2013's Top Picks!

As always, those in bold indicate an absolute must see!  Release dates may change so check your local listings prior to heading out.

Zero Dark Thirty:  JAN. 11

Mama:  JAN. 18

Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters:  JAN. 25

John Dies at the End:  A (opens theatrically 1-25)

Warm Bodies:  FEB. 1

A Good Day to Die Hard:  FEB. 15

Dark Skies:  FEB. 22

The ABC's of Death:  MAR. 8

Carrie:  MAR. 15

The Heat:  APR. 5

Oblivion:  APR. 19

Iron Man 3:  MAY 3

Star Trek Into Darkness:  MAY 17

World War Z:  JUN. 21

Kick-Ass 2:  JUN. 28

Pacific Rim:  JUL. 12

R.I.P.D.:  JUL. 19

Red 2:  AUG. 2

Elysium:  AUG. 9

We're the Millers:  AUG. 9

Machete Kills:  SEP. 13

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For:  OCT. 4

The Worlds End:  OCT. 25

Ender's Game:  NOV. 1

Thor: The Dark World:  NOV. 8

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire:  NOV. 22

2012 in review

Missed out on lots of things this year, didn't keep the top picks updated as required, was slow on reviews....2012 was a bad year at the Ace38 compound.  2013 will be better, and we'll start later tonight with 2013's top picks!

Mini Review: "John Dies at the End"

A return to the wacky brilliance of director Don Coscarelli.  May have to watch it again to make sure I caught everything.

A

Mini Review: "This is 40"

This is crap

F

2012's Best!!!

10 BEST FILMS OF 2012

For the first time ever, I make this list with a bit of a caveat.  Due to time restrictions I haven’t seen Lincoln yet, nor have I seen Django Unchained.   Due to lack of screening options I haven’t seen Silver Linings Playbook either, and all are films I think would merit a spot on this list.  However, here we present the standing 10 best films of the year.

10.  Chronicle:  A surprisingly well done and smartly written look at what happens when the bullied can become the bully.

9.  The Divide:  What happens if you survive a nuclear blast?   What happens if there are others?  Were the dead really the lucky ones?

8.  V/H/S:  A vicious, no-holds-barred “found footage” horror film that brought true terror to the multiplexes.

7.  Looper:  A clever little sci-fi film that was just clever enough to not alienate audiences.

6.  Cosmopolis:  Cronenberg manages to squeeze a real performance from Pattinson, a polarizing film that wrapped me in its world.

5.  Argo:  Puts you back into the Iranian hostage crisis, director Affleck had his stuff right with this one.

4.  The Dark Knight Rises:  Took a hit after the Aurora nightmare, sadly overshadowed a brilliant end.

3.  Hitchcock:  A look at the legend as he makes his masterpiece, never loses focus and feels deeply real. 

2.  The Avengers:  The best time I’ve had at the theater this entire year, with a great cast and smart story backing it up.

1.  The Perks of Being a Wallflower:  Not as good as The Breakfast Club, but damn close.  A brilliant coming of age tale for this generation.

Mini Review: "Jack Reacher"

Feels like Cruise channeling a more intense version of Ethan Hunt, but still a fun and enjoyable watch.  Nice cameo from Robert Duvall as well.

B

Mini Reviews!

Cloud Atlas:  A stunningly ambitious film based on the 2004 novel of the same name, and while very clever and the type of avant garde cinema we need more of, this film is quite dull.   D

Looper:  Another outside the box sci-fi thriller, another daring type film that we need more of yet unlike the previous film this one is oustanding and an good watch.  A-

You wanted the worst, you got the worst! 10 Worst Films of 2012!

WORST MOVIES OF 2012

10.  Ted – Just not funny, maybe it was the hype it didn’t live up to, but I felt like I was watching a bad homage to a Cheech and Chong movie.

9.  Casa de me Padre – More proof of what I’ve been saying for decades….Will Ferrell is not funny.

8.  The Cabin in the Woods – You know youre in a bad movie when the scripts highlight is the pretty college blonde making out with the moosehead on the wall.

7.  Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter – More proof that good geek fiction never translates to good film.

6.  Total Recall – You have to have an imagination to do a re-imagining.

5.  Battleship – Or, as its known overseas, Americans needing a paycheck.

4.  Snow White and the Huntsmen – See, Kristin Stewart can’t act in anything.

3.  That’s My Boy – Another Adam Sandler movie on the worst list…its almost a tradition by now..

2.  This Means War – Reese Witherspoon?  Really?  Going to war over Reese Witherspoon?  Was ebola spoken for?

1.  Rock of Ages – Say what you will about 80s rock, the fact its survived all the jabs thrown means it’ll outlive this auto-tuned, glee-ifed, diarrhea inducing attempt at film. 

Mini Review: "Hitchcock"

What a great performance from Anthony Hopkins, leading the way as he became the legendary director, nice turns from Johansson and Biel as well, and I think the always wonderful Helen Mirren rounded out this magnificent film.

A+

Mini Review: "The Perks of Being a Wallflower"

Based on the book, this look into a troubled young man's freshman year of high school is tender and compassionate.  A brilliant performance by Emma Watson as well as most of the cast nails down a top notch film.

A+

Mini Review: "Trouble With The Curve"

A nice, friendly, predictable film that was so cozy and familiar to the actors, they were able to relax and do what they do best.  Not great by any stretch, but enjoyable and its always nice to see Clint.

B

Non Film Post: Here they go again....

You can gain some perspective on some statements made here from my Aurora post found here:  http://ace38film.blogspot.com/2012/07/non-film-post-actual-difference-or.html.

I wish to thank my friend, published writer Michelle Macfarlane for her assistance in the editing and wording of this post.  Without her assistance, you wouldnt' be reading this right now.  

I grieve and ache for the families who have suffered one of the most horrific acts I have seen in my lifetime, but there are ways to honor their memories and try to prevent this from happening again without making scapegoats and pushing personal political agendas.  More laws wont stop this, it will only inconvenience those of us who follow them.  

My love to the people of Newtown, Connecticut.  You'll Never Walk Alone.  The nation is with you.

27 lives needlessly lost, 20 of them belonged to beautiful children between the age of 5-7.  Innocence at its most pure, a moment of pure evil ending their purity and scarring many others for life.

Almost immediately,  the left began screaming for gun control laws.  Connecticut has some of the most stringent gun laws in the nation, and yet this act occurred.  We’re going to look at cold, hard facts here, not emotion.  Emotion is the response of the weak and it takes thought and strength to deal with issues to find real solutions.

