OUR FAMILY WEDDING, PG-13 ( 1 hr & 30 min )

where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Monday, March 22nd, 2010
show: 11:50 a.m. Extra Dollar Off First Show Matinee
costs: $6.25 Ticket + $5.75 Kid's Pack ( w/ Dollar Upgrade ) + $6.49 Lunch @ Wendy's Restaurant ( Bacon & Blue Cheese Burger Combo with Side Salad substitute [ w/ Ranch Dressing ] and small Lemonade ) = $18.49
auditorium: 3
seat: 3rd row, 7th column

synopsis: Our families' meddling ....

A young couple, Lucia and Marcus ( America Ferrera and Lance Gross ), very much in love, plan on getting married. But will their families' inter-racial differences ruin it all for them or will their love survive the "... slings and arrows of outrageous ..." situations?

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Daddy 'phone calls; 2.) No parking zone; 3.) Restaurant; 4.) When things calm down; 5.) Guy talk; 6.) Abuela ( grandmother ); 7.) Police department; 8.) Life doesn't always make sense; 9.) Smudge; 10.) Bathroom; 11.) Our marriage, their wedding; 12.) Seating arrangements; 13.) Dinner jacket; 14.) Bridal gown; 15.) Make-out point; 16.) The garage; 17.) Traditional Mexican wedding; 18.) Baseball game; 19.) We speak every Sunday; 20.) Front porch; 21.) Cake tasting; 22.) Couch; 23.) Radio call-in; 24.) Night club; 25.) Parking lot; 26.) I'm a wife, I'm a mother; 27.) Stand-up for me; 28.) I love what I do; 29.) Best friend; 30.) Even when I'm mad at you, I still love you; 31.) Dominate their brain; 32.) Never laughed at my jokes; 33.) Serenade; 34.) Graduation photo; 35.) You two were meant for each other; 36.) Wedding cake; 37.) The goat; 38.) You're her choice; 39.) Mariachi; 40.) Dance; and 41.) Photo montage during the Ending Credits.

audience reaction: The audience enjoyed this Rom-Com movie.

recommendation: I liked it as it was funny, informative, and revealing about what takes place leading up to a wedding--OMG! I'm sounding like I'm entertaining the thought of a married life. LOL.

spoiler alert! Both bathroom scenes were hard to swallow, especially the one with the wet Viagra tablets ( Brad [ Forest Whitaker ] didn't notice it at all? ) and the goat overdosing on said tablets ( it would have died of a massive heart attack brought on by a massive hard-on! ). The two scenes with the broken vases were also hard to believe. Likewise, the cake-fight and what followed after a wedding cake was smashed were ridiculous. Does a DJ of a LOCAL radio show actually make enough money to afford an expensive home, fancy cars, parties, one-night-stands with desperate groupies, the services of a lawyer, wedding costs, and college tuition for his son on top of all these? I don't think so!

fyi: I was invited to a wedding once where someone actually went to all the trouble of baking an home-made three-tiered wedding cake. It was leaning almost precariously to one side. I made fun of it, calling it The Leaning Tower of "Cake-sa", not knowing that the lady who made it was standing next to me--awkward!

Back at the apartment complex where my family lived in Matina, Davao City, Mindanao, Philippines, the Ilocano family next door decided to cook a goat for a party. So they took a goat to the empty lot next to the apartment and forced it to drink a litre of sugar cane vinegar. It bleated and gurgled all the while until it died of vinegar intoxication. Although I partook of the dishes that they cooked with it, what I witnessed gradually made me lose interest in goat meat.

word of advice: Love is blind.

tidbits: At 2:15 p.m., when I was eating my lunch at Wendy's, I noticed a fake Great Horned Owl on the roof of the IHOP across the lot. Then I saw a pigeon land next to it. Yup! it didn't fool the pigeon at all. Maybe I'll get a BB gun and knock down the fake owl one of these nights.

