BURIED, R ( 1 hr & 40 min )

where: AMC BAY STREET 16 in Emeryville, CA
when: Monday, October 11th, 2010
show: 9:10 p.m.
costs: $11.00 Ticket + $6.25 Kid's Pack + $1.25 Parking Garage Fee + $5.00 Carquinez Bridge Toll = $23.50
auditorium: 16
seat: 4th row, 6th column

synopsis: On October 23rd of 2006, a truck driver from Hastings, Michigan, Paul Conroy ( Ryan Reynolds ), found himself bound, gagged, and buried underground in a makeshift coffin. He used a cell phone to call for help as he was slowly losing his air supply.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Lighter; 2.) Arabic script; 3.) 911, Youngstown, Ohio; 4.) Chicago FBI; 5.) "Five million money"; 6.) "Donna"; 7.) Seaworld; 8.) "Make video"; 9.) Retirement home; 10.) Female hostage; 11.) "Send video"; 12.) Trouser "surprise"; 13.) Fire; 14.) Call to prayer; 15.) English option; 16.) Incoming video; 17.) 47,000 hits; 18.) Explosions; 19.) "The situation is I'm in a coffin and it's pretty contained"; 20.) Two hours ago; 21.) Recorded conversation; 22.) "Weird ... knowing ..."; 23.) Last Will and Testament; 24.) Driver's license; 25.) Finger; 26.) The search and rescue; and 27.) Bonus Scene after the Ending Credits.

favorite scene: I loved the part where he pretended that he was sorry that he yelled at "Donna" just so he could get a very important number from her.

audience reaction: The audience laughed at Paul Conroy's sarcastic remarks and funny comments.

recommendation: This claustrophobic thriller is a well-written and well-acted movie. Go see this movie if you're a fan of this genre.

spoiler alert! With his hands bound together, how was he able to get the cigarette lighter? Why didn't the abductors just make everything readily accessible to their kidnap victim? When he yelled for help, his voice didn't sound hollow and confined like how it should, considering where and in what predicament he was in. The lit lighter and the fire should have accelerated the oxygen consumption in the limited air supply, especially after he plugged-up the holes. The temperature inside the coffin should have risen considerably because of the lit lighter, the fire, and Paul's forced movements, to the point where he would have suffered from the effects of hyperthermia. There was no smoke as a result of the fire. Someone he talked to on the 'phone said that he was getting reception because he was not buried deep enough, meaning that he was in a shallow grave; and this point was driven home in the part where he could hear the call to prayer on a loud speaker.

I don't want to add anymore to this or I'll just give the ending away.

fyi: I always thought of Ryan Reynolds as a comedy actor. But this movie shows that he has a considerable acting range.

After the Opening Credits, it will be dark and soundless for about a minute. Nope, there's nothing wrong with the projector.

word of advice: Don't put yourself in harm's way for the sake of money.

tidbits: After work and before going to see this movie, I drove all the way to my friend Hector's house in East Oakland, California, to drop-off a flea collar for the stray cat--not a fancy collar this time. And I made a quick dinner for everyone with two tubs of Safeway Signature Cafe Chicken Enchilada Soup and some French bread. And I also showed Hector three websites that talk about the special soap that I've gotten myself hooked-on.

On a side note: One of Hector's nephews visited him a few days ago and used, without permission, the reserved-only-for-me "Super Sexy, Studly Samoan" mug. And it was nowhere to be found so I guess that he took it with him. And being that the mug was made in China and has a crack in it, I hope that this particular nephew of his will end up with Lead poisoning. L.O.L. Now, I'm gonna have to find a suitable replacement for it and keep it hidden from his "sticky-fingered" nephew.

Well, they still call it a "Kid's Pack" at AMC Cinemas. But at Regal Cinemas, it's now called a "Zap Pack". And it's known as a "Snack Pack" at Century Cinemas. I prefer "Snack Pack" a lot better. But whatever name that the theatre chains call it by, its buyer will either be a "Smart Buyer" or a "Cheapskate". I think that I like "Smart Buyer" much better.

There was a talkative couple in the auditorium during the first half of the movie. Thank God that they left us to enjoy the rest of the movie.

I had to rewrite this whole thing because Blogspot.com acted-up again and erased what I had almost finished writing a few hours ago on this particular movie.

