Band of Brothers

I've always heard that the HBO mini-series Band of Brothers is a must-watch, but I've never taken the time to sit down and watch all 10 hours of it. I finally did a few months ago and was pretty blown away. It is extremely well done and pretty sobering, especially towards the end. It seems pretty realistic and gets pretty dang intense at times. I can't recommend it without stating the (hopefully) obvious that there's a good smattering of colorful language throughout, plus one skin scene (skip Chapter 1 of Part 9 after the initial pre-episode interviews), though it's otherwise incredible. It's a worthy investment and allows a lot more character development than a movie can because of the length.

My iPhone 4

After a month of using the iPhone 4, I've gotta say... this thing is pretty freaking awesome, even over the 3G S. Everything Apple said about it, especially being the biggest jump since the original iPhone, was true. It's always amazing for me to see how they pitch a product and tell you what you'll like / think about it and then that's exactly what I'm saying once I start using it. I was stoked out of my mind when I found out my eligibility had magically changed on release day, and then heard that Apple would have stock the next morning. I got to the mall about 6:30 AM and was gone by 8:15 AM, including a little AT&T account lookup hiccup. I went from saying that I was going to wait till next year to upgrade to having one the day after release and I am so glad I have one.

It's tough to determine what I love most about it. Honestly, one of the biggest things is the battery life, which is interesting cos they weren't touting it as a huge boost and it didn't sound like it would be that big of a jump from the 3G S. It took only a couple days for me to find out otherwise. It easily lasts a whole day with no trouble whatsoever, and I run it through the gauntlet every day. I get the feeling that they're stacking the deck in their favor when they talk about battery life estimates nowadays. I noticed it when they released the iPad and Walt Mossberg came back after using it and said it was actually better than they advertised. That's a different response than in years past where there was talk of "Is that 'real hours' or 'Apple hours'" because it wasn't always as great of battery life as they said it was. If they're purposefully doing it now, it's brilliant because no one can complain about it! It handles the extra drains of iOS 4 and multitasking extremely well.

I never realized the pixelation on the old screens and now it's hard to look at an older one that doesn't have the Retina display - it's really gorgeous. The cameras are awesome, though I don't find myself using the front-facing as much as I thought I would, maybe because I've gotten spoiled on the 5 MP camera on the back. The form factor is incredible and I can't bring myself to case this thing. Get insurance or a warranty and let it ride, I say. Also, I'm pretty impressed with the noise-cancelling mic on the top. I tested it out in a loud environment and my bro-in-law on the other end of the call couldn't even tell.

I couldn't do what I do in a week, especially at work, without an iPhone, plain and simple, and this update of iPhone especially has greatly improved my love for it!

Movie Reviews (July '10)

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The Disclaimer
Just because I've watched a movie or enjoyed it doesn't mean that it's for everyone. I don't like or condone raunchy content in a movie and I use the websites, Kids In Mind and ScreenIt, to find out what kind of content is in a movie before I watch it. BUT. Everyone's tolerance level of how much content you'll put up with if the movie's worth watching varies. I'd prefer the movie to be clean, but if it's overall worth watching and isn't overly raunchy, I'm able to look past a lot of it. With that in mind, when I say a movie is good, I'm saying that in an overall sense, and I'm saying that from my perspective. I'm not endorsing it, nor am I saying that the content that is in it is appropriate for all ages.

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Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Boooring. Sorry, I know this a classic, but this did nothing for me.
2 of 5.

Toy Story 3
Need I write a review? If you didn't love this, you don't deserve a write-up as to why it was good. Agree with the masses! This was the best of the 3 and I loved it from start to finish.
20 of 5.

This Is It
This look into the rehearsals of Michael Jackson's huge concert that never happened was pretty awesome. The musicianship, creativity, and grandeur of the show would've been amazing and I woulda paid beaucoup bucks to see it. I highly recommend watching this! It's on Netflix Instant.
5 of 5.

Inception
YIKES, was this a freaking masterpiece! I saw it at a midnight showing and walked out with a brain full, even though I was fully awake the whole time. It's an awesome concept without coming across as a Matrix / James Bond mash-up, plus it's true to real life as far as how dreams work. This definitely requires 2 viewings (second time was awesome) to appreciate everything and if you have a chance to see it in IMAX, do it! The day this comes out on DVD, I'll be there to buy it and watch the special features.
20 of 5.

Gone With The Wind
The title says where my 4 hours of time went... I'm glad I watched this since it's always on the all-time best movies lists, but it wasn't a big deal, plus the length was way over the top. And the ending sucked. What a wench.
2 of 5.

Public Enemies
Ehh, no biggie. It was okay, but RottenTomatoes says it best in their synopsis: "Michael Mann's latest is a competent and technically impressive gangster flick with charismatic lead performances, but some may find the film lacks truly compelling drama." I didn't feel the tension or drama that I would've liked.
3 of 5.

Rear Window
I saw this when I was younger, but I don't remember it, so this was truly my first time to see it. Man, Hitchcock knew how to make movies! I loved it.
10 of 5.

