The Jacket - ACE Train Movie Review

A Gulf War veteran survives a gunshot wound to the head only to be involved in another shooting - this time, he's blamed for killing a cop. He is declared insane during the trial and sentenced to a mental health institution run by a man who tries some cruel experiments on his patients. During one of the experiments that happens frequently, the veteran is given drugs, strapped in a straight jacket and put in a morgue locker for hours on end. While in there, his mind drifts into the past and into the future where he attempts to help people including himself.

This was an excellent movie. Very powerful images and great cinematography really pulled me into this film. I especially loved the images projected on the corneas of the veteran prior to his mind drifts - very clever and original. The story is packed full of information and mysterious happenings, so it never gets dull. Trying to figure out what is real and what is imagined keeps you on your toes. This is one head trip that's worth watching.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: Yes
Starring: Adrien Brody, Keira Knightley, Kris Kristofferson, Jennifer Jason Leigh

I typically watch movies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday while riding the ACE Train from Tracy to Santa Clara. The opinions expressed are those of me, myself and I.

Birds & the Bees; 2005 Style

Little boy goes to his father and asks "Daddy, how was I born?"

The father answers: "Well, son, I guess one day you will need to find out anyway! Your Mom and I first got together in a chat room on Yahoo. Then I set up a date via e-mail with your Mom and we met at a cyber-cafe. We sneaked into a secluded room, where your mother agreed to a download from my hard drive. As soon as I was ready to upload, we discovered that neither one of us had used a firewall, and since it was too late to hit the delete button, nine months later a blessed little Pop-Up appeared and said: "You've Got Male!"

Murder on a Sunday Morning - ACE Train Movie Review

A documentary about how the people sworn to uphold the law don't always do the right thing. In 2000, a tourist in Florida was shot and killed at point blank range by a perpetrator that was black, according to the victim's husband. The police picked up the first black person they saw and the victim's husband identified him as the killer. 15 year old Brenton Butler, who was on his way to pick up a job application at Blockbuster, was charged with murder and spent 6 months in prison while awaiting trial before being found not guilty.

I love documentaries and this was a great one. The amount of access the video crew had made it even more fascinating... and eye opening. It's hard to imagine that "detectives" can do such a poor job investigating, but still have the power to put an innocent kid in jail. It also sheds light on the fact that eye witness testimony isn't always correct. From start to finish, the public defenders pulled apart the prosecution and left little doubt about the innocence of the defendant. The follow-up news report brings closure to the case.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: Yes
Starring: Brenton Butler, Pat McGuinness

I typically watch movies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday while riding the ACE Train from Tracy to Santa Clara. The opinions expressed are those of me, myself and I.

Weekend - June 25-26, 2005

On Saturday, we (me, Shawnna and Mike) catered a wedding in Isleton (west of Lodi; population 925). The bride originally found Thyme Deserved through the web and after a tasting, hired us. The wedding was for 90 people and was held at the bride and groom's house. They have a good sized lot and the back, where the ceremony took place, looks out to a corn field.

They had a local hotel drop off the prime rib and chicken. The bride and her mom made a bunch of pies (apple, peach, cherry and coconut cream). For the reception, we set up a spread with cheese, crackers, fruit, veggies and dip. For dinner, we provided the roasted potatoes, vegetables, salad, bread, cut up the prime rib (which was the most difficult part) and displayed all of the food on the buffet.

In between the ceremony and dinner, we had to move the chairs and set up tables for dinner. Each table had a table cloth, table runner, three vases of flowers, ten votive candles, matches, silverware and water glasses. The wind wasn't helping and neither was the fact that the wedding pictures were being taken where we needed to set up, but everything was ready to go before dinner.

We set up the dinner buffet and I served the prime rib while Mike replenished the food and Shawnna released the tables one at a time to come eat. Everything went really smooth and when people finished eating, Mike and I began bussing the tables while Shawnna loaded the dishwasher. Next was the cutting of the pie (yes, they cut pie instead of cake) and we dished out pie to everyone.

As the night went on and the drinks flowed, there was plenty of dancing, the bride's sister sang a song and the groom and his dad did burnouts on their Harley's in the garage which created a ton of noise and smoke. We finished retrieving and washing all of the dishes, glasses and silverware and left just after midnight. It ended up being a very nice wedding and all the comments about our food and service were very positive.

Sunday was a day of sleeping in, running errands and getting things ready to start another week.

Trauma - Movie Review

A man wakes up from a coma and discovers his wife has been killed in a car crash. He tries to move on with his life, but continues to have flashbacks. He also becomes obsessed with the news that a famous singer has been murdered. Is there a connection?

