Confessions of a Movie Nerd

Did IQs just drop sharply while I was away?

2010-01-05T11:27:00.003-05:00

....that has got to be one of my favorite lines from Aliens!

Over the weekend we saw the movie Avatar...I had mixed feelings about this movie from the get go, but being a scifi junkie I felt it was my duty to see this film. Let me start by saying James Cameron is a innovative film maker...stories just aren't his strong suit. Sometime the stars align and you get something like Titanic but that happens once in a blue moon.

This is a beautiful movie. We saw it in 3-D, which I recommend you do. It is a waste of money to see this movie in regular 2-D because it is meant to be experienced.The world of Pandora is shockingly beautiful and fanciful. It is a place that many of us dream of with it's lighted paths and iridescent wildlife. For all the beauty...don't expect much in the way of storyline.

This movie starts out with a narrative from the twin brother of the scientist trained for the Avatar mission on Pandora. Because of his twins untimely death, Jake Sully, is sent in his place. Jake is a wounded marine with no scientific training. He is sent on this mission armed only with his DNA, which is identical to his twin so he is the only person in the world able to use this avatar. This mission is one supposedly of peace. They have something we want and we want to strip mine their forest to get it. But...we want to ask nicely before we destroy their homes for a mineral that it's never clear what it's uses are. Plus it has a really ignorant name...Unobtainium...yeah that's right I really just said that. Unobtainium sells for a ridiculous amount of money on Earth and so the corporate sponsors of this trip are willing to employ the big bad US Military to get what it wants. See told you the storyline was weak...and predictable. I guess we know what side of the fence that James Cameron comes down on where environmental issues are concerned. He is about as subtle as a nail gun.

Now it wasn't all bad....the personal story is pretty well thought out. It is believable love story and the connection the Na'vi have with their planet is pretty cool I must admit. Cameron takes the concept of "Jacking in" to a whole new level. The Na'vi people have a long braid and in that braid is a USB cable of sorts. They are able to connect with the world...plants, wildlife etc..just by "plugging in". They literally become one with the world around them, which is pretty cool in a scifi way and very creative I must say.

Don't get me wrong...I'm not in favor of strip mining and destroying the rainforest. I'm just tired of there never being an argument in movies like this....the capitalist society is always bad and the US military is there for the sole purpose to due the bidding of big business and destroy the beauty around them.

I know this sounds like I didn't like the movie, but I did. I liked it for what it was...a scifi movie, not a social commentary......

You do know what you're drinking is meant for eye surgery?

2009-12-30T10:19:00.006-05:00

Hi ya sports fans----vacation is over and now it is time to get back to work! Did ya miss me? All three of ya??

As is tradition on Christmas day in my family (those that didn't have beautiful children to take home and put down for a nap anyway), after the presents are opened and the goose is cooked (or Honey Baked Ham in this case), we head off to the movies...and this year was no exception. Like many Christmas thrill seekers (those that didn't see Avatar) we saw the new Sherlock Holmes movie.

Let me start out by saying that I have never really been a fan of Doyle's work. Don't get me wrong, I love intrigue and mystery, but I get lost in the technicalities. Much like Crichton and Clancy, I get lost in the why and wherefores of the detailed stories. That being said....like much of the ADD nation I LOVE the movies that come from the books!

Sherlock Holmes is no exception. This is not really your dad's Holmes... as evidenced by the fact that MY father was not that knocked out by it. I, however, thought it was great. I enjoyed the banter, the wit, the minor love story coursing just under the surface, and I loved the buddy-movie chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law! In my opinion, they were the most believable pals. Law's Watson truly shows the passion for problem solving that I think a lot of past movies leave out. Watson wasn't just a spectator or a babysitter... he was a genuine HELP to Holmes. This Holmes couldn’t survive without Watson, and that’s something the older film versions have not captured. Downey's Holmes shows the true friendship and respect that Holmes had for Watson. I completely enjoyed their relationship.

Rachel McAdams is beautiful and intriguing as Holmes’ one and only "love", Irene Adler. Holmes had very little use for the “gentler” sex in general; he would help them only as a means to an end or a problem to solve. He found most women boring and silly with very little true sense about them. (What do you expect from a character written by a Victorian man, anyway?) Irene, however, was a different sort. She thought, in Holmes’ words, "like a man" and that delighted him. She was a thief... a con (wo)man… the only kind of profitable "criminal" a women could be at that time (politics and multi-national corporations being unavailable at the time). Homes didn't trust her, but I think he loved the puzzle she presented. McAdams adds just enough heart to this woman to make you want them together.

