SAW 3-D: THE FINAL CHAPTER, R ( 1 hr & 31 min )

where: EDWARDS FAIRFIELD STADIUM 16 & I-MAX in Fairfield, CA
when: Thursday, October 28th, 2010
show: 10:00 p.m.
costs: $15.00 Ticket + $0.00 small Popcorn ( Free on Movie Watcher Rewards Card ) + $4.75 small Diet Coke = $19.75
auditorium: 5, with a 3-D screen
seat: 3rd row, 10th column

synopsis: A con-artist decides to exploit Jigsaw's surviving victims for fame and profit. But, in doing so, he gets put to the test to see whether or not he also has what it takes to survive.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Leg stump; 2.) Display window; 3.) Stitches; 4.) Protection and immunity; 5.) Reborn; 6.) Prophetic nightmare; 7.) Racists; 8.) Survivors' group; 9.) The message on the mirror; 10.) "Start your life anew"; 11.) Flashback; 12.) "Understand your problems"; 13.) Safe-house; 14.) DVD; 15.) "Redefine your priorities"; 16.) The book signing; 17.) Video surveillance; 18.) "Verify your self-worth"; 19.) "Ignore your detractors"; 20.) " This is where he saved my life"; 21.) "Value your loved ones"; 22.) Self-dentistry; 23.) Trace; 24.) Secret room; 25.) "Embrace everyday as if it's your last"; 26.) The "familiar" game; 27.) Diversion; 28.) "You were warned"; 29.) The police station; and 30.) The tables turned.

audience reaction: I didn't really hear much, reaction-wise, from the audience.

recommendation: Go see this if you're into "Torture Porn." Otherwise, stay away from this perverted morality play.

spoiler alert! Couldn't the police have shot-out the glass? And a cop could have used the puppet's tricycle to jam/block the perpendicular saw while the other worked to disable it. And since it's just a department store display window, and more than likely electrically-wired in the typical fashion, one only has to pull the plug to disable the saw(s). There was no way for that piece of intestine to get cut-off like that--it would have been shredded-up, instead. After just one day, the sutured area should have become swollen--unless he had access to some Prednisone. When the glued skin tore away, it looked too rigidly fake. Depending on how tall the racist in the car was, he could have easily used his right foot to pull on the lever since his legs were not "crazy-glued" to the seat. Any big, gaping wound to the face and/or head will generate a lot of blood, but some of the victims in this movie didn't shed much blood. Contrary to what the author said, an injured mind doesn't heal as well as an injured body. Why didn't he stuff a sock in his publicist's mouth to lower the pitch of her voice? He could have used the heel of his shoe and his belt buckle to jam the sprocket wheel and break the chain to stop the gears. When those spikes penetrated his body at either side, the side where the liver is at should have spurted darker-colored blood. He should have told the man to pull out his shirt and use it to catch the key with. He was striking the tooth extractor sideways, so the tooth should have cracked and broken into pieces. When he dragged the victim's body out of the body-bag, there should have been a trail of blood, something which he would have had no time to clean-up. Knowing their suspect, when the machine gun popped-up, they should have ducked for cover since they had enough time. When each hook pierced through the skin, blood should not have squirted out since the puncture wounds were still tightly-sealed by the hooks. He could have hooked the hooks together and used them as a "stirrup" when he needed to hoist himself up. He was stabbed in the neck, but where was the blood? Why didn't she take with her the dead police officer's gun? Why were there still corpses in the torture room when an earlier sequel showed that it was discovered by the police and, presumably, the bodies were taken to the morgue for forensic work? Did Jigsaw's apprentice, at one time, work at a fortune cookie factory? The author's wife, as well as some other innocent people, should not have been included among the guilty victims.

fyi: Is this really the final installment of this franchise? I hope so.

Back in Ancient Greece, the "Brazen Bull" was invented to slowly roast to death a torture victim inside of its hollow body. It was equipped with a mouthpiece for the victim to cry into for help or in pain. But the victim's voice would get altered as it flowed through the pipes and out of the "bull's" mouth so that it would sound more like the bellowing sound of a bull. All the while, revelers would gather around it to witness the diabolically barbaric, macabre spectacle.

Incidentally, the "Brazen Bull's" inventor, Perillos, was its first victim! Well, somebody had to find out whether it worked according to its design. Perillos never imagined this as his reward for a job well-done ( 'get it? ). Actually, King Phalaris only had him roasted to "medium-rare." Then, the king had the hapless inventor sentenced to death by having him thrown off a cliff! ( Perillos should have had everything down in writing, first. )

word of advice: Have the punishment fit the crime.

tidbits: As I was about to enter the auditorium with my soda and popcorn in hand, a kind black lady offered to open and hold the door for me. That was so nice and polite of her and her husband to do for me. I don't think that that would have been the case here in Vallejo since there are a lot of people with no manners here.

After the movie, I asked the clerk where they have their recycle bin for the 3-D glasses. She told me that they don't have it, that I could either just throw it away or keep it--I kept it. My guess is that they only have a recycle bin in auditoriums 11 and 12.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2, R ( 1 hr & 36 min )

where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA

when: Friday, October 22nd, 2010

show: 4:15 p.m.

costs: $7.50 Ticket + $5.00 Snack Pack = $12.50

auditorium: 11

seat: 5th row, 5th seat

synopsis: A California couple with a newborn son soon find their home haunted by a malevolent spirit that has come to collect what's owed it from the family which conjured it in the first place.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Vandalized house; 2.) Security cameras; 3.) Superstitious Hispanic nanny; 4.) Bathroom talk; 5.) Kitchen talk; 6.) Baby mobile; 7.) "Handsy, handsy, touchy"; 8) Explosion; 9.) Attempt at purging the house of evil spirits; 10.) "Attention span of a guppy"; 11.) Night vision; 12.) Bird; 13.) Kitchen; 14.) Pool cleaning machine; 15.) "What if it's mom"; 16.) Dog; 17.) Prank; 18.) Ouija board; 19.) Door; 20.) Baby; 21.) Google search; 22.) Security video; 23.) Toddler's toy; 24.) Kitchen surprise; 25.) Family line; 26.) Dog's encounter; 27.) Attack; 28.) Scratch marks; 29.) Evidence of attack; 30.) Call for help; 31.) Fighting with the possessed; 32.) Events of October 9th, 2006; and 33.) Sound effects during the Ending Credits.

audience reaction: There were four or five scenes which scared the audience. So, I guess that they got their money's worth.

recommendation: I kind of liked this movie but not by much because the novelty of the "pseudo-surveillance footage" scare tactic has lost its novelty for me. This movie would be perfect for people who still believe that Part One is actually true, i.e. the people who didn't read my blog on it.

spoiler alert! The security device installers showed what could only be motion-detector light switches. In which case, without any kind of movement by any object of substantial mass, the lights would have automatically turned off and perhaps would have then triggered the infra-red function of the security cameras. But there were a number of scenes showing no activity, suspicious or otherwise, which should have been automatically shot in infra-red mode but which weren't. The couple could afford to live in a fancy house and could spend a considerable amount of money on parameter security devices, but a bathtub faucet handle was broken and in need of ( an inexpensive) replacement! In an August 8ht, 2006 indoor scene, while the husband and the wife's sister's boyfriend were talking, there on the kitchen counter, one could see a spray bottle of Safeway brand's Bright Green All Purpose Cleaner set facing away from the camera to "conceal" its identity. But Safeway's Bright Green eco-friendly product line was not officially launched until November 20th of 2008, meaning that this movie showed the product two years, 3 months and two weeks too early! ( Do I have sharp eyes or what? Hey, what can I say ... I've got four eyes--which are better than just having two! ) With all that smoke that the nanny was generating, I was surprised that the smoke alarms didn't go off at all. With all that money he invested in the security devices, it puzzled me that he never showed an initiative to invest in the time to check on the claims made by his wife, his daughter and by the toddler's nanny. A bird will only crash into a clear and clean window pane if the curtains are not drawn or if the blinds are not closed. Otherwise, the bird would know that there was an obvious obstacle. And most birds, unable to see well in the dark, don't fly recklessly at night when it's dark outside. They got all those security devices installed but, somehow, they forgot about installing door alarms---Duh! I don't know if I'm remembering this right, but I think the old photo was stashed in a shoe box in the attic of the wife's sister's home in Part One, which Part Two, i.e. this movie, didn't attempt to show the actual process of. With all that noise and struggle going on in the basement, the toddler sure didn't cry in fear.

