My Small Corner

And Scene

I've been neglecting this space recently, and most of what I do get around to writing is about EMS.  It's not that I don't have a lot to say - I draft posts in my head when I'm out all the time.  But that's the problem.  I don't spend as much time around the computer to do the typing.  If I had a smart phone I'd probably be on Facebook more but I have el cheapo phone.

Mirror Mirro

We took the boys to see Mirror Mirror this week.  Even though they are boys, they do like the occasional fairy tale.

1,000 Words

I used to do movie reviews all the time but for one reason or another, stopped.  So now I'm trying to type more here and I'm going to try to back into some of my old habits.

The Husband and I saw 1,000 Words tonight.  I have to say that I liked the basic premise.  There were some sections that seemed to drag, a fantasy sequence that seemed a little hokey and a sex scene that I probably wouldn't want my kids to see.  Other than that, it was pretty good.

Hitch

The Husband has begun helping out at our church's youth group and for the first time, I'm not going with him.  It leaves me with a night every week where I will be home alone. 

The other night, I made myself a bowl of popcorn and watched Hitch, which I enjoyed but found myself wandering down a couple different roads.  TH had borrowed it through Netflix and thought I might like it. 

Up

The Husband and I decided to take the boys to see "Up" last week on Tuesday.  I knew nothing about the film other than it is physically possible to make a house float with balloons.  It was my second 3-D film and, unlike "Monsters Vs. Aliens", it moved at a pace that allowed me to really look around and enjoy the 3-D world.

The storyline was interesting, and actually told 2 or 3 full stories.  I was totally unprepared for how beautiful some of the graphic were and how utterly sad some of the story line was.  After a section filled with a lot of chatter, a whole story is told without a sound - similar to the opening of "Wall-E", which was particularly poignant. 

Star Trek

We saw Star Trek tonight.

And everything else I type is a spoiler.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop

The Husband and I went to see "Paul Blart:  Mall Cop" last night.  It was my idea, he wanted nothing to do with it, and it took us 3 weeks to get there due to illness.

Here is the full summary - it is "Die Hard", in a mall, with no guns, and John McClaine is 300 lbs and has no guns.  That's it.

There were scenes that were clearly satirical riffs on "Die Hard", those were pretty funny. Actually the whole second half of the movie was pretty funny.

Where they went wrong was in going too far in trying to portray the main character as sympathetic.  They crossed the line into pathetic and borderline obnoxious.  If they had dialed it back a bit it wouldn't have taken me so long to warm up to the movie.

There were some things that were thrown in there for the sake of killing time, like the on-line dating thing.  And I've never been real fond of the hot girl falls for the fat guy thing like in "King of Queens", Kevin James' TV show.

It was nice to see Bobby Cannavale again even though his character was ridiculous.  I wasn't happy when they killed him off of "Third Watch".

Overall, the second half somewhat redeemed the first half and the soundtrack was great.  For a list of songs, check here.  I have to say that it was the best use of a Survivor song since "Rocky".

Yes Man

Last night I saw "Yes Man" and it was funny.  I enjoyed the whole thing.  Yes, there were parts that were impractical or ridiculous, but they were fun.  There was one scene with gratuitous hospital-gown butt-crack that was hysterical.  Generally it was very predictable, but it was a nice night out.

Thinking about it today though, it is a pretty good commentary on people who live in "no", people who have let the bad experiences in their lives box them in.  While the exact opposite, saying "yes" to everything can be just as harmful, there so many people who aren't open to the wonderful experiences around them - they don't take chances, they don't reach out to others, they don't grow.  Your fears, experiences, concerns and phobia shouldn't prevent you from living your life. 

Saying "yes" to people and chances won't always turn out for the best, but at least it will be interesting.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

The Husband, a friend and I went to see "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" on Tuesday.  I had seen the trailer a few weeks ago and really wanted to see it.

We had a good time and I enjoyed the film.  It actually reminded a lot of when TH and I were dating in high school and college.  He and I never drank or did drugs but we had friends who did, around us.  We also had our share of really wacky, and sometimes (in hindsight) frightening, late night crazy adventures.  I remember leaving for 2 hour drives at 11 pm, and then having to haul our drunk friends back home.

There were a lot of things that we were able to relate to.  TH was hung up on a girl, and I was dating someone when we met.  Music played a huge part in our dating relationship.

And the days of the crappy car - I swear, the car in the movie may be the only make that TH and I didn't own between us.  This was before the days of cell phones and you never knew if the car that got you some place would get you back.

One thing we wish was that we had been more into the music scene in NY.  We went in all the time but rarely to see a band.  That was the focus of this movie.  To be honest, I was way too busy being nostalgic to really review it well.  We laughed a lot, and there were a couple of really gross scenes, one involving gum.  In fact, the gum was such a main feature that the film could have been subtitled:  The Adventures of The Traveling Gum.

I wasn't very fond of the portrayal of high school casual sex.  Yes, it was probably realistic but that doesn't make it right.  I was surprised at where the film held back in this regard as well.

So this review pretty much stunk, but I had a good time traveling down memory lane.  I like a film that stays realistic enough that you can really connect with it.  I also particularly like the ending - the shift in priorities and the feel of an even better adventure ahead.

Nights in Rodanthe

I went to see "Nights in Rodanthe" last night.  It had come in 2nd this past weekend.  The theater was full with mostly women.  One of the people I saw it with had read the book and wanted 14 tissues - to be prepared.  For the record, I didn't cry.