The story, like most Holmes stories, starts out seeming supernatural. It is a tale of demons and ghosts and rising from the grave to take over the world (taking a subtextual poke at Christianity? Perhaps… that too would be in step with Doyle’s writing). However, by the end, the simplicity of the plan is strangely obvious once it is expounded in true Holmesian fashion. The ride is fun, the story is strong, and the characters are delightful. I highly recommend this movie -- it was well worth the wait! (And yes, for you true Holmes aficionados… the good Prof. appears just long enough to tantalize!)

Well, dear reader(s)... that is all that is fit to print! Until next time...

If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion... love actually is all around.

2009-11-27T08:00:00.026-05:00

FRIDAY FAVE FLICKS

It is time again for my personal favorite time of the week.....Friday Fave Flicks. Now I know that everyone is stuffed with stuffing and all plans for weight loss is pretty much scrapped but the best part of today is that the holiday movies are in full swing. In honor of such a time I thought that we should kick off the season with your five favorite holiday romances.....

As always I'll start...

1. Love Actually - Everything great Britain has to offer. If you haven't seen this movie I recommend it highly!!

2. Shop Around the Corner - The original "You've got Mail". James Stewart - nuff said.

3. Christmas in Connecticut - Old school sweet. I love cases of mistaken identity.

4. White Christmas - Well.....there you are.

5. It's a Wonderful Life - Can't be a holiday list without it.

Well, this is the first of many holiday lists......have fun, and pass it on.

Well, it's not good, but it's a reason.

2009-11-25T22:13:00.055-05:00

I can't give you a good reason why I went to see Surrogates. Bruce Willis maybe, I, Robot-esque maybe, I don't know. All are reasons, they just aren't good....

This had the potential to be a pretty neat movie. Had it been written correctly, it might have been interesting instead of convoluted.

Bruce Willis plays a FBI agent in a world that doesn't seem to need agents. He and his partner are sent out to investigate a murder... the first murder in close to ten years. The reason there haven't been any murders is because close to 98% of the world's population is living life through a life-like robot that is controlled remotely by their minds. The "surrogates" allow humans to do and act however they please with no consequences. If your surri gets shot, you repair it. Hit by a car, replace it. You spend your day in bed and send your surri out into the world to live your life. There is no sickness or disease because robots don't get sick, and you are hermetically sealed in your apartment/house where nothing can touch you.

I know what you are thinking... all you germophobes and hand sanitizer junkies out there. Gee, that sounds like a really great plan! No more flu.... no more people in the office hacking on me, "forgetting" to wash their hands after they potty... etc etc. But one interesting point that is raised in the movie is... how do you know who anyone really is? See, your "surri" doesn't have to look like you; in fact, Willis' partner is actually stunned to find out that he looks a lot like his surrogate. How do you know that your new best girlfriend to whom you are confiding all your secrets, isn't a teenage boy? Or that the man that you met in the bar is a butch gal looking for a good time? You think it's bad that you don't know who you are talking to on the internet? Imagine if you couldn't even trust your eyes.

There is also a small population that is fighting back. These people live on reservations and are called dregs. These people are violent, angry and hide behind religion (like a lot of so-called "religious" zealots). The dregs have been given a weapon that kills the surrogates AND the user.

So you see, no one is really right in this movie and it boils down to just a combination of Die Hard, The Matrix, I,Robot and Demolition Man all rolled into one movie. Sit down and watch all these movies in any particular order and you will know about as much as I do after watching just this one movie... and probably have more fun!

Thank you for making me a part of this!

2009-11-23T16:57:00.000-05:00

This is my first Music Monday so....

Because all the really great and cheesy Christmas movies are on these next few weeks here is a song from one of my favorite. The Muppet's Christmas Carol is one of the finest Dickens re-tellings out there and as a child of the 80's I just can't get enough of the Muppets. I submit to you my favorite song from this movie....

Now that everyone is full of Christmas cheer (and perhaps wants to slit their wrists. :>) Join in the fun and visit Keeping up with the Kellys to post your own Music Monday.

Great balls of fire. Don't bother me anymore, and don't call me sugar.

2009-11-20T13:07:00.003-05:00

FRIDAY'S FAVE FLICKS

In honor of the 70th anniversary DVD release of Gone with the Wind, this weeks Friday's Fave Flicks presents your top five classic romances. Now to clarify, these don't have to be CLASSIC necessarily just romantic movies you can't get enough of. As always, I'll start us off...

1. An Affair to Remember - I will always love this movie. The chemistry between Grant and Kerr is just dreamy. It has been redone several times but this one is still the best in my book.

2. Out of Africa - Two words, Redford & Streep...nuff said

3. The Way We Were - This movie always make me cry...it is a sad commentary of what our world is coming to....

4. Casablanca - no explanation needed......

5. Titanic - I know this is over done and most people are tired of it but I just love it when he says "Want to go to a real party...."

