WHEN IN ROME, PG-13 ( 1 hr & 31 min )

where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Friday, January 29th, 2010
show: 4:45 p.m.
costs: $7.25 Ticket + $4.50 Glaceau Vitaminwater, Focus flavor in 20 oz. bottle = $11.75
auditorium: 7
seat: 5th row, 7th column

synopsis: A poker-chipped love affair. Or, when in Rome, do as the Americans do.

A workaholic New York hottie museum curator, Beth ( Kristen Bell ), who's disillusioned with romance, goes to her sister, Joan's ( Alexis Dziena ), wedding in Rome, only to get drunk and unwisely remove random coins from the fountain of love, setting-off a magical spell. Soon enough, she becomes the object of desire for a motley bunch of lovelorn men smitten by her. But how will she know which one of them is truly in love with her and is just not caught under some kind of love spell?

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Fontana de Amore; 2.) Party; 3.) Sister's news; 4.) Meeting; 5.) Nick's ( Josh Duhamel ) cell phone; 6.) Vase; 7.) Toast; 8.) Dance; 9.) Fountain; 10.) Card game; 11.) The painter ( Will Arnett ); 12.) The narcissistic model ( Dax Shepard ); 13.) The magician ( Jon Heder ); 14.) 'Phone call with the newly weds; 15.) Problem with the centerpiece; 16.) Sausage magnate ( Danny DeVito ); 17.) Breath spray; 18.) Underground service elevator; 19.) The "mummy"; 20.) Out on recon; 21.) Calling for a date; 22.) Black-out Restaurant; 23.) Night at the museum; 24.) Poker chips; 25.) Another spell-breaker; 26.) Unexpected guests; 27.) Vespa micro-mini car; 28.) Elevator; 29.) The Petrocelli; 30.) Returning the coins; 31.) Not under a crazy spell; 32.) Switched; 33.) Passion is in the risk; 34.) The priest; 35.) No idea; and 36.) Bonus scenes.

who: Is that Efren Ramirez ( of Napoleon Dynamite [ 2004 ] fame ) doing an uncredited cameo appearance as "camcorder guy" to Jon, Napoleon Dynamite, Heder's street magician character?

audience reaction: The females in the audience enjoyed this Rom-Com.

recommendation: This is definitely a "Chick Flick" that will appeal to those who are into such movies.

spoiler alert! The priest and the bridegroom both knew how to speak English but neither one volunteered to offer the right translation nor corrected the embarrassing mistranslation. It is mostly women and children who toss coins in a fountain to make a wish. If you look closely, most of the coins in the fountain are pennies, nickels, dimes and a few quarters--and this is suppose to be in Rome. How convenient that all the coins she picked-up at random once belonged to men who hail from her city, New York! Most male models are gay, supposedly, and the male model character in this movie is way over-compensating ( pay attention to the dialogue in the wedding scene near the end of the movie ). When Danny DeVito's character talked to Beth about "encased meat is my life's work", it seemed like he was insinuating that he practices safe sex all the time by always having condoms handy on his person! Beth's amorous stalkers had night vision goggles on, but not one of them saw her crawling away. The TV set turned on too quickly--instantly, in fact. The police officer in the patrol car didn't do anything about the crazy Italian-style driving. When the Vespa car swerved, Danny DeVito's character pounced on Beth as if to steal a kiss ( I wonder if he got lucky, the little horny old fart! ).

fyi: This movie was not shot in Rome because the ending credits show no such acknowledgement. I knew something was up when I noticed that most of the coins were American.

Speaking of American, the Italian cartographer, explorer and navigator, Amerigo Vespucci ( who latinized his name to Americus Vespucius ) is thought to be for whom the New World, America, is named after by the publisher, Martin Waldseemuller. But it could be navigator/explorer, John Cabot's ship's principal owner, Richard Ameryk, for whom it is so named. Cabot's exploration and Vespucci's supposed first voyage occurred in the same year of 1497 A.D. But Ameryk had already established a fishing business in Newfoundland 12 years before Columbus discovered the New World in 1492. And since the general rule of thumb for naming new countries is to name them using a person's surname ( unless the person is royalty, as in King Philip = Philippines ), then America is named after the Englishman, Ameryk, in all probability.

