Upcoming Movies in Theaters to Watch in April 2013

As many of you know Angel Hesseltine and I have a child coming in May, Lucas does Karate, Jasmyne does gymnastics and Angel is still working full time as the director of her pre-school in Gilbert – we have a pretty busy life. Not to mention family coming in town, birthdays on weekends and in Las Vegas and my Thursday night softball beer league to add icing on the cake of busy weekdays. Somehow we still find time to go out and do fun things with the kids.

Last month I wrote about movies upcoming in March, 2013 and guess what, it is that time again and I am going to recap a few movies that are being released in theaters in the month of April that I hope to find a seat in the theater for sometime soon. Which I might add that we still haven’t went and seen ‘The Croods’ with the kids and we really need to get that one out of the way first.

Here are some movies I am looking forward to watching this month:

Evil Dead

Number one movie on my list that I want to see in the month of April. It comes out on April 5 and it looks great! Angel won’t even watch the previews with me because it shows the little girl looking out from under a board or something – I’ll admit the little demon girl looks pretty scary, but that’s what is going to make this movie great.

The movie based around five friends who take a trip out to a remote cabin where they discover of a Book of the Dead. This book directs them to unintentionally summon demons living in the nearby woods and what do demons do? They terrorize and kill eventually kill people. Movie rumors are raving that the evil demonic presences try and possess them one by one, who knows how many of the five will get out alive.

Jurassic Park 3D

SO STOKED FOR THIS! Lucas is infatuated with animals, dinosaurs, cows, bulls, etc. so when we found out the original 1993 Jurassic Park was being re-released in 3D, we made it a point to take Lucas to it. I think it may get a bit scary during some parts for him especially if there is a dinosaur coming out of the screen trying to eat him but I’m sure he will enjoy it. J

If you haven’t seen the original Jurassic Park, it is based on a un-inhabited island that frog DNA testing has been done and strains have been made to re-create dinosaur DNA, essentially bringing dinosaurs back to life. During a preview tour of the drive through theme park, a major power outage takes the cast for an adventure they had not prepared for. The cloned dinosaur exhibits security fences fail and dinosaurs become the top of the food chain.

Oblivion

I’m not sold on this movie yet. The reason why I included it on this list because it stars Tom Cruise on a solo mission and it seems to be somewhat of a repeat of “I am Legend” which starred Will Smith and wasn’t too bad of a movie either. Regardless, if you had any questions on Tom Cruise’s acting ability, I think this movie will show his true colors of holding an audience by himself.

Oblivion is based around a veteran (Cruise) who is assigned to extract the Earth's remaining resources and while on his journey, he begins to question what he knows about his mission as well as himself. Alright solo man on Earth, lets see what you got for us and bring those resources back to home planet.

42

Rated PG-13 and rightfully so to educate children of today’s neglected world of television, this movie shares the life story of Jackie Robinson and his extraordinary story of making his way into the Major League Baseball. This movie showcases the history-making Robinson signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers under the guidance of team executive Branch Rickey.

This movie looks amazing. This drama based biography feature film with a sports twist should be a major hit with baseball and sports enthusiasts all over the world. Not only should this be a very compelling movie but it will be sure to bring tears to your eyes during certain struggles that Robinson had to face while making his way into the MLB.

The Lords of Salem

This movie looks good as well. It is created by the producers of Paranormal Activity series and Insidious (which I thought was pretty good too until the end) and a setting based in Salem which having a huge history of witches, warlocks and Satan worshiping, it should prove to be a good thriller and keep you on the edge of your seat.

This movie is about a young woman named Heidi who is a radio DJ in Salem, she receives a box containing a record; a "gift from the Lords." The sounds that play from the record trigger flashbacks of her town's violent past and begin to haunt her, meanwhile the Satan worshipping is happening in the background encouraging these haunting and awaiting a special day for a child to come into the world.

Pain & Gain

Many people don’t, but I personally like movies with Mark Wahlburg – my favorite being ‘Rockstar’ which was released in the early 1990’s. Either way, “Pain & Gain” stars Wahlburg and Dwayne Johnson (better known as ‘The Rock’) and should prove to be an action packed movie.

