NOW YOU SEE ME, PG-13 ( 1 hr & 56 min )

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I went to see this today, Friday, May 31st, 2013, here in Vallejo, CA, at the CENTURY 14 VALLEJO, for the 10:50 a.m. Extra Dollar Off First Show Matinee in auditorium 1, 5th row ( counting from the front ), 3rd seat ( counting from the left ).  The price of admission was $6.75. I bought a $4.50 1-litre bottle of Dasani Water at the concessions counter. And I smuggled-in a $1.00 6.0 oz bag of fruit trail mix  ( Naturally Select Trail Mix Tropical blend ) which I bought at the Dollar Tree Store at the Target Shopping Center on Admiral Callaghan Lane before I went to see this movie.

Quickie Review: A mentalist and three magicians are recruited by a mystery man to help him pull-off the biggest magic act performed on a global scale. And the closer a professional debunker and some detectives think they are to solving the mystery, the farther they actually are from it.

The audience liked this movie. And someone gave it a "Hands Clapper" ending.

I liked it enough. Go see this movie if you like magic acts.

I liked the Soap Bubble scene.

I know one neat magic trick that involves the use of a dollar bill: You fold the dollar bill, origami-style, in such a way that you end-up with an adjustable "diamond" ring. Nope, it doesn't turn into an engagement ring or a wedding ring because if you try to pass it off as either one, you'll just end-up getting your face slapped! Ha, ha, ha.


Here are some things wrong with this movie: Good luck to those people in the audience who'll try to exchange those foreign bills for US bills. In New Orleans, it is a tradition for a woman to bare her breasts when she is given a bead necklace---But we, the audience, were treated to the sight of a woman's bare breasts covered-over by some idiot's hands, instead!!! What was up with that?!?!?! I mean, that woman wasn't even Janet Jackson! How are they going to hide from the authorities since they are world-famous? If the water pressure was strong enough to warp steel, then he would have died either way! The padlocks on the bridge were of different sizes and shapes; but the keys at the bottom of the river were all the same kind! Duh ....

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I went to my Chiropractor, here in Vallejo, first thing this morning for a spinal adjustment. I usually go on Mondays, but this Monday was a holiday so I had to have my appointment rescheduled.

Then, I went to the Chase Bank in the Food Maxx Shopping Center on the corner of Tuolumne and Redwood Streets, here in Vallejo, to put a deposit into my checking account.

Next, I went to the Fed-Ex Kinko's in the Safeway Shopping Center on Admiral Callaghan Lane, here in Vallejo, to make a xerox copy of a complaint letter that I am filing with a consumer "watchdog" agency about a junk-mail con artist who never sent me the package that I ordered. While I was there, I found out that I can make copies of my computer documents if I put them on a flashdrive and stick it in the USB port of their copy machine. Great! I can't wait to finish typing my children's book manuscript because I have four co-workers who are very interested in doing a test-market on my story.

And I went to the Dollar Tree Store to buy some snacks to smuggle-in with me to the movies. I also bought a bottle of vitamin/mineral supplement. I spent $3.09 for my purchase.

When I stepped out of the Dollar Tree Store, I realized that the weather was too warm for me to hide the chocolate-covered coconut candy bar in my pocket while I smuggle it into the theatre. So, I just ate it right there outside the store.

After the movie, I went to the Vallejo Springstowne Post Office to drop-off my complaint letter.

Then, I went to the Selecta Pilipino Buffet on Springs Road, here in Vallejo, to have lunch and to buy a Powerball lottery ticket. I spent $10.58 for both.

And I walked next door to the 99-Cent Only Store to buy a car air freshener, a bottle of Lecithin capsules, a 14.1 oz jar of Biscoff Spread, and a bunch of bananas ( don't tell the "banana police" ). I paid $4.17 for my purchase.

I bought this because I'm curious about how this European alternative to Peanut Butter tastes like.

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Then, I went to the MacDonald's Restaurant on 902 Admiral Callaghan Lane, here in Vallejo, at the Target Shopping Center, to have a large Iced Tea and two packets of Apple Slices. I paid $2.17 for my snack purchase.

While I was enjoying my snack in the air-conditioned dining area, I wrote this blog with the aid of my Acer C7 Chromebook.

note: I'm now on chapter 15 of my manuscript which, by the way, is about a "butt-biting" monster. It's very funny, as I've said so before; and I really enjoy writing it. Hopefully, the people in the book publishing industry will be of like mind and will do a bidding war on it! Ha, ha, ha


*

FAST & FURIOUS 6, PG-13 ( 2 hr & 10 min )

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where:  CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when:  Memorial Day, Monday, May 27th, 2013
show:  12:30 p.m.
costs:  $7.75 Ticket = $7.75
auditorium:  7
seat:  6th row ( counting from the front ), 7th column ( counting from the left )

