Category Archives: movies

ramen and movies

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Again I wrote a post that I forgot to publish… oy vey.

I am *so* not a Monday person. I just LOATHE waking up knowing the weekend is over and I have to go back to work. UGH.

Had a good weekend… on Saturday morning, Rob and I had THE BEST ramen EVER. We went over to Santa Ramen in San Mateo. Yes, all the way on the other side of the Bay. It was SO worth it. The portion size was ginormous and I ate every last bit of it. I wish I had pictures to share so you could all see the size of the bowl I consumed. Unfortunately, we were sitting at a cramped 2-person table with 2 other couples sitting on either side of us so I did not feel comfortable whipping out the camera, hehe.

We also watched a few movies…
21
We actually went to the theatre! 😀 But only because we had free passes and a gift card so we totally splurged on Coke and popcorn. Awesome. As for the movie, I really enjoyed it! It established the characters and motivations at the start, got to the “action” quickly, and was entertaining all at the same time. Kevin Spacey was amazing as he always is but I wasn’t that impressed with either Jim Sturgess or Kate Bosworth as the main characters. Aaron Yoo as Choi was hilarious, though. Gotta love those Asian sidekicks. I also loved the contrast between Las Vegas and Boston — Vegas was all bright lights and glamour while Boston was gray and drab. It’s kind of an obvious distinction but it created a feel of heightened excitement every time they were in Vegas. The story did get a little complicated towards the end and I do not understand how to count cards but I’d still recommend it. 🙂

I Am Legend
Good movie but I got a little bored. :/ And I like Will Smith! One thing I want to mention — it felt like the movie got to the present without really explaining what happened to Robert Neville in the time since the quarantine. I didn’t realize this until just now, though, so it obviously didn’t affect my viewing at the time. Recommended.

The Game Plan
Cheesy, cheesy, cheesy movie. 😀 But then I’m a HUGE fan of Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock. (Rob used to watch wrestling religiously — that’s when I discovered the greatness that is The Rock). It was the typical “guy discovers daughter he never knew he had and his whole life changes” story. But I liked it (I think Rob rolled his eyes throughout most of the movie and proceeded to fall asleep at the end) and recommend it.

netflix weekend

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I finally have some good work news to share… I got a raise! WOOT. It’s not much (6%) but anything is better than nothing, especially with the wedding coming up. I wasn’t even expecting it, so YAY.

Watched a few movies this weekend…
Bourne Ultimatum
Love Matt Damon. Love the Bourne series. Good, solid fun. I love the way this movie takes off and doesn’t let up until the end… the quick editing and fast-paced shooting style definitely contributes to the thrill of the story. Recommended.

American Gangster
Another solid movie. But it was a tad too long. I got distracted a few times. At the same time, though, I thought that the collaboration between Frank and Richie came too soon. It just seemed like there was so much time spent establishing the players and the setting but when it was time for the resolution, the story became rushed. I’d still recommend the movie, particularly because Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington deliver strong performances.

Two Days in Paris
Ok, I rented this movie because it’s set in Paris and I’m obsessed with the city. So sue me. 😛 I wanted to love this movie but didn’t. :/ After a “romantic” trip to Italy, Marion (Julie Delpy) and Jack (Adam Goldberg) stop in Paris for 2 days to visit Marion’s parents before returning home to New York. While there, they deal with culture shock and Marion’s romantic past. The dialogue is snappy and witty but I just didn’t find it very funny. I guess I’d recommend it with reservations.

Haven’t done this in awhile… the Fannish Five…
What were your five favorite series finales? This could be a TV series finale, the end of a series of books or a comics run, or the finish of any other serial media.
1. Dawson’s Creek. Just a roller coaster of emotions from Jen’s death to Pacey and Joey’s reunion. And I love every minute of it.
2. Everwood. Ephram and Amy!
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. A beautiful culmination to a very special series.
4. Sex and the City. I’m looking forward to the movie!
5. The OC. I love the sneak peeks we got to each character’s future.

