Monday, September 24, 2012

Movie Review: End of Watch

Ok ladies and gents, it's Cuffing Season again in the Northern Hemisphere and Hollywood has conspired with the "wut u doin?" texters to offer up a chick friendly action flick with End of Watch. Heck, the movie wasn't even my idea! I was invited to it because apparently women dig police action movies, too.

End of Watch details the lives of Officer Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Savala (Michael Peña) on and off the beat in South Central L.A. While saving the day fighting crime and rescuing citizens the officers uncover a Mexican cartel human trafficing and drug smuggling ring. Their perserverance (and dumb luck) catches the attention of cartel leaders who put a bounty on their heads. Now Officer Taylor and Savala have to rely on each other more than ever to survive until the End of Watch.

Movie Review: Trouble With the Curve

The Curveball - a baseball pitch with a top spin which causes the ball to dive downward on its path to the plate; also known as a Breaking Ball. Unlike a fastball, to hit a curveball you let it come to you by waiting for the break, breaking the rhythm of your swing, and driving it out the same side of the plate that it came in on.

Life can throw curveballs too. Instead of being a predictable fastball, life can suddenly break. Your wife passes away and a job requiring you to travel to the most remote towns with even more remote dive bars isn't the life you want to raise a young daughter in. That's exactly the curveball Gus Lobel (Clint Eastwood) had thrown at him. Gus' daughter, Mickey Lobel (Amy Adams), was just six years old when he was unable to handle the curve and Gus sent Mickey away twice. Once to other relatives and the second time for good to boarding school where she grew up to be a successfull lawyer.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

One Dangerous Monster


While the rest of the single population is in the throes of Cuffing Season I'm resisting the encroaching "Rager Season". See, I'm one of those melodramatic fools that associates music with the time of year and the Fall has been the most "interesting" season for me. Interesting in a good way though. I tend to have my best adventures in the Fall meeting the most interesting people and encounter the most change. Not too long ago I looked forward to the Fall so why am I not looking forward to this year's Rager Season? Maybe because for whatever reason the summer just feels unfinished to me. All work and no play made Jack a dull boy. Even though I went to weddings, class reunions, family reunions, and ripped up highways and byways on the Ninja I just wasn't "out there" like I wanted to be. Now it's Fall, the time of year I mostly keep to myself but I'm not ready for another Sabbatical.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Webcast: Super cuffing and fast engagement


This week, Steve and J follow-up on the viewer-submitted topic of fast engagement, but as we like to call it, super cuffing.  We are joined by Ms. Desi who, as our official first webcast guest, offers her perspective on things.  We share a few laughs, gain new insight and deal with a few technical difficulties like losing our guest and dogs barking!  

Be sure to show your support by liking us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/steveandjtv and subscribing to our youtube channel at www.youtube.com/steveandjt.  We are also on twitter @steveandjtv

We are always looking for topics for our webcasts, so please drop us a line and we'll do our best to feature your ideas on future shows.  

-J

Disclaimer: Steve is an employee of Turner Broadcasting, a division of Time Warner, however the views expressed in this post are his own.

Friday, September 21, 2012

There Is Something About a Suit

So, for those that don't know, I've been in a full-fledged job search for a few months now which has been full of ups and downs.  Most adults can appreciate how challenging it is to reinvent yourself on the fly to appeal to employers and more so how difficult it is to stay encouraged during a search.  As each week creeps by, you feel yourself fading or questioning life and every decision you've ever made that got you to this point.  Without claiming depression over my life, the search is basically downright depressing.  Of course, everything changes when you get a call for an interview!

If www.SteveandJ.Tv is any indication of what I love doing, you can imagine I'm seeking opportunities that all me to tap into my skills as a communicator and multimedia specialist.  So earlier this week, I applied for position that I felt captured my ideal work situation at this point in my life and career and was delighted to receive the notification that I advanced to an interview.  Depression gone, smile on my face, pep in my step and all was well.

With that, there is one thing left to do.  Time to go suit shopping!!!

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Obama Rap Parody by Iman Crosson - Review




I'm not sure how I missed this video the first time it made it's circuit on the internet, but thanks to a good friend, I saw it for the first time and am still catching my breath.  This parody is so funny, it earned my respect and I couldn't reach my keyboard fast enough to start this blog post.

So, it's not a secret that I have a unique sense of humor.  In most cases, I don't miss much in the way of punchlines or clever wordplay and my responses typically range from laugh out loud to silence.  I'm not sure which response I associate with comedy I found flat out hysterical but upon watching Iman Crosson's YouTube video, released in 2011, President Obama on Death of Osama bin Laden (spoof), I can truly say this clever song had my insides erupting - in a good, stank-free way.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Second Look: The Double (2011)

If you are in the mood for a great psychological cop-style thriller with a “who done it” undertone,The Double (2011), starring Topher Grace and Richard Gere, is an excellent choice for a Second Look on Netflix.

