Junior Mints

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

I’ve had this pressing question on my mind for a while now. If there’s such a thing as Junior Mints, shouldn’t there be a candy called Senior Mints? Or how about just Mints? I hadn’t even thought of it until I saw a review for Junior Mints a while ago and decided to write my own review.

For those that haven’t had them before, they’re basically small, roundish candies with mint in the inside and a chocolate coating. They’re the same taste and basic consistency as a Peppermint Patty, but the size and shape of a peanut M&M. You can get three or four per bite, depending on how quickly you want to eat them.

I’m not too big on mint-based candies, mostly because the mint is usually so overpowering, as is the case with Junior Mints. If it was Chocolate with a hint of mint, it wouldn’t be so bad. Instead, the mint is so overpowering that you get mint with a hint of chocolate. I got bored with it pretty quickly. I wouldn’t say no to a free box, but I haven’t actually bought one for myself in a long time.

Another problem that I had was that the Junior Mints would often melt or become fused to each other and the box. This makes them nearly impossible to get out without tearing the box apart. It’s not even a matter of getting the last one out. There were times when I’d open a box and I’d have to peel the box off to get this one huge mess of half-melted Junior Mints. Of course, I’d want to eat it. (I didn’t want to waste my 50 cents.) It wasn’t pretty.

Overall, it’s a two-star candy. Chocolate and mint don’t go well together when the mint is that strong. I’ve had other candies, like Three Musketeers and Hershey Bars that have had a little mint and those have worked fine. Not Junior Mints. There were so many other candy bars that I remember enjoying.

Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar

There are a few big names in candy that everyone knows. Jelly Belly is famous among jelly bean brands. M&M’s are known as the small round chocolate candies. Among candy bars, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar is well known enough that most people would associate Hershey’s with the thin bar.

For those that haven’t seen one up close, it’s a bar that’s maybe six inches by three inches and made of solid milk chocolate. In the traditional variety, there are no nuts, no caramel, no rice, no nothing. Just one bar that can be split up into twelve smaller pieces aligned in a four-by-three grid. They used to come wrapped in foil with a paper wrapper on the outside. Now, I think they use a plastic wrapper.

Back when I used to eat candy bars, I would occasionally get one of these. I’d break off a row or a column to eat. Sometimes, I’d eat one at a time. Usually, I’d just eat the entire thing right out of the wrapper. The only thing I noticed was that my teeth would feel funny. I can’t quite explain it. It wasn’t quite a soreness, but it would always happen with Hershey’s Bars and no other candy. I’ve never heard of anyone else having this problem, but I’ve never really asked anyone.

It might have to do with the fact that the Hershey’s bars are more sugar than most other chocolates. If I eat a bar that’s more cocoa, I don’t get the same problem. I think that’s what’s going to differentiate the Hershey bar from other bars. Hershey’s has more of a mass-produced feel to it. True, most people like chocolate anyway. It’s more like eating a McDonald’s hamburger versus eating one at a better restaurant. McDonald’s still tastes pretty good and is more affordable, but wouldn’t you rather have something from Appleby’s or Chili’s?

If I ever go back to eating candy bars, I may look into buying one of these. It’s been a while, but I remember liking them despite the one drawback. Maybe I’ll just have to eat one piece at a time.

Gourmet Jelly Belly Tropical Mix

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

Usually, when I get Jelly Belly, I get the bag with thirty flavors. Occasionally, the store that I go to is out of them. Rather than go all over town, I’ll just get another variety. I usually only see the Tropical Mix and Smoothie Blend bags, although they do occasionally have sours. Yes, there are other bagged varieties, but I’m not here to write about them. I’m here to write about what I get when my first choice is out, which is the Tropical Mix.

The Tropical Mix is what you’d expect. Jelly Belly has taken their tropical flavors and put them in one bag. I can identify most of the flavors, such as orange and lemon-lime. Banana and green apple are in there, as well. They also have tangerine and pink grapefruit, I believe. I could go on, but I fear it would be an obvious attempt to pad my review. (Come on… Not even the Jelly Belly site lists all the flavors in the bag.)

One thing that I do like about this bag is that it has a higher proportion of flavors I like to beans I don’t like. Lemon-lime is my favorite and lemon and orange are high on the list, as well. It’s kind of fun to not have to eat through flavors that I don’t like a much. There is also one flavor in this bag that I can’t get in the 30-flavor bag. You’re probably asking at this point why this isn’t my first choice. There are certain flavors you can only get in the bigger mix, like peanut butter and I don’t want to have to do without for too long.

They’re pretty easy to eat and tend to be true to the flavors that they’re supposed to be. These are flavors that you might associate with the tropics. So, maybe I won’t instantly be transported to a tropical island, but I don’t expect that. I want candy. (Specifically, I want sugar.) This gives me sugar in an easy-to-eat form. It is nice to have something different once in a while. Sometimes, I will get this one even if the 30-variety bag is available. I’ll sometimes even get one or two of each, just to mix it up.

Just like the other flavors, they’re four calories per bean and fat free. Yes, I’m sure my dentist doesn’t approve. (My parents certainly don’t, as I don‘t have the best dental history.) I give this mix four of five stars. The only thing I could really ask for is for them to come in a resealable bag.

Entenmann's Rich Frosted Donuts

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

I have a thing for sugar. Put me in front of a desert buffet and I'll probably try everything. When I saw that there were candies and deserts, like jelly beans and candy bars, on Epinions, I knew that I had something I could write about.

One product that I'm fond of is Entenmann's Rich Frosted Donuts. You're probably wondering why I'd buy these donuts out of all the donuts out there. After all, I've already said that I have a thing for Krispy Kreme. Dunkin' Donuts isn't that bad and I have one by where I work. So why buy a box of these?

Sometimes I don't want to go that far, so it helps to have a box handy. Yes, I could buy a box from the two aforementioned locations, but those are generally meant to be eaten right away. Their shelf life isn't always that long. (I realize that this isn't always a good thing, but who eats donuts for heath reasons?) Also, these donuts have chocolate frosting with a soft center. I can't get donuts like this at Krispy Kreme or Dunkin' Donuts. I like chocolate and I like soft food. Put the two together and you have something that I will at least try, if not probably like.

As I said, these donuts aren't meant to be health food, which is why I haven't eaten them in a while. Take a look at the nutritional information on a box or online and you'll notice that they have 31% of your total fat and 65% of your saturated fat for the day...per donut. That's not including the 17g of sugar.

That brings up my biggest complaint, which is that they come in a box of 8 full-sized donuts or in a box of 12 miniature donuts. Would it kill them to make a single-serving package? I don't want to buy a box and have it sitting around just waiting for me to eat another. Yes, I could share, but not everyone likes snacks like I do. They'd probably still sit there.

Despite the one big complaint, the donuts get four stars. I do like them, even if I don't always want to eat them. I'd definitely recommend them to anyone that's looking to bring a desert or snack to a meeting or just wants something for the kids. If you ever find them in single servings, please let me know.

Frankenweenie (2012)

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

When I looked to see if Frankenweenie was available to review on Epinions, I was surprised to find out that it wasn’t.  What I found was the original, 1984 version that Tim Burton also made.  Both movies are based on an idea of Burton’s.  The 1984 version was written by Leonard Ripps and ran for only 29 minutes.  In 2012, Burton decided to make a feature-length version, this time written by John August.  (Epinions has the 1984 version listed, which I think may have prevented the 2012 version from being automatically added.)  Anyway, I’ll be reviewing the 2012 version as I haven’t seen the original short yet.

The movie is about a boy named Victor Frankenstein.  He loves science, making movies and above all else, his dog, Sparky.  His father wants him to find new things to love, as most parents would.  Victor keeps to himself, mostly, so his father gets him on to a baseball team.  This leads to a tragic accident that takes the life of Sparky.  Victor is devastated.  However, without this accident, we wouldn’t have a movie.  You see, it isn’t long before Victor’s favorite teacher, Mr. Rzykruski, inspires him with a demonstration of how an electric shock can make a frog’s leg move.  Victor gets the idea to reanimate Sparky.

