Movies I’m Looking Forward to with Excitement

Over the next few months a few movies will hit the big screen, and I’m very excited! As per usual, I probably won’t watch them in theaters, but I’ll be waiting for them to be released on DVD.

The Great Gatsby

Via IMDB

I shouldn’t have to explain my excitement about this movie!

In Theatres May 10th

The Kings of Summer

Via IMDB

Sounds interesting. A comedy about three teenagers who decide to build a house in a forest and live off the land.

In Theaters May 31

Much Ado About Nothing

Via IMDB

A Shakespeare retelling in the hands of Joss Whedon. This should be promising.

In Theaters June 7th 

The Bling Ring

Via IMDB

Directed by Sophia Coppola, this movie is based on a true story.

In Theaters June 14th

Any movies you’re looking forward to in the next couple of months?

To read more of my thoughts, follow me on Twitter. For more book reviews, books I’ve read and books I want to read, find me on Goodreads. Don’t forget to check out my Pinterest to see all the craft and home decor projects I’ll probably never do and some cool book and social media pins. And of course, If you like what I have to say, like or follow my blog through e-mail. Sign up is on the right!

What I’ve Watched: March

What I’ve Watched is a summary of new things I’ve watched in the previous month. Read more about What I‘ve Watched here.

The Lucky One Via

Surprisingly good. It follows typical Nicholas Sparks stories and the movie adaptations: a row boat, Spanish moss, someone keeping the couple apart. It’s sacriligious as a book lover to say, but this is the way to experience a Nicholas Spark book. As a move it’s a fun, romantic way to spend a couple hours, plus Zac Efron is hot and no longer jail bait.

Les MiserablesVia

This movie didn’t garner so many prestigious nominations and awards for nothing. It’s a great adaptation. The acting, set design, and costumes are great. Anne Hathaway’s performance was breathtaking and heartbreaking at the same time. Also, I love Helena Bonham Carter’s oddities. Casting her alongside Sacha Baron Cohen was pure genius in my opinion.

Zero Dark Thirty Via

This was good. I was a little tired when we first watched it, so I’ll have to rewatch it to figure some plot points out. This movie furthered my respect and admiration for Kathryn Bigelow.

Bates Motel Via

The Atlantic Wire accurately reviewed this as campy. It truly is. It’s so weird, and it’s a mashup of modern and vintage. iPods exist in this world, yet Norma and Norman dress as they are in the still. It’s delightful, and I have to catch up!

Rise of the Guardians Via

This was Claire’s Easter gift. It was good. I personally loved the tattooed, Russian Santa.

Have you watched anything interesting lately?

Golden Fashion at the Academy Awards

Did you know the Academy Awards were last night? I did, but I still ended up watching The Emperor’s New Groove. Listen, there was no way I was going to keep the little one entertained when I’m barely holding on watching that stuff. (Remember? Dry, boring, and haven’t seen the movies yet.)

I’m sad I missed Jennifer Lawrence being her loveable self. Seriously, I can’t get enough of her lately, and I don’t think I’m the only one. There must be about half a million gifs of her last night, AND they aren’t all of her falling down. Love her!

And, I’d also like to point out the gif showing Hugh Jackman and Bradley Cooper rushing forward to help her up when she fell. I always think you can tell a lot about a person’s character by the immediate reaction to someone in need.

Seriously! So handsome and gallant! But J.Law picked herself up and even seemed to laugh at herself. I think we could be BFFs. I need that to happen (like now). (Gifs via)

To make up for not watching the show or the Red Carpet last night, I checked out the HuffPo Style page to see as many of the looks as possible. Of course, there were a handful of disappointments, but overall, I thought this was the best showing so far this awards season.

What did you think of the show? How about the Red Carpet? Best Dressed? Do you love Jennifer Lawrence as much as I do?

To read more of my thoughts, follow me on Twitter. For more book reviews, books I’ve read and books I want to read, find me on Goodreads. And of course, don’t forget to check out my Pinterest to see all the craft and home decor projects I’ll probably never do and some cool book and social media pins.

What I’ve Watched

read more about What I‘ve Watched here

Well, I haven’t watched much this month. I’ve been a little busy and a little tired!

Crazy, Stupid, Love.

I really enjoyed this movie, and it did surprise me. I give it four out of five stars.

Big Miracle

I’m not a Drew Barrymore fan at all, but I did like this movie. It was cute and heartwarming AND my uncle was one of the set dressers! I give it three out of five stars.

Yeah, like I said, I haven’t really had a chance to watch much this month. Not that it’s such a bad thing!

SAG Awards’ Fashion Winners Among a Sea of Bad Looks

The SAG Awards were last night. I easily found a great red carpet slideshow at Gossip Cop, but it really wasn’t so easy to find some looks I like. I know it’s January, and I admire that a lot of the women didn’t rush out to tanning beds to get a nice glow. However, that doesn’t excuse too dark lipstick and fabric colors that made their porcelain skin look a little more pukish.

