I'm making progress on writing my novel manuscript about Sasquatches on the Colville Indian Reservation. It has been slow going, but I have reached the half point in writing the novel. It will be a short novel.
posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 10:30 AM
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On Friday, I saw the movie “The Brothers Grimm”, which starred: Matt Damon, Heath Ledger, Monica Bellucci, Jonathan Pryce and Lena Headey.
The storyline involved the following: “Brothers Will and Jake Grimm make a killing saving superstitious villagers in French-occupied Germany from imaginary witches, demons and other supernatural pests. Though Will (Matt Damon) relishes the money and the glory--not to mention the fawning lasses--Jake (Heath Ledger) feels a tad guilty about stiffing the locals out of their hard-earned coin. All Jake really wants to do is tell stories, which is why he writes everything they encounter down in his journal. Meanwhile, General Delatombe (Jonathan Pryce), the local French magistrate, gets wind of their scam and uses persuasive measures--like threatening to boil the brother's co-conspirators in oil--to convince the them to admit they're charlatans. Once Will and Jake cave to the pressure--something they do with relative ease--they're brought to a remote village by Cavaldi (Peter Stormare), General Delatombe's chief toady, where young girls are being stolen away in the night by unnatural forces. Seems 500 years ago, a once-beautiful queen (Monica Bellucci) cast the spell for eternal life, spreading death and pestilence across the land. Now in an attempt to recapture her lost beauty, the old witch must drink the blood of twelve virgins at the stroke of midnight during a lunar eclipse. Enter the Brothers Grimm with their showy weapons and shiny armor, as they do battle the one thing they've managed to avoid their entire lives: the reality of enchantment.”
I give the movie a “B”, and the movie is worth the price of an admission ticket, a large popcorn and a small soft drink. I’m not a fantasy movie fan, but this movie had plenty of action. The story was a little complicate, and most of the movie characters were not likeable.
posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 12:30 PM
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On Wednesday afternoon I saw the movie “The Skeleton Key”, which starred: Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, Peter Sarsgaard, John Hurt and Joy Bryant.
The storyline involved the following: “Caroline (Hudson) is a hospice nurse who goes from one terminally ill patient to another. The Devereauxs--stroke victim Ben (John Hurt) and his supposedly caring but overprotective wife Violet (Gena Rowlands)--are her next case. It all starts off innocently enough, with Caroline seeing Ben's misfortune as a means to pay for her nursing school tuition. But once she arrives at the foreboding house, a manse set on a bayou in the boondocks surrounding New Orleans (as if N'awlins isn't inherently spooky enough, we have to contend with the city's desolate outskirts?), it's clear that this place comes with history. Seems the former owners' black servants used to practice ''hoodoo''--a local folk magic--way back when in the attic and were strung up for it. Now, their spirits could still be up there. So when Caroline hears noises emanating from above, the (conveniently) curious houseguest investigates. Ben, too, seems spooked. Despite being deemed bedridden by Mrs. Devereaux, he's escaping out of windows. Caroline believes someone--or something--may be tormenting him (you think?), and she searches for the answer, which may or may not be lurking in the attic.”
I would rate the movie a “B”, and it is the worth of an admission ticket, a medium popcorn and a medium soft drink. Kate Hudson’s performance was good, but the mystery could have been revealed earlier in the movie.
posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 10:08 AM
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Yesterday I saw the movie “The Great Raid”, which starred: Benjamin Bratt, James Franco, Joseph Fiennes, Connie Nielsen and Max Martini.
The movie story involved the following: “In January 1945, soldiers from the 6th Ranger Battalion snuck 30 miles behind Japanese enemy lines in the Philippines to rescue 500 POWs--survivors of the hellish Bataan Death March--from the notorious Cabanatuan prison camp. The result was one of the most audacious and successful rescue missions in U.S. military history. Led by Colonel Henry Mucci (Benjamin Bratt) and Captain Robert Prince (James Franco), the Rangers--many of whom have never seen a street fight, let alone battle--crawl through thick jungle, hide in tall grass from enemy convoys and plot their daring raid from a nearby village the Japanese have seemingly failed to notice. Back at the camp, word spreads that General MacArthur has landed, forcing Major Gibson (Joseph Fiennes), who's dying of malaria, to stop his fellow prisoners from escaping. The camp is kept alive by a Philippine underground unit, led by Margaret Utinsky (Connie Nielsen), an American nurse. Margaret, whose husband recently died as a prisoner in the camp, stays behind out of obligation, supplying the prisoners with precious quinine--and also becoming the object of Major Gibson's affections. But with the arrival of Major Nagai (Motokui Kobayashi), a sadistic Japanese commander sent to exterminate the prisoners, the camp grows antsy with fear and anticipation. Meanwhile, the Ranger battalion makes its way closer to the final showdown, setting the stage for their daring rescue.”
