Crash - Movie Review

This movie is very complicated and involves so many different side stories, I decided to copy the synopsis from the blockbuster.com website (in italics) to simplify the description and save myself some time.

Graham (Don Cheadle) is a police detective whose brother is a street criminal, and it hurts him to know his mother cares more about his ne'er-do-well brother than him. Graham's partner is Ria (Jennifer Esposito), who is also his girlfriend, though she has begun to bristle at his emotional distance, as well as his occasional insensitivity over the fact he's African-American and she's Hispanic. Rick (Brendan Fraser) is an L.A. district attorney whose wife, Jean (Sandra Bullock), makes little secret of her fear and hatred of people unlike herself. Jean's worst imaginings about people of color are confirmed when her SUV is carjacked by two African-American men -- Anthony (Chris Bridges, aka Ludacris), who dislikes white people as much as Jean hates blacks, and Peter (Larenz Tate), who is more open minded. Cameron (Terrence Howard) is a well-to-do African-American television producer with a beautiful wife, Christine (Thandie Newton). While coming home from a party, Cameron and Christine are pulled over by Officer Ryan (Matt Dillon), who subjects them to a humiliating interrogation (and her to an inappropriate search) while his new partner, Officer Hansen (Ryan Phillippe), looks on. Daniel (Michael Pena) is a hard-working locksmith and dedicated father who discovers that his looks don't lead many of his customers to trust him. And Farhad (Shaun Toub) is a Middle Eastern shopkeeper who is so constantly threatened in the wake of the 9/11 attacks that he decided he needs a gun to defend his family.

The first hour of the film is a little confusing as it is spent setting up all of these stories and basically showing the very worst in people. The general themes revolve around racism, fear, abuse of power, sexual misconduct and general ignorance. The second hour is spent tying all of these stories together and making powerful statements. The general themes of the second hour are karma, change, forgiveness, redemption and closure. The brilliance of this movie is that there are so many different possible themes and lessons to be learned, each person who watches it will probably bring something different away. I will definitely watch this movie again and I'm sure I will catch things I didn't see the first time. This one is worth a look.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: Yes
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Brendan Fraser, Ludacris, Ryan Phillippe, Matt Dillon

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.

Win a Date With Tad Hamilton - ACE Train Movie Review

A famous actor with a need to clean up his bad-boy image stages a dating contest with the money raised going to charity. The contest is won by an attractive grocery store clerk from West Virginia. The actor falls for her and decides to give up big-city life and become a better person by spending more time with her. Meanwhile, the clerk's friend and boss from work finally reveals his secret crush on her, so she finds herself in the middle of a love triangle.

This movie is so sweet, it could give you a toothache... or a stomach ache. It is cheesier than a bowl of Velveeta, but leaves a bad taste in your mouth. The ending leaves as much to the imagination as Paris Hilton's home movies. OK, I'm done. The point is that this movie is a complete waste of time unless you want to watch a brainless film with a predictable plot. The one upside is that you get to watch Kate Bosworth for 90 minutes.

Rating: 2 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Kate Bosworth, Topher Grace, Josh Duhamel, Nathan Lane, Sean Hayes

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.

Team America: World Police - ACE Train Movie Review

Team America, an elite group of commandos, have a mission to travel the world, root out its terrorists, and keep evil at bay. While completing their missions, the heroes have a tendency to wreak havoc on the environment around them and find themselves the target of anti-war activists. World leaders are brought together for a peace rally through a joint effort by Kim Jong Il (North Korea's dictator) and the Film Actors Guild (F.A.G) headed by Alec Baldwin. However, Kim Jong Il has an ulterior motive and it's up to Team America to stop him.

