Monkees Concert DVD

In honor of Davy Jones's passing, we watched again the only available concert DVD of the Monkees. This show was filmed during their 2002 tour but not at the show we saw in Wallingford, CT. No Michael Nesbitt here but the remaining threesome did such a good job, we didn't miss his absence. Amazon customers who attended this filming complain that the DVD is lacking several songs and lots of their banter & antics between songs. Regardless, all the hits are here and it's a momento for us who got to see them live years after the cancellation of their TV show. A must for fans and let's hope to see the uncut version some day. This time my right ear didn't hurt after playing 'Im Not Your Stepping Stone,' since I controlled the volume level.

'Safe House' review

Watch the trailer: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/safe-house/52486/main

This afternoon I went to see 'Safe House' while the Mrs. lunched with her GF. First the previews were late in starting and then the film wouldn't start. We had to get the manager to get it going after waiting 2o minutes. After this rough start, the film wasn't a disappointment and we got coupons for free popcorn for our next visit. I was hoping for a free movie pass but....

>>>>There are certain actors who are worth watching even when their films are so-so or unsuccessful. Denzel Washington is one of these actors and this film has enough action sequences to hold your attention while the plot unfolds. Denzel plays a former master CIA agent on the run from the badguys who seek a certain file from him. He turns himself in at the American Consulate in South Africa and sent to a 'safe house' operated by Ryan Reynolds, a newbie CIA agent. Then the story revs up several notches as their not-so safe house is attacked and puts them on the run from the badguys and the CIA which wants Denzel at all costs.

>>>>There's plenty of chase scenes and gunfire while Denzel keeps his cool & wits in convincing Ryan there must be a traitor in the CIA who wants both of them eliminated but not until they can retrieve the elusive file. Both men need to trust each other as Denzel educates Ryan in survival skills. Ryan gets beat up a lot here, as we see in his action films. He's becoming rather versatile playing these kinds or roles as well as doing comedies & light romances with ease.

>>>>Denzel offers his usual good performance and Ryan holds his own against him, not an easy task, A co-worker warned me that the traitor was easily spotted and I admit I agree with him but it didn't stop me from enjoying this film. See for yourself.

R.I.P. Davy Jones

Davy Jones passed away today at 66 from a heart attack. I wasn't a huge Monkees fan like my wife Martha who's upset over the news. About 10 years ago we saw the Monkees Reunion Tour at a local theater. Martha had her teenage wish to see them in person finally come true. Michael Nesmith was the only one of the four members who was not present. To be honest, the other three put on such a good show, we didn't miss him. They sang as well as before.

>>>>We had sixth row seats and got pretty close to them when they walked to the front of the stage. Parents our age brought their children to see them as we watched the guys joke between songs. All their hits were presented. Martha remarked that Davy had the energy of two guys together half his age of 56 at the time. I shall never forget this concert because for the finale they played 'I'm Not Your Stepping Stone.' What was so memorable about this song was that the volume was cranked up so high to permanently damage my right ear which was close to a bank of speakers. To this day my ear will hurt if concerts & movies are played too loud. I carry earplugs in anticipation.

>>>>We own the DVD of this tour and we'll have to replay it this weekend. Poor Davy.... Gone too soon.

Damn I'm good!

Michel Hazanavicius accepts the Oscar for best picture for the film "The Artist."

As you see, all of my predictions below came true. Although Viola Davis lost, I said Meryl Streep could 'sneak by' and so she did which makes me sorta right. The show wasn't as good as other years with Billy Crystal but it was still enjoyable seeing Hollywood's royalty decked out on their special evening.

Oscar Time

Jean Dujardin & Berence Bejo in 'The Artist,' the expected favorite to win Oscars in several catagories.

It's Oscar time so you'll know I'll be glued to the TV tonight. I haven't seen most of the films nominated for Best Picture but we got out to see 'The Artist', 'The Help,' and 'Hugo'. So here's my guesstimates for the major awards:

Best Picture: It's a toss between 'The Artist' and 'The Descendents'. 'Hugo' is also a love letter to the days of silent films and Hollywood loves their past. 'The Artist' is the favorite between the two. I expect it to win in several catagories.

