PLEASE Let Me Be In A Limited Relsease City!!!

AS IF I needed a re-release with built in keraoke-style lyrics to persuade me to sing along at the top of my lungs!

But still, having a license to belt it will be nice.

Wanna Sing-along?

Hello Netflix

Blockbuster slogan 2009: "The end of late fees."

Blockbuster slogan 2010: "PSYCH!"



I'm Audi 500.

Timer

I'm intrigued...

Dragon Tamers - Not Just For Kids

I went with my mom yesterday to see a movie for my birthday. There wasn't much out that I a) hadn't seen, b) wanted to see, c) would see with my mother. So in the end we settled on How to Train Your Dragon. I was a little worried about seeing a kids' movie, sans kids. Would it be juvenile, stupid, pointless? No, in fact it was delightful, charming and I LOVED it. So much so that if I'd had time today, I would have taken the kiddies to see it. The very next day. So if you are on the fence about this movie or somehow hadn't heard of it, please, do yourself the favor, with or without kids, and see this movie. And maybe take just one tissue for the tears you'll find on your face as the closing credits roll. (You know, in case YOU are a cry baby or something.)

p.s. It comes in a 3-D version, in case you love those. I didn't see it in 3-D and I kinda wish I had. But if you're taking kids, go to the regular one. The kids might not be bothered by the double vision when they peel off their 3-D glasses 90 seconds into the movie, but YOU will go nuts trying to make them put them back on for an hour and a half before they go blind.

Daily Weight Loss: 0.2 lbs

Total Weight Loss: 5 lbs!

The Fantastic Mr. Movie

I read this book as a kid LOVED it. When I saw that they were making a movie out of it, I was really REALLY excited. But then when I saw the previews, I was really REALLY not excited. It was true that my x-boyfriend was playing the leading voice. But I am a purist, and I could tell that they had changed the plot from the book to the movie. A LOT. And I was seriously worried they would ruin it and make me hate it, Wes Anderson not withstanding.

However, I am pleased to annouce that the movie was WONDERFUL. Love, love, loved it. If you haven't taken your kids, self, grandma, neighbor, and trash man to see it, do. You will love it every time. Even with the trash man. I promise.

Xanadu!

Pretty much my first favorite movie. Starting when I was like 5 years old or whenever it came out, I wanted to BE Kira. I wanted to be a Muse. I wanted to dance with Jean Kelly. I wanted to wear barrettes with dangly beads. I wanted to roller skate everywhere I went.

I think I have found my Halloween costume for next year.



Anyone have some knee-high roller skates I can borrow?

I love the Ocean

I'm talking about Danny Ocean, not Billy Ocean, in case you're confused. And if you're still not sure who I'm talking about, you are obviously not a woman or a gay man and I feel sorry for you. Because it would be far better to be a woman or a gay man than to be anything else and not know the sheer heaven that is Ocean's Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen.

Anyway, I figure they should probably be starting casting any time now for the love interests for Ocean's Fourteen (Please, God, say there will be an Ocean's Fourteen!) And I want to be at the top of the list. So I figured the best ways to get there are to drink more Coke Zero, blech, (and hopefully shrink my mothering hips down more to the size of a 13 year old Chinese gymnast's hips) and, of course, to learn to pick locks. I'm on it.

I give you Exhibit A.

I give you Exhibit B.

I give you Exhibit C.

Elapsed time? 28 seconds.

I think this automatically makes me a shoe-in. Those master thieves like a woman with skillz. I don't even care if they cast me to be Reuben's love interest. If I get to view Damon, Clooney, and Pitt for even 5 minutes up close, all my hard work with the Masterlock will have been worth it. It might even have been worth the Coke Zero.

Special thanks go out to Big Daddy, my own smokin' hot master thief, for hooking me up with the lock picks and the know-how. ;)

Silver Screen Challenge

Someone asked me recently what my favorite movie was. I had a hard time deciding because it really depends on the genre. But it got me thinking about the movies I like best (and worst), so I thought I'd do a little break down...

Funniest Movie: Raising Arizona (although the first time I saw Money Pit, I laughed harder than I've ever laughed at any movie)
Scariest Movie: I Am Legend
Worst Movie Ever: The Hunted or Hell Boy 2
Most Romantic Movie: A Room With A View
Most Boring Movie: 7 Years In Tibet (aka 7 Years In the Movie Theater. Of course, this may have something to do with the fact that I saw this in a semi-indoor theater in Nepal, sitting on a wooden bench in 55 degree weather with a parka and gloves on)
Best Romantic Comedy: Fever Pitch
Most Exciting Movie: Either Mission Impossible or one of the Bourne movies. (I'm sure there's something better, but I can't think of it just now).
Best Feel-Good Movie: The Power of One
Most Disturbing Movie: Strange Days
Best Animated Movie: Ooo, tough call. Flushed Away for funniness, Monsters Inc for cuteness and amazing animation.
Best Movie To Watch Over and Over Again: Princess Bride
Best Movie of All Time: Again, this is hard to choose. But I'd have to say the movie I love more than all others is Sense and Sensibility. I know it's not for everyone, but I just love it so much, no matter how many times I watch it.

