3/30/07---The Cone of Shame

Today was a big day for my "other boy".  Oh sure, I've come on here before and told you about Midnight the Wonder Dog.  He's smart as a whip...probably the smartest dog I've ever had...but I don't say as much as I should about my other boy....Midnight's brother.....Beezer.  Now, I like to say that Beezer is a great dog...and he totally is.
He's very handsome....great personality...the ladies love my Beedalee....but there's just one little thing:
He's dumb as a rock.
Which is totally okay.  Its part of what makes him so lovable.  He's a full blooded mix.
Mom was a full blooded Yellow Lab, Dad was a full blooded Golden Retriever.  Hence a full blooded mix---that's my boy!  Anyway, today was a big day for Beezer.
He was going in for some minor surgery--well, it was "minor" to the doctor.  I'm not really sure if Beezer thought it was minor.  The Beez, like a lot of older retrievers, has had a problem with hemotomas in his ears.  Because he's got floppy ears, he has a tendency for water to get in them, which leads him to shake his head (and ears) pretty violently...which causes tiny blood vessels in his ears to burst...which causes blood to leak into the bottom of his ears...which equals:  hemotomas.  He's had them drained twice now...and this time the doctor was recommending surgery to correct the problem.
Essentially what was going to be done was that the doctor was going to cauliflower the ear by "cross-stiching" it.  This would prevent the blood from flowing to the bottom of his ear, and this way no hemotomas could form. 
Still, I was a little nervous for my boy.
I dropped him off about 8am.  He wasn't allowed any food or water in prepartion for his surgery.  This totally threw off his routine as well as the other two dogs.  Kim said it was hilarious watching the dogs as they would follow her around, trying to figure out why she wasn't putting any food into their dishes.  Talk about your Pavlov's dogs!

Finally, about 1:30pm I got the call from the dog's vet, Dr. Sullivan.  He happily informed me that Beezer was out of surgery and on the way to a speedy recovery.
He also informed me that the Beez seemed to be enjoying his medication "a little too much", as according to the doc Beez was "zonked out of his mind".  I told the doc to throw some Pink Floyd on the sound system....or maybe some Allman Bros...and that he would be just fine with that.
Dark Side of the Moon....Beezer's favorite album of alltime.

Anyway, we went and picked him up around 4:30pm, and he is currently wearing....
"the cone of shame".  Some people call it a satellite dish...its to prevent him from being able to scratch his ear.  He hates it though...and keeps bumping into things in the living room.  He looks miserable.

But, if it makes his ears better....a little minor misery is better than a lifetime of ear problems.  I've told him that the ladies in the neighborhood won't see him with his cone of shame.....and when he gets it taken off....he'll have his tough looking cauliflowered ear...and he'll look like one of those oldtime boxers or wrestlers....and his new name?

Lil Bruiser

The chicks...they love a tough guy.

Later,
Jeff

3/26/07---Movie reviews

So I'm catching up on some movies I had missed in the theatre....away we go.

1) Borat--this might be the most politically in-correct movie that I've ever seen.  Borat, or Sacha Cohen, is a simple immigrant from a former Soviet Republic.  Well, that's the storyline at least.  He is obsessively in character as a t.v. news reporter who comes to learn the customs of the good old USA.  A couple of things that really strike you:
A) He is totally committed to the role, even staying in character during legitimate stops by the police.  You keep figuring that eventually he's going to be forced to tell SOMEONE that its all a goof...but God bless him, he keeps it up throughout.
B) Don't even think of watching this if you're easily offended.  He literally skewers everyone and every conceivable race, creed or ethnicity.
The good news is, if your open minded about it....you'll be laughing uncontrollably while your watching it.  This isn't just funny....its REALLY funny.  Uncomfortably so.  Because while your laughing...you'll probably be feeling guilty about it.   ****

2) The Illusionist--here's the first of our two "magician" movies that I recently watched.
This one stars the vastly underrated Edward Norton, who really should have received far more critical praise for this role.  He plays a young man in the late 1800's who becomes his country's most celebrated magician.  His success brings him to the attention of the crown prince, who just happens to be engaged to the magician's first and only true love.  This makes for some interesting melodrama....and its very well done.
Women will love it for the love triangle, guys will love it for the terrific ending.  The great Paul Giamatti plays a police investigator who gets mixed up in the triangle.  He & Norton are terrific as always.  ****

