Random movie March 31st 2017

Spudguns! I got to the cinema and saw The Goon 2-Last of the Enforcers.  A not so little Canadian film.

movie: Goon 2 the Last of the Enforcers
starring: Jay Baruchel, Seann William Scott
genre: Comedy, Drama, Sports,
year: 2017
format: Cinema

plot: After what looks like a career ending injury, hockey player Doug the Thug, finds himself questioning his current state of unhappiness. After watching his hero in a local fighting competition, he decides to come out of  retirement by learning to be a left handed player instead of a right. Meanwhile, his pregnant wife is feeling more and more ignored unaware Doug's going through this mid-career crisis.

Okay, let me add that the star power in this with Kim Coates (Skinwalkers, Innocent Blood, Red Blooded American Girl, The Club) and  Callum Keith Rennie (Hardcore Logo, Blade 3 Trinity, Due South, Twitch City) alone is worth seeing.

The first film in this series, was very gruesome in the fact it was jam packed front to back with fights. This was not. And I appreciated that fact. There was a big fight scene at the end of the film, that actually had me cringe in my seat. Not because of it's gore factor, but because of some of the points of view on the shots. As someone who's had too many broken bones, I tend to find a scene with broken noses and such; hit too close to home...no pun intended.

This film focuses on the "what do I do now?" aspect of this guy's career. Not just the career of the lead character, but how it sort of ripples out to those around him. As we see him get injured and how his team deals with his replacement, and how it in turn creates opportunities for one of his heroes.

Because this is still in cinemas - I don't know if it only got a Canadian release or not- I'm not going to go too deep into things, because I want to keep away  from any real spoilers.   But I have to say, the arsejacking scenes, had me laughing for awhile. And there are a few penis jokes that are done, but so seemlessly, they don't really knock you out of the moment. The raunch levels are acceptable. Some of the gags could have easily over stepped, but they manage to feel natural.

You do get the feeling that this is wrapping up the lead character's story.  There is possibility for a third installment, with the story focusing on either the character of  LaFlamme or the best friend Patrick. The first movie had introduced the character of LaFlamme having a complicated past, and the best friend Patrick having a career as a hockey journalist.  I can totally see a third film dealing with either of those elements.

year 5 day 151

movie: Cuban Fury
starring; Nick Frost, Rory Kinnear
genre; Comedy
year: 2013/2014
format: Netflix Canada

plot: A once promising salsa dancer, tries to recapture his passion for the sport after finding out his new crush is taking classes.

This is little bit Footloose little bit Dirty Dancing.  You've got what I would love to say is a new twist on the romantic comedy, but it sadly is not. The idea of dance competitions as a way to get the guy/girl is a good one, but overdone in the last few years.

Thankfully, this is a comedy and doesn't take itself so serious as most of the dance movies in the last decade have been.   Nick Frost plays the lonely nerd to perfection.
I loved all the little 80's references that pop up in this.  "It's Goonie Time. You know what Goonie Time is?" has to be one of the coolest quotes I've heard in ages.
There is a scene between Frost and Chris O'Dowd that plays like something you would have expected from Steve Martin and Chevy Chase back in the day. A dance off that ran a bit longer than needed but reminds you that this movie is for fun and not to get too wrapped up in the "competition" of things.

The big theme here is just be yourself and do what you are passionate about, not letting anyone bully you or mock you out of it.  We see our lead being taken slight advantage of by his co-worker who is just that bit sleazy on all sides. Which of course, is because he himself is insecure.

what did I learn? Don't give up on something you truly love and don't stop believing.

year 5 day 133

movie: Smokey and the Bandit
starring: Burt Reynolds, Sally Field
genre:Comedy, Action
year:1977
format: Netflix Canada

plot: A couple of truck drivers take a job smuggling illegal beer cross country in under 48 hours. Along the way, they find themselves the center of a speedy round of police chases.

Classic. One of the car movies that started it all. With the right balance of action and comedy, Bandit has what a lot of current car films are missing. Heart.

The stunts are there, but the film manages to be witty while doing them. The idea of the running joke that only the Field character truly knows why they are suddenly being chased plays well through out. The raunch factor is there but subtle, as it's all done in winks and nods and a few innuendoes.

