Archive for March, 2015

Movie Review – Fast & Furious (2009)

Today we’re taking a look at Fast & Furious, a 2009 action film that’s the fourth film in The Fast and the Furious franchise.

Technically, Fast & Furious is the third film in the series as it takes place between the events in 2 Fast 2 Furious and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.  Don’t worry though if you haven’t seen 2 Fast 2 Furious.  Virtually nothing in that movie connects it with Fast & Furious.  This movie is really the first true sequel to the original film, The Fast and the Furious.

Anyway . . . Fast & Furious brings back the main characters from the first movie.  The movie’s plot revolves around the death of Letty and how Dominic Toretto and Brian O’Conner catch the guy responsible and get their revenge.

Fast & Furious (2009) – movie poster

Directed by Justin Lin, Fast & Furious stars Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto, and Paul Walker as Brian O’Conner.  Supporting them in the film are Michelle Rodriguez as Leticia “Letty” Ortiz and Jordana Brewster as Mia Toretto.

Fast & Furious begins in the Dominican Republic and takes place several years after the events in the first film.

Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew of hijackers, consisting of Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), Leo Tego (Tego Calderon), Rico Santos (Don Omar), Cara Mirtha (Mirtha Michelle) and Han (Sung Kang), are after fuel tankers.  According to Letty, the fuel itself is worth more than gold in a country like that one.

Fast & Furious (2009) – (c) Universal Pictures

This particular day, Dominic and his gang are after a super tanker truck consisting of several attached fuel tankers.  Letty secretly climbs onto the tanker trucks and helps attach them to the gang’s two tow trucks.  They run into trouble when the driver of the fuel truck spots Letty, and he makes evasive driving maneuvers.  When the truck goes too fast and approaches a cliff, the driver of the truck jumps out and escapes.  Letty jumps onto Dominic’s car, and the two of them narrowly avoid being crushed by one of the rolling tanker cars. Read more…

Movie Review – The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)

In 2003, the action racing film 2 Fast 2 Furious proved that audiences loved the combination of the actors, the cars, the action scenes, and the music associated with the movie.

What if Hollywood made a third movie in that franchise, but replaced the big-name actors for basically a cast of nobodies?

On top of that, what if the style of racing was also changed into something radically different?

Would a Fast and Furious film work with an entirely new (and lesser known) cast, an alternate style of racing, and a completely different environment?

That’s what we’re about to find out.

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) – movie poster

Released in 2006, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift was directed by Justin Lin.  The film stars Lucas Black in the role of Sean Boswell, a teenager who has fascination with street racing and a habit of getting in trouble with the law.  Supporting him in the film are Sung Kang as Han Seoul-Oh, Brian Tee as Takashi / D.K. (Drift King), Bow Wow as Twinkie, and Nathalie Kelley as Neela.

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) – (c) Universal Pictures

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift begins with a minor confrontation at high school between Sean Boswell (Lucas Black) and Clay (Zachery Ty Bryan), the captain of the football team.  Clay dates the hottest girl in school, and his rich parents have given him a brand new sports car.

Clay is angry when he sees Sean flirting with his girlfriend, so he makes fun of Sean’s car.  He challenges him for a race, but Sean tells him that he only races for “pinks” (the title of the car).  Since Clay’s car is worth a lot more money than Sean’s car, Clay’s girlfriend offers herself as a date to the winner of the race.  Both of the guys agree to the wager, and they head to a nearby construction site for their race.

The race is simple:  Make one lap around a neighborhood that’s under construction.

Sean is driving a 1971 Chevrolet Monte Carlo while Clay is driving a 2006 Dodge Viper SRT-10.  Sitting in the passenger seat next to Clay is Cindy (Nikki Griffin), his girlfriend and the “prize” for winning the race.  It seems that Clay should easily win the race, but Sean is a mechanic who has modified his car, and he takes street racing seriously. Read more…

Movie Review – 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)

In 2001, The Fast and the Furious caught the audiences by surprise.

The movie had fast cars, great racing scenes, a rocking soundtrack, and a good cast of actors.  It was a fun movie, and you knew that Hollywood was going to capitalize on its formula and make additional sequels.