FACT:  CONNECTICUT HAS VERY DEMANDING GUN LAWS.  All these weapons were legally owned and registered to the shooters mother.  We do not know how she stored them, but as the madman was her own son, we can safely assume that they were lying around or under lock and key. He knew what to do to attain them.  None of us knew how they were stored in that house and it’s foolish to assume we do.

FACT:  ADDITIONAL LAWS WOULD NOT HAVE PREVENTED THIS CRIME.  The shooter committed the following offenses:

1.       Murder:  (his mother, 6 adults in the school, 20 children in the school)

2.       Attempted murder: (anyone wounded in the assault who survived)

3.       Breaking and entering: (he bypassed the school security system by breaking a window to gain access)

4.       Theft: (his mothers weapons and her vehicle)

5.       Bringing a gun onto school campus

6.       Shooting with intent to kill

7.       Using a firearm in the commission of a felony

8.       Damage to public property

And possibly others that they could find, perhaps murder of a government employee among others, and yet none of these laws were of any concern to the shooter, nor were they in previous shootings at Portland, Littleton, Ft. Gibson, etc.

FACT:  SHOOTER ATTEMPTED TO BUY A RIFLE IN THE DAYS LEADING TO THE SHOOTING.  It is my belief that this shooter simply wanted to avenge some perceived wrong at the school with this attempt.  The murder of his mother was simply because the laws already in the books prevented him from attaining his own weapon and he needed them to do this cowardly act.  The laws you pushed for worked and he did it anyway.

FACT:  THE SECOND AMENDMENT IS TO PROVIDE THE CITIZENRY ACCESS TO WEAPONS TO PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM THE GOVERNMENT.  That is why there is no specifics on what we can and cannot have access to.  Those laws came in later and have been upheld as reasonable.  Many on the left scream “Well they didn’t mean high powered assault weapons, they meant muskets.”  Show me where it says that.  It doesn’t- it means with whatever weapons are available.  In an age of swords and shields, bows and arrows, the muskets were the “high powered assault weapon” of their day.  You’d be a fool to think they weren’t anticipating the future technology as well.   You don’t see “unless it’s a really fast gun we cant even conceive of”.  They said the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. 

“But what about our right to liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiivvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvve??” the liberals scream:  Well, you have no right to live.  Not in today’s America.  Why do I say that?  We live in a nation where you can terminate human life in the name of choice.  Regardless of how you feel about it (and I don’t give a damn, so keep it to yourself), the fact is abortion occurs on a fertilized egg.  Whether you feel life begins at conception or at some future point (and again, I DON’T CARE), the fact is that is a life being stopped from continuing.  It’s not like condoms, IUD’s, spermicides and the like which prevents fertilization.  The plain and simple medical fact is that a life is being terminated.  Furthermore, no matter what type of contraception is used, or if you use none at all, there is no guarantee the woman will not become pregnant .  So what do we do?  Choice…..you argue in favor of it every day, so the extension of the argument is logical.  

Furthermore, a right is something you have, not something that’s given.  If the government starts making our choices regarding the Second Amendment, how long until someone decides he doesn’t like political dissent and starts coming up with laws to prevent that?   “Well, the First Amendment protects such speech” the liberals respond.  And they make my point perfectly.  First Amendment protects our political speech, Second Amendment protects our individual security.  You willingly gave up your right to live in the name of choice.  You don’t even realize you’re giving up your First Amendment rights in the name of hate crime laws.  Sure, those who abuse others due to race are ignorant and pitiful, but are their biases really a crime?  It’s now a crime to be stupid? 

“Well, these high powered rifles are only to kill….they’re for the military…..they just kill people”…..No, they  don’t.  People kill.  The gun is merely a tool.  I can kill you with a hammer just as easily.  22 kids and an elderly woman were stabbed in a China school the same day the Newtown horror occurred.  Not to mention the .223 Remington round fired by commercially available AR-15 rifles (and its extended family) is a somewhat different round than the military 5.56MM when actual powder charges and ballistics are taken into account.  You can safely fire .223 in a rifle chambered for 5.56MM NATO (which the .223 is a lower power round), but firing 5.56MM NATO could likely damage a .223 rifle and possibly the shooter.  The .223 gained popularity as a varmint round.  Only a dangerous and deranged person would see innocent babies as varmints.

“Well, if guns don’t kill then neither does nuclear weapons, chemical weapons…so on and so forth.”  Yup, you’re right..those are the tools.  Every bit as lethal as a firearm but just sitting in their containers, they’re not killing anyone are they?  Once a person turns that key, or arms that warhead, the tool becomes lethal.  Notice in both cases, you need a human being to activate the tools lethal side.  Tools can be corrupted by those with evil intent, regardless of their perceived original intent.

Including the two events this week, you’re blaming a tool used in a whopping 6 mass acts of insanity since 1950.  Yes, I agree, 6 is too many…but when taken into context, it’s a tiny number.  Sure, there may have been more we didn’t hear about with gangs or some guy shoots his family in a fit of lunacy, but spree shootings are what we’re focused on right now.  As I said after Aurora, maybe 200 total out of how many weapons?  Compared to handgun offenses, replica weapons account for even less carnage. 

“Well, why don’t we reinstate the assault weapons ban now?  Keep it from happening again?? “ Because most of these events occur with handguns, because even during the ban you could buy weapons of this nature, and because as we already know, it means nothing to the criminals.  Well, then lower capacity magazines...that’ll stop it cause they wont have 30 rounds to shoot.  Yeah, you’re right…after all, they don’t need that much weight on the weapon.  Eric Harris killed and wounded quite a few people using liberal approved 10 round magazines at Columbine, in a regular everyday rifle.  He didn’t even need that type of firepower huh?    To further end the firepower debate, lets take the Virginia Tech shooter, who used handguns to commit his evil deed, killing enough people to take a horrific second place ribbon, directly behind the Bath School Massacre in the 1920’s.

Those who give up their rights in the name of safety have neither.  The Second Amendment is not intended for hunting or shooting tin cans.  It’s to keep the Government in check.  Fine, disassemble the Second Amendment but when the Government comes for your First Amendment rights…….and they will…………you will come crying to those of us who went underground, in violation of the law.  And you will beg us for help.  And we’ll say No, we won’t protect you from yourselves. 

Hitler, Stalin and countless others knew that the way to commit atrocities freely was to disarm the people at home first.  As far as I’m concerned, anyone pushing for such things here is every bit as dangerous as these lethal dictators.

Movie Review: "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, 2012.  Starring Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage and Ken Stott.  Rated PG-13, Running time 169 minutes. Directed by Peter Jackson.

