[Book Review] Half Empty by David Rakoff

Posted on by
Reply

Overview:

For years, I have had to endure countless people telling me how much better my consistently unfulfilling life would be if I were to simply adapt a more positive outlook. Having never believed this statement to be factual, naturally I was intrigued when I heard of a book which took comedic aim at debunking the notion that optimism is directly related to happiness.

And while Half Empty, the new book by acclaimed humorist David Rakoff wasn’t exactly what I expected it to be, it was an intriguing and consistently entertaining book about the author’s misanthropic life. Continue reading →

[Movie Review] True Grit (2010)

Posted on by
1

True Grittakes a unique approach to the modern western, trading in the traditional solemn, dry, overly serious tone for a darkly comedic, impeccably acted one that really allows it to differentiate itself among its peers in the genre as a film that bucks trends rather than embrace the status quo.

True Grit is a fine film, boasting tremendous performances, a compelling narrative, and plenty of gunfire to satisfy almost every movie goer. It’s not a flawless movie, but in a weak year, it’s likely to be adorned with plenty of accolades, many of which will be directed toward the stellar cast.

Continue reading →

[Movie Review] How Do You Know (2010)

Posted on by
Reply

How Do You Know is hardly a bad movie. It’s well produced and boasts a charming cast, has some interesting things to say about relationships, and is lighthearted and easy to digest.

The film, the most recent effort from writer/director James L. Brooks, just never really takes advantage of all the positives it has going for it, instead becoming another tragic example of a writer who tries too hard to say something, and winds up saying nothing at all. Like the title suggests, it’s a general statement without the necessary punctuation.

How Do You Know tells the story of Lisa, George, and Matty; three attractive D.C. area people in various stages of their lives. Lisa (Reese Witherspoon) is a former Team USA Softball player who has aged out of her spot on the team. George (Paul Rudd) is a successful corporate type in the midst of a federal indictment, and Matty (Owen Wilson) is a playboy pitcher for the Washington Nationals.

Continue reading →

[Movie Review] Tron: Legacy (2010)

Posted on by
Reply

I would have a hard time naming more than ten movies off the top of my head in rapid succession that are as visually stunning as Tron: Legacy is for the bulk of two hours.

Unfortunately, I could also lump Tron: Legacy into the large group of films that succeed almost solely based on their jaw-dropping special effects while providing little to care about in terms of characters, or plot.

But even with it’s slight deficiencies, Tron: Legacy can still be considered a success. The movie is a visual feast with an amazing soundtrack, mediocre acting, and a swiss-cheese level plot. So what if it’s only entertaining, and not an awards contender.

Continue reading →

[Energy Drink Review] Sin Vitality Drink: Greed

Posted on by
1

Here’s a portion of a review from Caffeine Critic:

Sinning is bad. Sinning is deliberate disregard for the rules and regulations for human behavior set forth by the Holy Bible. And that is bad. If you don’t believe in the bible, sinning could be defined as disregard for the rules and regulations for human behavior set forth by society. You know, your peers, your friends, your social groups, cops. Especially cops.

Drinking Sin is nowhere near as bad as committing sin. Killing babies, drowning babies, punching babies, suffocating babies, burning babies, choking babies, dropping babies, spilling babies, throwing babies, bashing babies, tripping babies, pushing babies, mocking babies, eating babies, drinking babies, stealing babies, shooting babies, buying babies, selling babies, puking babies, cooking babies, losing babies, hiding babies, and mowing babies. Babies, babies, babies! What am I, some kind of Baby Rights Activist?

Come to think of it, no. No I’m not.

Don’t forget to read the full review!

The Top Five TV Shows of the Past Decade and One Year

Posted on by
16

Last year at decade’s end, I compiled a few best of and worst of lists to commemorate the first 10 years of the new millennium. However, when doing this, for some reason I neglected to compile any sort of list for my favorite entertainment medium; television.

And seeing as how I am without question the most reputable voice of opinion on the internet, it doesn’t seem fair to the masses who suckle at my every word not to put something together regarding my opinion on TV. So with that, here are the shows that wielded through the cluttered reality TV mess of the past several years and showed there will always be a place for quality, scripted television.

Honorable Mentions:

The Office (US Version, NBC), Modern Family (ABC) Extras (HBO/BBC), Arrested Development before it became unbearably smug and entirely self-referential (ie, Season One)

5. Flight of the Conchords (HBO)

Sure, this import from New Zealand only ran for two seasons. And sure, only one of them was truly good. But if there was any one season that yielded a spot on this list on its own individual merits, it’s the first season of Flight of the Conchords.

