M - Move, and variations

This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

Move! When you're ready or not, give it all that you've got.

Thus begins the chorus of "Move" by Audio Adrenaline. This has quickly become one of my favorite Audio A songs. Its driving beat and feel-good style makes you want to , well, move. Major League Baseball and the NFL apparently agreed since they both licensed the song for use in some of their TV broadcasts. Check it out below.

Another Move song that has become popular lately is "Move (Keep Walkin')" by Toby Mac. Again, catchy rhythms and feel-good style. It's getting good airplay. I like this one too. Toby has been hitting on all cylinders lately and this one is no exception.

Changing the pace a little, let's look at "Movin' On" by Chris Rupp. This has quickly become Chris's most popular song off his solo album Shine. Soon-to-be former member of Home Free, Chris has shown a remarkable range of musical talent on this album, from the hard-charging "Country Reigns" to the bouncy and tongue-in-cheek styling of "First Flight to Phoenix" to the piano heavy and heartfelt "Movin' On". This song has become the soundtrack song for his departure from Home Free. Many a Home Fry cannot listen to this song without tearing up as Chris winds down his tenure as arranger and baritone-extraordinaire for the band he founded over 15 years ago.

Finally, to lighten things up a bit. "I Like to Move It" by Reel 2 Real is just fun and almost ridiculous. Best known as the lemur song from Madagascar, you can't help but shake your fluffy tail and dance like an idiot when it plays. Long live Original King Julien, King Julien XIII!

M - Movie Time!

Welcome to day thirteen of the A to Z Challenge. If you're here for the first time or if you've forgotten already, this year's theme is movies! I am posting a quote, a character or two, and a brief synopsis of a movie for each letter. You then get to guess the movie in the comments. Answers will be revealed in the following day's post.

Answer to L: The Last Starfighter

Today we look at the letter M. This one has some of the best chemistry between the main actors of any movie I've ever seen. So let's get on with the clues.

Characters
John - His job is boring but pays well. His marriage is boring and predictable. He's lying about one and completely wrong about the other.

Jane - She's a corporate executive who never takes work home. Her marriage (to John) is boring and predictable. She's lying about one and completely wrong about the other. Sound familiar?

Quote
"Mom! We are on high alert here. I almost killed you right then! You do not even realize!" - Vince Vaughn

Synopsis

The character descriptions really give the synopsis of the movie as much as possible without spoilers or making it so blatantly obvious my cat can guess the answer. So that's all you get this time. Have fun.

M - MmmNo!

Welcome to today's entry in the A to Z Challenge, music I love, hate, and love to hate (or hate to love). This one is being posted a little late due to being too busy preparing to host Passover for 50 people on Monday night. Sundown Monday began the first day of Unleavened Bread (a Sabbath) and I don't post on Sabbaths, so here we are getting it done late on Tuesday. Don't worry, we'll be back on track tomorrow.

Love
Mason Clover - Odds are that most people reading this post have never heard of Mason Clover. He is a Messianic singer and worship leader. He also happens to be a good friend of mine. I don't get to see him often enough with him living in Tennessee, but hopefully that will change soon. Check him out on Spotify sometime. I recommend El Shaddai and Yahweh You Reign.

Metallica - I decided to also add a more mainstream band to today's post. It's hard not to mention Metallica. Although their newer music doesn't compare to the older stuff. Master of Puppets and the Black Album are the pinnacle of Metallica.

Hate
Marilyn Manson - I can't find any redeeming qualities to mention here. Won't listen to him, won't watch him, don't want anything to do with him. Moving on.

Love to Hate
MMMbop (Hanson) - How did this song ever become popular? How did a group of brothers from Tulsa with good voices and at least some singing ability manage to release something like this? Those were dark days for my hometown area. Dark days indeed. Strangely enough, their later stuff was actually much better musically and lyrically, and yet no one will buy it. Hmm...

M - Movies

Movies: some are good, some are bad. Some make you feel good about yourself and about life, some make you wish you had two hours of your life back. I think we've all seen examples of each. I watched three movies this weekend that covered just about every area.

Wreck It Ralph - I wasn't sure what to expect going into this one. I had only seen a couple of previews that really didn't tell anything about the movie. Overall, it was better than I expected. Not the best animated movie I've seen lately, but not the worst either. The kids enjoyed it and it had moments that were amusing. I'll admit, it was one of the more original ideas for a movie I've seen in quite a while. Would I recommend someone renting this one? Yes I would. It's a fun family movie that will not have you running the kids out of the room or yourself wishing you were out of the room.

Skyfall - Best Bond ever! If you like James Bond movies, you will love Skyfall. If you don't necessarily care either way about Bond movies, but you like a good action movie with a plot, you will love Skyfall. This one did a very good job of making up for the disaster that was Quantum of Solace. Daniel Craig and Judi Dench were absolutely superb in this one. The chemistry between these two is amazing. You really feel the complicated relationship between M and 007. For the first time in the Daniel Craig era, you get to see the human side of M. I enjoyed this one immensely and highly recommend it.

Flight - While I didn't quite wish I had my two hours back, there were definitely moments where I almost turned off the movie. It was nothing at all like I expected from seeing the previews. The only thing in the movie that wasn't completely different than my preconceived notions was the crash. That looked just like it did in the trailers. Being a Denzel Washington movie, I expected something much better. Overall, a disappointment. I wouldn't recommend this one to anyone.

That was my weekend of movie watching. Normally, I don't watch that many recent movies, but I had discount codes from Redbox, so we decided to use them for a change. Usually, we watch movies we've recorded on the DVR during the free preview weekends of HBO, Showtime, etc. Best one I've seen lately? How to Train Your Dragon. I don't know why, but I just love this movie. I've seen it close to a dozen times in the last three months. If you haven't seen it, you owe it to yourself to do so. You won't regret it.

Sometimes, I pull out the DVDs I already own and watch one. Most recent? Lord of the Rings. As discussed in my last post, I love this whole trilogy. The other movie I rewatch lately is the Star Trek reboot. I have that one on my Ipod and watch it often. Another strong recommendation. Can't wait for the sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness. Getting giddy for that one.

That's all I have to say about movies for now. Maybe I'll do some more recommendations and/or critiques in the future. We'll see. For now, I need sleep.