I watched it for the first time a week ago, and I have to say, if anyone in the world were to get me it for Christmas, they would immediately be my best friend. Also, I can never have enough Bob Marley, even if there are duplicate songs (just not duplicate albums). I love "Concrete Jungle" and "War" lately.

But with Serenity, it's one of those movies... i.e. a movie... so you expect it to start to get stupid or boring, or looking for parts of it that you would not like to watch again, and that would make you think it sucks, plus it was based on a TV series that tanked. So you're like "Alright, when is it gonna suck... Come on, any second now.." And the credits start to roll at the end, and you're like "Wow, it didn't suck. Not even a little bit." Unlike recent blockbusters like The DaVinci Code (They just could never escape), War of the Worlds (That little girl and the insane dude in the basement of that house ruin it for me. Can't watch it again), and practically every movie.. they just have parts that make them unwatchable after the first time. There are a select few though... I have a few, like Contact. That movie never sucks. Plus it puts me to sleep like a baby when I don't plan on watching it all the way through.

People have to make better movies. Of course, I'm about the least impressed person ever. Nothing affects me. In effect, everything sucks. Not that I could do it better, but why does everything have to suck?! Alright, time to head over the parents' place for more Christmas Festivities.

I was watching the Star Wars Trilogy over the last few days as you can see here, and I noticed that there are a lot of moments in them that I don't remember, and, in my opinion, SUCK. Like, in Return of the Jedi, in the hole in the ground where they try to dump Luke, Chewy and Han in, there's a mouth on the thing, like some man-eating -fire-spewing plant in Super Mario Brothers. I never remembered a mouth on it. Also, before that in Jabba's bar, the music was different, and at the end there's these weird scenes that I don't remember being in the original. It makes it unwatchable. That bar scene and the hole that digests things in a thousand years were some of the more memorable parts of that movie, and they ruined it. But in September, they will have the originals out on DVD. Finally. This whole thing could have been avoided, and I wouldn't be mad at George Lucas, if they just did that in the first place. I mean, whoever thought the squeaky, chirping plant bird-beak in the hole was a good idea needs to be shot.

I just realized that this morning, after falling asleep really early yesterday and waking up at 4am today, I decided to watch "A New Hope" from like half way through, where I would get when I tried to watch it before falling asleep. So this morning, I finished watching IV, and decided to throw in V since I thought I haven't seen it in a while, let alone, ever. I started watching it, and realized that I have never seen it. I have only seen IV and VI. And everytime I want to watch one, it's usually Return of the Jedi since it's AWESOME. I got around 40 minutes into it before I had to get ready for work, but it's good like the other two :) Oh wait, there's like six of them now. I really don't count those new ones. I'll finish watching V tonight.

[Update] OK, so I've never seen the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back. Like, the first 75% of it. I have seen Yoda in the swamp, the X-Wing in the mud... I do remember that stuff. Definitely not all of it though. I'd say I remember about 10% of that movie watching it now. I haven't finished it yet, I fell asleep before it finished again. I think Han Solo's ship was just getting off of that moon with the giant worm in the crater. After that I don't remember much before passing out.

I also got some movies, namely "Walk the Line". Who knows... deep inside I might be a Johnny Cash fan and not even know it!

And who the F@#%@# voted on my poll? There's 25 votes but only 7 or so people, two of which selected every option before submitting...

It would suck to be blind. I watched the movie "Contact" for the 7 thousandth time last night, and it just occurred to me, the guy who's blind hasn't seen a star in his life! I don't know why it takes me so long to come to simple conclusions sometimes, but it does, and I deal with it. But, lately I've been getting better, I feel myself getting smarter, and I've recently measured my head and it's a few centimeters bigger. So that's good. Anyway, back to blind people. I hope you aren't blind, and if you aren't, I hope you aren't reading this to some blind person... the last thing I need is to receive Braille fan (or hate) mail. At least blind people can still listen to my music :)

Anyway, that guy studies stars and doesn't even know what they really look like, unless he was given a very detailed description by someone in the poetry business or something, and he has a hell of an imagination. I think it would suck way worse to be blind your whole life, rather than going blind later. At least you have a point of reference for a description of stuff, when describing it to a blind person who went blind later in life. They know what "green" is, and they've seen a tree before, and the sun rise and set, and the moon, and snow. Stuff that you generally take in through the eyes. But if you're trying to describe it to a blind lifer, you'd be like "It kinda looks like a giant sombrero... you don't know what a sombrero looks like? Well, it's brown. No brown either huh? Imagine a ... nevermind..." You'd have to be blind in order to be able to describe whatever it is that you're looking at that looks like a giant sombrero.

