New blog

I have decided to make a new blog.  Because of that I have decided to discontinue this blog.  If you liked what you saw in this blog feel free to follow my new blog  http://rantingsofamadlibrarian.blogspot.com/

Time for a change

As you can see, I haven't been updating my blog lately.  My real life duties of librarian, daughter and aunt have gotten in the way.  I do want to keep blogging.  Because of that, I have decided to redo my blog.  I am not sure what it is going to exactly be about (I am leaning toward blogging about pop culture things).  I think by redoing it, I might be motivated to keep it current.  I will let everyone know when I have made the change.  See you soon!

I'm baaack again!!!!

Did you miss me?  I know it's been a while since I have updated my blog.  But as you all know, life occasionally gets in the way.  It's just part of being human.  I promise to do better.  I really do.

So you may be wondering what I have been up too while I been away.  Well, first I did see my 6th film in the theater.  Mom and I went to see Alvin and the Chipmunks The Squeakquel.  We were big fans of the first one so we were eager to see this one.  It was very cute.  Basically the story line involved Alvin and his brothers getting girlfriends.  I know Alvin is supposed to be the star of the show, but I do hold a soft spot for Theodore.  I also was kinda psyched that Zachary Levi (who stars in one of my favorite TV shows Chuck) was in it.  I would definitely recommend  it.

I also had other excitement while I was away.  The 82nd Academy Awards were held this past Sunday.  I have said before how much of an award show addict I am and the Academy Awards are like the Super Bowl of award shows.  This year the hosts were Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin.  I really like Steve Martin and thought he did great.  I could take or leave Alec Baldwin.  He had a few funny moments, but I just don't find him funny.  I was pleased that I stayed awake through the whole show.  Part of this was fueled by the fact I wanted to see Kristen Stewart.  I got to see her (who looked great by the way) and the Puppy.  Even though I haven't seen the movies they were in, I was thrilled that Jeff Bridges and Sandra Bullock won Best Actor and Actress.  I loved that Up won Best Animated Feature.   I especially love the fact that Kathryn Bigelow won for Best Director and her picture The Hurt Locker won for Best Picture.  Was it because I had seen the movie and liked it?  Nope.  I was glad she beat her ex husband James Cameron.  It's not because of Avatar.  There is something about him I just don't care for.

The other thing I have done while I was away was eagerly anticipate Robert Pattinson's new movie Remember Me.  I actually have been psyched about this movie since last summer while he was shooting it.   From what I have read about it, it's a love story of two people who have dealt with tragedy in their past.  I think it looks really good, but as you know by reading this blog, I am a tad biased.  It opens tomorrow (March 12).  I work on Saturday so I have tomorrow off.  At first I couldn't find any showtimes for our local theater so I thought I was going to have to do a road trip to go see it.  But earlier in the week, the showtimes were posted and my local theater is showing it.  So I plan to be at the first showing.  I will be going by myself as my mom refuses to go with me.  She thinks Robert is going to die in the end.  I have tried to remain spoiler free, so I can't tell her whether he does or he doesn't.  So I am going by myself.  But that's ok.  I have done it before.  I will do it again.  I am really getting excited about seeing it.  I will probably spend the rest of the evening watching the live feed of The Runaways premier (gotta support Kristen too) and watching the Eclipse trailer that was released today to pass the time.

I anticipate March being a very exciting month.  Remember Me and Kristen's movies The Yellow Handkerchief and The Runaways are coming out.  And, New Moon comes out on DVD.  I don't know how I will contain my excitement.  I will have to keep you updated on my blog.  I promise to do better.

Movie Therapy Weekend

Sorry I haven't been updating my blog.  The past couple of weeks have been a bit of a downer at the library.  I found out that my AV budget got slashed.  That is going to make my job this year very difficult.  To be quite honest, it really got me down.  I had a 3 day weekend last weekend, so I decided I would use that time to engage in some movie therapy.

The first movie I saw was It's Complicated.  Directed by Nancy Meyers, it stars Meryl Streep as Jane, a divorcee who has a reasonably good relationship with her ex played by Alec Baldwin.  One night while in New York to attend the graduation of their son, Jane and her ex end up having dinner together in a bar.  They end up in bed together.  After they return from New York, they start to have an affair.  Jane knows she shouldn't be doing this, but part of her is getting a thrill sticking it to the woman who broke up her marriage.  To add to her conflict, she starts seeing the architect who is working on her house which is played by Steve Martin.   He is a really nice guy and should be the one she should be with.  But will she?  You will have to go to the movie to find out.