synopsis/overview:  Dom ( Vin Diesel ), Brian ( Paul Walker ) and team have retired from street racing and have gone on their separate ways leaving as expatriates on the run from the Law. But a highly-coordinated team of bad guys forces Agent Hobbs ( Dwayne Johnson ) to find Dom, Brian and their team and offers them all full pardons since the team is the only thing that has the best chance of catching the bad guys before they steal the latest in top-secret military weaponry, the "Night Shade" device.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) You're gonna be a great father; 2.) Moscow bridge; 3.) Interrogation; 4.) The picture; 5.) 'Phone calls; 6.) "Vouchers to the buffet"; 7.) "I brought you something"; 8.) "Nope"; 9.) "It's on the house"; 10.) "We're getting paid, right"; 11.) Set-up; 12.) Chase; 13.) Chips; 14.) Tunnel; 15.) Gunshot; 16.) "Shaggy to Scooby-Doo"; 17.) "Ring any bells"; 18.) Evil twins; 19.) Data base; 20.) "This should be interesting"; 21.) Car auction; 22.) "He's a man"; 23.) Big rock; 24.) Shirt and pants; 25.) 'Phone; 26.) Pawn shop; 27.) Subway; 28.) "It's a great eulogy"; 29.) Cartel boss; 30.) CCTV headquarters; 31.) Prison; 32.) "It's not dummy-proof"; 33.) Info; 34.) Scars; 35.) Codes; 36.) Blind spots; 37.) Paint; 38.) Convoy; 39.) Battle tank; 40.) Jump; 41.) "Nobody makes me do anything I don't want to"; 42.) Bad news; 43.) Double cross; 44.) Airport runway chase; 45.) Cargo plane; 46.) "1327"; 47.) Baby oil/forehead; 48.) "That has got to be awkward"; 49.) "My family"; 50.) House rules and 51.) Bonus Scene during the Ending Credits.

favorite scenes:  I liked the London Streets Car Chase scene.

I liked the Subway Fight scene.

I liked the Battle Tank Chase scene.

I liked the Cargo Plane Chase/Fight scene.

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

recommendation: I liked this movie. Go see it if you're a fan of the franchise.

spoiler alert! Why was the bad guy in the interrogation room not handcuffed? Why did the female agent pull out a gun on someone on the same side of the law as she was? Why didn't they shoot at the bad guy's tires? You can't keep a car door open when it's travelling at freeway speeds the way that Hobbs did. That's not how you do a headbutt. Why did she get shot at by someone who was working for the same boss that she was working for? How did she get rid of the handcuffs? If you know Aikido or Jiu jitsu, it's easy to get your hand free from a vice-grip handshake like that. He had a gunshot wound in his chest, yet he was still able to drive unencumbered. You cannot open a car door easily when it is travelling at freeway speeds like Dom did and keep it open long enough for you to jump out of it--the car door would just slam back against you! The fastest modern-day battle tank can only travel up to a maximum of 45 mph; so, I don't know why it took them a long time to catch-up to it. When the car entered the cargo plane, a bad guy was hit by it yet was still able to fight like an able-bodied person. In the cargo plane, Brian was fighting a big bad guy who was beating the crap out of him. But how did he manage to get away from the big, bad guy ( who had longer arms ) so easily? Okay, they were on a military airbase runway. So, why was neither a fighter jet nor an attack helicopter allowed to give chase to the taxiing cargo plane? That military cargo plane ( possibly an Antonov AN-124 ) could easily transport a 60-ton main battle tank, and the combined weight of all of those vehicles in its cargo hold wouldn't even add-up to half the weight of a 60-ton battle tank! So, why did the pilot say that the plane had taken on too much weight ( before it was harpooned a number of times ) and had to taxi longer? Just exactly how long was that runway--did they go around and around just to film the runway scene? Even if the cargo plane got off the ground, there was nowhere it could go safely because of the threat posed by what it carried on board. It would either be forced by fighter jets to land or get itself shot out of the sky!

fyi: Back when I was a first year high school student at Ateneo De Davao, Matina, Davao City, Mindanao, Philippines, in the early '70s, I decided to do a head butt against the chalkboard in my class's homeroom during lunch period, one day, just to show-off to my fellow classmates who were in the room with me. I headbutted the chalkboard hard and exactly like the way Vin Diesel's character headbutted a bad guy in this movie. I almost knocked myself out! I staggered back and almost lost my balance. Had I lost my balance, I would probably have cracked my skull against the cold cement floor.

The headbutt is a good move to use in close-quarters fighting---BUT ONLY IF YOU KNOW HOW TO DO IT PROPERLY!!!

The jet plane used to transport Brian back into the US had bent-tip wings. The bent-tip design is supposed to make the plane more aerodynamic. But ... wouldn't the plane be more aerodynamic if they just sawed-off the bent-tip in the first place to reduce drag? ( 'Just askin' a common-sense question is all .... )

This Fast and Furious franchise is supposed to have two ( 2 ) more installments, with one of them possibly being filmed in the Philippines. Vin Diesel was in the Philippines recently to promote this movie. And Vin Diesel, whose brother is married to a Pilipina, is urging Pilipinos to try and talk Hollywood into doing a location shoot there.

About that Bonus Scene during the Ending Credits, I wondered when they would finally get around to doing it! And I had wondered about it ever since Fast and Furious 2 or 3 came out ( as have some others done so, I'm pretty sure of it ).

word of advice: Take care of family.

tidbits: As I watched this movie, I was occasionally distracted by an asshole down in the 3rd row who would look at his cellphone every now and then. How I wished I had a BB gun with me because I had a clear shot of that inconsiderate asshole lowlife from my 6th row seat.

After the movie, I went to Selecta Pilipino Buffet on Springs Road, here in Vallejo, to have lunch and to buy some lottery tickets. I spent a total of $17.58 at the place. And the meal that I ate was my first meal of the day---Actually, the amount of food that I ate qualified the meal as a Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch and Merienda ( afternoon snack ) combo! Ha, ha, ha.

update: The manuscript that I am writing for a children's book is very well under way: I'm on the 14th chapter now.  Four more chapters plus an epilogue and it will be finished---'Almost there!