MY SOUL TO TAKE 3-D, R ( 1 hr & 46 min )

where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Friday, October 8th, 2010
show: 10:05 p.m.
costs: $13.25 Ticket + $5.00 Snack Pack + $8.97 dinner @ Wendy's Restaurant: The # 5 Double-Deluxe Combo Meal w/ Side Salad & Ranch Dressing ( before the show ) = $27.22
auditorium: 7, with the 3-D screen
seat: 5th row, 10th column

synopsis: A supernatural "whodunnit".

On the 16th anniversary of the last sighting of a serial killer, the small town of Riverton is faced with the same grisly horror, as the teens born prematurely on that fateful night meet with an untimely death one after the other.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Ripper's knife; 2.) Seven premature births; 3.) Anniversary gathering; 4.) The bridge; 5.) Stepfather; 6.) "Pray for our souls"; 7.) California condor; 8.) Boy's room; 9.) Surveillance; 10.) Mimicking the other; 11.) The woods; 12.) Poolside; 13.) Rocking horse; 14.) Dream/nightmare; 15.) The truth; 16.) The second option; 17.) Bathroom; 18.) Kitchen; 19.) "Make it a 20"; 20.) The distraction; 21.) "'You think I'm crazy"; 22.) Keeper of the souls; 23.) "Fake it good"; and 24.) Storyboard sketches during the Ending Credits.

audience reaction: A couple of scenes frightened some people ( read: girls ) in the audience. So, I guess that they liked this movie.

recommendation: I didn't find this particularly enjoyable since it's not written well, not directed well and it is mediocrely acted. Wait for this to come out as a rental. Or, if you decide to see this movie on the big screen, save your money and see this in 2-D, instead.

spoiler alert! The knife is inscribed with the word, "Vengeance." But there is no explanation for it--maybe at the end, but not at the beginning of it all. An ambulance truck like that would never be left neglected to rust in place since it's a crime scene. It would have been hauled away for forensic investigation. I can't believe that the cops just left without extinguishing the unattended campfire and all those lit candles. When one of the characters was walking through the woods, she recited the King James Version of Psalm 23 but skipped over some of the words. No wonder she fell victim to the murderer later on! Since the killing spree occurred within a 24-hour period, and three of them happened during school hours, the killer would have been seen hauling away the swimming pool victim from the school campus. And how did the killer manage to haul-away said victim from the campus, through the woods, and all the way to the makeshift "memorial"? How did the blind kid walk from his house all the way to his friend's house and "find" the rope to climb up on?

fyi: The prayer from which this movie borrows its title is a classic 18th-century prayer for children. Back in my younger years, this prayer used to creep me out. Here are three versions:

( Original Version )

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
If I die before I wake;
I pray for God my soul to take.

( One Variation )

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
If I should live for other days,
I pray the Lord to guide my ways.

( Another Variation )

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
When in the morning light I wake,
Teach me the path of love to take.

I don't know about you, but I like the two variations better, especially the last one!

If you go around reciting a poem or, as in this case, a psalm, do so correctly. Otherwise, your "version" will just grate on the nerves of those of us who know the particular piece by heart. With this in mind, here's the King James Version of Psalm 23 in its entirety:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of my Lord for ever.

Now, go back to my February 28th, 2010 blog entry on the movie, COP OUT, with Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan. In it, I wrote my version of Psalm 23, calling it, The Shotgun Wedding Psalm. To find it fast, use the search engine on the upper-left corner of this blog and type-in, "The Shotgun Wedding Psalm."

word of advice: Don't play with "murder" nature.

Don't be a bully.

tidbits: Before the movie, and even before eating at Wendy's, I went to the nearby CVS Store to buy a bottle of Lecithin capsules and some Oral-B inter-dental tapered refill brushes. I take a capsule of Lecithin whenever I eat a high fat, high cholesterol meal.

WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS, PG-13 ( 2 hr & 7 min )

where: AMC BAY STREET 16 in Emeryville, CA
when: Wednesday, October 6th, 2010
show: 10:00 p.m.
costs: $11.00 Ticket + $0.00 small Popcorn w/ Butter ( Wednesday Free Popcorn Special with a movie rewards card ) + $4.25 small Diet Coke + $1.25 Garage Parking Fee + $5.00 Carquinez Bridge Toll = $21.50
auditorium: 5
seat: 5th row, 10th column

synopsis: Gordon Gekko ( Michael Douglas ) is released from prison and is desperate to get back in the "money game" that he once commanded. To do this, he befriends and becomes a father-figure to Jacob ( Shia LaBeouf ), the fiance of his estranged only-daughter, Winnie ( Carey Mulligan ).

