Men In Black 3

Released: 2012
Comedy, Sci-Fi
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Will Smith
Running Time: 106 minutes
Rated: PG-13

The breakdown:  The series continues with a time travel episode where we get to see what Agent K was like before he got all serious.

The second movie in this series really wasn't that good, so I didn't have high hopes for this movie.  But after the first 20 minutes or so, I really ended up liking it.
Agent J has to go back in time to save Agent K's life from a bad and super dangerous alien.
In the process, we get to see how different Agent K was from how we know him today.
It certainly wasn't the best movie in the series, but this one was entertaining and enjoyable.

I won't give too much away, but I encourage you to go see it.

3 out of 5 for being surprising enjoyable, and Josh Brolin did a fantastic job of portraying Tommy Lee Jones as a younger K.

No Country for Old Men

Released: 2007
Drama, Crime
Director: Ethan and Joel Coen
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin
Running Time: 122 minutes
Rated: R

The breakdown:  A young cowboy finds a stash of money, drugs, and dead bodies in the Texas desert and gets involved in something way, way over his head.

This is a fantastic movie.  It won four Oscars including best picture.
What would you do if you found a ton of dead people in the desert where you were hunting alone? What if there was a ton of money involved free for the taking?  And what if there was one man who was slowly dying and all he asked for was some water?  These are the questions one cowboy answers and the results are compelling and fascinating to watch. I don't want to ruin any of this movie, you have GOT to see it.

5 out of 5 for being thoroughly well acted, fantastically thought out, and just plain stunning.

More whaling

S. Korea to start 'scientific' whaling

• 
  Members of the International Whaling …

South Korea said Wednesday that it planned to start whaling through a loophole that allows the killing of whales for scientific research, following the lead of Japan's controversial expeditions.

At talks of the International Whaling Commission in Panama, South Korean delegates said they would submit future whaling plans to a scientific committee of the global body and were not looking for approval by other nations.

The announcement immediately triggered criticism by Australia, New Zealand and other anti-whaling nations that have long been infuriated by Japan's whaling expeditions in Antarctic waters.

South Korean delegate Park Jeong-Seok said that his country would submit its plans "in the spirit of trust, good faith and transparency" but stressed: "We are under no obligation to inform you in advance."

"As a responsible member of the commission, we do not accept any such categorical, absolute proposition that whales should not be killed or caught," he said.

"This is not a forum for moral debate, this is a forum for legal debate," Park said of the Western criticism. "Such kind of moral preaching is not relevant or appropriate in this forum."

Kang Joon-Suk, the head South Korean commissioner, did not provide numbers, areas or a timeline for scientific whaling. But other delegates said they expected South Korea would target minke whales in the Sea of Japan, which Koreans call the East Sea.

The International Whaling Commission has imposed a moratorium on commercial whaling since 1986 amid fears for the survival of the ocean giants.

Japan has carried out whaling through a loophole in the Commission's rules that allow nations to conduct lethal research on whales, with the meat then going to consumption.

Norway and Iceland are the only nations that defy the moratorium entirely. Iceland also used to describe its whaling as scientific but shifted its position in 2006 and said it was commercial in nature.

South Korea carried out scientific whaling for one season after the 1986 moratorium went into effect. But whale meat remains popular in the coastal town of Ulsan, which serves remains of whales "accidentally" caught in nets.

The International Whaling Commission allows the processing of whales that are killed by accident, but activists have long charged that South Korea was turning a blind eye or even deliberately killing whales through nets.
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This article not only makes me sad, but incredibly angry.
There is no need to hunt whales.  There's no need to kill them, eat them, or make profits off of them.
The countries that engage in any sort of whaling industry should be ashamed of themselves and should be harshly punished by NATO or any other global community.
The only time I think whale hunting or any other sea animal hunting and killing is ok is for the Inuits that need the animals to survive and use every single part, letting nothing go to waste.

The Hangover II

Released: 2011
Comedy, so it was supposed to be funny & not disgusting?
Director: Todd Phillips
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis
Running Time: 102 minutes go by painfully slow
Rated: R

The breakdown:  To avoid the same kind of catastrophe of the last bachelor party, Stu decides to just have a simple brunch before his wedding.

I didn't like the first one, so I absolutely hated the second one.  It has even less humor, more offensive everything, and less Bradley Cooper looking extremely hot.  It's a complete waste of time.
Just imagine the first one, except now they're in Thailand and everyone is even more annoying.
I'm not going to waste your or my own time with a review of such an unbearable, crude movie.

SKIP IT.
0 out of 5 for not having anything redeeming about it.  Being completely not funny, hard to watch, and no shirtless Bradley Cooper.

Unstoppable (Should be retitled - Unwatchable)

Released: 2010
Action
Director: Tony Scott
Starring: Denzel Washington, and Chris Pine
Running Time: 98 minutes
Rated: PG-13

The breakdown:  A fast moving unmanned train is threatening to cause untold deaths and destruction unless someone risks their own lives and stops it before it crashes.

Oh my gosh this movie was such a waste of time!
If you want to see it, DON'T, but if you still do want to, don't read this review because I'm going to talk about the ending so I will SPOIL it for you.