*

THE HANGOVER PART III, R ( 1 hr & 40 min )

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I went to see this yesterday, Thursday, May 23rd, 2013, in Vallejo, CA, at the CENTURY 14 VALLEJO for the 8:25 p.m. show in auditorium 7, 5th row ( counting from the front ), 7th column ( counting from the left ). The price of admission was $10.00. And I purchased a small bag of bulk Chocolate Candies for $1.89 and a 1-litre bottle of Dasani Water for $4.50 at the concessions counter.

Quickie Review:  Doug ( Justin Bartha ) is held hostage by a mob boss ( John Goodman ) who plans to kill him unless the rest of the "Wolf pack" can track down Mr. Chow ( Ken Jeong ) and bring him back along with the 21 million dollars in gold bars that Chow stole from the bad guy.

The audience seemed to like this movie.

I didn't like it. It seemed very anticlimactic to me. It was as if they made this movie just to "milk" the cash-cow franchise for more money, down to the last drop. And, even though this is the last sequel in the trilogy, I think that there will be a 4th one coming soon---I hope that I'm wrong! Prepare to be somewhat disappointed if you do decide to see this movie after all.

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The first thing that I did today was go to a local car dealership, Team Chevrolet Vallejo, because I was curious as to what prize I had won on the scratch-off promo card that they sent me through the mail. But, first, I stopped-off at the parts counter to ask about headlight lens replacements for my Hyundai Accent because the lenses on my car's headlights are badly oxidized. The clerk said that they didn't have the parts in stock but that he could special order them for me. I asked how much they would cost me. He said that they were approximately $250.oo each because I cannot buy just a lens but must buy the whole unit! What a f*cking rip-off!!! I mean--come on--it's not a replacement part for a Lamborghini or a Ferrari; It's Just A Cheap Piece Of Crap Korean Car That We're Talking About Here!!!

Then, I checked out the race car that they displayed on the showroom floor.

This once belonged to Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

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A salesman asked me if I was looking to trade-in my ride. I told him that I wasn't looking to buy a new car anytime soon, maybe in a year or so. He wrote my information down and took me to a room where they had a digital mini-roulette set-up for prize selections. I spun it and I won a Wal-Mart Gift Card! Heck, I wanted to win either the "His and Hers Chevy Camaros" or the $100,000.oo Cash Prize. Whoopty Doo .... He congratulated me by saying, "You deserve it." I don't know ... I think it was meant to be an insult because I couldn't afford to buy any of their cars right away. You know what I think? I think their digital mini-roulette game is rigged to award expensive prizes only to people who could afford to buy a new car right away, that's what I think!!! What a f*cking rip-off, part II!

What am I gonna use my Wal-Mart Gift Card on? Oh, I know .... I'll use it to buy toilet paper with because that is the only thing that it's good for. Ha, ha, ha.

I went to Benicia, CA, to pick-up my cheque and to deposit money in my accounts at Bank of America ( BofA ) and at Chase Bank.

Then, I went to Selecta Pilipino Buffet on Springs Road, here in Vallejo, to have lunch and to buy some lottery tickets ( $17.58 in total ) in the hope that I will win big-time in the lottery so that I could put-down that car salesman who insulted me. Yeah, that will teach him ....

After I ate lunch, I went next door to the 99-Cent Only Store to look around and buy something. I bought two things for a total cost of $2.08.

Then, I went to the MacDonald's on Admiral Callaghan Lane in the Target Shopping Center, here in Vallejo, to finish my Star Trek blog before I went to see this movie.



*

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS, PG-13 ( 2 hr & 12 min )

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 1st time

where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Friday, May 17th, 2013
show: 11:40 a.m. 2-D ( Extra Dollar Off First Show Matinee )
costs: $6.75 Ticket + $4.50 1-litre Dasani Water = $12.25
auditorium: 7
seat: 6th row ( counting from the front ), 5th column ( counting from the left )

She's hot!

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2nd time

where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Monday, May 20th, 2013
show: 10:50 a.m. 3-D ( Extra Dollar Off First Show Matinee )
costs: $10.25 Ticket = $10.25
auditorium: 8
seat: 5th row ( counting from the front ), 8ht column ( counting from the left )

He's just a guy.

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3rd time

where: AMC METREON in San Francisco, CA
when: Monday, May 20th, 2013
show: 7:15 p.m. ETX ATMOS 3-D
costs: $17.50 Ticket + $14.41 hamburger dinner @ Mel's Diner ( plus $1.00 Tip ) + $8.20 BART Train Round-trip Ticket + $5.00 Carquinez Bridge Toll Fee = $46.11 ( what was that I said about budgeting my money ...? )
auditorium: 13, 3rd floor
seat: 3rd row ( counting from the front ), 10th column ( counting from the left )

She's hot, too!

