30 second reviews

March 13, 2008 · Filed Under Entertainment/Sports · 18 Comments 

Movies

  • Superbad: The Unrated McLovin Edition - Man, I think I knew these guys back when I was a teenager.  If you’re into silly comedies about geeks and dorks, you’ll probably love this film, for me, it was like reliving the bad parts of high school.  Sure, I had a few laughs, but overall I’m glad I’m in my 30’s now.
  • 300 - My Persian in-laws railed against it, so I avoided seeing it for the longest time.  When I finally did watch, my expectations were low and I kept in mind that it was based on a graphic novel, and only very loosely followed true historical events.  It is exactly like a graphic novel come to the big screen.  Many visuals look like they could have been taken straight from the novel.  Now, I don’t actually know anything about the novel, so I could be wrong that it follows it.  Anyways, I enjoyed it, despite Xerxes being really odd and into paraplegic lesbians.  (For a different, and very interesting, review of 300, read “300 Sucked” - found via Clint’s Blog)
  • Be Kind, Rewind - oh God, kill me.  This sucked.
  • Atonement - snooze… I didn’t find any chemistry between the main characters and didn’t care about any of them.  I had the novel on my Amazon wish list before seeing this.  I immediately removed it.
  • Sicko - It did not piss me off like Fahrenheit 9-11, but I was really frightened about returning to the US after seeing this movie.  Then I remembered that when my dad got cancer, Kaiser never gave him any problems.  While I’m sure there are plenty of people like those portrayed in the movie, I don’t know anyone who’s had trouble with their insurance company.  It’s not as bad as he shows.  Also, Europe is not as good as he shows.  I know plenty of British and Canadians who complain about their system.  The French family shown can not be a typical middle class family, they are well off, unless the French are doing phenomenally better than the Germans.  In the end, typical Michael Moore.  His message is important, but making biased movies invites opponents to attack your message, and lets folks get off with ignoring it.  It would have been a much stronger movie just showing the good things about socialized medicine, why all the scare tactics?
  • I am Legend - I liked it.  The first half is great, the second half is okay.  It’s a disturbing premise, most humans being wiped out by an engineered virus, and most of the survivors being turned into vampire-like creatures.  It’s also upsetting if you’re a dog lover, just to warn you.
  • Little Children- Really good.  It was controversial, I dunno why.  Because a pedophile is portrayed as a human being?  Because the main characters have a steamy affair?  Because the pleasantly curvy Kate Winslet appears nude?  It’s an interesting view of how it can feel to be lost in suburbia.
  • Night on Earth- Cab rides in 5 cities.  I honestly don’t understand what the big deal is about Jim Jarmisch.  This is basically the same movie as Coffee and Cigarettes, except that it takes place in a cab rather then over coffee and cigarettes.  In the end, it’s okay, but nothing special.  And I liked the Helsinki section best.
  • Sunshine- On first viewing, I thought this end of the Earth, the sun’s going out sci-fi thriller was okay.  Then I watched the film commentary of physicist Brian Greene, and you know what, I’m considering buying the DVD now.  If you’re a science geek, definitely check out the commentary.

Television

  • Weeds, Season 1 - Widowed housewife starts selling pot to the local dads in order to make end meet.  Loved it.  I give it two thumbs up.
  • Heroes, Season 1 - Don’t watch this unless you don’t need to be anywhere for a couple days.  It’s that good.
  • Dexter - This just started on Premiere.  I’m two episodes in and completely addicted.  It’s a serial killer who works for the Miami PD and only kills killers.  It’s such a completely different concept from all the Law and Order, CSI, NCSI type crime shows.
  • Numb3rs - A crime show with a mathematician.  I enjoy this, but it’s not awesome or addictive.  Also, I think if the FBI are investigating the spread of a virus, they’d go to an epidemiological specialists, even if the head investigator’s brother is a pure math “God.”

