DVD Sci-Fi Reviews of "Self / Less" & "Terminator Genisys"

"Self / Less", released Monday to the general public on DVD is a science fiction whirlwind into the realms of immortality and the love between man, woman and their children.

Ben Kingsley portrays Damian, a man dying of old age. His extreme wealth enables him to transform all his thoughts, memories and knowledge into the body of a healthy young man. (Ryan Reynolds) At first, this is a fantastic plan, youths teen age lascivious desires become reality, his cancer is gone and his body is several decades younger and stronger. The conflict arises when young Damian (Reynolds) learns of the unscrupulous details of where his young body came from and the life old Damian unintentionally stole from another man.

Old Damian while in the young body sets fourth to reunite the mans life he stole with his wife and very young daughter. The wife Madeline (Natalie Martinez), because of her young daughter is trying to fall back in love with her husband, but everything mentally is not him. The young daughter Anna, so adorably played by Jaynee-Lynne Kinchen knows nothing of this and just wants to have her family life back with her mom and dad.

Old Damian also wants to patch things up with his own daughter who is fully grown. Doing that is pretty difficult when she knows he's died, and approaching your own child, when your about their same age in a completely different body is indeed a tough sell. On top of all this, the underground company that gave Damian his new life wants to take it back and also erase the lives of Anna and her mom Madeline.

There is a lot going on in "Self / Less" and it works well. This movie illustrates what humans will do and sacrifice for true love; the true love shared between two lovers and the love of family. Three and a half stars easy.

"Terminator Genisys," the latest of the "Terminator" flicks hit the DVD shelves also on Monday.
For the record, I love the original 1984 "Terminator" movie, unlike "Terminator Genisys," the original movie  had a great story-line, and the special effects where fitting for the plot.

The new "Terminator Genisys" is a cartoonist suck fest that was not intense nor funny. The world can only be saved by two people, Sarah Connor, played by the gorgeous Emilia Clarke and Kyle Reese, the male looker in the flick, portrayed by Jai Courtney. Anorld Schwarzenegger again plays the villain robot turned good to help the two humans save the world from the complete take over by cyborg machines. 

If film makers are going to have bombastic over the top special effects, the movie had better be done in true comic book nature, such as films like "Sin City," "The Spirit" and "300." The new "Terminator" might have worked if the it were a comedy or even a farce. When movie makers try and be serious, than have a scene in which two mortals, Connor and Reese in this case are in a full sized school bus with no seat beats and the bus does at least two spins in mid air before colliding the the ground, and neither person has so much as a scratch is too stupid and ridiculous to take seriously. 

The film makers should have paid me to watch this lame weak story and special effects geared toward the mind of toddler aged children. While I'm at it,  the 2008 flick "The Dark Knight" was another stupid movie I would have loved if I was 3-years-old. 

I prefer dialogue and acting as opposed to cartoon like special effects and sub moronic story's. Zero stars for "Terminator Genisys" and "The Dark Knight" for that matter.   

Double Disasters

Wow, the new "Vacation" movie staring Ed Helms and Christina Applegate is in the running for one of the worst films ever made, it's a comedy and it's not at all funny.

This movies attempt at humor was less successful then Army officer, George Armstrong Custer's last stand at The Battle of The Little Big Horn in 1876. It's failed plea for humor was less gratifying then drinking a cup of hot water with three cups of salt and less entertaining then emptying out a dirty vacuum bag.

Retarded monkeys on acid could have written a better script. I didn't even smile once in "Vacation" which was spawned to DVD on Tuesday, the 3rd.

The new "Vacation" flick did absolutely no justice for the original "Vacation" from the 80s.  In the new disaster, the character Rusty Griswold (Ed Helms) is a grown married man with two sons and sets fourth to drive his family 2000 miles to the fictional Walley World. Not a single scene in this lame movie was remotely entertaining or funny.

"Brothers of War," a World War II saga was another flop. This 2014 movie was given to the U.S. on DVD also on the 3rd of this month. A hapless and pointless drama about two brothers whose minds are completely skewed and thrust into a drama that had the excitement of dead flies on a window seal, and was as entertaining as AM radio in the middle of Montana.  