What about you?

MUST SEE

I love Chris Rock. LOVE HIM.

Triple Movie Review

So I've seen three movies in the last month that I thought were worthy of reviews. Two are new, one is a little older but I just got around to renting it. So here are my reviews of Up, The Proposal, and Seven Pounds:


Up. In a word, "cute." It's Pixar, so of course it will be a creative, well-written, charming movie. I can't say this was my favorite Pixar ever, but it was definitely cute. I think the character that stole the show was neither of the main characters, but the big bird-creature in South America. And the dogs with the human speech collars...well, that was ingenius. It gives you a glimpse into what dogs would talk about if they could use our words. As for the 3-D option, don't bother. It's not traditional 3-D, with the blue and red glasses. Only a few of the scenes are actully in 3-D. I spent most of the movie with my horribly uncomfortable glasses (which don't fit children, by the way...what were they thinking???) off. Only for a few scenes did the 3-D turn on and I had to wear the glasses to get the full effect. And the full effect was, to be honest, only about half full. Or would that be half empty? It didn't pop out of the screen and come at you like you expect 3-D to do. It was more of a really sharp, clear picture with a bit more roundness to the objects. Honestly, just go see the regular version. You'll like it and you won't have to deal with the awful glasses. I give this movie 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.




The Proposal. I have to admit, the commercials for this movie did nothing for me. I thought, "Oh wait. I've seen this movie before. A couple of times. Mix together Sanda Bullock's movie Two Weeks Notice with Green Card and you get The Proposal." But I won free tickets, and so I went. And I have to say I was actually pleasantly surprised. The dialogue wasn't as trite as I'd expected, Ryan Renolds did a suberb job both of acting and looking hot, and there were quite a few funny parts where I laughed out loud. Far more than I'd expected from this movie and worth going to see if you like light romantic comedies. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.




Seven Pounds. This is a movie that looked interesting to me when it first came out and then I didn't hear anything more about it. It seemed to stay a very short time in the theaters. When I saw it at the video store, I was intrigued, so I checked it out. But Big Daddy told me when I got home that it had gotten terrible reviews and was supposed to be very confusing. So I went into it with pretty low expectations. And I have to say, I liked it better than I expected to. In fact, I'm surprised so many people hated it. Yes, there is a bit of enigma in the first 1/3 or 1/2 of the movie because there is a twist. They can't reveal it too soon or it will lose its punch. So the viewer has to suspend her curiosity for a while, wondering how the events are going to be pieced together eventually. But once they are, the movie all falls into place and becomes a lot more satsifying. The end of the movie also got a lot of flack from critics. It's a controversial ending, it's true. It isn't necessarily a fairly tail ending like you get in Hollywood a lot. But I like that sometimes. It's nice to have a movie make you think and depict people who might make different choices than you would. Or to present you with philosophical ideas to chew on. This one definitely did that. It was somewhat dreary at times, but I still give it a 3 out of 5 stars.

Have you seen any good movies lately, or are there any you are looking forward to?

Break Out the Jiffy Pop

there are some movies coming up which you may or may not want to see....


May



May Not
(skip forward 30 seconds)

The Silver Screen

Has anyone seen any good movies lately? (I've already seen Star Trek.)

Or are there any coming out that you plan to see this weekend?

Live Long And Prosper

Call me a geek, but I'm kind of excited about this....




Excited enough that I pre-bought tickets. Three days ago.

I know....LOSER.

Whatever. I'm cool with that. Besides, I know you're just jealous that your mom won't be wearing her Star Trek uniform to the showing like mine will.

(Mom, you're forbidden to comment on this post. I'm serious. I've outted you, and there will be no more said on the subject.)

New Moon

I can't help it. I'm excited about this....




However, I am NOT excited about this...



Robert Pattinson ... Edward Cullen

Ashley Greene ... Alice Cullen

Peter Facinelli ... Dr. Carlisle Cullen

Nikki Reed ... Rosalie Hale

Jackson Rathbone ... Jasper Hale

Dakota Fanning ... Jane

I did NOT like Nikki Reed as Rosalie. Her acting was fine. But the most beautiful woman in the world? NOT. EVEN. CLOSE.

