, I was downcast and annoyed. I did not want to spend my oh-so precious time dealing with this crap. The fear of a fine, and no real reason to get out of my civic duty, drove me to answer the call for jury duty.

I arrived early to the city/county building. I blame much of this on my parents (trust me, this will be at least one chapter earlier in my autobiography). If you recall (see I’m writing this like you’ve already read that previous chapter), my parents rarely got me to any event in a timely fashion. Fashionably late was the mainstay. Anyway, I digress. I arrived early as I do to many things, as compensation for my late arrivals throughout my childhood.

I’m unsure what to expect and approach the counter with trepidation. I brought my summons and filled out questionnaire as instructed. The attendant asks for the summons. I hand it over and without another word, she tears off the questionnaire, scans the barcode and hands it back to me. That’s it. Nothing else. My unsuredness is far from relieved.

I looked into the vast room and take in a sea of chairs in tidy rows and some stylistic paintings on the wall. It crosses my mind that I really don’t get art. Why is it, that something it appears a 4-year-old did while watching Saturday morning cartoons is considered priceless? I can appreciate the classics, but what passes as modern art is beyond me. Honestly, I’ve seen paintings that look like a colored image of my windshield after a late night drive through the country. Sorry…off track again.

I wander over to a magazine rack and pull off a Newsweek. In my anxiety over serving on a jury, I chose not to bring a book. So, with my current dose of current events in hand, I make a lap through the room before choosing a place to sit. As is my usual, I choose a seat on the side in the middle portion of the room. This comes from my many years of schooling. I’m not the overachiever who needs constant attention from the teacher and sits in the front of the room. While I am a slacker, I fully realize that teachers like to pick on the slackers who sit exclusively in the back of the room. Therefore, the safest place is a middle seat, slightly offset so as to not be in the direct line of sight. Not that there is a teacher in the jury room, but I’m not taking any risks.

Over the next 45 minutes, the other unfortunate souls go through the same process that I did. Hand over their summons and questionnaire, then try and find a seat. I go about my normal process of people watching, while appearing to read my Newsweek. As a 20-something, single guy, I always make a point to mark the cute females that enter the room. The process is simple. Do a quick scan of the person. If they classify as cute, then I move on to the next step: the ring check. This is all important. If they are wearing a ring on their left hand ring finger, then it’s all over, and they might as well not exists (in the single guys world at least). However, if no ring is present, then feel free to dream up scenarios where they sit next to you and you kick off a wonderful conversation. The end result is some digits and the promise of future interactions. Then reality sits in and I realize I won’t say a word to anyone currently in the room, but I’m off topic…again.

I’ve finished one Newsweek, and still have some time before anything of import will happen. I head back to the magazine rack and pull another Newsweek (slightly less current events this time). Return to the exact same seat I just vacated. The interesting thing about people and choosing seats is how quickly they become assigned. It’s like once someone sits down, that becomes their personal seat. Doesn’t matter if you are in a public room where millions of butts have sat in that exact seat previously. For the next several hours, this seat is mine. No matter how many times I get up and move around, that seat belongs to me. I’ve never really understood it, but that’s how it works, and who am I to rock the boat.

The attendant from the jury desk now gets on a microphone and tells us we get to watch a 15 minute video about what jury duty is all about. It’s just a series of people telling how great an experience it was, and how everyone on the jury has this sense of duty and justice. Blah, blah, blah…or so I thought. About this time, there was a switch occurring in my disposition. No longer was I dreading the time serving my jury duty. I was becoming excited. The anticipation of sitting on a jury and dispensing justice was taking over.

The video ends and I’m nearly on the edge of my seat. The attendant returns and tells us that it appears to be a full docket in the courts and things could be busy. My chances of sitting are improving, and woe to the lawbreaker that has me dispensing justice. The first set of juror numbers are read off for a trial. Each time I hear “42”, my heart skips a beat as I eagerly hope to hear the number “23”. I would guess roughly 20 people are called, but alas, juror 4223 continues to sit, slumped, disheartened in the jury room.

The next hour and half passes without so much as a single court asking for a jury. If I make it to noon, I will be dismissed. This can’t happen. I am here for a reason. I wasn’t called just to waste my morning. It can’t be.

Another jury is called. The numbers are read off. Again, I’m eager and just hearing 42 gets me excited. A light sheen of sweat can be seen on my forehead.

“4223”

“Here”, I respond and head to the hall to view my fellow jurors. Finally, I get to be a part of the system. A John Grisham novel come to life. I am about to experience that excitement. I’m going to be like Batman bringing justice to those that deserve it, legally of course. Oh, I will be fair and impartial. I will do all in my power to ensure the truth comes out. Trust me, I can handle the truth. I am about to appear in my own personal Law and Order episode.

We are lead to the doors of the courtroom. Through these doors are where my destiny lies. I am meant to be here. I was called to be here.