3) Babel--The big theory being expounded here is that we are intertwined on this planet we share, and a seemingly innocent gesture half a world away can have ramifications from one side of the world to another.   Or, you could say that what you have here is four (seemingly) unrelated stories that show what happens when a miscommunication leads to a misunderstanding that leads to....big drama.  Some terrific acting, and although Brad Pitt is the lead name on the movie posters I thought the storyline involving 1/2 of Brangelina was probably the most boring one of the bunch.  Pay particular attention to the story of the young deaf Japanese girl played by Rinko Kikuchi.  She was deservedly nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actress.  Not for everyone, but a compelling movie.  ****

4) Zodiac--okay, I did manage to make it to the theatre for one film this week.  Here is the story of the search for the serial killer who terrorized the Bay Area in and around San Francisco in the late 60's and early 70's.  The story is not so much about the killer, but about the men of the police department and the local newpaper and their obsessive search for the answer of the killer's identity.  The movie is more "All the President's Men" than "Silence of the Lambs" though, although it does have several outstanding performances....Jake Gyllanhahl is particularly strong as an editorial cartoonist who finds himself becoming obsessed with the case.  The movie is directed by David Fincher, who has created quite a name and reputation for himself in examing the dark side of humanity in films like Se7en & Fight Club.  However, particularly chilling in a smaller but pivotal
role is John Carroll Lynch, who portrays one of the prime suspects.  This guy's performance will stay with you long after the movie is over--and I can guarantee you that after watching this movie you will never listen to the Donovan song "Hurdy Gurdy Man" the same way again.  Trust me on that one.  ****

5) The Prestige--this is the 2nd of this week's films about magicians.  This one concerns a rivalry between two magicians around the early 1900's and how it ends up consuming each man and all of those around them.  Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale (rapidly becoming one of our favorite actors--excellent here) play the rivals who live to out do the other...no matter what the cost.  Much like the earlier reviewed "Illusionist", this features an excellent ending that will catch you by surprise.  Both men are ably supported by the always dependable Michael Caine...good as usual.   All that plus a supporting role by Scarlett Johansson, who might be the best looking woman in movies right now, make this a good film--although I might have enjoyed The Illusionist a little bit more.  ***3/4

Later,
Jeff

3/16/07--Day #3...and maybe the rest of the trip also

So day #3 was Friday, and we heard later that it was the 2nd coldest day in the HISTORY of New York City (think about that statement for a moment).  Folks, when I tell you it was cold---it was cold.  We began the day by heading down to Battery Park to...well, quite frankly, we went in search of some bootleggers.  Kellie wanted a pair of sunglasses, and a pair of unnamed co-workers were in the market for some Gucci handbags....no what I mean Vern?

So we get down there....and it turns out that Battery Park has this massive construction job going on right in the middle of it, which has...pretty much ruined the bootleg business.  Although, truth be told...I did run into one guy and was able to a pair of "designer" shades for the daughter at a decent price--after the required haggling.
We decided as a family (i.e. "I decided") that it was too cold to take the boat over to the Statue of Liberty (sorry kids, maybe next time) so we began walking over to Ground Zero.  We stopped and had a quick breakfast, which also included a near incessant amount of teenage whining from Kellie about how cold it was and how she "couldn't feel her toes".  She took her shoes off to get some blood flow going, and I told her to wrap her toes in napkins from the table and then put her socks back on.
End of problem.
Ground Zero is still a very sacred place, and always should be.  The kids had never seen it before, and I felt it was important that they did...not the least of which is the historical aspect.  After that, we headed towards the Empire State Building....which of course gives us yet another chance to totally freak out my daughter by going up 89 floors and taking a view of the New York skyline.  They both were impressed, although not as much as how cold they thought it was.  We made our reservations for a tour of NBC the next day (not without the usual drama of course) and then headed back downtown to see Union Square--which is probably my favorite part of NYC....some great stores, atmosphere and towards the end of each week there is a "green market" where people come in from the country (and even out of state) to sell different produce.
Me of course, I'm interested in the cookies.  Hey, its who I am, its what I do.
That night, we took the kids to see a little Broadway action as we went to see the Blue Man Group.  Now my old friend Greg Goode had been pushing this show on me for years....and I gotta give credit where its do....they were fantastic.  Truly this is one of those shows that can't be captured on DVD or television.  Its a really great live visual experience.  If you ever get a chance to see them....highest recommendation.