Dial M for Murder
Ditto the above besides the fact that I hadn't watched this when I was younger...
5 of 5.

Lady in the Water
Somebody gave this to me as a gift so I have it in my DVD collection. It's been a long time since I've seen it and I remember loving it, even though everyone else was down on it. After this viewing I find myself in the latter crowd.
2 of 5.

Seeds (Free COTM Resources)

One of the things that has been taking up a lot of my time at work lately is Seeds, the free resource site of Church on the Move. Basically we're giving away everything that we create for all of our different services throughout the week. That includes editable art files, videos, drama scripts, stage plots with pictures and info (coming soon), and message notes (for select series). Everything is completely free and downloading is a piece of cake once you get an account. We also have a blog where some of our staff write about our processes and principles.

It's a pretty awesome site and it's been a lot of fun being involved from the ground floor on brainstorming its look, layout, and function. We keep making little tweaks along the way, especially with the blog, but things are in a pretty finished fashion. Until we get our automated upload feature going, I'm getting content in the right format to upload as well as writing the descriptions for the items and proofreading blog posts.

Check it out and let me know what you think!

She & Him :: Volume Two

The latest album from She & Him (the duo of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward), dubbed Volume Two, has been my summer album this year. I don't remember where I got it from, but I've had it since March and probably just saw it on a New on iTunes email and grabbed it. The first song was about as far as I got and I never listened very intently to the rest until I read Relevant Magazine's Top 10 of '10 article. When I did, I found a ton about it that I loved. Not only is it summery, but it's a lot of fun and most every song is a gem. I highly recommend giving it a listen, especially "In the Sun", "Ridin' In My Car", "Gonna Get Along Without You Now", and "Lingering Still".

And... I'm Back!

Let's keep this short and sweet. No apology. No lamenting about killa stuff that didn't get posted. No over-ambitious promise of future content that will blow your mind and get posted on an insanely regular basis.

I got married. I moved. I started a new job. The holidays rolled around. Work got busy. Such on and such forth. That's why I haven't posted since September. So get off my back.

I've been tweeting / retweeting interesting stuff since ditching Watch. Listen. Share. so if you follow me on Twitter, you probably haven't missed me too much on here. I do find myself wanting to post more content, detail, or opinion though, so that's the reason for the blog.

To those who are new here: welcome! To those who aren't: welcome back! Feel free to browse the categories and previous posts in the sidebar to the right. And, should you like what see, you can subscribe via email at the top of the sidebar. It's painless and when I post, it'll send an email at the end of the day with all the posts right there in your mailbox. Cheers!

Movie Reviews (Sept. '09 - June '10)

I've seen about 90 movies since the beginning of September, so I'll just review a few here. Agree with a rating? Disagree? Drop a comment. I already know I stand pretty alone on my rating of Iron Man 2…

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The Disclaimer
Just because I've watched a movie or enjoyed it doesn't mean that it's for everyone. I don't like or condone raunchy content in a movie and I use the websites, Kids In Mind and ScreenIt, to find out what kind of content is in a movie before I watch it. BUT. Everyone's tolerance level of how much content you'll put up with if the movie's worth watching varies. I'd prefer the movie to be clean, but if it's overall worth watching and isn't overly raunchy, I'm able to look past a lot of it. With that in mind, when I say a movie is good, I'm saying that in an overall sense, and I'm saying that from my perspective. I'm not endorsing it, nor am I saying that the content that is in it is appropriate for all ages.

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(500) Days of Summer
The trailer for this movie grabbed me instantly and it blew my mind as I had hoped! I could watch it over and over and over. A stud soundtrack, killer actors, and a great storytelling vehicle make it an all-time fave for me.
10 of 5.

Eagle vs. Shark
I finally saw this and was pleasantly surprised. I wasn't sure if it'd just be another movie that tried to be as hilar as Napoleon Dynamite but fell flat on its face, but it stood enough on its own for me. Some of the dialogue is priceless!
4.5 of 5.

The Informant
I saw this at a late showing so I honestly don't remember too much about it besides what I rated it. It was certainly different than I thought it was going to be and that wasn't necessarily a good thing, but it kept my attention. There are occasional little voiceovers from Matt Damon in between scenes and he has some laugh-out-loud lines.
4.5 of 5.

Fantastic Mr. Fox
Wes strikes again! There's a reason this guy is one of my favorite directors. The pace of the movie was fast by normal standards and compared to his usual slower style, it was blazing fast, but that's part of what I loved about it. Stop motion films always impress me and this also had the story, the humor, the Wes factor, and the fun that make it an all-time fave. Summer and I have already decided it'll be a classic for our family, especially around the Thanksgiving season!
10 of 5.

A Serious Man
I love the Coen brothers, but this was shockingly terrible, in my opinion. I didn't know it was like a modern re-telling of the story of Job, but even given that, it doesn't sway me into liking it. I wasn't in it from the very beginning and it just got irritating. I'm not one to walk out on movies, but this one got dangerously close to getting a walking.
1 of 5.

