MMmm brushed metal iPod:

Brushed Metal iPod

The movies below are some of my favorite flicks. I‘m sure some will wholeheartedly agree with some of my picks, while others
will scoff at them. Either way, these are some of the flicks I‘ve watched more times than I can count. Here they are, in no real specific order:

Back to the Future

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind, nor anyone that knows me well that the Back to the Future Trilogy is at the top of my list of movies. Since I first got a DVD player, I‘ve eagerly awaited their release. Finally, on December 17, 2002 the trilogy will come to DVD chocked full of DVD extras. There are plenty of DVDs out there that I wonder why anyone would ever watch the feature-length film with commentary, nor sift through extras on the disc. But with the Back to the Future Trilogy, I can‘t wait for all that on the three disc set arriving mid-December!

I remember seeing Back to the Future on VHS right after it was released and just loved every aspect of it. I love the science fiction aspect of it — time travel and the flashy special effects of the DeLorean. "If you‘re gonna build a time machine out of a car, why not do it with some style?"

The original enthralled me and hooked me on what could be a lifelong love of sci-fi, time travel stories and the unique design of the short-lived stainless steel DeLorean. . I just love the gull-wing doors and the whole modified look of the Back to the Future time vehicle.

The first one was done right, all the way around. The comedic elements are great, the casting right-on and the sci-fi elements are first class. Man, I could go on forever about Back to the Future!

Back to the Future II

Back to the Future II is considered by many to be the bastard child of the trilogy — too confusing, too much running around, etc. I can see where people would have those complaints, but I don‘t share them. I love all three flicks, but have a great liking for portrayals of the future.

Back to the Future II does have one thing that always bugs me in portrayals of the future… they obviously are filmed in a given time and the technology of the future obviously reflects the filming time. For example, the futuristic cars were 90‘s Tauruses, Mustangs etc. with skirts added to the car. I understand why that has to happen, just a little thing that I always get a chuckle out of. Dark Angel was the same way — all the cars left over from the pre-pulse are all vehicles of the early 21st century — stuff like the Pontiac Aztek and the Audi TT.

But anyway, I love the whole idea of alternate timelines and seeing what could have been. The jumping between 2015, 1985 and 1955 is great, with Marty and Doc bumping into themselves in the past. Marty is seeing events that just happened to him just days before, even though the span in actual years they‘ve jumped is much greater. I honestly didn‘t think the movie was one bit confusing.

The hoverboard and flying DeLorean used throughout the movie are great, and will be things that even the casual watcher will remember for years to come.

This second of three films also introduces the history repeating itself that continues in each movie. You have similar situations in different eras. The skateboard chase through town square becomes a hoverboard chase, Marty‘s initial encounter with Griff in the Cafe 80‘s mirrors his meeting of the ‘55 Biff in Lou‘s Cafe 60 years early, etc. etc. A lot of the parallels between time are blatent, but the links between the films run deep — both in the truly obvious, to pretty obscure stuff.

Back to the Future III

I‘m not big at all on the old West, Westerns, etc., but Doc and Marty‘s adventure in the old west was cool in that you see Hill Valley from pretty much its humble beginnings. Even way back in 1885, the Statler family was in the transportation — selling/renting horses (in 1985, they have the Hill Valley Toyota dealership) and the Jones family was hauling manure, even when Hill Valley was just a single street.

It‘s cool that Doc and Marty are witnesses to the dedication of the clock tower, meaning they‘re present at both its birth and its electrifying demise at precisely 10:04pm some 70 years later.

Back to the Future III is unique in the trilogy as it is the one where Doc and Marty‘s rolls reverse — with Doc being the lovestruck one and Marty being the voice of reason.

The final of the three also has one of the most tragic moments in film history when a 1985 locomotive plows through the retrofitted DeLorean like tinfoil, leaving stainless scattered just outside of the new Hilldale development and the trademark license plate spinning occurs.

I‘m not a very big fan of the ending of the film, with the train engine. It ties everything together at the end, but I always thought it was kind of lame. All in all though, I love these movies. They‘ve stayed pretty timeless and I love them as much now as I did when I originally saw them back as an adolescent.

The Matrix

The Matrix was one of those movies I went into the theater knowing little about it. The whole idea of questioning what reality is truly is a concept I really like and like to consider. While this movie does have a huge number of goofs, it really was groundbreaking from a visual sense. I can‘t wait for the second and third installment. I just hope they live up to the original.

While a lot of the effects in this movie have been way overdone in action/adventure movies now, this visual styling was completely innovative and mind boggling when The Matrix was initially released theatrically.

The movie is a combination of Kung-Fu action, cyberpunk and sci-fi all mixed into an explosive and immersive movie. Even the soundtrack is rocking, with tracks from Rage Against the Machine, Rob Zombie, Manson, etc. and even a couple of techno instrumentals that fit into the whole scene of reality versus perceived reality.

This is another film that has yet to diminish in my eyes. I‘ve seen this movie countless times and the DVD is always one of the discs I use as a baseline when testing out new A/V equipment.

The Rainmaker

I’ve always been a big fan of courtroom films, from comedies like “My Cousin Vinny” to dramas like “A Civil Action.” But by far, my favorite courtroom film is the screen adapatation of John Grisham’s book, “The Rainmaker,” directed by rancis Ford Coppola.

Matt Damon does a great job as law student Rudy Baylor, trying fight for the little guy against the big bad evil insurance company defended by an always convincing bad guy, Jon Voight.

This is one of the first DVDs I snagged when I first bought a DVD player, and I’ve watched it multiple timeswith enjoyment never waning — all around good performances, interesting plot and a lot of enjoyment.

So I’ve been feeling under the weather pretty much since last Saturday night. I grabbed a Gatorade the other day to get some fluids in me besides water, plus Amanda recommended it cause of the electrolytes in Gatorade. Regardless, I got a 25 fl. oz. bottle at Eckerd’s and it’s got the biggest load of marketing BS I’ve seen in awhile:

Why This Unique Grip?
The innovative bottle design maximizes function and flow for enhanced rehydration.

Gimme a freakin break! Is that on there meant for a laugh. No one out there can take that statement with any amount of seriousness, right?

Hmm, maybe I’ll stop taking the vitamin E. Wonder if I should stop giving it to Bongo too?

Study: Vitamin E may do more harm than good