Am I the only one…

… Who wasn’t completely taken aback by the Twilight movie?  Because it really feels that way.  Every blog I read, every review… they all talk about how incredible the movie was, and how they can’t wait for more.

Okay, I’m there.  The movie was great, and I can’t wait for the sequels so I can see how they are going to deal with certain storylines, and it kept right in step with the books.  So, for those things, I am pleased.  But I still can’t help but feel disappointed with the movie.  As much as I loved it, and as good as it was, I was not as impressed as I thought I would be.

Should I have seen it with fresh eyes, and not read the books first?  Should I have gone with someone who was more excited than myself to maybe try to get more into it?  Should I have not been so distracted?

I had ventured to Twilight alone, which was part of the plan, until W volunteered to go.  Unfortunately, W was pulled away unexpectedly, and my weekend suddenly became wide open.  So, I ventured alone.  And what I got was two hours of by the book story, a cute leading man and a movie ticket stub to add to my collection.

Seriously, though.  I devoured the books.  It maybe took me a month to read all of them (if you take into account that I had read the first three in the span of two weeks, and the fourth didn’t come out for another month or more at the time).  But I devoured them.  It was like drugs to an addict, I needed more.  And i was dead set on not seeing the movie because how could the movie possibly live up to the books…? 

And I will tell you this: the movie was excellent.  Incredible.  Fantastic, even.  There were even times where what I saw onscreen was EXACTLY what I had pictured in my head months ago while reading the books.  Kudos to the director, Catherine Hardwicke, for having that vision.  And don’t get me wrong.  I LOVED the movie.  But I honestly think I was more than a little preoccuppied with the lack of W to truly enjoy it.  So, once I’m in a better headspace, I’ll see it again, and will probably love it even more.

So, since there has been fuel thrown on the fire, I have decided to read the series again… to get my Twilight fix. 

Okay, so right down to the nitty gritty…

What I LOVED:

• The chemistry between Bella and Edward, or Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, respectively.  They absolutely SCREAMED chemistry onscreen, which was excellent.  They really made the story come alive.
• The Cullens.  They are suave, and sleek and almost certainly what I had imagined when I read  the story.  And my favorite Cullen?  Alice.  Alice has always been my favorite, but seeing her come to life (or death, rather) was incredible.  She had this charm and childlike wonder about her, while being highly enlightened at the same time.  It was fantastic.

What I didn’t like:

• I honestly don’t think there was anything to not like about this movie, other than the fact that there is a need for immediate gratification, and a desire to see more… RIGHT NOW.  But other than that, there really wasn’t anything to dislike.

My conclusion, as not impressed as I was, this movie at least deserves a second viewing.  And possibly a third, or a fourth.

Rachel Getting Married: a Review

I’m not entirely sure I would call this an Independent flick, but it certainly wasn’t something that was mainstream.

W and I had spent the day puttering around Cambridge, walking through Harvard, checking out the museum, and a non-maintream movie seemed to be the perfect way to end the day.  So we hiked over to the Kendall Square movie theater and got tickets for Rachel Getting Married.

“Rachel Getting Married” is a contemporary “drama with an aggressive sense of humor” about the return of an estranged daughter to the family home for her sister’s wedding. Kym’s reemergence throws a wrench into the family dynamics, forcing long-simmering tensions to surface in ways both hilarious and heartbreaking. “Rachel Getting Married” paints a colorful, nuanced family portrait.

Believe it or not, I am not the world’s biggest fan of Anne Hathaway, who plays the estranged Kym.  I’ve always seen her in bubbly roles, which sometimes can nauseate.  Now, that has nothing to do with her acting skills, it is simply my preference for movie.  So, it came as quite a surprise to see Hathaway in such a different role.  And let me tell you, she was unbelievable.

I was also quite surprised by the depth of this movie.  I hadn’t really thought it was going to be one of those don’t have to think about it movies, but I certainly wasn’t expecting what I got.  And I was pleasantly surprised.

For me, I had a difficult time trying to place the movie in a particular time period.  It had all the makings of a modern day movie, taking place in maybe the late 90’s or even the 2000s, but often times it felt like it should have been a 60’s or 70’s flick.  And I think the only reason I was able to debunk the 60’s/70’s vibe early on was the fact that the situations seemed more progressive than they would have 30 or 40 years ago.

What I found fascinating was the fact that Rachel was marrying a black musician, and there was no emphasis at all put on that relationship.  The families mixed and accepted each other as if they had known each other all their lives.  However, there was quite a bit of emphasis on the different cultures, which was brought out beautifully by the very diverse wedding ceremony.

The director did an excellent job framing the shots from scene to scene.  At times, it felt as though you were right there in the scene waiting to say something, and other times, it had the feel of a documentary.  It was not complex and at the same time, it was very involved. 