I have a friend, Bradley, whose father was a Roman Catholic Priest. He quit the priesthood because he couldn't handle the "vow of celibacy."

Roman Catholic priests are required to take a "vow of celibacy" to insure that their "vow of poverty" remains secure and free from claims of inheritance. Through the centuries, countless men bequeathed all their worldly possessions to the Roman Catholic Church when they entered the priesthood. The same can be said of women who became nuns. And all Roman Catholic nations surrendered their sovereignty, and pledged their allegiance, to Rome. Consequently, the tiny city-state of Rome owns/controls vast real estate holdings, lands, priceless gems and works of art, world currencies, a prodigious investment portfolio like no other, governments, international police and intelligence agencies, and a multi-national armed forces which is not to be taken lightly.

The way in which things are shaping-up, the near-future One World Government will be under the control of three city-states:

Rome = The religious arm.

London = The financial arm.

Washington, D.C. = The military arm.

By the way, Communism is on a fast decline as mainland Chinese are getting a sweet taste of Capitalism and Democracy to the point that over 62,000,000 of them ( almost 1/10th of their population )--and counting--have formally/officially declared their resignation from the Communist Party, according to The Epoch Times newspaper. And Democracy is marching slowly but ever so surely across all the Muslim States. Both of these are setting the stage for a One World Government!

You can read The Epoch Times newspaper on the Internet. Google it, then click on the China sub-head. A column of selected articles will be shown on the right-hand side. Scroll down until you see the articles "Quitting the Chinese Communist Party" and "China's Transition to Democracy" then click on them for an eye-opening read.

word of advice: Love will happen if it was meant to happen.

tidbits: On my blog for THE BOOK OF ELI, I added Further notice: to my FYI section for those of you who haven't read it yet or who would like to know a little more about war crimes committed in World War II.

On a lighter note:

Years ago, when there used to be a Smorgabob's All-You-Can-Eat Buffet Restaurant here in Vallejo and before Empire Chinese Buffet took away their business, I would frequent this place for dinner since I'm not the type to wait to be served food. One night, as I stood between the Salad counter and the Dessert counter, a beautiful Hispanic cook's assistant came over to replenish the selections at the aforementioned counters. She looked to be in her mid- to late- twenties. I was admiring her feminine figure, tracing her curves with my four eyes when, suddenly, the lights went out! It was completely dark in there and she couldn't have been further than 30 inches from me. OH, HOW I WANTED TO GRAB HER! But I had a salad plate in one hand and a soup mug in the other--and I didn't want to lose either one. Gee, I sure had my priorities straight!

EDGE OF DARKNESS, R ( 1 hr & 48 min )

where: EDWARDS FAIRFIELD STADIUM 16 & I-MAX in Fairfield, CA
when: Friday, January 29th, 2010
show: 1:25 p.m.
costs: $7.50 Ticket + $4.50 small Diet/Zero Coke + $8.98 lunch @ Hometown Buffet ( + $1.00 Tip ) = $21.98
auditorium: 8
seat: 3rd row, 15th column

synopsis: A Boston police detective, Thomas Craven ( Mel Gibson ), hunts down his daughter, Emma's ( Bojana Novakovic ) assassin and finds out about a corporate cover-up involving the government.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Moonlit lake; 2.) Bleeding and vomiting; 3.) Front porch; 4.) Lavatory; 5.) Rules don't apply; 6.) Morgue; 7.) Stake-out; 8.) Urn; 9.) Gun; 10.) Emma's boyfriend's ( Shawn Roberts ) apartment; 11.) Meter; 12.) Secret meeting; 13.) Northmoor; 14.) Darius Jedburgh ( Ray Winstone ) at Thomas' backyard; 15.) Activist; 16.) Night Flower; 17.) Illegal in Massachusetts; 18.) Tailed; 19.) Pull-over; 20.) Another assassination; 21.) Park bench; 22.) News reporter; 23.) Northmoor's attorney; 24.) Emma's lady friend; 25.) Discs; 26.) Debacle; 27.) Activist leader; 28.) Milk; 29,) Unsurvivable; 30.) Hallucinations; 31.) Senator Jim Pine's ( Damian Young ) home; 32.) Rear-ended; 33.) Need to abort; 34.) Shaving; 35.) Betrayal; 36.) Escape; 37.) Payback time; 38.) Got milk? 39.) Working on an alibi; 40.) By what standard? 41.) Newsroom; and 42.) Radioactive isolation.