Hope everyone has a good week!

oscars 2008

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Argh, I missed the first 45 minutes or so of the Oscars. I was too busy having myself a little The OC season 4 marathon. 😀

Let’s try blogging during the show…
Javier Bardem kinda looks like Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Is it just me?

Loved the genuine speeches by Javier Bardem and Tilda Swilton (particularly her reference to George Clooney and Batman and Robin, heh).

SQUEE. Love Kristin Chenoweth! And all those songs from Enchanted.

Oohhh, that was some painful banter between Seth Rogen and the guy from Superbad.

Falling Slowly is painfully beautiful. I’m so glad it won. Although I love So Close from Enchanted.

I almost cried when the picture faded out on Heath Ledger during the In Memoriam tribute.

Wow, this show is pretty underwhelming for me… maybe because I haven’t seen any of the major nominated movies. Oops. :/ I think I’d like to start with Juno.

paris, je t’aime

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I watched Paris, Je T’aime a few weeks back and absolutely adored it. It’s a compilation of 20 5-minute films set in each of the 20 neighborhoods (arrondissements) of Paris. Each film is directed by a different filmmaker and tells a tale of love and life in the city of lights. My personal favorite is Quais de Seine, which is directed by Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham). It’s about a young man hanging out with his 2 friends who try to (unsuccessfully) pick up on women as they walk by. When a Muslim girl trips and others laugh at her expense, he goes to help her and they strike up a conversation. I love it because their connection is so organic and natural.

I also love the mini-films Le Marais, Bastille, Parc Monceau, Père-Lachaise, Faubourg Saint-Denis… a good summary article about the project can be found here on Wikipedia. Highly recommended. 🙂

Mmmm. I adore Paris. I think my trip with Rob last year kick-started the obsession. I jokingly (or maybe not so) told him that I would LOVE to celebrate my 30th birthday there. That would be awesome.

Hey, a girl can dream.

movie weekend

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Last call for holiday cards! (Yes, I’m still making/writing them — I am notorious for procrastinating). Please leave me a note in the comments if you’d like one. 😀

I’ve finally been watching my Netflix movies as soon as they arrive… quick thoughts…
Liked Dreamgirls. I expected the singing and acting to be solid (and they were) but I was not expecting Jennifer Hudson to blow me away the way she did. She was *phenomenal.* Recommended.

Also liked Catch and Release. To be honest, I only rented this because I love Jennifer Garner. I didn’t think it would be very good and it really wasn’t. Part of the problem was that the movie was trying to be so many things — a romantic comedy, a chick flick, a drama — and it didn’t succeed at any of them. Plus, I thought it was strange that JG’s character didn’t have any friends other than those of her fiance’s. JG was still awesome, despite the story flaws… she’s great at conveying so much emotion on her face. I’d only recommend this movie if you’re a JG fan. It doesn’t really have anything to offer if you’re not. :/

Hairspray was AMAZING! It was so fun and engaging — I loved every moment of it. Go see it now! Highly recommended.

And today I saw Superbad. Surprisingly, I really liked it. It’s not normally my kind of humor but the characters managed to take the raunchy jokes and somehow make them… charming. CRAZY. Recommended (as long as you know what you’re getting into).

Also, I’ve seen so many commercials for Atonement that I totally want to read the book (and see the movie). Has anyone read it?

more ootp thoughts

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I have seriously been hit with Harry Potter mania.

I’ve decided to re-read the entire series before diving into Deathly Hallows this weekend. I’m currently on Goblet of Fire. 😀

So I’m sitting here at work (shhh! don’t tell!) thinking about the differences between Order of the Phoenix movie and the book. I know they had to cut a lot out due to time but I would have loved to see:

— The Howler Dumbledore sent to Aunt Petunia (REMEMBER MY LAST, PETUNIA!)
— St. Mungo’s
— Snape’s worst memory (ok ok, I know this was in the movie but I would have liked to see MORE of it — and with Lily too)
Other thoughts:
— Was it just me or was Mrs. Figg totally… off? She completely didn’t match what I had envisioned.
— I don’t care for Michael Gambon’s interpretation of Dumbledore. He doesn’t understand the character. At all. I didn’t notice it much in PoA or GoF but it was pretty jarring in OotP.

