Pete's Entertainment Reviews

Music lyrics

2010-09-30T10:24:00.001-07:00

Sabes bien que me ire

Estos pasos no vuelven atras

Creeme no te deje de amar

Pero ahy puentes que debo cruzar

Tanto llore tanto lo siento

Mas yo necesito una vida

Mas termino voy a marcharme

Y siempre te voy a extrañar

Quiero ver quiero andar

Quiero hacer mi camino hacia el mar

No sere la que fui

Otra historia aun espera por mi

Duele decirte que

Quiero volar...

Mira bien lo veras

La verdad no se puede callar

Me solte hace algun tiempo ya

Yo soñaba con mi libertad

Si.. te ame no me arrepiento

Tienes guardado un lugar en mi corazon

Este es mi tiempo

Y hoy tengo una buena razon

Quiero ver quiero andar

Quiero hacer mi camino hacia el mar

No sere la que fui

Otra historia aun espera por mi

Duele decirte que

Quiero...

Respirar sin ti

Y dormir sin tu beso en mi piel

Yo necesito vivir despertar...

Quiero ver quiero andar

Quiero hacer mi camino hacia el mar

No sere la que fui

Otra historia aun espera por mi

Quiero ver (quiero ver)

Quiero andar (quiero andar)

Quiero hacer mi camino hacia el mar

No sere (no sere) la que fui

Otra historia aun espera por mi

Duele decirte que..

Duele decirte que..

Quiero volar.....

Spanish Book of Mormon

2010-09-19T17:25:00.001-07:00

1N 1:1	YO, Nefi, nací de buenos padres y recibí, por tanto, alguna instrucción en toda la ciencia de mi padre; y habiendo conocido muchas aflicciones durante el curso de mi vida, siendo, no obstante, altamente favorecido del Señor todos mis días; sí, habiendo logrado un conocimiento grande de la bondad y los misterios de Dios, escribo, por tanto, la historia de los hechos de mi vida.
1N 1:2	Sí, hago la relación en el lenguaje de mi padre, que se compone de la ciencia de los judíos y el idioma de los egipcios.
1N 1:3	Y sé que la historia que escribo es verdadera; y la escribo de mi propia mano, con arreglo a mis conocimientos.
1N 1:4	Pues sucedió que al comenzar el primer año del reinado de Sedequías, rey de Judá (mi padre Lehi había morado en Jerusalén toda su vida), llegaron muchos profetas ese mismo año profetizando al pueblo que se arrepintiera, o la gran ciudad de Jerusalén sería destruida.
1N 1:5	Aconteció, por tanto, que mientras iba por su camino, mi padre Lehi oró al Señor, sí, con todo su corazón, a favor de su pueblo.
1N 1:6	Y ocurrió que mientras estaba orando al Señor, apareció ante él, sobre una roca, un pilar de fuego; y fue mucho lo que vio y oyó; y se estremeció y tembló extremadamente por las cosas que vio y oyó.
1N 1:7	Y sucedió que volvió a su casa en Jerusalén, y se echó sobre su lecho, dominado por el Espíritu y por las cosas que había visto.
1N 1:8	Y dominado de esta manera por el Espíritu, fue arrebatado en una visión, en la que vio abrirse los cielos, y creyó ver a Dios sentado en su trono, rodeado de innumerables concursos de ángeles, en actitud de estar cantando y adorando a su Dios.
1N 1:9	Y sucedió que vio a Uno que descendía del cielo, y vio que su resplandor era mayor que el del sol al mediodía.
1N 1:10	Y vio también que lo seguían otros doce, cuyo brillo excedía al de las estrellas del firmamento.
1N 1:11	Y descendieron y avanzaron por la faz de la tierra; y el primero llegó hasta donde estaba mi padre, y le dio un libro y le mandó que lo leyera.
1N 1:12	Y sucedió que mientras leía, fue lleno del Espíritu del Señor.
1N 1:13	Y leyó, diciendo: ¡Ay, ay de ti, Jerusalén, porque he visto tus abominaciones! Sí, mi padre leyó muchas cosas concernientes a Jerusalén: que sería destruida, así como sus habitantes; que muchos perecerían por la espada y muchos serían llevados cautivos a Babilonia.
1N 1:14	Y acaeció que cuando mi padre hubo leído y visto muchas cosas grandes y maravillosas, prorrumpió en exclamaciones al Señor, tales como: ¡Cuán grandes y maravillosas son tus obras, oh Señor Dios Todopoderoso! ¡Tu trono se eleva en las alturas de los cielos, y tu poder, y tu bondad y misericordia se extienden sobre todos los habitantes de la tierra; y porque eres misericordioso, no dejarás perecer a los que acudan a ti!
1N 1:15	Así se expresaba mi padre en alabanzas a su Dios; porque su alma se regocijaba y todo su corazón estaba henchido a causa de las cosas que había visto, sí, que el Señor le había mostrado.
1N 1:16	Y yo, Nefi, no doy cuenta completa de lo que mi padre ha escrito, porque ha escrito muchas cosas que vio en visiones y sueños; y ha escrito también muchas cosas que profetizó y habló a sus hijos, de las que no daré cuenta entera,
1N 1:17	sino que haré una relación de los hechos de mi vida. He aquí, haré un compendio de los anales de mi padre sobre planchas que he preparado con mis propias manos; por tanto, después que los haya compendiado, escribiré la historia de mi propia vida.
1N 1:18	Por lo tanto, quisiera que supieseis que después que el Señor hubo mostrado a mi padre Lehi tantas cosas maravillosas, sí, con respecto a la destrucción de Jerusalén, he aquí, mi padre salió entre el pueblo y empezó a profetizar y a declararles concerniente a lo que él había visto y oído.
1N 1:19	Y aconteció que los judíos se burlaron de él por las cosas que testificó de ellos, porque verdaderamente les testificó de sus maldades y abominaciones; y les dio testimonio de que las cosas que había visto y oído, así como las que había leído en el libro, manifestaban claramente la venida de un Mesías y también la redención del mundo.
1N 1:20	Y cuando los judíos oyeron esto, se irritaron contra él, sí, tal como contra los profetas de la antigüedad, a quienes habían echado fuera, y apedreado, y matado; y procuraron también quitarle la vida. Pero he aquí, yo, Nefi, os mostraré que las entrañables misericordias del Señor se extienden sobre todos aquellos que, a causa de su fe, él ha escogido, para fortalecerlos, sí, hasta tener el poder de librarse.

Run Fat Boy Run

2009-09-27T19:31:00.000-07:00

4 stars out of 5

I had never head of this movie but Netflix recommended, and Netflix is usually right. This is a combination comedy/sports/romance movie, but the romance is pretty light. In an attempt to win back the girl he left at the altar, Dennis decides to change his life around. Step one is to be just as good as his girl's current boyfriend, and that guy is a marathon runner. So he decides to enter. It even has a decent training sequence, even though it is more mocking of the sports genre than fulfilling of it. Anyway, a lot of crude humor, but otherwise a very pleasant film that I really enjoyed.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

2009-09-27T19:28:00.000-07:00

3.5 stars out of 5

I've probably hit my max on action movies this year, but there is so little quality offered by movie studios lately that I thought I would check out Wolverine. Wolverine is definitely an engaging character, and his back story is interesting. Decent story, though I felt it was lacking depth. Maybe it was the gratuitous action scenes that took away, but overall an okay film.

Return with Honor

2009-09-27T19:24:00.000-07:00

4 stars out of 5

A return to classic Mormon cinema. Highly entertaining tale of a return missionary coming home and finding the world in need of fixing - quickly. He only has 60 days to make things right. Low budget, but well played movie. Highly recommended.

I.O.U.S.A.

2009-08-29T05:18:00.000-07:00

2 stars out of 5

I got this documentary because I believe the federal debt is a huge problem that my generation will have to answer for. If my generation pushes it off on the next generation, the debt will be too big and will likely cripple the economy for decades.

Anyway, this movie was like taking a 100 level class on the federal debt. It was fine as far as it went, but I'm a smart guy, I know what the basic problems are. So I was disappointed.

The Wire

2009-08-29T04:59:00.001-07:00

5 stars out of 5

An Urban Education.

Ok, I loved The Wire. Yes, it is grisly. Violence, language, corruption, drugs, etc. But it is real. It doesn't glamorize violence or drugs - it just lays it out there like it is in Baltimore. Now I don't presume to know what living on the street in urban Baltimore is like, so I guess they could be pulling a fast one on me. But it felt real, and people that do live there report that it is real, and even some of the characters are plucked right out of the street to act on the show.
I felt like I learned more on this show than I did in 13 years of public school education.

Each season has a different focus and you see the story from several different points of view.

Season 1 focuses on drugs ang gangs. The drug economy is prevalent in Baltimore and gangs operate it fairly efficiently. A police unit is set up to do a thorough investigation on one particular organization and they set up a wire tap to find out the inner workings of the organization. Excellent season.

Season 2 focuses on unions, particularly the unions on the docks, which don't need nearly as many workers as they used to. Corruption in the unions lead them to deal with the Greek mafia, which import drugs, women and weapons. Police investigating a container full of dead women find that it is part of a much deeper plot. Pretty good season.

Season 3 is more on police work, particularly with respect to the drug trade. An inventive police major legalizes drug in certain sections of his area, hoping to contain the traffic and violence and make the streets more tolerable for other citizens. Another focus is on politics, particularly the mayoral race. Great season.

Season 4 looks at education and the challenges of teaching in inner city schools. Since most of the kids see their future on the streets, it is hard for them to be motivated by excellence in school. Politics, drugs and police all factor heavily into this season as well. Another excellent season.

Season 5 focuses on journalism and the role of the media in bringing attention to society's problems. A spree of "connected" killings get the media, politicians and police in a frenzy. This season it felt like it was spinning a little out of control. Seasons 1 throug 4 had very believable plots, but season 5 was a little wacky. It was still good, but not as good as other seasons.

Obviously, not recommended for everyone. But I feel like I have a better understanding of the challenges of the inner city after watching this series. Highly educational and very entertaining.

Mad Money

2009-08-29T04:52:00.000-07:00

2 stars out of 5

I caught this movie on TV the other day too. It had promise as a caper movie. Like "Catch Me if you Can". Three women who work at the Federal Reserve hatch a plot to steal money that is being thrown away because it is so old. It works, so they continue to steal. This is very stupid, because they have janitorial jobs at the Federal Reserve and of course someone is going to notice if there are rich janitors. They do eventually get caught, but still manage to hide some money at the end. I tell you only because I want to spare you the suspense. It is a pretty stupid movie. Terrible acting, bad morals, stupid characters. Anyway, it was on the tube, and I got duped into it.

1408

2009-08-29T04:48:00.000-07:00

2.5 stars out of 5

I watched part/most of this on TV the other night. I don't usually watch Stephen King thriller/horror movies, but this one looked okay. It got kind of silly, but wasn't too bad. I don't really see the point of scary movies. Do people like to be scared? This didn't really scare me, partly because I was only half watching it, but it was mildly entertaining.

