Talkie Zoo

MONK

2011-11-28T07:02:00.001-06:00

I decided a couple of months ago to sign up for Netflix online. I can watch TV shows and movies all I want on my computer for about $8 a month. I like this a lot better than renting movies since this way, there's nothing to return.

I started by watching the Monk series.

If you've seen Monk, then you know he's a detective with a few idiosyncrasies. He has a closet full of designer clothes for men, and every suit looks exactly the same. He compulsively cleans his hands with wipes every time he touches something or shakes hands with someone. He has other compulsive, odd behavior as well. But, he always solves the crime! He spots things even the best police officers miss and can pull together the story of a murder. He says "it's a gift...and a curse" to be right all the time and to have such keen intuitive skills.

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DE-LOVELY

2011-11-13T21:39:00.001-06:00

Cole Porter. Who can't like his music? I certainly do, and I'm not really a big show music fan. However, Mr. Porter certainly did write some great songs, and I know we're all familiar with them. Songs such as "Anything Goes", "Night and Day", and, of course "De-Lovely". In fact, a movie about his life is called De-Lovely (2004; PG-13).

In this film, you will find Kevin Kline playing Cole Porter and Ashley Judd playing his wife Linda. It shows us the trials and tribulations a homosexual man has in life in early Hollywood.

I think acts of love such as sending Seattle flowers to his beloved wife could be imitated by men today, if they'd just stop and remember the woman they love so much. Even though he was gay, he still loved Linda with his whole heart and showed his appreciation of her. She was his muse, his inspiration, and his anchor.

When is the last time you showed your true affection for your significant other by sending flowers? It's about time, isn't it?

Technorati Tags: movies,De-Lovely,flowers

November anniversary?

2011-11-13T21:09:00.001-06:00

My late husband and I were married in November of 1984. I've discovered that a lot of folks got married in the fall of the year instead of in the spring, which we normally think of as the time for weddings. Maybe this year, your anniversary gift basket could include movies, popcorn, or movie theater tickets.

Why not make it a night on the town? Still, an intimate evening at home would be even more wonderful with that special person you said "I do" to. Make time for yourselves on your anniversary. It's your day to celebrate each other!

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THE LADYKILLERS

2011-11-06T22:42:00.001-06:00

A dark comedy, The Ladykillers (2004; R) stars Tom Hanks as a professor who has concocted a plan to rob a bank. He has sent out invitations to a variety of ne'er-do-wells he knows so they can help him in his scheme.

We see him taking a room at a boarding house, where he comes up with the ruse of telling the landlady his friends are musicians so he can use the basement for rehearsals. He also asks that they not be disturbed while they are practicing. He puts on loud music to muffle the sounds of them digging a tunnel that will reach to the bank basement.

At every turn, the landlady seems to almost discover what's going on. She, being very churchy, has friends over for tea and other home events, which makes concealing what they are doing ever more difficult. The professor soon decides he needs to do away with the busybody but wants one of his group to actually do the deed.

I'll let you watch it for yourself to learn what happens to the thugs and what happens to the landlady!

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Heard some good tunes at Jersey Boys on Broadway

2011-10-24T19:30:00.001-05:00

Guest post written by Ellen Gordon

There are all kinds of things that I loved about my recent trip to New York City. I think that really the only thing that i didn't like about the trip was my experience with public transportation. But going and seeing a Broadway play was by far the best thing out of our entire trip!

I looked up a whole bunch of information about what to do during that trip and while I was doing that, I ran across some info on a hearing test and decided to go and get one of them. Once I did I got fitted with some hearing aids and I was even more ready to go on our big trip!

Out of all the plays that i looked up information on, I decided to go and see the play Jersey Boys. It was so great and it was a whole lot of fun to hear all of those songs. Plus, it wasn't way too dramatic. I can't stand it when I see something that's more dramatic than I expected, which pleasantly wasn't how that play ended up being. I'm more into the uplifting stuff.

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Running on batteries

2011-10-17T01:35:00.001-05:00

In the near future, very near I hope, I will be supplementing my electricity with solar power. Eventually I hope to go full solar/wind/generator for my electrical needs. I've switched over to very low wattage light bulbs, but will probably step that down even further through the use of LED lights throughout my house.

I will have some obstacles to overcome. Things like how to run a well pump and a small freezer on this type of off-grid power. Still, it's baby steps, I guess.

In the meantime, I'll be looking at power supplies, inverters, and more batteries to supply my needs as I add to my power sources. My TV is fairly low wattage. I use a laptop computer, which can actually be charged in my vehicle by plugging in a small inverter there.

I'll post my progress from time to time.

Technorati Tags: off-grid,electricity.compact fluorescent bulbs,television

FOOD MATTERS

2011-10-06T07:10:00.002-05:00

Not along the lines of entertainment, but more of a documentary, Food Matters (2008) is super informative. It takes you through known food sources and helps you understand how poorly many of us eat. Not in the sense that we are going hungry, but in the sense that we aren't consuming the right foods for optimal health.

This film teaches you about the role of vitamins and the very bad role of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and other things that are added to plants that alter our diet and the diet of the animals we consume for meat. It also teaches the healing properties of the essential nutrients we may be missing in our diets.

It really doesn't matter if you only cook for yourself or work at any one of the Banquet Chef Jobs around, it's important to understand how much the food we eat affects our health and, indeed, our very lifespan.

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CHAIN REACTION

2011-09-16T12:00:00.001-05:00

Ever wonder what the world would be like if we could free ourselves from all fossil fuels? What if a new fuel source presented itself, and was given away, free of cost, to all mankind? That's the premise of the movie Chain Reaction (1996; PG-13). A scientist develops a new energy source and wishes it to be completely free for everyone. Of course, the powers that be aren't liking this at all. So, they set about to either destroy the man's work or destroy the world. You can guess how it might turn out.

In the meantime, I wonder if anyone will need 5th wheel insurance anymore? Yeah, they will because even if the fuel they use is free, they still will be driving, right?

Technorati Tags: movies,Chain Reaction

PAST TENSE

2011-09-16T11:04:00.001-05:00

Well, I watched this made-for-TV movie a couple of weeks ago. Apparently, it was so lackluster that I barely remembered what it was about. After a short review of Past Tense (2006), I remembered why I forgot it.

The film centers around a little girl who is channeling a dead woman. She knows everything about her, even who her killer was. She is doubted by her mother and somewhat doubted by her therapist, although the therapist does dry to draw the memory out through hypnosis.

I became pretty easily distracted during the viewing of this movie. It's not even good science fiction, much less good viewing for TV watchers. I am more entertained by ads for the best htc at the source than by this dull and predictable movie.

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Shopping for great deals

2011-09-16T10:53:00.001-05:00

I spend a lot of time viewing movies. It's a good thing I enjoy watching them...at lease, most of them. Some leave something to be desired, of course, but you take the good with the bad.

Sometimes I get really distracted by things in the movies, such as costumes or sets. I even take some fashion or decorating cues from movies because it seems like everything they have is so "pulled together".

This, in turn, leads me to search out sites that offer urban outfitters coupons and other online coupon deals. I like shopping online and I like saving money. Well, who doesn't like saving money? So, I visit coupon sites to see if I can get good deals on items I'm going to buy anyway. Of course, some sites are better than others, so I select the very best deals I can find.

I like the idea of getting percent off, free shipping, dollars off, or buy one/get another for less.

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THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE, OHIO

2011-08-27T13:32:00.002-05:00

What an inspiring film! I absolutely recommend you see The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (2005; PG-13) as soon as you can. You will then understand what kind of determination is needed to keep a family fed and sheltered. The story is that of Evelyn Ryan and is set in the 50s and 60s. She has 10 children and a husband who, though they are very much in love, isn't always the best provider and sometimes takes to fits of drunken rage. No, he never abuses anyone, but he is in a bad spot in his life and seems to think there is no way out.

Evelyn, played by Julianne Moore, keeps everything pulled together by writing advertising jingles to enter into contests. She is quite talented and wins everything from halloween accessories to cash prizes to new cars. Those contests fell by the wayside eventually, but they gave housewives a chance -- though slim -- to add to their income and possessions in small ways.

In this case, no matter what Kelly, played by Woody Harrellson, did, she kept her optimistic outlook and continued to raise her children to be just as determined as she was.

Technorati Tags: movies,The Prize Winner of Defiance,Ohio

GULLIVER'S TRAVELS

2011-08-04T23:34:00.001-05:00

OK, so it's a Jack Black film and doesn't hold completely true to the original classic. But, Gulliver's Travels (PG; 2010) is a humorous look at what might happen if a modern day Gulliver encountered the tiny people of Liliput.

The beginning of the story shows us Lemuel Gulliver working in a mail room for a large publishing company. He's been in that job for 10 years, so it's pretty much dead-end for him. Every day he pushes what look to be point of care carts loaded with mail to the various offices of the company. And, every day he goes to the travel editor's office, even if he doesn't have any mail for her, because he has a huge crush on her. He decides to tell her his heart, then at the last minute chickens out and instead tells her he is a writer.

She sends him to investigate the Bermuda Triangle and write a piece on it. He goes alone on a boat, wrecks it in a storm, and winds up on the island of Liliput. From there, the classic story is kept to pretty well with a few adventures which only Jack Black could encounter.

It's a funny film, even if it will never be a classic itself.

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THE DILEMMA

2011-07-23T22:50:00.001-05:00

Vince Vaughn and Kevin James play best friends who also operate an automobile design firm.Their big project has been pitched to one of the big automakers, and using discount laptop computers and prototypes, they are in the process of building an electric car that seems like a V-8 muscle car. That's not the real problem, though.

The real problem is when Vaughn's character sees James' character's wife making out with another man. Now he has The Dilemma (PG-13; 2011). Does he tell his friend and risk distracting him from the project that could make both their careers, or does he keep quiet about it until after the project is completed?

Here it comes -- I didn't find this movie all that entertaining. It's listed as a comedy, but there really wasn't much to laugh about all through it.

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UNKNOWN

2011-07-23T22:35:00.001-05:00

Be prepared to take a journey into a man's mind when he wakes up from a 4 day coma, only to discover another man has taken his identity. Liam Neeson plays Dr. Martin Harris in the movie Unknown (PG-13; 2011). The title stems from Harris trying to regain his true identity and in the process discovering a lot more than he'd been prepared for.

It begins with Harris and his wife arriving in Berlin, during a particularly dreary, snowy day. Harris forgets his briefcase at the airport and goes back by cab to retrieve it. The cab is in a wreck and crashes through a guard rail and into the river. The cabbie, a lovely young woman named Gina, escapes the car and goes back and rescues Harris. He is hospitalized, and when he wakes up his real troubles begin.

He remembers his name and brief episodes of his life -- a trip with his wife, riding horses, equestrian apparel, his honeymoon -- but little else. Then, he finds his wife, who claims never to have met him. The mystery deepens and he fights to regain his life and identity.

