Writings in the Snow

Hey Everyone

2009-10-26T02:20:00.006-06:00

A message from Angry Rob,

So for anyone who does regulary read this blog, Angry Snow is going on hiatus for a bit. The main two founders will now have their own separate blogs. No we didn't have a horrible break up or anything like that, no instead we are just placing our baby on the shelf and will revisit it later.

Now I realize that this is hard for many of you to hear. I'm getting a little choked up writing this, but this is not the end. As I said, there will now be two blogs instead of one, and when the Snow Men return, we will rise like Phoenixes from the ashes. Oh yes, we will be back, bigger, stronger, more focused and better than ever. So stay tuned angry readers and keep track of us at our new blogs.

Thanks for reading everyone.

Angry Rob

A message from Momo,

Is it really the last entry if there are more to come? I don't think so. Rob and myself are just in a different place right now, and the world, she's a changing... Honestly though, thank you to everyone who has kept up to date with our posts and what we've been doing. You are the reason we create. As Rob said earlier, we will be back and you can look forward to a new, stronger, angry-er snow than ever before. I promise.

It's been a slice,

Ryan "Momo" Richards

Angry Rob's New Blog: http://canadarobranting.blogspot.com/

Angry Ryan (Momo): http://columncontroversy.blogspot.com/

Hope everyone enjoys and keep posting comments and sending feedback.

I Am a Blogger, A Geek and I’ll Tell You What I Think

2009-10-07T15:51:00.001-06:00

Welcome back folks. For those select few who know me in real life, you will know I am very direct, have a somewhat strange humour and do very geeky things once in a while. That being said, I am also an avid sports fan so I figure that balances me out. So with all that in mind, I have recently been discussing with several people on a few different topics. As of late I have allowed my mind to wander some more and I have decided to pass my gibberish on to you. Get ready.

First thing on my mind, why is it that books are considered more legitimate than articles, blogs, comics or anything else. What is it about a “book” that makes you smarter than those who primarily read articles, blogs or comics? I would argue that many comics now a days are written far better than many books being published. So apparently people who read Harry Potter, Twilight, Lord of the Rings, or whatever Tom Clancy is writing now a days is more influential or a better read than what is being published in comics, the internet or in magazines. These book people as I call them, have yet to provide a valid reason as to why books are superior. The best answer I have received so far is that comics are for kids, magazines are for lazy readers and bloggers do not count as writers.

Let’s start with bloggers. Apparently bloggers are using some sort of non English which is not considered valid writing. This debate has become more apparent as of late and I think it is because with the advent of the internet, everyone can blog where as newspapers and such can choose who they will and be elitists if they so choose. Some of the best writing I have seen has been on blogs. Of course I am not saying all bloggers are better than journalism writers, but many writers for papers are not great in my opinion.

So what about comics? Are they really all for kids? Well that obviously depends on what kind of comics. Of course there are comics for kids, comics that are created to be just dumb fun as it were. That being said, in the last several years, comic writers have evolved considerably. There are also several screen writers and actual book writers, Steven King comes to mind immediately, who have now transitioned to the comic world. While I would agree that comics are not for everyone, there are some which are tremendous reads and there is generally something for everyone if you are willing to look.

As for magazines, I have never fully understood the hate. I guess maybe it is because they do not always tell the story, or possibly the subject matter, but I find certain magazines to be an excellent read.

These are my thoughts on this debate. The other topic I have been pondering for quite some time now are movies. I know shocking right? More specifically though, I have been getting more and more frustrated of people complaining about movies. Somewhere in the annals of time, we seem to have forgotten why we have movies. They are to entertain us, or so I thought. Now I have been guilty of this myself, telling people who unrealistic the movie was and how that could never happen. Or saying something about how the dialogue is unrealistic or the graphics is not up to par. Somewhere down the line, we seem to forget that we are supposed to be enjoying ourselves. We seem to forget that when we go to a movie or rent a movie, that for that hour and a half, we are supposed to forget about the world we live in and get whisked away into the movies world. Now admittedly, some movies do this better than others. All the while some movies are plain bad.

So I am not defending poorly made movies, quite the contrary. Primarily a movie should entertain you. When you watch it, you shouldn’t be thinking about whether that was a stunt man or the actor, or whether the camera should have been moving rather than static, no instead you should be thinking of the story being told. I keep hearing how Michael Bay is a horrible director when in actuality he does what he needs to do. He tends to direct action well. One of my favorite guilty pleasures is the film Armageddon. I have heard numerous people complain about how unrealistic it is or how overly dramatic it is. How about you just enjoy it for what it is? Forget about that stuff and just watch the movie, don’t dissect it or find its faults, just watch it and walk away. Another of these types of movies is the movie “A Knights Tale” I love this movie and have watched it several times. It doesn’t try to be real or ever claim to be, but this is a fun movie to watch if you let yourself.
So all that being said, I do realize that certain people’s job’s is to criticize movies, actors and directors. This is a job I would like. I do however know the difference in something being entertaining and something trying to be real. There is nothing wrong with a movie wanting to be real or gritty, if that’s what you want, more power to you. There are options though. Next time you watch an action movie or a disaster movie, and not that god awful spoof one), try just watching it for what it is. Not every movie needs to be a cinematic masterpiece.

So all in all, it was a pretty good week. I have been writing a lot for many different sites on many different topics. Hopefully my next blog will be a happier and less argumentive article. I am hoping to do my next writings on Zombieland if at all possible. Here is hoping, until then though, stop complaining and try enjoying things for a bit.

Angry Rob

Help! What happened to my Computer?

2009-10-02T12:46:00.001-06:00

Internet, Email, YouTube, Google, Digg, Web Comics, Bioshock the list goes on. This is the day the computer ruled the planet. There is very little a computer with internet can not provide you. You can read, write, watch, listen, play, learn, teach. This list is nigh limitless. What happens though when your system is taken away? What if your internet is down or you are unable to use your computer for any reason? Some people just crawl up into a ball and hide in the corner, others run frantically down the street, clothes long gone, screaming and shouting at the top of their lungs until the local police kindly return the disturbed individual, or so I have heard anyways. There are other ways to cope though, now pull up a chair, open your eyes and pay attention and let me help you help yourself.

So for a moment, lets pretend that in our magical imaginary world, we have yet to be blessed with a computer. Ah yes, the days of rock smashing rock and people going outside to play rather than go to the basement and play their latest video games or whatever the kids do these days. Some answers are obvious, pen and paper are still widely available and can still be used for many useful things like writing and drawing. Email you say, why back in my day I remember we had this thing called the post office. While not quite as fast or efficient as this E mail, it still got the job done and really, what is better than opening a letter. It's like a little Christmas.What if I need to send someone a message right now you ask? Why I believe that there is this new fangled contraption called the telephone. Heck, I hear these days they even come with out cords and such. Oh science, what will you bring us next?

Ah so you are a gamer eh? I remember when I used to go outside and play all kinds of games, sports even. Too old to pretend or play with toys? Liar, you are never to old, don't forget that but if you insist that pretend and toys are not for you, why we still have many board games, hobbies, sports or God forbid reading a real life books. Ah yes, remember earlier on when I talked about that mystical pen and paper, someone has come up with this brilliant notion of taking many words which form a cognitive thought. Yes we call those books and you can pretty much find these "books" on any subject you can think of. Crazy I know.

What if I want to be taught something? That is an excellent question. Why there are several options. Remember those book things? Well those books are filled with all kinds of helpful hints, knowledge and even pictures. You can take classes that are taught by very smart people who have read very large books. There is even trial and error, although this is not recommended for all things, for example self repair of your car brakes.

What if I want to download a movie, music or television shows. Well don't! That's illegal. Oh wait, you mean what if you pay for one of these amenities and want to watch or listen to said item. I seem to recall we had several options for these things as well. There were entire stores devoted to things such as this. Music stores where you could by those record things, or video stores where one could get the latest laser disc. You could borrow or trade with people or maybe even get one of those library card things. I hear that these libraries as they call now also have those book things. You should check them out. How will you get to these places you ask? Why I remember when people used to walk places to get things. There was a time when people would interact with other people to get things. Well not always fun or even a good use of time, it did often provide some entertainment.

