tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67372572024-03-23T14:12:36.868-04:00JAG's BlogJamie A. Grant: God, Worship, Discipleship and Programming.Jamie A. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398076133406398223noreply@blogger.comBlogger478125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737257.post-23938388212044919222014-09-01T00:13:00.001-04:002014-09-01T00:13:57.595-04:00Fall & Winter Movie PreviewI'm a regular subscriber to Entertainment Weekly and I love to receive their various Preview issues throughout the year, as I did last week. The anticipation of upcoming movies in the next four months is a lot of fun. Granted, my actual viewing decisions may change if I have a choice between an obscure critical darling and the current Hunger Games sequel but you just gotta go with the flow sometimes. In any case, here are my personal rankings...<br />
<br />
<b>Top Ten Picks</b><br />
[10] Foxcatcher (Nov14) <a href="http://youtu.be/uBBwW5qKklI" target="_blank">Trailer</a><br />
Based on a real story of a wrestling coach trying to prepare an athlete to win gold at the 1988 Olympics, it becomes a grim psychological drama instead of the usual type of sports flick. It's being sold as a high-profile vehicle for Channing Tatum since he's on a roll at the box office lately but I'm also a fan of Steve Carell as a serious actor. There is plenty of award talk.<br />
<br />
[9] Birdman (Oct17) <a href="http://youtu.be/uJfLoE6hanc" target="_blank">Trailer</a><br />
So much award buzz is coming out of Venice right now for this one. Michael Keaton stars as a former superhero actor a la Batman. Edward Norton joins in the fray as Keaton's character directs a Broadway play and starts to fall apart. Definitely in the running for Best Actor.<br />
<br />
[8] The Interview (Dec25) <a href="http://youtu.be/Mj3uHftd5FQ" target="_blank">Trailer</a><br />
James Franco and Seth Rogen doing their shtick as reporters covertly tasked with assassinating the leader of North Korea. Their stoner humour has made me laugh too many times and the serious edge this time is intriguing.<br />
<br />
[7] The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (Nov21) <a href="http://youtu.be/g9-fxkJj7K8" target="_blank">Teaser</a><br />
My wife and sister-in-law are big fans of the books so they'll likely see this in theatres before I do. Regardless, it is one of the biggest movies in the next few months and I have seen the previous ones, so I'll put this in my calendar. I guess it's obvious that I'm not geeked out for it but I do like my blockbusters.<br />
<br />
[6] Gone Girl (Oct3) <a href="http://youtu.be/Ym3LB0lOJ0o" target="_blank">Trailer</a><br />
Ben Affleck uses some of his real-life experience in celebrity to inform his character, which is a famous actor whose wife disappears... and then the clues and tabloids seem to point back to him as the culprit. It also includes various people like Neil Patrick Harris and Tyler Perry and a few other notable faces playing against type. The fact that David Fincher directed it and it had high expectations because of the book kind of annoyed me but I have to admit that my desire to see this is gradually increasing.<br />
<br />
[5] Big Hero 6 (Nov7) <a href="http://youtu.be/z3biFxZIJOQ" target="_blank">Trailer</a><br />
Now here's an obscure comic movie. Based on an old X-Men tie-in, it's been revamped without the Marvel stuff and with more new-era Disney influence. I was sold based on the "robot and his boy" aspect.<br />
<br />
[4] The Judge (Oct10) <a href="http://youtu.be/ZBvK6ni97W8" target="_blank">Trailer</a><br />
Robert Downey Jr. gets to make his big, personal movie with his producer wife now that he's a bigger/richer star than ever before. And I love this choice about a lawyer returning home to defend his estranged father in court. I'll watch Robert Duval in anything and Billy Bob Thornton can kick ass, too. This movie opens a week after Gone Girl so I'll be very curious to see how they duke it out for the same audience, but I'll certainly be watching it.<br />
<br />
[3] Exodus: Gods and Kings (Dec12) <a href="http://youtu.be/N4iSzHXOUEE" target="_blank">Trailer</a><br />
It's a massive Bible spectacle from Ridley Scott starring Christian Bale but the trailer sells the brother vs. brother drama at the heart of it. I am quite surprised at how much I want to see this one. And on a personal note, my Christian beliefs have changed a fair bit over the past few years as I question that factual nature of ancient stories like this one and the supposedly God-inspired Old Testament laws. Logic doesn't negate the desire for a fantastic flick, though. ; )<br />
<br />
[2] The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (Dec17) <a href="http://youtu.be/ZSzeFFsKEt4" target="_blank">Teaser</a><br />
I know I've said it before on this blog but I just don't agree with all of the LOTR fans that have dismissed this Hobbit series. Granted, the gold dragon was silly but this is still going to be awesome.<br />
<br />
[1] Interstellar (Nov7) <a href="http://youtu.be/zSWdZVtXT7E" target="_blank">Trailer</a><br />
Christopher Nolan directs this epic sci-fi, which stars Matthew McConaughey at the top of his game. The world is dying, so someone needs to go into far space and find a new home. I expect an immersive experience with plenty of heart and it may get into the award discussion based on something other than technical merits. There is no doubt that this gets my #1 spot.<br />
<br />
<b>Oscar Bait</b><br />
Every year, I try to see the main contenders for the Oscars and I have a competition with my wife and sister to predict the winners. So even if these don't rank highly for me personally, I'll still try to find some time for the following movies as well.<br />
<br />
Selma (Dec25) **Martin Luthor King Jr. biopic with much prestige behind it.<br />
Inherent Vice (Dec12) **70's PI flick with Joaquin Phoenix and Josh Brolin.<br />
Unbroken (Dec25) <a href="http://youtu.be/XrjJbl7kRrI" target="_blank">Trailer</a> **Angeline Jolie directs, hero from WWII & Olympics.<br />
Wild (Dec5) <a href="http://youtu.be/tn2-GSqPyl0" target="_blank">Trailer</a> **Reese Witherspoon hikes alone and re-examines her life.<br />
<br />
<b>Honourable Mentions</b><br />
St. Vincent (Oct24) <a href="http://youtu.be/9dP5lJnJHXg" target="_blank">Trailer</a> **Bill Murray in a Bill Murray movie. Perfect.<br />
Whiplash (Oct10) <a href="http://youtu.be/7d_jQycdQGo" target="_blank">Trailer</a> **Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons in a movie about competitive jazz drumming.<br />
Fury (Nov14) <a href="http://youtu.be/-OGvZoIrXpg" target="_blank">Trailer</a> **I can't buy Brad Pitt in the trailer but it looks good anyway.<br />
The Maze Runner (Sep19) <a href="http://youtu.be/64-iSYVmMVY" target="_blank">Trailer</a> **May be a fun sci-fi teenfic but we'll see...<br />
The Zero Theorem (Sep19) <a href="http://youtu.be/rae7_O_6EtU" target="_blank">Trailer</a> **Terry Gilliam's sci-fi mindbender starring Christopher Waltz.<br />
A Merry Friggin' Christmas (Nov7) **One of the last movies by Robin Williams.<br />
<br />Jamie A. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398076133406398223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737257.post-31337698387704228342014-02-19T21:56:00.002-05:002014-02-20T09:25:19.254-05:00Top Ten Movies of 2013Finally, I have arrived upon this momentous milestone: My Tenth Annual Top Ten Movie List! I've had a hectic schedule lately so I'm getting to this about a month and a half too late. The silver lining is that it provided me with extra time to catch up on the late-year Oscar-worthy movie releases, so I feel like this year's list is much more inclusive.<br />
<br />
This list only accounts for movies that were actually released in 2013. I saw 57 movies in total, though I still have another 60 potential movies on my Wish List.<br />
<br />
<i>Top Ten List</i><br />
<br />
[10] The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0359950/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Link</a>)<br />
Despite the tepid critical response, I found this movie to be a sweet and adventurous fairy tale of sorts. Kristen Wiig lent some needed soul, I wanted to punch Adam Scott in the mouth, and classic actors like Shirley MacLaine and Sean Penn slipped in seamlessly. Kudos to Ben Stiller for directing this movie.<br />
<br />
[9] Frozen (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2294629/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Link</a>)<br />
This was a nice crowd-pleaser and it's hard to get away from the songs these days, either at work or at home. It plays against some of the stereotypical plotlines, while still fitting snugly into the Disney world. I suspect that I will become more fond of this one as my daughter approaches the Disney phase of her life. And yep, the snowman made me laugh a number of times.<br />
<br />
[8] The World's End (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1213663/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Link</a>)<br />
It starts out as one type of movie and it becomes a very different type of movie halfway through. It's way too easy to spoil it but the heart of it is the relationships between a group of old high school friends as they ponder their past and present a bit. And when the movie takes a gigantic detour, it somehow manages to keep focused on that core theme. It's astonishing that they managed to merge two completely different concepts like this, there's a certain kind of genius in it. I was also roaring with laughter, so this was definitely my funniest movie of the year.<br />
<br />
[7] 12 Years a Slave (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2024544/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Link</a>)<br />
It's a true story and it certainly has a lot to say. I really admire it but it doesn't have a lot of moments that stand out in my memory, and it doesn't make me want to revisit it. I originally had this as my #3 movie but it kept dropping on my list because I felt like it was an important movie, as opposed to actually liking it. Since this Top Ten list is so clearly geared towards my particular tastes, I decided to let it slide down the list.<br />
<br />
[6] The Wolverine (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1430132/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">Link</a>)<br />
At long last: They were finally able to make a Wolverine movie that gave me the exact feeling of reading one of his various comic collections. I have a cheap black-and-white reprint of some of the classic Japan stories and this translates it to the big screen very capably. I could have done with a little less mutant weirdness going on but that's life in a Marvel universe. I can't believe Hugh Jackman is still running with this character but I'll enjoy the ride as long as it lasts.<br />
<br />
[5] Lee Daniels' The Butler (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1327773/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Link</a>)<br />
This is the Forrest Gump of real life. The central character is at the cross roads of a number of milestones throughout US history, and it almost gleefully skips forward to catch all of the key moments. I don't know why there was so much acclaim for Oprah's role but I did enjoy the Forest Whitaker as he portrayed the central character's lifetime and personal growth. I look forward to seeing this one again sometime.<br />
<br />
[4] Man of Steel (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0770828/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Link</a>)<br />
Hooray, they made a good Superman movie! I thought that the director, Zack Snyder, pulled off the action in spectacular fashion. The villains were great, and Amy Adams managed to win me over. The first part of the movie is set on Krypton and they realized that alien world and culture perfectly - much better than some of the weirdo interpretations of Krypton that I've seen in the comics. Most importantly, though, was the recurring theme of the two fathers. It's emotional, it meant something, it was useful to the plot, and Kevin Costner and Russell Crowe really made their scenes stand out.<br />
<br />
[3] The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1170358/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Link</a>)<br />
Despite it's lack of domestic <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=hobbit2.htm" target="_blank">box office</a> success, I was still very excited to dive back into this realm. The barrel escape sequence was the single best (and funniest!) action scene of any movie this year. I was clapping and cheering in the theatre repeatedly, even though the crowd was more subdued. Come on, people! Enjoy the thrill of it all!<br />
<br />
[2] Ender's Game (<a href="http://ender%27s%20game/" target="_blank">Link</a>)<br />
When I was growing up, my best friend was a big fan of Orson Scott Card's book series. I confess, I never bothered to get into it - until last year, when Marvel released a superb series of graphic novels based on the books. It was the best comic series that I read last year and I've read them repeatedly since then. So take that newly-found love of the stories and add it to the top-notch special effects of the movie and this was my top sci-fi movie of the year. Actually, I have to amend that last statement because of my #1 pick...<br />
<br />
[1] Gravity (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1454468/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Link</a>)<br />
I guess this is my top sci-fi movie of the year, as well as being my top movie, period. I mean, it is fictional and very sciency so that makes it sci-fi, right? Sandra Bullock owner this movie and George Clooney provided some needed lightness. However, the spectacle and inventiveness must be credit to the director, Alfonso Cuarón, since he literally had to invent new movie techniques just to make this thing. It's an edge-of-your seat roller coaster with an emotional impact to match.<br />
<br />
<i>Honourable Mentions:</i><br />
Pacific Rim, Iron Man 3, Saving Mr. Banks<br />
<br />
<i>Sequels Schmequels:</i><br />
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Too much like the first movie, too slow, and too much setup for the next movie.)<br />
Star Trek Into Darkness (Stupid "Not Khan" PR, and it was such a mirror of previous movies.)<br />
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (All the charm and brains of the first movie vanished.)<br />
<br />
<i>Most Annoying:</i><br />
Inside Llewyn Davis (Seriously, the central character is a selfish prick.)<br />
The Wolf of Wall Street (Yeah, I'm one of the people that couldn't sit through all the filth.)<br />
<br />
<i>Worst Movies:</i><br />
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (This made me roll my eyes numerous times.)<br />
The Internship (Sooo many stereotypes, cliches and predictable everything.)<br />
<br />
<i>Top Wish List:</i><br />
The Heat, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Much Ado About Nothing<br />
<br />
<i>References:</i><br />
<a href="http://www.the-numbers.com/market/2013/top-grossing-movies" target="_blank">Top Grossing Movies of 2013</a>Jamie A. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398076133406398223noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737257.post-28343802863089480862013-05-01T23:01:00.002-04:002013-05-01T23:07:23.791-04:00Summer Movie Preview<div>
I subscribe to Entertainment Weekly and I look forward to their annual Fall and Summer Preview issues. This year's summer issue has Superman on the cover as the main event, although it won't top my list. I'm going to see Iron Man 3 at the drive-in this coming weekend to officially kick off my summer movie season. With that in mind, here is my Top Ten list for this summer -with a few bonus features thrown in at the end...</div>
<b></b><br />
<div>
<i>Top Ten Summer Movies</i><br />
<b><b><br /></b></b></div>
<b>
[1]</b> Iron Man 3 (<i>May 3</i>) <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEIVPiTuYkQ" target="_blank">Trailer</a><br />
<div>
<div>
This is the first Marvel movie after The Avengers, and all of the early reviews indicate that this is the best of the Iron Man series. High praise indeed. Plus, this throws in a new version of the Mandarin and the Extremis storyline. Yep, definitely on top of the list for this comics geek. I really, really hope <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000375/?ref_=sr_1" target="_blank">Robert Downey Jr</a>. can renegotiate with Marvel Studios and continue in this role.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>[2]</b> Star Trek Into Darkness (<i>May 17</i>) <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAEkuVgt6Aw" target="_blank">Trailer</a></div>
<div>
The previous movie hit all the right buttons and rekindled everything that I love about this universe. This one looks like it has plenty of soon-to-be-classic moments mixed with meaningful character arcs for the young heros. Toss in a (hopefully) brilliant villain and we're good to go.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>[3]</b> Man Of Steel (<i>June 14</i>) <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6DJcgm3wNY" target="_blank">Trailer</a></div>