Still here?
Ok.
At the beginning, this overweight fool who can't run for crap is trying to move this half-mile long train to a different track at the train station.  This is where the conductors start their day, and where trains are loaded and held until they can start their journey.  He needs to move a train to make room for another one that's coming along the same track.  He starts it up, then jumps out ahead of it to switch the junction box to move the tracks, thus redirecting the train to it's stationary track.  Of course, what happens?  You already know, he didn't connect the brakes, and he left it in neutral, but the thing with trains is that somehow they can pull themselves out of neutral and start gaining speed, barreling down the tracks all on their own.  He sees this happening along with a co-worker and he's so overweight, he cannot catch up to it.
He tells his superior reluctantly and she's freaking out, but knows they should be able to catch it further down the track. 
Meanwhile Denzel and Chris Pine are on a separate train that's owned by the same company but at a different station.  They hear all about the impending doom and decide they want to make their day interesting by trying to catch it and save the day.

The cinematography is poor.  One zooming in shot after another, trying to give you some sort of feeling I'm guessing that this is realistic?  Or tense?

The acting from Rosario Dawson is poor, probably not her fault, but the directors, and a weak script.

The overall plot sounds interesting, but the execution is really boring and the film could not hold my interest.  You never feel connected to any of the characters and you don't care what happens to the train.

Overall, a total waste of time and complete flop.
Do not see this film.
1 out of 5 for boredom and nothing great to speak of.

Contagion

Released: 2011
Drama
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, and a ton of others
Running Time: 106 minutes
Rated: PG-13

The breakdown: A highly contagious disease spreads across the world rapidly and workers at the CDC try to find out how to prevent deaths and find a cure.

A woman comes home from a business trip in Hong Kong and suddenly gets violently ill and dies.  The hospital isn't sure from what, but she in fact, has a highly contagious, new disease that no one's ever seen before.  People start dropping like flies all over the world, and the doctors are baffled.  The Center for Disease Control gets involved and tries to get some answers, but it's a difficult virus to figure out.

I won't give too much of the movie away, as it's pretty decent and the less you know the better.

I give it 3 out of 5 for a fair enough movie and it kept my attention.

Wonderland

Released: 2003
Biography, Crime
Director: James Cox
Starring: Val Kilmer, Kate Bosworth
Running Time: 104 minutes
Rated: R

The breakdown:  The true story of the first male porn star named John Holmes, who may have been involved in the murder of 4 people.

I admit, I'd never heard of this movie, but Val Kilmer was in it so I watched it.
It's the true story about this "porn king" named John Holmes who made 1,000 adult films and was a very big star for his time.  But, in 1981, his star had faded and he turned to drugs and alcohol to fix his inner demons. 
There's this terrible crime scene the police are investigating in Los Angeles on Wonderland Ave. and only one eye witness, but that one person who survived the brutal attack is in the hospital with a coma so she can't say anything to help.
John Holmes gets pointed out to police from a fellow druggie and all around bad guy, David Lind.  He says it must've been John Holmes, and by the time the police catch up to him, he says it wasn't him directly, but that someone else killed those people and he was forced to tell them the victims location to protect his own family.

It got terrible, terrible reviews, but I didn't think it was any worse than other drug infested, profanity laced, crime ridden movie out these days.  And I mean that honestly, not as a dig.
The film makers were definitely on Holmes side though, and it seems, no one really knows the entire story, or exactly who was directly responsible for the murders.
Overall, a lackluster, gritty, but watchable film.
Nothing that stands out as terrible, but nothing great either.

Skip it, unless you really like the gritty crime dramas.
2 out of 5 for good acting, but nothing special about the film or story.

Seabiscuit

Released: 2003
Drama, Biography
Director: Gary Ross
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, Elizabeth Banks
Running Time: 140 minutes
Rated: PG-13

The breakdown:  The true story of a small racehorse named Seabiscuit and his even bigger spirit.


This movie covers about 40 years, but really focuses on the Depression era.  There's a horse trainer that's gone off to live alone in the woods, an emotionally fragile young jockey who's filled with anger, an automobile entrepreneur who's experience some severe loss in his life, and a horse that everyone thought would never be a winner.
Basically, they all meet up and end up helping each other out to believe in one another and the dreams they share, yes, even the horse.
Overall, it was a well done film, but the pacing's a bit slow at times.  They didn't need to make it quite so long, but I enjoyed anyway.

If you wanted to see it, go for it.

3 and 1/2 out of 5 for a good bunch of actors, and an entertaining story.

Space stuff

Cosmic smashup predicted, but Earth will survive

By SETH BORENSTEIN | Associated Press

 

• 
   illustration released by NASA

WASHINGTON (AP) — Don't worry about when the world as we know it might end. NASA has calculated that our entire Milky Way galaxy will crash into a neighboring galaxy with a direct head-on hit — in 4 billion years.

Astronomers in a NASA news conference Thursday said that years of observations from the Hubble Space Telescope provide grisly details of a long-anticipated galactic smashup. Astronomers had seen the Andromeda galaxy coming at us, but thought there was a chance that its sideways motion would make it miss or graze the Milky Way. Hubble readings now indicate that's not the case.

"This is pretty violent as things go in the universe," said Roeland van der Marel, an astronomer with the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore that operates Hubble. "It's like a bad car crash in galaxy-land."

