I'm making slow progress on my novel manuscript about an encounter with two Sasquatches. I've been under the weather the last two week, and I haven't been able to do much writing. Hopely next week I will be feeling better.
posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 1:50 PM
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Last week I was ill with a kidney infection. I'm feeling better. I need to get back to work on my manuscript about an encounter with two Sasquatches.
posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 11:23 AM
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On Friday I saw the movie “Material Girls”, which starred: Hilary Duff, Haylie Duff, Anjelica Huston, Brent Spiner and Lukas Haas.
The storyline involved the following: “Ava and Tanzie Marchetta have it all. The heiresses to a multi-million dollar cosmetics company, the girls approach life as one big party. But when a scandal involving one of their products emerges, the girls are left penniless, homeless, and seemingly helpless. They could, of course, take the easy way out and listen to the board of directors who want to sell the company to their biggest competitor, but that would forever taint the name of their late father, who built it from the ground up. Instead, Ava and Tanzie decide to protect what is rightfully theirs. What it's going to take to do that will require them to do some things they've never really considered--growing up, taking initiative and responsibility, and asking for help from others, rather than expecting it to fall into their laps. If they can find their inner strength, they might be able to clear their father's name. If not, the party might be over--for good.”
I give this movie a “C”, and it is the worth of an admission ticket. It is a very routine movie, which is not very original in content.
posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 1:14 PM
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On Monday I saw the movie “Barnyard: The Original Party Animals”, which featured the voices of: Kevin James, Courteney Cox Arquette, Danny Glover, Sam Elliott and Wanda Sykes.
The plot involved the following: “Down on the farm, the farmer thinks he's in charge, keeping all the animals safe and sound. But when the farmer is out of sight, the lookout sheep shouts "Clear!" and all of the barnyard animals spring up on two legs, walk, talk, watch TV, and orchestrate practical jokes. For Otis the cow that last one is the most important. He and his best friends--Pip the mouse, Freddy the ferret, Peck the rooster, and Pig the pig--are world-class pranksters and always in the mood for a laugh. Otis is in the state of arrested development and quite happy that way. Otis's dad, Ben, is the cow who makes sure the farm is running on all cylinders. Each morning, Ben leads a meeting to take care of farm business and to issue warnings about their common enemy, the coyotes. (It's a position that Ben takes seriously: "As long as I'm still kickin'," he says, "no animal will be harmed inside that fence!") Ben wants Otis to grow up and take responsibility. Much to Ben's chagrin, Otis's main project comes to life every evening. As soon as the Farmer hits lights out, the barn is transformed into Party Central. On this night, there's even a pretty new cow, Daisy--Otis hams it up for her, and she can't help but be attracted to his fun-loving personality. That world is not for Ben. He's outside, guarding the fence and protecting the farm from the coyotes. When Otis explains to Ben that being on watch isn't "his thing." Ben responds: "Otis, a strong man stands up for himself, a stronger man stands up for others." When Ben is no longer able to lead, Otis tries to keep order but the role of leader does not come as naturally for him. Without Ben to keep everyone in line, absolute mayhem breaks loose and it isn't long before the farmer begins to get to the bottom of the animals' secret--and the scheming coyotes begin to think that the farm could be theirs for the taking.”
I give this movie a “C”, and it is the worth of an admission ticket. I don’t like male cows with udders.
posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 10:41 AM
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I've been making slow progress on writing and finishing my manuscript about an encounter with two Sasquatches. I hope to finish the manuscript by the end of August, 2006. It will be a short novel.
I monitor and contribute to a discussion web site for Native American Writers, Storytellers and Movie Actors at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Nativewriters/
posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 8:50 AM
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On Tuesday I saw the movie “Clerks 2”, which starred: Brian Christopher O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Dawson, Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith.
The movie story involved the following: “Ten years ago best friends Dante Hicks and Randal Graves were New Jersey mini-mall clerks still slacking off together in their early 20s. Now working in the fast-food universe, Dante and Randal have managed to maintain, and even hone, their in-your-face attitudes, agile skill with vulgarities and unbridled love of screwing the customers. But they're also faced with such shocking prospects as marriage, leaving Jersey and finding real careers. Dante and Randal invade the world of Mooby's fast food restaurant, where the slogan is "I'm Eating It." Behind the counter, where the only other employees are an uber-nerd and an entirely too sexy manager, Dante and Randal are free to offend anybody and everybody who so much as orders fries in their inimitably irreverent way. But, even as riotous debates rage between them over such burning matters as George Lucas v. Peter Jackson v. Jesus, change is on the horizon. When Dante announces that he's going to leave Jersey forever and marry Emma Bunting, Randal plots a going-away party so shocking it will draw the police, the fire department and potential protests from PETA, while altering their lives forever.”
I give this movie a “C+”, and it was a funny movie. Its use of shock comedy was daring, but the movie lacked an overall theme, which would justify its shock comedy.
posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 9:55 AM
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On Monday I saw the movie “The Descent”, which starred: Shauna MacDonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, Nora-Jane Noone, MyAnna Buring, Oliver Milburn,
Molly Kayll and Craig Conway.
