Beanie Books

This Netflix movie lies at the crossroads of Big and Groundhog Day. In this story, we meet Noah (Adam DeVine) who is attending his good friend Avery's (Alexandra Daddario) engagement party. He met Avery exactly three years ago when she put him the friend zone even though he is in love with her. He proceeds to get all super annoying drunk and confesses to Avery's photographer roommate Carrie (Shelley Hennig) that he has been pining for Avery since day one. Noah returns to the photo booth (Big) where he and Avery snapped some pics, falls asleep, and somehow goes back in time. Well, of course, time-travelling madness ensues as Noah tries to get Avery to fall in love with him, fails repeatedly, then returns to the photo booth and tries again (Groundhog Day). This movie is not all that different than the movies found on the Hallmark channel (sadly, I know). So, if you like that sort of thing, check it out. ...and another movie review .

The Real Meaning Of Peace Author Unknown   There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures. But there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them.  One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds.  All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.  The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged  and bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst ...

After the conclusion of this gem, I was just saying "Wow!".  Vince Vaughn plays an ex-boxer who tows trucks to pay the bills. He tore apart his wife's car with his bare hands when he found out that she went astray. No, really...that happens. This dude is no stranger to some violence, either. He uses his well honed skills in breaking stuff and beating up people to become a drug runner. So, one day, a drug deal goes awry. He finds himself helping the cops kill the bad guys but still ends up in jail. He first goes to a cushy jail and is ready to live the good life. However, things take a turn when an old dude shows up saying he will basically torture his unborn child and his pregnant wife if he doesn't take out a guy in the other jail. The other jail is for the really bad criminals and is run by Don Johnson. Plenty of violence ensues. This movie comes highly recommended if you can handle tons of semi-realistic violence. Check it out. There is another review right...

I  watched this movie knowing that it would be sad I guess. I mean, this lady's (Frances McDormand) daughter dies so she rents three billboards with messages directed at William Willoughby (Woody Harrelson), the town's police chief. Chief  Willoughby is a good guy who just has not been able to solve the case. Yet she won't be having that.  Her billboards' message to the chief is: do your job and catch the killer already. The second-in-command Officer Dixon (Sam Rockwell) is a real a-hole and causes all sorts of trouble. He is also an idiot and a stain on the police force. Yeah, I knew the lady would be sad but I expected this to be more of a crime thriller. Instead, this movie is full of unhappy people who are full of remorse, racism, and stupidity. There are f-bombs throughout this one as well so put the kids to bed before watching. It was a good movie I suppose...just not what I expected. Check it out. Also, check out another movie review .

In this snooze-fest, there is some of disaster that has pretty much killed off everyone...except for this one family. The whole family is boarded up trying to survive. They make ample use of their gas masks so they can remain disease free.  The movie starts out pretty sad when they kill off Grandpa because he has whatever disease that is going around. After that, the teenage son has nightmares which might be the most entertaining part of the whole movie. Then, along comes some guy who breaks into their house "to get water". Yeah, well, the home team is plenty pissed about that. Obviously, fighting and madness ensue.  There are better movies out there than this so just pass. Don't pass on the next movie review .

Braven is an action movie with a big dude named Jason Momoa. He reminds me of Steven Seagal. Anyway, in the movie, Joe Braven (Momoa) and his dementia suffering dad own a logging company. One of the company's drivers turns out to be a drug runner. As we learn, this rogue driver has been transporting drugs with his loser friend on his route. While these two brainiacs are delivering a giant batch of some sort of illegal drug, his truck crashes. To avoid having the cops find their dope, they stash it at our hero's cabin nearby. Coincidentally, Braven and his father are headed there the next day. Well, needless to say, the drug kingpin has a lot of money involved and wants his dope to be where it needs to be. He has a whole team of snipers and henchmen ready to retrieve the drugs at the Braven cabin where his idiot drug runners have left it. When these two worlds collide the calamities ensue. This is a pretty good action movie that cannot be taken too seriously. The hero does t...

Here is the deal, there are five friends. Two of them enter a liquor store. One of those two gets killed by some psychotic punks while the other is hiding. He feels guilty because he did not help. Good luck getting over that, right? After this, the four remaining besties reunite for a hike. One of these gents hurts his knee really badly so they decide to take the shortcut through the Scandinavian wilderness. Needless to say - madness ensues. The four guys do a lot of yelling as they try to find their way. When they see a gutted bear in the trees, they should have known something strange was amiss but, no...they keep going only to encounter more scary stuff. This movie has a Blair Witch Project vibe. The monster is very impressive. I expected a cheap CGI monster with camera tricks and careful editing but it is much better. Check it out...I mean, you have the Netflix subscription already so you should use it. If you don't, just use a friend's account. They won't care....

