Where’s Phil

2 hours 4 minutes
PG-13
Score - 3.5

It’s hard to not set high expectations for a movie you’ve waited 19 years for. Seriously, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford all wrapped up in 1 film – how could you not have high expectations? Unfortunately, even the best miss at times and this movie failed to inspire me.

Technical Execution – 4
Technically the film was nearly flawless. From the sweeping cinematography to the smooth editing and powerful sound, everything was what you would expect. John Williams’ music was marvelous, although I think understated. It never had the one climactic scene where it took off and carried me away. The film’s only stumble was in ILM’s special effects. There were times where the effects felt forced and unbelievable. A couple of times I found myself focusing on the effect and not the story, the cardinal sin for special effects.

Acting – 5
How can you not like Harrison Ford? I honestly think he made Indiana Jones more believable and more real then ever in this film. He played the aging Jones with such charisma and confidence that he alone carried the film during its weak story telling. Of course the other actors also performed well. I enjoyed Shia LeBeouf’s take on a James Dean wanna-be. Is he the next Harrison Ford? Probably not. But he held his own on screen with Ford and that says a lot.

Story – 2
If you don’t know by now the story revolves around (Spoiler Warning) aliens. An odd pairing I know, which is why the story takes a blow. Indiana Jones is not about space aliens, he’s about historical artifacts. He is, after all, an archeologist. So, as the story drifts from Indiana’s archeological roots into Spielberg’s “Close Encounters”, it looses its way. Also, many scenes in the movie just didn’t make sense. Example: A jungle car chase where 2 people decide to duel it out with swords. The whole time there’s a gun strapped to the hood of the good guy’s car. There were a couple other scenes where I felt the obvious being ignored for the sake of creating a longer action scene. Indy would always have gone for the obvious.

I do appreciate what Spielberg and Lucas were trying to do creatively. They tried to capture the essence of the late 50’s with its fear of Russians and fascination with aliens. It just doesn’t fit within the Indiana Jones universe. I had a difficult time connecting with the story and found myself watching out of nostalgia only.

Overall Impression – 3
After putting everything together the movie felt average. It wasn’t as exciting as the previous films, but the franchise was justly served. I’m I interested in seeing it again? Maybe on DVD. On a side note I took 2 teens with me who were unfamiliar with the earlier films. When asked to rank it they gave each gave it a solid 5 citing its comedy and action as highlights. So, maybe I’m being to nostalgic.

I was playing around with Google Maps the other day and created a map of all the places I’ve been. These are places I’ve actually stayed or visited for more than a drive through. I surprised myself with the number of places. Anyway here’s the map for you to look at.

View Larger Map

It has been some time since I posted anything. So, here are some photos. Just before Christmas I had the chance to go to Downtown Disney with my friend. While it is nothing but shops and restaurants, it is fun and provides for some great photo ops.

Downtown has the Lego Store. I don’t care how old you are - this store is way cool!

This idea was birthed out of a recent sermon given in my church. I don’t generally consider myself a “needy” person. In truth I think of myself as quite the opposite. But I realized how often I become discontented with my “lot in life” and desire more impressive things.
I’m all the time hearing stats that say things like, “Half the world — nearly three billion people — live on less than two dollars a day.” Those stats, in conjunction with the sermon, caused me to relate my life to a much larger picture and not just my own sphere of relationships.
I thought it would be a great idea to take the time to actually type out some of the blessings I have to be thankful for in my life. And I encouraged my small group high school guys’ Bible study to do the same this week. I promised I would post mine on my website – so here it is boys. These are in random order as they come to mind.

1. I have not just one computer with high-speed internet access, but two.
2. I have the absence of fear when I discuss Christ and my religion with other people.
3. I have running water with hot showers that I can spend an hour in if I want.
4. I have a great, loving and whole family living together. I don’t have to spend time hopping between divorced parents.
5. I have a car – a nice car – that runs well, is relatively new and is paid off.
6. I have no debt.
7. I have a job that pays more than minimum wage.
8. I have friends who truly care about me and not just how our relationship affects them. I may not see them often but I know I can pick up a phone call and talk to them hours.
9. I have more “stuff” than I have room for. (Of course this could also be a curse!)
10. I have spent more money on toys, movies and other luxury items than most earthlings will earn in a lifetime.
11. I live in arguably the most free and technologically advanced country in the world.
12. I actually have enough food that I have to through it out.
13. I have a God who cares about me.
14. I have a purpose in knowing God.
15. I am able to learn from a great group of high school young men each week.
16. I have all my limbs attached and functioning, along with all my senses.
17. I have had a great education and have unfortunately forgotten more than some people will ever learn.
18. I’m healthy.
19. I’m able to give to those who need it without impacting my own standard of living.
20. I have a closet full of cloths.
21. I have received forgiveness for my many screw-ups and sins.

