Saturday, September 24, 2011
Passing
Last week Bruce's grandma, Eva Loebrich, passed away at the age of 91. We drove up to Ohio a week ago today, just got in the car & went, to be there with the family. We are very grateful for the time we had together with our loved ones. As always in these situations, we had to leave in a hurry & we are thankful for our coworkers here in NC who willingly took on extra shifts/duties on short notice to make it possible for us to go. We are also thankful for all the small blessings from friends & family who sent messages, came to the services, dropped by to visit, & housed us while we were in town. All those gifts of love made a difficult time easier & allowed us to honor Grandma & our family.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Super Cinema Synopsis
For various reasons beyond our control (technical issues, work schedules, etc.), we went a significant portion of the spring without being able to post here online. The issues actually began shortly before the Oscars, denying us the ability to do our usual live blogging of the show. Additionally, the problems meant I wasn't able to post movie reviews of all the stuff we saw after the Oscars.
So here goes! Moms, to save you time if you don't want to read the whole post, I think the only films on this list that you could actually see are Midnight in Paris and Winnie The Pooh. Anyway, here are some brief thoughts on the 22 films we've seen since March.
The Adjustment Bureau
Matt Damon is David, an aspiring politician. When he meets Elise (Emily Blount), a ballet dancer, his focus changes & he looks to spend his life with her rather than pursuing advanced political office. But obstacles keep cropping up; despite his desires, David loses contact with Emily & his attempts to reconnect fail. Then he meets some men who tell him that there is a plan for his life & he must follow it, no matter what he wants. David, however, is not one to give up.
At the offset, I was expecting this to be another Bourne Identity-type movie, but it wasn't. In the end it went in a slightly different direction than I would have guessed & I really enjoyed it. Nice, fun film.
Red Riding Hood
Valerie, daughter of the woodcutter, is in love with Peter, but her parents have arranged for her to marry the rich Harry. Learning this, Valerie & Peter decide to run away together, but then Valerie's older sister is killed by the werewolf that has terrorized the town for generations. Town leaders bring in a famous werewolf hunter who locks down the town. The townspeople also learn that this werewolf could be any one of them, thus instigating panic & causing many of the citizens to plot & turn against each other. All while the werewolf continues to attack the townsfolk.
Yes, people, this is Red Riding Hood a la Twilight. The cinematography is gorgeous, the story & acting are okay, the ending was actually a little unexpected. Bruce & I enjoyed it, but this is really just fluffy fare for those of us who are into fantasy werewolf films. Don't be fooled, however, it is rather bloody at points.
Sucker Punch
A teenage girl witnesses her stepfather in the act of abusing her younger sister & attacks him. In turn, he commits her to an asylum for the criminally insane where she is set for a lobotomy. Once he leaves, she finds that the girls in the institution are being groomed to perform for rich patrons of the asylum, & she herself must also learn to do so. She is given the nickname Baby Doll &, as she finds her style, she meets a wiseman who gives her guidance on how to achieve her quest. Baby Doll & the other girls then prepare to escape by distracting the patrons. Or do they?
I described this movie as "David Lynch directs Kill Bill as a video game." Layer upon layer of twisty plot, you're never sure what's real, what's symbolic, & what the symbolic symbolizes. The cinematography & effects are amazing to boot - ooh, delicious! This is still my favorite film so far this year.
Hanna
Hanna is being raised by her father in a remote northern location where he is training her in survival & fighting skills. When she feels she is ready, the teenage Hanna activates a beacon which alerts others to their presence. Her father leaves, having set up a rendezvous with her at a later date. Commandos infiltrate & capture Hanna, taking her to a military site. She escapes & begins making her way to her father. On her journey she learns a lot about herself, her father, & the things she was taught to believe.
Overall, the movie is probably pretty predictable, but golly it was interesting to try to stay a step ahead & figure out what was going on. Another fun, action-thriller!
Source Code
Jake Gyllenhall is Army helicopter pilot Colt Stevens. His last memory is flying a mission in Afghanistan when suddenly he wakes up on a commuter train. The girl across from him appears to know him & talks with him about certain events that he doesn't remember. There is an explosion &, the next thing he knows, Colt is in some sort of isolation chamber talking with an Air Force major. She tells him there is a suspected terrorist plot connected to the explosion on the train & that he must "find the bomb, find the bomber." He is sent back & wakes up at the same point in time on the train. He continues this process in 8-minute long attempts, looking at the incident from all angles, in the attempt to complete his mission.
This was an enjoyable movie, but it could have been better. It's a lot easier to guess what's going on in this one. The ending is obvious. The acting is all right & the effects are cool. There are some fun scenes as Colt starts taking crazy risks knowing he's just going to reset in 8 minutes anyway. Good popcorn flick, although also violent.
The Conspirator
President Lincoln is assassinated. Seven men & one woman are arrested & charged with conspiracy in the crime. A rookie lawyer is assigned the defense of the lone woman - Mary Surratt - whose boarding house was the site of occasional visits from John Wilkes Booth.
This was a good, strong acting vehicle with a really interesting true story to tell. Of course, when Robert Redford directs you can certainly plan on getting good pacing & great performances! It's just too bad this came out so early in the year, it's definitely Academy-standard fare. Still might get a Best Actress nod for Robin Wright, that was a good, meaty part, & good actress parts are hard to come by.
Your Highness
Two princes unite to save the heir apparent's fiancee from an evil sorcerer before their kingdom is destroyed. Along the way they meet a brilliant female warrior on a mission to avenge her family. As their quests coincide, they team up for a while. They face a minotaur, gain a magic weapon, are captured, escape, & eventually must face the sorcerer as he undergoes casting his evil spell.
Okay, I was iffy on this one at first, it's a slapstick comedy, which we don't usually like, but it's a medieval adventure a la dungeons & dragons, which we usually do like. Then I read a comment from a friend of mine - a film director in his own right - about how he really liked it despite what the reviews were saying. So, we took a friend who was interested in it & went to the movies. Well, it was awful. Way too many penis jokes (& penises in general), too many "poop jokes & pratfalls" (which will turn me off every time). It could have been better, but it went below sophmoric & down to "junior high-ish." Just not good.
Water for Elephants
Robert Pattison steps away from his iconic vampire role to play Jacob, a veterinary student whose life takes a sudden turn when his parents are killed in an accident leaving him destitute. Unable to finish school, he runs away & joins a circus where his animal-handling skills gain him a job & a bed. Ring Master August runs a tight ship. His wife Marlena is his star, but despite her beauty & talent, the show is not drawing in crowds & the troupe's finances are slim. August hits on an idea for an attraction when he buys Rosie the Elephant & asks Jacob to train her to work with Marlena. The ring master's hard drinking & violent tendencies make him dangerous....especially when the spark of romance flares between Jacob & Marlena.
Reese Witherspoon & Christopher Waltz are fantastic in this. Pattison is okay - he has color to his skin & is easy enough on the eyes to make Witherspoon's attraction to him believable. The plot is fairly predictable, but interesting. The best actor in the movie, of course, is the elephant.
Thor
Kenneth Branagh shows that he's not just a Shakespearean actor, he can direct him an action flick in this movie based on Marvel comic's interpretation of the Norse god of thunder. Young & eager, Thor wants to lead the Asgard forces against an ancient enemy. Odin casts Thor out for his disobedience, causing him to arrive on Earth. He meets scientist Jane Foster & establishes a bond with her that changes him. In the meantime, Loki is stirring up trouble on a grand scale back in Asgard.
Okay, I've been a Marvel girl since I first started reading Spider-Man at the age of 7, but I've never read their Thor comics. So I couldn't say whether the film stays true to the comic mythology, but we could argue for days on whether comics stay true to their mythology, so.... Back to the movie, if you go in putting aside any preconceptions of mythology - comic or Norse - & set yourself to watch a comic book action flick, you'll have a grand old time!
Priest
Inspired by a graphic novel series, Priest tells the story of a post-apocalyptic world where the church rules society with an iron fist. The priests are chosen by their God-given skills, which may manifest in childhood or later in life, to fight evil in all its forms, but more specifically in the form of vampires who are terrorizing the human population. One priest disobeys orders from the council of cardinals to go & rescue his niece who has been captured by a tribe of vampires.
Yes, the plot was predictable. Yes, the acting was on par with the plot. But man, the costumes, the sets, the effects, the concept...oh, I enjoyed this movie! It was cool to see Paul Bettany playing the action hero & the unattainable love interest for once, instead of the goofy/nerdy sidekick he usually is. It was hilariously funny to us True Blood fans to see Stephen Moyer playing a human victim (he's the Vampire King on the HBO series). The downsides to Priest were: it was only released in 3D in our area - & it wasn't filmed in 3D - & the movie itself is so dark that it was actually hard to see any detail through the after-market 3D conversion, & it is apparently only inspired by the graphic novel series, the plot of the movie has nothing to do with the comic books. Bummer, I liked the film so much, I would have bought the comics.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Captain Jack Sparrow & his rival Captain Barbosa are on a quest to find the fountain of youth. Jack has the map, & the compass which points to what you want most. Additionally, his ex, Angelica, knows what is needed to complete the ritual to activate the fountain. But she has a chip on her shoulder and an ulterior motive that even Jack doesn't know about. And then there's the British army to worry about.
Sure, some of the jokes are getting a little stale. A lot of the plot seems recycled from the other films. But Johnny & Geoffrey Rush are so good!
X-Men: First Class
This is the origin story of how Charles Xavier and Eric Magnus became Professor X and Magneto, how their backgrounds shaped their decisions, and how their friendship bound & eventually separated them. Potentially a brilliant reboot of the franchise with reintroductions of many integral Marvel characters.
A while back Joss Whedon wrote a 24-issue arc of Astonishing X-Men. At the end of the first issue there's a big reveal panel as the X-Men re-appear in their traditional blue & yellow X uniforms. It's delirious, squiggly, fan-girl happy-making to see. This movie feels just like that! Sure, it deviates from the previous movies' mythology, but it goes back to a lot of the comic book mythology - while pulling in more - & does so fabulously. It was great & I really hope they're going to rebuild the franchise on this set-up.
Green Lantern
Test pilot Hal Jordan's fast-living takes an unexpected turn when an alien crash-lands on Earth. The alien's ring chooses Hal to take over his role as a Green Lantern. This is the first time a human - considered to be "too young" a race - is so chosen. Hal has to overcome resistance from the rest of the Green Lanterns & from within himself before figuring out his true path.
Yes, it's been a great summer to be a comic book geek! I'm a Marvel girl & Green Lantern is a DC title, so I am sure there are discrepancies that I didn't catch - & some I did - but all in all it was a fun film.
Winnie the Pooh
Pooh Bear wakes up one morning to realize he has no honey. At Christopher Robin's he finds a note that he can't read & takes it to Owl, who interprets it as Christopher having been kidnapped by the mysterious Backson. The animals then set a plan in motion to capture the Backson & rescue their friend Christopher Robin.
Done in the traditional animation style of the original Oscar-winning Pooh films, this movie brings more stories from the original books to the big screen. Yes, there's new voice talent, but they are all spot on. It is cute, clever, funny, & fun - for adults & kids alike. The credits are incredibly fun, too - the guys are bouncing through them, playing games, chasing bees, poor Eeyore hangs by his tail off a row of credits for two rotations! - & there's a bonus scene at the end. Really! This movie is on my Christmas list already.
Harry Potter 7, pt. 2 (twice)
Harry, Ron, & Hermione continue the quest for the remaining horcruxes - magical items which allow Lord Voldemort to extend his life, even should his physical body be killed - while the Dark Lord himself continues to exert control over the wizarding world. Snape is now headmaster & rules Hogwart's with an iron hand. Even so, a resistance is growing amid students, professors, & wizards at large who align themselves with Harry. It all comes to a head with the boy wizard facing his nemesis in a battle to the death.
Yes, we went opening night. Yes, we went again the following weekend to see it in IMAX 3D. Brilliant! The book is much better, but the movie is a very good adaptation considering what they had to do to make it all fit into a film. The actors have really grown up in these rolls, so much that it is easy to identify with them. Of course, Alan Rickman has been deliciously devious as Snape throughout the franchise - & who doesn't love Dame Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall? The effects are great - amazingly better in IMAX 3D, in fact! - & it is just tremendous fun to ride along to the end with this cast of characters we've grown to love.
Captain America
Steve Rogers is determined to join the Army & fight in World War II, but his small size & poor health have hindered his goals. Until a scientist sees his determination & selects him for a special program. The secret growth hormone the scientist has developed changes Steve into a strong, fast, hale & hearty fighter, but the Army doesn't know what to do with him.
Did I mention what a great summer it is to be a comic book geek?! This movie was great! A good period piece, a good character piece, & a great premise starter...'cause this kicks off next summer's The Avengers, directed by the amazing Joss Whedon. The bonus scene at the end is the preview for it, in fact. Great fun all around!
Cowboys & Aliens
Daniel Craig wakes up alone & wounded in the middle of the desert. He has a strange shackle on one wrist & no memory of what it is or how it got there. In fact, he has no memory at all. He beats up a group of bandits who try to rob him, steals some clothes & a horse, & rides into the nearest town. Only to find that he is a wanted man & has somehow crossed the town's benefactor, a rich livestock wrangler played by Harrison Ford. But bygones become bygones when aliens suddenly attack the town & start abducting residents.
Put together Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, & director Jon Favreau doing an epic period piece combining two diverse genres? Holy smoke, what can go wrong? Well, not all that much actually, but the movie just gets by on its cred, it doesn't really sing. The acting & plot are kinda flat. The effects are cool. It's fun, it just doesn't knock it out of the park.
The Tree of Life
A family of 5 comes of age in the 1950's. The controlling father & free-spirited mother clash over raising their three boys, as the father deals with having given up his dreams to take a job & support the family. The middle son's unexpected death a few years later shatters the family. The eldest son draws on his memories & relationship with the divine to eventually come to terms with the loss.
This movie is trippy! You're never really sure what happened to the middle son. You leap around in time quite a bit through flashbacks. There's this incredibly lengthy segment that Bruce called the "Windows Screen Saver" part. It's like 30 minutes (really!) of CGI effects that tell the story of the Universe from the Big Bang to Modern Day. There are stars being born, planets set into orbit, cells dividing, dinosaurs crawling out of the primordial ooze, meteors striking them down, lots & lots of underwater photography, beautiful scenic vistas of mountains & valleys...all set to opera music. Then suddenly you discover that the eldest of the three sons, as an adult, is Sean Penn. He's an architect, & he's very depressed. He has visions of buildings & angels, of beaches & loved ones.
I remember thinking that if Professor Bogart hadn't retired from K College, this movie would totally be in film class next semester. He would have loved it's hearty dollops of symbolism & archetypal characters. I hated it. It was supposed to be this epic cinematic oeuvre, but I thought it was long, drawn-out, confusing, overdone, & awful.
Midnight in Paris
Gil & his fiancee Inez go to Paris with her parents. While Inez' father John is there on business, Inez & her mother Helen shop for wedding & household supplies. Meanwhile, Gil, a Hollywood screenwriter, is hoping the ambiance of the City of Lights will spark his creativity & reinvigorate his writing career.
This is Woody Allen's latest foray as a writer/director & he is in peak form. Not as slapstick as Sleeper or his other big hits in the 70's, but equally brilliant. The plot is pretty obvious, but the acting is terrific & really pulls everything together. Like many of his movies, the cast is huge & full of famous people all putting in perfect performances. Allen himself is not in the movie, Owen Wilson stars as Gil. I don't normally like Wilson, his usual fare falls into the "poop jokes & pratfalls" category which is one I actively avoid. But he is amazing in this film! I found myself thinking that they could end up being another actor/director pair on a par with Fellini & Marcello Mastrioanni, & what a great move that would be for Owen Wilson. Folks, this is really a movie worth seeing for his performance alone, but you'll also enjoy how good everyone else is & how well the ensemble comes together. See it.
Fright Night
People in a sleepy Vegas suburb keep mysteriously disappearing. Badly damaged corpses keep turning up. Meanwhile, Charlie Brewster has managed to overcome his geeky childhood to become a popular high schooler with a beautiful girlfriend...& a vampire for a next door neighbor.