<div>
I would have been perfectly happy if they continued with the previous incarnation of this series. Even though this is yet another reboot, I'm hoping that they nailed it. Most of my faith lies with the vision of the director, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0811583/?ref_=tt_ov_dr" target="_blank">Zach Snyder</a>, who previously did 300 and Watchmen. And I liked the casting of the various supporting roles, too. (And as an aside, I despise the recent version of Superman in the comics. I like both DC and Marvel but DC completely lost me with this pointless reboot.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>[4]</b> The Wolverine (<i>July 26</i>) <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh1LdTFkm7I" target="_blank">Trailer</a></div>
<div>
I'm a big fan of Wolverine, especially his Japanese adventures and alt-future stories. This may finally be the version of Wolverine that we all want to see but his last solo movie had a stink that still lingers. We'll see if this one can put together the magic that is found so easily in comicdom.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>[5]</b> Pacific Rim (<i>July 12</i>) <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A85EtOalcsM" target="_blank">Trailer</a></div>
<div>
Finally, a movie that can top Transformers! (Heh.) It's a giant toy/monster mash-up directed by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0868219/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Guillermo del Toro</a>. His crazy genius should provide any number of mind-worm images that will never leave.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>[6]</b> Elysium (<i>August 9</i>) <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIBtePb-dGY" target="_blank">Trailer</a></div>
<div>
Future sci-fi with Matt Damon and Jodie Foster in her menacing mode. Sign me up.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>[7]</b> R.I.P.D. (<i>July 19</i>) <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibMV4ZOYHh4" target="_blank">Trailer</a></div>
<div>
First thought when I saw this trailer? Men In Black. And that's not a bad thing at all. Waddayaknow, it's also based on comic, though I haven't acquainted myself with that one yet.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>[8]</b> RED 2 (<i>July 19</i>) <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcVkavITnAI" target="_blank">Trailer</a></div>
<div>
Lookee, another comic movie! And yes, I did read this comic. I'm a fan of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000246/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Bruce Willis</a> and the last movie hit my funny bone just right. Here's hoping for more of the same in this one but kicked up a notch. Sadly, we won't get any more fun cameos with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000308/" target="_blank">Borgnine</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>[9]</b> Fast & Furious 6 (<i>May 24</i>) <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZpc936_Hgo" target="_blank">Trailer</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0425005/?ref_=sr_3" target="_blank">The Rock</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004874/?ref_=sr_1" target="_blank">Vin Diesel</a>, even some sneakiness from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005458/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Jason Statham</a>. Sure, the series goes over the top but it's only getting stronger these days. Perfect drive-in movie, right?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>[10]</b> Much Ado About Nothing (<i>June 7</i>) <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAMsDP_DMHE" target="_blank">Trailer</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0923736/?ref_=sr_1" target="_blank">Joss Whedon</a> and his merry band of players have a little fun with Shakespearean comedy. This is the one that came out of left field in my Top 10 list but I find it so intriguing that I can't let it go. It took me until Grade 12 English to really start appreciating the humour that Shakespeare injected into everything he did, and this looks like it might accentuate the very things I love most about the bard. Plus, you know, it has <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0277213/?ref_=sr_1" target="_blank">Nathan Fillion</a> himself.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Honourable Mentions:</i></div>
<div>
[11] The Heat (<i>June 28</i>) **Will this be the best comedy of the summer?</div>
<div>
[12] After Earth (<i>June 7</i>) **Will Smith and son on an uninhabited Earth.</div>
<div>
[13] White House Down (<i>June 28</i>) **We'll compare this to Olympus Has Fallen.</div>
<div>
[14] The Lone Ranger (<i>July 3</i>) **Disney's big tent-pole picture.</div>
<div>
[16] 300: Rise Of An Empire (<i>August 2</i>) **Parallel story to the first film.</div>
<div>
[15] Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain (<i>July 3</i>) **24/7 Comedy radio made me curious.</div>
<div>
[17] Kick-Ass 2 (<i>August 16</i>) **Read the comics, quite brutal. Jim Carrey = great?</div>
<div>
[18] 2 Guns (<i>Aug 2</i>) **Denzel and Mark Wahlberg as buddy cops?</div>
<div>
[19] The Hangover Part III (<i>May 24</i>) **How about the giraffe in the trailer?</div>
<div>
[20] The Great Gatsby (<i>May 10</i>) **DiCaprio's big summer flick.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Top Cartoons:</i></div>
<div>
[1] Monsters University (<i>June 21</i>) **Considered this for my Top 10 list.</div>
<div>
[2] Despicable Me 2 (<i>July 3</i>)</div>
<div>
[3] Epic (<i>May 24</i>)</div>
<div>
[4] Turbo (<i>July 17</i>)</div>
<div>
[5] Planes (<i>August 9</i>) **2nd sequel to Pixar's Cars.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>End Of The World Stuff:</i></div>
<div>
[1] World War Z (<i>June 21</i>) **Brad Pitt's troubled production. Super fast zombies.</div>
<div>
[2] This Is The End (<i>June 12</i>) **Alt-version of Hollywood with celeb cameos.</div>
<div>
[3] Rapturepalooza (<i>June 7</i>) **My type of humour, new to me.</div>
<div>
[4] The World's End (<i>August 23</i>) **Simon Pegg's gang teams up again.</div>
<div>
[5] Cockneys vs Zombies (<i>August 2</i>) **Super slow zombies.</div>
<div>
[6] Stranded (<i>July 26</i>) **Low-budget horror sci-fi in space with Christian Slater.</div>
<div>
[7] The Purge (<i>May 31</i>) **Funky, freaky premise.</div>
<br /></div>
Jamie A. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398076133406398223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737257.post-35386914957037245762013-01-09T12:44:00.002-05:002013-01-09T12:44:05.265-05:00Top Ten Wish List of 2012<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10pt;">As I mentioned in my previous
post, I didn't get the chance to see all of the end-of-year movies that I would
have liked. With that in mind, I am adding a bonus feature this year: my Top
Ten wish list of movies from 2012 that I still intend to see.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">[1] Django Unchained (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1853728/"><span style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Link</span></a>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">I can usually handle only one
viewing of any Tarantino movie due to the graphic violence and language but I
still make a point of seeing them anyway. This is a potential Top Ten pick for
me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br />
[2] Cloud Atlas (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1371111/"><span style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Link</span></a>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Crazy era-skipping sci-fi with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000158/"><span style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Tom Hanks</span></a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000932/"><span style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Halle Berry</span></a> playing
numerous roles. It should be a mind-bender and it could make it onto my Top Ten
list but I doubt it will approach my appreciation for Looper.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br />
[3] Wreck-It Ralph (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1772341/"><span style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Link</span></a>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Ooh yeah! Lots of nostalgic video
game fun. I even have the old-school video game on our iPad and it's somewhat
addictive. If you're a fan of this type of thing, then I would also recommend
the book Ready Player One, which was my favourite book of the past year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br />
[4] The Raid: Redemption (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1899353/"><span style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Link</span></a>)<br />
This is supposedly the top action flick of the past year, bar none. We shall
see. I could see this knocking Expendables off of my Top Ten list. I also want
to see the new <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1343727/"><span style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Dredd</span></a> movie
at some point.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br />
[5] Les Misérables (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1707386/"><span style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Link</span></a>)<br />
I always remember my mom reading this book on a yearly basis in the original
French 'cause she loves it so much. I have not read the book or seen the
musical so I only know about it through general pop culture. We'll see if it
impacts me as much and gets into my Top Ten list.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">[6] Jack Reacher (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790724/"><span style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Link</span></a>)<br />
This is the latest action series by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000129/"><span style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Tom Cruise</span></a>, based on a
pulp book series. Despite the fact that Cruise is physically nothing like the
original character in the book, the director (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003160/"><span style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">McQuarrie</span></a>) is the reason
that action fans are giving such high recommendations for this under-the-radar
December release.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">[7] Argo (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1024648/"><span style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Link</span></a>)<br />
This one is acclaimed everywhere and I almost guarantee that it will land in my
Top Ten list in the end. The faux-Hollywood sci-fi film and the real-life
Canadian contribution are just a bonus for me.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">[8] Lincoln (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443272/"><span style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Link</span></a>)<br />
This is up for various Oscars and there are supposed to be incredible
performances by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000358/"><span style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Daniel Day-Lewis</span></a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000398/"><span style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Sally Field</span></a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000169/"><span style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Tommy Lee Jones</span></a>. The title
role was originally supposed to be played by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000553/"><span style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Liam Neeson</span></a>, which is when
Sally Field was attached. Later on, Day-Lewis stepped into the role and Sally
Field has at least 10 years on him in terms of age but Field kicked Spielberg's
ass and insisted that she was still the best woman for the role. ;) This could
land on my Top Ten list.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">[9] Life Of Pi (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454876/"><span style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Link</span></a>)<br />
This one's pushing the limits of 3D and it has rave reviews. I own the book so
I should get around to reading it sometime. Potential Top Ten? Doubt it but
we'll see.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">[10] Seven Psychopaths (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1931533/"><span style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Link</span></a>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">This one will hit my funny bone
just right. And it terms of comedies this past year, the pickings were quite
slim. I enjoyed the absurdity of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1790886/"><span style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">The Campaign</span></a> but I
strongly assume that this movie will be my fav comedy of the year - though
unlikely to make my Top Ten list.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">I would also add special mentions
for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1790885/"><span style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Zero Dark Thirty</span></a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1560747/"><span style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">The Master</span></a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1456635/"><span style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Goon</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Jamie A. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398076133406398223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737257.post-11786912240553189162013-01-09T12:42:00.000-05:002013-01-09T12:42:45.775-05:00Top Ten Movies of 2012<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10pt;">This is my ninth annual Top Ten
list. Since my daughter Jade came long in 2011, movie time has been a little
more limited. I still make a point of hitting the theatres with Cam or with
friends for the big blockbusters, or watching a movie (quietly) at home with
Cam. Jade's not quite ready for pizza-and-movie nights yet. ;)</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br />
There are a number of big movies that were released around Christmas just in
time for Oscar season that I haven't seen yet. So this year, I am presenting my
usual Top Ten List alongside my Top Ten Wish List. I figure that a few of my
Wish List items will easily make it into my main list once I've caught up on
all of them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">As before, this list only accounts
for movies that were officially released in 2012. I saw 34 new releases in all
this year. There are exactly 99 movies on my complete wish list. (I doubt I
will see all of those in my lifetime!) Here we go...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br />
<i>Top Ten List<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">[10] Abraham Lincoln: Vampire
Hunter (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1611224/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #333333;">Link</span></a>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Spielberg's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443272/"><span style="color: #333333;">Lincoln</span></a> is on my Wist
List but is an acceptable replacement, right? Sure, it's not a high brow movie
but the mash-up concept worked surprisingly well. Not only that but I actually
did learn some actual history along the way. Entertaining and educational? It's
true - but really, it just squeaks onto my list 'cause I loved the silliness
and ax swinging.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br />
[9] End Of Watch (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1855199/"><span style="color: #333333;">Link</span></a>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">I have described this to friends
as the best episode of COPS ever. Two best friends and partners and the world
they face, complete with car-cam and shoulder-cam point-of-view. The core
friendship defines the movie but it has some stomache-punch moments that give
it plenty of weight. This one sticks in my mind pretty clearly even though I
watched it months ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br />
[8] Prometheus (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1446714/"><span style="color: #333333;">Link</span></a>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Yes, this is clearly a prequel to
the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078748/"><span style="color: #333333;">ALIEN</span></a> series,
regardless of advance subterfuge on that matter. The absolute best thing about
the movie is the character and performance done by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1055413/"><span style="color: #333333;">Michael Fassbender</span></a> (of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1270798/"><span style="color: #333333;">X-Man: First Class</span></a> fame).