Once again guys, I've showed you mine....now you show me yours. Let the games begin

You know, your mood swings are kinda giving me whiplash

2009-11-20T08:00:00.022-05:00

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that they take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link on Kailani's blog. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

I actually have 2 question....

While teaching Passover to 2nd and 3rd grades I mention God told the Israelites to kill the lamb at twilight. I then asked if they knew what "twilight" meant. "It's a book" one said....."I've seen that movie" another said.

Does this seem wrong to anyone else?

And in a recent radio interview Miley Cyrus was asked if she was going to see "Twilight". Her answer..."No, I have never read the books and have never seen nor will ever see the movie. I believe that Vampires are evil."

Way to take a stand there Miley....dancing on stage with a stripper pole and posing nude with Dad for Vanity Fair...OK. Vampires? Not OK.

Wrong?.....Anyone? ....Bueller?

The trouble with some people is they work too hard.

2009-11-19T08:00:00.005-05:00

...and sometimes it just isn't the right fight.

As I may have already mention, I work in a library. What you may not know is that libraries are very controversial, especially to those who need a cause in their lives.

The above quote is from the movie The Way We Were. In this movie, Katie, is never happy unless she is working for a cause. This ultimately ends her marriage, but I digress....

One of the county libraries here in KY is facing a difficult problem involving the difference between censorship and civic responsibility. Two of the library employees were dismissed for removing a graphic novel from the shelves without permission and refusing it to patrons. They violated several privacy laws in doing this (looking up patron name, age, etc...) all in the name of child protection.

Now, this particular county is all up in arms and the library is being scrutinized for it's acquisition policy and how it is a danger to the community and the lives of their children. They want several adult books removed from the library because children can see them and check them out. The library stands behind it's policy that it is the parents, not the library, that should monitor what their child reads...this particular group disagrees.

So here is my question, dear readers, where do we draw the line? When does it turn from civic responsibility into censorship? Or is it all the same thing? Whose is ultimately responsible for our children?

Discuss.....

You make your point as delicately as ever, Mr. Pelt.

2009-11-19T07:32:00.001-05:00

Thank You Very Much

FREE THERAPY! FREE THERAPY! That's right, Kmama is offering up some free therapy in her Thank You Very Much Thursday post. Who couldn't use some free therapy? I know I could. If you could as well, type up your thank you's, post 'em out on your blog, come on over to The Daily Dribbles and link up!

Here goes....

To my regional consultants, who blame everything on Frankfort state office. I would like to thank you for your insightfully clever emails that make everyone feel so warm and fuzzy inside. I know that it sometimes seems that we here in our ivory towers enact policies just to make your life more difficult...... but I promise we don't. Thanks again......

To 'traveling evangelists', who don't have churches of your own because you are so busy sticking your nose spreading the gospel to the masses. You make board meetings so much more fun and you hurt your cause more often than you help it...so thanks.

Wow...that really is therapeutic....

Wordless Wednesday - What movie?

2009-11-18T08:30:00.001-05:00

And now for something completely different

2009-11-13T16:20:00.011-05:00

I'm going to institute a new thing here on confessions...every Friday I'm going to ask the Five Favorite Flicks question. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to see if you can narrow down you faves in said category. So here goes....

Since today is Friday the 13th I thought we should kick off our Friday Fest with Five Favorite Fright Flicks. These can be anything that startled, scared or just generally creeped you out. I'm a person who is easily scared so no laughing at my top five because the generally public will most likely find them lame...but they scared me.

Secret Window - I can't look at a black wide brim hat the same

Psycho- A boy's best friend shouldn't be his mother...

Halloween- Yuck, William Shatner never looked so bad...or maybe he did?

Skeleton Key- Love that voodoo that you do so well

The Shining- and I thought I liked the mountains of Colorado

Alright guys...I've showed you mine. Now you show me yours!

Sound off....

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-11T08:02:00.003-05:00

On Wednesdays, I'm going to be checking your movie knowledge...just to see how smart you are. I will paste a picture below, dear readers, and I want you to tell me your best guess on the movie it is from....

I'll give you an easy one to start

Let the games begin.....

I will love you my whole life...You and no other

2009-11-04T09:19:00.009-05:00

This is my cell phone id for my house. Since no one but Nicky calls me from there, I thought it was sweet. Nick's cell id is the dialog between Leia and Han about being a scoundrel...but that is a whole another post....

I'm a sucker for GOOD love stories..(Braveheart, Shakespeare in Love, Becoming Jane...etc.) So it really shouldn't have been a surprise that I enjoyed The Time Traveler's Wife, but it kind of was! I have been disappointed of late with the lack of "believable" romance in movies. I know, I know...time travel is not really what most people would call believable, but somehow it worked.

