London following Beijing

Watching the closing ceremonies last I was thinking how in the heck will London top these 2008 Beijing Games. I don't think they'll be able to. Certainly London's piece in the closing ceremonies was lame.
Here's what a London mayor Boris Johnson said in a Business Week article.
"We've been dazzled, impressed, and blown away by these Beijing Games," he says, adding, "but we've not been intimidated."
That's good to read.
One thing I did notice was the lack of full venues in the Beijing Games, and the article mentioned that too.
For instance, although Beijing's operations worked with clockwork precision, many events were surprisingly short on spectators (BusinessWeek.com, 8/15/08). London has already said it aims to avoid that by making more seats available to Londoners at discount prices.
Later ...
Formerly imperial Britain—now more laid-back than ambitious, upwardly mobile China—will be hosting its third Olympics and has less to prove to the world. As long as security is effective but not heavy-handed, London should manage to provide Olympians and guests a great time.

Hamlet 2 review

Hamlet 2 = C
Bad first half, but a stronger second. Either the jokes got better, or I just got use to the bad jokes. It's another movie I wanted to like, but was disappointed.
Roger Ebert seemed to like it better than James Berardinelli, who I agree with more regarding this movie.
Despite the richness of the premise for comic invention, however, Hamlet 2 remains a rather mediocre experience, offering sporadic laughs but never achieving the level of consistent humor necessary to make this memorable.
That pretty much wraps it up, though the number "Rock me sexy Jesus" is memorable, and the tune is very catchy.
The two best comedic turns belong to Amy Poehler and Catherine Keener, both of whom find the right groove for their characters and have the best lines. The most underused actress is Elisabeth Shue, playing a caricature of herself as a washed-up actress who, disillusioned with the business, has become a nurse. Shue gamely participates in an act of self-deprecation, but hilarious possibilities with this character aren't realized.
Steve Coogan and those three ladies are the main reason I wanted to see the movie, and Berardinelli is right on in the above quote.
Saw at Keystone Art Cinema Wednesday, August 27, 2008.

Two new upcoming movies maybe worth seeing ...
Towelhead
Religulous, a Bill Maher documentary.

I'm so done with

On Fox Sports Radio the Czabe, aka Steve Czaben, has a segment called "I'm So Done With."
Well I don't have time to phone or text the show. So instead I'll post what I'm done with here.
I'm so done with, already, all the NFL coverage. The way the media fawns over the league is sickening.

Sports bar criticism

One of the things I don't like about sports bars is the blaring music. It's my opinion I should be hearing a game or some other sporting event, instead of music. Most of the time when at a proclaimed sports bar, I can never hear the game. A perfect sports bar would be one where I can hear a game.
Damons had a system where there was a speaker on the table and patrons could hear a TV feed by turning the station on the speaker.
At ESPNZone some seats feature speakers in them and those can be adjusted to a TV feed.
Another idea is to have dedicated rooms, where that room is just a one feed.

Indiana Lincoln licence plates

In honor of Abraham Lincoln's 200th anniversary of his birth Indiana released a new free licence plate this year.

It's the one I chose. I don't like the standard one, and there's absolutely no way I'd chose the In God We Trust one.

American Teen review

American Teen = A-
Pretty good movie in my opinion.
Roger Ebert's and James Berardinelli's reviews are pretty close to the way I feel about it. Berardellini's criticisms were right but harsher than mine. I think more than anything I liked it because it was shot in Warsaw, Ind.
Saw at Keystone Art Cinema on Friday, Aug. 22, 2008.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona review

Vicky Cristina Barcelona = B
Not nearly as good as I wanted to be, fairly disappointing. It's not one I could readily recommend to fellow movie fans, but I definitely could to Woody Allen fans. The dialogue, as in most Allen movies, is superb. That's easily the best part of it. Well that and Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Penelope Cruz and Patricia Clarkson, who I fell in love with in Miracle. She's a great actress.
James Beradinelli was a bit harsh in his review, 2.5 stars. I agree more with Roger Ebert's review. He gave it three stars. I think both of their rating systems top out at four stars.
Saw it Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008.

Other movies to see:
Hamlet 2
Burn After Reading
Elegy
What Just Happened?