Fans of South Park will probably enjoy this movie as it was written, directed, produced and voiced mostly by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The humor is similar in that it's intelligent but the delivery is crass. The underlying message is clear (try to offend as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time and be funny doing it) and I believe they achieved their goal. The portrayals of heroes, villains, protestors, actors, action films, etc. were over the top and tongue-in-cheek. I laughed out loud at some points and cringed at others. The amount of crap they dish out, especially toward actors, makes me wonder how Parker and Stone can show their faces at award shows without getting beat up. Their description of the relationship between a$$holes, pu$$ys and d!cks was classic. Pull out your cheesy poofs and enjoy some smart, dumb comedy.

Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Voices of Trey Parker and Matt Stone

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 - Oops!

A guy was in line at the supermarket when he noticed that a rather hot blonde behind him had raised her hand and smiled hello to him. He was rather taken aback that such a looker would be waving to him, and although familiar he couldn't place how he knew her.

He composed himself and said: "Sorry, do you know me?"

She replied "I may be mistaken, but I thought you might be the father of one of my children."

His mind raced back to the one and only time he had been unfaithful. "Oh, my God", he said, "aren't you the stripper from my bachelor party that I made love to on the pool table in front of all my friends while your girlfriend whipped me with wet celery stalks?"

"No," she replied, "I'm your son's English Teacher."

The Longest Yard - ACE Train Movie Review

A former professional football player who has a drinking problem takes his wife's Bentley and, after a high speed police chase, crashes it into a sea of police cars. He is sentenced to a prison where the warden is a football fan and has organized a football team made up of prison guards. To give the guards more practice, the warden convinces the former pro to organize a team of inmates and to play a scrimmage. The inmates he recruits are some of the fiercest characters who have a bone to pick with the guards and would get great pleasure out of inflicting pain on the football field.

I never saw the original film, so I can't compare the two. However, on its own, I wasn't very impressed and wonder why they remade what was apparently a classic. I like Adam Sandler and am usually a fan of his comedy, but I didn't find this movie particularly funny. There were a few funny parts, but it was mostly silly, dumb humor (yes, dumber than Sandler's other films =). There was some good action and plenty of hits on the football field, but I can't say there were any surprises or suspense. I also thought it was unnecessary to have so many "celebrities" in the film, but maybe the filmmakers thought it would distract people enough to like the film. I might have to watch the original to see why it was considered a classic, because I don't see anything classic about this movie.

Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Burt Reynolds, Nelly, James Cromwell, Michael Irvin, Bill Romanowski, Bill Goldberg, Brian Bosworth, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Chris Berman

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.

Criminal - ACE Train Movie Review

An experienced con man runs into a small-time grifter at a casino and convinces him to become his apprentice so they can work small cons more quickly and easily. After showing his apprentice the ropes, the con man gets involved in a large con where he will try to sell a counterfeit antique bank note to a collector who is passing through town. To do this, he has to involve his sister, who works at the hotel where the collector is staying, as well as the apprentice and a couple other people who become aware of the con and demand their cut. While his share of the fortune dwindles, the con man finds that this con is not as easy as he originally thought.

Lame. Not imaginative or even very entertaining. This movie is only about 1hr 20min long, so the characters didn't have time to develop and the plot seemed very rushed. If it were longer, maybe more could have been done with the script, but it's not even worth wasting 80 minutes on this film. Not to mention, the ending could be seen a mile away. Don't get conned into watching this one =)... hey, bad joke for a bad movie.

Rating: 1 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: John C. Reilly, Diego Luna, Maggie Gyllenhaal

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.

Fever Pitch - ACE Train Movie Review

A high-school teacher and a successful businesswoman meet on a field trip and don't seem to have much in common, but they hit it off and are soon involved in a serious romance. He is a huge Boston Red Sox fan and she becomes aware of that fact when spring rolls around and he shifts his focus from her to baseball. Soon, he is forced to choose between the obsession from his youth or the responsibilities and a relationship of an adult.

