The movies of summer.

      It has been quite the summer for movies and I would like to take the time to do a little review for the ones I've seen. I really should have done this for each individual movie as I seen it, but I am quite lazy, as anyone who knows me can attest. So, without further adieu;

1) The Avengers. Easily one of my favorite films, it was everything a superhero film should have been. It was action packed, epic, funny, and respected the source material while being it's own entity. I can't wait to see how the coming up Marvel films ties into it, as well as Avengers 2.

2) The Amazing Spider-Man. It was very good and I'm very conflicted whether I like this one or the Sam Raimi films better. I do prefer the mechanical web shooters from this film, but I felt Tobey Maguire was better as Peter Parker. I guess, if anything, I would take elements from this movie and the first Raimi film to create the "perfect" Spider-Man film.

3) Prometheus. One of the best scince fiction films I've seen in a long time as well as one of the most "pure" science fiction films I've seen in a while (as opposed to an action film with sci-fi trappings). It was well acted and filmed beautifully and I enjoyed it thoroughly. There were a few annoying and/ or questionable parts to it, but I doubt there's truly a perfect film out there.

4) Abraham Lincoln- Vampire Hunter. The less said about this; the better off we'll be. I saw it in a double feature with Prometheus and I'm glad I didn't pay for it alone.

5) The Dark Knight Rises. An excellent film and a proper ending to the Nolan Batman trilogy.Bane was awesome and Anne Hathaway was hot as Catwoman. My only real complaint is that I felt that there should have been someone a bit more attractive to play Talia al'Ghul, but that is a very minor complaint.

6) Total Recall. They tried and that's the best I can really say about it. Well...That and Jessican Biel and Kate Beckinsale or gorgeous.

7)Dredd 3D. I loved it. I felt Karl Urban did really well with the character and I hope it does well enough for a sequel, but I don't have my hopes up for that.

8)The Bourne Legacy. I didn't care for it, but I saw it a drive-in and it was constantly being interrupted by headlights and people blaring their car radios. I may try and see it again and re-consider my opinion.

   I'm sure I've missed some films that I've seen over the summer, but I hit the major ones here.

Trying different things.

        I readily admit to being a bit of a geek. I'm not as hardcore geek as many of my friends and acquaintances, but I do enjoy many of the same diversions. I love comic books, miniature war gaming, and table top role playing games, as well as gnre films and books. There are some things, however, within the sphere of geekdom I had pre-judged, but had never done previously. Two of these things I recently decided to try in an attempt to broaden my own horizons, X-Box Live and World of Warcraft, and I came away with different opinions on each.
       I had two coupons for X-Box Live; each for a two day free trial. After signing on for said free trials, I decided to play the online versions of the following games; Call of Duty- World at War, Call of Duty- Black Ops, Call of Duty- Modern Warfare 3, Medal of Honor, and Space Marine. I really enjoyed all of them, with the latter two being my favorites. I still prefer single player campaign for story purposes, but I'll probably get a paid X-Box Live account just to get more out of my games.
      I still don't understand why people pay for World of Warcraft. I'm playing the free version and I find it quite boring. It seems to be a lot of running around (as your character) and not much else. I can see playing it if you have nothing else to do, but I know that the game has had a hand in ruining marriages and I'm not sure why. I guess "To each, their own."
      

Doing it all over again.

I've decided to do the juice fast again. I'll try and do 30 days again and see where things go from there. I think I did well last time, but doing it just before the holidays meant I've gained the weight back again. I hope this time to do better post-fast since the only "eating" holidays coming up are Easter and my birthday.

Check it out.

http://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2012/02/23/bracken-sends-2/

A free military book for the Kindle. Check it out.

Machine Head

Last night, I had the opportunity to see the band Machine Head play at The Masquerade nightclub in Atlanta. It was an incredible show from start to finish. Normally, weeknight shows don't have as much energy as weekend show (people have to go to work/ school the next day, etc.). This show, however, was an exception with non-stop energy from both the band and the crowd. My only problem is that...I'm getting older. I woke up this morning feeling as though I'd been hit by a truck. It was still a great show, however.

Archeologists: Viking massacre came to unexpected ending

Archeologists: Viking massacre came to unexpected ending

Roman Empire ran on camel power

Interesting...Roman Empire ran on camel power

The Smallest Minority: Yes, It Really IS That Easy...

The Smallest Minority: Yes, It Really IS That Easy...

5 Guns

The current meme floating around the gun forums and blogs is "What five guns would you own if money and other considerations were not a factor?". I've decided to play along and my choices are as follows;

1. Thompson .45 SMG- I'm not sure if I'd rather have the classic "gangster" type with the fore-grip and drum magazine or the GI style from WW2, but I definitely want one.

2.Vickers Machine Gun

3. Spencer Carbine

4. Colt Army Model 1860

5. M-16 A2 w/ M-203

Most of these weapons have history behind them; the fifth one just has boom behind it.

Filmmaker Oliver Stone would vote for Ron Paul over Obama - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room

This is interesting.





Filmmaker Oliver Stone would vote for Ron Paul over Obama - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room

A little late...

http://sopastrike.com/strike/

Mall Ninja - Street Smarts | SWAT Magazine

Mall Ninja - Street Smarts SWAT Magazine

An interesting article on the "Mall Ninja". While I'm sure that such people have always existed, I think the current ease of access of information and gear (via the internet, etc.) has caused a greater crop than before.

Not quite the "Four Rules"...

http://dailycaller.com/2012/01/16/13-politically-incorrect-gun-rules/

A Girl and Her Gun: An Open Letter To The Anti-Gun Folks

A Girl and Her Gun: An Open Letter To The Anti-Gun Folks: An excellent read.

Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop arrested

Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop arrested

Wow...Just...Wow...

Bizarre Dream.

I went to sleep early last night and slept well much of the night. I woke up, however, around 4 AM and, after going to the restroom, began having one of the more disturbing nightmares I can recall having.
I was seated in an amphitheatre that had dinner tables facing a stage and was packed with well dressed people. Waitresses moved along the rows taking orders and making suggestions. My waitress, as I recall, was quite lovely and suggested I have a hamburger. I thought (in dream think) that this was odd, given the upscale aura of the place, but I ordered it on her suggestion. Upon receiving my burger, I noticed that the patty was seared black on the outside, but raw and bloody on the inside. I looked up from my plate to complain to my waitress, who had been standing on the edge of vision the entire time, to discover her entire face was a ruined mess. It essentially looked like a bloody mass of ground beef with eyes. I looked at the other people around me, and they were all gory and burning. I recall someone, possibly the waitress stating that this was Hell and at that point, I woke up.

Easier to pack on than shed...

Well, over the holidays, I managed to regain several of the pounds I had lost in October. This was due not only to traditional holiday eating, but just bad eating in general. Money was tight, as it is so often during the holidays, and I ate fast food instead of being disciplined. I hope to correct this soon.