Have you seen anything especially “Empfehlungswert?” (recommendable)

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Wait! I’m confused…

October 10, 2007 · Filed Under Entertainment/Sports · 6 Comments 

…and based on the new video for Unbelievable from DSDS winner Mark Medlock, so is Dieter Bohlen*!

& Dieter Bohlen - Unbelievable - MyVideo">Mark Medlock & Dieter Bohlen - Unbelievable - MyVideo

So, are they a couple? Is Dieter Bohlen bi then? And I thought Mark said Dieter was not at all his type (who has Dieter Bohlen as their type anyway?).

* D.B. is famous for being a member of the 80’s pop-band Modern Talking, his 30-day marriage to Verona Feldbusch, and being the “Simon Cowell”-type judge on DSDS

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A Tale of Two Baseball Teams

October 4, 2007 · Filed Under Entertainment/Sports · 8 Comments 

It was the best of times (for Mainz), it was the worst of time (for Regensburg).

Yesterday, we attended the fifth and final game of the 2007 Deutsche Baseball Meisterschaft (German Baseball Championships), between the Mainz Athletics and the Regensburg Legionäre.

Oliver's first baseball game - 3 Oct 2007

Oliver’s first baseball game

Mainz had a great pitcher (who was named best in the League after the game), and Regensburg made several errors, leading to a final score of 3:6 for Mainz.

Regensburg v. Mainz in Deutsche Baseball Meisterschaft

The stadium was packed. When we arrived, admittedly slightly late, all the seats were full and standing room was only available well down the third base line. The stadium is very family friendly, providing a small play area for the kids, who were all over the place, along with numerous babies and many soon to be mommas. The only problem encountered was one seriously drunk guy who ran straight into Oliver and I and didn’t seem to realize for a minute that he’d actually run into anything. Oliver started bawling, the guy realized what had happened, and was very apologetic. (Rainer says blind drunk guys are more the rule rather than the exception at football matches, so we won’t be taking Oliver to any of those any time soon).

This was only the second game we’d attended (the first was when Regensburg trounced Gauting), but we’ll be sure to get to more of them next year.

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Baseball tomorrow?

October 2, 2007 · Filed Under Entertainment/Sports · 2 Comments 

Tomorrow at 1pm in Regensburg’s Armin-Wolf-Arena is the fifth and final game of the Deutsche Baseball Meisterschaft. It’s the Regensburg Legionäre vs. Mainz Athletics. Want to join us for the game?

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A supposedly banned Ikea commercial

August 16, 2007 · Filed Under Entertainment/Sports · 8 Comments 

Thanks to Blog Drive Bys.

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Freaky!

June 30, 2007 · Filed Under Entertainment/Sports · 5 Comments 

WHAT MAJOR IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

You scored as Mathematics/Statistics, You should strongly consider majoring (or minoring) in Mathematics, Statistics, or related majors (e.g., Accounting, Actuarial Science, Astronomy, Computer Engineering, Computer Information Systems (CIS), Computer Science, Economics, Engineering, Finance, Management Information Systems (MIS), Operations Management, Physics, Risk Management).

It is possible that the best major for you is your 2nd, 3rd, or even 5th listed category, so be sure to consider ALL majors in your OTHER high scoring categories (below). You may score high in a category you didn’t think you would—it is possible that a great major for you is something you once dismissed as not for you. The right major for you will be something 1) you love and enjoy and 2) are really great at it.

Consider adding a minor or double majoring to make yourself standout and to combine your interests. Please post your results in your myspace/blog/journal.

Mathematics/Statistics
88%
English/Journalism/Comm
81%
HR/BusinessManagement
69%
Biology/Chemistry/Geology
69%
Education/Counseling
63%
History/Anthropology/LiberalArts
63%
French/Spanish/OtherLanguage
56%
Accounting/Finance/Marketing
56%
Physics/Engineering/Computer
50%
Religion/Theology
50%
Nursing/AthleticTraining/Health
38%
Psychology/Sociology
25%
Visual&PerformingArts
25%
PoliticalScience/Philosophy
19%

WHAT MAJOR IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

created with QuizFarm.com

LOL! I guess there’s no need to second guess my choice of major in college! (For those not yet in the know, I majored in statistics)

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What Kind of Thinker are You?