United 93
I'm way behind on seeing this and am glad I finally saw it. It leaves you super emotional… and ready to start a fight with some terrorists. Very well done!
5 of 5.

Man On Wire
This was a super intriguing documentary on the tightrope walker who successfully schemed to stretch a line and walk between the World Trade Center buildings. This guy has crazy skills and does some nauseatingly cool stuff on a tightrope.
5 of 5.

Food, Inc.
Pretty eye-opening documentary about a lot of things with our diet and the food industry. You always have to watch persuasive documentaries with a grain of salt cos they can easily just tell one side of the story, but I thought this was done well and it left me thinking differently about my eating. I haven't gone Vegan or anything like that, but overall, just have tried to be more conscious of what I eat and the quality of that food.
5 of 5.

Moon
I haven't had a gut-wrenching feeling in a while like I did with this movie. Sam Rockwell is pretty much the only face you see and Kevin Spacey voices the station computer, but it doesn't come off like a stripped down short film.
5 of 5.

Defending Your Life
I'd never heard of or seen an Albert Brooks movie, but upon recommendation, watched 3 of them and really enjoyed this one. He's been called the "West Coast Woody Allen" and I agree. The storyline of this movie is original and makes for some pretty funny moments.
4 of 5.

Iron Man 2
Ugh. In a nutshell: this sucked. Honestly, the first 5 minutes set the tone for me and it didn't get better after that. I can't really quantify what exactly I didn't like, but overall the character development felt rushed, there wasn't as much action as I expected, and Stark's attitude / dialogue felt cheesy not clever. The only redeeming factors were some amazing technology throughout and the fact that the whole pre-movie playlist was AC/DC.
1.5 of 5.

Sherlock Holmes
I felt like I was one of the last people to see this. It was just one of those that I knew was pretty good, but I just didn't make the time to watch it. I enjoyed it quite a bit! It was a fun adventure with some cool effects (slow-mo fight scene, anyone?)
4 of 5.

Moulin Rouge
Never seen this until just recently and was bugged that I had never experienced the musical goodness of this movie. I'm not a fan of musicals unless the music is dynamite and luckily this had both that and visual appeal. Some of the songs have been stuck in my head non-stop and that's okay with me.
5 of 5.

Art & Copy
Last, but certainly not least, this documentary on advertising was awesome! I enjoyed seeing pieces of great advertising from yesteryear and hearing from some of the A-list creatives of our time. It's on Netflix Instant so you have no excuse to not watch it, especially if you're in the creative world!
5 of 5.

Incredible iPhone Wallpapers

FEAST YOUR EYES HERE

Creative Blog Designs

CLICK IT

Ace Twitter Backgrounds

CHECK 'EM

Pixar's Brad Bird on Fostering Innovation

AN INSIGHTFUL READ

Wayne Brady + Let's Make A Deal

CLICK HERE

Amazing Typography Designs

You don't wanna miss these... CLICK IT

James Cameron's "Avatar" + Technology

An interesting read on the new uses of 3D technology in the upcoming movie, Avatar.

READ HERE

Wes Anderson's latest, "Fantastic Mr. Fox"

Wes Anderson, one of my favorite directors, is changing his style up with this new stop-motion animated film. Watch the featurette for some cool behind-the-scenes! The time it takes to make a movie like this always amazes me.

CLICK IT

"Inception" Trailer

What. The. HECK!

Imogen Heap + Ellipse

Once I read in the first part of this RELEVANT magazine article that Imogen Heap had recorded and mixed her new album herself in Apple's GarageBand, I was super intrigued. Then my friend Marc sent me a link to her performance last week on Letterman and I was pretty impressed! Can't wait to hear the whole album.

Neurosonics Audiomedical Labs Inc. video

Best of Google Street View

Some funny pics in here...

VIEW 'EM HERE

Burglars Exploiting Facebook / Twitter

I've heard about this, but never read anything until now... Crazy!

READ IT HERE

Seeing Movies at Theater Vs. Home

READ ABOUT IT HERE

LOST

So I've never seen 1 episode of this show until last week. Not one! I barely even watched any at all because I didn't get in on it at the beginning, and I wanted to start from the beginning... Whenever I actually did. So 4-5 years and 5 seasons later, I finally started. Life was so crazy before the wedding and after finding out Summer was also interested in checking it out, we determined we'd start in August. So we started last Monday........ And we've already watched 38 episodes!! That's about 1.5 seasons and we've been loving it (except Michelle Rodriquez [insert vomiting noise here]). How have we been able to knock out that many episodes without a load of runs to Blockbuster or borrowing from friends? The answer: free HD streaming on ABC.com. Uh huh. EVERY episode since the beginning. There's a couple minutes of commercials throughout, but otherwise, it's flawless. In case you haven't started your own LOST fanaticism, I highly recommend you click the link below.

