Attempts to Recover

I really don't like the randomness that viruses hit people. Colds, flu, stomach flu...its all so whatever. When it comes to me though, I've noticed that I'm losing my voice a lot more frequently than I used to. Which actually isn't that bad when you are at home alone. However, it does become a pain when people are calling you to check up on you and you really dont have the energy (or voice) to have any sort of conversation other than "Hi, I'm sick, ok, uh-huh, ok, bye". Kostas sent me this awesome e-card that pretty much sums up what I've come to realize what sick days are, days to "Eat, Sleep, and Relax"

In that spirit, I made a hamburger soup on Saturday afternoon and have had enough left over to feed me all weekend.

I've relaxed by watching the movies below:
Season 2 of 30 Rock - I swear that show is so funny, if you haven't started watching it, I highly recommend it.
Smart People - it took awhile for me to get into the movie but when I pulled back I finally got into it. I liked it but didnt love it.
Victor/Victoria - Ok I've seen this movie about 20 times and the ending always cracks me up.
The Squid and the Whale - Yeah...I tried to watch it with the "its an independent film" and thought maybe I wasnt "smart" enough to get it. I got it and did not like it. I liked what they tried to do with it but above all I didnt like the characters, I hated the father (especially) and the older son. I always feel that if I cant cheer for the characters, there is no point to watch the movie.
Stranger Than Fiction - I've seen this movie before and always end up watching it when its on cable. I just really enjoy it and its one of those movies I always forget to buy when I see it in the store.
Dan in Real Life - This was on my Netflix queue and I saw it on cable and jumped on the chance to see it. The funny thing is that I thought Catherine Keeler was in this movie and kept waiting for her to come out. Movie ended and no Catherine! I know that its my own mini dorkiness but since its my blog I figured I shared. By the way, I really liked the movie.

Since there were times when channel surfing was the only thing to watch, I ended up catching the finales of the following movies:
Enchanted - This is one of those movies that I was happy to have a child to drag to. It's cute enough to make me cry (lets be real, when don't I cry) and campy enough to make me laugh.
Dirty Dancing - I gotta say, this was one of those moments where I actually said "Oh! Oh! Oh!" I turned to the movie right when Johnny says "No one puts Baby in the corner!"
Philadelphia - I turned to the movie right after the verdict was given. Well, if you've seen the movie you know what happens. :(

On top of all that movie goodness, I also finished a scarf and started making a hat. I've never made a hat, so lets see how this sucker comes out. Lets cross our fingers people!

Playing Catch-Up With The Movie Reviews

Its not like I've actually been going to the movies every week, but none the less...

Sex and The City - Contrary to SOMEONE'S opinion that this movie was going to blow, it didn't. For someone, like me, that LOVED the series - this movie hit the spot. It felt like I was watching 5 episodes all in a row. You bet your ass I'm going to add this one to my collection.

Waitress - I got this one courtesy of Netflix and I have to say that on the one hand, it was a cute movie on on the other hand, it kind of annoyed me. Nathan Fillion is sooo cute - but not as cute as he was as Captain Mal in Firefly (have you seen that series, omg you should). My favorite character turned out to be the director/writer of the movie who was murdered before the movie was chosen for Sundance. Very sad. Anyways, the movie had a moment that as a mom, I totally and completely related to. and thats all I'm saying about that.

Kung Fu Panda - It was entertaining...it truly had its moments. I can't really think of anything else about it because, frankly, I forgot that I actually saw this movie.

Wall-E - Ohhh Wall-E. I walked in with really high expectations and I think that what killed it for me. The movie is good and very entertaining (with a moral even!) and Wall-E as a character I LOVED him. BUT the story was just a little disjointed, it was like they tried to put too much into. And yes....I cried while waching this cartoon but I dont care! You would understand if you got to know Wall-E too. I have to give this movie a 2nd shot.

