Twilight - Pre-review of the Midnight show

I am quite worried that this movie will not be good. I loved reading the books and even got Henry to read them (and about 20 people that I work with!). Because of that love of the books I am terrified that the movie will fall flat in comparison. We shall see... Henry is extremely optimistic about it, but he is a heterosexual guy and therefore did not fall in love with Edward unlike most of the women I know. Cedric Diggory (whatever his real name is...) will have to do quite a bit to impress me in this role. I hope he's up to the challenge!! Go here to see a preview: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810010670/trailer


3am Update:
We've just driven the snowy roads home from the Midnight show of Twilight and I thought I'd get down my first impressions of the movie. I liked it. Completely against my better judgment, I must say. This is not to imply that it is a good movie, but I will say it is a fair and decent 2-hour interpretation of a 500 page book. The acting was pretty poor across the board and Bella only has one expression, but I will admit that Cedric Diggory (who's name is actually Robert Pattinson) was a good portrayal of Edward. Not perfect - but then who really could be the perfect Edward?

They took many liberties with the story, but I believe that a lot of them were improvements to the visual and intellectual sides of the story. No matter how they mashed up the scenes in the woods, they were beautifully shot and made me want to go the the Pacific Northwest even more than ever. The buildings and sets were excellent and the mood of the movie was spot on. The Port Angeles scene actually flowed more easily in the movie than it did in the book (aside from the weird waitress they used) and even the somewhat cheesy baseball scene was executed well. We all know that Bella wouldn't be caught in her underwear with Edward, but I'll let that one slide for all the guys who go to see the movie with their girlfriends. They throw in the "evil" characters earlier in the movie than they appear in the book but it works because they help tie in the action scenes that Stephenie Meyer likes to put only into the last 75 pages of any of her books. Another scene that was altered was the fight scene which Bella misses entirely in the book (because she is passed out) and I was glad to see in the movie. Go Alice!

Speaking of Alice, she was one of the few actors I liked in this movie but I wish they'd been able to explore more of her relationship with Bella. I know they only had two hours and it isn't a movie about friendships but I look forward to more of that in New Moon. Rene, Bella's mom, was just the right amount of flaky but like most of the acting, it fell a bit flat. Jacob was good (but his hair got on my nerves) and I liked all of her friends in the movie MUCH MORE than the friends in the book. The ones in the book come across as place holders who fill time when she isn't with Edward and are not interesting people, but the ones in the movie are actually people you'd really want to be friends with - she just isn't paying much attention to her surroundings or the people in those surroundings.

Do I wish there was a little bit more of Edward's angst? Yes. However, that was also the stuff that made me crazy in the book (read: became very irritating). Bella does not come across as confidant in the book but she also isn't the odd Eeyore-like character that is portrayed in the movie. I also thought the very last moment of the movie was weird. We didn't stick around to see the credits since there were 600 people at the theatre all trying to leave at the same time and maybe there was a bonus scene. I guess I'll find out when I go back to see it with the entire gang from work.

Sparkly. Didn't work for me but a valiant effort. Maybe they will tweak it in future like was done with Star Trek's "beam me up" sparkle effects.

My favorite aspect of the movie was how they portrayed Bella's scent and how it affected Edward. It was actually that scene that made me decide to like Cedric - uh, I mean Robert. He did an excellent job with the tension and could have taken images out of my brain from when I read the book.

One of the best parts of being in a crazy big audience were the collective sighs when new (male) characters would appear on screen and the moment during the weird awkward kissing scene someone shouted, "This is awful!!" about how the scene was going. I concur. Not my favorite part of the movie.

I am also glad they didn't allow Edward to have stubble. That was one of my big concerns actually and it worked out in the end.Speaking of the end, my ability to construct sentences has disappeared, so I am headed to bed at 4am. ugh.
General summary: See it if you liked the books, if you like vampires, or if you like chick-flicks.

Here's a shot of that worrisome stubble. :

The Grinch on TV - in November!!