Gang Leader for a Day

2009-08-29T04:15:00.000-07:00

5 stars out of 5

Highly entertaining true-life inside look at Chicago gang life. The premise is that a graduate student at the University of Chicago decides to survey gang members on life in the projects. This goes poorly, but he accepts the gang leader's invitation to come back and hang out with them if he wants to get to know them. So he does - a lot. He provides a very astute outsider's look at life in the projects, drug dealing, and south-side Chicago in the 1990s. It was awesome. Since I lived there for three years (2001 to 2004) I could relate to the characters and scenery. I did not befriend any gangs while I was there, but I could see their handiwork when I did venture out of Hyde Park.

So this guy (who is Indian - a white guy would never have made it) hangs out with them for years, collecting stories and data. Sometimes he makes stupid mistakes and gets people in trouble. He observes the police shaking down the gangs for extortion money and the abuse of the welfare system. Most of all it is amazing to see how it all works. I'm not sure how different it is now that they have torn down most of the high-rise projects that were a blight to Chicago, but it was really a den of poverty and drugs. Amazing.

Note: The title is kind of misleading. He gets to be very good friends with the gang leader and the leader jokingly says "If you think this so easy, why don't you be leader for the day?". So he kind of takes over for the day, but the real gang leader is the one really making all the decisions.

Highly recommend this book for any thoughtful reader - there are some parts that are disturbing, but nothing that is graphic.

Grace After Midnight

2009-08-29T03:29:00.000-07:00

3.5 stars out of 5

My fascination with the series "The Wire" (on which more later) led me to find this book, an autobiography from one of the characters on the show, who was apparently plucked from her gangster/drug dealing life to play a gangster-drug dealer on the show. I must say that one the show she is very convincing - I can barely understand a word she says because of her accent/slang/profanity.

The book is unique because there are very few autobiographies from gangsters raised to be drug dealers. Obviously, the education level is low and there isn't much introspection. But it is an enlightening look at life in the slums of Baltimore - despite having supportive grandparents she quickly gravitates to life in the streets - violent crime, drugs, sex, prison, etc. It isn't pretty. But it's also hard to see her alternatives. She does finally get locked away for 7 years, which probably saves her life. Most of her patrons and co-workers are dead or in prison for life by the time she gets out.

I enjoyed the book - there is a bit too much detail at times, but overall it paints the picture pretty well. One of the most interesting details is the reverence that she and the street life had for Tupac, the gangsta rapper. She was really moved when she heard he died. What a life.

GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra

2009-08-29T03:22:00.000-07:00

1.5 stars out of 5

Ok, I realize I have overdosed on action movies this year. But this was GI Joe. I grew up with GI Joe being one of my favorite past times. I think from about age 7 to age 12 I though GI Joes were awesome. So when GI Joe came out at the director's club (recliner seats), I organized a work group to go. Ironically, there was a US aircraft carrier in Manila at the same time, so I reserved 60% of the theater and Navy servicemen occupied the other 40% of the theater.

Anyway, it was an awful movie. The ratio of acting to development was way too high. The acting was wooden, the storyline was cartoonish (true to form at least) and the whole thing very disappointing. I thought that the GI Joes were an elite US fighting force. But they made it out in the movie to be this international UN secret group, which sounded ridiculous. And the GI Joes they chose were so dumb - the only obvious pick was Snake Eyes. Duke and Ripcord are the main characters. Duke? Ripcord? Where are Dusty, Shipwreck, Leatherneck, Road Block, Main Frame, Frost Bite, etc.? Those were my Joes. The whole thing was stupid.

I would not recommend this to anyone unless you happen to be on a plane and the only other option is to watch a Will Ferrell movie.

Valkyrie

2009-08-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

4 stars out of 5

This is a historical, based on a true story account of a failed coup and assasination attempt against Hitler. Tom Cruise plays a colonel who is fighting in North Africa and can see the writing on the wall. He knows Hitler is leading Germany to ruin and is determined to stop it. He is recruited into a dissenter group and helps formulate the coup attempt.

It's a great movie - Cruise is the best I have seen him in a long while. There is a lot of suspense and action and drama. It's hard because ultimately, you know it fails. It does do a good job of showing how Hitler survived so long, with misinformation, surrounding himself with yes man, his personality cult and brutally stamping out any dissent.

Recommended for students of history.

Forever Strong

2009-08-14T19:47:00.000-07:00

5 stars out of 5

Netflix recommended this movie to me, based on previously watched movies. I may have also seen a preview for it on another movie. Anyway, I hadn't heard much about it, but it looked like a decent sports movie, so that was good enough for me.

It is a great movie. It is a lot like Remember the Titans for rugby. Based on a true story (as all the good ones are), it tells the story of the famous Highland rugby team, which reportedly just won their 19th national title in 2009. This movie will help you see why they are so successful.

The story revolves around a guy who plays for his dad down in AZ. He gets into some trouble with the law and for some reason is sent to a juvenile detention center in the Wasatch front. There, he is invited to play on the Highland rugby team (I'm not really sure how high schools can just invite random people in juvy to do this, but whatever). It takes him a while to catch the vision, but he comes out a better person.

Really, it is right up there in my "Rocky" list of great underdog sports movies. If you are not familiar with this genre, it includes Miracle, Cinderella Man, Glory Road, Invincible, The Pistol: Birth of a Legend, Remember the Titans, Rudy, Hoosiers, Strictly Ballroom and Gladiator. It also kind of includes movies like Braveheart, Hurricane and Ghandi.

Highly recommended for all non-kid viewers.

Battlestar Gallactica and Philosophy

2009-08-14T19:36:00.000-07:00

4 stars out of 5

This book will be pretty much meaningless if you are not a fan of the show. It explores the philosophical ideas raised by the show, such as what it means to be human, gender roles, Darwinian survival, religion, etc. This is largely what kept me in the show originally, was the bigger issues raised by the show and how the characters responded to them.

There is a whole line of these books, covering Seinfeld, the Simpsons, the Matrix, Star Trek, etc. The only one I have ever bought is Seinfeld, but I really couldn't get into it. Highly recommended for fans of the show.

My Sister's Keeper

2009-07-25T19:24:00.000-07:00

3.5 stars out of 5

This is the movie based on the book by the same name. I did not read the book, but I did enjoy the movie. It is definitely an emotional, female-centered movie. This is not to say that a man cannot enjoy it, but you should be prepared. I had fairly low expectations and they were met.

If you haven't read the book, the story is about a family that has a girl with cancer. They decide to have a test tube baby so that this baby can donate blood, bone marrow, other things, to her sister to live. As the girl gets older, she gets more indepedent and decides she does not want to be a storehouse for vital parts for her sister. So she sues for her independence.

Overall, good acting. Hard to think of Cameron Diaz as a mother, but she was okay, if a little over the top. The kids are great, Alec Baldwin is very good. It's a decent movie, not bad.

Beyond the Pale - Jim Gaffigan

2009-07-25T19:22:00.001-07:00

4 stars out of 5

Comedy hour with Jim Gaffigan, of "Hot Pockets" fame. It's very funny. His jokes and routines center around food, and there is a lot of material. There were a few minutes of questionable material, but overall it was pretty clean. Recommended for fans of stand-up comedy.

Predictably Irrational

2009-07-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

4.5 stars out of 5

This highly entertaining book should be required reading for all budding economists. It is accessible to all students and details, using scientific experiments, how we make irrational decisions. Many economists push the idea that everything we do is rational, given the information that we have. But even with complete information, many choices we make are not the optimal decisions. Little things can change our decision-making process drastically.

I will include one example. They did a study of folks who had lined up for Duke basketball tickets. These people camped out for days for the chance to get a ticket. They were entered into a lottery - some got tickets, some did not. They obtained all of their contact information and decided to see if people valued things differently once they already had it. They tried to play ticket broker - offering to find buyers for people who got tickets and offering to find sellers for people who did not. The results were suprising to me. Those that did not get tickets were willing to pay about $175 for the tickets. Those that already had tickets were not willing to sell for less than $2400 per ticket.

Highly recommended for all readers.

Front of the Class

2009-07-25T19:08:00.000-07:00

4 stars out of 5

I found this movie one night and decided it was worth a watch. It is based on the true story of a guy with Tourette's syndrome who is determined to get a job teaching at an elementary school. Obviously a tough sell. Some handicaps are easily adjusted to, this was is not.

It is a Hallmark movie so I couldn't even find a write-up on it. The acting isn't great, but the story is such a great underdog story and ultimate triumph that you can't help but love it. I highly recommend it - if you can find it.

Anchorman

2009-07-25T19:07:00.001-07:00

1 star out of 5

Probably the worst movie I have ever seen. The only reason I watched it to the end was to try to get over jet lag.

Born to Run

2009-07-25T18:43:00.001-07:00

5 stars

The best running book ever. Awesome. If you are a runner, it will change your whole outlook on running. If you are not a runner, it will motivate you to become a runner. It is a combination history or running and story about a tribe of Mexican super-runners. It focuses mainly on ultra-marathoners, guys (and girls) that run 50-300 miles at a time. Also has great chapters on nutrition, shoe companies, the history of running and so forth.

Highly recommended for all readers, even if you never intend to run.

Fast Food Nation

2009-07-25T18:18:00.000-07:00

3.5 stars out of 5

Toward the end of my vacation, I really wanted to find another book to read. After wandering for 45 minutes in Jackson, WY, we finally found a bookstore. I saw this book and I thought, why not? It's pretty famous - let's see what he has to say.

To be honest, I am a huge fan of the fast food industry. Because my lovely wife makes good nutritious meals for us frequently, we rarely utilize their services, but when on the road or in need of a quick meal, I have often counted on the Golden Arches to come through. So I started reading this book with a mindset in favor of fast food.

Granted, this book is not all about McDonald's. It covers fast food pizza, KFC, Taco Bell, etc. But McDonald's does get a lot of attention.

He starts the book with a history of how fast food began - apparently in Southern California in the 1950s. The whole book is very well researched and I enjoyed reading many of the historical parts of the book.

I had expected this to be primarily a rant of how bad fast food is for us. But his primary argument was actually how bad they are for the economy. For example, he really hated that most fast food workers were paid minimum wage and had a very high turnover rate. In fact, there is some evidence the fast food industry uses government credits for "training workers" to subsidize their hiring (and then firing) of workers. Yes, these are terrible jobs, mostly filled by teenagers, recent immigrants or people with no other skills. I am just happy there are jobs at all for this group of people. With a higher minimum wage now (this book was written a few years ago) I am not sure how the fast food industry will adjust.

Anyway, he also hated how the fast food chains strived for conformity and so all the restaurants were basically the same the world over. However, I find this very helpful when traveling - it is very comforting for me to find familiar establishments whereever I go.

He did have some valid points which I thought were good cases against the fast food industry:

1. People eat too much fast food. This contributes to obesity, which increases the overall healthcare bill for the country. People should wisen up and stop eating so much cheap food (even though it is so delicious!).

2. The fast food industry abuses various government programs. This is inevitable with government programs. For example, franchisees can use the Small Business Development loans from the government to take out loans to pay large fees to McDonald's, Subway, wherever, to start a franchise. Over 10% of these loans fail. Taxpayers are funding fast food franchisees.

3. Fast food uses a lot of chemicals to enhance flavor in their products. In fact, the whole flavor industry was a bit of a revelation to me - big companies in NJ produce nothing but "artificial flavor" and "natural flavor".

4. The fast food industry, as monopsony buyers of beef, could exercise closer control of conditions at meat packing plants. The author, like Upton Sinclair, was very down on conditions at meat packing plants. Sure, the government could also clamp down, but McDonald's is probably in a better position to do so as one of the economic lifelines of the meat industry.

