Angels and Demons 2.5/4 stars

I got out the pre-screening earlier tonight. Below is my rating system and I explain why I rated the movie the way I did. I then totaled all 8 categories and divided by 2.

Where I won pre-screening passes, I'm glad I didn't spend money on this. I'd probably feel like I didn't get my money's worth.

I would definitely recommend anyone wanting to see this should probably wait for the DVD so they can watch it on ClearPlay.

I can honestly say that if I never watch this again, I'll be ok.


1 = Excellent
.75 = Good
.5 = Mediocre
.25 = Bad
0 = Unforgivable

Plot 1
Religious history, with a mixture of fictitious mystery and peril while Rome stands to be destroyed by an Anti-Matter bomb...is pretty intriguing, to me.


Storyline .75
Dan brown did, what I felt is an excellent job of laying out the storyline in the book, I felt the movie delivered on this in an very clear manner, even though at times the Robert Langdon character often has to speak fast to get the information to the audience, but ti still works.

Due to the amount of information flying past you in the movie, as opposed to the book, where you can take your time to re-read and let the information soak in, I couldn't give this aspect a full point.


Acting 0.5
Meh, overall it was pretty mediocre. No gripping character development, until the last 7 or so minutes of the movie when the villain comes out and we learn his motive. While admirable as his motives are having this come out right at the end, didn't save the acting of the over all film.


Dialogue 1
I found myself fascinated by all the historical facts they could squeeze into this movie. Now mind you I haven't done my Illuminati homework, so I can only trust that the information in the movie is fact. I really am too lazy to look up how much fact there was in the movie.

Special effects 0.75
Here's a small spoiler, if you haven't read the book, or didn't catch this in the trailers, the anti-matter bomb does go off, and the explosion looks really pretty. However we can only assume this is what an anti-matter explosion looks like, because...well, theoretical anti-matter cannot be harnessed.


Action 0.5
Not really too much action in this film. You have a movie that has Landgon solving the puzzle of where each Catholic Cardinal would be killed. There's no room left to wonder if what is going to happen next. 20 minutes into the film Ron Howard has Robert Langdon laying out what you are going to see over the next hour, plus. So nothing really left to the imagination.

I didn't even find myself worried if they were going to find the bomb in enough time, even though we all knew they would...otherwise Rome would have been removed from the face of the earth and we know that wouldn't have been a good ending to a movie. Perhaps that's why "Knowing" is going to the dollar theaters soon.


Sound 0.5
Again, meh. Nothing really spectacular that you are dying to listen for.


Tone 0
Here's the kicker to the movie: there is relatively nothing positive about this movie! It's dark, literally lots of scenes happen in the dark, but there is brutal killings and martyrdom happening in the movie. This is gory for a PG-13.

Ron Howard, I feel really pushed the gore factor to the limits. He did just enough to make it hard, but soft enough to miss an R rating.

I'm going to give some spoilers: An eye ball that has been cut out of the socket, you see the eye ball for a good 2, maybe 3 seconds and the head it's been taken from.

People are being seared with branding irons. Near the end you get to finally see someone branded on camera.

A man that has died within the day has rats crawling on him and they are eating his flesh.

You see 2 men perish by fire, and this doesn't look like a stunt guy in a fire suit, it looks so real that this drove me to also give the special effects a higher than mediocre rating, because it was convincingly real.

A man has been killed, and when someone attempts to perform CPR on him blood spurts on to someone's face, then they realize the dying man's lung have been punctured.


Based on the overall tone and gore, I'd have to recommend this be viewed on ClearPlay, instead of theaters.

Very Safe Browsing

We know how much undesirable content there is on the the web. We know how important it is to protect your home from pornography with an internet filter, like Net Nanny.


But technology cannot make a moral decision on images or video you need to go 1 step further than any internet filter can offer, you need a way to stop undesirable images and videos from continually accessible.

What you need to:

1 - Regardless of what internet browser you are already using, download and install the Firefox internet browser.


Install the following Firefox Add-ons (Add-ons extend Firefox, letting you personalize your browsing experience.)

2 - Install ProCon Latte 1.7.9.5
This Add-on will allow you to filter web pages, but if you are already using an internet filter you can turn everything off in ProCon, except the Profanity Filter.

I know Net Nanny is going to stop my children from getting on to sites, but if you're an adult and you have pages you are comfortable with and you tell Net Nanny not to filter you, but you don't want the filthy language from those pages, you can build your own word list; so that any undesirable words are masked with "***"!


3 - Download and install the following Add-ons:
Adblock Plus 1.0.1
Remove It Permanently 1.0.6.4


I've found both of these very very helpful when I don't want to see parts of a page that I don't need to see. Especially where no internet filter in existence can make a moral decision on an image or video, you need to empower yourself in a way that will allow you to see your favorite page without nasty images or ads loading up on your page.

