For some reason there were two different versions of the latest Harry Potter movie released on DVD. There's the no-frills version out there for about $20. There's also the special edition version out there for about $22 (at the same store). It includes all the bonus material that you'd expect. There are deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and that standard annoying game you have to play with your DVD remote in order to unlock other special features.

You may be asking yourself why would anyone even bother with the no-frills version? If you could peer into our house at our DVD shelf, you might even following that up by asking yourself why did that moron buy the no-frills version?


Both good questions. There's only one reason I can think of to buy the no-frills version. One wants to watch the movie right away, that person wants to own it, and the store is out of the special edition. Oh, and one is holding a 2 year-old who is ready to leave the store.

Aside from that very small, but all-too-applicable, reason why would anyone not spend an extra couple bucks and get the one with all the extras? None. Why did they even release both version and price them like that? What two possible Harry Potter-loving demographics are separated by $2?

"You know, I liked the movie, but two dollars... Maybe I'll just buy 'Leprechaun 4 - In Space'."

I don't usually blanketly recommend things for people to watch, but I am really enjoying the latest Doctor Who series airing on Sci-Fi. Don't worry, it is not a Sci-Fi Channel original. It's the British series that aired last year.

Even if you don't know anything about the good Doctor, this is a great show. You'll probably want to see the establishing first episodes in this latest series to catch you up if you don't know anything about Dr. Who.

Luckily, since it aired in England last year, the DVDs are on their way (7/4/2006). I'm sure Netflix will have them to add to your queue soon.

If you're not excited already, here's a little track that I've been singing ever since we watched the first episode:

The Timelords - Doctor'n the Tardis

An amazing thing happened to us this weekend. We saw two separate movies that were based on comic books that did not suck. Yeah, you read that right. Two movies that were not the excrement of some studio trying to make a quick buck by adapting an already-loved graphic novel to the big screen. I know. I'm still a little dizzy from the thought of it.

First off there was a belated DVD viewing of "Batman Begins." Then we hit the theaters to see the long-anticipated "V for Vendetta." Neither sucked rocks. In fact, both were really good. I even had high hopes for V. I was not disappointed.

The interesting thing is that these movies had a central theme in common. The concept that a single person fighting against the system can be killed, but an idea cannot. A revolutionary idea is what will bring sweeping change; not a being of flesh and blood. Because of this concept, both main characters wore masks to become an idea instead of just a person.

It's also interesting to note when a movie is well received, it almost always reflects directly on the current state of affairs. Both are about radical political change. Both are about righting a government in the wrong. Some argue that it's a valve that sedates the public from taking action. Others argue that it acts as a call to arms. Either way, it's interesting to note.

Whenever I get a new cell phone, I'm very excited. Then, the next week, a new phone is unveiled that makes my week-old phone look like it should be on a museum shelf with reel-to-reel tape recorders and ColecoVision.

It has been the common joke around our house for me to let our 2 year-old son play with my cell phone (after putting the security lock feature on, of course) and saying aloud, "Be careful. It'd be a shame if you break it or dad would have to go buy a cool, new Razr for himself." That always gets a laugh. At least from me.

The other day I noticed my phone was a little more flexible than usual. Upon further inspection, I realized that the top part of the flip phone was only connected to the body of the phone on one side. Whoops. Time for a new phone, right? Wrong. If I wait two months, I get a Razr for almost nothing. If I get it now, it'll be really costly. Plus, my phone still technically works. It just needs a little more "attention" to get it to open and close properly.

Moral of the story? Be careful what you wish for. Or at least, be careful what you wish your 2 year-old son to do to your expensive electronic equipment.

While watching this sequel to the surprisingly re-watchable "Miss Congeniality," I realized something. It's an oft-used plot tool for mystery stories (especially in the comedic vain). Let's call it the Casual Remark Epiphany.

One character makes an innocuous comment that sparks a case-solving fire in the detective character's head. For example...

Person #1: "Man, this coffee is boiling hot."
Person #2: "Wait. What did you just say?"
Person #1: "This coffee is boiling hot."
Person #2: "That's it! I just solved the case!"

What I realized is that one can only use the CRE, if you will, once per story. Once. Not twice. Not thrice. Once. Do you hear me Marc Lawrence? If it's used correctly, it's a very amusing plot device to propel the story onward. Unfortunately, this movie used their allotted CRE moment and then went on to do it again! Not to mention there was a third very similar moment (not a true CRE, but close enough) to make this sequel armed and conventional.

Wait...armed and conventional? That's it!

After a recent life-changing cup of coffee, I bought the exact same coffee as I had at the restaurant and made a pot. It was terrible. Don't get me wrong. It's not that it just wasn't as good as at the restaurant; it was really bad coffee.

And so began the quest for the perfect cup of coffee at home.

I have had many a casual conversation with baristas and roasters and have acquired a handful of interesting facts about making coffee. Here are some of the more interesting ones...

