Reviews and More

I’ll always remember the original Die Hard as the vehicle that turned Bruce Willis into an action movie superstar. Prior to that 1988 film, he was best known for his role as David Addison on the television series Moonlighting, and for playing the lead in the semi-successful romantic comedy Blind Date (1987). But once Die Hard became an international hit, Willis’ destiny was sealed.

I enjoyed the first three Die Hard movies (though I don’t remember too many specifics from them) and was really looking forward to seeing the fourth installment, called Live Free or Die Hard. This latest film comes a full 12 years after With a Vengeance, but I still had high hopes that it would retain at least some of the fun, humor, and terrific action that made the first three efforts worthwhile. Unfortunately, I left the theater greatly disappointed with what I had just seen.

Plot summary (with possible spoilers): The film opens with NYPD detective John McClane breaking up a make-out session on a college campus. It turns out the girl involved is his daughter Lucy (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and she doesn’t exactly appreciate her dad getting involved in her personal life. From the heated exchange that follows, we learn that McClane is divorced from Holly (his wife in the first three movies) and since then he hasn’t spent as much time with his kids as he should have. That pretty much brings us up to speed with McClane’s life.

After that, McClane gets a call over the radio saying that he’s to go pick up a computer hacker named Matt Farrell (Justin Long) and bring him in for questioning. Someone has breached the FBI system, and there are only 1,000 or so people who could have done it. McClane is to transport Farrell to FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. for questioning.

McClane doesn’t know why they can’t ask someone else to do it, but he nevertheless follows orders. Of course, the task turns out to be a lot harder than originally anticipated. Shortly after McClane gets to Farrell’s apartment, it’s attacked by a team of snipers who clearly want the kid dead. But McClane manages to get Farrell out, and they head to Washington.

When they arrive in the city, all hell breaks loose. Someone has messed with the traffic signals, causing all stoplights to show green at the same time. There’s immediate confusion and chaos, which forces McClane and Farrell to walk the rest of the way to the FBI. Once they arrive, they see that the computer attacks haven’t stopped. The bad guys mess with the NYSE computers next, and cause a selling frenzy on Wall Street.

After seeing what’s going on, Farrell says that it looks like someone is running a “fire sale” on the country’s computer systems. It’s a textbook attack that first takes out the transportation system, then takes out the financial centers. The final target, the big one, is unclear for the time being, but McClane and Farrell are soon on the case to find out what’s going on.

The rest of the film then deals with McClane’s attempts to locate Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant), the man behind the attacks. There follows a whole bunch of unbelievable (I don’t mean “outstanding” here) action seqeunces and fight scenes, plus the kind of resolution you’d expect to see from a Die Hard film.

My Reaction: I thought this was a terrible movie, and I can’t believe all the professional critics out there who are giving it a passing grade! Plus, Live Free or Die Hard has already cracked the IMDB.com top 250, coming in at #204. That has got to be a joke, right?

Look, I understand the concept of summer popcorn movies, and I ordinarily don’t hold these types of movies up to high standards — and I didn’t with this one, either. I went into the movie just hoping to be entertained, but instead found myself shaking my head in complete and utter disbelief at what was unfolding on the screen, which of course took me out of the movie and destroyed the experience.

I don’t normally nitpick these kinds of things, but I cannot believe how many blows the characters were able to take without showing any ill effects. Let’s run them down, shall we?

• In the apartment scene, there’s a huge explosion in the next room (big enough to blow out the windows), but McClane and Farrell are unscathed. Bear in mind that this is a college student’s apartment, meaning it is SMALL.
• In the very next scene, McClane is dragging one of the baddies down an alley. McClane rams the guy into a dumpster, but he’s up a minute later like nothing happened.)
• Don’t even get me started on Maggie Q (Mai Lihn). Her fight scenes with McClane were not the least bit realistic. Not. the. least.

  She first gets the crap kicked out of her in a regular fistfight, but manages to get up for more. Then McClane runs into her with an SUV, crashes through walls with her clinging to the hood, and slams into an elevator shaft. Maggie miraculously is not only able to hang onto a dangling cable to save herself from falling to her death, but also has the strength to climb up that cable and FIGHT AGAIN!!

  I twist my ankle playing flag football and I’m incapacitated for a week. These friggin’ people go through all that and aren’t even out of breath????