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RANGO

2011-07-23T22:07:00.001-05:00

I'm always a sucker for a film with Johnny Depp in it, and this was no exception. Rango (PG; 2011) is a very humorous look at what happens to a pet chameleon after he's been accidentally lost in the desert. Suffering heat and thirst, he finds the town of Dirt, which is a lawless old west town inhabited by all sorts of other animals.

The animation is superb in this film. I really liked how they took things like ordinary hand held gardening tools and turned them into items small animals might need and use if they were, indeed, running a town. The animators paid close attention to every detail so that the movement of the characters was almost life like.

The chameleon bluffs his way through dangerous situations to become the town sheriff, and leads the town in their quest for water.

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THE LAST RITES OF RANSOM PRIDE

2011-03-31T02:34:00.001-05:00

A Western. Do I need to say more? Well, I guess I better.

The Last Rites of Ransom Pride is the story of a woman trying to bring her dead lover back from Mexico so he can be buried at home. She enlists the help of his brother, but it's a ruse. Her intention is to trade the living brother for the dead one to a Mexican black magic woman who is holding the corpse. She has the corpse because he killed her brother, who was a priest.

Ok. So an infomercial for the best blackhead remover would have been more gripping and have more plot and better acting than this film did. Sorry, folks. This wasn't a hit not because it was low budget but because it just wasn't any good.

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JONAH HEX

2011-03-31T02:06:00.001-05:00

A Western, but oddly twisted, Jonah Hex (2010; PG-13) is the story of a bounty hunter who is also a wanted man himself. Jonah fought in the Civil War under a general named Turnbull. The psychotic general wound up killing Jonah's family and horribly disfiguring Jonah so that he was a marked man throughout his life. The experience gave him the gift of being able to talk to the dead to learn their secrets and to learn how to stalk the wanted men he was hunting. Hex is recruited by the US government to stop Turnbull before he fires and "ultimate weapon" on Washington DC during an Independence Day celebration.

The movie was based on a comic book character, although I don't know if the comic was as macabre as this movie. Turnbull was excellently played by John Malkovich and Hex was played by Josh Brolin. Along with these two fine actors, there was an Extended Selection of other actors that rounded out the cast quite well.

Reviews I've read aren't too favorable, but I really liked this movie. The weirdness factor played a big role in that since I'm not a huge fan of Westerns.

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MEGAMIND

2011-03-29T11:35:00.001-05:00

Just as nice a movie as you would expect. I really enjoyed this mainly because it has a good story to tell about stereotyping.

Megamind (2010; PG) tells us of a villain and a superhero whose planet was sucked into a black hole. They were saved by being sent away capsules and landed on earth. Megamind becomes a villain because of his giant brain that can devise all kinds of evil. Metroman is a superhero who is similarly gifted but uses his powers for good. Eventually, Megamind defeats Metroman, then becomes depressed because now he has nothing to do!

He assembles wretched machines with teflon hoses and lots of mechanical parts, he works his mind skills for evil, but he still is dissatisfied. Then he meets Roxanne, a TV news person, and decides to shape-shift into a nice guy. (It's also one of his abilities.) She ultimately learns who he is and rejects him. When her camera man winds up being accidentally injected with some super serum, he becomes another bad guy and Megamind is called upon to save Roxanne and the whole city, turning his powers to good. They even discover that Metroman isn't dead, but has been hiding out all that time.

All their lives, both Megamind and Metroman were playing roles that were thrust upon them, when all they really wanted to do was be themselves.

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Bad news from Japan

2011-03-15T20:24:00.001-05:00

It seems like every day I read more and more bad news from Japan concerning the horrific earthquake and tsunami. My heart goes out to the people there. So many have been displace, so many have already lost their lives, and the death toll hasn't even been fully realized yet.

Now, the nuclear power reactors are in meltdown. Fires, explosions, radiation -- the news just keeps getting worse and worse. There are thousands in shelters without heat (it's winter there), and running out of food and water. I wonder, can that happen here?

Some say no, but in Japan they had containment facilities that seem to be failing. We have them here as well. I don't know if they can fail to that extent or not. It might be time for many of us to look into rv loans should we ever need to flee an area where a catastrophic even could occur, and that could be just about anywhere. From earthquakes to tornadoes to hurricanes to wild fires to deadly blizzards, floods, and landslides, there is really no area in our country that anyone could say is 100% safe from events such as these. Who knows when we might have to evacuate?

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FANTASTIC MR. FOX

2011-03-08T11:03:00.002-06:00

This is a story by the children's author Roald Dahl, who also wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009; PG) is the story of a fox who has promised Mrs. Fox he will change his thieving ways after the two of them are nearly caught and killed in a henhouse raid. He finds a job as a column writer for a critter blurb, they have a son, Ash, and things are going well until he decides he wants to try one last raid -- at the farms of the notorious and very mean Boggis, Bunce, and Bean.

In the meantime, his nephew Kristofferson comes for a visit because his father has double pneumonia. Kris is a very laid back and highly intelligent young fox who excels at sports, does yoga and meditation. Ash, who wants to be an athlete, pretty much excels at nothing other than being a rebellious, spitting, smart mouth young teen fox. Mr. Fox tends to extol the virtues of Kris way too much and allows him in on the plans to rob the farmers. Watch as Mr. Fox's plans endanger all the woodland creatures, and how they unite to save themselves and restore peace.

During the story, you will meet Kylie the opossum, a mean and nasty rat, and other characters that will engage you. It's not a film for young children, though, due to the incidences of violence, smoking, and language that is sometimes right down the toilets. However, I think children 10 or 11 and up would get a kick out of it, as well as adults. I know I did!

This stop-motion animation has been very well done, I must say. While it isn't the CGI many of us are familiar with in most modern animated films, the attention to detail in the characters' fur, mannerisms, and facial expressions is exceptional. Oh, and you should also know that some very famous people played the voices:

George Clooney as Mr. Fox
Meryl Streep as Mrs. Fox
Bill Murray as Badger
Willem Dafoe as Rat
Jason Schwartzman as Ash
Wallace Wolodarsky as Kylie (opossum)
Eric Chase Anderson as Kristofferson

And many more great voices.

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DAWN OF DARKNESS

2011-03-02T14:58:00.001-06:00

I am pretty sure this is nothing more than a feeble attempt to play off Lord of the Rings. Dawn of Darkness (2010) pales in comparison in both story line and acting. I usually love these kinds of adventures, complete with heroes and dragons and epic battle scenes, mixed with some magic. This one left me wondering how I'd ever decided to waste my time viewing it.

If I were you, I'd try to borrow it from someone or rent it at one of the $1 a night kiosks. I wouldn't buy it unless you have your life insurance paid up, because you'll probably die from boredom.

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RED

2011-02-27T00:57:00.001-06:00

I do love an action-packed film, and Red (2010; PG-13) certainly fits the bill. More than that, though, it actually has a good story line and great actors. Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Karl Urban, Morgan Freeman -- who can't love a movie with those actors playing the primary characters?

Red is the story of a retired black-ops agent who is forced back into service by an unexpected event. He has been spending his retirement years calling the pension service to complain about not receiving his check. It's a ruse to be able to talk to a particular women -- Sarah. She winds up being unwittingly and unwillingly drawn into his adventure as he assembles other retired black-ops agents to help him.

From Malkovich's character as a super paranoid recluse to Urban's character as a current agent using the best acne treatment he can, this film is full of actors who really make their parts come alive.

By the way "Red" stands for "Retired Extremely Dangerous".

Technorati Tags: movies,Red

THE AMERICAN

2011-02-26T18:31:00.001-06:00

I watched the whole movie. Really. I did. But, it was pretty painful to me to sit through the whole thing. I was continually tempted to eject it from the DVD player and plug in something that moved a little better and didn't take the viewer into the mind, such as it was, of an assassin on his last assignment.

George Clooney plays Edward -- or Jack -- in this foreign made and foreign styled film. The American (2010; R) was indeed made in Italy, so the context and scenery was just fine. But the slow pace and too-many moments of Jack/Edward contemplating who-knows-what just did nothing for the story. I think it could have used a good dose of l-leucine to speed it up a little.

Jack/Edward has been on one mission too many. He's aging and tired, and is falling in love with an Italian hooker. In the meantime, he's not only trying to fulfil his last assignment, he has, himself, become the target. Figures, doesn't it?

Technorati Tags: movies,The American

MEGA SHARK VS CROCOSAURUS

2011-02-21T00:33:00.001-06:00

I would say this is a moderately interesting sci-fi film. Mega Shark VS Crocosaurus (2010; R) is made with less-than-stellar CG effects. The monsters are stiff and unimaginative. The actors are pretty much the same. Jaleel White (Steve Urkel from Family Matters) was the only "real" actor in the film, and even he pushed the limit on dramatics.

The story centers around, you guessed it, a mega shark; a shark so large that it can swallow battleships. And a Crocosaurus, which is a sensationally large crocodile, is apparently a throw-back to dinosaur times or just so doggone big because of a healthy diet of people. While the shark is an enemy to mankind, too, together they are a pretty formidable pair. Good thing they don't like each other and decide to have a battle royal over which will be King of the Monsters.

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MACGRUBER

2011-02-20T21:31:00.001-06:00

Not the funniest movie I've ever seen. In fact, I thought it was pretty stupid all the way through. MacGruber (2010; R) was based on a Saturday Night Live skit, which made fun of MacGyver, the 80s TV series. Now, I do love a good spoof as much as the next person. SNL spoofed Julia Child and it was hilarious. They also spoofed a lot of people in the news, movies, and more. However, I found MacGruber to be so vulgar and common that the humor really escaped me.

The premise is that MacGruber, once a top agent for the CIA, has been called back into duty to take down an arch villain who has stolen a nuclear warhead and plans to use it on Washington, DC. MacGruber uses all manner of silly tricks to complete the mission, none of which actually work. I think if he'd possessed thermogenic fat burners he probably would have tried to use them as some kind of bomb!

Will Forte plays the starring role while Val Kilmer plays the evil Dieter Von Cunth. I figure Kilmer is now wishing he'd never accepted the role.

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NOWHERE BOY

2011-02-18T21:31:00.001-06:00

If you grew up listening to the Beatles and are a fan of John Lennon, then Nowhere Boy (2009; R) is definitely the movie to see. This is a story about Lennon's teen years during which there was emotional upheaval in his life, and just before The Beatles came together as a band.

Aaron Johnson plays Lennon as he goes through an era of looking very much like a cross between Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley, imitating everything from their hairstyle to the rocawear jeans rolled up at the ankle to reveal white socks. Embracing rock and roll, Lennon rounds up his first rock band. During that time, he discovers his real mother, who is a bit of a free spirit and a polar opposite of his stern Aunt Mimi who raised him.

Follow him through the years which eventually formed him into the John Lennon we remember.

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BURIED

2011-02-13T11:03:00.001-06:00

This was a very good thriller all the way to the end. Buried (2010; R) is the story of an American truck driver under contract and working in Iraq. The convoy he is driving with is attacked and he is taken captive. When he wakes up, he is inside a wooden coffin and buried alive. He has with him a cigarette lighter, a small flask of water, a glow stick, a flashlight, a knife, and a cell phone. All but the lighter and knife were placed in the coffin with him by his captors.

