“Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride” Movie
Yesterday I saw the movie “Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride”, which featured the voices of: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham-Carter, Emily Watson, Tracey Ullman and Paul Whitehouse.
The story line involved the following: “Inspired by a Russian folktale, Corpse Bride begins with the promise of a wedding. The snobby Everglots (voiced by Joanna Lumley and Albert Finney) are pushing their daughter Victoria (voiced by Emily Watson) into marrying Victor (voiced by Johnny Depp), the bachelor son of the social-climbing Van Dorts (voiced by Tracey Ullman and Paul Whitehouse). Neither Victor nor Victoria wants this arrangement--that is, until they meet each other on the eve of their wedding and sparks fly. But when Victor screws up his vows during the rehearsal, he is humiliated and rushes off. Once in the fresh, cool air, he is suddenly able to recite his vows perfectly, down to even putting the ring on what looks like a gnarled tree root. Ah, but that's not what it is at all. It's the very dead hand of the Corpse Bride (voiced by Helena Bonham Carter), a lovely but rotting young lady who rises out of the ground to claim her groom and drag him down into the Land of the Dead, which is actually a pretty festive place. Even though Victor doesn't want to break the heart of the Corpse Bride, who has her own sad tale to tell, he just can't see how the marriage is going to work--being that's he's alive and in love with someone else. What's a decaying bride looking for her lost love to do?”
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 fun movie, and it had it’s funny moments.
“Flight Plan” Movie
Yesterday I saw the movie “Flight Plan”, which starred: Jodie Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, Erika Christensen, Sean Bean and Haley Ramm.
The story line involved the following: “Still grieving for her dead husband she's taking back to the United States to bury, Kyle Pratt (Jodie Foster) faces every mother's worst nightmare when her 6-year-old daughter, Julia (Marlene Lawston), vanishes without a trace on a state-of-the-art 474 aircraft en route from Berlin to New York. Already emotionally devastated, Kyle desperately struggles to prove her sanity to the disbelieving flight crew and passengers while facing the very real possibility that she may be losing her mind. You see, all evidence indicates that her daughter was never onboard. Julia's name isn't on the manifest, and she does not have a boarding pass. In fact, there are no traces that the girl exists save for a stuffed bear Kyle carries around. While Capt. Rich (Sean Bean) or U.S. Air Marshal Gene Carson (Peter Sarsgaard) want to doubt the bereaved widow, it becomes increasingly clear that Kyle is unstable and her adamancy is causing a slight panic among the plane's crew and passengers. Finding herself desperately alone, Kyle can only rely on her own wits to solve the mystery and save her daughter. If she has one, that is.”
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. Jodie Foster was excellent in her role, and the film was an enjoyable thriller-mystery.
Slow Life
Life has been slow for me. I haven’t been doing much, especially writing. Maybe today I will get back to writing.
“Just Like Heaven” Movie
Yesterday I saw the movie “Just Like Heaven”, which starred: Reese Witherspoon, Mark Ruffalo, Donal Logue, Dina Waters and Ben Shenkman.
The storyline involved the following: “When David sublet his quaint San Francisco apartment, the last thing he expected was a roommate. He had only begun to make a complete mess of the place when a pretty young woman named Elizabeth suddenly shows up, adamantly insisting the apartment is hers. David assumes there's been a giant misunderstanding...until Elizabeth disappears as mysteriously as she appeared. Changing the locks does nothing to deter Elizabeth, who begins to appear and disappear at will. Convinced that she is a ghost, David tries to help Elizabeth cross over to the "other side." But while Elizabeth has discovered she can walk through walls, she is convinced that she is still alive and isn't crossing over anywhere. As Elizabeth and David search for the truth about who Elizabeth is and how she came to be in her present state, their relationship deepens into love. Unfortunately, they have very little time before their prospects for a future together permanently fade away.”
I give this movie a “C+”, and it is the worth of an admission ticket, a small popcorn and a small soft drink. Reese Witherspoon was great, but the comedy script was poor. There was too much slapstick comedy.
Progress on Novel
Yesterday I worked on my novel manuscript about an encounter with Sasquatch. I wish I could pick up the pace on writing my manuscript. I want to complete it as quickly as possible.
“Lord of War” Movie
Yesterday I saw the movie “Lord of War”, which starred: Nicolas Cage, Jared Leto, Bridget Moynahan, Ian Holm and Eamonn Walker.
