MOVIE 43, R ( 1 hr & 34 min )

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where:  CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when:  Wednesday, January 30th, 2013
show:  11:25 a.m. ( Extra-Dollar Off First Show Matinee )
costs:  $6.50 Ticket + $3.75 20.0 oz Dasani Water = $10.25
auditorium:  13
seat:  7th row ( counting from the front ), 7th column ( counting from the left )

synopsis/overview:  A desperate wannabe movie scriptwriter pitches his movie idea, a series of vignettes, to a reluctant Hollywood studio producer.

noteworthy scenes:  1.) Movie pitch; 2.) Testicular Sac; 3.) Stutter; 4.) Chilly; 5.) Posing for a picture; 6.) Forehead kiss; 7.) Home schooled; 8.) Emotional scars; 9.) First kiss; 10.) Date; 11.) Poop; 12.) Mexican food; 13.) Accident; 14.) "My film pushes the edge of the envelope"; 15.) "I'm not being cryptic here"; 16.) P.A. system; 17.) i-Babe 1; 18.) Speed dating; 19.) Vending machines; 20.) The vent; 21.) i-Babe 2; 22.) Period; 23.) Tampax commercial; 24.) "This century's HOWARD, THE DUCK"; 25.) Leprechaun; 26.) Fairy; 27.) Studio parking lot confrontation; 28.) Truth or Dare; 29.) Studio shoot; 30.) Basketball game; 31.)Jealous cat; and 32.) Children's outdoor party.

favorite vignettes:  I liked The Testicular Sac vignette

I liked the i-Babe 1 vignette

I liked the i-Babe 2 vignette

I liked the Truth Or Dare vignette

and I liked the Basketball vignette.

audience reaction:  There was an old gentleman in the auditorium with me, the only other person in the audience beside myself. He sat in the 5th row. At first, he enjoyed the movie, it seemed. Then, he got up and left, never to return again.

recommendation:  I liked some of the vignettes in this movie.  But some other vignettes really "pushed the envelope" in the Decency and Morality Department.  This movie is geared toward the Teen and Pre-teen Demographics.

spoiler alert!  For the better part, this movie's vignettes are stupid, gross, vulgar, repulsive, improbable and preposterous! The humor is juvenile and highly UNREFINED.

fyi:  In the Testicular Sac vignette, you will notice on the wall next to the Maitre d' a charcoal portrait of a man. As a charcoal portrait artist, myself, that portrait was very substandard in quality to my highly-trained and discerning eye. In charcoal portraiture, the artist only has a specific medium: Black Charcoal. If an artist doesn't have the skill and/or wherewithal to express on paper the subtle nuances of a charcoal's variegated spectrum, such an artist should switch to a different medium or try mixed media, instead!

Years ago, back when I dated an Iranian-Jew college classmate, I had a "Jealous Cat" experience when I took my date home to watch TV with me. As we sat in the living room watching TV, my orange tabby Manx cat, Winky, jumped on the couch--'totally ignored my date--and walked across my date's lap and wedged himself between me and my date. And he reached up and licked my lips--a cat-style French Kiss! Ha, ha, ha.

word of advice:  Know the boundaries of common decency.

tidbits:  I went to see this after I got off from work. It was my first day back to work after I hurt my back. I was on "work-modified" duty and only worked half a day.

After the movie, I went to my Chiropractor for a spinal adjustment. I will have to see him again on Friday.

*

THE IMPOSSIBLE, PG-13 ( 1 hr & 43 min )

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where:  BRENDEN VACAVILLE 16 in Vacaville, CA
when:  Tuesday, January 29th, 2013
show:  5:00 p.m.
costs:  $6.00 Ticket + $3.50 20.0 oz Aquafina Water + $4.95 Starbucks' Protein Bistro Box + $1.95 23.7 oz Ethos Water = $16.40
auditorium:  15
seat:  3rd row ( counting from the front ), 7th row ( counting from the left )

synopsis/overview: In December of 2004, a family of five vacations in Thailand for the Holidays. What was meant to be a wonderful vacation turns into a nightmarish ordeal for the family when a tsunami hits the resort the day after Christmas. Based on a true story.

noteworthy scenes:  1.) The alarm; 2.) "I wonder who he takes after"; 3.) "You don't look Japanese"; 4.) Christmas presents; 5.) Tsunami; 6.) Injuries; 7.) Aftermath; 8.) Little boy lost; 9.) Tree; 10.) Village; 11.) Hospital; 12.) "What color is it"; 13.) Cough; 14.) Names; 15.) Children's area; 16.) The ball; 17.) Hotel room; 18.) "Scariest part"; 19.) Cellphone; 20.) "I can't stop looking"; 21.) "I found a note from my wife"; 22.) 'Phone call; 23.) "Can I go with you"; 24.) "How old are you"; 25.) Stars; 26.) Watch and jewelry; 27.) "She lost a lot of blood"; 28.) Corpses; 29.) "Where are my kids"; 30.) Boy and dad; 31.) Leg; 32.) Five minutes; 33.) "I need to pee"; 34.) The brothers; 35.) "Let's go. No need to wait"; 36.) "Am I dead"; 37.) "There's one thing I didn't tell mom"; 38.) "I have a family, too. I've been saving my strength because I want to see them again one more time"; 39.) Flashback; 40.) Dream; 41.) Airplane; 42.) Scene of devastation; and 43.) Picture of the real family at the start of the Ending Credits.

favorite scenes:  I liked the scenes with the tsunami.

prediction:  Naomi Watts will win an Oscar for Best Actress with her stellar performance in this movie.

audience reaction:  The audience liked it. But it didn't get a "Hands Clapper" ending.

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

spoiler alert!  Okay, how come nobody was swatting at mosquitoes? Why wasn't he affected by the foul stench of the corpses' putrefying flesh when he looked at the faces of the victims laid out in the hot and humid weather? Why was the water in the dream sequence crystal-clear ( symbolism, perhaps )?

fyi: I liked this better than Clint Eastwood's version, HEREAFTER ( 2010 ). You might want to re-read what I wrote about that movie in the fyi: section of my blog.

I thought I heard Hawaiian music in one scene of this movie. The song list in the Ending Credits confirmed it for me. It was a song by the Hawaiian ukulele legend, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. This last Friday, January 25th, the Vallejo Times Herald did a feature on his nephew who lives and teaches ukulele lessons somewhere here in Solano County, of which Vallejo is a part of.

Here's one little fact that you may not have known of: A native Thai lived close to where a crocodile had its territory. They knew each other by sight, as they would see each other everyday as the man would go about this daily business. And both of them were swept-off to sea by the tsunami. The crocodile saved the man's life when it swam past him so that he was able to hitch a ride back to shore on it!

word of advice: Beachfront resorts are not always the best place to be at.

tidbits:  The movie started the moment I stepped inside the auditorium. You know what that means. Yes, that's right. Nineteen minutes of previews, instead of the usual ten! But I'm not complaining this time--just this time.

After the movie, I went to the Starbucks across the parking lot from the theatre to blog about this movie. It was my first time here.