I have an opinion and I think everyone should know it. Is this you. Are you one of these blogger types or one of these people who like to talk a lot on the forums? While it is much harder to get people to listen to your opinions while not writing on websites in all capitals and telling other people how much they fail or rick rolling unassuming individuals, wait maybe this is a good thing. Let's move on.

Hey, I like to watch people do stupid things or hurt themselves. What about that? Good question. My theory, at least 80% of these videos were created because of sites like YouTube, Google Video or any other video site out there. Another 10% could be watched on shows such as America's Funniest home videos and other shows such as that. The last 10%, well I think that somethings, many things, are better left unwatched.

Yes computers help tremendously in today's world. There was a time, not too long ago even, when we were able to exist with out the use of these amazing machines. If you have a computer that works, good on ya, your options are tremendous. If you are without said machine, there are still many ways to cope. Think outside the box. Now that I think of it, I am writing this on my computer, which will then send this through the internet to other computers. If computers did not exist, does that mean I don't exi.....

What To Consider When Going For Your First Tattoo

2009-09-30T00:11:00.003-06:00

Hey folks, been a while... but Momo's back again. This time with a small guide to getting a tattoo you won't hate.

So, you've decided to get your first tattoo? Congratulations, the tattoo experience can be an amazing one. That is, when done right. Tattoos are everywhere these days; men, women and all over different parts of the body. Heck, we even have glow in the dark tattoos now! There are things to consider though. Selecting the right design, placement and artist are essential to ensuring quality work and a result you won't be ashamed to show people. For all tattoos, a great amount of thought should be given to all things mentioned previously. I repeat that because tattoos are 100% PERMANENT

The first thing to consider is your reasoning for getting a tattoo. Is it because they have become popular recently? Is it because all your friends have tattoos, and you, naturally should get one too? Or is it because you have a design in mind and are passionate about having it immortalized on your body forever? If you chose either of the first two, please, rethink your decision to permanently scar your body.

Next, is your design and it's placement. There are as many designs and styles as there are artists to ink them. Many of these will be posted in frames on the walls of the shops. The reasons for these specific tattoos hung being there vary depending on who put them up, but one thing I can tell you is; you won't be the only one with the tattoo you choose if you get it from one of these frames. Ask to see the artist's portfolios. Most shops have multiple artists with varying styles, that way they can accommodate the different designs and ideas people have. (Hint: Artists love to draw their own stuff. Ask any one of them, and they'll say they would rather ink their own design than someone else's any day.) The bottom line though, whatever you choose, make it mean something to you. Think long and hard about what you're getting, and where you are putting it. Remember, in 20 years, it will still be there.

The next step is choosing the right artist. Nowadays, everybody and their brother own a tattoo gun. Choosing the right person for you is perhaps even more important than choosing the right design. I've seen too many people, friends and random alike, have a great design (or idea for a design) mutilated by an inexperienced or unenthusiastic artist. This is where portfolios come in handy. An artist's only testament to the quality of his work is his portfolio. For those who don't know, a portfolio is a visual catalog of previous tattoos done by the artist. This is primarily how most people choose their artists. If their past work reflects the attitude and feel for your idea, approach the artist personally and let them know what you plan on getting done, the placement and the general feel you want the tattoo to have. Also, I find it helpful to ask what styles they prefer to tattoo in. As mentioned before, there are many styles, and one artist may have a penchant for drawing colourful, cartoony tattoos, while another may prefer to do more black and grey demonic themed work. You wouldn't want the former drawing a skull unless you're looking for something campy. Just as the latter might not be as skilled at drawing that bumblebee and daisy you've always wanted.

One more thing that I feel I should touch on when choosing the right artist/studio is cleanliness. Now, there's a reason this gets it's own paragraph. Cleanliness is paramount when choosing an artist and shop to have work done in. If your tattoo gets infected, it's not going to feel very good at all. Tattoo and piercing infection is fairly common in the industry, as there aren't any real rules for tattoo shops except common sense. When choosing your shop, look everywhere. Detail is key here. Are there any signs posted around the shop promoting cleanliness? How do they sterilize their needles? (You'll most likely have to ask for that one.) What is the artist's hygiene like? Is he clean looking? Does he smell bad? All things you should be looking for when surveying your potential shop. Some parlours may have decorative accents around the shop like chain-link fencing, this is to promote the style they are going for, but in no way means the shop isn't clean. Inspect to protect. Remember that.

Alright, so you got your first tattoo. Once again, congratulations. If you followed the steps above, you've done all you could to ensure that your new ink will be a positive reminder of your first experience. (With many more to come, hopefully.) Are we done there? No. There's one more thing to discuss, aftercare. Aftercare is just as important to your tattoos outcome as everything we've discussed so far. Most artists will give you printed and verbal instructions once they've completed the tattoo. After they finish the design, most will wrap it in a medical gauze pad and tape to protect it from the sun and germs. Keep this on for approximately 24 hours, as the first 24 are the most important. Once you've taken the bandaging off, wash your tattoo gently in warm water with non-scented antibacterial soap. I repeat, non-scented antibacterial soap. If you don't know of any, ask your artist. Some shops even have products in-store that they recommend. Wash your art two times a day for a week or two after getting it done. Important note: Your tattoo will itch. Do NOT scratch it. The ink is still very fresh, and in the external layers of skin. Scratching causes your skin to become irritated and in turn, you will flake and lose colour in your tattoo. You will flake anyways, this is normal and healthy. Your body's minimal shedding will not disturb the colour of tattoo, but irritating it will. A friend of mine gave me a tip; when the itching gets unbearable, smack the area with your fingertips. The light pain will relieve the itch without disturbing the ink. (You can see the difference in some of mine since receiving this knowledge.)

Well folks, we've covered everything for your first tattoo from inception to aftercare. If you follow this guide, your result will be the highest quality skin art possible. A big thank you to the many people who have helped write this article, knowingly or not, friends and artists alike. Your skin is truly their canvass, and they are this generation's DaVinci's and Picasso's. Help them create their masterpieces.

Bobcat is "The Worlds Greatest Dad"

2009-09-23T21:32:00.005-06:00

Anyone remember this guy? The first time I remember him was from police academy. He has a very intriguing voice and a look to match. Yep it's Bobcat Goldthwait. He has been in the movie business for quite some time. Every once in a while I would see him pop up in something or recognize his voice in an animated feature. Little did I know he was also a director. Up to this point, he has directed mostly T.V. but is now transitioning to movies. If you do not think he has directed anything you have seen, you would be surprised. Just pop on over to IMDB and take a look. That being said, I have had a chance to watch his most recent work. The Goldthwait written and directed "Worlds Greatest Dad".

This movie is starring the ever fluctuating Robin Williams along with a secondary cast or relative unknowns, or at least unknowns to me. Before watching this movie, I think I remember seeing 1 maybe 2 commercials anywhere for this film, and after watching it, I can see why. Now this does not mean it is a poor film by any stretch, no no. This film was rather intriguing. Robin Williams was, in my opinion, quite good and the secondary cast all were able to play their parts as well as needed. No, this is just not a mainstream movie.

This is a story about a Father, a Son and their hypocritical world they live in. This is a story about a man who desperately just wants his son to be a part of his life and a son who wants nothing more than to watch and perform extreme sexual acts. Now the father catches his son doing said things on more than one occasion and just tries to understand why his son is the way he is and offers constant support regardless of his son's deviance. Eventually however, his son's deviance get's him nearly kicked out of school until his father, who teaches at said school, is able to convince the principal of giving his son one more chance. This favour goes unnoticed by his son though.

One night the father, played by Robin Williams, convinces his son, played by Daryl Sabara, to come out for dinner with the ever promiscuous girlfriend, who also works at the school. During the night, the son pretends to get something under the table all the while, using his camera phone to take pictures of his fathers girlfriends underwear. The night ends and the son is dropped off at home. Lance Clayton, the father, leaves to take his girlfriend home and upon his return, finds his son has accidentally killed himself performing auto erotic asphyxiation. The father, doing what he believes is best, makes this look like a suicide rather than a sexual accident. He types up a deep and profound suicide note and hangs his son in the closet, making this look like he has hung himself, probably believing no one would ever ask questions or care about this. His son was never popular or well liked and was always fighting with everyone. He only had one friend.

