Tag Archives: nablopomo

Quantum of Solace

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We went and saw Quantum of Solace with the fam, who had yet to experience the new Fork & Screen at the AMC Olathe (which I happened to review here).

Quantum of Solace Movie Poster

I’ve been looking forward to the 22nd installment of the James Bond franchise ever since Casino Royale. I said it then – I didn’t believe that Daniel Craig would be a great Bond, but I was once again reminded of my foolishness.

Daniel Craig brings a fierceness to James Bond that he has (frankly) never had. Look, Sean Connery will forever be James Bond, but Craig’s sharp version of Britain’s most famous fake spy will be remembered as the place where Bond, James Bond became a brand new version of awesome.

Still, Quantum of Solace is NOT Casino Royale. It’s plagued by a pretty flimsy plot and a very weak villain. Flimsy plots are really a signature of the Bond franchise, but I kind of thought that after Casino Royale, we’d be past that stuff. (I mean, Crash writer Paul Haggis was a co-writer on the last two.) But all we really get is some obscure evil organization called Quantum with designs on world domination. Straightforward, sure. And honestly, it just gives Daniel Craig an opportunity to be brooding and seek revenge.

This is a bizarre turn because it’s the first time there has been continuity between sequential films in the series. However, I expected a little more resolution with the elusive Mr. White from the last movie. But the plot really got in the way.

I suppose that this obscure evil organization Quantum could be continued through the rest of the movies, but I’m hoping that we steer clear of any more connection to previous movies than that. The organization itself is intriguing, but I could care less as to how it relates to Vesper Lynd or Mr. White or Mr. Greene or anyone else. Just let James Bond be awesome, keep up the great stunt and action work, and get a better plot. If I had to rate it on a scale of 1 to 10, I’d probably give it a 7.

(Just as a sidenote, our Fork & Screen experience tonight was not that great. We didn’t get our food until about a half-hour into the movie and there was a LOT of confusion with the order. Our server was terrific, but it was just really slow. And there was an issue of some cold french fries…I still think that it’s a great way to see a movie.)

Uncomfortable bleachers

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I’m not going to go so far as to say that I HATE cheerleaders…

But after spending a day cramped in the bleachers of a high school gymnasium (because my wife and her sister are the coaches of a high school dance team) and hearing:

Goooood job good job!

Goooood job good job!

Goooood job good job!

A VERY GOOD JOB!

over and over and OVER again…I will say that the level of hate that I have for their CHEERS is immeasurable.

Medicine WORKS

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I was over at my brother’s site last night and saw the sidebar image he had from when I bought a cow last January.

Part of the deal with buying the cow was that by not eating the red meat, I intended to lower my cholesterol. By combining the lack of red meat with my daily oatmeal, I hoped that by altering my diet, I could bring down my HDL level.

Well, that didn’t work. So my doctor put me on a statin (yay Zocor!) and told me to take it for 2 months and then get tested again. My cholesterol wasn’t totally off the charts, but it was 203 with only about 1/5 of that being good cholesterol. I took the medicine for two months, but then forgot to schedule my follow-up appointment. The doctor gave me another 2 months of medicine and I got my appointment scheduled, complete with the 12-hour fast beforehand.

I got my results back after a few days to some fascinating news: my cholesterol had dropped 60 points.

You read that right: 60 POINTS.

Apparently the statin did what not eating red meat and having oatmeal everyday could not. All 60 points that I shaved off my cholesterol were of the HDL persuasion. Awesome.

Dear The Office,

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When referencing a graphic design program, please do not – under any circumstances – EVER use the following dialogue:

Jim: “I thought you were good at Flash.”

Pam: “I was. And then they changed to Acrobat and now it’s Quark and I’m just not good at this computer stuff.”

Unacceptable. UNACCEPTABLE!!!! There are so many things wrong with that statement. Graphic designers and people who work on the Web should share my outrage.

I expect a full written apology from Pam Beesley, Jim Halpert, Dunder-Mifflin, Ricky Gervais, Greg Daniels, Jenna Fischer, John Krasinski, B.J. Novak, NBC Universal, and Reveille Productions.

You have 48 hours to meet my demands.

It’s SOUP Time!

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I’ve never been shy about my adoration for the cooler months. The changing leaves, snuggling up under a blanket when your house is 62 degrees, scarves, football, the holidays – all of this and more makes late fall and winter my favorite time of year.

Another thing that makes this time of year great is soup.

Soup is warm. Soup is tasty. Soup is even healthy. (I refuse to say that it’s Mmm Mmm Good).

Tonight, Alli put a soup in the crockpot before she took off for practice and when I got home, I walked into a house that smelled like her tasty Mexican soup concoction. Corn, beans, stock, tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic, cumin and some other awesomeness topped with some cheese and corn chips…are you drooling yet?

