DABANGG 2, NR ( 2 hr & 5 min )

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I went to see this movie today, Saturday, December 29th, 2012, in Emeryville, CA, at the UA EMERY BAY STADIUM 10, for the 6:30 p.m. show in auditorium 4, 6th row, 12th row.


Quickie Review: Small town cop Chulbul Pandey ( Salman Khan ) is transferred to a big city in Uttar Pradesh where he soon gets into conflict with the local bad guys headed by three brothers.

Since there were just a handful of people in the audience, I couldn't get a good gauge on their reaction to this movie.

I never saw part one, so I don't have anything to compare this sequel to. I didn't like this movie because the fight scenes were unrealistically choreographed, for the better part. And the logic behind some of the conflicts/confrontations were ridiculous. The script was not well thought-out. And the humor was "juvenile". This is best saved as a rental.

Here are some things that I found wrong in this movie:  When Chulbul's wife ( Sonakshi Sinha ) gave him his sunglasses, it should have been turned around. So, the bad guys can only afford to buy cheap Indian-made vehicles and cellphones?

Anyway ...

This movie did have a relevant, if not prophetic scene: During the press conference, Chulbul made the statement to the effect that the police force should pay more attention to the plight of females who are harassed and/or attacked by strange men. As you may recall, there was wide-spread rioting in India recently because, in New Delhi, a young woman and her date were lured into a bus where they were both robbed, and the woman was gang-raped. The rioters alleged that the police don't do enough for female victims of such violence. Sadly, the woman died of her traumatic injuries. The six males, a juvenile and 5 adults, were charged with murder. I do hope that they get the Death Penalty for committing such a heinous crime.

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As I said yesterday, Friday, I planned on going to San Francisco today to do some ice-skating. But I was awakened from my sleep by a right nostril nosebleed. I got out of bed quickly, too quickly, so I could go to my bathroom and take care of the bleeding. In my haste, I pulled a muscle on the left side of my lower back---Ouch! By the time I got into my bathroom, a distance of about 30 feet from my bed, the bleeding had already stopped. I just spat-out blood into my lavatory sink and gargled my mouth clean.

Because of my back pain, I decided not to go to San Francisco after all. This is the second time that my ice-skating plan was foiled. I think "something" doesn't want me to go ice-skating!

After the movie and before heading-on home, I stopped at the Empire Chinese Buffet in Richmond, CA, to have dinner.

The last time that I went to this particular buffet was a week before Christmas. Some Christmas carolers from some local Pilipino Church group serenaded us un-enthusiastically with some Christmas songs sung off-key and in disharmonious monotone--William Hung would be so proud! We gave them money just to have them move along because we, the diners, couldn't stand to listen to their awful caroling! Arnel Pineda and Charice Pempengco would be so embarrassed!

Remember back in June when I mentioned that this buffet restaurant still had a red Christmas stocking nailed prominently on their center post. Well, it's not there anymore--but they  still have Christmas tinsels and ornaments all over the damn place. It's still The Holiday Season, so I'll excuse them for that. But if I see the tinsels and ornaments still on display next summer, I will be sure to have a word with management. Who knows, I might just end-up with a free meal since I'm a world-famous blogger. Ha, ha, ha.

*

DJANGO UNCHAINED, R ( 2 hr & 45 min )

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I went to see this today, Friday, December 28th, 2012, here in Vallejo, CA, at the CENTURY 14 VALLEJO, for the 3:10 p.m. show in auditorium 8, 6th row, 8ht column ( counting from the left ).

Quickie Review:  In his quest to find three bad guys, Dr. King Schultz ( Christoph Waltz ), an unorthodox bounty hunter, happens upon a slave named Django ( Jamie Foxx ). They partner-up to hunt down criminals. And Django's obsession to find the wife ( Kerry Washington ) that he lost to the Slave Trade leads them both to a plantation where male slaves are trained to kill each other for sport.

The audience liked this. But nobody gave it a "Hands Clapper" ending.

I liked this movie. It is definitely better than the "Spaghetti Westerns" from the '60s. And it is more graphically violent, too. Go see this movie if you're into Western and Action Movies, and/or if you're a fan of Tarantino Films.

I liked the Fancy Clothes scene.

I liked the I Don't Know What "Positive" Means scene.

And I liked the Hooded Bad Guys scene.

There's a Bonus Scene after the Ending Credits.

I'm glad that I didn't see this on Christmas Day because it is too violent of a movie to see on such a day!!!

Here are some things that I found wrong in this movie: The "F" word didn't get added into the American English vernacular until after World War I. Outdoor scene, winter time, snow all around, a black couple bathing in the river--and neither one is shivering from the cold! Yeah, right .... I really don't think that black male slaves were circumcised. The man with the shotgun took too long to react--I would have reacted as soon as I heard the gunfire, even if only to drop my weapon in fright! Ha, ha, ha. No shotgun blast can send a man flying back like that with such force without a proportional amount of recoil behind it. When he surrendered, there were a bunch of bad guys with rifles and pistols aimed at him; but in the final shoot-out there were just a few bad guys for him to kill. When the woman was shot, she fell sideways ( What was she, a billiard ball? ). Those slaves that he ordered to run away were just that: Run-away slaves who would be treated as such when white people find them! Django was standing in the dynamite's Blast Debris Field and so should have been struck by any number of stuff flying toward him.

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I started my day early with an 8:30 a.m. doctor's appointment with my Chiropractor.

Then, I went to the American Canyon, CA, Safeway to use my one-time 20-cent off per gallon gas reward and to buy a 16.0 oz bottle of G.T.'s Kombucha Synergy Trilogy. I met Frank, a former co-worker, at the grocery store and we chatted for a while.

After that, I went back here to Vallejo to go to Anna's Linens at the Target Shopping Center on Admiral Callaghan Lane to buy a blanket. Then, I went next door to the Dollar Tree Store to buy an over-the-door shirt hanger, a tube of Aquafresh Toothpaste, a Hazelnut Coffee Creamer, and a 4-pack of AAA batteries for my digital camera. ( I just wanted to make sure that I have fresh batteries in my camera for my San Francisco trip tomorrow. )

And I went to the nearby Chase Bank to make a deposit into my checking account.

Finally, I went to the MacDonald's Restaurant at the far end of the parking lot to to have a Fruit and Oatmeal Breakfast with a tall cup of Powerade Mountain Berry Blast and, also, to check on my e-mails and my blogs.

Speaking of my blogsite, if you notice, I have added a few new gadgets to it. I did it all the while that I was at MacDonald's.

I swung by Goin' Postal, on the corner of Tuolumne and Redwood Streets, on my way home, to pick-up my mail. The book that I ordered on-line, Your Body's Many Cries For Water, had arrived. It is a book by Dr. F. Batmanghelidj. It should prove to be quite a fascinating read, and I can't wait to finish reading it!

I went home just to drop-off the stuff that I bought.

And I went to the Selecta Pilipino Buffet on Springs Road, here in Vallejo, to have lunch as I waited for this movie's start time.

After the movie, an elderly white woman held the door open for me as I exited the auditorium. Well, actually, she was holding it for her husband but it just so happened that I walked faster than he did. Ha, ha, ha. I thanked her, of course, for the courtesy.

I started to put a napkin in the trashcan out in the lobby. But the napkin fell to the floor. I was about to pick up the napkin but the elderly white woman's husband, who also had to throw away an empty cup and a popcorn tray into the trashcan after me, voluntarily picked it up for me. I thanked him for his gentlemanly manner--you don't see this kind of courtesy and manners among today's youth, I am sad to say.

On my way to the men's room, I passed by the ladies' room where a line had formed all the way outside its doorway. I'm glad that I am a man!

