Best Films of Summer 2011

While I haven’t seen every film that came out this summer, I have seen a good amount of them. There were some films that I have been waiting months to see while others were just spur the moment trips to the theater. I also have to admit that there are some films out in theaters that I still want to see but have not brought myself to go to the theater to see. Now that I have seen a decent amount this summer, I am compiling a list of those films I found to be the best and those that just didn’t meet expectations.

The best of the summer:

You will notice that four of the five films in the best category are more of ensemble pieces than films with a few major stars, which may be the reason I like them so much.

The Help – Best film of the summer? Absolutely! Best film of the year so far? It sure as hell stands a good chance. The actors in this film work amazingly well together and no one actors shines brighter than any of the others. The plot is wonderful and the set and costume design are just as great.

Bridesmaids – Everyone wanted to say this is the female Hangover, but it turned out to be the best comedy of the summer. The cast is hilarious! The jokes are fresh and unexpected. The dress choosing scene is one of the funniest scenes ever. Melissa McCarthy shines and deserves leading comedic roles.

Crazy, Stupid, Love – If anyone would have told me I would like a Steve Carell film where he plays a mostly serious character, I would have laughed in their faces. It turned out that I loved this film and adored the cast. Emma Stone is wonderful as ever and Analeigh Tipton is surprisingly a great actress! There is romance, sex, humor, drama, some slight horror; it is truly a film for anyone and everyone.

Horrible Bosses – Jennifer Aniston is sexy?!?! Okay, so everyone already knew this, but as a sex crazed dentist, she is great. The humor is original and the storyline is great. It is obvious that everyone loved making this film and it makes it that much more fun to watch.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 – The last Harry Potter film of the series was definitely worth waiting for. While I still don’t think it is my favorite film in the series (Prisoner of Azkaban still holds that title), I loved how well the plot went with the book and how the actors actually felt like actors and not children. This is very much an action film and it is one hell of an adventure ride from start to finish.

Those that got lost in the shuffle:

When I look back at the films I saw this summer, there are some that stand out for being really good and ones that stand out for being really bad. The rest seem to get stuck in the middle where I don’t really remember them very much. With that said, I did enjoy these movies but they did have their faults and were as striking as the rest.

Fast Five – Okay, so this came out at the end of April, but it was good enough to be added to my summer list. It is hard to remember exactly what this movie was about, but I do remember the cast was great and the action was better. One of the best films of the series.

Friends with Benefits – The biggest disappointment of this film was that it didn’t come out before No Strings Attached. If it had come out before it’s raunchier twin, it would have been much bigger at the box office. With that said, this film is much better than the other film. It is more realistic and the acting is really good. Mila Kunis and JT are both splendid as friends with benefits who end up developing real feelings for each other. The New York setting is great and shows how fast paced life can be at times.

X-Men: First Class – I loved the 1960’s setting of this film. It felt like the perfect change for the series. The plot was good and kept me entertained from start to finish. I wasn’t a big fan of some of the low grade special effects and January Jones was awful as Emma Frost. Overall, it was a fun ride but did have some bumps in the road.

Something Borrowed – The cast is perfect on paper but the acting is forced at times and Kate Hudson’s acting is so awkward that it is hard to believe she would be friends with any of the people in this film. Ginnifer Goodwin and John Krasinski have great chemistry at best friends who are real with each other. There are some really nice moments in the film but sadly those are the ones without Kate in it.

The Change-Up – The raunchy alter ego of Freaky Friday, The Change-Up is fun and crude. The acting is subpar and the humor is more awkward than funny at times, but Leslie Mann and Olivia Wilde shine as the leading ladies of the film. There are some lines in the film that could offend people, but if you look beyond that, you can see that it is just a fun movie to see with friends.

The Worst of the summer:

The Hangover Part II – Okay, this is definitely the best of the worst. It is still a hilarious film with a fun cast of characters. The problem comes in that the plot is the exact same with just a change in location. Ken Jeong and Zach Galifianakis overact their parts and every scene with them feels forced and uncomfortable. Overall, this was a letdown compared to the original film and needed a better plot to carry on The Hangover series.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon – This film is better than the last one, but that isn’t saying much. The post apocalyptic, war of the worlds feel just isn’t fresh and new. It is overdone and really unbelievable that one man can change the course of everything. The acting is mediocre as always. The one saving grace of this film is that the special effects are really good.

