where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Friday, November 12th, 2010
show: 12:25 p.m. ( Extra Dollar Off First Show Matinee )
costs: $6.25 Ticket + $4.00 20 oz Strawberry Fanta = $10.25
auditorium: 8
seat: 5th row, 10th column
synopsis/overview: A long-time locomotive engineer, Frank ( Denzel Washington ), and a rookie, Will ( Chris Pine ), band together to try and stop a run-away train filled with explosives from derailing and causing death and destruction in a densely populated area of Pennsylvania.
noteworthy scenes: 1.) The rookie reporting for work; 2.) No air brakes; 3.) 'Phone call; 4.) Throttle; 5.) Turned backwards; 6.) Train full of kids; 7.) Coaster; 8.) Hooters; 9.) Railroad safety officer; 10.) "It's not a coaster"; 11.) "Throttle in notch 8 ... full power ... it was 39 cars"; 12.) Near-miss; 13.) Restraining order; 14.) Failed attempt; 15.) In training; 16.) News; 17.) Molten phenol; 18.) Horse trailer; 19.) "71 on the gun"; 20.) "Connie sent you"; 21.) Rear-ending from in front; 22.) Derail; 23.) "Playing chicken"; 24.) Evacuation; 25.) "She already told us"; 26.) "You already did ... 72 days ago"; 27.) "You're breaking-up"; 28.) "My sister-in-law"; 29.) The safety switch; 30.) "I asked them nicely"; 31.) "50-50"; 32.) Portable derailers; 33.) The estranged wife's house; 34.) Hunch; 35.) Yellow vest; 36.) Attached; 37.) Duct tape; 38.) "He's different"; 39.) "Tug of war"; 40.) "Real hot"; 41.) Manual braking; 42.) Fuel storage tanks; 43.) The Stanton Curve; 44.) Truck bed; 45.) Under control; 46.) News conference; 47.) "Problem solved"; and 48.) Character "updates" during the Ending Credits.
favorite scene: The girls at Hooters, what else?
audience reaction: The audience was spell-bound by this thrill ride. People in the audience actually clapped their hands when the run-away train was brought under control.
recommendation: I liked this movie, too. Go see it.
spoiler alert! Both doofuses should have been fired for insubordination during an emergency situation. The truck was going at least 50 mph; I don't think that you can keep the passenger door fully open at that speed while you lean out to try to grab something. And if you did manage to keep the door open, somehow, at that speed and were able to grab hold of that switch lever with the truck still in motion, your right arm would probably get ripped-off! It's no wonder that they're a couple of doofuses! The camera man was near the female reporter when the train hit the horse trailer but, somehow, his shot of the accident was from quite a distance! The home TV set turned-on too quickly. The estranged wife's reaction to when Will disappeared momentarily was not emotionally believable. I guess the thought of collecting on her husband's life insurance, on his social security, on a potentially big lawsuit and on his death benefits was dancing happily in her mind at that moment! L.O.L.
HOW TO STOP AN UNSTOPPABLE RUN-AWAY TRAIN: The Safe, Easy and No Stress Way
by:
Cine-Man
First, find a long section of the railroad track that is relatively straight and on an incline grade--it doesn't even have to be a steep incline grade.
Second, apply a thick glob of axle grease every yard or so on either side of that section for at least a few hundred yards' length.
Third, take your time to climb up safely onto the train's locomotive.
Then, turn the damn thing off!
What could be more simpler than this? Of course, it is not the stuff that makes for a good Hollywood Suspense/Thriller--'must be why they didn't consult with Cine-Man on this one! I can truly be too smart for my own good at times.
by:
Cine-Man
First, find a long section of the railroad track that is relatively straight and on an incline grade--it doesn't even have to be a steep incline grade.
Second, apply a thick glob of axle grease every yard or so on either side of that section for at least a few hundred yards' length.
Third, take your time to climb up safely onto the train's locomotive.
Then, turn the damn thing off!
What could be more simpler than this? Of course, it is not the stuff that makes for a good Hollywood Suspense/Thriller--'must be why they didn't consult with Cine-Man on this one! I can truly be too smart for my own good at times.
fyi: This movie is based on the true story of the "Crazy Eights" ( # 8888 ) run-away train incident back on May 15th of 2001. The "Crazy Eights", a 47-car freight train, rumbled unmanned out of the Stanley Yard in Walbridge, Ohio, at around 12:30 p.m. and traveled for about 66 miles. It never went through a densely populated area. And there were no deaths, injuries or property damage reported in that incident.
The towns of Stanton and Brewster in Pennsylvania are fictional. But there is a New Stanton in Pennsylvania.
The manager who hired me at my place of employment in Benicia, CA, quit his managerial position because he wanted to become a locomotive engineer. But he didn't last long at his new job because the other locomotive engineers were prejudiced towards him and gave him a hard time.
Director Tony Scott and Denzel Washington teamed-up for last year's TAKING OF PELHAM 123, another "Train" movie.
word of advice: Stick with safety protocols.
tidbits: After the movie, I went to Selecta Filipino Buffet to see if the owner ordered some gandules. He forgot again! So, I just had lunch there while I text-messaged my brother to find out where I need to go for tomorrow's Pacquiao fight.
When I got home, I went to the main lobby first to check for mail. But there was a sign posted on the mail box telling half of the residents, myself included, to go to the main post office to pick-up our mail because a thief/vandal tampered with the mailbox. Damn, 'another thing for me to unnecessarily do tomorrow!