I went to the Starbucks Coffee Shop, here at the Target Shopping Center at the opposite end of where MacDonald's is at, to write my blog on this movie. I ordered a Venti Peppermint Hot Chocolate ( $3.85 ). As I started my blog, I decided to take a sip when the lid of the cup just came off! I took it off earlier to put in a packet of raw brown sugar to sweeten it up a bit but I forgot to put the lid back on securely. Peppermint Hot Chocolate was all over my dark-green shirt and on the crotch of my black pants! Luckily, nobody noticed--I think. And, luckily, too, that it wasn't so hot. Ha, ha, ha.

A man and his son sat to my right. They were waiting for a girl and her boyfriend to arrive. The girl came to sell them her slightly-used I-Phone. And they got to talking about the Mare Island here in Vallejo. The man said that parts of Mare Island are "Jimmy Hoffa" locations where bad guys take their victims to with the express purpose of making them "disappear" because cops hardly ever patrol that area now because of budget cut-backs.

Presently, one of the Starbucks employees came up to me and warned me that on Christmas Day, some guy came in and grabbed some patron's laptop and took-off with it. The robber had an accomplice waiting for him outside in a "get-away" car. Supposedly, according to her, it happened twice that day. I need to buy one of those laptop cable locks so that I can secure my laptop to a table the next time that I come here to Starbucks, or the next time that I go to MacDonald's.

As I was finishing this blog, a group of four Asian teenage girls who were waiting for their coffee started dancing in front of me to the Gnarls Barkley song, "Crazy," playing through the store's music speakers. What a treat it was for me to watch this particular group of beautiful young girls gyrating their sexy hips in front of me--it was enough to drive me crazy! Ha, ha, ha.

*

PARENTAL GUIDANCE, PG ( 1 hr & 44 min )

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I went to see this on Christmas Day, Tuesday, December 25th, 2012, in Fairfield, CA, at the EDWARDS FAIRFIELD STADIUM 16 & I-MAX for the 1:25 p.m. show in auditorium 3, 9th row, last seat on the right.

Quickie Review:  Old school parenting clashes with modern day high tech parenting when absentee grandparents decide to babysit their daughter's three children. Bending the rules of parenting is what eventually saves the day for both sets of parents.

The audience really enjoyed this movie. But it didn't get a "Hands Clapper" ending.

I liked this movie, too. It's a good Family Movie to go take your brats to. Who knows, they just might get inspired to add to your stressful parenting just by watching this movie.

I liked the Toilet Stall scene.

I liked the Glow-In-The-Dark Fluorescent Face scene.

I liked the Funeral scene.

I liked the Impromptu Speech On-Stage scene.

And I liked the Pee-Wee Softball scene.

There's a Bonus Scene after the Ending Credits.

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I was gonna spend Christmas Day in San Francisco because there is a temporary ice skating rink on Union Square set-up just for the Holiday Season. But, wouldn't you know it, IT RAINED ALL DAY!!!

I went to Fairfield, CA, instead, to go see a movie. LES MISERABLES was sold-out. And so was DJANGO UNCHAINED.  I settled for PARENTAL GUIDANCE since it had a "holiday feel" to it, anyway.

When I walked into the auditorium, I was in for a pleasant surprise: It was "packed to the gills"! And the audience really enjoyed this movie. So, it turned out well for me after all.

After the movie, I called my brother in Fairfield to see if they were having a family gathering at his place along with his three sons from another marriage and my sister's family. ( We were at my sister's house, also in Fairfield, the night before, on Christmas Eve. ) But everyone had already left, according to my brother. In fact, he and his second wife were planning on coming to this theatre to see a movie, THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY.

I waited for them to arrive at the theatre because I was gonna buy their movie tickets for them. But they didn't show-up in the hour that I waited for them. I guess my brother and his wife changed their minds and planned to see the movie at a later time because of the rain.

I drove to the nearby Hometown Buffet because I wanted to have an early dinner there. But they were closed for the holiday. And then ... I remembered that I stuffed my refrigerator with "Christmas" food--literally--the night before ( it must have been the "hobbit" in me ).

So, I just went back home to Vallejo, CA, where I was warmly greeted by all of my food!

*

THIS IS 40, R ( 2 hr & 14 min )

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JACK REACHER, PG-13 ( 2 hr & 10 min )

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This is the side lot of the Century 14 Vallejo. That's my car in the foreground, the one on the right side--with its license number crossed-off. I sat in my car eating a slice of cheese, a banana and some mixed nuts, and washed the whole thing down with GT's Kombucha Bilberry #9 as I waited for this movie to start. 

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I went to see this today, Friday, December 21st, 2012, here in Vallejo, CA, at the CENTURY 14 VALLEJO for the 3:40 p.m. show in auditorium 11, 4th row, 9th column.

Quickie Review:  When five people are killed by a sniper, the suspect has his interrogators fetch Jack Reacher ( Tom Cruise ) for him. At first, Jack assumes that the suspect is the guilty party. But, as he digs deeper into the case, everything doesn't come-up as clear-cut as he'd hoped.

The audience enjoyed this Action Movie. But nobody gave it a "Hands Clapper" ending. As a man was leaving the auditorium, he said to his companion, "It had a good story."

I liked this movie, too. It should have gotten a "Hands Clapper" from at least one person in the audience, in my opinion. You'll like this movie if you're into Action Movies.

This movie has good fight scenes. Except for the last one: That fight scene was pointless; I would just have shot the guy to death ( slowly, of course ), if I were Jack.

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After I saw CIRQUE DU SOLEIL in Fairfield, CA, and before seeing this movie, I went to a shopping center in American Canyon, CA, to do some shopping.

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Do you remember how, in my blog on SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD back in June of this year, I mentioned that a former co-worker of mine said that if the World ends on December 21st, she'd join a gang-bang orgy? Well, she works--or worked--somewhere in this shopping center. And I wanted to find her since I was SEEKING A Sex Partner FOR THE END OF THE WORLD! But since the World didn't come to an end, I was still willing to convince her otherwise. LOL. But she was nowhere to be found--I guess that she read my blog on SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD and planned her absence/unavailability accordingly! Darn it ....

Note to myself for next time: Don't tell beautiful girls that I secretly lust after about my movie blogsite. Otherwise, they'll be able to "read me like a book" just by reading my blogs. Ahem!

Damn! why didn't the World end today?!?!?! But, then again, I'm glad that the World didn't come to an end today because I told somebody at work that, if today should turn out to be The Last Day, I'd post a naked picture of myself on my blogsite--I shudder at the thought ( so should you )! Yabba Dabba Doo. Ha, ha, ha.

*

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: WORLDS AWAY in 3-D, NR ( 1 hr & 31 min )

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I went to see this today, Friday, December 21st, 2012, in Fairfield, CA, at the EDWARDS FAIRFIELD STADIUM 16 & I-MAX for the 12:00 p.m. show in auditorium 9, 3rd row, 12th column ( counting from the left ).

Quickie Review: In this "circus-style" Alice In Wonderland-type love story, a girl is infatuated with a guy who is a circus aerialist. A mistimed routine sends both of them falling into a nether world. They become separated by the sights and wonders before them. But love brings them back together again.

The enthralled audience was dumbstruck by the extremely well-choreographed performances and the elaborate set pieces that adorned the stage. Yes, that's right: The little brats in the audience kept quiet for the whole duration of the movie!

I liked this movie for the sheer physical artistry of its performers. It's a good Family Movie to go take your brats to.

By the way, the performances in this movie were patched together from different shows.

