Go See This Movie With Me! John Carter March 11 4:00 PM A Battle For Your Dream Post

Posted on March 9, 2012 by

This article was first posted on Steven’s Good Life Blog.  www.stevenshomler.com 

  

Go See This Movie With Me! John Carter March 11th 4:00 PM Portland, Oregon

www.goseethismoviewithme.com

I love going to the movies!

In fact, movies are one of my Vitality Pursuits. www.vitalitypursuits.com

For me the only thing better than seeing a movie, is seeing a movie with a bunch of friends!

Back in 1990 was the first time I saw a movie with a bunch of friends. About 50 of us went and saw The Hunt For Red October at the Capitol Mall theater in Olympia, WA.

In January of this year (2012) a group of my friends and I picked out a few movies that we were going to see this year.  In February I talked with them about inviting others and they said “what the heck – go for it!”

The first movie that we are going to see this year is John Carter. www.disney.go.com/johncarter/splash-page

We are going this Sunday, March 11th at 4:00 PM to the Century Clackamas Town Center Theater, here in Portland, OR.

We are going to see John Carter in 3D. If you want to join us, I advise you to buy your ticket(s) at Fandango.com  www.fandango.com

I know that many of you who read this blog, live in places other than Portland, OR. Perhaps sometime, I can see a movie close to where you call home. For now, events like this will be taking place here in Portland.

If you live somewhere other than Portland, and if you want to take part in this adventure, one option for you is to see John Carter this weekend and then we could compare notes.

On Monday, March 12, I will post my review of John Carter both at this website (www.stevenshomler.com)and my movie review website www.goodlifemoviereviews.com.

*For more information about why I had to quit putting regular focused effort into reviewing movies see below.

  

John Carter and Comic Books!

As far as John Carter goes, one of the reasons that I am excited to see this movie is because I already know and like the story. In the late 70′s I read the Marvel comic book series - John Carter Warlord of Mars. www.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Carter,_Warlord_of_Mars

  

From that 70′s comic book series I learned that Edgar Rice Burroughs was the writer/author who created both Tarzan and John Carter. www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Rice_Burroughs

I am hoping that I will enjoy seeing on the big screen, what I saw in a comic book more than 30 years ago!

Come with me to see John Carter!

Go watch a trailer or two for John Carter, if what you see, resonates with you, take a chance and go see this movie this weekend! If you live in Portland and if you are free Sunday afternoon, join us, we would love to have you!

The Avengers Sunday May 6!

If you can’t make Sunday March 11 to see John Carter, plan now to see The Avengers which opens Friday May 4th. I will going with a group of friends to this movie on Sunday May 6th. It would be great to have you join us!

* a Movie Review Website?  

Sometimes you Have to Edit Your Battle Winning Battle Plan

Many of you, may not even know that I have (had?) a movie review website. Given that I love movies and given that back in 2010, I felt compelled to write and use a blog as a starting point, having a movie review website made perfect sense. That was in 2010.

I have continued to innovate and refine my Battle Winning Battle Plan. Last summer (2011) I realized that seeing 1,2 or sometimes 3 movies in a week and reviewing them was not helpful to my goal of being a speak and an author.

I only have so much time in a week and given where I wanted to go, investing that much time into movies did not make sense.  This realization was very painful for me. I really enjoyed regularly seeing movies and writing movie reviews.

The last time I posted a movie review was back in July 2011 (www.goseethismovie.com/2011/07/01/transformers-dark-of-the-moon-movie-review) and as I mentioned, letting that part of my plan go, was very painful to me.

The good news is that from July 2011 through December 2011, I invested that time into building the foundation for Portland Cart Adventures. If I had not let go of regularly reviewing movies, I would have not been able to launch that much more important project in Jan 2012.

Grieving 

While I knew last summer that my time regularly reviewing movies had come to an end, I kept foolishly hoping that it would somehow magically work out for me get back to  both seeing movies and reviewing them on a weekly basis.