The fact that the Reynolds and Field characters are the decoy, makes for an interesting factor, given they are trying to stay a few steps ahead of the police the entire time. This lets their third partner who is driving the bootlegger, a chance to just cruise through with out being noticed.  I think part of what makes this film so good, is the decade when it was done. We're talking a decade without "digital technology". The characters have to rely on their skills and wits, communicating just through cb radios and people they already know for help. Even the trouble they get into is more "innocent" that what you would expect in modern films.

what did I learn? sometimes you just have to take the bet for the fun of it.

year 5 day 131

movie: Sex, Death and Bowling
starring: Adrian Grenier, Joshua Rush
genre: Drama,
year: 2015
format: Netflix Canada

plot: When a man finds out his brother is dying of cancer, he returns home to spend the last few days with his family, and ends up taking his brother's place on the bowling team.

I get that this movie is a serious topic being tackled in a not so serious way, but there wasn't much to it.  Guy comes home spends time with his family, and there are a bunch of flashbacks to when he was in high school. Part of it is how his nephew deals with a group of bullies at school, part of it is how his dad treats the fact he's gay and a fashion designer. The father and sister-in-law are sort of not dealing with the whole thing, each avoiding the real situation in their own way. The bowling tournament being the big distraction, as the nephew makes this last promise to his dad to win.

This could have had the ability to be a big heartbreaking tear jerker of a story, but it's just bare bones and lacks any real guts.

what did I learn? I still hate bowling.

year 5 day 119

movie: Playing for Keeps
starring: Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel
genre:Drama, Comedy,
year:2012
format:Netflix Canada

plot:When a former soccer player decides to coach his son's local team, he finds himself the center of attention from all the soccer moms.

As good as an actor as Butler is, he can't seem to get a handle on the romantic genre. It might be the leads they are pairing him with, as there just doesn't seem to be any kind of chemistry at all, making the jokes less than workable.

The only workable joke is the running gag that everyone looks at the building he's living in, and assumes the whole building is his house, when in fact he's just renting the smaller guest house. At the heart of this, is a guy still in love with his exwife, who is about to marry someone new. That's really all this story is, and how the Butler character reacts to the news.

what did I learn? I don't think I learned anything this time around, it all just seemed to dull my senses.

year 5 day 114

movie: Ice Princess
starring:Michelle Trachtenberg, Kim Cattrall
genre: Family, Drama
year:2005
format: Netflix Canada

plot: A student trying to write her entrance thesis for university, discovers her talent for figure skating. Soon, she's forced to make the choice of following her brain or her heart.

So, another take on the nerd turned athlete film. It's sweet, it's got it's point, and it's nothing overly special. Nothing in it overly stood out for me. There are no bad guys in this. That's really what stood out. Just when you think the character of the coach is going to be the big evil, or one of the rival skaters, you get curved around it and all is forgiven. It was almost too sweet.

There wasn't a big enough pay off for me with this. The lead character beats the competition like every underdog film; but comes up just short in the final moments. Which, I'd like to say is a twist, but we've seen that before in a few films. The big emphasis being on playing from the heart and not for the gold. I actually would have liked to have seen more of the physics she's in the beginning, suppose to be basing her whole project on, carried through bit more after the midway point in the film. It was almost as if the writers decided to forget they were suppose to have a "nerd" for their lead character. 

I would love to see Kim Cattrall and Joan Cusack do a buddy comedy, as the chemistry the two have in their 3 minutes together of air time, made the movie's point. Each is the mirror of the other, both headstrong in their beliefs, feeling the path the other has taken is the weaker choice. Even once they begin to agree, they continue to butt heads. 

what did I learn? zamboni over golf cart any day.

year 5 day 99

movie: Tracers
starring: Taylor Lautner, Adam Rayner
genre; Action, Drama, Crime
year:2015
format: Netflix Canada

plot: After loosing his bike, a delivery guy finds himself unable to pay back the loan shark he owes, until joining a group of street thieves.

I was glued to the screen for most of this, just in awe of the way the actors moved around. The whole idea that the obstacles were more of a state of mind then actual barriers isn't new, nor is the idea behind this movie.  The lead character is trying to dig himself out of a bad situation, falls for some chick who's living a very different lifestyle, and decides he wants to be part of it just to be close to her. In the beginning, the whole thing ends up being like a godsend to him, until he angers the groups leader.

Some of the stunts they pull off in this, climbing walls by bare hands, leaping over parked cars and roof tops, the flips the high landings, had me thinking of werewolves. Even if Lautner didn't have the Twilight werewolf thing happening, I'd still have been thinking he'd make a perfect one with some of the things he manages to pull off. 

