Most Anticipated Movies of Summer 2013

Last year I posted about my most anticipated movies for the whole year and I struggled to make a decent list. This year I looked at just the movies coming out in the summer and I'm having issues keeping it to only 10. I even had to add in a section of honorable mentions! Haha. That basically means I don't want to spend $50 at the movies but the movie definitely has potential to be great. Again, this list is only for spring/summer of 2013! Let's get it started baby!

Already Out

Pain & Gain

The Rock and Mark Wahlberg in an action/comedy movie with Rebel Wilson? Uh, sign me up please. I'm hoping to ignore the fact that Michael Bay is the director, but I have a feeling when I watch this I will be reminded of that. Let's hope Dwayne and Marky Mark can make this film enjoyable.

Anticipation Level: Pretty Excited

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May

Iron Man 3

Iron Man 2 was a bit of a disappointment, still good because of Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark, but the Avengers hit the screens last summer with a huge pop. The excitement for the comic book movies is back this summer and I think IM3 is going to blow away the first two movies in the trilogy. 

Anticipation Level: SUPER EXCITED!!!

The Great Gatsby

This movie looks nothing like how I pictured it when reading this in high school. It looks ten times better! The "old-school futuristic" look along with Leo makes me very interested in how this movie will turn out. This was on the verge of going into honorable mentions - but it looks so fresh compared to other movies.

Anticipation Level: Pretty Excited

Star Trek Into the Darkness

Ok. J.J. Abrams is just amazing. You should know my man-crush I have on him and any project he touches. He made me a Star Trek fan with the original re-make he did a couple years ago. Now, I can't wait to see this. Brittany and I may be there opening weekend - since we share the same love for J.J.

Anticipation Level: SUPER EXCITED!

Fast & Furious 6

Ok, I will admit, I stopped watching these movies at Tokyo Drift. But the fifth installment have been on my radar since it was released. The Rock and the reunion of every character (even Michelle Rodriguez!) in the movies to date make me very interested in this one. If I'm confused, I'll go back and watch 5, but right now I'm just jumping straight to 6.

Anticipation Level: Excited!

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June

The Purge

Ok, this is my sleeper pick for the summer. I watched the trailer and instantly fell in love (is that weird?). The overall plot of the movie is very unique - it opens up for some terrible things to happen during the one night that all crimes are allowed. I cannot wait to see this movie, and surprisingly haven't heard about it until I started making this list. Brittany isn't a fan of "break-into-your-house" movies, so I dunno if I'll have to drag Raleigh or Jason with me to see it.

Anticipation Level: Surprisingly Excited!

Man of Steel

I'm not a Superman fan, at all, but I'm really excited about this movie. That should tell you something. Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan being part of the development definitely helps! It looks the part, no matter what people say about the new costume, I think it looks great. The cast all fits the parts, hopefully the story line holds up. Very very very excited to see Superman this summer. Batman is still better though.

Anticipation Level: Very Excited!

World War Z

Zombies are totally IN right now. Zombie is the new black. Then, add in Brad Pitt...oh man that's a summer movie made in heaven. This is definitely in my top three movies I want to see - I love zombies I love apocalypse movies and I love Fight Club. Boom!

Anticipation Level: SUPER EXCITED!

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July

Grown Ups 2

Listen, I have a rule about movie theaters - I never see Comedies. Paying $450,857 to see a comedy in the theater is ridiculous. There is no benefit to seeing it there, unlike an action flick. Somehow two summers ago, I saw Grown Ups in the theater with a group of friends. They must have paid for it? Haha. I was REALLY happy that I saw it though - it was one of the best comedies I've seen in a while. Now, the sequel comes out and I'll probably be there, watching it again with my friends in the theater. Good job Adam Sandler and crew.

Anticipation Level: Excited!

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August

Kick-Ass 2

The original was one of the most unique movies I've seen over the past five years. It made me laugh, cry, jump up and down and say "YEAH!" The sequel looks just as good, but my interest isn't as high as it is to see the other movies. Honestly, this was close to being dumped to honorable mentions - but then I saw that Jim Carrey is in it...definite top 10 now!

