Did anyone else catch the sneak preview of Eragon? I can't wait to see this. C and I are really enjoying the book.

And the little dragon. How can you look at the little blue guy and not say, "Awww."

Thanks to Miss Zoot for the heads up on one more reason to be thankful this week.

The new teaser trailer for HP Order of the Phoenix

Don't say I never gave you anything!

We just got home from seeing The Departed.

Wow! And then oh! Wow! Noooo! Holy Crap! No way! Wow!

What a movie. Honestly, we are a little stunned and twitchy after seeing it. A real review is just not possible yet. Go see it. You'll understand.

But I finally got Shopgirl in the mail yesterday.

What a great movie. Completely broke my heart. Loved it.

Sparky took me out on a hot date last night to see Clerks 2. We loved the first one so sneaking out to see a grown up movie seemed even more fun when it was for this sequel.

My review? Three words. Mr. Pillow Pants. I can't say more than that without either a)ruining that part or b)laughing so hard I run the risk of not being able to breathe again. Bonus points for "Mr. Listerfiend." If you've seen the movie you are now slewing beverage of choice onto your computer screen...sorry.

I had a great time and laughed very loudly for most of the movie with the other four people in the theater. Was it as good as the first? Hard to say. But I think it lived up to it. Is it smart and witty humor? Hell no. It's Clerks--what were you expecting? But it's funny, crude, inappropriate, irreverent and a fun night out.

We saw a mom there with her son--he was about 12-13 yrs old. I don't even want to know what she was thinking. And I don't envy her trying to explain most of that movie to him later on!

If you liked the first one you'll like this one. I still go into fits of laughter when Sparky mentions Mr. Pillow Pants. The kind of uncontrollable giggle fits that leave you gasping for air.

in case you haven't had a chance to catch it in the theaters...

brokeback mountain (as performed by bunnies in 30 seconds)

i love the bunnies.

off to see chronicles of narnia.

who wants to shovel out the driveway? ha! that's why i had kids!

i saw it. did you see it???

i will hold off reviewing 'til after the weekend. but i will say that i really enjoyed this one. this is my least favorite of the harry potter books but that isn't the case at all with the movie.

ok, ok. go see it and then we'll chat.

and yes, we were, speaking of good movies....

tonight's selection is dogma

j walked in at one point and said, "cool! you're watching a movie with snape as an angel!"

too bad he is still a bit young to see this one....

B* has a fun post about her favorite movies and what draws her to them. i was going to post a list of my favorites but i find that really difficult to do--to choose.

so what i thought might be fun is my list of movies that i probably shouldn't like, but do. the cheesier ones that you can't help watching or, more embarassingly, quoting!

c'mon. 'fess up. what are your guilty movie pleasures?

a baseball movie starring harry connick, jr?

be still my heart ;)

good movie written by john grisham. and the cool part was that they found little league players and taught them to act instead of trying to teach actors to fake baseball.

(and also, you are in big trouble if i ever get my hands on you...but that's a different story!)

thank you joss whedon for serenity. for giving us what was promised. for remembering that there is more to sci-fi than special effects. for believing that just because we can use cgi doesn't mean it needs to fill every screen. for knowing that characters and smart writing make a movie whether it is set in the old west or the distant future. and most of all thank you for being the best at what you are--a storyteller.

i can't wait to go and see it again. wanna go? i'll buy the popcorn!

****spoilers****

i know serenity can't get here soon enough for me.

the reviews are starting to trickle in and they look encouraging. i can't go opening night because i have to be a responsible adult (ha!) but i will be there first thing saturday morning. if you aren't familiar with this show, get out and rent it.

i am giddy that it is finally coming out but a litle sad that my partner in crime is too far away to see it with me.

important safety note:

while doing the fraggle dance is fun, spirited and, if done with enough enthusiasm--good exercise...don't get so wrapped up in dancing your cares away that you forget you are filling a large pot of water in the kitchen.

you have no doozers to clean it up and will be forced to mop up the mess yourself.

ah well, worries for another day.

my kids are watching frankenfish on sci-fi (yes, they are shining up that mom of the year trophy as we speak, thanks)

frankenfish? it's like my nightmares. lol. i can't imagine a scarier premise for a really awful movie. maybe mummers chasing me down a dark alley waving a hypodermic and a dentist drill.

