Blades Of Glory Review

HIGHS

• This may be the first Will Ferrell comedy I've seen that stays consistently funny from start to finish. I love Anchorman, but they really took a carpet-bombing approach with that one- if that joke didn't get you, maybe this one will. With Talledega Nights, the movie started pretty strong, but then stalled out some through the middle before it finally re-gained speed in the final laps. Blades really does an admirable job of maintaining very consistent humor throughout.
• A high point for me was the fact that they didn't go for the easy/obvious jokes you would expect to find in a movie about a pair of male figure skaters. The writing is better than that and I give them major kudos for taking the high road. Also on the subject of writing, I was impressed at how well structured the script was. The story isn't anything mind-blowing but they did a great job building from scene to scene while still allowing for zany antics along the way.
• If you like Will Ferrell, I can't imagine you not enjoying Blades. The guy is just 24 karat funny. Also, I finally saw John Heder as John Heder, not Napoleon Dynamite like I do in everything else that he does. So that was a nice plus.
• I will take the comedic pairing of Will Arnett and Amy Poehler any day of the week.
• This is really a film to experience in a packed theatre. Everyone seemed to be having a great time and it only heightens the experience when that happens.
• No Ben Stiller cameo.
  

LOWS

• Jenna Fischer is a delight, but I just can't see her as anyone but Pam Beesly. I really tried!

Torrey's Opinion:
5- Strongly Recommended
4- Recommended
3- A Mixed Bag
2- Sub-par
1- Don't Bother

Random related fact: Contrary to every routine performed in Blades of Glory, the music for competitive programs in singles and pairs figure skating may not have vocals.

Not To Be Confused With Austrian Nazis

Here are the 20 worst song lyrics ever, according to spinner.com:

20)
"If I was a sculptor
But then again, no"
-Elton John's Your Song

19)
"Lucky that my breasts
Are small and humble
So you don't confuse
Them with mountains"
-Shakira's Whenever, Wherever

18)
"I love you like
A fat kid loves cake"
-50 Cent's 21 Questions

17)
"There's an insect
In your ear
If you scratch
It won't disappear"
-U2's Staring at the Sun

16)
"Relentless lust
Of rotting flesh
To thrash the tomb she lies
Heathen whore
Of Satan's wrath
I spit at your demise"
-Slayer's Necrophiliac

15)
"Leaving was never
my proud"
-REM's Leaving New York

14)
"I ain't never seen
An ass like that
The way you move it
You make my pee-pee go
'Doing-doing-doing'"
-Eminem's Ass Like That

13)
"There were plants
And birds
And rocks
And things"
-America's Horse With No Name

12)
"Time is like a clock
In my heart"
-Culture Club's Time (Clock of the Heart)

11)
"I wish it was Sunday
That's my fun day
My I-don't-have-to-run day"
-The Bangle's Manic Monday

10)
"I'm all out of faith
This is how I feel"
-Natalie Imbruglia's Torn

9)
"Now you're amazed
By the VIP posse
Steppin' so hard
Like a German Nazi"
-Vanilla Ice's Play That Funky Music

8)
"My panty line shows
Got a run in my hose
My hair went flat
Man, I hate that"
-Shania Twain's Honey I'm Home

7)
"I don't think that I've
Got the stomach
To stomach calling
You today"
-Saves the Day's See You

6)
"Your butt is mine"
-Michael Jackson's Bad

5)
"But if this ever-changing
world in which we live in..."
-Paul McCartney and Wings' Live and Let Die

4)
"Young, black and famous
With money hangin'
Out the anus"
-Puff Daddy and Mase's Can't Nobody Hold Me Down

3)
"I don't like cities
But I like New York
Other places
Make me feel like a dork"
-Madonna's I Love New York

2)
"War is stupid
And people are stupid"
-Culture Club's War Song

1)
"Coast to coast
L.A. to Chicago"
-Sade's Smooth Operator

Simply The Best

If you ever notice that The Decemberists are coming to your area for a show, I strongly recommend you check them out. Even if the show is a couple of hours away, still make the effort. I really cannot stress this enough- you will have a blast. They are simply amazing in every possible musical way. And if you are lucky, they will play The Mariner's Revenge Song and your life will be changed forever.

