DVD Voice

Casino Jack is a comedy about true-life events surrounding Jack Abramoff and Michael Scanlon and the scandal he was involved in in the 2000s. How he swindled the Choctaw, Coushatta, and other tribes and other illegal dealings. The movie’s outcome shouldn’t be a shock to anyone who followed the story well. It is interesting to see the inner workings in high places.

Kevin Spacey plays Jack Abramoff and Barry Pepper Michael Scanlon. The movie is well paced, doesn’t overly explain things.

Seeing the things that influential people get to play around with, celebrities, private jets around the world, golfing in exclusive places, fine food, etc, does have its enticements, but at the heart of us all we have to decide what it the price for our ethics.

Things learned from this movie:

1. Kevin Spacey and his film impersonations.
2. Jon Lovitz is on a trip in this one! His pen-stabbed face does make an appearance later on.
3. Barry Pepper’s impersonations don’t go over as well.
4. Casino Cruise Ships rake in boatloads of cash!
5. Don’t send hooker’s panties off with your clothes to be cleaned.
6. Lovitz’s mattress commercial is fun!

Rated R. 108 minutes (1 hours 48 minutes). Swearing. Violence. Nudity, two well-endowed girls lounge about topless for Jon Lovitz. Skimpy outfits on a casino cruise ship.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day people! I just have to say! This movie was amazing! Some of the visual shots – breathtakingly beautiful! Wow…! The Wildest Dream is really wild!

“Why do you want to climb Mount Everest?”

“Because it’s there.” Explorer George Mallory

If you haven’t seen this, this is a very cool way to learn about some adventuring history! The time will just fly by. It does move a little slow at times, but knowing that these guys are really there, really climbing, and really wearing the old gear (at times) … wow.

Basically, George Mallory, widely believed to be the best mountaineer of his day was on his third attempt in 1924 to climb Mount Everest. He was last seen 800 feet below the summit. He was never seen again. Presumed lost and dead it wasn’t until 1999 that Conrad Anker found Mallory’s body on the mountain. He chronicled the tale in his book, The Lost Explorer: Finding Mallory on Mt. Everest.

Did Mallory make it to the top? That’s what is explored in this movie, not only do you learn the history of the mountain and about Mallory, the man, you learn about the equipment they had and his reputation as a climber. They focus in on several things. That Mallory appeared to be coming back down the mountain as he fell and died. That the “Second Step” did not have at that time the aluminum ladder that has since been installed and everyone has used. Could Mallory have climbed the Second Step without such aids? What about Oxygen tanks? And one more bit of information about the climb, was Mallory’s promise to put Ruth’s, his wife, picture on the summit of the mountain – and when his body was discovered with intact papers and notes, her picture was not on his body.

So … did he make it? This fascinating and visually stunning movie is a great way to make your mind up!

Also – head over to Blu-Ray.com for an in-depth review of the quality and pictures from the movie. And also be sure to see this movie on Blu-Ray. It will wow you! The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest

Things learned from this movie:

1. Wow! Beautiful!
2. Climbing Mount Everest looks tough!
3. The weather looks way, way too cold!
4. It would be so easy to get killed!
5. I’m so glad I was on a comfy sofa while seeing this!
6. It makes me want to climb things!

Rated PG. 94 minutes (1 hour 34 minutes). It’s rated this because of the mountain peril – and that there are photographs of people smoking.

Finally a new release that is a respectable movie. The Fighter, winners of the Academy Award for best supporting Actor (Christian Bale) and best supporting Actress (Melissa Leo). Mark Wahlberg portrays “Irish” Micky Ward in his life in boxing. (Read about Micky Ward here on Wikipedia).

It’s a rather cool movie. Wahlberg looks the part of a fighter! According to notes about the film the project was off/on for quite a while and Wahlberg continued to train for boxing during the entire time. Christian Bale – well, he irritates me, but you got to hand it to him, he comes off as a scumbag crackhead addict who is conceited and self-absorbed at a cost to himself and those around him that is just, well, wow crack will really destroy you. In fact, the “movie” filmed within the movie, High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell, is about his character Dicky Eklund. How he destroyed his life and a promising career with drugs.

