Road to Wrestlemania Went Through Ontario, California

So last night (after seeing the first 3 movies during AMC's Best Picture Showcase, Day 2) my brother and I walked across the street (took about 20 minutes each way) and saw WWE's Raw House Show. We were unable to find a third person to go, but we didn't complain. The event was my second WWE event I've attended this year. I would have liked to of gone to the house show on Friday night at the Staples Center, and the event earlier in the month down in San Diego, but that wasn't an option (unfortunately).

The House Show's recently underwent a makeover, and they feel more like an actual liv. e event or (tv taping). The matches we got, and as always the crowd was hot (meaning into it with chants and what not). First match of the night was Brodus Clay vs. David Otunga. Brodus Clay won. His entrance theme is highly entertaining (I have it via itunes). The Divas championship match got a good reaction (can't go wrong with the Bella Twins, or Beth Phoenix for that matter). Speaking of Divas, Rosa Mendes (valet for the tag team champions) also got a good reaction from the fans, and by fans I'm referring to the men in attendance. Yet another diva got a good reaction, until she started talking. That diva was Eve Torres. Y2J vs. Kofi was a good and entertaining match. Y2J is the nickname for Chris Jericho. Jericho's theme=Great.

Other matches that went over well were The Miz vs. R-Truth. R-Truth picked up the win, in what was perhaps a possible Wrestlemania match. The main event was a triple threat title match. The champion (and still champion) CM Punk took on Kane and Dolph Ziggler. Match was hilarious, and definitely entertaining. Probably the highlight (outside of CM Punk hitting his finisher on Ziggler) was Ziggler backing up into Kane, reaching up, tapping Kane softly on the head, then tip-toeing and offering a hand shake, and Kane responding with an uppercut thrust to the neck of Ziggler.

All in all, the arena was pretty packed. Definitely much more than the last time the WWE was out here (which was in 2009), and definitely no comparison to the time when TNA (Impact Wrestling) was out here years ago.

AMC Best Picture Showcase Day 2

So yesterday (it's passed midnight, hence the yesterday) I attended AMC's Best Picture Showcase (day 2). The movies shown in order were Hugo in 3D, The Help, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Artist, and Midnight in Paris. Out of the five shown, the only one I had yet to see was Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, and I have to say, the movie did not disappoint.

If your into crying during movies, or shall I say if you cry during movies, this film is a definite tear jerker. I don't really feel like giving more opinions on it, as I'm really tired, and I don't think I'll have the train of thought to stay on topic to be honest at this time. As promised however in an earlier entry, I will now post a picture of my updated lanyard collection.

That's 4 years, 7 days I've attended, which comes out to 7 AMC lanyards.

My Oscar Picks

Seeing as how tomorrow is the Academy Awards, and seeing as how I've seen all 9 best picture nominee movies, I figured I'll go ahead and make my picks. I will include my favorite, and my actual pick for each category, if the category calls for it.

Best actor: Jean Dujardin for the Artist is my favorite, and pick to win
Best Supporting Actor: Nick Nolte is my favorite, however I'm going with Christopher Plummer to win
Best Actress: I have a tie with Viola Davis and Michelle Williams as my favorite, but I'm going with Meryl Streep. 17 nominations, with only two wins. I think the Academy makes an attempt to correct that.
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer is my favorite, and pick to win
Best Animated Film: I firmly believe the Academy botched this category, and I feel Tin Tin should have been nominated and won, however since it's not, I'm picking Puss In Boots to win
Best Art Direction: Hugo is my pick
Best Cinematography: Tree of Life (as boring as the film was, the scenery and images were spectacular)
Best Costume Design: Going with The Artist
Best Director: Michael Hazanavicius for the Artist is my pick, and I don't really have a favorite
Best Documentary (feature): Paradise Lost 3
Best Documentary (short subject): Saving Face
Best Film Editing: My pick is Hugo
Best Foreign Language Film: A Seperation
Best Makeup: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Best Music (original score): The Artist
Best Music (Original Song): Seeing as how the Muppets are presenting, my pick is Man or Muppet - The Muppets
Best Picture: The Help is my favorite, with Descendants and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close finishing behind it, however, my pick to win is The Artist
Best Short Film (Animated): La Luna
Best Short Film (Live Action): The Shore
Best Sound Editing: Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Best Sound Mixing: Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Best Visual Effects: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay): The Descendants
Best Writing (Original Screenplay): The Artist

An Eventful Evening...

