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.

Weekend Movie Viewing

I actually got to watch 2 movies this weekend.  One movie fits in the Christmas season.  The other has a connection to my Twilight Obsession.  We will start with the Christmas movie first.

The first movie I watched was National Lampoons Christmas Vacation.  I have probably seen this movie a zillion times and probably will watch it a zillion times more.  I guess there is just something about watching the Griswold's have a traditional Christmas and failing miserably that just cracks me up.  (Mom, who I was watching it with, was amazed at how hard I was laughing)  Could it be I myself have experienced some disfunctional Christmas's myself?  Possibly, but haven't we all?

My favorite character in the whole story is Aunt Bethany.  I see myself in the future, going to either my niece or nephews and acting the same way.  You will have to watch the movie to see what I mean.

Fracture was the other movie I watched this weekend.  How does this fit in to my Twilight obsession you may ask?  Well, one of the characters is played by Billy Burke, who plays Bella's dad in the Twilight flicks.  Fracture tell the story of a man played by Anthony Hopkins who shoots his wife after he finds out she is having an affair (with the character played by Burke).  Ryan Gosling plays the DA who is in charge of prosecuting him. 

This is a pretty good film.   Since the murder was revealed in the first 20 minutes of the film, I was wondering what was going to happen.  It didn't disappoint.  Gosling and Hopkins were good as always.  If you like a good courtroom drama, I would recommend this one.

Opening in Theaters 12/11/09

There are two new movies opening in theaters this week.  One I really want to see.  The other I am really conflicted about.

1. The Princess and the Frog (rated G) - This is Disney's latest animated release.  It puts a twist on the classic kissing a frog and it turning into a prince storyline.   I love all things Disney, but it has been a while since they have had an animated feature other than their Pixar stuff that I have been interested in seeing.  (The last non Pixar Disney film I really liked was Chicken Little.  I highly recommend that one).  It has also been a while since they have had what would be considered a "Princess" film.  The clips I have seen of this look really good.  I am really looking forward to seeing this.  So is my niece.

2. Invictus (rated PG-13) - Invictus tells the true story of how newly elected Nelson Mandela (played by Morgan Freeman) used the sport of rugby to unite South Africa.  Matt Damon plays the rugby captain that joins forces with Mandela to get this done.  I am really conflicted about whether or not I want to see this film.  I am a huge fan of Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon.  I am also a huge sports film fan.  What is it that is keeping me from wanting to see this film?  It's directed by Clint Eastwood.  I am sure Mr. Eastwood is a very nice man, but I just can't stand his movies.  I have tried watching his movies.  I really have.  I have had better times watching paint dry.  (If you like Clint Eastwood movies, please don't be offended.  This is just my opinion.  You are entitled to yours).  Will I bite the bullet and see it?  Maybe.  I think I will wait until I get it for the library so I don't have to pay to see it.

That's what opening this weekend.  I don't know if I will get to the movies this weekend.  Too much Christmas shopping to do.

The Fans Fight Back “He Doesn’t Want This, Neither Do We”

I am getting on my soapbox now.  I like watching movies.  I like watching movies a lot.  When I find a movie I really like, I tend to get enamored with the stars of those movies.  Obviously, I have done it with the Twilight series and I have done it with others in the past.  I read the magazine articles about them and look at their pictures.  But, do I need to know every sorted detail of their lives?  NO.  I would kind of like it if I knew a little less about their private lives.  Do I enjoy looking at pictures where celebrities are chased down the street by the paparazzi? NO.  In those pictures, the celebrities don't look happy.  Why would I want to see that?  The only thing celebrities owe fans is a good performance.  That's it.

What brought this rant on?  This weekend, paparazzi photos of Rob Pattinson surfaced that were truely digusting.   He had went to a concert of one of his friends and while leaving, the photographers, for lack of a better word, ambushed him.  In one photo, he was literally backed up against the wall.  It was truely sad. 

