The Last Kiss - Movie Review

A successful 30-year-old with a the perfect girlfriend and a lucrative outlook on life struggles with the increasing pressures of adulthood as he weighs the merits of settling down with the woman who loves him against risking it all to be with a comely co-ed.

Zach Braff should stick to TV and stay away from movies. He is great in "Scrubs," but I didn't like his other film, "Garden State." This movie is a little better than Garden State, but not a film I can classify as good. Like Garden State, it has the feel of an independent film, but at least it has some emotion that was lacking in the other movie. This one is mostly a chick flick and deals with the falling apart of several relationships - not my idea of an entertaining film. If the women chosen for their parts weren't attractive, this would be a complete dud and bore. At least there's something for guys to enjoy while the women are caught up in the emotional roller coaster.

Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Zach Braff, Jacinda Barrett, Casey Affleck

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 Black Dahlia - Movie Review

Elizabeth Short was a struggling actress looking to make a name for herself in 1940s-era Tinseltown. Unfortunately for Elizabeth, it was her grim fate that would ultimately overshadow anything she would accomplish during her short and tragic career. When police discover Elizabeth's body cut clean in half and with all of her organs missing, ex-pugilist detectives Lee Blanchard and Bucky Bleichert are the men charged with cracking the case and apprehending the killer. This isn't your average murder case, however, and as Blanchard's marriage to Kay begins to suffer due to his obsession with the sensational crime, his partner Bleichert discovers a troubling link between the victim and the mysterious Madeleine Linscott, a prominent socialite and the daughter of one of the town's most connected key players.

This is a very twisted and confusing film. The first hour and a half is comprised of many scenes that involve people who don't seem to be connected and the audience isn't clued into what they have to do with the overall plot. the last 30 minutes attempts to tie everything together, but the problem is that the ties that are used seem to be forced and don't fall into place nicely. In other words, the ending was just too "convenient" and a huge stretch of reality. The acting was good, the cinematography was top notch, but the plot was a dud. This is one to skip unless you like offbeat, disconnected, confusing movies.

Rating: 2 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Hilary Swank, Aaron Eckhart

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.

Curious George - Movie Review

Ted is an explorer with a large yellow hat who is good friends with Bloomsberry, who runs a natural history museum. Bloomsberry's greedy son, Bloomsberry Junior, wants to tear down his dad's museum and put a parking garage in its place, but the elder Bloomsberry is convinced that a spectacular new exhibit could save the museum from the wrecking ball. Ted heads to Africa on an expedition to find some special artifacts that will keep his friend in business, but while he's there he befriends a playful monkey he calls George. While George is friendly, he has a taste for mischief and seems to always get Ted in hot water; Ted thinks he's seen the last of his simian friend when his ship heads back to America, until he discovers that George managed to hide aboard the boat before it set sail. Ted's search for a eye-catching exhibit proved to be a failure, and Ted and his good friend Maggie, a schoolteacher who's sweet on him, struggle to find of a way to save Bloomsberry's museum. But time becomes precious for Ted when George has an entire new city to explore.

This is a kids movie through and through. I was pretty much bored most of the time watching this film, but I'm sure younger kids would love the bright colors, easy to follow plot and cute monkey. Me, on the other hand, couldn't wait until it was over since it didn't have much entertainment value for people over 12 years old. Unless you're a kid, have kids or watch it with a kid, I'd skip it. I think it would be more fun to watch the kids reaction, not the movie itsef, although the music is pretty good - original songs by Jack Johnson. I rated the movie based on my perspective, but the younger you are, the higher your rating would probably be.

Rating: 2 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Voices of Will Ferrell, Drew Barrymore, Dick Van Dyke, David Cross

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.

Trapped - Movie Review

Dr. Will Jennings and his wife, Karen, find their world has been turned upside down when they're taken hostage and held in different cities while their young daughter is kidnapped by the same band of ruthless criminals. Joe Hickey has hatched a seemingly foolproof plan with his wife, Cheryl, and cousin, Marvin: while Dr. Jennings and Mrs. Jennings are under guard and unable to contact the police, Hickey will demand a massive ransom for the return of their daughter. If the payment is not arranged in 24 hours, the girl will be killed. Will and Karen realize it's imperative that they find their daughter as soon as possible, as she suffers from a medical condition that could claim her life if she doesn't receive her medication within a day, but as Karen plots a way to get away from Joe and rescue her little girl, she discovers money isn't the only reason Joe has chosen the Jenningses as his victims.

