Through 31 March 2012 ("or while promotional funds last"), Discover Card is offering free 1-day shipping on "select items" purchased at Amazon.com. Details are currently available online at http://amazon.com/discfreeship and that page lists the details and provides access to some of the items eligible for this promotion. The Promo Code to use is DSCVRSHP. The instructions to follow for taking advantage of this offer are all listed at the top of the page at http://amazon.com/discfreeship.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Jesse Stone Television Movies
I don't watch a lot of television, but I have seen one or two episodes of the made-for-television Jesse Stone movies on CBS. I recently started taking advantage of DVD rentals from NetFlix to watch these in order. When I say "in order," I mean generally in the order they were released with the exception of watching the later-released prequel first.
As far as I can tell, the order of when each movie's story is to have taken place is as follows:
| Television Movie Title |
Year Released |
Order-Implying Plot Themes |
|---|---|---|
| Night Passage | 2006 | Recognized "prequel to Stone Cold" in which Jesse Stone leaves L.A. for the town of Paradise, Massachusetts. |
| Stone Cold | 2005 | Introduces Reggie and depicts later events related to Abby Taylor who met Jesse in the later-released "prequel" Night Passage. |
| Death in Paradise | 2006 | Events related to Luther 'Suitcase' Simpson in this episode tie it to preceding 'Sea Change'. |
| Sea Change | 2007 | Beginning ties to ending of 'Death in Paradise' and Molly Crane is away from the Paradise PD. This episode explains what happened to Hasty after his actions in 'Night Passage'. |
| Thin Ice | 2009 | Molly is not in this episode at all and Jesse's job in on "thin ice." |
| No Remorse | 2010 | Jesse is suspended from Paradise Police Department. |
| Innocents Lost | 2011 | Jesse has been involuntarily retired and the new Chief of the Paradise Police Department is related to one of the town's council. |
| Benefit of the Doubt | 2012 | Jesse becomes Paradise Police Chief again when the person who replaced him is killed in an explosion. |
| Lost in Paradise | 2016 | Jesse again moonlights on a Boston area case due to lack of criminal activity in Paradise, but deals with personal issues of loss and loneliness. |
I have found the Jesse Stone movies to be well worth the time to watch. They are unlike most crime or mystery television shows and focus more on characters than many of these types of shows. These are characters that are easy to care about, but at the same time they can be frustrating in their human weaknesses. The length of the episodes is also a positive.
I won't spend more time now on why I like these movies because the Amazon.com reviews of the above movies do a thorough job of these movies' positive features. However, I will state that for a person who typically prefers movies over television, these made-for-television movies bring substance back to reality-era television.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
The Growing Virtues of Amazon Prime
Amazon's recent unveiling of the Kindle Owners' Lending Library adds greater value to Amazon Prime. Although there are limitations such as the six biggest publishers not being involved and only Kindle devices supporting it, this is a nice benefit to add to Amazon Prime membership beyond previously available benefits such as free two-day shipping, discounted one-day shipping, and free streaming of select movies and television shows.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Discover Cash Over
One of the great (and I think often unappreciated or misunderstood or even feared) benefits of the Discover Card is the Discover Cash Over benefit (not to be confused with Discover Card's much better known Cashback Bonus benefit). As the web page focused on this benefit currently states, a card holder can "get cash over your purchases and save time and money." The page adds, "Take care of two errands at once. And pay no fee."
I find this benefit better than using an ATM. There are no fees and it can be used while shopping at one of numerous participating stores. The page advertises these benefits: "Avoid fees - No transaction fee. No ATM fee. No bank fee." The page also points out that the "cash over" counts as a normal purchase. Thus, if you request $20 cash over (amounts available are typically in $20 increments), it is as if you purchased an additional item at that store for $20.
Not every merchant that accepts Discover Card as payment participates in the Cash Over benefit. The list of participating merchants is available on the benefit's page. At the time of this writing, these participating merchants include Kroger (King Soopers and City Market in Colorado) and Wal-Mart.
