8 hours in a movie theater

Just like the title says, I spent 8 hours in a movie theater over the last 2 days watching movies so that I could get some reviews posted!

Man of Steel!

   The much anticipated reboot of Superman from DC and Christopher Nolan.  It does not disappoint.  Henry Cavill (Superman) is one of my new favorite actors at the moment (I loved him in "Immortals") The ladies behind me whistled when they saw him without his shirt on.
    The graphics are amazing!  For a second at the beginning, I though I was watching 'Avatar'!  I did see this movie in 3D but this is one of the RARE instances where I will not recommend it in 3D simply because there is only one time where the 3D is used correctly.  This is a very much a guys movie....  lots of action and explosions through the entire movie. 
   I am glad that I saw this movie in 3D because there are 2 times in this movie that my eyes started to sweat (tear up) because Kevin Costner is the perfect father figure, that really tug at the heart strings.  Amy Adams plays a perfect Lois Lane with plenty of great lines in the movie.  Diane Lane, Lawrence Fishburne, Russell Crow, and many others make a well rounded and perfectly chosen cast.  P.S. the bad guy is a REAL bad guy.
   You know a movie is good when everyone in the theater claps when the movie was over, that is exactly what happened last night!  And I got a pair of limited edition "Man of Steel" blue 3D glasses.



While waiting for my movie to start, (I had to buy my ticked many hours in advance) I decided to run next door to target to waste some time.  I saw that "OZ" had just come out on video, (see my older posts for a review) I knew I had to have it, so I bought it!
In the theater I noticed that James Franco was in another movie that was playing and that his little brother Dave was also in a movie that was playing....so....

Franco vs Franco was born

 

This is the End.

What a hilarious movie.  I am not a fan of Seth Rogan but I am a fan of James Franco.  This movie is a "Who's Who" of relevant comedy for today.  It also has a few cameos from big stars like Emma Watson (another one of my faves) and Rihanna.  Lots of drug references, sex, etc...  All of the comedians play larger than life portrayals of themselves.  It is refreshing to see stars poke fun of themselves. 
   The guys that were sitting behind me were obviously high.  They laughed at the previews which were boring.  During the movie, the entire theater was is hysterics.  My most favorite scene was when Danny McBride and James Franco are arguing over an adult magazine.  Also seeing how Jonah Hill gets possessed if freaking to die for!

 

Now You See Me

The second Franco movie that I watched co-stars the younger Dave Franco.  They look a lot a like.  This movie also stars: Woody Harrelson (The Hunger Games), Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network), Mark Ruffalo (The Avengers), Morgan Freeman and Micheal Caine, both with too many movies to list. 
  I am a fan of magicians and illusionists.  I was really impressed the last time I went to Vegas and saw Chris Angel perform live.  So I had high hopes for this movie.  The illusions were OFF the CHAIN.  The thing that got me was I am watching this as if I am watching a live magician.  I am looking for how these are done, but since they are CGI, I never see any hints, but my mind does not make the connection and I more impressed with the illusions.  The twists at the end completely throws me for a loop, I was thinking of a complete different ending!  Go see it.... I hope that this leads to more and larger roles for Dave Franco.

Sam from Amsterdam Interview

Sam from Amsterdam Interview

 

A Little about Sam from her website 

"I’m Sam from Amsterdam, But really my name is Samantha Stomphorst… I changed it because no one could pronounce it. When I lived in Snyder TX, I played at my FAVORITE venue, the Belle Opry House, every weekend. The owners, Robert and Suzi Q would introduce me on stage as Sam from Amsterdam. So since then, that’s my new name

I grew up in the Netherlands, lived there until I was 17. I moved to Texas by myself, and my family still lives in Holland.
I go around Texas and play music, that’s my favorite thing to do. I’m just an overall music fan. I listen to every style of music, and know lyrics to so many songs its ridiculous!"

 

 

TeeJay Today: Sam, you are from Holland, but relocated to West Texas. What was the biggest culture shock you had to get used to in Texas?

Sam from Amsterdam: To this day, I learn new things about this country every day. New expressions, new words.. Plus each state sort of has a different culture to it, so it never gets old. One of the biggest culture shocks though, was the portions of food. My mom has always taught me to finish whatever is on my plate, so I did.. Here that caused me to gain quite a few pounds haha! Also what surprised me is that y'all have a drive through for everything! I used to think it was so cool to go to the bank so I could send one of those bottles up the pipe. I still think that's pretty dang cool. Just little things like that are still awesome to me.

TJ: You said that you worked 3 jobs for about 80 hours per week to save up enoughmoney to get back to Texas, What where those jobs and do you have any stories you would like to share that happened while working on those jobs?

