Epilogue to 2005

Robert wrote a good post about his accomplishments for the year and he encouraged others to do the same as well. So here's my list for year:

• Received a bachelor's degree: only about 25-30% of Americans have bachelor's degrees. I figured a long time ago that it doesn't really matter where you get your degree because getting one is the important part.
  
• Aged out from Pacific Crest: the maximum age to be in youth drum and bugle corps is 22. I turned 22 during the season, it was my fourth season with the corps, and it was the best season of my life. It wasn't the best in competitive terms, but it was the best because of the people I was with.
  
• Graduated with honors: The honors part was a big accomplishments. I wanted to show my parents they spent their money well.
• Gambled in Vegas for the first time: Bryan showed me the ropes and I did pretty well at the poker tables. It was dollar tables, but I didn't want to lose a lot, nor did I win a lot. Nonetheless, it was fun and it seemed like a passage into adulthood.

That's all I got. No international sales of cheap wine or inside maneuvering with political hotshots. I'm the political outsider that laughs at all the crap politicians say and go through. I've always said that being a commentator, like Andy Rooney on 60 Minutes, was the sweetest job. You just sit there, complain about anything, and earn a big fat check. On the other hand, I would also like to own a restaurant/pub in the future. I could do both. People drink their beers while I sit up there and rant.

Oh yes, I would like to list the best movies I've seen this year. It wasn't that great of a year for movies. Well, I didn't see that many movies either. Here's my list and comments:

1. Batman Begins: I have been waiting for a Batman like this since the horrible raping of the Batman franchise by Joel "I'm a hack" Schumacher.
   
2. King Kong: The over-the-top action sequences on the island work well only because it's Peter Jackson. He times the action like a ballet. There's a suspense, comedy, and tragedy. Good times.
3. Wallace and Gromit, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit: Loved Wallace and Gromit when I was younger and I still love them. I don't say these words often, but it was adorable and cute. Oh yeah, and it was funny. There are some double entredres that make the movie much funny because you know the kids won't get them. Finally, Hutch the Rabbit...creeeepy.
4. Syriana: A complicated movie only because the subject matter itself is complicated. The oil industry is made up like a big machine and the movie shows the small cogs. Some of the characters know they're part of the machine and others don't. It's up to you to find out how they work with each other.
5. Wedding Crashers: I didn't care much for the romance between Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams, but the rest of the movie was classic frat-type comedy (much like in the flavors of Old School, Anchorman, and Animal House).
6. The Producers: Every time I see a film adaptation of a musical, I think it goes on way too long. Phantom of the Opera, West Side Story, Chicago...all too long. Same goes for the Producers. However, it was good and over the top funny. The acting was superb and Will Ferrell proves he can never ruin a movie.
   
7. Munich: A brilliant message, but flawed direction. Acts one and two were good, but the last act was way too long and drawn out. Steven Spielberg's decision to focus mainly on Eric Bana's character was a mistake. When you make a movie about the large and complicated situation in the Middle East and when the movie has so many characters, focusing on just one person is insignificant and pointless.
   
8. Star Wars, Episode III: It took all the table scraps of George Lucas and put them together in a somewhat satisfying ending to the horrible prequels. I think the prequels cemented the fact that Lucas is a hack as a director and a screenwriter. Remember the rumors that Steven Spielberg offered to direct Episode III? Oh, the nerd inside me yelled out, "Yeeeessss!" (in high pitched nerd voice).

Finally, here is the most disappointing movie of the year: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Yuck. What an unsatisfying piece of a movie. Everything in the movie seemed bland, dreary, and creepy. Way to go Burton. Please moving beyond that creepy personality and do what good directors do: adapt.