Sweeney Todd is Coming.....

I'm definitely looking forward to this one. Johnny Depp is a great actor, and he's been in a lot of movies that I really like. Two that stand out for me right now are The Secret Window and Pirates of the Carribean.

In The Secret Window, Johnny Depp plays an author who has just been recently separated from his wife. He moves away to a remote lake house, where a strange man begins stalking him and accusing him of plagiarism. Unable to find a copy of his book in the time allotted, Depp's character, Mort, tries to figure out what is happening to him, and the reasoning behind all the strange occurrances.

Pirates of the Carribean featured Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, the captain of the Black Pearl, and leader of a rowdy gang of pirates... somewhat. On a continual quest for treasure, Sparrow encounters some problems with his crew, and ends up recruiting young Will Turner to help him take back his ship and get his treasure. Sparrow is one of my favorite Johnny Depp characters of all time, he just plays the character so well!

If I had to pick between the two, I'd have to say that Pirates of the Carribean was the better Johnny Depp film. However, I love the quirks that Depp brings to all of his characters, and for some reason the ladies can't seem to get enough of him. His new movie, Sweeney Todd looks excellent, and I know that I want to see it. They've even set up a MySpace page! You can visit Sweeney Todd on Myspace to find out more about the movie!

Govisit the official Sweeney Todd movie site!

Movies This Weekend!

Alright, I know I'm not perfect, but there was no excuse to miss last week's post! I don't even remember what happened, but I know that I didn't get it out. I'm sorry folks. I wish that I were a better blogger. However, hopefully you will forgive me, and continue to read on about the movies that are going to be shown this weekend!

Here we go.... what's this... ONE MOVIE????? GASP. :-(. Promise me you will still go to the movies. Right...? You will???! Yay!!!! :-).

Awake - From the Weinstein Co, Jessica Alba and Hayden Christiansen star in a psychological thriller about "anesthetic awareness". A phenomenon in which the patient is fully awake during anesthesia but paralyzed so that they cannot move, Christiansen's character faces this, while his new bride (Alba) must struggle with her own demons as a terrifying drama envelopes them.

How I think it will do - Well.. it has Jessica Alba, so that will help. However, with this "wide" release that is not coming to every theatre, the gross will most certainly be less than spectacular. Look for one of the remaining films to continue at the top, while Awake should break into the top 5. I'd like to see it, but I'm pretty confident this one won't be a blockbuster.




More Movies! Limited Releases!!!

The Rage
Protagonist
The Savages
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Teeth
The Rocket
Oswald's Ghost
Badland
Aaja Nachle
Sex and Breakfast
Undoing
Buddha's Lost Children
The Sasquatch Gang
Mama's Boy
Divine Intervention
Chronicle of an Escape

Well, I suppose if you can't find a wide release you want to see, you can go check out your local indie theatre or megaplex to catch one of these fine offerings. Of course when I say "fine offerings", take that with a grain of salt because I haven't seen any of these. You can find write ups of these over at Rotten Tomatoes, or IMDB.

I've got to take a bit of time and catch up on my other blogs, but I'm glad that you've continued to read while I've been away... I've got to catch up on yours too!

Play Some Games!

Man, I wish I could have a tiger walk up to me and give me some money like my buddy here on the left. Having extra money is always good right? Well, over at Backgammon Masters, they're giving you a way to play blackjack and earn some real money online!

This site has really taken off lately, and it looks pretty sweet. They've recently launched their live customer support as well, mainly as a result of the influx of traffic. If you're having an issue, you can click a button and get connected to an operator who will try to help you!

Why has their site become so popular? Well, because its available in 12 different languages, and they've started to launch new games! With the added popularity, they need more support for their customers.

This service is currently only available in English, but it should spread over to all the supported languages over at Backgammon Masters soon.

So, if you're bored, and looking for a way to try to make a bit of money online, you can try playing blackjack over at Backgammon Masters. They've got other games too, like Poker and Backgammon, of course. Go check out their site for more info!

