Reviews and More

I was doing some cleaning today, and finally got around to removing all the Christmas cards that were on display over the fireplace. When taking the cards down, I noticed that almost all of our friends, relatives, and business associates sent personalized cards with family portraits on them. This is something I’ve always wanted to do, but I’m usually so busy during the holidays that I invariably end up buying a pack of generic cards instead.

Well, I plan on changing that trend this year! I’m committed to creating holiday photo cards for my family well before the December rush so we can finally get in on this trend.

I actually started checking around online for places that sell photo cards, and came across the CardsDirect.com website. CardsDirect offers an amazing array of photo cards to choose from, with a variety of customization options to help make the cards as personal as possible. In addition, CardsDirect has some of the lowest prices I’ve seen for this type of product, and offers free UPS ground shipping to the continental United States. You can’t beat that!

Anyway, I had a hard time settling on a single design that I like best. In the end, this Green Border Christmas Photo Card emerged as my top choice, so I bookmarked the page to make it easier for me to find when it’s time to order. Here’s what it looks like:

CardsDirect also sells cards for other holidays and occasions, so be sure to check them out for all of your greeting card needs!

We were treated to another brand-new episode of Lost last night. It was called “The Constant” and focused almost entirely on Desmond. I should warn you that I’ve only seen this ep once, but it definitely requires repeat viewing(s) to understand. Why? Because it was mostly about time travel, and had Desmond jumping back and forth between 1996 and 2004 throughout the whole hour.

The ep opened with Sayid, Frank, and Desmond on board the helicopter. They’d been gone from the island for 24 hours, but still hadn’t reached the freighter, despite the fact that the boat was just 40km out to sea. This leads to Daniel explaining to Jack and Juliet about time loss on the island.

Back on the chopper, Frank flies into a storm, which causes Desmond to flip out. He immediately loses his memory and has no idea where he is or who Sayid and Frank are. Desmond thinks it’s 1996, and this starts the episode-long series of time jumps between past Desmond and future Desmond. Far too much happens to recount here, but suffice it to say some of the events are very important.

At the end, Desmond is able to call Penny from the boat. She answers, and there is a joyous, tearful reunion after eight long years of separation. But then the line goes dead, and once again viewers are left with a bunch of questions about what exactly is going on over there.

More random thoughts:

– So Mr. Widmore bought the ledger from the Black Pearl. That means he knows about the island, and about the Hansoo family. He’s far more involved in this than anyone thought.

– I still don’t understand what everyone’s connection to each other is. If Widmore knows what’s going on, then I can see why Desmond would be involved. But what the hell did flight 815 have to do with any of this?

– How wild is it that Desmond and Daniel met in the past?! One question, though: wouldn’t Desmond’s name have rung a bell with Daniel when they were introduced on the island? After all, he does have Desmond’s name in his notebook.

That’s about all I have for this ep… as I said above, I didn’t understand much of it, so I’m going to have to go back and watch it again this weekend!

A lot of my friends are avid fans of The Office, and never miss a chance to tell me how awesome they think the show is. I know that it’s one of the most popular comedies on television right now, so of course I’ve tried watching it.

I watched the pilot two summers ago, but thought it sucked and didn’t go any farther with the series. However, since my friends kept pushing, I finally went ahead and watched all six episodes of Season One a few months ago. While I thought there were definitely some funny moments along the way, I simply couldn’t figure out why the show was so immensely popular.

Anyway, after another long break, I’ve started watching The Office yet again. This time I’m through the first six episodes of Season Two, and I’ve gotta tell ya, I still don’t understand what all the hype is about.

Here are a few thoughts about what I’ve seen:

– Michael is the most annoying character I’ve ever seen on TV. I don’t mean that he’s so annoying that I just have to laugh at his antics; I mean he’s so annoying that I just want him off my screen. I like Steve Carell’s movies, but can’t stand him on this show.

– I’ve heard enough about this show to know that many fans are Jim and Pam ’shippers. Again, I don’t understand the majority opinion. Pam’s my favorite character so far, so I can see why people like her. But with Jim? While he definitely adds to the funny moments on the show, I just don’t see the attraction towards Jim and Pam as a couple. He acts like such an awkward schoolboy around her that I just want to throttle him most of the time.

– Oh, never mind. I know why people like Jim and Pam. They’re the only normal ones in the whole office, so the average viewer will obviously identify with them. Is anyone out there really going to admit that they’re like Michael? Or Dwight?

– Speaking of Dwight. I guess he’s funny in a laugh-at-the-nerd/Star Wars fanboy sort of way. But really, I haven’t seen anything noteworthy out of this character through 12 eps so far.

– Ryan the temp is another character that absolutely gets on my nerves. If he hates the place so much, why not go sell audio racks or used cars or something? He’s just a temp, after all, so it’s not as though he doesn’t have choices.