Sam: I did, it was tough to get myself back to this country. It’s pretty hard to get into this country if your home country doesn’t share a border. I've been trying hard to do this the legal way. The government has so much paperwork to go through it's ridiculous! I can't afford a lawyer, so I read and do all the paperwork myself. The easiest visa to get was a student visa, so that's the first one I got. On there it wants you to have a certain amount of money available in the bank.. This is why I had to save all that money. My parents made me a deal.. They said if I'd stay with them in Holland, they'd pay for my school, board, food, everything! But.. If I'd move away to the USA like I wanted to, I would have to do everything myself. They didn't think I'd be able to save up all this money by myself¦ it was pretty tough, being so young and never doing anything but work.. Literally! I would get up at 4:30 do my paper route, then run to get my scholarship, then go work at the restaurant all day.. And from Monday through Wednesday the restaurant was closed at nights, so I worked at McDonalds for a while and as a telemarketer. I never went out, or did anything that cost me money. On my only afternoon off on Sunday, I would watch tv all day, lay in bed and eat. I looooved my job working as a waitress.. That helped a lot, doing something I loved. I had the best co workers that even put out a jar with "Sam's USA Money" on it so our regulars could help me out.

TJ: Tell me everything about your first big band show that you recently played.

Sam: The first full band show I played was at Rockin' Rodeo in Midland, TX. Brian Milson lent me his band to open his show. It was so awesome! Best feeling ever! A bunch of people came out to watch, which meant a lot to me. It was to my surprise easier than playing acoustic, It wasn't all up to me. Me and the band got to share, and I loved that.

TJ: What one artist do you look up to the most and why?

Sam: I look up to Gretchen Wilson.. I read her book and she reminds me of me.. Just strong willed and do whatever she feels like kinda person. She chased her dreams and would not stop, and that's what I'm doing right now. I don't have a rich daddy filling my pockets with money either.. Like Gretchen I'll have to fight for what I want and pay my dues, and that's fine with me.

TJ: If you had to choose one song that summed up your life and challenges, what would it be?

Sam: Probably "Born to Fly" by Sarah Evans.. I had always known I was going to leave Holland, move to the USA and do something big with my life. I'm just not a person that would ever be happy working a 9-5 job the rest of my life and come home to a bunch of kids. I feel like I was born to fly. I've never really felt like I fit in anywhere.. But that has helped me a lot, because I don't ever get comfortable in situations.. Because I just don't fit in.. I keep moving forward.

TJ: In 3 words, describe your freshman album?

Sam: I would say it's Soulful, Unique and Truthful.. I wrote 4 songs on there and they all mean a lot to me. They all have their own meaning. Like Only 21, I wrote that when I was in a really low place. And Mexico helped me out of that. I wrote Mexico when I met my parents over there a few years ago and kinda got to get away and relax for the first time in a long time. All these songs have a meaning to me, and I feel like a lot of people can relate to them. I might not be raised in the country, but I sure as hell know how to work hard.

TJ: I saw that Rich o'Toole purchased your album from iTunes, how did that make you feel when you found out? (If you watched my TV show, you saw me interview this Awesome TX Musician!)

Sam: This was the coolest thing ever! I've admired Rich's music for a long time. When I moved here he was one of the first Texas acts I saw. I could watch his show every day and not get tired of it. I think he's a true entertainer and love learning from him as an artist. He's always been very supportive and always has time to give advice. I tweeted him that my album was out and he bought it right away and then advertised it on twitter and instagram for me.

TJ: What is one thing that you want future fans to know about you?

Sam: To keep their eyes out for me, I'm gonna fight till I get to the top. What I would want my future fans to know is that I'm the real deal. I'm not just someone who sings other people's songs and is told exactly how to sing something. I'm not someone who gets everything handed to them and will only eat of gold plates haha. I play every gig I can get, I love every person I see smiling when I play a show. Whenever I moved here and was all by myself, it always made me feel like I wasn't alone when I would listen to music. I want to make people happy with my music and help them through tough times and stand by them through good times. I feel like I'm born to do this

Rapid Fire: Favorite: (one word answers)

TJ: Animal
Sam: dog

TJ: Color
Sam: Red

TJ: Food
Sam: Ribs

TJ: Sports Team
Sam: Crimson Tide

TJ: Song
Sam: Speechless

TJ: Sport
Sam: Running

TJ: Artist
Sam: Gretchen Wilson

TJ: Magazine
Sam: Runners

TJ: Actress
Sam: Jennifer Aniston

TJ: Number
Sam: 17

TJ: Astrological Sign
Sam: Aquarius

TJ: Movie
Sam: Overboard

TJ: Book
Sam: A lotus Growing in the Mud

TJ: Drink
Sam: Diet Coke

TJ: Single or Taken?

Sam: Taken!!

TJ: Describe your perfect date?

