My Tent: Cabela's Westwind Deluxe 8

Researching my tent, I found very little outside of the reviews on Cabela's website. The pictures were poor quality, and there were no videos. Even google-ing this tent found few results. Brief mentions, but no pictures or videos. I decided to take a bunch of pictures and even shoot a video overview of the features of this tent. My wife and I love this tent.

Note: the updated version of this tent has different colors, but it is essentially the same tent.  Cabelas also sells 4 and 6 person models. 

Jimmy's Fall TV Picks

It is fall. Here in Wisconsin the leaves are changing colors and the weather isn't as hot. The new season of TV has also begun or will begin soon. Here are the shows I'm watching this fall:

Monday: Terra Nova, House (Both FOX)

Terra Nova is a new FOX show produced by Steven Spielberg about a family from the 2100s traveling back to prehistoric dinosaur time. Their future world is polluted and dying and they want to be part of a new civilization in the past. Don't worry, they do a good job with the time travel explanation (it is a different branch of time). My only problem with the show is that it is set "85 million years back" and I don't believe the world is that old. I can get past that one thing and it is a highly interesting show. There are mystery elements similar to LOST, there are dinosaurs, and there is Stephen Lang, who does an awesome job in this show.

I also caught the first episode of House this season and I'm impressed. I used to watch but it was getting monotonous. Same plot, different disease, but now with House in jail and the new characters, I see a lot of potential for a great season.

Tuesday: Parenthood (NBC)

My parents actually got me into this show, which is really family oriented and down to earth. The problems are realistic and the endings aren't always perfect. Great cast, great story, great show.

Wednesday: Psych (premieres 10-12-11 on USA, also available on Hulu.com)

Psych is a smart comedy detective show about a fake psychic and his buddy. Because of the thousands of pop-culture references, humor, and impressive cases, I'm hooked. The older seasons are also available on Netflix and Hulu Plus.

Thursday: Community, The Office (Both NBC)

This is Community's third season and I'll admit, it is starting with some weak episodes. I loved the first two seasons, so I still have hope. Definitely worth the watch.
[UPDATE] Episode #4 (Remedial Chaos Theory) Is AMAZING. Multiple timelines. Really funny. Well done. I think they are back on the right track.

The Office started its 8th season, the first without Michael Scott (Steve Carell). James Spader's "Robert California" is awesome and I think Andy (Ed Helms) is starting to fit as the new boss. It's not the same show, but the ensemble cast is taking it up a notch and it is still quite funny.

Friday: Fringe (FOX)

Arguably the best show on TV right now, Fringe is a sci-fi drama with the appropriate balance of weirdness, mystery, and relationships. Extremely well-written and acted, definitely worth a watch. John Noble's "Walter Bishop" is amazing (and so is Walternate).

What are you watching?

Got a little captain in you?

Captain America: The First Avenger is all about the little guy. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) was a little guy before he was genetically altered into a super soldier. America was the little guy when it sent its Declaration of Independence to Britain in 1776. America wasn't founded by the biggest and strongest, it was founded on ideals, intelligence, and the bravery to stand up to the bully. This is the same reason why Steve Rogers was chosen for the super soldier program.

Captain America is mainly set in the 1940s during World War II. Steve Rogers has tried five times to get into the army, but he is rejected due to his tiny size and other health concerns. You really feel for the guy. Especially when he gets the crap beat out of him for standing up for his country and what he believes in. These qualities are why Rogers was picked for this procedure. The doctor said it "amplifies the qualities of the subject". They needed a guy who wasn't going to be out of control, someone who would appreciate the gift given him. That guy was Steve Rogers.

I won't spoil the rest of the film for you, but I will say that the CG effects used are pretty cool. Pre-procedure Rogers is a really skinny tiny man. They had to use CG to shrink Chris Evans' body for those scenes, because Evans was bulked up to play the Captain America role and because he is a bigger guy in the first place. I think it looks great. The other special effects all look great as well. I didn't see it in 3D, but I saw no way that 3D would make the movie better.

The acting in this film is very convincing. Hugo Weaving's Red Scull is very hate-able and well done, similar to his Agent Smith role in the Matrix series. Chris Evans is really genuine and his supporting cast was solid. The music was very patriotic and 40s-ish which was a nice treat. Another treat was the inclusion of Howard Stark, the father of Tony Stark (Iron Man). It added a nice connectedness to the Marvel universe.

Audiences outside of the US probably won't get too into this film because of its nature and title, but it is one of the better comic book films I've seen lately.

Captain America: The First Avenger runs 124 minutes and is rated PG-13. I give it 8 ramheads out of 10.

Just a Quick Recommendation: See Rudy

Rudy (1993) is a good film about a kid with heart.  It is rather inspiring, real, and a very well told story.  The acting is solid.  The soundtrack is good.  You will like it if you haven't seen it yet.  It is hard not to like it.

I give it a solid 8 ramheads out of 10.

Awake to a Complementary Continental Breakfast at Super 8!

It turns out that one of my most anticipated movies of the summer, next to Harry Potter 7.2, has to wait until the end of summer to be seen. I had to wait almost 3 months, but I finally saw it. Super 8 did not disappoint.

The story is set in 1979 small town Ohio and stars 14ish year old kids. And these kids are kids. They talk like kids, mess around like kids, and really do a great job. They don't look like they are acting. This is important when the whole movie is based on kid character driven story.

The kid actors are all pretty much newcomers, Elle Fanning (Dakota's younger sister) has been in some stuff, but not too much. The adult actors are mostly no-namers, aside from Kyle Chandler (TV's Friday Night Lights and Early Edition). The absence of the "Star" quality actor really helps make this film work. (Unlike the similar situation in 10,000 BC.) No performance overshadows the other, yet all really work for the film.

These particular kids are into movie making. They are making a Zombie film for an amateur film festival when they witness the derailment of an Air Force train. I won't spoil the plot for you, but it was very well written. J.J. Abrams wrote and directed this film with Steven Spielberg as a producer. It was the best original screenplay I've seen since Inception. It was emotional, entertaining, funny, and sci-fi-y.

The cinematography in this film was also very good. Similar to the film's marketing scheme, the way J.J. Abrams doesn't let you see what is going on all the time really adds to the intrigue and awesomeness of this film. He and the actors really put their hearts into this film and it shows. It isn't the throwaway, CGI-packed 3D hunk of crap a lot of movies are lately. Sure, they use CGI to create the awesome explosions and the stuff I won't spoil for you, but the actors and the story really drive this film. Plus Simon from 7th Heaven plays a stoner, who is quite entertaining.

Super 8 runs 112 minutes and is rated PG-13. For the most part this film is pretty family oriented, though there is a little language (and drug references) at times. Kids under 9 probably don't need to see it. I was thoroughly entertained and was not let down. I give it 10 ramheads out of 10.