Oh golly, my friends laughed at me, but I have been sold on this movie since I found out about it like a year ago! The original Fright Night (1985) is one of my all-time favorite vampire films - it's campy, but so good (thanks for loaning it to me for a re-view, Peter!). The remake has Colin Farrell, who is awesome, & the truly delicious David Tennant. Oh, I was SO in from the beginning! Additionally, it's written by Marti Noxon, of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame. Oh yeah! People, it's even that good - really! In 3D, no less! Oh yes! The plot is eerily parallel & yet slightly off-kilter from the original, but all the better for the times it does sync back up & then drift back apart. The acting is so much better. The costuming (oh why did we think that stuff was fashionable in '85?) is lots better here, too. The effects are tremendous - the soundtrack is great. Oh, it was so so good!
A Few Brains More: Summer of Blood
After falling into the Lazarus Stream, Lily has spent more than 100 years tracking Dead-Eye McShane & taking out the zombies he's created. Many years ago Lily destroyed the stream, but McShane has enlisted the aid of scientists to replicate the water's special chemical combination. He plans to unleash his new creation at a Woodstock-like concert in 1971. Lily continues in her role as Zombie Slayer, aided by the zombified Jack & a few "meddling kids" they encounter along the way.
This movie - the sequel to A Fistful of Brains - was made by my friend & colleague Christine Parker. We used to work together at the TV station. She had a screening at the theater on campus in Chapel Hill & it was too cool that other folks from the station were able to come out & support her & local filmmaking. Christine had put together a cool clip reel of outtakes & behind the scenes footage that was showing in the theater while we waited. The movie itself is funny & clever - it has some gross parts that the squeamish (me!) should close their eyes through, but for the most part even the gross stuff is stylized to be funny. The actors have really come together & are having a great time. There were some new cast members this time around, but they fit right in seamlessly. I liked the plot of this one better than the last one, I thought it flowed better. Guess what? I think there's going to be another one.
Conan: The Barbarian
The son of a barbarian chief & his wife, Conan is born by improvised Ceasarean section when his mother is cut down in battle. She lives long enough to name the baby there on the battlefield. Conan is raised by his father, who is a brilliant swordsmith. However, a rival clan leader & his sorceress daughter are seeking the pieces of a mystic mask which will give the wearer the power of a god. After they kill Conan's father & decimate his clan to get the piece, the young barbarian grows up with a goal of taking down that rival clan chief.
I've never seen the original film version with Arnold Schwarzenegger. (I know, right?!) Nor have I read the books. Bruce says this was probably a better film simply because the art of filmmaking has improved. Overall, it's a really straightforward, predictable movie. The acting is okay. Jason Momoa is very easy on the eyes. The cinematography is nice. But it's just an okay film.
So...by now we've got to have the Sound Effects, Sound Editing, & Special Effects categories locked up for next year's Oscars, right?
So here goes! Moms, to save you time if you don't want to read the whole post, I think the only films on this list that you could actually see are Midnight in Paris and Winnie The Pooh. Anyway, here are some brief thoughts on the 22 films we've seen since March.
The Adjustment Bureau
Matt Damon is David, an aspiring politician. When he meets Elise (Emily Blount), a ballet dancer, his focus changes & he looks to spend his life with her rather than pursuing advanced political office. But obstacles keep cropping up; despite his desires, David loses contact with Emily & his attempts to reconnect fail. Then he meets some men who tell him that there is a plan for his life & he must follow it, no matter what he wants. David, however, is not one to give up.
At the offset, I was expecting this to be another Bourne Identity-type movie, but it wasn't. In the end it went in a slightly different direction than I would have guessed & I really enjoyed it. Nice, fun film.
Red Riding Hood
Valerie, daughter of the woodcutter, is in love with Peter, but her parents have arranged for her to marry the rich Harry. Learning this, Valerie & Peter decide to run away together, but then Valerie's older sister is killed by the werewolf that has terrorized the town for generations. Town leaders bring in a famous werewolf hunter who locks down the town. The townspeople also learn that this werewolf could be any one of them, thus instigating panic & causing many of the citizens to plot & turn against each other. All while the werewolf continues to attack the townsfolk.
Yes, people, this is Red Riding Hood a la Twilight. The cinematography is gorgeous, the story & acting are okay, the ending was actually a little unexpected. Bruce & I enjoyed it, but this is really just fluffy fare for those of us who are into fantasy werewolf films. Don't be fooled, however, it is rather bloody at points.
Sucker Punch
A teenage girl witnesses her stepfather in the act of abusing her younger sister & attacks him. In turn, he commits her to an asylum for the criminally insane where she is set for a lobotomy. Once he leaves, she finds that the girls in the institution are being groomed to perform for rich patrons of the asylum, & she herself must also learn to do so. She is given the nickname Baby Doll &, as she finds her style, she meets a wiseman who gives her guidance on how to achieve her quest. Baby Doll & the other girls then prepare to escape by distracting the patrons. Or do they?
I described this movie as "David Lynch directs Kill Bill as a video game." Layer upon layer of twisty plot, you're never sure what's real, what's symbolic, & what the symbolic symbolizes. The cinematography & effects are amazing to boot - ooh, delicious! This is still my favorite film so far this year.
Hanna
Hanna is being raised by her father in a remote northern location where he is training her in survival & fighting skills. When she feels she is ready, the teenage Hanna activates a beacon which alerts others to their presence. Her father leaves, having set up a rendezvous with her at a later date. Commandos infiltrate & capture Hanna, taking her to a military site. She escapes & begins making her way to her father. On her journey she learns a lot about herself, her father, & the things she was taught to believe.
Overall, the movie is probably pretty predictable, but golly it was interesting to try to stay a step ahead & figure out what was going on. Another fun, action-thriller!
Source Code
Jake Gyllenhall is Army helicopter pilot Colt Stevens. His last memory is flying a mission in Afghanistan when suddenly he wakes up on a commuter train. The girl across from him appears to know him & talks with him about certain events that he doesn't remember. There is an explosion &, the next thing he knows, Colt is in some sort of isolation chamber talking with an Air Force major. She tells him there is a suspected terrorist plot connected to the explosion on the train & that he must "find the bomb, find the bomber." He is sent back & wakes up at the same point in time on the train. He continues this process in 8-minute long attempts, looking at the incident from all angles, in the attempt to complete his mission.
This was an enjoyable movie, but it could have been better. It's a lot easier to guess what's going on in this one. The ending is obvious. The acting is all right & the effects are cool. There are some fun scenes as Colt starts taking crazy risks knowing he's just going to reset in 8 minutes anyway. Good popcorn flick, although also violent.
The Conspirator
President Lincoln is assassinated. Seven men & one woman are arrested & charged with conspiracy in the crime. A rookie lawyer is assigned the defense of the lone woman - Mary Surratt - whose boarding house was the site of occasional visits from John Wilkes Booth.
This was a good, strong acting vehicle with a really interesting true story to tell. Of course, when Robert Redford directs you can certainly plan on getting good pacing & great performances! It's just too bad this came out so early in the year, it's definitely Academy-standard fare. Still might get a Best Actress nod for Robin Wright, that was a good, meaty part, & good actress parts are hard to come by.
Your Highness
Two princes unite to save the heir apparent's fiancee from an evil sorcerer before their kingdom is destroyed. Along the way they meet a brilliant female warrior on a mission to avenge her family. As their quests coincide, they team up for a while. They face a minotaur, gain a magic weapon, are captured, escape, & eventually must face the sorcerer as he undergoes casting his evil spell.
Okay, I was iffy on this one at first, it's a slapstick comedy, which we don't usually like, but it's a medieval adventure a la dungeons & dragons, which we usually do like. Then I read a comment from a friend of mine - a film director in his own right - about how he really liked it despite what the reviews were saying. So, we took a friend who was interested in it & went to the movies. Well, it was awful. Way too many penis jokes (& penises in general), too many "poop jokes & pratfalls" (which will turn me off every time). It could have been better, but it went below sophmoric & down to "junior high-ish." Just not good.
Water for Elephants
Robert Pattison steps away from his iconic vampire role to play Jacob, a veterinary student whose life takes a sudden turn when his parents are killed in an accident leaving him destitute. Unable to finish school, he runs away & joins a circus where his animal-handling skills gain him a job & a bed. Ring Master August runs a tight ship. His wife Marlena is his star, but despite her beauty & talent, the show is not drawing in crowds & the troupe's finances are slim. August hits on an idea for an attraction when he buys Rosie the Elephant & asks Jacob to train her to work with Marlena. The ring master's hard drinking & violent tendencies make him dangerous....especially when the spark of romance flares between Jacob & Marlena.
Reese Witherspoon & Christopher Waltz are fantastic in this. Pattison is okay - he has color to his skin & is easy enough on the eyes to make Witherspoon's attraction to him believable. The plot is fairly predictable, but interesting. The best actor in the movie, of course, is the elephant.
Thor
Kenneth Branagh shows that he's not just a Shakespearean actor, he can direct him an action flick in this movie based on Marvel comic's interpretation of the Norse god of thunder. Young & eager, Thor wants to lead the Asgard forces against an ancient enemy. Odin casts Thor out for his disobedience, causing him to arrive on Earth. He meets scientist Jane Foster & establishes a bond with her that changes him. In the meantime, Loki is stirring up trouble on a grand scale back in Asgard.
Okay, I've been a Marvel girl since I first started reading Spider-Man at the age of 7, but I've never read their Thor comics. So I couldn't say whether the film stays true to the comic mythology, but we could argue for days on whether comics stay true to their mythology, so.... Back to the movie, if you go in putting aside any preconceptions of mythology - comic or Norse - & set yourself to watch a comic book action flick, you'll have a grand old time!
Priest
Inspired by a graphic novel series, Priest tells the story of a post-apocalyptic world where the church rules society with an iron fist. The priests are chosen by their God-given skills, which may manifest in childhood or later in life, to fight evil in all its forms, but more specifically in the form of vampires who are terrorizing the human population. One priest disobeys orders from the council of cardinals to go & rescue his niece who has been captured by a tribe of vampires.
Yes, the plot was predictable. Yes, the acting was on par with the plot. But man, the costumes, the sets, the effects, the concept...oh, I enjoyed this movie! It was cool to see Paul Bettany playing the action hero & the unattainable love interest for once, instead of the goofy/nerdy sidekick he usually is. It was hilariously funny to us True Blood fans to see Stephen Moyer playing a human victim (he's the Vampire King on the HBO series). The downsides to Priest were: it was only released in 3D in our area - & it wasn't filmed in 3D - & the movie itself is so dark that it was actually hard to see any detail through the after-market 3D conversion, & it is apparently only inspired by the graphic novel series, the plot of the movie has nothing to do with the comic books. Bummer, I liked the film so much, I would have bought the comics.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Captain Jack Sparrow & his rival Captain Barbosa are on a quest to find the fountain of youth. Jack has the map, & the compass which points to what you want most. Additionally, his ex, Angelica, knows what is needed to complete the ritual to activate the fountain. But she has a chip on her shoulder and an ulterior motive that even Jack doesn't know about. And then there's the British army to worry about.
Sure, some of the jokes are getting a little stale. A lot of the plot seems recycled from the other films. But Johnny & Geoffrey Rush are so good!
X-Men: First Class
This is the origin story of how Charles Xavier and Eric Magnus became Professor X and Magneto, how their backgrounds shaped their decisions, and how their friendship bound & eventually separated them. Potentially a brilliant reboot of the franchise with reintroductions of many integral Marvel characters.
A while back Joss Whedon wrote a 24-issue arc of Astonishing X-Men. At the end of the first issue there's a big reveal panel as the X-Men re-appear in their traditional blue & yellow X uniforms. It's delirious, squiggly, fan-girl happy-making to see. This movie feels just like that! Sure, it deviates from the previous movies' mythology, but it goes back to a lot of the comic book mythology - while pulling in more - & does so fabulously. It was great & I really hope they're going to rebuild the franchise on this set-up.
Green Lantern
Test pilot Hal Jordan's fast-living takes an unexpected turn when an alien crash-lands on Earth. The alien's ring chooses Hal to take over his role as a Green Lantern. This is the first time a human - considered to be "too young" a race - is so chosen. Hal has to overcome resistance from the rest of the Green Lanterns & from within himself before figuring out his true path.
Yes, it's been a great summer to be a comic book geek! I'm a Marvel girl & Green Lantern is a DC title, so I am sure there are discrepancies that I didn't catch - & some I did - but all in all it was a fun film.
Winnie the Pooh
Pooh Bear wakes up one morning to realize he has no honey. At Christopher Robin's he finds a note that he can't read & takes it to Owl, who interprets it as Christopher having been kidnapped by the mysterious Backson. The animals then set a plan in motion to capture the Backson & rescue their friend Christopher Robin.
Done in the traditional animation style of the original Oscar-winning Pooh films, this movie brings more stories from the original books to the big screen. Yes, there's new voice talent, but they are all spot on. It is cute, clever, funny, & fun - for adults & kids alike. The credits are incredibly fun, too - the guys are bouncing through them, playing games, chasing bees, poor Eeyore hangs by his tail off a row of credits for two rotations! - & there's a bonus scene at the end. Really! This movie is on my Christmas list already.
Harry Potter 7, pt. 2 (twice)
Harry, Ron, & Hermione continue the quest for the remaining horcruxes - magical items which allow Lord Voldemort to extend his life, even should his physical body be killed - while the Dark Lord himself continues to exert control over the wizarding world. Snape is now headmaster & rules Hogwart's with an iron hand. Even so, a resistance is growing amid students, professors, & wizards at large who align themselves with Harry. It all comes to a head with the boy wizard facing his nemesis in a battle to the death.
Yes, we went opening night. Yes, we went again the following weekend to see it in IMAX 3D. Brilliant! The book is much better, but the movie is a very good adaptation considering what they had to do to make it all fit into a film. The actors have really grown up in these rolls, so much that it is easy to identify with them. Of course, Alan Rickman has been deliciously devious as Snape throughout the franchise - & who doesn't love Dame Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall? The effects are great - amazingly better in IMAX 3D, in fact! - & it is just tremendous fun to ride along to the end with this cast of characters we've grown to love.
Captain America
Steve Rogers is determined to join the Army & fight in World War II, but his small size & poor health have hindered his goals. Until a scientist sees his determination & selects him for a special program. The secret growth hormone the scientist has developed changes Steve into a strong, fast, hale & hearty fighter, but the Army doesn't know what to do with him.
Did I mention what a great summer it is to be a comic book geek?! This movie was great! A good period piece, a good character piece, & a great premise starter...'cause this kicks off next summer's The Avengers, directed by the amazing Joss Whedon. The bonus scene at the end is the preview for it, in fact. Great fun all around!
Cowboys & Aliens
Daniel Craig wakes up alone & wounded in the middle of the desert. He has a strange shackle on one wrist & no memory of what it is or how it got there. In fact, he has no memory at all. He beats up a group of bandits who try to rob him, steals some clothes & a horse, & rides into the nearest town. Only to find that he is a wanted man & has somehow crossed the town's benefactor, a rich livestock wrangler played by Harrison Ford. But bygones become bygones when aliens suddenly attack the town & start abducting residents.
Put together Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, & director Jon Favreau doing an epic period piece combining two diverse genres? Holy smoke, what can go wrong? Well, not all that much actually, but the movie just gets by on its cred, it doesn't really sing. The acting & plot are kinda flat. The effects are cool. It's fun, it just doesn't knock it out of the park.
The Tree of Life
A family of 5 comes of age in the 1950's. The controlling father & free-spirited mother clash over raising their three boys, as the father deals with having given up his dreams to take a job & support the family. The middle son's unexpected death a few years later shatters the family. The eldest son draws on his memories & relationship with the divine to eventually come to terms with the loss.