And when I went up to the counter at 2:22 p.m. to get a refill on my lemonade, I noticed a sign saying that they are skimping on tomatoes and will add a ( paper-thin ) tomato slice to a customer's order only if the customer specifically asks for it because the tomato freeze in Florida supposedly made tomatoes a scarce commodity. Come on! Hot-house Tomatoes ( a.k.a. Steak Tomatoes ), the kind used in burgers, is on sale right now at Safeway for $1.99 a pound. Why couldn't Wendy's just send one of its employees to the Safeway grocery store just a mile down the road and buy-up a bunch of tomatoes? Otherwise, its patrons are just being charged the same price for less. What a scam! Come to think of it, their new burger, The Bacon & Blue Cheese Burger, doesn't show a tomato slice in the poster!

Here's a new jingle for Wendy's: Yes, we have no tomatoes. We have no tomatoes today!

The next time that I eat at a burger joint, I'll be sure to bring my own tomato! And should I decide to go to MacDonald's, I'll be sure to bring an onion, as well! Have you noticed the onions on a MacDonald's burger ...? They probably use a magnifying glass and tweezers to put onions on their burger buns!

One night years ago, I went to a Nation's Restaurant in Napa, CA. I ordered extra onions on my burger. When I took a bite out of it, tears rolled down my eyes! Yup! you get what you ask for if you eat at Nation's. Now, that was what I call "A real burger for a real man"!

HACHIKO: A DOG'S STORY, G ( 1 hr & 33 min )

where: MOVIE2K.COM
when: Sunday, March 21st, 2010
show: Late Night
costs: $0.00 Download
auditorium: Living Room
seat: My Swivel Chair

synopsis: A music professor ( Richard Gere ) comes upon a lost Akita puppy at the train station. What follows is an undying bond of love and loyalty between master and dog that is beyond reason and comprehension.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Shinto shrine; 2.) Train station; 3.) Organ; 4.) Bedroom; 5.) Playtime; 6.) Popcorn time; 7.) Chasing after his master; 8.) Skunk; 9.) Daily routine; 10.) The ball; 11.) The unexpected; 12.) Test of loyalty; 13.) News report; 14.) Old Hachiko; 15.) Meeting with mistress; 16.) The hot-dog vendor; 17.) The dream; and 18.) Dedication to Hachiko.

audience reaction: N/A

recommendation: I liked it and would recommend it to anybody who wants to see a good family movie. And it goes without saying that dog lovers will like this tear-jerker of a movie, too! Have lots of Kleenex tissues handy.

spoiler alert! Transplanting the setting of this movie, which is based on a true story, here in America instead of keeping it in Japan just dilutes the "authentic feel" of the movie.

fyi: I like how the dog's P.O.V. was done in black-and-white since dogs don't see in color.

I actually came across this true story back when I was in first year high school at Ateneo De Davao, High School Department, Matina, Davao City, Mindanao, Philippines. It was required reading for my English Literature Class. It left an indelible impression in me.

Akitas are probably the most loyal-to-its-master kind of dog.

I'm not sure if this movie was ever shown on the Big Screen. It would have made for a perfect Christmas movie last year! It just goes to show that Hollywood doesn't always know what's good for it!

word of advice: Treat animals, not just your pets, with respect.

If you want to watch a featured movie on Movie2K.com, press "Start" then let it run for a few seconds just to make sure that your computer is actually playing it, then press "Pause." Then go do something--anything--for about 30 minutes or so while the movie buffers, then go enjoy the movie. There's no time limit of 72 minutes on this one so you should be able to see the whole thing uninterrupted in just one sitting.

tidbits: The idiot living above my unit was doing some plumbing work in his kitchen early last night and ended-up leaking water into my unit. I only found out around midnight when I took an "intermission break" from watching this movie. I slipped a note under his door threatening to take him to court if he doesn't fix the problem right away. This is not the first time that this has happened. I already filed a report on him with the H.O.A. and will do so again!

