Confessions Of A Surveying Junkie

2 surveys in 2 days?!?!?! I know what's up don't worry, however I must admit I did a small ounce of fun doing the last one so I figured doing a second wouldn't hurt. This survey is better than the last one though, so enjoy. New Posts soon.

-Chris

Ten bands/artists you couldn't live without:
[1] 311
[2] Foo Fighters
[3] Red Hot Chili Peppers
[4] Jon Bon Jovi
[5] Aerosmith
[6] Jimmy Eat World
[7] Something Corporate
[8] Hellogoodbye
[9] Alanis Morissette
[10] The Police

Nine albums that are important to you:
[1] Foo Fighters - Nothing Left To Lose
[2] 311 - From Chaos
[3] Blink 182 - Enema Of The State
[4] Further Seems Forever - How To Start A Fire
[5] Something Corporate - Leaving Through The Window
[6] Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American
[7] Ben Folds - Rocking The Suburbs
[8] Anberlin - Blueprints For The Blackmarket
[9] Further Seems Forever - The Moon Is Down


Eight movies you'd watch over and over:
[1] Hollywoodland
[2] Back To The Future
[3] Unbreakable
[4] Ferris Bueller's Day Off
[5] Pirates Of The Caribbean
[6] Batman Begins
[7] JFK
[8] Dogma

Seven things that annoy you:
[1] Taxes
[2] People who complain about widescreen formatted dvd's, get with it!!!
[3] Senior citizens who take forever to tell a story that has no importance whatsoever.
[4] Lines for machines at the gym.
[5] Drunk drivers.
[6] My dvd player - it's a piece of shit (New Xbox360 in not-so-distant future)
[7] Movie flubs, like the vassoline that suddenly vanishes in the drawer in "American Pie" or how in "Spiderman" where Mary Jane is being mugged by four guys, Spiderman throws two of the men into two windows behind Mary Jane. The camera goes back to Spiderman beating up the other two guys. When the camera goes back to Mary Jane the two windows are fine. Fucking slackers!!

Six of your favorite songs:
[1] Foo Fighters - Everlong
[2] Billy Joel - We Didn't Start The Fire
[3] Wallflowers - One Headlight
[4] Rob Thomas - Small Wonders
[5] Good Charolette - We Believe
[6] Huey Lewis And The News - Hip to be Square

Five TV shows you watch regularly:
[1] Lost
[2] 24
[3] Smallville
[4] The Office
[5] Seinfeld (gone but not forgotten, I still watch reruns every night.)

Four of your all-time- magazines:
[1] Movie Monthly
[2] Maxim
[3] Rolling Stone
[4] Galls Catalog

Three albums you've bought recently:
[1] Dashboard Confessional - Dusk And Summer
[2] U2 - 18 Singles
[3] Hellogoodbye - Zombies!Aliens!Vampires!Dinosaurs!. I bought that about 5 months ago and I know I've bought other things since, just can't think of them right now. I have bought a lot of singles off itunes but the survey asks for albums and not singles. Yes, I sometimes only buy singles from popular radio songs off itunes instead of full albums. Yes, I can be a tool sometimes. Hey, atleast I admit it.

Two Musicians/Actors you would like to date:
[1] Kelly Clarkson.
[2] Mandy Moore.

One Band whos music would be described as writing the soundtrack of your life:
[1] Well, this is a tough one. Though after some deliberation I'm going with the Foo Fighters. Yeah, that'll work. Or Michael Jackson.... just kidding.


AFI or Coheed and Cambria: Coheed, no doubt.
Nirvana or AC/DC: Oh god! Nirvana.
Dashboard Confessional or Bright Eyes: Never even heard of Bright Eyes, does that make me less cool? So I guess I'll have to go with Dashboard.
Avril Lavigne or Fefe Dobson: Is Fefe Dobson still around? Haven't heard from her in a while. Oh, my answer is Avril.
Something Corporate or Yellowcard: WTF!!!! Something Corporate!
Puddle Of Mudd or Staind: Ummmmmmm, I don't think so.
Britney or Christina: Eh, Britney.
Justin or JC: Bitch or Butch?
Nick or Aaron: Who wrote this survey anyways?!
The Spice Girls or Hilary Duff: I'll admit it, when I was 12 I had the Spice Girls album. Spice Girls.
Hoobastank or Incubus: Incubus... duh!

