BANG BANG NR ( 2 hrs & 30 [?] mins )

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I went to see this today, Monday, October 13th, 2014, in Richmond, CA, at the CENTURY 16 HILLTOP, for the 3:55 p.m. show in auditorium 3, 5th row ( counting from the front ), 5th column ( counting from the left ). The price of admission was $10.25. And I bought a medium Buttered Popcorn and a medium Powerade Zero Strawberry for the special price of $5.75 ( this week's on-line Century Cine-Mark Movie Watcher Reward ) at the concessions counter. On the way back home, I paid a $5.00 toll fee at the Carquinez Bridge.

Quickie Review: An international master thief ( Hrithik Roshan ) steals a diamond, dodges bullets, eludes capture and falls in love with a beautiful girl ( Katrina Kaif ) who leads quite a mundane life.

There was a young Indian couple and an elderly white couple in the audience with me. They seemed to have been entertained by this movie.

But I dozed off and on throughout the movie--only because I worked all night long at my job and hadn't had enough sleep the day before nor after I came home from work. The movie was entertaining enough for me, I would say. I especially liked the winter scenes in the city of Shimla, state of Himachal Pradesh, Northern India.

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I used to drive all the way to Emeryville, CA, to see a Bollywood movie at the UA EMERY BAY STADIUM 10 in Emeryville, CA. But the theatre lost its lease months ago to a real estate developer. It was shortly after this that CENTURY 16 HILLTOP started showing Bollywood movies to fill-in the niche ( I'd like to think that my Yogi prayer was answered--ahem! ). Well, at least, I only have to travel approximately half the distance now ( 14 miles/22.5 kilometres ) just to go see a Bollywood movie. So, I really can't complain even though I honestly miss the old UA EMERY BAY STADIUM 10.

Here's the marquee of the CENTURY 16 HILLTOP in Richmond, CA

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They have a couple of new and fancy soda fountain machines at this particular theatre. I've never seen this kind of soda fountain at any theatre before!

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This is the theatre's facade. 'Looks nice and fancy.

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This is the McDonald's Restaurant just a block away from the theatre at 3350 Klose Way.

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I asked the box office clerk if I missed the matinee when I was charged $10.25 for adult admission. He told me that today was a holiday. Then, I realized that today was Columbus Day. No wonder there was a long line of patrons at the box office and a whole lot of cars in the parking lot when I arrived there!

As I ate away at my popcorn, I found out that the bottom inch of the bag was filled with butter! The concessions counter attendant put too much butter in my popcorn!

This McDonald's Restaurant has got to have the slowest Wi-Fi connection that I've ever used!

*

GONE GIRL, R ( 2 hr & 25 min )

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I went to see this yesterday, Monday, October 6th, 2014, here in Vallejo, CA, at the CENTURY 14 VALLEJO, for the 7:00 p.m. show in auditorium 7, 5th row ( counting from the front ), 9th column ( counting from the left ). The price of admission was $10.25. And I bought a medium Buttered Popcorn ( $6.95 ) and a 20.0 oz bottle of Dasani Water ( $3.85 ) at the concessions counter.

Quickie Review:  When Nick Dunne's ( Ben Affleck ) wife, Amy ( Rosamund Pike ), goes missing on the couple's 5th wedding anniversary, everyone starts to suspect that Nick killed his wife because of all the incriminating circumstantial evidence that eventually turn up one by one.

The audience liked this Suspense/Thriller ( plus Comedy, for some twisted humor? ) movie. I liked it, too. But no one gave this movie a "Hands Clapper" ending. Go see this if you're into suspense thrillers. ( A little spoiler here: The audience and I are agreed on the less-than-satisfactory ending--must've been why it didn't get a "Hands Clapper" ending! )

This movie might get nominated for an Oscar in at least two categories!

And this movie gives new meaning to the saying, "Trapped in a ( really ) BAD marriage!" You have to see it to know what I'm talking about here.

I actually put off seeing this movie right away because, for its genre, it seemed too long for my taste. But, as it turned out, this movie had me glued to the edge of my seat as I tried to figure out what really happened.

Here are what I couldn't figure out about a particular character: Why didn't this particular character use disposable gift cards ( handy for certain purchases ) instead of carrying all of that money around? And, as another character pointed out in the movie, how did this particular character come into possession of the box cutter? And why didn't the cops link the present case with an earlier similar case involving the same character?

On a different note, I still find Rosamund Pike attractive!


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THE EQUALIZER, R ( 2 hr & 12 min )

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I went to see this for its advanced screening on Thursday, September 25th, 2014, here in Vallejo, CA, at the CENTURY 14 VALLEJO, for the 9:00 p.m. show in auditorium 11, 4th row ( counting from the front ), 8th  column ( counting from the left ). The price of admission was $10.25. And I bought a small bag of Buttered Popcorn and a 16.9 oz bottle of Dasani Water at the concessions counter.

Quickie Review:  If there's a crime in the neighborhood, who're you gonna call? Equalizer ( I'm paraphrasing the opening line of the "Ghostbusters" theme song here )!

The audience liked this. I liked it enough--but only during the action scenes. I mean, come on, this is supposed to be an Action Movie. But some scenes are just too painfully slow that I couldn't help but constantly check the time on my Casio Electro-Luminescence watch! I believe that they could have cut-out certain slow scenes and that still would not have negatively affected the movie, as a whole. Go see this movie. But don't be surprised if some of your fellow movie-watching patrons decide to while the slow scenes away by talking or texting on their damn cellphones!