Sheer florals were still big on the red carpet. Some looked better than others. A couple women decided to wear ankle length dresses. The result was more stumpy than classic. The other thing I really noticed were improperly fitted dresses. Some busts were squeezed while others’ stomachs were squeezed. I think a few tailors might have lost clients after these dresses.

Well, that’s enough for criticism; here are my favorites from the night:

More detailed images can be found at Gossip Cop.

Do you like my best dressed? What did you think of the dresses?

 

Golden Globes Fashion!

I really love these posts! They are so easy; yet, the topic is something that does have a large impact on the United States (whether we like it or not). Fashion is, was and will always be important at least in it’s ability to somewhat reflect the current state of our culture.

Before I actually get to my favorites, I wanted to talk about one thing: boobs! They were everywhere. The fashion tape industry must be making bank after the Golden Globes.

So, here they are, my favorite looks from the Golden Globes:

J. Lo

Daniel Craig

Claire Danes

Jessica Alba
(minus the furry pet)

Julianna Margulies

Johnny Galecki

Kunal Nayyar

Isla Fisher

What do you think of my list? Would you add or subtract anyone?

What I’ve Watched

read more about What I‘ve Watched here

This month I’m going to start adding ratings to the TV shows and movies I’ve watched in the previous month. I hope this helps solidify my opinion, which, of course, is not based on any understanding of TV or film making.

This month I have some particular thoughts based on a poor review I read of This is 40, so to save space, I’m only providing a rating for the other movies and TV shows.

This is 40

4 out of 5 stars

I really LOVED this movie. I thought Knocked Up was good, but this was so much better. I really liked the focus of Pete and Debbie’s dysfunction.

So, of course, not everyone is going to love the movie, but it seems like Meghan Daum from The New Yorker just didn’t get it. Her main issue seems to deal with Pete and Debbie’s nice home and cars because two 40-year-olds who had their first kid at 27 wouldn’t be able to afford those things in LA. While that’s not necessarily a bad argument in general, it does miss several key points:

1. It’s, in essence, a criticism of every movie and TV show ever. Characters always live in a nicer home, drive a nicer car and wear nicer clothes than their real life counterpart could afford. Criticizing just this movie for this is silly.
2. Pete had a successful career at Sony in the first movie. We learn in this movie that he had lost that job before starting his own label, but it’s entirely possible that they could afford the home on his Sony salary.
3. Debbie’s father, though not present physically in her life, is a successful surgeon. It’s possible that he has helped them out in some way.
4. We can’t forget about one of the main arguments Pete and Debbie have in the movie: Pete has missed at least one mortgage payment, and they will probably sell the house. Now, I won’t waste a lot of words on Debbie not being involved in the finances, but suffice it to say that I would side eye her till kingdom come in real life.
5. And, finally, Pete’s father did say he thought the house was too much when they bought it, so they very well could have been living beyond their means for years, and we know that doing so and trying to keep up with the Joneses isn’t uncommon nowadays.

I do want to emphasize that I found the movie mostly realistic although on supersized scale, which is usually the case when one is trying to really turn the camera on our society, so to speak. The events and emotions surrounding the approach to one’s 40th birthday were realistic, although played up and emphasized for the purpose of making a point about the changes in one’s life when he or she hits that milestone. For example, I’m sure no woman who is not a sadist would schedule their annual Pap, colonoscopy, mammogram and dental appointment in the same month, but the inclusion of all of these provided a number of laughs.

Portlandia Winter Special

4 out of 5 stars

How to Train Your Dragon

4 out of 5 stars

The Dark Knight Rises

4 out of 5 stars

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

5 out of 5 Stars

The Polar Express

3 out of 5 stars

Impractical Jokers

4 out of 5 stars

Ice Age IV: Continental Drift

4 out of 5 stars

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

3 out of 5 stars

Ted

1 out of 5 stars

Royal Pains Winter/Wedding Special

4 out of 5 stars

Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban

4 out of 5 stars

Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire

4 out of 5 stars

Have you seen any great movies or TV shows this month? Am I off base in my opinion of This is 40?

2012: A Year in Review

With the close of another year, I wanted to take some time to think about and review 2012. It may not have been the best year, but it’s been pretty good in the end.

Best Books

I’ve rated four books with five stars on Goodreads this year. Out of 30 books read, I feel that four books as the best is a good proportion. Ape House by Sara Gruen, The Help by Kathrynn Stockett, The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and The Three Big Questions for a Frantic Family by Patrick Lencioni were the top books for the year. I have a review of Ape House and a discussion of The Three Big Questions for a Frantic Family planned for the beginning of this year. You can read my review of The Last Lecture here and my comparison of The Help movie and book here.

I’ve had, in my opinion, a pretty good year of reading, and I can only hope that the next year is even better.