• WTF was up with the F35 scenes? Flying under highway overpasses? That’s some pretty sweet maneuvering there. That pilot should be with the Blue freakin’ Angels for God’s sake. And did I really see the plane hovering at one point (as though it were a helicopter)?? Is that possible???
• I can’t even list all the injuries McClane sustained throughout the movie. I mean, a couple other reviewers said his character turned into the Terminator, and that’s pretty much what it seemed like.

Sorry to be such a buzzkill here, but Live Free or Die Hard sucked! I give it 4.0 stars out of 10 and advise you not to waste your time or money on it. Wait for the DVD if you have to, but there’s really no need to see it in the theater.

Back when I had an office job outside the home, I would occasionally help the Human Resources department with various administrative tasks. At one point, this included testing and evaluating new payroll software in an effort to find a program that could easily accommodate the ever-growing number of employees at the company. The HR people wanted input from someone who was completely unfamiliar with payroll software because they felt it would give them a more accurate assessment of the learning curve and ease of use.

I thought that was a pretty good idea, and was happy that they actually ended up purchasing a software suite that I recommended as being both simple and versatile. The software worked out great, so you might want to consider using this approach if you’re trying to find a new payroll management solution for your organization.

A few years ago, I went through an extended phase where I only wanted to buy purses, wallets, and shoes from top designers. I thought nothing of spending $500 on a pair of Prada loafers or dropping even more than that on a couple of the latest Louis Vuitton handbags. Of course, my budget couldn’t keep pace with my expensive tastes, so I eventually had to stop making so many purchases.

Now that it’s been a while, however, my bags and wallets are showing the expected signs of wear and tear. There’s no way I can afford to buy the genuine articles anymore, so I’m thinking of going with designer replica handbags instead. I’ve been reading up on replicas, and learned that not all knockoffs are the same in terms of quality, durability, and attention to detail. The ones that are good are well worth the money, but I refuse to waste my time with the really cheap stuff.

As far as top-quality replica handbags go, I’ve heard some excellent things about the products at Ashley’s Boutique. The site is run by a woman who used to work for a luxury retailer, so you can bet she knows a good knockoff when she sees one. Ashley uses her expertise to ensure that her customers get only quality replicas at affordable prices, which is certainly reassuring from a buyer’s point of view.

All told, I’m confident that I’ve found a great website here. When I’m ready to make my next handbag purchase, I’ll be heading back to Ashley’s Boutique first!

I mentioned a little while ago that that I was looking forward to watching the new USA series Burn Notice. Well, the premier was last night, and I did indeed tune in to see if the show would live up to the generally good reviews it has received in the early going. Here’s a quick recap and my reaction to the Burn Notice pilot, episode 1×01.

Plot Summary (with possible spoilers): The main character of the show is an ex-CIA operative named Michael Westen (played by Jeffrey Donovan). Actually, at the very beginning of the ep, Michael is still part of the CIA team, but then, when he tries calling in for a wire transfer right in the middle of an operation in Nigeria, he finds out that he’s been “burned,” that is to say, he’s been blacklisted, so he no longer has access to any of the government’s resources and no one’s going to do business with him anymore.

After that, Michael makes it onto a plane and ends up back in Miami, where he has passed out at an ex-girlfriend’s house. Her name is Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar), and apparently she’s ex-IRA and is familiar with the whole spy game as well. Michael convinces Fiona to help him try to discover who was behind the burn notice. But first, he takes on a side job in order to get a bit of cash since his assets have been frozen and his credit cards deactivated.

So then the show takes a detour as Michael focuses his attention on clearing the name of a caretaker who has been accused of stealing millions of dollars worth of art and jewelry from his wealthy employer. Michael puts his spy skills to good use, and solves the crime pretty quickly (as did all the viewers, I’m sure).

Add to this mix a few scenes involving Michael’s mother Madeline (Sharon Gless) laying guilt trips on him for never calling or visiting, and you’ve got one very packed pilot episode.

My Reaction: I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the pilot, and now I have very high hopes for this series! I thought there was a great mix of action and comedy throughout the hour-long episode, and although it was a bit slow at the beginning, I pretty much expect that out of a pilot since we have to go through a bunch of character introductions and background stuff.

I have never seen Jeffrey Donovan in anything before, but I already love him as Michael Westen. He’s good-looking, charming, and intelligent, and he’s not above fighting dirty to give himself an advantage. Plus, he can rig all kinds of cool MacGyver-like inventions to help accomplish whatever he needs to do.

