Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Indiana Jones movies operate in their own universe, where seemingly anything can happen, and usually does. Despite that, at first I thought I could describe this movie in one word: excessive. However, I soon realized my error. The newest Indy installment is FANTASTICALLY excessive. Often times I found myself wondering how many more bad situations old man Jones could get himself into. Sometimes I questioned where (if anywhere) the movie was going. But throughout the entire thing, I felt the sense of wonder and excitement that the Indiana Jones series so well instills in viewers.

That being said, this movie was nothing like I had expected. For once, I decided to not read up on this one. Not even a review. Due to this, a couple of times throughout the movie I found myself slightly lost in the plot. Not a good thing, considering most movie-goers probably don't extensively research their choices. Plot ambiguity aside, I loved this movie. The actors were great (Shia LaBeouf wasn't even annoying!), there were familiar characters, and no action scenes were spared with this one. In fact, so much happened to Indy and his party that at times it felt like they had crammed three Indiana Jones movies into one, something that originally put me off just a little bit. As the movie progressed, though, I came to realize that excessive action is what makes an Indiana Jones movie so good, and it's what people want from these movies. People want to believe that a normal person like a teacher can set off on an amazing adventure. It takes me back to a time when I felt that the Earth wasn't completely explored, and maybe there still is something mysterious waiting to be found, even if it was only true in my imagination. That's what I liked most about this movie.

7/7

Gatorade Tiger

Red Drive: Taking the trophy for red thing with least taste, this flavor is my least favorite. Should be called 'Red Nothing.' If I wanted some watered-down juice, I'd grab my beloved Vitamin Water. 

Cool Fusion: Has a good taste to it, much stronger than Red Drive. This one's actually kinda refreshing, and because it's sour, it's also decent at the great sport of thirst-quenching. Leaves a sort of sour aftertaste though, not too pleasant. 

Quiet Storm: This thing is so amazingly grapey it's creating a storm in my pants. Hands down the best flavor. Not too strong, but easily strong enough, you'll be sad when the last drop is gone.

McDonald's Southwest Chicken Sandwich

BAD McDonald's. Trying to fool me. I'm a big chicken fan, so I got kinda excited when I heard about a "Southwest Chicken Sandwich." But upon eating said sandwich, I was quite disappointed. It was a strange sort of disappointment though, because the sandwich is actually good; it might even be better than the plain ol' McChicken. The reason for this is that there is a marked difference in the..."chicken"... used in each product. They kinda incriminated themselves by having two different types of chicken in two of their sandwiches. Unless "McChicken" is a specific breed of chicken...

Anyway, like I said, the Southwest Chicken Sandwich is a good sandwich. The problem is, it's just plain chicken. There's nothing Southwest about it, including the fact that it was served to me in the Southeast. That being said, it does satisfy the requirements for being a chicken sandwich: chicken and bread. And it's actually a pretty filling item. The meat is tender and seemingly real, so that's usually a plus. Not a big fan of the pickles that come on it. Not a big fan of pickles on anything, but especially not this sandwich, due to conflicting tastes. Basically, if you like chicken sandwiches, this is for you. If you want anything more than that, go elsewhere.

4/7

Superbad

If you're as sick of hearing "I am McLovin" as I am, raise your hand.  Superbad is about a couple dorky teens who will do anything for sex before college. That's basically it. That's why it's so surprising when you actually see it; this movie sets itself apart from 98% of the rest of this ridiculous genre. It's stupid, loud, and obnoxious but it's also smart, hip, and absurd enough to keep it engaging. 

A semi-auto-biographical story penned by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, this movie is obviously a comedy. In most aspects, it succeeds. It's got the penis jokes; it's got crrrraaazy situations; it's got hilarious awkwardness. It pushes past comedy at moments, though. Apatow and crew are notoriously good at pulling back the facade of reality and exposing human nature. To have done that successfully in this genre of movie is an accomplishment.

5/7

Sierra Mist Undercover Orange

Orange soda is a staple in the soda industry, but for some people, it's just not enough. In an age where multi-tasking is now automated as breathing, people may turn to multi-flavoral items to retain that element of delicious, chaotic chaos. So it should be no surprise that orange would become that third wheel for the couple that is lemon-lime.

Is it really necessary, though, to improve on the legendary lemon-lime partnership? And what's wrong with the many varieties of orange soda out there? Although to  the experimental drinkers mixing of the two seems like a natural idea, Sierra Mist's "Undercover Orange" promotional soda for the movie "Get Smart" fails to seal the deal. It's almost as if the lemon-lime and orange flavors have a water-and-oil relationship; the flavors seem to repel against each other, while simultaneously taking advantage of my taste buds. And my taste buds don't want it. The carbonation level of this drink is through the roof. As soon as it hits your tongue, the liquid disappears and is replaced by little, fizzy bubbles that do nothing to quench thirst. Sierra Mist should get smart and take this stuff off the shelves before anyone notices it exists.

1/7

RAZR

My friend Ben got a RAZR when they were first released. Upon toying with it in the Cingular store, my distaste for this product developed and bloomed. A few years having past, my little plant has grown into a fiery-red bouquet of ... well, I'll spare the dramatics. Simply put: I can't stand this phone. Perhaps it's due to the fact that 96.5% of Homo-Sapiens own one; it might be the offensive colors it comes in; maybe it's the way it reminds me of a "futuristic" 1950s movie prop. Most likely, however, it's the fact that this phone is just awful.

Given that the phone has a few decent characteristics (it's thin...that's all that comes to mind actually), most of the important parts on this phone are quite sub-par. There's a mini-screen on the front of it when it's closed. A nice concept, but I've honestly known people who have had theirs installed upside-down. Well, that could be a factory mistake. Next, there's the hardware. The operating system in every RAZR I've ever used is unexplainably laggy. The keypad is completely flat and one piece, ensuring maximum error probability. There's an unnecessarily large block at the bottom of the phone. The charger outlet is open, knobby, and uncomfortable. But that's all just my opinion. If I had to own a RAZR, though, I'd be much more inclined to use it for something other than making calls.

1/7

Natasha Bedingfield - Pocketful of Sunshine

Natasha Bedingfield had a string of hits from her debut CD, Unwritten, in 2004. These earlier singles had an optimistically youthful, care-free feeling and addictive hooks that made her endearing, a guilty pleasure. On her second effort, she trades in the carpe diem attitude for that man-crave that we all get from time to time.

    Most of the lyrics deal with one subject: Men. While this muse has produced gold in the past, after 10 songs it starts to sound desperate. The hooks are still there this time around, but they're not as sharp. Composed of 1/3 club anthems, 1/3 ballads, and 1/3 pop songs, "Pocketful of Sunshine" just doesn't have standout tracks like "Unwritten" did. Bedingfield is a great singer - a fact that she might acknowledge too much. As far as show-offy riffs go, she's approaching Christina Aguilera. However, I'm not saying this is a bad album. Maybe a little over the top, but in general it's very accessible, and will appeal to a broad audience. 

3/7