Seeking Camelot: Movies

Another Good Movie...

Mon, 05 May 2008 20:13:26 GMT

Saturday afternoon, M and I went to the movies. We haven't done that in a long time and you can't beat a Sat. matinee of a movie that you've wanted to see in a LONG time. We've been waiting anxiously for the release of 'Iron Man'.

I don't follow comics that much, so don't know the story lines behind most of these superhero movies that have been coming out. And M knows just enough to add a little bit of interesting background tidbits. He said Iron Man is one of his favorite superheroes because Tony Stark actually just builds the suit and does all this cool stuff. He doesn't get zapped by gamma rays or get bitten by a radioactive spider...it's just him and his way cool superhero suit.

I really liked the movie. For one thing, it's got a great soundtrack...if you're into metal at all. Ozzie's "Iron Man" track plays at the close and is used a lot in the trailers...and the movie's opening scene runs on AC/DC's "Back in Black". There's a lot of other good ones in this movie!

I think the main thing I really liked about the movie was Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark. I've always liked him...all through the 80s...even through all his troubles with addictions and his legal battles. He's one of the few celebrities that I've always rooted for. And now, after battling those demons and coming out on top, he's back in rare form. There is so much about him to like. He has the coolest voice. He has gorgeous eyes. He's got a quirky quality to him...even when he's playing a bad guy. And he's immensely talented!

This is one movie that honestly has you laughing one minute and on the edge of your seat the next...with a lot of great visual effects! M and I both really liked it and left the theater saying that that was one movie we would definitely own!

After we left the theater, we decided to stop for lunch. Considering things are pretty tight right now, I kind of hesitated...until I remembered that I had a $10 gift card to Panera in my purse! lol With all the work that I've been doing with one of the girls in Missionettes so that she can earn her Honor Star achievement, she and her mom gave me thank you cards and the Panera gift card. They were sneaky too...even talking to A to find out what restaurants I like! lol So, M and I were able to eat lunch for $2! lol (I wasn't real hungry after eating popcorn during the movie, so I split a sandwich with him and he ordered a cup of soup.) We haven't had a "date night" in a LONG time...although this technically was a "date afternoon". lol

Has anyone else seen any good movies lately?

Guinevere

Movie Diva...or Cinemaholic?

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:31:10 GMT

I'm so anxious to get home tonight. A and I made a Blockbuster run last night and I picked up 2 movies I've been wanting to see. I'm guessing that, by the time I get home, I'm going to be ready to just veg on the couch for the night. lol

The first one is 'August Rush'. Freddie Highmore is great! What a talented kid!!! He was wonderful in 'Neverland' and was absolutely adorable in 'Charlie & the Chocolate Factory'. I'm anxious to see this one! Anyone else seen it?

The other one is a not-so-obvious choice...'Murder on the Orient Express'. Albert Finney, Anthony Perkins, Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman...among others. How could you go wrong? But, I'm also a big Agatha Christie/Hercule Poirot fan. I'm sooooooo anxious to see this one! The only thing that would make it better is if it was more current and starred David Suchet as Poirot.....hmmmm.....

I also just got a notification in my email from our local library that another movie I had put a hold on was in and ready to pick up: 'Jane Eyre'. I read the book YEARS ago and remember the basic premise of the story, so I'm anxious to see that too.

Do you think I could manage to commandeer the television for six hours tonight to watch all 3??? lol

On Friday, A and I had gone to the library and checked out some books and movies. I did get a couple of movies and watch them on Friday. One was the BBC version of Sense and Sensibility. Although I liked it, there were alot of things portrayed differently in this version as opposed to the Emma Thompson/Hugh Grant version I have. I'm really going to have to MAKE time to read the book and find out how it "really happened". Another movie I checked out was 'The Turn of the Screw'. It was a Masterpiece Theater production and was good, but it was a tad on the creepy side and left "so many unanswered questions". That's another that I think I'm going to have to look up the book....maybe the book ends differently....? Anyone know?