Scientists say the sun and Earth are unlikely to be hit by stars or planets from Andromeda because of the vast emptiness of the two galaxies. So Earth should easily survive what will be a 1.2 million mile per hour galactic merger. Even at that speed, the event would take about 2 billion years.

Once it's over, our solar system would be in a different place in the cosmos. The collision would dramatically change the view of the nighttime sky from Earth with Andromeda suddenly dominating, the astronomers said.

The only way Andromeda could miss colliding with the Milky Way is if it were moving sideways about six times faster than Hubble indicates it is, said van der Marel, who is publishing the latest findings in an upcoming issue of Astrophysical Journal. Five years ago, Avi Loeb, head of Harvard University's astronomy department, simulated this crash and pronounced a miss unlikely. He said the Hubble results strengthen his earlier findings. He calls the newly merged galaxy "Milkomeda."

Both the Milky Way and Andromeda are about the same size and same age — 10 billion years old. At times they've been considered virtual twins so it's hard to tell which of the galaxies will get the worst of the collision, van der Marel said.

When the collision is in full swing in 4 billion years, he said the sun will still have another 2 billion years before its expected death. However, by that time it will have grown so large and so hot that Earth might no longer be habitable without super-engineering techniques, he said.

While this upcoming cosmic crash is dwarfed by the Big Bang which created the entire universe, van der Marel said this one could be called "the big smashup."
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Always amazing.

Is this something we should worry about?

Killer disease in Cambodia stumps experts

By Michelle Fitzpatrick

A doctor checks a child at Kantha

A woman pulls a child on a gurney

Children and their parents at Kantha

It's not bird flu or SARS, and nor does it appear to be contagious, but little more is known about a mysterious disease that has killed dozens of Cambodian children, some within 24 hours of being hospitalised.

Medical experts are scrambling to respond to what the Cambodian health ministry and World Health Organization (WHO) have labelled an "undiagnosed syndrome" that has claimed the lives of at least 56 boys and girls, mostly toddlers, since April.

Officials said just one child was believed to have survived the illness and the high fatality rate has spread concern among Cambodians, 30 percent of whom live below the poverty line according to the World Bank.

The WHO has put neighbouring countries on alert about the killer disease, that starts with a high fever and is followed by respiratory and neurologic symptoms "with rapid deterioration of respiratory functions".

There have been no cases reported outside Cambodia so far.

"We are looking at detailed information from the hospital records and analysing each and every case. We hope to have a better picture in the coming days," said Ly Sovann, deputy director of Cambodia's Communicable Disease Control Department in a joint statement with the WHO on Friday.

Paediatrician Beat Richner, the founder of Kantha Bopha children's hospitals, which see around 85 percent of Cambodia's severely ill youngsters who make it to treatment, was the first to raise the alert over the illness.

The Swiss doctor, who told Cambodian health officials about the illness last month, gave a higher toll than the WHO, saying 64 children had died from the disease since mid-April, while two more had recovered.

The victims were aged seven and under with most being between two and three years old, Richner told AFP in an interview. The most recent death was on Saturday.

"All these children have encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and in the later hours of their life they develop a severe pneumonia with a destruction of the alveoli in the lungs. That is the reason they die," he said.

The alveoli, or air sacs, are pockets in the lungs where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place.

"We think it's either a virus, an intoxication, or both," Richner said.

While it is impossible to rule out contagion at this early stage, Richner said he had yet to come across two cases in the same family, and no health workers appear to have fallen ill after caring for the patients.

The WHO has also said it has found no clusters, though most of the patients came from central and southern parts of Cambodia.

Like the WHO and the health ministry, Richner's staff are racing to find the cause of the disease, sending blood and tissue samples to the Institut Pasteur -- a renowned infectious disease research centre.

Early results from a selection of those samples show some of the children had been infected by a lethal strain of hand, foot and mouth disease, although Richner said more analysis was needed.

He said all the patients who died were treated in private clinics in their local areas before being brought to the Kantha Bopha hospitals in the capital and the northwestern province of Siem Reap.

"They all got injections or infusions by private carers before coming to us," he said. "Some died four hours after arriving."

From his own figures, Richer said the two patients that lived were treated only by Kantha Bopha staff, suggesting that botched medical treatment may be a factor.

The WHO said it was too soon to draw conclusions.

"We are looking at the possibility of this being something new, a collation of different diseases with similar clinical presentations but caused by a different pathogen," said doctor Nima Asgari, a public health specialist at the WHO office in Cambodia.

The UN health body and Cambodian officials have urged parents to bring their sick children to hospital if they see any signs of "unusual illness".

Joining the daily queues of hundreds of families seeking treatment at Kantha Bopha, In Sitha said she first heard about the mystery illness while her three-year-old son was in hospital with pneumonia last month.

"I heard it develops very fast," she said. "As a mother, I feel very scared and helpless about this. I just hope this unknown disease can be cured so that my son and other people's children can survive."
Richner urged parents to stay calm saying "there's no reason for hysteria," and pointed out that an ongoing dengue fever epidemic was a much larger worry.

In June alone, more than 5,000 children were hospitalised with haemorrhagic dengue fever, compared to just 34 cases of the unknown disease. "That's the big problem," Richner said.
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I'm just saying, it could be really dangerous.  I guess we will have to wait and see what happens with it.

The Phoenix Suns Have Resigned my favorite player!