I always wanted to go see a live Cirque Du Soleil performance. This is probably as close as I'll ever get to seeing a live performance.

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I went to the Springstowne Post Office, here in Vallejo, CA, first thing in the morning, to drop-off some bill payments.

Then, I went to the Vallejo AAA to pay on my automobile club membership.

That's my car in the foreground.

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The box office clerk gave me a Collector's Edition Real-D 3-D Glasses. But I didn't have enough time to run back to my car to fetch my regular pair of Real-D 3-D Glasses because the show was about to begin. I just went up to the ticket taker and lied to him about not getting a pair of 3-D glasses so that I could keep the collector's item pair of glasses as a souvenir. ( Gee, I wonder how many Zhunti Mantras it will take for me to recite to atone for this lie. )

There was an advertising poster across from auditorium 9 for this particular movie. I took the time to read its blurbs when I stepped out of the auditorium. And I also took a picture of it; unfortunately, my picture came out looking blurry. Luckily for me, this advertising poster is similar to the movie poster which I chose to post above.

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*

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY, PG-13 ( 2 hr & 49 min )

where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA

when: Friday, December 14th, 2012
show: 9:50 p.m.
costs: $14.00 Ticket + $6.75 medium Popcorn w/ Butter + $4.50 medium 24.0 oz Powerade Mountain Berry Blast = $25.25
auditorium: 7
seat: 6th row, 9th column ( counting from the left )

2nd time:

Pinoy po ako ( translation: I'm a Pilipino ). Ha, ha, ha.

where: EDWARDS FAIRFIELD STADIUM 16 & I-MAX in Fairfield, CA
when: Sunday, December 16th, 2012
show: 9:00 p.m.
costs: $15.00 Ticket + $6.00 small Popcorn + $0.00 small 32.0 oz Diet Coke ( free on Regal Movie Watcher Rewards Card ) = $21.00
auditorium: 4
seat: 4th row, 5th seat ( counting from the left )

synopsis/overview: A Hobbit goes on an unexpected journey in the company of a Wizard and a bunch of Dwarves who are on a quest to retake their distant homeland after they saw a good omen.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Heart of the Mountain; 2.) "Sickness of the heart"; 3.) Dragon; 4.) "Good Morning"; 5.) Unexpected guests; 6.) "I'm going on an adventure"; 7.) Wagers; 8.) Battle with Orcs; 9.) Black magic; 10.) Trolls; 11.) Parasites; 12.) Troll cave; 13.) Necromancer; 14.) Hunted; 15.) "Letter opener"; 16.) "The same moon shines upon us tonight"; 17.) "Excessive consumption of mushrooms"; 18.) "They are leaving"; 19.) Stone giants; 20.) Goblins; 21.) Ring; 22.) Riddles; 23.) Invisibility; 24.) Pine cones; 25.) Birds; 26.) "I have never been so wrong in all my life"; 27.) "I do believe the worst is behind us"; and 28.) Treasure Chamber.

audience reaction: The audience liked this movie but nobody gave it a "Hands Clapper" ending.

recommendation: I didn't like it that much. Hopefully, part II and part III will be better. Of course, it goes without saying, if you're a Tolkien fan, definitely go see this movie.

spoiler alert! Tobacco and Tomato both originated in The Americas. Am I right to assume, then, that Middle Earth is somewhere near, or in, either of the American Continents? Since Hobbits are shorter than Humans, and dwarves are just slightly taller than Hobbits, just how big--or small--then, were those Onions and Tomatoes shown in the Hobbit's kitchen and pantry? That was way too much food for one ol' Hobbit to keep on hand, especially if you consider the size of the meal portion that he made for his own consumption before the unexpected guests arrived. If the events in Middle Earth occurred sometime in Earth's distant past, they probably happened back before forks and spoons were invented and used as dining utensils; yet, there they were! The Dragon went into the Treasure Chamber and wallowed in all of that Gold even though there were still heavily armed dwarves in the fortified castle. But the dwarves left the castle, instead of taking advantage of the situation in which the Dragon would have been easily surrounded while resting in the chamber. In the drawn-out sword battle with the Orcs, no one, it seemed, was gasping for breath. After he cut-off the Orc's left arm, he didn't take the time to finish it off when he could have. In the Stone Giants battle scene, how did either Hobbit or Dwarves keep from falling off the ledge? Why did none of the bridges have handrails? The falling platform looked so fake! Sure ... that little butterfly could fly so fast that it could summon help so quickly--yeah, right ....

fyi: To start off, let me just say that I didn't read any of Tolkien's books. In fact, I only heard of him when the first installment of LORD OF THE RINGS made its way to the Big Screen.

I like the Hobbit house--I would love to have a house like that! It's so quaint, cozy and charming. And, because it's naturally insulated, it's also very energy-efficient.

I don't know if any of you have noticed it, but Gollum looks like a skinny, old-fart Pilipino. I've seen a few men who look like that back in the Philippines!

By the way, I can do a pretty good voice impression of Gollum--'must be because I'm from the Philippines. But, nope, I don't look anything like him. I look like Fred Flintstone, remember ...? ( At least, that's what my eldest sister says! ) Ha, ha, ha.

word of advice: Life is an Adventure.

tidbits: The box office clerk gave me a Collector's Edition Real-D 3-D Glasses. I went back to my car to fetch my regular pair of Real-D 3-D glasses so that I could keep the "collector's item" pair of 3-D glasses.

I'm glad that this theatre now has Powerade Mountain Berry Blast added to their fountain drink selection. Because I'd rather drink this than VitaminWater for its Electrolytes content.

Please pray for the 27 victims killed in a shooting rampage at a Newtown, Connecticut, kindergarten and their grieving families. My heart goes out to them, such a senseless tragedy ....

Someone sent this to my Facebook page. I don't need to add to this because it says everything!!!

2nd tidbits: Burger King Restaurants, for their 55th anniversary, have a 3-day 55-Cent Whopper promotion from Dec. 13 - 16. I went to the Burger King on Southampton Drive here in Benicia, CA,  last night, Saturday, the 15th, after work, to get a 55-cent burger. But, as soon as I pulled into their lot, they turned-off their lights! So, I drove to the Columbus Parkway Burger King ( also here in Benicia ). But, as soon as I drove-up to their Drive-Through Menu Board, they turned-off their lights, too!! And some guy on the speaker told me that they close at midnight--there was still a minute left, to be honest! I guess they heard of my Chinese Buffet Pigging-Out Sessions and were worried that I'd eat into their profits!! My reputation precedes me, indeed!!!

I was still determined to have my 55-Cent Burger! And since today, Sunday, December 16th, was the last day of their special burger promotion, I went to the Southampton Drive Burger King promptly after work! I learned that it wasn't so special of a deal at all: I had to buy a regular Whopper on top of it; and I would have to pay an extra 50 cents if I wanted cheese on my 55-Cent burger!

I just ate the Wisconsin White Cheddar Whopper. I brought along a 16.0 oz bottle of GT's Kombucha Trilogy, that I bought earlier at the Benicia Safeway,  to wash down the burger with.

I saved the 55-cent ( with no cheese ) burger for later. I thought of sneaking it into the theatre. But I decided to have some popcorn, instead.

On the drive to Fairfield for this movie, a car on the fast lane drove by with its taillights off. The driver was driving at night using just his/her daytime running lights--what a stupid, irresponsible idiot!!!

The box office clerk handed me a regular pair of 3-D glasses. And when I presented my movie ticket to the ticket taker, he gave me a Collector's Edition 3-D Glasses.  Ahh ... the perqs of being Cine-Man, the world-famous movie blogger.