*

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, R ( 2 hr & 2 min )

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I went to see this today, Tuesday, January 29th, 2013, in Fairfield, CA, at the EDWARDS FAIRFIELD STADIUM 16 & I-MAX for the 1:00 p.m. show in auditorium 1, 3rd row ( counting from the front ), 9th column ( counting from the left ).

Quickie Review: Patrick ( Bradley Cooper ) loses his job, his wife and his house when he is forced to spend eight months in a state institution on a plea bargain deal because of his violent reaction to a personal matter. After his release, he moves back in with his parents who only want the best for him and want to have some quality time with him by sharing in their passion for their hometown team, the Philadelphia Eagles football team. And along comes Tiffany ( Jennifer Lawrence ), a broken soul fresh from a personal tragedy and a downward spiral into a state of no self-worth. Pat and Tiff make a deal to help each other out. And they come to realize that "every dark cloud has a silver lining."

They audience liked it. But it didn't get a "Hands Clapper" ending.

I liked this movie, too. Go see this if you're into Love Story Movies.

I liked the Metallica Metal Death scene.

I liked the Juju Explanation scene.

I liked the Ballroom Dance scene.

Here's what I found wrong in this movie:  They spent an inordinate amount of time in the middle of the street in several scenes yet not one car came driving by!

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I didn't want to see this movie at first because it's a Chick Flick. But I visited my other sister, the one who lives here in Fairfield, CA, last Sunday; and she told me to go see this movie.

In the parking lot of the theatre, some woman parked in the Handicap Zone. Yep, she had her Handicap Decal on, but from the way she ran toward the theatre, she looked like there was nothing wrong with her at all. She even wore a track suit and a pair of jogging shoes!!! The nerve of her ....

This movie is not in my world-famous standard format because I decided to just "popcorn" it. You know, just sit back with a bag of popcorn and a drink, and just totally enjoy the movie from an average Joe's perspective.

But as soon as the movie got "into it", it was already too late for me to start taking some serious notes--I had a medium sized popcorn with butter which took me a long time to finish eating.

After the movie, I noticed something quite odd outside of the theatre in the area below the marquee: No pigeon poop at all--not even one drop! It can only mean one of three things: The management had some employees clean-up the poop, they used some kind of deterrent or they shot all of the damn, stupid poop-happy birds!!!

*

HANSEL AND GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS, R ( 1 hr & 28 min )

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I went to see this movie today, Sunday, January 27th, 2013, here in Vallejo, CA, for the 11:15 a.m. "extra-dollar-off" first show matinee at the CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in auditorium 14, 5th row ( counting from the front ), 9th column ( counting from the left ).

Quickie Review: In this retelling of a classic fairy tale, Hansel ( Jeremy Renner ) and Gretel ( Gemma Arterton ) find their "calling" in life after they kill the witch who lives in a cottage made out of candy.

Some people in the audience seemed to like it, especially the scene wherein the Sheriff ( Peter Stormare ) was head-butted by Gretel--some women clapped their hands when they saw that one!

I liked it enough. Go see this movie to find out the new "spin" that they put on this classic tale.

But, after the movie ended, a man said, "Boring," as he was leaving the auditorium.

There's a Bonus Scene at the start of the Ending Credits.

I liked the Cleavage scene.

Here are some things that I found wrong in this movie:  Shouldn't that cottage made out of candy have been crawling with ants? Living in the middle of a forest doesn't provide any aspiring future lock-picker the opportunity to practice, broaden and hone his/her skills. So, how was the little girl able to pick the lock so easily? In a forest fight scene, a log rolled easily, giving away the fact that it was just a movie prop. Hansel needed a "sugar sickness" shot every eight hours or less, and he was dangling from a tree overnight; yet, he felt fine after he freed himself from the embarrassing predicament. Those witches possessed inhuman strength, and could easily kill any normal human foolish enough to pick a fight with them. The dialogues were too modern for such a "period piece".

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Boy! having a hurt back sure ain't fun. Sleeping and rising out of bed were quite a pain-in-the-back--literally! I used my percussion massager to help ease the pain. And, out of desperation, I popped an Excedrin Back and Body Extra Strength Pain Reliever capsule in my mouth; even though it expired in May of last year---Hey! I was desperate for some relief. But something about that expired medication made me cough repeatedly for the next three hours.

Getting in and out of my car, and looking over my right shoulder while changing lanes, were quite a pain-in-the-back, too!

After the movie and before I started this blog at the MacDonald's Restaurant in the Target Shopping Center on Admiral Callaghan Lane here in Vallejo, I had the disgustingly unpleasant experience of watching an Internet video--out of curiosity--of a girl who put her bloody tampon into her mouth and sucked on it REPEATEDLY---Yuck! Gross .... And, to think, I dipped my Daily Double Burger in Tomato Ketchup as I watched the video---Double Yuck!! ( To preserve what little dignity she has left--if there's any left at all--I will only mention her initials as: G. P. )

( Now, if you'll excuse me, I think that I'm gonna go throw-up!!! )

*

PARKER, R ( 1 hr & 58 min )

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where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Thursday, January 24th, 2013
show:  10:15 p.m.
costs:  $10.50 Ticket + $4.50 1-litre Dasani Water = $15.00
auditorium:  3
seat:  3rd row ( from the front ), 6th column ( from the left )

synopsis/overview:  Parker ( Jason Statham ), a professional thief, is double-crossed by his own partners in crime and left for dead. He tracks them down to Palm Beach. There, with the help of Leslie ( Jennifer Lopez ), an unlikely accomplice, he exacts his revenge.

noteworthy scenes:  1.) Ohio State Fair; 2.) "Thank you, Father"; 3.) Double-cross; 4.) Hospital; 5.) Demerol; 6.) "It's not the size, it's how you use it"; 7.) "It's small but it hurts"; 8.) "He's not as independent as I thought"; 9.) "I always follow through"; 10.) "Plus, there's the posthumous humiliation of being killed by a chair"; 11.) "It's a condo, Ma"; 12.) "He's alive"; 13.) "We need five for the job. We can get by with four. We can't work with three"; 14.) "I'm the one who should be jealous: He called you first";15.) Intruder; 16.) Coffee shop; 17.) "I'm like Sweden"; 18.) Ecuador; 19.) "Keep going"; 20.) "It's the principle"; 21.) "I can't believe you just stole her  client"; 22.) "You can leave, Claire ( Emma Booth ). No one will blame you"; 23.) "Sold me the whole dream"; 24.) "I have other plans"; 25.) Background check; 26.) "Nice new carpet"; 27.) "If you're free, maybe we can go for a drink now"; 28.) "Less than two months old"; 29.) "Six months old"; 30.) "I can help you"; 31.) "Take off your clothes"; 32.) "Let's just stick to business"; 33.) "I never said that, Leslie. You did"; 34.) Auction venue; 35.) "I don't drink coffee after 7:00"; 36.) Fight; 37.) "It's sort of official"; 38.) Blood; 39.) "Dogs like me"; 40.) You-View Boca Raton video clip; 41.) "You're in no shape to do anything"; 42.) Diversion; 43.) "It's really happening"; 44.) Snooping around; 45.) "Go ahead"; 46.) "Most of them"; 47.) "I never had the chance, did I"; 48.) "It's not about the money"; 49.) "It's the mailman--'nothing but bills"; and 50.) "He was an angel sent here to test us."