This is a sponsored post.

Sorry, Your Writer was on Strike

Well, not really. It was more of a hiatus. With the holidays and everything, I've just been so darn busy, and I didn't have it in me to pull a couple of 4 hr sleep nights just to post. I wish I could've been stronger, but I wasn't. Thanks for everyone who stopped by to check on me. (Zero.) :-P. A lot of stuff has happened, and I'll do my best to provide updates on blogs where they need it.

As you might have checked over at Joe Likes It, Black Friday recently passed, and I for one did not take part in the festivities. I had something else in mind, and was on my way to New York City. I hope that some of you did check out the deals that were being offered, and saved yourself some good dinero! If not, go get something from Joe Likes it... now! Just kidding. Now spend it at the movies! You know you deserve a good movie now.... if you can find one to watch. Might I suggest Enchanted for you disney movie fans out there? Or there is the holiday surprise This Christmas, which I myself will be heading out to see this weekend. Everyone needs a feel good movie. There's not coming up this week, but I'll be sure to post about that tomorrow. I know I missed last week's.

Well, I mentioned that I was heading over to New York City. Well, besides spending a good amount of quality time with my girlfriend, I was there for the Red Hot Hockey Classic at Madison Square Garden! For those of you who don't know (and I'm sure there are plenty of you out there), this matchup featured my Boston University Terriers against the Cornell Big Red. Needless to say, there was a lot of Red and White at the world's most Famous Arena! The good news is that my Terriers won!!! I'll be writing a post about it with better pictures over at Let's Go Terriers when I get a chance. Most likely tomorrow!

Finally, for anyone who's been trying to keep up with my journey for a car, I've almost gotten there. I didn't get as much of it from my internet income as I wished, but it's ok. Just have to finalize a few things, and I should be good!

I'm going to get back to regular posting and commenting tomorrow, I just wanted to post tonight to let everyone know that I'm back! While I'm here, I'd like to ask those of you that do read this, what would you like to hear? I know that there are some that are disappointed by my paid posts here, and trust me, they're not the greatest things in the world, but while I'm going to keep them to help me generate a little extra income, I'd like to post more about what you would like to read about... especially about the movies. I know a lot about the industry, but I can't always find something that I would find interesting. Just let me know, and I'll do my best to satisfy!

I'll admit, I get a little jealous when I see all the comments on Matt's Blog. :-\. He deserves it though, I don't know anyone who writes quite like him!!

My Top 5 Reasons for Working at the Movies

Some of you may be wondering why I love working at the movies. I have another job that pays pretty well, and if you haven't noticed recently, it takes time away from my blogging. However, I think it's worth it for many reasons! I've been working there for about 6 years now, and while it can be a drag sometimes, here are few reasons why I continue to do it:

1. Free Movies - This has got to be my favorite! I get to see pretty much every movie that comes out, granted I take the time to go out and see it, or stay late to screen it on a thursday night. It's that feeling of exclusivity that comes with a private screening that makes it all worth it. Makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Just kidding, but it does mean that I can write about a movie before it comes out generally.
2. Great Friends - I have made so many great friends over the year. I've met someone who can tell me just about any sports fact relating to Boston Sports. I've met people who have provided me with my other job. And most importantly, I've met the girl of my dreams there. Who would've thought you could meet so many people at the movies?
3. Life Experiences - Now you might think that this one is bit crazy, but I can tell you its true. You experience a ton of things, such as being so busy you think you might collapse, to historical events, like the world premiere of Fever Pitch. It's not often you get to hang with the Red Sox after they won the world series!
4. It's not that hard - While sometimes you want to rip your hair out, the job's not all that difficult. You come to work to enjoy yourself, and to make other people happy. Hopefully you can succeed at that without someone yelling at ya, but that's not always the case. In any case, it's not that hard to do. You do your job, and you will be fine.
5. You've always got a story to tell - Something is always happening at the movies! Without it, how would I be able to write about some of the stuff that I write about here? It's also got me stores that can crack people out, and others that will just shock or gross someone out!

