RR: "Dark Knight Rises" Reaction, FUBU, and Home

Hello, and welcome to another exciting edition of Random Ramblings! (Or RR as I like to call them) Now that I think about it, maybe this post isn't 'exciting' or maybe not even an 'edition.' (Not sure if a blog post classifys as an edition, but whatever.) Anyway, Here we go!

'Dark Knight Rises' Reaction

It's been just over a month since I saw "The Dark Knight Rises" at midnight in the theater in my hometown, where I work. (There will be a post about my job some day readers. For those of you who have worked with me at the theater, you've been warned.) My heart goes out to all the families who lost someone in the Colorado Theater shootings. What that guy did is just sick, and he deserves to get his ass kicked by...BANE! (haha, you thought I was gonna say Batman :P)
As for the actual movie: Bane was awesome, it was long, and didn't live up to the hype of it's predecessor. I know, I'll probably make some enemies with this statement, but it is NOT the best movie I've seen this year. That title still goes to The Avengers. All in all, if you haven't seen "The Dark Knight Rises," Go out and see it at least once.
Notice how I didn't leave any spoilers for you?

F. U. FUBU

In early July, I was in need of a pair of tennis shoes, so I went to Wal-Mart, where an awesome pair of shoes caught my eye. The photo above is said shoe.
I have come to the conclusion that this shoe is the cheapest made shoe in the history of footwear. It's sad when said shoes is coming unstitched after only two weeks of wearing them.
That is why I warn you all: Do NOT buy shoes with the word FUBU on them. They are a waste of your hard-earned dollars (or welfare, if you don't have a job.)

Home
In conclusion for this R.R., I'd like to give a big shout out to all the High School Graduates who are now leaving for college. I know a lot of you have been counting down the days. I've heard it many times: "I can't wait to get out of this town!" I heard this line myself in my senior year, from the guidance counselor of all people. (When I said I had no plans for college, she responded with "Don't you want to get out of this town?")
At the time, I didn't think Elkader was really all that. Five years later, I've decided that Elkader is, and will always be, my home. I was born here, and chances are I will die here,and I'm OK with that. Elkader is my home.
So I say to all of you seniors that are leaving now, so glad that you're gone, you'll all want to come back. Someday when you're at your job in some big city, you'll decide to move back out here. Back where you came from.

Until Next Time...:)
W.

Buried in the Books

For those of you who don't know me that well, There's something you need to know. I have this really bad habit. They say the best way to deal with a problem is to talk about it, and admit you have a problem. So, here it goes:...

I read way to much, and when I get my paycheck, I tend to go and buy a book. Seriously, whenever I'm in Wal-Mart, you'll most likely find me in the book section. (Or Movies/Music, but that's a very different story.

I know, reading is supposed to be good for you, but I only have so much space for books in my current living space. The stack of books in my closet is getting taller, and more unsturdy, with each purchase.

And don't even get me started on the Library. I check out too many books from their too. According to the receipt that prints out when I check out a book from the library, I've saved $561 so far this year.

And the year isn't over yet, folks.

Now, I'm sure I could blame different people, but passing blame doesn't work. (At least, it never has for me.) And if I was going to blame people, where would I start? Do I blame the numerous English teachers I had throughout my years in school? Or do I blame the authors of some of my favorite books for keeping me too interested?

But I think the one thing that really need the blame is this. My enabler:

Borders Stores.

Whenever I went to Dubuque, this used to be my paradise. I'd tell my family I'd only be a few minutes, and an hour later, I'd still be wandering amongst the shelves, with a stack of paperbacks under my arm.

When all of the Borders stores across the country closed about a year ago, I felt like I'd lost a friend. Where was I going to get my fix? Where, oh where?

Well, for those of you who know Dubuque, a Books-a-Million store took Border's place. This is not helpful to me, however. Maybe I'm just picky on the books I like, but when you go into a bookstore with a list of twenty different books, wouldn't you hope to find more than just one of them?

This morning, I finally broke down, and found a new dealer. They have what I want, the only problem is, I have to wait for the delivery by mail. Hurry up, Amazon! I'm counting on you to deliver!!!