This movie is trippy! You're never really sure what happened to the middle son. You leap around in time quite a bit through flashbacks. There's this incredibly lengthy segment that Bruce called the "Windows Screen Saver" part. It's like 30 minutes (really!) of CGI effects that tell the story of the Universe from the Big Bang to Modern Day. There are stars being born, planets set into orbit, cells dividing, dinosaurs crawling out of the primordial ooze, meteors striking them down, lots & lots of underwater photography, beautiful scenic vistas of mountains & valleys...all set to opera music. Then suddenly you discover that the eldest of the three sons, as an adult, is Sean Penn. He's an architect, & he's very depressed. He has visions of buildings & angels, of beaches & loved ones.
I remember thinking that if Professor Bogart hadn't retired from K College, this movie would totally be in film class next semester. He would have loved it's hearty dollops of symbolism & archetypal characters. I hated it. It was supposed to be this epic cinematic oeuvre, but I thought it was long, drawn-out, confusing, overdone, & awful.
Midnight in Paris
Gil & his fiancee Inez go to Paris with her parents. While Inez' father John is there on business, Inez & her mother Helen shop for wedding & household supplies. Meanwhile, Gil, a Hollywood screenwriter, is hoping the ambiance of the City of Lights will spark his creativity & reinvigorate his writing career.
This is Woody Allen's latest foray as a writer/director & he is in peak form. Not as slapstick as Sleeper or his other big hits in the 70's, but equally brilliant. The plot is pretty obvious, but the acting is terrific & really pulls everything together. Like many of his movies, the cast is huge & full of famous people all putting in perfect performances. Allen himself is not in the movie, Owen Wilson stars as Gil. I don't normally like Wilson, his usual fare falls into the "poop jokes & pratfalls" category which is one I actively avoid. But he is amazing in this film! I found myself thinking that they could end up being another actor/director pair on a par with Fellini & Marcello Mastrioanni, & what a great move that would be for Owen Wilson. Folks, this is really a movie worth seeing for his performance alone, but you'll also enjoy how good everyone else is & how well the ensemble comes together. See it.
Fright Night
People in a sleepy Vegas suburb keep mysteriously disappearing. Badly damaged corpses keep turning up. Meanwhile, Charlie Brewster has managed to overcome his geeky childhood to become a popular high schooler with a beautiful girlfriend...& a vampire for a next door neighbor.
Oh golly, my friends laughed at me, but I have been sold on this movie since I found out about it like a year ago! The original Fright Night (1985) is one of my all-time favorite vampire films - it's campy, but so good (thanks for loaning it to me for a re-view, Peter!). The remake has Colin Farrell, who is awesome, & the truly delicious David Tennant. Oh, I was SO in from the beginning! Additionally, it's written by Marti Noxon, of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame. Oh yeah! People, it's even that good - really! In 3D, no less! Oh yes! The plot is eerily parallel & yet slightly off-kilter from the original, but all the better for the times it does sync back up & then drift back apart. The acting is so much better. The costuming (oh why did we think that stuff was fashionable in '85?) is lots better here, too. The effects are tremendous - the soundtrack is great. Oh, it was so so good!
A Few Brains More: Summer of Blood
After falling into the Lazarus Stream, Lily has spent more than 100 years tracking Dead-Eye McShane & taking out the zombies he's created. Many years ago Lily destroyed the stream, but McShane has enlisted the aid of scientists to replicate the water's special chemical combination. He plans to unleash his new creation at a Woodstock-like concert in 1971. Lily continues in her role as Zombie Slayer, aided by the zombified Jack & a few "meddling kids" they encounter along the way.
This movie - the sequel to A Fistful of Brains - was made by my friend & colleague Christine Parker. We used to work together at the TV station. She had a screening at the theater on campus in Chapel Hill & it was too cool that other folks from the station were able to come out & support her & local filmmaking. Christine had put together a cool clip reel of outtakes & behind the scenes footage that was showing in the theater while we waited. The movie itself is funny & clever - it has some gross parts that the squeamish (me!) should close their eyes through, but for the most part even the gross stuff is stylized to be funny. The actors have really come together & are having a great time. There were some new cast members this time around, but they fit right in seamlessly. I liked the plot of this one better than the last one, I thought it flowed better. Guess what? I think there's going to be another one.
Conan: The Barbarian
The son of a barbarian chief & his wife, Conan is born by improvised Ceasarean section when his mother is cut down in battle. She lives long enough to name the baby there on the battlefield. Conan is raised by his father, who is a brilliant swordsmith. However, a rival clan leader & his sorceress daughter are seeking the pieces of a mystic mask which will give the wearer the power of a god. After they kill Conan's father & decimate his clan to get the piece, the young barbarian grows up with a goal of taking down that rival clan chief.
I've never seen the original film version with Arnold Schwarzenegger. (I know, right?!) Nor have I read the books. Bruce says this was probably a better film simply because the art of filmmaking has improved. Overall, it's a really straightforward, predictable movie. The acting is okay. Jason Momoa is very easy on the eyes. The cinematography is nice. But it's just an okay film.
So...by now we've got to have the Sound Effects, Sound Editing, & Special Effects categories locked up for next year's Oscars, right?
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Recycling Update
Regular readers will remember that we have been disappointed with the availability of recycling since we moved in the summer of 2008. At that time, our apartment complex did not offer the service because their previous contractor had voided the contract when tenants did not separate their trash from their recycling, thus polluting the whole process. Our first solution was to go to one of the county recycling centers, which happened to be just up the street from our grocery store. We bought lidded bins which we kept in our kitchen and hauled to the recycling center when we went shopping.
This was fine until the county decided to give homeowners larger, lidded, rolling curbside bins for collection and closed all the community recycling centers. Only the main one at the town dump remained open and that location had limited hours. Apartment complexes should have begun providing facilities for their tenants to recycle at that time, but ours didn't - possibly because of the previous issues. Our solution was to load our bins in the car and drive to the recycling center next to A Southern Season - which is in Orange County, not Durham County, thus why it is still open - and then shop for gourmet food and chocolate while we were in the neighborhood.
And that was fine until we bought the Smart Car last fall. We really weren't sure how we were going to get our big bins, which can hold two weeks worth of recycling, into our tiny car. As we were still trying to figure that out, miraculously our apartment complex started offering recycling again! Now we just had to roll our bins - which had wheels - across the parking lot to the dumpster area. Next to the industrial-size trash compactor is a small walled-off area where everyone usually dumps their Christmas trees after the holidays. This was previously the recycling center and now is again. There are six large recycling hoppers in there and we can put containers and mixed paper in them. There has always been a huge metal hopper for cardboard recycling, so we do still need to separate our paper from our corrugated cardboard.
For us, this has been fine except for one hiccup so far. That was when one of our bins, which we purchased in 2008, got filled with fruit fly larvae! We had been wondering how we suddenly had so many fruit flies in the apartment - well, that answered that, blech! So, we just threw that bin (it was plastic, after all) into the plastic recycling contents and all. We replaced it with a new one that actually has a better sealing lid. Not long after that, we replaced the other bin, too. It had had the paper products in it, so it didn't have fruit flies, but one of the wheels had broken off and was always needing to be jammed back on, plus the new ones are a better size for actually putting in the Smart Car, if we ever need to do that.
And this has been working out perfectly for us, except for one thing. Our neighbors are doing it again. No one is sorting their recycling and their trash. Even the Christmas trees they throw out at the holidays are really not supposed to be dumped there, but everyone does it and does it all year round. The recycling area has couches, TV's, lamps, once I found a box of clothes and miscellaneous items as if someone had broken up with their partner and threw all their stuff out of the house. These, and bags and bags of trash, are just piled up in, around, on top of the actual recycling collection bins. One day I was putting my trash in the correct place - the compactor - and I saw one of our complex's maintenance men moving stuff - one item at a time - from the recycling into the trash. We had the following short conversation.
Me: Why do people DO that?
Him: (shakes head) I don't know.
Me: I just want to hang up signs, 'people, sort your dang trash!'
And I do want to hang up signs, but that's not my responsibility as I am not management. Still, I think we're in serious danger of losing our recycling contract again which is not only bad for the planet, it's bad for us. It's illegal to throw recyclables in the trash in North Carolina. Individuals cannot be punished for it - how would they figure out who did it? ("We found your name on an envelope underneath a half a ton of garbage...." [ahem]). But trash collectors can be fined, which they would surely pass on to their clients in the form of price hikes, which would probably come back on us in the form of rent hikes. Come on, people, this is really obvious! Plus you're killing the planet, which is already overwhelmed with all of us using up its resources. Get with the program and sort your dang trash!
This was fine until the county decided to give homeowners larger, lidded, rolling curbside bins for collection and closed all the community recycling centers. Only the main one at the town dump remained open and that location had limited hours. Apartment complexes should have begun providing facilities for their tenants to recycle at that time, but ours didn't - possibly because of the previous issues. Our solution was to load our bins in the car and drive to the recycling center next to A Southern Season - which is in Orange County, not Durham County, thus why it is still open - and then shop for gourmet food and chocolate while we were in the neighborhood.
And that was fine until we bought the Smart Car last fall. We really weren't sure how we were going to get our big bins, which can hold two weeks worth of recycling, into our tiny car. As we were still trying to figure that out, miraculously our apartment complex started offering recycling again! Now we just had to roll our bins - which had wheels - across the parking lot to the dumpster area. Next to the industrial-size trash compactor is a small walled-off area where everyone usually dumps their Christmas trees after the holidays. This was previously the recycling center and now is again. There are six large recycling hoppers in there and we can put containers and mixed paper in them. There has always been a huge metal hopper for cardboard recycling, so we do still need to separate our paper from our corrugated cardboard.
For us, this has been fine except for one hiccup so far. That was when one of our bins, which we purchased in 2008, got filled with fruit fly larvae! We had been wondering how we suddenly had so many fruit flies in the apartment - well, that answered that, blech! So, we just threw that bin (it was plastic, after all) into the plastic recycling contents and all. We replaced it with a new one that actually has a better sealing lid. Not long after that, we replaced the other bin, too. It had had the paper products in it, so it didn't have fruit flies, but one of the wheels had broken off and was always needing to be jammed back on, plus the new ones are a better size for actually putting in the Smart Car, if we ever need to do that.
And this has been working out perfectly for us, except for one thing. Our neighbors are doing it again. No one is sorting their recycling and their trash. Even the Christmas trees they throw out at the holidays are really not supposed to be dumped there, but everyone does it and does it all year round. The recycling area has couches, TV's, lamps, once I found a box of clothes and miscellaneous items as if someone had broken up with their partner and threw all their stuff out of the house. These, and bags and bags of trash, are just piled up in, around, on top of the actual recycling collection bins. One day I was putting my trash in the correct place - the compactor - and I saw one of our complex's maintenance men moving stuff - one item at a time - from the recycling into the trash. We had the following short conversation.
Me: Why do people DO that?
Him: (shakes head) I don't know.
Me: I just want to hang up signs, 'people, sort your dang trash!'
And I do want to hang up signs, but that's not my responsibility as I am not management. Still, I think we're in serious danger of losing our recycling contract again which is not only bad for the planet, it's bad for us. It's illegal to throw recyclables in the trash in North Carolina. Individuals cannot be punished for it - how would they figure out who did it? ("We found your name on an envelope underneath a half a ton of garbage...." [ahem]). But trash collectors can be fined, which they would surely pass on to their clients in the form of price hikes, which would probably come back on us in the form of rent hikes. Come on, people, this is really obvious! Plus you're killing the planet, which is already overwhelmed with all of us using up its resources. Get with the program and sort your dang trash!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Reflecting on Family
"Family faces are like magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present, and future."
~ Gail Lumet Buckley
I am so blessed to have an amazing family! Like probably everyone in America, I have an interesting family dynamic, but it's never seemed odd to me. Sure, I have like a zillion relatives and step-relatives and relatives-twice-removed, but they're all family and have never felt like anything other than that. When we have reunions - whether it's the Howard clan, the Rennells clan, the Stahl clan, or any other branch of the family - it's always just a joy to see and be in fellowship with everyone.
I fondly remember summers spent sleeping over at cousins' houses, family trips to the cabin in Canada, pool parties at Aunt Helen's, Easter egg hunts in Amherst, and St. Patrick's Day dinners at any "O'Stahl" house available. I read once about how cousins are our first friends, and that feels very true to my own experience. Even now, as adults, the bond between us cousins is so strong - when we see each other, even though it may have been years, we are still connected just as firmly as we were when we played together as children.
This past spring, the Howard clan got together for our first reunion in 8 years. 10 of the 12 of us first cousins were there, as were many of the "removeds," it was a tremendous time. Barely two weeks after that reunion, Grandma passed away. Now my cousin Gayle, the eldest of us on this side, and her brother Rick, are both very ill. My heart aches for these my "siblings of the heart" and for the family as a whole.
I am truly blessed with a strong and wondrous family, ours is a deep bond. Right now I am thinking of all of you, my relatives, with gratitude and sending my love to each and every one of you, knowing that, no matter what, all manner of things shall be well.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Hilton Head 2011
Regular readers will remember that Bruce's folks have an annual time-share at Hilton Head Island, SC. We usually manage to go down there with them at least every other year (sometimes we're too busy at work to take time off). This was one of the years when they have two weeks on the Island instead of just one, & we were able to take some vacation time to join them for part of the trip!
Debbe & Derek flew in to Raleigh a couple of days before Mom & Dad Loebrich arrived. It was fun to visit with them & play with our nephew! Mom & Dad drove down from Ohio, arriving on Saturday. After their long drive, they got to enjoy playing in the pool at our apartment complex with Derek - refreshing! The four of them then headed on to Hilton Head on Sunday morning. Bruce & I worked the following week, then loaded up the Smart Car & drove down to join them.
We had great weather for our drive - had the convertible top down for the first half of the trip even. When we stopped to fill up our gas tank, I quickly put on sunscreen, though! There was a point when we were close enough to the eastern NC wildfires that for about half an hour the air just smelled like campfires constantly. We put the top up about noon as it was getting too hot, & arrived on Hilton Head a little before 3pm.
Mom & Dad had managed to get the condo right next to the pool this year - brilliant! Each morning we stepped off our back deck & walked about 3 feet to the pool. Once I discovered the hot tub next to the pool, that's where I started every day! We usually spent at least an hour swimming & playing in the pool each day before heading back to the condo for showers & lunches. Can't beat that!
We also got in one afternoon at the beach - it was super windy & there was a storm front moving in which made things awfully hazy, but we had a great time. I love it when the ocean is so warm that it feels like bathwater! (Although the current was insanely powerful so none of us swam much.) We tried to go to the beach another time & as we walked up everyone else was walking out. I was just thinking "is everyone going to get dinner at the same time?" (it was 5pm) when one lady kindly stopped me & told me that the lifeguards had just blown the whistles to evacuate the beach because there was a storm coming in. So, we all turned around & went home. Dad & Debbe took Derek down to the beach a couple more times, but Bruce & I opted to stay at the condo & rest on those days.
While we did have a couple doozies of storms, one in the middle of the night which was accompanied by some spectacular thunder & lightning, most of the time the weather was good if a little (okay a lot) too hot. Thank goodness for a/c & the pool next door!
In addition to the swimming & beach trips, we made our usual favorite treks - to the outlet mall & to the cute shops at Coligny Circle & Fresh Market Plaza. I bought fudge to bring back to work, & between the 6 of us we bought 23 pairs of shoes (including 4 pairs of water shoes for the pool)!
Derek is really into drawing right now, too. He made pictures almost constantly. He put together a book of our adventures that is really cool! There are pictures of all the canons & time bombs & bad guys we fought, upgrades we earned, mazes we had to do, & even a treasure map, but my favorite is the picture of Derek with Bruce & me after we've earned our sensei hats for beating the big bad guy - I may have to scan that one!
After the time-share was up, everyone came back to Durham. Mom & Dad headed back to Ohio on July 4th, we had Debbe & Derek for a couple more days during which time we went to the science museum & played in the pool.
Fun family tradition!
