Rolling along in a clear plastic bubble

LiveJournal for R for Rambo.

View:	User Info.
View:	Friends.
View:	Calendar.
View:	Memories.
You're looking at the latest 30 entries. Missed some entries? Then simply jump back 30 entries.

Sunday, January 18th, 2015

Subject:	Oscar nominations post!
Time:	5:31 pm.
Mood:	confused.

Since one of the only things I do now on this journal is talk about movies, it's time for the mostly-annual response to Academy Award nominations post.

In summary, WTF.

It's not that this is a rare year where things are questionable, but it's impressive how deeply questionable the nominations list managed to be this time around. Usually, you get one or two "snubs" that are judgement calls among a previously-implied list of candidates that have managed to get awareness. The actual awards night is where outrage happens.

Not so much for this year. If you're reading this, you presumably care at about these things like I do and are familiar with the general bewilderment expressed about it. My two cents to add are

Usually, I make it to ten or so completed categories by the time the awards happen. This year, I've only got one (Best Supporting Actress), and I'm unlikely to make it much further due to my total lack of interest in American Sniper and Foxcatcher. (Mr. Turner also contributed, but remains an outside chance to see.) I have better things to watch.

Comments: 2 abductees -Take me to your leader.

Saturday, October 18th, 2014

Subject:	The Tenth Annual Baseball Poll: The Showdown
Time:	5:30 pm.

AL vs NL, orange vs blue. Make your choice. You know what I pick.

Poll #1985897 X, III

Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All. Participants: 6

Who do you want to win it all?

View Answers

San Francisco "Trick or Treat" Giants

2(33.3%)

Kansas City "Blue Streak" Royals

4(66.7%)

ETA: I just realized I missed a great KC joke opportunity relating to going about as "fur" as they can go, but I don't want that to be true so I'm not re-posting.

Comments: Take me to your leader.

Monday, October 13th, 2014

Subject:	The Tenth Annual Baseball Poll: Round Bitter Tears
Time:	5:20 pm.

SIGH. Just. SIGH.

I actually went to the game my team won. My uncle has season tickets at Dodger Stadium and invited me for a whirlwind trip down. It was 24 hours and 15 minutes from locking my front door to unlocking it, because I had to be back for some friends' going-away dim sum (they are moving to Singapore so this was a non-trivial farewell).

The game was pretty sweet. Here's the view from our seats:

Anyway, it all ended in tears while I was in transit to a conference last week, so now I'm temporarily an AL fan.

Poll #1985369 X, II

Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All. Participants: 5

Pick your team, any team

View Answers

San Francisco Giants

2(40.0%)

St. Louis Cardinals

1(20.0%)

Kansas City Royals

2(40.0%)

Baltimore Orioles

0(0.0%)

Comments: 3 abductees -Take me to your leader.

Wednesday, October 1st, 2014

Subject:	The Tenth Annual Baseball Poll: Round One
Time:	8:35 pm.
Mood:	sleepy.

I just got back from Hawaii last night, I still have a million internets to read, but we have Important Business, LJ:

Poll #1984093 X, I

Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All. Participants: 6

Who do you want to win the 2014 Championship?

View Answers

Los Angeles Dodgers

2(33.3%)

St. Louis Cardinals

2(33.3%)

Washington Nationals

0(0.0%)

San Francisco Giants

1(16.7%)

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

0(0.0%)

Detroit Tigers

1(16.7%)

Baltimore Orioles

0(0.0%)

Kansas City Royals

0(0.0%)

The map is kind of interesting this year, with three pairs of teams in opposite leagues in neighboring markets. Also, lots of teams that ye olde flist has traditionally supported. Let's see who comes out to vote and who comes out to play!

(FREEWAY SERIES OR BUST.)

Comments: 1 abductee -Take me to your leader.

Saturday, March 29th, 2014

Subject:	100 Things: The End (phew)
Time:	3:10 pm.
Mood:	accomplished.