I don’t have much of a handle on the ex-girlfriend or Michael’s buddy Sam (Bruce Campbell), but they seem alright in the early going. Let’s hope Michael and Fiona stay exes because they didn’t have any chemistry at all in their scenes together!

I’ll definitely be tuning in next week, and hope that Burn Notice gets picked up for a full season!

I know several people who have recently had the opportunity to transfer their favorite photographs onto canvas. They absolutely raved about the results, and once they posted pictures of the finished products, I could understand why. The canvases were simply stunning, and I’m now looking to do the same thing with one of our family photos.

During the course of my research, I came across a press release from a website called PhotoFiddle.com. This site offers the kind of photo-to-canvas service that I want, but with a twist: the customer has complete control over how their photo art will look. That’s because the PhotoFiddle site features a unique tool that allows users to create artwork with the help of ready-made templates. Then, customers can preview their choices — all at no cost, of course — before placing their order.

I spent some time viewing the online tutorial, and it looks like the entire process will be fun and easy. I can’t wait to get started with this! We’ve never sat for a formal family portrait before, but if I can transfer one of our photographs to canvas (with an oil painting finish), then it will look just as good!

Here’s the full press release for those of you that are interested in transferring your photos to canvas:

Photographers, from pros to point & shoot alike, can now artistically enhance their digital pics and traditional photos into stylized photo art masterpieces on professionally stretched canvas using dozens of easy-to-create artistic designs, finishes and collage templates, online at www.PhotoFiddle.com.

From table size to wall size, PhotoFiddle.com can transform a simple digital photo in seconds into a dazzling array of art styles, from watercolor and pop art to a black and white line drawing or oil painting. PhotoFiddle.com is a fun way to become an instant artiste and add a creative flair to individual photos or collages. And, it’s a compelling alternative to custom designers and professional framers who are far more costly and take weeks to deliver.

PhotoFiddle.com is easy to use, takes only a few minutes for a design, and doesn’t require any creative expertise, software purchase or program knowledge. Unlike some of the well known photo and art programs, ‘PhotoFiddlers’ simply register and follow four easy steps 1, Uploading a picture to the site from a digital camera or scanned image, 2. Cropping and reviewing the art, 3. Choosing a design for PhotoFiddle to apply the photo, which can be previewed before 4. Ordering. Final artwork is available on professionally stretched canvas, framed or rolled canvas or museum quality, archival photo paper.

Among the most popular of the more than 50 PhotoFiddle designs and templates are:
- Pop Art
- Stained Glass
- Pencil Sketches
- Tinted
- Painting
- Collage designs
- Comic Book
- Filmstrip

PhotoFiddle allows users to experiment with different template designs without paying any setup fees in the convenience in their own home. Users can even email copies of the custom artwork for preview by family, friends, and associates before ordering.

Gallery art canvas and archival photo paper sizes are available from a simple 8” x 10” to as large as 6 ft. x 24 ft. The company offers live customer support during normal business hours, and an online tutorial for standard questions or creative input on projects.

Whether it’s a memento from a recent vacation, an old picture that’s been stuck in a draw for decades, or a bunch of 4×6 album photos that can be brought to life in a striking photo collage, PhotoFiddle canvas artwork is an ideal gift for anniversaries, weddings, or as an elegant accoutrement to home décor. Gift certificates are also available.

About PhotoFiddle
PhotoFiddle, headquartered in Melville, New York, offers 3-4 day turnaround on customized photo art that users design online, at far less cost than custom framers or home design professionals. For more information visit: www.PhotoFiddle.com.

Examples of Photofiddle.com work:
http://www.emediawire.com/prfiles/2005/05/18/242325/paintingstyles2.pdf

I’ve been renting a few more comedies than usual recently because I find that, if nothing else, I can at least enjoy a couple hours of mindless entertainment rather than always having to pay close attention to all the minutiae of a film. So on my last trip to the video store, I grabbed several more comedies, among them The 40-Year-Old Virgin starring Steve Carell. I’d heard that this as actually a pretty good movie, so I was looking forward to watching it — and for once, I wasn’t disappointed. Here’s my review of the 2005 film from Judd Apatow.

Plot summary (with possible spoilers): The movie starts off by showing us a typical day in the life of Andy Stitzer (Carell). We can see from his apartment that he’s something of a nerd, as the entire place is full of action figures in original packaging. He also has a video game chair, and other accessories that you’d associate with introverted, socially awkward bachelors. It also appears that Andy’s only friends are an elderly couple that live in the same building.