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Prison release; 2.) Talk show; 3.) Bonus check; 4.) Diamond ring; 5.) Wall Street panic; 6.) 15,000 jobs on the line; 7.) Federal Reserve Bank of New York; 8.) Public "execution"; 9.) Train platform; 10.) NINJA ( No Income, No Job/Assets ) Generation; 11.) Ten minutes; 12.) The "Rumor"; 13.) Locust Fund; 14.) Churchill Schwartz; 15.) House hunting; 16.) "What's your number"; 17.) "The best memory that I know is "Hurt"; 18.) Tulipomania; 19.) Restaurant; 20.) "He'll hurt us"; 21.) Chinese investors; 22.) "Parents are the bones on which children sharpen their teeth"; 23.) "Stop telling lies about me, I'll stop telling the truth about you"; 24.) Father/daughter talk; 25.) Biggest bail-out; 26.) Pregnant; 27.) Mentor/protege; 28.) Moral hazard; 29.) Taxi; 30.) Fusion simulation project; 31.) Zurich, Switzerland; 32.) Panicking mom ( Susan Sarandon ); 33.) Skipped town; 34.) "You're like him"; 35.) "Gordon Gekko is back"; 36.) "You left it all in ruins"; 37.) "We like bedtime stories"; 38.) News; 39.) "You look for the birds"; 40.) New alliance; 41.) "Definition of insanity"; 42.) Under investigation; 43.) Reconciliation; and 44.) Bonus scenes during the Ending Credits.

favorite scene: I liked where Gordon was on-stage talking about the "Ninja Generation."

audience reaction: The four people in the audience with me seemed to like this movie, especially the scenes with the old man doing his "flying birds" impression.

recommendation: I liked this movie. And I would have enjoyed it more had I actually seen part one. Go see this movie.

spoiler alert! I thought that his prison release would get some sort of media coverage, given the fact of who he is. It's hard for me to believe that they would go on a high-speed bike race on a country road like that, as if it were a "closed course". They should have done it on a race track. Does it make sense for a taxi driver to not only drive fast but recklessly, as well? Where's a traffic cop when you need one?

fyi: The "Great Depression" occurred when US banks called in some foreign loans to a bunch of Third World countries and they all defaulted on their debts.

If you research the stock trades just days prior to 9-11, you'll find that stocks on United Airlines and American Airlines were dumped. Meaning, some people knew what was about to happen and decided to cut their losses short! These people made tons of money on this "speculation," and all of it is Blood Money! No excuses. They are all accomplices to the crime committed.

The Bull market and the Bear market had their origin during Spanish colonial time here in California. The Spaniards would place bets on who would win the fight between a bull and a bear. The bull would always win. That's why when stocks go up, it's called a Bull market; and when stocks go down, it's called a Bear market.

word of advice: "Don't put all your eggs in one basket."

tidbits: And speaking of eggs, in the last week of May, I bought an 18-count carton of non-fertilized eggs. I ate most of it but kept forgetting about the rest. When I looked into my refrigerator last night, I noticed the egg carton once again. The expiration date on it says, "June 26, 2010." I opened it and found four eggs left. And they had no foul smell at all. So, I hard-boiled two of them. Honestly, I couldn't tell them apart from fresh-bought eggs! The eggs both looked fresh, smelled fresh and tasted fresh. Not bad for a couple of eggs that were at least 101 days past their expiration date! And I'm still waiting a few more days before I boil the other two. The things that I do for you people, I swear. Ha, ha, ha.

After the Ending Credits, as I was getting ready to leave, I noticed a couple in one of the back rows still sitting there and making out! Too bad they didn't ask me to join them. Otherwise, I'd have more interesting "tidbits" to tell.

Before going home, I again swung by my former place of employment in North Oakland to say "Hi!" to Mike A., in particular. And I bought three more bars of soap! ( I don't use them for bathing or washing, I use the soaps for something else more important. )

Note: I was going to see BURIED, originally. But I lost track of time as I was finishing my blog on CASE 39--and you all know what happened to it a few hours later when I got home and tried to do a correction! My second choice was HATCHET II, but the box office clerk told me that they only show it on weekends. I decided to see this movie, instead, as it was my only and final choice left.

