2016 in Images

2016 in Images

It's been an interesting year. I've had the privilege to travel to two magnificent cities, spend time with wonderfully insane friends, and walk or bike around nature or (the always photogenic) Minneapolis. There's certainly been some downs, and there's been quite a memorable number of ups. Instead of doing a write-up of 2016, I thought it'd be fun instead to do a post of pictures I took throughout the year. Now by no means am I a professional photographer (although I would kill to have one of those spiffy uber-expensive cameras), but I feel the shots I selected are of a decent caliber, and what's more, each represent a good or memorable part of the year. Without further ado, 2016 . . . in images!

01.15.2016. Minneapolis morning.

February 2016. Lake Calhoun in Uptown, Minneapolis. With some assistance from Instagram filters, this sunset was a beauty to behold. Calhoun is one of my favorite spots in the city, and whenever in need of a relaxing time, I'll make the trek over there to enjoy the sights. One of the perks of Minnesota.

In May, I was fortunate enough to take myself out to New York City for my birthday. From May 19th-24th, I walked around the city solo - Central Park, Brooklyn, the One World Trade Center, Times Square, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, etc. It was a blast, and something I won't soon forget.

05.20.2016. Brooklyn, New York. If there's ever a time I seemingly vanish off the face of the earth and cannot be located, this spot -- right here -- is where I'll likely be. Absolutely beautiful.

  

05.23.16. Brooklyn Bridge, New York. One of my main Must Do's in New York was to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. As an avid movie watcher, the Brooklyn Bridge has been featured in many films, and to have the opportunity to walk across it - fantastic. Not to mention necessary - I had a shindig I needed to go to in Brooklyn. Best of all, got to reunite with my friend from Mankato, miss Morgan Weinand, who graciously took time from her day and visited me in the city. Great company from a great person.

05.22.2016. Celebrated the final hour of my birthday on top of the Empire State Building. Even with easily a hundred people around me, taking selfies, kissing, or gawking, it felt peaceful and amazing. Perfect end to my night.

And in July, my mate Tom and I attended the annual G-FEST convention in Chicago, Illinois. Another lovely city, and one I might have a future in before I settle in either New York or California. It was hot as Tartarus, but that doesn't do anything to quench its inherent beauty.

07.14.2016. Chicago, Illinois. Great to be back!

07.17.2016. I mean, I was there for a Godzilla convention. This seemed like the obvious thing to do . . .

07.14.2016. Millennium Park. I love panoramas, and this specific part of the city (along with the luscious beauty of the Navy Pier) seems like prime real estate for such a shot.

09.22.2016. Foshay Tower Observation Deck. A particularly favorite photo of mine.  Just turned out damn fine.

September 2016. Minnesota Zoo, Apple Valley, MN. I love dinosaurs. I love animatronic dinosaurs. This was a good day.

  

Date Unknown. And there we have it. Thought it'd be appropriate to end the year on a high note. Look at this beauty. Minneapolis might not be New York, but it's a decent substitute.

 Adios 2016! It's been one hell of a year . . . .

When the Addiction Calls - Recent Haul (9/24/16)

Hello all!

I'm getting back into the blogging business, and to ease my way in I'm creating a new feature for the site where I get to boast about my recent Blu-ray/DVD purchases! I mean, a new feature for the site where I tabulate the cost of each item and at the end of the month check my bank statement and swear "this will never happen again" . . . until I absentmindedly walk into a Half Price Books or Pawn America and go, "oh lookie! So and so for only $6! MINE!" These examples are by no means inspired by real life conversations with myself. . . Not at all.

Anyway, there's been lotsa splurgin', so let's take a look a gander!

Last summer, not a soul could have guessed one of the most engrossing TV dramas would come from the Lifetime network. Yet here we are. In 10 episodes, UNREAL's first season explored the psyche of a woman trying to get her life back in order after it all breaking into shambles, and makes a misguided calculation that returning to work -- at the very place her life descent into shitsville -- would help that process along. It does not go well. Thanks to the Mankato Pawn America, UNREAL - SEASON 1 is mine! Albeit, minus the slipcover, which admittedly makes me slightly cringe as a slipcover enthusiast. Another never-woulda-guessed-it surprise is WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, a horror mockumentary about a handful of vampire immortals sharing a house and dealing with their nocturnal proclivities while also trying not to kill one another as roommates tend to want.

Next up, BIRDMAN - a movie that didn't necessarily blow me away creatively or as a viewer, but it was the right price and had a slip, so might be worth a second chance down the line. As a completionist, had to pick up FINAL DESTINATION 5 (easily the worst of the five, both in regards to the death sequences and the all-around 'quality' of the film), and finishing this haul up: KUNG FU PANDA 3! Damn fun ride at the theater, and had some spectacular fight scenes in the third act - a $5 price tag for a Blu-ray released just a mere week before and with a slipcover to boot, not much hesitation in this pickup.

