Well to start off, we have some great series so far in the NBA and NHL playoffs. I always say sports-wise that this is a great time of the year. There is a game on almost every night whether it be basketball or hockey. What would make this part of the year even better is if there were football on (haha, but then they would be playing year-round and that wouldn't make sense).
The NHL playoffs have been a sort of refreshing resurgence of the league. We just witnessed a classic in the conference semis pitting the best players in the game against each other in Pittsburgh vs. Washington. Sidney Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin. Personally I prefer Ovie, but the Caps were outgunned in the end in a full seven games. The other set of series have been great as well. Even though they are down 2-0 right now in the West finals to Detroit, it is nice to see the Chicago Blackhawks back in the playoffs.
The NBA playoffs started as merely a countdown to the Kobe vs. LeBron matchup everyone is waiting for in the finals, but we have been treated to some good drama. Both series Boston was involved in were classics, going the full seven and advancing in probably the best series in the last decade against the Bulls and also going the distance with Orlando but falling short. Injuries brought the defending champs down. Denver has been a surprise strength in the west, while Orlando shocked the odd-on favorite Cleveland in the opening game of the series.
Overall, good TV. Always a treat to have them play until mid-June, that way I get to watch some great sports on my birthday.
...and now to
Summer Movies!
Another reason why I love the summer. Yes, I am a sucker for the summer blockbuster. From May till August I usually go broke going to the movies. The past couple years I've had to take my viewing at the theater down a notch, but this summer I'm turning it back up! I've seen two of the major releases so far, and the following is what I rate each.
I will be rating on a scale of 10, 10 of course being masterpiece and 1 being the lowest piece of crap. Those are extremes though, since most of what I have seen so far in my life have not merited either of those ratings. I don't like to get plot synopses, so you'll get my feelings on how the movie is as far as entertainment value and content.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
This is kind of an odd premise, since the three X-Men films before featured a lot of backstory and were told from a Wolverine-centric perspective. One this thinking, I positioned my initial expectations a little lower. X2 was my favorite of the series and for a while was the top comic book movie in my book (before the reboot of the Batman series put out back to back classics). The first X-Men was a good one, and while The Last Stand was a solid film, it was underwhelming after the experience that X2 was.
On to Wolverine, the movie felt uneven. It was entertaining, but the storytelling felt incomplete. Not much character development for those around Wolverine and Sabretooth, so you don't really feel attached to them in some of the dramatic scenes. It relies heavily on what is already known about Wolverine and Striker from the previous films. The action was still very good, although the CGI was inconsistent. There are a couple scenes where you can really tell it was CG and felt like the graphics in that scene were still in development (and I'm talking about the theater release, not the leak that was online a few weeks before the film was released).
Overall, I give X-Men Origins: Wolverine a 6.5. Solid summer action flick, but don't expect to be attached to the characters too much.
Star Trek
A little background on where I'm viewing this from. I am hardly a "trekkie." I did used to watch a little bit of the original series and I liked The Next Generation. The series after TNG I never really got into because it felt cheesy (on a higher level of cheese then the first two). I do like the movies that have come out of the franchise for the most part. I was kind of happy to hear that J.J. Abrams was working on the reboot of this franchise, he has had solid projects beforehand. Abrams is a little ADD when it comes to franchises though, starting one project and then ditching it and moving on to the next.
So Star Trek...I have to say, great movie. From the opening scenes this movie goes full throttle and barely slows down. Good story and the characters keep a lot of the traits of the original series but create a new world of its own. Great action and the special effect were superbly done. If there weren't and high expectations for the upcoming Transformers sequel, I would say that Star Trek would probably be the movie of the summer. We'll see in a few months where it ends up landing.
Star Trek gets a 8.5, and I'm happy to say that this franchise has new life.
I have yet to view Angels and Demons, I will soon I would imagine. Also next on my list for May is Terminator Salvation, Night at the Museum 2, and Up. A nice mix of adult action and kid movies.
...and the finale....
MeatTracks of the Decade: the 2000s.
Continuing to list my fave tracks of this decade, this installment will be some of the more somber songs. Not necessarily emo or anything like that, just more reflective. After those there will be a list of the previous MeatTracks.