So after some time off, Lance returns to work and is basically a shell of his former self. Not long after, he is told someone has somehow found the suicide note, which Lance wrote, and has published said note in the school paper. By doing this, this launches the late son into stardom at the school. Where there were once only enemies, now there were hundreds of people reaching out and reminiscing about the young lad even though none of these people actually cared for him a bit. This also has an incredible effect on Lance as well as he is now being showered with love and affection. One thing leads to another and Lance ends up writing a Journal which he passes as his son's. This in turn leads to a potential publishing deal, one which has alluded Lance for years, as well as talk shows.

As usual, I will not reveal the ending as this is an interesting movie and I would recommend at least one watch. This is definitely not a film for everyone, but the message at the end is fairly potent. The ending is somewhat predictable, although not completely as well as the film seems real.

I really like what Bobcat did for this movie and I will be curious to see what he can come up with next. Sir you have come a long ways since Zed in police academy. Keep up the good work.

3.5 out of 5 Stars

Angry Rob

Kanye West and All Things Idiotic

2009-09-15T15:59:00.003-06:00

Yay for the media!
Kanye West is again in the spotlight. Why? Because he has a big mouth, wants the spotlight, or possibly slightly slow in the brain? Maybe something else or maybe it is a combination of things. This may be a mystery until we can autopsy his brain, if it can be found after he one day passes from this world into the afterworld, which in Kanye's mind is probably just him surrounded by people who want to listen to all of his musings.

Now, is anyone really surprised by him running his mouth? I suppose maybe only those who do not really know who he is. What really bugs me about this, is the fact that this basically get's this person directly into the lime light. Not that this is anything new. Celebrities have been playing this game for as long as I can remember. Anytime Britney Spears flashes her genitals, or Eminem has something controversial to say, the media makes this it's top story and everyone gets to hear about it. If a "normal" person were to get out of a car, not wearing any under garments, and for some reason a picture was taken, this is hardly news, just weird. Why is there a guy taking a picture of people getting out of cars, and from that angle none the less? If Doug from the bar says that Beyonce should have won the award and not Taylor Swift, is there a public outcry? Nope. When a celebrity makes this statement or does anything remotely strange, this is front page news.

I go back to Michael Jackson’s death. This was main stream news for over a week. It is still widely debated and talked about. I sometimes wonder if people understand what a celebrity is. Do people realize that a celebrity is only a celebrity because we, the average boring people, have designated them so? Why do we care so much what these people do. Now don't get me wrong, I am not here to bash all celebrities. Many of them do a lot of good things, and if anything that should be celebrated. However, those good deeds rarely get the same media attention if any, unless it is a slow news day.

Why do we care what Kanye West thinks, and why is it so important that CNN needs to rerun the footage constantly? Do we realize that if we ignore him, he will eventually just fade away into obscurity? Remember way back when Milli Vanilli cheated to win some award? Remember what a huge scandal it was. When was the last time the words Milli or Vanilli entered your subconscious? Please people, I implore you, ignore these celebrities, and celebrate the good things. If you must celebrate a celebrity, please please please pay attention to the few who actually perform good deeds once in a while. Then maybe we can have real news again. Let Kanye fade away into Kanye land and take with you the Britney Spears, the Paris Hilton's and anyone else who loves to hear about that stuff.

Happy Birthday to Me

2009-09-12T17:59:00.006-06:00

Well Hello again everyone.

I am not sure how this happened, but somehow I again have aged a year. Fortunately I still have my hair and it is even it's original colour, all by itself. That being said, I very rarely do anything for my birthday and on most occasions, actually forget about it, as I did again this year. So with this in mind, as well as the fact that I rarely get surprised, I had the joy of spending my birthday with some people I love and cherish and they surprised me by bringing me to a dinner and a movie. Now, as great as the dinner was, Steak and Garlic mashed potatoes, yes, I was also taken to see the movie "9".

Ah 9. This is a Tim Burton produced, Shane Acker directed animated feature. According to IMDB, this is"A post-apocalyptic nightmare in which all of humanity is threatened." So basically, the humans had created a "Machine" for peace. It was designed to make more machines, of peace. Eventually, this machine becomes angry and no longer wants peace and starts to make machines to fight the humans, I know, who saw that coming? So, the is a huge war, I assume world wide, which eventually wipes out all of the humans. Now one of the Scientists who created the "Machine", somehow survives close to the end and he finds a way to place 9 parts of his soul into, what I can only describe as puppets. This allows these puppets to have life and they get up and start their own community. As you may have guessed, the 9th puppet is the one who is going to save humanity, even though the humans are all dead. Without getting into to much detail, the puppets are fighting whats left of the machines, or hiding, and are basically just existing. We dont really get a time line as to how long this has been going on. At the start, it seems as though the big main machine has been shut down and there is only one dog/beast machine left hunting these sock puppets for no apparent reason. The main machine is again activated, by accident, and it begins to make new machines. So, number 9, (Which is the "savior" puppet) is going to stop the machine. From here this story is very linear and is basically just action, not overly exciting action at that, and the generic guy falls for girl story. Throughout the story, we never really get much information on why the machines are hunting the sock puppets or what, other than saving the humanity, which is already destroyed, the sock puppets are supposed to be doing. The thing that bugs me the most is the ending.

**************SPOILER ALERT*************************

So the end comes, and you guessed it, the sock puppets beat the main machine and all is well with the world, even though the world is an apocalyptic waste land and all human life is dead. During the story, the machine was seen "killing" a few of the puppets and it turns out that the machine did not kill them, but instead sucked their soul out of the puppets body, which if you remember, is actually the soul of the scientists who created these puppets. So at the end, the souls are released, they come out, looking like the puppets, but ghostly green and each have their numbers beside them. These souls hover into the atmosphere and explode into the clouds. This then makes rain.....for some reason, and in these rain droplets are smaller green dots, presumably the soul left overs. Then the movie ends.

So we are pretty much left to our own devices with this ending. Not a whole lot is explained and this is a very straightforward action story. The animations is beautiful and different which is fun, but I would suggest waiting for DvD or Blu Ray for this movie. Not horrible, not great, I give it a 2.5 out of 5.

So fast forward to last night, when another good friend of mine took me to a dinner and a movie. At first I thought he had alternate plans, but after I told him I don't give it up on the first date, we let it be and moved on to the movie. We had the pleasure of seeing Quentin Tarantino 's: Inglourious Basterds.

So I was very excited to see this film. I am a mediocre Quintin fan, very much enjoying several of his movies and not so much of his others. That is a debate for another time. Either way, I was pumped to see this. I had heard several reviews on this movie and had deciphered that mainstream audiences were wanting an action movie, which is how the commercials portray and after viewing the movie, were not overly impressed. That being said, most critics and reviews I have heard or read, were fairly positive and some insisting this was Quintins best work. I was intrigued.

Here we go.
This was very clearly a Tarantino movie. Everything about this movie, is Tarantinoesque. The dialogue, the music and really everything else. Now, I would assume that every "Movie" fan or self proclaimed movie aficionado will have seen this. I am not going to go into a lot of detail, but I think it is pretty safe to say, if you are a Quinton Tarantino fan, you will enjoy this movie. It is not an action movie though. It is a drama with action elements. This movie was a lot of fun. That also being said, it did seem long in some areas and I would have loved more screen time for the Basterds. I thoroughly enjoyed Brad Pitt and thought he was amazing in this movie. For the most part, the cast had some intriguing choices, although I thought most worked. The only character I did not enjoy, was the Hitler character. I just didn't enjoy that character at all. Other than that though, the cast was awesome and fun.

So I have decided to not go into spoilers. I will say this movie will not be for everyone. There are a few graphic scenes in the movie. Once again, not a film for everyone. If anyone is going into this movie looking for a serious world war movie, just be quiet and back away slowly, we won't tell. If you are looking for some fun, can stand some of the outrageous elements and the violence, or are a fan of Tarantino, strap on your Nazi killing boots and prepare for a Nazi killing good time.