Released in 2003 was 2 Fast 2 Furious, the first sequel to The Fast and the Furious.  2 Fast 2 Furious follows along as Brian O’Conner is pressured into helping the FBI and U.S. Customs Service catch a notorious drug smuggler in Miami, Florida.  Brian brings along Roman Pearce, his old friend from childhood, and the two of them go undercover to help catch the drug smuggler.  Of course, this film also features its share of muscle cars, great racing scenes, and plenty of eye candy along the way.

2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) – movie poster

Directed by John Singleton, 2 Fast 2 Furious stars Paul Walker as Brian O’Conner, a former LAPD detective who is now a street racer living in Miami.  Co-starring in the film is Tyrese Gibson as Roman Pearce, a fellow street racer and Brian’s old friend from childhood.

Supporting them in the film are Eva Mendes as Monica Fuentes, a U.S. Customs Service agent, Cole Hauser as Carter Verone, a drug lord, Ludacris as Tej Parker, an ex-racer who organizes races, and Devon Aoki as Suki, a racer and friend of Brian and Tej.  Also in the film is Thom Barry reprising his role as FBI Special Agent Bilkins.

2 Fast 2 Furious begins with a street race in Miami, Florida.

2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) – (c) Universal Pictures

Tej Parker (Ludacris) is organizing a race when he notices that one of the drivers was unable to make the race.  Not wanting to run a race with only three drivers, Tej makes a phone call and gets a fourth driver, Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker), into the race.  He makes it there in time and the drivers get ready to race.  To make things more interesting, Brian increases the ante to $35,000.

The drivers for the race are:

• Brian O’Conner driving a Nissan Skyline GT-R R34
• Suki (Devon Aoki) driving a pink Honda S2000
• Orange Julius (Amaury Nolasco) driving a red-orange Mazda RX-7
• Slap Jack (Michael Ealy) driving a bronze Toyota Supra 2JZ

Instead of being a quarter-mile drag like in the first movie, this race is a lap around part of the city.  Roads have been blocked to clear a path for the drivers. Read more…

Movie Review – Cinderella (2015)

Released this past weekend was Cinderella, a live-action version of the story released by Walt Disney Pictures.

In 1950, Walt Disney released Cinderella as its twelfth full-length animated film.  Cinderella impressed the audiences and quickly became one of many classic animated films.  Cinderella was so popular that it inspired the fairy tale castle located in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.

And now in 2015, Cinderella has returned to the theaters.  Just like 2014’s Maleficent, this version of Cinderella is not only live-action, but it’s also different than the animated version that you know and love.

Cinderella (2015) – movie poster

Directed by Kenneth Branagh, Cinderella stars Lily James in the title role of Ella (a.k.a. Cinderella), a young lady tormented by her evil stepmother.  Co-starring in the film are Cate Blanchett as Lady Tremaine, Richard Madden as Prince “Kit” Charming, Stellan Skarsgard as the Grand Duke, and Helena Bonham Carter as The Fairy Godmother.  The film’s music was created by Patrick Doyle.

Frozen Fever

The theatrical release of Cinderella included an animated short called Frozen Fever, starring everybody’s favorite characters from Frozen.  The cartoon involves a story where Queen Elsa prepares a surprise birthday part for her sister, Anna.  Sven and Olaf guard the birthday cake (an ice cream cake, of course), while Elsa goes and wakes her sister.  When Anna wakes from her sleep, she realizes that it’s her birthday, and she’s elated.  Allegedly this is her first birthday that Anna will celebrate with Elsa since the two of them were young children.

The only problem is that Queen Elsa is coming down with a cold.  Whenever she sneezes, out pop several Snowgies, little snowmen.  That doesn’t stop Elsa, and she insists that she’s not catching a cold.  Instead, Else starts singing “Making Today a Perfect Day” (yet another catchy song —– you’ve been warned!) as she leads Anna around the castle and shows her gifts.  Anna joins the singing, and Sven and Olaf do as well.  The song ends as Elsa tires and nearly falls off a ledge.  She admits that she really *does* have a cold.

In the courtyard, Sven and Olaf struggle to keep the little Snowgies (they number around a hundred near the end) from eating Anna’s birthday cake.