That almost ended with me eating the street, and by eventful I really mean I went on an hour and 40 minute walk last night. I have been averaging an hour a night (on the nights I do go out). Pretty much the only nights I don't go out for that long are Tuesday nights, and this past Saturday and upcoming Saturday. I'm perfectly ok with missing on Tuesday nights, as I have home church. I've also pretty much stopped eating passed 7-7:30 in general, and am starting to notice results (my pants not fitting me tight=win win).

While an hour and 40 minute walk may seem like a good thing. It's still 20 minutes short of where I want to be at. My goal is to get back up to 2 hours a night. I'm thinking on Tuesday's I'm going to start using the treadmill, or going for walks around the neighborhood in the mornings to get in my walking time. I really do prefer to walk around the neighborhood, and pretty much the only times I'll use the treadmill is if it's either raining, or it's too windy outside. Seriously, it gets boring facing a wall while using the treadmill.

Now as far as eating the street goes. Those little bumps along the white lines on the street. For whatever reason I managed to step on one (first time I've really done that while crossing a street), and I did so at an angle, where I'm really surprised I was able to keep my balance. I came real close to tripping (as my ankle, or shoe twisted in a way where it would have been easy to), but somehow, was able to keep myself up. Had it been in December I probably would have fell, as I hit a curb wrong (was sticking up, didn't see it) and ended up banging my knee pretty good (luckily that was all).

My goal for tonight is to match last night's total, or at least come close to or even surpass it. We'll see. I kind of get bored easier on my walks (I walk alone). My music preference for my walks is usually my wrestler entrance themes. I like them.

Movies & A House Show

First of all, this past Saturday was day one of AMC's Best Picture Showcase. 4 movies were shown that day, and the only one I had yet to see, left me scratching my head (figuratively speaking). It was an odd way to interject faith, and ultimately in my opinion failed at doing so. There was about twenty minutes in the film where you thought you were in Science class again, or watching something on the Discovery Channel. The other three I saw that day were Warhorse, Moneyball, and The Descendants. I've seen those three before, so I won't share my thoughts on them again.

This upcoming Saturday 2/25 is day two of AMC's Best Picture Showcase. For the record, if you are a fan of movies, especially the Academy Awards, you really do owe it to yourselves to attend AMC's Best Picture Showcase. Granted they show anywhere from 4 to 5 movies a day (unless you decide to attend a 24 hour marathon at select AMC Theaters), but it really is a fun experience. They give you a lanyard each time you go (will post my updated collection after this Saturday), a movie poster (second year in a row now), a synopsis booklet of each movie, and in between certain movies, they have trivia.

There's 5 movies being shown this Saturday. Those are Hugo in 3D, The Help, Extremely Close and Incredibly Loud, The Artist, and Midnight In Paris. I will only be staying for three however, and luckily for me the third one I'm staying for (Extremely Close and Incredibly Loud) is the only film I have yet to see. I purposely went on my own to see The Artist, and bought and already watched Midnight In Paris. I have seen The Help two to three times (think twice) in theaters by myself, and have yet to open my copy of the film (own it on blu-ray/dvd). As far as Hugo, I've never seen it in 3D, so I'm looking forward to it.

As far as to why I'm only sticking around for three movies, well the answer to that is simple. I have tickets (still looking for 1 person to go at the time of this entry) for the Citizens Business Bank Arena for the WWE Raw House Show. It starts at 7:30. As big of a fan of movies as I am, I'm an equally big fan of wrestling. Majority of shirts I wear these days are WWE related. It's going to be fun getting out of the theater at 6:15 and walking across the street to the Arena for the 7:30 show. Really looking forward to some of the big wrestlers that will be attending. Wrestlers such as CM Punk, Kane, Chris Jericho, and so on.

Parenting or Something Like That

This past Sunday at church, the topic dealt with the parent child relationship, in the third part of a series called InterActions. I kind of struggled with this topic. Part of the reason I'm not yet a parent, but also partly because the relationship I have with my father feels strained at best, and he's the only parent I have left, so it's kind of odd (to say the least).