I have a theory..even if the story is not credible, as long as you have characters/actors that make you can care about them it will almost always work. That is what this story has going for it. Henry (Eric Bana)and Claire (Rachel McAdams) DeTamble are very much in love and not by any choice of their own. Claire meets Henry when she is six and he is thirty-six. Henry is a research librarian (like him already, right???) who has a genetic anomaly that allows him to travel to certain important times in his life. It is kind of hard to explain, but suffice it to say, unlike Dr. Sam Beckett, he can never change anything. No matter what he does or who he talks to, he has no control over the future. So his death is inevitable and unchangeable, but he sees it happening. Sometimes he shows up older with a little gray and sometimes he shows up younger with a little longer hair. On his wedding day, young Henry "leaps" out and is replaced by older Henry with graying temples and the reaction of the wedding guests is kinda cute.

This story is hard to sum up or explain without giving the whole movie away, but you see the difficulty that they face and the love it takes to overcome it all. So..... if you are in a mood for a nice cryfest, this is your movie.

Little side note, Eric Bana looks really good at any age!!

l don't read books, because if they're any good they'll make 'em into a miniseries.

2009-11-03T14:30:00.010-05:00

...even if they aren't any good, they still make them into a movie.

I told myself a few years ago that I would NOT, under any circumstances, watch another Nicholas Sparks movie. I failed miserably....

Sunday evening I watched Nights in Rodanthe. It was like an accident I couldn't walk away from...I just sat there utterly transfixed. I write this, dear readers, as a time saving measure for you.

Let me begin by giving you a little tip....if you see Nicholas Sparks connected with any book, movie or miniseries remember this and you will be saved 120 minutes of your life. THEY DIE IN THE END!!! It doesn't matter what it is about, someone will die in a very tragic way just as they come out of a very dark period into the light of love. There...now you know.

"Nights" is no exception. I knew someone was going to die once they spent the better part of an hour building up the relationship into a love you cannot live with out. This movie stars Richard Gere and Diane Lane as two people who are escaping the current tragedy in their life (death and/or divorce) by hiding out on a beach. They are thrown together during a hurricane and love blossoms...

Gere leaves on some mission of mercy to be a doctor in some poverty stricken country and Lane goes home to her suburban life and they write dirty letters back and forth to each other. Soon she gets a letter telling her he will be coming home on such and such a date and she spends the rest of the movie preparing for his return....but...guess what....you guessed it. He never makes it home. Instead, his son shows up with a box to let her know that this is all that is left of him.

Now you know how every Nicholas Sparks book/movie ends ....consider this my public service announcement for the month.....

Chocolate coating makes it go down easier....

2009-11-01T08:23:00.004-05:00

Babies are so much fun....I don't have any myself, this is just something I have heard.

I do have a beautiful niece, Emily, who is one of the most talented little gals I have known (bias of course). I love being in on the firsts for her and watching her learn. This isn't her first Halloween, but, it is the first that she is old enough to enjoy.

Saturday, I went over to Miss E's house and helped her (and her mother) make Halloween cookies. She is so big and works so diligently! It is such fun to watch. You can just see her brain moving and learning and it is so fascinating.

Here are a few pictures to to see how much fun we had.....

As I expected. "Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way."

2009-10-31T08:00:00.002-04:00

As a child I was a nut for books and movies. Some might say I was just a nut, and they are mostly right...who else but a nut would devote an entire blog to their perverse love of all things cinematic. But I digress....

As I was saying, I loved books and movies, and my favorite thing as a child was Disney movies. The first movie I ever saw was "The Fox and the Hound". My mother often tells the story that the whole theater knew I was there. She said when Chief was hit by the train you would have thought my heart was broken. I cried so loud and long it was really sad, I'm sure people were wondering what my parents had done to me......I think I am digressing again.....what was I talking about...oh right, costumes....

My favorite Disney movie ever is "Mary Poppins". I love Julie Andrews with all my heart and can quote that movie from front to back.....however that isn't unusual because I can do that with a lot of movies....there I go again...

Costumes right...this year for our office Halloween party I decided (notice I decided) that Nick and I would be Mary Poppins and Bert

Pretty cool, huh. Well, we won an award at our office costume party. I'm just glad that Nick didn't want to wear his Jekyll/Hyde costume.....

I'm sure he wouldn't. Not during a tech rehearsal.

2009-10-30T08:00:00.008-04:00

I LOVE THEATER!!!