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CHEF, R ( 1 hr & 55 min )

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I went to see this yesterday, Wednesday, September 17th, 2014, in Martinez, CA, at the CONTRA COSTA STADIUM CINEMAS, for the last show at 10:00 p.m., in auditorium 4, 4th row ( counting from the front ), 3rd seat ( counting from the left ). The price of admission was $10.25. I bought a $3.50 small cup of Raspberry Tea and a $6.00 medium bag of Buttered Popcorn at the concessions counter. And I paid a $5.00 toll to cross the Benicia Bridge on my way back home.

Quickie Review: A talented chef, Carl Casper ( Jon Favreau ), compromises his creative skill and culinary talents by working for an inflexible restaurant owner, Mr. Riva ( Dustin Hoffman ). Then, a fateful confrontation with the food critic, Ramsey Michel ( Oliver Platt ), sends the passionate chef over the edge for all the world to see in viral social media twits and posts. He is forced to begin his culinary life anew as a humbled food truck chef. And it is not long before viral social media twits and posts draw attention to him once again. And another confrontation with the food critic becomes inevitable.

As with the last movie that I posted on, I was the only one in the auditorium for this particular show. I liked this Comedy/Road Trip movie, though. And I highly recommend it. It would be a good "family movie" if not for its R rating ( rated R for Language and Cornstarch--yes, you read that right! )

The addition of Scarlett Johansson, as Molly, and Robert Downey, Jr., as Marvin, in the cast of characters brought IRON MAN to mind. I just couldn't ignore it.

I had been wanting to see this movie for a long time now but I kept putting it off because of pressing matters and prior commitments. But when I realized that this week is the last week for this movie's run in my area, I decided to go see it no matter what. And I'm glad that I did because I enjoyed watching this movie.

Be sure to stay for the Bonus Scenes during the Ending Credits.

But shouldn't all of the line cooks have worn some kind of hair restraint?

Lights out, everyone! Elvis has finally left the building. Ha, ha, ha.

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I took this photo shortly after midnight just before I got in my car. I was the last movie patron to leave the theatre.  Woo-hoo!


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A man walked into a fancy restaurant one cold winter night and ordered Soup du Jour.

Presently, a waiter set his soup before him. And he couldn't help but notice right away that there was a long piece of dark hair floating in his soup. Angry and understandably repulsed by such a sight, he told the Maitre D to bring out the chef so that he could berate the chef in front of all the other dining patrons.

The angry patron didn't have long to wait as a beautiful, hot and sexy brunette with an ample cleavage and flowing tresses walked up to his table and said, "I'm the chef. What seems to be the problem, Sir?"

Stunned by such beauty, the patron lied, "Oh, nothing. Nothing at all. I just wanted to compliment you on this delicious soup, the best that I've ever had!" And he proceeded to eat his soup, spoonful after spoonful.

"Why, thank you, Sir! I'm really glad that you like the soup. It's the house's specialty, you know." Assured that the patron was satisfied, she sashayed back into the kitchen.

"Thank you, sis. I owe you one," said the dirty, smelly and sweaty bearded cook who was busily making another batch of soup.


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THE IDENTICAL, PG ( 1 hr & 47 min )

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I went to see this today, Monday, September 8th, 2014, in Fairfield, CA, at the EDWARDS FAIRFIELD STADIUM 16 & I-MAX, for the 3:45 p.m. show, in auditorium 7, 4th row, 5th seat. The price of admission was $8.75. I didn't buy anything at the concessions counter because I had just eaten a high-protein/high-fat/low-carbohydrate lunch at the nearby Great Moon Chinese Buffet Restaurant ( $9.22 + $1.00 Tip ).

Quickie Review: During The Great Depression, a set of identical twins ( Blake Rayne ) becomes separated soon after birth and grows to live separate lives but with a common bond: A passion for music. While one is on a clear and successful path, the other is pressured into conformity because of his strict religious upbringing and because of a binding legal agreement he entered into. But things start to come to a head when a death, a revelation and a tragedy befall the twins. Then one of them must come to embrace his humble past and offer forgiveness and acceptance in order to start a new, meaningful chapter in his own life.

I believe that I was the only one in the auditorium for this particular show. I liked this movie, though. And I would recommend it to any Elvis Presley fan out there. Yes, in more ways than one, this movie is a fictionalized account of Elvis's life, replete with parallels, juxtapositions, superimpositions and allusions--and let's not forget the facial and vocal resemblances to "The King", as well! But, it's a very entertaining movie, nonetheless.

Now that the world has seen Blake Rayne, will there be Elvis Presley movie remakes down the line since Hollywood seems to be running out of original ideas?

After the movie, the ticket-taker asked me, "How'd you like the movie, Sir?"

I said, I liked it. It's a fictionalized account of Elvis Presley's life, I added. But I still liked it. ( Did he just call me, "Sir?"  :-)


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I started my day with a 9:30 a.m. appointment with my Chiropractor.

Then, I went to the Dollar Tree Store across the street to buy a 10-count box of garbage bags, a 6-pack of water, and a 4-pack of AA batteries.

Then, I went to my 1:30 p.m. doctor's appointment in Fairfield, CA.  'Remember the health-and-fitness program that I started back in May? Well, I lost 6 inches around my waistline in 3 months' time! Now, for the bad news: I've got loose skin around my belly because of the rapid weight loss. My Doctor said that he could fix it using the FDA-approved 4-week VelaShape treatment plan for only $1,340.oo ( discount applied ). Could this be the reason why he wanted me to lose weight in the first place? Hmm ....

It was shortly after 2:00 p.m. when I stepped out of my doctor's office.  And since the movie didn't start until 3:45 p.m., I decided to have lunch first.

Oh ... and my fortune cookie read: "Borrow money from a pessimist--they don't expect it back." It's a good advice, if you ask me.  But, don't you dare borrow money from me!  Ha, ha, ha.

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