Category Archives: movies

lotr: rotk

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Marianne! Mandy! Alie! I’ve received the holiday cards you guys sent me and I love them all. Thanks so, so much.

😀

You know, if I don’t stop buying “presents” for myself every time I go Christmas shopping, I’d probably be done by now. Guh.

Rob and I picked up The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King tonight. $22.99 at Best Buy. Squee! The first thing we watched was the Easter egg on the first disc. OMG, it is *so* funny. It’s basically Dominic Monaghan interviewing Elijah Wood via satellite (Elijah can’t see Dominic but Dominic can see him). The twist is that Dominic is pretending to be a German reporter and Elijah totally buys it. As you can imagine, it’s completely hilarious with Dom commenting numerous times about Elijah’s big beautiful blue eyes and asking whether or not Elijah likes to kick balls. Heh. You just have to watch it. (It’s on the first disc — go to the “select a scene” menu, scroll to the bottom until the ring shows up, then hit enter).

We’ve watched about three-fourths of the extended movie and so far, I have loved all the extra scenes that were edited back in, especially the Houses of Healing and anything having to do with Faramir and Eowyn’s story. This was a big part of the book that I was most disappointed not to see in the theatrical release. The additional scenes aren’t very long at all but at least it’s something!

And some clarification on my O12 comments for Robyn…

I thought Benedict was a much more capable adversary for Ocean’s Eleven so that’s why I thought Toulour’s rivalry with Ocean was unnecessary. I understood the rivalry and the way it propelled the story forward, I just didn’t see the need to bring in another character for the movie — but that’s probably because I wasn’t crazy about Toulour in general.

😛

ocean’s twelve

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So I went to see Ocean’s Twelve on Friday (mild spoilers may be ahead!)… and at first, I was a little disappointed with the movie but after a few days, I think I’ve changed my mind. It’s definitely not as good as the first but it’s still a fun, fun movie. I guess I just had extraordinarily high hopes because Ocean’s Eleven is one of my favorite movies ever. O12 lacked two important things that made the first movie work — real group interaction as well as a tight, cohesive script (there were a few unnecessary storylines — the rivalry between Ocean and Toulour, Isabel and the end to her story).

But whatever, it was still a highly entertaining movie with exceptional actors and The George, The Matt and especially The Brad were looking mighty nice. That should be reason enough to see it! Heh. I know, I’m shallow.

Fannish Five…

What 5 characters perform their actual jobs well? (Characters from Clerks need not apply).
1. Leo McGarry, The West Wing
2. Karen Rowe, One Tree Hill
3. Gil Grissom, CSI
4. Kirsten Cohen, The OC
5. Jack Bauer, 24

voldemort

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Lord Voldemort has been cast in Goblet of Fire — Ralph Fiennes! Good choice, I approve. Kel = shallow. Heh. 😉

So Rob and I watched Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle over the weekend… BWAH! I don’t know, I must have really weird and twisted humor cause I thought the movie was hilarious. You have to suspend belief a bit and also not be easily offended by stoner humor but otherwise, A+! I just about died of laughter when Harold and Kumar were singing along to Wilson Phillips. So. Funny.

Doing the Daily Dirt:
1. When is your birthday?
October 11. I’m going to be 25 this year. Guh.

2. If you change when your birthday was, would you?
Nope, I like October.

3. What was your favorite birthday party you ever had?
I think it was my 13th (or maybe 12th? crap, I have the worst memory) birthday and I had it at a roller rink. Aww, that was so much fun. 😀 However, I still vividly remember the outfit I was wearing and wow, it was horrible. I wore a black long-sleeved v-neck top, white shorts (the long ones that were cool back in 92), a really poofy black headband, and black flat mary janes. OMG. How embarassing. The next time I visit my dad I’ll have to hunt the pictures down and BURN THEM.

4. Do you have any original birthday traditions?
Nope, not really. I don’t even have cake on my birthday… oh wait, does going out to dinner with friends count as an original tradition?

5. Do you do any of the unoriginal birthday traditions, such as adding an extra candle for good luck, being the first to cut the cake, or smearing your name on your cake and putting it on your nose?
No… although I used to always try to get the day off from work, hehe. I remember on my 22nd birthday, I took the day off and ended up sleeping the entire day. That was awesome. Aww, I miss those extremely lazy, post-college, “I don’t want to grow up!” days.

Off to check out the blooper reel on my new 13 Going On 30 on DVD. Aww, Jennifer Garner! She’s so smiley and happy in this movie. Love her.

