Top Movie of 2008

I was thinking about doing a Top # list, but this year was really hit and miss for movies. Movies that had incredible potential, like The Forbidden Kingdom, fell short. Movies that were hugely popular, like The Dark Knight, left me not believing the hype. So instead, you get my top pick for 2008 - Iron Man.

I got the DVD for Christmas and re-watched it. It's the perfect balance for a film that needs to introduce the character to a new audience and pleasing the comic book fans. Robert Downey Jr. is perfectly cast as the asshole Tony Stark can be. It has humor when it needs to, drama at the right points and the right amount of action. In a word, the movie is flawless. Okay, maybe not. The performance of Terrence Howard annoyed me this time around - maybe it's because I know he's not coming back for the sequel so I was looking to dislike him.

Marvel has turned the Iron Man character into a major player in the comics over the past 2 years and this movie launches him into the popular world up there with the Spider-Man movie franchise. I'm looking forward to the sequel and the rest of the Avengers franchise over the next few years. Job well done, Mr. Favreau and Marvel studios.

Love Actually

Hands down, Love Actually is one of my favorite movies of all time. I went into it thinking it was a chick flick but it's so much more than that. The story is told using one of my favorite devices - overlapping stories that weave together at the end. It's a brilliant movie and because it takes place during Christmastime, I always get the urge to watch it this time of year. Plus, it was playing the night I met my fiancée, so it makes me think of her, too. :)

If you haven't seen it yet, watch it. I looked on YouTube to try to find a favorite clip but it's impossible to choose just one, so you'll have to do with just the intro scene.

Regulars

One of the great things about working with the public in a setting such as the library is the regular patrons that come in. It's fun to give nicknames to them based on what I perceive or what they look like. So far, I have named The Triathlete, The Tutor and Wyatt Earp. Swear to God, there's a dude that looks like Wyatt Earp. I think he kind of snapped at me the other day but I couldn't hear him clearly enough to know if I should respond. I'm ready to throw down with Wyatt if it ever comes to it. The only downside is that he smells like roast beef that's been sitting out for a week.

Aren't you jealous you work in a corporate, private environment?

Favorite Comic Fridays - Jim Gaffigan

I think I was initially hesitant of Mr. Gaffigan, but after listening to his album Beyond the Pale, he is certifiable gold. Here is is fairly famous routine about Hot Pockets. Enjoy!

Songs I Never Need to Hear Again

As big of a music fan as I am, I can happily live the rest of my life if I never hear "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana and "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morissette. I feel like I've heard them on the radio, seen it performed live (in Alanis' case), seen the video on TV and have heard it on my iPod that I know every nook and cranny of the song. I know every beat, lyric and note, and while they're both great songs, I'm done with them. Sorry.

So for the last time ever*, I present these two songs.





* - Probably not, since I haven't taken over the world yet.

What songs could you live without ever hearing again?

Life After People

We watched a documentary the other day called Life After People. I've already talked about how the Apocalypse fascinates me, so this was right up my alley.

The show looks at what would happen to Earth if humans were gone. Everything else survives - animals, nature, our houses - just no humans. It's a pretty amazing look at how many things require so much upkeep, and also how quickly nature would reclaim the Earth. For example, subway systems require pumps to keep out groundwater and keep them dry. Without humans to do this job, New York's subways would be flooded in 3 days. Three days! Bridges would collapse without being repainted and replacing of cables, fires would rage on until they burned out.

As a real life comparison, they show a Ukraine city in abandoned after the Chernobyl disaster. Animal populations in that area have flourished and plants have nearly covered up many structures. The city has only been abandoned for 20 years. Twenty years! It's a really interesting look at what would happen to this great world if we weren't here.

One of the most fascinating things is their guess at what one of the last remnants of our civilization would be. 10,000 years after we're gone - Mount Rushmore would probably be recognizable because of its location, size, material and lack of natural disasters. They also theorize parts of the Great Wall of China and the Pyramids would be recognizable after 10,000 years but as far as a connection to the human race that lasts as long - we've got to rely on the mugs of Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson and Roosevelt.

Bane Malar

As I frequently do, I checked out the Star Wars action figures at Target the other day. I saw this figure of Bane Malar and read the little description on the reverse side:

"The mysterious bounty hunter Bane Malar occasionally visits Jabba's palace on the Western Dune Sea. He reveals little of himself, causing suspicion and rumors that Malar is a telepath who steals people's secrets to use against them later. Armed with his trusty weapon, this Bane Malar figure hides mysteriously behind his dark helmet."

They might as well just have written "We found this toy mold in the Lucas warehouse, slapped a logo on it, wrote a really vague, halfassed description and sold it to you for $7.99" and been honest about it.