I'm Still Here

   I know it has probably been driving you crazy.  You've probably felt like something was missing from your life.  Something important.  But don't worry folks, I'm still here.  A lot has changed since the last time I wrote here, and those changes have consumed me to the point where I just haven't had time to update.  I'm in Phoenix now.

   I accepted the Marketing Manager position for a new show called "The List," which launches in 6 cities on September 17th.  We have a website, a facebook page, a twitter feed... everything you could ask for.  And it's totally different from anything I've ever done.

   Do I miss Houston?  Absolutely.  My whole life is there.  In the past 5 years that I've lived in Houston, I've made some of the best friends in my entire life.  My family is all there.  It's home, and even though I have several complaints about the city, I think it always will be home for me.  But who knows... Phoenix may have a few surprises up its sleeve.  It's hot here, but not hot like Houston.  They say "it's a dry heat" and I've always thought that was silly... but it's true.  The atmosphere here is very different, and even when it's triple-digit hot, it doesn't feel as bad outside as it does in Houston on a typical summer day.  Today it was cloudy and rainy, and it actually felt cool outside (not muggy and gross like Houston).  There are also some really cool things to do in this city, and it's pretty awesome looking out your window and seeing mountains every day.  I can't complain about that.

   Anyway, work has been pretty crazy so far, and I don't have TV yet... so I've missed out on a lot of what's been going on.  I'm mainly just writing here now to let you know that I am still around and I will resume my posting as soon as I get settled in and to a point where I feel like I have something to talk about.  Oh, I do have a movie review for you.  Enjoy...

Lockout

   From Netflix:  A former government agent wrongly accused of a crime gets a shot at freedom -- if he can engineer a high-risk mission to outer space in order to rescue the president's daughter from a prison where the inmates are in control.

   My Take:  When I first popped this movie in, I thought if I could make it through the first 10 minutes without turning it off, I would be in good shape.  The previews looked silly, and when it showed up in the mail I wondered why in the world I ever thought this movie would be worth watching.  But then two words completely changed my perspective: Luc Besson.

   Luc Besson of "The Fifth Element" fame.  Luc Besson of the original "Transporter" movie.  Luc Besson, the weird french dude who makes cheesy ass stuff work because he fully commits to it and never looks back.  And he did it again with "Lockout."  The opening 10 minutes of this movie are some of the most ridiculous I've ever seen.  The dialogue is campy, the action sequence that follows is so ridiculous it's almost not even worth watching.  And yet, it all works somehow.

   There is a style to this movie that makes it immensely entertaining.  It's not at "Fifth Element" calibur... I don't know of anything that is... but it's the closest Besson and his pals have gotten.  Guy Pierce is great.  Most of the other characters are great.  The chick is not nearly as good as Leloo Dallas, but she's much better than the chick in "Transporter" (THERE ARE FO-HUNDRED PEOPLE ON THOSE CRATES!)  The characters are great and acted out well by just about everyone.  The twist at the end is so preposterous that it fits perfectly with the rest of the movie.  It all just makes sense.

   I was pleasantly surprised by this movie, and I think you will be too.  Give it a shot and let me know what you think.

Alright folks, more to come... from Phoenix...