Cadillac Ranch outside Amarillo, TX

Cadillac Ranch

I'm always keeping an eye out for interesting textures.  The paint on these half burried cars definitely counts.  The flash is being held by my brother-in-law and triggered remotely.  I would have like to spent more time here; but it was impossibly cold.  You can't tell because the crazy kids aren't wearing jackets.

Taken

I'd never heard of this movie. I was surprised to see Liam Neeson in it. He plays a retired CIA operative whose daughter gets kidnapped while she's in France. He goes to Paris to find her and get her back home.

It's a very suspenseful action movie. My wife and I were both intensely involved all the way through. What happens when some bad people abduct the daughter of a very serious ex-spy? Turns out it's exactly what you would think might happen.

This movie reminded me of several others, most closely Man on Fire. which means it's not that original. But unoriginality is forgivable if the movie is good. If you enjoyed these types of movies, you'll really like this one.

Speed Racer (2008)

I had really low expectations when I started watching this movie, and I was pleasantly surprised. It was campy, and fun. It made me smile in several places. The special effects were very cool.

What I found most impressive was the compositing and editing of the different scenes. They used this device a few times that I really enjoyed. to cut from one scene to another, they would "wipe" a talking head across the screen. It had the effect of keeping the action nonstop while transitioning to a different point of view.

Not the best movie in the world; but it was still enjoyable.

Letters from Iwo Jima

I enjoyed this movie more than Flags of Our Fathers. It just had more action, drama, and likable characters. It was a real touching movie done really well. It's subtitled in English; but I recommend it even if that's not your thing.

Quantum of Solace

I think the Bond people watched the Bourne trilogy, and said, "we can do that better". And they did.

In this new movie, James Bond is much more brutal than any of the others. It's much more like watching Bourne or Transporter, except, I think Daniel Craig does it better.

This movie had the shaky camera; but it was much less annoying than any of the Bourne films. Some of the action sequences left me wondering how they got the shot -- like in the first part of the film when Bond and the double agent go through the window onto the scaffolding. Even with the quick cuts and shaky camera, the action was very entertaining to watch.

Bond uses not a single remarkable gadget in this movie, or at least, nothing you haven't seen before on 24 or Alias. I think this is a symptom of where we are as a society. We are no longer impressed by tiny cameras or laser watches.

I was impressed by the computer interface at MI6. It reminded me of the UI in Minority Report, and except it was far more practical. I could see this becoming a reality someday.

The plot ... let's say that the plot didn't get in the way.

There was a sub plot about Bond getting revenge on someone for killing Vesper. I figured out that this was a continuation of the plot from Casino Royale. This movie starts very soon after that one ended, and I wish I had watched it before watching this one; because I had no idea who she was or why she died.

Bonds beats, shoots, and stabs his way through the film. There are vehicle chases (including a plane chase), and a romp through an exploding apartment complex. The film is thrilling and fun to watch. I recommend seeing it while it's in the theater.

Bee Movie

I didn't like it. The acting was horrible. The plot is stupid. And it wasn't funny at all.

It's bad communist propaganda.

Tropic Thunder

A team of actors are working on a big budget vietnam war film.  The film is in trouble and things are made worse when the actor's egos collide.  Then things go horribly wrong.

Robert Downey Jr was the highlight of the film.  He cracked me up a lot.  He plays an Australian actor playing a black character to large comedic effect.  

There was mild violence and some bad language.  I would recommend this rental.