Movie Catch-up

Haven't been in much of a blogging mood lately (still not, actually), but I figured I should catch up on a few movie reviews.  Since I'm lumping them together, they'll be short.

First up, The Golden Compass.  I was really looking forward to this one.  The early trailers made it look deliciously brass-and-leathery (which is to say steampunky), and I got the book for Christmas last year.  The beauty of the book isn't so much the story as the setting.  It's a pretty simplistic story, but it's set in a world with such a rich mythology that it made for a very entertaining read, despite the "young adult" focus (as with the Harry Potter books, or so I hear).  However, while that book series has translated well to the screen, The Golden Compass did not.  They took most of the important scenes from the book, pared them down just enough to be annoying to anyone who's read the book, and then crammed them all together.  The result is a gorgeous, well-casted mess of a movie that I won't be running out to buy on DVD.  Oh, and for no reason whatsoever, they wanked up the ending.  It'll be interesting to see if the sequels are ever green-lit.

IMDb score: 6.6/10
My score: 6/10

Next: I Am Legend.  This is another one I'd had my eye on for some time, and fortunately, this one didn't disappoint.  If you're worried about Will Smith's typical overacting--which, let's be honest, was perfectly suited to movies like Men in Black, et. al.--you don't need to worry here, because he turns in a nicely understated performance 
for this role, which is exactly what it needed.  After all, it's more about obsession
and loneliness than vampire/zombie things.  Actually, the CG monsters kinda look like crap when you see 'em up close, so it's good that they're not really the focus.  It's kind of a horror-ish version of Castaway, but set in an abandoned New York.  Not a masterpiece, but I
enjoyed it.

IMDb score: 7.6/10
My score: 7.9/10

And finally, Jenette, Michelle, and I went to see Sweeney Todd, which the fellers over at AICN have been hyping for a few months.  Of the three films in this post, this one wins.  This is Tim Burton at the top of his game...his dark, creepy game.  The sets and costumes are amazing, as was the casting.  Casting for the two lead roles was maybe a tad obvious (Burton loves him some Depp and Helena Bonham Carter), but it would have been a lesser film with any other actors.  Johnny Depp proves once again that in addition to being the definitive pirate for a generation, he can flip a switch and become someone entirely different, and Carter did her "creepy Victorian goth chick" thing even better than usual.  Then there were the nice surprises, like Alan Rickman as the evil judge...hm, I guess that's not surprising at all...but his performance was fun to watch.  And Sacha Baron Cohen made a hilarious appearance as a rival barber.  I won't say much about the story, because I don't want to ruin it for anyone, but I will say this: there is a lot of blood.  A lot.  Enough to make me squirm in my seat 
a couple of times, and movie blood doesn't usually bother me.  Speaking of "usually," I usually 
hate musicals too, but this one kicked ass.

IMDb score: 8.7
My score: 9.2

Aftermath!

Snowpocalypse Now

"The horror... the horror..."

Prepare your mind.

No, seriously. Prepare your mind. I'd hate for it to be shattered into a thousand pieces by the crack of the metaphorical bullwhip that is...






...the official Drew Struzan poster for the new Indy movie!

!, no?

Finals Week sucks, but...

I am so looking forward to this movie now.  I finished the book a few days ago, and it was excellent, and it looks like the movie adaptation is going to be amazing.  I'm hoping we get a midnight showing here, because that sounds like a lot of fun right now.

The simulated 3rd dimension can be cooler than the real one

We drove to KC on Friday to see Beowulf in IMAX 3D. I'd been looking forward to it for months, and after seeing the Harry Potter wizard's duel in 3d (which rocked), I wanted to see if they put the 3d to good use or not. Overall, they totally did.

It took a few minutes to get used to the extra dimension, which makes sense if you think about it. They're trying to simulate depth in two very different ways: with CG and with the 3d trick. So at first, characters kinda looked like cardboard cutouts, each at different distances from the screen, and each with a CG body painted on it. But if you let yourself get used to it, it can be quite an immersive experience. There were a couple of times where I flinched or dodged out of the way of something on-screen. I felt kinda stupid the first time, but the the second time made me realize that in a normal movie, there's usually only one kind of physical reflex--the jump (as in, "I actually jumped out of my seat a little when that zombie popped out"). And while there were plenty of "jump" moments in Beowulf, this was the first time I've instinctively tried to dodge an axe that was thrown at the screen.

