Remember this gem from a few years ago? Well, Ok Go may have finally outdone themselves. This video has to be one of the greatest videos I’ve ever seen, and you’ll need to watch it more than once to catch all of the coolness you wish you could have accomplished in junior high science. My favorite part easily is the perfectly pitched water glass segment. Brilliant!

Lauren and I love quirky, cute independent films. At least 50% of the time we find ourselves watching some indy flick late at night, we are greatly disappointed. However, Sunshine Cleaning was everything we hoped it would be and more. I knew very little about the plot going into the movie except for the fact that I love Amy Adams and Alan Arkin, and I’d hate to spoil your movie going experience. So I’ll just say prepare for raw shrimp, tons of blood, and two amazing sisters. If you have the chance, go see it! It’s worth the $8 to walk out of a theater after watching an indy flick feeling good.

So I saw it.  I liked it.  I definitely need to read the graphic novel and see it again.  I grew tired of Dr. Manhattan’s bbp.  I thought Rorschach was phenomenal and didn’t want to punch Malin Ackerman in the face like I usually do.  All in all, I’d give it 8 outta 10.

For the past four months I’ve been promising to take my favorite munchkins to see High School Musical 3 as soon as it was in theaters, and with its big screen debut this past weekend, it was time to collect on my promises.  I picked the girls up Friday evening for our sleepover, and after a gourmet dinner of McDonald’s Happy Meals (their choice, not mine… now I totally know why my dad used to get so agitated when we’d order vanilla ice cream at Baskin Robbins), we headed to my apartment for Disney Channel therapy.  Somehow I was conned into letting them watch Eddie Murphy’s Haunted House and was scared to death not of the movie but of the plotline and acting.  Eddie, what happened to you? But, the girls were happy, and that was enough reason for me to endure such a cinematic torture.

Finally, at almost midnight, they were tucked in and tuckered out, and I headed to my own bed with the promise that we could watch cartoons in the morning.  Little did I know that they would wake up at 5:45am and come to crawl in bed with me.  I’m not a mom.  I’m not practiced in cold feet and early Saturday morning cartoons.  I was tired… disoriented… and did what I thought was the least chimo thing possible that could still keep the peace.  I let the stay as long as they curled up with their own blankets that were on top of mine, and I fell back asleep.  They were as good as gold as long as they were able to watch cartoons, and somewhere amidst my continuing slumber, this camera phone shot was taken with my awesome bedhead and day-old makeup. (Love it when the kids are tech whiz kids.)

Eventually, I woke up at a normal hour and we headed off to Cracker Barrel for breakfast and WalMart for Halloween costume shopping.  Of course, they were well-behaved angels until they decided to introduce me to everyone we came in contact with as their mom.  Not a huge deal until we ran into a work acquaintance who was quite confused that I had children.  Even when I tried to deny/explain M was joking, the lil stinker refused to back down from her baby mama claim.  Awkward!

Finally, HSM3 showtime rolled around, and we packed up and headed to the theater.  For 2pm on a Saturday, the place was packed with kids and their parents.  Lauren and I kept our fingers crossed that everyone would think we were just chaperoning the girls and not adults who were at a Disney movie.  Thinking back on it, I’m pretty sure we blew our cover within the first five minutes of the movie by singing along to every musical number.  Oh well, we had a blast, and the girls were tickled pink.  Almost 24 hours after I had kidnapped them from their home, I returned two exhausted lil girls to their parents.  Somehow I feel like I’m learning what it’s like to be a grandparent.  Borrow ‘em.  Spoil ‘em.  Return ‘em. I’ve got the easy job.

Months upon months ago, I promised my favorite munchkins that we would go see High School Musical 3 in the theatre together.  They, of course, thought I was just being sweet and spoiling them, but the truth is they are my excuse to go and see the third installment of the Troy and Gabriella saga.  Yes, it’s completely assinine to have a musical break in the middle of a basketball game.  I’m very aware that the songs are worse than even the most pathetic vacation bible school songs, and the acting will be painful.  Who cares?!?!  The story will be so syrupy sweet that it’ll turn any frown upside down, and th girls will have a blast.  It’s a win – win situation.  Go Wildcats!

I’m not quite sure how it happened, but one of the funniest movies of my generation didn’t thrill me the first time I watched it. It must have been my mood or the company I was in but I remember sitting through 40 Year-Old Virgin thinking ‘kill me now’. Now that I think about it, I don’t think I even made it through half of the movie. Ready to succumb to the pressures of Cory and Lauren to finally rewatch this cinema classic, Cory and I finally watched it last night, and holy crap is that movie hilarious! I won’t talk much about it because I’m guessing most of you have seen it, and this is old news to you. However, this just goes to prove my belief that so much of your experiences in life are not actually what you see and do but who you experience it with. Even the worst situation can be amazing with the right people beside you. Plus, 40 YOV has TONS of Michael McDonald and NOTHING is better than that. If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth a watch or two. PS – Don’t forget to check out the ‘extras’ on the dvd… perfecto!

Favorite Quote: “I don’t care. Anything! I would rather – I would rather watch “Beautician And The Beast”. I would rather listen to Fran Drescher for eight hours than have to listen to Michael McDonald. Nothin’ against him, but if I hear “Yah Mo B There” one more time, “Yah Mo” burn this place to the ground.”