I honestly don’t know what else I can say about this movie other than it was probably the best movie I’ve seen in a long time.   And if you don’t believe me, check out the trailer below.  And also, I think it’s one of those movies that deserves a second, even a third… heck, maybe eve more, viewings.  I can’t wait til it’s released on DVD.

ABC Shows Get Axed

This comes as no surprise, gentle readers.  In fact, we’ve been talking about the end being near for weeks now.  ABC has cancelled a trio of allegedly bad shows.  Eli Stone, Pushing Daisies, and Dirty Sexy Money were cancelled due to ratings. 

This news comes shortly after it was announced that My Own Worst Enemy and Lipstick Jungle were cancelled on NBC.  So much for November sweeps.  Each show will run out the remaining episodes, clearing up the networks for January replacement television.

ABC had been rumored to be undecided on each of those show, wanting to wait as long as possible to see if there might be an uptick.  No such luck.  I reccommend if you like watching the numbers (and this is a new hobby of mine), checking out a site called TV by the Numbers.  There you can see how each show on each network is doing.  And then it makes things like cancelled shows much less shocking.

Now, I’ve been lobbying for weeks trying to keep Pushing Daisies on the air, because it would definitely be a good quality show… if it didn’t do so terribly in the ratings.  To be perfectly honest, I think the Writer’s Strike definitely affected each of ABC’s shows that were cancelled.  Maybe they would have been cancelled after the first season, but then again, maybe not.

I think it’s a sad state of affairs when shows are doing so poorly in the ratings, but there must be something better out there.

All I know is that Pushing Daisies will be missed.  And also, I didn’t watch the other two shows.

A calming effect…

I’m not sure what it is.  I don’t really know how it happened.  But as if all of a sudden, there seems to be this calming effect in my life…. a presence that makes things seem easier, and just all around more pleasant.

I guess you could say I’m feeling calm, and a little philosophical at the moment.  The every day grind of work can get tedious and stressful, and it constantly feels like a rat race.  The issues with the economy keep piling up, and although we have a new President-elect, I doubt the issues are going to subside anytime soon.  Not to mention the other little things that have the tendency to bring about added stress.  The holidays are creeping up, and it’s getting colder (at least where I am).

And despite all of that, I feel calm, happy… heck, even satisfied.  And I have someone to thank for that.  To thank for just being able to make me smile and realize that I don’t actually have to take myself seriously all the time.  And to thank for keeping the balance.

I met W online many moons ago, and we had an instant connection.  We could talk about anything and everything and there was no pressure to put on a performance for the other person.  I could just be myself, and it was good.  W and I had finally decided to meet and that chemistry transferred over, and I could still be myself.

I don’t know where things are going, or how they’re going to turn out, or what’s going to happen.  But I do not that I am very thankful for having W in my life right now. 

I’m a firm believer that people, friendships, relationships come and go, and you are destined to take something from each experience.  There’s no such thing as good or bad timing when it comes to experiences.  Something may seem like the perfect time or the wrong time, but in essence, the timing was destined to be the way it was.  Wrong place, wrong time?  Never.  I don’t think things like that exist, because, again, you were there for a reason and it helps shape who you are.  People can do that as well.  And you take what you were meant to take from them and give to them something that is going to shape their lives, their character, and your life and character.

What I guess I’m trying to say is that I’m happy that W came into my life when he did, and pleasantly surprised with the outcome, and I can only hope for more of the same and better from him.

The hype of Twilight

I read the books.  I LOVED the books.  And I swore I would never see the movie.  Mostly because often times the movie never quite lives up to the incredibility of the story the book set forth.

What am I talking about, gentle readers?  Twilight.

But color me surprised as the days go by and I’m getting more and more excited to see this teen film.  The hype surrounding this movie keep getting bigger every day.  To the point where local malls are filled to their brim with teenage girls who are clearly taking sides: Team Edward or Team Jacob.  If you don’t choose, you are CLEARLY out of the loop.  Vampire or Werewolf?  True love or True Friendship?  Even the actors of the movie have chosen their sides.

I will tell you this: having read the entire series of books, I will unequivocally be on Team Edward.  And for the following reasons:

1. I’m a vampire kind of girl.  Don’t be surprised.  I talk about it all the time.
2. Werewolves are just plain hairy, and there’s only so much hair one person can stand.
3. I always preferred Angel and Spike over Oz (BtVS and Angel), in their demon form, although I’m pretty sure they were pretty fairly matched where it counted.
4. Stephanie Meyer clearly had intentions for Edward and Bella to be together.  Who am I to argue?  (And also, be prepared for Jacob to tag Bella and Edward’s daughter, as they are destined to be soulmates).

What team will you be on?

But with all of that said, the opening weekend is shaping up to be a crazy one for  the movie.  Flocks of teenage girls with their friends, mothers, relatives, or maybe alone will be lining up to get in.  Do you remember the craziness that surrounded the Sex and the City Movie?  Well, picture that, but with a much younger crowd. 