It's about near-future astronauts exploring a new planet and the alien hijinks
that ensue. It's a little preposterous and it leaves many questions unanswered
but since there's a setup for a sequel that's fine by me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br />
[7] Trouble With The Curve (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2083383/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #333333;">Link</span></a>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">This may be a slight movie in some
ways but it hit my sweet spot with ease. It's about high school baseball
scouting mixed with Moneyball commentary, laid on top of a strong
father-daughter story. And since that father-daughter combo is played by a
crochety <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000142/"><span style="color: #333333;">Clint Eastwood</span></a> and
a tough-but-damaged <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0010736/"><span style="color: #333333;">Amy Adams</span></a>,
it all comes together perfectly. I'll even buy the much-too-charismatic <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005493/"><span style="color: #333333;">Justin Timberlake</span></a> as
the daughter's love interest since his one-liners did make me laugh a few
times. And yes, I did refer to this movie as "slight" because of the
mustache-twirling villain and the ending but it still resonated with
me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br />
[6] The Expendables 2 (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1764651/"><span style="color: #333333;">Link</span></a>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">I loved the first flick and this
one outdoes it in every way. The first time I saw it, the one-liners and
call-outs to previous movies by the various big-name co-stars was downright
annoying. After I re-watched it, though, the blend of standard action movie
jokes and straight-up fight scenes worked much better for me. I've been more of
a fan of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000241/"><span style="color: #333333;">Van Damme</span></a> since
he did <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1130988/"><span style="color: #333333;">JCVD</span></a> and
he was an excellent villain to root against. And while I won't spoil it, the
main guest star was awesome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br />
[5] Skyfall (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1074638/"><span style="color: #333333;">Link</span></a>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">It's the first Bond movie to cross
the billion dollar mark worldwide and it hits every note perfectly. Some
friends said that they're not fans of the specific call-outs to past Bond
movies since this is technically supposed to be a reboot of the franchise but
that's one of the reasons that I loved this movie. The way I see it, this is an
"alternate history" version of Bond and we can imagine <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0185819/"><span style="color: #333333;">Daniel Craig</span></a> completing
similar missions and using similar gadgets to former movies. The villain was
perfectly cast (even if the hair was distracting) and the central plot was very
personal in several different ways. I actually rated this as my top Bond movie
ever, which is heresy in most circles but I like to be hyperbolical like that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br />
[4] The Dark Knight Rises (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1345836/"><span style="color: #333333;">Link</span></a>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">This is the conclusion to <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0634240/"><span style="color: #333333;">Christopher Nolan</span></a>'s much
praised trilogy. While the second movie is head and shoulders above anything
else, this was a fitting end (even if was a tad bloated). In particular, the
way that it retraces themes from the first two movies was superb. I felt
like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000323/"><span style="color: #333333;">Michael Caine</span></a>'s
character was underused but his character arc across the three movies was
satisfying. Likewise, I enjoyed the characters and work done by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000198/"><span style="color: #333333;">Gary Oldman</span></a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004266/"><span style="color: #333333;">Anne Hathaway</span></a> (as
Catwoman) and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0330687/"><span style="color: #333333;">Joseph
Gorden-Levitt</span></a>. I disliked the stupid voice that they used for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0000208/"><span style="color: #333333;">Bane</span></a> though the
actual character was a fantastic interpretation of the original comic
character. I actually saw the early preview that was attached to the IMAX
version of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1229238/"><span style="color: #333333;">Mission
Impossible</span></a> and that was thrilling but that voice was ridiculous
even then. And like everyone else, I tried to predict some of the plot twists
(especially since I know the complete comic backstory) and I was still fooled -
which was both a good thing and a bad thing, since the final reveals were
a little silly in the end. If this movie does indeed setup the <a href="http://www.hitfix.com/motion-captured/exclusive-is-joseph-gordon-levitt-already-set-to-play-batman-in-justice-league"><span style="color: #333333;">future JLA movie</span></a>,
I will absolutely be on board with that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br />
[3] The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903624/"><span style="color: #333333;">Link</span></a>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Man, the fanboy backlash against
this movie has been unreal. The original LOTR trilogy faced tough critics from
longtime fans of the original book, but this Hobbit series faces that same
group plus more recent fans of the LOTR movies. And if it wasn't hard enough to
live up to the standard of the original Hobbit book and the previous movies,
they also decided to split this new story into three movies rather late in the
process. I absolutely disagree with any and all fanboys (and fangirls) that
criticize this first movie because of those types of comparisons. As a fan
myself, I'm just glad that I get to enjoy three new movies in this world. I'm
actually a little sad to see relatively lower box office returns for this
movie, which I attribute to this type of kneejerk critical reaction that
sprouted before anyone even saw the movie.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br />
I watched this new movie in 3D with 48fps (which was another focus of
complaints) and I loved both the movie itself and the new film format. The
effect of watching large scenes or camera pans was so smooth and it really
improved the 3D experience. I expected the movie to meander but the only part
that really dragged was the beginning. Everything else was one fun scene after
another. The CGI was piled on too heavily at times but core story and the
handful of central characters were lots of fun. I can't wait for the next one!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br />
[2] Looper (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1276104/"><span style="color: #333333;">Link</span></a>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">As I've said many time during
these yearly summaries, I love me some sci-fi and Looper was about as ideal a
time-travel story as I've seen. The way that the time travel headaches came
together was awesome - both in terms of straight logic and in terms of the
emotional pay-off. My only minor quibble would be how different the two
lead actors looked. Even so, this movie has so many scenes that are indelibly
seared into my memory that it was easy to put this movie so high on my list.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br />
[1] The Avengers (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0848228/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #333333;">Link</span></a>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Sooooooooo good! This was the
ultimate movie universe (pun intended for comic geeks) and a massive gamble for
Marvel Studios. In my estimation, the majority of the credit for the success of
this move belongs to <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0923736/"><span style="color: #333333;">Joss Whedon</span></a> and
everything he did was writer and director. I'm a long-time comic geek the
largest portion of my 3000+ comics is from Marvel and this movie was my fondest
wish come true. The various crowds that I saw it with absolutely roared during
all the right moments ("puny god") and this was an incredible
crowd-pleaser in terms of emotional content, humour and action. Loved it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">I have a few special categories to
finish off this (admittedly lengthy) blog post...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Biggest waste of time:</span></i><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> Ghost Rider: Spirit of
Vengeance (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1071875/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #333333;">Link</span></a>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">I honestly like Nicholas Cage as
an actor and I was hopeful that this would improve on the first one but this
sucked terribly. And the joke about the flame thrower was insidiously stupid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Best Chick Flick:</span></i><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> The Vow (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1606389/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #333333;">Link</span></a>)<br />
Actually, this was my only chick flick up until these holidays. It does a
really nice job of going left when I expect it to go right. It had it's share
of cliches but it also avoided many obvious routes during the film and I appreciated
that. I also liked the fact that it's inspired by a true story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Most Disappointing:</span></i><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> The Amazing Spider-Man (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0948470/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #333333;">Link</span></a>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">I liked it fine during my initial
viewing but I recently re-watched it with my wife and it did not hold up well
at all. Everything in this universe somehow relates to Peter Parker. The Lizard
is a terribly conceived character with infantile motivational twists and I did
not buy how much access Gwen Stacey had at the labs. I liked the charm of the
two leads but my wife disliked that part as well. Ugh. This just keeps going
down in my estimation. I doubt that <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004937/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #333333;">Jamie Foxx</span></a> will be
able to save the next movie when he comes in as the villain Electro.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">References:<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><a href="http://www.the-numbers.com/market/2012/top-grossing-movies" target="_blank"><span style="color: #333333;">Top GrossingMovies of 2012</span></a><br />
<br />
<i>My Previous Top Ten Lists:</i><br />
<a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2005/01/top-ten-movies-of-2004.html"><span style="color: #333333;">2004</span></a>, <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2006/01/top-ten-movies-of-2005.html"><span style="color: #333333;">2005</span></a>, <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2007/01/top-ten-movies-of-2006.html"><span style="color: #333333;">2006</span></a>, <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2008/01/top-ten-movies-of-2007.html"><span style="color: #333333;">2007</span></a>, <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2009/01/top-ten-movies-of-2008.html"><span style="color: #333333;">2008</span></a>, <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2010/01/top-ten-movies-of-2009.html"><span style="color: #333333;">2009</span></a>, <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.ca/2011/01/top-ten-movies-of-2010.html"><span style="color: #333333;">2010</span></a> & <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.ca/2012/02/top-ten-movies-of-2011.html"><span style="color: #333333;">2011</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />Jamie A. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398076133406398223noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737257.post-14154153946939123102012-08-15T21:09:00.001-04:002012-08-15T21:10:44.992-04:00Fall Movie PreviewThis week, I received the annual Fall Movie Preview edition of Entertainment Weekly magazine. There's a ton of great movies that I'm anticipating so I wanted to highlight my top picks...<br />
<br />
<b>Top Ten List</b><br />
<br />
<b>1.</b> The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903624/" target="_blank">Link</a>)<br />
This is far and away my first choice. Peter Jackson recently announced that they will be doing 3 movies rather than 2. Some people were worried about elongating the relatively short novel into two movies, and even more people are whining about splitting it into three flicks. To them I say: Bah! Everyone hit the LOTR series out of the park so there's no reason to assume they don't know what they're doing this time around. Anyone that loves the idea of a Hobbit film should be happy that they will be spoiled with three movies - that's how I see it. <i>Dec14</i><br />
<br />
<b>2.</b> Skyfall (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1074638/" target="_blank">Link</a>)<br />
This is the latest Bond movie, and it supposedly completes the pseudo-trilogy for this particular storyline. I have fond movies of many movie nights with my family watching this series, and I really like Daniel Craig in the roles so of course I want to see this on the big screen. <i>Nov9</i><br />
<br />
<b>3.</b> Django Unchained (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1853728/" target="_blank">Link</a>)<br />
Quentin Tarantino isn't exactly my favourite director but I do have plenty of respect for the way he blends his own originality with classic genres. In this case, though, the story really piqued my interest from the beginning and they have a wide cast of actors that I look forward to seeing, especially Jamie Foxx. <i>Dec25</i><br />
<br />
These first three movies are the ones that I will insist on seeing in theatres. I hope to see the rest of my Top Ten list as well, but I can be persuaded to watch the others at home if I can't find companions.
<br />
<br />
<b>4.</b> Trouble With The Curve (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2083383/" target="_blank">Link</a>)<br />
Baseball, scouts, Client Eastwood, Justin Timberlake, Amy Adams, John Goodman... and the trailer looks fantastic. Hmm, I just changed my mind after reviewing the trailer again. This is a Must-See in the theatre, too. ;) <i>Sep21</i><br />
<br />
<b>5.</b> Wreck-It Ralph (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1772341/" target="_blank">Link</a>)<br />
This is the "Roger Rabbit" of the video game era, featuring oodles of cameos and co-stars from various old-school video games. It follows the "bad guy" in a Donkey Kong style game when he escapes his video game world and tries to become a hero. Geek references galore, should fun oodles of fun for anybody that played those old 8-bit games. <i>Nov2</i><br />
<br />
<b>6.</b> Looper (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1276104/" target="_blank">Link</a>)<br />
A straight-up sci-fi story involving time travel. The description is the hook for me: "In 2072, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent 30 years into the past, where a hired gun awaits." Bruce Willis gets sent back in time to face Joseph Gorden-Levitt and hijinks ensue. Yep, I really love my science fiction. (That reminds me: Need to expand my collection of Isaac Asimov.) <i>Sep28</i><br />
<br />
<b>7.</b> Les Misérables (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1707386/" target="_blank">Link</a>)<br />
Despite being half French, I never got into this novel. I remember my mom re-reading it in French numerous times over the years but this is the first time that I actually care about it. Looks rather epic and emotional. <i>Dec14</i><br />
<br />
<b>8.</b> Cloud Atlas (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1371111/" target="_blank">Link</a>)<br />
This is a more artsy and weird-a$$ sci-fi story. It supposedly follows the same people (like Tom Hanks and Halle Berry) as they reiterate across different eras. As I said, tres weird but I'm into it. <i>Oct26</i><br />
<br />
<b>9.</b> The Man With The Iron Fists (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1258972/" target="_blank">Link</a>)<br />
This Russell Crowe movie came out of left field for me but it looks like a cool geeky genre martial art thing. Funky! <i>Nov2</i><br />
<br />
<b>10.</b> Resident Evil: Retribution (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1855325/" target="_blank">Link</a>)<br />
My brother-in-law and I have made a point of watching all of the movies in this series and in the Underworld series. What can I say? They deliver the type of action movie that they promise so yes, I will almost certainly see this with my bro-in-law. <i>Sep14</i><br />
<br />
Beyond that preferred list, there are a number of other flicks that I would like to see at some point, either in the theatre or at home. In order of release date...<br />
<br />
<i>Sep14 </i>The Master (Philip Seymour Hoffman and a fictional version of Scientology.)<br />
<i>Sep21 </i>Dredd 3D (Starring Karl Urban's helmet, gotta be better than the absurdly funny Stallone version.)
<br />
<i>Oct5 </i>Taken 2 (Liam Neeson kickin' ass again in the most logical sequel ever.)<br />
<i>Oct12</i> Argo (Real-life thriller, and Ben Affleck continues to surprise me.)<br />
<i>Oct19</i> Killing Them Softly (Brad Pitt all gangsterly.)<br />
<i>Oct26</i> Frankenweenie (Tim Burton redoes his own short animation film from his early career.)<br />
<i>Oct26</i> The Big Wedding (Robert De Niro in another comedy but the trailer looks surprisingly funny.)
<br />
<i>Nov9</i> Lincoln (Spielberg's biopic - My appetite for the real version was whetted by Vampire Slayer.)<br />
<i>Nov16</i> Breaking Dawn: Part 2 (Might as well - at least this one will have some fighting, right?)<br />
<i>Nov21</i> Life Of Pi (I own the book and haven't read it yet but the trailer looks incredible.)<br />
<i>Nov21</i> Rise Of The Guardians (Animated movie starring Santa, Jack Frost, Tooth Fairy, etc.)<br />
<i>Nov30</i> Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning (The original stars return and the trailer looks creepy-cool.)<br />
<i>Dec7</i> Hyde Park on Hudson (Bill Murray as Roosevelt, and I'm a big fan of latter-years Murray.)<br />
<i>Dec7 </i>Deadfall (Eric Bana and Olivia Wilde in a little heist movie.)