This was the typical love story - boy meets girl, boy and girl like each other, boy messes up and girl leaves, boy does something to make things right, girl comes back and they live happily ever after. From start to finish, this film was a cliche. The only original element was that it revolved around the Boston Red Sox World Series winning season, which wasn't enough to make it a good film. I didn't think Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon had good chemistry and while I think Fallon is funny, his humor didn't seem to fit in this film.

Rating: 2 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Drew Barrymore, Jimmy Fallon

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.

The Tipping Point - Book Review

Why did crime in New York drop so suddenly in the mid-nineties? How does an unknown novelist end up a bestselling author? Why is teenage smoking out of control, when everyone knows smoking kills? What makes TV shows like Sesame Street so good at teaching kids how to read? Why did Paul Revere succeed with his famous warning?

Those are the questions asked on the book jacket and the content in the book attempts to answer those questions and more. The author presents three rules that create the foundation for explaining how simple changes can make a big difference and become the Tipping Point for an epidemic of change.

1. "The Law of the Few" shows how three types of people (Connectors, Mavens and Salesmen) can have enough influence to create a word-of-mouth epidemic.

2. "The Stickiness Factor" illustrates how a few small changes to an idea can create the glue that sticks it in people's minds.

3. "The Power of Context" describes how your surroundings have a huge impact on your thoughts and actions.

These concept are presented in a clear and interesting manner. The stories he uses to illustrate these rules are well thought out and easily identifiable to anyone who reads this book. The fact that his antecdotes deal with well known issues, ideas and products contribute to the book being very engrossing and a quick and easy read. The conclusions he draws and answers he formulates for the questions above are insightful and makes you think about how the three laws can apply elsewhere. Although not overt, this book provides a good marketing education as these ideas can be directly applied to creating a "buzz" about a product or idea. I feel that reading this book is a few hours well spent.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Would I read it again: Yes

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
by Malcolm Gladwell
Hardcover: 288 pages
February, 2000

Freakonomics - Book Review

I read this book a few weeks ago, but I'm just now getting around to reviewing it...

This is a very hard book to describe in a sentence or two. The topics discussed in this book are extremely diverse, but if there is a central theme, I would say it is that the obvious explanation for an issue isn't necessarily the correct one.

For example, the drop in violent crime in the mid-nineties has been contributed to everything from increased police presence, to improved policing techniques, to the broken window theory. The author argues that the drop in crime was, in fact, the result of the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. If you think that came out of left field, that's the point; it's not an obvious reason, but the author makes a compelling argument. He says that the decision to legalize abortion in 1973 preempted the existence of some people who would be born to poverty and hardship (the same people who have a greater chance to turn to violent crime as a means of survival). By the mid-nineties, when these criminals would have been in their prime, the crime dropped because they didn't exist.

That's just one example of the issues he tackles in this book. Some of the others:

• What do sumo wrestlers and school teachers have in common? (hint: it has to do with cheating)
• How is the KKK like a group of real-estate agents? (hint: it involves fear and control of information)
• Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? (hint: it relates to the "corporate" structure)
• What makes a perfect parent? (hint: it might not be the parent that has the biggest effect)

This book is so interesting that it's hard to put down. It's obvious that a lot of time has been spent to gather the information and present it in an insightful manner. While the conclusions that are presented can be very persuasive, I would take everything with a grain of salt. I believe the real genius of this book is the fact that the author presents the not-so-obvious explanations for various issues and pushes the reader to do the same for themselves going forward. It is really a book about drawing your own conclusions and not just taking other people's word as the final truth.

Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Would I read it again: Yes

Freakonomics : A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
Hardcover: 256 pages
May 1, 2005

Taking Lives - ACE Train Movie Review

A special agent with the FBI who has a reputation for quirky methods of criminal profiling is called on to assist Canadian police detectives who are on the trail of a serial killer who has been terrorizing Montreal for 20 years. The killer has a history of imitating the mannerisms of the victims he kills, but his latest murder had a witness. An art gallery owner saw the killer during an assault and agrees to become a decoy for the FBI. During this assignment, the FBI agent and the art gallery owner become attracted to one another, which might jeopardize the investigation.