When Anna leads Elsa back to her room to get some rest, they enter the courtyard and Anna is surprised by the birthday party.  She’s thrilled that everybody did so much work to celebrate her special day.  Anna then takes Else to her room and says that the best birthday gift is being able to care for her sick sister.

Frozen Fever also has brief cameos by Hans and Marshmallow (the giant snow monster from the film).

The cartoon itself is short and entertaining.  There’s no doubt that fans of Frozen will love it.

Cinderella

Cinderella begins with the birth of a baby girl, Ella, to her wealthy parents.  Her parents live in a large estate out in the countryside of a peaceful kingdom.

When Ella is a young girl, her mother (Hayley Atwell) teaches her to be kind to all people, even the animals in the yard.  Even though the animals do not speak our language, they can still hear and understand people.  The girl quickly befriends all of the animals, from the geese to the tiny mice.

On day Ella’s mother suddenly contracts a fatal illness.  There’s nothing that the village’s doctor can do.  On her deathbed, her mother makes Ella promise that she will always have courage and to show kindness to others.  Her mother dies and it’s now Ella and her father (Ben Chaplin) along with the estate’s servants. Read more…

Book Review – Erik Prince’s “Civilian Warriors: The Inside Story of Blackwater and the Unsung Heroes of the War on Terror”

When the War on Terror was launched in 2001 following the terrorist attacks on September 11th, it wasn’t just the United States’ CIA and military that later invaded Afghanistan and Iraq.

Unknown to many people, there were a number of private companies that also deployed to those war zones to help support the combat troops along with the diplomats and other dignitaries.  While the military primarily carried out the attacks against the enemy, many times it was the private companies who helped transport cargo and provide security for many areas as well as people.

Perhaps the most famous (or infamous according to politicians and the media) private company involved with the War on Terror is Blackwater USA.

According to the media and many politicians, Blackwater’s workers were reckless cowboys, people who used too aggressive of tactics, rode around like maniacs, they overcharged the government for their services, and they were allowed to kill anybody they wanted.

Of course, there’s another side to the story of Blackwater USA and what *really* happened in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Erik Prince — Civilian Warriors: The Inside Story of Blackwater and the Unsung Heroes of the War on Terror

And that story is told by Erik Prince, the founder and former CEO of Blackwater USA.  His book, Civilian Warriors: The Inside Story of Blackwater and the Unsung Heroes of the War on Terror, tells a completely different tale of the company, a tale that most people have never heard.  Until now.

Civilian Warriors: The Inside Story of Blackwater and the Unsung Heroes of the War on Terror begins with a brief biography about Erik Prince.  The books covers his father’s dedication to his business and how that developed into a large and successful company, and how those traits were passed down to Erik Prince.  Prince went on to join the Navy and he succeeded in becoming a Navy SEAL, an elite warrior.

After the SEAL team, Prince left the Navy and created the company Blackwater USA, a company that initially focused on training soldiers, police officers, and other warriors in various combat tactics.  Blackwater saw success after incidents like the Columbine High School massacre and the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole proved that everybody from police officers to soldiers and sailors needed specialized training for newer types of warfare.  The company also saw success by selling custom targets to help riflemen become better shooters and marksmen.

Blackwater saw slow but steady growth during those early years, but it would quickly grow exponentially and make a serious name for itself shortly after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and the resulting War on Terror. Read more…

Movie Review – The Fast and the Furious (2001)

In anticipation of Furious 7, what *might* be the final Fast & Furious film, we’re going to review the first six films in that series, starting with 2001’s The Fast and the Furious.

It’s no secret that a good action film can earn a lot of money in the theaters, and it can have loyal followers.  That goes double when said action film involves street racers, a soundtrack with heavy metal music, and a great cast of actors.

Welcome to the world of The Fast and the Furious.

Released in 2001, The Fast and the Furious is an action movie centered around street racers and their lifestyle on and off the (improvised) racetracks.  The plot follows along as an undercover cop infiltrates a gang of street racers in order to investigate who is hijacking semi-trucks on the highways.  What the cop discovers is that the street racers are more than what they seem, and he has a lot in common with them.

