Reviews You Can Use

2013 Merrel "World Travelers"...

aqmstaffo@mailbag.com (Daniel A. Stafford) — Fri, 8 Nov 2019 16:35:00 -0600

2013 Merrel "World Travelers"...

Bought new in 2013, two pair, $200.00.

First pair resoled with Vibram soles one year in for $60.00. Polished bi-monthly (30-40 minutes buffing) and buffed for 2 minutes daily in between. Minor repairs at 5 years in.

Second pair pictured below after 30 minutes with polish and buffing cloth after one year of wear, not quite ready for a resole. The Vibram soles are in the box (another$50.00 & probly $10-20.00 labor), with the previous pair, still in wearable condition as backup.

I expect to get about four-five more years on this pair, so at least 2023. Possibly a couple of years more than that.

The laces are hand-waxed, about $7.00 for two pair, and I get about a year out of a pair, maybe 18 months. I have three pairs on standby and just installed these.

Rough math:

$200.00 shoes

$100.00 soles

$80.00 labor over 12 years

$14.00 shoe laces

-----------

$394.00 plus about 300 hours polishing & buffing.

How many pairs of running shoes do people usually go through in ten years, I wonder. I bet it's around twenty at $100.00 + per pair...

$2000.00 maybe, not counting landfill costs?

10/10

Zombieland: Double Tap

aqmstaffo@mailbag.com (Daniel A. Stafford) — Sun, 20 Oct 2019 21:07:00 -0500

Soooo fun! Very clever, tons of Easter eggs, and a total hoot. 8/10, and if you're an Elvis fan, 9.5/10 .

Forever My Girl...

aqmstaffo@mailbag.com (Daniel A. Stafford) — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 22:22:00 -0600

Forever My Girl...

Beautiful People. Beautiful music. Beautiful child. Plot as formulated as Elvis movie number 30. I enjoyed it immensely, but had to stuff my intellect in a small cigar box to roll with it. Perfect country romance novel on film. The two biggest problems I had with it were the "win back," and for goodness sake, get the leading man some CPR lessons, Y'all!! Bring roses, chocolate, and wine, and leave the real world checked at the ticket booth. 6/10

PS: These new cheap thermal paper / laser printer / receipt paper movie tickets the theaters are printing these days have zero class, and are not suitable for movie review photos. Your theater tickets suck, theater operators!! 0/10 (See my earlier reviews for examples of REAL movie ticket stubs)

Murder On The Orient Express...

aqmstaffo@mailbag.com (Daniel A. Stafford) — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 21:08:00 -0600

Murder On The Orient Express...

Based on the Agatha Christie classic detective novel, this movie is total eye-candy in terms of cinematography and costume. Your eyes wilk feast on the richness of scenery and setting throughout.

The acting is quite good. The only spot I had trouble with believability was with Michelle Pfeiffer playing a grieving mother and grandmother - though her scenes as a man-hunting widow were very well-acted. With a cast like this, it was wonderful that there was such teamwork.

The story moves more slowly than the pacing of modern films, and in that regard it's a throwback to an earlier era, and can seem a bit draggy to modern viewers used to the non-stop action of today's films and "internet time."

All-in-all, it was quite enjoyable.

7/10, and pass the tea.

Dan

Ativa "Domino" 2000 mah power bank

aqmstaffo@mailbag.com (Daniel A. Stafford) — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 03:07:00 -0600

I haven't used it yet for phone charging.

Took a couple of hours to fully charge.

Small and compact.

Charging cable is maybe one foot long.

To turn on/off the flashlight, rapidly double-click the power button.

Charge via the micro-USB port.

Discharge via full-size USB port.

Logan...

aqmstaffo@mailbag.com (Daniel A. Stafford) — Mon, 6 Mar 2017 01:45:00 -0600

Totally awesome. Shocking. Powerful. Tough & tender. 9/10 on the Popcorn-worthy scale.

Star Trek Beyond...

aqmstaffo@mailbag.com (Daniel A. Stafford) — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 01:32:00 -0500

I totally loved it. As my wife said, "They got their interpersonal banter back." To be honest, I think that the new crew has stepped it up to top-notch specifically because this movie not only pay homage to the original cast and crew, but it also memorializes BOTH Leonard Nimoy and Antonin Yelchin, both of whom have worked with this crew in real life. This is not lost on anyone, not Trekkers, Trekkies, or those who made this film. The film has a great plot with a cool twist at the end. Additionally, they were able to recapture the innate sense of goodness, hope, campy humor, and serious social discussion that were a part of the original series, STNG, and the original movies. I haven't loved a Star Trek movie quite this much since they pulled whales out of time and took them into space before putting them back where they belong. 10/10 Oh, the poster? I won a tee shirt in a pre-screening trivia contest by correctly answering "Iowa" to the question "In which State was Captain James Tiberius Kirk born?" Me being me, and the tee shirt being only an XL, not a 2XLT, I traded it for one of the very-limited-edition Carmike Cinemas promo posters tossed into the crowd and caught by a young lady two rows down from us. Of course my lovely wife helped with the negotiations, and everyone went home both happy and thrilled.