Green Lantern – And the worst film of the summer is definitely going to have you seeing green…yes, you will be upset that you wasted all your green to see this film. Ryan Reynolds is a great actor with amazing comedic talent but he gets lost in the lack of plot. The other major issue is that the film is almost entirely CGI. Nothing is real! Not even the abs in the suit are real! Blake Lively is okay, but she is definitely more fun and likeable as a blonde. This was the film I was most excited to see this summer and had been waiting years for it to be made and now I wish they would have waited a few more years to get it right.

Those I still want to see:

Thor – I am a sucker for superhero films and have heard good things about it.

Super 8 – I wasn’t sure what it was about until just recently and I find myself intrigued to see it now.

Bad Teacher – I haven’t been the biggest Cameron Diaz fan recently but have heard good things, so it will probably be on my rent list.

Monte Carlo – Selena Gomez and Leighton Meester, enough said!

Winnie the Pooh – I am a sucker for an old fashion cartoon with a new story.

Captain America: The First Avenger – Not sure why I haven’t seen this yet, but I will probably go to the theaters soon to see it.

Those I do not care to see:

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides – The series ended one a relatively decent note, why bring it back?!?! I am over Captain Jack.

Kung Fu Panda 2 – Wasn’t a fan of the first one and this one looked exactly like the first one in the previews.

Cars 2 – Sorry Pixar, this was the last sequel I wanted to see. Why not Monsters, Inc. 2?!?! Or A Bugs Life 2?!?! This was just driven on the fact that merchandising for this is too good to pass up.

Zookeeper – Kevin James is apparently in need of a new agent if they are putting him in lame films like this…

The Smurfs – I had hope that this would be good but when the trailers look awful, that is not a good sign. Not even Neil Patrick Harris and a free ticket could get me to the theaters to see this.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes – Wasn’t a fan of Planet of the Apes, so why would I care how it started? James Franco is in it?! Still not good enough.

2011 Golden Globe Predictions

Tonight, millions of television and movie fans will be watching the 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards. While the Academy Awards is the gold standard in the film industry, the Globes are a party to celebrate everything good in the film and tv industry. While there are some definite 'wtf' moments in the nominations, there are still some that I clearly think are well deserved. These are my picks for who should and who will win a Golden Globe tonight.

Best Picture – Drama

Black Swan

The Fighter

Inception

The King’s Speech (will win) Old times

The Social Network (should win) New times

Best Picture – Musical or Comedy

Alice in Wonderland

Burlesque

The Kids Are All Right (should and will win)

Red

The Tourist

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network

Colin Firth, The King’s Speech (should and will win) Last year, he was robbed of the best actor Oscar and this year, he will sweep all the awards.

James Franco, 127 Hours

Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine

Mark Wahlberg, The Fighter

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

Halle Berry, Frankie & Alice

Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole

Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone

Natalie Portman, Black Swan (should and will win) She is the most consistently good actress of our times and deserves this award and the Oscar.

Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

Johnny Depp, Alice in Wonderland (will win) Not that was much of a departure from the rest of this characters, he is a fan and critic favorite, regardless of how bad it is.

Johnny Depp, The Tourist

Paul Giamatti, Barney’s Version

Jake Gyllenhaal, Love & Other Drugs (should win) Because all other nominations are pure folly.

Kevin Spacey, Casino Jack

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical Comedy

Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right (should and will win) She made this movie more than just good, she made it amazing.

Anne Hathaway, Love & Other Drugs

Angelina Jolie, The Tourist

Julianne Moore, The Kids Are All Right

Emma Stone, Easy A

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Christian Bale, The Fighter (will win) He has won everything else, so why not continue with the Globes?

Michael Douglas, Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps

Andrew Garfield, The Social Network (should win) Our new Spiderman did a great job in this film and deserves some hardware.

Jeremy Renner, The Town

Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Amy Adams, The Fighter

Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech (will win) The King’s Speech is going to help give her this award more than because she was good.

Mila Kunis, Black Swan (should win) That 70’s Show showed off her comedic side, but her drama acting is even better in this film.

Melissa Leo, The Fighter

Jackie Weaver, Animal Kingdom

Best Animated Feature

Despicable Me

How to Train Your Dragon

The Illusionist

Tangled

Toy Story 3 (should and will win) Why on Earth isn’t this up for a mainstream Best Picture award??? The best film of the year and everyone knows it.

Best Director – Motion Picture

Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan (should win) It took him 10 years to get this film made; that is enough to deserve a few awards.

David Fincher, The Social Network (will win) If you have seen this film, then you probably agree with me.

Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech

Christopher Nolan, Inception

David O. Russell, The Fighter

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture

Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy, 127 Hours

Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg, The Kids Are All Right

Christopher Nolan, Inception (should win) The ideas behind this film are greater and more complex than any other film in the past decades.

David Seidler, The King’s Speech (will win) A critic favorite and potential winner.

Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

Best Original Song – Motion Picture

“Bound to You” – Burlesque

“Coming Home” – Country Strong

“I See The Light” – Tangled (should win) Mandy Moore is back and deserves some love!

“There’s a Place for Us” – The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader

“You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” – Burlesque (will win) Who doesn’t love Cher? Even if the movie wasn’t liked.

Best Original Score – Motion Picture

Alexandre Desplat, The King’s Speech

Danny Elfman, Alice in Wonderland

A.R. Rahman, 127 Hours

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Social Network

Hans Zimmer, Inception (should and will win) The sound in the theater was amazing while watching this film.

Best Television Series – Drama

Boardwalk Empire

Dexter (should win) It is about time that Dexter gets some love!

The Good Wife

Mad Men (will win) It just keeps on winning…

The Walking Dead

Best Television Series – Comedy or Musical

30 Rock

The Big Bang Theory

The Big C

Glee

Modern Family (should and will win) It is funny, smart, and has one hell of a great cast.

Nurse Jackie

Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama

Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife (will win) The Globes love her, so why not give her another?

Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

Piper Perabo, Covert Affairs

Katy Sagal, Sons of Anarchy (should win) She deserves some loving more than the rest.

Kyra Sedgewick, The Closer

Best Actor in a Television Series – Drama

Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire

Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad

Michael C. Hall, Dexter (should and will win) If you have seen just one episode, then you know he is far better than most of these nominees.

Jon Hamm, Mad Men

Hugh Laurie, House

Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy

Toni Collette, The United States of Tara (should win) She is amazing and deserves it.

Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie

Tina Fey, 30 Rock (will win) Old faithful will win again…

Laura Linney, The Big C

Lea Michelle, Glee

Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock (will win) They love him way too much.

Steve Carell, The Office

Thomas Jane, Hung

Matthew Morrison, Glee

Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory (should win) The only reason why I even watch this show is for Parsons! Enough said.

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Carlos

The Pacific

Pillars of the Earth

Temple Grandin (should and will win) Claire Danes will drive this to a win.

You Don’t Know Jack

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Hayley Atwell, Pillars of the Earth

Claire Danes, Temple Grandin (should and will win) She is far better than all the rest.

Judi Dench, Return to Cranford

Romola Garai, Emma

Jennifer Love Hewitt, The Client List

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Idris Elba, Luther

Ian McShane, Pillars of the Earth

Al Pacino, You Don’t Know Jack (should and will win) Why not give him another award? Doesn’t he deserve another?

Dennis Quaid, The Special Relationship

Edgar Ramirez, Carlos

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Hope Davis, The Special Relationship

Jane Lynch, Glee (will win) They love her so much but her character is getting dull and needs juicier stories to keep everyone’s interest.

Kelly MacDonald, Boardwalk Empire

Julia Stiles, Dexter

Sofia Vergara, Modern Family (should win) She is truly the star of the show with her big personality, great charm, and wonderful grace.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Scott Caan, Hawaii Five-0

Chris Colfer, Glee (should and will win) This has to be the year he wins! He was rightfully passed over by Lithgow last year but this year, he deserves it more than ever.

Chris Noth, The Good Wife

Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

David Strathairn, Temple Grandin

A New Year

With everyone celebrating the coming of a new year, it is almost impossible to ignore the fact that in just a few short hours, I will have to forget about putting 2010 at the end of documents and start putting 2011. That really is the only actual change that will occur as the clock strikes midnight and people kiss, drink, and pass out. Once everyone sleeps off the excess liquor and beer, they will begin a journey that many people refer to as a New Year’s resolution. Sure, we can all do with eating better, stopping bad habits, and promising to not call that person we have vowed to never talk to again, except those nights when you have too many cocktails and your friends don’t take your phone. I will admit to having made quite a few resolutions in the past but never sticking to them. I find the idea of forcing myself to do something or not do something for a full calendar year to be ridiculous. I have found that doing things randomly and for no real reason to be the things I stick with longer. So, instead of doing something that will make me miserable for two months until I decide to give up and forget I even tried, I am going to try to do something fun and different.