It may not seem like that big a deal if you haven't seen it, but I think it's another great immersive tool that I hope filmmakers start using more. Some people probably still see it as "gimmicky," but I imagine that's how people saw surround sound when it was first introduced. I mean, think about it: how much sense does it make to surround us with sound when the movie's only in front of us? The answer: it makes perfect sense. You wouldn't think of building a theater today without surround sound, because now it's seen as such a useful tool, allowing the filmmaker to overcome one of the limitations of a non-interactive medium. 3d can do the same thing. Don't get me wrong. I'm not calling for a 3d Revolution. Just as there are plenty of movies that don't need surround sound, there are plenty that don't need 3d. Star Wars, however, most certainly does need it, and I can't wait to see how that turns out. In general, I'm glad the technology is coming along, because I don't see holodecks coming out in my lifetime.

As for the movie itself (which is showing in non-3d theaters, as well), I found it thoroughly entertaining. My last encounter with the story of Beowulf was a year and a half ago, translating pieces of it from the Old English, so I particularly enjoyed the fact that Grendel spoke only in Old English, and that a bard in Heorot recites from the actual poem at one point. The plot followed what I remember of the story, with some creative licence taken with the origins of both Grendel and the dragon. I suppose a true Beowulf scholar might not approve of the adaptation, but I do.

IMDb rating: 7.0/10
My rating: 8.7/10

Beowulf in imax3d!

Hobbit party in Manhattan?

I like storms

I'm still working on a comic strip of the weekend (it's not looking too promising), but for now, here's this--some video of a huge effing storm that we drove through on the way here.

Day 2

According to the Awesome Counter, yesterday was only an 8. Today's already up to 6 thanks to a 6-pack of Harvey Weinhard root beer.

A different kind of blogging

A couple of thoughts about this: 1) Netty, you should try Sketchcasting some dreams, since Audioblogger is dead; 2) This has some cool potential for teaching; and 3) This weekend is the 1-year anniversary of my comic book depiction of our adventures in Colorado. Maybe this year I'll do a sketchcast version. (Although I'm hoping we can avoid those kinds of "adventures" this time around.)

Ok, for a matinee

I had a few reasons for wanting to see this movie, even though it was undoubtedly going to be somewhat stupid. First, it was one of those "Well, I saw the first two, so I guess we'll do this one, too" kinds of movies. I may complain along with everyone else about Hollywood's current sequel-itis, but I buy into certain franchises just like all the other suckers. Despite my having only played one RE game (RE4 for the Wii--great game), I keep finding myself interested in these movies.

Second, judging from the trailer, it seemed to have a kind of Mad Max vibe going for it--armored convoys traveling through the desert, and what have you. Until Fallout 3 comes out next year, I'll get my post-apocalyptic-desert-wasteland fix whatever way I can.

And my third reason? Zombies!! (Though, it should be noted, this movie follows the "28 * Later" model and never uses the Z-word...not sure why.) Shallow and disturbing as it may be, I like watching undead getting shot and run over and decapitated.

So, did the movie meet expectations? As the third movie in a series...not really. They decided to take an increasingly-common risk here in not really setting anything up. As Netty pointed out, if you didn't see the first two, you really don't care about these characters. And as someone who did see the first two...I still didn't care all that much. Plus, despite what might be considered foreshadowing in the title ("Extinction" => either humans or undead become extinct), this movie doesn't resolve anything. It only advances the plot of the overall series in one significant way which, for the sake of spoiler-free-ness, I won't mention here. So, as a sequel, it more or less fails.

Luckily, the Road Warrior vibe did actually work for me, though I can see others criticizing it as derivative. Heck, it is derivative, but the idea of a bunch of dirty, tired, scared people banding together for survival, and welding together a convoy of armor-plated vehicles is always cool to me. It's too bad they didn't play it up more, but I guess the whole T-Virus plot (you know, the thing this series is supposed to be about) got in the way of that...

Maybe I should just go rent The Road Warrior.

Bottom line: a decent zombie movie that feels cooler than it actually is.

My rating: 6/10
IMDb rating: 6.5/10

(BTW, I'm hoping to catch 3:10 to Yuma either tonight or tomorrow. I expect it to be quite a bit better than this movie was.)

Holy Food, Holy Quest

Question: what's the one flavor that makes (or would make, if you were daring enough to try those wilder ideas) any food better? Obviously, I refer to that holiest of holies: bacon. When salted, cured, and smoked to the peak of artery-clogging deliciousness, bacon has the potential to transform even the most mundane food into so much more. In short, bacon can turn a lesser food into a culinary experience.