Taking on the novel that started it all, The Hobbit is a visually spellbinding film.  The new 48 frames per second 3D translation is nothing short of incredible and in fact is the only way the film should be screened.  However, while Jackson turned the Lord of the Rings trilogy into a series of legend, this film falls flat on its face in the story department.

Plotline is this:  Young Bilbo Baggins (Freeman) relaxes one morning at his home in the shire when the wizard Gandolf the Grey (McKellen) shows up.  After asking Bilbo a series of questions, he leaves a mark on Bilbo's door, leading to several groups of dwarves arriving unexpectedly at his home.

These groups include Thorin (Armitage), the rightful King of the dwarves.......if he had a kingdom to rule.  Many years before, a fearsome dragon had taken over the kingdom, and Thorin intends to lead a pack of dwarves; assisted by Gandolf and a reluctant Bilbo to reclaim his homeland.

Along the way, they are perused by a pack of orcs seeking vengeance, assisted by the elves of Rivendell and Bilbo has an encounter with a strange man like creature named Smeagol, or better known as Gollum, where he comes into the possession of a strange powerful ring.

However, as magnificent as the cast is, as spectacular as the visuals are...I was bored through a great deal of the film.  The padding necessary to stretch a single book to three films rivals that used on a Kardashian sister.      Add to that the fact that a great deal of it felt more like a comic book than a classic of literature and my disappointment was compounded.  Director Jackson didn't feel the need to stretch the much longer texts of the Rings trilogy into multiple films, why would he do it for the smallest book of the bunch?

Well, we all know the answer to that one....cash.

There is no question the film is a masterstroke of design and performance, it simply cannot be faulted there.  But, story does matter, and that is the true weakness of this Hobbit.

C-

Connecticut Horror

Thoughts and prayers go out from my family to those lives lost today at Sandy Hook Elementary school today, especially the 20 innocent children who perished.

There will be NO review of "The Hobbit" until Sunday at the earliest.

3 movie mini reviews!!!!!

I know, its been awhile but expect much in the coming weeks!  There will be a same day review of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" as well as several film reviews including these three!

The Day:  This post-apocalyptic film is an apocalypse of its own.  The title refers to how long the first 30 minutes felt like.  F

The Bay:  A heavy handed anti-pollution or anti-poultry industry (not sure which) posing as a horror film-film.  Yet, still a decent enough watch and suitably creepy at times. C

Pitch Perfect:  After the first hour and about 15 minutes, the film takes on a massive charm and sucks you in, but the only things that got me through that first 75 minutes was a good performance from the wonderful Anna Kendrick and especially a magnificent take from Rebel Wilson's "Fat Amy".  B

Mini Review: "The Expendables 2"

Much like the first, this one is an epic shut your brain off slice of big fat cheesy fun.

B+

Mini Review: "Argo"

An amazing job of putting us back into the iranian hostage crisis, maybe the most accurate period movie to come along lately.  Great acting and oustanding direction.  One of the top films of this year.

A+

Mini Review: "Resident Evil: Retribution"

This is one of my favorite franchises right now.  Sure none of the films are what you'd call "good", but they work on a 4 part formula:  BIG (gunfights, zombies, explosions), LOUD(soundtracks, gunfire, explosions), DUMB (scarcest of plotlines), FUN (you walk in and out w/a smile on your face).  However, "Retribution" loses the most vital part of the equation (fun) and loads up on the dumb leaving it a bit hollow.

D

2 more mini reviews!

2016 Obama's America:  Interesting look into the history of the "president", smartly stays out of moron birther territory by pointing out birth announcements in newspapers and other more important reasons to vote for anyone but him in Nov.  B-

Fat Girl:  2001 French film about a difficult family dynamic, focusing on 12 year old Anais (the titular fat girl) and her older, more attractive sister Elena.  Brilliant look at sibling rivalry and family dysfunction with an ending that opens up to much interpretation.  A

2 mini reviews!

Butter:  A black comedy allegedly intended as an allegory to the 08 democrat primaries, some interesting moments (admittedly, the intimate scene involving Ashley Green and Olivia Wilde was one) but overall not that good.  D

Cosmopolis:  A seemingly allegorical movie, very introspective and almost too deep for its own good, will polarize audiences.  Love it or hate it, Cronenberg brings out the best in star Robert Pattinson, who reveals some talent underneath the pre-teen-girl-panty-tingling sparkling he's mainly known for.  A+

Mini Review: "Juan of the Dead"

Low budget Cuban variant of the classic Shaun of the Dead has none of the intelligence, wit or heart of what it mimics, and in fact is shockingly dull.

F

Mini Review: "Birdemic: Shock and Terror"

A film so bad it may actually be the worst film ever made.  However, unlike many bad films ("The Room" comes to mind), this one has no redeeming qualities whatsoever to make it viewable.

F

3 Mini Reviews!

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - Disappointing, slow, poorly acted...this summers Cowboys and Aliens  F

The Five-Year Engagement - Such a fun movie, Jason Segal must be a joy to work with as his chemistry with his co-stars is always top notch.  A-

Starship Troopers: Invasion - This CGI shitheap should have never seen the light of day.  F

2 mini reviews!

V/H/S is an outstanding low budget horror film, made all the better by stellar special effects and smart, original stories.  Well worth an "on demand" or redbox rental.  A

The Assault is based on the true story of an Air France hijacking in 1994.  Slow, dull storytelling and a dull effort at humanizing one of the GIGN soldiers who freed the hostages.  D

Movie Review: "The Dark Knight Rises"

The Dark Knight Rises:  2012.  Starring Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anne Hathaway.  Running time 164 minutes.  Rated PG-13.  Directed by Christopher Nolan.

During the overnight hours of Friday, July 20, 2012; theaters across the country were packed to capacity as the final chapter of Christopher Nolan's epic saga unspooled onto the screens.  Sadly, in the Aurora Century 16, a madman destroyed the excitement and the enthusiasm by unleashing a true brand of evil into his auditorium.  Here at the Ace38 compound, the destruction of the innocence and wonder that is part of the moviegoing experience is something that hit profoundly hard.  These 70 people were fans, just as we all are, and the 12 whos lives were lost hits hardest of all.  We dedicate this review to their memories and their loved ones, as they deserve to have the very magic we all love kept alive.

