October 30th was Josh’s last regular season soccer practice game. Two months went awfully fast, and I’m glad my wife signed him up for it. It was a good experience for him to play a sport for the first time with other boys his age. Below is a picture of the team taken a few weeks earlier. It was an interesting experience on my part. I was officially a parent taking my kid to his weekend games, rooting for my son to kick the ball across the field, and trying my best to be encouraging when he made mistakes. I think it was also fun for him to interact with some of the boys from his kindergarten class on the weekends.

We’ve decided to have him stick with soccer. In two months, he’ll start in indoor soccer. We felt that it’s good for him to continue building up his motor skills at this age, and to have fun outside the house.

Josh's 2010 Soccer Team Group Photo

Oh, romantic comedies. I’m starting to see a pattern. Reality is not important for a romantic comedy. What is important are certain set pieces, situations, or jokes. the actual plot doesn’t matter. I know they’re very popular, yet like Lifetime movies, aren’t expected to be very good. It’s this particular point I don’t understand. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the idea of a romantic comedy. I’m a guy. I like romance. I like comedy. Why is it so hard to find a good, smart film that is both smart and have romantic overtones/themes? I’d rather watch and enjoy a GOOD romantic comedy with my wife, instead of sitting there watching a bad movie, and annoying her with my eye rolls and guffaws.

Friday night, we had a date night planned after all the school Halloween school parades and parties. We would drop off the kids for the evening, then catch dinner and a movie. Logistically, this didn’t work out as well as we hoped, so decided to go out for a sushi dinner, then come home to watch something streaming at home. We didn’t see anything we liked, so settled on Killers on FiOS Video on Demand. Sadly, we watched it on standard definition, not HD (couldn’t find HD movies.) Painful for me on many levels.

Killers stars Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl, with smaller roles for a number of actors and actresses like Tom Selleck, Catherine O’Hara, and others who must participate in these types of films for the money — it can’t be the artistic value. To summarize the plot, Kutcher is an assassin who meets Heigl’s character in Nice (France) during a job — you know, an assassination. They fall in love, and three years later, they are married, living in surburbia, and living average Joe-type married lives. All of  a sudden, there’s a $20 million bounty on Ashton’s head, and killers come out of the woodwork to collect the bounty. Big spoiler here — some of these killers are their own neighbors. Dum dum DUM!

I didn’t like this movie because I thought it wasn’t very good. Frankly, the plot was convoluted, and didn’t make a lot of sense. I found the relationship dynamics/chemistry between the two characters boring once they got married. The sheer number of their neighbors/friends who are contracted killers, all living in proximity to them, was unbelievable. I mean, really, all these people are killers? Was their sole responsibility to sit and wait for three years or more, just in case they had to kill Ashton Kutcher? Do they get paid to sit and wait?

Finally, I didn’t find the whole Kutcher-as-an-assassin to be believable. As a guy, I’ve watched my share of movies about cold-blooded assassins. Ashton Kutcher was a joke as an assassin. His entire mannerisms didn’t match the personality of someone would kill people for money. In this movie, Ashton Kutcher is a goofy assassin that women wouldn’t be appalled with — handsome and isn’t threatening. He’s a killer that doesn’t kill often, has a conscious, and WIN WIN!, he has boyish charm. I don’t personally know any real-life assassins, but I’m pretty sure contract killers are assholes with personalities that don’t work well within stable long-term relationships. Furthermore, once the action starts and the killers come out of the woodwork, he’s a terrible fighter. All of a sudden, he’s a joke, and the action is a mere backdrop so that Heigl and Kutcher’s characters can bicker about their relationship. The finale came together quickly, but the resolution was abrupt.

I didn’t like this movie. I’m disappointed, and I’m confounded that Hollywood studios can’t hire smart writers to write decent movies that have both romance and comedy. Ironically, after the film was over, we browsed through the FiOS On Demand menu, and found the HD version of Killers, plus other movies. This was our first On Demand purchase, so lesson learned, now we know where to find the HD movies for rent. Doh!

On a random note, in the movie poster below, doesn’t Ashton Kutcher’s hair look like a toupee?

Killers (2010)

After much not getting around to it, I finally got around to it. Saturday night, after everyone went to bed, I popped the Blu-ray disc into my PS3, settled onto the couch to watch a quality movie in peace and quiet. Into the Wild is a 2007 film based on the true story of Christopher McCandless, a college graduate from a well-to-do East Coast family who gave up money and a regular life, changed his name to “Alexander Supertramp”, and hiked across America from 1990-1992.