So good.

I love soup and I love my wife for making it.

Ranking James Bond

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In honor of the U.S. opening of Quantum of Solace this week, expect a few more potential Bond-related posts. I must first say that I love everything about James Bond and the whole series. I’d love to take a weekend and watch all 22 of them from Dr. No to Casino Royale. How great would that be? I thought that to kick off Bond Week, I’d have a little list of my own…Shane’s James Bond Actor Rankings from Worst to Best. Starting with…

#6 George Lazenby

Starred in: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

Most people forget about poor George Lazenby. He’s kind of a punch line among Bond aficionados like myself, having starred in only one installment of the storied series. What Lazenby lacked in emotion, he made up for in woodenness. Plus, he had the added bonus of not even being blessed with a script that had any of the cheekiness that many of the other movies sometimes overdo. It’s not really his fault, but as we’ll see, it is possible to overcome a weak script with acting chops and style.

#5 Timothy Dalton

Starred in: The Living Daylights and License to Kill

There are lots of folks that really liked the late-1980′s Bond, Timothy Dalton. I wasn’t one of them. Dalton always seemed a little too frail to play James Bond. However, Dalton came at a necessary time. Roger Moore had gotten much too old to play the part, although I think that he would have continued to play it until he keeled over and died. Dalton was intended to be a breath of fresh air, but he just wasn’t that great.

#4 Pierce Brosnan

Starred in: Goldeneye, Tommorow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough and Die Another Day

Pierce Brosnan really sullied his Bond image with the meh TWINE and the absolutely ridonkulous Die Another Day. If Brosnan would have stopped while he was ahead with the first two movies (or at least held out for better scripts and co-stars in the final movies), it’s very likely that Brosnan could be higher on my list than Roger Moore. But Brosnan gets knocked down for two reasons: the final line in The World is Not Enough (“I thought Christmas only came once a year”) and the surfing scene in Die Another Day. Pierce can’t be blamed for Halle Berry, who I maintain is one of the most overrated actresses of our time, but he should have put his foot down in those two instances.

#3 Roger Moore

Starred in: Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, and A View to a Kill

There are lots of reasons not to like Roger Moore. He didn’t look very athletic, he kind of had a mullet, and…well, that’s really it. He got to star in the ONLY JAMES BOND MOVIE WITH BOTH GRACE JONES AND CHRISTOPHER WALKEN. Sure, A View to a Kill wasn’t a very good movie, but there was a fight scene on the Golden Gate Bridge and it had Christopher FREAKING Walken. He was full of cheek, but he owned it, whereas with Pierce Brosnan, you never really believed him when he had to say those lame lines. Also, he starred in two movies with Richard “Jaws” Kiel. And Richard Kiel was in Happy Gilmore.

#2 Daniel Craig

Starred in: Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace

I know it is a bit much to put Daniel Craig this high up on the list. I went into the movie theater to see Casino Royale with a lot of reservations. First, Daniel Craig is blond. James Bond is not. I was dead set on Clive Owen being the next Bond. The selection of Craig threw me for a loop, but I was blown away by his performance. He was serious, he was severe, but it worked. I can’t wait for many more Bond movies to come, as long as they keep up the decent scripts and great directors. I can’t wait. Look out Connery.

#1 Sean Connery

Starred in: Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, and Diamonds are Forever

Sean Connery is the man who built the Bond brand. He was the perfect combination of cheekiness and athleticism and charm. While he probably shouldn’t have come back for Diamonds are Forever, it was necessary to save the franchise from George Lazenby. Just take a look at his list though…the classics are all there and the reason that they are awesome is Sean Connery.

So there is my list. Discuss.

Top Chef Returns

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My favorite reality TV show is back. Emmy-nominated Top Chef is in New York City this season with new challenges, new food, and a whole lot of kitchen drama.

After spending two seasons in San Francisco, then taking the show on the road to Miami and Chicago, Top Chef is in the culinary center of the universe now. I can’t wait.

For those of you that do not watch this brilliant show, you are fools. It starts Wednesday night on Bravo, so set your DVR now so you don’t miss it. Seriously. It’s Project Runway meets the Food Network and it’s totally awesome.

I predict a possible live-blog of the 9 p.m. Wednesday premiere.

To miss a day or not?

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I’ve not missed a day yet for NaBloPoMo. I don’t really have a lot to say today. I’ve been trying to write two sermons for the next 3 weeks, including one on the first Sunday of Advent, which also happens to be a mass baby blessing (we’re talking like SEVEN), including my beautiful niece (no pressure).

I’ve got some ideas stewing, but if you want to hear them, you’ll have to be there.