Accuracy Counts

Someone finally got it right...

Mega Man Ready For Action

Clearly this dude would vaporize you without thinking twice. He is not to be messed with.

The Wii60 Beat Down Continues

This photo was taken outside a Newcastle Virgin Megastore one day before the PS3 European launch. I'll let the picture do the talking.

Unintentionally Funny Comic Panels From Our Past

I Like The Pretty Colors

Behold, Wikimedia's Picture Of The Year 2006:

Priorities

This week, we celebrate the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq. Take a look at these calculations:

The newspaper today states one minute of war in Iraq costs US$380,000. A calculation made by Joseph Stiglitz, a US Nobel Prize-winning economist. This is almost double the cost of the Vietnam War.

According to WFP, the UN's food aid organization, it costs US$0.19 to feed a child for a day.

Combining those two figures, one minute of war in Iraq would feed 2,000,000 children for a day. One day of war in Iraq would feed 20,000,000 children for a year. And we've been at this for four years now.

(from The Road To The Horizon Blog)

Stalemates For $300

Whether you watch Jeopardy or not, this is pretty cool...

All those years of answers and questions, and it's never happened before on "Jeopardy!" What is a three-way tie, Alex?

The three contestants on the venerable game show all finished with $16,000 after each answering the final question correctly in the category, "Women of the 1930s," on Friday's show. They identified Bonnie Parker, of the famed Bonnie and Clyde crime duo, as a woman who, as a waitress, once served one of the men who shot her.

"We've had a lot of crazy things happen on `Jeopardy!' but in 23 years I've never seen anything like this before," host Alex Trebek said.

The show contacted a mathematician who calculated the odds of such a three-way tie happening — one in 25 million.

The three contestants, Jamey Kirby of Gainesville, Fla.; Anders Martinson of Union City, Calif.; and Scott Weiss of Walkersville, Md; were all declared champions and taped a rematch that will air Monday.

(from the AP)

Nerd Alert

Bryan informed me that today is Pi Day and should be observed at 1:59 pm. Please make a note of it.

[update] Today is also Albert Einstein's birthday. Coincidence???

Orange Is The New Blue

The one thing I enjoy about owning a cell phone (and I do mean one thing) is random text messaging. Here is an exchange that took place earlier today between Chris Brewer and myself...

Chris: Decemberists playing over Home Depot pa right now
Torrey: Huh?
Chris: On the muzak
Torrey: Valencia?
Chris: Yup
Torrey: You wouldn't find a liberal band like that playing in Lowes, no sir.
Chris: Yes the Depot is the only progressive voice in home improvement

How Nerdy Are You?

I'm not typically one to take online quizzes but I decided to give this one a shot. 28 out of 100 sounds about right to me. Those who know me best may dispute that it should be higher but they are probably already bigger nerds than me and are simply envious of my 72% coolness factor.

Click on the image if you'd like to take the test for yourself. (just be sure to share your results in the comment section!)

Shmucks In The City

I don't even use a subway system and I found these comments to be hilarious. They are very transferable to other social situations such as the ATM line or the debit card swipes at supermarket checkouts.

Everybody Say "Pointless" On Three. One... Two...

The Always Topical FoxTrot

Back To The Polls!

What is your favorite Tim Burton/Johnny Depp collaboration?
	Edward Scissorhands
	Ed Wood
	Sleepy Hollow
	Corpse Bride
	Charlie And The Chocolate Factory
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Candidate For World's Greatest Billboard

Not exactly something I'd want outside my house, but creative advertising nonetheless...

Makes Mouth Happy

My cousin, who used to work at a toothpick factory, once told me that Maine produces 90% of the world's toothpicks. I always thought that was a very random, yet interesting fact.