I can't imagine how frustrating that would be.

Gotta be.

Well, maybe it defines what kind of movies I like. I like the ones that have a serious mood. Drama, I guess. One of my favorite movies right now is "The Natural", and the music is incredible. The "signature" score is mainly a horn section or two, with what seems to be flutes or something in the background. If it's a good tune, it grabs at your heart, like when Roy Hobbs makes his "Wonder Boy" baseball bat out of the trunk of the tree that got destroyed by a fate filled strike of lightning. The same tree, coincidentally, under which he lost his father.

A decent classical score can bring me back to watching movies that I would normally not watch again. Case in point: Jurassic Park. It's the damn kids. I hate movies with dumb kids in them. Actually, it's not only the kids. I also hate the Paleobotanist. I don't know her name, nor would I care enough to even come up with a detailed description of her other than her occupation in the movie. I also hate the guy, the main guy, the archaeologist. Forgive my spellings on these tough words. Ian Malcolm can stay. So can the programmer... "Newman", and the dinosaurs are pretty cool (the main attraction) I pretty much hate everyone else in that movie. So, with all these strikes against it, what in the world would possess me to buy it? Am I f@#%@#$!@ing nuts?! I remember when that movie came out. I was in high school, I think a sophomore. I remember my Track 1 (the course track for smart kids ;-) ) history teacher hadn't seen the movie, but bought the soundtrack. He made a quick comment on it before we resumed writing down word for word what he said. In fact, that course was the ultimate note taking course that I probably wrote down his comments before noticing that they weren't about medieval or renaissance era France. Pretty much all I remember about that course was his short blurb on how much he thought of the music in that movie.

The problem with non-classical music is that it doesn't transcend culture or time, obviously :) But, if you make a movie about partying back in the late 70s (like Dazed and Confused), you're obviously going to put in some great late 70s music. But, a movie that was recorded in what then was considered "present day", like "The Karate Kid" (which also has some decent instrumental/classical music [the Japanese style tune]), then you get songs on your soundtrack that aren't cool anymore. However, I can still watch that movie, the music tends to fit pretty well ("You're the Best" during the Karate tournament), and Mr. Miyagi is quite the character... he's hilarious.

My mind has drawn a blank. If I think of more movies (there are definitely quite a few more) with decent classical scores then I will post more about them. If you know any, feel free to add comments (as opposed to the normal rate of $5 per comment).

Update: More movies with great classical music. The most obvious to me and probably anyone is the Imperial March. Star Wars. Orchestral is what I probably mean, moreso than classical. Classical is a period of time. Anywho. I watched Bagger Vance again today, and that's got a good score.

I hesitate to say the Indiana Jones trilogy only because, on many an occassion, I have fallen asleep watching them, only to wake up to the theme song playing on infinite repeat at the DVD menu screen. I'd hear it 20 times in my sleep, then wake up and I'm like "WHAT THE F@#%!@!@ TURN IT OFF!!"

I just bought a boatload of movies. They've been shipping from Amazon.com continuously for the past 5 days. Here's the list. It's a good mix.