The Fast and the Furious (2001) – movie poster

Directed by Rob Cohen, The Fast and the Furious stars Paul Walker as Brian O’Conner, an undercover LAPD detective who goes undercover and into the world of street racing.  Co-starring in the film is Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto, the leader of a street gang and a professional street racer.

Supporting them in the movie are Michelle Rodriguez as Letica “Letty” Ortiz, Jordana Brewster as Mia Toretto, and Rick Yune as Johnny Tran, Dominic’s main rival in the film.

The Fast and the Furious (2001) – (c) Universal Pictures

The Fast and the Furious begins with a few street racers carrying out a daring raid against a semi-truck.  It’s a lone stretch of highway at night when the matching black Honda Civics conduct an organized attack.  One of the attackers uses wire and a grappling hook to enter the truck, subdue the driver, and then drive the stolen truck to a secret destination.  All of the truck’s electronic merchandise is later sold on the black market. Read more…

Movie Review – The Shining (1980)

A couple of weeks ago I finished reading The Shining, Stephen King‘s classic tale involving the supernatural and an isolated hotel in the Rocky Mountains.

The book was great, and I’ve been having a desire to see the 1980 movie based on the book.  I’ve only see parts of the movie here and there, and that was many years ago.  I’ve never seen the whole movie from start to finish.  After finishing (and thoroughly enjoying the book), it was a matter of taking the time to watch the movie.

The Shining (1980) – movie poster

Directed by film legend Stanley Kubrick, The Shining stars Jack Nicholson in the lead role of Jack Torrance, a writer and recovering alcoholic who accepts the job of a winter caretaker at a prestigious mountain resort.  Supporting him are Shelley Duvall as Wendy Torrance, Jack’s wife, and Danny Lloyd as Danny Torrance, Jack and Wendy’s young son who happens to have a special skill with his mind.

The film also features Scatman Crothers as Dick Hallorann, Philip Stone as Delbert Grady, and Joe Turkel as Lloyd, a friendly bartender who gladly serves Jack his drinks.

The Shining (1980) – (c) Warner Bros.

The Shining begins with Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) arriving at the Overlook Hotel in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, and interviewing for the position of the winter caretaker.  Stuart Ullman (Barry Nelson) likes Jack and hires him for the position even though Jack does not have any experience.  Jack informs him that he’s looking for change, and working at the hotel will allow him to continue working as a writer.

During the interview, Ullman tells Jack that Charles Grady, the previous winter caretaker, fell victim to cabin fever, and he murdered his wife and their two daughters.  This doesn’t seem to be a concern for Jack. Read more…

Movie Review – Ben-Hur (1959)

Today we’re taking a look at 1959’s Ben-Hur, an epic historical drama and one of the biggest films in the history of Hollywood.

Ben-Hur tells a classic tale of Judah Ben-Hur, a wealthy Jewish merchant who is falsely imprisoned and made into a slave, his heroic actions that set him free, and his return home to seek revenge against those who wronged him.  The film also features highlights from the life of Jesus Christ, from His birth to His life as a carpenter to His teachings and finally the crucifixion and death.  Judah Ben-Hur witnesses many of those events, and he becomes one of Jesus’ followers in the end.

Ben-Hur (1959) – movie poster

Directed by William Wyler, Ben-Hur stars Charlton Heston in the lead role of Judah Ben-Hur.  Supporting him are Stephen Boyd as Messala, Haya Harareet as Esther, Hugh Griffith as Shiek Ilderim, and Jack Hawkins as Roman Consul Quintus Arrius.  The film’s score was conducted by Miklos Rozsa.  Ben-Hur has a running time of a whopping 212 minutes.

Ben-Hur begins with a brief overview of the land of Judea and how the Jewish people were being ruled by the Roman Empire.  The Jewish people are enduring it and looking forward to the long-awaited arrival of a redeemer, a person to finally bring them salvation and freedom.

Ben-Hur (1959) – (c) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

One night the people throughout Judea see a star moving across the sky.  This is taken as a sign that their redeemer has finally arrived.  They follow the celestial object and discover that, sure enough, a child, Jesus of Nazareth, was just born.