The movie started off a little strange and I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. As time went on and the plot thickened, I started to enjoy it more. There were a couple of startling moments where Shawnna literally jumped out of her seat which always makes for a good movie =). The acting wasn't the greatest, but the plot twists and the ending more than made up for it. I was sure I had figured it out a couple different times, but the ending threw me off and proved I wouldn't make a good criminal profiler.

Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: Yes
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Ethan Hawke, Kiefer Sutherland

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.

South Park: The Passion of the Jew - Movie Review

This DVD is a compilation of three South Park "religious" episodes.

1. The Passion of the Jew
Cartman watches The Passion of the Christ and is convinced that the Jews were to blame for Jesus' death. Not believing him, Kyle watches it and is forced to admit that Cartman was right. Meanwhile, Stan and Kenny see it, think it sucks and go on a quest to find Mel Gibson to get their money back.

2. Red Hot Catholic Love
The Catholic priest in South Park must deal with the fact that church-goers are turning away from religion due to the news that young boys have been molested by priests. He meets with local priests and finally the Pope to figure out how to stop priests from molesting young boys. He is surprised to find out that the priests don't think there is anything wrong with molesting boys, but they think the problem lies in the fact that the boys are telling on the priests.

3. Christian Rock Hard
Cartman makes a bet with Kyle to see who can record a platinum album first. Cartman decides to start a Christian rock band to take advantage of the build in audience. Meanwhile, Kyle goes on strike and refuses to play since people are downloading music for free on the internet.

All three of these episodes are classic South Park; gross, indecent, lewd, fowl-mouthed, offensive, crude, insensitive and very, very, very smart humor. The creators know how to make a intelligent point while being childishly entertaining. After watching these episodes, you will find yourself nodding your head in agreement and shaking your head in amazement of the insightfulness these seemingly juvenile creations exhibit.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: Yes
Starring: Cartman, Kyle, Stan, Kenny

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.

A Lot Like Love - ACE Train Movie Review

Two strangers meet on a flight from California to New York. The girl recently went through a break-up and seduces the guy on the airplane; they spend the next few days together before going their separate ways. Over the next several years, circumstances keep putting them in one another's paths and they become close friends and confidantes. Both are convinced that they are wrong for each other on a romantic level, but as the years go on, they begin to wonder if they have allowed a great opportunity to pass then by.

This is a feel-good, fun, romantic comedy. Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet have great chemistry and they do a good job playing themselves from 20-something's to 30-something's. The awkwardness of their first meeting through the building of their relationship in subsequent trysts is completely believable. While the ending is predictable, it's meant to be predictable and there are some twists thrown in to make it interesting. I think Ashton Kutcher has made some good choices in his recent movie selection and this is just another example of a quality picture.

Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: Yes
Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Amanda Peet

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.

Sahara - ACE Train Movie Review

An explorer thinks he has found a fortune and the answer to a long-standing mystery when he discovers a rare coin in a river in West Africa. During the Civil War, a battleship with valuable cargo went missing and the explorer theorizes the gold coin places the ship somewhere in the Sahara Desert. Along with his sidekick, the explorers set out to find it, but they meet a scientist and physician who are trying to determine the source of a deadly disease sweeping the nation. The group teams up to try to determine if the mysteries are somehow related.

I couldn't figure out if this was supposed to be an action/adventure movie or a comedy. One thing I know is that it didn't work as both. I think Steve Zahn is a funny guy, but all of his jokes during some of the most intense action took away from the movie. I also got tired of all of the bullets that were flying, but never hitting any of the lead actors. They went the entire movie unscathed; what's an action movie with no blood on the hero. Anyway, I was just disappointed with the predictability and relative ease at which everything seemed to fall into place.

Rating: 2 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Steve Zahn, Penélope Cruz, William H. Macy

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.