audience reaction: The audience seemed to like this movie.

recommendation: Despite Mel's propensity for over-the-top violence in his movies and his anti-Semitic rantings, this crime drama is above-average and probably worth a look-see to some of you out there. I liked it.

spoiler alert! There is no way in the world that a shot-gun shot can push its target back with such force that it breaks a door open as the target flies backwards in the air--the shooter would end up with a dislocated shoulder, back and hip! The force exiting the muzzle is equal to the kick of the rifle butt with each shot. Thomas slapped-away the knife at the blade-part; and since his hand motion was semi-circular, the knife should have sliced-off his fingers. The activist leader could easily file a lawsuit based on police brutality. Thomas, after pulling-over Jack Bennett's ( Danny Huston ) car, swung his car door wide open and promptly stepped-out of his car without even glancing at the on-coming traffic! Even though a police officer is hired by a local government ( i.e. city/township ), since that local government is accountable to the state government, then, yes, a police officer is also a state employee and has jurisdiction over the entire state ( Mr. Lawyer-guy probably got this wrong in the Bar Exam ). How was the would-be assassin able to know when Emma's lady friend was about to exit the car so that he could floor the gas pedal--and where was he waiting to do his dastardly deed all that time ( 'had to be somewhere near )? Why did the cop shoot Jedburgh who was in the process of surrendering himself? Why didn't an alarm go-off when the monitor flat-lined?

fyi: I read of a state trooper once from the '60s or early '70s who would pursue a fleeing criminal across more than two state lines. And once the offender was caught, this officer would issue him a speeding ticket for each and every single city and township that he drove through in the process of trying to evade capture! Now, this is a cop that Hollywood should be making a movie about!

Here's what "The Long Arm of the Law" means: The local police has legal jurisdiction over a criminal who runs to and hides in any country where extradition laws apply!

word of advice: So, my dear readers ... Behave Yourselves!

tidbits: Before going to the movies, I took my Hyundai Accent to WheelWorks in Vallejo to have them replace the defective brakes that they installed in my car over 14 months ago. They tried to "fix" it three times with a silicone spray but it amounted to nothing more than a temporary fix that lasted about a week or less each time. The front brakes would make an embarrassing noise whenever I would turn the wheel and step on the brakes. It was especially bad during the summertime when I would pull up to a gas station where there would be beautiful and sexy girls pumping gas as I would go around looking for an available pump ( and checking-out the "scenery" ) to use and my brakes would make this god-awful noise that could be heard blocks away! And all I could do was slip down and try to hide, out of embarrassment! But WheelWorks fixed the problem--I think--free of charge 'though they didn't guarantee the labor ( 'must be why my brake pedal feels kinda soft ). I might have to take it back next Monday to have them adjust the brakes. As a side note, the burnt rubber/oil smell is gone which I suspected was caused by the defective brakes all along ( Gee, I wonder how much of this toxic fume did I inhale over the months as my car sat and idled at traffic lights whenever I had the fan on ). [ Just kidding. I had the presence of mind to turn-off the fan and roll down the driver's side window at traffic lights whenever the weather was hot enough--whenever the weather wasn't hot enough, I would keep my windows rolled-up so people would think that my car had air-conditioning! Appearance counts too, you know. ]

I went to HomeTown Buffet because I wanted to know how much I paid for my lunch last week when I was in Concord, CA to watch LEGION and THE TOOTH FAIRY so I could finish my blog's movie-watching COSTS section on LEGION. But, about twenty minutes into my lunch, I found out that I was at the wrong buffet! The one I went to last week was J. J. North's. Whoopsie! Okay, that's it! I'm just gonna have to give J. J. North's a call and ask them for the cost of their week-day lunch. Now, why didn't I think of this before ....

EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES, PG ( 1 hr & 46 min )

where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
show: 11:35 a.m. First Show Extra Dollar Off Matinee
costs: $6.25 Ticket + $4.25 junior Popcorn w/ Butter + $3.75 small Diet/Zero ( w/ Barq's & Cherry flavors ) Coke = $14.25
auditorium: 1
seat: 4th row, 8ht column

synopsis: A devoted father, John Crowley ( Brendan Fraser ), who has two children slowly dying of Pompe Disease must make a hard choice: Stay with a company that gives him a generous health and medical plan for "band-aid" treatments or go on his own and partner with a maverick doctor, Dr. Stonehill ( Harrison Ford ), in a race against time to find a cure.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) 8ht b-day; 2.) Reading-up on Pompe Disease; 3.) 'Phone call; 4.) Making out; 5.) ICU; 6.) Cautiously optimistic; 7.) U. of Nebraska Biochemistry Annex; 8.) Bar talk; 9.) Talk with wife, Aileen ( Keri Russell ); 10.) Foundation; 11.) Megan ( Meredith Droeger ) and Dr. Stonehill; 12.) Partnership deal; 13.) Chasing the wind; 14.) Venture capital meeting; 15.) Feeding the ducks; 16.) Proposal with Dr. Renzler ( David Clennon ); 17.) Priozyme time; 18.) Generator; 19.) Pink medicine; 20.) Deadline ultimatum; 21.) Acceptable loss; 22.) Deal with Zymogen; 23.) Uncashed check; 24.) New home; 25.) Part of the pill; 26.) Meeting with victims; 27.) Bad prognosis; 28.) Decision to make; 29.) Loud music; 30.) Overall good of the program; 31.) Bad news; 32.) Amusement park; 33.) Lab results; 34.) Infants only; 35.) Fetch drugs; 36.) Sibling study; 37.) Quack; 38.) Protocol; 39.) Fired; 40.) Good news; 41.) Portland Rose Hospital; 42.) Uncle Bobby; 43.) Sugar high; and 44.) Stonehill Biotech.

audience reaction: Although there were quite a number of people in the audience with me, I didn't hear any feedback from anyone of them.

recommendation: I liked this movie in the sense that it let me in on the behind-the-scenes issues, frustrations, concerns and arguments involving the research, the funding and the clinical testing that all go into the making of a pharmaceutical drug. It's a slow movie which, at times, pulls on the "heart strings" and can be best appreciated only by people who can relate to it in a personal way.

spoiler alert! John Crowley probably never heard of a pocket protector. At the meeting with the victims of the disease, nobody partook of the muffins and beverages laid out neatly on a table--'must be just movie props! I didn't notice any test done on animals and/or human organ cells. It gives the false impression that pharmaceutical companies can concoct a "magic bullet" to combat any and every disease known to man. This movie shows that only the people with money and the right connection can have first dibs on a cure. Drugs are a multi-billion dollar industry and pharmaceutical companies are only concerned with the bottom line. The only Portland Rose Hospital that I could find is a veterinary one.

fyi: In the real world, researchers generally drag on; otherwise, they lose their source of income ( think "finding a cure for cancer" ) and/or the means to pay-off their college loans. I met a lady who cures cancer using a 1930's era treatment. She even cured a chiropractor's wife who was diagnosed with advanced brain cancer and who was so debilitated by the disease that she couldn't even walk; yet, she was cured by this lady who doesn't even have a license to practice medicine and gets by only on donations.

If a doctor says that there is no cure, yet, for a disease, it could be a "white lie" because a cure is not considered a cure if the pharmaceutical industry cannot make a profit from it. So, such cures are dismissed as just a result of the "placebo effect". But when you think about it, any drug taken for a disease, to some extent, will have a "placebo effect" ( i.e. power of auto-suggestion ) if it proves efficacious.