It was not until this January (2012) that finally – in my heart, I accepted that to go where I wanted to go, I had to let go of my hope to regularly review movies on a weekly basis.

It was then that I started grieving this loss. Between July 2011 and Jan 2012 I simply ignored my need to grieve this loss.

Of course once I finally let go and did a month or so of grieving work, I discovered that while it was not appropriate for me to reviews movies on a weekly basis, it does make sense for me to review 6 – 12 movies a year, and that is what I am going to do.

I am also thinking about morphing my movie review website into more of a “Hey I really liked this movie website” I do own the domain www.goseethismovie.com…

Besides, the movie reviews  I have written get read quite a bit. For example – my review of the movie Secretariat has been read thousands of times. www.stevenshomler.com/2010/10/08/secretariat-movie-review.                                   People seem to like my movie reviews and I do enjoy writing them.

Update - I did just (today) change over www.GoodlifeMovieReviews.com to www.GoSeeThisMovie.com. It was such good idea that I had while writing this post, I figured why wait?

You can even like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/GoSeeThisMovie and follow on Twitter www.twitter.comGoSeeThisMovie

Speaker and an Author

My goal is to become a speaker and a author and earn the income needed to see my dreams come true. www.battleforyourdream.com

  

At this point in my journey, most of my creative energy gets used writing and creating content for my Food Cart site Portland Food Cart Adventures www.portlandfoodcartadventures.com, my Marriage site Battle For a Great Marriage www.battleforagreatmarriage.com and for Steven’s Good Life Blog www.stevenshomler.com.

On stevenshomler.com I am regularly writing articles about Battling for your Dream and next week I am going to begin a series of articles on Grieving. In April I will start posting a series of articles with a business theme entitled How To Kill Business.

So there you go, to move ahead – I had to let go. While it was painful for me to give up on the idea of being a regular movie reviewer, I am excited that every so often I can tell others about a movie I really enjoyed.

If you have a Dream, Start Pursuing It, RIGHT NOW!

If you are battling for a dream, you are likely to encounter the same kind of adjustments and changes to your journey as you move ahead , that I have.

For me, the trick is not to get a perfect Battle Winning Battle Plan, but head out and pursue your dream and then edit your Battle Winning Battle Plan as needed, as you go.

People who wait for the perfect plan often never get started. If you have a dream, start pursuing it right now!

That’s it!

Steven Shomler

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Transformers: Dark of the Moon Movie Review

Posted on July 1, 2011 by

Transformers: Dark of the Moon Movie Review

Transformers: Dark of the Moon PG-13 (PG-13 due to intense scenes)

Movies Website – www.transformersmovie.com

“Autobots, Decepticons, intense action, explosions, Sam Witwicky and a new hottie who is easy on the eyes!” Steven Shomler, Good Life Movie Reviews

Summary – The Decepticons are once again deceiving. This time the mystery centers on what did or did not really happen on the moon. Transformer regulars – Sam Witwicky (Shia Labeouf), Lennox (Josh Duhamel), Epps (Tyrese Gibson)  and Simmons (John Turturro) are joined by newcomers- Carly Spencer (Rosie Hunington-Whiteley) Dylan (Patrick Dempsey) and Mearing (Frances McDormand). The story and the battle converges in the city of Chicago.

  
 Rating –  I give Transformers:Dark of the Moon 3 out of 5 Gas Cans. Enjoyable. Worth seeing in the theater, especially if you are fan of Summer blockbusters!

3D My advice – See this movie in 3D. It’s worth it.

Is it a Film or a Movie? Transformers:Dark of the Moon is a movie.

 

My Favorite Quote – “You either take the right position out of college, or you fall into a soul sucking abyss.”

Runner up Quote – “The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few.”

Other Quotes – “Neil, you are dark on the rock, mission is a go.”

“My hero needs to wake up.”