Debbe & Derek flew in to Raleigh a couple of days before Mom & Dad Loebrich arrived. It was fun to visit with them & play with our nephew! Mom & Dad drove down from Ohio, arriving on Saturday. After their long drive, they got to enjoy playing in the pool at our apartment complex with Derek - refreshing! The four of them then headed on to Hilton Head on Sunday morning. Bruce & I worked the following week, then loaded up the Smart Car & drove down to join them.
We had great weather for our drive - had the convertible top down for the first half of the trip even. When we stopped to fill up our gas tank, I quickly put on sunscreen, though! There was a point when we were close enough to the eastern NC wildfires that for about half an hour the air just smelled like campfires constantly. We put the top up about noon as it was getting too hot, & arrived on Hilton Head a little before 3pm.
Mom & Dad had managed to get the condo right next to the pool this year - brilliant! Each morning we stepped off our back deck & walked about 3 feet to the pool. Once I discovered the hot tub next to the pool, that's where I started every day! We usually spent at least an hour swimming & playing in the pool each day before heading back to the condo for showers & lunches. Can't beat that!
We also got in one afternoon at the beach - it was super windy & there was a storm front moving in which made things awfully hazy, but we had a great time. I love it when the ocean is so warm that it feels like bathwater! (Although the current was insanely powerful so none of us swam much.) We tried to go to the beach another time & as we walked up everyone else was walking out. I was just thinking "is everyone going to get dinner at the same time?" (it was 5pm) when one lady kindly stopped me & told me that the lifeguards had just blown the whistles to evacuate the beach because there was a storm coming in. So, we all turned around & went home. Dad & Debbe took Derek down to the beach a couple more times, but Bruce & I opted to stay at the condo & rest on those days.
While we did have a couple doozies of storms, one in the middle of the night which was accompanied by some spectacular thunder & lightning, most of the time the weather was good if a little (okay a lot) too hot. Thank goodness for a/c & the pool next door!
In addition to the swimming & beach trips, we made our usual favorite treks - to the outlet mall & to the cute shops at Coligny Circle & Fresh Market Plaza. I bought fudge to bring back to work, & between the 6 of us we bought 23 pairs of shoes (including 4 pairs of water shoes for the pool)!
Derek is really into drawing right now, too. He made pictures almost constantly. He put together a book of our adventures that is really cool! There are pictures of all the canons & time bombs & bad guys we fought, upgrades we earned, mazes we had to do, & even a treasure map, but my favorite is the picture of Derek with Bruce & me after we've earned our sensei hats for beating the big bad guy - I may have to scan that one!
After the time-share was up, everyone came back to Durham. Mom & Dad headed back to Ohio on July 4th, we had Debbe & Derek for a couple more days during which time we went to the science museum & played in the pool.
Fun family tradition!
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Tornadoes
So you've probably heard about the stormy weather across the Southeast this spring. The front that most impacted North Carolina actually began in Arkansas on April 14th. By the 16th, the storms had made it to our state. It was very weird, Durham was almost the calm at the center of the storm. We had gone out to Costco, which is 7 miles north of us, and the sky was ominous, but it was still rather warm out, we even put the top down on our convertible. When we were finished shopping and were loading our groceries into the car, it had started raining. By the time we got on the road the rain was pretty heavy and so were the winds, driving was rather tricky. However, when we got home (just 7 miles, remember!) the rain was only sort of "spitty" while the winds were still heavy.
Our neighbors were heading out and asked about the weather. Since we'd driven out of the storm, we told them that the rain wasn't that bad but it was windy. Imagine our chagrin when, after putting away the groceries, we discovered that we were under a Tornado Warning! We turned on the local 24-hour news channel immediately. Not much later in the afternoon there were EIGHT simultaneous warnings as the storms swept across the state. Oddly, outside our window it was still just dark with some spitty rain which occasionally picked up for a short time.
South Durham ended up weathering the storms quite well. As you've surely seen in the news, though, the rest of the state was severely affected. With 24 deaths and over 80 injuries, as well as about 800 homes and businesses damaged statewide, the impact was akin to the hurricanes which often pummel our state. Clean-up and recovery is still going on, so it was good that the second batch of storms this past week didn't come to North Carolina.
The most difficult part of the tornadoes for me was, as usual, the aftermath coverage we did at work. It made for a very busy week and not only was it a struggle to rearrange our crews and shows, the subject matter was difficult to watch and report.
I have to admit, however, that I am a little jaded after all my years in the TV biz. I kept joking about the Tornado Trifecta. My fellow TV folks know what I mean, but for the rest of you, it's the three things you always hear in witness comments after the fact: "Sounded like a freight train. Never seen anything like it. Lucky to be alive." No one had the trifecta in their coverage, but that's probably good because, in fact, these storms were no joking matter - even when jokes are the only thing helping you get through the coverage.
Tornadoes are not nearly as common here in North Carolina as they are back in my native Ohio.
One of my earliest memories is of there being a tornado in the small town of Bryan, Ohio where I was living. We didn't have a basement and everyone went to the one house on the block that did. Many people here don't know what to do during a tornado. As soon as we heard we were in a Warning, we knew we needed to go into the master bathroom (most interior room, no windows) if things looked bad. There are no sirens here either. Even after 12 years of living in North Carolina, when I hear a fire siren, I still stop to hear if it will waver or stay steady (non-Ohioans, a steady siren means tornado, a wavering siren means fire).
I'm glad that we and all our loved ones came through the storms okay. This has already been an odd season weather-wise, I hope that hurricane season isn't too bad.
Our neighbors were heading out and asked about the weather. Since we'd driven out of the storm, we told them that the rain wasn't that bad but it was windy. Imagine our chagrin when, after putting away the groceries, we discovered that we were under a Tornado Warning! We turned on the local 24-hour news channel immediately. Not much later in the afternoon there were EIGHT simultaneous warnings as the storms swept across the state. Oddly, outside our window it was still just dark with some spitty rain which occasionally picked up for a short time.
South Durham ended up weathering the storms quite well. As you've surely seen in the news, though, the rest of the state was severely affected. With 24 deaths and over 80 injuries, as well as about 800 homes and businesses damaged statewide, the impact was akin to the hurricanes which often pummel our state. Clean-up and recovery is still going on, so it was good that the second batch of storms this past week didn't come to North Carolina.
The most difficult part of the tornadoes for me was, as usual, the aftermath coverage we did at work. It made for a very busy week and not only was it a struggle to rearrange our crews and shows, the subject matter was difficult to watch and report.
I have to admit, however, that I am a little jaded after all my years in the TV biz. I kept joking about the Tornado Trifecta. My fellow TV folks know what I mean, but for the rest of you, it's the three things you always hear in witness comments after the fact: "Sounded like a freight train. Never seen anything like it. Lucky to be alive." No one had the trifecta in their coverage, but that's probably good because, in fact, these storms were no joking matter - even when jokes are the only thing helping you get through the coverage.
Tornadoes are not nearly as common here in North Carolina as they are back in my native Ohio.
One of my earliest memories is of there being a tornado in the small town of Bryan, Ohio where I was living. We didn't have a basement and everyone went to the one house on the block that did. Many people here don't know what to do during a tornado. As soon as we heard we were in a Warning, we knew we needed to go into the master bathroom (most interior room, no windows) if things looked bad. There are no sirens here either. Even after 12 years of living in North Carolina, when I hear a fire siren, I still stop to hear if it will waver or stay steady (non-Ohioans, a steady siren means tornado, a wavering siren means fire).
I'm glad that we and all our loved ones came through the storms okay. This has already been an odd season weather-wise, I hope that hurricane season isn't too bad.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Going Greener
The youth of our church are encouraging the congregation to Love Earth Not Trash this Lent (hence the acronym). The idea is, rather than giving up something routine like chocolate or coffee, give up a practice that is harmful to the environment. Suggested ideas were: stopping using the plastic bags at the grocery store or stopping drinking bottled water. The youth could gather estimates from the parishioners and calculate the savings to the Earth.
For instance, say I'm giving up using plastic bags (I am, but I'll get to that in a minute). I figure that I use 10 plastic bags each time I go to the store, and that I'll buy groceries 5 times during the 40 days of Lent. That's 50 fewer plastic bags going into a landfill. Add that to all my fellow church members' numbers of plastic bags and you'll get a rather large number of bags not going to landfills! It's the same idea for bottled water - even if you're a devout recycler, the production of plastic uses resources and cutting down the number of bottles you buy can make a difference.
So, you're probably thinking, "But, Kate, you're Presbyterian! I didn't think you guys had to give up things for Lent!" And you're right - this is a voluntary practice and a service project opportunity for the youth groups. But, it's also a great idea. I'm participating as sort of a silent partner or something, however. I didn't turn in any estimates or proposals of what I'd do - mainly because our lifestyle doesn't quite fit into the suggested LENT options.
When it comes to plastic grocery bags, we do most of our shopping at Sam's Club or Costco. If you have ever shopped at a warehouse club like that, you know that they don't use bags at all so they can count your items on your way out the door to prevent theft. So we have a stash of reusable shopping bags in the trunk of our car and we just load all our groceries into them in the parking lot. Additionally, we get Shopper Points for using reusable bags when we're at a regular grocery store. Finally, what plastic grocery bags I do have in the house, I use as trash bags since all my waste baskets are too small for the trash bags sold in stores! So, I couldn't figure out how to give the youth any sort of number of how many bags I would or would not be using during Lent. Instead, I am just making a concerted effort to always take a reusable bag into the store with me, or to tell the clerk I don't need a bag, even if I just run in for a couple of items.
As for bottled water, I don't drink it that way. I have a nifty washable water bottle that was given to me as a gift when I went up and spoke at an event at my alma mater a few years ago. Emblazoned with the college logo and everything, it sits proudly on my desk at work, I fill it from the drinking fountain whenever I'm thirsty and take it home to wash on the weekends. So, instead I am going back to a practice we used during the drought. We have low-flow shower heads with a toggle switch. The idea is to cap the shower head while you're lathering and run the water only to rinse. The bonus of the toggle switch is that it holds the water back at the temperature you already set so you don't get zapped by a burst of cold water when you're ready to rinse. Again, though, I had no idea how to write that up for our youth group - I suppose I could have looked at my water bill and tried to figure out how many fewer gallons I'd be using, but that seemed complicated....
Anyway, it's not really about having a record or bragging rights or anything else, giving things up for Lent is about self-discipline and bringing yourself closer to God, and just the attempt is worthy in and of itself. So, I'm taking the opportunity our youth provided and hoping it helps me improve myself and my planet.
For instance, say I'm giving up using plastic bags (I am, but I'll get to that in a minute). I figure that I use 10 plastic bags each time I go to the store, and that I'll buy groceries 5 times during the 40 days of Lent. That's 50 fewer plastic bags going into a landfill. Add that to all my fellow church members' numbers of plastic bags and you'll get a rather large number of bags not going to landfills! It's the same idea for bottled water - even if you're a devout recycler, the production of plastic uses resources and cutting down the number of bottles you buy can make a difference.
So, you're probably thinking, "But, Kate, you're Presbyterian! I didn't think you guys had to give up things for Lent!" And you're right - this is a voluntary practice and a service project opportunity for the youth groups. But, it's also a great idea. I'm participating as sort of a silent partner or something, however. I didn't turn in any estimates or proposals of what I'd do - mainly because our lifestyle doesn't quite fit into the suggested LENT options.
When it comes to plastic grocery bags, we do most of our shopping at Sam's Club or Costco. If you have ever shopped at a warehouse club like that, you know that they don't use bags at all so they can count your items on your way out the door to prevent theft. So we have a stash of reusable shopping bags in the trunk of our car and we just load all our groceries into them in the parking lot. Additionally, we get Shopper Points for using reusable bags when we're at a regular grocery store. Finally, what plastic grocery bags I do have in the house, I use as trash bags since all my waste baskets are too small for the trash bags sold in stores! So, I couldn't figure out how to give the youth any sort of number of how many bags I would or would not be using during Lent. Instead, I am just making a concerted effort to always take a reusable bag into the store with me, or to tell the clerk I don't need a bag, even if I just run in for a couple of items.
As for bottled water, I don't drink it that way. I have a nifty washable water bottle that was given to me as a gift when I went up and spoke at an event at my alma mater a few years ago. Emblazoned with the college logo and everything, it sits proudly on my desk at work, I fill it from the drinking fountain whenever I'm thirsty and take it home to wash on the weekends. So, instead I am going back to a practice we used during the drought. We have low-flow shower heads with a toggle switch. The idea is to cap the shower head while you're lathering and run the water only to rinse. The bonus of the toggle switch is that it holds the water back at the temperature you already set so you don't get zapped by a burst of cold water when you're ready to rinse. Again, though, I had no idea how to write that up for our youth group - I suppose I could have looked at my water bill and tried to figure out how many fewer gallons I'd be using, but that seemed complicated....
Anyway, it's not really about having a record or bragging rights or anything else, giving things up for Lent is about self-discipline and bringing yourself closer to God, and just the attempt is worthy in and of itself. So, I'm taking the opportunity our youth provided and hoping it helps me improve myself and my planet.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Back Online
So...for reasons that are more complicated than can be explained here, our site has been down for a while. It all hinged around some updates to other software and programs, which ended up not working correctly with our already-established stuff. Not our fault, the updates were by the creating company, not us, but it took us a while to figure out what exactly was the issue. Then it took a little longer to have the time to make the corrections! But, at last, we've been able to do so and Loebrich.org should once again be functional. Now, we just have to find the time amidst our busy schedules to occasionally post about our goings-on! :-)
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy 2011!
Hard to believe a new year is already started! Where did the old one go?
Hope you all welcomed the year surrounded by loved ones and that they bring joy and contentment to your life throughout 2011. Here's to a year of health, happiness, prosperity, and peace to all.
Rabbits, rabbits!
Hope you all welcomed the year surrounded by loved ones and that they bring joy and contentment to your life throughout 2011. Here's to a year of health, happiness, prosperity, and peace to all.
Rabbits, rabbits!
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Merry Christmas Y'all!
Christmas at Chez Loebrich South is usually a low-key affair. It always begins the same way, on Christmas Eve morning I put the last character (the Star of Hope) on my advent calendar and then log in to NORAD's Santa Tracker to follow the Jolly Old Elf in flight. This year was no exception. After those two key items were taken care of, I did some laundry and finished baking cookies; we also talked to some of our relatives back in the Midwest to share holiday greetings.
Then it was time to get ready for church. In years past, we've occasionally attended Christmas Eve service at Duke Chapel and I definitely recommend it if you're looking for a beautiful, traditional service in one of the most gorgeous gothic church buildings around (you can even it watch it live online nowadays). One year we left the chapel, after lighting candles and hearing the North Carolina Boys Choir sing "O Holy Night" in their clear boy sopranos, and it was snowing gently. It was like being in a Currier and Ives Christmas card or an old movie - just perfect.
Our own church, in fact, has long since stopped doing multiple Christmas Eve services because everybody in the area goes to Duke. The one service at First Presbyterian is at 5pm and it combines the Children's Pageant with communion and the lighting of candles. Since we don't have children in the pageant, we don't usually go, but this year I am on the Worship Committee and was the Communion Assistant for the month of December. So we got there an hour early so I could help fill the elements and set them up in the sanctuary.
The service was lovely. The children perform a living nativity while readings and carols go on around them. They had a real baby playing the role of Jesus. At one point all the children, led by our associate pastor, performed a dance to represent the shepherds' joy at the good news. My favorite part was that three of the children representing animals in the stable were dressed as a shark, an elephant, and a cheetah! Well, why not? I have all sorts of extra figures in my nativity scenes at the apartment - the good tidings are for everyone, surely that includes sharks, elephants, and cheetahs!
I had to clean up after service as well. It took almost an hour just because the service was so crowded and everyone was passing greetings of the season in the lobby so it was really difficult to navigate through the masses while carrying trays and chalices back and forth from the sanctuary to the kitchen. It was nearly 7pm when we finally left.