Pain & Gain is based in Florida about a three bodybuilders who get caught up in an extortion ring and a kidnapping scheme that goes terribly wrong. They find themselves smack dab in the middle of less than appealing situations and use their brawn to get out of these sticky situations.

MUD

Right up on my favorite actors list with Wahlburg, Nicolas Cage, Bradley Cooper and Timothy Olyphant; Matthew McConaughey stars in this feature film based around a fugitive on the run living in the woods looking to find his true love. Sounds a bit sappy trying to work a love story into the film but I’m sure it will play out okay with the support of Reese Witherspoon as the true love.

Assuming Mud (Matthew McConaughey) escapes from jail or prison and is living day to day; two teenage boys stumble upon his stuff and the use of their boat sparks scary thoughts. Eventually the boys form a pact with Mud to help elude the bounty hunters with hopes of reuniting him with the woman of his dreams. This movie won’t be the first one I try and see in April but makes the list because of the cast.

Get ahold of me if you want to go see one, we can hit a Harkins somewhere!

UFC 158 Tomorrow - Current Champ GSP VS Nick Diaz

Alright boys and girls, fight fans of all ages - it’s that time again where we have a big fight on the horizon with big names and a 170lb belt up for grabs. As always, I have a good post for you putting out some bold predictions to compliment my past winning record predictions.

This Saturday’s fights UFC 158 on PPV are between some of the top MMA fighters in the world, don’t be a pussy, comment and put yourself out there and tell me what your predictions are for these big Welterweight bouts! 

Major Preliminary Card fight – Broadcast on FX

Patrick Côté VS Bobby Voelker

Okay, I may be a bit biased on this fight because I tend to lean towards fighters I have some type of connection with. I was able to see Bobby Voelker fight a couple of times a few years ago before moving down to Arizona and he is a pretty well rounded fighter. However, only having 4 fights in the last 3 years (three of the four against Roger Bowling), I’m not sure if he is completely ready for Côté. Patrick Côté only has one loss in his last six fights. Coming off a first round victory over Alessio Sakara due to Sakara’s disqualification and a loss to Chung Le, I’m pretty sure Côté will be coming back ready to swing with a ‘Win’ in near sight.

Prediction: Côté wins in Round 2 by TKO

Major Preliminary Card fight – Broadcast only on PPV

Jake Ellenberger VS Nate Marquardt

This is another fight where I had the opportunity to see one of these fighters throw down in person. I believe it was in February 2006 at VFC 12: Warpath in Council Bluffs, Iowa I saw Ellenberger defeat Mark Bear by way of TKO and a cut. Ellenberger is coming off a win over Jay Hieron last October, who I also enjoy watching fight ever since I saw him take a knock out punch and wake up to grab a takedown on the way to falling on the mat. Daniel Nisley is also a big fan of Jay, who fights out of Las Vegas, NV. Despite snatching the Strikeforce welterweight belt from Tyron Woodly by 4^th round KO last July, Marquardt gave it up to Tarec Saffiedine on his next and most recent fight in January, 2013. Marquardt is now returning to the UFC for the first time since his win over Dan Miller in UFC 128, he should be motivated for this big show welterweight fight trying to make his way back up the ladder since re-signing with UFC.

Prediction: Marquardt wins in Round 3 by TKO.

Carlos Condit VS Johny Hendricks

When Condit sees GSP for the first time since he lost to unanimous decision last November, I can only assume he is building up his motivation to fight GSP once again sometime soon hopefully using Johny Hendricks as a live punching bag. I’m sure it is a little bitter-sweet for Condit knowing that he beat Nick Diaz in February 2012 and then lost to GSP in November – now Diaz and GSP fight right after this bout. Winning 13 of his last 15 fights, Condit has made a name for himself in the UFC and hopes to get another title shot – there is only one problem. His name is Johny Hendricks. With a long standing OSU wrestling background, Hendricks has skills on the ground and power in his hands – he went 56-0 his senior year at Ohio State in 2007. Now sitting at a pretty 14-1 MMA record, Hendricks is in a direct line for the title shot against GSP (assuming he doesn’t lose immediately after his fight with Condit to Nick Diaz). With notable wins over Martin Kampmann, Josh Koscheck and 12 second KO over Jon Fitch, Hendricks is on a B-line for the welterweight belt.

