Light The Cauldron

Inside Llewyn Davis

Release Date: January 10, 2014

Who was in that one again? Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garret Hedlund, Justin Timberlake

I can't remember the plot. The story follows a down-on-his-luck folk singer in the winter of 1961. Llewyn bums nights on his friend's couches and tries to make his folk singing solo act the real deal, even though his work in a duo was better...before his partner committed suicide. It's only a couple of days, but anything that could go wrong for Llewyn does, and everyone he knows really doesn't like him. That's about it.

The review: I was hoping for more in this movie, but it just ended up being a movie about a schmuck. A schmuck who ends up with a cat for the first half of the movie, and then goes on a road trip for another part of the movie, and then everything goes to pot in the last part of the movie.

Thank goodness this movie had some songs in it, because Isaac is a very talented performer. He does four or five s…

I am incredibly guilty.

I have a huge obsession with the Olympics - summer and winter - and don't really understand the huge popularity of the World Cup.

I could come here and give you a bunch of reasons why the Olympics are better than the World Cup, but in the grand scheme of things aren't they the same?

Both are run by organizations who proclaim peace, love, and sportsmanship, but then spend most of their efforts accepting bribes and sucking money out of the host city while alienating that same city.

Both create grand arenas for the games played, which most of the time end up being used only for the grand event, and then aren't used at all and become huge eyesores. That is what will probably end up happening to the arena in Manaus, Brazil, where the US team has been playing matches. And that is exactly what happened to many of the venues used in Olympics as recently as Beijing and Greece. (This video shows some of the abandonement.)

Both have the eyes of the world focus…

A couple of weeks ago, I was chosen to be a new blogger for the website TouringPlans.com, a blog that provides vacationers to the Disney and Universal Parks tips and hints to help them have a successful holiday. In my new position, I hope to give some of my own insight and tips to vacation planners as they try to make their trips happy, unique, and fun. 
But how did I get to this point? How was I able to secure a job on a (mostly) Disney Parks-oriented blogging site? What life experiences have I achieved in order to attain this position?
Take a walk with me, will you? 
1988...
I am a mere 3 years old. My parents decide it's high time that my family visit That Place Everyone Always Talks About - AKA Walt Disney World. And being the smart parents that they are, they ask my grandparents to come along to help with the kiddos. (My brother was 6 and my sister was 1.) 
I didn't get too much out of this vacation (being that I was 3), but I do know one story that has been passed down fr…

I can't believe I'm doing this, but SPOILERS AHEAD! Do not read this article if you don't want to find out what happens in the movie How To Train Your Dragon 2. It also has spoilers for the first movie, too. Just go and see them. They're amazing. Then come back and read this. M'kay?

How To Train Your Dragon 2


Release Date: June 13, 2014

Who was in that one again? The voice talents of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Cate Blanchett, America Ferrera, Craig Ferguson, Kit Harrington, and Dijimon Hounsou 

I can't remember the plot of the first one. "This is Berk." Berk is a land full of viking warriors who are always battling dragons that are stealing food and animals. The son of the chief, Hiccup (Baruchel), shoots down and wounds an elusive Night Fury, whom he restores back to health in secret and befriends. Hiccup also learns how to ride a dragon instead of kill it, going against his father's (Butler) wishes. He ignores his "dragon training" and i…

When a child goes to a Major League ballpark for the first time, often they come with a glove. The glove - large or small - is already strapped to that child's hand as they enter the park, hundreds of feet away from any actual baseballs being thrown. The child is excited because their dad or mom has told them "You might catch a baseball tonight!"

Do you know how many of those children come away from the game with a game-used baseball?

According to the Fake Book of Statistics, about 2%. The rest of them wonder why in the world they brought this sticky piece of leather in the first place, forget their glove at the bathroom, cry that they never got a ball, or leave with a baseball...that their parents bought for too much money at the team store.

It's assumed by children that eventually they or their parents will get that piece of game-used spherical glory. The end result is me - a near-30-year-old who has been to many games in her life, yet never came away with any ball…

Rush

Release Date: September 27, 2013

Who was in that one again? Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Bruehl, Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara

I can't remember the plot. Two Formula One racers compete against each other in the 1970s - based on a true story of racers James Hunt and Niki Lauda. Hunt (Hemsworth) is a brash playboy from Great Britain and Lauda (Bruehl) is a focused, self-serving Austrian. Both have ups and downs, but Lauda ends up in a horrific accident during a race in Germany, and still comes back to race at the end of the season.

The review: Formula One racing is not very well-known in the States, but this movie does its best to explain in simple terms how it works. It doesn't dwell too much on the cars and more on the character development. Hunt is shown as a man driven by speed and women, but he can be understanding of his rivals. Lauda is driven by his ueber-knowledge of the sport, but develops a weakness when he meets (dun Dun DUN!) a woman!

I liked the movie - it was qui…