“As I recall, that was not even the highlight of your day.”

 

“It reminds me of Bumblebee, if Bumblebee was a POS.”

“That is Shockwave.”

“I want a job that matters.”

“Do I look Like a ma m?”

“You are a woman, right?”

“It’s Cyrillic, it’s like all the buttons on the calculator, that you don’t ever push.”

‘I hereby discharge you from duty.”

“Is that okay with you, Mr. Inappropriate?”

“That kids is an alien bad news magnet.”

“I am just a messenger!”

My Favorite Sequence – Witwicky and the gang in the collapsing building. really cool sequence.


Who you should see the movie with – Ideally teenage boys. Michael Bay seems to know what they want in a summer movie. also fans of the previous two  Transformers movies.

Other reviews you might find helpful – From The New York Times by A.O. Scott www.movies.nytimes.com/2011/06/29/movies/transformers-dark-of-the-moon-movie-review.html

From Entertainment Weekly by Lisa Schwarzbaum www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20483133_20483482,00.html

From USA Today by Claudia Puig www.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/transformers-dark-of-the-moon

What I liked about this movie and other thoughts -

This was a fun summer movie. explosions, awesome special effects, a hot girl, bad guys, good guys. Yep. you have seen it all before, but it still looks good.

  

Chicago gets totally laid waste in this movie and all that was impressive to see.

I really liked the appearances by  a number of the less featured characters;

Sam’s parents; Ron and Judy Witwiky (Kevin Dunn and Julie White).

Bruce Brazos magnificently played by John Malkovich.

Jerry Wang creepily played by Ken Jeong.

and Sentinel Prime voiced by Leonard Nimoy.

All in all, a satisfying summer blockbuster.

That’s it

Steven Shomler

Good Life Movie Reviews

Transformers Movie Quotes  Transformers: Dark of the Moon Movie Quotes

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Green Lantern Movie Review

Posted on June 17, 2011 by

  

Green Lantern PG -13 (IMO – In My Opinion  - PG-13 due to some of the action scenes)

Movies Website – www.greenlanternmovie.warnerbros.com

“A good movie for fans of Green Lantern and the Green lantern Corp!” Steven Shomler, Good Life Movie Reviews.

Summary – Test Pilot Hal Jordan is given a Green Lantern Ring by a dying alien (Abin Sur) and proceeds to learn about it, the Green Lantern Corp and himself, as he defends earth against against an evil foe.

Rating 

This is the first movie I have had to give two different ratings to. I have never seen a movie reviewer do that before, but I figured what the heck, why not be first. This movie gets either, 2 or 3 (of 5) gas cans depending…let me explain. We start with the 3 gas cans -

  

I Give Green Lantern 3 out of 5 gas cans.  Enjoyable. Go see it in the Theater – if…If you  read Green Lantern or Green Lantern/Green Arrow comics as a kid. If you are fan of the Green Lantern Corp. If you remember the first time you read Tales Of the Green Lantern Corp #1. If Hal Jordan and (Not Guy Gardner, or John Stewart, or Kyle Rayner*) is your favorite human Green Lantern than this is the movie for you!  You will get a kick out of seeing Tomar Re and hearing Kilowog say “Poozer” and seeing Oa on the big screen etc. etc.

* I did not forget Alan Scott Earth 2′s Green Lantern. Earth 2 heroes and members of the Justice Society and All Star Squadron are in a category all their own. Cool pics and links below at the end of this post.

 

If however, the above paragraph sounds like gibberish or unknown-to-you geek talk, then I give Green Lantern 2 out of 5 Gas Cans – Mediocre. See it at the theater only if you are already at the theater and there is nothing else worth seeing. Better to wait until this movie comes out on DVD.

It is an okay movie, just not a great movie. If you are not already familiar with the world and mythos of Green Lantern this movie might not float your boat.

Is it a Film or a Movie? Green Lantern is a movie.

