Trance (2013)

As per my M.O., I started this some time ago. It was probably started no less than two weeks before posting.

 

Trance (2013). This was one confusing movie. I still don't know if I know what the hell was going on or who was not hypnotized versus who was. Does that make for a good movie or a bad one? I truly don't know.

ALERT possible spoilers ahead...

The movie had decent pace, good action, twists and turns. It also had a few glorious scenes of Rosario Dawson's sexy, nude body—even full frontal. I don't know if they had a body double or if it was Rosario. I don't care. It has already found a place in my memory bank of actresses who have appeared nude in movies or print. Anyway, Rosario plays a hypnotist that supposedly is hired to help James McAvoy's character remember where he stashed some stolen, famous painting. Vincent Cassel's character plays the villain who actually wanted to steal the painting but turns out that McAvoy's character saved it or stole it himself. That's part of the confusion. Did McAvoy actually want to steal it or did he just put it in safe-keeping or was he a part of the original heist or what?? I still don't know.

Now, in my defense, I was watching the movie while working...at work...so my attention span was definitely split between multiple activities. I may have to watch it briefly again but at the same time I don't think it was really that great of a movie to have to sit through again and actually pay more attention.

FINAL VERDICT: It's watchable. It wasn't boring and it had some good parts (and no, not just the nude Rosario parts). If you have a coupon or get it from RedBox for like a buck twenty, it wouldn't be a waste of your time.

Pluckers - Dallas (Greenville Ave) 2nd visit

As usual...I'm a little behind since I started this post but better late than never.

I took the kids to Pluckers Wing Bar (Lovers and Greenville) a couple of weeks ago for the first time. I had been there once previously with some friends and coworkers when it first opened but hadn't been back since—probably at least 3-5 years. My delay in returning wasn't because the food was bad on my first visit but more of the fact that I'm frugal and I think $19.99 for 20 wings is WAY overpriced! In case you need help with the math: that's a dollar a wing. I can buy a pack or two of 8-12 wingettes per pack from Kroger for like $3.50 a pack, a bottle of cooking oil for like $2.00 and a bottle of wing sauce for $3.00. That comes to $12.00. Again, I'm a tight wad and so yes, I would (and have) purchased these items to make my own wings.

So, fast forward and/or rewind to my second visit with the kids.

I originally was going because I had a coupon that got me 20 wings for $13.99. It was only for one person but I thought it would be enough to get us started. However, it turns out that my coupon was expired. The kids and I were already craving the wings so I decided to go ahead and eat at Pluckers.

They had a 10 wings combo 'special' for $11.50 which is still too much but I guess at least it came with a side...which is really just filler for me because I prefer the meat over the potatoes. Anyhow, we ordered the fries as the side and they weren't too bad. My oldest ordered honey bbq while me and the youngest ordered buffalo medium. We went with medium because you know how different restaurants have different measures for flavoring and we didn't want to get something too spicy and not fully enjoy the wings.

My kids were craving and starving but the oldest only ate like 3-4 wings while my youngest ate about 5. They did eat the fries as well as drink almost all of their GIANT freaking sweet teas. I left no chicken bone unstripped and ate all ten. I felt like I could eat more but that was a good start and I'm trying to be less of a pig when eating things I really like. You know, all good things in moderation...or some shit like that.

All of it tasted good. No real complaints other than our server was a little lacking in the 'being in tune with the needs of your customers' department. Too many times I had to wait for a refill on my Diet Coke. I go to a restaurant and order my Diet Coke, it's like an I.V and I need to have it constantly flowing. I have to wait and it affects the tip—which I start out at 20% and work my way down so it gives the server room for error. This guy just couldn't learn from his mistakes and it wasn't really busy. I would see him chatting with other servers and not being attentive to my table when it was right by where he was hanging. I think he barely got 15% and that's only because I was a server once (a damn good one) so I know how it sucks to serve to live. I definitely reward based on the servers ability to replenish my drink before I'm chomping on the ice. Too early is almost as bad as too late because who wants a watered down second drink because I haven't gotten close to finishing the first one?

