Movie Review: The Book of Eli

"The Book of Eli" is officially the first awesome movie of 2010. I actually watched this one in the theater. I thought it was great...5 stars all the way!

First off...the trailers were very misleading. I was expecting an apocalyptic-type action film, and while there was action, "The Book of Eli" had so much more. Basically, it was totally different from what I was expecting, but I loved it nonetheless.

Denzel Washington (does he ever make a bad movie?) stars as Eli. Eli is a "walker" in the not to distant future of earth. We find out it's approximately 30 years after "the war", and all indications point to it being a nuclear war. Eli is carrying a special book, and heading west. I can't tell you what the book is, but I will tell you that I thought it was really cool. As he goes west, he finds a settlement, run by a man named Carnegie (Gary Oldman). Carnegie happens to be searching for the book Eli holds. Once Eli is discovered, the story goes in a direction I never expected, but ended up loving. I'm trying really hard not to give much away here, because I think you just have to see this movie!

The characters were interesting, complex, and not always likable. Of course Eli is a wonderful character, and I almost always like Gary Oldman. Oldman plays the perfect villain, and at the end, you even feel somewhat sorry for him. However what surprised me the most was Mila Kunis (she played Jackie on "That 70's Show"). Kunis played Solara, a young girl who tags along with Eli once he leaves the settlement. She showed depth as an actor that I didn't know she had. I was worried when she showed up in the movie, but it really worked.

I find myself wondering why there can't be more movies like this. Maybe there are, and I'm just not open to them. "The Book of Eli" had some action in it, but it was also a terrific story with some really interesting twists, including one on the level of the "Sixth Sense" plot twist involving Bruce Willis' character.

Just go watch "The Book of Eli." I think you'll enjoy it. It is rated R, so don't take little kids. If you do watch it, I'd love to know what you think.

Movie Review: District 9

"District 9" doesn't warrant a picture, so that is why there is no picture accompanying this review. This movie was not good...in fact it was awful. A friend from church told me it was bad, but did I listen? Nooooooo! Instead, I went ahead and watched it. That was a bad decision and one that I shall regret for the remainder of my days.

Just skip "District 9." It's a 1-2 star movie on a good day.

Finally Harry Does Something Right

Harry Reid is my favorite, laughable Democrat. While Obama and Pelosi might seem like my favorites, you just don't find more comical gaffes from a sane Democrat than you do from Senator Reid. This is the man who demanded Rush Limbaugh apologize for something, I don't even remember what. Then he sent a letter to Rush's syndication partner demanding Rush apologize. After Rush got a hold of the letter and auctioned it off for over $2 million to charity (which he matched, for a total of $4 million), Harry Reid actually tried to take some credit for the massive charitable donation.

Another of Harry's great moments was when he said that the Iraq war was lost and the surge wasn't working, about 15 minutes after the surge started. As history will show, he was proven wrong, which isn't a surprise, because he's wrong about pretty much everything. Senator Reid is probably the worst Senate Majority leader in recent memory. With a 60 vote majority in the Senate, he still couldn't pass Obama's "Destroy America's Health Care Act."

But, today, Senator Reid did something right. Despite rumored pressure not to, Senator Reid seated Scott Brown, giving the Republicans 41 votes in the Senate and breaking the Democrats super majority. This likely means the end of Obama's "Destroy America's Health Care Act," and the end of Craig Becker's nomination to the National Labor Relations Board.

I have to admit that I'm impressed. I didn't know Harry Reid had this in him. Maybe if he would have been his own man all along, his job wouldn't be in such jeopardy this year (he is not polling well in Nevada, and he's up for re-election this year). But, better late than never...nice job Senator Reid.

Book Review: "Shadow's Edge"

"Shadow's Edge" is the 2nd book in the Night Angel Trilogy, and the book I just finished last night. I read the first book last month. In this book, Kylar Stern is coming to grips with a change in his life. He has a fiance, and they are caring for an orphaned child. He has left Cenaria and started a new life. But, just like Al Pacino in "The Godfather", Kylar keeps tryin' to get out, and they keep sucking him back in. As The Night Angel, his abilities make him the perfect man to rescue deposed King Logan Gyre, and stop the Khalidorian God King before he can make Cenaria his permanent home.

I liked this book a lot, though it was hard to get through the first part of it. The Khalidorian villains go beyond despicable, and much of the first part of the book focuses on the evil acts they carry out on the Cenarian people. After you get through that and the story settles on 3 main lines, that of Kylar, Logan and new hero Vi Sovarusi, the story takes off. It is full of great action, and some very funny exchanges between Kyler and Vi.

Similar recommendations to the last book. "Shadow's Edge" is definitely not for the squeamish. It's an R rated book, so be careful. If you made it through "The Way of Shadows", you'll get through this just fine.

It's Not Groovy

Today, a friend asked me if I was going to blog about the latest golf controversy. I wasn't going to, but then I decided I should. This weekend, Phil Mickelson, the #2 player in the world and my favorite player had a 20 year old Ping Eye 2 Lob Wedge in his bag. Why would he use such an old club? Well, because the USGA has ruled that the square shaped grooves in modern clubs impart too much spin on the ball, so they have mandated that all iron sets be manufactured with a shallower, U-shaped groove to reduce spin.

The PGA Tour adopted this rule this year, and anyone who competes in USGA events and "elite amateur" events has until 2014 to switch to clubs with the shallower grooves. For the rest of the world, we have until 2024. So, why is Mickelson's old wedge a big deal? Because it has square grooves, and it is legal due to a 1990 federal court ruling. This weekend, 1 player said that players using the grandfathered in Ping clubs were cheating, which caused quite a firestorm in the golf world. You don't say cheating to golfers.

So, what do I think? I think it's fine that Mickelson played that club...it is allowed, so use it. Further, I think this rules change is stupid! The USGA basically made this rule because it decided that the rough on today's golf courses isn't punishing enough anymore, and they blamed the grooves. Maybe the players are better and stronger? Hey, here's an idea...grow longer rough! If you look at it, the top 0.1% of golfers in the world might actually benefit from square grooves. For the rest of us, it's just a give away to the equipment companies that will eventually force us to buy new clubs. It's a stupid rule, and I'm glad that Mickelson helped illustrate that!

Movie Review: Night at the Musem 2

Last night, we had our first family movie night in quite a while, and the film was "Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian." Before I review it, let me just say that the other members of my family said they liked this one better than the first "Night at the Museum."

"Night at the Museum 2" again stars Ben Stiller as Larry Daley. Larry has left the night watchman position at the museum and started his own company making various gadgets. Think Ron Popeil. Anyway, in his absence the museum has decided to go a different direction, and is packing up all the exhibits to be stored at the Smithsonian. Through some mischief by the Capuchin Money, Dex, Larry ends up at the Smithsonian to rescue his friends from the evil Kahmun Rah, played very well by Hank Azaria. Along with most of the crew from the original movie, Larry is also assisted by Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams).

This movie was on par with the original "Night at the Museum." We were all rolling with laughter at various points in the movie. Hank Azaria is great as the evil Kahmun Rah. He also lends his vocal talents to a couple of other characters in the movie. I also liked the addition of Amy Adams in the role of Amelia Earhart. Ben Stiller was Ben Stiller, so funny and likable. Finally, there is a great cameo by Jonah Hill of "Superbad" fame. The scene between Hill and Stiller is classic comedy.

Overall, I'd rate "Night at the Museum 2" with 4 stars, and recommend it highly for your next family movie night.