Day #4--got up and made our way over to 30 Rockefeller Plaza--home of NBC.
We took the tour (after spending way to much in the NBC store) and got to visit where they film Saturday Night Live each week.  Some classic photos of guys like John Belushi and Phil Hartman....amazingly though, a tour of NBC....which is of course, the "network of Notre Dame football"....and you do not see ONE SINGLE THING about the Fighting Irish.  Which is amazing, considering how much flak the Damers get for that contract amongst college football fans and the media.  I even told one of the NBC pages, "Your network needs to push the Fighting Irish more", and she promised to mention it to the next executive she saw.  I won't hold my breath.  After the tour, we scooted over to Grand Central Station and caught a train out of NYC and on the way to White Plains, NY....which was about a 30 minute train ride.  We hooked up with my Uncle John, "travel consultant" Mary Ellen (hehehe) and my other cousins Brian, Patrick & Terrance, who were all at a pub for an early St Patrick's Day celebration.  We walked up to the pub...and let me just say....that if I dropped a quarter in the bar, I wouldn't have been able to pick it up--it was that crowded.  Nothing like a pub full of drunken Irish to put you in the mood.  We were able to sneak outside and hook up with Uncle John & Mary Ellen....who like any good Irish mother had brought her kids with her....they need to experience the Irish ways I tell yee!  We had a lot of fun chatting with them for awhile, as Uncle John told some great stories about me dear old Da himself--no sibling rivalry there, no sirree Bob!  After awhile they left us, and the Florida Bowdren's forced there way back into yon pub, past just a few drunken lad's and lasses until we came across me own cousins...Brian, Patrick & Terrance.  Fine Irish lads all tree!  (Sorry, I seem to be morphing Barry Fitzgerald from The Quiet Man)  Anyway, with them was Terrance's girlfriend...or maybe its fiancee....me own wife and I couldn't remember--and we figured it'd be rude to ask.  I was a good cousin, and downed a pint under the watchful eye of me own daughter...who was giving me an eyebrow I don't mind tellin ya!  I told her...."welcome to your very own heritage little girl!".  Right there in the pub they were singing some fine Irish songs, and Brian, Patrick & particularly Terrance were in fine form and my own bride says to me---she says:
"You don't know these songs as well as your cousins." (she didn't have the dialect)
"No," says I, "'tis true.  And its because me Da...he didn't marry a fine Irish girl from the neighborhood like me Uncle John.  He went down south and got himself the Belle of the Ball....which makes me 1/2 Irish and 1/2 South Carolina....and which is the better half, I can't say.  But its an equal helping of each that made me what I am today...and that's the man you love and married....so it can't all be bad."
It was at that moment that a fierce wind picked up outside, blew the door to the pub open, and as Kim tried to walk away, I grabbed her by the arm, pulled her too me and gave her a kiss like she hadn't had in awhile.  Then I picked her up into my arms and....

Whoops, there I go again.  That was John Wayne & Maureen O'Hara in The Quiet Man.  Wow.  That movie sure did make an impression.

So we caught the train back to NYC and ended up all the way downtown by the famous Brooklyn Bridge, which...much to Kellie's chagrin, we proceeded to walk across.  I'm proud to say that over the course of Friday & Saturday, my podometer indicated that we walked over 15 miles.  The walk was very nice, as by this point the sun had begun to go down and although it was cool....it wasn't ridiculous like the morning before.  We were heading over to a pizza place that Kim had read about right on the waterfront in Brooklyn....and when we got there....you guessed it, about 40 people in line before us.  We asked around and found another place, this one just some american cuisine (although it was actually pretty good) that was right on the river with a spectacular view of both the Brooklyn & Manhattan Bridges.  I think where we were sitting might have even been used in a Woody Allen film.  However, all things being equal, we caught a cab back into the heart of the city--which of course meant another moment spent in Death Race 2000, or at least, something just like it.  We stopped off back in Union Square and made some purchases and then headed in.....long day.