Get LOST

Apple Tablet Concepts

In case you haven't heard the big rumored news, Apple is planning to release a tablet computer of some sorts by the end of the year. It will probably have a 10" screen or such and will look like a giant iPhone. Here are come sweet concepts drawn up by people. Apple is a game-changing company, so I know that this thing is going to rock the faces of everyone who lays eyes on it when it is released!

SEE 'EM HERE

Monster List of Upcoming Movie Releases

CLICK HERE to be in the know.

The Boy Is Back In Town

Yes ladies and gents, I'm back in action. Stockpiled with links and ready to fill this blog up once again. The wedding was incredible - my bride was mindblowingly gorgeous and it was just a fantastic night all around! The honeymoon in Daytona Beach was a lot of fun as we didn't have a schedule and just slept in, hung out, watched movies, hit the ocean, and such. We rented a scooter one day and cruised around Daytona, which included seeing the Daytona Speedway, which was cool. It was huge! We hit a minor snag with our camera case being stolen off a transit bus - one that contained our camera, my credit card, about $90 cash, and both of our driver's licenses - but we got things figured out and went back to enjoying ourselves. An unforgettable memory was made! :) We both had to get new driver's licenses anyway once we move to OK and we didn't really lose that much media on the camera (thank you, iPhones).

CLICK HERE to see part of the wedding pics. We haven't gotten the CD from our photographers just yet, but I'm sure we'll be posting a bunch on TheFutureAndersens.com when we do get them.

Now on to bloggin'!

Engagement Photoshoot

In honor of the big day tomorrow, in case you haven't seen them, you can check out our engagement photoshoot pictures below. You should be able to view the ones on Facebook that are our favorites. To see all 96 of them, click the second link.

LAST DAY OF BEING SINGLE OR BETHROTHED!!!

Facebook link

Encre Photography (click on Portfolio, then Jesse & Summer)

Smart Cars of the Future

This is hilarious...

Click here

Burst The Bubble

Incredible pictures of a bubble being popped...

Witness it here

Murdered Out Cars

I first heard the term "murdered out" referring to cars on Rob & Big. It refers to a matte black finish, which is pretty tight. Check out all these cars that proudly display that they're murdered out.

Click here

Goodbye, Paula Abdul.

I don't watch American Idol anymore, but when I did, I wanted nothing more than to lose Paula Abdul off the show. When they threw the other lady judge on there, I wished so desperately that it was the beginning of the end of Paula. Looks like it was?! Time will tell...

Check it

Darth Vader Meets MC Hammer

Handerpants

Thanks to Matt Shuttlesworth for tipping me off to these. I haven't made my order, but I'm still in the debating phase...

Check 'em and weep

Ninja Assassin trailer

Hopefully the Wachowski Bros deliver with this one...

Watch the trailer here

New Athlete Album

Dropping August 24...

Read more here

RunPee.com

Now HERE's an interesting idea! A better one? Don't drink the gallon gulp at the theater so you can't hold it for a mere 2 hours. :) Just teasin'.

Read about it here

The 6 Types of Facebook Pics

Click here

Weddin' Time!!

To any and all devoted followers...

Sorry for the lack of content these past few weeks, but hey... I'm getting married in 6 days! It's been a crazy busy time. BUT. I do have some fresh content that I'll schedule today to be posted the next couple of days. Enjoy them, and until late August, when I return as a married man, cheers!

The Karate Kid Remake

BEIJING - Jackie Chan will play the wise kung-fu master in a Hollywood-Chinese remake of the 1984 hit "The Karate Kid" that kicked off filming in the Chinese capital at the weekend, a movie company publicist said Monday.

Chan's young disciple in "Kung Fu Kid" will be played by Jaden Smith, the son of Hollywood superstars Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, China Film Group spokesman Weng Li told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

In "The Karate Kid," Pat Morita plays the iconic building handyman Mr. Miyagi who trains one of his young tenants, portrayed by Ralph Macchio, into an accomplished fighter.

The co-production between the state-run China Film Group and Columbia Pictures started shooting Saturday in Beijing, Weng said.

"Kung Fu Kid" is being directed by Harald Zwart, who also directed "One Night at McCool's" and "The Pink Panther 2," Solon So, the chief executive of Chan's company, JC Group, told the AP.

Chan and Smith, along with Smith's parents and sister Willow, attended a traditional Chinese ceremony to mark the start of the shoot Saturday. Photos on China Film Group's movie news Web site show the Smith family and Chan holding incense sticks.

Will Smith - one of the film's producers - Chan, Zwart and others symbolically removed a piece of red cloth covering a movie camera, after which Smith gave Chan a hug, according to video posted on Chinese news Web site Sina.com. His hair done in a huge Afro and wearing a bright red track jacket and blue pants, Jaden Smith stood and waved when he was introduced. His father ruffled his hair when he sat down.

Chan said on his Web site he also attended the younger Smith's 11th birthday party last Wednesday, where he and Will Smith posed for pictures with young performers wearing red and yellow costumes with dragon patterns.

Ken Stovitz, one of Will Smith's partners in the production company Overbrook Entertainment, said at the ceremony Saturday that "Kung Fu Kid" will be set in modern-day Beijing. China Film Group chairman Han Sanping said shooting will last three months.

