Movies I watched so far...

This is first of many movie reviews to be posted on my blog. I'm by no means and expert movie viewer or critic. My views and opinions are based of the types of movies I like to watch; which basically started since I was able to watch movies unsupervised by an adult. And I watch a lot of movies during the year because it is one of the few recreational activities I can afford to participate in. I like to watch movies during mid-day when the prices are cheaper (in case the movie sucks) and very few people are watching (so I get my choice of seats) . However, I sometimes enjoy movies during the evenings just so I can be swept up by the audience's reaction to certain scenes. Anyway, here are the first four movies I watched in 2009:

The Day the Earth Stood Still 01/02/09. Premiered 12/12/08. Picking up where I left off (because the first time I wastched this movie, the power went out in the theater), this is the very first movie I watched in 2009. I thought it was a cool movie. Updated from the 1950’s original of the same title, I’m now curious about the original. My recommendation? Watch it in theaters to appreciate the scale of the special effects – especially the giant sphere in the park which appears to be the alien's ship and the updated G.O.R.T. mechanoid. Too bad it left too many unanswered questions for me. Gave it three stars.

Valkyrie 01/08/09. Premiered 12/25/08. The movie wasn’t bad, but wasn’t all that good either. Still, I give Tom Cruise kudos for taking on roles that aesthetically put him in a less than flattering light. Bill Nighy is becoming one of my favorite character actors. Unfortunately, there weren’t any scenes or moments in the film that made me say or think: “Holy shit! That was awesome!” My recommendation? Better wait until the DVD comes out to rent it. I give it three stars.

Taken 01/30/09. Premiered 01/30/09. For me, a step up from my viewing experience from “Valkyrie.” Never thought of Liam Neeson as an action hero; then again, we are talking about the guy who played Rahs Ahl Gul in the recent “Batman Begins,” Qui Gon Jin of “Star Wars,” and of course, “Darkman.” So I guess it seemed like a logical role for him to play. Maggie Grace did a great job as Kim, Bryan Mills’ (Liam’s character) daughter. She was quite convincing in her portrayal of a somewhat ditzy, somewhat spoiled, naïve teenager. I never would’ve guessed this girl was in Maxim magazine’s Hot 100 of 2005 list. However, I kinda feel bad for actress Katie Cassidy: this is the second time I’ve seen her in a supporting role where she plays the stereotypical role of the shallow blonde, hottie who gets done-in in the middle of the movie (the first was in the 2006 remake of “When a Stranger Calls”). Hope she won’t be pigeon-holed with this type of role. Then again, she’s the daughter of former celebrities and probably just does these roles for kicks! As for the rest of the movie, I would recommend it. I give it four stars.

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans 01/30/09. Premiered 01/23/09. Movies like this are up my alley: an escape from my mundane existence where I see worlds, environments and characters that are totally alien to my normal world. I loved the first “Underworld” movie with the sexy Kate Beckinsale, the second movie “Underworld: Evolution” was a bit disappointing except for the opening sequence where we get a glimpse of what Viktor’s world looked like back in his glory days before the Vampire/Lycan war and Selene’s love scenes with the Vampire/Lycan hybrid Micheal. Anyway, “Rise of the Lycans” gives us more of that opening sequence from “Evolution” only further down the timeline to when and where the Vampire/Lycan conflict began. The casting of Rhona Mitra as Sonja made sense. If you remember one of scenes in the first “Underworld” movie, Kraven told Selene (Beckinsale’s character) that she reminded Viktor of his daughter Sonja. However, the film makers need to go back and re-edit the flash back scenes in future releases of the first “Underworld” movie on DVD: the actress who played Sonja in that film looked too blonde-ish and the execution chamber in the original scene looked rounder and well, larger. Nitpicking details aside, I liked this movie! Better than the second, about as close in mystique as the first. Highly recommended for action/fantasy as well as vampire/werewolf movie fans! Gave it four stars!!!

In Memoriam...

I got a sad e-mail from one of my good friends a few days back. I couldn't respond properly to it or discuss it on this blog because I was quite busy with all sorts of things and I was letting the news of her passing sink in. My friend's mother passed away on New Year's day - New Year's day of all days. It seemed she had been suffering from kidney disease for some time now, and my friend was very quiet about the whole thing up until she passed away. I was able to respond to his initial e-mail with messages of condolences and memories of interacting with his mom - short as they were- whenever I dropped by (usually unannounced) to bug my friend as he worked his various oil paintings. This sad news was relevant to me because we all have mothers. Her passing made think of, and cherish even more, the fact that my mother is still here with me. My friend said he regretted not spending enough time with her as he pursued his ambitions and other pursuits that were of a personal nature. I, on the other hand, realize now that my predicament of being unable to leave home (even though I wanted to many times - money was the issue of course) seem to have been a blessing in disguise: Even though I felt like one of those nerds who live in the basement of their parent's house, I realize now that I had spent a lot of quality time with both of my parents. My father has been deceased for over a decade and now I'm head of the household caring for my old and frail mother (whom I refuse to send to a nursing home: I simply don't trust them - that's another story). Anthony's mom - as well as my other friend's moms - were very prominent supporting characters while we were growing up. Mainly because we would hang out at one guy's house for long periods of time and eat their food like a swarm of hungry locusts! Don't worry readers, we made sure to replace the food we ravaged as well as not break anything while we hung out; after all, we didn't want to wear out our welcome; and with the awareness I'm blessed with now, I will all the more cherish the time spent with my mother as she nears the twilight of her days.

Hello 2009!

New Year’s Resolution

It’s that time of year again folks! You know what I’m talking about. And since this annual list isn’t etched in stone, I’m not going to get my undies in a twist if I don’t accomplish each item in this year’s resolution to the ‘T.’ Besides, as Captain Barbosa of pirate ship “The Black Pearl” declared: These are merely guidelines.

1. Pay down credit card bills, loans and other debts

2. Modify/adjust spending habits

3. Re-focus on tending to my personal health and fitness needs

4. Continue to manage my mother’s health care needs and overall welfare

5. Continue with current educational endeavors

6. Continue to explore and plan for relocation to another state

7. Reestablish old hobbies and pastime activities, as well as explore new hobbies and learn new skills

8. Continue with plans to have a more active social life

9. Reassess long term career goals

10. Reduce/change my pack rat/clutter bug tendencies