My top films of 2011

I know I'm late to the party, but I've been lazy about doing this list this year. Partly because I'm not sure who really cares. The other part because there are several movies from last year that I still haven't seen.
That being said, I figured that it's probably time to just post it. I'll rank them and and put a short description about why I liked it.

One - Thor

Simply put, Thor is one of the best super hero movies made. The lead actor looks like the character. The story was interesting and engaging. The effects were phenomenal and Natalie Portman was not as annoying as you expect her to be. And come on, even I wanna hit Hemsworth. That's a sexy beast. Thor was everything Captain America tried to be and wasn't.

Two - The Housemaid

I didn't know what to expect from the Housemaid. I kind of rented it on a whim. But I was glad I did. I love when a movie can be quiet but hold your interest. The movie 3 Iron achieved that a few years ago. And while The Housemaid isn't quite that quiet, it's still and interesting study on the rich vs poor dynamic.

Three - The Skin I Live In

I did not know what I was getting into with this film. The only things I knew was that it looked sciencey and it was directed by Pedro Almodóvar. Films of his that I've really liked include Volver, All About My Mother and Broken Embraces. Everything he does is always Academy Award fodder. While watching Skin, I got the same feeling I got when watching Inception last year. I was thrown off with the concept, had no idea what was going on and then you get hit with a moment where you understand everything that's going on and say to yourself "Holy shit that's awesome!". The twist of the film is what makes it work. What I can say is that the film is about Antonio Banderas playing a plastic surgeon that, for all intents and purposes, is out of his mind. But we learn what drives him to that state. Anything more than that would be a spoiler.

Four - The High Cost Of Living

The drug dealer goes to a club, gets a call to sell somewhere, hits the pregnant woman on the way, and then enters her life as a stranger who shows sympathy. And that's the sound of you going "one of these again?". And then you continue to watch it and get pulled in the emotion, or in Braff's case, non-emotion. Isabelle Blais is really the star of the film as she goes through the terrible feeling of being in a loveless marriage and then losing the only thing keeping them together. Braff making a dramatic turn is notable though and he does a great job.

Five - The Adjustment Bureau

I'm so tired of the typical romance film that it's refreshing to see something different. This film panders to my curiosities about string theory and what ifs. Matt Damon is headed for one path and his life in a different direction goes against a plan setting in motion a different destiny for the world. He finds out and fights it because he's fallen in love. It's a sci-fi romance film with religious elements, but really it's about fighting destiny and making your own path.

Six - The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

I was expecting TGMES to be better than it was but it still landed in the top 10 for being a great film and a look inside the advertising industry. This is the, self described,  Inception of documentaries. The concept is that Morgan wanted to fund his film about advertising by selling spots and ad space in his film and documenting it, turning that footage into the film. The concept is brilliant and it's amazing how many people laughed. I think those laughs were actually concerns about exposing the business and how corporations are constantly trying grab out attention by any means possible. The brands that did accept Morgan's offer did what companies should do. Settle down and have fun with the product. Overall it was fascinating but I would have liked to see it go a little more in depth. That problem is not necessarily the directors fault as it is the industry's.

Seven - Moneyball

Here's another film that I said "here we go again" to. Another struggling team wins despite the odds. But like The Blind Side before it (curious white lady helps poor black kid despite the odds), I found myself enjoying the film in spite of it's cliche premise. When I got over that, I found Pitt's performance to be fantastic and the directing offering a fresh take on the genre. It's less about the team over coming the odds as it is about the man that goes against the system to beat them (which I've noticed is a bit of a theme for this and #5 and #6, going against the system that is). I definitely don't think Jonah Hill was Oscar worthy. He did his Jonah thing but more seriously. This is Pitt's film

Eight - Cell 211

Cell 211 is a film from Spain that I'd heard about because it was getting some buzz and was then rumored that an American version was in the planning stages. The film takes place in a prison as a new guard is being shown around. The action takes place fairly quickly as the new guy gets injured and then a riot breaks out. In order not to become a hostage, the guard dresses down and pretends to be one of the prisoners while also trying to help the guards on the other side. The acting, by just about everyone, is fantastic. The story progresses well and builds up and you're never quite sure where it's going. There were a couple of weird moments that I'm sure were just lost in cultural translation. I'm both looking forward to and hesitant about the American version. Let's hope they don't screw it up.