And the scene in the poster shown above is not in the movie.

fyi: There's another sequel, also, called PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2: TOKYO NIGHT. It will be shown here in the States in December.

I think somebody took my observation in my spoiler alert for Part One to heart and made the "drag-the-victim-around" scene more realistic---Hey, aren't you gonna thank me, whoever you are who followed through on my observation ...?

I saw this documentary program on TV years ago about a haunted house where the pets, a dog and a cat, were so frightened by what they each saw that they both died of a heart attack!

There is a famous haunted house here in Benicia, CA: Fischer-Hanlon House ( a hotel, originally ) , at 137 West G Street. It was built in 1849 and was moved to its present location in 1856. And it was donated to the State in 1969. Its last occupants reportedly haunt the place, according to a local customer of mine who told me about it.

word of advice: It runs in the family.

Don't put a curse on someone who's innocent.

tidbits: During the Ending Credits, a teenage boy walking down the steps on his way out said, "Thank you, Todd." Todd, as in: Todd Williams, Director. Some people in the audience laughed.

On my way to the men's room, I saw a co-worker, C. S., walking out of an auditorium. She had just seen SECRETARIAT. She asked me what I came to see. I told her that I came to blog about HEREAFTER and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2. She asked me if I'd seen SECRETARIAT, and what I thought about it--she obviously is not a follower of my blog. So, I told her that it was a good movie but I didn't like the fact that they embellished upon it, Hollywood-style.

HEREAFTER, PG-13 ( 2 hr & 6 min )

where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA

when: Friday, October 22nd, 2010

show: 1:00 p.m. ( Dollar-Off First Show Matinee )

costs: $6.25 Ticket

auditorium: 1

seat: 4th row, 5th column

synopsis: A French journalist, Marie ( Cecile De France ), and a surviving twin boy, Marcus ( Frankie McLaren ), whose lives have each been devastated by tragedy, come into contact with a reluctant American psychic, George ( Matt Damon ), "cursed" with the ability to see the dear departed of grieving loved ones. George desperately wants to leave his past behind and just lead a normal life, then sees that opportunity when a troubled beautiful stranger ( Bryce Dallas Howard ) walks into his life.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Tsunami; 2.) Brotherly favor; 3.) "A life that's all about death is no life at all"; 4.) June; 5.) Photograph; 6.) Drunken mom; 7.) Child protective services; 8.) 'Phone call; 9.) Bullies; 10.) Accident; 11.) TV interview; 12.) Visions; 13.) "You came back too soon"; 14.) Italian cooking class; 15.) Pleading woman; 16.) Freak; 17.) Church service; 18.) Foster care; 19.) Book idea sales pitch; 20.) "When you die, you die. The lights go out"; 21.) Blindfold taste test; 22.) Flash of vision; 23.) Charles Dickens; 24.) 'Phone message; 25.) Choice; 26.) "I'm sorry for pressing you like that'; 27.) Staircase; 28.) Foster home; 29.) YouTube; 30.) Hospice; 31.) Research; 32.) Downsized; 33.) "Your website's still up, waiting"; 34.) Missing money; 35.) Psychic center; 36.) Fake psychics and paranormal investigators; 37.) Website; 38.) Subway; 39.) "Conspiracy of Silence"; 40.) New billboard poster; 41.) "You've always told me to ask the tough questions"; 42.) The publishers; 43.) The goodbye letter; 44.) Tour group; 45.) Book readings; 46.) George's hotel room; 47.) At the May Fair; and 48.) What the future holds.

audience reaction: A lot of people turned up for this show, people who are searching for answers and, perhaps, closure. And they were all genuinely entertained by this movie.

recommendation: I liked this movie, too. Although, I must confess, it was the Tsunami Scene in particular which made me go see this movie. But the Ending Scene, with its "seeing-into-the-future" bit was somewhat off-putting since it brought-up a psychic ability which is in sharp contrast to George's other ability, making it seem "added-on" at the last minute. ( Or maybe the whole thing was just wishful thinking on George's part. )

spoiler alert! If I saw coconut trees toppling over like that and accompanied by the loud sound of crashing water, heck, I wouldn't stand around looking on at the spectacle that was obviously heading my way. The tsunami was not done right: The time between when the water receded and when it came back in force should have been farther apart. There should have been fish flapping around on the sand when the water receded. The water was too clear; it should have been gritty with sand and muddy-colored, also. But since they insisted on making the water clear for underwater shots, they should have picked the color blue ( for saltwater ) and not the color green ( for freshwater ). With all that water channeled down the road, more objects and debris should have been carried along, too. I have seen how people in San Francisco's apartment complexes park their cars at the curb: Practically bumper to bumper. And there is no way that anyone who's just a visitor can find a big enough spot to squeeze his car into at the curb during the night when everybody's home from work or school. Why were the Sikhs inside a Christian church for funeral services? The hotel receptionist sure was rude to the boy.

And does every Clint Eastwood-directed movie have to feature one of his penned musical compositions, too? Is this the only way that he can get people to listen to his music?

fyi: On the evening of December 17th, 2004, I was on the freeway heading off to my other job in Oakland, CA. I was still in the Vallejo area between the Tennessee Street and Georgia Street exits when there, descending in a 45-degree angle from the upper left of my windshield, appeared a very huge glowing disc emitting a red, yellow, orange and blue glow heading down into the distant Pacific Ocean. ( My eyeball "guesstimate" for this distant object's size is that its length is approximately half the diameter of the moon! ) I expected to witness the flash of an explosion but it never occurred.

I was so excited that when I got to work I promptly told all of my co-workers about the UFO that I saw. And, the next day, I also mentioned it to some of my co-workers at my other job here in Benicia, CA. But nobody seemed to take me seriously. So, that night, I called the Vallejo Times Herald to report what I saw. But the reporter that I wanted to speak with was not in. Then, I called the CHP Hotline to report it. The highway patrol officer who answered the 'phone said that she didn't get any similar calls. She told me to call the local Coast Guard and the Oakland air traffic controller. I didn't get any luck from either one, too. But I do know that at around the same time of my sighting, there was a Vallejo Police Helicopter flying in the air whose radar may have picked up the signal. I didn't bother to check with the VPD, though. So, I was left with no proof at all of what I saw.

Nine days later, an Asian Tsunami killed about 300,000 people. I never really thought that there was any connection at all between this tsunami and the UFO that I saw. Until I read the book, AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A YOGI. In it, it's author, Paramahansa Yoganda, talks about how when a great multitude of people are about to die here on Earth, an equal number of souls are transported here to replace those people that are about to die. In other words, what I saw was not a UFO; it was an SOS ( ship of souls ).

Identical twins have the unenviable tragedy of seeing themselves die twice: First, a twin sees the death of the other; then, he/she witnesses his/her own death.

The C & H Pure Cane Sugar Plant is just across the bridge from Vallejo, CA.

word of advice: Psychic abilities are gifts from God. Use them wisely.

tidbits: I would have gone to the midnight show had I not been scheduled to work today.

SECRETARIAT, PG ( 1 hr & 56 min )

where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Sunday, October 17th, 2010
show: 1:00 p.m. ( Dollar-Off First Show Matinee )
costs: $6.25
auditorium: 1
seat: 4th row, 8ht column

synopsis: A housewife, Penny Chenery Tweedy ( Diane Lane ), finds herself in charge of her ill father's horse stables. But, despite her lack of experience, she helps to raise and train a horse which is destined to become a legend, Secretariat, the greatest horse in horse racing history.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) The 'phone call; 2.) Childhood memories; 3.) Mother's pin; 4.) "I'm a professor, you're a housewife"; 5.) Fraud; 6.) Superfly; 7.) "Fore"; 8.) Record book; 9.) Coin toss; 10.) "You've done four"; 11.) "It's just beginning"; 12.) "How much did you spend on that hat"; 13.) "If there's a price, how's it freedom, Dad"; 14.) "Do you like my hat'; 15.) School play; 16.) "I'll be ready. Why wouldn't I be"; 17.) First win; 18.) "Horse loves the attention"; 19.) Trophies; 20.) Dance; 21.) "Seven wins in four months"; 22.) Horse of the Year; 23.) Hospital; 24.) Tax issues; 25.) Select opportunity; 26.) No's; 27.) "They call you tiny"; 28.) The Triple Crown; 29.) Newspaper article; 30.) "Good evening, K-Mart shoppers"; 31.) Grandest words; 32.) "One loss can happen, two is non-performance"; 33.) Abscess; 34.) The stare-down; 35.) "Can I have a moment with him"; 36.) Get ready; 37.) Fastest Derby ever; 38.) The Preakness Stakes win; 39.) "Belmont is the graveyard of speed horses"; 40.) "He knows ..."; 41.) "Second fastest ever"; 42.) "He'll be wearing wings"; 43.) The coin; 44.) Newspaper clippings; 45.) "I've ran my race, now you run yours"; 46.) "He knows what's going on"; 47.) "Don't burst his heart"; 48.) "I got a tip on a horse"; 49.) Too fast; 50.) "Let him run"; 51.) Thirty-one lengths; and 52.) Picture series during the Ending Credits.