I very much enjoyed this movie and can not wait to see this again. 4 out of 5 stars.

So that was my birthday. It was great. I had the pleasure of hanging out with people I love and care about, as well as got to see some movies, which I love and even had some awesome steak. All in all it was one of the best birthdays I can remember. Up next will be a review of District 9, which I have seen a little while ago, but have not had a chance to write about.

Thanks for reading,
Angry Rob

Religion is Fake ?!?!?!

2009-08-24T11:50:00.001-06:00

Hey Everyone.

So I had something completely different and more light hearted that I was going to write about today. In fact, I am going to write something I never wanted to write about, as this just begs for me to get nasty emails and starting a flame war. So let me start by saying this is My Opinion, and I only used information and knowledge I have obtained in my travels through this short life. I do not claim to be right, nor am I trying to convert anyone to my school of thought. This is going to be an article about religion and about an article a friend sent me, to see what I thought. I was really just going to ignore this, but thought I would throw my two cents in. If you are not a fan or want to read about religion, check out our other blogs which are generally about movies or whatever else we saw or had going on that day. That being said, here goes and I hope you will enjoy at least a little and maybe even make you think.

So first off, here is the article which prompted all of this.
http://www.thekeyboard.org.uk/Are%20all%20religions%20false.htm

Second, I am literally just going to copy and paste the email I wrote to my friend as it is much easier than writing something else again. I will also say, I sat and wrote this in about twenty minutes and really, at the start, was just mad at what I had read and did not think there was much validity in the argument. So take everything with a grain of salt. I am also sure there are some horribly invalid things I said, so keep that in mind. I did not mean to offend anyone, and if I did, I apologize. Like I said, as the article was that guys opinion, this is mine. Enjoy

Email Starts Here

In possibly one of the most ridiculous and horribly researched blogs, this was wrong on nearly every level. While I can agree that “religion” in general is the source of a lot of the world’s problems, it is also the source of a good deal of the worlds good things. He does somewhat allude to this. The first area he is wrong in is comparing “Christianity” as a whole, I assume although he didn’t say, and Mormonism. His reasoning for this, Moses and Joseph Smith. Really? Asinine. While they both did allegedly disappear and come back with telling from “God”, Joseph Smith went away and came back with a Religion, a religion he could not reproduce when prompted. Moses, however, went away and came back with ten rules. Ten rules which are for the most part common sense and did not benefit Moses in anyway other than to hopefully quench the bitching. I mean thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal etc… all pretty much a good thing and should be common sense. Not to mention that if you are going to take the Moses story, you cannot ignore the rest of the story. At this time, Moses had led the people out of Egypt and parted the Red Sea, with everyone watching. Just as one example. I do not see a whole lot of people able to part a glass of water, let alone an entire sea at his beckon call. Not to mention, even the writer of that blog says, Joseph Smith was a trickster and started his own church, basically making him a great deal of money……

He also goes on to say that all Religions have the same basic principles. Yes, they all have a god(s), they all have rules and they all have a place of worship. Go figure. That’s just a plain stupid argument. He also goes on to say, Religion is often believed because people are scared of death. In all actuality, death is rarely discussed at all. Obviously there are things like heaven and such, but at least in Christianity, death is not used a fear tactic. I have not looked into other Religions. He doesn’t not say, however, what the alternative is. He is also once again ignoring the rest of the story, Christianity that is. In the Bible, you learn that we were never supposed to die in the first place, and were supposed to already be living in heaven. There was no death or anything like that.

Later on he goes on to say how religious leaders are now debunking the bible. First of all he doesn’t mention which one, or which religion. The way he is talking he is now speaking of Catholicism but still seems to think he is talking of Christianity. So this really makes me doubt how much “research” he has actually done. He also says “Modern Church Leaders” which could mean anyone. He doesn’t mention how “Modern Scientific Minds” of our time are blackballed and ousted because they agree with religion and the way the Bible is depicted. He also goes on to say that the Bible cannot be used as evidence because it can be interoperated anyway you want. He does not provide an alternative, but this could be true of anything. It is all of a matter of how you were taught, your upbringing, or your personal experiences.

This writer than goes on to say how he was “raised” Christian, although he obviously does not know much about it, so this is a simple tool of trying to make his point more valid. He then goes on to say, in the same paragraph that he was told that only true Christians go to heaven. I am not sure what “church” he attended, but no Christians believe this. It is said, always has been, that if you truly believe in God, and accept him, this is what gets you in to heaven. Not baptism, not being good, not joining a religion. Once again, at the end of this paragraph, he goes on to say how Christianity is as ridiculous as Mormonism, further degrading his own point.

I also find it ridiculous that he is upset that they paint God as a kindly old bearded man, to kids. Apparently he thinks we should terrify children and scar them for life. Not to mention, God is not exactly a tyrant. I won’t go into detail here, but when we teach kids of history or science or anything, we don’t teach them and show them horrific things. Science and History have some of the most vile and heinous things ever done to anyone ever in existence. Didn’t mention that did he.

Once again, the writer goes into a diatribe saying that if God is the reason for good, then he must be the reason for the bad. While some of this can be true, most of it is ridiculous. He says natural disaster and disease, which are actually the only two points he provides, must also be God’s fault. First of all, if he does not believe in religion, or a god, then he is probably a science promoter. Which also means he would probably believe in global warming and such. He should then also know that the way we treat this planet and the things we do, are often a direct result of some of our natural disasters. Of course not all, but the reason we have the other disasters can also easily be debated. As for disease, two thoughts here. There are thousands and thousands of disease, I would say that if you go back and read through history and science books, most can be linked to things humans have done, or science has done trying to do something else. Not to mention what they created on purpose. Of course not everything is easily found, and some could be a conspiracy theory, that is a debate for a later date. Once again though, if you do believe in a religion, you would also know that God said that if you do bad things, it will begat bad things. This is also debatable, but some diseases are transferred and can arguably be traced back to some “Bad” things, according to religion, being done.

Getting closer to the bottom, he has another “insightful” quote, “All religion is nothing more than an attempt to control a population by enforcing 'laws' that come from a higher authority that is beyond challenge”. I suppose this may be argued in a third world country, but even there, you generally hear of some form of mob mentality controlling these areas, or some kind of sudo government. I am not sure, in what world, this guy believes that someone is using this as a method of control, because, surprise surprise, there are no examples given. Apparently if he says it, it must be true. As an easy retort however, what about in the middle eastern country, their religion basically tells them to go out and kill people who do not believe what they believe. Is this control to keep the peace and a proper society?

He then lists a bunch of questions, which all only have two answers. Apparently our lives only ever have two answers. One of which is a horribly skewed way of thinking, and the other one is what he wants you to believe.

So this whole time, it seemed as though he was having a battle of “Religion”, which can very much be argued over to how useful it is, especially depending on which religion you follow. He then begins to say things like take away god and religion and what do you have. He says things like we have an imperfect world so deal with it. Religion is just a security blanket, etc… Apparently he believes that we are all destined to be screwed and alone. This world will continue to become worse and worse and evidently there is nothing that can be done. He also says that religion is the reason for many deaths, which is true and unfortunate and cannot really be debated, that being said, “religion” in general is manmade. So if you believe in God, you will generally believe that man is fallible and sometimes downright evil, so some religion is created for the sole purpose of making money or causing havoc. Not all religions are created equal and for this convoluted argument, shouldn’t be.

This guy apparently is on a crusade against God, Christianity and anything else he doesn’t like. While I do agree that religion, is a dangerous tool used by certain individuals which creates havoc and chaos, it can also be used for good, and as the writer said, can be used for a security blanket for some people, which apparently is a bad thing. By the way this guy writes, and apparently has proof and done studying, although never actually provides any backing for his arguments, it seems to me that this guy was wronged in some way and is just looking for someone or something to blame. He does say that this is his own opinion, which is fine and I respect that, but he shouldn’t make an argument without any backings. Of course some religions are ludicrous, strange, and flat out mindboggling, not all religions are the same way and some have a lot of proof and backing. This guy also does not say what he currently believes and gives a thin “background” of his religious upbringings. He also does not say what type of Christian he was or what he was really taught. Unfortunately there are bad people out there willing to take advantage of people’s beliefs and fears, and sometimes these people will use this for personal gain or what have you and call it “Christian”. Who knows? Without proper background info, or knowing who this guy is or what he believes, it is hard to argue properly. If he is going to write something like this though, he really should provide proper information and create a proper debate.

