Run Hide Fight: Infidels

 The first movie was incredible. 

This isn't really a sequel to the first one, just another tale of hostages taking over (in this case a campus) and heroes trying to save them while defeating the bad guy. 

It feels like a direct to DVD sequel from the 2000s that was done on a shoe string budget and no story what-so-ever. 

Jonathan Majors is in it. And when I say in it, I mean they had him for one week on set and filmed every scene they possibly could before he left. 

They also have a weird movie track of 90s song they throw in the movie that makes no sense. I guess the director got a deal on some of his favorite songs as a kid and wanted to play them in the movie?

This movie was as absolute bore. 

It's also off the rails ridiculous. When a college kid takes matters into his own hands, then escapes to the FBI, he runs into the FBI and Jonathan Majors, is given a new gun (like they do with all civilians) and he and Majors go around shooting the bad guys while the FBI "holds back" to see what the next move is. 

Terrible movie. 

Super Troopers 3 (review)

 I can't believe I'm about to say this...but these movies get better each sequel that comes out. 

I swear, this is the best one yet. I'm shocked. 

It's exactly the kind of humor I love in a movie. Corny satire, with very witty dialogue at times. It dances on the edge of stupid comedy at times, but I forgive it because the characters are so much fun to be around. 

It's just an excellent series of films and I truly hope they have a 4th in the works soon. 

Enjoyable and entertaining as always. Worth your time. 

The Fix (review)

 One day I'm going to learn my lesson that Liam Neesson is out of making good movies these days. I just can't help myself!

I'll be honest, I almost didn't watch the movie but saw Zachery Levi was in the film too I thought it would have a chance at being good. 

It wasn't. 

The story is so confusing I had no idea what the plot was. They never really explained anything. After a military mission goes wrong they all....retire? from the army. Or special forces....it doesn't really tell you. 

Only when they come back Neesson's character is faking an illness because he needed Levi's character to get a piece of paper that's very important, which we're never exactly told what it is. 

Why Neeson had to fake an illness I don't have a clue. And when Levi goes undercover with a fake wife HE vetted...she turns out to be a traitor.....but we're told over and over again, that he's the best the military has to offer....yet he didn't know she was a traitor????

Also, they try to give his team some character but it's halfway through the movie that we see them again and they act all the same. In fact, Levi's character has an "issue" with one of them but it's never made clear why. 

It's like this movie was picked out of the trash, re-written by AI and no one bothered to read it before they shot the movie. 

Horrible waste of time.  

End of Oak Street (review)

 Oh boy. 

I remember when this hit theaters, I was halfway interested, but held off to wait for streaming. 

I'm glad I waited. 

This movie takes place in the 80s because....Stranger Things was a popular TV show. 

It has dinosaurs in it because....they're still making Jurassic Park movies in theaters. 

Another mix of two popular themes that can't quite stick the landing. 

Not to spoil the ending too much (this IS a spoiler!!!!)  

...........but there's a big death near the end I was impressed with because I didn't see coming. I was actually going to give this movie an ok rating because of the bold decision, only to watch them put in a time travel aspect to the film that undid the death and cheapened the entire scene in the first place. 

What a bummer. I expected more and got way less. PASS. 

Have a good weekend folks! 

Whisper Man (review)

After a man's son goes missing, he reconnects with his estranged father to help him find who took his boy.

This movie sucked. 

First off, it's got a supernatural element, that's not well explained. this movie has no idea what it wants to be. A murder mystery or supernatural thriller? It fails at both. 

I was confused. What does the boy having supernatural powers have to do with him being kidnapped. His dad put away the "whisper man" years ago. It "cost" him his family as he became obsessed with capturing the killer. 

It sounds like someone took 2 "been-there-done-that" movie scripts, combined them together but had no idea which direction to take the film. 

It's awful, confusing and I turned it off with 20 minutes left to go, because I couldn't even care less how it all ended. 

Waste of time. 
 

End of an era?

 A few weeks ago, I gave my grass, what could be, it's final cut of the year. 

And I noticed something that made me sad. No one was around to watch me cut it. 

When my girls were little they'd sit by the window and cheer me on every time I passed by. As they got older the youngest set took their places, sitting by the windows and waving. My son's been doing it on and off this year. He even came out every so often to "help" by pushing his toy mower around the yard. 