This was a really funny movie.  Meryl, like always, is wonderful.  I have come to the conclusion that she could play Hitler and make him likeable.  Steve Martin is perfect as the goofy architect.  Alec Baldwin is good too but I have a word of advice for him.  If he does anymore movies that require having his shirt off, he needs to go to the gym.  That was not a very attractive site. (I believe I uttered the word "Yuck" for all those around me to hear). 

The second movie I saw was Up in the Air.  This stars my beloved George Clooney as Ryan Bingham who is hired by companys to fire their employees for them.  He flies all over the country and spends more time on the job than he does at home.  He is basically a loner.  But he likes it that way.  His company however, has decided to do some changing.  The newest employee, played by Anna Kendrick (who plays Jessica in the Twilight films) has developed a new system where all the firing can be done via teleconference.  No traveling would be required.  Needless to say, Ryan isn't thrilled about this development so he takes the new kid out on the road with him to show her what it is really like to fire someone.  He is also dealing with a casual romance with a woman named Alex (played by Vera Farmiga) who might actually cause Ryan to feel something.

Even though I love George Clooney, I was a bit skeptical about this movie.  Most movies that are nominated for a lot of awards such as this one is, I usually don't like.  Not sure why, but it is.  I actually really liked this film.  It was very moving drama that not only dealt with the consequences of putting your job ahead of everything else, but also a great commentary on the state of the economy as it is today.  George did a great job as Ryan but the real scene stealer was Anna Kendrick.  She captured the fresh out of college, ready to change the world employee beautifully.  My sentiments weren't shared by the older lady who with her husband decided to sit right next to me in the almost empty theater.  She announced to the entire theater that she thought it was a comedy.  (She also announced that she thought the theater was too cold as well).  She was wrong.

The third film I saw was Sherlock Holmes.  I was really excited about seeing this one.  And boy I was not disappointed.  Sherlock is played by the wonderful Robert Downey Jr.  At the beginning of the film, he is none too please that his partner in solving crime Dr. Watson, played by Jude Law, is getting married.  Before Watson gets married, they get drawn into one more case.  Lord Blackwood has been arrested and hanged for performing black magic.  Shortly after, it's reported that Lord Blackwood has risen from the dead.  Sherlock and Watson set out to figure out what is going on.  Also drawn into the mix is Sherlock's former girlfriend, Irene Adler, played by Rachel McAdams.  She is a thief who may or may not have an agenda of her own.

I loved this one too.  I am a sucker for mysteries and there is no better crime solver than Sherlock Holmes.  Downey was perfect for the role of Sherlock as was Law for Watson.  Their relationship was just wonderful.  I won't tell the ending, but I will say, there was a nice set up for a sequel.  And I dearly hope there is.

Well there you have it. That was my movie therapy weekend.  Did it help my disposition?  Yes it most certainly did.  And I am thrilled to say my total for movies seen in 2010 is up to 5 now. 

The Princess and the Frog

Yesterday I went to the movies to see my second film of 2010, The Princess and the Frog.  I am so excited that in the first 3 days of 2010 I have already seen 2 movies at the theater.  I am off to a great start.

The Princess and the Frog, Disney's newest animated feature, is set in New Orleans and tells the story of a young girl named Tiana.  Tiana has a gift for cooking.  What she wants most in life to fulfill her father's lifelong dream of opening a restaurant.  She wants it so badly that all she does is work day and night to save the money.  One evening at a fancy party that she is catering, she encounters a talking frog.  The frog is actually Prince Naveen who has come to New Orleans to find a rich wife as his own parents have cut him off financially.  He encounters the "Shadow Man" who uses vodoo to turn the prince into a frog.  He gets Tiana to kiss him, thinking it will turn him back into a prince.  Instead of turning him into a prince, the kiss turns Tiana into a frog as well.  Tiana and Naveen then go to the Bayou to find a way to turn themselves back into humans.  Along the way they encounter Lawrence, the trumpet playing crocodile, and Ray the firefly.  On their journey, they discover what you think you want most in your life and what you need isn't exactly the same thing.

I have said before that I am a huge fan of Disney animated movies.  I absolutely loved this one too.  The music was wonderful.  The characters, especially the supporting ones, were ones that you really could empathize with.  The animation was just wonderful.  As I was watching it, I had the thought cross my mind that I am going to have to buy this when it comes out on DVD to add to my collection. 

A word of warning:  if you have little kids that scare easily, some of the scenes in this movie might scare them.  It is dealing with vodoo and they show some pretty spooky spirits.  I only say this because way back when, my mom took me and my brother to see Snow White.  It didn't bother me a bit, but my brother was terrified of the witch.  He called her Snow White and my parents spent several months checking his closet to make sure Snow White wasn't after him.  My brother would probably kill me for tell that story, but what are big sisters for.