Goran Dragic is a free agent and made a visit to the valley of the sun recently. 
I can only hope we're picking him up, but information is hard to find on a definitive answer.
It looks like he's back, but I'll keep checking for something concrete.  Without Steve Nash, we're going to need all the help we can get!

Update: July 19th.
We got him!
I'm so pleased.

The Dark Knight Rises

Released: 2012
Action, Fantasy, Drama
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Michael Caine
Running Time: 164 minutes
Rated:PG-13

The breakdown:  This movie takes place 8 years after the death of Harvey Dent and shows how Batman comes back to battle a new deadly threat to Gotham and himself, Bane.

Well, I've been looking forward to another Batman movie since the last one was over in theaters.  I knew no matter what this film would be like, it would be almost impossible to meet expectations because the bar was set so high with the last installment.
This last one is not better than The Dark Knight, but it is a very fine film in its own respect.

Eight years after the death of Harvey Dent, and Batman taking the fall to save Dent's reputation, the movie starts off by showing Bruce Wayne as a complete shut-in.  He's weak physically and mentally and still feels immensely depressed over losing Rachel, the love of his life.
Alfred tries to get him to go out, but Bruce refuses.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Gordon has done such a good job at fighting crime, there's really not too much to speak of, so there's also no need for Batman to come back.
Until, a new threat named Bane comes along and threatens the entire city.  Tom Hardy did some SERIOUS time in the gym to get as big as he is for this role, and he did a very good job.
Everyone did a good job, except for Anne Hathaway.  I was hoping Christopher Nolan could make her act a bit better, but it seems, no one can make her a good actress.  A much better choice would've been someone like Rachel Weisz or Charlize Theron, but we didn't get that lucky.  Unfortunately, for the film, you're only as good as your weakest link, and Hathaway as Catwoman just didn't cut it.  She is supposed to be in shape enough to fight in this movie, and I just can't buy it.  She's skinny and her boots were great, but she can't do fight scenes worth a crap, and just like her acting, she's not convincing.
I was also concerned watching the first 20 minutes of the film, as it seems, clunky and underwhelming.  The first 20 minutes should have been reworked before the release.  But, after that, the film greatly improves with solid acting, and an even more solid plot and ending.
I can't imagine why any critic gave this film a bad review, it's a very good film, and an absolute outstanding film compared to most others released today. 
The ending is a satisfying conclusion to the best superhero movies ever.  Christopher Nolan really made Batman relatable, and human to the rest of us.  I loved the realistic portrayal of the stories that we are all so familiar with, and the passion that is evident of the director's work.

I cannot say enough good things about the series as a whole, but my true adoration will stay with The Dark Knight.  Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker is in a class by itself, and was incredibly strong evidence of what greatness he had inside him.  Simply one of the best performances in a movie I have ever seen personally, and I feel so sad that he had to die just when he was starting to really blossom.  And that movie is not just filled with a great performance, but fantastic directing, and an unbelievably hypnotic story that draws you in and never lets you go for a second, until it's over.  And even then, you continue to think about it after you've left the theaters.
Not only is The Dark Knight the best superhero movie ever, it's one of the best films ever, due to things like rock solid directing, acting, script, special effects, film score, make-up, and plot.

I will miss Batman sure, but all good things must come to an end, and someday, someone will pick up the iconic superhero again and put their own spin on it.  We will just have to wait and see when that day comes along, but in my book, this series is unbeatable.  Though I'm always interested in seeing someone try.

4 1/2 out of 5 for an overall incredible movie.  I would've given it 5 but had to deduct for Anne Hathaway being in it, and the first wobbly 20 minutes.
GO SEE IT!!!!!!

Movie marathon

Going to see the 3 Batman films tonight at a local theaters marathon, ending with the midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises.
I'll give you a full review soon!

More amazing space images I'm in love with

Stunning vortex appears on Saturn’s moon, puzzles scientists

By Mike Wehner, Tecca

Massive whirlwind could mark the changing of seasons

NASA's Cassini orbiter has already taken some stunning photos of Saturn and its moons, but the latest snapshot from the multi-billion-dollar mission might be its most impressive yet. After swinging down to the southern hemisphere of Titan — Saturn's largest moon — the high-powered orbiter captured images of a massive vortex forming at its pole, and scientists can only guess as to why it's suddenly appeared.

The massive collection of swirling gas has gathered at Titan's south pole, which measures approximately 3,200 miles across. The whirlwind has never before been spotted, and it remains unclear how long it has been forming. Cassini — which first arrived near Saturn in 2004 (and shot the stunning images below) — had been orbiting the moon too far north to have captured it, until now.

Photo of Titan against backdrop of Saturn

Prior to this discovery, the probe spotted images of a large "hood" on Titan's north pole, which researchers believe is the result of cell convection — a process where dense air sinks towards the surface, pushing air at its edges upwards to create clouds. As Titan's seasons change, scientists believe that the same mechanism may be at work at the moon's southern pole, but they can't be sure.

Cassini photo of Saturn

A single year on Titan lasts approximately 30 Earth years, making the study of each season a lengthy endeavor. The planet is composed of rock, water ice, and methane, making for some weather formations not typically seen here on Earth. The gigantic, swirling anomaly — which is spinning at four times the speed of the rest of the moon — appears to be yet another interesting characteristic of Saturn's most interesting satellite.