Well, there it is, my top 5 reasons for still working at the movies. I don't know how much longer I will be doing it, but as long as I am, I'll enjoy it. I hope to see you all at the movies soon!

I'll get the action rolling again soon.. just been really busy lately!

Buying a New House?

As some of you may know, my family will be purchasing a new house soon. One of the major things we had to do was to find the proper mortgage, one we could afford, and at a good rate. Being new to this, we didn't really know what to do. We were lucky to find a real estate agent and a lawyer who were willing to walk us through the whole process. It would have been really nice to be able to find a site where we could compare mortgages. In the end, we managed to do ok. Just remember, mortgages are key when buying a home, so do your research!

Of course, if you don't find the right deal, you could always look into Remortgages.

Beowulf opening tonight!

If anyone is looking foward to this movie like I am, Beowulf is opening tonight in many theatres, with the first showing being at 9:30 PM. This is an excellent way to beat the rush that's sure to come this weekend. It's a highly anticipated movie, with releases in traditional film, digital, digital 3-D, and IMAX 3-D. I guess with this kind of hype, its got to be pretty epic.

Oh, if you're interested, I have a post over at Film School Rejects about Digital Projection. Pretty interesting industry news.

Anyway, if you're like me, you had to read Beowulf in english class during High School. I didn't particularly enjoy it then, but for some reason, I'm really psyched about this movie opening. It's too bad that it opens early actually, because that means that I can't screen it!

There are already some reviews in:

Beowulf and Grendel is a masterful film that fleshes out the decidedly one-sided epic poem, bringing Grendel to life with a humanity and warmth that adds layers of meaning to the old tale. - From Cinematical

Beowulf is a solemnly gorgeous, at times borderline stolid piece of Tolkien-with-a-joystick mythology. - Entertainment Weekly

And many more than you can find over at Rotten Tomatoes and other sites. I'm going to try to see it in IMAX 3-D myself and ::gasp:: pay for it. Hard to believe, but I might just do it. I might take advantage of that deal that I mentioned a bit back. I don't know if it will work for IMAX though. Anyway, if you'd like, use my search box and find tickets for it now, I'm sure they'll be in huge demand this weekend!

A $10,000 Christmas Card

Everyone loves Christmas cards. Have you ever wanted to design your own? I love designing things, but unfortunately art isn't something I'm good at. If I were, I would have definitely entered into the Christmas Card Scholarship Contest.

Gallery Collection is an online site that offers tons of business cards, Christmas cards, and other forms of greeting cards. They're offering $10000 for someone to design a card for them. All you have to do is submit a drawing, photo, or picture you've created!

Gallery collection also offers Christmas Calendar Cards. Go check em out and enter the contest today! The official rules are on the site.

If You Don't Want to Go to the Movies

Amazon is having a pretty great sale right now. Found this deal off of the Consumerist. Amazon has a bunch of DVDs on sale for 50% off. Some really great titles here, so if you're looking to own some movies without having to pay much for them, check out the Cheap DVDsthat they are offering!

I know that I always suggest going to the movies, and I should, because I work at one. Don't let this be an excuse not to go to the movies!! Buy the DVDs, and use the money that you saved to go TO the movies. :-) That's what I suggest. It's the best thing you could possibly do. Plus it makes me like you better, so that's always a plus. Besides, if you don't go to the movies then I don't have anything to write about.

Anyway just wanted to throw that one out there. I'll do a real post later on tonight. Check out the consumerist daily for great deals. It's good for funny business articles too. :-)

Movies This Weekend!