The big downfall of the movie is that it lacks story. Yes, what makes it great are the spiffy jumps and stunts, but the core story is little lost. He's running from the loan sharks, afraid that he's already endangered his friends, lost everything he owns and falls for the wrong girl. Pretty basic as action movies go. It's too much surface noise, never letting you connect with the characters.  It almost could have done with a few less parkour scenes and little bit more work on the characters. 

what did I learn? I learned how to spell the word parkour.

year 5 day 41

movie: The Big Lebowski
starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman
genre: Comedy, Drama
year: 1998
format: Netflix Canada

plot:After mistakenly being beaten up by a couple of hired thugs, a bowling nut becomes wrapped up in helping to solve a crime for the man he was mistaken for.

This is one of those movies that you can sit down and have a laugh at while watching, then spend days coming back to analyzing. I don't have days right now, I have like 45 seconds.
Part crime story, part wacked out stoner culture.  The first time I saw this was when it first came out almost twenty years ago, and I didn't care for it to be honest. The big broadway style dream sequence sort of put me off the rest of the film. But, all these years later, giving it a second spin, I half way see the appeal. As a crime story, I liked it.

The character of the cowboy/narrator (the tumbling tumbleweed at the beginning) I was never completely sure if he was a figment of the lead character's imagination or not?  And I'm not a fan of bowling, so I kept sort of waiting for something to push that element along. (Bowling, Bingo and Boardgames are the three B's I just won't) Which of course, there wasn't because it was the core of the groups reality. And you end up getting stuck in the back of the bowling alley, witnessing this family dynamic, between Bridges (the hapless husband mode), Goodman (the overbearing wife mode) and Steve Buscemi (the neglected teen mode) halfway taking in the excitement in their nonsense before realizing it's a conversation about a conversation.

what did I learn? Like Jediism, Woodism (the religious study of Ed Wood), Cult of the Cthulhu and various Star Trek related religions, there is an actual religion based on this movie and it's characters, Dudeism.

Theme Week part 4-Clearly Canadian

Bon Cop Bad Cop

plot: When  a man's dead body is found on the boarder of both Ontario and Quebec, literally, detectives from both provinces are brought in to share the case, and find themselves at the head of a serial killer targeting members of the National Hockey League.

This is a 2006 crime drama comedy starring Patrick Huard and Colm Feore.
It is one of a few films that is completely bilingual, switching rapidly back and forth between English and French.

I needed subtitles, cause I don't speak a lick of French. The dvd does however, allow you to choose if you want the main dialogue in one language or the other, or if you do not want any subtitles at all.

I love this film. It's a  forced to work together cop buddy films. The fact that Rick Mercer has a small role as a "Don Cherry" type character just adds to the inside jokes.

There are moments where it's a bit over the top in the humour, like when they break into a suspects house and trip a security alarm that blows up the marijuana plants and the one cop has to crawl out under an overturned bathtub, causing himself and his partner to get high.
Or the running jokes of each yelling at the other to speak their language for the first half of the film.

I eagerly await the sequel.

Theme Week part 2-Clearly Canadian

Men with Brooms

plot: After the death of their coach, former team mates return to their small town for the reading of the will. In it, their coach's last wishes are for the curling team to regroup playing one more big game. With his ashes in one of the curling stones.

This is a 2002 comedy-drama starring Paul Gross and Molly Parker.

Can I start by saying how bloody difficult it was to first find this movie and second get through it with all the tech issues.   The construction here caused power outages/surges more then once knocking my internet out and causing me to have to restart the movie, not once, not twice, but four times. I think I know the first half hour now off by heart.  I literally spent a full day watching this movie. (I watched it on Sunday and waited till now to post)

There is a sub-plot happening with one of the character's trying to have a baby, and the way they handle the "sex scenes" are extremely funny without being vulgar. 

The main themes seem to be about forgiveness, loss, hope, honesty.  There is a love triangle happening between the Paul Gross character and the two lead females, while touching on the topic of death both from his character having lost his mother to the two sisters having just lost their dad.

I do like the fact this is a buddy movie on one level, having the team mates working together to advance in the tournament. As well, there is a scene that breaks down how curling works. Which, I am ashamed to say, I had no clue about till I saw this movie. Curling was always on the television growing up I just never bothered to pay attention. This movie will make you want to watch, or take part in a game.