*shudder*

this movie is a nightmare in every sense of the word. and the boys are loving it, of course. for this...tomorrow we watch all five hours of pride and prejudice i figure to 8 and 11yr old boys...that is a horror movie. and hey, fair is fair.

the boys and i have been waiting for this movie for a little while now and were excited enough to run over on opening day to see it.

i liked this movie. but that's the problem. i liked it but i wanted to love it.

it was fun to look at--the sets, the colors, the costumes, and yes, matt damon and heath ledger aren't harsh on the eyes. the story was entertaining enough but it was shallow. not in a scary dude, where's my car? kind of way but shallow as in it never delved into the gritty, textures of the tales. yes, it was dark and blustery, but it seemed as though even the darkness and bluster were window dressing. maybe that was terry gilliam's way of representing the brothers. they are, after all, akin to snake oil salesman for much of the film. but it still left me with a feeling that it really could have been great and settled for good. there are flashes of what it could have been scattered throughout and they are almost enough to make it work. almost.

i love fairy tales and folk lore and often considered focusing on that area instead of medieval or combining the two (you know, thereby limiting even further any possibility of getting a job!) i understand that for the purpose of plot they had to make adjustments. they just chose to adapt such a large number of tales that you never felt drawn to any of them, including the tale of the film itself.

if you like gilliam's films, and i generally do, (who doesn't love monty python and the holy grail??) you will like this. you will laugh at gilliam's particular brand of dry and dark humor and you will enjoy the camp quality that the film has at times. it isn't a bad film. i just wanted more. i want to be able to say, "go. run and see this. right now." but i think, unless you are like me and need to see for yourself, you might want to rent this one.

guess what i got today? ok, that pretty much gives it away, but i have spent most of the afternoon watching season one of the muppet show. (wow! joel grey looks so young!)

i was in the mall this afternoon and stumbled over it. it just begged to come home with me. i remember being so excited if it was monday night. we got to eat in the living room and watch kermit and gonzo and miss piggy. 7:30. channel 2.

while i was in the store the man said, "do you know what is coming in september?" now, being a movie junkie i started running over all the titles i knew were due out soon, but this man just shook his slightly balding head and grinned at me. he knew something good. i had to play his game, be a people person *shudder* to get the info. but it was worth it...in september we can all dance our cares away, down at fraggle rock!! and because i pre-ordered...i get a free doozer.


i was so excited and i could think of only one person who would understand my glee at muppets and fraggles, the one who had watched with me in the living room, eating our tv dinners in aluminum trays (salisbury steak for me, fish sticks *blech* for her). she was so excited she made me run back in and reserve one for her so she could get a doozer too! lol.


everyone needs one of these!


dance your cares away....worries for another day...let the music play....down at fraggle rock..."

i saw it! i saw it!


first of all, i went in knowing that this was not a remake of my beloved movie. so i reread the book before we went. i wanted a real sense of the book to be fresh and not just the movie.


ok...so....i loved it. i loved the buckets' house. i loved the factory. i cried...cried...when charlie found his ticket. (shut up!)
yes, willy wonka himself was much different then the character created by gene wilder. this movie is different. i have such a soft spot for the original that i did miss the oompa loompas of the past...but this movie stands on its own with its quirky interpretation that does run closer to that of the novel.


i need to see it again. i need to see it when i am not just so excited to be there that i feel a bit like charlie bucket.


will you like it? not if you are looking only for the original. but if you love the story, the idea of willy wonka, then you will love it.

went to the movies this afternoon with j and c and one of c's buddies.


- batman was amazing. a little story heavy for younger "when is the bat coming???" boys but the best of the batman movies by far. go see it on the big screen. liam neeson, morgan freeman, michael caine, and christian bale....oh yeah, and katie holmes.


- you know it's summer action movie time when there is a line for the men's room and not the ladie's room


- difference between men's room line conversation and ladie's room conversation post-movie?
men: "i gotta get one of those cars! did you see that??"
women: "oh my god! did you see his eyes?? he was amazing! he is definitely the best batman."
(and for the record...oofah!! batman can save me any day!)


- liam neeson is amazing but it is hard to not think of him as a jedi master when he breaks out the ninja moves.


- best for last category: i love previews. i think i love them more than the movies sometimes. something about the anticipation of what's to come. better yet are surprise previews--when you had heard something about the movie but didn't know there was a trailer yet.
today's list:
- dukes of hazzard: hot men, no story, kids love the car stunts. we'll hold off on that one.
- war of the worlds: have been waiting forever for this one and j is more excited than i am.
- charlie and the chocolate factory: i can't tell you how giddy i am about this movie. hubby had to shoosh me because i kept clapping and squealing just a little during the trailer. i will be there opening day. i've got a golden ticket (ok, i have an amc ticket and that will still get me in!)
- (drum roll please......) today's best trailer and loudest geeky squeal???
serenity
eeeeee! i think i may even have peed a little. lol.
when the name "joss whedon" came up on the screen my equally geeky offspring started squealing "that's the 'buffy' guy!!!"


