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Review: Fast and the Furious – Tokyo Drift

Before I start off this next review of the other film we watched on Friday night, I have to send out a salute to our good friend James who came up with the title Fast and the Curious as to what this movie’s title would be if it were a pornography film.

Anyhow, if you’ve seen the previous Fast and the Furious movies, you know you’re in for a treat full of high paced race sequences.

I was not disappointed. It was cool to see this film introduce the term drifting into my vocabulary as I had been oblivious that vehicles could glide across the pavement so easily (at least in Tokyo they can. I have not seen evidence that you can do this sort of thing in North America).

I liked the characters and the classic story of the young one who knows nothing but then learns everything and kicks some ass at the end of the film. You can’t go wrong with an underdog story! Recommend this film if you want to zone out and think of nothing else but a car chase.

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Review: Nacho Libre

On Friday night, Mike and Mel had a slew of people over for Movie Night (which was excellent by the way).

The men retired to the basement to avoid any lame women films and poppped in Nacho Libre – the newest work to star our favourite Jack Black.

Unfortunately, this is the first Jack Black movie which didn’t live up to the hype. Both Mike and I have been waiting a LONG time to watch this film and were disappointed. I had only got through an hour of it a few months ago so was glad to catch the ending of it this time around.

Overall, it had some funny parts. The wrestling was pretty funny. But the rest of the cast is lackluster and if people were expecting a Napolean Dynamite all over again are in for a disappointment.

This also falls into the dreaded ‘best parts are in the trailer’ scenario. Perhaps we shouldn’t watch trailers over, and over, and over again as Mike and I did.

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New (Old) Star Wars Editions

Let’s talk a little about everyone’s favourite subject – Star Wars.

You may not know it, but tomorrow the original trilogy is being re-released on DVD in a LIMITED EDITION format with the 2004 edition (with all the new bells and whistles) along with (for the first time on DVD), the ORIGINAL untouched versions that you would have saw in the theatre back in the 70s.

Now, everyone and their grandmother (except for you Nanny!) have been asking for the original versions to be released on DVD at some point.

But you know what? They aren’t even touching them up to make them look decent. With the re-release of the movies back in 2004, they went through frame by frame and redid the sound, the picture, everything!

Personally, I dig the new versions. However, I know there are a few things missing from the new versions which I wish they would have kept. Oh Wolfman in the Cantian scene, where art thou?

Anyhow, back to my public service annoucement. Don’t bother getting this set unless you are so die-hard of a fan that you need everything that is Star Wars. Here’s a little gem of information that people may not know – 30th Anniversary of Star Wars next year. Can we say a NEW BOX SET of all the movies? Chances are, that’s what’s going to happen.

So why bother spending the $75 now for all three movies just to get the original craptacular versions as a bonus feature? Why not save that money and get the new editions that will most likely have the prequel trilogy redone?

Just wanted to put the thought in your head for those who are interested in getting these movies coming out tomorrow. Make sure you know what you’re purchasing.

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Rogers Installation Fees

Quick, if anyone here knows how to get out of the installation charges for Rogers Television ($30), drop me a line.

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Swimmers Itch

After an extended period of time with very little physical activity, I bit the bullet and returned to my life as a fish and joined the pool down the street at the Holiday Inn.

Carole from work tipped me off to this hidden gem – I’ve been swimming there for the past two days and I had the entire pool to myself. Sure, it’s not Olympic size, but it’s not small either. Plus, the hours of operation are 7AM – 10PM, unlike all the other pools in town that have very specific schedules that don’t always flow with mine (like 9PM – 10PM. Come on. I’m in bed.)

It cost me $48 for the month which isn’t too shabby. It would be nice if U of Ottawa had some decent pool schedules as I can get there for free as a student, but so far, it’s worth paying $48 for the HIGHLY convenient spot to swim in (just a few blocks away from work) and then I can hop on the bus home from that point. Beauty. Hey, I can even bring in a guest if someone wishes.

Two thumbs up to the location and two thumbs up to the fact that I don’t even have to bring towels or a lock for the locker as they provide it for you. That’s service.

