I Love You, Man

I have to cut right to the chase, I Love You, Man
is the funniest and best comedy I have seen in quite a while. It's always tough when someone wraps a movie so much because you expect it to be great, so I'm sorry for that.
But it had to be said. I haven't had such a belly laugh in ages. And it's a fairly simple story, there's plenty of truth in it, and a lesson for men everywhere.
Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) is getting married and it quickly becomes apparent that he has no mates, he's only had girlfriends and all the guys have dropped away.
So he is set up by his brother to go on `man dates' to make new friends. The people he comes across are an eclectic bunch, from a gay man who thinks it is a real date to an 89-year-old internet savvy man whose picture is not a representation of himself.
Peter then meets Sydney (Jason Segal), a single man who prefers divorcees because he is not looking for anything serious. They strike up a friendship despite Peter's inability to talk `guy talk'.
In some ways this is a romantic comedy about two guys developing a friendship. It plays out in a fairly standard manner but at the same time is rollicking good fun.
As far as guys go, there is something to be taken from this movie about male friendship and its role in a man's life. It is something that, from experience, I think that a lot of married men I know should consider a bit. At the same time there are a few who seem to have it worked out.
There are no Oscars here, but it is engaging, well written (if a bit over-crude early on) and well performed. I can't ask for any more, and the teardrops of laughter say I enjoyed myself immensely. An 8.5 out of 10.

The weight

I had an incident involving the bathroom scales this evening that has prompted me to act on something that has been on my mind for a little while.
Yep, I need to lose a few kilos.
Now this isn't normally a big issue for anyone (male at least) except for my small issue with weight loss and what it can mean for someone in my situation. It's entirely a head thing I know and it is a problem I have to get over.
So what I am proposing to do is to simply get back into the habit of taking a daily, or at least five times a week, walk. Just to get moving more. Somehow I stopped doing it and I'm not sure exactly why. It's something I generally enjoy and, really, my discman doesn't get out as much as it should!
The main reason I want to lose a bit is I just feel a little uncomfortable and while `packing it on' in winter tends to be acceptable to me it doesn't sit as well in practice as it does in theory.
So no major diets, my food intake is quite healthy with a few little exceptions, but just more exercise. Let's see how we go....

Treading water

It's probably better to be treading water than to be struggling against the tide.
If I'm being really honest I'm doing better than treading water but I have to admit to an amount of frustration at the thought.
Are my expectations too high? Or am I putting too much pressure on myself to live a certain way, do certain things because I feel I should be?
I was told a fairly while back that if I enjoy doing something I should do it (of course we are talking within reason and the law) and not feel bad about it. Then I get the feeling I am missing out.
I look at some of my friends and the lives they lead and wonder whether I should strive to be more daring, a bit reckless or spontaneous instead of playing it safe. There's no such thing as safe though is there?
Should I be married, have children, a mortgage?
Life would certainly be a lot different, perhaps they would be great things to have in life and take my focus away from myself. That's probably the issue, where my focus is. Caution can be counter productive. Treading water can get exhausting.

Terminator Salvation

In a way this is the film that Terminator fans have been waiting for. In the first three films we have been told of the apocalyptic future that John Connor was fighting and the reasons why he sent Kyle Reece back in time to 1984 where the story kicks off.
So Terminator Salvation had a lot riding on it. And it does deliver, though not quite to the same effect as the previous three. But then again that's probably to be expected.
If there is a weak link, I'm sorry, it has to be Christian Bale. I can't believe I'm saying this but he was just so wooden and reminded me far too much of Batman (from his voice not anything else). I'm usually a fan of his but I feel he may be miscast.
The star of this movie is unquestionably Sam Worthington as Marcus Wright, a man sentenced to death in 2003 who donates his body to science and wakes up in 2018 as a cybernetic organism (though it takes him a while to work out what's going on). Not just because he is an Aussie do I rate Worthington's performance so highly (it's also amusing to hear his accent slip a couple of times). He IS the star of the movie, his character is so pivotal and he just inhabits it to the extent that you forget he is playing a cyborg. Arnie could never do that!
There were plenty of nods to the previous films, the classic lines get rehashed with humourous results and the Guns 'N' Roses classic from T2 also bobs up.
There's plenty more nostalgia as well. What T4 does well is keep continuity going between all the movies. This is helped along by a voice cameo from Linda Hamilton as well.
Terminator Salvation certainly paints a bleak future, and I wonder at times why they are fighting so hard to salvage a world that has already been destroyed. But such is the human spirit.
Given that a trilogy had all but been announced it comes as no surprise that the ending is fairly open. I wonder if they have enough material - perhaps they should have tied it all up in this movie. Worth seeing, if you have seen the original trilogy, particularly for an excellent performance from Sam Worthington. A 7.5 out of 10.