#100: Muppets Most Wanted - While on a grand world tour, The Muppets find themselves wrapped into an European jewel-heist caper headed by a Kermit the Frog look-alike and his dastardly sidekick. [imdb]

So 100 things finally comes to a close for this LJ. It was supposed to be done in 100 days, instead of two years. I had also intended to write more about previously-viewed movies and things caught on TV, but clearly that did not happen. And it's not like I'm going to stop seeing or writing about movies now that it's done, so in the end, all I think we really got out of this was consistent formatting.

In the words of the pig - the other pig - that's all, folks!

Comments: Take me to your leader.

Sunday, March 16th, 2014

Subject:	February's done, stuff can start coming out again
Time:	5:47 pm.
Mood:	hungry.

Blergh, I think this might be the longest I've gone without a post for no good reason. So much for the "100 things" project getting me in a better habit.

Anyway, two more.

#98: The Wind Rises - A look at the life of Jiro Horikoshi, the man who designed Japanese fighter planes during World War II. [imdb]

#99: The Grand Budapest Hotel - The adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. [imdb]

The timing has lined up for an appropriate #100. See you next week.

Comments: Take me to your leader.

Sunday, February 16th, 2014

Subject:	Three weeks of movies in this post
Time:	8:08 pm.
Mood:	accomplished.

I am kind of sort of working on the annual top 10 of 2013 post, but I'm having trouble nailing down the list, so that's yet to come. Meanwhile, other stuff came out and I saw it.

#95: Labor Day - Depressed single mom Adele and her son Henry offer a wounded, fearsome man a ride. As police search town for the escaped convict, the mother and son gradually learn his true story as their options become increasingly limited. [imdb]

#96: The Lego Movie - An ordinary LEGO minifigure, mistakenly thought to be the extraordinary MasterBuilder, is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil LEGO tyrant from gluing the universe together. [imdb]

#97: The Monuments Men - An unlikely World War II platoon are tasked to rescue art masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their owners. [imdb]

Close. I should figure out what #100 is going to be, and where to go from there.

Comments: Take me to your leader.

Monday, January 20th, 2014

Subject:	Ten plus one
Time:	7:23 pm.
Mood:	thoughtful.

#93: August: Osage County - A look at the lives of the strong-willed women of the Weston family, whose paths have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to the Oklahoma house they grew up in, and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them. [imdb]

#94: Short Term 12 - A 20-something supervising staff member of a foster care facility navigates the troubled waters of that world alongside her co-worker and longtime boyfriend. [imdb]

I rented this today since it's been cited on a lot of lists, but either had a ridiculously short run here or never played at all nearby. It's hard to compare watching at home, with a smaller screen and kitten-shaped distractions and interruptions, to an immersive, focused theatre experience. So, caveats.

Comments: Take me to your leader.

Thursday, January 16th, 2014

Subject:	Academy Award Nominations post
Time:	8:55 pm.
Mood:	content.

I haven't even thought about my top ten list yet, but I do have thoughts on theirs. This is going to be a very long campaign season with the Olympics delaying the ceremony, so let's all hang in there and watch some good things. And SKATING OMG.

All told, in my annual game of Oscar Pokemon (gotta catch 'em all), my count of completed categories stands at eight. With August: Osage County, I'll hit ten, which matches my mark last year. To exceed it, I'd need to see things that are either not in theatres or are not of interest to me, so I'm satisfied.

Comments: Take me to your leader.

Saturday, January 11th, 2014

Subject:	It got to be a few days and then I figured I'd just wait and collect a third one
Time:	8:42 pm.

#90: Saving Mr. Banks - Author P. L. Travers reflects on her difficult childhood while meeting with filmmaker Walt Disney during production for the adaptation of her novel, Mary Poppins. [imdb]

#91: Her - A lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with his newly purchased operating system that's designed to meet his every need. [imdb]

#92: The Wolf of Wall Street - Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stockbroker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government. [imdb]

Comments: Take me to your leader.