The plot involved the following: “Still living with his immigrant family in Brighton Beach, Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage) has had enough--the family restaurant has no customers, his cook brother Vitaly (Jared Leto) can't cook and his mother nags his devout Jewish father who is anything but Jewish. So instead of getting sucked into a go-nowhere life, Yuri naturally gets into arms dealing. After selling a local hood an Uzi, Yuri discovers that he might actually have the knack. He recruits his younger brother--more for moral support than business acumen--and begins to soar up the arms dealing food chain, attaining wealth, luxury and an exciting lifestyle along the way. The only thing he lacks is his dream girl--Ava Fontaine (Bridget Moynahan), a Brighton Beach beauty queen-turned-supermodel. But Yuri finally wins her heart, too, by posing as a legitimate businessman with more money than he actually has. Ava senses he's not legit, but just as long as they have their penthouse overlooking Central Park and a chauffeured limo, she'd rather not know what he does. Meanwhile, Yuri's interests clash with his chief rival, Simeon Weisz (Ian Holm), an old-school gun runner, coming to terms with the end of the Cold War. Backed into a corner, Yuri is given a choice between continued competition or none at all, and his decision sends Yuri into a spiral of rapid moral decay despite ever-increasing profits. His greatest struggle through it all has been with himself. In the end, he learns to accept the Golden Rule of arms dealing: Never wage war with anybody, especially yourself.”
I give the movie a “B+”, and the movie is worth the price of an admission ticket, a large popcorn and a medium soft drink. I thought it was excellent movie with a story needing to be told. The movie provided few opportunities for fine acting performances, and the film became moralistic at the end of the movie.
The Lazy Days of Summer
I'm still making slow progress on novel manuscript about an encounter with two Sasquatches. I've been under the weather, and I have been sleeping alot. I feel better today.
Progress Report on Novel about Sasquatches
I've been making slow progress on my novel manscript about an encounter with two Sasquatches. I wish I could pick up speed.
“The Man” Movie
On Monday I saw the movie “The Man”, which starred: Samuel L. Jackson, Eugene Levy, Anthony Mackie, Luke Goss and Miguel Ferrer.
The storyline involved the following: “One of the more elaborate and creative titles in movie history, The Man is yet another anti-buddy-cop flick--a grain of sand on a desert at this point. The story revolves around Special Agent Derrick Vann (Jackson), who is out to get the man (get it?) that killed his partner. But a case of mistaken identity leads him to Andy Fidler (Eugene Levy), a chatty dental supply salesman with too many questions. Of course, it's not match made in heaven. Vann and Andy's contrasting personalities--Vann's is hard-edged and no-nonsense; Andy's is affable to a fault--set into motion constant obstacles to overcome and, more importantly, the obligatory hijinks. Andy's nice-guy clumsiness leads them to the killers and then, invariably, away from the them. It also drives Vann crazy, but he knows that Andy is a necessary evil if he wants to pin the bad guys. Ultimately, what started off as (comedic) hatred for one another winds up mutual respect. Can you say sequel? Neither can we.”
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 a funny movie, which had its moments. Samuel L. Jackson and Eugene Levy put in good performances.
“The Constant Gardner” Movie
Last Wednesday I saw the movie “The Constant Gardner”, which starred: Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Danny Huston, Archie Panjabi and Donald Sumpter.
The storyline involved the following: “Based on the novel by John Le Carréé, Gardener starts with a murder, as any good mystery does. British diplomat Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes), assigned to Nairobi, sees his world crumble when his wife, activist Tessa Quayle (Rachel Weisz), is found brutally mutilated in a remote area of Northern Kenya. His colleagues at the British High Commission, especially close friend Sandy (Danny Huston), believe the usually mild-mannered Justin will quietly let them handle the matter. Up to this point in his life, Justin has done little but do his job, tend to his gardens, and marry an extraordinary woman. But the powers that be sorely underestimate Justin. Haunted by his memories, and incredulous that his wife may have been unfaithful, Justin will no longer sit by passively. He cannot accept what happened to Tessa, especially when he finds out they want to basically sweep the whole thing under the rug. It seems Tessa was ruffling more than a few feathers--and was perhaps even on the verge of exposing a deadly pharmaceutical conspiracy. So, Quayle embarks on his own investigation, risking his life to uncover the truth. Weighty stuff.”
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 interesting British film, and the acting was good. But the movie was a little too dark for me.
“The Transporter 2” Movie
Last Tuesday I saw the movie “The Transporter 2”, which starred: Jason Statham, Alessandro Gassman, Amber Valletta, Kate Nauta and Matthew Modine.