The entire movie is shot within the confines of the coffin, taking the audience on the terrifying ordeal along with the captive, Paul Conroy. Certainly, the very thought of being buried like this would be among anyone's worst nightmares. Paul tries and tries to use the phone to contact his wife, the FBI, and the company he works for, in order to be rescued. Occasionally, he really needs a wireless cellular booster because he gets the all-too-familiar "no signal" warning on his phone. His captors call him and require him to do certain things in order to gain freedom and also to prevent them from killing his wife. They know where she lives.

This gripping film will keep your attention from beginning to end.

Technorati Tags: movies,Buried

Tech comforts

2011-02-10T15:11:00.001-06:00

This is the kind of weather when I wish I had some kind of home automation system in place. After all, what could be nicer than arriving home to some heat and a movie or music already playing as I walk in the door?

I don't have the most expensive electronics on the planet, but what I do have I really enjoy. So, that system could also help guard what little I have from would-be thieves. Even out where I live, there have been a lot of reports of break-ins lately. So much so that it's a little scary to leave sometimes. I don't figure there are many thieves out when the temperature is 9 degrees and there's nearly a foot of snow on the ground, but really, who knows?

Almost daily, the local paper lists criminal activity of this sort and no one is immune.

Technorati Tags: news

CLOVERBLUE BLUES BAND

2011-02-10T11:19:00.001-06:00

We are snowed in around here, which means I can't get out and scout for movies right now. However, I still have a plan. Since this blog is about entertainment in general, with movies being the primary focus, I thought it might be nice to share some information about a few local music groups. The first group I'm reviewing is CloverBlue, a local blues band.

CloverBlue was recently at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee, where they made it to the semi-finals against a large number of blues bands from all over. While they didn't make the finals, that doesn't mean they didn't do well. Indeed, they got a lot of exposure at the Challenge which will help them in the future for booking gigs far and wide.

You can follow them on FaceBook by just searching for their name, or go directly to CloverBlue at reverbnation.com. You can also check out their music on their CloverBlue MySpace page and get a good idea about how fantastic this group really is.

I can visualize them playing in great clubs that are filled with antique lighting, real mahogany bars, and great audiences! They are one of my favorite groups to listen to (I have a CD of their work) and they really get the "joint a-jumpin" when they perform live.

Technorati Tags: music,CloverBlue Band

OPEN SEASON 2

2011-02-03T12:41:00.001-06:00

Just as funny as the first Open Season, Open Season 2 (2008;PG) is not a kids movie per se, but is hilarious and loaded with plenty of crude humor, if you're into that. Occasionally, I am!

This episode deals with Elliot leaving Giselle at the altar in order to save his dog friend, Mr. Weenie, from the onslaughts of his human owners. Elliot completely misinterprets the human owners' love and affection, seeing them as enemies who are torturing the dog.

While we do meet some new characters in the form of pets at a dog camp, we are also reacquainted with familiar ones. New voice overs don't diminish the hilarity.

Fifi is probably my favorite evil character. He's a toy poodle who wants to take over pet-dom in all sorts of evil ways. I thought at first the voice was done by John Malchovich, but it turned out to be Crispin Glover, and equally scary movie star. While Fifi uses everything from shock collars to Samsung technology to torture and maim wild and domestic animals who do not bend to his will, he finds all his plans backfiring on him. The not-so-dumb wildlife turn the tables.

Follow Elliot as he finds his way back to Giselle, helping her to understand what was really going on when he left the wedding ceremony.

Technorati Tags: movies,Open Season 2

RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE

2011-02-02T12:17:00.001-06:00

I really, really like these movies. Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010; R) was only a bit of a letdown from the previous three. However, the story of Alice against the evil Umbrella Corporation continued. She was kicking ass with Claire, from a previous episode, and doing it all very well even though she lost her special powers at the very beginning of the movie. Using her mad skills as a fighter and her quick wit, she was still able to make plenty of dents in the zombie population which included a new, giant, axe-wielding foe.

Still trying to reach the mysterious, infection-free Arcadia, Alice fights her way through not only zombies but Umbrella Corporation security. The ending leaves us wondering about another episode, as it ends with us on the hook for what's going to happen next. Will there be wedding invitations for Alice at some point? Will there be another hero in the picture? Will Claire be Alice's sidekick forever? Will the Umbrella Corporation ever be defeated? Will the world end completely?

Inquiring minds want to know!

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ARMY OF DARKNESS

2010-12-26T02:34:00.001-06:00

If you're into real horror movies, this is not the one to see. However, it is funny all the way through. Army of Darkness (1992; R) is based on all the other evil dead movies. Here, we have a guy who works in the housewares department of a large store. He is mysteriously transported back to the 13th century where the walking dead are endangering the people. All he wants to do is return to his own time.

He's given instructions to acquire a book and quote some magic words, which he stumbles through and gets wrong. It's hard for the viewer to tell if he's saying the words or repeating cheap auto insurance quotes, but in the end we learn he has forgotten some of them and is really just mumbling. Instead of defeating the evil and returning home, he inadvertently causes a skeleton army to arise, so he has to fight those guys.

Line after line in this film is hilarious. I don't recommend it for kids because of the violence and horror depicted.

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LEAVES OF GRASS

2010-12-25T02:56:00.001-06:00

I usually really like Edward Norton in movies, but Leaves of Grass (2009; R) left something to be desired. In this film, Norton plays the role of twin brothers. One is a professor of philosophy in a large university. The other is a criminal -- he sells weed and is embroiled with drug lords and bad people he owes money to.

The professor character is lured to his hometown by reports that his twin was killed. He learns pretty quickly that it's not so, and that his brother has concocted a scheme to get back at the drug lords he thinks are the cause of all his problems. Like a man giving an insurance quote, he lays his plan out to his twin brother, hoping to enlist him as his double so that while he commits a heinous crime, witnesses will say they saw him in another location.

The story line runs pretty slowly as characters are developed. There is blood, murder, bad language, and drugs to keep you interested and watching the movie, but none of them are enough to really make this a good or fun movie to watch. It's billed as a comedic violent movie. It wasn't even that funny.

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Intermission - weather

2010-12-25T01:52:00.001-06:00

Well, folks, I really thought I'd be seeing a lot more movies over the next few days. It was predicted we'd get sleet and snow flurries, some of which would stick. That kind of forecast means I stay home and do not venture out on the highways. However, for some strange reason, the temperature from mid-afternoon yesterday until now -- 1:30 am on Christmas Day -- has remained at a steady 37 degrees F.

I haven't needed much more than a heated blanket and a small electric heater to stay warm in my house. Certainly, I haven't needed so much as a heavy coat to go outside. This is indeed strange weather, since it's rained most of the day Christmas Eve and is expected to be sunny and warm Christmas Day, all day.

No sleet. No snow. No white Christmas.

I can't say I'm sorry we didn't get all that, since I prefer warm weather anyway. I guess I'm just tired of the weather service announcing the hazardous weather warnings, preparing for the bad weather, then having it by-pass us completely.

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FAHRENHEIT 451

2010-12-25T01:31:00.002-06:00

Another sci fi story from my favorite writer, Ray Bradbury. I'm so glad movie makers decided to put some of these stories on film. I read the books years ago, but remember every story. Some of Bradbury's books are collections of odd short stories. I have read some reviews, and many find this movie to be dull, slow, or boring. However, my thought about Fahrenheit 451 (1966; PG) is that the minimalist sets, the dulled-down acting, and the dialog really reflect a society where books of all kinds are banned by the government.

If there had been a barcode scanner for people's wrists or something, I would have compared it to Equilibrium, where the government also controls thought and destroys books and everything that might incite people to have some kind of emotions. This film, however, depended upon people ratting out other people who were offenders.

His wife, and many others, are lulled into compliancy through the use of drugs and government controlled television broadcasts. The primary character, Montag, goes from being a fireman (those who actually set fire to books) to a book reader. That leads him to kill his superior officer then begin his life on the run.

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DESPICABLE ME

2010-12-25T00:19:00.001-06:00

As cute a movie as any I've seen lately, Despicable Me (2010; PG) is well animated and well written. It's the story of a villain who wants to be the most famous villain in the world. His foe, Vector, as pulled a huge heist -- he stole the Great Pyramid of Giza. Of course, he has it hidden behind his house, painted blue with white clouds on it as if that would hide it. Apparently, that trick works because no one through the whole movie ever notices it!

Gru, the villain who would be Great, decides to pull off the biggest heist in history by stealing the moon. He lacks funding for the project, and the Bank of Evil refuses to loan him the money, so he sets about to steal a shrink ray gun from Vector, using his mad scientist sidekick, refurbished computers, his minions, and three orphan girls from Miss Hattie's.

During the course of the plan, though, he finds himself loving the girls. This is not how it's supposed to go for him. His plan was to use them, then send them back to the orphanage. Loving the children changes him.

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THE EXPERIMENT

2010-12-23T12:59:00.001-06:00

Very loosely based on an actual experiment looking into the human psyche, The Experiment (2010; R) puts 26 men together in a prison to see what their reactions are when half of them are assigned as prison guards and the other half are prisoners. Watched by cameras and a possible cell phone spy application, each group of men is given rules and regulations to follow.

They were recruited based only on their desire to make quick and so called easy money for participating. Some are absolutely desperate for the cash, as could be determined by reading deleted texts from their phones. Some are trying to break out of a mold they've been in all their lives by making a name for themselves as successful in the experiment.

None are privy to the secret information known only by the scientists in charge of the project. All they know is that they are being watched continually. The rules state that if at any time they break some particular rules, the experiment is over and no one gets paid. Some of the rules include the prisoners speaking only when spoken to by the guards and no physical contact between the guards and the prisoners. Eventually, the guards become power happy in their position and the prisoners become very rebellious.

If they had a way to send secret texts to the outside world, they would have done it early on. Instead, though, all their lives are in danger as rules do get broken and violence ensues.

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THE GRAND

2010-12-23T12:30:00.001-06:00

I really had fun watching this movie. The Grand is an improvisational comedy about a group of poker players who are all vying for a huge jackpot in a poker tournament. The actual script for the film was very short, which meant the players really had to "wing it" with lines and action.

We get to see the background lives of a number of the contenders, and those peeks into their lives help us really understand the characters and their motivations for being in the championship game. Their daily lives run the gamut from Wholesale Insurance Services salesman to high school math teacher to casino owner to parents to professional gamblers. Each one brings his or her own reasons for winning the fortune. Some are merely pride in being such good poker players. Others have higher goals in life they still want to reach.

Enjoy this movie and laugh at the comedic moments!

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DAWN OF THE DEAD

2010-12-23T12:18:00.001-06:00

A pretty good horror film in all respects, Dawn of the Dead (2004; R)tells the story of the undead walking the earth with the evil intention of killing those still living. Apparently some kind of virus or disease like Mesothelioma or something else equally horrible has caused those who die from it to rise again and attack people.