I'm not sure if "Brothers of War" was a biblical metaphor for the brothers Cain and Abel or if  film maker Mike Carter was trying to justify the need to commit suicide, which may have been better than watching this movie. The story-line was all over the place with a confusing theme. This is a another no star movie. 

The Devil's Pouring drinks & His Daughter Needs a Ride...

I  combined my words with the lyrics of Hank III and Neil Peart.

The devils pouring drinks and his daughter needs a ride. Mistress of the dark unconscious,
empress of the hidden race, beware her sexy dark embrace. Sometimes she's evil enough
to surpass Bundy's brutalities and can make Manson look meek, or she's incredibly sweet;

Sweeter than honey and sugar itself, the definition of beauty, at least in your mind, a
woman so enticing, incredibly understanding, and remarkably wise, yet still craves your
presence.

                                                                         Neal Peart, Izzy Schurr and Hank III.

 More words from Dead Poems...

                                                                                        Beer

       Laughing eyes and beer highs accentuated her bare

       thighs. Wish I’d had an attractive lie. 

                         Girl to Woman

Young flowered eye cutie. She’s riding on the

bright side of time before she emerges into a

lady. A true lady. Passion pure, primitive lure.

                                          

                                                          Izzy Schurr

The Lunatic Loser

Basking in the company of family, friends and laughing with my peers at work are some of the great things in life that ignite my dreams to transport desires and drive me when I'm down.   

Lunatic loser is a fitting phrase for me, as a past middle aged entry whose done nothing with his life other then help too few cancer patients and yell at the TV sometimes when the Oakland Raiders or the Oakland Athletics are losing again. 

Thanks to my brother Eddie and his wife Diane, I was not homeless when I was out of work just a few short years ago and the two of them allowed me to clean their house and do landscaping to earn my keep for food and shelter. 

My inability for meaningful communication hindered me severely from 2009-2014. In 2009 I was a dish washer (sanitation technician) making decent money for the Olema Inn in the town of Olema. Washing dishes when I was 45-years-old sent me off to a state of suicidal thoughts, and severe depression, but my acting skills kept this from surfacing to all my family and friends that actually enjoy my presence. 

I peeked much too early in life. I was at my prime in 9th grade. The following are actual words from my 9th grade year book written by my awesome drama teacher, Ave Bartell. Bartell's cursive writings to me when I was leaving her drama class and junior high school in 1979;

'How will I ever replace you Mark? It will never happen-I'll always remember you in "Taming of The Shrew." Sorry to have you leave for Piner. (Piner High School.)-but in three years you certainly helped our shows and the Drama Dept. and I hope you stay with the theater and keep in touch-I won't be surprised to see you on a 'real stage' some day-your surprising humor is terrific. Hope you remember all the good times...I'll miss you an awful lot.' Love Miss Bartell 

Ave Bartell

While I'm on the subject of sort of praising myself, a way cool drama and class mate of mine, Tom Boriolo wrote the the following about me in the same year book. 

 'Mark, I've  never called a lot of people unique before, but you've got to be the true definition of the word! I might not be taking drama anymore, but you'd better keep it up because your good at it. Tom Boriolo. 

Fast forward to present day, I'm just a lunatic and laughing loser with a remarkable candor for embracing the positives in life; despite perpetually doing jobs any 12-year-old can do, and forever having little income, I've found a way to embrace happiness. 

Phil & Gina Garcia, and loco me

Once upon a time, I thought I'd never have the money to travel, because of my current job and vacation hours, I've gone to Hawaii twice now, this October and October of last year. Both times I've gone with my friends of more than 25 years, the Garcia's. I'm already looking forward to October, 2016, so I can go back to Hawaii, for my annual relaxation time, or to use the parliamentary language of our times, 'my yearly chill fest.'

The plane ride to Hawaii with Ruby and Gina

The Top Four Professional Baseball Teams and Review of Sports Illustrated, Warriors Recap

Only four of the 30 professional baseball teams are contending for this years World Series.