Always Looking Up

Sequels are rarely as good as the original and that equates to books as well.
After being captivated, moved and inspired by Michael J Fox's Lucky Man a few years back I approached the follow up, Always Looking Up, enthusiastically.
Now I'm not going to run the book down, so to speak, because what Fox has been trying to do for Parkinson's research is well above the call. But, simply, it wasn't as good as Lucky Man and I felt I had read quite a lot of it before.
Plus, I think it is hard to follow a book like Lucky Man because I felt that everything people need to know about him and his battle with the disease is in that book.
This new book covers some of the same ground and tells us what has happened since.
But it is just not as engaging and, at times, feels like a book he was forced to write and not one that he felt needed to be read.
If you're interested in the Michael J Fox story by all means read Lucky Man. I'm not saying don't read Always Looking Up and perhaps my overall view has been tainted by expectation and the hope that I would be inspired again. I admire his work, his attitude and his courage but I didn't learn anything new.
Now I am on the lookout for a new book to read. Matthew Reilly's latest doesn't come out for a few months yet. I've been thinking about reading some Shakespeare or even a classic like Huckleberry Finn, which I have never read before.

Reboot

It's great to say this. Tonight I went along to church and had an awesome time.
I decided to take up an invitation from a friend to come along to his church and it was a positive experience.
For whatever reason the topic of going to church has been a touchy one, I get this intense feeling that I don't want to go quite often. It's the same feeling I get when I'm uncomfortable somewhere and want to leave.
I found the sermon quite clear and accessible and not too long. Having sin explained in terms of Me First was novel but made the point nicely. The music was pretty good, not Hillsong quality but you don't expect that, and I knew a few of the songs. Because of that I had a flashback or two to my Annandale days, but a good song is a good song no matter where it is sung!
I'm not sure where all this will head just yet. I may go back to that church again but it was important to have had a good experience, to reboot things.
The week certainly has been an interesting one. From family reunions at my aunt's funeral (I think everyone's heart broke when my seven-year-old nephew placed a flower on the coffin), reminiscing about my uni times when I drove past it on my way and trying to make sense of what's going on at work.
Who knows what this week will bring?

Always good

There is a guy I often see at work who, when you ask him how he is going replies `always good' every single time.
It's got me thinking. Is this someone who really has a handle on life and the attitude you need to handle it or is it a delusion? Probably the former. I often bump into him when getting breakfast and, like today, when leaving the building after work. The turn of phrase he uses didn't really register with me until this week.
Funny.

Keeping secrets

Ever have trouble keeping your mouth shut when you're told something and aren't allowed to pass the information on?
Well I'm in that boat at the moment and it's not a frivolous piece of information I am sitting on either, so there would be ramifications if I let slip. Not earth shattering ones, I admit, but possibly personal ones. Hopefully it is only for a few more days, maximum, but since it involves a non-social topic it is even harder not to talk about it.
Best option may be to not think about it too much....

Things that matter, things that don't

This week promises to be a strange one, possibly an emotional one, but hopefully a good one.
In a couple of days I have to go out of town for a funeral and I can't say I am looking forward to it (you never look forward to these things but I think you know what I mean).
It's going to be one of those occasions where a lot of family will gather and most of whom I haven't seen in years for various reasons. It has been a bit of a bad run with losing people lately and that is weighing on the mind a little.
Someone said to me the other day that when this happens it is a `reality check' and that is true. But it is a pretty dramatic way to shake you up and make you remember how valuable life is.
I honestly don't know how I feel about the coming trip. It isn't like I'm going to a town I've never been to before (though it has been a while) and I reckon if I can handle going to Melbourne where I don't know anybody I can handle this. Maybe I am just over thinking things.
There is a song I have been listening to called Things That Matter, by Rascal Flatts, and it has really struck a chord with me in the light of what has been happening.
We spend so much time and energy worrying about trivial things like work politics, traffic, delays and the like when what really matters is people and relationships. I'm more guilty than most of worrying about things that are out of my control and I know that I should expend more energy living rather than being afraid of life.

