DARK SKIES, PG-13 ( 1 hr & 35 min )

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where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Monday, February 25th, 2013
show: 2:25 p.m.
costs: $7.50 Ticket + $4.50 1-litre Dasani Water + $3.63 medium Strawberry Milkshake and Water at MacDonald's Restaurant after the movie = $15.63
auditorium: 2
seat: 4th row ( counting from the front ), 7th column ( counting from the left )

synopsis/overview: A young family is beset by problems of an "Alien kind" that culminates in something that could only be termed as "a parent's worst nightmare."

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Food trail; 2.) Sandman's handiwork; 3.) Alarm; 4.) Family photos; 5.) Playground; 6.) Birds; 7.) Sam's room; 8.) "You can't tell your mom about this place"; 9.) "I like the way you think"; 10.) Video monitors; 11.) Breakdown; 12.) "Three different directions"; 13.) Mass Bird Deaths; 14.) "Why aren't you answering me"; 15.) "I lost six hours today"; 16.) "Sam drew this yesterday"; 17.) Bruises; 18.) Woods; 19.) Standard procedures; 20.) Frame-by-frame; 21.) "I'm ready to believe"; 22.) "'Helps weed-out the lunatics"; 23.) Implants; 24.) Kids' pictures; 25.) "Leave us alone"; 26.) Vision; 27.) Newspaper clipping; 28.) Flashback; and 29.) Walkie-talkie.

audience reaction: There was a dozen or so people in the audience with me. And they seemed to like this movie.

recommendation: I liked it enough--the "weird eyes" on the innocent victim in a dream sequence might be a bit much for the little brats in your company. Go see this movie for a "different" kind of scare, but please leave the really young brats at home!

spoiler alert! The TV came-on too quickly. Okay, the waiting period after the purchase of a shotgun is 10 days for the necessary background check on the purchaser. So, how did he get the shotgun from the gun store so quickly? That poor dog probably thought to itself, "I left the dog pound for this?!?!?!" Don't tell me that the neighbors didn't notice the bright light and the shotgun blast. The porn movie never got past the "boob grope" scene--bummer! LOL

fyi: The houses in the quaint neighborhood look like they're from the '50s or '60s---I think that they are! come to think of it.

Do a Google search on "Mass Bird Deaths" and see what comes up.

This movie reminded me of Will Smith's INDEPENDENCE DAY ( 1996 ) movie as I watched the climactic scene.

I encountered two Reptilians one time and a single Reptilian in yet another time. They were huge and very quick! They were hellbent on killing me, if not for Divine Intercession.

And I couldn't help but think to myself that maybe--just maybe--the Demons mentioned in the Bible are just these Reptilian aliens, which was a very worrisome thought for me to entertain. Even though God's Living Creatures in Holy Attendance are described ( symbolically? ) in the Bible as having hideously fearsome "physical" anatomies, I still couldn't get over the idea that the Demons are Reptilian in form.

word of advice: Just because you don't experience it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.

tidbits:  I had a 9 o'clock appointment with my tax preparer at Liberty Tax Service today.

After my taxes were done, I walked to the nearby newspaper vending machine to check on the Oscar winners. I was right about Ang Lee, Daniel Day-Lewis, and LIFE OF PI; but I was wrong about Naomi Watts. I still think that Ms. Watts should have won the Best Actress Oscar!

Then, I drove to the nearby oil-change shop to find out their business hours and to see how much they charge for an engine oil change. I also inquired about their manual transmission fluid change.

On my way to Goin' Postal on the corner of Tuolumne and Redwood Streets to drop-off some bill payments, I had to slam on my brakes while driving on Redwood Street because a brown puppy ( or little dog ) was standing in the middle of my lane and staring at something across the street. I honked at it a number of times to get its attention. It finally went back onto the sidewalk. If I see a little brown and red spot on that part of Redwood Street tonight on my way home, then I know what happened!

I went to the Food Maxx Supermarket a few doors down from Goin' Postal to buy something to eat since I left my condo without eating anything for breakfast. I bought a mixed berry yogurt drink to tide me over since it was almost noontime. And I had in mind to go have lunch at Selecta Pilipino Buffet on Springs Road here in Vallejo.

When I got to Selecta Pilipino Buffet, I parked my car under the shade of a tree and proceeded to read my old Contra Costa newspaper ( the one with a front page article on assault weapons ban after the Newtown, Connecticut School Massacre ) since lunch at Selecta is usually served at around 11:30 a.m., and I still had plenty of time on my hands.