CASE 39, R ( 1 hr & 49 min )

where: UA EMERY BAY STADIUM 10 in Emeryville, CA
when: Monday, October 4th, 2010
show: 7:50 p.m.
costs: $10.75 Ticket + $1.00 3.40 oz. Peanut M & M's ( Dollar Candy Monday with a movie watcher rewards card ) + $4.75 small Diet Coke + $5.00 Carquinez Bridge Toll = $21.50
auditorium: 8
seat: 5th row, 12th column

synopsis: Emily ( Renee Zellweger ), a social worker for child services, suspects that a girl, Lilith ( Jodelle Ferland ), is a victim of child abuse. Against better judgment, she assumes temporary custody of Lilith. But bad things soon start to happen.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Thirty-nine cases; 2.) Bar; 3.) File review; 4.) Appointment day; 5.) "Daddy's little girl routine"; 6.) "They hate me"; 7.) Detective Barron's ( Ian McShane ) office; 8.) Basement; 9.) School bus; 10.) 'Phone call; 11.) Oven; 12.) Hospital; 13.) County shelter; 14.) "Safe, supportive environment"; 15.) "Your new beginning"; 16.) House inspection; 17.) Group counseling; 18.) Murderer; 19.) "You're one person, you can't save the world"; 20.) "I wanted to know about you"; 21.) Chinese restaurant; 22.) "She's lying;" 23.) Collapse; 24.) "It was a man"; 25.) "NO" answers; 26.) Hornets; 27.) "You think it's my fault"; 28.) "Something came through that door"; 29.) Psychiatric hospital; 30.) Housecleaning; 31.) "I must have dreamt it"; 32.) "Walk the talk"; 33.) Why, Emily; 34.) Elevator; 35.) "'Not a demon"; 36.) Locks; 37.) "No state of mind to be here"; 38.) "Don't ignore me"; 39.) The closet; 40.) The chase; 41.) Inside the car; 42.) Good news; 43.) "One option"; 44.) Television; 45.) Cafeteria; 46.) Recording; 47.) The plan; 48.) Scattered files; 49.) Parking garage; 50.) "Don't yell at me"; 51.) The bedroom; 52.) Chamomile tea; 53.) "That was mean"; 54.) "The part of you that's her"; 55.) "Are you scared"; and 56.) The escape.

audience reaction: The four or five people in the audience with me seemed to like it.

recommendation: It was okay. This is another one of those "brat-from-hell" kind of movie. It only has one scary scene: The Closet Scene. Go see this movie only if you like watching topless scenes of Bradley Cooper. Otherwise, wait for this to come out as a rental.

spoiler alert! The alarm clock was a cheap, senseless scare tactic to pull on the audience. Wind-up alarm clocks need rewinding at least once a day. And its alarm is only on a twelve-hour cycle. When Emily was finally able to go back to the house for inspection, it was already more than a day after the incident had occurred. At which time, the alarm clock would have already wound-down to a complete stop and its alarm would have already turned-off. If I had hornets crawling out of me like that, I would have reacted in a more pained and a more animated way than what "topless guy" Bradley Cooper showed for the camera. How could he talk normally when his jaw was just recently dislocated? Barricading the door was, indeed, an exercise in futility because other-worldly entities can open locked doors. How and why did Emily's co-workers disappear so fast--boy! talk about clocking-out on a TGIF. Why do they use metal eating utensils in a facility for the criminally-insane? I don't want to sound sexist, but women love to talk a lot; so, why did Emily not notice that her cell phone had been missing from her bag all that time? All of those ground-up sleeping pills in the chamomile tea would make for one bitter brew. So, why didn't Lilith show the appropriate facial expression after she drank it? Since this movie is essentially about demon-possession, Emily will never find herself "out of the water" because the demon can always find another innocent victim to possess so it can hunt down and settle the score with her sooner or later. She had better know of a good exorcist!

fyi: I know for a fact that other-worldly entities can open locked doors because I saw it happen twice back when I was a little boy living with my family in Kidapawan, Cotabato, Mindanao, Philippines.