prediction: Diane Lane will win an Oscar.

audience reaction: The audience, and there were many who turned up for this show, liked this "Feel Good" Sports Docudrama. Some of them even clapped their hands in each scene wherein Secretariat won the race.

recommendation: I enjoyed this movie, too. Go see it.

spoiler alert! The movie starts in 1969 when Penny received the news about her mother's death. When she arrived at the family's stables, her ill father, Christopher Chenery ( Scott Glenn ), was there. Wrong. Her father was committed to a hospital the year before and stayed there for about five years until his death in 1973 ( the main reason why the family-run business was losing money ). The movie shows only one sibling, a brother, when, in actuality, she had other siblings. The mark on the forehead and snout of the horse that played the part of Secretariat, a white star with a blaze extending toward the tip of the snout, kept changing in sharpness, in shape and in length; and in one scene the blaze looked like it was drawn with a chalk and a ruler's edge. Bull Hancock ( Fred Dalton Thompson ) advised Penny to hire Roger Laurin to run the stables and train the horses, which Roger ( Lucien's son ) did until he received a better job offer from Ogden Phipps ( James Cromwell ). And it was only then that she hired Lucien Laurin ( John Malkovich ). The Belmont Stakes is not the infamous "graveyard of the favored to win." That honor belongs to the Whitney Stakes were Secretariat lost after his Triple Crown win. There was an indoor scene later on where in the background, on top of a mantle, shelf or wooden file drawer, you could see a statuette of a greyhound dog; I don't know about you, but this struck me as an oddity since the movie is not about race-dogs but about racehorses. One of the news photographers at the press conference didn't have a flashbulb attached to his camera when everybody else did. I wouldn't have noticed it except that the idiot was in front, clicking away with his camera.

fyi: The fuzzy TV reception sure brought back memories. Ah, the "good" old days .... NOT!!!

I wonder if Secretariat is the inspiration for the Big Red chewing gum.

I had a co-worker, a lovely, wonderful woman, who passed away approximately a year ago. She would have loved this movie.

I wanted to see this movie in Walnut Creek, California, tomorrow, because that is where I saw 2003's SEABISCUIT, another legendary racehorse from the late 30s. But I couldn't wait any longer.

Interestingly, Seabiscuit was originally owned by the Phipps family who once owned the Claiborne Farm which was later sold to Bull Hancock.

Back in Matina, Davao City, Mindanao, Philippines, the name of Secretariat became familiar to me because it was almost always listed in the sports section of the newspaper. I don't follow horse racing, but there are a lot of horse racing fans in the Philippines, too.

Secretariat was buried in Claiborne Farm, and is probably the only racehorse buried whole. Traditionally, only the head, heart and hooves of a winning racehorse are buried; the rest of its body is cremated.

The Bible quote about a war horse racing off to battle is from the Old Testament's Book of Job 39: 19 - 25.

word of advice: Go for it.

tidbits: It's official: Non-fertilized eggs kept refrigerated can still be fresh enough to eat after 112 days! ( Refer back to my tidbits on WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS. ) I just ate one--of the last two that I boiled--at 12:40 a.m. today. What a way to start my day!

At around 10:00 a.m., I had a craving for Chicharon. So, I made a quick trip to Vargas Market, a Mexican store, on Sonoma Boulevard to get some. But the pieces that the butcher selected for me were hard and not crunchy enough. In other words, they were not prepared and cooked properly. What a waste of $8.80!

Tomorrow, I'll be sure to buy the much better Philippine-style Chicharon at Selecta Filipino Buffet on Springs Road.

As I sat to watch the Ending Credits scroll down, some man walking out with the crowd touched the top of my head with his bulk candy bag--and didn't apologize for it. How rude! 'Remember what I said about the Vallejo crowd ...? Well, here's another clear example of it.

After the movie, I swung by the Dollar Tree Store in the Target Shopping Center and bought a bag of Cat Food, a pack of Fudge Grahams, and a box of Devil's Food Cremes.

RED, PG-13 ( 1 hr & 51 min )

where: UA EMERY BAY STADIUM 10 in Emeryville, CA
when: Friday, October 15th, 2010
show: 9:45 p.m.
costs: $10.75 Ticket + $5.75 Zap Pack + $5.00 Carquinez Bridge Toll = $21.50
auditorium: 7
seat: 4th row, 12th column

synopsis: Geezer Force on a road trip.

Four r.e.d. ( retired, extremely dangerous ) agents find themselves back in action because of an old covert operation in Guatemala. But, this time around, they are the targets for execution to cover-up a dirty conspiracy.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Christmas lawn decorations; 2.) Romance novel; 3.) Intruders; 4.) Finally meeting each other; 5.) Hanged man; 6.) "That's just perfect"; 7.) Fingers; 8.) Pieced together check; 9.) "They can still shoot you"; 10.) Active 911 call; 11.) "I am high"; 12.) Cop car crash; 13.) "I was hoping you'd have hair"; 14.) Retirement home hit man; 15.) Victim's mom; 16.) "You speak Chinese"; 17.) "I didn't know this place existed"; 18.) Retired, extremely dangerous; 19.) Eliminator; 20.) "All we need is a banjo"; 21.) Decoy; 22.) The list; 23.) "I'm getting the pig"; 24.) The frightened female stranger; 25.) "Open the pig"; 26.) "Old man, my ass"; 27.) "You really know how to show a girl a good time"; 28.) Inside the Russian Embassy; 29.) Elevator; 30.) Guatemala file; 31.) "Change of plans"; 32.) Ambulance; 33.) "You just got your ass handed to you by a retiree"; 34.) "I take the old contract on the side"; 35.) Old gang back together; 36.) "If you break his heart, I will kill you"; 37.) Non-sanctioned relationship; 38.) "You can't touch me"; 39.) Surrounded; 40.) Bullet scars; 41.) The raid; 42.) The file; 43.) "He's gonna eat you for lunch"; 44.) "Plug me into their detail"; 45.) Storage unit; 46.) "Blink of an eye"; 47.) "I smell gas"; 48.) Fooled; 49.) "I could be of assistance"; 50.) Suicide bomber; 51.) "Pull over"; 52.) "I'm one of the men you ordered killed"; 53.) "Surprised to see me"; 54.) "Wanna get pancakes"; 55.) "Little favor"; and 56.) "Moldova sucks!"

favorite scene: I liked how Frank Moses ( Bruce Willis ) stepped out of a spinning patrol car with his gun at the ready.

audience reaction: The audience enjoyed this movie.

recommendation: I enjoyed this movie, too. Go see it if you're into Action/Comedy films.

spoiler alert! All of that automatic weapons fire and explosions yet none of the neighbors called 911? Okay, so out in broad daylight, a man drove a car--not a taxicab--with his lone passenger seated in the backseat and with her mouth duct-taped, and nobody notices ...? That hanged man will show missing hair around his wrists as well as adhesive residue, so forensics will know that it was a case of foul play, not suicide. The killer didn't plant the hairs in a sterile way to keep it from being contaminated with his own body's sloughed-off cells--he should have covered himself from head to toe. What retirement home in these days of HD television broadcasts still uses an indoor TV antenna from the 60s or 70s? How were they able to get their weapons past the airport security? Why didn't any air traffic controller in the control tower notice anything suspicious about the helicopter hovering in place above the tarmac? William Cooper's ( Karl Urban ) wife, Michelle ( Michelle Nolden ), didn't look too terrified even though their house was being raided by cops with guns drawn--I, on the other hand, would have cr-pped in my pants or fainted or gotten a heart attack or stroke or all of the above ... you know what I mean. In the parking garage scene, none of the dozens ( hundreds? ) of bullets fired, ricocheted. The Ending Scene seems to suggest that there won't be a Part Two since it puts a "The End" stamp to the end.

fyi: My late mother was a casual friend of Ernest Borgnine's first cousin's wife.