Ok, back to work…

ootp thoughts

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Aahhh, 3-day weekend for me. YAY! I took Friday the 13th (!) off from work as my “summer Friday.” We get to choose 5 Fridays to take off from Memorial Day through Labor Day. It’s a nice little perk to have a breather once in awhile. 🙂 I didn’t do much… went over to a crafts store to pick up some new rubber stamps (I’ve become obsessed recently — I don’t know why) and then went home and watched 8 straight episodes of The OC season 3. I love the show but wow, s3 was pretty awful. I need to get the s4 DVDs so I can watch that the next time a summer Friday rolls around.

I also started re-reading the Harry Potter series. Finally! I quickly finished Sorceror’s Stone so now I’m on Chamber of Secrets. I don’t think I’ll get through them all this week so after book 2, I might jump straight to Half-Blood Prince. Ack, I can’t believe Deathly Hallows is almost here. I don’t want the series to end. *tear*

So today I went to see Order of the Phoenix again with some friends. I liked the movie the first time around but I liked it A LOT better the second. Some spoilery thoughts (in list form like Sarah because it’s easiest)…

Things I Didn’t Care For
1. Sirius’s death. I just… it’s not how I pictured it. I thought the curse was instant.
2. Details that were different from the previous movies. For example, both the Dementors and Sirius communicating through the fire were executed differently in Movie 3. I like consistency. :/
3. Cho selling out the DA. I know it’s easier for the storyline not to introduce another character and it makes it clear that a romantic relationship between her and Harry didn’t work out. But I have a soft spot for Cho.
4. Not enough Occlumency!
5. I missed Quidditch and Ron and Hermione being prefects.

Things I Loved
1. Dumbledore’s Army. SQUEE. Exactly how I imagined.
2. The casting of Professor Umbridge, Luna Lovegood, and Bellatrix Lestrange was spot on. They were all pretty darn perfect.
3. Daniel Radcliffe. He really just keeps getting better and better. ILUFFHIMSO.
4. The kids in the Department of Mysteries holding out their wands ready for battle. It seriously gave me chills.
5. The Dumbledore/Voldemort fight was SO AWESOME.
If anyone else has written a blog about the movie, let me know in the comments! I love to read everyone’s thoughts. But for now, I’ve got to get back to my reading… 😀

hp 5

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Back from the midnight showing of HP OotP. Enjoyed the movie (but what can I say — I’m easy to please). Will see it again this weekend.

Now, it’s bedtime.

transformers

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It’s Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix week! I’m pretty sure Rob and I are going to catch the midnight showing on Tuesday/Wednesday night. Woohoo!

Tonight was the HP OotP premiere in LA and I have to share this photo of the trio.

Look at Rupert’s shirt! He is so AWESOME. LOL. And wow, Emma is gorgeous. I hate her. Just kidding. Sort of.

I saw Transformers this weekend and LOVED it. Weird, right? I’ve been looking forward to seeing it (Josh Duhamel, baby!) but I thought it would be cheesy and over the top (I mean, come on, it’s a Michael Bay movie). Well, it was both of those things but it was also hugely entertaining. I completely enjoyed myself (and even found myself laughing *out loud*) throughout the entire movie (yes, even during the cheesy “more than meets the eye” lines). Shia LaBeouf was a huge reason why the movie was so fun. I’ve liked him in other movies before but now I’m definitely a fan. He totally carried the movie and gave it a heart. Plus, his delivery of all the one-liners is so spot on. ILUFFHIM. Megan Fox, on the other hand, apparently took classes from the Jessica Alba school of bad acting. She *is* pretty hot, though. And Bumblebee is officially my favorite Transformer. Anyway, go see it!