Star Wars

The long anticipated new Star Wars movie has finally come out, and we were there on day two to see it.

The Ex grew up with Star Wars. His childhood revolved around it. He knew all the ins and outs of all the planets and galaxies the movie provided, had action figures and movie posters and bed sheets and, and, and. He was, for all intents and purposes, a Star Wars nerd. Over the years, this has been a part of RJs upbringing, so to say he was excited to see this final episode, would be an understatement.

When I mentioned to SS and RJ that I had bought tickets, they were both excited and couldn’t wait. The morning of, SS’s stomach started acting up because he was so anxious and excited.

About ten minutes into the movie, I started to doze. Star Wars was something I watched as I grew up, but it didn’t take over my life. I didn’t talk about the characters like they were friends I hung out with, and I didn’t watch the movies over and over to learn the ins and outs. To me, it was just another entertaining movie series.

When episodes 1, 2, and 3 came out, I cared even less. They were much less interesting to me than the original 4, 5, and 6. I don’t know why. Maybe because of the cast of characters? Maybe because it became so involved and I didn’t have the time to keep up with such a fantasy land. Maybe the story line was just not as exciting to me. I don’t know. But I still watched them just to keep up with the main character stories.

Now that this final one has come out, and we’ve seen how the entire story ends, what is next? What happens to the remaining characters? Do they just fade off into the world they saved? Do they go off and do more great things we will miss?

The Mandalorian

Since the Star Wars saga is over after nine movies, I guess it’s time to turn to TV for more. Disney has put out a new show called The Mandalorian. After watching season 1, I can say in all honesty, that this story got me hooked. I can’t wait to see what happens next season. Plus, that baby Yoda has stolen my heart.

Are you a Star Wars fan?
If so, what did you think about the final movie?
If not, why?

Did you watch Season 1 of The Mandalorian? What did you think?

Pirates of where?

Today’s topic is: What is one thing that you have never done that you think most people have?

I’ve never seen any of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

Johnny Depp has never been my favorite actor, nor an actor I jumped at the opportunity to see on the big screen, so I originally passed on the whole Pirates idea. I’ve sat down a handful of times to watch the first one, but every time, without fail, I fall asleep.

Maybe if they put a car chase in it, I could stay awake. ;-)

 

Iron Man 3

friend

/frɛnd/[frend] noun

1.a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.

2.a person who gives assistance; patron; supporter.

3.a person who is on good terms with another; a person who is not hostile.

Every coworker of mine, has at one point or another in the six years I’ve been at The Ranch, been a best friend, a shoulder to cry on, a drinking buddy, a role model, a friend to shop with, a lunch date, and a saving grace. Although they all have their own way of life, I wouldn’t trade them for anyone else. They are my family. And I love them as such.

So when one of them invites me to join them for dinner, I go. When one of them invites me to see a movie, I go.

And with that, I give you….

Iron Man 3

This movie was fantastic. I loved it. Call me a sucker for comic book heroes if you must, but do it with caution. Iron Man will KICK YOUR ASS!

Or, if Tony Stark is busy, War Machine will do it. I’m totally okay with that.

Guy Pearce was awesome. Crooked teeth and long hair, he was a great bad guy! And Ben Kingsley was great as The Mandarin. He is so believable as a terrorist. Wow.

This movie gives new definition to my favorite saying “Something about a man in a suit.” They appear to be extremely heavy, so perhaps having one of my own isn’t such a great idea. HOWEVER, I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to play around with one for a few days. *wink, wink. nudge, nudge*

I was a little disappointed to see his fabulous Malibu home destroyed, but I guess it’s okay in the long run, since it isn’t real. (So says …. Point Dume Wiki)

So, if anyone is debating whether or not to go see this movie, I say GO. You won’t regret it.

-until next time…..

Movies

I caught a few movies recently.

The Replacements - When a bunch of nobody’s come in to replace pro players, they learn a thing or two about themselves. Predictable, yet fun. I liked it. I cried. Go figure.