– The background characters (don’t know their names yet) are all just stereotypes of people you might find in a typical office. An austere Christian woman who likes cats. A fat guy who likes to cram M&Ms into his mouth. Yawn.

I don’t know. I’ve got all of Season Two on DVD, and will watch the rest of the eps for sure. But please tell me this stuff gets better. Please?

Scarlett Johansson is one of the hottest young starlets in Hollywood these days. Not only has she been named “sexiest woman” by magazines like GQ, but she’s also been in a string of critically-acclaimed films, including The Prestige, Match Point, and Lost in Translation.

I’ve never really considered myself a Scarlett Johansson fan, but in looking over her filmography, I see that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed most of the projects she’s been attached to. With that in mind, I decided to check out The Nanny Diaries, a comedy/drama that was first released over the summer. While I didn’t think much of the movie, I am finally beginning to see why so many people find Johansson appealing.

Plot summary (with possible spoilers): Johansson stars as Annie Braddock, a recent Columbia grad who isn’t sure what she wants to do with her life. Her mother Judy (played by Donna Murphy) wants her to go into investment banking, so Annie dutifully makes arrangements to interview with one of the top firms. However, right in the middle of the interview, she realizes that she doesn’t know herself at all — a scary thought that sends her flying out the door.

While contemplating her future in Central Park, Annie tackles a little boy in order to save him from an inattentive cyclist. The boy’s name is Grayer (Nicholas Art), and his mother (Laura Linney) runs over to thank Annie. When Annie introduces herself, the mother, called Mrs. X in the film, the mother hears the name “Nanny.” This sets Mrs. X off on a long spiel about being in need of a nanny at that moment. She gives Annie her card and arranges to meet again to talk about specifics. Annie is too flabbergasted to correct Mrs. X, so she just decides to roll with everything.

Annie talks herself into taking the nanny job with Mrs. X, saying that it will just be for the summer and will give her a chance to find her way before settling into a career. Of course, since she doesn’t have any real experience with kids beyond a few babysitting gigs when she was a teenager, the new job will be a challenge.

Sure enough, at the beginning, Annie has lots of trouble with both Grayer and Mrs. X. Grayer doesn’t like her, and does the usual bratty kid things, like kicking her, not listening to her, and telling his mom about every little thing that Annie does wrong. Mrs. X is no better, as she orders Annie around, forces her to do housework and other chores in addition to watching Grayer, and never gives her a day off.

The rest of the film shows Annie becoming more adept at her job, while being treated even worse by Mrs. X and her husband. Annie sees that the life of an Upper East Side housewife isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be, and despite the anger she feels for the way Mrs. X treats her (and Grayer, for that matter), she can’t help but pity the woman.

In the end, Annie tells Mrs. X off, and treats her experience with the family as an anthropological study when she goes back to grad school. Mrs. X has an epiphany thanks to Annie’s lecture, and she and Grayer leave Mr. X.

My Reaction: First of all, I have to say that I didn’t read the novel that this film was based on, so my comments will be about the movie only.

Things started out promisingly enough. I thought the setup was great, with Annie deciding to be a nanny for the summer while she tries to figure out what to do with her life. There were plenty of opportunities to develop this character, as well as Mrs. X, but unfortunately, that didn’t really happen.

How was Annie fundamentally different at the end of the film? Her relationship with Harvard Hottie? Her decision to go to grad school? Do those things really count as completing Annie’s character arc?

I felt that Mrs. X’s change of heart was too abrupt as well. She never gave the slightest indication that she noticed anything Annie was doing, so it was a bit hard to believe that she would suddenly listen to Annie’s nanny-cam tirade instead of brushing it off like usual.

The film was mostly made up of boring, predictable scenes, with the only bright spot being Johannson. Her performance wasn’t great or anything, but she just seemed so inherently likable here that it was hard not to stick with her until the end.

Overall, however, Johannson’s presence alone wasn’t enough to elevate The Nanny Diaries above the average. I give it 5.0 stars out of 10.

I just wanted to make a quick post here to remind you that Penelope starring Reese Witherspoon, Christina Ricci, and James McAvoy opens this Friday! I’ve been waiting for this movie for a long time, and am excited that it’s finally here (well, almost). I’m definitely going to see it this weekend, so hopefully I can have a full review for you up here by Monday or Tuesday.

For more information about the film, you can check out the official Penelope MySpace page or read my first post on the subject, where I included the trailer.

Be sure to go see Penelope this weekend and let me know your thoughts on the film! It looks like it’s going to be a good one!

I don’t read too many modern books because I find that my experiences with them are usually hit or miss. The only time I hear about contemporary authors is when they generate lots of online buzz or when their books shoot to the top of the NY Times Bestsellers list. Sometimes the books live up to the hype and give me fun new authors to read (JK Rowlings, Dan Brown); other times, I’m left wondering what all the fuss is about (Michael Connelly, Nicholas Sparks).

