"A romance between a teenage girl and a thirty-something drifter (Ed Norton) takes the young woman down a dangerous and unexpected path in this independent drama. Tobe (Evan Rachel Wood) is a pretty 18-year-old whose single-parent father, Wade (David Morse), is a corrections officer in California's San Fernando Valley..."

Viewed:
October 20th, 2008

My Comment:  Kept me wondering, interested what would happen. And how many friggen Caulkin kids are there?

The Finish:  More Western than many Westerns.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Worth seeing--once is enough
• ****  Wouldn't mind seeing again
• *****  Plan to see again
• ******  Must own dvd

"In the not-so-distant future, a married man investigates a counterfeiter and ends up the perpetrator of an ethical crime in Code 46, the latest film from prolific British director Michael Winterbottom. Set against the backdrop of a technologically advanced Shanghai, where people are only allowed to travel between countries with official passports called "papelles," the film charts the efforts..."

Viewed:
October 15th, 2008

My Comment:  Cinematography impeccable, beautiful. And although we never get to see the mouse-toothed, Samantha Morton's lovely and massive breasts, I knew I'd have to own this flick. Another case of the protagonist denying Mr. Rhythm's law: "Don't let your dick run your life."

The Finish:  It's coming people. Unless we educate ourselves, the government, teamed with private corporations, (does that sound at all familiar?) will determine every step we take in the future.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Good, but once is enough  
• ****  Wouldn't mind seeing again
• *****  Plan to see again
• ******  Must own dvd

"This now-classic indictment of mob rule was a pet project of both star Henry Fonda and director William Wellman, both of whom agreed to work on lesser 20th Century-Fox projects in exchange for this film. After a hard winter on the range, cowboys Gil Carter (Fonda) and Art Croft (Harry Morgan) ride into a fleabitten small town for a drink. Within minutes, they get mixed up in a barroom brawl..."

Viewed:
October 10th, 2008

My Comment:  Black and White film was a good old cowboy movie that Henry Fonda insisted on making that became a box-office flop. Being I hate people for the way they behave, not their race, I was totally shamed at the Greek, painted in blackface, sporting a massive proboscus, apparently playing a Negro pastor, because in the 1940s there were still so many racists in America a black man wasn't allowed in Burbank. Many famous actors, looking very young, are in this classic movie about a lynching.

The Finish:  Good, quick movie, still pertinent today. The Biography Channel Bio of Henry Fonda's life is worth the price of admission. Henry Fonda was an amazing person, may he rest in peace.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Good, but once is enough  
• ****  Wouldn't mind seeing again
• *****  Plan to see again
• ******  Must own dvd

"A botched science experiment unleashes a destructive otherworldly force with the power to devour the planet in this science fiction disaster thriller starring Judd Nelson and Kristy Swanson. Science has finally gone too far, and as a giant black hole opens up over St. Louis, the terrified denizens struggle to..."

Viewed:
October 10th, 2008

My Comment:  Wow. Horribly bad acting with everyone but (the forgotten) Judd Nelson, David Selby and Kristy Swanson appearing about as convincing as Obama's campaign promises. Watch the characters in the background, their expressions just don't fit.

The Finish:  Not that awful that it cannot be enjoyed by watching and confirming just how awful it is.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Good, but once is enough  
• ****  Wouldn't mind seeing again
• *****  Plan to see again
• ******  Must own dvd

"Jack Nicholson plays retiring insurance actuary Warren Schmidt in Alexander Payne's About Schmidt. Schmidt has settled into a dormant life. He has an unfulfilling marriage to Helen (June Squibb), and conspires to spend as much time away from her as possible. Schmidt's daughter Jeannie (Hope Davis) is engaged to Randall Hertzel (Dermot Mulroney), a man Schmidt believes is entirely unworthy of his daughter..."

Viewed:
October 6th, 2008

My Comment:  A very good movie for those old enough to have experienced many of the events depicted.