What the kids and I did walk away with is that Monday is all-you-can-eat wings for $16.99. I think that's a good deal because regularly it's $19.99 for 20 or $11.50 for 10 wings combo. I don't think the kids would eat 20 but I would most definitely be sure to eat 20 at the minimum and probably a lot more.

So, there's my story about my second ever Pluckers visit. I would recommend the specials if you are a bargain shopper like myself. I would also recommend having a backup restaurant at which to eat because there are days when the line is out the door and the seating is packed. We actually wanted to eat at Pluckers three times previously within a week and a half before we did eat there because everytime we drove by it was just too damned packed.

Sushi on McKinney - Dallas

Had lunch at Sushi on McKinney today.

It was good sushi. I went with a coworker who actually was the one to suggest it. We first thought of Blue Fish and then Deep Sushi but Blue is a bit more pricey than we wanted and Deep is a longer drive from our work. Sushi on McKinney wasn't our third choice so much as it was the third place that we thought of when we tried to think of sushi places at which to go eat.

I've outlined where we sat in the pic below thanks to Google street (or really-inside-the-business) view.

I'm not a huge quality comparer so I can't say that one place has better eel, salmon or yellow tail than the other. I do notice what I like and flavors that appeal to me. So, I can say that one wasn't any worse than the other. Make sense?

Our actual rolls ordered were the Negihama [yellow tail and green onion] (6ct), Eel Avocado Roll (8ct), Smoked Salmon Roll (6ct), and 2 Shrimp Tempura sticks. My coworker liked the yellow tail best and then salmon but thought the eel was 'greasy'. I thought all tasted just fine but the sweet sauce on the eel was very tasty.

I would be careful ordering a carbonated beverage. I ordered a Diet Coke and it came out tasting too carbonated. My second glass tasted a little better but I don't know if that was because I got used to it or it really was different. Who knows if all other carbonated beverages they serve would be the same but just something to think about.

Our meal totaled up to be $28.xx. The pricing was about the same as I've paid at Sushi Kyoto II. Even though our meal was $28, we only tipped $2. I know it sounds like we gyped them and I felt kind of bad because I'm a good tipper—starts at 20% and goes down from there but usually no lower than 15%. The more I thought about it though the more I realized that they really didn't do shit for us. They took our drink order and brought it out. I filled out the card to order the rolls. They took it and brought our food. They refilled my drink once. Do they deserve a 15-20% tip just because their pricing is so high? We didn't think so.

Sushi on McKinney was a quaint little place. It was much more quiet than I expected on a Friday around noon but I guess not everyone likes sushi for lunch. It's also on a strip of McKinney Ave and backs up to a strip of the service road of North Central Expressway (US Hwy 75) that are populated with many other restaurants of varying cuisines. Because of this, parking is pretty crowded depending on the time and you may run into no parking or parking with dumb douche bags that take up two spaces with their vehicles because that's how privileged they fucking are.

Anyway, if you like sushi, you'll like Sushi on McKinney.

Albert Nobbs (2011)

Albert Nobbs (2011). I feel like this movie has been prodding me to watch it for a few months now. I keep seeing it over and over when I browse my Netflix account. I almost watched it a few times but never did because I felt like it wasn't a movie that would keep me interested. It's always been on my Blockbuster Total Access Plan queue. I just kept having it pushed further down the queue as I added movies that I thought I'd like to watch sooner or would be more entertaining.

Apparently, the movies I'd prefer to watch are also the preference of many other people so every one of them kept being in the Availability status of Medium or High Demand. So, the queue jumps to and sends the next available movie in Available status. Which recently finally got to the point of sending me Albert Nobbs.

Anyway, Glenn Close plays Mister Nobbs. She's a woman dressed as a man to get a man's wages and respect. Apparently she has played Mister Nobbs for a very long time. The movie is done well and the acting is fairly good. It's interesting to see what people would go through to "get ahead" in the world. To live a secret life in such close proximity with other people had to have been pretty stressful.

As mentioned, I passed this movie by time and time again when seeing it show up in Netflix. It just didn't seem like a movie I really, really wanted to watch but it kept nagging at me to watch everytime I saw it. I guess you could say that I was finally forced to watch it when it came in the mail from my Blockbuster Total Access Plan Queue.