This was a pretty good film and the acting was excellent, but the plot wasn't very original and it wasn't suspenseful, either. Charlize Theron and Kevin Bacon did a great job with their roles and really made me believe the story. The problem is the story has been told before with the same ending. Basically, someone gets kidnapped, held for ransom, things don't go exactly as planned, but there's a happy ending. This movie followed the formula to a tee which meant it was very predictable. There was one twist, but it wasn't played up enough to make a big difference to the story. Overall, it was a pretty good flick, kept my interest and would be a good one to watch once, but don't expect a great, suspenseful thriller.

Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Charlize Theron, Kevin Bacon, Courtney Love, Stuart Townsend, Dakota Fanning

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.

SJ Sharks vs. Calgary Flames - 12/23/06

Shawnna and I were at one of our Christmas parties when she got a call from Leanna saying that her boss had Sharks tickets for tonight's game that he wasn't going to use, so if we wanted them, we could have them. Shawnna didn't want to go, but I figured I could find someone to go, so we took them and that's how I ended up going to the game with Dan - Thanks Mike!

The first period wasn't particularly good for either team, but the Flames struck first when Andrew Ference flipped the puck to Matthew Lombardi who shot it past Nabokov to put the Flames up 1-0 with 2 minutes left in the first. The worst part about that for the Sharks was the fact that the Flames were shorthanded at the time - not a good way to finish a period.

The second period went much better for the Sharks as Marcel Goc scored the tying goal 7 minutes into the period and Milan Michalek followed that up with a power play goal 3 minutes later to put the Sharks up 2-1. The third period was more of the same for the Sharks as Mark Smith scored 3 minutes in to put the Sharks up 3-1. It stayed that way until Scott Hannon scored his first goal of the season into the empty net that Kiprusoff had vacated with 1 minute left to play to give Calgary an extra attacker. Obviously, that tactic didn't work and the Sharks won 4-1.

Despite giving up a shorthanded goal in the first period, the Sharks really had control of the game all the way through. They outshot Calgary 31-22, dominated in the faceoff circle (40-23) and were only called for one penalty compared with 6 for the Flames. All in all, it was a dominating victory, we sat in great seats (8 rows from the ice) and had a fabulous time. Thanks again Mike!

Score: W 4-1
1st Period
Flames - Matthew Lombardi(SH) (Andrew Ference, Kristian Huselius)
2nd Period
SJ - Marcel Goc (Curtis Brown, Mark Smith)
SJ - Milan Michalek(PP) (Matt Carle, Joe Thornton)
3rd Period
SJ - Mark Smith (Curtis Brown)
SJ - Scott Hannan(EN)

SJ SOG: 31
Flames SOG: 22
Winning Goalie: Evgeni Nabokov
Losing Goalie: Miikka Kiprusoff

Tickets: Section 107 Row 8

Southern California Trip - December 16-22, 2006

View more photos from the trip here and click on Slideshow to view them all with descriptions.

Shawnna and I had never been to Disneyland during the Christmas holiday and really wanted to see the park all decked out, hence the trip to Southern California right before Christmas. To make it a little more interesting, we purchased a Southern California CityPass which included admission to SeaWorld San Diego, San Diego Zoo, Disneyland / California Adventure and Universal Studios Hollywood.

We decided to drive all the way down to San Diego first and then work our way back up. On Saturday, we hit a little bit of rain and traffic on the way down, but made it to our hotel safely - Bay Inn and Suites SeaWorld. When I was searching for a hotel in San Diego, I wanted one that was clean and close to SeaWorld and the zoo so the Bay Inn met that criteria. However, when we arrived at the hotel, I realized that their website failed to mention one minor detail - it was located across the street from Larry Flynt's Hustler Club. As we drove around the area, we kept seeing more and more gentleman's clubs and it didn't really click until we saw some Navy guys walking around and realized that we were near a Navy port and it finally made perfect sense. Anyway, the room was clean and we felt perfectly safe, so it was fine.

