Bee Movie is Jerry Seinfeld's latest project, and one which he has been working on for a number of years. It is a Dreamworks animated comedy following the story of Barry B. Benson, a young upstart fresh out of school. I saw this film at the drive-in, which was pretty cool, and something I havent done in a long time.
As you can expect with this sort of movie these days, it was a very polished, very flashy, visually impressive affair. Sometimes such family movies can lack in story, and in entertainment value for mum and dad, but that is not the case with Bee Movie. The writing is excellent, and the scenario of a bee entering the human world leads to lots of interesting considerations. And exploring these small details and awkward situations is exactly what Jerry Seinfeld is very good at.
The cast is first class, with plenty of familiar voices being present. Seinfeld basically plays himself as Barry B Benson, and his exasperated antics are classif Jerry. The writing is funny. I laughed out loud plenty, and I think there would be more in it for repeat viewings. Again, there are comparisons with Seinfeld, particularly Barry's relationship with his parents. I love Seinfeld, and his fingerprints are all over this movie. If you like Seinfeld, you ought to check it out.
The story does lag a bit at the end, but hang in there for a very good lawyer joke near the end.
I would definitely buy this one on DVD, and I would probably pay $15 for it, I think I could watch this movie another 2 or 3 times and still enjoy it.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Movie review - Death Proof
'I used to think Tarantino was pretty cool'
'Kill Bill was good, wasnt it?'
'Yeah, Pulp Fiction was a top movie too'
These are just some of the things you might find yourself saying if you are unlucky enough to sit through the agony of Death Proof. Perhaps ole man Quentin was being a bit clever with this title, because the audience will be amazed that THEY haven't died after the non-stop, excruciating agony of this movie.
Wow, it is really that bad.
I had seen the shorts for this movie on TV and I thought it looked ok - not great, but not horrible. Ole man Quentin has made some pretty awesome movies. Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction are both up there as some of my faves. However, I was sadly mistaken.
Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction show good character development and have twisting and turning plots delivered in (somewhat) unique and interesting ways. The over the top violence and swearing make for a bit of a fun ride, but ultimately it is the stories that make them great films. Pulp Fiction is a wildly twisted, tangled web of storylines and people, and the way it is cut - with the various characters getting their own chapters - keeps the storytelling interesting and surprising. The Kill Bill films use a classic revenge story, and also use chapters to dynamic effect.
The same features are sadly lacking in Death Proof.
The premise of Death Proof is that Stuntman Mike, played by Kurt 'I thought you were dead' Russell, stalks and terrorises groups of young women. There are two groups of victims, and each group is given their own section in the movie - with the second group being targeted 14 months after the first. Similarly to Kill Bill, the story is really about revenge, with the second group seeking vengeance on Mike for the unknown-to-them murders of the first group.
This story is not in itself bad. It makes for some creepy viewing as Stuntman Mike gets close to his targets and then moves in for the kill. It certainly came as a surprise to me when I realised that Mike was in fact a bad guy. I dont know if this was because the story was so great, or because I was missing the point.
The massive problem with this movie is that it is overloaded with meaningless, boring, inconsequential dialog. The first group of girls in particular - led by local radio announcer 'Jungle Julia' (played by Sydney Poitier) - are inherently unlikeable. Their very limited conversations cover off on drugs, the need to score, and talking about sex, all in a very low brow and uninteresting way. I dont think I am a 'high brow' person, but seriously these women were boring, boring, boring, and I just did not give a monkey's about what happened to them. So when Mike did the deed, I didn't feel any sympathy or sadness for them.
The second group of girls sees the introduction of Zoe Bell playing herself. Zoe was apparently the stand-in/stunt woman for Uma Thurman in Kill Bill. It is glaringly obvious that Ole Man Quentin has the hots for Ole Zoe. And it is the self-indulgent wankfest that follows that really breaks the camel's back for this film. Again, the dialog in the latter half of the film is trashy and boring, and Ole Man Quentin takes every opportunity to put Zoe on a pedestal. He also throws in all sorts of obscure movie references, as if to further impress on everyone that he has an encyclopedic knowledge of all cult and underground cinema. This does not impress.
Ultimately, after watching Death Proof I was left with the feeling that maybe Ole Man Quentin is not as good as I thought he was. The failings of this movie highlight some aspects of his previous work that I didnt really think about before. For instance, the non-stop idol worshipping of Zoe Bell really seems like the desperate, self-indulgent attempts of a rich, loser director to get his rocks off. Sound familiar? Well it is a lot like Kill Bill (and Pulp Fiction to an extent) really in this regard, but with Zoe filling in for Uma.
To be balanced, this film was not presented in the way it was originally intended. This was part of a double feature that paid tribute to 'grindhouse' cinema. Ole Man Quentin simply added extra time to this film and made it its own feature. Big mistake.
I think Margaret Pomeranz summed this up pretty well when she said: 'It's sort of like a male wet dream, you know, and where they're talking about, you know, the sex with the guy the night before, constantly. Every scene, every sequence goes on way too long. You want to slap him across the jaws and say, "Get your act together and cut all that bit out" '. I could not agree more, and will definitely think twice before investing my hard earned in another QT flick.
Avoid it at all costs
Would I buy it on DVD: No way, not even for a buck
'Kill Bill was good, wasnt it?'
'Yeah, Pulp Fiction was a top movie too'
These are just some of the things you might find yourself saying if you are unlucky enough to sit through the agony of Death Proof. Perhaps ole man Quentin was being a bit clever with this title, because the audience will be amazed that THEY haven't died after the non-stop, excruciating agony of this movie.
Wow, it is really that bad.
I had seen the shorts for this movie on TV and I thought it looked ok - not great, but not horrible. Ole man Quentin has made some pretty awesome movies. Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction are both up there as some of my faves. However, I was sadly mistaken.
Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction show good character development and have twisting and turning plots delivered in (somewhat) unique and interesting ways. The over the top violence and swearing make for a bit of a fun ride, but ultimately it is the stories that make them great films. Pulp Fiction is a wildly twisted, tangled web of storylines and people, and the way it is cut - with the various characters getting their own chapters - keeps the storytelling interesting and surprising. The Kill Bill films use a classic revenge story, and also use chapters to dynamic effect.
The same features are sadly lacking in Death Proof.