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4th time

where: EDWARD FAIRFIELD STADIUM 16 & I-MAX in Fairfield, CA
when: Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013
show: 10:15 p.m. I-MAX 3-D
costs: $18.00 Ticket + $4.75 small 32 oz Fruit Punch + $7.00 medium Popcorn ( my dinner ) = $29.75
auditorium: 12
seat: 4th row ( counting from the front ), 6th seat ( counting from the left )

synopsis/overview:  A bad guy ( Benedict Cumberbatch ) boldly goes and does what no one has done before: Blow-up innocent people. And it is up to Capt. Kirk ( Chris Pine ) and his crew to put a stop to it.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Volcano; 2.) Prime Directive; 3.) "They saw us"; 4.) "I can save her"; 5.) "'Pointy,' is that a derogatory reference"; 6.) "Never trust a Vulcan"; 7.) "You're not ready for it"; 8.) Bomb; 9.) First Officer; 10.) "I'm gonna miss you"; 11.) Attack at Headquarters; 12.) Klingon territory; 13.) Reinstatement; 14.) Resignation; 15.) "Oh, my god. What is that even like"; 16.) Secret identity; 17.) "Unclear"; 18.) "Remind me never to piss you off"; 19.) Argument; 20.) Klingons in pursuit; 21.) Shoot-out; 22.) Surrender; 23.) Coordinates; 24.) "When it became relevant"; 25.) "Turn around"; 26.) 'Phone call; 27.) "Jim, you're gonna want to see this"; 28.) Three hundred years old; 29.) "I responded in kind"; 30.) "We both know who it is"; 31.) "Well ... sh*t, you talked to him"; 32.) "I was never gonna spare your crew"; 33.) "Beam me out"; 34.) Option; 35.) "The enemy of my enemy is my friend"; 36.) "Gut feeling"; 37.) "I'm running. Stand by"; 38.) "Bedside manner"; 39.) "Welcome aboard"; 40.) "At great costs"; 41.) "You should have let me sleep"; 42.) "No ship should go done without her captain"; 43.) Torpedoes; 44.) Popsicles; 45.) "The decontamination process is not complete"; 46.) "Right now, I'm failing"; 47.) "Confirmed"; 48.) "He's our only chance"; 49.) "Are you feeling homicidal"; and 50.) "It's nice to have a family."

audience reaction:  The audience really liked this and gave it a "Hands Clapper" ending. A little old white lady, upon exiting the auditorium said to her companion, "It was a great movie."

2nd audience reaction: The audience was not as receptive to this show as the first audience was.

3rd audience reaction: This San Francisco crowd was as receptive to the show as the first one was.

4th audience reaction: This Fairfield crowd, a dozen or so in number, was not receptive to the show.

recommendation:  I liked it. I think that it's better than the first one. Go see this movie whether or not you're a Star Trek fan.

spoiler alert! According to the late Zecharia Sitchin, Nibiru is the planet where the Assyrian Gods who created humans come from, but this movie posits an atavistic devolution of the alien race both intellectually and culturally. When Capt. Kirk stunned that creature, why didn't the aborigines catch up to him? The USS Enterprise sat in deep water, so deep as to render it undetectable to the aborigines on land. In other words, it was not resting on a continental shelf but, rather, AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN! Therefore, Capt. Kirk and Dr. Bones ( Karl Urban ) had to dive very deep to get back into the ship. But how were they able to dive so deep and still be able to survive unprotected under all of that water pressure? The setting for this movie is the year 2259 A.D. And, yet, that alarm clock looked like it was from the Art Deco period of the 1920s and 1930s. That St. Bernard dog was in all probability a male dog because it sniffed at the woman's breast. Ha, ha, ha. They still play vinyl records 246 years from now? Why didn't the bad guy just use a bomb when he attacked the Headquarters? It sure took long for the bad guy's ship's intake duct to get clogged-up! The bad guy was genetically-enhanced to be a super-soldier; that would mean that his bones would be harder than regular human bones. Therefore, Capt. Kirk's fist would have been broken from all of that punching that he did to the face of the bad guy. Carol Marcus ( Alice Eve ) looked like she was wearing underwear from the 1980s---I really expected to see her in a set of bra and panties equipped with an activated "cloaking device" ( i.e. very see-through; after all, Star Trek is famous for its cloaking devices--ha, ha, ha ) that could be removed at "warp speed"---Bwa, ha, ha, ha, ha--snort! ( Now, where was I ... ) The 'phone conversation between Capt. Kirk and Scotty ( Simon Pegg ) should have had very long pauses in-between because I really don't think that telecommunication signals can travel at "warp speed". Okay, so Scotty resigned. In which case, his security clearance and access codes would have been deactivated. Therefore, he should not have been able to gain access to a Star Fleet space shuttle so readily. So, they're telling us that these super-soldiers were cryogenically frozen back in 1994 ( assuming an average age of 35 years  for the frozen crew ). Or, did they mean, 2094? But they had an idiot with poor math skills do the simple, basic computation. If they took him out of the cryogenic state to exploit his intellect, wouldn't his designs for war weaponry and war technology be approximately 265 years obsolete---Maybe, they brought him up to speed ( warp speed, that is ) on the latest advances in war weaponry and war technology to get him going.  It's very reassuring to know that they still say, "Sh*t," 246 years from now! After spinning around and around, why didn't Capt. Kirk get dizzy? The young Spock has brown eyes, the old Spock has blue eyes; explain, please .... Okay, major mistake here: We humans don't breathe Oxygen; it that were so, people who smoke cigarette, cigar and/or marijuana would be instantly burned to death the very first time that they light one up! Why do the seats in the USS Enterprise not have head rests? The scene immediately after Capt. Kirk got inside the radioactive warp core shows Sulu ( John Cho ) without his seat belt on ( don't blink or you'll miss it like I did the first and third time that I went to see this movie ). The USS Enterprise was spinning around and tumbling in space yet the Tribble stayed put on that desk in the medical room. Injecting a small blood sample into a host's necrotic tissue wouldn't regenerate the host at all because there are just too many factors to consider that involve the anatomy and physiology of the complex host organism. It took Scotty just one shot from his "Phaser set on stun" to knock-down the bad guy; but Uhura ( Zoe Saldana ) shot him seven ( 7 ) times and he still didn't get knocked down---Maybe, her Phaser was set on tickle! Ha, ha, ha. That bad guy was supposed to be a super-soldier, but you wouldn't think that from watching him fight in unarmed combat---And he had plenty of opportunity to break Spock's bones or blind him but, instead, he got his arm broken and his ass whopped by Spock.

