RIP SkyMall: A Eulogy for Sasquatch

SkyMall was truly a companion to us all, the car bingo of the skies. Every flight you would invariably find yourself picking up the magazine and flipping through it. You'd laugh as you'd turn the page to the 18" Sasquatch sculpture or the creepy zombie coming up from the ground. Surely no one would buy the strobe light that eliminates the need to put up Christmas lights, right? Sadly, that was probably true, and that is precisely why we are here mourning. SkyMall products weren't what we needed, but they were what we deserved. Today we mourn the loss of a magazine who never asked for anything but a glimpse, and all we gave it in return was a rock to hide under like it offered for our poolside stereo equipment.

The Gambler

The Gambler, starring Mark Wahlberg, is a servicable film with a lot of potential for coolness and some existential wonder. He plays a hack of an English teacher who admittedly cannot write very well nor can he teach well. It's a bit hard to suspend your disbelief that he could actually be an English professor at a major university, but you'll have to. 

Wahlberg's character is always in debt because he doesn't believe in half measures and, like the movie motto says, the only way out is all in. He never settles for anything less than everything. This character trait will make you want to punch him in the face multiple times (it also makes several other characters punch him in the face), but it serves to set up the drama. The best parts of the movie are the students he teaches, and the way they are surprisingly well integrated into the story without being contrived. The movie also has a great soundtrack and is pretty artsy (not in a bad way). All in all, the movie could have been better or more fun sure, but I liked it. 

Pros: Good monologues, good music, good premise, Brie Larson

Cons: Missed potential, bad guy looks like Tran from New Girl