Andy works at an electronics store that reminded me of Best Buy or Circuit City. He doesn’t really interact with his co-workers much until one of them, Jay (played by Romany Malco), invites him to a poker game — not out of friendship, but rather because Jay thinks Andy will be an easy mark. Also in attendance at the game are David (Paul Rudd) and Cal (Seth Rogen).

During the card game, the talk inevitably turns to women and sex. Jay, David, and Cal start telling stories about their various conquests, but when it comes time for Andy to say something, he fumbles along with a story that he’s clearly making up on the spot. Once he says that a woman’s breasts feel like “sandbags,” the other guys realize the truth: Andy, at 40 years old, is still a virgin.

At first the guys give Andy a hard time about the whole thing, but then they decide to help him get a woman. Andy resists a bit, then relents, which of course leads to obligatory bar/drinking/messed-up encounter scenes. Eventually, Andy meets a nice woman named Trish (Catherine Keener) who is obviously interested in him. He dates her, they have a good time, and then the usual misunderstandings of the romantic comedy genre drive them apart.

The rest of the film then focuses on how Andy works to get Trish back despite all their initial problems.

My Reaction: As I said above, I put The 40-Year-Old Virgin on with the intention of just having it be background noise while I did some work on my computer. But I was drawn into the plot right from the start, and found myself hooked on the film because of the characters. I thought the supporting cast was wonderful, and particularly liked Jay and Cal. David’s one-note lamentations about his ex-girlfriend got to be boring after about four minutes, but I’m giving the filmmakers the benefit of the doubt about him and believe that they meant for him to be annoying when talking about his past relationship.

But the main reason this movie worked for me was because of Steve Carell. I’m not a Carell fan in particular. I never really heard of him before this movie came out. I know he’s on The Office (I’ve seen a few eps of that show, but didn’t like it) and I also saw him in Little Miss Sunshine, but that’s about it.

Anyway, I have to say that I think Carell is a tremendous comedic actor. He played the three roles that I saw him in so differently that I could hardly believe it was the same guy. That is such a welcome change from other actors like Adam Sandler, Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, and Owen Wilson who basically play the same characters from movie to movie. Carell is now on my radar for sure, and I’ll be looking for more stuff that he’s been in.

Overall, I thought The 40-Year-Old Virgin was one of the better comedies I’ve seen in a long time. I give the movie 7.5 stars out of 10 and definitely recommend it to everyone!

I’ve come to the conclusion that my husband spends far too much time and money riding motocross. Now that summer’s here, he goes riding every single weekend. That cuts into our family time, plus destroys our budget since he has to pay for gas for both his bike and his truck. I’ve tried asking him to cut back, but he doesn’t think it’s a big deal. He just looks at the $20 track fees he has to pay, not the additional $30 in gas and $10 in lunch and drinks that he also spends.

I can’t ask him to quit MX entirely, since he was into bikes long before I came into the picture, so I’ve got to find another way to salvage the situation. Maybe I should get him a big fuel transfer tank, fill it with gasoline, and tell him that once he runs out, that’s all the riding he can do this summer.

Nah, he would never fall for that trick! Besides, we don’t have a safe place to store a full tank like that, so my plan wouldn’t work.

Back to the drawing board!

My family loves to travel, so we take at least two extended vacations per year, with several three- or four-day weekend getaways added into the mix. All told, we spend thousands of dollars per year on travel, so we’re always looking for new ways to save money on our trips. One idea that we’re checking out right now is buying timeshare points through a travel company like Leisuretime Promotions.

I have to admit that before I read the Leisuretime Promotions website, I had a preconceived notion of how timeshares work. I initially thought that you had to buy a block of time at a condo, resort, or rental home in a specific area, and that you were then stuck going to the exact same place year after year. That didn’t sound too appealing, so I never looked into it any further.

But after perusing the Leisuretime Promotions site, I learned that not all timeshares work that way. Leisuretime Promotions is affiliated with Resorts Club International, so when I purchase points through Leisuretime, I can use them towards a holiday at any RCI property worldwide. That means, I’ll always have a wide range of choices, and can book the vacations that my family really wants to take.

This definitely seems like something that will be worth our while to invest in, so I’m off to do more research!

I’ve just finished watching four more episodes of The O.C., which now means that I’m almost done with the entire first season. When I started this journey, I didn’t realize that there were 27 full episodes in Season One. That’s practically unheard of these days! FOX executives must have figured they had a big hit on their hands just from viewing the pilot if they placed such a huge order right from the start.

