MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN, PG ( 1 hr & 31 min )

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where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Friday, March 7th, 2014
show: 6:50 p.m. 2-D
costs: $10.25 Ticket + $4.60 30.0 oz Powerade Mountain Berry Blast ( the price was recently increased by 10 cents ) = $14.85
auditorium: 7
seat: 7th row ( counting from the front ), 7th column ( counting from the left )

2nd time

"'(L)eaving his mark ...." Ha, ha, ha, I get it. 'Cute ....

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where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Tuesday, March 18th, 2014
show: 8:05 p.m. 3-D
costs: $13.75 Ticket + $5.10 Snack Pack = $18.85
auditorium: 6
seat: 4th row ( counting from the front ), 7th column ( counting from the left )

synopsis/overview: Mr. Peabody, the world's smartest dog, steps up to save the day when his adopted human son, Sherman, inadvertently rips the fabric of the Space/Time Continuum just to impress a girl.

audience reaction:The near-capacity audience liked it a lot, especially the man seated immediately to my left who was there with his whole family. But only two people, a man and his wife, seated in the 6th row, seats 9 and 10, gave it a "Hands Clapper" ending.

recommendation: I liked it a lot, too! Go see this with your little brats--but, if you have the kinds of brats who cry and scream for no good reason, leave them at home with a brat-sitter!

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Adoption Center for Dogs; 2.) The Wabac; 3.) Mais Oui; 4.) "What kind of cake"; 5.) Guillotine; 6.) "Keeping my head"; 7.) "That's not water"; 8.) Fencing; 9.) Methane; 10.) "You can't have your cake and edict, too"; 11.) Dog whistle; 12.) Apocryphal; 13.) School cafeteria; 14.) Principal's office; 15.) "Deep regard"; 16.) Memories; 17.) Dinner guests; 18.) Survey; 19.) Multi-talented musical genius; 20.) Licensed Chiropractor; 21.) "He told me"; 22.) "A dog ..."; 23.) "Einstein on the beach"; 24.) Hypnotism; 25.) "I got it"; 26.) "In denial"; 27.) "His name rhymes with butt"; 28.) "Disembowelment"; 29.) "That's disarming"; 30.) Jealous; 31.) Booby trap; 32.) Anubis; 33.) "Why did I ever move to Egypt"; 34.) "Runaway bride"; 35.) Leonardo da Vinci; 36.) Pratfall; 37.) The Smile; 38.) Hammer; 39.) Airplane; 40.) Church; 41.) "So creepy ..."; 42.) "You don't know how to fly"; 43.) Hooligan; 44.) Black Hole; 45.) "A very  bad  boy"; 46.) "It looks just like our horse"; 47.) "That is the smell of victory"; 48.) "Smell my victory"; 49.) "Dad"; 50.) Home; 51.) Manual Override; 52.) Ancient Greek attire; 53.) "I've a hard time believing that"; 54.) "Stop waving your hands around"; 55.) "I've got to get you out of here before you touch yourself again"; 56.) "He bit me"; 57.) "My face is numb"; 58.) Windshield wiper; 59.) Beethoven; 60.) "Don't taze me, bro"; 61.) "Don't you know what happens to dogs that bite"; 62.) "I'm a dog, too"; 63.) "I'm Spartacus"; 64.) Presidential pardon; 65.) "Equal but opposite"; 66.) "You have to drive"; 67.) Reversal; 68.) Abduction; 69.) "I love you, Sherman"; 70.) Pharaoh's parade; 71.) Dollar Bills; 72.) Wedding; and 73.) The janitor.

favorite scenes:  I liked the Adoption Center For Dogs scene.

I liked the Multi-talented Musical Genius scene.

I liked the "Why Did I Ever Move To Egypt" scene.

I liked the "Smell My Victory" scene.

I liked the "I've Got To Get You Out Of Here Before You Touch Yourself Again" scene.

I liked the Beethoven scene.