2008's The Dark Knight was considered by many to be the prototype of the superhero film, with its brilliant scripting and casting choices.  Many wondered how or if this third chapter would match up to its middle brother.  It surpasses, exceeds and is quite likely the best film of this year.  Taking a challenging, intelligent script and adding in brilliant casting and acting performances, The Dark Knight Rises closes the door on Nolan's interpretation in a manner so perfect, so awe inspiring that it's difficult to imagine anyone ever matching it's sheer and utter brilliance.

Plotline is this:  8 years have passed since the events in The Dark Knight, and Gotham seems much better off for it.  Harvey Dent is still being hailed as a hero, but an unforseen force is coming to town.  His name is Bane (Hardy), bred in the same shadows as our caped avenger, but with a plan to bring the city to its knees.  His plan?  To physically and mentally test the Batman to his very soul, shedding the citys secrets and then crushing it with its own hope.  Manipulating the help of a brilliant young thief named Selina Kyle (Hathaway), things in Gotham get out of hand quick, and Bruce Wayne (Bale) is forced to confront not only Bane but his own life.

This is simply a perfect film.  Christian Bale wears the agony of his character as if it was his own, perfectly mending the two personalities into one relate able person.  Anne Hathaway actually outdid Michelle Pfeiffer's legendary Catwoman performance, making her sexuality just one part of a vicious arsenal, and looking amazing in the hard to fill catsuit while she did it.  Tom Hardy's Bane is cold and calculating with his savagery, nothing like the cartoonish version we know from the atrocious Batman and Robin.  I just cannot say enough good about the cast.

Nor can I say enough about the pitch perfect script and the cinematography.  Never lost, always leading you where your eye needed, Christopher Nolan has a way of framing action sequences that is unique to him, and permits us to see how his mind hoped it would look.

The Dark Knight Rises is so rich and full as a cinematic experience that much like Christopher Reeve in Superman, no actor will ever again wear the cape and cowl the same way.

A+

Non Film Post: Actual Difference or Nuance, and why it matters

Many in the media are decrying "assault rifles" since the Aurora shooter brought an AR-15 style rifle along with his shotgun and 2 handguns to commit his evil deeds.  Theres no doubt he fired it, and that many lives were spared due to its jamming, however, a semi-automatic "sporter" as theyre called (I call them replicas, more on that later) by their makers does not an assault rifle make.

An assault rifle, according the US Army (and if they dont know best, who does..right?) is a short, compact, selective-fire weapon that fire a cartridge intermediate in power between submachine gun and rifle cartridges.  The selective fire is the key difference here.  A semi automatic rifle is not a selective fire weapon, its a single fire mode weapon.  In fact, the much respected Remington M700 hunting rifle fires the same round as the US M16 rifle (.223 Remington) and a round more powerful than the AK-47 (.308 Winchester).


When you go to (or watch on tv) a sporting event, you will see thousands dressed in jerseys looking just like what the players wear on the field.  Essentially, thats what these "replicas" are...theyre replica jerseys for firearms enthusiasts.  You see the military carrying M16's and you know you cant have that, so you get something that looks like it.  What's the harm in that?

But they're for the military and all they do is kill people is the argument back....no, a true assault rifle is for the military, thats why I cant have an M16..and thats fine and dandy.  In some research, I can find 4 instances in the United States since 1950 where these assault style rifles have been used in spree killings. Im sure there are other cases where a guy goes berzerk and kills his family using one, but since the horror in Colorado is sparking this debate, I kept it to spree killings.  4 since 1950.  In other parts of the world there were 9 more when I decided I'd made my point.  I figure there may be a grand total around 200 if I decide to be liberal in my count and take non spree murders into account. 200 out of how many millions of these weapons out there?  I'd say the vast majority of them are in the hands of people who can more than be trusted with them.  Yes, its horrible when any life is lost for any type of violence, but again, we're focusing on these weapons because of the actions in 4 US cases, with one sparking the debate again.

Well, why not ban them now, so this cant happen again?  OK, interesting point...flawed but interesting.  The vast majority of crimes committed using a firearm are committed using handguns.  The Colorado shooter dropped his rifle and used his shotgun and handgun after his rifle jammed, the Virginia Tech killer had a total of 49 injured (32 killed, 17 wounded..odd in itself as most spree killings have more injured than dead) using nothing but handguns.  Large capacity magazines?  Again, not so much with the handguns that the vast majority of these crimes are committed with, and Eric Harris alone killed and wounded the majority of his victims at Columbine using liberal approved 10 round magazines in his 9mm carbine.  It's worth noting that the majority of those killed there (5 alone and I believe 6 more combined) and injured by gunfire were done at Harris' hand.  So while you may think 10 rounds is A-OK, its clear someone determined to commit such a horrific (and illegal) act will do so with whatever they can get their hands on.  I won't even bring up the fact that the Colorado scumbag bought his weapons legally under the laws set down to protect people from just this type of thing...whoops, just did.

To paraphrase the Constitution, it reads "the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed".  The Supreme Court has upheld that right dozens of times.  I don't see the words "the right of the people to keep and bear government approved arms" in there anywhere.

It's horrible when someone snaps and does something like this.  It gives all of us who support not only those precious words in the Constitution but the shooting sports in general a black eye.  People who couldnt tell you the difference between an M16 and an AR-15 suddenly become experts and tell the OVERWHELMING majority of us who use them for our hobby purposes how we dont need them and they only have one purpose.  I've seen people using scoped AR-15s for hunting, I personally have used an AK-47 to hunt wild boar (and when that boar comes charging at you, you're thanking God for the firepower, trust me on this...), but that doesnt fit their narrow, closed view of what these can be used for.  Just because a knife is used to spread butter doesnt mean it can't be a screwdriver also folks.

There are differences, I urge those of you who are reacting with hysteria to at least take the time to learn what you're complaining about before you run around behaving like de facto experts.

Cause all you do is look stupid in the end.

Then those of us who ARE responsible and find what this creature did just as reprehensible as you dig in our heels to protect our Constitutional rights.

And some looney toon does it again.

Then as a civilization we're all the worse for it.

I dont know a single gunowner that doesnt want this to stop, but there are ways to stop it without infringing on our rights as provided by the same Constitution that you fight so hard to defend when you think your free speech rights are being infringed on.  Let's see if we can find them....we're ready, are you?

Mini Review: "Chernobyl Diaries"

This one should have remained buried.

D-

Non Film Post: Colorado Horror

I was barely awake when I heard something about Colorado on the radio.  For those who know me, I like to go to sleep with my radio tuned to KRMG (well, I guess you all know now) here in Tulsa.  As I rolled over to grab my phone I tried my best to focus...7 text messages.  Only 7?  Slow news night I thought, as I'd gone to bed unusually late and last checked just before 2AM.  Shooting at the Century 16 theater in Aurora, CO.  10, 12, 14 dead.  30-40-50 injured...during a showing of the hugely anticipated "The Dark Knight Rises".  I immediately jumped up and turned the TV on, tuned to my friends at Fox 23 and then over to the main Fox News channel.

