Rio: A Movie Review

Last week I was lucky enough to be invited to a sneak peak of Rio in Real 3D, opening in theatres nationwide today.

In short, Rio (from the makers of Ice Age), is an animated comedy-adventure in 3D about a domesticated blue Macaw who returns to his homeland of Rio de Janeiro. Samba music and mayhem ensues. There's an all star cast of voices including Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Will.i.am, Jamie Foxx and George Lopez. There's also a kicking soundtrack.

I took Carlie and her friend, Emily, both sixth-graders, plus the friend's little brother, Christian, a third-grader. I'll admit, I was less than enthusiastic about this outing as (a) I don't like kid movies (b) I don't like going anywhere on a Saturday morning at 9:45 am and (c) I hate 3D. My mood did not improve when we arrived at the theatre to find a mile-long line of obnoxious children waiting for the movie, all with runny noses and sticky hands. Hello, have you met me? Ugh.

Turns out, the long line of icky kids were free ticket holders. The few of us who had been invited to review the movie on blogs and whatnot were ushered to the front of the line and had VIP seating... WINNING.

My mood greatly enhanced by cutting the line, I was thrilled to get into the theatre and see a drum line practicing their samba beats and two totally outfitted Carnivale Samba dancers preparing to perform. Festive!

Honestly moment number 2: I had no idea what this movie was about. But the kids I had in tow were really excited about it. So after enjoying the pre-movie samba performance, we settled in with our 3D glasses for the movie. And I'm not ashamed to admit, I laughed out loud multiple times and found the whole thing quite enjoyable.

But this is a kid's movie, so here's what the kid's had to say:

Christian: This is the best G rated movie I ever saw.

Emily: They should make better commercials for this movie, because it's really really good, but the commercials make it look just okay.

Carlie: I wish we could line cut at every movie!

My crew gives the movie 100% enthusiastic thumbs up. And they sang songs from the soundtrack and quoted favorite lines for the entire 20-minute drive home.

Oh! And I forgot to mention, the 3D was actually awesome. I don't know squat about 3D other than I have not enjoyed it in the past. But apparently Real 3D is the way to go, because the effect was really cool and did not leave me feeling hurly at all.

Rio opens today nationwide in Real 3D. A kids movie that didn't make me want to poke my own eyes out. What more can you ask for?

I saw Inception, when what I apparently really need is a Hot Tub Time Machine

I saw Inception this week. Can't find to exercise or get my transcript pages done, or do laundry and grocery shopping, but found time for a movie. What can I say. I have uncanny time management skills.

If anyone knows what this movie is about, let me know.

Just kidding. I got it. Mostly. But I still have one big question.

When did these guys...

Become these guys?

Am I really that old?

Ramona and Beezus

Selena Gomez and Joey King

I'm not going to lie. When I was first contacted about attending the press screening of Ramona and Beezus in my area, I had mixed feelings. Feelings like, woot! free movie and press? me? and Ramona? really? is there not a Johnny Depp flick that needs reviewing? But if you know me, you know that woot! free movie won and, hello, I have an 11-year-old daughter, so of course we would be first in line to see a Selena Gomez movie.

Also, until the movie began, I was not certain I could tell the difference between Selena Gomez, Demi Lavato or Mirando Cosgrove. Frankly, still not sure. But I digress...

Carlie and her friend Hannah and I headed off to the *free* movie, wherein *free* = we did not pay for tickets, but we spent $32 at the concession stand. Free? Heh.

I'm not going to lie. The filmmakers knew exactly what they were doing when they cast this film. Selena Gomez? The two 11-year-old girls with me could not have been more thrilled. But mommas, fear not. Your needs were not overlooked in this movie.

SIDE NOTE: Have I ever told you about the time I wept openly while watching Sex in the City because my beloved DJ Chris from Northern Exposure had made a grand comeback as Carrie's boyfriend Aidan? True Story.

DJ Chris Stevens of Cicely, Alaska

Not gonna lie. Had to stop and process the fact that one of the men from my Top 10 Hotties of all time list is now playing the dad character. Way to make a gal feel ancient. But any movie casting John Corbett in a leading role is going to, at the very least, get my attention.

