where: EDWARDS FAIRFIELD STADIUM 16 & I-MAX in Fairfield, CA
when: Tuesday, September 21st, 2010
show: 10:30 p.m.
costs: $11.00 Ticket + $2.00 medium Popcorn ( Dollar upgrade on a One Dollar Small Popcorn Tuesday Special on a movie watcher rewards card ) + $4.75 small Diet Coke = $17.75
auditorium: 6
seat: 4th row, 5th column
synopsis: When four thieves rob a bank, one of them falls in love with their hostage. But this love could prove fatal to them as a doggedly-determined FBI agent hounds them all over the streets of Boston, Massachusetts.
noteworthy scenes: 1.) Bank; 2.) Torched van; 3.) Driver's license; 4.) Laundromat; 5.) Drug bust; 6.) In the car; 7.) Tattoo; 8.) "I watch a lot of CSI ... and Bones"; 9.) "We're gonna hurt some people"; 10.) Sick days; 11.) Missing mom; 12.) Building a case; 13.) Sunny day; 14.) Let's start f---ing all the witnesses; 15.) Prison; 16.) Boys and Girls Club; 17.) Barber shop; 18.) Prep time; 19.) Nuns with a bad habit; 20.) Car chase; 21.) "Close the bridge"; 22.) Policeman in a patrol car; 23.) Arrests; 24.) Interrogation; 25.) "Let's go away together"; 26.) Suspects; 27.) "We've got a ton of heat on us"; 28.) Floral shop; 29.) "I never want to see you again"; 30.) Funeral wreath; 31.) "Alright, I'm in"; 32.) Community garden; 33.) Plan; 34.) Bar; 35.) "If we're all getting jammed-up, we'll all go down in the street"; 36.) "I'm leaving with somebody else"; 37.) D.W.I.; 38.) "Mr. Six Inches"; 39.) "Who called 911"; 40.) Cash room; 41.) Surrounded; 42.) Switch; 43.) FBI crime scene; 44.) "Throw down your weapon"; 45.) Payback time; 46.) Stake-out; 47.) Another sunny day; 48.) Bus; 49.) Note; and 50.) Anonymous gift.
audience reaction: There was quite a turn-out for this show, even though it was the last one for the evening. I would estimate the crowd at at least three dozen in number. And they liked the movie, although it didn't get an "Hands Clapper" ending.
recommendation: I liked this movie, too. It is better than the movie, TAKERS. Kudo to Ben Affleck on a job well-done. I would have given this an "Hands Clapper" ending had others in the audience given it one, too.
spoiler alert! When Claire Keesey ( Rebecca Hall ) recounted to Doug MacRay ( Ben Affleck ) her harrowing experience as an hostage in a bank robbery, he didn't say anything at all. And this struck me as quite strange because he was pretending to be an innocent, law-abiding local citizen that, I would assume, heard about the bank robbery in the local news like everyone else did. If they wanted to lead the cops/FBI on a "wild goose chase", they could have done a better job of it had they collected hair samples with the root intact instead of clipped hairs which have no DNA. Why didn't the cops shoot at the tires of the get-away car when they had the chance to do so? While the suspects were in custody, why didn't the cops/FBI bug the suspects' homes? A floral shop owned by a man and run by men ( I'm all for breaking stereotypes, but this is ridiculous ) without any female employees/co-workers in a bad neighborhood is SUSPECT to me--it's a "Green Thumb" that's a "Sore Thumb". Threatening the lives of your employees--Geez, what a way to instill loyalty in every single one of them! A policeman in uniform out on patrol and sporting a "5 o'clock shadow" on top of another "5 o'clock shadow" is suspect to me. And indubitably so. Cops pushing a money cart ...? No! Armored truck personnel, Yes. Security guards, Yes. Cops as escorts, Yes. But cops pushing a money cart ... Hell, No! I would have shot at the enemy from under the car, especially if I had an automatic rifle. Doug should have played-pretend at the shoot-out so he wouldn't stick-out so obviously. The 'phone call lasted for at least a minute so the cops/FBI should have been able to put a trace on it, instead of them all just standing around looking like a bunch of stupid idiots!
fyi: Many years ago here in Vallejo, California, an armored truck guard loaded money into the truck at a local bank when somebody walked-up to him and shot him dead, then took the money. I don't think that the cops ever arrested the murder/robbery suspect.
word of advice: Make sure that your alibi sticks.
tidbits: I went to Edwards to see this movie for two reasons. First, Tuesday is Dollar Popcorn Day ( small size ) with a movie watcher rewards card. Second, I wanted to use the $5.00 anytime Tuesday coupon that I got from their sister cinema, UA Emery Bay Stadium 10, in Emeryville, California. But I was told that it is only good at that location. So, I will have to wait until I need to travel that way again on a Tuesday to use the coupon.
I experienced trouble trying to post this movie blog earlier today because Google Chrome and Blogspot.com were both acting-up, making it impossible for me to put a movie poster on this blog. So, I had to switch over to my Opera browser to do it. But, I accidentally double-tapped a key just as I was almost completely finished with this particular blog post when the red-lettered "unable to contact Blogspot.com" flashed. And the whole thing got deleted, instead of saved! Damn, that was two hours' worth of work which was totally erased! This post that you're now reading is "the-second-time-around-for-me." My whole day has been like this, even at work: It started off on the wrong foot with this movie post, and it is now ending on the wrong foot--again--with this movie post.
Tomorrow had better be a brand new day that will start on the right foot and which will end in the same way, too! And I want it to carry-over onto the next day, and so on and so forth ....
attention: Sorry, I kind of "jumped the gun", so to speak, in announcing that the weblog awards is coming soon. Actually, nominations will begin on January 1st ( ? ) of next year for the 2010 entries. I will be sure to remind you come December to pick through all of my 2010 blog posts for any one in particular that you deem worthy of submission/consideration/inclusion in the nomination process. Thank you. ( It's obvious that I impatiently cannot contain my excitement! )
'See what I mean about "the wrong foot" ...? The format of this post is different. And, as for the red color, I did not plan for it to "bleed" into the body of the subhead text. Aarrgh ...! That's it! I'm tired! It's 12:52 a.m. on a Thursday, the 23rd. And I have to be at work later on today. I gotta hit the sack now. 'Bye and Goodnight/day!
