POMPEII, PG-13 ( 1 hr & 38 min )

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where: C ENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Tuesday, February 25th, 2014
show: 11:55 a.m. ( Dollar-Off ) Early Bird Matinee
costs: $6.75 Ticket + $1.00 medium upgrade on a Free Small Popcorn ( Cine-Mark E-Mail Coupon Special ) + $4.50 medium 30.0 oz Powerade Mountain Berry Blast = $12.25
auditorium: 2
seat: 6th row ( counting from the front ), 6th column ( counting from the left )

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2nd time

where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Wednesday, February 26th, 2014
show: 2:35 p.m. ( Dollar-Off ) Early Bird 3-D show
costs: $10.25 Ticket + $1.00 medium upgrade on a Free Small Popcorn ( Cine-Mark E-Mail Coupon Special ) + $3.75 3.2 oz Nestle Buncha Crunch + $4.50 30.0 oz Powerade Mountain Berry Blast = $19.50
auditorium: 2 ( yes, the very same auditorium )
seat: 4th row ( counting from the front ), 7th column ( counting from the left )

synopsis/overview: Milo ( Kit Harrington  ), a Celt who's the last remaining survivor of his tribe which was slaughtered by the Romans, is forced into becoming a gladiator. When he is sent to Pompeii to fight in the arena, he falls in love with Cassia ( Emily Browning ), the daughter of a very rich merchant, and he also sees an opportunity to exact revenge on the very men who killed his whole tribe. When Mt. Vesuvius awakens, he goes after the men responsible for his tribe's slaughter as he tries to save the object of his love.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Nighttime raid; 2.) "They call him, Celt"; 3.) Horse; 4.) "He wants to know your name"; 5.) Lake shore; 6.) "Why did you save my life"; 7.) "Minor opposition"; 8.) Party; 9.) "Is this normal"; 10.) Horses' stable; 11.) "I believe you understand the question"; 12.) Fifteen lashes; 13.) "Perhaps, the gods spared me for a reason"; 14.) "This is a massacre"; 15.) Threat; 16.) Roman banner; 17.) "Your reputation is your weakness"; 18.) "Vulcan speaks"; 19.) "Single combat"; 20.) "This blade's dull"; 21.) "How about 20 of us"; 22.) "I've decided not to invest in your little city"; 23.) "You have your freedom, my friend"; 24.) "You came back for me"; 25.) "You came back for me"; 26.) Volcanic bombs; 27.) Horses; 28.) "Romans everywhere"; 29.) "He is mine now"; 30.) "Gladiators do not beg"; 31.) Chariot; 32.) "I die a free man"; and 33.) Kiss.

audience reaction: There was just a mild reaction to this movie.

recommendation: I liked the special effects in this movie. If you can afford it, see this movie in 3-D--it's worth the extra money to go see it in 3-D!

spoiler alert! During the slaughter of the Celt Horse Tribe, the little boy showed no reaction at all even when his parents were both killed before his very eyes. The slave girl was more beautiful than her mistress. He said that his sword was dull but both swords were truly dull. The birds--obviously CGI'd--could never have flown across the active volcano's crater for one good reason: Convection; the cold air from the sky above would have rushed down with such force and the hot air from the volcano below would have rushed up with such force, too, that the birds would have had no choice but to veer off to the side or be cooked to death while in flight! Milo went running from the arena all the way to the villa but he never panted. When Cassia went up to her dead parents, I think I saw her father twitch! Why wasn't Cassia thrown from the chariot? Why did the horse just stay around when it saw what was coming. That volcanic death cast of the kissing couple was wrong on two things: There should not have been hair on them and, since they were still alive when they were overcome by the Nuee Ardente ( super-heated cloud of volcanic gas and ash traveling at high speed ), they should have fallen and curled into a fetal position instead of being locked in a kiss! Everybody died in this movie---'Sucks big time!!!

fyi: One of the courses I took in college was Geology. My Geology professor told us of an anecdote involving a colleague of his who was a professor at some other college. Said colleague went overseas to study a volcano after it had erupted. The professor collected some volcanic bombs to take home as souvenirs of his trip and as a teaching tool for his own class. When he went through the security x-ray section of the airport ( this happened years before 9-11 ), the guard asked him about the odd-looking objects in his luggage. He casually replied, "Bombs." Needless to say, he was detained and missed his flight back home!

Jerusalem was burned by Titus in 70 a.d. In the Jewish letter/number system, the number 10 is the symbol of God. And it is interesting to note that ten years after Titus burned Jerusalem, Rome burned, too. Can you say, "Divine Pay-Back?"

I found this on Wikipedia. It is of what once was Pompeii. Mt. Vesuvius is in the background.

Would you believe that, to this very day, people still live around the base of Mt. Vesuvius even though it is by no means an extinct volcano?!?!?!

word of advice: Don't tempt Fate.

tidbits: After the movie, I asked an employee why the right half of the auditorium was cordoned-off. He said that the janitors cleaned the seats the night before and they haven't dried yet. And I made the stupid comment that I thought it was because somebody pooped in one of the seats! Ha, ha, ha.

2nd tidbits:  The same section was still cordoned-off!


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