I bought some lottery tickets after I ate my lunch. Then, I went next door to the 99-Cent Only Store to do a little shopping.

As I used a toilet stall in the men's room of the theatre, I noticed something ....

I'm sorry for this blurry image.

There is a little trash bin built into the side wall with an image of a hand disposing of a tampon! Yes, that's absolutely right: TAMPON!!! In the men's room!! And, to think, all these years I thought that it was just an image of a cigarette being disposed of! Then I realized that there is no smoking allowed anywhere inside the theatre. That was when it dawned on me! Ha, ha, ha.

After the movie, I went to the MacDonald's Restaurant on 902 Admiral Callaghan Lane in the Target Shopping Center here in Vallejo to have a strawberry shake and to blog about this movie.

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SNITCH, PG-13 ( 1 hr & 35 min )

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I went to see this on Thursday, February 21st, 2013, here in Vallejo, CA, at the CENTURY 14 VALLEJO for the 10:00 p.m. advanced screening in auditorium 2, 6th row ( counting from the front ), 6th column ( counting from the left ). The price of admission was $10.50. And I bought $1.53 worth of bulk Chocolate Candies to go with my purchase of a $4.50 1-litre Dasani Water. Originally, I was just gonna buy some bottled water because I smuggled-in a bag of cookies that I had earlier bought at a dollar store. But, for some stupid reason, I decided to get some bulk candies! Either my conscience is getting the better of me or the theatre lobby's piped-in music has a subliminal command to get patrons to buy more stuff at the concessions counter ( yup, that has got to be it )!

Quickie Review: A loving father will do just about anything to help his son get out of federal prison. Based on a true story.

There were about a dozen people in the auditorium with me for this advanced screening. And they were in rapt attention throughout the movie. Obviously, they were all caught-up in the action as the story unfolded before their very eyes. As was I.

I would say that it is a good movie with the right amount of human drama. Go see this Action/Suspense Movie.

Here are the things that I found wrong in this movie: The shipping label on the package came-off too easily. Real shipping labels don't come-off that easily. In the shoot-out in the junkyard, the cops were called to the scene and were on their way b...u...t... a later scene showed the dead bad guys being buried in a mass grave! There were no bullet holes in the tractor-trailer---What did the rival drug gang use, BB guns? "When you work for us, you'll be treated like family"--the family member that gets abused a lot!!! Ha, ha, ha. I felt sorry for the bad guy(s) who had to count all of those dollar bills, all 83 million of them! I would have loved it had they shown pictures of the real drug lord, his family and his gang in the Ending Credits.

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It was around 12:30 a.m. of the following day when I got home from the theatre. And I learned that one of the supervisors at work had left a voice-mail on my cellphone asking me to come in and work on my day-off. I had turned-off my cellphone when I was in the theatre earlier in the day to see SAFE HAVEN, and I forgot to turn it back on!

*

SAFE HAVEN, PG-13 ( 1 hr & 55 min )

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I went to see this today, Thursday, February 21st, 2013, here in Vallejo, CA, at the CENTURY 14 VALLEJO, for the 2:20 p.m. show in auditorium 13, 5th row ( counting from the front ), 7th column ( counting from the left ). The price of admission was $7.50. And I bought a $4.50 1-litre bottle of Dasani Water at the concessions counter.

Quickie Review: I had to break from my usual synopsis/overview format for this movie because the famous JOURNEY song, Don't Stop Believing, already worded its synopsis--of course, I had to reword the lyrics slightly! Here goes ....

Just a city girl, living an abusive life.

She took the midnight bus going anywhere.

'Met a small town boy,

'works and lives in Safe Haven.

He takes his grieving pain, going everywhere.

'A waitress in a smokey shack

that smells of fish and greasy fries.

One night they eat by candle light ...

it goes on and on and on and on ....

Lovers walking up and down the boulevard,

their bodies swaying in the night.

Street side couple walking by to find emotion

showing sometime in the night.

Working hard to earn her tips,

people want more fish and chips--

paying anything to eat more fries

just one more time.

Some drink wine, some drink juice,

some were born to swig the booze!

Oh, the motive never ends.

It goes on and on and on and on ....

Drunkard walking up and down the boulevard,

his eyeballs searching in the night.

Street side couple walking by to find emotion

showing sometime in the night.

Don't stop believing.

Hold on to the feeling.

Street side couple,

whoa, ah, ohh ....

Don't stop believing.

Hold on ....

Street side couple,

whoa, ah, ohh ....

Don't stop believing.

Hold on to that feeling.