We had this total 80's sitcom moment afterward. As we were driving home, Bruce said "what do you want to do for dinner?" I said, "Chinese?" So we went over to Orient Garden, a restaurant near our first apartment in Durham. It was packed! Everyone there was wearing red and green, or Christmas tree earrings, or Santa hats - it was obvious that they'd all come from church and were now having the obligatory Dinner at a Chinese Restaurant that everyone does on Christmas! Additionally, we needed to get a few things - most notably, aluminum foil so we can cover the turkey we'll bake tomorrow - but all the stores were closed and we ended up shopping at Walgreens. Got what we needed, but still darned funny.
We returned home and I frosted all the cookies I'd baked, finishing up just about 11. Imagine my surprise when I checked in with NORAD at that point and discovered Santa was in South America and making great time! Before I'd even finished checking my email, St. Nick was in South Carolina and it was definitely bedtime!
Christmas Day began with us deciding to sleep in a little longer. Then we lounged about in our pj's and opened presents while enjoying the cookies I'd made. We got lots of lovely and fun gifts and are looking forward to playing with them in the coming year! Phone calls to friends and family back home wrapped up the morning beautifully.
Then we heated up our left-overs from the Chinese restaurant, had lunch, and headed out to the movies. We saw True Grit, which was very good and I'll try to get another compilation-of-reviews post up soon. Now we're home, alternating between the Doctor Who marathon and the Weather Channel as we try to monitor the winter storm approaching the southeast.
Bruce's folks will be driving down tomorrow and we are hoping for safe roads for their journey. We wish all of you days filled with love and laughter, warm and snug in your homes surrounded by all those who are dear to you, and safe travels wherever you may go this holiday season!
Then it was time to get ready for church. In years past, we've occasionally attended Christmas Eve service at Duke Chapel and I definitely recommend it if you're looking for a beautiful, traditional service in one of the most gorgeous gothic church buildings around (you can even it watch it live online nowadays). One year we left the chapel, after lighting candles and hearing the North Carolina Boys Choir sing "O Holy Night" in their clear boy sopranos, and it was snowing gently. It was like being in a Currier and Ives Christmas card or an old movie - just perfect.
Our own church, in fact, has long since stopped doing multiple Christmas Eve services because everybody in the area goes to Duke. The one service at First Presbyterian is at 5pm and it combines the Children's Pageant with communion and the lighting of candles. Since we don't have children in the pageant, we don't usually go, but this year I am on the Worship Committee and was the Communion Assistant for the month of December. So we got there an hour early so I could help fill the elements and set them up in the sanctuary.
The service was lovely. The children perform a living nativity while readings and carols go on around them. They had a real baby playing the role of Jesus. At one point all the children, led by our associate pastor, performed a dance to represent the shepherds' joy at the good news. My favorite part was that three of the children representing animals in the stable were dressed as a shark, an elephant, and a cheetah! Well, why not? I have all sorts of extra figures in my nativity scenes at the apartment - the good tidings are for everyone, surely that includes sharks, elephants, and cheetahs!
I had to clean up after service as well. It took almost an hour just because the service was so crowded and everyone was passing greetings of the season in the lobby so it was really difficult to navigate through the masses while carrying trays and chalices back and forth from the sanctuary to the kitchen. It was nearly 7pm when we finally left.
We had this total 80's sitcom moment afterward. As we were driving home, Bruce said "what do you want to do for dinner?" I said, "Chinese?" So we went over to Orient Garden, a restaurant near our first apartment in Durham. It was packed! Everyone there was wearing red and green, or Christmas tree earrings, or Santa hats - it was obvious that they'd all come from church and were now having the obligatory Dinner at a Chinese Restaurant that everyone does on Christmas! Additionally, we needed to get a few things - most notably, aluminum foil so we can cover the turkey we'll bake tomorrow - but all the stores were closed and we ended up shopping at Walgreens. Got what we needed, but still darned funny.
We returned home and I frosted all the cookies I'd baked, finishing up just about 11. Imagine my surprise when I checked in with NORAD at that point and discovered Santa was in South America and making great time! Before I'd even finished checking my email, St. Nick was in South Carolina and it was definitely bedtime!
Christmas Day began with us deciding to sleep in a little longer. Then we lounged about in our pj's and opened presents while enjoying the cookies I'd made. We got lots of lovely and fun gifts and are looking forward to playing with them in the coming year! Phone calls to friends and family back home wrapped up the morning beautifully.
Then we heated up our left-overs from the Chinese restaurant, had lunch, and headed out to the movies. We saw True Grit, which was very good and I'll try to get another compilation-of-reviews post up soon. Now we're home, alternating between the Doctor Who marathon and the Weather Channel as we try to monitor the winter storm approaching the southeast.
Bruce's folks will be driving down tomorrow and we are hoping for safe roads for their journey. We wish all of you days filled with love and laughter, warm and snug in your homes surrounded by all those who are dear to you, and safe travels wherever you may go this holiday season!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Catching Up on Movies...
We've seen a few movies in the last couple of months and this is my first chance to get some reviews up, so here goes!
Secretariat
Starring Diane Lane and John Malkovich, this Disney picture is the story of the famous race horse and his Triple Crown win in 1973. When Penny Chenery Tweedy's (Lane) mother passes away, she begins splitting her time between her own household and that of her ailing father. While there, she reasserts her love and knowledge of horse raising and racing. She discovers that her father's horse-trainer is skimming off the top and she fires him. Chenery then hires wild-card down-on-his-luck trainer Lucien Laurin (Malkovich) whose out-of-the-box techniques turn out to be just the right fit for Meadow Stables. Then along comes the horse Big Red, who eventually gains the racing handle Secretariat.
My mom and I are both big Triple Crown racing fans. We remember 1973 (I was 5), especially Secretariat's spectacular run in the Belmont Stakes which won him the Triple Crown. I enjoyed the use of archival footage in the film, too, as that just reinforced my own memories.
The acting in this is very good. Larry thought that the best actor in the film was actually the horse playing Secretariat and he's on to something! That horse was amazing. How do you cast for that sort of role, do you suppose? Anyway, this is just a heartwarming, powerful, moving film that is well-acted, well-shot, and very enjoyable. Especially if you like horse racing, as there are some great races in here.
But, even if you don't, this is great family fare. We already know my mom liked it, so it gets a Mom Approval rating, too.
The Social Network
Starring a lot of newcomers, but written by the talented Aaron Sorkin and directed by the also-talented David Fincher, this is a story about the founding of Facebook. Loosely-based on and inspired by actual events, the story happens simultaneously in the past and the current day. Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg is on trial in two cases over the creation of the social networking website. Evidence presented in the trials fills in the backstory of the events that led to Facebook's uber web presence today. It's a very timely film as the cases have only recently been settled, and as Zuckerberg and Facebook continue to make news worldwide for the company's growth and Zuckerberg's charitable contributions.
This is tricky. None of the characters are likeable. The events supposedly leading to the creation of Facebook are uncomfortable at best and downright mean at worst. The lawsuits are vindictive. Friendships are broken and the main characters are not above stepping all over people to get what they want. Most of the time, I just felt depressed that I like using Facebook so much if all these people are so nasty.
That said, it is a well-written, well-paced movie, as you would expect. It is probably also well-acted. I just didn't like any of the characters in it. Okay, I take that back, I loved that there was a bit with Prince Albert of Monaco (not his real highness, an actor) - I thought that was clever. I have also since learned that a significant plot point in the movie never happened in real life. I may have to watch it again knowing that and see if it lightens my mood.
I still like Facebook, though, the website I mean. The rest of you will have to make up your own minds about the movie. Moms, probably not for you, sorry.
RED
Starring Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, and Morgan Freeman, this is the story of four retired CIA operatives who get thrown together for one last case. It's a big action thriller with lots of heists and hijinx. Stuff goes boom.
So, it's predictable. Willis is a lean, mean, killing machine. Malkovich is crazy. Mirren is fabulous. Freeman is suave and clever. The government is sneaky and corrupt. There's a Russian spy. Did I mention stuff goes boom?
It's just fun, folks. Silly, humorous fun. There's a plot and a little twisting, but mostly it's about the "We're getting the band back together" feel that is super well played by the starring foursome. Good times. Stuff goes boom. Sorry, moms, not for you.
Unstoppable
Starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine, this is based on a real railway incident that happened in my hometown of Toledo, Ohio! The movie is set in Pennsylvania, however. A train, including several cars full of hazardous materials, careens unmanned along the route, picking up speed and heading into populated areas with dangerous pieces of track. The potential for disaster of catastrophic proportions increases as the train continues to pick up speed and closes the distance between itself and major towns. Washington and Pine hatch a plan to use their own train to stop the runaway.
This isn't a movie, it's a roller coaster, a big, fast, furious, awesome roller coaster! It was totally predictable, but such fun! I had a blast, I was totally into it from the very beginning, flinching when the train whooshed by heading straight at the camera (such a basic trick, but well-used here), and hanging on to Bruce as they tried to stop the train. Such fun!
Guess what? Stuff also goes boom. Sorry, moms, not for you, but anyone else up for a good roller coaster ride in the off-season, get on board!
Secretariat
Starring Diane Lane and John Malkovich, this Disney picture is the story of the famous race horse and his Triple Crown win in 1973. When Penny Chenery Tweedy's (Lane) mother passes away, she begins splitting her time between her own household and that of her ailing father. While there, she reasserts her love and knowledge of horse raising and racing. She discovers that her father's horse-trainer is skimming off the top and she fires him. Chenery then hires wild-card down-on-his-luck trainer Lucien Laurin (Malkovich) whose out-of-the-box techniques turn out to be just the right fit for Meadow Stables. Then along comes the horse Big Red, who eventually gains the racing handle Secretariat.
My mom and I are both big Triple Crown racing fans. We remember 1973 (I was 5), especially Secretariat's spectacular run in the Belmont Stakes which won him the Triple Crown. I enjoyed the use of archival footage in the film, too, as that just reinforced my own memories.
The acting in this is very good. Larry thought that the best actor in the film was actually the horse playing Secretariat and he's on to something! That horse was amazing. How do you cast for that sort of role, do you suppose? Anyway, this is just a heartwarming, powerful, moving film that is well-acted, well-shot, and very enjoyable. Especially if you like horse racing, as there are some great races in here.
But, even if you don't, this is great family fare. We already know my mom liked it, so it gets a Mom Approval rating, too.
The Social Network
Starring a lot of newcomers, but written by the talented Aaron Sorkin and directed by the also-talented David Fincher, this is a story about the founding of Facebook. Loosely-based on and inspired by actual events, the story happens simultaneously in the past and the current day. Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg is on trial in two cases over the creation of the social networking website. Evidence presented in the trials fills in the backstory of the events that led to Facebook's uber web presence today. It's a very timely film as the cases have only recently been settled, and as Zuckerberg and Facebook continue to make news worldwide for the company's growth and Zuckerberg's charitable contributions.
This is tricky. None of the characters are likeable. The events supposedly leading to the creation of Facebook are uncomfortable at best and downright mean at worst. The lawsuits are vindictive. Friendships are broken and the main characters are not above stepping all over people to get what they want. Most of the time, I just felt depressed that I like using Facebook so much if all these people are so nasty.
That said, it is a well-written, well-paced movie, as you would expect. It is probably also well-acted. I just didn't like any of the characters in it. Okay, I take that back, I loved that there was a bit with Prince Albert of Monaco (not his real highness, an actor) - I thought that was clever. I have also since learned that a significant plot point in the movie never happened in real life. I may have to watch it again knowing that and see if it lightens my mood.
I still like Facebook, though, the website I mean. The rest of you will have to make up your own minds about the movie. Moms, probably not for you, sorry.
RED
Starring Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, and Morgan Freeman, this is the story of four retired CIA operatives who get thrown together for one last case. It's a big action thriller with lots of heists and hijinx. Stuff goes boom.
So, it's predictable. Willis is a lean, mean, killing machine. Malkovich is crazy. Mirren is fabulous. Freeman is suave and clever. The government is sneaky and corrupt. There's a Russian spy. Did I mention stuff goes boom?
It's just fun, folks. Silly, humorous fun. There's a plot and a little twisting, but mostly it's about the "We're getting the band back together" feel that is super well played by the starring foursome. Good times. Stuff goes boom. Sorry, moms, not for you.
Unstoppable
Starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine, this is based on a real railway incident that happened in my hometown of Toledo, Ohio! The movie is set in Pennsylvania, however. A train, including several cars full of hazardous materials, careens unmanned along the route, picking up speed and heading into populated areas with dangerous pieces of track. The potential for disaster of catastrophic proportions increases as the train continues to pick up speed and closes the distance between itself and major towns. Washington and Pine hatch a plan to use their own train to stop the runaway.
This isn't a movie, it's a roller coaster, a big, fast, furious, awesome roller coaster! It was totally predictable, but such fun! I had a blast, I was totally into it from the very beginning, flinching when the train whooshed by heading straight at the camera (such a basic trick, but well-used here), and hanging on to Bruce as they tried to stop the train. Such fun!
Guess what? Stuff also goes boom. Sorry, moms, not for you, but anyone else up for a good roller coaster ride in the off-season, get on board!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Magical Midwestern Tour 2010
We recently spent 10 days traveling about Points Midwest visiting friends and family. It was a great trip - of course, we didn't have enough time to see everyone we wanted to, nor could we spend as much time with everyone as we would have liked, never works out that way. Nonetheless, we had a splendid time back in the Old Stomping Grounds.
The impetuses (impeti?) for the trip were: my 20th class reunion at Kalamazoo College and the arrival of our new niece, Abby. We left NC on a Thursday and drove as far as Columbus, where we stayed with Bruce's sister and family. We had a delightful visit including dinner out (Mongolian barbecue!) and a preview of our nephew Derek's Halloween costume.
From Columbus we drove to Kalamazoo and checked in at our hotel before meeting up with Cyndee, Marnie, Wendy, Alisha and David, and Patrick and Kati for dinner and visiting. After a late but great night on Friday, we spent most of the day on campus at K College for the reunion on Saturday. The weather was fabulous, the fall color was glorious, the turn-out was huge, and a grand time was had by all. The night wrapped with our class dinner - full of friends and memories - followed by an ice cream run with Alisha and David!
On Sunday we drove to Detroit to meet Abby - and see my brother Joe and sister-in-law Traci, of course. Our niece is just the cutest little pumpkin - sweet, snuggly, and beautiful! Speaking of pumpkins, we all took Abby to pick her first one at the pumpkin patch. The weather continued to cooperate with sunny skies and mild temperatures and we got in a hayride before sitting down to donuts and fresh apple cider. Mmm!
After a delightful dinner and visit, we backtracked a little and drove to Ann Arbor to Mom Stahl and Larry's. We spent all day Monday with them and enjoyed going over to U of M campus to meet up with my former intern Paul for lunch - followed by meeting Mom Stahl's friend Aletha for an afternoon snack/visit. We wrapped up the day by seeing "Secretariat," which is a great movie (I must review it!). Mom and I are both Triple Crown fans, so this was a special treat for us, but everyone enjoyed the film.
On Tuesday, we drove down to Toledo. We started our day visiting with Cindy (including a trip to Anderson's Market!). Again, the weather was fabulous, so we took a walk at Wildwood Metropark where the fall color continued to be spectacular. While we were in the park, Dad Stahl got home from work, and shortly thereafter my sister Suzanne and brother-in-law Tim joined us for a yummy and fun dinner.
On Wednesday, we met up with Mom and Dad Loebrich for a scenic drive to East Harbor - with a stop at Cheesehaven in Port Clinton, of course! We had packed a picnic and added some yummy snacks on our stop before staking out a picnic table at the harbor. The weather was still gorgeous - albeit windy - and we had a nice lunch enjoying the scenery. Lake Erie sure had low water levels, though! After lunch we had another scenic drive back to Toledo, toured through the renovated Anderson's, and had dinner at an area diner.
On Thursday, Dad Stahl and I played cribbage! We used to play all the time when I was growing up - he and Grandpa David taught me everything I know about the game. Well, Dad skunked me in game 1 and double-skunked me in game 2, but I came back and beat him in a game 3 that included my getting a 24-point hand! Afterward we went over to see Suzi and Tim's house and get the back-story on all the work they've put into it - the place looks great! We wrapped up the night with a big family dinner at Ventura's which included Aunt Barbie and Aunt Maggie.