I know it is time to start thinking about the holidays - hey, I was working on our Christmas cards on Sunday when this happened, but still...
I was putting addresses together and filling out some of the postcards we are sending out this year and had the fire on and some music. I was actually considering putting on some Christmas music just to set the mood for my project, but hadn't gotten up to do so yet, when Henry came in the room and said he needed to show me something. He turned on the television and what should be on (on November 16th) but How the Grinch Stole Christmas! I love this movie and (much to Henry' surprise) know almost every word, but it seems more than a little bit crazy to have this on before December, much less before Thanksgiving! Crazy, crazy. I'm also sure that retailers are not too keen on the message of this movie in this economic crisis. The message that Christmas is about more than buttons and boozangs but rather about love and friends instead of stuff.
Maybe next year they can wait until after Thanksgiving to show it - at the very least!!

Double Up on the 007

Daniel Craig = yum.

To prepare for the viewing of Quantum of Solace, Henry and I decided to watch Casino Royale again before heading to the 10pm show. We went over to a friend's house and had some PizzaPizza while we watched what is the definitely the best James Bond movie ever made. I love it. I have never been very into the James Bond movies - if they are on the t.v. I can take it or leave it. I don't feel compelled to watch. However that all changed with the casting of Daniel Craig. Man oh man. I could watch him just look at things for hours (as long as it was his face we were looking at during that time) and then he speaks and the accent slays me. Then he takes his shirt off or goes swimming or puts on a well made suit and I'm done for...

Aside from the eye candy (which I suppose isn't why most guys watch the movies) the story is a great one. At the start of it, he isn't yet "double O" status and has to complete his kill to gain that rank. So he's just a baby Bond! We see his crazy misadventures and his constant entanglement with women. The most stressful part is the torture scene but they even make that happen in such a way to make it less painful for the viewer. Overall we are seeing the moulding of a character that we all grew up with and it is quite intruiging to see how that develops and the role of M (Judi Dench) as a maternal figure. One of the things I like about the new Bond films is that there aren't quite as many rediculous names or characters. The actors are stunningly beautiful but they are more believable than the Pussy Galores and Goldfingers of the past. Le Chiffre was the most outrageous of the characters in this film and still you buy it with no problem - the name and the tears of blood. Anyway, on to the new one!

Quantum of Solace actually isn't as yummy as the first movie - on many levels. I did enjoy this movie very much and highly recommend seeing it on the big screen. However, it didn't have quite the same feel as the first one, Casino Royale, and it didn't have nearly as much shirtless Bond (always a sad thing to miss). It was a good movie and an engaging story and moved at a pace unrivaled even by the others in the 007 series. What was most strange to me was that it was not a stand alone story but rather an immediate sequal to the first film. This approach is a departure for the Bond series, out of which you can pick any movie and not feel like you need to watch twenty others to know what is going on. I'm a fan of sequels, so this didn't bother me per se, but it was an obvious difference. Another difference was the missing line of, "Bond, James Bond" but I will agree it wasn't really needed in this one. Kudos to the director for doing his own thing and leaving that line out. I will be watching this on again - perhaps when it goes to The Dragonfly Theatre in town - but will always find Casino Royale to be a superior movie. Cheers!

Stranger Than Fiction

What an outstanding movie! Odd, yes, but I like them that way (as you have surely figured out by now). Oftentimes "odd" isn't also able to be endearing, however this film was very much so! Who would ever have thought it believable - but it is! Anyway, to the premise...

A man with a very static (many would say boring) life starts to hear a narrator of his life story in the moment as he is living it. Disturbing indeed, but would it work as a premise for a story? Yes! I was intrigued by the previews but didn't know if it would actually fly as a full length film. I was pleased to find that the parts in the previews did not ruin anything, unlike so many teasers and trailers for films.

Emma Thompson was amazing in her role as the writer of the story and Will Ferrell wasn't annoying! Yeah, that's what I said - he wasn't annoying!! Not a big Ricky Bobby or Ron Burgundy fan, I do love him in Old School and a few other flicks. However, this was certainly his most subdued of characters. He was outstanding. Maggie Gyllenhaal was amazing as always. I just love her. She is a baker being audited by the IRS and is her usual fiery little self. Queen Latifah was understated, which made it a good role without being outlandish. Dustin Hoffman made me want to go over to his office and ask him about novels (he was a literature professor). So, everyone was great. That's all I'm saying. Yeah. Watch it.

