Best Thing I Saw This Weekend

It rained a good part of the weekend here, which put a damper on most of my plans to get out and about. I still got my regular walks in with the pup, which apparently helped to limber him up enough to poop where no dog has managed to poop before -- but all in all except for wandering out to the clubs in the evenings, it was generally a stay in and watch movies kind of weekend. I think we all need those once in a while -- but I was honestly kinda hoping to see a little more of the Florida sun, which I guess decided to stay in and catch up on reality shows and junk food as well.

I mean, it wasn't like nothing happened. It's just that when you're free one weekend and committed the next -- those two days where you can choose your own adventures tend to be a bit of a bummer when the pages are wet with rain, you know?
Anyways, onto the best things I saw this weekend.
Winner: An Ace-High Full House Right Off the Flop
I'm no poker player. I think it's fun and all, but I've never put in the time or obsessive study needed to be any sort of shark at it. I don't get the people who can watch it on TV and get all stirred up about it either -- few things are more boring than watching a bunch of drifters in sunglasses and hats stare at each other while someone off-camera discusses statistical probabilities.
Texans and math? Yeah, ..no thanks.
So when Ralph and Matty started talking up this Sunday night poker tournament thing they've been doing for a few weeks now over at Endo Exo, I worried that it would be filled with all-too serious sharks, or worse yet a room full of wanna-be rounders who like me were entertained by a great little movie but now think we know everything about the game just because we learned a few jargon terms from Matt Damon. Still, I had the night free and I'm always looking to help the guys out when they try new promotions -- so I figured what the hell?

Hands down, best decision of the weekend. The game was free to get in on and you only play for chips. You're encouraged to tip the dealer a few bucks per game and you get extra points for buying promotional swag and having a drink in your hand -- but beyond that it's just a no-risk good time with friendly people. Sure, they were all serious players who knew how to turn things their way when the time came -- but I suspect because the stakes were nothing more than bragging rights they had no interest in cutting newbies throats or embarrassing anyone. I won a few hands, but eventually fell to the skills of the others -- but it was still a really good time just shooting the breeze and playing cards. If you're local to Jax and are looking for a new Sunday night diversion, you could honestly do a lot worse.
Runners up (in no particular order):
  • Terminator Salvation -- To be honest, by the time this film hit theaters I was really sort of Terminator-ed out. Whether it was the cheesy TV show, or those last two or three movies I just sorta took a pass on, it just felt like they'd run that boat into the ground one times too many. And to be honest -- they really have. Terminator Salvation didn't really re-invent the wheel or put a new twist into the story -- but I suppose enough time had gone by that re-visiting a surprisingly well-done take on that particular world was a lot more fun than I thought it was gonna be. There were one or two plot holes you to jump over, but unlike other unnecessary movie franchise extensions (*cough, cough* Alien vs. Predator *cough*) the benefit of a new creative team did some really interesting stuff with the concept of a machine controlled future. The [spoiler alert] surprise cameo by a CGI Arnold Schwartzenegger was nothing short of laughable -- but if you're looking for an action film that knows the right notes to hit, it's definitely worth a look.

  • Taken -- Speaking of plot-holes -- as long as you're able to stomach the one gaping wtf moment that this whole movie's plot basically hinges on, it's a surprisingly fun ride. I'd downloaded it a while back with every intention of watching it, and then just sort of ritualistically passed it over time and time again -- just figuring it had little or nothing new to offer me. It was only when I was looking at the opening credits and caught Luc Besson's name on there when I realized I probably made a mistake on that one.

    Don't get me wrong here -- Besson basically just took Casino Royale, the Bourne trilogy, and John Frankenheimer's Ronin (love, love, love that movie) and threw them in a blender -- but the results are straight forward, fast-paced, and uninterested in cliché romantic interest sideplots or any of the other superfluous bullshit that usually weighs down a formulaic film like this. It's funny though -- because once the whole thing is said and done, you realize that basically the entire message of the movie is "All white women are stupid." Seriously, from Famke Janssen's ice queen (..again) mom, to all the teenagers that the villains prey upon in the movie, all you really need to learn from this story is that if you're rich, pretty, and white -- just do yourself a favor and never leave the house, ever.

