Max Payne

I checked out the new Max Payne movie last night. Unfortunately, I have never played the game so I have no frame of reference about it's accuracy, but I was told by someone who has played the game that it is very similar. I was expecting a little more of the fantasy element to be prominent, from what I could gather off the trailers, but it took a more realistic approach and didn't delve into the Valkyrie storyline too deeply. I was expecting more along the lines of Constantine, but it ran more like a cross between an episode of CSI and X-Files. It wasn't a bad movie, but it wasn't spectacular, either.

Early Movie Buzz

Some of the latest movie buzz that has sent my head reeling with excitement - can't wait to hear more about these:

Characters:
Johnny Depp playing the Riddler in the next Batman Begins movie, and playing the Mad Hatter in Burton's version of Alice in Wonderland.

Robert Downey, Jr. playing Sherlock Holmes, with Jude Law as Watson and Guy Ritchie directing.

Russell Crowe as Robin Hood with Ridley Scott directing "Nottingham"

Jake Gyllenhall in Prince of Persia

Ryan Gosling as the Green Lantern

Movies:
Frank Miller's Sin City parts 2 and 3, the yet-untitled 300 sequel and The Spirit.

Twilight

Baz Luhrmann's Australia

Max Payne

Joe Six-Pack

The elusive Joe Six-Pack that has been the buzz of so much political talk lately has finally been found!! See link below for a picture of him in his native habitat:

Joe Six-Pack

Houston Taiko Festival

Since this weekend was GORGEOUS, and the city seems to be getting back on its feet again, I thought it was a good opportunity to get outside with my fellow Houstonians and catch the Taiko Festival at Miller Outdoor Theater. The show was cool - lots of martial arts, dancing and drumming. There are some videos on my You Tube page. It's one of my favorite things to do in the city when the weather is nice. The park is really lovely since they have done all the updates, and its a great place to hang (for free) with the kids, the dogs, etc. All the Miller Outdoor Theater shows are also free, and it is much like the Woodlands venue, where you basically claim your spot on the hillside, and you can pack a picnic while you enjoy the show. Of course, it can get a bit noisy as the little kids are winding down and the adults are imbibing adult beverages, but it's a great way to spend a lovely fall evening.

Ike = Sauron... it fits!

see famous look-a-like faces

Clay Aiken is Gay

Apparently, being a dad forced him to be honest with the public. Can I get a big ol' DUH from everyone???

Clay is Gay

Aftermath of Ike

My storm story is a mild one compared to some of the people I came across in San Antonio and since I've been back in Houston. We made it out of Houston early Friday morning (9/12) with no traffic delays at all. All the people who got out earlier on Thursday evening had to deal with lots of delays and an extra day of hotel expenses. The weather in San Antonio was wonderful, and I was even feeling a bit guilty when we stayed up watching all the horrible news from back home. It almost made it worth it to see Geraldo Rivera falling down in the 100+ mph wind played over, and over, and over...

We stayed in a pet-friendly hotel (Red Roof, for anyone who wants to know) - or at least, they claim to be. There was no room service, so you have to leave to get food. We came back on Saturday after being gone for about 3-4 hours during the middle of the day to a handwritten note on the door about leaving my dogs in the room unattended. Considering the loud children who kept playing in the hallway, the ear-piercing smoke alarm that went off unprovoked in our room TWICE, and ALL the other people who had dogs in the hotel that did not get nasty little notes on their doors, I don't think I'll be going back there again.

We did meet up with several people from all over the Southeast Texas, Houston, and the Gulf areas. There were lots of people who lost almost everything, and most who just didn't know when they could return or what they'd be returning to. My prayers go out to all those people, and it made me feel quite lucky considering what could have been.

Many people returned to Houston on Sunday, same as us - despite the urging on the cable news shows not to. I knew my route into town was clear, otherwise I might not have attempted it. We passed convoys of supply trucks, debris removal trucks, ambulances, and other various disaster relief vehicles heading into town. Kudos to those I saw getting out of those vehicles' way, and shame on those who were not letting them in or riding their bumpers, not allowing those of us who pulled over back on the road. Gas was already getting scarce on the way into town. We filled up 100 miles west of town, and there was only premium left at the one station open.

Life in town is slowly getting back to normal as people are going back to work and clearing debris. Most of us are without power (me included), but we've seen none of the craziness like the Katrina fiasco. There was one shooting in Pasadena over gas, there has been some looting here and in Galveston, and some FEMA confusion over where to get food, ice and water. Mostly people seem to be helping each other out, and dealing with the situation with a positive outlook. The unseasonably cool weather helps everyone tremendously, and I hope it sticks around long enough to see most of us through the widespread power outage. All things considered, it could have been MUCH worse.

Rain, rain go away...

Ugh. Let's hope it stops by September...

Sunset Before Dolly

Hurricane season is good for one thing - beautiful sunsets!

Sequel Week

Earlier this week I finally made it to see the Hellboy II movie, and although it was good, I have to admit I was expecting more after seeing what Del Toro is capable of with Pan's Labyrinth. The cheesy Barry Manilow sing-along felt like filler, as did a few repeat scenes from the first movie. No complaints at all about the imaginative characters, especially the scenes with the Angel of Death and the Elemental. The elf prince was also very good, and I called it in the movie that he reminded me of the villain in the Blade II movie - sure enough, same guy!