And I liked the Dollar Bills scene.

spoiler alert! Why did the Ancient Egyptians and the Ancient Greeks speak in English? The spears thrown at the Wabac time-machine by the ancient Egyptians struck it at a low  instead of at a high angle. When the plane crashed against that tree, they should have sustained severe, if not fatal, injuries. The strip of rope Mr. Peabody and Sherman used to slide down into the Trojan Horse should have burned-up due to friction because of the length ( of the securing rope ) and the ( travel ) time it took for them to get to the Trojan Horse. How did the Ancient Greek know to use the word, "Taze?"

fyi: If I remember correctly, the inventor of the guillotine was the first one that it was used on; I wonder what his last thought was.

I told my chiropractor to take his brats to see this movie because it's a funny movie that's suited for the whole family and because he might appreciate the "Licensed Chiropractor" scene.

Years ago, in Reader's Digest, a contributor sent-in a story about his/her child who was taking a French class at school. The boy needed to use the restroom and asked the teacher, "Can I use the restroom?" The teacher said, "Mais oui!" And the boy, with his head bowed, asked softly, "May we?"

Am I just imagining it or do some scenes accentuate Penny's mom's ample breasts?

word of advice: Learn to keep a secret a secret.

tidbits:The audience would have enjoyed the movie a whole lot better had it not been for a couple of mothers with bratty little kids: One brat was screaming every now and then while the other brat was crying--yet, neither inconsiderate and disrespectful mother bothered to take her brat out of the auditorium!!!

What is this world coming to? It seems that more and more irresponsible, inconsiderate and disrespectful "humans" are being let loose all over the place! 'Probably one of the signs of the times--End Times, that is ....

2nd tidbits: Before going to see this movie, I swung by the Goin' Postal Store in the Food Maxx Shopping Center on the corner of Tuolumne and Redwood Streets here in Vallejo to pick-up a package. The 5-foot lavatory hose with a sprayer head that I ordered on-line had finally arrived. I will use it for washing my hair over the sink and for cleaning the bathtub with the easy way.

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I can't wait for them to do a Big-Screen adaptation of one of my other childhood favorite Saturday Morning Cartoon TV Shows, "The World of Commander McBragg."

Commander McBragg. I found this on the Internet.

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*

POMPEII, PG-13 ( 1 hr & 38 min )

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where: C ENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Tuesday, February 25th, 2014
show: 11:55 a.m. ( Dollar-Off ) Early Bird Matinee
costs: $6.75 Ticket + $1.00 medium upgrade on a Free Small Popcorn ( Cine-Mark E-Mail Coupon Special ) + $4.50 medium 30.0 oz Powerade Mountain Berry Blast = $12.25
auditorium: 2
seat: 6th row ( counting from the front ), 6th column ( counting from the left )

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2nd time

where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Wednesday, February 26th, 2014
show: 2:35 p.m. ( Dollar-Off ) Early Bird 3-D show
costs: $10.25 Ticket + $1.00 medium upgrade on a Free Small Popcorn ( Cine-Mark E-Mail Coupon Special ) + $3.75 3.2 oz Nestle Buncha Crunch + $4.50 30.0 oz Powerade Mountain Berry Blast = $19.50
auditorium: 2 ( yes, the very same auditorium )
seat: 4th row ( counting from the front ), 7th column ( counting from the left )

synopsis/overview: Milo ( Kit Harrington  ), a Celt who's the last remaining survivor of his tribe which was slaughtered by the Romans, is forced into becoming a gladiator. When he is sent to Pompeii to fight in the arena, he falls in love with Cassia ( Emily Browning ), the daughter of a very rich merchant, and he also sees an opportunity to exact revenge on the very men who killed his whole tribe. When Mt. Vesuvius awakens, he goes after the men responsible for his tribe's slaughter as he tries to save the object of his love.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Nighttime raid; 2.) "They call him, Celt"; 3.) Horse; 4.) "He wants to know your name"; 5.) Lake shore; 6.) "Why did you save my life"; 7.) "Minor opposition"; 8.) Party; 9.) "Is this normal"; 10.) Horses' stable; 11.) "I believe you understand the question"; 12.) Fifteen lashes; 13.) "Perhaps, the gods spared me for a reason"; 14.) "This is a massacre"; 15.) Threat; 16.) Roman banner; 17.) "Your reputation is your weakness"; 18.) "Vulcan speaks"; 19.) "Single combat"; 20.) "This blade's dull"; 21.) "How about 20 of us"; 22.) "I've decided not to invest in your little city"; 23.) "You have your freedom, my friend"; 24.) "You came back for me"; 25.) "You came back for me"; 26.) Volcanic bombs; 27.) Horses; 28.) "Romans everywhere"; 29.) "He is mine now"; 30.) "Gladiators do not beg"; 31.) Chariot; 32.) "I die a free man"; and 33.) Kiss.