Johnny Mnemonic
Jurassic Park Trilogy
Star Wars Trilogy (That's episodes 4,5 and 6, not the latest atrocities)
Back to the Future Trilogy (I love Doc in these movies)
Slap Shot
Truman Show
Bruce Almighty
Ace Ventura 1 & 2
Dumb and Dumber
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Aviator
Catch Me If You Can
Tron
The Goonies
Beetlejuice
Indiana Jones Trilogy

I have other good movies so this adds to my great collection. A few notes: You might notice an overly unnecessary number of movies starring Leonardo DiCaprio. This is because he's a good actor. Despite starring in the Romeo and Juliette in the early 90s that every girlfriend I had back then raved about, and of course Titanic, which isn't really that bad if you take out the whole story that isn't about the sinking of the ship. Have you ever seen him in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" ??

I actually have a new order on Amazon.com just waiting for me to click the "Checkout" button. It's another big order of equal to better quality.

I also got a book with the previous order: "Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix". Haven't read it, but I did look in the middle where there are pictures. He is now my favorite blues guitarist. Stevie Ray Vaughan is still up there, but he was also inspired and heavily influenced by Jimi. I can't even explain Jimi's genius.

Today is Wednesday, half way there.

It only took a year or so for a movie about e-mail. I was in college in 1997 when I first really started using e-mail. You've Got Mail came out in 1998. I don't know when this "web log" phenomenon started up, really. The original jasontconnell.com was up in Mid 2001. They're now huge, so we should be seeing previews for a movie about them shortly. I can't imagine what to call it. Perhaps "Publish to the World" or "You Got Published!" or "Media of the Masses" or "For the People, By the People" ... I don't know. Post your ideas. Whatever it's called, it's gonna be awesome, and I should be listed in the credits. I think Johnny Depp will be the leading role, with Jennifer Connelly playing the supporting one. That would make a good flick. I anticipate it like a guy dressed in a Darth Vader outfit at midnight 2 days before the opening of the latest Star Wars. I'd be out there with my laptop and dressed up as my website. Don't think I don't have the costume already... it's in my closet.

Fridays always sneak up on me now. Before, at other jobs, it would always seem like months had passed before you would get a few days off. Now, it's like HOURS. It's wonderous.

So, to kick off the weekend, here is a list of some funny things and some trying to be funny things:

40% of the internet population would refer to this website as a "blog". I don't care what you call it, I don't call it a "blog". Here is a comment I made on this topic earlier today:

"We have to come up with a better term than that."

Amen. As if not being considered anywhere even close to cool wasn't enough, now I have to contribute to something that 40% (+) of the internet population classifies as a "blog". Wonderful.

One popped in my head: "Vulcan"... That planet!! In Star Trek! ;-) Honestly, having never watched Star Trek, I still think that's better than "blog". My girlfriend from a few years ago was the first person to use the term "blog". When she got sick after drinking a lot, that's the sound she made.

Another one popped in my head: "Iceman". This would create better situations at the bar.

Me (to girl at bar): I write an iceman.
Girl: Awesome! Like Val Kilmer?!!? Here's my number.

And there you have it.

Next. I don't think Terrell Owens will be an Eagle this year. He might play a game or two, but Andy Reid will get sick of his B.S. and trade him.

Next. I play video games. Last night I played Battlefield 2 on my newly rebuilt computer. It was neat. On one map, I climbed to a roof behind the other team's base, and picked off like 9 guys before running out of ammo, jumping off the roof, parachuting down (you always have a parachute on you), and reloading all of my ammo, only to be killed by an artillery strike. I laughed at that one though. It was like I had just reloaded all of my ammo from a supply crate that dropped from the sky, and thought "Alright, time to go kick some more ass!"... The first artillery shell is what got me. I had no idea it was coming! At one point, before refilling my ammo, I was shooting 100 yard shots with my pistol! I only got a kill or two with that thing.

Next. Linux and the mug still hasn't arrived.

Damn, I know I had more. Here, let me check the newspaper...

Hmm. First headline : "T.O.'s tirades could signal trade envy." Nope, already commented on that one. Second headline: "Owens heads to Atlanta." Nope, I've said everything I can about that one. Third... "Owens errs in telling his Super Bowl story." Nope, can't think of anything to add to that one. Man, the media has to stop writing about T.O.... honestly. Shut UP!! Hehe, get it. Like T.O. and Andy Reid said to each other?! Read the paper, you're bound to find an article or two-ZILLION about it. Cripes.