And believe it or not, but ticket pre-sales have been extremely high.  The Hollywood Reporter is stating that it may be higher than the most recent High School Musical Movie and the last two Harry Potter movies.  I can’t say that I’m surprised.  In fact, they are predicting that a $40 million weekend will be easy to do, $50 million will definitely be doable, and we shouldn’t be surprised it this weekend excedes $60 million.  I’ll believe it.

However, I will not be amongst the crowds of people seeing Twilight this weekend.  The reasons for this are twofold: firstly, I don’t know of anyone I would want to subject to seeing this movie, ESPECIALLY on opening weekend, so I will probably be seeing it alone, perhaps a Sunday matinee to round out a weekend.  And secondly, it’s opening weekend, it’s going to be crazy, and I’d rather see it alone when it’s less crowded.  Not that it’s something that matters.  But the idea of all those people in one concentrated area without someone to help keep me focused is simply terrifying.

My concern for this movie is also rising.  More because the books were fantastic (if you can accept the fact that the traditional vampire mythology is all but thrown out the window.  And this is probably a good reason to see the movie, if only to see how much of the book the movie will stay true to, and also how much of the entire series will be encompassed in one movie.  I don’t know about you, but nothing annoys me more than having an entire series of books be encompassed in one movie.  In my opinion, each book in the series should warrant it’s own movie.  How else do you expect the story to told and have any justice in its corner?

Anyhoo, check out the poll below, and vote!

Quantum of Solace: The Unsatisfying Bond Movie

I realize I haven’t done the movie review thing in awhile.  Mostly because there hasn’t been much to review.  And I actually haven’t gone to the movies in weeks.  Stop gasping.  It’s not that uncommon.  The upside is that I have a new ticket stub to add to my ever-growing collection.

The downside?  The movie I saw this weekend.  Quantum of Solace.

Um… so yeah.  I almost have no words in regards to this movie.  But lucky for you, gentle readers, I will never NOT have words.

For all the hype surrounding the latest Bond movie, it really didn’t live up to its predecessors.  I will say this, though.  I was at least in good company while seeing this movie, so the night wasn’t wasted.  W (the aforementioned company) bought the tickets online so we could see it in Boston, which was a trip in and of itself, very exciting.

And believe it or not, the theater they opened Quantum of Solace in seated 650 people.  Which ends up being 150 more people than the IMAX I saw Dark Knight in.  But enough of that nonsense.  On to more important things.

Things I liked:

• The action.  There were a lot of interesting and lengthy fight scenes where Bond just kicked some major ass.
• Daniel Craig.  He was actually quite an attractive Bond.  And the rumors are flying that he has signed on to be James Bond in the next two movies.
• The visuality of the movie was a little interesting.  There were a lot of locations and a lot of scenery to pay attention to that really added something to the watchability.

Things I didn’t like:

• Four words: There.  Was.  No.  Plot.  Plain and simple.  And this being my first Bond movie EVER (yes, I’ve been living under a rock my entire life), I was honestly expecting somet kind of storyline, or at least something I could follow.
• Not only was there no actual plot, whatever little storyline there was was actually hard to follow.  I had figured that at least I would be able to follow some of the standalone stories, but even those whose roots did not lie in the actual Bond-saga were confusing.
• There weren’t any of the infamous Bond gadgets.  But this could also be attributed to the lack of gadget guy extraordinaire, Q.  It wasn’t as technologically interesting as the previous movies (allegedly) had been.  So, my disappointment lies there.

I’m not sure what more I can say other than that I’m am thoroughly disappointed.  And the hype surrounding this movie should have made me realize that it probably wouldn’t be as good (allegedly) as the last.  AND the movie did over 70 million at the box office for it’s opening weekend.  Ah, the business of movies.

What I found to be the most frustrating was that even the characters were confused.  From scene to scene, nothing made sense.  The main plot made sense, and it was part of a prequel in which we find out how Bond gets to be the Bond we knew and loved from the beginning.  But seriously, there were just so many things that did not make sense.

I will say this, however.  Now that I’ve gotten past all the hype and all the action, I may have to see it again to find out what I missed.  But maybe not.

So, gentle readers, I leave you with this: before you check a movie with a lot of hype, wait and ask someone who’s already seen it.  It might save you a lot of time and a little disappointment.  Or, at least, wait until Bond comes out on DVD.

An apocalypse is on the horizon

So my friend A is definitely the bringer of bad news.  Not only did he inform me of the reason my real-world cohort is out of work today, but he also brought on the worst news I’ve heard all day.

