Movie Review: The Incredible Hulk (2008)- 6/13/08


Comments: I thought the movie was so-so, the handling of the Abomination at the end was not thoroughly explained. Once the solider changes he starts thrashing the city and so they have to let Banner take him out?

This one played more of a cat and mouse thriller than the Ang Lee psychological version. Too me it felt more like a beefed up version of the Bruce Bixby show, still I did like some of the homages to the t.v. and comic sources. There are about three main action scenes with the Hulk and only one where he has some problems (the fight with The Abomination monster). There was never a sense of danger for Banner in the movie for me, not even at the end when he throws himself out of a flying helicopter. I do like how the super soldier is shown juicing up to match the Hulk, though adding extra screen time for his character would have been better than the scenes with Banner and Betty Ross which was standard movie fare and didn’t add a real romance aspect to the story.

I liked Ang Lee’s version for the more insightful dealings with Banner’s psyche and where the Hulk comes from in his mind. This 2008 version I dig for the more closely comic book related origin and homages. Gonna have to watch Lee’s version again to compare. I do prefer Eric Bana and Jennifer Connelly’s representation for their character’s and Norton’s and Tyler’s seem comic-lite.

Not as good as Iron Man though, time to see if Dark Knight topples it as the comic movie of 2008.

Score: 2.75 out of 5

Golf Course Review: UPDATE Casta Del Sol Golf Course, Mission Viejo, CA- 6/11/08



I’ve just received this email from Casta Del Sol Golf Course in Mission Viejor today announcing their new tiered greens fee program. Prior to this Casta Del Sol in my opinion was the best deal for a short, but full 18 hole golf course in Orange County.

After 1:00 p.m. you would pay only $12 to walk the course which usually take 3-3.5 hours to complete. That cost was even cheaper than paying the $12-14 to play at the nearby 9-hole Lake Forrest Golf Center (underwhelming if you ask me and overpriced).

Now the new fees at Casta Del Sol you can pay the $12.00 only after 4:00 p.m. I wonder if it’s the economic slowdown, need to generate more cash, or to break the pace of play from so many people playing during the twilight rates. I’m guessing it’s #2 since so many people play during twilight (1:00 p.m. and after) before that the course was routinely backed-up a short bit so increasing the fees should hopefully liven up the pace of play.

It’s fair enough for the 4:00 p.m. players to pay $12 still and should still be able to finish the full 18 holes during the long Summer hours. The $9 for post 6:00 p.m. is a joke though, you’d be lucky to get 5-6 holes in Summer.

New Casta Del Sol Twilight Tier Rates for June 2008
Valid Monday-Friday, until June 27th, 2008

2:00pm-3:00pm $17.00 Walking
3:00pm-4:00pm $14.00 Walking
4:00pm-6:00pm $12.00 Walking
After 6:00pm $9.00 Walking

Add a 1/2 Cart Fee for $10.00 from 2pm-6pm and an $8.00 Fee after 6:00pm.

Movie Review: Kung Fu Panda- 6/10/08



Comments: I didn’t have high expectations from this movie but after reading some positive reviews I decided to check it out. It’s a pretty funny and light-hearted romp in animal-infused China with a hilarious Po the Panda by Jack Black. All-star voice cast lends it’s talents to this fast-paced film, runs about 88 minutes so there are not a lot of slow meandering moments.

A DreamWorks Animated Film, I didn’t like their recent Shrek 2 or 3 movies so I was pleasantly surprised at the subtle jokes and kooky plots that didn’t have to rely on crude humor like the Shrek series has become. The story is pretty standard hero comes from unlikely background then learns martial arts after a hilarity-infused training and defeats the bad guy.

I do wish they delved more into the background of the main bad guy (I think he was a snow leopard) and the Five Masters. Still with the brief running time you’ll barely have time to use the bathroom during the film, so go beforehand!

Score: 4 out of 5

Book Review: Small Is the New Big: and 183 Other Riffs, Rants, and Remarkable Business Ideas- 6/10/08

Comments: “Small Is the New Big” is another business marketing book by Seth Godin that I’ve read. A pretty light and quick read that explains streamlining your marketing business by simplifying and bringing your message to the masses by staying small and keeping ideas fresh and innovative.

I did have some problems with some of the author’s view points where it seems like he does think pretty full of himself and his ideas (he’s started his own companies, worked at fledgling Yahoo!, etc.) that I’ve found some of his examples full of holes and easily explainable outside his own thoughts.

What’s missing here is that the author doesn’t try and challenge his own ideas or try and be his own devil’s advocate (a basic rule of thumb) and that’s what ultimately brings his ideas down a notch in my viewpoint. He also seems to point out the same websites or companies as examples in his books, especially his own company Squidoo (which according to him is the best thing since processed cheese and I think is another social bookmarking site with no big whoop to it).

Overall still the notes and examples are interesting and this book can help you think of new or reinvent your marketing ideas.

Score: 3 out of 5

Book Review: Winning Results with Google AdWords- 6/10/08

Comments: I’ve never worked directly on online media except for past site buys in the old online ad banner trade. Now with even more specific marketing channels and the influx of targeted search marketing with companies such as Overture (Yahoo) and Google dominating the market, it was time for me to learn.