So when I heard about The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini practically nonstop when it reached bestseller status back in 2005, I had reservations about reading it. The story sounded interesting enough, but I had a hard time believing that the book was as astoundingly superb as gushing critics and readers would have people think. I therefore held off on reading it until a few weeks ago — and feel that I didn’t miss much by waiting all this time.

Plot summary (with possible spoilers): The Kite Runner tells the story of two young boys growing up in Afghanistan during the 1970s. Amir, the narrator, is the only son of Baba, a wealthy and respected businessman in Kabul. Hassan is the harelipped son of Baba’s servant Ali, and therefore acts as Amir’s servant. Both boys lost their mothers at an early age (Amir’s died in childbirth, while Hassan’s ran away to join a dance troupe), so they only have male influences in their lives.

Amir and Hassan are pretty much inseparable as children. They play together after Hassan finishes his daily chores, and Amir often reads books to the illiterate Hassan afterwards. Later, Hassan would serve as audience for budding novelist Amir’s earliest stories. Despite all this, Amir never called Hassan his friend because Hassan was a Hazara and therefore considered to be inferior.

As the boys get older, Amir’s treatment of Hassan becomes increasingly shabby. He teases Hassan for being illiterate, intentionally misleads him about the meaning of words, and humiliates Hassan for no reason. Nevertheless, Hassan remains a constant, steady companion who would do anything for Amir.

One day, something happens that changes the course of both of their lives forever. After Amir wins a big kite tournament, Hassan takes off to run (retrieve) the last kite that Amir defeated. As he gets the kite, Hassan is surrounded by a group of older bullies led by the evil Assef. Assef beats and rapes Hassan — as Amir, too scared to help, watches from a distance.

Amir is so beset by guilt about his inability to act that he can’t stand to see Hassan anymore. He therefore accuses Hassan of stealing from him, after which point Ali insists that he and Hassan move away (over Baba’s tearful protests). Later, Amir and Baba move to the United States, leaving Hassan and Ali behind forever.

The middle stages of the book deal with Amir’s new life in California, and then the last section covers Amir’s trip back to Afghanistan at the request of an old friend of Baba. When in Kabul again, Amir learns of a way to find some measure of redemption for his past actions by risking his life to save Hassan’s son.

My Reaction: I really enjoyed the first part of The Kite Runner, the section that dealt with Amir and Hassan’s childhood in Kabul. The dynamic between the two boys was very intriguing, and I was immediately drawn into their world. This would have been an excellent book had Hosseini chosen to focus solely on Amir and Hassan, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

My interest in The Kite Runner flagged considerably when Amir and Baba moved to America. I didn’t care about Amir as a character in his own right; he was only interesting in terms of his relationship to Hassan. I didn’t want to read about his college days, or how Baba ended up working at a gas station, or how hard it was to adjust to American life. Nor did I want to read about Amir’s courtship of his future wife, his marriage, and their troubles conceiving a child. This was incredibly boring, and brought the pace of the plot to a grinding halt.

Of course, the middle part was necessary in order to set up the all-too-contrived third act, in which Amir goes back to Kabul to rescue Hassan’s son Sohrab. That part of the novel was simply ridiculous in terms of all the things that happened. Assef turned into a murderous Taliban official, but agrees to fight Amir “to the death” for the boy — and Assef has enough honor to tell his men to let Amir go if he emerges from the room. Oh, riiiight. I can really see that happening.

And then Sohrab saves Amir from Assef by shooting him with a slingshot, just as his father had done a quarter of a century before? Sure. Also, one of Amir’s injuries happens to leave him with a split lip, a “harelip” of his own to mirror Hassan’s? Uh huh.

Let’s not forget the biggest coincidence of all: Amir’s lawyer says that the easiest way for Sohrab to come to the United States is on a Humanitarian Visa, but that’s also the most difficult to obtain. It would be better to leave the boy at an orphanage in Pakistan for a year and then try to adopt from there. Then, after Sohrab tries to commit suicide, Amir’s wife calls with the news that they got the Humanitarian visa after all. Huh? How did that happen? I don’t know, because Hosseini didn’t bother to explain.

So to recap here, I thought the first part of The Kite Runner was fantastic, the second part was lame, and the third part was too far-fetched to be believed. As a result, my overall impression of the novel was not that great. Add Hosseini’s pedestrian prose to the mix, and my rating for The Kite Runner falls to below average. I give it 4.0 stars out of 10.

The news of Australian actor Heath Ledger’s untimely death due to an accidental overdose of prescription drugs has certainly been one of the most shocking stories in the entertainment industry this year. Fans and Hollywood insiders alike agreed that Ledger simply “didn’t seem the type” to be at risk for an overdose, unintentional or otherwise.

One of the reasons for this was the fact that Ledger was regarded as a serious actor rather than someone who was in the biz simply for the money or fame. People who held this opinion pointed out the roles that Ledger took, as the actor opted to take chances on scripts that truly appealed to him rather than just grab a part in the next shoot ‘em up blockbuster.