It was somewhat less traumatizing to have Leo from All My Children play the hot-and-reformed bad boy next door. OMG, do you remember the Leo & Greenlee love story? Swoon.

As for the movie. The girls loved it. And I am willing to drop my hardcore rock-n-roll-mom persona (bwahaha) long enough to admit that I enjoyed it to. Both of my girls cried at the sad part. And then they both cried at the happy part. And then I said oh, holy hell, preteen hormones, someone save me.

As far as finding a movie suitable for the preteen girls that I had with me, this movie was the perfect mix of goofy little sister, pretty/cool teen sister, cute boy/innocent crush and family. It was definitely more Junior Chick Flick than kiddy movie. Which suited my girls just fine.

Between the three of us we give it six resounding thumbs up (as opposed to the last movie I saw with Carlie, which she gave two thumbs down and one finger up the nose. It was that bad.)

Ramona and Beezus opens nationwide July 23.

To All The Men I've Loved Before... The Addendum

So, if you don't know Rex Smith, you need to see this movie. You. NEED. To see this movie. STAT.

OMG, do you remember being 13 (yikes) and yearning with your entire soul to be 16? Oh, holy hormones.

Click. And Enjoy. Pour yourself a glass of wine to go with the cheese.

My So Called Life

Just a few random updates from my really boring life. Seriously? Like NOTHING going on around here. At. All.

Is it possible for the antiperspirant/deodorant that you've used for AT LEAST 20 YEARS to stop working? Because mine? Has stopped working for me. Change in formula? Change in body chemistry? I am totally flummoxed by this and need antiperspirant/deodorant recommendations STAT. TMI? Sorry.

Next pressing issue: did you know about this? 

Because I did not and now I need to get myself to a Barnes & Noble and start reading. Also? An adult who reads "graphic novels" isn't necessarily a geek, right? Right? But seriously? SEASON 8 of Buffy? I've been living for this moment.

I discovered it because I am currently reading The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer, and there's a blurb in the back of the paperback for more Season 8 Buffy written by Brad Meltzer and Joss Whedon. I LOVE JOSS WHEDON. And usually I LOVE BRAD MELTZER, but this book? I'm going to give it a patented Carlie Belle "thumbs medium" (you know, as opposed to up or down, it's the equivalent of "eh," but in thumb language).

What else? Oh! I saw Observe and Report with Seth Rogen on Saturday. Not that I went to the movie with Seth (not that I'd be opposed to that) but you know what I mean. Anyway. HILARIOUS. And so not age appropriate for my 16-year-old daughter that I took with me. In fact, so completely the OPPOSITE OF AGE APPROPRIATE that I don't even know what I was thinking taking her to it. Well, actually, I do know what I was thinking. I was thinking that I'd rather have nails driven into my eyes than see the Hannah Montana Movie with Carlie and her friend, and Observe and Report was in the next door theatre at the same exact time and I kind of didn't know that it was as "dark" as it turned out to be. 

I can't figure out how to link the video, but here's the trailer on You Tube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNPSxqbPLPQ

Today was my last long training run before I do a half-marathon next weekend. I ran 10 miles. Things I learned that I had not figured out before today: I can't wear sunscreen on my face if I am going to sweat like a frackin pig. I can't wear shorts that ride up my ass because, ew. Staying hydrated with electrolyte stuff as opposed to just 

water really does help! If any runners have any additional advice to throw my way before next Sunday, please do.

Tim and I are going to make a long weekend trip out of the half-marathon in Port Angeles. For starters, we're spending Friday at our place in Naselle so he can mow and do whatever man stuff he does out there. I'll be lounging and reading my Buffy comicbook -- I mean novel -- and, you know, "getting ready" for the big race. But since we'll be near the coast, we're going to road trip up to Port Angeles the long way, which takes us through FORKS and LA PUSH. And I? Am unreasonably excited in a 14-year-old girl way about this.

And yes, I already know vampires are not real. Shut up.

If you look at the map, you can see that going up the coast is not what Mapquest recommends. But Mapquest? Can suck it. Because? Sparkly vampires.

