Captain America Gets 2 Thumbs Up

I don't read comic books, but I enjoy the super heroes they made popular. I like the moral dilemmas, the personal conflicts, and the timeless theme of good versus evil. Everyone knows the major characters--Superman, Batman, ans Spiderman, but there are a lot of very popular, and not-so-popular super heroes that are reappearing in the movies. I remember Captain America as a Saturday morning cartoon, so the character is familiar.  But I had no idea where he came from, what he was all about, and what was his motivation. We went to the local theater and saw 'Captain America: The First Avenger' in 3-D. It was awesome--not the 3-D, the movie.

The movie takes place around World War II and involves American research to create a super soldier. Bad guys recover antiquities that have incredible energy and attempt to use it take over the world. Yeah, it's a familiar story that is far-fetched, but the story is very well-told and believable. The characters and the story-line invites non-comic book fans into the genre. My buddy, Chad, is huge into comic books, gave me his opinion of the movie. It followed the original story and was a very good movie creation of a comic book character. So there you have it. Captain America gets two thumbs up.

I almost forgot: the movie is not over until after the credits. So, stick around for the very end.


Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Iron Man 2 Movie Review

I went to Premiere Theater in Hillsale, Michigan, to see Iron Man 2 over Memorial Day weekend. It had already been out for a few weeks and I wanted to see it on the big screen before it gets released to DVD. I do not read comics, but I like superheroes and action adventures, so I am just a casual fan of Marvel characters.

The movie is about a super smart/super rich guy who invents an armed flying suit that he uses to personally defend the United States. He discovers that there are others out there who are trying to make a similar device with evil intentions and has to fight to find out who is superior.

The story is easy to follow and the characters are superb. There is lots of action, some smart lines, and it is a very entertaining 2 hour movie. The AC/DC soundtrack was a bonus.  I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

Note to stay and watch the movie past the credits. There is a hint about a future movie or storyline that relates to Iron Man.


Mike Venturini - Innkeeper "Life is good in Jonesville"

August Rush Is a Favorite Movie

I have my share of spare time between chores and guests at the Munro House Bed & Breakfast in Jonesville, Michgan, so I watch a lot of movies. If the previews look really good, I see them at the theater. Otherwise I get new-release movies at Blockbuster and watch them on the big screen at my house.

I had never heard of "August Rush". It was released in 2007 and has probably been on video since 2008. By chance, I happened upon it on cable in 2009. I have watched it over a dozen times already. It is now one of my all time favorites.

I like feel-good movies, so this one is right up my alley. It is the story of an orphaned boy who believes his parents are around somewhere. He hears music everywhere and decides that if he makes music and plays it loud enough, his parents will find him.

The flick is full of interesting characters and unconventional music. There are several stories going on that all link together. It is kind of predictable, but the story is told very well.

I have been telling everyone I know to check this one out. Somehow, it got by me at the theater and at the movie store. It has probably gotten by a lot of people. I have been making it a point to tell my friends and my B&B guests about this one. It has been worth my while to watch it over and over again.

Five stars out of five.

Mike Venturini - Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"

Movie Review - X-Men Origins: Wolverine

We went to the movies today to check out the new "Wolverine" movie with Hugh Jackman. I am not a big comic book fan, but I love comic book characters. I appreciate the personal escape that happens when viewing superhero characters and the situations they are thrown into where their morality and pragmatism is challenged. In this decade, the people at Marvel Comics have gone to great lengths to create superior movies with interesting believable characters. I had hoped that "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" would not disappoint.

The story is about a mutant human who discovers at a young age that he has animal-like powers. Cat-like moves and retractable claws are used to his advantage. He spends his life fighting and ends up in a government covert operations squad doing special projects until he realizes that he's being used. Then it's time to get even.

A well told story with very good situations, acting, and action. My comic book friends were disappointed that it did not follow the original story of Wolverine. I didn't read the comic, so I was able to enjoy the movie as a single independent work. I was entertained for almost 2 hours with a very believable story and the lead-in to what is sure to become one of many mutant stories about the multitude of X-Men characters.

It was a fun movie that we will recommend to our guests at the Munro House B&B in Jonesville, Michigan. Five out of five stars. I loved it, and my wife did, too.

Mike Venturini - Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"

Movie Review What Happens in Vegas

I finally got around to watching the movie "What Happens in Vegas" starring Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz. It is the story of 2 people, each of them is negatively affected by a life changing event. They take off to Las Vegas where they try to drown their sorrows. They meet, compare notes, party, and wake up married. They agree that the marriage needs to be anulled, but they accidently win $3M in a slot machine. The judge's orders require them to live together for 6 months before he settles the monetary issues. Their friends try to help them make the other one screw up so that only one of them will keep all of the money.

I laughed out loud many times while watching this date movie with my wife. It will win no Academy Awards, but it was a fun and entertaining flick to watch with my honey on date night at the Munro House B&B in Jonesville. I give it 5 out of 5 stars. It will soon be added to my collection of DVDs so my guests can enjoy this movie as much as we did.

Mike Venturini - Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"

Innkeeper at MI Bed and Breakfast Loves Dirty Dancing

Dirty Dancing is my all time favorite movie. Yeah, there’s not much action, and it’s a classic chick flick. But it’s O.K. for guys to like it, too. I’ve watched it 7 times already this year, and it’s only April! Granted, I do not watch it from start to finish, but if I’m changing channels and it’s on, I stop, sit back, and wait around to hear “nobody puts Baby in a corner”--and to watch the final dance scene.

We own it on video, but never watch it--there's something special about catching it midway and watching to the end. Sometimes stations will have a Dirty Dancing Marathon and play it for 24 hours straight. My wife and I have been known to watch Dirty Dancing 4 or 5 times in one day–but never on video--just on cable. My buddy knows my addiction to the movie and we make contact every time it’s on. One time, I called him at 2 a.m. and said “nobody puts baby in a corner” and hung up. I could hear him laughing through his slumber.

I was unaware of just how popular the movie is. Wikipedia says it’s the first DVD to sell a million copies, and has averaged a million sales every year since its DVD release in 1997. I guess I’m in pretty good company having it as a fave.

It’s also cool to see “Lenny” from Law and Order and “Newman” from Seinfeld in the cast.

Lori and I took ballroom dance classes for a couple of years and never got as good as Baby did in one summer. But we didn’t have as good a teacher!

We watch a lot of movies. There is often some down time at the Munro House while we are waiting for guests to arrive. TV is a good way to pass the time. I keep an online diary of the films we rent and see at the theater, but not the ones we watch on cable. This is where we give a very brief description of the movie, what we thought of it, and rate it 1 to 5 stars. Some of my peeps have actually looked to my review page before they paid to see a flick. I guess our taste in movies is similar.

The next time you catch Dirty Dancing, I just may be watching it, too. It goes without saying that Dirty Dancing gets 5 stars.


Mike Venturini - Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"