yoga, books, movies, tv & too many crime procedurals – not necesarily in that order
So for the first time since I’ve known him, Spouse wanted to see a movie twice while it was STILL in the theater. One of the best things about Avatar is that, while the story is JUST engaging enough to keep everyone involved, it’s just visually STUNNING. Even the second time around. I kept getting stuck in that OMGTHISISAWESOME mode and didn’t really care that it’s Disney’s Pocahontas in space. You know what? The plot of Star Wars is not groundbreaking or especially innovative either. That’s not why people keep going back to it. I think the reason people keep talking about Avatar and seeing it (I know several folks who’ve gone to the theater more than once and/or done the Imax version) is childlike wonder.
Sounds silly, right? But it’s the sense – while you’re watching it – that this is the COOLEST THING YOU’VE EVER SEEN. And you can’t remember the last time you saw something THIS COOL and seeing it again brings you back to that moment where you saw the coolest thing ever for the first time. It’s pretty fantastic.
On top of that, the second time around I got to notice just how incredible the detail in the film is. The first time was almost overload – 3D, the realness of the effects, and the time for your eyes to adjust to both. This time was like seeing a great piece of art after you’ve learned how to appreciate it (notice I didn’t say LOVE it). You get past the big splash of color and start to notice other parts of the composition or technique. That’s totally how I felt about this time around with Avatar – it was just as good and almost better because I got to SEE so much more of it.
As for Spouse: “It’s the sign of a pretty good movie that in three hours, even after already seeing it, it’s still not boring at any point.” We also noticed that the kids behind us were loving the movie, which was cute.
In unrelated news, I’m still pretty excited about Salt.
Last week I clocked just over 40 hours at job 1 and almost 20 at job 2. They also requested that I come in a couple of hours early tomorrow and, while I’m happy to comply, I’ll be heartily glad when I’m down to just the one job. On the plus side, my drive time has gotten me caught up on backlogged Talk of the Nation podcasts. Most interesting of the lot: The Department of Mad Scientists: How DARPA Is Remaking Our World, from the Internet to Artificial Limbs
Speaking of which, I have a day off this week (!) and Spouse has mad noises about a second viewing of Avatar. I’m all for it.
Chuck returns next week! So does Burn Notice!
I finally decided what to spend my h$liday money on – a long-wanted XB0x 360. It was a close battle between that and the entire 5 seasons of The Wire but I opted for multi-user fun. Not only that, Fatima helped sway me with promises of long-distance movie viewing and snark. The 360 marks the last of my ‘frivolous’ purchases for the next 4 months (save for “gift” money)- the only resolution I made this year. No books or music until I’ve read through everything on the kindle and listened to everything on the Zune at least once.
Happy New Year!
We went and saw Avatar in 3D yesterday and it was precisely as awesome as has been retold all over the intarwebz. The most amazing thing about it was that it reminded me of when I was a little kid and desperately wanted my stuffed animal/Transformer/Bugs Bunny to come to life and hang around with me. Avatar looked REAL – incredible, in-your-face, I can’t believe how real REAL. It’s worth seeing just for that. The story was somewhat predictable but, as Spouse said, “For a three hour movie, there wasn’t a single part that was boring.” You stay involved the entire time. It was excellent. Two thumbs up, worth every penny to see it in the theater.
One of our ‘family’ holiday gifts was Wii’s Super Mario Brothers and it’s FANTASTIC. Being able to play two players at once is simultaneously the best and worst thing than ever happened to SM – great because no one sits around bored, terrible because if you’re like me then the other person playing will use your character as a springboard. We’ve had a blast relearning an old fave. For those attempting to play: even though it’s tempting to use two controllers, stick with the Wiimote and skip the nunchuks. The game is MUCH easier to navigate without the second controller.
Tonight I tested out Your Shape for Wii (by Ubisoft). I first heard about the game through an online commercial feedback survey at least six months ago. Having seen the promo, I was anxious to see the reception for the game because it looked pretty awesome. In a serendipitous twist, I entered to host a Your Shape Fun, Fit, and Guilt Free party (in conjunction with the new Jello Mousse Temptations) and won. I got a free copy of YourShape as well as some coupons for Jello Mousse Temptations* in order to test the game (and Mousse) with friends and post about it on the House Party website.
Your Shape doesn’t really come with an extensive instruction booklet (there’s a really short one inside the game). With the Wii off, I plugged in the camera and then situated the camera on the Wii sensor strip on top of the TV. I put the game in and it was pretty easy going from there. You can skip the Jenny McCarthy intro by pressing the A button (fyi) but if you’re not familiar with the game it might be helpful. The idea is that you’ve got a coach inside the game and the camera tracks your movements to make sure you use correct form, letting you know what you need to adjust and when.
Most of the reviews I read on Amazon mentioned that the camera is picky about your motions. I made sure that I could fit my whole body on the screen (which seemed to help) and the only issue I ran into is what seemed to be a slight lag in the camera picking up my motion. Regardless, the 15 minute workout I did was DEFINITELY a workout. I’m really looking forward to seeing if, based on my results today, the game will adjust my workout routine for Wednesday.
I was worried that McCarthy might seem kind of annoying as a coach, but the best thing about the game is that you can set your mood at the beginning: Nothing can stop me, Pretty good, You’re lucky I’m even here. I’m guessing the amount and type of coaching changes based on how you’re feeling. I went with “Pretty good” and it was just enough – not too perky, not too persistent, and the attaboys weren’t over the top. The form in individual exercises was really good. Since that’s a pet peeve of mine- and a big part of the reason I stopped using the yoga portion of Wii Fit – I was really happy to see that. The workout scheduling setup was also pretty cool and the fact that you can adjust your workouts by 15 minute intervals is fantastic.
All in all, I’m very happy with Your Shape. I’m looking forward to testing it out more in the next week but so far I’m optimistic. I’d recommend setting the game up wearing a typical workout outfit. I was in baggy flannel pajamas and I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to redo my profile, now that I know how the game works and what can/can’t be in the field of view. P.S. Your dog will not help your score.
*I’d already tried (and liked) Jello Mousse Temptations so that was just kind of an added bonus.