I went to see this a second time because I was curious about this new film technology, HFR ( High Frame Rate of 48 frames-per-second; standard speed is 24 fps ) 3-D. I wanted to know the differences among 3-D, I-Max 3-D and HFR 3-D. I know that I-Max 3-D makes for sharper images on-screen when compared to regular 3-D. And HFR 3-D supposedly makes for more realistic motions on-screen; but, for the life of me, I couldn't detect any difference in visual and/or motion quality when I compared it to the regular 3-D version that I saw two days ago.  I haven't seen this movie yet in 2-D and in I-Max 3-D. So, for now, my findings are inconclusive.

I do know now that an HFR 3-D movie is priced $2.50 cheaper than an I-Max 3-D movie!

*

KHILADI 786, NR ( 2 hr & 21 min )

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I went to see this today, Monday, December 10th, 2012, in Emeryville, CA, at the UA EMERY BAY STADIUM 10 for the 9:35 p.m. show in auditorium 7, 5th row, 11th column.


Quickie Review:  The son of a match-maker ruins yet another wedding but for the last time as his own father finally disowns him. Needing to prove that he is capable of carrying-on the family business, he unwittingly agrees to arrange a wedding for the hard-to-marry-off sister of a local crime lord to the out-of-town son of a family of con artists.

There were only I and an Indian couple in the whole auditorium for this show. The couple liked this movie, somewhat, especially the lady. But I didn't particularly like this movie. The Action scenes were ridiculously unreal--they were mostly cartoon-like in execution.

The lead actor in this movie, Akshay Kumar, I feel, is just grinding-out the same old stuff, type-casting himself in the process. He needs to broaden his artistic repertoire as well as his role selections.

The lead actress in the movie, Asin Thottumkal, well ... SHE'S THE ONLY REASON WHY I EVEN WENT TO SEE THIS MOVIE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!

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I started out the day with an 8:30 a.m. appointment with my Chiropractor. He asked me how I was feeling as he started to adjust my spine. I told him that I don't know whether it was related or not, but when I did my Sound Meditation along with my Zhunti Mantra two nights ago I could feel my Solar Plexus responding to my meditation. I usually just concentrate on my Heart Chakra, Throat Chakra and Third Eye Chakra whenever I do my Zhunti Mantra. But, for some reason or other, my Solar Plexus responded and harmonized with the Chakras. I don't know what it means because my goal was--and had always been--to activate the three Chakras ( which is very difficult to do, by the way ). I guess my spinal adjustments these past few months have freed-up the Chi/Prana energy which was constricted in my misaligned spine all this time. So, now, it's a "let's-wait-and-see-what-happens-next" in my Spiritual Cultivation.

After my spinal adjustment, I went across the street to BofA ( Bank of America ) to get a Cashier's Cheque made out to my Periodontist. Then, I drove to my Periodontist's clinic to pay on my Periodontal bill. I had to pay by cheque, credit card and cash because the amount was too much for any one payment method!

I went back home to rest for a while as I waited for when it was time for me to leave for my afternoon doctor's appointment in San Francisco, CA.

When I arrived in San Francisco by way of a BART train, I walked to the Posh Bagel Shop on Sutter Street to read a newspaper and have something to drink before heading on to my doctor's clinic just two blocks away.

While I was at the bagel shop, I called my friend's, Hector, son to see if he could take a break from work and join me for a snack. But he was sent to work in a building farther away than the one he always worked at as a construction supervisor. Well, we'll just have to meet for some coffee and bagel some other day.

After my doctor's appointment, I decided to do a little sight-seeing in the Financial District. I made a mistake of walking down Mason Street toward Market Street. That street reeked of urine and marijuana; and there were "shady-looking" characters loitering around.

I wanted to see a movie since the night was still young. I had three choices: HITCHCOCK at 7:20 p.m. at the San Francisco AMC METREON 16; SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK at 7:40 p.m. at CENTURY SAN FRANCISCO CENTRE 9 AND X-D; and KHALADI 786 at 9:35 p.m. at the UA EMERY BAY STADIUM 10 in Emeryville, CA. I considered the actresses in the movies and, by far and away, Asin was the most beautiful one. So, it was decided for me: I was gonna go see KHALADI 786!

After I picked-up my car at the El Cerrito Del Norte BART Station, I drove to Emeryville. It was not even 8:00 p.m. when I arrived there. I went to the Burger King Restaurant just a few blocks from the theatre to have a burger meal. When I was done eating, it still wasn't even close to 9:00 p.m., yet!

So, I drove to North Oakland to visit my former co-workers at the Rockridge District. Three of them were there. And I learned from them that business would stay open for a while longer. I thought that the lease wasn't renewed by the shopping center's owner. But I guess that they were given an extension to keep their business going for a few more years because of some complicated zoning and licensing legalities involved in the anticipated business take-over.

I arrived at the theatre with more than twenty minutes to spare. And I whiled the time away doing some Zhunti Mantra in the lobby. My Yogi would be so proud of me.

The time stamp shown is wrong. It is an hour ahead because I forgot to adjust it for Daylight Savings Time.

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*

PLAYING FOR KEEPS, PG-13 ( 1 hr & 35 min )

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

KILLING THEM SOFTLY, R ( 1 hr & 37 min )

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I went to see this on Friday, November 30th, 2012, here in Vallejo, CA, at the CENTURY 14 VALLEJO, for the 12:05 p.m., First Show Matinee, in auditorium 13, 3rd row, 5th column.

Quickie Review: An illegal gambling den gets robbed. And the mob boss hires a couple of hit-men to find and kill the ones responsible for the robbery.

This movie got a lukewarm reaction from the audience.

I didn't like this movie that much. It has long stretches of foul-mouthed dialogue, there is too much drinking, too much smoking, there is drug use, and, of course, it has its requisite share of violence ( although I don't recall if there is nudity in this movie ). If you must see this movie, don't take your brats along with you and expose them to all of the potty-mouthed scenes, plus all of the other above-mentioned scenes, as well. I actually felt uncomfortable sitting in the audience with young brats in it as I watched all of the long-stretches of foul-mouthed dialogue. 'Better wait for this to come out as a rental, instead.

The only scene that I liked in this movie is the one in which a guy was getting beat-up by two guys. I liked it not for the violence, itself, but for its very realistic depiction of such violence. The victim in this scene deserves to get an Oscar nomination for his acting ability.

Here are the things that I found wrong in this movie: The two soon-to-be robbers met on a street corner, with the unkempt one eating a popsicle--a half-eaten popsicle that somehow disappeared in mid-dialogue. Speaking of the unkempt one, all those days he remained unkempt sporting greasy hair and wearing the same clothes HE SOMEHOW STILL MANAGED TO HAVE A RELATIVELY WELL-SHAVEN FACE!!! Ha, ha, ha. When the two hit-men were talking at an airport bar, the alcoholic one told the waiter to get a beer for his friend; but, the camera pulled back a little to show that there was a tall glass of beer on the table already. He should have already died of Cirrhosis from all that heavy drinking! A life-long alcoholic DOESN'T GO BALD!! And life-long alcoholics ARE IMPOTENT!!! In the slow-motion drive-by shooting, the victim put-up his left hand defensively, only to have a bullet pass through it--BUT THE HAND SHOULD HAVE BEEN JARRED BY THE IMPACT OF THE BULLET!

I've said it before, and I'll say it yet again: They should have hired my services as Cine-Man, technical consultant!

*

RISE OF THE GUARDIANS in 3-D, PG ( 1 hr & 37 min )

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I went to see this today, Saturday, November 24th, 2012, here in Vallejo, CA, at the CENTURY 14 VALLEJO for the 2:40 p.m. 3-D show in auditorium 10, 4th row, 8ht column ( counting from the left ).