The movie story involved the following: “One year after a tragic accident, six girlfriends meet in a remote part of the Appalachians for their annual caving trip. Deep below the surface of the earth, disaster strikes when a rock falls and blocks their route back to the surface. The girls soon learn that Juno, the thrill-seeking leader of the expedition, has brought them to an unexplored cave and that as a result no knows where they are to come rescue them. The group splinters and each push on, praying for another exit. But there is something else lurking under the earth - a race of monstrous humanoid creatures that are adapted perfectly to life in the dark. As the friends realize they are now prey, they are forced to unleash their most primal instincts in an all-out war against an unspeakable horror - one that attacks without warning, again and again and again.”
I give this movie a “C+”, and it was frightening movie. It focused on the struggles of six women to survive in a cave, haunted by flesh-eating creatures.
posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 10:04 AM
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Yesterday I saw the movie “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)”, which starred: Will Ferrell, David Koechner, Sacha Baron Cohen, John C. Reilly and Michael Clarke Duncan.
The storyline involved the following: “Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) is a NASCAR racing sensation whose "win at all costs" approach has made him a national hero. He and his loyal racing partner and childhood friend, Cal Naughton Jr. (John C. Reilly), are a fearless duo, thrilling their fans by finishing most races in the top spots - with Ricky Bobby always leading the pack. When a flamboyant French Formula One driver, Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen), challenges him for the supremacy of NASCAR, Ricky Bobby must face his own demons and fight for his place as racing's top driver.”
I give this movie a “C+”, and the movie was a crowd-pleaser, and it had its funny moments. It was hard to understand the movie, as it used plenty of shock comedy.
posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 9:36 AM
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On Thursday I saw the movie "Lady in the Water", which starred: Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas Howard, Freddy Rodriguez, Jeffrey Wright and Bob Balaban.
The storyline involved the following: ACleveland Heep, a modest building manager, rescues a mysterious young woman from danger and discovers she is actually a narf--a character from a bedtime story who is trying to make the treacherous journey from our world back to hers. Cleveland and his fellow tenants start to realize that they are also characters in this bedtime story. As Cleveland falls deeper and deeper in love with the woman, he works together with the tenants to protect his new fragile friend from the deadly creatures that reside in this fable and are determined to prevent her from returning home.”
I give the movie a "B", and the movie was interesting occult movie, which was based on a Chinese bedtime story. Paul Giamatti was great, and the characterization was good.
posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 10:03 AM
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On Tuesday I saw the movie “Monster House”, which featured the voices of:
Steve Buscemi Voice of Nebbercracker
Nick Cannon Voice of Officer Lister
Maggie Gyllenhaal Voice of Zee
Jon Heder Voice of Reginald "Skull" Skulinski
Kevin James Voice of Officer Landers
Jason Lee Voice of Bones
Sam Lerner Voice of Chowder
Catherine O'Hara Voice of Mom
Kathleen Turner Voice of Constance
Fred Willard Voice of Dad
Mitchel Tate Musso Voice of DJ
Sam Lerner (II) Voice of Chowder
Spencer Locke (II) Voice of Jenny
Ryan Newman Voice of Little Girl
Woody Schultz Voice of Paramedic #1
Ian McConnel Voice of Paramedic #2
Erik Walker Voice of Bully #1
Kevin the Dog Voice of Kevin the Dog
The storyline involved the following: “Although no adults will believe them, three children realize a neighbor's house is really a monster. They must find a way to stop the house and save the neighborhood.”
I give the movie a “B”, and the movie script and characterization were excellent. It was an enjoyable scary movie, and the animation effects were good.
posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 10:34 AM
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Yesterday I saw the movie “The Ant Bully”, which starred:
Lily Tomlin Voice of Mommo
Larry Miller Voice of Fred Nickle
Allison Mack Voice of Tiffany Nickle
Rob Paulsen Voice of Beetle
S. Scott Bullock Voice of Glow Worm/Wasp/Survivor
Mark DeCarlo Voice of Fly
Frank Welker Voice of Spindle/Frog/Caterpillar
Julia Roberts Voice of Hova
Zach Tyler Eisen Voice of Lucas Nickle
Cheri Oteri Voice of Doreen Nickle
Paul Giamatti Voice of Stan
Meryl Streep Voice of Wise Queen Ant
Bruce Campbell Voice of Fugax
Nicolas Cage Voice of Zoc--Wizard Ant
Ricardo Montalban Voice of Head of Council
Regina King Voice of Forager Kreela
Larry Miller Voice of Fred Nickle
Bruce Campbell Voice of Scout Fugax
Jake T. Austin Voice of Nicky
Myles Jeffrey Voice of Steve
The storyline involved the following: “Ten-year-old Lucas is the new kid on the block--and the local bullies make sure he knows it. Tired of being a punching bag, Lucas takes out his frustration on the ants living in his lawn. But when the ants strike back--shrinking Lucas down to their size with a magic potion and forcing him to live like an ant within the colony--an astonishing new world opens up to him. Lucas learns, first-hand, the value of friendship and teamwork, ultimately leading the ants in an effort to save their colony from annihilation. And in the process, Lucas obtains the things he wants most: friends, companionship, acceptance and the courage to stand up for himself.”
I give this movie a “C+”, and the movie was fascinating, but it lacked a good script. The animation was excellent.
posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 2:24 PM
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