A Force to be Reckoned With - Tom Hardy

Tom Hardy....sound familiar? It should. If you've seen Inception....then you've seen Tom Hardy. In Inception Tom plays the forger known as Eames. You know, the guy who changed himself in to Tom Berenger. (By the way, if you haven't seen Inception yet I highly recommend that you do.)

So why am I talking about him? Because this man is a fantastic actor. Don't believe me? Well I'll tell you why he's such a great actor. I first discovered Mr. Hardy in the BBC-PBS rendition of Wuthering Heights. I was blown away by the man who played Heathcliff, later to find out played by Tom Hardy. The amount of passion in his eyes was spellbounding. I've never seen anyone play a role so well. Not to mention, Heathcliff is a bit of a demanding and degrading person and from true accounts, Tom is anything but! So for a nice guy like Tom to play a such a tyrant takes true skill.

After watching Tom in Wuthering Heights I rushed online to see what else he has been in. To my surprise he had been in a few movies I had already seen. Minotaur, Sweeny Todd and Star Trek Nemisis. I quickly caught up with most of his films and even watched the PBS-BBC version of Oliver Twist where Tom Hardy played Bill Sikes.

His role as Charles Bronson in Bronson was again another powerful role. There wasn't a hint of Tom Hardy in the character Bronson except for his unforgettable and unique voice. (There is just something about a man with an accent!) You see, Tom has two wonderful advantages. He's an actor which just about anybody can do. But he's also a storyteller. He takes on roles and transforms himself in to that character. (Not everyone can do that. Most often than not, celebrities take on empowering roles but don't really make it their own. It's just (insert famous person here) playing a character.

And then there is Inception. Ah yes, the beautiful and highly mind exhausting wonderful and ORIGINAL film called Inception. (I say original because there are too many movies being remade or have the same plot...it's rather refreshing to have a film take you to parts rarely explored by film) The actors in Inception were amazing. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is another personal favorite of mine and to see him take on a more physical role was a real treat. Tom Hardy has an important role in how Inception falls in to place. I found his character playful, spunky and loyal.

To bring my blabbery to a conclusion, I think Tom Hardy will be a force to be reckoned with. Why? Because he is the real deal. He has talent, he has the looks and he has the brains. He has many wonderful projects ahead of him and I feel we have yet to see the best. Look for Tom Hardy in the upcoming films Warrior and Mad Max: Fury Road.

Capturing Time

The Art of Time

We all know that time reflects our bodies in generous as well as not so generous ways. We grow from adorable little bundles of joys to cute little monsters. Then we mature (some better than others...ehh emm) and then we progress in to wrinkled layers of skin. That's the beauty of time. It's like a painter in it's prime. The painter simply doesn't create a masterpiece on his first canvas. His hand gets better with practice, his eye more keen than most. Take a look around you, who do you see? What do you see? There isn't a thing on this planet that doesn't get weathered by time. Even Earth, over time will become nothing more than a glimmer of a picture. But right now, we are all in Earth's prime. Go outside, take a walk and don't just pass by an oak tree and think, "Wow....it's old and really beautiful." It's more than that. It's the paint on the canvas, as are we. We were all painted to give a story, it's up to you to choose your color.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pistachio Cookies!!!!!!

Alright, I'm going to give you a little prize. I would almost place a bet to say that even if you don't like pistachio...you'll like these cookies. If you've never had a pistachio - all the more better for you to try this cookie! It's simple, it's good and so gosh darn delightful! ^_^


You will need

3 eggs
2 packages of oatmeal choc. chip cookie mix (make it easy on yourself!)
1 1/2 unsalted butter sticks *room temp*
1 package pistachio pudding mix 3.4oz
1 package pistachio pudding mix 1 oz


Combine dry ingredients then butter and mix. Once butter is mixed in, add eggs.
Preheat oven to 375 and bake for ten minutes.

Enjoy!

Tak Sakaguchi

Most of you are probably scratching your heads asking "who?" Well by the end of this blog at least you will know of him. If you are a Japanese film fan you might have seen him without even knowing who he is. With major roles in films such as Versus and Death Trance - he's a pretty popular household name. Or at least..in my house. :-)

He kind of reminds me of a Clint Eastwood. A cool demeanor, soft spoken but will kick your ass in a heartbeat. I've only known of him since December or so but already I've seen several of his films. - Might I add he not only does most/if not all of his stunt work he also has become a director. Look for Mutant Girl Squad on DVD in August. Tak has also directed three other films including Sakigake!! Otokojuku (Be A Man! Samurai School)

I now own three of his films and they were not easy to get a hold of. I own Death Trance, the 3 disc edition of Versus and Sakigake!! Otokujuku. You can find a list of his films here ...