The Finish:  Pretty much shows that happiness and fulfillment in life can come from the littlest things.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Good, but once is enough  
• ****  Wouldn't mind seeing again
• *****  Plan to see again
• ******  Must own dvd

"An embittered television executive working for a hip-hop-oriented music channel finds her fate intricately tied with a New York City taxi driver after hailing his cab for questionable purposes in director Jeff Stanzler's intimate look at the tenuous relationship between Caucasians and Muslims in post-9/11 America..."

(Yes, I know, 'Caucasian' is a race that cannot be chosen, and 'Muslim' is a person of a particular and purposely chosen religion.)

Viewed:
October 5th, 2008

My Comment:  Another hate America movie, that ignores the fact that even though 99.99% of terrorist acts worldwide are being committed by Muslims, we should accept all Muslims with open arms (until they set off their C-4 suicide vest), and if we do not, we are racist. (Yes, I know, 'Muslim' is not a race.) BTW if Catholics were doing this worldwide, every single one of them would be in jail, including the Pope. If Christians were doing this worldwide, every single one of them would be in jail, including Billy Graham, but not Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

The Finish:  Could not make it past the scene where the embittered television executive was drinking wine from a cup, while seated on the floor with a supposedly practicing Muslim and his Muslim sister-in-law. What next, was she going to go to the kitchen and fry up a heap of pork-bellies?

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Good, but once is enough  
• ****  Wouldn't mind seeing again
• *****  Plan to see again
• ******  Must own dvd

"From Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures comes Iron Man, an action-packed take on the tale of wealthy philanthropist Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), who develops an invulnerable robotic suit to fight the throes of evil. In addition to being filthy rich, billionaire industrialist Tony Stark is also a..."

Viewed:
September 30, 2008

My Comment:  Fun, action-filled, CGI production.

The Finish:  It must have been much more impressive on the big screen.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Good, but once is enough  
• ****  Wouldn't mind seeing again
• *****  Plan to see again
• ******  Must own dvd

"...a heartbreakingly humorous look at the life of depressive writer Hank Chinaski -- the fictional counterpart of real-life author Charles Bukowski. Adapted from Bukowski's 1975 novel of the same name, Hamer's film follows the perpetually unemployed, alcohol-swilling Cinaski (Matt Dillon)..."

Viewed:
September 28, 2008

My Comment:  The story of a couple of smoking, alcoholic losers.

The Finish:  You think your life stinks? Watch this.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Good, but once is enough  
• ****  Wouldn't mind seeing again
• *****  Plan to see again
• ******  Must own dvd

"David Mamet wrote the screenplay for this adaptation of his play about a man who suddenly stumbles into a new and dangerous life. Edmond Burke (William H. Macy) is on his way home from work one evening when he impulsively stops to have his fortune read by a woman who informs him, 'You are not where you belong.'"

Viewed:
September 23, 2008

My Comment:  Hand-held camera look makes movie more real. William H. Macy steps out.

The Finish:  The kind of movie an actor loves to make, but the (non-actor) audience may try too hard to make sense of.

My Rating:

• *   Did not finish movie
• **  Wasted my time on this one
• ***  Good, but once is enough
• ****  Wouldn't mind seeing again  
• *****  Plan to see again
• ******  Must own dvd

"Duncan, a depressed twentysomething living in a rundown section of Minneapolis, has just lost another job. He has another source of income, letting his brother use his apartment for extramarital trysts. On a rare visit to his grandparents, Ronald (Donald Sutherland) and Ruth (Louise Fletcher), Duncan meets Kate..."

Viewed:
DVD

My Comment:  I've never seen people hunt deer with pump shotguns and slackers who did not have a pot to piss in, wearing $500 coats. Juliette Lewis looks terrific, pretty even.

The Finish:  The predictable ending makes this movie no less worth watching.

My Rating:
Stinkbomb
Mediocre/How did this get financed?
Good
Very Good
Purchase DVD

"One man's struggle to rise above his circumstances prompts him to try a career in music. Djay (Terrence Howard) is a low-level pimp and drug dealer who scraped together a living in the ghettos of Memphis, TN. Djay isn't happy with..."

Viewed:
DVD

My Comment:  given the subject matter, surprisingly uplifting.