I wasn't the only one that was disgusted.  Several sites got together and started "The Fans Fight Back "He doesn't want this, Neither do We" campaign.  They had fans send in photos of themselves with their faces covered.  The photos are posted on the Thinking of Rob website.  They currently have 1000+ photos.  They also have a video of some of the photos one Youtube.

I think this campaign is really impressive.  If it just changes the mind of a few people not to look at the paparazzi picture or buy magazines that publish them, then it will be worth it.

In case you are wondering, yes, I did send my picture in.  Here it is:

My picture did make it on the part one of the video that was made.  I encourage you to watch it. (Not because I am in it)

I will get off my soapbox now.

Opening in Theaters 12/4/09

Please don't fall off your chairs, I am actually doing a post on what is opening in theaters this week for the 2nd week in a row.  I am so excited.  I may get into the groove of this blogging thing yet.

1. Armored (rated-PG-13)- This is the story of a bunch of armored truck guards who plan a robbery of their own trucks.  Like all good action movies, the plan doesn't go as expected.  Not sure if I really want to see this one.  The only thing that might make me want to see it is the fact that Matt Dillion is in it.  I am a child of the '80s.  Matt Dillion was pretty hot in the '80s.

 2.  Brothers (rated R) - Toby Maguire stars as a solider who gets shipped to Afghanistan.  An incident happens and he is presumed dead.  Jake Gyllenhal stars as his brother who steps in to help his wife (played by Natalie Portman) and kids.  You don't need to see the movie to know that no good is going to come out of that.  This movie looks mildy intriguing mainly because I am a huge Toby Maguire fan.  I don't know if that is enough to make me go to the theater to see it.  This may be a view on DVD movie.

3.  Everybody's Fine (rated PG-13) - Robert De Niro stars as a widower who sets out to get back in touch with his grown children.  What he finds is that kids are anything but fine.  Also starring Drew Barrymore, this film looks cute.  I am assuming since there is a Christmas tree in the background of the poster, that it may be set around Christmas time.  Since I am a Christmas movie fan, I might have to see this one. We will wait and see.



That is what is opening this week.  I hope that everyone has a great weekend.

Songs In My Head

I love music.  I took piano lessons as a child.  I would listen to my 8 tracks and albums (yes I am that old) for hours on end.  Much to the chagrin of my mother, I would listen to music at very high decibles (or at least she thought so).

I am still very much at music fan.  I like a broad range of music.   Harry, rock, soundtracks, country, disco.  You name I probably like it.  Unless it's rap.  I am just not into that.

I have noticed as I have gotten older, I tend to get a song in my head and I have to listen to it over and over again.  I just can't stop.  I will play it until another song takes it's place.  I know it's a little OCD, but what can I say.   I thought I would share the current songs that I are in my head.

This first song is came on recently on my Pandora Abba channel.  If you haven't heard of it you must visit the Pandora website.  It's an internet radio station that allows you to choose the music you like and it will pick out similar songs.  Anyway,  I remembered this song from when I was younger and have been playing it ever since.  Probably a good thing I live by myself.



The other song I have in my head is thanks to one of the movie previews I saw when I went to see New Moon.  The song plays in the trailer for the upcoming movie "Letter's to Juliet".  Since I saw New Moon twice, the song is really in my head.  I only play this in my car, so it's not as much in my head as the first one, but it's there just the same.



I am sure that there will be songs to replace these.  There always is.  So until then I will enjoy these.

Thanksgiving Weekend Viewing Part 2

I am back on bathroom monitor duty (otherwise known as manning the Nonfiction Reference desk) so I thought I would share with you the other DVD I watched this weekend.  This is the one with the Twilight connection.

Yes, I watched How to Be, starring my beloved Robert Pattinson.  I actually bought this DVD right before Thanksgiving.  I had heard good things about it and I want to make sure his career goes on for a while. 