audience reaction: There was just a mild reaction to this movie.

recommendation: I liked the special effects in this movie. If you can afford it, see this movie in 3-D--it's worth the extra money to go see it in 3-D!

spoiler alert! During the slaughter of the Celt Horse Tribe, the little boy showed no reaction at all even when his parents were both killed before his very eyes. The slave girl was more beautiful than her mistress. He said that his sword was dull but both swords were truly dull. The birds--obviously CGI'd--could never have flown across the active volcano's crater for one good reason: Convection; the cold air from the sky above would have rushed down with such force and the hot air from the volcano below would have rushed up with such force, too, that the birds would have had no choice but to veer off to the side or be cooked to death while in flight! Milo went running from the arena all the way to the villa but he never panted. When Cassia went up to her dead parents, I think I saw her father twitch! Why wasn't Cassia thrown from the chariot? Why did the horse just stay around when it saw what was coming. That volcanic death cast of the kissing couple was wrong on two things: There should not have been hair on them and, since they were still alive when they were overcome by the Nuee Ardente ( super-heated cloud of volcanic gas and ash traveling at high speed ), they should have fallen and curled into a fetal position instead of being locked in a kiss! Everybody died in this movie---'Sucks big time!!!

fyi: One of the courses I took in college was Geology. My Geology professor told us of an anecdote involving a colleague of his who was a professor at some other college. Said colleague went overseas to study a volcano after it had erupted. The professor collected some volcanic bombs to take home as souvenirs of his trip and as a teaching tool for his own class. When he went through the security x-ray section of the airport ( this happened years before 9-11 ), the guard asked him about the odd-looking objects in his luggage. He casually replied, "Bombs." Needless to say, he was detained and missed his flight back home!

Jerusalem was burned by Titus in 70 a.d. In the Jewish letter/number system, the number 10 is the symbol of God. And it is interesting to note that ten years after Titus burned Jerusalem, Rome burned, too. Can you say, "Divine Pay-Back?"

I found this on Wikipedia. It is of what once was Pompeii. Mt. Vesuvius is in the background.

Would you believe that, to this very day, people still live around the base of Mt. Vesuvius even though it is by no means an extinct volcano?!?!?!

word of advice: Don't tempt Fate.

tidbits: After the movie, I asked an employee why the right half of the auditorium was cordoned-off. He said that the janitors cleaned the seats the night before and they haven't dried yet. And I made the stupid comment that I thought it was because somebody pooped in one of the seats! Ha, ha, ha.

2nd tidbits:  The same section was still cordoned-off!


*

ROBOCOP ( 2014 ), PG-13 ( 1 hr & 48 min )

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where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Wednesday, February 12th, 2014
show: 4:50 p.m. matinee
costs: $7.75 Ticket + $2.00 upgrade on a Free Small Popcorn ( Cinemark E-mail Coupon ) + $4.75 large Powerade Mountain Berry Blast + $1.50 Kernel Season's White Cheddar Popcorn Seasoning = $16.00
auditorium: 11
seat: 4th row ( counting from the front ), 8ht column ( counting from the left )