Tuesday, December 31st, 2013

Subject:	It's all about the money, money, money
Time:	1:38 pm.

#88: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - The dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, continue their quest to reclaim Erebor, their homeland, from Smaug. Bilbo Baggins is in possession of a mysterious and magical ring. [imdb]

#89: American Hustle - A con man, Irving Rosenfeld, along with his seductive ~~British~~ partner, Sydney Prosser, is forced to work for a wild FBI agent, Richie DiMaso. DiMaso pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia. [imdb]

Comments: 4 abductees -Take me to your leader.

Monday, December 23rd, 2013

Subject:	This icon is actually relevant to the movie
Time:	10:18 am.
Mood:	allergic.

Woohoo, I'm on vacation! I'm also at my parents' house, which meant my choice of movie on Saturday, before I left, had to be strategic: which of the many options do I think they're least likely to want to see? I chose:

#87: Inside Llewyn Davis - A week in the life of a young singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961. [imdb]

I am allergic to something here. I suspect it is the tree. *narrows itchy eyes*

Comments: Take me to your leader.

Sunday, December 15th, 2013

Subject:	Still no Hobbit
Time:	11:52 am.
Mood:	tired.

#85: Frozen - Walt Disney animation's adaptation of "The Snow Queen", in which two sisters break the ice and there is singing. [ME (all the site summaries I checked were dumber than that)]

#86: Nebraska - An aging, booze-addled father makes the trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim a million dollar Mega Sweepstakes Marketing prize. [imdb]

I'm tracking pretty well on the awards season scorecards, mostly pending things that haven't come out yet Upcoming things I'm looking forward to most: Inside Llewyn Davis, Her, Labor Day (and Hobbit but that is out). I have to convince myself somehow to see All Is Lost, or I'm going to miss a lot of categories this year. Damn you, Redford.

Comments: Take me to your leader.

Monday, December 9th, 2013

Subject:	We are on a steady two movies per weekend diet henceforth
Time:	9:19 pm.
Mood:	okay.

It's that time of year, oh yes.

#83: Dallas Buyers Club - In 1985 Dallas, electrician and hustler Ron Woodroof works around the system to help AIDS patients get the medication they need after he is himself diagnosed with the disease. [imdb]

#84: Philomena - A world-weary political journalist picks up the story of a woman's search for her son, who was taken away from her decades ago after she became pregnant and was forced to live in a convent. [imdb]

It's also the time of year when people travel to this part of the country and I get to hang out with my dear flisty peeps. *waves* Always lovely too see you! Sorry we couldn't offer better weather, but no one could. o_O

Comments: Take me to your leader.

Sunday, December 1st, 2013

Subject:	Two sequels and a future Oscar winner
Time:	9:18 pm.
Mood:	cold.

#80: Thor: The Dark World - Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all. [imdb]

#81: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark become targets of the Capitol after their victory in the 74th Hunger Games sparks a rebellion in the Districts of Panem. [imdb]

#82: 12 Years A Slave - In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. [imdb]

In unrelated news, when did plain toasters get so expensive?

Comments: 2 abductees -Take me to your leader.

Thursday, November 14th, 2013

Subject:	Voyaging
Time:	9:59 pm.
Mood:	productive.

#79: Captain Phillips - The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years. [imdb]

My backlog is growing and will continue to grow this weekend. Even Thor yet awaits me. Eep!

Comments: Take me to your leader.

Sunday, November 3rd, 2013

Subject:	To boldly go, to climb a rope, to sleep and dream
Time:	10:03 pm.
Mood:	contemplative.

#76: Gravity - A medical engineer and an astronaut work together to survive after an accident leaves them adrift in space. [imdb] PS: This is not a movie about the astronaut.