This is one of those movies where everything goes right, making everything else go wrong.  The reanimation works, but Victor has to keep it a secret, even from his own family.  What would everyone think?  After all, people named Frankenstein don’t have the best track record with reanimated corpses.  This goes well until Sparky gets out and is seen by Edgar “E” Gore.  Pretty soon, many of Victor’s classmates want in on the action.  There’s a science fair coming up and a reanimated corpse would make for a great project.  Each of the classmates wants to reanimate various animals like sea monkeys.  It‘s up to Victor and Sparky to save the day.

This movie is not for everyone.  Tim Burton is one of those directors that is a bit unusual.  He’s directed Dark Shadows, Corpse Bride, Mars Attacks! and Edward Scissorhands to give you an idea.  (There’s also Big Fish and the 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes, which are a bit more mainstreamish.)  Also, the movie is stop motion.  This may turn off some people and interest others.  The movie is a bit dark for smaller children.  You don’t see Sparky killed, but there’s no doubt what happens.  It should be safe for teens and up.

I had gotten this movie through Redbox while my brother was in town.  We had both wanted to see it, so I took the opportunity to use a free code that I had gotten through Checkpoints.  I wasn’t disappointed.  I kind of knew what to expect.  I have no problem with animated features and I’ve liked a few of Tim Burton’s films.  I caught a few references to other pet- and horror-related things.  If you look in the pet cemetery, there’s a turtle named Shelly and a Goodbye Kitty, among other things.  (Not everyone will catch these, so pay attention.)  There are a few other characters, like an Elsa Van Helsing, as well.

The movie had been released in 3-D in theaters.  I would have liked to see the movie this way, but I don’t know if there’s any easy, convenient way of doing this for a video release.  I know you can get durable blue-red stereoscopic glasses for a few dollars, but I don’t know how many people are going to order them when relatively few movies are released in 3-D.  Maybe one day, I’ll get the chance.

IMDb page

Cheez - It Baked Snack Crackers

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

I love snacks. (Who doesn’t?) Sometimes, I go for the sugary stuff like donuts and jelly beans. I have been trying to cut back, so I usually get something like Cheez-Its. Normally, I don’t go for crunchy stuff, but there aren’t a lot of non-sugary snacks that aren’t crunchy. Cheez-Its are baked, which I think usually means that they’re lower in fat, although I’ve never done any sort of comparison.

In any event, I do like cheese and Cheez-Its are cheese flavored. As the back of the box once suggested, they’re big on cheese taste. For those that haven’t seen them, Cheez-Its are small, yellow squares that are lightly salted. They also have a small hole in the middle, which is about the size you’d make with a needle or something. They have different varieties, like spicy or sour cream, but I’m reviewing the classic version here. This is the kind that’s just cheese flavored.

They’re made by Kellogg's under the Sunshine label, which it acquired a few years ago. I like going with a major brand, although a major brand doesn’t always ensure a good product. I have noticed that Cheez-Its will vary on occasion. Some look like they’re a little burnt while others are saltier than normal. The box I’m working on now may have been a little overcooked.

Given the chance, I could probably go through a box in two or three sittings, even though I shouldn’t. Each serving is supposed to be 27 crackers, which works out to be 15 servings per box. I occasionally keep a box at work so that when I’m hungry and can’t go out for lunch, I can grab a few to eat. It cuts down on the hunger without my having to eat a lot.

Boxes usually go for $2.59 each. I usually get them when it’s buy one get one free since I know I’ll be eating them. If $2.59 is too much for you, you can get single-serving bags for 99?. This will at least give you the opportunity to see what they’re like without having to risk wasting an entire box. I have to warn you, though: If you like cheese, you will most likely like Cheez-Its. 

Cheez-It Web site

Er ist wieder da/Look Who's Back (2015)

It would be interesting to see how various historical figures would react to today’s world.  Would Johannes Gutenberg be impressed by how easily words are printed?  How would Jonas Salk react to the anti-vaccine movement?  There’s a Doctor Who episode that has Vincent Van Gogh looking at an exhibition of his work.  Plenty of common people have been pulled out of time in movies.  Just ask Bill and Ted.  Look Who’s Back wonders what would happen if Adolf Hitler suddenly showed up in modern Germany.

It starts with Hitler on the ground wondering what happened.  Where are his trusted advisors?  How did he end up in a park?  Not to far away, Fabian Sawatzki filming some kids for a project he’s working on.  His boss, Christoph Sensebrink, doesn’t like it.  In fact, Sensebrink fires Sawatzki.  It isn’t until later that Sawatzki realizes that he has Hitler on tape.

Sawatzki is able to find Hitler, knowing that he has something that might get him his job back.  He assumes, along with everyone else, that what he has is actually some sort of actor performing satire.  It's like how we all know Borat is really Sacha Baron Cohen.  Hitler obviously must be someone trying to make a point, however distastefully he might be doing it.  Sawatzki has no problem becoming his unwitting accomplice, filming Hitler around the country.  (They decide to make a political documentary.)

It’s a sensitive topic for Germany and the rest of Europe, so there is an inherent danger in doing this.  (Various movies have had problems filming Nazis, as they couldn’t show symbols of Nazi Germany.)  One person even approaches Sawatzki and Hitler to tell them how horrible they are for doing this.  This makes it all the more unnerving that Hitler never breaks character.  Then again, why would he?  He’s Hitler and he’s intent on getting back his former glory.

The movie does take a few liberties.  It is correct that Hitler didn’t do too well as an artist.  However, the movie shows him drawing poorly, whereas Hitler seems to have focused more on painting.  Also, Hitler is said to have possible suffered from Parkinson’s late in his life, with there being reports of his hand shaking.  In the movie, he seemed to be in relatively good health.  Hitler also seemed surprised in the movie that Germany had lost World War II.  He knew that things weren’t going well for Germany.  He eventually shot himself and his wife, Eva Braun, took a cyanide pill.

One statement that had me take to Google was where Hitler says that he was elected, implying that it’s the electorate’s fault.  I’ve heard that he wasn’t really elected, but this may stem from the fact that elections in Germany at the time weren’t what Americans would think of as an election.  His first few public offices seem to have been appointed.  He does seem to have gained office through elections, but it seems that in those instances, it had to do with the fact that his party had the most seats in the Reichstag.  Whichever party got a plurality/majority generally had their leader appointed chancellor.  (If someone can clarify, please leave a comment.)

This is not a movie for children due to the topic.  I’m not even sure it’s a movie for most adults.  This is one of those movies where context will carry a lot of weight and this is reflected in the movie.  In the movie, many Germans are shown interacting with Hitler, some of them saying that they might vote for him.  (I’m not sure if these are actors or actual people hoping to make the final cut.)  In one scene, an elderly Jewish woman recognizes Hitler and yells at him, as she knows exactly who he is and what he‘s done.

That, to me, is the irony of the movie.  There is a level of discomfort watching it.  Writers for a talk show are tasked with making racist jokes.  We feel uncomfortable as the writers go through a few of them.  We’re aware of the historical context, but someone who lived through it knows the context and will have an entirely different reaction.  It would be interesting to watch the movie with someone who lived through that era just to see what they thought of the movie.  (Again, I’d welcome comments.  I’m sure that a few things in the movie went over my head.)

I would say that those involved in the movie did well.   The political element wasn’t forced, but was used to show that Hitler could regain power.  If there’s one thing I’ve constantly heard about him is that he knew how to manipulate.  He came into power not by promising to kill people, but rather by promising a better life for people.  His tactics might be different, given that he didn’t have Google and YouTube in 1945, but his ambition would be the same.

IMDb page

Hitler's Children review

Highlander (1986)

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

I remember first becoming aware of Highlander in high school. (It was right around the time that the TV series began.) There were a lot of other students that were fans of the movie and the series. It took a while, but I finally got into the show, and then the movie.

