Recent Reads: Twenties Girl and Beastly

Sophie Kinsella is the writer of the popular book Confessions of a Shopaholic, another book I really loved. Twenties Girl follows Lara as she is haunted by her great aunt Sadie who convinces her to find a necklace of high personal value.  In the process, Lara discovers much more about her deceased relative and about herself than she originally bargained for.

In Twenties Girl, Kinsella uses the same tone of a twenty-something woman that I really identified with in Shopaholic.  It made the book real and personable for me.  I'm pretty sure I'm the target demographic, so maybe it won't work as well for others.

It was a really good read - some fluff that I knocked out in a weekend.  I wasn't expecting the warm fuzzies after finishing it.  All the twenties gadgets and products used by women of the era to accomplish the unique style were quite intriguing.  Once Lara got over her complaining, her drive was quite admirable.

I would recommend this book to any woman who likes contemporary adult fiction. Try reading it while indulging in a bubble bath!

Beastly by Alex Flinn is a modern retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast tale, set in New York City and told from the Beast's perspective.  This young adult novel is another fast and easy read.

The plot is a given, so the book shows the Beast's metamorphosis as he deals with his infliction.  The Beast acquires the library that impresses the girl during his grieving process.  He spends hours a day reading in or watching passersby from the top floor of an isolated abode. Some of the titles that are mentioned feel more like name dropping than actual allusions - The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Jane Eyre, The Count of Monte Cristo, etcetera, ad nauseum.  Roses become an obsession for the Beast to the point that he builds his own greenhouse so that he can have fresh flowers even in the winter.  Overall, a good read, but it immediately went into my "to donate" pile.

This retelling is being picked up for a film to release in March of next year.  It is set up for a new teen heart-throb to take center stage,  Alex Pettyfer.  In my opinion, Alex is much better looking and deserves the idealizing to come more than Robert Pattinson.  Mary-Kate Olsen stars as the witch, her first feature film since 2004.  Neil Patrick Harris also has a starring role as a blind live-in tutor.  The movie is on my radar and while I don't think I'll be knocking down the doors of a theater with screaming pre-teens, I will probably sneak into a late show.

Sunday News Edition

I have a few pieces of news, none of which merit their own blog post.  So here's the digest version of everything.

• I just passed 200 miles run in 2010!  The goal for the year is 500, so I'm behind.  But for taking a six week break, I think I'm still in an okay position.  It'll take me about 15 miles per week for the rest of the year to meet the goal, which is still very doable.  It's even more doable when you factor in my training plan for the 2010 Rock'N'Roll San Antonio Half Marathon.  The 15-week plan ranges between 16 and 28 mile weeks.

• First week of the 2010 RnRSA plan I believe I must call a success. I ran most of the plan, even after the hiatus. Only running 12 miles of the 16 makes me feel a bit disappointed, but it's the most miles per week I've completed since April.  Coming out the other end with no injuries has to be counted as an accomplishment. Here's to next week!  May it be filled with 17 miles including a quality speed interval day.

• My eyes are paid off! My expensive self-splurge this year was on LASIK surgery, which has been pretty awesome.  Sometimes when my eyes are dry, I can't help the feeling of wanting to take out my contacts.  However, I have gotten over the habit of groping my bedside table for my glasses in the morning.  I think I'll appreciate this more in the years to come.  But for now, I will appreciate that I have no bills for it!  So I've taken care of 80% of my pay-down-debt goal with only 60% of the year gone by. 

• I'm behind in my movie watching.  Here's the rundown of ones I've seen recently. Loved the A-Team.  In my opinion, a better series remake than Get Smart or StarTrek. Karate Kid was okay, but my favorite part was the credits for the photography and the Justin Bieber/Jaden Smith song.  Inception was freaking awesome, as everyone should know by now.  The Sorcerer's Apprentice was cute, but not as good as I was hoping.  Despicable Me was very funny, but the trailers were misleading. The dude laughed a lot more than I did.

• I had to abandon the re-read of a book I loved in high school: The Spellsong Sorceress by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.  Twenty pages in and it had all of the writing sins now shunned in recently published books.  The ones that irked me the most were his paragraphs of laundry-list descriptions and flip-flopping verb tenses.  Pairing that with the high fantasy genre, it just felt snooty.  Alas, there goes a fond memory of a childhood read.

• Douglas Adams' sequel to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, was another excellent book.  This particular book had more commentary than narrative, and the time-travel aspect got a bit confusing, but I still very much enjoyed it. His writing style is fantastic, putting character-driven narrative next to laugh-out-loud, snarky, satirical social commentary.  I don't know of any other writer who has achieved both or done it with such a light heart.  My favorite part is the mathematical proof of why there the universe has a population of zero.  Oh, "and that any people you may meet from time to time are merely the products of a deranged imagination."

I think it's been a good week, though not very productive.

April Movie Mash-Up

Because I'm behind and feeling lazy today, I'm doing a combo review of three movies I've seen recently.  None of which really merit their own review anyway.

Kick Ass wasn't what I was hoping for.  I hope it was a comedic slant on the superhero theme, but it ended up being perhaps a kid's version of The Watchmen.  It was much more violent than I thought it was going to be, the majority of the violence coming from the little girl.  The story of the average guy and the one with Big Daddy/Hit Girl didn't really meld too well.  Not great.  Oh, and don't take your kids to see this one.