Do I exaggerate? Certainly not. Name me a sandwich, a burger, a cheese fry that is not improved by bacon. Name me a grilled meat, be it chicken, pork, or shrimp, that is not brought closer to the Divine by wrapping it and/or stuffing it with bacon. You cannot name such a food, and indeed, to even try would be to blaspheme, for Most Revered Bacon sits at the head of the Holy Trinity of Food, with noble Bread at its left and mighty Cheese at its right.

My message today concerns the crusade of two brave young men who wish to spread the gospel of Most Revered Bacon with the flick of a wrist and the shake of a bottle. Brother Justin and Brother Dave are on a holy quest to "make everything taste like bacon." The miraculous product they've created to achieve this goal? Bacon Salt. I don't know what arcane rituals they had to perform in order to capture the essence of bacon in a bottle, but they seem to have done it. Visit their website. Read the testimony of other Bacon Disciples. And support this noble crusade by purchasing each of Bacon Salt's three flavors: Original, Hickory, and Peppered. I'm going to try it; won't you? Bacon can one day rule the world, if we all do our part.

[Update: I just ordered the 3-pack! Bacon!]

It's over!

That was fun. And i am tired.

This weekend doth rock.

We're off to the K.C. Renfest! (Netty's still getting ready to bring the pain, so to speak.) I'll be posting pics on my sidebar all day, I'm sure.

34-14. Booyah.

First home game.

My new little kingdom

Lookin' at m'programs.

*Last time, on Bliggety Blog...*

Me: "We're on a weekend trip for our anniversary!"
You: "Cool."

*One Week Later....*

Me: "Now we're at Newgen's for a Warhammer Weekend! We already played one whole turn, out of six. My hovering mummy frog smashed a wall of the castle with an awesome spell. He was all BIFF! ZOK!, and it came crashing down! I rather enjoyed it."
You: "Cool."

*Tune in next time for more excitement! Same Bat-time, same Bat-URL!*

I got mail!

Anniversary! Pics in sidebar (<---)!

For our fifth anniversary, Netty are in Kansas City for the weekend. The hotel we're staying at is about two blocks from Country Club Plaza, which is a really cool shopping area that's modeled after a Spanish town. We took the hotel shuttle down there yesterday (not knowing how incredibly close the Plaza actually is), and asked the driver to recommend an Italian place. I can't even tell you how very not Italian that place was. I mean, they had some pasta, but it was mostly just normal food, and a bit expensive at that. Luckily, we'd asked for a table outside, so we made an easy getaway after we were disappointed with the menu. After some wandering/map checking, we found Figlio's, which had very good spinach manicotti and their breadsticks changed my life.

Next, we came back to the hotel for the car and drove about 30 minutes to the IMAX theater to see Harry Potter again. It was a great movie the first time around, and we were curious to see what the big wizard's duel at the end would look like in 3D. Overall, it was pretty cool. Some of the closeups were blurry, which was distracting, but the wide shots looked amazing. When it worked well, it really got at that "immersive" feel they're going for. I'm really looking forward to Beowulf now.

Today we're going to go explore the Plaza properly. There are quite a few cool stores down there. There are plenty of pics of yesterday in my sidebar (to the left now, in case you somehow missed the change), and I'll continue posting pics today, too.

And we're off!

Who/what are they?

If you've been keeping up with the Internets and/or movie news, you've no doubt been wondering who, exactly, the Fredericks are. Well, the mystery deepens. There's finally a trailer up, but it doesn't really tell us very much. Judging from the front page, and from the very end of the trailer, I'd guess that Fredericks are some kind of fruit, but the rest of the trailer kinda throws that into question. Maybe the fruit's just a metaphor for something. All I know is that this thing has me pretty excited, which is saying something, considering how little is actually known about this project/film/whatever-it-is. I'll be keeping an eye on it.

Game Nut

I don't have much to say here, but I just wanted to plug Game Nut for anyone in or around Lawrence, KS who's a gamer--especially a PC gamer. I thought the days of buying used PC games were more or less over. Game Guy stopped selling them long ago, and they're becoming more and more rare in the EB/Game Stop realm, as well. But Game Nut...oh, Game Nut. There are stacks and stacks of PC games there, along with a very respectable selection of console games, and some DVDs to boot.

It's a great store and I highly recommend it. Oh, and they're thinking of opening a store here in Manhattan. Maybe I should get on that...

Setting up camp for Cuatro de Julio

Oh, giant robots from space, how I love thee.