One day when I was still in Grade One, a classmate of mine bragged that he was able to stay awake all night long. I decided that I could do the same, too. Back then, everybody in my family slept in one big bedroom. That night, I forced myself to lay awake in bed. My bed was positioned along the wall that has the door. My parents always made it a habit to lock the door before we all went to bed. The lock was a simple piece of wood with a nail in its center and which was turned halfway clockwise to engage it to the catch so that it wouldn't be opened from the outside. Sometime after midnight when everyone else was fast asleep, I saw the lock turn, and the door slowly opened by itself. Then, a shadowy figure of a short, skinny man with short hair glided slowly into the room and headed straight to the foot of my parents' bed. Then, it stopped and looked up at the altar above my parents' heads and fixed its gaze on the Veronica's Veil portrait of Jesus Christ hanging on the wall. And, with its gaze still fixed on the image of Jesus Christ, it slowly floated back the way it came. And the door slowly closed after it had exited the bedroom and the lock engaged itself to its catch.

At another time, my sisters and I visited a friend's house which was built near the creek and just about two blocks away from our own house. We were in a bedroom playing a game of Jack Stones. All of a sudden, the bedroom door made a noise and its zinc barrel bolt lock unbolted itself at the same time that it gave off a red spark. Then, the door just flew open, much to our consternation!

=======

When I was a Grade Five pupil at the Ateneo De Davao Elementary Department in Matina, Davao City, Mindanao, Philippines, I was distracted from following along with the class lesson as something was buzzing around very near to my right ear. I tried to wave it away as it was making it difficult for me to concentrate on what I was reading. It landed in my ear. I grabbed it with my right hand, thinking that it was just a fly. But I was wrong. It was a bee! And it stung me. Soon, my hand swelled-up and looked like a boxing glove.

word of advice: Don't take your work home with you.

tidbits: Earlier in the day, I visited my friend, Hector, in Oakland, CA. His son and I watched STAN LEE's SUPER HUMANS on YouTube. The segments that we watched were the one on the Samurai man with the fastest reaction time and the Monkey Man of India who learned how to climb by hanging-out with monkeys. Later on, I cooked dinner for everyone. I served them spaghetti made with hot Italian sausage, two cans of Del Monte sauce and two packages of pasta. They never had spaghetti made with Italian sausage before, but they liked it.

I played a practical joke on Hector when I went out into the driveway to hose down my car. I put a "Viva, Mexico" sticker on his SUV's back window. They're all Puerto Ricans. But whenever they start speaking in Spanish at a level that I cannot comprehend, I would always exclaim, Viva, Mexico y Viva La Raza, tambien. Otra vez! And I would say the same thing, too, whenever anyone of their relatives would give them a call on the 'phone.

After the movie, I swung by my former place of employment in North Oakland just to say "Hi!" to everybody. I haven't worked there in over ten months because of my chronic foot pain. While I was there, I decided to buy a bar soap, a belt, and a neck pillow.

Note: Earlier today, in the pre-dawn of Oct. 7th, I tried to do a correction on this blog and ended-up deleting the whole thing, instead!

LET ME IN, R ( 1 hr & 55 min )

where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Saturday, October 2nd, 2010
show: 7:45 p.m.
costs: $10.00 Ticket + $9.78 dinner @ Wendy's Restaurant ( # 4 Double-Bacon Combo Meal up-sized to a medium w/ Diet Coke + extra side of Chili w/ Onions & Cheese ) before the show = $19.78
auditorium: 11
seat: 4th row, 9th column

synopsis: Out with the "old" and in with the "new". A "Puppy Love" affair with Bite!

Owen ( Kodi Smit-McPhee ), a bullied loner schoolboy befriends Abby ( Chloe Grace Moretz ), the beautiful new girl next door, just as the whole town becomes terrorized by a number of grisly "satanic" slayings. Little by little, Owen begins to realize who the slayer is, but he is too fascinated by the suspect to know better.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Hospital; 2.) Apartment complex courtyard; 3.) Voyeur & exhibitionist; 4.) Barefoot; 5.) Locker room; 6.) The meeting; 7.) The first victim; 8.) Eavesdrop; 9.) Rubik's Cube; 10.) Underpass; 11.) Creek; 12.) "Do I smell better now"; 13.) Boys' room; 14.) Fight back; 15.) Morse code; 16.) "Will you still like me even if I wasn't a girl"; 17.) Kitchen; 18.) Gas station; 19.) Crash; 20.) News; 21.) Hospital wall; 22.) Last request; 23.) "Can we go steady"; 24.) Note; 25.) Ice hockey; 26.) Neighborhood incident; 27.) Big brother; 28.) "I stood up to them"; 29.) Basement; 30.) Witnessed attack; 31.) Telephone call; 32.) Old arcade photo; 33.) Hospital fire; 34.) "What was that"; 35.) Television reminder; 36.) Evidence; 37.) The bathroom; 38.) The kiss; 39.) Swimming pool; and 40.) The train ride.

