Airplane Reviews

On the flight home yesterday, I read a book, watched two movies, and ate a couple of meals. Here is the rundown. Keep in mind, all reviews come with the caveat that I was on an airplane and there were no other options than what I had in front of me.

BOOK: "THE BIG SHORT"
The new book from Michael Lewis focuses on several different people during the crash of the financial system in 2008, who saw what was coming in advance and profited greatly by betting that the market would fail. He does a really good job of explaining in terms everyone can understand what led to the meltdown and the reasons why certain decisions were made along the way. It was a great book and I really enjoyed how he personalized the story with his approach of focusing on the people who through sound reason and logic saw that we were in a bubble that was about to burst big time. It was kind of an extended version of "The Giant Pool of Money", which was an episode of the NPR show This American Life from a few years ago that focused on the economy. If you haven't listened to it, I highly recommend it. You can listen to it or download the transcript here: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/355/the-giant-pool-of-money. The Big Short is a quick read and a really informative one. Whether you are sitting on an airplane all day or not, it is worth your time.

MOVIES:
"THE BOUNTY HUNTER" 
This movie was bad even if you are stuck on a plane and there aren't a lot of other options. Gerard Butler, trying desperately (and unsuccessfully) to pull of an American accent, was recently kicked off of the police force and is now a down on his luck bounty hunter. Are there really up on their luck bounty hunters out there? His next job perks him up as the target is his ex-wife, Jennifer Aniston, a reporter, who missed her appearance in court for a traffic violation to chase down a story, since she is always putting her job first. There is not much appealing about this film. The story is weak, as you know from the opening scenes of the movie where it's headed. I know it was reported that the two leads were dating at the time of the movie, but it would surprise me since their chemistry was awful. There is no point in the movie that it is at all believable that these two loved or do love each other. There is also no point in the movie that as a viewer, I cared at all about either character. I didn't laugh once the entire movie. I think I laughed more during Schindler's List than this piece of garbage. If you want to see a movie about a bounty hunter, go rent Midnight Run.

"ALICE IN WONDERLAND"
I'll give Tim Burton credit for being creative, innovative, and unique. He always makes an attempt to put out something different than anyone else is doing in the movie business. Having said that, I just couldn't get into this movie. It's very strange and seems like a 2 hour long acid trip, or what I imagine one to be like since I wouldn't actually know. The film follows Alice returning to Wonderland 13 years after her first visit. The story is relatively the same as the original story that most people are familiar with and incorporates all the same characters. The visuals are pretty cool, even on the small screen on the seat in front of me. I'm sure it would have been a neat movie to see in 3D in the theater. It wasn't bad overall, but not anything you need to rush to see either. Anything would have been enjoyable after The Bounty Hunter.

FOOD:
CHEESE TORTELLINI WITH TOMATO SAUCE
Surprisingly decent for airplane food. I've found in my recent travels that you are usually pretty safe going with the pasta option.

MUSHROOM AND CHEESE PIZZA
The pizza itself was slightly below the quality you can get in the freezer section at the grocery store, but when there is no other option, it was satisfying enough for dinner. One quarter of the pizza was cold and the middle was pretty mushy. I ate some of it and didn't get sick, so I guess that's a win. There was a side of grapes that were pretty gross. They just had a really weird taste, kind of like soap.