Ok, so Transformers rocked. It was two and a half hours of smashy fun, and I'll tell you why.

We'll start with the most important reason: Optimus F'n Prime. The purists--"wankers," if you will--have been all up in arms about Optimus for months now, worried that Michael Bay would ruin their favorite freedom-loving philosopher/warrior robot, and generally getting pissed off that he doesn't look exactly like he did in the cartoon (a look which someone out there in internet land has described as "a stack of dishwashers."). Well, despite the whole "Flames on Optimus! OMFG!" to-do, I think Bay and company did right by the Big Rig. He's still the same guy as he was before--well, not "guy," but you know--but maybe just a bit cooler. And he has a sense of humor now. One of the funniest lines in the movie is his "What's with you?" during a scene where Ironhide is getting overly anxious to shoot stuff. Ok, it doesn't sound that funny now, but in context, it's hilarious. This movie actually got quite a few laughs from the audience, and from me, and they weren't the forced laughs that Pirates 3 got. Oh, and one more thing on Optimus--they got the original voice, Peter Cullen. I'm not a raging Transformers lunatic (usually), but even I was excited to hear that voice.

The acting here was actually better than I expected, at least on the part of Shia LaBeouf. That kid's going places. No more Disney channel crap for him--now it's freaking Transformers and Indy 4. He's got a kind of earnestness about him that makes you believe he's really carrying on a conversation with giant robots from space. Everyone else gave adequate performances, with the notable exception of John Turturro, who apparently wasn't told which movie he was being hired for. He acted like he was on a Mexican kids TV show, and I'm not even exaggerating. He could have been wearing the frickin' Mexican bee outfit from the Simpsons the entire time, and it wouldn't have been any worse. Luckily, the acting overall was merely a bruise on the movie, not a mortal wound.

The story, as expected, is largely irrelevant. It's not bad, but its main function is clearly as an excuse for cool cars and military vehicles to transform into giant robots that smash the hell out of each other. And holy crap does it look cool when they transform. Sometimes they'll switch back and forth four or five times in a matter of a few seconds. I could watch that all day and not get bored. If that makes me shallow, then so be it--at least I'm wading in Awesome.

So, why, with mostly crap acting and a story that's just ok, did I enjoy the experience so much? Well, first of all, in case you missed it: robots. That's the last time I'm going to say it. But second, and perhaps more importantly, the movie does exactly what it sets out to do: be a lot of fun. I am highly recommending this as a summer movie, and it'll definitely be at the top of my DVD wish list next year.

My rating: 9.2/10
IMDb rating: 8.3/10

Smashy smashy.

We just saw Transformers, and while I don't feel like writing a full review right now, suffice it to say that I was far from disappointed. It was a lot of fun.

It doesn't matter how old this guy gets...

...he is freaking Indiana Jones.

I am seriously geeking out over this.

Mediocrity...with guns.

I finally Netflixed Smokin' Aces last week, and figured I'd give it a quick review. This is one that I was looking forward to well before it came out, but I somehow never made it to the theater to see it. And it's probably just as well that I didn't.

This movie tries to be eight different kinds of cool, but only achieves moderate success on a few. Coming in to the experience, I was hoping it would be something akin to early Guy Ritchie, and at times, it was just that--a crazy cast of characters all with their own nefarious motives, tied up in a complex plot, and intersecting with each other in a ridiculous blaze of gunfire and yelling and kersplosions. The characters were definitely there--I especially loved the redneck neo-Nazis and Jeremy Piven was great as the magician/wannabe crime boss.

But when I got to the "twist" at the end, my reaction was just, "Oh," when I was really hoping it would be something like, "Holy freakin' crap, that changes everything and now I have to watch the whole thing again!" And really, that's how the whole movie went. Great characters, but none of them gets enough screen time because they're competing with crap like those pointless Ben Affleck and Jason Bateman cameos. A plot that's complex, but not terribly interesting until the end. And a style that's adequate for this kind of film, but doesn't really push any limits or do anything new. So, while I don't feel like it was a waste of my already-paid Netflix bill for the month, I probably would have felt a little cheated if I had shelled out theater money for it.

My rating: 6.2/10
IMDb rating: 6.7/10

The most I'd pay for this movie on DVD: $6

Next up on the Netflix queue: Lord of War.

A token game at Daylight Donuts.

Except those aren't tokens. They're quarters. And there's a wad of cash in there, too. That's called gambling, Donut Man. And i'm pretty sure it's not legal... It would suck, but i'd still laugh if they got shut down for a gambling violation.