High-contrast photo of Saturn from Cassini probe
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I'm totally in love with Saturn and think it's a beautiful and mysterious planet.  Of course, Earth will always be my very favorite, but as far as planets that we CAN'T live on and favorites, this is my first, with Jupiter being second.
These images are stunning and I can't help but get excited when I see new pictures of our galaxy.

In Time

Released: 2011
Sci-fi
Director: Andrew Niccol
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Amanda Seyfried, & unfortunately Justin Timberlake
Running Time: 109 minutes
Rated: PG-13

The breakdown:  In a futuristic society, time is money, literally.  All the people have is one year after they turn 25.  Whatever time they die after that is up to how much extra time they can get, whether that's by working, trading, or stealing.

Timberlake plays a man that works hard for the extra time he shares between himself and his mother.  At the beginning of the film, he's living day to day, literally, and everything you pay for is in time off your life left.  He has a small apartment with his mother and they share what little time they both have left giving it back and forth to each other.
Timberlake meets a man at a bar that has over a century of life left, but that kind of time draws all sorts of attention.  The bar is emptied when a band of thugs come in looking to steal all the man's extra time, draining him until his clock is cleared.
Timerlake intervenes and helps the man escape certain death.  The man confesses he's 105 and kind of tired of living.  He says that where he lives, in the pristine, beautiful and rich part of town, everyone takes their time and pays no attention to the problems of poor people.  He tells Timberlake that everyone can live a normal life without relying on these life clocks if only the system could be broken and taken down.


That's where I'll leave you if you want to see the film.  Overall, it was mediocre.  The plot was interesting enough, but Justin Timberlake's lack of acting talent is very distracting.  A lot of the scenes had action that just isn't going to happen in the real world, i.e. the bad guys always have terrible aim and never hit their targets, while the good guys can shoot at people, kill them, and not even look while they are aiming.

I give it a 2 out of 5 for a fantastic performance from Cillian Murphy (who's always flawless in his roles) and for a great wig that Seyfried is wearing.  Other than that it's pretty forgettable.  Skip it.

Stuck on You

Released: 2003
Comedy
Director: Bobby Farrelly, and Peter Farrelly
Starring: Greg Kinnear, Matt Damon
Running Time: 118 minutes
Rated: PG-13

The breakdown:  Conjoined twins never let anything hold them back from their dreams, but soon one of them wants to pick up and leave home to become a Hollywood actor.


This movie got pretty bad reviews, but I enjoyed it.
Greg Kinnear and Matt Damon play conjoined twins that share a liver and a separation surgery would be risky for one of them.  They live in Martha's Vineyard and own a small burger joint.  When Kinnear wants to move away to Hollywood to pursue his dream of acting, Damon doesn't stop him.  They pack up and leave home for 3 months to see if he can make it at acting.
Through a lucky break, they meet Cher and she wants to cast him/them in her new show.
They work together and support each other no matter what and they certainly have a positive relationship.
There are some touching moments, and genuinely funny ones too, so I'd say if you wanted to see it, do it.

3 and 1/2 out of 5 for being sweet and funny overall.

The Rose

Released: 1979
Drama
Director: Mark Rydell
Starring: Bette Midler, Alan Bates
Running Time: 125 minutes
Rated: R

The breakdown:  A tired rock star is denied an overdue vacation from her demanding manager.
She copes with drugs, alcohol, and other self destructive means, which have a very negative outcome.


I remember watching Country Strong awhile ago and thinking of how terrible it was.  I realize now that that movie was trying to copy this one, but this movie was very good.

Midler plays "The Rose", a rock and roll singer named Rose that is modelled after Janis Joplin.
She's successful, but lonely and tired, she wants a break.  Unfortunately, she signed a contract that keeps her touring for another year, but she wants to break it and go on vacation.  Her manager continues to remind her of her obligations, but she is fighting him every step of the way.
She drinks way too much, picks up a boyfriend by chance, and has been clean from doing heroine for awhile now.  She desperate for approval and recognition from her hometown in Florida and is looking forward to performing a concert there. 
While her manager may be demanding, he's also forced to babysit Rose as her behavior is way out of control and she is sometimes helpless without him.
Even though this film was released in the late 1970's it still stands true for the lifestyle of a music performer and the hectic life they live for their passion.
The music is true to the time period, full of life and energy, and even though I personally, don't care for it, was done very well.  The song at the end of the film, "The Rose" is a touching and heart wrenching soft song that has been one of my very favorite's for a very long time.  If you've never heard it, you simply must, because it is so beautiful.

It's a solid film and won Bette Midler an Oscar nomination for her portrayal even though this was only her first film.  It's an excellent performance of a person who is stretched too thin and is very close to a complete breakdown.  I thought it was a very well done project and worth seeing if you're in the mood for heavy drama.

4 out of 5 for an excellent plot and overall good movie.  See it.

Sanctum

Released: 2011
Action, Drama
Director: Alister Grierson
Starring: Rhys Wakefield, Allison Cratchley, and others you've not heard of
Running Time: 108 minutes
Rated: R

The breakdown: A team of people try to explore the least accessible cave system in the world, but soon realize all of their lives are in jeopardy (and that they've signed on to a terrible movie).

