The Equalizer

I remember watching the tV show The Equalizer. An ex-special operative slaying his demons by helping those in need. I liked the show. I wish it lasted longer and showed us more about who and what McCall was.

Now there is a movie of the same name. based on the same show. This one stars Denzel Washington as McCall.

The lead in was slow. But not bad.

Having watched the original TV series it was hard not seeing a little white dude as McCall. But it was Denzel!

I kept expecting everything to be a background. Especially working for "Home Mart". A cover ID while he helped someone who contacted him. That was my mistake. Stop expecting the TV show I knew and go based on what was in the movie. Bad mistake.

Taken on its own as a "new" thing it was still damn good. For a rehashed thing. ;)

I loved the TV show. The whole redemption thing with McCall. His past and how it affected things,

And I loved the same things about this movie. But for different reasons. This McCall didn't take out an advertisement. He saw the people around him who needed help and tried to help them. That is an equalizer.

Which leads to an interesting question. In the TV series people came to him. In the movie he saw the people in need and went to them. Which is better?

For me, it worked. It had Denzel and it had an interesting plot. It works. (Even though I still expected some triple or quadruple layer of backup. And 3/4 of the way through I am still expecting it.) :)

So, this could be the prequel to the TV show. Regardless, I like it. Yeah, there is something to be said for the asshole getting it in the end. Prequel. Fuck yeah. :)

A Tale of Two TV Shows

Revolution ... the back story was actually more interesting than the main story. The main story, all electricity shorted out somehow. Some magical/scientific thing cancelled all electricity. But some magic amulets allow it to work. I found myself not caring when the next episode came out.

Arrow ... a revamped Green Arrow. The back story is as interesting as the main story. Both stories are damn good and leave you wanting more. I want more! Now!

Cindy Lauper

Cindy Lauper played a psychic on the latest episode of Bones. (Ok I originally wrote this over a month ago and am just getting around to posting it.) She sounds the same on TV as she does in person. :)

It reminded me of the 1st and only time I saw her in concert. This year. I missed the first few sets of her concert and saw the rest. When I got there she was doing the Blues. I never knew she moved into the Blues in her later works. She was fantastic. At times you could tell she was straining herself. But it was a great concert.

What really stuck out was how much of a control freak she is. Ok, that may be harsh. Or maybe it isn't. She stopped the concert a few times to chastise the band. They weren't playing to her standards and she would stop everything and set them straight. It turns out that during their rehearsal before the concert she fired her sound man for not being good enough. The back up guy was given the job and went on tour with her. 

I say control freak. A friend says perfectionist who wants to make sure her fans are getting their moneys worth. Hard to say who is right.

Oh, and considering her age, not saying if she did or did not have work done, nice tits. :)

Anthony Bourdain - No Reservations - Japan

They were showing the episode of No Reservations where Bourdain went to Osaka a few years back on Travel & Escape. One of his comments when he was in a restaurant with 2 comedians was so true and so sad.

They were at a restaurant where you grilled up your own octopus balls. Bourdain quiped about how this would not flay in the US due to liability issues. He said something to the effect of "alcohol, hot grills, and sharp objects mean this would never work in the US". It is sadly true for Canada too. Their insurance companies would have a fit and jack their cost up until it was too high to pay.

It isn't even the combination here. In Halifax the Korean restaurant I knew of,before going to Korea served you the samkyubsal cooked. When asked why the owner said it was because the customers complained about the smell. What a bunch of wussies. So you smell of a little meat. Hell in Korea the restaurants usually have a bottle of febreeze or soemthing so you can get rid of the smell. If that is the only reason you don't like a place it is pretty sad.

NHLTV again.

For a change they are actually showing classic games. It would have been nice to sit down and watch one, especially considering they are old enough that I forget or don't know the outcome. Except for one problem.

When you go to the channel it tells you what the game is and the outcome. It looked something like this.

From 1979: Montreal at Boston in Game 4 semifinal-round series. The Bruins got by Montreal 4-3.

Why the hell tell the ending?!?!?!? If I wanted to know before watching the game I would look it up on the internet. Instead my interest in watching the game evaporated because I know how it ends.