I give this movie a “C+”, and it is the worth of an admission ticket, a small popcorn and a small soft drink. The movie lacked likeable characters, but the battle scenes saved the movie.
posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 9:04 AM
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Today I saw the cartoon movie “Valiant”, which featured the voices of : Ewan McGregor, Ben Kingsley, Jim Broadbent, Rupert Everett, Hugh Laurie.
The storyline involved the following: “Valiant follows a young carrier pigeon anxious to prove all of his naysayer friends and family wrong by making his way to the Royal Homing Pigeon Service (RHPS) in World War II London. And this is an animated feature. The young pigeon's name, of course, is Valiant (voiced by Ewan McGregor), an indulgent, thinly veiled metaphor that, clearly, the filmmakers assumed they could tautly wrap the obligatory thematic lesson around an all-encompassing character name. Valiant flies away from his mum, against her wishes, and sets off to fulfill his duty of serving crown and country during the war. On his way, he befriends a mess of a pigeon, Bugsy (voiced Ricky Gervais), who hasn't taken a birdbath in eons. When they reach the pigeon boot camp, as it were, they are greeted by the misfits with which they will hone their skills. But Valiant has a more (insert synonym for brave--that starts with a ''v'') conclusion in mind. In the end, Valiant earns his sky cred and then some, and he even gets the girl, er, bird for good measure.”
I give this movie a “C+”, and it is the worth of an admission ticket, a small popcorn and a small soft drink. I enjoyed the animated film, but the movie lacked a good script. World War II was not a good background for the movie, and the movie lacked likeable characters.
posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 12:50 PM
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On Wednesday I saw the movie “The Emperor’s Journey”, which narrated by Morgan Freeman.
The storyline involved the following: “The average temperature in Antarctica is 58 below zero. This might be cruel conditions to us humans, but it's home to the emperor penguins and has been for a millennia. Each March, these penguins hop, slip, slide and quasi-fly 70 miles--yes, 70 miles--across icy terrain, and even colder winds, in search of a mate. Some will make it. Some will simply succumb to the elements along the trek. And their painstaking journey is only the beginning. Once at their destination, the emperors proceed to court one another. Plenty of jockeying for suitors ensues, in a polar tango of sorts, which is followed by all the couples gathering and, well, snuggling. From a distance it looks like some preternatural sea of blackness. Once the females give birth come June, everything revolves around tending to the egg. Oddly, the female goes back to find food while the male stays put, goes months without eating and simply ensures the safety of the egg. The only defense the abandoned, starving males have against the harsh cold is huddling together to try and keep warm. After roughly two months, the babies are born. And there is nothing more humbling than seeing a newborn penguin peering from underneath its parent's protective belly. But it is equally heartbreaking to see them come out from their shelters too soon and suffer the consequences. Soon the mother comes to save the day, feeding them, coddling them, admonishing them, and, ultimately, leaving them to eventually do what they just did on their own.”
I would rate the movie a “B”, and it is the worth of an admission ticket, a medium popcorn and a medium soft drink. It was an excellent wildlife movie, though it was a little grim.
posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 11:47 AM
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On Tuesday I saw the movie “Four Brothers”, which starred: Mark Wahlberg, André Benjamin, Tyrese Gibson, Garrett Hedlund and Sofía Vergara.
The storyline involved the following: “The Mercer brothers--hotheaded Bobby (Mark Wahlberg), family man Jeremiah (Andre Benjamin), pretty boy Angel (Tyrese Gibson), and troubled Jack (Garrett Hedlund)--owe their lives to their adoptive mother, Evelyn (Fionnula Flanagan). Even though they've all gone their separate--and not necessarily straight and narrow--paths, none of them would have made it to adulthood if their beloved mother hadn't been there to guide them. So when she's killed in a seemingly random grocery store holdup, the grieving four brothers reunite to find out just exactly what went down. Of course, the rest of the plot--something to do with a business deal gone awry, crooked cops and one mean mother of a street kingpin--is really superfluous. It's really just about the Mercer brothers kicking some serious ass and taking no prisoners.”
I give the movie a “C+”, and the movie is worth the price of an admission ticket, a small popcorn and a small soft drink. The movie was too violent for me, and the movie script could have been more believable.
posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 8:52 AM
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Yesterday I saw the movie “Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo ”, which starred: Rob Schneider, Eddie Griffin, Edwin Alofs, Til Schweiger and Jean Reno.