The Backup Plan was probably one of the worst chick flicks I've seen in a really long time.  Okay, maybe not worst, but least likely to actually happen.  I believed Jennifer Lopez's character and her back story, but I came out of the theater almost pissed off at how unrealistic the dude was.  He pursues her more ardently than any guy I've ever met, almost to the point of being a stalker.  When he finds out she's pregnant, he doesn't bail like a normal guy would, which perhaps is modern day heroism, but it's also highly unlikely. 

The Losers was probably the best of the bunch.  It was kind of a relief to see new faces in a movie, aside from Zoe Saldana (StarTrek, Avatar).    I liked that they brought back the comic book graphics element to the titles and in little pieces throughout the film.  I also liked Chris Evans and Oscar Jaenada. They had a Jay and Silent Bob feel to their characters. For a guy movie, it was okay.


 I'm ready for the good summer movies to come out now.

Date Night

The Fosters are a normal American married couple.  Their kids wreak havoc every morning as the family gets ready to go to school and unsatisfying jobs.  Phil and Claire try to keep the romance alive by a ritual date night, but it just adds to the monotonous day-in-day-out routines they follow.  Then, one date night Phil makes an attempt to change a routine by taking Claire to a new restaurant.  They take the reservation of a no-show and end up in a whirlwind set of events that makes a date night they will never forget.


Date Night is honestly one of the best adult movies I have seen in a really long time.  I don't even know what to compare it to because it is so unlike any movie I've seen.  I really hope that it earns some Best Comedy of the Year awards, but it has earned them.

Tina Fey and Steve Carell are at their best.  They have great chemistry together and fantastic delivery.  If you go see the movie, make sure to stay all the way through the credits to watch some hilarious outtakes.  They use adult humor, mainly lots of sexual references, but in an adult manner.  Not the kind of adult humor portrayed in a childish way like some of Will Ferrell's movies (Old School comes to mind). William Fitchtner, Ray Liotta, James Franco and Mila Kunis round out the rest of the cast.  And of course, Mark Wahlberg's muscles had several cameos. 

Forgive me a brief rant.  I'm getting really tired of "stupid" humor movies. Just like the "rugged" look encourages average guys to sport the "mountain man" look, "stupid" humor encourages the twenty- and thirty-something men to have absolutely idiotic jokes.  You will now be returned to your regularly scheduled blog.

I loved that this movie addressed an issue that is common for couples in long term relationships.  Getting into a routine is an inevitable step for adult couples.  But then the routine becomes the defining part of daily life.  Breaking out of it becomes very difficult, especially as the routine starts to span years.  The movie shows a unique adventure that most couples probably won't ever experience, but the point is the same.  Sometimes all it takes to change a routine is getting a little more dressed up than usual, trying a different restaurant.  Just taking a chance.

It's a great movie, an excellent date movie, and one that will be going on my shelf as soon as it's available.

Clash of the Titans

I grew up with the original Clash of the Titans.  This, along with the Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, were the awesomely bad clay-mation fantasy flicks that we watched over and over during my formative years.   From the first time I saw the trailer for the remake, I knew what it was before they even showed the title.  I wanted to see it even then.  Throw in the hunky Sam Worthington, and I am definitely down.  (On a side note, I first saw Sam in a great film called Bootmen. Anyone else seen that?)

Overall, the story follows the general gist of what I remember from the original.  But where they definitely veered from the original was making is a man versus gods battle and I think the story is poorer for it.  In the Greek stories, rebelling against the gods was just not done.  In what I know of the mythology, there is no question that the gods exist, that they play a role in human lives, and that some lucky few are favored.  Disbelief in deity or refusal of deity is something that is prevalent in today's society.  I understand why they changed that part of the story to make it easier for current audiences to relate to the story, but I don't agree with it.

Other details that bothered me: that Cassiopeia says Andromeda is more beautiful than the gods, but Io is more beautiful than Andromeda by far; Cassiopeia was supposed to offer up Andromeda for sacrifice without issue, because Cassiopeia is vain beyond belief; Perseus' patronage by Zeus and Io, when I thought he was supposed to be sponsored by Athena. 

It was awesome that they gave a nod to the original by pulling out a little clockwork owl out of a trunk of weapons.  I kept hoping to see it somewhere in the rest of the film, but it didn't make a reprise.  Pegasus was an amazing animal, even without the CG wings.  He was perfect.  Ralph Fiennes did an awesome job as Hades.  He is such a good bad guy for such a good looking man.

I also want to personally thank Lindy Hemming for her costume design. I absolutely love that period Greek costumes mean short skirts for men.  It provided such great eye candy throughout the movie.  Gemma Arterton as Io was also exquisitely dressed.

This was a well done epic movie, though not quite on par with Troy or Avatar.  I still plan to add it to my collection, on the shelf right next to the original.

Battlestar Galactica

The Twelve Colonies have been destroyed by Cylons- man made machines.  The only humans who survived were the ones in transit between the colonies and not on one of the planets.  Yet Cylons have a trick up their sleeve - they now look human instead of like machined robots.  Now the fifty thousand survivors have to find a way to escape extinction in the middle of deep space.

Apologies to anyone reading this that is planning to watch it - there will be spoilers.

