Vorahk1Panrahk2

...Is spacechem the chemistry of space?

My favorite meals are all breakfast related. So that gets my vote.

Whether or not the trailer is 'safe' depends on how much you know about the movie, what you don't want to know, and what you want to know. I didn't see anything super spoilery in there, but someone else may see something they didn't want to. For what it's worth, I, too, only ever watch the first trailer for movies I want to see. Anyway, as someone who isn't really a fan of Star Wars and thinks these spinoff films are a terrible idea... this actually looks kind of okay. But, then, so do a lot of movie trailers.

I would respond to your ad, but in about a month I'll be doing this with my current girlfriend for about two years time. There's only so many emotions I can spare. Granted we know what each other looks like, but still....

Even though all the reviews are not kind to this movie, I am still going to pay money to see it as soon as I can. I've been wanting a villain-centric comic book movie for a long time now, and I am looking forward to watching this to form my own opinion.

KRAGGH! Where have you been? I confess I don't pay attention to these particular Olympic sports (I'm an archery man myself), but Phelps does continue to be impressive. I am confused, though. Phelps currently has 21 medals, right? And Latynina has 18, right? So how are they tied?

Well I just recieved medical clearance for my work out of country which is... a mixed bag? I mean, it's good, but at the same time it just feels more real, so the fear and anxiety levels are going up. But enough about me. How are you?

But, as we see with your post, silly Mystic has issues getting their own logo right. #Teamdoesn'tplay #HufflepuffisTHEBEST

The Coen Brother's True Grit improves on the 1969 film in every way, particularly with the solid acting and more thematic heft. It still has great moments of Coen Brothers humor, but gone is the cheesy nature of that film. Worst? I'm sure there are a few floating in the back of my head, but the one that comes to mind is the 2008 Day the Earth Stood Still. I haven't seen it since it first came out, but I recall finding a fairly shallow CGI spectale compared to the 1951 original.

My Dad usually goes up there every year with his plane, but I'm not sure if he's actually doing it this year. I've never been myself, but I imagine it's a fun event. Hope you enjoy it!

Why, yes. Yes I do want this. Love how the rooms in the back are dedicated to references from their animated films.

I see what you did there.

If I had known you hadn't read Fables yet I would have never stopped nagging you about it to read them! I've read up through Arabian Nights and, for the most part I'm really enjoying it! There's a handy reading guide floating around the web that helps you read the main and side stories in proper order. It can get confusing, especially if you're reading the deluxe editions.

Had it for the first time a few weeks ago. Thought it was gross. You're missing nothing.

