THE LUCKY ONE, PG-13 ( 1 hr & 41 min )

where:  CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when:  Saturday, April 21st, 2012
show:  2:30 p.m.
costs:  $9.75 Ticket + $4.00 20.0 oz Zero Squeezed Lemonade VitaminWater = $13.75
auditorium:  14
seat:  4th row, 3rd column


synopsis/overview:  On his 3rd tour of duty in Iraq, US Marine Sergeant Logan Thibault ( Zac Efron ) has a few brushes with death yet remains unscathed because he found and kept a lucky charm: A laminated photo of a beautiful girl. After his tour of duty, he goes in search of the girl to personally thank her. A journey that takes him from Colorado and all the way to Louisiana on foot. It is there that he learns of her name, Beth ( Taylor Schilling ), and of her family-owned business, a dog kennel. He goes to the kennel to thank her but end-up getting hired, instead. Though Beth has some unresolved personal issues, Logan hopes to make her more than just his lucky charm.


noteworthy scenes:  1.) Night raid; 2.) Photo; 3.) "You got yourself a guardian angel"; 4.) IED; 5.) "You know the corps can help you out"; 6.) "Maybe, all I need is time"; 7.) Pool hall; 8.) Kennel; 9.) Help wanted; 10.) "I like to walk"; 11.) "Are you crazy"; 12.) "I gave him the job"; 13.) House; 14.) "Does he have an Off switch"; 15.) Rude sheriff ( Jay R. Ferguson ); 16.) "Makes me wish I didn't sign those papers"; 17.) "That man is so irritating"; 18.) Dr. Seuss; 19.) "My grandson never finished his 2nd"; 20.) Piano; 21.) Dinner; 22.) "Detergent is under the sink"; 23.) "My brother taught him a few tricks"; 24.) "I cannot find my words"; 25.) Cemetery; 26.) Rage; 27.) "We were inseparable"; 28.) Dog tag; 29.) "Let go of her arm"; 30.) "Just wanted to make sure you're okay"; 31.) "Casual beers between co-workers"; 32.) Family business; 33.) Car accident; 34.) Surveillance-duty cop; 35.) Boat repair; 36.) "That's as clean as it'll ever be"; 37.) Chess book; 38.) "You just wanted to stop by"; 39.) Birthday party; 40.) Threat; 41.) "I do know you deserve better than this"; 42.) "I'm done talking to you"; 43.) A forgiving audience; 44.) Shower; 45.) Stalker; 46.) Church; 47.) "That's the guy"; 48.) Missing photo; 49.) "Strictly police business"; 50.) "Try telling me now"; 51. ) "You need it more than I do"; 52.) Boat; 53.) Drunk; 54.) "I meant, he was meant to find that photo"; 55.) Aces; 56.) "It's not gonna happen for us"; 57.) River; 58.) "I know what happened to him"; and 59.) "You belong here with us."

audience reaction: The audience, mostly female ( I say, Mostly, because I was the only guy there ) liked this Chick Flick/Date Movie. During noteworthy scene # 41, a girl behind me was sniffling---Hah! women ....

recommendation: It was okay. If you like romantic melodramas, this movie is for you.

spoiler alert!  A good number of people in Louisiana speak French, yet the local Sheriff didn't know how to pronounce the French name, Thibault. I seriously think that a book like that can't last a long time when exposed to the weather and seasons for many years. Why was that boat not kept locked-up? The pull chain of the table lamp sitting on the nightstand was moving as though it was just used recently by the sleeping boy, himself. For a family in mourning, they sure acted happily. ( Ding, dong. The wretch is dead. The wretch is dead. The wretch is dead. Ding, dong .... )

fyi:  Back in the war called, "Desert Storm ( January to February, 1991 )," when the US ground forces advanced on the Iraqi enemies, a US soldier found a photo of a bikini-clad beauty left behind in the sand by an Iraqi soldier. I think that the Iraqi left it behind just to slow down the Americans--and it probably worked, too! LOL. The photo was of a famous Hollywood actress of the late '70s and '80s: Loni Anderson. I found similar photos on the Internet and posted them below just to give you an idea of what that Iraqi soldier was lusting/drooling all over!

Enjoy!

And enjoy this one, too!

And enjoy this even more!

word of advice:  If Fate deals you a favorable hand, take it.

tidbits:  I got off work at 11:00 a.m. The manager asked me if I wanted to work a few more hours. But I already made plans to pig-out on some Lechon ( Roasted Pig ); and no one was about to get in my way of enjoying some freshly-roasted lechon! I also ate Pansit Palabok, Chicken Adobo and Chicken Soup with a plateful of rice. For dessert, I had a Macaroni Salad, a cucumber slice ( yes, that's right: one slice ), sliced peaches in syrup, orange slices and some pineapple chunks.

At 12:17 p.m., the owner's wife rolled-out more freshly-roasted lechon. But I was already full.

After eating lunch at Selecta Pilipino Buffet, I went next door to The 99 Cent Only Store for bread, apricot spread, and a 2-litre bottle of Pepsi Next.

The mid-day weather was too hot for me to do anything else. So, I went home to check my blog and my FaceBook page. Then, it felt too hot for me to hang around at my place. I needed to go someplace where there was an air conditioner.

I went to Century 14 Vallejo to see this  movie. And I bought a cold bottle of VitaminWater Squeezed Lemonade as a refreshment because it had the electrolytes that I needed for my leg cramps problem.

After the movie, I went to the nearby CVS Drugstore to buy an aerosol can of hair spray and a Triple Chocolate Nestle Drumstick.

But the cashier said that the Nestle Drumstick was for $3.49. The freezer shelf tag had it marked for 99 cents, I told the clerk. But she wouldn't believe me. I think that the store's management realized what the nearby theatre was charging for their ice cream and decided to cut-in on the competition. Of course, I refused to buy it because I could get it for 99 cents at a dollar store.

Which is exactly what I did:

I went to the Dollar Tree Store at the Target Shopping Center nearby to buy a 32 oz bottle of Grape Gatorade--again, for the electrolytes; a 2-pack of magnets for Brett--he thinks that it gives him a better "magnetic" personality ( ha, ha, ha ); and, of course, a Triple Chocolate Nestle Drumstick to help me cool-off in the hot weather.

I don't know about you, but 86 degrees Fahrenheit is too damn hot for me! I'm a cold-weather person. Sure, sure, I was born in the Philippines. But where I was born was at the foot of a mountain, Mt. Apo, where it gets cold and foggy in the early morning hours and where there are hailstones on rare occasions. And whenever the weather would get too warm for me, I'd simply lie down on the cold cement floor--this was in the "primitive" days of my childhood long before we got air conditioning.


*