This movie is weird - not the good kind of weird. I like movies that are "different" but this movie takes it to the next level. It's very hard to follow what is going on during most of the movie (the accents don't help) which wouldn't be so bad if there was a great payoff in the end. However, the movie ends with some loose ends that I think should have been tied off. I liked the way the movie was shot (pretty creepy), but I think it ended too soon and there are no special features to explain anything - maybe I need to watch it again.

Rating: 2 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Colin Firth, Mena Suvari

I typically watch movies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday while riding the ACE Train from Tracy to Santa Clara. The opinions expressed are those of me, myself and I.

Spanglish - ACE Train Movie Review

A single mother in Mexico decides it would be best for her daughter's future if they crossed the border and moved to California. She gets a job as a housekeeper for a rich family and clashes with the high strung mother who tries to "Americanize" her daughter. However, she clicks well with the father who is very low key and has the opposite personality of his wife. Is there a new love connection?

Adam Sandler's attempt at a dramatic role wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. He didn't look comfortable during the more serious and romantic scenes. I kept thinking he was going to bust out with a joke, but maybe I'm just biased from seeing his other movies. The story was enjoyable and the other actors did a great job. I especially liked the woman who played the grandmother - perfect casting. Now I have to go back and watch Happy Gilmore to balance my chi.

Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Adam Sandler, Tea Leoni, Paz Vega

I typically watch movies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday while riding the ACE Train from Tracy to Santa Clara. The opinions expressed are those of me, myself and I.

Ocean's Twelve - ACE Train Movie Review

After stealing a ton of money from the Bellagio (in Ocean's Eleven) and going their separate ways, the group of thieves are tracked down by the owner of the Bellagio and told that they must repay the money they stole in two weeks or be killed. In order to recoup the money they have spent, the group must pull off another heist - but this time, they have competition.

I didn't think there necessarily needed to be a sequel to Ocean's Eleven, but unlike other movies that have a bunch of stars in their cast, I think this cast works well together and I enjoyed watching them again. However, at times the cast seemed to be having a bit too much fun (especially George Clooney) and it was a little distracting and made me think some of the scenes should have been put in the blooper reel. The premise of the movie is a little lame and some of the things that happen are really stretching what is possible in reality (even movie reality), but if you can get past that and just take it at face value, the film is entertaining and comical.

Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Catherine Zita-Jones, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, Julia Roberts, Bernie Mac

I typically watch movies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday while riding the ACE Train from Tracy to Santa Clara. The opinions expressed are those of me, myself and I.

Father's Day - June 19, 2005

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Today, we all met at Leanna & Jeff's house to have breakfast and then the guys (me, Rusty, Mike, Uncle Dan, Marcus, Jeff and Art - Jeff's Dad) went to the Delta for some male bonding while the women (Shawnna, Leanna, Madonna, Aunt Gayle, Heidi and Vicki - Jeff's sister) stayed home to do what they do best, cook and clean (oh, I could get my A$$ kicked for that comment :-).

Wakeboarding at the Delta was a ton of fun - for the most part. I got on the board and felt very comfortable.

After several runs, I jumped off the wake and when I landed, I didn't keep the front of the board up high enough and it clipped the water and dug in. The result was a faceplant that made my entire face go numb instantly. After feeling my face to make sure my nose was still intact, I got back in the boat to a sympathetic hero's welcome.

Mike had a big milestone. After trying and failing to stand up today and over the last few years

He finally stood up and was able to ride the wake for a little bit. Good job Mike!

While it was Jeff's turn, he became parched and didn't want to come back to the boat, so he decided to partake in a refreshing libation on his board.

Next was the backflip contest off the boat between Jeff and Marcus.

While Marcus looked like he had done this before, Jeff did a semi-backflip with a twist which didn't look pretty. After viewing the peaks one last time we headed back to the house.

We ate dinner - tri-tip, chicken, twice baked potatoes, potato salad, spice cake, ice cream... and opened presents.

All in all, it was a great day that left quite an impression on me. So, when do we do it again?

My Birthday - June 18, 2005

Today was my birthday and I decided I wanted to go to the Oakland A's game vs. the Philadelphia Phillies. The people that went were me, Shawnna, Leanna, Jeff, Mike, Uncle Dan, Aunt Gayle and Marcus. We got there fairly early so we could tailgate in the parking lot prior to the game. We BBQ'd hamburgers and corn on the cob and also ate potato salad, chips, birthday cake, etc and just hung out until game time (12:15pm).