The Finish:  you will have tears in your eyes

My Rating:
Stinkbomb
Good
Very Good
Purchase DVD

" 'If the First Amendment will protect a scumbag like me, then it'll protect all of you -- 'cause I'm the worst,' declares Hustler Magazine publisher Larry Flynt (as played by Woody Harrelson) in the midst of one of his many court cases..."

Viewed:
DVD

My Comment:  Nudity, full frontal nudity and the typical orgy type stuff. Great Jerry Fallwell impersonation. And Arizona's own, Charles Keating, also is portrayed.

The Finish:  entertaining movie and worth watching

My Rating:
Stinkbomb
Good
Very Good
Purchase DVD

"When a weathered, God-fearing ex-blues musician finds the town nymphomaniac severely beaten and left for dead on the side of the road, he vows to cure her of her wicked ways in..."

Viewed:
DVD

My Rating:
Stinkbomb
Good
Very Good
Purchase DVD

"In making this movie, director Oliver Stone had his pick of supposed or real investigative flaws to draw from and has constructed what some reviewers felt was one of the most compelling (and controversial) political detective thrillers ever to emerge from American cinema. Long before filming was completed, Stone was fending off heated accusations of artistic and historical irresponsibility, and these only intensified after the film was released..."

Viewed:
DVD
My Comment:  Director's cut was longer than my first day of summer school in between grades 8 and 9.

Books to Consider
The Road to Dallas by David Kaiser (2008)
* Dr. Mary's Monkey by Edward Haslam (2007)
* Blood, Money & Power by Barr McClellan (2003)
* Behold a Pale Horse by William Cooper (1991)
(* books I've read on the assassination-yes, I am awesome)

My Rating:
Stinkbomb
Good
Very Good
Purchase DVD

Mr.Wonderful writes: Marxist-leaning documentary on the very real credit card 'crisis' that sadly allows its effort to crush Bush, Reagan and Republicans in general, to virtually destroy the message it does tell of banks, credit card companies, and rating agencies (in collusion with both parties in Congress) knowingly, and by design screwing the average Joe.

The message that is missing is that adults (myself included) simply must not purchase what they cannot afford and get used to doing without so many of the things we think we are entitled to.

Today's Necessities we lived without in the 1950s:
1)   Air Conditioning (Phoenix, Arizona)
2)   More than one car
3)   Fast food outlets
4)   Microwave ovens
5)   Asthma emergency inhalers
6)   VHS, DVDs, or CDs (although we had the brand new
      transistor radios the size of Kleenex boxes)
7)   Clothes dryer
8)   Computers (anywhere) or electronic calculators
9)   Built-in swimming pools
10) Cell phones
11) Color TVs, cable or satellite connections
12) Credit cards or ATMs
13) Private phone lines (we had Party lines)

Instead we enjoyed:
1)   Massive amounts of time with family
2)   The Twilight Zone
3)   Movies at The Strand
4)   The 'Donut-Boy' deliveries on Friday nights
5)   Summertime drinking of ice-cold water from
      the neighbors swap-cooler hose
6)   Burning 15% more calories than consumed,
      by walking, running & bicycling everywhere
7)   LayAway at the W.T. Grant & J.C. Penny's

Viewed:
DVD
My Rating:
Stinkbomb
Mediocre/How did this get financed?
Good
Very Good (very Left-Leaning)
Purchase DVD

"A top Marine sniper who previously abandoned the military after a routine mission gave way to tragedy is double-crossed by the government after reluctantly being pressured back into service..."

Viewed:
DVD
My Rating:
Stinkbomb
Mediocre/How did this get financed?
Good
Very Good
Purchase DVD

"Two girl friends on a summer holiday in Spain become enamored with the same painter, unaware that his ex-wife, with whom he has a tempestuous relationship, is about to re-enter the picture."

Viewed: August 27th, 2008
Harkins Shea 14  Phoenix, Arizona

My Comment:  An over-hyped Woody Allen flic that is strictly for chicks

The Finish:  You leave the theater asking yourself, "Why?"

My Rating:
Stinkbomb
Good
Very Good
Purchase DVD