Movie Review: Across The Universe

Yesterday, my mom called bs on my perpetual procrastination by actually asking for her movie back. About a month ago, she lent me "Across The Universe" to see and I still hadn't gotten around to watching it. By the way, I'm not mentioning how long I've had "The Departed" sitting in my To Watch pile. I can tell you right now (or when you read this because technically right now is right now for me and not right now for you - just sayin') that Derry just said, "She still hasnt seen it?!?!" and rolled his eyes at me.

Ok back to the movie review...the movie is entertaining and engaging, not to mention a love story/musical - which basically hits all of my happy spots when it comes to doing something on a Sunday afternoon. If you don't know what the movie is about, its love story between a boy from Liverpool (Jude) and an American girl (Lucy) set in New York during the Vietnam war era. The musical part comes courtesy of the Beatles and their songs. I have to say that I have a new found respect for their music, its one thing to sing along to their songs on the radio and another thing to watch them come alive up on the screen.

The moment of the afternoon, though did not come from the movie but from my mother. While watching the movie, the group of friends go to a party where they are offered some punch. Then it gets all trippy and they are all on a bus going somewhere. Now, this is where it got weird - my mom...I'm not even going to try to explain, I'm going to try to type out verbatum what she told me.

Mom: Do you understand that mija?
Me: Understand what mom?
Mom: Back then, they would have people drink the punch and they'd put LSD in it to make them high. When someone takes drugs, its called "a trip". They are on the bus and its a metaphor for being on the drugs.

Side note to my brother: she did this like the 3rd time she woke up during the movie.

This was basically my reaction:

I mean...what the hell can I say?

I couldn't figure out what was more disturbing - that my mom felt the need to explain this to me or the fact that she actually knows these terms, in English! There are times where I really don't want to know about her past - really I DON'T. I know we have gotten to this bonding time where I share more than I used to and I see her as a friend but dear god - she still my mother! The great thing is that one day, I'm totally going to show this blog to Jake and its going to screw him up just as much and I CANT WAIT!!!

The movie is very entertaining but I'm glad I didn't run out to see it in the theaters. Maybe if I was in another generation where the Beatles had influenced me more, I could see why someone would LOVE the film (cough, my mom, cough) but I think it was good.

Final Rating: Rental

Movie Review: IRON MAN

WOW.

Robert Downey Jr is back in a big way as Tony Stark.
I actually didn't hate Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts.
Jon Favreau did a great job directing - and may I add that he lost a hell of a lot of weight.
Um, I think the kid that played Ralphie in A Christmas Story was one of the producers.

Yeah, this movie is pretty awesome. A part of me of me would like to do the traditional synopsis of it but its just worth it to go see it.

So do as Tony Stark commands:


Stop what you are doing and go see IRON MAN!!!






Final Rating: Full Price!

Movie Reviews Galore!

I have been slacking in posting movie reviews so I'm just going to put all of them up at the same time. You all know how much I love to multi-task.

There Will Be Blood
This is a story of a man named Daniel Plainview who drills for oil and his rise to fortune. I will always remember how proud this man was (and I'm talking the 7 Deadly Sins Pride) and the portrayal of Eli Sunday by Paul Dano (from Little Miss Sunshine). Daniel's pride allowed him to have a drive to create his fortune, but what was the cost? And Eli Sunday, well quite frankly, freaked me out. Daniel Day Lewis deserves the Oscar for Best Actor. I was completely engrossed with his character and while I was sympathetic to his drive for success, I felt offended by the way he treated people around him - especially his son.
Rating: I highly recommend the movie and grab a bag of popcorn.

La Vie En Rose
The movie is the life story of Edith Paif, a famous French singer - and yes, its in French. Marion Cotillard transforms herself from a quiet street singer to a famous songstress to a woman who realizes her life is coming to an end. The story and the acting of Cotillard really suck you into Paif's ups and downs of her life. It amazing that she became who she was because of the life she had as a child. I was impressed by her drive to perform and her need to just sing, because its who she is. And honestly that is what I remember most of her, this image of her being ill and telling her manager to put her up in front of the microphone because she had to sing.
Rating: Awesome biopic - I recommend it highly as well.