Chan juggles careers in Hollywood and Chinese-language film. The veteran 55-year-old Hong Kong action star will be seen in the upcoming the Hollywood action comedy "The Spy Next Door," about an undercover Chinese spy whose cover is blown, and the Chinese production, "Big Soldier," about the friendship between two soldiers set in China's ancient Qin dynasty.

Jaden Smith costarred with his father in the 2006 movie "The Pursuit of Happyness" and appeared in the 2008 Keanu Reeves sci-fi movie "The Day the Earth Stood Still."

By MIN LEE AP Entertainment Writer

Cool Photos :: Part 4

Click the image to see it bigger.

HP-Inspired "Invent" Video

Originally posted by Jody Earley

Invent: This video is a response set by Hewlett Packard to, ”Present an idea which promotes HP Workstations ability to bring to life anything the creative mind can conceive.”

Cool Photos :: Part 3

Click the image to see it bigger.

The New WOGCC.com

If you haven't seen or heard already, we recently launched our newly redesigned website for Word of Grace last week! I'm thrilled for it. It's a step up look-wise, even if we don't have as much control as before, and the big thing is... You've never seen anything that had to do with web be this easy to update and maintain. Absolutely incredible. I could take anyone who knows what a mouse and keyboard is and within 5-10 minutes show them pretty much how to run the site. No lies. The people at Clover have an ingenious service here for churches. Wow. Thank you!

Here are snapshots (just of what I could snap, not the whole pages) of the most recently updated Home and Media pages on the old site, to compare. Click 'em to see bigger versions.

Cool Photos :: Part 2

Click the image to see it bigger.

Business Card + Sticker = Stickercard

Guy Kawasaki came up with a super innovative idea by creating stickercards! They look like a sticker, but when you peel it off, you're left with his contact info, aka his business card. Click the "You can see how it works here" link that he's got to actually see a video of his stickers.

Read it here

The Future Andersens

I'm not sure why I didn't post about this when it went live, but our "wedsite" (hehe) can be found by directing your non-archaic browser (Firefox and Safari snobs only) to TheFutureAndersens.com.

Cool Photos :: Part 1

Click the image to see it bigger.

Movie Reviews (The Motherlode)

There's a lotta movies to review, so I'm gonna keep it short and sweet.

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The Disclaimer
Just because I've watched a movie or enjoyed it doesn't mean that it's for everyone. I don't like raunchy content in a movie and I use the websites, ScreenIt and Kids In Mind, frequently to find out what kind of content is in a movie before I watch it. BUT. Everyone's tolerance level of how much content you'll put up with if the movie's worth watching varies. With that in mind, when I say a movie is good, I'm saying that in an overall sense, and I'm saying that from my perspective. I'm not endorsing it, nor am I saying that the content that is in it is appropriate for all ages. I'd prefer the movie to be clean, but if it's overall worth watching and isn't overly raunchy, I'm able to look past a lot of it.

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Sunshine Cleaning
This was a well-done and enjoyable indie film.
4 of 5.

Henry Poole Was Here
Starring Luke Wilson, this was a great movie. I really liked it and thought he played the role great.
4 of 5.

Wolverine
It was a really good movie, but not quite as good as I was hoping. It started off killer and I was hoping the whole movie would be like that, but it just kinda petered out. There are some sick action scenes and it's more emotionally active than a lot of other action movies, but overall I could only give it...
3.5 of 5.

Bolt
I don't watch many animated movies besides what Pixar does, but this is the first I've seen, maybe ever, that left me feeling like how I do after I watch a Pixar! There are some hilarious part and lines and stinkin' Rhino was an awesome character.
5 of 5.

UP
Man, this is a tough review to write. I always am thrilled out of my mind for a new Pixar movie and this was no different. But it didn't quite do it for me like other ones have. Maybe I just need to see it again or maybe for once my expectations were too high. Generally they get blown out of the water, though. I saw it in 3D which was really cool. Overall it was a great movie, but just not quite Pixar quality in my mind. Pixar, I'm still madly in love with you, but this didn't make any favorites list of mine, but you still deserve...
4 of 5.

Yes Man
Now this was kind of a surprise. I mean, I was hoping it'd be good and the trailer looked funny and all, but you never know with some of these movies nowadays, ya know... I thoroughly got into this one from start to finish and was out and out laughing quite a bit. Jim Carrey's always good, Zooey's super ace, and the band manager from The Flight of the Conchords cracked my funny bone.
4 of 5.

Star Trek
FREAKING AMAZING. GO SEE IT! LONG LIVE J.J. ABRAMS! The end.
10 of 5.

Last Chance Harvey
Ehh. Not bad, but forgettable.
3.5 of 5.

The Son of Rambow
A fun little flick. "I'm alright, Lee Cart-tuh!"
4 of 5.

Love & Death
Woody Allen greatly satisfied me again with this film from 1975. It had some laugh out loud funny parts, especially in the first few minutes, and had very Monty Python-esque humor inspirations throughout.
4 of 5.