The premise of Death Proof is that Stuntman Mike, played by Kurt 'I thought you were dead' Russell, stalks and terrorises groups of young women. There are two groups of victims, and each group is given their own section in the movie - with the second group being targeted 14 months after the first. Similarly to Kill Bill, the story is really about revenge, with the second group seeking vengeance on Mike for the unknown-to-them murders of the first group.
This story is not in itself bad. It makes for some creepy viewing as Stuntman Mike gets close to his targets and then moves in for the kill. It certainly came as a surprise to me when I realised that Mike was in fact a bad guy. I dont know if this was because the story was so great, or because I was missing the point.
The massive problem with this movie is that it is overloaded with meaningless, boring, inconsequential dialog. The first group of girls in particular - led by local radio announcer 'Jungle Julia' (played by Sydney Poitier) - are inherently unlikeable. Their very limited conversations cover off on drugs, the need to score, and talking about sex, all in a very low brow and uninteresting way. I dont think I am a 'high brow' person, but seriously these women were boring, boring, boring, and I just did not give a monkey's about what happened to them. So when Mike did the deed, I didn't feel any sympathy or sadness for them.
The second group of girls sees the introduction of Zoe Bell playing herself. Zoe was apparently the stand-in/stunt woman for Uma Thurman in Kill Bill. It is glaringly obvious that Ole Man Quentin has the hots for Ole Zoe. And it is the self-indulgent wankfest that follows that really breaks the camel's back for this film. Again, the dialog in the latter half of the film is trashy and boring, and Ole Man Quentin takes every opportunity to put Zoe on a pedestal. He also throws in all sorts of obscure movie references, as if to further impress on everyone that he has an encyclopedic knowledge of all cult and underground cinema. This does not impress.
Ultimately, after watching Death Proof I was left with the feeling that maybe Ole Man Quentin is not as good as I thought he was. The failings of this movie highlight some aspects of his previous work that I didnt really think about before. For instance, the non-stop idol worshipping of Zoe Bell really seems like the desperate, self-indulgent attempts of a rich, loser director to get his rocks off. Sound familiar? Well it is a lot like Kill Bill (and Pulp Fiction to an extent) really in this regard, but with Zoe filling in for Uma.
To be balanced, this film was not presented in the way it was originally intended. This was part of a double feature that paid tribute to 'grindhouse' cinema. Ole Man Quentin simply added extra time to this film and made it its own feature. Big mistake.
I think Margaret Pomeranz summed this up pretty well when she said: 'It's sort of like a male wet dream, you know, and where they're talking about, you know, the sex with the guy the night before, constantly. Every scene, every sequence goes on way too long. You want to slap him across the jaws and say, "Get your act together and cut all that bit out" '. I could not agree more, and will definitely think twice before investing my hard earned in another QT flick.
Avoid it at all costs
Would I buy it on DVD: No way, not even for a buck
Friday, November 23, 2007
Movie Review - Rogue
So I havent seen too many Aussie films this year. There have been a few good Aussie films in recent times, such as Wolf Creek and Jindabyne. There have also been some this year that I have not yet seen, but that look good, like Noise, and Club Land. But, I havent been out to see any yet.
Rogue, which is a thriller/horror/attack of the killer crocs film, will be the first. You have to love a good psychotic animal movie. There arent enough of them are there? Walking in, my expectations were not high, I was just happy to kick back and enjoy whatever came along.
Rogue ended up being a pretty good affair. Nothing great, but entertaining enough. There are plenty of familiar faces in the cast, including Radha Mitchell, Steven Curry, and John Jarrett. All play their parts very well. The characters in this movie are the only really believeable part of it, and this gives support to the feelings of despair and angst that arise when our heroes are being hunted by the ravenous beast.
The story and the action were good, following the typical scary movie formula: 'no, dont do that, no, not there, WHY DONT YOU JUST RUN!!!!'. Because the characters are believeable, I found myself quickly drawn into the story, wanting them to make it, wanting them to survive, willing them to run. This is not Oscar winning stuff, but there have been plenty of horror movies where you just dont care about the protagonists. This is not the case in Rogue.
The story basically follows an American writer who is in town to get material for his holiday writing. He joins a river tour, which goes wrong after they spot a flare in a remote location and try to investigate. They run aground on a tiny bank in the river and soon learn that a giant rogue croc is on the prowl. The party then tries in vein to escape before high tide, and a number of them are picked off by the hungry reptile.
The set-up and the plot provide plently of material for the tense moments in the film. While the story is not particularly believeable, it is good fun, and it is scary. There are some particularly hairy moments where our hero finds himself face to face with the beast in its underground den. Eventually some members of the party make their way to safety, but it goes without saying that their numbers are severly depleted.
The special effects in the film did, at times, lead to some raised eyebrows. There arent a lot of them, and the director made good use of 'fear of the unknown' to build suspense. They develop a lot of tension without needing to show anything much. We know there is something out there, but we dont know what, or where, or when it will attack. This is a very effective technique, which both leads to great suspense, but also avoids overuse of the special effects. Some of the effects were pretty funny. But I guess that is what you get when you are trying to create an enormously oversized croc.
Overall it was a good movie. I enjoyed it, but dont think I would watch it over and over again.
Would I buy it on DVD? Maybe, but not for more than $10
Rogue, which is a thriller/horror/attack of the killer crocs film, will be the first. You have to love a good psychotic animal movie. There arent enough of them are there? Walking in, my expectations were not high, I was just happy to kick back and enjoy whatever came along.
Rogue ended up being a pretty good affair. Nothing great, but entertaining enough. There are plenty of familiar faces in the cast, including Radha Mitchell, Steven Curry, and John Jarrett. All play their parts very well. The characters in this movie are the only really believeable part of it, and this gives support to the feelings of despair and angst that arise when our heroes are being hunted by the ravenous beast.
The story and the action were good, following the typical scary movie formula: 'no, dont do that, no, not there, WHY DONT YOU JUST RUN!!!!'. Because the characters are believeable, I found myself quickly drawn into the story, wanting them to make it, wanting them to survive, willing them to run. This is not Oscar winning stuff, but there have been plenty of horror movies where you just dont care about the protagonists. This is not the case in Rogue.
The story basically follows an American writer who is in town to get material for his holiday writing. He joins a river tour, which goes wrong after they spot a flare in a remote location and try to investigate. They run aground on a tiny bank in the river and soon learn that a giant rogue croc is on the prowl. The party then tries in vein to escape before high tide, and a number of them are picked off by the hungry reptile.