Street side couple,

whoa, ah, ohh ....

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P.S. I hope that you like this Cine-Man's version. Do me the favor of singing my version on Karaoke Night. Ha, ha, ha.

( If you want me to sing it for you, you can just forget it! I don't want to hurt your eardrums. I'm a writer, not a singer. LOL )

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There were anywhere from eight to ten other people in the audience with me for this show--mostly females. I think that they liked this movie.

I liked it enough. It's a Chick Flick movie for fans of such a genre. Go see it if you're into such movies.

Here are some things that I found wrong in this movie: How was he able to recover from such a knife wound so quickly? The bad guy still had the same amount of sweat on his shirt in the night when the temperature would have already cooled down a bit. The two gas pumps looked like the old-fashioned kind that doesn't accept credit and/or debit cards--he would have to pay for that gas first INSIDE THE STORE! And the gas hose was kinda long, don't you think ...? How come there was no blood on her face and neck after the shooting? Usually, ambulances and firetrucks arrive at the scene within minutes of each other; but the ambulance hauled-off the victim after it was already dawn of the next day.

There is a character in this movie that I shan't mention here because doing so would give away the subplot. 

As I watched this movie, I was reminded of some places in Michigan.

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I started my day by going to my workplace to pick-up my check. One of my co-workers, Nancy, asked me how my back felt. I told her that my Chiropractor could pop my upper back and my neck, but he still couldn't pop my lower back because it is still very tight. Of course, the pain has subsided. But the area is still tight.

I also went to my workplace to adjust the setting on the digital camera that I gave to one other co-worker of mine, Robert G., as a wedding present. He was busy and stressed-out and couldn't accommodate me right away. 

So, I went to BofA ( Bank of America ) to make a deposit into my savings account. Then, I went to Chase Bank to make a deposit into my checking account. And I went to Chevron to get some gas and to buy some lottery tickets before I went back to my workplace to adjust the setting on Robert's camera.

After all of that, I went to the Empire Chinese Buffet here in Vallejo to have lunch--and I forgot to take a picture of this restaurant yet again! Then, I went to Goin' Postal at the Food Maxx Shopping Center on the corner of Tuolumne and Redwood Streets to pick-up a package before heading on to see this movie.

*

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES, PG-13 ( 2 hr & 4 min )

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I went to see this yesterday, Tuesday, February 19th, 2013, here in Vallejo, CA, at the CENTURY 14 VALLEJO for the 11:00 a.m. Extra-Dollar Off First Show Matinee in auditorium 2, 7th row ( counting from the front ), 7th column ( counting from the left ). The price of admission was $6.50.

Quickie Review:  In South Carolina, two high school kids meet and fall "heels over head" in forbidden love. For unbeknownst to Ethan ( Alden Ehrenreich ), Lena ( Alice Englert ) possesses a supernatural power that can easily turn her into an evil being if she becomes broken-hearted at the time of her "claiming". And two evil entities conspire to use everything in their power to make it happen.

There were just five other people in the audience with me, two males and three females. Their reaction to this movie was warm. Of course, such a low turn-out ( for the first show of the day, and on a weekday ) is in no way a good gauge of an audience's reaction to and/or interest in the movie.

It was so-so for me, though. This Chick Flick movie looks to be a franchise in the making. Go see this if you're into Chick Flicks.

Here are some things wrong with this movie: When they first met, she had the number 104 printed on her hand; the next time that they met, she had the number 79 printed on her hand. In other words, she wore the same clothes for 25 days. Wouldn't her other classmates have also noticed the "counting-down" number on her hand, too? Especially since she made no attempt ( not even a feeble one ) to cover it up. In their first one-on-one conversation, she mentioned the word, "Mortal," and referred to him as such b...u...t he never got the hint because the word just flew over his head, it seemed! When he asked, "Can you make anything grow?" was he asking her in a sexual way?  Great Powers come with Great Responsibilities and should not be used just to show-off like when the caster made snow fall! Civil War Re-enactors usually buy their own expensive period piece military clothing, weapons and accoutrements--and I don't think that all of those high school kids could afford to buy their own stuff. When that particular caster manifested a tornado and a number of lightning strikes on the poor and helpless unsuspecting folks--hurting and/or even possibly killing a bunch of them--that pretty much should have sealed the caster's fate!