Gettin this one in a bit earlier than usual this week (I think). Looks like the long weekend didn't provide more time for blogging for me. I wish it did, but I filled it with a plethora of other things, like furniture and car shopping, and also eating out at a few restaurants. I guess I'm no John Chow, so I won't spare you the details of my meal. I will however, provide you with some details on movies opening this weekend!


Beowulf - The movie based on the olde English epic poem. Beowulf does battle against Grendel and his extremely seductive mother (Angelina Jolie). An epic battle between a heroic warrior and a hellish beast.

How I think it will do - This one looks like it's going to do really well. Opening in Digital 3-D as well as IMAX Digital 3-D, this one is taking advantage of all the latest technology. Combined with the incredible amount of star power in this film, we've got the makings of a Hollywood blockbuster. It opens early on Thursday nights at 9:30, so go ahead and use my search box to go search for those tickets! :-) #1 this weekend.







Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium - Mr. Magorium's emporium is one of the strangest, most fascinating toy stores around. It only asks one thing of you, and that is that you believe it when you see it. A magical toy store, everything inside, including the store itself come to life. When new owners come in and they don't believe what the store has to offer, kooky things happen.

How I think it will do - This one will definitely appeal to the kids. It looks like a really cute, family film, and that's exactly the kind of people that will be coming to see this movie. I actually think it looks intriguing, and it's the perfect time for this type of movie. Thanksgiving night, this one should be pretty popular. It should help to put people in the holiday mood where Fred Claus did not!




Southland Tales - A follow up to the hit Donnie Darko. Set in a futuristic version of Los Angeles where people are harvesting the power of the ocean to produce energy. Not too much else I've read about it.

How I think it will do - Based on the few words I've read about it, it seems like it could be an ok movie. It's got a ton of stars on it, so it could do ok. It's a bit darker, so it might be the movie that those that don't see Beowulf will go see. I kind of like the Sci-Fi premise that this one has, so I wouldn't mind seeing it. Plus it has JT in it, which I'm sure the girlfriend will love! Now I just have to convince her. I'd still rather see Beowulf though.





Love in the time of Cholera - (From Rotten Tomatoes) Stone Village Pictures presents one of the greatest love stories ever told, based on the timeless masterpiece by Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez …Love in the Time of Cholera. Spanning a half-century in the complex, magical and sensual city of Cartagena, Colombia, the sweeping romantic epic tells the story of a man who waits over fifty years for his one true love. Academy Award nominee Javier Bardem stars as Florentino Ariza, who discovers his life’s passion when he sees Fermina Daza (Giovanna Mezzogiono) through the window of her father’s villa. Though Florentino’s letters awaken the young beauty’s subdued heart, her father (John Leguizamo) demands that she marry into one of Cartagena’s grand families and forbids her from seeing him. As years go by, Fermina marries the sophisticated and sensible Dr. Juvenal Urbino (Benjamin Bratt), who has brought order and medicine to Cartagena, stemming the waves of cholera that have mysteriously haunted the city. Juvenal sweeps her off to Paris for a lengthy honeymoon, and when they begin their life together back home, she has all but forgotten her first love. But Florentino has not forgotten her. Now a wealthy shipowner, Florentino engages in a series of affairs but still yearns for Fermina. His heart is patient, and he will wait a lifetime for the chance to be with her again.

How I think it will do - Now normally I write my own stuff for the movies, using information from other sites, but I knew so little about this one that I didn't really know what to say about it. That being said, it'll be really hard to say how this one will do. I think it'll do ok where it gets released, but having heard so little about it, I don't think many other people have as well, so it shouldn't put up huge numbers.

More Movies!!!! Limited Releases!!!

Half-Moon
Smiley Face
Redacted
Margot at the Wedding
Eleven Men Out
I for India

That's all for now!! Definitely more to come later. I have so much that I still have to write about, it so hard to keep track sometimes. Hey if you're looking for more movie stuff, you can check me out over at Film School Rejects if you haven't gotten your fix of me yet! :-) But then please come back here and browse my archives! Over 120 posts!

