Wednesday, November 14, 2012

SKYFALL, PG-13 ( 2 hr & 23 min )

I like this poster the best--oh, yeah--even though the date on it is wrong.
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I went to see this today, Tuesday, November 13th, 2012, here in Vallejo, CA, at the CENTURY 14 VALLEJO, for the 3:45 p.m. show in auditorium 8, 6th row, 8ht column.

Quickie Review:  When James Bond ( Daniel Craig ) fails to retrieve a hard drive, MI-6's security gets breached and its headquarters get bombed. And undercover secret agents all over the world get exposed and killed one-by-one. M ( Judi Dench ) turns to the one agent that she can trust to get to the bottom of things: Bond, a.k.a. 007. What Bond uncovers is something hidden from M's past that has now come back to haunt and torment her.

The audience liked this movie but nobody gave it a "Hands Clapper" ending.

I liked this movie but not as much as the rest of the audience did. This 007 is different from the previous 007s: The other 007s would always get the girl ( I think ); but this 007 would always get the girl ... killed--it seems! What a skewed predilection this 007 has! Anyway, go see this movie if you're a die-hard James Bond fan.

Here are the things that I found wrong in this movie: When James Bond was operating the Back Hoe Construction Vehicle, the bad guy shot him in the right chest; and a later scene showed that the bullet had exited his body at the back. So, why was he able to fight normally? When he fell into the water, there was no blood flowing out of his bullet wounds. Bond should have told Eve ( Naomie Harris ) to put half on Red and half on Black. James Bond said, "What a waste of Scotch!" I would have said, What a waste of pu---Never mind! Silva's ( Javier Bardem ) face was badly deformed by Hydrogen Cyanide poisoning, to the point that his Infra-Orbital Nerves were damaged and the Facial Muscles associated with them became atrophied. Therefore, no Oral/Maxillofacial Prosthesis of any kind could ever effectively remedy such a deformity! When he was in the tunnel, he should not have been able to run away from the blast of the explosion. Why did they use a flashlight in the dark when they knew that the bad guys were looking for them? And whatever happened to the barking dogs? No bad guy had the forethought to bring along some Thermal Imaging Scope and/or Night Vision Goggles. That knife was not a throwing knife and should not have hit its target the way it did. There was no way that the hand-thrown knife could have penetrated the Spinal Column all the way through, dead-center. The knife looked like it penetrated T-5 ( Thoracic Vertebra # 5 ) all the way through. The diameter of the Spinal Cord in the Thoracic Region of the Spine is approximately half an inch. And the knife's blade's thickness was probably a quarter inch. Therefore, when the knife penetrated the Spinal Cord in the Thoracic Region, Nerve Impulses to all the Muscles and Organs from the Arms all the way down to the Legs would have all been greatly impaired because of the severe damage done to the Spinal Cord! In other words, I don't think that the bad guy could even have walked from that moment on!!!

I've said this before. Now, I'll say it again: They should have hired my services as Cine-Man, technical consultant!

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At 7:30 a.m., I called my Periodontist's clinic to see if they could squeeze me in today for some emergency dental work. They scheduled me to come in at 10:00 a.m.

After I took a shower, I went to the post office to buy money orders as my payment on two property taxes.

Then, I went to my Periodontist's clinic. I had to park at the very far end, around the corner, because everybody went to the dentist/periodontist today. I guess it is because yesterday, Monday, was a holiday.

My Periodontist's new associate, a young and beautiful Chinese-American, took care of me. With the use of her laptop, she showed me my x-ray result: There was no way of saving the tooth because of the cavity on the Medial side of Tooth # 5 and the bone loss in the surrounding area. She extracted the tooth and put some Grafting Material in the area to stabilize Teeth #s 4 and 6, just in case I decide on having an implant put in later on. But I don't think that that will be a good option for me because of my history of Advanced Periodontal Disease.

I decided on getting a partial someday. And since I used to be a Dental Lab Tech, I would like to make the Partial Denture myself, if the lab that I used to work at 16 years ago will let me.

After the tooth extraction, I went to the Safeway Supermarket on Admiral Callaghan Lane, just two buildings in front of my Periodontist's clinic, to get my prescriptions filled. Then, I went to the Fed-Ex Kinko's Store across the parking lot from Safeway to get some xerox copies made. I went back to Safeway to pick-up my prescriptions.

Then, I went back to the post office to drop-off my payments.

And I went to AAA, just a few blocks away, to pay on my car insurance and to get another Vallejo/Benicia/Napa area map since I gave my last one to some from-out-of-town lady.