The Passion of the Christ - ACE Train Movie Review

This film chronicles the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus is betrayed by Judas and is condemned to death for blasphemy and sentenced to be crucified in front of a cheering Roman crowd. He is severely beaten and made to carry his cross up a hill outside Jerusalem where he is nailed to it.

This is a very intense movie that has a lot of religious history behind it. Being that I'm not religious and haven't been to church since I was a kid, it would have been nice to have a little more of the background information on the DVD; even if it was just a special feature. If you know the story and all the characters in it, you will probably get more out of it. For me, it was just a really long and bloody film about Jesus getting beat over and over and over (you get the idea) until he is finally crucified. If it was meant to be shocking, it was successful, but I think touching more on the reasons why things were happening instead of just showing a bloodbath would have been time well spent.

Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: James Caviezel, Monica Bellucci

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.

Tracy Dry Bean Festival - Sept. 10, 2005

Shawnna and I went to the Tracy Dry Bean Festival on September 10th. There aren't many dry beans at the festival anymore, but there were a good number of arts & crafts vendors and food vendors. It wasn't anything to write home about, but at least the weather was nice (low 70's at 6pm). The real reason we went was because I wanted to see one of the bands that was playing - Hollywood Allstarz.

Hollywood Allstarz is a band made up of former members of other high profile 80's bands. Here's the lineup:

Chas West - Vocals - Bonham / Lynch Mob
Carlos Cavazo - Guitar - Quiet Riot
Jeff Pilson - Bass - Dokken / Dio
Vinny Appice - Drums - Dio / Black Sabbath
Krigger - Drums - Giuffria / Tina Turner



Notice that there are 2 drummers and they both played on stage at the same time which made it interesting. They are basically a cover band that plays songs from the bands they used to be a part of as well as other classics. Some of the songs they covered were:

War Pigs - Black Sabbath
Bang Your Head - Quiet Riot
Cum on Feel the Noise - Quiet Riot
Holy Diver - Dio
Man on the Silver Mountain - Dio
You've Got Another Thing Coming - Judas Priest
Heartbreaker - Led Zeppelin
Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin
Still of the Night - Whitesnake

Overall, the band was just a bunch of aging rockers and I was disappointed with the quality of the show, although the singer had a good range and the guitarist showed some nice skills. There were a couple of drunk women who were dancing near the front of the stage and the singer tried to get them to show their goods, but fortunately I think they were too drunk to understand (especially since there were kids present). Having 2 drummers on stage was completely pointless especially since they just had very basic drum kits and didn't even have a drumming battle. I guess you get what you pay for...

Monster-In-Law - ACE Train Movie Review

A love challenged woman meets a man while walking dogs; one of her many part time endeavors. He turns out to be a rich doctor who comes from a wealthy family. They fall madly in love and all seems to be going well until his mother comes into the picture. A famous news broadcaster who just got fired, the mother (a single divorcee four times over) is very protective of her only son and will seemingly stop at nothing to break up their relationship before they get married. The woman has her own bag of tricks and tries to prove she can hold her own.

This is a fun, light comedy that could be extra funny if you are married and have your own monster-in-law. I thought the chemistry between Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda worked well and made for some amusing antics. Wanda Sykes provided the icing on the cake with her well timed smart-mouthed comments. Overall, though, I felt the character Jennifer Lopez played was too close to her character from Maid in Manhattan as was the concept of a poor woman being swept off her feet by a rich man. Nothing too original, but if you want to be entertained without having to think very hard, this could be the film for you.

Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Jane Fonda, Michael Vartan, Wanda Sykes

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.