My mom’s in town for the next few days (I’ll tell the longer story tomorrow), and I have a feeling her love of ABBA is going to steer us to seeing this musical sometime this weekend.  I can’t lie… I’m pretty excited to see it AND see it with her.

Twelve hours ago I showed up to Harkins Theater prepared to be disappointed.  There was no way possible that this movie that I had waited to see for months would live up to the hype.  Heath couldn’t be as good as they said he was; the action wouldn’t make the grade.  Batman Begins was a fluke, and Christopher Nolan wouldn’t be able to pull it off twice.  This doesn’t happen very often, but let me say this, “I was wrong.”  This film was everything that I secretly hoped for and more.

Sure, sure, I know what you’re thinking, “what does this girl know about comic books?”  Well, more than most.  I grew up reading, among others, the Batman series.  My dad and brother were huge fans and as soon as they were done, I scooped each comic up and poured through it page by page.  The dark imagery, the tales of a conflicted hero, good vs. evil.  Screw Sweet Valley High and the Baby-Sitters Club.  Comic books were more captivating and addictive than any of that painful teen girl angst crap, and as an adult, my love of both comics and the movies based on them has grown.  That’s the brilliance of what Christopher Nolan has done with the Batman series.  Unlike the first few, this Batman captures the essence of those comic book pages without losing the entertainment value of the fictional city of Gotham.

From the opening scene til the closing credits, The Dark Knight had me on the edge of my seat.  The action scenes were phenomenal and unpredictable.  The special effects were killer without being over-the-top.  The acting was… wow.  There really aren’t strong enough words for the job that Heath Ledger did as the Joker.  The true test for me of an actor is the ability to forget who the actor is and only see the character, and Heath accomplished this.  Except for his tell-tale locks, Heath is only the tongue-flicking psychopath.  If he doesn’t win an Oscar for his commitment and performance, it will be a shame.  Christian Bale, beyond his hotness, was Batman and a perfect compliment to Heath’s Joker. Ying and Yang… the completion of each other.  That’s what Batman and Joker have always been, and these two actors nailed it.  Then, just because it was amazing enough, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckart, Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman all are incredible as this story unfolds.

To ensure that we don’t spoil anymore of this movie than I already have, I’ll stop gushing now.  All I can really say is go see this movie.  If you love comics, hate comics, have never read a comic, are a boy, are a girl, have skin and a pulse, you need to see this movie.  It’s worth the camping out for hours before the show, and I know personally I’ll see it at least two more times before the summer is out.  Also, if you need someone to see it with you, hit me up.  I’ll make sure you don’t have to face The Joker alone.

Overall: 6 out of 5 (perfection!!!)

It’s summer blockbuster time and my list of must-see movies is longer than I can ever remember it being. Check out this list of upcoming blockbusters… The Dark Knight, Hancock, Iron Man, Get Smart, The Hulk, Step Brothers, and The X-Files:I Want To Believe. Talk about a comic book lovers dream lineup. Yet, amidst all of the ridiculous comedies, cartoons for the kiddies, and cgi-bloated action flicks, there stands one movie that I’m saddened to find somewhat overlooked and forgotten… Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. As a child of the 80s, the Indiana Jones movies have always been one of my favorite movie trilogies, and when I saw the fourth one announced, I have to admit I might have pee-squirted.

Unlike your typical action blockbuster heroes, Indiana Jones has no real super powers, but with a name like Indiana, who needs help. On the surface, he’s a professor of history and archeology, but in reality, he’s a war-medal toting adventurer who knows more than any human should and can hold his own in a fight against anyone or thing. Yeah, he’s a real bad ass. (Why didn’t I have teachers like him in college?!?!) Beyond the plot lines that make you want to study history, quirky gags, and classic one-liners, this franchise is full of heavy hitters: John Williams (musical score), Steven Spielberg (director), George Lucas(producer), and Harrison Ford (swoon-factor). Needless to say, I went into it with high expectations.

I had already seen Kingdom of the Crystal Skull once when Cory (captain of all things movie-related) and I decided to go last Saturday. I knew from the start that taking such a cinema purist with standards as high as his might not end well, and if you read his review of the movie, I was right. However, just because he walked away feeling disappointed doesn’t mean I did, but then again, I’m easy to please. Movies for me have always been about entertainment. If I walk out of the theater and have laughed, cried, or been able to escape reality for two hours, then I’m a happy girl. It’s not that I don’t care about the technical elements of movie-making or whether or not a movie has a strong plot, great actors, or mind-blowing special effects, it’s just that I extend a bit more grace to films that make me feel warm and fuzzy inside or take me on a journey outside of the norm. Don’t get me wrong, some of my favorite movies are those that have made me truly ponder my place in this world and struck a deep chord within me, but most of those movies are enjoyed within the comfort of my home and not with three hundred strangers on a Saturday afternoon.

So back to the fictional Indy. Should you go and see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? Yeah, I would highly recommend it as a way to beat the heat and forget the real world if just for two hours.  I thoroughly enjoyed it both times I saw it but also didn’t go in looking for flaws.  While there’s no denying on the screen that Ford has aged in the past nineteen years, he still most of his own stunts and isn’t trying to fool movie-goers into believing he’s still young. No, this is Indy two decades later, and it’s nice to see our hero has aged gracefully.  Indy’s old love Marion makes a return and even Shia LeBeouf makes a positive plot contribution.  I really don’t want to say much more because I would hate to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen it, and I really hope you do.  I’m sure it’ll make you want to go back and watch the original three just as I did.