For those of you who are interested, here's a link to my GoodReads profile. Think of it as Facebook for book lovers:


http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/8381844-matthew-wilke


Until Next Time...:)
W.

The Most Personal Blog Post I'll Most Likely Ever Write

Last weekend was our county fair. What I'm sure is often a fun time for a lot of the young people around here has been more of a downer for me the last couple of years. I never see anybody I know, and when I do, they usually don't want to talk to me.

And then, there's her...

I'm not going to tell you all who "she" is, because I know it would embarass her. She may even be reading this right now for all I know. Some of you know who "she" is, and you know that we were really close at one time.

So, when I was contemplating what my next post should be about, I decided it was time to delve into my own life, and share a story that was personal. Maybe too personal, but I'll let you all be the judge of that.

I first met "her" when she was dating a friend of mine. They broke up not too long after we got to know each other, and we didn't really talk to eachother much after that...for a while.

One night, I was at work when she came in. Work was pretty quiet, so we talked for a while. An hour and a half later, we were still talking! We quickly realized after that that we could easily be friends, and over the months that followed, we became very good friends.

About a week before the 2011 county fair, she got a boyfriend, which didn't bother me because we were just friends, but when I saw her with him at the fair, something just didn't feel right.

Sleep began to elude me. She filled my thoughts every day, and I knew then, that I had fallen. Hard. I'd had crushes, but had never felt like that before.
Not too long after the fair's end, she broke up with her boyfriend. I swore to myself that I would tell her exactly how I felt. I waited about a month before I finally came clean about it.

We were driving just for the heck of it when I told her I had to talk to her about something, and I shared my feelings with her. My speech was met with silence, and shock if I had to label an emotion to her face. But she took it all in stride, said that I was one of two guys interested in dating her at that time.

I was still miserable for a while after that. Especially when she chose the other guy, but I tried not to let her see how much it bothered me. How depressed I really was.

All of a sudden, the other guy was out of the picture. I was in, and we became an "Impromptu couple." In other words, we weren't publically official, but kind've, if that makes any sense.

For those next couple months, life was great. We hung out nearly every weekend, either taking a drive or seeing a movie. Sometimes both. We began sharing all of our secrets. We were closer than ever before.

They say that all good things must end, and this unfortunately did too. To this day, I'm not quite sure what happened. We were on one of our usual drives when she said we should slow things down. I asked her if there was another guy. She said there wasn't.

Two days later, Facebook said she was in a relationship. No other guy, huh? I have to say, that one hurt a lot. It bugged me for weeks. It still does every now and again.

Since then, our conversations have grown less and less frequent. The message we'd been sending back and forth on facebook for a year stopped. She purposely avoided me whenever possible. At the fair this last weekend, I made four attempts to talk to her, and never even recieved an acknowledgement of my presence. Supposedly, we're still friends, but she won't even respond to a text message half the time, even if all I say is "Hi, How are you?"

I'm sure most of you, if you're still reading this, are thinking "Grow up and move on." I know, I'm a hopeless romantic, and I should have known that it wouldn't have worked out. I know. I get it.

The thing is though, even after all of that. After the really long summer where our conversations have been few and short. After all the tears I've cried and the pain I've felt. After all the blame I've cast, I still can't move on. I still think of her every day. She still is always on my mind, and she will probably never leave. Part of her will be with me forever.

Until Next Time...:/
W.

The Power of the Song

Last night, I was sitting at the Restless Heart concert at the county fair, singing along with almost all of the songs they sang. I became a huge fan of the band years ago, and have played the Greatest Hits CD I own to near non-working order.