A small group of survivors find each other and hide out in a huge midwestern mall. There they begin to plan how they are going to continue to live and wonder if there are any other survivors in this world wide plague. They begin a journey to find a safe haven. But is there any safety anywhere in the world now?

You'll just have to watch it and find out for yourself. Zack Snyder did an excellent job on this film, by the way!

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DARK CITY

2010-12-19T21:40:00.001-06:00

As nightmarish a movie as ever I've seen, Dark City fits the bill for sci-fi mind control and alien abductions. The set is surrealistic in every way as John Murdoch awakens in a strange hotel room, remembering nothing including his own name. He sets out to learn who he is and what his life has been. In the meantime, he's being sought as a vicious murderer even though he doesn't remember ever encountering the women that were murdered.

As the story goes on, more and more things are out of sync and he meets up with people who seem to be living the same nightmare. The woman he learns is his wife has been looking for him and seeking the help of the police. Twists and turns await around every corner. Murdoch remembers only one thing...a beach he visited as a child. So, he goes looking for that.

During his search, he notices that there is never any daylight. The city is always dark. He witnesses the buildings changing before his eyes. Then, he encounters a group of pale men that look as though they've had a Lipofuze treatment. A young boy is among them, and he appears the same. The mysteries continue to elude him until he meets and questions Dr. Schreber, an apparent mad scientist, who begins explaining everything to him.

Murdoch learns that everyone in the city is under the mind control of alien beings and it's his purpose in life to stop them before his mind is lost completely.

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INCEPTION

2010-12-19T17:38:00.001-06:00

As I watched this movie, I thought about other movies like The Matrix, Equilibrium, and others where there is mind control in one way or another. However, the difference with Inception (2010; PG-13) is that real people enter the dreams of other real people in order to steal secrets.

Leonardo DiCaprio plays Cobb, the most gifted and knowledgeable of the members of the "dream team". Through a system of drugs and computers on managed hosting, Cobb is able not only to infiltrate dreams but to know what dangers might lie ahead for him and his team, and thwart them.

They are enlisted this time, though, to enter the dream world of a rich heir to give him an idea instead of learning information. This is a particularly dangerous assignment because they must go even deeper into the person's subconscious -- the third level -- in order to plant the idea. Then, they must all be able to come back up through the levels and wake up again.

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IRON MAN 2

2010-12-19T16:02:00.001-06:00

If you enjoyed Iron Man, you'll also enjoy Iron Man 2 (2010; PG-13). Starring the witty Robert Downey, Jr. as the superhero, this movie takes you to the next level in Tony Stark's life. The military is wanting his technology to create suits that soldiers can wear in battle that will make them practically undefeatable.

Tony has had a change of heart, though, due to his own search to continue his life. The power cell in his chest is running down and he has to go to extreme measures to find a way to continue his life. He is also very unwilling to share his technology with anyone in the world, including our own military, because it is so dangerous.

The fact is, the military isn't wanting to have mere suits for soldiers, they want the suits to be robotic, complete with fire power, thrust bearings, and a fearless-heartless killing program. Pitted against new enemies, yet flanked by friends, Stark is out to again rid the world of the evil and bring peace.

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A SOUND OF THUNDER

2010-12-13T14:03:00.001-06:00

If you are looking for a wonderful sci-fi film with great CG, look further because you will be disappointed with this film. A Sound of Thunder (2005; PG-13) is somewhat lacking in those areas. The story is that of a group of future scientists and a business mogul who have discovered how to travel into the distant past and take people on expensive tours. They go back to the age of dinosaurs where one client has disobeyed the very strict instructions to stay on the "path" and inadvertently kills a butterfly by stepping on it. That sets in motion an evolutionary upheaval which threatens to annihilate the human race.

The job of the scientists is to discover what caused the upheaval and set it right again.

My thought is that the whole movie needed multivitamin supplements to make it stronger and more believable. The premise is a good one, it just wasn't presented very well.

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THE LAST AIRBENDER

2010-12-01T11:41:00.001-06:00

This is a really interesting fairy tale. What else would you expect from M. Night Shyamalan? He is the master of fairy tales, I think. The Last Airbender (2010; PG) tells the story of a world where there are people who have certain gifts. Airbending, water bending, fire bending, earth bending. But there is one, Avatar, who has all the gifts. However, Avatar was destroyed and the replacement is a child who does not yet know what his full potential is.\

He, and some new friends he has found, begin a quest to help him find his potential and to save the Northern Water Benders from sure destruction by Fire Benders. During this time, they go through various Yoga style exercises, a quick weight loss diet, and meditation so that he can achieve his full power.

Great graphics and CG effects, as well as a good story line about love and devotion and commitment, make this a mind bending film.

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TOY STORY 3

2010-12-01T08:52:00.001-06:00

Cute as ever, Toy Story 3 (2010; PG)was not a disappointment for me. I always enjoy these animated movies. They are well done, funny, and even poignant at times. This time, the story is based on the premise that Andy is about to head off to college. He has put aside his toys, the ones he loved and played with for years, and is in the process of deciding what to do with all his childhood things. He's packing to leave.

The toys, of course, are in a predicament. Will they be stored in the attic? Will they be donated? Will they be trashed? By mistake they are at first put in the trash. Of course, they find their way out of that only to be donated to a daycare center where other toys are pretty much kept prisoner by one bitter old stuffed bear. Using everything at their disposal -- boxes, precor elliptical machines, toy cars -- they begin an escape plan to get them back home.

It's full of toy sized adventure, danger, action, and even a few tears.

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THE EXPENDABLES

2010-12-01T08:14:00.001-06:00

If you like action, blood, gore, foul language, gun fights, and car chases, then this is definitely the movie to watch. The Expendables (2010; R) stars some of the most popular action movie men in history and they are rough and tough. These guys aren't all pretty. Some look like their faces need eczema treatment! But, you have to love these tough guys.

It's the story of a team of highly trained mercenaries who invade a South American country to destroy those in power, which includes a very evil American played by Eric Roberts. Of course, there is a love interest, but primarily the movie is full of action and war-zone style battles. Who are the wildly popular actors who play tough guys? Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Dolf Lundgren, and Mickey Rourke. You also get some guest appearances by Arnold (yes, THE Arnold) and Bruce Willis.

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FAITH LIKE POTATOES

2010-11-28T22:10:00.001-06:00

Faith Like Potatoes (2006; PG-13) is an inspirational, religious based film, but it's a good watch anyway. While you may not agree with the religious views expressed in the film, you can't help but admire the people involved in this story based on actual events and characters.

It's the story of a white farmer in Africa who moves his family from one African country to South Africa in an effort to get away from the lawlessness and crime against white farmers where he was living. He starts over again on a piece of land, meeting Zulu tribesmen who help him set up his new homestead. He learns the language and fights the elements to grow enough maize and other crops to support his family.

This is a story about love of family, faith, and a conversion to Christianity. His faith is tested by various circumstances, not the least of which is the death of his young nephew to a tractor accident. He was driving the tractor.

You get to take a look at a very primitive lifestyle, beginning with the family living without electricity or running water, working the land with nothing but a single tractor and some hand tools, and surviving under drought conditions. As he finds faith and even more uses for tea tree oil in treating wounds, we follow the ups and downs, the trials and victories, of living by faith and hard work.

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THE LAZARUS PROJECT

2010-11-17T19:36:00.001-06:00

For drama and mystery, The Lazarus Project (2008; PG-13) fits the bill pretty nicely. The story is that of a man, Ben, who has just served his last day on parole and looks to have a good future with his wife and little girl. He is suddenly fired from the job he's been doing since he got out of prison due to upper management not liking his criminal past. He connects with his recently released brother and they go on a heist, guaranteed to make them a lot of money with very little risk. Of course, you know that's not how it turns out. People die and Ben is sentenced to death. He is even shown on the lethal injection table.

The next scene, we see him walking up a road where he is picked up by a priest who is in charge of a mental health facility out in the middle of nowhere. Ben becomes the maintenance man there, and troubles ensue. All he can think about is his family and how to get back to them. In the meantime, those who run the facility have other plans for him including drugs, deception, and brainwashing. Is he given weight loss pills or something more sinister? Will he ever see his beloved family again? How did he get there in the first place? You won't know until near the end!

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THE ILLUSTRATED MAN

2010-11-11T11:51:00.001-06:00

I think I read every Ray Bradbury book I could get my hands on when I was younger, and this was one of them. Made into a movie, The Illustrated Man (1969) brings the character in the book to life with complicated art all over Rod Steiger's body. It's the story of a carnival worker who encounters Felicia (Claire Bloom), a beautiful and mysterious woman who is a tattoo artist supreme. She covers Carl's body with illustrations that carry more than ink and color. They carry the future, scary as that might be.

Carl tells his story to Willie (Robert Drivas), a young man hitch hiking across the country to a job prospect in California. The two camp along a lake bank and Willie finds himself simultaneously drawn to the illustrations and repulsed by them. As he gazes at the illustrations, against Carl's warnings, he is pulled in to the stories they have to tell and becomes a part of them in the process. The first is the story of a very future time and a family with very spoiled children, who set up a "play room" where the imaginary becomes real. The smooth lines of the metal building they call home are cold and uninteresting. The second is of space travelers, marooned on a planet where there is no sun...only a hard rainfall that soon drives them mad. The third is of another future time where most people have already been destroyed by some unknown event, and the few thousand that are left have a dream that the end is coming again. Only this time, no one will be spared.

This is still a great film to watch, even though it only covers three of the stories in the book. I highly recommend it.

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ROBIN HOOD

2010-10-25T13:42:00.001-05:00

I've read mixed reviews for this movie. My own opinion is that it's a very good story about Robin Longstride before he totally became an outlaw. Robin Hood (2010; PG013) is set in 13th century England. Knights and soldiers are returning from the Crusades to an England that is robbing the nation in taxes, leaving the poor even poorer. What's been brought back from the Middle East by the few surviving Crusaders -- tea tree oil for acne, gold, jewels, spices -- is immediately confiscated by the Crown, which has been passed to a young and very selfish heir.

We see all the characters we are familiar with from the story of Robin Hood - Little John, Friar Tuck, Maid Marion and others -- in a setting which came before they banded together. They aren't teenage rebels in this film, but men who have seen the bitter side of life, the ravages of a 10 year long crusade, and the fallout that results from extreme greed and cruelty.

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STOP! OR MY MOM WILL SHOOT

2010-10-24T16:15:00.001-05:00

Not at the top of favorites from Sylvester Stallone, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992; PG-13) is a comedy. Or at least, it's supposed to be. I was loaned the DVD by a friend who thought it was hilarious. I, on the other hand, didn't find it that funny.

Stallone stars as a Los Angeles detective whose mother (Estelle Getty) comes for a visit. She surprises him and pretty well takes over his life, criticizing his home, his job, his love life and just about everything he's built in his life. She begins to work at fixing his life to suit herself, and even passes around embarrassing photos of him as a child, complete with embarrassing childhood stories.