-Linkin Park’s “My December” (2000)
I included this track not for any emotional significance but because this is one of the coolest tracks. At the time it came out, me and my friend David were really into LP and they had first came out. A friend of his found it and burned it on a CD. I didn't believe Linkin Park could do a slow song, listening to their debut CD that came out a couple months before. Who knew turntables and strings could be so dramatic.
-Eve 6’s “Here’s To The Night” (2001)
This song probably holds special significance to a lot of people who graduated high school in 2001. It was our class song and I first heard it on the slideshow during senior assembly. Everytime I hear it I'm brought back to those hallways, those night drives through the country roads, those afternoons in the back yearbook room.
-Coldplay’s “The Scientist” (2002)
My favorite Coldplay song. No emotional situation attached to this one, just a great song and a cool video. Although when I hear this song it reminds me of the time I helped Tommy cut this PSA for an assignment he had. We spend a good couple hours cutting a 30 second PSA about child abuse or something. Good times.
-Blink 182’s “Miss You” (2004)
Great song. Brings me back to spring 2005, so many things happening. My illness, a breakup with a longtime girlfriend, friends graduating college and leaving, and the rollercoaster of emotions that accompanied those times. At first I didn't really like Blink 182's self-titled album, but after many listens and this song it grew to be my favorite.
-Finley Quaye and William Orbit’s “Dice” (2004)
Another great song. Heard this on the OC back when that was "the" show. Just the back and forth dynamic between the two vocalists reeled me in. No particular memory attached to this song, it is just one of the most played songs on my iTunes/iPod/iPhone.
-Jimmy Eat World’s “23” (2004)
My fave Jimmy Eat World song. This song didn't really impact me until the year after the Futures CD came out. And that year I was only 22 (haha). Brings me back to summer 2005 when I was contemplating a lot of things in my life. This song again popped up on my playlist when I was actually 23 that very next summer when my life came at a crossroads leading to the life I have today.
-Acceptance’s “So Contagious” (2005)
My wife introduced me to this song when I first met her. I would later describe this as "our song," my then-fiance proceed to respond "we have a song?" She wanted to dance to a different song at our wedding, and I pretended to agree with her...until I sang this song acappella for our first dance.
-Fort Minor’s “Where’d You Go?” (2006)
One of my wife's favorites when we were first dating. I am a big Linkin Park/Mike Shinoda fan and was all over this CD when it came out. Later this would remind me of the times in Norman when I lived in Lawton for a short period of time after college.
-Nelly Furtado’s “Say It Right” (2006)
No real memory attached to this song. This is probably my favorite track produced by Timbaland. The beat is so infectious and Nelly Furtado's lyrics aren't bad either. This was a top played track on my iTunes for a while.
-One Republic’s “Apologize” (2006)
I was introduced to this song when sitting in on my brother's radio show my last year in college in 2006. It was remixed a year later by Timbaland and became a huge hit. I still prefer the original version.
Previous MeatTracks:
-Linkin Park’s “Pushing Me Away” (Original 2000, Remix 2002, Live 2007)
-Fabolous's "Young'n (Holla Back)" (2001)
-Jagged Edge's "Where the Party At? (featuring Nelly)" (2001)
-Clipse's "Grindin'" (2002)
-Jimmy Eat World’s “A Praise Chorus” (2002)
-Jay-Z's "La La La (Excuse Me Miss Again)" (2003)
-Mae’s “Summertime” (2003)
-Thrice’s “Stare at the Sun” (2004)
-Fall Out Boys’s “Sugar, We’re Going Down” (2005)
-The Foo Fighters’s “Best of You” (2005)
-The Killer’s “Smile Like You Mean It” (2005)
-Youngbloodz's "Presidential (featuring Lil Jon)" (2005)
-Justin Timberlake's "My Love (featuring T.I.)" (2006)
-Taking Back Sunday’s “MakeDamnSure” (2006)
-T.I.'s "What You Know" (2006)
-Anberlin’s “Godspeed” (2007)
-Shop Boyz's "Party Like a Rockstar" (2007)
-The Starting Line’s “Island” (2007)
-Rick Ross's "The Boss (featuring T-Pain)" (2008)
-Lady Gaga's "Just Dance" (2008)
I'm not sure what I'll profile on the next ten, I'm debating on anthems or more party hits. Who knows, maybe a mix of both.
Catch you guys on the flip side!
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