fyi:  It is nice to know that there are native aborigines out there who aren't necessarily colored-skin. Ha, ha, ha. Notably, the aborigines in this movie reminded me of the "Cargo Cult", an aborigine tribe that was exposed to the ways of the western world up-close for the very first time during WWII.

'Notice how Capt. Kirk grew tired punching the bad guy? That was a very realistic depiction. In a real--let me repeat, REAL--fight, you get tired fast. And real fights generally last for just a few seconds, tops!

word of advice: Don't ever piss-off a Vulcan!

tidbits: After the movie, on my way to work, some bitch in a white SUV made a right turn onto the Redwood Street on-ramp even though the drivers making a left turn onto the on-ramp had the right-of-way. She tried to drive me off the road; but I didn't yield. That woman driver thought that she could intimidate me with her big SUV. I would have loved for her to have broadsided my Hyundai Accent so that I could sue the bitch.

2nd tidbits: I went to Goin' Postal in the Food Maxx Shopping Center on the corner of Tuolumne and Redwood Streets to drop-off some bill payments before I went to see this movie.

3rd tidbits: I didn't just imagine it after all. There actually is an all-you-can-eat Chinese Buffet Restaurant near the corner of Geary and Kearny Streets in the San Francisco Financial District!

Do you remember this place from last month's blog?

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Here is photographic proof that I didn't suffer from a hunger-induced mirage! Their lunch buffet is from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. I will be sure to check-out this place soon. Dang, I'm hungry already ....

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This is where I had my hamburger dinner prior to seeing this movie for the 3rd time. It is on Mission Street, near the corner of 4th Street. It's practically just across the street from the AMC Metreon. I ordered "The Famous Melburger" with Cheese ( I got charged $1.00 extra for the cheese--jeez ), Onion Rings and Coleslaw. My opinion of their food is that it is just average but expensive. I'll eat at the Denny's Restaurant across the street next time. 

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There were two reasons why I went to see this movie for the 3rd time at the AMC Metreon: 

First, it was rush-hour commute traffic and I didn't want to ride in a standing-room only BART Train on my way back to the El Cerrito Del Norte BART Station where I parked my car. 

Second, I was curious about the ETX  ATMOS 3-D technology and wanted to check it out. It has better sound quality than either a regular 3-D or an I-Max 3-D. Picture quality-wise, it's about on-par with an I-Max. So, now you know ....

4th tidbits: Today at work, as soon as I clocked back in from my lunch period, I experienced an upset stomach.  And for the next 2 hours and 15 minutes before I took my last break I was in pain and did my darnedest best to "hold it in." I don't have to tell you what I had to do on my last break!

Since I saw this movie in 2-D, 3-D and ETX ATMOS 3-D, I might as well see it in I-Max 3-D, I convinced myself.

At the box office, I learned that I got a $2.00 discount on the Mini Pancakes that they now offer at the concessions counter. I went to the concessions counter to try it out. But, wouldn't you know it, they didn't have any in stock! What a rip-off. I ended-up shelling $7.00 for a medium Popcorn. Well, at least, it took care of my what-am-I-having-for-dinner-tonight question!

note: In case you guys are wondering .... I'm still busy writing my manuscript for a children's book. I'm on chapter 12 now. It will be 17 chapters long with an epilogue once I'm finished with it. And, like I said, it is very funny and I really enjoy writing it. My muse ( Buddha's blessing? ) has me on hyper-drive and I don't want to let go of it until it's over, the reason why it took me this long to blog about Star Trek.


*

THE GREAT GATSBY, PG-13 ( 2 hr & 22 min )

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I went to see this today, Tuesday, May 14th, 2013, here in Vallejo, CA, at the CENTURY 14 VALLEJO for the 3:50 p.m. 3-D show in auditorium 14, 5th row ( counting from the front ), 7th column ( counting from the left ). The price of admission was $11.25. And I bought a medium size 30.0 oz Powerade Mountain Berry Blast for $4.50 at the concessions counter.

Quickie Review: A working-class man is drawn into the lavish lifestyle of his mysterious, rich next-door neighbor. But it is not at all by chance. As the mysterious neighbor needs something that only he can provide, a precious something. Soon, someone's obsession takes a tragic toll.

There were just a few people in the auditorium with me. So, I couldn't gauge their reaction to this movie.

I really was hoping for a different ending. And I don't want to say anything more about it because I just might spoil it for those of you who haven't yet read the novel and who really want to see this movie. Go see this if you like Love Story movies.

I liked the cottage.

I liked the yellow and the blue convertible cars.

And I liked the Invitation For Tea scene.

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I called my workplace to find out if there was a paycheque waiting for me. You see, I only got a partial vacation cheque. I had to seriously budget and prioritize my expenses these last two weeks just to get by. But I had to eventually dip into my checking account to get some money for my daily expenses. Finally, the paycheque arrived today--thank God for that!