They do this for every game. What a bunch of Icetards!!!!

War of 1812 (History Channel)

I just watched the part mini-series War of 1812 from the U.S. History Channel, as opposed to the Canadian one. It was disappointing.

Going by the show you would think that the war started when the British invaded the US. Also there were only 3 battles of note, 2 of them connected. The sacking and burning of Washington and the subsequent battle of Baltimore. Lastly, the Battle of Baltimore, which took place after the peace treaty was signed. I expected the series to be US-centric but it not as bad as it was.

If you REALLY want to learn about the War of 1812, in all its glory as well as stupidity, I would suggest reading Pierre Burton's 2 book series on it. It is well written, researched, and shows both sides fairly.

A Cook's Tour - Mexico

I was watching A Cook's Tour - Mexico - Tamales And Iguana Oaxacan Style and some of the food started making me think about Korea.

Bourdain was given a soup called Menudo to eat. It is supposed to be good for hang overs and for stamina. It is made out of tripe (Bourdain's had belly, eye, heart, leg, lips, head, and liver. This is added to some crunchy veg and a hot spicy broth. All in all, it reminded me of sunjae haejanguk without the congealed blood but with the same colour.

Yes, Bourdain did crack wise about the Mexican group Menudo being named after tripe soup. And rightly so. :)

While I have never had a hangover my friends in Korea swore by haejanguk. I still remember the 1st time Dave had it. He was half dead when he started and within 20 minutes he felt human again.

When I lived in South Korea kamja tang was my comfort food. it reminded me of how my Mother made ribs. Now I find the reverse, Mom's ribs remind me of kamja tang and South Korea.

What the ... classic game?!?!?

I was channel surfing and noticed that NHLTV shows classic hockey games. Now that was no surprise, in fact I expected they would show classic games. I guess I just have a different definition of what a classic game would be.

To me a classic game would be the older ones, or at least games that are over 20 years old. Kind of like how a classic car is a car 20+ years old. It would also be a game that was special for some reason, be it a record that was reached, a match up of players or teams at the time, or some similar criteria. Not NHLTV.

NHLTV has a bizarre idea of what a classic game is. They have been showing games from last year under the banner of classic games. What the kimch .... errr ... maple syrup?!?!?! A game that is a year old being labelled classic? That is a pretty huge stretch of the word classic.

I wish they would show classic games. REAL classic games. I was considering getting the NHL channel once the freebie ends but really it doesn't show anything special. I can get NHL On The Fly on YouTube or download it as a torrent. The games it shows as classics I can still find on torrent sites if I wanted to watch games from last year that really weren't that special. Why waste my money? Easy answer. I won't.

Billy Connolly - Journey to the Edge of the World

I have been watching the series. It is great. One comment the Connolly made in the 5th episode, the travelouge. made me laugh. Then I realized just how true it is. He said

"I'm really fed up with people saying the kids today aren't the same. They play with their computers and they don't go outdoors.

You have ruined outdoors for them that's why they are in there! You have given them, no you have left them no where to go. There is no spare ground. Everyone is terrified that the trees are filled with pedophiles and that they are going to drop on them the minute they go around the corner away from the house."

It is funny but sadly true. We make ourselves and our kids so paranoid it is a wonder they do go out. It is a wonder that people don't have panic attacks when they see a stranger coming down the sidewalk.

It reminds me of arguments I had with one of my uncles about gay men being boy scout leaders. My uncle was active in the scouts in Ontario. The policy was, maybe still is, if they find out a troop leader is gay they get rid of him.

They have taken the fear of strangers and added homophobia to it and then bent it all out of proportion. They ignore the reality of the situation, a gay man isn't attracted to boys he is attracted to men and in my view made asses out of themselves. I am surprised it never led to a law suit. Odds are it would have in the US. Maybe it even has.

It reminds me of the asshats who think any man that likes teaching kids must be gay and/or a pedophile. Ergo no men should be teaching elementary school kids. It is ok for Junior High and High School but not Elementary. Talk about fucktards.

