One Sentence: Some great comedians were not used at all in When In Rome. 

Rated: PG-13

Running Time: 91 Minutes

Release Date: 29-Jan-2010

Nudity: None

I am all for romantic comedies, they are light, fun and usually make the lady or man in your life a little happier if you go with them to see it.  So when I go to a romantic comedy I am open to the formula that usually happens, and to most of what happens in romantic comedies.  So when you put people like Will Arnett, Danny DeVito and Bobby Monyihan into a romantic comedy, it gives me great hope that it is going to be funny.  Along with the always cute Kristen Bell I was pretty excited about When In Rome.  

After seeing it I can not pass on that hope to you all.  This is a hard thing to write as people generally don't think much of romantic comedies but, When In Rome might have been the worst romantic comedy I have seen in a very long time.  Poorly written, horribly cut, completely unfunny and sort of boring, When In Rome was very hard to get through.   Which is so disappointing when you have such an amazing cast in a movie. 

I think When In Rome is the leader for worst movie of the year 1 month into the year and if not for a few slightly funny scenes this movie would get 1 star, but it saved itself just barely.  But getting 2 stars doesn't mean anyone out there should see it in any format, even when it's on HBO at 2 AM and you have nothing else to watch except the Magic Bullet infomercial, pick the Magic Bullet infomercial. 

One Sentence: My girlfriend had a panic attack because of this movie. 

Rated: R

Running Time: 117 Minutes

Release Date: 29-Jan-2010

Nudity: None

Mel Gibson is back after his assault on the Jews to avenge his murdered daughter in Edge Of Darkness.  What we find is a twisty, weak story led by an aging angry old man that never ends up being very good.  The movie is one of those movies that ends up being about more than you can see originally, and while those movies can end up being very interesting, I don't think Edge Of Darkness succeeds at being very interesting at all.  It attempts at being something that the audience would really get into, it just fails almost completely. 

Mel Gibson's performance is ok, but it is hard to get past his recent statements, and it is hard to look at him otherwise.  The performances of everyone else doesn't really make for an amazing supporting cast as well.  I also had quite a few scenes where I had a hard time understanding people talking to each other, accents and mumbling just made it hard to figure out what was going on, in some crucial scenes.  

Overall I am pretty meh on Edge Of Darkness, the girlfriend liked it more than me, and the panic attack really didn't have too much to do with the quality of the movie, and more with some of the content.  I guess you could rent this, for a mediocre action drama, but don't go out of your way to catch Mel's return to the movies.  

One Sentence: Grumpy Harrison doesn't stretch at all. 

Rated: PG

Running Time: 105 Minutes

Nudity: None

Release Date: 22-Jan-2010

This is a new movie Executive Produced by Harrison Ford and released by the new production company CBS Films.  It is one of those movies where the subject matter by itself is supposed to make you feel, and while I can get on board with these types of movies, I think that the subject matter by itself can not carry the movie.  Extraordinary Measures doesn't have the story or acting to carry the heavy subject matter to an extraordinary movie. 

The movie ended up being more of a look into the pharmaceutical business and less about healing, life, and love.  Which is really where the movie should have gone. It felt so clinical and cold, with both Brendan Frasier and Harrison Ford not really being anything exceptional as well. Harrison just seemed grumpy and short, not much different that he seems when he does interviews in reality.  Maybe this was the intention but I didn't enjoy it. 

I don't feel like backing this movie even for rental.  I don't think it was especially bad, but I just don't think it was good either.  I felt like if you never saw this movie you would not feel any differently than you did today.  If you are into the business of getting a drug to market, then you should go see it, otherwise, I would skip it. 

Rated: R

Running Time: 118 Minutes

Release Date: 15-Jan-2010

Nudity: None

One Sentence: Might be the best apocalypse movie I have ever seen.

Going into The Book Of Eli the only thing I knew about it was that Denzel Washington was in it and it looked apocalyptic.  The trailers told me nothing and there seemed to be no one talking about it or know much about it.  I think now it is better that way and I will try to tell you as little as possible while telling you that this is an amazing movie.  

The movie is one of the best, if not the best apocalypse movie I have ever seen, it is quiet, powerful and wonderfully put together.  The movie seems huge and tiny all at once, the feeling of a giant empty world and yet a story about a single man in that world doing what he must.  The story is simple and amazing and a wonderful idea about what must be done in a world like this.  It captured what I think the world would be like after some huge catastrophic event and it does it beautifully.  I think it goes without saying that Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman are amazing in their parts, and I can find very little to fault this movie.  