synopsis/overview: In the year 2028, a world-wide technology conglomerate, OmniCorp, has cornered the robotics market and has its peace-keeping drones deployed to all the hot-spots in the world, making its investors very rich and very happy. But the American public is vehemently opposed to having the streets of America patrolled by drones. When an honest cop, Alex Murphy ( Joel Kinnaman ), is almost killed in an assassination attempt, the CEO of OmniCorp, Raymond Sellars ( Michael Keaton ) sees an opportunity to create a prototype law enforcement cyborg that the public will be more accepting of. Officer Murphy is an instant hit as he efficiently keeps the neighborhoods safe from the bad guys. But a criminal records software installed in his brain forces him to override his programming and makes him hunt down the bad guys responsible for the assassination attempt on his life.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Operation Freedom Tehran; 2.) "Robophobic"; 3.) "Dumb or dirty"; 4.) Missing rifles; 5.) Shoot-out at a restaurant; 6.) "What do your machines feel"; 7.) Potential source of revenue; 8.) "They want a product with a conscience"; 9.) OmniCorp Rehab Center; 10.) Potential candidates; 11.) Car bomb; 12.) "Time is the one thing you don't have"; 13.) Dream; 14.) "It's not a suit, it's you"; 15.) "Let him run"; 16.) "Shut him down"; 17.) "The reality of the situation"; 18.) Live chat; 19.) Maintenance protocols; 20.) Simulation room; 21.) Brain implant; 22.) Testing facility; 23.) "Illusion of Free Will"; 24.) "I think we're all curious to find out"; 25.) "You're the right color now"; 26.) Crime Data CCTV Footage Uploads; 27.) Press conference; 28.) "Completely unaware of the monster in their presence"; 29.) Drug lab; 30.) Live debate; 31.) "Somehow, he's overriding the system's priorities"; 32.) "His Dopamine levels are going back to normal"; 33.) "You don't have a kid, I do"; 34.) "He's off solving his own murder"; 35.) "Some idiot used an unencrypted 'phone"; 36.) Fingerprints; 37.) Bad cops in the police department; 38.) Off-line; 39.) "Nest of vipers"; 40.) "What's bigger than Hero"; 41.) Deal; 42.) "They're not waking him up"; 43.) Repealed; 44.) "He wants you dead"; 45.) "Security situation"; 46.) "You're just a robot"; 47.) "I'm ready"; and 48.) Uphold.

favorite scene: I liked the scene in the testing facility wherein he tazed the bad guy.

audience reaction: There was just a mild reaction from the audience.

recommendation: I liked it enough. It is not on par with the original ( I was hoping to see a Baby Food scene and a "You're Fired" scene ). But it is a good enough Action Movie. Go see this if you're an Action Movies fan.

spoiler alert! Any determined bad guy could have access to one or more of those red bands. The bad guy could have shot at Officer Murphy by aiming under the dumpster bin. Why couldn't he turn off his car alarm even though it wasn't tampered with in any way? Primary Mistake: In the car bomb scene, Officer Murphy's chest and face were more exposed to the blast than his abdomen and groin areas were for the simple reason that the driver's side door served as a barrier and deflected most of the blast's force; but the window would have been shattered and his face was readily exposed to the blast. So ... his Brains, his Eyes, his Ear Drums, his Heart and Lungs would have all been ruptured by the powerful blast--we're talking instant death here, folks! But, let's go along with the assumption made in this movie that his Lungs, Brains, etc. weren't damaged by the bomb's blast. We still cannot find any justification for why they did away with most of his body parts and left him with nothing more than a Hand, a Face, his Brains and his Lungs! ( Kinda like a sick and twisted version of a Mr. Potato Head.  ) So, we are shown a scene wherein his Lungs were rapidly expanding and contracting. But ... the lung action is wrong on a number of points: The Diaphragm Muscle is responsible for expanding and contracting the lungs--I didn't see any indication of the Diaphragm Muscle; the Lungs looked free-floating ( not encased in its Pleural Sac ) and they should have been kept in place by Suspensory Ligaments since internal organs are kept in place that way--I didn't see any Suspensory Ligaments; it would be pointless for the Lungs to expand and contract when no Heart is present--I didn't see a heart ( maybe because that "chest thing" blocked the view ); his Inhalation and Exhalation were done at a normal rate even though his Lungs were rapidly expanding and contracting to move a substantially greater volume of air! His robot body would be heavier than a normal human body; so, that scene wherein he was sitting in the passenger seat of the SUV would have made the vehicle visibly lean more on its right side! In his shoot-out test against the "tin men," he didn't run out of bullets when he should have! The 3-D image of Officer Murphy's skull didn't look Caucasoid to me--I would notice something like that because I studied Anthropology in college. The only thing that I could think of that would lower his Dopamine levels was if he had Kidneys in the first place that would break down the excess Dopamine and carry it out of the body through his Urine! His motorcycle had foot pegs but had no visible foot brake or shifter yet it sounded like it was going through its gears. Shouldn't that have been, "He's off solving his own bungled-up murder"? The scene wherein he investigated the crime sight of the bungled-up attempt on his life showed video feeds that could not possibly have come from CCTV cameras, judging from the angles and positions of the shots; it looked more to me like certain video feeds came from his across-the-street voyeur neighbor's camera. Officer Murphy, your across-the-street neighbor is a pervert who's been stalking your wife and/or son--arrest him! Ha, ha, ha. Whatever blasted a big hole in his face shield should have subsequently done some damage to his face as well. His robotic left hand should have been more precise in its target acquisitions! Where exactly did he get hit that caused him to get knocked down and to pass out?