The game didn't start the way the A's would have liked. The first pitch to Jimmy Rollins (below - the ball is circled in yellow) was smacked over the right field wall for a home run.

Click for larger size

That ended up as the only run that the Phillies scored as the A's went on to win 2-1 with RBIs from Scott Hatteberg and Dan Johnson. It ended up being a great day for a game and was nice to hang out.

Shawnna and I went to Chevy's for dinner and while I was washing my hands, she told the waiter it was my birthday, so of course I got the song and sombrero. It was the perfect end to a fun day.

Appreciation for Others

Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat
missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb
ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6
years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and
now lectures on lessons learned from that experience!

One day when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man
at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet
fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were
shot down!" "How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb. "I
packed your parachute," the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise and
gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked !"
Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I
wouldn't be here today."

Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says,
"I kept wondering what he had looked like in a Navy uniform: a white
hat; a bib in the back; and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many
times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning, how are
you?' or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot, and he was
just a sailor." Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent
at a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving
the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands
each time the fate of someone he didn't know.

Now, Plumb asks his audience, "Who's packing your parachute?"
Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through
the day. He also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes
when his plane was shot down over enemy territory -- he needed his
physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute,
and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before
reaching safety.

Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is
really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you,
congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to
them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason. As
you go through this week, this month, this year, recognize people who
pack your parachutes.

Raising Helen - ACE Train Movie Review

A single, New York socialite has to put her life and fashion career on hold when her sister and brother-in-law die in a car crash and leave custody of their three kids to her in their will. She has to learn the ropes about raising kids while the kids have to learn to live without their parents.

This was a chick flick that Shawnna didn't even like. The film was slow to start and slow to end. The kids' emotions were bland and didn't seem real especially considering the circumstances surrounding the death of their parents. The chemistry between Kate Hudson and John Corbett didn't work. I never cared one way or the other if their relationship worked out. I was just happy when it ended. The only redeeming factor was Kate Hudson - I didn't mind watching her for 2 hours.

Rating: 2 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Kate Hudson, John Corbett, Joan Cusack

I typically watch movies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday while riding the ACE Train from Tracy to Santa Clara. The opinions expressed are those of me, myself and I.

Joke - A Visit to the Doctor

I went into my proctologist's office for my first rectal exam.
His new nurse, Betty took me to an examining room
and told me to get undressed and have a seat until the doctor
could see me.
She said that he would only be a few minutes.

After putting on the gown that she gave me, I sat down.
While waiting, I observed that there were three items
on a stand next to the exam table:

1. a Tube of K-Y jelly
2. a rubber glove
3. a beer.

When the doctor finally came in I said,
"Look Doc, I'm a little confused. This is my first exam.
I know what the K-Y is for, and I know what the glove is for,
but can you tell me what the BEER is for?"

At that, Doctor Paul became noticeably outraged and
stormed over to the door.
He flung the door open and yelled to his nurse.......

Darn it Betty !!!!!!!!!!!
I said a BUTT LIGHT

Finding Neverland - ACE Train Movie Review

A quirky playwright with a great imagination befriends his neighbors which consist of a widow and her 4 boys. He becomes inspired by the boys' innocence and playfulness and spends his time writing a play based on their make believe adventures at the expense of his already troubled marriage. The play, Peter Pan, becomes a smash hit.

As usual, I liked the fact that this movie was based on true events. The film was light and fluffy with a pinch of resentment and a sprinkle of pixie dust. It was sometimes refreshing and other times creepy. The fact that Michael Jackson was found not guilty of child molestation the day we watched this movie probably tainted my view. I kept picturing MJ playing make believe with the kids instead of Johnny Depp and some of the dialogue regarding the innocence of children and the denial of how strange it is for a grown man to be playing with children could have come straight from MJ's mouth. I might have given it an extra .5 point if I watched it at any other time, but overall, I wasn't impressed.

Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Johnny Depp, Kate Winslett, Dustin Hoffman

I typically watch movies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday while riding the ACE Train from Tracy to Santa Clara. The opinions expressed are those of me, myself and I.

Weekend - June 10-12, 2005

On Friday, we decided to try out a new comedy club in Tracy - Gut Busters. The club is located in the back room of Anthony's Steak House, so we ate dinner there prior to the show. We both had the 8 oz. sirloin steak which was very tender and so flavorful that steak sauce was not necessary. The comedy show featured Xavier, Jane Barbone and Kirk McHenry. Xavier was not very funny and he seemed nervous. Jane Barbone had some good moments, but overall, she had a low energy, depressed demeanor that wasn't entertaining to watch. Kirk McHenry was hilarious. It was obvious that he was experienced and had a polished act. He had me rolling from the very beginning. The "club" was just a big room in the back of the restaurant with folding chairs and tables, but there were about 50 people there and all seemed to be having a good time. I would definitely go back for food and laughs.