Touchdown.

That's right. We came back for more early a.m. donuts.

Vampires!

I've decided to watch all of my vampire movies this summer while I'm working on the vampire hunter costume, and I started with one I picked up a few weeks ago, aptly titled Vampires (technically, John Carpenter's Vampires).  It's ok, but it's certainly no Escape from New York.  

I could tell you the whole story without giving anything away, because it's exactly what you'd expect: a guy (Crow) hunts vampires with the sanction and support of the Catholic church, people die gory deaths, the master vampire must be stopped, et cetera, et cetera.   Other than James Woods' decent performance in the lead role, the acting sucked pretty hard, as you might imagine in a film that also stars Daniel "I Have a Couple of Brothers Who Are Ok Actors So Somebody Please Give Me Work" Baldwin.

So why don't I hate this movie completely?  Well, first of all, since I'm working on my costume anyway, it doesn't have to be great.  It just has to make good vampirey background noise.  And second, any movie that's set on the fringes of a global Catholic conspiracy (here, hiding vampires from the world) is enough to get me interested.  It's the same reason I dig Van Helsing when so many others hate it with the fiery passion of a thousand burning Stephen Sommerses.

Well, I need a score if I'm going to finish out this review, and here it is.

My rating: 5.8/10
IMDb rating:5.6/10

P.S.  The rest of my vampire list: Van Helsing, Underworld 1&2,the Blade Trilogy, Interview with the Vampire, and maybe Night Watch.  It's not a huge list, just all the movies we have that happen to have vampires in them.  I'm sure there are some essential ones I'm missing.  If you have any suggestions, let me know.

I believe.

Ok, so I have a working theory that Peter Jackson takes on the appearance of the characters/actors in whatever movie he's currently working on. Hear me out.

Start with Lord of the Rings. Jackson worked on those movies for like 10 years, and what did he get (besides ungodly amounts of money and respect)? A distinctly hobbit-like appearance: plump, furry, and unshod.



Coincidence? Maybe. But did you notice how his appearance started to change as the LOTR hoopla started dying down and he began work on King Kong? He became, if I may, more Brody-esque in coutenance: thinner, sporting more closely trimmed facial hair, shod (though you can't tell it here), and noticibly less-bespectacled.





I see some of you nodding your heads. I propose to you, then, that if this trend continues (and if the rumors are true), Peter Jackson will begin to look like this when he starts his next movie:




Let's hope/pray that I'm right.

Cap'n Stubby

Patch and Crow's Nest got a spiffy new sign.

My hillbilly wife

I just had my el mind blown. o.

I just heard Rodrigo y Gabriela on some music channel or other, and immediately downloaded their album from iTunes. It's really good stuff. Here's a taste.

I'm easily amused

My phone + a monkey = Fall Out Boy's video for "Thnks fr th Mmrs"

Sweet.

Frickin' Lasers

I'm generally a big fan of paleo-futures--basically yesterday's visions of tomorrow (think The Jetsons). But I'm an even bigger fan of what might be termed "meta-paleo-futures" which, I suppose, are today's visions of yesterday's visions of tomorrow (that phrase alone is enough to get me excited). The best example is probably the movie Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, an homage to old matinee serials and comic books and such--all the stuff that was geek before geek even existed. It's a movie that knows its ray guns and giant robots are ridiculous, but it revels in the ridiculosity, as do I.

Nobody's using the term meta-paleo-future that I know of, since, as far as I know, I just made it up, but you might have heard of "steampunk," which I'd consider to be an MPF subset (look, I already have a 3-letter abbreviation for my own silly term!). Steampunk is a type of science fiction, set in a time when everything ran on steam power. If you can summon an image in your mind of a Victorian-era steam-powered rocketship or a clockwork robot (of doom, preferably), you'll have a basic understanding of steampunk.

Now that you have a bit of context, I give you: two cool MPF videos! The first could be called steampunk, and the second is something I came across while I was doing reasearch for my 1950's Literature & Culture class.


Weta Rayguns!




Brotronic Rayguns!



Click for a nice list of steampunk links!

1 a.m. Donuts!

Midnight bike ride!

Check one off the list

We just saw Ocean's 13, so I thought I'd review it before I forget. It was an entertaining movie, and even though it's a sequel, I think it could stand on its own for those who didn't see 11 or 12. A lot of people complain that the "Ocean's" movies are just becoming the "cool actors club," and they're right. But I think it's a good thing. These guys clearly enjoy working together, and lot of the acting in these movies doesn't feel like acting at all.