I really think the filmmakers should have gotten a larger cash advance and hired better writers for this movie. I found it to be lame, predictable, and generally just not humorous. Getty's role is stereotypical and Stallone's role is stilted and dry.

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JOURNEY TO PROMETHEA

2010-10-24T13:50:00.001-05:00

Great acting. Great script. Great special effects. None of those terms in any way describes Journey to Promethea (2010; PG-13), a made-for-TV movie I recently watched. In fact, if you use those terms and insert the word "worst" where "great" is, you'd pretty well have an accurate description.

This movie is supposed to be about a hero of old who is seeking to overthrow the current ruling class, who are burning villages and killing folks. He is also prophesied to marry a princess and save his brother, while he's out doing hero stuff. With all he has going on, I was surprised he didn't also find a cure for herpes and a new route to the New World!

Anyway, the lines are lame, the acting poor, and the effects shoddy in this very predictable story. The one and only actor I even liked in the film was Louis Herthum, who seemed to not take anything about the film very seriously and was completely relaxed through most of it, as though he were a bystander who walked onto the set to fill in. His role and his acting were the best part of the whole thing.

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A CLOCKWORK ORANGE

2010-10-24T13:38:00.001-05:00

This is Stanley Kubrick's very strange film, made in 1971. A Clockwork Orange broke ground for a few reasons, one of which is the way the movie goes from the title straight to the story without showing credits. While we have a lot of movies like that today, 40 years ago it just wasn't done.

Another is the way this movie addresses social problems and crimes. Yes, it's a sci-fi film but also a social commentary, trying to answer the question "How can a society/government completely eliminate all crime and evil?"

I didn't actually find a film rating for this movie, but I'd give it an "R" rating due to the violent, language, drug use, and full frontal nudity of women.

The story follows Alex, a young criminal in a somewhat lawless society, and his gang, as they go about doing mayhem, raping, and just plain being bad fellows. They are killing, raping, taking milk laced with drugs, abusing diet pills...you name it. He is caught by what little police there are and sent to prison, where he volunteers to be part of an experiment designed to make criminals so abhor bad acts that they become physically ill if they even encounter the slightest urge to perform them. They accomplish this through a series of torturous activities designed to so break the criminal's own will that they will never return to crime again.

The scene changes are intentionally rough and somewhat skewed, helping the viewer to engage in a film that's not about true life as we know it, but more of a "trip".

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SOYLENT GREEN

2010-10-15T15:07:00.001-05:00

Truly a futuristic movie if ever there was one. This film talks about the greenhouse effect on the climate, the death of natural resources, and man's answer to both when there is a severe shortage of food because all plant and animal life has gone extinct. Soylent Green (1973; not sure the rating) stars Charlton Heston and Edward G. Robinson as two police officers who are seeking the truth about the soylent food products -- in particular, soylent green.

Heston plays a particularly honest cop who has gotten wind of what's really in the new food supply that's being handed out to the masses. When he learns what's in it, he starts fighting to reveal the truth to the world. It's a pretty scary scenario and it's a wonder they don't hand out gh spray to people! When you learn what the food supply is (if you haven't seen it before), you will be aghast and hope it really never comes to this.

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MAN'S BEST FRIEND

2010-10-15T12:21:00.001-05:00

This movie will make you look twice at your own dog! Well, maybe not really. My own dog is a part Shih Tzu, and while she's pretty smart, she doesn't have an aggressive bone in her body nor has she been filled with the DNA of a variety of deadly animals. Man's Best Friend (1993; R) is based on the premise that you can imbue certain qualities, including deadly ones, into a dog simply by splicing in the DNA. For instance, adding the genes of an African big cat gives it the ability to climb, and adding the genes of a poisonous snake gives it the ability to pee deadly acid. Far fetched much? I think so.

Still, the one thing that's good is the bond this dog can form with a person, which is very true of dogs in general.

The genetically modified dog is accidentally released from a research lab and rescued by an animal rights activist reporter. Immediately, she falls in love with the quasi-monster who is jealous of her fiance` and is ruthless in his plans of doing away with the man. She doesn't at first believe the dog is capable of such malicious intent, but the boyfriend is thinking along the lines of funeral expenses more than vet expenses where this dog is concerned. He even tries to poison the dog, but the dog 'knows' the food is poisoned and retaliates against the man.

You could pit this dog against Cujo and this dog would probably win due to its extreme intelligence and powers.

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THE DESCENT

2010-10-10T15:02:00.001-05:00

Well, this has gotten mixed reviews but I'll just say it -- I liked it. See, I like female heroes and movies that feature strong, self-assured women. You know, the kind of woman I wish I really was!

In The Descent (2005; R), the women are athletic and adventurous, which was shown in the first scene of them running the rapids in some distant river. After a tragic accident that took the lives of one of the women's husband and daughter, she is talked into going on a spelunking adventure with her friends, to help her put the past behind her. They take along plenty of gear such as ropes, hooks, lanterns, digital cameras, glow sticks, and some light survival foods. They wind up in a cave that really hasn't been explored before because one of the women had a secret desire to be famous for exploring it. Off they go into that black hole in the ground, where, wouldn't you know it, the crawl space they went through caved in behind them

Now they're stranded and don't know the way out. In the darkest places, one uses a digital video camera to light up the cave so they can see what they're doing and also capture footage of their ordeal. Monsters lurk around every corner down there, though. Monsters that are blind from evolving in that cave. So, just to see them means using the night vision camera setting.

In fact, they use the camera so much that I wondered how the camera battery lasted so long!

Still, even with the improbabilities, this was a pretty good movie. Watch out for the gore and language, of course. What monster flick would be complete without them these days?

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28 WEEKS LATER

2010-10-10T13:22:00.001-05:00

Scary. Gory. Violent. These words describe the movie 28 Weeks Later (2007; R)pretty well. Unlike your normal zombie movies, the bad guys in this film have been infected by a man-made virus that instantly turns them into ravenous beasts intent on eating or infecting any healthy person they find. If you want the best fat burners, flesh-eating infected persons is one way to achieve it!

The story centers around two children, a teen girl and her younger brother, who were able to make their way back from Spain after the original outbreak. It's told in London, where they used to live with their parents. They are found by the American military, who are there to rebuild the city and repopulate it after deciding that all infected people there have long since died. Survivors are housed in a complex that has all the amenities anyone could ask for, and the children find their Father there. He tells them how he escaped from the infected, but their Mother did not.

Time and again we are given glimpses into what's going on so we know the story. The biggest thumbs up for me was, of course, the "jump factor" -- that's when you are taken by surprise by some monster or action and you jump, just like the actors do!

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THE BLUES BROTHERS

2010-10-09T15:00:00.001-05:00

I recently rented this one to watch again. I haven't seen it in years, and it's still just as funny and just a profound as I remembered it. Jake (John Belushi) and Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) play the brothers in The Blues Brothers (1980), but alongside them are also many great stars such as Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Cab Calloway, Carrie Fisher, and Ray Charles, to name a few.

The story surround a Catholic orphanage where the Blues brothers were raised. The orphanage is about to be turned over to the State for unpaid taxes, and Jake and Elwood are "on a mission from God" to save it by rounding up their former band members and doing blues shows to make money. Needless to say, the brothers have some pretty unorthodox methods as they go along, and they partake in antics that would never be possible in real life. Especially where the car stunts are concerned.

Recently a local radio station had two of the DJs dress up like Jake and Elwood. They spent the past couple of months on their own "mission from God" where they were raising money for a teen girl who had been in a terrible auto accident. At the end of the mission, they gave away the Blues-mobile, an old Dodge made to look like an old black and white police car.

Truthfully, I think this was a great idea and has probably sparked some pretty neat gift ideas for groomsmen gifts, Christmas gifts, and movie fans of all ages. Just think -- dark hat, dark sunglasses, dark suit with skinny black tie...pretty cool threads!!

Technorati Tags: movies,The Blues Brothers

CREATION

2010-09-17T10:05:00.001-05:00

This turned out to be a lot better movie than I originally thought it would be. It's not so much the story of Charles Darwin's theory as it was the story of the man himself and the events of his life. He was a brilliant scientist, whether you believe in the modern interpretation of evolution or not. Creation (2009; PG-13) depicts him as not only a scientist, but as a husband and father who overcame some very great trials in his life.

During the course of his life, and his developing theories, his very religious wife was somewhat at odds with him. However, before we besmirch her too much we must realize that she operated fully on faith, and there's really nothing wrong with that. Upon the death of one of their children, she became more withdrawn and Darwin himself began to show signs of mental illness. What brought him back around, and what brought them back together, was the deep love they had for each other and their mutual respect.

Darwin wasn't looking for an acne solution, he was looking for the ways that plants and animals changed over the course of time. He was a naturalist and studied it intensely.

This film is touching and emotional more than scientific, and I highly recommend it to all, regardless of your views on the origins of this world.

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GREEN ZONE

2010-09-17T08:41:00.001-05:00

I really like political movies, and Green Zone (2010; R) fits the bill perfectly. The story is that of an Army Warrant Officer Miller (Matt Damon) who finds himself caught up in faulty intel in the Middle East war. Set in Baghdad, Miller and his group are on a mission to find WMDs, but come up empty handed after every try. They are given supposedly good information about the location of weapons of mass destruction, but warehouses and other places they storm into are not only empty, but have been empty for a very long time.

The Green Zone is the area where US officials, the CIA, and other people of importance are staying. It's the "communications central" for everything going on, so it's where Miller goes to try to find the truth. He doesn't want football gifts - he wants to know the source of the intelligence that has been sending him on so many wild goose chases. He's an honest soldier and only needs to know why he's there and what that war is all about.

I found it interesting that some of his "men" were actually soldiers who'd been to Iraq. They did a great job in the film, and helped it become real to the audience.

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THE INVENTION OF LYING

2010-09-07T19:58:00.001-05:00

This is really a hilarious movie. The premise of The Invention of Lying (2009; PG-13) is that no one in the world has ever lied about anything. In fact, they tend to be brutally honest in every respect. Then comes along Mark Bellison, a somewhat ordinary man who is doing less than spectacular screen writing for apparently the only television/movie company on the earth. They produce only documentaries about history, and his assignment was The Dark Ages including the Plague. This rather gruesome and sad time in history got him fired from his job.

Since he was fired, he couldn't pay his rent or even afford furnace filters, and was about to be evicted from his apartment. Needing money to move with, he goes to his bank to close his $300 account. The computer system is down so the teller asks him how much is in the account. He hesitates then tells her $800, which was the amount he needed to stay in his home. The system comes back up and the teller says it only shows $300. She attributes that number to a glitch and forks over $800! No one lies and they don't even have a word in the language for lying, so she just takes his word for it.

As he goes along, he finds other ways to lie about his life or even history, getting away with it every time and ultimately becoming a huge success except for one thing -- the girl he really loves is out of reach for him because he isn't handsome enough or smart enough for her.

Follow him as he loves her from afar and competes with another man for her affections, doing so honestly.