Once again, here's another movie wherein only the black guy gets killed off! Enough already. Come on!

A couple of newspaper movie reviewers got their facts wrong. Not all of the field agent retirees were from the CIA: One of them was from the MI6 and another one was from the KGB. Victoria ( Helen Mirren ) didn't mow "... down a garage-full of government goons," she just pinned them down. It was not "a pink stuffed bunny" but a pig--you'd think that it would be no problem at all for anyone to tell the difference between a bunny and a pig; after all, even Bugs Bunny doesn't look anything like Porky Pig!

word of advice: "Silence is golden but duct tape is silver." Title of a song by Against All Authority ( It's on YouTube )

tidbits: I went to Oakland earlier in the day to drop-off the juicing book at Hector's place. It will be interesting to see how much of his pot-belly he'll lose on his juice fast. I told him, If you want to be skinny, eat at Chinese buffets everyday just like those Chinese waiters and waitresses who are all skinny.

Hector made spaghetti for lunch. And I cooked a cheeseburger pasta dinner. Pasta and margarine-slathered bread .... What a way to start his diet! Just call me, Mr. Sabotage--Shh ... don't tell him.

Well, according to today's Oakland Tribune newspaper's front page news, Hector lives in a very high crime rate area in Oakland were they have the most concentration of gangs. My family used to live in the same neighborhood years ago, less than a mile away from his place. But it has changed considerably and dramatically since then. I wouldn't feel safe walking around my former street at night, nowadays.

The other reason why I went to Hector's place was because my computer has been acting-up ever since I installed the latest Norton Anti-Virus software: If I'd leave my computer on and unattended for a few hours, I wouldn't be able to go to any website other than the one that I'd be presently on when I'd get back to use it, unless I'd reboot it first. I didn't want to take a chance and risk deleting my entry again. So, I used Hector's computer to finish my blog for LIFE AS WE KNOW IT and to write my blog for JACKASS 3-D. Of course, I had to wait 'til I got home to download the Jackass movie poster onto my post.

On my way to Oakland, California, a red Honda bike passed me by on the diamond lane in the Berkeley/Emeryville area of the I-80 freeway. The center lane that I was on was slow-and-go traffic. I very much wanted to catch-up with the Honda because I wasn't sure if it was a scooter ( Helix, Reflex or Silver Wing ) or a motorcycle. And I wanted a closer look. I never caught up with it, though.

Now, imagine my pleasant surprise at finding the same red Honda bike in the parking lot of UA Emery Bay Stadium 10! Holy Serendipity, indeed! It was a motorcycle after all with full body fairing: The Honda PC800 Pacific Coast, an 800 cc bike in production from 1989 through 1998 which was aimed at the "white collar professional" buyers. I like how it looks. 'Too bad that they don't make it anymore. Maybe, someday, I'll find one for sale after I learn how to operate a motorcycle. Who knows, the Chinese might be offering a cheap knock-off by then, too!

JACKASS 3-D, R ( 1 hr & 34 min )

Boycott this movie in the name of Good Taste!

I've had it with this franchise! Part Two was especially bad! I wanted to "up-and-leave" mid-way through Part Two. But I forced myself to endure it all the way through because this one particular girl that I really liked at that time stayed for the entire show. I lost interest in her because she was not at all offended by the movie. I guess that you could say that I lost a girlfriend because of it. After seeing it, I made a promise not to see any more sequels to this moronic and tasteless movie franchise. This franchise gives the rest of the world another good reason to hate us "Ugly Americans"--and, in today's political climate, that is a very bad thing, indeed!

I really don't know how this "movie" franchise managed to get itself approved by the MPAA Ratings Board. Because it managed to "push the envelope" of Good Taste clear off the edge of the cliff. This movie should have been rated, NC-170! Yes, you read that right. No one under the age of 170 should be allowed to see this movie. Period!

LIFE AS WE KNOW IT, PG-13 ( 1 hr & 52 min (

where: BRENDEN CONCORD 14 in Concord, CA
when: Thursday, October 14th, 2010
show: 6:10 p.m.
costs: $8.25 Ticket + $4.25 small Peach Tea + $13.09 lunch @ Todai Sushi & Seafood Buffet ( + $2.01 Tip ) + $5.00 Benicia Bridge Toll = $32.60
auditorium: 10
seat: 4th row, Middle Section, 6th column

synopsis: Sophie's Choice

Although Holly Berenson ( Katherine Heigl ) and Eric Messer ( Josh Duhamel ) cannot stand to be near each other, they discover that their mutual best friends, a married couple, chose them to be the appointed guardian of their only child, Sophie ( Alexis, Brooke & Brynn Clagett ), in the event of their untimely death. Now, they are forced to put their differences aside and juggle their careers and social lives in order to spend quality time and bond with their goddaughter.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) The Messer Debacle of 2007; 2.) Two-year scene series; 3.) Baby whisperer; 4.) The husbands; 5.) Sam ( Josh Lucas ), the Man; 6.) The call; 7.) Guardianship arrangements; 8.) "They're basically dogs"; 9.) "Keanu Reeves saves the bus"; 10.) "They picked us"; 11.) The relatives of Sophie; 12.) "Drug dealers or pimps"; 13.) "It's like SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE"; 14.) Juggling schedules and duties; 15.) The Wiggles; 16.) "Pop Face"; 17.) Pediatrician; 18.) "We want Sophie to avoid losing more people that she's close to"; 19.) The drive around the block; 20.) The basketball game; 21.) "She's not my kid"; 22.) Redecoration; 23.) Messer's neighbors; 24.) Baby's first walk; 25.) The grocery store; 26.) Dinner date; 27.) Hospital; 28.) "Dinner's on me"; 29.) The crash; 30.) A really cute couple; 31.) Special "fudge"; 32.) Kid's show; 33.) "CSI relationship"; 34.) Job promotion; 35.) Thanksgiving get-together; 36.) "Mama"; 37.) Airport terminal; 38.) The cry; 39.) "We're family"; and 40.) 2nd birthday & 1st anniversary.

audience reaction: The audience enjoyed this Dramedy.

recommendation: I enjoyed this movie, too. It's a perfect movie for couples in love.

spoiler alert! Why didn't any relative dispute the will? To the best of my knowledge, there is no such thing as a rubber ducky that doesn't float. There were things done to the infant/toddler which border on--or which constitute--child abuse. A child that age doesn't cry on cue! How could the bus driver not see that thing? Only friends and neighbors were at the birthday party; none of Sophie's living relatives were there.

fyi: When I was living as a child with my family in Kidapawan, Cotabato, Mindanao, Philippines, a neighborhood friend of mine told me about an accident that had just happened. A guy had a motorcycle and wanted to impress some girl. He had her hop on his motorcycle so they could go for a spin. Mind you, this was back when wearing a helmet was practically unheard of. I don't know if he did it on purpose just to impress her or if it was purely by accident, but he popped a wheelie which caught her unprepared. She wasn't holding on to him at that moment, and the bike didn't have a sissy bar, so she fell down and cracked her skull on the cement road. She died on the spot.

word of advice: Parenting is best done with both parents on hand.

tidbits: Before seeing this movie, I decided to eat lunch at Todai Sushi & Seafood Buffet at the Concord/Pleasant Hill Sun Valley Mall because it is under new management and because their prices are lowered. Some of the selections are new and, I think, have a decidedly Chinese influence. How much so? Well, I overheard a couple of their sushi chefs conversing in Chinese. And I don't know what the Japanese waiters and waitresses have to say about it--I didn't ask ( 'too busy pigging-out ). Just a point of observation here: All the Chinese and, now, Japanese waiters and waitresses that I've seen at buffet restaurants--without exception--are all skinny. Don't they feed them at all, not even so much as table scraps ...?

After lunch, I went for a little walk in the mall to find a bookstore. A Borders bookstore is just around the corner. I went in hoping to find a book on juicing. But they don't sell any at all.

Then, I had to hurry to the public restrooms to you-know-what. The toilet stall that I used, the one at the far end, has a toddler seat attached to the wall between the door and the toilet paper dispenser. And this thing has a seat belt on. So, in other words, not only does a parent subject his baby to the stench of his bowel movements but the baby is strapped in place and cannot jump off from such a height and crawl away to where fresh clean air is at! This is cruel and unusual punitive child abuse. I should report this to Child Protective Services.