---------ABOUT YOU---------
`Name: Chris
`Birthday: 3-1-84
`Hair Color: Dirty blond, now that I have hair again
`Eye color: Blue
`Skipped School: Oh god yeah!
`Kissed/French?: I am 23
`Loved someone/who/how manys times?: Can't say.
`Brothers/Sisters: 1 sister.
`Your Bedtime: Depends.

---------HAVE YOU EVER---------
`Ever been so drunk you blacked out: Never actually.
`Put a body part on fire for amusement: Can't say I did.
`Been in a car accident: Not while I was driving, few close calls though.
`Been hurt emotionally: Incredibly.
`Kept a secret from everyone: Yes.
`Wanted to hook up with a friend: Surely.
`Cried during a Movie: Guilty as charged.
`Had a crush on a teacher: My art teacher in high school was pretty hot.
`Ever thought an animated character was hot?: Jessica Rabbit all the way!!
`Had a New Kids on the Block tape: HAHAHHAHAHA! Ummmm no.
`Been on stage: Several times.
`Cut your hair: Shaved it for 9 months straight.
`Been sarcastic: I live therefore I am.

---------FAVORITE----------
`Shampoo: Suave
`Soap: Ivory
`Color: Blue
`Lace or satin: I don't know actually.
`Cartoon Characters: Peter Venkman (Real Ghostbusters)
`Fav Food: Cheeseburger
`Fav Outfit: Jeans and Polo.
`Fav Advertisement: Any with William Shatner. SHOP! COMPARE! SAVE!
`Fav Movie: Currently - Hollywoodland
`Fav Ice Cream: Cookies and cream.
`Fav Subject: TV/Film production.
`Fav Drink: Tropical Citrus Vitamin Water

------------RIGHT NOW------------
`Doing: Online survey, aduh.
`I'm feeling: Warm.
`Eating: Going to get something soon.
`Drinking: Nothing yet
`Thinking about: Errands to do today.
`Listening to: Itunes
`Talking to: Nobody

---------LAST 24 HRS---------
`Cried: Nope
`Worn a skirt: Ummm, Im a guy.. but yes I have ;-)
`Met someone new: Think so.
`Cleaned your room: I clean it everyday.
`Drove a car: A few.

----------DO YOU BELIEVE IN----------
`Yourself:Always.
`Friends: Yes.
`Santa Clause: Not anymore.
`Tooth Fairy: Never actually
`Destiny/Fate: Used to.
`Angels: Sure
`Ghosts: Why wouldn't I.
`UFO's: Yes, but only the nice ones like "Close Encounters", not the mean ones from "ID4" or "War of the Worlds" though those movies kicked ass too.

Bored Before Work.

Greetings friends,

Chris here. Few hours to kill before work so I thought I'd do a little survey. Enjoy it guys. New posts soon. Later.
-Chris