I went to Goin' Postal in the Food Maxx Shopping Center on the corner of Tuolumne and Redwood Streets here in Vallejo to buy some stamps ( $1.84 ) and to pick-up my mail.

Then, I went to Selecta Pilipino Buffet on Springs Road to have lunch and to buy some lottery tickets. I spent $17.58 for everything.

While I waited to pay for my lunch and to purchase lottery tickets, I got into a conversation with the man ahead in line of me. He said that there was a shooting last night just a few blocks away from where I live, on the corner of Tuolumne Street and Sereno Drive. Someone in a car got shot in the neck.

Vallejo man shot, in serious condition

By Times-Herald Staff

Published By Times Herald

Posted:   05/13/2013 09:43:14 PM PDT

Vallejo police examine the scene of a shooting Monday evening at the intersection of Sereno Drive and Tuolumne Street. (Mike Jory/Times-Herald)

A 23-year-old Vallejo man was shot at least once and was in serious condition Monday night, police said.The reports of the shooting came in at about 7:30 p.m. at Sereno Drive and Tuolumne Street.
The victim was inside a green Pontiac sedan when he was shot at the intersection, police said.
The shooter, or shooters, were in another car, but no descriptions were available as of press time.
The victim was taken to a hospital for his injuries.
Police blocked off Sereno Drive at the intersection where the car rested while they continued their investigation.

I actually happened by the crime scene last night at around 10:25 p.m. on my way home from the Empire Chinese Buffet on the corner of Redwood Street and Sonoma Boulevard. The Sereno/Tuolumne intersection was still cordoned-off because the CSI team was still conducting an investigation at that time of night. I had to make a detour to get home.

As I drove away from Selecta Pilipino Buffet to get some gas at the Chevron Gas Station across the street, I saw three police cars parked in front of the nearby Island Pacific Supermarket. A cop was putting a handcuffed suspect in the back of one of the patrol cars.

When I paid $5.00 for gas, the Chevron clerk asked incredulously, "Only $5.00 ...?" He was charging $4.16 per gallon for a Regular Unleaded--what amount did he expect me to shell-out? Heck, I'm still on a very tight budget!!!

( But I'm not really doing a good job of budgeting my money since I still frequent all-you-can-eat buffets even though my doctor told me to stop going to buffets last week. Wahhh [ sob, sniff ] ... what am I gonna eat? I've been going to buffets 3-5 times a week every week for the last 16 years! Does my doctor really think that I can just quit my buffet-addiction "cold-turkey", just like that? Well, he has got another "think" coming! )

And as I was pumping $5.00 worth of gas into my Hyundai Accent's gas tank, I witnessed an ambulance and three more patrol cars driving by, their sirens blaring. 'Busy 24-hour period for the Vallejo police.

On my way to the theatre, I swung by the CSAA to pay a monthly on my car insurance. Then, I went to use their restroom. I entered it and said to myself, Hey, this restroom looks different. Did they remodel it? What happened to the urinals. Then, I look in the area of the wall where I expected the paper towel dispenser to be at and I noticed a different kind of dispenser: A Tampon Dispenser! Opps!!! I went into the Ladies' Room by mistake. Lucky for me, nobody was in there or someone might have called the cops on a "peeping Tom" problem in the Ladies' Room! Ha, ha, ha.

I never read the book that this movie is based on. In my high school College Level English Preparatory ( CLEP ) class during my senior year, we read Scarlet Letter, Don Quixote, Gulliver's Travels, 1984, Macbeth and Animal Farm.

( When the class took turns reading from the Animal Farm novel, they would laugh whenever the name of one of the pigs was mentioned, for it was my namesake. Ha, ha, ha. Very funny, indeed .... )

I was squirming in my seat after the first hour because my bladder was urgently trying to get me to empty it. But I stayed 'til after the Ending Credits. And it took me slightly over four ( 4 ) minutes to empty my bladder. Whew! Still, it's not my record. My long-standing record is 5 minutes and 20 seconds, if I remember correctly. ( Let's see any of you guys try to beat that! )

After the movie, I went to the MacDonald's Restaurant on 902 Admiral Callaghan Lane in the Target Shopping Center to have a large Lemonade and a couple packs of Apple Slices, all for $2.17. I also decided to write this blog here, using my Acer C7 Chromebook.

My Google Account has one app that I decided to try-out during my vacation. It's the Google Drive. For years, I've wanted to get back to writing manuscripts and screenplays. But, I didn't know anything about Microsoft Word. Luckily, when I checked-out Google Drive, I learned that it has page-formatting and automatic page-numbering---Sweet!

So ... guess what else I've been doing these last two weeks, huh? Yep, I am writing a children's novel--forget your preconceived notion about classic fairy tales. And I've already done five ( 5 ) chapters so far. I hope that it gets published because it is new, edgy and very funny. We'll see .... ( I'm crossing my fingers. )


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IRON MAN 3 in 3-D, PG-13 ( 2 hr & 20 min )

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where:  Hector's house's living room in Oakland, CA
when: Thursday, May 2nd, 2013
show: evening-ish
costs: free on movie2k.to
auditorium: Hector's computer desk
seat: wooden chair

2nd time

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where: AMC BAY STREET 16 
when: Thursday, May 2nd, 2013
show: 9:00 p.m. 
costs: $12.00 Ticket + $4.75 1-litre Dasani Water + $5.00 Carquinez Bridge Toll = $11.75
auditorium: 10
seat: 4th row ( counting from the front ), 8th column ( counting from the left )