 

Step Brothers - Two middle aged men, still living with a parent, are forced to live together when their parents marry. This is not usually the kind of movie I’d watch, but it came on after something else I was watching. I watched the first few minutes, and felt obligated to watch the whole thing to see how it ended. I even rewound the part I missed while I had visitors over. I laughed out loud a few times, but it doesn’t exactly go on my Top 10 Movies list.

 

Are We Done Yet? - A man and his family buy a house in the middle of nowhere. One thing after another falls apart, but only due to the annoying guy in town who does everything (he’s the realtor, the electrician, the contractor, the city inspector, etc…). It was dumb. The unluckiness that this guy has, all caused by the annoying guy in town, made the story so unbelievable, that when it all worked out in the end, I was annoyed. Oh well. At least the guy has good taste in shirts.

 

Hangover 2 - Just gonna say BWAHAHAHAHA! Freakin’ hilarious! I haven’t laughed this hard since the last Hangover movie. These guys are seriously funny, but I’m so over the annoying Asian man. He’s not as funny as he thinks he is. I remember hearing stories from the trainers that went to Thailand with the monkeys. It makes it even funnier to watch some of the scenes if you know a little bit more than everyone else. This movie is going on my Movie Wish List. I will forever remember that if I am ever having drinks with Zach Galifianakis, he’s not allowed to touch them. I will order my own. Ha.

Have you seen these movies? What did you think? What have you seen recently that I should watch?

Movies to see…

I think I’m going to be looking for a movie date, cause I’m interested in seeing these two:

 

A few movies

I’ve caught a few movies over the last few weeks.

Easy A: Loved it. Hilarious! Would totally own it.

 

Gran Torino: Loved it! (His yellow lab in this movie belongs to us. Our trainer spent 3 months filming on location.) Yes, I cried at the end. I ♥ Clint. Would own it.

 

The House Bunny: Cute. I’m an Emma Stone fan, so naturally she was the best part of this movie. Would not own it.

 

The Proposal: Loved it! Good date movie. Would own it.

 

X-Men: Uncertain. Second viewing required before decision can be made. But Hugh Jackman? Whoa baby!!!

Which of these movies do I watch?

RM#1 rented these three movies.

1. Despicable Me
2. Tron
3. Tangled

Have you seen any of these? How were they? Which did you like best? Which do you think I’ll like best?

Tron seemed the most interesting to me, but I still didn’t feel like I “needed” to see it after reading the back of the case.

Black Swan

Oh my. I wish I could get that hour and forty-five minutes of my life back. I hated it. I hated everything about it. I can’t even begin to wrap my mind around this film being nominated for an award. This goes down as one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen.

*Please don’t send me hate mail.

The dancing was graceful, beautiful at times, but her facial expressions any time she danced, made her seem like she was in extreme pain. I liked the director of the play. He was likable. I had a hard time following the good vs. evil, I guess, because it was just not entertaining (except for the girl on girl action). That was hot!

Maybe I just didn’t get it. Or I did and it just wasn’t for me.

Did you see it? What did you think about it?

The return of the “Rooster”

True Grit. The only movie in which John Wayne won an Oscar. He wasn’t by any means, the best actor of his time, but a fan of his I am. What I am not a fan of, is the Coen brothers. They just tend to do things a little differently than I’d like to see them done. Obviously, this is what some people love about them. I, do not.

Jeff Bridges, fresh off his Oscar win for Crazy Heart, has been cast to replace The Duke. Big deal. I’m not a huge Jeff Bridges fan, but I guess if that’s who they had to pull from the acting pool, then so be it.

Changing up the movie to reflect the story being told by the little girl, will be interesting. Kind of like watching The Shawshank Redemption being told by the Warden. And OMG, what is up with the changing of the eye patch? Why would they change eyes? Wayne made it iconic by wearing it on his left eye (paying tribute to an old friend). Are they trying to say that Bridges has an old friend he’d like to pay tribute to that wears one on his right eye? Hmm. Wayne was always clean shaven. Bridges, won’t be.

With such huge differences, is this really being considered a “remake”? So far I’m not impressed.

“The Duke” won an Oscar for it, but will “The Dude”?

Started, but not finished

Several months ago, I purchased Eat.Pray.Love. I’ve never been a fan of reading books, so it seemed obvious to me that an audio book was definitely the way to go. I became addicted. I listened to chapter after chapter, until…

…the incident with my iTouch. Ever since then, I haven’t been able to listen to it. I refused to pay for it again, so there I sat, patiently, until the movie came out.