Nine - Cowboys And Aliens

The trailer for C&A was shown many months before the release of the film to build up a buzz, which it did. And even thought it received mixed reviews, it was an early favorite to be in the top ten. I've become a big fan of Daniel Craig because of the Bond films and he doesn't disappoint here. I think the room for error on the film came from Harrison Ford and I think he delivered as the greedy land owner who eventually makes good. The only thing that felt out of place was Olivia Wilde. She certainly does not look like she belongs in that era and the twist she's involved in makes the whole thing a whole cliche. A fun ride despite the flaws.

Ten - Attack The Block

I got to see ATB during it's pre-release screening run and it was a blast. It brought back a style of film that's been missing for decades. The edgy teen adventure. Imagine The Goonies are black and being attacked by aliens. In the projects. The creatures were bad ass, this kids did a good job and Nick Mothafuckin Frost. I would have ranked the film higher, but I thought there could have been a little more meat to it and I didn't really feel connected to the characters. Could be because of lack of good character development. I still highly recommend it.

The Rest... (In order of rank)

Batman: Year One

Water for Elephants

The Bang Bang Club

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Super 8

Hanna

Bridesmaids

Hesher

Beats, Rhymes & Life: A Tribe Called Quest

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

Quarantine 2: Terminal

The Wild Hunt

Lemmy

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Horrible Bosses

Rammbock: Berlin Undead

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Insidious

Mr. Popper's Penguins

The Caller

Apollo 18

Exporting Raymond

Warrior

Captain America: The First Avenger

Another Earth

The Green Hornet

Fast Five

X-Men: First Class

The Devil's Double

Beyond the Blackboard

The Perfect Host

Red State

The Hangover Part II

Green Lantern

The Lincoln Lawyer

The Sitter

I Am Number Four

Battle: Los Angeles

Mooz-lum

Limitless

Arena

Jackass 3.5

Megan is Missing

Everything Must Go

How Do You Know

The Chameleon

The Waiting City

Melancholia

Scream 4

The Mechanic

30 Minutes or Less

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

Bad Teacher

Burke and Hare

The Change-Up

The Dilemma

TrollHunter

YellowBrickRoad

BreadCrumbs

The Task

I Saw the Devil

Arthur

Sanctum

Hall Pass

The Tree of Life

The Roommate

Phase 7

Darkest Hour

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop

Super

Rubber

Sucker Punch

Elektra Luxx

Thor: Tales of Asgard

Elephant White

The Trip

The Presence

Psychic Experiment

Living Will

Mega Python vs. Gatoroid

Cedar Rapids

2012: Zombie Apocalypse

Waiting for Forever

Battle of Los Angeles

The Presence

Stag Night

Deadtime Stories Vol. 1

River of Darkness

Awful Drunk Karaoke With The Champ

Occupy Mah Belly

My Competitive Eating Matrix

Today was the Chef One Dumpling Eating Contest. The field was stacked, as it is every year. But I was able to avenge the horrible showings I've had in the past 2 years. I placed 3rd with 45 dumplings in 2 minutes behind Dave Brunelli (60) and Joe Menchetti (69 - a new record). In 2009 I DQ'd because the whole wheat dumplings they used broke down differently and I choked out. And last year, I suffered by playing it safe. the only thing that sucks is that my number this year would have been good enough for 2nd place last year.
Leading up to and including the contest, I've had a friendly rivalry going with fellow eater Michael Longo. I made up a pretty funny shirt to egg him on:



I came through on my promise of a win and now the dragon is resting and laying in wait for tomorrow when we face off again in a longer contest, which is more along the lines of his specialty (where as I am better in short, speed focused contests).

All the trash talk got me to thinking... What was my record against other independent pros? So I came up with a little Matrix...


