The Ghost Part 7

The Ghost Part 7 -The Blind Man sends The Ghost on a mission to make a delivery.  Things get a little hairy when the delivery is to a den of monsters. 

Bad Grandpa

Rated R / 1 hr 32 min / Comedy

What is it about?

Johnny Knoxville plays an old man whose wife just died.  He seems pretty broken up about it.  "It's about time. I thought she'd never die!" His daughter gets arrested for drugs, and leaves her son with him.  He is tasked with taking his grandson across country to drop him off with the boy's father.  The only thing Knoxville seems to be interested in is getting a woman to take off her clothes.

You will like it if...

You like raunchy comedies. I was suprised at the amount of story that this movie had considering who the makers are.  The previews make it look like a low budget smattering of Jackass skits that are made to be funny rather than dangerous.  However, this is a full fledged movie.  There is a lot of gross out comedy.  A few of the skits were so funny that if I had milk it would have shot out through my nose like a nailgun.  Some people won't like this brand of comedy, but for those who do this is a must see.

The Counselor

Rated R / 1 hr 57 min / Crime - Drama - Thriller

What is it about?

Michael Fassbender plays the title character who is in love with Penelope Cruz, and who could blame him?  She is sexy!  He is thinking about doing some kind of shady deal with Javier Bardem.  Javier is in love with Cameron Diaz, and who could blame him? She is sexy and intelligent.  She also scares the crap out of him.  Brad Pitt plays the middle man who seem to have the whole game figured out.  Now who is to blame then?

You will like it if...

You like intelligent thrillers with allstar casts.  The cast is excellent including Rosie Perez.  The dialogue was also fantastic, it made me think I was watching a Quentin Tarantino movie. The issue with the movie is that the storyline is so convoluted, especially at the beginning, that it's hard to figure out what exactly is going on.  It all seems like random events thrown together until you are about a third of the way in. There are a lot of things to like about this movie, but it can also be frustratingly confusing.  I really enjoyed this movie, but I can tell it isn't for everyone.  More than anything it made me want to read the book it was based on.

The Ghost Part 6

The Ghost Part 6 - The Ghost having completed her missions is returning to one of the main strongholds of the Theives Guild.

The Fifth Estate

Rated R / 2 hr 8 min / Biography - Drama - Thriller

What is it about?

This is the story of Wikileaks.org.  Actually it's the story of the men behind putting it together, and the rise of the site into prominence within the news industry. The story is told mostly through the eyes of Daniel Berg who helped to build the wikileaks site.  At the same time he tries to keep Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks.org,  from going too far in his quest to release classified information.

You will like it if...

You like true life dramatizations.  "Based on a true story" is just a neat way to fictionalize something that actually happened.  This movie is based off two books.  One of which was written by Daniel Berg, and the other written by two employees of The Guardian.  The script is bipolar in it's presentation.  It equally sings the praises of Wikileaks.org, and shows the shortcomings of Julian Assange.  The two are at times presented as being the same thing.  You can tell that the authors of the books that the script is based on do not view Assange in a favorable light.  Bennedict Cumberbatch's performance as Assange is fantastic, and the story is interesting which makes makes it worth checking out.  The poor script and one-sided presentation are why you should probably wait for it to come out on redbox.

Escape Plan

Rated R / 1 hr 56 min / Action - Mystery - Thriller

What is it about?

Stallone plays a security consultant named Breslin whose job is to break out of prisons.  He uses his skills to help tighten security, and ensure the prisoners stay in prison.  He gets offered a job to break out of a private prison that the CIA uses to hold the worst of the worst.  Once he gets in, he finds out that they don't want to ever let him out.  He has to escape.  The prison was designed using Breslin's book as a guide.  In other words, they know all of his tricks. 

You will like it if...

You like smart prison escape movies.  This one is like a mix between the old 80's action movies that the two stars used to be in and Law Abiding Citizen or Inside Man.  The movie tries very hard to be smart, and it succeeds..  sort of.  It falls short of being as good as those other two movies I compare it to.  There isn't as much action as you would expect from a Stallone / Schwarzenegger movie. They couldn't resist having at least a few scenes where they run through a hail of bullets, and don't get any injury more serious than a hangnail.  Overall it is a mildly entertaining movie that comes close but doesn't quite reach it's potential.

The Ghost Part 5

The Ghost part 5 - The Ghost is on a mission to steal some documents from a security professional.

Machete Kills

Rated R / 1 hr 47 min / Action - Crime - Thriller

What is it about?

Machete Kills. Seriously...  what more do you need to know?  OK Ok..  Machete and his girlfriend Sartana are investigating an arms sale that goes bad.  Sartana ends up being killed (Noooooo not Jessica Alba!!) after finding out that a missle was part of the sale.  Machete finds her body, and is knocked out shortly after.  Now a radical named Mendez has aimed the missle at Washington.  The President recruits Machete to save the day.

You will like it if...

You liked the first one.  Everything is done in the over-the-top grindhouse style Robert Rodriguez helped to bring back in movies like Machete and Planet Terror.  The action is just as crazy and stylized as the first movie.  There are a few things that make this movie inferior to the original.  Some of the humor of the first one is missing or the same jokes are repeated.  The story is crafted mostly to set up a third movie, so it feels incomplete.  It is more of the same Machete action in a shiny new package. 