When is Hollywood ever gonna realize that it's in serious need of my services as Cine-Man, Technical Adviser?

fyi: Taser is an acronym for "Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle" ( www.dailywritingtips.com ).

I wondered if his suit came with a vibrating dildo attachment---Hey! I hadda ask that question of myself because he had a "love interest" in this movie.

A coworker of mine was in the auditorium, too. He sat in one of the back rows seats. He later told me that he didn't like the movie. He said that it was the stupidest movie that he had seen so far ( but I wouldn't go so far as to say that even though I got a long list of spoiler alerts on it ). He said that he wanted to get his money back.

word of advice: Technological advances do not always benefit mankind.

tidbits: I bought a large size Popcorn because I hadn't had a bowel movement in the last 24 hours. I usually have two or three a day---Whoa! too much information. 'Sorry .... Ha, ha, ha.

*

VAMPIRE ACADEMY, PG-13 ( 1 hr & 44 min )

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I went to see this yesterday, Monday, February 10th, 2014, in San Francisco, CA, at the AMC METREON 16, for the 7:00 p.m. show on the 3rd floor, in auditorium 10, 5th row ( counting from the front ), 8ht column ( counting from the left ). The price of admission was $12.50. I bought nothing at the concessions counter because I smuggled-in a 16.9 oz bottle of water that I bought at a nearby 7-11 Store earlier ( and refilled at the theatre's drinking fountain ) and two MacDonald's cookies that I bought the day before at a Vallejo, CA, MacDonald's Restaurant. I spent $8.40 for my roundtrip BART Train ticket and $5.00 for the bridge toll at the Carquinez Bridge on my way home to Vallejo.

Quickie Review: The runaway half human/half vampire Dhampir guardian-in-training, Rose Hathaway ( Zoey Deutch ), and her Moroi best friend, Lissa Dragomir ( Lucy Fry ), a mortal vampire of royal blood, are hunted down and returned to their boarding school, St. Vladimir's Academy. The place where they are not well-received by their fellow classmates and where their lives are at stake ( Stake! 'Get it? Ha, ha, ha. )

The audience ( just about a dozen of them ) liked this movie. I didn't like it that much--'too much talking going on. This movie gives new meaning to the movie industry's term, "Talkies." This is definitely a Chick Flick movie. Go see this if you like Chick Flicks.

I don't like Chick Flicks that much. But this movie has a saving grace: The beautiful Zoey Deutch! I cannot help but notice that she bears a general facial resemblance to a young Lynda Carter ( famous for her TV role as Wonder Woman ). Hollywood should have chosen Zoey to play the part of Wonder Woman in the upcoming Batman/Superman movie, instead of choosing Gal Gadot!