How to Be tells the story of Art (played by Pattinson).  In his early 20's, Art just broke up with his girlfriend and has to move back in with his parents.  His parents aren't the most pleasant people.  Art works at a dead end job at a grocery store and volunteers at a local community center.  He desires to be a musician but is really bad at it.  Since he feels like he is having a quarter life crisis, he goes to the local book store and picks up a self help book.  He becomes so intrigued by the book that he takes all his money and hires the author to come be his life coach.  The author moves in with Art and his family and the rest of the movie deals with what happens.

At first, I was a little worried about whether or not I would like this movie.  From the preview I had seen, I thought it looked a little goofy.  I was wrong.  I found this film to be quite charming.  It was nice to see Rob in another role beside "Edward".  He does goofy really well.  There is quite a bit of talking in the movie so if you are into action, you probably won't like this movie.  There is also a lot of British humor so if you don't appreciate that, you probably won't like it either.  But if those things don't bother you, I would highly recommend How to Be.

Thanksgiving Weekend viewing part 1

I, like most people, had a very busy Thanksgiving weekend.  I had food to eat, bargains to find and Christmas decorations to get out.  In the middle of all this craziness, I did find time to watch 2 movies.  And neither of them had to do with the Twilight Saga.  Well, actually one of them had a connection to the Twilight Saga but we will get to that one later.

The first DVD I watched was the new Star Trek movie.  I have seen the majority of the Star Trek films that are out.  When I orginally heard about this prequel I was very excited about it.  I didn't get around to seeing it in the theaters so I had to wait for the DVD. 

This Star Trek movie tells the beginnings of the Starship Enterprise and all of the characters from the original series.  The film makers did a brilliant job casting these actors.  You could really believe they were the younger versions of the characters we have come to love.  It is absolutely eerie how much Zachary Quinto, the actor who plays Spock,  looks like Leonard Nemoy.  They could be father and son.

I enjoyed this movie a lot.  The plot was a little confusing, but I can't really say I understood any plot of a Star Trek film.  It didn't take away from the film at all.  I am a big fan of J. J . Abrams who directed this film.  He did a wonderful job.  The action was great.  I really wish I had seen it on the big screen.  I bet it was really cool.  I am eagerly hoping they will make a sequel to this film.  I would definately go see that one.

Opening 11/25/09

Thanksgiving is upon us.  Most people have the weekend off.  I do.  How did I manage that?  Don't know.  But I will not complain.  If you plan on going to movies and seeing something that isn't New Moon, the following movies are starting this weekend:

1.  Fantastic Mr. Fox - (Rated PG)  This is based on the children's book by Roald Dahl.  It tells the story of a reformed chicken thief "Mr. Fox" who returns to his former life of crime.  This movie basically sounds like an animated version of Ocean's 11, which is not a bad thing as I loved the Ocean's movies.  If you are going to do an animated Ocean's 11 movie, who better to cast as the voice of Mr. Fox than George Clooney himself.  Meryl Streep voice's his wife.  I saw a preview for this in the theater and it looks really good.  I may have to catch this.

2.  Ninja Assassin (Rated R) - Not entirely sure what this one is about.  But since it's about Ninja's, I think I will pass.  (This from the person who likes vampire and werewolf movies).

3.  Old Dogs (Rated PG) - Robin Williams and John Travolta play bachelors who have to take care of twins.  This one sounds like 3 Men and a Baby.  The movie is directed by Walt Becker who also directed Wild Hogs.  I loved Wild Hogs.  This movie has some potential but I may wait until I buy it on DVD for the library.






That is what is opening this weekend.  I hope everybody has a wonderful Thanksgiving.

New Moon

Friday night was a wonderful night.  I got to see New Moon.  It's been a long time since I have seen a movie on opening night.  Being a huge Twilight fan myself, I should have expected what I encountered.  It was nuts.  My 2 best friends and I went to the 6:20 showing.  I knew in advance it was sold out so we decided to meet at the theater at 5:30.  It's a wonder we found each other due to all the cars that were in the parking lot.  We did and we entered in the theater and were promptly "hearded" into our holding area.  I have never felt so much like cattle in my life.  I was pleased that when we finally made our way into the theater that we got on the back row (which is my favorite part of the theater).  I was really scared that we were going to have to sit on the front row and I wasn't really wanting to experience werewolves quite that close.  I only do the front row for buffalo.  