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LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN

2010-08-30T23:05:00.001-05:00

At some point I think I'm going to sign up for downloadable movies, since I have a wireless router sitting right over here next to me. But for now, I'll watch DVDs, and one I recently watched was Lucky Number Slevin (2006; R).

I found this to be actually funny in some places, but then it is listed as a dark comedy. However, it's more dark than comedy, in my opinion. That doesn't make it a bad movie and certainly the stars were well-cast in this film about revenge against some mob bosses. The scheme that ensues is twisted and complicated. So much so that you are very far into the film before you really realize what's happening. In fact, nothing is revealed until the very end, which means you'll have to watch it as I did.

Just know that Bruce Willis as a famous hit man, Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley as mob bosses, and Lucy Lu as the love interest combine to make an excellent cast. Each one plays their part meticulously. The gist of it is that Slevin is mistakenly identified as Nick Fisher, a friend he's come to visit. Nick isn't home because, as we see in the very beginning of the film, he's been killed by Willis' character, Mr. Goodkat. Slevin's ordeal goes downhill from there as mob bosses and others assume he's Nick since they found him in the apartment. Slevin has no ID because he's shown being mugged and his wallet was stolen.

The mix up brings him into the presence of both the mob bosses at different times, where they recruit him to do dastardly deeds in order to pay off his debts with them -- actually, Nick's debts.

Language, blood, and nudity aside, this was a pretty good movie to watch!

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THE WOLFMAN

2010-08-30T22:41:00.001-05:00

I watch just about everything Sir Anthony Hopkins is in, and he's in The Wolfman (2010; R). I watched it before reading other reviews, which I always do. I like to form my own opinion of films. Well, contrary to the reviews I read tonight, I thought this was a really good movie.

Hopkins never sways in his style. Short, cryptic sentences and a deadpan face are his claims to fame. He was no different in Legends of the Fall, Shadowlands, or Silence of the Lambs...his acting never varies and that's why I love to watch him.

This film is taken from a much earlier version and has been added to a bit. However, the story line is still basically the same and I'm sure you know it by now. I love the dark, grey scenery surrounding the evil that is the wolfman as he terrorizes the countryside. Only a few glances at greenery appear, and those only during the most tender moments between Benicio Del Toro, who plays Hopkins' son, and Emily Blunt, who plays a dead brother's fiancee.

There is a lot more gore and sensuality in this version, but I think that is due to a more sophisticated way of filming these days and audience expectations.

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A SINGLE MAN

2010-08-28T22:03:00.001-05:00

Not a family movie at all, A Single Man (2009; R) is the heartbreaking story of a gay man (Colin Firth) whose partner has been killed in a car wreck. We watch as he tries to go about his daily business as a professor at a university, all the while grieving and broken inside.

He has friends, even an old girlfriend (Julianne Moore). But nothing will lift him from the blue funk he is sinking ever more deeply into. At one point, it looks as though he will take his own life.

Set in the '60s, his home is tidy and neatly appointed, with high class design including Moen kitchen faucets and lots of glass to let in the California sun. He lays out his personal effects in neat array on a dresser, admonishing the housekeeper to leave them right where he has them. Then he goes to a gun store, buys bullets for his gun, and begins the process of situating himself so that he can put a bullet through his own skull.

So tidy is he, and concerned for the mess that will be made in the house, that he even puts a sleeping bag on the bed and gets in it. However, the ringing phone interrupts his plans...

You'll just have to watch it to know the rest.

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Movies by mail

2010-08-23T02:10:00.003-05:00

I am finally signed up for movies by mail. I'm sure many of you already know what company I'm talking about - NetFlix. I am on the option where you can get "unlimited" movies each month simply by mailing back the viewed ones in a timely manner and getting another one. I don't know about anyone else, but I figure I might be able to receive around a dozen movies a month this way, tops. However, it works for me because I don't have to think about return times costing me extra money, so I like this.

I signed up for this online, just the way I buy my car insurance, which makes it even easier. In fact, I do a lot of my business online so I don't have waste gas running all over two towns to pay regular bills.

The first movie I received was The Crazies, which I reviewed in the previous post. I have several in my queue and will go back to the site to add more. Might as well keep the wish list long and not have to keep returning to the site every few days, right?

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THE CRAZIES

2010-08-23T01:14:00.001-05:00

Scary and plenty of jump scenes, The Crazies (2010; R) has everything you'd want in a horror flick - blood, bad language, excellent characters, and a story line. I'm not the biggest fan of horror films, but I really liked this one. The thrust of the movie wasn't the blood and gore, but the people of the small town and their response to a virus gone wild in their midst.

It begins with telling a story about ordinary people in an ordinary midwestern town, going about their ordinary business. One person loses his mind and brings a shotgun out to the middle of the town baseball game diamonds where a game is in progress, whereupon he is killed by the town sheriff after making threatening moves. The gunman is eerily silent before being killed. Then others begin to have violent natures - people who have been ordinary, good citizens before.

As the movie progresses, the only sane and apparently immune people turn out to be the sheriff and his doctor wife as they seek a way out of the town and away from the plague.

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DOLAN'S CADILLAC

2010-08-07T09:38:00.001-05:00

If you are into movies where the bad guys are uber-bad and the good guys, well, you can't be sure if they're really good or not, then Dolan's Cadillac (2009;R) is just made for you. This film deals with a truly bad guy who makes his living trafficking young ladies from other countries. I'm sure I don't have to go into details about that. His troubles really begin when a woman is a witness to a murder committed by his peons. She drops her cell phone as she exits the area, which gives them the opportunity to find her and her husband.

She reports to the police what she witnessed, but the place was completely cleaned up by the time they got there. Figures, huh? In the meantime, there is a hit contract on her which is fulfilled, and her husband sets out to destroy the man who paid for it - Dolan. So, we get an ordinary man who seems to be fresh out of Forex training workshops, now on the hunt for a bad guy. He has to become more street smart than he'd ever imagined to track this guy down. He winds up working for a road construction crew in the daytime while he watches the bad guy from afar, noting his routines. He formulates his plan. And, it's a good one. It's complicated enough to not be figured out by others, and simple enough for him to execute alone.

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THE ROAD

2010-08-07T08:04:00.001-05:00

Strange and graphic, this film deals with how the world might be after a nuclear holocaust. The Road (2009; R)centers on a man and his young son as they travel across the devastated country to get to the west coast, where they hope against hope that things are better for them. The Man is played by Viggo Mortenson. Additional characters are played by such greats as Charlize Theron and Robert Duvall. Strangely, though, none of the characters have names. They are known only by the parts they play.

As the Man and Son make their way across the country, they eat by any means they can and encounter people who are either depraved or good. Being in a nuclear winter means the forests and fields are dead, as is most of the wildlife. What few animals remain are fair game for everyone. For some, even cannibalism is an option as food resources have declined. The actors in the film all appear to have been using HCG shots Austin provides, they are so incredibly lean in the film.

This is a very dark story, and could be depressing if I didn't understand that it's just a movie, made from a book. Still, it gives you something to think about as far as preparedness goes when the Man and the Boy encounter a bomb shelter filled to the hilt with non-perishable foods and beverages, candles, and other survival necessities.

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CRAZY HEART

2010-07-07T19:56:00.001-05:00

If you are looking for fast-paced adventure and a lot of action, then look someplace else. Crazy Heart (2009; R) is slower than that, but it's still a good watch. It's the story of a highly-talented country music singer (Bad Blake played by Jeff Bridges) who is also an alcoholic and a chain smoker. He lives hard and plays all kinds of dives, bowling alleys, and cheezy clubs while his protege Tommy Sweet (Collin Ferral) is making it in the 'big time".

Women everywhere throw themselves at Bad, and some of them he accepts their offer. Then he meets a single mother of a sweet son and forms a real attachment to them. Bridges does very well in the part, looking pretty scruffy and worn during the whole thing. Yet, the character also has a gentleness about him that is buried beneath the rough exterior. It shows from time to time during the story, though, which makes him very likeable. I found myself cheering him on in his quest to finally find some peace of mind and that one true love.

I had to wonder if he took a slimming pill to get ready for this role since he appeared so drawn in some scenes while in others he appeared healthily plump.

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THE EDGE OF DARKNESS

2010-07-07T19:40:00.001-05:00

Absolutely, if you haven't seen this movie yet because of the previews, then you should go rent it right now. The trailers are misleading. This film isn't as much shoot-em-up as it is a psychological drama where a father is investigating the violent murder of his daughter, right before his eyes. The Edge of Darkness (2010; R) follows Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) through the twists and turns involved when someone is about to out a conspiracy.

In this film, the father doesn't go on an all out rampage, but methodically and legally investigates all the players in the murder, tying up loose ends and chasing down rabbit trails to leads that help him come closer to solving the mystery. His daughter was an employee of a large corporation and an activist, but Gibson doesn't know the depths of dangers she has become involved in. Even we, the audience, don't know for certain whether she was fighting against the over use of human growth hormone or if she was fighting an environmental threat. As the truth is revealed, Detective Craven becomes more determined and focused.

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THE BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL - NEW ORLEANS

2010-07-07T19:25:00.001-05:00

As riveting a film as I've ever seen The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans (2009; R) is raw, to say the least. Nicolas Cage stars as a police officer in post-Katrina New Orleans who is investigating the murder of a whole family from Senegal. His investigation takes him to the deepest, most crime filled areas of a large city. (This could be any city, really.) As he sinks into the depths of drug addiction, he makes deals and arrangements with the low-lifes who run the underworld there.

Cage does an outstanding performance in this role as I began to wonder if his character hadn't united with the real man. His demeanor and appearance, down to the blackheads on his back, made him look as though he really was on terrible drugs. The character's mood swings went from violently angry to extremely ecstatic as his appearance went downhill.

The violence, brutality, and language are not for the faint of heart, but are essential to the story, nonetheless.

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HOT!

2010-06-25T19:29:00.001-05:00

In my part of the country, it's been too hot to move. We've had temperatures around 100 degrees F. for the past several days, and not enough rain to settle the dust. This means not many people are hanging out outside and more people (like me) are staying out of the heat and inside, watching movies. Or, maybe they're sitting around modern dining tables, enjoying chilled beverages and playing cards or board games.

Either way, no one is facing the raging, dangerous heat. I don't water my yard until it's nearly dark out, and spend my time off from work mostly on my laptop or in other indoor activities. Oh, and enjoying a cold beer!

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Need fresh movies

2010-06-17T19:51:00.001-05:00

I really need to invest in some new movies. I have a lot here already, but I'd like to see something fresh on my shelves. I would really like to own Avatar. I think I could watch that one over and over, the way I do Star Wars. However, first I want to find some really good deals on DVDs. I might even want to invest in a BluRay player. The price of BluRay disks has come way down.

Of course, there's not much on sale right now, and I do love to find a good bargain. I'm also patient, so I'll probably wind up waiting until Black Friday rolls around again before I do any serious shopping. For now, I'll just ooh and aah at the brilliant picture I find on the TVs in appliance and tech stores.