There are no fees associated with this benefit, but it is important to keep in mind that carrying a balance (not paying it off each month) means paying interest on the cash over just as interest is paid on the purchase price of goods and services. If you do pay off your Discover Card balance each month, this service is totally free!
This is a very convenient benefit of the Discover Card. It is handy to be able to make purchases and access cash in a single stop without paying any banking fees. It is actually easier than using an ATM machine if you're going to purchase items at one of the participating merchants anyway. With some big banks starting to increase fees for debit card use, this benefit might look even more attractive.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Lauer-Krauts
Lauer-Krauts is a small restaurant in Brighton, Colorado, specializing in German-Russian cuisine. It has been featured on The Food Network episode From Kraut to Couscous with Guy Fieri (as can be seen here). The kraut burger is every bit as tasty as it looks in the video footage and in these photographs. I'm not the biggest fan of kraut in general, but the mild kraut combined with the numerous other tasty ingredients and the fresh-basked bread make the Lauer Kraut burger particularly tasty.
The krautburger is defined on the web site as "a German Russian pastry pocket filled with hamburger, cabbage, onion and Lauer-Kraut." There are other items on the menu, but it's difficult for me imagine not having a krautburger when visiting Lauer-Krauts.
The inside of the restaurant is very small (three tables) and many people eat outside or take the food with them. They are open for breakfast and lunch Tuesday through Saturday and closed on some holidays. If you're not in the Denver metropolitan area, you might try making your own krautburger, but for people in the Denver area, it might be easier to simply visit Lauer-Krauts and enjoy the benefits of their hard work.
The krautburger is defined on the web site as "a German Russian pastry pocket filled with hamburger, cabbage, onion and Lauer-Kraut." There are other items on the menu, but it's difficult for me imagine not having a krautburger when visiting Lauer-Krauts.
The inside of the restaurant is very small (three tables) and many people eat outside or take the food with them. They are open for breakfast and lunch Tuesday through Saturday and closed on some holidays. If you're not in the Denver metropolitan area, you might try making your own krautburger, but for people in the Denver area, it might be easier to simply visit Lauer-Krauts and enjoy the benefits of their hard work.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Candlelight Dinner Playhouse (and "Big River")
Based on recommendations from multiple friends, we decided to go see Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn at the Candlelight Dinner Playhouse in Johnstown, Colorado. We are very happy that we took their recommendations seriously.
Tara and I have always enjoyed seeing plays at The Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) in theaters such the Buell Theatre, the Space Theatre, The Stage Theatre, and the Ricketson Theatre. Although we're always pleased with the performances there, there are times, especially after a long work week, when the idea of driving in rush hour into Denver and then dealing with parking issues and needing to get into and out of dinner in time for the show sound unappealing.
One of the advantages of a dinner theater is the ability to have dinner and see the show in the same location. This can definitely be a more relaxing experience without needing to worry about finishing dinner and getting to the theater in time for the show. There are some excellent restaurants in the Denver area near the DCPA, so it is possible to have a really nice dinner before seeing the shows. We liked several things about the Candlelight Dinner Playhouse including the fact that we enjoyed the food and the show.
The Candlelight Dinner Playhouse sells tickets for dinner and show or for show only. We enjoyed their food enough that I doubt we'd go there for the show only, but it is an option. The tickets that include dinner and show cover one entree (there are several to choose from) along with a salad. Optional items that can be purchased above this base price include appetizer, premium entrees, desserts, and soft drinks or other beverages. People who purchase show only tickets can choose to purchase appetizers, desserts, and beverages as well. We really liked getting our dessert at intermission and I think it would be difficult to watch everyone else enjoying desserts at intermission without having one for myself. I recommend purchasing dessert in either case (ticket and show or show only)!
The entree and other choices appear to be selected to fit with the theme of the show. For example, as the Dining page currently indicates, there was a "Big River Menu" when we went. This menu shows the five entrees one can choose from as part of the dinner and show package as well as the optional entree upgrades, appetizers, and desserts. The menu also shows choices that fit well with the show experience in the deep South.