One thing to mention is that Janet McTeer has HUGE boobs...they remind me a bit like Mimi Rogers' boobs...and I knew she was playing a man from the moment I saw here in the movie.

Final verdict: it's watchable. It's not overly exciting. There is no real action, adventure, or violence but it's still tolerable. I would recommend watching but don't expect pomp and circumstance.

More "reviews" on movies I've seen recently

Many of the movies I've listed below are ones that I watched within the past few months. Most have been watched at least a month ago or more. I've been busy doing other things and some of these movies don't deserve any of the characters I'm going to type to discuss them.

Update: I've decided that there has been too much time between now and when I watched these movies so I'm just going to type more for the ones that I actually remember things from.

Ted (2012). What can be said about Ted? It's overly vulgar. It's pre-adolescent humor. It could be considered downright immature by many. That's part of its attraction. If you go in expecting these things, you will enjoy it. If you go in expecting anything more or different, you will find this movie ridiculous and probably will stop watching after the first 15-30 minutes.

It's like Grown Ups but with way more sexual content and vulgarity. Or American Pie with just Jim and Stiffler but the Stiffmeister is a stuffed bear. Actually, I think I found American Pie more entertaining overall.

Besides the fact that Ted is a fucking stuffed animal that talks and "is alive," there are parts of the movie that are just ridiculous. Namely, the sex scenes with Ted. What the fuck is Ted fucking with? Are the girls he's "banging" that easy and sexual that they just like having their vajayjay rubbed by a plush toy?

Yes, yes, I'm reading too much into the movie but seriously. It's that inane! I think Seth MacFarlane has so much sexual frustration and tension pent up from having to do public television shows that he revels in the opportunity to let his inner 12-yr-old perverted self out in a 'real' movie.

Were there parts that were funny? Yes. Were there parts that other 12-yr-old boys (physically and mentally) will quote from now until the end of days? Yes. Were there good parts throughout the movie to keep one interested for the entirety of the movie? No, but we keep watching to see what fucked up thing Ted will come up with next!

Final verdict: I would recommend it only if you have nothing else to do and need to watch a movie with occasional moments of funny shit mixed with failed attempts at comedy that are still sort of funny. I've seen it and I wouldn't watch it again except for the parts of hot, naked chicks which are probably better than the entire movie.

 

The Watch (2012). This movie was pretty funny. It had moments where if I were drinking while watching I would have squirted the liquid out my nose. I watched this with my kids. Other than the occasional bad language which isn't really anything that they haven't heard already, it was pretty teen-friendly.

Ben Stiller's character is typical Ben Stiller. It fits right into his comfort zone of what we are used to seeing him portray.

Jonah Hill's character is pretty funny too. It's a little more out of his typical character but he does it fairly well.

While both Ben and Jonah's character are similar to other roles they have played, they aren't annoying actors or their roles are annoying.

However, Vince Vaughn almost always plays the same...exact...character in ALL of his movies. I guess if that's what made you famouse you should go with it. The problem is that he is just playing fucking annoying! I don't know where writers/directors think that hearing Vince Vaughn ramble on and on in that annoying as tone of voice he has is entertaining. It may have been...when we saw him in the very first movie where he was that annoying person. Even the second movie may have been funny but after that it's just TOO GOD DAMN MUCH! Put a giant fork in Vince Vaughn...HE IS DONE!

Final verdict: This movie is pretty funny. My kids wanted to watch it again with the friends and I think they even watched it a couple of more times. I on the other hand would not mind watching it once in a while. It was worth the time the first watch and it would probably be worth it the next time or two.

 

Casa de mi Padre (2012). This movie was pretty funny. Like The Watch, I could watch it once or twice more. Will Ferrell is his typical funny self. Fortunately, it wasn't one of his 'bad, funny' movies. The only thing that made this movie difficult to watch was all the Spanish dialogue and subtitles. Of course, it wouldn't be the movie it is without the Spanish dialogue. It's almost like watching an old Jackie Chan, Jet Li or Donnie Yen flick where they speak in Chinese/Cantonese and all the subtitles while all this fighting is going on. It sometimes makes it difficult to watch the movie AND understand what in the hell is going on.