After reading through Ledger’s filmography at the time of his death, I realized that I hadn’t actually seen very many of his works. Therefore, I decided to watch The Four Feathers this weekend, a 2002 film starring Ledger, Kate Hudson, and Djimon Hounsou.

Plot summary (with possible spoilers): The Four Feathers is a period piece set in 1884-85. The film opens in Britain, where we meet several dashing members of the Royal Cumbrians, an infantry regiment in the British army. We’re reminded early on that back when the sun never set on the British Empire, it was the height of honor to serve in the royal army.

Life seems grand for Harry Feversham (Ledger) in these early stages. Not only is he one of the best officers in the regiment, but he also recently became engaged to the lovely Ethne (Hudson) and will take her hand in marriage very soon — much to the approval of Harry’s father, the strict General Feversham (Tim Pigott-Smith).

But then the Royal Cumbrians get some important news: their help is required in the Sudan where British forces are being assailed by Islamic rebels. Almost all of the Royal Cumbrians are elated by this order, as they will finally get a chance to partake in real battle. Only Harry is sickened by the thought of leaving England — and his beloved Ethne — behind.

So Harry does something that was absolutely unthinkable at the time. He resigned his post on the morning his regiment was supposed to ship out for the Sudan. Once word gets around the regiment, Harry is denounced as a coward and is immediately written off by all but one of his friends. He later gets a package in the mail containing three white feathers from his former comrades as a mark of his cowardice. Later, when Ethne hears what Harry has done, she too sends him a white feather and breaks off their engagement.

After a bit of soul-searching on the home front, Harry decides to join the Royal Cumbrians in the Sudan — in disguise. He travels there on his own dime, disguises himself as an Arab, befriends a Sudanese warrior named Abou Fatma (Hounsou), and shadows his regiment, performing various acts of bravery to try to keep his former friends out of danger.

My Reaction: I thought The Four Feathers was a very uneven movie. The early scenes that set up the Sudan portion of the film were well done and really gave me a sense of the pride and honor the Royal Cumbrians felt just for being given the chance to serve their country. I also thought Harry’s initial decision to quit, while perhaps a bit abrupt, was believable given the circumstances. After all, it seemed that he was only in the army because of his father, not because it was something he wanted to do.

After that, however, the film took a turn for the worse. I found it pretty ludicrous that Harry was able to do all the things he did while being in disguise (which, incidentally, was nothing more than a bushy beard). I mean, he turned into a veritable Johnny on the Spot, and always conveniently ended up in the right place at the right time.

Furthermore, I didn’t understand what drove Harry to suddenly turn into this totally selfless man who would stop at nothing (including self-sacrifice) to save his former comrades. If he had felt that way from the beginning, wouldn’t it have just been easier to stay in the Royal Cumbrians? Did the feathers drive him to become this way? If so, why? Harry didn’t seem to care about public opinion when he resigned his post, so why did he suddenly start caring a week later? Was it because Ethne left him and he felt he had nothing to live for? I don’t know. These things were hinted at, but I guess I really needed everything spelled out here.

At any rate, I wanted to like The Four Feathers out of deference to Ledger’s passing if nothing else. But I just can’t give it any more than a rating of 5.0 stars out of 10.

I’m not a huge fan of manga or anime, but I do occasionally check out films in this genre if they look interesting enough — which is certainly the case with Appleseed Ex Machina, the long-awaited sequel to the 2003 film Appleseed.

Appleseed Ex Machina is a sci-fi adventure that takes place in the year 2133, after half the Earth’s population has been killed off by a massive war. The film follows three members of the elite Special Ops police force as they try to maintain peace in the utopian city of Olympus. The city and the population are threatened after a group of terrorists unleash an electronic virus that turns citizens into destructive zombies.

It is then up to Deunan Knute and her two cyborgs, Briareos and Tereus to save Olympus and its people from the terrorists.

Appleseed Ex Machina, which was directed by Shinji Aramaki and produced by John Woo, uses the latest CGI technology available to bring these absolutely stunning graphics to life.

I am adding this movie to my “To Watch” list and will grab the DVD when it’s released by Warner Home Video on March 11, 2008. If you’re a fan of the Appleseed series, then you’ll definitely want to get in on the action as well.

In the meantime, here’s a quick preview for you:

If you read this blog regularly, then you know there aren’t too many reality shows that I like. I’ve never seen a single episode of Survivor or American Idol, nor have I ever caught The Amazing Race, The Apprentice, or The Biggest Loser. I don’t really have anything against these shows in particular; it’s just that I usually prefer to watch scripted series.

But a friend living in the UK recently told me about one reality show that I probably would have loved. It’s called Bargain Hunt, and is a competition whereby two teams receive the same amount of money to go shopping at a flea market. They then buy three items, which are later auctioned off. Whichever team receives the most money for their items at auction wins.