Lights for the Holidays

The Christmas season is quickly approaching, and there are a lot of us out there who will be putting up Christmas trees and lights. I think that when decorating this year, you should take some time to consider using LED Christmas lights. I haven't always been the greenest person, but I do understand that it's important to save energy in our world, especially with the increase in oil prices. Reports have shown that if 20% of people were to switch over to these lights, we could save 400 GWh of energy this Christmas.

They're also safer, staying 1 degree above the ambient temperature. I have a feeling I will be using these lights for my small tree this year. Become more energy efficient. Use LED Christmas lights.

This is a sponsored post.

Quick Recap

Man, I've been so tired this week. Stayed out late Friday to watch a hockey game. (Well it wasn't that late, but I had to work at 8 the next morning.) Worked at 8 the next morning... look I'm already repeating myself. Went out to dinner with my lovely girlfriend, then did some shopping around for furniture. (Pictures to come later!). Then went to purchase some house stuff with my mom this morning, then work in the evening until about 1 hour ago. Shouldn't have been there that long but was taking some sexual harrassment test. Good stuff. THREE HOURS WORTH OF IT. Gawd, I couldn't believe how long that stuff was!

Some guest highlights from the past few days:

• "How was I supposed to know it was in a different theatre?!?! Your sign was down. How was I supposed to know the poster in front of the theatre was the actual movie?!?! You're not playing a movie in there cuz your theatre name is blank!" (Ok, I exaggerated that one)
• "If you don't let me in, I'm going to legally cheat the system and get in." (Is that possible?)
• "My kids felt rushed by your cashier. We deserve passes."

And my favorite:

• We're out of butter.

lol. Oh noes! Popcorn without butter? It's ok, we borrowed some. Well, borrowed forever cuz we're not giving it back! Anyway, it's late and I'm tired.... more later!

Stay tuned.. big news coming...

Well, not really. But I wanted to let you know that I haven't forgotten about this blog. I've been busy with work and shopping for furniture, and at hockey games. But I do have a ton of ideas... so stay tuned!!!!!

An Easy Fix for Your Teeth

Have you ever been munching on that candy at the movies and wondered what it does to your teeth? Nope, me either. It does cause cavities though, and those things have to be filled. However, if you're like me, you've had one of them fall out, no matter what you do. I happened to be chewing gum when it happened.

I didn't even realize what had happened until I crunched down on my own filling. I wasn't able to eat right again until it got fixed. However, if I had Dentemp OS, I wouldn't have had to worry about that. Dentemp OS is a product that you can use in place of your fillings that have fallen out, or on loose crowns. It works so well that you can eat again 30 minutes after you've applied it. Now that would have helped me out so much when I accidentally chewed out my filling.

So the next time you have a filling fall out on you while you're munching at the movies, just whip out some Dentemp OS, the temporary dental repair. Save yourself from the pain!

I love LAMB!

I love LAMB. Really I do. And by LAMB, I am talking about the Large Association of Movie Blogs! My good friend over at Blog Cabins has started up this great community for all of us movie bloggers out there. It's just another great way to get your blog out there in the world, and also to make a lot of friends in the blogosphere.

I know that I'll be heading over there to check out some of the blogs there on a regular basis. Mine is the most recent one on there, and boy am I glad I was added! There is so much potential over there. I've got some ideas which I'll probably bounce over to Fletch, the creator, to help promote the place.

It's gonna be big. And you movie bloggers out there don't want to miss out on this opportunity. I just can't believe I didn't think of it myself! Congrats to my buddy Fletch!

Anyway, what are you waiting for! Head on over to the LAMB and sign up. You won't regret it!

Movies This Weekend!

