Weekend Movies

We saw three movies this weekend, with varying degrees of enjoyment.

The first was Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon at the theater, compliments of our son. I can't say the story line was my favorite... but visually it was pretty amazing. My guys liked it a lot more than I did. It's definitely a "guy" movie - but if you're gonna see it, the big screen is the way to go.

The next one, from Netflix, is called "Extreme Days." This is pretty hilarious, actually. It is the story of four lifelong friends going on a road trip/extreme sports trip they've planned their whole lives. If you remember being young and having an hilarious trip with your friends, you'll relate to this movie. It is billed as a Christian movie, but it really wasn't, although some of the music was Christian rap and rock. However, this designation kept it clean(er) than almost any other "road trip" type movie. It is very funny but without coarse language, sex, or extreme gross out stuff. There is a voice-over "Jackie Chan" style spoof fight, goofy antics and mild romance, and some great sports shots as well, such as skateboarding, skiing, etc. If you like funny movies, but felt "Dumb and Dumber" was way too coarse, you'll love this movie.

The last movie, also from Netflix, was my favorite. It's called "Bandslam," and I'd seen bits and pieces of it when I was in the hospital. We all loved it! It's about music, and the actors are musicians who do their own singing and play their instruments, which gives it a lot more realism. The plot is a sweet teenage misfit that knows an insane amount about music. He transfers to a school where "Bandslam" is THE event of the year, and when a popular girl realizes how much he knows about music, she talks him into managing her fledgling band so they can enter the contest. Vanessa Hudgens of "High School Musical" fame plays against type as an endearingly strange and unpopular girl. The movie is so sweet, funny and clever, yet doesn't fall in to the usual traps in teen based movies. There is no sex, coarse language or gross out stuff of any kind. The relationship between the kids and their parents is mostly good, with a lot of respect as well as love. Nothing about this movie is predictable and everything about it holds true to the theme right up to the closing credits. I highly recommend this movie, and you can even watch it with your kids without blushing! Amazing!

Eating Roses

I was at the grocery recently and found a new little section featuring foreign foods. The one that caught my eye was a small packet labeled Sultan's Turkish Delight! Being a "Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe" fan, I had always wondered what would make Edmund choose Turkish Delight when he could choose anything he liked. This tiny package was a bit expensive, both in price ($1.59) and calories (200), but, like Edmund, I simply couldn't resist.

Later, after lunch, I opened the package and found a small rectangular candy covered in milk chocolate. I bit slowly in to it, revealing a jewel tone raspberry colored filling. I recoiled a bit from the texture, which resembled something between figs and gummy bears. Or maybe gumdrops. Not something I am at all fond of. But at the same time, my mouth filled with the unmistakable fragrance of roses! I read the package. The filling, mostly sugar, was also suffused with rose water. It was hard to discern whether I was truly tasting it, or smelling it. I took another nibble. The chocolate joined together with the roses to form an irresistibly unique sensation. The filling's texture didn't seem so bad. Really, it was almost... good. Another nibble. This time I just let the roses waft through me, the texture setting it off perfectly. I had never eaten anything like it!
Perhaps it is magic food after all. Legend has it a certain sultan, trying to amuse and please his harem, had been experimenting with perfume. Then he decided to turn his hand to candy, and created this seductive delicacy. Perhaps there is more to the story. Perhaps a genie, owing one more wish, was pressed in to service and the candy had special, magical ingredients ideal for soothing the fretful. Maybe you grew up on Arabian Nights, but never truly believed them. If so, you had better avoid anything labeled "A Product of Turkey." Or else you, too, may end up, mouth full of roses, and under the Sultan's spell!

A Charles Dickens Aficianado

My hubby and I just finished watching the entire BBC production of "Bleak House" by Charles Dickens. It was on 3 DVDs in roughly 15 episodes, and we enjoyed every bit. (We had it compliments of Netflix). I am a big Charles Dickens fan. I had seen "A Christmas Carol" in every form known to man, from Albert Finney to Donald Duck, but never read any Dickens, until 9th grade English, where we were compelled to read "Great Expectations" for class. I expected to hate it when I saw that the protagonist's name was Pip. I mean, really! But soon I was lost in the story, and when we had the daily quizzes about such trivia as the color of the vase on the mantel in Chapter One, I had trouble answering because I was pondering Pip's fortune and who supplied it, many, many chapters further on.

When I had finished that book I went on to read, on my own, "Oliver Twist" and "David Copperfield". I began "A Tale of Two Cities" but for some reason never read more than a chapter, and then I was on to another author for a while. But when our youngest son got old enough for Dickens, he was as taken with him as I had been at his age, and he begged and cajoled me to read "A Tale of Two Cities" all the way through. I did, and WOW, what a story! I proceeded to read "A Christmas Carol," "Bleak House," "Nicholas Nickleby" and "Our Mutual Friend," along with a slim volume Dickens had co-written with someone else, called "A House to Let", and I thoroughly enjoyed them all. I intend to continue reading more of his stories, but they are best savoured and not devoured, so I'm taking a breather. But that doesn't stop me from enjoying the theatre productions on DVD or PBS when the chance arises!