I don't watch a whole lot of TV.  I only saw Battlestar Galactica after each season was available on DVD.  I finally finished watching the last season.  The fourth season definitely wasn't the best.  I think my favorite was the first one.  I had looked forward to seeing the last season for so long, I think that may have increased my disappointment a bit.

I loved all the allusions to the zodiac and Greek myths.  It would have been cool to have more of the Greek stories intertwined with some of the back story or world building.  But what they did have did allow me to geek out a bit.

I didn't like Gaius Baltar.  I didn't like his character at all, but I think that was the intention of the writers. I really didn't believe him as a religious leader.  I only barely believed him as a political leader, but it was less of a stretch.  Gaius' storyline just went off the deep end in seasons three and four. 

My favorite character of the bunch is Kara Thrace.  It's disappointing that Katee Sackhoff hasn't been in much else.  I really like her. I loved the turmoil she struggles through.  She handles some things well and others poorly.  Some days she loves her job, other days she just gets by.  I also love her physique - both beautiful and powerful.  She's kind of my inspiration for the physique I want.

The last few episodes were very odd.  I finally felt the complaints that many people had about Lord of the Rings Return of the King. that there were too  many endings.  I didn't feel that way about LOTR, but all the unnecessary flashbacks were grueling.  And then it kept going.  The way all the lines were settled felt sloppy and rushed.  I feel for the writers since they probably had to tie everything up faster than they were expecting to.  It was like the writing/producing/directing team knew did a poor job of bridging the gap between where they were and where the ending was. 

So the ending was just plain weird.  I got really wrapped up in the first couple of seasons.  I absolutely recommend those,  but I think the show is better without the fourth season.  More complete, even.  I admit it's a really nerdy show, but the way it combined military, mythology, and science fiction was really well done.  

At this point, I have no plans to watch Caprica, the prequel spinoff on the SciFi channel.

The Gerard Butler Double Feature Weekend

This weekend was incredibly busy, going to and fro to different family events to entertain my visiting sister.  Gerard Butler is one of our favorite actors so it was a no-brainer that these movies were on our radar. We made it to two movies, both with Gerard Butler as one of the key cast members: Bounty Hunter at Alamo Drafthouse was our "twin date," and How to Train Your Dragon was something we watched with our mom.

Bounty Hunter follows a reporter chasing a story who fails to appear at her court date.  Her ex-husband, a bounty hunter, takes the job of bringing her back to jail for skipping bail. 

I was hoping that this movie would be the next Mr. and Mrs. Smith - no pun or social commentary intended.  It wasn't.  I think it could have been with more work on the script or better storyboards or photography.  It ended up just being a cute movie instead of a great movie.  I had a blast watching this with my sister, but overall it's forgettable.  However I highly recommend Breckenridge's Agave Wheat seasonal- a very refreshing hefeweisen.

Again, I was put off by Gerard Butler's "I haven't shaved in two weeks" look.  Perhaps that was applicable to this particular character, but to me it just looks messy and lazy.  It still does the trick for my sister, so there's still at least some demand for it somewhere.

How to Train Your Dragon follows Hiccup, a teenage viking that is the laughingstock of his town because he is too puny to fight dragons, the town's main occupation.  He uses his ingenuity with mechanics to catch the dreaded nightfury and prove himself to the clan in a way he never intended.

Dreamworks did a great job with this movie.  Everything came together well: characters were unique individuals, the animation really established the culture and environment, and the story was really moving.  (No, I didn't cry.)  I'm definitely going to buy this when it comes out.

The cast on this were all relatively up-and-coming younger actors as the viking teenagers- America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, and Jay Baruchel. I'm really looking forward to seeing what they will do next.  Gerard Butler does a great job as the town chief and Hiccup's father.

We saw this movie at Santikos Silverado.  I was reminded again why I prefer the Drafthouse, even besides the food and beverage service.  Perhaps the mistake was ours by seeing a PG movie on a Sunday afternoon.  There were kids screaming in the theater every thirty minutes or so.  It completely ruined a poignant scene.  The 18-and-up-all-shows rule at Drafthouse has sheltered me for a long while.

If you're going to see a Gerard Butler move, go see How to Train Your Dragon, or rent Timeline or 300. I imagine Bounty Hunter will go down on the list of movies that no one will remember.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

I don't remember how I came across Stardust, but I know I was attracted first to the movie, then to the book.  I am notorious for picking up random "B" movies from the local movie rental establishment, especially bad sci-fi/fantasy.  I don't even remember this movie coming out in theaters in 2007.  Either way, it was a random pick off the wall for a movie rental sometime last year.  I immediately loved it.

In the tranquil fields and meadows of long-ago England, there is a small hamlet that has stood on a jut of granite for 600 years. Just to the east stands a high stone wall, for which the village is named. Here, in the hamlet of Wall, young Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Forester. And here, one crisp October eve, Tristran makes his love a promise -- an impetuous vow that will send him through the only breach in the wall, across the pasture... and into the most exhilarating adventure of his life.  - from neilgaiman.com.

The movie was great. Great story with adventure, excitement, and a melt-your-heart love story.  Great cast including Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, I adore Claire Danes, and I think that's what attracted me to this movie first. (I absolutely adored Stage Beauty.) The male lead Charlie Cox also did a great job.  As soon as I saw the DVD in the previewed pile for less than ten bucks (my requirements for adding movies to my already ridiculous collection), it was mine.