The movies are about an Immortal called Connor MacLeod. This movie, the first in the series, starts out with MacLeod in Madison Square Garden watching a professional wrestling match. He has to leave in the middle of the event because he senses another Immortal approaching. They meet in the parking garage and have at it with swords. You see, the only way that an Immortal can be killed is by having his head chopped off. An Immortal that isn’t good with swords is a dead Immortal. When an Immortal is killed by another Immortal, the victor gets the loser’s quickening. In a show of stunning pyrotechnics, the victor gets all of the loser’s memories, skills, and energy. In the end, there can be only one. This one will rule the Earth.

After the fight in the parking garage, which MacLeod wins, we go to a flashback. The movie is basically a series of flashbacks. In the flashbacks, we get to see how Connor MacLeod became an Immortal. Basically, Connor went into battle with his clan and was killed by this other Immortal that goes by Kurgan. This was his first death, apparently. (Once an Immortal initially dies, they stop aging.) After Connor is brought back to his clan and prepared for a funeral, he comes back to life. His clan freaks out and banishes him.

He’s destined to wander the Earth until he meets Juan Ramirez, a Spaniard from Egypt who talks with a familiar accent. (Sean Connery plays him.) Ramirez teaches MacLeod everything there is to being an Immortal. For instance, there are some basic rules. You can’t fight on holy ground. When you do fight another Immortal, it’s supposed to be one on one. For some reason, Immortals can’t have kids, even though they’re born as ‘normal’ humans. Also, don’t lose your head, and that’s meant in a literal sense. As I said, the only way for an Immortal to truly die is to be decapitated. (Otherwise, they keep coming back.)

The part of the story that takes place in the present has to do with Kurgan coming after MacLeod. (At first, Kurgan comes across as just wanting MacLeod for his quickening, but MacLeod ends up with good reason for wanting Kurgan dead.) Those that are into the swordfights, science fiction or the sound track (done by Queen) probably won’t mind the storyline. Other than that, the strong point of the story is setting up the other movies and the TV series. The movie offers no reason and little explanation as to why Immortals exist. Ramirez asks why the sun rises. Are the starts just holes in the night sky?

The movie is good versus bad. Kurgan is definitely bad. While MacLeod isn’t someone you’d necessarily someone you’d want your daughter to bring home, he is trying to fight evil and is good mostly by default. He does show other likable characteristics, some of which don’t appear in this movie, but measuring your age in centuries does take its toll. (Ramirez is over 2,000 years old when he first meets MacLeod.) For instance, MacLeod has to keep changing his name and leaving everything to himself. (One point I’d like to bring up is that while his name has changed over the years, his signature shows a great deal of similarity. While I’ve had the same name my whole life, no two of my signatures are the same.)

If you’re just seeing this movie for something to watch one night, I’d suggest you skip this movie. If you’re a fan of the show and are looking for the history, go for it. The main draw seems to be the swordfights and the science fiction aspects of the movies. If not for the fact that the flashbacks were 450 years ago and in another country, they would get a little confusing. Also, the movie shows the actual decapitations, which may be too much for some of people. (The TV series didn’t show the actual decapitations, partly to appease TV audiences and the network and partly to meet budget and production constraints.)

Basically, when deciding whether or not to watch this movie, I’d recommend using your head. 

IMDb page

ICQ

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

When I started with instant messaging, ICQ was the first program that I was introduced to. (It’s supposed to be short for I Seek You.) I just recently started using the program again after a long absence and I have to admit that a lot has changed. (I’ve been using AOL IM recently, but I’ll elaborate on that later.)

Some things are the same. ICQ is still a free program that you have to download from the website, http://www.icq.com. After downloading it and installing it, you’re assigned a number. (If you already have an account, you can still use that one by importing it.) You also select a screen name, which is displayed to others. (Since the number is unique to you, several people can use the same screen name.) If someone else you know uses ICQ, you can exchange numbers and put each other on a contact list, which is basically a list of all of the people that you want to communicate with.

It used to be that text messages were typed into a window and that window disappeared when the message was sent. At some point, ICQ became more like AOL IM in that the window stays open and the text goes into the top part of the window after being typed in the bottom. I think that this has to do with AOL’s acquisition of ICQ. I’ve noticed some other changes that may have come as a result of that. For instance, you couldn’t save your contact list. This meant that if you ever had to reinstall ICQ, you had to find and add all of your friends again. (Regaining your contact list could be especially annoying since you can make it so that you have to authorize people when they want to add you to their list.) Now, when you reinstall it and import your account, the list will be there. (Another benefit of the merger is that you can add AOL IM users to your ICQ contact list and AOL IM users can add you to their buddy list.)

The big draw at first was ease of use. It was very easy to send messages and links, which were done using separate functions. One of the downsides was that people would often forward links that were the equivalent of chain letters. (I stopped getting these after a while, but I don’t know if it was because they declined in popularity or if it was because people learned that I didn’t appreciate them. The same could be said of bad spelling.)
 

It was also very easy to find people. Everyone is listed in a directory. You can find people based on things like interests, location and languages spoken assuming that anyone bothered to fill in that information. You could also post a comment. Many people wouldn’t (and still don’t) respond to random requests to chat, but few ever post such a comment in their profile. Don’t expect to meet a lot of new people through ICQ.

ICQ shows who is online and who is offline by putting the online people on top and putting a green icon next to their screen name. Those that were offline were on the bottom and had a red icon next to their name. Among those that were on, some were listed as being N/A, or not available. Others were simply ‘away’. It was simply a matter of degree; both are used to indicate that you won’t be immediately available to chat with someone. One thing that used to annoy me was when my brother would leave ICQ on and simply go about his business. He wouldn’t put it on away of N/A mode. The idea was to let his friends know that he was on campus and was willing to do something.

If a person’s icon is green, there’s no way to tell if they’re there or not. (As if that’s not enough, if a person’s icon is red, it’s possible that they’re in invisible mode, which means that they want to make themselves known to only a few people.) If someone is offline (or online and invisible) you can still send them a message. If they truly are offline, they’ll get it as soon as they connect to the system. (If they’re online, they’ll get it immediately and decide whether or not to respond to it.)

The real deathblow for ICQ was when a lot of people switched to AOL IM. Had the acquisition occurred sooner or had my friends switched later, I might still be using ICQ. However, I’ve come to like AOL IM better now. The primary advantage is that I can save my conversations in HTML format. (To my knowledge, there’s no way to save ICQ conversations independently of the ICQ program, but it’s possible that that capability was recently added.)

I think that for most people, it’s going to come down to what your friends use. There’s also Yahoo! Messenger and I believe that Windows has its own IM program. (Yahoo! Messenger has its own set of advantages. I don’t know about Windows’s program, as I’ve never used it.) At one point, I might have given ICQ four or five stars, but now, I’d say that it only gets three. I’ve gotten used to AOL IM and the truth is that AOL IM is better. If you have to choose between the two, I’d recommend AOL IM.

Photo a la Carte Postcard Stickers

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

 

 

Back when I worked at Wolf Camera, I came across this product.  The name is a little misleading.  For those wondering exactly what this is, the stickers are actually backing for pictures so you can turn your 4x6 photographs into postcards.  Lets say that you are on vacation or you just got back.  You wanted desperately to send someone a postcard, but you couldn’t see dropping a dollar on one of those professional deals.  That’s where this product might come in handy.

Now, the ones I got were on clearance and I think are an older version of what’s on the web site.  First, mine are 6+3 free, or nine total.  Apparently, they come in packs of 15 now.   Also, the ones I had usually had some sort of message.  The ones I have now say either “I am a baby boy” or “We’ve moved”.  There were generic ones that simply had the lines for the address and the postage-here box.  Still, it’s a great product.