I think I would be pretty good at that game because I’m usually able to spot the best buy at flea markets, thrift stores, and the like. It comes down to being familiar with a bunch of different products, manufacturers, brand names, and retail prices — which any avid shopper (like me) should be.

At any rate, it’s too bad the show is only on in the UK. I would love to see an episode or two!

I watched the entire Oscars broadcast last night, and thought it was ok. Even though I don’t watch the Daily Show, I like Jon Stewart, so I enjoyed seeing him back at the event. I also thought the montages showing past winners was pretty interesting, though I still don’t like the way they do live performances of all the Best Song nominees. Also, the broadcast lasted about 3 hours and 15 minutes, which is way too long.

They should cut out some of the minor awards (raise your hand if you knew anything about the films that were nominated for Live Action Short or Documentary Short) and trim 30 minutes or so from the running time. Would that be so terrible?

Anyway, here is a quick rundown of the winners of the major awards:

Best Picture: No Country for Old Men
Best Director: Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, No Country for Old Men
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Best Actress: Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose
Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Best Supporting Actress: Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
Best Original Screenplay: Diablo Cody, Juno
Best Adapted Screenplay: Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, No Country for Old Men

A couple months ago, I wrote that I had just started watching Without a Trace on DVD. Well, I’ve continued watching at the rate of about one ep per day, and am currently in the middle of the third season. I think the stories are pretty good for the most part, and I like the cast as well (despite not really feeling a connection with any of the characters). Anyway, here are a few more thoughts about the show as I continue to work my way through the DVDs:

– I like the good mix of reasons that people disappear. There are kidnappings, runaways, murder victims, cheating spouses, and people who simply get lost. I have a feeling that’s a good representation of what the FBI actually faces.

– The “Wannabe” episode was positively heartbreaking. I couldn’t believe how cruel those 12-year-olds were to each other, and was horrified to see Eric trying to hang himself from the jungle gym. The image of Danny and Jack racing to grab him was very powerful; I’m glad they got there in time.

– I also thought the “Nickel and Dimed” two-parter was well done. I don’t particularly like Sam, but she was great in that one. Like her, I was completely bothered/depressed about how much that single mom struggled to make ends meet and how she ended up losing her life over a trifling sum like $1,000. Wow.

– There have been some weak eps along the way as well. For instance, the Season 3 premier, “In the Dark” was kind of ridiculous. I had a hard time believing that this blind girl who was barely able to find her camping gear in the woods after wandering 10 yards away could suddenly lead the agents to a cabin several miles away just by gauging how fast they were driving.

– I also thought “Life Rules”, the ep with the motivational speaker who stages his own kidnapping was pretty boring — and predictable.

– As I said, I’m not connecting with any of the cast members or characters, not even Anthony LaPaglia. Sam Spade irritates me most of the time, while the others are just so bland and uninteresting.

I’m going to keep watching Without a Trace for now, but will probably put the DVDs aside once my favorite primetime series return with new eps. Then maybe I’ll pick it up again after my regular shows end in May.

I can’t remember the last time a movie has held the No.1 spot at the box office for at least two weeks in a row. Maybe back at the end of last year/beginning of this year when National Treasure: Book of Secrets held on for all of three weeks. Since then, there have been a string of films debuting at No.1 only to fall one (or several) spots in its second week in wide release.

This week was no different, as former box office champ Jumper was knocked down to No.2 by newcomer Vantage Point. Starring Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker, William Hurt, and Sigourney Weaver, Vantage Point is a thriller that tells the story of an attempted presidential assassination from eight different points of view. It earned $24 million to beat out Jumper, which pulled in $12.65 million.

The Spiderwick Chronicles slipped to third place with $12.0 million in revenue, while the only other new release on the list, the Jack Black comedy Be Kind, Rewind, earned a meager $4.1 million for seventh place.

Here’s the complete Top 10:

1. Vantage Point, $24 million
2. Jumper, $12.65 million
3. The Spiderwick Chronicles, $12.0 million
4. Step Up 2 the Streets, $9.7 million
5. Fool’s Gold, $6.2 million
6. Definitely, Maybe, $5.1 million
7. Be Kind, Rewind, $4.1 million
8. Juno, $4.1 million
9. Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins, $3.9 million
10. There Will Be Blood, $2.5 million

Since the Oscars are tonight, I figured I’d invite a few friends over for a small viewing party. I used to do this almost every year before I had my son, but now it’s hard to have bunch of people staying here until 11:00 or 11:30pm.

As I said, this will just be a small affair, with four or five friends who live nearby. I’ll provide the (cheap) champagne and a few appetizers, and have asked my friends to each bring some finger food to share with the group. I also have a couple editions of Scene It ready to go so we can have something to do during the boring parts of the ceremony, like the various performances and tributes (which none of us is interested in).