Sleeper
Thus ends Woody's streak for me so far. I know he's got tons of movies that I have yet to see, but this one just wasn't very good and it smacked of others I've seen of his.
2 of 5.

The Machinist
Stinkin' trippy. And if you have a weak stomach, don't gaze upon one of the gauntest bodies I've ever seen (Christian Bale). Especially considering Batman Begins was his next movie, his frailty is crazy and hard to watch!
4 of 5.

Revolutionary Road
One of the emotionally heavy movies I've seen in a while, and even more so than I thought it was going to be. BUT... Even if it was a downer and left you worn out after watching, I really did like it and can appreciate the quality filmmaking acting. DiCaprio + Winslet? That's an equation I can be a part of. Oh, and I totally dig Michael Shannon, the guy with the psychologic problems. He was in The Devil Knows You're Dead as well as Shotgun Stories, both of which I loved. He's got a great persona about him and played this quirky role very well.
4 of 5.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Really well done. But really long. REALLY long. And emotionally draining. This is one of those movies where the rating seems to say I really enjoyed it, but it's more so for props of acting and filmmaking, not the movie as a whole.
3.5 of 5.

The Lives of Others
Excellent movie! Watch it! Yeah!
5 of 5.

Valkyrie
RottenTomatoes says it best. To paraphrase, it had a lot of potential, especially historically. It didn't take advantage of that and turn this story into a masterpiece of a film.
3 of 5.

Creative Advertising Designs

Check 'em here

The Ultimate La-Z-Boy!

Jonsí and Alex

The lead singer of Sigur Rós, Jonsí, has a new project that's releasing an album on July 20 and they are offering a free download of one of their songs. I got it and it's pretty sweet ambient stuff. This specific track is pretty ethereal.

Musical goodness awaits you here

Jack White + The Dead Weather

Does this guy ever stop making music and starting new musical projects?!

Read about the band here

Watch 'em tear up Conan (chapter 6)

WE'RE MOVING!

Well, the latest news, if you haven't heard, is that Summer and I will be moving to Tulsa, OK at the end of September. My whole family is moving down, although all of our plans have been made independent of each other. My dad blogged about their plans as they will be making their move in mid-August. Big change is in the wind for Word of Grace, but I'll tell you what, God has got a great plan in store. His hand has been all over the transition so far and it's awesome to see what he's doing. It's going to be a busy few months! Wedding planning (which is killer so far), me moving into our apartment in Wisconsin already, the wedding and honeymoon, getting settled together, and packing up again after being in Wisconsin for 6 weeks... Whoo! It's going to be a fun time though. We are looking forward to being in Tulsa closer to family and being in Summer's hometown. I've interviewed for a job at Church on the Move and would love nothing more than to be a part of their incredible music department there. I was actually thrilled to be given the opportunity to play there a few weekends ago... Check out The Lamp - Part 2.

It's wild to think how life has changed in a little over a year. About 13 months ago, I was single and had just started to Facebook message with Summer, not knowing whether she would just be a friend or my wife. I'm glad it was the latter. :) Life with her has been amazing so far and I can't wait for all that God has in store for us in the future!

Oren Lavie Music Video ("Her Morning Elegance")

Life After People

This is a super interesting documentary about how Earth would respond if there was no human life. It shows the progression of what would happen and how that it wouldn't take THAT long for all traces of our entire civilization to be completely erased and wiped out. Wild thought. Apparently there's an ongoing TV show or so the following link says. Redbox may still have this for rent, but if not, try to find it somewhere else. It's interesting!

Life After People

Q&A with Cut Copy

A cool read of an interview done by RELEVANT magazine with Cut Copy. Anyone heard the new album?

Read it here

52 Days, 52 Marathons

Wait....... Wha??? I still don't understand. Is this real?

Read and be amazed

Poking Fun At Social Media

Yep times have changed with Facebook and Twitter...

Click the image to see it bigger.

Easter Opener Videos

This one was created by my future brother-in-law (in-law, if you want to get technical) for Church on the Move - POWERFUL!




And this one is from Elevation Church that's pretty cool too...

Literal Music Video

Top 20 Moneymaking Concerts

The Top 20 Concert Tours ranks artists by average box office gross per city and includes the average ticket price for shows in North America. The previous week's ranking is in parentheses. The list is based on data provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers.

TOP 20 CONCERT TOURS

1. (1) Elton John / Billy Joel; $2,143,539; $115.94.

2. (2) Britney Spears; $2,035,367; $99.29.

3. (3) Eagles; $1,813,875; $134.83.

4. (4) Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band; $1,795,349; $91.39.

5. (5) The Dead; $1,553,713; $81.72.

6. (6) Fleetwood Mac; $1,100,696; $96.30.

7. (7) Kenny Chesney; $837,797; $62.20.

8. (8) Nickelback; $752,223; $55.17.

9. (9) Leonard Cohen; $520,871; $96.93.

10. (10) Il Divo; $501,598; $78.57.