<br />
<i>Dec19</i> Zero Dark Thirty (Director Katherine Bigelow's fictional movie about the hunt for Bin Laden.)<br />
<i>Dec21 </i>Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise kicking off book franchise - and fans of the book already hate it.)<br />
<i>Dec21</i> Cirque Du Soleil: Worlds Away (Gotta love La Cirque!)<br />
<br />
And finally, here are the recent movies and August releases that are on my to-do list...<br />
<br />
Expendables 2 (Sooo gotta see this. And if Eastwood joins #3, so much the better!)<br />
Hope Springs (Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, Steve Carrell in a true-to-life romance.)<br />
Total Recall (Filmed in Toronto, died at box office, but I hear the futuristic action is cool even if plot is meh.)<br />
The Campaign (I opted to see Bourne 4 instead of this but I wonder if I made the right choice.)<br />
ParaNorman (Stop-motion "kids flicks" that is too scary for kids.)<br />
Robot & Frank (Highly acclaimed sci-fi heart-tugger.)<br />
Lawless (Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Guy Pearce in an old timey gangsta movie.)Jamie A. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398076133406398223noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737257.post-69210429494228832922012-02-27T22:01:00.011-05:002012-02-27T22:29:37.931-05:00Top Ten Movies of 2011<center></center>This is my eighth annual Top Ten list. It's running rather late this year but it's just in time for Oscar season. Our daughter Jade was born in September and movie time was definitely on the lighter side as Cam and I tried to keep up with our little one...<br />
<br />
As before, this list only accounts for movies that were officially released in 2011. I saw 39 new releases in all this year. I only considered the movies that I actually saw but there are still 56 movies on my future wish list. I'll have to balance out that number eventually. And without further ado...<br />
<br />
[10] The Company Men (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1172991/">Link</a>)<br />
This is a little drama with a bunch of recognizable names and faces like Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones and Chris Cooper. My fave actor is probably Kevin Costner in an understated supporting role. This film has a few different perspectives about the recession and it certainly has some strong opinions to consider, even if it is rather preachy and everything gets wrapped up with a nice bow in the end.<br />
<br />
[9] Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1201607/">Link</a>)<br />
This was a big, bold ending for the series finale, and it was way better than Part I. Some of the actors whined that this wasn't nominated for Oscars and whatnot but I don't agree with 'em. The last two movies were basically a long search for 7 MacGuffins, which was convoluted and dramatically inert. The gigantic battle and the final plot twists were lots of fun, though, so it still makes my list for the year.<br />
<br />
[8] Limitless (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1219289/">Link</a>)<br />
This is one of those movies that came in under the radar and really surprised me. I've been a fan of Bradley Cooper since his days on <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285333/" target="_blank">Alias</a> and he had no trouble holding the movie on his own, and duking it out with Robert De Niro. The concept was oodles of fun and they stretched out the idea really well. Great pic to recommend to friends.<br />
<br />
[7] Super 8 (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1650062/">Link</a>)<br />
Sure, sure, it's a "found camera" monster movie. However, it also boasts the talents of J.J. Abrams, which is another shout-out to <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285333/" target="_blank">Alias</a>. That automatically sets the bar high, a goal they had no trouble achieving. It focuses on a group of kids making home movies back in the late 70's. The young actors did a superb job and it was all quite satisfying in the end.<br />
<br />
[6] Captain America (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0458339/">Link</a>)<br />
Hooray for the modern age of comic book movies! This led a big pack of films including Thor and Green Lantern. Tommy Lee Jones shows up in this flick, too, but the star of the show is clearly Chris Evans. The fact that he played the "scrawny" version of Cap for the first half hour was impressive, both in terms of CGI and plain acting. The story was true to the comic origins and it had a most excellent foil in the form of the Red Skull. The villain was brought to life by Hugo Weaving and it was a perfect old-school Captain America movie. Makes me wish they could have more movies set during WWII instead of fast-forwarding to setup the Avengers movie.<br />
<br />
[5] Bridesmaids (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1478338/">Link</a>)<br />
This was definitely the comedy of the year, nothing came close. Sharp writing, layered characterization, actors inhabiting their roles - no kidding it gained so much acclaim. It's a pity the Oscars keep things so serious. Granted, I can't put this any higher on my list due to the gross-out humour but I won't hold that against them. Funny is funny, right? I dare anyone to watch and not laugh out loud a bunch of times.<br />
<br />
[4] The Help (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1454029/">Link</a>)<br />
This movie got robbed. It should have won both acting awards for Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer. (Yeah, I'm not a fan of the fact that the Academy is comprised of so many old white males.) I don't enjoy dark and depressing movies and I didn't know how far they wanted to go in this one. Fortunately, it had plenty of drama and major themes without being brutal on me emotionally. Well, it did get me choked up one time when everyone was gathered in the living room...<br />
<br />
[3] X-Men: First Class (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1270798/">Link</a>)<br />
This was my surprise of the year. Waddayaknow, Fox can actually allow a director (Matthew Vaughn) to make a good movie once in a while! The backstory of Professor X and Magneto was the bedrock for everything, and I got a kick out of Kevin Bacon as the big baddie as well. Granted, this conflicts at times with the other X-Men movies and the comics but those are mere nuisances that I was able to overlook since everything else was so well done. High praise coming from a serious comics geek like myself.<br />
<br />
[2] Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1229238/">Link</a>)<br />
The very best way to see this movie is in IMAX 3D. Wow, that was an experience and a half! Knowing that Tom Cruise was actually hanging around outside the world's tallest building made it thrilling, but peering over the edge of the skyscraper was almost too much for me too handle. Simon Pegg and Jeremy Renner were the perfect complements to Cruise, and Cruise brought his A-game this time. I also have tons of respect for the director, Brad Bird. This may have been his first live-action flick but he's a resident genius at Pixar and great film-making knows no bounds.<br />
<br />
[1] Hugo (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0970179/">Link</a>)<br />
Well, it seems like I agreed with plenty of critics out there on this one. The primary reason that this tops my list for the year is that it really resonated with me and stayed in my brain. You know how easy it is to forget some movies? This one tied back into real-life film history (with a slight sci-fi twist) and the true stories mixed with the fantastical imagery to create something that I won't ever forget. I actually saw this with my buddy Adam and he thought it was kind of slow and lifeless. I'll agree that it takes a while to get going but once it does, it grabs a hold of your mind's eye and sears itself into your grey matter. I really enjoyed this version of Scorsese (drink!), and Sacha Baron Cohen and Ben Kingsley left a great impression as well. Highly recommended and you'll learn something, too.<br />
<br />
<i>Honourable Mentions:</i><br />
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1596343/" target="_blank">Fast Five</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409847/" target="_blank">Cowboys & Aliens</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1124035/" target="_blank">Ides of March</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1092026/" target="_blank">Paul</a><br />
<br />
<i>Most Disappointing</i><br />
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1240982/">Your Highness</a> was aiming for The Princess Bride territory but it got lost in so many lewd jokes that I have a hard time recommending it to anyone.<br />
<br />
<i>Worst Comic Book Movie</i><br />
This award goes to <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472181/">The Smurfs</a>. I have a bunch of Smurf comics in both English and French ("Les Schtroumpfs") and I grew up with the TV show. Hank Azaria was a lot of fun as Gargamel but it was kind of painful to sit through the whole thing. Just for fun, though: Does anyone know how old Papa Smurf was when the Smurfs made their first appearance in the comics? ;)<br />
<br />
<i>My Previous Top 10 Lists:</i><br />
<a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2005/01/top-ten-movies-of-2004.html">2004</a>, <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2006/01/top-ten-movies-of-2005.html">2005</a>, <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2007/01/top-ten-movies-of-2006.html">2006</a>, <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2008/01/top-ten-movies-of-2007.html">2007</a>, <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2009/01/top-ten-movies-of-2008.html">2008</a>,<a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2010/01/top-ten-movies-of-2009.html">2009</a> & <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2011/01/top-ten-movies-of-2010.html">2010</a><br />
<br />
<i>References:</i><br />
<a href="http://www.the-numbers.com/market/movies2010.php">Top Grossing Movies of 2011</a>Jamie A. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398076133406398223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737257.post-43373149187755756542011-11-24T07:32:00.001-05:002011-12-02T13:57:23.517-05:00ViSalus TipsEvery once in a while, someone asks how to improve their results with the Body By Vi 90-Day Challenge. I've picked up a few tips over the last six months or so and I wanted to put them all together here. Special Thanks to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/matthew.britt" target="_blank">Matthew Brit</a>, a former personal trainer and gym manager from Toronto. He joined ViSalus in 2010 and is one of the top earners in the company, and he frequently does training across Canada.<br />
<br />
<em>General Tips</em><br />
<ul><li><strong>Early Start</strong> Use the ViSalus Vi-Shake within 15 minutes of waking up if you are using it for breakfast. This kick-starts your metabolism for the day.</li>
<li><strong>Eat Often</strong> Eat 5-7 times per day to keep that metabolism working. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are obvious enough - don't skip breakfast! Then, have small snacks between those meals and another one after dinner. It actually slows your progress to starve yourself or skip meals because it causes your body to hoard food for later.</li>
<li><strong>Healthy Snacks</strong> For snacks, keep it small and healthy. Fruits and veggies are best, of course. Beware of granola bars and seemingly-nutritious snacks that can disguise extra colories and sugar.</li>
<li><strong>Low Sugar</strong> On that note, cut out the sugar as much as possible. Juices may contain surprising amounts, so stick with water or skim milk if you can.</li>
<li><strong>Shake Recipes</strong> There are a million recipes for the ViSalus shake mix. Everything from fruit/veggie/dessert flavours to hot and cold beverages. Mix the shake in water, orange juice, skim milk, or almond/soy milk. The only thing to be careful about is how much extra stuff you put into the shake - don't overload it with chocolate or extra ingredients, since that kind of defeats the purpose.</li>
<li><strong>Lots of Water</strong> Drink plenty of water. Constantly keep a water bottle at hand.</li>
<li><strong>Simple Exercise</strong> Naturally, exercise of any kind is useful, even a simple 15 minute walk each day. I was personally able to lose 20 pounds in my first 90 days without any exercise at all 'cause I was busy and lazy. ;)</li>
<li><strong>Measure Before</strong> In the beginning, take your measurements. Weight is the focus for most people. However, you should also be sure to measure your hips, waist (at the belly button), chest (at the biggest point), biceps and thighs. Be real, keep your body relaxed and don't suck in that belly. Since ViSalus is a Health Challenge and not just a weight loss plan, it will automatically help you build lean muscle - and that weighs more than fat. So once every 2-4 weeks, check all of those measurements and don't be disappointed if your bathroom scale isn't ideal. If you go two weeks without seeing positive changes in your weight or measurements, though, be sure to ask someone about it since that ain't right. ;)</li>
<li><strong>Take a Pic</strong> Take pictures of yourself from a few angles when you begin, and then once every 2-4 weeks after that. Pictures can say a lot more than numbers sometimes. Don't hide behind clothes but try to wear something decent in case you ever want to have your before-and-after photos.</li>
<li><strong>Your Support</strong> Finally, your support team is crucial. Any 90-day goal will be more difficult if you're solo. Family and friends can be wonderfully supportive, but don't hold back if people doubt since there are always doubters out there. Enlist friends to join your challenge - and refer 3 friends so you get your shakes for free! Talk to your ViSalus team regularly. Listen to people and read stories on Facebook about other people that have succeeded with ViSalus so that you cna be inspired, too!</li>
</ul><br />
<em>90-Day Health Challenge for Nutrition & Weight Loss</em><br />
<ul><li><strong>Balance Kit</strong> Use one shake per day as a great nutritional supplement. May lose up to 5 pounds and gain muscle during the first 90 day period.</li>
<li><strong>Shape Kit</strong> Use two shakes per day to lose an average of 1-2 pounds per week, which is around 20 pounds for a 90 day period. Replace your breakfast and lunch with the shakes and have a healthy dinner. For even better results, replace breakfast and dinner and have a normal lunch.</li>
<li><strong>Transformation Kit</strong> For maximum results, use this kit. Most of the crazy stories of people losing 30+ pounds in a 90 day period are from people using this kit. It is similar to the Shape Kit, replacing two meals per day with a shake. It also includes various vitamins and pills to enhance your energy, fire up your metabolism and curb your hunger.</li>
</ul><em>90-Day Health Challenge for Physical Fitness & Muscle Building</em><br />
<br />
<ul><li>Use one shake with a good breakfast like oatmeal.</li>
<li>Use one shake immediately after your work-out.</li>
<li>Blake Malen, one of the founders of ViSalus, recently completed a 90-Challenge with the goal of adding 20 pounds of muscle. He describes his work-out regimen in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiMPcvZjWCU" target="_blank">this video</a>.</li>
</ul>For more info, you can visit the <a href="http://www.visalusoverview.com/" target="_blank">ViSalus Overview</a> and watch the first few videos. Or, you can go to <a href="http://jagrant.bodybyvi.com/" target="_blank">my site</a>, watch videos there and then click "Join the Challenge" to get specific product info and prices. Our team would love to hear from you so that we can answer any questions and provides samples. Good luck!Jamie A. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398076133406398223noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737257.post-91534048449704635522011-11-21T08:01:00.004-05:002011-11-21T10:12:04.268-05:00ViSalus: My StoryIt boils down to two simple things: Health and Money. Seemed like a pretty easy decision to me! At a later time, I'll delve into the financial side of things but for me, that was secondary to the health benefits.<br />
<br />
Right up front, I'll admit that the goal for my first 90-Day Challenge was to lose twenty pounds. My wife and I welcomed our first child, our daughter Jade, in September. ( !!! ) Naturally, I put on some "sympathy weight" during this pregnancy. In fact, I actually put on plenty ofweight during the first three months of the pregnancy and Cam didn't gain anything at all. Oops! I usually ate what my wife ate (including those late-night fast food trips) and she had trouble with nausea in the beginning, so it was pretty easy to pick up a few pounds here or there.<br />
<br />
Now let me back up a bit... When we first got married three years ago, I thoroughly enjoyed all of my wife's cooking. So much goodness, and she cooked all of my favourites. Giant steaks, creamy mashed potatoes, home-made pizza...yum! We always made sure we had nutritious meals with plenty of veggies but it was the portions that did me in.<br />
<br />
After about six months, I hit my top weight ever and we decided it was time for a lifestyle change. There's no big secret to losing weight. You hear it everywhere you go: Eat healthy and exercise, right? Step One: We cut our portions in half, replaced the sugary juices with water, had fruit instead of desserts, and lessened the snacking on chips and other goodies. Step Two: We hit the gym. And by that, I mean that we hit the gym hard an average of three times per week. We usually did an hour-and-a-half session starting with cardio, then focused on strength training for different muscle groups, and finished with extended cardio. And if that wasn't enough, we also did morning or evening walks around the neighbourhood on the non-gym days.<br />
<br />
And what do you know - it worked! We put on muscle, cut the fat, improved our overall health and our daily habits. Cam trained me from scratch at the gym since I was entirely inexperienced, while she had been hitting the gym regularly for many years. Simple things like breathing the right way during reps were difficult for me but I eventually figured those things out.<br />
<br />
Returning to the present day... I put on my own "baby weight" but this time my wife needed to focus on growing baby. Her pregnancy symptoms prevented her from exercising so hitting the gym together wasn't an option. I really had no desire to hit the gym by myself (ugh!) but I definitely needed to do something. And along came Visalus... *cue inspiring music with stringed instruments*<br />
<br />
I experimented with the meal-replacement shakes at first. I used it for breakfast during the weekdays but that was it. I understood that using the shake to replace one meal was just the "healthy maintenance" plan and not intended for weight loss. Eventually, I started using it for both breakfast and lunch each weekday - but again, I ignored it on weekends since I enjoy breakfast food and I always like cooking for my wife. Plus, I still had chips and whatnot for snacks when we watched movies together. I did that for one month, and actually lost five pounds in my first week (which is not uncommon).<br />
<br />
Eventually, with support from Cam, I decided to get serious about losing weight. On July 11, I started the recommended 90-Day Challenge just as prescribed. Replace breakfast and lunch with the Vi-Shake. Have a small, healthy snack mid-morning and mid-afternoon. And finally, eat a normal dinner with sensible portions and skip the snacks entirely afterwards. *poof* The pounds started dropping off more quickly. Just as promised, I have averaged the healthy weight-loss pattern of 1-2 pounds per week.<br />
<br />
I have to confess that I did eat fast food for lunch still when we were on the go, and there were a few all-you-can-eat Sushi and Dim Sum dinners in there. Surprisingly, that didn't stop me my weekly progress. It was nice to know that I didn't have to be so strict about eating, I just had to be sensible.<br />
<br />