These are some other things that I noticed wrong about this movie: How and/or why did that crow crash into a statue in broad daylight? I don't think that it was a good idea for the human "volunteers" to have the Moroi vampires feed on their blood on a daily basis! After all, a person can only donate a unit of blood once every two months---'See what happens when they don't hire my services as Cine-Man, Technical Adviser? If the Dhampir Guardians know that the evil Strigoi vampires are very sensitive to bright light, why didn't they each carry a high-intensity flashlight to add to their choice of weapon, a silver stake? When only one of the three girls got a necklace--and a very expensive one at that--that should have been enough to raise suspicion! Since a Strigoi is more than twice as strong as either a Moroi or a Dhampir, that Strigoi in the underground prison should have easily been able to free itself from being pinned against the prison bars. That many Strigoi vampires holed-out in such a small confined place would mean that the incidence of vampiric predation in the area would be noticeably high and frequent, and would draw attention from the local authorities!

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I went to my Chiropractor first thing in the morning. I asked him if he does chiropractic on animals and pets, like some other chiropractors do. He said that he only works on his pet cats. He added that chiropractors who work on animals mostly do horses--racehorses, to be exact. Because such horses undergo a lot of stress to their spine during training. He said that chiropractors who specialize on animals have to go in for more specialized training before they can practice on animals; and those who do spinal manipulations on horses use a special kind of mallet to align the horse's spine with. I asked if there is any danger of breaking or cracking a horse's spine by using a mallet on it. He said that a horse's spine is too strong for that kind of bone injury to happen.

Then, I asked him how he does chiropractic on very fat people. He said that chiropractors employ a different set of spinal manipulations on grossly obese patients. He brought up a particular patient of his, a 500-pound ( 226.80 kilos ) man. I asked him how the man is doing; he said that the man is doing well, considering the fact.

After my spinal manipulation, I went to the Safeway Supermarket on Admiral Callaghan Lane to get a print-out of my prescription expenses for last year so that I can go ahead and file my income tax return. And I bought some sour cream, grated 4-cheese Mexican blend, pico de gallo, a package of flour tortilla and a package of shredded lettuce for a particular dish in mind.

Then, I went to the local CSAA office, a few blocks away, to pay the monthly installment on my car insurance.

When I got home, a pot of rice and the beef dish that I cooked overnight in my 6-qt. slow-cooker were waiting for me. I also made beef burritos with the ingredients that I bought at the Safeway Supermarket. Yummy. But I couldn't help but notice that my beef burrito was missing something: Refried Beans!

I went to San Francisco to get a print-out of my medical expenses for last year, too, to add to my income tax filing.

And I went to see this movie to avoid the home-bound rush-hour commute.

When I got back to Vallejo, I stopped by the Safeway Supermarket once again to get the Refried Beans. I bought the store brand because someone raved about it a month ago, saying that it was the best one that he had tried so far. And I bought a container of Breyers Vanilla/Caramel Gelato--hey, I gotta indulge my taste buds decadently once in a while, you know .... Ha, ha, ha.

So, for my midnight dinner, I had beef burrito once again, but with a complete list of ingredients this time around. And I capped it off with a gelato dessert. Hmm, mmm, mmm. 'Yummier ....

*

THE LEGO MOVIE, PG ( 1 hr & 35 min )

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I went to see this yesterday, Thursday, February 6th, 2014, here in Vallejo, CA, at the CENTURY 14 VALLEJO, for the 10:00 p.m. Advanced Screening in auditorium 3, 3rd row ( counting from the front ), 8ht column ( counting from the left ). The price of admission was $10.75. And I bought a dollar-upgrade on a Free Small Popcorn ( a Cinemark Email Free Coupon ) plus a $4.50 medium Powerade Mountain Berry Blast at the concessions counter.

Quickie Review: Emmet, an "Average Joe" construction worker gets mistaken for "The Special" and is tasked with the responsibility of saving the world from the diabolical plan of an evil dictator, President Business, when he is discovered in possession of the secret weapon, the "Piece de Resistance."

The audience liked it. I liked it, too. The humor is aimed at much older brats and nerdy adults, for sure! Go see this movie if you're either an older brat or a nerdy adult.

( And the movie's theme song is presently stuck in my head and is playing in an endless loop, for some strange reason. )

Here are some things that I didn't like about this movie: One of the main characters, who happens to be black, is the only main character to get killed-off in this movie. Superman and Green Lantern are under-utilized. And Wonder Woman looks FAT and CHUNKY in this movie!!!

*