5. Schools should not allow the fast food industry and soft drink industry to advertise and sell products within their school districts. Many districts, strapped for cash, are signing multi-million dollar deals with the industry and helping them sell their products. This is counter productive.

Overall, I appreciated the author's attempt, but I am still a fan of fast food. Obviously it should be eaten in moderation and natural, healthier food is much better for you. And recently the fast food industry has responded to consumer tastes by offering healthier food to eat, though I'm sorry to report that McDonald's delivery in the Philippines does not include salads.

Yes Man

2009-07-21T21:51:00.000-07:00

2 stars

I had nothing to watch but it was dark on the plane and my kids were trying to sleep so I relunctantly agreed to watch Yes Man. It has some funny moments. Jim Carrey is a boring guy who never does anything and actively tries to avoid activities with friends. When he attends a seminar and is coerced into saying "Yes" to everything he encounters, he becomes a new man. Traditionally Jim Carrey antics. Overall, it lacked depth and feeling, but it tried. Not a total waste of time but pretty close.

Strength in What Remains

2009-07-21T21:40:00.000-07:00

4 stars

This is a two-part book. The first part of the book, which is not in chronological order, tells the story of a medical student from Burundi who is caught up in the racial genocide in Burundi and Rwanda and winds up coming to New York. A large part of the book tells of his story of adjustment in New York. It is really an interesting story.

The second story tells of the author meeting with the subject and revisiting Burundi and Rwanda. This is not as good. The author seems to comment on himself a lot and his observations of Deo (the main character) are predictable.

Overall, I enjoyed the book - from the perspective of both the genocide in Burundi (most accounts are from Rwanda) and the adjustment of life to the US in NYC. Quick, engaging read that will make you appreciate things more.

Penelope

2009-06-04T21:25:00.000-07:00

4.5 stars out of 5

Sheralie had a rare request to watch this movie. So we did. I had pretty low expectations, and I was pleasantly surprised. The story is about a girl who has a curse which causes her face to look like a pig (really just the nose). The only way the curse can be broken is for one of her own kind (a rich person) to fall in love with her. It is kind of a whimsical fairy tale. I enjoyed it. I recommend it.

Terminator Salvation

2009-06-04T21:21:00.000-07:00

3 stars out of 5

I was enticed to see the new Terminator movie by the awesome theater we found. The theater has only 30 seats. They are all recliner-style seats with a table in between each group of two chairs. All seats are assigned so there is no need to come early. Each seat comes with popcorn and a drink. And the price? A whopping $7!

It was pretty awesome. The movie itself is so-so. Lots of things blow up and there is quite a bit of violence. This theme of man vs. machine theme is getting a little overdone in my opinion (Matrix, Terminator, Battlestar Gallactica, etc.). Christian Bale is okay, but he is much better as Batman. I wouldn't recommend the movie unless you are a big fan.

Halfway to Heaven

2009-05-21T03:55:00.000-07:00

3 stars out of 5

Halfway to Heaven: the title tells it all: one journalist gets it into his head to climb all the peaks in Colorado that are above 14,000 feet. It's a good goal and he has many adventures on the way. People he hikes with, adventures on the mountain, stories about the different mountains.

It's a fine book, but in the end you kind of wonder why you are reading it. It feels like you are reading a climber's blog. I can see being interested in this book if you lived in Colorado and enjoyed hiking or were just older and interested in hiking generally, but generally I found myself kind of bored. There were a few good tidbits here and there, but it is not really a story as much as many short stories, all about one subject.

The Black Swan

2009-05-15T18:57:00.000-07:00

5 stars out of 5

I couldn't put this book down it was so interesting. I got it a long time ago, but hadn't started it since I have a million books on my shelves that I haven't read (I have even more in storage). Someone mentioned it one day, and I read the introduction and went from there.

The author's thesis is that the world is not as predictable as it seems. You may shrug and say "Yeah, so, I know the world is unpredictable" but then look around and see how many people are running around doing the following things:

a. trying to predict what will happen in the future - what the deficit will look like, how much oil will be around, how much global warming is going to effect the earth, etc.

b. trying to attribute causes to observed events - journalists, historians, economists, politicians, etc. are all very guilty of this. Politicians especially. Geez, if I had a dime for every time a politician claimed credit for fixing the economy. But of course they never take the blame when the economy tanks.

c. Read "how-to-get-rich" books that chronicle the lives of successful people as if we could figure out the "cause" of their wealth.

Luck and chance have more to do with life than we give them credit for, and we wind up wasting a lot of time trying to figure out what "caused" this and what "caused" that.

The ego of the author is pretty large and it sometimes distracts from the book, but overall it was a fascinating read with a lot to say for it. I skipped some of the technical parts, but overall a tremendous book.

Battlestar Galactica

2009-05-15T18:45:00.000-07:00

4.5 stars out of 5

Recently the series of Battlestar Galactica concluded, after 4 years. It was a good run. I believe I have commented on the series previously, but I thought I would do so in conclusion.

For those not familiar with the story line, humans on distant worlds create artificial intelligence, which eventually rebels (like the Matrix), calls a truce, then comes back 40 years later with improved technology - so much so that the robots (called the Cylons) now look exactly like humans. They obliterate most of mankind, but several space ships full of people survive and band together to try to fight and/or eke out an existence. Their ultimate goal is to find "Earth" which is reported to be home planet of one of their lost tribes.

It's a great story on many levels. There is the conflict between wanting to maintain a democracy and needing to get things done and make command decisions. Race relations are explored as people try to figure out how to treat Cylons (which are essentially human). Religion is examined as people struggle with their beliefs when everything is crumbling around them.

The series reinvented itself every year, which major plot twists that turned the show on its head. It was very fun to watch and had great subplots and themes.

It would get five stars but I can't quite recommend it to everybody. It is pretty gritty - as in, there is quite a lot of language, violence and sexual innuendo. I wonder if they could have made the story without it or whether it was integral to the plot. I don't know, but the story was pretty good, but definitely not for all viewers.

John Adams Mini-Series

2009-05-15T18:37:00.000-07:00

4 stars out of 5

A Christmas gift from my parents on recommendation from my sister. I enjoy history a lot, and this series was a great gift for me in that sense. The 7-part series (most episodes are one hour) is about the interesting life of John Adams. The first few episodes focus on the Revolution, the middle episodes on his life as a diplomat, and the final episodes on his being VP, President and retiring.

It's quite a life and it is examined in all its humanity. Meaning to say, they present John Adams, warts and all, to be observed. Sometimes I prefer to have revered historical figures glossed over, as I like to remember the good parts, not the ugly parts. But in the sense that we are all human and all capable of doing great things, it is good to remind us that even great Presidents had their faults.

John Adams was a key man in the Revolution. His oratory and push for independence was instrumental in getting the movement going. After (and during) the revolution, his work as a diplomat seemed less successful, and his vice-presidency and presidency even less so.

The series itself is very well known, with a lot of attention to detail (too much?). The story is not quite as interesting after the first few episodes, especially given how obnoxious John Adams is portrayed, but we made it to the end and enjoyed the ride. Thanks Mom and Dad for the gift.

Australia

2009-05-15T18:30:00.000-07:00

4 stars out of 5

Sheralie pushed me to get this movie from Netflix and I did, because she so rarely ever requests a movie. I wasn't all that enthusiastic about watching it, but it was Baz Luhrman, who has directed some pretty decent shows, and it was about Australia, which is a pretty decent country/continent. The interesting part of this movie is that it is really two movies. The first 60% of the movie is about a cattle drive. Nicole Kidman takes over her husband's cattle ranch and in the end has to help Hugh Jackman drive the cattle to the port. It is pretty decent, though nothing to write home about.

The first part resolves itself and it appears they will live happyily ever after. But wait - there is still another hour of the movie. Turmoil engulfs Nicole Kidman and her "family" and WW2 breaks out. I thought this part was more intersting, more dramatic and a better story. Definitely brought it from a "3 star" to a "4 star". Definitely a chick flick, but worth watching.

The Invasion

2009-05-15T18:24:00.000-07:00

3 stars out of 5

I caught this on TV the other night and got sucked into it. Basically Nicole Kidman is a psychologist who is dating a doctor. A virus is intentionally introduced that causes people to be ultra-conformative. But not if Nicole Kidman and her son have anything to do with it. It's an okay show. I'm not a huge fan of the "horror" or scary drama genre, but it was okay.

Slumdog Millionaire

2009-04-22T01:40:00.000-07:00

4.5 stars out of 5

Slumdog won all kinds of awards for movie of the year, so I thought I would give it a chance. The story is set in India, where a boy from the slums competes on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire". They suspect him of fraud and his telling of how he knew all the answers to the questions forms the story of the movie from his childhood to present.

It's a tremendous movie - I hope not indicative of life in general in India, but it definitely captures the slums, the slumlords and the poverty. It's a great story with great characters, adventures, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed it and even got Sheralie to watch some of it with me.

Note of caution: It is rated R for the violence and sluminess of the slums depicted. It is somewhat gruesome, but I found it fit well into the movie. Definitely not for kids, but I think most adults will appreciate it.

The Great Eight

2009-04-22T01:33:00.000-07:00

2 stars out 5

Don't get me wrong: Scott Hamilton strikes me as a great guy. He has lived in an interesting life and he has some good things to say. But this book was not for me. The vocabulary was elementary, the analysis shallow. It's only 200 pages and the font size is large with lots of space. I just didn't feel like it was really worth my time to read the whole book. I wound up only getting about 1/3 of the way through before giving up.

The book felt like he was saying, here are eight reasons why I'm happy and I'll throw in some experiences from my life. For skating fans, I am sure this was fun. But I have very little interest in skating and so I didn't find the stories very interesting. I didn't find his analysis compelling. There are some quality self-help books out there. There are some quality biographies out there. But in my mind, this does not qualify as either.

The Rite

2009-04-22T00:54:00.000-07:00

3 stars out of 5

"The Rite" details the journey of an American priest who goes on Sabbatical to the Vatican for some training on being an exorcist. He was tapped by his bishop in the US to be one, and since there are very few ordained exorcists in the US, he had to go to the Vatican to figure out what was going on.

While at the Vatican, he takes a class on exorcisms and also apprentices with a priest who regularly does exorcisms. It takes a while for the priest to get used to dealing with exorcisms and a large part of the book is uneventful. It is informative in the sense that I know how the Catholic church views exorcisms and their doctrines surrounding it. I have read other books on exorcism and demonic possession and found them much more interesting.

When this priest goes in to apprentice, we get little to no backgrounds on the people coming to visit. The exorcism itself consists mainly of reading out of the exorcism rite prayer book. And according to the priests, they often treat people for years and years – some people showing gradual improvement and occasionally they have a full exorcism. This doesn’t strike me as particularly effective, but it could just be my general ignorance with respect to possession. I found books on the same subject by Malachi Martin and M. Scott Peck much more enlightening. There are some good moments in this book, but overall I was not impressed.

Once a Runner

2009-04-22T00:48:00.000-07:00

4.5 stars out of 5

"Once a Runner" is a novel about a college runner who specializes in the mile. He does a tremendous amount of training and has plenty of adventures as a college student. It's a great read that will pull you in, especially if you are a runner.

