The Sky Is Everywhere

THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE

by Jandy Nelson

The first word that comes to mind after I finished listening to this book is: WOW.

This book was recommended to me last year by my friend Michelle. She did warn me beforehand that it was sad, so I did have a bit of an idea of what I was getting myself into… apparently not enough.

So being the person I am, I purchased a copy of the book when it was on sale, and put it on my shelf to read at a later date. Time passed and I had to use up some of my credits on Audible.com so I bought a audio copy of it as well.

Fast forward another year or so after that and I find myself sitting at work sick of the music I have on my iPod so I switch over to books. This is the one I chose to listen to.

From the first ten minutes of listening I was hooked. In tears, but hooked. I may understand Lennie more now, being on the other end of loss, then I think I would have before.

Her heart break at losing her sister, the anger and the pain she feels. I know that feeling. I understand Lennie's feelings of need. Of the desire for human contact. For her feelings of betrayal towards her sister.

It's very real to me.

In a lot of ways she is me.

How does the author know this is how it feels? Has she lost someone too?

I heard the words from this book and they echoed with what I was feeling, and how I felt for those months after I was left behind too. How I desperately needed an outlet and sometimes the written word was all I had because the spoken words wouldn't come out of my mouth. The needing human companionship. The longing for the comfort of being touched and the need for reckless passion to feel the sensations, to feel anything, to block out the wallowing darkness that threatens to engulf you at any moment.

Some parts of the book took that hole in my heart that the death of my own sister-in-law made and seemed to rip it open again and it's like the last 3 years of healing vanished and the sad is all new again. But while it opened a lot of heartache, it also helped heal over some too. The climax and resolution of the story were so beautifully crafted, then in some ways there were those "ah ha" moments reminding me to think of others because my grief is no more or less then theirs and everyone has lost out. Don't forget the others.

I truly loved this book. I would recommend it to others who would enjoy a good teen romance with a lot of sad mixed in… or perhaps it’s more of a walk through grief with a little teen romance mixed in. Either way you look at it The Sky Is Everywhere was just a good book.

Just a warning, there is quite a bit of language (meaning the BIG F word) throughout the book, but honestly it's probably a lot less then what some of us hear on a daily basis.


“grief is a house
where the chairs
have forgotten how to hold us
the mirrors how to reflect us
the walls how to contain us

grief is a house that disappears
each time someone knocks at the door
or rings the bell
a house that blows into the air
at the slightest gust
that buries itself deep in the ground
while everyone is sleeping

grief is a house where no on can protect you
where the younger sister
will grow older than the older one
where the doors
no longer let you in
or out”
― Jandy Nelson

Movies: The Catch Up Edition

So… What have we been watching lately. Not much. A lot of movies have come and gone that we had wanted to see, but we didn’t see them, and didn’t write them down so who knows if we’ll ever remember. It seems that with all the moving and PS3 and unpacking and whatnot, we’ve missed a lot, but there have been some TV shows and movies interspersed with our lives. Lets look back and see if I can remember what we’ve seen since our last installment shall we.

 

Beauty and the Beast – The Musical, at Capitol Theater – Granted, this wasn’t a movie, but it was something that we watched. The production was fairly good, although I would rather just watch the Disney Movie. The voices of the cast members were quite good, and the production itself was great. Glad we had an opportunity to see it.

 

My Neighbor Totoro (1988) – Anime. This can either be a good or bad statement depending on the person reading the review. This is one of those movies by Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Castle in the Sky) that Disney has purchased for US distribution. The movie itself is quite cute. Getting to the point of the story takes forever. John gave up on it half way through and went to bed, but I watched the entire thing. Yes it was slow. No, there was really no point to much of the movie. But if you want to watch a slow movie that finally gets to it’s point in the last 20 minutes than this is the one for you. If you like the other movies by this write/director then I’d suggest watching this one too.