Purple Rain...

aqmstaffo@mailbag.com (Daniel A. Stafford) — Mon, 9 May 2016 02:18:00 -0500

Released in 1984, Purple Rain is a time capsule. It haunts for multiple reasons if you are a member of a certain age group, and because Prince is recently gone if not. When I saw it the first time in the 1980's, I saw it on HBO, on the small screen. I remember it being powerful for the musical brilliance and for the emotional intensity even then. It's more so on the big screen. I think we were lucky to have seen this in the theater. The acting is raw and un-trained, the people beautiful and intense. For all that, it will be a few days before the title song stops playing in my mind. The violence and sexuality are stronger and a touch darker than I remember, but nothing by today's standards. In the end, you fall in love with the music all over again, and appreciate the power of the stage performances by both Prince and Morris Day. A glorious tribute to feet moving and the lost glam of beauties with big hair in soft clouds, this definitely gets the musical and nostalgia votes, and I'll take the acting for the small independent thing that this movie was. It's a work of art in a different sense than high drama or anything else that comes your way in recent years. It's hard to believe it was 32 years ago. Excuse me if I feel my feet wanting to move...yeah, dance and music can have a bit of mysticism to them. 9/10

Dan

Gods Of Egypt:

aqmstaffo@mailbag.com (Daniel A. Stafford) — Sun, 28 Feb 2016 23:54:00 -0600

Gods Of Egypt: I'm going to have to start rating multiple categories to capture how this movie hit me. I went in expecting a little bit of campiness / cheesyness, and the film definitely delivered. It also delivered on special effects and cinematography. If you want fun, go see this. If you want seriousness, don't. If you want historical and mythological accuracy , forget it. The scenes were big and awesome, the acting was cheesy and humorous. So here come the categories:
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Mythogeny: (How much did they diverge from mythological accuracy) 7/10
Seriousity: (How seriously can you take this film) 3/10
Cheesity: 7/10
Cinematography: 10/10
CGI/FX: 9/10
Acting: 5/10
Hot Bodity: 7/10
Skin: 4/10
Plot/Story: 5/10
Overall: 6/10

The Lady In The Van

aqmstaffo@mailbag.com (Daniel A. Stafford) — Sun, 21 Feb 2016 00:42:00 -0600

Cantankerous. Odiferous. Odious. Outrageous. Outlandish, tetched, schizoid, obsessive, obtuse, obnoxious, and twitchy. These folk can not possibly be muggles, there is just too much magic. Maggie Smith blows my mind, but so does her male...benefactor, for lack of a better word. This film (Because it's too good to be called a "flick") has the depth and breadth of the ocean in one little driveway. I never expected to laugh where I did, but it happened. I have to be careful of spoilers, but the ending is so O.M.G. that I'm still awed. Forget the marigolds, and hold onto your piano for dear life. If there's not an oscar in one of those bags, it will be a canonizing miracle. 10/10, and it will steal your heart.

Where To Invade Next:

aqmstaffo@mailbag.com (Daniel A. Stafford) — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 00:58:00 -0600

Michael Moore's (despite the title) not-so-military documentary goes around the world looking for things the good ol' USA needs, and plants our flag around the world, both literally and metaphorically. This movie espouses a lot of values Christianity should find familiar if it has read the New Testament. Some of the conclusions will shock you, others will uplift you. I walked out with a profound mix of sadness and hope. Personally I feel it's one of Moore's best films. This film is a must-see, and worth bringing your critical-thinking cap to. 9.5/10

Dead Pool

aqmstaffo@mailbag.com (Daniel A. Stafford) — Sat, 13 Feb 2016 23:44:00 -0600

We laughed all the way through the entire movie, except part of the credits. (Yes, my wife loved it too!) Ryan Reynolds was the best I can ever remember him being in a movie. He is PERFECT for this role. Incredibly-clever wit, incredible cinematography, wonderful special effects, amazing art work. Don't take your kids or your Mom, because this is the sexiest Marvel flick yet. Kind of appropriate for the day before Valentine's day...or the night after! That ticket is right with the adult content, and it's got some hilarious kink. Stay for the credits. WAY better than I expected, and my wife's fave superhero fkick to date. 10/10

How To Make A Bourbon Danhattan

aqmstaffo@mailbag.com (Daniel A. Stafford) — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 22:37:00 -0500

2 oz aged bourbon (Elijah Craig is really good)

2 drops aromatic bitters

1 oz sweet Vermouth

1 oz Cherry Heering (Danish cherry liquer)

4 Old Smokey Moonshine cherries, or two marachino cherries

Enjoy!