After that, I discovered Neil Gaiman as an author.  I read Neverwhere last fall, which I picked up because the cover cited Stardust.  It is only now that I managed to finish Stardust the novel, and it is even better than the movie. 


The ending is different than that of the movie, which I understand why the movie people changed it for a more dramatic culminating point.  I loved the sword fight scene at the end of the movie, but the real ending has so much more finesse.  It's so subtle, you don't even see it coming, but it doesn't hit you like a slap in the face, more like a brand-new pillow cased in Egyptian cotton.  It lets you know that all is right with the world, there are unseen forces pulling strings behind the scenes, but the good guys get rewarded in the end.

His style is different than what I remembered about Neverwhere.  In this book, his voice is fairly whimsical, mainly accomplished through asides about miscellaneous creatures in the land of Faerie.  He uses third omniscient to jump between characters, and it is amazing how much you can tell about a person without having to know their thoughts.  As a novice writer, after reading this I realize much I rely on being able to know the character's thoughts in order to advance a story.

I highly recommend the movie, but even more so the book.  Your life will be enriched by it.

She’s Out of My League

I really had no previous intention of seeing She's Out of My League.  I went to this movie as a way to get out of my house this past weekend.  It was the only thing showing at that particular time.  It wasn’t as much of a waste of time as I thought it would be.

Kirk meets a beautiful woman scored by his friends as a ten whereas his score is a five.  As they start dating, the difference in their scores is clearly evident.  As their relationship turns more serious, they either have to go their separate ways or find a way to bridge the gap.

Again, I went to the Drafthouse to watch this since it was around dinner time when I went to see it.  I must sound like a broken record.  But it’s my favorite!  I had my usual pizza/salad combo with Woodchuck Amber cider to wash it down.

This movie started off being a guy’s movie but ended more like a chick-flick.  This would probably make a really good compromise on date night if you’re looking to go see something with your significant other.

Kirk had really good bromance chemistry with both his friend Stainer and his brother.  I assume that is how guys really do interact together.  But I’m a girl, so I’ll never really know, and I’m okay with that. The lead actress was okay; her character was a bit too perfect for me to care much about her.  I really liked her friend Patty though. 

On the radio earlier in the week my morning show was talking about more “average” guys being shown on screen: more Topher Grace, Seth Rogen and John C. Reilly than Taylor Lautner, Jake Gyllenhal, and Brad Pitt.  (I also like the trend of distinguished older gents like Liam Neeson, Dennis Quaid, and Chris Cooper.)  This movie was full of average guys, and they did really well. 

On the other hand, all the women in the movie were definitely in the above-average category.  They were all on the top end of the attractiveness spectrum.  I think movies have gone a long way in casting more average people, but it’s still far behind with females.  Hopefully movies like Precious will help move in that direction. 

In case you think I see a lot of movies already, there are a ton of upcoming ones that are already on my radar.  And these are the ones just through this summer!  

The A Team

The Back-Up Plan

Bounty Hunter

Clash of the Titans

Date Night

Despicable Me

How to Train Your Dragon

Karate Kid

Kick Ass

The Last Airbender

Letters to Juliet

Prince of Persia

Shrek Forever After

Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Toy Story 3

Mad Tea Party

So this weekend I got to go to Alamo Drafthouse's Mad Tea Party!  This was one of their special events complete with a special three-course menu.  

The party included a showing of Alice In Wonderland.  Both of the Drafthouse venues in town had this special, but I opted for the non-3D version of the film. I'm not a huge fan of watching films in 3D.  I have enough problems with astigmatism without movies playing with my depth perception.

I love the pre-show entertainment that  Drafthouse has. Did you know that Disney's Alice in Wonderland was its third feature length film?  And how could the introduction to this movie be complete without a clip from Edward Scissorhands? They got in a tribute to Tim Burton with Nightmare Before Christmas.  I was most surprised by the inclusion of some clips from an old TV version of Alice in Wonderland.  We had this on VHS recorded from when it originally aired when I was growing up.  The recollection of Through the Looking Glass is solely from that version.  I would love to watch it again, but haven't been able to find it anywhere.

First course was a Shrimp Ceviche in cucmber cups with champagne.  This was my favorite course.  They were the perfect little bite-size noshes.  The cucumber cups were star-shaped.  I wished the theater had more light in it so I could tell how they cut the cucumber into that shape.  But alas, it shall remain a mystery.  The ceviche had a good spice in it; it tasted like sour cream, cayenne, and paprika.  I am definitely a champagne fan.  I didn't used to be, but now I like having champagne to celebrate the everyday.  The Wycliff was a brut, which I prefer.  It had only a little bit of sweetness, with a bit of an apple taste.  I doubled up and got a small bottle of Korbel Brut to sip through the rest of the film.

The second course was a Eggs Benedict with honey-cured ham on sourdough with Kendall Jackson Chardonnay.  The poached eggs were good, and the ham was tasty, but my sourdough was all sorts of soggy.  I absolutely despise soggy bread.  It's one of the few textures I can't deal with.  The green onion butter that came on top was okay, but not fantastic.  I was impressed by the KJ Chardonnay.  I normally veer away from both "brand name" wines and chardonnay.  I don't particularly like sweet wines, and most of the chardonnays I've had are too sweet for me.  This one had more of a citrus flavor and paired nicely with what I ate of the Eggs Benedict.

