Talkie Zoo, movies, actors, ratings

Can you see me now?

2013-04-10T22:22:00.001-05:00

Besides watching movies, one of the things I really love to do is work crossword puzzles. I especially like the ones I find in the Sunday paper. I get that paper every week for the coupons in it, but the puzzle is an added bonus as far as I’m concerned.

My biggest problem with the puzzles is exactly the same problem I have when I’m trying to read a book or even read my computer screen. I just can’t see it very well.

A few years ago I went to an eye doctor who actually told me all I need is reading glasses and not prescription glasses. I’m far sighted so everything “out there” I can see just fine. It’s the things up close that give me a problem.

So, I went to the dollar store and picked up a couple pairs of glasses just to use for reading and computer work. They really made a huge difference for me. Now I can actually read the credits on the movies I watch!

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DINOTASIA

2013-04-10T21:46:00.001-05:00

Who doesn’t love to watch films with dinosaurs in them? I do! While Dinotasia (2012) is loosely based on some science and fact, it is mostly a more lighthearted look at the Age of Dinosaurs.

The CGI is quite acceptable as is the other animation. You and your children can watch this film, unless you all are squeamish about T-Rex attacking and eating other dinosaurs. Some parts are a bit bloody, but for the most part, it’s not.

The film is a series of vignettes featuring various dinosaurs and dinosaur families. In some ways, the writers have given the beasts a pet-like or even human-like quality, which makes it pretty easy to relate to them. There is no scientific evidence that either is true, but this is, after all, a flight of fancy where the giants that once roamed the Earth is concerned.

Except for the occasional narration by Werner Herzog, there is no voice script. We, the audience, are merely observers and the dinosaurs are playing their parts.

Technorati Tags: movies,Dinotasia

MONEY AND MEDICINE

2013-04-09T20:12:00.001-05:00

Yes, this is yet another documentary about economics. No, that wasn’t my favorite subject in high school

Money and Medicine (2012) concerns itself with the high cost of medical treatment in this country. It focuses on two hospitals – one in Los Angeles and one in Utah – and compares the costs of various procedures. It quickly becomes clear that the Utah hospital offers superb care for its patients without having to drive the cost up nearly as high as the one in LA does. This is because the Utah hospital doesn’t push tons of tests on people who really are doing just fine without them. They also don’t highly recommend procedures unless the procedure is absolutely necessary for the patient’s health.

People leave the hospital there much sooner than the one in LA, too, thus reducing the medical bills for hospital stays.

I found it interesting that the Utah hospital admits it doesn’t make nearly as much money now that it has changed the way it does business, but they were ok with that. Their focus is on people.

Technorati Tags: movies,Money and Medicine

END OF THE ROAD: HOW MONEY BECAME WORTHLESS

2013-04-09T19:44:00.001-05:00

This is a very thought-provoking documentary. End of the Road: How Money Became Worthless (2012) takes you through quite a bit of the history of banking and government involvement in the world monetary system. It helps you to understand why that GE PS978STSS stainless steel stove costs what it does today as opposed to what it would have cost 40 years ago.

This film writers even suggest changing the gold standard as one solution.

The problem is global, indeed, as we see in the news every day. Maybe it’s just time to rethink what a grip money has on us.

Technorati Tags: movies,End of the Road: How Money Became Worthless,documentary

ATLAS SHRUGGED: PART 1

2013-04-07T23:48:00.001-05:00

This fictional film is based on Ayn Rand’s book of the same name. While I’ve read some reviews that say Atlas Shrugged: Part 1 (2011; PG) is not exciting or is even boring, I did not find it to be so.

As we follow the characters through this film, we are caught wondering who John Galt really is. He seems to be a mystery man. His face is never shown. He approaches and enlists various bright and creative individuals --- thinkers, if you will – to join him and leave everything behind. In the meantime, railroad tycoon Dagny Taggart is fighting against all odds to build a railroad. She is already heir to a railroad which she runs with her brother, but everyone from high government officials on down are trying to make laws, rules, and regulations that will prevent any one company owner from enjoying the fruits of his or her own labor by limiting the number of companies that may be owned and by taking other enterprises away or so severely regulating them that they just can’t do business anymore. So, she has broken away from her father’s company and is building on her own.

Federal laws are enacted to “spread the wealth” with equality, regardless of who actually earns what. They are also enacted to impede any progress by saying this or that is dangerous or not in the public’s best interest. Taggart and her steel producing friend run into every kind of obstacle as they use a new formula steel to lay tracks and build a bridge, and even more as they try to recreate a new engine for the trains that doesn’t depend on fossil fuel.

