Duh-nuh-nuh...duh...nuh-nuh-nuh. I scored myself a ticket to meet & greet Mick Foley the night before WrestleMania. Granted, I have no idea what to say to him--but it'll make for a great photo opportunity. Now I just need to secure a ticket to WrestleMania itself.

For this year's Royal Rumble Match, I predict Chris Jericho to win. He might even win without eliminating anyone, if the writers aibde by that schtick where he ostentatiously pumps up the crowd and then disappears.

Looks like I missed out on another Blindfold Match. From the year 2000 to now, I counted six Blindfold Matches in WWE. Five of them aired on TV unannounced. The one announced one actually took place less than an hour from my apartment...but tragically, it predated my decision to add Blindfold Match to my goals list. :(

In other news, I once again managed to screen every 2011 Best Picture nominee announced by the Academy. I'd rank them as follows:

1. "The Artist" (My rating: 9)
2. "Moneyball" (My rating: 8)
3. "The Help" (My rating: 7)
4. "War Horse" (My rating: 7)
5. "The Descendants" (My rating: 7)
6. "Hugo" (My rating: 7)
7. "The Tree of Life" (My rating: 6)
8. "Midnight in Paris" (My rating: 5)
9. "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" (My rating: 5)

Pretty surprising that "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" made their cut.

Watched movie: "Beauty and the Beast" (1991) in 3D

Although I mainly just wanted to see the "Tangled Ever After" short (featuring the wedding of Flynn Rider and the criminally short-haired Rapunzel), I enjoyed screening this Disney classic again. I forgot how piercing Belle could be when she sang or steadied her gaze. Rating: 8

Watched movie: "Underworld: Awakening" (2012) in IMAX 3D

Good to see Kate Beckinsale back as Selene and great to see her new powers in action. (Michael Corvin, on the other hand, came back totally useless.) Overall, I found the plot kind of sloppy as it just glossed over the girl's origin and why Selene and the human detective suddenly began working together (also how he could possibly know of Alexander Corvinus, the father of both the vampire and Lycan races). Rating: 6

Watched movie: "Haywire" (2012)

A light Steven Soderbergh Bourne-type movie that from my perspective, mostly just showcased Gina Carano's mixed martial arts background. Rating: 6

Can someone explain to me why some people take pictures of themselves before a movie comes on? I simply don't get it. :(

Just like "All My Children", the "One Life to Live" series finale ended with a cliffhanger. Soap operas. I didn't know the characters, so I had to look up what the ending meant.

Attended Cirque du Soleil show: "Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour"

Just think...I bought this ticket way back in November 2010 for $200. Was it worth my time and money? I'd say...sure. They did the moonwalk, "Smooth Criminal", and a thorough medley of his work (including the lesser known "Can You Feel It"), so I left the HP Pavilion happy. I never saw Michael Jackson in concert, so this show will be as close as I'll ever get. (Interestingly, I noticed that they managed to integrate the video footage from his "This Is It" tour.)

Funny how the Cirque du Soleil interpretation of Michael almost seemed like a parody. They had a mime and clowns imitating him, and a performer in a monkey suit scampering around. I think the giant sparkle glove, which danced and gestured to "Beat It", amused me the most.

All in all, quite the production. A lot of those acrobats and dancers seemed to defy gravity with ease. Rating: 8

Watched movie: "Contraband" (2012) in Cinemark XD

As far as caper movies go, I'd put this one at the bottom of the barrel. That smuggling team didn't impress me at all. Other thoughts I had:

• What on earth did the captain do to deserve a fate like that?
• For the double-cross, Mark Wahlberg's friend got beat up--but for trying to bury the wife in cement, he got...the cold shoulder? That's showing him. :P
• How would Mark Wahlberg be able to spend all that profit without getting caught?

Rating: 5

Watched TV episodes: "Napoleon Dynamite" premiere

They didn't get the humor right! It's gotta be more DEADPAN!! Those animators need more SKILLS!!! GOSH! Rating: +

Kinda sucks when a fast food commercial comes on, and I can't even taste whatever they're advertising. But I take my New Year's resolutions pretty seriously. One time I swore off Mountain Dew, and lasted the entire year without a single sip. Then when New Year's came around again, I immediately downed a whole can.

The "Napoleon Dynamite" cartoon premieres this Sunday. Yessssss. Afterward, I'll probably end up talking like him for awhile. :)

Watched movie: "The Devil Inside" (2012)

Less like good "found footage" horror and more like bad reality TV. I probably got more scared watching an empty room in the "Paranormal Activity" series. P.S. That's gotta be the slowest end credit crawl ever. Rating: 4

Looks like Edwards Santa Maria 10 now shows all of its films in Sony Digital Cinema 4K. Sweet.