*

ESCAPE FROM PLANET EARTH in 3-D, PG ( 1 hr & 29 min )

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where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Saturday, February 16th, 2013
show: 1:35 p.m. Extra-Dollar Off First Show Matinee
costs: $10.00 Ticket + $4.50 1-litre Dasani Water + $8.15 buffet lunch @ Selecta Pilipino Buffet before the movie + $3.47 large Shamrock Shake @ MacDonald's Restaurant after the movie = $26.12
auditorium: 2
seat: 4th row ( counting from the front ), 7th column ( counting from the left )

synopsis/overview: Real-life action hero, Scorch, over-confidently goes on yet another daring rescue mission to the Dark Planet where alien life forms go missing forever. But the "distress call" is just a trap! And it is up to his nerdy brother, Gary, to rescue him and save their whole planet from total destruction at the hands of the Dark Planet's evil military leader.

noteworthy scenes: 1.) Baby rescue; 2.) Twelve hundred gnarlachs; 3.) "Jumbo head mode"; 4.) Dark Planet; 5.) "And I feel sorry for her"; 6.) Sponsors; 7.) "Facial hair"; 8.) Video; 9.) "'Sorry, Gary"; 10.) "Does anybody around here care what I think"; 11.) Rocket boot; 12.) Light source; 13.) Captured; 14.) "Stay-at-home mom"; 15.) Three-D; 16.) "Landing gear destroyed"; 17.) Examination room; 18.) Slurpee; 19.) Brain freeze; 20.) Fifty-one Flavors; 21.) Welcome video; 22.) Genius; 23.) Incoming call; 24.) Toilet; 25.) Prisoners; 26.) "It's not a question"; 27.) Alien technologies; 28.) "I'm still dreaming"; 29.) Food fight; 30.) Signatures; 31.) Halley's Comet; 32.) Frozen; 33.) "Stop that! I'm color-blind"; 34.) "Nerd King"; 35.) The Roswell incident; 36.) Fiance; 37.) Blast tape; 38.) Aliens; 39.) "We come in peace"; 40.) Escapees; 41.) "Talking rat"; 42.) "You're not fit to wear this uniform"; 43.) "Tornado"; 44.) Bath towel; 45.) "Mayday"; 46.) Tractor beam; 47.) Free-fall; 48.) "I told you we come in peace"; 49.) "Can we keep him"; 50.) "What does that mean"; 51.) "News report"; 52.) Best man; and 53.) The Wave.

I found this Air Dancer Tube Man on amazon.com.

audience reaction: The brats in the audience and their parents liked this movie, especially the Facial Hair scene. But it didn't get a "Hands Clapper" ending.

recommendation: I liked this movie enough. Take your little brats to go see this movie.

spoiler alert! So, our tranquilizers work the same way ( no adverse side-effects ) on aliens, too? Why are a bunch of the aliens shown without nostrils? How did the aliens learn how to speak flawless English? ( I know a bunch of Earth aliens who speak English with a thick accent---Heck! I used to be one of them. Ha, ha, ha. ) Considering that the Earth is lightyears apart from the alien planet, their interplanetary conversations should have had long pauses in-between talks. When the spaceship's hatch was opened, there should not have been what seemed like an inexhaustible amount of air rushing out into the space void. And the space vacuum would have also sucked-out all the air in their bodies. How were the aliens able to breathe our air and vice versa?

Well, at least most of the aliens in this movie were not butt-naked! Ha, ha, ha.

fyi: I don't know whether or not this movie is giving a "Nod" to the notion that much of our modern-day technology is supposedly based on Alien Technology obtained through "reverse-engineering" or otherwise. But Conspiracy Theorists would have you believe in modern-day technology's alien origin.

I don't get Brain Freeze. I get Nasal Sinus Freeze!

word of advice: Never always assume the worst in extra-terrestrials.

tidbits: I went to the Chase Bank inside the Food Maxx Supermarket on the corner of Tuolumne and Redwood Streets here in Vallejo to deposit money into my checking account. Then, I went a few doors down to Goin' Postal to drop-off some bill payments.

Then, I had lunch at Selecta Pilipino Buffet on Springs Road.

At the box office, I asked the clerk why they now cordon-off the side-lot parking areas ( see picture below ). He told me that they do that to keep people from sneaking into the auditoriums through the emergency exit doors.

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So, I guess that I should take back what I said about my being some kind of a VIP person in my blog on IDENTITY THIEF. Ha, ha, ha.

It was a little too warm for my own personal comfort when I sensed the outdoor weather the moment that I stepped outside of the theatre. It was the reason why I had a Shamrock Shake at the MacDonald's Restaurant at 902 Admiral Callaghan Lane in the Target Shopping Center here in Vallejo.

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