THE BOUNTY HUNTER, PG-13 ( 1 hr & 46 min )

where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Friday, March 19th, 2010
show: 4:40 p.m.
costs: $7.25 Ticket + $2.00 Donation to Variety, The Children's Charity + $3.75 small Diet/Zero ( w/ Barq's & Cherry flavors ) Coke + $2.36 bulk Chocolate Candies + $13.75 Dinner after the show at Empire Chinese Buffet ( + $2.25 Tip ) = $31.36
auditorium: 7
seat: 5th row, 8ht column

synopsis: Milo ( Gerard Butler ), a bounty hunter, is happy at the prospect of an easy payday when he gets the job of hunting down his bail-jumping ex-wife, Nicole ( Jennifer Aniston ), a news reporter who is hunting a lead on a murder case. But Milo couldn't be more wrong about this particular job.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Road shoulder; 2.) Fourth of July Parade; 3.) Who's Mr. Ed; 4.) Less creepy option; 5.) Trees or cement; 6.) Court room; 7.) Bail bonds office; 8.) Chewing gum; 9.) Nicole's place; 10.) Jimmy's apartment; 11.) Kitty ( Christine Baranski ); 12.) Race track; 13.) Cab drivers; 14.) Car trunk; 15.) Bookie joint; 16.) Hot girlfriend; 17.) Craps table; 18.) Hotel room; 19.) Wrong man; 20.) Tazer; 21.) Pedicab; 22.) That's real; 23.) Track vet; 24.) Black SUV; 25.) Golf course; 26.) Blue Ink Tattoo Parlor; 27.) Cupid's Cabin; 28.) Favorite question; 29.) Candle-light dinner; 30.) Hallway to Bliss; 31.) Wedding photo; 32.) Confidential calls; 33.) Switched places; 34.) Ten bucks; 35.) Tattoo parlor office; 36.) Double D's parking lot; 37.) Irene's ( Cathy Moriarty ) money; 38.) Depository; 39.) Horse tranquilizers; and 40.) 117th Precinct.

audience reaction: The audience liked it.

recommendation: It's amusing enough to while the time away. And did I mention that it stars Jennifer Aniston?

spoiler alert! When Nicole threw the glass object at the front door, a piece got stuck in it, but it disappeared in the next shot when Milo stuck his head out of the bathroom; the next day, the piece reappeared in the door. Does a cell phone still work after it has been freshly-dunked in the water? ( I don't want to personally find out just to satisfy my curiosity--volunteers, anyone ...? ) At the police depository, their friend didn't notice their car parked in the lot. The police technician didn't offer support or even called for back-up right away. Stewart ( Jason Sudeikis ) can easily sue Irene and her henchmen, and have them put in jail, and then have the authorities put an end to her illegal gambling operation.

fyi: I entered the women's room by mistake once and even used a toilet stall at the Edwards Fairfield Stadium 16 & I-Max back in September of 1999 when I went there to see the Alec Baldwin movie, OUTSIDE PROVIDENCE. No wonder when I walked-in, it seemed odd that the room was sweet-smelling, clean, and had nothing but toilet stalls with urinals nowhere in sight! As I emptied my bladder, some young white person went and occupied the stall directly across from the one that I was using. When I stepped-out of the stall, I noticed the person's thongs ( flip-flop sandals ), which were visible under the door, had an unusually thick sole--not the type that you would see a boy put on. Then it hit me--Whoopsie! When I walked out of there, I looked at the sign by the door and, sure enough, it was the women's room. Ahh! Just then, a male employee walked towards the men's room at the opposite end as I apologetically--and with a big, wide grin--admitted to my faux pas!

Back in the late '80s, when my mom went to Europe on a solo trip, I let her borrow my Tazer for personal protection. On her return flight to the US, she was detained by the airport security when they found the Tazer on her person. Yup, I could just imagine them mistaking my frail, little old mother for a terrorist. Ha! It's all about racial profiling, I'm telling you.