 

Conan The Barbarian (2011) – I’d really like to say that this was the worst movie ever… but I know that I have seen worse. If I can tell you anything about this movie I’ll tell you not to watch it. It was full of naked boobs and lots and lots of stupid. I cant believe that I actually spent money to watch this, but I’m very glad that we didn’t spend the money to see it in the theater last year. Bleh. Avoid this movie. Go watch the 1982 Schwarzenegger version, believe it or not it’s the better choice.

 

Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (1999)  – This movie was re-released into theaters. It was in 3D. I remember seeing this in the theater the first time around. Gosh, I think I probably saw it about 24 times. Some with John. Some with Lariann. Some with other friends. Fact is, I love this movie. Why? It’s inexplicable. But I do. Going to se this in the theater again was like stepping back 13 years and enjoying it like it was the first time again. Oh, George Lucas, how do you find so many ways to take my money from me?

 

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) – Best Mission Impossible movie so far. The first one was alright. I have no memory of watching the second even though John says I did. And the third was just rather “Meh.” But this one was enjoyable all the way through. It was full of action and more plot then the others. I think this is one we’ll probably end up owning.

 

The Muppets (2011) – LOVED IT! I tried going into this with lowered expectations because, come on, it’s a new Muppet movie. Is it really going to be as good as the old ones? It was better. We loved watching this with our friends on a Saturday morning. The movie was cute and funny and morally upbeat with a few pulls on the heart strings. Most definitely a movie I’ve told others they need to watch.

 

Love Never Dies (2012) – This was a Fathom Event at the theater. Over priced tickets for a special performance. Love Never Dies is a sequel to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera. The Phantom has since moved to the Americas and is successfully running his own show of Freaks and Oddities. He finds a way to lure Christine to him here and drama ensues. This really was an unnecessary thing for me. While I enjoyed it, I was disappointed that anyone thought that the story of the Phantom needed a continuation. I don’t know that this is anything that would ever be watched again by us.  It’s like that fourth Anne of Green Gables movie that no one cares about. Just not necessary.  

 

Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995) – Funny movie. We’ve see it several times and was something entertaining to watch on a night when we couldn’t decide on anything else.

 

The PowerPuff Girls (2002) – Finally I have seen this movie all the way through. I saw it in the theater, you know, back in 2002… but I slept through it. And I’ve slept through it every time we’ve tried to watch it since. But finally, after all these years, with the help of Sophie I have seen the entire movie. The origin of the PowerPuff Girls and their nemesis MoJo JoJo. It makes me laugh and keep the kids entertained.

 

Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2^nd Dimension (2011) – We’ve actually seen this one several times. It a favorite of the nieces, and no lie, we enjoy it too. Phineas and Ferb is a very entertaining Disney creation. It inspired two Perry the Platypus birthday cakes. The movie makes us laugh and would tell others to watch it too. Also catch the show on the Disney Channel (or Netflix apparently.)

 

Marvel Anime: Iron Man (2012) – Yes, we’re nerds. Tony Stark goes to Japan to help them build a Stark Reactor, he “retires” the Iron Man armor, but the suit plans are stolen and the villains build their own. He takes up the armor again to save Japan and the world. 

 

Marvel Anime: Wolverine (2012) –  This is the story of Logan and his love, Mariko. Some dirty pool is going down and Logan has to save his girl form some Japanese drug lords. John says that it’s a fairly good modern adaptation to the original story of Logan and Mariko.

 

 

Torchwood: Series 2

Torchwood: Series 3

Torchwood: Children of Earth

Finished watching this series. It is very adult oriented. Other than that it was a good show to watch. It kept us entertained and I even cried at various points as the plot unfolded.

 

The Tudors: Season 3

The Tudors: Season 4

We’ve been through 3 wives: Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, and now we’re with Kathryn Howard who is a silly child. I hear tell that she will be executed. This series has been rather fascinating. If you ignore all the sex it’s been quite informative. It’s gotten John to research actual Royal history to see what’s true and what isn’t. Surprisingly it’s not all completely wrong. We’ve taken a break from watching this for a little while, but we’ll have to get back to is. There is still one more wife to go.