I think we’ll have fun tonight, so I’m already looking forward to it. The only thing that would make the viewing party better is if I had home theater sconces to help set the mood in my living room.

Oh, well… maybe next year!!

You don’t have to be able to quote the Book of Exodus chapter and verse to recognize at least a few of the 10 Plagues that God unleashed on Egypt. They were: blood; frogs; lice: flies; diseased livestock; boils; fiery hail; locusts; darkness; and death of firstborn males.

While most people would be content to attribute these plagues to the wrath of God, the main character in the 2007 film The Reaping has a highly plausible — and scientific — chain of events to rationalize all 10 unusual occurrences. It’s a good thing too, because she might just need to draw on this knowledge to help explain why a small Louisiana town seems to be suffering the same fate as Biblical Egypt.

Plot summary (with possible spoilers): Katherine (played by Hillary Swank) is an LSU science professor who specializes in investigating and debunking what appear to be religious miracles. As the film opens, she’s in Concepción, Chile with her assistant Ben (Idris Elba), where locals have been wiping the oozing remnants of a dead priest’s body on their own bodies in the hopes of being cured of their various ailments. Once Katherine discovers that illegally-dumped toxic waste is at least partly responsible for some of the “phenomena” in the city, she and Ben return home to Louisiana.

At Katherine’s LSU office, Ben tells her that she’s received numerous phone calls from a man named Father Costigan (Stephen Rea). Katherine had been avoiding the priest, but reluctantly agrees to a brief conversation.

Father Costigan tells her that some of his photographs have been spontaneously burning in a peculiar way: only Katherine’s face is obliterated in each one, and when put together, the burn marks depict a sickle shape. Father Costigan believes Katherine is in danger, so he warns her to be careful.

A bit later, Katherine and Ben get a visit from a man named Doug (David Morrissey), who lives in a small backwater town called Haven. He has heard of Katherine’s penchant for rooting out a scientific explanation for strange occurrences, so he wants her help. The river in Haven has turned blood-red, and no one can figure out why. A few of the more vocal townsfolk blame it on a young girl named Loren McConnell (AnnaSophia Robb), who some believe murdered her brother near the site.

Katherine and Ben both agree to go take some samples from the river. They’re astonished to learn that the red coloring is not due to a pH imbalance as Katherine originally speculated; it’s human blood — the first of the 10 plagues.

As the film progresses, the rest of the plagues start ravishing Haven, causing the townspeople to become increasingly agitated. They believe that Loren is responsible for everything and must be sacrificed, but Katherine remains convinced that there’s a scientific explanation. She’s determined to uncover that explanation and save the girl in the process.

My Reaction: I found The Reaping to be interesting up to a certain point. I liked the whole premise of Biblical plagues afflicting a town in modern times, and enjoyed Hillary Swank’s performance as Katherine. I thought she was very convincing as a smart, tough, no-nonsense scientist who lost her own faith at the same time that she lost her daughter. I also appreciated how the screenwriters resisted the temptation to turn Katherine into a complete atheist who loathes any mention of God; instead, it was clear that she respected others’ beliefs even as she debunked their “miracles”.

That being said, I had major problems trying to believe that the happenings in Haven occurred in something of a vacuum. I mean, if there were signs of any of the Biblical plagues in today’s world, I’m pretty sure there would be hundreds of news crews, cameras, and reporters on the spot in no time, even if we’re talking about an out-of-the-way Louisiana town. I know the filmmakers took pains to mention that Haven wasn’t on the map and that there was no cell service or whatever, but still… No way that happens in modern times.

At any rate, I still thought The Reaping was a pretty decent popcorn flick, though it certainly wasn’t as scary as advertised. I give ti 6.0 stars out of 10.

My uncle has been running his own business for almost a decade now, and since I’m self-employed as well, we always have a lot of things to talk about when we meet for our monthly lunch outing. Our February lunch was just last week, and for some reason the conversation turned to banking.

My uncle started complaining about how his bank keeps increasing the fees associated with his business account while decreasing services. For example, they just raised the prices they charge for business checks for the second time in the past year alone. My uncle was not happy about the change, especially since he writes a lot of checks every month and has to reorder frequently.

I told him he should think about getting his checks from VistaPrint instead. Along with business cards, address labels, magnets, post cards, and stamps, VistaPrint offers a huge selection of discount checks for both professional and personal use. Their checks are cheaper than the ones available at banks, and can even be customized with a business logo or original design.

Right now, VistaPrint is offering customers a chance to get 25 free checks — which is a great way to try out their service. All you have to do is enter the code “BlogFreeChecks08″ at checkout to take advantage of the special offer.

I’ve already passed the code along to my uncle so he can get some free checks for his business. If he likes the service, maybe he’ll even pay for my lunch next month as a thank you!

I didn’t get a chance to watch the newest episode of Lost until just now, so that’s why my post is late. This was the fourth episode of the season, and was called “Eggtown” — a reference that I still don’t understand at all.

