Law Abiding Citizen

Another Gerard movie! Woohoo! This one was good, I thought, but it ended kind of abruptly. It was all tricky at first then they suddenly figured it out. Beautiful shot of Gerard when he gets arrested. Check it out if you're a fan.

Paranormal Activity

Just as Blair Witch did, this movie gave me a headache with all the shaking and blurry close-ups. The woman who played Katie annoyed me. She tried too hard to make her emotions seem real, and I wasn't sold on her really being stressed out about her demon/ghost thing. The way Micha and Katie spoke to each other mostly in comlpete sentences kept reminding me that this was all fake.

Even though I did jump and get a little tense at the "scary" parts, I got over those moments in a matter of minutes instead of being left with that spine-tingling feeling I expected to have long after the movie's end. The ending ruined the movie for me with the weird face-morphing. I think it should have just ended with a long stare into the camera for and then a slow face-morph as the screen faded to black.

Even though most of this movie was annoying, I do think the special effects were fairly decent. I give it 3 stars out of 5, meaning it was OK, and I could tolerate another viewing. This could have been so much better, though.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

I'm so ready for the adventures that Harry, Hermione and Ron are about to have, finally, away from the school of Hogwarts in the seventh movie (so my sister tells me...I haven't read the book series so I don't know). In this sixth movie of the series, there was key information about how to actually kill Lord Voldemort, Dumbledore's traumatic exit, and Hermione finally reveals to us and to Harry her true feelings for Ron. Those are the three things I remember most. There were great special effects, as usual, and the story moved along at a steady pace, but it just seems that there was a lot of filler in this installment. Honestly, I don't remember most of it, and I'm sure that's not what the producers of this film intended. I'm patiently awaiting the last HP movie, and I hope it's just as memorable as the first five films and ten times more exciting than all the rest in the series.

A Christmas Carol 3D

Saw this on Thanksgiving Day after dinner with my oldest and youngest sister. We wanted to get in the Christmas spirit. What better way to do that than by watching a Christmas classic?! This is the Dickens tale we all know and love but with stunning 3D graphics and a Scrooge like no other. Jim Carrey was fantastic as the "humbug" spouting old geezer, Ebeneezer. The ghosts in this version were creepy and weird, although, the ghost/spirit of Christmas past (the floating candle man) cracked me up with his whispers and dancing flame head. His voice reminded me of Will Ferrell.

There were some surprisingly morbid moments in this movie so I definitely wouldn't recommended this to anyone thinking they want to show this to a 5-year old. This is definitely one of the best versions of A Christmas Carol that I've ever seen, but I still rate The Muppet Christmas Carol as my number one just because I love its balance between humor and darkness and the fact that it's a musical...also, I love Muppet movies.

Emma - Jane Austen

Not my favorite of the Austen books that I've read. Maybe b/c I watched the movie first, I already knew what was going to happen and I couldn't get Gwenyth Paltrow out of my head. I did like suspense with Knightley and Emma. And I liked how Emma kept getting herself into trouble, but she remained pretty stuck up till the end. I guess that was her character and what she was supposed to do, but it was annoying to me. Like the Shopaholic girl. She learns her lessons, but still, overall, goes back to being the same way she always had. Emma was okay with letting Harriet go b/c she wasn't really a close friend. She was a project. I think that's sad.

Reminded me of Shakespeare how everyone thought someone was in love with someone else.

As usual Austen writes AWESOME annoying characters. I just wanted to beat Mrs. Elton and Mrs. Bates to death so they would SHUT UP. Perfect. I'm going to rent this again just to see how these ladies played out in the movie. Fun!

As usual...my favorite quotes from the book.

Page 18. Describing Miss Bates. "And yet she was a happy woman, and a woman whom no one named without good-will. It was her own universal good-will and contented temper which worked such wonders. She loved every body, was interested in every body's merits; thought herself a most fortunate creature, and surrounded with blessings..."

Page 134. "She had taken up the idea, she supposed, and made everything bend to it." I liked this sentence showing that you can make something out of nothing if you convince yourself of an idea. Everything seems to fit that idea you've created in your head even if it's not true.

Page 206. "One cannot love a reserved person. Not till the reserve ceases toward oneself; and then the attraction may be the greater." This seemed to me like a be confident quote. I liked how it read. Negative..in a positive way.

