More Summer Plans

As I previously noted in a recent blog my wife and I are going to be going on hiking adventures on Saturday mornings throughout the summer. We started with a hike on Saturday, June 12th and were expecting to go hiking this past Saturday (the 19th) as well however due to a severe neck strain I encountered we were unable to go. Instead I had to rest this past weekend and was pretty immobile throughout the weekend which was a bummer. We are however expecting to go this Saturday on another hike and continue where we left off.

In addition to adding hiking to our summer activities I have decided to do something else as well and no shocker here but it involves movies. I have had family and friends for years state that I should blog more about movies or write reviews online (usually for horror movies) and get more involved in that so that is exactly what I am doing. Not that I personally need anything more to get involved in but I am going to partake on a movie marathon this summer of gargantuan proportions. I will be detailing my plans in my next blog that I am planning on posting today.

Movie Reviews

Babysitter Wanted - After reading the plot of this film it looked interesting to me plus I'm always a sucker for scary babysitter home alone in the big house out in the middle of nowhere type movies. This one did not disappoint! It started out rather slow but attempted to cause a few scares early with simple sound and scary music even though there were no obviously scary situations taking place. Once the babysitter got to the house to watch Sam the story picked up and pretty quickly. From the weird raw meat to the tension filled hide and seek scene it all built up to a crazy ending that not even I could figure out. Although not gory throughout, this film takes a twist you don't see coming and adds enough gore and visual treats towards the end of the movie to fulfill any horror fans satisfaction. I was pleasantly surprised with this one and would highly recommend it to any horror fans out there.

The Bounty Hunter - Having no interest to see this in the theater I thought Id give it a try at home. I like Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler but this one didn't look like a "must see" for me when it came out but I'm glad I saw it after all. Aniston was great as usual and Butler literally could be the same type of guy in all his films if you ask me with a little tweak here or there. They made a great duo in this film and it had its share of funny moments throughout. Not an overly entertaining film for the entire time it did keep my attention and the conspiracy behind a suicide that Aniston's character (a reporter) was following turned this into a comedy/action flick that was pretty good. If for nothing more you have to check out Butler's attire at the bed and breakfast half way through the film, classic is the only word that comes to mind!! haha

The Frontier (s) - My wife's co-worker who is a horror fanatic suggested this one to me and I have to say it was pretty good. Not being a fan of foreign films which I have to read the subtitles on I wasn't too thrilled going into this but it was very good. A very unique story mixed with suspense, torture, and gore - plenty of gore made this a worthwhile horror film. I would have graded it higher if it was in english but then again the entire feel of the movie would have been different. I especially loved the setting of this film and where it took place and the creepy girl. Overall a good horror flick!

The House of the Devil - Not one to watch on a Sunday that's for sure. With a 70's theme and the entire retro theme throughout including the dress attire, music, and cars it made this movie pretty cool looking. This is another typical babysitter going to a big house out in the middle of nowhere type movie but it had a twist. Obviously the title gives it away a little bit so this wont be new news to anyone. This story is basically a babysitter who gets stuck at a house that is occupied by devil worshipers and what takes place is nothing less than devilish. For a movie that overall lacked scares and suspense it sure picked up in the final 20 minutes. The mere creepiness of the house owner alone is enough to give one chills, you just know something isn't right. Not one to watch if your looking for non-stop action and suspense but if you easily get freaked out at devil worshipers or cult type movies then this one might get to you.

Kick Ass - Not what you imagine in any way, shape, or form. If you watched a trailer you might think this is just your typical kids pretending to be superheroes type movie but this is something totally different. Nicolas Cage is great in this film and his the girl who plays his daughter is even better. This is a feel good, root for the underdog type movie with a twist, BIG twist. Its violence is not comic book material or cartoonist by any means but rather think Sopranos or mafia type flicks, yes its that violent. Also it was weird to hear such strong language from a young cast but somehow it seemed to fit. This was probably one of the most single unrealistic movie's I've ever seen but it was still fun to watch and root for the good guys to defeat the bad guys in this revenge style flick.