The movie is well paced, keeps your interest, and is a good use of the evening. The thing about sports movies like this is that you kinda always know where they are going. No matter how down and out you think the boxer is, you know that he’s still going to get a shot at the big time and miraculously pull it off. Or is he? The Wrestler sure didn’t…

Also interesting is the IMDb Synopsis of the film:

A look at the early years of boxer “Irish” Micky Ward and his brother who helped train him before going pro in the mid 1980s.

Who writes these things? Yes, the movie did have a little bit about Ward’s early years. But the whole movie was essentially about his return to the ring and climb towards his eventual shot at a title. So who writes these? Do they not even really try to get them right? Seems like it’d be a really cool job to have, you know, getting to sit and watch films and do a write up based on what they are about – what is the most emotional pull or captivating sentence they can write. And yet when I pulled up the IMDb deal after watching this I wondered if I’d seen the right movie. I enjoyed mine! What did they watch?

Things learned from this movie:

1. Boxers get hurt in the ring.
2. Boxers can get hurt and then come right back as if nothing happened.
3. Boxers can get a kidney punch and just go out!
4. Family can build you up and support you.
5. Family can tear you down.
6. Crack Cocaine can destroy your life.
7. Amy Adams is good for you.
8. Life is the decisions you make of it, make good ones!
9. See some of the real people at the end of the film.

Rated R. 115 minutes (1 hour 55 minutes). Language. Violence. Violence. Boxing Violence. Drugs. Some skimpy clothes from the boxing ring girls and a choice Amy Adams in her underwear.

Hey guys … sometimes entertainment takes a backstage to life. And it is important to know that things happen that should draw our attention away from a tv set.

The current situation in Japan is one of those. It’s always good no matter how well off you are (or aren’t — like myself who still has bills!) it is important to be charitable and help out your fellow humans.

One easy way to do this is to donate or volunteer with the Red Cross.

Donate

Clicking here for the Red Cross website will take you to a page where you can make an online donation. Simple and painless. And you can do this at anytime of the day or night. Whatever amount, just put it in the computer and bam! you’ve helped out!

Donate Blood

They need blood. Always. Find a local center and go donate some blood today.

Donate via Text Message

Hey! It’s a high tech world. Why bother going to a computer and typing in all your info? Why not just text an sms to code # 90999 and you’ll be charged $10 for a donation to help out! Now just how painless is that?! PS – you can even do this one while watching tv!

Tonight the better Unstoppable!

This is the Tony Scott movie starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. I have to say that going into this I didn’t know how good it would be. I have this weakness for trains and hoped to see a lot of the inner workings of trains. Sadly, that didn’t really happen. I mean you see trains – A LOT – kinda like know that if you watch Showgirls you’ll see boobs, yes you will see trains!

This makes a remarkable string of movies by Tony or Ridley Scott that I have really liked. They have amazing consistency of putting out great films.

Basically there is a train. Its got lots of nasty chemicals on it. A train engineer puts the train in ‘slow’ and hops out to run ahead and flip a switch by the track. But said train slips into a faster gear and the fat boy can’t get back on the train. Off it goes down the track. Faster and faster she goes!

Denzel, a forced retirement staring him in the face decides to go after the train. Drama and chase and excitement ensue.

Ok, ok, its not the world’s most exciting movie, obviously. Everyone knows where the train is going. You can see the bend in the track. But still a fun ride. Great little popcorn movie.

Oh – and it’s based on a true story. There are some liberties taken, but the story is essentially true. And who knew Denzel drove trains?

Things learned from this movie:

1. Trains are cool.
2. Making people retire isn’t cool.
3. Old people – and young people – both have stuff to bring to the table and can learn from each other.
4. If your breaking up as a couple a disaster is a great thing to bring you to your senses and back together.
5. If a train moving very fast and carrying toxic chemicals is headed towards your city and the police are evacuating. Go down to the railroad track side and take your camera to get good pictures of the disaster.