More video game news. Yesterday, I also bought "Fantastic 4" for the PS2, so Jeff and I or Bean and Jeff or Bean and I or whatever, can whoop some ass together. It's fun.

Don't trust Microsoft's benchmark tests. Here is a security comparison between Windows Server 2003 with SQL Server 2000 vs. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 with MySQL. Seems like a fair test? Well, download the PDF. Nowhere does it mention that the current version of MySQL (even at the time of the test) and the version of MySQL that is used in the test differ in version number by 1 MAJOR VERSION!! How big is the difference of 1 Major Version? Well, SQL Server 2000 is actually SQL Server Version 8.0. SQL Server 2000 was actually released on January 19th, 2001. SQL Server 7 was released in late 1998 or early 1999, I'm not sure. I couldn't find it. So, that's a difference of at LEAST 2 years. Plus, Red Hat recently released Enterprise Linux 4.0, so maybe Microsoft should do another security test? This goes for most of their tests. And you can't blame them for fixing the results, but you can blame them for writing inferior software :)

Next. Thinking back on a certain state's decision to elect a certain Hollywood action star as its Governer, I began to realize the obvious good and bad in that. A good thing is no stupid Arnold S. movies have been released in a while! A bad thing, Hollywood had to find a replacement, so there are still stupid movies, but without Arnold's style of awful acting.

Next. I'm starting to hate Rounders. If you watch it too much, you'll just find Matt Damon to be another awful actor. It's funny, that movie also stars John Malkovich, one of the best actors. When I watch a movie, I want to watch it and say "That's Teddy KGB" not "That's John Malkovich". But every movie in which Matt Damon stars, he's always the same. Whatever happened to the great character actors, and why aren't they all famous, if they are still around. Another way to look at this quality in an actor is to watch a movie with an actor, and then watch another one with the same actor, and not see the previous character one bit in the new character. If they can't do that, I consider them a bad actor. No offense ;-)

Maybe I'll have more, if you're lucky.

I saw a few movies in the last couple of days.

Coach Carter: Good, but during the whole movie, you only see someone miss a shot ONCE. At least during game time. I guess you can't really show them missing, there's no point in showing it, but that's my only qualm with the movie. Other than that it's really good.

Constantine: OK. Not the worst Keanu Reeves movie I've ever seen. I like Rachel Weisz, but not as an actress. She's right up there with my Jennifer Connelly obsession.

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events: Different. I like it though. Jim Carrey is good, you see many characters played by him.

Alexander: Whatever you do, avoid seeing this movie at all costs! This morning I laughed, Beaner slept over last night, and he was watching it as I was heading out for work, and I said to myself "Boy, is he in for some disappointment. That sucks." Jeff and I turned it off before it ended. I don't know how many chapters are on the DVD, but we didn't wait til it was done with 32, which is pretty close to the end, but we couldn't take it anymore. It kept jumping back and forth, showing "uncomfortable" scenes, using long words and obsolete language, and pretty much wasn't filled with action at all. There were two war scenes, and I was thinking it's a movie about Alexander the Great, who pretty much conquered the known world. But, there was a lot more to it than that. The war scenes were pretty cool. It would be a good movie if it was told in a different way, and got rid of some scenes.

Hostage: Pretty good. Suspenseful, but really F@#%!@#ing bloody! You see exit wounds, dudes getting engulfed in fire, a kid dying and being soaked in his own blood, a psychotic or two, corporate crime, etc. Good but you question the need to show a 7 or 8 year old boy's face as he takes his last breath. There's no need. The kid in "Pay It Forward" died, and you got the point, but they didn't show it.

Team America World Police: There was always a little chuckle in every scene, just because of the way all of the little puppets walked and everything. But there were some laugh out loud scenes too. The sex scene and the talk about "Dicks, A^%@holes and P@#$@#ies". I will not be reproducing it on my website though :-P I don't know if I will be watching it again, though. I don't feel compelled. However, I am not upset that I watched it, especially since we watched it right after Alexander. It was much needed comic relief.

