where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Friday, July 2nd, 2010
show: 2:00 p.m.
costs: $7.50 Ticket + $4.50 medium Diet/Zero ( w/ Barq's & Cherry flavors ) Coke + $1.00 2.25 oz. Emerald Trail Mix ( bought at CVS Drugstore & smuggled-in ) = $1.00 1.2 oz. Jack Link's All American Beef & Cheese ( bought at CVS Drugstore & smuggled-in ) = $14.00
auditorium: 2
seat: 2nd row, 8ht column
2nd time:
where: EDWARDS FAIRFIELD STADIUM 16 & I-MAX in Fairfield, CA
when: Tuesday, July 6th, 2010 ( Tuesday is "$1.00 for-a-small-popcorn day" with a movie-watcher card )
show: 10:00 a.m.
costs: $17.50 I-Max ticket + $1.00 small Popcorn + $0.00 small Zero Coke ( free coupon reward on my movie-watcher card ) + $7.99 lunch at Fresh Choice Restaurant ( CSAA discount ) ( + $1.00 Tip ) = $27.49
auditorium: 12, with the I-Max screen
seat: 6th row, 11th column
synopsis: Bella Swan ( Kristen Stewart ) is torn between her love for Edward Cullen ( Robert Pattinson ) and her very close friendship with Jacob Black ( Taylor Lautner ). But that is probably the least of her worries as an old foe, Victoria ( Bryce Dallas Howard ), has returned with her "newborn" army of the undead to exact vengeance on her and the Cullens.
noteworthy scenes: 1.) First victim; 2.) Marriage proposal; 3.) 4 o'clock on the dot; 4.) Bella's truck; 5.) School cafeteria; 6.) Tracking situations in Seattle; 7.) Two airline tickets; 8.) Quilt; 9.) Chase; 10.) Jacob; 11.) New pack member; 12.) Imprinting; 13.) Intruder; 14.) Protection detail; 15.) "I'm Switzerland"; 16.) Changing of the guard; 17.) Jacob waiting for Bella; 18.) Council meeting; 19.) Tribe's history; 20.) "Newborns"; 21.) Flesh, blood and warmth; 22.) Bad ass; 23.) Vampire bride; 24.) Feeding frenzy; 25.) Graduation; 26.) Party; 27.) Uneasy alliance; 28.) Training; 29.) Emmett's ( Kellan Lutz ) story; 30.) Victoria; 31.) Alibi; 32.) Father/daughter talk; 33.) Negotiate conditions; 34.) Mother's ring; 35.) Plan for the Cullen clan; 36.) Scent trail; 37.) "Submarine" newborns; 38.) "Hotter than you"; 39.) "Stay!"; 40.) The fight; 41.) Victoria and Riley ( Xavier Samuel ); 42.) Bella's blood; 43.) The Volturis; and 44.) Bullet-proof.
audience reaction: The audience ( I mean, the chicks ) gave this "Chick Flick" an "Hands Clapper" ending at the Century cinema. But the audience at the Edwards cinema, rather few in number, was more restrained and didn't give it an "Hands Clapper" ending.
recommendation: If you're a "Chick Flick" fan, this movie is definitely for you. I think that my eardrums got pierced from all that squealing going on around me during certain scenes of the movie at the Century cinema. I would go so far as to say that this is better than the first two installments--but not by much, as I'm about to explain.
