Fabulous Movie Review©

	Into the Wild
	Released: 2007 Rating: R (Restricted) Length: 2 hrs 28 mins Genre: Adventure, Drama Starring: Emile Hirsch, Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt Directed by: Sean Penn Producer: Sean Penn Writer: Sean Penn Producer: Art Linson, David Blocker, Frank Hildebrand, John J. Kelly Writer: Jon Krakauer
	Let me get this straight...This kid threw his entire life away because his parents used to fight a lot? Stupid. I can appreciate a good cross country backpacking adventure, but for better reasons than that. Yes. I am oversimplifying. Actually, am I really? Maybe I should abandon everything to contemplate that. I hate narrators too. I do appreciate a good cross country backpacking adventure, what man doesn't dream of doing that, so I do think this movie is pretty good in that respect. But I thoroughly reject the notion that this kid was some enlightened shining beacon of hope and goodwill.
	7.0 out of 10

Fabulous Movie Review©

	Quantum of Solace
	Released: 2008 Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Length: 1 hr 46 mins Genre: Action, Adventure Starring: Daniel Craig, Jesper Christensen, Judi Dench, Lucrezia Lante Della Rovere, Tim Pigott-Smith Directed by: Marc Forster Cinematographer: Roberto Schaefer Composer: David Arnold
	Vacuous. Empty. Vapid. Like the gorgeous bimbo who looks good but whom you wish would never speak, ever, because there is nothing happening on the inside, Quauntum of Solace is big on special effects and eye candy, but falls very short of an interesting or even a decent plot. Probably my least favorite Bond movie since Moonraker. Also, poor choice for a Bond girl, no offense Olga, and the fake tan they slapped on her to make her look Bolivian was awful. A much better choice for the prominent role of chief Bond girl would have been Gemma Arterton who unfortunately was only on screen for 7 1/2 seconds.
	6.0 out of 10

I Forgot a Book

On the Road ~ Jack Kerouac
Probably because I found it forgettable and overrated. Maybe you have a different opinion. Convince me.

Books

Blood Meridian ~ Cormac McCarthy
One of the best books I have ever read. I'd love to see this made into a movie by someone who is good at making movies of this type (the type where lots of people get killed), like Clint Eastwood.





As I Lay Dying ~ William Faulkner
I am fascinated by his writing style and the stories he weaves. I want to read everything he's ever written. The family in this story is a train wreck. Kinda remind me of my neighbors.





Light in August ~ William Faulkner
This one is chocked full of flawed characters. I don't think there is one normal person in the entire story. Great book.

Forgot

I forgot to add something to my wishlist that I've wanted for years. A black seat. And I bought one today. Yeah, yeah. I know its only a seat and most people couldn't care less and wouldn't care to understand why I wanted one so bad. Dudn't matter. I can't even blame it on the ubiquitous "it's a guy thing". Its just a me thing I guess.

Wish List

Parking brake block off












Grips





Handle bars










Clutch perch and lever















Kenda Klaw 23x7x10

This one was a tough choice. I thought about going with the Razrs like my back tires, but they are getting worn out too and I'd like to try something different as I was never fully satisfied with them. Maybe the Knarly.

Dare to Dream

http://richmond.craigslist.org/cto/1107549268.html

More Kids on ATVs

I can't help it, I'm proud of him.

This one will make some people cringe, but he was fine. You can even hear him say, "Aw cool. That was fast!"

Fabulous Movie Review©

	Rescue Dawn
	Released: 7/27/2007 Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Length: 2 hrs 5 mins Genre: Action, Adventure, War Starring: Christian Bale, Steve Zahn, Jeremy Davies Directed by: Werner Herzog
	Based on the true story of an American pilot shot down in Laos and imprisoned in a POW camp, I thought the movie had flashes of brilliance but mostly it had a "B" movie quality to it. Its not bad, just not as polished and realistic as I expect a Christian Bale movie to be. Update:One thing that bugged me about Rescue Dawn that I forget to mention, is that they are always whispering. It made it very hard to hear the dialog without turning the stereo up, but then guns would be shot or Laotians would start yelling and it would blow my ear drums out. Yes, I get it. They are prisoners and needed to discuss their plans quietly, but still, secrecy can be portrayed better than just whispering throughout the movie.
	7.0 out of 10

Recycle this

Chesterfield board hears 70 speakers on budget druthers

So, yeah, there's budget crunch in my county. Just like every other county in this state and the country probably. To save money, $400,000 a year, the county wants to reduce recycling pick ups from twice a month to once a month.

Go for it, I say. In fact, eliminate it all together. Why should the government pick up our recycling free of charge? They don't pick up our regular trash, we pay a private company to pick up our trash each week, and I think that's the way to go.

If you feel so strongly about recycling, why not pay someone to come and get it? Or, how about this, why don't you go drop it off at the transfer station yourself? Imagine that. A novel concept.

Here are some of the things being affected by the new budget:

• 186 jobs eliminated
• School budget shrinks by 2.5 %
• No pay raises

Yeah, lets not cut the recycling budget. Heavens no.

Fabulous Movie Review©

	Superman Returns
	Released: 6/28/2006 Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Length: 2 hrs 34 mins Genre: Action, Comic Book Starring: Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, James Marsden, Parker Posey Directed by: Bryan Singer
	About an hour too long in my opinion. Superman Returns took foooorevah to end. Also, Kate Bosworth is not a good Lois Lane. She doesn't have the personality or presence to fill such a characters shoes. And she looked ridiculous smoking a cigarette. This movie was just alright for me.
	6.0 out of 10

Fabulous Movie Review©

	The Kite Runner
	Released: 2007 Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Length: 2 hrs 7 mins Genre: Drama Starring: L. Peter Callender, Larry Brown, Saïd Taghmaoui, Shaun Toub, Homayoun Ershadi Directed by: Marc Forster Cinematographer: Roberto Schaefer Composer: Alberto Iglesias
	Yeah yeah yeah, its not as good as the book, but not because the story was changed or key parts left out or gratuitous sex or violence was added, but because it is always difficult to convey what a character is thinking, portray his moods and explain what makes him tick in a film. There's a lot of story to tell in a 2 hour movie, and some does get left out. His whole adult life is truncated and rushed, but it did take up a large portion of the book. Its almost as if the film makers spent to much time on the introduction and not enough on the summary. I remember back in school when I would have to write a paper about a subject I knew well, I could easily bust out the 5 or 10 page requirement, but once I hit that requirement, I wouldn't draw the proper conclusion at the end, because, hey, I only had to write 10 pages, not eleven. This is what this movie felt like. "Sir, we've got enough footage for a 90 minute movie." "Alright, people, that's a wrap." Seeing (and reading about) an almost normal and modern Afghanistan (this was pre-Soviet and pre-Taliban) was cool and the scene with the kids dad cruising around Kabul in a Mustang is priceless.
	7.5 out of 10