Before going to see this movie, I decided to have lunch at the MacDonald's Restaurant in the Target Shopping Center on Admiral Callaghan Lane here in Vallejo, CA.

This is the side entrance of MacDonald's. They just got done remodeling the place a few days ago. They're competing with Starbucks at the opposite end of this shopping center. Because, just like at Starbucks, they now have electrical outlets for people who want to use their laptops while dining here.
While watching this movie, I was dozing on and off because my pain medication was making me sleepy.

I came back to this restaurant after the movie to finish-up my blog on LINCOLN and to start my blog on this movie. There was a loud drunk inside the restaurant who was just making a fool of himself. They asked him to leave. He left; and he came back. They asked him to leave again. He left but came back later on. They asked him to leave for the last and final time at around 9:30 p.m.

Before going home, I went back to the Admiral Callaghan Lane Safeway Supermarket to buy a banana, an avocado, and a 1.75 qt. of Safeway Select Lemon Cheesecake Ice Cream ( hmm, yummy-licious ... ).

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Tuesday, November 13, 2012

LINCOLN, PG-13 ( 2 hr & 29 min )

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If you notice the date on this photo, it is from last week when I came here for the very first time to see a movie. The movie was Denzel Washington's FLIGHT. He did a good job of portraying a pilot who is an alcoholic and a drug addict. But I think that his character was just too much to be believable; it was more like a parody sketch, if you ask me. 'Sorry for the blurry shot. I will try and set my digital camera at 400 asa speed next time.


I went to see this today, Monday, November 12th, 2012, in San Francisco, CA, at the CENTURY SAN FRANCISCO CENTRE 9 and X-D on the 5th floor of the Westfield Shopping Center, for the 5:50 p.m. show in auditorium 1, 7th row, 9th column ( seat number 18--I count from the left ).

Quickie Review: With the Civil War into its fourth year, President Lincoln finds himself with the moral and ethical duty to get the 13th Amendment to The US Constitution, which guarantees freedom and equality for slaves, passed by the House Committee.

The audience liked this movie. And many of them gave this movie a "Hands Clapper" ending.

I liked this movie, too. It goes into the subject more than what any US History book could do. I would highly recommend this to all of you US History buffs out there.

Daniel Day-Lewis did a superbly stellar job in portraying our beloved 16th President--he even looks like the President! When you see this movie, you don't see Daniel Day-Lewis; you see President Lincoln, himself. How uncanny. He is a very strong contender for Best Actor in the upcoming Oscars.

The only thing that I didn't like about this movie are the last two scenes which, in my own opinion, should have been switched around. Better yet, the Assassination scene should have been completely cut-out and left on the cutting-room floor ( it just looked out of place, to begin with )!

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I had a chiropractor's appointment first thing in the morning, at 8:30 a.m.

After my spinal adjustment, I called my dentist to see if he could see me today for a tooth that had been bothering me for the last few days. But they could not squeeze me into their schedule.

Then, I went to the Dollar Tree Store across from my chiropractor's clinic on Sonoma Boulevard here in Vallejo, CA.

And I went to Max's of Manila Restaurant, just around the corner from the Dollar Tree Store, to have a Pilipino Buffet Breakfast.

I decided to see WRECK-IT RALPH once again, here in Vallejo, CA, as I waited for my food to get digested. There were a lot of brats in the auditorium with me because today is a Veterans' Day holiday. The brats and their parents really like the movie. The very annoying boy brat seated directly behind me kicked the back of my seat a few times. Why don't their irresponsible parents teach their brats some manners before they're forced to learn manners the hard way? The girl brat seated four seats to my right was dancing to the music during the Ending Credits--that was cute, I suppose.

As I stepped-out of the theatre, this is what I saw:

This van has Barbie Dolls--naked ones!!!--all over the rooftop and on its rear bumper. This van belongs to the owner of  a Barbie Doll Art Shop here in Vallejo, CA. The website is www.ooakbarbies.com. Go check it out! Any Barbie Doll fans out there ...?

I went home afterward to take a quick shower and to wait for the time when I will need to leave for my afternoon doctor's appointment in San Francisco.

I drove to the El Cerrito Del Norte Bart Train Station to catch the 3:16 p.m. San Francisco bound Bart train.

While the train was in transit, I got a message on my cellphone from a coworker of mine. But it was just too noisy in the train to hear what he had to say.