Final verdict: It looks like a movie you'd waste your time on but it is pretty funny and entertaining. It's not a movie that you can multitask because of the foreign dialogue and subtitles so make sure you have to time to read, watch and listen. It's also not one of Ferrell's best/funniest, but it's still worth watching.

 

Extreme Justice (1993). I thought this might be at least a decent movie since it had Lou Diamond Phillips and Scott Glenn in it. It wasn't hugely disappointing. However, watching it now does show its date. It was an action flick with some comedy. If you want to reminisce of older movies from the early 90s then you won't be greatly disappointed by this one. Otherwise, you could find some newer movie that has a very similar story line with updated videography.

 

Dead Man's Shoes (2004). This was an interesting flick. I didn't like a lot of the cinematography but it was a fairly decent movie. On the Blockbuster rating scale, I'd say "this movie was just so-so" but I remember it, I watched it in its entirety and I didn't end up hating it. In parts in was kind of frustrating because of the story line but not because it was bad or anything. It's one of those movies where one guy is always trying keep his brother or very good friend out of trouble or from doing the wrong thing ALL the time. It makes me think to just put a damn bullet in that person's head so the 'good' guy doesn't always have to get his ass kicked or hurt because he's helping someone else out. Anyway, it wasn't high action or anything like that but it might be worth a look for something different.

 

Hunger (2009). This movie along with many of the ones to follow is one I was browsing the Netflix movie library and thought I'd give it a try. Just like the ones to follow and ones I've 'reviewed' before, I wasted my time for you so you don't have to. It was basically a different take on the Saw movies. Almost all of the Saw movies sucked and if you've seen one you've seen them all, so you can forego watching this piece of crap movie. It's so great that I've forgotten most of the scenes in the movie. How's that for making an impression? No matter how low the budget for this movie was, it was WAY too much!

 

Dead Season (2012). There is a plethora of zombie movies to choose from. Don't choose this one. I can overlook poor makeup and juvenile cinematography but I cannot look pass a horrible story line and excruciatingly bad acting. Even good...well, decent...acting can make a crappy movie watchable, bearable. There was absolutely nothing in this movie that could make me recommend it to anyone, even those who are deaf and/or blind. It would inflict horrible feelings upon ALL people!

 

The Perfect Witness [a.k.a. The Ungodly] (2007). This movie lacked just like the movie above. There was absolutely nothing that I can recommend about this movie. And, that's about all I think I can remember about this movie...that it sucked!

 

Sweet Angel Mine (1996). It's been too long since I watched this movie. However, I cannot remember anything about it which lets me know that it wasn't a good movie. I could maybe take a quick gander at it on Netflix to maybe recall what I watched originally but I'm thinking it isn't worth the time. Which means it isn't worth your time.

 

 

Bellflower (2011). Nothing comes to mind other than it wasn't good enough to remember.

 

The Teacher (1974). Nothing comes to mind other than it wasn't good enough to remember...and there were boobs.

 

Zombie Apocalypse: Redemption (2011). Nothing comes to mind other than it wasn't good enough to remember.

 

Grievous Bodily Harm (1988). Nothing comes to mind other than it wasn't good enough to remember...there were boobs.

 

Rites of Spring (2011). Nothing comes to mind other than it wasn't good enough to remember...there were boobs.

 

No Vacancy (1999). Nothing comes to mind other than it wasn't good enough to remember.

Mountek MT5000 hands free car mount

I recently purchased the Mountek MT5000 hands free car mount from Meritline.com which I saw in their Monday Madness Email Deals (I think). Regularly $24.95 + shipping but it was on sale for $17.99 + free shipping. I've paid for other hands free mounts around $15-$20 so I figured this would be a decent enough investment. (a few images of it below)

  

Besides the price, what caught my attention was that it used the CD slot in the radio for mounting instead of a suction cup or a clamp onto the air vent. I mean who really uses CDs to play music these days especially with the auxiliary input or direct control for MP3 players these days?