One Tree Hill's finale that isn't

As a huge fan of One Tree Hill
(heck I named my blog after it) I have to say I very much wish the season 6 finale was the series finale.

It was easily the best episode of the season and brought the whole series together brilliantly. So why do we need a season 7?

We already know that Chad Michael Murray and Hilarie Burton aren't returning and, seriously, how can the show be called One Tree Hill without them, particularly Murray (far left).

His character Lucas is the centre of show, it's about him and from his point of view, largely.

One Tree Hill won't be the same, and as brilliant as creator Mark Schwahn is I can't imagine it being nearly as good, without him - even though Lucas can be a bit annoying at times.

So while my opinion means little in the scheme of things I'd be tempted to ignore what happens in season 7. Any continuation shouldn't be called One Tree Hill, they should spin it off into a new show. If there's any chance season 7 can be avoided it should be done. I don't want to see One Tree Hill jump the shark as many shows do.

I'm a huge fan of TV shows ending when they should and ending well. Friends is a brilliant case in point. You left the finale satisfied and not needing to know anything more (despite this the under rated spinoff Joey was actually quite good).

That's exactly how I felt at the end of One Tree Hill's season final.

I don't need to know any more about Lucas, Peyton, Brooke, Nathan, Haley, Jamie, Mouth, Chase, Mia, Deb, Dan and Karen.

I'd be more than happy to say farewell to the show now knowing where all the characters stand and knowing it was six seasons of high class drama, but with a heart and soul.

By the way, I think it is kinda fitting that this is my 700th post.

Speaking Louder Than Before

Somehow I missed the release late last year of Jeremy Camp's fifth album, Speaking Louder Than Before.
So after a random look at Jeremy Camp's website I headed out a few days ago to pick it up. At a time when, in my opinion, there is very little music that stands out this was an opportunity for one of my favourite artists to do just that.
As is my norm, this review is based on first listen (well, a listen and a half if I'm being really truthful).
Unfortunately, while this CD is good it doesn't stand out. And that's a big shame because his previous release, Beyond Measure, was excellent and only surpassed by the debut release Stay.
I read that Speaking Louder Than Before is aimed more or less at a youth audience and maybe that is why it hasn't really grabbed me, or maybe it will grow a bit.
But that isn't the trend with Jeremy Camp, he's usually instantly likeable. The title track and My Fortress appealed greatest to me, particularly My Fortress and the chorus lyrics show why.

You are my fortress, you are the refuge where I hide, you are the strength when I can't fight, you are the only one I rest my life in, you are the only hope I can find, you are my only peace of mind, you are the only one I rest my life in.

While this CD isn't the one I was hoping for it's passable and if you are a Camp fan then it's worth getting. As I said, this one might be a grower so there is hope. One thing I do hope, though, is that he does have another cracker in him sometime soon. My other fave Chris Tomlin really disappointed me with the Hello Love album, his latest, and that is concerning.
While they are both Christian artists I am quite critical when it comes to music, movies and television, and I've always held that just because a song is about God doesn't automatically make it a good one. You only have to go to any church to realise that.

Snap out of it

It should be simple.
Why can't I seem to get it out of my head that things are going to be bad when I go back to work tomorrow after a short break of 10 days?
This harks back to the somewhat misguided ultimatum I was handed last month and the feeling I have that it has put me on the outer. I may well be, and probably am, completely wrong here.
Perhaps it is the way I'm wired but I just have that doubt and it's affecting my overall mood.
Perhaps the best solution is to get it out in the open when I get back there so I know where things stand. The best solution could also be to just forget it but since that seems to be the more difficult option I may have no choice.
The problem is that, historically, common sense doesn't always prevail in the workplace where politics seems to be bubbling to the surface.
I just want to go to my job and enjoy it.
Is it that simple?

The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas

Stunned is the best way I can describe my reaction to The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas and that's considering that I could see the conclusion coming for about 15 minutes.

The film is told through the eyes of eight-year-old Bruno (Asa Butterfield), the son of a Nazi commander in World War II. To Bruno his dad is just a soldier and he doesn't understand the nature of the war they are involved in.

When they are moved to the country from Berlin, Bruno is forbidden to explore the back yard. Little does he know that beyond the back yard is a concentration camp.

Eventually Bruno escapes out the back and he encounters Shmuel, a boy of similar age with a shaved head and funny looking pyjamas. What Bruno doesn't understand is that his new friend is a Jew and a prisoner in the camp.