Prediction: Hendricks wins in Round 2 by TKO (ground & pound after big head shot)

UFC 158 Welterweight Title Fight

Georges St-Pierre (Champ) VS Nick Diaz

The fight the world has been waiting for, GSP’s dark side to beat Nick Diaz down (assuming the soccer mom in Lodi, CA hasn’t already done it, see pre-fight conference call). If you have a chance to listen to the call, Diaz try’s to defend his ‘good guy, hard working past’ but eventually digs himself deeper by opening his mouth and getting loud with GSP (it could have been Geoff from Craig Ferguson late show) on the phone. Long story short, GSP came back to the UFC after a long injury and looked bigger and better than ever against Condit last November. Having not lost since 2007, GSP needs to not let his dark side over-commit to Diaz as he could land some hard counter punches and upset the 7 time defending champion.  

I’m not a big fan of Nick Diaz, nor his brother Nate; however I do know that Nick has been in the fighting game for a long time and his most recent fights other than losing to Condit have been more than impressive. I’m thinking that GSP will want to bring this fight to the ground and not want to bang it out with Nick, which hopefully they will give the fans a show and keep it on their feet.

Predication: Diaz wins by TKO in 4^th Round (GSP’s dark side is going to over-commit and get him KTFO)

Watch Joe Rogan and Dana White Podcast about GSP and Diaz fight

Upcoming Movie Preview – March at a Glance

Holy crap it has been almost two months since my last post, so lets bust one out now. If any of you know me, you know that I am a movie buff. I quote movies, enjoy watching all types and love to watch some over and over. Typically, I enjoy scary or thriller movies but I do enjoy comedies, some dramas but most of all the animated movies!

Here is a preview and a list of movies that are coming out in March that I hope to get a seat in the theater for – some to drag my babe Angel Hesseltine to as well:

Dead Man Down

Coming out March 8, Dead Man Down stars Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace – this is going to be an action packed movie. Based in New York City, a crime lord’s best man gets seduced by one of the boss’ victims seeking vengeance.

Rated ‘R’ for violence, excessive foul language and a scene of sexuality, I bet it was from more of the violence and guns that actually gave this film an ‘R’ rating, I’m sure it will be another faced paced gun shootout movie.

 

Oz the Great and Powerful

Also coming out March 8, Oz the Great and Powerful is a PG movie that should be child friendly. Though I am sure there will be a few scenes that will be ‘a bit off’ as far as reality goes, I’m sure it will be okay for the little ones to understand.

Starring Mila Kunis and James Franco as Oz, this movie is about a small-time magician with more undesired personal ethics who arrives in a magical land and must decide if he will be a good man or a great one.

The ABC’s of Death

This is definitely one that Angel will not see with me, not in theaters, not from Blockbuster, not from Redbox, and probably never. If I am ever going to get her to watch a scary movie with me, it wont be about children – which is completely understandable because we have two children and another on the way. Having her see a movie with a cover that looks like this one, when she is 7 months prego, probably isn’t the best thing for her (or me).

Only getting a 5.3 out of a possible 10 stars in IMDB.com, I cant say this is going to be a great movie – but it is a scary movie and I will enjoy it none-the-less. Showcasing death in all of its vicious wonder and brutal beauty; inspired by children's educational ABC books, the motion picture is comprised of 26 individual chapters, each by a different director assigned a letter of the alphabet. I cant imagine watching 26 short films with 26 different plots about death would be worthy of my $9.50 movie ticket so I will probably be waiting until this hits Redbox.

