Jumper

View date: 7/20/09

Jumper is a movie about a group of people that can jump through space to any location they have 'mapped'. There is another group, led by Samuel L. Jackson's character, who hunt and kill the so-called jumpers. They believe it is the only way to protect society. There is an age-old war between the two groups, and the main character is trying to prove himself different.

This movie seemed a little rushed to me. It definitely could have been expanded to include more of the limitations and abilities of the jumpers. The war between the two groups could have been explored further. However, there was a nice twist at the end, and this was probably one of Hayden Christianson's better roles.

10 words or less: Not horrible, but could have been better.

Smack

Author: Melvin Burgess
Completion Date: 7/20/09

This book is a story about a normal kid who runs away in England to escape abuse from his alcoholic parents. He is a really good kid that just needs to find a new situation in life. His girlfriend follows, and she introduces him to a group of friends that are into heroin. Prior to this, he had smoked some pot and drank, perhaps tried a few other, more minor drugs. But once he starts with smack, he can’t stop. The story follows his decline into addiction, his attempts to get clean, and the effect both have on his relationships.

I really like the format of this book. Each chapter is written from the perspective of a different character in the story. I found the prose itself rather difficult to read, partially because of the style and partially because of the British slang used throughout the story. I thought parts of it were really moving, and thought it really delved into the troubles of both runaways and addicts.

10 words or less: OK, but I won't read it again.

Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer

View Date: 7/19/09

This sequel to the original Fantastic 4 movie brings the Silver Surfer to the planet, as well as brings back the original cast.

There really isn’t that much to say about this flick. The first 20 minutes was the only humorous part of the film, and the rest couldn’t hold my attention. The acting was pretty bad, about on par with the first one. I really hope they don’t continue on with this franchise; it’s just not worth it if this is what will result.

10 words or less: Not worth the time.

Children of Chabannes

View Date: 7/20/09

This documentary is about a group of children sent to France during the Second World War to protect them from the atrocities of the Holocaust. Most of these children never saw their families again. The children were educated and assimilated into the culture of this very small farming village. The teachers made sure to work with the children to perfect their accents and become as strong as possible to give these children the best survival tools they could provide.

The film was narrated and produced by the daughter of one of these amazing children. The truly unbelievable part is that, of the hundreds of children involved and the German influence on France, only 6 children were lost. This is wholly due to the organizers and teachers of the school, who cared for these people as children and did not see them solely as Jews. They risked their own lives many times to protect their charges.

Many of the children involved remained in France after the group was separated due to increasing German presence in their area. Others emigrated to the United States or Israel after the war. As such, the piece is partially subtitled and partially in English. This may make it difficult for some viewers. However, it was a truly fascinating piece, not only the descriptions by the surviving children, but through the recollections of the teachers as well. The excerpts from the diaries of the principal and the scrapbooks of the school children were incredibly enlightening, and highlighted not only the danger faced, but also the everyday life of the children.

10 words or less: Maybe not for everyone, but an interesting film.

Sorority Boys

View Date: 7/19/09

This is a goofy college romance/comedy about a trio of guys that get kicked out of their fraternity by the backstabbing of a fellow brother. They then present themselves in drag to the sorority of misfits, who accept them into their fold. The guys actually help the other members of the sorority improve their place in the college hierarchy, and everything turns out happy in the end. This was definitely not the first time I have seen this movie, and as soon as my daughter saw it she asked that I keep it on because even she likes it.

Besides some really bad wigs, I like this movie. I know it is not the best movie out there, and not even the best of its kind. However, it’s a fun movie with some fairly cute guys and some actual acting talent. Several of the actors are known for their television performance, and there are some well-known movie actors in the mix as well. This is a fun way to spend some time not having to really concentrate on anything in particular and just enjoy some raunchy humor.

10 words or less: Fun brainless comedy with some very poor drag.

Alive

View Date: 7/18/09

Alive is the story of the Uruguay rugby team that crashed in the Andes during winter. The survivors of the crash had to deal with unbearable cold, injury, illness, and death. They had no way of communicating with the rest of the world, and wound up running out of food. As a result, they resorted to cannibalism of the dead for survival. In the end, two of the stranded walk out of the Andes and bring back a rescue squad.

I had seen this movie before, and it was just as moving this time around. The performances are very real to the point that I wanted to smack people acting like fools or cheer when the group was rescued. Of all the acting, I think that the person best known, Ethan Hawke, actually had the least believable performance of the group. I am glad the actors did not use accents, although at times it makes you forget that the team is from Uruguay. Overall, this is a movie very worth watching.

10 words or less: One everyone should see.

Top Chef: Masters (Bravo)

View Date: 7/29/09

Chefs: Rick Bayless, Michael Chiarello, Art Smith, Anita Lo, Hubert Keller, and Suzanne Tracht

Tonight is the champion's round, with the previous winners back to compete for the big reward for their charities.

Quickfire Challenge: Working in teams of three, the chefs competed in the classic and always a favorite Mise en Place relay race. And Tom Choliccio was the guest judge/referee. The chefs on the winning team will get an advantage going in to the next round. Each team needs to open 15 oysters, chop 5 onions, butcher 4 chickens, and finally separate 5 eggs and wisk them by hand until they will stay upside-down in the bowl for 5 seconds. This is particularly tough because these chefs generally haven't prepared ingredients en masse like this in years. The team of Rick, Anita, and Hubert won the challenge.

In-Between Challenge: The chefs had to cook their signature dish for presenting to the other chefs, supposedly so they could learn more about each other.

Elimination Challenge: The chefs now have to recreate and reimagine another chef's signature dish. Hubert got to pick first because he went twice for the winning team in the relay race. Whoever he picked, that chef would have to recreate his dish. The other chefs had to draw knives to determine which dish they would be making. Hubert and Anita were paired, Art and Suzanne, and Rick and Michael. The special diners tonight are former TCM competitors. Rick and Anita had the high scores tonight, and Anita won overall with 24 of 25 stars. Suzanne went home by half a star due to some cold and overdone fish.

10 words or less: I think it's only 4 more weeks of this.