X-men: Days of Future Past (The Rogue Cut)

Last year, X-men: Days of Future Past was released (my review here).  It was a good film; so good, in fact, that they decided to release a new version of it to blu-ray.  The Rogue Cut, as they call it, adds 17 minutes to the film and introduces (shockingly) Rogue, a mutant who shows up in the original X-men trilogy.

As the plot remains the same (in essence), I won't re-review that here (look up my original link if you care).  I'll just say that the additional time, in this instance, is worth it- I didn't feel as though it was (solely) a studio money grab (as some "director's cuts" can be).  We get more context and backstory, which helps- it cleared up the small confusion I had watching the original version.  Oddly, this take's namesake wasn't necessary- but the other additions, in my opinion, were.  At 2.5 hours, the film feels slow at times . . . but in an age of action-focused, minimally-developed superhero movies, I enjoyed the change.  So, if you must choose a version, choose the Rogue Cut- but as before, it will behoove you to be familiar with the first 4 X-men movies (X-men 1,2,3 and First Class).

Rating: A

MLB Logos

No major American sports league is older than Major League Baseball (MLB).  Eight of its thirty current franchises were founded by 1883, and sixteen were in place by 1903- only some European soccer clubs can match in longevity.  Baseball is well-ingrained in the American culture; movies like Field of Dreams reflect what the sport means to many.  For years it was the American mainstay; the last thirty years has seen it lose the top spot to football (NFL) and it vies with basketball (NBA) for number two, but almost half of Americans still identify themselves as fans (sources here, here, here, and here).

Personally, baseball is the first sport I remember following.  My memories begin in the late '80s, when I cheered for the Baltimore Orioles (historically bad at the time) and Philadelphia Phillies (not much better).  In that pre-Internet age (remember that?), I eagerly awaited the daily paper for scores and statistics- if I hadn't caught them on ESPN's wonderful but maddening score ticker (they'd always cut to commercial before my teams came up).  I enjoyed hearing grandpa's stories about the league from his time (1920s-on).  He'd talk about following the games on radio, taking the train to see the Phillies (in Connie Mack Stadium at the time), and the joy the sport brought to a boy of his era.  While other sports can be more exciting to watch, baseball retains a place in my heart as that historic mainstay, and watching gives me- perhaps oddly- a sense of tranquility I don't experience in other events.  A day at the Yard (Oriole Park at Camden Yards) is always a good one.

As many did, I collected baseball cards.  Sternly warned by my elders to keep them, I heard frequent stories about fortunes lost when ignorant moms threw away their own childhood collections.  We all heeded their advice and kept our collections safe; they're worth nothing today as a result.  I've since unloaded most of mine, retaining only my significant Cal Ripken collection, a handful of Mike Schmidt cards (my other favorite player), and a smattering of others from the time.

Baseball uniforms (and caps) often feature a clean design (many saturated with heritage) that I find extremely appealing.  And that's why I'm posting today- this is another entry in my 'enjoy from afar' series, where I digitally reflect on things I like to keep from physically buying them.  In moments of weakness, a dozen MLB team caps tempt me and beckon purchase . . . but as that's foolish, I'll end by displaying teams (and logos) I enjoy instead.

1. Baltimore Orioles

The only team I've consistently liked through the years, the Orioles are my number one, though the rest of the league has agreed only three times (1966, 70, and 83).  My favorite logo is the original cartoon bird (1966-88), though the recent cartoon bird (2012-present) is far superior to their prior 'naturally correct' logos (1989-2011).  Check out their uniform/logo history here.

My favorite player was Cal Ripken.  Baseball's "Iron Man" played in over 2100 consecutive games- a feat unlikely to be equaled or surpassed.  The Ripken name played a big part in Oriole affairs, with Cal's dad as manager and brother as fellow infielder.

After the late '80s ineptitude, the O's got better in the mid-late '90s, with several quality teams.  I fondly remember their quality infield (Rafael Palmeiro, Roberto Alomar, Mike Bordick, Ripken), outfielders (BJ Surhoff and Brady Anderson were favorites), and a few good pitchers (Mike Mussina and Scott Erickson were faves).   After ~15 more years of hardship, O's fans have reason to celebrate the last few resurgent years, where the team is again competitive (and won the division last year).

2. Philadelphia Phillies

I really miss the 1989 Philles.  I don't know why; they were horrible.  But those maroon and pinstripe  (or powder blue) duds of the '70s and '80s rocked, and watching Mike Schmidt, Lenny Dykstra, John Kruk, Juan Samuel, Von Hayes, and Darren Daulton play are cherished memories.  For some reason, Steve Jeltz- who had a horrible career- also stands out, perhaps because I witnessed him hit a home run (which happened only 5 times in his career).

In recent days, I've been a fair weather Phillies fan.  I was glad they won the 2008 World Series, and as a pitching lover, I couldn't help but root for their rotation of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and Cole Hamels in the '10s.  They're currently horrible, though, and I really don't care- which shows my colors.  Maybe I'll change my mind if they bring back the maroon and powder blue.