My Own Worst Enemy is being cancelled.  And after only 4 episodes.  NBC, what the bloody hell are you doing?  You cancel the original programming and keep the new Knight Rider…?  Seriously?  I’ll admit, My Own Worst Enemy is not a great show, but it seems like the type to hook you in if you keep watching.  And Christian Slater is phenomenal in it.  He plays two characters, normal guy and alter-ego secret agent guy, and is hilarious and really a brilliant actor in that particular role. 

So, seriously, NBC is really going to cancel some good mediocre ORIGINAL programming for a crappy rehashed show that should have died after the Hoff was on it in the first place…  Today is not my day, and I’m really feeling scared that any day now the world is going to end.  All the signs are there, and it’s getting a little weird, and kind of scary.

Another thing that really has me on edge at the moment is the fate of Pushing Daisies.  ABC has already officially decided it’s fate, however, November sweeps could still potentially affect that decision.  ABC had only ordered the first 13 episodes for this season, and have been in limbo about picking up the back nine to finish a full season.  However, they haven’t picked up the back nine episodes, and probably won’t.  I think they are actually going to end it at the 13th episode, which they already have filmed and in the can.  The downside to this is that it was writtern as a cliffhanger episode, leading us to believe that there may be a full season, or at least the promise of a 3rd season.  But if they decide to cancel it after November Sweeps, then the writers will have to go in and rehash the episode to film it as an actual conclusion rather than a cliffhanger.

So, it’s no surprise that I am visably upset by all of these things happening.  Honestly, I really think the Writer’s Strike had a serious affect on this season’s television.

Oh!  And what makes me a little uneasy about FOX making serious decisions is that they finally slotted Dollhouse.  But for Friday night at 9, with The Sarah Connor Chronicles as the lead in.  This is nothing but a death trap for a potentially great show.  Okay, it worked for X-files to be in that spot, and this is a Joss Whedon show, but come on.  I don’t think it’s going to pull in enough ratings to even give it the chance it deserves.  I won’t be watching that Terminator show when it airs on Friday.  Heck, I don’t even watch it now while it’s airing on Mondays.  But I really think that a Friday timeslot for another Joss Whedon work is going to kill the show.

But I suppose only time will tell.

Preoccupied

To the point that watching Saved by the Bell on my first actual day off for no reason is something I’m NOT paying attention to.  But who could blame me…?

Sigh

I don’t think there are words that can express how furious I am with the quality of tv last night.  Okay, maybe “furious” isn’t the right word… more like annoyed.  Monday night TV is pretty much one of the better nights, presumably, because of How I Met Your Mother and Heroes.  But I have to say both shows were equally frustrating, and not as entertaining as I would have preferred.

I’m going to say this: when I’d rather watch the lead-in for HIMYM, which happens to be Big Bang Theory, rather than HIMYM, there is a serious problem.

I absolutely hated last night’s episode.  I’m guessing that because of Alyson Hannigan’s recent baby news, the reason they focused on Marshall and Lily having a baby was because of that.  Which is fine.  But watching Lily be completely trashed in the most unsatisfying drunk Lily episode I’ve seen to date, I’m utterly disappointed.  It wasn’t even funny. 

Barney wasn’t even funny.  And I find that truly heartbreaking.  I don’t know what’s going on, but I haven’t felt a strong disappointment in this show since the Britney Spears episodes, and that made me leave for an entire season.  I think that show and I need to take a break for a little while.  I’ll just go back to the DVDs because THOSE were actually funny.

Heroes was a different story.  I actually fell asleep 10 minutes in and didn’t get to see the entire episode.  But I heard it was okay.  Not the best, but had some pretty entertaining insights and some nice crossovers… but I’ll just have to see for myself.

So, all in all, it was a pretty disappointing evening.  Hopefully the lineup tonite will be a little more exciting with House.

Catching up

I just wanted to do a quick update today just to go through all the things that have happened so far this week.  And let me tell you, gentle readers, it’s been a crazy one.

For starters, we have a new President-elect.  I can’t explain how pleased I am at the turnout of this year’s election, and how excited I am to have been a part of such a historical event.  Perhaps we’ll see some change.  But either way, this is a good thing for our country.

Michael Crichton passed away yesterday because of Cancer.  He was 66.  He will be missed.  He was the famed creator of ER and Jurassic Park, among other things.

You may have noticed there’s a sticky post at the top of this blog.  It is to celebrate November being “National Novel Writing Month.”  This is my first time doing something like this, and it’s pretty exhiliharating.  So, you’ll be noticing random posts that don’t belong within the theme of this blog.  I do recommend taking a look through those posts in order by the date they were posted.  I’m trying to keep things as chronologically in step as I can.  Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

It is no secret that I’ve been working on a novel for awhile now… this is something outside of that.  A completely different story, mostly because I only have 30 days (well, 24 now) to do it in, so it’s not about the editing… it’s just about the writing, which is very freeing.

So I urge you all to check out the official website for NaNoWriMo and help support literary abandon!