Since Sunday, I have been trying to think back on the best advice my parents have ever given me, and I can't honestly think of a single thing. Nothing really sticks out at me. Perhaps it's because it's been that long since I have been given advice, or perhaps in the past 8 years plus, I've just been deaf on the advice I do get. I can't really say.

I have had the opportunity to take care of one of my parents when they were sick. My mother back during her brief struggle with cancer in 2003. Felt a lot longer then it really was to be honest. I used to help her in the morning until I had to leave for college, and when I came home after doing any homework, I'd help her then. Monday through Friday, I'd sleep on the floor (my back hated me for that, but it was worth it) in the same room she slept in, and would get up several times throughout the night to take her to the bathroom, and help her. It was during this time however that I was really connected with my mom, well at least one of the times.

Prepped For AMC's Best Picture Showcase By...Seeing 3 Films

No, I'm just kidding. It wasn't really prepping, it was just a way for me to get out and see three films that I have been wanting to see. Those three films in order of seeing them were This Mean's War, The Vow, and Safe House. Out of the three, This Mean's War and The Vow were my favorites by far with Safe House not too far behind.

This Mean's War stars Tom Hardy, Chris Pine, and Reese Weatherspoon, and the chemistry between all three was really good, more so with Hardy and Pine. If Hollywood was smart they should consider teaming these two up in future comedies. Both Hardy and Pine play CIA agents, whom fall for the same girl. They make a bet where the best man wins, but their ego's soon get in the way, and from there the fun starts. There were more people seeing this film (that's not saying much as all three auditoriums pretty much had scattered seating. This film is more along the lines of a new type of romantic comedy (the film delivered in a big way on the comedy). In my opinion, this film will appeal equally to the guys and girls, and next to the Vow, makes a pretty good date night movie.

Next up was the movie I had been looking forward to ever since I saw the trailer, and that was The Vow. Normally this movie is one you take a girl to go see, but seeing as how I like these type of flicks, and I don't have a girlfriend, I still decided to see it. Plus, not to mention, I actually do like Channing Tatum and more so Rachel McAdams. The premise of the movie is pretty straight forward. Leo (Tatum) and Paige (McAdams) are in a car crash, and Paige gets the worst of the car accident, and the result is a loss of her memory. The film then centers around Paige's efforts to regain her memory, and ultimately the journey they both take to rediscover their love for one another. I have to say this movie did not disappoint me, and I really enjoyed it.

Last, but not least was the action/thriller Safe House starring Denzel Washington (my favorite actor) and Ryan Reynolds (one of my favorite actors). For what the film was, I have to say it was really good (outside the extremely predicable who the bad guy is in the film). Actually it was so predictable, the writers didn't really put much effort into the guessing game to try and get you to think otherwise. It was too obvious. Having said that, Washington and Reynolds put forth really good performances (granted not performances that would win awards, but good nonetheless).

My recommendation is see The Vow and This Mean's War (in any order) first, and see Safe House last. If your not a fan of movies like The Vow, then go with This Mean's War. You really can't go wrong with any of the three movies.

Intimate Relationship With God

Right now, my church is going through a series called Interactions. Two Sunday's ago, the first part of the series dealt with friendships, and this past Sunday dealt with Marriage. One of the questions I believe that was asked on the bulletin, that was a discussion point, was what was your most intimate moment with God, or something along that nature.

I have had several moments over the course of my life. Probably the first being a dream that came to pass. I won't talk about said dream, and there's been other dreams, something that has played a large part in my life over the past 10 years. Besides those, there are two moments that stand out. The first moment was two weeks before my mom passed away. I remember praying repeatedly, to the lord to either heal my mother, or don't let her suffer long. Little did I know that two weeks later she'd be gone, but it was the first time I really felt that a prayer of mine was answered. Sure it was not the answer I may have wanted, but knowing that she was at peace and not suffering anymore, that takes a lot off my mind. Granted I say that now, but for a time I did let it bother me.

The other moment came the night before my mom passed. I was meditating, like I had done for years at night. That night, as I was sitting down, I felt some sort of presence go through me, and I honestly believe to this day it was connected with my mom, and God. It's really hard to explain what it felt like, but it's also something I think back and reflect on at times. Usually those times are around the time May 5th roles around.

