Danny's Smokehouse Bar-B-Que - Athens, TX

If you ever find yourself heading east on Hwy 175 in Athens, Texas, you should stop by this little place called Danny's Smokehouse Bar-B-Que. It's like a little country bumpkin dining hole. The people are courteous and friendly. The food is pretty good too.

It's been a few weeks since I had eaten there but, if I recall correctly, I'd suggest the special. I think it was like a two-meat deal. I think it was like $6.99 or $8.99. The other good deal was a full slab of the ribs. It was a lot of ribs for a low price of like $9.99. All these prices are guestimates but I think I'm pretty close. The point is that it was very reasonable for a lot of barbecue which isn't usually the case.

In case the link doesn't work here is the information for the restaurant.


DANNY'S
Smokehouse Bar-B-Que
903-675-5238
850 E Corsicana
Athens, Texas
(3/4 mile east of square on Hwy. 175)

Tron: Legacy (2010)

Tron: Legacy (2010). Picked this up the same day I exchanged for Black Swan and just got around to finishing it last night. The wife and I started Sunday afternoon but I had to do something while she continued to watch.

Anyway, after all the promos, hype and waiting, I was looking forward to seeing this movie. I don't know if it was because I saw Tron back when as a kid or if it was all the fantastical lighting of the cars, the people, and the Grid.

I don't know if it's because I'm an adult now but this movie didn't do it for me like the original. Truthfully, I cannot recall being wowed by any part of the movie. I can't say that I didn't "like" the movie in its entirety. I just can't recall coming away after watching thinking, "Wow! That part where [insert part] was really cool!"

I actually can't fully or partly remember all of the original movie but I do remember that it made an impact on me. I remember parts of it like I saw it yesterday. I remember the graphics, probably considered horrible to today's, but it was actually very consistent with the way the video games looked at the time. I remember playing the video game at the local arcade.

Okay, back to the "Legacy." The wife hadn't seen the first movie so she sort of had some questions at the start. I feel like a person could watch this movie without actually having to see the first. They did a decent job of doing a sort of "previously on Tron" recap at the first of the movie. Then there were parts in the movie where more things are explained like the fight between Clu, Tron and Flynn that even weren't known to those who have seen the original.

Overall, I think they could have spruced it up a bit. I mean more cool lighting, graphics, races, flying, action, etc., etc. I just found the acting sort of lifeless, except for Zuse. He was memorable.

If you want to see pretty lights, then this movie is for you. If you want to see a fairly hot looking Olivia Wilde, then this movie is for you. If you want to see a pretty good sci-fi action movie, then The Fifth Element is a better option or even The Running Man or Cyborg.

A few other comments in no particular order of appearance:

• I was sort of weirded out by the CGI of a young Jeff Bridges as Clu. He reminded me a lot of Prince Charming from Shrek 2...cool that they can do it but still creepy.
• I can understand how it's possible that Kevin and Sam Flynn are humans digitized into the Grid but how on earth can a created program exit the Grid into the real world? I just wasn't following that logic. Great that Sam has some really hot chick to explore...everything...with but is it really fathomable? I mean excluding some of what is truth and reality.
• And how did Sam get cut and bleed if he has been digitized into the Grid? It's not like "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids." Sam went from 'real world' to 'computer world.'
• Tron was a "superhero" in the original movie. How the hell did he fall to Clu or get "temporarily converted" to the dark side?
• Bruce Boxleitner looks pretty good for his age. I'm impressed.
• Ten years or whatever it was after Kevin disappeared, Allan still has a pager? Really, with the advancements in technology...even something as simple as cell phones?
• Why the hell would the security guard take the risk of tight-roping the metal crane thingy at the first of the movie to try and capture Sam after he broke into the Encom Tower? I don't think that was within his pay grade. Seriously!

I guess that's enough ranting/babbling for now.

FINAL VERDICT: It's worth a viewing especially if someone else picks up the cost.

Black Swan (2010)

Black Swan (2010). I picked this movie up on Friday for the wife and I to watch sometime this weekend. We were able to watch it Saturday afternoon/evening. We both were excited to see this movie. We've heard it was "fantastic" and "so good" and blah, blah, blah. I usually take people's comments about a movie with a grain of salt. No one knows what I will like or how much I'll like it.

My reasons for wanting to watch it is Natalie Portman is in it and Natalie and Mila Kunis have a lesbian scene (my comment on this to come).

I was surprised to see the movie start off so quickly with the "craziness" of Nina. I mean within the first few minutes or so she started seeing/imagining things. I thought this was going to occur due to the fact that she was so goody goody and the pressure of having to perform a good and bad character caused her metamorphasis. Now, she could have imagined things and turn "bad" because of her purging but that wasn't clear in the story line.

A lot of people told me this was a total mind fuck but I came away with more of a mind massage which caused slight confusion. I guess I didn't pay enough attention because I still don't know for sure if Mila Kunis' character was real or something made up by Nina. I mean there were scenes where she was seemingly real like when the director tells her thanks for showing up when she arrived late and then the scene where she was dancing for Nina after their too-short-lived lesbian night.

Even though the movie started off quickly with Nina's craziness. The movie itself was pretty slow in the beginning...well, just about to half of the movie. It dragged way too slowly and I started thinking, "Who the hell thought this was fantastic!?" The movie overall was okay for me but I do think Natalie did a fantastic job. But I didn't expect anything else from her.

I do have a Natalie crush and Mila was pretty hot too. I didn't get too excited by them though because I felt they both were too damn skinny. Yes, it goes with the characters of the movie but I felt kind of grossed out at times. Anorexia is NOT attractive at all and neither is just being that skinny for any reason.

I think Barbara Hershey did a great job at being a weird, overprotective, controlling mother. It was indicative of the craziness to come when you see that Nina's room is decorated like a 12-yr-old's and she was like what, 25?

I was left further confused by how Nina was able to perform an entire dance scene after the (supposed) fight with Lily and the mirror shiv in her gut. The wife and I guess that Nina was going to die after the final act but we were thinking more of the mattress missing when she jumped off the top of the stairs and hitting the floor, breaking her neck.

Verdict: If it wasn't so damn slow and boring at the start, I'd watch it again. I think there were some very good performances. I think Natalie desereve whatever awards she received for her dedication to her craft similarly the way Matt Damon did for Courage Under Fire and Tom Hanks did for Philadelphia/Cast Away. I was creeped out by the skinniness of Natalie and Mila as well as the way Natalie's skin would occasionally look like a plucked chicken's body.