Page 264 "I would much rather have been merry than wise." Ignorance is bliss. haha!

Page 289 "You have everybody dearest to you always at hand, I, probably never shall again; and therefore, till I have outlived all my affections, a post-office, I think, must always have power to draw me out, in worse weather than to-day." This makes me think of leaving my friends in Murfreesboro and how much I love mail!!

Page 492 "The fact was, as Emma could now acknowledge, that Harriet had always liked Robert Martin; and that his continuing to love her had been irresistible." This was interesting to me b/c it was his great love for her that kept her in love with him. Had he given up, she would have too, but since he asked again and cared so deeply, she loved him. I wonder how long or how much a relationship can depend on the great strength of one-sided love. How many people are in love just b/c that person adores them?

The Invention of Lying

This was pretty good. Glad I went but not all that I expected. I love the main character. It was alot more awkward than I thought, and it was like everyone had terrets (sp??). They told the truth, but even when people didn't ask. I think it would have been funnier if they worked that part in more subtley (is that a word?). I liked the messages, and the whole idea of choice vs. going with the group. The ending was sweet. Overall good movie.

Doctor Detroit

Bought this movie at McKay's last time we went. Watched it when I was really little with my dad, and it's so stupid that it's amazing. Dan Akroyd is a nerdy professor guy who gets suckered into helping these prostitutes escape this evil pimp by pretending he's an even meaner pimp named Doctor Detroit. So cheesy and really sweet b/c his character is all into chivalry and can't understand why these girls want to be hookers. So...next time you're in the mood for a cheesy 80's movie, pick this one up, but don't pay over a few bucks to rent it. Hehe...I also recommend Who's Harry Crumb? and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels if you're looking for similar flicks.

17 Again

I really enjoyed this romantic comedy, and I know a lot of it was sort of like a bringing-the-family-back-together type film but there is romance at the heart of it. Zac Efron is a hunk and a doll, and I think he was awesome as a 40-year old man trapped in his own 17-year old body. He was believable, and his comedic timing was perfect. I was really worried that this flashback adventure would be predictable and only mildly funny, but it was pleasantly surprising and full of good humor. Leslie Mann and Matthew Perry are two hilarious actors, and it was nice to see them starring as the romantic leads. It stinks that Perry didn't get as much screen time as Mann. I hope to see Perry in more movies soon...I miss his comedic stylings.

I also want to mention that the side love story of Ned and the principal cracked me up...their nerdiness brought them together. Loved it! Ned was awesome...same guy that played Doug in I Love You, Man. He is a hoot.

Recommended to all the romantic comedy chick flick types out there, but I think guys will get a kick out this, too.

I Love You, Man

This movie totes magotes! Paul Rudd is cute and hilarious. He plays a sweetheart of a fiance. I loved the first dinner man-date, and the kiss at the end of it was so funny. Peter Segel is great as Sydney...I'm starting to like him more with each movie he does. He was fantastic in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Rashida Jones was a delight to see on the big screen, too. I think she and Paul Rudd had excellent chemistry, and I think it's sweet that her character wanted her fiance to have guy friends. I'm glad Jones is doing movies now, and I'm looking forward to seeing her in a new season of Parks and Recreation.

This movie is hilarious, like I said, but it does have a little of The 40-Year Old Virgin vibe going on...maybe it was all the curse words, but it was not completely gross or hard to watch like that movie was in some parts. I recommend this for good laughs. It's definitely worth a rental, but I'm thinking I might buy it later. I already added it to my bday wishlist on Amazon. :o)

New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer

SPOILERS - I'm just yacking about the books overall so don't read this if you don't want to know what happens.

I finally finished the 4th book last night. I liked the story early on a lot better than as it got farther into it. Bella got kind of annoying after a while. THEY BOTH LOVE YOU WOMAN! What the heck?! How many times does someone have to tell her something before she'll believe it? I felt bad for her situation. Tough call.

I loved all the characters, and I liked how they all worked together in the end.

