Goal for Today » Media Monday

Media Monday: Remove a scratch from a DVD

Patrick — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 10:49:57 +0000

Everyone has at least one. You know what I’m talking about. That CD or DVD to lent out to a friend and it looks like they dragged it for a few laps over a crushed stone walkway. Today’s goal provides a remedy to this situation. Hopefully you will find this video from Household Hacker as useful as I have.

Note: Starting this week, I have decided to rename Movie Monday into Media Monday. This will allow me to expand the topic past movies into music, television, video games and other types of media.

Movie Monday: Review a movie that you’ve seen this summer

Patrick — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 10:44:00 +0000

There’s an old saying out there about a restaurant, when it’s good you tell one person about it, when it’s horrible you tell ten. I think the same theory can apply to other areas of life, including movies. Today, take the time to review a movie you have seen this summer. I guarentee that more than ten people will hear about it whether it’s good or bad.

I recently sat down and watched The Hurt Locker. For those of you that have never hear of the movie, it debuted at the Venice Film Festival last fall and finally opened nationwide in the U.S. this past weekend. It’s not in every theater, but you should be able to find it playing somewhere near you. Here is a brief summary of the plot from IMDB.com:

An intense portrayal of elite soldiers who have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world: disarming bombs in the heat of combat. When a new sergeant, James, takes over a highly trained bomb disposal team amidst violent conflict, he surprises his two subordinates, Sanborn and Eldridge, by recklessly plunging them into a deadly game of urban combat. James behaves as if he’s indifferent to death. As the men struggle to control their wild new leader, the city explodes into chaos, and James’ true character reveals itself in a way that will change each man forever.

As of this writing, the movie has received a score of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer. I completely agree with this assessment. I am personally not a huge fan of war movies, but this was excellent. In fact it may have been the best movie I have seen all year. There are no big name stars to steal the spotlight and it works quite well. It was a little slow at times, but the focus of the movie was not of explosions and the actual war. It took a deeper look at the inner workings of a soldier and the little things that go on during times of war that you may not be aware of. I would highly recommend getting out and seeing it if you can.

Movie Monday: Watch a movie that’s older than you

Patrick — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:07:24 +0000

A lot of people don’t really appreciate some of the earlier movies out there. In the pre-digital era, a lot more time was spent on the storyline and acting than on explosions and realistic looking CGI. Take the time today to appreciate some of the older stuff. Here are some of my favorites that pre-date my 1983 birthday:

What will you be watching?

Movie Monday: Organize your movie library

Patrick — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:23:24 +0000

Why don’t you take the time today to organize your movie library? Sort it by title, director, genre, year, etc. Take your pick, it doesn’t matter as long as you can find what you are looking for. Maybe your library is already organized. Try sorting it a different way. You may stumble across that gem of a flick you haven’t watched in a few years while you do.

If you really want, you can always take it to the next level. There are plenty of programs out there these days that will allow you to catalog your movie library.

For Mac users, I highly recommend Delicious Library. I have been using this for quite some time now. It allows full cataloging of movies, music, video games and so much more. It even has a feature that can use your webcam to scan the barcode on the back of your media to import all the information for that item. I have been using it for over a year now and it is phenominal.

For Windows users, DVD Profiler seems to be the name you should lean towards. I don’t have much experience with this product, but the reviews I have read give it fantastic ratings.

Movie Monday: Watch a movie on the AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies List. Review it aftwards.

Patrick — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:00:30 +0000

Back in 1998 the American Film Institute put together their list of the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time. Since that time they have made it a yearly event, creating a new list on different aspects of movies such as quotes and villains each year. In 2007, they released an updated 10th Anniversary Edition of their original list. You’ll find that below.

Personally, I have seen 28 movies on the list. Hit up Blockbuster or dust off a movie from your bookshelf and find a nice quiet spot to watch. When you are done, post a quick review.

I’d also be curious how many movies on the list other people have seen.

AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)

1	CITIZEN KANE (1941)
2	GODFATHER, THE (1972)
3	CASABLANCA (1942)
4	RAGING BULL (1980)
5	SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952)
6	GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
7	LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
8	SCHINDLER’S LIST (1993)
9	VERTIGO (1958)
10	WIZARD OF OZ, THE (1939)
11	CITY LIGHTS (1931)
12	SEARCHERS, THE (1956)
13	STAR WARS (1977)
14	PSYCHO (1960)
15	2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
16	SUNSET BLVD. (1950)
17	GRADUATE, THE (1967)
18	GENERAL, THE (1927)
19	ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
20	IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
21	CHINATOWN (1974)
22	SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
23	GRAPES OF WRATH, THE (1940)
24	E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)
25	TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
26	MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
27	HIGH NOON (1952)
28	ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
29	DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
30	APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
31	MALTESE FALCON, THE (1941)
32	GODFATHER PART II, THE (1974)
33	ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST (1975)
34	SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
35	ANNIE HALL (1977)
36	BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, THE (1957)
37	BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, THE (1946)
38	TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE, THE (1948)
39	DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
40	SOUND OF MUSIC, THE (1965)
41	KING KONG (1933)
42	BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
43	MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
44	PHILADELPHIA STORY, THE (1940)
45	SHANE (1953)
46	IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
47	STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, A (1951)
48	REAR WINDOW (1954)
49	INTOLERANCE (1916)
50	LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, THE (2001)
51	WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
52	TAXI DRIVER (1976)
53	DEER HUNTER, THE (1978)
54	MAS*H (1970)
55	NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
56	JAWS (1975)
57	ROCKY (1976)
58	GOLD RUSH, THE (1925)
59	NASHVILLE (1975)
60	DUCK SOUP (1933)
61	SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS (1941)
62	AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)
63	CABARET (1972)
64	NETWORK (1976)
65	AFRICAN QUEEN, THE (1951)
66	RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
67	WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? (1966)
68	UNFORGIVEN (1992)
69	TOOTSIE (1982)
70	CLOCKWORK ORANGE, A (1971)
71	SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)
72	SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, THE (1994)
73	BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)
74	SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, THE (1991)
75	IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (1967)
76	FORREST GUMP (1994)
77	ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN (1976)
78	MODERN TIMES (1936)
79	WILD BUNCH, THE (1969)
80	APARTMENT, THE (1960)
81	SPARTACUS (1960)
82	SUNRISE (1927)
83	TITANIC (1997)
84	EASY RIDER (1969)
85	NIGHT AT THE OPERA, A (1935)
86	PLATOON (1986)
87	12 ANGRY MEN (1957)
88	BRINGING UP BABY (1938)
89	SIXTH SENSE, THE (1999)
90	SWING TIME (1936)
91	SOPHIE’S CHOICE (1982)
92	GOODFELLAS (1990)
93	FRENCH CONNECTION, THE (1971)
94	PULP FICTION (1994)
95	LAST PICTURE SHOW, THE (1971)
96	DO THE RIGHT THING (1989)
97	BLADE RUNNER (1982)
98	YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)
99	TOY STORY (1995)
100	BEN-HUR (1959)