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THE LOVELY BONES

2010-06-02T01:09:00.001-05:00

This sort of fantasy film reminded me a great deal of What Dreams May Come in the way it switched from the world of the living to the world of the dead, namely, the girl who was murdered at age 14. The Lovely Bones (2009; PG-13) tells us of a girl who reminisces about her life from a small child to the day she is killed - including the time when her mother is taking liquid prenatal vitamins for the babies she carries after the birth of her first child, Suzie.

It's a poignant and dear story. The girl has barely reached an age where she can begin to feel the first flutters of puppy love in her heart when her life is stolen from her. We watch as she runs from the killer only to discover, through events, that she is already dead. Then, she is on a quest to show her family and others who the real killer is so that he can be stopped. She cannot personally accept heaven until this quest is finished - her own choice.

I have read other reviews and apparently others didn't find the movie as engaging as I did. Judge for yourself, though. Critical reviews aren't generally worth the paper they were written on in this day of cutting edge CGI and fast action films.

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MOON

2010-06-01T17:16:00.001-05:00

What can I say about Moon (2009; R)? I can tell you it's a really good sci-fi film. I can tell you that the minimalist features and on-man-show make the movie a hit in my eyes. But, beyond that, it's hard to tell you anything without revealing the ending! Yeah.

I can say that Sam Rockwell does a superb job as astronaut Sam Bell. And that Kevin Spacey does a wonderful job as the voice of GERTY, the almost human robot who takes care of Sam. I can also tell you that Sam seems to need loads of medical and psychological help, along with the best natural acne treatment, with all he endures on the moon as the one who controls the mining machines. I can even tell you that the lunar mining operation is in place to retrieve a new fuel source for the earth, which is running out of natural fuels.

But if I go beyond those basics, then there will be no point in YOU watching the movie. Just know that it really is worth the rental price.

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GABRIEL

2010-05-31T15:22:00.001-05:00

I considered this film to be more artsy and possibly underground than most movies I watch. However, I really liked Gabriel (2007; R), probably just because of its artsy nature.

This Australian movie was made for around $150,000, not much when it comes to movie making. However, the use of dark sets and dramatic costumes help to take your mind off the low budget and concentrate solely on the story at hand.

Gabriel is an angel sent from heaven to save those who are in Purgatory. No, it's not Biblically accurate by any stretch of the imagination. Of the 7 angels of light who were sent on the mission, this angel seems less likely to win. See, the angels must take on human form, with all its weaknesses. The angels of darkness also have human form. Either can be killed by the usual methods, but when they are they are dead forever with no hope of rewards.

Some of the angles look like they've been using weight loss pills because of their gaunt appearance. Others are unbelievably creepy looking - on has white eyes, some have really bad teeth, and so forth. But the mission of Gabriel never leaves our thoughts as he fights his way through the assorted dark and even light angels who exist in Purgatory.

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LAW ABIDING CITIZEN

2010-05-31T15:10:00.001-05:00

Creepy. Scary. Bloody. Drama. Whatever adjective you use, Law Abiding Citizen (2009; R) probably earned it...unless you say funny. Funny it was NOT.

This film centers around a man whose family was violently murdered but the killer goes free because of a prosecuting attorney and judge who use the rules of the court to allow him to do so - plea bargaining. The man sets about on a mission to kill everyone involved with setting the killer free, beginning with the killer and his accomplice. Using drugs of all kinds except irvingia to numb or torture the first two, he makes a mark for himself and actually agrees that he did those killings. Now he wants his own plea bargain and is willing to give the attorney information about future victims in trade for certain gratuities. Of course, it's all based on his time frame, and if the deadlines aren't met, the person dies.

In other words, he is taking the law into his own hands and using the broken system that let him down to accomplish his goals. Jamie Foxx plays attorney Nick Rice. Gerard Butler plays Clyde Shelton, the husband and father turned brutal murderer.

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EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES

2010-05-31T14:55:00.001-05:00

A very inspiring movie, if ever there was one. Extraordinary Measures (2010; PG) follows the parents of two children afflicted with Pompe Syndrom, a degenerative genetic disease. Children with this disease usually only live to about age 9. Very sad indeed.

Brendon Frasier plays the father, who goes through any and all efforts to find a medical researcher who is working on a cure for this terrible disease. Based on the true events in the lives of John and Aileen Crowley, this movie follows the struggles and grief associated with having not one but two children with this disease.

John, who graduated Harvard and was a business executive with a promising future, quits his job to help get capital for a scientist who may be on the road to the cure the children need. Going up against all odds, reducing his income in favor of fighting for a cure, buying cheap car insurance to help reduce spending, and taking off at a moment's notice to seek out professionals and laboratories, John fights this fight seemingly alone. Even doctors advice him and his wife to just be with and enjoy the children while they still have them.

Harrison Ford plays the role of the scientist Dr. Stonehill, who is on the way to a cure, but who lacks the proper funding to continue the research until the drug is discovered and manufactured.

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2012 DOOMSDAY

2010-05-26T10:03:00.001-05:00

2012 Doomsday (2008; PG-13)is not the best movie I've seen. The premise is that it's close to the end of the world, and there are people who are watching it count down while trying to do the most good they can. It's a Christian movie, but that's not what makes it so bad. It's the terrible acting, the poor CGI, and a story line that bounces all over the place making you wonder what the writers were even trying to say.

I've seen commercials for the best treatment for adult acne where the acting and plot were better. I'm pretty sure I wasted my money renting this one. Supposedly along the lines of The Omega Code and the Left Behind series, this film was a big disappointment. The other end of the world movies were much better made and had higher quality acting.

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WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

2010-05-25T20:41:00.001-05:00

Where The Wild Things Are (2009; PG-13) is a fairy tale, of course. It centers around a little boy, Max, who is very bad behaved. He behaves as though his family and the world owe him something. He acts out in terrible ways, even to the point of biting his struggling mother. She sends him to bed without his supper, where he falls asleep and enters a dream world of large, talking beasts. In the dream he runs away, then sails away on the ocean, landing on the island where these creatures live.

He says he is a king with special powers, and they all believe it. He leads them on activities that wind up causing hurt feelings and friendship rifts. Along the way, he learns some things about himself and his own bad behavior.

This film is based on the book by Maurice Sendak. If you know some folks who sell used books, you may be able to read the story yourself. A couple of things were left out of the film, but by and large, it stuck to the story in the book, not taking too many liberties or changing the original story line and outcome.

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AVATAR

2010-05-25T20:18:00.002-05:00

Ok, so yes, it's taken me this long to view one of the most talked-about movies around. I watched Avatar (PG-13; 2009) last night, and I must say, it's everything others have said about it. It was easy to see why it received so many film awards and nominations.

The story is that of a former Marine, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), who is paraplegic due to a war wound. He signs on to go to the planet Pandorum in his deceased brother's place. Thinking he's going on a war-type mission, he soon finds himself torn between his mission and the indigenous people who live on the planet. He meets a scientist, Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) who has uncovered some amazing and wonderful facts about both the planet and the people. The mission commander, Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), is a cold, heartless military man whose only directive seems to be destroy all and everything.

When Jake meets Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), one of the native females, he is almost immediately captivated and falls in love.

What's different about this sci-fi flick? Those who visit the planet cannot breathe the atmosphere. Therefore, avatars have been created combining the DNA of the natives people and the humans who control the avatars. This is the only way they can move freely on the planet and possibly be accepted by the natives.

The graphics are stunning, no doubt, and the story line is captivating and real. I think this is one I'm going to purchase for my own library!

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FIVE MINUTES OF HEAVEN

2010-05-18T12:01:00.001-05:00

As disturbing a movie as I've seen since Schindler's List, this film looks at the impact a gang related murder has had on both the brother of the victim and the victim's murderer, 25 years later. Five Minutes of Heaven (2009; R) refers to what the victim's brother would have if he killed the assailant.

It was filmed like a documentary, with the camera persons being required to hold the cameras, follow the actors, walk in tubs or anyplace else where the cameras could be held on the actors and still allow them a natural movement around the sets.

It's not a glamorous movie or flashy in any way. It just looks into the hearts and souls of people involved in the incident, and taps into their secret imaginations of how the murderer thought his life would be better...and how the young brother of the victim bore a burden of guilt because he couldn't save his older brother from attack.

It speaks to the turmoil in Ireland between Protestants and Catholics, which is not dissimilar from civil turmoil in any land where one group of citizens thinks another group of citizens is the enemy. It also speaks to the pain and loss on both sides.

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DSL outage

2010-05-18T11:49:00.001-05:00

So, I went almost the whole weekend with my DSL down. I called Monday about getting it fixed and up again. Of course, they start telling me to do this and do that. I've already done everything they suggested and I tell them that. Then, they say it will be Monday afternoon before someone can come out and check the Linksys router to see if that's the problem, between noon and 7 PM.

I tell them that's no good. I have to be at work at 5 and leave home by 4. The tech on the other end of the phone promises they'll have someone out no later than 4. So I wait...

I got ready for work and waited until 4:20. No repair person. No DSL. When I got home from work, DSL was still down.
Then, this morning, it's working.

I'm thinking that there was rain water in the phone lines somewhere, causing noise that wouldn't let the signal go through, and that it simply dried up enough to work again with no help from them. I'm sure they'll take all the credit for it, though, as they do think they are so great they can control the very elements of the universe.

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SHERLOCK HOLMES

2010-05-15T09:34:00.001-05:00

Not as dark and serious as the Sherlock Holmes (2009; PG-13) movies I've seen in the past, this film is pairs up Robert Downey, JR as Holmes and Jude Law as Dr. Watson. Not exactly a comedy, but light moments run through the film as the very eccentric Holmes is repeatedly grounded by the ever-focused Watson. However, Holmes is still intensely clever and reasoning as he unravels the mystery surrounding an evil enemy - Lord Blackwood.

Blackwood practices black magic to commit crimes, which include the murders of several young London women. If his murderous rampage continues, there would be no need for prenatal vitamins because all the younger women would be dead! However, with his usual expertise, Holmes begins the arduous task of tracking down Blackwood because, wouldn't you know it, after he's been caught and hanged, he returns to life.

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LEGION

2010-05-15T09:12:00.001-05:00

For weirdness and creepiness, Legion (2010; R) rates about a 9.9 on my freak-o-meter. When God loses faith in the way mankind is headed, He sends angels to possess and destroy mankind. The birth of one baby is the only thing that stands in the way, so the angels are out to kill the baby.

One angel, using his own free will, decides that what "the Father" wants is not the same as what He really needs, and disobeys. He is cast to earth in human form and without any of his angelic powers, wings, or armor. He begins his quest to save the not-yet-born baby as humans all around become possessed by the angels who have been directed to destroy it. It's pretty apparent none of those humans need diets for quick weight loss any longer, as they concentrate solely on their mission, killing anyone who tries to get in their way.