We wait….and wait…and wait. Forty-five minutes, I and my fellow jurors stand around in the hall outside the courtroom. Twenty feet from the room that holds all my dreams, and we wait. We see the other citizens who were summoned exit the county/court building. Those unlucky fools who weren’t selected for a jury, but were dismissed at noon.

Our handler returns and directs through a side set of doors. Here we go, trial time. We hang a right. My confusion mounts. The courtroom is on the left…why are we going right? We enter another courtroom, but there is no judge, no attorney, no accused. We are seated on hard wooden benches and told to wait. Again, more waiting. We wait…and we wait…and we wait. During this time, I get to listen to some young guy (mid-30s) talk and talk and talk. He has an opinion on everything, and seems to consider himself an expert. I’m guessing he has read the same John Grisham books as I have, watched the same Law and Orders, and probably even a movie or two that had a trial in them. Because of these experience, he is a expert on the legal process. Blah, blah, blah. No one asked him a question…no one asked for his opinion. But he feels like he should be talking. Oh well, there’s one in every group right….so annoying.

Our handler returns…is it time? No, we get to return to the hallway outside of the courtroom. And we wait. Shorter this time however. We are finally lead into the courtroom. However, there are no attorneys, just the judge and his clerk. Again, I’m confused.

The judge introduces himself and goes through a little history on himself. Then he gets around to why we are sitting here, without a trial to watch. Apparently, “things” came up and the case was not going to be heard today. The judge seemed nearly as disappointed as I did. He apologized for wasting two hours of our time (all that bloody standing and sitting). It was a shame because he seemed like a cool judge that wouldn’t take much crap from attorneys or witnesses. It could have been fun. He then dismisses and thanks us for our civic duty.

That’s it. Nothing more. No trial, no motions, no objections, no deliberations, and no justice. My destiny was shot down. Through no fault of my own. I’m dejected and depressed.

Then the judge says some fateful words, “I believe this excuses you from further jury duty for the next 12 months.”

What? I don’t have to do this horsecrap again for at least 12 months. Hallelujah! I’m free from the tyranny of a free society. No more civic duty for me. This jury duty stuff is ridiculous and I pity the fool who gets summoned.

I am Juror 4223, and this is my story.

Video Game Wishlist

It's no surprise to any of my loyal readers that I enjoy my video games. I find them to be an excellent way to have fun, get a good laugh, and also wind down after a hard day's work (not that I have many of those). Just recently, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (or something like that), better known as E3, just concluded. This expo is where video game developers and consoles make major announcements about upcoming games. With this knowledge, watching and reading many previews, and having not purchased a new game in quite some time (excluding Rockband a month ago), I've decided to post my video game wishlist. For the most part these will be games that I will certainly pre-order, buy later, or request as a gift. I'm excited about several on this list. By chronological order via release date....

October

Fallout 3 - release date: 10/7; This is a action/RPG video game by the same developers of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Oblivion has been one of the pleasant surprises of my video gaming life. Switching to post-apocalyptic Washington DC and adding guns and mutants promises to be another 100+ hrs of enjoyment.

RockBand 2 - release date: 10/19; 84 more songs to rock out to. In addition to all the previous downloaded songs, and all songs on RockBand 1. All in all, addition of this game allows rocking out to a lot of really good songs. Good times had by all.

Fable 2 - release date: 10/21; Another action RPG game. I never played Fable 1, but what Fable 2 promises is enough to intrigue me. The idea that everything has consequences, and you get to live out a life and not just quests is interesting. Addition of co-op play also seems very interesting. (Fake box-art...not confirmed)

November


Left 4 Dead - release date: 11/4; Zombie shooting game. Enough said. Focus on co-op play and try to get through the various maps, from safe point to safe point. I've been excited about this game for a long time.

Lord of the Rings: Conquest - release date: 11/4; Take the Lord of the Rings world and characters, place them in a capture point style game, and all I can say is heck yeah. Star Wars Battlefront (1 and 2) is one of my all-time favorite games. Using that gameplay and LotR universe, makes me giddy as a schoolboy.

Gears of War 2 - release date: 11/7; I really loved the first game. Single player, co-op, and online play all worked very well together. I suffered some serious burnout though, when it was the only game my buddies were playing online. I'm guessing that happens again, but I should have a few of these other games to distract me.

Call of Duty: World at War - release date: 11/11; I love the CoD franchise. Each game has excellent single player missions, and the promise of getting some help from the CoD4 people, should make this entry into the series another enjoyable time.

Other games releasing this year that I like the idea of, but won't make any promises about purchasing immediately (maybe used down the road): Star Wars: the Force Unleashed (9/16) - single player only, so I don't miss out by waiting; Project Origin (10/1) - sequel to FEAR, and promises a solid single player experience; Dead Space (10/20) - another single player game, this time in the survival horror genre...reviews will be very important to my purchasing.

And finally, a long term projection that is a definite must-buy...

Resident Evil 5 - release date: 3/13/09; RE4 was one the best video game experiences ever. A similar style of game play, and addition of co-op, makes this required purchasing.

