Movie Review: Man on Fire

"Man on Fire" has been in my Netflix queue since I joined Netflix. It's never made it to the top because there have always been other movies I wanted to see. Plus, lately I've felt that Denzel Washington has slipped into the "not as good as he used to be" category.

However, today I came down with a bug. We've been passing it around our house, and I guess it's my turn. So, I spent all morning in bed, and watched "Man on Fire" on FX. Even though this movie has quite a lot of violence that's a bit gory, I really enjoyed the movie. I give it 4 stars.

The story centers around the relationship that develops when John Creasy (Denzel) is hired to be the bodyguard for a little girl (played by Dakota Fanning) in Mexico City. The 2 develop quite the relationship, and then Fanning's character is kidnapped. So, as happens in these movies, Denzel goes on a rampage to take revenge on her kidnappers.

This ended up being one of Denzel Washington's better recent performances, and Dakota Fanning is very talented for a child actor. You definitely have to be in the right mood to watch "Man on Fire" as it is violent, and the cinematography is different...a good different, but different nonetheless.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

Here's another one of those combo blogs. Basically, I have a lot of little things floating around that I just can't put into an entire blog.

Michael Phelps - He should have just said "I didn't inhale." It worked for Bill Clinton, so why wouldn't it work for Michael Phelps? Seriously though, I hope he decides to swim again in 2012. Watching him win 8 gold medals in 2008 was my sports highlight of the year.

Stimulus Plan - This plan is a load of bull honkey. Why does it have to be one gigantic package that must be rushed through, rather than several smaller targeted actions? Now I'll answer my own question...because this way the Democrats can sneak "Health Care reform" and other pet projects in.

We get what we voted for - Congratulations American People...you voted for change, and you're getting change. Elections have consequences, and I fear that we will face the consequences of this election for years, maybe decades, to come.

Steroids in Baseball - Everybody was doing steroids in baseball from about 1987 - 2003. Nothing can shock me anymore when it comes to this. So, when it came out that Alex Rodriguez was using Steroids from 2001 - 2003, my response was "yeah, so what?"

Golf Season is less than 2 months away - For those of us in the Midwest, this is the time of year when the winter has gotten too long. For those of us that love to golf, we're on month 4 without playing. Frankly, I'm starting to get the itch really bad. Fortunately for me, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The temperature hit 60 degrees this week, reminding me that it's only a matter of time.

You might be a liberal if...

This is a public service announcement. We are facing an epidemic in this country, an epidemic of identity crisis. People all over this country have been lying to themselves and others for years, and they have been aided in this lie by the media in this country. These people may be your neighbor, coworker, or even your own mother. Yes, I'm talking about liberals, who claim they are "moderates." Initially, these people lied because of the shame associated with being a liberal, but recently, emboldened by the election of Barack Obama, these people have actually started believing that their nut-job left wing views are mainstream.

How can we help? The first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one. Only then can the healing begin. So, I have devised a 10 question test to determine if you or someone you know is a liberal, posing as a moderate. These are quick, simple yes or no responses. So, without further adieu...

You might be a liberal if...

• you believe the federal government can and should solve all your problems.
• you blame others (such as "the man", George W. Bush, Wal-Mart, etc.) for your personal problems, rather than looking inward and examining your personal shortcomings.
• you believe you are entitled to the "American Dream" without working for it.
• you vote for candidates based on how they look and sound, rather than what they actually say or stand for.
• you believe FoxNews is an evil right-wing news machine, but think the rest of the media is fair and balanced.
• you don't mind higher taxes because 1) you are uber-rich (Warren Buffett, John Kerry), 2) you don't pay them anyway (Tom Daschle, Tim Geitner, 40% of the American People), or 3) you think the government can do better with your money than you.
• you actually care what Susan Sarandon, George Clooney, Barbara Streisand and Ashton Kutcher think about politics.
• you belittled George W. Bush's lack of experience in 2000, yet somehow spun Obama's lack of experience into a good thing in 2008.
• you've ever said "I support the troops, I just don't support their mission."
• you've ever watched a Michael Moore movie and said "Yeah, that makes sense."

Scoring Criteria:

Affirmative on 0 questions --> Congratulations, you are among the smartest people in the country. Also known as conservatives.

Affirmative on 1-2 questions --> Congratulations, you really are a moderate!

Affirmative on 3-4 questions --> You are moderate, but drifting left. Recommend watching Bill O'Reilly to get straightened out.

Affirmative on 5-6 questions --> You are a liberal, but their is still hope for you. Listen to Rush Limbaugh every day for one month.

Affirmative on 7-8 questions --> You are a rock solid liberal. There is no hope for you. Admit the truth so at least you don't have to get beaten in political arguments by your conservative friends.

Affirmative on 9-10 questions --> You are a far left-wing, Michael Moore style liberal. Suggest you start a blog or begin making "documentaries" to cash in on your craziness.

I sincerely hope that this has been informative and helpful. If we can save just one liberal, then we have made a difference.

Movie Review: Wanted

"Wanted" is one of those films where you just have to tell yourself "everything that happens in this movie is totally possible in the grand scheme of the movie." For instance, you have to accept that assassins can curve bullets, withstand extreme pain, and generally be all around super human just through training. Once you do all that, "Wanted" becomes a non-stop, over the top action movie that is one of the best I have seen in recent memory. Easily a 5 star movie in my book.

The other raters on Netflix have not been so kind, typically giving it around 3 stars. So, this may be one where I missed the boat. But for my money, this is a great action movie that doesn't require much heavy thinking. James McAvoy plays the lead role, as the assassin in training for "The Fraternity" (a group of assassins that have been around for 1000 years). I didn't know McAvoy from anything else, until I realized he was Mr. Tumnus in "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe." This is definitely a different role for him. Under the tutelage of Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman, McAvoy's character quickly becomes a top notch assassin, and what follows has to be seen...I can't describe it to you.

"Wanted" deserves it's R rating. There is a lot of off color language and it's very violent. However, if, like me, you are a fan of over the top action films, and you are old enough to watch rated R movies, move "Wanted" to the top of your must see list.

Movie Review: Bangkok Dangerous

I know...a lot of movie reviews. I'm batchin' it right now, so I'm watching more movies than normal, especially over the weekend.

I watched "Bangkok Dangerous" over at a friends house on his home theater. It didn't help. This movie was not good. The movie was not even close to good. I rated it 2 stars on Netflix, but it's probably more like 1.5 stars. The movie was more of a character study, than an action film (a bad character study). Like one of the other movie viewers said, "it had everything I expected in it, just way out of proportion" (i.e. way too much attempted drama, way too little action).

I think I've decided that Cage can't make a good movie anymore, unless it has "National Treasure" in the title. Watch this one at your own risk.