Last years American League champions, the Kansas City Royals lost to the San Francisco Giants in the 2014 World Series. Currently the Royals lead the Toronto Blue Jays two games to none in the best of seven American League Championship series. The Jays last won a World Series in 1993.

The Major League baseball site (mlb.com) has  deemed the Royals as the rampaging Royals. In today's 6-3 win over the Blue Jays at home, they scored their first five runs in the 7th inning, turning a 0-3 deficit into a two-run lead.

In the National league championship series, the Chicago Cubs lost game one in the best of seven series to the New York Mets earlier this evening, 4-2.

The Mets and Cubs is a fantastic and intriguing match-up for baseball guru's. The Cubs and Mets have won two World Series apiece; Cubs; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Cubs; Mets; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Mets

The last time the Mets won it all, the average price per gallon of gasoline was .93 cents,  http://www.1980sflashback.com/1986/economy.asphit ; Hit movies included "Top Gun," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," and "Platoon." https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=hit%20movies%20in%201986

Hit songs in 1986, the last time the Mets took home the Series trophy included Eddie Murphy's "Party All the Time," Addicted to Love"; Robert Palmer, "Sledgehammer"; Peter Gabriel, "Papa Don't Preach"; Madonna and Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name." http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1986.htm

The Cubs were the first team in pro baseball history to win back to back championships. (1907 / 1908), currently the teams only two Series wins. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Cubs

The last time the Cubs were champions, the 1908 Ford Model T, (Tin Lizzy) made it's debut to drivers, http://www.history.com/topics/model-t and popular movies were "A Calamitous Elopement," written and directed by  D. W. Griffith, "Excursion to the Moon," a French movie directed by Segundo de Chomón, and the first American film version of  William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," directed by J. Stuart Blackton was released.

Who could forget that film director Segundo de Chomón also directed the 1907 movie "Satan At Play," the first year the Cubs won the championship. The Cubs rebounded from a game one loss in the best of five series to the St. Louis Cardinals in their last series, so don't go betting on the Mets just yet.

The post season has proven to be a different beast. This year for example, the Cubs were 7-0 against the Mets in the regular season, but lost tonight. The savagely graceful pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, David Price surrendered five runs in the seventh inning this afternoon to the Royals. Price is 1-2 in the post season thus far with a 7.02 ERA. During the regular season, Price had a 2.45 ERA and was two games shy of winning 20 games while being 13 games over .500. http://m.mlb.com/player/456034/david-price  

My current prediction for the World Series match-up is the Cubs against the Royals, giving the Royals a slight edge to win it all.

Sports Illustrated "Special Commemorative Issue, Golden State Warriors Splashdown!"; not really a must own for even the purest of Warriors fans, but it's an easy quick read with some neat basketball facts, so I gave it a three star read.

I learned from reading this issue of SI's commemorative issue, a cool phrase for Stephen Curry's clutch shooting abilities, 'The Curry Flurry.' The Curry Flurry was no joke, especially for the opposing teams. In the first round of last years NBA playoffs the New Orleans Pelicans had a 20 point lead in the final quarter of play and were poised to make it a 2-1 series that third game, but when the Warriors had to, their defense clamped down and Curry hit a nothing but net three pointer with less than three seconds in regulation to send the game into overtime.  Once the dust was settled, the Warriors won in overtime by four points to make it a 3-0 series lead.

Reading this magazine also show cased the similarities between last years championship team, and the 1975 Warriors team which also took home the championship title. 'Dishin and Swishin,' is what both the '75 club and last years team often did. In other words, no player was selfish and many times, Warriors players competed among themselves who would get the most assists per game, via the most points, hence, 'Dishin and Swishin.

Shooting guru, Rick Barry was perhaps the first of the Warriors to popularize 'Dishin and Swishin' for the Warriors. Barry is also fourth on the all time NBA free point shooting percentage list at 89.98 percent.  During the last practice of last years preseason, Curry made 77 consecutive free throws, finishing 94 for 100.

The Warriors were champions last year for a reason. The team played stellar defense and could win games without their stars performing particularly well. Bench player Andre Iguodala was the teams Most Valuable Player in the championship series win against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Head coach Steve Kerr, whose dad was killed in 1984 while president of the American University of Beirut was just as important as the players on the court.