This story wasn’t written in the past couple of years. It was written in 1957, fifty years before the rigorous rules and regulations we know of today ever came into existence.

Watch it, and weep.

Technorati Tags: movies,Ayn Rand,Atlas Shrugged

AYN RAND & THE PROPHECY OF ATLAS SHRUGGED

2013-04-07T23:27:00.001-05:00

What an eye opener! I watched this documentary and could not take my eyes off it during the entire 83 minutes.

Ayn Rand was a woman who was born in Russia. She saw what socialism did to her father’s business there – how the government took his business away from him as part of the effort to equalize everyone’s living and status. Then she came to America to escape the regime that plunged her homeland into poverty through these tactics, and she began writing in earnest.

She had written since she was a young girl but only after coming here did she feel the freedom to write and warn others of the socialist agenda, which she did through her works of fiction.

Eventually, in the 50s, she wrote Atlas Shrugged which seems now to play out the very events that we see occurring all around us concerning government becoming deeply involved in the businesses and lives of everyone in the country, from the cradle to the grave.

Watch this documentary and see if you don’t agree that she was a forward thinking woman who could see where the nation was heading.

Technorati Tags: movies,Ayn Rand,Atlas Shrugged

The Weather Channel

2013-04-01T00:28:00.001-05:00

Yeah, I actually watch this channel pretty often when I visit my Mom, as I did this past weekend. Folks, The Weather Channel has some pretty good programs on it!

I watched one about truck drivers who compete each week to see which one will earn the most. One of them is in Canada, one drives out west, and one drives up the East Coast. The East Coast driver is a woman.

There are all kinds of obstacles that get in their way. I used to drive a truck many years ago, and I can attest to the fact that a day doesn’t go by when something doesn’t happen that may impede your progress. These folks encounters icy roads, hurricane Sandy, hot dessert temperatures, low fuel, and loads that were hard to locate – all of which could have made them late in delivering and therefore make them lose a lot of money.

I also watch one about storm chasers. There’s a job I do NOT want. Those guys get right in the path of some serious tornadoes and really risk their lives getting those storms on film.

Of course, you also get the weather broadcast but it’s all the other shows they have that make The Weather Channel fun to watch.

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Optional forms of entertainment

2013-03-28T14:05:00.001-05:00

I am continually checking the weather on my iPhone and on the National Weather Service website. I’m not sure why unless it’s to confirm in my own mind that even though it’s officially spring, it’s actually still winter.

I say this because we’re still getting heavy frost in the mornings, below freezing temperatures at night, and even some instances of snow and sleet in the northern parts of the state.

I have gardened a little, probably against the odds of anything growing successfully, but at least that’s also a form of entertainment for me. If we don’t get real spring weather soon, I’ll be shopping around for other forms of entertainment – movies, music CDs, maybe learn to play music on a yamaha mm6 keyboard – who knows?

I just know I want warm weather!

Technorati Tags: entertainment

EXTREME COUPONING SEASON 2

2013-03-25T18:31:00.001-05:00

I’ve wrapped up watching this series on Netflix now. I must say, I’m inspired even more to use coupons while shopping. I do use a few anyway, but it’s nothing compared to how these folks shop!

Some are getting over $1000 worth of groceries and other items for under $100 many times. I am sure that they probably don’t do this on every single shopping trip, but they do have rooms, garages, and basements filled to the hilt with thousands of dollars worth of shelf-safe food, cosmetics, toiletries, household supplies…you name it. Plus, their freezers are often well stocked, too.

I noticed that quite a few of them also donate to local food pantries or food drives, and they donate a lot when they do. This makes me feel better about the way they clear shelves. At least some of it is going to a good cause or charity.

Technorati Tags: television,Extreme Couponing Season 2

Reading

2013-03-23T11:15:00.001-05:00

I’ve been offline for almost two weeks, but I’m back online now and ready to review some entertainment again.

Being offline for so long did give me a chance to re-explore some entertainment I’ve put aside for a vey long time – reading. Yep, reading real, paper magazines and books! I think I’d forgotten how comforting it is to pull an throw up over my lap, curl up at the end of the sofa, and open a book to read. The turning of the pages and the feel of the paper are sensations I’ve neglected for far too long.

I do have Kindle for PC on my computer, so there were some offerings there to read, as well. But you can’t really snuggle up to a computer monitor to read, now can you?