Some people seem a bit intimidated by Dickens because his books are usually long, peopled with multiple fully fleshed out characters and often of a somewhat sombre nature. But when he was originally published, it was in the newspapers in the form of serial stories, a segment at a time for weeks and weeks, and not meant to be read all at once! And although the subject matter can be grim at times, it is relieved by humor and a deliciously sly sarcastic wit that shows the best and the worst that humankind has to offer. These books are great character studies, as well as windows in to cultures at different times in England's history. They are very good reads, but also mini-educations! For instance, "Bleak House" exposes the justice system, "Oliver Twist" the charitable institutions, and "A Tale of Two Cities" gives an inside view of the French Revolution in chilling prose to rival any suspense story written today! Every time I go to the library I discover a "brand new" (to me!) treasure left behind by Mr. Charles Dickens and slowly I hope to sample them all. Any other Dickens fans?

Funny Movie Reviews

Our middle son gave me this little strawberry candle in its adorable little red crock, for Mother's Day.
He's the son we call "Blockbuster" because he knows all the good movies. He gave me "Madagascar" for Mother's Day, which is a hilarious movie. Here are some mini-reviews of some of the movies he's given me, plus a couple more that I found absolutely hilarious, just in case you missed them. The first 3 are animated.

"Madagascar" is about zoo animals that escape to the wild. If you pay attention, you'll catch sly nods to a lot of different movies sprinkled throughout. The penguins and the lemur king are highlights.

"The Emporer's New Groove" is about a bratty emporer who is turned in to a llama. It kind of made me think of "Rocky and Bullwinkle" in the way it appeals to kids and adults and is clever. The character of Kronk is a definite highlight.

"Flushed Away" is about a rich, up-town mouse who gets flushed down his toilet ("Poor little Roddy, flushed down his own potty"). It is hysterical! Lots of sight gags. The scene where the mouse has fun with the little girl's toys is a highlight, but the french frogs and the mime with the cell phone steal the show.

"Johnny English" is about a James Bond Wanna-Be played by Rowan Atkinson (of Mr. Bean fame). If you don't mind lots of jokes about bottoms, you'll probably laugh yourself silly. A little like the old Pink Panther movies with Peter Sellers.

"The Importance of Being Ernest" is based on Oscar Wilde's play. This version was made in 2002 and stars Reese Witherspoon, Rupert Everett, Colin Firth (Mr. Darcy!!!), Judi Dench, and others. It isn't as funny as the other movies, but it is fun. There is one picture of a naked lady in an old book, and there is a young lady who gets a tattoo on her bottom. It's just a light romantic comedy/farce.

Bella

My son got me a movie for Mother's Day, called "Bella," that I had never heard anything about. But I have reason to trust my son's taste, so that night my husband and I watched it. It was wonderful, and I can heartily recommend it. I can't tell a lot about it, it is better if it unfolds naturally, but I can say there is a young man who is a very good soccer player, until a tragedy occurs, and there is a young woman who finds herself pregnant, to her dismay. Then a story unfolds that is worth the telling. There are two small things that took a moment to get used to. One was that even though this is a movie without foul language, it does have a lot of conversation in Spanish, so you have to read the English if that is all you speak. Also, it does jump around some, but you quickly get oriented, and it is somewhat necessary to the story.

Another thing, though not a flaw, is that this is an adult movie. Now, by that I do NOT mean what passes for "adult" now - i.e. for immature jerks who ought to be old enough to know better. Instead this is a story for real adults, mature, responsible people. There is no sex, bad language, or cruel behavior. It does have real love, family, and compassion. But still it is not for children. If you choose to watch it with a spouse or friend, I think you will be glad you did. Then, after you watch it, google it and read some of the interviews with the writer or actor, which will reveal things that enrich it even more.

Profiling

Wow, I just learned something new about blogging today! I discovered that it really is important to put something in your profile. I guess I thought it would be blank until I got around to doing it, but it turns out I was an accountant from Afghanistan by default. Who knew?

It's not that easy doing a profile, either. For instance, you can list your favorite movies. But mine are everything from Anne of Green Gables and Little Women to Flushed Away and The Emporer's New Groove! And lots in between. In other words, very eclectic. And to add to the dilemma, we have a TV Guardian ("The Foul Language Filter" - we just call it our crud-meter), so I can watch the movies that are excellent except for the language. That has opened up a whole new category of movies, but I hesitate to recommend them, because without the crud-meter, there would be too much profanity to slog through.

As for books - I read everything from children's books to philosophy, history, sci-fi and fantasy, classics - it totally depends on the book. The only consistent thing is that I'm always reading something. Same with music - smooth jazz, contemporary Christian and all the hymns, country, marches, and I find techno relaxes me!

What about hobbies and interests? There is so much to interest me in this life. Writing, horses, gardening, esp. roses, cooking, playing snare drum, obviously reading and watching movies and listening to music. I homeschooled all of my children from K-12 and now I find being the mother of young adults endlessly interesting. I went to college in my early 40's and there's always more to learn. My husband and I have been married for 29 years and he still fascinates me. No matter how many times I read the Bible, I always learn something new.

I finally decided to just stick with the basics on the profile. Although I thoroughly enjoyed Accounting in college, I didn't end up becoming an accountant, and although I'd love to travel the world some day, I've never been to Afghanistan. Other than that, all bets are off!