That's about all that is new and exciting in my world. I did have a funny work story about an INSANE IN THE MEMBRANE woman who had her deposition taken and is representing herself in a lawsuit, but the more I think about it, it's just kind of sad. Which I guess technically makes me mean for thinking it's funny. But seriously? She was whacked. And kind of a bitch to boot. So really, I think calling me mean is kind of harsh. Stop being so judgmental.

More Movie Madness

Since I've seen every other movie in the last three days, I decided to go for four and Tim, Carlie and I saw Coraline. Carlie thought it was scary, but she also thinks that the way the cats look at her lately is scary. So she's not much of a good judge of scare factor these days. I thought it was expensive. After paying $31.50 for two adults and one child MATINEE, I couldn't wrap my head around anything else.

Today was supposed to be my nine mile run. But it was rainy this morning. And weather.com said it would rain all day long. And weather.com? Pants on fire. Because it is gorgeous and sunshiney and perfect for a long run, but I am full of movies and ice cream and a mushroom/asparagus fritata and so my run will commence tomorrow. Which sucks. But whatever. Hopefully the weather will be good. I have mapped out a 5.5 mile route to the Water Resource Center, and then a straight run home of four miles, which gives me half a mile for a cool down walk.

Now, about that fritata. Holy hell. It was good. Asparagus, mushroom, sliced red pepper, colby jack cheese and feta cheese. We went to Newport Bay, which is blah, but we had a gift card that needed using. That was before the movie. After the movie, we went to Coldstone with a two for one coupon. So besides the overspend at Cinetopia, we were on discount bargain mode all day long.

And just FYI. I love Cinetopia. Love it. But charging an extra $2 per ticket because it is 3D is NOT COOL. Especially if you don't post that increased price on your website. In fact, more than not cool, it's actually bullshit and had I not had a husband and kid waiting to go into a movie that started RIGHT NOW I would have raised the issue. Oh, well. Next time.

I'm so looking forward to having a no work/no school day tomorrow. Tim has to work all day, so Carlie and I are just going to chill and do laundry in preparation for packing for the big trip on Wednesday.

Happy long weekend : )

All About the Cinema

This has been quite the cinematic stretch for me. Three days in a row of movies. Last night I saw Friday the 13th. In a word: it sucked. That's two words. Oh well. It sucked. Now, you might be saying to yourself right about now, duh. And, you're right. But still, it didn't necessarily have to suck thaaaaat bad. And it did.

Maybe Jason and I just know each other too well after all these years of remakes and updates and sequels. But I found nothing in this movie worthy of a shriek or a scream, other than the poor writing and bad acting. If you're into naked jiggling breasts, get thee to the theatre stat, because there's plenty of that.

I had hoped that one of my TV favorite hotties, Jared Padalecki, would find his moment to shine on the big screen. But, it wasn't meant to be.

The story of how I ended up at this movie to begin with when the theaters are overrun with great movies? I went with a friend. Her husband bought the tickets. And he sent her and I to the movie as his Valentine gift to his wife. Because he hates horror and she loves it. So, my ticket was free, the company was good AND I was a gift. That makes the evening less than a total bust. And since my backup plan was to hang at Carlie's Girl Scout meeting, I'm calling the evening a success.

The scariest thing about this rated R movie was the fact that people brought kids to it. Seriously. How stupid can someone be?

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Thursday night I was scheduled to see Rachel Getting Married with friends. We hit happy hour before the movie, and we ended up getting to the theatre too late for the movie, so we saw Revolutionary Road instead.

I liked it. A lot. I've heard from others who did not like it. I can see how it would not be everyone's cup of tea. But for me, I could really relate to Kate Winslet's character, who basically is going through the motions of being a suburban mom and housewife, but knows that she's destined for something bigger. Because she's special.

Don't we all think we're special? Aren't we all meant for greatness? Please tell me that it's not just Kate and I struggling with this.  

Also, got to give a shout out to the best happy hour ever. Great food, good cocktails and excellent service. If you're in Portland looking for a place to hang, check out Southpark.  

*****************************************

And tonight, I'm going to see Twilight. Again. With Erinna. Again. I've seen it once, with her. She's seen it I think four times. But it has now made it down to the $3 cinema, so we're going to see it one more time. Before it comes out on DVD and then we buy it and watch it once a week. Did I mention that Erinna really likes this movie?