La Dolce Vita
Fellini's classic about a journalist at a crossroads of his life and looking for maybe a meaning to it. You know, maybe it was because I saw this move right after I watched La Vie En Rose, but it didn't wow me as much as I thought it would. I was pulled into the story and the sympathized with Mastroianni's roller coaster ride but there was something, just not real. The sweet life that Fellini is a fascade that only exists with certain people. For some reason the one scene that did speak to me was when the paparazzi were waiting for the wife of Mastroianni's friend. It was heartwrenching and is the moment that made him change his way of life, to an extent. I think this is one of those movies that I have to watch again but I've learned that not all classics are classics for everyone.
Rating: Rent it to see it for its brilliance but don't expect it to be brilliant for you.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
This movie is a true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, the editor of Elle, who suffers a stroke and has to live in an almost fully paralyzed body, only his left eye isn't paralyzed. One word: Magnicifent. I just can't convey how wonderful this movie is. Just watch it...seriously...just watch it. I have to admit one thing though - the movie is in French and it has subtitles. And one part of the movie, Bauby learns how to speak by blinking. The speech therapist says letters and when she gets to the letter that he wants, he blinks. Its tedious but he ends up writing the book that the movie is based on. Ok, back to my thing. So I'm listening to her ramble off the alphabet and I'm trying to guess what he's going to say along with her. And she says the letters - M-E-R..then the subtitle is saying T-H-A and I'm wondering why its not right...then I realized that they were translating what its going to be in English. Kind of messed me up for a minute there, thought that I completely forgot how to speak French.
Rating: GO WATCH NOW!

The Cooler
William H. Macy plays this unlucky fellow that works for a casino who uses him to "cool off" tables when people are winning too much money. He then meets a cocktail waitress and his luck changes. The movie was, eh - ok. The movie has its moments and its really a dark film at times. If I wouldnt have seen this movie right after I saw The Diving Bell and the Butterfly then I probably would have liked it a little bit more. It is entertaining but I'm not running out and buying it for my collection.
Rating: Rental.

Movie Review: No Country For Old Men

My friend let me borrow a few screeners she received so I managed to watch this movie in the comfort of my own home. Let me say - WOW. I had heard a lot of great things and one person with a negative review (cough*Derry*cough) about the movie so I was hoping it was going to live up to my expectations and it totally did.

Stop reading now if you don't want to be spoiled.

Javier Barden is just spectacular as the killer in search of a satchel full of money that Josh Brolin's character takes. This movie reminds me so much of the old Hitchcock films. You could probably line this movie up with something like North by Northwest and find a few character similarities. Hitchcock was famous for putting his lead characters in situations over their heads and all the while trying to save themselves for a sin that they are not necessarily guilty of but it turns out they are guilty of something. Brolin's character stumbles upon a drug meet gone wrong and abandons a man that is dying and finds a satchel of money and takes it home with him. Later that night, he returns to give the man some water (that he had asked for earlier) and not only finds him dead but the owners of the money in search of him. Some others are also looking for the money and have hired Javier Bardem's character to find it as well.

I swear, anytime Bardem entered the screen I wondered what he was going to do next. He was very meticulous and calculating when it came to killing. The scene that got to me was when he was in the gas station talking to the owner. Just standing there, eating his peanuts and making conversation but at the same time sizing him up to see if he should kill him or not. You could tell that the owner had that look on his face, that he knew he was dead and was just trying to process it. And I loved that Brolin's wife threw the "coin" theory out the window and I think that bugged him more than anything. He wanted to believe that the coin chose (like with the owner of the gas station) like a fate, but in the end - it was he who decided who died and who didn't. Maybe he didn't like that he had all that power of life over death and he wanted to put the fault on someone else (you stole the money, you deserve to die; you picked heads, it was tails).

The only thing that I would have liked to see was more Tommy Lee Jones/Javier Bardem interaction. It seemed that it would have been a really good rivalry with TLJ's no nonsense approach and Bardem's no nonsense killing. I was almost waiting for them to meet up but that never does happen. Quite frankly, the way it was left - was a little unsettling and bittersweet but I accept that some movies can't be tied together in a little bow and this is why it left the impression it did with me. But the more I think about it, its almost better that way too.