As I tried to comprehend what it was I was hearing, and each new report growing more and more strange, thats when I began to find things that really turned my stomach:

The American left began to spew its venom.

It started on twitter.  Approximately 2-4 hours after the shootings (the coward made his feed private and thats the best timeframe I can narrow down using responses and retweets) a man made a post referencing Rush Limbaugh's stupid comments over the character Bane, and how thats why the shootings occurred.  Numerous others then chimed in saying they'd found a man bearing the shooters name on facebook who was a member of the Colorado Tea Party movement, and even ABC joined in at that point accusing this innocent man (ABC later retracted its story) of this horrific act.  Then the gun control nuts joined in, some saying that "you dont need an AR-15 to duck hunt" and "more laws would have stopped this" to the standard attacks on the NRA (including Colorado law allowing guns on college campuses..no clue how that tied in) to one disgusting creature saying that the 2nd Amendment (the one designed to prevent government dictatorship by allowing the public free access to firearms) should be done away with cause our right to live is more important.

Then the potheads jumped in, asking why an AR-15 is legal and marijuana isnt, or asking which did more harm last night.

The first trace I can find (not saying this is timeline correct, but its the first my research has uncovered) of the American right responding to the typical childish, knee jerk, blame game liberal reaction to these events was around 9AM Central time.

The bodies of these victims were barely cold, the families were hysterical looking for their loved ones or embracing after reuniting with them in hospitals or the nearby high school the witnesses were ferried to and we've got this human debris on the left belittling their loss and their anguish by playing political games and pushing their agendas.  These people are in desperate need of our support and liberals are walking through their loved ones blood to push their agendas.  I heard two voices of left leaning tweeters speaking out against this, and had two left leaning friends on facebook doing the same.  The silence of the rest leads me to believe that they supported and encouraged such actions.  I hope you're proud.

If you've ever wondered why I view those on the left as misguided spoiled children, yesterday is the prime example.  Perhaps one day you'll grow up and learn some respect for those grieving. In the meantime, shut the fuck up.

Now, to you anti gun nuts.  Let's take your argument in order.  First off, those of you attacking concealed carry laws.  On your best day, you're too stupid to be allowed to live.  Everyone that watched 5 minutes of very early coverage knows the gunman was dressed in head to toe body armor.  Nothing short of a .50 Desert Eagle (which would be about as easy to conceal as a Toyota) would have made a bit of difference.  Had he chosen to fight, SWAT teams with AR-15's of their own would have been needed to penetrate that setup.  So theres your first argument down.  Secondly, the Second Amendment is there to prevent a situation like there was when the pilgrims fled England.  Why would or should we be allowed to let the government tell us what it is and isn't OK to use to protect ourselves with?  I have no problems with the arrangements surrounding fully automatic weapons, but if I want to buy an AR-15 semi auto at my local Bass Pro, then I  have the right to do so.  Maybe I'll shoot it, maybe I'll just look at it...and thats a right protected by the Constitution.  Just because you've had success pushing thought policing in the form of hate crimes laws doesnt mean you can do so here.  Nowhere in the First or Second amendments do you find the words "as allowed by government approval, or as deemed inoffensive".

Third argument, high capacity magazines.  If' he'd been limited to 10 rounds he couldnt have done this.  Or maybe since he was already planning to commit mass murder (which last time I checked, was a criminal act), he would have kept on the criminal path and gotten his 100 round drum magazine through underground means.  Fourth argument, stricter gun control laws.  Colorado tightened its restrictions after the Columbine massacre, you were happy then, why arent you happy now?   He LEGALLY obtained all his weapons under the laws YOU pushed for.  His entire legal history appears to be a single traffic ticket.  Nothing short of the destruction of the Second Amendment (which as we all know is your real goal) would have prevented the shooter from getting those weapons.  Even if it had, he'd have gone underground (see #3, or simply ask Misters Harris and Klebold).

To the druggies that think pot is cool and harmless.  Why dont you ask the Mexican and Central/South American families who are murdered, kidnapped, used in slavery as drug mules by drug gangs how harmless they think it is.  Disrespectful, self centered pathetic useless wastes of flesh..try growing up and facing lifes hardships down instead of patting yourself on the back for running like cowards when things get tough.  Medicinal marijuana?  Bullshit, just an excuse..why not medicinal crack or medicinal heroin?  Bet a shot of LSD would help you forget that tumor they found on your liver.  Completely useless, all of you.

We conservatives are always accused of being heartless and cruel, when in fact its those of you on the left gleefully trampling the bodies of the deceased and pushing your agendas in the face of the crying mother, grieving widow or anguished father.  How bout you live up to your claims and show some compassion  for those agonizing and suffering and bring them up before the inevitable political debate begins.

Until then, I dont give a damn about your opinions, and nothing is going to change that.

A tragedy at the cinema

By now, you know the details:  71 shot, 12 dead and 59 injured.  We here at the Ace38 compound were passionately looking forward to seeing the final chapter in Chris Nolan's epic trilogy.  Those 71 people were as well, and a madman destroyed their excitement.  Out of respect, there will be no review of the film this weekend, regardless of if I see it or not. When I feel time is right, I'll post it up.

You can expect an editorial on my feelings of things surrounding this event within the next 72 hours.

Mini Review: "The Amazing Spider-Man"

I actually found I preferred Andrew Garfield as the titular web slinger, but the big hole in the story is the Gwen Stacy romance...I have no idea why she would have any feelings for him, and it played like that on screen.  

B+

Mini Review: "Ted"

What can I say about Ted that hasn't been said already?  Oh yeah..it sucks....horribly.  Seth MacFarlane is incapable of doing anything that hasn't already been done better by far more talented people.

F

Updates

Expect reviews of  Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Ted and The Amazing Spider Man in the next week. Still eagerly awaiting the release of The Dark Knight Rises

Movie Review: "Prometheus"

Prometheus, 2012.  Starring Noomi Rapace, Logan Marshall-Green and Michael Fassbender.  Running time 124 minutes.  Rated R.  Directed by Ridley Scott.