Sunshine MacLean - Wins: 0 Losses: 3

Joel Podelsky - Wins: 17 Losses: 5

Sal Carbone - Wins: 0 Losses: 2

Dale Boone - Wins: 1 Losses: 2

Joe Menchetti - Wins: 0 Losses: 18

Tom Gilbert - Wins: 0 Losses: 3

Jay Gorman - Wins: 3 Losses: 2

Bob Kuhns - Wins: 0 Losses: 1

Paul Acaria - Wins: 4 Losses: 1 Ties: 1

Kevin Kordalski - Wins: 1 Losses: 0

Pete Czerwinski - Wins: 1 Losses: 6

George Van Laar - Wins: 2 Losses: 0

Mike Hoffman - Wins: 6 Losses: 0 Ties: 1

Ian Hickman - Wins: 1 Losses: 3

Dave Brunelli - Wins: 0 Losses: 3

Marcos Owens - Wins: 1 Losses: 0

Mike Longo - Wins: 3 Losses: 2

Elliot Maruffi - Wins: 0 Losses: 1

Dave Goldstein - Wins: 0 Losses: 1

Pat Vivano - Wins: 1 Losses: 3

Matt Holowicki - Wins: 0 Losses: 2

Don Lerman - Wins: 1 Losses: 0

Conclusion? I'm a mid-level eater. There are certain people I can beat consistently and others that beat me consistently with an upset here and there. Either way, I've had fun at just about every contest I've been to and succeed in the area where it truly counts for me, and that's doing media and television. I may not be the best eater out there, but I'm one of the most entertaining and more often than not, wind up in the top 3 or "in the money" as we say.

2011 : The Comeback

When we last left our hero, he was down and out in Brooklyn, NY. Jobless and depressed and not doing too well.
In august of last year, I walked into work one day and got the news. I was being laid off after working just 10 months with the company. I was crushed. This was my first full-time job. I really liked working there. I felt great and had a sense that I was finally moving my life in the right direction.
When I was pulled into the big meeting room, I knew what was going to happen. I could just sense it. Then I saw the woman that works in HR and it was confirmed. I cried right there in the room. I'm not afraid to admit it. I was a baby about it. I was just in shock I suppose.
What followed was probably the 8 most depressing months of my life. I was sending out resumes left and right and was getting minimal responses from places paying $8 an hour and had entrances like this:

With the recession we're currently in, there was nothing out there for me. My resume looked like crap. I only had experience at each position I held for about a year, but they were all for legit reasons. I felt overwhelmed on a daily basis and felt like I was spiraling out of control.
The only thing keeping me from truly going into the deep end was my girlfriend Bianca. We were sort of keeping each other afloat actually. She was going through some hard times, both personally and professionally. When I was down, she picked me up and when she was down, I picked her up. And at the same time, our love was mad and crazy and volatile. A ship with no steer. And every time I second guessed our relationship and was drowning in our relationship, I looked into her eyes and was brought right back to the surface. I would think about what leaving her would do to me and do to her and how much I loved her and then none of the problems mattered.
Then a hand reached out. I was on craigslist, looking for work, and I saw an ad for the managers position at the place I was laid off from. I asked a former co-worker about it, curious as to what was going on and he was very vague about it. Turns out he was leaving as well.
I received a message from the guy who is now one of the top bosses and asked me if I wanted my job back. I could have clicked my heels. I was psyched to come back. I was finally out of the slump and felt halfway alive again.
Unfortunately my tumultuous relationship with Bianca came to a head and we broke. She was right, we met each other at the right time when we both needed someone really important to hang on to. And for that, she will forever be my friend.
But I'm starting to think she was right about something else. Nothing truly does last forever. I'm a cynical guy to begin with, but I'm just afraid I'm not going to find my person. Because what I want is so indescribable. And yet, I think what I want is so simplistic that it's a completely unattainable standard for a girl to live up to. My summer is wide open to find out. Will I find a summer love?

That brings us to 2011 : The Comeback! I'm really happy to be back at work, I'm happy that On the television end, the first half of the year has been fruitful. The one shining light at the end of last year was that I filmed 2 great episodes of MTV's Silent Library:

I also filmed for a new show coming this summer to the Discovery channel. That was a great shoot, but I'm holding on to the details until the episode airs.
I'm in consideration for another show and who knows what else can happen?

I ordered myself a custom made wrestling style belt to complete my Champ gimmick. A belt I can finally wear around my waist, lol. I also did start the CE year off right with a great win at a place called Kyochon where they make some great Korean fried chicken wings. I also placed 3rd in the Go Go Curry Eating Contest. I think I will be bowing out of that one in the future. Rice is a rough one.

So that's about it. Hopefully I will continue working for awhile to come and find a kick ass girl to share my time with and in the meantime, just enjoy being alive.

