Archive for January, 2006
Derailed (2005)
Starring Jennifer Anniston, Clive Owen, Vincent Cassel and Melissa George, it’s a movie of lust, blackmail, and revenge.
I may have seen one preview for this movie, tops. I saw Jennifer Anniston in a dramatic role, and Clive Owen is ok, I knew that I would probably try to see this. But I didn’t enjoy the movie as much when I was actually watching it, as I did after I went home and thought about it.
I am sure this concept has been done before. I just know that I didn’t guess what was going to happen, and was surprised at every turn. Jennifer Anniston is evil. She seduces these stupid men looking for the “Greener Grass” and then just as they are about to have their time in a dumpy hotel, a man breaks in, beats the hell out of the man, and what looks like a rape for Anniston.
Soon, the rapist / blackmailer (Vincent Cassel who was equally devious in Oceans 12) starts calling Owen’s house, making money demands. Owen tries to protect his family, his little girl who has serious diabetes, and Anniston who he thinks was raped. His life starts to spiral our of control, his friend is killed, his job is in jeopardy, and he is loosing all of his money.
After the final drop off of money, he finds out Anniston was involved. But, this is what I thought was strange, Anniston and Cassel stick around the city for more victims. Owen follows Anniston and has a plot to get revenge and to stop them. At this point I was cheering him on, so scared and angry that something like this could happen to a semi-decent man (if you forget the cheating). He is involved in a shoot out at the hotel that kills Cassel’s associate in X-ibit, and Anniston.
You think that everything is finished there, but soon we cut to a scene with Owen teaching in a prison rehab center. He has lost his job at the advertising agency, and you aren’t sure where it is going, and how the different opening all ties together. He receives a workbook that has the whole story among many other notebooks with the criminals assignments. Cassel is waiting for him as Owen ventures into the back, where the laundry is done. But Owen walks out alive, all along he had planned on seeing Cassel again. The audience thinks he is dead in the shoot out scene, but he survives at the loss of an eye. Owen knew this, and knew what he had to do to finish it.
I may watch this movie another time, I don’t know. I was caught off guard, and it wasn’t what I expected. It ended good, the regular Joe wins, but it is hard to watch at times, and is pretty brutal and in your face with the violence. If you can handle some violence and like twists, this movie is for you. Sarah actually liked it for the most part, it kept her attention. But I wouldn’t recommend this to my mom, nor to most of my friends. I gave it high markings for an original idea and good acting, so if you like what I rate, you may want to see it just once.
30th January 2006
We have been looking forward to this past weekend since we left Michigan in December.
Saturday was pretty lazy, I worked on any number of things, made some calls, watching some Batman cartoons to relax, and then had some freelance to do at about 3:15 that took me right up to about 5 when Sarah’s parents arrived for the weekend.
Right away her dad was ready to go, looking at an issue that had just come up with my hood, and fixing it, as well as taking a look at some of the other stuff around the house that I’ve had issues with for awhile now, from the register to the smoke alarm, to the backup sump pump and making some adjustments to the outlets in my room.
The rest of the night went by pretty darn quick. We ate some dinner, and then took a walk to Kroger for something to drink. We finished off the night by watching Liar Liar. The movie was my choice, and I picked pretty lucky, like my mom, Sarah’s mom doesn’t tend to like Jim Carrey, but the context for this movie made everyone laugh quite a bit.
Sunday we had some bacon and egg english muffins before church, a nice little treat. This was the first time that the Chapman’s have seen the new sanctuary, and I think they were both impressed. After the service we hung around for a little bit, talking with three or four groups of friends and then showing them around the new addition.
From church we headed to Menards and Staples, were we got all sorts of goodies, brackets to hang things on the wall, new outlets, pvc piping, and at Staples, I bought some racks to set in my file cabinets to hang my folders from. Then, like we do with most guests and since it was right on the way, we had to make a stop at Long’s Donuts.
When we got back, we went right to work on the outlets in my room. We installed a four outlet plug to replace a two and were then able to figure out how to use some phone cable to splice into an existing line and run that cable to a new phone jack in my office. That took us a little while, trying to figure out what plugs were on what circuit in the basement. Once that was done I started to reorganize my room which probably took another hour, and Les started to work on our backup sump pump with Mom and Sarah assisting. By the time I was done, and had completely redone my office and replugged everything in, they were also about done. What a project, I am glad I didn’t attempt it on my own, and Les did an awesome job of course.
We finished off the night by hanging a couple of hooks for the hose in the garage, had some dinner, and played some Batman Uno with some drinks until late.
This morning Sarah had to leave early for school, so I got up and made pancakes for me and the Chapmans to eat breakfast together. I owe them bigtime, he is always making something when we visit, and they are always helping us out. This weekend, it was all the work around the house, Mom even helped Sarah in finishing up the curtains, and this was their anniversary weekend. We gave them gas money, but I know we still are going to give them something just for their special day, but in our ongoing style, it will probably be late.