Sean Penn directed it, and wrote it with American writer Jon Krakauer, the author of a 1996 book about McCandless’ life. While most audience members know of McCandless’ ultimate fate, knowing the ending didn’t take away from watching the journey this 22-year old kid took to find himself and experience life. The overall cast was excellent, but Emile Hirsch was fantastic as Christopher McCandless. Filmed in the same locations that McCandless travelled, the cinematography was phenomenal. The American West is a wonderous and beautiful place. The journey he took led him to meet interesting people, but I loved to see the panoramic vistas of his journey.

** MINOR SPOILERS **

During his journey, I think McCandless was running away from everything his family represented and came from. His father’s career. The intense fights between his parents. The family secrets and lies. He thought he would find happiness in isolation. In the end, I think he realized, ultimately too late, that having relationships was important after all.

I also think that, while he was a bright kid, he was ultimately unprepared for life in the Alaskan wilderness. Some critics have complained that he wasn’t that smart, but I think he just made mistakes due to his inexperience. It was a sad situation overall.

** END SPOILERS **

My review of this film? Certainly one of the best films that I’ve seen this year. The story was interesting, the soundtrack (many by Eddie Veder) fit the theme, and the cinematography was superb. I neglected to mention the cast, but the acting and casting were great as well.

Into the Wild (2007)

There is a new film called Paul scheduled to be released in 2011. Starring Simon Pegg (he’s literally awesome), ”Two British comic-book geeks traveling across the U.S. encounter an alien outside Area 51.” This is an early trailer. It looks interesting.

Since July, we’ve been fumbling with 3-4 remote controls every time we want to watch something. Here we are with all these great components, but it’s so annoying to change the channels or raise/lower the volume.

• Want to watch television? Two remotes — FiOS DVR remote, Panasonic TV remote, and stereo sound.
• What to watch television with surround sound?  DVR, TV, and AV receiver.
• Want to watch a movie? DVR, TV, AV receiver, and PS3 controller.

BTW, it’s weird to watch a movie using a PS3 controller. I don’t know if I’m trying to fast forward or sniping someone from a tower window. My wife can’t stand tryng to watch a movie, being unsure if SQUARE is to stop, or L1 is rewind, etc.

We knew we wanted to get a universal remote, but it’s a bit pricey. The Logitech Harmony line of universal remote controls get good reviews, and I’ve had my eye on the Harmony One remote. It’s supposedly easy to configure(programmed at your home PC), and there’s even a Harmony PS3 Bluetooth adapter so one can control a PS3.

All that goodness comes with a $200 price tag, so my wife has been a little reluctant. Rightfully so, since it’s expensive proposition, but the value is there. Last week, we’d finally had enough, and my wife actually ordered it. My wife, God bless her, has a high tolerance, but she readily admits it’s a bit of a pain to watch a movie.

I worked from home today so I could run errands, and be home for the remote. Setting up the various “Activities’” remote control was fast. Here’s my review of the Harmony One install and setup process:

1. Plug in the remote control cradle and the PS3 adapter so the remote can charge for a bit.
2. Install the software on your home PC.
3. Select and input your various home theater components (brand and model number.)
4. Configure what actions to take, what inputs to change to, what isn’t used.
5. Plug in the remote control via USB cable so the configuration can be transferred over.
6. Bonus — On your PS3, register your Bluetooth adapter.

That’s all there is to it. I’ve noticed one hiccup on the changing of the television inputs, but I’ll figure it out. When you hit “Watch TV” for example, it’s supposed to switch to HDMI1 or whatever. A few times today, it was on the incorrect TV input instead, and I’m not sure yet. There are also some additional remote options/controls on the touchscreen portion of the remote. I’m wondering if I can configure those as well. Again, I’ll figure it out. So far, I like what I see.

Logitech Harmony One

Harmony One in the cradle and the PS3 adapter

After so many months of packed-to-the-gills weekend schedules, we’re starting to experience actual breaks. This weekend, not much to fill up the schedule, so we used it for decompression time.

We started off the weekend Friday night with pizza and a movie, though I chose to celebrate the weekend non-festivities with pizza and a cold beer. On Saturday, we began cleaning up the house, taking Josh to his soccer practice, and chilling out the rest of the day. On Sunday, we had church, more cleaning up, and administering the children their monthly bathes. In the evening, our niece Sophia came over to visit, and we took all the kids around town to do some shopping.