3. Other iconic teams (to me)

With MLB steeped in history, it's hard to single out teams- so many have rich heritages.  I'll do it anyway, though, because I, for whatever reason, love some and despise others.  I admit, some of the fondness (or vitriol) is based on their logos, uniforms, or color schemes.  Yes, I'm petty.  Some feelings are more justified, though- I tend to root for the underdogs and oppose the heavy spenders in the only major sport without a salary cap.

Atlanta Braves
I loved the Braves pitching in the '90s.  Greg Maddux is one of my all-time favorite hurlers; Tom Glavine and John Smoltz are now with him in Cooperstown.

Chicago Cubs
Infamous for their ineptitude (no championships since 1908), the Cubs have an iconic look I can't help but enjoy.  Two former Orioles- Jake Arrieta and Jason Hammel- make cheering for them easy.

Boston Red Sox
Normally big spenders, I had no love for the Red Sox until they came back from 3 games down in the 2004 playoffs to beat the Yankees (my most hated team).  I couldn't help but root for them to get the title that year (which they did- their first since 1918).  They've since won two more.

St. Louis Cardinals
I love their jerseys, hats, and color scheme.  I don't mind when they win it all, which they've done twice recently.

Kansas City Royals
A recent favorite, I feel obliged to cheer for this small-market, long-suffering club.  They look postured to win big this year.  Former Orioles pitcher Jeremy Guthrie may help them get there.

Houston Astros
I don't know one player on their roster, but I'm really digging their new uniforms, and they're winning in spite of a small market.  Love it!

Oakland A's
Something about that dark green and bright yellow color scheme really appeals to me.

Ant-Man

The latest Marvel offering (and final in "phase 2" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe), Ant-Man is the story of Hank Pym (who has hidden his shrinking suit technology, after years of use for good, to prevent abuse) and his protege Scott Lang (whose troubled past finds him in need of redemption).  The two are brought together when Pym's successor runs him out of the company, re-discovers the technology, and plans to use it for ill purpose.  Too old to 'suit up' again, Pym turns to Lang to stop the belligerent.  Can he succeed?

I must say I'm impressed.  Some movies write themselves.  This one didn't; Ant-Man has neither the abilities nor name recognition of most comic book heroes.  Thus, the studio needed to strike a perfect balance to justify the $130 million budget.  They pulled it off.  While suspenseful in parts, the movie has an strong humor element and doesn't take itself quite so seriously- which suits the hero perfectly.  It's entertaining, even emotional in places, and actually a tad too short- a few more minutes of character development would have been ideal.  Still, this is (surprisingly) one of the better Marvel offerings.

Rating: A-

The Challenge of Choice

"Please pick up vanilla ice cream on your way home from work."  I was more than happy to oblige my wife's request- not only do I enjoy ice cream, I also knew exactly what she wanted, where it could be found, and had the financial means to obtain it- an unusual situation indeed.

Later that day, I confidently strode into the grocery store, found the appropriate aisle, and located the ice cream section with ease.  I perused the selections . . . and froze.*  There were 9 different kinds of vanilla ice cream, and that was just from one manufacturer.  Seriously, here were the options that were laid out before me:**

natural vanilla
french vanilla
extra creamy vanilla
homemade vanilla
creamy vanilla (half the fat)
creamy vanilla (fat free)
vanilla (no sugar added)
vanilla (carb smart)
lactose free vanilla

I was partially paralyzed; successfully stymied; unexpectedly undone.  Mouth agape, I now had a dilemma. Which would she want?  Like many, I had encountered the challenge of choice.

Most of us would say "the more choice, the better."  After all, the more options we have, the greater the probability of having one that will provide great personal enjoyment and satisfaction.  However, as I found in the above example, a plethora of products can instead be catalyst for conundrum.  I'm not the only one- several sites (examples here and here) posit the same- more choice can actually be worse.  Why?  How can this be?

Here's why: we seek the greatest possible enjoyment and satisfaction in all we do.  When presented with options, people will go one of two ways.  We want to either:

1) choose what will suit us the very best, or
2) experience as many things as we can.  

Both types of personalities can handle simple choices, like "do you want chocolate or vanilla?" or "shall we vacation to the mountains or beach?"  Choosing is easy- or experiencing both [at some point] isn't unrealistic.  But the more you break it down- the more options you present- the harder time you'll have either choosing or trying to experience it all.  That, in turn, will lead to confusion and stress.  "Which one will I like the most?  Which will satisfy the best?  How can I do it all?"

This problem perhaps always existed, but in recent years has become more evident.  A thousand years ago, you didn't have the options or variety we do now- you did what you could to survive, you ate what was provided, etc.  Today, we have a degree of affluence, variety, accessibility, awareness, and mobility that opens our eyes to what's out there- exponentially increasing our choices- and we struggle with the ramifications.