I married an actor and his friends are actors and they are all in the Anderson County (KY) Community Theater production of "Jekyll and Hyde". Every time I think about it I get the giggles! I'm just so proud of the guys I could just bust!

First let me explain....no is too much. Let me sum up! Four couples hang out together a lot and when one does something they want the others to get in on it too. Because no one should be left out. So when Kenneth tried out for the musical back in September and got the lead he thought that the other musketeers should get involved too.

First up: Nick, who did theater when we lived in Nashville, was asked to try out and he got two small parts and the stage manager job (Nick isn't a real strong singer).

Next up, Bryan, who did some musical theater in high school, was asked to try out and got the part of Simon Stride, one of Dr. Jekyll's rivals in love.

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, Hank did not want to get involved with this particular stunt. Theater is not a big interest to Hank. But, he was willing to go see the show and get his giggles. But, three out of four ain't bad.

This show is so much fun!! I know the guys had a blast doing it and the wives have had a lot of fun watching it It is a serious show and Kenneth does a GREAT job of the dual personalities of Jekyll/Hyde but I just get such a case of the giggles because he is so good! Kenneth is charming and wonderful as Jekyll and REALLY delightfully creepy when he is Hyde which I guess is the point it is just so great to see someone working so hard!!! The two female leads are incredible...there are no words to describe Tegan Hanks as Lucy. You really just have to be there and let your eyes tear up and your heart break when she sings "Someone Like You".

As wives watching the show together, Dana and I comfort each other as Lindsay's husband murders our husbands. And helped Lindsay cheer as her loving adorable husband rips his shirt open in agony. During one show, Kenneth is so into the part that he accidentally rips the shirt too far and Dana and I couldn't help ourselves we had to cheer big for that one!!

It is always nice to get your money's worth.

Look, I... I may not be an explorer, or an adventurer, or a treasure-seeker, or a gunfighter, Mr. O'Connell, but I am proud of what I am.

2009-10-29T13:11:00.004-04:00

I am.....a Librarian!!!

It is my turn to vent frustration about the job! Don't get me wrong I love my job, but sometimes I get to witness the arrogance of my fellow man too closely.

You see, I work in a library. I'm proud of working in a library and I love my job. However, it must be a common misconception that any idiot can be a librarian. I guess, on second thought, that is correct. No matter if you graduated from Harvard or Rocko Clubo's School of Typewriter Maintenance, you are still a graduate endowed with the piece of paper that apparently makes you able to take over the world. However, perhaps you will see my point after you read this encounter.

My boss and I had a conversation the other day with a couple of people, interested in becoming librarians. We told them the necessary education (Masters in Library Science) needed and the state certification process. Conversation went as follows:

Them: Oh well, I have a masters degree in Education.

Us: Great! you can be a teacher but not a librarian.

Them: Why not....I have a masters in EDUCATION.

Us: Cool....how well do you know the Dewey Decimal system?

Them: What? You don't need THAT. There are computers that tell you that.

Us: Who do you think porgrams the computer?

Them: But I have a masters in READING?

Us: Good....can you catalog?

Them: What?

Us: Do you know which Library Management software works best in your area?

Them: But I have a MASTERS DEGREE.....

Us: Us too, Should we go teach your classes?

Them: No, you would need a degree in education....

Us: then you need a degree in Library Science.

You know, it may not seem like much to some people, but it really does take a lot to be a librarian and it isn't just the ability to READ!!!!

You like me...You REALLY Like me

2009-10-28T12:51:00.001-04:00

OK...so it is my sister, Casy, and not the Academy of Motion Pictures but it is still something pretty special!

She is also the mother of my favorite niece......I should probably add that she is my ONLY niece, but still my favorite none the less. If you would like see the most gifted and talented 14month old in the world please visit this blog. http://theschweickartfamily.blogspot.com/. (that's one. :))

The rules for this award are simple:
1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his/her blog link.
2. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you have recently discovered and think are great. Remember to contact those bloggers you have awarded to let them know they have been chosen for the award.

http://jimmythegeek.livejournal.com

http://fumblingtowardseternity.wordpress.com

http://thetractorcab.wordpress.com

Patience is a virtue....Not right now it isn't

2009-10-27T12:22:00.000-04:00

To my one follower (my sister)-

I must apologize to you for my silence these past few months. I really haven't had anything to say or seen any movies that are really easy to blog about. Don't get me wrong, dear reader, I have seen some really good movies but to get my review from my twisted mind and out into the virtual world is a little difficult.

I will get better at this and hope these will come a little more frequently because life is calming down a bit for me. Thanks for you patience.

I like baseball, movies, good clothes, whiskey, fast cars... and you. What else you need to know?