Anyway, here are some random thoughts about episodes 1×20, 1×21, 1×22, and 1×23, called “The Telenovela,” “The Goodbye Girl,” “The L.A.,” and “The Nana,” respectively.

• I was sad to see Anna leave Newport. Although I didn’t like that character coupled romantically with Seth, I thought she was awesome as a foil to Summer. Anna was just so refreshingly different from the other characters on the show and I really enjoyed all her scenes. I wish there had been a way for the writers to keep her involved in some way.
• Luke and Julie? This pairing still makes me want to vomit. Thank God it looks like it’ll be over for good in the very near future.
• I loved how Seth went on strike and wouldn’t have sex with Summer until she started acknowledging him at school. Summer was definitely treating him like dirt, and though it may have been justified in her eyes (that whole thing about not wanting to be “dumped by Seth Cohen”), it was just wrong. It was cool how he got up on the coffee cart and announced their relationship to the whole school, and of course it was very sweet when Summer joined him up there and kissed him in front of everyone.
• Marissa runs away and stays at Theresa’s house? Yeah, right. I’m not interested in this Ryan-Marissa-Theresa love triangle at all. Are Ryan and Marissa ever going to get together here? From the way Season One has been written thus far, it seems that Ryan is supposed to be the main character of the show and that his relationship with Marissa is supposed to be a major focal point. But in all honesty, Seth and Summer are far more exciting as a couple. Why can’t we get more of those two instead?
• I still don’t care about the adults and their escapades. Don’t get me wrong, I like Sandy and Kirsten for sure, but only as secondary characters chiming in every once in a while about what’s going on with Seth and Ryan. I don’t like it when their problems get a lot of screentime because it makes the show feel too much like a soap opera.

Well, four more eps left in the first season, then I can make a decision about whether or not I want to continue watching subsequent seasons of The O.C. So far, it looks like I will indeed go on, but you never know what could happen to change my mind in the next four eps!

I just read about a new website that helps people connect on a completely local level. The site is called Qwixo.com, and it allows users to post, view, and respond to classified ads, announcements, messages, and photos relevant to a particular zip code.

Personally, I think this is a fantastic idea and can see how Qwixo definitely fills a huge void. There are a bunch of similar sites that focus on a national audience, but if you’ve ever used those other sites (like I have), then you know how difficult it is to actually find what you’re looking for right there in your area rather than clear across the country.

With Qwixo, you’ll never have that problem because you can set the search parameters to cover a specific zip code. So if you want a job within walking distance, just go to Qwixo.com, select your state, city, and zip from the drop-down boxes, and you’ll be able to see what’s available. Is your band playing at a local club? Post an announcement on Qwixo and get everyone out there to see you. Left your backpack at the bus stop? Write up a message for the Lost & Found section and hope that some kind soul responds. The possibilities are endless!

In order for Qwixo.com to be as effective as possible, it’s important to get lots of people to register and start using the site. So check it out, and if you like it, sign up for free and tell all your friends about it!

Well, I’ve caved in and decided to start watching Lost again. As you might recall, I decided to stop watching the show after what I thought was a horrible Season 3 premier episode. I gave up cold turkey, didn’t miss seeing any of the characters on the show, and never even wondered about the various storylines. (Wait, I take that back. I watched episode 3×13 when I heard that they finally revealed how Locke ended up in a wheelchair.)

But after hearing several friends talk at length about how much they still like the show and after reading that the producers have a definite end date in mind for the series, I figured I might as well try to watch a few more eps from season 3.

Let’s hope my friends are right about how good Lost is. I just hate wasting my time on bad TV shows!!

I have seven years of experience as a certified EFL (English as a Foreign Language) instructor. Most of the students I’ve worked with in the past have been executives and professionals who want to improve their career prospects by studying English. This makes sense, as English is considered a vital skill at companies that engage in business transactions on a global scale.

One of the biggest problems my students had was overcoming their accents in order to speak English in an understandable manner. This seemed to occur no matter what the students’ native language was, be it Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, French, or anything else. Unfortunately, the school I worked for focused more on grammar and conversation practice than accent reduction, so I always recommended an external Executive English course for students who had extreme difficulties with pronunciation.

Most students showed tremendous improvement after taking a class that dealt specifically with accent reduction, and the changes were noticeable almost immediately. Plus, students naturally developed more confidence in their speaking abilities when their pronunciation improved and they saw that other people could now understand them.