On Friday, we drove down to Columbus and went with Debbe to pick our nephew Derek up from school. We had a great dinner at Bob Evans together. Later in the evening Bruce and Duncan took Derek stargazing to use the new telescope eyepiece we'd got him for his birthday.
On Saturday, we drove to Lebanon to visit Bruce's best friend Ralph-Stephen, his wife Pamela, and their son Alex. We had not been to their house in probably 7 years, so it was great to see all the home improvement projects they'd done. We had a great lunch on another weather-cooperative day and enjoyed sitting out on the deck talking and playing with Alex. We wrapped up the evening by driving back to Columbus and getting together with the McEwens and the McIntyres to carve pumpkins and have chocolate fondue!
On Sunday, we drove back to North Carolina. We hit construction, an accident, and several patches of heavy traffic that extended our drive from the usual 8 hours to 10. Ironic that the day we came back was the worst day of our trip, eh?
All in all, it was a GREAT visit, we had so much fun, we miss you all already!
The impetuses (impeti?) for the trip were: my 20th class reunion at Kalamazoo College and the arrival of our new niece, Abby. We left NC on a Thursday and drove as far as Columbus, where we stayed with Bruce's sister and family. We had a delightful visit including dinner out (Mongolian barbecue!) and a preview of our nephew Derek's Halloween costume.
From Columbus we drove to Kalamazoo and checked in at our hotel before meeting up with Cyndee, Marnie, Wendy, Alisha and David, and Patrick and Kati for dinner and visiting. After a late but great night on Friday, we spent most of the day on campus at K College for the reunion on Saturday. The weather was fabulous, the fall color was glorious, the turn-out was huge, and a grand time was had by all. The night wrapped with our class dinner - full of friends and memories - followed by an ice cream run with Alisha and David!
On Sunday we drove to Detroit to meet Abby - and see my brother Joe and sister-in-law Traci, of course. Our niece is just the cutest little pumpkin - sweet, snuggly, and beautiful! Speaking of pumpkins, we all took Abby to pick her first one at the pumpkin patch. The weather continued to cooperate with sunny skies and mild temperatures and we got in a hayride before sitting down to donuts and fresh apple cider. Mmm!
After a delightful dinner and visit, we backtracked a little and drove to Ann Arbor to Mom Stahl and Larry's. We spent all day Monday with them and enjoyed going over to U of M campus to meet up with my former intern Paul for lunch - followed by meeting Mom Stahl's friend Aletha for an afternoon snack/visit. We wrapped up the day by seeing "Secretariat," which is a great movie (I must review it!). Mom and I are both Triple Crown fans, so this was a special treat for us, but everyone enjoyed the film.
On Tuesday, we drove down to Toledo. We started our day visiting with Cindy (including a trip to Anderson's Market!). Again, the weather was fabulous, so we took a walk at Wildwood Metropark where the fall color continued to be spectacular. While we were in the park, Dad Stahl got home from work, and shortly thereafter my sister Suzanne and brother-in-law Tim joined us for a yummy and fun dinner.
On Wednesday, we met up with Mom and Dad Loebrich for a scenic drive to East Harbor - with a stop at Cheesehaven in Port Clinton, of course! We had packed a picnic and added some yummy snacks on our stop before staking out a picnic table at the harbor. The weather was still gorgeous - albeit windy - and we had a nice lunch enjoying the scenery. Lake Erie sure had low water levels, though! After lunch we had another scenic drive back to Toledo, toured through the renovated Anderson's, and had dinner at an area diner.
On Thursday, Dad Stahl and I played cribbage! We used to play all the time when I was growing up - he and Grandpa David taught me everything I know about the game. Well, Dad skunked me in game 1 and double-skunked me in game 2, but I came back and beat him in a game 3 that included my getting a 24-point hand! Afterward we went over to see Suzi and Tim's house and get the back-story on all the work they've put into it - the place looks great! We wrapped up the night with a big family dinner at Ventura's which included Aunt Barbie and Aunt Maggie.
On Friday, we drove down to Columbus and went with Debbe to pick our nephew Derek up from school. We had a great dinner at Bob Evans together. Later in the evening Bruce and Duncan took Derek stargazing to use the new telescope eyepiece we'd got him for his birthday.
On Saturday, we drove to Lebanon to visit Bruce's best friend Ralph-Stephen, his wife Pamela, and their son Alex. We had not been to their house in probably 7 years, so it was great to see all the home improvement projects they'd done. We had a great lunch on another weather-cooperative day and enjoyed sitting out on the deck talking and playing with Alex. We wrapped up the evening by driving back to Columbus and getting together with the McEwens and the McIntyres to carve pumpkins and have chocolate fondue!
On Sunday, we drove back to North Carolina. We hit construction, an accident, and several patches of heavy traffic that extended our drive from the usual 8 hours to 10. Ironic that the day we came back was the worst day of our trip, eh?
All in all, it was a GREAT visit, we had so much fun, we miss you all already!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Our 18th
We celebrated 18 years of marriage with a wonderful day.
We donated the flowers for church, since our anniversary actually fell on Sunday. Family Garden florist did a fabulous job with the bouquet! When I called, I told them the occasion, that my favorite flowers are gladiolas (they are), & that I like "fall colors" - with just that little to go on they created a gorgeous arrangement of white and orange glads, sunflowers, roses, and more. We were listed in the bulletin so we got congratulated during Passing of the Peace and Pastor Marilyn mentioned us during the Joys and Concerns.
We bought ourselves an HDTV as our big gift and a new Wii game as a bonus gift. We had spent Saturday setting it up, so we used Sunday afternoon as the chance to play with the system. Wii pinball looks great on the new tv, by the way! We had a light lunch accompanied with our traditional root beer floats while we played games and relaxed.
After a quiet, restful afternoon, we went out to dinner at Sullivan's Steakhouse. The ambiance, the service, and the meal were all awesome! We had such a great time.
It was a delightful way to mark our special day and enjoy just being together.
We donated the flowers for church, since our anniversary actually fell on Sunday. Family Garden florist did a fabulous job with the bouquet! When I called, I told them the occasion, that my favorite flowers are gladiolas (they are), & that I like "fall colors" - with just that little to go on they created a gorgeous arrangement of white and orange glads, sunflowers, roses, and more. We were listed in the bulletin so we got congratulated during Passing of the Peace and Pastor Marilyn mentioned us during the Joys and Concerns.
We bought ourselves an HDTV as our big gift and a new Wii game as a bonus gift. We had spent Saturday setting it up, so we used Sunday afternoon as the chance to play with the system. Wii pinball looks great on the new tv, by the way! We had a light lunch accompanied with our traditional root beer floats while we played games and relaxed.
After a quiet, restful afternoon, we went out to dinner at Sullivan's Steakhouse. The ambiance, the service, and the meal were all awesome! We had such a great time.
It was a delightful way to mark our special day and enjoy just being together.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Raechel's Graduation
Kris and I have been best friends since the 7th grade. She was my matron of honor when I got married. Her daughter, Raechel, was even at the ceremony - in utero! Since she was born, I have considered Raechel to be my niece. She is very special to both Bruce and me - and us to her! So when Rae graduated from high school, we were among the family in attendance at the ceremony.
Bruce and I drove up that morning, arriving in time for a quick lunch at the house. We also "helped" Raechel pick which dress to wear - which really meant just offering input on the two dresses and the state of the weather! Then we packed up and drove over to the Convention Center in two cars. The ceremony was quite nice - it was impressive how well they expedited everything and got the entire class through in plenty of time to re-set for the high school that was using the convention center later that evening.
We had arranged ahead of time to meet by the flag poles outside after the ceremony. We had to wait while Raechel hugged and visited with her friends and fellow classmates - eventually Kevin caught up to her there and got some photos, too! Then we posed for some shots by the flags and amid the lovely flowerbeds outside the Convention Center.
Afterward, we all went out to dinner before Raechel went on to a safe graduation party the school was holding. The five of us were crammed in Kris' husband Kevin's car - the three girls were in the back with the skinny graduate in the middle. Rae was wearing her cords (Latin society, Global Studies Academy) and her mortarboard. She kept swatting Kris with her Class of 2010 tassel. The following conversation ensued.
Kris: She's tassling me! She keeps hassling me with her tassel.
Katy: If she had a bunch of them, she could hassle you with a passel of tassels.
Kris: Hey, Raechel, I'll wrastle you for the passel of tassels.
Katy: Winner gets a castle.
Kris: You could be my vassal.
Raechel (who had realized that, counting the tassels on her cords as well as the one on her mortarboard, she actually had a passel of tassels): I won't be your vassal! I have won the castle for hassling you with the passel of tassels!
At which point we all started laughing so hard we could not breathe and tears were running down our faces - while Kevin and Bruce, in the front seats, were busy thinking we were awfully strange!
We went on to have a great dinner at a Greek restaurant and then headed back to the house. Rae went to her party and the adults pretty much crashed on the couch for the evening. We spent the night and got to congratulate Raechel again in the morning - when she came back from her all-night party! - before we headed back to NC shortly after lunch.
Even though it was a short trip, we were so glad to be able to go and support our dear niece on her big day!
Bruce and I drove up that morning, arriving in time for a quick lunch at the house. We also "helped" Raechel pick which dress to wear - which really meant just offering input on the two dresses and the state of the weather! Then we packed up and drove over to the Convention Center in two cars. The ceremony was quite nice - it was impressive how well they expedited everything and got the entire class through in plenty of time to re-set for the high school that was using the convention center later that evening.
We had arranged ahead of time to meet by the flag poles outside after the ceremony. We had to wait while Raechel hugged and visited with her friends and fellow classmates - eventually Kevin caught up to her there and got some photos, too! Then we posed for some shots by the flags and amid the lovely flowerbeds outside the Convention Center.
Afterward, we all went out to dinner before Raechel went on to a safe graduation party the school was holding. The five of us were crammed in Kris' husband Kevin's car - the three girls were in the back with the skinny graduate in the middle. Rae was wearing her cords (Latin society, Global Studies Academy) and her mortarboard. She kept swatting Kris with her Class of 2010 tassel. The following conversation ensued.
Kris: She's tassling me! She keeps hassling me with her tassel.
Katy: If she had a bunch of them, she could hassle you with a passel of tassels.
Kris: Hey, Raechel, I'll wrastle you for the passel of tassels.
Katy: Winner gets a castle.
Kris: You could be my vassal.
Raechel (who had realized that, counting the tassels on her cords as well as the one on her mortarboard, she actually had a passel of tassels): I won't be your vassal! I have won the castle for hassling you with the passel of tassels!
At which point we all started laughing so hard we could not breathe and tears were running down our faces - while Kevin and Bruce, in the front seats, were busy thinking we were awfully strange!
We went on to have a great dinner at a Greek restaurant and then headed back to the house. Rae went to her party and the adults pretty much crashed on the couch for the evening. We spent the night and got to congratulate Raechel again in the morning - when she came back from her all-night party! - before we headed back to NC shortly after lunch.
Even though it was a short trip, we were so glad to be able to go and support our dear niece on her big day!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Disney 2010
Bruce's sister, Debbe, is a Disney Vacation Club member. Essentially, she has a time-share at Disney World (FL). In addition, she earns rewards points from various promotions, etc., throughout the year. So, Debbe suggested we take a Family Vacation together. She provided the housing with her time-share and used her rewards points to upgrade to a bigger unit.
That was part of the reasoning for the timing of the trip - many people asked why we were going to Florida at such a hot time of year weather-wise - we were using up rewards points before they expired! It also gave us the chance to roll-in celebrations of my birthday, Dad Loebrich's birthday, and Mom and Dad Loebrich's anniversary - all of which fall within May and June. Additionally, as it was our first complete extended family trip in a while, we called it a Family Reunion and celebrated that, too!
So we were at Walt Disney World, staying on resort property, for 8 days. The party was comprised of: Mom and Dad Loebrich; Debbe, Duncan, and Derek (our nephew, he's 4); and us. We all had Park Hopper passes so we could zip around to whichever park we wanted. Our hotel was within walking distance of The Magic Kingdom (aka Disney World). The monorail took us to Epcot. Buses to Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM) left from the front of our hotel regularly. It was a short drive to Disney's Animal Kingdom (primarily a zoo, although there are rides, characters, and shows - Bruce and I did not go to that). The girls also braved Orlando traffic and roads to go to Downtown Disney to shop, and later took Bruce with us even further off Disney property to go to the outlet mall.
Although it was danged hot - near or over 90 each day! - we had a blast!! We could see the Magic Kingdom's nightly fireworks show "Wishes" from the balcony of our hotel (we could sit and watch in our pj's!). The four of us "kids" also caught the show from the park one day, which was beautiful. We saw the IllumiNations fireworks show at Epcot one night - awesome! And took in the SpectraMagic Parade at the Magic Kingdom (replaced the Main Street Electrical Parade) another evening - it was also awesome, by the way!
We had a family character breakfast at the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom to celebrate my birthday. Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger were all there to visit with their friends, and to occasionally lead guests in the Pooh-rade around the restaurant! This was one of the best meals we had in the park, it was a great buffet with all sorts of tasty options. I was also most pleasantly surprised when the waiter brought me a cupcake with a candle in it, had our table sing me happy birthday, and then presented me with a card signed by Pooh and all his friends!
We had a family dinner at Hollywood and Vine in Disney's Hollywood Studios one evening. This was also a huge buffet, but there are no characters at this event. Nonetheless, the decor is fascinating and it was a nice meal. Dad and I both got birthday cards at this meal - they were signed by Handy Manny and crew. After this dinner, we got priority seating at Fantasmic, which is Hollywood Studio's night-time show.
While Bruce and I were watching Derek in the Magic Kingdom one morning - the rest of the family was on It's A Small World - we were invited to breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table by her highness' valet. I did not realize this was an actual deal, I thought he was just being in character, so I turned him down as we were supposed to wait at the castle for the rest of the family. Oops! Oh well, I'll know better next time and Debbe, Duncan, and Derek were having breakfast there the next day anyway.
Our final planned family meal was dinner at Chef Mickey's, which is in Disney's Contemporary Resort where we were staying. This was primarily a celebration of Mom and Dad's anniversary, although Dad and I got birthday cupcakes as well - which was okay since it meant extra cupcakes! All in all, the best part of this meal was meeting the Big 5 characters - Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, and Donald. Many of us missed Chef Mickey because we were in line for food when he came around to our table. We told his assistant and got to meet him later. He gave me a belated birthday kiss!
Easily the best family meal we had in the park was lunch at the Rose and Crown Pub in Epcot England. This was hilarious. The day had started out as sort of a free-for-all with Debbe, Duncan, and Derek going to Hollywood Studios for Star Wars stuff, Mom and Dad going to Epcot to take a more leisurely tour of the lands, and Bruce and me uncertain of what we wanted to do. Eventually, we decided we wanted to go to Epcot because there was this fish-n-chips cart in England and Bruce wanted to get some for lunch (I figured maybe they'd have fried chicken, too). So we called Mom and Dad, since they were in Epcot, to see if they wanted to do lunch. Turns out, Debbe and Derek were on the boat to Epcot to meet Mom and Dad to do fish-n-chips for lunch! Great minds, eh?
But it doesn't end there! Bruce and I got there first and discovered that all the fish-n-chips cart sold was, surprise, fish-n-chips (no, non-seafood). So we went to look at the menu at the Rose and Crown Pub next door. They had all sorts of stuff - including fish and chips - plus indoor seating which would also be air conditioned, huzzah! The fish-n-chips platter was huge and I hear it was yummy. I had the best pub burger ever, with malted ketchup for my fries which was delicious. Debbe got some fabulous potato soup. We had the greatest server ever, Gemma - who I want to say was from Scotland. She was so nice and friendly. We had been seated on the patio, which was actually quite cool with the breeze off the pond, but it was looking ominously like rain. Gemma told us she'd secured a table for us indoors and if we wanted to move due to the weather we only had to ask. When the winds whipped up, she came to get us before we'd even said a thing and helped us move our food, drinks, and sleepy nephew in his stroller into the restaurant. Then, at the end of the meal, she brought Dad a birthday card signed by the entire staff of the pub as well as a signed anniversary card for Mom and Dad, too. (I had stopped wearing my birthday button at this point.) Gemma totally went above and beyond to take care of us and was super sweet the entire time. That was a joyous respite in what had started out as a topsy-turvy day.