If you want a second opinion about a medical condition, get it from a different type of doctor. Try alternative medicine. A real maverick doctor, Dr. Richard Schulze, N.D., M.H., trained by the late, great Dr. Christopher, has cured many patients who were given-up on by M.Ds. He had some serious run-ins with the FDA and the AMA because of his treatments' much greater rate of success! You can find out more on him, and others like him, on the Internet. ( I learned a few treatments from his master, Dr. Christopher, that really worked. )

word of advice: Money talks.

It's not what you know but who you know.

tidbits: I also smuggled-in a small bag of snack, a Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate/Almond Joy Pieces mix that I put in a zip-lock bag, so that I wouldn't have to buy the bulk chocolate candies at the concession stand--and because I have to get rid of my surplus candy, a.s.a.p., so I can start my New Year's diet.

THE TOOTH FAIRY, PG ( 1 hr & 42 min )

where: BRENDEN CONCORD 14 in Concord, CA
when: Friday, January 22nd, 2010
show: 6:50 p.m.
costs: $8.25 Ticket + $4.50 small White Cherry Icee + $4.00 Bridge Toll = $16.75
auditorium: 14
seat: 5th row, 10th column

synopsis: For "tooth money" call 1 ( TOO ) THF - AIRY.

Derek ( Dwayne, "The Rock", Johnson ) is summoned to Fairy Land to do community service as a tooth fairy for committing the crime of "Dissemination of Disbelief."

noteworthy scenes: 1.) First game; 2.) Locker room; 3.) Little fan; 4.) Card game; 5.) Tooth money; 6.) Summons; 7.) Tutu tooth fairies; 8.) Fairy godmother ( Julie Andrews ); 9.) Jerry ( Billy Crystal ); 10.) Deal; 11.) First case; 12. ) Behind the couch; 13.) Flushed with excitement; 14.) Second case; 15.) Wing envy; 16.) Amnesiac dog; 17.) Hanging out; 18.) Third case; 19.) Lack of funding; 20.) Jail time; 21.) My way; 22.) fourth case; 23.) Second game; 24.) Touche; 25.) Drills; 26.) Loss; 27.) Bad day; 28.) Own medicine; 29.) Surprise; 30.) Home; 31.) Dreams are good; 32.) Flight wings; 33.) Concert; 34.) Staples center; and 35.) Bonus scene.

audience reaction: The audience gave it a "Hands Clapper" ending.

recommendation: This movie will appeal to little greedy, spoiled brats who always want more candy, money, and toys ( you have been duly warned ).

spoiler alert! A molar, or bi-cuspid ( I forget ), went flying in the air--which didn't look like a real tooth, by the way--even though the tooth knocked out was an incisor in the upper-right quadrant. When he fell on his wings, he didn't say, "Ouch!" Everyone in Fairy Land, it seemed, was oblivious to his stench. He didn't use amnesia dust on most of the families that he visited. At the concert, Randy ( ? ) was easily accompanied by other players who never practiced with him.

fyi: Didn't we already see Dwayne, "The Rock", Johnson in a tutu in the movie, THE GAME PLAN ( 2007 )? If he's comfortable getting in touch with his "feminine" side for all the world to see, then he should do a comedy film about a "female" bodybuilder in a string bikini--have you seen how hideous such muscle-bound freaks look like? It's enough to give horndogs a nightmare! Hey, he could easily turn it into an horror film, seriously! With his luck, it will spawn sequels and merchandising tie-ins! His action-figure doll will easily kick Barbie's ass ... or whatever--ahem! And what will wimpy "man-bitch" Ken do about it, huh? Yeah, that's right, nothing! ( And, yes, Dwayne's butt will look big in a thong--Yuck! [ You have to see THE TOOTH FAIRY movie to know what I'm talking about here. ] )

I believe Arnold, "The Governator", Schwarzenegger started this trend about action heroes forced to deal with little brats with his movie, KINDERGARTEN COP ( 1990 ).

