The World of Joel

Well everyone I am flying away today at around 6PM from LAX to Rome, Italy! I will be in Rome for around ten days and then going to London for Four Days, and Will be returning late on the 12th of July. See you all later!

So I had the chance to go see a movie with Jenn and my Brother Jake today, and it was the new comedy/drama with Adam Sandler, Click. The idea of the movie sounds like a sure fire comedy which for the first half of the movie is true. But following what seems to be a typical Sandler comedy comes a much more thought provoking and intellectual movie that touches on real life issues. The idea of working your life away is one that I feel to be a very prevalent in today’s society and I think it is important for movies to touch on topics like this. Sandler did a great job on the serious parts of the movie, but some of the humor seems misplaced and even at times misguided. I really liked the underlying message of Click but felt the movie to sway too much in the middle of comedy and drama. For those looking for an enjoyable movie then Click may be a good choice, but doesn’t be surprised if you shed a few tears as well.

Score: 8.0/10

So today is sort of the first day of Wimbledon with yesterday being almost completley rained out, so it has been fun to check out some of the early action. Go Aggassi for winning his first match. And I wanted to say that it is just so cool to see Tim Henman win his first match. You know he doesn’t get enough credit, and I was happy to see him win, and it should be interesting when he takes on Federer. My picks for the tournament:

Mens: Roger Federer
Women: Kim Clisters

Well I can’t say I was a huge fan of the old Pink Panther movies, but that is probably because they were before my time, and the humor shows that. However I have to say that I enjoyed The Pink Panther quite a bit for a few reasons. First off it is just a simple comedy. I think Steve Martin did a fantastic job and you can see that he put a lot of hard work into the accent. I liked the movie quite a bit and if you’re in the mood for a simple comedy, this is a good choice.

Score: 8.0/10

So I can’t say I am huge on chick flicks, but I decided to update my Netflix Queue with an old favorite of mine, Notting Hill. Now I have to say that I haven’t seen this movie in over three years but when I sat back down to watch it again I was extremely impressed. Hugh Grant is really the star of the show who has the simple humor that drives the movie. For those who haven’t seen it yet, or are in the mood for a romantic comedy I would highly recommend renting Notting Hill. Hey if I am recommending a Romantic Comedy then you know it must be good!

Score: 9/10 

There was one movie that I have been looking forward to for quite some time, and that is An Unfinished life which just has a great lineup of actors with Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman, and Josh Lucas. All three give great performances in what I consider one of the best movies no one saw. I just found the movie to be really insightful and engaging and it kept my attention from start to finish. If you have some free time picked up this movie for yourself it was a great watch.

Life has its way of throwing things at you from all sorts of different angles. When I first met Jenn (my girlfriend of almost three years) I was introduced to her brother. Now her brother wasn’t like most brothers, he was kind, he was warm, and surprisingly very welcoming. Josh is a golden retriever and at the age of 11 1/2 passed away on June 11, 2006. At this time I just want to thank Josh for always being an amazing brother to Jenn. Through all the time Josh has always been there for both Jenn and I and I want to thank him for that. I beleive that one day we will all be able to see Josh again, and until then, thanks buddy for all the great memories.