Well, I have 2 movies on my list for 2010.  I can't wait to see how many more I will see this year.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone.  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and have a wonderful 2010.  As most of you have probably done, I have made several New Years resolutions.  I probably won't keep them but I will give it the old college try.  I won't bore you with all of them.  The one I will probably have the best chance of keeping is this year I am going to keep track and see how many movies I can see in a year.  I am going to break it down into those I see in the theater and those I see for the first time on DVD.  I have a bad habit of forgetting the last movie I see so this will be a good way for me to keep track.  It will also keep me "in the know" for my job. 

Since today is January 1st, I thought this would be a good day for me to start my quest.  My brother and sister-in-law gave me a movie theater gift certificate for Christmas.  Since it didn't snow and the roads were good, Mom and I decided to put the gift to use go see "Did You Hear About the Morgans?".

"Did You Hear About the Morgans?" stars Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker as Paul and Meryl Morgan.  They live in New York and are currently estranged due to some infidelity on Paul's part.  They get together one evening to try and discuss their marital status.  Upon leaving the restaurant, they witness a murder.  Since they can identify the murderer, they will need to testify against him.  Because the murderer is still on the loose, they are put in the witness protection program and sent to Ray, Wyoming.  There they are guarded by Sam Elliot and Mary Steenburgen.  Needless to say the rest of the story is basically your "fish out of water" story.  And it is an absolutely hilarious "fish out of water" story.

I am a big Hugh Grant fan going back to his "Four Weddings and a Funeral" days.  He never ceases to crack me up.  In this film he cracks me up big time.   (I have come to the conclusion that I must have a thing for British guys.  But that is a whole other blog post).  Sarah Jessica Parker does a fine job as well.  Sam Elliot and Mary Steenburgen are great as the marshalls assigned to protect the Morgans.  It's amazing how many movies lately I have seen with Mary Steenburgen in them.  She is definately not lacking for work.  Sam Elliot continues to be one fine looking man.  I did get a  big surprise in this movie.  Wilford Brimley was in it.  Why does that surprise me?  I honestly thought he was dead.  I am not sure what gave me that idea.  But he's not.  I googled him after I got home from the movie and he's still kicking.  It's probably a good thing there were lots of people in the audience because I almost blurted out " He's alive" when he came on screen.

This movie funny the entire way through it.  As I told my mom afterward, it made me happy.  (She loved it too by the way).  I liked it so much,  I may just have to get it when it comes out on DVD.  

Well I saw my first film in the theater of 2010 (I almost typed 2009, better quit doing that).  It will be interesting to see how many I see this year.

It's beginning to look a lot like award show season time....

If you heard a high pitch squeal yesterday morning that you weren't sure where it was coming from, it was probably me when I realized that the Golden Globe nominations were announced yesterday.  The Golden Globes signals the beginning of the award show season.  I love award shows.  I am not sure why, I just do.  I especially like the Golden Globes as they break the movie categories into Comedy/Musical and Drama.  Comedic films tend to not get the appreciation they deserve in other award shows.  That is a shame.

There were several things that excited me about this years nominations.  They include:

1.  Sandra Bullock gets 2 nominations - Sandra Bullock is nominated in the Best Actress in a Comedy for The Proposal and Best Actress in a Drama for The Blindside.  I saw The Proposal and she was absolutely hilarious in it.  I have not seen The Blindside but have heard from those who have seen it that she is wonderful in it.  I have been a Sandra Bullock fan since she first came on the scene in Speed.  These 2 nominations are highly deserved.

2.  Meryl Streep gets 2 nominations in the same category - Meryl Streep got nominations in the Best Actress in a Comedy for her roles in Julie and Julia and It's Complicated.  I haven't seen It's Complicated (I really want to) but I did see Julie and Julia and loved it.  She nailed the part of Julia Child.

3.  George Clooney, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt all get nominations (well sorta) - George is nominated for Best Actor in a Drama for Up in the Air, Matt Damon got 2 nominations (one for Best Actor in a Comedy for The Informant and one for Best Supporting Actor in Invictus), Julia Roberts is nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy for Duplicity and Brad Pitt stars in the Best Drama nominee Inglorious Bastards.  If they all show up to the award show, it will be like a reunion of Ocean's 11 and 12.  Being a big Ocean's fan, this make me very happy.  George, Matt and Brad also bring the pretty so that doesn't hurt either.

4.  Anna Kendrick gets nominated - Anna Kendrick is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for the movie Up in the Air.  Why would this excite me if I haven't seen the movie?  Well, Anna also plays Jessica in the Twilight movies and she is adorable in those.  So I am very happy for her.

One thing that did perplex me about the nominations.  Invictus was nominated several times.  It looks like I may have to go see it.  I really don't want to.

The Golden Globes will be presented on January17.  I can't wait.