The third course was an apple tea cake with Earl Grey tea.   I love hot tea.  I've mostly had green tea lately, so it was nice to have a black tea for a change.  The Earl Grey was nice, though I normally like it stronger.  I probably have let it steep for longer.  You needed the tea to eat the tea cake.  It was muffin-shaped, but a bit on the dry side.  It was like an under-sweetened individual-sized apple coffee cake.  Okay, but not great.

The movie however was a great remake of the classic tale that most people know but hardly ever have read.  My version of Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland had oodles of footnotes.  The book shows why using contemporary slang and obscure politics are not a good idea.  It sounds like nonsense now, but every one of the nonsense words had solid definition.  I liked how they kept some of the great details from the book though: for example, the chess board, the pots flying around in the kitchen, and the queen screaming for her tarts. hey gave the story more a direct conflict - the White Queen versus the Red Queen.  It made it a bit more accessible to modern audiences.

The cast was perfect.  Johnny Depp, of course, who really excels at the oddball characters.  I liked his "mad" spells a whole lot.  His elocution of the Jabberwocky soliloquy was perfect.  Again, loved Anne Hathaway.  The White Queen's floaty-arm movements cracked me up.  I recognized Alan Rickman's voice as the caterpillar immediately.  Mia Wasikowska was lovely as Alice.  She looks so much like a young Gweneth Paltrow, another of my fave actresses.

Wonderland is obviously one of those places where you have to have a vast variety of colors.  So many movies use the absence of color as a statement, but here I think the intense and varied presence of color was an equally powerful thing.  It's used more often in fantastical movies, like in Peter Pan, but why isn't it used in more modern settings?  As I look around my desk right now I am see (my lack of a cohesive interior decorating scheme and ) lots of varied hues and shades of color. 

Just a random thought to leave you "curiouser and curiouser."

Remember Me

Remember Me is the story of 21-year-old Tyler Hawkins who is approaching the same age at which his older brother killed himself.  His roommate Aidan convinces him to date Ally Craig, the daughter of a police officer who arrested Tyler and Aidan during a night out.  Earlier traumas to the Hawkins and Craig families still test their relationships years later. As love develops between Tyler and Ally, there is a hope for healing that may finally put their families back together.

The choice for this movie was based on the requirement that I go to a socially accepted venue where I could sit alone in the dark, drink, and cry.   So I saw Remember Me at the Alamo Drafthouse. I'm not a Robert Pattinson fan.  He looks like a drug addict. It was the only chick flick playing at the theater. Most of the theater was filled with groups of three or four girls and a sprinkling of couples.  After the movie I saw a few girls who looked like they barely surpassed the PG-13 distinction.


I got pizza and beer.  I really wanted a margarita, but it feels wrong to order one at a beer-based place.  I got Smithwick's Irish Ale, a dark beer with a reddish hue, with a roasted flavor.  I haven't had it in a really long time, and the heartiness of it was perfect for the purpose.


My bet is that this movie wins awards. The writing of this movie was fantastic.  There were some really great lines that I wish I remembered better to quote them.  The ensemble was also really good, particularly: Aidan, the roommate (Tate Ellington); Caroline, the little sister(Ruby Jerins), Tyler's father (Pierce Brosnan), and Ally's father (Chris Cooper).

As much as I hate to admit it, Pattinson does a fantastic job.  They were clearly playing off his popularity in casting him in this movie, confirmed by the cheers in the theater when the Eclipse trailer came on. He's probably in 90% of this film.  They costumed him as a grungy, smoking, college-aged guy, complete with the "I haven't shaved in a week" stubble.  (I'm getting really tired of that trend, by the way. Well, really average guys using it as an excuse to not shave ever.) They didn't try to make him look attractive in this movie. But he photographs really well- his features make it easy to play with lighting.

My bet is that there are nominations for Best Supporting Actor/Actress and Writing.  It's too early in the year to tell if there will be nominations for Best Actor, Best Director, or Best Film.

Valentine's Day

So for date night, the BF wanted to surprise me by taking me to see Percy Jackson and the Olympians.  He was super sweet in keeping it a secret until I had to break it to him that I'd already seen it.  So the only other one showing that I wanted to see was Valentine's Day.  I don't like dragging him to the chick flicks, but it was the only thing at the Drafthouse Park North that we haven't seen.

Valentine's Day shows a series of couples on Valentine's day and how they all react and deal with the day.  Some hate it, some thrive on it, but it's meaningful to everyone.  It was reminiscent of Love Actually where there are ties between story lines.

This movie had  more big names in it than any I've seen recently.  I adore Anne Hathaway, and loved her character.  I'm normally not a fan of Ashton Kutcher, but when he's actually acting, he's decent.  I just wish he did that more often.   The story line for Julia Roberts' character was my favorite and made me tear up at the end.   The Taylor Lautner/Taylor Swift line was irritating.  Hector Elizondo and Shirley MacLaine were very cute. I was impressed by Emma Roberts and will be looking to see her in upcoming movies.

The movie was cute, but forgettable. It wasn't overly mushy, but wasn't compelling in any way either. I think it was an attempt to make an impact like Love Actually did, but just didn't get there.  I'm sorry the BF had to be dragged through it.