But even those times are coming to a close. Sure it's hot, but my son isn't staying out as much and my girls could care less what I'm doing outside. 

I get it. It's not exciting to watch. But it makes a Dad happy either way. They're getting older now and it's expected things change. They still do a lot of other things around the house that make me smile, this is just one that's fading away. 

Ghost A&W

 And finally I got to taste the root beer flavor. Not bad. Better than I expected, that's for sure. Not a big fan of root beer. I don't hate it, but I usually never drink it. But this one was much better than some of the other flavors they have out there for sure. 

Better than the 7Up one they had a while back because it taste more than just the soda its fashioned after. 

Either way, not bad. 

Ghost Strawberry Watermelon

 

So weird. 

This one taste very similar to the bubble gum flavor I had earlier but with a strong strawberry taste. All said and done, it wasn't bad but I probably won't get it again. 

It got me wanting to try Ghost Sour Cherry again but I think they discontinued it, because I never see it anywhere these days. 

That being said, I just want more sour flavors in general. 

Ghost Yoohoo

 This one was a tricky one to find. It's hiding in the protein supplements section of stores instead of the soft drink area with the rest of its clan. Either way, I've been searching long and hard for this one. 

The verdict? 

Meh. Taste like your regular chocolate protein drink you'd have anywhere but slightly tasting like Yoohoo. It's not carbonated, which is good. I was afraid this would be weird if it were. I'm glad I got to try it, and I guess I'd try other flavors in the future but it certainly doesn't replace the carbonated brands for me. 

Have a good weekend folks!

Breyers Taste Test

It's time to taste another version of my favorite flavor ice cream and this time I went with Breyers. 

Whoa. Amazing. 

I think this even beats Blue Bunny....and I LOVED Blue Bunny. It beats the pants off Blue Bell and Hagaan-Daas for sure. Really solid taste. Maybe I should start looking at other brands now? 

I would like to compare this with Blue Bunny and make sure this one wins. Right now, I'd be happy with either brand for ice cream at this point. 

 

The Silver Chair BBC (review)

 And so the story ends on a high!

Puddleglum was excellently portrayed and the entire adventure is top notch for its day as a children's show. As always, BBC took great lengths to ensure it stayed true to the novel. Really awesome series. 

I read why they didn't continue is because they thought The Last Battle was too dark and too expensive to put on BBC and I'm scratching my head a little at that reason. 

Why not continue with the Magician's Nephew and A Horse and His Boy? Both novels would've been made on the cheap since they don't call for many special effects. Plus as dark as the Silver Chair got at times, I can't imagine The Last Battle being that much darker for kids. Especially with the ending CS Lewis wrote. 

Either way, it's a shame they didn't continue this show. It was (and always will be) the best version of the books we'll ever see. 

WalMart Pickup Scam

 I can't believe I gave this a 3rd chance. 

The first time I tried it, I received 3 messages my items were ready for pickup, only to be told each time, that they weren't. I ended up canceling the order after the final false alarm. 

I waited a year later and tried it again. Same issue. They told me it was ready but when I arrived told me it'd be a little longer wait because the order wasn't. After 30 min of waiting, I tried knocking on the door. When no one answered, I went inside and spoke to a manager. She said they'd closed for the night and I could pick up my order tomorrow. 

I got a refund, picked up my groceries there afterwards and went home. 

Recently (after everyone swore to me they've never had issues) I decided to give them another try. 

Same thing AGAIN. A message my order was ready. 20 minute wait. No one answering the phone. Then I noticed my app says my order was picked up and completed. 

I walked inside. Spoke to Customer Service. The said they still had my order in the back, but I had to drive back to the pickup spot to receive it. I waited 10 more minutes, then left and asked for a refund online. Except this time, they sneakily gave it back as a credit (since they claim I already got my items) and now there's an $8 surcharge on anything I try to buy now over the app. 

What a scam. Never using pickup option again. 

Ghost Jobs

 I'd never heard of this until last month when I was talking to a buddy of mine who's been out of job for over a year now and complaining that every remote job he applies for is fake. I started wondering how true that was. 

So since then I've applied for over 40 jobs which I was more than qualified for to see if I would get any call backs. I'll admit, after the first 12 I was nervous my phone would be ringing off the hook and I'd be embarrassed to tell people, I wasn't interested.

