SOURCE CODE

I became increasingly lost as this movie progressed. I started out strong - knowing that Jake Gyllenhaal (who is so very easy to look at and watch; he could be doing anything in any language and i'd still be interested in watching him.) was being transported back in time by some secret military agency to try to interfere and stop the bombing of a commuter train in Chicago. And until he figured it out, he would keep being whisked back.

However, as the movie progressed I became confused. At some point he was informed by this girl on the train that he was really dead even though she didn't know the dead guy was really Jake because the military had given him another life and he was not in the military but a history teacher who worked with this girl played by Michelle Monaghan.

The film should have stopped there because at this point i was able to piece together the action - somewhat. However, it went on for quite a bit and once Jeffrey Wright (who played the top guy in the military who was supposedly in charge of this mission that Jake was on) started explaining the Source Code i started almost drooling with stupidity.

There was talk of alternate universes and parallel lives and quantum physics (oh, i shook with trepidation at this word!) and finally i wasn't even sure if I existed in any form capable enough to write this review. Bill liked the movie because he's smarter than I am.

BRIDESMAIDS

I absolutely totally adored this movie; laughed from the opening scene of Annie (Kristin Wiig from SNL) having awkward and acrobatic sex with her casual and uncommitted bedmate played by Jon Hamm (of Mad Men) to the closing scene of Annie leaving her best friends wedding (Lillian played by Maya Rudolph - a former SNL member) to 'hang out' with a cop who has been pursuing her.

When Lilian decides to get married, her bridal party is maid of honor Annie and 4 other friends who are all hilarious. The best of the bunch is Helen (acted by Rose Byrne from the TV series Damages and i couldn't stand her in that show but she plays this part well) who is a take charge micro-manager wealthy dominant personality who competes with Annie as to who is Lilian's best friend. And the other stand out bridesmaid was Megan played by Melissa McCarthy. She is an overweight socially inappropriate highly sexed direct speaking government worker and everything she said in this movie had me (and the rest of the theater) roaring.

Nothing was overdone or went on too long or was over-the-top. Even the 'warm and fuzzy' scenes with Annie and her cop boyfriend were short and sweet; nothing treacly and sticky with sentiment and trying desperately to put in a deep message about love. And there was a wedding scene where the singing group Wilson Phillips sang and the wedding party started dancing and lip-syncing and i thought "oh, no, this movie is going to fall apart." I detest group dancing to old rock n' roll and pop songs in movies. But this scene also was perfectly short.

This movie was funnier than Tropic Thunder and is a tie with Office Space.

BRUSHFIRE BBQ CO. - TUCSON, AZ

We ate here again after a long absence due to lukewarm food, too much noise, and a snippy server attitude. This experience was much better. The seating still lacks comfortability since the space is so small and there are only 3 tables that are of normal height and 2 of them are tiny, tiny (we sat at one of these) and in the middle of the room about 8 inches from the other Barbie and Ken - sized table. The rest of the seating is at high counters and tables and you sit on stools.

I had a pulled pork sandwich with a side of sweet potatoes. The portion of meat was large and the bun was fresh and toasted. The sweet potatoes were drenched in brown sugar and butter- exactly how i like them. Bill had a brisket sandwich which was cheap on meat so i gave him some of my pork. His side was green beans which he enjoyed. We split a huge dill pickle. On each table are 4 of their 6 sauces - hot, sweet and bold, mild and molasses. I tried each one except the hot.

The place tends to be on the less than "cleanliness is next to godliness" side and the bathroom is a real disaster. I try to keep my gaze focused on my knees.

They just opened another restaurant on 22nd and Kolb (the one we ate at is on Campbell and Glenn) and the next time we'll try that one since the seating arrangement might be more comfortable.

SULTAN PALACE - TUCSON, AZ

Eating dinner at this Afghan restaurant was a very unpleasant experience except for the presence of our friends, Jean and Tim. Even though it was Jean who recommended this place.

Now let's see, how can i start telling you about this dining event? Let me count the ways.

It is a dirty place. Tables were not cleaned and remained not cleaned during our lengthy stay. The only other diners, during our lengthy stay, (oh, did i say this already?) were relatives of the owners. There were tables in the middle and booths around the edge which we had to sit in because of the angle of the bright sun coming into the restaurant. Now the booths were enclosed by thrift store looking musty gauze fabric; i'm sure to give the feeling of foreign adventure. To sit in these booths, I had to pretzel my legs so i wasn't gnawing at my knees or the other option was to sit with my legs akimbo; both positions were not very comfortable.