I have a penchant for old movies...esp. old black and white Cary Grant movies. He was such a hoot! A and I watched 'His Girl Friday' last week and we were both laughing our heads off at times. Talk about a screwball comedy! The whole movie is just mass chaos, but if you listen closely and pay attention, there is so much really, truly funny stuff in it! I absolutely adore Cary Grant movies! One of my favorites is 'The Awful Truth'. Here's a clip...but, first, a note: The obnoxious woman is his soon-to-be ex. She's decided that she's still in love with him and doesn't want a divorce, but is too proud to come right out and tell him. He's dating this heiress. Previously, his STB ex answered the phone in his apt. and it was his new fiancee, so he told her that it was sister. So......she poses as his sister at the dinner of the heiress' parents. I know, kind of confusing, but hilarious! Watch his reactions...

Comic genius! lol

Guinevere

Here's Another One...

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 17:50:53 GMT

Another great 80's (well, 1989 anyway) movie! (Oh, this movie is also more popularly known as 'Heathers' and not 'Lethal Attraction'.)

Dark, twisted, romantic comedy...you gotta love Christian Slater in this one! Is it just me or does he seem to be channeling Jack Nicholson?

You gotta love YouTube! lol

Guinevere

Remember This....

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 14:11:23 GMT

Remember this?

I've just been taking a stroll down memory lane on YouTube this morning. I LOVED this movie! It's Nicolas Cage's first movie as Nicolas Cage. He was in 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' as Nicolas Coppola.

The soundtrack for this movie is awesome!!! It includes tracks from Josie Cotton, The Plimsouls, Modern English, Psychedelic Furs and a lot more great stuff!

Guinevere

Bridge to Terabithia

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:05:50 GMT

Last night, A and I watched a movie together...Bridge to Terabithia. I remember that I wanted to see it when the previews were out, but it just wasn't one that we got the chance to see in the theater. I thought it would be a cute movie with some nice special effects.

I don't want to give anything away if you haven't seen the movie yet or read the book, but have some tissue handy later in the movie. You'll need it. Usually A will sit up and say, "You're not crying, are you, Mom?" and tease me during tear jerkers, but this time she didn't...because she was crying too! When it was over, she said, "I don't want to see that movie again." lol I'm anxious to read the book!

While watching the friendship between Jess and Leslie develop, and esp. at the point in the movie when Leslie convinces Jess to swing across the creek on the rope, memories from 7th grade came flooding back.

I had a friend like Leslie when I was in 7th grade. Her name was Theresa and her family moved into our area the summer before school started that year and moved away the summer after. There were 4 of us who ran around together in 7th grade that year and Theresa was the ringleader. I used to think she was "sparkly". lol

She was always smiling and looking for the good in everything. She wasn't scared to try ANYTHING! (Sometimes THAT'S what scared me more than what she actually wanted to do! lol) She would stand up to anyone. She was an explorer with an imagination...just like Leslie.

During this time frame, my dad was farming, so we lived out in the middle of nowhere. One weekend, I had my three friends, Stacy, Kim, and Theresa, spend the night with me.

The farm we lived on had TONS of land surrounding it....all fields and pasture. In the pasture was a small pond and a creek that ran away from it. To get to the creek, you had to walk about a half mile. My younger sister and I used to go "exploring" at the creek all the time in the summer. We'd be gone for HOURS sometimes.

Well, this particular weekend, my friends and I went on an "adventure" down along the creek.

If you've seen the movie, remember Jess and Leslie finding the old rusted out pickup and the dilapidated tree house?

My friends and I found an old, wooden wagon that had been rolled down into the creek YEARS before. It had moss growing on it and there was a tree about 2 feet thick at the base right in the path that the wagon had to have taken to get where it was. We climbed down and "examined" it. 2 of us had cameras with us, so Theresa climbed in and made us take her picture. I still have it.