The haul where good prices resulted in half-hearted yet long-time-coming purchases. AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY was a memorable drama two or three years ago when it debuted, the screenplay doing more for me than any of the performances. THE HATEFUL EIGHT is the weakest Tarantino movie since JACKIE BROWN (although this isn't a commonly shared opinion, it seems), but with a $7 tag, slipcover, and likelihood Tarantino will never release a Special Edition of the title, why the hell not just pick it up now? Vin Diesel surprised last year with THE LAST WITCH HUNTER, a fun romp with Ygritte of GAME OF THRONES fame and lots of CGI badassery. Honestly, it was the fresh take on tired stereotypes that really catapulted the title from 'casual theater enjoyment' to 'I should own this.'

PREMIUM RUSH has been a long time coming - fun flick, JoGo is amazing in everything. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN . . . I feel ashamed it wasn't already on my shelf. 13 ASSASSINS I watched years ago during my college days and, if memory serves me right, has some pretty visuals and gorgeously excessively violent fight scenes near the climax. VIRGINITY HIT was likewise another college years watch, and for $1 at Pawn America, I liked it enough for a second round. And finally, RANGO - long has it been since I've seen this beautifully animated movie from Gore Verbinski of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN fame, and with a rare slipcover - no thought necessary: it had to be mine!

How about you, fellow nerds? What's your recent haul? Any comments or questions about this haul, or why the hell I bought what I bought? Sound off below!

Good and Bad of 2015: Movies - Vol. 2

Welcome to Day 2 of The Ramblings of a Minnesota Geek's Good and Bad of 2015 coverage! We continue today with some awards! Not your usual award fare, but after all, best to have some fun with this, right?

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The 2015 Awards

BEST USE OF 'ROOM' IN THE TITLE SINCE TOMMY WISEAU'S 'THE ROOM': Room

MOST UNNECESSARY AND UNDERWHELMING DISNEY FILM OF THE YEAR: Cinderella

GREAT CONCEIT, POOR EXECUTION AWARD: It Follows

THIS IS WHY WE SHOULDN'T LET MONEY DICTATE MAKING SEQUELS: Hot Tub Time Machine 2

THE I WILL WATCH THIS MAN DO ANYTHING AWARD: Michael Fassbender. Because he's freakin' MICHAEL FASSBENDER!!!

THE MERYL STREEP/LEONARDO DICPARIO 'I'M DOING THIS FOR THE AWARD' ROLE: Bryan Cranston, Trumbo

MAYBE IT'S TIME WE STOP SPLITTING FINALES INTO TWO PARTS, EH? Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2.

TIME TRAVEL, YOU CONFUSING, BUT YOU FUN: Terminator: Genisys (Runner Up: Project Almanac)

PLOT TWIST I DIDN'T SEE COMING: Second act-third act of Focus. Dayyuumm!

THE DOMHALL GLEESON'S BEEN LEFT IN A STATE OF PERIL, HOW'S HE GETTING OUT OF IT?!!? AWARD: Hmmm. Ex Machina or Star Wars? Unfortunately, it's obvious General Hux will return to give more Hitler speeches in the forthcoming eighth and ninth installments, so gotta go with Ex Machina. What's gonna happen to him!?

MOST OVERRATED AWARDS CIRCUIT NOMINEE: Spotlight

A DAMN FINE SCRIPT THAT WILL UNDOUBTEDLY BE BLASTED FOR NOT BEING AS GOOD AS THE ORIGINAL: Avengers: Age of Ultron

THE BOX OFFICE LOSER THAN WON MY HEART: Victor Frankenstein

FAVORITE ANIMATED FEATURE: The Peanuts Movie

THE IS IT OKAY IF I SAY THIS ISN'T THAT BAD OF A MOVIE? AWARD: Terminator: Genisys

SEQUELAGE
THE GREAT: Star Wars - The Force Awakens/Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation/Mad Max: Fury Road
THE GOOD: Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
THE BAD: Spectre
THE DREADFUL: Taken 3
THE UGLY: Hot Tub Time Machine 2

THE I-CAN'T-BELIEVE-I'M-GETTING-EMOTIONAL-BY-THIS-BUT-HOLY-HELL!!! AWARD: Furious 7, "See You Again"


AWARD FOR SURPRISINGLY GOOD HORROR MOVIE (LIKE, REALLY, REALLY UNEXPECTED): The Lazarus Effect. Admittedly, my interest in the film originated from a place of pure 'I love Olivia Wilde'-ness, but it being a early 2015 release, there was no reason to think the film would be any good, let alone worth my time, save for the lovely Ms. Wilde. Turns out, I was wrong. It wasn't that long ago that Lucy came out, a movie where a female protagonist is 'gifted' with abilities once a drug allows her to use all functions of her brain simultaneously. Ultimately, she meets a sort of 'tragic' end, but her arc is presented in a sort of superhero light, upping the 'woah' and 'awesome' factor in high-visual spectacles. The Lazarus Effect is the opposite of that. While abilities stemming from using all reservoirs of cognitive function plays a part in the movie, it's more of a Frankenstein-esque scenario where Wilde's character is resurrected from the dead, and it becomes a 'you're fucking with nature, and this is what happens when abominations fuck with you' type of deal. It's brutal, it's intense, and it's smartly written. Cards on the table, I'm not a huge fan of the ending, even though I've warmed up to it in the months since first seeing it, but the whole damn movie is better than it has any right to be, and for that, I gotta give it the edge over most horror offerings of the year.