My New Year’s resolution was born around the idea that I want to enjoy life more. I have spent so much of my life stressed about the future that now I am in the future and have nothing to really look forward to. So, I am going to venture out of my shell and into the real world and not the adult world of working and raising a family. I am venturing into the world of happiness and experiencing new and different things. No, I won’t be getting random piercing or joining a cult (no matter how much fun they make it out to be). I am simply going to embrace the world around me and hope that something inspires me enough to make something more out of my life. Yes, this all seems like something out of Eat, Pray, Love or any independent film about finding one’s self, but this isn’t a movie or book. This is my life and I need to start living it before it is over.

So, starting January 1^st, I am going to make the most out of my life. Sure, I will have my days where I will not leave my apartment or those evenings where all I want to do after work is go to sleep, but I will try my best to do things differently. Now, since this is a resolution, I may end up scrapping this whole idea and deciding to become a recluse that never interacts with the world around me, but that is the risk I am willing to take in order to better myself.

2010 Video Music Awards

2010 Video Music Awards

One of the craziest nights in music is happening Sunday September 12th at 9pm in LA. No, it is not the Grammys or the CMA Awards. It is the Video Music Awards! Sure, the award isn’t that big of an honor, but it brings out the best (and worst) performances from our favorite music stars! If you look at the past 27 years of VMAs, you will see that there is always something that people will talk about the next day at work. What will people talk about this year? The rise of Justin Bieber? The fall of Ke$ha? Or another Kanye fiasco??? It really could be anything!

The nominees this year are not all that diverse or that shocking. Sure, we can be excited that Lady Gaga is nominated for her two huge hits Bad Romance and Telephone, but some people seem to be nominated just to fill up the categories. With that said, here are some of the bigger award nominations and how things might pan out.

Best Collaboration:
B.o.B. and Hayley Williams- Airplanes (Should Win)
Beyonce and Lady Gaga- Video Phone
Lady Gaga and Beyonce- Telephone (My Pick)
3OH!3 and Ke$ha- My First Kiss
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys- Empire State of Mind (Will Win)

Sure, I love Empire State of Mind and it is probably going to win, but Airplanes is an amazing song and probably the most unexpected pairing this year. Speaking of unexpected pairings, Beyonce and Lady Gaga paired up twice and one was great (Telephone) while the other was mediocre (Video Phone). Unfortunately for 3OH!3 and Ke$ha, they just don’t have the following of these others, which will result in no win for them. Jay-Z and Alicia Keys have been favorites for many years and will likely take this one home.

Best Female Video:
Lady Gaga- Bad Romance (Should Win, Will Win, My Pick)
Ke$ha- Tik Tok
Katy Perry- California Gurls
Beyonce- Video Phone
Taylor Swift- Fifteen

Alright, Ke$ha had a fun video for Tik Tok, but it doesn’t compare to the others. Video Phone was easily overshadowed by Telephone so that is out. That leaves Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, and Lady Gaga. Taylor won this one last year and it would be great to see her win another, but does she have enough fans to make it a repeat? I would also love to see Katy Perry win this one because Lady Gaga will be taking home so many more, but Bad Romance was mind blowing and deserves this one more than both Fifteen and California Gurls.

Best Male Video:
Eminem- Not Afraid (Will Win)
Usher- OMG
B.o.B.- Airplanes (Should Win, My Pick)
Drake- Find Your Love
Jason Derulo- In My Head

This is going to be the most competitive category this year. Eminem came back bigger than ever with an amazing album, amazing videos, rocked out with Rhianna, and scored 8 nominations. This could be his night. Usher came back after a few years out and brought back his R&B/Pop mix and might take home another award. Drake, B.o.B., and Jason Derulo all hit it huge this year and either of them could win. When it comes down to it, the more experienced artist (Eminem) will probably win.

Best New Artist:
Ke$ha- Tik Tok (My Pick)
Jason Derulo- In My Head (Should Win)
Justin Bieber- Baby (Will Win)
Nicki Minaj- Massive Attack
Broken Bells- The Ghost Inside

Broken Bells and Nicki Minaj are awesome, but neither is going to win this award. Ke$ha had a great year, but I am not sure if her fan support will be enough. Jason Derulo had a good year but it won’t be enough. Justin Bieber has the hearts of every female under the age of 15, and since you can text your vote during the show, he will win thanks to the quick fingers of his young fans.