ALL ABOUT U
*THE BASICS*
NAME:	Chris
BIRTHDAY:	3-1-84
AGE:	23
SINGLE/TAKEN:	Single
IF TAKEN,BY WHO:
SIBLINGS:	Kelly
CURRENT LOCATION:	Point Pleasant
BIRTHPLACE:	Same
PARENTS NAME:	Jan/Bill
PARENTS STILL TOGETHER:	Yes
*HAVE U EVER*
SMOKED:	No
BEEN DRUNK:	Yes
CRIED IN SCHOOL:	Yes
CHEATED ON SOMEONE U LOVED:	No
IF SO WHO:	No one
EVER BEEN IN LOVE:	Not sure
TOLD SOMEONE U LOVED THEM AND DIDNT MEAN IT:	Think So
SHOPLIFTED:	No
BROKEN DA LAW:	Ha, not likely.
GOT IN A FIGHT:	No
WHAT WAS THE REASON:	Eh, it's pretty technical.
LOST A BEST FRIEND:	Never.
*FAVORITES*
COLOR:	Blue
CAR:	Honda Element
FOOD:	Cheeseburgers
DRINK:	Tropical Citrus Vitamin Water
SEASON:	Fall/Spring
SONG:	HMmmmmm.. Tough one, changes a lot. However I'd have to go with "Everlong" by the Foo Fighters
MOVIE:	Adult- JFK / Kid- Back To The Future
BOOK:	"Night Fall" by Nelson Demille
CANDY:	Red Hot Dollars
QUOTE:	"I make it cool to be a dork" - Myself.
DAY OF THE WEEK:	Saturday.
HOLIDAY:	Christmas is pretty good.
T.V SHOW:	Sitcom - The Office / Drama - Lost
PERFUME:	Ummmm if I wear cologne it's Ralph Lauren
SPORT:	To watch - Football / To do- Weightlifting
*ArE yOu*
UNDERSTANDING:	Yes
CARING:	Sometimes
GIVER OR RECEIVER:	Both
NICE:	Sometimes
ANNOYING:	Not at liberty to say, ask some ex-girlfriends.
SPOILED:	Again.... ex-girlfriends.
PICKY:	Extremely.
CRY BABY:	Nah, I'm not a cryer. Unless "Shawshank Redemption", "ET", or "Jack" is on. Then it's Niagra Falls all the way.
SENSITIVE:	All depends with who I'm with.
ROMANTIC:	Again... depends.
MEAN:	Only when I want to be.
*????'s*
HOW MANY THINGS DO U REGRET:	Not many actually. I can't say I regret rather that I learn from my mistakes.
DO U REGRET BEING WITH SOMEONE:	Hmmm I did regret not getting it right with someone but I got over it, moved on, and learned from it.
DO U MISS ANYONE..WHO:	Same person.
DO U WANT KIDS:	Very much, 5 years or so.
WANT TO GET MARRIED:	Yes. Again, in another 5 years. 28 is a good age to start I think.
DO U HAVE A CELLPHONE:	Yes a razor. I like these new palm-pilots though. After I get my 360 and Video Ipod those will have to be my next electronic investment. Soon, very soon.
WHATS THE NUMBER:	411 it dude.
WHATS YOUR BEDTIME:	Don't really have one, just depends if I'm tired. Also I can work late sometimes so it depends on what time I get out of there.
HOW MANY TIMES HAVE U BEEN IN LOVE:	Not sure.
WITH WHO:	Hard to say since I wasn't sure.
ARE U IN LOVE RIGHT NOW:	Nope.
WITH WHO:	Nobody.
ARE U STILL IN LOVE WITH AN EX:	Absolutely not.
WHO:	Jeez, did you not understand my answer from the last question.
DO U LIKE SOMEONE:	A few.
WHO:	1 or 2 girls from the gym.
DO THEY KNOW:	I think so. I've been meaning to ask one out but she hasnt beent there in a while. Damn!! Oh well, it'll happen when it happens.
*LAST*
PERSON U TALKED TO:	Bob
PERSON DAT CALLED UR PHONE:	Bob.. again.
MISSED CALL:	My dad.
PERSON U HUGGED:	Kelly.
PERSON U KISSED:	Wow, Ummmm not sure. Been a while.
THING U ATE:	Peanut Butter sandwich.
SONG U SANG:	I hummed a few bars to DMB's "American Baby", does that count?
PERSON U SENT A TEXT MESSAGE:	Lori, she's infamous for that.
PERSON TO SEND U A TEXT MESSAGE:	Vereb
PERSON TO LEAVE U A VOICEMAIL:	My mom
PERSON U WROTE A LETTER TO:	Ummmm not sure. I think I sent out some emails to the guys at work.
PERSON THAT WROTE U A LETTER:	Guy from work.
MOVIE U SAW:	Video - "Blood Diamond" / Movies - "Smokin Aces", both were excellent and worth checking out. Oh and both had gorgeous female leads, Jennifer Connelly and Alicia Keys. WOW!
PERSON TO MAKE U MAD:	I don't really get mad.
PERSON TO MAKE U CRY:	Not a cryer.
PERSON TO BREAK UR HEART:	Hmmm not sure.
PERSON TO SLAP U:	Kelly, hahaha. All was forgiven however.
PERSON TO STEAL UR HEART:	Ummm 5th Amendment.
PERSON U YELLED AT:	Not a yeller.... well, almost not a yeller.
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Catch And Release

Okay,

I know I've been doing an awful lot of film reviews and pop-culture related blogs lately and I assure you, those will be less and less often and I promise to have more with topics about personal issues and things going on in the world. So take this blog for what it is and enjoy it.