Random movie Feb 21st 2015

The Big Year

plot: Three birdwatchers, spend a year competing to be listed that year's best. Dropping everything at a moments notice to travel across the United States and Canada, they find themselves making choices about their personal and professional lives that they didn't think they'd be forced to make.

This is the 2011 movie starring Steve Martin and Jack Black.
It's based on the non-fiction book.

This was listed as a comedy, and there were moments that were funny, but this was a drama in every real regard.
The characters each had their own personal journeys they had to dive into, each at different stages in their lives. One character starts off with nothing to loose and looks at it as a once in a lifetime adventure, while another character sees it as a missed opportunity. And the third main character is afraid of live beyond what he's created, afraid to let go of his record.

I like that it managed to mix the buddy road trip film seamlessly with the dramatic point of having to find your own balance. All three of the main characters have to learn what they are comfortable with loosing in order to gain their real prize. So many of us now a days find it hard to balance our real passions with our responsibilities.

Coffee Talk Jan 14th 2015

Okay so I'm sitting here this morning, trying to write the next segment of Nosferatu Adventures, trying to write part 2 of the All Jane Austen series of posts, thinking about wrestling -cause when am I not?- having a coffee and another slice of the fruitcake, and listening to the neighbours in the hallway scream at each other drunkenly. 
What a noisy morning.  I mean man, just the ideas running around in my brain colliding with each other like two heavy weights smashing off the ropes barreling towards each other with running clotheslines...is loud enough, but add the noise of the people in the hallway, and you've got full on tables ladders and chairs.

And you're thinking, how does Jane Austen fit with a tag team hardcore match?  Simple, it's in my brain. Seriously, heroes, villains and the perception of the bad guy.

One of the main themes running through any JA story, is how the bad boy is missed for half the story because everyone wants to believe he's as sweet as their dream man. From Wickham to Willoughby, to Mr. Elton to Mr. Churchill, to Henry Crawford to Mr. Thorpe...all the villains start off by doing something extremely heroic (in the minds of the girls they seduce) before their heel turn comes about. (usually having to do with stealing money or seducing young girls giving them a reputation or both)

Perception of the bad guy.

Then of course the underdog swoops in and saves the day. Much like a cruiser weight winning a five on one handicap match, gaining a number one contenders spot for the belt. Everyone loves the idea, they back him, cheer him, and get very upset when it's his turn to go rogue; in which case they label him a Willoughby. Or you know, worse a sell out. (sorry watching pieces of Monday night's Raw the whole Seth Rollins vs Cena vs Brock contract signing)

In the book and movie versions of the Jane Austen Book Club, there is this entire sub-plot about how Jane Austen dug bad boys. Whether or not Jane Austen meant the observations of the "bad boy" behavouir as a warning or gift of slight amusement, we may never know.  But the slightest nod of something other than complete straight laced nobility, got you labeled the villain. Ironically, all the male characters at some point show remorse for their worst offenses; of breaking the heroine's hearts, lending to a glimmer of a hero in them.

Again, perception. 

The hero. Everyone wants to be the hero, even when their not. (Seth Rollins might not ever be Mr. Darcy material, but he's hero worthy!)

till later

Top 5 Fav Wrestling DVDs

Okay, I'm sitting here, bored out of my skull, and since I'm a bit...er...totally obsessed with wrestling, here's my current top 5 favourite wrestling dvds.

1. TNA's Fandimonium Best of Beer Money/MMG

2. TNA's Best of the X-Division Volume 2

3. WWE Money In the Bank 2013

4. WWE  Extreme Rules 2013

5.  JCW Slam TV! Volumes 1 and 2 (2007)


The Money in the Bank 2013, seeing Dean Ambrose swinging the ladder like there was no tomorrow was a highlight. 

JCW... all I have to say there is Trent Acid!

TNA's Fandimonium Best of BMI/MMG; has a match between the two members of the MotorCityMachine Guns! Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin for the X-Division title, that is worth watching over and over and over. It's probably one of my all time favourite matches.

till later

Year 3 Day 8

movie: Fast Furious 6
starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker
genre: Action, Drama,
year: 2013
format: Shaw Video On Demand

plot: A group of street racers turned thieves, are asked by the FBI to help track down and capture a violent criminal, stopping him from completing a heist on military weapons. The case goes across Europe from Moscow to London. Old rivalries are renewed, and secret connections exposed.

