The weekend that was

Jess and I had another very good weekend crammed full of movies and general laziness. On Saturday night we watched Changling, which was surprisingly better than I anticipated. I thought it would be OK, and it was actually very good. I am not a huge Angelina Jolie fan (I don't get the appeal in the slightest), but she was excellent in this movie (although arguably even Bea Arthur could have shouted "That's not my son!" 60 times and elicited an emotional response). I liked Clint Eastwood's directing very much. It looked like a very old-school film, and I didn't know much about the story other than the switched identity angle, so it kept me on the edge of my seat.

On Sunday, we went to see The Last House on the Left. My disinterest in horror films is well documented, but Rashaad wanted to see this one so we agreed to go. I must say, I actually really enjoyed it (aside from the pretty awful rape scene). I liked how ridiculous it got, and how you could basically throw out common sense and root for the good guys, even if the good guys were throwing someone down a garbage disposal. One major issue: I couldn't get past the lead bad guy (2nd from the left) looking a lot like Bill Hader.

The NCAA Tournament is soon to be underway, and I was very disappointed that Penn State got snubbed. On one hand, I kind of get it (they certainly should have beat Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament to lock up a space), but on the other hand they had a good Big Ten record and beat almost everyone ahead of them in the conference. They were definitely more worth than Arizona, and probably Minnesota too. They are a #2 seed in the NIT, but that is hard to care about.

I want a Funcooker

Remember how when I started this blog I was committed to updating everyday? What happened to that?

This week is spring break at PSU. Most people spend spring break going to exotic, tropical locations and making bad, drunken decisions. Not the Kovals. We visited Jess's parents in Ohio, my folks in Erie, and made it back to State College in time for Tuesday Night Trivia at Otto's, where we were victorious (in part due to low attendance due to the break). Jess and I both worked yesterday and today to preserve vacation days for our trip to Florida in May.

While in the Pittsburgh area over break, Jessica and I went to see Watchmen at the IMAX theatre on the Waterfront. It was pretty good. I really liked the comics and wanted to like the movie, so I am sure I am biased. I thought the acting was underwhelming, but the story was good and it was so true to the comics that I couldn't have been particulary disappointed. Had the acting been better, I think it would have gotten better reviews in the popular press. It was a good looking film, and although lots of people have issues with Zach Snyder's directorial style, I liked Watchmen just fine. Make a note: I must be the only person who was not terribly offended by Dr. Manhattan's radioactive manhood on full display . . . he was naked throughout most of the comic, too!

Lately I have been getting acceptance letters from the doctoral programs to which I have applied. In addition to my previous acceptance at Pitt, I was also accepted at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and the University at Buffalo. UT needed to know whether I was coming in 2 business days, so I had to ask to be moved to the waiting list. Buffalo has offered me a solid assistantship with a stipend and full in-state tuition, so that looks very appealing right now. I'm still waiting on GWU and the University of Denver, so we will see what happens.

I am looking forward to the weekend and the basketball fever pitch that is due to strike soon. PSU plays Purdue tonight in the Big Ten Tournament, and hopefully a win tonight will clinch them a spot in the Big Dance (although they may already be in). I am looking forward to seeing how things bracket out on Sunday evening.

It is suck.

This weekend, Jessica and I are both on call.  In addition to the typical weekend hijinks, it is also "State Patty's Day."  A little historical context may be necessary for those who are not from the Centre region.  Three years ago, St. Patrick's Day landed smack dab in the middle of Penn State's spring break.  In order to make sure that local pubs made their money, and also to ensure an additional drunken blow-out of a weekend, students took it upon themselves to reschedule St. Patty's Day for a time when they were in town.  Thus, State Patty's Day was born.

Three reasons it is wildly unnecessary this year:

1.  St. Patrick's Day is not during spring break.

2.  St. Patrick's Day is in March, and it is still February.  If you are going to make up a holiday, at least have it in a month that kind of aligns with what you are trying to do.

3.  Students get drunk and make bad decisions every single weekend.  Why formally encourage this bad behavior?  Yes, State Patty's Day is organized by bonafide student organizations on campus.  