Tomorrowland...

aqmstaffo@mailbag.com (Daniel A. Stafford) — Sun, 24 May 2015 23:37:00 -0500

By far the best movie I have seen since the 80's. At least. I can't be too direct here, but there's something in this movie that has been missing almost everywhere in TV and Cinema for a very, very long time. I strongly urge everyone to see it. I love the acting, I love the sci-fi, the romance, and the wolves. If a rocket pack and anti-gravity can't lift you up, maybe a little boy-and-girl love story can. The visuals are fantastic, and I love the acting too. Go. See.

100/10...

Compassion is the greatest sign of Humanity.

The Age of Adaline (2015) - IMDb

aqmstaffo@mailbag.com (Daniel A. Stafford) — Sat, 25 Apr 2015 00:11:00 -0500

http://m.imdb.com/title/tt1655441/

A sweet romance with some interesting sci-fi twist, sprinkled lightly. The sci-fi is based on some quite factual science research on aging, so it's not so long a stretch for those who follow such things. In some of the party scenes, Adeline (Blake Lively) reminds me visually of a young Lauren Bacall. There are some really cool scenes both visually and romantically in the non-amorous sense of romance as well...but dont mistake me, the amorous part is present too. A pleasant film that I really enjoyed. 8/10

Dan

Leonard Nimoy Dead at 83 - The Daily Beast

aqmstaffo@mailbag.com (Daniel A. Stafford) — Fri, 27 Feb 2015 13:51:00 -0600

http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2015/02/27/leonard-nimoy-dead-at-83.html?source=TDB&via=FB_Page

Leonard Nimoy, I will remember you all my life. _\\//

Dan

Havana Kitchen of Temecula. CA

aqmstaffo@mailbag.com (Daniel A. Stafford) — Sat, 21 Feb 2015 17:44:00 -0600

We tried Havana Kitchen just off Old Town Front Street (a couple of doors uphill from the Palomar Hotel) in Temecula this afternoon. The restaurant features authentic Cuban cuisine.

The tables aren't very comfortable, but the food and red sangria are to die for! OMG! I had the roasted pork didh, which comes with rice, black beans, and sweet fried plantains. The sauce on the pork is simple sautéed sweet onions and garlic.

I was in Heaven.

My wife had the Cubano sandwich, which is ham, mayo, mustard, and swiss cheese. Perfection.

The sangria is fantastic.

We walked out thoroughly pleased.

9.5/10

Los Molcajetes Tomales Of Wildomar, California...

aqmstaffo@mailbag.com (Daniel A. Stafford) — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 18:02:00 -0600

I loved this place from the minute I saw it passing by on the way to Ortega Highway as I was cutting through the mountains between Temecula and Orange county. The place was jumping off the street at me, and I've been wanting to stop there for months. Today was the day.

Molcajetes is independent, not even a web site or email, but that's fine with me. They have a full menu, not just tamales, but when it says "tamales" on the side of the building, you can bet that's what they're known for!

There is a small seating àrea inside, but I was in a hurry and had to take my tamales to go. I tried three kinds.

The pork and chicken tamales were generous of size and perfectly-made, a wonderful treat and I would recommend Molcajetes for that alone.

That said, OMG THE PINAPPLE-COCONUT TAMALES ARE AMAZING!!!

I have never had anything like this dessert tamale, and it is spectacularly wonderful! A little larger than the generous dinner tamales, they are ample. The texture is different, a little more like cornbread cake than the teaditional "fried polenta" texture of dinner tomales. I suspect that has to do with the coconut in them. The coconut must be ground, not shredded. It doesn't get between your teeth, which I hate. The flavor was a subtly-sweet and gentle blend of corn, coconut, and pineapple that is warm and wonderful and melts in your mouth. You have to taste it to believe it!!

The restaurant was staffed by a pleasant 30-something couple that I think are the owners. I will definitely be back to find out!

Go, and pray that they always have these wonders of the pineapple dish kingdom!

I am in love.