I ordered this and another item that I'm sure I'll write about some day on January 21^st. I received it on February 1^st. I thought this was shipped from a domestic warehouse but I can't be completely sure. If it was, the free shipping took longer than most domestic free shipping on other products I've ordered online. Since it was almost two weeks, I'd think it was definitely from a domestic warehouse because internationally I've received things in 3 weeks or more.

Anyway, the packaging was pretty good. It came in a very sturdy cardboard box instead a bubble-wrap padded envelope. There was a small booklet of instruction but I didn't use it as I had previously googled this item before purchasing. When I did, I saw a video review which explained how the mount was secured in the CD slot.

A couple of days after receiving it was when I was finally able to get it into my car stereo CD player slot to test it out. When tightening the mount inside the CD slot, I was started to think what kind of damage I could cause to it...whether it is with the mouth of the slot or the playback ability of it. The mount doesn't go much deeper than a 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch but when I began to tighten the screw to secure the mount I could see the mouth of the CD slot move. The more I did it the more it moved but I didn't do it to the point of actual breakage. I'm not stupid! I actually didn't tighten it a whole lot and I've had no problems with the mount slipping or moving within the CD slot.

I tested it with a next-to-latest generation iPod Touch and a Samsung SIII with an Otterbox cover.

With the iPod Touch, the MT5000 did quite well. It was easy enough to size the holding arms down to fit the Touch. It was also fairly simple to push the button release to remove the Touch after use. With the Touch, the padding on the arms seemed to keep their shape while securely holding the Touch in place.

With the Samsung SIII, the MT5000 did well enough. Just like with the Touch, the holding arms and release button functioned as they should. However, the holding arms felt like they weren't as sturdy with the wider size of the SIII. When squeezing the arms together, it seemed like they bent back a little in a sort of "V" shape instead of holding their "U" shape (hope that makes sense). Even without the Otterbox the arms seemed weak. I had to squeeze them tight enough to be able to hold the SIII in place while I manipulated the SIII for either changing music, dialing a phone number or getting driving directions. A couple of times I didn't have them tight enough and my SIII slide out and to the floor board. After some practice, I was able to get the SIII fully secured without movement but I felt like consistent use of it this way could weaken and damage or break the holding arms. Sometimes bending a bit is better than more rigidity but I'll just have to wait and see how long it lasts if/before I break it.

My takeaways:

Pros: I didn't pay much more if anything more than I would for any hands-free mount from Fry's Electronics, Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon or wherever. So far, it's done what it's supposed to do and does it fairly well. I like the fact that when I need my air vents, particularly in the summer for the A/C, one or more are not being blocked by my SIII/Touch. I like the simplicity of the design and it's very beneficial to me that it can hold my iPod Touch as well as my Samsung SIII (w or w/o case).

Cons: The overall construction of the MT5000 seems sturdy enough except for the holding arms. They seem a little less solid compared to the rest of the MT5000 and the slight flexibility of them could lead to breakage while trying to push them together to secure your device.

Depending on how big your device is, where you place it in the MT5000 and where your CD slot is on your radio, it could block the display of your radio and even disrupt the air flow from your center vents—again depending on your vehicle type and arrangement of your radio. When I have my SIII in the MT5000 situated where the top of the SIII is lined up with the top of the MT5000, the SIII blocks my LCD display of my radio. For instance, if I have it in auxiliary and am using the SIII to listen to music, I cannot see the volume level because of the way the layout is...the volume is centered during auxiliary use and the SIII is dead center. This is not a total bust but sometimes I just like to know how high/low the volume is currently set. Now when I have my SIII in the MT5000 situated where the bottom of the SIII is lined up with the bottom of the MT5000, the top of the SIII slightly blocks the center vents on my Honda CRV. It doesn't stop the airflow or block it like a holder that sits directly on the vent. It does have some clearance space of maybe 3-5 inches between the vents and the SIII. However, it could limit the air flow to the backseats. I just don't know for sure at this time as it's "winter" in Texas and I have no need to use my dashboard vents.

