Since October hit, my movie excitement has gone through the roof. This is the month of horror, and for someone like myself, it pleases me to the core. Even though the month is almost over, I thought myself and four other Dagger writers would give you our recommendations for movies to watch in the final days of October, some horror and some not. And if you don’t get to all of these, feel free to roll ‘em over to November.
After becoming the talk of Hollywood with their film masterpiece No Country For Old Men, Ethan and Joel Coen have become recognized by just about everyone these days. So when their new film, Burn After Reading, came out, everyone wondered if it would become another shining mark on the Coen brothers’ already impressive record, which includes such classics as Raising Arizona, Fargo, The Big Lebowski and O Brother, Where Art Thou?
What could be better than a nice hearty cabernet sauvignon with dinner? Pretty much nothing. That’s why Educated Guess by Roots Run Deep Winery has moved into my cab-loving heart. After one night of sipping it with a vegetarian red sauce pasta dish, I could feel my yearning for a juicy cab slowly becoming satisfied.
The wine starts with a blackberry and boysenberry flavoring and finishes with a french vanilla tinge. Not usually a fan of creamy flavors derived from oak barrel aging, I was surprised with my level of satisfaction with the finish. I guess there will always be exceptions to the rule, and this bottle of wine surely is it.
Besides a big beautiful cab flavor, Educated Guess has something else going for it: all the grapes used were organically grown. This is a big plus for someone like myself, someone who ...Continue Reading
Like most things in life, good and bad, The Dagger started off innocently enough.
On September 7, 2007, the first introductory story, a two-paragraph piece aptly titled “Introductions,” was posted onto the Internet. Despite being called an introduction, the story posed more questions than it answered.
Today, September 7, 2008, we hope to finally answer some of those lingering questions as we celebrate The Dagger’s anniversary with some laughter, some tears and enough behind-the-scenes details to hopefully keep us relevant for another year.
When I was first approached about joining up with The Dagger, it was before it even existed. I attended a get together/outdoor movie night at Brian’s and ended up indoors most of the time chatting with Brian and Matt about this odd idea for an indescribable website. They asked if I wanted to join up and I agreed. Although now I can say I said yes thinking one of two things would happen: 1.) they would never even start the site; and 2.) if the site were started, I wouldn’t write anyway because I am too lazy.
Trying to get into filmmaking often times means you help out others who have experience. This way you hopefully learn the tricks of the trade and come away with an idea of how to create your own film. With this in mind, I decided to help a team for the Baltimore 48 Hour Film Project. And oh man, did things go badly.
First off, it is important to note that the Director had a bunch of her friends volunteering to help out. And from what I saw: making a film + friends = nobody is getting anything done. This is how the entire day of filming went.
It’s time for another wine review, and this time two things have changed: 1.) it’s a white instead of a red and 2.) I tasted it with three other people. This time around I took on Praxis Cellars Sauvignon Blanc and of course it is compliments of Wine World in Abingdon.
When I took my first whiff of this one I breathed a deep sigh of satisfaction because a nice aroma of apple and citrus flooded my nostrils. These are the kind of smells I have come to adore from Sauvignon Blancs, which happen to be my favorite white varietal. Next came the tasting. As each person around the table took the first sip, words of praise rang out from two in the bunch. “Oh, I really like it,” said one. “It’s not as dry of a finish for this type of wine,” said another.
This installment of Ask A Smartass will attempt to tackle a question that has been on the minds of many Americans these days: Is our country in a recession? Warning: if you hate to hear about money issues or you love capitalism with all of your heart, you may not want to proceed in reading.
Due to a new experimental investing strategy in the country, the economy has hit a recession. Investments have been the strength of the United States economy, so when this risky experimental investment started, many thought nothing of it. But now, as investors have clearly made bad decisions, the entire country is suffering. You may be asking yourself, what is this new investment strategy? Well, it is all the rage now to invest in celebrities. Since they make so much money, why not have them take on shareholders and boost their income while taking others along for ...Continue Reading
This article marks the first of many to come. Prepare yourself, because my long dreamed about fantasy has become a reality: writing wine reviews. With the assistance of Wine World in Abingdon, I will be bringing you my opinions on wines from around the world. And as every first article needs a starting point, I have mine: Bodegas Alma Negra, which is a red blend of malbec and bonarda from the Mendoza region in Argentina.
At first smell, the wine gives off an oaky and deep cherry aroma. Being a person who seldom enjoys heavy oaks in my wine, I became a bit skeptical. But once the first sip entered my mouth and danced around my taste buds, my eyebrows perked up and a smile quickly took shape. This is an exceptional wine. The oaky and heavy cherry aromas trick you into thinking this will be a strong drink ...Continue Reading
For most of us, the perfect definition of a nerd consists of only two words: Dungeons & Dragons.
For those who have been sheltered from the world of the overly-intellectual and hyper-fantasized, Dungeons & Dragons is rightfully the nerdiest thing in the world. But within this magical realm of Wizards and Halflings exists a group of people who greatly surpass D&Ders in their nerdy thirst for questing and goblin killing: we’re talking about Live Action Role Playing (LARPing for short).
The hobby of sitting in a friend’s Mom’s basement, drinking energy drinks, eating Cheetos and navigating through fictitious worlds of yore, started a long time ago and blossomed into a community of highly imaginative dreamers, who found a way they could escape their less than satisfying lives as students, accountants, corporate guinea pigs, etc. with the roll of a multi-sided die. But the new phenomenon called LARPing has taken that ...Continue Reading