However, as the weeks rolled by I noticed not a SINGLE application ever got picked up. Most didn't bother responding back. From what I understand you have companies "hiring" to make it look like they're growing so investors will be impressed. Others do it to grab and sell your information to 3rd parties who constantly bomb your phone and email with spam. (i've blocked several numbers and email precipitants, in the past few week as proof)

Wow. Surely not EVERY remote position is fake but I'm beginning to wonder how many "jobs" are actually out there. If it's in a legit location or local I can believe it. But "remote"? At the moment I'm batting 1000 that they're all fake. 

That certainly sucks for my friend looking for something remote. I'm just happy I'm not looking for work right now. It's a tough labor market!

Moonfall (review)

 Megan and I watched this random movie from 2022 to see if it was any good. 

It's a story of renegade AI, alien races, government conspiracies and astronauts from NASA trying to save the planet before the moon comes crashed down to earth. 

Throw in a few humorous moments and this was a fun watch. It follows the strict formula used in every action film of the late 90s to a T. Even the characters. 

We have the down on his luck, hero who comes out of retirement to save the day! The girl who has beef with the hero but is willing to work with him one more time when the planet Earth is on the line and the comedic relief "conspiracy theorist" who does have some good lines. 

At the end you could tell this movie was begging for a sequel, but since the movie went in and out of theaters without so much as a whimper in the box office, it's very doubtful one will come. 

Overall though, it was an enjoyable film and worth it, when there's nothing else to view. 

Have a good weekend folks!

Voyage of the Dawn Treader

 Loved it. Best one of the series so far. 

The filmed this the same time as Caspian. The story doesn't feel dragged out of rushed either and is very true to the novel. They just don't make movies like this anymore. These days everyone thinks they can write better than a Best Selling novel and move away from the original vision of the books to their own lame, pathetic and terrible attempt to rewrite the story for "modern" audiences. 

It's terrible. 

Thankfully, this took place in a time people could still stay true to the vision of the author and I'm thankful for it. 

Needless to say, the kids LOVED this one. 

On to the Silver Chair!

Bubblicious Strawberry Ghost

 Tried it. 

Taste very similar to the regular Bubblicious flavor I tried. I could smell the strawberry but the flavor is so weak it's overwhelmed by the bubble gum flavor.

Now that I think about it, I don't think I'd ever try either of these two flavors again. 

Alani Witch's Brew

 Almost every woman at work goes nuts over this flavor every year. WalMart says whenever they receive a pallet of it, it sells out before the end of the day. Woman from work are literally buying CASES of this stuff and I finally got to try it and see for myself. 

It's ok. Taste like a caramel apple.... but I don't get the hype. It's a fine flavor and this is my first time to try this drink, but it's not something I would buy over several other choices at the store. 

I heard they even made a "regular" edition to sell outside of the fall holiday called "Candy Apple" but I'm not sure I'll try that one unless someone throws a can my way. 

Prince Caspian (BBC Review)

 This series was only 2 episodes long and it was excellent. They didn't feel the need to stretch the simple story from the novel any longer than it needed. (unlike the Disney film)

It doesn't over stay its welcome and (once again) stays true to the story from the novel. The set, costumes and acting are good for a show from the 80s. BBC really have love for this book series. You can tell that in the production. 

It's obvious to me now, that the filmed this and Voyage of the Dawn Treader back to back. 

Can't wait to get to the next book in the series. Even my kids are enjoying this!

The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe (BBC Review)

 Watched this again with the kids. 

After reading the books, I couldn't help it. Had to re-watch these. 

The first one is BBC GOLD. 

So much fun. I must have rented this out at the library 100 times, I remember it so well. The actress playing the White Witch was excellent. 

Costumes, set, pacing and how true to the book the show kept is remarkable. 

Worth your time if you were fans of the book. 

Have a good weekend folks! 

Ghost Bubblesious

 Finally tried this flavor. It taste exactly as it looks. Bubble gum flavor. Not bad...but I ain't a kid anymore, so this flavor doesn't really appeal to me. 

I remember when I was a kid, bubble gum ice cream was my FAVORITE flavor. Even the hard ice cold bits of bubble gum that came within, were a treat. 