From Paris With Love

James Reece is an assistant to the US Ambassador in France, but moonlights as a low-level CIA operative.  Reece dreams of a chance to prove himself capable of being a real agent.  His opportunity to get out of the switching license plates when he is assigned as Charlie Wax's partner.  Wax's methods don't follow the rules to the letter, but as they uncover a terrorist attack on the city, Reece gets the chance of a lifetime. 

I was quite impressed with From Paris With Love.  This was definitely one for the Travolta fans. The writers managed to get in a quote from Pulp Fiction!

John Travolta keeps getting better with age.  He does an excellent job being the bad-ass.  At the Alamo Drafthouse, the previews for this movie were all trailers for old Travolta movies.  Did you know he was in Carrie?

Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is very easy on the eyes.  Is it sad that I loved Bend It Like Beckham?  This is the first time I've seen him in an action movie since I didn't see Mission Impossible III, but I am quite impressed.  I might even watch Mission Impossible III to see how he does there.

The story was good, and reeled me in from the beginning.  My only complaint was that they moved so quickly in following the leads that traced back to the terrorists that I lost how they were all connected.    I really didn't expect the twist and gasped audibly, but the BF said he knew it all along.  He always says that.

The humor was great. I really enjoyed the running gag at the beginning of the film which got me shushed when I laughed at the wrong places. (If you go to see it, watch for the vase.)

The action was good. There's a good amount of explosions for people who like that kind of thing (read: boys).  The chase scene on the rooftops was very different from rooftop scenes I've seen before.   It wasn't too violent except for the two closeups of close range gunshots to the head. 

I enjoyed it, and this will probably be added to the BF's selection of movies.

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Percy Jackson discovers he's the offspring of Poseidon.  The immortals gods believe Percy has stolen Zeus' thunderbolt.  Percy and his friends must find the real thief before war breaks out between the gods.

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief has been on my "want to see" list for a while.  I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to convince the BF to see it with me.  Then my silly friends ended up going to see it on a Tuesday!  So I had to go see it by myself on my unusually free Wednesday afternoon.  I was the only person in the theater. Literally.  But it was nice to have the time alone.

I read a byline review somewhere that this is "a story that Harry Potter fans will love." It does follow a very similar formula: boy finds out his unique heritage; boy goes to school to train his new talents; and boy breaks the rules to solve a mystery and save the world.   I really appreciated the use of the existing myths to build the story.  It makes me want to go reread the myths.

It was a good movie and only little things irked me.  I didn't really believe Annabeth's change from super-bitch to friend/sidekick.  I just didn't like her, which is unfortunate because I could really dig a character like that.  I was bothered when Athena was shown at Zeus' right side in Olympus.  As jealous and possessive as Hera was, she wouldn't have given up that position.  Really petty things that are probably addressed in the real story.

I liked Chiron, but it was more from recognizing the mythological character I studied in depth when read John Updike's The Centaur in high school.  Chiron is the story behind the constellation and my zodiac sign Sagittarius, so I'm a little biased. I'm interested to see if they pull more of Chiron's stories into the rest of the Percy Jackson series. 

I haven't read any of the books, but I was very tempted when I passed by the display at Barnes & Noble recently. I really enjoyed the Greek myths when I was in school.  I think I would probably really enjoy the series, so they may be going into my To Be Read pile. 

500 Days of Summer

I wanted to see 500 Days of Summer after seeing it in the previews on a handful of other movies I've rented recently. I picked it up from  the bargain bin of my local Hollywood Video that is closing, and I'm glad to add it to my collection.

Anything with Zooey Deschanel in it is automatically on my "must watch" list.   I don't think I've seen anything with Joseph Gordon-Levitt in it since 10 Things I Hate About You.  Quick IMDB search shows that he was the main voice in Treasure Planet.  (Note to self: watch that again...)

I watched this at the gym on the treadmill to try to trick my brain to keep running until the movie was over, hoping to get in 6 to 8 miles for my long run this past weekend.  My brain successfully fooled, I got in 7.5 miles while this was running.  I know I was smiling through most of the film.  The others in the gym must have thought I was nuts.

This movie is best summed up by the narrator:

"This is a story of boy meets girl. The boy, Tom Hansen of Margate, New Jersey, grew up believing that he'd never truly be happy until the day he met the one. This belief stemmed from early exposure to sad British pop music and a total mis-reading of the movie 'The Graduate'. The girl, Summer Finn of Shinnecock, Michigan, did not share this belief. Since the disintegration of her parent's marriage she'd only love two things. The first was her long dark hair. The second was how easily she could cut it off and not feel a thing. .... This is a story of boy meets girl, but you should know upfront, this is not a love story."

Usually when the narrator says that, I don't really believe them.  Somehow everything turns out lovely and heart-melting in the end.  They're telling the truth on this one.  It's not a love story.  But I loved it.

The progression of the relationship is shown out of sequence, so it is hard to tell when the little signs of the relationship not working really begin.  It was really creative and a unique spin on this type of film.  I kind of wish I could see an chronological version, if only to try to see if I could tell an individual moment when it stopped working. 

