Something new comes my way

Well it’s been two days, and so far I don’t feel any different.  I am not sure how I thought I was going to feel.  Not to say I don’t care, or it doesn’t matter, but maybe it’s just one of those, out of sight out of mind, things.  I do say it makes me feel a little older.  Well older might not be what it is, but definitely more grown up?

I am not one of those people who put a lot thought into how old I am, but I do know that there is a lot of growing up to do.  I do many things that you are supposed to do at my age.  I have a solid job that many would be proud to stay with their whole lives.  I have a 401k and a Roth IRA.  I invest in stocks, and have the right amount saved as emergency funds.  I also have a new car that I should be able to keep for 8-10 years. 

All this is put into perspective when a child comes into their lives.  The thing is, it’s not my child, and children are not for me.  I’m not that grown up yet, and don’t want to be forced into that, nowhere near ready for that.  It’s my sister, she had our mother’s first grandson, and so you understand my hesitation and mixed emotions. 

I guess I will have to wait to see what happens when I meet the little guy, but the more I think about it, the more I get a little excited about it.  Being an uncle is something I might have to get used to, or maybe things won’t change much.

Mad Men Season 3 Finale Recap

Multiple award winning Mad Men returns to AMC this Sunday July 25^th for its 4th season. Coming off a year that was nominated for 17 Emmys, the new season expects to jump ahead in some time as had the previous two. As per usual the time skipped has not been revealed, but only to be said as “the show won’t pick up on the following day”.

Shut the Door, Have a Seat, starts with Don Draper meeting Connie Hilton in his hotel room, where Don is informed of the sale of Sterling Cooper’s British parent company to a rival ad agency. After a little bit of prodding by Conrad Hilton, Don Draper goes to Bertram Cooper (Robert Morse) with the idea to buy back Sterling Cooper back from PPL. With the offer dismissed, Draper and Cooper, along with Rodger Sterling (John Slattery) and Lane Pryce (Jared Harris) plot to open their own rival agency that involves stealing clients and luring talent. With the instruction to only approach those with whom they are certain will join them, the mad rush begins. After assembling a skeleton crew composed of Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser), Harry Crane (Rich Sommer), and Peggy Olsen (Elisabeth Moss), everyone begins to gather all necessary information to begin their new lives. Oone problem is that they don’t know where anything is. The return of Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks) is well received as her reliability and efficiency is a much needed asset, and as it goes, Sterling-Cooper-Draper-Pryce is born.

Season 3 also has what is apparently the end of Don Draper (Jon Hamm) and Betty Draper (January Jones) where turnabout is fair play as Betty gets involved with an older Politian that promises to take care of her. Ice queen Betty Draper informs Don that she has made an appointment with a divorce attorney, where she suggests he do the same. Later in the episode Don Draper confesses to Rodger Sterling about the divorce, where at this time Don is shocked to find out that Betty has been with Henry Francis. After leaving the bar Don comes home to confront Betty that leads to a heated argument, as things settle Don decides not to stand in her way as he hopes she gets what she’s always wanted. The end of the episode has Betty Draper remaining expressionless as she flies off to Reno, Nevada.

Now without his job and without his family Don Draper is once again faced with a new beginning. Much is uncertain about how exactly things will turn out, but as always I look forward to the upcoming season. AMC has made it a habit of making excellent shows and is attempting it once again with Rubicon, which starts in August. Return here for weekly reviews.

Inception!

Christopher Nolan does it again with another supremely written and perfectly directed film. He continues to create a story that demonstrates enough depth without losing the audience or insulting their intelligence.

The best actors want to work with the best directors. With his reputation, Christopher Nolan is able to get A list actors that continue to perform at a high level. Inception does not stray from this trend. Leonardo DiCaprio has quickly become an actor that you can count on for a more than satisfying movie going experience. Both Nolan and DiCaprio have a track record that will be hard to tarnish.

At the risk of using some hyperbole the score for Inception is epic, and the visuals amaze. The music transitioned each scene with seamless flow. The cast of actors were well selected for each roll, and Nolan wrote each part to play to their strengths.

With a summer that has lacked big blockbuster movies, it might be easy to say, "well this is probably as good we're going to get". That may be the case, but that is not the fault of the film. The individual aspects of Inception may be greater than the whole, but none interfere with what will be remembered as a great film.

Overall I would give it a 4.5 out of 5. While acting, story, score, and visuals I rate a 5.


With Inception all wrapped up, Christopher Nolan is now free to work on the much anticipated following up to The Dark Knight, yet to be titled Batman 3. We shall see soon if the rumors are true that the Riddler will be the villain, as well as Joseph Gordon-Levitt teaming back up with Nolan to play said role.