The movie has been out for two weeks, and I have yet to see it. I was certain it would be crowded the first weekend it opened, so I wasn’t going to rush in and battle the obnoxious movie theater crowds. Now that the excitement and newness has worn off, maybe a late night Sunday showing would be fun. Or, I’ll just go buy the book and finish the story. I really want to finish her story.

Movie Review: Wall-E

Unfortunately, and I’m sure I’ll catch some flack for this, but I thought this movie was L.A.M.E. I so desperately wish I could get those 98 minutes back.

Deep sigh.

Movie Review: Seven Pounds

Seven Pounds - Where do I even begin? Wow. I’m actually left pretty speechless as to why I’d never seen or heard about this movie before yesterday.

I can remember very vividly, sitting in a room hole, no bigger than a bathroom stall, crying my eyes out over all the horrible things I had done in my past, and all the people that I had hurt, both past and present, and wondering just how I was going to make up for all these horrible things. Twenty-one days later, still sitting in the same place, I had no clearer answer than I did before.

I’m not going to give away the whole movie, but I will say… There isn’t any distance too far, that would come between me and my desire to “make right” what I had made wrong, if *I* was the one sitting on those rocks overlooking the ocean. To be holding the heavy, heavy thoughts and emotions Ben Tim was holding, I can’t honestly say I would have done any different than he (just not as methodically thought out - ‘cause I ain’t got no M.I.T. edumacation). The two M.I.T. graduates I know, think every single part of their life out before doing it. Every. Single. Part. Dissecting wasn’t ever my favorite thing to do anyway, so my lackluster way of thinking might give 1/4 pound to someone in need, instead of SEVEN pounds. (Meaning you’re more likely to get a 1/4lb kidney from me than a 7lb heart.)

When the movie was over, I again, turned off the faucets in my eyes, wiped the stream of tears from my face, and said very seriously, “Um. So what the heck does that have to do with seven pounds?” When RM#1 said she didn’t know either, my perplexity peaked, and I turned to JK for the answer. “Seven pounds is how much the human heart weighs.” Hmm. I’m certain this was something I was supposed to learn in elementary school, and I admit there were a few days I missed due to parental divorce issues, but I truly do not remember learning this. Did they reteach this in high school biology class, cause I know I ditched that class more times than I attended.

Almost 24 hours later, I kind of feel like I did after watching The Usual Suspects for the first time. Completely speechless and unable to comprehend what the idea was about without sitting down and dissecting each section of the movie. It’s a strange feeling, and one I’m not completely comfortable with.

Overall, movie was great. Shelf worthy. In those two hours, I spent more time crying than not. Here’s the kicker, I DON’T KNOW WHY! Was it because I could relate to Tim? Or perhaps because I secretly wished I could be one of those “lucky ones” he saves? Or because at one time, I was one of those lucky ones, just in a different way? Or was I crying because I understood the lonely feeling? Either way, I’d watch it again, and again. Maybe you will too. Try it. Then let me know how you feel about it. :-)

Movie Review: Couples Retreat

A couple of days ago, I was busy at work when JK called. He said, “I got Couples Retreat. Do you want to come over tonight and watch it?” I’m not usually one for turning down an opportunity to send time with JK, and this was no exception. “Of course”, I said.

I could TOTALLY related to this movie. During the eight years I was married, I was every single one of these people. Although The X and I weren’t able to take such lavish vacations to figure out where we stood as a couple, we did try. Perhaps it would have worked out better if we had gone to some place nicer.

Movie: 2 thumbs up. It is definitely one for the shelf. Pick it up on your way home. Watch it. You’ll be happy you did.

Movie Review: Toy Story 3

I am truly blessed. Just ask anyone.

When RJ was little, he was a huge Toy Story fan. WE were huge Toy Story fans. The Ex and I loved every part of the Toy Story franchise, so we bought lots and lots of Toy Story toys for our own little space ranger. He had several different Buzz Lightyear action figures (by different I mean different sizes), and a half dozen different size Woody dolls child play toys. He took them everywhere he went so on any given day, I could be seen toting around a Buzz Lightyear action figure in my purse.