favorite scene:  I liked the Bathroom Fight scene. It was well-choreographed.

audience reaction:  N/A. I was all by my lonesome self inside of the auditorium.

recommendation:  I liked this movie. Action Movie fans will surely like this movie.

spoiler alert! Didn't they get their fingerprints and/or their DNA all over those vehicles? Don't emergency vehicles all have LoJack by now? When Parker had the hospital orderly in a headlock, his wrist was too far back. When the garage door of the hide-out was opened, as his ex-partners were coming home, the car's alarm turned-on. I always thought that "take off you clothes" meant taking off every stitch of fabric from one's body--that teaser scene just put an eager smile on my face for nothing--damn ( and to think, I thought she was desperate )! Wouldn't it have been easier and quicker for the hired assassin to just use a gun with a silencer, instead? Why didn't Parker hear and feel the hired assassin charge at him from the back--did the bad guy take off his shoes first and then tippy-toe up to Parker for a sneak attack? How was he able to fight well despite all of his recent wounds and injuries? Shouldn't he have fainted for lack of sufficient blood? She put a pot of water on the coffee maker's heat plate instead of in its reservoir. You would think that she saw her own mom make coffee enough times to know better than to do that. How did all of those fireworks get stuffed inside the speakers? Am I to believe that those were multi-million dollar mansions without guard dogs and/or sophisticated security systems? Maybe the rich folks had all fallen on hard times and were forced to cut back on stuff. Were the packages insured for the full amount before they were sent off? Lastly, the Ending Credits list a "Hair Stylist" for Jason Statham--go figure ....

fyi:  Back in 1996, for Halloween, my place of employment was decorated with Halloween-related stuff. And hay bales were lined-up against the front wall. I looked at all the bales and noticed that there were cigarette butts littered all over the walkway. That can't be safe, I said to myself, It's a fire hazard. I called the local Fire Marshall and had him come over to inspect the hay bale display. It turned out that the bales were treated with a flame-retardant chemical. Just about everybody at work gave me a hard time about it.

The actor playing the part of a security guard sure looks like Shia LaBeouf. Ha, ha, ha. Maybe it is Shia, himself, working just bit-parts nowadays because he can't get major parts after he was dumped from the TRANSFORMERS franchise. ( And ... you read it here first---Natch! )

Seven or eight years ago, I was sent a considerable amount of cash in a fully-insured package via Fed-Ex. It sure was a weird feeling for me to receive cash in such a way! The money is all gone now, unfortunately. But I still get weirded-out to this day whenever I think about how it was sent to me.

word of advice:  Stick to the plan.

tidbits: If Jason Statham were a cat, he would be this bad and mean mouse-killer:

I found this somewhere on the Internet. I crack-up every time I look at this funny picture!!!

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I took this picture a day after the supermarket's grand opening day. I was here last night, a Wednesday, on my way home from work to buy a frozen tray of lasagna for $5.00 and a tray of 8-pc. fried chicken for $3.99. I talked to a bakery clerk and to a cashier, and I found out that Food Maxx is a union store after all! So, I stand corrected on what I said in a previous post, the one on ZERO DARK THIRTY.

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I went to the Goin' Postal here in Vallejo, on the corner of Tuolumne and Redwood streets, to pick-up my mail. And I took this picture of the Food Maxx just a few doors down from it.

Last night, a Wednesday, at work, something really hard to believe happened: I hurt my lower back when I used my right hand to adjust my pants at the back.

I didn't go to my Chiropractor today because I thought nothing much of my lower back pain.

And, at work today, I was able to work normally even though my back felt a little sore.

But when the movie ended, as I pushed myself up off my seat with both hands, my back hurt badly. If I were a stallion at a stud farm, I'd probably be shot dead because of it! Thank God that I'm not a horse.

I will have to go to my Chiropractor first thing in the morning to see about this pain.

*

MAMA, PG-13 ( 1 hr & 40 min )

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where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013
show: 2:20 p.m.
costs: $7.50 Ticket + $4.50 1-litre Dasani Water = $12.00
auditorium: 7
seat: 5th row ( from the front ), 9th column ( from the left )

synopsis/overview: Hell hath no fury than a ghost baby mama spurned!

Two little girls who disappeared with their father after their mother was found dead are discovered five years later and are reintroduced into society. They live in a house with their father' ( twin? ) brother, Lucas ( Nikolaj Coster-Waldau ) and his live-in girlfriend, Annabel ( Jessica Chastain ). But what has jealously-kept the girls alive the past five years moves in with them, too.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Road accident; 2.) Cabin; 3.) Supernatural intervention; 4.) Cherry; 5.) Trackers; 6.) Cherry pits; 7.) "Daddy"; 8.) "Mama"; 9.) Case studies; 10.) The story; 11.) "I was in a rock band"; 12.) Dog; 13.) Page 31; 14.) Bedroom playtime; 15.) Flickering lights; 16.) Fall; 17.) Hospital; 18.) "They made that"; 19.) 'Phone call; 20.) "What's funny"; 21.) Closet; 22.) Lullaby; 23.) Human remains; 24.) Behind Annabel; 25.) "Save my girls"; 26.) Moths; 27.) "You can't do that. She gets jealous"; 28.) Bruises; 29.) A need for evidence; 30.) "I have to go"; 31.) "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proofs"; 32.) Dream; 33.) "Victoria, come. Mama ..."; 34.) "I know your name. I know what you want"; 35.) "How'd you get down here"; 36.) "'You like that"; 37.) The closet, once more; 38.) Case file; 39.) Wilson Pass; 40.) Hypnotherapy session; 41.) "Don't look at her, she's mad"; 42.) The nosy aunt; 43.) The old box; and 44.) The cliff.

audience reaction:  I didn't hear a reaction from the audience. But I'm sure that they were kept in suspense throughout the movie.

recommendation:  I didn't find this movie scary in the usual sense. By that, I mean the scenes with the girls crawling around in the dark were scarier--in a creepy sort of way--than the scenes showing the  "Mama" ghost. Horror fans would probably like this.

spoiler alert!  A person who dies willingly by committing suicide won't have a strong "physical" manifestation as a ghost; but a person who doesn't want to die but dies a traumatic death will have a strong "physical" manifestation as a ghost; especially if that person has some "unfinished business" in the physical world. With that said, why didn't the girl's own mother manifest herself? What's with the damn moths?!?!?! A dog's olfactory organ has a very sophisticated scent-processing ability and a very strong scent memory ( 'remember the Bloodhound scene? ). Therefore, the Dachshund should have easily recognized Victoria ( Isabelle Nelisse ) and should have been happily excited upon seeing her again! Do people really keep hammers in their bedroom--whatever happened to keeping a baseball bat handy? ( Too cliche, perhaps. )  Who would venture out in the wilderness at night and all alone--is it a "white people" thing? A ghost with a ninja death-touch! Wow .... That couple has a lot of explaining to do to the authorities concerning what happened in the cabin and at the cliff. I didn't like the Ending--it was kind of a let-down.

fyi: My own mother died at the local Kaiser-Permanente Hospital's ICU on February 3rd, 1996, at 12:45 a.m. But, to this day, I still get "visitations" from her ( yeah, talk about lack of personal privacy--ahem! ). Some stuff of mine would go missing and reappear two or three days later in the same exact spot where I last saw them! And "The Club" steering wheel lock on my car I would find, at times, to have already been unlocked for me the next time that I would get in my car. In fact, today, after I had eaten lunch at Selecta Pilipino Buffet on Springsroad, here in Vallejo, and just about 25 minutes before this movie started, I returned to my car only to find out that "The Club" was already unlocked for me for the "nth" time!