Presently, at one of the Berkeley Bart Train Stations, a beautiful blonde sat next to me, even though there were other available seats in that particular car. But I was not in a social mood since my tooth was really bothering me. Even though I applied some topical pain killer, Anbesol, on it before I left my condo, I was still in pain and was not about to chat-up anybody! I just sat there doing my Zhunti Mantra--I don't even think that my mantra work counted for any Karmic Merit at all since I did it while I was in pain, i.e. my mind was not really into it because of the pain.

When I got to San Francisco, I decided to while the time away at Posh Bagel Shop on Sutter Street before I was due for my 4:45 p.m. medical doctor's appointment. I bought a bottle of GT's Raw Kombucha Synergy Gingerberry to drink while I was there. I checked on my coworker's message once again.

I walked across the street to the 7-Eleven Store to buy a top-up card for my cellphone so that I could call my coworker. I stepped outside the store and there, on the corner of Kearney and Sutter, I called my co-worker.

And as I walked toward my doctor's clinic, I talked with my co-worker on the 'phone. He wanted me to "walk him through" the Cut, Copy and Paste functions of his computer. You see, yesterday, I wrote a letter to his Pilipina fiancee in the Philippines in the Cebuano language to convince her to fly here to San Francisco, her port of entry, instead of to Chicago where her "Evil Witch" employer will wait and see her Fiancee Visa jeopardized and cause her to be refused entry. I sent the letter ( along with its English translation ) off to my coworker's Facebook page because I didn't have his fiancee's e-mail address. And I told him to just Copy and Paste it to an e-mail that he'll send off to her. But he didn't know how to do it so he called me on my cellphone.

( I just learned how to Cut, Copy and Paste last year, after I've been using my computer for four years! Well, at least, I learned it strictly on my own. )

I've got about three more weekly appointments with this San Francisco doctor. I'm not really at liberty to divulge the nature of my medical appointments at this time. Maybe, someday ....

On my way to the theatre, I almost got hit by some asshole on a bicycle! Three cyclists crossed a red light on Market Street just as us pedestrians started to walk across. One of these days, I will carry a stick with me and push it through a bicycle's rear wheel if some asshole, idiot cyclist decides to cross on a red light in front of me. The last time I checked, cyclist must also obey the rules of the road AND GO WITH TRAFFIC!!! Why don't the cops do something about this rampant traffic hazard?

When I arrived at the theatre, I noticed a long line of people over on the right side of the main lobby. I went to a concessions counter clerk to ask about it. He said, rather curtly, that it was for an advanced screening for a movie. Which one, I asked. He didn't know. He told me to go to the ticket counter to find out what the 7:00 p.m. advanced screening was for.

The box office clerk at the ticket counter didn't know what the advanced screening was for. He seemed annoyed that I would ask him about it. I suppose the idiot wasn't the one who sold tickets to a whole bunch of movie-goers waiting in line to see an advanced screening.

I went to the ticket-taker and told her that I was just entering first to use the men's room then I was coming back out to buy something at the concessions counter. And I asked her what the advanced screening was for. She said that it was for the movie, LIFE OF PI. Finally! a movie clerk who knew what was going on.

At the concessions counter, I bought a $6.50 Lite Bite. It's kinda like an "upgrade" from a Kid's Pack, but with more popcorn and one's choice of Jamba Juice Trail Mix or Beef Jerky. But, the drink still comes in a small size; I made myself a Diet Coke/Coke Zero combo with one piece of  ice cube in it! And I didn't go to the curt clerk's register to pay for my purchase; I went to a female concessions clerk's register, instead.

On the train ride back to the El Cerrito Del Norte Bart Train Station, the gum area around my # 5 tooth was really inflamed. I was in "near-tears" pain! The Anbesol topical pain killer wasn't doing its job.

I will have to go to my periodontist tomorrow morning and have this problem tooth removed!


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Saturday, November 3, 2012

WRECK-IT RALPH 3-D, PG ( 1 hr & 41 min )

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I went to see this today, Friday, November 2nd, 2012, here in Vallejo, CA, at the Century 14 Vallejo for the 5:20 p.m. show in auditorium 1, 4th row, 3rd seat.

Quickie Review:  Envious of his rival, video arcade game bad guy, Wreck-It Ralph, goes game-jumping to earn a hero's medal and prove to everyone that he is as good, if not better, than their hometown favorite do-gooder, Fix-It Felix, Jr. In his quest for the coveted medal, he develops meaningful friendships with other video arcade game outcasts/rejects and learns that deep inside of him is a good guy just waiting to get out.

The audience liked this movie. Unfortunately, nobody gave it a "Hands Clapper" ending. I don't know why ....

