Summer 2008 Movies
March 15, 2008 | 2 Comments
There is no doubt I am going to spend way too much money this summer if I see half the movies I’m excited about.
Here’s a chronological list of the goodness I’m paying attention to, it’s nearly every week:
Leatherheads - April 4th - So April isn’t summer… but the trio of Clooney, Krasinski and Zellweger looks spectacularly funny.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall - April 18th - One name, Kristen Bell. If you still have doubts, check the trailer.
Iron Man - May 2nd - Can’t miss this.
Speed Racer - May 9th - Visually exciting, mixed opinions on the Wachowski brothers after two crappy Matrix sequels…
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - May 16th - I didn’t love the first, but this looks a bit darker and more interesting to me.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - May 22nd - Another can’t miss. I hope this hold up to the originals.
Sex in the City - May 30th - I don’t care, but my wife could make this unavoidable…
You Don’t Mess With The Zohan - June 6th - Probably wait until this hits DVD, but I generally enjoy Adam Sandler. He hasn’t had a big hit lately, he’s do.
Kung Fu Panda - June 6th - Jack Black as a Dreamworks digitally animated panda? W00t.
The Incredible Hulk - June 13th - The first Hulk movie looked good, but lacked substance. Can Ed Norton put this franchise back on track? Loved the trailer, I’ll be there for this in the theater.
The Happening - June 13th - M. Night Shyamalan had 2 great movies, followed by three increasingly forgettable ones. Zooey Deschanel always intrigues me, but this will get a pass until it hits DVD.
Get Smart - June 20th - The classic TV series was great fun. Steve Carell is perfect for the part, let’s hope he does better with this than Will Farrell did with Bewitched…
Wanted - June 27th - Holy crap. I can’t begin to explain my excitement about Mark Millar’s creator owned book being made into an adrenaline pumping, full blown, summer popcorn flick. (plus Angelina Jolie) This year’s V for Vendetta or 300.
Wall-E - June 27th - If you want more family fare this weekend, Pixar rarely disappoints. (yeah… I hate Cars)
Hancock - July 2nd - Will Smith plays a not-so-super hero. Trailer was enough to get me excited.
Hell Boy II: The Golden Army - July 11th - I’ve been patiently waiting for this since credits rolled on the first film. Must see.
The Dark Knight - July 18th - If you have a pulse, you’ll be in line for this.
The X-Files 2 - July 25th - I’m happily shocked that this movie exists. I miss the X-Files so much…
Star Wars: Clone Wars - August 15th - This new animated adventure existing between Episodes 2 and 3 is flying shockingly far below the radar. I have a feeling this will be the greatest Star Wars movie since Return of the Jedi, but no one seems to be talking much about it…
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - November 21st - Not summer, but another blockbuster to look forward to in 2008.
If 1/3 of these are good, this could be a movie summer to remember. See you at the movies!
Tags: 2008, 300, adam sandler, Angelina Jolie, animated, batman, cars, chris carter, chronicles of narnia, clone wars, dark knight, david duchovny, dreamworks, forgetting sarah marshall, george clooney, george lucas, golden army, half blood prince, hancock, happening, harrison ford, harry potter, hellboy, hellboy 2, hulk, incredible hulk, indiana jones, iron man, jack black, John Krasinski, kingdom of the crystal skull, kristn bell, kung fu panda, leatherheads, m night shyamalan, mark millar, marvel, matric, movie, movies, pixar, prince caspian, renee zellweger, return of the jedi, robert downey junior, sex in the city, speed racer, star wars, summer, summer 2008, summer movies, trailer, trailers, v for vendetta, wachowski, wachowski brothers, wall-e, wanted, Will smith, x-files, xfiles, you don't mess with the zohan, zohan
Election 2008: Joe Biden
November 25, 2007 | 2 Comments
When I heard Senator Joe Biden would be in town, I knew I would have to see him, but my hopes were low.
Like Richardson, I had also seen him on the Daily Show, but this was a couple years ago. At that time I had him seriously pegged as a potential contender for the presidency. Yet as this campaign season progressed, he put his foot in his mouth a couple times and the media latched on to this pushing him further and further down the list. For me he had joined Mike Gravel and Dennis Kucinich as a long shot candidate.