My Favorite Quote – “To Infinity and beyond, By the power of Grayskull.”


Runner up Quotes – “You are afraid, good.”

“Have you concluded admiring yourself?”

“Never let your guard down, Poozer!”

I would have gone with Jones too, but unfortunately he is busy not being good enough.”

“Make yourself at home, there is water in the tap.”

“I have never felt better in my life.”

” ‘Same old, same old’, ‘same here.’ “

My Favorite Sequence – Hal Jordan and Hector Hammond at the Ferris Aircraft party telling each know that nothing has really changed in their lives lately.

Who you should see the movie with – Friends who are comic book fans who know the Green Lantern mythos.

Other reviews you might find helpful – From Entertainment Weekly by Owen Gleiberman  http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20483133_20483463,00.html

From USA Today by Claudia Puig -http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2011-06-16-green-lantern-ryan-reynolds_n.htm

What I liked about this movie and other thoughts -

  

I am a comic book nerd. I loved seeing Tomar Re and Kilowog and Oa and Sinestro and Amanda Waller and the DEO etc, etc etc.

  

I thought this movie did a nice job with the prologue giving viewers a brief explanation of the Green Lantern Corp.

For me, this movie failed to have enough heart. It was lacking depth. I liked Ryan Reynolds, yet he did not come off as truly heroic, like Hal Jordan does in the comics.

I ened up seeing this movie in both 3D and 2D. I liked it better in 2D, other than the very end. The “planet” scenes that play during the closing credits, they look amazing in 3D.

I liked the sense of childhood nostalgia I felt seeing a real live Green Lantern movie on the big screen, even a mediocre Green Lantern movie.

If you are a comic book nerd like me , you might appreciate the links and pictures below.

That’s it!

Steven Shomler

Good Life Movie Reviews.

           

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Lantern

  

  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Lantern_Corps

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Green_Lanterns

       

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Scott

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardians_of_the_Universe

  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardians_of_the_Galaxy_(1969_team)

  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All-Star_Squadron

  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice_Society_of_America

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11 Movies I Want to See in 2011 Part 2 – July through December

Posted on February 2, 2011 by

11 movies I want to see in 2011. Part 2

To see part 1 go to www.goodlifemoviereviews.com/2011/02/01/11-movies-i-want-to-see-in-2011-part-1

Below you will find the movie’s title, the estimated release date, the movie’s poster (if available), and why I want to see it. Movie’s listed in order of estimated release date.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. July 15

8 movies, 10 years. Quite amazing.  Part 1 was great. I expect that part 2 will not disappoint.

Captain America : The First Avenger. July 22

http://captainamerica.marvel.com

He is the heartbeat of the Avengers. Thanks to Captain America comic books, I paid close attention when studying WW 2 in grade school. Speaking of grade school – I loved my Captain America and The Falcon comics.

This movie set in WW2 (Yep – I said WW2),will tell how frail Steve Rogers becomes Captain America. This movie, more than any other, sets up The Avengers movie. www.marvel.com/avengers_movie (coming in 2012)

If you want to know the Comic book version of Steve Rogers’ saga go to - http://marvel.wikia.com/Captain_America_(Steven_Rogers)

Cowboys & Aliens. July 29.

www.cowboysandaliensmovie.com

Great movie title! This story first appeared as a Graphic Novel (comic book) in 1997 published by Platinum Studios  www.platinumstudios.com/cowboysandaliens

If the awesome title alone does not explain “the why” to Cowboys & Aliens -This movie stars Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford and is directed by Jon Favreau ( Iron Man etc).

One cool thing about this movie- You can follow Cowboys & Aliens on Twitter - @cwboysandaliens

I am following this movie on Twitter via my @GoodLifeMovies Twitter feed. (my Twitter feeds are topic specific. to read more about how I use Twitter go to www.stevenshomler.com/follow )

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. December 21.

I have not read the books, however I know enough, to know that this is a movie I do not want to miss.