Ben-Hur then advances to 26 A.D. Read more…

Book Review – Lincoln Child’s “Terminal Freeze”

Continuing with the cold theme in Stephen King’s The Shining, today we’re taking a look at Lincoln Child‘s Terminal Freeze, a thrilling novel set in the frigid Arctic.

First published on February 24, 2009, Terminal Freeze tells a tale of scientists discovering a terrifying creature frozen in ice in the Arctic.  Their discovery leads to a television documentary crew arriving to film the process of thawing the prehistoric animal.  When the ice melts quicker than expected, and the prehistoric creature turns out to be alive and well, Terminal Freeze becomes a monster book that pits scientists, a television crew, and a few soldiers against a menacing creature that is impervious to bullets and kills people with the greatest of ease.

Terminal Freeze takes place in Alaska at a fictional decommissioned military base north of the Arctic Circle.

Lincoln Child — Terminal Freeze

Terminal Freeze begins north of the Arctic Circle in Alaska as a small team of scientists analyze a retreating glacier in hopes of studying the causes of global warming.  Leader of the scientists is Evan Marshall, a paleoecologist; person who studies ecosystems of the past.

One day as the team of scientists is about to gather new samples uncovered by the retreating glacier, they notice that a large chunk of ice broke free from the glacier and revealed an ancient lava tube inside of a nearby mountain.  They cautiously enter the frozen lava tube and quickly discover some sort of prehistoric creature buried in the ice.  The scientists cannot see all of the creature, but they believe that it might be a Smilodon populator, a type of saber-toothed cat.

Considering the magnitude of their discovery, the scientists report their finding to their corporate sponsors, Terra Prime and Blackpool Entertainment.  They quickly receive word to not touch the creature or enter the lava tube as a production team is being rushed to their location.  The production team will recover the frozen creature, thaw it, and reveal the prehistoric animal as part of a grand documentary.

It sounds simple enough. Read more…

Switching from Virgin Mobile back to TracFone

The other week when I was helping my wife look for a new cell phone, it got me interested in the other phone options as well.

I had been with Virgin Mobile for a few years now.  For $25 (plus tax) I had a monthly plan that included 300 minutes, unlimited text and unlimited data.  The 300 minutes of talk was more than enough for me as I don’t talk on the phone like I used to.  These days I’m more of a “texter” and prefer to send brief messages and quick photos back and forth between friends and family.  When I do speak on the phone, I tend to keep the calls short and to the point.

The bottom line was that I was paying over $300 a year for a cell phone service that I barely used.  On top of that, my Samsung Intercept cell phone was ancient by today’s standards and badly in need of an upgrade.  Of course, if you upgrade your phone, your cell phone company is going to bump up your phone plan to whatever is equivalent, including the new cost of your phone bill.

IF I was to stay with Virgin Mobile, the cheapest single-line plan that they have costs $35 per month.  That means that in addition to purchasing a new cell phone and paying the activation fee, I would also be spending an extra $120 a year to continue my casual usage.  That first year alone would be the cost of the phone + the cost of the activation fee + $420 for twelve months at $35 a month.

Obviously there has to be a cheaper way to have phone service considering all of the advances in today’s technology.

The answer for me turned out to be TRACFONE.

Years ago I was a TracFone customer.  Although the company and its cell phones were simple and incredibly inexpensive, the company worked for my situation.  But that was years ago.  What can the company offer people today?

After doing a little bit of research, TracFone still appeared to be a simple and inexpensive (for casual users) cell phone company.  The extra minutes are still readily available at the local Walmart, and so are some really cheap phones.  In fact, the couple of TracFones sold at our Walmart looked so cheap and clumsy that I almost turned down the company right then and there.  However, something inside of me said to check online and see if there were any other options available with TracFone.

That, my friends, is what brings us here today.

It turns out that TracFone now has smartphones available for sale.  And they have some really good ones, too.

Amazon.com — LG Ultimate 2 L41C TracFone with triple minutes and bonus 1,200 minutes/texts/data

I purchased the LG Ultimate 2 L41C TracFone with the triple minutes feature.  That means that every minute package that I purchase is multiplied by three for my phone.  A 60-minute card will give my phone 180 minutes of talk, 180 texts, and 180 MB of data. Read more…