1) Hot coffee is good coffee
The optimum temperature to brew coffee at is 205° (that's a little below water's boiling point). After learning this fact, I took a candy thermometer to our brewing pot of coffee and it was 150°. Maybe that's why our coffee is tasting so horrible...

2) French press is bad for cholesterol watchers
With a french press, there's no filtering. It just pushes the grounds to the bottom of the pot. Therefore, all the oils from the beans remain.

3) French press = $$$
One goes through coffee at an alarmingly fast rate when using a french press. It takes a lot more coffee beans to make a cup o' joe than the drip method.

What did I learn? I learned that french press coffee isn't the best choice for us and our coffee maker is slowly dying. The quest continues, but for now it's a good thing Starbucks is so close.

While on the coast last week, I came across this interesting brown bottle. It had obviously had a long oceanic journey. Not only did the appearance seem to tell an epic, briny tale, the bottle was Japanese in origin. Unfortunately, there was no rolled up piece of paper in it. It was seemingly empty. Oddly enough, the cap was screwed on.

I wanted to take it home and wash it off to fully examine this strange find, but I stopped myself. If years of watching B movies have taught me anything, it's that you should under no circumstances open, play with, or break some mysterious object you find lying around.

How do I know there isn't a demi-god that has been imprisoned in there for centuries whose wrath would be relentlessly unleashed upon the world? I don't. So I put it back.

If a world-ending catastrophe originates on the Oregon Coast in the near future, I just want to say this. I didn't do it.

Whenever I board a plane these days I look around to decide if the plane were to crash would I want to die in the fiery explosion or be stranded on a haunted, uncharted island with the annoying people sitting next to me.

It's always such a tough decision.

I read once that the last ten minutes of a movie can make or break the whole thing. If an amazing movie ends up being "all a dream" then that's the part the audience remembers. They walk out of the theater thinking the whole movie is terrible.

To that point, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" was a very clever movie, but the last ten minutes were banal, predictable, and seemingly pointless. It was a shoot-out. I won't say more than that if you, my faithful reader, have not seen this movie yet.

The climax of the movie was a big old, guns a-blazin', bullet shells flying, balls o' explosive fire shoot-out. Did it advance the plot? Not really. At least nothing more than could have been done by one bullet or one line of dialogue. Was it something new and exciting? Nope. Pretty typical for any action movie.

I'm going to say that if the ending was as clever and amusing as the rest of the film, I would have really enjoyed this one. Alas, it was not meant to be. I can just hear the studio exec now. "No, no, no! Nobody will want to see an action movie with an ending like that. Where are the explosions? Where are the nameless extras falling over railings and flying through the air? Now, that's how you end an action film!"

Boom!

It's the morning after the 78th time that Hollywood's elite have thrown a party for themselves to celebrate that they are still a movie making force with which to be reckoned. Yea us!

What I find even more amusing is the media's need to cover everything except the actual awards. I've seen more press coverage on the dresses, hairstyles, shoes, handbags, dates, and comedic moments of the show than who actually won a little naked guy.

I'd say it's even worse than the Superbowl coverage being overshadowed by the commercials. On the news this morning they showed clips of Jon Stewart's amusing quips and the paper had a full-color layout of red carpet attire.

Didn't people win some awards last night? Something about movies that didn't completely suck? Anything? It's almost like someone has to streak or do some one-armed push-ups to make the morning news.

Come on, crazy Hollywood types, you can do better than that. You all got upstaged by a carpet. I expect crazier scene-stealing antics next year. After all, it's not about the awards. It's about the spectacle.

I come to you today with some shocking news. Are you sitting down? Braced? Have you assumed crash positions? Good.

We are no longer going to watch "Lost."

The decision was made official this morning when Wendy deleted all three unwatched "Lost" episodes that had backed up on our TiVo.

It's not that "Lost" is a bad show. In fact, I really like how it's very different from most shows on television. I wouldn't even consider bad-mouthing it. Even if it's momma was on the hefty side. It just doesn't hold any magic for us. We watch all our other recorded shows before we begrudgingly agree to watch the 2-4 "Lost" episodes that have been setting on the hard drive. We both find it interesting to watch, but have never once uttered, "Oh, man. I can't wait to see what happens next week on 'Lost.'"

So, good-bye and good luck to "Lost." We hardly knew ye.

Bishops Barbershop.

A place where I can get my hair cut at a reasonable price by inked rockers while sipping on some Miller High Life (in the bottle of course).
It's not a contrived theme like Punk Rock Lane at Disneyland or anything. It just happens to fill a certain niche. A niche of people who don't care about the glamour of ultra-modern hair salons but don't really want some 80 year-old guy named Murray cutting their hair. It's just a good place to get a laid-back cut.

And just in case you were wondering, yes, you can keep sipping your beer while being trimmed. Just keep it under the cape and take swigs between cuts.