          

As RJ grew up, the excitement of TS 1 & 2 fizzled away. Some got sold to other kids while the others were donated.

When I found out there was a 3rd movie coming out, I was beyond thrilled. I made sure everyone knew I would be going to see it. With or without someone else, I was going. Well, JK came through for me. He wasn’t going to let me go see it alone. He had seen the first one, so he borrowed the 2nd one from a friend. He watched it while I was at work, so by the time I got home that evening, he was fully briefed and ready to go. Off we went, to see Toy Story 3. Yay!

I cried. I cried A LOT. JK cried. Not as much as I, but I saw him wiping tears. ;-)

It’s hard to make a sequel as good as the first. It’s even harder to make a 3rd movie as good as the 2nd or 1st. Pixar did it.

Two thumbs up. I can’t wait to own all three.  Yay for box sets. :0)

Movie Review: Knight and Day

Last night, I was treated to dinner and a movie. Yay for experiencing date night again. We had 3 movie choices. The A-Team, Toy Story 3, or Knight and Day. Knight and Day won this time, but Toy Story 3 will eventually prevail. :-)

I had gone into this movie, knowing nothing about it. I’d seen commercials on TV, but never was able to follow. It seemed a bit more complicated than what my mind was about to comprehend at any time I was watching TV. However, I did walk into the movie at least knowing that Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz had a new movie out together, and this was it.  (*high five* on that.)

I had a hard time following the actual story line, but following the movie, was no problem. From the beginning of the movie, I couldn’t stop focusing on how old TC is getting. Holy cow!! He’s no Risky Business sex symbol anymore. He’s definitely showing his 48 years. I understood who the characters where, and how they acted, but as soon as they started talking spies and espionage, I might as well had been watching a foreign film. The acting was a bit over-the-top, but the more I think about it, the more I convince myself that it was supposed to be that way. I mean, come on, bulls jumping over rolling cars. Right! That’s gonna happen. We can’t even get the bull to walk successfully through the bank drive-thru in the Capital One commercials, let alone jump over a rolling car. Ha. (Pardon me while I laugh a bit more about this.)

In all honesty, I enjoyed the movie. Tom Cruise played the part well. There were a number of times when his character surprised me, and to be honest, there were a few times when his characters bad boy image with guns blazing, made me glad I was sitting. ;-)

Overall, good movie.

Rated: 1-10 (now that I’ve had a chance to let the movie sink in), 7

Go watch it. Maybe it’ll make more sense to you (JK had no problem and rated it higher than 7), but I warn you…TRY to stay focused on the movie and not how old TC is.

Movie Review: Blow

(Johnny Depp & Penelope Cruz)

The movie is based on the real life stories of George Jung, Pablo Escobar, Carlos Lehder, and the Medellín Cartel. The screenplay was taken from the 1993 book Blow: How a Small Town Boy Made $100 Million with the Medellin Cocaine Cartel and Lost It All.

Good movie. Watch it.

I Believe In…

"… the soul. The cock. The pussy. The small of a woman's back. The hanging curveball. High fiber. Good scotch. That the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a Constitution Amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas eve. And I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days..."

-Kevin Costner as Crash Davis in "Bull Durham"

Toy Story 3

I want to go see this, really bad. Really, really bad. It opens tomorrow. Anyone interested in going to see toys play around on a Friday night?

 

I Want To See

Marmaduke

Sex In The City 2

The A-Team

Toy Story 3

Does anyone want to join me for any of these movies?

Movie Review: The Hurt Locker

I knew nothing about this movie prior to the opening scene, other than it won Best Movie at the Oscars this year. Um. I don’t exactly know what to say about it. It was okay. It definitely kept me on the edge of my seat, but I was constantly checking the clock to see how many more of the same scene I’d have to see again, before it was over. The only reason I didn’t turn it off 1/2 way or 3/4 of the way through, was because I was determined to see how it ended. After all, 6 Oscars and 73 other awards, how could it be bad, right?

You judge. Let me know your thoughts. Inquiring minds want to know.

-Valerie