Day #5.  We really had nothing on the agenda for the day, so we thought we would head back down to Times Square and maybe pick up some last minute items we might have forgotten to get.  The wife then decides...that she wanted some bagels from an authentic NY bagel joint to take back home to Florida--because, you know, of course the bagels in Florida are never as good as the ones in NY.  ("Its the water!")
Well, now she has an "approximate" idea of where the place is located....and off we go.
Along the way, we stopped in a huge Barnes and Noble (4 or 5 stories tall), Central Park and a few other places.  And we continued to walk.......

44 blocks we walked.  That was where the wife FINALLY saw the sign for the bagel place.  And she went in....and I told her....that these had better be the best damn bagels that she had ever eaten...for the effort we put into getting them.  So she's standing in line, waiting to pay...when she looks on the wall and sees the sign:

"Be sure and visit our Times Square location"

Ya know, right where we started.    DOH!

After that, we stopped off for some authentic New York style pizza--we hadn't had any, remember?--at a place called John's Pizza, which is right off of Times Square.

That's us in the picture....right after Kellie had spelled the Pepsi all over herself.

Time to go home!  Thanks NYC, it was fun!

Later,
Jeff

3/14/07--Day #2 in NYC

So on Day #2, we get up early for our visit to a local college....Stevens Institute.  Here was a case where my wife's totally anal quality of wanting to be early EVERYWHERE came in handy.  Now, the mapquest said that it would take us "11 minutes" to go from our hotel to the college.  Of course, that's a rough estimate--very rough.  What they don't mention is that right along the route they recomend to get to the college is the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel--ya know, the gateway from New Jersey to NYC.
Yeah, just a wee bit o' traffic at that location, don't ya think?  But what was truly amazing was that once you got past the entrance tot he tunnel and head into downtown Hoboken, NJ (hometown of Francis Albert Sinatra--thank you very much, they call him "The Chairman of the Board") it really comes off as a nice town (how woulda thunk it?).
We then turned onto the campus of the Stevens Institute, where we were quickly escorted for a tour around campus by a young student who was just way too peppy.
We were a little surprised that Andy came away from the visit really impressed by the school.  Now it wasn't that we were surprised by the school, just Andy's reaction to it.
We thought, like a lot of things, that Andy would say it was "okay"--which is Andy-speak for "I don't know what you want me to say".  But he was (for Andy at least) fairly effusive in his praise for the school, going so far as to say that the distance from home and the weather wouldn't be a factor in his choice of schools.  Hey, who knew?
We then drove our rental car back to the airport, returned it, and looked for a way to get into Manhattan--and before anyone decides they know the best way, anyway you look at it, you're going to pay--or you take the subway and drag a bunch of luggage around with you. 
So we forked over the (COUGH!) $70 for a cab ride into the city.  I had warned the kids that the ride would be at the bare minimum the equal to some of the roller coaster rides they had taken previously.  We weren't disappointed....I was pretty sure that we went up on 2 wheels on at least 47 occasions.  We managed to arrive alive though, and checked into our Doubletree Suites on 51st & Lexington...Nice hotel, much better than the Radisson we stayed at a couple of years ago...but don't go to NYC and expect to get a hotel rooms that are close to being "normal sized".  I've seen closets that were bigger.  We took the kids down to Times Square where Kellie was thrilled by her visit to the MTV store (remember when they showed videos?) and all the action going on around.  We walked uptown a bit and stopped to eat at a place called "Good Enough to Eat"--really small place, maybe 12 to 15 tables...but at least the heat was working.
Folks, it was getting cold outside.....and I don't mean Florida cold either....I mean New York cold--and there is a difference.
Well, despite a Zagat recommendation, we weren't all that thrilled by our dinner, but I will say that the dessert, which was a slice of cake....was out of this world.  Check it out:  Banana-chocolate chip with a peanut butter frosting.  OMAN.  I didn't even finish, and it sure wasn't because it wasn't good enough....the cake was awesome.  Back to the hotel afterwards and the next day, we were going down to Battery Park to search for bootleg merch and take the kids to Ground Zero.

Later,
Jeff

3/13/07---Back from the Big NYC

So here we are, and its been a couple of days since I returned from New York, and I've had a few days to reflect on some of the events of this past week.  We had a terrific time, got to see some family members that we don't get to see nearly enough (by the way, for you New York members of my family---that makes TWICE I've been up there in the last 6 mos--I'd say it was time for some of you to return the favor by visiting us here in Florida), got to check out some of the sights around New York City, and got to do a tour of a local college with Andy--his first ever college tour.  All that, and it was colder than my first wife's heart while we there.  Yikes!  I think either this past Thursday or Friday was like the 2nd coldest day in the HISTORY of New York City.  Weren't we lucky!

