Reviews

I have to admit, I found "National Treasure" was a very pleasant surprise given how lousy I thought it was going to be. The trailers looked somewhat promising, but so far I hadn't been all that impressed with most Nicholas Cage movies with "The Rock" and "Con Air" being the only two exceptions. Add "National Treasure" to that list.

The subject matter is one that I've always been interested in, and I thought it was handled fairly well. I was disappointed they didn't go into some of the "darker" rumors about the Templar Knights and the Freemasons (ala some of Dan Brown's works like Di Vinici Code and Angels & Demons), and I kept waiting for an "Illuminati" reference or two to pop up somewhere but it never happened. Still, delving into the masonic background of the "founding fathers" of the United States was quite enjoyable and really a switch from most Hollywood efforts.

Cage handled the role of Ben Gates very well... enough of the "Stanley Goodspeed" ("The Rock") style without going overboard, and just the right subtle touch of a little "Indiana Jones" (any more would have made the movie unbearable). This is one of the few movies that I think his role meshed better with the other roles in the movie (particuarly the characters of Riley Poole and Abigail Chase).

Justin Bartha as Riley Poole was absolutely perfect, and while I wish they went more into the background of how he and Gates got together, Riley was the perfect comic foil/side-kick. Somehow, while watching him, I could easily see Bartha playing one either Merry or Pippin in LOTR. In fact, a movie based on Riley as the main character would have some great potential, providing Bartha remained in the role.

Diane Kruger is very lovely and a fine actress, and did quite well as Abigail Chase, but it wasn't until the end when I really thought her character finally stood enough on it's own.

Overall, quite enjoyable and one that I have already added to my DVD collection...

After dragging my wife to see LOTR (both of them), she was quite adamant that I "owed" her a chick flick. So I took her to see "How To Lose...". Matthew McConaughey is her "honey", and I figured I could stand to look at Kate Hudson for two hours, so it was worth the risk.

I was quite pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable the movie turned out to be. Easy to predict, perhaps not very original in plot, but the chemistry between McConaughey and Hudson was really nice. Hudson in particular showed some great comedic talent, far surpassing her mother at the same stage in her career.

What made the movie for me, though, was the "Bull****" scene with "Ben's" parents. I really had to laugh... that game was a favorite of my parent's, and we used to play all the time. Seeing it in the movie, and the underlying meaning of it in the whole movie, was nice.

8 out of 10... would have been higher but Ben's two friends really bugged me, as did the friend of Andie's whose relationship problems started the whole thing rolling. And the darn dog was ugly.

I'm rather surprised I'm the first to write in on this show, as it is one of my favorite Saturday treats. NYW is a show hosted by Norm Abrams, the master carpenter from "This Old House" (as well as being the "model" for the character of Al Borland of "Tool Time" -- ur, "Home Improvement" -- fame). Like TOH, it is produced by the WQED folks in Boston, and appears on various PBS stations (at differing times) as well as (currently) 7:30am ET on HGTV.

Each show is typically a weekend project that Norm builds, using his wonderful assortment of power tools and his spacious workshop that most of the viewers can only dream about having. What he does in a weekend, of course, takes most of us MONTHS to build... but even so, it is very useful for picking up different tricks, tips and techniques.

Most of the projects are furniture, very often Shaker or Quaker style as found in his area of New England. The shows I've found the most interesting are when he actually builds stuff to use in his workshop, designed for the "weekend warrior carpenters" (like me).

Mr. Abrams gets a lot of grief from other woodworkers, from his use of "shortcuts" and his "mass-marketing" of woodworking, but he has definitely gotten more people interested in the hobby and he does demonstrate that you can get very good quality results from the proper use of power tools (for example, dovetail joinery using a router and jig, rather than hand-cut with a saw).

His "acting" leaves a little to be desired, but most of the time it's really just him, doing what he loves. A little "sawdust therapy" never hurt anyone....

Spent last night watching the special on VH-1, then the LIVE version of "The List" featuring the boys from Spinal Tap (and their new drummer, none other than Mick Fleetwood). George Wendt was the host, and the topic was on the most significant moments of rock and roll. Nigel's three: King Tuts Tomb (the winner), King Tuts Tomb, and the Panama Canal.

Need I say more?

I had seen the movie before, when it first came out, and forgotten just how funny it was. Another good reason for me to go get a DVD player!

There are very few movies that leave me sitting in the theater with my head spinning... The Green Mile was one of them. I read the "novelettes" each month as they came out, but even so I was not prepared for the impact and emotion of this movie. The casting was perfect, even though Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) sounded a little like Forest Gump. And the scene in the "W.C." (water closet) was remarkably like a scene in "League of Their Own".

This has definitely earned a place in my top ten all time favorites. Can't wait for this to come out on VHS/DVD!!

Just saw this movie again, and it brings back lots of memories. Lots of the scenes were filmed in Charleston, SC, where I went to high school. I remember while they were filming it, and even got to watch. In fact, I think I'm even in one of the crowd scenes!

Twenty years ago, it seemed a lot better, but it was still very enjoyable. And yes, I do carry a Swiss Army Knife (actually, a Leatherman tool now... kids do grow up, and so do the toys!).