Dan

Jupiter Ascending...

aqmstaffo@mailbag.com (Daniel A. Stafford) — Fri, 6 Feb 2015 00:14:00 -0600

Jupiter Ascending:

S-P-A-C-E S-O-A-P!!! *With giant echo effect* EPIC battle scenes. Intergalactic court intrigue. Murderous reptiloids. Murderous skitchy little grey aliens. Heavy dialogue. Heavier dialogue. Heavier yet breathing. Flowing space gowns and crowns over glowing stars and planets. Sly little cameos. An intergalactic antique Rube-Goldberg penny-smusher. Lots and lots of cool space ships. Drama heavier than Jupiter's gravity. Antigravity ice skates. Did I mention the epic battle scenes? Did someone smush The Last Starfighter, Back To The Future, the 90's Star Wars prequels, Black Hole, and the 80's Flash Gordon flicks all together in a rotating black hole and then do bong hits with the evaporating Hawking radiation? This was so Nebula-tastic that my ray gun almost went spastic. 5.1915/10 - but fun as all get-out-of-the-gravity-well if you're a space-scene junkie like me. You can't take it serious, but you should definitely take it with popcorn...lots and lots of corn.

Dan

Imitation Game...

aqmstaffo@mailbag.com (Daniel A. Stafford) — Thu, 5 Feb 2015 00:42:00 -0600

Imitation Game:

Loved it. Cool old electronics, mind-bending intrigue in a way, phenomenal acting from the two leads, (especially Benedict) and a great story. Very glad we went. 9/10 & pass the popcorn.

Dan

Boxtrolls...

aqmstaffo@mailbag.com (Daniel A. Stafford) — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 17:22:00 -0500

I loved this movie! The artwork is right up my alley. Some of the subject matter should be kept at least pre-teen and above, but the art and heart are adorable. 9/10

Pass the popcorn.

Dan

Jersey Boys...

aqmstaffo@mailbag.com (Daniel A. Stafford) — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 18:49:00 -0500

Great classic music, great classic gals, great classic cars, good ol' neighborhood boys, and Christopher Walken doing a perfect job of supporting actor without stealing it, capiche??

I thoroughly enjoyed the music and the story and the flashback. Everyone in it did a great job acting. You know where it's going to go, of course, but kick back, turn the volume up, and joyride it, baby. 8.5/10

Dan

Double Header: Chef and The Lunchbox

aqmstaffo@mailbag.com (Daniel A. Stafford) — Mon, 2 Jun 2014 12:05:00 -0500

It was a foodie day that almost got off on the wrong foot, which is highly synchronistic with both of these films. In fact, there were several synchronicities running through the day, which I'll mention after my ratings.

First, we had breakfast at Maxfield's, a local Greek family-style restaurant in Lombard, IL. I had a Greek salad, which was good and healthy. However, typically in these type of restaurants, you have to tell them NOT to put anchovies on the salad if you don't want them. (Note to Greek restaurants: train your wait staff to ask about the anchovies. Otherwise we love you.) HERE, however, you have to tell them TO put the anchovies on. As if that's not already singing the latest restaurant hit, "Corners Where I Cut, Corners Where I Bleed," I happened to specifically ask them TO put the anchovies on. It has taken me years to get used to fishy and salty at the same time, and I'm trying hard to eat healthy and tame the waist. They forgot the anchovies. Turn up the volume on your tear-jerker much? I had to wait to eat my salad because I still need to eat the anchovies with other strong flavors like cucumber or bell pepper. On top of that, my wife thought her egg breakfast was so blah, she only ate a quarter of it. Beautifully remodeled, Maxfield's, but I know you're capable of a better game than that. We'll give you a little time to step it up before we come back. Rating: 4/10

After saying so long to our Sunday morning brunch buds Jim & Bill, we rode over to Glen Ellyn and killed an hour at Starbucks waiting to see Chef, our first flick of the day. I killed most of it in line to order and then to get our drinks, just because they were insanely busy, but Saren got some reading in.

Downtown Glen Ellyn is as pretty an old downtown as you could ever want to see, and it was sunny and 89 degrees, so it felt like a beautiful Summer day.

The Glen Art Theater is an old Vaudeville theatre chopped up into four movie screens in the oddest way. It is dark, and in one of the current theaters there are a couple of seats for nappers, because you can only see half the screen. In another, there is a long, narrow hall that you must walk through in order to enter that has a floor closely related to that place with the gravity anomaly, leaving you in a constant state of rolling tilt until you arrive. The seats are old enough that there are no cupholders. You avoid sitting near the walls because the cloth covering them is so old, you fear it might disintegrate in a puff of choking dust if you touch it. However, they got a grant to upgrade their equipment to the latest digital tech, they sell their used marquee posters reasonably, they have great popcorn, and they get the best art films around. The place is like a musty old treasure that you love and treat gently, and their ticket prices are very reasonable.