On Sunday, we went to SeaWorld. The weather had cleared up, the sun was shining and it was a great day to explore the park. There were a couple of water rides that I rode (pretty lame), but the main attractions were the animal shows. We saw 4 very good shows:
1. Dolphin Discovery - This show featured bottlenose dolphins and pilot whales doing jumps, spins, back flips, etc.
2. Shamu Show - Shamu and other killer whales were featured jumping, splashing and posing for pictures.
3. Clyde and Seamore's Risky Rescue - Sea lions were featured in this comedy filled wet adventure.
4. Pet's Rule! - This show featured many tricks from several different pets (dogs, cats, pigs, birds, ducks)
In addition, we explored the aquariums where we saw sharks, beluga whales, a polar bear, manatees, stingrays and a bunch of other fish. Not as good as the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but the shows were worth the price of admission.

We went to the San Diego Zoo on Monday. The first thing we did when we got there was take the guided bus tour. This was a 45 minute trip around 75% of the zoo with a guide pointing out the animals as we went. That was a great way to get a taste of the zoo and determine what we wanted to go back and see. I can't possibly list all of the animals we saw, but chances are, if you can name it, it was there. The highlights for me were the monkey habitats that included gorillas, mandrills, baboons, chimps, etc. as well as the bear exhibits where we saw a sun bear playing with a suspended plastic tube. I have to mention the boa constrictor we saw in the reptile exhibit that was having an afternoon snack of a white rat - nice! We ended the day with a sea lion show (not as good as the SeaWorld version) and then left San Diego and headed to Anaheim where we stayed at the Travelodge Anaheim International Inn (no strip clubs in sight :-)

We went to Disneyland & California Adventure on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. We were expecting large crowds and long lines since it was so close to Christmas, but it turned out to be some of the least crowded days we have ever seen. The longest line I waited in was about 20 minutes, but most of the time, I walked right on (I actually had FastPasses that I didn't even use). Needless to say, I went on all of the good rides multiple times (Tower of Terror 7 times).

The decorations around the park were awesome. There was a huge tree at the end of Main Street with ornaments, lights, wreaths and presents spread throughout both parks. It's a Small World was decorated inside and out with holiday garb, but most impressive was the Haunted Mansion ride. They must have spent several weeks redecorating the ride as it was completely different than normal and was decorated based on Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" - if you haven't seen that movie, check it out. There was also a holiday parade and fireworks that were also impressive.

Of course, we also saw the electrical light parade, Fantasmic and ate at the Blue Bayou - always a standard. We had a great time as usual and will be ready to go back when we get the itch again.

Friday morning, we drove to Universal Studios for our last day of this trip. We got there when it opened and I rode most of the rides at the park before lunchtime since there were no lines. The best ride there is the studio tour which is a 45 minute tram ride around the backlot area where movies and TV shows are (and have been) filmed. Since I had done everything there was to do and it was really windy and cold, we decided to leave at about 1:30pm. The drive home was uneventful except for the Grapevine where we encountered lots of fog and near-freezing temperatures. But, we made it home safe and really enjoyed the trip. Until next time...

View more photos from the trip here and click on Slideshow to view them all with descriptions.

Clerks II - ACE Train Movie Review

Years after we last saw them, Dante is still toiling behind the counter at a New Jersey convenience store and Randall is still annoying customers at the video shop next door - or at least they are until a fire burns down the strip mall, forcing Dante and Randall to look for work. Times are tough, and the guys find themselves embracing the ultimate indignity as they take jobs at Mooby's, a fast-food outlet where the burgers are advertised as "udderly delicious." While Randall's snarky attitude toward the public remains unchanged, Dante is trying to make the best of the situation as he plans to marry his fiance, Emma, and move to Florida. However, Dante's plans are complicated when he falls for Becky, a funny and tart-tongued woman who happens to be his boss at Mooby's.

The first film (Clerks) was a cult classic because it was a low budget film that was brilliantly written and gave hope to all the independent filmmakers out there that they could "make it" too. Clerks II seems like a movie that was made with a big budget to look like a film made with a small budget and it doesn't work. The magic is gone and it's disappointing to see Kevin Smith trying to capitalize on his prior film's success to make a few bucks 10 years later. The film tries to keep your attention by shocking you with all the derogatory remarks you can think of. It's amusing at first, but gets old quickly and the main story isn't interesting enough to make up for the repetitive shtick. Overall, I was disappointed that it wasn't better and would only recommend it for those that loved the first film (since they'll see it anyway).

Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Dawson

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 Devil Wears Prada - ACE Train Movie Review

Andrea "Andy" Sachs is a bright young woman from the Midwest who has just graduated from college and wants to work as a magazine writer. Andy has applied for a job at "Runway," America's most prestigious fashion journal; though Andy has little to no interest in the garment trade, they are one of the only magazines in New York with a job opening - second assistant to editor Miranda Priestly. As Andy quickly learns, Miranda is a diva with plenty of power within the magazine business and she isn't afraid to use it, and though Andy lands the job (primarily by being in the right place at the right time), she soon learns that working for Miranda could test the patience of a saint thanks to her endless demands and refusal to acknowledge the end of a work day. Andy struggles to hold on to the job and her sanity, knowing that a recommendation from Miranda can open nearly any door at any magazine, but can she handle the pressure without losing her mind along the way?

I was surprised that I actually liked this film. There was a good message that it addressed and it did so in a way that was funny and entertaining. Meryl Streep was perfect for this part and did a great job acting like a cold, power-hungry bitch. The supporting cast brought so much color to the story and the music was perfectly aligned with all the drama. It was just very well put together and I would recommend this film to anyone. Really - If you're a guy, don't let the title and the fact that it seems like a chick flick turn you off. If you give it a chance, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Women will love it regardless.

Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt

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.

Why We Fight - ACE Train Movie Review

In 1961, as Dwight D. Eisenhower gave his final address to the nation before leaving the office of President of the United States, he warned that America "must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence...by the military-industrial complex." Nearly 45 years later, as the United States finds itself waging a war in Iraq for reasons that seem increasingly unclear with the passage of time, Eisenhower's statement becomes all the more pertinent, and the question becomes more apt: has the machinery the United States established to wage war helped prevent conflict, or has it done more to inspire it? Why We Fight features interviews with foot soldiers, Army recruits, Pentagon personnel, decorated veterans, members of Congress, national security advisors, top military strategists, and many more as they talks about the core philosophies of American military strategy and how they have changed since the end of the Second World War.

This is a very relevant documentary for the times we are currently in. It is interesting to hear the different viewpoints of various folks within our government as well as regular citizens. The question of why we fight (as well as what are we fighting for in Iraq, in particular) has no easy answer and it seems that the communication between our government and the people have broken down. This documentary reminds me of something Michael Moore would make in that it really only shows one side of the story, so you should take it for what it's worth. Overall, I found it very interesting and would recommend it for war buffs and people who aren't already tired of all the talk about war.

Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Wilton Sekzer, Chalmers Johnson, William Solomon

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 Sound of Thunder - ACE Train Movie Review

Charles Hatton owns and operates a successful firm known as Time Safari. Thanks to time travel technology developed by Hatton's employee Sonia Rand, Time Safari allows big game hunters to journey back to prehistoric days and shoot living, breathing dinosaurs. Rand picks out the dinosaur in question, who is soon to die, and creates a floating walkway for the hunters, so the impact of their presence will not be felt by the land around them. But on one expedition, things go horribly wrong when a nervous hunter steps off the walkway and crushes a butterfly, a tiny act that proves to have massive consequences over the course of several million years. As the earth's climate and animal life begin to mutate due to this shift in natural history, Time Safari's leading hunting guide, Travis Ryer, works beside Rand in a desperate attempt to halt the "ripples of time" before modern civilization completely collapses.

This is basically a poor man's version of "Jurassic Park" without all the brilliant special effects, beautiful scenery and great musical soundtrack. It's a little different in that the dinosaurs evolve into new species (like the man eating baboons), but not significantly different to be totally original. Although, this film was based on a short story by Ray Bradbury (author of Fahrenheit 451) which intrigued me, but didn't boost my rating. It wasn't a horrible movie, just not up to par with it's closest competitor in the "don't mess with dinosaur DNA" space. I thinks it's safe to say that there won't be a sequel to this film or any Academy Awards.

Rating: 2 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Edward Burns, Catherine McCormack, Ben Kingsley

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 Ant Bully - Movie Review

Lucas Nickle is a ten-year-old boy whose family has just moved to a new town, and Lucas isn't enjoying it much - he hasn't made any friends yet, his big sister ignores him, his parents are occupied with their upcoming vacation in Mexico, and his loving but slightly crazy grandmother is convinced space aliens are casing out the neighborhood. To make matters worse, the local bully has found Lucas and is making his life miserable, so the boy looks for someone he can push around - and he soon finds a large colony of ants in his yard. Lucas takes out his frustrations by stomping, drowning, and burying the bugs, little realizing the ants see him as a threat to their safety and aren't about take his attacks lying down. Zoc is a "wizard ant" who creates a formula that shrinks Lucas to the size of an insect, and the tiny boy is brought before the leader of the Ant Council and the Queen of the Colony to answer for his crimes against the ants. Showing compassion, the queen sentences Lucas not to death, but to live among them and see how difficult their circumstances can be.