Best Movies

I obviously really enjoy watching movies (and TV), and I’ve watched plenty of good and plenty of bad movies this year. The good movies that I enjoyed the most this year for the first time were 21 Jump Street, The Lorax, Super 8 and Hatfields & McCoys. Sometimes I’m nothing if not varied in my tastes.

Some Favorite Parts of the Year

Despite being unemployed and stressed for a while, I have experienced a number of highlights this year, including the following:

• Election Results: four more years for Obama, no Constitutional ban on gay marriage in Minnesota and 20 women senators total.
• Having a wonderful kid who turned two in April, loves books, and gives the best hugs.
• Moving was stressful, but I believe it was a good idea for us, providing us access to family, shopping and lots of fun things to do.
• Watching Claire get excited about Santa coming.
• Surprising my husband with a 30th birthday party.

And now for some stats

Months Unemployed: 5

Jobs Applied For: Hundreds

Books Read: 30

Clutter uncluttered: Oh, about two pickup truck loads…and more to come.

Toddler Meltdowns: Uncountable

Toddler Hugs and Kisses Received: Millions

Celebrities Met: Scott McGillivrey and Sabrina Soto (for HGTV fans)

What about you? What was your favorite book or movie this year?

What I’ve Watched

in which I share the fun, notable and not-so-notable things I’ve watched in the last month.

 what I’ve watched appears the first friday of the month. 

21 Jump Street

I’m not going to lie or exaggerate, I freaking loved this movie! I thought it was funny and smart. The nods to the oddities of the typical high school comedy were gold.

Zookeeper

This was just not good.

Practical Magic

I love, love, love this movie. I’m not sure what it is, but whenever I see it on, I have to watch it.

The Campaign

Ugh, well it seems that Will Ferrel is rubbing off on Zach Galifinakis. There was a time where I found Will Ferrel’s movies hilarious, and then they just stopped being funny. I was hoping that Galifinakis would save this movie, but he just didn’t. I truly hate comedies that share all the good jokes in the previews.

Harry Potter and the Sorcer’s Stone
& Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

I just love these movies so much. Last year for Christmas, Nick got me the entire series on DVD. I’m working my way through them again.

True Blood, Seasons 3 & 4

I’ve just now realized that Season 5 is already out on DVD. I’m going to need to get that now. That’s really all I think I need to say about this.

Remember to enter my The Fault in Our Stars by John Green giveaway. Entries will close on Tuesday, December 11th at 6:00 p.m. CST. Enter by commenting on this post. 

100 Super Important Things, Part I

Well, this my friends, is my 100th post. Despite many stops and starts, name changes and questions about the focus of my blog, I’m proud to say I have it all figured out (for now)!

So, to celebrate, I wanted to share 100 super important things. I decided to split the post in two because these are so important that I didn’t want to overwhelm any readers.

My 10 Favorite Books

1. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
2. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
3. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
4. Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer
5. On Writing by Stephen King
6. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
7. The Heart is  a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
8. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
9. Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
10. Ines of My Soul by Isabel Allende

My 10 Favorite Posts

1. Election Day BONUS Post
2. Last Night in Tweets
3. Rain Taxi’s Twin Cities Book Festival
4. Book Review: The Giver
5. Book Review: Bringing Up Bebe
6. My New York Fashion Week Top Picks
7. The Book vs the Movie: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
8. Embracing the Best of the Holidays
9. Book Review: Remarkable Creatures
10. Winning Looks at the 64th Annual Prime Time Emmy Awards

My 10 Favorite Movies

1. Beauty & the Beast
2. Couple’s Retreat
3. 8 Seconds
4. American History X
5. Guys and Dolls
6. Harry Potter series
7. Dead Poet’s Society
8. Mona Lisa Smile
9. The Phantom of the Opera
10. Planes, Trains & Automobiles

10 Goals for the Blog

1. Establish a routine posting schedule.
2. Add a Poetry Thursday feature every week.
3. Add new features as they become relevant.
4. Custom design the blog.
5. Finish categorizing and tagging everything.
6. Increase readership
7. Increase engagement.
8. Learn Photoshop to develop custom blog graphics.
9. Keep it a fun place for me to post.
10. Evolve as needed.

10 Important Things About Me

1. I love the feel of clean sheets. So lovely!
2. I love Diet Coke.
3. I’ve been married for four years to a wonderful man.
4. I have a two and a half year old daughter is amazing, smart and cute.
5. I’ve loved photography since high school. I wish I had the guts to pursue it.
6. The first story I wrote that I can recall was a gift to my mom when I was in early elementary school.
7. I have a new thing for hummingbirds.
8. I’m a reformed organizational nut.
9. I’m trying to be a re-reformed organizational nut.
10. I love my Nook, but I still love the feel and look of a physical book.

I’ll be back on Friday with the remaining 50 Super Important Things. Have a great day!