And no cast choice disappointed me more than Alice's (Ashley Greene). The worst acting in the entire Twilight movie (and that's saying a LOT). I really hope she has taken some acting lessons since Twilight. She has the look, but she blew it as soon as she spoke.

I am bummed about Robert Pattinson as Edward. I guess it would have been a stretch to change the actor at this juncture (although they pulled it off with Batman, like four times!). It's not that he's a bad actor. But he pulled some really weird faces in Twilight. The bigger problem is that he's just NOT good looking enough. Or manly enough. Or buff enough. My husband, who, bless his soul, brought home Twilight to watch the other day--OF HIS OWN FREE WILL AND ACCORD, with no suggestion from me--said right off the bat about Edward, "Could they have picked anyone faggier?" I think they could have. I can think of a few faggier choices. But Robert Pattinson just doesn't cut it in my book. Hopefully he'll stop being so brooding in this movie (what little he's in it.)

I could NOT buy Peter Facinelli as Carlisle. He was handsome enough. But he looked about 20 years old! Just way too young to be a doctor. Unless this is a sequel of Doogey Houser M.D. I wish they had changed him. He had such a small role that no one would have minded, I'm sure.

Jackson Rathbone did a fabulous impression of Edward Scissorhands in Twilight. Unfortunately, not so good as Jasper. Stiff, mechanical, robotic, blank-faced....YACK! And since he said maybe 5 words during the whole movie, I know he would not have been missed. Why, oh WHY did they keep him??

And finally we come to the most puzzling choice for the New Moon cast. Dakota Fanning as Jane???? Um, Dakota Fanning turns 15 this year. Did anyone get the impression from New Moon that Jane--powerful, vicious, cold-hearted vixen--was 15? And a cutesy blond? How they are going to pull THAT one off is beyond me.

I am, however, pleased to see a few people back: I really liked all the high school friends' actors. They're keepers. I liked the choice for Charlie, I liked Jacob, I liked Emmett and Victoria and Laurant. And I even liked Bella. There was a bit more stuttering and sighing than I thought necessary, but I thought overall that Kristen Stewart did a good job.

I'm also excited to see what director Chris Weitz (Director of About a Boy, American Pie and The Golden Compass) will do with it. I think the directing was one of the biggest problems with Twilight. Hopefully Chris can pull some better performances out of Jasper and Alice. (And let's all pray that the budget is big enough to make the special effects less absurd.)

What about you guys? Any thoughts on these actors, the upcoming movie, or your expectations for how this second book in the set will turn out on film?

The Curious Case of Indecent Sobbing

Has anyone seen Benjamin Button? (Spoilers ahead! Skip to the next paragraph if you plan on seeing this movie). Because I just have a few questions: First of all, did the end make you cry? Secondly, did the end make you sob uncontrollably like a deranged lunatic? Like, so loudly that you couldn't even cover it up in a theater full of people? Cause, um, I totally fell apart at the end! Maybe it's just that I'm a parent and seeing a baby die was just too much. I don't know. But when baby Benjamin died at the end, I just lost it. Like totally, embarrassingly crying lost it. Sure, Big Daddy was shedding a few tears too. It was an emotional ending. But, seriously, what was my deal?? Did this happen to anyone else?

My third question is, am I the only one who just about had an orgasm in that scene where Brad Pitt is kissing Kate Blanchet and his pants are riding kind of low and you can just barely see the top of his bum? I try REALLY hard not to like Brad Pitt. It's so cliche. But, my gosh, when he finally got younger in that movie, I had to close my eyes and vigorously shake my head to keep from either passing out or drooling. That man is so fine and I hate that I like him!




Ok, now discuss.

In A Valentine's Day Sort Of Mood

Today I have been thinking about love. And romance. And things that make me feel good. Like half a piece of German chocolate cake I brought home from dinner out last night. Or the beautiful pink spotted lillies my husband got me today. (They were in the corsages at our wedding. I bet he doesn't remember that, but I do. So it makes me smile even more.) Or cute movies where love and happiness reign. Like the movie "Waitress"...



If you didn't get to see it last year when it came out, get your honey, check it out and watch it together. NOW. And if you did, check it out and watch it together again. It'll make you smile. And crave pie. It doesn't get much more romantic than that.

Slum Dog Millionaire

It's not often that I give a rave review for an R-rated movie. But this one just had to be talked about. My brother-in-law saw it at the Austin Film Festival before it was rated and said it was one of the best movies he's ever seen. We were all bummed when it came out with an R rating just before it was released to theaters. I went and saw it tonight anyway (bad me, I know) and I cannot for the life of me figure out why it was given an R rating. My only guess is that the film's people requested it so it would be taken more seriously. I can understand why they would want to be taken seriously--this movie will probably win loads of awards. It's that good. It's inspiring, heart-warming, amazing, and probably deserving of a PG rating, not even PG-13. If you occasionally bend the rules for a great film, skip the mainstream movie hype and see a truly good film this Chrismas--go see Slum Dog Millionaire.