I think this is as the ads are saying on TV the first must see movie of the year.  I loved it and I think most people will love it as well, so go to the theater and check it out as soon as you can.  It is rentable from a visual effect point of view, but it is so good I think you should pay the theater cost for this one anyway.  

Rated: PG-13

Running Time: 135 Minutes

Release Date: 15-Jan-2010

Nudity: None

One Sentence: Not the movie you are thinking it is.

All the comments about The Lovely Bones I have been hearing from people that have not seen it yet is pretty universal.  I read that book, I don't think I want to see a movie about it.  I get a general feel that The Lovely Bones rubbed people the wrong way even though it was a best selling book.  So they feel the same way about the movie.  Do they want to go through that experience again?  Do they want to deal with the subjects that go on in the book, or would they just like to skip it.  I never read the book, but I would not skip the movie. 

The Lovely Bones felt like certain movies, that deal with death and dying, that capture it in a way that I hope one day I might experience in death.  I generally like these types of movies, and I did like The Lovely Bones.  I thought it was wonderfully executed, the blend of life and death, the dark and light times of it all, and I think Peter Jackson made both of these worlds come to life in a spectacular way.  I think he crafted the delicate subject matter in a way that painted the picture he wanted to, without putting too much weight on the audience.  I left the movie feeling surprised with what I had seen and glad I had watched it. 

I think it is a lovely January movie for you to go see in the theater, and due to the solid visual effects I would recommend a theater viewing of The Lovely Bones.  If you have to rent it I guess it would be ok, but I think you will be missing out on some visually appealing scenes.  

Rated: R

Running Time: 111 Minutes

Release Date: Dec 16th 2009

Nudity: Not really

One Sentence: One of the best performances I have ever seen. 

My girlfriend said, "I want to meet Jeff Bridges to see what he is really like, because that didn't seem like acting."  She is right, it didn't seem like acting, it seemed like a look into a man's life.  A documentary almost, with how natural, real, and convincing the portrayal of Bad Blake was by Jeff Bridges.  Bad Blake is a country music singer who is down on his luck and life.  Jeff Bridges brought this man to life in a way I rarely see, even with every years Academy Award Winnders. 

Crazy Heart is a rough and tumble movie about a man's choices in life, it travels along the road slowly through New Mexico, Arizona and Texas.  It moves at the speed of Bad Blake and his life gone wrong, and while at no time does the movie ever bore or feel slow, this movie is not the normal movie I would recommend on The-reviewer.net  It is a dialogue movie through and through, about hard lives and bad choices, if that doesn't seem like your type of movie I would steer clear, but if it does then Crazy Heart is worth checking out. 

Additionally all music that is sung during this movie is done by the actors in the movie and it is very well done.  The music rubbed off on me as well, it, like the movie felt hard lived and true.  I am not a country music fan, but I do live in Texas and once in a while that feeling rubs off on me and it did in Crazy Heart.  This is the type of music movie that I wish all those other biopics that have come out in the last few years was.  I highly recommend this movie to everyone at least for rental.  I would expect to see this name Crazy Heart pop up a few times at the Academy Awards.

I did not attempt the 80 pound bell, but it felt great to get the 32kg bell up.

One of these is definitely on my wish list now.

The first one talks about how important incentives are for changing your body. And it goes on to incentivize you with a whopping $40,000 in prize money.

Could The Chance To Win $10,000 Help You Get In Shape?

The second one shows you how to coerce yourself into sticking to the plan, even when the motivation wanes.

Enter “the best kept secret in weight loss.”

Finally, today, I have one last post to share.

In this one, Dr Berardi talks about how you can actually vaccinate yourself against body fat. Hint: it doesn’t involve needles!

Learn how to vaccinate yourself against body fat

I am very excited for this program and truly believe that Dr John Berardi and his team can help anyone achieve the body that he or she desires.

Rated: PG-13

Running Time: 162 Minutes

Release Date: 18-Dec-2009

Nudity: Blue people sort of naked.

One Sentence: They have solved the final CG problem.

Star Wars, Tron, The Abyss, Jurassic Park, Terminator 2, Toy Story, Lord Of The Rings.  All these movies in some way or another changed the way movies were made in my lifetime.  There were turning points where you could actually see from that point on a change in the way movies were made.  All of these movies have done amazing things in the world of CGI and special effects.  They had almost solved everything, except for creating "humanity" within a CG character.  This never has been done exceptionally well, until today. 