Go Go Curry Qualifier. The Champ MALE's it in...

My top movies of 2010...

Haven't been blogging much as of late due to the whole lack of employment thing.
I've been zapped of motivation to do much of anything outside of finding work.
Also, my dumb ass messed up my keyboard on my laptop making it difficult to type at length.
That being said, I figured I'd throw my movie list up because I know some of my friends out there like my movie recommendations.
Last time I posted my list at the end of the year, but I realized that I got to see a few movies after, some of which would have wound up making my to 10 (i.e. Hurt Locker). So I waited a month to catch a few more.
Just to note, as I always do, my rankings are not necessarily about how "good" they are. I rate them based on level of enjoyment. Just because something is good enough to be an oscar winner doesn't mean you're going to like it. If I'm entertained and it's a "bad" movie, then it could be a top movie for me.

Without further ado, my favorite films of 2010...

One - Inception

The short version of the storyline is that Leonardo DiCaprio and his team are able to get inside people's dreams. There is a process to get the person's mind they're inside to produce an idea they would not have thought of. They are hired to do this in an attempt at corporate espionage. In doing so, DiCaprio would receive freedom to enter back into the US to see his son after being accused of killing his wife.
What can I say about Inception that hasn't been said? It's, simply put, the best movie that came out last year. It's smart, it's entertaining, it's technically amazing, it's heartbreaking, it has all the elements that a movie should have. It's also complicated. If you're not paying attention, I admit, it can be hard to follow. I wasn't a fan at first. Then I had an "Aha!" moment. Once I figured it out and realized what was going on, I was amazed. My only 5 star film of 2010.

Two - The Karate Kid

You might be laughing that I have this at number 2. And if you told me that this would have been one of my favorite movies of the year a year ago, I would have laughed too. In fact I remember when I first heard the concept and bitching about it on Myspace (those were the days, huh?). Then I saw the trailer and thinking, "hey, that doesn't look so bad". I gave it a chance and I'm glad I did. I wound up loving it. First of all, I knew Jaden Smith could act because he was great in Pursuit Of Happyness, one of my favorite films of that year. The story was similar to the original and yet completely different. Jaden winds up in China because his mom's job was outsourced. He get's bullied, like the original and seeks revenge in a fight tournament. When Jackie Chan was cast as the new Mr. Miyagi, I also didn't like the idea. I was wrong there as well. He's not doing the slapstick stuff we're used to. It's more of a dramatic turn for him and also pulls it off. Even though you will be thinking about the original one, if you forget about it, you'll find you're seeing a different movie and an enjoyable one at that.

Three - The Last Exorcism

Another surprise. I didn't think much of Last Exorcism when it was advertised and figured it would be just another throw away movie. It's about a documentary crew that follow a priest who doesn't really believe in demons and uses smoke and mirrors to perform fake exorcisms to help the rubes that do believe in it and think someone they love is possessed. He goes to help a family and shit gets real. But not real enough to believe that there's really a demon. And I believe that this is where the film succeeds for me. This is not really a scary film. It's definitely creepy and unnerving, but there's not much gore, there's no heavy make-up on the lead girl to make her look demonic. She does a great job when she's possessed and not, but they didn't make her "scary" looking, which kinda makes it creepier in my opinion. I won't give away the ending, but it was totally unexpected. If you're a horror fan, this is definitely recommended, just don't go in with expectations.

Four - Shutter Island

I didn't like Shutter Island at first. I knew that it was well done, but I saw everything coming. Halfway through the film, or even sooner, you know exactly what's going on.
This is another film with Leonardo DiCaprio. I'm not going out on a limb by saying he's one of the best, if not the best, actor out there right now. He plays a detective, along with his partner, Mark Ruffalo, as they investigate a missing person in a psych hospital.
It was upon said second viewing that I appreciated the movie. Without actually giving away the ending, there are things that you won't notice, or be looking for until you watch it again. I would recommend a 2nd viewing, only because it's almost as if you're seeing 2 different movies.

Five - A Prophet

Foreign movie alert. This is a French film about Muslim and Corsicans in prison. A young Muslim man gets sent to prison and winds being forced into service for a Corsican gang and winds up working with a friend on the outside selling drugs behind the gang leaders back and gets caught after being taken under his wing.
A Prophet is well acted, well directed and was nominated for best foreign film at the Oscars.