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Live concerts

2013-03-01T19:34:00.001-06:00

I’ve been working hard at my job lately. In fact, I don’t think I’ve gone out to see a live band in over six months, which is unusual for me. I’m promising myself right now that I’m going to take at least one weekend a month to see some live music on the local level. Of course, Fleetwood Mac is coming to a big town near me in May, and that would be an awesome concert to attend.

While I do enjoy the local groups (they work hard and are quite talented), a big name like that really gets my attention. Listening to them live, watching them perform on stage, and marveling at the way they utilize their pioneer ddj sx controller would be well worth the ticket price, in my opinion. In fact, a co-worker and I were talking about this amazing concert just a few days ago. Maybe he’ll get tickets for us and ask me to go!

I really want to see and hear the beautiful Stevie Nix.

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Personal choices in entertainment

2013-03-01T19:25:00.001-06:00

Entertainment comes in all forms. For me personally, movies are at the top of my list when I’m at home. I generally have movies, TV series, or documentaries playing from Netflix while I also do other things. I’m a little bit ADHD in that regard.

When I’m visiting my Mother, though, working jigsaw puzzles and playing card games with her, my Sis and Sis’ hubbie are wonderful forms of entertainment. There, I’m away from the push of daily work and am able to just relax, have fun, and get some rest.

I’ll bet you also have your favorite forms of entertainment. Why don’t you share them in comments?

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Selling DVDs

2013-02-11T21:15:00.001-06:00

So, we just sold almost 300 DVDs for about $300. This was years of collecting them and the truth is, we simply don’t need them anymore. We kept the ones we like the best – our favorite classics, Christmas, and multi-disk collections. But even using the best analytic tools, we couldn’t find any good reason to keep the rest. They won’t really be missed.

I learned the hard way a couple weeks ago that my old computer won’t play DVDs anymore. I’m not sure why, but I tried several, including one I’d rented, and none would play. I couldn’t even find the files to open it manually and play it. So, why keep 300 DVDs around, collecting dust, if I can’t even watch any of them?

Technorati Tags: movies,dvd

SUPERNATURAL

2013-02-11T21:06:00.001-06:00

I am trying my best to get through this series as it’s presented on Netflix. However, Supernatural is a very long series. It’s listed as having 7 seasons, and there are around 15 episodes per season, each about 45 minutes long. No commercials, so at least I don’t have to deal with that.

I really like the series a lot. It’s spooky. Two brothers, Sam and Dean, follow in their father’s footsteps as demon/vampire/ghost hunters. They travel the country in an old ‘67 Chevy with all manner of weapons and gadgets in the trunk to help them find and kill the evil entities.

Besides the evil, though, these guys learn a lot about themselves and each other as they go along. Their mother was killed and burned by an evil force, which is really the one they are looking to destroy. But, still, they encounter plenty of others along the way.

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Let the music flow

2013-02-09T00:18:00.001-06:00

I really think everyone needs music in their lives. I know that I love listening to music on my radio, on my iPhone, and even on my computer. I wish I were gifted with the ability to play music on an instrument, the way so many of my family members do. Alas, it’s not in the cards for me, it seems.

However, when I watch my grandkids play a cheap ukulele, I think to myself, “Surely, I can do that, too!” I suppose it’s a matter of getting my hands on one and just trying it out.

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Laptop woes

2013-02-08T22:12:00.001-06:00

Awhile back, my laptop crashed and burned. Not literally, of course. I tried to boot it up one day after work, and even though it sounded like it was starting up, nothing ever appeared on the screen. It stayed black.

I really miss that old laptop, but now I’m using an even older PC. It’s not as fast and it doesn’t have nearly the RAM it needs, but at least it works. Right now there are two hard-drives in it, and I may just see if I can put the hard-drive from the laptop in it or at least put it in an external case to preserve the stuff the stuff I had saved. Maybe soon I can actually buy a new laptop!

It’s always something, huh?

Technorati Tags: laptop,computer

Disclaimer

2013-02-01T17:47:00.000-06:00

ZEITGEIST: ADDENDUM

2013-01-22T18:28:00.001-06:00

Next in the Zeitgeist series, Zeitgeist: Addendum (2008) seeks to offer solutions to the world’s sociological and economic problems Solutions that are not based in religious or political answers, but in the discovery of Man as he coexists with the world in general.

You don’t need prescription glasses here to see where they are going with this very humanistic world view, but still, the basic philosophy seems to be right on target. Just take from it that which works for you, and leave the rest behind.