Best Pop Video:
Lady Gaga- Bad Romance (Will Win, My Pick)
Katy Perry- California Gurls
Ke$ha- Tik Tok
Beyonce- Video Phone
B.o.B.- Airplanes (Should Win)

This is another really tough category. Lady Gaga is looking to dominate and that could very easily happen. Katy Perry is great, but does she have the amount of fans as Gaga? Ke$ha and B.o.B. are the new kids in town, but both had a great year, so can they pull off an upset? Beyonce could win, but that would be a shame because she has had far superior videos and songs. I will have to give this one to the Lady of the night.

Video of the Year:
Lady Gaga- Bad Romance (My Pick)
Florence + The Machine- Dog Days Are Over
30 Seconds to Mars- Kings and Queens
Lady Gaga- Telephone (Will Win)
Eminem- Not Afraid (Should Win)
B.o.B.- Airplanes

This award has went to many amazing artists (Madonna, Britney Spears, Aerosmith, Green Day) but will this award go to the underdog like some years (Panic At The Disco anyone?) or to the dominating forces (Rhianna, Beyonce, Eminem). I cannot say who will and won’t win this award for the sheer fact that every year is different. It could be a sweep of awards like Britney did in 2008 or a spread of winners like last year’s Beyonce, Taylor, Britney, and Lady Gaga wins. Even with that said, Lady Gaga is a clear front runner with 2 videos in the category, but will that hurt her chances of winning the award for one of them? Tune into MTV on Sunday September 12th at 9pm to find out!

Superheroes Unleashed Upon Society

As almost everyone knows, Comic Con happened this past week. I was not able to attend, for the main reason that it occurs all week in San Diego, California. Even after pretending to be dying for the week so that I could get the time off from work, I would still have to either drive 3 long days, hitchhike, or pay several hundreds of dollars for a plane ticket. Since I do not want to pay the money, wait in massive lines to get inside, spend the week before creating a wizard or Green Lantern costume, and fighting the crowds for a chance to touch Ryan Reynolds and Angelina Jolie (which would end with lawyer fees and possible 3 days in jail and bail money), I decide to watch all the action from my computer. For future reference, maybe they could have Comic Con in DC or NY one year? Please??

Now on to the point of this blog: Superheroes!! For the past 4 years, there have been a dozen of huge superhero blockbusters that have done really well with keeping to the original story and even entertaining the masses. With that said, I have mixed feeling about what is ahead of me in the next few years.

First, there is the Thor film. I am not very familiar with this Norse God who is also part of the Avengers. The only footage that I have seen is the hammer in the end of Iron Man 2, which left many people asking “What the fuck is up with the hammer???” This is proof of how unknown Thor is compared to the big names (Iron Man, Superman, and Batman). The movie does have two things going for it: Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins. These two actors take only the best roles (except for Beowulf and Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium), so there is hope that this movie is going to be an intelligent, dark film.

Second, there is the Captain America: The First Avenger film. This has one major thing going for it: it CANNOT be as bad as the 1990 version! The film could be shot with a digital camera and a budget of $10.57 and it would still be better than that version. I love the story behind Captain America and the awesome shield. The one thing that I am conflicted about is the casting of Chris Evans as the hero. If you remember, he portrayed the Human Torch in the not so fantastic Fantastic Four movies. He is good at playing the cocky badass, but that is not what the Captain is all about. It is my hope that he took some acting classes before he began filming. Regardless of how bad this film ends up, I will no doubt see it opening weekend.

There is also the Green Lantern film. I will admit that the Green Lantern is one of my top 3 favorite superheroes ever. I love the back story, the ring, and the fact that it goes beyond our universe (which gives me hope of life elsewhere). When I discovered that Ryan Reynolds was cast as the lead hero, I nearly fainted. It gave me so much hope that this would be a top tier superhero film. Unfortunately, that hope did not last very long. Shortly after discovering the casting of Ryan, I found that Blake Lively was cast and fury went through me like bad egg salad. I don’t hate her as an actress, but I definitely do not think she will help this film. The other thing that crushed my hopes was the reveal of the Green Lantern suit. Seriously?!?! It is completely CGI!! I can understand some CGI because he has to glow and such, but it looks SOOO fake!! Ugh, I will stop this now, before I am placed on DC Comics hit list.