I thought the whole Reneeseme (sp?) part in the 4th book was pretty messed up, and I could have done without all that. Yuck. I don't have kids so I probably can't relate, but once she had her daughter, Bella was so confused. I love Edward. I'll die if he dies. I love Nessie. I'll die if she dies. It would have been interesting if she would have had to choose between the two. There's another crazy decision to make. At least in the beginning, she always knew she would choose Edward. The other ideas could have worked and could have made her happy, but there wasn't even a decision to be made. I suppose it worked out that Jacob imprinted on her and wrapped it up really nicely for a happy ending, but it was just kind of strange. I hope that the little girl grew up more, and he wasn't stuck diggin' on the little one for the rest of his life.

Adventureland

Another weird movie. What the heck? I'm on a strange streak or something. This one was really slow and awkward. Kid wanted to go to an ivy league school, but his dad last his job so the kid has to get a job at a theme park to get money. Cute nerdy kid, but now that I'm writing about it, I can't even remember what happened. I just remember I didn't like it all that much. Don't bother with it.

Sunshine Cleaning

This movie was pretty slow and kind of strange. I was disappointed, but I like all the actors. Amy Adams, that girl from Dan In Real Life that his brother ends up with and the old guy. They're all great, but the story was just weird. Amy Adam's character is trying to make some more money so she gets a job cleaning up after people die or kill themselves. Gross! It has funny parts and it ends well, but overall it's just sad. I'll stick to the happy movies.

Inglorious Basterds

Josh's movie choice after he was practically forced to watch Nights in Rodanthe while we were on vacation. I was worried based on the previews, but it ended up not being too gross. I just shut my eyes on the scalping people and beating people with baseball bats parts. Yuck. Guns I can handle, but knives cutting people...yuck. The story was good, and I liked the characters. Definitely a guy movie. Brad Pitt's accent didn't bother me nearly as much as I thought it would, and he surprisingly had no love interest in the film. That I remember. Good one to check out if you're into that sort of movie.

The Bucket List

I saw this the other night on TV. I thought it was going to be just a bunch of hilarious adventures, but there was a great deal of sadness in this movie, too. I really enjoyed the trips and the experiences that Carter and Ed shared together, and I especially liked the "Chock Full of Nuts" thing. That was really sweet. I didn't think I would do it, but I cried at the end. For the past few years, I have made lists of things to do before each year before my next birthday, and now I kind of want to make a bucket list for my life.

Good for a rental.

Twilight

Okay. I take back all the nasty comments I had about series books, and this just being a "teen" fad. I decided to read this b/c a lady at work brought it to me singing its praises. Her other recommendations have been good so I cautiously started the first few pages. Now I'm totally hooked. I finished the entire book in 3 or 4 days. Now I want the next one. Smart writer...

It's so good! You have to read at least a few chapters, and then you'll understand. It's simple but really deep at the same time. Real love and real danger all mixed together. Who knew vampires could be so sexy? Geez. The whole book is like a tease. Just talk to her already. Just make out with her already. Just change her already. I think I like it b/c it's so dramatic.

I'm ready for the next books. And I apologize to anyone I made fun of for reading it. :o)

A Year In Provence

For a short book, this took me forever to read. Another book about another country where they talk about food almost the whole book. It's good, and it's descriptive. But just not that exciting. I guess I'm a story girl, and I like for something to actually happen in the book. Need some conflict to make it good. Or some hidden meaning. Hidden meanings and conflict..conflict that is resolved. That's my type of book.

Sorry for the ramble. This book was great as far as giving you a feel for a place which I imagine was the idea. Made me want to hunt down all these little restaurants and see if they actually exist. Yum! Or made me want to live a year in Provence. Seems like an interesting group of folks.

I recommend this if you want to experience Provence from the mind of an outsider trying to understand how to live like an insider.

The Proposal

Predictable chick flick, but I loved it. Very funny indeed. Betty White is wonderful. Sandra Bullock's dance around the fire with Betty White was hilarious. I cracked up! Ramon was an interesting surprise (the guy that plays Oscar from The Office). I thoroughly enjoyed the Alaskan setting. As Tina Fey once said as Liz Lemon in an episode of 30 Rock, "I want to go to there." Ryan Reynolds is soooo hot, especially in the nude. And Sandra Bullock has done a great job of keeping her body looking smokin', too. The nude scene with those two was great and oh so funny. The end theme, of course, if you love someone let them go and they'll come back to you, worked out really well. I will probably be buying this when it gets released on DVD. Romantic movies are my weakness. Oh, one more thing, I loved Sandra Bullock's hair in this movie. She's just gorgeous.