#77: A.C.O.D. - A grown man caught in the crossfire of his parents 15-year divorce discovers he was unknowingly part of a study on divorced children and is enlisted in a follow-up years later, which wreaks new havoc on his family. [imdb]

#78: The Book Thief - While subjected to the horrors of WWII Germany, young Liesel finds solace by stealing books and sharing them with others. Under the stairs in her home, a Jewish refuge is being sheltered by her adoptive parents. [imdb]

Comments: Take me to your leader.

Monday, October 21st, 2013

Subject:	Ninth Annual Baseball Poll: Round Three
Time:	6:24 pm.
Mood:	disappointed.

The only reason I didn't explode when Comcast failed to show up on Saturday was that my team exited the post-season on Friday. :-( But you still get to see their logo in my icon because my other baseball ones didn't make the cut in the icon purge.

Anyway, with apologies to those of you who are fans, this Cardinals/Red Sox World Series is possibly the dullest of all possible outcomes this year. But the poll must go on!

Poll #1939862 Nine men up

Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All. Participants: 13

Which team do you want to win this thing?

View Answers

St. Louis Cardinals

3(23.1%)

Boston Red Sox

10(76.9%)

Which recently winning team will you choose?

Comments: 4 abductees -Take me to your leader.

Thursday, October 10th, 2013

Subject:	Ninth Annual Baseball Poll: Round Two
Time:	8:58 pm.
Mood:	hopeful.

Welp, so much for my in-state Series. On to the voting!

Poll #1938233 Nine positions to play

Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All. Participants: 11

Which team do you want to win it all?

View Answers

Los Angeles Dodgers

2(18.2%)

St. Louis Cardinals

1(9.1%)

Detroit Tigers

5(45.5%)

Boston Red Sox

3(27.3%)

And from the other league?

View Answers

Los Angeles Dodgers

5(50.0%)

St. Louis Cardinals

2(20.0%)

Detroit Tigers

1(10.0%)

Boston Red Sox

2(20.0%)

Comments: 2 abductees -Take me to your leader.

Saturday, October 5th, 2013

Subject:	Twenty-five to go
Time:	5:45 pm.
Mood:	rushed.

Once again, many weeks late. Worst.

#73: Closed Circuit - A high-profile terrorism case unexpectedly binds together two ex-lovers on the defense team - testing the limits of their loyalties and placing their lives in jeopardy. [imdb]

#74: Don Jon - Jon Martello is a strong, handsome, good old fashioned guy. His buddies call him Don Jon due to his ability to "pull" a different woman every weekend, but even the finest fling doesn't compare to the bliss he finds alone in front of the computer watching pornography. [rottentomatoes]

#75: Prisoners - When Keller Dover's daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts. But just how far will this desperate father go to protect his family? [imdb]

Comments: Take me to your leader.

Wednesday, October 2nd, 2013

Subject:	Ninth Annual Baseball Poll: Round One
Time:	9:40 pm.
Mood:	busy.

I considered starting this earlier to include all the wildcard teams, since they're legitimate postseason players, but with Game 163, there would've been less than 24 hours before some poll options became obsolete. Therefore, they're off the list, but I added a consolation poll.

Bring me your feelings, not your predictions! We had 22 participants in round one last year; let's see how this goes.

Poll #1936842 Nine innings to play

Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All. Participants: 11

Which team has your love this year?

View Answers

Los Angeles Dodgers

1(9.1%)

St. Louis Cardinals

1(9.1%)

Atlanta Braves

2(18.2%)

Pittsburgh Pirates

2(18.2%)

Oakland A's

0(0.0%)

Detroit Tigers

2(18.2%)

Tampa Bay Rays

1(9.1%)

Boston Red Sox

2(18.2%)

But I really wanted:

View Answers

Cincinnati Reds

2(100.0%)

Cleveland Indians

0(0.0%)

(Sorry, Rangers, you didn't actually make the postseason.)