Anticipation Level: Pretty Excited

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Order of Anticipation:

1. Star Trek Into the Darkness

2. Iron Man 3

3. World War Z

4. Man of Steel

5. The Purge

6. Fast & Furious 6

7. Grown Ups 2

8. Pain & Gain

9. Kick-Ass 2

10. The Great Gatsby

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Honorable Mentions

1. Oblivion - Yes, I know it's out already but this (to me) kicked off the summer blockbusters. Tom Cruise, conspiracies, life after Earth and aliens all combine into great potential.

2. After Earth - Will Smith also is a must-have during the summer. This interested me because his son is acting with him, and M. Night Shyamalan is back. He has made a string of bad movies, hopefully Fresh Prince can save him.

3. Pacific Rim - HUGE ROBOTS FIGHTING! Not going to lie, this almost made my Top 10. The concept is pretty sweet, but will probably be just a popcorn blockbuster this summer. Robot Combat League on steroids.

4. R.I.P.D. - I love Ryan Reynolds so that alone got my attention. But then I read the overview of this movie. Dead cops trying to fight to save the world. INTERESTING!

5. Comedies Galore - Hangover Part 3/The Internship/This is the End - All movies I'd like to see, but don't want to spend $40 going to the theater to see them. I'm not a huge fan of seeing comedies in the theater, Grown Ups 2 is on the list because I LOVED the first one. The Hangover series never won me over, though it does have its moments. Loved Wedding Crashers so hoping that The Internship continues the Wilson/Vaughn magic. Usually not a huge fan of Seth Rogan, but the unique plot of these actors playing themselves interests me.

So what did you think? Do you agree with some of these? Are there other movies that you are shocked I didn't include? Am I nuts?! Comment below. 

Catching Up...

Well, I let this blog fall behind again. So lets hit some key points since my last post:

• Micah's new parenting plan finally got finalized with his father. (That was a lot of Fs...) Things really worked out and I believe we are in a place where we can limit the amount of flareups between both sides. But most importantly, I believe Micah will be happier once we settle into the new agreement.
• I got a new job! That's right! Still with HCA, but I'm the new Communications Coordinator on the HCA Rewards/Benefits team. So far it has been incredible, finally being able to tap into my creative side and really feel like I'm making a difference in the work I do. I put together several newsletters, design posters and fliers, design for web, write content, etc. etc.
• Penny is going to be 2 years old in 4 days...It is unbelievable to say that. She has gotten so big. I can't believe she will be so old...it really makes you think about how fast time moves when you babies are so big. Micah will be 8! 8! I met him when he was just over 2 years old...crazy that little man has been in my life for almost 6 years.
• Penny turning 2 isn't always a great thing...she definitely has hit the terrible 2. Though, we have a system...when she throws a fit Brittany or I will ask to have her hands and for her to look at us. Then we calmly explain to her the situation and she replies with "Okkkay...I sorrryy Daaa-yee" (That's how she says Daddy.)
• The photography business has taken off this wedding season. We don't remember being this busy in previous years. Totally a great thing, but definitely takes us away from the kids more than we want. 
• I've gotten more involved with the church. Brittany and I taught a children's class on Wednesday nights. We went to Gatlinburg with the Youth Group in February. We've been asked to help out more with the Youth Group, and we are getting excited for the possibilities. 
• Lots of new stuff happening with our house. We have hardwood floors now! Well, actually they are vinyl flooring panels that look and feel like hardwood but cost WAY less. We love them.
• We finally repaired our fence, for the most part.
• We turned our backyard into a cool hangout spot for kids and adults, with firepit included! Hopefully we don't burn the neighborhood down.
• We are still getting harassed by the HOA. I'm never going to move into another neighborhood with an HOA.
• We have been living with only one car...kind of rough, but it saves us from having a second car payment. Big shout out to my parents, Jason and Hope, Raleigh and Brooke and whoever else have been chauffeuring me around when I need rides to work or practice.
• Practice? What have I been practicing? Well, my old band, Circean, is putting together a reunion show. We've been practicing over the past few months and it has really came together. Good timing too, since the show is actually this Friday.
• We just got back from our yearly trip to Destin, FL. Had such a wonderful time, I think I want to move there...so laid back and a wonderful environment. 
• Tons of new movies are out that I want to see, many of them from my most anticipated movies of 2012 post several months back. I will write some reviews of the movies I've seen.
• Ummm, the Redskins drafted Robert Griffin III...excited would be an understatement for Redskins fans right now.
• Titans missed out on the Peyton Manning Sweepstakes...we still have Jake Locker waiting on the bench, though.
• Ravens just re-signed my favorite running back, Ray Rice to a 5 year deal. 
• Fantasy Football starts up soon, I'm in 4 leagues, running 2 of them and co-running another...Can't wait!
• I'm still madly in love with my wife, even if she does give me a lot of honey-to-dos. She is my best friend and I don't know where I would be without her. We will be married for 4 years this October.