So the trip starts last Wednesday, and we fly into lovely Newark--Gateway to Seacaucus--and rent a car.  Once again, Kellie is disappointed because we can't rent a Mustang.  Hey, who needs space for luggage anyway, ya know?  So we get to the Holiday Inn, which is located inside one of these corporate event complexes, ya know the type--about 5 hotels, and a shopping center that has stores that sell jewelry and bagels--not from the same store mind you.  Anyway, we get checked in and there is a light dusting of snow on the ground, which of course thrilled the kids (and maybe me a little) and decided to head outside to enjoy the crispness of the weather--keep in mind that to people from Florida, the concept of really cold weather is sort of a novelty.
So Kim decides that we didn't really plan for the sort of weather that we were going through, and hears that there's a Wal-Mart down the street.  (I can hear my Mom now-
"Not just a Wal-Mart....its a SUPER WAL-MART!")  So we decide to march on down to the Wal-Mart to get Andy another sweatshirt or something, and I mean....its maybe 1/2 mile to the store.
Well, when we walked into the front door of the store, I realized that I couldn't feel my upper legs.  So much for the decision to wear my khaki's on the day of the trip.  I mean, I can't recall being that cold in I don't know how long--and it was only the first day.
We got Andy a new sweatshirt (and me a pair of gloves) and decided to eat at the Pizza Uno in the plaza.  Now I know its a chain restaurant--but Pizza Uno isn't in south Florida anymore, so we felt like we could get away with our policy for the trip of "not eating at any restaurant that we go to in south Florida".  It was a chain restaurant, but since it doesn't exist in south Florida---technically we got around it.  Now, we had planned on taking a trip out that night and meeting my cousin Mary Ellen, and my Uncle John & Aunt Celia as well as some other various  family members.  So we get in the car and head over into New York state, with the old Mapquest directions to the restaurant to guide us.  We pull into "New City, NY", and after a minor glitch in the directions (way to go Mapquest) we locate the restaurant...a cozy Italian place that looks like it used to be a house.  So we go inside, and tell the maitre'd that we're part of a party of around 10 to 15 people for that evening that I'm sure is on the reservation listings.

Don't you love when you say something like that to a maitre'd or hostess and get a blank look back at you?  Ya know...like their thinking...."huh?"

That was the sort of look I got.  Cue the Homer Simpson line:  "DOH!"

So Kim looks at ME like maybe I made some huge mistake on the night we were supposed to be meeting them. 

"Did you tell them NEXT Wednesday maybe?" she asks me.
"No...I even sent an email out last night to Mary Ellen....I'm positive its tonight."

So I'm figuring that maybe, just maybe....they had just planned on arriving and hadn't made a reservation.  So we are sort of standing around, waiting for a recognizable face to come driving into the parking lot--and still, no one shows up.  I go back in to the place, and tell Kim that I'm not really surprised that Mary Ellen is late....since she told me that she had to deal with her kids and whether she would be bringing them or leaving them home etc etc etc...but that I was surprised that no one had at least called me to tell me that they would be a few minutes late.  It was around this time that the maitre'd says:

"Hey, what was the name the reservation was supposed to be under?"
"Bowdren."
"I have a listing for TOMORROW night for a party of 13....the name looks like 'Boudreu'.  Could that be it?"

Cue that Homer Simpson line again.  "DOH!"

Well as fate would have it, they happen to have a phone number listed with the reservation.  I make the phone call, and beloved cousin Mary Ellen is on the other end of the call.

"Hey there cousin," I begin, "what's up?"
"Not much.  What's doing?"
"Guess where I am right now?"
"Where?"
"At the restaurant.  Waiting for you."
"No...I thought it was for tomorrow night?"
"No, tomorrow night is when we're going to see the show on Broadway.  The dinner was supposed to be tonight."
"OH MY GOD!  I can't believe I messed this up!"
"Don't worry about it....its not a huge deal."
"I CAN'T BELIEVE I MESSED THIS UP!"