It's good to see that Dwayne finally got rid of his gynecomastia ( bitch's tits ) because, in his early movies as an action star walking around topless, it didn't fit well with our preconceived image of an he-man.

word of advice: Guys, if you want to keep your legs warm in the winter, wear pantyhose under your pants--just don't get into an accident in which they'll need to take you to emergency, or you just might die of embarrassment! ( I'm told that wearing pantyhose to keep your legs warm in winter really works. But I'm glad I live in sunny California. Hey, I have some in-laws in Michigan who might just be interested in knowing this. I won't even need to tell them because some of them already read my movie blog. Heh, heh, heh .... )

tidbits: As I waited outside near the box office of the theatre for this movie to start, I witnessed an argument across the side street. A middle-aged fat woman was at it with a skinny kid. As the kid turned to walk away, the woman grabbed his jacket. The jacket slipped-off as the kid just kept walking away. I guess the woman was too out-of-shape to chase after him. So, she dumped the jacket in the bushes but, later, changed her mind and took it with her as she walked in the opposite direction. That skinny kid probably ended-up suffering from the effects of hypothermia!

LEGION, R ( 1 hr & 40 min )

where: BRENDEN CONCORD 14 in Concord, CA
when: Friday, January 22nd, 2010
show: 4:00 p.m.
costs: $7.25 Ticket + $4.25 small Diet Pepsi + $?.?? Buffet Lunch at J.J. North's ( + $1.00 tip ) =
auditorium: 1
seat: 7th row, 12th column

synopsis: Diner-geddon!

When Humanity loses faith in God, He sends His legion of angels to exterminate everyone here on Earth. But a few people trapped in a desert diner , Paradise Falls, fight back for survival in this arma-geddon, aided by the Archangel Michael ( Paul Bettany ).

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Psalm 34:11; 2.) December 23rd; 3.) The "front"; 4.) Diner; 5.) Old lady; 6.) Plague of flies; 7.) Firearms; 8.) Ice cream man; 9.) Evil convoy; 10.) Start talking; 11.) Start getting square; 12.) Reason for faith; 13.) Sacrificial lure; 14.) Your fault; 15.) Flame thrower; 16.) Chucky-wannabe toddler; 17.) Baby; 18.) Future's unwritten; 19.) Standstill crowd; 20.) The archangels; 21.) Out of business; 22.) Flare gun; 23.) Crash; 24.) Cliff; 25.) No mercy; and 26.) Driving off.

audience reaction: Lukewarm, at best.

recommendation: This should have been a "straight to video" movie. I know that there are those of you who would say that it is just a movie. But anyone with a knowledge of the Bible would be very disappointed by this "Operation Disinformation" put forth by Hollywood--or treat it like the comedy of errors that it is! This is strictly a rental.

spoiler alert! There is no such thing as an angel, especially an Archangel, sporting tattoos all over its body! All the servants of God, both Humans and Angels, are sealed on their forehead ( i.e., kept safe from Evil influence ) just as the followers of the Beast are sealed on their forehead ( i.e., kept away from Salvation ) and branded on their right hand ( i.e., powerless to resist Evil ). One angel can easily kill at least 185,000 heavily-armed soldiers ( 2nd Kings 19:35 ). Or God can just make them go blind ( 2nd Kings 6:18 ) so they can't fight against His Heavenly Host. Shouldn't the quoted verse instead be Psalm 34:16? Why does the Archangel Michael use a knife and an assault rifle against another immortal? ( Quick! somebody, go fetch his Flaming Sword. ) For someone who has been through the "Pearly Gates", Archangel Michael sure ain't got no "Pearly Whites"! Why do the angels have black wings and are dressed in black? Angels are beings of pure white light; anybody who has been meditating for many years and has had encounters with such entities will vouchsafe for my statement. If humans want to pick a fight with angels, they should pick on the Seraphim because they always cover their eyes and are, thus, easy targets! ( Yeah, right .... ) According to the Bible, an angel or some other spirit will appear when a person bleeds ( the reason for flagellation and human sacrifice ), so it would have been easy for the other angels to find out exactly where Michael was. I wanted to watch him finish doing the stitches on his back in that impossible-to-touch-by-one's-self area--of course, they didn't show it! Dogs would not bark at an angel. The cop driving the patrol car wasn't paying attention to the road. Demons ( the Bible calls them "lying spirits" ), not angels, willfully possess human bodies. Super-rapid head-shaking will, at the very least, make the person pass-out and, at the very most, rupture the person's brain! The blood dripping from the ceiling is not explained. Angels can easily discern a person's motives, i.e. they can read minds. Angels can move faster than a speeding bullet or freeze/reverse time itself. According to one tradition, the Archangel Gabriel is "female", jovial, and is the one seated at the left side of God. So, the wings are bullet-proof but they can be easily sliced-off with a knife--Okay .... What's up with the mace with a spinning head? If the future of humanity rests upon the shoulders of some gutter-mouthed fornicatress/trailer trash's bastard infant--born on Christmas Day, of all things-- such a future is quite dim, indeed! ( Now would be a good time to re-acquaint yourself with the movie's premise. ) If you hold an infant in your arms as the car that you're riding in is going over 100 mph then hits something that makes it flip over, first, your shoulders would possibly get dislocated and, second, that unsecured infant would turn into a nine-pound projectile that would smack everybody in the head and/or face!