There are a few drawbacks.  First, it’s meant for a 4x6 picture.  If you have one of the newer formats that Wolf Camera offers, like 5x5 or 4½x6, you might have issues.  Yes, you could trim the picture and/or the backing, but who wants to be bothered?  (From what I can tell, this product only comes in 4x6, but you may be able to find other similar products that come in other sizes.)

Also, the backing can be tricky to line up with the photo.  You have to line it up perfectly or risk having someone else’s mail stuck to your postcard.  The ones I have use two pieces that you peel off, much like you’d dine on a self-adhesive bandage.  One is a small strip, maybe a ½ inch in height, which means that you could have the picture and the backing lined up easily before you press down on the adhesive.  From that point, it’s easy to apply the rest of the backing.

One big downside is that you have to get something developed.  This is not a huge problem in the digital age, granted.  The good news is that it will probably cost about the same as a postcard, but you get to select your own image.  If you have a choice, get matte finish, as this is more resistant to fingerprints.  The product comes with nothing to protect your picture at all.  Remember that it’s a postcard and anyone and everyone may be handling it.

The good news is that regular postcard rates still apply.  If you just want to send one picture to a person, but don’t want to have to pay more for the special envelope and the extra postage, you can send one with the postcard stickers.  I’ve used a few of these and I haven’t had much of a problem with them.  Just be sure to press down hard on the backing.

Battery Charger, Universal (CH3450FUJ) for Fuji by Sakar International, INC.

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

I work at a camera store and one of the popular items we sell is battery chargers just like this one. For a year and a half, we’d sell these and wonder how people could lose their chargers. Many people come down to Miami on vacation and leave the chargers at home. (Or come back from vacation and realize that they’ve left the charger somewhere in California.) Others buy the just camera from a pawn shop or receive it as a hand-me-down and need to get accessories.

Either way, I found myself constantly “misplacing” the wires for my Fuji F10. This includes the wire to transfer the pictures to the computer and the wire to hook the camera up to an outlet so that the camera could charge. That’s why I got memory card readers built into my computer. It’s also why I eventually broke down and bought this charger.

To start, it normally retails for $30. It’s not bad considering that it’s a generic charger and charges several other Fuji batteries. This works out well if you have several other Fuji cameras that use the proprietary batteries. (We’ve had at least one customer that was able to take advantage of this with the Canon charger.)

Here comes the confusing part. There are several plates that fit into the body of the charger. You have to figure out which one goes with your battery, and then fit that one on to the base, which goes into the wall or hooks up to the car charger adapter. Your battery then comes out of the camera and fits into the plate.

Many customers don’t seem to get this. I don’t think it has to do with the customer. It’s just hard to explain while the unit is still inside the packaging. That’s why we will often set up the charger for the customer. We’ve had many people come back saying that it doesn’t work, only to finally get it when we set it up.

The charger works well, at least in the house. (Since I don’t have a car, I don’t really have an opportunity to use the car charger.) The only drawback is that, like I said, you have to take the battery out of the camera. This means that the camera will lose power and you’ll have to reset a lot of things.

This wasn’t a big deal for me. It meant resetting only the time and date. However, they make these for batteries that are used in dSLR cameras, which do have a lot of settings. (I’m not sure if that applies to this particular model, as we don’t carry a lot of the Fuji SLR cameras.)

It’s definitely handy to have. It’s too bad that there’s no one else in the house with a Fuji proprietary battery, as I’m willing to share. However, this is going to be useful when I go on a trip. This is much harder to lose than a cord.

Grand Theft Auto 3 (2001)

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

Let me start by saying that I love this game. Originally, it was fro the PlayStation 2, but it had crossed over to the PC realm by the time my brother brought his computer home for summer vacation. He had to take it back with him because, regrettably, the game is too good for my computer. (My computer can’t handle the system requirements.)

The game starts with a robbery gone wrong. Your first task is to find a place to hide and recover. This ends up being your base of operations while you do missions on the first of three islands. Most of the game consists of doing missions for various Mob people, although you can do other missions, which I’ll get to later. You’re stuck on the first island until you go through enough missions. That’s when the bridge opens and you’re allowed to drive across. The subway will also be closed until then. However, if you’re interested in mass transit, you can use the elevated rail to get around the first island.

There’s lots of sex and violence. To give you an example, you can have sex with a prostitute, and then kill her to get your money back. As you do these highly illegal and immoral things, your wanted level goes up. One star means that the police will only chase you if you cross their path. Two stars mean that they come after you. Three stars mean that a helicopter will come after. (IT goes up to six stars, but I won’t admit to being that wanted.) There are ways of getting rid of the police, such as having your car repainted. Should you get arrested, you’ll be fined some money (actually a pay-off) and released to do more harm to society. Should you do something to get yourself killed, you’ll be sent to the nearest hospital and fined a large quantity of money.

The three islands are very detailed. There are a dozen or so “people” (actually templates) that walk around the city, any of which you can beat up or kill, and several dozen cars models, any of which you can steal. This includes taxis and police vehicles. If you steal a taxi, you can actually pick up cab fares for extra money. If you steal a law-enforcement vehicle, like a police car or tank, you can go on Vigilante Missions. (Yes, I said tank.) These missions aren’t necessary to complete the game. You’ll have plenty of game play without them, although I found them useful on the second island. Many of the missions there were extremely difficult without cheat codes. There are also hidden packages to find and insane stunts to perform for bonuses. There are 100 hidden packages; each set of ten you find will get you a new weapon, which can be found near your hideout.

Speaking of weapons, there are about a dozen, including a baseball bat and a flamethrower. I loved the grenade launcher and the sniper rifle, mostly because both of them allow you to aim first. I found the handgun to be extremely difficult to kill someone with. Either my aim wasn’t good or it didn’t do much damage. You have to be careful with the flamethrower because when you set someone on fire, there’s a risk of the fire jumping back on you. Controls for the guns, and for the game in general, are very easy. The only thing I had difficulty with was the drive-by shootings. I guess if I had stuck to the keyboard, it wouldn’t have been so bad, but I got used to using the mouse. Regrettably, there’s no multiplayer. I’d love to be able to go head-to-head over the Internet or a LAN or something.

I spent a lot of time just driving around in a car listening to the radio stations. Each station consists of a loop, each consisting of a different theme. There’s an 80’s station, a rock station, and so on. You can even use your own mp3 files as another station. I’d have liked to be able to have several mp3 folders so that my brother and I could have each had our own station. It was a nice feature anyway.

This game will provide hours of fun for any adult. I do not, under any circumstances, recommend this game for children. There’s way too much to explain to them and even then, they probably wouldn’t understand or comprehend all of it. If you’re a responsible adult, I’m sure you’ll love this game as much as I do.


IMDb page

Daredevil (2003)

Note:   This review was originally posted to my Epionions account.

Movies and TV series based on comic books are nothing new.  There have been all sorts of animated features throughout the years.  It seems like over the past decade, there have been a few live-action big-budget movies made starring big names.  Many were good.  Some, not so much.

In 2003, Ben Affleck stared as Matt Murdock, a.k.a. Daredevil.  Matt’s story starts early; as a child, he was blinded by toxic waste.  The up side is that his other senses are heightened.   He can use his other senses to ‘see’ the world in a Matrix-style way.  He’s also able to leap off of tall buildings and land safely on the ground.  As an adult, Murdock serves as a defense lawyer during the day, helping those that need it most.  Daredevil comes out at night to fight crime in Hell’s Kitchen.  (He seems to pick criminals that the court system lets go.)

In the movie, Daredevil is trying to work against The Kingpin, who runs the area’s organized crime.  Enter Elektra Natchios, the daughter of Nikolas Natchios.  Unbeknownst to Matt, Nikolas has ties to The Kingpin.  Unbeknownst to Elektra, Matt is Daredevil.  Things get complicated when Nikolas wants out.  Enter Bullseye, who is hired by The Kingpin to kill Nikolas.