If any of you are interested in swimming in your area but find the schedule sucks, take a look at the local hotels. You never know!

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Review: Help! A Day In The Life

Yesterday, I picked up Help! A Day in the Life which is a compilation produced by Raine Maida (of OLP fame) with proceeds going towards War Child.

So far, it is an excellent disc as seen from the amazing lineup of artists who contributed some rare tracks. Take a look at the tracklisting here.

Let’s be honest, it’s all about the Sam Roberts track, Magic on My Mind.

But the album has got me thinking about charities and whatnot…as you may or may not know, I donate to the White Ribbon Foundation via my paycheque. The White Ribbon Foundation is a group of men promoting the end of violence towards women.

While I agree and support their cause, I started to think if this was the best choice of my money towards a charity.

I mean, looking at the liner notes of this album, it indicates that the amount I spend in a year can can support one war-affected household for a year, including education for women and their children, counseling and school support.

That’s pretty heavy when you think about your money going to helping actual people. Yes, yes, I know that the existing charity I’m giving money to is helping people also, but in some ways, it seems a little more concrete with War Child.

I suppose I’ll have to think about what I want my money to go towards when it comes to renewing my charitable donations form this year. I think that any charitable donation helps and that no one’s choice are wrong, as long as they put some thought into it. For those who don’t think too much when giving to charity, I suggest you start funnelling your money into the PPF (Palmer Pleasure Fund). 😉

So if you feel like helping out a good cause and getting a killer compilation album at the same time, pick up this album! $12.99 at Music World.

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Review: Snakes on a Plane

Heh heh heh…we all knew it was coming. SNAKES ON A PLANE!!!

We finally managed to go and see this film, and even though Benoit thought it was the worst movie ever (or was that X-Men 3?) we decided that we would embrace this movie in all the goodness that it could provide.

Mike, Vero, Trish, Sena, Jennie, Sophia and Spencer hit up the movie on Wednesday night at the World Exchange Plaza. Because it was a movie that’s been out for awhile, it got shifted to the smaller theatre. I would say 100 people could fit inside this room. It was good times laughing at the fact that we were the only ones in the theatre but then two poor souls came in behind us. I hope we made their stay enjoyable.

The movie has everything that is good in this world. Crummy dialogue, bad acting and a whole lot of snake gore. If you can think of any way a snake can kill you, well, it’s been done in this movie. I also appreciated the fact that Samuel Jackson’s famous LINE from the movie looks so out of place in the entire film considering he is always calm and serene up until that point.

We laughed, we cried, we heckled the screen. I have never been to a movie where a word comes out of my mouth in respect for the rest of the audience, but when the audience are your friends out for a good time to see SNAKES ON A PLANE, you can’t go wrong by laughing out loud at the screen everytime a snake slithers by.

Two thumbs up for this movie EXPERIENCE. I say this because most of you will be disappointed if you rent this thinking it’s a good movie. It’s a really good B-Movie. Watch it with friends and just laugh!

Favourite Line: “What we need to do, is make a barrier between US and the SNAKES!” – Captain Obvious himself, Sam Jackson.

On another note, Trish gave me my belated birthday gift which turned out to be a sweetass thermos with a picture saying “I *heart* Thermos Dogs!”. Ugh. Trish grew up on Thermos Dogs (as opposed to what she writes in this blog entry, which describes thermos dogs.). I don’t think she’ll ever convert me, but I’m glad I have a trusty thermos to carry them in, in case of an emergency. Thanks for the ingenious gift Trish!

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Weekend Recap: Meaford

So after a grueling 1.5 hour drive where I contemplating curling up in a ball and sleeping for a week, I arrived in Meaford to a locked door. No problems as I had forgotten to phone up Danny and Carol to let them know when I was going to arrive. I figured they shouldn’t be too far away. I proceeded to set up a lawn chair and crack a beer and read my user manual of my recording equipment, but then it started to rain so I moved to the car. The car proved to be a worthy oponent to my own bed at home and I quickly fell asleep.