"The Club" steering wheel lock on my 2001 Hyundai Accent first became unlocked by "itself" after I saw Tom Cruise's THE LAST SAMURAI ( 2003 ) at the BRENDEN CONCORD 14 CINEMAS in Concord, CA.

This is like "The Club" steering wheel lock that I have for my car. Except that mine is a dark blue color.

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The thought just occurred to me as I sat watching the Opening Scene: Water is clear but Snow is white--'weird ....

word of advice: Show respect for the dead and give them a decent burial.

tidbits: On the intersection of Admiral Callaghan Lane and Plaza Drive, a few blocks away from this theatre, as I made a left turn, a red Ford Mustang across the intersection made a U-turn and ended-up climbing unto the sidewalk. Either the driver didn't know how to make a proper U-turn or the Ford Mustang just has a big turning radius. No wonder there is a "No U-turn" sign posted at the traffic light--for poorly-skilled idiots like him.

I would have negotiated that U-turn quite easily in my Hyundai Accent!

I called my brother before I went up to the box office to buy a movie ticket. I did so so that he could add my new cellphone number to his contact list and get rid of my old cellphone number.

This theatre has The Hobbit T-shirts on sale at the close-out price of just $5.00. I'm tempted to get one.

*

THE LAST STAND, R ( 1 hr & 46 min )

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where:  CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when:  Thursday, January 17th, 2012
show:  10:30 p.m.
costs:  $10.50 Ticket + $4.50 1-litre Dasani Water = $15.00
auditorium:  10
seat:  4th row ( from the front ), 8ht column ( from the left )

synopsis/overview:  An L. A. narcotics cop moves to a small border town in Arizona, where life is laid-back and where crime is all but nonexistent. But all that changes when a notorious drug kingpin, Gabriel Cortez ( Manuel Noriega ), escapes from an FBI prison convoy and makes a run for it in a souped-up Corvette ZR-1. Only Sheriff  "how-he-got-his-thick-German-accent-I-don't-know" Owens ( Arnold Schwarzenegger ) and his ragtag posse stand between him and freedom.

noteworthy scenes:  1.) One hundred ninety-seven mph; 2.) "I'm undercover"; 3.) Diner; 4.) Target shooting; 5.) Farmer; 6.) "Could you show me how to run these plates"; 7.) Job transfer request; 8.) Prisoner; 9.) Rooftop; 10.) Decoys; 11.) "Put the gun down"; 12.) Interrogation; 13.) Milk; 14.) "Psychopath in a batmobile"; 15.) Checkpoint; 16.) Pro track racer; 17.) Roadblock; 18.) Farmer's house; 19.) "We just lost visual"; 20.) "This is no coincidence"; 21.) Construction site shoot-out; 22.) Night scope; 23.) Mobile assault bridge; 24.) SWAT SUV; 25.) "Looks like you're a little short-handed"; 26.) "Cortez has somebody on the inside"; 27.) "I've seen enough blood and death. I know what's coming"; 28.) "Two conditions"; 29.) "'You think you're fighting in the Crusade"; 30.) "Do you have a stupid name for all your sh-t"; 31.) Light post; 32.) The Sheriff's background; 33.) School bus; 34.) "How are you, Sheriff"; 35.) Rooftop jump; 36.) "Does this mean I'm forgiven"; 37.) Ear; 38.) 'Phone call; 39.) Dropped-off; 40.) Cornfield; 41.) "You f-cked-up my day off"; 42.) Game on; 43.) "Looks like you're both in luck"; 44.) "Swiss bank accounts are not as secret as they used to  be"; 45.) "Keep it. You've earned it"; and 46.) "Next time, don't park it in the fire zone."

I liked the Flare Gun scene.

And I liked the No Trespassing scene.

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

recommendation:  I liked this movie. This Action Movie should be a fun watch for you Arnold fans out there.

spoiler alert!  The "bad guy" on the magnet was a female which you won't see anymore in later scenes! The FBI didn't suspect anything about those three cables running parallel to each other from the top of one building to the top of the next building. A stock Corvette ZR1 with a 638 hp engine has an 18 gallon fuel tank, and an average fuel consumption of 18 mpg; and the distance from Las Vegas, Nevada, to the Mexican Border is 350 miles. So, on a full tank of gas, and driven at an averaged freeway speed, a stock Corvette ZR1 will only have a range of 324 miles, at the most. But, bear in mind, he was driving a souped-up version of a Corvette ZR1 with a 1,000 hp engine which would obviously have a higher fuel consumption than a stock 638 hp engine. In other words, since he was never seen stopping for gas along the way, his Corvette ZR1 would have ran out of gas long before he would have reached the border town in it!!! Ha, ha, ha---Snort! A stock Corvette ZR1 has a maximum speed of 205 mph but the souped-up ZR1 that Cortez was driving could only go 197 mph. Am I missing something here ...? Oh, I know .... The reason why it could only attain 197 mph was because Cortez was just following the engine manufacturer's recommendation to not exceed 200 mph during the "break-in" period! Ha, ha, ha. When he turned-off his Corvette's headlights and taillights, the police helicopter would have still been able to track him by simply scanning the darkened highway with its spotlight until it would spot the telltale sign of the car's rear LIGHT REFLECTORS!!! How come neither cop in the police helicopter had a gun to shoot the bad guy with? Why was there only one police helicopter and just a few police cars involved in the chase? Okay, he's a rich drug kingpin, but he could only afford a cheap cellphone--and one without a voice-command/Bluetooth feature! And doesn't he know that the faster you drive a car, the more you should pay attention to what's in front of you instead of talking on your damn cellphone? Ha, ha, ha. How come nobody saw the bad guys making the bridge, a structure which would have required the use of heavy machinery and the employment of a road construction crew? That girl with the milk in hand sure was stupid and clueless! Wait! was she blonde? If you get hit in the shoulder with a .50 caliber bullet ( which is half an inch in diameter ), you'd most likely lose the arm attached to it! Duh ....  Instead of attacking the Sheriff's legs, he should have used his dagger to strike at the Sheriff's hands--rendering the Sheriff unable to fight. Why didn't the FBI agents come across the woman on their way to the border town since both parties were headed in the same direction? Why didn't any paramedic bandage the wounded shoulder?

Hollywood really needs my services as Cine-Man, Technical Adviser!!!

fyi: And speaking of cheap ( by cheap, I mean affordable not inferior quality ) cellphones, I lost my Virgin Mobile cellphone a few days ago. It probably fell off because its holster's belt clip somehow got detached from my belt. I retraced my steps but none of the businesses that I was at on the day I lost my cellphone had found it.