Quickie Review: Pitch-Black, the Master of Fear, wants the Children of the World to stop believing in Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, The Sandman and The Tooth Fairy so that he can reign supreme and unchallenged. But The Man on the Moon has a plan of his own: Recruit Jack Frost into The Guardians Team.

The audience liked this. But nobody gave it a "Hands Clapper" ending.

I liked this movie enough. It's sure to be a commercial success, i.e. the commercialization of Christmas and Easter will continue on unabated. Take your brats to go see this movie. Then, be ready to fork-over your hard-earned money at the toy store checkstands when your brats go clamoring for movie "tie-in" merchandise just in time for The Holidays! Ha, ha, ha.

A Santa with tattoos .... Now, I've seen everything! But shouldn't his left forearm be sporting the word, "Naughty", instead, since the left side is traditionally associated with what are considered bad? Or ... maybe, he's got the word, "Naughty", tattooed on his right forearm because he is "right-handed"--wink, wink. Heh, heh, heh ....

There are some Bonus Scenes during the Ending Credits, by the way. So, stick around for them.

****************************************************************

I took my 2001 Hyundai Accent to Quality Tune-Up on Sonoma Boulevard here in Vallejo, first thing this morning, for an Oil and Filter change. And I waited it out by having a Burrito Breakfast w/ Orange Juice at the MacDonald's Restaurant next door to it.

They have Wi-Fi at this MacDonald's, I just learned. I'll be sure to keep this in mind for some other time.

The mechanic told me that my car has a Valve Cover Gasket leak, causing the Coolant to get dirty. Didn't I just have the Valve Cover replaced at Wheel-Works, across the street, a few months ago? This is the 3rd time that some mechanic at Wheel-Works did an incompetent job on this particular car of mine! I asked the mechanic if he's heard of complaints about the competition from across the street. But, out of "professional courtesy", he wouldn't divulge any such information. I just hope that the warranty on the Valve Cover job is still in effect and that they fix the problem correctly this time around because I'm tired of constantly taking my car to Wheel-Works and have to put-up with their incompetence!

Gad, I sure miss my Geo Metro. That car ran almost trouble-free!

I dropped-by the Main Post Office to pick-up a package. As I was leaving the building, a hobo sitting by the side entrance asked for some spare change. I didn't give him any. And he said, "God bless you." Don't you just love it when they try to put a "guilt trip" on you? I try and not give them money because they will more than likely just spend it on some vice. Why can't they get AND HOLD a job? I worked two jobs for ten ( 10 ) long years until I couldn't take it anymore since at the end of the day I would be reduced to walking with the aid of a cane because my feet and ankles would be in such pain! If I could hold two jobs, they could hold one job easily. Note to myself: Exit through the main entrance next time.

Then, I went to the Safeway Supermarket in American Canyon, CA, to fill-up my car's tank to take advantage of my 20-cents off per gallon, one-time-only "Gas Reward". With the price of gas the way it is these days, every little bit of savings helps out.

I went back to Vallejo to do a little shopping at The Dollar Tree Store on Sonoma Boulevard.

And I went to the Chase Bank at the Lucky's ( soon-to-be FoodMaxx in January of next year ) Shopping Center on the corner of Tuolumne and Redwood Streets to make a deposit into my checking account and to order two checkbooks.

As I walked back to my car, I called my friend, Hector, in Oakland, CA, because I was planning on visiting him and his family. But they already had other plans for the day. I'll visit them on Thursday, instead, after I take my car to Wheel-Works.

I went back to my condo to fetch my laptop. And I drove directly to the MacDonald's Restaurant in the Target Shopping Center on Admiral Callaghan Lane here in Vallejo to do my blog on RED DAWN while I waited for this movie to start.

One of the dining patrons asked me, as he walked by, if I get Wi-Fi in the restaurant. I said, Yes. He asked me if the signal is encrypted ( Huh, how the f-ck would I know? ). I said that I don' know. He said to check if the signal is WPA-2 coded. Now, how the heck would I go about checking-up on that? I've gotta get Hector's son, Isma, to check it out for me.

When I told the box office clerk at the theatre that I was there to see the 3-D version of RISE OF THE GUARDIANS, she dug through her supply of 3-D glasses and handed me a special "Collector's Edition" 3-D glasses. Either I get special treatment because I'm a regular movie patron/blogger OR some girls who work there just simply have got the "hots" for me and are actively vying for my "manly" attention ( the sexy 1st Stage Yogi that I am--ahem! [ cough, cough ... ] )---I like this second explanation better! Don't you ...?

Anyway ...

I told the clerk that I was gonna keep the "Collector's Edition" 3-D glasses as a souvenir and use the spare pair of regular 3-D glasses that I keep handy in my car. I came prepared, having learned from experience.

After RISE OF THE GUARDIANS ended, I went to the Starbucks Coffee Shop at the Target Shopping Center here on Admiral Callaghan Lane at the opposite end of the parking lot from the MacDonald's Restaurant, where I was at earlier, to do my blog on this movie. Thank God, the "WPA-2" guy wasn't there!

*

RED DAWN, PG-13 ( 1 hr & 33 min )

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where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA

when: Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, November 22nd, 2012

show: 11:30 a.m.

costs: $6.50 Ticket + $1.12 Bulk Chocolate-covered Peanuts and Raisins + $4.50 20.0 oz VitaminWater Focus = $12.12

auditorium: 11

seat: 5th row, 5th seat ( counting from the left )

synopsis/overview: The people of Spokane, Washington, wake up one day to find that North Korean paratroopers have landed in their city. The invaders soon find out what we, Americans, mean when we say, "It's Kick-Ass Time!"

noteworthy scenes: 1.) News footage; 2.) Blackout; 3.) "Rendezvous with Douche Company"; 4.) Morning attack; 5.) Escape; 6.) TV News; 7.) No food; 8.) "They had to have help"; 9.) Traitor; 10.) Execution; 11.) "Your parents are down there"; 12.) Our home; 13.) Crash-course training; 14.) Ambush; 15.) "Isn't this C-4"; 16.) "We never drank that sh-t"; 17.) "We create chaos"; 18.) Graffiti; 19.) Subway; 20.) "That's how you get Choi"; 21.) Russians; 22.) Bad news; 23.) "I need to know I can count on you"; 24.) "She smelled like AquaNet"; 25.) Shelling; 26.) Free America Army; 27.) "Massive Electro-Magnetic Pulse"; 28.) Closed Network Communication; 29.) Jump; 30.) "I got this"; 31.) "You f-cked with the wrong family"; 32.) "I'm proud of you"; 33.) Sneak attack; 34.) "It's not a knife wound"; 35.) "We're not doing too bad for a bunch of kids"; and 36.) More recruits.

audience reaction: I guess some people in the audience liked this movie. A man behind me said, "Is that it?" And someone on my right side gave it a "Hands Clapper" ending ( I don't really know why ).

recommendation: I found this movie rather amusing, in a stupid sort of way. Veterans and servicemen/women would have a good laugh watching this ridiculous movie. This is strictly a "rental".