My ultimate preference would be for a California series because of the intriguing notion of dashing up and down the state for all of the games. The reality of moving, money, availability, etc., means this won't actually happen, but I am hoping to make it to LA for the WS, should we be so fortunate as to overcome, and if it is the A's, I'll do my best to get a seat.

Play ball!

Comments: 1 abductee -Take me to your leader.

Thursday, September 19th, 2013

Subject:	And there was much rejoicing!
Time:	6:40 pm.
Mood:	ecstatic.

The Dodgers made it official today and became the 2013 National League West CHAMPIONS. Yes, that does explain why around 4:00 PM PDT today, you felt a sudden wave of relief and rightness in the world. It does.

Excuse me while I happy dance around my apartment all evening.

Video embeds didn't work so you'll have to click for the happiness.
Includes clubhouse champagne party.
This one repeats some but is all Vin/on the field.

And then they went and jumped in the pool, for great lulz and gifs. And more gifs.

(I just want to be able to find these later.)

Comments: 2 abductees -Take me to your leader.

Saturday, September 7th, 2013

Subject:	I'm an LJ failboat right here
Time:	1:21 pm.
Mood:	lazy.

These...are weeks old. Other things have happened during that time that I failed to record. I will regret this.

#71: Blue Jasmine - A New York socialite, deeply troubled and in denial, arrives in San Francisco to impose upon her sister. She looks a million, but isn't bringing money, peace, or love... [imdb]

#72: Lee Daniels' The Butler (LOL, naming disputes) - As Cecil Gaines serves eight presidents during his tenure as a butler at the White House, the civil rights movement, Vietnam, and other major events affect this man's life, family, and American society. [imdb]

Comments: 1 abductee -Take me to your leader.

Saturday, August 17th, 2013

Subject:	I'd better write about last weekend's movies before I go see this weekend's!
Time:	1:27 pm.
Mood:	busy.

Oops. Well, better late...

#69: Elysium - Set in the year 2154, where the very wealthy live on a man-made space station while the rest of the population resides on a ruined Earth, a man takes on a mission that could bring equality to the polarized worlds. [imdb]

#70: Fruitvale Station - The purportedly true story of Oscar Grant III, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident, who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family, and strangers on the last day of 2008. [imdb]

Comments: 1 abductee -Take me to your leader.

Monday, July 15th, 2013

Subject:	Small and large
Time:	8:48 pm.
Mood:	amused.

Even though I had a four day weekend for the Fourth of July, I didn't end up seeing any movies in theatres because the new films that weekend were rather uninspiring. I tried to catch Mud in a second-run theatre but the times on the website did not agree with the times at the house, so that failed. So here's something I watched on TV.

#67: Once - A modern-day musical about a busker and an immigrant and their eventful week in Dublin, as they write, rehearse and record songs that tell their love story. [imdb]

And now, for a big, showy, theatre movie.

#68: Pacific Rim - As a war between humankind and monstrous sea creatures wages on, a former pilot and a trainee are paired up to drive a seemingly obsolete special weapon in a desperate effort to save the world from the apocalypse. [imdb]

But seriously, I just need Elysium to come out, already.

Comments: 2 abductees -Take me to your leader.

Sunday, June 30th, 2013

Subject:	Movie theatre air conditioning saved my weekend
Time:	8:18 pm.
Mood:	okay.

I tried to slow it down to save up for the upcoming long weekend, but this weekend's heat wave turned my apartment into a sauna in the afternoon, so...movies, it was. Actually, the first one of these was last weekend.

#64 - This Is The End - While attending a party at James Franco's house, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel and many other celebrities are faced with the apocalypse. [imdb]

#65 - Monsters University - A look at the relationship between Mike and Sulley during their days at Monsters University -- when they weren't necessarily the best of friends. [imdb]

#66 - The Bling Ring - Inspired by actual events, a group of fame-obsessed teenagers use the internet to track celebrities' whereabouts in order to rob their homes. [imdb]

If you just want to know the Y/N: Y to the first two, N to the third.