I enjoyed the soundtrack, though I am not very versed in British Invasion lore.  Oddly enough, the Smiths "There is a Light That Never Goes Out" from the preview came on while writing this post. There's a random dance break that I think is related to the British pop influence, but don't know for sure.  That was my laugh out loud moment.  Zooey Deschanel sings again in this movie.  I usually don't like sopranos, but I really like her voice.  Something about it is not quite professional, still a little scratchy.  I can't quite put my finger on it, but again, can't get enough of it.

This is definitely going to become a favorite in my arsenal of random movies to watch while cooking. I will steal one of the parting lines of the narrator, one that feels like a lot of the days lived recently.   "Most days of the year are unremarkable. They begin and they end with no lasting memory made in between. Most days have no impact on the course of a life."

You may now continue with your daily grind.

The Wolfman

Lawrence Talbot returns to his ancestral home to discover the cause of his brother's death.   His brother was only one of many in a string of very gruesome deaths. During his investigation, he uncovers strange truths that bring his search too close to home.

I hadn't seen any of the previews for Wolfman before I went.  Maybe that was for the best because even without it, the story was predictable and slow.  I did appreciate a few aspects of the film.

• Anthony Hopkins does a fantastic job, as usual, playing the reclusive and impulsive father.  I like Emily Blunt more every time see her. 
• It was refreshing not to see another modern day werewolf story.  I'm a bit over it already.   I don't know why I like Victorian England.  Most of the passions that drive me or that have helped make me into what I am right now would not jive in that environment.
• I liked that they took the classic spin on the wolfman by making him just a really hairy man with fangs rather than something that looks more like the upright Egyptian jackal representations.

Other than that, it's a ho-hum movie.  If you want to know, I'll tell you the ending so that you can save your economic stimulating funds for something else.

V-Day 2010

Happy Valentine's Day to you!   

I celebrated my third Valentine's Day with the BF yesterday.  We do a low-key date at home, so that we don't have to mess with the hassle and expense of going out to eat.  We had another Mollydooker wine, this time Two Left Feet. It was a really nice wine and worth the extra penny we spent on it.  So far I'm a huge fan of their whole line.  We decided to do some recipes out of Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook, which BF got for Christmas.

First was some Blue and Yellow Cornbread Muffins.  My iPhone really doesn't do the color justice.  They looked really good, but ended up tasting kinda dry.  Maybe that's the last time the BF gets put in charge of baking.  We must have done something wrong though, because we couldn't get enough of them when we ate at Mesa Grill Las Vegas.  They're a must if you ever go there.

BF was also in charge of grilling the steaks: Black Pepper Crusted Filet Mignon with Ancho Red Pepper Sauce and Goat Cheese.  We really lucked out at Central Market because the filet mignons were on sale.  And they looked excellent, even raw!  I was in charge of the sauce, which also turned out excellent.  It had a really complex flavor, though perhaps a little too heavy on the tomato.  The goat cheese went on top and then got all gooey and delicious under the broiler.  Overall, it was a really good meal.  Even though mine was a little overdone, the meat was still tender and delicious.  It gave me an excuse to have a bit extra of the sauce, so all was well. 

For dessert, BF insisted on cheesecake, where I insisted on dip-your-own strawberries.  So we both got our way.  I got my strawberries and BF stole some of the dipping chocolate to top his cheesecake.  I must admit, I demolished the whole plate.  The strawberries were really juicy, much better than I would have thought possible for off-season strawberries.

For our date night entertainment, we watched the recorded season finale of Worst Cooks in America, one of my new favorite shows.  Most of the people just want to learn how to cook just so they can better provide for their families.  It is such a humble desire, but so heartening to see how passionate they are about being able to give something back to the people they care about. 

After that, we watched Couple's Retreat.  I have liked Vince Vaughn since I saw him in A Cool Dry Place, though I try to ignore the fact that he was in Old School and Dodgeball   It was awesome to see Jean Reno as the guru-guy considering his previous roles like in Ronin and The Da Vinci Code.  It wasn't the same humor as Old School, thank the movie-making-powers-that-be.  It was very adult humor, with really great writing, and some overall great insights about couples.  The movie was way better than what I was expecting it to be. 

It was a very nice, very low-key Valentines Day for us.  Very similar to our normal days, but just done up a notch.  

Oh, and if anyone still wants to see Valentine's Day, let me know.

He's Just Not That Into You

This book has been recommended to me by both my sisters.   Sometimes my sisters are much smarter than me.  But since I've seen the Sex and the City episode that was the launchpad for the concept, as well as watched the movie that came out last year, I thought I knew what it was talking about.  Because my smarter sister told me to, I read the book. 

This was the first book I read on my nook.  It worked really well in the gym.  I read most of it while completing my long run this morning.  Not having to hold the pages down while running was nice.  Being able to increase the text size was very cool.  Usually I had to pick which book had the bigger font and most space between lines of text.  Loving it.

The major topics from the book were shown really well in the film adaptation: guys who don't make the first move, guys who don't call, guys who don't want to jump you, guys who cheat, etc.  The film writers did a good job showing how those scenarios would look in real life. Ginnifer Goodwin is just so darn cute.  She and Justin Long did a great job with their roles.

But you were really hoping for insight on how the magical understanding gained from this book helped me to quit settling for guys who weren't good enough for me. 