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs 3D

Cute animated flick. I don't think the 3D element was played up enough in the graphics, though, so I feel like I wasted my money on that. The family theme was played up in this Ice Age. The adult humor was good, but it was still child-friendly. There were a lot of sweet moments, and the action/adventure in the underground dino-world contrasted nicely with the feel-good stuff. I like how the T-Rex befriended Sid, that was cute. The cuteness factor went way off the charts. I did enjoy the movie, but I felt like there was something missing the whole time...not sure what, though.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Such a good movie. Shia LaBeouf was just as hot as ever. And Megan Fox steamed up the screen as well. The action was non-stop (some might think there was too much action), and the graphics and explosions were fantastic just like the first movie. I like the tie in to Egyptian culture. The love story between the leads was cute but a bit saccharine at times with the whole who's gonna say the L-word first thing. I saw this in an IMAX theater, and it was awesome! I hope there will be a third Transformers movie...I'm sure there will be.

East of Eden - John Steinbeck

Whew! That was an enormous book. Maybe I should ask the length before I ask for recommendations on what to read next time. That took forever. I mean I read fast, but there's only so many pages you can read in a lunch break.

Okay. Overall, I liked it. Messed up book. Messed up. Cathy/Kate was scary. She makes me think of the Joker. Just pure evil, and there's no way to plan around that craziness. No reasoning with it, and at points, no stopping it. I tried to explain the story to Josh, but there were just too many turns to explain. You'd just have to read it.

I liked his writing. Kept me interested while not a whole lot was going on. Seemed like he had alot to say behind what he was really saying, and on occasion he just pulls out of character and goes on with what he wants to say even though it doesn't seem to relate. Or maybe it does, and I'm just slow. Either way. I liked all the thoughts.

I'm still not sure about the ending. Did he bless him or not? I think maybe not? Was he saying he chose to do bad when he could have overcome it so he's not going to forgive him?

I loved Lee's character, and Samuel Hamilton's. I would like to meet some folks like them.

And for the quotes....

Pg. 130 - "Sometimes a kind of glory lights up the mind of a man. It happens to nearly everyone. You can feel it growing or preparing like a fuse burning toward dynamite. It is a feeling in the stomach, a delight of the nerves, of the forearms. The skin tastes the air, and every deep-drawn breath is sweet. Its beginning has the pleasure of a great stretching yawn; it flashes in the brain and the whole world glows outside your eyes. A man may have lived all of his life in the gray, and the land and trees of him dark and somber. The events, even the important ones, may have trooped by faceless and pale. And then - the glory - so that a cricket song sweetens his ears, the smell of the earth rises chanting to his nose, and dappling light under a tree blesses his eyes. Then a man pours outward, a torrent of him, and yet he is not diminished. And I guess a man's importance in the world can be measured by the quality and number of his glories. It is a lonely thing, but it relates us to the world. It is the mother of all creativeness, and it sets each man separate from other men."

Pg. 131 - "Our species is the only creative species, and it has only one creative instrument, the individual mind and spirit of a man. Nothing was ever created by two men. There are no good collaborations, whether in music, in art, in poetry, in mathematics, in philosophy. Once the miracle of creation has taken place, the group can build and extend it, but the group never invents anything. The preciousness lies in the lonely mind of a man." Hmmm...I guess this is technically true, but it seems weird to me. What do you think??

Pg. 143 - "You have a point, Louis. But some men are friends with the whole world in their hearts, and there are others that hate themselves and spread hatred around like butter on hot bread."

Pg. 160 - "That's why I'm talking to you. You are one of the rare people who can separate your observation from your preconception. You see what is, where most people see what they expect." This is a tough one b/c, at least to me, everything is already tainted by what you think of it. So it's leaning toward your preconception already. Takes a strong character or act to push it back the other way.

Pg. 255 " 'You're never satisfied to let the Testament alone. You're forever picking at it and questioning it. You turn it over the way a 'coon turns over a wet rock, and it angers me.'

'I'm just trying to understand it, Mother.'

