New Moon

Yup, that's right...we finally went to go see New Moon last Wednesday, and it was all I hoped for and more. Honestly, I didn't know what to expect out of the movie since I thought Twilight was terrible, but I was more than satisfied with the way they handled the second installment of the saga.

Let me say right off the bat - this was the best girls night we've had in a while, only because the running commentary during the movie was hilarious. Two of us who were team Edward were seated between two hard-core team Jacob fans, and so I was lucky enough to get the stereo effect of the comments (mostly about Jacob and his fantastic shirtlessness):

For instance, in the film, Jacob is teaching Bella to loosen up and ride a motercycle. Bella falls off, hits her head, and all of us who have read the book know that Jacob uses his shirt to bind her wound. This is the first scene where we get to see the new-and-improved Jacob, and here's what I hear from two of my friends:

"Ooo, here it comes!"
"Wait for it, wait for it..."
"5,4,3,2,1..." shirt comes off, followed by much giggling and squealing from all of us.

Another great moment, toward the end...Edward is driving Bella home, and shirtless Jacob leaps in front of the car forcing it to a stop. The quote this time?

"Well ya, I'd stop for that too!"

Finally, last share. The movie closes with Edward asking Bella to marry him, screen goes black. One of the 7 other people in the theatre, behind us and to the left sighs just loudly enough for us all to hear, causing the whole theatre to laugh.

This was one of those few movies where I actually think it was better because the theatre was empty...it let us all watch the movie almost as a single group. And the funniest part? I don't think any of us were teenagers.

Generally speaking, the writing was miles better, the storyline more consistent with the book, and the overall development of the characters was stronger. The holes that I noticed were understandable, based on the transition from page to movie. If you're into the Twilight saga, this movie is far more worth seeing than the original...and that gives me a lot of hope for Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, which in my opinion will need to be produced in just the right way for it to be excellent.

So, after all that - who wants to go again? :)

Paranormal Activity

I can't believe it's been two weeks since I've taken any time to post something! I've been working more hours at work, since we're now in the middle of planning season, and that's definitely making me limit computer time when I'm at home.

Anyway - on to the post.

We had a girls night last week and went to see Paranormal Activity. We actually ran into Kayla H. at the same theatre with a friend of hers - so it was kind of an extension of our usual group!

All of the reviews for the movie said that it was really good and really scary. I was so excited to go see a good scary movie that wasn't based all in gore...but maybe my expectations were too high.

Gotta say, I didn't love it. There were some good bump moments, and all of the night time footage was awesome. But the rest of the movie, when the boyfriend was holding the camera, all I could think was that he really sucked at knowing how to hold a video camera. Even normal people can hold it more steady!

So bottom line - it had a lot of promise, but for me the promise wasn't fulfilled because I couldn't even keep my eyes open for most of the movie. At least two of us were suffering from motion sickness by the end because of all the jarring, and that really took away from suggestion of horror which completely makes a psychological thriller.

If you haven't seen it and can handle the hand-held camera footage, then I think it's worth checking out. If you saw it, I'd be curious to know what you thought.

Clue

Hope you had a wonderful Halloween! Mine was very laid back, no costuming this year, but did go hang out with friends at Stephen's house. He lives in a real house in a neighborhood, so we thought he had the best chances of having tick-or-treaters come to the door. Not so much the case (only three kids total, if you don't count the pizza delivery lady who we did get to say "trick-or-treat!"), but at least the three kids were cute. Two boys actually sang me the "Trick-or-Treak, smell my feet song" and the one little girl told me how old she was (7) when I asked what year she was dressed as (lol - she was actually a 70s chick...her mom told me the daughter didn't really understand the costume but fell in love with it and had to have it.)

Then, my friend Liberty came to the party with Clue and Sweeney Todd - not horror movies, but still appropriately creepy for the holiday.

We opted for Clue first. Lande had been surprised that I hadn't seen it, especially considering how much Colyn likes the movie. I actually hadn't heard of the movie before, and Liberty was equally shocked that I'd graduated from AAHS without ever being exposed. So, finally seeing this one was kind of a big deal.

And...I loved it! Totally cheesey, but I loved the board game and whoever wrote the script must have had a ball with it! Some lines that stick with me:

Q: "Why isn't the care moving?"
A: "Because it's scared!"

Butler: "Mrs. White, how many husbands have you had?"
Mrs. White: "Mine or other women's?"
Butler: "Just yours"
Mrs. White: "Just the five...husbands should be like Kleenex, soft strong and disposable"

Ms. Scarlett at the end, after having the accuasation directed at her "That's very good! How did you know, are you Perry Mason or something?" (said with utter delight)

Butler to Scarlett: "Frankly, Scarlett, I don't give a damn"

Seriously, I think I need to own this movie. The entire cast rocked their parts, almost every line was memorable, and the movie had three endings. That's right...just like in the game, where a variety of things could be the answer...so it was here!

And, in case you were wondering, I am reminded that I also need to have a house with secret passages at some point down the road.

Time Traveler's Wife

After having a very hectic week (which still isn't over), I was grateful to get a break last night for some entertainment. I drove down to the Springs and met my SIL Asha for a girls movie night, and we went to see The Time Traveler's Wife. As adaptations go, I thought this was one of the best that I've seen in a long time. There were, of course, some of my favorite scenes from the book missing, but I understand they can't translate an entire 546 page novel to the screen. However, in terms of what they were able to bring to life, they really caught the essence of the novel without veering away from the plot like too many other adaptations do (Confessions of a Shopaholic, anyone? Not even CLOSE to the book). The movie is very definitely not an action flick, so it's not as fast paced or high-drama as what it seems like people expect. But the pace of the movie fits for the story that's being told.

I love how unique the plotline is for this novel, and even re-reading the book close to the viewing of the movie didn't take anything away for me. This one is a must-own when it comes out, and is totally worth seeing if you have a chance.