My wife (a type 1 from above) and I (a type 2) are good examples on how people deal differently with choice- and how either approach can cause problems.  My wife looked at over 30 colleges before deciding, and she agonized for months about it.  Why?  Because her "type 1" disposition dictated that she needed to choose the very best one for her, and the myriad similar options available made knowing the way difficult.  I, on the other hand, struggle with materialism.  I want to do it all- read it all, play all games, travel to all places, watch all movies- and being forced to choose just a handful, with so many options available to me, makes me feel as though I'm missing out on so much.  And, the more I do, the more I know how much is out there, and the more I feel like I'm missing.  In my wife's case, there's always the fear that the wrong choice was made.  The mine, I'm never satisfied.  Both are problematic, and come down to selfishness.

A Way Forward

How do we fight this situation?  How can we claim ever-elusive contentment in spite of our nature and option-obsessed culture?  There's really only one way:

Desire less.

The challenge of choice lies in the fact that we're self-centered beings who want the very best (or most).  If we fight that- and learn to be content with our lot- we may just find that 'good' is fine, and 'great' isn't necessary (or, more accurately, we'll find that 'good' is 'great' and pursuing 'great' is elusive and less satisfying).  Contentment must be learned and practiced- it doesn't come easily to us.  Here are some things that may help us desire less:

• Obtain and maintain proper perspective.
• We're blessed, plain and simple.  Doubt me?  Read history sometime.  Millions throughout the ages (and today) have endured so much more than we do- so much more pain, loss, desperation, or injustice.  Things aren't perfect now, and many still suffer, but chances are our struggles aren't as great as we make them out to be.
• Most choices we face are trivial.  Food, clothing, hobbies; these things don't matter very much.  "Just pick something that's not illegal, unethical, or unwise" seems to be reasonable advice in those cases. Choices that seem to matter much more- choosing a college, spouse, house, job, or state to live- can also be simpler than we make them out to be.  They're important, yes, but the world doesn't hinge on what we choose.  
• Deliberately limit your options.
• "Ignorance is bliss," as they say.  I've made my choices much harder than they need to be because of the Internet and the joys of Google.  There's a lot of good stuff out there; I won't get to experience it all; so don't bother looking.

There may be more tips, but the main goal is to desire less.  That's hard in a materialistic, choice-laden society . . . but not impossible.

*not literally; I hadn't opened the door yet.
**All Breyer's products- see here for the list. 

Iron Man 3

Released in 2013, Iron Man 3 concludes the trilogy and is very different in tone than the first two offerings.  Humor is still present but not as prevalent; here, a more somber tone is struck as Tony struggles with anxiety attacks in the wake of the Battle of New York (as seen in The Avengers- reviewed here).  As he experiences various degrees of panic, he focuses more on what he knows- his suits (now capable of remote control or autonomous action through Jarvis).  His struggles bring on the inevitable conflict with loved ones, but a significant menace soon trumps all- The Mandarin, a terrorist whose attacks on the US (at home and abroad) have authorities scrambling for answers.  As Tony hunts this new enemy, associates from years past work to perfect genetic modification- an alteration that shows both great and terrible promise.  Will this new technology be just what the world needs- or needs to avoid?

I really enjoyed this movie despite two problems:
1. The main villain and his associates are driven by unclear motive (revenge? power? attention?  just because?).
2. The main message of the movie is good but doesn't come through.  As stated by Tony, the point is "we create our own demons."  We (may) start with pure motive, but compromises are made, and bad things happen as a result.  Other than several statements (and short scenes) to this effect, though, the message takes a back seat as the flick devolves into action sequences with lots of 'wow' factor.
These things aside, it was an entertaining ride.  For the first time, the villain in an Iron Man movie is actually "cool" and seems a worthy foe.  The suit's new abilities are awesome.  Several twists (though not all well-received) heightened suspense, and the message (however subdued) is still worth contemplating.  It's easy to see why Iron Man 3 is one of only three Marvel movies to top $400 million domestically (source here).

Rating: A-

Greece

We saw five places in Greece during our cruise in October of 2008.

Athens

The obvious attractions of interest in Athens are in the acropolis area.  Dominated by the Parthenon, this part of the city is an amazing collection of archeaological wonders.

Mykonos

Probably the most scenic area we saw, Mykonos is resplendent with white buildings, tight spaces, and ancient windmills.

Delos

A side excursion from Mykonos, Delos is another archealogical paradise.

Olympia

Site of the first Olympics, Olympia is pleasantly situated amongst hills and trees.  Here, too, ruins abound.

Corfu

Corfu is dominated by two fortifications- I don't remember what they are, and frankly don't care.

Conclusion

We really enjoyed our stops in Greece, but got the overwhelming sense that its accomplishments, focus and pride lie far in the past, in the classical world.  Not inherently bad, but as it faces financial crisis, I can't help but wonder if more focus on the present is warranted.