New twist tonight, though. We're taking Tim. Shhhhh. He thinks we're going to see The Day The Earth Stood Still. But we're actually going to Twilight instead. It's a Valentine Surprise! Won't he be excited!?

Friday the 13th

This guy? Coming at me with a machete? Was a lot scarier when I was about 14 years old. Tonight, the scariest thing about this movie? The fact that people with children ranging in age from about four years old to nine or ten thought it was a good choice for family movie night.

What the hell is wrong with people?

Movie Night

In 10 minutes, two of my favorite friends will arrive at my house and off we shall go to meet up with additional fabulous friends for a quick happy hour drink and a movie. The movie? Rachel Getting Married. Or Rachel Gets Married. Or something like that. I've never even heard of it. But do I care? No. Because? Movie night with the girls! Yay!

I'm all, yay!, now, but a couple of hours ago I was so not yay. I was more like boo! hiss! bah! humbug! Because? I'm turning into a very cranky old lady. And when I thought of myself as a cranky old lady, I realized that my birthday is next week. And I am wondering if that is part of my current funk. Consciously? I do not care about my birthday. I don't really care about turning 43. 43 seems no worse than 42, frankly, or even 40 or 38. My big trauma birthday was 28. I was miserable at turning 28. The transition from early 20's to older than early 20's was too much for my fragile psyche to handle. But since then, I haven't really consciously stressed about birthdays. But as I search for the root of my "issues" of late, I'm ready to grasp any straw. Because I can't fix what's broke until I figure out what's broke. And all I know right now is I am broken.

Maybe a martini and a movie will be the cure? I kind of think it'll be more like a Band-aid. But I'll take what I can get.

THE OSCAR POOL

Let the gaming begin...

I've set up a spreadsheet on Google Docs. I don't think you need to have a Google account to access it, but if you do it's a freebie to set one up. And in fact, doesn't Google own Blogger? So if you have a Blogger account, that will suffice. Here's the link.

The Oscars will air Feb. 22. I'll be in New Orleans, so no Oscar viewing party for me (drats!) but I'll probably twitter/facebook my way through it. If I am not in a drunken stupor in the French Quarter. Either/Or.

Here's how the pool works:

Add your name to the top of the spreadsheet. Mark your choices, one per category, in some manner. Answer the tie-breaking question just in case. Pay Pal $20 to me at shanaob@msn.com. That's it. It's a winner take all pool. The person who gets the most correct answers wins.

The spreadsheet will go into lockdown on Feb. 20, so all selections have to be made before midnight 2/20/09. Tie breaker answer has to be locked in at that time also.

TIE BREAKER: In honor of the 2009 Oscar host, Mr. Hugh Jackman, the tie breaker question is: what will the temperature be on Oscar day in Sydney Australia? Give your answer in degrees Fahrenheit. Temperature will be determined by The Weather Channel and will be the temperature reading at the Sydney Airport at 8 p.m. on 2/20/09.

All right. Who's in? I need to start seeing some movies, pronto.

Yes? No?

Amy Adams

Isla Fisher

Are we sure these are actually two different people?

Dear Johnny, I heart you

Just got back from seeing Public Enemies, starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. It is scheduled for release in the summer of '09, I think.

Johnny Depp stars as John Dillinger. If you know what happens to John Dillinger, you know it doesn't end well for him. That's kind of how it goes with true stories. 

Nice surprise to see two other actors that I like very much, Giovanni Ribisi and Billy Cruddup. Billy Cruddup as J Edgar Hoover is something you're going to want to see.

The violence was a bit graphic for me. And I'm not faint of heart, so that's saying something.

It was well acted, very action oriented, but a little too shoot 'em up. It also seemed to run pretty long, over two hours, but I don't have an exact time because no cell phones could be brought in, and since the advent of cell phones I've abandoned wearing a watch. It was scheduled to start at 7, got started at least 15 minutes late, no previews, no credits before or after, just the film. Filled out a survey when it was over, which took about 10 minutes, and it was 10 pm when I got into my car.