2009-07-24T11:21:00.003-04:00

I know I have neglected my duties as a purveyor of movie knowledge. There have been so many summer movies this year that I haven't really been writing about them I have just been watching them. If I didn't have my one and only reader (you know who you are) hounding me to write something for her I might not have the motivation to sit down and actually do it.

I am lucky enough to be married to a proud movie nerd such as myself, so going to the movies is not necessarily a chore for him. we are able to see a lot of the movies that come out in the big seasons (summer, fall, Christmas). So this year we have seen quite a bit of the blockbusters that have raided our movie theaters and TV set. This should be the first of several movie reviews that will be coming.

As most of you have guessed from the above quote, I'm going to talk a little bit about Public Enemies. This was the much hyped Michael Mann summer blockbuster starring the two big summer smash stars Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. Unlike a lot of over hyped summer movies ( Transformers2), this movie actually lived up to the excitment.

For those of you who may not know, this is the story of the rise and fall of the Dillinger gang. John Dillinger, played by Depp, was declared Public Enemy #1 by the head of the FBI at the time, J Edgar Hoover, played by, one of my favorites, Billy Crudup . A lot of historical liberties have been taken to make it a more interesting story, but it is delightful all the same. Hoover sends his best man to bring in Dillinger. This is a young gunslinger by the name of Melvin Purvis (Bale). Unfortunately, Purvis is incapable of thinking like a criminal and needs to bring in help from Texas.

The story itself has always captured the American public's heart. we love our gangsters. Our own Robin Hoods as it were, with larger than life personalities and devil may care smiles, they have always been played by some of the best Hollywood has to offer. (Gable, Cagney, Flynn) Add Depp to that list and you have it rounded it out, but this picture offered us something more.

There seemed to be no good or bad guy. Everyone had on gray hats. Each had their own trouble and their own demons, and neither ened well.

Margaret, will you marry me? Because I'd like to date you.

2009-07-06T09:05:00.009-04:00

I think the start of the "summer blockbuster" was back in the 1930's when the only place that was cool in the summer time was a movie theater. Movies made a lot of money in the summer because the heat was so unbearable (esp. in the south) that people would pay their nickle just to get relief. So movies that really wouldn't have otherwise made a lot of money did pretty well in the summer. Now, everyone has cool air piped into their homes, so we need more of a reason to go to the movies...let me back track...most people need a reason. I, however, just need a willing body to go with me. (I'm too much of a chicken to go by myself.)

My case in point is the movie that I dragged my baby sister, Etta, to this past week. We saw The Proposal. This is one of those sweet, funny romantic comedies that feed my need for escapism. No matter how unbelievable, predictable and formulaic it may be, it is still fun to watch.

For those of you who don't know, the premise for this movie is; Sandra Bullock is Margaret Tate, a poor excuse for a human being that uses fear and blackmail to get whatever it is that she wants. Ryan Reynolds is Andrew Paxton, her long suffering assistant who is hanging in there waiting for his big break, that he is convinced she will give him if he does everything right. Margaret is Canadian, and about to be deported because she willingly broke the law because she honestly didn't think anyone would care. Faced with losing her job, she blackmails Andrew into agreeing to marry her to keep her in this country. Since her family is all dead, they must convince the federal government and Andrew's family that they are in love, so they travel to Alaska for Andrew's grandmother's birthday. Let the fun begin.

This movie had a lot of potential, because once they get to Alaska, you find out why it is that Andrew is willing to endure all that Margaret dishes out. Andrew's father, Joe, (played by Craig T. Nelson) is just a big a bully as Margaret. So, I guess he is kinda used to it. This is not explored enough to make it a major part of the movie, however, I thought it an interesting twist. The Paxton Family is still very loving and fun, even with the jerk father, and it is always fun to watch Betty White still be funny even into her 80's.

Although I did enjoy this movie, it is very hard to believe. Sandra Bullock is so soft looking and has such a sweet, expressive face that it is hard for it not to show how much she doesn't like being who she is, and maybe that is the point. Another unbelievable aspect is, in the words of Etta, WHO doesn't want to marry Ryan Reynolds?!?!? Are we really sure this wasn't contrived so that she could wiggle her way into his life? I think maybe Etta would.

You guys want to see a dead body?

2009-06-17T14:35:00.011-04:00

Nick and I live on a farm (actually it is a sheep farm) in Northern Franklin County KY. It takes us about 18 to 20 minutes to get to work, church, ect. This, with the exception of an occasional hay wagon or tobacco trailer, really isn’t too bad when you think about it. This picture is the view behind our house after a good hard rain. We both work for the State Library and so it is fitting for us to listen to sound recordings on our morning drive. Despite having so much in common, Nick and I differ somewhat on our choice of reading material so we must compromise. That is to say HE must compromise. He is more of a doctrinal, spiritual formation kind of reader and I like…well…fiction not to put too fine a point on it. Since he works in circulation, he gets to make the choices, a lot of times it is a book he has already read but thinks I would like. Needless to say, I have read things recently that I probably wouldn’t have picked up otherwise.