Along with pretty much everyone else this weekend, I went to see the new Batman movie. Yes, it was really good - probably better than the first one. I really think the direction they are taking the comic book movies now gives the stories the seriousness they deserve. There is a reason they have a huge fan base that follow these stories for years. It's not just the artwork - the writing is excellent. The stories are involved, and the characters are multi-dimensional. Both Heath Ledger's performance and Aaron Eckhart's after his transformation are chilling. It was a riveting movie, and I was jumping in my seat throughout. My biggest complaint with the writing is that I didn't get enough insight into the Joker's story. It's as if he just popped up out of nowhere, and we never see what made him insane, or the real reason behind the scars.

That said, I also can't understand all the Oscar buzz around Heath's performance. It is not his best work - it's his last work. If we failed to give him accolades when he deserved them, why now? His take on the Joker was very good - the least cartoonish I have ever seen. But maniacal villains have been done better before, and haven't seen this much praise.

Counting Calories

I decided to get a little more serious about my dietary intake, so after doing a bit more internet surfing, I entered my information in the handy little calculators on the MSN health and fitness page. This will tell you how many calories you are currently burning as well as calculating your calorie target in accordance with how much weight you want to lose, and how long it will take to lose it.

The best results seem to come from people who keep a food journal, and I know this is a common practice in most of the major diet programs, so the most detailed (and free) one I found is My Calorie Counter.com. You can keep track of all your meals, and enter the information yourself if your food isn't listed in their vast cache.

Weekend Movies

Just a quick blurb about the movies I caught over the weekend. I'm late in seeing it, but the new Get Smart movie was pretty funny - much better than I thought it would be.

On DVD now is the movie Persepolis. It is the story of an Iranian girl whose childhood is disrupted by the political change in her home country. She is sent to live in Europe, and then returns to Iran again as an adult. The time frame spans the last part of the 70s through the 80s and 90s, and it is incredibly genuine and beautifully told. The animation is done simply in black and white. The story reads like her own diary, and moves you through every emotion from deep sadness to hilarity. The movie is based on the biography of Marjane Satrapi, and is in French (with English subtitles).

Post-holiday bloating

Something about stuffing yourself on holidays makes me want to diet like crazy after. We had a low-key holiday weekend and shot some fireworks in the front drive. You can see a few of them over on my YouTube page.

I found a cool little calorie counter that I'll be putting to use so I can get back in bikini mode before the next long weekend. Hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th!

Top Chef Finale

Well, I was wrong about the outcome of this season for the first time since the show aired. I was expecting Richard to take the prize home, but it seems he lost momentum in the end, and the win was for Stephanie - a first for Top Chef to have a female winner. Still, it was a great season and I enjoyed it - yum!

Eddie Izzard, Stripped

I saw Eddie Izzard at Jones Hall last night in downtown Houston, and he was hilarious! I enjoyed the show more than some of his most recent stuff, and I hope this one ends up on DVD. Eddie usually does his shows in drag, since he is a "card-carrying transvestite", but I suppose being in the land of Bush he decided to dress more conservatively - with jeans and a tuxedo coat with tails! His topics cover history, and this one went all the way back to the Stone Age. He came out for a brief encore at the end, and encouraged Americans to vote in the upcoming election. I've been a fan of Eddie's for years, and turned several people on to his stand-up act. I'm really glad to see he is reaching a wider audience now, and it was such a thrill to see him live!

Lesbians Get in Trouble for Kissing at a Sports Event??? What Gives?

This is absolutely ridiculous. Since when do guys not want to see hot lesbian action combined with a sports event??? And just when I thought we were evolving as a species...

Grow up, people.

Angels in America

I spent Saturday afternoon in Fort Worth seeing my friend David play the lead in Angels in America, an opera based on the hit play. The opera is in English, and is a bit more modern than traditional opera, but it is done very well. Each of the artists play many roles, so my hat is off to all of them for conquering several very difficult parts. The theater was an intimate venue, so every seat in the house was a good one. If you are in the area, I suggest checking it out. David tells me that all the major players are all coincidentally from Texas originally. It makes me glad to see the arts supported in such a way that we are able to produce great talents like David and his fellow castmates.

The Kite Runner

I didn't see this movie at the theaters, but it is out on DVD now, and if you have the chance to rent it - DO. It is a difficult movie to watch, especially one scene in particular (depicts the rape of a young boy - beware), but the message is of redemption, bravery and true friendship, and it is a portrait of life for Muslims/Middle Easterners that we normally don't get to see.

And the Penguins win it!

Last night's Top Chef episode had them in groups for the first time. The quickfire challenge asked them to spend $25 on only five items from the farmer's market, and Mark won with his steak dish despite the fact he had left one of his items behind at the market. The groups were formed for the elimination challenge for a zoo event. Each group had an animal that they had to create a menu using items from those animals' actual diets. I was surprised the vulture team did so well, but it was Andrew and his penguin team that eventually won, with both his fun glacier gelee and tasty squid ceviche. I'm a huge fan of ceviche, but have yet to try it with squid. I'll bet it comes out less chewy than when it is cooked or raw. So this time the chef that was sent packing was Valerie, who did her olive blinis ahead of time making them less palatable. Unlike the other two in the bottom, she did not have a second menu item to redeem herself. I couldn't help but make the comparison between her and Rachel Dratch from SNL - I wonder if they are related???

Ain't it funny...

That Joe Francis (of Girls Gone Wild fame) gets released from jail just in time for Spring Break? Ugh.