favorite scenes: I loved the Basement Scene with Owen and Abby; and the "close-the-door" Scene in Abby's apartment!

audience reaction: The people in the audience with me enjoyed this movie.

recommendation: I enjoyed this movie, too! Go see this "Date" movie.

spoiler alert! I find it hard to believe that he can't spell the word, Sorry. Even in all that snow, there was no "foggy" breath. I bring this up because in the Underpass Scene, there was "foggy" breath. Why did she have to go barefooted for? It only draws more attention to her. I find it hard to believe that the driver never noticed the backseat passenger sitting there all that time through his rear-view mirror. If I were that passenger struggling for my life, I would have stepped on the car horn! If I were at his age, I don't think that I'd be able to sleep in the same bed with a beautiful someone who was naked. 'Think about it. At that age, boys are just "discovering" themselves. Back in 1983, twenty dollars was a lot of money. I don't know how Owen's mother never noticed the missing twenty-dollar bill. It is implied that Abby can fly. But, if you noticed, she had to climb up a wall. What I mean by this is that for her to be able to fly, she would have to sprout wings first. This is why she had to climb up a wall. And it also means that when she jumped-out of Owen's bedroom window she wouldn't have been able to fly into her own bedroom right away because there would have been no way for her to fly while wearing that dress! Why didn't the dog defend its owner? All the windows were covered-up so that no sunlight could get in, but Abby still had to sleep under layers of blanket in the dark ...? Why was the bad kid's hand still holding Owen's head down when all four bullies were being attacked? I would have tried to run for my life had that bully been me!

fyi: In the Philippines, we have an expression borrowed from the Spaniards: Susmaryosep. It is from the names of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

The Pledge of Allegiance caused a controversy when The Knights of Columbus ( ? ) decided to add the phrase, "under God," since there is supposed to be a sharp separation of Church and State in this country. And that issue came from the hypocritical politicians who take Sundays and religious holidays off, and who celebrate Christmas--which was what happened in 1913 when the Federal Reserve Act was approved by Congress via minority ( read: No Representation ) vote!

I had a Rubik's Cube once, but I never played with it because I worried that I'd never get the colors back in the right way again. Unlike my brother, who played with his cube all the time. In my defense, though, my cube was a "special" one, the kind that came with blonde, brown, black, wavy, curly and redhead sides. And my little brother never knew of it. Ha, ha, ha.

Back when my family lived in the apartment complex in Matina, Davao City, Mindanao, Philippines, my father told me once how he was such an incorrigible brat who always went through his mother's bag for money. I decided to emulate him one night and went through my mom's handbag for loose change. My eldest sister caught me in the act. Whoopsie!

Many years ago, my friend, Hector, who was training to be a respiratory therapist at a local hospital, came across a man who was rushed into the emergency room. The man had drank a bottle of Drano--kids, don't try this at home!--to kill himself. There was nothing that any of the doctors could do for him. So, the man died a slow and painful death.

word of advice: Love knows no bounds.

tidbits: I wanted to see this movie last Thursday midnight, but I ate too much at China Wall Buffet in Concord, California, three-and-a-half hours prior to the show. So, I decided to just go home and hop in bed to digest my meal. ( I went to Concord to buy a very special bar soap [ I bought three, actually ] and to buy a Norton Internet Security since my current one is about to expire in a few days. )


Before the movie, I swung by Selecta Filipino Buffet, but they had to close early ( they knew that I was coming ...? ) because all the food was gone since a huge crowd turned up ( their "official" explanation ). I decided to go to MacDonald's but then changed my mind and ate at Wendy's, instead, because it is closer to the theatre.

My original plan, today, was to go to Fairfield, California, to catch the sneak preview of LIFE AS WE KNOW IT. And, then, to see this movie shortly after. But since I have to work tomorrow, I decided to just see this movie here in Vallejo.

After the movie, a female patron said, "I was waiting for it to get better." I guess she didn't realize that this would not have made any sense at all because the movie implies what will eventually happen to Owen in the years to come ( without my adding any more spoilers ). But since that woman is no Cine-Man, I forgive her her lack of "cinematic insight".