Prometheus....a Titan of Greek mythology credited with the creation of man out of clay and the theft of fire as a gift to mankind.  When two scientists (Rapace and Green) discover a "recent" cave drawing depicting a drawing similar to others done centuries apart, the technology of the late 21st century allows them to answer the many questions asked by man since the beginning of time.  Why am I here?  Who is my maker?  What is my purpose?  The aptly named spaceship Prometheus takes them to a far away planet shown in the drawings to meet with our creators, and to get those questions answered.  However, when they arrive......they find there are far more questions to be answered than they could have possibly imagined.

For example....why are our creators trying to exterminate us.

The mind of Ridley Scott was truly on fire with this one.  While not a direct prequel to 1979's classic Alien, the film is in fact in the same universe (mainly with our discovery of the "space jockey" and who he was and his role in the grander scheme) and remains a prequel to the horror classic, albeit not a blatant one.

Acting is stellar, led by the more and more brilliant Fassbender as the android David.  David (as did Ash in Alien) has a secretive secondary mission, given to him by superiors.  What is its purpose and how does it relate to the mission at hand?  Fassbender is the creepiest part of a very atmospheric film and is nothing short of outstanding here.  Charlize Theron adds to the mood as the leader of the mission and the surrounding cast play their roles well.

Script and photography are nothing short of brilliant, SFX are a harkening back to the days of non-CGI, using it as little as possible.

Prometheus is a grand and magnificent return to a genre, and gives me high hopes that he'll do the same for the upcoming Blade Runner sequel.

A+

Mini Review: "Piranha 3DD"

One of the things the original "Piranha 3D" had going for it was the cheesy, tongue in cheek way it handled its silly script.  All the sequel does is throw TONS of nubile female flesh on display and calls it a day.  Doc Brown should be ashamed of himself for his appearance here.

F

Mini Review: "Men in Black III"

Most of the "great" Will Smith films could be associated with a very strong surrounding cast for him to play off of, this is not the case in "MIB III", as he's expected to carry the film on his shoulders.

Big mistake, but the ending makes it worth a viewing.

C

Mini Review: "Gone"

Amanda Seyfried really needs to quit making stupid movies like this.  

D

Coming Soon:  Men in Black III, Chernobyl Diaries, Prometheus and more!

Movie Review: "The Avengers"

The Avengers, 2012.  Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson.  Rated PG-13, Running time 142 minutes.  Directed by Joss Whedon.

This is it, finally the big all-in-one thats been hinted at since the original Iron Man, The Avengers blasts onto the silver screen with so much buzz behind it you'd think they were beheading a Kardashian on film.  Thankfully, this film packs a wollup big enough it'll more than surpass the highest expectations.

Plotline is this:  As Loki (Tom Hiddleston from Thor) continues his vengeance towards brother Thor (Chris Hemsworth), he aligns himself with other Asgard realm baddies to attack Thor's beloved planet Earth.  Seizing minds from SHIELD agent Clint "Hawkeye" Barton (Jeremy Renner) and scientist Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) to  assist him, Loki intends to create a porthole into our galaxy allowing the attack to begin.

Once Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) realizes how close this plan is to succeeding, he takes the only option left to him.

He assembles "The Avengers" and prays they can unite enough to stop this threat.

Script, action and direction were all top notch, I'm trying desperately not to sound like a fanboy here, but its very hard to stay objective when things are running this good.  Plot holes are few and far between and clearly great care was taken to insure continuity with the previous films.  Action scenes (of which there are many) are crisp, clear and surprisingly well choreographed (take a lesson Bay) , keeping things easy to follow.

Been awhile since I've been this unable to be objective towards a film, but let me simply close with this.

The Avengers will easily far and away be the second best comic book film of this summer, and surprisingly surpasses its Marvel predecessors.

A+

Mini Review: "The Cabin in the Woods"

Ohmygawd, you have to see this awesome new movie The Cabin in the Woods, they like take horror film cliches' and use them in the movie and we're all like sooooooooooooooo aware its happening....wait..what?  Scream did it first?

Not to mention a silly and boneheaded ending.

D

Mini Review: "American Reunion"

Has more heart and warmth than the disappointing American Wedding (I dont count nor have I seen the DTV sequels under the American Pie Presents banner), but the 10 minutes Jim's Dad and Stiffler's Mom are on screen together are the best in the film.

B-

Mini Review: "The Three Stooges"

The actors do a good job bringing the guys back to life, and direction is clearly by those who were fans of the classics and wanted to do it as best they could.

B+

Mini Review: "God Bless America"

Politically biased towards the left, yes, but a funny and scathing satire nonetheless.

A

Mini Review: "Bad Ass"

If this film were a Jeopardy question, the answer would be: "Machete without the sly wit and sense of humor."

C

Non Film Post: Why Yesterday Wasn't a Weather Bust

I see a lot of pissing and moaning about the fact that the storm system yesterday wasn't as bad as we thought it could be. First off, I say are you REALLY upset about not having what the good people of Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska went through yesterday? I'm so sorry your friends and neighbors aren't homeless, injured or dead because you thought we were guaranteed extreme severe weather.

Why was Oklahoma spared and why did things start so late? Well, I could go into a lot of technical speak, but I'll break it down to one word: clouds. Yes, the cloud cover over the area was caused by several things, but it saved us by keeping temperatures down and allowing a warm air "cap" to the atmosphere.

If we hadn't had that cloud deck yesterday, we just as easily could have had that in our area.

Kansas/Nebraska and Iowa took the hit for us yesterday, and the Woodward tornado showed what would have happened (and been much worse honestly) had things occurred the way we originally expected.

It's far more important to be prepared and aware for this situation because one day, unfortunately, we will have our day. Just like the people in Alabama and Mississippi had last year, just like the people of Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Woodward had yesterday.

In the meantime, quit your bitching. Have some respect for the people whos lives were completely upended because the atmosphere saw fit to provide OK with simple clouds.

Non Film Post: Severe Weather

Many have asked "how bad is it gonna be today" or "how bad will it be in (insert city here)?". Frankly, I don't know. Without throwing tons of technical speak at you, I'll say it like this: The atmosphere this morning is like a ton of dynamite and every second of sun we see will be like a gallon of gasoline. Each degree of warmth we get is a match, and that storm system moving in from the west is the striker strip.

We got lucky yesterday, for some reason the match blew out. Today, we won't be as lucky.

Yes, I'd love it (in fact, there's a part of me that's hoping) that this becomes nothing more than a rain/wind/hail event and all the really bad stuff doesn't develop. I don't think that'll happen. No, not everyone is going to see a tornado and in fact not all of us may even get rain much less anything worse, but the risk is so serious (think last April 27th across MS and AL) that the smart thing to do is prepare for the worst to happen.