The set-up and the plot provide plently of material for the tense moments in the film. While the story is not particularly believeable, it is good fun, and it is scary. There are some particularly hairy moments where our hero finds himself face to face with the beast in its underground den. Eventually some members of the party make their way to safety, but it goes without saying that their numbers are severly depleted.
The special effects in the film did, at times, lead to some raised eyebrows. There arent a lot of them, and the director made good use of 'fear of the unknown' to build suspense. They develop a lot of tension without needing to show anything much. We know there is something out there, but we dont know what, or where, or when it will attack. This is a very effective technique, which both leads to great suspense, but also avoids overuse of the special effects. Some of the effects were pretty funny. But I guess that is what you get when you are trying to create an enormously oversized croc.
Overall it was a good movie. I enjoyed it, but dont think I would watch it over and over again.
Would I buy it on DVD? Maybe, but not for more than $10
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
What to buy?
Well, after much umming and ahhing I made a decision.
Elements and Ultra.
A&G I think is too expensive for what it is, and co-signers i didnt really like the look of much. Plus I have set a target now of trying to get all the Kouzmanoff co-signers cards, so that could be fun and interesting.
So, stay tuned for a couple of box breaks coming up soon....
Elements and Ultra.
A&G I think is too expensive for what it is, and co-signers i didnt really like the look of much. Plus I have set a target now of trying to get all the Kouzmanoff co-signers cards, so that could be fun and interesting.
So, stay tuned for a couple of box breaks coming up soon....
Friday, November 9, 2007
bad religion and strung out 7 Nov 07
Went to see bad religion and strung out at the hordern
Second or third time I have seen Strung Out, after seeing them at Livid in 2003, and then again at the Gaelic Club a year or two ago. But it was the first time I have seen Bad Religion, and I am not sure when was the last time they were in Australia , but I wonder if they will ever come again. So, it was a must see show.
I have to say straight up that Strung Out were disappointing again. I am really starting to think they are more of a studio band than anything else. On record they are tight as, and the vocals are included in this. Live, the band is also tight as, but the vocals are really, really bad. I gave them the benefit of the doubt after seeing them before, thinking that perhaps it was the end of a tour, and his voiced was overworked, but after three times I can now say that I am unimporessed. They are such a good studio band, but no good live for me. They did play a good mix of stuff, old and new, but the vocals ruined it for me.
Bad Religion on the other hand were absolutley fantastic. They played stacks of new stuff, and plenty of older stuff too. This gig made me realise that I really need to get into the old stuff more. I know some of the bigger songs, but they played a lot that i dont know. The songs that I did know were awesome. The sound quality, vocal harmonies and drumming were all first class, and the crowd was right into it. All in all it was an awesome bloody show, and I will be there for sure if we are lucky enough for them to come back again. Hopefully the next show wont be on a Wednesday.
Second or third time I have seen Strung Out, after seeing them at Livid in 2003, and then again at the Gaelic Club a year or two ago. But it was the first time I have seen Bad Religion, and I am not sure when was the last time they were in Australia , but I wonder if they will ever come again. So, it was a must see show.
I have to say straight up that Strung Out were disappointing again. I am really starting to think they are more of a studio band than anything else. On record they are tight as, and the vocals are included in this. Live, the band is also tight as, but the vocals are really, really bad. I gave them the benefit of the doubt after seeing them before, thinking that perhaps it was the end of a tour, and his voiced was overworked, but after three times I can now say that I am unimporessed. They are such a good studio band, but no good live for me. They did play a good mix of stuff, old and new, but the vocals ruined it for me.
Bad Religion on the other hand were absolutley fantastic. They played stacks of new stuff, and plenty of older stuff too. This gig made me realise that I really need to get into the old stuff more. I know some of the bigger songs, but they played a lot that i dont know. The songs that I did know were awesome. The sound quality, vocal harmonies and drumming were all first class, and the crowd was right into it. All in all it was an awesome bloody show, and I will be there for sure if we are lucky enough for them to come back again. Hopefully the next show wont be on a Wednesday.
Friday, October 26, 2007
What to Buy: Part 3 - Topps Allen and Ginter
Third up, the massive hit for Topps this year, Allen and Ginter. Based on a card design from the 1800s, this set not only recongises baseball players, but other prominent sportspeople, politicians and actors etc. It also has an insert set of Flags of the World. This product has apparently been huge in the states, and heaps of people are way into it. These boxes go for about $100 to $120 US. This is perhaps attributable to the huge demand for these cards.
I have to say I am not all that fussed by the base set. While they are obviously going for the traditional Allen and Ginter look, I am not a huge fan. It doesnt have the same appeal as a beat up old raggedy 1887 card:
Part of Allen & Ginter's big deal is that they produced cards across a whole range of things and people. These honoured famous military figures, sportsmen, and 'American Editors'! This is kind of cute I guess, but not really what I want in a set, I'm in it for the baseballers, not the history lesson.
So in the 2007 Allen and Ginter, rather than getting a card in a tobacco packet, you get a box of 24 packs of 6 cards. The breakdown includes:
Part of Allen & Ginter's big deal is that they produced cards across a whole range of things and people. These honoured famous military figures, sportsmen, and 'American Editors'! This is kind of cute I guess, but not really what I want in a set, I'm in it for the baseballers, not the history lesson.
So in the 2007 Allen and Ginter, rather than getting a card in a tobacco packet, you get a box of 24 packs of 6 cards. The breakdown includes:
- 2 Autos, Relics, Printing Plates, A&G Originals or Rip Cards per box
- there are 274 veterans and 31 rookies in the set
- there are also 25 'Historic Figures' and 20 'World Champions'
- Dick Perez original 1/1s - 30 in all, available in the Rip Cards
- 30 Allen & Ginter autos hand numbered to 10 in red pen
- 40 mini cards that can only be found in Rip Cards
- Parallel Mini cards printed on Wood - only found in rip cards, all 1/1
- inserts: one per pack out of 'Mini Flags' (50 flags of the world, 1 in 12 packs); 30 Dick Perez sketches reproduced (1 per pack); Cut Signatures featuring ten world leaders, all 1/1; framed auto cards (at least 60 competitors from the base set, including 30 non-baseball players, on mini cards framed to the standard size); framed relic cards including 15 non-baseball players; bought back original A&G cards framed to the standard size; box loader (1 per box) can be 1 of 15 original style N43 cards, a relic N43 numbered to 25, a N43 auto numbered to 10
- a whole heap of other crazy mini inserts and others I cant be bothered with.