You right-click on an undesirable image and select to AdBlock it. Or in an extreme example let say you frequent a favorite site that has lots of good stuff on it, but there is a part of the site that invites you to click on it to see girls in swim suits, (or less). You can right click this and "Remove it Permanently."


4 - Install IE Tab 1.5

With as amazing as you are quickly realizing the Firefox browser is, you'd probably be surprised to find out that not everyone makes their web page Firefox compliant!


Well, someone was smart enough to realize this and they made this beautiful Add-on. If a page you were frequenting before installing Firefox doesn't load properly in Firefox, you can right-click your favorite page and use "View page in IE tab."

One caviet to using IE tab: all Firefox add-ons are disabled when using a page in IE.




To summarize: with Firefox, you can pretty much do anything you want, as apposed to IE where you have add-ons, but you have to pay for some add-ons, and they aren't as powerful. Combine that with the Net Nanny Internet Filter and you are going to have a very happy browsing experience!

Tackling the Porn Problem

http://www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,49-1-1032-35,00.html

From 179th Annual General Conference, April 2009, President Thomas S. Monson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is quoted:

Now, a word of caution to all—both young and old, both male and female. We live at a time when the adversary is using every means possible to ensnare us in his web of deceit, trying desperately to take us down with him. There are many pathways along which he entices us to go—pathways that can lead to our destruction. Advances in many areas that can be used for good can also be used to speed us along those heinous pathways.

I feel to mention one in particular, and that is the Internet. On one hand, it provides nearly limitless opportunities for acquiring useful and important information. Through it we can communicate with others around the world. The Church itself has a wonderful Web site, filled with valuable and uplifting information and priceless resources.

On the other hand, however—and extremely alarming—are the reports of the number of individuals who are utilizing the Internet for evil and degrading purposes, the viewing of pornography being the most prevalent of these purposes. My brothers and sisters, involvement in such will literally destroy the spirit. Be strong. Be clean. Avoid such degrading and destructive types of content at all costs—wherever they may be! I sound this warning to everyone, everywhere. I add—particularly to the young people—that this includes pornographic images transmitted via cell phones.

My beloved friends, under no circumstances allow yourselves to become trapped in the viewing of pornography, one of the most effective of Satan's enticements. And if you have allowed yourself to become involved in this behavior, cease now. Seek the help you need to overcome and to change the direction of your life. Take the steps necessary to get back on the strait and narrow, and then stay there.

May we say, with Joshua of old, "Choose you this day whom ye will serve; . . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Since the days of little Timmy going over to little Johnny's house looking at Dad's hidden stash of x-rated magazine's is over and the internet is the new magazine, learn how to empower yourself and protect you, your home and family.

Instead of trying to Navigate your way through the mentioned site, click on the below option for your PC or Mac to receive 25% off the first year of the yearly sign up fee:

Net Nanny for PC
Net Nanny for Mac

The Oscars, Hollywood, and You

I just received this email from ClearPlay, Inc.


Whether you enjoy watching the Academy Awards or not, the yearly celebration of Hollywood’s finest at the very least provides an opportunity to reflect on the movie industry and its trends, its successes and its failures. As we examine box office totals and the Academy’s choices for 2008, the numbers provide interesting insights and some fertile ground for discussion. Take the following statistics:

•Of the five movies nominated for best picture, four are rated R and one is rated PG-13
•The average gross box office of the five movies was 50 million, skewed high by the sole PG-13 movie, Benjamin Button, which grossed nearly 123 million
•Rated R movies accounted for 50%(!) of the rated movies released last year, but only accounted for 22% of the total box office revenue
•Only 14% of the rated movies released in 2008 were G or PG, but they accounted for 23% of the total box office
•PG-13 movies accounted for a whopping 55% of the total box office gross and were 36% of the movies released

A Thirst for the Family Friendly
The numbers indicate to me that America has a thirst for movies in the “family friendly” G/PG category. I think the statistics show that people enjoy clean movies and want to see films with their families. But despite the overwhelming success of non-rated R movies, Hollywood still makes as many rated-R movies as it does all three of the other ratings combined! From a purely business perspective, sense would seem to dictate that studios need to shift resources away from the raunchy, profane, and violent. So why don’t they?

While the answer is likely complicated, the number of rated-R movies released and the Academy Award nominations may suggest that one factor is a values gap: those within the industry simply don’t share the same values, perspectives, and goals as the movie going public. The statistics demonstrate that we want more quality, clean entertainment, while some directors and studios may want to generate buzz by pushing boundaries, seeking for prestige among their peers, or releasing films that reflect their own morals and interests.

What To Do?
While studios have every right to release what they want, those of us who would like cleaner, values-oriented entertainment must voice our opinions. While every industry wants to reward its innovators and visionaries and be successful, we need to send a message that more graphic sex, violence, and profanity do not innovation, a vision, or even good business sense make. Until Hollywood understands this, or perhaps until they understand us, ClearPlay will have plenty of work to do.

Brian Fuller

You can get your ClearPlay DVD player here!!