http://www.robbernard.com/ Blogging Daytonnati, the nation, and the world. en-us robert@robbernard.com 2012-12-03T16:20:46-05:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://www.robbernard.com/archives/002080.html 2080@http://www.robbernard.com/ 2012-12-03T16:20:46-05:00 http://www.robbernard.com/archives/002079.html It's Oscar time once again, so that means it's time for my yearly best and worst of list for the previous year. The Best of 2010: 1. Black Swan 2. Inception 3. The Social Network 4. The King's Speech 5. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World 6. Inside Job 7. True Grit 8. Tron: Legacy 9. Toy Story 3 10. Easy A 11. Shutter Island The Worst of 2010: 1. Repo Men 2. The Illusionist 3. Piranha 3D 4. GasLand 5. Clash of the Titans 6. The Expendables 7. Cop Out 8. Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps 9. Knight and Day 10. The Wolf Man 2079@http://www.robbernard.com/ Movies 2011-02-25T15:34:16-05:00 http://www.robbernard.com/archives/002078.html Oscar time again so time to wrap up my 2010 movie viewing now that most of the movies I need to see have made their way to Ohio. (I'm looking at you "The Tempest" and 3/5 of the Best Foreign Language Film nominees...) Still hoping to squeeze in "Waste Land" before Oscar night. By release date: January, 8Leap Year January, 15The Book of Eli January, 22 LegionJanuary, 29 When in RomeFebruary, 5 From Paris With LoveFebruary, 12 Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning ThiefFebruary, 12 The Wolf ManFebruary, 19 The Ghost WriterFebruary, 19Shutter Island February, 26Cop OutMarch, 5The Secret of KellsMarch, 5Alice in WonderlandMarch, 19Repo MenMarch, 19The RunawaysMarch, 26How to Train Your DragonMarch, 26 Hot Tub Time MachineApril, 2 Clash of the TitansApril, 9 Date NightApril, 16 Exit Through the Gift ShopApril, 16 Kick-AssMay, 7 BabiesMay, 7Iron Man 2May, 21Shrek Forever AfterMay, 28Prince of Persia: Sands of TimeMay, 28 MicmacsJune, 4Get Him to the GreekJune, 11The A-TeamJune, 11Winter's BoneJune, 18Toy Story 3June, 18I am LoveJune, 23Knight and DayJune, 25Dogtooth June, 25RestrepoJuly, 9 The Kids Are All RightJuly, 9 Winnebago ManJuly, 9 Despicable MeJuly, 14The Sorcerer's ApprenticeJuly, 16 InceptionJuly, 23SaltJuly, 30 Dinner for SchmucksAugust, 6The Other GuysAugust, 13 Scott Pilgrim vs. The WorldAugust, 13 The ExpendablesAugust, 13 Animal KingdomAugust, 20Piranha 3DSeptember, 1The AmericanSeptember, 15GasLandSeptember, 17The TownSeptember, 17Easy ASeptember, 24Waiting for SupermanSeptember, 24Wall Street 2: Money Never SleepsOctober, 1The Social NetworkOctober, 8Inside JobOctober, 15HereafterOctober, 15Red November, 5 MegamindNovember, 5127 HoursNovember, 5 Due DateNovember, 12UnstoppableNovember, 19Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part INovember, 24 Love and Other DrugsNovember, 24 TangledNovember, 26The King's SpeechDecember, 3Black SwanDecember, 10The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn TreaderDecember, 10The FighterDecember, 10 The TouristDecember, 17Tron: LegacyDecember, 17Rabbit HoleDecember, 22True GritDecember, 22Country Strong December, 25 The IllusionistDecember, 29 BiutifulDecember, 29Blue ValentineDecember, 29Another YearDecember, 31Barney's Version That's 76, a new high. 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2078@http://www.robbernard.com/ Movies 2011-02-25T15:03:20-05:00 http://www.robbernard.com/archives/002077.html 2077@http://www.robbernard.com/ Movies 2011-01-25T10:09:04-05:00 http://www.robbernard.com/archives/002076.html It's incredible how immersive the game is and how such an simple control scheme manages to just draw you in. You're constantly on guard for what the next choice is going to be, and at times it becomes clear that they simply intend for you to fail. Just like the characters you're playing there are simply some things you can't do. You miss 3 buttons in a row and something bad happens and you realize that seems like exactly what was supposed to happen. I shot and killed a man today, and I find that it's really sticking with me. I find myself going back over the scenario and trying to figure out what I could have done differently to avoid that. Maybe if I'd just intervened a little earlier... I don't know. But the thing is, I never consciously made the choice to shoot him, but at the same time I didn't do it accidentally. I tried to talk him down, but it just came to a point where, with how he was talking, I felt certain that he was about to shoot my partner and instinct took over, I pulled the trigger. And I immediately thought "Holy crap, I just shot him..." It wasn't conscious, and it's not as if I accidentally bumped the button, at that moment I was just so immersed in the game that I instinctively knew that at that moment I had to do that. And I find that amazing, and I'm left wondering what that instinctive choice means for the rest of the game... 2076@http://www.robbernard.com/ Media 2010-03-13T21:05:18-05:00 http://www.robbernard.com/archives/002075.html And now that I have 2009 out of the way I can finally get around to my best and worst of the decade list... The Best of the '00s: 1. Amelie 2. Once 3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 4. Vanilla Sky 5. Mulholland Drive 6. Brother, Where Art Thou 7. Spirited Away 8. The Departed 9. WALL-E 10. The Dark Knight 11. Moulin Rouge 12. Love Actually 13. Garden State 14. Up in the Air 15. Lost in Translation 16. Thank You For Smoking 17. In America 18. Spider-Man 2 19. V for Vendetta 20. Punch-Drunk Love 21. Juno 22. Artificial Intelligence: AI 23. Memento 24. There Will Be Blood 25. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 26. Saved! 27. The Incredibles 28. 300 29. Across the Universe 30. Watchmen 31. Super Troopers 32. Keeping the Faith 33. (500) Days of Summer 34. American Pie 2 35. Minority Report 36. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow 37. Brothers 38. Up 39. Ratatouille 40. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within 41. Meet the Robinsons 42. The Dreamers 43. Donnie Darko 44. The Mummy Returns 45. Children of Men 46. Hot Fuzz 47. Stranger Than Fiction 48. The Whole Nine Yards 49. The Boondock Saints The Worst of the '00s: 1. Envy 2. Little Nicky 3. Bedazzled 4. Shallow Hal 5. The Happening 6. 28 Weeks Later 7. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra 8. The Final Destination 9. Million Dollar Baby 10. John Q 11. Pulse 12. Little Black Book 13. Southland Tales 14. Smiley Face 15. The Ex 16. Bewitched 17. Nacho Libre 18. Date Movie 19. The Fast and the Furious 20. Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny 21. Grandma's Boy 22. Harold & Kumar, Escape from Guantanamo Bay 23. The Phantom of the Opera 24. Scotland, PA 25. Hot Rod 2075@http://www.robbernard.com/ Movies 2010-03-04T17:00:24-05:00 http://www.robbernard.com/archives/002074.html It's Oscar time once again, so that means it's time for my yearly best and worst of list for the previous year. The Best of 2009: 1. Up in the Air 2. Brothers 3. Watchmen 4. Crazy Heart 5. The Young Victoria 6. A Single Man 7. Moon 8. The Hurt Locker 9. A Serious Man 10. Up 11. An Education 12. The White Ribbon 13. Paranormal Activity 14. (500) Days of Summer 15. Precious (Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire) 16. Inglourious Basterds 17. The Hangover 18. Paris 36 19. Sherlock Holmes 20. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus The Worst of 2009: 1. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra 2. The Final Destination 3. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen 4. Drag Me To Hell 5. Fanboys 6. Race to Witch Mountain 7. Coraline 8. Bride Wars 9. 9 10. X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2074@http://www.robbernard.com/ Movies 2010-03-04T16:53:00-05:00 http://www.robbernard.com/archives/002073.html Once again it's time for the annual list of movies from the previous year which I've seen, timed with the Oscars to give me a chance to see the films that take some time to make their way to Ohio. January, 9 Bride Wars January, 16 Paul Blart: Mall Cop January, 23 Inkheart January, 30 Taken February, 6 He's Just Not That Into You February, 6 Fanboys February, 6 Coraline February, 13 The International March, 6 Watchmen March, 13 Sunshine Cleaning March, 13 Race to Witch Mountain March, 20 Duplicity March, 20 Knowing March, 20 I Love You, Man April, 3 Paris 36 April, 3 Adventureland April, 10 Observe and Report April, 17 State of Play May, 1 X-Men Origins: Wolverine May, 8 Star Trek May, 15 Angels & Demons May, 21 Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins May, 29 Up May, 29 Drag Me To Hell June, 5 The Hangover June, 5 Away We Go June, 12 The Taking of Pelham 123 June, 12 Food, Inc. June, 12 Moon June, 19 The Proposal June, 24 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen June, 26 The Hurt Locker July, 1 Public Enemies July, 15 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince July, 17 (500) Days of Summer July, 24 In the Loop July, 31 Funny People July, 31 The Cove August, 7 G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra August, 7 Julie & Julia August, 14 District 9 August, 21 Inglourious Basterds August, 28 The Final Destination September, 9 9 September, 18 The Informant September, 18 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs September, 22 Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf or Death September, 25 Paranormal Activity September, 25 Surrogates September, 25 Coco Before Chanel October, 2 A Serious Man October, 2 The Invention of Lying October, 9 Couples Retreat October, 9 An Education October, 16 Where the Wild Things Are November, 6 The Men Who Stare at Goats November, 6 Precious (Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire) November, 13 The Fantastic Mr. Fox November, 13 The Messenger November, 20 The Blind Side November, 25 Me and Orson Welles November, 25 The Princess and the Frog December, 4 Up in the Air December, 4 Brothers December, 11 Invictus December, 11 The Lovely Bones December, 11 A Single Man December, 16 Crazy Heart December, 18 Nine December, 18 The Young Victoria December, 18 Avatar December, 25 It's Complicated December, 25 Sherlock Holmes December, 25 The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus December, 30The White Ribbon That's 75, the most since I've started keeping track. 