So obviously this is my point of view. I tried to be unbiased and used mostly Christianity as my basis as that is what I know, but I also tried to use logic, which something this guy failed to use when writing this blog article thing. That’s my two cents, you asked for it. Enjoy

Touching....Getting Old, Family and Friends

2009-08-18T15:14:00.003-06:00

Hey Everyone,

Angry Rob back for another post. Recently I read an article in "Men's Health" magazine about a Father and his son. The article is titled "My Son, Solved" written by Hamilton Cain. This article was about a father and a disabled son. The son has a disease which more or less completely cripples the body. This disease is called "Spinal Muscular Atrophy". Cripples the body to the point where the body can barely move, breathe and can not speak. It was forever thought by the family that the boy would never be able to communicate. They would speak, sing, play and try to teach the boy and they never received any kind of response. Around the age of six, the father had basically thought that he would never be able to communicate with his son. One day, the boys therapist, I assume something like a physical therapist, figured out that if she held the boys hand a certain angle and gave him a felt pen, the boy could actually right. Being that the body was so crippled, the young son did not have enough power to actually write anything. He was not physically able to press a pen or pencil hard enough to make a mark on the paper. As the therapist began to work more with the child, they quickly realized how intelligent the boy had become. Even though he was unable to speak and no one really knew how much information he was absolving, he quietly learned about all things around him. As they quickly found out, the boy was very literate and very intelligent. Even when asked who his mom and dad wanted to be the next president, the young boy wrote down Barack Obama, even spelling it correctly. I will not go into all the details of this story but I definitely recommend tracking down and reading this article.

There were actually two things that teared my eyes a little. Two notes written by this young child. The first being " Daddy: You are so great. Your Family loves you so much for doing family stuff always. I love your you. Your Son, Super Owie." and the second which is in reference to a song his father sang to him as a child and continued to sing to him through his young years, "I love how this song makes me feel about my dad. It makes me feel happy and healthy on days that are sad. I am only six but I remember when I was a baby and my dad would sing it to me and I loved it. Now I listen to every word every time I hear my song and daddy's. I love our song very much. I love my dad very much so. Owen." Both of these notes are taken straight from the article. Now I do not have any kids, so I am not sure why this affects me so much. I do have a father who I still see on a daily basis and talk to constantly and I am sure that has something to do with it. It is just nice to see that in a world with constant bad news, there is still some hope and amazing things happening. Never forget the power of a heart felt note to someone you truly care about.

All that being said, I figure another reason why this is affecting me in this way is much to my dismay, I am apparently getting older. Every day I see the world in a slightly different way. I am by no means old, but I do remember when I was in high school, and I would meet someone my age, I would classify them as old. I also know that I by no means know everything or have even seen a fraction of what this world has to offer. I have learned many valuable lessons along the way. I have been blessed, to this point anyways, of having very few people I know pass into the next life, world or whatever you believe.

I recently had to tell my best friend that his father had passed in a tragic car accident. So I have seen up close what this can do to people. This person was my uncle who I was never close with, but was close with the rest of the family. While tragic, his death did reveal many good things to me though. While this was a horrible ordeal, of which I would not wish upon anyone, what did happen is the family did get closer together. All of this happened about two weeks before christmas. I was notified late night around 9 or 10 o'clock. I was one of the first to know. I remember being in shock and then being given the task of tracking down my cousin and best friend, and having to tell him what had happened. This was by far the hardest thing I ever had to do. I called him and had him come over. Looking in his eyes he had no idea and I think truly believed there was something wrong with me. I remember having the hardest time I have ever had trying to tell someone anything. Of course this being devastating news, he had to take a few minutes and we quickly started to head out of town on a snowy night. We ended up going out with my parents, my sisters, my other aunt and uncle, My cousin and his wife as well as myself. When we got there, our pastor was just getting ready to leave. After about a half hour, every one came into the kitchen, which is our most common spot to talk in any household, and just began to talk with each other and do whatever we could to make things better. So suffice to say, my family was there in a instant. No one person there had a second thought about running out of town and help console the family for their loss. Not one person worried about Christmas or work or how late it was. At this time, nothing else but Family mattered. So even though this was the worst day of their lives, the family ultimately became much more close and continue to be to this day. Everyone has moved on and put that day behind them and everyone seems to be flourishing.

So basically, what I learned, there is always a bright side. It may not be seen immediately and in all actuality it may never be seen, but it will be there. I also learned that above all else, the Family that cares about one another, is by far one of our most valuable resources. Family, Friends, these are the things we need. In a world full of daily horrific, terrifying and sometimes flat out disgusting news, if you have people you truly care about, you can find a way to get through it all. Don't forget it.

Angry Rob

Iron Man 2, and UFC 101... It's "The Least I could Do"

2009-08-10T01:53:00.004-06:00

Wow Sirs and Madames... What a couple days this has been. It's good to be back. I'm hoping we can get a few more subscribers as things are starting to pick up here at Angry Snow Studios a little.

I just feasted on 5 minutes of the best preview I HAVE EVER SEEN... EVER! Man in the Iron Mask 2... No, wait. That's not it. There's no Leo in this flick. Which means it didn't suck... just kidding Leo. ;) No, ladies and gentlemen, what I saw was a masterpeice. The new trailer for Iron Man 2. That's right, drink it in... take your time. You can check it out at this link.

http://www.joblo.com/index.php?id=27936

Don't wanna give anything away, cause this trailer explains pretty much everything anyways...

On to UFC 101: Declaration. This card had so much potential it was sickening.

The night started off with Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellegrino. Good fight, but pretty one sided. Neer who did an excellent job landing elbows from the bottom, just could not keep Pellegrino off him. His guard was decent, but was absolutely no match for the ground game of Pellegrino.

Winner: Kurt Pellegrino by Unanimous decision.

What followed was another one-sided Unanimous decison in the form of Kendall Grove vs. Ricardo Almeida. 3 rounds chalk full of world class takedowns and groundwork from Ricardo. But I feel the highlight of the fight was an amazing attempt at an armbar from the bottom by Grove. He almost had it sunk in when the submissions expert burst out and re-took top postion. And unfortunatley for Grove, that's about all he had in this fight.

Winner Ricardo Almeida by Unanimous Decision.

Amir Sadollah vs. Johnny Hendricks... All I can say is that not fighting due to injury for a couple years and a 2-0 record really aren't a good combination for any fighter. And Sadollah showcased both of those for about 30 seconds before the ref stopped it due to TKO by strikes. And ya, you guessed it. The win went to Hendricks after a series well landed uppercuts put down the TUF winner.

Winner: Johnny Hendricks by TKO

Shane Nelson vs. Aaron Riley. This was a good fight that apparently had some blood behind it. Neither of these fighters have fought in a little while, and their last opponents were each other. "Sugar" Shane took home the win last time by flash KO. That wasn't the story tonight. The announcers kept saying he over-trained, but he just looked out-classed to me. Riley was beating him to every punch, in every clinch and to every takedown.

Winner: Aaron Riley Unanimous Decision

THE MONEY FIGHTS:

Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffen. This should've been a good fight. Not on paper by any means, but in the octagon. It was built up to be a classic David and Goliath storyline. With Forrest being hyped as the Golden-Hearted David. What really happened was another story. Now I hate to say it, because I'm a fan of Griffen. But he just didn't seem to eally want to be there at all. Round 1 starts, Forrest feels out Silva alittle, and gets popped. Knocked down twice. The second time, Silvashowboated a little bit. But right from the start, Forrest looked beat. Silva read everything he was thinking, and was waiting for him. In the end, Forrest was saught with a right jab on the button, and went down hard. He pronmptly left the building. Now either his estrogen was at an all time high, or something fishy was up.

Winner: Anderson Silva KO.

BJ. Penn vs. Kenny Florian for the UFC Lightweight Championship.