And to compare this to another product or two I own and use(d): The first mount has a suction cup and a bendable 4-inch arm that I used during our trip to Florida and Taos this past summer (see images below). I used it on the left-hand side of my steering wheel on the windshield (suction cup only) because it was too far away if I put it centered on the windshield. I also felt like it hendered or distracted my vision a little when I initially stuck it centered on the windshield. It came with a disk that you can use for adhering to the dashboard but I didn't know if it would jack up my dashboard or not so I haven't used the disk. This particular mount cost $17.99 at Fry's Electronics. After applying a little water (or spit when I didn't have water) to help the suction cup adhere better, it stayed mounted while my iPod Touch with the power cord and auxiliary cable rested in the cradle for the entire 12-hour drives—Dallas to Fort Walton Beach, FL and Dallas, TX to Taos,NM. While in each of the respective cities, it stayed adhered most of the time. Occasionally, I would accidentally knock it off while inserting/removing the Touch from the cradle. However, it easily re-adhered without issue and lasted until the next time I knocked it off. It currently resides under the center console of my CRV because I need to clean the windshield AND the suction cup because both are pretty dirty and the mount won't stay properly adhered. I've been too lazy to clean either. Then I saw this deal on the MT5000, I thought I wouldn't have to clean it after all. I'm lazy...I know. I figured that if I ever stuck the disk to my dash or window, that the suction cup would work even way better but I still am hesitant. Maybe I'll do it on my van dash since it's a lot older. We'll see. I haven't tested this mount with my SIII because at the time of the trips I had an HTC Evo Shift. The shift is roughly the same width as the Touch so there weren't any issues with occasionally securing my phone in the mount when I need to use the GPS. A few times I have entered my car to find that the mount is on the floorboard or it has fallen while in use during driving. Overall, this mount is very good but the need and possibly worry that the suction cup may falter makes it's use less stable and consistent...again that may change with the suction disk if I were to use it.

  

Second, I have another mount that is smaller than the one just described (see images below). I got it purely for the iPod Touch but it did hold my HTC Evo Shift as well. It had two ways to mount: either adding 'clips' to the back and then clipping it onto one of the A/C vents or it had a sort of stand about 1" x 1" with double-sided tape that I could adhere to the dash and then secure the mount to it. Again, I didn't use this dash stuff because of not wanting to damage my dashboard. The mount did exactly what it was supposed to do. However, the clips that were on the back to connect to the vents were fragile and broke fairly quickly after a few weeks of use. They didn't completely break off. It's hard to explain in words but the bottom part of the clip was thinner than the top and the bottom part is what broke off (see 1^st image below). This is turn made the mount technically not clip to the vent as much as it was hooked to it. Hopefully, that makes a little sense. So, clipping (not hooking for me) this mount to a vent blocks that vent entirely. I have four vents: one on each end of the dashboard and two in the center. Depending on where I hook it, using the mount knocks me down to three vents. Not a huge deal if I'm not using them but a big deal for the people in the back seat that aren't getting enough A/C air flow during the hotter days in Texas. This mount is limited to what size device you can use. It will not hold anything much larger than the iPod Touch and it definitely will not hold a Touch with a not-so-thin case. As stated, I strictly purchased this to hold my Touch to listen to my music so it worked for exactly what I wanted it for. This is actually my second mount of this type. The first one I had for about six months. The clips broke just like my second one but I also snapped the arms of the cradle when pushing them together to secure my Touch. I was more careful with the second one but I was surprised when the first one's arms snapped. This mount has served its purpose and I'm sure will continue to do so until I lose it or it breaks.

  

Overall assessment: I don't think you could go wrong with the Mountek MT5000. I got it at a very good price and I definitely like the use of the CD slot versus a suction cup to the window/windshiled or using some adhesive to hold a flat plastic surface on the dash for the suction cup to properly and securely adhere to. It could probably use an update (if this is the 1st run) with such things as stronger cradle arms and maybe smaller screws/nuts that are used to expand the mount inside the CD slot for stability. That way it doesn't block the display of the radio. Even with all these possible updates, it is a very decent product that I've used just about everyday so far since the initial testing a few weeks ago.

UPDATE: I finally got around to uploading some photos to show how the MT5000 mount interferes with the radio display and buttons since anonymous commentor Brent asked for clarification almost a year ago which I guess this could be sort of a testament to the build of this mount since I still use it...although I am also fairly conscious to be careful with it. Hope the pics help.