The story line involved the following: “Deuce Bigalow (Rob Schneider), the fish-lovin' former gigolo with a face only a mother could love and a heart of gold, is back--and living it up in Amsterdam. But it isn't all fun and games. Oh, no. Deuce discovers that his former pimp, T.J. (Eddie Griffin), has been framed for a string of man-whore murders plaguing the city. By working his particular mojo on a cast of grotesque European women--while butting heads with the prestigious European Union of Prosti-dudes (The Man-Whore Society)--it's up to Deuce to ferret out the real killer. Of course, along the way he meets a lovely woman--wait. Do I have to go with this? It's really painful, describing this utterly tasteless and humorless movie.”
I give this movie a “C”, and it is the worth of an admission ticket. The movie was gross, but funny.
posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 9:47 AM
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On Wednesday I saw the movie “Stealth ”, which starred: Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel, Jamie Foxx, Joe Morton and Richard Roxburgh.
The plot involved the following: “Set in the near future, the Navy develops a technologically advanced fighter jet tutored by three top fighter pilots: Ben Gannon (Josh Lucas), Kara Wade (Jessica Biel) and Henry Purcell (Jamie Foxx). But little do they know, they are the ones being flown (insert sinister laugh). In between vacationing on exclusive exotic islands, carousing and dropping not-so-subtle hints at sexual tension, Gannon, Wade and Purcell are forced to try and gain control of ''EDI''--the fourth aircraft, manned by HAL-like artificial intelligence--with that creepy voice to boot. See, EDI was struck by lightning on the first mission, which causes ''him'' to go a little off the deep end and threatens to exacerbate the war it was created to stop and kill scores of individuals. If it sounds a bit inane and outlandish, that's because it is. Perhaps the most edgy Stealth ever gets is when one if its three stars is given an early exit.”
I give this movie a “C+”, and it is the worth of an admission ticket, a small popcorn and a small soft drink. The movie had good action scenes, but the characters were too cocky and distanced.
posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 3:09 PM
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On Tuesday I saw the movie “Fantastic Four”, which starred: Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, Chris Evans and Julian McMahon.
The storyline involved the following: “This is really the story of five individuals forever changed by a freak bombardment of cosmic rays while on a routine space mission. On the good guy side we have leader Reed Richards, (Ioan Gruffudd), the super-intelligent and highly elastic Mr. Fantastic; his former flame, Susan Storm (Jessica Alba), also a scientist, as The Invisible Woman; her brother Johnny Storm (Chris Evans), a hotrod pilot straight out of a Mountain Dew commercial, as the Human Torch, capable of transforming himself into a walking and flying ball of fire; and Ben Grimm, (Michael Chiklis), whose transformation into the nearly inhuman rock creature The Thing makes him the tragic figure of the group. On the bad guy side is Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon), the sneering industrialist and scientist who bankrolls their mission and becomes the evil and aptly named Dr. Doom. Once this dysfunctional family figures out its powers--in a pile up on a New York City bridge for which they are largely responsible for in the first place--all that's left is one showdown with their cloaked and iron masked villain, who has very little objectives besides killing off his business partners and exacting some revenge on the Fantastic Four. Despite the ingenious idea of portraying these costumed characters as celebrities first and heroes second, the clumsy story fails to connect. It's a concept that should have worked, especially with today's tabloid and paparazzi obsessions. But like the rest of the movie, that idea fails to take flight. In other words, other than defending themselves, the quartet doesn't really have anything fantastic to do at all. Hmmm. Maybe comic-book movies are getting more realistic.”
I give the movie a “C+”, and it is the worth of an admission ticket, a small popcorn and a small soft drink. The characters were not likeable and were too cocky. Only the action scenes saved the movie.
posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 6:31 PM
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Yesterday I saw the movie “The Dukes of Hazzard”, which starred:
Johnny Knoxville, Seann William Scott
Jessica Simpson, Burt Reynolds
Willie Nelson, Lynda Carter
David Koechner, M.C. Gainey
Michael Weston, Kevin Heffernan
Nikki Griffin, Jacqui Maxwell
Joe Don Baker, Barry Corbin
Alice Greczyn, James Roday
Michael Roof, A.J. Foyt IV
Jack Polick, Jim Cody Williams
Charlie Finn, Jay Chandrasekhar
Erik Stolhanske, Paul Soter
Rip Taylor, Junior Brown
The storyline involved the following: “Set in present day, the story follows the adventures of "good old boy" cousins, Bo (Seann William Scott) and Luke (Johnny Knoxville) Duke, who with the help of their eye-catching cousin Daisy (Jessica Simpson) and moonshine running Uncle Jesse (Willie Nelson), try and save the family farm from being destroyed by Hazzard County's corrupt commissioner Boss Hogg (Burt Reynolds). Their efforts constantly find the "Duke Boys" eluding authorities in "The General Lee," their famed 1969 orange Dodge Charger that keeps them one step ahead of the dimwitted antics of the small southern town's Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane (M.C. Gainey).”
