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movies: Fun with Russel Ray — "The Book of Eli" (a movie review) - 07/13/10 10:01 PM
I have a great variety of interests, some of which are also avocations. One of those is history, and since much of history is connected to various religions, The Book of Eli piqued my interest.
I wound up watching it more than once. In fact, I watched it four times while I was doing home inspection reports before returning it to Blockbuster.
The movie takes place thirty years after some sort of apocalyptic event. Eli — Denzel Washington in another great Denzel Washington role — is a lone survivor traveling on foot to somewhere on the West Coast, his purpose being … (12 comments)

movies: Movie Review: "Tin Man" - 05/02/10 02:14 PM
I've been a fan of The Wizard of Oz since as long as I can remember, so naturally I was interested in an update of the movie for current times and a new generation.
Perhaps great things should be left alone.
Tin Man originally was a three-part miniseries for the SciFi channel back in 2007. The DVD has two parts, both of them about 1½ hours long.
I might be a little biased toward the original, especially since I'm not a big science fiction fan, but I found Tin Man too dark and dastardly and not near as much fun as … (4 comments)

movies: Movie Review: Chaos Theory - 07/20/09 03:53 PM
I have a totally different taste in movies from my other half, but before he went to his inspection, he was watching a movie titled "Chaos Theory." It looked kind of interesting, so I started it over from where he left it and watched it.
This was an interesting movie with a lot of unexpected twists and turns, more than the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.
I actually started watching it because the main character, Frank Allen (Ryan Reynolds), is an efficiency expert who is totally obsessed with efficiency. Reminded me just ever so slightly of my marketing guru himself … (9 comments)

movies: Movie review: The Dark Knight - 04/23/09 01:19 PM
Although I've seen all the Batman movies, courtesy of having to sit through them while my marketing guru watched them, I can't say that I am a big fan of them and never really put any of them on my list of movies to see.
I did put "The Dark Knight" on my list as soon as Heath Ledger -- who played The Joker -- died. If you want me to see any movie, just have a major figure in the movie die in real life.
So I put "The Dark Knight" in my Blockbuster queue even before it was available … (16 comments)

movies: Movie review: Vantage Point - 04/18/09 07:58 PM
 
Since I work mostly at home in my home office, I have the luxury of always having some sound in my office.
I always forget to watch the big movies at the box office because I just don't enjoy standing in lines. If only they would let us buy tickets online; then I might go.
So while I'm waiting for the big movies to hit Blockbuster, I'm watching a lot of B-grade movies, horror movies, science fiction movies, usually with big-time stars in them before they became big-time stars, or recently passed movies.
One of the recently passed movies I … (15 comments)

movies: Some like it hot - 04/18/09 11:52 AM
Although San Diego was founded in the sixteenth century, making it the oldest city on the West Coast of the United States, there are few, if any buildings left that were built before the Civil War. Buildings built in the late 19th century tend to be missions, hotels, a few large houses, and office buildings.
One of the more significant buildings is the Hotel del Coronado, opened in 1887. It is the largest completely wood building still in use and has hosted every President since it opened, excepting President Obama -- give him time -- he's got eight years.

The … (14 comments)

movies: Movie review: How To Rob A Bank - 04/07/09 10:02 PM
Our household has an account with Blockbuster so that we basically always have three movies here to watch. We've been with Blockbuster for about fifteen years now and were one of the first to sign up to their online mail service which they implemented in response to competition from Netflix.
I've been very happy with the service, except for one very minor thing -- I NEVER GET TO PICK THE MOVIES!
My marketing guru manages the account, and he and I generally have different tastes in movies. He likes the horror movies, action flicks, and science fiction. The more destruction in … (9 comments)

movies: An older feel-good movie about truth, lies, and ethics -- still relevant - 03/14/09 04:55 PM
Several years ago I had the opportunity to attend the world championships of Drum Corps International (DCI). If, like me, you love music, and you love to see precision drill groups do their thing, go see a DCI competition. There might be a local competition in your neighborhood, especially if your city has a lot of high schools, colleges, and universities.
There's a 2002 movie called "Drumline" that I watched the other night. Many of the performers in the movie were from DCI. It's a very feel-good movie with some underlying truths about truths, lies, and ethics.
The basic premise is about a drummer, … (5 comments)

movies: Shaken, not stirred. - 11/14/08 12:30 PM

 
There's a certain movie that comes out today that I shall have to go see since I've been a fan for about 33 years. The movie, for those who have been living in a cave for protection from the Rain, is Quantum of Solace, the sequel next chapter in the James Bond trilogy saga. The James Bond franchise is the most successful and profitable movie franchise in Hollywood.
Quantum of Solace is the most expensive Bond movie ever with a budget of $230,000,000. There have been 22 Bond films, 24 if you include the original Casino Royale and Never … (4 comments)

movies: Great movies out soon for holiday purchases - 11/03/08 06:20 PM
 
There are some good movies being released on DVD this month which might make some great gifts for Clients if you're closing escrows between now and Christmas. My favorites are:
Get Smart - This movie, starring the almost-incomparable Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway as Maxwell Smart and Anne Hathaway, had me laughing through, and it's rare for me to like a movie based on an old television sitcom. A Christmas Story - Just in time for holiday shopping. This is the 25th anniversary collector's edition. Starring Darren McGavin, Melinda Dillon, and Peter Billingsley. Planet of the Apes - It's … (3 comments)