The other big to-do going on while we were at Disney was the Star Wars Weekends. This happens every spring as part of a deal with George Lucas (Master George), and was another reason for our scheduling our trip when we did. The event happens at Hollywood Studios and the entire park is filled with costumed re-enactors from a galaxy long ago and far away. In addition to Stormtroopers, Jawas, and Sandpeople, among many others, Jedi Mickey, Darth Goofy, Princess Leia Minnie, and Stormtrooper Donald patrol the park and greet fans. Star Wars music was playing on speakers everywhere, and there were tons of opportunities to get your picture taken with all the characters. As the big Star Wars geeks we kids all are, we had a blast!
When we weren't taking in big events, we were just hanging out and enjoying the parks. As Disney Club members, Debbe and her family are there frequently. They've even taken Mom and Dad a couple times in recent years. But Bruce had not been since they had last gone as a family when he was in junior high, and I had not been since I was 10. So we were more than thrilled to get to experience Disney Magic once again!
We pretty much rode all the big rides and saw most of the major stuff. I did not ride the Tower of Terror or the Rock and Rollercoaster, and since we didn't go to Animal Kingdom, we didn't ride the Expedition Everest coaster either. When I was a kid, I was afraid of Space Mountain and the Haunted Mansion, so I was determined to go on them this time - fun! I think probably my favorites were Mission Space and Star Tours. Derek really likes Toy Story Midway Mania, which is also a darned fun ride. We rode Cinderella's Carousel just because. The Carousel of Progress in Tomorrowland is fairly hokey, but I enjoyed it for the history of it, at least. Pirates of the Caribbean was fun - they've incorporated Johnny Depp as Captain Jack in a couple of places now, too! Although it's fairly obvious, the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular in Hollywood Studios is lots of fun.
There are about a zillion parades and shows in the parks. We joked that Disney could build a park solely for parades and have them running 24 hours a day easily! That said, they were fun, it was so cute to see the characters dancing and having fun. SpectraMagic, which replaced the Main Street Electrical Parade, was easily the best of the bunch - really great and gorgeous. I also highly recommend IllumiNations at Epcot, that is one great fireworks/laser show.
The best part about Disney overall, though, is the ambiance. It really is The Happiest Place on Earth. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming - from the housekeeper who came to give us fresh towels, to the Cast Members helping us on and off rides, to the other visitors you meet in the parks, and so on. You could just feel yourself getting happier just to be there. Plus the characters we all know are just walking about, so happy to see you and welcome you to their home. Minnie was always giving big kisses, it was so cute! Just delightful.
Some of my favorite memories of the trip are:
- Being unexpectedly chased by a Tusken Raider (Star Wars Sandpeople) in Hollywood Studios during Star Wars Weekend
- Riding the Test Track Rollercoaster with our nephew Derek and hearing him joyously and repeatedly shout, "Yeah, that's what I like, baby!!!" as the car whipped around the track at 75 miles per hour
- Getting a birthday kiss from Mickey at dinner at Chef Mickey's
- Seeing the Wishes fireworks show both from our balcony and in the park
- Meeting Darth Goofy and Princess Leia Minnie
- Having an amazing, totally unplanned, family lunch at the Rose and Crown Pub in Epcot England on a rainy Saturday
That was part of the reasoning for the timing of the trip - many people asked why we were going to Florida at such a hot time of year weather-wise - we were using up rewards points before they expired! It also gave us the chance to roll-in celebrations of my birthday, Dad Loebrich's birthday, and Mom and Dad Loebrich's anniversary - all of which fall within May and June. Additionally, as it was our first complete extended family trip in a while, we called it a Family Reunion and celebrated that, too!
So we were at Walt Disney World, staying on resort property, for 8 days. The party was comprised of: Mom and Dad Loebrich; Debbe, Duncan, and Derek (our nephew, he's 4); and us. We all had Park Hopper passes so we could zip around to whichever park we wanted. Our hotel was within walking distance of The Magic Kingdom (aka Disney World). The monorail took us to Epcot. Buses to Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM) left from the front of our hotel regularly. It was a short drive to Disney's Animal Kingdom (primarily a zoo, although there are rides, characters, and shows - Bruce and I did not go to that). The girls also braved Orlando traffic and roads to go to Downtown Disney to shop, and later took Bruce with us even further off Disney property to go to the outlet mall.
Although it was danged hot - near or over 90 each day! - we had a blast!! We could see the Magic Kingdom's nightly fireworks show "Wishes" from the balcony of our hotel (we could sit and watch in our pj's!). The four of us "kids" also caught the show from the park one day, which was beautiful. We saw the IllumiNations fireworks show at Epcot one night - awesome! And took in the SpectraMagic Parade at the Magic Kingdom (replaced the Main Street Electrical Parade) another evening - it was also awesome, by the way!
We had a family character breakfast at the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom to celebrate my birthday. Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger were all there to visit with their friends, and to occasionally lead guests in the Pooh-rade around the restaurant! This was one of the best meals we had in the park, it was a great buffet with all sorts of tasty options. I was also most pleasantly surprised when the waiter brought me a cupcake with a candle in it, had our table sing me happy birthday, and then presented me with a card signed by Pooh and all his friends!
We had a family dinner at Hollywood and Vine in Disney's Hollywood Studios one evening. This was also a huge buffet, but there are no characters at this event. Nonetheless, the decor is fascinating and it was a nice meal. Dad and I both got birthday cards at this meal - they were signed by Handy Manny and crew. After this dinner, we got priority seating at Fantasmic, which is Hollywood Studio's night-time show.
While Bruce and I were watching Derek in the Magic Kingdom one morning - the rest of the family was on It's A Small World - we were invited to breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table by her highness' valet. I did not realize this was an actual deal, I thought he was just being in character, so I turned him down as we were supposed to wait at the castle for the rest of the family. Oops! Oh well, I'll know better next time and Debbe, Duncan, and Derek were having breakfast there the next day anyway.
Our final planned family meal was dinner at Chef Mickey's, which is in Disney's Contemporary Resort where we were staying. This was primarily a celebration of Mom and Dad's anniversary, although Dad and I got birthday cupcakes as well - which was okay since it meant extra cupcakes! All in all, the best part of this meal was meeting the Big 5 characters - Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, and Donald. Many of us missed Chef Mickey because we were in line for food when he came around to our table. We told his assistant and got to meet him later. He gave me a belated birthday kiss!
Easily the best family meal we had in the park was lunch at the Rose and Crown Pub in Epcot England. This was hilarious. The day had started out as sort of a free-for-all with Debbe, Duncan, and Derek going to Hollywood Studios for Star Wars stuff, Mom and Dad going to Epcot to take a more leisurely tour of the lands, and Bruce and me uncertain of what we wanted to do. Eventually, we decided we wanted to go to Epcot because there was this fish-n-chips cart in England and Bruce wanted to get some for lunch (I figured maybe they'd have fried chicken, too). So we called Mom and Dad, since they were in Epcot, to see if they wanted to do lunch. Turns out, Debbe and Derek were on the boat to Epcot to meet Mom and Dad to do fish-n-chips for lunch! Great minds, eh?
But it doesn't end there! Bruce and I got there first and discovered that all the fish-n-chips cart sold was, surprise, fish-n-chips (no, non-seafood). So we went to look at the menu at the Rose and Crown Pub next door. They had all sorts of stuff - including fish and chips - plus indoor seating which would also be air conditioned, huzzah! The fish-n-chips platter was huge and I hear it was yummy. I had the best pub burger ever, with malted ketchup for my fries which was delicious. Debbe got some fabulous potato soup. We had the greatest server ever, Gemma - who I want to say was from Scotland. She was so nice and friendly. We had been seated on the patio, which was actually quite cool with the breeze off the pond, but it was looking ominously like rain. Gemma told us she'd secured a table for us indoors and if we wanted to move due to the weather we only had to ask. When the winds whipped up, she came to get us before we'd even said a thing and helped us move our food, drinks, and sleepy nephew in his stroller into the restaurant. Then, at the end of the meal, she brought Dad a birthday card signed by the entire staff of the pub as well as a signed anniversary card for Mom and Dad, too. (I had stopped wearing my birthday button at this point.) Gemma totally went above and beyond to take care of us and was super sweet the entire time. That was a joyous respite in what had started out as a topsy-turvy day.
The other big to-do going on while we were at Disney was the Star Wars Weekends. This happens every spring as part of a deal with George Lucas (Master George), and was another reason for our scheduling our trip when we did. The event happens at Hollywood Studios and the entire park is filled with costumed re-enactors from a galaxy long ago and far away. In addition to Stormtroopers, Jawas, and Sandpeople, among many others, Jedi Mickey, Darth Goofy, Princess Leia Minnie, and Stormtrooper Donald patrol the park and greet fans. Star Wars music was playing on speakers everywhere, and there were tons of opportunities to get your picture taken with all the characters. As the big Star Wars geeks we kids all are, we had a blast!
When we weren't taking in big events, we were just hanging out and enjoying the parks. As Disney Club members, Debbe and her family are there frequently. They've even taken Mom and Dad a couple times in recent years. But Bruce had not been since they had last gone as a family when he was in junior high, and I had not been since I was 10. So we were more than thrilled to get to experience Disney Magic once again!
We pretty much rode all the big rides and saw most of the major stuff. I did not ride the Tower of Terror or the Rock and Rollercoaster, and since we didn't go to Animal Kingdom, we didn't ride the Expedition Everest coaster either. When I was a kid, I was afraid of Space Mountain and the Haunted Mansion, so I was determined to go on them this time - fun! I think probably my favorites were Mission Space and Star Tours. Derek really likes Toy Story Midway Mania, which is also a darned fun ride. We rode Cinderella's Carousel just because. The Carousel of Progress in Tomorrowland is fairly hokey, but I enjoyed it for the history of it, at least. Pirates of the Caribbean was fun - they've incorporated Johnny Depp as Captain Jack in a couple of places now, too! Although it's fairly obvious, the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular in Hollywood Studios is lots of fun.
There are about a zillion parades and shows in the parks. We joked that Disney could build a park solely for parades and have them running 24 hours a day easily! That said, they were fun, it was so cute to see the characters dancing and having fun. SpectraMagic, which replaced the Main Street Electrical Parade, was easily the best of the bunch - really great and gorgeous. I also highly recommend IllumiNations at Epcot, that is one great fireworks/laser show.
The best part about Disney overall, though, is the ambiance. It really is The Happiest Place on Earth. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming - from the housekeeper who came to give us fresh towels, to the Cast Members helping us on and off rides, to the other visitors you meet in the parks, and so on. You could just feel yourself getting happier just to be there. Plus the characters we all know are just walking about, so happy to see you and welcome you to their home. Minnie was always giving big kisses, it was so cute! Just delightful.
Some of my favorite memories of the trip are:
- Being unexpectedly chased by a Tusken Raider (Star Wars Sandpeople) in Hollywood Studios during Star Wars Weekend
- Riding the Test Track Rollercoaster with our nephew Derek and hearing him joyously and repeatedly shout, "Yeah, that's what I like, baby!!!" as the car whipped around the track at 75 miles per hour
- Getting a birthday kiss from Mickey at dinner at Chef Mickey's
- Seeing the Wishes fireworks show both from our balcony and in the park
- Meeting Darth Goofy and Princess Leia Minnie
- Having an amazing, totally unplanned, family lunch at the Rose and Crown Pub in Epcot England on a rainy Saturday
Friday, May 14, 2010
Chung CHUNG
Today NBC announced the cancellation of Law & Order. When it ends its run later this month, the crime drama will leave the airwaves tied for longest-running drama with Gunsmoke, both shows having racked up 20 seasons.
I'm massively bummed about this! I'm a big fan. Law & Order is a standing series record on my DVR. I watch most of the spin-offs, too. And reruns on cable are a good way to pass an otherwise un-busy weekend afternoon.
Several years ago there was an ad campaign for Law & Order which said something like, "it's not about the characters, it's about the stories." Bull cookies! It's totally about the characters for me. I still miss Lenny Briscoe and Adam Shiff. I cried when Claire died (spurring Lenny's becoming clean and sober, btw). I am going to be really bummed if Lt. Van Buren dies of cancer in the season - now series - finale. Then there're Olivia and Elliott, whose lives are pretty darned messed up and who keep bucking the system to solve crimes. And what about Bobby and Alex, who got fairly rooked by the system and had to leave the force? But, at least that opened the door for Zach and Serena, who are pretty awesome. Lastly, I cannot forget to mention Munch, who holds the record for being the same character on FIVE different shows - really!
(Incidentally, if you followed all that, [especially if you know which characters are in the spin-offs!] odds are you're a fan, too!)
I'm really going to miss that show. So is New York City. I heard a report on Marketplace today about the economic impact losing Law & Order will have on the city. Every time you turn it on, any actor who's anyone who lives in NYC and has some spare time is on the show! Sopranos' actors were known to double-dip from time to time. Big, big names would guest star just for the opportunity to do a major dramatic turn. And I cannot forget all the crew and support staff who will also be adversely affected.
On May 24th, we close the book. Chung, CHUNG!
I'm massively bummed about this! I'm a big fan. Law & Order is a standing series record on my DVR. I watch most of the spin-offs, too. And reruns on cable are a good way to pass an otherwise un-busy weekend afternoon.
Several years ago there was an ad campaign for Law & Order which said something like, "it's not about the characters, it's about the stories." Bull cookies! It's totally about the characters for me. I still miss Lenny Briscoe and Adam Shiff. I cried when Claire died (spurring Lenny's becoming clean and sober, btw). I am going to be really bummed if Lt. Van Buren dies of cancer in the season - now series - finale. Then there're Olivia and Elliott, whose lives are pretty darned messed up and who keep bucking the system to solve crimes. And what about Bobby and Alex, who got fairly rooked by the system and had to leave the force? But, at least that opened the door for Zach and Serena, who are pretty awesome. Lastly, I cannot forget to mention Munch, who holds the record for being the same character on FIVE different shows - really!
(Incidentally, if you followed all that, [especially if you know which characters are in the spin-offs!] odds are you're a fan, too!)
I'm really going to miss that show. So is New York City. I heard a report on Marketplace today about the economic impact losing Law & Order will have on the city. Every time you turn it on, any actor who's anyone who lives in NYC and has some spare time is on the show! Sopranos' actors were known to double-dip from time to time. Big, big names would guest star just for the opportunity to do a major dramatic turn. And I cannot forget all the crew and support staff who will also be adversely affected.
"In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime, and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories."
On May 24th, we close the book. Chung, CHUNG!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Garden Poem
Long ago & far away,
a little girl, a bright spring day;
a little yard with flowers fair,
a glint of sun on strawberry hair.
a little girl, a bright spring day;
a little yard with flowers fair,
a glint of sun on strawberry hair.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Post-Oscar 2010 Recap
So, as I noted before, this was rather an off-year for us as far as Oscar Season went. Thus, we didn't Live Blog the ceremony as in past years. Fear not, however, faithful readers, we most certainly did settle in for one of our favorite evenings of the year! A bottle of Coppola Rossi accompanied some delicious ravioli during the E! Live from the Red Carpet pre-show and many M&M's were consumed during the Oscar ceremony itself!
Fashion-wise, I hated Zoe Saldana's dress - the one that looked like several french poodles had been dyed purple and stuck to the train - and also wasn't too fond of the supporting actress nominee who looked like she had been wrapped in one giant red ruffle from head to toe. A runner-up for displeasing dress was Sarah Jessica Parker's odd butter-cream number - if it had either had the halter-neck or was just strapless, it might have been okay, but having both was weird and the dress seemed to change color depending on the light, which often looked worse than it should have. Oh yes, speaking of lousy color choices, Charlize Theron's "look at my boobs" fuschia dress with the big pink circles around her individual bosoms was another clunker. The good looks of the night were Kate Winslet and Sandra Bullock - both of whom wore stunning, classy gowns with just the right hairstyles and jewelry.