So, I just bought myself a new and different one: A Tracfone. My Tracfone is way better than my five-year old ( ? ) Virgin Mobile 'phone. I couldn't call anybody in any other country on my old cellphone; but I can call people in over 100 countries on my new one--one of the exceptions is the Philippines ( I don't know why ). My new one takes better pictures. Plus, it is voice-command-, Bluetooth- and mp3- capable, but I really don't need any fancy doodads on my cellphone--I just want it to send and receive 'phone calls and text messages, and be able to take pictures, that's all.

Upon activation of my new cellphone, I got "double minutes" of airtime. Not only that, but my Tracfone comes with a monthly promotional offer wherein I can add a little more than "double minutes" of airtime each month for the whole year! If I take advantage of this promotional offer each and every month, by the end of the year I'll probably have enough airtime for the next three years--sweet!

I also bought a small camera bag for it, the kind with a belt loop so that it won't fall down from my belt. I also did a little improvisation using some elastic hair bands chain-looped together to attach my new cellphone to the camera bag.

Gee-whiz, 197 mph! That's w-a-y fast!!! I've never driven a car faster than 90 mph. Maybe, I should go to Germany and try its Autobahn in a fast car. Heh, heh, heh ....

word of advice:  Don't underestimate your enemy.

tidbits:  I went to the men's room before the movie started so that I could empty my bladder and have an uninterrupted time watching the movie. I was gonna use the first toilet stall. But some idiot lowlife had defecated all over the toilet seat! Not only that, but said idiot lowlife also dumped a whole bunch of toilet seat liners into the bowl before he emptied his bowels into it!! What a lowlife!!! Somebody would have to MANUALLY clean-up that mess--and it wouldn't be funny! I just felt sorry for whoever had to clean that up.

Maybe, as a Yogi, I can put a curse on the idiot lowlife, whoever he is. Yes, that's it. I'll put a curse on him and teach him a lesson he won't soon forget: One day, sooner or later, in a crowded room, the idiot lowlife will have a sudden, unexpected EXPLOSIVE DIARRHEA while wearing a light-colored pair of pants!!! Bwahahahaha--Snort!

*

GANGSTER SQUAD, R ( 1 hr & 50 min )

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where:  CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when:  Monday, January 14th, 2013
show:  4:40 p.m.
costs:  $7.50 Ticket + $3.75 2.5 oz Jamba Tropical Trail Mix + $4.50 1-litre Dasani Water = $15.75
auditorium:  14
seat:  6th row ( from the front ), 4th seat ( from the left )

synopsis/overview:  An ambitious mob boss, Mickey Cohen ( Sean Penn ), wants to own and run Los Angeles, CA, with the help of his thugs, and corrupt cops and politicians. But a war veteran/hero police sergeant, Sgt. O'Mara ( Josh Brolin ), and his hand-picked men, wage a personal war against Cohen to retake Los Angeles.

noteworthy scenes:  1.) "Los Angeles belongs to Mickey Cohen"; 2.) "Welcome to Los Angeles, man"; 3.) Seedy hotel; 4.) Elevator shaft; 5.) "Etiquette tutor"; 6.) "We're losing her to an Eastern enemy"; 7.) "New mission"; 8.) Recruits; 9.) "Los Angeles is my f-cking destiny"; 10.) "One rule"; 11.) Bad cops; 12.) "You can't shoot me. You're a cop"; 13.) "Jailbreak"; 14.) Home invasion; 15.) Target shooting; 16.) Wiretapped; 17.) "I can't believe we're going back to Burbank"; 18.) "You retired"; 19.) "You know the drill"; 20.) "Shove him in the right direction"; 21.) "Stepped-up timetable"; 22.) Pride and joy; 23.) "I'm looking-out for you"; 24.) "Your dad's a genius"; 25.) "We already took care of that"; 26.) Beaten-up police; 27.) Gangster squad; 28.) "Like a dog with rabies"; 29.) Acid; 30.) Chinatown; 31.) "My boxing days are over"; 32.) "Well, Sarge, this is where I get off"; 33.) Bathtub; 34.) Witness; 35.) Warrant; 36.) Hotel lobby; 37.) Fountain; 38.) "Help me aim"; and 39.) Alcatraz.

audience reaction:  The audience seemed "lukewarm" to this movie. But a little, old white lady gave it a "Hands Clapper" ending.

recommendation:  It was okay. But I couldn't help being distracted by Mickey's nose--'something weird about it--whenever it would pop-up on-screen. The movie seemed "run-of-the-mill" to me. You may or may not want to go see this Gangster movie.

spoiler alert!  I really don't think that a hide-away bed, designed with space-saving utility in mind, has enough room in it, in its closed position, for the trapped girl to right herself up and turn around to face forward. Multiple shots were fired inside the jail cell but no bullet ricocheted. Why couldn't the guard dog hear and/or smell them? This movie is not a true depiction of Mickey Cohen's rise and fall as a mob boss. A disclaimer in the Ending Credits says that the characters, events and places in this movie don't bear resemblance to real people, events and places. To Whom It May Concern: Fire the person responsible for this gaffe and hire my services as Cine-Man, Ending Credits Editor, instead! Ha, ha, ha.

fyi:  Usually, if a movie is based on actual people, events and places, the disclaimer in the Ending Credits will say along the lines that certain characters were created and/or composited and some dialogue was created for dramatic purposes or suchlike.

According to Northern California-based Bay Area News Group's Contra Costa Times movie reviewer, Randy Myers ( in the Timeout Section, page 1E, for the Friday, January 11th, 2013, edition:

"The film noir originally was slated for release this past September, but it was delayed after the Aurora, Colo., tragedy ( mentioned in my Batman blog, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES [ July 23, 2012 ]--Cine-Man's note ) to accommodate for a reshoot to replace a sequence involving a shooting in a movie theater ( the scene which replaced it is the Chinatown scene--Cine-Man's note )."

A mugshot of the real Meyer "Mickey" Cohen ( source: Wikipedia ). He kind of looks like Danny DeVito! Don't you think so?

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If I were the Casting Agent, I would have picked Danny DeVito for the Mickey Cohen role! LOL. ( I found this on the Internet. )

word of advice:  Read-up on Mickey Cohen.

tidbits: Before I went to see this movie, I went to the Fed-Ex Kinko's store to make a zerox copy of a bill payment. Then, I drove by the Springstowne Post Office to drop-off my bill payment.

Then, I went to the Selecta Pilipino Buffet on Springs Road to have lunch and to read-up on some news articles in a couple of  Pilipino newspapers.

After the movie, I wanted to ask the little, old white lady what she thought of it, knowing that she probably knew certain things about the real-life Mickey Cohen. But, I changed my mind ....

Maybe I should add an interview: subhead to some of my future blogs. Yeah, I think I'll do that! It's a good idea waiting to get implemented.

*

A HAUNTED HOUSE, R ( 1 hr & 26 min )

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I went to see this movie on Friday, January 11th, 2013, here in Vallejo, CA, at the CENTURY 14 VALLEJO, for the 3:55 p.m. show in auditorium 12, 4th row ( from the front ), 8ht column ( from the left ).

