I’ll say it up front so get all your eyeball rolling and laughter out now – – I like Hannah Montana. I watch the tv series. It’s fun. It’s enjoyable and it helps me to keep being a kid at heart. But, HANNAH MONTANA THE MOVIE, I simply adore. This is not a kid’s movie or a teen/tween movie. This is a family movie with something every generation, every member of a family can relate to in some capacity. It strikes a chord of home and hearth that just touches the heart…complete with an annoying brother, supportive friend, loving father and extended family and an irrepressible teen who just happens to have an alter ego as a rock superstar. I said it just the other week with super heroes and the same applies here – how many of you can honestly say you haven’t dreamt of having a secret identity and for all the girls out there, one that let’s you play dress up and let’s pretend and spend tons and tons of money on shoes and clothes? Where can I sign up!! Continue reading hannah montana–good →

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Who out there hasn’t been entertained – or even a little scared – watching classic sci-fi films like “The Day the Earth Stood Still”, “War of the Worlds” or “It Came From Outer Space” – be it in the theater or years later when the films made their way to tv, often UHF?  I remember watching all of these films with my dad and being mesmerized by them, particularly the effects and how they were done – by hand – not CGI as today.  Viewing those films today (many of which were “A” films with big premieres and Oscar winners in the cast and not the “camp” so many today believe them to be), not only do you still see the hallmarks of creative filmmaking excellence but a different style of acting and technology.  Enter former “X-Files Executive Producer, R.W. Goodwin and the 21^st Century and his desire to do an “authentic” 1950’s sci-fi flick.   With a philosophy to “seriously and in earnest make the best sci fi movie that we can make” and “the only condition is that we are living in 1957 and we have to stay within the style and the technology of what we have available at that time”, the result is the ridiculously fun ALIEN TRESPASS. Continue reading Alien Trespass–Good →

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Foreword by Stan Lerner: first let me say that I did not assign this story to Vaughn. But as a rule downtownster does not pull back its’ writers—I leave that to the New York Times. And the LA Times for that matter. I remember what a great day it was for the community when Ralphs opened up, but I have to agree with much of Vaughn’s attitude below. Ralphs has, since the day it opened, been lowering the bar. Gone are the samples and the great service. Here now, are the lines and no service. Vaughn does not mention this in his blog, but he should add ridiculously staffed checkout lines at night. I agree that it’s time for a downtownster to open a market downtown—then maybe Ralphs will get serious again.

Good day downtownsters, this was a slow week for me, I had a lot of outside work to do, and didn’t end up getting out of the loft very much.  I did however, make my weekly trip to Ralphs on Flower, and perhaps because of the stress of the week, or maybe because I hope to begin a dialogue on our fair site that puts the wheels in motion to give all of downtown residents an alternative market at which to shop, this post will be about how much I hate Ralphs. Specifically, the Ralphs Downtown.  I’m not a huge fan of nationwide supermarket chains to begin with, but I feel the our Ralphs, Downtown’s own is a particularly odious example of development gone awry, of convenience becoming contentment.  For brevity and efficiency’s sake, two ideas apparently foreign to our local supermarket, I’ll make a list.

 1.  The Parking Entrance on Flower Continue reading And Who the F**k is Ralph? →

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It is nearly the end of the NBA regular season and it seems like no one is even mentioning Los Angeles. If we were to fast-forward a few weeks to April 18, the day playoffs begin, there would still be no mention of Los Angeles.

It seems that Southern California has forgotten all about … the Los Angeles Clippers. But, the rumors are true. LA’s other team is still part of the National Basketball League. Unfortunately, the love for the Lakers, who sit atop the Western Conference with a record of 58-14, trumps the fervor once exhibited for the Clippers, who boast a record of 18-56 and sit slightly above the league’s worst team from Sacramento. Continue reading The Other Team →

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Somehow your past always finds its way into your future – particularly if it’s something, shall we say, questionable, that you may have done or didn’t do.  And even moreso if it’s something from your youth.  Let’s face it.  When we’re young and in those angst-filled teen years, although at the time we think we know everything, we don’t, and quite often worry more about being labeled, branded, cast off, and not being “accepted” rather than doing what’s right or wrong, all of which provides us a valuable education in the future when the actions come up to bite you in the butt.  Such is the case with CHARLIE BANKS who gets the education of a lifetime during his freshman year of college; an education that is carefully crafted and examined thanks to the skill of first time feature director, Fred Durst (yep – THAT Fred Durst, frontman to Limp Bizkit). Continue reading THE EDUCATION OF CHARLIE BANKS →

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Growing up, just how many of you wanted to be, or during “play time” pretended to be,  Superman, Batman, Spiderman, the Boy Wonder Robin, or even the villainous Riddler, Joker or Pruneface?  I am willing to bet, a lot of you (and that group includes both of my brothers).  Let’s face it -to kids – and even to adults – super heroes with super powers is a pretty cool thing. Continue reading Movie Review Super Capers–Good →

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When I look back at my life, and as I have similarly heard so often from many of you, movies represent key moments and influence thoughts, feelings and, to a large degree, often shape who and what we become.  And I don’t know of anyone in my circle of friends and acquaintances who wasn’t touched in some manner by the classic Disney films, “Escape to Witch Mountain” and “Return from Witch Mountain.”  For me, even then, it was a joy to not only experience the thrill of watching alien kids Tia and Tony exercise their super powers and be adventurous and self-sufficient (not to mention the whole UFO, spaceship, planetary travel aspects), but to see legendary Hollywood stars like Bette Davis, Ray Milland, Eddie Albert, Donald Pleasance, Denver Pyle and Jack Soo starring in what many perceived as”kid” movies.  This was, and still is, pure magic.

Continue reading Race To Witch Mountain–GOOD →

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“Little Miss Sunshine”, SUNSHINE CLEANING.   Don’t get confused by the two but be forewarned that the parallels between these two films start from the get-go; not the least of which are the dark blend of comedy, Alan Arkin, an adorable kid, a dysfunctional family, the same producing team that brought us “Little Miss Sunshine” and let’s face it, fun, charm and that irrepressible adorable factor thanks to Amy Adams and Emily Blunt.

Continue reading Sunshine Cleaning–GOOD →

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Hello, wine lovers tonight’s tasting is a challenge between two areas of the world with the same types of wine. Meritage from the United States, vs European Blended Red wine. Yes Bordeaux will be involved! The players in tonight’s competition will be as follows. Continue reading HELLO WINE LOVERS →

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In looking through the annals of film, there is one title that consistently appears on virtually everyone’s list as being classic, iconic, masterful, mandatory viewing and a must see for any filmmaker – “Twelve Angry Men” – Sidney Lumet’s 1957 character study of 12 strangers serving as jurors to a murder trial of a young man.  It is these 12 distinct personalities who will decide the fate of another total stranger.  While many may believe the law is cut and dried and jury deliberations are based on testimony and legal instruction, it is, in fact, the life experience and mores of each individual juror that shape their reasoning, thought process, interpretation and analysis of a situation and ultimately, their vote in a jury room.  TAM wields an emotional sledgehammer and intensity that is so well crafted that it has not only stood the test of time for some 50 years, but has spawned remakes in every medium.  And now, thanks to acclaimed Academy Award winning director Nikolai Mikhalkov, we have a re-imagination of TAM for the 21^st Century with 12.

Continue reading 12 THE MOVIE GOOD →

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