Getting In Shape

So one of my resolutions this past year was to get into shape, and by get into shape, I want to get down to 200 pounds, and ultimately want to get back to my skinniest before I went depression, and as a result helped me to get to where I'm at now. As of right now, I've lost anywhere from 5-10 pounds. I've done it before, so I know I can lose the weight. I also know that it will take time, and I know how hard it was the first time, so I'm confident I can keep up with it.

I had motivation to lose the first time. Someone inspired me. This time around, I'm not really doing it for anyone other than myself this time around. At least as of right now. I'm thinking of posting a monthly update on my progress, with this being my first blog entry on it.

Valentine's Day...

Seems everywhere I look there's an advertisement for it. Whether it be television, Facebook, mailers, twitter, or my email (I get about 50 plus emails every morning Monday through Friday, due in large part to contests I enter), but for whatever reason it seems to be bugging me lately, and I really don't know why. Normally I do nothing on Valentine's Day, as well I'm always without one. Perhaps it tie's together with the feeling stuck, or perhaps it's because I have a necklace I'd like to give away to someone, or I don't know what the other reason would be.

In all actuality, I think I will be doing something on Valentine's Day (besides going to home church, as it falls on that day). There are two movies out that I want to see. Those two being The Vow, and This Means War.

Speaking of my necklace, I took three pictures of it the other day:

Feeling Stuck

Well at least it feels that way. In a way I'm used to it, in a way it's been bugging me lately. I'm still trying to get a job, and having absolutely no luck with my job search. To say the least, it sucks not having a job. I need one so I can save up and move. My current living situation is one that is frustrating (again to say the least).

I was going to add more to this, but my train of thought has drifted elsewhere.

There's An Artist On A Haywire That's Out For The Money

Or in other words, another day (been a while though) of seeing three movies in a day. I really needed to get out, so at the very least I could clear my mind, and The Artist is one of two movies I won't be seeing during the best picture showcase (due to attending the WWE house show down the street from the theater).

Up first was The Artist. If you talk during the movie, you will miss out on the dialogue (oh wait, there is none, as it's a silent film). This movie is nominated for best picture, and is up for several other awards. The lead actor in this film is played by James Dujardin, and he plays a silent picture star (George Valentin), that is caught between the transition from silent pictures to films with sound. Ironically, it is an actress (Peppy Miller, played by Berenice Bejo), that is discovered by George Valentin, that makes the transition from silent pictures, to sound, almost flawlessly, becoming the first big star.

Having said that, I firmly believe, this film was only nominated because it's different (and in all honesty, for a film to resort back to a genre that is gone for a reason), especially in this day and age, doesn't make the film deserving of a best picture nomination. James Dujardin did deliver a very good performance, but the decision to make this film a black and white silent film was quite unappealing. The film would have been better, if it was in color and was a time piece.

Recommending this film? I'd recommend it, if you want to see films that were nominated for best picture, if your looking for a nostalgia effect, and simply if you've never seen a silent film before (as this was my first silent picture).

Up second, was Haywire, starring Gina Carano (a newcomer apparently), and I found this movie to struggle (plot wise), as it never really picked up, and Gina Carano delivers her lines very bland like (almost with no passion), and she's only in the movie because they're trying (or at least appears) to be Hollywood trying to create a new female action star. The fact that she was in a film with the likes of Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, and Ewan McGregor, and her acting skills weren't great, in my opinion hurt the film. Granted Douglas and Banderas weren't in the film as long, but still to be in the same movie as them, and being the weakest link in the film, really hurt the film.

Plot of the film? I really won't mention, as it felt like another version of Colombiana. Would I recommend this film? I'll go with a no, not unless you've already seen the other action films that are out there.

Up last was One for the Money. The only reason I chose to see this film was because of Katherine Heigl. I like her as an actress, and think she's pretty. That might also explain why I liked the film (once I looked past the part of it being an almost an exact copy of The Bounty Hunter). Really, now that I think of it, it's now a turn off for the movie. The Bounty Hunter was released a few years ago, and you almost feel like your watching the same movie (only difference are Gerald Butler and Jennifer Anniston's roles are reversed by Katherine Heigl and the unknown that plays Anniston's role).

I would only recommend this movie, if you are a fan of Heigl, otherwise I wouldn't recommend it.