This match was half decent. The champ looked phenominal in this showing. He entered the octagon in the best shape I've seen him in. I was scared for Kenny. 5 rounds were on the schedule for this fight, and it almost took all of them to finish it. Kenny went for takedown and clinch after takedown and clinch... and failed. BJ had him beat at all turns. The highlight of the fight, was when BJ stopeed defending takedowns and hit Florian with one of his own. Effortlessly. Soon there after Florian tapped to one of the best submission wrestlers in the game.

Winner (and still UFC Lightweight Champion: BJ Penn by Submission.

And finally... on a more personal note, I've had a lot free time on my hands as of late. So I've been filling it with a nice little webcomic called The Least I Could Do. Now for those of you that don't know it, it's a daily comic that chronicles a group of friends, their trials, tribulations and all things fanboy. With a side of sex and lot of humour. Anyone looking for a good quick laugh, check it out at the link below. But beware, it`s as addictive as crack... and I don`t mean the magazine.

www.theleasticoulddo.com

Drop a line, let me know if you were as floored by this as everyone here at the Snow.

Ryan "Momo"

Funny People, Kevin Smith vs Apatow and Finally Happy

2009-08-06T22:22:00.005-06:00

Hey Everyone, Your Favorite Blogger is back. Angry Rob here and after Momo Richards scared off any would be readers, I am here to hopefully win some back. That Being said, I have seen "Funny People" and it is......

Well That is a good question. I saw this movie a few days ago. I have not been this excited to see a comedy since Zack and Miri (Which I loved, because I have to. All Hail Kevin Smith). So with great anticipation I had a chance to go and see this movie. First thing I will say, this movie was a lot longer than I thought it would be. I believe that a good half hour or so could have been cut out. For some reason, I found this movie to be a weird pacing, that being said, I still did enjoy much of the movie. This really seemed almost more like a documentary turned into a film. A high profile stand up comedian, becomes a global comedy sensation, making what seems like less than funny movies and making a ton of cash in the process. (Spoilers!!!!) Close to the beginning of the movie, a big reveal is shown as the main character, Adam Sandlers George Simmons, is dying of a rare disease. This is the catalyst of the first half of this movie. Enter struggling stand up comedian Seth Rogan playing Ira Wright. He is waiting at a comedy club, hoping for a chance to perform and is granted his chance. Just before going on though, the great George Simmons shows up and wants to go on, which of course is allowed as he is seemingly the biggest comedy thing going. Mr Simmons goes on and runs his routine which is possibly the most morose and unfunny routine ever done. Ira Wright then has to follow this and does so by playing on George Simmons routine before his. Simmons sees this and leaves. The two men then meet in the parking lot, have a brief exchange and move on with their life. Next day, Ira Wright receives a call from George Simmons asking him to write some jokes for him. Of course he accepts and the movies new plot point continues. Without spoiling to much, Wright becomes Simmons assistant and joke writer and subsequently best friend. Many lessons are learned and most of the funny bits are the actual stand up comedy or when Ira and George are in the doctors office with Torsten Voges who plays Dr Lars.

This movie was not what I was expecting but still enjoyable. As I said, movie seems a bit long and could have ended early a few times. I thought the majority of the cast was very good, and Rogen and Sandler were excellent. Leslie Mann was also very good and had me laughing quite a bit. The secondary characters did not seem to have a whole lot to do however, which is odd because there was plenty of time. So while not the funniest movie out of Apatows collection, I do believe this may be his best all around movie, but I will see it again before making that assumption.
I give it a tentative 3.5 out of 5.

I read a article earlier this week of a side by side comparison of Kevin Smith vs Judd Apatow. Now I am a self proclaimed Kevin Smith uber fan. I have all of his movies, books and much of his merchandise. He, funnily enough, is one of the reasons I love movies as much as I do. That being said, I am also a huge fan of Apatow, enjoying all of his movies and television shows. I keep hearing comparisons and questions of who is better. I am not really sure if one is better than the other, and while there are many similarities, I also do not find them so similar. It is obvious that they both create R Rated comedies with a heart of gold underneath and they both have some amazing dialogue, although very much differnt, short of the swearing. That being said, I really do not find all of their movies so similar. I will not go into great detail here, but is it really so bad to have to awesome director/writers making similar R rated comedies? Can we not just enjoy both??

Finally, this is my last thought of the night and has nothing to do with the entertainment business. I recently had a month off my real job, some vacation time + me getting some cut hours, allowed me to reflect and adjust myself. I had a chance to relax and do a lot of things I really enjoy. I finally also came to the realization that basically all of my unhappiness comes from my current job. I sat down and very carefully thought about my life and all the things in it. Now that being said, my job has given me more experience and I have had the pleasure of working with some amazing people, I even took a friend or two away from that god awful place, but all in all, I am way past due of leaving that place and honestly pursuing my dream. As many other people have, I want to be a film maker and possibly a writer. I have no experience other than I have seen a lot of cinema, watched a lot of extra features, listened to a lot of commentaries. That being said, I know I am still going to succeed and it is only a matter of time till I do. Get Ready world, I am coming to turn you on your head and make you go wow.

Angry Rob

Funny Features, Funny People and Paul.

2009-07-23T16:58:00.003-06:00

There's a new Sheriff in town, and his name is "Momo"... lol, not really. I just like the sound of "Sheriff Momo".

This is my first addition to the growing collection of "Writings in the Snow", only with less urine. I had a few things I wanted to discuss today. Namely, some damn interesting things I've come across in the past few days.

So, first on the list, is a movie that has been out for a while now. You might know this one as Zack and Miri Make a Porno, but it'll always be my ticket to "More-than-friends-ville". Rob, I'm looking at you, j/k. This movie is great. In all aspects. Not only was it well written and the acting superb, but it helped make porn a little more mainstream. The reason I mention this movie, is I finally picked up a copy of it and sat down for a fun-filled evening of special features. Now, as we all know, Kevin Smith DVD's are 2-disc for a reason, and that is because the special features are usually longer than the entire length of the film itself. ZaMMaP does not disappoint! There are plethora of deleted scenes, a director's commentary, and my personal favorite... "Money Shots" (a series of webisodes chronicling the "making-of" process.) They also do a series of mock public service announcements "The More You Porno"... sooo good. Overall, K. Smith does it again; special features that almost, but not quite, outshine the movie itself. Well Done Sirs.

On to Funny People. This movie will be released July 31st, and I will be the first in line. It's done by Judd Apatow. So you know it's gonna be good. And if there's one thing he's known for, it's taking a chance on the little guy. (or Jonah Hill...) The flick is set to star our friend Seth Rogen alongside a little-known actor named Adam Sandler. I know what you're thinking... Wasn't that guy on SNL way back when? And the answer is yes. So we finally get to see him strech his wings a little in a comedic role for the first time in a while. As he has since forayed into the drama and romance genres. It also stars Apatow's wife, Leslie Mann. Now generally I'd be pissed at this blatant kiss-ass move. But this woman's got chops... She was brilliant in 40 Yr. Old Virgin and unforgettable in Knocked Up. I can't wait for this to premiere! Apparently it's about a comedian who doesn't feel he has it anymore so he hires a writer (Seth Rogen) to help him out with jokes. Genius.

Upon the viewing of the aforementioned special features disc, I was compelled to go on the inter-webs and surf. I checked some of the sites that Rob had sent me through Stumble Upon, and low and behold, he actually stumbled upon something good. And this time, it wasn't granny porn, which I do enjoy so I was a little disappointed... just saying. This one happened to be a new Simon Pegg/ Nick Frost project in which they play two British (go figure...) Sci-Fi geeks who travel to the states to check out Area 51. Throw in some Seth Rogen, Bill Hader and Sigourney Weaver, (Wait... What? Sigourney Weaver??? Ya, that was my reaction too.) and you got yourself a (delicious) recipe for success. Now I would say that this is Seth Rogen in a role we've never seen him in before, but really... Seth Rogen plays Seth Rogen... and thats thwt works. You can go to www.whatispaul.com to check out some production blogs and get a general idea of how bad ass this is gonna be.

Well these are things that this Snowman is looking forward to this summer. That and some more granny porn from Rob, but that's another blog...which may surface sonner or later, lol.