3rd time

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where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Friday, May 3rd, 2013
show: 10:50 a.m. ( Extra Dollar Off First Show Matinee ) in 3-D
costs: $10.25 Ticket + $5.75 small Popcorn w/ Butter + $4.50 medium 30.0 oz Powerade Mountain Berry Blast = $20.50
auditorium: 14
seat: 5th row ( counting from the front ), 5th column ( counting from the right )

synopsis/overview: Tony Stark ( Robert Downey, Jr. ) still suffers from PTSD ( Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ) because of his recent encounter with gods and aliens in New York City. His psychological disorder is adversely affecting his relationship with Pepper Potts ( Gwyneth Paltrow ) as he throws himself into his work even more, sacrificing much-needed sleep in the process. When his good friend/former bodyguard, Happy Hogan ( Jon Favreau ), almost gets killed by a terrorist, called The Mandarin ( Ben Kingsley ), Tony issues a publicly-aired challenge to The Mandarin, who answers with a surprise attack on Tony that nearly kills both him and Pepper. Tony retaliates with the help of Iron Patriot ( Don Cheadle ), a young boy named Harley ( Ty Simpkins  ), and a badly-damaged, untested prototype Iron Man armor suit, the MK-42, as The Mandarin prepares to teach America a final lesson.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) New Year's Eve celebration; 2.) Advance Idea Mechanics; 3.) "I'm the best"; 4.) Iron Patriot; 5.) "Einstein slept three hours a year"; 6.) Severe Anxiety Attack; 7.) "Three hundred percent rise in complaints"; 8.) EXTREMIS; 9.) DNA upgrade; 10.) MK 42; 11.) "'Better ..."; 12.) Chinese Theatre; 13.) "Here's my address"; 14.) Virtual crime scene; 15.) Heat signature; 16.) "Gluten-free waffle, Sir"; 17.) "Please don't tell me there's a 12-year old kid in the car I've never met"; 18.) "Do we need to worry about that"; 19.) "It's not combat-ready"; 20.) "I prepared a flight plan"; 21.) "I stole a poncho from a wooden Indian; 22.) Electro-magnet power source; 23.) "Technically, you're dead"; 24.) "I guess he won because that was six years ago"; 25.) "Where's my sandwich"; 26.) "I think that my boss is working for The Mandarin"; 27.) Limited edition watch; 28.) "Only five shadows"; 29.) Annoying brat; 30.) Local bar; 31.) Restaurant; 32.) "'Remember what I told you about bullies"; 33.) "'You know how I can tell? Because we're connected"; 34.) Televised execution; 35.) Log-in; 36.) Beauty contest; 37.) "Mom, I need to call you back. Something magical is happening"; 38.) "The bomb is not a bomb, it's a misfire"; 39.) Hotel room; 40.) Sweat shop; 41.) "It's in Miami"; 42.) "Why don't you just build something"; 43.) Mandarin's mansion; 44.) "Well, I panicked. But, then, I handled it"; 45.) Desperation; 46.) "This ... that"; 47.) "You breathe fire"; 48.) "How did we get this shift"; 49.) "Honestly, I hate working here. They're so weird"; 50.) Soccer game; 51.) "'Couldn't be better"; 52.) Air Force One; 53.) Barrel of Monkeys; 54.) Big rig truck; 55.) "House Party Protocol"; 56.) "I just needed a reason to kill you that would play well on TV"; 57.) "Too fast---Nothing"; 58.) "Disable with extreme prejudice"; 59.) Programmed only for Tony Stark; 60.) "'See what happens when you hang-out with my ex-girlfriends"; 61.) "I'm gonna need that suit back"; 62.) "The prodigal son returns"; 63.) "I am The Mandarin"; 64.) "That was really violent"; 65.) "Clean Slate Protocol"; 66.) Surgery; 67.) Hospital room; 68.) Boy's garage; 69.) It's a cocoon; 70.) Montage Scene during the first half of the Ending Credits; and 71.) Bonus Scene after the Ending Credits.

audience reaction: The AMC BAY STREET 16 audience liked this, with a few of them giving this movie a "Hands Clapper" ending.

The CENTURY 14 VALLEJO crowd ( only about two or three dozen in number ) didn't enjoy this movie as well since none in the crowd gave it a "Hands Clapper" ending.

recommendation: I liked this movie, one that explores Tony's persona more than it does his alter ego. This movie is definitely for "starving" Iron Man fans out there.