The bottom line here is that learning English grammar and vocabulary simply isn’t enough. Pronunciation is every bit as important, which makes accent reduction a key component to the study of English as a foreign language. Take steps to improve your pronunciation now by checking out the class offerings at Executive Language Training!

I heard about The Prestige when it first came out last year because comparisons to Edward Norton’s Illusionist were inevitable. It’s not that the films had the exact same plots; but there were similarities in that both dealt with magic and magicians. Plus, they were released within a month of each other, so it’s only natural that moviegoers would compare the two. I liked The Illusionist well enough, and was hoping for the same engrossing story from The Prestige. Did I get it? Read on to find out!

Plot summary (with possible spoilers): The movie opens with a voiceover from Cutter (played by Michael Caine), one of the main characters. It’s important to pay attention to what he says because the subsequent story more or less follows the exact pattern he describes. Every magic trick, Cutter intones, consists of three parts: The Pledge (where the magician shows you an ordinary object), The Turn (where the magician makes the object do something extraordinary — such as disappear), and The Prestige (where the magician brings the object back, fully intact). Viewers are then urged to watch closely.

We then get into the main plot, which essentially consists of two magicians, Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) and Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) constantly trying to out-do each other throughout their careers. On the one hand, Borden is the superior magician in a technical sense. He’s creative with his tricks and can pull off all the difficult ones. On the other hand, Angier is the superior showman. He knows how to play the crowd, and he has the ability to make his act look good even if his illusions aren’t as slick as Borden’s.

Borden and Angier started off as apprentices together, but parted ways after an accident during an act led to the drowning death of Angier’s wife. Angier blamed Borden for tying a knot that was too difficult to slip, even after Cutter had warned him about it.

From that point forward, they’re sworn enemies and do their best to sabotage each other’s careers. They show up at each other’s acts in stupid disguises, inflict bodily harm on each other (Angier shoots Borden’s fingers off, Borden stabs Angier through the hands and causes him to break his leg badly), and, ultimately, try to kill each other.

I’ve made the plot sound pretty straightforward here, but the movie was directed by Christopher Nolan (Memento), so you know it’s not going to be that simple. There are numerous misdirections, a few surprises, and a big reveal (prestige) at the end that I won’t spoil for you. Plus, the story is told in overlapping flashbacks — apparently just to add to the confusion.

My Reaction: I liked this film, but I didn’t love it, as a lot of other viewers did. I just checked and The Prestige is currently #89 on IMDB.com’s Top 250. While the film did have its good points, there’s no way I would rate it that high! It seems that for everything I liked about the movie, there was something else that could have been done better, so I was left feeling a bit lukewarm about the whole thing at the end.

For example, I liked the premise here. Warring magicians trying to one-up each other at every turn had the potential to keep things very interesting. But I didn’t like the execution. The men wore juvenile disguises (false beards? Come on!) and did things that ought to have landed them in jail — yet we don’t see any sign of the authorities until Borden gets himself into that big mess.

I also liked the way the film set up for the prestige at the end. But I hated the way the reveal was done in a long, drawn-out expository scene. I can’t stand those types of scenes, where the two antagonists finally come face to face to explain every single detail, and of course one of them is dying — but he holds on long enough to tell/hear the full story before he finally dies. What a tired cliché!

I have to admit that while I was able to predict several of the “twists” that happened along the way, I had no idea what was coming at the end. The ending for this movie is somewhat controversial, but I’m going on record and saying that I liked it because it fit in with something that was said early on: the secret to most magic tricks is very simple and mundane, and once people know what that secret is, they cease to be amazed. That’s exactly how I felt at the end, and I’m sure that’s exactly the effect that Nolan was going for.

Overall, I give The Prestige 7.5 stars out of 10. It was pretty good, but it could have been great!

We’ve been thinking for quite some time now about remodeling our bathroom. It’s just not big enough for our taste, and since we do have a bit of space that we can expand into, we think we should just go for it. That way, we can get a nicer tub (preferably one with a jacuzzi/whirlpool), new tiles, and a better countertop. I also want to put in one of those magnifying makeup mirrors that light up. Our current lighting in the bathroom is too soft and isn’t very good for applying makeup.

At any rate, this project is in the middle of our list of home improvements that we’d like to make, so who knows when we’ll actually get around to it. We’ve got to paint and redo the kitchen first!

