Humor me, please…

Anyone who has been around here for any length of time knows that I am a movie LOVER. I accentuate the word lover because somehow even all capped out like that, it doesn’t really convey just how involved in films i get. I don’t stalk celebrities or subscribe to their gossip so my obsession isn’t quite on that level. Actually, though I grew up in a movie obsessed family (and PROUD of it!), it was going to work writing in the entertainment industry back in ’03 that really made me take a deeper notice. Before that point in time I did get all star flustered and cry tragically when people like Tom and Nicole- these larger than life icons- got divorced. 
Along my film maturing journey thought, I had the privilege of meeting, interviewing and just chatting with  actors, producers and the like. My perspective of them obviously changed, as anyone’s would. It humanized them, and rightly so, as they are, well- human… 
Anyway, bottom line= I LOVE MOVIES! 
So, even though quite a few of my readers don’t give a hoot about film, (*gasp*, i can’t imagine!) I figured it was high time I do a post about them, and the one’s I’ve seen fairly recently and what I felt about them. And then, even if my uncertain movie watching readers feel inspired to run down to the Redbox, they can say to themselves, “Well, that rainy day blog girl really didn’t like this one…” and I can feel good for sparing someone from 2 hours of bad movie torture… 
Still in theaters, as of today: 
Crazy, Stupid, Love {****1/2} i have already mentioned loving this movie, on this blog, so i won’t go there again, but really- i love it… It’s my favorite movie, so far, this year. 

Bad Teacher {1/2} this one went on my worst movie list. horrible. 
Bridesmaids {****} Seriously funny. Albeit raunchy funny, funny none the less… Great comedic writing.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 {****} :) with a little :( too… 
Kung Fu Panda 2 {****1/2} Melted my heart… being an adoptive mom and seeing the struggles kids, mine especially, have had- this movie just warmed me. A lot. 
Monte Carlo {***1/2} for a tween/teen girls movie, I thought it was actually pretty refreshing and great!
Super 8 {****1/2}I am not an alien movie/sci-fi film fan, AT ALL. My husband, however, is. On the rare occasion I am dragged, nearly kicking and screaming, to such movies. This one, I adored. Brilliant writing, great special effects. The focus was so intent on the characters. Subtlety was strong and spot on. Lovely little movie! 
Water for Elephants {***1/2} Being a big lover of the book, the movie disappointed some. Though, where it lacked in story and time to tell the story, it made up for in descent acting efforts. Best of all, it was so beautiful to look at. (And no, I’m not talking about Rob… I actually mean the beautiful circus imagery.)
X-Men first class {***} ok. you know how I mentioned my distaste for Sci-Fi? Well, the only real exception to that is SOME of the Marvel comic movies. (only some.) I really enjoyed this movie. I loved it, in fact. I would have likely given 4 and 1/2 in rating, (and not only because i have a top secret crush on James MacAvoy) but my sci-fi loving husband (ever the opportunist) brought me home and decided we should watch the first X-Men. The inconcistancies in the story really ruined it for me… 
Quick DVD stuff: 
Biutiful {***} lovely cinematography. Completely depressing. 
Soul Surfer {****} inspiring. 
The Adjustment Bureau {****} thought provoking, good action. Fun to talk about. 
Source Code {***} average
Unknown {**1/2} Disappointment. Expected more. 
Limitless {****} GREAT movie! Thought provoking, ending debatable, well paced… 
Take Me Home Tonight {**} Immature, and not in a good- this movie is about high school/college stuff way… 
Arthur {***1/2} Adored this movie! Heartwarming and redemptive… but, NOT a family movie. 
Beastly {***1/2} Not a flawless production, but i really did like it a lot. 
Blue Valentine {****} Holy crap. Intense. Tragic. Often uncomfortable. 
Company Men {****1/2} LOVELY! inspiring, uplifting and REALLY well made!
Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2 {****} Cute! 
Gnomeo and Juliet {**} um, pass??? 
I am Number 4 {****} Another Sci-Fi movie I went to kicking and screaming. LOVED it! Soooo good! 
Just Go With It {****} I laughed out loud, a lot. Typical Adam Sandler movie with a tad bit better humor and really good script! 
King’s Speech {*****} LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. Perfect… The end. 
No Strings Attached {*1/2} While there were a few parts i laughed at, this movie was just too much. I am not a prude, but there are things that seriously DO NOT need to be put on film… 
Rango {**} The rating of two is only because the animation is so realistic. Seriously. 
Red Riding Hood {*} Also a contender for the worst movie list. Blech! Rating of 1 because i liked the red cloak. 
True Grit {****} It’s been decades since I’ve seen the original, though I have to confess it’s been sitting on our Tivo for months. At any rate, i really loved this movie… 
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Word to your mother…