spoiler alert!  North Korea is over 5,000 miles away from the State of Washington. And, right off the top of my head, I count at least seven--there should be more than that--US Bases in the Pacific Region. Therefore, in order for them to launch an attack on the United States, the North Koreans would have to deal with all of these US Bases ( and their Advance Warning Systems ) first! Squadrons of foreign cargo planes will not go undetected, even if they have a "Massive Electro-Magnetic Pulse" weapon in use because such a weapon would still have a limited radius of effectiveness. Parachute into foreign territory in broad daylight--seriously ...? To send your paratroopers into a heavily-armed territory in broad daylight is suicidal and very stupid! The Army Reserve and the National Guard's Artillery Corps could easily handle those slow and mostly-undefended enemy cargo planes. The North Koreans don't have the level of experience in Logistics Support that we, Americans, do; and, "An army travels on its stomach ( Napoleon Bonaparte )." So, where did the North Koreans get their food, water and other supplies from, Starbucks, MacDonald's and 7-Eleven? The North Koreans only rounded-up those people who were in their neighborhoods and still dressed in their pajamas but those people who were out shopping and enjoying a cup of java at Starbucks were not rounded-up ...? Ha, ha, ha. They were fleeing the enemy in a Dodge Ram and should have rammed those four paratroopers instead of dodged them! Why didn't he run down the enemy officer who stepped-out of the crashed truck? In the Ambush scene, why didn't more enemy soldiers show-up? After the surprise shelling, dogs could be heard barking; dogs that I assume were the enemy's tracking hounds. So, what happened to the dogs? How come only the Marines were represented in this movie?

fyi: The United States Armed Forces are the most powerful, most experienced and most widespread forces in the whole world! In an All-Out War, no country can top the US. We even have weapons that are still strictly classified as Top Secret!

What follows is information that may be of interest to all of you foreigners out there who are contemplating a surprise land invasion on my  beloved country:

 www.guardian.co.ukhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/jul/22/gun-homicides-ownership-world-list. The Small Arms Survey is also useful - although it is from 2007, it collates civilian gun ownership rates for 178 countries around the world, and has 'normalised' the data to include a rate per 100,000 population.

It shows that:

With less than 5% of the world's population, the United States is home to roughly 35–50 per cent of the world's civilian-owned guns, heavily skewing the global geography of firearms and any relative comparison

So, given those caveats, we can see which countries have the highest ownership rates for firearms - and which have the highest gun murder rates.

The key facts are:

• The US has the highest gun ownership rate in the world - an average of 88 per 100 people. That puts it first in the world for gun ownership - and even the number two country, Yemen, has significantly fewer - 54.8 per 100 people
• But the US does not have the worst firearm murder rate - that prize belongs to Honduras, El Salvador and Jamaica. In fact, the US is number 28, with a rate of 2.97 per 100,000 people
• Puerto Rico tops the world's table for firearms murders as a percentage of all homicides - 94.8%. It's followed by Sierra Leone in Africa and Saint Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean

Here is what I found while doing a Google Search on Spokane, WA:

Spokane

Washington

Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County, of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region. Wikipedia

Area: 58.5 sq miles (151.5 km²) Population: 210,103 (2011) -

"... 88 per 100 people" is A LOT OF CIVILIAN FIREPOWER!!! Based on this, there would be approximately 176,000 guns in Spokane, Washington, alone! If you consider that each gun, on average, would have at least twenty ( 20 ) bullets available at-the-ready, those enemy paratroopers would be looking down ( and they wouldn't have to squint for long ) at approximately 3,520,000 bullets coming-up to greet them! Those suicidal and very stupid paratroopers would just be "sitting ducks" ( or should that be, "floating ducks" ) to the armed citizenry of Spokane---Woo-Hoo, it's Open Season time, folks! And we don't need no Gosh-Darn permit!! Let's go git dem yellow varmints, y'all!!! Hee-haw. Yippee ki-yay, motherf-ckers!

As for myself, I have a rifle, a Rambo knife and two machetes. Ha, ha, ha. And I'm thinking about getting two handguns, a Glock and a Medusa, someday. And when I move out of California sometime in the future, I'll be sure to put a Calico rifle and a Calico handgun on top of my To-Buy List! And I'm gonna get a shotgun, an assault rifle, a high-velocity pellet rifle, a bow and arrow set, a crossbow and a slingshot, too. ( Where's Santa Claus when I need him? ) But I'm still thinking about whether or not I should get myself a blowgun on top of everything else. LOL

word of advice: Do your research first. Then, work on your contingency plans.

tidbits:  I was gonna get a Lite Bite at the concessions counter but they don't fill-up the whole box with popcorn! They leave room for the small cup of soda to go in it. I complained to a manager about it, that at their sister theatre in San Francisco, CA, the CENTURY SAN FRANCISCO CENTRE 9 and X-D, the clerks would fill-up the box with popcorn and hand you the cup separately. The manager said that they used to fill-up the box with popcorn but got in trouble for doing it that way---Whatever .... I told him that I was gonna go on-line and complain about it. This theatre's got some nerve trying to cheat on Cine-Man, the well-experienced movie-goer.

Since today is Thanksgiving Day, I thank God that I live in such a great country,The Greatest Country in the World--even with a usurper in place. GOD BLESS AMERICA, the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave!!!

These colors don't run!

*

LIFE OF PI in 3-D, PG ( 2 hr & 5 min )

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I went to see this on Wednesday, November 21st, 2012, here in Vallejo, CA, at the CENTURY 14 VALLEJO for the 10:20 p.m. 3-D show in auditorium 2, 5th row, 4th seat.

Quickie Review:  Lost at sea for months after a storm sank his ship and drowned everyone else, Pi ( Suraj Sharma ) must find a way to keep his sole companion on a lifeboat, a Bengal Tiger, from eating him alive.

The audience liked this movie. But it didn't get a "Hands Clapper" ending.

I liked this visually stunning movie, too. It is such a sumptuous visual treat--kinda like an "all-you-can-eat buffet" for the eyes. Go see this movie.

I liked the scene where Pi threw a flying fish at the tiger.

I liked the scene where Pi and the Tiger took turns marking their territories.

I liked the scene with the whale.

And I liked the Doldrums scene.

Last, but certainly not least, I liked Pi's love interest! She is one hot spice gal.

I cannot say any more about the movie or I will spoil it for you in a major way. Just go see this "Popcorn" movie and enjoy ....

I feel that this movie will get nominated for at least two Oscars. 'Can't wait to see how my Oscar prediction turns out!

No animals were actually killed or harmed in the making of this movie--at least, that is what the disclaimer would have you believe. But it has some really intense scenes involving animals. Although the scene wherein a Meerkat got eaten by the tiger was obviously a fake!

*

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN--PART 2, PG-13 ( 1 hr & 56 min )

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I went to see this today, Thursday, November 15th, 2012, here in Vallejo, CA, at the CENTURY 14 VALLEJO, for the 11:15 p.m. show in auditorium 5, 3rd row, 7th column.

Quickie Review:  Bella ( Kristen Stewart ) wakes up as a vampire from her life-threatening labor. And she learns that her daughter, Renesmee, is part mortal and part immortal who grows at an accelerated rate. When the Volturi receive word of the newborn, they decide to put an end to the abomination by sentencing everybody in the Cullen Coven to death. Bella, Edward ( Robert Pattinson ) and the rest of the Cullens seek help from other vampires scattered all around the world in anticipation of a seemingly inevitable kill-or-be-killed conflict with the Volturi.

The audience, mostly female--because it's a Chick Flick movie, duh--liked this. And some of them gave it a "Hands Clapper" ending.

I liked it enough. This is the best in the series, in terms of Directing, Acting, and Special Effects--but not by much! ( But the Pacing still needed some work, though. ) Go see it if you're a Twilight fan--or if you're a girl!

