The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

broderic on March 30, 2013

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is a mess. It’s like a lame magic trick. You know its bad. You feel terrible watching it. And yet you keep watching hoping that there will be magic soon. The magic never appears and all you have is fake. Bad magic means a bad movie.

The mess is because the movie doesn’t know what to tone to take with the magic. Should it laugh at the practitioners? It did sometimes, but other times their earnestness came through. Olivia Wilde’s character, sadly misused, wanted to be a magician when she grew up. Same with the leads, Steve Carell and Steve Buscemi. Should it treat magic with ironic detachment similar to Blades of Glory? Maybe. It made fun of it and took magic seriously.

The major problem was Burt Wonderstone became a dick as an adult. He took to magic because when he was young because he was friendless and bullied. Yet, when we meet him as an adult he was jaded from the magic. I could not believe that change in him. He needed to find the magic again. Which was another part of the story.

Again, the movie was all over the place. Not very good. And that’s bad magic.

2 of 5 stars.

Metropolitan Baseball Nine

broderic on March 23, 2013

Metropolitan baseball nine 1882 (LOC)

Getting ready for the season? Here’s a picture from the Library of Congress of the Metropolitan Baseball Nine. I think these are the Mets of yore. They look imposing, but I’m sure they were a knock over. Same as the current Mets. Baseball is baseball.

Jovial

broderic on March 23, 2013

jovial |ˈjōvēəl|
adjective
1. cheerful and friendly
2. Bernardo D. Gonzales, Jr., M.D.

I miss him so.

Quote of the Day [3.15.13]

broderic on March 16, 2013

“Did you get the letters that I sent last summer,” you asked again and again
Well they been pilin’ up on the top shelf in my closet
Yeah, and I read them every now and then
It’s got me feelin’ kinda stuck like “What the Fuck” is goin’ on,
someone tell me what is happening
Yeah, you been actin’ like you’re too cool for far too long. It’s OK it’s just kind of embarassin’
See, I been sneakin’, I been sneakin’, I been sneakin’,
wonderin’ just what I’ll see
You turned around and stared, you squinted then you glared and I was leanin’ back in the passenger seat.

Cayucas, “High School Lover”

Link of the Day [3.15.13]

broderic on March 15, 2013

So after accepting Google shutting down Reader, you’ll have to get all your subscriptions and stuff back, right? Well at least Google will help you. Anyhow, go Argo yourself Google. That’s the last vestige of any Google application I am using (maybe except for YouTube), so good riddance.

Go get your RSS and remember to do it by July!

http://support.google.com/reader/answer/3028851So

Link of the Day [3.14.13]

broderic on March 14, 2013

The last bit of Google I use will disappear in July. No not Snapseed Desktop for Macintosh, but Google Reader. I’ve been a user since its introduction. I’ve always used it for reading websites at work — it makes it easier to visit blocked sites and to look like your working and not visiting websites. But now its gone.

Go Argo yourself Google. You can’t put ads in my RSS reader, so now you want to stop the fun. Oh well, I’ve got to find an alternative. Anyone know some type of replacement?

http://googleblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/a-second-spring-of-cleaning.html

Quote of the Day [3.14.13]

broderic on March 14, 2013

“Are you goin’ to the party on Saturday,” she asked as if I didn’t know
See ever since I saw you on the back of some guy’s bicycle
Well I’ve been feelin’ kinda so-so
So, girl don’t act so surprised, got that look in your light-blue eyes, you can stop pretendin’
Yeah, I been watchin’ the movie all along, wonderin’ if there was gonna be an ending
To the story, to the story, to the story
I guess I’ll never know

Cayucas, “High School Lover”

Link of the Day [3.13.13]

broderic on March 13, 2013

I could’ve been an animator. I would’ve loved to have been an animator. From the Loony Tunes and Merry Melodies of my youth to today’s CG spectacles, I dig animated movies. I would’ve loved to have been involved in the industry. Maybe I can make the pixels on your computer screen dance one day.

Anyway, enjoy this new Mickey Mouse short. It’s somewhat enjoyable — especially the French. It’s something new from an old franchise.

http://video.disney.com/watch/croissant-de-triomphe-4d7b3aae690a98650d776d97

Pure Pleasure

broderic on March 13, 2013

My soundtrack for the rowing machine. It keeps me going.

I started on this disk which is right on the swing era. The big bands can make you move, because they were always meant to make you dance.

My cadence has a little swing to it.

I’m eventually going to make it back around to the beginning. Maybe I might have already rowed around the world.