You might be thinking, “Hey, wait a minute, I already saw this movie!”. “My wife made me watch it, it had subtitles and everything”.

That was the 2009 Swedish version you were made to watch. The movie coming out in December 2011, is the American version. No subtitles.

This version stars Daniel Craig, Robin Wright and Rooney Mara, who will play the series main character  Lisbeth Salander. Rooney Mara was last seen in The Social Network. Rooney delivered the great line “dating you is like dating a Stairmaster.” www.goodlifemoviereviews.com/2010/10/04/the-social-network-movie-review

We Bought a Zoo. December 23

This wonderful book, that is based on a true story, is being into a movie starring Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson and is directed by Cameron Crowe. This is going to be a wonderful movie. You heard it here first!

That’s it!

Steven Shomler

Good Life Movie Reviews www.goodlifemoviereviews.com

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11 Movies I Want to See in 2011 Part 1

Posted on February 1, 2011 by

11 movies I want to see in 2011. Part 1

Below you will find the movie’s title, the estimated release date, the movie’s poster (if available), and why I want to see it. Movie’s listed in order of release date.

#1 The Lincoln Lawyer. March 18th 2011

www.thelincolnlawyermovie.com

www.michaelconnelly.com/Book_Collection/Lincoln-Lawyer

Lots of reasons to like this movie. One of my favorite authors is Michael Connelly. The Lincoln Lawyer was a great book. Great cast -Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, William H Macy. I’m looking forward to enjoying this one.

#2 Thor. May 6 2011

http://thor.marvel.com

Why Thor? It’s a comic book movie, and it looks like it’s going to be a good one. Kenneth Branagh, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins. Plus this movie, along with Captain America, is a precursor to May 2012 – Avengers. www.marvel.com/avengers_movie Nuff said.

#3 Pirates of the Caribbean : On Stranger Tides. May 20, 2011

http://disney.go.com/pirates/

Captain Jack Sparrow, another great musical score, mermaids. It’s gonna be a blast!

#4 The Hangover Part II. May 26th

Alan, Phil, Stu and Doug are back! As well as Mr. Chow and Mike Tyson. I am expecting the same stupid fun (and the same basic plot) that was in the Hangover I.

#5 Green Lantern. June 17 2011

http://greenlanternmovie.warnerbros.com/

I grew up on Green Lantern. Green Lantern / Green Arrow was one of favorite comic books. This movie is going to be awesome. If you do not know who Hal Jordan, Sinestro, or Kilowog, are…You might want to brush up and familiarize yourself.  http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Green_Lantern_(Hal_Jordan) “In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil’s might, beware my power, Green Lantern’s light!”


#6 Cars 2. June 24 2011

http://www.disney.go.com/cars/

From the trailer -”They’re not only racing across the world, they’re are racing to save the world.” Lightning McQueen and Mater are back! I can’t wait. Pixar has not let me down yet!

That’s for Part 1!

Tell me which ones look appealing to you!

Steven Shomler

Good Life Movie Reviews

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The Green Hornet Movie Review

Posted on January 18, 2011 by

The Green Hornet PG-13 (It deserves a PG13 rating. It does have quite a bit of violence )

Movie’s Website - www.sonypictures.com/movies/thegreenhornet/site/

“A rollicking ride. Turns the ‘masked hero and the sidekick’ premise on it’s head. Great fun” Steven Shomler, Good Life Movie Reviews

Summary – Britt Reid is very rich and lives to party until his father dies and then childhood longings to make a difference re-emerge and he and Kato become heroes and set out to battle crime.

Rating – I give The Green Hornet 3 out of 5 Gas Cans.  Enjoyable. Worth seeing in the theater, especially if you read the comic book as a kid, or if you are a fan of “Comic Book Movies”

Is it a Film or a Movie? The Green Hornet is a movie.

My Favorite Quote – “It’s not dying, that you need to be afraid of, it’s not having ever lived.”