I have never done serious training as a runner, so I can't speak to that part, but I felt like you really got inside a real runner's head. The book is very popular among runners (at least according to Runner's World). I enjoyed it a lot.

The Legend of Z

2009-04-16T15:31:00.000-07:00

4 stars out of 5

David Grann sets up a nice multi-part story about exploring the Amazon. The main part is the story of Fawcett. Fawcett is a turn of the century explorer who specialized in Amazon jungle exploration. He was pretty amazing. Different chapters take on different parts of his life and how he got to the point of leading these expeditions into the jungle.

Another part of the story is the author's adventure in researching and ultimately retracing Fawcett's steps into the Amazon. It's a very bold move and interesting in and of itself.

The rest of the book deals with the legend of Fawcett, other explorers and the Amazon itself. It's a good read. It took me a while to get into it, but once I did it was hard to put down. Great history and adventure book. I don't think you will be disappointed.

Parentonomics

2009-03-25T07:46:00.000-07:00

3 stars out of 5

I was originally drawn to this book because it was about parenting and I like economics too. I was a little surprised by the actual content, because while it is about parenting, it's not a serious look at parenting. It is more comedy centered than parenting-centered. It is almost like Dave Berry meets economist meets parent.

It's good stuff though, you just need to know what to expect. I thought a lot of it was spot on and hilarious. It was not quite what I expected. It's not hardcare economics and it's not much advice on parenting (though there are some gems). It's a funny book that can provide some good conversation. If you like funny books and the subject matter appeals to you, then this is a book for you.

Dreams from the Monster Factory

2009-03-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

5 stars out of 5

"Dreams from the Monster Factory" is basically a biography of one woman's dogged quest to reform the prison system. The book tackles her whole life, but focuses on prison reform and how it can be done. It also spends a good amount of time recounting her experiences working in prisons and why they are generally so terrible.

It is a well written book that flows very smoothly. I found myself eager to find out what happened next in her life. I thought the programs they instituted were brilliant and should be replicated all over. I could have done with less on the personal life and more on prisons, but at some points the personal life is relevant.

Overall, a gritty read - prison life is no bed of roses, but a recommended one.

Live Free or Die Hard

2009-03-15T06:30:00.000-07:00

4 stars out of 5

This is one of my two action movies for 2009 - who is keeping track? I can't remember the last one I saw, but this is a pretty fun one. John McClane (sounds so much like John McCain) is back in his role as a surly NYPD detective who finds himself once again in the middle of mayhem.

The plot in this one involves a group of hackers that hacks into everything in an attempt to steal a lot money. John McLane and his new sidekick, a likeable hacker helper, encounter many improbable adventures in their pursuit of the bad guys. You really have to suspend belief, because some of these things are so unlikely to happen in real life it's laughable - like driving a police car up a ramp in order to crash it into a nearby helicopter. But whatever. Lots of explosions and high jinx. Lots of violence as well. Some profanity (the picture shows it as "unrated" but it did have a PG-13 rating in the theater, and I didn't find anything objectionable beyond the violence and profanity). Good show.

Breach

2009-03-05T05:13:00.000-08:00

3 stars out of 5

I caught most of this movie on TV the other day, and it was not until I was 90% of the way through that I realized that this was based on a true story. Yikes. I would have taken it more seriously had I known.

The story is about Robert Hanssen, the worst security breach the US has had since Aldrich Ames. Hanssen was an FBI guy (though he did some time working with the State Department) who was in the pocket of the Russians. So they send in this young whooper snapper (Ryan Philippe) to be his clerk/secretary and find some dirt on him. Apparently they knew he was rotten, but they bought all their evidence from a Russian tycoon and it was not admissible in court. So they needed the whooper snapper to do some work.

That sounds like a terrible job to me - pretend to work for a guy, but really be trying to find some dirt. Especially when you are as super-paranoid as Hanssen already was, since Hanssen knew he was going to be in big big trouble if his secrets came out. So it is kind of a suspenseful, harrowing kind of movie. Not all that fun for me, but a good story nonetheless.

I probably wouldn't go out of my way to watch this movie, but if it's on, and you are in front of the TV, it's not bad. That's my stirring recommendation for it.

Also, I learned that "Ryan Philippe" is different than "Philip Seymour Hoffman". Ryan Philippe is the guy we all know as Milo Hoffman from Antitrust. Philip Seymour Hoffman is some old guy that always plays bad guys.

Errand of Angels

2009-03-05T05:06:00.001-08:00

4 stars out of 5

This is a movie about an LDS sister missionary in Austria and her adventures. There are a lot of movies on the margin of cinema, only appealing to certain LDS audiences. And a lot of those movies should not have been made (I think 95% of movies out there should not have been made).

But this one was a good one. For one, the movie is fairly realistic - it doesn't sugarcoat things or gloss over hard parts. Some days are hard, and not all missionaries are great, or even pleasant, companions. There are highs and there are lows, and a lot of in between. I thought there was decent acting, especially considering the budget, and great scenery. Good story line, and not always predictable (though mostly predictable).

Highly recommended to all fans of Mormon cinema.

Pearl in the Storm

2009-03-05T05:02:00.001-08:00

"A Pearl in the Storm" is one woman's story of rowing across the Atlantic ocean from North Carolina to France. Yes, she rows in a rowboat - it's a souped-up rowboat, but still, nothing but oars to power you? As survival tales go, it is not the best, but it is pretty darn good. I mean, seriously, what possesses someone to even try something like this? People get seasick on huge ocean liners - she is in those same waves for more than three months with a 10 foot rowboat? She's got to be nuts.

Mixed in with the story is her life story - how she grew up, what paths she took, etc. Usually I find this very boring, but it is mixed up in a way that actually isn't too bad. She is a very interesting person and it helps explain why in tarnation she is trying to pull this crazy stunt.

Not to ruin it, but she doesn't make it. The last third of the book is about her dealing with the aftermath, including another attempt. It is a very quick read - I was done in less than 24 hours and very entertaining. If you like the genre, give it a try.

Joker One by Donovan Campbell (2009)

2009-02-26T05:02:00.000-08:00

5 stars out of 5

I am embarrassed to admit that I didn't really know what our troops were doing in Iraq. I knew there were a lot of them there and I knew they suffered a lot of casualties. I knew there was an insurrection, but press me on the specifics, and I would be at a loss.

This book is a terrific ground level view of peacekeeping/counter-insurrection in Iraq in 2004. Told from the point of view of a Lt. in charge of the Joker 1 platoon, we get a peek inside his personal journal and tag along on IED sweeps, patrols, and crackdowns. I found the inside look at the military fascinating. The Lt. telling the story is well-educated and deeply committed to the cause. I have read other military books but couldn't get past the course language. This has some language, but it is in moderation.

I highly recommend this book to all interested in Iraq.

The Neverending Story

2009-02-15T06:08:00.001-08:00

5 stars out of 5

I recently watched this movie with Jeffrey and Laird. Sheralie fell asleep. Notwithstanding that ringing endorsement, The Neverending Story is a classic kids' movie. The story is hard to describe. If I had to put it in Balderdash, it would be: A boy reads a magical book that brings him into a fantasy world. That sounds rather ho-hum - why would you watch a movie about a boy reading a book? But it works. If you haven't seen this, watch it with your kids. Probably a little scary for kids 4 and under, but otherwise a great film. Thanks to my sister for getting it for us for Christmas.

La Visa Loca (2005)

2009-02-15T05:50:00.000-08:00

2.5 stars out of 5

A young, single Filipino guy seeks to get a visa to the US. If only he could get a visa, he could live the life of his dreams. The movie is in Tagalog with English subtitles. I thought it would be an interesting show because of my job, but the actual visa interviews make up only about 1% of the movie. The rest focuses on his struggle to find a visa.

Since I'm sure you will never watch it, I will tell you what happens. He is a driver and one of the folks he drives around is a TV show producer looking for a good story. They find someone willing to be crucified on holy week for their show (a Filipino oddity during holy week - no, they don't die on the cross). Unfortunately, the guy skips town after receiving his upfront payment (big surprise). So the kid volunteers to do this painful procedure to secure his visa.

But even though he finally gets a visa, he realizes that all he needs to be happy is right here in the Philippines: his girl, his illegitimate son that he didn't know about, and his dad. It's kind of a weird movie, and I barely made it through. Probably not recommended unless it really sounds awesome to you.

Muscle: Confessions of an Unlikely Bodybuilder

2009-01-30T21:25:00.000-08:00

4.5 stars out of 5.

I did not seek this book out. A co-worker who was moving back to the US was giving away books and this was the last. I thought - why not take it off his hands? It proved to be a real gem.

The story: Princeton and Oxford educated Sam gets a job in NYC before he starts a graduate program at Yale. Unfortunately this is New York City in the early 1980s and it is a scary place. Not only that, but his parents have just divorced. Looking for some sanctuary, he enrolls at the YMCA gym to beef up. Being 6'4" and only 170 pounds, he has a lot of room for improvement.

He proceeds to be infected with what he calls "the disease". He eats, sleeps and breathes weightlifting. This book chronicles his adventure from start to finish. I would say "from the bottom to the very top" but that wouldn't be accurate. He is a gifted writer, as both his parents are English professors. The book reads very easily and will provide lots of great material to impress your friends.

Since you will probably never read this book, here are some fun things to know about bodybuilders (advise skipping if you actually plan to read the book):

1. Bodybuilders are much different than power lifters. Power lifters compete by lifting the maximum number of weights. Bodybuilders are in shows that exhibit all the muscles in their body. They train, eat and prepare very differently from each other.

2. Serious bodybuilding often requires that men wear adult diapers during workouts. All concentration and energy is on the workout and sometimes accidents happen. Especially given the volume of food, supplements and steroids that these guys take, they usually utilize it.

3. The subject of the book would often throw up during workouts he was going so hard. His usually plan was 4 hours of workouts per day, 2 in the morning, 2 in the evening. He generally had to sleep 12 hours per day.

4. Steroids does nasty things to the body, including acne, roid rage, baldness, etc. One lifter would drink hydrogen peroxide to limit the acne.

5. There are actually a wide variety of jobs available for serious bodybuilders: bouncers, trainers, models, actors, etc.

6. "Arnold" is a hero for most of the bodybuilding world. To them, he is the epitome of what muscle can accomplish: fame, marriage into a prominent family, acting career, government, etc.

7. Bodybuilders speak predominantly in cliche: No pain, no gain. That which does not kill you makes you stronger. Make haste slowly. In the end, there will be no judges, only admirers of your greatness.

In fact, bodybuilders often recognize one of their own by hearing these idiotic phrases repeated. As if seeing the gigantic muscular-laden bodies was not enough.

8. Bodybuilders eat tremendous amounts of food. That is, until there is a competition. Then they diet so as to shrink-wrap their skin around their muscles. It is quite disgusting the torture they put their bodies through - as bad or worse then skinny fashion models bent on maintaining their waif-like stature.

The author eventually enters one power lifting competition and two bodybuilder competitions. He comes in 3rd of 3 in weightlifting after bench pressing "only" 365 pounds. Apparently being as tall as he is is a disadvantage in lifting - shorter lifters weighing in the 180-200 range (he was 240) can bench well into the 500s. He won his weight class in the first competition but lost the overall. In the second, after a mad diet in which his body fat went down to about 5% he came in 2nd in his weight class. He finally came to his senses and got out of serious bodybuilding.