I think that's about it! I'm sure I left out a lot of things, but I'll add those when I get to them. :)

Hopefully my lack of updates haven't lost some readers! <3

Hello There 2012: Hiccups

Well, it's 2012.

Where the heck did 2011 go?

I can't believe how fast this past year went. I know everyone says that...but literally 2011 felt like a BLINK of an eye. Penny is a year and half now, looking bigger and bigger to me each day. She is clearly saying various words and understanding everything and anything I tell her it seems.

Micah is just huge. Sometimes to big for my own good, often I end up hurt in our wrestling matches now and it isn't because of the wedgies. He is super smart, nothing gets by him anymore. He is doing so well in school...he is just so grown up now, totally different than 2010.

2011 was a great year but went by way to fast. I realized this when I made the Christmas video (which is in the below post) and saw how big the kids are. How much I missed by not absorbing everything that goes on each day. I think we all get in too much of a routine to appreciate the daily struggles that take us away from that routine. In the moment those struggles are just an obstacle but when you look back on it they were moments that were unique and trying to break free of the daily muttle. (Is that a word?)

Most resolutions involve loosing weight or saving up money (both are things that I would love to do). But this year I'm going to go against the norm. This year I'm going to appreciate those little hiccups in the daily routine. So what if that puts me behind the schedule that I've written in my head that nobody else knows about. I'm going to accept those hiccups, flick off the daily routine and make them the best possible hiccups anyone could ask for.

I need to appreciate what I have sitting in front of me more than dreaming about what I could have or where I could be. 2012 is going to be about appreciation more than saving or loosing things. Hopefully we can all learn to appreciate hiccups in our daily schedule, it makes life interesting and worth living for.

I'm Back!

It has been a while hasn’t it?

Well, that is because I ran out of time to post anything on this blog in November and early December. As many of you know I ended up having to pick up a second job to help with Britt’s slow photography season known as “winter.”

Things have been slowing down for the most part, getting used to handling two jobs at a time and having time with my family. For a little while I was working back at Best Buy, thanks again to Wil and Terrance for helping me get back in there. However after a few weeks of being there I got a part-time job offer at HCA for the group I used to intern with. I said my goodbyes to Best Buy and started work with Aaron Clifford, who is awesome!

This new part-time job allows me to work from home, which has been incredible for my family. I missed being home when I worked at Best Buy, so even if I’m working being at home is so much better than being in Rivergate.

Any who, we have had a busy holiday season with tons of family parties and events, on Thanksgiving we went over to Kim and Randy’s house for dinner. We celebrated Brittany and Micah’s birthday parties since I last posted. Micah’s birthday party was Mario themed and really seemed to be a huge hit, I hope that all the kids had a blast!

