Mile Hi - New Things

I watched a movie entitled Taken with Liam Neeson and Maggie Grace, that came out on January 30, 2009. This is a French thriller film where Neeson plays a former CIA operative who sets about tracking down his daughter after she is kidnapped by human traffickers while traveling in France. Moments before she is dragged away by the as yet unseen and unknown assailants, she manages to phone him, who begins to expertly piece together clues that will take him to the darkness of Paris's underworld. He will let nothing and no one stop him from saving his daughter. A sequel, Taken 2, is set for release on October 5, 2012. The movie was ok, it had a lot of fighting, car chases, and action. I'm not sure what Taken 2 will be about, as it was a 'happy' ending. IMDB gave it a 7.9 out of 10 and I would give it a 6.9 rating. What did you do today?

I didn't have time to post the last night, therefore I'm posting this late as this occurred yesterday (Mon 8/27/12). We watched a movie entitled Definitely, Maybe with Ryan Reynolds, Rachel Weisz, Elizabeth Banks, and Abigail Breslin, that came out on February 14, 2008. This is a romantic comedy film about a thirtysomething Manhattan dad that is in the midst of a divorce when his 10-year-old daughter starts to question him about his life before marriage. She wants to know absolutely everything about how her parents met and fell in love. So he relives his past as an idealistic young man learning the 'ins' and 'outs' of big city politics, and recounts the history of his romantic relationships with 3 very different women. As the daughter puts together the pieces of her dad's romantic puzzle, she begins to understand that love is not so simple or easy. And as the dad tells her his tale, she helps him to understand that it's definitely never too late to g...

I didn't have time to post the last night, therefore I'm posting this late as this occurred yesterday (Mon 8/27/12). We watched a movie entitled  The Ides of March  with Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood, and Marisa Tomei, that came out on October 7, 2001. This is an American political drama film and adaptation of Willimon's 2008 play  Farragut North . It is about the frantic last days before a heavily contested Ohio presidential primary, where an up-and-coming campaign press secretary finds himself involved in a political scandal that threatens to upend his candidate's shot at the presidency. The Ides of March was featured as the opening film at the 68th Venice International Film Festival and at the 27th Haifa International Film Festival and was shown at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. In addition, 'Ides of March' is the name of the 15th day of March in the Roman calendar. The movi...

I didn't have time to post the last night, therefore I'm posting this late as this occurred yesterday (Fri 8/24/12). We watched a movie entitled Prison Break: The Final Break  with Wentworth Miller, Dominic Purcell, Sarah Wayne Callies, and Jodi Lyn O'Keefe that came out on July 21, 2009. This is a television movie of the Prison Break franchise that serves as the series finale of Prison Break . In the United States, the movie was 1st released on DVD and Blu-ray. This movie came out after the TV series was over but the writers thought there was more story to tell. The movie covers the events which occurred in between the downfall of The Company, and the revelation of Michael Scofield's death, which were not explained in the finale of the series. It details the arrest and incarceration of Sara Tancredi for the murder of Christina Scofield, the final escape plan which Michael devises for Sara, and the details surrounding Michael's death. Basically, Michael mus...

I watched a new movie today. It is a little embarrassing to admit, but I watched Drew Peterson: Untouchable  on Lifetime Movie Network . It is based on a true story of Drew Peterson, police sergeant who is suspected of killing his 3rd and 4th wives. Peterson has repeatedly denied involvement in both cases. On May 7, 2009, Peterson was indicted by a Will County IL, grand jury and charged with the murder of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. Peterson currently resides in the Will County Adult Detention Center in Joliet, IL, awaiting trial. Crazy story, I remembering hearing about it everyday when it was happening since I lived in Chicago. Trials are still going on today. You can read more about Peterson here,  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drew_Peterson . What did you do today?

I didn't have time to post last night, therefore I'm posting this a day late as this occurred yesterday (Sat 8/11/12). We watched a movie entitled My Week with Marilyn with Michelle Williams and Eddie Redmayne, that came out on November 23, 2011. It is a  British   drama film based on 2 books by Colin Clark that depicts the making of the 1957 film The Prince and the Showgirl , which starred Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier. The film focuses on the week in which Monroe spent time being escorted around London by Clark, after her husband, Arthur Miller, had left the country. For her portrayal of Monroe, Williams was awarded the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Motion Picture. She also earned Best Actress nominations from the Academy Awards and British Academy Film Awards. I thought it was an ok depiction of Marilyn Monroe, some parts a little slow. It is possible that I may have fallen asleep for a bit. IMDB gave it a 7.1 out of 10 and I woul...

We watched a movie entitled The Hangover Part II with Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, and Justin Bartha, that came out on May 26, 2011. American comedy film distributed by Warner Bros Pictures, and a sequel to 2009's The Hangover . Phil, Stu, Alan and Doug travel to exotic Thailand for Stu's wedding. After the unforgettable bachelor party in Las Vegas, Stu is taking no chances and has opted for a safe, subdued pre-wedding brunch. However, things don't always go as planned, resulting in another bad hangover with no memories of the previous night. What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what happens in Bangkok can't even be imagined. Despite receiving mostly negative reviews from critics, it became the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all time. I thought it was a ok, only a few parts were funny. The biggest problem was it was too similar to the 1st one (replace losing 1 friend with losing a brother-in-law, replace tiger with monkey, replace pullin...