These days? I've never get it. (though oddly I don't see it anymore at ice cream shops)

Either way, I'm glad I got the chance to try it, so I could scratch that itch and move on. 

Grizzly Bear Energy

 I've seen this around for a while but haven't given it a try...until now. 

Not bad....actually good!

I'm interested in other flavors after trying this one. They're pretty tasty! Not that they will replace Ghost. Buuut, I'm all for trying other flavors. 

In price they are equal which is a shame. Drop these cans by 50 cents and I might be enticed to switch. But until then, I'll call things a tie for now and move on. 

Nerf football

 Who DIDN'T have one of these as a kid growing up?? 

They were the best to play football with your friends. The worst when they got wet and you'd continually squeeze them to get the water out. And the saddest, when people tore hunks out of it, signaling the beginning of the end for the football. 

Though I remember playing with a ratty version way more than a newer one, these bring back good memories. Even the new designed ones that came out later were cool to everyone you new. Gaining a new nerf football back in the day gave you the kind of social status that just isn't around anymore. 

Those were the days...

Jackpot!

 

I'm reminded of another game from Tomy someone had, that I played with all the time when I went over to his house. It was a simple stupid game of flipping the lever and seeing if you got matching symbols or not. The sticker on the toy told you what would count as a jackpot. Though you never won anything, it was fun to see when all three symbols popper up. 

I loved this little thing, but because it was similar to slot machines, which was gambling, which was a sign of Satan, we were never allowed to have one of our own I'm sure. 

Tomy Games

 

I remember one year for Xmas, My 2 brothers and I got these mini-games from Tomy toys. 

The wind up figures all fit in the carry case that you could take anywhere and play a mini game with. I got the football one which was really the lamest of the three. Essentially, you used the footballs (that neither figure could carry across the board until they were pushed down or off the board. You have 4 downs to do so. 

My brother's had much better games. Like this bowling one you wound up to see how many pins he could knock down on the edge of the board. We played this one a lot. 

Another winner was the boxing one. Uber fun as you'd see if you could knock down or shove your opponent off the board to win. 

Simple games for a simpler time. 

Have a good weekend folks!

 

Jackass: Best and Last (review)

 I've seen them all. But this was the only one I didn't see in theaters. 

Just was over it by now. The gangs have a lot of "been there-done that" to them and the franchise should've bowed out after the 4th movie, but the money was just too good I guess. 

This movie bombed in theaters and I think the main reason is they admit showing old footage we'd seen before. Like a highlight reel to pad time for half a movie they made. The new people are completely forgettable and some of them who received opening credits do NOTHING in the entire film. Like, what was the point??

I will admit, the movie shows a few "never-before-seen" stunts and even one or 2 newer ones that made me chuckle but the magic is certainly done with this series. 

Johnny Knoxville said this was the last one. And even if he was lying the box office numbers aren't. This one was truly the last. 

RIP

The Last House (review)

 I don't know how many times I've seen a movie with this plot. 

A family comes in from the rain, which ends up trapping them inside the house. (the rain) Now they must survive with limited food supply and no way out, while also dealing with a mysterious alien threat that can kill them all. 

Is this movie interesting in the first act? You bet it is. The "why" and "how" they plan to survive is fleshed out pretty well, as they witness other neighbors stuck in their houses as well, struggle with survival. 

Does the 2nd act involve a dilemma where they must find a way out of the house to save someone's life? 

Of course! I called that from the very beginning of the movie. For a while I'll admit, I wasn't sure they were going to do it, but thankfully they follow the classic formula hollywood has been using for the past 30 years.

Does the ending explain itself and wrap up with a clear understanding of what went on?

Oh ho ho... no. Remember "Signs"? The movie that dealt with an alien invasion only to find out in the end that these people can be hurt by water....which is what our planet is mostly made out of. Which leads you to wonder how "smart" these aliens were to invade in the first place???

Think that ending, but 11 times lamer. I was confused on the ending and though the movie tries to explain to you what went on, the whole plot makes zero sense. 

Avoid this movie. It isn't worth your time.  

PASS!

 No I didn't read the book in one day. I cracked open the first chapter, flipped through the next 100 pages and put it up. 

It's entirely in 1st person. The most hated writing style for me. I can't stand it. 