I love stories that reveal a culture I had previously very little insight into. This is one of those books.

Ethics (for the real world)

2009-01-23T21:28:00.000-08:00

4.5 stars out of 5

I am not sure what prompted me to pick this book up but I am glad I did. The authors lay things out like they really are and tell us why ethics are important. They do a great job of defining ethics and how people blur the lines of ethics. Most people don't even think about many things as ethical decisions.

I would highly recommend for any conscientious thinker. Sometimes it is a bit ponderous, but overall, I thought it was a great book and I plan to reread to help define my ethical code.

Children of Heaven

2009-01-23T21:09:00.000-08:00

4 stars out of 5

This is an Iranian film with English subtitles. It is a nice story about a boy who loses his sister's shoes, then tries to make it up for her by entering a race where third prize is a pair of shoes. The boy and girl really steal the show, as they are very cute. The family is obviously very poor and down on their luck.

It is a pleasant show with some sad poverty-related parts. The subtitles were a little hard to read. I enjoyed it, though it was not particularly inspiring. I would recommend it as a nice date night movie.

Influencer

2009-01-23T21:03:00.000-08:00

5 stars out of 5

Tremendous book. I read their earlier book (Crucial Conversations) after hearing them speak at BYU. Their previous book was good, but not nearly as good as this one. This book has one clear focus: how do we influence people? They break it down, provide numerous great examples and tell you what you need to do. I fully plan on going back through this book to take some extensive notes. All that time we waste trying to influence people and get them to do things - some much time that could have been better spent! If we are committed to it, this book gives some clear steps to follow. They aren't easy - you really will have to work at it, but it is a great book. Great fun to read. Highly recommend to anyone.

Three Running Books

2009-01-10T05:54:00.001-08:00

1. Daniels' Running Formula: I bought this a year and a half ago, and finally got around to reading it. I remembered why I had kept putting it off. It is extremely technical, with all kinds of complex measurements, formulas, etc. I guess I should have expected that with "formula" in the title. I just thought the formula would be easier. This book is geared toward very seasoned runners who really know their stuff. Lots of very detailed plans.

2. The Non-Runner's Guide to Running a Marathon. Again, I need to examine these titles more carefully. I thought that since I was a novice, I would qualify as a "non-runner", but to qualify as a non-runner for purposes of this book you have to be pretty ignorant about most aspects of running. Given that I have run several races and read several books on running, I was well past this point.

Basically this book is a pep talk about how you can run a marathon. It gives you one simple plan to follow which basically just increases your mileage every week. Don't worry about speed - you're just there to finish. It also includes a lot of testimonials from people about how they did it and how great it felt. I almost felt like I was watching an infomercial for a marathon. It might be good for you if you like this kind of thing and if you are a novice and want to run a marathon, but I didn't care for it.

3. Braining Training for Runners. Finally, a book that was not too simple and not too complex. Just right. I really enjoyed this book. It talks about all aspects of running in an intelligent way. This book has a lot of good targeted workouts, great stretches, and a variety of easy to follow training plans. The speed charts are helpful, and not overbearing. I regularly reread chapters to see how I can improve in certain aspects. I anticipate I can keep implementing things from this book for years to come. Highly recommended.

Hancock (2008)

2009-01-10T05:44:00.000-08:00

3 stars out of 5

Hancock is your typical superhero movie. Lots of over the top action and special effects and kind of a weak story line. There were some things that set it apart though:

1. Will Smith is great. It's hard not to like him, even though his character is supposed to be unlikable.

2. Jason Bateman (of Arrested Development fame) is terrific. I love the guy. He almost makes this movie really fun.

What prompts my mediocre rating? Mostly the story. The ending is also pretty bad. Charlize Theron, while quite stunning, is a very weird character - you're never sure whether she is the protagonist or antagonist. I wondered why the movie really didn't take off even though it had Will Smith and Jason Bateman. Now I know why. Worth watching if you don't have anything to do.

A More Perfect Constitution by Larry Sabato

2009-01-10T04:55:00.000-08:00

5 stars out of 5

This is my kind of book. Larry Sabato is thinking outside the box on how the Constitution can be improved. His book is full of 23 proposals to revise the Constitution. Some are out there. Some are ready to be approved right now. Each has careful analysis, which you may or may not agree with.

He also includes results of public opinion surveys which rate the different ideas in the book. The book is well documented and the footnotes are actually interesting to read. I was highly entertained by this thought-provoking book. It would be great if we had a new Constitutional Convention and revised the Constitution. Rather than let the Supreme Court run amok with it, we the people can send delegates to fix it. Well worth a read.

New Year Challenge

2008-12-31T21:18:00.001-08:00

I will admit to you that I have an addiction. No, not my college football addiction - I covered that somewhere else. My addiction is to acquiring books. I wish I could say it was to reading books. I do love to read books and I do it often. But my real problem is acquiring books. I acquire them much more quickly than I read them, so I have dozens of books just waiting to be read. Some I have started and tired of. Some I really want to read but just haven't gotten to it yet. I constantly shop for books on paperbackswap.com, Amazon.com or other bookstores even though I already have plenty of books to read.

So here's my solution for this New Year's Day, 2009. My goal is to read one book every week and attempt, by the end of the year, to have read almost all of the books on my shelves. So look for it here on the Review Blog - one book a week. My first book I finished this year at 12:30 am on January 1 was "All But My Life". 51 more to go. And I will try to restrain myself from getting anymore in the meantime.

The sad thing is that not all of my books were shipped out here. I am sure I have dozens more sitting in boxes in Maryland, waiting for a far distant day (5 years?) to be unpacked and read. Well I will do what I can. Good luck in your 2009 goals!

Songmaster by Orson Scott Card

2008-12-31T21:13:00.000-08:00

4 stars out of 5

Songmaster is the story of a young orphan adopted into the songhouse, where is taught how to really sing well. So well that he is hired by the emperor of the universe. High jinx ensue. It sounds odd I know, but in Orson Scott Card's great way, it is a very good story.

It is a very engaging read and will pull you in. It lost its five star rating later in the book (there are three or four distinct adventures within the book) when I didn't care for some of the plot elements. I don't think it is one of OSC's better works, but it is still a good story for any dedicated fan.

All But My Life by Gerda Weissman Klein

2008-12-31T20:55:00.000-08:00

5 stars out of 5

This is the story of a teenage Jewish girl in Poland in World War II. The book is divided into three parts, pre-camp, camp and rescue. It is a beautifully written book. Compared to a recent Holocaust book I read, it was very engaging and a joy to read. It is short (only about 250 pages) and can be read very quickly. Highly recommended for anyone who thinks they are having a bad day or life.

Prince Caspian (2008)

2008-12-28T06:28:00.000-08:00

3.5 stars out of 5

One thing that Hollywood does do with some predictability is turn out sequels. And usually, they are worse than the original. However, with movies based on books, there is a better than average chance that the sequels will not stink, because a real author already wrote the book, not some Hollywood hack. If you recall Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter movies, there is no drop off in quality. In fact, I believe the Harry Potter movies improved somewhat.

However, with Prince Caspian, I was somewhat disappointed. Not to ruin it, but they do take some very large liberties with the script. Granted, I remember reading the book later in life and thinking, there isn't much going on here in Prince Caspian. But the scenes and dialogue they added really took away from the spirit and message of the book. I was also thinking to myself - Wait a second, I don't remember this at all, which annoyed me.

Also, CS Lewis does not spend a lot of time on battle scenes in his book (unlike Tolkien). However, in the movie it felt like at least an hour of the 2.5 hour movie was spent in battle, which was just too much. Ideally, they could have just stuck closer to the book and settled for a 1.5 or 2 hour movie. Or if you are going to add things to make it longer, don't add them willy nilly but see if they fit with the themes of the book.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie, but I didn't care for the changes, the long battle scenes or the length of the movie. I thought they stuck a lot closer to the real story in #1, which was very good. I am optimistic they won't make the same mistake with #3 (The Dawn Treader) because the Dawn Treader has a lot of action going on to cover - no need to make stuff up.

Ender in Exile by Orson Scott Card

2008-12-28T06:21:00.000-08:00

4.5 stars out of 5

A new Ender book from Orson Scott Card? He just keeps them coming. I had no idea another one was even in the works until I started browsing recently, and lo and behold, it arrived as a present under the tree.

This Ender book takes place mostly between chapters 14 and 15 of "Ender's Game". It did puzzle me a few times to try to remember when things had occurred and whether this story line was the same as that story line or if this had been mentioned in a different book. The puzzling was an annoyance, but Card does include a chapter in the end explaining some of it.

The book itself is a joy to read. I had a little trouble getting into it, since I knew what was coming, but once it got to the point of the story, it was a great read. Great characters, decent plot and as always, well orchestrated. Highly recommended to all Ender fans.

The Blue Sweater by Jacqueline Novogratz

2008-12-28T05:59:00.000-08:00

5 stars out of 5

The Blue Sweater is basically a memoir from the author that follows her from her early days at Citibank to development work in Africa, the World Bank, Stanford Business School, India, Pakistan, and so on. She has lived a very interesting life and devoted it to many good causes. The book alternates between sharing stories of her philanthropic work, and her ideas of what works and what doesn't work in the world of philanthropy.

I enjoyed it very much. It is somewhat like "Three Cups of Tea" in that both authors focused on development/aid work, but Novogratz has a wide variety of experiences and some good training to boot, while the "Three Cups of Tea" author is very earnest, but has to learn a lot of lessons on the way (or maybe Three Cups of Tea just focuses more on the learning part). In any event, it is not a gripping read, as each chapter covers a different episode in her life (with the exception of several chapters on Rwanda), but every chapter was fascinating and insightful. I am hopeful that funds like hers and the Gates Foundation will bring more effective development to aid to the billions of very poor people around the globe. I highly recommend it to all interested people.

Civilization II

2008-11-29T17:31:00.000-08:00

5 stars out of 5

I had a comment on here that I had not reviewed any video games despite the header of this blog. This is a fair point. When I created this blog, I lived down the street from my friend who is a big video game fan. We played different games here and there and I thought I would critique the games we played along with movies, books and TV shows. However, we were both lawyers in Houston. And we were both busy at church and with multiple children. So we didn't play as much as we thought we would. Now I live around the world from him and so we don't play at all.

So here is my first computer/video game review. This is a game that has been a big part of my life. Probably too big. Civ II. Civ II is a game in which you start your own civilization. You decide where to build cities, what to build in the city, what kind of army to raise, whether to be friends with or attack your neighbors, what to research, how much resources to devote to research, to money, to happiness of people. It is a tremendous strategy game.

The major downside of this game is that it is terribly addicting and the games can take a very long time. You can play for 20+ hours if you get a really complex game. There are also versions in which you can play your friends, but because each person takes a turn, the games take way too long. Overall, a great game, but not recommended unless you are independently wealthy and/or you have a spouse and children who doesn't require interaction.

Cry Freedom (1987)

2008-11-29T17:23:00.000-08:00

4 stars out of 5

Kevin Kline and Denzel Washington star in this suprisingly good movie about South Africa's fight against apartheid that actually came out when apartheid was still the rule of law in South Africa. Kline pays a journalist who gets to know Steven Biko (Washington), an influential black leader. It is based on the true story and the true story is quite disturbing.