It's funny how a lot of these songs strike me in different ways. Theres the slow love songs that describe my own feelings for a special someone (more on that some other time), the songs of love lost that also pertain to me, and the upbeat songs that always put a smile on my face no matter what kind of mood I'm in.
And that's just one CD by one band. I have a lot of favorite songs that describe various feelings or, as they say, they have a good beat and you can dance to it. (Not that I can dance, but you know what I mean.)
I usually know if I'm going to like a song after I've heard it for the first time. If I start singing along with the refrain halfway through, or if my feet are tapping alon with the beat, chances are that I'll soon be playing the crap out of the song on my computer. If a song doesn't agree with me, chances are I'll be running from the room every time the song comes on the radio. (Trust me, this has happened before.)
Chances are, your taste in music is nothing like mine. I used to be a stright-up, country hick(and not afraid to admit it.) Now, my taste covers numerous genres, but country is still at the center of it all.
Working in the movie theater has actually helped broaden my horizons when it comes to music. Sweeping up after the numerous movies I've worked, I've heard almost every type of music possible. And theres been times, that it has been almost impossible to sweep during the credits. Take this tune from "Sherlock Holmes" for example:



Catchy, no? That whole week I had to wait until the credits were done before I could sweep, because the song was just to catchy.
Now it's stuck in my head. I'll have to go and sing it through now and try to get it out. ;)

Until Next Time...:)
W.

Six Rules

Recently, I saw the movie 'People Like Us.' The movie is a drama, and has the unfortunate title as one of Summer 2012's biggest box office flops.
That doesn't necessarily mean the movie is bad. I've seen a lot of movies that are classified as "bombs." Two of my favorite movies so far this year have been considered bombs. ("John Carter" and "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" for those of you keeping track.)

Make that three of my favorite movies, as "People Like Us" gets added to the list for an entirely different reason. The plot about a man learning about a sister he never knew he had is interesting, and propels the movie forward.
This movie is not a happy-go-lucky movie by any means. This is a serious drama, which works best with the great cast. We see a new side to Chris Pine, who is best known as the new Captain Kirk in 2009's 'Star Trek' reboot. Elizabeth Banks also gives a strong performance, after spending most of her time in supporting roles.
Now for the main reason of the post: About 2/3 of the way through the movie, we learn the six rules of life, at least according to the movie. This is, by far, the most memorable quote from the movie. These rules make perfect sense in today's world.

Rules One and Two have so much truth in them. Growing up, rule One has been proven countless times in my elementary school years (and beyond). And rule Two also is a good philosophy to live by, as we put so much unimportant stuff first.
Rules Three and Six I'm not going to touch on too much. All I'll say is: Rule Three is just common sense, and I'm sure some people agree with rule Six as well.
Rules Four and Five are the inspirational ones. Telling us (in simple terms) to take chances and make an impact in the lives of others.
Six Rules for living. Six Rules we all should try our best to follow.
Here are the six rules again, for your benefit:

Six Rules

1. If you like something because you think other people are going to like it, it’s a sure bet that no one will.
2. Everything that you think is important isn’t. Everything that you think is unimportant is.
3. Don’t shit where you eat.
4. Lean into it. The outcome doesn’t matter. What matters is that you were there for it, whatever ‘it’ is - good or bad.
5. Most doors in the world are closed, so if you find one that you want to get into, you damn well better have an interesting knock.
6. Don’t sleep with people who have more problems than you do.

Until next time...:)
W.

ZERO HOUR

It's finally here!

I've been waiting for 'The Dark Knight Rises' ever since the end of 'The Dark Knight.' Christopher Nolan is an amazing filmmaker, and he has yet to let me down. This movie will be epic. There is no doubt.

Or is there...?

The interent has been full of rumblings for months on whether 'The Dark Knight Rises' would top its predecessor: Both financially and critically. Word on the street is its an excellent movie, but not the best of Nolan's Batman movies.
Although, I had also heard that the first advance screening recieved a standing ovation. Are the critics just wrong again like they have been so many times before?

I have an infograph I thought I'd share with you. The conclusion drawn from the infograph is that the third movie in a franchise almost always dissapoints. A writer over at VideoETA shared this image first.

While this chart does indeed have a point, we forget that we are talking Christopher Nolan here. There's never been a francise conclusion this highly hyped since Star Wars, and really this may be even higher than that.