Sure I endure it for the classics. Frankenstein, Dracula, Last of the Mohicans, Sherlock Holmes, Jekyll and Hyde, etc. But in modern day writing? It feels SO MUCH like bad fan fiction. 

I can't explain it, but it's true. It grates on my last nerve to find a book written like that today. 80% of Star Wars fan fiction I read back in the day was in first person and I believe because it's the laziest way to write a novel these days. Like you're reading someone's journal. BOR-RING. 

Too bad. I really wanted to know what was in this. Maybe I'll look up a review online and get the cliff notes that way. but one thing's for sure, this book is NOT for me. 

I got better things to do with my time.  

Crisis on Infinite Earths

It's been a while since I've read this series. But since someone let me borrow a copy of the book Marv Wolfman wrote decades later, I wanted to re-read this classic before seeing what the novel held in store. 

This is a wild ride. About half the heroes I'd never heard of before. I'm sure the made up a few but also went through their entire lineup of heroes in the process too. 

Peacemaker (who is now famous) has a small role in this. I didn't know who he was last time I read it and now (since all the movies and tv shows) it's crazy to think how popular he's grown in the past 40 years. 

The story is a convoluted mess though. I couldn't understand why exactly Anti-Monitor was such a threat or where he got his powers from. Or the whole business with how the dimensions worked, but entertaining enough. 

This is the series where they killed off the original Supergirl (then replaced her with an alien clone in the comic) and most notably, Barry Allen the original Flash. Which is one of the rare permanent choices they ever made, as Wally West is still known as the Flash today. 

Overall, not bad. I'm hoping the book can connect the dots a little better and flesh out the story more. 

We shall see....
 

Monsters (comic)

Ok, I've only read the first issue but I'm hooked. 

It's about a monster hunter, who comes out of retirement in the 80s to defeat all the classic monsters of the time. (and even some newer ones from 80s movies)

It's pretty good. My buddy collects them for the covers but never read them. He had doubles of a few issues which is how I got to read the first one. Now I'm going to ask if I can borrow the rest and read what's come out so far. 

Honestly, these covers are beautiful. But the story is interesting too. The artwork is fantastic and the art certainly gets room to breathe on the page as the dialogue for each panel isn't that long. 

I like the format, but will the series hold up as a whole? We shall see...
 

TI4 (game #2)

 

Just like every twilight imperium game before it you never think how much better it can get until you play again.

This had to be the most amazing game I've played in quite some time. For the second time only I was able to open the fractured void and get in it. It took me two rounds to finally capture a planet and that's when I realized the entire void is just a giant red herring.

Sure the planets are very powerful granting you a relic along with other super abilities (in my case a victory point) but by the time everything was said and done the leader had 6 victory points to my 2. Since all my energy was focused on taking over a planet in the void I was losing out on points.

Sure this is only my personal opinion but I wouldn't put it past this game to keep putting up shiny trinkets in front of the player's eyes that make them lose focus on scoring victory points.

It was at this time I realized the game was really out of my hands.

Yet as any experienced player knows….never give up hope, you just don't know what might happen.

Well during one of the agenda phases an opportunity presented itself as I was the speaker about to break up a tied vote on which planet would be demilitarized. One of them was Mecatol Rex Which would essentially give that player the planet indefinitely throughout the rest of the game.

A very powerful vote. And as we know with very powerful votes come very powerful deals.

My plan was simple give him my deciding vote and have him keep Rex for the rest of the game thereby almost assuring him the win. In exchange he would give me support for the throne. Afterwards my goal would be to paint him as the front runner and try to make it close enough to convince the other players to give me support for the throne in the end thereby beating him the last moment.

And that's exactly what happened. But it wasn't as easy as you would think.

First off my nephew was (rightfully) against the deal in the first place and argued against it vehemently.  He almost convinced the guy until I finally one out with a better argument showing him how he could easily win the game.

Once the deal was made I slowly gathered enough points to get within striking distance and when the final round happened he was sitting on Rex with strategy card 8 in his hand ready to end the game on his turn.

Then I struck my plan.

Gathering the other players I asked one of them to remove all his fleet from his home planet so that I could take it thereby completing a secret mission and then the other players giving me support for the throne right after that so I would be crowned the winner and literally steal victory from the other guy.