Avatar solves the problem of humanity within the world of CG and movies from this day forward will never be the same.  It was a amazing experience and one that I think everyone should experience.  Now any actor can become anyone or anything.  The things James Cameron invented with Avatar are very hard to explain or describe, the only things you can say are amazing, wonderful, and excitement from this movie and all things to come from the new high standard it set.  I can't wait to see what movies next use this technology.

Avatar isn't only a CG fest either, the amazing 3-D world that was created carries with it a wonderful story, with beautiful acting both by human and CG "humans." It has action and beauty and is a wonderful package of everything put together.  Every shot, every spoken word, and everything within Avatar are put together with such skill and grace it made me forget quite a few times I was in a theater with other people and not in that world.  I can not say enough good things about this movie, and I think everyone should go see it in the theater in 3-D as soon as you can.  

When Dr. John Berardi dropped me an line the other day, telling me all about his new program, I thought for a second the guy had lost his mind.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I respect Dr Berardi. He’s recognized as one of the top nutrition coaches in the world. And his programs get people results. Fast.

However, when I watched this video he sent over, and learned that he’s giving away $40,000 of his own money, he definitely got my attention.

Check out this blog post for yourself, here.

Now, to qualify for this reward, you have to participate in the Lean Eating program. But that’s a no brainer. You should want to do that ANYWAY if you’re interested in body transformation because there is nothing else like it.

You get 6 months of world class coaching, the type of coaching you can’t find, well, anywhere. And, during these
6 months, if you achieve the best body transformation, you’ll win 10K.

Worst case scenario, you come out with the best body of your life. Best case scenario, you come out with the best body of your life, and 10 GRAND.

So, I highly encourage you to check out the information here. In it, Dr Berardi shares with you two critical components for body transformation success.

And then he tells you exactly how one man and one woman are going to swoop in and claim $10 G’s of his own money.

Now, this message is time sensitive. No, it’s not gonna self-destruct or anything. However, spots are limited in this program. And LOTS of people want in.

So, if you’re interested in finding out exactly how to eat to get in the best shape of your life, click the link below.
10 grand may be waiting for you on the other side:

How to win $10k

Mike

Rated: G

Running Time: 97 Minutes

Release Date: 11-Dec-2009

Nudity: None

One Sentence: 2-D is not dead. 

When John Lassiter became head of Disney/Pixar Animation he vowed to do a lot of things and one of them was bring back 2-D animation.  Disney shunned 2-D when they were getting clobbered by Pixar and assumed it only had to do with the animation and not the horrible movies they were making compared to Pixar.  When the merger happened and John got the lead role he told the rest of the Disney execs that 2-D is not dead and he was going to prove it to them and take Disney animation into the new millennium.  There was a ton riding on The Princess And The Frog, the merger, 2-D animation, and John as the new head of Disney animation, and I am glad to say that The Princess And The Frog delivered all that was promised.

This is the new Princess movie for the new generation.  It is a beautiful, amazing, fun, family movie, that I can not recommend enough to everyone out there, you, your kids, your neighbors kids and anyone else you can get to go to the theater with you.  I had forgotten about 2-D, the color, the animation and the strides it has taken in the last 10 years.   This movie is not only a wonderful story with a great message, it is one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen.  The colors, backdrops, characters, and amazing music were all top notch and as I have said with every animated movie over the last one, I think this movie is going to win for Best Animated Movie of the Year at the Oscars. 

So it is with great pleasure that I recommend to you The Princess And The Frog from Disney/Pixar Animation.  It is a must see in the theater this holiday season.  I am sure I am going to see it again over Christmas, I want to see it again, and I never go see movies more than once in the theater. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. 

Rated: PG-13

Running Time: 134 Minutes

Release Date: 11-Dec-2009

Nudity: None

One Sentence: It is the name of a poem. 

I am not a rugby person, I have never watched it, or really know the rules.  I feel I should say that here at the beginning before I tear this movie apart.  I am also not a football person, and love most football movie I have seen.  So that is something also to think about.

My friend who is a rugby coach and player told me he is so excited about this movie.  That, this story and game is one of the best in the world of rugby and he was very excited about that the story is being told.  I scrunched up my face and told him, I am sorry but this movie was a horrible sports movie and an even worse political movie.  I really don't know which Clint Eastwood was going for but it wasn't good either way.  