Comments: 1 abductee -Take me to your leader.

Monday, June 17th, 2013

Subject:	Steel and self-delusion
Time:	8:37 pm.
Mood:	contemplative.

It's fully summer movie season now, which means lots of options on weekends. I should probably save more for the Fourth of July weekend when that's pretty much all I'm going to do...

#62: Man of Steel - A young itinerant worker is forced to confront his secret extraterrestrial heritage when Earth is invaded by members of his race. [imdb]

First, let's all just enjoy again that plot summary. I'll wait.

#63: Frances Ha - A story that follows a New York woman (who doesn't really have an apartment), apprentices for a dance company (though she's not really a dancer), and throws herself headlong into her dreams, even as their possible reality dwindles. [imdb]

Comments: 3 abductees -Take me to your leader.

Sunday, June 9th, 2013

Subject:	Behind on reviews again, argh
Time:	11:01 am.
Mood:	rushed.

#58: Epic - A teenager finds herself transported to a deep forest setting where a battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil is taking place. She bands together with a rag-tag group characters in order to save their world -- and ours. [imdb]

#59: Stories We Tell - In Stories We Tell, Sarah Polley plays with the documentary format to explore the nature of memory and storytelling, crafting a thoughtful, compelling narrative that unfolds like a mystery. [rottentomatoes]

#60: Superbad - Two co-dependent high school seniors are forced to deal with separation anxiety after their plan to stage a booze-soaked party goes awry. [imdb]

#61: The East - An operative for an elite private intelligence firm finds her priorities changing dramatically after she is tasked with infiltrating an anarchist group known for executing covert attacks upon major corporations. [imdb]

You REALLY shouldn't click this cut if you are planning to see the movie, and you should be planning to see the movie!

If those two could just keep making movies together, that would be really great for me. :-D

Comments: Take me to your leader.

Monday, May 27th, 2013

Subject:	One great movie and one disappointment
Time:	11:54 am.
Mood:	contemplative.

As I mentioned last time, my movie previews site has been paying dividends. The latest is a movie I'm glad I got to see for free, because I would have paid for it otherwise and that would have been a mistake. I cannot recommend:

#56: Now You See Me - An FBI agent and an Interpol detective track a team of illusionists who pull off bank heists during their performances and reward their audiences with the money. [imdb]

Skip it.

On a much more positive note, I finally got around last night o seeing:

#57: Iron Man 3 - When Tony Stark's world is torn apart by a formidable terrorist called the Mandarin, he starts an odyssey of rebuilding and retribution. [imdb]

Comments: 3 abductees -Take me to your leader.

Saturday, May 11th, 2013

Subject:	Still haven't seen Iron Man 3, whoops.
Time:	10:24 pm.
Mood:	okay.

Six months ago or so, I signed up at gofobo.com to get early movie screenings. Up until this week, I'd only had one or two invitations and none of them were interesting/possible to see. This week, I got two and made both of them! And then I saw a third movie on Friday, unrelated to the preview site. :-D

#53: The Way, Way Back (preview) - Over the course of his summer break, a teenager comes into his own thanks in part to the friendship he strikes up with one of the park's managers. [imdb]

#54: The Heat (preview) - Uptight FBI special agent Sarah Ashburn is paired with testy Boston cop Shannon Mullins in order to take down a ruthless drug lord. The hitch: neither woman has ever had a partner -- or a friend for that matter. [imdb]

#55: The Great Gatsby - A Midwestern war veteran finds himself drawn to the past and lifestyle of his millionaire neighbor. [imdb, hahah what is that summary even]

Comments: Take me to your leader.

LiveJournal for R for Rambo.

View:	User Info.
View:	Friends.
View:	Calendar.
View:	Memories.
You're looking at the latest 30 entries. Missed some entries? Then simply jump back 30 entries.