Best Actor: A toss between George Clooney and Jean Dujardin.

Best Actress: Viola Davis (unless Meryl Streep sneaks by). We got to see Michelle Williams who was touching as Marilyn Monroe as she captured her vulnerable essence if not her looks. She could be an upset winner if the votes are split between Meryl & Viola.

Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer. His reviews has been the best in years and it's his time for an award since he missed out for 'The Last Station.'

Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer

Best Foreign Film: ' The Separation' (unless there's an Iranian backlash.)

Best Director: Michael Hazanavicus or Alexander Payne.

Best Original Screenplay: Woody Allen or Michael Hazanavicus

Best Music Score: 'The Artist.'

My opinions are based on reviews, articles, and word-of-mouth. So let's see how I do....

I'm back!

I'm going to start writing again. Since my last entry I bought a 42" widescreen Panasonic Viera HDTV and installed AT&T's U-verse. Two years ago my previous cable outfit, Cox removed Turner Classic Movies/TCM from its basic package lineup. I was so angry as well as other viewers I told Cox and my local newspaper I would change to U-verse when it arrived in my neighborhood. It took me a while but I made the move one week after we got the new TV in December. Now I'm enjoying TCM again, a must for film fans and I also have The Sundance Channel that also offers uncut films with no commercials. Sundance shows recent foreign films we've seen in Portsmouth NH or I bought the Criterion DVD. Now I can see them as part of my basic package. We'll still make trips to Portsmouth and I'll wait until Barnes & Noble has their half-price Criterion sales. I don't care if I'm paying a bit more for cable as I have more channels I wanted like BBC America, VH1Classics, and others I never heard of until now. And these are included my basic package of 200 channels. There's a 300 and a 400 package but who's got time to watch all that? I have more than enough now for my tastes and Pay-Per-View when needed. I saved money by bundling cable, phone, and high speed internet. Thank you U-verse!

I highly recommend my Panasonic HDTV TC-L42E3, an LCD/LED combo with a nice picture. My LG DVD Player DN898 upscales to 1080 making DVDs look almost like Blu-Ray. Eventually I'll buy a Blu-Ray player but for now the LG works fine and better than before.

I have so many choices now to DVR that I don't need to go to the theater so often. We did see 'The Artist,' a love letter to the Silent Era which I predict will win several Oscars. I'll be writing about new & old films again. Meanwhile I'm still buying German films made during the Third Reich and books about that era as I mentioned in the previous entry. I've lent some films to German co-workers who've never seen them as some of the propaganda ones are forbidden showing to this day in Germany. As I mentioned not all films were propaganda as my friends are enjoying the musicals, comedies, and historical epics.

I was still writing online while away from here, mostly adding comments on Amazon. I got into a war of words with a customer reviewer over the DVD release of 'House of The Spirits.' Go to: http://www.amazon.com/House-Spirits-Jeremy-Irons/product-reviews/B005CFBZ3O/ref=sr_1_1_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

Writer's Block

I haven't been in a writing mood. We've been to Portsmouth twice and seen a few movies in our area. I've been reading and watching more DVDs. The pile keeps growing faster than I can watch them due to good sales in stores and online with Borders discount coupons. More on these later...

I'm hardly online these days except to do mail, read articles, and chat with a few buddies. I don't enter chat rooms too much because of the room drama and to be frank, small talk bores me. I'd rather spend the time with a good book or watch a DVD. Lately I've taken an interest in German films made during The Third Reich. I own several of them as well as books about them. No I'm not a neo-Nazi but I find these films fascinating as they weren't all propaganda pieces although you can find some politics in the most innocent entertaining ones. More on these later; meanwhile here's a good article explaining about that era: http://www.stanford.edu/group/SHR/5-supp/text/thompson.html#note6