BUCA, JUMP STREET AND VALOR

If you scroll down to my previous posting, you will view the rainbow that woke me up.  Thus, expecting good fortune, my day out today comes in two parts.  But, no, I did not go surfing nor did I hike the Koolaus.

I decided to do what Pearl and I did on many Sundays.  First, lunch at Buca di Beppo:

This meal above was preceded by a Caesar salad and spicy sausage soup.  You see something rare in this photo?  You can order a bottle of wine, but can have only one alcoholic drink/person at the table in Hawaii.  I don't know know any other place I have ever visited with this restriction.  Anyway, I am having a Super Tuscany and a Merlot, at the same time.

Clearly, I couldn't drive, so I went to two movies.  First, 21Jump Street, which Rotten Tomatoes rated 86% on the Tomatometer, with an Audience score of 92%.  This was a truly enjoyable action comedy, somewhat along the lines of Superbad (an early Jonah Hill film) and The Hangover.  You can read the reviews, but if you know the TV series, that sort of explains the plot:  undercover cops in high school and college.  This film is rated R and is foul, disgusting, funny, buddyish, predictable and not so predictable.  Who could have guessed that Johhny Depp (and Peter John Deluis, who was in the TV version) first appeared in an early scene, and come out near the end.  For sure, there  will be a sequel, but in college instead of high school.  They just did not look young enough, but I guess that was part of the put-on.

Act of Valor was zonked with only a 29% Tomatometer rating, but scored an 84% audience acceptance.  Makes sense because there was a lot lacking in the effort, with technical flaws, but was intense and entertaining, nevertheless.  The film featured real actors and real Navy SEALS.  The movie was made for $12 million, but when you add other costs, which at least doubles the expenditures, the proof is in the profit, for revenues in week one amounted to $24 million.  A typical Navy SEAL makes all of $54,000.  If you pay them ten times that amount for even only one mission/year, I would accept that.  They certainly deserve their current fame.  I can imagine the next act (also known as a sequel) being the killing of Osama bin Laden.

Tomorrow I report on my dinner with Kirk Sorensen, the voice of thorium.

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