I have to mention that I thought that both Mo'Nique and Gabourey Sidibe looked fabulous. They had just the right gowns for full-figured women, in good colors for them. Gabourey was hilarious, too - if you caught her on E's show, by the time she reached the ABC booth, she was pretty much repeating rehearsed lines, but on E she was fresh and personal and just a delight. And, of course, I can't leave out our girlfriend, the always-stunning, Queen Latifah, who once again looked fabulous.
The men were pretty much all wearing tuxes. The worst tux of the night was on the fashion critic guy from E, who looked like he had made his (well-fitted!) suit coat out of a grey paisley upholstery fabric. George Clooney - hot, Keanu Reeves - still my cool breeze over the mountain. Best tux of the night? Robin Williams, just plain classy.
As far as the awards went, I was shocked that The Hurt Locker won the biggies. I was rooting against Avatar just because I didn't think it had everything it needed to be the big winner, but I wasn't all that into Hurt Locker either. I was surprised and thrilled when Sandra Bullock won for Best Actress, I really thought the award would go to Meryl, but I liked Sandra in The Blind Side (and have liked her for a long time, actually) so that was cool. What we were happiest about was that both the short films (animated and live-action) that we liked actually won!
Speaking of short films, dang the lady who interrupted the documentary short winner was annoying! Bad blood, much? Also annoying, the multiple audio problems and the lousy presentation of the In Memoriam reel (shots too wide to read the names of the deceased, montage left out important people), and the consistent playing off of any co-winner unfortunate enough to have to give their acceptance speech second.
Overall, I thought the ceremony was only so-so. The opening number with Neil Patrick Harris was awesome. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin are very funny, although their opening shtick seemed redundant after the opening musical number - sort of like, "oh, we're obliged to make fun of the nominees now." The show started out strong nonetheless, and was running at a really good clip for about the first hour. Suddenly, despite shortening a lot of the traditional elements (like presenting the lifetime achievement awards separately and just acknowledging them during the show, or eliminating the performances of the Original Song nominees), despite cutting off any winner not the first in their group to speak, with fewer montages, and a much-shorter Memorial reel, the show still managed to slow to a crawl and drag itself well past midnight, and then end abruptly with an impromptu wrap from Martin and Baldwin.
Okay, so it wasn't Rob Lowe serenading Snow White and Bjork didn't show up wearing a swan-dress, but it still wasn't Oscar's best year ceremony-wise. And we weren't all that thrilled with the selection of nominees, despite the expanded Best Picture category, but it was a fun night overall.
Now it's on to prepping for next year!
Fashion-wise, I hated Zoe Saldana's dress - the one that looked like several french poodles had been dyed purple and stuck to the train - and also wasn't too fond of the supporting actress nominee who looked like she had been wrapped in one giant red ruffle from head to toe. A runner-up for displeasing dress was Sarah Jessica Parker's odd butter-cream number - if it had either had the halter-neck or was just strapless, it might have been okay, but having both was weird and the dress seemed to change color depending on the light, which often looked worse than it should have. Oh yes, speaking of lousy color choices, Charlize Theron's "look at my boobs" fuschia dress with the big pink circles around her individual bosoms was another clunker. The good looks of the night were Kate Winslet and Sandra Bullock - both of whom wore stunning, classy gowns with just the right hairstyles and jewelry.
I have to mention that I thought that both Mo'Nique and Gabourey Sidibe looked fabulous. They had just the right gowns for full-figured women, in good colors for them. Gabourey was hilarious, too - if you caught her on E's show, by the time she reached the ABC booth, she was pretty much repeating rehearsed lines, but on E she was fresh and personal and just a delight. And, of course, I can't leave out our girlfriend, the always-stunning, Queen Latifah, who once again looked fabulous.
The men were pretty much all wearing tuxes. The worst tux of the night was on the fashion critic guy from E, who looked like he had made his (well-fitted!) suit coat out of a grey paisley upholstery fabric. George Clooney - hot, Keanu Reeves - still my cool breeze over the mountain. Best tux of the night? Robin Williams, just plain classy.
As far as the awards went, I was shocked that The Hurt Locker won the biggies. I was rooting against Avatar just because I didn't think it had everything it needed to be the big winner, but I wasn't all that into Hurt Locker either. I was surprised and thrilled when Sandra Bullock won for Best Actress, I really thought the award would go to Meryl, but I liked Sandra in The Blind Side (and have liked her for a long time, actually) so that was cool. What we were happiest about was that both the short films (animated and live-action) that we liked actually won!
Speaking of short films, dang the lady who interrupted the documentary short winner was annoying! Bad blood, much? Also annoying, the multiple audio problems and the lousy presentation of the In Memoriam reel (shots too wide to read the names of the deceased, montage left out important people), and the consistent playing off of any co-winner unfortunate enough to have to give their acceptance speech second.
Overall, I thought the ceremony was only so-so. The opening number with Neil Patrick Harris was awesome. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin are very funny, although their opening shtick seemed redundant after the opening musical number - sort of like, "oh, we're obliged to make fun of the nominees now." The show started out strong nonetheless, and was running at a really good clip for about the first hour. Suddenly, despite shortening a lot of the traditional elements (like presenting the lifetime achievement awards separately and just acknowledging them during the show, or eliminating the performances of the Original Song nominees), despite cutting off any winner not the first in their group to speak, with fewer montages, and a much-shorter Memorial reel, the show still managed to slow to a crawl and drag itself well past midnight, and then end abruptly with an impromptu wrap from Martin and Baldwin.
Okay, so it wasn't Rob Lowe serenading Snow White and Bjork didn't show up wearing a swan-dress, but it still wasn't Oscar's best year ceremony-wise. And we weren't all that thrilled with the selection of nominees, despite the expanded Best Picture category, but it was a fun night overall.
Now it's on to prepping for next year!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Here Come Oscars 2010!
It's nearly that time again...Oscar Night is practically its own holiday here at Chez Loebrich South! As usual, we've been out and about in our Annual Oscar Push, although it has been a little hindered this year. The Winter Olympics always impede our Oscar film viewing because, rather than going out to the cinemas, we're staying home watching figure skating or hockey (or bobsled, or luge, or freestyle aerial skiing, or...). The Oscars also always fall during Pledge Drive, so my work schedule doesn't always allow us enough time to go to the movies. Then there is the historic change to 10 nominees for Best Picture this year, which was done in the hopes of allowing more "blockbusters" into the nominations to attract more viewers/ratings.
That said, it has been an very odd year for movies. Most of 2009 we were going out around 2 times a month to see movies with our friends, we actually saw quite a lot of movies overall. And most of those films were our standard fare, that is to say "popcorn flicks" rather than the more "cerebral" movies the Academy usually notices. Nonetheless, we were doing pretty well when the nominations came out, making it fairly easy to pick up several others. Movies On Demand from the cable company also helped out quite a bit, and was way cheaper than the cinemas!
We've only seen about half of the Best Picture nominees, but this is a pretty easy one to predict. In fact, I kind of wonder whether the 10 nominees plan is going to backfire on the Academy, solely because Cameron released Avatar this year. If you think anything else is going to win this category, you're nuts, it is an amazing cinematic achievement. That said, I'd rather see almost any of the other films win myself. I found Avatar to be beautiful, technically amazing, but plot poor and predictable with flat acting. I was not really taken with The Hurt Locker either. I already knew that war is hell, and that all the military personnel involved are brave and talented people who are being affected in more ways than we can understand. Inglourious Basterds was brilliant, and I love Quentin Tarantino, so you'll see me holding out hope for him here, even though I know it's pointless.
In another unusual development this year, Up is nominated for both Best Animated Feature and Best Picture. I don't think that has ever happened before. The Best Animated Feature category came about after Beauty and The Beast was nominated for Best Picture and didn't win. The uproar was such that the Academy decided there should be a separate category. Up is definitely the Best Animated Feature of the year, but I wonder what the ramifications would be if it were to win in both categories. Unlikely, and something I really don't think *should* happen, thus I'm rooting for it in the Animated category and against it in the Picture category.
When it comes to Best Director (my sentimental favorite category), you know I'm rooting for Tarantino. In this case, he's a good bet. I'm hearing a lot of "sympathy vote" buzz for him (also in the Original Screenplay category). Could go to Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker, but I wish it wouldn't. And James Cameron bugs the heck out of me, he's like Juggernaut or The Tick - nigh indestructible.
The acting categories are where we lost a lot of ground this year. I think that Jeff Bridges has a really good shot for Best Actor. Crazy Heart was awesome and he was spot-on perfect in it. All the buzz I'm hearing about Best Actress says Meryl Streep, and I love her in general, but I haven't seen Julie & Julia, although "biopics" are always a good way to get an Oscar - if you have a meaty enough character to sink your teeth into, you can do a really good dramatic turn. Everybody knows Mo'Nique is going to win the Supporting Actress category. I have not seen Push either, but I hear she's brilliant. When it comes to Supporting Actor, I've only seen two of the nominated roles. Matt Damon is pretty, but, amazingly, that's almost all he does in Invictus - be pretty, oh yeah, and play rugby rather well. The guy from Inglourious Basterds was really good.
Our standard category, the one in which we have usually already seen all the films when the nominations are announced, is Visual Effects. Yes, we had it done again this year. Guess what is going to win. Come on, you know this one!
Amazingly, the other categories we usually have locked up early on - Art Direction, Costume Design, and Cinematography - are ones in which we fell short this year. We also only saw 2 of the Animated Feature nominees, and none of the Foreign Film nominees. Like I said, we had rivals for our attention this time around.
Then, we got an unexpected bonus - the Oscar-nominated live-action and animated short films came to town on tour *before* Oscar Night! We squeezed those in around my Pledge Drive shifts last week and had a great time. We pretty much agreed on our favorites, too. If any of you regular readers have the opportunity to catch the Short Films, do it! There are some good ones in there. Our faves? Animated: Logorama. Live-Action: The New Tenants.
Tonight, we start getting ready for *next* year's Oscars - we're going to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D! Then, Sunday night we'll be settling in with our popcorn, M&M's, and bottle of Coppola wine to see who takes home the Golden Boys.
That said, it has been an very odd year for movies. Most of 2009 we were going out around 2 times a month to see movies with our friends, we actually saw quite a lot of movies overall. And most of those films were our standard fare, that is to say "popcorn flicks" rather than the more "cerebral" movies the Academy usually notices. Nonetheless, we were doing pretty well when the nominations came out, making it fairly easy to pick up several others. Movies On Demand from the cable company also helped out quite a bit, and was way cheaper than the cinemas!
We've only seen about half of the Best Picture nominees, but this is a pretty easy one to predict. In fact, I kind of wonder whether the 10 nominees plan is going to backfire on the Academy, solely because Cameron released Avatar this year. If you think anything else is going to win this category, you're nuts, it is an amazing cinematic achievement. That said, I'd rather see almost any of the other films win myself. I found Avatar to be beautiful, technically amazing, but plot poor and predictable with flat acting. I was not really taken with The Hurt Locker either. I already knew that war is hell, and that all the military personnel involved are brave and talented people who are being affected in more ways than we can understand. Inglourious Basterds was brilliant, and I love Quentin Tarantino, so you'll see me holding out hope for him here, even though I know it's pointless.
In another unusual development this year, Up is nominated for both Best Animated Feature and Best Picture. I don't think that has ever happened before. The Best Animated Feature category came about after Beauty and The Beast was nominated for Best Picture and didn't win. The uproar was such that the Academy decided there should be a separate category. Up is definitely the Best Animated Feature of the year, but I wonder what the ramifications would be if it were to win in both categories. Unlikely, and something I really don't think *should* happen, thus I'm rooting for it in the Animated category and against it in the Picture category.
When it comes to Best Director (my sentimental favorite category), you know I'm rooting for Tarantino. In this case, he's a good bet. I'm hearing a lot of "sympathy vote" buzz for him (also in the Original Screenplay category). Could go to Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker, but I wish it wouldn't. And James Cameron bugs the heck out of me, he's like Juggernaut or The Tick - nigh indestructible.
The acting categories are where we lost a lot of ground this year. I think that Jeff Bridges has a really good shot for Best Actor. Crazy Heart was awesome and he was spot-on perfect in it. All the buzz I'm hearing about Best Actress says Meryl Streep, and I love her in general, but I haven't seen Julie & Julia, although "biopics" are always a good way to get an Oscar - if you have a meaty enough character to sink your teeth into, you can do a really good dramatic turn. Everybody knows Mo'Nique is going to win the Supporting Actress category. I have not seen Push either, but I hear she's brilliant. When it comes to Supporting Actor, I've only seen two of the nominated roles. Matt Damon is pretty, but, amazingly, that's almost all he does in Invictus - be pretty, oh yeah, and play rugby rather well. The guy from Inglourious Basterds was really good.
Our standard category, the one in which we have usually already seen all the films when the nominations are announced, is Visual Effects. Yes, we had it done again this year. Guess what is going to win. Come on, you know this one!
Amazingly, the other categories we usually have locked up early on - Art Direction, Costume Design, and Cinematography - are ones in which we fell short this year. We also only saw 2 of the Animated Feature nominees, and none of the Foreign Film nominees. Like I said, we had rivals for our attention this time around.
Then, we got an unexpected bonus - the Oscar-nominated live-action and animated short films came to town on tour *before* Oscar Night! We squeezed those in around my Pledge Drive shifts last week and had a great time. We pretty much agreed on our favorites, too. If any of you regular readers have the opportunity to catch the Short Films, do it! There are some good ones in there. Our faves? Animated: Logorama. Live-Action: The New Tenants.
Tonight, we start getting ready for *next* year's Oscars - we're going to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D! Then, Sunday night we'll be settling in with our popcorn, M&M's, and bottle of Coppola wine to see who takes home the Golden Boys.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
The Blind Side
Nominated for Best Actress and Best Picture, The Blind Side is based on the true story of football player Michael Oher. As a high school student, he is homeless and struggling. His father has been missing for most of his life, his mother is a drug addict, and Michael is left mostly to his own devices. A good-hearted neighbor manages to bring Michael to the attention of the football coach at a Christian school. Michael's athletic prowess is enough to get the coach to lobby for his admission. Once in school, Michael crosses paths with Lee Ann Tuhy, whose two children also attend the school. Lee Ann is inspired to take Michael in as she sees that he has nowhere else to go.
A bond forms between this large black youth and the Southern white family who has taken him in. Eventually, the Tuhys become his legal guardians and work to help him improve his grades and get into college. Oh yeah, he also plays football...very well.
This is a very good movie. Yes, it's predictable. Yes, it's got a "movie of the week" feel to it. But it is also a feel-good story with some good performances and a great ending.
Moms, I think the vote is split here. My mom loves football, but there is the issue of Michael being a virtual orphan until he is adopted away from his birth-mother (who, admittedly, is not able to care for him). Both our moms don't like violent or scary movies, and there are two definitely scary scenes (car crash, fight in the projects). But overall, I think this could be a really good moms movie, primarily for its messages of overcoming adversity, finding that family is where your heart is, and becoming who you're supposed to be.
A bond forms between this large black youth and the Southern white family who has taken him in. Eventually, the Tuhys become his legal guardians and work to help him improve his grades and get into college. Oh yeah, he also plays football...very well.
This is a very good movie. Yes, it's predictable. Yes, it's got a "movie of the week" feel to it. But it is also a feel-good story with some good performances and a great ending.
Moms, I think the vote is split here. My mom loves football, but there is the issue of Michael being a virtual orphan until he is adopted away from his birth-mother (who, admittedly, is not able to care for him). Both our moms don't like violent or scary movies, and there are two definitely scary scenes (car crash, fight in the projects). But overall, I think this could be a really good moms movie, primarily for its messages of overcoming adversity, finding that family is where your heart is, and becoming who you're supposed to be.
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