Chw, the mister of the house, began acoustic guitar lessons some weeks ago. Playing has long since been a dream of his, and I am so proud of him for going for it. At any rate, last night he decided to meet up with a friend for a movie following his lesson. In an effort to somehow cope with his absence, Gen and I decided to make an evening of it. 
What began with some scrumptious tostadas, root beer and a plan to watch So You Think You Can Dance ended up with this… 
Disclaimers… 
  • I am sorry it is so bright behind her, but really that might be better… trust me. 
  • If you happen to have Superman eyes and can see through the beams to notice that Genny’s t shirt is an oversized (used to be her daddy’s) Larry the Cumber shirt (from Veggie Tales), I assure you that he was not harmed, victimized or at all wounded in this routine. 
  • Speaking of routines, yes we did manage to break away from the Glee Karaoke to watch SYTYCD. {did you really think that I was so fickle and wavering in my faithfulness???}
  • too bad she’s such a shy wallflower, isn’t it? such a shame… 

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On Monday Morning…

I had the best sort of weekend, honestly…

On Saturday morning I had the privilege of going to a beautifully kind woman’s home and picking lavender. An entirely beautiful basket of it. 

Following the lavender adventure we made our way to the Farmer’s Market, where I picked up a great deal on baby potatoes (which Genny detests) and bananas (which Amanda detests.) I should have taken a picture of all of the bananas really, before i spent an hour and a half slicing them for the freezer… They were vividly beautiful, though i could go awhile without smelling fresh bananas i think! 
Saturday night Chw and I went to dinner and a movie… At dinner I posed the question to my facebook friends: does a grilled veggie burrito (which was amazingly fresh and delicious!) lose it’s healthy goodness when it is covered in queso blanco? Half way through the glorious goodness blanketed in white cheesy heaven, I realized I didn’t much care. Besides, it was date night… We could, between the two of us, choose to say- share an entire chocolate cake and it would be in the name of quality husband/wife time therefore it would be completely justifiable, right? 
But for the record, we didn’t. 
Anyway, after dinner we went to see Crazy Stupid Love
Heard of it? 
Wow… 
While this most certainly is not a family movie, it is defintely an amazing movie for married couples. Especially married couples, with children… I can’t even tell you how much i would recommend this film, or how much I loved it! 
Moving on… 
I am completely behind on B90… My Monday is going to look like catch up… 
I spent Sunday afternoon, in the 100 degree weather, canning pickles. They are my first pickles, ever… They are hamburger/sandwich slices. I’ll let you know… Not being much of a pickle person, and having a family who is incredibly picky about the pickles they’ll eat- it could be a big gamble.

We also got to end the weekend with a house full of really awesome people, good food and conversation. It’s the best way to close any day, if you ask me…

And this morning I made my 5:30 wake up with ease (a good wake up song on the alarm clock helps!). Today is a bit of an emotional hiccup for me, as it marks a sad anniversary which carries a lot of guilt for me- but I try not to be too reflective. I could use extra happiness and love today, that’s for sure… 

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What I, as a mom, appreciated about this Teen Lit novel…

Even at thirty five years old, it is sometimes nice to reflect back on what it was like to be seventeen. Sarah Dessen’snovel What Happened to Goodbye did just that. In a story which feels like a glimpse in seventeen year old Mclean Sweet’s journal, no matter the age of the reader it would not take much to connect with the characters here… 
Click this link to read more of my review on What Happened To Goodbye
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A Haunting Summer Read…

I had the complete privilege of reviewing A Discovery of Witches for our BlogHer Bookclub. Being dubbed the Twilight For Grown-Ups, I was sometimes confused and often at the edge of my seat while reading… 

In her debut novel, Deborah Harkness has somehow managed to weave a story full of adventure, history, passion, science, seduction and every other entertaining and thought provoking element a reader could need. For my review in it’s entirety, go here, or simply click the badge link to the left… 
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