PoA comments

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I finally had the chance to sit down and put together some thoughts on the new Harry Potter movie (spoilers inside)…

I loved the movie! Suprise, surprise. I thought it was a much more superior film to the first two — it reflected the mature theme of the book and matched its darker tone. The movie flowed well, the humor was sharper, the scenery was gorgeous and looked more real and the kids have all vastly improved in their acting abilities, especially Dan (as much as I love him to death, I did find him to be a bit stiff in the earlier movies).

So my lists…

Things I Would Have Changed…
— The Shrieking Shack sequence, which seems to be a common gripe within the fandom. I just felt that it was a little rushed and not enough details were given. I mean, it wouldn’t have extended the movie by that much longer to have had more dialogue regarding the relationship between James, Sirius, Remus and Peter. Plus, it would have better explained why Snape was so angry with Sirius and Lupin.

— There was just not enough Ron. I know his part was minimized since the whole Scabbers/Crookshanks fight was downplayed as well… but still. I like Ron.

Things That Made Me Laugh…
— Ron and his dream about the spiders. Hee!

— Hermione: “Is that really what my hair looks like from the back?” A bit out of character for BookHermione but just perfect for MovieHermione.

— The Weasley Twins and how they finished each other’s sentences.

Things I Liked…
— The casting for Sirius and Lupin. Though Gary Oldman and David Thewlis do not look *at all* the way I pictured the characters to be (I imagined them much younger and more attractive, lol), I thought they both did a great job.

— Buckbeak. He looked *so* real. Go ILM!

— The way the changing of the seasons was shown, especially when the snow started falling down as Hedwig flew across Hogwarts.

Things I *Loved*…
— The very beginning of the movie when Harry is trying to be discreet about studying under the covers. I suppose it was a good sign for the rest of the movie that I already had a huge giddy smile on my face during this scene. 😀

— Harry walking down Privet Drive after blowing up Aunt Marge. The way the camera showed the empty environment around him just emphasized how alone he was. *shiver

— The Gryffindor boys eating the candy in their dorm room. Too. Cute. And Ron’s hat! Loved it.

— Harry flying on Buckbeak. I adore Happy!Harry.

— All the references to time… the cuckoo clock at the Dursleys, the clock tower at Hogwarts, the sundial near Hagrid’s Hut…

— The Harry/Ron/Hermione hug after Buckbeak is executed. Just, aww.

— Harry and Hermione. My OTP. *happy sigh* I just loved them to pieces. Hermione kneeling in front of Harry in the snow and removing the invisibility cloak. Hermione’s little slap as Harry tries to reach for the time-turner. Harry reaching behind her in the Shrieking Shack to grab her wand. The two of them holding each other as Buckbeak attacks Werewolf Lupin (this scene, in particular, was *so* gorgeous). GUH.

Anyway. I’ve already seen the movie twice now and I’m hoping I’ll get the chance to see it again. So… is it November 2005 yet? 😀

3-day weekends

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*happy sigh* I just love 3 day weekends.

I bought my Harry Potter tickets today! I’m going with Rob on Thursday (well, if you want to get technical — Friday) night at 12:01am. It’s going to be about 3am by the time we get out and I’ll only be able to get 4 hours of sleep before I have to leave for work but, whatever. I’M GOING TO SEE HARRY POTTER!

😀

So I had to do some shopping this weekend (was looking for a birthday present for my boss and a dress to wear to an upcoming wedding) and I came across every single one of my shopping pet peeves…

1. Dressing rooms where all the mirrors are located outside. I don’t want salespeople and other customers getting the first glimpse of me! What if the shirt/skirt/dress is all wrong? Not cool.

2. Strapless bras. I don’t like them but they are a necessary evil in order to wear some tops. No matter what, I have the hardest time getting them to stay up. Stupid contraptions.

3. Inconsistent sizing, especially within the same brand. This boggles the mind.

4. Stores that only accept American Express, their house credit card or cash as payment. This is the stupidest (is that a word?) thing I have ever heard of. What if I want to use my VISA or my Mastercard?! Way to be elitest.

5. Return policies that aren’t really return policies at all. I reserve the right to change my mind.

Huh. I can’t believe it’s 2:30am and I still have shopping on the brain…

harry potter stuff

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Huh. Rupert Grint (Ron from Harry Potter) totally looks like Jamie Oliver. It’s really uncanny.