“Eggtown” was a Kate-centric ep that showed flash-forwards of Kate’s post-island life. Basically, as one of the surviving Oceanic Six, she becomes a major celebrity. But that fame is not enough to get her out of the criminal charges that were pending back when she was captured by that U.S. Marshall in Australia. She therefore has to go to court to stand trial on those charges, and Jack shows up to testify on her behalf.

Then, when the prosecution’s key witness, Kate’s mom, refuses to testify against her daughter, the D.A. has no choice but to offer Kate a plea. She will get time served and 10 years of probation, plus she cannot leave the state. Kate willingly accepts, and then rushes home to see her son. As she picks him up, she calls him Aaron — which means that he’s actually Claire’s baby!!!

There was some boring island stuff too, but I don’t feel like going over all of that here. Instead, here are a few additional thoughts I had after watching the show:

– Sawyer and Kate are hot together, while the Jack/Kate pairing makes me want to rip my eyeballs out. I don’t understand why Kate is having trouble deciding between the two. There’s just no contest IMO!

– I had to laugh out loud at Kate’s expression after Locke answered the door covered in blood and told her that he just killed a chicken. I swear, I had the exact same expression on my face too.

– Hmm, that certainly is one way to get Miles to quit running his mouth….

– It’s just way too easy to fake out poor Hurley.

– I was completely shocked by the Aaron reveal at the end. I didn’t see that coming at all, though from what I’ve read on a few Lost message boards, a lot of viewers predicted that scenario. Were there any indications before this ep that Kate would wind up with Aaron? If so, I totally missed them.

– So in addition to being the mastermind of the island and an international traveler with several different identities, Ben is also a multimillionaire. And Miles wants $3.2 million of Ben’s money. I don’t see where this storyline is going, but I now trust the Lost writers enough to believe that there will be a decent payoff in the end.

– I wonder what the hell Daniel was trying to do with those cards? It didn’t seem like a throwaway scene, so it’ll be interesting to see what he’s got up his sleeve.

That’s all I can think of for now. I’m actually enjoying Season 4 of Lost quite a bit now. After losing its way through all of S2 and part of S3, it seems as though Lost is definitely back in top form!

I absolutely hate the snow and cold, so I’m just counting down the days until summer gets here. That’s when my family finally emerges from hibernation to start participating in all the fun activities that are usually associated with warmer months: baseball games, picnics, zoo outings, and of course trips to the beach.

People occasionally do a double-take when they hear that we like to go to the beach. After all, we’re in Chicago, not Florida. But there are a couple of decent beaches by Lake Michigan, and while it’s certainly not the same as frolicking in the sparkling waters off Key West, we’ll take it!

To make things even more fun this year, I’m thinking about buying beach cruisers for the entire family. I see these bikes all the time now, which means they’re becoming more and more popular. That’s not surprising, as I’m sure other people love the classic, retro styling as much as I do. Just looking at a beach cruiser reminds me of the happy days of my childhood, and that’s certainly a feeling worth recapturing.

I found a great selection of beach cruisers over at CruiserStyle.com. They have a wide range of colors and styles available, and their bikes come in sizes for men, women, and children. Plus, CruiserStyle.com’s prices are some of the best around, which means it won’t cost a fortune to buy beach cruisers for the whole family.

I can’t wait to get our bikes and hit Oak Street Beach once the weather warms up. See you out there!

A friend of mine recently told me about an excellent series of home educational courses that she discovered years ago. The courses are provided by The Teaching Company, and consist of audio or video lectures about certain subjects delivered by prominent university professors from across the country. The courses are quite expensive (ranging from $199 for an audio download to $374 for DVDs), but my friend swears that they’re worth it.

To prove her point, my friend let me borrow the CDs for one of the courses she purchased. It’s called The History of Science 1700-1900 and is taught by Dr. Frederick Gregory, a longtime professor at the University of Florida. The course consists of 36 lectures (at approximately 30 minutes per lecture) spread across 18 CDs — and it was indeed excellent!

Each 30-minute lecture covered a different topic that showed how science developed in these two centuries. Obviously, 30 minutes doesn’t provide enough time to go in-depth on any of these topics, but it is enough for a casual listener to develop a better understanding of what was happening in science during the two centuries covered in the lectures.

Almost every scientific luminary of the time made an appearance at some point during the lectures, including Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Carl Linnaeus, Luigi Galvani, Antoine Lavoisier, Louis Pasteur, William Thomson (Lord Kelvin), and more, as Dr. Gregory discussed topics ranging from theories of motion to classification of living things, biology, evolution, electromagnetism, chemistry, physics, biology, embryonic development, molecular theory, astronomy, and so on.

I found the lectures in this series to be extremely fascinating and interesting. Dr. Gregory did a wonderful job of not only telling about all the major events of the time, but also explaining the significance of those events — and he did so in a way that was easy to understand (without being condescending). You don’t have to be a science major to enjoy this course; you just have to be curious about the subject in general.

