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!

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