Invictus seems to fail at telling a good story about Nelson Mandella's presidency or, according to my friend, one of the best rugby world cup games of all time.  It seems to me that when you have that type of story, where statements like that were made about a game, or about a man who has won a Noble Peace Prize for the things he has done in the world at least one of the two stories could be slightly interesting, but that did not happen with Invictus.  Instead we are stuck with hints of things that sort of happened during this time in South Africa, and none of it is told in a way that makes anyone care about it.  This is especially painful when the movie is over 2 hours long. 

Invictus, I think is one of those attempted Academy Award movies, some things I read seem to hint at that, but nothing in this movie is worthy of mention.  If it isn't worth mentioning it also is not worth your money, not even on the rental.  Clint Eastwood had made some great movies, but Invictus is not one of them.  I do not recommend this movie in any way to anyone, even my friend the rugby player. 

1 serving (127 grams) Greek yogurt
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
15 grams chopped walnuts
100-150 grams blueberries

First I mix the yogurt and protein powder in a Pyrex bowl. Then I add the walnuts and blueberries. I use a food scale for each ingredient so I know I’m getting the right serving size and so I can enter it into FitDay. On a typical day it works out to be about 390 calories, 46g protein, 12g fat, and 33g carbs.

I love it!

The Chelsea Lately show just spent a week filming in Australia and I guess E has an Australian branch. But she was just as popular there as she is here. Even the writers of the show are now famous just for being on the show. Plus they are really funny comedians. The likes of Guy Branum, Heather McDonald, Brad Wollack, Josh Wolf, and Lonnie Love. They are all hilarious and they tour with the Comedians Of Chelsea Lately. Oh, and let’s not forget Chuy.

Now that Chelsea has this new found fame she also probably has new found income in her checking account. Since everyone is being careful with their money these days I’m sure she is too. She is probably investing and a saving trying to make her nest egg grow. Which would be a wise move. In fact she could probably use an investing checklist to make sure that everything is being invested properly.

Then on the other hand she will probably continue to become more famous and increase her wealth. So maybe she should just enjoy herself and invest in some Grey Goose and some beach time.

Rated: PG

Running Time: 87 Minutes

Release Date: 25-Nov-2009

Nudity: None

One Sentence: Perfect Thanksgiving family movie. 

I was very wary of this movie.  Wes Anderson who I feel is not consistent, along with some awkward animation could have led to a very bad movie.  As the movie started the animation took a bit to get used to.  Weird closeups of the characters made the starting of this movie hard to get past, but once I did get used to the animation I thought the movie was excellent.  

Fantastic Mr. Fox seems to take all the great things about Wes Anderson movies and the innovation of Robot Chicken to make a magical movie with a great Thanksgiving message that is perfect for the whole family.  I got past the animation really quickly and even grew to love it.  I though it only added to the magic of the movie, and thinking back now I can not imagine the movie being made any other way.  Adding great voice acting by Clooney, and a lot of the old Wes Anderson group, Fantastic Mr. Fox really impressed me as I walked out of the theater. 

This movie is so good I think UP has the possibility of losing the animated Oscar to Mr. Fox.  So that means I think that if you have a Thanksgiving movie tradition, this is your choice.  It is good for you and the kids, and your aunt, cousin, 2nd cousins life partner and your grandma.  I think that this movie should be seen in the theater so I would not recommend rental for it, it is just too pretty to not see on a small screen at home. 

Joanna was my favorite and I thought her and Derek really brought a lot to the show. But apparently Donny Osmond still has it in somebody’s book. Because he got to stay while Joanna didn’t make it into the finals.

Obviously Mya deserved to stay, she really is a brilliant dancer. She wasn’t my favorite but she is very very good. Donny was OK, not great, and his personality is super annoying.

But the dark horse in all of this is Kelly Osbourne. If anyone remembers her from the MTV reality show about her family she just seemed like a whiny, spoiled brat.

But on DWS she transformed right before our eyes into a beautiful graceful woman. Tattoos and all. I remember decades ago when getting tattoos was some type of racy thing. Reserved for bikers, sailors, and the really rough crowd.

Now we have an elegant young woman, with a British accent, wear an evening gown, and waltzing across the ballroom, with big old arm tattoos.

What makes this so interesting is that it is common place and no one thinks any less of it. You see actors and professionals and people in all walks of life with permanent reminders of their younger more wild days.

It has really just become a right of passage. Someday when our great great grandkids go to visit us in the old folks home they will see elderly people lounging around in wheel chairs sporting full sleeve arm tats.