Bocce Ball

On September 8th we held our quarterly team meeting and offsite for work. We went to Campo di Bocce in Los Gatos for some bocce ball fun. The group started showing up at about 4:30pm and we got right to the competition. My team included Judy, Mark, Pooja, Danielle and Beth. The opposing team consisted of Ned (the group VP), Samir, Eric, Laura, Paul and Tom. Bocce ball is a fairly simple game. Basically, a small ball (pallino) is thrown down the court, then each team throws their bocce balls as close to the pallino as possible. Teams score points for each ball that is closer to the pallino than their opponents closest ball. The details of the 2 matches we played are inconsequential, but suffice it to say, we got our butt's kicked both times (maybe we subconsciously let them win since the VP was on the opposing team and we value our jobs =). However, we had a great time hanging out, throwing the balls down the court and eating the good food which consisted of assorted appetizers (calamari, bruschetta, smoked salmon cakes and scallops wrapped in bacon). We were finished by 7:45pm and it was time to head back home. Arrivederci...

A Visitor In Our Backyard

This morning at 9am, I was sitting on the couch watching TV when I kept hearing a little bird chirping its head off in the backyard. I finally got up to see what all the ruckus was about and realized there was a barn owl sitting on our fence.


I'm not sure, but I'm guessing the little bird was the mama who had a nest in a tree nearby since we heard baby birds chirping earlier in the morning. When I went upstairs and opened the blinds to take a picture, the owl immediately looked up at me. After I snapped the shot, it spread its wings and flew away. Pretty amazing and not something you see everyday; especially in your backyard.

Hoop Dreams - ACE Train Movie Review

This documentary follows two aspiring basketball players from playground pick-up games, through high school and into college. Since they live in inner city Chicago, they have to deal with many distractions while chasing their dream including drugs, poverty and violence. If they want to make it to the NBA, they also have to keep their grades up and steer clear of injuries, which isn't as easy as it seems.

The amount of work that went into this documentary was amazing just by itself. The filmmakers spent 5+ years following William Gates and Arthur Agee with a video camera so they were sure to catch every important moment on tape. The result was a very interesting story of hopes, dreams, victories, disappointments, second guesses, looking to the future and living in the past. The range of ups and downs that were captured on film made it what it was; an amazing piece of work which should serve as a wake-up call for all of the underprivileged kids who think the NBA will be their ticket to a better life. GET AN EDUCATION!

Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: Yes (This is the second time I've seen it)
Starring: William Gates, Arthur Agee

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.

Order Pampered Chef Products Directly Online!

Starting September 1st, Pampered Chef began allowing folks to order products directly from their kitchen consultants' websites. Of course, this means that you can go to Shawnna's Pampered Chef website and order Pampered Chef products directly online!

It's easy... Just browse through the online catalog and add items to your shopping bag. When you're finished, click "proceed to checkout" to finalize your order through the secure website.

Alternatively, feel free to browse the online catalog and when you are ready to place your order, email Shawnna or call her (209-832-0086) with the product names/numbers and your shipping address. She will promptly call you back to get your payment information and place your order. Your products will be sent directly to you.

If you're interested in hosting a Kitchen Show and receiving products for free, she would be more than happy to help =)

The Ring Two - ACE Train Movie Review

A single mother and her son move to a small town in Oregon after enduring some terrifying experiences in Seattle. The woman, who is a journalist for the local paper, learns of an unexplained murder which occurred after a teenager watched a strange videotape. This hits a little too close to home and she believes her past may be haunting her. When her son becomes gravely ill, she must find a way to save him from the otherworldly girl who has been terrorizing her before it's too late.

Sequels never seem to be as good as the original movies and this is no different. The original was scary, imaginative, dark, complex and engrossing. The sequel was all of those things as well, but to a lesser extent since it had been done before and the element of surprise and adventure were diminished. Like the original, I would watch this movie again since it is so visually intense, I'm sure I missed some things. The extra features help to explain some of the visual elements and bridge the gap between the two films. Overall, I enjoyed the movie, but I'm not ready for The Ring Three even though the Japanese version (Ringu) came out with a third.

Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: Yes
Starring: Naomi Watts, David Dorfman

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.