Knock knock went the window as Carol appeared out of nowhere! They had a good laugh that I was snoozing in my car with a beer by my side. After a shower which refueled the Palmer Machine, we hung out for a bit and jammed with Danny on some tunes. He had just bought these rubber guitar picks from a new music store which were…interesting. I don’t know if I would ever switch to them and I’ll see if they are better for picking the strings rather than strumming. I passed a few onto Mike and he said the same thing.

We headed over to the Leaky Canoe for some amazing wings, although I must not be used to the mass quantities of wings anymore (due to the atrocious pricing of them in Ottawa) so I could only eat half of my order whereas Carol managed to scarf down some cheese sticks, Greek salad and her entire plate! I was impressed by her show. The Leaky Canoe proved to be an excellent joint for food and drink, coupled along with the token small town drunk passed out at the bar. Beauty.

We then headed back home to jam a little more, relax and then Moe and Tracy showed up to the homstead. Unfortunately the night caught up with me and dozed off during their stay and was feeling pretty rude.

I must admit that Carol and Danny managed to demonstrate that I am losing my memory. They were talking about a camping trip that themselves and me and our friend Angele took back YEARS ago and I really couldn’t remember it at all. Then they hauled out the pictures and I still couldn’t remember it. This really frustrates me to no end…I had heard that as the years get on, you tend to lose your memory…but I wasn’t thinking I would lose my MEMORIES. Bah.

Waking up around 8 the next morning, I headed out to Ottawa where I witnessed a slew of OPP on the 400 HWY, but rarely saw one on the 401. Stopped into Kingston for some Arby’s since Ottawa does not have one in town. Unfornately the 401 went down to one lane before Kingston so that wasted 30 minutes of my day. Got into town and headed over to Vero’s where I surprised her. Never leave your door unlocked while you’re away Vero! Some crazy guy may be in there surfing the Internet!

All in all, it was a tiring weekend, but that was my own damn fault from partying hard and not sleeping much. But I enjoyed the trek around Ontario and I enjoyed the company along the way. A big thanks to the Pelkys, Troy, Connie, Jay, Heather and Shannon, and Carol and Danny for showing me some good hospitality along my trek. You’re always welcome in Ottawa when you need a place to call home.

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Weekend Recap: Tobermory

2 o’clock in the morning…not a shabby time to go to bed after a wedding.

However, when you have to be on the road to get to a ferry in South Bay on Manitoulin Island and it’s five hours away, it’s not an ideal situation to be in.

I woke up and suprisingly felt good. I packed up quickly and hit the road and then cursed myself for leaving the case of beer I had bought for the cottage trip. Hopefully Holly is reading this and brought it back to Ottawa for me!

About 20 kms outside of town, the thoughts of getting sick crept into my head and I realized that I wasn’t in the best shape after all. After pulling over to the side of the road and doing the unmentionable deed, I continued on the painstaking trip while having dreams of a nice spot to curl up in and die, like the animal that I felt like.

I arrived in South Bay an hour before I anticipated, hence the travel time was only 4 hours. Even though I was disappointed I could have used that extra hour of sleep, I thanked the heavens I was there, got out, kissed the ground and curled up on the side of the road.

After some seagulls started pecking at my neck, I went to the Pierside Restaurant with my book and ordered the fish and chips which hit the spot. I then took a nap in my car and awoke an hour later when the ferry pulled up.

Now, I don’t know how many people have been on a ferry but it is pretty cool. I was wondering how the heck such a small boat takes on so many cars. But they have these ramp systems where they end up stacking cars on top of another (well not literally on top of one another) but it’s like a beehive of cars inside and they aren’t just on one level. AWESOME!
I decided it wasn’t worth it to be on the great waterscape without being outside so I spent the next 1.5 hours outside reading a book or going into the front where the wind took my breath away. I’ve realized that I love the water and the serenity of it all and enjoyed this part of the trip the most.
Arriving in Tobermory was surreal as there were tons of people roaming the town. Turns out that everyone comes to Tobermory for the last hurrah of the summer (which turned out to be lame as it was raining all weekend). I picked up some supplies and headed to the cottage which Troy and Connie rented off of a friend back in London.

