Friday, January 21, 2011

"Resentment is anger directed at others--at what they did or did not do. "

And it's all come down to this.  Drum roll please.  Mt favorite film of all time is...





Star Wars Episode IV!

It was a tough decision, but in the end, I went with a film that's been my favorite since I've been a little kid.  This movie is by far the best in the Star Wars saga.  Other than Yoda, this is a near perfect movie in my opinion.  Well, that's the end of the countdown.  Be sure to add your opinions in the comments section.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

"There's so much pollution in the air now that if it weren't for our lungs there'd be no place to put it all."

And the countdown continues with my second favorite film of all time...





I LOVE this movie.  While I don't think it's Quentin Tarantino's best film, it's definitely my favorite.  The completely over-the-top violence, the characters, the acting, the humor--they're all amazing.  I especially like the animated O-Ren backstory.  The only thing in this film I don;t like is the sound direction.  Some poor sound effects and music choices mar an other ways amazing film (the title track is perfect though).  I'm not quite as big of a fan of the second film, although it is still great.   Check back tomorrow for my favorite film OF ALL TIME.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

"I will not allow yesterday's success to lull me into today's complacency, for this is the great foundation of failure."

And my third favorite movie of all time is...


Goodfellas!

A great gangster movie.  I like this better for a several reasons.  One, I can actually understand what they say.  Two, I think the writing is better..  Three, there's a little bit more action.  This is a great movie that I highly recommend to anyone with an interest in movies, so long as they can stomach all of the swearing.

Also, I forgot to mention that yesterday, one of my favorite bands,, Protest the Hero, announced that their new album, Scurrilous, comes out March 22, 4 days before my birthday.  Album art is below.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

"Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose."

Here it is.  The moment you've all been waiting for.  My fourth favorite movie of all time is...

Wall-e!

It was a tough decision which Pixar movie should make the top 5, but in the end, Wall-e edged out Toy Story by a slim margin.  What's not to love about Wall-e?  The characters are great, even if they are robots.  It's funny, it's emotional, it's action packed, and it's made by Pixar!  Yes, it's a kids movie, but that doesn't mean it can't be great.  Also, if you've never seen it, I highly recommend watching the Pixar short Burn-e.

Here's a bad quality YouTube video of it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TkCTLNnCtM

Anyways, check back tomorrow, and I promise the list will be more adult oriented.

Monday, January 17, 2011

"Even the great get greater by doing more of it."

And thus begins the countdown of my top 5 favorite films of all time.  But first, let us pay tribute to those films who were just not quite up to snuff.  In no particular order, they are...

Pulp Fiction, Dirty Harry, The Warriors, Speed Racer, Reservoir Dogs, Inglourious Basterds, The Godfather, Anchorman, The Dark Knight, Full Metal Jacket, The Shawshank Redemption, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Inception, District 9, Moon, and many, many others.  Without further ado, I present my fifth favorite film of all time....

Ghostbusters!  In my opinion, the Ghostbusters movies are the only good things to have come out of pop culture in the 80's.  They are a perfect blend of comedy and action, with the perfect actors doing it.  I also love the special effects in the movie.  Not because they are good (which they aren't), but because they help make it more comedic. In my opinion, they should not make a third movie, because they could end up ruining the legacy of the originals.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the next film in my countdown!

Also, check out my friends blog - http://blogographer.blogspot.com/ - which can help you find other interesting blogs!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

"Give a man a fish, and you'll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he'll buy a funny hat. Talk to a hungry man about fish, and you're a consultant."

More thoughts on the NFL Playoffs...


1.  I am glad that the Steelers were able to pull out that win this weekend.  It was a great game, but the penalties kind of made it hard to watch.

2.  The Packers are good.  Real good.  They might be the best team left, and they get to play the Bears next week, who just happen to be....

3.  ...a decent team with a terrible quarterback.  Yes, Jay Cutler had good stats today, but they aren't proof of the way he played.  He had several terrible throws (did you see the one right to a Seahawks defender at the goal line who didn;t intercept it because he was so surprised it came directly at him?) and made bad judgments all day.  I feel like we'll see him choke next week.

4.  Glad the Jets won, but now that means I have to listen to Rex Ryan for another week.  I can already hear it now... "This game really comes down to a chess match between me and Dick LeBeau (Steelers defensive coordinator).  Arguably the best two defenses in the league out there, it's going to come down to who can get the right formations out there at the right time."  Hopefully the Steelers don't lower themselves to his level.

Predictions:  CHI 17 GB 31,  NYG 13 PIT 17


Also, coming up this week, I plan to make a countdown of my 5 favorite films of all time.  One for each day.  Stay tuned!

Monday, January 10, 2011

"In spite of the cost of living, it's still popular."

What a way to start the NFL Playoffs. 