11. (12) Neil Young; $481,471; $66.74.

12. (13) Lil' Wayne; $454,371; $62.84.

13. (14) Motley Crue; $394,250; $54.96.

14. (15) Jeff Dunham; $280,901; $41.91.

15. (New) Kings Of Leon; $261,701; $42.10.

16. (New) Yanni Voices: Live In Concert; $245,649; $67.23.

17. (17) Celtic Woman; $224,188; $55.52.

18. (16) Slipknot; $220,251; $37.77.

19. (18) New Kids On The Block; $215,557; $52.71.

20. (New) James Taylor; $207,370; $72.80.

For free upcoming tour information, go to http://www.pollstar.com

By The Associated Press

Black Cab Sessions

Very cool idea where a cool / popular band hops in a cab and busts out a song and gets video recorded. Check it!

It's all here

The Sounds + Crossing the Rubicon

This. Album. RULES. I can't get enough of it! Seriously, please download this. I'd like to think you'll greatly thank me.

iTunes link

R.I.P. Billy Mays

Mr. Infomercial has passed. :(

Read about it here

New Moby Album

Check it out here...

iTunes link

Manualist Videos

What the heck is a manualist you say? Someone who's really good at making fart noises with their hands. And, um... Singing? See for yourself!

Brian May on his personal website said this about this first video...

I gotta say ........ this is one of the greatest videos I have ever seen ... the guy is brilliant ... I hope he gets to know that his superb work gets the BM.com unofficial highest quality award of the year!

One Crazy Wedding Invite

WOW. Now THIS is telling a story. I don't know how that was all printed and folded up and mailed, but man, cool idea and execution! Our invitation wasn't that near that crazy, but I love its simplicity and elegance. Props to my future bro-in-law, Gary!

Feast your eyes

9 Ways to Identify Leaders

Another great read on leadership...

Read it here

Cool Business Cards

Check 'em here

Round 2

CEOs = Storytellers

I really enjoyed this article that explains the bigger role that a CEO has to play besides just running the company. They are the face. The mouth. The story.

Storytellers in Chief

Unique Restaurants

Sign me up for the last 2! Those look awesome.

See 'em here

Movie Trailers Galore!

There are lots of new movie trailers to share, so I'm throwing 'em altogether in one post. Any you're looking forward to of these or otherwise?

The Last Airbender (M. Night Shyamalan's newest)

500 Days of Summer (really looking forward to this)

It Might Get Loud (heck yeah!!!)

The Cove (interesting...)

2012 (this could suck major, but the effects look intense!)

Curse You, Internet Explorer.

So right after I'm complaining to Summer about how I think Internet Explorer is what people have been using to access TheFutureAndersens.com when they have trouble navigating the site, I see this! Perfect cartoon. Dash Internet Explorer. Dash it to pieces. Long live Safari!

Click the image to see it bigger.

Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland

Check out some pics from Burton's latest masterpiece-to-be...

Website 01

Website 02

Mickey Rourke = Iron Man Villain, Whiplash

LOS ANGELES - Mickey Rourke's bruising opponents in "The Wrestler" don't look so tough compared to his new foe: Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man.

Distributor Paramount has released the first photo of Rourke as villain Whiplash in the upcoming sequel, "Iron Man 2."

Rourke is dressed for battle in the image, his torso and arms wrapped in metal braces sporting weapons and a chest device resembling the portable power plant that runs Downey's Iron Man suit.

While Downey is completely encased in his metal suit, Rourke's Whiplash outfit shows off a lot of flesh, along with plenty of tattoos coating the character's skin.

Directed by Jon Favreau, "Iron Man 2" kicks off Hollywood's 2010 summer season next May 7.

The Associated Press

Bret Michaels' Mishap

New Spinal Tap Album!

It's dropping on June 16 - check out the title track on iTunes here!

Start A Movement!

This is pretty stinking hilarious!! Carlos Whittaker posted this video along with the 7 Keys to Starting A Movement below.



1. One man can start a movement.

2. A movement need not be started by the most skilled member of the movement.

3. When beginning your movement and you look around and no one else is joining the dance, just keep dancing.

4. When the one guy who joins your movement slowly fades away, keep going.

5. Before you know it, the people joining your movement won’t even know you started it.

6. When your movement takes a life of it’s own, just let go. There will be no stopping it.

7. The very people who are staring at you like your nuts as you movement alone, will be the very same people dancing the hardest in the end.

iPhone app :: Darkroom

This is one of my favorite little apps that sits right on my front home screen. It doesn't take a picture until the camera is completely still and it has a little timer (which you can customize) that regulates how still you have to be. I have the premium version which allows you to touch anywhere on the screen to snap a photo which I love a lot, and hope Apple incorporates into the 3.0 software.