Seeing Biden speak caused me to do a complete 180. Without question, Joe Biden has been pushed into his current position in the election by bad media coverage. I think this is unfair and dangerous. I passionately hope for Biden to find some momentum and begin to be mentioned alongside or above Clinton and Obama.
Biden is unbelievably strong on foreign policy. Where Richardson had good experience, Biden has that and more. He has even managed to get a bi-partisan non-binding agreement for a plan on how to succeed in Iraq passed in the Senate. This is a huge accomplishment, but better yet, he explained why a non-binding agreement was useful politically. Taking a complicated political maneuver like that and putting into useful understandable terms was great.
His plans for health care seemed reasonable and incremental. Rather than attack an overwhelmingly huge “universal health care” plan, he instead has broken it down into goals that can more easily and independently be accomplished. He also explains where he’ll find the funding for this initiative…
Along with that topic, as he talks it occurs to me that with every initiative and plan he talks about, he states an estimated cost and where he can find the money to fund it in the budget. This level of fiscal responsibility is refreshing.
This is certainly a candidate I can throw my full support behind. Sure he’s had a few controversial comments, but that bit of humanity doesn’t scare me. Down the road, this guy can talk the talk and walk the walk on all the issues.
Tags: 2008, biden, election 2008, joe biden, nh primary
Election 2008: My Background
October 18, 2007 | 1 Comment
As I live in NH, I get the opportunity to meet a number of presidential candidates and form an opinion using first hand experience. I find that my opinions of candidates can sometimes change in retrospect, so I intend on chronicling my experiences and meetings going forward. However, there is some history I’d like to get out so I have a starting point.
The first national election I paid attention to was the 1992 primary. I was merely 12, but I can remember supporting Tom Harkin in a formal grade school debate. Bill Clinton went on to win that primary and later the national election. During the national election, I was quite curious about Ross Perot. His concise, non-politician sounding, talk was intriguing. His platform was clear and I was a bit torn before finally siding back toward my liberal roots with Clinton.
Eight years later in 2000 I was finally of age to participate. As a college student in NH, I was able go out and meet candidates. Out of the blue I took the opportunity to meet George W. Bush in Lebanon, NH. What stuck out for me most was his odd spin on how to reform education. More mandatory standardized testing and tax credits for enrolling students in private schools seemed insane to me. Later, I saw John McCain speak and realized that not all Republicans were crazy. With this in mind and Al Gore a sure thing on the Democrat ticket, I’d oppose Bush in any way possible way. This led to me voting for McCain in the primary, which he ended up winning in NH, even though he would go on to lose nationally.
By the time the election came around, I was uninspired by Al Gore and had lost faith with the two party system. I then dipped my toe back into the third party concept and threw my support behind Ralph Nader. When the election was eventually awarded to Bush, I felt somewhat bad about not having supported Gore, when he was electable and superior to Bush. With this in mind, I was more passionate in my opposition of Bush and certain that in the future I would only support candidates I feel are electable.
In the 2004 campaign I met Howard Dean. For the first time, I had found a candidate who truly resonated with me. I vowed to do anything possible to help him get elected. This was the first time I got involved in helping a candidate’s campaign. Beyond participating in the campaign, I took the opportunity to see him speak two additional times before the election, each time reassuring me that this was the strongest person to lead America. When his campaign imploded, I remained faithfully hopeful, but was heartbroken to see his hopes of the White House dwindle. The primary was eventually won by John Kerry.
This left me forced to put my support behind John Kerry, in continued resistance to Bush. Without a doubt this was a better choice than George W Bush and I would not make the mistake of refusing to choose the lesser of two evils in a close election again. Of course everyone knows how this election eventually turned out, Bush getting four more years in Washington.
This leads us to Election 2008… With George W Bush out of the equation, I feel like any candidate will be an improvement, leaving me very hopeful for the future. This also has the side effect of me needing to look at each candidate equally, on both side of the aisle. Over time, I’ll post my impressions of each that I get to see. Of course keep in mind… I’ve never supported any candidate who has gone on to win the presidency…
Tags: 1992, 2000, 2004, 2008, america, bill clinton, Bush, clinton, college, dean, election, george bush, george w bush, harkin, howard dean, john kerry, kerry, new hampshire, nh, politics, primary, ralph nader, tom harkin