As my New Year's resolution for 2012, I resolved to avoid eating anything from a fast food restaurant. I hardly patronize fast food franchises anymore anyway, so I think I can accomplish the goal. But it'll mean giving up on some guilty pleasures of mine: the occasional strawberry shake, McDonald's breakfast sandwich, and McSkillet burrito. Two important exceptions: anything from Panda Express or the IBM cafeteria. I don't want to starve. :)

Watched movie: "Carnage" (2011)

John C. Reilly still rules...as for Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, and Christoph Waltz--terribly annoying (I found the cell phone interruptions and carelessness with the barfing particularly offensive). Felt like I was trapped in the room with them, and kept wishing they would just part ways already (but alas, some new plot contrivance kept their conflict going and going). Got even worse when the alcohol came out. Rating: 5

Watched movie: "Albert Nobbs" (2011)

A disconcerting drama in that Albert Nobbs' motivations confused me to no end. Why disguise herself as a male servant instead of a female servant? Why jeopardize everything for a straight wife rather than a life of freedom from hiding? P.S. She should really stop thinking out loud (imagine if Dexter did that). :) Rating: 5

Watched movie: "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" (2011)

Another fun, commanding performance by the incomparable Robert Downey Jr. I'm glad that the film managed to make his diabolical archnemesis, Prof. Moriarty, equally formidable. Though curiously, he sure seemed oblivious to Holmes' cartoonish disguises! Rating: 7

Watched movie: "The Adventures of Tintin" (2011) in 3D

Contrived but decently entertaining motion capture feat. Rating: 6

Watched movie: "War Horse" (2011)

A bit cornier than Spielberg's previous war movies IMHO, but emotional nonetheless. I liked how the horse unbiasedly befriended various caretakers around WWI France regardless of their allegiances. Though for some of those stories, I wanted more closure (for example, did Albert ever find romance?). Side note: That British cavalry looked sharp. Rating: 7

Watched movie: "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (2011)

Although this remake by Fincher changed some of the plot points from the original, e.g., the relationship between Lisbeth and Blomkvist, I unfortunately knew what would happen for the most part. The remake also jobbed much of what I liked about the original. On the positive side, I liked the remake's crisp white scenery, the Nine Inch Nails-like score, and strong casting (except I haven't yet made up my mind about Rooney Mara's more human portrayal of Lisbeth). Rating: 7

Watched movie: "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" (2011)

Somber & uncomfortable to watch, but I guess what did I expect from a 9/11 movie. They didn't have to make the kid so overdramatic though. I thought at least Tom Hanks' mystery key would spark some kind of fun adventure, but the kid took everything so seriously that he ruined the whole experience for me. :( Rating: 5

Watched movie: "The Iron Lady" (2011)

All the makings of a third Oscar for Meryl Streep. I'm thinking she might've even played Margaret Thatcher better than Margaret Thatcher herself! As for the narrative, I didn't like all that screen time on her mental deterioration. I'd rather have seen more flashbacks where she told people off, hehe. Rating: 6

Watched movie: "Jodaeiye Nader az Simin" a.k.a. "A Separation" (2011)

An absorbing Oscar entry from Iran wherein a nasty dispute escalates between two Muslim couples. At times, I got so engrossed in the movie that I forgot it was only a movie. Basically I sided with the main husband the entire time. No way I could keep cool like him if someone got me charged with murder for shoving an intruder (who totally deserved it) out of my home. If I were him, I'd fight back by any means necessary. Actually, I reasoned that everything probably could've been resolved cleanly if not for that other husband, a hotheaded failure of a man. Oh, and that estranged wife of the main husband: totally selfish and unsupportive IMHO. So I hope that at the end, the daughter picked her father as the worthier parent. :P Rating: 7

Watched movie: "The Darkest Hour" (2011) in 3D

Really similar to "Skyline" except that the aliens could incinerate human beings and cloak themselves from sight (though their presence lit up bulbs and electric devices). Decent action and judgement calls, but sometimes the dialogue got really bad. Rating: 6

Watched movie: "Le Havre" (2011)

Peculiar Oscar entry from Finland wherein a stoic French shoeshiner harbors a stoic refugee boy with the help of some stoic friends. I'm thinking that if the characters hadn't acted like such robots, that the film could've gotten really emotional. Rating: 6

Watched DVD: "John Carpenter's The Ward" (2011)

Dull enough to give me a sense as to why this movie practically went straight to DVD. Maybe I'm just not a John Carpenter fan. Rating: 4

Watched movie: "The Way" (2010-2011)

A long scenic film by Emilio Estevez that begins with his death and then follows the pilgrimage of his inexperienced father (Martin Sheen) from France to Spain. I personally didn't find much meaning in it, but did enjoy a lot of the comedic moments. Rating: 6

Watched On Demand movie: "Autoreiji" (2010) a.k.a. "Outrage" (2011)

Like "Goodfellas" but with yakuza. Man, I had absolutely no one to root for. Rotten apples, all of them. :P Rating: 6

Sucks when the theater shows a preview so good that it steals the thunder from the feature presentation. Specifically, my excitement for "Mission: Impossible" waned once I saw the trailer to "The Dark Knight Rises". :(

Update 12/21/2011: Caught "The Dark Knight Rises" prologue yesterday at AMC Loews Metreon. Unintelligible. :( I'm thinking Bane might need subtitles.