And as I was washing my hands in the center section of the lavatory counter, the motion-activated faucet on the sink to the left of the one I was using just turned on by itself. I felt obligated to use it so I switched sinks. After all, who am I to argue with an invisible entity which knows lavatory sinks?

As I drove on my way to Harvest House Healthfood Store on Monument Boulevard. I noticed the Borders Bookstore ( I completely forgot about this one ) across the street from the Century 16 Downtown Pleasant Hill theatre. But I had in mind to see this movie at the Brenden Concord 14. So I kept to my plan.

I arrived at the Harvest House Healthfood Store at around 5:30 p.m. They have a good selection of juicing books there. I picked the cheapest one that I could find ( $13.06, with tax included ) since it's a gift for my friend, Hector, who wants to try juicing to get rid of his "nine-months pregnant look" potbelly. Ha, ha, ha. Then, I headed over to the Soaps aisle. I figured that since I was there, I might as well buy some more of the special soap that I'm hooked-on. But a little, old white lady was there putting up stock. And she was in my way. And just as I was about to reach out and grab a bar of Citrus-scented soap, she bent down! Hell, no! 'Ain't no way I'm touchin' some ol' woman's butt! ( But maybe if I get paid a million bucks to do so .... )

The Brenden Concord 14 has something in the main lobby that I've never seen before, there or anywhere else: A life-size coffin with a fake skeleton inside of it is cordoned-off in an area just below the staircase leading up to the men's room. This display is a publicity stunt for a "Haunted House" show across the street which ends the day after Halloween. Maybe, I'll check it out someday.
So, I was there in the 4th row, alone by my lonesome. Nobody was seated in the rows in front of mine, nobody was seated on either side of me and nobody was seated in the row behind mine. The nearest people were in the 7th row. I was happy with it because it meant that I could write down notes in the dark without interruption or inhibition. At approximately 6:50 p.m., it felt like somebody kicked the left armrest of my seat! I looked behind me to see if there was anyone there; of course, there wasn't. Maybe it was a ghost or spirit from the haunted house across the street which sneaked in to catch this show and to keep me company.

On my lunch hour earlier today, I read about the rescue of the miners in Chile. What an incredible and awe-inspiring rescue operation it was! You know that Hollywood will eventually come around and make a movie out of it. And when they do, I would like for them to use my services as a script consultant, technical advisor, and as a movie extra--Hey! I look like them after all and I know a smattering of Spanish words. I know, I know ... this is just shameless self-promotion, but if it gets me into Hollywood well, then, why not ...?

THE SOCIAL NETWORK, PG-13 ( 2 hr & 1 min )

where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Wednesday, October 13th, 2010
show: 12:00 p.m. ( Dollar-Off First Show Matinee )
costs: $6.25 + $7.82 lunch before the movie @ Selecta Filipino Buffet on Springs Road + $3.70 snack ( medium Orange Freeze & one Apple Turnover ) after the movie @ KFC/A & W on Redwood Street = $17.77
auditorium: 2
seat: 5th row, 4th seat

synopsis: What A Zucker---.

A Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius, Mark Zuckerberg ( Jesse Eisenberg ), starts a revolutionary way of social networking via the Internet to pick-up freshman co-eds after he breaks-up with his girlfriend. And with the guidance of Napster founder, Sean Parker ( Justin Timberlake ), his website, Facebook, becomes a multicultural and multinational phenomenon. But his success comes at a great price as it alienates his best friend and co-founder, Eduardo Saverin ( Andrew Garfield ), and as it brings up lawsuits against him for the partnership and ownership rights of Facebook.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) The break-up; 2.) Master algorithm; 3.) My roommate; 4.) "He blogged about you"; 5.) Investigation; 6.) The seniors; 7.) Harvard.edu; 8.) Caribbean night; 9.) Ping-pong room; 10.) Double investigation; 11.) "The site's live"; 12.) Spam; 13.) "I'm 6'5", 220 lbs. and there's two of me"; 14.) "It was Bill Gates"; 15.) The letter; 16.) "We have to expand"; 17.) Bosnia; 18.) In bed with Napster founder; 19.) Meeting with the Harvard president; 20.) "Sean-athon"; 21.) "A billion dollars"; 22.) "Drop the 'The'"; 23.) Forced cannibalism; 24.) "Welcome to Facebook"; 25.) The neighbors; 26.) Victoria's Secret; 27.) Boat race; 28.) "Let's gut the freakin' nerd"; 29.) "What do you mean, 'Got left behind'"; 30.) "This is where they filmed THE TOWERING INFERNO"; 31.) Relationship status; 32.) Urgent call; 33.) Angel investment; 34.) "I thought they were my lawyers"; 35.) Ambush; 36.) 0.03%; 37.) One millionth mark; 38.) Cops; 39.) "It's a speeding ticket"; 40.) Send request; 41.) Settlement; and 42.) Some trivia during the Ending Credits.

favorite scene: I liked the scene when Eduardo decided to break-up with his bitchy girlfriend. It made me want to exclaim, Yes!

audience reaction: The audience was entertained by this movie.

recommendation: I liked this movie, too. Go see it.

spoiler alert! As with any other "Based On A True Story" movie, we can readily assume that this movie is not true-to-facts but is embellished upon, replete with composite characters. Certainly, the contrasting central characters of Mark, Eduardo, Sean and the Winklevoss twins ( Armie Hammer Jr. and Josh Pence ), is the dynamic force which drove a social network from its nascency, and which fueled the legal conflicts that threatened its structure until some compromisorial resolutions were agreed upon by said parties. I cannot help but wonder, though, what each one actually has to say about his historic part in the Facebook phenomenon.

According to what I read on the Internet, Mark Zuckerberg was never interested in getting into a "Finals" club.

fyi: There was a time when I thought that one has to have a college education to have a Facebook page. But, one day, my friend Hector's son, Ismael, who never went to college, showed me his Facebook page. And his page has pictures of the girls he had sex with in high school. But they are all matronly-looking now, and with kids of their own! ( Did he father anyone of them? ) And some of the pictures are in no way "demure": These women have no reservations at all about posting nude pictures of themselves for all the Facebook world to see--Yuck! Oh, my .... Facebook is worse than MySpace, posted picture-wise. Facebook is the new Internet porn right after Craigslist!

I will never have a Facebook page. I don't even look at my MySpace page anymore!

I always wondered what happened to the "Napster guy." Now, I know.

word of advice: Don't sign an important contract without legal representation.

There are two sides to a story; and there's the truth.

tidbits: Before seeing this movie, I went to Harbor Freight at the old shopping center on Solano Avenue to buy a 100-pack of medium size Nitrile gloves for use at work. They are renovating that whole shopping center. And I can't wait to check it out once everything is all done.

And because I hadn't had breakfast yet, I went to Selecta Filipino Buffet for a quick lunch. I didn't plan on having a heavy meal. But they kept bringing more food out and I felt obligated to eat of every Dish! And when I went to the Salad Bar, a section collapsed as I dug into the fruit salad. Boy! I must have been really hungry.

After the movie, I felt that the weather was too hot for me to drive home straightaway. So, I swung by the KFC/A & W for a quick snack and a cold drink.

One of my co-workers here in Benicia, L., has the hots for Justin Timberlake. She told me not to say anything bad about Justin, that he's a jerk, or she'll never read my movie blogs anymore. And I promised her that I won't say that Justin is a jerk. And when she reads this blog, she'll know that I didn't call Justin a jerk. I don't even know why she told me not to say that Justin is a jerk in my blog. After all, how would I know if Justin is a jerk. I have never met him in real life and will never know for sure whether or not Justin is a jerk. Maybe she read a tabloid article which claims that Justin is a jerk. But, to the best of my knowledge, I have not yet read any gossip article that says Justin is a jerk. Why is she worried that I'll say that Justin is a jerk? Does she know something that I don't yet know which will make me eventually arrive at the conclusion that Justin is a jerk?

