Thursday, April 26, 2012

"I Was Trying To Daydream, But My Mind Kept Wandering." -- Steven Wright


Wow, they're walking on the edge of a white world! Why would wise wanderers want to wager their well-being on such a wild... uh... welativewy-wisky twek... uh... without... wealizing... um...

O, forget it.

Hey, guess what letter we're featuring today?! :D

Nope! I decided to start over with A! Back to the starting line with you all! MUAHAHAHA!!!!

OK, fine, we're doing W today. Which is coincidental, seeing as how it's W Day and all... we're going to start with Favorite Last Names... gee, I wonder which one I'll pick..? :P

Favorite Actors (W):


Denzel Washington: There are few people who hold the screen as well as Denzel. He's soooo smoooooth and powerful on screen. My fave, of course, being his Oscar-winning performance in Training Day (2001), which is a really good movie full of great performances (in spite of the rather gaping plot holes, lol). I also loved him in Devil With A Blue Dress (1995), where he played with Don Cheadle in a sort of noir-pseudo-detective story. His filmography is impressive indeed, including Cry Freedom, Glory, Malcolm X, Philadelphia, Crimson Tide, Remember the Titans, The Book of Eli and many, many others.


Bruce Willis: One of my 3 favorite Bruce's (along with Campbell and Lee), Bruce Willis can match Denzel in the Impressive Filmography category, for certain. Literally dozens of high-caliber movies - a few of my faves pictured in the montage above. While Denzel may be the more skilled of the two, Bruce is still enjoyable, although his range is rather limited. He plays the same type of character in just about all of his roles - which is fine with me. He does it well. I also liked Unbreakable, Fifth Element, The Whole Nine Yards, The Kid, Armageddon, The Last Boy Scout and others.

Favorite Movie Performances (W):


Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland (2006): Career-defining, Oscar-winning performance by Forest Whitaker portraying Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. Very powerful -- not sure I'd recommend it to just anyone. The movie will leave it's mark on you, for certain. Someday, I will watch it again. But not yet.

Kristen Wiig in Ghost Town (2008): A very funny movie to begin with. Ricky Gervais I'm torn about. I think he's a genuinely funny individual, but really, if it's possible to be too cynical/sarcastic/offensive, I think perhaps he's crossed into that realm. I certainly wouldn't want to know him in person. HOWEVER, we're not talking about Ricky here, we're talking about the show-stealer, Kristin Wiig. Really, it's a bit part (she plays a surgeon), but she is so quirky and funny, her comedic timing is spot-on. It's a joy to watch - definitely a reason to rent it if you haven't yet.

Speaking of people I'd like to meet...

People I'd Like To Meet (W):



Damien Walters: What healthy red-blooded American male could possibly watch Damien Walters do his thing, and not wish he could do that mad tumbling as well? I'd like to meet him just so I could shake his hand and say, "Dang, dude, you are insane. Love it." Good stuff.

[Honorable Mention: Steven Wright (comedian)
Bill Waterson (Cartoonist (Calvin & Hobbes))]

Favorite Books (W):


With the Old Breed, by Eugene B. Sledge (1981): My good friend Dave-O loaned me this book a few years back and it floored me. It's a boots-on-the-ground account of a Marine (Sledge) who fought in two of the most incredibly-taxing battles in the Pacific theater on WW2 - Peleliu and Okinawa. It's a first-hand account, no holds barred, and an incredible read. It is so visceral and detailed that it was used (in part) as the basis for the HBO series The Pacific (2010). I've always had a big interest in World War 2 in general, so the subject matter would have likely hit me hard regardless. But it is really well written to boot. I think I'll re-read it soon and write a legitimate review.

Favorite Songs (W):



When I'm Gone by Eminem: He has some truly great songs, and also some absolute trash. Guess which category I think this falls under? Maybe it's his obvious strong love for and devotion to his daughter Haley that has established such a connection for me, since I can relate x3.

[Honorable Mentions: We Will Find Our Way, by John Elefante
The Wind, by CeCe Winans]

Odds & Ends (W):
- Favorite Book Characters: Whirrun of Bligh (The Heroes, by Joe Abercrombie)
- Favorite Movie Characters: Wolverine (Hugh Jackman in X-Men)
- Favorite Webcomics: White Ninja, Wagnervana

OK, I guess that's it for W Day. Got something a little different planned for tomorrow, for X-Day.

Adios for now, eh!

Dave the Wagner

7 comments:

mauz said...

Your intro made me laugh a lot as in lol or as in LMFAO.

Matthew MacNish said...

Wow. You really go all out on these. That first photo is amazing.

Sally said...

Hi, great post. I found you on the 'surprise me' button. New follower from A - Z
http://sallys-scribbles.blogspot.co.uk/

kristacole said...

Denzel and Willis both amazing!....that man can seriously jump insane is right! id like to meet him just to see him jump in person that'd be awesome!... ghost town=very funny...when I'm gone great song! I definitely love all his later work more than his earlier work... and I can see why those guys would be risking there lives for such a sight it'd be cold up there but very beautiful! That is If there eyes weren't frozen shut! lol

Looks like you still got it Dave loved the post hope you're doing well!

P.s. great new blog photo! very amazingly beautiful!

kristacole said...

P.s.s commented on your review of the way of kings...

Peter S. said...

This is a very fun post! Did you spend hours trying to find things/people that begin with the 'W'?

By the way, I saw 'The Last King of Scotland', too. Have you read the book? I thoroughly enjoyed the book as well.

David Wagner said...

Mauz: Glad I could bring a chuckle your way. Thanks for poppin in.

Matthew: Gotta keep my readers happy! Actually, I think it looks more impressive than it actually is - I enjoy writing about stuff that interests me. *shrugs*

Sally: Hope it was a pleasant surprise! Checkes out your blog. Nice poems.

Krista: Haven't "seen" you in forever! Glad you enjoyed the post.

Peter: Initially, I did spend a few hours generating the master Favorites Lists and alphabetizing them. After that, finding the photos/etc. is easy for me. A quick Google Image search, a couple minutes in Photoshop, and I'm golden.

Haven't read the book - I'll track it down on Amazon and see if it's affordable, thx for the suggestion.