When the Warriors were down two games to one against the Memphis Grizzlies, Kerr made some starters second stringers and vise versa, and the Warriors whipped off three wins in a row to eliminate the Grizzlies. Facing the Eastern conference champion Cavaliers, the Cavs also took a 2-1 series lead. Kerr, benched star defensive starter Andrew Bogut for the remainder of the series and went with a smaller faster line-up which went 3-0 against King James and company, to win the championship series, four games to two.

I'm hoping for a Cubs World Series win this year and of course my Oak town Warriors to win back to back championships.

Instant Gratification and Bombastic Action; Not in "Sicario."

"Sicario" leaves much to ponder as to what is right or wrong; good and evil are sometimes one emotion, and killing even children in cold blood may be the right thing to do, or is it? The story-line in "Sicario," particularly the ending leaves it up to the viewer as to what should be done when it comes to killing or not killing.

Morally sound FBI agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) is recruited by an off the wall government official, Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) to flush out one of the largest, if not the biggest cartel boss Fausto Alarcon. (Julio Cesar Cedillo). Graver's main counter part in seeking out Alarcon is the character Alejandro, brilliantly played by Benicio Del Toro. Is Alejandro simply a greedy hit-man working for whoever fattens his wallet the most or is his vengeance for Alarcon legit?

As many of us know, the Mexican cartel rakes in huge amounts of money via the drug trade. This movie points out that 20 percent of the population snorts cocaine and or speed. If nobody did drugs, the cartel business would be next to nothing as opposed to perhaps being the largest money maker in the world. Informing law enforcement about various cartel members could very well get you killed and or your loved ones and drug dealers who cut into the business of cartel members face the same fate; hence, nobody does drugs, senseless killings drop immensely.

This movie works because of the allure of big money. Vast cash and insane amounts of drugs can influence even the best of minds and corrupt even the most valiant men and women who work in law enforcement.

 The movie is a bit lengthy and slow to get to the point, but it's a highly recommended one time watch; I give it a solid three stars.

Engulfed in Ignorance Via the Media

I'm one of many basking in the oblivion of real knowledge and truth.

"The broadcasting industry now stands charged with having molested the minds of our nations children to serve the cause of corporate profit," 1970s Federal Communications Commission commissioner Nicholas Johnson said on the first CNN episode of  "The Seventies."

While big businesses across the universe rule the world without shame or guilt, the masses including myself have allowed ourselves to be weaved into the governments web of lies and corruption. The media, 90 percent of it is controlled by six companies according to the April, 2012 Huffington Post article; "These 10 Companies Control Enormous Number Of Consumer Brands." (updated Sept, 2014) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/27/consumer-brands-owned-ten-companies-graphic_n_1458812.html

Advertising goes hand in hand with media and entertainment. These are incredible tools for all governments and media CEO's to dominate our minds and take them off the real issues.  Middle Eastern sadists forcing very young girls to marry old men is one of too many examples of this. It's one way poor families survive in the Middle East, selling off their daughters to middle aged pedophiles.

"Girl, 8, Dies From Internal Injuries After Wedding Night in Yemen," a most disturbing article illustrating sheer evil. Her sadistic groom was 40-years-old.  http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/child-bride-dies-wedding-night-yemen-article-1.1450874

I want to see a potential presidential candidate talk about ending world hunger, drone bombing and strive for world peace, but that's just fantasy. Money is in death and destruction. Why do you think there are more than 50 wars currently going on in the world, there is too much big money to be had for the soulless one percent who dictate our lives.

Just read the book "Deadly Indifference: The Perfect (Political) Storm: Hurricane Katrina, the Bush White House, and Beyond," by Michael D. Brown and Ted Schwarz. I reviewed this book for the Dixie Sun in 2010 or 2011 and this novel illustrated the endless corruption in politics. A lot of our tax dollars for example go to hookers, cocaine and limos for too many senators and other world leaders.

"My first rule of thinking, I believe nothing the government says," George Carlin said.