Vacancy seems to have a whole new meaning!

The whole car broken down, middle of nowhere, and check into a seedy motel plot with a gruesome twists has been done to death (No pun really intended) over the years and producers seem to think if you throw a couple of well-known actors into the mix, the movie will somehow be good. Such was not the case with the movie, Vacancy.

With the strong casting of Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson, viewers might think that some validity had been cast to such a theme, but I would beg to differ. To be frank, the movie was downright boring and horrible. Every scene was predictable and poorly acted and at times it seemed like the two were going threw the motions because perhaps they signed a contract to do this movie about a motel that lures in guests/victims to produce snuff films.

While I kind of got a kick out of the evil and quirky motel manager, there was little else positive in this movie and sadly it even spawned a sequel. In my book, it gets a sold “D.”

How LOST did you get this season?

Unless you have a crystal ball, or indeed are in touch with the minds of the writers of LOST, it’s hard to imagine that you can really have much a solid idea where this show is going after the season finale. With one season left, the 5th season two-hour finale delivered more clues and twists than perhaps any other episode in the show’s history, but yet if you’re at all like me, you may have found yourself, well, lost at the end.

Did the bomb stop a catastrophic event that caused the plane to crash and return the future to the way it was meant to be or did the explosion of the hydrogen bomb just keep things the way they had been? In a way, it’s sort of the ultimate cliffhanger, but if you think about it, if the events that caused the plane to crash never happened, well then there wouldn’t be much of an exciting season 6. That being said, I thought the plot tied some loose ends while opening others. The writers intended no resolution from this episode and perhaps more questions than can possibly be answered in one final season, but then again, this show has always had a way of winging it and keeping debate alive. If nothing else, next season should be epic on all fronts!

Mickey Rourke beat more than the odds with The Wrestler!

I have to admit that when the Oscars came around, I hadn’t seen many of the movies up for awards, but yet I had favorites. Having watched a documentary on Harvey Milk while in college, I was partial to the triumphant and yet tragic story of this San Francisco municipal legend, but to be honest, I felt that Sean Penn was just too political in his public life to make me want to cheer for him.

And then there was Mickey Rourke. Oh, Mickey; I know what most people think – the guy’s a whacko and perhaps their right in many ways, but who doesn’t love an underdog? Had I seen The Wrestler? Nope, but I was pulling for Rourke to win the Oscar. Why? Well, there’s that underdog thing I mentioned, there’s the fact that I used to watch wrestling for many years and had been fascinated by some of the hardships the real life guys went through, and then there was a little known movie that came out in the late 1970s, was directed by the same guy that did The Deer Hunter, and starred a young Mickey Rourke. The film, The Year of The Dragon was a gritty and dark tale of the Chinese mafia in New York and was a powerful and riveting movie that left a strong impression with me.

And even after Milk won the Oscar, I could tell that there was still pride in Mickey Rourke’s smile. Perhaps he knew that he wasn’t the sexy and popular choice among his peers, but when Sean Penn gave his speech; I sort of got the feeling that Sean Penn thought Rourke deserved it, too. Not only did that raise my respect for Penn, but it made me want to see The Wrestler more than ever.

About a week ago I sat across the dinner table from my brother-in-law and we talked about this movie. I was admittedly surprised that he’d seen it and more surprised at how much he’d loved it. I got goose bumps as we talked about the raw emotion the film evoked and the true-to-life and daring performance Rourke gave. If I could tell you to watch one movie this year, The Wrestler might be it. Why? I’ve got goose bumps writing this now!

When you want more than just great mountain bike parts!

As someone who spends a large majority of his time on the slopes, in the winter or summer, I go through ski and bike equipment like it’s going out of style. One thing that has always been important to me is being able to buy quality mountain bike parts and at the same time, get piece of mind that I’m buying the best. DirectBicycleParts.com is the place I go because it’s more than just an online retailer – get cycling tips, news, and even neat things like cycling terminology , all in one place.

For Harper's Island, setting is everthing!

One of the aspects of the CBS show Harper’s Island is the setting. Like with anything, the right setting can make or break any situation or in this case, television show. Having a somewhat cozy murder mystery set in the wilds of Washington with it’s tall pines, rocky coast, typical coastal architecture, and even rustic furniture make the story more realistic and more appealing to people such as myself who like to look past just the plot and explore some of the details others don’t appreciate.

Do you know the right service to host you entertainment blog?

Everyday there are more and more people voicing their opinions on popular culture, not unlike what I do here on Fire Still Walks With Me. I chose my hosting site for various reasons and knew what I wanted and needed. But what if you’re the average Joe who wants to do the same, but don’t know where to go to get started with your new site? Some of the things you’ll want to consider are cost, storage space, and web options. Different web hosting companies offer different packages that may be ready for the site you envision or even some that will tailor a specific package to suit your individual needs, but before you get to that decision, you should read up on your choices and check out ratings and reviews.

When choosing a webhosting service, you also need to consider the type of operating system you have, what you plan to do, how much you want to spend on a monthly or annual basis, and even the length of time you want to commit to a particular service. Some hosting services are going to be better for sites that have lots of pictures or videos and that may be particularly important if you plan to host a website like this blog. As with anything, the more research you do, the better and more informed decisions you will make.

Tropic Thunder was surprisingly good!

I’ll admit that for the longest time I balked at seeing Tropic Thunder. Perhaps it had something to do with Tom Cruise being involved or maybe it was just that I didn’t really care to see a Vietnam-era spoof. And then last Friday night I caved to my wife and we rented it up at the mountain. Suffice to say, I was pleasantly surprised at how good this movie was.

The plot was obviously far-fetched and the comedy was a times over the top, but the acting was so great for a comedy. Robert Downey Jr. absolutely killed it and yes, I thought Tom Cruise was hilarious.

Yes, this movie could be found offensive to just about every save, color, creed, etc, but I can’t remember to many other times when we’ve rewound the DVD so many times to get a double-take of a scene. If you’re at all like me and haven’t given this movie a chance, rent it now!