Regardless of this acceptance. Many people opt to leave those wild days behind and get their tattoos removed. An effective but expensive option is laser tattoo removal. Another less invasive option is Wrecking Balm tattoo removal cream.

No matter whether you prefer skin or ink, or ballroom or rock. These are interesting times we live in.

I just thought I would do a quick update to Dancing With The Stars. Now that Season 9 is over and Donny Osmond is the winner. But Kelly Osbourne came in at a respectable third place. She even managed to fall on her rear and keep her composure. A class act for sure.

One of the things I enjoy about the Dancing With The Stars contestants is how they continue to be themselves. They stay true to who they are while following their dreams and ambitions. I have recently been experimenting with new hobbies. One of them is experimenting with essential oils and perfume making. I have found some great resources on the subject including Introduction To Perfume Making. It is always best to be yourself while pursuing different goals and hobbies.

Don’t forget to go to the photo pages and leave your comments. I’m sure the photographers appreciate it.

Five Stars of the Week

At first this image can be overlooked without a second glance. After some time admiring it, I got caught on the tensions created by the irregular posture of the model, the unexpected and creative use of a helmet on what could be considered a nude portrait (definitely something you don’t see everyday) and the contrast between the model’s skin tone and the prop. A very creative and masterful capture. My Five Stars of the Week.

• 10 Tips to making your first photo book – Beyond Megapixels
• 10 Tipps zur Hochzeitsfotografie (in German) – Kwerfeldein.de
• SoFoBoMo published – A Roadtrop Through SE Australia – Neil Creek
• Help!  I’ve Been Infringed! – Photo Attorney
• Styling: Pure Hell or a place to “shine” – Yuri Arcurs
• Creative Partnerships vs. Self-Motivation – Rasmus Rasmussen
• 5 Tips to Get Followed on Twitter – JMG-Galleries
• Letting Things Marinate – PhotoWalkPro
• Making Fine Art Prints: Signing – Epic Edits (check also the other posts of Brian’s series on Fine Art prints)
• How to Price Assignments: Price High and Give Your Clients an Experience – DSLRBlog

(via Thomas Hawk’s Digital Connection)

Yeap, it’s true. As incredible as it may seem, at least to me, PhotoNetCast, the photography podcast hosted by me, Brian Auer, Martin Gommel and Jim Goldstein, just got a bit older. The 28th episode marks our 1 year anniversary.

On a personal level PhotoNetCast has been a fantastic experience. For these 28 episodes, if I count the show prep, recording, editing and publishing, on a quick count, it’s probably more than 200 hours of time invested in this project and worth every minute of it.

Our objective, since the beginning, has been to produce a quality show in which we can openly discuss our ideas and topics that are brought to the table, independently of our point of view. It has not been an easy task with all the hurdles for a beginner in the medium, but personally I’m more than satisfied. I believe that PhotoNetCast is informative and entertaining to listen, and focuses on topics that matter for all photographers, independently of their "level".

PhotoNetCast allowed me to reach to the great photographers and industry professionals we had as guests and learn while they share their opinions. Yes, learn. The show has been a huge learning experience. My appreciation to all of them.

The audience feedback has been superb and it’s all that support that motivates to keep producing and always trying to publish a better podcast, every episode. Thank you. This is what makes me believe that PhotoNetCast is becoming a reference podcast for photography.

And finally, Brian, Jim and Martin: Thank you very much for joining me on this trip. It has been a year of waking up early or staying up late and fighting with sometimes frustrating technical issues, but also a year of great laughs and shared knowledge. Here’s to many more years doing this together.

If you’re still not listening, I’d like to encourage you to subscribe to PhotoNetCast on iTunes, or just grab the regular feed.

Since my last update of the podcast here on the blog, 3 episodes were published:

PhotoNetCast #26 – Going Beyond your Comfort Zone – We tried to discuss how important it is to grow photographically to always try to push yourself, whether with gear or just changing your approach.

PhotoNetCast #27 – HDR Photography – With Dave Wilson as guest, we discuss HDR photography.

PhotoNetCast #28 – Travel Photography – Logistics, preparation, regulations and the actual shooting. How to make the most of your photographic travels.

I hope you enjoy it. And thanks for listening.

Don’t forget to go to the photo pages and leave your comments. I’m sure the photographers appreciate it.

Five Stars of the Week

I have to say that I’ve spent a LONG time admiring this photo. Overall, everything seems right with it. The backlighting creates a perfect mood, and even the light in the curtains looks good. My Five Stars of the Week.