The Croods

This is the movie I have been waiting for since January after we first saw previews on tv. This movie looks great, not to mention that I truly enjoy the animated movies (speaking of, we went to see Rise of the Guardians yesterday with Janet Amado and Xochitl Amado).  With big personalities like Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds and Emma Stone playing some of the character voices, I’m sure the narrative will be great.

Not the first stab at a prehistoric comedy flick but it just may be one of the first animated versions, this comedy adventure that follows the world's first family as they embark on a journey of a lifetime when the cave that has always shielded them from danger is destroyed. Traveling across a spectacular landscape, the Croods discover an incredible new world filled with fantastic creatures -- and their outlook is changed forever.

Spring Breakers

This is probably not going to be the best film ever made but it definitely appeals to a the young adolescent style of audience. Based around four girls (Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson, Vanessa Hudgens and Rachel Korine) who want to go on spring break and don’t have the cash, they develop a plan to rob a store to gain the funds they need to go on vacation. Little do they know they await a not so pleasant surprise of the cops pulling them into jail, even worse, a local drug dealer bails them out and puts them to work with some of his dirty work.

Rated R for strong sexual content, language, nudity, drug use and violence throughout the film, this one is sure to bring high school boys to the theater to see these four beauties partying in their two piece bikinis. I just wonder how dirty they get with James Franco as the main male character with support of Gucci Mane.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation

I don’t know about you but I thought G.I. Joe 1 & 2 were pretty damn good – and I know the ladies liked them because of the whole fact of Channing Tatum is the star. Females just love that guy, I think he has a chocolate covered strawberry penis that makes the women all go crazy over him.

With mentions of the G.I. Joe’s being framed for crimes against the country, the team is terminated by the President's order, and the surviving team members face off against Zartan, his accomplices, and the world leaders he has under his influence. This Joe flick stars yes, Channing Tatum but also Bruce Willis and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson should be another box office hit!

The Place Beyond the Pines

Getting 8 out of 10 stars on IMDB.com, this film based around a motorcycle stunt rider who turns to robbing banks as a way to provide for his lover and their newborn child, a decision that puts him on a collision course with an ambitious rookie cop navigating a department ruled by a corrupt detective.

Bradley Cooper (who is slowly becoming one of my favorite actors) stars along side Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendez and Ray Liotta in this feature film which caught my eye because of motorcycle stunts and bank robberies. This film wont be my first choice to see in the theaters but is definitely one I cannot wait for Redbox to release.

Spencer VS Madden 2013 - Super Bowl XLVII Predictions

To start off, I was not too happy when the Ravens beat the Broncos, it would have been much cooler if Angel’s team would have went to the Superbowl, because lets face it, when wife is happy, husband is happy. :)

Within this post I drill down into what I predict will happen within Super Bowl XLVII as well as the final score. According to the Madden NFL 2013 Sim game which replicates Super Bowl XLVII between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers, the Ravens take the trophy with a final score of 27-24. Here is what I think is going to happen, along with final score; lets see how close I am come Sunday

Starting off, I think Ravens will win the coin toss which puts 49ers in position to receive the ball starting the second half. The ravens will probably come out hot throwing screens to Ray Rice, seams to Dennis Pitta and probably work in Anquan Boldin and Torry Smith a few times while marching down the field on their first possession. They will end up scoring, either a touchdown or a field goal, doesn’t matter.

49ers will get the ball with 8 minutes left in the first quarter, someone will fumble, Kaepernick will throw and interception or the will not convert a 3^rd down and have to punt. This is where it starts to get good. Starting the second quarter, Baltimore will begin to lose momentum, Flacco will start making a few mistakes, get sacked a few times and eventually end up tossing an interception before the end of the second quarter – which will have a decent run back and possibly could even turn into a pic six.

Without going into too much detail, the game will go into half-time with a score around 10-17, Ravens ahead, but no worries. Why, you ask? Because #7 is going to rally in the second half.

Halftime show – Generally when celebs have a baby, they lay low for a year or so..well no Beyonce. On top of singing last month at the Presidential Inauguration, she is also going to kick off the halftime show as the main performing artist. She is kicking ass this year.