I liked this movie a lot, a whole lot! And that is saying a lot about a kids' movie.The underlying theme of this movie, about finding goodness in someone, might be lost on younger brats; hence, the reason for the PG rating. This movie is suitable for older brats. So, if you have such brats at home, take them to see this movie with you.

This movie has two "Tear-Jerker" scenes, a sad one and a happy one---And I'm not admitting that I shed some tears watching either scene! So, there ....


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Friday, November 2, 2012

THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS, R ( 1 hr & 36 min )

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I went to see this today, Friday, November 2nd, 2012, here in Vallejo, CA, at the Century 14 Vallejo for the 11:40 a.m. ( Extra Dollar Off First Show Matinee ) show in auditorium 14, 4th row, 7th column.

Quickie Review:  A stranger ( RZA ) washes ashore somewhere in China, gets taken-in by Buddhist Monks and eventually becomes a town's highly-skilled blacksmith. He hires his services out to rival martial arts clans that want to get their hands on an anticipated shipment of government gold. After he gets involved in it, and pays a heavy price for his unwelcomed involvement in the matter, he decides to help the town put an end to the greed and bloodshed that is uncontrollably ravaging it.

The audience liked this movie. But there was no "Hands Clapper" at the end. And, speaking of the end, at least a dozen people waited 'til after the Ending Credits to see if there was going to be a Bonus Scene. Nope, there wasn't ....

I liked this movie enough to recommend it to people who grew up on '70s Martial Arts Movies and/or are fans of said genre with its bloody and over-the-top action scenes.

I liked Russell Crowe's two scenes:

1.) "Let's pretend we're Catholic,"

and,

2.) "I'm here for your duck."

Also, I liked the Secret Dessert Key scene.

I thought that Chum Lee was in this movie.

Chum Lee, famous star of the reality TV show, Pawn Stars. I found this on the Internet.
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I was wrong! It's some guy named, Cung Le.

Here are some things that I found wrong in this movie:  Why was the prostitute, Lady Silk ( Jamie Chung ), always available to him? I mean, if she was the best prostitute at the brothel, her room should have always been "occupied" and would have a "Take A Number" ticket dispenser by the door ( and don't forget to change the bed sheets before you have a "go" at it )! Ha, ha, ha. Preposterous amounts of blood squirt and splash all over the place in some scenes of this movie. His "iron fist" should not have smashed the steel anvil into pieces since iron is weaker than steel! And, even though this movie was filmed entirely in China, all of the Chinese actors and actresses with a speaking part spoke English well!

( I have this Chinese friend, from Hong Kong, who once said of someone, "He committed society [ i.e. suicide ]." 'See what I mean? LOL. Don't get me wrong. He is a very good friend of mine and I like him a lot, but his English can be such a "riot" to listen to at times--and he has been living in the US for over 12 years now yet he still retains his thick Chinese accent. Maybe he should learn to sing American songs like I did, as mentioned in my blog on HERE COMES THE BOOM. )

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Thursday, November 1, 2012

SILENT HILL: REVELATION 3-D, R ( 1 hr & 35 min )


I went to see this on Tuesday, October 30th, 2012, in San Francisco, CA, at the AMC METREON 16, for the 6:50 p.m. show in auditorium 11, 5th row, 7th column.

Quickie Review:  A father ( Sean Bean ) and his daughter, Heather ( Adelaide Clemens ), are constantly on the run, managing to keep a distance between them and some evil force. When her father goes missing, she is forced to make the choice of confronting the evil which seeks to capture her. And she learns some deep secret about her own self, in the process.

There were just about half a dozen people in the audience with me. And I didn't hear a reaction from any of them.

There is a Bonus Scene shown after the Ending Credits of the huge guy ( executioner? ) with a funny-looking hat and a big, bladed weapon. It is really not worth the time to stay and watch it.

This movie is so-so. Wait for it to come out on DVD.

Here are some things that I found wrong in this movie: They drove a car at night that looked like it had a very well-lit cabin. When the girl turned into a mannequin, an attachment joint formed in the neck area but not in the shoulders, wrists and hips. Why did the "spider" mannequin fondle the mannequin's right breast? I mean, what was there to feel--it was hard as a rock! The pistol shouldn't have that much of a "knock-down" power or else the recoil would have forced it out of her hand. Why did that thing allow her to stick her hand into its torso? It could have easily grabbed at her wrist and pulled it out. The father had to go back in; otherwise, there will be no sequel after this!

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Here is my San Francisco/Millbrae bound Bart Train arriving at the El Cerrito Del Norte Train Station.

