What to Watch on Netflix Instant: The Trip(s)

I cannot be the only person who spends the length of a movie trying to find a movie to watch on Netflix Instant. The problem isn't that there aren't any good movies. The problem is that they are hard to find. My goal through this post, and future posts (hopefully), is to help you find something that is enjoyable to actually watch before you buy, unwrap, prepare, and eat all the popcorn.

This week's suggestion is actually two movies. They are so similar that I can describe them both at almost the exact same time. The first is The Trip and the second is The Trip to Italy. Both these movies star Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon as themselves. In The Trip, Steve, an English actor, is planning to take his girlfriend on a romantic getaway across the country while at the same time writing an article for The Observer on fine restaurants. Unfortunately, at last minute his girlfriend cancels and he has to take his best, and most annoying, friend, Rob.

The majority of the movie is just the two guys sitting in restaurants, eating food, and doing impressions. Both are very good at impressions, especially Rob Brydon; and he loves to show it off. The two of them will have a 5 minute conversation just with impersonations and it appears that it is just normal conversation. It wouldn't surpise me if 75% of the dialogue was made up on the spot. The movie does have its serious moments when the characters have ongoing problems between themselves and their families, but, overall, they keep it fairly light and always bring you back to laughing.

In short, The Trip To Italy is the same movie, but in Italy.

So, if you like very clever humor mixed with impressions, and an honest look at relationships between friends and family, give The Trip and its sequel a try. I found both movies to be very entertaining and they kept me laughing with their quick-witted and seemingly unscripted dialogue.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I do hope you watch the movies, and if you do, I am sure you will enjoy them. For a brief look at The Trip take a look at the trailer here . Keep in mind, both movies are technically "Not Rated", but do have some bad language, adult situations, and adult humor. Although somewhat inappropriate at times, I did not find the movies offensive and I would gladly watch them again. Thanks again!

Be safe, be courteous.

Ryan

The Maze Runner Series: I forgot I was reading...

I just finished reading the Maze Runner Series and wanted to share my thoughts. Another title for these books could've been The Campers, because they were so in tents! (buh dum bump). There are three books in the series; The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, and The Death Cure; and I felt like doing a review on just one book would be incomplete.

A brief synopsis: The story starts with a young boy, Thomas, who finds himself trapped in the center of a maze. He has no idea who he is or how he got there, but he is determined to break the maze and find the truth. He faces many enemies, known and unknown, as well as friends that turn out to be enemies.

I know, I know. You're wondering "how could that possibly take three books?!", and I thought the same thing at first. But then I soon realized that around the turn of every page seems to be another twist in the story. And this pattern continues through all three books. You never quite know what you think you do, and things you couldn't even imagine turn out to be true. You are kept in the dark, with Thomas, and secrets are revealed to you as they are revealed to him.

If you are an adventure and action seeker, this book is for you. If you are looking for a story about love, this is not your book. The story is very heavily weighted in the thriller department. And although it does have traces of romantic emotions, the writer, James Dashner, definitely knows how to keep the story suspenseful, and focuses on that.

Overall, there was not a single minute I did not enjoy reading these books. I found myself using any spare second I had, or could make, to read just a little bit more. One thing that I did find to appreciate is that the chapters are very short. Which you would think would make it easier to just read a little bit at a time, but that's not the case. I spent way too many late nights trying to get to the end of the next chapter.

I would highly recommend these books to anybody who enjoys action, suspense, mystery, post-apocalpse, or even a little science fiction. They are a very easy read and eventually, if you're like me, you will totally forget you're even reading a book.

Thanks for taking time to read this review. I do apologize if my descriptions of these books are too vague, but I guess you will just have to read them to find out more :) You can find the books on Amazon here and more information on the series and author, James Dashner, here !

Be safe, be courteous!

Ryan Lehman

Dad is Fat: WARNING: If you read this in public, you will get looks

Three days ago I decided to read a book called Dad Is Fat by Jim Gaffigan, and, unfortunately, I finished it today. I say unfortunatley because I didn't wan to put the book down. If you don't know who Jim Gaffigan is, kindly remove the rock you live under and welcome yourself to the current world, and I shall tell you. He is best known for his stand up comedy, but is also well known for his acting and paleness.

At first I was unsure of this book. Jim is a hilarious guy to watch and listen to, but that doesn't mean he can write. I didn't want to just read a stand-up routine. I was immediately rest assured. The book, from the very beginning, shows that the author can be a comedian and a writer at the same time.

