now I remember . . .

Ok, I didn't *just* remember, but I do finally have some time to talk about what I wanted to talk about last time when I kind of got sidetracked and went on and on about nothing. (Ha! That was a mouthful!!)

So, have you seen the latest kiddy movie "UP?" It is so fantastic and not at all just a kiddy movie and -- this is the best part -- there are no *politics* in the whole movie. Really. I'm not kidding. It was fantastic and, if you haven't already, you need to go see it.

Although, I will say that if you don't really care for good wholesome movies that have a moral to the story AND you are not particularly in the mood for having *anything* to do with loving relationships, then I would not recommend this movie. You would probably be better off going to see something with a lot of yelling and guns and blood.

Ok, now that I've got it set up for you, here's what I *really* wanted to talk about: We were sitting in the theartre (RL, my daughter, and I), watching this kid's movie on a Sunday afternoon, and there was a younger couple sitting in front of us. Not *very* young. Probably in their late twenties, early thirties. Within the first FIFTEEN minutes, these two were all over each other. At one point, the guy had his head in her lap and her skirt was pulled up!!

Now, I'm all for some hot steamy lovin, but c'mon! At the kids movie? In the middle of the theatre? At least go sit on the back row. At least pick a movie where there's not going to be kids *everywhere* around you. That's just too perverted!!

an american carol

RL, myself, and our daughter went to see "An American Carol" last weekend. (I guess this is movie review week.) It was funny. Not as funny as it could've been, but it had some very funny parts. I was really hoping it would've been better.

There are two, ok, three reasons it fell short. First, there were a couple of parts that were pretty serious; too serious for a movie co-starring Leslie Neilson. Second, because of the serious parts the movie was kind of choppy--there wasn't a good flow. And third, if there are people who aren't up on both sides of politics (like my daughter) most of the comedy is going to go right over their heads. Brandi actually fell asleep!

This is one of those films, as RS mentioned, that you want to do well at the box office, because there really needs to be more of the other side (as opposed to the "left" side) portrayed in movies. Sadly, though there were many well known actors in this movie, it could've been so much better.

no joke

We went to see The Dark Knight over the weekend and, I must say, it was a really good movie. I would almost go as far as saying it was the best Batman movie. But, for me, the best performance by far was of the Joker.

I've always loved Heath Ledger, so I was anxious to see his part in The Dark Knight. Wow! His performance was exceptional. Disturbing. Fascinating. Even humorous, at times. But what made it so good is you never see him out of make up. There is one scene where the make up is a little runny and smudged off a bit, but you can really never get passed enough to see Heath Ledger.

The good thing about this (for the movie) is it makes it easy to get into the movie without being crushed with the reality of the death of this actor. It helps to make it ok to enjoy the movie. You are taken in by his ability to be a believeable sociopathic lunatic.

If you want to remember Heath Ledger go rent A Knight's Tale. If you want to see his acting ability, go see The Dark Knight.

imaginary friends

Did you ever have an imaginary friend when you were a child?
Reader Poll Results:

Yes: 14%
No: 78%
Still do: 7%

I never had an imaginary friend, although I did pretend a lot. I would have "practice" conversations (sometimes in front of the mirror, sometimes not) with girls that I wanted to tell off in my class or trying to get the courage to talk to some boy. When I was in my teens I turned to writing in a journal to vent, dream, plan my future. I suppose I was writing to an imaginary audience, though it would've been devastating if anyone had actually ever read any of my journals. Now I write to a not-so-imaginary audience whom I will never see, but still no imaginary friends.

And, just so you know, the subject of imaginary friends may soon be a hot topic since Gold Circle Films (Because I Said So, My Big Fat Greek Wedding) is releasing a film this year about that very thing, titled If You Could See Me Now. It's about a boy who lives with his aunt. The boy has an imaginary friend (Hugh Jackman). But the really weird thing is the aunt can see the imaginary friend and they start a romance. Well, maybe not so weird, 'cause a romance with Hugh Jackman could be a good thing (imagined or not).

Please vote in the new Reader Poll: When it comes to having fun . . .

new word

There are many words we use everyday that aren't "real" words at all. But use a word long enough and it may just get added to the dictionary. That's what happened to one of my favorite words: Ginormous. (Yeah, I'm weird like that.) Americans entered the word as one of their favorites in an online contest held by Merriam-Webster.

The first time I ever heard the word was watching the movie Elf . Understandably, I imagined it was a word the writers had made up, combining gigantic and enormous . But, according to this article, ginormous has been around since 1948 as Royal Air Force and Royal Navy slang during World War II. It's already included in the Oxford dictionary.

But regardless of it's origin, I'm sure it will now be used even more often. Some may snub their nose at the word, but they can no longer deny its validity.

nanny mcphee

We went to see Nanny McPhee over the weekend. Now you might not even think of going to see it, but sometimes you need a little escape and this movie certainly provides it. It's a fairy tale, nursery rhyme, fable complete with elements from Cinderella, The Old Woman In The Shoe, and plenty of lessons to learn. And even though the ending was easily figured out early on, what was unexepected was the path it took to get there. And, if you can stand it, go see it when all the little kids go and you can cheer with them when . . . Well, just go be a kid again.

men and movies

Why is it that men and women can watch the same movie and see two different things? Last night my husband and I saw The Notebook. I've seen it before, but he hadn't. If you haven't seen it, I'll not spoil it for you. It is a very emotional, romantic movie about how strong love can be between two people. At the end, when the credits started rolling, my husband stands up and says, "Well, that was a weird movie...." But I can't say anything because I'm crying as though my best friend died.

elizabethtown

Last night we went to see Elizabethtown. The plot revolves around the death of Drew's (Orlando Bloom) father and the failure of his career. He meets Claire (Kirsten Dunst) and through this new relationship learns about life, loss, and success.

My overall review would be that it's an "ok" movie. There were some really funny parts, but mostly it was melancholy. It's the type of movie that you should go see after looking through old photos with a friend or walking through the park on a sunny autumn afternoon.

If you've ever had a great loss in your life (i.e. death of a parent, spouse, sibling) you will relate to this movie better than those who haven't. There were times when I sat nodding, thinking I know exactly what that's like. But I would recommend waiting for the video so you can let your emotions go in the privacy of you own home.

By the way, this wasn't my first choice to see on my birthday. I wanted to see The Greatest Game Ever Played, but by the time we got to the theatre it was sold out.