If you've never seen these films before, it's difficult to tell them apart.  I've seen all six, and other then #3 -Tokyo Drift- I can't tell one episode from the other.

Fast cars, big explosions, and the Rock running around doing pretty much what he did in WWE.  I'd like to say I really liked it, but to be honest, it was just okay.

What do I think I learned from this?  Car fast, fire bad.

The Wrestler

Okay, so normally this year, I've had cute little titles for the films, but today, I'm just straight up giving you the movie's name. (like the last post with Hell Baby)

Movie: The Wrestler.
starring: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei
genre: Sports, Drama,
year: 2008
format: DVD

plot:  A semi-retired pro wrestler deals with the fact his health is failing. After a major heart attack, he takes a look at his life and realizes that he's got nothing to call his own, and tries to repair his relationship with his daughter. Meanwhile, a stripper he's become close to is having trouble dealing with her own choices. Both lean on each other but in the end, find themselves alone.

I don't think I ever covered this movie on this blog, but if I have well...it's worth another mention.

I've seen this movie like 10 times and I cry every time.  I think it's Rourke's best performance ever.

As you watch it, you're drawn in close to the isolation and self pity the lead character has. He's the kind of man who devoted his entire life to his greatest passion, but still managed to come up short. The sacrifices he made in the beginning, become his own personal limbo at the end.
As much as this movie is about how heroes can get lost in the shuffle, and taken for granted, it's about how each of us as humans can at times, stumble when it comes to making real connections.  Both leads are lost in their own worlds where the crowd's attention is what keeps them going.  One chooses to save herself, the other chooses to give in to the crowd.

I loved that real wrestling companies ROH, CZW, WXW were used. The backbone of the industry, where so many of the guys are.  And who doesn't love seeing Necro Butcher and Blue Meanie...

What do I think I learned from this film? It really is lonely at the top. Everyone no matter what they do in life, has to face the same fears in order to see the same joys.

Year 2 Mid-Season the Rest of the Story 15

The Nosferatu Adventures
page 15, chapter 15

Our heroine stood slowly, her right knee feeling a bit wobbly, as Jance turned telling the Seer to get Reuben.  The Seer waved his hand in a circle while mumbling something under his breath just before Reuben's chains sprang open. Jance herded Reuben into the caged ring then. Our heroine thought it was strange he never tried to fight, he just let himself be shoved into the cage.

The guy he was up against was a large man with an iron mask. Our heroine suddenly felt a crazy deja vu, as she watched Reuben use his speed to duck out of the way. The masked man picked him up, slamming him into the cage twice before dropping him in the middle of the ring. But Reuben, was able to roll out of the way before the masked guy could slam an elbow into his throat.
Reuben jumped up on the top turnbuckle using the cage to keep balance as he sent a mule kick into the chest of the big masked man. The guy stumbled a few steps, giving Reuben the advantage. With a cross body press, he flung himself at the guy and got him to the mat.
An animalistic sound, something between a roar and a scream came from Reuben as he torn then into the guy's throat.
Our heroine let out a small scream just as Reuben was raising his hand in the air. He turned to face the crowd that had gathered. Blood dripped from his mouth, staining his beard, his clothes, his breath coming in hard gasps.
Our heroine closed her eyes. No wonder they hadn't really bothered to fight their way out earlier, for the werewolves this was more then a test of skill or even strength. This was more then just a death match for them. It was a free dinner.

Stepping out of the cage, Reuben smiled at her sticking his tongue out clearly enjoying himself. Another guard grabbed him by the shoulders directing him towards the far end of the gates, chaining him to a wooden stake.

Dagan was next. Jance shoved him a step, but Dagan turned back around snarling at him snapping his teeth. He then turned sharply towards our heroine and just pointed towards the gate. "Go. Don't want you here. You've been enough trouble as it is for us." he towered over her, as he snarled again.

"Can't." our heroine said trying to keep the tremble out of her voice.

Dagan nodded more to himself then anything. "Okay really?" his eyebrows were raised as the smirk on his face reveled nothing. "What are you trapped?" he shrugged. "Can't move?" he leaned over the Queen's table grabbing a handful of something from a serving bowl. "Now you're trapped stupid..." he tossed a handful of sunflower seeds on the ground between them. "That should keep you busy for awhile."