Pig-out Man's Food Review: Empire Chinese Buffet didn't have Peking Duck ( is it more politically correct to call it Beijing Duck? ) this time. And no Vegetable Tempura. And no Orange-glazed cream-filled Cake either. But they had Papaya slices. Whenever I pig-out, I always cap my meal with Pineapple Chunks ( or Pickles, if there are no Pineapple Chunks ) because its Bromelain Enzymes help with my Protein digestion. And since the Papain Enzymes in Papaya also help with Protein digestion, it was a welcome added bonus to the usual fare. But their Seafood Delight is one of my stand-out favorites, although at times they leave out of the mix certain items such as Zucchini, Carrots, and/or Bell Peppers. And I've eaten their Seafood Delight enough times to be able to make it myself--and improve on it! ( Now, if I could only find some unwitting "guinea pigs" for the taste test--I think that it's time again to visit my friends in Oakland, CA. )

word of advice: Seek counseling if you have a bad gambling habit.

tidbits: Before the movie, I made a quick trip to Chase Bank to check on the status of a cheque that I forgot to enter in my cheque log. At least I got served by Erilou again. What's so special about her? Nothing, except that she is one exceptionally hot-looking Pinay ( pronounced: "pee-nigh", slang for Filipina )! ( That makes four exceptionally hot-looking Pinays that I've seen here in Vallejo, CA, through the years. )

The DIARY OF A WIMPY KID was sold-out for the 4:15 p.m. and the 7:00 p.m. shows. And I needed to see something light after REPO MEN. So I decided to watch THE BOUNTY HUNTER.

During the movie, in the scene in which Milo was snoring, I thought that the Dolby Stereo Surround Sound System was working exceptionally well until I realized that a man in the audience seated a few rows above mine was actually fast asleep! Ha, ha, ha. Talk about perfect timing.

After the movie, as I walked to my car, I looked-up at the marquee for the movie listings. They had wrongly spelled-out one: SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUER!

Then, I decided to end the night with dinner at Empire Chinese Buffet. And the owner's hot-looking daughter was there--she works from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. And I still don't know her name. Why don't they wear name tags like others do in other restaurants? Oh, forget it. If they do, their names would probably be written in Chinese, anyway.

I was gonna do this blog yesterday, except that I was preoccupied with trying-out two kinds of blog widgets. Maybe a few of you noticed last night the added features on my blog site. But when I checked with my Windows Task Manager, I found out that the two widgets were adding too much to my PF Usage--almost at 100 %. So I uninstalled them ... and doing so messed-up my Google Chrome, forcing me to shut-down my computer for at least 16 hours! I shall re-install them someday when I can afford to buy a better computer with lots of Gigabytes.

P.S. This afternoon, I installed a new Firefox Fox Persona Screen Skin on my computer: The ALICE IN WONDERLAND 2. It looks nice. I had the MechQuest skin before this one.

REPO MEN, R ( 1 hr & 51 min )

where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA

when: Friday, March 19th, 2010

show: 2:00 p.m.

costs: $7.25 Ticket + $5.75 Kid's Pack ( w/ the $1.00 upgrade ) = $13.00

auditorium: 14

seat: 7th row, 8ht column

synopsis: In the near-future, humans in need of replacement organs have the option of choosing mechanical ones. The only problem is, if the patient becomes delinquent on payments, the mechanical organ company sends out a technician, i.e. a repo man, to repossess it.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Union man, Remy ( Jude Law ); 2.) Rough-housing with Jake ( Forest Whitaker ); 3.) Pancreas guy; 4.) Union men barbecue; 5.) Taxi; 6.) Nest; 7.) 32 1/2; 8.) Jimmy T-Bone ( RZA ); 9.) 3 knock-outs; 10.) Hospital; 11.) Luggage; 12.) Welcome back present; 13.) Problem; 14.) Past due; 15.) Knocking them dead; 16.) Not cut-out for sales; 17.) Knock-out # 4; 18.) Singer ( Alice Braga ); 19.) Altered bar code; 20.) Two parts of the same puzzle; 21.) Want the option; 22.) What brand are your lips; 23.) Cautionary tale; 24.) Bionic ear; 25.) Trap; 26.) Typewriter; 27.) Larry, the Lung; 28.) Airport; 29.) Bleeding; 30.) Freeway off-ramp; 31.) Surgeon; 32.) Rigged defib; 33.) Hunt; 34.) Welcome to your world, repo man; 35.) Subway train; 36.) The 3 guards; 37.) Assembly lab; 38.) Business suit types; 39.) Organ data bank; 40.) Is she worth it; 41.) Repossession Mambo; and 42.) Tropical paradise.