I think the film has been promoted enough for me not to need go any further.

As I said the ending, despite its predictability, stunned me. I don't think it was a particularly brilliant film but it is well done in the sense that these stories aren't usually told through the eyes of an innocent child.

I wonder whether it would have had more impact on me had it been in German with subtitles? Just having them speak English doesn't seem authentic. In fact it isn't. But that is minor, I'd say this film is worth a look. But I think that you should read as little as possible about it because, as stated, I found it predictable.

That's not to detract from what it is trying to portray. That aspect is well done. I'm giving a 7.5 out of 10. I wanted to go higher but the first quarter is borderline boring before it builds a bit from about half way.

Rebuilding

Almost a year after it burned down the old house is starting to look like a house again.

It's supposed to be finished by July and that may happen, weather permitting, if the speed of the rebuilding I saw last week continues.

I spent almost a week up home and in that time the house went from just having the base to having its frame erected.

Overall I had quite a good time while I was away. Caught up with a few friends, both of whom are not far off having children (it's easier for one as he, obviously, doesn't have to carry the child).

For some reason I had some kind of hay fever or allergic reaction to something up there, which is weird because I never used to. But for the last few days I couldn't stop sneezing, well you know what I mean.

I also had to attend a funeral, which is never a good thing. I met a lot of family I hadn't seen in many years, most since I was a teenager at best. So you get the whole `I remember when you were `this big'' reactions.

Star Trek

You always approach a remake, or `re-imagining' as they call it these days, with caution but I'm happy to say that Star Trek well and truly was worth it.

Cleverly, director JJ Abrams has set up that this `Star Trek Begins' film is not so much a remake but an alternate version.

And he cheekily says so in the film. I won't give anything huge away just in case.

The film kicks off with the birth of James T. Kirk within a fiery showdown with some renegade Romulans led by Nero (played deliciously by Eric Bana) then we are taken into the Vulcan world to meet Spock.

Flashing forward, Kirk (Chris Pine) is a typical smart-alec young man who itches to get into conflict. Meanwhile Spock (Zachary Quinto) makes the choice between his Vulcan and human heritage.

After the cocky Kirk is involved in a bar room brawl he is dared by starfleet Captain Pike (Bruce Greenwood) to sign up and emulate his father, who was killed the day Jim was born.

Kirk and Spock almost immediately clash when they meet which makes the plot developments even more interesting.

The rest of the Star Trek crew come together to board the Enterprise on its maiden voyage. Aside from the two leads the casting of Simon Pegg as Scotty was a masterstroke. You have to see him to get what I mean.

So is it any good? Hell, yeah. Though I must warn that the best way I can describe this movie is `Star Trek, 90210'. The characters are young and get up to some things young people do (particularly the previously mentioned cocky Kirk) but I think that is part of the appeal. It's not trying to redo Star Trek, as I said this is an alternate version.

And in another masterstroke they have an appearance by Leonard Nimoy (the original Spock) whose inclusion is crucial to the whole thing making sense.

I am not in any way a Trekkie, I have seen the other films but not so much the many TV series. But I have to say I enjoyed it immensely. It was funny, interesting and entertaining. What more can you want?

Also, Pine was amazing in taking on the Kirk role and making it his own. Quinto, who we all know as Sylar from Heroes, is equally brilliant. An 8.5 out of 10.

Body balance

Most of us aren't used to stretching in ways illustrated by pilates and the like.
Tonight I attended a class called body balance, which was a mixture of pilates, yoga and stretching but with also an emphasis on relaxation.
I must admit I was rather negative about it before tonight, having been pestered into going, but I have to say that it was pretty great.
That's despite being a rank amateur. I'm sure I stood right out in my red shirt (won't be going so bright next time) and with my occasionally uncoordinated movement.
I also sweated heaps so that probably means it was doing some good. Afterwards I certainly polished off a bottle of water fairly nicely!
It's now a few hours since the class finished and I feel fairly good, though the body knows it's been through a workout.
So it was a pleasant surprise.
On a sad note, my dad's aunt died yesterday of cancer. It's amazing how quickly it has happened.
I remember seeing her at Christmas and she was pretty good, in fact I don't think it was known then that she had it. She was a lovely lady, she used to live next door to my grandmother and was quite an active person.
I do know she was a fairly strong churchgoer and that's great.

