where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Thursday, September 5th, 2013
show: 10:00 p.m. Advanced Screening
costs: $10.50 Ticket + $1.77 bulk Chocolate Candies + $4.50 1-L Dasani Water = $
auditorium: 2
seat: 4th row ( counting from the front ), 5th column ( counting from the left )
synopsis/overview: Court intrigue lands Riddick ( Vin Diesel ) on an alien planet. His only means of escape is to trigger an emergency beacon at an abandoned outpost. But the beacon brings with it two problems: a group, out for justice, that wants to arrest him; and a group of bounty hunters greedy for a reward on his head.
noteworthy scenes: 1.) Left for dead; 2.) "Dogs"; 3.) Map; 4.) "Not Furya"; 5.) "I got civilized'; 6.) Venom; 7.) Pool creature encounter; 8.) "I thought we shared everything"; 9.) MRE; 10.) "'Looks like our time is up here"; 11.) "Bounty doubled"; 12.) "Cut that 60.0 kilos loose"; 13.) "I was getting attached to her"; 14.) "Here comes the neighbor"; 15.) Malfunction; 16.) Traps; 17.) "So, this was overkill, huh?"; 18.) "One night, three dead"; 19.) "I'm pretty sure we killed that one"; 20.) "Barium detected"; 21.) Sideshow; 22.) "May all your dreams come true"; 23.) "He could be anywhere"; 24.) "I don't f*ck guys, either"; 25.) "Fair trade"; 26.) "Are you scared of me"; 27.) "Incompatible ships"; 28.) '"Too late for back-up"; 29.) The father; 30.) Tranquilizer; 31.) Interrogation; 32.) "I know what's coming"; 33.) "Why don't we sit this one out"; 34.) "'Small ones are the worst"; 35.) "You said, 'No weapons'"; 36.) Morphine; 37.) Ground game; 38.) High ground; and 39.) "Sooner or later, we have to head home."
audience reaction: The audience sort of liked this movie.
recommendation: I didn't like this movie--save for two scenes ( heh, heh, heh ). You'd have to be a fan of the first installment if you really want to see this on the Big Screen. Otherwise, wait for this to come out as a rental.
spoiler alert! Why didn't that bird use its claws to try to free itself? The leg plate which he screwed to his leg bone was done unsanitarily. In that sparsely vegetated planet, Riddick should have died of malnutrition well before his "puppy" became full-grown. If they were capable of interplanetary travel, why were they not equipped with infra-red, thermal imaging and night-vision goggles to better hunt down their quarry with? When Riddick was coming down on his enemy, the bad guy had enough chance to fire-off a few shots--even the guy seated two seats to my right made the same observation when he expressed it vocally to his girlfriend.
fyi: When the Bone Marrow is introduced to an environmental contaminant, it sets the stage for some serious infection.
The last time that I was in Grand Rapids, Michigan, my sister gave me some MREs ( meals ready to eat ) that someone from the military gave to her. The packaged meals were actually quite tasty; and there were quite an assortment of entrees too. Unlike the k-rations which I had for the first time back in 1982 which were limited in selection and were just "palatable" in taste.
word of advice: If you want to finish-off someone, do a thorough job of it.
tidbits: I started my day off with an 8:45 a.m. appointment with my Chiropractor ( I had to reschedule my usual every-other Monday appointment because this Monday was Labor Day, a Holiday ).
Then, I went to my Periodontist to pay $100.oo for a cleaning. I still have $136.oo left to pay, which I'll do within the next two weeks.
And I went to the Goin' Postal Store in the Food Maxx Shopping Center here in Vallejo to pay the fee on my postal box. The fee increased from $37.oo to $43.oo! And I hardly ever use my box; I only use it for when I order a big merchandise on-line. I will have to close this account if they raise the fee next year.
I then went to Benicia, CA, to pick-up my paycheck and to shop at the Safeway Supermarket for ingredients that I would need for the Corned Beef and Cabbage that I planned on cooking later on in the day.
I made a deposit in my savings account at the Benicia BofA ( Bank of America ). Next, I drove to the nearby Chevron Gas Station to gas-up my car and to buy some lottery tickets. And I went to the Benicia Chase Bank to make a deposit in my checking account.
As I was about to back-up my car, I noticed something familiar across the parking lot from Chase Bank. There, on the sidewalk in front of Starbucks, was a vintage Piaggio Stella Scooter. It was beige-and-red in color and looked a little beat-up for its age. I went and had a chat with its owner because I'd never seen one up-close and personal. This classic vintage scooter is now popularly reiterated as the new Genuine Scooter 4-stroke Stella. It is made in India by the same company which makes engines for Vespa. It is essentially like the old Stella except that it has a glove box, has a better front brake, has an electric start, and comes with the option of a rear chrome rack and rear mirrors. The old Stella could only go 45 mph while the new Stella can go up to 65 mph. And the new Stella is claimed to go 140 miles on a gallon of gas! This is a definite must-have, if you're looking for a city-commuter type of scooter---Oh, 'less I forget, the new Stella also comes with an optional side-car. The world-famous singer, Billy Joel has a green Genuine Scooter 4-stroke Stella with a side-car. I'd like to get one in the blue/white two-tone combo.