She's out of my League - This was one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time. Right up there with the Hangover and probably even had a couple of scenes that were funnier than any seen in the Hangover, this movie was that good! Great cast, great story, great music, and great scenes!! This one had it all. This was like a slapstick/romantic/funny buddy comedy that had some great great character's in it, especially the main character's friends and brother-in law (Worst Week actor). The lead female is not a known actress but was very likeable and sweet and you couldn't help but root for this couple to make it. There were numerous scenes that made me laugh out loud and I cant remember another movie making me laugh that much in a long time. I especially enjoyed the Disney quotes throughout by one hilarious character who stole every scene he was in!! A must see film!!

The Spy Next Door - This was a cute family action movie with Jackie Chan. He plays a nerdy next door neighbor who is actually a spy and he is involved with his neighbor however her kids do not approve of him. Once she has to go away on a trip he watches them and all hell breaks loose. He basically has to fend off the bad guys while protecting the children and you can imagine the situations he gets himself into. A fun family film that I would easily recommend.

Sympathy - After reading numerous reviews on how good this film was I was excited to see it. Sad to say it was terrible and I could barely even finish it. The entire movie is filmed in a hotel room and the acting was hideous and I thought I was watching a terrible B movie at best. If I could I would categorize it as a C movie but I don't believe that exists. This was just terrible and had nothing good about it at all. I'm still trying to figure out why I gave it a D- as opposed to an F? hmmmm?

Tooth Fairy - Another family film that was very entertaining. This movie stars the Rock as a hockey player who becomes a Tooth Fairy. I absolutely loved the Rock in the Game Plan and he was equally as good in this but I gotta ask, what's with all the movies that require tights? haha. This movie had some cool special effects and was entertaining throughout. The Rock's natural charisma and on screen presence made him the perfect "buff" guy to play this role. Billy Crystal's small cameo was a pleasant surprise and I actually wished I had seen him more. The story was cute and the movie was enjoyable. Not quite as good as the Game Plan but still worth watching.

Youth in Revolt - I'm a big Michael Cera fan so I was excited to see this one. It had a funny story with some funny co-stars, most notably Steve Buscemi and Fred Willard and although totally different from his previous movies (Superbad, Year One, and Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist) this was still pretty funny. It did not have those laugh out loud moments that I am used to see from Cera but his delivery can be so dry its hilarious and there were definitely some one liners in this movie that were very very funny. Overall I thought the movie was decent but not great. Could have been a little funnier at times but still worthwhile for a rental.

First Lady Laura Bush Book Signing

On May 10th my wife, my parents, and I all attended a book signing at the Barnes and Nobels bookstore in Costa Mesa, CA for First Lady Laura. Ever since I heard about Sean Hannity's book signing at the Reagan Library back in March I have been keeping an eye out on local book signing's and I was thrilled to see First Lady Laura Bush coming to southern California! I didn't want to miss an opportunity to meet her and luckily I didn't.


Since Mother's Day was the day before this event my parents were down here visiting so they joined us and we had a great time. While waiting a couple of hours before the event started my mother and wife were talking with a Russian individual who was visiting the US and simply saw the event listed in the newspaper that morning and thought what a great opportunity and was there to meet her. It sounded like he was a real interesting individual and my mother and wife both enjoyed talking with him. My Dad on the other hand was enjoying conversations with numerous individuals in line waiting while I went back and fourth between both of them.


Once the line started moving forward it went pretty quickly. The entire 2nd floor of the store was sealed off for this signing and its crazy how many secret service there were roaming the area, on rooftops, and inside the store itself. They had a full metal detection scanner at the bottom of the escalator which led to the 2nd floor. Once through all the security checkpoints we got to the 2nd floor and wrapped around a circle which led us to the children's book section where the First Lady was sitting elevated on a platform with several individuals to each side of her and one secret service agent right behind her. Due to time constraints she was not allowed to pose for any pictures or personally sign any books but we were able to have a quick chat with her which was nice.