On Saturday, we went to Houge park in San Jose for Halina's 2nd birthday party (Halina is the daughter of our friends from college, Tina and Ken Walters). It was also the christening of their new baby boy, Ryan. We BBQ'd hot dogs and hung out on a nice, warm day. The theme for Halina's presents seemed to be Dora the Explorer this year. It was great to see everybody including Ryan for the first time.

On Sunday, we celebrated Grandpa's birthday by taking the Sierra Railroad from Oakdale to Cooperstown (near the border between Stanislaus County and Tuolomne County). The riders were me, Shawnna, Gramps, Grandma, Dan, Liz, Andrew and Mom. They served brunch which consisted of French toast or a breakfast burrito, coffee cake and granola. The entertainment was a lady with a guitar who's forte was country music and the scenery was brown hills, farms, cows and horses. Needless to say, the highlight of the trip wasn't the food or the entertainment - it was nice to just hang out for a few hours with the family and catch up with what's been going on. Of course, we could have done that at one of our houses which is what I would recommend next time. Oh well, you have to do it once to know and it seemed like a good idea at the time...

Twisted - Movie Review

A female homicide detective, who works under the jurisdiction of the man who raised her (her father's former partner) after her father died, starts to investigate a series of murders that have one thing in common - she has been intimate with all of the victims. The suspects include an ex-boyfriend, a creepy therapist, an overly friendly new partner and herself...

A "who done it" thriller that wasn't all that thrilling. Each killing happened the same way - the female detective would drink, pass out and when she woke up the next day, somebody had been murdered. Not surprisingly, throughout the film, a shadow of guilt is cast on various characters in an attempt to throw you off the track of the real killer. When the true killer is revealed, it might be a bit of a surprise, but overall this film is not unusual or unique from any other murder mystery. Honestly, if it wasn't for Ashley Judd, I wouldn't have rated it as high as I did ;-)

Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Ashley Judd, Samuel L. Jackson, Andy Garcia, Camryn Manheim

I typically watch movies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday while riding the ACE Train from Tracy to Santa Clara. The opinions expressed are those of me, myself and I.

Chocolat - ACE Train Movie Review

Set in the late 1950s, a vagabond woman comes to a French town with her daughter to set up a chocolate shop. The issue is that it's a very religious town and she opens the shop shortly after the beginning of Lent (when you're supposed to abstain from worldly pleasures). One by one, she tests each townsperson's resistance to her treats and endures the wrath of the mayor who wants her run out of town before the town succumbs to her temptation.

This is an artsy film and should not be watched by anyone expecting to see lots of action and explosions. That being said, I loved the messages this movie sent: 1) It's OK to be a unique individual. 2) Don't let religion run your life to the point you feel guilty for indulging in simple pleasures. 3) Chocolate is the way to a woman's heart. I thought the film was well cast and the characters were developed enough to be intriguing, but not too much to be boring. However, the story wasn't THAT interesting and, if not for the "stick it to religion" theme, it would have been a real snooze.

Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Juliette Binoche, Lena Olin, Johnny Depp, Judi Dench

I typically watch movies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday while riding the ACE Train from Tracy to Santa Clara. The opinions expressed are those of me, myself and I.

Weekend - June 4-5, 2005

Another great weekend to be outside. As we move closer to summer, the weather keeps getting better. Of course, at some point it will start getting too hot, but it's perfect right now.

On Saturday, we woke up later than normal since we were at the concert the night before. I did some yardwork, ran errands and then went to Heidi's graduation party at Uncle Dan's house in San Leandro. Heidi graduated from Cal State Hayward majoring in Criminal Justice. I spent most of the party looking at photographs and video from the family's trip to a Nascar race in North Carolina and sightseeing in Washington D.C. The Washington D.C. portion was interesting and reminded me of when I was there in 1992.