And because that guy was so arrogant as to ask if we wanted it to go another round or not since he was “obviously going to win” it cheesed the other players off enough that I knew I could convince them to give me the victory. And hand me that victory they did.

It was a master stroke in negotiations. Definitely a game for the ages. As each one of the players were pointing fingers at each other at whose fault this all was while I sat back with a smile on my face and the crown of champion upon my head.

What a great game…  

Happy Labor Day

 If I'm not playing board games today, it's been a waste of day. 

That's all I'm saying. 

The Last Battle

At last I've finished the series!

What did I think of The Last Battle?

Very depressing. 

Seriously, why have I never noticed what a downer this book is??

The narrator let's you know by the second chapter that these are the final days of Narnia. (um, spoilers??)

But why say that? How about we find that out towards the end?? What's the point in telling us that now? So when every chapter shows things in Narnia getting worse (talking animals slaughter, the land overrun with the enemy, a Centaur saying doom and destruction is coming to Narnia) the reader has ZERO hope things will get better because the book told you the end days were coming at the beginning of the book. 

SPOILERS!!!!

And I still don't know how I missed the fact that the kids were dead at the end of the book, which is why they are all gathered in Narnia. Wild. So they never got "called" into the land as in previous novels, but died and were sent there after death. (GRIM)

Yes, in the end, everyone goes to NEW Narnia and lives happily ever after, yet it's really too late at that moment because you've been reading the entire novel, knowing everything is coming to a crummy ending. But yet the last 2 chapters everything is happy again, so we're supposed to be happy too?? I don't get it. 

So here's my final ranking:

1) Voyage of the Dawn Treader

2) Silver Chair

3) The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

4) The Magician's Newphew

5) A Horse and His Boy

6) The Last Battle

7) Prince Caspian - (only because of it's slow start in the first half of the book)

And there you go! 

Overall, I'd say it's worth reading. I'll be reading it again in the next 7-8 years I'm sure. Maybe sooner if my kids are old enough to LISTEN while I read. 

I first tried reading these to them and it was a disaster. No one can sit still in bed. So after 2 chapters, I gave up and starting reading them on my own. And I'm glad I did. It was worth it. 

Have a good weekend folks!
 

Hwy Traffic jam

 This isn't a picture of Monroe. But it could be. I don't know what the heck is going on, but since last year it's taking me almost twice the original time to get home these days. 

Not sure if that's because Meta now has a site (an hour away) or what, but traffic is the WORST these days. And at least twice a week there's a wreck at the SAME EXACT SPOT. It's like everyone forgot how to drive. 

I know it's some moron looking at their phone instead of the road and slamming into the car in front of them. Every time I pass the wreck, I see it. Someone hit someone else's car from behind, causes a jam on the highway. 

I know, I know, this is nothing compared to bigger cities but still... it irks me. 

And I'm getting old. 

And I like to complain about these things. 

And whenever I go to the bathroom in the middle of the night I always pass gas when I get back in bed. 

I have no idea why, but it's true. 

Anyway....traffic sucks. 

The Silver Chair (review)

 

As I've said, it's been a while since I've read these. I'm finding I like them even more than I expected I would. 

In fact, this may be 2nd on my "favorite" list of them. I love Puddleglum. He's the perfect character for such an adventure. Always negative and such a downer on the group, yet serves up some humorous moments during the adventure. 

I remember watching the BBC version of this years later when I moved to Monroe. I never even knew it existed until visiting our local ibrary here and seeing the series on VHS. When I was a kid, we must've watched the first 3 series hundreds of times but they didn't have the Silver Chair. And in the days before the internet, how could I have known this even existed??

But wow, what a great book. Can't wait to get to the final book in the series now!

Traffic Light Removal

Driving down a street I haven't been on in a while and noticed something amazing. They got rid of a traffic light that has been there for 36 years. 

I was shocked. 

It was in a terrible location where there's hardly ever any traffic, yet you have to sit there and wait for....no one until the light turns green. I always found it to be a waste of time, I have no idea who put it up or how long it's been up there (it was there when I arrived in 1989) But I'm SOOO happy somebody finally had the brains to say "Hey, this light is useless"

Great choice. 

There's a few more in town that make no sense either that I hope they take down soon. I'm also a fan of round-abouts, yet a bunch of idiot drivers here have no idea how to maneuver around them, so I doubt those will ever be popular here. 