Rated PG-13. 98 minutes (1 hour 38 minutes). Language. I guess you could say violence.

You know, Netflix sent this out to me and it got here on Friday. This is an HBO TV movie, starring Claire Danes, Catherine O’Hara, Julia Ormond, and David Strathairn, and is about an autistic girl. When I got it, it was a Friday night and I just didn’t feel like watching it! I mean, a biography — about a autistic girl?

But, I went ahead and put it in on Sunday to see how it was. First, it was well made and rather captivating and soon I found myself wondering how this girl was going to cope when everything in the world (it seems) is stacked against her and people are not understanding.

As the movie goes along you learn about Temple and some of her background and how he learns to cope. How a squeeze box that she designs and builds helps to calm her down when things feel (to her) like they are out of control.

One of the neater things was the way they showed how Temple saw things in pictures — images of things versus words or ideas or feelings — I guess I should say “see things” because she is still alive. I thought it would be really cool to be able to see images like that and to have that photographic mind to recall things you’ve seen before, such as pages out of a book — man that would have been a cool skill in school!

Temple graduates from school and eventually makes it through graduating with a doctorate. She graduated with a bachelors in Psychology — which is kind of mind boggling given that she would have a tougher time with some of the concepts. She then did her master’s in animal handling and wrote articles and designed systems for the cattle industry. All in all it is amazing what she accomplished and I can’t help but compare that to myself in some ways at how I should have achieved so much more than I actually have (or rather haven’t!).

One profound thing is that as the film goes on she talks about how she realized how precious life if, and that is true … we all need to be aware of how much life means and how we should live it to its fullest. Are you?

Now that I’ve seen this, I’m glad I took the time to watch it. This was better than the other movie this weekend (Sister’s Keeper).

Things I learned from this movie:

1. People are special.
2. Everyone is different, just because someone is different or autistic doesn’t mean they are a lesser human than you — they might actually be better.
3. Being yourself is always ok. Be real.
4. Whatever you want to do or achieve, aim for it, you can do it.

Rated TV. There might be some minor profanity. And bull testicles/balls are tossed about (literally) and discussed. And of course cattle slaughterhouses come into play.

Ben Kingsley and Jim Sturgess star in Kari Skogland’s 50 Dead Men Walking, a film based on a true life story about the Irish Republican Army. As a drama, I felt it was a good film … realistic and will keep your interest. My main problem with the film was that it didn’t make the IRA situation and Northern Ireland understandable, in fact to me it make it a little more convoluted.

I didn’t mind the violence, or the torture, or the profanity, it was all a well done part of a captivating movie. It did leave you feeling sad for the guy who seemed destined to have only one option in life and he did not have the opportunity to make a choice.

It is a well-done, almost recommendable piece, that those who are drawn to this subject matter will probably like.

Rated R. 117 minutes (1 hour 57 minutes). Violence – and realisticly done. Profanity. Plus given the Irish dialect, there may have been more profanity than I realized or maybe you’ll actually pick up on less!

Tonight’s feature was Hachiko: A Dog’s Story, starring Richard Gere, Joan Allen, and Jason Alexander. But the real actor was the Akita dog! This movie is based off a true story in Japan about a dog who who meet his owner at the train station each evening and even after the owner’s death the dog would still wait for him. Read about it here on Wikipedia. And now that I’ve just spoiled the story… LOL.

I really enjoyed this thing. I’m not much for sappy stories, and this one there really isn’t much that happens. It just underlines for us the importance of love and loyalty. That the people in your life are very important and should not be overlooked but instead valued and treated as they deserve, or better. It is a touching story and especially sad when you realize the part about how if you love someone sometimes you have to let them go, that trying to hold on doesn’t help.

That is one cute puppy! Expressive dog that can’t help but pull on your emotions.

Rated G. It’s very rated G. I didn’t know what this was rated before I started watching and I wonder how long it has been since I’ve seen a G movie. It may upset the little kids, still.