Darkroom Premium ($0.99)

Darkroom (free version)

iPhone app :: Super Search

This is a pretty handy little app that lists a bunch of different popular websites like IMDB, RottenTomatoes, Amazon, Wikipedia, etc. and enables you to search inside the app rather than have to pull up Safari and find the search box and zoom in on it and then search. It makes life easier and I've enjoyed it quite a bit.

iTunes link

iPhone apps: Game Edition

No, there's not an app called Game Edition. This post is dedicated to the few games that I love having on my iPhone. I decided to go green and combine them into one post. Wait. No trees are being killed by me blogging. This is digital. Oh well. It saves you some scrolling time.

Yahtzee Adventures

FlightControl

Stick Wars

Enigmo

I Say Free

Pixar's "UP" + Technology

I would love to sit in on a Pixar movie from start to finish and just gaze in awe and wonder. Especially the technology that goes into it. This explains the amazing technology that they had to use for UP.

Read about it here

Scorsese + Sinatra

Boy, this is exciting! I'm dying to see this and see who gets cast in it. I did a quick Google search and saw Johnny Depp's and Leonardo DiCaprio's name. I'd vote the latter, for sure. But we shall see!

Read all about it here

Concert Line-Ups

I got an email from a Chicago concert mailing list and I was surprised at some of the quality line-ups, plus some others that I've seen. What are some wild duos / trios that you've seen paired up for a live show?

Pink + The Ting Tings
Green Day + The Bravery
Weezer + Blink-182
Keane + Mat Kearney + The Helio Sequence

Some good ones I've been to or wished I could have gone to are...

Angels & Airwaves + Weezer
Travis + Rooney
Mute Math + Shiny Toy Guns + Jonezetta
Eisley + The Myriad + Vedera
Snow Patrol + OK Go
Fever Marlene + The Redwalls
Switchfoot + Athlete + Emery

"9" Trailer

Check out the latest animated film produced by Tim Burton...

Watch the trailer

New E*Trade Baby commercial!

These are unbelievably funny! I've included my other 2 favorites below, but here's a new one that just released for a financial education special something or other that aired last night called Unbroke.

12 Famous Stories about Band Name Origins

I always find these interesting. I haven't read through it all yet, but band names always intrigue me. Sometimes when I hear of a new band's name, I'm like. Pssshh. Lame. But then I think about a lot of the bands I like and if they weren't popular, I don't know if I'd like them either!

Click here

Mute Math Recording Interview

I haven't actually read this yet, but I knew it needed to be passed on. It's an interview with Paul Meany about the recording of the new album. I was surprised as I skimmed through it to see the couple cuss words he uses...

Read it here

Whatever Works

I haven't seen tons of Woody Allen movies, but I know he makes some incredible ones (whoop holla for Annie Hall, anyone?). He just has this awesome, quirky little knack that always makes me laugh and be right there with him. Larry David stars in his latest, but it's a character that he (Woody) would generally play.

Watch the trailer here

Bing browser

Wince. I know. I'm blogging about something Microsoft is doing. That I'm actually intrigued about. Hopefully that's not a sign that this blog is going down the porta potty. Anyways. This takes the web browser to another level of usability and functionality. Check it out...

Click here

Toy Story 3 Trailer!!

First things first, go watch this. It's just a teaser, but it's a foretelling of extreme movie goodness to follow! With UP's current 98% rating as according to RottenTomatoes, I know Pixar hasn't lost their flame (is that even possible?), and I know a sequel like this will get every bit of attention it deserves.

WATCH IT HERE

Queen + Adam Lambert?

This is an interesting read. I haven't watched American Idol this season at all but have heard plenty about Adam Lambert. Apparently he got to perform with Queen during the finale and Brian May is a fan of his! I had no idea they had split ways with Paul Rodgers.

Read it here

WWDC + Phil Schiller

Crap.

Read it and weep.

iPhone App :: Credit Card Terminal

I saw this on one of the recent iPhone commercials and I had to do a double take - how sweet is this?! What it does is allow you to charge someone via credit card... Right there on your iPhone. Too cool. I don't know how all the rates work and if they're as competitive as your plain jane credit card terminal, but it's certainly worth looking into. It seems like a lot of bands these days have iPhones and this is an easy way to sell merch.

iTunes link

World's Worst, Yet Hilarious, Commercial

This blew my mind. In a not-so way. Enjoy!

More New Mac vs. PC Ads

Check out Customer Care, Elimination (I love this one), and PC Choice Chat here.

Top 10 Lines Never Said In A Star Trek Film

14 Items All Design Geeks Must Have

These are awesome! I want the polaroid mirror. It took me a second to figure out exactly what it was cos the camera threw me off, but wow. I'll have that.

See 'em here

Radiohead "15 Step" Drum Groove

Mr. T + Treat Your Mother Right

Just in time for Mother's Day! :)

New Pete Yorn Album

Pete is one of those artists that I remember there being quite a bit of fanfare about when his first album dropped, and I was a part of that. But then he just kinda fell off for me. I've never liked him live when I've seen clips or late night appearances and the music just wasn't as good as the first album. I haven't listened to him in quite a long time but I saw that he's got a new one coming out and the preview sounded alright. He changed up his writing process so maybe that will juice him back up into my list of listening. Back and Fourth drops June 16.

iTunes link