Runner up Quotes – ” I have to take care of 750 employees and you have to take care of yourself.”

“Trying doesn’t matter, when you always fail”

“CHUD-NOF-SHY”

“I’ve got bittersweet news for you.”

“What could I do to be more scary?”

“You are a human Swiss Army Knife”

“It’s unbelievable how cool we are”

” ‘What is the one insanely stupid thing that all super heroes have in common?’ – ‘Tights?’ “

“You are 36?!”

“She wants me so bad”

” I am amazed that you have not hit on me“

“I’ve got it, The Green Bee!”

“It’s a lot of complicated emotions”

“let’s roll, Kato!”

My Favorite Sequence – Kato making coffee for Britt

Who you should see the movie with – Your buddies. People who like comic books and/or comic book movie

Other reviews you might find helpful – From IGN.com by Jim VejVoda  http://movies.ign.com/articles/113/1138950p1.html

by Claudia Puig USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2011-01-13-greenhornet13_ST_N.htm

What I liked about this movie and other thoughts -

As I am sure that you know, this movie is based on a comic book. See this link from ComicVine.com for more info on the comic book - http://www.comicvine.com/the-green-hornet/29-45127/

The green Hornet has been around since the 40s and he has appeared in number of incarnations. I read Green Hornet comics in my younger days and I got a kick out of seeing the comic on the big screen.

My favorite character in the move was Kato. I liked how the character written and I enjoyed Jay Chou’s portrayal. Weird for me to say that I liked the sidekick best, afraid I might lose my comic book fan card.

I really liked how this movie turns the whole hero and sidekick premise on its head. I loved it when the “fight” broke out. Seth Rogen was one of the writers for this movie.

I wondered what he could do with a screenplay for a  more iconic comic book character. Hmm.. Maybe someone should have Seth write a Wonder Woman treatment…

The gadgets and the tricked out cars in this movie made me nostalgic for the  time when I saw my first few James Bond movies and I looked forward the visit to Q.

I enjoyed the camp that Christoph Waltz played Chudnofsky with.

That’s it.

Steven Shomler

Good Life Movie Reviews

Quotes from the Green Hornet Green Hornet Movie Review

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The King’s Speech

Posted on January 17, 2011 by

A guest film review by Ken Wilson.

Images from the film "The King's Speech."The King’s Speech is real filmmaking. 4 Stars. Award-winning performances. This film is at once laugh-out-loud funny and yet very moving. This story refreshingly portrays the English monarchy as actual people as opposed to animatronic mannequins, buffoons or caricatures.

Colin Firth’s acting is superb and absorbing from the opening scene (which is literally painful to watch) to the final. Mr. Firth portrays King George the VI (father to the current queen of England) confronting and surmounting his darkest fears, memories and insecurities—manifested as a debilitating stammer—so he can become the unwavering beacon the English people need in their darkest hour.

And no less of a performance is given by the multi-award winning Australian actor Geoffrey Rush who is at once whimsical, stubborn, perceptive, immovable and loyal in his portrayal of Lionel Louge, an Australian speech therapist with unorthodox yet undeniably effective methodologies.

Helena Bonham Carter is luminescent and exquisite. She portrays a woman every inch the English aristocrat (later to become the beloved Queen Mother to the current Queen) as well as a loving and supportive wife and mother.

The supporting cast (a who’s who of British actors) is delightful and spot on no matter how small the role. Several of the supporting cast had major roles in the Harry Potter movies. The subplot will be recognized by many as a well-known story of abdication.

I have not enjoyed a film this much in years. One of the funniest scenes (trust me, it’s true) must set a new record for the use of the s-word and the f-word—as part of a string of epithets born of deep-seeded frustration—in the space of sixty seconds.

Truly, do yourself a favor. See this film. King’s Speech Website

[UPDATE] Colin Firth won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a drama for his portrayal of King George the VI.

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