Met Shannon, Jay and Heather (who unfortunately had the wrong address and spent 1/5 hours scouring the dirt roads for our cottage. That would suck large!) and had a few beers until eating some supper. The cottage was quite the scenic place inside and it didn’t feel like roughing it at all! I must admit that I don’t know if I would like having a cottage up around the Georgian Bay as it is all rock! That was odd considering all the other cottages I’ve been to have lawns leading up to the water.

Troy and I took the stage and jammed until our fingers bled, along with Jay on some vocal duties who was excellent! All in all, a good jam session with some old tunes that I hadn’t heard. Dr. Hook anyone?

We then played Cranium which was hilarity at its best. Highlights of the game were Troy being the puppeteer and myself thinking he was trying to act out myself eating porridge considering my hands were flopping around like a ragdoll. Also, Troy’s peacock strut was a thing of legend.

Got to bed around 4 o’clock which was killer as I hadn’t had much sleep the night before either. Had some breakfast and then hauled out my recording equipment to show Troy and then realized I never brought any speakers so it was essentially useless. I was not impressed with myself.

The afternoon brought forth two games of urban croquet which is high up there with bocce ball in my books. We had an amazing tour of the woods playing croquet and there were many wars fought on the beach area. One ball actually cracked in half and I don’t think the mallets have much use in them after playing in a rough and tumble area such as the one we laid out. Jay ended up taking two wins. I don’t think these guys have played a game of croquet this wild.

Thanks to Troy and company for the wild times in Tobermory! It was cool hanging out with all of you, as well as Troy considering the only time we’ve ever hung out is at family functions. It’s good to see family outside of family functions! Advice of the Day people.

I headed out around 3 o’clock to hit up Meaford to go see Danny and Carol. I was pretty tired on this trip as well but luckily it was only 2 hours away. The adventure continues once again!

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Weekend Recap: Sault Ste. Marie

Drove up to Sault Ste Marie on Thursday with Holly leading the pack after we found each other in North Bay. I’ve never drive up HWY 17 past North Bay so it was a nice drive with the water on my sides for awhile. Sunset was hitting as we drove by Sudbury and it was weird to have flashbacks of Sudbury pop into my head – like the giant power lines going into the city, or the smokestack.

Holly asked me if I had noticed the moron swerving and braking all the time outside of Sudbury. Turns out that she passed the guy and him and his girlfriend were having some fun in the car which was preventing him from driving correctly. 😉

We rolled into town around 11 and met Holly’s parents. They are very cool people and it was odd to walk into the house and feel comfortable with the surroundings. Usually if I’m in an unknown environment, I am on the defense – say the right thing, act the right way. Here, I just sat back on the couch and chatted. Holly’s mom actually reminds me of her. They have the same laugh!

The next morning a super breakfast was prepared and Holly’s dad introduced me to the health wonders of garlic. I chomped away on a piece and boy did it hit me hard! I would like to think that I’m chock full of anti-cancer agents that night. Unfortunately for everyone around me, I had eaten a piece of garlic. Holly was not impressed.

We did a quick tour of the Sault which is a pretty cool place. We then got dressed up, went to the church (just in time to zip in front of the bride!) and sat down next to the Masse family. The wedding was nice…Adam and Nichelle’s son Blake was ripping around the church and when the vows were about to start he had tripped and smacked his head so the vows I heard were something like this:

Adam and Nichelle’s lips moving: WAAAAHH!!!! WAAAAAHHHH!!! AUUUGHHHHH!!

So I hope they said something nice during their vows.

Went back to Holly’s place for a beer and I hooked up their surround sound system and DVD player as they had just unpacked it. Headed over to the Watertower Inn where a great meal was had with great company at my table. The wine was flowing pretty nicely into Maureen and my glass that night! She was having a good time for sure.

DJ was decent although he didn’t fulfill either of my requests. Strike one and two boy. All in all, a good time at the wedding and it was nice to see my friends in a different setting.

We ended up rolling into bed around 2 in the morning which was unfortunate as I had to be on the road by 7 to catch a ferry to Tobermory. Onto the next adventure…