I like this a lot. It helps to not run around like a crazy people all the time.

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I did not like this movie. Warning: spoilers below. 

Friday night, we were looking for something to watch with the kids. We tried to watch Justice League: The New Frontier, but we started to a lot more animated violence than we were comfortable for our young kids to be watching. The film starts off with a suicide, then you have pilot Hal Jordan shootings someone in the head. When we got to the part where Wonder Woman was explaining to Superman how these Korean women that she saved had be used as “comfort women” and then she let them kill their rapists, we shut it off. Egads, turns out it was a PG-13 film! I never thought I’d be upset with a PG-13 film, but the material was too much for a Joshua at 5 years old. Instead, we watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, which was the safer choice.

After the kids went to bed, I thought I’d watch this DC Comics movie from the privacy of my own computer. The film is set from 1953–1960, and features the creation of the Justice League in the midst of an attack on the people of Earth from something ominously referred to “The Centre.” You don’t hear much about “The Centre”, except it has some sort of mind-control, cultists are going mad for it, and people around the world are experiencing visions and killing themselves shortly afterwards.

The cast is full of well-known actors and actresses: 

The movie is less about the formation of the Justice League, and really more of an origins story for Hal Jordan, who would eventually become the Green Lantern. It takes a while for Jordan to finally slip on the powerful ring, and the limited time the movie is able to devote to Jordan’s story makes centering the movie around Jordan’s origin a bit questionable. Hal Jordan’s time as the actual Green Lantern was approximately 4 minutes of actual screen time. 

Also, on a lesser note, it’s an origins story for Martian Manhunter (J’onn J’onzz) as well. However, in comparison to the Hal Jordan plotline, it’s not much character development. J’onn J’onzz shows up on Earth by accident, he spends time studying television, and then attempts to sneak back to Mars aboard a rocketship. Near the end, for reasons not quite understood, he changes his mind, and decides he likes humans, and wants to stay and help fight The Centre, whatever that is. His actual time combatting evil? Miniscule.

At a film length of only 74 minutes, it was an imbalanced way to tell the overall story. Much of the story spent on an origin story for Hal Jordan, another origin story for J’onn J’onzz to a lesser degree, and the rest of the superheroes showing up to fight….. The Centre.

So, what exactly was The Centre, you ask? With such a build-up, you must be wondering who or what The Centre was. Cultists tried to sacrifice a small boy, people are committing suicide, this thing has got to be pretty ominous. Here’s the big spoiler. If you don’t want to ruin the surprise, turn away now.

It's..... THE CENTRE!!!

It’s a gigantic psychic entity swarming by its monster dinosaur minions, in the shape of an island. I was incredulous. What a weak villain. It reminded me of one of the Independence Day spaceships, but it was just one object. It’s an island or a huge spaceship or something that can spawn tons of dinosaurs out (and energy beams) to attack Earth. Yes, it attacks using dinosaurs. Bubbles form, and dinosaurs emerge and attack the US military forces and the superheroes. At least in ID4, there are aliens on the ship. This thing, whatever it is, hovers above the ocean near Cape Canaveral in Florida, barely doing any damages to the civilization as we know it, except causing some damages to the military base and attacked Wonder Woman earlier in the movie as she flew by in her invisible jet. Who wrote this, a 4th grader? The major villain in this story is a floating island that attacks with dinosaurs?

A weak villain, a ridiculous ending, and the rest of the superhero cast have minor roles. It makes me feel that the story focuses so much on Green Lantern and John the Martian, then ran out of ideas when the action comes in for the final blow.  I still have no real clue as to the Centre’s purpose, except to act as the movie’s Big Boss. And why attack Cape Canaveral? BTW, strangest moment of the climatic battle? Superman gets knocked out early in the battle, and sent to the bottom of the sea. He’s gone for the rest of the climax, until a submarine of sorts shows up on the beach at the very end of the film. The front opens, and a blond guy with an orange shirt and green pants says he nursed Superman back to health. His name is Arthur. Uh, is he supposed to be Aquaman? Where has this guy been the entire film?

I realize that others have gone on record stating this was a good film. I, on the other hand, think it’s the most ridiculous and least-satisfying of the DC Universe films so far. Do you think I’m being too harsh? Let me repeat — the big bad villain in this movie is a floating island that spits out vicious dinosaurs. 