In addition to staying tuned to your local TV and radio for the latest, here are a few other things you can do to stay informed about this potentially dangerous life threatening situation.

You can, of course, follow my facebook and twitter (@ace38) pages. I'm pumping weather info there as soon as I get it. Also on FB or twitter you can follow your local meteorologist (I use Michael Seger from Fox 23) or @breakingstorm. Another tip is to have updates from one or all of these sources sent as text messages to your phone. This will help you stay informed should the power go out.

Download news/weather apps to your smartphone from your respective stores. Downloading a weather alert radio app would also be a smart idea in case you should doze off.

I use the following websites as part of a multi-pronged attack. Finding a live stream from 100 miles away to know whats moving in your direction can give you a sometimes critical amount of lead time.

www.news9.com (OKC sister station of Tulsa channel 6, have great streaming coverage)

www.spc.noaa.gov (Severe Storms Prediction Center, where all watches are issued from)

www.newson6.com (KOTV channel 6 in Tulsa, also outstanding streaming coverage)

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/view/states.php?state=ok&map=on (NWS site for OK)

Make sure your cell phones are fully charged and your radio/flashlight batteries are new.

MOST IMPORTANTLY: STAY CALM

Updates on 2012's Top Choices

All dates are tentative and could change. Check your local listings first. My "must see" are in bold.

The Divide - A-

Chronicle - B

Gone - Pushed to a DVD viewing

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters - (Moved to Jan. 2013)

Silent House (limited) - In and out so fast I missed it.

The Hunger Games - B-

American Reunion - Review coming in the next 72 hours.

The Three Stooges - APR. 13

The Avengers - MAY 4

Men in Black III - MAY 25

Prometheus - JUN. 8

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - JUN. 22

The Dark Knight Rises - JUL. 20

Warm Bodies - AUG. 10

The Expendables 2 - AUG. 17

Resident Evil: Retribution - SEPT. 14

Finding Nemo 3D - SEPT. 14

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - DEC. 14

World War Z - Moved to June 21, 2013

Movie Review: "The Hunger Games"

The Hunger Games: 2012. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth. Rated PG-13. Running time 142 minutes. Directed by Gary Ross.

Adapted from a very popular series of teen books, The Hunger Games tells the story of young Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence), scrounging out an existence for her impoverished family in Panem's District 12. This year, however, is different as Katniss' sister Primrose (Willow Shields) has her first turn in the selections for the Romanesque Hunger Games, in which a boy and girl between 12 and 18 from each district are chosen to fight to the death.

Naturally, Primrose is selected and Katniss volunteers to take her sisters place. Paired up with Peeta (Hutcherson), a boy who once fed her when she was starving, Katniss fights for not only her life but her morality in this contest of Governmental tyranny against the common man.

Honestly, for a major blockbuster that Lionsgate is hoping to turn into a tentpole franchise, there isnt much story or plot here. Character development is weak and focused mainly on Katniss, leaving little to no identification with characters from other districts. Even the designated heartstring puller Rue is nothing more than a young child who dies, giving our heroine the cult status she needs to become more than just a tribute.

Direction is good, the performances are whats needed to propel this minimal storyline along, special effects are convincing and realistic.

Overall, The Hunger Games is geared to work on one level only, the bare minimum. Which, thankfully, is one level higher than Lionsgate's previous franchise, Twilight, worked on.

B-

Playing catch up...

Yeah, I'm behind..I know. Expect reviews of The Hunger Games and American Reunion by this weekend. Expect reviews for Slacker and God Bless America by this time next week. We'll also have a same day review of The Avengers on May 4th.

Summer's close!

Mini Review: "The Divide"

As NYC is racked by the detonation of several atomic bombs, a group of people seek shelter in their aparment's basement. As their rescuers weld them into the basement, fear and paranoia take over as supplies dwindle.

A brutal film, good to see once, but not one to watch again and again.

A-

Editors note: The Divide comes out April 20.

Mini Review: "4:44 Last Day on Earth"

A day in the life of two people on the last day of the world. Nothing but a shameless pandering to Al Gore's "global warming" theory (even mentioning him by name several times).

Trash

F

Editors note: 4:44 comes out June 14, 2012

Another non-film post: Trayvon Martin

A couple short weeks ago, Joseph Kony was the trendy outrage in the country. Today, after being unknown for a month, its Trayvon Martin.

Without question, there are facts in this case which all sides can agree on: This young man was walking to his father's fiancee's home. During that walk, he was noticed by a member of an alleged neighborhood watch (Zimmerman) who deemed Martin suspicious and proceeded to notify police. In spite of being instructed not to persue Martin, Zimmerman followed anyway and later 911 calls from residents report "sounds of a struggle, yells for help" and finally "sounds of gunshots". When it was all over, Martin was dead and Zimmerman was released by authorities.

Race pimp Al Sharpton got word of this and immediately declared it an act of racism, and then the circus began, leading to demands that Zimmerman be arrested and that justice be done.

First off, Sharpton is well known for fanning the flames of racial issues (tawana brawley, freddies fashion mart) for nothing more than adding to his own fame and insuring his pockets stay lined, so ANYTHING he's involved with should IMMEDIATELY be taken under speculation.

Do I think Zimmerman is racist? No. Do I think Zimmerman acted stupidly and perhaps with a bit of appearance induced bigotry? Yes. Do I think he murdered Martin? Jury's still out on that. I think he at least committed manslaughter with the facts we currently have at hand, but as more and more come out, if you honestly seek justice, you have to stop and take a closer look.

Reports are coming out that in spite of the photos shoved down our throats of an cherubic 12 year old, his more current pictures shown on his facebook page (which I am unable to find) show a young man more in line with current trends in ethnic dress. Did he deserve to die over that? Certainly not, but it would add some insight as to why he was deemed "suspicious" in Zimmerman's mind.

Remember folks, its up to the prosecution to prove it's case, and like it or not I'm showing you what would likely be a defense argument here. I'm further showing you points that will lead to the big problem in this "outrage" down the line that I'll illustrate at the end of this article.

While, in my opinion, Zimmerman gave up his "stand your ground" rights when he ignored the instructions of the 911 operator; would they then go back into effect once the alleged assault took place by Martin? Zimmerman claims he was punched by Martin and then had his head smashed into the concrete. Was that the "sounds of struggle" reported by others to 911? Were Zimmerman's cries for help (as he says) the ones reported by callers? Did Zimmerman manage to break free of this assault and defend himself using deadly force? Is it possible the police aren't sure either and THAT's why he was released that night?