Phew, I remembered this post this week! It helps me decide what movie I want to potentially watch on Thursdays, so you would think that I would never forget. Anyway, the limited release bonanaza has returned this week, though there are still only a few openings wide. This might be just the thing that Hollywood is looking for because they did pretty well last weekend. Speaking of that, I want to add the box office widget back to my site... lost it back then when I foolishly tried to redesign. Anyway, here we go with the movies! (Poster Images from Rotten Tomatoes)

Lions for Lambs - Two students from a West Coast College follow the inspiration of their professor and do something important with their lives. They head to Afghanistan and join the battle. As they fight for their lives out in the field, they find that they are the link between two disparate stories on the opposite coasts of America. Through their trials and the political battles being fought back home, they become closer, and realize that each one of them has an important impact on the world.

How I think it will do - I admit that I haven't heard too much about this movie, but given the topic I think it will have a decent showing. It's got a lot of star power in Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, and Tom Cruise (I know.) It looks like it could be a really compelling drama. It could hit the top of the box office, but I'm not quite sure about that yet. I do think we are getting this movie, and we are a smaller theatre, so it could have huge expectations.



Fred Claus - Fred has always lived in the shadow of his little brother. No matter what he does, he can't live up to him. They have grown up to be the exact opposite, with Nicholas being the greatest giver, while Fred is a Repo man who steals what he repossesses. After landing in jail, he is bailed out by his little brother, under the condition that he works back his debt by making toys. However, Fred isn't exactly an elf, and the problems that he causes could drive his brother to the brink of insanity.

How I think it will do - I think this is a bit early for a Christmas movie. Thanksgiving day is more appropriate. I do like Vince Vaughn, however, this movie looks a bit too cheesy for me. The plot looks ok but I can't really see myself seeing this one. Knowing that its coming out does turn on the Christmas spirit in me though, and that good feeling might drive some people to seeing this movie.



P2 - Angela is the last one at her office, determined to close another deal before she leaves the office. When she goes to her car, she finds the garage deserted and her car won't start. A security guard comes by to help and invites her to stay with him and share Christmas with him. She is then knocked unconscious and tied up in his office. If she's going to make it home to her family, she has to find her way out of the garage alive.

How I think it will do - Uhh.. This plot doesn't seem too great. However, it is kinda cool that the movie theatre I used to work at was located on Level P2. That would be the interesting factor for me. The trailers look ok, but I'm not expecting anything big out of it. It makes it to the top 10, but that's about it. It's also not getting as wide a release as the others being released this week.




More Movies! Limited Releases!
Lake Dread
Holly
No Country for Old Men
War Dance
Nightmare Man
I'll Believe You
Om Shanti Om
The Life of Reilly
Steal a Pencil for Me
Mulberry Street
Saawariya
Unearthed
Borderland
The Sacred Family
Tooth & Nail
Crazy Eights
The Deaths of Ian Stone

That's all this week! Check back later for more!!!

The Ultimate Guide to Google Adwords

I know that this is not my money making blog, but I thought I'd share this tip with my readers here anyway!

Who is this guy over here on the left? Well, he's Steve Baker, the creator of The Ultimate Guide to Google Adwords. For those of you who don't know, Google Adwords is a Pay Per Click (PPC) marketing system designed to drive traffic towards your website or blog.

When you go take a visit over at his site, there is a wealth of information. He starts you off with an introduction to Google Adwords, then guides you on how to set up your campaign, optimize your campaign, and then maximize your conversion rate. With his system, I have no doubt that those of you who choose to use Adwords will have success and make money off of your websites!

If you're looking to get even more serious about your success with Google Adwords, there is an E-Book that you can purchase over at Steve's website which will outline in greater detail the strategies for making money with Google Adwords. I wish you the best of success if you choose to pursue his great program!

Visit Steve and check out his Google Adwords Guide.

Movie Hype (it Up!)

Love submitting your movie articles to Digg but find that they're not popular enough, that people don't want to read about movies enough? Well, ShowHype may just be the thing for people like me and you. The movie blogger. I'm speaking specifically to some of my readers who have movie blogs, like Fletch.