fyi: God commanded the Israelites not to cut their flesh or put marks on their skin ( Leviticus 19:28 ) or shave their foreheads ( Deuteronomy 14:1 ) because these were what the pagan people all around them did to mourn their dead. The Israelites were supposed to make themselves holy unto their Lord, meaning: They were not to practice what the unbelievers practiced, which pretty much summed-up the TEN COMMANDMENTS!!! The human body is a temple of God ( 1st Corinthians 6:19-20 ); in as much as you don't vandalize and put graffiti on a holy temple ( unless you're suicidal and don't mind being beaten to death by an angry mob ) likewise, you should not vandalize ( flagellate, slash or put body piercings in ), or put graffiti ( tattoos ) on, or dump garbage ( drugs and junk food ) in the body temple dedicated as a Shekhinah of God's Glory--I'd better stop pigging-out at buffets. ( And in case you're wondering .... nope, I don't have tattoos and body piercings; and I don't smoke, drink or do drugs, either. )

The Christian Angelic Hierarchy has nine types of angels grouped together into three spheres. Here they are in descending stages:

FIRST SPHERE: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones ( closest to God )

SECOND SPHERE: Dominions, Virtues, Powers ( spread through-out God's Kingdom )

THIRD SPHERE: Principalities, Archangels, Angels ( closest to mankind )

Understand that they all possess the same level of capabilities, i.e. an angel is as powerful as a seraph, they are just assigned specific tasks by God.

In the Book of Enoch, the Seraphim are called Drakones ( the serpents ), of which Lucifer was the leader before he fell from Heaven. Not all serpent spirits are evil. They are worshipped in parts of at least five continents as bestowers of wisdom, healing, secret knowledge, immortality and magical powers ( Doesn't this sound like the Temptation in the Garden of Eden ?). They inhabit the waters. Understand, too, that "waters" is symbolic of humanity, since our bodies are mostly composed of H2O. So, the serpent is within us all. Any Hindu or Buddhist will tell you that a "cobra-like" snake called the Kundalini resides within each and every one of us, coiled-up at the base of our spine, waiting to uncoil and rise up through our spine and exit at the top of our head. One of four things can happen when this serpent uncoils and rises up: a person becomes sex-crazed, goes mad, dies, or becomes enlightened--be smart and choose enlightenment!

word of advice: Be smart and choose enlightenment!

If you haven't done so, please read one of my posts for last month, entitled: What Christmas?

tidbits: I had planned on going to the Thursday midnight show for this movie in Fairfield, CA. But I was preoccupied with the preliminary research and study that I did for this movie and consequently lost track of time. I'm glad that I didn't go to the midnight show because this movie proved to be not worth losing my sleep over!

I decided to see this movie in Concord, CA because I remembered that there is a J.J. North's Buffet Restaurant close to the theatre. And I haven't been to this particular one in many years! An elderly white foursome was seated at the table to the left of mine. And, throughout the meal, they were talking about the possible origin of the word, "Gringo," ( to the point of even asking an Hispanic waitress about its true meaning, making her nervous ) and gossiping about acquaintances and relatives who were homosexuals and lesbians or who were suspected of being such. What an interesting serendipitous lunch that turned out to be.