Missing: Winter

So, um... what happened to winter? I mean, I'd gotten used to not having any snow in December. I can't remember the last time we had a white Christmas. (Then again, I can barely remember last week, so that doesn't mean that much, really)

But it's now the end of January, and we've had barely a dusting of the white stuff. How is that possible? Does this mean we're going to have winter in February and March now? Because we're not having it now. It's been in the 40s for far too long. And it keeps raining. They're saying it's supposed to pour on Friday. It should be a blizzard. But I have to keep bringing out the umbrella instead of a hat and scarf. Since I moved to New York City, I suppose I should be used to not getting those real New England winters, but it shouldn't feel like constant spring. I miss winter.

And not just because I'd like a snow day off from work. I just think winter should be actually cold and with snow on the ground. Call me crazy.

The road is long
There is a path
Sometimes
In the sand
Then it shifts
And the way is
Lost.

Some Thing

Well, for once, a movie managed to live up to the insane amount of hype that preceded it. Cloverfield is a smashing monster movie. It truly is Blair Witch-meets-Godzilla, with a small group of people trying to survive a monster rampaging through New York City while recording their plight on a digital video camera. As with most of these kind of films, the opening 15-20 minutes of character development (such as it is, which isn't much) are almost interminable as you wait for the action to start. But once it does, it never lets up. Not for a minute.

The effects are brilliant, and even more effective for the way they're presented. By only allowing glimpses of the monster, explosions and other assorted horrors as the camera flies around, your mind fills in the blanks, and that's always more effective than anything a CGI artist can come up with.

The only complaint I have is that the actors playing the underdeveloped characters are a mixed bag. Some of them struggle at times to make their dialogue sound "real" and improvised. And it doesn't help that the script can get pretty clunky.

But that doesn't really matter when the real meat of the film is the action setpieces and the monster's rampage. And that meat is tasty. Some of the people in our theater complained as the credits rolled, but if you want detailed plot exposition and a pat Hollywood ending, you went to see the wrong movie. I like 'em better this way anyway.

"She's Gonna Blow Him Away!"

Like an oasis of scripted television in the desert of reality TV and reruns, FOX has just premiered the new series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. No, it's not the best series (I'd much rather be watching new episodes of Pushing Daisies), but it's entertaining enough, and I'm just happy to see a scripted show on TV.

It doesn't quite jibe with the movies, coming just after Terminator 2. And according to the series' creator, Terminator 3 is now an alternate timeline. That's a little presumptuous to say that your TV series is supplanting the third film. Of course, any story involving time travel is going to be complicated. Nothing you can do about that.

I just don't understand why FOX chose to do a two-night premiere, blowing two episodes in one week when there's only 8 or 9 of them to begin with. Then again, they've got American Idol starting tomorrow, so it's not like they're really bothered about ratings for their other shows...

An Amazing Race

I breathed a sigh of relief at the end of tonight's Amazing Race. For the first time in the whole history of this series (at least as far back as I can remember, which with my memory isn't saying much) I actually wouldn't mind if any of the final three teams won. Don and Nick are my favorites, but Don is pretty old and slow and it would be kind of unlikely for them to come in first. My second favorites are Ron and Christina, who have actually grown during the race. Even though Ron hasn't changed his attitudes completely, I wouldn't mind seeing them rewarded. And although Rachel has gotten a little whiny towards the end here, she and TK are a relatively inoffensive team.

I'm just beyond delighted that Nate and Jen are gone. They did nothing but argue and yell at each other on the race, and I was sick of watching them go at each other. In their final interview, Jen said she didn't know what was next for their relationship, but I'm really hoping that they break up. They're just not good for each other. At all.

Yay for the best final three in a reality series ever!

Food For Thought

You know, sometimes you don't quite get what you paid for. I had a lunch today at a trendy Manhattan Mexican restaurant. It came recommended, especially if you're expensing the meal, with those prices. The guacamole is supposed to be a big selling point, but I thought it was too chunky and more mild than medium. And my meal tasted fine, but it was kind of greasy, and not particularly filling. But that's what you get when you eat at a trendy restaurant: small portions and high prices. Boy, it so wasn't worth that much. Not sure how it got such a good reputation.

Hey, at least the decor was nice.