I don’t want to ruin the entire movie for you, so I’ll stop here.  I did have a few problems, all of which don’t require me to give anything else away.  First, it seemed like the movie went slow, then was rushed.  There were three main story lines to the movie.  One was Daredevil vs. The Kingpin.  Two was Daredevil vs. Bullseye.  Three was Matt becoming romantically involved with Elektra.

Daredevil vs. The Kingpin didn’t really seem that developed, mostly because Daredevil was fighting with Bullseye most of the time.  Both of these relationships seemed like something you’d use over the course of a TV series.  If there is a sequel, Kingpin will most likely be back.

However, Bullseye definitely seemed rushed.  Even though the pacing seemed appropriate, it seemed like Bullseye was used too much too quickly.  He seems like someone that would make a good archenemy.  Even the relationship between Daredevil and Elektra was rushed.  It’s almost like they weren’t planning on a sequel.

Overall, the movie was very dark.  Not only was much of it action, but much of it took place at night.  It seemed like the movie was driven by the fight scenes with the dialogue there only to string the fights together or give them context.  I think one of the overriding themes in the movie was revenge, which really adds to the darkness of the movie.  It’s definitely not something for small children to watch.  I don’t think they’d understand most of the themes.

I don’t read comic books, so I don’t know how the movie holds up to the source material.  However, it seemed like the movie relied on a superhero formula.  Give a hero strength (or at least ability) and give him a weakness.  Fill in the history as needed and you have a superhero.  In this case, Daredevil had most of his senses heightened, but was blind and could be incapacitated by loud noises.  Even Superman had his kryptonite.

What I remember, the coming attractions were a little misleading.  I thought that Elektra’s story would turn out much differently than it did.  It would be interesting to see how they pull one out of this, as most of Daredevil’s relationships in this movie could very well have come to an end.  (Actually, a few did.)  Overall, I really didn’t like Daredevil.  I think if this had been the first comic-book based movie I had seen, I probably wouldn’t have seen many others. 

IMDb page

Rise of Nations for PC

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

For years, I’ve played Age of Empires. I won’t go into the details of Age of Empires here since this is a review of Rise of Nations except to say that the two games are very similar. If you have Age of Empires, you’re probably asking why you should buy this game. Is it really worth spending all of that money just to get a better game? Yes.

I want to warn you that this review is going to seem like it rambles. That’s because there’s so much information that I want to convey that it’s extremely difficult to organize. I’ve left out a few things and there are a lot of things that I’m still discovering about the game. The game itself is very easy to learn, especially if you’ve played other similar games.

Before I get into the technical details of why Rise of Nations is better that the others, it would help to explain what the game is. There are a variety of different games, but the basic idea is to take over a given map. (It’s sort of like the board game Risk.) There are tutorials, which have a slightly different spin and are designed to familiarize you with game play, but even then, you’re still working towards world domination. You get to choose from 18 different races. Each has it’s own advantage. Maybe you gather resources more quickly or you have a higher population limit. The attraction depends on how you like to play.

There are a variety of ways you can play, but I find that most people tend to stick to one type. I usually play what’s called a Quick Battle. It’s very similar to the multiplayer mode, which I play when I can. (That’s one of the advantages of having a home network.) There are various ways to win. You can have a strict conquest, which is where you try to eliminate enemies through war. You can also do it where you build wonders. I think you can even do it on a strict point basis. It’s up to you. (I’d recommend starting with a conquest until you get used to the game.) You can also choose the terrain type or have the computer choose a random variety. You can have it select from all of the map types or chose from the land maps, the water maps, etc. The computer will generate a random map based on what you want.

You start with one city, one library, one scout, a lumber mill, three farms, and several workers. From there, you build and expand. (Some races have bonuses that allow them to start with more, though.) With the library, you progress through ages. Farms are used for food and lumber mills, which have to be built near forests, are used for gathering wood. You have to build mines to gather metal and you have to build lumber camps to gather wood. These building set limits on how many units can gather each resource; if you want to gather more, you have to obtain more of these buildings. Each type of building has an auxiliary building. For instance, mines have smelting plants. The auxiliary buildings help out the workers by allowing them to gather resources more efficiently, sometimes doubling or even tripling output. One thing that you’ll like sometimes and hate at other times is the way idle workers will automatically go to work if there’s a vacant slot nearby. This is great if you want to create citizens and set them to work, but not if you want them to build things.

Also, there’s a display that shows you how many slots are available for each task. That helps, but there’s no easy way to tell where the available slots are. Every building has a hot key. For instance, X will rotate among the missile silos; C rotates between city centers; TAB rotates among buildings that have upgrades available. It would just be nice to have available workers go to any open slot regardless of proximity.

You can only build within your territory, which is marked by your color. (There’s a minimap that shows where you are.) If you’re near the border and you build something that expands your territory, there’s a border that actually moves. If you’re neighboring another nation, their border retreats accordingly. (Or advances when they build something.)

You have a limit on the number of towns you can build and there are other buildings, like farms and universities, which have limits based on the number of towns you have set up. (Usually, it’s five farms and one university per town.) Others, like oil rigs, have to be set up on certain spots. (When you go to set up an oil rig, you’re automatically taken to the nearest oil field. It took me a while to figure out what was going on.)

As you progress through the ages at the library, you’ll get access to better buildings and troops. Military research, for instance, is one of the ways to get certain types of new buildings. It also increases the population limit. Civic research allows for more cities to be built. With enough research, you can do all sorts of things. Around the sixth age, you gain the ability to develop nuclear weapons.

You can allow for anywhere up to 200 to be your maximum population, but some races will allow for more and you can even build wonders, which might increase the cap. (There are many ‘wonders’ including a pyramid, the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower. Unlike Age of Empires, the wonders in Rise of Nations do something. In some cases, they allow for limits to be bumped up. Others generate free units or expand borders.) As for the units, Rise of Nations is a little better than other games I’ve played.

There are other types of games. I don’t really have the patience for a lot of them, but it’s only fair to at least mention them. In some games, you can take over the world in a manner similar to Risk. You have to take over one country at a time until you control the world. There are also tutorials and, as I said, multiplayer. (The only option available for multiplayer is similar to the quick battle.) There are also scenarios similar to Warcraft. For single player, there’s one difficulty for all of your opponents; for multiplayer, you can have a different difficulty setting for each computerized opponent.

The ‘moderate’ setting seems to be where it starts to get challenging. Usually on the ‘easy’ setting, I can beat four opponents. (There’s also an ‘easiest’ setting.) I’d recommend playing a game on easy or easiest to get the feel of the game. Moderate will probably be too difficult for someone that’s still getting the feel of the game. I’ve been playing for a few weeks now and I’m still discovering things about it.

Using the sound is bearable, which is something I couldn’t say for Warcraft. The music was all right, but the repetitious nature of the monologue annoyed me. Most characters had no more than about three lines they said when you clicked on them, and there were a few that you clicked on a lot. “All right,” gets annoying after the 1,000th time. Rise of Nations did away with that, which is a big improvement.

What did get on my nerves were these dialogue boxes that kept popping up to announce major events, like someone advancing to the next age. I still haven’t figured out how to turn this off. Also, you can’t change your capital. (That gets fixed in the upgrade, but that’s for another review.)

The one thing that I absolutely want to warn you about is the amount of resources you’ll need on your computer. I have a relatively new Dell Dimension 2400. It has a 74.4 GB hard drive, a 2.4 GHz Pentium? 4 processor and 256 MB of RAM. The game stalls quite a bit. When I play multiplayer over a LAN, it’s usually my computer that’s the weakest link. I put SETI@home so that it’s not always processing, but that doesn’t usually help much. My brother’s computer seems to be able to handle it. If you have a really good computer, go for it IF not, wait to upgrade. I’m looking into doubling my RAM.

$15 iTunes Gift Card

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

In my never-ending quest to review stuff that a normal person would think unreviewable, I came across the iTunes $15 silhouette gift card.  You're probably thinking that there's not much to write about a gift card.  It's a good thing that I'm not normal.

The iTunes gift card is like many other gift cards.  You buy one of these at a store, such as The Apple Store or Walgreens.  The card is activated when you pay $15 and the cashier completes the transaction.  (I've also seen it where you can get one free when buying several other cards or when you buy something else, like an iPod.)

Once activated, you open iTunes and click on the ‘redeem' button on the main page.  There's an area that you scratch, much like a lottery ticket, that reveals a PIN.  This is what you enter into iTunes.  (This prevents someone else writing down the code and waiting for you to purchase the card.)   Your account is thus credited $15 to use on music, apps or anything else iTunes has to offer.

If I recall, you need some form of payment, such as a credit card or PayPal account, to sign up for iTunes.  If this is true, you may be asking why you'd want to use a gift card.  Not everyone that has a credit card wants to use it.  Some people prefer to use cash.  There are also cases where someone may want to give an iTunes gift card to someone else, but don't have an account of their own.

You have to be careful because there are several different variations on this gift card.  All are fine, since they all work the same way.  The difference is how they're packaged.  The ones that you get at the Apple Store come with a cardboard-like backing.  Others are larger and have a top part that you can break off.  Others are the larger size, but don't have a top part that can be broken off.

With the first two forms, you can remove the unnecessary part and put the working part of gift card in your wallet.  With the third form, you have to hold on to the whole thing.  Also, if you buy the card at the Apple Store, you can get a fitted envelope if you plan to give the card to someone.

The only downside to using the gift card versus a credit card directly through iTunes is that the gift cards come in whole dollar amounts.  ($15, $25, $50 or $100.)  The music is not often sold in whole dollar amounts, so you'll always have a little bit left over.  This isn't a problem; if you want to purchase something that costs more than what you have left, the remainder will be billed to whatever form of payment you have on file.

I should warn you to check your receipt before leaving the store where you bought the card.  I once bought a card from a gas station and the person ringing me up didn't enter it properly.  When I got home, I found that the card didn't work; he had rung it up under a generic code.  Fortunately, the gas station took it back, but I've heard of people that work at airports pretending to ring up a card, but keeping the money instead.

Except for the once instance, the card has always worked.  It's definitely worth looking in to. 

Flight (2012)

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

I had wanted to see Flight in theaters.  It looked like an interesting premise.  A pilot played by Denzel Washington is able to safely land a plane, but catches flak for it.  I was interested to see how this played out.  I figured most of the movie would be about the aftermath, which it was.  I eventually got to rent the movie through Redbox.

The pilot’s name is Will “Whip” Whitaker.  He’s piloting an Orlando-to-Atlanta flight.  He manages to take off during heavy rain.  He’s able to skillfully land the plane when a mechanical failure occurs. He’s also drunk and stoned out of his mind the whole time.  Of the 108 people onboard the plane, only six die.  He managed, while impaired, to pull off what most people couldn’t even attempt sober.

That’s not the point, though.  He never should have been on that plane.  We know it. His lawyer and friends know it.  Whittaker even throws out all of his alcohol, but the message doesn’t seem to take.  He has no problem placing blame on a defective part.  (I suppose if I were facing the possibility of six felony counts, I would do the same.)

Most of the movie is spent preparing for an NTSB hearing.  This makes giving a detailed analysis difficult.  There’s a lot of legal maneuvering and a lot of trying to keep Whittaker sober.  This isn’t easy.  At the start of the movie, he finishes a warm beer and snorts a line.  While talking to passengers before takeoff, he makes a family-sized screwdriver.  (Before you leave a comment, he actually pours several mini vodkas into a large container of orange juice.)

Normally, I hate movies like this.  It’s painful to watch someone on a downward spiral.  The movie isn’t heavy handed about the alcoholism, though.  Yes, he makes a lot of bad choices.  Yes, every time he blames the mechanical failure, I know that he knows that he shouldn’t have been in the plane.  On the other hand, I found myself hoping that he’d avoid trouble.  He’s as functional as they come, but he had no business endangering over 100 people.  Here’s someone that should have gone to AA a long time ago, but has always found a reason not to.  (There was one point in the movie that I felt was a little painful to watch, but I can understand why it was included.)

This is not a movie for children.  Aside from the drugs and sex, there are a lot of things that young children wouldn’t understand.  They may not get the subtleties of the maneuvering.  They may not understand why or how Whittaker could come across as someone we could empathize with.  I think if I had seen this movie when I was 10 or 15, I would have had a totally different take on it.  I would have seen Whittaker simply as a drunk who happened to get lucky.  Which he is, in a way.  He’s a man who knows that he’s wrong, but can’t quite come to terms with his demons. 

IMDb page

The Forgotten (2004)

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

Like some of the other reviewers on Epinions, I had such high hopes for The Forgotten. What I got from the trailers was that a mother finds out that her son never existed and that she’s the only one that remembers him. She goes on a wild chase to find out what happened. If you’ve seen the trailers, you’re going to feel betrayed, or at least grossly misled.

The mother is Telly Paretta, who’s married to Jim. The two had a son, Sam, who died in a plane crash 14 months prior to the time frame of the movie. He’s gotten over it, but she hasn’t. She goes into his room and looks through pictures and handles things of his, such as a baseball cap and glove. She’s seeing a psychiatrist and is making progress. That is until one day, all solid evidence of Sam disappears. Videotapes are erased. Sam disappears from pictures or the pictures disappear altogether. Telly is the only one that remembers her son. According to Jim and the psychiatrist, she had a miscarriage. Telly is certain that she didn’t make up 9 years of her life.

It looks at first like Telly is having a mental breakdown. You may have heard of Occam’s Razor, which states that usually, the simplest explanation is usually the right one. Is she be delusional or could someone have changed or disposed of all of her pictures, erased the tapes and ‘gotten to’ everyone that knew Sam except for Telly? If so, why?

She eventually meets up with Ash, the father of Lauren. Lauren was one of Sam’s friends; they died in the same crash. The funny thing is that Ash doesn’t remember being a father and he certainly doesn’t remember Sam and Telly. Telly is able to get him to remember Lauren and the two go off together in search of answers. Along the way, they’re pursued by local police, the Feds, the psychiatrist and Jim.

That’s when it gets strange. We’re talking X-Files and Unbreakable strange. The problem is that we don’t get the same resolution we get with Unbreakable. In The Sixth Sense, there was this Earth-shattering, mind-warping twist that no one could see coming. It was similar for Unbreakable. With The Forgotten, I could very often tell what was coming next. The end left me wondering how much of it was delusion and how much was real, but that was because the movie spent very little time on the ending.

The advantage that the X-Files had was that it was a long-running series. That lack of resolution for many of the episodes played into the character of the series. That doesn’t happen here. I wanted more answers. I can’t really give you too many of the questions without giving away the movie, but I can give you a few examples. On is the psychiatrist. He knows more than he’s letting on. However, he says things to characters other than Telly that make you wonder. It’s also revealed who’s behind all of this, although they’re never actually shown nor is it explained why they were willing to go through so much effort.

The acting and direction are good. However, the writers could have done so much more with the premise and the story. I could see the movie being the basis for a TV series or a few other movies. At 90-something minutes, they could have at least added more footage. It’s not like they didn’t have the extra time.

In the end, the movie left too many loose ends and ultimately required too many leaps of faith. I can’t give this movie more than three stars. It’s entertaining, but not really satisfying. I didn’t come away from the movie feeling like it was worth the position in my NetFlix queue. 

IMDb page

Vampires: The Turning (2005)

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

I recently got digital cable. With digital cable came On Demand. One of the great things of On Demand is that they have a selection of free movies. Some of the free selections are pretty good, depending on your taste in movies. I’ve found that most aren’t particularly memorable. Take, for example, Vampires: The Turning. I took a look at the description and saw to things: Vampires and Thailand. So, I’m thinking hot Asian vampires. It turned out that there was only one female vampire and, while she was pretty hot, that alone wasn’t enough to make up for the rest of the movie.

The story begins with two American tourists, Connor and Amanda, watching a fight. He’s way more interested in it than she is, mostly because he studied the form of martial arts that they’re using. She walks out and gets lost in a crowd. He follows her, but can’t find her. It’s not long before a stranger finds the lost woman and ‘offers’ to help her back to her hotel. Turns out he’s a vampire and Connor arrives just in time to see Amanda as an unconscious passenger on his bike.

One of the guy’s cronies tries to kill Connor, but a mysterious man slays the vampire crony and warns Connor to go home. Don’t bother trying to rescue Amanda, as she’s as good as dead. Don’t go to the police, either, since they won’t do anything. Oh, and if Connor follows the mystery man, he’s as good as dead too. So, what does Connor do? Of course, he follows the guy and then goes to the police. Once the police officer hears what Connor has to say, he tells Connor to wait 48 hours before filing a missing persons report.

Connor goes back to the mystery guy’s place tog find a whole hive of vampires, led by the aforementioned hot Asian vampire. Rather that cower in fear, he teams up with them to get his girlfriend back. There’s a possibility that she’s still alive and if she’s still alive, there’s a possibility of getting her back, even if she’s turned.

It all stems from Sang, the female vampire. 800 years ago, she bit someone in rage and that person turned, or became a vampire. From that one bite, all of the evil vampires (and good ones, too) descended. The original bite was during a special eclipse, which apparently means that if she exposes herself to the same eclipse, she dies and all the remaining vampires go back to being mortal again. Connor gets the idea to become a vampire so he has a decent chance of kicking some vampire butt. If he’s successful, he’ll become mortal again. With an attitude like that, how can you lose?

If you’re like me and like vampire movies, I wouldn’t recommend paying money to see it. Free was just about the right price. Most of the movie was about the fighting. The script was pretty bad, there was no real suspense and the acting was just above par, assuming you’re not expecting too much.

Aside from the fighting, the only reason to watch vampire movies is the women. There is something very erotic about watching a women get bitten and/or turn. As I said, there was one who was very attractive, but she was already a vampire. The other wasn’t as attractive, but I did enjoy seeing her get bitten.

Supposedly, this was the third in a series, but the movie didn’t seem like a sequel. It seemed like a self-contained story and I didn’t get any sense that I was supposed to know something. I might see if I can get the other two movies for free and see if they make sense in the context of this movie. From what I’ve read and heard, this is simply the third movie to use Vampires as the main title.

This movie is two-star material, and I only say that because I do like vampire movies. It was only 84 minutes, which wasn’t too bad. It didn’t drag at all. If you happen to get this movie free on demand, go for it. If not, don’t bother looking for it in the video rental place. 

IMDb page

Final Destination (2000)

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

I had originally planned to see this movie when it first came out, but when I got to the theater, I found out that the listings in the paper were wrong and the movie had been playing for a little while. I didn’t get around to watching the movie until recently, when I rented the movie from NetFlix.

It’s an interesting premise. Devon Sawa plays Alex, a student on his way to France with a class trip. Somehow, he’s allowed to see the plane crashing. He and several other people (including two teachers) leave the plane. One teacher gets back on while the other stays with the six students, agreeing to catch the next plane out. As they’re arguing about what went on, the plane actually blows up, as per Alex’s vision.

Understandably, Alex gets the attention of the FBI, but since there’s no real evidence that Alex did anything, they have to let him go. Of the other six people that he saved, very few seem to be appreciative. The teacher is flat out scared of him now. A friend of his wants to remain friends, but has parents that aren’t as understanding. That’s a heck of a way to treat someone who saved your life.

Over a month goes by without incident. Then, the seven people start dying. Is there some sort of master plan? Alex seems to think so. He notices certain coincidences, such as the fact that the people are dying in the order that they would have had they stayed on the plane. Then again, it’s possible that he’s reading too much into it.

It wasn’t a great movie, but I wouldn’t recommend avoiding it, either. It’s just one of those movies where there are a lot of questions. For instance, why allow Alex to see Death’s plan? Once that happened, why wait over a month to start killing the people? Are we to believe that Death was bored? The thing is that before the other survivors are killed, Alex is given new premonitions, meaning that he’s being given the chance to save them again.

The movie was a little slow to start, but I eventually got into it. I was actually debating whether or not to just send it back without watching it. I can’t say that it’s my favorite movie, but it was worth watching. I have to admit that Tony Todd was perfectly cast as the mortician. Also, I noticed that Devon Sawa bears some resemblance to Anthony Michael Hall of The Dead Zone, another show where premonitions play a big part. (Any resemblance is purely coincidental since the TV series had yet to premiere when this movie was released.)

The movie is worth three and a half stars, but I’m rounding up, mostly because it was just an interesting movie. If you’re looking for something to watch and not really think about too much, this is your movie. If you’re looking for something with a little more substance, you might want to look elsewhere. I’m actually debating over whether or not to get the sequel. 

IMDb page

Hail, Caesar! (2016)

It seems like there’s always some major celebrity event going on.  There are divorces, arrests, tyrades, feuds and all manner of other things to fill the magazines and tabloids.  This isn’t to say that all of it is true, but there is the ever present celebrity gossip/news.   Growing up, I asked my mother why it seemed like stars from her childhood didn’t seem to have any scandals.  Did celebrities not have affairs when she was my age?  Did they simply not make it into the history books?  The truth was that studios had people like Eddie Mannix.

Eddie Mannix is head of physical production for Capitol Studios.  He deals primarily with damage control.  The movie is set in 1951 and Capitol is making a movie called Hail, Caesar of all things.  Hail, Caesar stars Baird Whitlock, played by George Clooney.  Whitlock isn’t that bright.  He can act alright, but he manages to get himself kidnapped very easily by a group of Communists calling themselves The Future.

When Whitlock wakes up, he starts to hang out with The Future not realizing that they’re asking for $100,000 in ransom.  Mannix not only has to deal with the ransom demand, but he has to contend with competing gossip columnists Thora and Thessaly Thacker.  (It doesn’t help that they’re twins.)  Add to this a pregnant actress who doesn’t seem to be in any rush to marry the father.  His solution is to have her put the child into foster care so that she can adopt the child without public finding out she‘s the mother.  Oh, and there’s the Western star, Hobie Doyle, who’s forced by the studio to star in a period piece.   Doyle has no business being in a period piece and everyone knows it, but it’s what the studio wants.  This makes an offer from Lockheed very appealing, as he’d be done with all of the stress.

I was able to watch the movie on a flight back to Miami a few weeks ago.  I kind of wish that my parents had watched it, as well, because I suspect that a lot of the context is lost on me.  Apparently, there was an actual Eddie Mannix who worked for MGM.  It appears that the similarities are tenuous, but most of the characters do seem to have real-life counterparts.  The real Mannix did try to cover up a pregnancy of an actual star.  Many of the problems that he had to deal with actually did happen to someone, at least on a superficial level.

A good deal of the context was lost on me, as I grew up in the 1980s.  This isn’t to say the movie can’t be enjoyed by younger audiences.  It’s just that I don’t think Westerns have ever been really big in my lifetime, at least in the sense that they were big for my parents when they were growing up.  There are many one-off scenes that mirror actual scenes in movies or pay tribute to a particular style of film.  I don’t think there are any similar styles in production today.

I wish I had someone to discuss this with, particularly someone who knows more about that era.  I don’t know how much was lost on me, exactly, or how it would have affected watching the movie had I known more.  The movie was still entertaining to me.  It was fun watching Josh Brolin and George Clooney play their respective roles.  I also caught a few cameos from actors like Jonah Hill and Robert Picardo.  (I know.  I can’t help but point out Trek actors in non-Trek roles.)    The fact that it was set in 1951 didn’t bother me at all.  I do wonder, though, what the present day will look like in movies sixty years from now.