On Sunday, we went to Napa. There were two reasons we went: 1) Collect a certificate for a free 4 night cruise to Catalina & Ensanada and 2) Go to Copia (a food, wine and art museum Shawnna really wanted to see. The free cruise was an incentive to sit through a 90 minute spiel at RiverPointe, a timeshare. We sat through the spiel in 2003 and got a trip to Las Vegas, so we knew it was legit (you have to wait 12 months before you return). I started off by telling the guy that we had been there before and he asked, "What happened last time?" I said, "The same thing that's going to happen this time. We're going to sit through the 90 minute spiel, walk away without buying a timeshare and collect our gift." He said, "Why don't I just sign your paper right now, you can hang out by the pool for 90 minutes and then collect your gift." So, we took the signed paper, skipped the waiting for 90 minutes part and redeemed it for the cruise certificate. I don't know how they do this and stay in business, but it was really as easy as that.

Next, we went to Copia. This museum is much more interactive than any other museum I've been to. We started off with a wine tasting where the guide took us around the gardens in front of the museum and had everyone taste various plants (rosemary, mint, lemon) to show how it changed the taste of the wine. All of the food and herbs produced by the gardens (it's several acres) are used in their restaurant, Julia's Kitchen. This is the only restaurant that Julia Child lent her name to and it's where we ate lunch. I had the salmon and Shawnna had the pork chops (they had fancy names, but I can't remember them). The food was awesome, the bread they served before the meal was great and the taste of their lobster bisque they gave us was very flavorful - highly recommended. After lunch, we walked around the rest of the museum which included a look back at when various food related products were invented, Spanish & Mexican ceramics, utensils from different Indian tribes and a wall of copper pots from Julia Child's actual kitchen. It was good to experience something different in Napa - we left without going to any of the wineries :-0

Def Leppard / Bryan Adams Concert - 6/3/05

I went to the Def Leppard / Bryan Adams concert on June 3rd at Municipal Stadium in San Jose with Shawnna, Dan and Liz. This is the stadium where the San Jose Giants play, so it's not that big of a venue. The stage was relatively small, so there weren't any elaborate set designs - just enough room to rock. The weather was perfect (sunny, but not too hot) and there were about 8,000 people there.

Since the show was general admission, I was able to get fairly close to the front. During Def Leppard, I was about 10 people from the stage. Def Leppard looked just like what they are - aging rock stars from the '80s, but they still sounded great. Since they were promoting a new greatest hits album (Rock of Ages: The definitive Collection), they played all of their classic songs - Pour Some Sugar On Me, Rocket, Hysteria, Love Bites, Photograph, Foolin', Too Late for Love, Women, Rock of Ages, Armageddon It, Have You Even Needed Someone So Bad, Bringin' on the Heartbreak, etc. They seemed to be having a good time and the crowd was fairly responsive. Rick Allen was great on drums as usual - who says you need two arms to play drums? Joe Elliott sounded good, but not great. He kept putting his hand up to his ear to find his pitch during some of the "high" songs. They played for about 1 hr 15 minutes total, including 1 encore.

When Def Leppard finished, a bunch of people in the crowd left (probably to go pee) so I was able to move up to about 5 people from the stage for Bryan Adams. Bryan Adams played his straight up rock 'n roll music for about the same amount of time as Def Leppard and the crowd seemed to respond even more than for Def Leppard. It could have been because he was closing the show and people tend to get a little less inhibited (and more drunk) as the night goes on, but the crowd really belted out all of the classics he sang - Summer of '69, Heaven, Straight from the Heart, Run to You, The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You, 18 'Til I Die, (Everything I Do) I Do It For You, Can't Stop This Thing We Started, etc. He sounded great and put on a good show, but I thought it was a little strange that all the members of the band looked the same - 5 white guys, short haircuts, tight black shirts, dark blue jeans. Anyway, when they left the stage prior to the encore, the drummer (Michael Curry) threw one of his sticks into the audience and I got it :-)

Overall, I had a blast and was very glad I went. Although the stage was small and the sound could have been better, I thought it was a great show. Of course, being close to the stage makes the experience that much better.

The Aviator - ACE Train Movie Review

Based on the life of Howard Hughes, this movie starts with Hughes coming to Hollywood after making a fortune in the oil-drilling bit business. He makes movies, dates famous actresses, builds airplanes, breaks air speed records and washes his hands...a lot.

This was a very good movie. I didn't know a whole lot about Howard Hughes before seeing this film, but I definitely want to learn more now. He was very eccentric and driven to succeed. He took a lot of risks (financial and physical) and they mostly paid off. This movie was 2 hrs. 45 min., but it was so interesting and packed with action that I could have kept watching more. I can't wait to watch the bonus disk which has documentaries about Hughes and OCD. Highly recommended.

Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: Yes
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, Alec Baldwin, John C. Reilly

I typically watch movies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday while riding the ACE Train from Tracy to Santa Clara. The opinions expressed are those of me, myself and I.