My parents went before my wife and I and I followed my wife. As she was getting her book signed she thanked wished her a Happy belated Mothers Day and said even though you were out of town did you have a nice Mothers Day? The First Lady replied with, "actually last night I was still back home in Texas and my husband took me out to dinner and it was very nice". It was just kind of surreal for us when we heard that because when you think of her husband you think of President or former President and former most powerful man in the world so it's weird hearing "my husband" but that's what he is, just like every other president was and just like out current President is. When I got up to her I simply said God Bless and Thank You and your husband for your service to our country and tell your husband I miss him terribly" and my wife said out loud "and we miss you too" and then we were on our way. She was so incredibly personal and sweet and down to earth and no matter what you say about our former President Bush people loved his wife Laura and she was one of the most admired and adored first ladies we have ever seen and in this day and age and with this current President and First Lady we have in office now, it makes me miss her even more, and especially her husband.

Riley Wilderness Park Hike

Jenn and I started our Summer Hiking series this weekend with a hike in the Riley Wilderness Park near Cota De Coza. This park was located about a mile away from where our friend Shelby got married last year. We had no idea it was so close until we got closer and closer and noticed that so that was kinda cool.

This park was pretty secluded and we didn't see but a handful of people. We went on Saturday morning and the weather was still pretty gloomy as the sun had not burst through for the day yet. That actually probably kept it cooler for us which was a good thing. The hike we started on was the Mule Deer Trail. Elevation tops out at 450 feet and although it was a gradual elevation you could definitely tell we were hiking "up". haha. The first portion of the hike took us through weeds, brush, and flowers with trees alongside. The view wasn't all that scenic but would be so a few minutes in. About 0.3 miles in we started to gradually hike upwards and more flowers and tree's surrounded us, some cacti or cactus whichever you'd like to call it. The curvy portion of the hike was easily the most scenic regarding plants and trees but once we reached the top of Vista Ridge Trail there was easily plenty of sights to see as well, unfortunately mostly homes but some wilderness aspects around as well just not as much as I had hoped.



Once at the of this trail we descended down, a little steep at times to the bottom and I would say the entire downhill stretch was probably approx. 1 mile long and although not that strenuous the entire stretch was downhill so a little rougher on the knees. I was hoping to see a few more animals out and about but I have a feeling most are more present during the early morning hours. This park was one of the ones that deer frequented quite a bit and they have several bobcats and mountain lions as well but we didn't see any of them. For clarification I wasn't "hoping" to see any bobcats or mountain lions but from a distance it would have been pretty cool. We did however see a few squirrels and one small lizard, pretty much the basic animals you would see on a hike.


All in all the hike was 2.5 miles long (per the park ranger) and it took us 43 minutes. Not too bad considering we stopped a couple of times for water and to look at a few signs along the way. I would say this was a nice park to hike at but I'm definitely look forward to future hikes that may afford us more satisfying views and adventures throughout the hike however for a first hike of the summer it was great and gives us a good starting point to judge on what we can challenge our self with next week. I have added a few pictures from the hike and the map of the trail we went on with my handy "paint" work highlighting in red where we went.

JUSTIFIED - Television Goldmine!

FX's new action series Justified debuted back in March and every since it has been on the air it is easily one of my favorite tv shows. I would even go as far to say that due to the extremely amazing cast, excellent storyline, and revenge style theme it ranks right up there with one of my favorite tv shows of all time and that's putting it up there with some heavy hitters!!

In short and very short, this show is based on a quickshot rogue type US Marshal named Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) who is sent back to Harlan, KY where he grew up after an incident in Florida has forced local law enforcement to get him away from the area for awhile. Right from the first episode drama and action ensues as Raylan comes back home and is thrust into hunting down an old best friend of his back from his mining days who has since become a serial criminal and is deep into the drug wars in Harlan, KY.