Either way, kudos to the city of Monroe for taking a step in the right directions (though it probably took over 40 years to do) 
 

Voyage of the Dawn Treader

 

My favorite book in the series and it still doesn't disappoint. There's an adventure in every chapter as Prince Caspian, Edmund, Lucy and their cousin Eustace, search for the lost 7 Lords of Narnia. Really beautiful ending too. 

Everything about this book is classic CS Lewis. Not sure how the rest of the novels will stack up after this one but I'll be interested to find out. 

They've made a movie and a BBC show about this one too. For the life of me, I have no recollection of the movie yet the BBC series was fun. I'd like to watch them again someday. Maybe after I'm done with all these, I will. 

On to the Silver Chair!

Evil Dead Burn (review)

 Is there really a point to making these without Bruce Campbell? 

I watched it. It's ok, for a horror movie. Gruesome for sure. Pays homage to the original (like it should) it even throws a callback to Evil Dead: Rise, though I believe it was more for fun than to establish continuity between the movies. 

It's just feels like a lot of the same. The original movie was different for one big reason few movies dare do today. Tricking you into who the main hero will be. 

These days, it's ALWAYS the "final girl" and has been for decades. What about having a guy survive this time? Too unique I guess? I'm not sure but you'd think someone in Hollywood would give it a shot at this point. 

Either way, the movie was just ok. If you're a horror or Evil Dead fan, you'll think it's ok. If you're not either....avoid watching the movie entirely. 

Have a good weekend folks!

Prince Caspian (Review)

Time for another review. The next book in the series doesn't do much to excite people trying to make this into a movie. Mainly because not much happens in it. 

The kids get called back to Narnia, find out they've been gone for centuries and make their way to assist Prince Caspian in taking back his rightful claim as King of Narnia. There is a battle at the end but the rest of it is dialogue and a journey. 

Oh and there's actually a werwolf in this too, which I somehow forgot all about. 

Overall, a fine tale. Not my favorite, but I'd still put it over "A Horse and His Boy" 

Next up is my favorite book in the series. Can't wait to review it!

 

Blue Bunny Pistachio

 

In my quest to find the best tasting version of this flavor I've tumbled upon Blue Bunny.

Oh man...it's excellent. WAY BETTER that Hagen-Das. This stuff is top shelf! I don't think I'll even give the Breyers brand a try because this one is soft, smooth and packed with flavor. 

I think I've found my champion. All hail Blue Bunny!

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (book review)

Finished the first and more popular book published in the Narnia series. What can I say? It's a classic. Non-stop action for kids to enjoy. The story never slows down and is over before you know it. I'm knocking these down in a couple days each. Fast, easy, enjoyable reads. 

I still think about the BBC series as being the most true to the books. Whenever I think of the characters in my head that's who they look like. Though I have noticed CS Lewis probably didn't spend as much time world building as Tolkien did for his world. Mythical beast are thrown into the novel but not really fleshed out beyond just having them named. 

Other than that, very enjoyable read. Looking forward to taking the rest of these out in the next week or so. 
 

Lucky Energy Drink Review

 Saw this at Walmart the other day and couldn't resist trying something new. 

I regret it. 

This worthless swill isn't worth the price of the recycled can it came in. Weak, bland taste, no identity and belongs gathering dust on a Dollar Tree shelf than any any self-respecting store. 

And to think, for 50 cents more I could've been enjoying a top shelf Ghost energy drink instead. (tsk, tsk)

The Magician's Nephew (review)

After many years, I decided to go ahead and give these a re-read, this time in Chronological order. I've never liked reading it this way, but rather in publication order. But this time I decided I'd try it out. 

Not bad. I've read the books so many times, who cares what order I read it in now I guess. 

This book still has the magic that captured me when I was a kid. The origin or the witch, the Lamp Post and the wardrobe are all explained. As is the creation of Narnia. It's a wonderful simple children's story that's still enjoyable today. 

I have no idea Netflix is making a movie about this in 2027. I'm both excited and afraid. In my opinion, the BBC did it best with the first 4 books of the series. I hardly remember the chaotic new series that came out year ago and are buried in the past, forgotten by most. 