audience reaction: The audience seemed to like this gory slash-fest of a Sci-Fi movie which is an exaggerated satire on the preposterous premise of corporate greed run amock.

recommendation: This movie is strictly played for laughs, albeit a bloody one at that. This would be a great movie for pre-med and law students to poke fun at!

spoiler alert! All the patients who signed the contract did so "under duress"; or to be more specific about it, did so Coactus Volui ( consented under compulsion ), nullifying the contract. I could just envision all the lawsuits filed against this company! The company employed the services of "killers for hire." Why didn't the police do anything about such premeditated murders? Why didn't anybody on the train alert the security/undercover cop about Remy's estranged wife? In the cases wherein a patient had more than one artificial organ replacement done, why didn't the company first do a "credit history" check? All the field surgeries were done under less than ideal conditions, setting the stage for massive blood loss and septic shock. Were the repo men, a.k.a. "technicians", surgeons? Apparently, no! So, they shouldn't have been performing surgical procedures without the knowledge and guidance of a surgeon. Speaking of surgeons, how in heck did a little girl become one? ( Doogie Howser, M.D., look-out! ) Since a person can still live on just one kidney, why did someone go ahead and have an artificial one put in? Since most of the patients/victims died, anyway, why didn't the repo men go ahead and harvest real organs on the side to increase business and commission payments since I'm quite certain that there is still a market for real organs in the future, and because the repo men are employed in a business that is immoral, unethical and downright illegal to begin with? Lastly, why didn't it occur to anyone to add/purchase "delinquency insurance"?

fyi: Would you put a brand-spanking-new V-12 engine ( if you can fit it in ) in an old and rusted-out beat-up Yugo? No, because such an engine would rip the old Yugo apart since they would not be compatible with each other to begin with! This is a perfect analogy for the people in this movie who had the artificial organ transplant procedure done on them. Such organs would need to be calibrated properly to "custom-fit" its respective recipients. Without such a calibration done first, the patient would suffer undue anatomical/physiological stresses. And I don't think that the company hawking such organs sold calibration-capable models--at least, I didn't see any reference to it at all; all of their artificial organs were pretty much of the "cookie-cutter" variety. This is something to think about, for you future artificial organ inventors out there.

word of advice: If you want something done right, do it yourself.

tidbits: Before going to see this movie, I swung by the CSAA office first to pay on my car insurance.

Then, I stopped-off at Postal Annex to put my 'phone bill in the mail-drop. Mike, the proprietor, was outside the front door smoking. I asked him if the reason why he's outside was because his air conditioner was on the blink. No, he told me that he was just out there indulging in his nasty habit: smoking. He added that he's been smoking since he was 14-years old when he had a paper route and could then support his habit. I told him that I quitted when I was 13, that I started when I was four. He was incredulous! I had to explain to him that in the Philippines it's not uncommon to see little boys ( 1st and 2nd graders ) with a lit cigarette in one hand and an opened beer bottle in the other hand. ( Had someone told me early enough that continued smoking would stunt my growth, I would have grown-up to be a basketball player! )

I was going to see the 1:45 p.m. show of the movie, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID. But it was sold out.

SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE, R ( 1 hr & 44 min )

where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Monday, March 15th, 2010
show: 12:05 p.m. Extra Dollar Off First Show Matinee
costs: $6.25 Ticket + $3.75 small Diet/Zero ( w/ Barq's & Cherry flavors ) Coke + $8.93 Lunch ( + $1.07 Tip ) at Empire Chinese Buffet after the show = $20.00
auditorium: 14
seat: 5th row, 7th column

