Mount Washington Trip - Videos

As I'm getting revved up for this year's hiking trip to the Smoky Mountains in July, I forgot about these two little gems that my buddy Shaun filmed on our hiking trip to the White Mountains circa 2012.

As an annual summer tradition I get a group of three to five guys and we drive to key hiking destinations in North Carolina, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, New Jersey, etc. However, this particular trip was a gift I gave myself for my 40th birthday. We flew into Boston (via Airtran) and rented a car to drive our hiking destinations in New Hampshire.

And, as luck would have it, two of my adventurous buddies, Shaun and Drew, were kind enough to come along.

This video documents our trip from Crawford Notch to Mount Washington:

And this video documents our hike of the Franconia Ridge:

'Heeeyyyy, Nice Golden Globes!'

Well, I checked my e-mail last night and received a ton of e-mails from this blog asking my opinion on the 2007 Golden Globe nominations.

To be honest, it wasn't a ton of e-mails. Only one.

To be totally honest, I sent myself an e-mail about the Golden Globes.

To be really, brutally honest, I'm lying. No one sent me anything.

But ANYWAY, I will say that although I really don't care too much about what the foreign press thinks, I always get a bit giddy after scanning the list of nominees. This year is no different.

Yeah, I guess you can call me a movie awards fag.

Although I've been hearing a lot of great things about Atonement (which I haven't seen), I think No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood have the best chance at Best Pic wins.

Nope, haven't seen either of em' but my friend Mac saw No Country. Read his review here. Plus, I talked about There Will Be Blood before right here.

I have no opinion (yet) about the actress nominations. Although I do think Amy Adams will win some awards for her performance in Enchanted. (Nope haven't seen that either).

I'm also pretty excited to see David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises get some attention. I have that particular movie in my Netflix cache and can't wait to see his follow-up to A History of Violence. I hear there's a naked male fight scene with box cutters that's out of this world. Not that I'm into that or anything.

Three biggies in the Actor category are Daniel Day Lewis for Blood, Clooney for Michael Clayton and Philip Seymour Hoffman for The Savages (which I hear is pretty damn good as well).

I think Casey Affleck will win a supporting actor award for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (haven't seen it), Ratatouille will win best Animated Feature Film, the Coen Brothers will win Best Direction for No Country and Diablo Cody will definitely win a Best Screenplay Golden Globe and Academy Award for Juno. (Coincidentally, I haven't seen that movie either.)

Nothing against Hal Holbrook, but I'm really surprised Into the Wild didn't get more love. Sure Eddie Vedder was nominated in both music categories for his work on the film, but that's it. (Oh sure, I haven't seen Into The Wild either, but I hear it's awesome.) I'm also surprised that Gone Baby Gone didn't get best direction and picture props.

Come to think of it. I really shouldn't be judging any of these flicks yet seeing as I've only seen Ratatouille. But, fuck it.

In the TV part, I'm happy that Mad Men is getting some props including Best Television Series and Best Actor nomination. In addition to The Wire (the final season premieres on HBO January 7), Mad Men is one of the best things on TV nowadays period. The show follows a Manhatten ad agency in the 60's. It's a different time when a majority of men were the breadwinners of the family and the women stayed home and cooked.

Of course, that's not all. The show covers racism, the division between the sexes, alcoholism and, of course, advertising. It's smartly written with great set designs, acting and impeccable attention to detail. In addition, it hits very close to home for me due to the fact that I'm a copywriter for an ad agency. I urge you to pick up the Season One DVD, whenever it comes out. Or just go watch the reruns on AMC.

Well, that's about it. I know the Golden Globes aren't that fantastic, but at least it gets some under-the-rader films out there that may spike some interest instead of Shrek 20 and Transformers 2: Electric Boogaloo.

Such as, the foreign animated feature Persepolis. Check out the trailer here. I hear the animation is very unique and, in addition to being nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Golden Globes, there's talk that it could give Ratatouille a run for its money come Academy Awards time. I'm happy it's getting it's just desserts. Now all I have to do is see it.

So, with the war in Iraq still plodding along, talk of global warming at an all time high and An upcoming recession in the United States, aren't you excited about the Golden Globes too???!!!!

THERE WILL BE BLOOD...In The Theaters, this christmas

I've been a fan of writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson since his directorial debut Hard Eight. Almost everyone has seen his film Boogie Nights and let's not forget the frog-raining ensemble piece Magnolia.

I also remember when people flocked in droves to see what they thought was going to be another Adam Sandler fart comedy in Punch-Drunk Love. Instead, they left the theater bemused and scratching their heads like a gorilla who just ate poop.

Being a film snob, I saw this modern-day love story three separate times. It ranks up there with Amelie' as one of my all-time favorite relationship movies behind Bitter Moon.

That said, there were little murmurs and rumors swirling around on various movie web sites that PT Anderson was on the cusp of directing a new project.

As it turns out, it's finished and it's called There Will Be Blood.

Click here to check out the trailer.

Based on the book Oil! by Upton Sinclair (The Jungle), There Will Be Blood is about the rise (and fall?) of a miner (played by Daniel Day-Lewis) who toils and works his hands to the bone until he eventually strikes it rich in the form of oil (or is it OIL!). And that is the starting point of his journey to wealth and his eventual descent into obsession, and a deadly degree of greed.

Anderson has a way of bringing out the best in actors. I thought he did a phenomenal job with Sandler in Punch Drunk Love not to mention the cast of Boogie Nights in particular William Macy, Marky Mark and Burt Reynolds. And lets not forget the cast of Magnolia, most importantly Tom Cruise, who - in my opinion - was robbed of a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as fuck-guru Frank TJ Mackey (I just love that name).

Although his character isn't very nice, I hear Daniel Day Lewis does a phenomenal job as the greedy oil baron. I guess it's up there with his acting chops in My Left Foot and Gangs of New York.

Comparisons to Terrence Malick's opuses (or is it opi?) Days of Heaven and Badlands not to mention Orson Welles' Citizen Kane and, of course one of the finest movies about greed, Treasure of Sierra Madre are already being made about this flick.

Harry Knowles of Aint It Cool News fame basically pulled out his cock and spewed his jism all over this film - not to mention Daniel Day Lewis's face - in the following review... click here to read it for yourself .

I'm not even going to speculate what types of kudos this picture will earn come awards season, but everyone that has seen it has already already stated that it should win a Best Picture Academy Award. Myself? Without seeing Sean Penn's Into the Wild not to mention George Clooney's Michael Clayton and the Ben Affleck-directed Gone Baby Gone, I think it's a little too early to start screaming that - but the reviews and early buzz definitely has me intrigued.

I'm sure the movie will not sit with a lot of people who like their editing M-tv/Action-packed. But if you like old-school movies - and by old school, I mean before Charlies Angels 2, before rapid-speed editing and when characters, acting and plot really mattered in a movie - then I would go check this flick out.

In addition to Into the Wild and popcorn fare such as I Am Legend and The Mist, I will be trying to get a babysitter on December 26 to check this movie out.

How about you? Why not send a message to Hollywood and go and see this film, will ya? Let's give Paul Thomas Anderson some cash so he can go out and make another great film.

And lets not forget PT Anderson also banged Fiona Apple for quite some time, which is 'very nice' indeed.

What Do You Think, Oh Wise One Reader of This Blog?