THE SMURFS 3-D, PG ( 1 hr & 40 min )

where:  BRENDEN VACAVILLE 16 in Vacaville, CA
when:  Sunday, July 31st, 2011
show:  6:15 p.m.
costs:  $13.75 Ticket + $4.75 small Diet Pepsi + $12.87 Dinner ( + $2.00 Tip ) @ Great Moon Buffet in Fairfield, CA, before the movie = $33.37
auditorium:  9, with the 3-D screen.
seat:  4th row, 8ht column


synopsis/overview:  A large family of  blue creatures called, Smurfs, live an idyllic, enchanted life in Smurf Village.  But a Smurf-hating evil wizard, Gargamel ( Hank Azaria ),  accidentally discovers their hidden village and wastes no time in trying to catch all of  the Smurfs.  As a once-in-a-blue-moon portal opens up, the Smurfs jump in, with Gargamel and his sidekick, Azrael ( Mr. Krinkle ), in hot pursuit.  And the 3-apples high Smurfs soon find themselves lost and bewildered in the Big Apple.  Without anybody's help, they'll be stuck in New York forever.


noteworthy scenes: 1.) Smurf Festival; 2.) "Nothing weird about that--totally normal"; 3.) The vision; 4.) Intruder; 5.) Vortex; 6.) "Give me what I want"; 7.) Taxi; 8.) Hairball; 9.) Porta Potty; 10.) "Would you care for a mint when you're done"; 11.)  Google; 12.) "Alright, who smurfed"; 13.) "I kissed a Smurf and I liked it"; 14.) "Lunatics and wizards"; 15.) "Garbage Smell"; 16.) Chamber pot; 17.) Star-gazer; 18.) Toy store; 19.) Tazer; 20.) Smurfette's origin; 21.)  Guitar hero; 22.) Air vent; 23.) "Papa's lap"; 24.) Flies; 25.) "They chose us"; 26.) Blue Moon; 27.) Sonogram; 28.) Antique store; 29.) "You know, that song is really annoying"; 30.) "I second-guessed myself"; 31.) "I never promised him anything"; 32.) The moon; 33.) The Smurfs; 34.) Bus; 35.) Proud moment; and 36.) Film Montage and Bonus Scene during the Ending Credits.


audience reaction:  The little brats liked it.  And the computer-savvy brats even laughed at the mention of  Google!  The adults seemed to have a fun time, too.


recommendation:  Smurf  fans will like this.  It was just okay for me.


spoiler alert!  How could  the Smurfs read in English?  Grace ( Jayma Mays ) was so grossed-out at having to clean-out the toilet bowl that I ended-up wondering why she was cuddling Clumsy Smurf in a later scene, knowing where he had just been.  Given that all the Smurfs were males, with the exception of  Smurfette who wasn't even related to them, why was there no Horny Smurf or Sex-Starved Smurf?  Instead of a group hug with Patrick ( Neil Patrick Harris ), the blue-balled Smurfs should have done a grope hug with Grace, instead!  The train would really have to be going up a steep incline for the two Smurfs to slide back the way they did.  Why didn't they show the dog chasing after the cat?  Grouchy Smurf married what could only be the human equivalent of a sex pillow--his name should be changed to Pervert Smurf!

fyi:  Years ago, Hector and I had a short and skinny black co-worker on night-crew.  Everybody on the crew called him Papa Smurf  because he always wore a pair of blue jeans,  a blue long-sleeved sweatshirt and a red knit cap--and he had a white beard!


word of  advice:  Smurfs smurf for a smurf.  So, smurf  smurfs.  Smurf smurfs, smurfs smurf  all smurf  to be smurfings  in smurf.

( Translation:  Things, happen, reason.  Accept, them.  Lord, knows, they, could, prove, blessings, disguise. )


tidbits:  I decided to see this movie at the Brenden Theatre in Vacaville, CA, because I wanted to see if my Real D 3-D glasses would work in place of  their Dolby 3-D Digital Cinema glasses.  Nope, they are not interchangeable.  I was hoping that they would be because the Real D 3-D glasses are more comfortable for me to wear over my own eyeglasses.  I guess that I won't be seeing 3-D movies in Vacaville anymore.

I took this picture inside of my Geo Metro.  What you see is a 1.25-pound ( $1.24 @ .99/lb. ) Siamese-twin yellow squash which I bought minutes earlier at the local Benicia, CA, Safeway Supermarket.  I bought it just because ....  In the background is the Fire Department's parking lot.

I decided to have an early dinner at this Chinese buffet before seeing the Smurfs movie.  I wanted to know how differently their dinner selection is from their lunch selection--'pretty much the same, I soon found out.  Their Fried Squid was really salty, though; and their Steamed Salmon had a slightly different taste than what I am accustomed to--but it was good.  And with all the Asians and Hispanics dining-in, they were out of rice before I even got there; I had to stand around nibbling here and there while I waited impatiently for my rice!

I took this picture of  the restaurant's men's room urinal because I've never seen such an one before: Sloan's Waterless Urinal!  I don't know how it works; so, don't ask me.

I am starting to suspect that my digital camera has bad night-time vision!  Anyway, I went to this Big!Lots in Vacaville, CA, after the movie to buy a 12-oz. bag of El Sabroso Original Salsitas Salsa Chips Spicy Salsa Tortilla Rounds ( whew! what a long name ),  an eight-serving Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Pop-Tarts, and an Aluminum Card Guard Card Holder/Wallet.

I exited at  Marine World Parkway on my way home, totally forgetting about the fair at the Solano County Fairgrounds right across the street from Marine World/Discovery Kingdom.  By then, it was too late: Traffic Jam--I probably could have walked it halfway home in the time that it took me to get  out of  that congestion.


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Bolivia


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