Read a book, play outside, talk on the phone, embrace a hobby other than gaming for a little bit. All pretty good suggestions, but I say dim the lights and grab your favorite snack and enjoy a good movie!

Next to gaming, something about watching a film for a few hours takes me to a whole other delightful place. Even if the flick is total garbage, I can't help but totally embrace that world at face value and happily revert back to my own once the credits roll. Its like a mental vacation I take every so often... and since everything cost something now a days... saving money is a huge bonus when put into such context.
For awhile now, I've become one of the biggest supporters of a service that has me actually trafficing to McDonalds with a major reduction in shame - RedBox. Basically, you bring whatever debit/credit card you have to the nearest location that has one of these huge red movie vending machines and hit up the touch screen looking through about 30-50 titles. Depending on how much is available, you can easily spot new releases and now old favorites that can be seen playing in droves on networks like TBS and TNT, all for $1.

Compared to places like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video, this is a steal in my eyes. Even with services like Net Flix constantly expanding, this Redbox thing has me hooked. Whats really sweet is if I ever play it up lazy and decide to hang onto a movie longer than one evening -- just another dollar. Which is pretty affordable and convient for someone silly like me who loses track of time when gaming after a good film :oops:

Just a few gems worth mentioning...

Punisher: Warzone
What a great departure from the PG-13 junk that was the first film! I'm telling you, anytime a movie in the first 10 minutes grabs you by the ghoolies and doesn't let go except for a few choice "moments", its A-okay in my book. For any true fan of Punisher, this is the best big screen adaption yet. For any fan of extreme use with weapons and death dealing, give this one a shot... I'm even tempted to scrape together some money so I can eventually own this bad boy with my other comic films.

Role Models
I really thought highly of this movie in preview form, and the concept is especially meaningful since I've done Big Brother type stuff before. Sadly, the comedy is limited to only a few chuckles and the plot kind of banks on a running joke against a nerdy kid and his obsession with medevil fantasy. Not being a huge fan of such jokes, plus smiling more than I was out loud laughing all kind of ruined this one for me.

Transporter 3
Something about this partially bald dude with a look of grimace is edgy and cool, but the other half is macho Bruce Willis BS through the roof. And thats not all really a bad thing... I still like Bruce Willis. As for the movie, if you've been following the character you likely know of the main dude being super capable in his slick Audi car and kicking major arse with ease when outside of it. Beyond that, there is a terribly generic love interest and a fair share of erractic camera action... which really blew my cinema high.

What Just Happend
So not only do I adore Bruce Willis, but Robert DeNiro is pretty awesome too. Type cast these dudes all you want and hate; whenever there is a film made from the ground up with the sole purpose of poking fun at the very industry they slave for, my shoes are off and you have my attention. A few really good laughs and some other dark moments of self reflection really make this a strange pick... yet I'm sure if you enjoy Hollywood drama or heaven forbid, TMZ, check this one out with other fellow movie lovers.

Body of Lies
I'm really conflicted on this one. I really do like both actors, DiCaprio and Crowe; but this movie is so high strung then coldy calm I had a hard time fully enjoying all the spy and espinoge stuff. Its no Bond, but its a good film for U.S. government haters and fans of intense dialogue exchanges.

Quarantine
I remember when I first seen previews of this one I thought, "more Blair Witch shakey cam". In all respects, BW could learn something from the people that worked on this one. Amazing technical work, really interesting story even with tons of gaps, and the overall experience reminds me of a thrill ride more than anything. If you own a big screen TV and don't mind being creeped out with some blood and gore, this one is a must watch in the evening.

Blindness
I can't say enough how disappointed I am by this film. The concept had me right away -- an entire city suffers from some unknown spreading contaigen that causes blindness and one lady who is sectioned off with the infected bunch is immune to the mystery. So basically you get to watch 2 hours of this lady helping ignorant, irrational, disgruntled, ametuer blind people. The story kind of bounces around with nonsense and ends on a sour note... which made it pretty hard for me to understand where this movie could have ever went right.

Nick & Norah
Talk about feel-good tingles turned up full crank. A love story based in NY that takes place in one night where 2 music loving kids stumble across each others paths and eventually fully embrace. Not real hard to peg this one, but you can gurantee a few brownie points with the lover by sitting back and enjoying this light comedy.

Lakeview Terrace
I saw this movie before Watchmen, but now I know who NightOwl is. If you ever feared purchasing a home, this movie will greatly escalate that notion. My guy Jackson really plays a good douche-bag, and suprisingly the rest of the cast offers plenty of twist and turns to keep you from focusing on just one aspect of the film. Its not worth owning, but the movie serves as a great attention grabber with any audience.

Pride and Glory
Honestly, who doesn't like Edward Norton? He plays a pretty good range of roles, even though his look never really dramatically changes. Then his counter part, Farrel, turns on the goon juice and really captures the essence of a character most actors I feel struggle with. Pretty predictable cop drama, yet I say fans of Law and Order entertainment will surely enjoy this as an evening delight.

A Guide To Your Saints
I really didn't know what to expect from this semi-artsy true story of a kid who desperately tries to find himself. It was really engaging in some areas and others were just... boring. It was cool seeing the all-star cast bring a little spice to each role, but the ending leaves you hanging and the credits roll with no real closure. If you like coming of age stories about nobodies, maybe you'll enjoy what little it has to offer.

So yea... the RedBox. Why rag on a few movies even though I was the main person who choose them -- because it was a dollar well spent! ;) Tell me thats not awesome!!