Another film coming out soon is The Avengers. This will bring together the Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and War Machine. First, I have to ask one question: What the hell is the budget for this freaking movie?!?!?! Robert Downey Jr. is not a cheap actor, neither is Don Cheadle and Scarlett Johansson. Then they fire Edward Norton as the Hulk, which I think is a horrible mistake. I loved Norton as the Hulk and he is a genuinely good actor who takes chances. Instead, they cast Mark Ruffalo, who is best known for 13 Going on 30 and Shutter Island. I am skeptical as to how this will work out. Either way, I am just glad the Hulk is CGI intense and acting is secondary. With all of this said, I am not as excited about this film as I thought I would be. I would much rather see a Justice League film with Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and some more likable villains, but hopefully this movie will be successful enough to end up with a Justice League film coming soon after.

Last but not least is Batman 3. I am a little biased on this film since I am currently watching The Dark Knight and am in love with the entire Batman universe (minus some of the shitty films made in the mid-90s). There is speculation from every source of media about the villain in the new film, which is what seems to make the movie popular or not (The Scarecrow was lame and the Joker was epic, as were their respective films). We know only a few facts about the villains. It will not be the Joker because replacing Heath Ledger would be the worst mistake he could make. Nolan also does not want to bring in Mr. Freeze because it is hard to portray, which is the same with the Penguin. Now, there are some great villains that I would love to see. Catwoman makes the most sense because she is smart, cunning, and a freaking woman villain, which is badass. This would be easy to portray for Nolan and it would fit with Fox’s line about how the new bat suit might not do well for dogs but it should hold up against cats. Connection! Then there is one of my favorite villains: The Riddler. I am also in love with the rumors that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is being looked at for this part. He is a great actor and would make a fabulous villain. I would also love to see Thomas Schiff, the paranoid schizophrenic from Arkham. He was in The Dark Knight, the crazy guy who Harvey tries to get answers about the Joker. He would be perfect because he is crazy, connected to the Joker, and would have a reason to want to continue the reign of terror in Gotham. I also have to throw out Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. These two could make one hell of a splash in the Nolan universe and add some much needed estrogen to the films. Regardless of who plays whichever villain(s), it is going to be one amazing Batman film that I will see opening night.

With all this said, I am glad that Comic Con is over. As people go back to their normal lives, the epic trailers and teasers from the convention will finally make its way online for those of us unfortunate enough not to go to the event to see the footage in person. It is my hope that all my worries and fears about how bad some of these films will be is going to be destroyed with some amazing teasers. Let us all pray for the best!

Highlights of the past few weeks:

Highlights of the past few weeks:

Getting a Job
For the past 8 months, I have been searching for a job. At first, it seemed like fun trying to find jobs, submit resumes, and trying to set up interviews. That fun ended once crunch time came. It was two months before graduation and I had nothing in front of me except my childhood bedroom and the movie theater. Luckily, I had kept in touch with different companies I had met with throughout the year and got some interest expressed from some of them and eventually landed a job! Having a job before graduation is a huge accomplishment in this economy and it is becoming very evident that I am one of the lucky ones.

Apartment Hunting
After getting a job, I realized that I had nowhere to live and needed to find a place ASAP! So, my mom and I went a week after getting the job to look at apartments. We saw huge apartments with the most amazing surroundings, which were so far outside my budget that I nearly lost hope. Then we ventured to downtown Richmond and found the most amazing apartments in my budget. Luckily, I kept an open mind throughout the entire day and didn’t make any decisions until we saw all the apartments because the last place we saw sealed the deal. I put down a deposit and got a great 1 bedroom apartment!

Graduation 2010
On May 8, 2010, I graduated college. I will be honest, I was extremely sad. It wasn’t until the night before graduation that I realized that I was actually graduating and the realization that life as I had known it for the past 4 years was coming to an end. There were tears and lack of sleep that night, but then graduation came and went as if it was just another bump in the road. I sat out in the heat for 3 hours listening to speakers I did not care for talk about next moves in our lives and all that crap. The most amusing thing of graduation (besides people’s mortar boards blowing away in the wind and them running after them) was the fact that two of my fellow staff members were watching from Wheeler and nearly got arrested. That made graduation so much better!

Moving
On May 13, 2010, I moved into my first apartment. I had moved most of my stuff into the apartment beforehand, but I spent my first night in Richmond, without anyone with me, on that night. It was quite sad, venturing around Richmond, going into the scariest Wal-Mart ever, and trying to put together furniture with very vague instructions. I survived the move and managed to get most of my stuff unpacked in two days. That is a huge accomplishment when you see how much stuff I have. As I enter the working world, I look forward to living in Richmond, working, and experiencing city life for a change. As I live my new life, I plan to document it and share with anyone that reads this. Until next time, this is Life As I Know It!