Quickie Review: In this parody of "found footage" horror movies, a man's girlfriend moves in with him. And he wants nothing more than to immortalize on film the opportune live-in arrangement  by videotaping their bedroom sexual romp. But his girlfriend comes with an extra "baggage": An angry ghost.

Some people in the audience liked this movie. A woman, in particular, enjoyed this movie.

I didn't like it. In fact, I dozed on and off as I watched this movie ( and I wasn't on a pain killer medication--or any other kind of medication, for that matter ). This movie's humor is not to my liking. This movie is strictly for those who don't appreciate a sophisticated sense of humor. See this only as a DVD rental.

Let's see what are unappealing about this movie: It relies heavily on sexual humor, most of which are inappropriate for the Big Screen. If you like male butts, this movie has scenes aplenty of such! And the characters in this movie make for undesirable company: A lecherous priest, a horny homosexual psychic, a racist camera technician and his imbecile brother, a kinky swinging couple, a stereo-typed cleaning lady, a gangster relative, and a perverted man with a pseudo-zoophilic proclivity.

The only thing that I found amusing in this movie was the scene wherein the possessed girlfriend was dancing.

*

ZERO DARK THIRTY, R ( 2 hr & 37 min )

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where: AMC BAY STREET 16 in Emeryville, CA
when: Monday, January 7th, 2013
show: 8:50 p.m.
costs: $11.50 Ticket + $4.75 1-litre Dasani Water + $1.50 Parking Fee + $5.00 Carquinez Bridge Toll = $22.75
auditorium: 5
seat: 5th row ( from the front ), 10th column ( from the left )

synopsis/overview: The hunt is on for History's Most Wanted Criminal, Osama bin Laden. And a group of CIA agents do everything they can to find him. They reach their objective at "zero dark thirty" ( half an hour past midnight ).

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Voice recordings of 9-11 victims; 2.) First interrogation; 3.) "You can help yourself by being truthful"; 4.) Torture box; 5.) Saudi terror attack; 6.) "Our work will go on for a hundred  years"; 7.) Interrogation tapes and CDs"; 8.) CIA black site; 9.) Monkeys; 10.) "Most trusted courier"; 11.) Burqa squad; 12.) "Kind of like Gandalf"; 13.) Hotel; 14.) "America doesn't torture"; 15.) Black cat; 16.) "He's dead"; 17.) "We're failing"; 18.) Telephone number; 19.) Lamborghini car dealership; 20.) Ultimatum; 21.) "White faces don't belong here"; 22.) White car; 23.) "You're on their list"; 24.) The hide-out; 25.) Twenty-one days; 26.) Fifty-two; 27.) Third male; 28.) Polio Vaccine; 29.) "How do you evaluate the risk of not doing something"; 30.) Area 51; 31.) One hundred twenty-nine; 32.) "One hundred percent"; 33.) "I've done nothing else"; 34.) "Her confidence"; 35.) "Tonight"; 36.) "We've lost power"; 37.) Neighbors; 38.) Osama bin Laden; 39.) Books, DVDs, CDs and Hard-drives; 40.) Pakistani Air Force; 41.) Body bag; 42.) Visual confirmation; and 43.) Cargo plane.

audience reaction: The auditorium was almost fully-packed. And the unanimous consensus was that everybody liked this movie. But, it didn't get a "Hands Clapper" ending.

recommendation: I liked this movie for its historical value. Go see this movie to get a general "feel" for what it was like to hunt down History's Most Wanted Criminal.

spoiler alert!  "Third floor, northeast corner." What ... are CIA agents in the habit of giving such directions? I'd need a compass and a map to find my way around inside of a CIA building, just in case I need to visit one someday! That tortured man was kept in solitary confinement for a L-O-N-G time yet his beard stayed the same length!

fyi: Recently, a couple of female health workers in Pakistan were killed because they were giving-out the Polio Vaccine. I wonder if it was in retaliation for Osama bin Laden's execution.

I don't recall why the monkeys were killed.

>>>CIA Chief Pans Zero Dark Thirty
Morell complains about emphasis on interrogation By John Johnson,  Newser Staff

Posted Dec 22, 2012 1:32 PM CST
STORY  COMMENTS (19)

(Newser) – Add none other than acting CIA chief Michael Morell to the list of critics of Zero Dark Thirty. In a memo to employees, Morell says the movie about the capture of Osama bin Laden gives too much weight to the use of harsh interrogation, reports E! Online. "The film creates the strong impression that the enhanced interrogation techniques that were part of our former detention and interrogation program were the key to finding" bin Laden, he writes. "That impression is false."

Morell also complains that the movie suggests only a few people were responsible for the successful raid, when in fact it was the result of a 10-year effort by "hundreds of officers." The CIA's Office of Public Affairs "interacted" with Kathryn Bigelow's film crew to some extent, he says, but the agency had no control over the finished product. Earlier this week, Dianne Feinstein and John McCain were among those who publicly criticized the movie for its emphasis on interrogation.<<<

word of advice: You can't have a secure compound if you don't have posted guards and guard dogs on duty.

tidbits: I started the day with a Chiropractic appointment here in Vallejo. Then, I went to the Admiral Callaghan Lane Safeway to do some grocery shopping. I went home to rest-up for a while. And I went to Goin' Postal on the corner of Tuolumne and Redwood Streets to drop-off my bill payments.

I was on my way to Oakland, CA, after all of that, to visit my friend, Hector, and his family--and his two kittens:

Sylvester and Snow White.

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As it turns out, Sylvester is female and Snow White is male! Boy, oh, boy ... these two kitties are gonna grow up confused about their sexual orientation! Ha, ha, ha.

Harry Potter, the kitten formerly known as Snow White.

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I renamed Snow White. He is now officially, Harry Potter. Why? Because, just like his namesake, he is white and has a "lightning streak" mark on his forehead. The mark is in the area that I encircled in the above photo. You can see it better if you magnify the picture.

As Hector, his wife and I gathered at the dining table for some afternoon snack, I told everybody that I haven't drank coffee and softdrinks in over a week. I've been drinking water since December 28th of last year--an early start on my New Year's Resolution. And I don't miss either coffee or softdrinks, and I am not suffering any kind of "withdrawal symptoms" at all.

For dinner, I planned on cooking some Au Gratin Potatoes and some Buffalo-style Chicken Breasts. I had also brought with me a Spiral Glazed Ham and some Sausages, both of which I decided to just save for later. And Hector was gonna cook Teriyaki Chicken and Rice. But, he was out of some ingredients. So, he and I had to go to a grocery store.

Hector and I went to the Fruitvale District Lucky's Supermarket to buy the groceries. This union Lucky's store is being converted to a non-union Food Maxx store. Both stores are owned by the same company. But I guess that the long, drawn-out contract negotiation between Lucky's and UFCW ( United Food and Commercial Workers Union ) had a drastic impact on the store chain's bottom-line and they decided to cut their losses by converting their under-performing stores into non-union stores. I felt sorry for the employees at this store because they either must choose to get themselves shipped-out to other stores or elect to stay and become non-union workers with lower pay and fewer health benefits!