I have to buy me some more good movies. Contact and Rounders are still great, and are always scheduled for a 11:30 PM showing in my room, but I need more.

I will bet you I've seen the movie "Contact" more times than you. I have an unhealthy addiction. I pop that sucker in whenever I'm about to go to bed because it's slow moving. Usually, by the time Ellie is drinking a beer with Palmer Joss, I'd be sound asleep. This is no longer the case. I stay up, get all into it and s@#%, saying stuff like "OH MAN, How are they going to contact aliens NOW?!?!" or "That Drumlin guy is such a dick!" or my favorite "Man, Haddon is one rich motherf#@@#%@er." And I always laugh at Haddon's quote "First rule of government spending: Why build one, when you can have two at twice the price?" I am not sick of it yet.

However, on rare nights where I do want to watch something else, there are only two movies in the whole world that might take the place of Contact. Rounders and Shawshank Redemption. Rounders for its obvious "poker" theme. If it's not obvious that it's about poker, you have to watch it again. Shawshank Redemption for its slow moving-ness, to put me to sleep like a drunken old man. They are both great movies.

I'll get around to it. But quick fact for the day... "Vader" is close to the German word for "Father". It's "Vater". Also, it's pretty close to the German word for "Water", which really isn't that close, but that's "Wasser". 'W' is pronounced like a "V" and "V" is pronounced like an "F". So "Vater" is pronounced (with the other German pronounced stuff) like "Fotter", and "Wasser" is pronounced "Vosser". As you can see, Darth Vader is actually dirty water or "Dark Water". That's a cool name for a villain. The other one, "Dark Father", that just doesn't make sense at all, if you've seen the movies.

Anyway, you can try to stump Darth Vader by going here. Those games amaze me, but I stumped him on "screwdriver". What an idiot.

The Aviator is a good movie. I'm not going to spoil anything about it, but, "The way of the future... the way of the future... The WAY of the FUTURE"... Anyway, watch it, you'll understand :) I liked it a lot. It's not only about planes, Howard Hughes was a genius, one of those geniuses (genii?) that is insane. Completely insane. Inherits money from his parents who were in the drill bits business and uses it to do all this neat stuff. It's a quality flick. I have to come up with a rating system of my own, but for now I'll go with the highly overused rating of 4 out of 4, and the highly overused rating system of "stars". I'll think of something else to use.

On the topic of insane people, don't you like those movies? I thought "Secret Window" was a good depiction of insanity... as well as "Fight Club", and of course "A Beautiful Mind". Anything where someone sees things that aren't there (besides ghosts) is a good flick in my mind. I just like those. "The Sixth Sense" is a good flick but it doesn't fall in that category. Name some other movies where people see stuff that isn't there, by reason of insanity, or just movies that are about insane people. Also, I like movies about really smart people ("Catch Me If You Can","Pirates of Silicon Valley", et al.). Quite a weird fascination I have going on, I might say.

Having no Phillies to watch last night, Jeff (my brother) and I scraped our funds together for a movie night. Having just $8.37 between us, we got two movies. Blade Trinity and The Aviator.

Stay tuned for reviews! I woke up at 5:30am yesterday, I fell asleep an hour into Blade Trinity (which was cool from what I saw) and was asleep for the whole night, so I don't know if Jeff put on The Aviator or not. I wanted to see that one. But now the Phillies are on again tonight, plus it's Friday. So we might be watching the game at Casey's or some other local drinking establishment :)

I saw this last night. I went out in the worst outfit, I was ready for lounging but Jeff wanted a movie. I had on a paint covered "Ireland" shirt, long brown shorts, and shoes with no socks. If I left the socks I had on, I'd be walking around with calf high black dress socks and shorts on... lovely sight. Anyway, the movie, compared to the first one, sucked big time. It wasn't funny at all like the first one. If you go in with no expectations, you'll be fine, but if you go in thinking that this is the sequel to one of the funniest movies ever ("wait wait wait, so your saying your name is Gay Focker"), then you'll be brutally disappointed. If not, then it may be funny, I couldn't tell you.