'What is there to understand? Just read it. There it is in black and white. Who wants you to understand it? If the Lord God wanted you to understand it. He'd have given you to understand or He'd have set it down different.' "

Ha. I like this. I like to question things, but sometimes it would be nice to just accept.

Pg. 268 "And I here I make a rule - a great and lasting story is about everyone or it will not last. The strange and foreign is not interesting - only the deeply personal and familar."

Pg. 301 "But 'Thou mayest!' Why, that makes a man great, that gives him stature with the gods, for in his weakness and his filth and his murder of his brother he has still the great choice. He can choose his course and fight it through and win."

Pg. 413 "It seems to me that if you or I must choose between two courses of thought or action, we should remember our dying and try so to live that our death brings no pleasure to the world."

Pg. 415 "They say a clean cut heals soonest. There's nothing sadder to me than associations held together by nothing but the glue of postage stamps." Boooooo.....I'd rather write that let it go.

Possession

This was an okay movie. I didn't think they built up the love enough between the two present day characters to where when they started talking dramatically to eachother I even cared. If you don't believe the love, then the cheesy love lines just sound fake. I liked the past poet guy better as a leading man. He looked his part. I liked the mystery being solved through the poetry. That's always nice. Riddles. I liked the ending, and the story moved along pretty well. Check it out if you're bored and happen to see it available.

Inkheart

This movie was so cute! If you're a nerd like me and love books and fantasy stuff, you'll love it. The characters in the books come to life whenever someone with the special gift called a silver tongue reads outloud. Then the whole movie is about the characters fighting eachother, and this guy trying to save his wife that's gotten stuck in a book. Very Neverending Storyish, and I loved it. Sigh. I love happy stories.

Austenland - Shannon Hale

My Jane Austen kick continues! This is the story of Jane, a quirky New Yorker who is gifted a fantasy trip to "Austenland" where she gets to pretend to live the life of someone similar to a Jane Austen character during Regency times. The "vacation" lasts about three weeks. Jane's trip is a fun escape, but she also uses the trip to try and prove to herself that romantic men like Mr.Darcy of Pride & Prejudice are not worth pining over and fantasizing about. There are several comedic moments (Mrs.Charming's attempt at proper British is hilarious with her "what-whats" here and there), and there are some surprising romantic twists and turns in the plot (and fun make-out sessions, too). The characters in this story aren't who they seem to be, and I was a bit confused by some of them at times. The author was able to pull the story together nicely at the end, and, even though the ending seemed liked it was put together quickly, it was a good one. I recommend this to anyone looking for an enjoyable, fast read...and I don't think Jane Austen fans will mind this bit of fluff.

Jane Austen Ruined My Life - Beth Pattillo

I love Jane Austen everything, and when I saw this book and read the first page, I knew it was coming home with me. I really enjoyed this story. It's easy to get into, the author's writing style is so relaxed and welcoming, and I wish the story hadn't ended. Persuasion is my favorite Jane Austen love story, and I'm so glad that the author chose to feature it the way she did in this novel. I wish I had my own Captain Wentworth!

Emma's story is uplifting, and I love how Beth Pattillo kind of paralleled her story with Jane Austen's in the book. I especially loved reading all the made-up letters and the fun tasks Emma had to complete. My favorite task was the last one at Chawton where Emma runs her finger across Jane Austen's writing desk when no one is looking. I can totally see myself doing that, and my heart beat even speeds up just thinking about such a rush! Oh man, to feel the power! I would love to visit all the places Emma went to during her research. Fun, fun!

The only thing I wish was different was the ending. I was hoping the author would have featured a little more about Adam and Emma reuniting in the epilogue. I was really rooting for Adam the whole time. Poor guy. Pattillo should have written more story so that Adam and Emma could get together again back in London and have a happily-ever-after. Those are always nice...but the final ending does suit the story and leaves the reader wondering what will happen next. Sometimes at the end of a really good book, it is nice not really knowing the rest. It made for a good "find yourself" type story, and even though there was not as much romance as I would have liked, it was still a satisfying, fun read. I'm definitely keeping it to read again in the future.

Stern Men - Elizabeth Gilbert

It started out well enough, but I lost interest halfway through. I couldn't finish it and took the book to my local used store for credit. Sorry, Ms. Gilbert. I loved Eat, Pray, Love, and I couldn't put it down, but I gave up trying on this story.