Last night I caught a film that I'd expect that I'd hate and it turned out I loved: "Catch and Release". Now, I'm not a big fan of romantic comedies or chick flicks although there are some I've fallen victim to. However, I feel that there was bad marketing done with this film since I feel only a portion of it dealt with romance and female-issues. This isn't so much a film about love as much as it is a film about friendship.

What first attracted me to this film is the fact that Kevin Smith (brilliant entertainer whether it be directing, stand-up, or acting) had a role in it. I expected it to be a glorified cameo but instead was wowed when he turned out having a major role in the film and in fact, he's the third credited actor in the credits. On top of that, one might think he's in the film merely as comic relief - and he is, but he's also the voice of reason in the film which I thought was excellent.

The movie itself starts at a funeral. Gray (played by Jennifer Garner) is grieving with having lost her in a sudden accident the day before her wedding, which I don't think they explain. Doesn't matter anyway, guy is dead - end of story. So now, she's left to live in their house together with his 2 roomates Sam (Kevin Smith) and Dennis (Some other guy). Sam very funny and easy-going but also very naive. Remember when I said he was also the voice of reason? Well, it's funny how his character is written; not only is he a little dimwitted but he's very honest about life and lighthearted which makes his character even better. Dennis (Sam's brother, played by the other guy), is the very responsible by-the-book kind of guy who can be bit of a control freak and keeps Sam in line sometimes. There's also Fritz, who is this ultra-cool Advertising Exec who ends up falling for Gray and vice-versa - that's the love story segment.

The films main theme is a group of friends coming to terms with themselves and the fact that their best friend has just died. It's a personal journey of acceptance and looking to the future, something I didn't expect out of it and something I learned a lot from - and saying I learned something new and important from a movie truly says something. Skeletons come out of their dead friends closet which everyone must come to terms with, even Gray; but by the end everyone is able to accept what's happened and move on to the future.

I really enjoyed the movie because it deals a lot with friendship and looking to the future rather than being a cliche' romantic film. Kevin Smith truly stole the movie however everyone in it acted really well. I do plan on getting this movie to own so that I can watch whenever I feel discouraged about something negative that happened so I can get some guidance. I guess it will go on my shelf next to "High Fidelity" (the ultimate break-up movie) which I watch whenever a girl breaks my heart.

I already mentioned this movie to some people I know and everyone so far has said the same things and have all said they liked it. I recommend it to anyone who wants to watch a good light-hearted movie or to anyone who needs a little motivation to look for the future.

This is probably my last movie blog for a while, I'll try to put more blogs up about myself and about issues out there. However, it's hard for me to do blogs about myself since I try to avoid putting my job and whatnot on the internet. Anyways, look for new posts and enjoy the weekend. Later guys.

Chris

Were Ready To Believe You

Well folks, I can no longer officially wait to get my XBOX 360. It looks as if a "Ghostbusters" game is coming out for the 360 in the not-so-distant future and it looks quite impressive. Expected to come out sometime this fall or winter; we can expect to see Peter, Egon, Ray, and Winston showing some "pre-historic bitch how we do things downtown".

Also, a new installment of the series "Ghostbusters: Generation" is slated to come out early this fall with a whole new cast of characters. I've been following the development of the film frequently and it looks real well done.

It's good to see franchises and series from my childhood making a comeback. Too bad, "Back To The Future: The Ride" has been closed forever to make way for a new "Simpsons" attraction, though I'm sure it will be awesome. If you're a frequent visitor of youtube.com you should check out some of the fake demos made for "Back To The Future" the game, looks great. Anyways, I'll be back with more posts and updates of the game and movie and life later.