5 Ways to Stop Killing Time

Ah Procrastination.  My old friend.  The quiet killer of time.  We all do it from time to time.  Finding things to do to occupy our minds while avoiding activities that would actually be productive.

So what do we do to keep focusing on what is important, and put the distractions aside?

1. Stay Alert

Staying focused on your goal can be tough.  Sometimes when I try to focus on a task that doesn't tickle my fancy, I start to feel drowsy.  There are numerous ways to combat this.  Coffee, Mountain Dew, or any number of other caffinated beverages.  I prefer water.  Water helps you think, and provides a grand list of benefits almost as long as Santa's Naughty/Nice list.  I also take Vitamin B 12 supplements when I feel sluggish about 1 or 2 times a week.  It's one of the main ingredients in energy drinks like 5 Hour Energy.  You might not notice a difference when you take it, but it provides loads of energy and helps you keep focus.  It's not a miracle way to keep from falling asleep though.  If you've been up for 56 hours straight then maybe you should take a nap, and try to be productive again when you wake up.

2. Put your toys away

It's easy to get distracted when your smartphone is buzzing with twitter updates every 10 seconds.  That's about how often Miley Cyrus is doing something shocking now.  She's gotta promote her new album somehow!  Seriously.. You can catch up later on what kind of trouble Justin Bieber's two hoodlum friends are getting him into.  This includes staying away from TV, that book you can't wait to read, or any other form of entertainment that may distract you.  Put all of those distractions in another room if you have to.  Out of sight, out of mind. Music is about the only exception, and that's only if you can avoid stopping mid-thought so you can sing along.  Certain kinds of music can help you focus and be more productive.  See what works for you and what doesn't.  I'm currently listening to my Bruno Mars station on Pandora.

3. Grab a light snack

This doesn't mean you should get a big brownie, cover it in ice cream, and then add whipped cream and a cherry on top.  You want something that will hold off the cravings, but won't distract you from what you are doing.  A bowl of nuts, potato chips, or popcorn would work.  My current favorites are the Special K Butter Flavored Popcorn Chips and this lightly salted garlic butter popcorn by Orville Redenbacher.  I'm currently grabbing one or two pieces of the garlic popcorn here and there. Neither are good enough to make me stop writing and gobble down as much as I can, but they keep any cravings away while being light enough not to ruin my dinner later.  When you eat something it can provide an energy boost that keeps you going.

4. Stay glued to your seat

You aren't going to get much done if you are constantly getting up.  Neccessities are exempt from this like going to the bathroom, refilling your glass of water, running from Godzilla, etc..  Try to stay sitting in an upright position with your current project in front of you.  If you are stuck there then you might as well be productive!  It's also kinda hard to write when you're standing on your head, so stop trying that.  It doesn't work.  Trust me.

5. Get pumped up!

Remember why you got into this spot in the first place.  There is usually a good reason to get excited about getting through the tedious parts of a project.  If you can't think of one then make one up!  Give yourself an incentive to get through this moment.  Sometimes an impending reward will give you the motivation to get through.  Getting back to the toys you put away earlier is sometimes enough, but when it isn't you need to treat yourself to something you don't usually have.  You have to motivate youself to get through to the other side.  The more excited you can make yourself to see the other side can sometimes dictate how quickly you reach that end.  Now that I'm done with this post I'm going to reward myself with the joy of playing with a cuddly puppy who has been nudging my closed door.

The Ghost Part 4

The Ghost part 4 - The Ghost having just finished her workout, is contacted by the mentalist again.

Currently Reading: Dust

Author: Hugh Howey
Website: http://www.hughhowey.com/

Dust is the latest installment of the Wool series that has been fantastic thus far.  Dust on Goodreads.


Prior Read: Night Bells - (Review)

Gravity

Rated PG-13 / 1 hr 30 min / Drama - Sci Fi - Thriller

What is it about?

The Russians blow up one of their sattelites, and it cases a debris field. No big deal.  Russians blow stuff up sometimes.  The debris field causes a chain reaction that makes a huge debris field, and it's heading right for Sandra Bullock and George Clooney! Oh Noes!  The other cast members are there just to die.  After the debris field comes through, it's Sandra and George floating in space.

You will like it if...  

You like looking at Ooo Shiny!  You might also like it if you get an erection every time George Clooney or Sandra Bullock show up on screen.  There are some impressive visuals in this movie.  There is also a lot of tension because Sandra is always running out of air.  It's a survival movie.  It's like Cast Away where Sandra is Tom Hanks and George Clooney is Wilson (the volleyball).  Unfortunately in between the action scenes, the movie is Sandra Bullock floating in space and freaking out.  Cast Away was a much better movie.  The story in this movie is either non-existant or very predictable.  Two minutes into the movie you already know a certain character is going to die.  There are three major sections in the movie, and all three are mostly a rehash of the previous section.  There is enough action in it to distract you from the films shortcomings, but the movie was too vapid for my tastes.  A lot of people will enjoy this movie for the shiny pictures and tense action.  A lot of people will hate it because it is severely lacking in every other respect.