Released in 2011, The Double has a very familiar feel to it as aging CIA agent Paul Shepherdson, played by Richard Gere, is assigned to a case that he has a very intertwined history with. It seems that an old assassian named Cassius is picking off new targets on U.S. soil and as a senior agent, Shepherdson has to find Cassius – and find him quickly. Fortunately for Shepheardson young FBI agent Ben Geary, played by Topher Grace, is an expert on all things Cassius and thanks to his thesis as a graduate student, is hot on the trail of the old Soviet assassin.

How Riding Taught Me How To Live

For the past few weeks you've been reading my movie reviews and I'm extremely humbled by that because it's actually the last thing I thought I would have been blogging about. So I've been thinking long and hard how to introduce myself to you and give you a view of the person behind the blogs, so here it goes.

Play Hard, Fall Hard - sounds like a macho motto, right? [Sometimes I think I need to add "...and get up slow" to the end of that.] That picture is how I spent my Labor Day, I was reeling from the aftermath of another motorcycle wreck; I walked away. Am I infatuated with riding and just don't know when to quit? Maybe. But what I am sure about is how I've matured and learned more about life through riding and wrecking motorcycles than any church service, wise words, or parental talk could give me.

I've seriously bumped my head.

Movie Review: Resident Evil - Retribution

The video game franchise of movies has come a long way since Super Mario Bros, the first game turned movie circa 1993. Despite being considered one of the worst movies ever made and a certified box office failure it ushered in a new genre of movies to which many fanboys like myself owe many thanks to.

Enter: Resident Evil

Resident Evil is the most successfull video game based film series with the 5th installment, Retribution, in theaters this weekend. But there's a large disconnect between the game, characters, and movie plots for me because the very first Resident Evil game soiled my pants and I never played another Resident Evil game. Ever. So watching the film series on the big screen in a crowded movie theater seemed much safer than a dark, tv lit bedroom. Ok maybe not in hindsight because a crowded movie theater is the last place I want to be when the Zombie Apocalypse starts.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Webcast: iPhone 5, Cuffing Season and more

 

In this webcast Steve and J give their opinion on the iPhone 5, Cuffing Season our love for Western Carolina University and much more.  We want to thank the loyal followers who tuned into our live broadcast and look forward to having you join us for our next webcast.

As always, please check us out on Twitter, Facebook and Youtube.  Feel free to offer suggestions for discussion topics or offer your thoughts on things we have discussed. 


Disclaimer: I’m an employee of Turner Broadcasting, a division of Time Warner, however the views expressed in this post are of my own.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

NBA Live 2013: Digital Download?

So, the interweb has been buzzing this week [okay-buzzing may be a bit of an exaggeration] with the rumor that Electronic Arts reboot of its NBA Live franchise may be released as a digital download later this Fall.  Now, since I'm not all high and mighty and connected to the insiders of the video gaming and technology community, I can't confirm anything at this point, but I can say I've read a ton of articles and blogs and am confident that what I see is true.  The good news is, I'm not alone in my observations of what appears to be pretty solid rumors regarding EA's next move.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Movie Review: 2016 Obama's America

I remember the exact spot I was standing on November 8, 2008 at exactly 11 pm when then Senator Barack Obama became the first African-American President-elect of the United States of America. Four years later after unforeseen trials, the country today may not be what we envisioned then, in 2008, but I can’t fault nor credit one man. However, director Dinesh D'Souza asks viewers to envision the country in 2016 after President Obama's potential second term.

I've been watching documentaries for the past few years learning new perspectives on an array of topics impacting our culture today. And from watching those documentaries I learned to always take them with a (sometimes big) grain of salt and independent research on the claims cited goes a long way to knowing I arrived at my opinion instead of it having given to me. With that, I walked into 2016: Obabma's America with the side-eye expecting a smearing of Obama but D'Souza blindsided me by approaching from an angle that I had left uncovered.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Second Look: The Confidant

If you are looking for predictable yet sinister plot and an antagonist that actually is quite convincing even though it's obvious where the character development is headed, The Confidant 2012 is for you.  If you are expecting top-notch acting and characters you can relate to, keep looking!  Although The Confidant falls short in a few key areas the movie still has enough of a plot to keep you interested in watching it through it' entirety.

Monday, September 3, 2012

Second Look: Seeking Justice (2011)

I'll be the first to admit, I'm not a big fan of the old man Nicholas Cage, but in this Netflix Second Look I must give respect where it is due.  Seeking Justice features a plot that, though predictable, will keep your attention as the protagonist falls deeper and deeper into a bad dream. In fact, this movie released in 2011 will have you examining key elements shortly after the opening scene.

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Favorite Memes


In our third webcast Steve and I shared memes we found while surfing the interweb.  I decided to create an album in Facebook just in case you wanted to pick them up or share them with others.  If I see more hilarious memes, I'll be sure to add them to the album.  In the meantime,  be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. 

-J

Steve and J TV: Facebook and Memes


In this webcast we share our thoughts on recent changes to Facebook and how we feel about memes.  Be sure to tune in to our webcasts and let us know if you have any topics you'd like us to discuss in future episodes.  As always, be sure to follow us:

@steveandjtv
www.facebook.com/steveandjtv

Disclaimer: I’m an employee of Turner Broadcasting, a division of Time Warner, however the views expressed in this post are of my own.