After my friends went to get our cokes (I had them sign the bank loan required to pay for the cokes for me as I saved the seats) the movie started.   I wasn't sure what to expect.  I had seen the numerous trailors several hundred times and it did look very good.  But out of the 4 Twilight books, New Moon wasn't really my favorite.  New Moon picks up where Twilight left off.  Bella and Edward are together and we find Bella is approaching her 18th birthday.  Knowing her 17 year old vampire boyfriend isn't going age, Bella isn't too eager to age.  She would rather be a vampire and Edward doesn't want to destroy her soul.  The Cullens do have a birthday party for her and since I don't want to give away too much of the plot, let's just say it doesn't end well. 

Because of the ill fated birthday party, Edward decides to leave.  This sends Bella into a deep depression.  She discovers that she can "see" Edward if she does dangerous things.  She gets some motorcycles that need fixed up and takes them to her best friend Jacob who is a mechanic.   She starts hanging with him and discovers she starts to feel better.  But like everybody in the series, he has a secret too.  He is a werewolf.  I did learn a interesting fact.  Werewolves run around without their shirts on.  And they look REALLY good without them.  This fact was not lost on a majority of the audience as they applauded EVERY time a werewolf came on the screen (this included the person I was sitting beside as well).  

Bella eventually does something really stupid and it gets back to the Cullens that Bella kills herself.  Because he can't live in a world where Bella doesn't exist and he is kinda hard to kill, Edward goes to Italy to visit the Voulturi coven to get them to kill him.  The Voulturi are the "ruling" coven over all the vampires.   The Voultri are really creepy looking.  I am surprised I didn't have nightmares of Dakota Fanning.   She was especially creepy looking.  Alice and Bella rush to Italy to save him.    Bella and Edward are reunited, a big fight happens, and to avoid being killed by the Voulturi, Bella needs to be turned into a vampire.  That's pretty much the story.

Did I like the movie?  Yes I did.  It followed the book pretty faithfully.  I thought the cinematography was beautiful.  It was much better than Twilight.  Everything in Twilight had a blue tint to it.  New Moon was much warmer, which probably had a lot to do with the werewolf theme (I'm just saying).  Chris Weitz did a great job directing.  I hope he comes back to direct Breaking Dawn.  I have read other reviews on the internet that said the middle part dragged (which really did in the book) but I didn't think this movie dragged at all.  I thought Kristen Stewart was wonderful as Bella.  She did Bella's depression very well.  I wasn't a big fan of Jacob, but I really liked him in the movie.  I am glad they didn't replace Taylor Lautner like they were talking about.  He was really good.  And I know this is a given, but I really thought Robert Pattinson did a good job.  I almost passed out at the scene where he quotes Shakespeare.  A lot of people were put off that he wasn't as much.  I was glad he wasn't because that would have deviated from the book and that would have bothered me. (I am a librarian you know).  And I thought the very ending of the movie was brilliant.  (I am not sure my friends thought so but oh well).  It definately makes you want to see Eclipse.

The only part I was disappointed with was I thought Bella and Edward's reunion was a bit rushed.  There was a lot of stuff in the book that they left out that would have been really good. 

Was New Moon predictable?  Yes  Will it win a Oscar?  Probably not.  Was I entertained?  Oh Yes.  When I go to the movies, that is what I am going for and I truly got it with this one.  I was so entertained that  I plan to go back tomorrow and see it with my Mom (a Team Jacob member).

My friends and I decided that we would not go see Eclipse on opening night.  We will give it a couple of days.