-Chris

& To Your Left

Yes,

That's correct. The picture you see in the top left corner is me 15 years ago in my power wheels with Kelly (the little sister). One of my favorite pictures of us from our childhood I added a bunch to my computer and decided to post one right on the blog. There might be more to come, so stop on by and see what else I might have in store. New posts soon.

-Chris

DVD Frustration

Friends and strangers alike will always consider me a true and noble film-buff and they're right. I admit it, I am a true movie fanatic and I am proud of it. To me, there's no better way to spend a rainy afternoon then on your favorite chair with a stack of dvd's to let the time go by whether they're new, old, rented, or personal favorites. And, if you consider yourself to be a true film-buff then chances are you own your good share of DVDs in an extensive and eclectic library.

I can remember the first DVD I ever bought, I was 15 years old and a sophomore in High School. It was on New Years Eve and I was at The Wiz in Monmouth Mall where I purchased my first DVD - "Deep Blue Sea" (yes, that shark movie with Sam Jackson). Since then my taste in movies have gotten better, much better and my collection in DVDs has gotten large, much larger. So much that I have run out of room on my shelves and racks and had to resort to keeping them under my TV in the cabinet; because, well lets face it, if they can't all look nice as a collection then why put them out in the first place.

Also, when one movie-buff meets a fellow movie-buff don't be surprised if they get into a verbal competition to see who's the cooler (or geekier) of the two by comparing what DVDs they own and how many copies they have. I myself have gotten into this debacle my share of times, sometimes winning and sometimes losing. Hey, nobody is perfect.

So if you didn't already figure when a new hit film has come out it would seem logical for any film/DVD collector to run out and purchase it for his/her collection library. Correct. That's exactly right, and why wouldn't we. I can't tell you how many times I've set my alarm early and have change my schedule around just to get to Best Buy to get a copy of a brand new released DVD I wanted hot off the presses. There have been times when I've been the stores first customer to get the movie I've been dying to own, a scary thought I know.

Okay, I think you get the point. This blog is not about me or my DVD collection, but merely an introduction on where my frustration comes from. What this blog is really about is how Hollywood literally robs its customers with DVDs. No, not with prices (although that can be argued as well) but with the actual DVD releases. Or to be more specific, the amount of releases a film actually gets on DVD.

Lets be more specific, perhaps even use an example.
"Fantastic 4" as seen to your right is an actual DVD released about 2 years ago. Okay, great. And if you were a fan of the movie (which I wasn't), but nonetheless if you were there was nothing to prevent you from running out and buying this film for your collection. Then you would own "Fantastic 4", own it forever, enjoy everything it has to offer and then you wouldn't have to worry about buying "Fantastic 4" ever again. Right? You'd think that, but no. Get this, check this out.
Look below. That's right, "Fantastic 4" a Special Edition DVD has come out. Oh, and it wasn't released with the first DVD; No, that would make it somewhat acceptable. This DVD just came out within the past month. What the hell is that? Do they expect us to buy the same movie more than once? Why couldn't they just release the full package all at once in one box? No, that would be too easy. Instead they rip off their customers by releasing on DVD at one time and then BOOM, a few months pass and they release a newer better edition of a film. So if you owned the first version you were now left with having to get his other if you wanted to enjoy its deleted scenes, special features, and such. What a rip-off? Why couldn't just one box set be made? What's so hard about that? So now any and all "Fantastic 4" fans feel naked without the newest version of their beloved film and they must go out and spend another 20+ dollars if they want everything the film has to offer. What a jip.

And believe it or not, this sort of thing happens quite often. More often then not and I have become victim to this horrid excuse of Corporate America Rape of Film Loving Citizens. So I hope you get the point so far on what this blog is actually about. No I'd like you to bear with me a while, while I give you a little rundown on scams I've fallen victim to and inexcusable robberies that have taken place on this countries soil.