We found alot of other things...most of which I just barely remember...but the one thing we found that was awesome was a spot in the creek that had dug out a trench between two trees. Walking along the creek bed (the creek itself was more like a stream really...it was only about 2 inches deep in most places), the banks rose to about 8 feet high...and on either side were two HUGE trees. The roots had become entangled and the creek had carved out a perfect little alcove under the roots of these two monster trees.

We spent a lot of time in our "special spot" that afternoon. The water was clear and COLD and ran over small pebbles and stones. There wasn't much green or pretty flowers there yet since it was still early spring...probably late March or early April.

The funniest part of my being a part of this group of friends? Well, that "clique" lasted one year. One of the girls in the group had been a bit of a bully to me all through elementary...so I'm not sure why she was nice to me that year...probably just because Theresa had assigned herself as my "protector" in a weird way and Kim wanted to be Theresa's friend more than she didn't want to be mine. lol Kim and I were amicable...but didn't hang out together if Stacy or Theresa wasn't there.

Stacy's and my parents had been CLOSE friends since I can remember! Whenever they got together, Stacy and I would hang out and do "girl stuff". At school, we never really hung out in the same friends group, though, in elementary, even though we called one another friends. In 8th grade, we split ways again and hung out with other people, but we wrote notes back and forth all year! How funny is that? Every morning, she would hand me a letter she wrote the night before...sometimes they were LONG...like 6 pages...and other times they were short...just a paragraph. Then, at home that night, I would answer her letters. Some long, some short. That's one of my favorite memories. She was always a friend even though we didn't run in the same circles....the rest of high school. And she's still a friend now...even though she lives 1000s of miles away.

Theresa is the one who pulled me into the group. She made friends SOOOOO easily...as her older sister and brother did....so she could pick and choose who she wanted to be friends with. And I was one she picked. Me and Stacy....Kim picked her and just made herself a part of the group. Theresa kind of made it her "job" to protect me. She always made me feel important. I was so horribly shy and quiet, but she always went out of her way to include me in the "girl talk sessions" and in our activities. And she told me how pretty and funny I was....when no one else had ever told me that before. She made me feel really special and everything she poured into me in 7th grade carried over to high school and beyond. She's a very significant part of my life history and why I am the way I am.

Funny how certain people can come into your life for a short time and make such a huge impact! The friends that I had all 4 years of high school pale in comparison. Weird.

I have no idea where Theresa is now. Maybe our paths will cross again someday, but even if they don't, I'm glad I knew her and that she was my friend.

PS I had such a crush on her brother, Frank! He was the first boy I ever REALLY slow danced with. *sigh* But he was "adventurous" just like her and scared the bejeebers out of me! lol I was so naive.

Guinevere

Facing the Giants

Sat, 29 Sep 2007 01:41:59 GMT

Believe it or not, I FINALLY got around to seeing this movie tonight! I've been wanting to see it for a long time...but just never had the chance.

The acting isn't Oscar quality, but the story is incredible (a little predictable)...and so is the soundtrack (Casting Crowns and Third Day...oh yeah!). I think I cried through about 70% of it!

If you haven't seen it yet, it's worth the rent...and will make you see things about yourself that you didn't see before.

Raw truth.

Very cool.

Guinevere

Spiderman 3

Sat, 05 May 2007 16:33:34 GMT

So, did anyone else go to the opening of Spiderman 3 last night? We had to go. There was no getting out of it. The kids were both gone (N to my parents' and A to a friend's), so we made a date night last night.

So far, I've enjoyed all of the Spiderman movies so far. Good special effects and good character development. I'm sure those who are more into the comics and know the "real" Peter Parker might have some criticisms, but, overall, I thought they were very well developed.

Spiderman 3 is no different.

LOTS of action sequences and LOTS of villians! And a little bit of a surprise at the end.

Thomas Hayden Church as the Sandman was awesome! I've loved him in practically everything he's been in. And, anyway, who couldn't like Lowell ("Wings")? Fortunately, he's a good actor and didn't get stuck in the stereotype of the bumbling mechanic for the rest of his career!

By far, the big special effects surprise was VENOM!!!