Overall, a good movie. It runs a little long - some good editors would have been helpful, but overall it has a great story, good characters and a powerful message. I was kind of annoyed by the way they blatantly used music to create tension/feelings. I know all movies do this, but it is best if you can't notice it.

First Blood (1982)

2008-11-29T17:18:00.000-08:00

3.5 stars out of 5

I caught Rambo: First Blood on the movie channel the other day, and decided to give it a try, even though it took me a while to figure out it was a Rambo movie. I was actually thinking it was his arm-wrestling movie for a while, but it didn't work out that well.

Sly Stallone plays a Vietnam green beret vet who comes home and has trouble adjusting. Local cops give him a rough time and he busts out of jail. The local cops chase him, fail miserably and more high jinx ensue. It was fairly entertaining, and Sly Stallone is actually pretty good. I'm not sure how much was edited, so I can't say for sure how gory the real movie is, but there was a lot of fighting. It is Rambo.

X-files: I Want to Believe (2008)

2008-11-29T17:16:00.000-08:00

3.5 stars out of 5

Last movie on the plane ride that wouldn't end was the latest X-files movie. The plot takes place after the show, and Mulder is a hermit and Scully a doctor. The FBI pulls them in on a case involving a psychic and a missing agent and Mulder puts his skills to use.

Overall, it was okay, but it felt like a 2-part episode rather than a movie. It was good, but kind of gory too. Didn't really add to the legend of the X-files at all, just added another couple episodes.

Meet Dave (2008)

2008-11-29T17:11:00.000-08:00

3.5 stars out of 5

Just what convinced Eddie Murphy that his fame and fortune lay in movies directed at children I do not know. He has a lot of talent, but a fair amount lies in his physical humor, which the kids eat up. I was looking for a movie to watch with Jeffrey on the plane, and this one suited the bill perfectly. The story is about an alien race whose spaceship is modeled after a full size human being comes to earth to retrieve a lost asteroid. The first half of the movie is tailor made for 6-year olds and Jeffrey giggled hysterically.

The second half, which gets more into the plot and the love interest between members of the crew of Dave, drags at times and is not all that great for 6 year olds. It would have been better at 60 minutes, but you can't market movies that short, so they tacked on 30 minutes. Overall, a decent show for young ones, though not terribly good.

Batman: Dark Knight (2008)

2008-11-29T17:06:00.000-08:00

4.5 stars out of 5

On the return leg from Honolulu to Manila, I realized that I had to take matters into my own hands if I was going to see some quality shows. Hawaiian has shown some marketing savvy and is now pitching personal entertainment devices from which you can watch a wide variety of TV shows, movies, cartoons, music videos, etc. Since I had 10.5 hours to kill, I figured I would check it out.

Dark Knight was my first choice and it did not disappoint. Great story, compelling characters, tremendous action. The Joker is the bad guy and Two-face makes an appearance as well. The movie has some ethical/psychological dimensions that force Batman to deal with his role as vigilante and how people make decisions that affect others. As advertised, the movie is very dark and is pretty intense. Probably not suitable for young viewers, but a very nice action flick for everyone else.

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

2008-11-29T17:02:00.000-08:00

2.5 stars out of 5.

Next up in the airplane movie tour was The Incredible Hulk. I never saw the version that came out about five years ago, so I can't compare. This was a big step up from Mamma Mia, but it was still a pretty bad movie. It did have some good action sequences, and the characters were decent. The plot was a little flimsy though and I had trouble really getting into it. It may have been trying to do too much action. Also, I hate it when they set it up for a sequel right at the end.

Mamma Mia (2008)

2008-11-29T16:57:00.000-08:00

1.5 stars out of 5

On our trip to California for Thanksgiving, we were exposed (for better or worse) to a lot of movies. First up, Mamma Mia. The basic plot is that a girl is getting married and wants to invite her father, but she doesn't know who her father is. So she raids her mother's journal and finds the three men who might be her father and invites them to the wedding. Sound bad? Yes indeed.

The only thing really going for the movie is the ABBA music interspersed throughout the movie. It kind of has the feel of a musical, but not nearly as good as any musical I have ever seen. I found most elements of this movie revolting: plot was terrible, characters shallow, acting subpar, views on marriage, sexuality, etc. - ridiculous. There is really no reason to ever subject yourself to this movie. If anything, it will give you a bad association with some decent ABBA music.

Scheisshaus Luck (2008)

2008-11-10T16:51:00.000-08:00

4.5 stars out of 5.

This is the story of Pierre Berg, an 18-year old Frenchmen, rounded up and sent to Auschwitz and various other concentration camps. Berg is not a Jew, but in the wrong place at the wrong time. I found the story compelling and well told. It is a bit vulgar at times (the title should have tipped me off) but on the whole I thought it was an honest account that was worth reading.

Compared to other Holocaust accounts, I think this account offers a unique non-Jewish perspective. Pierre is also an atheist and a young man when he experiences the trauma of Auschwitz, and this colors his experience. I would recommend to most readers, but you should realize that it will not be a pretty read.

Pride (2007)

2008-10-08T06:45:00.000-07:00

3.5 stars of 5

I’m not sure of the marketing genius who came up for the name of this movie, but I cannot think of a less descriptive name than “Pride”. Pride is the "Remember the Titans" of Swimming. A black coach with a chip on his shoulder sets out to reform the neighborhood rec center. Aided by the late Bernie Mac, he starts a swim team, which starts very poorly and you can probably guess how it ends.

As Rocky-genre style movies go, this one is okay. Even after Michael Phelps in the Olympics, it is hard to get really excited about swimming as a sport. However, it’s kind of an unbelievable story. Five pretty much random kids off the street are suddenly awesome swimmers? Yeah right.

Anyway, it’s a feel good movie that is not a total waste of time. If you have the time, it’s not too bad.

How to Hug a Porcupine by John Lund (1999)

2008-10-01T07:12:00.000-07:00

5 stars out of 5

I rank John Lund as one of my favorite self help authors, and this book is no exception to his usual great fare. In this book he focuses on how to deal with difficult people. Of course, it is easy to see how you are sometimes a difficult person too, and so is helpful in that respect.

I found this to be particularly applicable to being a parent - not that my kids are porcupines, but they could be or I could potentially be to them. It's a great book on relationships in general, as are most of John Lund's books. Highly recommended to everyone.

Ocean's Thirteen (2007)

2008-10-01T07:08:00.000-07:00

2 stars out of 5

This was the only show I could bring myself to watch on my overseas flight. Everything else they were offering was garbage, except Indiana Jones, which I had already seen. So I suffered through it.

It is the same old same old. Here, their goal is to ruin the opening of a new casino, since the guy who runs it pulled a fast one on one of their buddies. Yes, kind of interesting to see all the ways in which they are giving this guy a headache. But ultimately, very dull. We have seen it all before - lots of deception and trickery, yaddah yaddah yaddah.

The only thing that keeps this alive is seeing such great actors do all their bit parts. It is fun, but it could not save it. I was so bored I considered turning it off, but had few other options being trapped on a plane. I would only recommend it if you are trapped in place for more than 12 hours.

Raising Arizona (1987)

2008-10-01T06:59:00.000-07:00

4 stars out of 5

After a long hiatus I am back. Entertainment has been a little thin lately, since we have been busy moving. It is also college football season, so I have watched a bit of that. I am also making my way through the 3rd season of Family Ties. What a great show.

Now, to the current review. This movie came out before I moved to Florida, or in other words, before I was aware of the outside world. A good friend recommended it to me, and so Netflix sent me the movie.

It is a pretty good show. Nicholas Cage is great, as is Holly Hunter and most of the supporting cast. The story is good - couple with no options steals a baby from a family that had quints. The story telling is a bit odd, but once you get into it, it is pretty funny. I have not seen a good comedy movie in a while, so I was happy to see this one. I would recommend to anyone looking for an easy on the brain film.

George Lopez: America's Mexican (2007)

2008-08-05T09:58:00.000-07:00

1 star out of 5

I liked standup comedy. I have seen George Lopez's show a couple times and it was okay. So I thought I would give his standup routine a try. It was terrible. It should be rated "R" for profusive language. For the first 15 minutes (all I watched) he is just complaining about US immigration policy. Not very funny. He also throws a ton of Spanish in - maybe I'm glad I couldn't understand. Would not recommend to anyone.

Everything is Illuminated (2005)

2008-08-05T09:49:00.000-07:00

3.5 stars out of 5

This is a very odd movie. It's good, but definitely not what I expected. At first I couldn't figure out if it was supposed to be a comedy or a drama. It slowly shifted more toward drama and I slowly got a sense of what the story was actually about. The actors are very good, and there is decent character development.

The story itself is about an American collector (Woods) going to the Ukraine to find some elements from his family history. His Ukranian tour guide is a grandfather-grandson combination that definitely adds color.

Overall, I liked it, but could not recommend it fully to everyone. You really have to like offbeat movies or Elijah Wood to go for this one in my book.

A Dog in a Hat by Joe Parkin

2008-08-05T09:34:00.000-07:00

4 stars out of 5

This book is a very short, entertaining read. It keeps up fast pace, moving from race to race and season to season smoothly and quickly. I enjoyed almost all of his stories and thought it was interesting to know what it was like to be an American cylclist in Europe.

If the book is a little thin, at least the author accomplishes his purpose, and does so fairly well. This book is not about the history of cycling, different Americans in cycling, a comprehensive tour of Europe's races, doping or anything like that. It is simply how one cyclist experienced the European circuit in the late 80s and early 90s. For those intrigued by this pursuit, I suggest you give it a read.

American Experience: Truman

2008-08-03T13:04:00.000-07:00

4 stars out of 5

This is a 2 DVD 4 hour special from American Experience. Truman is a very interesting character. Few people achieve so little before becoming the President of the United States. And boy what a job he had - ending World War 2, negotiating the peace talks afterwards, saving Berlin from blockades, post-war adjustments, the Korean War, etc. If you don't know much about Harry the Haberdasher from Missouri, you will enjoy getting to know him in this 4 hour overview of his life. I divided it up over several nights and greatly enjoyed it. Well done documentary.

Fighter Pilot: IMAX

2008-08-03T12:56:00.000-07:00

5 stars out of 5

This is a short 40 minute IMAX movie that I saw at the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum. I really enjoyed learning more about the Air Force and how they train. It is a great look at the sophistication of their machines and training programs. It's a little disorienting, but the effect on IMAX is awesome. It would probably be only 4 stars on a regular screen. Highly recommended.

Happy Hour is for Amateurs by Philadelphia Lawyer

2008-07-24T06:35:00.000-07:00

2 stars out of 5

As a former lawyer myself, I was interested to see what Philadelphia Lawyer had to say about his 10 years as a lawyer. I anticipated and enjoyed many of the complaints: long hours, inefficient practices, anal personalities. I also enjoyed many of his stories, including his numerous job changes, trials and other confrontations - these were very amusing and revealing.

However, to get to the gems, you have to slog through so many pages of his misadventures as to make the trip not worth it. If you enjoy National Inquirer and/or stories about booze, women, drugs, sex and bathroom exploits, then you will enjoy Philadelphia Lawyer's many sidebars. Wild weekends with women and drugs appear to be his coping mechanism for being a lawyer. It is telling that he remains anonymous, even after leaving the field of law. I imagine some of this is because he doesn't want to be sued by the real life people he put in the book, but a big part of it is that no one could respect him after hearing of his many exploits.