Six - The Town

Directed by and starring Ben Affleck, The Town is about a group of friends who rob banks and the FBI trying to hunt them down. Along the way Affleck falls for a girl they blindfolded, kidnapped and released after he tries to see how much information she has on them. Affleck is great as is the rest of the cast. It wasn't as good for me as most people because I felt it was a little cliche at times and I couldn't suspend disbelief for some parts.

Seven - The Human Centipede

Let me first say, I never went into Human Centipede intending to like it. 2 girls get lost in the middle of Germany and look for help. They find themselves in a house of a madman scientist who is looking for victims to make a Human Centipede. If you're wondering what a Human Centipede is, it's the process of sewing the mouth of person number 2, to the ass of person number 1 and then doing the same to person number 3 giving them the appearance of a centipede.
I thought it would be a throw away film. And maybe to some people it was, but the concept is so horrifying and disgusting, that for the first time I can think of, I actually cared about the characters in a horror movie. And that's why it made the list. Not the only reason thought because it was a lot better than it had any business being.

Eight - Unthinkable

Straight to DVD, Unthinkable wasn't on my radar, but turned out to be worth the attention. The FBI arrests a man that they believe will blow up a building in a terrorist act and call in Samuel L. Jackson as an interrogator who tries to get him to talk. I should say that the writer has an agenda. The terrorist, as you would suspect, is an Arab. SLJ has a hard time getting him to tell them where the bomb is and keeps going to more extreme measures to get the info until he goes to the... Unthinkable... extreme. The whole thing is a bit outrageous, or maybe it isn't, as the director is probably telling us, however it is an interesting watch.

Nine - Buried

Buried is interesting in that it's a one man show. Literally. The entire movie is comprised of something, I'm sure, most women wish they could have... Ryan Reynolds in a box. Reynolds handles the movie well. He's stuck in a coffin that's been burried with a light and a cell phone and is being held for ransom. He attempts to get help while going through the bureaucracy of business and government. Sounds like it could be boring but it never does get there.

Ten - Hachi: A Dog's Tale

And now for the feel good movie of the year, Hachi. This stars Richard Gere in a based on a true story film, about a guy who finds a dog and takes him in. The dog follows him to the train to work everyday and then waits for him to come home. And then Gere's character dies and the dog goes to the station and waits... and waits... It's a sweet heart breaker of a film.

Finally, here is the ranking of the rest of the films I've seen from last year...

She's Out of My League

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Nightmare On Elm Street

Remember Me

Winnebago Man

Green Zone

Winter's Bone

Wall Street : Money Never Sleeps

Black Swan

The Fighter

The Horde

Splice

Catfish

Altitude

Kick-Ass

Frozen

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work

Hot Tub Time Machine

Case 39

Youth in Revolt

Legendary

The Social Network

Tron : Legacy

Iron Man 2

The American

Temple Grandin

Knight And Day

Knucklehead

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction

Alice in Wonderland

Sorcerer's Apprentice

Skyline

Get Him To The Greek

Cop Out

Mercy

Last Airbender

Damage

The Experiment

Date Night

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

The Runaways

Greenberg

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths

Daybreakers

Don McKay

Letters to Juliet

Repo Men

Micmacs

Freakonomics

The Crazies

The Secret in Their Eyes

Kevorkian

Mega Piranha

Dinner For Schmucks

The Warlords

Ondine

Legion

Predators

Book Of Eli

Batman: Under The Red Hood

The Other Guys

30 Days Of Night : Dark Days

Dear John

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead

44 Inch Chest

The Expendables

Smokin' Aces 2: Assassins' Ball

Clash Of The Titans

Robin Hood

Defendor

Mother

Fireball

Lake Mungo

Halo Legends

Circle Of Pain

Lovely, Still

Homeless: The Motel Kids of Orange County

Red: Werewolf Hunter

Lake Placid 3

Peacock

The Penthouse

All My Friends Are Funeral Singers

Night of the Demons

The Descent: Part 2

Road Kill

District 13: Ultimatum

Furry Vengeance

MacGruber

The A-Team

Lost Boys: The Thirst

Shoot the Hero

D.C. Sniper