More importantly, it was easy to do. Yes, laziness was an important factor to me. As in, I like to be lazy (or "efficient" as I prefer to say). Staying at home is much more attractive to me then busting my butt and sweating buckets at the gym by myself. Throwing shake mix and orange juice into a thermos for lunch gets me out the door faster in the morning before work. And now that our baby has come along, who has time to prep a properly nutritious meal anyway?<br />
<br />
And somewhere along the way, we also saved money on our groceries.<br />
<br />
So how did it work for me in the end? I did my measurements again on October 10, exactly 90 days after I started. I went dropped from 218 pounds down to 198, which is the lightest I've been since I started dating Cam more than 4 years ago. I also lost 3 inches from my waistline, 2.5 inches from around my chest and 1 inch from my hips. Hey, I even had to go down a notch on my belt. Yep, it worked for me! <br />
<br />
In my case, Visalus is delivering on it's promise. ViSalus even surpassed my expectations for the 90 Day Challenge, which actually surprised me and motivated me to tell others about it. That includes you, Dear Reader. Everyone knows that it's important to have good health so hopefully my story can help motivate you to focus on your health once again. Pick the right solution for you: Hitting the gym, walking or bike riding, changing your meal plan at home, whatever you prefer. And if you're interested in Visalus and would like some more info then please be sure to contact me to find out more!Jamie A. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398076133406398223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737257.post-42648779270854687932011-11-18T12:28:00.008-05:002011-11-18T14:36:21.184-05:00Alphabet Rhyme<strong>A</strong> is for Apple<br />
<strong>B</strong> is for Bear<br />
<strong>C</strong> is for Cat<br />
<strong>D</strong> is for Dare<br />
<br />
<strong>E</strong> is for Elephant<br />
<strong>F</strong> is for Fat<br />
<strong>G</strong> is for Good<br />
<strong>H</strong> is for Hat<br />
<br />
<strong>I</strong> is for Ink<br />
<strong>J</strong> is for Jade<br />
<strong>K</strong> is for Koala<br />
<strong>L</strong> is for Laid<br />
<br />
<strong>M</strong> is for Me<br />
<strong>N</strong> is for Noodle<br />
<strong>O</strong> is for Otter<br />
<strong>P</strong> is for Poodle<br />
<br />
<strong>Q</strong> is for Quiet<br />
<strong>R</strong> is for Roast<br />
<strong>S</strong> is for Snake<br />
<strong>T</strong> is for Toast<br />
<br />
<strong>U</strong> is for Umbrella<br />
<strong>V</strong> is for Vitamin<br />
<strong>W</strong> is for Walrus<br />
<strong>X</strong> is for Xylophone<br />
<br />
<strong>Y</strong> is for You<br />
<strong>Z</strong> is for Zoo<br />
<br />
<em>I spontaneously created this poem for my daughter Jade during activity time this morning. You can modify the above version and use the words "Jam" and "Lamb" instead to make it work for anyone. Good luck fitting your own child's name into the poem! ;)</em>Jamie A. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398076133406398223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737257.post-45356936986328014992011-11-14T21:50:00.002-05:002011-11-14T21:53:59.506-05:00The ChallengeI have three easy questions for you...<br />
1. Do you want to improve your health?<br />
2. Do you want to improve your finances?<br />
3. Do you want to help someone else improve their health or finances?<br />
<br />
<i>Do you want to improve your health?</i><br />
If you answered yes, then you already have a goal in mind. If you answered no, let me ask these additional questions...<br />
<ol type="a"><li>Do you want to eat more nutritiously?</li>
<li>Do you want to lose weight?</li>
<li>Do you want to tone your body or add muscle?</li>
<li>Do you want to run faster, have more stamina, or do better at a sport?</li>
<li>Do you want to lower your blood pressure or improve your cholesterol?</li>
</ol><i>Do you want to improve your finances?</i><br />
If you answered yes, then you already have a goal in mind. If you answered no, let me ask these additional questions...<br />
<ol type="a"><li>Do you want to pay off some debt?</li>
<li>Do you want to quit worrying about bills?</li>
<li>Do you want more emergency money in case your car breaks down or your home is flooded?</li>
<li>Do you want to buy a car or a new home?</li>
<li>Do you want to have a child or plan for their post-secondary education?</li>
<li>Do you want to stay at home with your children instead of working and using daycare?</li>
<li>Do you want to retire?</li>
</ol><i>Do you want to help someone else improve their health or finances?</i><br />
If you answered yes, then you already have someone in mind. If you answered no, then... come on, everybody knows somebody that they can help! ;)<br />
<br />
Looking over these three questions, and then the smaller questions, makes it pretty clear that almost everyone is in the same boat. Perfect health and plenty of money aren't blessings that God just rains down on everybody. Even if our initial answer is "I'm healthy and I'm satisfied," we usually discover a slightly different answer if we dig a little deeper. And even if we honestly do have good health and enough money, then we can certainly help someone else with a few of their own goals, right?<br />
<br />
There's a million ways that we can help our own situations and help other people. For me, one big part of the solution is ViSalus. I tried the 90-Day Health Challenge and I dramatically improved my health. My entire family did the same thing. The ViSalus challenge gives the average person an easy way to save money on their grocery bills. And as a promoter, it really opened my eyes to see the opportunity and freedom that comes from working with friends to achieve our goals. It doesn't get any better than that!<br />
<br />
So consider this my Challenge to you: Do you want to join me and improve your health, improve your finances and help other people do the same?Jamie A. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398076133406398223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737257.post-77591561517990389722011-01-11T21:33:00.001-05:002011-01-11T21:39:29.242-05:00Top Ten Movies of 2010<center></center>This is my seventh annual Top Ten list. As before, this list only accounts for movies that were officially released in 2010. I saw 70 new releases in all this year - a personal record! (I give full credit to my hot wife, who accompanied me to many of them.) I only considered the movies that I actually saw but there are still 37 movies on my future wish list...<br />
<br />
[10] Gunless (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1376195/">Link</a>)<br />
My list begins with a modestly amusing Western. I have liked Westerns ever since my dad introduced my siblings and I to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_with_No_Name">The Man With No Name</a>, and since Westerns show up in theatres so infrequently I try to catch 'em when I can. I also like to support mainstream made-in-Canada films (as opposed to weird art-house stuff) and I rightly assumed that this film would be in a limited number of theatres for a couple of weeks at best, so I went out of my way to see this one. This film stars the quintessential Canadian actor <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0343472/">Paul Gross</a> as an American that gets stuck in Canada accidentally, and thus hijinks ensue. A nice, pleasant flick.<br />
<br />
[9] Kick-Ass (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1250777/">Link</a>)<br />
I struggled a bit with putting this one into my list because I'm not a fan of excessive gore, and there's plenty of visceral violence to be had here. However, I am a major comic geek and at least one comic movie was sure to make this list. I liked this one better than Iron Man 2 (since I was disappointed with the entire action climax) and Scott Pilgrim (which geeky but piled on the weirdness). So Kick-Ass makes the grade because it aimed high and for all intents and purposes, it hit the mark.<br />
<br />
[8] Toy Story 3 (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435761/">Link</a>)<br />
It was fun to see familiar characters together again, and the darker tone was very welcome. I wasn't a fan of the silly misunderstandings ("Oh, Andy's throwing us away!") but the brand new world of the day care was a lot of fun to explore with old friends.<br />
<br />
[7] True Grit (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1403865/">Link</a>)<br />
Wow, <i>two</i> cowboy movies made my list this year! This one has the awards-season cred of the Coen brothers teaming up with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000313/">Jeff Bridges</a>. Even though it's based on the original book, it still has to follow in the footsteps of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000078/">John Wayne</a>, and Bridges was completely up to the task. I threw this movie on while my wife was doing other things, and she got sucked into the movie by the whip-smart 14-year old character that tries to hire a gunslinger to get revenge for her father's death. There were a lot of memorable moments and iconic images, but it was the acting of the girl and the grump that earned this position.<br />
<br />
[6] The Expendables (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1320253/">Link</a>)<br />
I absolutely love Stallone's comeback in recent years, and I was anticipating this movie ever since I first heard about it. Just straight-up action with plenty of explosions and cool weapons and a reason to use them.<br />
<br />
[5] How To Train Your Dragon (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892769/">Link</a>)<br />
This was a superb animated movie, by far the best in a year with many options. I saw this in IMAX 3D and it was perfect for that format - even if Cam and I were two of the few that were standing in line without children. The sheer imagination and variety of dragons lent a real sense of discovery, to go along with the main theme of the movie.<br />
<br />
[4] The Fighter (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0964517/">Link</a>)<br />
This was a very late entry into my Top Ten list, given how late it was released this year. This film argued with my brain and kept clawing it's way up this list entirely on the strength of the superb acting, and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000288/">Christian Bale</a> completely inhabits the role that keeps coming to my mind. To be frank, I thought that <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000242/">Mark Wahlberg</a>'s character felt a little flat but that makes perfect sense within the content of his nutso family, too. Since it's a sports movie based on a true story with lots of Oscar buzz, let's just call it this year's version of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0878804/">The Blind Side</a> and leave it at that.<br />
<br />
[3] The Karate Kid (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1155076/">Link</a>)<br />
Presumably, this movie isn't nearly as high in esteem in everyone else's lists but I completely fell for this one. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1535523/">Jaden Smith</a> nails it as a tweenie fish-out-of-water in China, and China itself plays a starring role here. However, the big draw for me was <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000329/">Jackie Chan</a>. This was an ideal role for him just because of the kung fu fun but when he breaks down and cries at one pivotal part in the movie, that just sucked the air right out of me.<br />
<br />
[2] Inception (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/">Link</a>)<br />
As a sci-fi geek, the genre had to have one movie represented on this list, and what a movie it was! I love to discuss movies after leaving the theatre to analyze the plot and everyone's opinions, and this gave plenty of food for thought. It was a mind-bending trip with a lot of unique concepts and a well-orchestrated playground of rules within this make-believe world.<br />
<br />
[1] The Social Network (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1285016/">Link</a>)<br />
Much to my own surprise, look what made #1 on my list this year! I'm not surprised that I liked this movie, I'm just surprised that I liked it so much, even more than the usual action-oriented blockbusters. Granted, I'm a web developer by trade so this was right up my alley. The bullet-spray staccato of conversation and the he-said-she-said aspects of the lawsuits were fascinating. I researched some of the claims of the movie afterwards but the facts aren't quite as interesting, so I'll prefer to stick with the movie version of events.<br />
<br />
<i>Worst Ending Award</i><br />
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1027718/">Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps</a> had an annoying ending that was completely unearned. I got a big kick out of the cameo from the first movie, though.<br />
<br />
<i>Non-Twisty Twist Award</i><br />
This award goes to <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944835/">Salt</a>. The whole movie pivots on whether the protagonist is good or bad but, honestly, a lot of tension was completely missing since some of it was so obvious.<br />
<br />
<i>Top Movies on Wish List:</i><br />
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1587707/">Exit Through the Gift Shop</a><br />
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1568150/">Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work</a><br />
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1194263/">Get Low</a><br />
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1020938/">Babies</a><br />
<br />
<i>My Previous Top 10 Lists:</i><br />
<a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2005/01/top-ten-movies-of-2004.html">2004</a>, <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2006/01/top-ten-movies-of-2005.html">2005</a>, <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2007/01/top-ten-movies-of-2006.html">2006</a>, <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2008/01/top-ten-movies-of-2007.html">2007</a>, <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2009/01/top-ten-movies-of-2008.html">2008</a> & <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2010/01/top-ten-movies-of-2009.html">2009</a><br />
<br />
<i>References:</i><br />
<a href="http://www.film-releases.com/film-release-schedule-2010.php">Film Release Dates for 2010</a><br />
<a href="http://www.the-numbers.com/market/movies2010.php">Top Grossing Movies of 2010</a>Jamie A. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398076133406398223noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737257.post-67982846778930838762010-06-21T08:10:00.013-04:002010-06-21T08:35:20.537-04:00Ten Percent<center></center>Even since I was a young kid with a paper route, I was taught and I believed that tithing was a requirement. As a Christian, we were supposed to give ten percent of our gross earnings to our local church. I complied with this rule completely, from my pre-teens until I was 29 years old.<br /><br />I understood that tithing was intended for general offerings only and it couldn't be designated to anything specific. The church leaders were supposed to figure out the best way to invest my money, not me. The only thing I worried about was whether I should tithe additionally on any cash gifts that I received. I usually made up for that little bit of doubt by donating an extra bit to some secondary cause at church.<br /><br />At the beginning of every year, I made sure that I got a box of tithing envelopes from my church. At the end of the year I would donate my unused envelopes back to the church so that they could be placed in the back of the pews for anyone that ended them. I would also black out the registration number so that there was no confusion for the accountants. In fact, I was often the one that replenished the envelopes behind the pews when I noticed that they were missing.<br /><br />Naturally, I always got a receipt from church for my charitable donations, which accounted for a fairly large tax return every year. I had a friend that believed that getting a tax return on tithing was somehow against the principle of tithing because you weren't giving your full amount. I said that this was just smart practice but if they were really worried then they could tithe on the income tax return, too. Actually, I think I started doing this after that discussion.<br /><br />I was aware of the different verses about tithing, both Old and New Testament. I had heard enough sermons about the blessings of tithing and the curses of selfishly keeping our money. The main verse about tithing from Malachi was usually printed on the tithing envelopes, anyway, so it was pretty obvious.<br /><br />I knew that the majority of people at church did not tithe. I saw enough church budgets at the annual meetings to know that less than 20% of the church members bothered to tithe regularly. I also knew that because the pastors told me so during a sermon here or there. However, I would never force anyone to tithe. If people said that they really couldn't afford it, I chalked that up as poor budgeting or a personal decision. No biggie, everyone has issues that they have to work through, including me, and we don't need to get all legalistic about it. Let the pastor preach, let the Holy Spirit do his thing, and people will figure it out.<br /><br /><center><em>Now take a breath, Jamie...</em></center><br />I don't believe in the requirement of tithing anymore. I don't believe in the general principle behind it. I will go even further than that and say that I believe that tithing is quite wrong. Wrong to do, and wrong to teach. And for my part in this, I am sorry.<br /><br />I mean, did you see what I wrote up there? I never realized how legalistic it all was. So many little rules and exceptions. It sounds so hard to keep to keep track of it all!<br /><br />I recognize that part of it was my natural tendancy to find rules and obey them. I'm a goody-two-shoes that automatically does that kind of thing. Even so, tithing has always been a part of my Christian life, and it's been a big part of the churches I attended.<br /><br />It took me about a year and a half to walk away from tithing. At first, I vaguely questioned the practice. I learned a little more as time went on about the Biblical basis for the current idea of tithing, versus the way tithing was done back in the Old Testament days. My first big step as to stop tithing all of my money to my local church, and give money directly to friends that needed it. After that, I decided to save that ten percent and keep it as my personal giving fund. Then I decided to pull back from the idea of setting any kind of restriction on it and I let that set-in-stone ten percent go. Finally, I had to admit to myself that it wasn't just a nice idea - it was actually the wrong thing to do.<br /><br />Emotionally, it was hard to let go and I felt quilty for doing it. I still feel a little guilty, kind of. I was walking away from church teaching, and walking away from what my parents taught me. Breaking a habit is always hard to do.<br /><br />Intellectually, I had to discard the Biblical interpretation and the arguments I had heard for so long. I could have handled that but once I got rid of the idea of tithing, a lot of other ideas fell apart as well. The whole idea of how a church pays it's bills and how pastors get paid became a mess for me, since I was always told that churches survived based on tithes. Like a house of cards, pulling out that one Ace called "tithing" caused a bunch of other cards to fall down.<br /><br />And so here I am, writing about my journey through the issue of tithing. I intended to write about the Biblical references that we use to support tithing, but I ended up writing a more cathartic assessment of myself instead. I will follow up this post with Part II to get into some of the specifics about tithing...Jamie A. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398076133406398223noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737257.post-27308342682457642612010-06-09T12:44:00.000-04:002010-06-09T13:19:19.553-04:00Religion Ain't What It Used To Be (Part III)<center></center>I'm a Christian but that ain't what it used to be. My beliefs have changed quite a bit in the past two or three years...