Also, the writing style is more stream of consciousness (complete with lots of explicatives) than anything else. Thie format works well for blogs (on which this book is based), but over the course of a 300-page book it gets old.

There were some enjoyable parts, but I found too many distasteful elements to make reading this book worth it.

Six Good Innings by Mark Kreidler

2008-07-24T06:33:00.000-07:00

4 stars out of 5

Kreidler takes a season-long look at a fascinating subject. He focuses on one team for one playoff season as they push to make the little league world series. These boys of little league are so young (12 and 13) but so determined to make it that they give more to training than most adults give to their full-time jobs. Kreidler does a great job of giving a balanced look at the situation, largely reserving judgment for the readers.

The book raises a number of great issues: Why are youth sports so competitive? Why do we push kids to achieve such specialization so early? Is it worth the potential cost in both injury and lost youth to have kids push this hard?

Overall, the book itself is written very well. It was entertaining enough that I read it within 24 hours of starting it. I was kind of annoyed by the numerous digressions and side stories (I wanted to find out what happened to the team!) but overall the book was very good and recommended to all baseball fans.

Ralph Nader: An Unreasonable Man

2008-07-23T05:43:00.000-07:00

4 stars out of 5

I was interested in viewing this documentary because I didn't know much about Ralph Nader. I just knew that he didn't much care for the main political parties and he probably played the spoiler in the 2000 election.

I came away with an increased appreciation for the man. He has been involved in a number of worthy endeavors, the more notable of which were getting seatbelts and airbags in cars. I was really impressed with his idealism. This is not a man who was going to sell out to the highest bidder. He was in his causes because he believed in them, and he inspired many like-minded individuals.

Granted, I don't agree with many of his ideals. I think some of them are inefficient and/or silly. But his dedication to his ideals was most impressive. This was probably the reason that he has never been elected to any office. Or vice versa: perhaps the reason he has been able to stay idealistic is because he has never been in an elected office.

This documentary also highlights the problems of the two-party system. Democrats and Republicans have such a stranglehold that it is impossible for third party candidates to make a difference. Even to the point that Nader was not allowed to attend a presidential debate as an audience member. There's obviously something wrong with the system.

Of course, Nader took a lot of heat in 2000 for tipping the election to Bush by stealing Gore votes in Florida. But there were many 3rd party candidates that got more votes than separated Bush from Gore. However, since Gore got the most, he got the blame. The documentary really highlighted some of the disdain that Democrats now hold for him because of that, whereas as many of them previously supported him strongly.

Overall, the documentary is very good - especially if you don't know much about the man. Highly recommended for all students of politics.

State Department File 649

2008-07-16T06:32:00.000-07:00

3.5 stars out of 5

This is an old movie - 1949. And not a particularly good movie either. It felt like more of a propaganda piece than a real movie. The overriding message was: State Department officers bravely serve America abroad. The acting was terrible and the storyline thin and predictable. It was good for some laughs at how outrageous it was though.

Also, if it was an accurate portrayal of Foreign Service Officers back in 1949, it is not now. We don't carry guns and we don't single handedly take on Mongolian warlords. Anyway, an interesting movie and fun piece of history if not cinematic excellence.

Naked Economics (2003) by Charles Wheelan

2008-07-16T06:04:00.000-07:00

4 stars out of 5

"Naked Economics" is an attempt by Professor Wheelan to make economics more accessible to everybody. There are no graphs, precious few numbers and it is laid out pretty simply. It is an enjoyable read, though not so compelling that I couldn't put it down. The examples and stories make the principles very clear and enjoyable.

I would recommend this book to anyone that didn't take the introductory Economics class in college and wants to know more. Or even if you did take it and didn't feel like you got much out of it, this book will be instructive. If you have more formal training in economics, you might still enjoy the book, but you might also look for something with more meat.

My Kid Could Paint That (2008)

2008-07-11T12:32:00.000-07:00

5 stars out of 5

This very unusual documentary follows Marla Olmstead, a 4-year old artist, who has hit it big as an abstract artist. Of course with any artist, there is an expose, and Marla is no exception. But you usually don't get scandals at age 4. Very good documentary and recommended for all mature audiences.

SPOILER ALERT: The following discussion involves major plot points. You may want to watch the actual movie before you read the rest of it.

60 Minutes, ever the "hard-hitting" journalists, cast doubt that Marla is the sole artist and that her parents (mostly her dad) are helping her. This is the focus of the last half of the documentary, as the film maker himself is not convinced Marla is doing this by herself. I have the following observations:

1. Of course the dad is helping her. She's 4 for goodness sake. Have you ever dealt with 4 year olds? They need help doing most things. They are barely able to get dressed by themselves. Obviously, Marla cannot go to the store and pick out her paints. She also needs help getting set up. I don't think anyone disputes that level of help. But people get exercised when they think the dad is telling her what to do, or polishing some of the works. Is this really such a difference?

2. The dad always struck me as very opportunist. The mother was always much more nervous about having her pre-K daughter become a semi-famous person. I suspect the Dad did help, with suggestions and possibly even touching up some of the works. Did he fabricate some completely by himself? Possibly. I really doubt he is sitting there thinking: Wow, my 4-year old can do these paintings and I can't! I personally doubt he did any of them completely by himself, but I do think he gave help, even though I don't really care.

3. I can kind of feel the pain for art enthusiasts that thought they were getting a Marla Olmstead but really got a Marla+Dad painting. Obviously, they bought the art plus the story behind the art. When the story turned out to be different than they thought, they were disappointed. I personally think they should have figured that the dad helped a little bit. I mean, is Marla telling her Dad what to buy, what size canvases she needs, etc.? I also think they paid way too much for the story, but each has his or her own preferences.

4. I personally don't care for abstract art. I would have paid nominal amounts for some of Marla's paintings (some are pretty), but certainly not in the thousands of dollars range that they were fetching. I think it is a commentary on Western society that we spend so many resources on art while millions starve and people still die of leprosy.

5. The Olmsteads tried to rehab (more or less successfully it appears) their daughter by producing full length DVDs that show Marla in the process of painting some of her works. Sheralie thought that the ones where the video taped the paintings looked different than the other works. Other people in the movie shared that view. They all looked pretty abstract to me and to be done by the same artist. They produced several other full-length DVDs - but several of the paintings that are the subject of the DVDs have not sold. I think that it is kind of like food. I am happy to eat a meal, but I don't necessarily want to see it prepared - especially the part where they kill the meat product. Seeing the process takes some of the mystique away from the art itself, especially when the artist if 4 years old.

6. Why didn't the mother put an end to the whole thing after 60 minutes? You could tell she was nervous about this, and 60 minutes kind of confirmed her doubts. Why did she keep Marla on the art scene? Pressure from husband? She likes the money? She thought retreat would have looked like an admission of guilt? We don't really delve into her character enough to know the answer to this question.

Overall, I thought this movie raised many interesting questions about art, especially abstract art. Also good questions about exploiting children, dads that push and documentary films.

Thanks Judd for the suggestion.

Standing Up (Brian Regan standup)

2008-07-09T15:41:00.001-07:00

4.5 stars out of 5. Brian Regan is hilarious and this show is terrific. I thoroughly enjoyed it. He's not quite Jerry Seinfeld, but he's close. Great show. Highly recommended. Very clean too.

The Comedy Central special is an extra feature on this DVD. It is so-so (I had already heard most of that material).

Spies Like Us (1985)

2008-07-09T15:36:00.000-07:00

3 stars out of 5

When I mentioned going into the State Department, someone suggested I see this movie that came out in the mid 1980s. Dan Akroyd and Chevy Chase are actually caught cheating on the Foreign Service exam and "promoted" to be spies.

It is a funny movie, with some great sequences. It seems like the kind of movie that would be funnier the second or third time around - or maybe late at night. Overall, I enjoyed it, but it wasn't the type of movie I would seek out again. Somewhat crude humor - not one for the family, but a fun movie overall.

Bride and Prejudice (2005)

2008-06-28T08:32:00.001-07:00

4 stars out of 5

I got this movie from Netflix for a date night movie. I tried to pick the highest-rated chick flick I could find, but I was still pretty pessimistic over what I would get. What would Bollywood send my way?

I was pleasantly surprised. Perhaps it was my very low expectations, but I thought the movie was hilariously funny. Sheralie also liked it because it was romantic (for the slow of thought, it is based on "Pride and Prejudice"). It is a musical, which I usually don't care for. But many of the songs are really funny and it was not too much. I don't even like the "Pride and Prejudice" plot, but the adaptation for cultural differences (India vs. US) was terrific.

Great acting too from India's biggest star (the female lead) and Sayid from Lost. I would recommend to most people searching for some date night entertainment.

Believe in Me (2006)

2008-06-28T08:21:00.001-07:00

3.5 stars out of 5

Netflix recommended "Believe in Me" to me because it could tell I was obviously into true-life sports dramas. This movie fulfills its ambition to be the "Rocky" of high school girls' basketball. The scene is set in 1960s rural Oklahoma (very similar to the scene in Glory Road - the Rocky of men's college basketball). The coach is disappointed to be "demoted" to coach the girls' team, but he tries to make the best of it. After much practice and work, the team comes together and succeeds. It is a touching story.

However, the movie is lacking in several ways:

1. Girls' basketball is not fun to watch. I think the camera work reflected this as most of the shots were close-in shots that did not focus on the whole floor. I'm not sure who is watching the WNBA, but maybe they would appreciate this movie more.

2. Acting was subpar. Obviously, this was a low budget film. I don't think it hit the big screen. But I can't think of one memorable performance. They were all over-the-top or underplayed.

3. The movie is very predictable. I'm not sure how much they deviated from actual events, but you could see all plot developments from a mile away. Usually Rocky movies follow a script, but a little deviation and a couple of surprises are welcome.

Overall, it is a decent movie, especially if you have a girl that you want to get into high school basketball. But I wouldn't go out of your way to seek it out.

The Nine (2007) by Jeffrey Toobin

2008-06-21T20:17:00.000-07:00

4 stars out of 5

This is a book about the Supreme Court. For those of you with no knowledge of the judicial branch of government, there are nine justices on the Supreme Court. This book focuses on the recent history of the court, especially the years since Bush v. Gore in 2000. Toobin gives the backgrounds of the current justices and the selection process behind many of their nominations.

I found this book engaging and interesting. This is obviously a guy who has followed the Supreme Court very closely and his commentary in weaving together different episodes and characters gave me a greater appreciation for the court. It was not, however, a book I could not put down. I put it down several times and only recently finished it. It has been so long since I actually finished a book I figured I should finally finish one.

This book is accessible to all readers, but for those with only a passing interest in the judiciary, it is probably too much. I follow the Supreme Court fairly closely, and I enjoyed it a lot. This book is not quite as good as "The Brethren" by Bob Woodward, which focused on the Burger court of the mid-70s, but it is still very good.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

2008-06-13T11:11:00.000-07:00

3.5 stars out of 5

Harrison Ford is out with his latest Indiana Jones adventure, the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It's important that you go into all Indiana Jones films with the proper expectations. George Lucas did write these films - the same guy that does Star Wars - not your regular action/adventure movies. So yes, there is action, but there is a lot of totally unbelievable sci-fi. The plot turns are quite random, and the writing is definitely suspect. But if you go in with these things in mind, it is an enjoyable ride.