But these days, I don't trust anyone to respect the books when making a motion picture. Everything has to have more adventure and excitement in it. I highly doubt the movie will focus on 2 kids, going into another world, ringing a bell that awakens a witch, who follows them back to earth and then again to the creation of Narnia, without so much as a battle taking place is movie material. 

But yes, when it comes out I'll have to give it a try. They've never made a movie about this ever, so seeing some concept of the story brought to life would be interesting. 

Have a good weekend folks!
 

Mechanical Pencils

I hate these things. Never liked them. Don't even know why the exist today. 

They never work right. The led is brittle and breaks easily. It slides right out of the bottom too fast and too long. Constantly chipping. Then you have to buy refills that cost almost as much as buying a new pencil. 

What's the point?? Why not just get a regular pencil instead? Wouldn't that work better??

Whenever I find one around the house it's instantly trashed. I'm guessing the girls get them as gifts and guess what?? They're always out of led when I pick them up. Who knew right?

Total waste of existence, these things.  
 

Big League Chew

Honestly, is there a bubble gum better than this?? 

No. There isn't. 

Super soft. Blows great bubbles. Taste last forever. It's top shelf bubble gum. 

I always looked up to it as a kid. When playing baseball, you were the coolest if you had this. SOOOOOO good. Just bought a packet the other day. Loved every shred. And they have other flavors too. I've tried them all but nothing beats the original. 

Fun fact, last Christmas they had a peppermint flavor I tried. Too strong a peppermint taste for me, but I applaud them for trying. 

Other solid flavors? Green Apple, Blue Raspberry and Grape. All good stuff. 
 

Take a bath

 

It's time for a "hot take" folks!

Why do fat people NEVER bathe??

I've noticed this a lot lately. 

I have a friend who comes over every so often, tells me he's going to shower and be right over. Yet when he arrives, I've noticed he's only changed his clothes and stinks to high heaven. 

Last month at the theater, I was in a show where the fat people stunk so bad I had to hold my breath every time I walked by. Honestly, the funk coming off them was horrendous. I wish the director had said something....anything....to get them to bathe. 

Maybe it's not every huge person but geez to frag does it irk me. What's so hard about jumping in a shower? I can take one in 5 to 10 minutes easy. Why can't they??? What's so bad about pouring water, soap and rinsing that they just can't stand?

Ok rant over. Moving on.

Haagen-Dazs

 I getting old and soft as I age. 

I've heard this is the "best ice cream ever", made with the best ingredients and carries the mark of "super premium" in the ice cream market.

I even got my favorite flavor "pistachio almond" to see if there really is a difference. 

Final Verdict: It's fine. It didn't knock my socks off and I think I've had just as good from other companies. Would I give them a 2nd try? Maybe. But what one pint cost, I could get a whole lot more from other brands, so I can't say it'll be anytime soon. 

I go for blue bell, a the walmart brand of butter pecan is always welcome at my house.  

Backrooms (Review)

 I've been waiting to see this movie for quite some time. 

It's about a man struggling through a recent divorce while working at a failing furniture store. One day he comes across an endless maze of backrooms hidden behind a wall in the basement of his store. What does it all mean?? 

You have to decide. 

No really. It leaves things up to the viewer to decide what the heck is going on. 

And I don't mind that. 

I found this movie interesting and very depicting of what a bad dream would look like. Where something  in this endless maze is trying to kill you as you try to find a way to escape. Really enjoyable. Worth your time. 

Don't need a sequel, one movie is good enough. 

Have a good weekend folks!

BJ's Pizza

I few weeks ago, I visited a friend in Alexandria who was visiting from Branson, MO. On the way back up I stopped at an old favorite of mine to see if they were as good as I had remembered. 

BJ Pizza was located in West Monroe 25 years ago and every Friday I would go clean up their buffet. It was my favorite pizza.

Legend has it, that BJ and Johnny (of Johnny's Pizza fame) were actually partners who split up. In the agreement Johnny promised never to expand into Rapids Parish where BJ lived. To this day there isn't a Johnny's located within the parish. 

BJ taste similar to Johnny's but their sauce and toppings, are way better. (in my opinion) And yes, I had it and it still holds up as one of the best pizza's I've ever had. 

Happy I got to see my friend (it's been 18 years) and very happy I got to eat at BJs again. (again, 18 years)

Worth the trip.