June 26, 2007 · Filed Under Entertainment/Sports · 8 Comments 

This is scarily accurate (or perhaps you disagree?). Thanks to Ilker at the thinking blog for posting the link.

Your Communication Style:

The Logical Thinker

If there is such a thing as a purely rational person, you’re it. Everything you think about and do needs to be analyzed and systematized logically. You live by deduction. First A, then B, next C.Everything is categorized into its place and function. Next, it’s checked to see if it’s factual and can be proven scientifically. Then, and only then, will you deliberately proceed any further.

Checks and Balances

Yes, yours is a life of checks and balances to the smallest decimal place. No detail is overlooked. You only take precise steps that are planned out well in advance. Thinking and logic are supreme. Knowledge is the foundation. Everything is a chess match at the Masters level!

You’re not a risk taker. It doesn’t mean that you’re not adventurous. It means that before you take the first step every possible move and option that can be controlled has been thought through thoroughly. You only like to deal with probabilities in your favor at 99.44 percent. Joy for you is minimizing luck.

The Ultimate Planner

You are admired by many because of your thinking skills and the way you skillfully design your life and the steps in the lives of others. You’re the ultimate planner. Your opinions are treasured and trusted. Most people know that before you do anything or advise others about anything, you have reached broadly and delved deeply into the history and facts. Everyone realizes that you are conscientious and respectful of doing the right thing in the right way.How You Learn

You are a lifelong learner. Everything is absorbed like a blotter by your lock-step memory. Then it is carefully processed and contextually stored with other pertinent information. When the need arises, you retrieve and reprocess the information for appropriate applications. Rarely does your memory or logical use of stored information fail.How You Interact with Others

You’re basically an introverted and low-key person who likes everything to be orderly and impersonal. Reserved, proper and calm are words that are often used to describe you. You usually don’t like to interact verbally or personally with other people. You are independent and can be a loner very easily. Sometimes, your best friend is your computer and its Internet access.
However, if you don’t invest some energy and emotions into communication and relationships, you’ll be seen as boring, stiff and “nerdy.” Relating to others is almost always done in an intellectual manner. However, this raises a paradoxical dilemma for you because you’re human and innately should be relating to others emotionally and socially, as well as intellectually.In a group setting you’re usually very quiet and rarely volunteer to speak unless you have something very pertinent to say. Even then, you are reticent at best. However, if someone you respect directly asks you for your opinion, you’ll answer if you deem the subject in question worthy of your attention. Then, and only then, will you respond in a thorough manner. If you are pushed to explain even more, you’ll use historical and logical explanations, including answering all of the possible questions as to why your responses are correct. Thus, you’ll not leave any rational leaf unturned and immediately you’ll halt the possibility that someone else may question you again about this subject area.

Given the right opportunity to debate someone of equal or greater intellectual stature, you’ll jump at this fortuitous occasion. You’ll enter this competition because you know that, win, lose or draw, you’ll learn more than if you abstain. You’re not afraid of losing face; after all, it’s an opportunity to learn and achieve at a higher level. You’re not worried about the cost of learning.

How You Judge Others

Sometimes, particularly when you’re younger, you can be quite critical of others and haughty in your responses. In fact, as people speak, you are editing what they’re saying and judging their intellectual capacity. At some point in your life, you’ll recognize that you are much brighter and more knowledgeably prepared than most people. Thus, you have two choices as to how you are to respond: arrogantly critical or respectfully positive. Hopefully, you’ve had enough experiences in life to respond in the latter manner so that people will not be intimidated and discontinue relating to you.The Final Analysis

Overall, your intellectual insights, planning and meticulous behavior are seen by others as a great asset to the team and the organization. People depend on your articulate advice and logical thinking. Just be patient with them in the beginning and let them know what you think in a positive manner.

So what kind of thinker are you?

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