Movies: Some Good Stuff

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) - I really loved this movie! John enjoyed it too. Robert Downey, Jr. did not disappoint as Holmes again. The story was engaging and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. What a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I'll admit, the end made me cry.

 

Torchwood: Series 1 (2006) – We’ve nearly completed the entire season in the last 3 days. That’s a lot of episodes… but they have all been pretty good. There is a an over abundance of sexually related themes in some episodes, but the stories themselves are pretty good. It’s just that awesome extension of Doctor Who that us nerds look for some days. The stories follow the adventures about Gwen Cooper, even though I really do wish they were about Jack Harkness. I’d suggest this for adult viewers since there is adult situations, but for fans of The Doctor you’ll enjoy the alien zaniness of it.

Movies: The Musicals Continue

Victor/Victoria (1982) - This was better than we expected. It got a few good laughs and we enjoyed watching it. But I'm sorry, there is nothing remotely manly about Julie Andrews. A short haircut does not a man make. Robert Preston made an excellent old drag queen.

 

 

Non-Musical

 

The Sarah Jane Adventures: Series 2 - Love this show. There switched out some main characters this season, but since I watch it specifically for Sarah Jane I don't care so much.

The Tudors: Season 2 - I know this isn't the best viewing selection, but I love it. I am fascinated by the story historical information (or misinformation as the case is sometimes.) I think I need to get myself a real history book about the Tudors and learn something real. This season Anne Boleyn falls from grace and is executed in the last episode as well as most of her friends and supporters. I wish I could have my enemies beheaded some times.

 

 

Movies: The Month of Musicals

Guys and Dolls (1955) - This is my favorite musical by far. I think it may be the first musical I really remember seeing live, as preformed by Davis High way back in the 80's. The movie version of this is spectacular. There is nothing not to love about the story, the main characters, the actors. What a great combination. I think this also may have something to do with my fascination with gangsters.

Brigadoon (1954) - Neither of us has seen this before. It was a good movie with a great story. I'm really glad this was picked as one to watch I may add it to my favorites. Gene Kelly is a very talented man. The story covers a man who got lost hunting an a town that only appears once every 100 years, and a woman who falls in love. Very sweet. Yes, there was a bit of silly dancing, but not as much as there could have been. The story moved pretty quick and it was over before we knew it.

Anything Goes (1956) - Cute movie. Very predictable, but that's a given for some musicals. John and I both enjoyed this... yes, there was a bit of interpretive dance, but not as much as there has been in others. Two partners in a production each pick a leading lady... but there can only be one. On the trip from England to the US, love falls on everyone and problems are solved.

How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967) - There was something about this movie that neither of us could stand. I think it was the main actor, he was really annoying. As the story goes, a man reads a book about succeeding and proceeded to rise very quickly in the company, making friends and enemies along the way, all culminating in his rise to being a member of the board. We have both seen this production live and rather enjoyed it for the most part, but it seemed that sitting through the movie version was some sort of punishment.

 

 

Non-Musicals ...

 

The Tudors: Season 1 (2007) - I had wanted to watch this for the last few years, but could never bring myself to obtain it. Now that its available to watch for free with my blu-ray player and Amazon Prime I figured "Why Not?" Well, this show is full of sex. Lots of it. But beyond that I have learned a lot about the history of England, the church of England, and Henry the VIII - both the fictitious stuff on the show and the real stuff that we have googled because of the show. It's al very interesting, minus the nakedness of it.

Doctor Who: The Complete Sixth Series (2011) - We're finally caught up with the current Doctor Who series. We've suffered through this year listening to our friends and family talk in hushed tones about what was going on in the Who-niverse, and now we know. Discussions, and Matt Smith bashing may commence. And yes, that means that I still don't like him as the Doctor. This season did have some really good episodes though, and we laughed, and I cried, and it was over all too soon. This is such a great show.

Doctor Who with Tom Baker (1978) - We watched the following episodes:

    The Power of Kroll: Parts 1-4

    The Ribos Operation: Parts 1-4

    The Armageddon Factor: Parts 1-6

They all involve gathering the pieces of the key to time. Unfortunately the blu-ray and Amazon don't have the complete story arch of this to watch for free. but it's pretty entertaining none the less. I miss K-9, and I really dislike Romana. She is an annoying Time Lord and I'm not sad at all that she was lost in the time War.