Here are the things that I found wrong in this movie:  When Bella was running through the forest, she watched a flower go from bud to full bloom. Ah, excuse me. But the only way that Bella could have noticed the flower go from bud to full bloom was if she was running very slowly, so slowly that even a lowly snail could run circles around her with each step that she'd take! The forest floor is not smooth and even; meaning, they should have tripped and fallen a few times as they ran through the forest ( and remember, crushed leaves and weeds can be quite slippery ). When she jumped down from the cliff, her short skirt should have balloned-up and exposed her panties--I'm assuming, of course, that she was wearing one in the first place. Ha, ha, ha. If vampires don't breathe, then they don't have the ability to speak at all--I already mentioned this in my blog on DYLAN DOG: DEAD OF NIGHT ( May, 2011 ). Edward said, "Let's give them some privacy." Privacy, my butt--they all have super-sharp hearing and can hear a pin drop in another room! Why didn't Bella's father comment about the difference in her body temperature? Wow, what a lovely, remarkable daughter, Renesmee, you have there--Opps! she just had her period again. Hey, Bella, is your daughter gonna have a period every hour? 'Better stock-up on "blood rags", then. No wonder this dog keeps following your daughter around! LOL. Why didn't the Japanese vampire know of any Karate moves? I can understand why the vampires didn't show any breath condensation in the confrontation scene; but the little girl and the werewolves could breathe and should have produced breath condensation! I don't care how fast the vampires could run; they shouldn't be able to run that fast on snow-covered ground.

I found this on www.fandango.com.

The above photo is of a scene near the end of the movie. If you pay close attention to the Close-Up Shot of Bella's face, you will definitey notice that she's got crud in-between all of her teeth---Yuck! Disgusting!! If I were Edward kissing Bella in that scene, I would have vomited into her mouth!!!

********************************************************************

I got off from work at 8:45 p.m.--overtime pay--because I had to help somebody in my department finish his closing duties.

I drove to the theatre to buy my movie ticket so that I wouldn't have to wait in line for the movie to start.

Then, I decided to have dinner at a Mexican fast-food restaurant, the Chicken Express on the corner of Broadway and Redwood Streets here in Vallejo. I had the Chicken Taco Salad Meal for $7.58; it comes with a small bag of Tortilla Chips and a small drink ( I had the Raspberry Tea ). I always come to this place whenever I have a craving for Fresh Salsa. They have four kinds of salsa: Two mild ones and two hot ones. And you could have as much of the fresh salsa as you'd like--I'd always get a lot because they're delicious and fresh.

I swung back to my condo just to rest-up as I waited for when it was time for me to go to the theatre.

Since I didn't have to wait in line, I walked right in. I went to the Concessions Counter to buy a $4.50 20.0 oz VitaminWater Revive ( revive--how apropo ) to drink along with the smuggled-in $1.00 3.1 oz Cookie Dough Cupcake Bites that I bought at the local Dollar Tree Store over a year ago ( and it still tasted good, by the way ).

I found this somewhere on the Internet---How fitting!!! Ha, ha, ha.

*

SKYFALL, PG-13 ( 2 hr & 23 min )

I like this poster the best--oh, yeah--even though the date on it is wrong.

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I went to see this today, Tuesday, November 13th, 2012, here in Vallejo, CA, at the CENTURY 14 VALLEJO, for the 3:45 p.m. show in auditorium 8, 6th row, 8ht column.

Quickie Review:  When James Bond ( Daniel Craig ) fails to retrieve a hard drive, MI-6's security gets breached and its headquarters get bombed. And undercover secret agents all over the world get exposed and killed one-by-one. M ( Judi Dench ) turns to the one agent that she can trust to get to the bottom of things: Bond, a.k.a. 007. What Bond uncovers is something hidden from M's past that has now come back to haunt and torment her.

The audience liked this movie but nobody gave it a "Hands Clapper" ending.

I liked this movie but not as much as the rest of the audience did. This 007 is different from the previous 007s: The other 007s would always get the girl ( I think ); but this 007 would always get the girl ... killed--it seems! What a skewed predilection this 007 has! Anyway, go see this movie if you're a die-hard James Bond fan.

Here are the things that I found wrong in this movie: When James Bond was operating the Back Hoe Construction Vehicle, the bad guy shot him in the right chest; and a later scene showed that the bullet had exited his body at the back. So, why was he able to fight normally? When he fell into the water, there was no blood flowing out of his bullet wounds. Bond should have told Eve ( Naomie Harris ) to put half on Red and half on Black. James Bond said, "What a waste of Scotch!" I would have said, What a waste of pu---Never mind! Silva's ( Javier Bardem ) face was badly deformed by Hydrogen Cyanide poisoning, to the point that his Infra-Orbital Nerves were damaged and the Facial Muscles associated with them became atrophied. Therefore, no Oral/Maxillofacial Prosthesis of any kind could ever effectively remedy such a deformity! When he was in the tunnel, he should not have been able to run away from the blast of the explosion. Why did they use a flashlight in the dark when they knew that the bad guys were looking for them? And whatever happened to the barking dogs? No bad guy had the forethought to bring along some Thermal Imaging Scope and/or Night Vision Goggles. That knife was not a throwing knife and should not have hit its target the way it did. There was no way that the hand-thrown knife could have penetrated the Spinal Column all the way through, dead-center. The knife looked like it penetrated T-5 ( Thoracic Vertebra # 5 ) all the way through. The diameter of the Spinal Cord in the Thoracic Region of the Spine is approximately half an inch. And the knife's blade's thickness was probably a quarter inch. Therefore, when the knife penetrated the Spinal Cord in the Thoracic Region, Nerve Impulses to all the Muscles and Organs from the Arms all the way down to the Legs would have all been greatly impaired because of the severe damage done to the Spinal Cord! In other words, I don't think that the bad guy could even have walked from that moment on!!!

I've said this before. Now, I'll say it again: They should have hired my services as Cine-Man, technical consultant!

***********************************************

At 7:30 a.m., I called my Periodontist's clinic to see if they could squeeze me in today for some emergency dental work. They scheduled me to come in at 10:00 a.m.

After I took a shower, I went to the post office to buy money orders as my payment on two property taxes.

Then, I went to my Periodontist's clinic. I had to park at the very far end, around the corner, because everybody went to the dentist/periodontist today. I guess it is because yesterday, Monday, was a holiday.

My Periodontist's new associate, a young and beautiful Chinese-American, took care of me. With the use of her laptop, she showed me my x-ray result: There was no way of saving the tooth because of the cavity on the Medial side of Tooth # 5 and the bone loss in the surrounding area. She extracted the tooth and put some Grafting Material in the area to stabilize Teeth #s 4 and 6, just in case I decide on having an implant put in later on. But I don't think that that will be a good option for me because of my history of Advanced Periodontal Disease.

I decided on getting a partial someday. And since I used to be a Dental Lab Tech, I would like to make the Partial Denture myself, if the lab that I used to work at 16 years ago will let me.

After the tooth extraction, I went to the Safeway Supermarket on Admiral Callaghan Lane, just two buildings in front of my Periodontist's clinic, to get my prescriptions filled. Then, I went to the Fed-Ex Kinko's Store across the parking lot from Safeway to get some xerox copies made. I went back to Safeway to pick-up my prescriptions.

Then, I went back to the post office to drop-off my payments.

And I went to AAA, just a few blocks away, to pay on my car insurance and to get another Vallejo/Benicia/Napa area map since I gave my last one to some from-out-of-town lady.

Before going to see this movie, I decided to have lunch at the MacDonald's Restaurant in the Target Shopping Center on Admiral Callaghan Lane here in Vallejo, CA.

This is the side entrance of MacDonald's. They just got done remodeling the place a few days ago. They're competing with Starbucks at the opposite end of this shopping center. Because, just like at Starbucks, they now have electrical outlets for people who want to use their laptops while dining here.

While watching this movie, I was dozing on and off because my pain medication was making me sleepy.

