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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: TWO KIDS GROW UP THE HARD WAY IN OSCAR WINNER "IN A BETTER WORLD"

By Brian Lafferty

 

April 8, 2011 (San Diego) – Up until the last ten to fifteen minutes I was ready to give In a Better World, 2011’s Best Foreign Language Film Oscar winner, a mixed review. At the time I didn’t feel it was a bad movie but it wasn’t a good one, either.

 


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WILL POWER REPORT: KILLING THE OCEANS

 

Nothing but the Truth!

 

April 7, 2011 (San Diego) -- Ecologists have been saying for years that continued buildup of radioactive waste with no safe storage would haunt us. They also reminded us nuclear reactors are vulnerable to earthquakes and terrorist attacks.

 

Now albacore tuna, the tasty white-meat fish so beloved of afternoon sandwiches and tuna salads, are showing up with high levels off radiation from the Japanese tsunami.


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VOTERS' WATCHDOG: SAN DIEGO REDISTRICTING MEETINGS ANNOUNCED

By Miriam Raftery

 

April 2, 2011 (San Diego) -- Every 10 years, the City of San Diego Redistricting Commission redraws the political boundaries for City Council districts candidates. This is a once in a decade occasion. The County is also redistricting its Supervisorial seats.  Want to have a say in how your community gets represented for the next 10 years?

 


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: UNIQUE PREMISE TAKES CENTER STAGE IN "THE MUSIC NEVER STOPPED"

By Brian Lafferty

 

April 1, 2011 (San Diego) – The Music Never Stopped is a classic example of a good movie that could have been greater. The movie has an interesting premise but that’s all it is. It does some stuff with this premise but not as much as I wanted. I was never bored, and in the end I liked it, but I wish it could have done a lot more with the subject.

 


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: NAZI OCCUPATION VIEWED THROUGH UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE IN "WINTER" TALE

By Brian Lafferty

 

April 1, 2011 (San Diego) – Director Martin Koolhoven says in the press notes that 1960s Italian spaghetti westerns inspired Winter in Wartime’s look. I didn’t see so much of that, or at least that didn’t run through my head as I watched it. Instead, I mostly saw another kind of influence, also from Italian cinema.

 


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ADVICE FROM THE PURPLE MOUNTAIN SAGE: THE INQUIRING MIND, A DARING ADVENTURE!

 

 

Someone once said, “Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic.”

 

By Sharon Courmousis


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THE DOG BLOG: IS YOUR DOG SAFE IN THE CAR?

 

By Dawn Celapino
www.Leashyourfitness.com

 

March 27, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) -- Recently a few of my Leash Your Fitness “dog friends” were in a car accident with their mom. Thank goodness that everyone is safe, but it made me think about how safe my dog, Jack, is in the car with me.

 


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: BLACK COMEDY "A SOMEWHAT GENTLE MAN" FINDS HUMOR IN THE MUNDANE

By Brian Lafferty

 

March 27, 2011 (San Diego) – I’ve seen movies that begin full speed and with ambition but collapse under their own weight. On the other end of the spectrum, there have been movies that try to be extremely low-key but eventually implode for the same reason. A Somewhat Gentle Man goes for the mundane and something in me kept anticipating a collapse. When it became apparent three-quarters of the way through that this wouldn’t happen, I sat back and enjoyed.

 


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: "BLACK DEATH" A THRILLING WAY TO SPEND MIDNIGHT AT THE KEN CINEMA

By Brian Lafferty

 

Black Death is playing only at midnight tonight at the Ken Cinema.

 

March 26, 2011 (San Diego) – Black Death is one of the fresher horror films I’ve seen in recent years. It has a structure loosely reminiscent of Psycho: I expected the movie to be about one thing but then the film unexpectedly switches gears halfway and becomes about something different. Both convey different types of horror (all of which is not your typical kind of horror) in their own respective ways.

 


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MARKETING MATTERS: ARE YOU RESPONDING QUICKLY TO THEIR MARKETING APPLICATIONS?

 

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR BUSINESS SUCCESS AND GROWTH

 

By Rama Beerfas

 

March 1, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – This is a QR code:
 

You’ve probably seen them on postal packages, in print ads and catalogs, even on an iPad commercial; but do you know what a QR code is and how it can benefit your business?