The location of the pregnant mom and a few other main characters is a diner located in an isolated area. Michael (Paul Bettany) arrives armed to the hilt with all manner of guns and weapons to fight off the possessed people. Gabriel (Kevin Durand) arrives later to fight Michael and finish the mission.

Dennis Quaid also appears in the movie as a cynical, atheistic owner of the diner who is hard to convince that the world as he knows it is coming to an end unless he joins the fight.

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PEACEFUL WARRIOR

2010-05-10T16:52:00.001-05:00

I've had this movie in my collection for quite awhile, so I was surprised that I hadn't reviewed it yet.

Peaceful Warrior (2006; PG-13) is the inspiring story of an Olympics-bound gymnast (Dan Millman played by Scott Mechlowicz) who meets a stranger running a service station. This stranger he dubs Socrates (Nick Nolte) because of the sage wisdom he imparts. Socrates becomes his mentor, although Dan resists a lot of the advice he's given.

Wouldn't you know it, Dan's wild lifestyle leads to a terrible motorcycle accident that threatens to end his Olympic dreams. Doctors and even his coach tell him there is no way he can recover enough to be a gymnast again. Socrates leads the young man through all sorts of strange workouts for the mind and body before he concentrates on upper body and abs workouts workouts to give him the physical stamina and strength he needs to fulfill his dreams. In fact, it's his thought processes that are the most affected - for the better.

Well worth watching, in my opinion, if you need to sort out what's really important in your own life.

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2012

2010-04-23T22:39:00.001-05:00

This is the ultimate disaster movie, but it's pretty easy to guess how things end early on. 2012 (2009; PG-13) begins with the discovery of a solar anomaly that threatens the very existence of planet earth. Very few people are aware of the information that seems to be available to a whacko independent radio host and a handful of other people who have apparently guessed the Apocalypse is coming. I don't know if the governments of the world are too engrossed in nuphedragen reviews or if they simply have the evil intent to let the innocents of the world die, but even they have made no good plans for saving very many people other than an elite few. Those are chosen to create a new and better gene pool, plain and simple.

The actors in the movie have played very credible roles before (John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Woody Harrelson), but this film really doesn't bring out their full potential.

However, if you enjoy disaster films, this one does fit the bill, even if it's pretty unbelievable. For my part, The Day After Tomorrow played the story out better than this one did.

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PUBLIC ENEMIES

2010-04-23T17:04:00.001-05:00

I rented a few movies over the weekend. One of them was Public Enemies (2009; R) starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, two of my very favorite actors.This film is the story of some very famous gangsters from the '30s, including Baby Face Nelson, John Dillinger (Depp's part), and Pretty Boy Floyd, to name just a few. More than that, though, it was the story of how ruthless these men were in their crimes, killing wantonly at a moment's notice.

So many films have turned these criminals in to folk heroes. Dillinger probably comes the closest to being a hero in his love affair with Billie Frechette. Still, he was a gangster and a criminal and that doesn't become null and void because he loved someone.

I love watching Johnny Depp become so close to his character that you can almost believe he's the real deal. I think he could do colon cleansing product reviews in infomercials and have me wanting to jump on that pretty quickly! His portrayal was flawless, as usual. Christian Bale also did an excellent job of playing Melvin Purvis, the famous FBI agent who fought crime across the nation, and centered his fight in Chicago. A better pair couldn't have been selected for these roles, I believe.

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Investing in myself

2010-04-21T21:19:00.001-05:00

It looks like I'm going to be able to rent and buy more movies and music than I'd expected. I'm getting a nice tax refund, so I'm going to invest in things like that, a new printer, and maybe even a Moen kitchen faucet. (My kitchen faucet is pretty ugly looking and it wobbles on its base when you turn it left and right!)

So, I'll have lots of new stuff to review for you in the coming weeks. Get ready!

Technorati Tags: movies,music

What is entertainment?

2010-04-17T22:12:00.001-05:00

This blog deals mostly with entertainment. Well, for me, entertainment can include my jewelry making and organic gardening. Ok, maybe those are not technically entertainment the way most people think of them, but these activities relax me so that I think I'm 10 feet tall and bullet proof. Who needs a life insurance lead when you feel that good?!

Well, I really do know that my life has an end eventually, but for now I'm living it to its fullest and enjoying things while I can. That includes all kinds of movies, music, and, yes, my hobbies.

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Review games?

2010-04-17T21:47:00.001-05:00

I suppose since I review music, movies, and bands, I really should look into another entertainment entity. Maybe it's time for me to branch out into games and game machines. I've usually always just played the few games that are already on board my laptop or desktop computers. You know the ones - you've probably got them, too.

However, Son has been telling me about how much fun he has playing other video games. He says they are challenging and that he can achieve several levels on them.

If you are "into" games and game machines, I'd love your input about them.

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Poor wifi connections

2010-04-17T21:39:00.001-05:00

I am trying the wifi connection at a different location tonight. I drove up to where Son works to see if the connection is any better than the one I usually use. It's not.

Truly, even though the wifi is free, it should take you to the Internet at a speed faster than dial-up, don't you think? It's really insane to be sitting here, watching my laptop battery go down while I'm waiting for the connection to come up. And, the fact is, there's no place to plug my laptop in at this location, so I can't really charge it while I'm waiting.

I need to look up some rather important things online, such as insurance quotes for my vehicle. I've got to continue cutting costs and that is one way I can do it. In the meantime, though, I sit and wait...and wait...and wait.

Technorati Tags: internet,wifi

CCR

2010-04-17T21:35:00.001-05:00

If you don't know what that means, then you don't know Credence Clearwater Revival. This is an amazing old rock group with songs that I know you recognize. Songs like Looking Out My Back Door, Bad Moon Rising, and Suzy Q. While it may be just my age showing, I'd rather listen to groups like this than to listen to some of the newer stuff that's on the radio. Let those who have an interest in modern couches listen to newer rock music. I'll take my hippie looking furniture and old rock anytime.

Yeah, I admit I'm a bit of a hippie, though Sis says I'm a Renaissance woman and my boss says I'm a country girl/earth mother. I enjoy simpler things and make my own jewelry, soap, and raise my own organic vegetables and herbs.

Maybe I am everything that others say I am. What do you think?

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Jumanji revisited

2010-04-17T21:31:00.001-05:00

I watched Jumanji again today. Yes, I have a lot of movies, but this is one that I really enjoy a lot because it has such a happy ending. The story follows a board game through time as it affects various people. From 1869 to 1969 to today, the game wreaks havoc on all who play it and don't finish the course.

The 1969 game, in fact, leads the children who are playing it to assume that magnets control the pieces as they go around the board. The terrible things is, though, that one of the children gets sucked into the game and the other is too traumatized to continue the game long enough to get him out.

The "today" version sees two more children playing the evil game and inadvertently bringing one of the other children back. By this time, it's 26 years later and he has grown up, entering a world where nothing about his town is the same and his parents have long-since passed away. This time, the children think it's computer chips or mac memory that control the game. A series of events begins and they have to find the other previous player in order to continue and end the game.

It's a clean movie, though there are some scary events and characters in it. Most children should be able to handle them, though, as they are not extreme. It's worth renting and watching again if you haven't seen it in a long time.

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Rediscovering Road House

2010-03-29T19:29:00.001-05:00

You know the great thing about rediscovering movies you haven't seen in several years? Viewing them. I probably now have over 100 DVDs at my home, several of which I haven't viewed in 3 or 4 years. One of those, which I viewed today, is Road House. I haven't viewed Road House since November of '07.

I have to warn you, this is no movie for kids to see. It has a lot of violence, bad language, and sexuality. But, it's a great look at the charming Patrick Swayze and Sam Elliot. Of course, the great Ben Gazzara was also in this rough-n-tumble film about a famous bouncer who runs into such bad problems in the honky tonk he's been hired to clean up that he can't even begin to get term life insurance quotes.

This is one of those films that I really do like to watch over again every so often. The heroes are heroic to the death and the bad guys are completely without any redeeming qualities. No blurring between good and evil here!

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Daughter's wedding

2010-03-26T14:11:00.001-05:00

In just a few months, my youngest child will be getting married. She's been planning and buying since almost a year ago, and still doesn't have everything pulled together for a wedding. But she's getting there.

I'm going to be helping her any way I can so that she can have everything she wants on her special day - from her wedding gown to the tuxedo vests for the groomsmen.

We've already shopping for corsage and boutonniere flowers, invitations, guestbook and pen, and wire edged ribbon to use with the flowers. She is planning to do a very simple rehearsal dinner meal - cold cuts and beverages - which we can purchase and serve ourselves instead of using a caterer. That will save her a lot of money. I'm going to see what else I can suggest to help her have a beautiful wedding without spending the thousands of dollars.

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SUPERNOVA

2010-03-26T13:57:00.001-05:00

One of the DVDs I unearthed over the past few days was Supernova (2000; R). I think I reviewed this one before. However, if I didn't express my disappointment in it before, I will now.

This movie has a plot that is so weak and loosely strung together that industrial handles couldn't keep it stable. The story went from hot, steamy love-making to overly dramatic acting to moments that seemed to really have nothing to do with the rest of the film at all.

I've watched it several times by now, and the best I can figure is that a medical rescue ship warps to track a distress signal and winds up in a lot of trouble from a person who is rescued.

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Intermission - seating

2010-03-26T13:26:00.001-05:00

While I've been moving things in, I've also made some decisions about moving things out. Primarily, my worn out sofa and recliner. See, instead of those tired pieces of furniture, I'm thinking I'd just as soon have home theater seating so I can more comfortably watch movies. It would be nice to have a personal seat with a holder for a beverage while I'm viewing films instead of sitting on a lumpy old couch.

I live alone, so there's no real reason why I need to have a conventional looking living room. Even if I have visitors, other kinds of seating would work out just as well as regular living room furniture, don't you think?

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Moving movies

2010-03-26T13:18:00.001-05:00

I've been busy moving things from a storage building I'm letting go of to my home. I've got a lot of junk, and I'm really realizing this with every box and item I handle. However, one of the best things about going through this stuff is that I've found a lot of my DVDs that I'd really forgotten that I even owned. I have to admit, I thought I might need a finger pulse oximeter to measure my blood oxygen, I was so excited about the finds.

I'll have quite a few more movies to review for you, now.

Some of them I've already reviewed in the past, but there are others that I'd viewed but never given you my take on them.

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MADEA GOES TO JAIL

2010-03-14T17:01:00.001-05:00

Well, after having so many people tell me how hilarious this movie is, I relented and watched. Honestly? I just didn't think it was that great. It's about a mischievous grandma who has been in trouble with the law for nearly her entire life. I don't find that amusing, because she has apparently gotten away with a lot over the years. Madea (Tyler Perry) is noisy, irreverent, and sometimes violent.

I'm kind of surprised she hasn't enlisted a postcard printing to have her mug shots mailed to everyone she knows.

Madea Goes to Jail (2009; PG-13) just isn't in line with my sense of humor, I guess. I don't mind wise-cracking and physical humor, but I really think this character is way over the top and that it's a stretch to get a comic line out of any of the script.

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