6 Favorite Episodes from Seinfeld

To say my sister loves Seinfeld is an understatement. She is a buff who in every meaning of the word has catalogued in her mind exactly what happens in every episode and quoting them every single day. I could not grow up in my household without the show becoming a daily viewing in our living room. A sitcom created by Larry David has become one of the most popular shows in tv history. Turn on your old 'tube or talk to anyone about looking towards the cookie for racial resolutions, and chances are they know exactly what you are getting at.

Classic shows from eras gone by such as The Dick Van Dyke or I Love Lucy were the foundation of situation comedies; episodes centered around a challenge that the main character had to face somewhat farcically, if not with incredible timing and gimmicks. In the 90s a new kind of comedy was on the rise; audiences laughing about nothing.

Seinfeld was far from social issue storylines that often came to light on The Golden Girls in the eighties, or romantic flings of its modern NBC neighbor Friends (no criticism towards either show). There were puffy shirts, pretzels that made them thirsty, buffer zones from parents, and poisonous envelopes. One episode was devoted to the ensemble waiting to get a table at a restaurant. Another took place in a parking garage as the characters got lost, tried to find each other, and the car. It was a different kind of sitcom, and one that I think made so many other comedies and dramas follow in its footsteps.

Essentially, perhaps its biggest mark on television is that it was a show about nothing; four characters Jerry, George, Kramer and Elaine who faced their jobs, broke up with dates left and right, and were simply friends talking and doing almost nadda, and yada yada yada. In honor of the 25th anniversary of Seinfeld, below are my favorite episodes.

"The Contest"

It was one of the most talked about episodes ever - and for good reason. George is found gratifying himself by his mother, causing herself to injure her back from the shock. Breaking the news to his friends, George declares to cease these personal practices, which brings upon a challenge for the four friends - to go a whole week without doing that, in so many words. Each character is faced with tempting partners making it hard to remain master of their domain. The contest of what the characters are challenging each other to go without is not exactly for mature audiences - their use of innuendos makes it one of the best written episodes where a show doesn't have to give everything away to be entertaining.

Favorite moment: Elaine describing her run-in with John F. Kennedy Jr.

"The Soup Nazi"

Jerry is stuck between a soup and a girlfriend when a local eatery starts selling the best soup in town. The chef is known as "the Soup Nazi" runs his over-the-counter shop with a string of harsh rules and restrictions - ones where the slightest alteration can have you banned. With his usual cheapness, George ends up alienating the owner while Kramer befriends him as only the gangling wanderer can. Elaine manages to take down the whole establishment when coming into the possession of the Soup Nazi's former antique armoire. The episode that has everyone repeating "NO SOUP FOR YOU" was actually based off a real cafe at the time.

Favorite moment: One potential customer deviates from the required ordering regiment

"The Subway"

 Seinfeld put itself on the map of making the best of everyday observations time and time again, and second to the next episode on this list, The Subway might be a good example. The gang rides a subway to different destinations, so its episode simply shows their hilarious separate adventures. Jerry makes friends with a nude Mets fan, George gets scammed by a thieving businesswoman, Elaine gets stuck on the way to a lesbian wedding, and Kramer cashes in on some serious horseracing. For an everyday task like riding the subway, this episode manages to be hilarious about something so ordinary.

Favorite Moment: Elaine rants as the crowded subway comes to a halt

"The Chinese Restaurant"

Seinfeld took the mundane and made it hilarious; who hasn't had a night out like this where all you want is something to eat and the problems just roll on in? On their way to a special screening of Plan 9 from Outerspace, everyone is desperate and hungry at the Chinese restaurant. The group (sans Kramer) are trying to get a table but it keeps taking five, ten minutes to be seated. So much comes to ahead with such a seemingly simple premise: Jerry recognizes a woman but can't remember her name, Elaine is absolutely starving for something to eat, and George is trying to get through to his girlfriend. Everything is not so easy just getting some Chinese food.

Favorite Moment: George loses his resolve with a civilized society

"The Marine Biologist"

George (a.k.a. Art Vandalay) always wished to play an architect, but when an old high school flame runs into Jerry, he is cast a marine biologist. This is the always job-hunting cheapskate George we're talking about here. Somehow he manages to pull it off - until a timely date on a beach blows his cover. Perhaps one of the best show monologues in history, is it a shame to say that I know the whole thing by heart? Jason Alexander's speech is superb and the added twist to his tale makes it all the more funny. Indeed, it is definitely "a hole in one" episode.