Superman: Yes, even the Man of Steel has become guilty of robbing it's loyal fanfare with several releases of of the same films. Check this out: "Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition". Wow! What a great buy, and more importantly it has every major "Superman" film ever released and then some - "Superman - The Movie", "Superman II", "Superman II - The Richard Donner Cut", "Superman III", "Superman IV - The Quest for Peace", "Superman Returns". So you'd think if you were a Superman fan this DVD collection would hold you over forever, right? Wrong! Notice the name of the box set: "Ultimate Collectors Edition", I don't know how "Ultimate" it will be when "Superman 6" comes out in 2009 and the 7Th installment come out after that. And Brian Synger has already announced they're in the works. What is that? So what? Are you telling me there are going to be 2 more "Ultimate Collector's Edition"'s to follow. What will they be called "Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition 2 & 3". So why would Hollywood release a box set when the whole collection isn't finished? I'll tell you why. To rip us off, and we all fell for it. Even me. What a rip off. So out of curiosity I took it upon myself to see how many versions "Superman Returns" actually was made on DVD on it's release. Take a guess. Give up: 9. Yes, 9 different editions of the same movie all within a year of it's DVD release. That is a joke.

Indiana Jones: In 2003 all our dreams came true. "Indiana Jones" made his debut onto DVD in what's called : "The Adventures of Indiana Jones - The Complete DVD Movie Collection". Note, the "Complete" in the title. Well, I don't know if you've been living under a rock but "Indiana Jones 4" is already in the works as we speak. So does that mean that another box set of the series will have to be released. Probably, and what about everyone who bought the first box set? Were screwed. What a jip. One question: will the title of the old box set be changed to "The Adventures of Indiana Jones - The Incomplete DVD Movie Collection"? Just a thought.





The Matrix: Okay, anyone with half a brain knows that this is a DVD essential. So with that in mind 3 years ago at the completion of the trilogy your best buy was "The Ultimate Matrix Collection". And why wouldn't it be? 10 discs, all 3 movies, plus the animatrix series. Truly essential. And then what happens. This: Yeah that's right. The release of "The Complete Matrix Trilogy". Packed for
your viewing pleasure of all 3 "Matrix" films with Brand-Spanking-New features. Well, what about the 10 disc "Ultimatrix" edition. What a frigging rip-off!





The Departed: Okay, this is where the gloves come off. Yes, the Best Picture of 2007 and Scorsese himself have ripped us off big-time. I just counted on Amazon.com and there are 7 different versions of this film released on DVD. Count em: 7. And not just a "Special Edition" DVD, that would be too easy. No there are actually 3, yes 3 different "Special Editions" of this film besides just the actual plain old widescreen/fullscreen formatted DVDs. Let's take a few seconds to actually talk about each quote-unquote "Special Edition" version of "The Departed". The 1st "Special Edition" and probably the most popular is just a 2-disc set. One disc is the feature in widescreen and the second disc is special features. Okay, that doesn't sound bad. In fact, it's a good deal. Only thing now is that there are 2 more "Special Editons". The second is a 2 disc edition, probably the same as the other. Only this one, comes in a metal-tin case and has collectible art. And now, for the 3rd: This one has the same 2 disc edition only this package comes with the script of the film. Here's an idea: NO! Wouldn't the more productive solution be this: A 2 disc edition of the film (1 the feature the 2ND the special features), collectible art, the script, all packaged together in a metal-tin case. That would contain everything in 1 package instead of 3 different versions of the same freaking thing!! What a waste of manpower, money, and products. No wonder resources in this world are so low, too much mass-production of different versions of the same thing. Thanks for nothing Scorsese!!



Do some research for yourself and you'll see how many versions of the same film are actually out there. And you'd be surprised on how many films this actually happens with: dozens and dozens. Go shopping for some of your favorite films on amazon or best buy and you'll see what I mean. I'd post every singe one if I could but there's only so much time in 1 day and I just wanted to give you only so many examples before your brain went numb with dorkiness. But, I think you get the point on what I'm trying to explain. Be careful in your DVD shopping future. Later guys.

-Chris

Soundtrack & Such

Yes Yes Yes,

Everyone what you hear and what you see to your left is true - the soundtrack to my life & my blog. It's a compilation of all my favorite songs from favorite bands, albums, and movies. Each song is something special and means something to me and I love them all deeply. Some for obvious reasons, while others not so obvious. I hope you like the songs and enjoy the tunes while you read. Take care everyone. New posts soon.

-Chris