The store had 1.5 pound bags of Roasted Salted Peanuts and Roasted Unsalted Peanuts at the close-out price of just $1.00! Hector bought a bag of Roasted Salted Peanuts. And I bought a bag of Roasted Salted Peanuts and two bags of Roasted Unsalted Peanuts. I haven't had roasted peanuts of either kind in a long time, and I couldn't wait to tear into the bags!

After dinner, we had some of Hector's Lemon Meringue Pie and some of the Safeway Select Mint Chocolate Ice Cream that I brought with me. All in all, it was a good, hearty dinner--but nothing like what I usually have at an all-you-can-eat buffet, of course! How I maintain my svelte ( ahem! ) figure, Lord knows ....

On Movie2K.to, a Jackie Chan movie, CHINESE ZODIAC, was featured. But I didn't have enough time to stay and watch it.

As I stood in the main lobby of the theatre, a man walked by and mentioned to his friend that he was thinking of having a charcoal portrait done. I wanted to say that I was a Charcoal Portrait Artist ( on a 25-year hiatus, mind you ). But I kept quiet. I don't want to make this talent of mine become "commercialized" for two reasons: Lack of artistic freedom; and doing such artwork is really bad on my eyes--I'm very near-sighted because of my many years spent in portraiture. ( Note: I would spend three weeks doing each portrait to make sure it measured-up to my exacting standards, the consummate perfectionist that I am. )

But, as I mentioned in my previous blog, I want to get back into charcoal portraiture. But I will be very selective about my subjects. I will only do portraits of my relatives ( unless Bill Gates offers me a gazillion dollars to do a portrait of him and his wife ). And not just any relative, mind you; I'll only do portraits of my good-looking relatives! LOL

In the auditorium, a man seated two seats to my right was trying to impress his date by calling-out some of the visual cues in the movie, visual cues that were pretty obvious to just about everybody ( I bet that the man was just over-compensating for the fact that he doesn't have his own movie blogsite. Ha, ha, ha.  ). I guess it made him feel like he was smart. But not so smart as to impress me, Cine-Man, who sits quietly and attentively watches a movie with a pen and notepad at the ready! Yup, I've got "movie smarts", alright!

*

TEXAS CHAINSAW in 3-D, R ( 1 hr & 32 min )

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I went to see this today, Friday, January 4th, 2013, here in Vallejo, CA, at the CENTURY 14 VALLEJO for the 3:45 p.m. show in auditorium 10, 4th row ( from the front ), 10th column ( from the left ).

Quickie Review:  An only child finds out that she's adopted when a letter arrives informing her of the recent death of her maternal grandmother. When she, along with some friends, goes back to Texas to claim her inheritance, she learns of her family's long-kept deep, dark and deadly secret.

There were just a few people with me in the auditorium. And a couple of guys weren't too interested in what was going on on-screen because the assholes talked to each other throughout the movie. And one idiot asshole in particular was commenting on the unfolding scenes! Why, was his companion blind?

I didn't like this movie that much. I swear, nude scenes would have made this movie better than it is! I mean, that usually is the cardinal rule of making an R-rated B-grade movie: Lots of T & A. There are some sexual teasing going on, but it doesn't get any hotter than that. Wait for this to come out as a rental.

If you must go see this movie, wait until after the Ending Credits for a Bonus Scene. And don't bother seeing this in 3-D.

Here are some things that I found wrong in this movie: The dining table place setting was arranged for what party and/or occasion? If the grandmother was buried, whose corpse was that? And wouldn't they have smelled the corpse's stench? If he was locked in the cellar room, who fed him all of that time in the absence of his caretaker? If he was locked-up, how did he gain access to the bathroom since there wasn't one in his room? If you're gonna shoot someone standing outside of your door, look first at where his feet's shadows are at to get an approximate location of your target's body's center-line. There isn't enough blood in the human body for it to leave a long, bloody trail like that! That person should have suffocated to death after being kept in that freezer box for even just a few minutes--or died of hypothermia! But it looked like the freezer box had no lock on it so that the person inside of it could just have easily gotten out. Duh .... The slaughterhouse was located in the outskirt of town. So, how was he able to walk the distance and arrive there before the sheriff did?

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

I went to Chase Bank on the corner of Tuolumne and Redwood streets here in Vallejo, first thing this morning, to make a deposit into my checking account.

Then, I went to the Admiral Callaghan Lane Safeway to pick-up my prescription.

I, then, went to the MacDonald's Restaurant at the Target Shopping Center on Admiral Callaghan Lane to have breakfast, and to check on my e-mail, my Facebook page, and my blog's stats. And I proof-read ( as best I could ) my blog on LES MISERABLES.

And I drove to Selecta Pilipino Buffet on Springs Road to have a late lunch. The proprietor and I got into talking about his days back in the Navy during the '80s after I mentioned a Philippine newspaper's headline about how China is bullying its neighbors. He hinted at "classified top-secret" weapons of mass destruction in the US Navy's arsenal that could have easily destroyed any bellicose/belligerent country in the world! We're talking about war technology and war weaponry from thirty years ago! And we're talking about just one branch of the US Armed Forces here, folks!! And these weapons are considered obsolete by today's US Military Standards! How scary is that?!?!?! I think that I'm gonna have nightmares tonight! Those "bad guy" countries would immediately stop taunting the US if only their leaders know what I now know!!!

The box office clerk gave me a Collector's Edition 3-D Glasses. I promptly went back to my car to get my spare pair of 3-D glasses so that I could keep the collector's edition as a souvenir.

After the movie, I went a few doors down to Michael's, an arts and crafts store. I mentioned a long time ago that I was once a Charcoal Portrait artist--and a darn good one at that, too! I'm thinking about getting back into it. So, I bought an art tracer projector for $32.58 ( it's faster than drawing a subject freestyle ) because the one I had was stolen when someone broke into my storage unit about 15 years ago.

I still need to buy other art supplies, though: Charcoal pencils, blending stumps, kneadable erasers, sanding block, chamois, portrait-grade paper, easel, eraser shield, sharpener and fixative spray--that about covers it, I think. Now, I just need to save-up between $200 and $350 to pay for all of it. ( Ahh ... it sure ain't fun being a "starving artist"! )

I just found out that they have colored charcoal pencils now. I gotta try them someday!

Then, I went to the Starbucks Coffee Shop at the opposite end of the Target Shopping Center parking lot from the MacDonald's Restaurant to blog about this movie.

*

LES MISERABLES, PG-13 ( 2 hr & 38 min )

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I took this photo after the movie.

