Unnecessary Movie Review: Treasure of the Sierra Madre

In conclusion, Humphrey Bogart is great and so is everything he does.

This movie really is a classic, and it deserves this acclaim. Every actor in this film turns in a solid performance and is believable in their role. Bogart is of course awesome but in a different way as he is the least likable character in the film. The direction does a good job of relating the characters' isolation and desperation. The score is solid.

I have a very limited number of complaints about the film. It does move a little slowly in the beginning and in the very middle. There are quite a few scenes that seemed unnecessary. The morals tend to be repeated or spelled out so clearly that there is little to nothing that needs to be interpreted.

Overall the film is excellent even if it is a tad long. I would recommend that it be added to your queue fo sho.

With appreciation for Woody

Quote of this past week:

Cass (after catching the disc for an hour and a half): "I can't feel my hand anymore!"

Matt W: "We call that the stranger."



"You don't post that much lately." says the imaginary fan of my work.

"I've been doing a lot of stuff" I say, which is the common excuse used by neglectful bloggers everywhere. "That and not much has been going on."

Are these excuses valid? Depends, what are you demanding? Are they true? Absolutely.

What have I been up to?

-Played my last game of indoor soccer, I hope ever. It was fine I guess and I love my teammates (..for he who sheds his blood with me on this day shall be my brother...) but indoor is too confined, too much of a melee, and not nearly the same as being outside. Thanks for a great season anyway 4 Ton Mantis. Congrats to BJ, Cass, and Scrappy for their awards, which were all well deserved.

-Got really drunk on St. Patty's and went to two great parties. Thanks to the hosts: Janice and the Frisbee guys. I got probably top ten of all time style wasted and got slapped around by a lot of people. Then some asshole broke a glass over a drinking game.

-Teaching Cass how to play Ultimate. She is taking to it well, although she is her own worst critic. She's going to rock once we get on the field and the other girls can't keep up with her.

-Played soccer tonight at the lighted courts at Sheridan. Had a blast, but exhausted myself. My legs feel like rubber and my eyes are playing tricks on me so I think I'm updating my blog but I'm probably busy typing on the blender right now. Thanks to those who played: Oli Oli Oxenfree, Drogos the Dragon, Twinkletoes, the Diplomat, and Anne (who I just met tonight but I will invent a nickname for right now) the Super Turbo Ghost Ninja.

Also I plan on writing a movie review tomorrow. I am going to start reviewing films I Netflix in hopes that you (the rest of the blogging community) will do the same so that we can have a streamlined Netflix system between us (move recommendations up, lampoons down).

A docent portrayal.

I played host this past weekend for my brother and sister-in-law. They had Monday off so they came down for the weekend and we hit up MSI, the Field, and the Shedd. Good times were had by all.

MSI needs to be renovated. I mean a complete overhaul. I had been there two years ago and I liked it then but when I saw it this time I realized how rarely they update anything. A good hint is how all the computers and videos have the obvious imprint of the 80s on them. Of all the types of museums in existence a science museum should be updated most regularly to stay current.

The Field is the same as it always is, interesting and large yet somewhat tedious at times. I do enjoy myself there but it is the museum I visit most often with guests due to its location. The nature/animal section seems to go on for miles. Sue is still there and she is still a beauty. The Egyptian tomb remains unchanged, which might be an interesting commentary on something if I could piece together a decent analytical sentence.

The Shedd was enjoyable as always. They provide a good mix of things so that you are not just looking at fish tank after fish tank. The lizard exhibit was exceptionally well done but as always the best parts are the otters and penguins. Scariest exhibit were the ants after Cass educated me on exactly how these particular ants would kill me.

A note of chauvinism: The Field has an overabundance of hottie hot hots. I do not know why this is but the other two museums were far behind in the physical attractiveness of patrons, and that's not just because I was there.

Unnecessary Book Review: The Cobweb

Recently finished reading The Cobweb by Neal Stephenson and J. Frederick George. My thoughts:

-Really interesting to read a book from Stephenson set entirely in a time frame I experienced.

-Carl Banks ranks among the most kickass of Stephenson characters, those being Nell, Y.T., and Bobby Shaftoe.

-Stephenson is an amazing author when it comes to mixing intellectual thought with action. The story is well thought out and involving.

Where does this rank among my favorite Stephenson books? I would say it was better or on par with Snow Crash but still not as good as Diamond Age or Cryptonomicon. However among all the books of his that I have ever read this one strikes me as the easiest to make the transition to film/TV.

This is super relevant because of this article that makes me all happy on the insides.

Overall, this book is fun and smart. The characters feel very real and I felt sincere concern for their well-being. I give it one thumbstar out of zero.

Favorite part: Stephenson's exposition on a grad student having to write grants and include specific language that doesn't mean anything (buzzwords) to get more money. Terms like "negative body count." That kind of nonsense was very familiar.