Saturday, February 2, 2008

Why, Kal Penn, Why???

  • What I'm Watching/Listening To/Reading:
    • A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned reading one of the best books I've ever read. That book is The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs. It helped illuminate my own religious and spiritual questions to an amazing extent. I've been meaning to write more and I will at some point. Just haven't been struck by the right muse yet, I suppose.
    • I saw The Baxter this morning. Written by, directed by, and starring Michael Showalter ("The State", "Stella", "Wet Hot American Summer), the movie deals with the travails of the nice, boring guy. Michelle Williams does well as the love interest and there are also good turns from the always-underrated Elizabeth Banks and the great Peter Dinklage. You'll also find the usual cast of characters from any "State"-related movie like Paul Rudd, Michael Ian Black, and David Wain. The Baxter has the same sense of humor, if not quite as wacky, and is a nice romantic comedy with better-than-average laughs.
    • I also watched a large portion of Epic Movie, which premiered tonight on HBO. When asked why, I compared it to watching History Channel earlier on the destruction of the human race. I just want to know why: why anyone would make it, why anyone would see it. It remains a mystery; I didn't so much as crack a smile the whole time. Well, that is until I turned to HBO Spanish and watched it dubbed. I pretty much laughed straight through at that. Maybe they showed it in Spanish in the theaters? Or maybe a lot of people really are that dumb. I'll let you figure that one out. I already know the answer.
  • Random Thoughts/Links:
    • On the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship telecast, one dog was noted as going into schools to help kids learn to read. Huh? It makes more sense if you imagine that the dog is an enforcer. "I'ma read! I'ma learn to read!"
    • The more I think about people who let their compadres make racial implications and who try to rationalize (and, yeah, lie a little) about why it was okay to go into Iraq in the first place, the more I wonder if this will be the first Presidential election in which I do not vote for the Democrat. This is really troubling, but dead serious.
  • Daily Rant:
    • Technology is a great equalizer. It allows disadvantaged companies and countries to significantly improve their production. It helps children learn faster than ever before. It lets me play tennis in my living room. But when CGI becomes so accessible that it allows spoof movies like Epic Movie to get made? Maybe we could slow the price curve a tiny bit.

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