Inevitably...

It's January of 2008. This means that in a month, I'll be 27 years old. I've come to the startling conclusion that, for all intents and purposes, I don't want to be 27. 27, to me, is far too close the 30 for comfort, and 30, to me, is when the universe comes to a screeching halt. Near as I can tell anyway...

Of course, I'm entirely serious, so all of you 30plusers out there can stop trying to type your angry emails with your gnarled arthritic fingers, trying to remember why you launched Outlook to begin with. (There I go, thinking someone actually reads this blog). I'm serious in that I've actually hit a point, already, where I'm just simply not wanting to get older, and it mostly has to do with the fact that I've not accomplished near as much as I've wanted to so far, and just a dash of the fact that I see it as a slippery slope toward death.

30, for some reason, looks like the true half way mark. For the most part, you don't see many sexagenarians going around having the rock and roll lifestyle. I am well aware of the exceptions to that rule, but the fact is that I've not taken good enough care of myself so far, and certainly don't see my habits changing enough in the foreseeable future that I'm pretty sure I will be your atypical 60 year old, completely feeble and out of touch with the world around me. My real hope is that when the time comes, my senility will be blissful.

Also, and forgive me for this, but I have some level of excitement that I'll likely then be able to get away with screaming at little kids for no reason, running around stark naked in the streets and just simply doing things that are contrary to social norms, and being an old codger will mean that people will just accept my insane behavior.

I certainly don't get away with any of it now, I can only hope I'll get to enjoy it.


On to other things.

I recently watched the movie "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead." I can't say it's the best movie I've seen lately, but it was certainly very good. The acting in the film is spectacular, and there are a great number of scenes where you're really able to feel the emotion being cast off. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is one of those guys I normally just don't like, but I have to admit that his role in this film was stellar. The story itself isn't exactly cutting edge, but it was fresh enough to make it enjoyable, and although the pace tends to drag a little at times, it still remained engaging enough. My only real complaint was that the story wasn't tied up much at the end.

Still, I would recommend seeing it. It's not exactly on par with those I think it was aspiring to be, such as "A Simple Plan," but still worth your time.

Also, there's more...

I also had the chance to watch "He Was a Quiet Man," which was another one of those movies that kind of hit me from left field. I'd never heard anything about it, and then there it was, in all of it's brilliance.

It's really hard to describe everything that makes this movie great. The acting was phenomenal, the story was well written, the actual cinematography stands out as well. The concept behind the movie is relatively fresh, and while not entirely over the top, just out there enough to be pleasing.

Overall, all I can really do is recommend taking the time to see this one. It's dark, twisted, funny, and has a few decent twists.



Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Another movie I watched recently (and understand that I'm just trying to throw out some titles of lesser known movies that I think are worth watching), was "Black Irish."

This was a movie I'd never heard of before watching it, so I didn't know much going into it, except that it was clearly about a Black Irish family. I was very pleasantly surprised by the whole thing. Again, this isn't a movie that treads completely new and different ground, but it is still very touching, well written, meaningful, and well acted.

Information edited because I'm an idiot.

Meanwhile, the older brother in the movie, the troubled, angry one, is played by Tom Guiry, who played Jimmy Donnelly, the troubled, angry brother, on "The Black Donnellys," to which this movie doesn't even hold a candle.

The story follows Cole, the youngest boy of a Black Irish family, who, at the start, is seeking a life in the clergy. He's the younger brother of Terry, who's a rotten apple and Kathleen, the sister who's found herself pregnant. To pay for her boarding, they must take Cole out of the parochial school he attends, which he almost welcomes, being that he's more interested in baseball than the clergy. All along, he seems determined to win the favor of his father, a man who drinks constantly and seems unable to hold down a job. Mean while, his mother seems to be a stalwart pillar of the household, much to the disbelief of those around her.

It's a solid coming of age story, brilliant in its telling and acting, and one that is well worth watching. As I understand it, it's a tale that's many years in the making, and there is something to seeing someone's long held vision come to life that makes a movie just a little more satisfying.

Which leads me to...

Why can't I really love or hate any movies anymore? I mean, with the exception of "No Country for Old Men," I have a really hard time finding real love for movies. Perhaps it's my cynical old age, or perhaps it's the fact that I've just become downright picky, but it drives me crazy, to say the least.

I think the hardest thing for me is that I'm no longer the target demographic of most movies. I think I'm having a really hard time coming to grips with that. Most Hollywood blockbusters are written for someone other than me.

The other problem I seem to have is that I can't seem to feel good about anything that has a hint of regurgitation. I feel like every idea must have been exhausted by now, because every movie I see seems to be merely a re-take on something that's been done, and unless that's its purpose, it bothers me.

It's like watching a movie based on a novel you've read, you expect so much more than you get (with the exception, of course, of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, which was brilliant).


I guess, with that...

I will depart for now. I'm amazed that I managed to find some time to blog. I miss blogging. It's so therapeutic.