We are a nation of fear. We instill it in our kids and in ourselves. In ways we let it rule our lives. It is kind of sad when you think about it.

Walking Dead

As I said before I am enjoying the show. But damn they make some pretty fucking stupid decisions. If I am even in a zombiefied world I hope I make better ones. ;)

The Walking Dead

I have been watching the new TV show The Walking Dead. It is pretty much a zombie movie made for TV, based on a comic book of the same name, but it is good. Interesting characters and adventures.

The group hiding out in the woods confounds me a little. They are worried about zombies showing up but have built NO defenses. Even a rudimentary palisade would at least give them time to get in vehicles or get ready to fight back.

What the ... wedding announcement?!?!?

What is the top news story in Canada? Prince William is engaged to get married. Evidently this is a much more important story than Canada continuing it's role in Afghanistan. Or the explosion in Mexico that left Canadians dead and wounded. Or the economy. Or jobs. Or anything else that is more relevant than an engagement.

CBC NewsWorld devoted 10 minutes at the top of the hour to prattle on and on about the engagement. What did you get to hear?

The announcement of the engagement which actually happened last month.

The British PM blather about how the engagement is so important he was interrupted in a Cabinet Meeting to be told about it.

How the Cabinet stopped the business of running the country to cheer.

A CBC talking air head (female) say "As William got older I started liking the younger Prince more." What a creepy cougar. Imagine if a male announcer said that about a young woman?

CBC NewsWorld devoted almost 10 minutes of the opening news hour to THIS story???? Give me a fucking break. I can understand the news reporting this but as the top story with so much time devoted to it? That is retarded.

This is one of the reasons why I try to avoid the watching the news. It is shite. They will blather on about crap like this as a top story while much more important things are going on.

Best line!!!!

I was watching Shit my Day Says and heard one of the best lines I have heard in a while.

Dad: A job is like a woman. You find one that's easy. You hang on to it until you can't stand it anymore.

Great analogy! :) The sons comment was good too, but not as good.

Son: Or until it gives you crabs because it banged some bartender on Spring Break.

I love this show. Hope it does more than one season.

Amazing Race

One of the things I have always found stupid about the Amazing Race is that being first doesn't always give you an advantage on the next leg of the race. Yes, you may start before the others but too often all you do is hurry up and wait for an airplane or some building to open. Instead of being ahead of the pack they are right at your heels.

TV Warnings

I have been watching the odd episode of Man vs Food lately on OLN and noticed something. OLN airs a disclaimer about language being offensive to some viewers on the show. Every time they come back from commercials the disclaimer is aired.

The strange things is ... there is no swearing on the show. Unless they are worried that a vegan might see it and meat is a four letter word after all I can't understand why they would put up the disclaimer. Constantly. On ONE show where he had prairie oysters he made a ball joke. That is it.

Now while watching the show, and just before supper time, an ad comes on. It is a charity looking for donations to help lepers and fight leprosy. They show some pretty graphic pictures of what leprosy is and does. VERY graphic.

The show has to have a language disclaimer but there is nothing in front of this very graphic commercial? What the hell? Talk about taking political correctness to the point of insanity.

Parking Wars?!?!?

I had trouble getting to sleep last night and nothing good was on TV. So, I went channel surfing. Lo and behold what monumental craptastic show did I come across? Something called "Parking Wars".

Parking Wars is an A&E created reality show that looks at the Philadelphia Parking Authority. Basically, cameras follow them around as they issue parking tickets, put boots on cars, deal with people who have come to pick up their impounded vehicles, and of course heaping abuse on them for doing their job. It lasted three seasons and they are talking doing a fourth season?!?!?!?

"Who's Your daddy" is probably the lowest reality TV shows can go. Parking Wars is setting the bar pretty low though.

Hmmmm ... I have some great ideas for reality shows. Bus Wars where they fol,low bus drivers around. Mail Wars where we see the trials and tribulations of the letter carrier. Hobo Wars where they can see the life of the homeless and let end each episode with a no holds barred fight where the winner gets $20 and a card board box.

They actually pay people to do drek like tyhis? Damn. I am in the wrong job.