Penelope

Loved it!! (and not just because I grew up on a hog farm either, for those of you in the know.) This movie is a fairy tale of sorts with Christina Ricci, James McAvoy and Reese Witherspoon. A wonderful story of a girl from a wealthy family who has been born under a curse. The sign of which shows itself in the form of a pig nose upon her face. (She also has pig ears at birth but we never see those again, so they were either removed or she hides them under her hair for the whole movie.) Her parents are as normal as two overbearing, image obsessed people can be and her life and living space seem pretty amazing considering that she has been held under lock and key for the past twenty-five years. She's never been out into the world and after seven years of rejection from possible suitors, decides to see what it is all about on her own. This is the story of her adventures out into the world.

The sets, costumes and scenic mood all help to transport you to this city of two continents. Half the cast have English accents and the other have are obviously American. The setting is New York/London/Moulin Rouge. It is a perfect fantasy land and I want her freaking wardrobe (nevermind the fact that Christina is probably a size 0). Everything has a touch of whimsy about it when viewed from Penelope's eyes. Max is a different story, coming from the proverbial school of hard knocks. His life is shown though dirty, dinghy glass but there is a glimmer of hope just around the corner of the hard, rough edges of his brick walled life. He spends his time in bars and at poker tables and views the world through a veil of sleep-deprivation. That is enough to make anyone crazy, without the gambling problems.

Anyway, this is a fanciful story that keeps a person engaged throughout and holds many other wonderful characters to explore, eg. those played by Catherine O'Hara and Peter Dinklage. Take the time to view this film. You won't regret it!!

Iron Man (2008)

Loved it. I am always a fan of the movies based on the Marvel and DC comics. I even liked Ang Lee's Hulk movie, which many viewers did not like. Therefore, I was going in to the viewing of Iron Man with the expectation of enjoyment and I was not disappointed. I also like Robert Downey, Jr. and keep giving his substance abuse addled self the benefit of the doubt (as do the Hollywood execs who give him a paycheck) and I hope against hope that he'll get his addiction problems in order and start putting out tons of good movies. I am thrilled that rooting for the underdog can pay off so well sometimes! This movie is thoroughly entertaining. I'm not saying, by any means, that it is an intellectual or emotional movie, but it is going to be quite a good time had by all at the movies.

The casting was excellent and I always love Jon Favreau's directing style. Jeff Bridges' character was just like that lovable yet slightly creepy uncle you see at a family reunion and Terrance Howard was Tony Stark's well played reluctant best friend. I have yet to find a role where I did not enjoy Gwyneth Paltrow's performance (having avoided ever seeing Hush or View from the Top) and this is another of her understated but well played movies. I do worry that she's possibly in a bit of a rut with casting since I kept thinking about Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (another movie I quite enjoyed) and it felt weird to think of another movie while watching this one. I must say that until this role I have never found Robert Downey to be a very sexy guy. Something about having a glowing blue arc magnet (or whatever it is called) in his chest has made him into quite a formidible character in that way. A certain je ne sais quoi about him that makes me want to pop open a bottle of champage and hang out in his living room. Anyway, 'nuf said, I know that we will own this movie and watch it again and again.

Starring: Robert Downey, Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard, Shaun Toub, Gwyneth Paltrow, Leslie Bibb, Clark Gregg, Faran Tahir

Just so you know, we are kicking into high gear for the Summer where we live, so I may be off this site for a while. I'll catch up when I can (trust me, I'll still be seeing movies - just not writing about them!!)

The Savages (viewed on 4/28/08)

This movie is quite good. I don't know that I will ever watch this again, but that is mostly because it hit a bit close to home. Laura Linney is wonderful as always. I'll write more later, really I will. I'm getting over a cold.