     The Seahawks beat the Saints, the Jets beat the Colts, the Ravens beat the Chiefs, and the Packers beat the Eagles.  I only saw three of the games, but man, the Seahawks-Saints game was entertaining enough.
     Being a Steelers fan, I'm not used to seeing high scoring shootouts.  For that reason, I am even more entertained when I do see one, as I did between the Saints and Seahawks on Saturday.  It made it all the better that the Seahawks were on the winning side, eliminating the defending champs in the first round.
     In the AFC, the Steelers will have to take on the Ravens, which I am somewhat excited for and somewhat scared for.  It will be a great, close game, no doubt, but I'm not sure which side the Steelers will end up on.  The Ravens are a great team, and even though I hate them, I respect them (unlike the Patriots).  Unfortuantely, I also think that they are good enough to beat the Steelers.  Nonetheless, I still expect the Steelers to win in a close, low-scoring game.  Here's hoping the Jets can win too.

In other news, my second semester of school started today.  I have Calc, Bio, Chem, and Sociology.  Yay.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

"No matter how much pressure you feel at work, if you could find ways to relax for at least five minutes every hour, you'd be more productive."

Hello again, I'm back to write once more.  What are the topics for today?  How about A Clockwork Orange and interior design?

First, we'll begin with Stanley Kubrick, specifically A Clockwork Orange.


     Last night while browsing the Netflix instant watch selection, I came across this movie which I had been interested in seeing for a while.  It is one of my friends' favorite films, as well as the 55th best film of all-time according to IMDB.  In my opinion, it was a good film, but sadly, not one of the best of all-time.  I loved the story (which I won't spoil for those who have never seen the movie), but I was not a fan of some of the actors, especially Dim.  Also, I could not get over the fact that the main group of characters wore what looked to be giant jock straps.  Finally, I think there may have been a bit too much nudity going on.  All in all, these are small blemishes on what was otherwise a good movie.  8/10


As of my last post, I also came up with an idea to remodel my bedroom at home, something similar to this:

      Now, I haven't come up with my complete plans yet, but when I do, I'll be sure to post them on here.  This project won't get started until the end of April or beginning of May, so I still have some time.

Well, that's all I have.  Feel free to follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/ryanmcf10

Peace.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

"If you cannot convince them, confuse them."

     Well, we've come to a new year, and I thought I would start it off with my very first blog.  This blog has no set topic, so I will just post whatever I feel like.  Since this is my first blog, I guess I'll start out with talking a little bit about myself.

     I am an 18 year old college freshman who goes to school about an hour outside of Pittsburgh.  As of right now, I study biochemistry, but that can--and likely will--change sometime over the course of the next 3 1/2 years.  My entire life has been spent near Pittsburgh.  I am an avid Steelers and Pirates fan, and also a fan of University of Pittsburgh sports teams.  I am a former swimmer and hockey player.  During the summer months, I work as a life guard.  Like most teenage males, I enjoy watching movies and playing video games.  Additionally, I love reading, listening to music, and making art.  All told, I'm a pretty boring person, just like everyone else.

Now onto some random thoughts:

First, the NHL Winter Classic:

 
     As you may have noticed, I mentioned teams that I like before, but the Penguins were absent.  That is because they belong in the "Teams I Hate" category alongside such teams as the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens.  Now, I won't go into detail about why I dislike the Penguins, just know that it has more to do with the fans that anything else.  Therefore, you can imagine my dismay when I heard that the Penguins were to play in their second Winter Classic and that it would be played in Pittsburgh.
     Pittsburgh is a fine city, but wintry is not one of the words I would use to describe it.  As you may have seen, the weather was in the mid-30s and rainy, not quite a "Winter" Classic.  In my opinion, the Winter Classic should be rotated between 2 or 3 cities.  Cities such as St. Paul or Buffalo, where you are virtually guaranteed to have snow, therefore fulfilling the "Winter" part of the title.
      However, you still need to provide a good game to meet the "Classic" requirement.  Tonight's game was greatly lacking in that department as well.  Now, this likely had something to do with the weather.  The game was slow and sloppy. Past Winter Classics did indeed live up to the title, but this one failed to deliver on both fronts.  Here's hoping for a 25-game pointless streak by Crysby.

Number 2:


     Coheed and Cambria's announcement of Neverender: Second Stage Turbine Blade.  For those unfamiliar with Coheed, they are a progressive rock band that happen to be my favorite band.  A few years ago, they did a concert named "Neverender".  They played each of their four albums at the time in their entirety over the span of four nights.  They did this in four different cities: New York, Chicago, LA, and London, if I remember correctly.  It looks as if they are back at it again, albeit in a different manner this time.  Now they are playing one album at a time, in a different city each night. 
     First off, they better come to Pittsburgh, and if not, it better be somewhere close.  Secondly, I don't really like this idea.  Sure, they can bring the concert to more places, but I feel like it takes away from the epic-ness of it all (and I rarely use the word epic).  Unfortunately, I did not attend the original Neverender.  I had been hoping that they would do another Neverender, and I planned to skip school for a week, stay in a hotel, and see my favorite band in concert five times in a row and hear every song in their repertoire.  THAT is epic.  Hearing about 10 songs, waiting a few months and hearing about 10 more, waiting a few more months..... not so much.  I will certainly go see each album performed live if I am able to, but I would much rather see them all back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back.

Well, that's all I have for right now.  I plan on posting every couple of days, so stay tuned for any further updates.