Watched movie: "The Muppets" (2011)

Decently comical but in my judgment, completely overrated on rottentomatoes.com. Those critics must be smoking dope. :) Rating: 6

Watched movie: "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" (2011) in IMAX

Decently thrilling M:I installment wherein the obligatory pre-self-destruct warning actually comes true--the whole IMF gets disavowed--and the agents resort to some crazy desperate escapades trying to stop a nuclear terrorist attack. Basically a page out of the "24" playbook. :) Side note: I think "MythBusters" would have a field day debunking that high-tech gadgetry. :) Rating: 6

Watched movie: "A Dangerous Method" (2011)

Not much horror for a Cronenberg movie, unless you count the horrific banality of Freud and Jung as they intellectualized everything. What a couple of bores. :) Rating: 6

Watched movie: "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" (2011)

Possibly the slowest, most minimalist spy thriller I have ever seen...yet curiously, the actors made it intriguing to watch. I particular liked the scenes where that stoic Gary Oldman "owned" people. :) Interesting how we never got to see his wife or evil archnemesis. Rating: 7

Actually had trouble sleeping after last Sunday's episode of "Dexter". I think I'm worried that after five great seasons, one of my favorite shows is about to jump the shark.

My misgivings actually started in the very first scene of season six. I felt that Dexter did something unusually reckless. From there, I began growing more and more critical of Dexter's risks--risks that I found pretty careless for someone who dedicated his whole life to avoiding death by electric chair/lethal injection. As the saying goes, "loose lips sink ships".

Update 12/19/2011: Man, what a sadistic way to end this arguably throwaway season. I have to wait 9 months now?? :(

Watched movie: "Young Adult" (2011)

Another enjoyable dramedy from the minds behind "Juno", wherein Charlize Theron plays an amusingly shallow young adult ghostwriter. The film got in my head in that I couldn't stop reflecting upon what that flawed character ultimately learned (or more accurately, didn't learn). Rating: 7

If someone provoked me hard enough, I could see myself thinking much like the Charlize Theron character. :) I still remember a couple of occasions where someone called my job as a technical writer "boring". First of all, how rude do you have to be to call someone's livelihood "boring" right to their face. Second of all, I don't have to defend my career to some nobody (of course, I couldn't say any of that aloud because one of them was a little kid and the other one was closely related to an in-law). :)

So yeah, as a fellow writer I highly respected what the Charlize Theron character accomplished. Granted, her actual name on the cover might've given her ego more strokes, but I think people would've forgotten her either way. :)

Man, I hate it when movie patrons discuss spoilers as they're walking out of the theater. I find that making my eyes wander helps my brain to block the voices out. Telling myself not to listen doesn't seem to work for me. :P

Thinking back, it's a good thing I wasn't looking forward to "Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn". I think Part 1 set some kind of spoiler record for me. First, a co-worker gave away the central plot twist; then I went on to see it in a magazine, an Internet article, and the official trailer. :P If that wasn't bad enough, the reception I heard in the audience when Bella pitched a certain baby name totally clued me in to its gender!

Watched movie: "The Artist" (2011)

A charming and heart tugging silent film about, oddly enough, the decline of silent films. Specifically, the movie juxtaposed a rising young actress with her starcrossed love interest, a sinking silent actor. Thanks to some terrific acting, I hardly even missed the spoken dialogue (even the intertitles seemed unnecessary at times). Rating: 9

Watched movie: "Shame" (2011)

Talk about lascivious. :P My brain became desensitized and had trouble processing the film. I think the sex addict's dysfunctional relationship with his sister perplexed me the most. Rating: 6

Watched movie: "My Week with Marilyn" (2011)

Although I never really understood the appeal of Marilyn Monroe, it always intrigues me whenever a woman comes along whom no man can resist. And in the case of this movie, when someone dares to criticize her misbehavior, e.g., the renowned Laurence Olivier, people think him mean! :D Funny stuff. Rating: 6

Watched movie: "Arthur Christmas" (2011) in 3D

Another family film that struck me as misguided. Kids, you should grow up to be like Steve--not like Arthur, Santa, or Grandsanta. :) Rating: 5