Liar Liar (1997)
Starring Jim Carrey, Maura Tierney, and Cary Elwes, whether you like Jim Carrey or not, this movie is a classic comedy that is almost ten years old now.
The idea is simple. Jim Carrey is an obnoxious, compulsive liar who is, here’s a stretch, a lawyer. His job is his life, and even though he loves his son, he can never seperate his life from his career. Then one day is called into his bosses office to pitch a client on an idea. The boss is so turned on, she jumps Carrey, and this leads him to lie why he can’t make it to his son’s birthday party. At that party his son wishes that for just one day, Carrey can’t lie. The hilarity of the movie ensues, and everything and everyone he had avoided telling the truth now get and earful.
A role probably written specifically for Carrey, it is over the top, exaggerated, and a perfect fit. I always laugh myself silly when I watch this movie, and we watched it with my wife’s parents. Sarah only started laughing out loud at sitcoms two years after we were married. Her parents rarely laugh outloud at movies from what I have experienced, and even they enjoyed this.
If you don’t prefer Carrey or his humor, this is him in context, his crazy antics are fitting for the role, and it is highly enjoyable. I think everyone should see this movie, there is some language and sexual innuendo, but it is good for most audiences and maybe even to watch with you children. The short out takes at the end expand on the movie, and what a dimension Carrey added to this role. Rent it now if you haven’t ever seen it.
28th January 2006
Yesterday was another productive and lengthy day at work. When I got home I took a real run, a good solid and not difficult run. Sarah and I ate some dinner and then she went into super cleaner mode for today. I tried to stay out of her way, took care of some email questions, got some new music, and later on went and bought a movie. I love this used DVD CD shop down here, there are a ton of movies for $3.99, some for $2.99, and most are $5.99 and up. But you can’t beat that. By the time you see one, you might as well buy one. Renting is just about as expensive for new movies.
Updated: S-T Movies
True Lies (1994)
Starring Arnold, Jamie Lee Curtis, Eliza Dushku, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton and Tia Carrere this is a fun action packed movie about marriage and saving the world by James Cameron.
Real short rundown. Arnold is the secret agent with a legal secretary wife. They have been married for 15 years and she thinks he is a computer salesman. Then, one day Arnold walks into her office, and catches her talking to a man, and thinks she is having an affair. He does some investigating and figures out she is being played by a sleezy guy. In the end, his game goes horribly wrong as they are both taken hostage by the real terrorists. The terrorists have four nuclear warheads and are making cash demands of the USA. Well, you guess it, Arnold wins in the end any everything is safe.
I just love the cast. Paxton plays class A jerks so well, and for me, this is a great role for Arnold. Semi-serious, doesn’t demand him to be too over the top, instead he can be a cocky secret agent who just whoops the bad guy butt. Not to mention, for 1994, this had some great action sequences and effects, from Arnold flying a fighter jet in the city, to the car cash on the Florida Keys bridge and Arnold pulling Jamie Lee out of a burning limo while hanging upside down with one hand. Curtis is no slouch in this movie, and she has this strip tease scene when Arnold is playing her which shows how really beautiful she is. She also plays a decently convincing housewife who is stuck in the middle of something secretive.
Rated R for violence and that striptease scene, I recommend this movie to anyone. A fun movie that will keep you entertained for over two hours, this is timeless classic in it’s own right.
27th January 2006
Yesterday was an efficient day at work, but I didn’t do hardly any work once I got home.
Sarah and I had some time together, to be lazy together and have some fun. I figure I owe her some of those days before I do something else huge for the next three and a half months. She was so patient when I was doing all that freelance.
So we just watched some TV, Four Kings specifically. I took a jog earlier on, a short one, to look for the location of some commercial spaces just south of us here. But that was about all of the excitement for the night, I didn’t turn on the old computer until I woke up from a little nap at about 1:00 am.
Plus, I believe that I finallly have caught up on all of my movie writeups. That makes me feel good, to have accomplished something small.
Updated: M-O Movies
26th January 2006
Work yesterday gave me a headache, so when I got home and after Sarah and I ate together, I took it easy. She left to go to a Pampered Chef party and shopping, I took some pain killers and talked to a couple of friends on the phone for about an hour and a half.
After that, I spent the rest of the night hooking up and programming our thermostat. I did have to go out in search of some wire strippers, first to Target and then the ghetoo Kmart up the road just before 10. The guy at Target told me Sears bought Kmart, is that right?
But, I was able to program my thermostat sitting down at my couch, so that was very nice.
Around 10:15 I toured on my computer and I had to check on something website related and I did some other stuff before Sarah and I went to bed at a reasonable hour.
Updated: H-J Movies
25th January 2006
Yesterday was a pretty standard Tuesday. The day flew by as a result of teaching class in the morning. Then Sarah and I went to a movie in the evening, and I did some write ups on the blog and relaxed the rest of the evening.
Updated: K-L Movies
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