Alrighty, I'm sure most of you really didn't care about that, but it's ok, I smiled while writing it up. I'm confident I missed a game, or that one will be announced between now and then that I'll also want. Either way, this coming winter/holiday season is sure to be a good one for video game enthusiasts. Have a great week.

A penny for my thoughts...

I am overwhelmed with posting ideas. I need to update everyone on recent events, give opinions on certain items, and maybe even review a movie. Because of such a bottleneck of ideas, and the lack of posting on a regular basis, I'm going to just stick a bunch of things together. The end result will be a hodgepodge post. Let the potpourri of topics begin.

Trip to Indy
Family Time - We had a family picture taken for the first time in several years. All in all it was good, and made the momma happy. As a rule of thumb in the Johnson clan, when the mom's happy, everyone's happy. I was also able to spend time with my brother, parents, and sister. Everyone got a piece...and all were satisfied.

The Brickyard - As always, my family and I attend the Brickyard 400. Sadly, this year was a little different than most due to some terrible tire issues. Goodyear did not do their homework, and brought a tire that simply tore up and was gone after 5-10 laps. The result was NASCAR throwing competitions yellows (cautions) every 11 laps. It was needed for safety purposes. During the short green flag runs, the racing was extremely good (likely due to keeping the field bunched up, and the frequency of adjustments to the cars). I still had a good time with it.


Friends - I was able to meet up with a couple of friends. Basically, two of the three that I try to meet up with whenever I return to town. Everyone seems well, and it was a good time to hang out. Also, babies can be cute...when they're not yours.

Hot Temperatures - Denver is in the midst of a record heat streak. 20 days (and counting) of days with a high over 90 degrees. Several days have hit 100+. And there is no cool down in site. The temps through the weekend are supposed to be near 100 again. It's bloody hot...but its a dry heat.

Energy/Oil Prices - There has been a lot of propaganda flying about trying to blame a specific political party with the price of high gas prices. A lot from Republicans blaming the current Democratic congress. While this Congress hasn't done much in general, they also aren't responsible for the rising price of gas. A poor economy (falling value of the dollar) and war in the middle east are very major contributing factors, the likes of which blame cannot be placed on a single entity. Interestingly, gas prices have done nothing but rise while Bush has been in office (even with a Republican Congress for 6 of those years), yet it is somehow the current Congress' fault. Then there is the propaganda that offshore drilling will lower prices now. I'm under the impression that it will take several years to get production from offshore oil facilities to the level needed to significantly change oil prices. Regardless, gas is expensive, likely wont' fall, and is probably the fault of all parties involved (Rep, Dems, and the Pres). Quit finger pointing, and tell me how you plan to fix the issue (short term and long term). Note: Suspending the gas tax sounds kind of dumb when our deficit is at its largest...and growing.

A Good Book - I really enjoying reading. I note this because I go through novels very quickly. Any time I'm about to finish a book, I make sure to pick up a new one, so I'm never without reading material. Many of the books I read are entertaining, but don't really leave a lasting impression. Occasionally, I read one that would make a good movie. Rarely, do I find a book that keeps me dwelling on it. I'm reading one now (almost finished...Blasphemy by Douglas Preston) that might stick around for a bit. You might hear more later. The moral of the story is I enjoy reading a good novel.

The Move - I know I already posted about my move, but I just wanted to update you that things are working out well. I like the house and believe this should work out for the next couple of years.

A Scooter - I've been contemplating getting a scooter. Something in the variety of a 100cc scooter. They get 70-100 mpg, and for my trip in to work (about 7 miles, 15 min.) the speed limit never exceeds 35 mph. Add it all up, and it means a scooter would be an ideal way to get to and from work on decent weather days. It's very tempting and I've checked craigslist regularly to see what's out there.


Movies
I know it's been awhile since I've done a serious movie review. In fact, it looks like you have to go back to May 20. I've seen several films since then (numerous DVDs and a few in theaters). Let me give you a brief look at my most recent theater viewings. I'll probably do a summer movie wrap-up at the end of August (if I remember).

Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D - I saw this one on Tuesday night with the Young'un and the Brit. It was a surprisingly enjoyable film. Very much family friendly, but a fun ride. The 3D element was well used, and pretty neat. Not sure if this is the future of film making, but it was cool. 4 out of 5 for entertainment.


The Dark Knight - Brilliant. Awesome. Excellent. And a myriad of other words that have the same meaning. I have nothing but positives for this movie. From start to finish, it just builds on itself. Phenomenal acting, great story, and superb action. Best Batman movie, and best superhero movie made to date. If you haven't seen it, you should. In fact, tonight should be my second viewing (I have several friends who haven't seen it...and tonight they will). 5 out of 5 stars.


Well, I know this was long, but hopefully you now know what I've been doing. You are now caught up on all things Kyle. I hope you enjoyed the ride. Now that the bottleneck is cleared, future posts will be more focused on a single topic.

I leave you with words of wisdom form Mr. T...."I pity the fool."