Simply following someone, while irritating, isn't illegal....IF you are a member of a valid and recognized neighborhood watch program. There's questions surrounding whether or not Zimmerman was, or if he's just an asshat with an inflated sense of self importance.

Has anyone asked this question? While theres no doubt Zimmerman legally owned his firearm, was he legally licensed to carry it? He can shoot all the intruders he wants in his home, but to put that gun in his pocket and carry it down the street loaded requires a special permit. Did he have that?

All this brings us to the heart of the matter. While little children scream, shout and protest...adults have to look at facts to deal with problems. There are a great many questions still to be answered in this case, and the law is a cruel bitch. If my idea of changing the Constitution to read "guilty until proven innocent" was in effect, Zimmerman would easily be able to be arrested under manslaughter statutes, however since its up to the prosecution to prove their side first, thats why Zimmerman walks free.

And since the children have whipped this up into a racial frenzy, if when the adults look at the facts and evidence and it shows at best a manslaughter charge and at worst no charge at all, will that "justice" satisfy them?

Or is the only acceptable "justice" that of the mob?

Non Film Post: Rush Limbaugh

When I first discovered Rush Limbaugh, it was before even his first book had been published and I was listening to severe weather coverage on KRMG radio here in Tulsa. I loved the dead-on political commentary and especially the sense of humor it was told with. Lately, Rush has lost that sense of humor that made him so appealing, and has really just started to become bitter, so I can't say as how I listen all that much.

Being a news junkie, however, I am all too well aware of the mess Mr. Limbaugh has found himself in lately. It's not for why you think though folks.

Rush committed a huge mistake...not cause he called a democratic political operative a "slut", in fact I think most of us would be hard pressed to have not thought the same of a woman who claims to need in excess of $3000 a year in birth control (due to my lack of physical attractiveness in addition to my obviously bad attitude, I havent had to purchase condoms in almost 5 years, but I remember them being less than $10 for a box containing I believe 8-10), but rather for falling for what was an obvious plant.

See, when funding cuts for Planned Parenthood (a private organization I might add) are discussed, the left goes loopy with the same argument everytime. "WHERE WILL THESE POOR OPPRESSED WOMEN GET THEIR ALL IMPORTANT BIRTH CONTROL IF YOU EVIL REPUBLICANS DO THIS???" So funding stays the same or increases and women of all socio-economic groups are able to get their birth control at discounted rates or even free.

So....why do we need yet another big government scheme to force employers to pay for this? I know what youre saying "well, why shouldn't women get theirs paid for, men can get viagra on their insurance"....yup...and thats pretty damn stupid too. However, I believe this to be the difference: erectile dysfunction is considered a medical condition, while taking the pill is considered an option. Yes ladies, I'm well aware many of you need the pill for cramp relief during your menstrual cycle but if I recall correctly, that was covered under my policy for my ex wife.

Basically what it boils down to is if you can't afford Walgreen's, theres Planned Parenthood, along with several other low-income options. You'll get your birth control...thats not what this is really about.

I once asked a liberal friend of mine why, when you have CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, NPR, practically every hollywood celebrity, and almost every newspaper in the country trumpeting your political leanings...why are you so scared of Fox News?

His answer: "Because so many people believe their crap". And thats when it hit me, its not that so many people "believe" what Fox News has to say, its that so many people REJECT what your side is feeding them. Rosie O'Donnell was a beloved talk show host once, but once she showed her true colors and began spewing her hateful 9/11 bile, she was (and still is) roundly rejected by the public.

And that gets us into the heart of the Limbaugh matter: This fake, orchestrated outrage coming from the left. It's perfectly fine when million dollar man (and epic scumbag) bill maher calls the Palins sluts, or when george soros backed media clowns on MSNBC refer to Michelle Malkin as such, because theyre Republicans, and therefore not worthy of such defense as NOW routinely provides democrats who are "wronged" in such a matter.

Futhermore, Limbaugh's sponsors are under attack by not their truly outraged customers, but orchestrated operatives simply trying to silence Rush. And that's the issue the left has, that everyone else sees. They only want to defend speech that agrees with theirs, only that which they agree with is worthy of free speech protection.

In other words...its not about truth, its about CONTROL. We know best, we can run your life better than you can. In fact, youre not even worthy of listening to. Thats why we forced obamacare down your throat even though overwhelmingly you didnt want it. It's about more government CONTROL over your life. They know best, you're just too stupid to see it.

It's not about birth control folks, it's really not. It's a tried and true method of making and keeping you slaves. A great Republican once outlawed slavery, great Republicans led the charge against it while democrats in the south (including al gore's father) fought to keep it. Well, they found a way to keep you slaves...by making you think they wanted to fight for you and by demonizing those who wanted to keep you free.

Do the research, you'll see the Ace is right.

2 Spring Break mini reviews!

Beyond the Black Rainbow: A very cool classic looking trailer leads into a dull and depressing film. F

The Woman in Black: Nothing says fear like Harry Potter looking through stack after stack of paper. F

Mini Review: "Young Adult"

Jason Reitman scores big on his second trip into diablo cody-ville, and Charlize Theron gives her tour de force performance as the woman stuck in her high school life and just refuses to get out.

A

Mini Review: "The Muppets"

After a tedious start, the film gets going once the telethon begins, and suddenly you're a child again.

B

Oscars Winners

As always, my picks will be in bold.

Best Cinematography: Hugo (2011/II): Robert Richardson

Best Art Direction: Hugo (2011/II): Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo

Best Costume Design: The Artist (2011): Mark Bridges

Best Makeup: The Iron Lady (2011)

Best Foreign Language Film: A Separation (2011): Asghar Farhadi(Iran)

Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer for The Help (2011)

Best Editing: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011): Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter

Best Sound Editing: Hugo (2011/II)

Best Sound Mixing: Hugo (2011/II)

Best Documentary Feature: Undefeated (2011)

Best Animated Feature: Rango (2011)

Best Visual Effects: Hugo (2011/II)

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer for Beginners (2010)

Best Original Score: The Artist (2011): Ludovic Bource

Best Original Song: The Muppets (2011): Bret McKenzie("Man or Muppet")

Best Adapted Screenplay: The Descendants (2011): Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash

Best Original Screenplay: Midnight in Paris (2011): Woody Allen

Best Live Action Short Film: The Shore: Terry George

Best Short Subject Documentary: Saving Face (2011/II)

Best Animated Short: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (2011): William Joyce, Brandon Oldenburg

Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist (2011)

Best Actor: Jean Dujardin for The Artist (2011)

Best Actress: Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady (2011)

Best Picture: The Artist (2011)