The story line involved the following: “Frank Martin (Statham) latest transporting gig is to race around Miami Beach in his tricked-out Audi, chauffeuring the child of a well-to-do family. What? No-nonsense Frank as a kindly chauffer? Not exactly. He likes the kid, likes him a great deal, but the second he rolls down his bulletproof window, we know he's still no saint. But when the boy is kidnapped on his watch, Frank goes into vigilante-mode. His mission, should he choose to accept: Return the boy to his parents (Amber Valletta, Matthew Modine) without a scratch. But there's a catch. Seems the kidnapping is just a ploy to spread a deadly 24-hour virus from the boy to his politician father, and thus to everyone he then comes in contact with. Now, Martin's charged with the tall task of obtaining the antidote for the virus. By the end, he'll have fought the criminals by land, sea and air to ensure his clients' safety, and in the process dirties his suit, which he hates doing because it just came out of the cleaners.”
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. The film was a good action movie.
“A Sound of Thunder” Movie
On Friday I saw the movie “A Sound of Thunder”, which starred: Edward Burns, Ben Kingsley, Catherine McCormack, Jemima Rooper and Wilfried Hochholdinger.
The storyline involved the following: “In this adaptation of a short story by Ray Bradbury, time travel is a lucrative business in the year 2055, especially for Charles Hatton (Ben Kingsley). His ''travel'' agency specializes in escorting wealthy clients on exclusive hunting trips back to the Prehistoric Age. Under the watchful eye of seasoned scout Dr. Travis Ryer (Ed Burns), it's all carefully choreographed, with strenuous guidelines put in place to protect the creatures' natural habitats and prevent time travelers from impacting the course of evolution. Of course, something goes awry on one certain ''jump'' and rules are indeed broken. When the hunting expedition returns, they discover their world is a markedly different place than it was when they left. In fact, things are soon going to hell in a handbasket. Ryer must team up with Sonia Rand (Catherine McCormack), the inventor of the time travel technology, to figure it all out and stop the catastrophic events now threatening to erase humanity from existence. The moral of the story? Don't go back in time and kill a prehistoric butterfly.”
I give this movie a “C+”, and it is the worth of an admission ticket, a small popcorn and a small soft drink. I do like ScFi movies, but this movie looked it was made for television.
“The 40 Year Old Virgin” Movie
On Thursday, I saw the movie “The 40 Year Old Virgin”, which starred: Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Romany Malco and Seth Rogen.
The storyline involved the following: “It's not like Andy Stitzer (Carrell) hasn't attempted to lose his virginity. It just never worked out so he stopped trying. It hasn't really bothered him, though. He's got a cushy job stamping invoices at an electronics superstore, rides a bike, has a nice apartment with a proud collection of action figures and comic books--and, above all, has an upbeat attitude. You know, a regular guy, except for that one itty-bitty thing. But that's all about to change. Once his co-workers--lovelorn David (Paul Rudd), womanizer Jay (Romany Malco) and horny Cal (Seth Rogan)--get wind of Andy's predicament, they take it upon themselves to get the man laid. But nothing seems to work--until, that is, Andy meets Trish (Catherine Keener), a 40-year-old mother of three, and sparks fly. Although Andy and Trish decide to take things very, very slowly, with a mutual no-sex policy (at least for awhile), the deed may finally be at hand. Or not, depending on whether Andy can get over his hang-up with women.”
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 funny movie, but Steve Carell’s chest was too hairy.
“The Cave” Movie
On Wednesday I saw the movie “The Cave”, which starred: Morris Chestnut, Eddie Cibrian, Cole Hauser, Piper Perabo and Lena Headey.
The movie story involved the following: “Deep in the Carpathian mountains, a team of scientists stumbles upon the entrance to a vast and intricate underground cave system--one that just screams, ''Explore me!'' But this isn't your Aladdin Cave of Wonders garden variety, filled with treasure and a genie in a lamp. Oh, no. This Cave is deep, treacherous and, well, possibly crawling with any number of things that could kill you. No matter. Biologist Kathryn (Lena Headey) believes there might be an entirely new ecosystem waiting to be discovered (what fun!), so she and her team hire experienced cave diver Jack (Cole Hauser) and his team to help them get in there. But what they all don't realize is that these ancient caves actually do contain brand new species of subterranean life, both small and very, very great. And could it be that some of the more deadly creatures have mutated from--gasp!--human life forms? Yeah, they are about to get into some serious trouble.”
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 plenty of action, but the movie script needed many improvements.