I came back to this restaurant after the movie to finish-up my blog on LINCOLN and to start my blog on this movie. There was a loud drunk inside the restaurant who was just making a fool of himself. They asked him to leave. He left; and he came back. They asked him to leave again. He left but came back later on. They asked him to leave for the last and final time at around 9:30 p.m.

Before going home, I went back to the Admiral Callaghan Lane Safeway Supermarket to buy a banana, an avocado, and a 1.75 qt. of Safeway Select Lemon Cheesecake Ice Cream ( hmm, yummy-licious ... ).

*

LINCOLN, PG-13 ( 2 hr & 29 min )

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If you notice the date on this photo, it is from last week when I came here for the very first time to see a movie. The movie was Denzel Washington's FLIGHT. He did a good job of portraying a pilot who is an alcoholic and a drug addict. But I think that his character was just too much to be believable; it was more like a parody sketch, if you ask me. 'Sorry for the blurry shot. I will try and set my digital camera at 400 asa speed next time.

I went to see this today, Monday, November 12th, 2012, in San Francisco, CA, at the CENTURY SAN FRANCISCO CENTRE 9 and X-D on the 5th floor of the Westfield Shopping Center, for the 5:50 p.m. show in auditorium 1, 7th row, 9th column ( seat number 18--I count from the left ).

Quickie Review: With the Civil War into its fourth year, President Lincoln finds himself with the moral and ethical duty to get the 13th Amendment to The US Constitution, which guarantees freedom and equality for slaves, passed by the House Committee.

The audience liked this movie. And many of them gave this movie a "Hands Clapper" ending.

I liked this movie, too. It goes into the subject more than what any US History book could do. I would highly recommend this to all of you US History buffs out there.

Daniel Day-Lewis did a superbly stellar job in portraying our beloved 16th President--he even looks like the President! When you see this movie, you don't see Daniel Day-Lewis; you see President Lincoln, himself. How uncanny. He is a very strong contender for Best Actor in the upcoming Oscars.

The only thing that I didn't like about this movie are the last two scenes which, in my own opinion, should have been switched around. Better yet, the Assassination scene should have been completely cut-out and left on the cutting-room floor ( it just looked out of place, to begin with )!

*********************************************

I had a chiropractor's appointment first thing in the morning, at 8:30 a.m.

After my spinal adjustment, I called my dentist to see if he could see me today for a tooth that had been bothering me for the last few days. But they could not squeeze me into their schedule.

Then, I went to the Dollar Tree Store across from my chiropractor's clinic on Sonoma Boulevard here in Vallejo, CA.

And I went to Max's of Manila Restaurant, just around the corner from the Dollar Tree Store, to have a Pilipino Buffet Breakfast.

I decided to see WRECK-IT RALPH once again, here in Vallejo, CA, as I waited for my food to get digested. There were a lot of brats in the auditorium with me because today is a Veterans' Day holiday. The brats and their parents really like the movie. The very annoying boy brat seated directly behind me kicked the back of my seat a few times. Why don't their irresponsible parents teach their brats some manners before they're forced to learn manners the hard way? The girl brat seated four seats to my right was dancing to the music during the Ending Credits--that was cute, I suppose.

As I stepped-out of the theatre, this is what I saw:

This van has Barbie Dolls--naked ones!!!--all over the rooftop and on its rear bumper. This van belongs to the owner of  a Barbie Doll Art Shop here in Vallejo, CA. The website is www.ooakbarbies.com. Go check it out! Any Barbie Doll fans out there ...?

I went home afterward to take a quick shower and to wait for the time when I will need to leave for my afternoon doctor's appointment in San Francisco.

I drove to the El Cerrito Del Norte Bart Train Station to catch the 3:16 p.m. San Francisco bound Bart train.

While the train was in transit, I got a message on my cellphone from a coworker of mine. But it was just too noisy in the train to hear what he had to say.

Presently, at one of the Berkeley Bart Train Stations, a beautiful blonde sat next to me, even though there were other available seats in that particular car. But I was not in a social mood since my tooth was really bothering me. Even though I applied some topical pain killer, Anbesol, on it before I left my condo, I was still in pain and was not about to chat-up anybody! I just sat there doing my Zhunti Mantra--I don't even think that my mantra work counted for any Karmic Merit at all since I did it while I was in pain, i.e. my mind was not really into it because of the pain.

When I got to San Francisco, I decided to while the time away at Posh Bagel Shop on Sutter Street before I was due for my 4:45 p.m. medical doctor's appointment. I bought a bottle of GT's Raw Kombucha Synergy Gingerberry to drink while I was there. I checked on my coworker's message once again.

I walked across the street to the 7-Eleven Store to buy a top-up card for my cellphone so that I could call my coworker. I stepped outside the store and there, on the corner of Kearney and Sutter, I called my co-worker.

And as I walked toward my doctor's clinic, I talked with my co-worker on the 'phone. He wanted me to "walk him through" the Cut, Copy and Paste functions of his computer. You see, yesterday, I wrote a letter to his Pilipina fiancee in the Philippines in the Cebuano language to convince her to fly here to San Francisco, her port of entry, instead of to Chicago where her "Evil Witch" employer will wait and see her Fiancee Visa jeopardized and cause her to be refused entry. I sent the letter ( along with its English translation ) off to my coworker's Facebook page because I didn't have his fiancee's e-mail address. And I told him to just Copy and Paste it to an e-mail that he'll send off to her. But he didn't know how to do it so he called me on my cellphone.

( I just learned how to Cut, Copy and Paste last year, after I've been using my computer for four years! Well, at least, I learned it strictly on my own. )

I've got about three more weekly appointments with this San Francisco doctor. I'm not really at liberty to divulge the nature of my medical appointments at this time. Maybe, someday ....

On my way to the theatre, I almost got hit by some asshole on a bicycle! Three cyclists crossed a red light on Market Street just as us pedestrians started to walk across. One of these days, I will carry a stick with me and push it through a bicycle's rear wheel if some asshole, idiot cyclist decides to cross on a red light in front of me. The last time I checked, cyclist must also obey the rules of the road AND GO WITH TRAFFIC!!! Why don't the cops do something about this rampant traffic hazard?

When I arrived at the theatre, I noticed a long line of people over on the right side of the main lobby. I went to a concessions counter clerk to ask about it. He said, rather curtly, that it was for an advanced screening for a movie. Which one, I asked. He didn't know. He told me to go to the ticket counter to find out what the 7:00 p.m. advanced screening was for.

The box office clerk at the ticket counter didn't know what the advanced screening was for. He seemed annoyed that I would ask him about it. I suppose the idiot wasn't the one who sold tickets to a whole bunch of movie-goers waiting in line to see an advanced screening.

I went to the ticket-taker and told her that I was just entering first to use the men's room then I was coming back out to buy something at the concessions counter. And I asked her what the advanced screening was for. She said that it was for the movie, LIFE OF PI. Finally! a movie clerk who knew what was going on.

At the concessions counter, I bought a $6.50 Lite Bite. It's kinda like an "upgrade" from a Kid's Pack, but with more popcorn and one's choice of Jamba Juice Trail Mix or Beef Jerky. But, the drink still comes in a small size; I made myself a Diet Coke/Coke Zero combo with one piece of  ice cube in it! And I didn't go to the curt clerk's register to pay for my purchase; I went to a female concessions clerk's register, instead.

On the train ride back to the El Cerrito Del Norte Bart Train Station, the gum area around my # 5 tooth was really inflamed. I was in "near-tears" pain! The Anbesol topical pain killer wasn't doing its job.

I will have to go to my periodontist tomorrow morning and have this problem tooth removed!


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