For those out of the loop on how those text ads you see on Google show up during a search work, this is a great book with a very simple and easy walk-through on the background of AdWords as well as examples of parlaying it into your own use.

Prior to reading this book I really didn’t fully understand the difference between AdWords and AdSense or Overture, now I do. So if you’re game in playing the media channels for your business to drive traffic outside the “natural search” parameters, check out this book and see if Google’s AdWords can drive your business to higher sales in a relatively targetable media.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Golf Review: Deluxe Sunday Golf Bag by Wilson- 6/10/08

Comments: Deluxe Sunday Golf Bag by Wilson. Convenient Lightweight Golf Bag. Ideal For The Golf Range Or “Pitch and Putt” Courses.


The Wilson Sunday Golf Bag is of durable lightweight, black nylon construction with adjustable shoulder strap and convenient zippered ball pouch. Perfect for the golf practice range or short yardage courses.


* Durable lightweight construction
* Weighs less than a pound
* Convenient zippered pouch stores balls and accessories
* Includes adjustable shoulder strap
* Easily holds up to 7 clubs

I bought it at Sports Authority for less than $20.00. It’s super compact and fits in the little box in the photo so you now that this bag folds up well and is able to be carried almost anywhere for those quick games without lugging your large golf bag.

The shortcomings to the bag is that it only has one small pocket which can at most hold six golf balls or your wallet and keys, not much room for other accessories. I routinely kept my glove case in the main club pocket for room. Also, when carrying clubs the bag becomes top heavy so it tends to want to topple forward since there is no weighting to the bottom of the bag. So at times when I’m carrying the bag and do not want it to topple, I’d reverse the clubs and have the heads of the clubs facing inward into the bag.

If you just want a light and small carry bag for trips then this is it, if you tend to carry many items or a lot of clubs, then you’d best pick a more fuller Sunday bag.

Score: 2.50

Movie Review: One Missed Call- 6/8/08

Comments: Another Japanese horror movie turned into an poor American remake. Think of this movie as a poor man’s The Grudge but with a substandard plot based on haunted cell phone calls instead of watching a haunted video.

Here’s the whole plot: College kids get mysterious calls from themselves in the future with their last sentences spoken before dying (repeat), then storyline jumps where the protagonist is not who you thought it was (Think The Grudge), movie ends… no real closure.

The deaths are unimaginative, the scares and jumps are easy to predict and the actors not compelling enough to pull it off. Skip this unless you’re bored at home and it’s playing on cable.

Score: 2 out of 5.

I’m giving it a 2 instead of a 1 since at the beginning of the movie I got a laugh when the “ghost” abducts one of the college kids….and then her cat!

Golf Course Review: Willowick Golf Course in Santa Ana, CA- 6/7/08



Comments: The Willowick golf Course in Santa Ana, CA is a pretty simple and straight forward golf course that should draw players looking for a full Par 72 course that they can bomb & gouge to their hearts content without the fear of hazards such as ravines, lakes, hills, eco-areas, etc. The majority of the terrain in Willowick is flat with minimal topography features, you’ll experience straight fairways the majority of the holes with only about two holes showcasing dogleg turns.

To combat the fairly straightforward fairways, the designer placed some tough and tall bunkers smack dab fronting the green. A good majority of the greens have a huge sand trap right at the front making sure you do not try to lay up your shots, and if you try and blast it over prepare for a good many sloping areas around the green that will frustrate you to no ends when you place a good shot in the green and watch the ball roll a foot into the fringe and then roll down a hill 20 yards down hill. The greens at the time we played in the afternoon had many “scar” marks from previous punches of the hole. The value was decent for $35.00 smack-dab in the middle of Santa Ana.

For some reason our threesome was paired with two other walk-ons. We could’ve done with one, but at least the two guys were amicable and were just a touch better than us. The course also has a small driving range for players to warm up. Be careful in this course, I would rank this the most dangerous course in So. Cal since many of the tee off areas and greens are right next to each other so you can get pummeled by players are you tee off. There’s also a lack of nets or trees/brushes in areas to protect the tee off areas from wayward shots, the day we played we saw many close-calls.

Summary: All in all Willowick Golf Course was a decent average course with no wow factor but if you’re new or just looking to wail away on your shots then this is a good course to choose. Only full 18-hole, par 72 where I have not lost one ball. Simple layout but you still better play well if you want a good score.

Score: 3 out of 5

Golf Thoughts: Mega Demo Day at Roger Dunn Golf Shops in Long Beach- 6/6/08

This Saturday, the Roger Dunn Golf Shop in the Long Beach, CA location is having their multi-vendor demo day.

Expect Nike, TaylorMade, Callaway, Cobra, Titliest, Mizuno, Cleveland and more there. This is a great chance for you to try out the new 2008 equipment and products like I did in 2006.

I wish they promoted it more, just learned about it today. Too bad I have a game already scheduled for that day or I would’ve gone to check out and try some items.