I would definitely classify this as more of a guy movie than a chick movie. There is a love interest story line, and one love scene, but it's not the central theme of the story and there's no Johnny ass shot (points off for that!).

I still feel like crap, but I'm glad I felt good enough to go. Work ran late, so I went straight from the deposition to the movie theatre, which made me really nervous, leaving all of my equipment out in the car, but everything was still there when I got out, so yay.

'night : )

The Sucky McSuck Suck Post aka My Pity Party

My son is a sophomore at Clark College, a community college here in Vancouver. It's a sweet set up, because it's blocks from home, he can walk or ride his bike (he doesn't have a car and hell, no, is not taking mine). He can live at home, car-less, yet still be quite independent, so it works out really well. 

But my son, you see, has inherited my crazy. One day he is all, I can't wait to transfer to Evergreen (a university in Olympia) and get a B.S. in ecology. And the next day he is all, school is crap, I hate school, I am totally quitting. (And then I remind him that the free room/board deal expires upon school completion, whether you finish or quit, and he shuts up).

And me? I am one day all, I need to grow my business. I want more clients. I need to work more hours closer to home.  And the next day I am all, where can I cut the budget so I can quit work and stay home and work sucks and wah wah wah.

See a trend?

Yeah, neither of us knows what we want. Or more accurately, we just want different things on any given day, and what we want one day may have no relevance whatsoever to what we want the next day. Take my word for it, it's not an easy way to go through life.

My school experience can be broken down into five stints: (1) junior college-quit (2) community college-AA (3) university-BA (4) grad school-quit and (5) court reporting school-certification. That's five different jaunts through school, each time with a completely different focus and major that was totally unrelated to anything I had done in school before. Fickle, much?

I don't know where I'm going with this. Just that I've lost my build the business momentum, and I need to get it back, because retirement right now is not a realistic option. It doesn't help that I am sick as a dog and have to work again today. It doesn't help that my son's semester is wrapping up and I am pretty sure he has been keeping some dirty little grade secrets that are about to come to light. 

And it certainly doesn't help that today is the 10-year anniversary of my mom's death. Or as we call it around here, her deathiversary. I can't believe it's been 10 years since I've talked to my mom. It's surreal. I wrote a rather long retelling of the events surrounding her death (long battle with cancer, died three weeks before Carlie (her namesake) was born, flying cross country four times in two weeks at 8-1/2 months pregnant), but it's sad and morose and I don't feel ready to post it here yet, if ever.

Even though it has been 10 years, most crappy things in my life still come back to "I want my mom." I don't feel good, I want my mom. My kid is being a creep, call mom, she'll know what to do. Need to convert pints to quarts for a recipe? Ask mom, she'll know. Ten years, and I still think this way, and then, BAM, get hit with the reality that there's no mom to ask. I'm the mom now. And I am not up to the task nine days out of ten.

Goals for the day:

1. Get through work this afternoon spreading as few of my germs as possible.

2. No crying jags.

3. Help Taylor complete his school registration, even if he's having an "I quit" day.

4. Polish mock up of postcard incorporating great feedback I have received (thanks).

5. Stop beating myself up for being sick and not running and get over my irrational fear of gaining 25 lb in two days if I don't stick to my running schedule.

6. Nap after work.

7. Feel good enough to go to the Johnny Depp movie screening tonight. 

Seven simple goals. Wish me luck. If I convince myself that Johnny Depp will be at the movie screening tonight and that his career is riding on my feedback, maybe I'll make it. The power of Johnny -- never underestimate it.

Movie Reviews

Bolt. I didn't actually go in. I sat in the lobby and read a book. That is how much I did not want to hear the voices of Miley Cyrus and John Travolta in a Disney animated film. But the nine year olds that I took? They loved it. Six thumbs up (three kids, but they used both thumbs).

Twilight. I actually did go in. Having read the books (in short order, I might add), I was excited for the movie release. And I adore Rob Pattison. I think he is totally hawt, in that young enough to be my son kind of way. And no, Eryn, I do NOT think his head is too big. I think his head is perfectly proportioned. 