spoiler alert! Happy had already closed the doors but they were open once again just as the explosion took place. "You'll never see me coming"---Good! because this is not an X-rated movie, after all ( I shudder at the thought ). Did he say, "Somano-" or Somato-Sensory Complex. ( You say, "Somano-;" I say, Somato-. Ha, ha, ha. ) When Tony issued the challenge in public, the cellphone in front of him was a touch-screen type but the one in the preview was an alpha-numeric type. The driver swerved to avoid getting hit by the falling object but said driver didn't go to investigate what crashed into the woods. If the thing on his chest powers his suit; why does his suit lose power? Why did he ask for a map after he asked for a computer since he could have accessed Google Maps or Map Quest, etc., on the computer, himself? Why did she cock the shotgun when it was already cocked? When the heat melted the handcuffs, why didn't his wrists get burned? When the bad guy melted the water tower's support structure, why didn't his own clothes catch on fire? When water spilled all over the area, why didn't it get electrified? The Mandarin was somewhat of a disappointment! What happened to the guard dog? With an 832-mile distance between the two places, it would've taken several more minutes for the armor suit pieces to arrive. Why didn't they make Iron Patriot just fly "escort" alongside Air Force One? What was that thing that Pepper threw at Aldrich Killian ( Guy Pearce )?  It looked suspiciously like a vibrator---And an exploding one at that! Ha, ha, ha. What else does Tony Stark keep inside of his Iron Man armor suit? With all those metal objects exploding in the air right above them, you'd think that they'd run for cover to avoid getting hit by shrapnel! One would think that Iron Patriot was part of the "Clean Slate Protocol." ( Not now, Jarvis [ Paul Bettany ], I still have the President [ William Sadler ] with me! ) Those weeds in the demolished site of what once was Tony Stark's residence grew way too fast! I would've kept Pepper Potts just the way she was--sports bra and everything else! Ha, ha, ha. This movie seems like a "Big-Screen" product placement for Audi automobiles, the automotive brand preferred by superheroes and bad guys alike.

fyi: You can "upgrade" your DNA through Meditation and Mantra Work. But, no, it won't turn you into a "human torch".

word of advice: Looks can be deceiving.

The suit does not make the ( iron ) man.

tidbits: I haven't visited Hector and his family for at least two months now. So, I drove to Oakland, CA, for a visit---But, mainly though, I wanted to watch IRON MAN 3 on his computer because my computer's virus protection doesn't want me to go to movie2k.to to watch pirated movies!

The IRON MAN 3 movie that I watched on Hector's computer was okay. But the sound quality was poor and, to make it worse, whoever made the copy could be heard munching on something crunchy every now and then. But, hey, I watched it for free so I shouldn't be complaining. And I watched it simply so that when I go to see it tonight on my way home to Vallejo I will have a fairly good idea of what to take notes on as the story unfolds.

Hector's wife, Elsa, is still in the hospital. She has been there since April 2nd. But Hector said that she is much better now because she's getting Kidney Dialysis, they have her on a Physical Therapy regimen and the doctor lowered all of her medications . I don't know when the doctor will release her but it should be anytime soon.

Hector's two kittens, Sylvester ( a female, as it turned out ) and Harry Potter ( they named him Snow White but I changed his name because he's male, white and has a "lightning strike" mark on his forehead, just like his famous namesake ), are much bigger now.

But Harry Potter is much bigger because he is of a bigger breed. And, even though he is a "short-hair" cat, he has a thick, coarse coat that will serve him well if Hector doesn't have him castrated by the vet and Harry Potter decides to "own" the neighborhood.

Hector better take his two kittens to the vet a.s.a.p. and have them "fixed" if he doesn't want any more kittens in his house. Because Harry Potter is now starting to follow Sylvester around, sniffing her like she is some kind of tuna fish. Bwa, ha, ha, ha, ha---Snort!

Here's one of Hector's kittens, Harry Potter, at just 8 months old. He has gotten bigger since I saw him back in February.  I took this photo of him rubbing his facial scent glands against the tip of my shoes. I hoped to get a clear shot of the "lightning strike" mark on this forehead; but I guess that the flash "bleached" it out.

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A couple of times, Harry Potter snuck-out, through the hole that he made in the screen of the dining room window, to go into the backyard and hang-out with Mercedes, the pit-bull. At one time, they were both sleeping on the cold cement floor of the rear porch.

I made the mistake of mentioning to Hector that I saw some beautiful Samurai Sword Sets in San Francisco's Chinatown because his birthday is coming up. I told him that I'll get him a set because my birthday comes right after his and he can just give me back the Samurai Sword Set as a present. Ha, ha, ha.

I asked him what color he'd like his Samurai Sword Set to be in. He said that he'd like it in red. I said, Good, because you'll probably cut or slice yourself playing with the Samurai Swords and your dripping blood won't show-up as much. LOL

Shortly after I was done watching IRON MAN 3 on Hector's computer, I bade him and his son, Goodbye, because I wanted to catch the 9:00 p.m. show at AMC BAY STREET 16 before the show got sold-out.

I took this photo of the Ironman movie poster hung above the doors at AMC Bay Street 16 before I entered the theatre. 'Sorry for the blurry shot.

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After the movie ended, I really thought that I had enough time to catch the midnight 3-D show in Fairfield, CA. But, because of the long lines at the Parking Ticket Validation machine and at the Parking Ticket Payment machine, I lost-out on the chance.

As I waited for my turn to pay at the Parking Ticket Payment machine, I overheard one of the three girls in front of me make the comment that she thought that Pepper Potts' Giant Bunny gift had breasts---Hey! I'm glad that I wasn't the only one who thought that way. After all, those bunny "arms" did look like they were boobs ( with 3 nipples each ). Ha, ha, ha.

2nd tidbits: After watching the 3-D Iron Man 3 movie at the CENTURY 14 VALLLEJO, I went to Springs Road to have lunch at Selecta Pilipino Buffet and to buy some lottery tickets. All in all, I spent $17.58.

It was hot today. Well, to me it was since I'm more of a "cold-weather" person. I went to MacDonald's Restaurant on 902 Admiral Callaghan Lane at the Target Shopping Center to get out of the heat and to enjoy a large Lemonade and two packets of Sliced Apples for $2.17.

While I was at MacDonald's, I checked my Facebook page. My brother posted a picture of his thermometer with the caption that read: "'Nice outside."

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And I commented: 'Too hot for me!!!


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