Last night we watched the thirteenth episode this year which was actually the season finale but thankfully not the "series" finale. It was confirmed that this show has been picked up for the 2011 season and will be back for another season and hopefully even more after that. Without giving away too much some of the major characters in this first season were killed off so it will be very interesting to see how it plays out come next year and what direction this show goes in. Will Raylan be headed back to Florida to go after the drug cartel's and mafia who are out to kill him? Has Boyd really changed for the better and become a new man? How will Raylan handle the situation with the two women in his life, his ex wife and recent fling with Ava?These are obviously questions only a season one watcher would know or understand and if you haven't seen this series I highly suggesting getting it on dvd when it comes out for sale or going online and watching it for free at fx's website because it is worth it, its that good.

I've always been a fan of Timothy Olyphant dating back to when I first saw him on Scream 2 and then for his role in The Girl Next Door as well as Live Free or Die Hard. He is a very versitale actor with amazing talent and he was the absolute perfect fit for this role, I couldn't imagine a better fit. To my surprise though (and I really shouldn't be surprised) the acting by the other main characters are almost just as amazing. I know that M.C. Gainey is a superb actor from many of his movies I've seen in the past but Nick Searcy is perfectly placed as Chief Deputy Art Mullen and even both the main female leads, Joelle Carter (Ava) and Natalie Zea (Winona - Harlan's ex) are great in this show as well. With all that being said Walter Goggins portrayal of Boyd Crowder is absolutely fascinating. He is so convincing and brilliant in his role and his calm, quiet demeanor and that of how he speaks mixed with his intentions is creepy beyond words. The transformation this character has taken in this first season is mesmerizing to say the least and I cant wait to see what's in store for next year.



I would highly recommend this show to anyone who likes a good action packed plate with its hint of vigilante justice on the side and an amazing cast and storyline to go with it. This first season was like the wonderful appetizer and next season will hopefully be the main course and with any luck we will all get a third season of Justified to satisfy our sweet tooth and culminate our evening with a dessert. One can only hope right?

Border Patrol agent kills Mexican teenager

Oh where shall I even start on this one?

So Mexico residents are outraged? Their President is outraged? Guess what, so am I! I'm outraged that thousands and thousands of illegal immigrants who come from Mexico infiltrate the state I live in every single year! I'm outraged that I have to live in a state where I hear almost as much spanish as I do english in everyday conversations! I'm outraged that I have to see spanish writing on billboards in the United States! I'm outraged at a lot of things regarding illegal immigrants as well but one thing I AM NOT OUTRAGED about is this shooting death of a teen from Mexico and here is why.

It is apparent that these border patrol agents felt threatened as illegal immigrants were throwing a barrage of large stones/rocks at these officers. Why would a group of illegal immigrants act so violently you may ask? To gain illegal entrance into the United States of America and make a new life for themselves in which they essentially get a free ride without having to worry about paying for healthcare, education, motor vehicle registration, and taxes among many other things. Its called Mexico's American Dream. You know basically a twisted version of the "real" American Dream where American citizens works hard and makes a good life for themselves and provides for ones family. The Mexican version basically wants everything for free while making it tougher on the real American citizens to obtain there American Dream. In short I'm calling these illegal immigrants pieces of trash who need to be sent home and need to be stopped from invading our great nation!!

Back to this particular incident. I'm smart enough to know that most the outrage over this one is due to the child's age, 15, however if a person is attempting to commit a crime and hurt someone else age doesn't matter one bit when defending yourself. For that sister of this child yelling "Damn them! Damn them!" Id like to ask you what you would like to say to the HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of spouses and children of the border patrol agents that have lost their life at the hands of illegal immigrants infiltrating our country? Would you also say "Damn them! Damn them!"? I support these border patrol agents 110% and cant even image the kind of filth and trash they are dealing with day in and day out trying to protect our borders. Personally I think our military should be called in to protect our borders but that's an entire different discussion.