Entourage continues to be one of the very few non-reality TV shows that airs new episodes throughout the summer. Last night’s installment was called “The First Cut is the Deepest,” and unfortunately, not much happened during it. This wouldn’t be so bad in and of itself, but last week’s ep wasn’t that great either, so I was hoping for a return to form this week. Oh, well. On the bright side, at least this means my recap will be short and sweet!

Vince/E: Episode 4×02 apparently takes place several weeks (or months) after 4×01. Vince and E have been vacationing in Italy after shooting for six months in Colombia, but they’re back in L.A. now — mostly because they ran out of money and want to get started on a new project for Vince. Ari would love to help them out, but he can’t get Vince any work until people see a preliminary cut of Medellín.

Of course, Billy Walsh is such a flake that he refuses to show anyone that first cut until he’s 100 percent happy with it. So Vince and E spend most of the ep chasing Billy around town until he finally agrees to let them see the film. Vince loved it; E hated it.

Ari: Ari spent most of this ep dealing with an impending problem at his kids’ exclusive private school. His daughter has been going there for 8 years, but his son is just now ready to start. One of the school board members told Mrs. Ari that Jonah’s acceptance isn’t a sure thing, despite the fact that he’s a “legacy” (has a sibling in the school).

Ari gets on the case and starts talking to a couple of the board members about what’s going on. He eventually finds out that his son isn’t the problem, it’s him. The school is tired of dealing with Ari and that’s why they don’t want to let his son in! Ari responds by pulling his daughter out of her class and telling her that she doesn’t go to school there anymore.

Drama/Turtle: Drama wants to throw Vince a welcome back party, but he doesn’t want people to mess up his brand new condo. So he takes steps to party-proof the place, despite Turtle’s objections. He removes the furniture, puts a lock on the bathroom, orders a port-a-potty, takes down the lighting fixtures, etc. Then, when Vince leaves the party early to go to the screening, Drama kicks everyone out. Turtle says they can continue the party at Vince’s hotel room, so that’s where everyone ends up.

My Reaction: Like I said, there wasn’t a whole lot going on in this episode. The Drama/Turtle storyline was a waste, and even though I usually love anything that involves Ari, I just wasn’t into the whole private school thing. I don’t really care about his family life; I just want to see him being an agent.

And how long is this freakin’ Medellín storyline going to drag out? Just do something with it already! Either have it mess up Vince’s career or advance it. I don’t care which way the writers go as long as something happens soon!!! Because right now this whole thing is just annoying….

When I first went off to college right after high school, things didn’t go exactly as I had hoped. I ran into some personal problems during my freshman and sophomore years, and eventually had to drop out. Because I was no longer taking any classes, I had to start paying back my student loans almost immediately.

Even though I was in school for less than two years, I managed to amass quite a mountain of debt in that short time. I guess it didn’t help that I attended a college 500 miles away from home, lived on campus, and took a maximum class load each semester! At any rate, I figured that my only shot at being able to pay off my bills in a reasonable amount of time was to look into student loan consolidation.

This turned out to be a very smart idea, especially since I had such a mix of both government and private student loans to pay back. It would have been far too difficult for me to remember the specific terms of each of my loans — not to mention the due dates for all the payments — if I tried to handle them separately. In other words, I definitely benefited from the single-payment convenience of consolidating.

I’m happy to say that I had a totally positive experience with student loan consolidation. I was able to pay off those initial loans quickly, so when I went back to school to complete my degree I still had a good credit rating and was able to get even more loans to help defer costs. I know I wouldn’t have been able to afford school any other way, which is why I’m so thankful that this option exists!

I did nothing but watch TV all weekend, so I was finally able to finish Season Three of House, which means I’m all caught up to the show in real time and will now have to wait until September in order to watch new eps. The last time I checked in (on June 7th), I had just finished watching 3×11 and wasn’t too impressed with the whole Tritter arc that was occupying the airwaves back then. But episodes 3×12 to 3×24 certainly did have much more to offer the viewer. Here are some random thoughts about the a few of the happenings in these 13 eps.

– I am not much of a ’shipper when it comes to TV shows. I don’t really care about the characters’ romantic interests if that’s not supposed to be the focus of the show. But I have to say that I really loved all the House/Cuddy flirting that developed towards the end of the season.

– I still don’t know what to think about the season finale when all of House’s assistants left. Foreman quit, Chase was fired, and Cameron resigned. I don’t think we’re going to get new actors on the show in the fall, so that means the writers have to find a way to work all three back in. I hope this doesn’t mean House will have to undergo a huge personality change (i.e. groveling in order to get those guys back).