synopsis: Nerdy beanpole loser, Kirk ( Jay Baruchel ), has the hots for smart blonde hottie, Molly ( Alice Eve ), who's attracted to him. But he's having second thoughts about their fledgling relationship.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Rehearsing a line for his ex-girlfriend, Marnie ( Lindsay Sloane ); 2.) At his parents' house with Marnie and her new boyfriend ( ? ); 2.) Airport security; 3.) Rude bitch, Patty ( Krysten Ritter ); 4.) Aladdin's magic carpet ride; 5.) Hockey game; 6.) Molly's into you; 7.) Bowling alley; 8.) Honest mistake; 9.) "Rescue" call; 10.) First kiss; 11.) Meeting with Kirk's family; 10.) Slap-shot regatta; 11.) Molly's place; 12.) Marnie; 13.) All it takes is one; 14.) Tarmac; 15.) Fighter plane; 16.) Movie theatre; 17.) "Japanese-looking"; 18.) Prep work; 19.) Helping hand; 20.) Katie's ( Kim Shaw ) 21st Birthday party; 21.) Defect; 22.) Bedroom; 23.) Branson-bound; 24.) Coffee shop; 25.) To the rescue; 26.) "Long" flight; 27.) Delayed; and 28.) Re-union.

audience reaction: The audience enjoyed this unlikely Rom-Com movie.

recommendation: I liked it, too. Go ahead, indulge your fantasy.

spoiler alert! Since they drank some wine first, couldn't Kirk have used that as an excuse for the wet spot on his pants? But, then again, the situation would have called for some quick thinking on his part. Why does Molly's ex-boyfriend's flight jump-suit have the American flag on the left shoulder? In the US military, the flag is on the right shoulder of the uniform. Kirk's lavatory sink was too low, about as low as a urinal! With the stunts they pulled, all four friends would have eventually gotten themselves fired in real life. And what would Molly think, then, of her unemployed loser-boyfriend, Kirk?

Molly lied--she actually wore underwear! Oh, darn ....

fyi: Jay Baruchel has an annoying "Ed Sullivan"-type of a whiny voice. And when I look at his face in the movie poster, I think to myself, Hey, a Leprechaun! ( 'Must be the season. )

I couldn't help but notice how Alice Eve looks like a young and slender Anna Nicole Smith. I don't know if you've noticed, but she has two different colored eyes: Her right eye is gray and her left eye is blue. If she were a white cat, with those eyes of hers, she'd probably be a deaf one! ( My family used to have a white cat with different colored eyes, and he was deaf. )

Speaking of Aladdin, soon after Disney's Aladdin movie came out, it was reported in the news that a poster for the movie that was sold in stores had a phallus shown in the background! I and a co-worker went to look at the poster the next day and, sure enough, it had a phallus cleverly disguised as one of the castle's towers. I have to buy one later because this will be a collector's item worth lots of money someday, I told my co-worker before we clocked-in for work. But wouldn't you know it, the poster was removed before I even got a chance to buy it on my lunch break! I should have bought it right away when I still had the chance.

Talk about dysfunctional American family, Kirk's is high on the list!

Is it just me or do all Dodge/Plymouth vehicles, no matter which model, have a problem with body paint peeling-off after just a few years? Because most cars I see on the road with peeling-off paint are Dodge/Plymouth ones.

It looks to me like the screenwriter for this movie, John Morris, has a serious unfulfilled high school fantasy.

In San Francisco, CA, I had an SFSU Co-Ed sit astride my right thigh once. I was worried that she would break my leg because she acted like she was riding a bucking bronco! Yup, she left a mark ... a wet one ( Ahem! ). I think that she marked me as her personal property. Does "Bucking Bronco" sound to you like another perfect name for Cine-Man? Well, what do you think ...?

word of advice: Dream on!

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

tidbits: I had in mind to see this movie in Fairfield, CA. But I didn't get any sleep the night before so I decided to just see it here in Vallejo, instead. I dozed-off two or three times in the first ten minutes of the show, but I was good-to-go after that.

I wonder how many takes it took for them to get the "dog scene" with Captain Pickles right. Hmm ....

Q: What goes 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1?

A: A "Perfect 10" girl getting old, fat and ugly!