don't know what serenity is about??
you need to go rent firefly right now on dvd. go. shoo. (i don't have to 'cause i have my very own copy thanks to the other person i know who will be squealing little geeky squeals of joy!)


you'll thank me.
i will be there on opening day. i will be there for the damn midnight preview if there is one. yes, i am that geeky and that excited!


on edit: here's the trailer for serenity and i just read that they have a three movie contract!!! could i be happier?

we saw it.

i won't ruin anything, although we all knew the ending...
i will say that it is the best of the three prequels, that knowing the end doesn't make it less exciting, and that for those of us who grew up afraid of darth vader's rasping breath...all the little hairs on your arms will be standing on end.

thank you john williams, one of my personal idols, for the perfect score.

i need to see it again to have even the slightest bit of objectivity. this time was all about nostalgia and tying up all the loose ends. it was about watching through your hands as they covered your eyes, shaking your head to warn anakin even though you knew he wouldn't listen, and smiling and nodding every time you recognized a connection to the movies you grew up with.

and for those of us who remember travelling to the next town over so we could see it in a movie with that "new" surround sound...this movie brings some of that back. i can't wait to go see it again.

****possible spoiler in extended*****

since i have already upped my geek quotient today by posting evidence of my undying love for buffy the musical, i thought i would cap it off with a movie review of hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy.

yup, we went on opening night. it was fun. but before you run out on my recommendation, a few random bits and pieces:

- my love of this movie could have something to do with the nostalgic connection i have with this story. i clearly remember linking my "coolness" with my love of this book. what does that say about my teenage self? afraid i can't answer that one for you. but i am fairly sure that the answer to this one isn't "42."

- another reason that i enjoyed this was my geekish lit side. i want to rip this apart over late night martinis and pick apart every last little bit. interested? oh c'mon.

- the point of view ray. when you fire this gun at someone they immediately see your point of view. it was "invented by a group of housewives who had become utterly sick of ending every domestic argument with the words "you just don't get it, do you?" you know you want one.

- marvin - the depressed and paranoid robot voiced by alan rickman. 'nuff said.

it was fun. a little slow at times, and very campy, but the kids enjoyed it on the surface level (sci-fi aliens and all that) and i think that after 20 or so years, i may be up for a re-read. if you have fond memories of the book, you'll enjoy it.

so long and thanks for all the fish....

no not the mets. we are still not discussing that. i am trying not to grumble and trying to remember that i should be happy that there is at least baseball to listen to. winter is way too long.

we went to the movies to see fever pitch this afternoon. no, it isn't going to win awards. but i laughed out loud. often. and it was cute and fun and if you are a sox fan, a fan that knows what it's like to cheer for the underdog year in and year out, or just a baseball fan...this one is definitely worth seeing.

in the end, it's the only good baseball i got to see all day.

i got a surprise in the mail today! my very own copy of firefly!
i am the luckiest person ever.

thank you! thank you! thank you!

went to see shark tale yesterday. it was fun, smart and brilliantly animated. stunning. it's no nemo in terms of story, but it is a fun time and a good laugh.

great cast and lots of little inside jokes.

i know i have said this before here
but for the love of all that is good, if you can't control your damn kids or for that matter yourself stay the hell home!!! you are not so important that you can't go an hour and a half without taking a call and if you are stay the hell home!!! seeing a pattern here??

movie starts at 4:00 that means you should get there by then. not sneak in bent over like we can't see you and do the bugs bunny " 'scuse me, pardon me, 'scuse me, pardon me" routine through the whole damn theater.

ok, i will post it again (in case you didn't follow that link).....this time pay attention and don't make me bitchslap you with a twizzler, k?

a few things from today's outing to the movies:


- they pay millions of dollars for the clever little "turn off your cell phone" trailer/commercials. everyone sat and watched them. are you that f-ing stupid? turn it off or i will choke you with my twizzlers


- next time you think it would be a good outing to bring the entire future delinquents prison day camp to the movies, think again. and if the hungover college students in charge can't keep them from hoot hooting and clapping to each song on the soundtrack (over the dialogue!) stay the hell home. i don't care how cute you think you are in matching camp t-shirts. i think i am twitching from the effort not to freak out and say something. but really, i was outnumbered and some of those little buggers looked pretty damn scary.