Second half starts, as mentioned above, 49ers will start with the ball second half, they will immediately march down the field within 9 plays and score a touchdown, its now tied at 17’s. This is where the fun starts. Ravens begin to choke, Flacco throws a pick six, probably tipped off of Bolden or Pitta’s hands, now 49ers have the lead 24-17. Ravens will get the kickoff, have decent field position and do nothing with it, they will punt. Vernon Davis has been quiet all game, Kaepernick will find him open and get close to the endzone – he wont score, this is because he was on my fantasy football team and sucked ass until I traded him. But, the 49ers will score, probably Frank Gore or Kaepernick sneaking it in the endzone for 7 yards – 31-17.

Fourth quarter comes along, by now more than half of us watching are feeling a bit….sloshed is the word I may be looking for? Ravens will have the ball and run down the field only to be disappointed with a field goal, 31-20. This will be the score of Super Bowl XLVII. Both teams will have possession of the ball again however wont be able to do with it. Kaepernick will squeeze out a few first downs and the game will end on an easy note with Kaepernick taking a knee..probably two or three times. 

So there is my analysis, I wonder how close it will be. I’m kindof more looking forward to the commercials to see which are the front runners this year.

Let me know your predictions, Super Bowl plans and remember, DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE PEOPLE!!!

Over an Hour Drive Time to Work Daily – One Way!

Okay so I live 33 miles away from U-Haul corporate office, with Phoenix traffic in the morning, it takes me right around an hour to get to work each day. On holidays it isn’t so bad because many people take time off so it only takes me about 45 minutes to get to work but what I really want to do, is pull in the HOV lane.

So, in order to drive in the HOV lane during peak traffic times, I would need a hybrid vehicle, carpool with someone or ride a motorcycle. Out of those two options, I like number three. I will get to work faster, be back on two wheels and come one step closer to quitting smoking. Because traffic is so bad during rush hour, its stop – go – stop – go, just like a Pennzoil commercial when I drive I just have to smoke. Solution = if I ride, I cant smoke.

So here are the options I’m looking at for getting a motorcycle once my Envoy sells:

2000-2008 Suzuki GSX-R

This bike is a 2004, she is pretty damn sexy if you ask me. I like how the body is a bit more wide than Yamaha’s and I have ridden one GSX-R in my lifetime and it wasn’t the comfiest ride but it does look good going down the street. The second picture is the newer model GSX-R which still looks good and I would ride the hell out of.

2001-2007 Kawasaki Ninja 636

I have never been a fan of Ninja’s, never. Matt Brill showed me a few pictures of the Kawi 636 and I became a fan of the specific model because the plastics are a bit different and it is faster than a regular 600cc motorcycle. I will not get a bright green one if I find one that is in my price range..ill probably scrape off the Ninja decal too.

Honda Repsol

Don’t care what year, just has to be bigger than 500cc. These bikes are sweet. Not to crazy about the colors but that along with the motor is what makes a Repsol, you immediately know what they are if you see one driving down the road. I have been told these bikes are fun as hell to ride.

Ducati 749

Ducati’s are sexy as shit. More of a race bike but I just think they look…..GOOD. I have never ridden one and have been told they ride different and have a different gear box since they are built with belts and a dry clutch. Regardless, I came across one of these at a local sportbike dealership for around 6k. It doesn’t really matter if I get a 749, 848, 1098, 1199 – doesn’t matter. If I have the opportunity to ride one of these baby’s, I’ll probably end up buying her.

Whatever I get, it will be bright so people on the road can see me and loud as shit so people on the road can hear me coming.

Meet My Family..

It is the start of a new year and I am happy to be alive. I figured I would push a post about my family, some of the good things about them so you can see how truly blessed I am to have these people in my life.