BURIED, R ( 1 hr & 40 min )

where: AMC BAY STREET 16 in Emeryville, CA
when: Monday, October 11th, 2010
show: 9:10 p.m.
costs: $11.00 Ticket + $6.25 Kid's Pack + $1.25 Parking Garage Fee + $5.00 Carquinez Bridge Toll = $23.50
auditorium: 16
seat: 4th row, 6th column

synopsis: On October 23rd of 2006, a truck driver from Hastings, Michigan, Paul Conroy ( Ryan Reynolds ), found himself bound, gagged, and buried underground in a makeshift coffin. He used a cell phone to call for help as he was slowly losing his air supply.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Lighter; 2.) Arabic script; 3.) 911, Youngstown, Ohio; 4.) Chicago FBI; 5.) "Five million money"; 6.) "Donna"; 7.) Seaworld; 8.) "Make video"; 9.) Retirement home; 10.) Female hostage; 11.) "Send video"; 12.) Trouser "surprise"; 13.) Fire; 14.) Call to prayer; 15.) English option; 16.) Incoming video; 17.) 47,000 hits; 18.) Explosions; 19.) "The situation is I'm in a coffin and it's pretty contained"; 20.) Two hours ago; 21.) Recorded conversation; 22.) "Weird ... knowing ..."; 23.) Last Will and Testament; 24.) Driver's license; 25.) Finger; 26.) The search and rescue; and 27.) Bonus Scene after the Ending Credits.

favorite scene: I loved the part where he pretended that he was sorry that he yelled at "Donna" just so he could get a very important number from her.

audience reaction: The audience laughed at Paul Conroy's sarcastic remarks and funny comments.

recommendation: This claustrophobic thriller is a well-written and well-acted movie. Go see this movie if you're a fan of this genre.

spoiler alert! With his hands bound together, how was he able to get the cigarette lighter? Why didn't the abductors just make everything readily accessible to their kidnap victim? When he yelled for help, his voice didn't sound hollow and confined like how it should, considering where and in what predicament he was in. The lit lighter and the fire should have accelerated the oxygen consumption in the limited air supply, especially after he plugged-up the holes. The temperature inside the coffin should have risen considerably because of the lit lighter, the fire, and Paul's forced movements, to the point where he would have suffered from the effects of hyperthermia. There was no smoke as a result of the fire. Someone he talked to on the 'phone said that he was getting reception because he was not buried deep enough, meaning that he was in a shallow grave; and this point was driven home in the part where he could hear the call to prayer on a loud speaker.

I don't want to add anymore to this or I'll just give the ending away.

fyi: I always thought of Ryan Reynolds as a comedy actor. But this movie shows that he has a considerable acting range.

After the Opening Credits, it will be dark and soundless for about a minute. Nope, there's nothing wrong with the projector.

word of advice: Don't put yourself in harm's way for the sake of money.

tidbits: After work and before going to see this movie, I drove all the way to my friend Hector's house in East Oakland, California, to drop-off a flea collar for the stray cat--not a fancy collar this time. And I made a quick dinner for everyone with two tubs of Safeway Signature Cafe Chicken Enchilada Soup and some French bread. And I also showed Hector three websites that talk about the special soap that I've gotten myself hooked-on.

On a side note: One of Hector's nephews visited him a few days ago and used, without permission, the reserved-only-for-me "Super Sexy, Studly Samoan" mug. And it was nowhere to be found so I guess that he took it with him. And being that the mug was made in China and has a crack in it, I hope that this particular nephew of his will end up with Lead poisoning. L.O.L. Now, I'm gonna have to find a suitable replacement for it and keep it hidden from his "sticky-fingered" nephew.

Well, they still call it a "Kid's Pack" at AMC Cinemas. But at Regal Cinemas, it's now called a "Zap Pack". And it's known as a "Snack Pack" at Century Cinemas. I prefer "Snack Pack" a lot better. But whatever name that the theatre chains call it by, its buyer will either be a "Smart Buyer" or a "Cheapskate". I think that I like "Smart Buyer" much better.

There was a talkative couple in the auditorium during the first half of the movie. Thank God that they left us to enjoy the rest of the movie.

I had to rewrite this whole thing because Blogspot.com acted-up again and erased what I had almost finished writing a few hours ago on this particular movie.

MY SOUL TO TAKE 3-D, R ( 1 hr & 46 min )

where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Friday, October 8th, 2010
show: 10:05 p.m.
costs: $13.25 Ticket + $5.00 Snack Pack + $8.97 dinner @ Wendy's Restaurant: The # 5 Double-Deluxe Combo Meal w/ Side Salad & Ranch Dressing ( before the show ) = $27.22
auditorium: 7, with the 3-D screen
seat: 5th row, 10th column

synopsis: A supernatural "whodunnit".

On the 16th anniversary of the last sighting of a serial killer, the small town of Riverton is faced with the same grisly horror, as the teens born prematurely on that fateful night meet with an untimely death one after the other.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Ripper's knife; 2.) Seven premature births; 3.) Anniversary gathering; 4.) The bridge; 5.) Stepfather; 6.) "Pray for our souls"; 7.) California condor; 8.) Boy's room; 9.) Surveillance; 10.) Mimicking the other; 11.) The woods; 12.) Poolside; 13.) Rocking horse; 14.) Dream/nightmare; 15.) The truth; 16.) The second option; 17.) Bathroom; 18.) Kitchen; 19.) "Make it a 20"; 20.) The distraction; 21.) "'You think I'm crazy"; 22.) Keeper of the souls; 23.) "Fake it good"; and 24.) Storyboard sketches during the Ending Credits.

audience reaction: A couple of scenes frightened some people ( read: girls ) in the audience. So, I guess that they liked this movie.

recommendation: I didn't find this particularly enjoyable since it's not written well, not directed well and it is mediocrely acted. Wait for this to come out as a rental. Or, if you decide to see this movie on the big screen, save your money and see this in 2-D, instead.

spoiler alert! The knife is inscribed with the word, "Vengeance." But there is no explanation for it--maybe at the end, but not at the beginning of it all. An ambulance truck like that would never be left neglected to rust in place since it's a crime scene. It would have been hauled away for forensic investigation. I can't believe that the cops just left without extinguishing the unattended campfire and all those lit candles. When one of the characters was walking through the woods, she recited the King James Version of Psalm 23 but skipped over some of the words. No wonder she fell victim to the murderer later on! Since the killing spree occurred within a 24-hour period, and three of them happened during school hours, the killer would have been seen hauling away the swimming pool victim from the school campus. And how did the killer manage to haul-away said victim from the campus, through the woods, and all the way to the makeshift "memorial"? How did the blind kid walk from his house all the way to his friend's house and "find" the rope to climb up on?

fyi: The prayer from which this movie borrows its title is a classic 18th-century prayer for children. Back in my younger years, this prayer used to creep me out. Here are three versions:

( Original Version )

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
If I die before I wake;
I pray for God my soul to take.

( One Variation )

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
If I should live for other days,
I pray the Lord to guide my ways.

( Another Variation )

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
When in the morning light I wake,
Teach me the path of love to take.

I don't know about you, but I like the two variations better, especially the last one!

If you go around reciting a poem or, as in this case, a psalm, do so correctly. Otherwise, your "version" will just grate on the nerves of those of us who know the particular piece by heart. With this in mind, here's the King James Version of Psalm 23 in its entirety:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of my Lord for ever.

Now, go back to my February 28th, 2010 blog entry on the movie, COP OUT, with Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan. In it, I wrote my version of Psalm 23, calling it, The Shotgun Wedding Psalm. To find it fast, use the search engine on the upper-left corner of this blog and type-in, "The Shotgun Wedding Psalm."

word of advice: Don't play with "murder" nature.

Don't be a bully.

tidbits: Before the movie, and even before eating at Wendy's, I went to the nearby CVS Store to buy a bottle of Lecithin capsules and some Oral-B inter-dental tapered refill brushes. I take a capsule of Lecithin whenever I eat a high fat, high cholesterol meal.

WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS, PG-13 ( 2 hr & 7 min )

where: AMC BAY STREET 16 in Emeryville, CA
when: Wednesday, October 6th, 2010
show: 10:00 p.m.
costs: $11.00 Ticket + $0.00 small Popcorn w/ Butter ( Wednesday Free Popcorn Special with a movie rewards card ) + $4.25 small Diet Coke + $1.25 Garage Parking Fee + $5.00 Carquinez Bridge Toll = $21.50
auditorium: 5
seat: 5th row, 10th column

synopsis: Gordon Gekko ( Michael Douglas ) is released from prison and is desperate to get back in the "money game" that he once commanded. To do this, he befriends and becomes a father-figure to Jacob ( Shia LaBeouf ), the fiance of his estranged only-daughter, Winnie ( Carey Mulligan ).