 

A QR (Quick Response) code is a two-dimensional matrix barcode that can be decoded (“read”) by smartphones that have a QR decoder app installed. Created in Japan by a subsidiary of Toyota in 1994, these codes have been commonly used there and in Europe for over ten years for a variety of purposes. In 2010, they started appearing in the US in marketing applications.


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WILL POWER REPORT: LEVEL SEVEN

Editor's note:  This column was deleted at the request of the author for further fact-checking.  

 


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: KOREAN REVENGE FILM "I SAW THE DEVIL" IS CHILLING THRILLER WORTH SEEING

By Brian Lafferty

 

March 18, 2011 (San Diego) – I want to make one thing plain: I Saw the Devil is not entertainment. It is sickening, repellent, unrelentingly violent, depraved, and twisted. That last sentence makes it sound like it was a thoroughly unpleasant experience. Instead, it is a great film for exactly those reasons. It is definitely not for everyone but if you’re looking for a revenge film done right, and you don’t mind subtitles, then here’s a film for you.

 


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“I SAW THE DEVIL” DIRECTOR SHARES DIABOLIC SUSPENSE DETAILS IN INTERVIEW WITH ECM

By Brian Lafferty

March 18, 2011 (San Diego)--Opening today at the Ken Cinema is director Kim Jee-Woon’s thriller,  I Saw the Devil. I had an opportunity for a brief interview with the director about the picture, in which he shares secrets of creating cinematic suspense. 


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DREAM DOGS: DOGS & PUPPIES NEED HOMES

 

By Cate Sacks

www.shelterdogstodreamdogs.com

March 14, 2011 (Blossom Valley) – Looking for a great companion, therapy dog, or family dog? Check out these graduates of our “Shelter Dogs to Dream Dogs” training. All dogs and pups have learned manners, respect, and basic obedience and are ready for their new, forever homes.


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: "THE LAST LIONS" A ROARING SUCCESS

By Brian Lafferty

 

March 11, 2011 (San Diego) – There is a moment towards the end of The Last Lions when I experienced an emotion called elevation. The term may be unfamiliar to most readers but the feeling isn’t. If you get tears in your eyes, a lump or tightness in your throat, and you feel uplifted, that’s what elevation is. Cocoon and Harry & Tonto are the few movies to have such power over me.

 


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THE DOG BLOG: ADD SOME UPPER BODY EXERCISES TO YOUR DOG WALK

By Dawn Celapino

March 9, 2011 (San Diego's East County)--Do you do any upper body exercises on your dog walk? If you are like most people, you either run or walk with your dog,which is a great lower body workout but what about the upper body?


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DEANE’S LIST: EDUCATION NEWS NOTES - MARCH 8, 2011

By Doug Deane

 

March 8, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) -- The following local, state and national education news items are excerpted from a very informative e-newsletter published by Doug Deane, chair of the Business Education Committee at the San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce.

 Our picks for Deane’s top education stories from the latest issue include:

 


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: "BUREAU" IS AN INTELLIGENT FILM, BUT ENDING NEEDS "ADJUSTMENT"

By Brian Lafferty

 

March 6, 2011 (San Diego) – After my mother died last November I learned something about myself: I have no regrets. I never say, “If only…” Instead, I tell myself, “If it weren’t for…” When I look back on my first twenty-five years of existence I see that I wouldn’t be where I am now if I did anything differently.

 


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: "TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT" DOESN'T HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A GOOD COMEDY

 

By Brian Lafferty

March 6, 2011 (San Diego) – Take Me Home Tonight suffers from a severe case of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. It has trouble staying focused. Every time the film gets on track, there’s always something that derails it. If they had made it solely about the two leads, it wouldn’t have been such a slog to sit through.

 


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VINE COTTAGE FULL OF PROMISE

Vine Cottage

6062 Lake Murray Blvd. La Mesa, tel. 465-0138

By Kristin Hobbs Kjaero, Guest writer for the "East County Eater"

 

March 3, 2011 (La Mesa) – While we have many fine family restaurants in East County, it’s an event of great anticipation when a new restaurant opens of a little fancier variety, and so it was when a friend and I went to try the new Vine Cottage in La Mesa for lunch. We came away with a mixed feeling of, if not complete delight, at least strong promise.