This was a computer-animated dud that couldn't be saved by the Hollywood stars they got to do the voices. The plot was simple and boring - a kid who blindly kills ants by spraying them with a garden hose, becomes one so he can be taught that he shouldn't do that since ants have feelings too. There were a few cute parts and funny scenes, but I was bored most of the time and was glad that it ended in less than 90 minutes. Since the plot is so straightforward, maybe kids would like it since it's easy to follow, but there's really nothing for adults to enjoy. What's worse is that this type of movie has been made before (and better), so it's not even very original. If you want to watch a movie about what it's like to be an insect, try "A Bug's Life" or "Antz" which are both better than this one.

Rating: 2 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Voices of Nicolas Cage, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Paul Giamatti

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.

SJ Sharks vs. Colorado Avalanche - 11/7/06

I took Dan to this game for his birthday since he's an Avalanche fan and this was the first time the Sharks played the Avs at the Tank this year. He wore all his Avalanche garb and I warned him that if the Sharks went up big, I wasn't responsible for what the Sharks fans would do (or say) to him :-) Unfortunately, that wasn't meant to be, but at least Dan was able to see a good game by the Avalanche.

The first half of the game was very even. The Avalanche struck first when Brett Clark scored 11:10 into the first period. The Sharks answered back 2 minutes later when Jonathan Cheechoo scored on a power-play to tie it up. The second period started with Joe Sakic scoring from the goal crease 4 minutes in to put the Avs up by one. Four minutes later, Joe Thornton scored on a long shot to even it up at 2-2. From that point on, it was all Avs.

Brett McLean scored at 14:02 of the second to put the Avs up 3-2. Five minutes later, Brett Clark scored his second goal of the game (third of the season) to increase the Avs lead 4-2 and that's how the second period ended. In the third period, the Sharks had several chances to get back into the game (including a 5 on 3 power-play), but failed to score as Jose Theodore stood strong to get the victory. Joe Sakic provided one last goal as he scored for the second time in the game on the power-play at 7:34 to give the Avs a 5-2 victory.

After that last goal, the crowd was very silent for the rest of the game and a lot of fans started to leave with 10 minutes left. Since the Sharks have been playing great and winning this season, it was a strange sight to see the arena empty at the end instead of celebrating another win. Oh well, you can't win them all and the Sharks were definitely outplayed by the Avs in this one. Happy Birthday Bro!

Score: L 5-2
1st Period
Avs - Brett Clark (Joe Sakic, Wojtek Wolski)
SJ - Jonathan Cheechoo(PP) (Joe Thornton, Milan Michalek)
2nd Period
Avs - Joe Sakic (John-Michael Liles)
SJ - Joe Thornton (Rob Davison, Marc-Edouard Vlasic)
Avs - Brett McLean (Tyler Arnason, Brett Clark)
Avs - Brett Clark (Wojtek Wolski, Andrew Brunette)
3rd Period
Avs - Joe Sakic(PP) (Patrice Brisebois)

SJ SOG: 30
Avalanche SOG: 25
Winning Goalie: Jose Theodore
Losing Goalie: Vesa Toskala

Tickets: Section 211 Row 5

Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest - ACE Train Movie Review

As Will and Elizabeth prepare to exchange vows at the alter, their wedding plans hit rough waters with the arrival of sea-bound scallywag Jack Sparrow. It seems that Sparrow owes a substantial blood debt to half-octapus sea captain Davy Jones, and that the only way for the flamboyant sea rover to elude the wrath of his otherworldy pursuer is to seek the aid of mysterious and powerful Voodoo priestess Tia Dalma, whose ability to resurrect the dead and gaze into the future may provide just the advantage needed to avoid a waterlogged fate in the locker of his legendary nemesis.

This is an all-around great film. The special effects are superb, the props and costumes are outstanding, the dialog is well thought out and the acting is second to none. All of the great characters (and actors) from the first film are back for this one which is a huge plus. The story is very involved, complex and requires you to pay attention if you hope to follow what is going on. This complexity means you can watch it a second time and easily catch something you missed the first time around. The ending is frustrating - not because it's a bad ending, but because it's such a great cliffhanger that I can't wait until the third part of the trilogy to see how it all turns out.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: Yes
Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley

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.