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| I found this on the Internet. I believe that this is a Genuine Scooter Stella, not the Piaggio Stella of the '70s. |
Then, I was on my way to Oakland, CA, to visit my friend Hector and his sons, whom I haven't seen since April when his wife was rushed to the hospital---She's still in the hospital!!! I don't know how he can afford the medical expenses since he's retired and is on a fixed income.
One of Hector's sons, Tito, is a mechanic on disability. I wanted him to show me how to replace the headlight assemblies on my 2001 Hyundai Accent.
If you remember, I went to a local dealership a few months ago to have the headlights replaced. But the dealer quoted me a price of about $250.oo for a single OEM headlight assembly--and I needed a pair.
I went to Pep Boys to see if they could just restore my headlight lenses. But the mechanic told me that the headlight restoration job was only good for a year because the headlight lightbulbs are high-intensity bulbs that "cook" the headlight lens from the inside. So, in the long run, I was better off just having the headlight assemblies replaced, especially since the bulbs were still the original 2001 pair and would soon need replacement, too.
I went on-line and came upon www.partsgeek.com. And they had After-Market replacement headlight assemblies for my car. I ordered a pair for only $86.oo ( each headlight assembly was just $43.oo ).
As I waited for Tito to come home from running errands, I spent the time cleaning my tires and wheels. I used a cheap tire-and-wheel cleaner that I bought earlier in the day at the 99-Cent Only Store in Vallejo.
Hector's youngest son, Ivan, offered to sell me his brand-new Bluetooth at a discount. But since I was on a tight budget because my workplace screwed-up my pay the last two weeks, I couldn't buy it from him. Maybe, later.
Hector's two cats, Sylvester ( the female ) and Snow White ( a.k.a. Harry Potter ) had a baby kitten. But it died after just being alive for a month. Poor kitten.
If you remember, I renamed Snow White as Harry Potter because, just like his famous namesake, he is white and has a "lightning streak" birthmark on his forehead---Well, the word should be "Had" because his birthmark is no longer visible. Maybe, somebody bleached it out. Ha, ha, ha.
When Tito finally arrived home, and after he rested-up for a short while, we went to work on replacing my headlight assemblies. I replaced the headlights on my 1978 Honda Civic and on my 1994 Geo Metro years ago. But the Hyundai Accent headlight assemblies proved tricky to work on. Tito finally figured-out that in order for each headlight assembly to be replaced, we had to unbolt the fenders at the top and move each one up an inch and out of the way! The battery had to be removed as well. But the end result was professional; and my new headlights are now 3X brighter. Tito saved me approximately $470.oo in out-of-pocket expense had I chosen to have the dealer replace my headlight assemblies, instead. I gave him $40.oo for his help. The next time that I visit him, I will buy a part for his car engine.
-These are the headlights on my 2001 Hyundai Accent before Tito and I replaced them. The time was around 5:50 p.m. when I took these photos. Notice how badly oxidized the lenses are.
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After we finished replacing my headlights, Tito asked who cleaned my tires. I said that I did, that I used a cheap tire and wheel cleaner that I bought at the 99-Cent Only Store. He told me not to use the cheap stuff because it will just dry out my tires. I said that that was exactly what my mechanic at Wheel Works said. I'm just gonna have to buy a better quality cleaner for next time.
Then, we went to pick up Tito's father, Hector, who stayed the whole day with his wife, Elsa, at a nearby hospital. We rode in the used 2000 Ford Taurus that Hector bought. Tito was angry when his dad bought the Taurus because he looked at them at the used car lot and told his dad specifically NOT TO BUY EITHER OF THE TWO USED FORD TAURUS cars on the lot. But Hector, after some "advise" from his other son, Isma ( who is not a mechanic ), went and bought one of the two Taurus cars anyway---And he's paying $300.oo a month on a car that sounds and drives like it is on its "last leg"!!! Since he was paying that much for a car, he should have gotten a new one, instead! But it is just I and Tito talking ....
Anyway, as I was cooking the Corned Beef and Cabbage, Hector said that Russia and China were sending their warships to Syria because of the planned US attack on Assad's military in response to the use of Chemical Weapons against the Syrian civilians. And I said that if we ever get into a war with China, I will personally launch an attack on all the Chinese Buffet Restaurants here in Northern California! My famous namesake once said, "An army travels on its stomach." Well, them Chinese commies won't be able to travel far if they decide to invade California because I will have already eaten their food supply by then! They will learn the hard way not to mess with Cine-Man, a.k.a. Pig-Out Man!!!
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