spoiler alert! When Victoria threw Riley against the wall, that might have been enough to kill him instantly through blunt-force trauma. ( I want the medical consultant's job! ) When Edward sensed the scent of the intruder and hurried up to Bella's bedroom, it should have been cause for concern on the part of Bella's father, Charlie ( Billy Burke ), but he didn't go sticking his nose in to find out what was going on. In his confrontation with Edward, Jacob said, "I could care less what you need." Wrong! What he should have said was, "I couldn't care less ...." "I couldn't care less" is the proper term and it is the same way as saying, "I don't give a damn!" Or, in other words, it is at the rock-bottom of one's "Care Less" list and has last priority/importance. But, "I could care less" means that Jacob hadn't reached rock-bottom yet. ( I want the script-writer's job--or script-girl's [ boy, in my case ] job!) In the feeding frenzy scene, with the Volturis looking down at, the same exact scene was shown twice! ( I want the scene editor's job! ) Instead of getting "googly-eyed" and being a "cuddly-pooh", Jacob should have spent more time paying attention to the sparring matches to spare his ribs from unwanted breaks. Why did Bella stop at "Stay!"? I would have added, "Sit!" "Behave!" and "Good Dog." Why didn't Victoria smell the werewolf's scent? The werewolf got Riley by his left upper arm and shoulder but his left hand got bitten-off, instead! Why didn't Riley finish-off the werewolf? Edward couldn't have pushed down the pine tree at all, even with his super-human strength. Why? In Physics, I learned about Force and Leverage involving the use of a Lever and Fulcrum. You cannot move a lever ( the pine tree's trunk, in this example ) if you're too close to the fulcrum ( the roots, in this example ). It would have made more sense had he jumped up and hit the tree to knock Victoria down. But, since they made it so that the tree fell over, then Edward should have lost his balance and fallen down along with the tree when the roots snapped and lost their anchorage. I didn't hear any loud snapping sound, and I didn't see any exposed root at all! ( I want the sound editor's job and the camera man's job! ) In the "Oldies" versus the "Newbies" fight, I didn't notice anything special about the newborns; in fact, none of them had a chance against the Cullens. ( I want the fight choreographer's job! ) If you're gonna build a " newborn" army and stack the odds on your side, "recruit" street thugs, gang members, bikers, football players, basketball players, and soldiers on shore leave, etc. Don't pick hoboes, preppies, delicate females and "runts of the litter". ( I want the book writer's job! ) Don't tell me that the Volturis can't pick-up the scent of the werewolves! ( I want the director's job! ) In the Ending Credits, there is a typo: Assistant Location Manger: Jason Jollier. ( I want the proof reader's job, too! )
One last thought: Why do vampires choose to have a mate for eternal life? After all, they cannot procreate--if you haven't noticed it yet, the newborns in this movie are not exactly milk-sucking vampires. I say, forget mating for life and just have an all-out orgy, instead!
fyi: I got the hots for Alice Cullen ( Ashley Greene ) and Victoria ( Bryce Dallas Howard ). Either one is better-looking than Bella ( Kristen Stewart ). ( And no pimples on either one--Yes! )
I had my left arm in a sling once due to a motor scooter accident. And I can tell you this: Having an arm in a sling is the best way to get your armpit super-stinky! Ha, ha, ha.
This movie is less about "Teen Angst" and more about "Teen Acne"! If you remember my review for NEW MOON, in it I make the comment that even vampires and werewolves are not safe from teen acne. But, in this sequel, the human Bella takes the cake because even with a thick layer of "face paste" spackled on her, I could still see all of her pimples. Here's a job for Edward: Suck-out the zits off your girlfriend's pimply face! Didn't anybody tell Kristen Stewart anything about the acne medication, Proactiv ...?
word of advice: If I were Bella, I'd wait until my acne problem is over before I decide to turn into a vampire--nothing is worse in the afterlife than a forever-for-all-of-eternity acne. L.O.L.
If you're a movie director who's shooting a film in which the main characters are teenagers, don't use high resolution I-Max as all that clarity may prove too distracting in close-up shots in which the audience cannot help but count all the pimples on a character's face!
tidbits: I picked-up four hours at another store on my day off before going to the show. On my way to the theatre, I got some gas and lottery tickets at the Chevron gas station on Couch Street and Redwood Avenue. Then, I went to Bank of America on Sonoma Boulevard to make a deposit. Then I drove to the Chase Bank on Admiral Callahan Lane to make another deposit. And I thought about going to the MacDonald's Restaurant nearby for a bite to eat. But it was almost 2:00 o'clock. So I went to CVS Drugstore, instead, to buy some snacks to smuggle-in to the theatre with me.
2nd tidbits: I just found out today that no matter what time of day or night it is, the price for an I-Max show is the same, whether or not it is in 3-D.
Now that the werewolves are friends with the Cullens, they can have Dr. Carlisle Cullen ( Peter Facinelli ) hook them up with some Rabies and Distemper shots! Oh, and a "flea bath", too, while they're at it. Ha, ha, ha.
After the movie and before having lunch at Fresh Choice Restaurant, I picked-up the three copies of the book that I had ordered at Barnes & Noble. I paid $27.64 for all three. Then, after lunch, I went to The Embroidery Factory in Benicia, CA, to approve the final design on a jacket that I'm having custom-embroidered.
I wanted to finish this movie review last night, but my computer was acting-up. I called my friend, Hector, today ( Wednesday ) and asked him if either his computer or his son's, Ismael, computer was acting-up, too. He said, no. And Ismael told him to tell me to turn my computer off and start it again to reboot it. It worked! I guess this old dog can still learn new tricks!
'Just a thought: Instead of "Jacob Black", it would have been more fun had they chosen to have Jack Black, instead! The "newborn" vampires would just die laughing.
