"Sanctum": Well Worth The Money

I must admit, I might have missed the boat on this film. Not physically just figuratively speaking. Probably one of the main selling points of the film, "Sanctum," http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaZHjv3ASfwav=jaZHjv3ASfwa a 3D adventure drama film directed by Alister Grierson and executive produced by James Cameron (Academy award winning film director and producer of such films as "Titanic" and "Avatar") is that you're supposed to view the film in 3D. However, when my wife and I arrived at our local movie theatre they were no longer showing the film in 3D. So, we had to just settle for the digital version. But what the heck, it saved me $6 dollars! But I would have been more than willing to pay the extra $6 dollars to see the 3D version.

Regardless, the film was well worth money. It was fantastic! I had seen the movie trailer beforehand, so I knew that I would love the film. I love adventure, drama films filled with special effects. I also love to see beautiful nature scenes and helicopter scenes where you can see the swooping landscape of jungles, mountains and weaving in and out valleys far below on the big screen. And apparently, I love seeing gigantic holes in the earth where people propel themselves down using ropes, pulleys and cables. I also love seeing footage of people base jumping http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFrXVsI-3Ycin these monstrous holes in the planet too. It just blows my mind how people are willing to take such risks to do such dare-devil feats of base-jumping hundreds of feet in such dangerous places like this.

The plot of the film is pretty basic which is supposedly based on a true story which was inspired by the film's co-writer Andrew Wright's near-death experience of leading a diving expedition into miles of under water caves, then having to find a way out after a freak storm collapse the entrance. But in the movie, during an under cave exploration in Papua New Guinea, five people are trapped when a cyclone starts flooding the cave. As air runs out in the cave and water starts to rise, the only chance of survival is to travel trough the unexplored underwater caves following the course of the underwater river that leads into the ocean. The cast involves a father and son team who are often at odds with each other throughout the film, an expedition billionaire bank roller and his girlfriend and and several other people. I won't get into the details of the plot or the script of the movie because that's the best, suspenseful part of the film besides the special effects.

I would go to see this film again but it would have to be 3D next time. However, I'll probably end up renting it on dvd when it comes out for the viewing pleasure in the privacy of my own home. "Sanctum" is a roller coaster of a film that will have you cringing, crying and sitting on the edge of your seat throughout the whole movie. You won't be disappointed if you like these types of films. It was truly two hours of escapism from today's stressful world, in my opinion.

Step Back In Time With "Then & Now: Bowling Green"

Like a lot of people, the first time I heard about the new pictorial, history book, "Then & Now: Bowling Green" by Kevin Comer and Ben Runner Jr., was on Facebook.http://www.facebook.com/pages/THEN-NOW-BOWLING-GREEN/288480981091 These two authors were posting pictures and updating their status' about the book before it even hit the shelves. Naturally, I knew that I would like to have a copy of the book in my collection someday.

Surprisingly, I received my copy as a Christmas gift this past December from my elderly next door neighbor's daughter. My wife and I always look after our neighbor throughout the year in many different ways. So, I was really happy to find out what the gift was when I opened it.

"Then & Now: Bowling Green" is a charming little book especially if you're a native of Bowling Green or lived here for a while like me. Unfortunately, I am not a native of this beautiful city with a population about 60,000 with additional 20,000 or so when all the Western Kentucky University students are in school. However, since I moved here in 1988, I have seen the city go through many changes in the last 23 years. I can only imagine being born here 49 years ago and then seeing all the changes. But this book will give you a quick glance into the past and what Bowling Green was like even 100 years ago or more. The book has some awesome pictures of buildings, streets and churches from the past with the latest views of the structures and streets next to them on the same page. It really does gives you a strong sense of the past of what it was like to live in Bowling Green in those good ole days. The book is broken down into seven chapters, "Landmarks," "Street Scenes," "Fountain Square," "Business and Education," "Transportation," "Education and Religion," and "Entertainment and Recreation." Mainly, it's fascinating to look at the pictures and compare them to see what life was probably like back then compared to living in Bowling Green these days.

One of the biggest changes that Bowling Green has probably experienced in the last 40 years is that the major hub of business activity has moved from downtown "Fountain Square" to out on Scottsville Road near Interstate 65 and Campbell Lane. Scottsville Road and Campbell Lane is where all the restaurants, movie theatres and retail stores (Greenwood Mall) are these days compared to where they used to be-downtown. Even a lot of new shopping strip centers such as Buckhead Square on Campbell Lane have sprung up in Bowling Green in the last couple years too.

Even if you don't live in Bowling Green anymore or have never lived here, this little book is a really interesting, quick read. But mainly, you'll want to purchase (Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com ) it for the pictures. It will help you take a step back in time into Kentucky's fourth largest city and relive the past.