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: LOOKING FOR A QUALITY FILM? ALLEGORICAL "EVEN THE RAIN" WILL QUENCH YOUR MOVIE THIRST

By Brian Lafferty

 

March 2, 2011 (San Diego) – If there is one thing I’ve learned in the last year it’s that you never know where life will take you. Faithful readers may have noticed in my reviews references to my time at Cal State, Fullerton. I took a variety of classes in criticism, writing, and production. In two of my courses, I produced several sixteen-millimeter shorts.

 


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: COMBINING MYSTERY AND SEX COMEDY, "KABOOM" BURSTS WITH SURREALISM

By Brian Lafferty

 

February 28, 2011 (San Diego) – Take one part Luis Buñuel, add one part David Lynch, throw in a sex comedy and what do you get? Kaboom, the newest film by independent director Gregg Araki. Currently playing at the Landmark Hillcrest, it is among his better works.

 


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THE DOG BLOG: DO YOU HAVE A WILL FOR YOUR DOG?

 

 

By Dawn Celapino
 

 

This week has been one of those eye-opening weeks for my family. We had one of our Leash Your Fitness family members die VERY unexpectedly in a freak accident and then my sister was in a car accident–all in the same day! It made me think–what would happen to my dog if I died?

 

There are so many questions to answer and we wanted you to think about this too, since NOBODY can say what is going to happen to us each day. You may think that your sibling or friend would take care of your dog--but do they know all about your dog? These are a few things that are important:


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DEANE’S LIST: EDUCATION NEWS NOTES

 

February 22, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) -- The following local, state and national education news items are excerpted from a very informative e-newsletter published by Doug Deane, chair of the Business Education Committee at the San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce.
 

Our picks for Deane’s top education stories from the latest issue include:


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WILL POWER REPORT: HYPER-INFLATION?


Nothing but the Truth!

February 12, 2011 (San Diego) --For years the Fed has been keeping interest rates near zero, trying to prop up spending and keep the economy from failing completely. It really has not worked. Jobs are disappearing, the gap between rich and poor is growing, and inflation show signs of growing rapidly.


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ON THE SILVER SCREEN: KOREAN THRILLER IS STYLISH BUT "THE HOUSEMAID" SCREENPLAY NEEDS HOUSEKEEPING

By Brian Lafferty

 

February 18. 2011 (San Diego) – Alfred Hitchcock, the Master of Suspense, once said, “To make a great film you need three things – the script, the script and the script.” Too bad Korean director Sang-soo Im didn’t heed this advice when he wrote The Housemaid.

 


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GOOD MONEY: TAX & ESTATE PLANNING CHANGES FOR 2011 & BEYIOND

 

“Your guide to financial planning & socially responsible investing”

 

By Judith L. Seid, CFP ®
President, Blue Summit Wealth Management

 

 

February 17, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) -- We had been updating you throughout 2010 on Congress’ inaction in addressing the estate tax debacle. It seems as though this inaction and deaths of four billionaires alone last year cost the federal government roughly $6.5 billion in taxes. Yikes!

 

So the debate is over, for now, with the 11th hour passing of “The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010″ on December 16th. This fix is temporary for only two years, therefore the debate now begins on what to do after 2012.

 


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WILL POWER REPORT: GRAMMY AWARDS: BOUND TO LOSE

 

Nothing but the truth!

February 14, 2011 (San Diego)--Though I have personal interest in music and songwriting, every year I watch the Grammy Awards with dread. Like the academy Awards, it's an exercise in mutual admiration, driven by who has the best publicist.

 

This year was no different. Lady GaGa looked like an alien. with her pointy eyebrows and wedgy shoulder pads. She can dance, but what I saw from her act was spectacle, not music.

 


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ADVICE FROM THE PURPLE MOUNTAIN SAGE: ON KINDNESS

 

Increase your enjoyment of living

 

By Sharon Courmousis, Sacred Rocks Reserve

 

February 11, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) -- Recently, I read about February 14-20 being the “Random Acts of Kindness” Week. Most of us have heard this phrase, but where did it come from and what does it really mean?


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DEANE’S LIST: EDUCATION NEWS NOTES

 

By Doug Deane 

February 6, 2011 (San Diego's East County)--The following local, state and national education news items are excerpted from a very informative e-newsletter published by Doug Deane, chair of the Business Education Committee at the San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce.

 

Our picks for Deane’s top education stories from the latest issue include:


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