You may have noticed that I've replaced the digg buttons with ShowHype buttons on this site. I think that they are far more relevant than Digg buttons, though I still encourage you to Digg my posts if you think they are Digg-worthy. However, if you're looking for the latest in movie news, I do suggest taking a look over at Show Hype. I also encourage you to submit my articles if you think they are good enough, or Hype em up ;-).

It's easy to sign up and its free. If you write about movies let me know and I'll hype up your stuff for you. Or, if you just happen to write about movies, let me know and I'll take care of it. Famous Blogs, don't worry, I will find posts that I think are relevant and hype em for ya. Just a little added benefit. :-) I did find that I got a nice little surge in traffic from this. So I do hope that it will help you guys out.

Well, that's all for now, I will be back for more tomorrow. Late night at work tonight. And I got a story for ya, so stay tuned!!

Movie Buzz: The Mist

Wow, I just had to take this opportunity to share with you guys a movie that's coming out soon and has a good premise. It's Stephen King's The Mist. I just saw the trailer for it, and it looks pretty intense. Now I haven't been in any situations like the trailer describes, but I have been in some scary situations before. Check out the trailer!

One that I remember is when I was working at the movies. We had to remove an angry guest from a theatre for being drunk and obnoxious. He threatened to come back with his gang and shoot up the place. Now that's not a threat that you get every day at the movies. It's generally a place of fun, right? I was scared, but there were plenty of us there and we handled the situation pretty well. One of the guys who was there was very patient with this guest, and ended up walking him out of the theatre. We did inform the police, however they didn't arrive until well after he left.

It was good to know that those of us there all had each other's backs. We didn't approach him alone, nor did we leave anyone with him. Situations like that tend to get pretty intense when the threatening party doesn't know what he is really doing. I've had this happen several times, but we've always managed to diffuse the situation well. I like how it seemed to bring everyone who worked there closer together rather than causing a panic. From the looks of the trailer for the movie though, their threats seem much more serious, and they don't seem to band together as well as we did...

Go Check out The Mist by Stephen King

What Movie are You Looking Forward To?

Well, that you're really looking forward to seeing at the movies, anyway. I have a few that I'm going to mention, but I'd really like to hear what you want to see. Basically, is Hollywood doing it right, creating stuff that you want to see? I'm pretty sure that that is a resounding no, seeing as how attendance has declined over the years, but there might be something out there, right?

Anyway, onto my picks for upcoming movies. I'm going with two of em. I've already written about one of them, and that's for Will Smith's I am Legend. Feel free to check out that post to find out some more about it! The other one that I'm looking forward to seeing is The Golden Compass. It looks like it's going to be a real epic movie, and its got some great star power in it, like Nicole Kidman.

So what's the big hype all about? Well, from over at IMDB:

It was no ordinary life for a young girl: living among scholars in the hallowed halls of Jordan College and tearing unsupervised through Oxford's motley streets on mad quests for adventure. But Lyra's greatest adventure would begin closer to home, the day she heard hushed talk of an extraordinary particle. Microscopic in size, the magical dust- found only in the vast Artic expanse of the North -was rumored to possess profound properties that could unite whole universes. But there were those who feared the particle and would stop at nothing to destroy it. Catapulted into the heart of a terrible struggle, Lyra was forced to seek aid from clans, gyptians, and formidable armored bears. And as she journeyed into unbelievable danger, she had not the faintest clue that she alone was destined to win, or to lose, this more-than-mortal battle...

Sounds pretty exciting. What really gets me is how great the special effects look in the trailers. I'm a pretty big fantasy movie fan, so of course I'm excited. Here's the trailer for it! Let me know what you think.

Money Saving Tip at the Movies!