If I had read this book in 2004 when it came out, I think it would have changed a lot of the really stupid things I did as a single lady then through 2008.  I threw myself at a lot of guys who just weren't into me and I took it really hard every time.  At the time, I probably could have benefited from the information, but I don't know if I could have really used it effectively.  I heard the immortal phrases, "Wow you're really awesome. Why are you still single?"  and "That guy isn't good enough for you," and their variations way too much for comfort.  I was also very confused as to what kind of guy would actually be good enough for me.  "Good enough" was one of my hated phrases at the time.

Now though, I'm in a different place.  It's too personal to relate to in this forum, but some of the topics hit too close to home.  And that kind of sucks, because I have the same wants and fears as the book's target demographic.  Who am I kidding... I AM the target demographic.

Overall, the book was well done.  They did a good job targeting the feel and pace of the book to Sex and the City viewers.  It had the same quirky story examples, humor to soften emotional subjects, and a healthy dose of sex. 

I really hope I'm the exception and not the rule....

Day of FAIL, Night of WIN!

In case you didn't already know, my life is very glamorous.  Here's the play by play on a semi-typical night.

 
7pm - Day of FAIL! Plans in place to transform into Night of WIN!  Champagne chilling (Editor's note: Martini & Rossi Asti, my current fave).  Cleaning counterspace for making doughnuts.

730pm - Started doughnuts and drinking champagne.  My Life in Ruins is on, and laughter should be coming shortly.

758pm - First laugh of the evening.  The creepy innkeeper hits on what's-her-face (Editor's note: Nia Vardalos) to try to convince her to sleep with him in order to pay for postage.

830pm - Realized I got Italian bread instead of pizza crust.  Oh well.  Mmm bread!  What's-her-face (Editor's note: Nia Vardalos)  looks pretty hot in this movie.

9pm - There is beauty in a good long marriage.  Beauty I would like to see first hand.

908pm- Movie ends.  But there's still wine, bread's coming out of the oven, and the doughnuts aren't even frosted yet!  Putting in Post Grad.

933pm - Doughnuts are done! Complete with Valentine's day Sprinkles! I laugh at the Nestle warning label: Do not consume raw cookie dough.

941pm - Damn... this dude is hot. (Editor's Note: Said dude is Zach Gilford.) Like Channing Tatum hot. The scale is going to hate me in the morning.  Michael Keaton is hilarious. Oh man -that's the guy from Love Actually. Hottie alert. (Editor's note: Said hottie is Rodrigo Santoro.) Tonight has been awesome. Making doughnuts was really found.
950 pm- Maybe this movie is funnier than I thought.
10:02 -  Now out of champagne.  Yeah, definitely funnier than expected.  They are burying a dead cat in a pizza box... to the tune of "Memory" ... from Cats.

10:09 Oh yeah, that feels good.  PJs are WAY past due.  So glad that this guy (Editor's Note: this guy = Love Actually hottie) ends up half naked in all the movies I've seen him in. Michael Keaton is HILARIOUS. First LOL tonight.

10:22 - Good anthem song (Editor's note: "One Day" by Jack Savoretti). Wow she (Editor's note: Alexis Bledel) has REALLY blue eyes. Like my sister's.

10:52 - Smiling like a moron. What a glorious feeling.  I miss it.


Well, there you have it folks.  Don't you wish you could be me?

When In Rome

In When In Rome, Beth is unlucky in love.  On a quick trip to Rome for her little sister's wedding, she steals coins from the local fountain of love.  Back in New York, her suitors aggressively pursue her, including Nick, the best man from her sister's wedding. By stealing the coins, she has taken the coin's owner's wish for love into her own hands and now has too much to handle!  Of the five very unique suitors, Beth finds herself starting to fall for Nick.  She discovers that one of the coins is a poker chip that matches Nick's set.  She resolves to return the coins to the men and rid herself of these men, including the one man that she may actually love more than her job.

This was a better movie than I was expecting it to be.  It was incredibly funny and, judging from the unanimous bursts of laughter, everyone in the theater enjoyed it.  Kristen Bell is a really good comedic actress.  I was worried going into it that it may be more of the disgusting shock-value humor of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but it had none of the same jokes.  I think it is in her facial expressions and sense of timing.  But those same facial expressions made you hurt for her later in the movie.  She did a great job.

The on-screen chemistry between her and Josh Duhamel worked really well.  The only disturbing thing was the serious gap in their heights.  Either she's freakishly short, or he's freakishly tall, because even with her in heels there was more than a foot difference.  

The supporting cast was really good as well:   Angelica Houston, Danny Devito, Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite), Will Arnett, to name a few.  I didn't particularly care for Dax Shepard's character.  Jon Heder did a fantastic job, as he always did.  Brittany and I had to do a fist-pound when he showed up on screen.  Danny Devito was super cute.

I was kind of annoyed that Angelica Houston's character was another overbearing "dragon lady" type of business woman.  I am beginning to become disgusted with that stereotype.

I really liked the song during the opening credits: "Kickin' With You" by Jason Mraz, who I think is a fantastic musician and lyricist.  The rest of the soundtrack is pretty good.  I've downloaded about half of it already.  "Ave Maria" was one that I skipped.  It is one of the cliche wedding songs that makes my eyes roll every time I hear it in a wedding scene.

Overall, a great girl's night movie, spent with some of my favorite girls. And one I'll probably add to my collection when it goes to DVD.