Grandma's Boy - ACE Train Movie Review

Alex is a 35-year-old video-game tester who is happy with his work and is making ends meet - until he discovers that his roommate hasn't paid the rent for the last six months, using the money to finance repeated visits to a local massage parlor. After running out of friends who will let him sleep on their couch, Alex swallows his pride and moves in with his grandma Lily, who loves Alex and is happy to give him a place to stay in exchange for doing chores around the house. Lily shares her home with two friends, perpetually confused Bea and sexually adventurous Grace, and between the three of them, there's always work to be done, keeping Alex busy nearly every night. While Alex tells his co-workers he's living with three attractive women who are running him ragged, they don't know the real story; in the meantime, Alex is trying to charm the beautiful new executive, Samantha, while butting heads with the firm's space-case CEO Cheezle and J.P., a teenage game designer who is no longer in touch with reality.

If you like Adam Sandler's comedies, then you will most likely get a kick from this one. It is produced by Sandler's Happy Madison production company and features many of the actors that made appearances in his past films. However, this movie isn't as funny as Sandler's classics (to be clear, Sandler isn't in this film). Most of the comedy in this film comes from jokes about being stoned and drunk which gets old and not so funny toward the end. There are some very funny parts and some original characters that add a lot to the film. I just think it could have been a lot funnier if the pot references were just one part of the film instead of the main recurring theme.

Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Linda Cardellini, Allen Covert, Peter Dante, Shirley Jones, Doris Roberts, Kevin Nealon

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.

Shopgirl - ACE Train Movie Review

Mirabelle Buttersfield is an aspiring artist in her mid-twenties who moved to Los Angeles, where she works at the glove counter of an upscale department store. Mirabelle's job is simple and not demanding, but it doesn't pay especially well, and she finds herself struggling to get out from under a growing mountain of debt from student loans and credit cards. One night, while doing her laundry, Mirabelle meets Jeremy, a scruffy but likable would-be musician who makes ends meet selling guitar amps. While Jeremy is obviously infatuated with Mirabelle, she isn't sure how she feels about him, especially after she meets Ray Porter, a man in his fifties whom she meets at the store. Ray is independently wealthy, intelligent, and charming, and after asking her out on a date he sweeps her off her feet. However, while Mirabelle quickly falls for Ray and he's generous to a fault with her, he refuses to commit exclusively to her and suggests they should both see other people, a prospect that no longer holds much appeal for her.

For a movie with big name actors, this one certainly had an "independent film" feel to it. The dialog wasn't crisp or always meaningful. The pace of the film was slow and tedious at times. Some scenes seemed pointless (like when Jason Schwartzman's character slept with Bridgette Wilson's character and nothing ever came of it). It wasn't a bad film, it was just a bit boring and awkward - especially watching Steve Martin and Claire Danes getting friendly. So, this is probably more of a chick flick as I'm sure they love the idea of two nice guys competing for their attention, although I'm not sure anyone would really enjoy the slow pace.

Rating: 2 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Steve Martin, Claire Danes, Jason Schwartzman, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras

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.

John Tucker Must Die - Movie Review

John Tucker is the big man on campus at his high school - he's the captain and star player of the basketball team, he's got money, he's good-looking and charming, and he can have any girl he wants. However, the latter attribute is about to get him in serious trouble when three different girls at his school - Heather, Beth and Carrie - discover they've all been dating John at the same time. Determined to bring down the campus ladykiller, the girls devise a plan - they pick a cute but socially clumsy girl who is new at school, Kate, and give her a crash course in stealing John's heart. Once Kate has John wrapped around her little finger, she's supposed to drop him like a bad habit and give him a taste of what heartbreak is really like. However, it seems that the early stages of the plan work a little too well, and John and Kate end up falling for each other for real.

I'm sure high school girls love this film. It features a lot of the petty drama that teenagers live with at school. For me, the movie was a bit too estrogen filled for my taste. It was basically a bunch of girls ganging up to teach a lesson to the school playboy by embarrassing him - not exactly an enthralling plot. Of course, I knew what I was getting into when I watched it, so I shouldn't be surprised. Overall, it's a good film for girls under 17, but a waste for anyone who has graduated high school.

Rating: 2 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Jesse Metcalfe, Brittany Snow, Ashanti, Jenny McCarthy

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.