I particularly enjoyed the earlier lectures in the series, and was awed by the way early scientists set about trying to understand the world they lived in. There were some absolutely brilliant thinkers back then who have helped bring all of the scientific disciplines to the advanced states that they are in today.

While I personally find the prices of this and other Teaching Company courses to be far too high for my tastes, I would certainly recommend these lectures to anyone who doesn’t mind spending that much money. As for me, I’ll continue to borrow lectures from my friend whenever possible, and I’ll definitely visit a few different libraries around here to see if any of these courses are available to check out.

Now that the writers’ strike is finally over, most primetime television shows are back in production and will be returning to the airwaves with new episodes in April. I’m very excited about this, as it’s felt like the summer doldrums for the past few months, what with only reruns and reality shows on every night.

Anyway, here’s a quick rundown of when my own personal faves will be coming back:

• Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy: New eps coming in the spring
• Bones: April 14
• House: April 21 — Note the switch to Monday nights!
• 24: Jan. 2009
• Lost: started airing late, has five eps left in the can and is scheduled to film five more, making for a 13-ep season
• CSI: April 3, with 6 new eps
• Cold Case: March 30, with 5 new eps
• How I Met Your Mother: March 17, with 9 new eps
• Private Practice: won’t return until next season

This is about the time that most high school seniors start worrying about getting college acceptance letters. They’ve taken their standardized tests, written their essays, and submitted their applications; all that’s left is to sit around and wait for answers.

A majority of those who apply to college will get into a school. It might not be Princeton or Harvard or their first choice, but they’ll get in somewhere. Meanwhile, if the writers of the 2006 comedy Accepted are to be believed, those who don’t get into any schools at all might just create one of their own to fool their parents.

Plot summary (with possible spoilers): Justin Long stars as Bartleby Gaines, a smart kid who just didn’t apply himself in high school. As a result, he doesn’t get into any colleges at all, not even his safety school.

After facing the disappointment of his father Jack (played by Mark Derwin), his mother Diane (Ann Cusack), and even his little sister Lizzie (Hannah Marks), Bartleby decides that he has to prove to his family that he’s not as much of a loser as they think he is. So he gets his friend Sherman (Jonah Hill) to set up a website for a fake school, called the South Harmon Institute of Technology (SHIT). Bartleby then creates a logo, prints out an acceptance letter, and proudly shows it off to his parents.

As with all parents in teen comedies, Jack and Diane are dumb enough to buy the prank.

When Bartleby’s other friends Hands (Columbus Short) and Kiki (Diora Baird) hear what he has done, they beg him for fake acceptance letters to fool their parents as well. Bartleby reluctantly agrees, but then the friends realize that they’ll need to take their prank a step farther because their parents will naturally want to drop them off at campus on the first day of school.

So they lease an abandoned mental hospital with the tuition payment that Bartleby’s dad made, and spend a lot of time cleaning it up to make it look like a typical college dorm. Bartleby even gets Sherman’s uncle Ben (Lewis Black) to pretend to be the Dean of Students for a day.

Bartleby, Hands, and Kiki think they’re home free after their parents leave, but then something unexpected happens. Hundreds of other students arrive at the SHIT campus. Apparently, Sherman accidentally made the application form on the website clickable, so everyone who applied received fake acceptance letters.

The rest of the film then deals with Bartleby’s attempts to turn SHIT into something resembling a school. The students create their own classes, take turns teaching each other, and of course party. The conflict comes in when a group of frat boys from a different college down the road figure out what’s going on and try to get SHIT shut down.

My Reaction: The premise of Accepted was just so ridiculous that I had couldn’t get into the film at all. First off, I think every high school senior knows that community colleges are available for those who either can’t afford to go to a four-year school right away or don’t have the grades to get into a four-year school quite yet. No one would go to all that trouble of “founding” a school just to fool their parents. Give me a break.

Even if I were to let that part slide and consider that Bartleby was the kind of guy who would take the latter route, I still couldn’t believe anything that happened after he printed out the fake acceptance letter. You mean to tell me that his father gave him a tuition check right there on the spot? Yeah, riiight! What parent in their right mind would make the check out in their kid’s name?

Also, there’s simply no way that several hundred kids would cooperate with each other so smoothly in that kind of setting. The film portrayed SHIT as a freakin’ utopia where everyone pulled their own weight and no one slacked off at all. Nor were there any fights, thefts, arguments, complaints about roommates or any of the other minor conflicts that normally happen in dorms. Again, things wouldn’t unfold this way in the real world.

And the ending was pure crap as well. There’s no way a “school” like SHIT would receive accreditation, probationary or otherwise. Come on!

While there were a few funny lines along the way, on the whole I thought Accepted was about as good as the school name that Bartleby came up with. I give it 3.5 stars out of 10.