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.

Big Green Egg

I got a Big Green Egg this weekend, and I have to say, it performs as advertised. I cooked several things in it, and every one of them turned out perfect. The only thing I haven't tried yet is slow cooking (roasting or smoking.)

After I cooked a few things in it, I noticed that it is very much like those firebrick pizza ovens you see in restaurants. It gets really hot, and the heat surrounds the food evenly on all sides. I like to bake my own bread, and it's hard to get a good loaf in my electric oven because it doesn't get hot enough and the elements form hot spots. It occurred to me that I could make a good loaf in the BGE.

And here it is:

I have a baking stone on top of the plate setter on top of the grill. Those pans are full of water to generate steam. I brought the grill up to 600 degrees, and I sprayed the stone before putting the dough on to cool it. I let it bake at that temp for 10 minutes, and then I brought it down to 400 degrees for another 20 minutes to finish it up.

The result is a loaf with a crunchy crust and a soft spongy inside:


Before I smoke a turkey in it for thanksgiving, I'm going to do a "trial run". Let me know if you're interested in coming over for to sample the first.