Duplicity

Today, I hung out at my Mom's house.  We started our afternoon watching Twilight.  My mom had recently purchased the DVD and we had to make sure the dvd was ok. (It was her 3rd viewing of the film, I have lost count on how many times I have seen it.  Let's just say, I can quote dialogue)  The DVD was fine and after we were done, we had some more time to kill before church so we decided to watch the movie Duplicity.

Duplicity stars Julia Roberts and Clive Owen.  I enjoy both of these actors.  In this movie, I think they were playing corporate spys.  I stress "I think" because it took me over half the movie to figure this out.  And even after seeing the entire film, I am not totally sure that was the case.  The plot was extremely hard to follow.  I am usually ok with complex plots if it all comes together in the end.  This didn't happen for me in this film.  I am not sure if it was the script or the editing that was the problem.  Either way, you really had to think to figure out what was going on.  When I watch a movie, I don't want to think that hard, I want to be entertained.  And entertained, I was not.   I guess I will have to wait patiently for New Moon to come out in the theaters.

Opening in Theaters 11/6/09

I am going on vacation next week and don't really have anything specific planned to do.  So I thought it would be a good time to get back to my "Opening in Theaters" posts to see what is coming out in theaters next week.

1.  The Box - (rated PG-13).  A couple (played by Cameron Diaz and James Marsden) received a "box" (thus the title) from a creepy old guy (played by Frank Langella).  If the couple pushes the button, they will receive 1 Million dollars.  In return somebody they don't know will die.  I have seen the previews for this film and it really looks creepy.  It may sound sick and twisted, but I would to see this film.  I don't know if I will see it at the theater.  Hopefully a certain AV Librarian will have enough money in her budget next year so she can buy it for the library and I won't have to pay to see it.  One can hope.

2. Disney's A Christmas Carol - (rated PG) - As I have said, I come from a family that loves Christmas movies.  My mother, brother and I all have extensive collections in our home.  One of our favorite tales is A Christmas Carol.  I was really excited when I heard about this remake coming out this week.  It stars Jim Carrey as Scrooge.  It's animated in the same style as The Polar Express (a movie that I don't get the appeal for.  Just my opinion).  It looks really cool.  I will definately see this on the big screen as all animated films should be viewed.

3. The Fourth Kind ( rated PG-13) - I honestly haven't heard anything about this film.  It stars Milla Jovovich and is about aliens.  Since I am not a big alien movie fan, I think I will pass.

4.  The Men Who Stare at Goats - (rated R) - This is a movie I really want to see.  It stars my beloved George Clooney.  It also stars Ewan McGregor and Jeff Bridges.  It's about a experimental US military unit that uses it's psychic powers to fight wars.  The previews look hiliarious.  An let's face it, with a title like "The Men Who Stare at Goat", the movie just has to be seen.

That's what is coming out this week.  I don't know if I will get to any movies this coming week but if I do, I will be sure to blog about them.

Decorating my office

In my office in the temporary location, I have a lot of empty wall space.  2 walls to be exact.  So to make my office more "homey", I decided to decorate them.  One wall is dedicated to my Robert Pattinson obsession.  Since I am the AV Librarian, I decided to decorate the other wall with movie posters.  But I didn't want to use just any movie posters.  I wanted to pick movies that held some significance to me.  I haven't finished the project yet, but the following are the movies I have used so far.  I have included a description on why I chose them.  I hope you enjoy.

1.  Disney's Robin Hood - This movie first came out when I was in Kindergarten.  I really wanted to see it.  Mom was going to take me and my brother but we had really bad weather that year and since we lived in the country, we didn't get to see it.  Mom did buy me the soundtrack album so I thought that was kinda cool.  Luckily I am old enough that back then, Disney re-released their movies on the big screen (instead of DVD like they do now.  I wish they didn't do that.  But that is a whole other blog post. ) and I eventually did get to see it when I was in the 6th grade.

2.  Grease - I do remember seeing this in the theater and loving it.  But I decided to choose this movie poster because of the soundtrack album.  I played it non stop.  I probably drove my parents crazy with it but I didn't care.  It was and still is a great soundtrack.