Therein lies my problem with this set. Too much. Too much in the way of crazy inserts. Too much in terms of non-baseball. Too much to make it possible to collect them all. Too much of a gimmick. I dont care about a Bruce Lee card, or a George Washington DNA card. Sure they may be great rips because they will pick up a ton on ebay, but it is just boring to me. Is it just over-hyped? I think so, and I think it is a bit artificial in terms of collectability.
This is something that irks me about cards at the moment. Companies trying to make things collectable. To me things should have an attraction based on some personal connection to the card. Popularity should be related to a personal feeling towards the subject of the card, not simply liking something because it is popular, or because it is a short print. I am more of a set collector I think, and even if I dont end up collecting a whole set, I like to be able to do so if I want to. And I want the cards to be related to baseball. Not to politics, or acting, or flags! Allen and Ginter seems to way out for me I think.
So, I think I have made a decision.
NO!!! to Topps Allen and Ginter. Certainly not at more than a hundred bux a box.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
What to Buy Part 2: UD Elements
Next up for consideration is Upper Deck's Elements:
These boxes are going for about US$75 at the moment, and you get 15 packs of 3 cards. So looking at about $1.70 per card. They are bloody great looking cards, I already have a couple of singles I picked up off ebay.
According to the release notes, each box contains 3 mini-boxes of 5 packs. Each box will contain 1 autographed game used, 1 autograph and 1 memorabilia card. They have some crazy different card technologies. Each mini-box features a different technology.
The first is 'foil board', which contains 42 cards on foil board, 42 rookies, 'Essential Elements' Memorabilia cards (1 per mini-box), dual, triple and quad elements cards falling 1 per case on average. There are also Elemental Autographs featuring 2, 3 or 4 signatures. And of course there is the 'snowball's chance in hell card' the 1/1 printing plates.
The auto cards look pretty sweet, and if lucky enough to hit one of the multi signed ones, you'd be cheering. There some awesome looking cards, with top players signed on them. There are 'multis' with Hanley Ramirez, Tulowitzki and others, Jeter, Ramirez and Tejada, and Cal Ripken and Jeter. Representing the Padres are Kouzmanoff and Peavy.
Mini-Box 2 is called 'Lt Fx Technology' and features 42 base cards, 42 rookies, and elemental autos falling one per mini-box. Despite wasting about half an hour on google, I have been unable to find out exactly what the heck 'Lt Fx Technology' is. Anyways, I shall move on.
Mini-Box 3 is PETG technology (google tells me this is something to do with polyethylene-terephthalate). It is pleasing to know that if the cards are shit, they will make excellent use in many shop fitting and display applications, including industrial guarding and machine covers! Awesome! Topps is still using chrome, but UD are leading the way in cutting-edge, useless card material. I want to see someone come out with some titanium cards, or maybe even kryptonite! But I digress. The mini-box 3 contains 42 base cards on PETG, 42 rookies as well, some 'clear-cut elements' and parallels, PETG auto/memorabilia cards numbered to 350 or less and rare 'elements patches' foil numbered patch cards falling 2 per case on average.
This all sounds pretty good to me. By this time i am really liking the look and the sound of them. The whole 3 mini-box thing is a bit of a gimmick I think, but it sounds kinda cool. I havent been able to find too many reviews though, so I dont know what the deal with that is. There are a few mixed reviews on the Beckett forums, but the negative reviews seem to be mostly from Topps lovers, or UD haters - however you want to class them. I am not a Topps lover, and am open minded about UD. While I didnt really love the UD Series 1 cards this year, UD Goudey was pretty awesome.
I like the look of these cards a lot more than the co-signers. The checklist seems a bit more favourable to my tastes too. Hmmm, food for thought.Wednesday, October 24, 2007
What to buy?
I am trying to figure out how I should spend some extra cash I have come into. I have about $200 and want to buy some box(es). I'm going to look at a few that seem ok, and compare them on a number of factors here, then I will decide what to buy and start breaking.
So, the criteria will be
This box goes for $69.95 at Dave & Adam's Cardworld. Recent ebay purchases have been for between $50 and $80. Each box has 12 packs of 6 cards. So at $70 a box, it works out to be about a buck per card.
The list of autos is not too bad, could possibly hit some dodgy autos, but there are plenty of stars on there too. Lots of crappy autos up on ebay going for less than 5 bux. Plenty of good reviews on the net though, and with the numbered cards being one per pack, and the guaranteed autos, they seem to be a pretty good, fun product.
Might keep an eye out for some cheap prices, just to make it really worth it.
So, the criteria will be
- price
- number of cards/price per card
likelihood of good hits - look of set.
First up, 2007 Topps Co-Signers:
This box goes for $69.95 at Dave & Adam's Cardworld. Recent ebay purchases have been for between $50 and $80. Each box has 12 packs of 6 cards. So at $70 a box, it works out to be about a buck per card.
There are 3 autos per box, including 1 co-signer auto, and you get 9 parallel cards numbered to 275 or less per box. So you get 5 base cards per pack, and then 1 parallel/auto each pack. The set is 100 including veterans and rookies, and 18 additional young stars appear in some parallels too.
The commons look a bit boring:
The list of autos is not too bad, could possibly hit some dodgy autos, but there are plenty of stars on there too. Lots of crappy autos up on ebay going for less than 5 bux. Plenty of good reviews on the net though, and with the numbered cards being one per pack, and the guaranteed autos, they seem to be a pretty good, fun product.
Might keep an eye out for some cheap prices, just to make it really worth it.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
MLB Box Break - 2007 Ultra
Broke a box of 2007 Ultra the other day. Nice cards. The photography is real nice, and the borderless design looks real fresh after staring at stacks of Topps 2007 cards. I think I like this design a lot better than the Topps one. I remember the Ultras I had in the early 90s looked good too. I think my biggest complaint with these is that it is pretty hard to read the players full name and details at the bottom of the card. But they do actually have the position shown on the front, which I like.
So we got 6 packs, 5 cards per pack.
Commons
Jeff Francouer, Tim Hudson, Josh Beckett, Jermaine Dye, Grady Sizemore, Matt Holliday, Justin Verlander, Dan Uggla, Hanley Ramirez, Brad Lidge, John Buck, Rafael Furcal, Justin Morneau, Tom Glavine, Carlos Beltran, Eric Chavez, Jamie Moyer, Pat Burrell, Greg Maddux, Raul Ibanez, BJ Upton, Rocco Baldelli, Mark Teixeira, Nick Johnson
Rookies
Mike Rableo, Jay Marshall
Parallels
Vladimir Guerrero Gold Parallel
Inserts
Miguel Cabrera Faces of the Game
Cal Ripken Jr Iron Man UIM-33
Ryan Braun (MIL) Lucky 13 RC
So we got 6 packs, 5 cards per pack.
Commons
Jeff Francouer, Tim Hudson, Josh Beckett, Jermaine Dye, Grady Sizemore, Matt Holliday, Justin Verlander, Dan Uggla, Hanley Ramirez, Brad Lidge, John Buck, Rafael Furcal, Justin Morneau, Tom Glavine, Carlos Beltran, Eric Chavez, Jamie Moyer, Pat Burrell, Greg Maddux, Raul Ibanez, BJ Upton, Rocco Baldelli, Mark Teixeira, Nick Johnson
Rookies
Mike Rableo, Jay Marshall
Parallels
Vladimir Guerrero Gold Parallel
Inserts
Miguel Cabrera Faces of the Game
Cal Ripken Jr Iron Man UIM-33
Ryan Braun (MIL) Lucky 13 RC
They look good
I like that
And there are only 200 in the set, tempting to buy some more and try and complete it. This was a fun break cause the cards are so good to look at. But with only 5 cards a pack and 6 packs in this box it was over pretty quick!
Movie Review - Evan Almighty
Evan Almighty copped a bit of a shellacking in the reviews that I saw. Too long, not funny, Steve Carell trying too hard. But I couldnt disagree more! Sometimes I wonder if the people writing movie reviews have their heads too far up their arse to appreciate an easygoing, feel good family movie; which is exactly what Evan Almighty is.
The thing about movies like this is that you know exactly what you are in for. Like when you listen to an ACDC album, you know you will get some drums, some guitars and that same rock groove. Or when you watch a Tarantino movie; you know you are going to get the music, the blood, the guts, the swearing and the drugs. When you are going to a Steve Carell movie based on a story from the Bible, you ought to know what you are in for.
Steve Carell plays Evan the slightly wacky family guy / somewhat reluctant congressman with the mandate of "changing the world". Following a visit from the Big Guy himself - aka Morgan Freeman - Evan also becomes a doer of God's will. The basic premise is that Evan is visited by God, who says he should build an ark. As you would expect, Evan's family, workmates and neighbours dont quite understand or believe him. In the course of building his massive ark Evan gets some help from some animal friends, and gets stuck in some sticky situations at work, which leads to much of the comic material.
For a movie that has some complex jokes, this movie works out as a pretty good family affair. It rolls along at a steady pace, and there is plenty of slapstick and animal fun to keep kids interested. Steve Carell is Steve Carell, and while this is probably not his best material, you do get a few good laughs - and kids will love his slapstick antics. The rest of the cast do a pretty good job too - Morgan Freeman is good as the laidback God, and John Goodman plays as good a bad guy as you need in a movie like this. The special effects were quite spectacular on the big screen, and the CGI was pretty believeable too.
There is no doubt that it's not going to win an Oscar, but it is a good way to pass a couple of hours with the family.
Would I buy it on DVD? Yes
How much would I pay? $12
The thing about movies like this is that you know exactly what you are in for. Like when you listen to an ACDC album, you know you will get some drums, some guitars and that same rock groove. Or when you watch a Tarantino movie; you know you are going to get the music, the blood, the guts, the swearing and the drugs. When you are going to a Steve Carell movie based on a story from the Bible, you ought to know what you are in for.
Steve Carell plays Evan the slightly wacky family guy / somewhat reluctant congressman with the mandate of "changing the world". Following a visit from the Big Guy himself - aka Morgan Freeman - Evan also becomes a doer of God's will. The basic premise is that Evan is visited by God, who says he should build an ark. As you would expect, Evan's family, workmates and neighbours dont quite understand or believe him. In the course of building his massive ark Evan gets some help from some animal friends, and gets stuck in some sticky situations at work, which leads to much of the comic material.
For a movie that has some complex jokes, this movie works out as a pretty good family affair. It rolls along at a steady pace, and there is plenty of slapstick and animal fun to keep kids interested. Steve Carell is Steve Carell, and while this is probably not his best material, you do get a few good laughs - and kids will love his slapstick antics. The rest of the cast do a pretty good job too - Morgan Freeman is good as the laidback God, and John Goodman plays as good a bad guy as you need in a movie like this. The special effects were quite spectacular on the big screen, and the CGI was pretty believeable too.
There is no doubt that it's not going to win an Oscar, but it is a good way to pass a couple of hours with the family.
Would I buy it on DVD? Yes
How much would I pay? $12
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
MLB Box Break - Upper Deck Artifacts 2007
Picked up a blaster box of Upper Deck Artifacts off Ebay. Not a bad looking set, has a bit of an archaelogical sort of desert/pirate/indiana jones type feel to it.
There were 8 packs with 5 cards per pack, but somehow I ended up with 41 cards... and I scored a few nice hits. Ended up hitting 40 out of the set of 200, with no doubles, a couple of ok rookies, some Padres cards, and an Artifacts Apparel Gold Edition game used card for Khalil Greene:
Also hit the A-Rod common:
and a Kevin Kouzmanoff rookie:
All in all it was a pretty good box. Its something different I guess, and with only 200 cards in the set, it seems pretty easy to get the full set.. at least compared to the Upper Deck Series One Set. Maybe I will pick up a few more boxes and see how I go.
There were 8 packs with 5 cards per pack, but somehow I ended up with 41 cards... and I scored a few nice hits. Ended up hitting 40 out of the set of 200, with no doubles, a couple of ok rookies, some Padres cards, and an Artifacts Apparel Gold Edition game used card for Khalil Greene:
Also hit the A-Rod common:
and a Kevin Kouzmanoff rookie:
All in all it was a pretty good box. Its something different I guess, and with only 200 cards in the set, it seems pretty easy to get the full set.. at least compared to the Upper Deck Series One Set. Maybe I will pick up a few more boxes and see how I go.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
worst day ever?
could it be today?
8 September 2007:
17 people arrested and 2 police officers injured after clashes during today's anti-APEC rally
NEWS.com.au reports that police were "targeted and assualted" by protestors marching against the APEC meeting being held in Sydney. News footage shows police blocking streets using highly armoured buses and other vehicles; police roaming the streets with special capsicum spray guns; heavily armed snipers travelling in helicopters overhead; and a massive water cannon circling Sydney's streets.
Sure there were a few dickheads there to cause trouble. Including the idiots that threw a dart, and used iron crow bars to hit the cops. But, were the police being heavy handed? The footage on all the news channels here shows them being very physcial and intimidating, even for those protestors that seemed to be marching peacefully. It is really a sad day when most of Sydney is guarded by police on every corner, in the sky, and with massive fences blocking off the best parts of the city. I myself dont care one way or the other about whether APEC exists or whatever, but it is pretty outrageous that taxpayers forked out more than $300 million to host it. And what did we get for our money? Most of the city locked down for a week. The experience of living in a police state for a week. Massive reductions in civil liberties including fundamental democratic rights such as the right to protest, and freedom of speech. Sounds like we got sold a big lemon.
And to make it even worse, just to stick the knife in and twist it a bit further, we the taxpayers of NSW funded a fireworks extravaganza this evening for each of the world leaders. Again, news coverage is showing huge fireworks displays over the harbour and the bridge, not unlike the usual New Year's Eve celebrations. But the public were not invited, and not allowed to watch. All the key spectator areas were locked off. What a stinking bust. Haven't these backpatting, pen pushing, arse kissing twits ever seen some fireworks before? Why should we fund it for them? Its all take, take, take in these instances, and despite what they may claim about the trading benefits, I think that that there are very little (or maybe even no) benefits to Joe Smith on the street. In fact, Im not even sure that selling billions of dollars of uranium to Russia is such a good idea!
But I guess, to be fair there were some bright sides to it all. Most of Metropolitan Sydney got an extra public holiday on Friday. Who could complain about that? And also, The Chaser had an absolute field day:
Also, NEWS.com.au reports a 300 per cent spike in brothel trade to cater for the extra business brought in by APEC! Apparently they had to bring in the mistresses from interstate to service all those secret service agents and envoys. I guess it is a bit of risk management going back to the Bill Clinton days...it would have been a real shame to leave a white stain on those dreadful drizabones they dragged out that they deemed to be our national dress. Oh well, I just hope they kept all those ladies of the night away from Kevin Rudd!
Manly Sea Eagles bundle Souths out of the NRL finals
After an absolutely appalling referreeing performance, some dodgy injury faking, and yet another over-rated performance, Manly Sea Eagles beat the Rabbitohs 30-6, knocking the bunnies out of their first finals series since 1989. In what was a very ordinary spectacle after watching the Cowboys scoot over the Bulldogs, Manly scored 5 tries to 1.
For Manly, it was a continuation of amazingly over-rated season. They are a very lacklustre team bar some flashes of brilliance from Brett Stewart. And if I have to hear Ray Warren tell me that Brett Stewart has diabetes one more time, i am gonna reach through the TV strangle him.
For the Bunnies, it was a lacklustre end to a pretty decent season. New coach Jason Taylor and Messrs Crowe and Holmes-a-Court have made some significant inroads into establishing a strong club for seasons to come. But for this year, it seems they peaked too early against the Tigers two weeks ago.
Here's hoping that someone, anyone, can put Manly in their place in the next few weeks!
Collingwood knock the Swans out of the AFL finals
In another lacklustre game (for Swans fans anyway) Collingwood steamrolled the Swans out of the race for the AFL flag. It will be the first time in 3 years that the Swans havent been in the grand final. And it is also looking pretty bad for last years winners the West Coast. Looks like there will be a new winner this year. Geelong would be deserving victors, after an amazing season. But they will have to fend off some quickly finishing teams in the Power and the Hawks.
8 September 2007:
17 people arrested and 2 police officers injured after clashes during today's anti-APEC rally
NEWS.com.au reports that police were "targeted and assualted" by protestors marching against the APEC meeting being held in Sydney. News footage shows police blocking streets using highly armoured buses and other vehicles; police roaming the streets with special capsicum spray guns; heavily armed snipers travelling in helicopters overhead; and a massive water cannon circling Sydney's streets.
Sure there were a few dickheads there to cause trouble. Including the idiots that threw a dart, and used iron crow bars to hit the cops. But, were the police being heavy handed? The footage on all the news channels here shows them being very physcial and intimidating, even for those protestors that seemed to be marching peacefully. It is really a sad day when most of Sydney is guarded by police on every corner, in the sky, and with massive fences blocking off the best parts of the city. I myself dont care one way or the other about whether APEC exists or whatever, but it is pretty outrageous that taxpayers forked out more than $300 million to host it. And what did we get for our money? Most of the city locked down for a week. The experience of living in a police state for a week. Massive reductions in civil liberties including fundamental democratic rights such as the right to protest, and freedom of speech. Sounds like we got sold a big lemon.
And to make it even worse, just to stick the knife in and twist it a bit further, we the taxpayers of NSW funded a fireworks extravaganza this evening for each of the world leaders. Again, news coverage is showing huge fireworks displays over the harbour and the bridge, not unlike the usual New Year's Eve celebrations. But the public were not invited, and not allowed to watch. All the key spectator areas were locked off. What a stinking bust. Haven't these backpatting, pen pushing, arse kissing twits ever seen some fireworks before? Why should we fund it for them? Its all take, take, take in these instances, and despite what they may claim about the trading benefits, I think that that there are very little (or maybe even no) benefits to Joe Smith on the street. In fact, Im not even sure that selling billions of dollars of uranium to Russia is such a good idea!
But I guess, to be fair there were some bright sides to it all. Most of Metropolitan Sydney got an extra public holiday on Friday. Who could complain about that? And also, The Chaser had an absolute field day:
Also, NEWS.com.au reports a 300 per cent spike in brothel trade to cater for the extra business brought in by APEC! Apparently they had to bring in the mistresses from interstate to service all those secret service agents and envoys. I guess it is a bit of risk management going back to the Bill Clinton days...it would have been a real shame to leave a white stain on those dreadful drizabones they dragged out that they deemed to be our national dress. Oh well, I just hope they kept all those ladies of the night away from Kevin Rudd!
Manly Sea Eagles bundle Souths out of the NRL finals
After an absolutely appalling referreeing performance, some dodgy injury faking, and yet another over-rated performance, Manly Sea Eagles beat the Rabbitohs 30-6, knocking the bunnies out of their first finals series since 1989. In what was a very ordinary spectacle after watching the Cowboys scoot over the Bulldogs, Manly scored 5 tries to 1.
For Manly, it was a continuation of amazingly over-rated season. They are a very lacklustre team bar some flashes of brilliance from Brett Stewart. And if I have to hear Ray Warren tell me that Brett Stewart has diabetes one more time, i am gonna reach through the TV strangle him.
For the Bunnies, it was a lacklustre end to a pretty decent season. New coach Jason Taylor and Messrs Crowe and Holmes-a-Court have made some significant inroads into establishing a strong club for seasons to come. But for this year, it seems they peaked too early against the Tigers two weeks ago.
Here's hoping that someone, anyone, can put Manly in their place in the next few weeks!
Collingwood knock the Swans out of the AFL finals
In another lacklustre game (for Swans fans anyway) Collingwood steamrolled the Swans out of the race for the AFL flag. It will be the first time in 3 years that the Swans havent been in the grand final. And it is also looking pretty bad for last years winners the West Coast. Looks like there will be a new winner this year. Geelong would be deserving victors, after an amazing season. But they will have to fend off some quickly finishing teams in the Power and the Hawks.
bustin boxes
i got a couple of boxes in the mail this week: a hobby box of 2007 Topps Series One baseball, and; a Jumbo Hobby box of 2007 Topps Series Two. I have already cracked a hobby box and about 10 blaster boxes of Series One, and this was my first Series Two. I was hoping to complete the Series One set, go close to the Series Two set, and maybe get some nice inserts. here are some of the highlights:
Alex Rodriguez Gold Parallel #1908/2007
Joe DiMaggio and JFK Distinguished Service Cards
Daisuke Matsuzaka Rookie Card and Japanese Variation
Craig Wilson and Paul Konerko Season Highlights
Overall, a bit disappointing. Out of all the series 1 boxes i have opened, the best cards came from the retail blaster boxes. the guaranteed game used and relic cards in the series 2 box were a bit of a let down, but i did get 304 out of 330 of the base set, and some nice looking inserts:
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harry potter
saw the latest harry potter movie on Tuesday. was a bit apprehensive about it, as the goblet of fire movie was probably not as good as i had hoped. i have found that as they have got into the later books, the movies have not been able to keep as much happening as previously. i guess it is hard to replicate such a rich story into a 2 hour movie. i had also heard some people say that the order of the phoenix suffered the same fate as the goblet of fire, in that they had to cut too much out. i have to say that i disagree, it was fantastic.
these movies are just such good fun. there is no other word for it. you cant help but be drawn right into the story, the places, the people. i do wonder if people who have not read the books would have this same feeling, as they may not know as much about all the characters and the background stories. it is hard to say though, i dont know anyone who has seen the movies but not read the books.
this movie reminded me a lot of the first movie. it was enthralling, engaging and exciting. the casting of some of the secondary characters like luna and umbridge was spot on. while they were not how i had imagined them, they were very very good . there were some variations from the story, but all in all i think that they covered all the key aspects of the movie very well. this has definitely been my favourite harry potter movie so far.
this was the first harry potter movie i saw at the cinemas, as i only started reading the books a few months ago. now i am fully up to speed i can jump on the bandwagon for the next two movies.
i have now finished the half blood prince, which was a good read - tying up some loose ends and providing some interesting new ones, and have now begun on the deathly hallows. hopefully it will live up to the hype
these movies are just such good fun. there is no other word for it. you cant help but be drawn right into the story, the places, the people. i do wonder if people who have not read the books would have this same feeling, as they may not know as much about all the characters and the background stories. it is hard to say though, i dont know anyone who has seen the movies but not read the books.
this movie reminded me a lot of the first movie. it was enthralling, engaging and exciting. the casting of some of the secondary characters like luna and umbridge was spot on. while they were not how i had imagined them, they were very very good . there were some variations from the story, but all in all i think that they covered all the key aspects of the movie very well. this has definitely been my favourite harry potter movie so far.
this was the first harry potter movie i saw at the cinemas, as i only started reading the books a few months ago. now i am fully up to speed i can jump on the bandwagon for the next two movies.
i have now finished the half blood prince, which was a good read - tying up some loose ends and providing some interesting new ones, and have now begun on the deathly hallows. hopefully it will live up to the hype
Monday, August 27, 2007
cards for trade
to continue to get back into card collecting and trading, i suppose i should have some cards to trade. while i dont profess to have anything super exciting to trade at this point, it is a starting point. here are my current cards available for trade:
all are from 2007 Topps Series One Baseball:
See the previous post for my current want list. In particular I am interested in game used, autos and the generation now inserts for Hanley Ramirez.
all are from 2007 Topps Series One Baseball:
- 141 - Rich Aurilla Gold Parallel #'d 773/2007
- 301 - Derek Jeter Gold Glove - First Edition
- OTG2 - David Ortiz Own the Game
- OTG6 - Jermaine Dye Own the Game
- OTG19 - Alex Rodriguez Own the Game
- GN9 - Ryan Howard Generation Now -HR9
- GN73 - Chase Utley Generation Now - Game 23
- DS1 - Duke Snider Distinguished Service
- DS10 - Douglas Macarthur Distinguished Service
- Unlock the Mick card 4 and 5
See the previous post for my current want list. In particular I am interested in game used, autos and the generation now inserts for Hanley Ramirez.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
the first post - a renewed interest
One of the main catalysts for my recent explorations of the internet has been my renewed enthusiasm for baseball card collecting. Back when it was the cool things to do in the early 90s, you could actually go into a store here and buy a packet or (gasp) even a box of baseball cards. There was a great chain of card stores called "The Card Shaq", and you could even buy boxes at department stores like Grace Bros! Now, since the bubble has apparently burst, there does not seem to be a single physical card store in the whole state! And those on the net all seem to be heavily focused on basketball, which was never my sport of choice. So, that left me to explore the mainly American sites to scratch what became quite a significant itch. I don’t know what it was, perhaps I am going through a quarter life crisis and want to relive the golden days of my youth? Maybe that’s also why I have taken to wasting hours playing Mario Kart on the Nintendo 64 as well?
Anyways, I found a dealer for my habit in ebay, and ordered a few blaster boxes of Topps 2007 Series One baseball. This series apparently generated a lot of publicity and gained popularity through an “error” card featuring Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, with George W Bush and Mickey Mantle air-brushed into the background. However, none of this excitement was heard in my neck of the woods.
Although the cost of shipping these little treasure troves of goodness from half a world away was enough to make me think twice, I was relieved to find that the magic of opening fresh boxes and packets has not been lost, even though it was more than 10 years since I last cracked a pack of 1994 Upper Deck Collector’s Choice. The smell. The sharp edges on the cards. The excitement of trying to pull a great card. Even my girlfriend got drawn in by it all. After a short while and with packets lying everywhere, she pulled this beauty:
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A Hanley Ramirez Season Highlights Auto. With a Beckett value between $10 and $25, this quickly became the pride and joy of my so far quite unimpressive collection, and perhaps Hanley will be someone I try and collect more of in the future. His stats at the moment are pretty impressive, and he is in the top ten in MLB for batting average, hitting .333.
After enjoying blasting through six blaster boxes I then invested in a hobby box to try and hit a few inserts, and complete the set. While I didn’t hit any inserts as good as the Hanley auto, I did get a few nice A-Rod cards, some Distinguished Service inserts, and I almost finished the set. And yes, I got the Jeter card!
So to finalise my first real post, here is my want list to complete series one before I move on to series 2. If you are interested in trading send me an email.
TOPPS 2007 SERIES ONE BASEBALL
6 – Edgar Renteria
7 – Mickey Mantle
36 – Gregg Zaun
81 – Ian Kinsler
163 – Dave Roberts
170 – Chien-Ming Wang
275 – Greg Maddux
281 – Chris Narveson (RC)
301 – Derek Jeter (GG)
Anyways, I found a dealer for my habit in ebay, and ordered a few blaster boxes of Topps 2007 Series One baseball. This series apparently generated a lot of publicity and gained popularity through an “error” card featuring Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, with George W Bush and Mickey Mantle air-brushed into the background. However, none of this excitement was heard in my neck of the woods.
Although the cost of shipping these little treasure troves of goodness from half a world away was enough to make me think twice, I was relieved to find that the magic of opening fresh boxes and packets has not been lost, even though it was more than 10 years since I last cracked a pack of 1994 Upper Deck Collector’s Choice. The smell. The sharp edges on the cards. The excitement of trying to pull a great card. Even my girlfriend got drawn in by it all. After a short while and with packets lying everywhere, she pulled this beauty:
A Hanley Ramirez Season Highlights Auto. With a Beckett value between $10 and $25, this quickly became the pride and joy of my so far quite unimpressive collection, and perhaps Hanley will be someone I try and collect more of in the future. His stats at the moment are pretty impressive, and he is in the top ten in MLB for batting average, hitting .333.
After enjoying blasting through six blaster boxes I then invested in a hobby box to try and hit a few inserts, and complete the set. While I didn’t hit any inserts as good as the Hanley auto, I did get a few nice A-Rod cards, some Distinguished Service inserts, and I almost finished the set. And yes, I got the Jeter card!
So to finalise my first real post, here is my want list to complete series one before I move on to series 2. If you are interested in trading send me an email.
TOPPS 2007 SERIES ONE BASEBALL
6 – Edgar Renteria
7 – Mickey Mantle
36 – Gregg Zaun
81 – Ian Kinsler
163 – Dave Roberts
170 – Chien-Ming Wang
275 – Greg Maddux
281 – Chris Narveson (RC)
301 – Derek Jeter (GG)
a post for the ages.....or not?
So here I go. I am entering a new frontier in the internet. With the production line of Australian Idol clanging quietly on the TV in the background, and my partner reclining on the couch immersed in the intrigue of Harry Potter and the half blood prince, I find myself tapping away on my first ever blog post. Despite surfing the net since the age of 16, I never thought about reading (let alone writing) blogs. I guess I have been ignorant of the whole blog thing, not getting into myspace or facebook or whatever. However, in recent times, the planets have aligned to have me exploring new frontiers of the internet like a pioneer striving for gold. After wasting away on wikis, finding fun on forums, getting hooked on ebay, and spending weeks looking at new and different websites, I thought I had seen it all. 10 years of wasting time on the net - I have seen it all. The internet is dead. There is nothing new out there. If you’ve seen one website you have seen them all. Forget it.
But then I discovered “blogging”. I said to myself “why can’t I do that”, and set about checking out all sorts of blogs about the place. I have opinions. I have thoughts. I have things to talk about. I have a bit of spare time. I have opinions. I am net savvy. So why not have a blog.
After meandering through some of the interesting blogs out there, I figure that it might be a bit of fun to have one for myself. It doesn’t cost anything, I don’t have to live up to any standard, I can do it for a bit of fun. I have a few hobbies that lend themselves to discussion and commentary, and I don’t always like hearing what others write, so why shouldn’t I write it myself? This can be an outlet for the little bits of creativity that the world has not yet ground out of me.
Also, I have a lot of ideas and do a lot of things that I lose track of. I want to keep track of movies I have seen, or music I have heard, things I have done, cards that I have and those that I want. I guess you could call it a diary of sorts, but I would prefer to think of it as a record of stuff, things and ideas.
So here it is, I present me (and you) with THIN MAN’S HAT, a place to write about tv, sport, baseball cards, movies, books, and anything that sparks my interest. Who knows, I might even write the odd political piece! Gasp. Thanks for checking it out. Drop me an email at thinmanshat@gmail.com.
But then I discovered “blogging”. I said to myself “why can’t I do that”, and set about checking out all sorts of blogs about the place. I have opinions. I have thoughts. I have things to talk about. I have a bit of spare time. I have opinions. I am net savvy. So why not have a blog.
After meandering through some of the interesting blogs out there, I figure that it might be a bit of fun to have one for myself. It doesn’t cost anything, I don’t have to live up to any standard, I can do it for a bit of fun. I have a few hobbies that lend themselves to discussion and commentary, and I don’t always like hearing what others write, so why shouldn’t I write it myself? This can be an outlet for the little bits of creativity that the world has not yet ground out of me.
Also, I have a lot of ideas and do a lot of things that I lose track of. I want to keep track of movies I have seen, or music I have heard, things I have done, cards that I have and those that I want. I guess you could call it a diary of sorts, but I would prefer to think of it as a record of stuff, things and ideas.
So here it is, I present me (and you) with THIN MAN’S HAT, a place to write about tv, sport, baseball cards, movies, books, and anything that sparks my interest. Who knows, I might even write the odd political piece! Gasp. Thanks for checking it out. Drop me an email at thinmanshat@gmail.com.
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