The Maze Runner Review #MazeRunner @MazeRunnerMovie

The Maze Runner - 4 Out of 5 Stars

By John Derby

Opens Friday September 19th
I liked it.  The movie had a whole lot of adventure and action, and a story that kept me in suspense from the puzzling beginning to the unanticipated end.  The seamless special effects had me lost in the tiny world of a wooded glade surrounded by a circular maze. The maze has 100 foot tall walls, gargantuan gates that open and close with their own clockwork, and cyborg scorpion creatures that seem to police the maze when the gates are shut to the inner sanctuary of the glade.

The movie is about a group of teen boys that have had their memories stripped, and have been placed in the glade with a new boy and rations added each month.   The movie opens after boys have been accumulating for 3 years.  The protagonist of this movie, played by Dylan O'Brien (who I remembered from the movie "Internship"), is shown arriving via an industrial elevator which pops up through the ground.  Even with his memory erased, he is motivated to get the group out of the glade.  He quickly rises from low man on the totem-pole to one of the elite "runners", who are allowed to run through the mazes during the day in the hope of finding a way out.

The story unfolds slowly, but always kept my attention. I didn't read the book, but a person who I saw the movie with said the story did not stray too far from the book.  As mysterious as the movie is, it seems the book is just as mysterious.  Halfway through the movie, a girl is brought in to the group, and I was pleasantly surprised that there were no romances or sexual situations added to a movie that did not need that.

This movie earns the PG-13 rating.  There is violence, and the maze and the creatures that roam it provide a good level of scariness.  I would not recommend this movie for kids under 13, unless they are OK with that kind of suspense and carnage (like my 10 year old daughter).

The Maze Runner kept my attention through its entirety.  It has a good story, great effects, a good use of action, and likeable characters and actors. The end of this movie has some closure, but it is clear that this movie is just the beginning of a longer                                                                                       story, one that I am looking forward to seeing.

Complete List of Donut Shops on Westside of Los Angeles #Donuts #LA #LAFoodies

By John Derby

Its funny how the internet has made so many things easier.  However, while I was trying to look up all of the donut shops within 5 miles of my house, I realized that not everything is easy on the web. I paged through list after list of local donut shops, and realized that none of them were more than 50% complete.  So...after a year of searching for the best donut on the Westside, I have made a more complete list.  I believe I have listed all of the donut shops from Santa Monica to El Segundo, and from the beach to Overland, but there are still many shops to the East that we may try. My 10 year old daughter, my 13 year old nephew and myself, have traveled to many of the donut shops on the list, and I will post our previous ratings soon.

So, here it is.

If you find that I've missed a Westside donut shop please let me know in the comments and it will be added.

Donut Appetite!

Ford Escape 2013

In my family's continuing search for a new car, the generous people at Ford were nice enough to loan us a brand new Ford Escape! We took it over a weekend and really ran it all over town and even an impromptu trip to the snow. So impromptu we weren't dressed correctly. Brrrrr......

But back to the Escape. We were looking for a car that can fit the family, which sometimes includes my mother in law who has an electric wheel chair that breaks down for transport and needs to fit in the trunk. Other times it means our 2 dogs, one of whom is 125 pounds. The Escape can definitely handle all of that.

In our many adventures over the weekend we drove a fair bit of unpaved road and even my 8 year old daughter comment how smooth the ride was. The 4 wheel drive probably takes the credit there, but even on the paved road she noticed how much smoother it was. It really is a sweet ride.

Looking through the car info I found that you can program a key fob for each driver. I love that you can set things like, maximum speed, sound system volume, and nav screen interaction. My daughter is only 8 now but she'll be 16 before I know it. She can still have fun and feel the freedom of driving, and I'll be able to sleep nights.

I'm sad they no longer make the hybrid Escape.This new Escape has Eco boost which doesn't get as good mileage. It did still get about the same mileage as my PT cruiser which is pretty good for a car this much larger. This is really my only gripe with the car. Apart from that I loved it.