Sam: My perfect date would be going to see a band play, or going to see a movie and some dinner.. I'm a pretty simple person.. My favorite time of the day is just laying on the couch with my favorite person in the world and fall a sleep watching tv..

TJ: What is the last dream you remember?

Sam: Pff.. I have the weirdest dreams I swear! Last night I dreamed that I ran into Tom Hanks and that I got mad at him because we were on a plane together and he wouldn't shut up.. Who would get mad at Tom Hanks talking to them?? I don't know where this came from haha

TJ: Where can we find your Album? What is your twitter handle, Facebook, etc.....

Sam: You can find my album on iTunes and on my website www.samfromamsterdam.com my twitter is samfrmamsterdam and my face book is www.facebook.com/samfromamsterdam

 

New movie Reviews, some Awesome, some are DUDS!

Okay... I had 2 days off in a row... so I visited Hastings Entertainment and loaded up on movies that I haven't seen yet... and I went to the movies!

The Great Gatsby

First of all, I have to apologize but I have not read the book YET, but it is on my list for 2013.  I'm going to make out my reading list later this month of books that I have read and the books I plan on reading!

The remake of the Great Gatsby was epic in my opinion.  It really shows the grander of living during the roaring twenties and how many people throughout this time achieved (or missed out) on the American Dream.  The soundtrack was impressive.  One of my favorite things is how they made Gatsby Great.  To start out the movie, you don't get to see Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby.  You DO get to see the back of his head, his ring, etc...  It really builds the tension and when you finally get to see him as the Gatsby, you are not disappointed.  I also have to say that he looks much younger in this film then he looked in some of his other films.  The villain in this movie is really hated.  The women in this movie (especially the lady that they try to set up Toby with) is my new favorite leading lady.  The visuals were amazing, none so more apparent then during the party scenes and where you see the Dr. Eyes where people are cleaning up the spent coal from a growing New York.

Mama

I guess I was in a dark mood when I was renting movies because I picked up a few horror movies.  Mama takes place when a father drives his 2 daughters out of town, has a wreck, finds an abandoned house in the woods, attempts to kill the girls, then a random ghosts stops him and kills him.  The daughters are then taken care of by the ghosts in the woods for 5 years when they are found.  They are now WILD and act more like animals than children.  The ghosts decides to follow the children to take care of them even though they are moved into the city.  I liked this movie, it has a few spooky moments that warranted me to turn the lights on every time I heard a random noise.  They only thing that got me was that I didn't like how it ended.  I will not spoil it for you, but let me know what you think about the ending.

 

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Okay, I am from West Texas, currently living in East TX.  The urban legend that we grow up with is that this story is real (its not) so every time a new version of this movie comes out, my friends and I have to go see it.  It helps propagate the urban legend.  This one is by far the WORST one I have seen.  The whole set up of the movie doesn't make any sense.  It leaves too many questions open for any person that has made it past the 3rd grade.  Don't waste your time with this one, go see the original!  This version don't even have any parts that make you jump, absolutely no tension in this installment.  I think Rob Zombie should helm a reboot of this franchise!

The Last Stand

YES!!!  Arnold is Back!!!  Everyone likes to root for the small town sheriff that can get the job down over the entire police force of a huge town.  The best part is when the big police force guy calls Arnold and tries to give him orders, Arnold says, I don't know you so I don't answer to you!  YES!  Growing up in a small town (pop 2500), I saw this mentality from our own police force.  They did what they want when they want.  For the most part we had a stress free town!  Why you will like this video: Explosions, guns, cars destroyed, Johnny Knoxville, hot women, Arnold is back!

 

Hitchcock

Of all the movies I rented, this one was my favorite.  Anthony Hopkins is completely transformed to become Alfred Hitchcock.  We follow Alfred behind the scenes of "Psycho" and of all the hoops that he and his wife had to jump through to finish this movie.  Did you know that the Hitchcock's mortgaged their house to pay for this movie themselves, even though Hitchcock was a proven money maker?  You learn how their marriage nearly falls apart and more private details of this Hollywood royal family.  It is almost a documentary, but with Scarlet Johannson, Hopkins, and Helen Mirren.  Buy this one!

Jack the Giant Slayer

I actually loved this movie... it had humor, great special effects, and it tied the legend into todays history by incorperating the crown jewels.  Everyone knows the story, now you can see it larger than life.  Ewan McGregor was great too!  Look for the golden harp and golden eggs!

 

Identity Thief

OMG!  This movie had me laughing out loud!  So many funny remarks, sight gags, and it has a sweet ending.  If you need a laugh, this one with "throat chop" you right into a better mood.  I like this one so mcuh, I all making my parents watch it when they come to town in the next few weeks!  Funniest part to me was the snake part in the woods.  Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy have real chemistry in this movie, and I am anticipating the new movie that Melissa is in with Sandra Bullock later this year!
GENIUS!