This list could go on all night as I type it but there really isn’t room for it. I encourage each of you to take a moment and scratch down 10 or so things specific things you can be thankful this season. Maybe it will help us all keep it in perspective.

“Where’s the Roof!” would have been more appropriate since the concert was outside this year at Coachman Park, Clearwater. It’s a very beautiful park and the weather was just perfect! It reminded me why I like Florida. Even with the tens of thousands of people that were there it was very comfortable.

Performing at the yearly concert this time was Newsboys (awesome!), Skillet and newworldson (also awesome). On the smaller stage, which I liked b/c it was more intimate, was Brandon Heath (this guy is outstanding!!), Urban D and Papa San. http://www.newworldson.com/newworldson/index1.htm are an eclectic mix of disco, rap and rock. I’m very much looking forward to getting their album. Papa San did some awesome Reggae tunes and Urban D cranked out the urban hip-hop beats. And of course I have to mention my favorite, Brandon Heath.

Enough of talk here are some photos from the event.

Now it’s time for my long overdue TomTom review.

I was able to borrow my good friend’s TomTom One XLfor my vacation back in September. I thought about buying my own for the trip but couldn’t make up my mind which one to get. (There are so many choices!) I’m going to avoid technical details (battery life, feature set, etc), except where it pertains to my direct experience, and try to review my overall experience using the TomTom. The stuff you don’t get from other review sites. You can get a full technical review at CNET, GPSLodge or GPSReview.

Let’s start off with the things I didn’t find so great about the TomTom.
• The annoying “fat-finger” syndrome. This issue is common to all devices that use a touch screen. With the wide screen the keys are laid out nicely. And 99% of the time I didn’t have a problem, but it’s that 1% that’s just really annoying. I learned that the trick is to take my time, it isn’t like typing on a keyboard.
• I only experienced direction issued a couple of times with the TomTom. While in Savannah, which is a tightly laid out grid (common to early American towns), it gave instructions to turn the wrong way on a one-way street. Because it was a parking area there was no serious danger – only confusion.
• Only found one POI that was in their database incorrectly. I was meeting a friend for lunch at a restaurant in Milton, FL. The place was listed but the coordinates had me on the other side of town – lost and confused. I had to get my friend on the cell and get directions the old fashioned way.
• The rerouting feature was both a curse and a blessing. Savannah has many streets. When there were many streets to chose from the TomTom constantly tried to reroute. Sometimes it wasn’t fast enough, like in Savannah where streets seem to be every 10 yards. Other times it would just get confused because of all the options and have you doubling back on yourself. This only happened in Savannah where, like I said, the streets were plentiful and close. I figured out that if I just headed the general direction that the TomTom wanted it would adjust fine.
• My brother had trouble getting the intersection feature to work. You are suppose to be able to put in a street and then a cross street/avenue and get directions. We tried many times to get this to work and couldn’t get it to find the intersection we wanted. It didn’t matter what order, spelling or abbreviation we put in. I ended up navigating by paper map and memory. To the TomTom’s credit it eventually worked – we just aren’t sure how or why. It may have been a glitch.
• The suction cup arm that holds the TomTom in your window would sag after long periods of time exposed to the hot Florida sun. It would just start to slowly sag downward.

Now for the things I really liked!
• I was really surprised by how little of my vision was obstruction the TomTom when mounted. I had expected to loose half my view, but it fit nicely between my dash and rearview mirror.
• The unit itself is impressively small and light, which makes it great for carrying since you won’t want to leave it in the car. The lightness is nice when using the “Walking Path” feature, which I used in Savannah to find a lunch spot. It works just like the normal driving directions only it takes you via sidewalks, so it can rout you (legally) down one-way streets, etc.
• I mentioned the issue of rerouting above as a negative. It really isn’t a negative so much as something you should be aware of when driving through strange towns. I really did find the rerouting to be quick, efficient and very helpful.
• While on the Atlanta by-pass we had the lucky opportunity to use the “Avoid Roadblock” feature. (It’s hard to test because you can’t find a roadblock when you need one!) You to select a set distance (1 mile, 3 miles, etc.) that you want to avoid on your current rout. TomTom quickly calculates an alternate rout for you to follow. When faced with the backup on the by-pass I taped “Avoid Roadblock” and selected 3 miles. We were quickly routed to the next exit (I had already started to make my way) and shown a path around our roadblock. It worked great!
• You definitely want a wide screen. It provides a larger typing pad and a better view of the map.
• The TomTom even worked well for Geocaching. You can manually input longitude and latitude and calculate directions, which is great when you are caching on the fly.

Many reviewers hail the TomTom as one of the best and often use it as a standard for reviewing other GPS devices. After spending a couple thousand miles with the TomTom I can easily see why. It deserves all the praise it gets.

3 of 5 Peaches

I was able to slip away for a few hours to see “The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising.” I truly enjoyed the film and think I would see it again if there was nothing else out. If the bonus features are interesting enough, I might even buy the DVD. But, was it a great movie? Nope. I’m going to skip the story synopsis – you can get that anywhere.

Pros – Many movies fall flat because of the acting, but all the actors in “Seeker” did very well. The newcomer, Alexander Ludwig, who played the lead of Will Stanton, provided an especially noteworthy performance… The filming was great! I’m always a fan of a cinematographer who takes a chance to do something bold and different. The filming provided a unique style and purpose, many times resembling classic horror films. Angles and shots kept you off guard, really helping you understand the characters’ situations since the script didn’t… It’s a family friendly film, for older children. I can only remember God’s name being used in vain once (that’s not to say it wasn’t used more – I wasn’t counting). The story has some potential points to consider regarding standing for the “light” and facing down the “dark” even if you have to do it alone.

Cons – The movie’s plot, while paced well, simply doesn’t stand up to logical examination. One reviewer I read basically said that everything happens too easily. As a result the story didn’t always congeal. Will is told he has “special powers” but never has to be taught how to wield them? Also, the reasons for the ancient conflict between light and dark never get mentioned. What’s the fight all about? Why should I care? With no back story it it difficult to be concerned about the potential destruction of the world. I don’t even know if the villain really can do that or not. I rarely say a movie should be longer, but this one needs more time to develop story, character and an audience connection. I kept asking myself, “How does Will know how to do that? Why isn’t he a little more freaked out by everything?”

In the end, like I said, I did like the movie. I was a little disappointed with Walden Media, whose book adaptations are generally very good. I think for the target audience – tweens – this movie hits the mark. It’s good family fair, but not recommended for younger children who scare easily. There are some rather intense special effects scenes (who knew crows could be so creepy?). I’m planning on buying the book to find out what the movie was missing. I’m also hoping for a sequel, because they can only get better.

I wanted to post a few brief comments about my 2003 Hyundai Sonata. This is the 2nd trip I’ve taken in this car and I have to admit I like it. Now, I’m no car expert so remember that as you read my thoughts.

The 2003 Sonata feels pretty hefty, so it handles well. I don’t feel like I’m getting tossed about in the wind like I have in other cars. But, this also seems to lead to a slower acceleration speed. There were many times I pulled onto the highway and thought I wasn’t going to get going fast enough. I did and things worked out fine. I did notice that once you hit 90 mph the car didn’t handle as well as it does at 80 mph. It just seemed to shake and vibrate more.

Road noise is always an issue with me. Doesn’t matter what car I drive it always seems to be too loud. The Sonata definitely has less noise than my first car, a 1996 Chrysler Cirrus. But I still would love to find a car that doesn’t have that constant white noise.

It’s a pretty comfortable ride. I think I’m just getting older, but I do have to take regular stops to allow myself to stay comfortable in the driver’s seat. But they say you should get out and stretch regularly when you are on long car trips.

Now, for the ever important gas mileage calculations. From September 2 to Sep. 14 I filled up the tank 7 times. I had an average mpg of 24.8, with a max of 27.4 and a low of 22.1 mpg. Not too bad. It’s about average for a car in its class.

There were no mechanical issues and she is a very reliable car. I highly recommend anyone check out the Hyundai lineup when looking for a new vehical.

While in Navarre, we drove to Fort Walton Beach to get lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings. It’s your typical sports bar type place. Big booths, little tables and lots of TV’s. My friends like the place. The best part was the interactive trivia game. You could request a game pad and register your answers to questions that appear on several monitors around the room. It shows your ranking against other players in the restaurant and when it’s over it shows rankings from other restaurants around the country. Questions are all over the map, from pop culture to sports to classical music. It was a lot of fun.

I wish I could say the same about the food. It was without a doubt the worst meal I had the whole trip. I was feeling guilty for all the rich fattening foods I had eaten all week so, I decided to be “healthy.” I ordered the 6 pack of “Naked Chicken Wings.” I don’t even know where to begin…

First off, your $7.49 only gets you six chicken strips! No fries, no drink, no salad – just strips and dipping sauce. I’m thinking these have got to be some really big strips to cost that much money. Nope. The longest was probably 4 inches long and skinny. Then they were burnt, not badly, but enough to annoy me. The teriyaki dipping sauce was crap and didn’t taste like good teriyaki.

I found myself thinking of wing joints back home like Hooters or Mugs ‘N Jugs. While not places I would recommend do to the “attire” of the staff, their food is way better and significantly less money for what you get served. I will say my friends liked their lunches, but did agree that it was expensive. In the end I can’t recommend Buffalo Wild Wings at all.

Ranking
1 of 5
Coordinates (to avoid)
N30°25.131’
W086°36.38’

Sorry I’ve been quite all week. I have been in the process of changing jobs and you wouldn’t believe all the work that goes into doing it right. There’s packing, sorting, training, drug tests, doctor’s appointments and all sorts of last minute type things. My new job starts Monday the 17th. Anyhoo, I’m back now and will be posting those reviews I promised.