The problem with the library is that there are never enough copies of a book to go around. We have been reading the Stephen Fry Harry Potter series and have just finished Goblet of Fire and returned it when we realize that Order of the Phoenix is still checked out. Devastation and depression follow with a lot of pouting (I’m not really good on patience) so to console me Nick picks up The Body by Stephen King

Until I married Nick, you couldn’t pay me to read a Stephen King novel. My sister, Casy, reads King’s novels and loves them but she and I have very different personalities. She contemplated become a vet at one time, and doesn’t seem to mind if the walls bleed. I, however, couldn’t walk into our living room on Christmas morning because there was some really large blow up animal looking over the back of our sofa and instead of turning on the light to see what it was…I ran to get Casy. Did I mention that Casy is 4 years YOUNGER than me? I AM A CHICKEN…I know it and it is high time for the rest of the world to know it too. So being a chicken means that I don’t read Stephen King novels, and didn’t have any idea what they were about except that they were nightmares-for-a-week-because-something-is-under-your-bed scary.

As my husband and I really began to know each other (favorite movies, books, authors, likes, dislikes…) I mentioned that some of my favorite movies are Stand By Me (mostly because Wil Wheaton and River Phoenix are so great in it) and The Shawshank Redemption. He looked at me like I had grown a third head and said “but….you hate Stephen King” Now it was my turn…”what on earth does that crazy horror-monger have to do with this current conversation?” It was then that he tossed me an old, battered, well loved copy of Different Season. “Read it.” He said “I think you will like it.” It took me a week to get up the courage to read it, but once I did…WOW! I can’t believe what I had been missing.

Stephen King is such a gifted story teller that I began to understand why he was a best selling author. He is so articulate and descriptive (that is sometimes the problem) that you get the sense that you know that character or have known that person at one time in your life. I guess it just goes to show that you REALLY can’t judge a book by it’s cover…or it's author in this case.

And when it's all said and done there will be a little piece of immortality with Jackson's good looks and my sense of style, I hope.

2009-06-11T09:54:00.015-04:00

I had a chance on Monday to see Taken. (thank Heavens for Netflix.) This was a movie that Nick and I wanted to see in the theater and never got the chance. So, when my sister, Casy, called and invited us over for pizza and movie, I thought “Great, I really want to see this movie.” However, I will need to watch it again, because I had a little bit of a distraction and just kinda saw it, but didn’t really watch it. The distraction I am speaking of is in the picture to the left. This is my beautiful niece Emily! (this picture is me, E and Nicky at a baseball game last weekend).

Emmy is 10 months old today and quite a handful. She is the only daughter of my sister Casy and her husband Hank, and the most beautiful baby in the world if I do say so myself. Now E has an affinity for cell phones (she has already tried to reprogram her mother’s blackberry) and if you leave it lying around she will find it. Her mother warned us when we got there not to leave anything on the floor, on the table…well let’s just say if you like it don’t set it down. Not as soon as I walked through the door I put my purse down and Emmy, knowing that cell phones can be found in purses, started looking for it. She crawled over to the bag, sat down beside it and put her hand inside feeling around. She never took her eyes off the room because, since her parents haven’t provided her with a look out yet, she has to be her own sentry. She never found the cell phone pocket and was soon thwarted in her task. Later on however, Aunt Carly is silly and takes the phone out and leaves it on the end table beside the sofa she is sitting on….JACK POT!!!

Emily is a resourceful little thing and having seen the Blackjack unguarded she makes her move. She crawls over to the table and pulls up on it. Never taking her eyes off Aunt Carly, she inches her little hand closer to the phones location. When I catch her, she jerks her hand back and grins up at me (showing all six of her teeth) as if to say “I no did it!” This is a fun little game we are playing until the movie gets too interesting for me to pay close attention to my sweet niece. As soon as my attention is turned back to the movie, her chubby little hand starts toward the device again this time…SUCCESS!!! She plops down on the floor and proceeds to try and text her friend Asher (the keys are locked so until she becomes a code cracker the phone bill is safe…at least for the next month or so). Finding that he is not answering her she decides to try a new technique… she licks it.

So, guys and dolls, this is why the only thing I know about Taken is that Liam Neeson beats up A LOT of people in really cool ways to save his daughter from slave traders. Now I know why people have kids…they are so much more interesting.

That's What I Love about High School Girls...