- the movie starts at 1:30. not 1:35, not 1:40. if it is a new movie and you don't believe in birth control and therefore have nearly a dozen kids...get there before the damn thing starts. don't come in at the end and then split up surrounding us like a wagon train so that we are forced to endure "psssst....can you pass the popcorn?" ..."shhh, honey don't kick the nice lady"....."i know you have to pee but you are going to have to hold it"


- it is not ok to give up and let your kid run up and down the stairs so they won't whine. i recommend large doses of benadryl. if they can't sit they can't stay. not fair? too f-ing bad.


i have kids. i know they can be difficult sometimes at a movie. i can tolerate the occasional kicked seat or a kid that is mostly good and the parents are on top of it if they forget. but if they can't sit still and don't even want to see the movie. stay home. get a sitter. wait for the dvd. and for god's sake don't sit by me. those damn yu-gi-oh sneakers hurt when your little darling kicks my shins for two hours because he has to sit on your lap and wriggle because you didn't bother to get there in time. eventually i am going to kick back. you have been warned.

yup, they've cast him...

honestly, i believe he can be evil. i had to sit through the english patient
*shudders*


now that was scary stuff.


found over at rue's

i decided to venture out to rehearsal last night. figured i was feeling better so i would give it a go. i got in the truck when the sky opened up. i was soaked just from running the 25ft from the door to the truck. it was the kind of rain that even wipers set to whoopee can't keep up with. i battled the rain and the crazy drivers to get to rehearsal. the parking lot was empty. not one car. hmm. probably not a good sign. i probably should have called to make sure there was rehearsal. ugh.

while driving home i thought why should i give up my one night out in the last few months sans kids? i deserve a break, right? damn right i do! so i go in the house and announce that i am going to the movies. to see a chick flick. alone.
seems J doesn't quite understand this concept and starts looking up movies we can all see. ummm. no. i am going. you are staying. me go. you stay.
(small words help)


so i managed to see de-lovely

hot movie date tonight ;)
went to see troy with a good friend. eye candy everywhere. brad pitt as achilles was...well...naked. and he's brad. friggin. pitt. but i would have taken hector anyday! oofah. orlando bloom as paris was a little disappointing but it is hard to like his character. there were just hot sweaty men everywhere in skimpy little outfits. seems fair, dontcha think?

oh, wait, the movie...well, i haven't read it in so long that i spent a good part of the night wracking my brain trying to remember all the things as they should have been. was it a good movie? yes. a little long and at times a little over done. but not a bad movie. there were some holes that were so big you could drive a large wooden horse truck through them, but i couldn't remember all of the story. so, when i got home, i climbed up on a chair and reached up to the highest shelf in the tallest tower in the bookcase and found my dusty old copy of the iliad. add it to the list.

i was amused at the amount of scottish actors or at least actors from braveheart there were in the film. kilts, little roman outfits...tomato, tomahto. lol. ok, but it was a little odd to see the cast of braveheart hanging out in troy.

it was good though. and fun to see with a friend who makes as many snarky comments as i do. and one who was unrelenting in encouraging my giggle fit at the beginning of the film. besides who can resist a little "and then lancelot, bedevere and i will jump out of the horse". lol. c'mon. someone had to do it!

so it was fun. if you were looking for big summer epic, go on. if you are looking for an accurate retelling you aren't going to find it.

so now i have one more book on my summer reading list, and if a movie can do that, it isn't all bad.

i'm holdin' out for a hero 'til the morning light....

just got back from shrek 2.

i was afraid that they couldn't live up to the first one. but i shouldn't have been. it was the same sharp, funny writing. the same jokes that are never dumbed down for kids and plenty for the adults. c was laughing big deep belly laughs throughout the whole thing. j giggled and winked whenever he noticed a parody of another movie. it was just good fun.

the animation was stunning. the expressions on shrek make you want to hug him. and i don't care if antonio banderas is a cat in this movie (and a darn cute one)...that man's voice alone is worth the price of admission. lol. "beg for mercy from puss...in boots" mmmm. ok.

i won't give away any of the fun. but go on and see it and then we'll talk.

stay til the end of the credits though, k?

ok, i spared the men gone with the wind.

after going to see ella enchanted (which was surprisingly somewhat enchanted) i felt the need to continue the cary elwes fest.

i didn't know that eric idle, cary elwes, and minnie driver were in ella!

so that immediately required a viewing of the princess bride.