<br /><br />(See <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2010/06/religion-aint-what-it-used-to-be.html">Part I</a> for the introduction and then <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2010/06/religion-aint-what-it-used-to-be-part.html">Part II</a>.)<br /><br /><em>Evolution</em><br /><br />Yeah, I was persuaded some time ago that evolution actually works, as I wrote <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2007/02/i-believe-in-evolution.html">here</a>. Considering the amount of time I devoted to research and debates on this topic, this was a big change for me. I was finally convinced by an author that explained the science behind it while still being open to Christian spirituality. I like to think that I'm willing to honestly consider opposing opinions regardless of the source or cimcumstances, but this author really communicated to me through simple respect.<br /><br />I still think that God actually created everything, so I don't buy into the Big Bang theory directly. However, I may be willing to accept that the earth wasn't created conveniantly six thousand years ago, as calculated from Biblical geneaologies. Which leads me to my next point...<br /><br /><em>Accuracy of the Bible</em><br /><br />And here's where I go right off the rails! I've heard so many arguments that the Bible contradicts itself, and so many arguments about the Bible being historically or scientifically inaccurate. I've heard 'em, analyzed 'em and argued against 'em. Naturally, I said, the Bible is perfect in every way.<br /><br />And yet, here I am. I'll state this clearly: I no longer believe that the modern NIV version of the Bible is the infallible, perfectly accurate Word of God.<br /><br />I think the Bible is incredibly reliable in umpteen different ways. I think it's the most well-kept ancient document of any kind. I think that it is a very clear picture of the reality and truth of the Christian God, and a great picture of Jesus' time on earth.<br /><br />I also acknowledge that the people that wrote it were human and may have messed up some details. There may have been some copy problems along the way, or problems with word-of-mouth history before things were written down, or simple problems with the memory of the people testifying. Then there's the history of how the books of the KJV translation were selected, versus the different book selections from Catholic or Orthodox denomiations - so is the KJV selection perfect?<br /><br />To go a step beyond that, there may be significant problems with <em>all</em> of the English translations, period. Besides normal difficulties with basic English interpretation, some of our English versions may in fact be translations-from-translations. Apparently, recent research by Nehemia Gordon shows that the book of Matthew may have been written in Hebrew originally, but our English version is based on various Greek versions. This scholar has <a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2662031810327980639#">this two-hour video</a> that goes over the main arguments for this idea. Some of the common Bible verses that we have memorized may in fact say the opposite in the original Hebrew - and this video absolutely blew my mind with that revelation.<br /><br />I love the Bible but its hardly written in stone, so to speak. Yep, I'm a crazy now...<br /><br /><em>Conclusion</em><br /><br />So I'm a Christian but that ain't what it used to be. I still visit church once in a while but I'm not nearly as involved as I used to be. I still think that local churches provide various advantages that can't be found anywhere else, but I wonder if those advantages are worth the disadvantages. And since I am fully against the idea of tithing now, that pretty much leaves me at odds with any number of Christian denominations.<br /><br />I did find that I had to back away from church in order to see it in a different light. I couldn't really understand how people could feel so rejected by church until I was on the outside looking in. And now that I'm on the outside, I have discovered that I'm part of a very disorganized and very large group of people that have similarly walked away from church. I don't know what will become of this happy unchurched population of Christians but it seems like a scary and freeing experience so far.<br /><br />It's taken me a few years to make this transition and I assume I'm not done yet. We'll see where we go from here...Jamie A. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398076133406398223noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737257.post-55555137005409837772010-06-06T19:35:00.003-04:002010-06-09T13:20:56.768-04:00Religion Ain't What It Used To Be (Part II)<center></center>I'm a Christian but that ain't what it used to be. My beliefs have changed quite a bit in the past two or three years...<br /><br />(See <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2010/06/religion-aint-what-it-used-to-be.html">Part I</a> for the introduction, and Part III is <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2010/06/religion-aint-what-it-used-to-be-part_09.html">here</a>. There's a lot of ground to cover here, so I'll open up the different topics and then we can follow up with more detailed discussions if anyone wants to do that...)<br /><br /><em>Tithing</em><br /><br />This is the central piece, the ace that toppled my house of cards. I've been faithfully tithing 10% of my gross earnings since I had a paper route as a ten year old boy, giving that money directly to my local church. I often gave even more money on top of that, usually towards specific ministries at church.<br /><br />I came to realize that (a) tithing is not a Biblical requirement for Christians and (b) the brand of tithing that we commonly teach at church has very little to do with the original tithing laws in the Old Testament anyway. (For example, poor people aren't supposed to tithe.) After years of habit, and years of collecting receipts for my charitable donations, it actually took me more than a year to fully quit tithing.<br /><br /><em>Church Income</em><br /><br />Once we take tithing out of the equation, this directly effects how a local church runs. The church has utility bills and staff salaries and supplies to pay for. Granted, some churches (a minority?) do not promote tithing and may not even collect money during every service, but even these churches depend on regular donations in order to keep running.<br /><br />We seem to have three options: <ol><li>Give money to the local church because it's mandatory (a la tithing).</li><li>Give money to the local church voluntarily - but it's actually mandatory because otherwise, the church will have to close due to bankruptcy.</li><li>Do not give money to the local church - in which case there can be no local church.</li></ol>The common result, regardless of a church's stance on tithing, is to have 10 to 20% of the church members give money on a mandatory basis. This supports the majority of the other members who do not give or give little.<br /><br />I no longer believe that tithing is valid. I see voluntary giving as either being "secretly" mandatory or a hypocritically mandatory responsibility for a core group of members, and I don't buy into either of those ideas now. Therefore, I am left with Option 3 - the dissolution of local church? That's crazy talk!<br /><br /><em>Church Expenses</em><br /><br />For arguments sake, though, let's say that the church continues to get enough money from purely voluntary donations, on a continual basis, and everyone is happy. Then, we need to look at where the church expenses go.<br /><br />The majority of a church budget goes to two spots: paying for the building (rent/mortgage/utilities) and paying for staff salaries (pastor/youth pastor/custodians). When I donate money to church, the majority of it actually pays for my own experience at the church. The equipment for the musicians, the time it took the pastor to prepare and preach, the child care programs, the actual facilities that I visit.<br /><br />I like to think that my money supports the poor, or some sort of spiritual outreach like a missionary, but only a tiny percentage (2 to 5%) actually gets there. Instead, I have to accept the view that the church building and the staff are the main forms of spiritual ministry. And while local churches do fulfill certain needs that would not be met otherwise, I no longer see this as necessary or efficient.<br /><br />Instead, the very best spiritual growth that I have ever received or helped has come within the context of close friendships. And the combined money of this same small group of people can dramatically change the life of another person more easily then a church corporation can. In terms of the plain Return On Investment (ROI), I don't see local church as a good bet.<br /><br /><em>Paid Pastors</em><br /><br />The real focal point of the church is the big guy (or sometimes girl) that stands up front every Sunday to teach us all a little somethin' somethin'. To a lesser extent, the focal point of the church also belongs to the youth pastor or children's pastor of the counseling pastor, since they do the face-to-face stuff with people.<br /><br />Of course, gettin' paid falls apart unless money is still comin' in. And since I don't buy into the tithing or mandatory giving model anymore, the money isn't there and this position can't exist anymore.<br /><br />I also have more philosophical/theological grounds that leads me to think that we should not have paid pastoral jobs anymore. For one thing, I now think that Jesus and the New Testament exemplify *not* to do this. I think that each Christian is more than capable of fulfilling a pastor's duties one-on-one or two-on-two with friends. Beyond that, I think that the existence of the pastoral role stifles the involvement of the church members themselves - despite the fact that pastors frequently preach against this type of thing. The church subtly enforces a corporate approach to care giving and relationships, with a hierarchal model and leadership, rather than natural group life.<br /><br /><em>Church Family</em><br /><br />So that leads to the cliche that the local church should be a spiritual family. I have moved between cities a number of times while growing up, and I always realized that churches come and go and we rarely have any contact with former church friends once we depart. These are usually friendships of conveniance - we see these people every week so it's easy to chat and maybe make plans to hang out. Once the conveniance factor is gone, so is that friendship. That's not a big deal because this is true in almost all walks to life. Friendships with co-workers, or even with immediate family members, tends to dissolve if someone moves away. That's normal, but it's a far cry from the concept of "church family."<br /><br />Note that I use the term "friendship" loosely here since most church friends remain at a somewhat superficial level. Actual discussions about real-life difficulties or our hopes and dreams are not a part of this. It takes a conscious effort to develop a deeper friendship, and church is not designed for that purpose.<br /><br />The dark side of this is that it's easy for people to leave a local church without anyone talking to them afterwards. Even worse, it's easy to ostracize a person from the local church. People are formally and informally kicked out of leadership or out of church for all kinds of reasons. Don't agree with tithing? Strike one. Don't attend the Sunday service? Strike two. Cause too much discussion about what the church teaches? Strike three - you're out of here!<br /><br />And once you're on the outside, it's tough to retain those former friends. I've heard way too many stories that attest to this dark side, but it's tough to see when we're still part of the church. Love your neighbour, it ain't. Kinda appreciate your fellow church member, it is.<br /><br />... Coming in Part III, I talk about the controversial topics. ;)Jamie A. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398076133406398223noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737257.post-8741538171930674292010-06-01T12:30:00.006-04:002010-06-09T13:22:03.685-04:00Religion Ain't What It Used To Be<center></center>I'm a Christian but that ain't what it used to be. My beliefs have changed quite a bit in the past two or three years...<br /><br /><em>*cue time travel montage*</em><br /><br />I've been a Christian since I was a wee young 'un. I have vague memories of praying beside my bed by myself as a 4 or 5 year old boy, asking Jesus to forgive my sins and come into my heart. Easy as that. It was a natural part of life growing up in a Christian family. (To be specific, within the Pentecostal denomination of Protestant Christianity.)<br /><br />I went to Braeside Christian camp as a kid every summer with my family, and I regularly went to Silver Birches Christian camp as a teenager. These camps usually involved group activities and games, and some sort of elongated church service in the morning and evening. It was at Braeside camp that I experienced baptism of the Holy Spirit, complete with evidence of tongues. Later on at Silver Birches, I experienced the phenomenon of laughing uncontrollably in the spirit. Somewhere along the way before I was a teenager, I also chose to get baptized in water when we attended a church in Vineland, ON.<br /><br />My parents were always heavily involved in church ministry, usually focused on children and youth. Later on, around the time I was ten years old, my dad decided to ditch his plush job with GM and go to Bible College to become a full-time pastor. That allowed me to graduate from goody-two-shoes church boy to good-two-shoes PK (Pastor's Kid) but weekly life didn't change too much.<br /><br />Every year from the time I was born until I was 29 years old, I regularly spent 2-3 days each week at church. In the early years, I was attending various childrens' programs or simply waiting for hours while my parents chatted with friends after church. During my teens, I was always involved in various youth group events. By my twenties, my parents and siblings were scattered across the globe while I become even more heavily involved with music ministry, cell groups and leading youth groups.<br /><br />I've been involved in church as a vocalist since I was a young teenager, singing either bass or tenor. I sang backup vocals for Sunday services and I've been a member of various choirs - even recording CDs at two churches. I also took over as worship leader in both home and church settings, handling everything from pre-planning to the cues for the band. Eventually, I added some rudimentary piano skills so that I could both play and sing in smaller groups. I also became fairly proficient as a percussionist, playing instruments like congas, bongos, shakers and tambourines.<br /><br />I wasn't shy about my spiritual faith or my status as a Christian. I frequently debated with people in person or online about any number of God-related topics. I taught both adults and youth in over a dozen different settings. I published various articles in the local newspaper and the school newspaper.<br /><br />In short, I wasn't just a guy that accepted what I was taught. No, I was the guy that was doing the teaching. I simply didn't submit to the particular version of Christianity that my parents believed, I was the one that promoted it.<br /><br />I'm born and bred this way. And as an adult and on my own two feet, I chose to continue on this path. I became even more ingrained in it, if anything. I've always been very certain of my faith, and very certain of my particular brand of theology.<br /><br /><em>*fade from montage to present day*</em><br /><br />When I hit the ripe old age of 29, various factors conspired to show me different parts of Christianity in a new light. Little by little, different pieces of my theology came into question and fell apart. It was like a game of jenga, taking one stick out and then another stick out, until the whole thing came toppling down.<br /><br />Well, not the whole thing. I still believe in God and I still consider myself a devout Christian. It's just that I have modified or entirely scrapped different parts of my spiritual beliefs.<br /><br />I know other people that have had similar experiences, and some of those people opted to dismiss the whole story. God and Jesus, the devil, heaven and hell, spirituality, souls, the Bible... If a person won't accept some parts of it, then why accept any of it?<br /><br />As one example, there's a fascinating video series on YouTube by a guy that was a Christian just like me. He explains how he gradually lost his faith, bit by bit. "Deconversion," he called it. Common to other stories I've heard, a big part of this process came through his post-secondary university experience.<br /><br />Some of this guy's discarded beliefs would have struck me as silly even as a kid. Even so, his video series is visually and mentally stimulating. Here you go...<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/Evid3nc3">Deconversion: Why I am no longer a Christian</a><br /><em>(Note: As recommended to me by Nathan Hatton. )</em><br /><br />To sum up, I still look back very fondly on my years in church. I just don't buy into much of what Christian religion is selling these days. More to the point, I don't buy what *I* was selling. In my next post, I'll try to summarize how my ideas have changed over the past two or three years...<br /><br />Update: Part II is <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2010/06/religion-aint-what-it-used-to-be-part.html">here</a> and Part III is <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2010/06/religion-aint-what-it-used-to-be-part_09.html">here</a>.Jamie A. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398076133406398223noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737257.post-68162298043378122352010-01-06T19:36:00.000-05:002010-01-06T19:08:26.279-05:00Top Ten Movies of 2009<center></center>This is my sixth annual Top Ten list. As before, this list only accounts for movies that were officially released in 2009, and I saw 55 new releases in all this year. I only considered the movies that I actually saw but there are still 61 movies on my future wish list...<br /><br />[10] Where the Wild Things Are (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386117/">Link</a>)<br />This movie made my list because of everything that it didn't do. It didn't use the usual 3-act movie arc; it didn't explain who the characters were; it didn't have a tidy ending; it didn't let you off easy in any way. The director obviously had a very specific idea in mind for this movie, and much of the credit must go to him. I just read the original children's book a few weeks before seeing this and it's quite brief but I think that the soul of the book was left intact. This movie makes you feel the emotions of growing up and the hurts of a modern family, but it does this in entirely unexpected ways. And if you can have some extra Fraggle-like monsters running around, then all the better!<br /><br />[9] The Blind Side (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0878804/">Link</a>)<br />This is the standard based-on-a-true-sports-story movie but it has the advantage of being based on a current NFL player. Rather than glory in past achievements, we can flick on the next Baltimore Ravens game (Jan. 10!) and see him in action, and visit a sports website to see <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/stats?playerId=12621">his profile</a>. That aside, the movie's quite enjoyable. The central characters are played by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000113/">Sandra Bullock</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2466842/">Quiton Aaron</a> and they nailed those roles. The downside is that it's tough to know which scenes were Hollywoodized for the sake of drama but I assume that osme of the gang-related scenes weren't exactly like that in real life. Also, the husband's role is strictly yes-man to Bullock's dominating wife, which got annoying after a while and apparently <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/091231">isn't very accurate</a>. Minor critiques aside, it was a good sports flick that worked really well as a date movie.