So I didn't really watch the film, I glanced at it occasionally while I was fast forwarding through it.
Here's the plot:
A team of people go with this one guy who's dived all over in hard conditions in caves all over, so he knows what he's doing.  Once they get into this very difficult cave system, a tropical storm hits and they have to go down into the system to stay safe.  The caves start filling in with water and people start to die.  Pretty soon, there's a handful of people left and there's a fight that breaks out.  Everyone dies except for one guy and that's the end of the movie.
You really never care about the plot or the characters, because their isn't really a plot that makes you want to learn anything about the characters or their struggles.  I never connected to anyone and didn't care if they all died or not.

Do not bother with this film as it is just a fluff film full of spectacle that was shot in 3D and James Cameron was a producer, but I can't imagine why, unless it's because he likes water?  I like how on the poster for the film, all you can see written is James Cameron's name in BIG LETTERS.

0 out of 5 for utter boredom.

Just to let you know

In case you were looking for my other blog here on Juicy Couture charms, I've deleted it.
I thought I could keep up with two blogs, but in the end, I just devote too much time to this one and the other was suffering badly from neglect.
R.I.P
addictedtocharms.blogspot.com

13 minute film on the making of The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises’ preview shows an older and weaker Bruce Wayne

By Matt McDaniel

Christian Bale and Michael Caine in 'The Dark Knight Rises' (Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures)

Bruce Wayne saved Gotham City from The Joker in 2008's "The Dark Knight," but his victory came at an enormous personal cost. Wayne lost the love of his life, Rachel Dawes, in one of the Joker's explosive schemes. He was shot in his confrontation with crusading District Attorney turned deformed madman Harvey Dent. And to preserve the memory of Dent and his battle against crime, Wayne allowed his alter ego Batman to be branded a murderer.

In a new 13-minute long behind-the-scenes look at the making of "The Dark Knight Rises," the conclusion to director Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, the filmmakers and cast reveal that Wayne is not the same crusading hero that he was before. The new footage shows Christian Bale looking decidedly different as Bruce Wayne, with stringy hair and a goatee. He's traded in his tailored suits (not to mention the Batsuit) for a silk robe. Most notably, though, Wayne appears to be hobbling on a cane.
Nolan says, "At the beginning of 'The Dark Knight Rises' we find a Bruce Wayne who has been damaged by his experiences as Batman." The filmmakers confirm that eight years have passed since Batman went on the run at the end of "The Dark Knight." Left alone with both his physical injuries and the heartbreak of losing Rachel, Wayne has become directionless. In the video, Christian Bale poses the question, "How much longer can he allow this pain to control what he does with his life?"
Bruce Wayne, of course, is not one to stay down long. A new threat to Gotham City arises, and it is a villain unlike any he had faced before: the ruthless masked terrorist called Bane. "I really wanted to see Batman meet his match," Nolan says, and Bale adds, "This is the first time that Batman has come across anybody who is superior physically." But Bane (played by Tom Hardy) is not just a mindless brute. He's cunning, and when he calls Batman "Mr. Wayne" in the footage it shows he knows the secret identity of the man inside the cowl.
The footage in the special depicts a showdown between Batman and Bane, with the two adversaries matching each other punch-for-punch. And since we also see Bane dropping the shattered remains of Batman's mask as he walks away, it's safe to assume who wins that particular scrap. Nolan says, "Through the course of 'The Dark Knight Rises,' we'll uncover more about what drives Bane, where he comes from, what he wants, and none of it is good news."
Watch the entire inside look below. "The Dark Knight Rises" opens on July 20.

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You know how excited I am for this - so I had to post this.

It was a pretty good insight into some of the goings ons of the film and gave me a deeper look at the plot and characters.

Take a look, it's worth it!

Rio

Released: 2011
Animation, Family
Director: Carlos Saldanha
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, George Lopez
Running Time: 96 minutes
Rated: G

The breakdown:  A sheltered domestic macaw is called upon by an animal specialist to mate with a female of his own kind to keep the endangered bird species alive, but he and his owner have to travel to Brazil to do it.

This looked like a cute movie and I got through the first ten minutes ok, but then I realized something.  Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway were the main characters in it and I can't stand either one of them, especially, Eisenberg, so that turned me off pretty quick.  After the first ten minutes, I have to admit, I fast forwarded through it and stopped at some intervals to see what was going on.  I don't think I missed anything I would've enjoyed.  The humor was aimed at kids and was often too goofy for me to tolerate.  I love some animated films, but this wasn't one of them.
I say skip and watch Wall-E instead.  Or maybe Finding Nemo.

2 out of 5 for some brilliantly colored animations, but not a cast I enjoy hearing or watching act.

Hescher

Released: 2010
Drama
Director: Spencer Susser
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Natalie Portman, Devin Brochu
Running Time: 106 minutes
Rated: R

The breakdown:  A troubled boy and his father are struggling to adjust after the loss of a loved one when a rebellious young man starts living in their garage unannounced.