In typical "Kovals On-Call" style, Jess and I watched a DVD this evening.  I'm not sure what to say about Hancock.  On one hand, I appreciate that they were trying to tell a different type of superhero movie.  On the other hand, it wasn't very good.  So, B+ for effort, C- for execution.  It does make me more excited for Watchmen next weekend.  Today I ordered tickets for an IMAX showing in Pittsburgh while we are in town for spring break.  I am very excited, needless to say!  If Wil Wheaton likes it, it must be good.

The weekend that was

Jess and I had a pretty nice weekend. On Friday night we went with Tracy to see Milk at the State Theatre. This was an excellent movie. Sean Penn was tremendously good in it. Milk is the type of movie that I think everyone should see, kind of like Schindler's List or Saving Private Ryan. It's one of those important films that can make a difference if enough people see it. I went into it thinking it would be very good, but I was pleasantly surprised that it was amazing. And seeing a movie at the State Theatre is always a lot of fun. I didn't even get the kid snack tray, which is certainly the best deal in town (popcorn, fruit snacks, and a juice box for $2.50!).

On Saturday, Jess and I ran some errands. We bought our book club's newest read at Barnes and Noble, and picked up some essentials at Target. I also got a badly needed haircut. It had been 82 days since my previous haircut, which is approximately 30 days too long. We had Outback for supper, and watched The Wackness. I enjoyed this movie. Jess particularly enjoyed the soundtrack, as it was a flashback into the music that was popular when we were in high school. Well, popular if you were into popular music. I was too busy listening to Huey Lewis and the News and Gustav Holst.

Jess and I have started a new tradition. One of us is going to cook a new recipe for supper every weekend. We will alternate weeks, and Sunday night was my turn. I attempted to follow a recipe for chicken fried steak, which is one of my favorite foods. I give myself an A for effort, and a B- for execution. Overall it turned out pretty bland. I wasn't entirely thrilled with how the coating fried up on the steaks, but I liked the consistency of the gravy. It was all slightly bland . . . I should have seasoned the dredging flour a bit more, and jazzed up the gravy a bit. But, this is certainly something I could make again, and I think I could do a better job if I tried it again. Jess is up next weekend . . . I'm excited to see what she makes!

There ain't nothing cuter than a fat country baby eating peaches on a hardwood floor

Today was a variation on our typical pattern of lazy Saturdays. I slept until approximately 11AM, then Jess and I proceeded to watch our usual lineup of home improvements shows on TLC.  I am not sure what the appeal of these shows is, considering that we do not own a home and cannot make any improvements or changes to our current apartment.  I do like thinking about being able to someday own a home and pick out hardwood flooring, though.  This evening we watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall on DVD.  Although we had seen it in the theatre, it really held up in a repeat viewing (particularly the Dracula musical part).  

Right now Jon and Kate Plus 8 is on.  This show is very conflicting for me.  On one hand, it is pretty clear to me that this family has done a good job of exploiting their situation for financial gain.  On the other hand, having a TV show so your kids can benefit is not necessarily a bad thing.  This is for certain:  Kate Gosselin is batshit crazy.  It is a miracle on par with the 1980 US Olympic hockey gold medal that Jon hasn't packed up and joined a traveling band of hobos instead of dealing with her.  Yikes.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - A Review

Last night Jessica, Rashaad, Elizabeth, and I went to see "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" at The State Theatre. I had very low expectations for this movie, and I was pleasantly surprised that it was not terrible. I would not describe it as amazing, life-changing, or awe-inspiring, but it was OK. There was just something about it that fell short. It was a pretty decent looking movie (the cinematography was fair), and I cannot really say that the acting was poor. What bothered me the most was that it was very, very predictable. Take for instance the scene where Bruno falls off of the swing and scrapes his knee. As soon as the Jewish man from the Nazi death camp who worked in the house begins bandaging Bruno's knee, I said to my self, "Before he was taken away to this death camp, I'll bet that man was a doctor." I'm no soothsayer, but I was right!

Although the movie had a message that I have heard before (Nazis are evil) and the story could have been told in a 25-minute short film, I'd give it a C+ almost strictly based on the suspenseful build-up to the "surprise" ending .