Our main waiter for the evening happened to be the actor (Keith Hatten) who plays Jim in Big River. He has a great, deep singing voice and it was nice to be able to talk to him briefly before the show and during the intermission. The entire staff was friendly and we enjoyed the friendly atmosphere.
The Candlelight Dinner Playhouse is a modern facility and this was noticeable. The seating areas are spacious (one of the advantages of watching the show from where one eats is the necessary extra space afforded the theater-goer) and the newness and cleanliness of the building were appreciated. I could not tell from the photograph I had seen of it how large it is. According to the website, it houses 280 theater-goers and is a $6 million building. A better perspective of the building is available via the virtual tour. Even the restrooms are very nice.
The parking at Candlelight Playhouse is free. It appeared that overflow parking on the street was necessary, but this is a street that's not very busy and it should be relatively easy to park on it if necessary.
Others' reviews of Candlelight Dinner Playhouse and of their Big River production have also been enthusiastic and positive. Bryan VanDriel (The Greeley Tribune), wrote in "Theater Review: Candlelight’s ‘Big River’ cast blows the roof off every performance":
Other reviews include the recently released Mile High Critics review and Big River rolls into Northern Colorado’s Candlelight Dinner Playhouse.
I wholeheartedly agree with VanDriel's assessment of the acting and singing abilities of some of the main cast members in "Big River." He articulates this better than I can do by describing why some of the main characters (Mark Lively as Huck Finn, Keith Hatten as Jim, Dominique Simmons as Alice, and others) are played so well. Lively presents an energetic, imaginative, and mischievous Huck Finn we picture when we read Twain's writing. Lively's singing, especially with Lively on "Muddy Water" and "River in the Rain," produces significant dramatic effect. I think I wasn't the only one who also welcomed any opportunity to hear Simmons' gospel-inspired singing. The rest of the cast was very good as well and the actors playing the Duke (Brian Burron) and the King (Scott Severtson) captured Twain's well-known comedic portions side well, which helped to keep the very serious subjects being covered in this play from becoming too weighty. Because of the great performances, Candlelight Dinner Playhouse's production of "Big River" delivers important reminders and lessons while entertaining at the same time.
Candlelight Dinner Playhouse's location in Johnstown, Colorado, puts it within reasonable driving distance of Denver, Fort Collins, Greeley, and even Cheyenne. We felt it was well worth the drive. We enjoyed the food, the acting, and the overall experience immensely. The "Big River" production comes to a close in less than two weeks.
Tara and I have always enjoyed seeing plays at The Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) in theaters such the Buell Theatre, the Space Theatre, The Stage Theatre, and the Ricketson Theatre. Although we're always pleased with the performances there, there are times, especially after a long work week, when the idea of driving in rush hour into Denver and then dealing with parking issues and needing to get into and out of dinner in time for the show sound unappealing.
One of the advantages of a dinner theater is the ability to have dinner and see the show in the same location. This can definitely be a more relaxing experience without needing to worry about finishing dinner and getting to the theater in time for the show. There are some excellent restaurants in the Denver area near the DCPA, so it is possible to have a really nice dinner before seeing the shows. We liked several things about the Candlelight Dinner Playhouse including the fact that we enjoyed the food and the show.
The Candlelight Dinner Playhouse sells tickets for dinner and show or for show only. We enjoyed their food enough that I doubt we'd go there for the show only, but it is an option. The tickets that include dinner and show cover one entree (there are several to choose from) along with a salad. Optional items that can be purchased above this base price include appetizer, premium entrees, desserts, and soft drinks or other beverages. People who purchase show only tickets can choose to purchase appetizers, desserts, and beverages as well. We really liked getting our dessert at intermission and I think it would be difficult to watch everyone else enjoying desserts at intermission without having one for myself. I recommend purchasing dessert in either case (ticket and show or show only)!
The entree and other choices appear to be selected to fit with the theme of the show. For example, as the Dining page currently indicates, there was a "Big River Menu" when we went. This menu shows the five entrees one can choose from as part of the dinner and show package as well as the optional entree upgrades, appetizers, and desserts. The menu also shows choices that fit well with the show experience in the deep South.