Lucas, 5. Lucas is awesome. He is my little dude and will be forever regardless of if we are having a boy or girl in May. He will be going into kindergarten in the fall and should do well, hope the teacher is NOT Mrs. Davis (Jasmyne’s old Kindergarten teacher). I have coached his t-ball team for three years now and seeing his smile melts my heart. I’m a sucker for the kids, straight up. I would do anything for them anytime, anywhere, just because – and sometimes they see that and take advantage. Luke is a little cowboy, he gets it from Cowboy Grandpa and we even got him to ride on a few sheep, its called mutton busting for those who don’t know.

Jasmyne, 7. Such a smart little girl. She is precious in every way. Jasmyne is in second grade and I hear she is the perfect / ideal student in school, that’s awesome. She has right around 100 baby dolls and she is going to be an amazing big sister and babysitter for Baby Love. She just lost her two front teeth within the last month or so and is still one of the most beautiful children I have ever seen.  I want to get her into dept store ad modeling and see if she likes it, she is very photogenic and loves to smile for the camera too.

Angel Hesseltine. My wife, my love. We met in 2008 and have fallen for eachother each and every day, since that day. Never would I had thought, I would be married by age 25 and expecting a baby at age 26. Angel is already a great mom and I cannot wait to wake up in the middle of the night to make a bottle and change a stinky ass, not Angel’s – the baby’s of course. Angel is the director of a private pre-school in Gilbert, AZ and she also oversees another 5 schools in Tucson.  She is an amazing person and I cannot wait to grow old with her.

Baby Love, 0. Baby Love is not born yet. He/she doesn’t even have a name yet, we actually find out tomorrow what the sex of the baby is, so maybe I will come back and update the post letting you all know – probably just publish a new one. So the reason we call him baby love is because of Lucas. When Angel and I first found out she was prego, within a week or two Lucas somehow came up with ‘Baby Love’ and it has just kinda stuck, I’m not sure if he will ever lose the nickname now..

Spencer Hesseltine’s Week 16 NFL Pick’em – We Are Nearing Playoffs

Playoffs are in sight and only 7 teams have clinched a playoff berth, the two upcoming weeks are going to be very interesting. Here are some of my thoughts about this weeks games along with a weekly pick’em image from NFL.com.

NFC:

Seattle (who ripped my Cardinals a new one a few weeks ago) have been scoring machines! Offense, defense and special teams have all been showing up to play good football the last few weeks. The Seahawks (9-5) are sitting in a wildcard spot currently along with Minnesota (8-6) breathing down their necks shooting it out for a playoff spot with Adrian Peterson running 100+ yards a game in the last 3 games.

The NFC playoff picture is not yet as clear as the AFC; Bears (8-6), Cowboys (8-6), Giants (8-6), Rams (6-7-1) and Saints (6-8) are all still in the hunt to grab a wildcard spot. I can see only 3 of the 5 teams in the hunt are going to win this week. New Orleans and St. Louis will be the only teams that win (and maybe Chicago if someone other than cheerleaders show up for Arizona this Sunday).

Atlanta, San Francisco and Green Bay have all clinched playoff berths while Redskins need to pull off a W this week to clinch but they are still a leader with a division record of 3-1.

AFC:

Indianapolis Colts (9-5) and the Cincinnati Bengals (8-6) are currently sitting in a wildcard spot where as Pittsburgh (7-7) and Miami (6-8) are still in the hunt if they can get wins this week.  Big Ben is facing off against an increasingly tough Bengals defense and Cincinnati knows that if Pitt pulls off a win, they could beat out the orange and black from playoffs. Bengals will be playing their heart out this Sunday; I’m giving them the W.

Andrew Luck is leading the Colts into a hopeful 10-5 record and with another conference win over Kansas City (2-12) this week, it will put them 7-4 in conference wins and reserve them a wildcard spot for sure.

Miami has a pretty good run defense so I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bills RB, CJ Spiller has a disappointing fantasy output this week. On the flipside, Stevie Johnson should put out 10+ fantasy points this week. I am taking Buffalo on this one.

Houston, Denver, New England and Baltimore have all clinched playoffs. Peyton Manning and the Broncos are making a run for the Superbowl!

HERE ARE MY WEEK 16 PICKS: