Labor Day weekend

        What I did over the Labor Day weekend was going out with Courtney to The
 Habit Burger Grill with her. 
        Me & Nick went out to Round 1, an arcade/ bowling alley in Sun Valley Mall.
Among the arcades, it includes pool tables and even karaoke rooms. I had fun looking
at all the different games including Mario Kart, DDR & arcade versions of mobile
games. Although I didn't eat a thing there, I hope to come back with my family 
when my birthday rolls around.

Summer School Break

  This is what took place during my summer break; 

  After having our bathroom remodeled, my family & I took a week long trip to Bodega Bay. 
On the way there, an accident occurred and we got stuck in traffic for 45 minutes.  Once
we started moving again, I was so relieved. 
    My family & I stayed in a cottage. While there we went down to the beach & went out
to eat at Lucas Wharf. We watched people go out to surf and some were fishing. 
There was even a comic book shop I wanted to go to, but upon heading down there 
it was closed (only open on weekends). So I was a bit bummed out.
    We had planned going down to Monterey Fisherman's Wharf but due to the 
wildfires in the area (Soberanes), we couldn't make the trip down there.
    The following week, I went out to the movies & saw the new Suicide Squad film 
(for review, see below). Me & my friend Nick went to Target & ate at In-n-Out across
the street. 

The origin of my name

       The name Steven was picked out by my Dad who just liked the name. I wasn't
 named for anybody famous. I don't like it very much because I was teased alot 
 in high school due to the popularity of the Steve Urkel character on "Family Matters".
       The origin of name comes from the Greek word meaning crown, honor & reward. 
       If I had to change my name to I'd change it to something cool like Logan, Hunter, 
Chace or Cole.

10 terrifying childhood movie scenes

  Growing up in the 80's was a simpler time. Sometimes the movies you watched
 got to be too intense for you . Here is my list for most traumatic childhood movie
 scenes.

1. Pinocchio- Lampwick turns into a donkey 

2. Poltergeist; face peeling

3. Ghostbusters: Zuul grabs Dana

4. Halloween 3: maggots come out of pumpkin

5. Twilight Zone: The Movie- Gremlin on wing

6. Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom: heart ripped out

7. The Fly (1986): Jeff Goldblum's transformation

8. Superman III: Woman turned into robot

9. The Puppet Master (1989); Trailer for the movie
  The puppets themselves are stuff of nightmares. It made walking into the horror section,
  of the video store a scary experience.

10. Robocop Officer Murphy's brutal death

Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad

Dir: David Ayer

Cast: Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Will Smith, Viola Davis, Cara Delevingne

        Borrowing a page from Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy". DC tries to do the 

same in this non stop action flick that follows immediately after "Dawn of Justice".

       Top secret government head Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) enlists Rick Flagg to 

lead a group of criminals known as Task Force X. Together, they must stop a young

woman June Moon (Cara Delivingne), possessed by an evil witch from taking over

the world.

      In exchange for reduced sentences, they must follow their mission or a bomb

attached to their necks detonates. Among the criminals Rick leads are Deadshot

(Will Smith), El Diablo (Jay Hernandez), Katana (Karen Fukuhara) & wisecracking

Capt. Boomerang (Jai Courtney).

     The irresistible Margot Robbie nails the role of Harley Quinn, a shrink 

  turned bat wielding psycho girlfriend of the Joker (Jared Leto). Jared's 

  turn as the iconic character is downright scary. Scenes depicting the abusive

  nature of their relationship were cut from the film.

    The studio mandated reshoots to make it lighter, caused it the tone to be off

 along with the script, given just six weeks to write by director David Ayer.

 The music used during the flashy intros didn't fit the narrative. I blame mostly

 WB for the meddling they did and for the sloppy editing as well as pacing. DC

 fans deserved better.

   While there were cuts to get it to PG-13 rating, there were scenes in the trailers

 that didn't make it to the final cut. It would've made for a more cohesive film.

 WB can rectify this by caving into fan demand and release an extended cut.

   I went into this with high expectations, sadly it turned out to be a decent 

action flick if you don't follow the story. It did leave with much to be desired.

It more enjoyable than the dreary Dawn of Justice. With its funny quips and

non stop action, you can shut off your brain. Just don't go in expecting high

quality cinema.

   Grade: B- (7/10)

   

Class movie 2: Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters

     Director: Paul Feig

     Cast: Kristin Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth

      Yesterday, I went out to the movies with my class and saw the new Ghostbusters. It
  stars Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, and Kate McKinnon as paranormal scientists 
  investigating hauntings caused by a former bellhop named Rowan. Meanwhile a
  subway attendant (Leslie Jones), joins the team after experiencing ghostly sightings.

     Chris Hemsworth (Thor) plays their handsome but incredibly stupid secretary 
  who is mostly used for a cheap laugh here or there. SNL star Kate McKinnon
  steals the show as gear head Holtzmann, the inventor of cool gadgets to fight off
  the ghosts.

     Directed by Paul Feig, this is a remake of the Ivan Reitman scifi/comedy of
  the same name. Despite the major backlash due to the gender reversals, ruined child
  hood nostalgia, lack of originality, I went into this thinking this would be awful
  but actually it wasn't. Although the plot, while silly and predictable, is better than
  the recent schlock that has come out but this past summer. It's slightly better than 
  Ghostbusters 2 but that's not saying much. The climax of the movie where they 
   were shooting ghosts was my favorite part.

    Clearly, Sony is desperate for a hit after losing the rights to Spiderman to Marvel. 
  This is not the way to do it. They have no idea how to run a successful studio. True
  Ghostbusters fans know that when Harold Ramis died so did the franchise. I felt
  like the characters in this movie were trying too hard to be funny which didn't work.

     Coming from a big Ghostbusters fan like myself, I thought the best scene came when
   Holtzmann busted out the proton guns. The Scooby Doo special effects were ridiculous.
   Had this been a proper sequel rather than a lazy remake capitalizing on nostalgia factor,
   I would've like it better. It really wasn't a bad movie just an average one at best. Wait 
   for this to come out on video instead.

Grade: C (6/10)

Free Slurpee Day

Happy Free Slurpee Day (7-11-16)

Don't forget to get your free slurpee today as it's 7/11 50th Birthday!!