Our main waiter for the evening happened to be the actor (Keith Hatten) who plays Jim in Big River. He has a great, deep singing voice and it was nice to be able to talk to him briefly before the show and during the intermission. The entire staff was friendly and we enjoyed the friendly atmosphere.
The Candlelight Dinner Playhouse is a modern facility and this was noticeable. The seating areas are spacious (one of the advantages of watching the show from where one eats is the necessary extra space afforded the theater-goer) and the newness and cleanliness of the building were appreciated. I could not tell from the photograph I had seen of it how large it is. According to the website, it houses 280 theater-goers and is a $6 million building. A better perspective of the building is available via the virtual tour. Even the restrooms are very nice.
The parking at Candlelight Playhouse is free. It appeared that overflow parking on the street was necessary, but this is a street that's not very busy and it should be relatively easy to park on it if necessary.
Others' reviews of Candlelight Dinner Playhouse and of their Big River production have also been enthusiastic and positive. Bryan VanDriel (The Greeley Tribune), wrote in "Theater Review: Candlelight’s ‘Big River’ cast blows the roof off every performance":
“Big River” marks the beginning of Candlelight’s fourth season, and I’ve been able to see every one of the shows so far. The company’s built a reputation for outstanding food and high quality entertainment, and this is the best show yet.
Other reviews include the recently released Mile High Critics review and Big River rolls into Northern Colorado’s Candlelight Dinner Playhouse.
I wholeheartedly agree with VanDriel's assessment of the acting and singing abilities of some of the main cast members in "Big River." He articulates this better than I can do by describing why some of the main characters (Mark Lively as Huck Finn, Keith Hatten as Jim, Dominique Simmons as Alice, and others) are played so well. Lively presents an energetic, imaginative, and mischievous Huck Finn we picture when we read Twain's writing. Lively's singing, especially with Lively on "Muddy Water" and "River in the Rain," produces significant dramatic effect. I think I wasn't the only one who also welcomed any opportunity to hear Simmons' gospel-inspired singing. The rest of the cast was very good as well and the actors playing the Duke (Brian Burron) and the King (Scott Severtson) captured Twain's well-known comedic portions side well, which helped to keep the very serious subjects being covered in this play from becoming too weighty. Because of the great performances, Candlelight Dinner Playhouse's production of "Big River" delivers important reminders and lessons while entertaining at the same time.
Candlelight Dinner Playhouse's location in Johnstown, Colorado, puts it within reasonable driving distance of Denver, Fort Collins, Greeley, and even Cheyenne. We felt it was well worth the drive. We enjoyed the food, the acting, and the overall experience immensely. The "Big River" production comes to a close in less than two weeks.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Taking Chance: Too Good to be a Television Movie
The HBO Films movie Taking Chance is a movie that most people would be likely to categorize as understated and this description would be meant in a good way. The Internet Movie Database categorizes this 2009 movie under television, but it did premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. Inspired by actual events, this drama centers on Lieutenant Colonel Mike Strobl (USMC) accompanying the remains of Marine Chance Phelps back to his home in Wyoming. The movie is touching, but one of its most endearing features is the restraint shown in the making of the film.
I have liked several movies with Kevin Bacon (Apollo 13 and A Few Good Men for example), but this is one of his best performances. He plays a restrained Marine who, along with the audience, is continually surprised at his reception as he makes his way across the United States. Not only is Bacon's acting intentionally restrained to powerful effect, but the movie itself is somewhat restrained. It does not take a stand for or against the war in which Chance Phelps was killed, but instead focuses on the reaction of everyday residents of the United States as they learn what Bacon's character's assignment is.