The service was absolutely horrid. It took forever just to get glasses of water and i bet we waited at least 30 minutes before any food came out. And this consisted of an iceberg lettuce salad with wilted and rotten and brown lettuce and just drenched in a highly spiced curry and yoghurt dressing. No pita bread.

Bill and i split an entree and also had an extra vegetable side. The rice was delicious and very tender and nicely flavored which was good because this was literally the bulk of the entree for $14. Underneath this smoldering pile of rice was the tiniest chicken leg i've ever seen. This came with a side of pumpkin in a yoghurt sauce. This was good but only lukewarm. and our extra side was a small small dish of mixed vegetables (so-so) for $5.

Jean and Tim split a kabob combo; a skewer each of lamb, chicken and beef. I tasted one of the dumplings on their combo and it was a gluey and glutinous envelope limply encasing a tasteless meat-appearing substance.

I couldn't wait to stretch my legs and back and hobble out of that restaurant.

I LOVE YOU, PHILLIP MORRIS

This movie review contains the ending though since this is a true story (yes, it REALLY is!) you might know the ending through TV shows, NPR interviews or newspaper articles.

Jim Carrey plays Steven Russell who is a gay con man and impersonator extraordinaire. There are similarities to the movie Catch Me If You Can starring DiCaprio but this film is much better and quirkier and the acting is better. Carrey is wonderful; every slight gesture and facial expression and eye movement conveys a wealth of words and information and emotions and his body postures are like a dance. Steven Russell is a chameleon who impersonates judges and doctors and CFO's.

The main reason why he does this is his love for Phillip Morris who is acted by Ewan McGregor who is also perfectly cast. They meet in prison. One of the escapades Russell does is to obtain a blank bail form and forge signatures and get his bail reduced from almost a million dollars to less than $50,000. This he was able to pay so he could be released and be back with Phillip who had already been released.

To get money to live on, he pretended to be a knowledgeable money man and while employed by this big corporation, he stole millions of dollars. So back in prison and this time (to give another example), he signs up for art class so he can gradually steal enough green markers to dye his prison uniform green. Only medical personnel are allowed to wear green so he is able to walk out of jail without anyone stopping him.

There are many more examples of his prison escapes (including a grand one involving an AIDS diagnosis, transfer to a private hospital and impersonating a hospital administrator as he called the prison to inform them that Steven Russell had died.) and all these escapes were to be with Phillip.

Their love story was very touching and believable and i adored their characters and personalities. Lots of humor in this film and the music was great and fit right in with the action. In spite of Russell's dishonesty, i liked him a lot.

Unfortunately, his escapes and frequent situations of duping government employees was too embarrassing for the state of Texas and Gov. Bush so he has now been given a 114 year sentence and remains in a maximum security unit on total lockdown for 23 hours of each day.

He corresponds with Phillip but has not been visited yet by him. This movie, ultimately, was really disturbing to me and sad. Because the bond that Phillip and Steven had was so deep that it led to ill-advised and highly illegal attempts to stay together and that level of desperation really affected me.

LIMITLESS

Very entertaining movie. I thought it would be a stupidly plotted film with a gradual descent into unbelievability and that's why we waited till it got to the discount theater where we saw it for a grand total of $3.00!! but i wouldn't have felt cheated even if we had paid the full price (senior discount, notwithstanding!)

Bradley Cooper who is perfectly cast in this film is Eddie, a man without motivation who cannot seem to get his life in order or even start on the book he's been given an advance to write. Then he meets his ex-brother-in-law who offers him a pill which will increase his brain power from 20% to 100%.

Eddie becomes a prolific author, a smart dresser and a whiz at investing in the market. He also knows various and sundry facts about medicine, science and he can learn a foreign language just by hearing someone speak it. Naturally this brings a reliance on the drug and puts him in the radar of Carl, a well-seasoned financier/investment banker. Carl is acted by Robert DeNiro who does not overplay his role and is wonderful in this part. (his acting was almost as good as the politician he played in Machete).

Naturally because drugs are involved other people want them and desperate violence occurs in this attempt. Eddie needs them to keep making money and a Russian loan shark needs them to feel invincible and a driver needs them for his employer. It goes on and on.

and what was so great and unexpected about this movie was the twists and turns. At certain points towards the end, i was dreading it turning into an FDA-sponsored anti-drug morality play, but it did NOT do that and the ending was just ambiguous enough to give me closure but keep me guessing somewhat. oh, and the music was hip-hoppingly good.