Dream Job

Major League Baseball has a section on their website called 'Apply for Your Dream Job'.  Since I am current job searching, I took a look.  MLB will set up you in New York City for the entire upcoming baseball season, you will multi-task watching every baseball game, and blog about them.  Yep, this is definitely a great job.  There is no chance in hell I would ever get it, but I took the time to write the 500 words about myself and then another 500 words about who I think will be this year's AL MVP (Robinson Cano).  Come on MLB, I'm waiting.

Late Night Tunes

Frequently, I will look who the musical act is on the late nights shows, DVR them, and watch their performances when I get home from work the next day.  Letterman has had back to back bands I wanted to see with Adele and Monday night and Deerhunter on last night.  Adele sand "Rolling in the Deep" which is a truly great song.  I first heard it in Italy on my honeymoon when it came on German MTV.  Kate and I both really dug it and it made my January disc o'music.  She is a very powerful singer.  Deerhunter, on the other hand, were just weird.  Their singer looks like an anorexic Richard Ashcroft (The Verve), the keyboardist was dressed up as a mod vampire, and the drummer avoided any sort of eye contact whatsoever.  Not the worst song ever, it wasn't "Desire Lines" which I've been listening to lately, but it was ok. 

Jimmy Kimmel last night hosted Cake who played a song I have not heard before "Long Time" which might just make my February o'music disc.  Cake has been around a long time and unlike most bands who stay around this long, the quality of their songs does not fade over time.  Bravo Gentlemen.  Finally, Jimmy Fallon had Destroyer on last night.  This is the side project of the lead singer from The New Pornographers.  I have never cared for Destroyer's music but I figured I would give them another shot.  Nope, still don't like them. 

The Film Club by David Gilmour

Just finished reading my second memoir in a row, this time it was The Film Club by David Gilmour (not the Pink Floyd guitarist).  Gilmour, the father, lets his son drop out of school provided he watches three movies a week with his dad.  The best part of the book is the writing about the films, the most intriguing of which are Notorious, Citizen Kane, and The 400 Blows.  The problem with the book is the relationship between father and son.  I don’t care.  Maybe it’s because I don’t have a kid yet, that is still a year or two away.  But Gilmour’s writing about how he tries to converse with his lazy son does not make for interesting reading.  It is nothing out of the ordinary, exceptional, and definitely does not deserve its own published memoir.  The son just needed a big kick in the ass, not permission to wake up late, act like a slob, and get slightly scolded when he imbibed cocaine. 

Unstoppable

It doesn’t work.  It’s not because the action takes place on a train or has way too many reaction shots of people looking worried, scared, or relieved, but the way it blatantly force feeds the viewer with fake suspense.  The relentless rising mood music with ominous bass, the yelling into phones that so and so just won’t listen, and the silly family trouble at home back story combines into a mess which needs a decent story editing.  For Denzel and/or train fans, go watch The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 instead and for the Chris Pine fans, he did an episode of Six Feet Under, start that series from the beginning and take it all the through.  If you’re here for Rosario Dawson, just move along.  We’re supposed to believe Rosario when she yells, “I was a yard boss for 10 years!”  No, the people in the film don’t believe you and I don’t either. 

Purpose

I have strong opinions about the films I watch, the books I read, and the music I listen to.  My wife, Kate, says I need to write a blog about them.  Either a) she think my ideas are worth sharing and people may find them interesting or b) she would rather I write them down than bore her with the details – maybe it’s a bit of both.