I'd not heard of this movie before watching it, so I didn't know what it would be like.
Turns out, it was really bleak and dark.  I think at some points it was meant to be funny, but it wasn't.
A boy is lost.  His father is depressed and disconnected from life after losing his wife.  The boy is sad over the death of his mother and is starting to have problems at school.  They both live with grandma, the father's mother, and she is the only one who seems to be together, but has health problems.
One day, the boy takes a fall riding his bike through a housing construction site and is so mad he throws a rock through a window.  This attracts the attention of some local security and that's when this character Hesher makes his appearance.  I guess he was living in his van, or the empty unfinished homes and is mad at the boy for attracting attention.  He follows the boy home and ends up threatening him that if he doesn't let him live there, he will kill him and his whole family.  Sounds upbeat so far right?
Well, the boy's already having a hard time, but Hesher makes it even more difficult by doing all sorts of illegal and ill advised things to try to "help" the young boy out.

This is a very heavy plot with no comic relief.  I think it's best if you watch it if you're really depressed.  But even that way, you might not enjoy it at all.  I really didn't.

I say skip it.
2 out of 5 for some good acting by the boy and Levitt, but not much else here for entertainment.

Something Borrowed

Released: 2011
Romance
Director: Luke Greenfield
Starring: Ginnifer Goodwin, Kate Hudson, Colin Egglesfield
Running Time: 112 minutes
Rated: PG-13

The breakdown:  A girl's best friend sleeps with her fiance when she's a bit drunk on her birthday.  Based on a book by Emily Giffin.

From the reviews I saw on Rottentomatoes.com I wasn't expecting anything good of this movie.  It turns out, I don't agree with the critics this time.  I didn't love it, but it was good.
Basically there's these two girlfriends who have been friends for their whole lives.  One is a responsible brunette and goes off to law school to become a lawyer, the other one is a blonde self-centered girl and doesn't seem to do anything for a living, but she has money.
The brunette meets a great guy that she totally adores in law school, but she thinks he doesn't like her, when it's totally obvious he does.  She introduces him to her girlfriend, and the blonde tries to get him to ask her friend out first, but the brunette kinda' says well, we are just friends, so you go after him, when that's the last thing she really wants.  Anyway, he asks her if it's ok with her for him to pursue someone else, especially her best friend and she says yes, even though, she wants him for herself.  He ends up dating the blonde and proposing.  The brunette is now the maid of honor. 
On the brunette's birthday, a chance happening puts her and the guy alone and she spills her feelings to him, kinda' on a whim.  He responds by kissing her passionately and then they end up having sex at her place.
The characters are flawed, but so are we all in real life.  The storyline is a messy one, but so can real life plots be.  I thought it was realistic and not everyone will like the ending, but I think it's a realistic portrayal of flawed people making decisions that affect lots of people in good and bad ways.

3 and 1/2 out of 5 for a story that I ended up enjoying.

Crazy, Stupid, Love

Released: 2011
Drama, Comedy
Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Starring: Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling
Running Time: 118 minutes
Rated: PG-13

The breakdown:  A middle-aged man has a huge upheaval of his happy life when his wife of 25 years asks for a divorce.  He immediately moves out and into his own apartment, trying to adjust to his new single and lonely life.


In a bar he finds a Romeo who seems to go home with a different woman each night.  One day the Romeo approaches him and asks if he wants to learn how to do what he does and he agrees.  The middle of the movie shows the friendship that develops between them and the newly single man learning about himself and growing.  There's also a couple of sub stories involving romance in all it's various states.
Overall, I wasn't expecting much, and when I do that I am completely open to allowing the movie to be whatever it is.  This wasn't a fantastic movie, but it wasn't terrible either.  It had it's cute, touching moments, and others made me smile so if you were interested at all in seeing it, I say, go ahead and see it.

3 out of 5 for being cute enough for me to like it overall.
PS the girl who plays Jessica in this is actually someone I recognized from Cycle 11 of America's Next Top Model.  For her being a former model wanna' be, she's actually a pretty decent actress, so kudos to her.

Halloween Haven 2012

Hello all.
Grandin Road just sent me an email telling me that their Halloween shop will be up and available to shop on August 1st!
This is the usual time that they release their inventory, but I thought I'd share it with you in case you didn't know.
I got a gift card for them last year for my birthday and I've been waiting all year to use it.
I can't wait to see their new stuff!!!!

The Avengers

Released: 2012
Sci-fi, Action
Director: Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson
Running Time: 143 minutes
Rated: PG-13

The breakdown:  An evil force threatens Earth and a handful of superheroes must fight together to defeat their common foe.

Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and The Hulk have all been building towards this movie where all of them come together for Nick Fury, the Director of an organization called S.H.I.E.L.D.  Director Fury has been trying to get them all to work for him with his worldwide peace plan.  Loki, Thor's brother has come to Earth  and has nothing but trouble following behind him.
This is a large ensemble cast and it's fun to watch them all interact and play off each other.
I highly recommend it as it has plenty of humor, action, and great special effects.  Not to mention an entertaining story line and good acting from all.

4 and 1/2 out of 5 for being such a good overall superhero film and a lot of fun to watch.

Twilight

Unfortunately Released: 2008
It's supposed to be a drama, but I think of it more as a unintentional comedy/bore-fest
Directed by a pitiful excuse for a director: Catherine Hardwicke
Starring (but not real stars that can act): Kristen Stewart (twitchy), Robert Pattinson (stoned)
Running Time: (way too damn long) at 122 agonizing minutes
Rated: PG-13 (so the only people that actually enjoy it can see it, which is preteen girls)

The breakdown:  I have such a hard time taking this review seriously, it's painful.  I'll try......
A teenage girl falls in love with a vampire who's a hundred years old, but looks like a stoned, pasty, teenage boy.