The Colony

Last year I watched a reality show called "The Colony". It was about a group of people simulating survival in a post-apocalyptic world. The premise was interesting.

For me it was the suspension of disbelief that I had problems with. No matter how "rough" it was they KNEW it was a simulation. or should have. The bulk of the people were some kind of mechanical, electrical, or construction genius. It was a little hard to swallow.

Not to be a horn dog but in a real survival situation where you are basically trying to rebuild society there are things that would happen that don't when you are in a controlled experiment. No couples paired off. With the attendant problems that can bring. Not a lot of lethal protection was used or made. Some was, but it was used in a non-lethal way. After all, how lethal can you make it when you know it isn't real?

There is now a second season going. The same sort of problems with belief are around.

Full of themselves.

I like watching some reality TV shows. There seems to be a trait that is common in most contestants. They are full of themselves.

Take Hell's Kitchen for example. You have Ben. all through the season Ben was going on about how great he is as a cook. He will win the competition. Now Ben didn't win very many challenges. Chefs he talked down about and to won more than him. Yet, he would whine about how he should have won. He is the better cook. Better skills, palette, training, etc. Wah wah wah.

So it comes down to the last show. he was kicked out the previous episode. He left prattling on about how great he was. What does he do on the finale, whine about how it should be him.

Dude, one of the greatest chefs in the world judged you and found you wanting. It is extremely arrogant to keep going on that you are the best. Reality showed you weren't.

I forget the guys name or the season but one guy was a complete tool in the kitchen. He was a chef. He got tossed in the middle of the season after a pretty crappy showing overall. As he left he was going on about how great he is and one day he will have a restaurant beside Ramsay and put Gordon out of business. Oh yeah, some dumb fuck who can't do basic kitchen duties is going to do that. He just looked like a whinging putz.

I suppose people that self absorbed make for interesting TV because of the controversy factor. Sometimes it is fun to hate them. :)

The Island of Mr. Sang

I like watching cooking and travel shows. In the last year or so I started watching Anthony Bourdain's show No Reservations. I had only seen episodes form the latest seasons, couldn't find a good torrent to download. Last week I found a good one on Pirate Bay with season 1-5.

I started watching Season 1 this week. Tonight I got to Episode 4 entitled "Vietnam, The Island of Mr. Sang." It sounded intriguing. Usually the titles just state the country being visited. This one was unusual.

It had all the standard No Reservations things. Bourdain partaking of the local cuisine and alcohol. He went to a Montangard village. It ended with him taking a boat to the Island of Mr. Sang in Ha Long Bay.

It started with him on a boat sailing to the island. His guide and crew were there as well as several guys in suits who were there because? We weren't quite sure.

When he arrived at the island it was like a scene out of James Bond meets Enter the Dragon. Basically it was a new resort that the government wanted free advertising for on his show. The resort didn't disappoint.

If I ever get to Vietnam I want to go to the Island of Mr. Sang!

Thirsty Traveler

I downloaded all 4 seasons of the Thirsty Travel and have started season 3. every episode has to do with some type of alcohol and the area it is from. In season 3, episode 4, the Thirsty Traveler goes to South Korea and looks at soju.

Unlike Cooking in the Danger Zones South Korean episode, it was an interesting show. I found the guy who did cooking in the Danger Zone to be a prat. The Thirsty TYraveler actually looked at a lot of aspects of drinking and soju in South Korea. Drinking customs and etiquette and original compared to modern soju. Keving Brauch, the Thirsty Traveler, wasn't condescending in the least. He gave a view of South Korea and Soju that touched even my jaded sensibilities. I recommend watching it if you haven't.

It also made me miss South Korea. I love being home but there is nothing to compare with a night out with friends in South Korea for soju and samkyubsal. Whether you go for the Korean drinking etiquette or not. I had a fantastic dinner with familty followed by a great chobia and some corona with lime. But I would kill for galbi and soju with friends.

The show also has me kicking myself for not going to Andong when I had a chance.

Tomorrow my niece is trying out a Korean restaurant with some friends. I gave her some tips. if it is any good I will be visiting. :)