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2073@http://www.robbernard.com/ Movies 2010-03-01T16:42:07-05:00 http://www.robbernard.com/archives/002072.html 2072@http://www.robbernard.com/ Movies 2010-02-02T09:18:31-05:00 http://www.robbernard.com/archives/002071.html Yes, the weather was miserable yesterday, and yes, having the home opener a week later might lessen the chances of that kind of weather, but that totally misses the point of Opening Day. Opening Day just wouldn't be the same after a week of games. What's great about Opening Day is the sense of newness and optimism. Every team is 0-0 and there's still that chance for the Reds to go 162-0. If they started on the road then all that is ruined. When the team comes back 4-3, 3-4, or 0-7 then why even bother? Then reality has set in. Opening Day isn't about reality. It's about hope and rebirth and the belief that this year anything is possible. 2071@http://www.robbernard.com/ Baseball 2009-04-07T09:46:22-05:00 http://www.robbernard.com/archives/002070.html Limited of course to the movies I've seen. The Best of 2008: 1. WALL-E 2. Synecdoche, New York 3. Slumdog Millionaire 4. The Wrestler 5. The Dark Knight 6. Frost/Nixon 7. Gran Torino 8. Revolutionary Road 9. Milk 10. Iron Man 11. Vicky Cristina Barcelona 12. Rachel Getting Married 13. The Reader 14. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 15. Doubt 16. In Bruges The Worst of 2008: 1. The Happening 2. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay 3. Run, Fat Boy, Run 4. Yes Man 5. How to Lose Friends & Alienate People 6. The X-Files: I Want to Believe 7. Be Kind Rewind 8. Eagle Eye 9. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 2070@http://www.robbernard.com/ Movies 2009-02-20T13:46:12-05:00 http://www.robbernard.com/archives/002069.html Once again it's time for the annual list of movies from the previous year which I've seen, timed with the Oscars to give me a chance to see the films that take some time to make their way to Ohio. January, 18Cloverfield January, 18Cassandra's Dream January, 25Rambo February, 8In Bruges February, 14Definitely, Maybe February, 14Jumper February, 22Be Kind Rewind February, 22Vantage Point February, 29The Other Boleyn Girl March, 7Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day March, 7The Bank Job March, 14Horton Hears a Who March, 21The Hammer March, 2821 March, 28Run, Fat Boy, Run April, 4Leatherheads April, 11The Visitor April, 18Forgetting Sarah Marshall April, 25Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay May, 2Iron Man May, 9Speed Racer May, 16The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian May, 22Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull June, 6Kung Fu Panda June, 13The Incredible Hulk June, 13The Happening June, 20Get Smart June, 27Wanted June, 27WALL-E July, 2Hancock July, 11Hellboy 2: The Golden Army July, 11Journey to the Center of the Earth July, 18The Dark Knight July, 25The X-Files: I Want to Believe July, 25Man on Wire August, 1Frozen River August, 6The Pineapple Express August, 13Tropic Thunder August, 15Vicky Cristina Barcelona August, 22Hamlet 2 September, 12Burn After Reading September, 19The Duchess September, 26Eagle Eye October, 3Rachel Getting Married October, 3Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist October, 3How to Lose Friends & Alienate People October, 10City of Ember October, 10Happy-Go-Lucky October, 24Synecdoche, New York October, 24The Changeling October, 31Zack and Miri Make a Porno November, 7Role Models November, 12Slumdog Millionaire November, 14Quantum of Solace November, 21Bolt November, 26Milk November, 26Australia December, 5Frost/Nixon December, 10The Reader December, 12The Day the Earth Stood Still December, 12Gran Torino December, 12Doubt December, 17The Wrestler December, 19Yes Man December, 25The Curious Case of Benjamin Button December, 25Valkyrie December, 26Revolutionary Road That's 67, the most since I've started keeping track. 2007 2006 2005 2004 2069@http://www.robbernard.com/ Movies 2009-02-20T11:07:28-05:00 http://www.robbernard.com/archives/002068.html 2068@http://www.robbernard.com/ Movies 2009-01-22T09:07:48-05:00 http://www.robbernard.com/archives/002067.html BS "Cheer Cincinnati, Cincy will win. Fight to the finish, never give in. You do your best boys, we'll do the rest boys. Onward to victory!" 2067@http://www.robbernard.com/ Cincinnati 2008-11-29T20:45:46-05:00 http://www.robbernard.com/archives/002066.html A week and a half ago 300,000 people were without power here. Traffic lights weren't working for days. Today the power goes out again in large parts of Kettering, Centerville, and Beavercreek and people STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WHEN A TRAFFIC LIGHT ISN'T WORKING?!?! Seriously?! A week and a half ago NO traffic lights were working. How have people not figured it out yet?! 2066@http://www.robbernard.com/ Dayton 2008-09-26T10:20:55-05:00