Reviews and More

This is a great time to be a blogger! I just discovered a new program called LoudLaunch that works to connect advertisers with bloggers interested in posting about their products or services. This relationship obviously benefits both parties: First, the advertisers have an easy, cost-effective way of generating word-of-mouth buzz and establishing backlinks to their websites. Second, bloggers have an excellent way to make a steady income from writing about things that they’re genuinely interested in.

I’ve just started with LoudLaunch, so I don’t have a lot of experience with them yet. I’m anxious to see how this turns out, and hope that it will prove to be a long, lucrative experience for all involved.

Check it out and get signed up today!

Edit: Every LoudLaunch campaign requires that bloggers have a PageRank in order to participate, so I no longer recommend this company as a solid income option.

I’ve been very busy the last few days, so I haven’t had much time to sit and watch my Boston Legal DVD box set. I did manage to fit a couple more episodes in, so here’s a quick review of one of them.

Episode 1×03 was titled “Catch and Release” and featured guest star Freddie Prinze, Jr. as Donny Crane — Denny’s estranged son. Donny is a lawyer who has the exact same mannerisms as Denny, and while this was funny at first, the writers allowed it to go on too long, so it became annoying. The court case itself wasn’t interesting at all, and just involved protecting some endangered salmon.

The other court case featured Alan Shore trying a sexual harassment case against his ex-girlfriend (who, incidentally, seems to be stalking him). That case was rather boring as well, and didn’t hold my interest at all.

On the whole, this episode was pretty dull and I was glancing at my watch every few minutes to see when it would be over. I still don’t have a clear idea of who the main characters are (besides Alan and Denny) and barely even remember the names of the other lawyers.

I also noticed in this episode how utterly annoying the music is. It’s like they try to use the soundtrack to underscore every “zinger” that the characters spew forth. The music just screams, “Hey did you hear that witty line?? Did you get it? Huh? Did you??” Yes, writers, you’re very clever….

I hope things pick up in the fourth episode!

(ABC publicity photo up there.)

My husband and I spent most of last night trying to work out an itinerary for our vacation. We were planning on going to Australia for a week and hitting Sydney, Cairns, and Uluru (Ayer’s Rock), but couldn’t really work out a solid plan for the time we have, so we gave up on that idea.

That means we’re completely open to new travel suggestions. I think it would be neat to head to the Caribbean, hook up with a good yacht charter company, and sail off to an exotic destination — like the Virgin Islands. That would be a fun and relaxing time, and we could just sit on the beach rather than scramble around trying to cram in a bunch of sightseeing activities!

What do you do if you’re having problems with your electronic equipment? Do you invoke the warranty and hope the manufacturer will cover all the costs? Do you just throw it away and buy something new? Or do you try to have it repaired on your own dime?

Before throwing anything away, I recommend having it checked out by an expert. ACS is a company that provides expert circuit board repair on a wide variety of electronic equipment. They offer free evaluations and a 12-month warranty on any job they undertake, so you’ve got nothing to lose. Check them out!

The Ice Harvest is a 2005 film starring John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton as two guys who try to pull a $2.1 million heist over a small-time mob boss (played by Randy Quaid) in Wichita, KS of all places. The film is billed as a “dark comedy” and clearly aspires to be something similar to what the Coen brothers might produce. But things never quite came together, and I didn’t enjoy the movie at all.

First, there weren’t any interesting, shocking, or original scenes. As a “film noir,” that’s the least the audience would expect. But the only thing that came close, in my opinion, was the scene at the river. However, it was a tad too predictable to be effective.

Second, none of the characters were sympathetic, so I felt like I was wasting my time watching them. Cusack came the closest in terms of being someone to root for, but he was still a jerk at heart (buying his kids Christmas presents from a convenience store? Why even bother???). In order for this kind of movie to work, I think the main character has to have a moment of redemption somewhere along the line. I didn’t see that here, so I didn’t care for the characters.

And third, the movie just wasn’t funny at all. It was supposed to be some kind of “dark comedy,” but I don’t think I laughed even once during the whole thing. It was boring and pointless.

How Roger Ebert was able to give The Ice Harvest three stars in his review is beyond me….I give this one 4 stars out of 10 — and that’s being generous.