Do you know how much it cost to make this film? 37 million dollars.  Do you know how much it grossed? Over 382 million.  It's gigantic. It's mind blowing.  It's unbelievable that a piece of crap "story" like this could make so much freakin' money.  Actually, it shouldn't surprise me, lots of little kids dragged their parents to go see it and they have no taste.  Adult women that went to go see it have no excuse, they just don't know what a good story should look like.

In all honesty, here's the plot.  A girl's divorced mother wants to run off with her new rock band boyfriend so the weird teenage daughter gets pawned off on her clueless father far away in another state.  So, she's new in town and really likes the pasty white, stoned looking loser boy in her new high school.  The loser boy a.k.a. elderly vampire/boy drug wonder likes her too so they start dating.  It's really creepy because he looks at her like he's an old boyfriend of hers that's just stalking her, not like lust.  Unfortunately for the audience, the local werewolf/Native American boy also likes the new weirdo, I mean, girl.  She never is attracted to him, so I'm not sure why they play the whole love triangle story, but they insist she is torn between two Halloween characters, I mean, guys.  There's some car chase and flying scenes, oh and "fighting" scenes as well that are ridiculous and laughably bad.  And don't forget the absurd softball game in the middle of a field.  It all looks like a long commercial on MTV aimed at kids with ADD to me.  It was filmed in 48 days so that might explain it.  The couple that are dating in real life are so bad at acting that they can't even use that to their advantage and make anyone believe they have feelings for each other on screen.  Overall, this story just. doesn't. work.  Watch the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Television Show Season 1 to see how it's done effectively and entertainingly.

Never, ever see this movie or any others that follow it in the series.  It is absolute rubbish and will make you want to throw up.
-100 (that's 100 below my usual lowest possible of 0) of 5, my worst rating forever, for lack of entertainment, lack of talent from the actors, and lack of any sort of enjoyable story line.

Happy Birthday America!

Happy 4th of July to you and your family.
I hope it's filled with fun and safely setting off fireworks.
Also happy birthday to my auntie Polly!!!

One Year Anniversary

June 26th!
I missed it.
So I'm posting this as soon as I realized that my blog's one year anniversary has come along.
I was so busy blogging, I actually forgot to check the date of when all this started.

Happy Birthday to my blog, sorry I was late!
I'll do better next year!

Dead Again

Released: 1991
Drama, Mystery
Director:  Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Andy Garcia
Running Time: 107 minutes
Rated: R

The breakdown:  A Los Angeles private detective takes on the case of a mysterious woman, who he calls Grace, who cannot remember anything about herself or her life, not even her name.

So you're this woman who can't remember your name or where you live, anything.  A cute p.i. gets assigned to your case and you kinda' start dating, even though you don't know who you are.  He takes you to this guy who seems to be a quack at first, but the more you're under hypnosis, the more you start remembering, BUT it's from a past life!
I love love love this story.  Original, entertaining, romantic, and mysterious, it just didn't get any better than this!

Watch it please!
4 and 1/2 out of 5 for creative plots, great acting, fantastic chemistry between the two main characters (who were married at the time) and a story that keeps you wondering until the end.

American Psycho

Released: 2000
Drama, Horror
Director: Mary Harron
Starring: Christian Bale, Justin Theroux, Josh Lucas, Chloe Sevigny
Running Time: 102 minutes
Rated: NC-17

The breakdown:  In the 1980's a young New Yorker likes to pretend he's much more important than what he really is, and kills people for fun in his spare time.

This movie is based on the book with the same name by Bret Easton Ellis.  This movie was good, I actually picked up the book after I finished watching it.
Patrick Bateman is a New Yorker who works at his father's Wall Street company, but he really doesn't do much.  He obsesses over his business cards and the latest musical sensations and does a lot of drugs....oh and he also kills people for no reason.  He's a very disturbed guy, but this movie is so interesting.  It's like watching a puzzle being put back together.  If you can stand extreme sex and violence in movies, you gotta' see it.  This one's really good.

This was one of the few books that ever made me nauseous upon reading certain parts.  The main character likes to torture some victims before killing them and the writing is so graphic, some readers might find it hard to take.  With that said, the book is still very good and the movie sometimes seems a lot more tame than the book itself.  I still, recommend both to you because it is a good story at it's core.



4 and 1/2 out of 5 for the movie version.  It has a great ending, a naked Christian Bale with a perfect physique, and a solid story.

5 out of 5 bookmarks for the book version as the writing was clear, the story was well thought out and the characters are vivid and well fleshed out.

Stargate

Released: 1994
Sci-Fi
Director: Roland Emmerich
Starring: Kurt Russell, James Spader, Alexis Cruz
Running Time: 121 minutes
Rated: PG-13

The breakdown: A group of military members travel through space and time using a machine that was found in Egypt.

A great story that's unique and smart; I loved this movie when it came out.  A special team of military soldiers along with a college professor go through something that none of them really understand - something called the stargate.  When they enter it, it turns out they travel across space and time to another planet where the actions of the team will affect an entire world.  This movie is inventive, unique, and entertaining all the way through.

Watch it!
4 1/2 out of 5 for being interesting to watch and well done overall.  My only complaint is that they could've really imparted the audience with some sort of message at the end, but wasted the opportunity.