Favorite Moment: The final monologue

"The Opera"

Unbeknownst to both Elaine and Jerry they are dealing with the same psychopath. An unhinged old friend of Kramer and Jerry's has sworn to put the kibosh on them, while Elaine is dating the apparent threat. Going out for a night at a Pagliaci opera brings unfitting tuxedos from the closet, scalping for tickets, and oh yeah, Crazy Joe Davola. One of the best aspects Seinfeld was the talented selection of supporting actors they had who could take on characters like Joe, and make them funny, awkward, and peculiar as the main cast. Certainly his role is small but definitely one of their series' best mini-characters.

Favorite Moment: Elaine realizes she's dating someone a bit on the edge

10 Highly Anticipated Movies for the Second Half of 2015

Minions

July 10th

The first half of the year has flown by, and a ton of movie releases went with it. We have another six months to go before we start all over again. Here are some of my picks for some highly anticipated movies for the second half of 2015. What are you looking forward to seeing last this year?

Bad-Ass Mad Max: Fury Road Alternative Posters and Artwork

Flore Maquin
George Miller's epic Mad Max: Fury Road has taken movie goers for a wild ride, and now it's taking the art world by storm too. Countless talented designers have created so many awesome alternative posters and artwork. Picking a few for this post was difficult. Surely, my pinterest board will have dozens more added. For now, here's a collection of some bad-ass alternative posters and artwork for one of the biggest films of the summer - perhaps, the entire year. Enjoy!

Dream Movie Vacation Blog Challenge

It's summertime and the living is supposed to be easy. Everyone is wishing bon voyage to their homes and workplaces to sail the open seas or relax on the beach. This little seasonal tradition gave me an idea : a dream (film-related) vacation blog challenge!

If you could travel to any place in the film universe with any of your favorite characters or love-to-hate villains, what kind of a vacation would you take?

Would you travel to a death-defying stay at Jurassic Park, a magical night at Hogwarts, midnight rendezvous to 1920s Paris, an alien planet far, far away?

Which characters would be your travel buddies - Hermione Granger, Jack Sparrow, Holly Golightly, Mary Poppins, or Indiana Jones?

Post your choice(s) of a destination(s), and at least three characters who would tag along.

Use pictures or gifs of your choices. What kind of things would you do on your vacation? Who would you meet? Venture to some place modern or a fantasy world? Be as creative as you would like!

Feel free to use one of my (full-size) banners or make your own. There's no deadline to post or share your idea! Tweet me or comment with your post!

*open image in new tab for full size

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) excels on all cylinders

Photo Credit: Mad Max Fury Road / Warner Bros Pictures

Re-imagined from the 1980s cult series, creator George Miller sets a new standard for old dogs being given a new life in Mad Max: Fury Road. Utilizing what he didn't have nearly thirty years ago, Miller amplifies his recreation - stunts, music, shooting locations, cast, and script - to the max.

Across a dry, broken wasteland, we are thrust into a good ole fashion cat-and-mouse chase. But this showdown isn't an ode to Tom and Jerry cartoons.  Dropkicked into a post-apocalyptic world, desert buries any semblance of society as we know it. Gas and water are the new currency, and everyone has gone mad.

Immortan Joe is a ruthless God whose followers worship the steering wheel, imprison innocent people to be his blood donors, and will do anything to reach immortality. Straddled to huge trucks are his furious warriors on teetering poles and done-up battle cars. Their war songs blare from flame-throwing guitar players and drummers. Rebels Max (Tom Hardy), Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) and Joe's precious brides try to outrun his troupe through onslaughts of motorcycle mavens, dictators of other territories, and the barren environment that's destroyed everything.

Tucked inside all of the heart-pounding action are inviting moments of insight into our heroes. Max suffers nightmares and hallucinations of his former life filled with unspeakable terrors, and Furiosa dares to return to her childhood land to gain a little redemption. Escaping Joe's tyranny is the first step to a "better" quality of survival, but then it becomes something more; a mutual pact of trust, respect, trying to help the other find a place to call home, even if that isn't tangible. Beyond the action is a band of lost souls meeting in the middle to find stability and atonement in the sand-like ashes of this wretched domain.

The cast conveys so much with so little dialogue. The seamless choreography is ingrained into the production with the stunts but also the casts' performances. There's no doubt that Hardy will become an even bigger star since it's his (debatable) break-out role in Inception. Theron, quite simply, is a perfect storm on the brink of imploding or exploding; complex, raw, and fierce. And, the women, also known as the Breeders, and Nux (a worshiper of Joe's), aren't reduced to meek background players. Each brought their own strengths to a team that bonds, not easily, but with steady confidence against a barbarous villain.