Our heroine bent down and started to count the seeds. " Five, six, seven,You rat bastard!"  

Dagan climbed into the cage then shouted back at her. "You should have left when you had the chance."

"Twenty-four, twenty-five..." she continued to count, her attention completely on the task, compelled by it. "Seventy-two..." she stopped cold. A scream forced it's way from her. Covering her mouth with both hands she looked up to see that Dagan was sitting in the middle of the mat, covered in blood breathing heavy, his opponent dead.

The Queen stood up crossing to where our heroine was standing. "My my my, you can hide it for only so long. But, the cry of a Banshee is always heard when someone dies. It's like the call of death." he turned to look at the crowd before gesturing to Jance to bring Rolf up to the cage. As the Queen was about to sit back down, he changed his mind. He called for Rolf's brothers to be brought out of the cell as well. "It's getting late, I've seen almost enough. So what I'm going to do is let one of you go, the other will be Rolf's opponent." he clapped his hands together with a mad fit of laughter. Rolf shook his head pacing back and forth in the caged ring, anger building up in him.
Biffy appeared out of nowhere, grabbing one of the guys shoving him towards the gate Reuben and Dagan were, while Jance herded the other into the caged ring. "Gives new meaning to brother vs brother."

"No! You can't!" our heroine flung herself towards Jance.

The Seer was beside her then, whispering frantically. "What are you doing? Rules are rules. You trying to get yourself killed?"  Our heroine turned then towards the Queen.

"What are the rules?"

"What?" there was a look of annoyance on the Queen's face.

"Is this like a typical wrestling match? If one of them can't compete, can a substitute be put in their place?" our heroine took a half step forward then back again, rocking on her heels.

The Queen thought about it for a second then nodded. "No one in their right mind would want to take the place of someone in a match to the death."

"Who said she was in her right mind?" Reuben huffed shaking his head.

The Queen pointed at her. "You would be willing to take his place?" Our heroine nodded biting her lip. "Knowing you're going to die?"

"Dead anyway right?"

The Queen smiled sitting back down. "So be it."  Our heroine started to climb into the caged ring, the Seer leaning over her shoulder once more.

"Why are you doing this? You're sacrificing yourself for them, and they are not even your friends!"

"Neither are you." she remarked smiling at him. Turning to Rolf's brother she let out a deep breath. "Whatever happens, do not let them bury me in pieces. Try to keep me whole when you kill me." He shook his head running both hands over his face, then took a step back.

Everything went black as our heroine felt an arm first at her throat from the brutal clothesline, then heard more then felt, her skull crack as she hit the ring post.



Our heroine spat out the water, nearly choked. A scream ripped from her now sore throat. Bringing her hands to her neck, and skull she found the broken bones completely healed. "Where am I? What happened? What the hell is attached to my wrist?" (time for the links for the flashbacks)

"I dragged you out of the lake. I think you must have slipped and got towed under. Any longer and you would have been totally saltwater Sunburnt any idea What you were doing out there? Looks like a small dream catcher." the guy said as he leaned over our heroine. She backed away from him confused. "By the way, the name's Ash."

"I know you. You're the dude from the photo."



tune in again for another installment of the Nosferatu Adventures starring your heroine...me. 

Fast cars, Giants, and Psychos

The good thing about spending a few days at mom's, is that we rent a lot of movies on Shaw Video On Demand. The bad thing about spending a few days at mom's is that we rent a lot of movies on Shaw Video On Demand.  I am dreading the cable bill when it comes, cause I have to pay for the rentals and the wrestling pay-per-views.   I also tend to bake a lot when I am here, which means eating a lot of cookies and cakes.

So Sunday was a double bill.  2 Fast and 2 Furious and Fast and Furious 3 Tokyo Drift.
The second part of the Fast and Furious films has one of the leads from the first film returning, as an undercover cop trying to break a smuggling ring.  I have to say, it had more the feel of an episode of a typical cop show then it did any of the other F/F movies I've seen so far (to that point I'd seen part 1, 4, and 5) 
The 3rd offering is totally out of sync with the plot of the rest of the series. It seems it is suppose to take place a few years after part four, which adds to the already confusing timeline. All new characters are introduced.   A teenager is sent to live with his dad in Japan after being arrested for drag racing, and while there ends up in a personal battle with a member of the local mob.
I have to say, I liked part 2 better then 3.


