Because what good is the Internet if not for settling ridiculous debates? (Not between Sara and I, for what it’s worth)
poll
Are movies really getting worse?
I saw the movie Sherlock Holmes the other day. The new one, with Robert Downey Jr. That sound you hear is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle spinning in his grave (to this day, even though the movie came out in 2009).
This movie was so dumb. It physically pained me that they just had to attach the name “Sherlock Holmes” to this otherwise completely unrelated action movie. Seriously, there was nothing in this movie that had anything to do with the Sherlock Holmes mythology as it were; they could have just called it, “Generic Steampunk Action Movie!” and it wouldn’t have changed anything. So I can only assume they invoked Sherlock Holmes to tap into a built-in audience.
So my problems with it are mostly Sherlock Holmes-based. Other than that, it was just sort of your average mindless action movie that just happens to be set in Victorian England. The characters are goofy, the situation is goofy, the whole movie is just generally sort of goofy. (In case you were wondering, Sherlock Holmes is an amazing hand-to-hand fighter who can beat up anybody because he’s so much smarter than everyone!)
But here’s the question: am I just becoming snobby in my old age? Or are movies really just getting worse as time goes on? I tend to think it is a little of both, but probably the former more than the latter. People have probably always been declaring the movie industry is at rock bottom, since right about the dawn of the movie industry.
It seems to me that when I was a kid, I generally liked every movie I saw, more or less. Now it seems like I generally dislike every movie I see. The default has flipped. I think there’s every chance that I probably would have liked this movie when I was a kid. And to be fair, the movie probably wasn’t really marketed at me.
So I don’t really know if it’s just me, or what. What do you think?
Can I pull off hipster glasses?
I need new glasses, and I’m thinking of getting something radically different. On the other hand, I’ve had similar glasses for so long, that I’m not sure if I can really wrap my head around something new. I usually go for very small glasses that sort of disappear into my face. So I ask you, Internet, can I pull off big, thick glasses?
More or less creepy?
As Sara pointed out, glasses like that typically go better with nicer clothes than hooded sweatshirts
So, what sayest thou?
“Daddy is better than ice cream”
She probably only said that because I made her eggs for a snack and then we baked banana bread.
I’ve been on quite a baking tear lately. Evie loves to do it, measuring, dumping, mixing, and it’s something that can pretty easily eat up a big chunk of our day (in a good way). And the best part is, you actually have something to show from it! Something delicious.
So, after our excellent trial of making some Halloween cookies, Evie and I took it to another level. We started by making banana bread on Friday. Then, on Sunday, we made waffles in the morning, followed by oatmeal raisin cookies. Finally, I took on my most ambitious project yet, making homemade spinach/chicken/bacon calzones from scratch (meaning using the bread maker for the crust).
The calzones were a lot more work than I was expecting, perhaps cooling my ardor for baking a little bit. They turned out good (despite Sara’s efforts to sabotage my recipe), but I’m not sure it was worth the effort. Still, I think I will try to think of baking as a fun activity to do, like going to the park, or doing a craft project. My mom is an excellent baker, and when I was growing up, I remember that we almost always had some sort of baked desert lying around somewhere. That is something I remember fondly from my childhood.
Finally, since we were talking about my waffles and all, Sara and I were having a little debate. Obviously, we will settle this like adults, with a web poll. The results of this poll are final, and cannot be questioned in any way.
Young Guns 1 vs Young Guns 2
There was a fine movie franchise at the end of the ’80s known as Young Guns, about the life and times of Billy the Kid. I have seen these movies more times that I can count. The main actors are Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland and Lou Diamond Phillips. In addition, Young Guns I had Charlie Sheen, and Young Guns II had Christian Slater.
There has been some debate recently about which of these two movies are better. I had mostly maintained that Young Guns II was better, but, as I’ve grown older, I’ve been kind of leaning towards Young Guns I. So obviously, the only way to settle this is with a poll. I don’t want to sway people too much one way or the other, but I will provide you with some good parts to jog your memory:
Young Guns I:
The scene where they are all on peyote is hilarious. “Did you guys see the size of that chicken?”
The end of the movie when they are surrounded in the house is just plain awesome.
“Hey, Peppin. I see you got Charley Crawford down there with you.”
“Yeah, that’s right, Bonney. We got a whole -”
[Billy leans out the window and shoots Crawford]
“Hey, Peppin. Charley Crawford’s not with you anymore.”
One thing I don’t like about this movie is the whole storyline with Doc and that girl.
Young Guns II:
Blaze of Glory by Bon Jovi, ’nuff said.
I liked Christian Slater’s character (Arkansas Dave Rudabaugh), and I liked the interplay between him and Billy better than interaction between Billy and Charlie Sheen in YGI.
The part where Dave stabs Chavez through the arm and then Chavez says, “You want your knife back?”
The whole storyline of Pat Garrett chasing Billy was very intriguing.
“Hello Bob!”
[Shoots Bob with a rifle that has eighteen dimes instead of bullets]
“Goodbye Bob! Best dollar eighty I ever spent.”
So, now I put you to the question:
Shane Halbach 