Most of the film thrives on adrenaline between Max and Furiosa attempting to leave Joe and his merry men behind in the dust. This reboot is flashy, but its appearance offers more than what meets the eye. Not only does the story trust us to go on its wild ride, the special effects are just not for eye candy; each slice of action is impressive stunt-wise and propels the wickedness. Explosions are exciting, but he allows enough space and screen-time to absorb what's going on, even if sometimes it feels overwhelming to comprehend the magnitude of its madness.

Good guys versus bad guys are the big draw for action films, and many can be filled with cliches or violence for violence sake and/or weak characters. A balance of both male and female characters that aren't held back or down is often what's missing for movies that just want to parade bullets firing on all cylinders without a strong context. Max Max: Fury Road is high-velocity opera set in the West boosting its characters and fans into high gear for nearly two hours. Even if Max may be the title of the film, it's really everyone's show. And it's all very, maddeningly, kick-assingly, lovely.

Rating: ★★★ Have you seen Mad-Max: Fury Road? What do you think?

Stars I Love: Judy Garland

I'm sure the triple threat above needs no introduction, and any attempt I could manage to thread together probably wouldn't encapsulate her talent or my admiration of her. In the two years of running Oh So Geeky so far, I'm surprised that I've only mentioned this actress and singer in passing. When anyone mentions movie star worship, Judy Garland is as close as it gets for me.

Every one has his or her idol, someone that no other person in the history can hold a candle to. It may be a historical figure, movie icon, or music legend that arrives in the midst of our teenage years and wakes us up in a way no other person we've seen or read about had done before. Growing up, my mom was (and still is) obsessed with Classic Hollywood. My family has always treated films like its own religion; we devoured them for fun, debate, and even aspiring occupations. So when I say that I had seen Judy Garland movies during all of adolescent years, I truly did. Turner Classic Movie channel was something of a surrogate parent to me, where I had seen all of her movies like Meet Me In St. Louis, the Andy Hardy series, and The Harvey Girls dozens and dozens of times.

Under the Tuscan Sun (2003) shines

Photo Credit: Under the Tuscan Sun / Buena Vista Pictures

Under The Tuscan Sun (2003) brings a chick flick heroine learning something she's always known, or just figured out: men stink. Publicly loathed writer Frances Mayes (Diane Lane) divorces her adulterous husband, and on a whim, becomes the owner of a dilapidated villa in Tuscany.

It's certainly a fixer-upper, and so is Maye's life. She understands and yearns that there is more to life than settling for a broken heart, but she doesn't know quite where to start. Charismatic, and one of the best modern leading ladies around, Lane is wonderfully charming as she makes new friends, rebuilds her villa, and undergoes a slight whirlwind romance. But her transformation doesn't focus on filling the void of one lost relationship with another, but regaining her own self-confidence and forging a different life for herself.

While Lane shines, and quick appearances by Sandra O and Kate Walsh, the script is a bit blotchy. The start of Mayes trek to Tuscany and some of the relationships Mayes builds are quite cliche. Perhaps the performer who suffers the worst is stage veteran Lindsay Duncan, who plays the less elegant, more eccentric Brit who is trying to hold onto her attractiveness offers too much kookiness and not enough elegance or substance. Her character may be my only big qualm about the film.

Mayes' journey centers on stepping out of bounds to adapt a new life. She wants a home, instead of a house; something that is filled with family, and not just the opposite sex. The movie is not typically about her hunting for men in a new country but recovering from marital infidelity on the other side of the world. The location itself is an exotic character supporting Lane. Every frame of her villa, the countryside, and beach is beautiful and makes me feel like I'm on vacation.

Overall the story strongly reminded me of Eat, Pray, Love about author Elizabeth Gilbert who treks the world to gain her own inner peace. Both movies are rewarding for those who don't mind motivating women stepping out of their own world to discover other priorities. I would even counter the former is offers a more heartfelt performance by its star Diane Lane than Love's Julia Roberts.

Some chick flicks grow dated with age, but at only twelve years old, Under the Tuscan Sun is a pleasing romp through the "women's film" genre. Though the adaptation of the same name is off-key in its fictionalization, director Audrey Wells crafts a splendid rom-com. Humbly, and with great charm, the film reminds us that sometimes it does a person good to rebuild their lives one relationship as well as one room at a time.
Rating: ★★☆ Have you seen Under the Tuscan Sun? What do you think?