2009-06-08T16:43:00.005-04:00

So ladies and germs, here it is, the whole reason for this blog: MOVIE REVIEWS

Last week I saw the movie Ghost of Girlfriends Past. Yes, sports fans, I actually paid for an overpriced ticket and watched ANOTHER Matthew McConaughey romantic comedy. What can I say; I love 'im.

This movie is a re imagining of a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. However, it could have been called Wooderson goes to a Wedding and saved everyone the trouble. On the eve of his brother's nuptials, Connor Mead does and says everything wrong (or right, depending on your perspective of marriage!) and single-handedly destroys the wedding. As in Dickens, he is visited by 3 ghosts to help him see the error of his ways. Insanity ensues.

I didn't really have high hopes for this fluff, so to say I was pleasantly surprised isn't saying much. The banter is witty, the 80's musical montages were enjoyable and Jennifer Garner is always lovely. I just have a couple of problems.

Who are these women that he hooks up with?!?!? These emotional wrecks that "fall in love" with a sleaze bag after a drink and a one night stand, do they exist? Because if they do, line 'em up! I would like to smack each one in turn for giving sane rational women a BAD name. The lines that Connor spouts...eeck!! Do they really work? I don't care what he looks like, THEY make my skin crawl. I totally get why Jenny loves him. She KNOWS him. But these other women... HELLO, really?!?! I love my husband but it took knowing him for close to 5 years and dating him for 2 for me to fall in love (real love). I guess I'm not that easy.

Also, I get it... this is a remake of A Christmas Carol. PLEASE stop beating me over the head with it. If the line doesn't fit... don't use it. No matter how clever you think you are being, it's just dumb. Case in point, after all is said and done Connor wakes up, pokes his head out the window to sees a young man shoveling the side walk and asks "Hey, you there, boy. What day is it? Is it Christmas? Have I missed it?" Did that make sense to you? Me neither.

Like I said, it was cute and likable, thanks to Jennifer Garner, but when is Matt really gonna grow up, and would we like him if he did?

There was abuse in my family, but it was mostly musical in nature.

2009-06-05T17:10:00.008-04:00

Just a little something about myself, for those who may not know. I was raised in a small town that thinks it is a big town pretending to be a small town. Growing up, my father was a professional musician and my mother was a housewife. Now that is not to say that my father was just a professional musician, it just sounds cooler than what he got paid the "big bucks" for (videographer for the Governor's Office).

Around this time of year I really start to miss my childhood. Now is the time in Frankfort that we let our crazies out of their pens and take them all downtown. Some call it Holmes Street Mardi Gras, some call it redneck round-up, officially it is called Capitol Expo. It is also the kick off to summer. Now I say all this to say that my father's band was kinda a staple at Expo every year. They were called the Bald Knob String Band, and they had a following! In this picture, my daddy is the fiddle player. They wrote and performed songs specifically about Franklin County and they were hysterical. As previously stated, Expo was the kick off. My summers were spent traveling to the far corners of the state of KY to various festivals and other redneck round ups to see my dad play. As you can tell, I'm pretty proud of my dad.

Now I was the oldest of three girls (altogether now, "Poor Daddy") so it was my job to be the unofficial roadie. This was a job that I could really get behind. I got to take the instruments from the van (mini-van, that is) and carry them BACKSTAGE. I know, right!?!?! How cool was I?!?!?
Have you ever seen the movie A Mighty Wind? Yeah well, I knew those people. They were all backstage at my da's concerts.

Sadly, my dad doesn't play much anymore. I really miss that life. Now had I been even the least bit intelligent I would have learned to play an instrument that paid, and it wouldn't have had to end. But, that is a tale for another time. Some kids miss the summer camps, some kids miss the summer vacations.... I miss my job as a roadie with a string band. Draw your own conclusions.

Today is a good day to die....

2009-06-04T16:16:00.002-04:00

This will be my first attempt at blogging. I never really thought that I had much to say in the way of importance, but my husband thinks that I might enjoy sharing my feelings. (I think it is because he doesn't want to be the only one in the family with a blog) So, in light of today's Hollywood tragedy, I thought (probably like David) "Today is just as good a day as any I suppose!"

Now don't get me wrong, I like David. It is very sad when someone decides to take his own life. That being said he was 72 years old, found hanging naked in a Bangkok hotel closet. He kinda died the way he lived his life, definitely on his own terms. However, one can't help but wonder....72 years old, DUDE YOU WERE ALMOST THERE ALREADY!!! You were Caine for crying out loud....aren't you supposed to be zen or something? Aren't you supposed to understand more about life than the average guy? But then again...maybe he was the one who wanted to kill Bill.

Those are just my thoughts, I never said I was kind.