In fact, I think it would be fun to have new assistants next season. As long as House, Cuddy, and Wilson stay on, I don’t really care who the underlings are. In three seasons worth of episodes, I didn’t get attached to any of them. Plus, I ended up hating Foreman by the time the final credits rolled in the finale, and don’t want to deal with any more of his ego next season.

– House can be such a complete and total ass sometimes. I mean, I know his character isn’t supposed to be warm and fuzzy, but it’s one thing merely to be abrasive. It’s quite another to be a self-absorbed ass all the time.

– The House-Wilson friendship, while entertaining, isn’t very realistic at all (not even within the bounds of the show’s particular “reality”). House continually walks all over Wilson and treats him like crap. Why would Wilson put up with that when he seems like such a nice, normal guy?

– I’m so dense that I didn’t realize Lisa Edelstein (Cuddy) played Sam Seaborn’s callgirl friend from Season One of The West Wing! I knew she looked (and definitely sounded) familiar, but I just couldn’t place her at all. Then I saw a clip of her on some talk show and they mentioned her West Wing role, and everything just clicked into place. She also played one of George’s girlfriends for two episodes on Seinfeld.

Overall, I still like House and think that it remained pretty steady over the course of its first three seasons. Whereas other shows that I watch (like Grey’s Anatomy, CSI, and Desperate Housewives) started off strong and then tapered off, House hasn’t really done that in my eyes. I look forward to watching the Season Four premier, which is more than I can say for those other shows I just mentioned!

I have been a stay-at-home mom for over four years now, and like many other women in my position, I’m always on the lookout for legitimate ways to earn income from home. I don’t want to give up spending time with my son, so a traditional job is out of the question, but I could really use some extra money every week.

I recently heard about a website called WhyDoWork.com that helps people in my situation find legitimate ways to make money from home. The site features job listings and a user forums where you can read about and discuss various work at home opportunities. I registered for free and spent some time checking out the site.

I thought the forums were pretty decent. They seemed very active, with new posts in almost every single thread. I didn’t read through everything, of course, but could tell just from browsing that most questions do generate a response of some kind. This is more than I can say for a lot of other forums out there, so that’s definitely a good start.

However, I have to say that I was disappointed at the actual job listings featured on the site. I pulled up about 10 of them, and every single one was just an ad from Craigslist. I guess this type of setup would save you time if you didn’t know how to subscribe to different feeds on Craigslist, but it wouldn’t be much help for those that are already web savvy.

The bottom line? I think the forums are worth visiting, but I wouldn’t expect to find anything too terrific from the job ads.

Evan Almighty, the follow-up to 2003’s Bruce Almighty, was the top movie in the country this weekend. It beat out last week’s No.1, Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer, as well as newcomer 1408 on the strength of $32 million in ticket sales, though it still has a long way to go to turn a profit on its reported budget of $175 million.

1408, a horror flick based on a Stephen King short story, racked up $20.175 million at the box office while Fantastic Four slipped to third place with $20.15 million in sales. Angelina Jolie’s latest project, A Mighty Heart, debuted in 10th place with $4 million in sales.

Here’s the complete top 10 for the weekend ending 6/24/07:

1. Evan Almighty, $32.1 million
2. 1408, $20.175 million
3. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, $20.15 million
4. Ocean’s Thirteen, $11.3 million
5. Knocked Up, $10.6 million
6. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, $7.2 million
7. Surf’s Up, $6.7 million
8. Shrek the Third, $5.8 million
9. Nancy Drew, $4.5 million
10. A Mighty Heart, $4 million

When I was a kid, one of my favorite places to go was an Army-Navy surplus store located about a mile away from my house. I’d ride my bike there at least three or four times a week during the summer and spend an hour or more just browsing through all the cool camouflage clothing they had in stock, wishing that I had enough money to buy something.

These days, I don’t live near a military surplus store, but I still enjoy checking out those types of products. It’s just that now I can do it online at websites like ArmyNavyMall.com and now I have enough money to buy anything that I really want.

ArmyNavyMall.com has a huge selection of apparel, footwear, headwear, bags, packs, knives, tools, police equipment, and gifts all at very reasonable prices. They even carry a full line of camping equipment, hunting equipment, and outdoor gear, making this site a great alternative to those overpriced national sporting goods chains that have cropped up all over the place.

ArmyNavyMall.com has so many products in stock that it’s impossible for me to do them all justice right here. You’ve just got to go check out the site and see all that cool stuff for yourself!