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Prison release; 2.) Talk show; 3.) Bonus check; 4.) Diamond ring; 5.) Wall Street panic; 6.) 15,000 jobs on the line; 7.) Federal Reserve Bank of New York; 8.) Public "execution"; 9.) Train platform; 10.) NINJA ( No Income, No Job/Assets ) Generation; 11.) Ten minutes; 12.) The "Rumor"; 13.) Locust Fund; 14.) Churchill Schwartz; 15.) House hunting; 16.) "What's your number"; 17.) "The best memory that I know is "Hurt"; 18.) Tulipomania; 19.) Restaurant; 20.) "He'll hurt us"; 21.) Chinese investors; 22.) "Parents are the bones on which children sharpen their teeth"; 23.) "Stop telling lies about me, I'll stop telling the truth about you"; 24.) Father/daughter talk; 25.) Biggest bail-out; 26.) Pregnant; 27.) Mentor/protege; 28.) Moral hazard; 29.) Taxi; 30.) Fusion simulation project; 31.) Zurich, Switzerland; 32.) Panicking mom ( Susan Sarandon ); 33.) Skipped town; 34.) "You're like him"; 35.) "Gordon Gekko is back"; 36.) "You left it all in ruins"; 37.) "We like bedtime stories"; 38.) News; 39.) "You look for the birds"; 40.) New alliance; 41.) "Definition of insanity"; 42.) Under investigation; 43.) Reconciliation; and 44.) Bonus scenes during the Ending Credits.

favorite scene: I liked where Gordon was on-stage talking about the "Ninja Generation."

audience reaction: The four people in the audience with me seemed to like this movie, especially the scenes with the old man doing his "flying birds" impression.

recommendation: I liked this movie. And I would have enjoyed it more had I actually seen part one. Go see this movie.

spoiler alert! I thought that his prison release would get some sort of media coverage, given the fact of who he is. It's hard for me to believe that they would go on a high-speed bike race on a country road like that, as if it were a "closed course". They should have done it on a race track. Does it make sense for a taxi driver to not only drive fast but recklessly, as well? Where's a traffic cop when you need one?

fyi: The "Great Depression" occurred when US banks called in some foreign loans to a bunch of Third World countries and they all defaulted on their debts.

If you research the stock trades just days prior to 9-11, you'll find that stocks on United Airlines and American Airlines were dumped. Meaning, some people knew what was about to happen and decided to cut their losses short! These people made tons of money on this "speculation," and all of it is Blood Money! No excuses. They are all accomplices to the crime committed.

The Bull market and the Bear market had their origin during Spanish colonial time here in California. The Spaniards would place bets on who would win the fight between a bull and a bear. The bull would always win. That's why when stocks go up, it's called a Bull market; and when stocks go down, it's called a Bear market.

word of advice: "Don't put all your eggs in one basket."

tidbits: And speaking of eggs, in the last week of May, I bought an 18-count carton of non-fertilized eggs. I ate most of it but kept forgetting about the rest. When I looked into my refrigerator last night, I noticed the egg carton once again. The expiration date on it says, "June 26, 2010." I opened it and found four eggs left. And they had no foul smell at all. So, I hard-boiled two of them. Honestly, I couldn't tell them apart from fresh-bought eggs! The eggs both looked fresh, smelled fresh and tasted fresh. Not bad for a couple of eggs that were at least 101 days past their expiration date! And I'm still waiting a few more days before I boil the other two. The things that I do for you people, I swear. Ha, ha, ha.

After the Ending Credits, as I was getting ready to leave, I noticed a couple in one of the back rows still sitting there and making out! Too bad they didn't ask me to join them. Otherwise, I'd have more interesting "tidbits" to tell.

Before going home, I again swung by my former place of employment in North Oakland to say "Hi!" to Mike A., in particular. And I bought three more bars of soap! ( I don't use them for bathing or washing, I use the soaps for something else more important. )

Note: I was going to see BURIED, originally. But I lost track of time as I was finishing my blog on CASE 39--and you all know what happened to it a few hours later when I got home and tried to do a correction! My second choice was HATCHET II, but the box office clerk told me that they only show it on weekends. I decided to see this movie, instead, as it was my only and final choice left.

CASE 39, R ( 1 hr & 49 min )

where: UA EMERY BAY STADIUM 10 in Emeryville, CA
when: Monday, October 4th, 2010
show: 7:50 p.m.
costs: $10.75 Ticket + $1.00 3.40 oz. Peanut M & M's ( Dollar Candy Monday with a movie watcher rewards card ) + $4.75 small Diet Coke + $5.00 Carquinez Bridge Toll = $21.50
auditorium: 8
seat: 5th row, 12th column

synopsis: Emily ( Renee Zellweger ), a social worker for child services, suspects that a girl, Lilith ( Jodelle Ferland ), is a victim of child abuse. Against better judgment, she assumes temporary custody of Lilith. But bad things soon start to happen.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Thirty-nine cases; 2.) Bar; 3.) File review; 4.) Appointment day; 5.) "Daddy's little girl routine"; 6.) "They hate me"; 7.) Detective Barron's ( Ian McShane ) office; 8.) Basement; 9.) School bus; 10.) 'Phone call; 11.) Oven; 12.) Hospital; 13.) County shelter; 14.) "Safe, supportive environment"; 15.) "Your new beginning"; 16.) House inspection; 17.) Group counseling; 18.) Murderer; 19.) "You're one person, you can't save the world"; 20.) "I wanted to know about you"; 21.) Chinese restaurant; 22.) "She's lying;" 23.) Collapse; 24.) "It was a man"; 25.) "NO" answers; 26.) Hornets; 27.) "You think it's my fault"; 28.) "Something came through that door"; 29.) Psychiatric hospital; 30.) Housecleaning; 31.) "I must have dreamt it"; 32.) "Walk the talk"; 33.) Why, Emily; 34.) Elevator; 35.) "'Not a demon"; 36.) Locks; 37.) "No state of mind to be here"; 38.) "Don't ignore me"; 39.) The closet; 40.) The chase; 41.) Inside the car; 42.) Good news; 43.) "One option"; 44.) Television; 45.) Cafeteria; 46.) Recording; 47.) The plan; 48.) Scattered files; 49.) Parking garage; 50.) "Don't yell at me"; 51.) The bedroom; 52.) Chamomile tea; 53.) "That was mean"; 54.) "The part of you that's her"; 55.) "Are you scared"; and 56.) The escape.

audience reaction: The four or five people in the audience with me seemed to like it.

recommendation: It was okay. This is another one of those "brat-from-hell" kind of movie. It only has one scary scene: The Closet Scene. Go see this movie only if you like watching topless scenes of Bradley Cooper. Otherwise, wait for this to come out as a rental.

spoiler alert! The alarm clock was a cheap, senseless scare tactic to pull on the audience. Wind-up alarm clocks need rewinding at least once a day. And its alarm is only on a twelve-hour cycle. When Emily was finally able to go back to the house for inspection, it was already more than a day after the incident had occurred. At which time, the alarm clock would have already wound-down to a complete stop and its alarm would have already turned-off. If I had hornets crawling out of me like that, I would have reacted in a more pained and a more animated way than what "topless guy" Bradley Cooper showed for the camera. How could he talk normally when his jaw was just recently dislocated? Barricading the door was, indeed, an exercise in futility because other-worldly entities can open locked doors. How and why did Emily's co-workers disappear so fast--boy! talk about clocking-out on a TGIF. Why do they use metal eating utensils in a facility for the criminally-insane? I don't want to sound sexist, but women love to talk a lot; so, why did Emily not notice that her cell phone had been missing from her bag all that time? All of those ground-up sleeping pills in the chamomile tea would make for one bitter brew. So, why didn't Lilith show the appropriate facial expression after she drank it? Since this movie is essentially about demon-possession, Emily will never find herself "out of the water" because the demon can always find another innocent victim to possess so it can hunt down and settle the score with her sooner or later. She had better know of a good exorcist!

fyi: I know for a fact that other-worldly entities can open locked doors because I saw it happen twice back when I was a little boy living with my family in Kidapawan, Cotabato, Mindanao, Philippines.

One day when I was still in Grade One, a classmate of mine bragged that he was able to stay awake all night long. I decided that I could do the same, too. Back then, everybody in my family slept in one big bedroom. That night, I forced myself to lay awake in bed. My bed was positioned along the wall that has the door. My parents always made it a habit to lock the door before we all went to bed. The lock was a simple piece of wood with a nail in its center and which was turned halfway clockwise to engage it to the catch so that it wouldn't be opened from the outside. Sometime after midnight when everyone else was fast asleep, I saw the lock turn, and the door slowly opened by itself. Then, a shadowy figure of a short, skinny man with short hair glided slowly into the room and headed straight to the foot of my parents' bed. Then, it stopped and looked up at the altar above my parents' heads and fixed its gaze on the Veronica's Veil portrait of Jesus Christ hanging on the wall. And, with its gaze still fixed on the image of Jesus Christ, it slowly floated back the way it came. And the door slowly closed after it had exited the bedroom and the lock engaged itself to its catch.