I really enjoyed Shia LeBeouf (I had to pull up IMDB to spell this name) as Indiana's son. He is becoming a mainstream star after the Transformers movies and a couple of others. He does quite well in his role, and Harrison Ford fits comfortably in his role. The rest of the cast is passable and makes the most of some of the silly lines they are given.

Just remember - you're not supposed to believe that Indiana Jones is really an architect - just play along. Architects hate how they portray him. And even though he is 60+, you should also believe he is able to pull off the various stunts and fights he gets in (his stunt double does fine). Just don't expect a realistic story and I think you will enjoy.

American Gangster (2007)

2008-06-13T11:02:00.000-07:00

4 stars out of 5

I am a sucker for dramas based on real life. Throw in Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe and I am in. "American Gangster" is based on the true story of Frank Lucas (Denzel), an enterprising gang boss who made a killing during the Vietnam War shipping cocaine in the coffins of dead servicemen. Richie Roberts (Crowe) is a cop from New Jersey who is just too honest to be a cop in the 1970s.

Crowe is determined to get the top dog, and relentlessly pursues Lucas. It's a gritty crime drama with great acting and directing. I enjoyed it, though I can only take so much real life crime. It is similar in flavor to "The Wire", the popular HBO series, which I enjoyed but could not watch episode after episode.

It's a great look into New York in the 1970s, which appeared to be a lawless free-for-all. Also an interesting look into cop and gang culture. Obviously, not for everyone.

Singles Second Ward (2007)

2008-06-01T19:59:00.001-07:00

2 stars out of 5

I am up here in Virginia living by myself. Sheralie and the kids will join me on Saturday. So last Saturday I volunteered to watch my friends' kids while they went out on the town. They happened to have "Singles Second Ward" so I popped it in and watched it. That's my alibi and I'm sticking to it.

It was terrible. The first installment (in 2002) was very good. It was subtle, humorous and engaging. The second was none of these things. A good chunk of the second movie spends its time making fun of the first movie. I almost felt like they just added in these jokes to lengthen the movie because they didn't have enough material. There are so many bad jokes in here it is hard to appreciate the good ones (but there are some). The only engaging aspect was the lead character, a newcomer to this line of films. She was a likable character and almost saves the movie. However, the plot is too thin and the characters too shallow for any real impression to be made.

Speaking of Mormon cinema, these are my favorites:

1. Charly

2. Singles Ward

3. The Best Two Years

4. God's Army (and the sequel isn't bad either)

5. New York Doll (more of a documentary)

6. Work and Glory series (kind of trails off toward the end, but the first one is strong)

And the tomatoes (ones I wish I had not seen):

1. Baptists at the Barbeque (turned it off midway)

2. The Hometeachers

3. The RM

4. Singles Second Ward

Dan in Real Life (2007)

2008-06-01T19:50:00.000-07:00

4 stars out of 5

Dan in Real Life stars everyone's favorite Office manager, Steve Carrell, so I had to see it. It didn't look enticing enough to see in the theaters, but soon after the DVD release, I got it on Netflix.

I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't know if Carrell's zaniness would be palatable over a 100 minute film, but he was not nearly as zany as his Office character. He still has some of his characteristic goofiness, but he played his character very well and I thought he was terrific. The story is pretty good, though it drags a little sometimes.

The overall themes were on family and love. It mixed together quite well. I would recommend it to all guys as their next "chick flick" movie because it centers around a love story, but still has Steve Carrell and gives you some solid laughs.

The Abyss (1989)

2008-06-01T19:35:00.000-07:00

4 stars out of 5

The Abyss is a sci-fi classic. Somehow I missed it when it first came out. I guess I was only 12 then. The only movie I remember seeing in the movie theater I remember seeing before I hit the age of freedom (16) was "Back to the Future III". Anyway, a friend recommended "The Abyss" to me so I checked it out.

The movie is great. Great actors, many of which became much more famous or prolific after the movie. Great story. And there is not so much science fiction that it gets in the way of the story. You almost believe it all could be real. Very entertaining ride. A comparison of what movies it is like would give away some plot elements, so I will just say that it is better than most all of its contemporary peers.

The director's cut is about 3 hours long though, so if you are pressed for time, you may just want to go with the theater version. I'm not sure what is cut to get to that version, but I hear it is still very good.

Cry, the Beloved Country (1995)

2008-05-26T18:29:00.001-07:00

4.5 stars out of 5

I have seen this movie out there for a decade now and kept meaning to see it. The opportunity presented itself this Memorial Day weekend, so I took it. The story is set in the mid 1940s in South Africa. A priest is on a quest to find his long lost son. It seemed that everyone was getting lost in South Africa back then - hopefully they are better at keeping track of people now that we have email and cell phones.

Great movie - heavyweight actors James Earl Jones and Richard Harris turn in great performances. The movie delivers solid messages on racism, forgiveness and family. Highly recommend.

I am Legend (2007)

2008-05-26T18:17:00.000-07:00

3 stars out of 5

You have to like Will Smith. How do you not like him? He's one of the best leading men in Hollywood today. So I took a chance with "I am Legend", a sci-fi apocalyptic thriller that is set in New York in the near future after a virus has either killed or turned into zombie monsters most of humanity. Will Smith and his dog are hanging out in Manhattan, trying to survive and find a cure for the virus.

It's a great premise, and it is fun to think of all the things you could do if you just had an empty city all to yourself. But I didn't care for it. It has too many horror elements to be really enjoyable. Unless you like that kind of thing, it is jarring to constantly be going from soft and quiet sequences to loud and crazy scenes. And Will Smith is at his best when he is interacting with other characters. Tom Hanks managed to pull off "Cast Away" talking to a volleyball, but it gets old having Will Smith trying to converse with his dog.

Ultimately, the movie falls flat with too many long interludes of nothing happening. And the ending was not worth waiting it out for. So unless you are just a die hard Will Smith fan or into horror/monster movies, I would pass on this one.

The Great Debaters (2007)

2008-05-24T11:23:00.000-07:00

3.5 stars out of 5

The Great Debaters, starring Denzel Washington, is the latest in the Rocky series. It is the Rocky of debating. Sound implausible? Well, actual sports do lend themselves better to the Rocky formula, but when the story is based on a true story, as this one is, it is able to pull it off alright.

The story is set in 1935 at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas. Wiley is an African-American college and Denzel Washington is the headstrong debate coach. They rise to prominence in spite of the virulent racism of the deep South in the early 1900s. It's a good story, though it is hard to get the full flavor of the debates when you only get sound bites. Football and basketball lend themselves well to highlight reels, but you really need the full picture on debates.

In any event, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to most audiences. Probably not suitable for kids, unless they are up for understanding lynchings and racism.

Iron Man (2008)

2008-05-13T16:23:00.000-07:00

4.5 out of 5 stars.

I must admit. I was a bit dubious at first. How many superhero movies can they come out with? There is Superman, Batman, the Hulk, Daredevil, Hell Boy, Spiderman, Incredibles, Fantastic Four, Catwoman, etc. There have just been a whole lot over the last few years, and it seems like they were stretching on this one - I mean, who has ever heard of "Iron Man"? Obviously, Aqua Man cannot be far behind in his own movie production.

But early reviews came back very positive. Even the Wall Street Journal (which usually hates everything) liked it. My friend Jared Brown who is a big fan of the superhero genre called it one of the top 3 superhero movies of all time. With that recommendation, I convinced my brother Phil to come with me to see it upon my arrival in DC.

I was not disappointed. As my friend Jared assured me, it was a great mix of comedy, high tech gadgetry, action and plot (not necessarily in that order). Robert Downey Jr. is a surprisingly good superhero. The action is a bit too fast, but otherwise I had few complaints. Highly recommended for most audiences.

I did notice there were lots of young kids there. This is not a "young kids" kind of movie. There is only one overtly objectionable scene (makeout scene - no nudity), but the content of the film is not geared toward young children. I would say kids should respect the PG-13 rating and wait until they are 13.

One other side note: I encountered some blatant seat saving. We didn't think this would be a problem at a 2:30 show, but this was a very popular movie. This was my first trip to the theater in a while. So we sat down only to be informed that one seat was saved. If you are going to save seats, you need to put something there to claim it. Otherwise people will invest time in walking toward the seat and sitting in it and arguing with you when they could be looking for empty seats. At this point there are not two seats together in the theater. I have previously sat apart from friends in situations like these in a crowded theater, but it is not the preferred mode of operations. Anyway, we were able to have another group of teenagers move down the row to open up two seats together. Otherwise I would have been prepared to defend my seat against the whole principle of seat saving.

The Pearl by John Steinbeck

2008-05-13T16:11:00.000-07:00

3.5 stars out of 5

The last of my audiobooks on my insanely long drive to Virginia was "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck. The story focuses on a very poor man with a sick son who finds a gigantic pearl that is destined to change his life forever. The story is short (the print version only takes 96 pages) and action-packed. It is well written, but I didn't find that I sympathized all that much with the main characters.

I will caveat that my 3.5 stars may be due to the fact that I listened to this book in the final hours of a 24 hour car ride to Virginia. Also, the previous book that I listened to was very similar. In both stories (one being fiction and the other non-fiction), the main character stumbles across a great fortune, and in both stories, it ultimately ruins (or at least makes much worse off) their lives. That similarility may have led me to not like the second iteration as much.

Overall, it is worth reading.

Finders Keepers by Mark Bowden (2003)

2008-05-11T17:31:00.000-07:00

4 stars out of 5

Finders Keepers by Mark Bowden is the second audio book in my long drive to Virginia. It is a true story of a guy in South Philly who stumbles upon $1.2 million which accidentally fell out of an armored truck. Obviously the reward money for return is not as great as the actual $1.2 million, and Joey Coyle decides to keep it. What follows is a series of mishaps which are only believable because the story is true. The story is well written and flows like a fast paced documentary. I really enjoyed it.

The author adds two post scripts which are also enjoyable. The first is Joey's trial (yes, he does get caught, but this was never in much doubt). The second is what happens to Joey's life after the trial, including a Disney movie starring John Cusack as Joey Coyle ("Money for Nothing" - 1993 - not to be confused with a book of the same title that I recently read). Both post scripts are memorable and interesting. It is a short book and worth reading for entertainment.

Flyboys by James Bradley (2004)

2008-05-11T07:50:00.000-07:00

4 stars out of 5

On my road trip to Virginia, I invested in some audio books to pass the time. My big investment was the unabridged version of "Flyboys" by James Bradley. The story loosely centers around a number of servicemen who were shot down over Chichi Jima (north of Iwo Jima) and their stories. One of those shot down was President George H. W. Bush (he obviously survived). However, these stories only take up about 30% of the book. The rest of the book focuses on the Pacific theater in World War II and the role of air power in defeating the Japanese. The history of Japanese-US relations and of military air power are also explored.

I found the book to be very interesting, even considering I listened to it for about 14 hours straight. The history and background are illuminating when considering the story of the flyboys and the larger war in the Pacific. I came away from the book with an increased appreciation and understanding on the need to use the atom bomb, the very different psychology of the Japanese, and of the incredible destruction Japan endured. It was a very good history lesson.

There are shortcomings. The book does spend a long time on tangents which can be distracting. It also gets a little grisly at parts. However, I believe most students of history will appreciate this book.