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ZEITGEIST: THE MOVIE

2013-01-22T17:26:00.001-06:00

This video was filmed in 2007, and seems to be starring a lot of really evil people, along with some not-so-evil ones. People such as Osama Bin Laden and Hitler are included in the cast. But, you should realize they are only there in archival footage which is included in the film, along with people such as former President George W. Bush and George Carlin.

This film seeks to primarily discredit religion in all forms, but also goes on to show how leadership skills can take a people down a terrible path. It also seeks to show us how the media sways our thinking and beliefs, and how there is a strong movement toward a one world banking system.

It’s interesting, controversial viewing, to be sure.

Technorati Tags: movies,Zeitgeist: The Movie

Update on Grandson

2013-01-22T17:04:00.001-06:00

Recently, my 18 year old grandson went to Boston. (I wrongly reported that he was going to New York City.) He went there to do some tryouts at the Berklee School of Music, playing his fiddle and his banjo for them. I still haven’t heard how it all came out, and I’m not sure he even knows yet if he’s been accepted into the school. He pretty well has his heart set on going there.

He will have to find funding in the form of grants, loans, and possibly scholarships in order to attend the school as I’m sure his parents will not be able to foot the whole bill.

He does some band work and some busking to help keep himself supplied with violin strings and banjo strings, but I don’t think he makes enough to pay tuition or buy materials at such a prestigious school.

Technorati Tags: music,Berklee

SERENITY

2013-01-22T16:55:00.001-06:00

Following on the heels of Firefly comes Serenity (2005; PG-13). This movie uses the crew of the TV series Firefly to take us on an adventure beyond what the television show offered. By the way, that show ended way too quickly and wasn’t picked up again, which made off of its fans very unhappy.

The psychic girl who was in the TV show is also on board the tiny Firefly freighter as they try to outrun and out fight the totalitarian regime that has taken control of this segment of the newly formed galaxy. In this area of space, scientists have developed habitable planets for pioneers in space, after the demise of the original Earth. Those who govern these worlds do so with an iron hand. The crew of Serenity, however, are rebels seeking to free planets from the heartless ruling party while they also do business as smugglers and traders.

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FIREFLY

2013-01-06T21:15:00.001-06:00

This is actually not a movie but a TV series I’ve started watching on Netflix. I like TV shows and movies about futuristic outer space travel anyway, so this show is right up my alley.

Firefly follows a war veteran captain, 500 years in the future, and his band of allies who will do almost anything for money. They aren’t really bad guys. They’re just trying to make a living and stay alive while doing it. They travel on a space freighter called Serenity, where they are bunked together, both men and women, in something like platform beds boston uses for its ball players. Of course, some relationships do ensue, but mostly this motley bunch is just an ordinary bunch of soldiers. Sometimes the show seems like an old Western!

I’m really looking forward to watching all the episodes of this short-lived series.

Technorati Tags: television,Firefly

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY

2013-01-06T20:45:00.001-06:00

I did finally get to watch this. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012; PG-13) is a story about Bilbo Baggins, Frodo’s uncle, and the beginning of his adventures. It includes Gandalf and numerous dwarves who are trying to reclaim their kingdom. Bilbo is enlisted, or rather, drafted into their service. At first, he really isn’t feeling very adventurous. But then he decides he needs to go on the trek with the dwarves and take some chances.

Like The Lord of the Rings, this is part of a trilogy so I’ll have to wait to view the others, but I’m really looking forward to them.

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Let’s Rock n Roll!

2012-12-10T00:46:00.001-06:00

It’s the end of the day and I’m finally taking a break. It won’t be much of one since I have to work in just a few hours. In the meantime, though, I’ve been listening to my favorite classic rock station on the radio all day.

All the groups I love are played on that station – Aerosmith, George Thorogood, The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac. I love listening to these old rock songs. They seem like real rock n roll to me.

I don’t know if they got their mixers at Musician's Friend or not, but it’s a sure thing they got that kind of quality.

Technorati Tags: music

THE YES MEN FIX THE WORLD

2012-12-10T00:33:00.001-06:00

Definitely worth watching for it’s laughs, The Yes Men Fix The World (2009; NR) follows two fellows who impersonate officials as they investigate various catastrophes, including Hurricane Katrina.

While at first glance, one might not find anything funny about such issues, the fact remains that these guys are able to worm their way into some pretty important places and behave as if they really are who they are impersonating.

Technorati Tags: movies,documentary,The Yes Men Fix The World