The Wrestler (2008)

Watched this last Friday up in E-Town after hanging out at the Borders for upwards of 90 minutes.  It was good.  Quite formulaic, but 1) real good acting elevates the material, and 2) as this review mentions, your average wrestling match is pretty formulaic too (even the PPV ones), but that doesn't stop you from getting into it.

Also, much handheld photography where steadicam would have been an acceptable alternative, but I understand the choice.  Randy "Ram" Robinson probably couldn't afford a steadicam operator anyway.

Followed immediately by going home and watching the post-Earth Battlestar, it made for a very depressing evening.  And then it was the coldest weekend evar to boot.  Winter blues anyone?

DMBPedals Metal Zone MT-2 Mod

Thought I would put up a plug for these guys as they took my Metal Zone and turned it from a 15-year-old's pedal to a grown man's pedal.  There are other companies out there that mod the same pedal for more money (I say this having taken advantage of dmb's half-off post-xmas sale), and possibly you end up with more switches on it or something, but I'm here to tell you this is a really good mod, end of sentence.

Marley and Me (2008)

Who let the dog out? And why can't we control it?

The latest meeting of We Heart Owen took place at the AMC 1000 in San Francisco. Britt, Pete and Keith sat through this popular holiday holdout dram-com.

Many cried by the time the film ended. It wasn't the sunny flick I signed up for. Aniston (spoiler) loses a baby, her job, and her dog. The ladies next to me were balling by the time the final montage broke out. For an Owen Wilson film, this was kind of a downer. Not even the Marley highlight reel during the start of the credits lightened the mood.

The story was better than I expected, a true one about a newspaper columnist (remember those?) back in the days they made money, I guess. Looks like a nice job for a Medill grad.

I thought dog people would love it automatically, but Keith didn't.

The Labrador puppies scene killed. Women swooned. They made a joke about a Labradoodle.

So let us know if you'd like a We Heart Owen button. There are stunning new designs posted on the Facebook page's Photos section. Owen's a bona fide leading man now, which feels kinda strange, like watching your dad cry. He's all growed up. Good for him. Anyways, it looks like he'll get back in form for the Night at the Museum sequel. YeeehaW!

13: Fear is Real (2009)

I apologize but I couldn't resist. I want to respect the idea of a reality show that tests contestants breaking points and allows for people to be voted off, but it's been done. It's called C-Span. The instant it started, m'lady commented, "Isn't that the cabin from Evil Dead?"
It very well could be.
SPOILER ALERT:
Executive Producer--->Sam Raimi.
I'm not sure if that's a plus for the show or a minus for Raimi.
With all the flash and polished editing effects, I have trouble buying into this show as a "reality" much like any other "reality" show. How can anyone be scared when they're being filmed by people holding cameras? The IR and Nightvision stuff is kinda neat if you like that voyeuristic "I'm watching attractive people get scared" type o' thing.
I wanted the show to work. And I think it could if it had a confederate or two that could stage a death. Morbid, and moderately illegal I know, but considering how many different silence clauses and contracts participants sign, I don't think it's impossible.
I leave with this:
You know it's going to be crap when people are afraid of a modulated voice synthesizer... even if it is added in post.