The secret world of newish parents

It didn't really occur to me until today that there is this whole world of people with babies and they have this culture that I also hadn't noticed.
Some friends of mine had a party today for their daughter's first birthday. I was one of only two people there who either didn't have a child or weren't about to become a parent. So I definitely felt weird.
Amid all the congratulations as others who had just had a baby arrived and were greeted I observed that this segment of the community was one I had largely overlooked. And they all behave so strangely. They talk about how all their kids are going to grow up together and how the boys are going to ignore or be intimidated by the girls until they are teenagers when they'll suddenly take note.
There was talk of breast feeding, sleepless nights, planning for more kids when the financial situation is kinder and a bizarre game of pass the parcel that only about three kids actually actively took part in (the mothers substituted for those unable to tear open newspaper).
Then there was the presents, which was definitely more for the benefit of the parents.
Pardon the cynicism, everyone that I know there are very nice and my friends but they turned into different people. At one point I was left holding a random child and very grateful when I was able to hand him back.
I had a fine afternoon but it was all a bit surreal. I'm not against kids, in many ways it'd be great to have them (other things come before that though, naturally) but I was very pleased to be able to come home to a house with no babies!

Unstoppable

After one listen (as is my custom when reviewing CDs) I can confidently say Rascal Flatts are back in form.
Their sixth CD, Unstoppable, is a shade ballad-ish but that isn't necessarily a negative.
I suppose it is hard to follow up such an awesome album like Me & My Gang and I think that was the problem with Still Feels Good, it was okay but that's about it.
Unstoppable, in many ways, is typical Flatts with stories told or remembered of lost love and regret. But then again that is country music.
Clearly the standout track is the title track Unstoppable. It gave me chills when listening to it for the first time (I replayed it a few times later on which is always a sign I like a song heaps).
Maybe the reason I like this one so much is that while it is about lost love, it's positive as well.
`Keep on believing don't give in, it'll come and make you whole again, it always will it always does, love is unstoppable'.
Other songs that stand out are Close, Holdin' On and Once plus the fun Summer Nights (no it isn't a Grease cover).
I'm pretty happy with this CD and it will get a high rotation in the coming week. Also hoping that the Flatts make good on their intention to come down under, it'd be awesome to see them live.

Farewell Sunline

Sunline , the best racehorse I've seen, died today.
She was one of the best gallopers to race in Australia and was a champion for the best part of five years.
I saw her race many times and when I watch the replays of some of them I still get chills.
I have photos of her hanging on my wall and there are only four racehorses with that privilege.
Of her 32 wins the best was probably the 2000 Cox Plate, if you know anything about horse racing then you know that you just don't win the Cox Plate by seven lengths.
It was a smashing and was awesome to watch.
She was 14 and had four foals, none of whom will be half as good but at least she lives on.
Like Harry Telford, trainer of Phar Lap, said in the film - `(s)he wasn't just a horse, (s)he was the best'. At least I think so.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

I find this prequel to the X-Men series very, very difficult to review because, as a fan of the original series, I have quite a strong opinion.
One of the main story lines throughout X-Men was the mystery surrounding Wolverine's background.
Continuity between X-Men Origins: Wolverine and the trilogy is vital and I'm not entirely sure it was there. That's a massive negative for me.
We start off by learning about James Logan (Hugh Jackman) and his brother Victor Creed (Liev Schreiber) and how they are different from others and apparently they are immortal because we start in 1845 with them as children, they grow up then stay the same age for about 150 years.
Pretty good work there.
Aside from that glaring problem, Logan and Creed are discovered by Colonel Stryker (Danny Huston) and are made a part of his `government team' of people with special talents. This crew is particularly interesting.
Long story short, Logan chooses good over evil and leaves the clan when their actions and his beliefs collide.
For about half the film the best way I can describe it is `meh', it was all right but not particularly awesome. I will say that it did pick up, we met a horribly underused character called Gambit, and things came together reasonably. That's the big challenge they faced here, the dots had to be joined between this and the first X-Men movie.
I'm going to say that this movie didn't need to be made. I liked that Wolverine was mysterious and torn and knowing what happened to him doesn't make a lot of difference (largely because ultimately he doesn't know his own background come X-Men). So it's all a bit redundant.
Having said that, there was some good action and interesting characters. A 6.5 out of 10, pretty poor considering X-Men 3 got a 7.5 from me.