One thing I would like to mention though, is how many birthdays we have in the month of December just in our immediate family, here is the list:

• Brooke (Dec 6)
  
• Micah (Dec 14)
  
• Kim (Dec 21)
  
• Mom (Dec 24)
  
• Raleigh (Dec 29)
  
• Me (Dec 30)

So just about every week in December we were celebrating somebody’s birthday, it is pretty insane. Add on Brittany’s bday which is November 19th and Thanksgiving and that is almost a whole month and ½ of celebrating at least one thing each week! INSANE.

Christmas however was not as fun as any of us would like to admit. All of the details about that will come in another post because it is so long. But if you know me you should know what happened. Let’s just say the sick bug hit our house hard.

Now we are all recovering, getting back into our normal routines and playing with our new presents from Santa.

Tomorrow is my birthday! I’m excited to be 25 and I’m excited to see what my little dude got me – supposedly he is really excited to give it to me, so we shall see! I plan on getting back into the swing of things and posting again, so keep a look out for new posts!

Challenge Day 03 - Your Parents

(I've fallen behind with my blog challenge, hopefully I can catch back up within the next few days.)

Jim and Sue Burkey.

Happily married for more than twenty-seven years (? sorry dunno if that is correct) and parents for almost twenty-five years.

Dad is the quiet one, but whenever he speaks it is full of knowledge or laughter. He does the funniest things and really gets me laughing when he does them. Example: Pressing the “brew” button on the tea machine in the cafeteria at work, expecting to get some more tea. However he didn’t think to check where the tea came out of and he started making a mess. The cafeteria people got mad at him for pushing the button. He does stuff like this all the time and it gets even funnier each time. Dad is a huge Redskins fan, and most of conversations consist entirely of our favorite football team. He also taught me everything I know about playing guitar – and I thank him sincerely for doing that and allowing me to experience the awesomeness of several bands.

Mom is the talkative, caring one. She is always wondering how things are and always wanting to hear about my day. She has taught me how to love and care for individuals as I grew up and has always been there for me when I need her. I don’t have many funny stories about my mom, most of the time we are laughing about something my dad did. She is a huge Aerosmith fan, and got me into loving music at a young age. Again, I thank her for this because it led to me playing guitar and experiencing the music industry shortly.

They go perfectly together and have been great examples of how a parent should raise their child. They have been one of the rare couples that have stayed married, and I applaud them for that.

Challenge Day 01 - Introduce Yourself

My name is Mike Burkey, I'm a month away from my 25th birthday. Geez, that age looks strange to me...just realized I'm a forth of a century old. I have a beautiful wife, Brittany, who I've been married to for a little over two years now. I have a five (almost six) year old step-son, Micah, who is full of energy and adventure. He is also the smartest little kid I've ever met. I have a gorgeous 3 month old daughter, Penny, who is a bundle of joy and is growing bigger every day.

I work for a company called Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) as a Web Content Editor for their East and West Florida divisions. Oddly enough I work out of HCA's corporate campus in Nashville, TN. Oh, the beauty of technology. I graduated from Western Kentucky University with a bachelor's in Interdisciplinary Studies with an Emphasis in Technology. Though, I changed majors twice - started in journalism, then switched to advertising, then switched to IS.

I have a lot of interests, sometimes I feel like I have too much to really fit into my day. I'm a homebody, I love just sitting at home with my family and spending time with them. I love the NFL, it's probably my biggest obsession. I love watching TV shows and actually think they are better than watching movies now. ABC's Lost is my favorite show ever, however it finished earlier this year so it has been rough trying to replace it.

I'm a creative person, I love writing (obviously) even though I'm not the best at it. I love graphic design and web design. I love playing my guitar and song writing. I love music in general and my musical tastes have changed a lot over the past few years. I love doing video work, producing and editing, and can't wait to get more into that soon.

I'm not a MAC person I own a PC. Nor do I have an iPhone, I have an Android HTC Hero. I own a Xbox 360, not a PS3. I definitely like Pepsi better than Coke. Root Beer has been my drink of choice lately. Halloween and Christmas are my favorite holidays. I'm not a very religions person but that is beginning to change. I'm not very interested in politics either, so looks like you won't have any controversial conversations with me in the future. My favorite food is Chicken Cordon Bleu and my favorite dessert is Cheesecake. UMMMMMMMM I think that's about all I can think about. If anyone has any questions just let me know!

Video Games: Good or Bad?

Recently Micah has shown a tad bit of an addiction to his video games. He does have a Nintendo DS and Wii, not to mention my Xbox 360 and PC that he can play on. All of these are easily accessible and he is starting to get to the point where he doesn’t need us to help him set the games up. So this brings up the following questions:

Do video games land my kids in jail in the future?! OF COURSE! No not really, just messin’.

Are video games doing anything more than just causing drool to fall out of my kids’ mouth? Are there any benefits to playing video games? Most people would say no, they are a waste of time, nothing but just pointless entertainment.

Well, folks, I’m here to point out some benefits to playing video games not as a gamer myself, but as a father with a child who plays a lot of games. There are plenty of negative reasons why NOT to play games, but how about hearing some positive things?

• It’s better than what they would get out of watching TV. Their brain is actively at work at trying to solve problems instead of turning off while Patrick and Spongebob are jelly fishing.


• Imagination Boost, let’s face it – video games have some pretty fascinating worlds and your child will be able to experience great creativity in these games.


• The obvious, it improves hand-eye coordination. I can type faster because of my gaming, which has helped me get higher in my career.


• It could actually help your child keep his mind off of over snacking or eating! Yeah, that’s right, this is evidence that your child might LOOSE weight playing video games…or well, at least not eat as much.


• It is a new way of teaching, as it keeps children on the edge of their abilities. As the game progresses the game gets harder, making the child learn more and more as the game pulls them along. Think Tetris, the first level was cake, but as the game goes on it trains you for the higher levels which make you think more.

If you want any more reasons and the source of my 5 points, check out this link.

Also, please realize I’m not saying place your child in front of the TV/computer screen all day and let them learn all the knowledge they need. Kids need to get outside and run around, get some exercise and get some face to face social interactions. Try to limit your children on games a day, if you think it is getting out of hand. During the day, go outside and play with them, save the games for when it is dark. And for all you parents that game, remember that you are setting an example for your kiddos. Try not to over-game and remember to get the same exercise your kids are getting instead of picking up that controller.

Now, I’m off to go shoot some zombies, lol.

Penny's First Laugh

A babies first laugh is one of the most beautiful things a father could hear in his lifetime. It doesn’t matter what kind of mood he is in, that first laugh can take away any pain or irritation and put a huge smile on his face.

I’m not talking about a little squeal or a huge smile. I’m talking about the laugh that comes from the belly, a real laugh. You know what I’m talking about, one of those laughs that you let out when you are watching Will Ferrell shakin’ n’ bakin’ in Talladega Nights or Chris Farley screaming as he is rolling down a hill.

We as adults take those laughs for granted, not really paying attention to when somebody really lets one out. However a parent always notices when a baby does it for the first time or when a young child gets the giggles that make them slap their knees. We take those moments and we bottle them up and cherish them, always remembering them as they happened.

Today was that day for my little Penny Lane, at 3 months 1 week and 5 days she continuously let out a chuckle felt from the gut. As she lay on her changing table after a nice warm bath she watched wide-eyed as Brittany made silly faces and noises. Micah and I were getting ready to play the Wii, and were lightly arguing over what pajamas he should wear when we heard it.

Everyone stopped and listened and she brought all of us to a silence. Then, after a moment we all smiled and watched her as Brittany kept making her laugh, over and over. Micah got those giggles that made him slap his knee, and Brittany and I laughed together.

Penny’s first laugh was wonderful and is only one of the many things I will experience with my family as a new father. Just that thought makes me smile and want to continue to live my life for her, for Micah and for Brittany.

Life is good as we near the holiday stretch.

Just for fun, here is a funny video of Penny from yesterday just having a conversation with Brittany and I.