<br /><br />[8] Surrogates (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0986263/">Link</a>)<br />I can't help it: My list is heavy with sci-fi flicks. I love reading sci-fi novels and short stories and, if anything, I love watching sci-fi flicks even more. While this movie was sure to include the standard action scenes and finale, it was the technology and social commentary that made this better than the average movie. They didn't just set up the basics of people using remote-controlled robotic avatars. They gave a completely believable "this could really happen" intro for the movie and then played with numerous examples of the effect this would have on people's lives. By comparison, the movie <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1034032/">Gamer</a> also had some similar sci-fi concepts but did very little with those ideas. This is a definite <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000246/">Bruce Willis</a> type of movie and it didn't get much box office but if you haven't seen it then by all means, check this out sometime.<br /><br />[7] Watchmen (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409459/">Link</a>)<br />As a serious comics geek, I was paying attention to all of the early hype for this movie. I've owned the original graphics novel since forever and it certainly was a genre-changing book back in the 80's. The movie, however, hardly has that impact. It's a great comic movie but nowhere near the level of The Dark Knight or Spider-Man. I marveled at how accurately the movie portrayed exact scenes from the comic book and I thought the twist ending was an actual improvement over the original plot. Even so, the dramatic heart was kind of missing. The actions scenes were brutal but it was the other scenes that seemed to be missing je-ne-sais-quois. The best part of this experience was external to the movie, actually. My wife decided to read the entire graphic novel, every single word of it, beforehand. I skipped a lot of the boring stuff between chapters but she was able to understand both the book and the movie on a deeper level that I did and I admired her muchly for that. Now, I'm just waiting to see the final super-extended Director's Cut version that incorporates the animated movie between movie chapters. Geeks of the world unite!<br /><br />[6] The Hurt Locker (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0887912/">Link</a>)<br />This is the thinking man's action movie. Much credit to the director, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000941/">Kathryn Bigelow</a>, for putting together this indie flick. Even though this is was critically acclaimed it was woefully underappreciated while in theatres. It's about a bomb-squad guy with serious skills, and it explores his crazy attitude and why he does what he does. Set in middle of the ongoing Iraqi war and it plays real and gritty. To quote the best line in the movie, "The rush of battle is often a potent and lethal addiction, for war is a drug."<br /><br />[5] Sherlock Holmes (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0988045/">Link</a>)<br />I have always been a fan of the original Sherlock Holmes stories but I haven't seen many movies based on these flicks - possible because there were no recent ones. I'm aware that there were critics originally dismissing this because it was too much of an action flick and it disregarded the original stories, and the fact that the movie makers claimed that this was even <i>more</i> accurate than previous movies. I will agree with both sides of that argument, actually. This movie is more accurate than previous incarnations but it still takes certain liberties. Holmes was a kick-ass strong guy when he had to be and he did have difficulty keeping his intricate mind busy when he didn't have a case, and his sidekick was more than just a portly author. Even so, the books depict him as more controlled than the movie version. Despite the fact that I'm such a fan of the source material, and I give kudos to the director <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005363/">Guy Ritchie</a> for modernizing thigns in just the right ways, I can't move this up any more. It's a good movie that I thoroughly enjoyed and I hope/assume there are sequels to come but I would have enjoyed this movie just as much at home as I did in the theatre. The reason I recommend this so highly is the way the central characters were written, and how they were portrayed by both <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000375/">Robert Downey Jr.</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000179/">Jude Law</a>. And it wasn't an "origins" story, either, so it gets bonus points for that.<br /><br />[4] The Hangover (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1119646/">Link</a>)<br />This was easily the most hilarious movie of the year for me. I wasn't sure what to expect but it just kept piling on the crazy until you couldn't help but laugh. I'm a fan of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0177896/">Bradley Cooper</a> because of his role in the Alias TV show and the cast was a great band of misfit misfits.<br /><br />[3] District 9 (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1136608/">Link</a>)<br />Lo and behold, my Top 3 movies are sci-fi. I loved this little-movie-that-could. On a low budget but with the reputation of Peter Jackson behind it as producer, this was a completely unexpected surprise. The alien effects were superb and the action was bug-nuts but it was the intentional parallel to South African apartheid that really made me appreciate this movie. On the flip side, my wife thought this was a terrible movie. ;)<br /><br />[2] Star Trek (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0796366/">Link</a>)<br />This movie is emminently re-watchable. And I say that because I have watched it quite a number of times in the past year. The cleverness of the time travel = parallel universe plot allows this to pay homage to the original TV show and movies while moving in a new direction. The cast was perfectly chosen, the effects were great and it had sooo many memorable scenes. Kirk as a boy, Spock as a boy, Kirk in the bar, the introduction of Bones, Spock and Scotty, Spock enraged... I could go on and on. Kudos to the brain of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0009190/">J.J. Abrams</a> for pulling this quasi-reboot out of his hat.<br /><br />[1] Avatar (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/">Link</a>)<br />This film absolutely must be seen in the theatre in 3D. This is the kind of film experience that has to be big and bold. Do not wait for this to show up on DVD or Blue-Ray because it won't do the film justice. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000116/">James Cameron</a> creates a new world out of nothing, with its own rules and unique beauty, and we can't help but become completely immersed in this creation. It is a straight-ahead sci-fi movie with with a romance at the heart of it. Even if you don't want to buy into the omni-present CGI and the funky aliens, you can't help but be drawn into the story and the planet. Box office records aside, this is the one movie that everyone needs to go out and see in the theatres.<br /><br /><i>Honourable Mentions:</i><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1049413/">Up</a> (It has those magic Pixar qualities and it made me cry.)<br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1156398/">Zombieland</a> (Three words: Bill Murray cameo.)<br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1182345/">Moon</a> (A one-man drama in which <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005377/">Sam Rockwell</a> slowly goes crazy - or does he?)<br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0936501/">Taken</a> (Actually released in Europe in 2008, it's way better than expected.)<br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0844286/">The Brothers Bloom</a> (I'm always a sucker for a good con-artist movie.)<br /><br /><i>Top Movies on Wish List:</i><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892782/">Monsters Vs. Aliens</a> (Top 10 box office, somehow I missed it.)<br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1193138/">Up in the Air</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1234548/">The Men Who Stare at Goats</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0432283/">Fantastic Mr. Fox</a> (All George Clooney movies, all well reviewed.)<br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361748/">Inglourious Basterds</a> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000233/">Tarantino</a> and alternate-history WWII are enough for me.)<br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1127877/">Cold Souls</a> (Little known, weird & funny sci-fi with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0316079/">Giammatti</a> chewing up scenery.)<br /><br /><i>My Previous Top 10 Lists:</i><br /><a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2005/01/top-ten-movies-of-2004.html">2004</a>, <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2006/01/top-ten-movies-of-2005.html">2005</a>, <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2007/01/top-ten-movies-of-2006.html">2006</a>, <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2008/01/top-ten-movies-of-2007.html">2007</a> & <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2009/01/top-ten-movies-of-2008.html">2008</a><br /><br /><i>References:</i><br /><a href="http://www.film-releases.com/film-release-schedule-2009.php">Film Release Dates for 2009</a><br /><a href="http://www.the-numbers.com/market/movies2009.php">Top Grossing Movies of 2009</a>Jamie A. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398076133406398223noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737257.post-86766961684410328482009-11-06T23:52:00.002-05:002009-11-06T23:55:23.840-05:00Links & Blinks<center></center>Aaaaaand...I'm back! I'm back due to popular demand. And by that I mean, my wife is beautiful and incredible and she likes reading my work, so here I am. Let's see what we have for today, shall we?<br /><br />Abe has three new tattoos: Faith, Hope & Love. Here are <a href="http://nurseabe.blogspot.com/2009/10/new-tattoo.html">the pics</a>.<br /><br />Know what my favourite daily blog is? Doug Smith's <a href="http://thestar.blogs.com/raptors">Toronto Raptors blog</a>. This guy's been with the team since it's inception and he's with the players and coaches constantly. He has great insight and a huge and very loyal following. In fact, he just hit ten million page views last week and that's quite the impressive milestone.<br /><br />Did God really say...? My dad <a href="http://davidagrant.blogspot.com/2009/10/did-god-really-say.html">ponders</a> the original meaning of words like tithe, talents, Sabbath and church. How do we use (or misuse) these words today?<br /><br />When is an war veteran like a former pastor? When they both suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Read <a href="http://murraylincoln.blogspot.com/2009/10/ptsd-part-two.html">this blog</a> by a long-time pastor as he talks about protecting a wife from her abusive husband - and how doing the right thing just blew up in his face. It's a first-hand account from inside the walls of church, showing the often harsh reality behind the pleasant Sunday morning smiles.Jamie A. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398076133406398223noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737257.post-74774810599218860772009-05-18T11:09:00.001-04:002009-06-14T21:21:32.562-04:00Trente-et-Un: Looking Forward<center></center>I hit 31 years of age this past weekend, so now it's time to look forward...<br /><br />I only have a few goals for this upcoming year. The big-ticket item is that Cam and I are planning to buy a house within driving distance of my workplace in Mississauga. We are considering living as far away as Burlington or Milton, which would involve a minimum 45 minutes of driving to and from work each weekday. Closer would be better, of course, but prices and property taxes in this area are much higher than they would be in London, ON. We would be ready to buy a home now if we were still living in London but we'll need a few more months of saving for the downpayment here. We're strongly considering building a new home, actually, since it may be cheaper to do that in the end.<br /><br />Ideally, we'll get something in a nice neighbourhood with a fabulous kitchen, ensuite bathroom and a private yard. A big kitchen is key since we are currently in a nice-yet-small basement apartment and the kitchen is sooo tiny. We need a house that will be big enough for raising kids in the future but not so large that it's a pain to manage and finance. Y'know, the average starter-family home. As long as it's not a fix-er-upper 'cause I'm not the handy-man type. ;)<br /><br />That's our main goal for the upcoming year. Other than that, we have a two-week road trip planned for the East Coast of Canada this summer and then in a few years we want to take a major trip through Vietnam-NewZealand-Australia. Cam and I are practicing our French for our travels through Quebec this summer and then I'll have to figure out how this Vietnamese language works.<br /><br />Much of my life before marriage was focused on church and worship/music ministry. When Cam and I were preparing for our wedding and our marriage, I consciously decided to step back from all of that. Cam and I do attend a church nearby on Oakville intermittantly (The Meeting Place) and that's fine. No pressure, no schedules, no time away from my wife. That being said, I do get a strong urge to pick up a dijembe or grab a conga and do some percussion once in a while. I also miss singing, playing piano and writing music. I think that I might be happy to wait until we have our new house and I can move my old piano from my parents' place. Simply worshipping with God privately sounds really good to me right now...<br /><br />As for my career, things are going extremely well. With more than a year under my belt now, I've gained my footing at OSL Marketing and I'm starting to pursue my personal career goals. It remains the best job that I have ever had (and I've had some good ones) and my managers give me plenty of room to learn and try new things. I'm completely comfortable with VB.NET website development and I'm beginning to help out in other areas of our projects. I used to be a director at another software company, overseeing a team of programmers and software testers, and we'll see if I can get the chance to something similar on specific projects this year. Seeing my work advertised in stores and printed on food packages is still quite thrilling!<br /><br />The rest of life will be spent with numerous visits with family and our close friends. There's a couple of weddings on the horizon and a camping trip or two. Throw that all together with my hobbies of comics and movies and it'll be good times. And as I've said before: The fact that get to share all of these experiences with my beautiful and amazing wife makes everything better!Jamie A. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398076133406398223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737257.post-41777197505088160272009-01-09T16:23:00.003-05:002009-01-09T16:33:11.184-05:00Top Ten Movies Of 2008<center></center>This is my fifth annual Top Ten list. This list only accounts for movies that were officially released in 2008, and I saw 56 new releases in all this year. I only considered the movies that I actually saw but there are still 46 movies on my future wish list...<br /><br />[10] What Happens In Vegas (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1033643/">Link</a>)<br />I am shocked - shocked! - that a chick flick made my Top Ten list. The premise is entirely cliche: A drunken night in Vegas leads two people to get married, they win a $3 Million jackpot and a judge forces them to remain married for six months before they're allowed to divorce and claim the money. Yeah, it's an awful cliche but it made me laugh the first time I saw it. That's all I ask from a girly movie so I was adequately satisfied. Then I had to watch it for a second time over the Christmas holidays and I was surprised that it made me laugh just as much the second time 'round. The continual conflict and the precarious balance between the characters of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000139/">Cameron Diaz</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005110/">Ashton Kutcher</a> hit my funny bone just right, and the fact that the two supporting "best friend" characters also hated each other was a nice sidebar. I hate that this movie forced it's way in here, and I accept all mockery accordingly...<br /><br />[9] Vantage Point (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443274/">Link</a>)<br />I respect this movie so it makes this list even though I enjoyed the others more. The central conceit is that the President of the United States is shot in a crowded square. The film then follows five or six main people as their simultaneous stories play out. It's one story told from each of their points of view and everything crashes together at the end. After seeing the same scene play out for the fourth or fifth time, you would expect the suspense to lessen but somehow it keeps things moving quite nicely for most of the movie.<br /><br />[8] The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421715/">Link</a>)<br />Yes, it's a splendid movie. Written by the same author as Forrest Gump, it's follows an epic lifetime as a baby is born with the same infirmities that an eighty year old man would have, and then the boy's body grows younger as the boy grows older. The CGI was frickin' awesome since <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000093/">Brad Pitt</a> played the same character at most stages of life. My main problem is that I didn't identify or engage with the main character. Despite the fact that I whine about getting older, old age is still foreign territory for me so this didn't grab me emotionally. Besides that, everything else pays off nicely.<br /><br />[7] Kung-Fu Panda (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0441773/">Link</a>)<br />This is the 6th highest grossing of the year, second for animated flicks behind Wall·E. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0085312/">Jack Black</a> is perfect in the role of a fat panda with dreams of kung-fu glory. Lotsa funniness but the main characters are fully realized and the enemy tiger is cool. I always enjoy animated movies and I came away with plenty of smiles.<br /><br />[6] Hellboy II: The Golden Army (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0411477/">Link</a>)<br />I enjoyed the first Hellboy movie and I've read some of the original comics, and this movie kicked the first movie's ass. On the DVD, there is a documentary that details all of the incredible work in the now-legendary "Troll Market" movie set. (The forced-perspective alley was an especially great trick.) Throw in the mechano-men, a war between the fairy-tale world and the world of men, some touching/funny relationship stuff and it equals a great summer blockbuster.<br /><br />[5] Frost/Nixon (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0870111/">Link</a>)<br />This is a late addition to my list since I just saw it this week. I know only the general details about Nixon's political career and Watergate so it was educational and very interesting. The film revolves around Frost, an entertainment host in the vein of Ryan Seacrest, as he attempts the greatest challenge of his career by self-funding an television interview with Nixon after Nixon resigned as president. The intellectual dual between Frost and Nixon is fantastic and the climax is spell-binding. There are various name actors playing real-life people, which was distracting at first but worked well later on. In particular, I enjoyed the performances of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000102/">Kevin Bacon</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001624/">Oliver Platt</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001449/">Frank Langella</a> as Nixon, and I walked around mimicing Nixon's voice all evening. This might seem like a boring talking-heads kinda flick but it was right up my alley.