When I got to San Francisco, I walked to the Posh Bagel Shop on Sutter Street to buy a bottle of GTs Enlightened Raw Kombucha Synergy Drink, the Strawberry Serenity flavor. I'm hooked on this line of raw kombucha synergy drinks! This is what I have for lunch at work, along with a banana, a slice of cheese and some mixed nuts.



I went back to the Chinatown in San Francisco to walk around in the daytime. I bought a fanny pack and something for my niece in Michigan.

I found a BofA ( Bank of America ) close to the hotel where I stayed. That will make it easier for me to go souvenir shopping the next time that I come here to Chinatown.

As I waited for a light to turn green. A brand-new white Ford Fusion crossed the intersection, making a strange rattling noise before it stopped running. A lady walking down the sidewalk behind me said, "That doesn't sound good." Well, of course. It's a Ford! What did she expect? Luckily for the embarrassed driver, his car started up again.

On the corner of Jackson and Grant, slightly up the hill, is an All-You-Can-Eat Dim Sum Restaurant. I gotta eat here the next time that I "mini-vacation" in San Francisco.

I went to my doctor's office for my scheduled 4:30 p.m. appointment.


This giant cube is in the courtyard between Market Street and Mission Street, and just across Mission Street from the Yerba Buena Gardens ( I gotta check these gardens someday ). I call this the "Energon Cube". And the immensity of its size would be enough to give Megatron a visual orgasm in his HARD drive! Ha, ha, ha.

Then, I went back to the Burger King Restaurant on Powell Street. I ordered an "Angry Whopper" combo meal ( $8.56 ) because I was still upset about last week when they wouldn't honor my buy-one-get-one-free Chicken Parmesan Sandwich coupon.

On Powell Street and on Market Street, street vendors were hawking World Series-themed memorabilia: t-shirts, baseball caps, banners, etc.; in anticipation of tomorrow's San Francisco Giants victory parade down Market Street at 11:00 a.m.

At the concession counter, I didn't order the Curly French Fries this time because I just had dinner at Burger King. I opted for the "Kid's Pack", instead--for the kid in me!

Behind me was a long line of parents with their little brats in tow, waiting for the advance screening of WRECK-IT RALPH.

They had three security guards stationed in the lobby, waiting to hold anybody's recording-capable device 'til after the show is over. A guard, a tall black man, said to me, "Your light is on."

I went, Huh ...?

"You have a light on in your jacket pocket," he said as he and his two fellow guards got ready to pounce on me.

I put my ticket stub and snack pack on the table as I reached into my left jacket pocket. Somehow, my pocket flashlight got turned on. I thank the guard for pointing it out to me. In the process, he forgot to ask me to surrender my recording-capable device ( cellphone ). 'See what happens if you practice common courtesy? You just learned something new from Cine-Man today.

At the Powell Street Bart Station, I forgot that there was no direct line to El Cerrito Del Norte in the evening. So, I didn't get on the Pittsburgh/Bay Point train--the train that I needed to get on to transfer to an El Cerrito/Richmond bound train on 19th Street in Downtown Oakland. My commute home was delayed for about 20 minutes in the process.

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About that vision which I saw, the one about a blue orb falling from the sky, as mentioned in my blog on PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 ....

I got the date right but the location wrong. It happened an approximate nine days after my vision of the falling blue orb. It was Super-Storm/Hurricane Sandy, which cut a huge swath of destruction in its wake along the Eastern Seaboard of the US.

Blue is not only the color associated with Shiva, it is also the color of the oceans. So, now, we know that a giant blue orb falling from the night sky is symbolic of an ocean-based calamity. And 30 degrees from the perpendicular ( from my Northern California perspective ) is associated with the Atlantic Ocean.

Whereas, my 2004 vision showed me a falling orb with the colors of fire and of the ocean. So, now, we know that a falling orb with the colors of fire and of the ocean means an earthquake and a tsunami. And 45 degrees from the perpendicular ( from my Northern California perspective ) is associated with the Pacific Ocean.

But why nine days? Easy. It is biblical in nature. Let me explain: 1 = God's Number; 2 through 6 = Days of Creation; 7 = God's Day of Rest ( we presently live in that "day" ); 8 = Day of a Blood Covenant or blood-letting ( the last century was called "Hemoclysm Century" ); 9 = The End of a Cycle of anything ( perhaps, even the day of Armageddon ); and, 10 = God's Supreme Number ( also, a multiple of 1 ), and God's Day of Reawakening. Of course, this is just my personal understanding of the 10-number system as it pertains to the Judeo-Christian tradition.


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