Now, let me take a very brief break in our storyline here to mention two small details that make the story even funnier. 
1) Mary Ellen's job?  She's a travel coordinater.  So, this is the sort of thing that she does for a living--which really devestates her.
2) You have to love a solid marriage.  Why do I mention this?  Because while I'm talking to her on the phone, her husband walks into the room.  Now picture this, here's Mary Ellen...she's upset that our plans were messed up, for reasons that were absolutely no one's fault...just a miscommunication....but she's upset at herself and her husband walks into the room.  The conversation went something like this:
"Honey, you won't believe this...the dinner with my cousin and my family?  It was supposed to be TONIGHT.  Not tomorrow night.  I can't believe this."

Now there's a dramatic pause.  And then, with expert timing...her husband says:
"I knew you'd mess it up."

I mean, just a classic wise ass remark.  None of this sniveling 'honey, I'm sure your cousin will understand'....or, 'baby, let me give you a hug cuz you feel bad'....nope, that's not the IRISH way!!  It was a straight forward and simple:
"I KNEW YOU'D MESS IT UP."

Damn, a dagger....right to the heart.  I really don't remember socializing much with her husband at the reunion back in September, but at that moment, I really wanted her to bring this guy to dinner. 

We talked for a few more minutes, and it really was a simple mix-up in which night was better for each other....she thought it was for Thursday, but that was the night we had planned to take the kids to a show on Broadway.  So we ended up rescheduling a meet and greet for Saturday afternoon, when there would be a St Patrick's festival in the town where she worked.

We then went into the restaurant (after canceling the reservation for the next evening) and had some dinner.  I had the chicken marsala.  It was good, although the place was a little bit fancier than we thought it would be and I felt a tad under dressed.  After dinner we headed back towards the hotel.

So here was our brilliant plan.  We would simple reverse the Mapquest directions and it would easily take us back to the hotel, right?  Yep.

So at one point we were driving down the Pallisades Highway on the side of a hill and there was town that was beautifully lit up that he kids were just ooohing and aahing about.  Now mind you, Kim and I are giving each other looks, because we have ZERO idea where we are...but we don't want the kids to know that.  And Kellie says:

"Mom, what town is that down there that's all lit up?"
"Um....I think that's Yonkers."

Mind you, I don't think we were within 50 miles of Yonkers, NY...but hey, the kids bought it, ya know?

We finally stumbled upon that Holiday Inn, and I gotta tell ya.....it sure looked like home that night.  It beat the hell out of being "Lost in New Jersey".

Later,
Jeff

Next:  Day 2

3/4/07--The Return

Well, let's just say that it turns out that I was a little more popular than I thought--and a very nice hi-how-do-ya-do to all of you who have come to the blog looking for, ya know, that OTHER story.
Sorry!

Ahem.

Hey, how about some movie reviews?  Yeah, that's the ticket.  I've seen three relatively new ones in the last week or two, so I thought I'd give you the low down.
and how great
1) The Departed--yowsa.  What a great freakin film.  The Italians have The Godfather,
the Jewish people have Once Upon a Time in America.....and now, finally, the Irish have their mob movie.  Now I know what your thinking, Miller's Crossing, right?
True, a great movie--ABOUT the Irish mob.  But not the DEFINITIVE mob movie about our favorite immigrants.  I won't even quibble about Leo DeCaprio playing an Irish guy--AGAIN.  Terrific performances all around, although Mark Wahlberg sort of overacts and probably shouldn't have been the one actor in the movie to get an Oscar nomination.  ****1/2    Also may set a new film record for most profanities uttered.

 2) Employee of the Month--okay, here's the thing.  A few years ago, I was watching Comedy Central and stumbled upon this young unknown comic named Dane Cook.
And his set was one of the funniest things I've ever seen or heard.  Fast forward a few years, and now Dane Cook is everywhere...movies, HBO mini-series, etc.  So this is his first film, and....what a waste of time.  Here's a little hint when watching a movie that is labeled "a comedy".  If Jessica Simpson or Harland Williams is in it----pass.  *1/2

 3) Ghost Rider--Nicholas Cage takes on a Marvel character that he apparently has been wanting to do for years.  Result?  Well, its not Spiderman, but its not the Incredible Hulk either.  The worst part of the movie is watching the horrible toupee that Cage is wearing throughout the film.  Really distracting, even more than Eva Mendes.
There's some good action here, and the special effects are okay....and how great is it to see the great Sam Elliott again?  The man looks more surly and weather beaten than ever--***


Later,
Jeff