Remind Me Not To Make My Weeds Mad

I think it's safe to say that I'm a fan of M. Night Shamalamadingdong. Oh wait. That's not his real name. It's...um...Shyamalan?. I'm too lazy to look it up right now. We call him Shamalamadingdong and I'm sticking to it. Back to my point. I'm a fan. I usually don't like scary movies, but I like his kind of scary. Thoughtful scary. "What if" scary. Reality mixed with just the hint of fantasy/sci-fi, just to see what would happen. So when The Happening came out and got bad reviews, it bummed me out. I loved Signs. I loved Unbreakable (though it took me a couple of times to figure out what was going on). I liked The Sixth Sense, though it scared the poop out of me. And although The Village was a complete rip-off of a young adult book I read with my sixth graders a few years ago called Running Out of Time, it was good too. Not a huge fan of Lady in the Water, but it was alright. Mostly I just dislike Paul Giamatti. But on the whole, I have really liked all of Shamalamadingdong's movies. So I had a hard time understanding how The Happening could be as bad as everyone said. So I put off seeing it for several months. Then this weekend I rented it. Ok, it's not horrible. It has the same smart-scary-what-if'edness that I like about his other movies. But can you say GOREY??? It was cheesy gory. Like arms getting ripped off right in front of your eyes, blood spurting from a head wound with each pulse, bodies bent in all the wrong ways after falling from rooftops. And it showed all of it. It didn't hint towards it. Or pan away at the crucial moments. It was in-your-face gory, and it didn't fit this movie. It might fit in a chainsaw horror flick. But not in an intelligent, thoughtful thriller movie. It was a huge turn off, for sure. I don't need to see that kind of gore. Ever. Blech.

Other than that, though, I would have liked it. Like I said, I like to think about the what-ifs in life, especially when they are based on some kind of real probability or even possibility. And I like both Marky Mark and John Leguizamo. Too bad. The one problem with all of Shamalamadingdong's movies is that for a few days afterward, my mind plays tricks on me. He blurs the line between reality and fantasy so well that I half expect the things that happened in the movie to happen to me. I'm looking at the trees and bushes a bit differently today. Suspiciously. If you saw the movie, you'll know why. And if you did, what were your thoughts?

Play It Again, Sam

My brother-in-law and his wife, my sister, have decided to start a business doing disc repair. You know how your kiddles love to hold, spin, drop, scrape, throw, scratch, dance on, and play air hockey with your DVDs and CDs? And you know how your life is then a living hell every time you try to play one of those discs, particularly in the car when you can't do anything about it and they are screaming "Mommy!!!! Make the movie go!!!!" Well, that's what this business is going to fix. It's pretty cool--they can fix even deeply scratched discs back to like-new quality. Check out their website to see actual photos of a disc that has been fixed. And it's pretty affordable when you think that a new movie or music CD costs between $15-$25 a piece and a new video game on DVD or a software disc can cost $50 to $your firstborn child (resurfacing is $4-6 for most types of discs).

Anyway, I just thought I'd do a shout out for them and their new business, fastdiscrepair dot com, in case anyone (c'mon, it's most of you), have need of something like this.

Now if only they would also come to my house and fix all the scratches in my wood floor. Maybe I'll talk to them about adding that feature to their business.

p.s. My BIL, Darren, says that anyone who want to do a shout out for his new business on their blog can get a free disc resurfacing! Just blog about his website and then copy the link onto your order form when you send the disc(s). Woot!

High School Musical

I guess I wouldn't have been so blindsided if I had seen the musical Mamma Mia! before attending the movie. But I hadn't. I didn't know anything about it. I only knew what the previews showed: a cute chick flick with an Abba soundtrack. Ha...Ha...HA! Not even close. What I got was a crazy, high-school-calibre, Pierce-Brosnan-singing, cheesy-dancing, ridiculous-situations-loving Bollywood film--only minus the swarthy mustaches and sari changes--where the songs only vaguely had anything to do with the "plot" (I use this term loosely). I'm not saying I completely hated this movie. I give it one and a half stars because it did have Abba songs in it and incredible Greek Isles scenery. but I think it's now clear that I had no idea what I was getting myself into. When it was finished, my lovely sister in law Nicki's comment was, "Well. That was....entertaining." And mine was "Interesting." So let's just say, if you like Bollywood (see examples here and here), you'll love this movie. Or if you already saw the live musical and know what you're doing, you'll probably like it. But if you're not in one of these two categories, or you have a greater percentage of testosterone in your body than estrogen, stay away. Or that percentage might just get reversed.