We watched a movie entitled  50/50  with Joseph Gordon-Levitt  and  Seth Rogen, that came out on September 21, 2011. It is a comedy-drama film written by Will Reiser that is loosely inspired by Reiser's own experience with cancer. Adam Lerner has a pretty great life - a talented girlfriend and a cool job. But when Adam discovers he has a rare and possibly fatal form of cancer (schwannoma neurofibrosarcoma in his spine), his entire life turns to chaos. His best friend uses Adam's condition to get girls, his overbearing mother loses sight of him in her own fears, and his inexperienced therapist struggles to keep up with the needs of her 3rd client ever. The movie is about his subsequent struggle to beat the disease. The film was nominated for 2 awards at the 69th Golden Globe Awards. Levitt received a nomination for Best Actor (Musical or Comedy) and the film itself was nominated for Best Picture (Musical or Comedy). I thought it was a good movie with serious d...

I didn't have time to post last night, therefore I'm posting this a day late as this occurred yesterday (Fri 7/6/12). We watched a movie entitled Moneyball with Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Robin Wright, that came out on September 23, 2011. It is a biographical sports drama film that is based on Michael Lewis 's 2003 book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game , an account of the Oakland Athletics baseball team's 2002 season and their general manager Billy Beane 's (would-be baseball superstar) attempts to assemble a competitive team. Heading into the 2002 season, Beane faces a situation where his small-market Oakland A's have lost their 3 star players to big market clubs (and their enormous salaries) and is left to rebuild his team and compete with a 3rd of their payroll. Beane takes on the system by challenging the fundamental tenants of the game. He looks outside of baseball, to the dismissed theories of Bill James, and hires P...

We watched a movie entitled Kung Fu Panda 2 with the voices of Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, and Lucy Liu, that came out on May 27, 2011. It is a 3D American computer-animated action comedy film, produced by DreamWorks Animation. It is the sequel to the 2008 film Kung Fu Panda , in which Po, a Dragon Warrior, and his friends, The Furious Five, battle to stop a would-be conqueror with a powerful new weapon that will conquer China and destroy kung fu. The giant panda must discover a disquieting link to his past in the process to unlock the strength he needs to succeed. The film was nominated for the 2011 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 84th Academy Awards. It is an interesting adaptation of the original Disney movie I saw so long ago. IMDB gave it a 7.4 out of 10 and and  I would give it a 6.9 rating. What did you do today?

I didn't have time to post last night, therefore I'm posting this a few days late as this occurred 2 days ago (Fri 6/22/12). We watched a movie entitled Knight and Day with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, that came out on June 23, 2010. It is a romantic action comedy film that apparently went through a period of "development hell", which included a prior film director and multiple writers that worked on the script. It is about a woman that is caught between a covert agent and those he claims set him up. As their globetrotting adventure erupts into a maze of double-crosses, close escapes, false identities, and head-spinning romantic snafus, they come to realize that all they can count on is each other. It had some good action scenes and some comedic relief. IMDB gave it a 6.3 out of 10 and and I agree with that rating. What did you do today?

We watched a movie entitled Alice in Wonderland with Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, and Crispin Glover, that came out on March 5, 2010. It is an American computer-animated/live action fantasy dark comedy adventure film directed by Tim Burton, inspired by Lewis Carroll's 1865 fantasy novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland . It is about 19-year-old Alice returning to the world she 1st encountered as a young girl in her dreams, reuniting with her childhood friends: the White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Dormouse, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, and of course, the Mad Hatter. She is told that she is the only one who can slay the Jabberwocky, a dragon-like creature controlled by the Red Queen who terrorizes Underland's inhabitants. Alice embarks on a fantastical journey to find her true destiny and end the Red Queen's reign of terror. It is an interesting adaptation of the original Disney movie I saw so long ago. IMDB gave it a 6.5 out of 10 and ...

I didn't have time to post last night, therefore I'm posting this late as this occurred yesterday (Sun 6/3/12). We watched a movie entitled Yogi Bear with Dan Aykroyd (voice of Yogi Bear), Justin Timberlake (voice of Boo-Boo), Anna Faris, and Tom Cavanagh, that came out on December 17, 2010. It is an American live-action film adaptation of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series The Yogi Bear Show . Yogi is a talking brown bear who enjoys stealing picnic baskets from visitors to Jellystone Park. The movie is about a Mayor that decides to shut Jellystone Park down and sell the land. That means families will no longer be able to experience the natural beauty of the outdoors. Yogi must prove that he really is "smarter than the average bear" as he and Boo Boo join forces with their old nemesis Ranger Smith to find a way to save Jellystone Park from closing forever. It's a kid's movie but I thought some parts were entertaining. IMDB gave it a 4.3 out of 10 and I woul...

We watched a movie entitled X-Men: First Class with James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, January Jones, and others, that came out on June 3, 2011. It is an American superhero film based on the X-Men characters appearing in Marvel Comics. The 5th installment in the X-Men series, the film acts as a prequel for the X-Men trilogy, being set primarily in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. It is before the mutants had revealed themselves to the world, they were young men and women discovering their powers for the 1st time. They were at 1st the closest of friends, working together with other Mutants, to prevent nuclear Armageddon. I'm not a big sci-fi or comic book fan but it had a few good action scenes. IMDB gave it a 7.9 out of 10 and I would give it a 7.0 rating. What did you do today?

I didn't have time to post last night, therefore I'm posting this late as this occurred yesterday (Fri 5/11/12). We watched a movie entitled Horrible Bosses with Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell, Jennifer Aniston, and Jamie Foxx, that came out on July 8, 2011. It is black comedy (gallows humor, dark comedy) film about 3 friends that have intolerable bosses where quitting is not an option. One night, after a few drinks and some advice from a ex-con, they decide to murder their respective overbearing, abusive bosses. So they devise a convoluted and seemingly foolproof plan to rid themselves of their respective employers...permanently. There's only 1 problem: even the best laid plans are only as foolproof as the brains behind them. It was entertaining, but not super funny. It was 1 of those men acting stupidly movies. IMDB gave it a 7.0 out of 10 and I agree with that rating. What did you do today?

I didn't have time to post last night, therefore I'm posting this late as this occurred yesterday (Fri 4/13/12). We watched a movie entitled Hanna with Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, and Cate Blanchett , that came out on April 8, 2011. It is European-American action thriller film about a ex-CIA German man (who has a secret) that trains his 16 year old 'daughter' to be a skilled assassin in the forest of northern Finland. When he thought she was ready for her mission to kill a CIA officer (who killed Hanna's mother), he told her to flip a switch, which alerted the CIA their whereabouts. The dad runs away and they are to reunite in Berlin in a few days. Hanna travels through Morocco, Spain, then Germany. All along the route she is being hunted by assassins. As she nears her ultimate mission, Hanna faces the secrets about her existence and unexpected questions about her humanity. It was a crazy, weird, tripy, Euro American movie! IMDB gave it a 6.9 out of 10 and I agree...

I didn't have time to post last night, therefore I'm posting this late as this occurred 2 days ago (Fri 4/6/12). We watched a movie entitled Couples Retreat with Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau,Malin Akerman, Kristen Bell, and Kristin Davis, that came out on October 9, 2009. The film is directed by Peter Billingsley (Ralphie in A Christmas Story). It is comedy about a couple who are having difficulties in their marriage so they would like to go to a island resort (shot in Bora Bora) with their friends that offers marriage counseling. The troubled couple convinces them to go on this relaxing vacation. Little did the couples know that the counseling was mandatory for each of them. It was a hilarious look at real world problems faced by all couples. It was a funny movie and the one couple's son (Colin Baiocchi) was soooo cute! IMDB gave it a 5.4 out of 10 and I would give it a 7.4 rating. What did you do today?

I didn't have time to post last night, therefore I'm posting this a day late as this occurred yesterday (Fri 3/30/12). We watched a movie entitled Unknown  with Liam Neeson and Diane Kruger that came out on February 18, 2011. The film is based on the 2003 French novel Out of My Head  by Didier Van Cauwelaert. It is about a man who is having difficulties remembering after a car accident in Berlin. Another man assumes his identity and his wife seems to not know him either. He is chased by assassins. He finally gets some help remembering bits and pieces and then once he remembers who he is, he wishes he didn't. It was a strange movie because the storyline and plot changed quite a bit. Some of the action scenes were ok. IMDB gave it a 6.9 out of 10 and I agree with that rating. What did you do today?

I didn't have time to post last night, therefore I'm posting this a day late as this occurred yesterday (Sat 3/3/12). We watched a movie entitled Due Date  with Robert Downey Jr and Zach Galifianakis that came out on November 5, 2010. It is about a 1st time father that his wife is due in a few days in LA but he is stranded in Atlanta. He is forced to hitch a ride with a aspiring actor and his little dog across the country. This stranger is quite crazy, one-of-a-king. It wasn't all that good but I guess some parts were funny. IMDB gave it a 6.6 out of 10 and I agree with that rating. What did you do today?

We watched a movie entitled  Valentine's Day  (technically we watched the 1st 1/2 of the movie on Valentine's Day and finished it tonight) with a ton of stars (Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Patrick Dempsey, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah, Taylor Lautner, George Lopez, Shirley MacLaine, Emma Roberts, Julia Roberts, and Taylor Swift to name a few) that came out in February 12, 2010. It is about relationships and love. The film takes place on Valentine's Day and about numerous stories of people's live that are all intertwined. Some parts were funny that make you go 'ha' and some parts were cute they make you go 'awww'. IMDB gave it a 5.7 out of 10 and I would give it a 6.6 rating. What did you do today?