where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Friday, December 3rd, 2010
show: 4:50 p.m.
costs: $7.50 Ticket + $4.50 medium Diet/Zero ( w/ Barq's & Cherry flavors ) Coke = $12.00
auditorium: 13
seat: 7th row, 9th column
synopsis/overview: An assassin (Jang Dong-gun ) has a change of heart and becomes the number one target of his own clan. He flees to the American Wild West to start a new life. But he is pursued by his fellow assassins as he helps a rag-tag community fight-off the henchmen of an evil Colonel ( Danny Huston ).
noteworthy scenes: 1.) The reflection in the water; 2.) Baby; 3.) Roadside eatery; 4.) Wild west town of Lode; 5.) Laundry house punks; 6.) Circus; 7.) Learning time; 8.) Scars; 9.) Execution; 10.) Blindfolded; 11.) The frowning baby; 12.) Sad flute; 13.) Sailboat; 14.) Sword training; 15.) Soap bubbles; 16.) Christmas party; 17.) "Did that stop your heart"; 18.) Party crashers; 19.) Bound and gagged; 20.) Dental inspection; 21.) Blown cover; 22.) The sound of the sword; 23.) To the rescue; 24.) Wrong target; 25.) The stash; 26.) Drunk man's ( Geoffrey Rush ) secret; 27.) "Places to kill your enemy"; 28.) Dynamites; 29.) Ferris Wheel; 30.) Swordsmen vs. gunslingers; 31.) Revenge; 32.) "Wear something naughty"; 33.) Master vs. protege; 34.) "They have to listen for this to cry, not her"; and 35.) "It's free."
favorite scenes: The frowning baby.
The one in which the drunk examined the sniper rifle. I've never seen that kind of old sniper rifle before. It looked simple but in a good way.
I liked how when the drunk interrupted the target shooting just so he could have a free drink.
audience reaction: There were some laughs here and there. So, I guess that the audience found this entertaining.
recommendation: Last year's NINJA ASSASSIN was a little better. Wait for this to come out as a rental.
spoiler alert! The "fly-by-wire" from under the water is visually stunning but, nonetheless, is just plain ol' bull. Some of the sword fights were just hokey. Heck, I wouldn't trust someone who's blindfolded like that! What was with all that dental inspection? It was not clearly explained. That knife that she ( Kate Bosworth ) threw at someone didn't look like a Throwing Knife at all--it didn't look like it was balanced for throwing use. When the Ferris Wheel exploded, they didn't dive for cover even though they were still near it. Two things will happen if you have a Gatling Gun propped on your shoulder while it's being fired: You'll go deaf and your shoulder will get burned; also, the spent cartridge shells falling out of the ejection port will burn your lower leg and, probably, your backside, too. Why would you train someone to become the deadliest assassin after you've killed his father before his very own eyes? When he moved to the new place ( Alaska? ), how were they able to track him down when they could only do so if he unsheathed his sword? Remember, in that new place, he had no occasion to use his sword for killing. He walked away from the wild west town with nothing but his sword. So, how did he end-up with a phonograph when he didn't take anybody with him to the new place? I'd like to know how long they were submerged in that ice water. ( Brrr ... fre-fre-freezing co-co-cold! )
fyi: In my Cultural Anthropology class, years ago, we watched a movie about Eskimos and their ingenious use of their limited resources. One of which was fish. They arrange fish, overlapping tail to head, in a straight line and wrap it up in leather. Then, they cut a hole in the ice and put the wrapped fish in the water until the whole thing freezes solid. Once solid, they unwrap the fish and use them as skis for their sleds. They work quite well; and they also serve as a reserve food supply, too!
word of advice: Question authority.
People slow down with age.
tidbits: After the movie, as I walked out of the men's room, a girl posed with the Justin Bieber cut-out poster as her girl friend took a picture. Sheesh!
Then, I went to Hancock Fabrics and to the Dollar Tree Store, both located at the Target Shopping Center, to buy some stuff.
And since I was low on gas, I swung by the Redwood Street Chevron Gas Station to buy $7.00 ( 2.21 gallons ) worth of gas.