3.  Rain Man - This is the first movie my BFF Edie and I went to see together.  It was the start of a life long friendship that I will cherish forever.  We have seen many, many movies together and can tell you many many stories related to them.   She is and will always be my favorite movie going partner.

4.  Dances with Wolves - As I have mentioned before, I had and still have a Kevin Costner fetish.  Dances with Wolves is my all time favorite Kevin movie.  I went to see it in the theater 3 times.  One time we set in the front row.  Let me tell you, that is not easy considering it's a 3 hour movie.  But it was worth it. 

5.  Fried Green Tomatoes - I think this is a wonderful movie, but it's not why I picked it for my wall.  When I went to see it the first time, I didn't realize the 2 main characters were gay.  What can I say, back then, I didn't get around much.  So I went to that movie 3 more time (we had the dollar theater back then).  Needless to say, I finally got it.

6.  Much Ado About Nothing - I love Shakespeare movies.  Luckily, so does Edie.  Out of all the Shakespeare movies I have seen, Much Ado About Nothing is my all time favorite.  Beatrice and Benedict are one of the most romantic couples on fim.  When Edie and I went to see this in the theater, there were maybe 6 of us total in the theater.  By the time it was over, I believe we were the only ones left in the theater as everybody else left (Edie, you can correct me if I am wrong).

7.  Ghost - Edie and I used to go to Peru a lot to see movies.  It was cheap and a change of scenery.  Any way, I swear for a 6 month period all that was showing in Peru was Ghost.

8.  Beauty and the Beast - As I have said before, Beauty and the Beast is my all time favorite Disney movie.  So it had to go on my wall.

9.  When Harry Met Sally - There are many reasons I love this movie.  The screenplay was written by Nora Ephron.  I love all things Nora.  It stars Billy Crystal (the all time greatest Oscar host ever) and Meg Ryan.   And most of all, it has songs done by my beloved Harry Connick Jr.  It was this soundtrack that I was introduced to Harry and his music and boy was I hooked.  I have seen him in concert 3 times and have all his CDs.  He is the best singer ever, in my humble opinion.

10.  Monsters Inc. - I love all the Pixar movies so I couldn't decide which one to put on my wall.  Since Billy Crystal is in this one, I chose Monsters Inc.

11.  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - I have read and loved all (but the last one) of the Harry Potter books.  I have also enjoyed the movies ( although I think the books are better.  What can I say,  I am a librarian).  So I went with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire because Robert Pattinson is in it. (do you see a trend?)

That is all I have so far.  I will update you on any additions to my wall.

I'm Baaack!!!

After 3 long weeks of moving the library into it's temporary location, we are finally ready to open tomorrow.  During those 3 weeks, I have been dead tired so I didn't get around to updating my blog.  So tonight, I decided to start back up again.  I did watch a view movies while I was away.  Here is a short synopsis/reviews of what I saw.

I watched the DVD of Monsters Vs. Aliens that I checked out of the library.  It could be classified as "I am glad I didn't spend money at the theaters to watch this".  It had a few clever moments but nothing memorable.

A much better animated film is Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.  Mom and I went to see this at the theaters last Sunday.  It was absolutely adorable.  The main character, would be inventor Flint Lockwood, reminded me of my nephew Aden.  The movie also had a monkey named Steve as a sidekick.  He was definately a highlight for me.  You can't beat a movie with a monkey named Steve. 

I bought the DVD  The Haunted Airman.  It stars Robert Pattinson which was the reason I bought the DVD.  (I wanted to do something to help his career along.)    It is set in WWII in England.  Robert is an airman that is paralyzed and taken to a hospital to recuperate.  Instead, he starts to go crazy.  I actually liked this film.  It was nice to see Robert in something other than Twilight.  It was done by the BBC, so if you like British stuff, you will probably like this.  If not, you probably won't.

Well that is all I watched.  Now I plan to be back on track with my reviews.