Only time will tell how high 'The Dark Knight Rises' will fly. Early predictions have its opening weekend coming in anywhere between $190-210 million domestically. If it hits that $210 million, it will surpass the opening weekend record set only months ago with 'The Avengers,' which has since gone on to be one of the highest grossing movies of all time. (Plus, most likely being my top movie of 2012, but its still fairly early to tell what my best of the year list will look like.)

It doesn't matter to me, because in roughly ten hours, I will be sitting in a theater with other fans to see if 'The Dark Knight Rises' rises (haha) to the occasion and lives up its hype.
Until next time...:)
W.

Five Books That Should Be Made Into Movies

Hollywood continues to remake movies left and right, and if you're like me, you're getting sick of it to. It's time for some new stuff to be adapted to film. I've read numerous books that I think would make great movies. Here's my list:

"The Strain" by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan
Think "Contagion" Meets "Dracula." This is the first book in a trilogy about a virus that turns the population into vampires, and I believe it would make for a very frightening and intense film.
Chances of Being Made: Fairly good actually when one of the authors is a well-known director. The only problem is, Del Toro is busy with numerous projects right now, so it could be years before this gets the big screen treatment.

"Contest" by Matthew Reilly
This book was one of the most exciting books I've ever read. It left me breathless from beginning to end. One man is transported into a New York Library in the middle of the night to compete against other alien species. Last one standing wins. Chances of Being Made: Writer Matthew Reilly has been trying to get a feature film of 'Contest' off the ground for about seven years now. Hopefully, it gets picked up soon.

"The Chase" by Clive Cussler
A late 1800's set mystery from one of my favorite authors. The first in the Issac Bell series, and featuring many train robberies, this would be an epic film.
Chances of Being Made: No chance. After Clive Cussler's "Sahara" was adapted to film a few years ago, he sued the studio over creative differences. He lost the case and swore he wouldn't sell the rights to any of his books again.

"Stranger in a Strange Land" by Robert Heinlein
One of the most famous Science Fiction novels of all time. It tells the story of Valentine Michael Smith, a human who comes to Earth in early adulthood after being born on the planet Mars and raised by Martians. It trult is an interesting read, and would make an excellent film, with possible Oscar buzz if done correctly.
Chances of Being Made: Slim, seeing as the book has been around for over 50 years already. It's hard to believe that a film has never been made, seeing as it is considered one of the 'Books that shaped America' by the Library of Congress. Chances are it will never get adapted.

"The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Think "Water for Elephants" meets "The Prestige." The love story between a male and female illusionists, who just happen to be in a competition with each other, held my interest from page one. A great read, and most likely, could be a great movie.
Chances of Being Made: Nothing has been announced yet, but it could, and should, someday get the greenlight.

Well, thats my list. Thanks for reading! Please comment below any books you love that you wish would become movies.
Until next time...:)
W.

RR: Cookies, Green Thumbs. and Rain

Hello all! I decided to do things a little differently this post and actually ramble randomly (for once). I'm called this feature RR (or random rambles) and I may do this ever few posts just to sum up my thoughts on smaller topics.

A Cookie Experiment

I found this image on the great internet. After seeing this amazing piece of culinary artwork, I can't help but want to try to make these awesome looking cookies. Makes me hungry just thinking about them. Someday, maybe I'll attempt to recreate these.

Green Thumbs
What does it mean to have a green thumb? It usually means you have some talent with plants, which i kind've do. My garden is doing well, even though the lack of rain has made growing plants difficult, but more on that in a bit.
Green Thumbs used to be uncool, but I'm not quite sure why. Apparently, gardening is something for the 'older' generation to do, but thats not a good thought to have. Anybody can garden.
And if you think Green Thumbs aren't cool, check out this image, although I really don't see some of these people gardening.

Rain
To sum things up for today, we need rain here. Badly. I should not be able to look out at the lawn in July and see only brown. Although I really don't like mowing lawn, a dead lawn is just not pretty. Plus, the crops are starting to suffer, including our sweet corn, and that's just not cool. So, to all of you out there in cyberspace, pray for rain. Pretty Please. Do a rain dance. Sing any song that you can think of that's about rain.

Well, that's all I have for this edition of RR. Until next time...:)
W.