I give the movie a “B”, and the movie is worth the price of an admission ticket, a large popcorn and a small soft drink. It was a good sexy movie with no actual sex. It was a funny movie.
posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 7:07 AM
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I’m at the Avi Resort & Casino, Laughlin, Nevada, and I will be here until Saturday morning.
Today I saw the movie “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, which starred: Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, David Kelly, Helena Bonham Carter, Deep Roy.
The storyline involved the following: “Burton wanted this Charlie to be strictly by the book--Roald Dahl's classic children's book, that is. We meet Charlie Bucket (Freddie Highmore), a young boy, who--despite living in deep poverty with his parents (Helena Bonham Carter and Noah Taylor) and both pair of grandparents--has a very positive outlook on life. His biggest dream is to meet famed chocolatetier Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp) and go inside his great chocolate factory, a voluminous structure that looms over Charlie's little town. Even though great quantities of chocolate are still being made and shipped all over the world, it's shrouded in mystery. No one has either gone in or come out of the factory in 15 years. But that's all about to change. Wonka announces he'll invite five lucky children to his factory--to get ''all of its secrets and magic''--by hiding five golden tickets inside his chocolate bars. The ones who find the tickets get to come. And as luck would have it, Charlie finds the last golden ticket. Taking his Grandpa Joe (David Kelly) along with him, Charlie is dazzled by one amazing sight after another, Oompa Loompas and all, as he tries to warm up to the enigmatic Wonka. The others turn out to be a rotten bunch of gluttonous, spoiled, competitive, know-it-all children, whose greedy personalities lead them into all kinds of trouble. That leaves only the sweet Charlie, who wins the absolute grandest prize of all: the keys to the factory itself. But will he abandon his family for all that chocolaty fame? Not a chance.”
I give the movie a “A”, and the movie is worth the price of an admission ticket, a large popcorn, a large soft drink and a small soft drink. It was enjoyable fantasy with plenty of fun.
posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 6:57 PM
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Yesterday I mailed my novel: The Omak Lake Monster to the New York Times newspaper. The Times might print a review about my novel, but there is no guarantee a review will be published. I plan to send the novel to other newspapers.
On Sunday I will be traveling to the Fort Mojave Indian Reservation. I will be a pro tem judge for one week with the Fort Mojave Tribal Court. I'll be staying at the Avi Resort & Casino, Laughlin, Neveda. I plan to return on Saturday, August 13, 2005.
posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 12:26 PM
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Yesterday I saw the movie “Wedding Crashers”, which starred: Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell, Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher.
The plot involved the following: “Jeremy: ''Someday you'll look back on all this and laugh, and say we were young and stupid.'' John: ''We're not THAT young.'' And with these prophetic words, divorce mediators John Beckwith (Owen Wilson) and Jeremy Grey (Vince Vaughn)--lifelong friends whose hobby it is to crash weddings, get laid and never look back--embark on a journey of self-discovery. Well, maybe not a journey exactly, more like a weekend of debauchery. And maybe not self-discovery, per se, more a realization falling in love isn't such a bad thing. It all starts when the charismatic and charming duo crash the social event of the year, the wedding of Treasury Secretary William Cleary's (Christopher Walken) daughter. They stick to the Crashers Code, at first, setting their sights on two bridesmaids, Claire (Rachel McAdams) and Gloria (Isla Fisher) Cleary, creating clever back stories and becoming the hit of the lavish party. But while Jeremy is going about business as usual with the curiously randy Gloria, John is uncharacteristically falling hard and fast for the whip-smart and beautiful Claire. John eventually persuades a resistant Jeremy to bend the crashing rules and accept an invitation to an extended weekend party at the Cleary family compound. Uh oh. Once at the palatial waterfront estate, the dysfunctional members of the Cleary family put the guys through the wringer. It would be enough to send any confirmed bachelor running--except John really likes Claire and wants to make it work. And Jeremy, as he tells John, just wants to ''ice my balls and spit up blood.''
I give the movie a “B”, and the movie is worth the price of an admission ticket, a large popcorn and a small soft drink. It was a very funny romantic comedy. Will Ferrell almost stole the movie at the end.
posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 10:08 AM
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