That said, if you didn't enjoy the first two, you probably won't like this one--it's the same actors in another storyline that involves a heist. And, I have to admit, the "how are we going to get past this security system?" bit is getting a bit stale, but it's by no means enough to ruin the movie. I found it to be, if not an amazing two hours, at least a very amusing two hours, and that's all I ask for my $7.50.

My rating: 8/10
IMDb rating: 7.3/10

My piratey wife.

The Uber-Fan Film: "Star Trek: Of Gods and Men"

Is it really just a fan film if you can get a dozen "real" actors from all five Star Trek shows to act in it (and one to direct)? Well, after watching the trailer, the answer is: yes, this is still, without a doubt, a fan film. But it looks like a pretty decent one.



Online Videos by Veoh.com

(Star Trek: Of Gods and Men)

Fallout 3 trailer

Ok, so it finally came out, and while it was just a teaser and didn't show any actual gameplay, it did get me that much more excited for the game, which is due out in Fall 2008--a long time to wait. If you're a fan, you should definitely check it out. I'm still somewhat concerned, as many are, that the gameplay will be "Oblivion with guns" (which wouldn't be that bad, but this game deserves more), but the trailer assured me that they're at least getting the feel right. The archaic radio, the music, the setting, the bottle of Rotgut, the Brother of Steel at the end--everything felt Fallout-y. But Bethesda's best move by far with this trailer was to include a new recording of the now-iconic line, "War...war never changes," delivered by Ron Perlman. I guarantee that elicited a few cheers out there in Fan Land. It got a smile from me.

Summer Movies

In case you were wondering, here's the list of movies I plan to see this summer ("summer" meaning from now through August):

Ocean's 13 - June 8 [Update: saw it, reviewed it]

1408 - June 22

Transformers - July 6

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - July 11

Sunshine (not 100% sure about this one)- July 20

Stardust - August 10


That's actually quite a few movies--a good summer's worth, for once. If something's missing that belongs on this list, convince me it's worth my time/money and I'll buy your ticket.

I updated The + List.

That is all.

My post-apocalyptic senses are tingling!

Only two more days til the teaser for Fallout 3!

If that doesn't thrill you the same way it does me, then: 1) You never played Fallout 1 or 2;
or 2) you didn't read that right the first time, so here it is again: Only two more days til the teaser for Fallout 3!

Rocking out...

...in a supremely wedding fashion.

Mission accomplished

I have now blogged from a wedding.

Pre-wedding Warm-up

Look at them. They're pumped.

Gun. Law. Justice.

Finally, a movie poster that sums up the Chris Experience.

The Gay Cowboy Inn... or Comfort Inn

This hotel is ridiculous. There's stuff like this everywhere.

It's a Mario Party!

Of the 8 variety.

Laser tag!

We just played 3 games here. I am tired.

The future is now-ish.

Air travel is about to become ridiculously practical thanks to Skybus, a new airline that's running on a self-serve model. You book your flight online, check in at the automated Skybus kiosk at the airport, and go. Not only does this cut out the hassle of flying, but it significantly lowers the cost as well. Flights start from just $10 one way. Ten freaking dollars. They also help keep costs down by only flying into smaller, less busy airports. After a few minutes of playing on their website, it looks like the further in advance you book your flight, the closer you get to that $10 mark. If you want anything extra (checking your bags, getting a meal on the plane, etc.), you can add it, but you don't pay for anything you don't need. Spiffy, yeah?

It's not perfect yet. The company is based out of Columbus, OH, so the only flights available go to Columbus, so if you want to go to any of their other destination cities, you have to go through Columbus. And right now, there are only 9 other cities, but that list is expanding, and once they get bigger, they should start offering non-Columbus flights (word from the Colorado rumor mill is that a Denver-area Skybus system is in the works). Also, you usually don't get a choice of what time of day your flights leaves, which might be a problem if you're on a business trip, or somesuch, where you're on a tight schedule. For the casual traveler like me, though, this could easily become the best way to avoid ungodly gas prices. If they just added Denver and Fort Worth, I'd be set.
Just for fun, we checked on a flight from K.C. to (you guessed it) Columbus. For two people to fly out on August 21st and come back a week later would cost a grand total of...(drum roll, please)...$81.60! Heck, that's cheap enough to fly to Columbus just to see what it's like there.

What-ball? Base-what? What-what?

Me. At a baseball game. It boggles the mind.

A new (to me) Root Beer