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1056120/

Did I mention he has his own stunt team? Well he does...they are called the Zero's. Let me tell you they are anything but. I've heard hear and there that they are probably one of the most craziest stunt teams in Japan. I'd say they are brilliant.

So if you have time check out his films. You can find clips on YouTube as well including this one which is a fantastic performance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twOf5swBJbg

Move over Johnny Depp (and I'm a huge Depp fan) you have some major competition.

Stargate Universe

Ah yes, Stargate. The movie that introduced sci-fi, Egyptian culture and Alexis Cruz (Skarra - the boy who befriended O'Neil). I was nine years old when the movie came out and I've been a fan ever since. I have several copies of the original movie including DVD and VHS and several collectibles from the film including knob hangers and the original book.
There are a few different shows that sparked from the movie. The first being Stargate SG-1. Talk about an addictive show. From the silly Jack O'Neill, lovable Dr. Daniel Jackson, caring Captain Carter and of course the serious but none the less entertaining Teal'c - what's not to love? For ten years...ten years I watched the show as if it were my new found religion. And then in 2007 the final episode ended.
The second show came in 2002 and unless you are a die hard Stargate fan you probably didn't even know this show existed. It was a cartoon called Stargate Infinity. I didn't even get to see it and I'm not actually sure how many episodes was aired. It didn't make it long at all.
The third show to come from the world of Stargate was Stargate Atlantis which sadly, I lost interest in during the second episode. It just wasn't cutting it for me. It didn't "feel" Stargate to me and though some of the characters were likable - others fell short. Haven't followed the show so I'm not sure if it is still on. I think, however that the last episode was in 2009.
The fourth show caught me from the Syfy commercials. I thought 'wow....if the commercials are this intense...the show might be worth a shot.' So the first episode aired and I was.....HOOKED! Now there are some people who argue that Stargate Universe isn't very Stargate like at all. I have to disagree. SGU, to me, has captured the feeling of the Stargate movie. It's intense, the characters are all very interesting, and to my surprise.....feels a bit like SG-1. (However it couldn't be more different!!!)
Stargate Universe is different from any of the previous Stargate shows. It's serious, it's raw and it's pushing the boundaries that the previous shows hadn't explored. With a fantastic cast including David Blue (whose character adds comic relief to the situations), Robert Carlyle (whose character is totally opposite of Daniel Jackson), Lou Diamond Phillips (who is a reg guest appearance) and many many mannnny more - the cast delivers a rewarding performance.
With the first season at an end, fans have to wait almost four months to see the outcome of the season finale. -Which nearly gave me an anxiety attack because every single character is in a bad situation.- I highly suggest this show not only because I think original Stargate movie fans would enjoy Stargate Universe, but the special effects are flawless, the storyline is tasteful and the acting is far far far much better than Atlantis. (Not that Atlantis acting was bad...just wasn't believable)

Expedition Great White

Flipping through the channels last night I had a slight feeling creeping in the back of my mind that I was missing something. Did I forget to do something at work? No...that wasn't it. Did I turn of my headlights? Yeah...I remember doing that. OH CRAP! I typed in the numbers to the National Geographic channel just in time to catch Expedition Great White. Yep, that's all I did all night was watch the show. *And no...Paul Walker had nothing to do with me watching the show...**innocent cough*** I had caught a glimpse of the preview for the show earlier on in the week and thought it would be pretty cool to watch since I'm a big animal lover. Yeah that even goes for the big fishies.
Basically the show is about some scientists who want to track great whites by placing an electronic "tag" on the dorsal fin. The tag is suppose to stick with the shark for nearly six years and every time the shark's fin breaks the surface, a satellite will track the shark's position on the globe. Pretty cool. The show also follows how the scientists are trying to discover where great whites mate as well as how they migrate and where to.
What really gets me is HOW they study and capture the sharks. They lure a shark with some enticing big bate and once the shark is on the line, they round the shark up and lead it back to the main ship - which has a really cool lift that lowers in to the water which then raises back up out of the water once the shark is on the lift -

Once the shark is out of the water everyone has 20 minutes to get whatever they need out of the shark whether that be blood, measurements, etc. It's clear that the scientists know what they are doing and the great whites are in their best interests for they carefully monitor the shark's reactions.

I have to admit, I like sharks but great whites have always intimidated me. *JAWS had nothing to do with it...ehhh emm.* Usually I like to face my fears which is why I've always wanted to go cage diving with great whites. Expedition Great White not only brings the shark up close and personal but provides great facts about the creature. I think in general this show will help broaden people's views of this shark and that they shouldn't be feared...but respected. Check the show out on National Geographic Channel -Sunday at 10pm!

Here is a link for you to check out!
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/expedition-great-white/all/Overview