I liked Twilight. You need to see it for what it is, which is a teen-oriented vampire love story. If you go in wanting more than that, you are shit out of luck. It was fun and cheesy and a good time was had by all (all being me and Erinna). Erinna said it was "OK, I guess." She wanted more Jacob, but, sorry, Jacob is not the star of the first book, so there was not much Jacob, and that is fine with me, because that wig they had on that poor actor? Puh-leez. And for someone who only thought it was OK? She saw it a second time during the week. And then asked if I wanted to go again this weekend. That's how we define "OK, I guess" around here apparently.

I'm giving Twilight thumbs up. Erinna gives it thumbs horizontal. Or as Carlie calls it, thumbs medium.

Four Christmases. Saw this yesterday afternoon with Tim, my brother in law and another couple. It was really cute. The whole first half is crack up funny. I wish it would have stayed focused on the "comedy" and less on the "romantic" part of "romantic comedy." I would have been happy with just funny across the board, minus the angst.

I will say, though, that I heart Vince Vaughn in a major way. And Reese Witherspoon? She's on my top 5 list of girl crushes. So I may be biased. And when Vince is on screen with John Favreau, I am a happy camper. Always. No matter what they're doing. And when I say John Favreau, I mean this John Favreau, not this John Favreau, though I'm sure the second is a lovely guy.

We all laughed out loud many times during the movie. Of the five people attending, four gave it thumbs up. Tim gave it thumbs horizontal, but he has SAD and was pissed off that the tickets cost $7.50 for a matinee. He only gives thumbs up to movies seen at The Kiggins, where you get a double feature for $4. That's just how he rolls.

Australia. Saw it last night with four other women. It was divine. Lovely. Beautiful. Breathtaking. And Nicole Kidman? Can't freaking stand her, but even she could not turn me against this movie. It was that good.

And Hugh Jackman? Sexiest Man Alive per People Magazine? I'll say. He is all that and a bag of chips. My only criticism is that there was no nudity. Come on, it's a long-ass movie, you can't slip in a butt shot of Hugh Jackman? Put me on your editing team, I can make it happen.

We all loved it. We all give it thumbs WAY UP. 

Mrs. Shana Depp

I have seen more movies in the last week than I have seen in the last six months combined. It has been a movie-going extravaganza, and I have the Regal Cinema debt to prove it. So I thought why not post a review of sorts of the flicks I've seen this week. Which I will do later, but first, I have VERY EXCITING breaking news.

Remember when Carlie and I went to a special advanced screening of a Pixar movie? If not, read about it here. It was really exciting and fun. We received the tickets to that movie when we were exiting the theatre after seeing High School Musical 3. We were approached by a dapper gentleman who told us about this new movie coming out and we could see it before anyone else in America. Wow! It was exciting for a minute, then the flyer went into my purse and was bound for the recycling bin. But when I came across the flyer again a few days later, I decided what the heck, free movie AND free popcorn. Let's go. And it turned out to be not the greatest movie, but a really fun adventure to be at the screening.

Well, last night, leaving the movie Australia, who do I see waiting at the exit but the same dapper gentleman with a stack of flyers. He was scoping out the exiting moviegoers, selecting those who fit his demographic. My posse of friends was bee-lining it to the door, but I went straight for the flyer guy. And long story short, I have passes for Wednesday night at Lloyd Center to see THIS MOVIE, scheduled for release in 2009. JOHNNY DEPP and CHRISTIAN BALE. Holy Mother Load. 

He didn't tell us this is the movie. The movie is a secret. But because it is Rated R, they give you some info about the movie, so you won't go if it's not your cup o' tea, and so you don't show up with kids. And the description says it is based on the true story of John Dillinger, set in the 1930s, starring two major movie stars. And the guy said, if you Google it, you'll find it. And I did (google it). And I did (find it). And HOLY MOTHER LOAD, I am so excited. What if Johnny and Christian want to gauge audience reaction? They could be there. And I have always known, since Episode 1 of Season 1 of 21 Jump Street, that if Johnny Depp and I ever met, he would KNOW instantly that I AM THE ONE. We are connected in a deep and meaningful way which he would recognize immediately. 

