Green Lantern

broderic on June 27, 2011

Green Lantern isn’t as bad a movie as the critics make it out to be. I’ve seen clunkers (I’m looking at you Fantastic Four movies) made from comic book movies and this one doesn’t lower itself to those other’s terrible-ness. It beat my low expectations.

Green Lantern suffers the issues associated with every first movie of a comic franchise: how to make the origin story compelling. We don’t have to worry about it for Green Lantern, because, besides comic geeks, no knows the origins of Green Lantern. The interesting origin is built it although it is rather pedestrian. The interstingness comes from lack of familiarity. There was nothing to screw up (I’m looking at you Xmen origins). The newness of this comic book hero mad it interesting already. It just a straight up telling of Green Lantern origins.

You do know that Green Lantern is the 3rd most powerful DC character. I don’t really care for DC, so this movie is even better for making me care. Ryan Reynolds is Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern. As much as expected, I was wanting more Van Wilder.

Overall, I’ve seen worse. If you’re a DC fan, does this live up to expectations?

3 of 5 stars.

12 Miles of Pathetic

broderic on June 25, 2011

I haven’t really rode my bikes since 2009. Sure, I took a spin on it around the neighborhood twice last year, but I really haven’t spent time in the saddle.

This AM I took my Kona to the NCR trail trying to get motivated to ride. Was planning to go from Ashland to Monkton which is about 7 miles out and 7 miles back. I started out quick, but from Ashland it is downhill. Around 5 miles I was getting worried that I wouldn’t feel good enough to make it back. I was thinking that I bonked. What can I say, I didn’t make it to Monkton falling a stop short.

My legs felt as heavy as my body. There’s no strength in them.

I eased my way back to my car with my tail between my legs. What’s gonna happen when I really go out on a ride?

Quote of the Day [6.24.11]

broderic on June 24, 2011

When I was just a baby, my momma told me,
"Son, always be a good boy. Don't ever play with guns."
But I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die.
When I hear that whistle blowing,
I hang my head and cry"Folsom Prison Blues" Johnny Cash

Crabs

broderic on June 21, 2011

Weirdly, I want to have some crabs right now. Some freshly steamed crabs with Old Bay. Summertime!

Tortilla

broderic on June 18, 2011

Spanish Tortilla: Out of the oven

This week I started eating salad for lunch trying to lose some weight. I bought too much vegetables so that by the weekend I had left over onions and peppers. I needed to use them before they go old. Somehow I thought that I should make a Spanish tortilla, an omlet. I can cook scrambled eggs so how hard can it be?

First, I prepped the onions and peppers. Just fry them up like normal in a bit of oil. They recommend olive oil, but all I have is canola. Then comes the potatoes. I used white potatoes because of their size. Slice them up. If I was a better knife handler, they would all be the same thickness, but they weren’t. Cook these up as well. When done remove the excess oil from the pan. Lower the heat on it and get ready to put everything pack into the pan. I was worried that they would stick to the pan so I put a little bit of butter before arranging the potatoes on the bottom. Then I put the fried peppers, onions and tomatoes on top. Took four eggs and scrambled them then poured over the vegetables. I finished it off with some feta cheese. Let sit for about 1 minute before I slid the pan into a pre-heated the oven at 325F. Cooked for about 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Let sit for a few minutes. With a spatula, free up the edges, put a plate over the pan and flip. Enjoy!

Spanish Tortilla: Turned out

Things to note, because I may forget.

Use less oil. I used too much for the pepper, onion, tomatoe mixture so that as the tortilla came out of the oven it was too oily. Use more salt. I’m watching my sodium, but more salt is needed to give the tortilla a kick. At least the feta cheese added to the saltiness. Slice potatoes better. Or even the peppers. I should’ve diced them. That pan handle is hot after it comes out of the oven. Yes I know, but not being in the kitchen very often.

Super 8

broderic on June 13, 2011

After all the bombast of the latest summer films, Super 8 was a nice respite. It doesn’t hit you over the head with action scenes after action scenes, but it builds slow like films of yesteryear, the 70s to be exact.

It harkens back to lots of movies that occurred before the advent of Michael Bay. There is not much spinning or hyper-cutting or stupid action that happens for actions sake. There is a deliberate pace, a build up to the climax.

It’s an abandoned alien story with a modern twist. CG. It had some close encounters aspects, mixed with ET, some Goonies, some ID4. It was 1979. It was fun to bike to school, to your friends house, to town. Biking is good. It gets you around. Ask Elliot.

The alien was supposedly friendly. How friendly can you get stuck on this rock since Roswell.? He was also weird. I couldn’t decide what he was or if it was cool. Not really, but ET phone home right?

I saw this in a digital theatre and it was dark. Not the movie, but the projection. I should’ve watched the analog print. Better that way. Has this digital stuff been terrible especially with that 3D technology?

3 of 5 stars

Homestand

broderic on June 12, 2011

Back home from the tonight’s game. Made some updates to the picture posts because they were upside down.

It was a close one and the O’s should’ve one that one, but shoddy defense cost them the game. Felix has got to catch that ball. It hits your glove you should’ve had it. I think Nolan would’ve gotten that one. And our first baseman who’s up for only a few games doesn’t make the catches to keep them in it.

Mark Reynolds clobbered the ball tonight. His second homer was a moon shot that looked to be falling in but just kept going and going and going 415 yards from home, a monster shot. I’ll post the video of his first homer soon.

The ball girl wore a pony tail!

Sat with the people I sat with a few games ago. They were old white folks but they seemed to enjoy the game. Good times.

The Yard was rocking tonight in that bottom of the 8th. I hadn’t heard it that loud in a long time. Not perhaps since opening day a few years ago and even then. It was something to behold and hear.

I’m 3-2 on the times I’ve been to the Yard, the Orioles have been battling, and it’s summer. Should I go tomorrow?