  • Internet Clips of Japanese TV shows I wish I could watch. -- With all the cable channels I have that are dedicated to tanks, planes, travel, and cooking -- you'd think there would be room on there for at least one of Japan's broadcast channels. It seems like every time I go into a Japanese, Thai, or Vietnamese restaurant they're watching international broadcasts (satellite feed, perhaps?) but apparently the best Comcast can give me is Telemundo. Don't get me wrong, Sabado Gigante is great for closeups of latina hottie boobage a laugh now and then -- but when you stack that channels lineup against the stuff that apparently happens on Japanese television all the freaking time, at least for me there's absolutely no contest as to which one I would choose.

    I mean seriously -- they have a variety show over there called Mecha Mecha Iketeru! that recently did a bit where a panel of Ultramen were called upon to judge a dance competition made up of a group of giant monsters dancing to Michael Jackson songs. *drops mic on the stage and assumes a gangsta pose*
    So let me see if I've got this straight -- Japan get this on a daily basis, but I gotta
    watch David Garrard play a half-assed game of two-hand touch in the "Pro Bowl?"
    What's wrong with that picture?
And before you ask -- No, I didn't watch the Grammys. I know it's usually a place to find accidentally hilarious and embarrassing moments -- but it's also an enormous self-fellating travesty of an awards show that laughably reminds us that the music industry is run by corrupt morons who wouldn't know quality music if it hit them in the face. Sorry if that sounds a bit harsh -- but that's just how I feel about it.
So, what were some of the cooler things you saw this weekend?

[Listening to:  David Torn - "AK" ]

Comments

Anonymous said…
The Japanese are so much better at making television that is both better than everything else and weirder than everything else.
Anonymous said…
never cross out "closeups of latina hottie boobage". that's too important and sacred to mankind to be taken lightly
Monster said…
I thought Taken was great... I'll pretty much just watch Liam Neeson kick ass all day. Oooo.. he should be a tough, doesn't-play-by-the-rules cop on Law & Order, then I COULD watch him kick ass all day.

My "I should have watched this earlier" pick of the weekend is "Appaloosa", starring (and directed by) Ed Harris. It's a low-frills western, masterfully crafted if you like that kind of thing. It also stars Viggo Mortensen. In this one "Appaloosa" is the name of a town, not some horse he rides across the desert, so that's a win.
Satorical said…
My Japanese is rusty, but I think at certain points in that video, even they were captioning it as WTF?
Hex said…
wigsf -- and as far as I can tell, the Grammy's don't appear on ANY of their channels. Which is a bonus.

blamemyrobot -- I crossed it out because I was done with it for the day ;)

Trust me, it will be back tomorrow.

Monster -- That's funny, I remember pimping "Appaloosa" in a Friday Hot Sheet a while back. Despite a few minor flaws (read: Zellweger) I really loved that film. Ed Harris is as good as he's ever been.

Satorical -- The part I find fascinating is that they were somehow able to fool the guys in the rubber suits into dancing -- which implies that for whatever reason they were already in the suits, not expecting to be pranked.

I almost wish there was footage of after they revealed the gag to them, so we could see the one guy in the back saying, "Aww man, Mechagodzilla did NOT see that coming!"
Beth said…
I'm not fooling with you and your video clips lol

this is not the best thing...but I've learned when dealing with my niece punctuality goes out the window.

Went to a party supplies rental place that SHE checked out on the web. It closed at noon...we pulled up at 12:30. This set the tone for the rest of my Saturday. I seemed to be 30 minutes late for everything.

I wanted to fight her in the face!

The coolest thing I did see this weekend was my baked ziti!!!

it was so gooder (and dammit in the Midwest this is a word!!!)

http://twitpic.com/10ru15
JerseySjov said…
i saw an auditorium full of people singing "what is love" and "my heart will go on" along with a girl playing the musical accompaniment on an accordion.