So on Wednesday night I get to see a free movie which isn't hitting studios until July 2009, with studio execs and night vision goggles watching the crowd and frisking and wanding for recording devices. Yay! Plus, possibly meet my next husband. Shana Depp. That's catchy.

When the cats go to see Australia...

... The mice play poker.

Delicious

Just home from seeing "Twilight" with Erinna (my 15-yro) and I am crushing hard on Rob Pattison. Like big time. He's now my second favorite man on earth in the secret boyfriend category, first place still being held by the bartender from Saturday night.

Little Women

Carlie and friends at the Disney movie "Bolt", without adult supervision, for the first time in their nine years of life. Who is feeling very teen-ish? And who is sitting in the Regal lobby on her Blackberry and reading a book? Win Win!

Mr. One Two

OK, so big Halloween plans. I was going to go to the Blazer's game with Tim. Tim has seasons tickets. It's not "we" have seasons tickets. Just Tim. Let me amend that. Tim has A seasons ticket. Just one. And three of his buds have them also, so four guys, four tickets. Every now and then there are very complex negotiations that result in one guy getting two tickets, or sometimes even four tickets. So tonight was "our night," with two tickets.

But I was sick. That whole spinning head thing? Yeah, not going up in the Rose Garden stadium seating with that, thanks anyway. So Tim called up a friend, and off they went to the Blazer's game.

And Carlie? She had a sleepover party to go to, which started at 4 pm, so she was long gone.

And me? I was home alone, blissfully alone, but with NO CANDY because no one was going to be home, so I didn't buy any. So I was home, alone, in the dark, hiding from the trick or treaters. And my friend called and said, "Let's go to a movie." 

And the strangest thing happened? The spinning, dizzy head? Gone! Like Magic! I made a full and miraculous recovery. So I went to see Rocknrolla and now, Gerard Butler? He is so going to be my next husband. I will make him very happy. I will be the best wife ever when I am married to Gerard Butler, I swear it.

Now I'm home, and all that going to movies and such? Yeah, kind of taxing when you've been laying in bed for two and a half days doing NOTHING, so while I am feeling not so much dizzy and queasy, I am definitely feeling tired and kind of beat down. 

So it's to bed for me, and by the power of lucid dreaming, or whatever that thing is called when you control your actions in your dreams, I will be paying a little midnight visit to my hubby-to-be.

Oh, and Rocknrolla? Totally go see it. And in case you haven't heard, Guy Ritchie is available.

We are so Hollywood

Tonight Carlie and I went to a screening of the movie Up by Pixar. I screwed up and invited a friend and her kids to go with us, only to realize that we needed to RSVP for how many people we were going to bring. I called to say we had extra people in our party, and was told that was a big fat NO because all seats had been reserved. Crap.

And they were not joking. The place was PACKED. The line was LONG, but the popcorn was FREE. And Carlie was beyond thrilled that she was chosen to be one of 20 (out of over 300) for a focus group to critique the movie. Very exciting.

The whole event was actually pretty exciting. While we were standing outside in the LONG line, two black Suburbans pulled up and unloaded a bunch of movie industry types who were scattered throughout the theatre during the screening, watching us watch the movie.

We were searched and wanded upon entry, to make sure we didn't have cell phones or cameras on us. There were a ton of people working the line, chatting up the kids, telling the kids what to watch for during the movie (Make sure you remember your favorite part, think about who your favorite character is, etc.). In the theatre during the screening there were six to eight people stationed along the walls with binoculars, scanning the crowd, I guess looking for recording devices.

The movie is not finished, so in some sections it was completely tricked out Pixar animation, in other spots it was animated but not fully colored in, and in some spots there were just sketched storyboards, kind of like panels in a comic book.

It was a really exciting night for Carlie, and she did a good job in the focus group afterwards, articulating what she did like (the adventure, the dogs) and didn't like (the gun, not enough girls) about the movie. Me? Personally? I didn't think it was all that great. But then again, I am the mom who brought a flashlight and book to "Finding Nemo" and "Madagascar," so who am I to judge.

Sometimes these little adventures just kind of fall into our laps. But I really wish I'd get chosen for something like the Twilight movie or Johnny Depp's first full frontal nude scene.