Having just watched it, I have a hard time agreeing with some of this. After the interview with one of the victims, Garabedian says "he's one of the lucky ones. He's still alive." I think the implications of the statement are obvious without getting specific. It lets the viewer know that there absolutely are long term impacts of the abuse on the survivors, and provides further reason for the viewer to root for Spotlight to get their story out. As for the Spotlight team itself: It's personal for Matt Caroll who is disturbed that he and his family live almost across the street from a treatment center. It becomes personal for Robinson when it's revealed that he's the one who buried crucial information in the first place, five years before the investigation even started. And even before that when he finds out that his high school teacher was an abuser, and he realizes he was just lucky he didn't end up a victim. It's personal for Sacha who likes to go to church with her Nana, and now can't. It's personal for Rezendes who was hoping to go back to church one day, the implication being that he just can't do that now. All four main members of the Spotlight team were impacted by the story they put together. Couldn't disagree more. For me, all my investment comes from the stories of the survivors. It's through them that we hear firsthand just how widespread and sickening these actions are, and it's through these stories that we come to root for Spotlight to nail the article. Conflict came from multiple sources. In three instances, from the two lawyers who refused to divulge information, and from the rival newspaper (even if that was primarily in the heads of the Spotlight team). Other hurdles come from having to shift to a different topic after 9/11, and from Robinson making the decision to hold off on writing what would have been an effective story. And although it wasn't direct conflict, there was definitely conflict from the church itself through their sealing of the incriminating documents, their removal of the public documents from the courthouse, and through their refusal to use language which obviously states the nature of why these priests were removed. Were they actively trying to hinder the investigation? Perhaps not*, but their efforts to sweep things under the rug in the first place is what provides the conflict. (*Though Garabedian mentions upon his first meeting with Rezendes that the church has been trying to disbar him.) Perhaps this just our differing philosophies, but I don't necessarily need a movie to have a hands on, tangible antagonist who directly meddles in the affairs of the protagonists. The red tape and bureaucratic obstacles were enough for me. As for them not arguing amongst themselves, I would have been disappointed to see that in the movie. There's no need for any internal friction when there are enough obstacles they have to overcome. And including a scene on whether to even keep investigating would have been a huge detriment. I don't think there's any question that it's an important story to publish, and it would have been disappointing to see one of the Spotlight members prefer to sweep it under the rug. What was far more effective was the scene with Rezendes being frustrated with Robinson for choosing to withhold what would have been an effective story. Both of them know the story needed to be written, but there's a fundamental disagreement on how it should be written. It's stated maybe twice that, if the story is butchered, or if they don't come at it from the right angle it will get buried and no real change will be made. Those are the stakes. Which makes the end of the movie all the more depressing. And in the beginning, when Marty Baron mentions his plans to sue the church, it's a gamble. The judge in the court is Catholic, over half their readership is Catholic. Print newspapers are on their way out already. If they aren't careful they alienate a huge number of readers. These are not the main stakes, no, but as a viewer it put a little more emphasis on how serious this story is. That they are willing to gamble on the paper to tell it. I found it to be hardly a plain, obvious victory. They didn't get the protests they were expecting, no, and the article was published, but the ending is not a victory. Instead we see their phones ringing off the hooks with more and more people coming forward with their stories. Their article is barely the tip of the iceberg. And the problem still isn't fixed, as you point out in your last paragraph. There is no victory here. They did everything as best they could, but there's still no real change. And (while this is my own interpretation) the lack of protests has its own implications. I think we can take Sacha's Nana to be a representation of the general church going public in Boston. She was clearly devastated when she read the article. She, and presumably many other church goers, aren't angry at the Globe. They are horrified with what has been going on right in front of them. I haven't seen The Big Short, so I don't know what sort of downer ending you're comparing it to, but I can not see the ending of Spotlight as anything other than downbeat. Nor do I think the movie is safe, or obvious, and I think this is clear particularly with the two lawyers, Macleish and Sullivan. As a viewer it's easy for us to look at them and think they are bad people for defending the abusers, but are they really? Everyone in America has the right to a defense and a fair trial, and when Sullivan says he was just doing his job... yeah, he was. He had the unfortunate job of defending horrible people, but it was his job, and he's bound by the nature of that job to keep confidential the information Robinson wanted. Does that make him a bad person? I don't think the answer is obvious at all. I think that while there are obviously bad things (abuse), and good people trying to stop ignorance about it (Spotlight), the rest of the movie focuses on things that are pretty grey in nature. There's no one reason why the abuse wasn't more public. Sure you had the church trying to cover it up, but you also had lawyers who were just trying to do their jobs right. And you had newspaper staff like Robinson who swept information under the rug without investigating the validity of it. I think there was even a scene where someone (Bradley, maybe?) calls Saviano a name which implies he's not a credible source. Are these people just doing their job? Are they doing the right thing by withholding information, or by being skeptical? The movie provides no obvious answers to these questions, because there are none. But, again, perhaps this all comes down to the different ways in which we view movies. While I don't agree with your criticisms, on some level I can still understand why your reaction is what it was. All that said, I went to bed thinking that this subject would be great for a television program. More time could have been devoted to those personal relationships amongst the Spotlight team, more time showing how victims were effected by the abuse and investigation, and more time devoted to following up on what happened after the article was published. I love the movie as is, but you're right in that there's still a lot more here that could be told.

These sets just receieved 10,000 votes, which means LEGO will consider making them official sets. Neither is guarenteed to make it into set form. And while I'm not super familiar with Addams Family, the show seems harmless enough from the little I've watched. I'm pretty bad at judging piece count by size, but I'm wondering how closely that mansion gets to LEGO's new rule about size.

Leaving home isn't easy. I moved across the country for grad school, and I'll be moving again out of the country toward September. I can understand being emotional about moving away even though you're moving on to experience grander things which will hopefully help you figure out what kind of life you want to lead. I realize I'm half a month late in responding, and that by now you are probably already settled down, but I'm hoping that things go all the best for you at your new location and job!