IMDb page

Meatball Machine (2005)

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

Every so often, Epinions has a promotion with first reviews.  Every so often, I feel the need to watch a movie few others can sit through.  What do you get when you put these two things together?  You get a review for Meatball Machine.  The movie is 93 minutes long.  Ten minutes in, I thought of shutting it off.  Twenty minutes in, I couldn’t believe that I still had an hour to go.  After that, it started to pick up, but that’s not saying much.

The movie starts with someone hunting down aliens to kill them.  Not much is explained about who he is or why he’s doing this.  He is, however, dragging his daughter along for the ride.  We also have Yoji, a factory worker who doesn’t seem to hang out much with his boss and coworkers.  He does like to sit and sneak peeks of Sachiko, a woman who works next door.   After work one day, his neighbor walks in on him while he‘s practicing a little self love.

The action begins maybe ten minutes later when Yoji is visiting an adult theater.  Someone sits down next to him.  We soon realize that this someone is a transvestite.  Yoji keeps rejecting his advances until he has to walk out of the theater to get away.  The transvestite takes offense and beats the crap out of Yoji.  While Yoji is recovering, something drips on him.  He looks up to find an alien, which he takes home so he can study it further.

As he’s walking home from a prostitute his roommate hired for him, he finds someone trying to rape a woman.  Turns out that the woman is Sachiko and the man is his boss.  He tries to fight his boss, but once again gets the crap beaten out of him.  The boss walks away, leaving Sachiko to walk Yoji home.  Bare in mind that this is all within the first half hour of the movie.  We still have an hour to go.

When they get back to his place, Sachiko and Yoji admit that they’ve both been checking each other out.  He starts to undress her, but she reveals that she has a scar on her chest and that her father put it there.  As she’s recounting this, the lights start to flicker and the alien comes to life and attaches itself to her.  Once again, Yoji gets the crap beaten out of him.  When the neighbor walks in on them, Sachiko kills him violently.

When Yoji wakes up, he finds himself in a strange apartment.  The guy from the beginning is there with his daughter.  His daughter has one of the aliens on her neck.  The father explains that the aliens are parasites that use a host body to fight.  The winner literally eats the loser.  He explains about how the parasite can make the host feel all the pain and can even use the host’s memories.  How he knows this, I’m not sure.

The important thing here is that he’s breeding the things.  He infects Yoji with one so that the parasite will grow to maturity.  The father has been feeding the things to his daughter so that he can keep her alive.  Yoji is able to keep the parasite from taking full control, but still ends up killing the father.  He walks out in search of Sachiko, leaving the daughter alone.

What follows is about an hour of the weirdest fight scenes you’ve ever seen.  The parasites have the ability to ‘mutate organs’ into whatever they want, as the father put it.  Yoji ends up with an ‘enhanced’ hand covered in what looks like Styrofoam.  I should warn you that this is in no way a movie for children.  It’s not even a movie meant for most adults.

In one scene early on, a young boy is attacked and taken over by one of the aliens.  The boy is then hit and brutally killed by a car.  The car’s driver is then taken over by the alien.  You don’t see the actual impact, but you see a hand and part of the arm hit the ground as well as the shoes with feet and parts of the legs still in them.  In the scene where Sachiko is being taken over, the alien has a tentacle essentially rape her.  Again, you don’t see the actual penetration, but we get the moaning to let us know exactly what’s happening.

This is probably on par with the worst movies I’ve seen, at least in terms of production values.  We’re talking Abraxis: Guardian of the Universe/Future War bad.  The movie looks like it was shot on a home camcorder.  The acting was at least decent.  The actors are listed in other movies on IMDb, but not having seen many of the movies, I can’t say how good they are.  (Interestingly, Issei Takahashi, who played Yoji, was in the Japanese cast of Whisper of the Heart and Kill Bill, Volumes 1 and 2, all of which I liked.)

This is one of those cases where it’s hard to say where the movie went wrong.  More money probably would have helped the production values.  However, as with Abraxis, big names and some money aren’t necessarily the answer.  It’s possible to have the best talent, the best story and heaps of money and still not come out with a  good product.  At least with this movie, there is potential.  Clean up the writing a little and get a decent camera and you could have something.

Most of it is that the first twenty minutes are so hard to watch.  I think a lot of people watching this movie will shut it off before it gets interesting.  For those that make it, you do get hooked and keep watching.  By the time you get to the scene where Yoji is taken over, I actually wanted to see how it ended.  On that note, I spent the entire movie wondering where Meatball Machine came from.  (Having seen the ending, I’m still wondering.)

This is one of those movies I’m not sure if I can recommend.  I’m not giving it many stars, but that’s not to say it’s not worth watching.  I don’t know that I can recommend paying money for the movie unless you’re really in to bad movies.  I was able to watch this through Netflix’s Web site, which means that I didn’t have to wait for it to come in the mail or pay anything extra for it.  In fact, the only reason I found this movie was that I was looking through Netflix’s selection of movies I could stream to find something that hadn’t been reviewed on Epinions yet.  (I have two other selections bookmarked.)

If it comes on a movie channel (not a broadcast network) and you can watch it uncensored, go for it.  I think if they removed the adult aspect of it, it would take too much away from the movie.  Just make sure the kids aren’t around. 

AT&T ATT-982 2 Lines Corded Phone

Note:  This review was originally posted to my Epinions account.

Last year, it came time to replace the four phones we had at work. We had five lines, but the decision was made to go down to two lines. (It was pretty rare that a third line was ever used unless several people were calling out.) When we got the phones, we set them up pretty easily. I have to say that I haven’t really thought much about them since, and I mean that in a good way.

Knowing that I was possibly going to review these phones, I took it upon myself to learn as much as possible about them. Yes, I know. It’s a phone. How much could I learn from the manual? One of the few things that I did learn was that you need to pay for two lines to be able to use the two-line functionality. (The phone won’t split one line into two.)

The phone has a 24-number speed-dial memory capacity. I decided to program the phone myself, starting with my cell phone and the cell phones of several other employees and several other stores in the area. (Before you accuse me of being egocentric, I needed a way to test my ability without bothering anyone else.)

The speed dial uses 13 buttons. Twelve are assigned two numbers each; the thirteenth is used to select the lower of the two numbers. For instance, if you want the first number, you press the first speed-dial button. (For the second number, you press the thirteenth button, and then the first speed-dial button.) Having read the manual, I knew how to do this. However, it’s not always apparent to someone who hasn’t read it. Most of my coworkers don’t bother using it, especially considering that they already have many of the important phone numbers memorized.

The phone even comes with a piece of paper that you can put on the button area of the phone to label the different buttons, which is pretty common. However, we only got one per phone. I don’t know what you’re supposed to do if you have to reprogram the phone more than three times. Also, they’re not adhesive; we had to tape one of them to the phone because it kept falling off.

Now that I’ve spent three paragraphs on the speed dial, let’s go back to the two-line functionality. One of the things I like about the phone is that each line has a different pitch. If a call is coming in on Line 1, you get a lower pitch than if it’s coming in on Line 2. You wouldn’t think that this is useful, but it is. It makes it easier to tell if the first line is in use. (Since both lines have a separate phone number, it is possible that Line 2 might ring first, but it’s pretty rare.)

Each line gets its own button, letting you select that line. Above each button are two LED lights. One is green and flashes if someone is calling. The other is red and lets you know if that line is engaged. If you put a call on hold, the phone that put that call on hold will have a blinking red light for that line. (All of the other phones will still have the solid red light.)

The only other feature that I want to mention is the speakerphone. It’s useable, but it’s not great. We’ve used it a few times and have had to shout into it to get the other person to hear us, even though we could hear them fine. It’s best for when you have to call out or are put on hold for a long time.

This is a four-star phone. It’s not incredible, but it does get the job done. We haven’t had any major problems with it, unlike the phones that they replaced. Ultimately, it’s a phone. You need something that’s not going to drop your calls or give you too much static. As long as it works, everyone is happy. There are several other features, such as a data port and a place to plug a head set in, but we don’t really use these. I also recommend hanging on to the instruction manual. As easy as everything is, you may need a reference later.