Justice League: The New Frontier (2008)

Friday night, we were looking for something to watch with the kids. We selected Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, a 2009 animated film somewhat based on the children’s book by Judi and Ron Barrett. It features  a fantastic ensemble cast: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Bruce Campbell, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Mr. T, Benjamin Bratt, Neil Patrick Harris, Al Roker, Lauren Graham, and Will Forte.

What’s my review? This has to be one of the best non-Pixar animated films I’ve seen a long while. It’s an entertaining children’s film that is smart enough for parents to enjoy as well. So many little jokes that are aimed at the adult audience had me laughing and appreciating the wit. We have the book at home, but there’s no backstory on why food is falling from the sky on this town. In this film, they gave a decent (though still fantastical) cause for the phenomenon. Bill Hader plays Flint Lockwood, a scientist who is terrible at inventing. He invents a machine that can turn water into food, but it launches into the atmosphere, and transforms water vapor into food, which falls to the ground. It slowly goes out of control, making the food larger and more dangerous.

Did I mention this was a smart, funny movie? Watch it with the kids. Heck, I think you could safely watch it without the kids, and still appreciate it. Big thumbs up.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)

Last month, I started taking a Saturday morning GMAT class through The Princeton Review. Since my wife works there, and as a family member, I could take a free course with them. In my long-term goals, I’ve had this plan to attend graduate school, so I could advance my career as far as I could go. The problem is I’ve hit a few roadblocks in terms of available time & energy, and the possibilities that I may never get an MBA. Let me ‘splain.

I recently dropped out of the GMAT course. I’m not crazy, since I’m not losing money on the course. Attending the courses are not impossible, but trying to fit in all the lesson pre-work, homework, and diagnostic (practice) tests) during the week was difficult at best. Take the practice exams — four hours at a time. When do I get four hours of uninterrupted time to work after coming home from the office, dinner, bathes for the kids, and time to sit for a minute? There were nights that I fell asleep on the couch by 10pm.

Apart from the time and energy conundrum, there are questions on whether I would get into a good school, and how much an MBA would be worth to me. I’ve read these MBA tidbits in many places, but this CBS article “Why an MBA Is a Waste of Time and Money“ covers many of them in one list. Point #3 “MBAs who are not from a top 10 school don’t increase their earning power.”

So if you’re not one of the elite, the degree won’t help you earn more. According to the recruiting firm Challenger & Gray, the degree simply does not separate you from other people in any significant way; it’s too easy to get an MBA from a second-tier school. The cost of the degree is so much more than the combined cost of taking two years off of work and paying for the degree that you are better off taking a job you don’t particularly like and getting a night-school MBA after work hours.

Let’s say hypothetically that even if I get a decent-to-good score on the GMAT, but I don’t get into a top-tier school. What do I do? If I don’t get into an NYU, for example, is there a value? I know a handful of people (not to be named) who have graduate degrees, but I never saw them doing anything different than I was doing. I have highly successful relatives who never when the graduate school route, and they’re doing phenomenal. Do I need an MBA?

Am I too old for graduate school? I’m 34 years old. Should I try to get an Executive MBA? In the aforementioned CBS article, point #4 “It’s pointless after a certain age.” Here, the author states

Don’t go if you are older than 28. You are too far along in your career to leverage the degree enough to increase your earning power enough to make up for the sticker cost of the degree.

For now, I’ve taken a break to think about what’s best for me career-wise in the long term. In the meantime, what would be good for me are additional certifications. I’m working to get grandfathered into getting ISACA’s new CRISC certification by the end of this month. I also intend to start back up on my CISSP certification. I’d like to have both under my belt. I may not know what I’m going to do in the long-term, but as always, I’ll figure it out.

Robbie, Julie, and Abigail

Late Tuesday night, my sister gave birth to Abigail Philomena Joseph. She is their first daughter, born at a little more than 6 lbs. Baby and mother (and my brother-in-law Robbie) are all doing well. They don’t have a private room, so Rob has been sleeping in the waiting area. Tonight, my wife and I left work a little earlier than usual so we could pick up the kids, and drive down to visit them at the hospital before visiting hours were over. We saw Rob’s sister and father there as well, and we spent a little under an hour with them. It seems like they’re doing well. On the way home, we hit a nearby Whole Foods supermarket for a late dinner at their cafe before getting back on the NJ Turnpike.

I’m happy for my sister and BIL. They’ve always been a big help to us, and now they’re starting their own family. It’s nice. I’m sure they will be great parents.

Baby Abby

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