I could only find one decent online pic of Venom from the movie and it wasn't very good quality.

The special effects team went over and above expectations on him! I couldn't believe how much he came out looking like Venom from the strip! Wow! If you go to the movie just to see that, it'd be worth it.

Incredible!

We really enjoyed it and we'll definitely buy it when it comes out on DVD. It's worth seeing a second time!

So, when all is said and done, I will give Spiderman 3 four and a half "OMG"s.

*************************

In other news, we looked at 3 other houses on Thursday. One was definitely out. It was priced a bit above what we wanted to spend, but after seeing it, it was obvious they probably wouldn't come down on their price much. Also, it had no dining room...just an area in the kitchen for a 4-seater table and chairs. (So much for family dinners at our house!)

The other 2 are a toss up. We batted around the idea of both houses Thurs. night, then Fri. morning, then Fri. afternoon, and finally decided that we would both just pray about it and then unveil our individual decisions together Sun. night to see what we both want to do. If we're in agreement, then we'll move forward. If not, then we'll wait and see what else is out there.

I have my decision made and am keeping it silent. Locked up and ready for the unveiling. I really hope that M is in agreement. That would make things so easy.

Of course, if one of them sells out from under us, then...well...I guess we'll rethink our plans. lol

Keep your fingers crossed for us!

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ready to move!

Guinevere

Whale Rider

Mon, 12 Jun 2006 02:32:25 GMT

It’s been a slow, lazy Sunday. I love it! It stormed during the night last night and then was cloudy and cool all day, but it was great to just be home relaxing.

Since I was having a very mellow Sunday, I decided to watch Whale Rider again. This is one of my absolutely favorite movies. On a scale of 1 to 5, I give it a 5 Kleenex rating.

Every time I see it, I cry my eyes out. Very well done…and a beautiful story.

Synopsis (courtesy of Icon Film Distribution Ltd.):

A magical and deeply moving story of a young girl's struggle to fulfill her destiny, Whale Rider is an award-winning film from New Zealand filmmaker Niki Caro.

In a small New Zealand coastal village, Maori claim descent from Paikea, the Whale Rider. In every generation, a male heir has succeeded to the chiefly title. The time is now. When twins are born, and the boy twin dies, Koro, the chief, is unable to accept his granddaughter, Pai, as a future leader.

A few years later, Koro is convinced that the tribe's misfortunes began at Pai's birth and calls for his people to bring their sons to him, in the hope that the new leader is among them. Pai loves Koro more than anyone in the world, but she must stand up to him and a thousand years of tradition to reveal the true way forward.

Here are some pictures from the movie:

If you haven’t seen Whale Rider, you have to give it a chance. This viewing, M and A (daughter) actually sat and watched the last half with me. The tear ducts got a good cleansing!

Overall, the weekend was great…unfortunately, it’s back to work tomorrow.

Guinevere

Back to the Future

Tue, 16 May 2006 17:19:54 GMT

Last night, I was channel surfing looking for something good to watch. I don’t usually watch much tv in the evenings, so it’s always an adventure when I sit down to find something on. As I was flipping through, I caught a scene from “Back to the Future”. Wow! That brought back memories!

“Back to the Future” was the first movie that my husband and I saw together as a couple shortly after we started dating. It contained something very prophetic. Most people wouldn’t know this about the movie. But it made us both look at one another and laugh. To this day, it’s so weird to hear the closing line to the movie.

You see, my husband’s name is Marty. Do you remember Marty McFly’s girlfriend’s name? Yeah, that’s right. Jennifer. At the end of the movie, Doc says, “Marty, Jennifer, you have to go back to the future.” When Marty asks, “Why, Doc? Do we become a$$holes or something?” And Doc says, “No, Marty. It’s your kids. We have to do something about your kids.”

We laugh every time we see it and tell our kids, “Now, aren’t you glad we went back to the future and took care of things so that you aren’t a couple of losers?”

To this day, it’s still one of my all-time favorite movies!

Guinevere