A brief overview of the book: Parenting. This book is a must read by any parents, especially dads, of young kids. He communicates the many difficulties and joys of being a parent. He doesn't sugar coat anything, but does use his sarcasm to make the hard facts and realities of being a parent more enjoyable to swallow. 

The book offers many points of advice on parenting, without telling you how to parent. Jim is a very relatable father. He has 5 kids, aged 8 and below, and lives in a two bedroom apartment in New York City with his wife, Jeannie.

The reason I titled this review the way I did is simple: you WILL literally laugh out loud while reading this. I had to explain to my wife, several times, what was so funny because I was laughing so hard. Jim does a great job at seeing the funny side of parental shortcomings.

In conclusion, READ THIS BOOK! Especially if you have kids! It was so great to read the realistic struggles and joys that all parents go through, while, at the same time, seeing the funny side of life, in a way that only Jim Gaffigan can present it.

Buy the book here

Thanks for reading! Be safe, Be coureous!

iPhone? Android? Windows?

Its almost to the point now where everybody, their mother, AND their mother's six year old child has a smart phone. And the question commonly comes up: What is the best kind of phone to get? And, luckily for all you avid followers of my work, I have the answer for you: it depends :)

The type of phone you should buy depends on so many things. It used to be, if you wanted a touch screen smart phone, you got an iPhone, and thats just not the case anymore. There are so many more good options out there. Some people disgree with that last statement, but its the truth. Some of the most popular are Apple, Samsung, and Nokia, but these are just a few. In recent years, companies like LG, HTC, Motorola, Asus, Xiaomi, Huawei, Sony, and others are really starting to make a name for themselves. But more importantly than brand, is operating system.

Apple has created it's own operating system called iOs. It consists of a minimalistic, flat design of app icons on the homescreen. This can make it very simple to find what you are looking for, but not always the most efficient.

The next largest operating system would be Android. Android was created by Google and is considered an "open" operating system. Basically, this means that you have a lot more freedom, as a user and a phone manufacturer, to tweak the device to your liking. This means that even though a Samsung home screen and an LG homescreen look very different, they both are running on Android. Contrary to that, all iPhone home screens will look similar to one another.

The third largest, and up and coming, operating system is Windows Mobile. Windows is behind in the phone game by a pretty fair amount, but they are showing promise. They use a system called "live tiles" on their home screen, which shows live updates in small boxes for things like your social networking apps. Probably one of their biggest draws is the design of their devices. Nokia is the most popular manufacturer for Windows Mobile and they are coming out with some seriously cool and interesting devices. Many Android operation OEMs and Apple seem to have VERY similar looking devices. But when you see a bright lime green phone with a huge camera lens sticking out the back, it grabs your attention, and it's probably a device running windows.

So the question still remains...Which phone should I get? Here are my suggestions:

If you want a phone that is simple, works smoothly almost all the time, has a great camera, provides excellent customer support, and has a plethora of accessories, an iPhone is for you. The down side would be that you are constrained to what Apple allows you to do with your device. You have VERY little options for tweaking, changing, or(some may say) personalizing your device.

If you get bored quickly and constantly are looking for change or you are just not looking for a "me too" phone, Android is where you want to be. Android allows for much more freedom in use of your phone and so many options to choose from when buying. In 2014 Samsung, alone, put out over 50 different phones, and Apple put out 2. Another perk of an open OS is that you can download and install ringtones and text tones for free. There are many more compatible formats for music and movies, allowing you to watch movies that you have not purchased in the Google Play store on your device. One of my favorite things about Android is being able to pick default apps to use. If you have an Apple device and want to email or text, by default you will have to use their messaging or email app. With Android you can pick from many different email or messaging apps that you might like better than the stock versions. The downside to Android phones are that they all tend to be plain black slabs with a screen (with a few exceptions) and that you have to be able to deal with intermittent freezing, rebooting, and other software issues, but that is the price of an open operating system. But the tweakabilty is endless. 

If you are looking for a sleek, uniquely designed phone with an operating system that works seamlessly with your windows computer, grab a Windows phone. But, you must also consider that Windows is playing catch up and they do not have near the amount of apps or buying options that either Apple or Android would have. 

Well, I do hope that this has been helpful if you are looking to purchase a phone. Obviously I did not cover all aspects of all the phone types, but I tried to give out the most important information. I personally enjoy aspects of both Android and Apple iOS and it would be impossible for me to pick the one I like best. Thanks again for taking the time to read this. 

Be safe, be courteous. 

Ryan