Everyone loves to save a buck at the movies. It is really expensive to see a movie nowadays. I've tried to pass tips before about how to save a bit when you go to the movies, for example buying discount tickets through AAA or your workplace, bringing in your own food, seeing a matinee or earlier show. But what about the big movie that you really want to see. Just came up on a tip that you guys might like to know about:

Buy one movie ticket using your Discover Card and get the second free! Visit Fandango now for your free movie ticket.

That's right people, if you have a Discover Card, you can buy one get one Free for movie tickets. That's not too bad a deal.. you're looking at $5.00 a ticket average! True.. you could visit me and I'd let you in for free, but this is pretty close, right? Plus I can't be everywhere at once. There are gonna be more offers that I'm going to get wind of later this month, so stay tuned for those. I'm sure that they'll be great!

Anyway, onto a disgruntled customer story. Well, it was more of an annoying thing that happened. I had just started my shift and got called over to the concession stand. Now keep in mind this was after a decent rush, and we hadn't had a chance to do anything yet. The staff member points towards me and an older woman looks at me. "He the manager?". My staff member nodded.

What does she say? "This place is filthy. How can you even be open?"

Excuse me? Popcorn on the floor? We didn't drop it. But yes, we'll clean it. Give us maybe a minute? I informed her that while we do try to keep up, it can be tough because we're trying to help guests first, and will clean up as soon as we can. Thought that might make her happy. Nope. She tells me that "obviously you're not trying hard enough."

I had no idea what to say at that point. So I walked away. And had someone sweep up. She acted as if we weren't gonna do it anyway. People drop popcorn, it's a common occurrence. This lady also made it a point to peer OVER the stand and mention that we had too much popcorn on the floor there too. Well, we can avoid that if we don't fill popcorns all the way up to the top. But then we're ripping people off too much! (Image courtesy of JWOD Catalog)

Just an example of how difficult it can be to please people....

That's all for now.. should be busy tonight! Check out that ticket deal if you can, I think it's a great promotion!

National Memory Screening Day

Hey everyone, just a friendly reminder about National Memory Screening day. Alzheimer's disease is a condition that will affect many people in their lifetime, and it's important to get tested early for it. November 13 is National Memory Screening Day, and its supported by the National Alzheimer's foundation.

Who should be screened? Anyone who is concerned about memory loss or is exhibiting the early signs of dementia. Screenings can also be for people who are looking to establish a baseline for later screenings and determine where they stand. Also, it helps to be aware of the following important aging tips, provided by the National Alzheimer's foundation:

• Visit your doctor regularly.
  
• Participate in activities that stimulate your brain, such as reading, crossword puzzles, playing bridge, and other mental exercises.
  
• Manage stress through techniques such as relaxation, meditation and yoga.
  
• Treat depression. Depressed elders have higher rates of dementia, lower quality of life and higher rates of death.
  
• Be social. Maintaining a network of friends will lessen the likelihood of isolation and depression while increasing the overall level of brain stimulation.
  
• Exercise daily, such as walking 30 minutes per day. Physical activity significantly lessens the chance of cardiovascular complications that could cause dementia.
  
• Control hypertension, diabetes and heart disease—risk factors for dementia—through physical exercise, quitting smoking, controlling blood pressure, lowering cholesterol, and avoiding obesity.
  
• Follow a healthy diet and take vitamins, including vitamins C and E, and folic acid.
  
• Limit alcohol consumption. Alcohol has a direct toxic effect on the brain that adds to the loss of nerve cells and synapses.

Spread these tips to anyone who you are concerned about developing Alzheimer's. Blogging can be a great way to help you be social!!! Going to the movies can also be a relaxing way stimulate your brain, and get you a bit of exercise walking out of the house. We also feature large parking lots for walking and are usually within walking distance of malls where you can also walk and window shop at the same time!

For information of screening areas located near you, check out the following link: Find a Screening Site.

Also, keep in mind that while research towards finding a cure for Alzheimer's is important, the quality of care provided to those who currently suffer from this condition is equally important. You can help out by making a contribution to the National Alzheimer's Foundation.