At another time, my sisters and I visited a friend's house which was built near the creek and just about two blocks away from our own house. We were in a bedroom playing a game of Jack Stones. All of a sudden, the bedroom door made a noise and its zinc barrel bolt lock unbolted itself at the same time that it gave off a red spark. Then, the door just flew open, much to our consternation!

=======

When I was a Grade Five pupil at the Ateneo De Davao Elementary Department in Matina, Davao City, Mindanao, Philippines, I was distracted from following along with the class lesson as something was buzzing around very near to my right ear. I tried to wave it away as it was making it difficult for me to concentrate on what I was reading. It landed in my ear. I grabbed it with my right hand, thinking that it was just a fly. But I was wrong. It was a bee! And it stung me. Soon, my hand swelled-up and looked like a boxing glove.

word of advice: Don't take your work home with you.

tidbits: Earlier in the day, I visited my friend, Hector, in Oakland, CA. His son and I watched STAN LEE's SUPER HUMANS on YouTube. The segments that we watched were the one on the Samurai man with the fastest reaction time and the Monkey Man of India who learned how to climb by hanging-out with monkeys. Later on, I cooked dinner for everyone. I served them spaghetti made with hot Italian sausage, two cans of Del Monte sauce and two packages of pasta. They never had spaghetti made with Italian sausage before, but they liked it.

I played a practical joke on Hector when I went out into the driveway to hose down my car. I put a "Viva, Mexico" sticker on his SUV's back window. They're all Puerto Ricans. But whenever they start speaking in Spanish at a level that I cannot comprehend, I would always exclaim, Viva, Mexico y Viva La Raza, tambien. Otra vez! And I would say the same thing, too, whenever anyone of their relatives would give them a call on the 'phone.

After the movie, I swung by my former place of employment in North Oakland just to say "Hi!" to everybody. I haven't worked there in over ten months because of my chronic foot pain. While I was there, I decided to buy a bar soap, a belt, and a neck pillow.

Note: Earlier today, in the pre-dawn of Oct. 7th, I tried to do a correction on this blog and ended-up deleting the whole thing, instead!

LET ME IN, R ( 1 hr & 55 min )

where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Saturday, October 2nd, 2010
show: 7:45 p.m.
costs: $10.00 Ticket + $9.78 dinner @ Wendy's Restaurant ( # 4 Double-Bacon Combo Meal up-sized to a medium w/ Diet Coke + extra side of Chili w/ Onions & Cheese ) before the show = $19.78
auditorium: 11
seat: 4th row, 9th column

synopsis: Out with the "old" and in with the "new". A "Puppy Love" affair with Bite!

Owen ( Kodi Smit-McPhee ), a bullied loner schoolboy befriends Abby ( Chloe Grace Moretz ), the beautiful new girl next door, just as the whole town becomes terrorized by a number of grisly "satanic" slayings. Little by little, Owen begins to realize who the slayer is, but he is too fascinated by the suspect to know better.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Hospital; 2.) Apartment complex courtyard; 3.) Voyeur & exhibitionist; 4.) Barefoot; 5.) Locker room; 6.) The meeting; 7.) The first victim; 8.) Eavesdrop; 9.) Rubik's Cube; 10.) Underpass; 11.) Creek; 12.) "Do I smell better now"; 13.) Boys' room; 14.) Fight back; 15.) Morse code; 16.) "Will you still like me even if I wasn't a girl"; 17.) Kitchen; 18.) Gas station; 19.) Crash; 20.) News; 21.) Hospital wall; 22.) Last request; 23.) "Can we go steady"; 24.) Note; 25.) Ice hockey; 26.) Neighborhood incident; 27.) Big brother; 28.) "I stood up to them"; 29.) Basement; 30.) Witnessed attack; 31.) Telephone call; 32.) Old arcade photo; 33.) Hospital fire; 34.) "What was that"; 35.) Television reminder; 36.) Evidence; 37.) The bathroom; 38.) The kiss; 39.) Swimming pool; and 40.) The train ride.

favorite scenes: I loved the Basement Scene with Owen and Abby; and the "close-the-door" Scene in Abby's apartment!

audience reaction: The people in the audience with me enjoyed this movie.

recommendation: I enjoyed this movie, too! Go see this "Date" movie.

spoiler alert! I find it hard to believe that he can't spell the word, Sorry. Even in all that snow, there was no "foggy" breath. I bring this up because in the Underpass Scene, there was "foggy" breath. Why did she have to go barefooted for? It only draws more attention to her. I find it hard to believe that the driver never noticed the backseat passenger sitting there all that time through his rear-view mirror. If I were that passenger struggling for my life, I would have stepped on the car horn! If I were at his age, I don't think that I'd be able to sleep in the same bed with a beautiful someone who was naked. 'Think about it. At that age, boys are just "discovering" themselves. Back in 1983, twenty dollars was a lot of money. I don't know how Owen's mother never noticed the missing twenty-dollar bill. It is implied that Abby can fly. But, if you noticed, she had to climb up a wall. What I mean by this is that for her to be able to fly, she would have to sprout wings first. This is why she had to climb up a wall. And it also means that when she jumped-out of Owen's bedroom window she wouldn't have been able to fly into her own bedroom right away because there would have been no way for her to fly while wearing that dress! Why didn't the dog defend its owner? All the windows were covered-up so that no sunlight could get in, but Abby still had to sleep under layers of blanket in the dark ...? Why was the bad kid's hand still holding Owen's head down when all four bullies were being attacked? I would have tried to run for my life had that bully been me!

fyi: In the Philippines, we have an expression borrowed from the Spaniards: Susmaryosep. It is from the names of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

The Pledge of Allegiance caused a controversy when The Knights of Columbus ( ? ) decided to add the phrase, "under God," since there is supposed to be a sharp separation of Church and State in this country. And that issue came from the hypocritical politicians who take Sundays and religious holidays off, and who celebrate Christmas--which was what happened in 1913 when the Federal Reserve Act was approved by Congress via minority ( read: No Representation ) vote!

I had a Rubik's Cube once, but I never played with it because I worried that I'd never get the colors back in the right way again. Unlike my brother, who played with his cube all the time. In my defense, though, my cube was a "special" one, the kind that came with blonde, brown, black, wavy, curly and redhead sides. And my little brother never knew of it. Ha, ha, ha.

Back when my family lived in the apartment complex in Matina, Davao City, Mindanao, Philippines, my father told me once how he was such an incorrigible brat who always went through his mother's bag for money. I decided to emulate him one night and went through my mom's handbag for loose change. My eldest sister caught me in the act. Whoopsie!

Many years ago, my friend, Hector, who was training to be a respiratory therapist at a local hospital, came across a man who was rushed into the emergency room. The man had drank a bottle of Drano--kids, don't try this at home!--to kill himself. There was nothing that any of the doctors could do for him. So, the man died a slow and painful death.

word of advice: Love knows no bounds.

tidbits: I wanted to see this movie last Thursday midnight, but I ate too much at China Wall Buffet in Concord, California, three-and-a-half hours prior to the show. So, I decided to just go home and hop in bed to digest my meal. ( I went to Concord to buy a very special bar soap [ I bought three, actually ] and to buy a Norton Internet Security since my current one is about to expire in a few days. )


Before the movie, I swung by Selecta Filipino Buffet, but they had to close early ( they knew that I was coming ...? ) because all the food was gone since a huge crowd turned up ( their "official" explanation ). I decided to go to MacDonald's but then changed my mind and ate at Wendy's, instead, because it is closer to the theatre.

My original plan, today, was to go to Fairfield, California, to catch the sneak preview of LIFE AS WE KNOW IT. And, then, to see this movie shortly after. But since I have to work tomorrow, I decided to just see this movie here in Vallejo.

After the movie, a female patron said, "I was waiting for it to get better." I guess she didn't realize that this would not have made any sense at all because the movie implies what will eventually happen to Owen in the years to come ( without my adding any more spoilers ). But since that woman is no Cine-Man, I forgive her her lack of "cinematic insight".