Vantage Point and Ole' Ole'

We knew VANATGE POINT was an action flick, and so we weren't expecting much from it otherwise. Part of the way through the movie, however, we found ourselves being pleased by how cleverly the story was being told. It was like riding an amusement park ride over and over again except that it was still not predictable on the fourth ride. This movie kept me in my seat when I normally might have visited the snack bar.

The cast was attractive, the acting was convincing, the action was intense, the camera work was interestingly unusual, the plot line was creative enough -- but at some point late in the show the whole thing "jumped-the-shark."

Without revealing too much about the storyline I will say that at about the halfway mark in the show I thought the subtly stated message of the movie was going to be "things are not always as they appear." But by the end, I felt like I was being force-fed the message that "John Wayne is not dead." One man with a gun, a car, and enough righteous anger can overcome the laws of physics and physiology as applied to car crashes, foot pursuit, gunfights, and even time. One man is all that is needed to conquer evil (no matter how sophisticated and well-prepared are the bad guys). And if good, honest, well-meaning Americans were to assist in anyway possible, go the extra mile, and help until it might hurt, they will find that everything works out well in the end and they will be unscathed and happy.

After eating too much popcorn at the movie, we both had salads at OLE' OLE' and found that to be the perfect amount. I highly recommend their Cobb Salad for the excellent taste and more than adequate volume. Audrey had a Ceasar Salad that was nothing more than a bowl of lettuce - sufficient for her that night, but nothing special.

Ole' Ole' and There Will Be Blood

We had a late Friday lunch (we like to meet-up on Fridays) at OLE' OLE' and ordered our typical "Fajitas for Two". AUDREY ordered steak and STEVE got chicken. As always, the food arrived fast and hot and the flavor was just right for our Gringo palates. It would have been worth the trip just to have the chips and salsa that was brought to our table without asking and free of charge. The salsa was not hot but had a deliciously tangy bite that made it hard to not eat the whole bowl very quickly.

The food was not the only pleasant experience at that restaurant. The service was friendly and efficient. I think the restaurant is family owned and there has been a low turnover rate of servers. We have seen the same servers at work there for years and they know their job well. We highly recommend this restaurant as a very relaxing, casual dining experience. Ole' Ole' is located on the south side of Broward Blvd, just west of Sears in the Broward Mall.

THERE WILL BE BLOOD was critically acclaimed (Daniel Day Lewis is being highly touted) and promised to be a better pick than the current flurry of mindless chick-flix. STEVE would agree that it fulfilled its promise and was an interesting movie. The action was intense and interesting and well-depicted. The acting seemed first-rate. However, he wished that the story had been a little more complete with a fuller depiction of the forces that were, at that time, shaping the future of America. He would have liked to have learned more about Standard Oil and the man behind that burgeoning empire. He was confused by the story, left wondering if it is just the simple story of one man's life and the improbable twists and turns that that life took, or if the film was some sort of allegory for bigger and more meaningful ideas.

Maybe it is trying to depict that crude oil is the "life-blood" of America, and that, for some people, money is of more value than family. Maybe it is trying to show that religion, and/or other service industries, are leeches to the economy and are at the mercy of the real money-makers who generate the infusion of cash upon which they feed. Whatever the intended meaning, it was unsatisfyingly obscure.

AUDREY was a good sport and tolerated the movie (Steve's choice) without complaint. She did no have much to say about it, though, and is still not quite certain what her review will be. She said the movie left her baffled, but that she liked it enough to think about it several times since seeing it.