<br /><br />[4] Iron Man (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0371746/">Link</a>)<br />Another awesome comic movie, though the climactic fight left a little to be desired. I was tracking this one from it's inception, and I strongly admire the clear vision that director <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0269463/">Jon Favreau</a> had for everything. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000375/">Robert Downey Jr.</a> was ideal as Tony Stark and the notion of a sequel and an Avengers team movie is geek-heaven. It pulled off the requisite origin story and added the same learning-the-ropes physical humour that Spider-Man had. Still, all of the credit for this movie goes to those two men that I mentioned.<br /><br />[3] Wall·E (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0910970/">Link</a>)<br />Brilliant. It had humour that worked for both kids and adults, and it had the best love story on this list. The unique sound effects had much well-justified praise, and I only mention that since the sounds were such an integral part to both the characters and the plot. Sure, it was pretty preachy and showing real-life actors in some scenes really rubbed me the wrong way, but the beauty and intelligence far outweighed these minor flaws.<br /><br />[2] Tropic Thunder (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0942385/">Link</a>)<br />By far, by far, the best comedy of the year. All of the actors were at their peak and the humour was as bold as it gets. The way it traded between satire and broad laughs was inspiring and it kept me on my toes the whole time. "I'm a dude playin' a dude disguised as another dude."<br /><br />[1] The Dark Knight (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/">Link</a>)<br />And here it is, my Number One of the Year. No surprise, and I'll leave the superlatives alone for this one. My fear of the "too many villains" syndrome was thankfully alleviated. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005132/">Heath Ledger's</a> choices in how he played the Joker really worked, even though I'm not a huge fan of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000288/">Christian Bale's</a> growling Batman. I saw this in IMAX format and the sense of vertigo made it a rather immersive experience. The. Best.<br /><br /><br /><i>Honourable Mentions:</i><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0988047/">Traitor</a> (Should have made my Top Ten but I forgot about it 'til the end.)<br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462499/">Rambo</a> (Bloody old-school action flick.)<br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0830515/">Quantum of Solace</a> (The previous one was better.)<br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379865/">Leatherheads</a> (Too clever for it's own good.)<br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1205489/">Gran Torino</a> (So much racism it was unintentionally/intentionally funny.)<br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0884224/">War, Inc.</a> (B-level pseudo-sequel to the excellent Grosse Point Blank.)<br /><br /><i>Movies I Missed The Could Have Made This List:</i><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1125849/">The Wrestler</a> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000620/">Mickey Rourke's</a> comeback miracle.)<br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1130988/">JCVD</a> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000241/">Jean Claude Van Damme</a> acts as a version of himself caught in a robbery.)<br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374569/">Che</a> (Lots of award talk...)<br /><br /><i>Most Frustrating Movie:</i><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0814314/">Seven Pounds</a> with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000226/">Will Smith</a>. It was a mystifying premise while Will's character ran around doing weird things for no apparent reason. My wife Cam figured it out early on but the full explanation didn't kick in until the very end. Soooo annoying.<br /><br /><i>Worst Movie Of The Year:</i><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0467197/">Max Payne</a> with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000242/">Mark Whalberg</a>. I don't know what Whalberg's problem is but it was like he smoked some pot and then did a rip-off impersonation of his previous roles. Weird plot, terrible casting, freaky demon-things for no reason at all, predictable plot twists, bad acting, etc. You get the picture.<br /><br /><i>My Previous Top 10 Lists:</i><br /><a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2005/01/top-ten-movies-of-2004.html">2004</a>, <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2006/01/top-ten-movies-of-2005.html">2005</a>, <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2007/01/top-ten-movies-of-2006.html">2006</a> & <a href="http://jagrant.blogspot.com/2008/01/top-ten-movies-of-2007.html">2007</a><br /><br /><i>References:</i><br /><a href="http://www.film-releases.com/film-release-schedule-2008.php">Film Release Dates for 2008</a><br /><a href="http://www.the-numbers.com/market/movies2008.php">Top Grossing Movies of 2008</a>Jamie A. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398076133406398223noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737257.post-8163865752160316592008-11-24T13:00:00.009-05:002008-11-24T13:18:18.827-05:00Couple of Snowflakes<center></center>Questions for Couples:<ul><li>Do you want or need time apart from each other?</li><li>How much money/time is devoted to each of your hobbies?</li><li>Is it important to share your spiritual beliefs?</li><li>Who takes care of the cleaning, the cooking, the bills, the planning?</li><li>How often to you see family and friends, and are you together or apart?</li><li>How many kids will you have, and when? If you do, how will you raise them?</li><li>How do you deal with conflict?</li><li>What makes your partner feel good? How do you show your love to them?</li><li>How has your relationship or how have your views changed over time?</li></ul>It's fascinating to talk to friends and other couples about how they view romantic relationships and marriage. Whether or not they're single, every person has their own perspective on these things. And each couple seems to have a very unique set of "ground rules" that they live by, a common understanding about how to live together and how to relate to one another.<br /><br />This personal perspective is developed by many things. It's based on our values, the things that we believe in and expect. It's based on our personality, the way that we communicate and listen, the things that make us feel good or bad. It's based on how we grew up, on our experiences, on our history. It's based on everyday things, like how much money we have or where we live. Everything that makes us so distinctly <i>us</i> drives how we see relationships.<br /><br />That's where things get interesting. The lessons that we have learned and the rules that we live by may not work very well at all for someone else. The spoken and unspoken guidelines that we use (or will use) within our own romantic relationship may give us a lifetime of love but those same guidelines may cripple another couple.<br /><br />And when we discuss these things with other people, we may be shocked to learn how they look at things. We may try to convince them that we have it figured out. We may analyze their relationship to spot potential dangers and explain their actions. We have gained some wisdom and we're confident that everyone would benefit from it.<br /><br />Just look at the first question at the top. Some couples love being together constantly. At home, at work, at play, with friends...they're hardly ever apart. Some couples relish their time apart, showing that absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder. Some couples live with the fact that their careers keep them away from each other for extended periods of time, and some couples would prefer to change careers rather than be apart for weeks at a time. The thing is, a healthy relationship is possible in any of these scenarios.<br /><br />As I continue to learn and grow as a married man, I'm always discovering things about myself and about my beautiful wife and about our relationship. I want to write and explain some of these things. Sometimes it's practical ("Take out the trash before it stinks") and sometimes it's more philosophial ("What about her love languages?") but the goal is to deepen a healthy and passionate love for one another.<br /><br />And as I continue to write about what I/we have learned, it's tempting to turn these insights into dogma and present it as wisdom from on high. That's just not how life works. We're all unique, we're all a little normal and we're all a little odd. We're a couple of snowflakes - or just some flakes, if you will. Each relationship is an incredible combination of two individual souls and we need to appreciate that and learn from each other, applying whatever works without dismissing the rest...Jamie A. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398076133406398223noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737257.post-21513573294986259212008-10-18T13:22:00.005-04:002008-10-18T13:28:31.217-04:00His Needs, Her Needs<center></center>In preparing for our wedding last June, we did some premarital counseling with my former pastor Leonard Terry and his wife Carrie. They spoke with us about their experiences in a very matter-of-fact way and were really able to relate to us. They explored various issues like financial plans, past romantic history, and future goals. They wanted to make sure we knew each other well and that we knew what we were getting into. They emphasized balance in everything, repeatedly giving examples about how even the best relationship advice in the world can become harmful if you take it too far.<br /><br />Beyond that, they provided us with a few different books to work through together. To be honest, some of them weren't expecially good but several of them were amazingly insightful. They captured the dynamics of committed romantic relationships and explained them in a way that was easy to grasp. Even though we were both in our late twenties, it was surprising to discover so much about ourselves and about our relationship as we worked through these books.<br /><br />As I begin to write about marriage, I wanted to introduce some of these books along with the core concepts. The first one, and the one that we refer to most frequently, is called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/His-Needs-Her-Building-Affair-Proof/dp/0800717880">His Needs, Her Needs</a> by Willard F. Harley Jr. It discusses the idea that both partners each have their own needs - not just selfish desires or preferences, but genuine needs. The author offers his list of the ten most prominent needs for married couples, which includes (in no particular order)...<ol><li>Affection</li><li>Sexual Fulfillment</li><li>Conversation</li><li>Recreational Companionship</li><li>Honesty & Openness</li><li>Physical Attractiveness</li><li>Financial Support</li><li>Domestic Support</li><li>Family Commitment</li><li>Admiration</li></ol>Very often, we don't even realize that we have some of these needs so it's helpful to analyze ourselves. We may not realize how fulfilling or ignoring these needs can make us feel either good or bad, and how these things affect our relationship. With this in mind, we can learn how to express ourselves better. On the flip side, we can learn more about our partner and we can see how to draw closer together.<br /><br />The needs are co-operative. Fulfilling a need for our partner often leads to them reciprocating and fulfilling our own need in some way. It's a positive effect, building and building. For example, sharing in some recreational fun that we both enjoy can easily lead to extended conversations afterwards. As another example, the parallel needs of affection and sexual fulfillment become entwined, displays of love leading to sex and sex leading to more displays of love.<br /><br />Conversely, this spiral of needs can also be destructive. Hurting our partner may lead them to shut down on us and ignore our needs, which in turn hurts us and makes us less inclined to fill their needs. Sometimes this process is intentional, withholding something in revenge or for spite. Sometimes it's unintentional, like when we feel hurt by dishonesty and we're not in the mood to touch one another. Either negatively or positively, whether we're aware of it or not, we always play this role in the health of our relationship.<br /><br />These principles apply to married couples and non-married couples alike, which is why I like to refer to "partners" instead of "spouses." Naturally, I'm a big fan of marriage since I love my wife so much but these same dynamics are active in any long-term romantic relationship. This back-and-forth is always happening and we have to realize that we honestly require some things and the other person is the same way. It's the natural give and take (although "Give & Take" is something I will get into more later).<br /><br />I have a lot of thoughts about this topic and about the various specific needs, and the book has much more to say about it. I may follow up with more thoughts on these things in future posts but you're welcome to track down that book yourself or open more discussions on this blog...Jamie A. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398076133406398223noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737257.post-28814612072683135972008-10-15T23:39:00.006-04:002008-10-16T00:24:57.663-04:00Life Together<center></center>As a newlywed, I have found that my entire perspective on life has changed quite dramatically. It's like I was wandering in the dark by moonlight and the sun has risen. It's like I was severely near-sighted (as I actually am) and now I have better than 20/20 vision. It's not that life itself has changed but now I can see so much more of it.<br /><br />Not only can I see more but I also see things differently. Through the lens of my relationship with my wife Cam, everything is transformed. How I see myself, how I know God, how I value friendships, how I look at marriages... I feel like I was an ant that was surrounded by these gigantic things and I suddenly grew into a man that could hold these same things in my hand. My life will never be the same and it's amazing and incredible and miraculous.<br /><br />As I go along, I am planning to write about a few concepts that I have learned that have really helped me understand the dynamics of relationships, in particular romantic relationships. It's interesting to discuss these things with my friends and discover how diverse we are, how unique each couple is and how different our ideas are. Hopefully you'll enjoy my thoughts on these matters and maybe you'll even find some of these things practical and useful in your own life. In return, you're welcome to share and contribute your own wisdom and experience...Jamie A. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398076133406398223noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737257.post-71450605487910842542008-09-09T00:54:00.001-04:002008-09-09T00:56:00.076-04:00Links & Blinks<center></center>Whole buncha random links for ya today...<br /><br />The man who has been playing the Raptors Mascot for the past twelve years was voted as the best mascot in North American professional sports. He also worked as the red mascot at the recent Summer Olympics. <a href="http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/olympics/story/4214954p-4807737c.html">This article</a> talks about his humble beginnings as a small-town tumbler. How cool is it that we have one of the best mascots in the world?<br /><br />A few weeks back, Toronto hosted the annual <a href="http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/481763">Buskerfest</a>. Street performers from all around the world join the fun. Check out that link to see some videos and hear some cool stories. You may also recognize one of the "poppers" from recent IKEA ads on television.<br /><br />Wanna see a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKcAbWeHgVY">cool clip</a> of Tiger Woods putting a Rubik's Cube?<br /><br />In recent news, Google has released a new web browser called Google Chrome. Check out <a href="http://www.google.com/googlebooks/chrome/">this comic</a> that explains the advantages and functionality. I like it when a subject combines my geeky comicness with my nerdy learningness...<br /><br />Here's a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKK933KK6Gg">cool video</a> of a presentation given by the MythBuster guys. They have an automated paintball gun that can pain the Mona Lisa in less than a second!<br /><br />From the creator of The Sims, they present the <a href="http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/490954">new game Spore</a>. You design and build animals, evolving them from single-celled organisms through to giant creatures that can duke it out with others. Quite the novel concept, I'd like to try it sometime.<br /><br />And finally, here's <a href="http://www.thestar.com/sciencetech/article/490704">a story</a> about an elephant that was addicted to heroin. Now <i>that's</i> a curious problem...Jamie A. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398076133406398223noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737257.post-56292402051635553822008-08-09T12:58:00.003-04:002008-08-09T13:34:52.695-04:00Links & Blinks<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_m5vkXMgqxUU/SJ3M1YkRpgI/AAAAAAAAAdY/F_sIy0nkOMo/s1600-h/JAGBlogWordle.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_m5vkXMgqxUU/SJ3M1YkRpgI/AAAAAAAAAdY/F_sIy0nkOMo/s400/JAGBlogWordle.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232563559574119938" /></a><br /><center></center>A few weeks ago, our parents took a vacation to B.C. While they were away, my sister hatched a plan to give them an excellent birthday gift. My brother, my sister, Cam and I teamed up to completely remodel their two-car garage. My brother bought and installed a new garage door opener, which my dad has been dying to have for a couple of years now. My sister worked her butt off for two weeks, mudding the drywall and a number of other things. And Cam and I joined the fun, spending tons of time over one weekend painting and cleaning and installing new window blinds.<br /><br />It was an excellent surprise that utterly astonished our parents. Flabbergasticated. My dad wrote about his reaction <a href="http://davidagrant.blogspot.com/2008/07/fantastic-gift.html">here</a> and my mom wrote abour her reaction <a href="http://davidagrant.blogspot.com/2008/07/timmys-dead-rats-and-clicker.html">here</a>. Congrats a la famille!<br /><br />(And now for something completely different...)<br /><br />Just for fun, I recommend that you visit the website <a href="http://wordle.net/create">http://wordle.net/create</a>. You can enter a URL or type in a paragraph of text and it creates a randomized graphic with the words. Click the "Randomize" button at the bottom and it will change the layout. The trick is that words that are used more frequently appear larger. I plugged in my blog and it generated the picture shown above, and you can see that I speak fairly frequently about my loving wife Cam. ;)<br /><br />As for sports, I happened to come across <a href="http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1077812/index.htm">an ancient article</a> written by the legendary <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Russell">Bill Russell</a>, 11-time NBA champion. It was published in Sports Illustrated 1965, and he explains various tricks that his teams used to psych out their opponents. Fascinating insight into what it takes to get that competitive edge...<br /><br />Finally, my good friend <a href="http://battlegraffiti.blogspot.com">Battle</a> has created his own <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29210892@N02/">photostream on flickr</a>. He's still out around London creating his awesome graffiti. Keep up the good work, mon ami!Jamie A. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07398076133406398223noreply@blogger.com2