As for the Mexican President he can go screw himself and invite Obama to do the same. It sickened me when I saw the Mexican President come to the White House earlier this year and freely trash Arizona's immigration law while our President sat there as a cheerleader. President Calderon said "will use all resources available to protect the rights of Mexican migrants." Why doesn't he take such initiative to protect his own citizens and maybe keep them in their own damn country? It's stories like these that make me want to move back east more and more each and every day and get the hell out of California where we have been infiltrated by illegal immigrants

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/09/sergio-adrian-hernandez-huereka_n_605557.html

2010 NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS LAKERS - GAME ON!

Tonight the 2010 NBA Finals begin with the two most storied franchises in NBA history going up against each other. Its the motherload of all motherloads when it comes to historic rivalries in sports and is easily the best rivalry in NBA History. The Celtics. The Lakers. Nuff said but Ill add some more. haha. There most recent meeting in June came back in 2008 where the Celtics prevailed by physically pummeling the Lakers and swarming Kobe Bryant and forcing others to beat them, which in the end we all know they did not. This years matchups are slightly different so will it change the outcome of the series? We will have to wait and see but until then I'm going to speculate to the best of my knowledge and give my prediction at the end of this blog. Here goes.

ADVANTAGES FOR LAKERS

* They are out for revenge and still have very bitter memories from 2008 so they will be on a mission and probably more focused then they have been in the playoffs in the past 2 years.
* They have Lamar Odom coming off the bench and "if" a big "if" he plays to his potential he is like a 6th starter for them out there
* They have a deeper bench overall. Farmar, Brown, Odom, and Sasha are better than the Celtics bench and the Celtics bench this year is weaker than in 2008
* They have Ron Artest who will guard Paul Pierce and make his world more difficult
* They have home court advantage this time around
* They have Kobe Bryant

ADVANTAGES FOR THE CELTICS

* Rajon Rondo is 100 times better than he was in 2008 (and he was pretty good back then too)
* The Celtics play a physical, mean, and nasty game inside and the Lakers don't like that and sometimes, notice I said "sometimes" falter with that kind of play
* The Lakers haven't faced a defensive minded team yet and haven't faced guys like Perkins, KG, and Big Bady Davis who will no doubt cause problems for their big men inside.
* 3 point shooting - Allen can get the shot off in 0.2 seconds if you give him room and he is known for running his defenders around screens all night long to get those shots and the Lakers are prone to struggle following him around
* The Celtics have come through the 2 teams with the best record in the NBA and teams who were head and shoulders better than Utah and Phoenix in the last 2 rounds. They also faced guys named Wade, James, and Howard so I'm sure the Celtics will have a plan to stop Kobe just like they did in 2008.

MY PREDICTION

I think this will be one of the most enjoyable NBA Finals in recent memories because I think it will be so closely played. I don't think one team has a "significant" edge over the other and you can come up with multiple reasons why one team will prevail over the other and vice versa but in the end we will all just have to sit back, relax, and enjoy what takes place but now back to my prediction.

I think Rondo's speed and effectiveness will surprise the Lakers initially but they will adjust and look for Kobe to defend at times. Fisher will try to post Rondo early in the series but will be unsuccessful. Kobe will have a good series, better than in 2008, but will still be limited due to Boston's swarm defense. Gasol will play well here and there but will be effected overall by the Celtics physical play. KG and Perkins will rack up fouls left and right and struggle to keep Gasol and Odom in check but will surprisingly out rebound the Lakers duo. Pierce will adjust to Artest's defense and get open for shots and drive the middle and allowing for open dunks by the Celtics bigs. Artest will struggle offensively as will Shannon Brown. Farmar will have a decent series but will struggle defensively whoever he has to guard. Sasha will come in just to pester the Celtics and get under their skin (which wont work). Odom will have great games at home but fizzle on the road. Bynum will be a non-factor throughout the entire series and if anything he will be a determent to the Lakers. Big Baby Davis will cause problems for the Lakers offensively but be detrimental to the Celtics defensively due to his size. Doc Rivers will again out coach Phil Jackson.

My prediction is that the Celtics will win the NBA Championship and do so by winning the 7th and deciding game on the Staples Center floor in Los Angeles, CA!