I highly recommend seeing this movie, so you know why Bardem will win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

Final Rating: Worth Paying Full Price

Christmas Day Movie Marathon

Christmas has come and gone - thank goodness! I think I've started an internal clock as to when to take down the tree. I would have done it today but nooo - I had to watch these movies and eat all...day...long.

So here we go with what was seen.

The Way We Were
Amazingly enough, I had never seen this Redford/Streisand classic about a couple's love story. I knew the story, but had not sat through a viewing of the film. Recently, I saw an episode of Sex and The City where the girls are talking about the movie and it piqued my interest to actually make the effort to watch it. Thank the lords for Netflix and their Watch Instantly program. I liked the movie a lot and I'm short of saying that I loved it.

Stranger Than Fiction
What an entertaining movie this is. Will Farrell plays Harold Crick, an IRS auditor, who starts hearing a voice in his head narrating his actions. The voice, as it turns out, is Emma Thompson who is writing a book about Farrell's character. Things get kicked into high gear when Harold hears the author say that his death is imminent and starts trying to figure out who the author is to try to prevent his doom. The movie is really good and is cute when it comes to the love story between Harold and the baker. I was surprised with the talent on this cast (Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah, and Maggie Gyllenhaal) and the witty writing. Highly recommended.

Notes On A Scandal
First of all, the acting of the two leading ladies in this film is superb. The story moves along rather well and gives enough suspense to make you nervous for the characters of the film. Its amazing how some movies can pick up on the nuances of human behavior. I swear, Dame Judi Dench has really really scared me. And that scene where she's trying to force Cate Blanchett's character to choose between her and Cate's family was just amazing. They both do a good job of conveying their sides of the friendship and you feel sorry for Dench's character but you also know better since you know she's pulling all these puppet strings.

Amazingly enough, I got three good movies in! Now I have to hit the theaters and catch up on some flicks on the big screen.

Things to see:
National Treasure 2 - yes, I know, I heard it sucked but I hate to admit I really liked the first one so I have to see this one.
Juno - Seems like its the Miss Little Sunshine of this year.
Charlie Wilson's War - I'm such a sucker for Aaron Sorkin's writing.
Walk Hard - Its John C. Reilly for goodness sake!
The Savages - looks good, its all I got.
P.S. I Love You - I know it doesn't look good, but I can't help it! I should just read the book instead.

Movie Review: Enchanted

In lieu of staying home and being tortured by the play of my favorite football team, I invited my family to go watch Enchanted in the theaters.

When I first heard of this movie, I thought - "Oh God! Seriously?" I thought it would be cheesy and not very funny. Then, I saw the trailer and thought "Ok - it is Disney. It looks campy. And it breaks out into song in the middle of Central Park. Maybe its not that bad." So I have actually been looking forward to this movie coming out for a while now and this morning the curiousity was quenched.

Now - a little quiz for my avid readers - between the 6 year old and the 31 year old - who LOVED this movie? I'll give you a hint...its the one who DOESN'T get the whole Pokemon thing.

Lets just say when the movie ended, Jake said "Thank goodness thats over! Can we go to the park now?" He hated all the songs, which was funny considering that the night before we stayed up until midnight watching White Christmas. So, if you know me even a little bit, you know that I loved this movie and yes...I was crying through most if it (I have no shame!).

If you haven't seen a preview, the movie is about a soon to be fairy tale princess that is sent to modern day New York and meets up with a New Yorker and his daughter who end up helping her while she waits for her Prince Charming to rescue her.

Giselle, played by Amy Adams (who I only knew as the Debra Messing's little sister from The Wedding Date) is so cute and charming as the displaced princess. One part I was cracking up at was when she woke up in New York and was calling the woodland animals to help her clean. Well, in New York, there are not many woodland creatures, but there are plenty of cockroaches, rats, flies, and pigeons that show up to help.

This is a family movie but can very easily pass for a date movie. The movie is rather predictable (its a Disney movie for goodness sake) but it has enough charm and wit to keep even those pesky cynical guys entertained.

Final Rating: Full Price