Check out the site and email us with some suggestions. And yes, we are still looking for a logo. If you are interested in designing one, email us at the site. www.Angrysnow.com

Thanks Guys,

Ryan "Momo"

Transformers, Opera, Miss March and In Bruges.

2009-07-17T16:54:00.002-06:00

Welcome back readers.
Sorry I have not posted in a while, I actually got busy. In the time however, I have been able to catch a few other movies. As the title says, we have Transformers 2: Revenge of the fallen, Repo, The Genetic Opera, Miss March and In Bruges to name a few. All very different and all deserve special attention.

Ok so I lied. We will start with Miss March. This is the run of a mill, American Pie Esq comedy that had very few funny elements. Not really a whole lot to say here. If you have liked the recent out puts of American Pie:Band Camp, Naked Mile and all the other funny movie wannabes, you will most likely enjoy this as well. This is one I will not watch again. Really was not worth the first watch. I am also perplexed at why Mr Craig Robinson would subject himself to this movie. I have enjoyed most of his prior work, and he was not horrible in this movie, but he also was not needed in this movie nor should he have wanted to be in this movie. My guess, he owed someone a huge favour or something of the sort. I am gonna give this a glorious 2 out of 5.

There were, thankfully, two surprises as well. I will start with In Bruges. This is a movie, which I had not heard about upon its release. Luckily listening to the /Film cast (found at http://www.slashfilm.com check it out), hipped me to this movie. This is a movie starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. I have always quietly enjoyed Mr Farrell's movies and then he seemed to drop off the planet, or I stopped paying attention, who knows. Anyways, this is a great version of Farrell. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. This is a movie about two assassins, Farrell and Gleeson, who are waiting in Bruges, to finish their hit. Hillarity ensues. Well some anyways. This is not a comedy but does have humorous elements. This is really Ferrell at his best and hopefully allows him to make a come back. This is an awesome, simple movie, worth the checking out. 3.5 out of 5 Stars. Do it.....Do it.

Next on my surprise list, Repo, The Genetic Opera. Wow. What a wonderfully messed up movie. This is like saw (but entertaining) meets musical. I loved this movie. I think because it was different, and because I have also been loving on Dr. Horrible, that I enjoyed this feature so much. This is definitely not a movie for everyone. If you don't like gore, of which there is surprising a lot, and don't like awesome fun musicals, then you will probably not like them mixed. For anyone who thinks this sounds awesome though, you are right. The only down side to this movie is that it does contain Paris Hilton. She is easily forgettable though and actually plays her part adequately. Worth a check out, very much a surprise for me. I give it a 4 out of five. And really, gore is ok if it is in a musical right.....right?

Now the big release which has been a monster at the box office and and pretty well abashedly hated among everyone who is asked. That's right, it is Micheal Bay's :Transformers Revenge of the fallen. (Que the explosions here and there. Thank you). I did grow up in the 80's but never really played with Transformers. I did not see the animated movie till last year, and I did enjoy the first Transformers movie but really as just a popcorn flick. Giant robots fighting and explosions ensue, good stuff. I am also not a Micheal Bay hater. I enjoyed Bad Boys and Armageddon and really enjoyed The Rock. I did not however, enjoy Pearl Harbor, but really, did anyone?? I am pretty sure that only Micheal Bay and the great Ben Affleck enjoyed that movie, most likely because of the fat checks they received.
Ok moving on. Transformers 2 RotF (Revenge of the Fallen, just in case you were unable to decipher that cryptic message). I don't know if was because I do not know much of the Transformers mythology or if I am just really slow, but this movie was kind of convoluted and some times hard to figure out who you were cheering for. That being said, this movie was fun, too long, but fun. This was probably the best pop corn flick of the year, thus far. It may be because Terminator and Wolverine were so disappointing, but I did enjoy this movie for what it was. It probably also helped that I had little to no expectations and really just wanted to see a lot of big robots fighting with cool explosions. Check. Story was kind of weak, Megan Fox still can not act and Shia Labeouf is still underrated. The ending also kind of sucked. So while not a great movie, it was enjoyable, probably more so for a non transformers fan. Plus, Robot heaven....Genius. Or Not. As a movie, 2 out of 5 Stars. As a pop corn flick with no transformers back round 2.5 out of 5 stars. I will probably still buy it on Blu Ray and watch it very loudly. Oh and Megan Fox makes running look good.

Optimus Out!
I mean, I am more than meets the eye.
No wait,
Ah, thanks for reading.

Movies 2009 Pt 2

2009-07-01T13:01:00.004-06:00

So here is the rest of my mid point 2009 Round up of movies. There is an amazing thespian. Someone so hugely talented that his hair can no longer stand it and is apparently running away from his head. That's right, your idol and mine, Nicolas Cage. He has come up with another gem called "Knowing". Directed by Alex Porayas, of I,Robot and Dark City fame, has helped create a decent movie. I definately expected this to be worse and the plane crash scene alone was pretty fantastic. That being said, this was pretty much the run of the mill disaster movie with a twist. Not bad, not great, worth a watch if you are end to that sort f thing. Now a surprising movie, in a good way for once, was Monsters vs Aliens. I did not get a chance to peep this in 3d but still excellent none the less. Part of it was because I once again had low expectations but the savior of this movie was Seth Rogen and Stephen Colbert. Without these two, the movie definately would not have been as good. This was a pretty decent movie, nothing great but better than many other animated features. Lesbian Vampire Killers..... Not sure what I can say about this. Very much a campy B-movie, more or less a soft core porn with a bit of a better story, pretty much expected. Moving on. Fast and the Furious 4. This to me, is the best Fast and Furious since the original. I am not sure if that is a good or bad thing. That being said, this was a decent action movie. A mindless movie. You get pretty much what you need out of it. The one thing that is good about this, the re-emergence of Mr Vin Diesel, who I am a fan of. Will be interesting to see where he goes from here. I have heard rumblings of the third installment of the "Chronicles of Riddick". Dragonball....If you are a fan of the animated series, avoid this, if you are a fan of movies, cinema or good taste, avoid this.
Crank 2. Wow. Here is a video game movie not based on a video game. I have heard many times of people saying how unrealistic this movie is. To those folks, go away. If that is a major problem for you, then you will want to avoid this flick. If you enjoyed the first one, as I did, this is that, but ampped up about 50 times. Same basic story, Chev Chelios is trying to keep himself alive and hijinks ensues. Quite the ride, not a movie that "conservatives" will enjoy. Lots of fun, crazy crazy fun.
We now head into the summer blockbuster territory. I am a little behind on the blockbuster but here we go. Wolverine:Origins..... :( This makes me sad. I love Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds. That being said, mr Reynolds was not in this movie much, but when he was.....Genius. Hugh Jackman tried so hard but this movie is pretty much flat out bad. As bad as Brett Ratners X3, that is up for debate, but this was not a good movie for anyone. The graphics were terrible and the story was all wrong. The cast was decent, but they didn't seem to have anything to do. They seemingly tried hard, but they were not able to save this movie. Will I Am, needs to go away from movies now please. 0 for 1 on the summer blockbusters, moving on to Terminator Salvation. I had high hopes for this. Mc G had somehow convinced me this was going to be a cinematic masterpiece. There was an excellent cast lined up, and as I am a huge Christian Bale and Anton Yelchin fan. This movie was not really bad or good. There are arguments for both, and I have not fully decided yet. I will say that it is not my favorite of the series, but I think I enjoyed it more than T3. I liked that we are finally starting to get into the future but there were many plot holes and things that flat out didnt make sense in this movie. That and the big reveal, which was revealed in the trailer, would have been much cooler, had we not known. It seemed to be a big plot point and I guess we were supposed to forget about it when watching the movie, but that was pretty hard to do. I will not go into too much detail, but this movie is worth checking out if you are Terminator or action movie fan. I am still missing the action stars of the late 80's and 90's though. Can't wait for the "Expenadables". So we are now 0-1-1 for movies. One bad and one undecided, but then the Summer Savior and unexpected hit, for me anyways, was "Star Trek" from a geek god JJ Abrahms. I loved this movie. I was not particularly a Star Trk fan, didn't hate them, just really didn't care. This, on the other hand, was amazing. First off, the cast was pretty phenomenal all around. I really have no complaints cast wise. I was genuinely surprised with this as I thought I would see Sylar the whole time and not Spock as well as I figured this movie would be littered with cameos and inside jokes. The one cameo was well done and thoroughly enjoyed. I thought the only cast misstep was Chris Hemsworth who played George Kirk. He was pretty stiff but that being said, he was not on screen a lot so I can forgive this. Other than that, cast gets all A's from me. Oh and Simon Peg as Scotty, genius. The CGI was amazing. It looked so fantastic and I thought the story was pretty good all around except our villain. Now once again, I do not know Star Trek history, but the Romulans seemed pretty boring and there were several plot holes in their story. The main villain was played by Eric Bana, who i normally enjoy, but here I found him adequate. That being said, best movie of the year up to this point. Only two more big ones to go, stay with me.
Land of the Lost. I really enjoy Will Ferrel in small roles or bit comedy a la SNL. The only full featured movie I have thoroughly enjoyed where he was a lead, was Anchorman. I wont get into that movie as there is a lot of love and hate for that movie and I don't want to debate that here. I pretty much saw "Land of the Lost" because I was bored and there was nothing else out I had not already seen that I felt like seeing. This was ok. I understand that this was based on a older television show, of which I have never seen, and I really have no idea how close to the original this was. That being said, this movie was ok. CGI was ok. Acting and story ok. Pretty much the entire movie was awesomely mediocre. Not horrible, not good, ok to watch once.
Finally the last movie I have seen this year is "Up". I had honestly not heard a whole lot of this movie up until about a month before its release. I am a huge Pixar fan and am always wiling to watch. Wall-E was amazing and I have watched it several times on Blu Ray. This was also my first 3D movie experience. I must say, I adored this movie. It was pretty much all amazing. The watcher is sent through a gamut of emotions and adventure. I just thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I really have no bad things to say and everyone and their dog should go see this movie. The one thing I was worried about going in, was the 3D but that was also great. As it stands right now, there would only be very minor things I could squabble about here, but it is not worth it. Best movie of the year so far.
So this is my halfway point movie review so far. I am including a list of a few others I have seen as well. Obviously I tried not to go into too much detail and reveal spoilers. So many great movies on their way. Next on the dockett is Transformers 2. Here we go. I hear Micheal Bay has added transformer testicles. I am intrigued.

Inkhart - Brendan Frasier has really dropped off. He is better than what he presents here. Ok movie, enjoyed Sandlers version better.
Bedtime Stories - Sandler did good work here. I am really enjoying Russel Brand more and more. Worth a watch.
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - enjoyed the first two, not this one.
Push: I really like Chris Evans, I enjoyed this movie, despite it's faults. Good Watch.
Race to Witch Mountain - Was pretty much Meh.
Fired Up: Better thank I thought, really old looking highschoolers.

Thanks for reading,
Angry Rob

2nd Ever Yay....2009 Movie Review Pt 1

2009-06-30T00:33:00.003-06:00

Welcome back readers. So my last entry was not quite what I was wanting to do, however, the epic Micheal Jackson event had just happened and I had decided to vent. That being said, this time, I am now inspired to talk about which movies I have seen, enjoyed and hated. So far this year, this has been a year of a few surprises, many disappointments and a some , I don't know what to say, moments. So, I will not go through my entire list as after further review, and the help of google, I have found out that I have seen 20 movies so far this year, in theatres or recent DvD. Also, in all honesty, I can not remember some of the movies and still some others, I want to watch again to see what I really think. Anyways, we will start from back in January. I did see the Reader. Kate Winslet is one of my favorite actresses. That being said, this is probably not a movie I would watch again. Not bad, but just kind of meh. I have not decided on a rating system yet, so the Reader is definately worth seeing once, but not a movie everyone will enjoy. I would not recommend this one to casual movie goers, or at least read about it first and see if this is something that may interest you. It is another holocaust movie, which according to Ms Winslet back in her "Extras" days, is why she one the award. Good job. Moving on. Pretty much the opposite of " The Reader" is Paul Blart: Mall Cop". I am impartial to Mr Kevin James and I wrote this movie off before I even watched it. I did actually watch it and in all honesty, it was a bit better than I had figured it would be, although not by much. Again another movie I would not go out of my way to watch, but a ok throw away comedy. Would still much rather watch this than watch another God awful parody movie. Someone needs to stop those by the way, but that is a rant for another time. Speaking of mall cop movies, again another opposite, although not "The Reader" was "Observe and Report". A movie which actually surprised me. I really enjoyed this movie and will definitely own when it hits Blu Ray. I loved this dark comedy. The ending was so shocking and surprising, did not see it coming. I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this movie. That being said, once again not a comedy for everyone. I love Seth Rogen and think this was an interesting role for him. I am intrigued to see what else he can do. The next movie that was an amazing surprise was Taken. Now up until this point, I really only knew Mr Liam Neeson in Kingsley and Batman Begins. I really just had no opinion on him. I would never have pictured him in an action movie, but Taken was one the most pleasant surprises thus far this year. I only saw "Taken" after a good word of mouth, did not really know anything of it, which may be why I enjoyed it so much, but this is one of my favorite action in movies in recent years. Straight and to the point, Liam Neeson is very believable at what he does here. Well done. Next on my to do list, The Watchmen. I am a comic book geek, but that being said, I did not read "The Watchmen" until I heard about the movie. Please don't judge me. I loved this movie and saw it three times. I thought everything was amazing and SPOILER ALERT!!!! did not mind, in the least, the changed ending from the comic. I was not a hardcore fan of the comic, although did thoroughly enjoy it, but thought the movie was excellent and can not wait for the extended directors cut. Good going Mr Snyder. As this is going on fairly long and I still have several movies to rant through, I will cut this short and throw up a second part of this tomorrow. Anyone who is reading this, please know that this is an obvious abbreviated version and nothing in depth as I would have an amazingly long post to talk in depth about everything I have seen so far. I have also already skipped several other movies of which I will mention shortly later.

Angry Rob

June 26th, 2009 Goodbye, King of Pop.

2009-06-26T11:48:00.001-06:00

The first thing I see when I get home yesterday is that Micheal Jackson, has passed. While I respected his talent, I never considered myself a fan. Born in ’83, I didn’t really start listening to music until the mid to late 90’s and Mr Jackson was never on the list. I remember seeing “Thriller” when I was young and watching those eyes at the end scared the sheit out of me. That’s all I remember. Other than that, I was always impartial to Micheal Jackson and really only paid attention to The King of Pop when late night hosts and stand up comedians made fun of him. Recently however, I actually started to appreciate some of his works more. I was shown the “Smoothe Criminal” video which was pretty amazing. I even started listening to his other hits, as I am in fact just a singles whore and have no decent taste in music. Still, that being said, it is always just weird when someone you are used to see and hear on all media outlets, is no longer with us. It is almost like losing an aquaintance or a friend. Kind of surreal. That being said, this long diatribe is really just to say one thing that does bug me. This is in no way directed to this situation only but is the most recent exaple. Why is it that is ok to constantly ridicule someone about anything, when they are alive and struggling, but as soon as they pass on, they once again become the greatest person on the planet. While I know that a portion of this is mere respect for the person in question, but really. All I have heard for the past several years were Micheal Jackson jokes and mockery toward him. This is not the first case of this happening, not by a long shot. I just find it ridiculous that this happens all the time. I also find it amazing how death can often revitalize someones career. This is the most popular and well liked Micheal has been in a long time. As this is not what I want this blog to be, I will end this hear. I would never wish death upon anyone and it is truly mind boggling how fickle and easily swayed people are. I know I can be one of them in certain times, I just find it odd how in death, a once, seemingly hated person, has once again become so well loved. Micheal, you were one of the most talented performers this planet has ever seen. You will live forever and will never be forgotten. Hopefully everyone will remember the good times. Keep moon walking in heaven.

Angry Rob

P.S.
Here is an awesome picture of my thoughts. Not done by me.
http://tinyurl.com/nc8nok