Because the movie does not focus on the nature of the war itself or on opinions of the war itself, the film is able to concentrate on the process that is undertaken to return a soldier's remains to his hometown and on the human side of this process. Regarding this process, the IMDB page for Taking Chance states:
Some reviewers of "Taking Chance" have found political motive in it, but I think those reviewers are generally missing the point and are reading far more into its motivations than is there. In my opinion, this movie does not glorify war, but instead demonstrates peoples' natural inclination to honor those willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for something they believe in. Indeed the movie has been viewed favorably by a wide variety of reviewers (both formal critics and informal everyday folks) who have seen it. MetaCritic.com rates "Taking Chance" as 76 (out of 100 and in the green category representing "generally favorable reviews"). Rotten Tomatoes's review of Taking Chance (which cites 2008 for the movie's release year) has "no consensus yet" for the critics' reviews because there are only six reviews (with 50% positive and 50% negative), but there are over 3000 audience ratings that average 4 out of 5 (83% approval). With nearly 6000 votes on IMDB, "Taking Chance" has a rating of 7.3 out of 10 as of this writing.
I have two broad categories of "really good movies." One category is the "really good movie" that I watch repeatedly because I like it so much. These are often anything but intellectual and I watch them simply for entertainment. These are movies like Men in Black, Fletch, The Empire Strike Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Inception.
The second category of "really good movie" is the movie that I am pleasantly surprised by and am really glad I saw once because of its impact on me and what it taught me, but often I don't watch them frequently after that. Movies like Schindler's List and Life is Beautiful are examples of this category.
For me, "Taking Chance" is in the second category: I was very pleasantly surprised with how engaging this movie is despite its understated nature and deliberately gentle pace. That being stated, it is not the type of movie I plan to watch repeatedly. It had huge effect the first time I saw it, but I prefer relaxing movies (often comedies) for repeated viewing and "Taking Chance" is just too deep for that.
I have liked several movies with Kevin Bacon (Apollo 13 and A Few Good Men for example), but this is one of his best performances. He plays a restrained Marine who, along with the audience, is continually surprised at his reception as he makes his way across the United States. Not only is Bacon's acting intentionally restrained to powerful effect, but the movie itself is somewhat restrained. It does not take a stand for or against the war in which Chance Phelps was killed, but instead focuses on the reaction of everyday residents of the United States as they learn what Bacon's character's assignment is.
Because the movie does not focus on the nature of the war itself or on opinions of the war itself, the film is able to concentrate on the process that is undertaken to return a soldier's remains to his hometown and on the human side of this process. Regarding this process, the IMDB page for Taking Chance states:
The Defense Department had banned virtually all media coverage of deceased vets returning home since the 1991 Gulf War until April 2009. But the military offered advice and assistance, providing Taking Chance's film crew with a rarely viewed but painstakingly accurate account of the care and protocol bestowed upon the nation's fallen warriors.
Some reviewers of "Taking Chance" have found political motive in it, but I think those reviewers are generally missing the point and are reading far more into its motivations than is there. In my opinion, this movie does not glorify war, but instead demonstrates peoples' natural inclination to honor those willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for something they believe in. Indeed the movie has been viewed favorably by a wide variety of reviewers (both formal critics and informal everyday folks) who have seen it. MetaCritic.com rates "Taking Chance" as 76 (out of 100 and in the green category representing "generally favorable reviews"). Rotten Tomatoes's review of Taking Chance (which cites 2008 for the movie's release year) has "no consensus yet" for the critics' reviews because there are only six reviews (with 50% positive and 50% negative), but there are over 3000 audience ratings that average 4 out of 5 (83% approval). With nearly 6000 votes on IMDB, "Taking Chance" has a rating of 7.3 out of 10 as of this writing.
I have two broad categories of "really good movies." One category is the "really good movie" that I watch repeatedly because I like it so much. These are often anything but intellectual and I watch them simply for entertainment. These are movies like Men in Black, Fletch, The Empire Strike Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Inception.
The second category of "really good movie" is the movie that I am pleasantly surprised by and am really glad I saw once because of its impact on me and what it taught me, but often I don't watch them frequently after that. Movies like Schindler's List and Life is Beautiful are examples of this category.
For me, "Taking Chance" is in the second category: I was very pleasantly surprised with how engaging this movie is despite its understated nature and deliberately gentle pace. That being stated, it is not the type of movie I plan to watch repeatedly. It had huge effect the first time I saw it, but I prefer relaxing movies (often comedies) for repeated viewing and "Taking Chance" is just too deep for that.
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