Anyway, I just finished watching the sneak preview of Prisoner of Azkaban and… gawd, can I *be* any more excited for the movie?!? The kids were terribly cute during the short interstitials — but it was bizarre to see the striking contrast between the kids’ appearances and voices in Sorceror’s Stone compared to POA. They’re so much older now!

Random Jonathan Rhys-Meyers story… I was reading a recent issue of Entertainment Weekly and I saw that there was a feature on the upcoming movie, Alexander. I quickly looked through the pictures to see if there were any of JRM. No luck… only a few of Colin Farrell and Angelina Jolie. Then I took a closer look and I noticed that half of his face was in the very right of one of the pictures… see it here. *g* At least I know he’s keeping busy and I can look forward to seeing him on the big screen soon! 😀

pieces of april

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I finally watched Pieces of April and I really, really liked it. The movie had a kind of dark and sometimes uncomfortable humor but what really touched me was its underlying sense of hope. There were many funny moments (Katie Holmes’s character April running around trying to cook Thanksgiving dinner), cruel moments (Patricia Clarkson playing with her family’s feelings), and touching moments (April finally sitting down to dinner with her estranged family). I thought Katie did a fantastic job at anchoring the movie — I didn’t even think of little Joey Potter once! Patricia Clarkson as April’s completely unsympathetic mother and Derek Luke as April’s sweet boyfriend also get positive marks in my book. Overall, a great heartwarming movie — two thumbs up!

Also, is it June 4 yet?!? I need my Harry Potter fix!

oscars

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YAY LotR!!! 😀 Sweeeep!

Huh. The Oscars were so predictable this year (Charlize, Sean Penn, LotR). But I still enjoyed it. I know, I know, I always complain about awards shows being so boring and long but I totally get a kick out of them.

My comments (written during the ceremony so please excuse the randomness)…

Dresses I liked – Angelina Jolie (she looked really good), Jennifer Garner (beautiful dress color but I’m not crazy about the bangs), Charlize Theron (though I *hated* the bronzer action), Liv Tyler (cute glasses but why did she have to keep taking them off and on while she was presenting?), Nicole Kidman and Catherine Zeta-Jones

Dresses I did not like – Uma Thurman (it was all puffy) and Diane Keaton (what was that?!?)

So happy that Billy Crystal is back hosting. His opening monologue is getting a little old and it drags on for way too long but I find him really funny. Must be my warped sense of humor. A couple of my favorite Billy jokes —

“11 nominations, one for each ending.” (LotR)
“Bush was president, the economy was tanking, and we just finished a war with Iraq!” (the state of the country as compared to 13 years ago)
“There’s a shooting and there’s a beating, it’s like a Disney and Eisner meeting.” (Mystic River)

Johnny Depp looks AMAZING. Wowzers. Mmmm…

Hee. Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson plugging Starsky and Hutch. I kinda want to see that movie now…

OMG. Robin Williams freaks me out.

Will Ferrell and Jack Black. BWAH. I’m dying, they’re so funny. I love love loved their song — “You’re boooooring!” It totally should have won best song, methinks.

Yay for Sofia Coppola! I’m glad she won. But seriously, I feel so bad for her when she has to speak — she’s so shy that she’s always so anxious to get off stage. And is it just me but why does it seem like she never thanks Scarlett Johansson in her speeches?

Adrien Brody. Restraining order and the breath spray? Hee!

So so happy that LotR won for Best Picture. 🙂 It was so cool to see all the hobbits on stage together. Aww. I love my hobbits.

In other fangirl-y news, I’m so bummed that there’s no new Everwood tomorrow. The dreaded hiatus has arrived. Boo.

movies, movies, movies

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So Rob and I had a really mellow Valentine’s Day. We did the whole “dinner and a movie” thing. 🙂 We saw Win A Date With Tad Hamilton which was good, cheesy fun. I LOVE Josh Duhamel. He was mighty cute in this movie. Hee. But I don’t know if it’s just me but I did *not* like Topher Grace’s character. At all. I know the audience was supposed to root for him to get the girl but I just didn’t. And I’m usually such a romantic.

Also watched Lost in Translation and Grind this weekend. LiT was beautiful — such a simple but really touching story. I was really impressed with both Bill Murray (loved his singing, hee) and Scarlett Johansson (she does lonely *so* well). Grind was one of those movies that you just want to forget about once it’s over. It was painful. Seriously. I only rented it because Adam Brody is in it, lol. He couldn’t even save the movie for me.

Found these JRM pics… he is so gorgeous. *sigh*