I understand that that was the point of the film, and to that effect I think it was successful. But I also don't think that sort of story should come at the expense of making her an active character. There's enough in that movie for me to like it, but that's just too big of an issue for me to love it. Honestly, when I typed that sentence I started asking myself the same question. Very few movies I saw this year really felt memorable (more than a few were straight up disappointing) and I'm actually not sure I could even make a top 10 list. But the ones that stand out are: 6. Brooklyn - There's nothing groundbreaking about this film. But it was an earnest, old fashioned romance that told its story really well, without being too saccharine or schmaltzy. But on a more personal level, while I have no idea what it feels like to be an immigrant, the idea of being homesick for family and loved ones is one that is starting to resonate more with me, so I appreciated it on that level. 5. Mr. Holmes - Maybe not the first Sherlock Holmes in old age story (I honestly don't know), but I liked how it used the character to emphasize how frustrating and scary it is to experience the onset of dementia or Alzheimer's either in yourself or someone you love. I thought it dealt with such a sensitive subject rather well, but for some people it could still be a really hard movie to watch. 4. The Stanford Prison Experiment - For those who already familiar with this particular social experiment there's not much more the movie can teach, but it's a tense film, and relevant today when police brutality is a forefront issue. 3. Tomorrowland - It's optimism was completely infectious. It's not a flawless movie, but it was a rollicking adventure with a positive message. Some would say it's too preachy, but when you're trying to encourage young people to work on solving the world's problems, is there such thing as too preachy? I don't think so. I thought it was a lovely movie. I saw it twice in theaters and my only regret is not being able to go back for more. 2. The Revenant - The story is barebones, but the strength of the film lies in how much of a visceral experience it is. All the film's assets came together to create a man vs. nature story that mentally threw me right in the thick of it, and never let go until the end credits. Despite the long run time and basic story, it was a very compelling film to watch. I'm under the impression you probably don't agree. 1. Inside Out - Pixar doing what Pixar does best: making an animated film that resonates strongly both with adults and kids, as I'm sure many in both age groups can relate to the pull that Riley feels toward her home town in Minnesota. I really appreciate just how mature the subject was, and I still think it's one of the rare American animated films that adults will appreciate more than kids. Mad Max: Fury Road gets an honerable mention for that scene of them pulling the truck out of the mud. Still my favorite movie scene of this year. It's not that I thought the movie wasn't good enough to place on this list, it just didn't really do anything for me. Another honerable mention goes to, of all the weird movies, Goosebumps. Not a great movie by any means, but it was a really ernest throwback to kid adventure films of old, with all the fun, heart, and scares, you might expect from them. I had a blast watching it. But, like you, I still have a few 2015 movies on my list to see. I've enjoyed the work I've seen from Tom McCarthy, so I'm optimistic that Spotlight will have a place on this list when I finally get around to seeing it. Other films I still need to see from 2015 are Anomalisa, Concussion, Room, Eye in the Sky, and (if it counts?) The Witch. And now you have me curious about Infinitely Polar Bear. I will add that to my list.

I was really excited to see Sicario based on how much I loved Villeneuve's Prisoners, but I felt really let down by it. Mostly from how Blunt's character was written. She has goals, but absolutely no impact on the story. She's just along for the ride, a side kick in her own movie. It bothered me that she didn't drive it at all. There's a lot about the movie I liked, but dang, that's such a huge deal breaker for me. I feel like I'm being blasphemous by stating that my excitment for the sequel is based on the fact that Blunt's character won't be part of it. Interest list, for sure. The only movie here that would make my top 10 list is Inside Out, but, hey, opinions!

I started reading The Windup Girl, but had to stop due to school having to take the priority. It seems like a really rich, if super dense, book and I'd love to take it back up again.

Uprooted from Naomi Novik. It was terrible. I'm hoping to have a review written for it soon, but basically the plot is too dense and the story progresses too quickly which results in unbelievable characters and plot progressions.

What an incredibly odd set of additions. It's certainly surprising to see Mission Impossible. Or E.T. Or Sonic. Or basically any of those.

Uh oh he's entering the teenage years...

So my first year of graduate school is over. It was actually over a month ago, but I'm lazy and just got around to writing this now. I don't really have a whole lot of thoughts on it that I feel like puting down this minute, but I'm glad it's over and can put school out of my mind for another few years. I'll be spending this summer getting ready for my stint out of country. I had a nice week long break after finals where I went home to celebrate my birthday. Sure I spent the week trying to get medical documents together (due on my birthday of course) so I wouldn't get kicked out of my program, but I got to see my family and my girlfriend and I got to build a Naboo Starfighter, so it was still fun! As a birthday gift, my Mom gave my girlfriend and I tickets to see Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. It was SO. GOOD. Definitely my favorite interpretation of the Cinderella story so far. Seeing the costumes in action was worth the trip all by itself. Some serious creativity and engineering went into those. After seeing such a great musical I can't really complain about not being able to do a whole lot, though it would have been nice to spend my birthday celebrating instead of nagging the hospital to get my documents to me. One of them was late because they forgot to run a certain test on my blood when I visited back in March. Their fault. Not mine. For now I'm back at school until the end of June because that's when my apartment contract ends and I can't get out of it early. In the meantime, to offset the rent costs, I'm working almost full time at a local museum. It's not what I would call a good job, and I'm not getting paid much, but it's an income. And it is nice to not have to worry about school and homework. Once the end of June hits, I go home and hang out for a few months until I go out of country. I plan on having a lot of fun this summer!

I've found Henry annoying from season 1 episode 1. I'll probably end up watching it once the DVD hits or it comes to Netflix. Whichever comes first.