From the quirky songs, hilariously bizarre dialogue and situations and a nearly perfect cast, FOTC was one of the great comedy creations when it hit the airwaves in 2007, and even though it petered out surprisingly quickly, it still left a lasting impression on me and dozens of others.

4. Mad Men (AMC)

Perhaps the most critically acclaimed series of the past few years, it took me a few seasons to truly embrace this series about sexy people and their sexy adventures in the sexy world of 1960’s Madison Avenue Advertising. While I’ve enjoyed it from the get-go, for some reason it just didn’t make an overwhelming impact right away.

However, over the past few years, series creator Matthew Weiner (allegedly pronounced “why-ner.” Yeah, fucking right!) and the rest of the cast and crew have pulled me in with some of the most intricately plotted dramatic television today. And while it did create one of the most shockingly bizarre scenes in recent memory, Mad Men is arguably the least flashy great show of its time, and must be credited for being compelling without feeling as if it needs to constantly dazzle its audience.

Continue reading →

[Energy Drink Review] Monster: Absolutely Zero

Posted on by
Reply

Here’s a portion of a review on Caffeine Critic

People have been blowin’ up our inbox for years asking for a zero calorie Monster. We got it, but this ain’t soda pop, dude!

Making a zero calorie, zero sugar drink that’s good enough to earn the Monster M ain’t that easy.

Finally with a re-tooled energy blend, new sweetener system and hundres of failed flavors, we absolutely got it right!

Monster Absolutely Zero helps fight fatigue, improves mental performance and focus, motivates you to work (I mean play) harder, so generally you feel pretty damn good.

Zero calories, zero sugar, killer buzz… Absolutely Guaranteed!

Be sure to read the full review on CaffeineCritic.com!

[Food Review] Ben and Jerry’s Boston Cream Pie Ice Cream

Posted on by
1

Here’s a portion of David Roshinski’s review on Does It Hit The Spot:

Nothing is more iconic of a dessert in Massachusetts than the Boston cream pie. What is it exactly? Well, it’s an absolutely delicious pastry cream sandwiched between two light yellow cake halves with a chocolate icing spilled over it. The Boston cream pie was originally conceived at the Boston Parker House Hotel in Boston by French chef, M. Sanzian.

The packaging proudly states “Vermont’s finest” and has a picture of the dessert, a speech bubble to the home team, and the Paul Revere Statue. Each serving is one half cup, which is the standard serving size for ice cream. It contains 250 calories, 13 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 90 milligrams of cholesterol, 29 grams of carbohydrates, and 26 grams of sugar. Which is just a bit more than one slice of the actual dessert. But you don’t care about that. Even if you did, your figure has nothing to do with why you’re eating this ice cream, does it?

Read the full review on DIHTS.com.

[Game Review] Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)

Posted on by
2

System: Wii (Exclusive)
Developer: Retro Studios
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Platformer

The Donkey Kong Country series is, without a doubt, a staple memory for just about anyone who owned a Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The gameplay was rock solid, the music was outstanding, and the graphics were the absolute best you could find on any system. If you were old enough to play Donkey Kong Country when it came out, it probably still stands as one of your top SNES titles.

We’ve been waiting for a follow up to the series for quite a while now, and it is finally here in the form of Donkey Kong Country Returns. Nintendo has been bringing back a ton of old franchises lately, with games like New Super Mario Bros, Kirby’s Epic Yarn, Goldeneye 007, and the upcoming and highly anticipated Kid Icarus game for the 3DS. It’s only fitting that DK should get the same revival, and who better to helm such an important project than Retro Studios, the team that put gamers behind Samus’ visor for the critically acclaimed Metroid Prime trilogy.

Continue reading →

[Music Review] Kanye West “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” Deluxe Edition

Posted on by
1

Listening to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is an event. Somehow, in a world saturated with great music, Kanye West has proven an ability to regularly produce some of the most compelling, globally and internally poignant at once, most listenable pieces of music today. On his fifth album, as he has regularly done for nearly a decade now, Kanye has raised the bar to superhuman levels yet again, potentially changing the game one more time.

There is an internalized swagger that bursts out of your speakers for the entirety of this album. Kanye has never been lacking confidence, and here, it’s like listening to a man who is truly the best in the world at what he does. Kanye lets you know what’s truly on his mind, and that’s the sign of a truly good lyricist. He’s not painting these vague, generalized portraits here, these are personal songs. Kanye proves he hasn’t lost touch with the world. In fact, he might be getting a better handle on it with each album.

Continue reading →