This movie is based on a Stephen King novel. Basically, kids in this town start disappearing because the town is cursed or something. A group of tweens form a Losers' Club and spend the summer trying to get to the bottom of it giving this movie a Stand By Me vibe. This movie would probably scare teens I guess. It has all things one would expect in a horror movie: (haunted house, zombies, gore, over the top bullies, and more). There aren't many jump scares but the clown is plenty creepy though.  I don't think I would recommend spending money to watch this but if you are lying on the couch on a Saturday afternoon while channel surfing and run into it, give it a shot. Next movie review

This is a movie about two people stuck in an airport. She (Kate Winslet) is going to be married the next day so she can't be sitting around in an airport. He (Idris Elba...I could see him being the next James Bond) is a surgeon who has a surgery scheduled for the next day so he certainly can't be sitting around in an airport, either. These two decide to charter a plane which, of course, crashes leaving these two plus a dog as the only survivors. Danger and thrills ensue. I liked this movie. However, if you are a pilot, you won't like it because pilots are sticklers and the charter pilot (Beau Bridges who is pretty much the same in every movie you see him in) neglects to file a flight plan before take-off which will drive a pilot crazy and they won't get past it. If you read the book, you probably won't like it either because book readers expect the movie to be just like the book and they will be driven crazy when subtle details are missing. For the rest of us,...

Jessica Chastain is Molly Bloom. Apparently Molly was a competitive skier but when that dream fell apart due to a broken back, she found herself running high stakes, backdoor poker games with celebrities who she is careful not to reveal but may or may not include the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck, and Tobey Maguire. The poker characters and their games are all interesting. The dialog is great as well as Molly is one sharp lady. However, this is supposed to be a true story but yet seems far fetched. For example, she moves to New York to set up a new poker game and instantly finds high rollers to participate. That's fine of course...it doesn't take away from the movie. Obviously, the whole scheme falls apart when the FBI get involved. This movie will appeal to you if: The premise of a woman running a high stakes backdoor card game, getting busted, and then going to court speaks to you You want to see Jessica Chastain's revealing wardrobe You enjoy some goo...

This movie is actually pretty funny. It basically makes fun of the ridiculousness of the original show. The Rock takes on David Hasselhoff's role as the head lifeguard or whatever. The plot is basically The Rock spotting some bad stuff going down on the beach and getting to the bottom of it with the help of his crew. Crazy hi-jinx ensue. Pamela Anderson makes a cameo at the end but don't see it just for that. Check it out if it is free and you are bored. This movie will appeal to you if: like silly humor. are looking for a carefree way to kill 2 hours. were a fan of Baywatch...the TV show. you want to see the Rock and Zac Efron flex. This movie will not appeal to you if: penis jokes make you feel weird. you like movies about things that could actually happen. you are sick of movies with the Rock. Next movie review

The Hitman's Bodyguard is a sometimes entertaining action movie. Ryan Reynolds does his normal routine as does Samuel L. Jackson. They argue and bicker throughout this buddy road trip movie which turns out to be the best part of the movie. There are so many choreographed fights and car chases that about midway through, I found myself catching up with email on my phone waiting for them to end. I mean, it got to be all the same. The plot doesn't matter, either. Salma Hayek's character is pointless. They probably added her because they wanted to add 10 pointless minutes to the movie or perhaps they wanted a juicy subplot to liven up the action. You could do worse I suppose. You could also do worse than the  next movie review  or the previous movie review.

Warning: Spoilers are here... So, here is the deal. Paul (Matt Damon) and his wife decide to make a change and become small people. In doing so, they would dramatically reduce their footprint which will help save the world. They could also retire because small people need less of everything so their nest egg will be enough to last them. They could live the good life more or less. Paul takes the plunge. He gets all miniature and stuff. Only, his wife decides to bail at the last minute. Paul's nest egg is cut in half because the two get divorced so he has to get a job. It isn't all bad, though. There are interesting characters in Leisureland.  He bonds with a Vietnamese woman and his neighbor is amusing. However,  the movie eventually gets a bit dragged down when Paul and his new friends go to Norway where the movie ends in sucky fashion. A better ending would have been for Paul to become a doctor (his dream job when he was young) in the small world. Maybe, i...

Author Unknown   But Greatly Appreciated! It was June 15, and in two days I would be turning thirty. I was insecure about entering a new decade of my life and feared that my best years were now behind me. My daily routine included going to the gym for a workout before going to work. Every morning I would see my friend Nicholas at the gym. He was seventy-nine years old and in terrific shape. As I greeted Nicholas on this particular day, he noticed I wasn't full of my usual vitality and asked if there was anything wrong. I told him I was feeling anxious about turning thirty. I wondered how I would look back on my life once I reached Nicholas's age, so I asked him, "What was the best time of your life?" Without hesitation, Nicholas replied, "Well, Joe, this is my philosophical answer to your philosophical question: "When I was a child in Austria and everything was taken care of for me and I was nurtured by my parents, that was the best time...

Information Please When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember well the polished old case fastened to the wall. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother used to talk to it. Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person - her name was "Information Please" and there was nothing she did not know.  "Information Please" could supply anybody's number and the correct time. My first personal experience with this genie-in the-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible, but there didn't seem to be any reason in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy. I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the sta...