Chef: I loved this flick. It's about a dad who was an up-and-coming young chef in his early days, but is under serious stress in his relationships, from his son and ex-wife to his boss and the food critic who originally endorsed him. It is also a lesson in why you should understand social media before using it, and why businesses and organizations must. Clearly his kitchen staff love him, but the atmosphere is explosive. However, what I adore about this movie, aside from all the heart, love, beautiful, beautiful scenery, amazing food, joyriding, and awesome food porn, is that not. a. single. incidence. of. gunpowder. was. used. Not a bullet, not a bomb. It was actually a great story. (Another synchronicity for the day) There were a lot of big names in this, and touches of great music. The big names did teamwork well, instead of stumbling over each other. Rating: 10/10

Lunch at Made In Italy Trattoria: We came in right after they opened (4-10pm, they are a dinner restaurant) and the place has the look and feel of a traditional small Italian restaurant done upscale. The manager (owner?) waited on us personally, (which was synchronistic with a scene in the above film but better) and was very attentive and helpful. Small yhings everywhere reminded me of my Italian grandparents' home, but it would be unfair of me to compare any restaurant food to the golden memory of Noni's cooking. The salami and prosciutto hanging above gave ne a positive flashback to be sure. The food was delicious and so was the chianti and gelato. It wasn't a food-truck cubano, but it was damn good food. I had eggplant lasagne and a side of Italian sausage in marinara, Saren had tilapia limone. The prices were Western suburbs dinner prices, so not cheap, but not on the high end of that scale, maybe three-quarters of the way up. Rating: 9/10 and definitely worth going.

The Lunchbox: Number one, I want one of those lunchboxes!! They are cool!

The traffic and the lunchbox system in India are both impressive. The technology and infrastructure not so much, but are interesting to see. In wonderful synchronicity with Chef, this Baliwood flick dealt with aging with grace and dignity vs. not, the value of human relationships and connection in life, fidelity and its lack, and the stresses of career and loneliness. It is beautifully-done, and takes its subjects seriously. Though there are humorous and odd moments, it is not a comedy and most definitely not clumsy. In fact, it is extremely agile. The lack of explosive violence and inclusion of well-told and substantive storyline are also synchronistic with the first film, and the home-cooked Indian food looked really good on the stove. Both films are beautifully shot and visually rich, and this one has the novelty of another culture added. This is a high-quality film as good as anything out of Hollywood in the genre. Go. See. Enjoy. Rating: 10/10

It wound up a gourmet-delicious kind of day.

Dan

These Inflatable Godzilla Costumes Are Both Brilliant And Terrifying

aqmstaffo@mailbag.com (Daniel A. Stafford) — Wed, 28 May 2014 00:01:00 -0500

http://io9.com/these-inflatable-godzilla-costumes-are-both-brilliant-a-1582261586

Looks fun! - Dan

Godzilla

aqmstaffo@mailbag.com (Daniel A. Stafford) — Sat, 17 May 2014 22:42:00 -0500

Oh, no, there goes...San Francisco?? Honolulu? Some Japanese city I've never heard of? THESE monsters are real globe-trotters! NOWHERE is safe!

This film does a wonderful job of keeping the look and feel of the original monster movies like Godzilla, Mothra, etcetera, while adding color and modern effects. It was downright FUN, and even my wife loved it.

I thoroughly enjoyed the retro opening scenes, and thought that the fringe- science theories the "professor" type characters espoused reflected just enough modern scientific understanding to keep the corniness in proper balance.

Acting: great, but the "deer-in-headlights" expression looked like a contagious facial expression. Almost every actor in every scene was wearing it at some point. They must have had a group session practicing that look!

The little kids in the movie were perfect. Of course, the drama factor was high, and the military looked helpless as was obligatory, but the planes, ships, tanks, helicopters, etc looked real instead of like the toys from the classic films.

In all, the film respects the tradition of the franchise, and was a delight for me as a fan of the originals.

We saw it in 3D, and parts of it were worth it.

Go. Take popcorn. If you are a Godzilla fan, enjoy! This is a treat.

9/10 because I love Godzilla movies, and this IS one. Hats off to the director.

PS: Hiding behind cars, soldier boys? Really? That part was laughable...but the flick left me with a big popcorn grin.

Dan