Monday I watched - 7 Psychopaths and Mental. Also, I guess you can say, a double bill. 
7 Psychopaths, is about a screenwriter who is trying to write a non-violent film about a bunch of psychopaths, most of which is based on the people he comes in contact with. His best friend being one of them, and his writing partner.   I thought this was one of the smarter films I've seen in a long time. It was witty, laugh out loud at times, and kept the pace strong.

Mental is about a drifter who is picked up on the street by a man who's wife just went into the psychiatric ward and is desperate for someone to look after his five daughters. The kids all believe they are going crazy too, but we soon learn it's just their need for attention that is the real issue. Meanwhile, the drifter is grieving herself after the death of her daughter, and is set on stealing a prized shark from her husband's sea emporium.


Tuesday (today) I watched  Jack the Giant Slayer.  The story gives a fresh take on the old fairy tale, having Jack and a run away princess accidentally create a stalk, and the king's men having to recuse her.
I have to say, after months of waiting to see this film, I was expecting more then what it offered. Bit of a let down. Stanley Tucci was brilliant as the villain in this, and for once, his wig looked good.

Okay, till later.

What we going to watch then?

Movie: Skyfall,  Looper,  Here Comes The Boom

Where: mother's

Reason for seeing it?: They were on Shaw Video On Demand and it's what mom was willing to watch

Shaw Video On Demand,  it's a beautiful thing.  I had hoped there was going to be some vampire movies on there, but there wasn't.  So instead, I had the chance the last few days to see the latest Bond movie, one of the most original sci-fi time travel stories, and a sports comedy-drama that is fast becoming my favourite sub-genre.

Skyfall is one of the best Bond movies I've seen.  The theme here is old vs new.  The first half is all about the widgets and whats-its, and the second half is totally old school techniques.  You have to ask who do you trust and how far are you willing to go for them?

From old vs new to another round of old vs new.  Looper is about a hitman who is sent back in time to kill himself.  I spent the first few minutes in awe on the make-up and acting of Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He had a young Bruce Willis down cold.

When I first saw the previews for Here Comes The Boom, I was thinking it was a straight up guys' comedy. But, it's a hell of a lot more.  It falls in line with the movie Warrior, which I loved by the by.  A teacher who gets into MMA cage fighting in order to help out the school and one of his best friends


I'm finding that I'm really liking these movies that are about MMA stories.  Which I personally am surprised with myself for, given I've never gotten into MMA in real life. (wrestling junkie but I just never really got hooked by the rest of it)

till later

Day 361

movie:Wimbledon
starring:Paul Bettany, Kristen Dunst
genre: Drama, Romance, Sports
year: 2004
format: online

plot: A tennis pro who is in his 30's decides to do one last championship game, and ends up falling in love with a female player

I don't think I've ever watched tennis in  my life before, nor have I ever seen a movie about tennis before.  I found it more interesting then baseball.

This is a movie about refinding yourself. Like many of the starting over after a heartbreak movies, the lead character is faced with the reality of his choices. I did like the fact that this was about a man experiencing the heartbreak and lack of direction.  Normally these films are geared to women. 
Bettany has a way of making everything he plays seem real, even when he's an arch angel on the war path (Legion)

what do i think i learned from this film?
You never know what you have left in you till you try. Love and passion are like a comet, appearing  out of nowhere and strikes you just when you lest expect it. Cold and hot at the same time.

Day 360

movie: Trouble with the Curve (aka Back in the Game)
starring: Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams
genre: Drama, Sports
year: 2012
format: Shaw Video On Demand

plot: A baseball scout's contract is about to end, and if he wants to have it renewed, he needs to sign the next big thing. Only he's starting to go blind, so his daughter goes with him on a week long scouting trip.

You sort of have an idea right off what's going to happen here. Father and Daughter who don't really get along are forced to do so. Daughter meets another baseball player and ends up in a relationship with him, while struggling with the job she is suppose to be doing that she took time away from to help her dad.

I don't know a thing about baseball, and no this movie did not make me want to learn anything about the sport.
It was a cute movie, and one of the better ones I've seen over the years about baseball. This is Amy Adams movie all the way. And if you watch this back to back with Julie/Julia, you can see why she's becoming someone to hold the lead.

what do i think i learned from this film?
People will disappoint you no matter what. The question is, will you disappoint yourself?