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where: BRENDEN VACAVILLE 16 in Vacaville, CA
when: Tuesday, January 1st, 2013
show: 2:00 p.m.
costs: $8.00 Ticket + $4.25 1-litre Aquafina = $12.25 ( I forget how much I paid for the buffet lunch, but it was over $12.00 plus tip )
auditorium: 16, with a THX Surround-Sound System ( but I don't even think the system was working properly because the sound was rather muted and came from just the front speakers, it seemed--I should ask for my money back )
seat: 4th row ( from the front ), 6th seat ( counting from the left )

synopsis/overview: A man, Jean Valjean ( Hugh Jackman ), is cruelly put in jail for the petty crime of stealing some bread to help feed his sister's child.  A kindly old priest helps the embittered Jean Valjean to mend his ways. And he tears his parole document to shreds in protest of the unfairness of the justice system. Through hard work and dedication, he becomes a successful businessman. When one of his employees, Fantine ( Anne Hathaway ), is wrongfully discharged and becomes gravely ill, he vows on her deathbed to take care of her daughter for his chance at moral redemption. But the law, in the guise of Javert ( Russell Crowe ), is determined to hunt him down and put him back in jail once and for all.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Dry dock; 2.) Flag; 3.) Parole; 4.) Theft; 5.) Forgiveness; 6.) Repentance; 7.) Parole document torn to pieces; 8.) Trapped under a cart; 9.) Hair and tooth; 10.) "I Dreamed A Dream"; 11.) "I rescind this judgment. You, sir, return to your post"; 12.) Moral dilemma; 13.) "I'm 24601"; 14.) Hospital; 15.) "My castle on a cloud"; 16.) Inn; 17.) "I speak with her voice and stand in her place"; 18.) Checkpoint; 19.) The man with the cart; 20.) Love at first sight; 21.) Foiled robbery; 22.) Red and Black song; 23.) "The secret that you keep"; 24.) The meeting; 25.) Escape in the night; 26.) "One More Day"; 27.) Funeral procession; 28.) Barricade; 29.) "What have you done"; 30.) "A letter from the barricade"; 31.) "Give me the spy, Javert"; 32.) "Hear my prayer"; 33.) "We're the only ones left"; 34.) Child martyr; 35.) Cannons; 36.) Abandoned and surrounded; 37.) Defeat; 38.) Escape; 39.) "Damn if I live if I let him leave"; 40.) "Empty Chairs and Empty Tables"; 41.) "There lived a man named, Jean Valjean"; 42.) Uninvited wedding guests; 43.) "My last confession"; and 44.) Reunion.

audience reaction: The audience really liked this movie and gave it a "Hands Clapper" ending.

recommendation: I liked this movie, too. Go see this Big Screen adaptation of a famous opera and feel like you belong to snotty high society but in a "popcorn" sort-of-way. As for me, the only way that anyone could get me to see a live opera is if the venue has a concession stand with popcorn and everything else!

I liked how the shipwreck served as a metaphor for Fantine's miserable life.

I liked the scenes with the "sticky-fingered" inn-keepers played by Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter.

I liked how most everyone was depicted in this movie: With bad oral hygiene! ( How could they even talk up-close and personal way back when? Kristen Stewart would fit right in in this crowd--for sure. Ha, ha, ha. )

And I liked the "Tear-Jerker" ending scene---But I ain't telling you guys whether or not I shedded a tear or two ( or more )! So, sue me. LOL

spoiler alert! For someone who was hiding from the law, Jean Valjean sure made a habit of frequenting the locality. Ha, ha, ha. Bullet wound + Sewer = Death by Sepsis!

fyi: In most of today's societies, such a severe penalty handed down for such a petty crime is deemed morally reprehensible because the punishment doesn't fit the crime at all--some unfortunate souls had their hands cut-off or were even put to death for committing such a simple crime! Just how much does a piece of bread cost anyway? It can be paid off easily with just half an hour's worth ( or less ) of labor.

This severe judgment has its origin stem from one of The Ten Commandments of The Bible: "Thou Shall Not Steal." But it is a wrong interpretation of such a specific commandment. This particular commandment had to do with Personal Property Rights of Tribal Inheritance. You see, each of the Twelve Tribes of Israel was given a Divine Inheritance by God. So that if you steal someone's inheritance ( usually, land and/or procreative rights ), you destroy that man's distinct identity before God; and for such a willful wrong-doing, severe punishment ( death by stoning ), must be handed-down and God's Curse be put upon that guilty man's bastard children ( through an unlawful adulterous procreative union if such [an] act[s] took place ) to the third and fourth generation!

As a deterrent to such a crime, another Commandment was given: "Thou Shall Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Property ( i.e. Inheritance )." In other words, don't even think about it!

But the Roman Catholic Church abused its position by imposing severe penalties for any and every thievery committed just so it could wield Absolute Power over the illiterate and/or ignorant masses!

By the way, there is a Biblical precedent to this issue of petty thievery in The Old Testament: King David stole the "showbread" from God's Tabernacle! But the High Priest didn't have him put to death--it must have been because David and his men were armed with swords, knives, spears, sling-shots and bows and arrows, and were quite adept in the use of such weapons. Ha, ha, ha.

Seriously, though ...

In the movie, where Jean Valjean was forgiven by the priest for stealing the church's expensive silver utensils, he had an epiphany: He became remorsefully penitent because he was not jailed or put to death for such a serious theft whereas he was forced to endure injustice through years of incarceration in his simple theft of a little piece of bread! Jean Valjean then protested the unfairness of arbitrary human law by tearing-up his parole document. But he kept and treasured the two silver candle-holders ( the most precious of all the silver in the church, according to the priest ) because to him they were symbolic of his moral enlightenment and the priest's spiritual enlightenment; for although there were two different candle holders before the altar of God ( i.e. Eyes of God, in this example ), the left one representing Valjean's former bad nature and the right one representing the priest's holy nature, their respective candles ( i.e. inherent goodness ) and their respective concomitant lights ( i.e. spirituality ) made them both equal in the presence of God as shown in their eventual reunion in the House of God filled with lit candles.

I cannot help but think of Susan Boyle whenever I hear the song, "I Dreamed A Dream." Who sang it better? 'Hard to say. But Anne Hathaway's version conveyed the right emotion.

word of advice: Life's Lessons will change a man.

"Man does not live by bread alone." ( Old Testament of The Bible; Deuteronomy Chapter 8, verses 2 & 3 )

tidbits: I decided to have lunch first at Tin Tin Chinese Buffet before seeing this movie. As I was getting ready to make a left turn into the parking lot of the shopping center where the Chinese buffet is at, an Asshole driver of a big pick-up truck made a left onto the roadway with part of his truck hanging over the opposite lane where my car was at, almost running into my car in the process. I honked at the idiot to let him know that he doesn't know how to drive safely. What is it with redneck idiots who drive big pick-up trucks although they don't know how to drive safely? Are they driving big vehicles just to compensate for some penis-size insecurity? I bet such redneck idiots need a guide dog to help them "hit the target" when they engage in sexual intercourse!  ( I know this guide dog "thing" doesn't make any sense, but it just came to mind and I just had to put it out there. )

While I was at the buffet counter, some fat bitch just came up close to me because the hungry pig found something in the trough that she liked! She didn't even say, "Excuse me," even though she clearly invaded my personal space!! How rude of her!!!

I swear, with my more than a dozen years of experience eating at "all-you-can-eat" buffets twice or more per week, it is only the ugly and dumpy bitches who rudely cut in line!!! What's up with that? ( Here, Ms. Piggy. It's feeding time. Oink, oink! )

During the Ending Credits, the audience clapped their hands when Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway's names were shown.

*