THE COMING-OF-AGE FILM TEENS NEED TO WATCH: Paper Towns. After making boys and girls gush and cry like babies over The Fault in Our Stars, novelist John Green had another one of his books adapted for the big screen (with way less commercial success), but this time, with a story worth telling and character arcs worth showing. Look, we've all had that one crush that we put above everyone else - not in a worship-y sense, but we put that person on a pedestal, that that person becomes more than just a bloke or a lass and becomes something exalted, something special. We could barely know this person, but we transform this regular, everyday individual and idealize them, romanticizing them into something more than they are. That's a dangerous road, and one far too frequent an occurrence. Paper Towns takes that whole scenario - boy idealizes girl, boy loves girl, boy chases after girl cos she's his One True Love - and turns it upside down when she comes back to him with, 'how could you love me when I don't even know myself? I'm just as messed up as you are.' More than The DUFF (which I thoroughly enjoyed) or Me, Earl and the Dying Girl (which is a fantastic look at the complexities of friendships), the standout teen flick of 2015 has got to be Paper Towns cos the message this flick offers and, hell, the great side-characters the main protagonist has along with his journey. Great fun.

FAVORITE POSTERS OF 2015

Although not a Drew Struzen piece sadly, this is still a epic poster..

Just because the movie was largely forgettable doesn't mean the poster campaigns were.

Another flick I wasn't a huge fan of, but if there's one thing it did well, it was atmosphere, and this poster has it in spades. Simple, yet effective. This is the movie.

AWESOMEST CHARACTER OF 2015

Rey (Daisy Ridley), Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Could there honestly be anyone else? (If you answer 'yes', you are possibly certifiably crazy, and I'll see you in the inevitable remake of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) Before entering the theater for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, there was one thing I was giddy above all - seeing the continuing adventures of Luke Skywalker. Now, as most of the entire planet knows, we didn't really get that in the sequel (but boy did we get a bunch of intense looks!), but we got something even better. No, not BB-8, although that droid is adorable something fierce. It's Rey, the new, mysterious character living on the desert planet of Jakku, who teams up with ex-Stormtrooper Finn on a journey to return the BB unit to the Resistance. She's funny, she's resourceful, she's strong-willed, she's intelligent, and she kicks ass. Fuck the people labeling her as a 'Mary Sue', fuck all complaints lobbied towards the character of Rey or actress Daisy Ridley, the coolest, awesomest character of 2015 was owned the second Rey slid down a sand hill by a deserted Star Destroyer. Whatever happens in the forthcoming episodes, just give us MORE Rey. More Rey, me happy. Got it, Episode 8?

Good and Bad of 2015: Movies - Vol. 1

Hello ladies and gentlemen! 2015 is behind us, and with it, the onslaught of 'Best Of . . .' and 'Worst Of . . .' lists, and I, the Great Connoisseur of Movie Nerdery, shall be no different! But in an attempt to mix things up a little bit, liven up the party, so to speak, my best/worst of lists are gonna be ever-so-slightly different. After all, this is a celebration of a whole year of film, so let's have some fun with it!

All in all, I've tallied 61 flicks released in the calendar year of 2015 seen, with plenty still left unchecked (looking at you Carol, Straight Outta Compton, The Big Short, The End of the Tour, etc.), but more than enough to give my verdict on the good and bad of 2015! All amped up!? Ready!? Then . . . .

The Good and Bad of 2015: Movies 

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

Oh go on, call me bias, but Brie Larson completely deserves it. Years ago, she melted her way into my heart with an exceedingly adorable role in 21 Jump Street, and it wasn't too long after that I was exposed to the honestly brilliant series United States of Tara, where she played the teenage daughter of the titular Tara where she impressed even more with her wide range and powerful performance. Then enter Short Term 12, a flick from a year ago that will forever be burned into my memory because it's so damn moving, and so damn engaging. At its core, it's a movie about messed up people helping messed up people, and it's a relatively simple movie, narratively-speaking, but my Gods, if Brie Larson doesn't completely astound even the most seasoned performer with her turn in that movie. 

And now, in 2015, the world is finally ready to recognize her seemingly boundless skill with Room, a movie that doesn't utilize her acting talent as well as it could, but boy does she so completely own the screentime she is afforded.