(which also requires a re-reading of princess bride! )

oh, it also requires a martini...or maybe that's just because it's friday...or a day ending in a "y"

less than a month til peter pan on dvd. i have always been fascinated with this story in all of its tellings. i love this version though. so gorgeous. (at this very moment i am listening to the soundtrack from Hook, another of my favorite pan retellings. John Williams never ceases to amaze me. So incredible that so many of the themes from so many of the films we love all came from the mind of this man. Want a list? Curious? take a look! no matter how many times i scroll through that list i never cease to be completely blown away by the man's talent, brilliance and ability to capture the essence of a film in a single theme or motif. )

may 21 is shrek 2

and *drum roll*

june 4 is harry potter!!! (another brilliant score by williams!)

can't wait! who wants to go?

i got to see not one but two movies this weekend. saw hidalgo with the boys yesterday and went with "the professor previously known as the fraggle*" today to see the mel gibson flick fiasco.

i will give you the all important reviews in the extended entry. i will try not to give anything away, although with the second one...not much chance of that.

but happiness is sunday night hbo. sopranos! and catching up on my six feet under.

*i need a new name for the fraggle as he is becoming de-fraggletized and it no longer seems appropriate...

yes, i finally went to see it. second star to the right and straight on 'til morning.

before i give you my opinions you should know that i love this story, that it makes me cry when we read it, see the play, even the disneyfied version gets to me....there is something about the struggle not to grow up and the realization of what is lost if you don't.

this movie was beautiful. the backdrops, each and every one, reflected a victorian feel without getting tangled in victorian fastidiousness. the colors expressed mood, the skies evoked emotions.

i originally had my doubts about jason isaacs as hook, but he makes you believe. peter is perfect. jeremy sumpter is peter pan. he has all the bravado of someone who knows no consequences and all the fears of a child who is still learning that he doesn't know everything.

it is, as the original novel was, witty and clever, an adventure, a love story, a fable....

i do believe in faeries...

it wasn't watered down and sugar coated and there are parts that might make the littlest ones jump, but it is after all an adventure.

i went in wanting to love this movie and i left teary eyed and sighing. if you love the story you will love the movie. if you don't, it may just be another retelling of a fairy tale...and possibly you are too much of a pirate to listen to stories any more anyway.

need to watch this every once in a while...

k-k-k-ken.....

LOL. I don't remember kevin kline being that young!

just got home from seeing "Pirates of the Caribbean"

swashbuckling, wonderful summer fun. and johnny depp and orlando bloom
thrown in too? i think i need to be captured by some pirates!

busy two days. not writing my paper of course, but i did see two movies!

yesterday i escaped with lara to see matrix reloaded. loved it. i was in geek heaven discussing and analyzing every possible plot twist and turn for the next one. the only complaint i had was that the action scenes seemed a bit long and drawn out. a little too much car chase. a little too much keanu floating suspended in time before kicking some smith butt. but it was well worth it to get to the end, or at least the break between sequels. need to see this one again. questions...questions...questions...

this afternoon i took the whole family to see daddy day care. bit of a change in gears and not exactly the philosophical romp that matrix was, but it was fun and i laughed til my sides hurt. good, easy, no brainer. if you have kids (or a husband..same sometimes isn't it??) then it is even funnier. you know if you are married that the thought of your husband not only being in charge full time, but running a day care is enough to send you into dizzying fits of laughter. (i am sure there are some guys out there right now thinking they could do it...more power to you, really!)

one of the best lines was in the trailer for the movie (of course):
speaking to another dad: "can't men do everything that women can??"
other dad: "no, no we can't."

so two fun movies on the opposite ends of the spectrum. much better than a paper.

I don't like Hugh Grant. I know. People are out there oohing and aahing over him, but what can I say? He just doesn't do it for me. He's smarmy, pretentious, and sloppy. But last night I rented "About A Boy" and it just might have been my favorite rental in a long time.
Hugh was...well...appealing. In a smarmy but satisfying kind of way. This movie was well written and fun and avoided almost all the the pitfalls of chick flick cliches.
I might even watch it again today.
Speaking of good movies...you need to watch the NakNak movie! We had so much fun playing...err...researching the features of the new digital camcorders yesterday. On a day when I really needed a smile, I laughed until my sides hurt.
Today I am off to take the boys, the camera, (and NakNak) to the drive thru safari at Great Adventure.

Oscar nominations were announced and looky looky here...Chicago leads with 13 nominations. (Everyone but Richard Gere got a nod!)

I am soooo happy!!!!

OMG!! Just got home from seeing the first showing of The Two Towers. It was an intense, nail biting, watching through frightened fingers, anxious, amazing, incredible movie! So much more intense than the first one! Oh....and for those of you looking for a last minute Christmas idea to go with my house elf....a life size Aragorn would be perfect. Oofah!!

Went with my friend who was as excited as I was to see this and the only description we could manage to mutter afterwards for quite some time was "Wow" "uh-huh...wow"
Is it any wonder we are English majors with that kind of repertoire??
Need some popcorn and my DVD of Fellowship of the Ring to round off the evening. I am in geek heaven!