Sunday, August 19, 2007

DEJA VU (2006)

This seems familiar . . . .
Actually, Deja Vu was nothing like what I was expecting. At the time this came out in the theater, I was watching a show on ABC called Day Break in which a cop lived the same day over and over again. This action drama was reminiscent of one of my all time favorite movies, Ground Hog Day, a comedy in which a weatherman lives the same day over and over again.

An ATF agent has to solve a terrorist bombing of a ferry in New Orleans. He is approached by the FBI agent to join a new program. He soon realizes that they have tapped into the past, a direct link four and half days ago.

He eventually volunteers to go into the past and saves the day.

I thought this movie was really good, full of action, explosions and shootings.

SPIDER-MAN 3 (2007)

The third installment in the Spider-Man series holds up to the fanfare of the franchise. Toby Maguire is Spider-Man. Kirsten Dunst is also great as MJ, Peter/Spider-Man's girlfriend.

Spider-Man 3 is action packed from start to finish. This time an alien lifeform latches onto Spider-Man and changes his personality. I would equate this to Superman being on red kriptonite. After Spider-Man gets the alien out of him, a rival co-worker in infected and he teams up with the Sandman. The Sandman just happens to be the one who killed Peter's Uncle in the original Spider-Man. As if Spider-Man doesn't have enough to worry about, his best friend and son of the Green Goblin is out to seek revenge for his father's death.

A superb movie that is just as satisfying as the first!

Finding The Best Burger

You may have noticed that I'm on a burger kick lately. There's nothing like siting down to a good burger and fries to make you feel good.

After a co-worker heard that I had eaten at Simply Burgers, he suggested that I try Charlie's, so I did.

CHARLIE'S HAMBURGER GRILL

Depending on what you're looking for, you could do worse than Charlie's. The staff is very friendly and they have a large, kid friendly menu. Only the kid's menu include fries and a drink, adults must order ala carte.

Jenny had the french dip while I enjoyed the Bob Burger. Mine came with green chile's, pepper jack cheese and lettuce and tomato. The meat was well seasoned and the burger over all was very delicious. We also ordered a side of fries and fried okra, neither of which was very appetizing, but did include a side of ranch to help with the bland taste.


DUTCH'S

Dutch's is a quaint little place near a college campus. There's not much in the way of decoration and there's not really any wait staff.

When I walked in, the first thing I saw was the bar. It's a nice polished wood one with chrome barstools. I soon found out that I needed to place my order at the rear of the establishment. An older gentleman standing in line next to me told me to try the onion rings. I ended up with the hickory bbq & bacon burger with a side of onion rings. (Add onion rings or fries to anything for $2.00). After I placed my order, I was told to sit anywhere and they'd call my name. When I sauntered up to the bar, I met an ugly pug. No there wasn't a dog there, Ugly Pug, I found out, is a local beer, brewed right here in town.

When my order arrived, I first noticed the bun. Not a traditional bun, more like the kind of bread you'd find on a slider. Come to find out, their bread is made at a bakery in Houston but it's their recipe. The burger was fabulous! Great flavor, bbq next to the meat and the cheese melted on top. Awesome! The onion rings were think cut and hand breaded and the dark lager beer was a perfect companion.

The owner's of Dutch's used to work together at the Reata, so even without my testimony, you know it's good.


PAPPA'S BURGER

Part of the Pappa's family chain, Pappa's Burger is at the top of my list for best burgers.

When you enter, the menu is posted on the wall and you place your order and get your own drink then find a place to sit. There are several different type areas to sit in. In the center of the restaurant are tables, towards the side are large booths, to the extreme left is a round bar area with tv's and to the extreme right is a lunch counter where all the action is happening. I chose to sit at the lunch counter area.

A server came over and took my ticket to turn in to be cooked. I ordered the hickory cheddar bacon burger which comes with fries. When my order arrived I was surprised to see how dense the burger was. The flavor was smoky and delicious. It took concentration to consume the entire burger, but the task was accomplished. The fries, though, were sub par. Although the quantity was substantial, they were clumped together with the ones on the outside being crispy and the ones inside soggy. The ice tea was acceptable and the staff was very friendly.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

FIREHOUSE DOG (2007)

Rexxx is a canine movie star with such hits as Fast And The Furriest. During a stunt on his current picture a mishap gets him lost and adopted by a local firehouse. Dewey, his movie character name, becomes a Firehouse Dog hero.

This funny, family movie is good. It's touching and has a good plot. Kudos to the makers.

SIMPLY BURGERS

We tried another burger joint. Simply Burgers in Mansfield is just that, burgers. They seemed to have it down to a science.

Our burgers were flavorful and well built. I ordered the avocado burger which was loaded with lettuce, tomato, gilled onions, my choice of swiss cheese and homemade avocado. Simply heaven. Jenny had the mushroom and swiss burger which also included grilled onions, lettuce and tomato. On the side were chili cheese tots and sweet potato fries. The buns were delicious wheat rolls instead of standard hamburger buns.

We can hardly wait to go back for more! (I was unable to find a website for this location.)


Monday, August 13, 2007

TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY (2006)

Ricky Bobby's father was a race car driver, so it only made sense for him to get into racing. He becomes the Nascar champ, and life is good. He's on top of the world, lots of cars, big house, trophy wife and his best friend is the number 2 driver.

When a formula one driver switches to Nascar, Ricky Bobby wrecks bad and loses his edge. His best friend takes his wife and everything else and he takes his kids back to mom's house.

His dad reappears and teaches him how to get his edge back and viola! life is good again.

Talladega Nights is a sappy movie, but good for a few laughs. Will Ferrell plays this role as expected.

UNDERDOG (2007)

A fired police dog, down on his luck, is dog napped by a crazy assistant to a mad scientist. After an accident in the lab, our hero is exposed to a multitude of chemicals and gets lots of powers. Now he is stronger, can run fast, can fly and can even speak to humans.

Underdog was a cute movie and the special effects were well done. However, I found that the movie dragged on a bit and frankly I had a hard time staying awake, even tho we were at the matinée.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

RENDON'S GENERAL STORE

Jenny and I met for lunch at the newest burger joint near our house. It's called Rendon's General Store but it's just a burger place.

The parking lot is small, but the inside is much bigger than expected. They have a lot of nice decorations, including a huge bear rug draped over a would be fireplace.

The menu is basic, burgers, sandwiches, etc., however, there's no combo choices. Everything must be ordered ala carte. This is the best way to run up a bill.

Secondly, they only take cash. Not very consumer friendly.

Last, the food was sub par. Maybe because their grill is new and not greasy from years of use, but our burgers were bland.

The staff could be more friendly, as well.

THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM (2007)

Jason Bourne is back in The Bourne Ultimatum, the third installment of this action packed series.

Jason finally discovers the truth about his identity as he pursues and is pursued all over the world. He finally ends up in New York and comes face to face with his past.

This high budget sequel delivers the goods and even takes a stab at post 9/11 politics and our corrupt government.

This movie is just as good as the second, but not as good as the first in that there is no mystery to Bourne's mission.

Monday, August 6, 2007

CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND (2002)

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is about the life of Chuck Barris, the creator and host of The Gong Show.

Based on his book, it covers how he got into show business and such. It also says that he was a CIA operative . . . Yeah, believe it or not.

The movie as a whole, was very interesting and quite good. The believability factor was 50/50. The Hollywood stuff was believable, the CIA stuff was not.

Directed by George Clooney, it had several big names in it and won 6 awards with an additional 5 nominations.