Movies: The Month of Musicals

John hasn't seen a lot of the classic musicals... and it turns out I haven't seen as many as I thought I had. November has been designated Musical Month and that is what we have been watching.

 

Singin' In The Rain (1952) - Interpretive dance... Ugh! For the most part this movie was pretty good. It dragged on at times, but for the most part is was alright.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) - What a fun movie. I hadn't seen this version for years and I love it.

The Music Man (1962) - Love this version of the movie. Robert Preston is my favorite Harold Hill.

Annie Get Your Gun (1950) - I hadn't seen this before. It's a bit cheesy but it has a lot of familiar songs in that I had never known where they had come from.

Oklahoma (1955) - I know this is supposed to be a classic, but neither of us liked it. It was too long and convoluted. Neither of us can stand interpretive dance. This is full of it.

Captain America (2011) - What? This isn't a musical? That's what I said, but in our rationalization John convinced me that there *is* a musical number in it so it is semi appropriate for musical month.

 

 

Halloween Movie Month 2011 ... The End

The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (1973) - I'll admit, I came in at the end of this movie, but what I could tell it was super high quality viewing {sarcasm} John watched this one Sunday morning while I slept in. The boy goes off to visit his father in a secluded cabin in the woods. Father turns into werewolf. Boy tries to get help but no one believes him until it's too late. Boy gets bitten. Father dies. This is your average werewolf movie done 70's style.

Boo! (2005) - Hello teenagers going into that abandoned hospital, don't you realize that all but one of you are going to die?

The Monster Squad (1987) - This was entertaining. The children aren't so foul mouthed as the Goonies, but the movie is splattered with obstinacies. Basically this group of kids "The Monster Squad" have to save the world from Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolf man, Swamp thing...etc. etc. It's a fun little show that would be a good for a older kid Halloween party.

Cursed (2005) - John and I saw this in the Theater when it came out. It's a good little werewolf movie, that isn't too full of gore. No sex, very little cussing. I think this might be a good one for an older teen Halloween watch. It is rated R, but I don't think it really hits that R rating bar.

Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (1990) - We weren't sure what to expect from this movie, it was just on our movie list and so we got it. Little did we know it was a Bruce Campbell movie. And boy howdy, it was. A group of vampires retreat to the desert for retirement (yes, the desert) when their sleepy little town is disrupted by rebel vampires and the surprise appearance of a descendant of Van Helsing. It was good for a laugh. We adore Bruce Campbell at our house.

Fright Night (1985) - In my opinion... I liked the new version better (minus all the swearing) but this one was alright. The two movies pretty much follow the exact same plot and story line which was entertaining. The Death's of the vampires were a little over dramatic, but that's what it's all about isn't it.

 

And that brigs us to the end of Halloween Movie Month(s) 2011. There were some good ones, some bad ones, and some we'll never watch again. We're a little disappointed in the amount of movies we watched this year, we were hoping to get some more in, but life was busy for the month of October. I guess we'll just have to make up for it next year.

 

In other news... This is the awesome cake I made for my Halloween party this year.

 

Halloween Movie Month 2011

Red Riding Hood (2011) - This movie was alright. Not as good as we wanted it to be, but not as bad as we expected. It really did keep you guessing who the werewolf was for most of the movie.

 

Goonies (1985) - Really liked this movie. I don't think I'd seen this once since the 80's, and John had never seen it, so it was pretty much a new experience for us. We were taken aback by the foul mouthed children at the beginning of the film, but it was pretty tame for today's standards. The adventure was great and the plot was simple. This is a great movie for a good night in.

 

The Addams Family (1991) - I hadn't seen this movie until I married John. He really enjoyed it, and now so do I. Its silly and spooky and just a little ookey... Whatever, it's the Addams Family. It an easy laugh in the midst of horror movie watching that we really enjoy.

 

Gremlins (1984) - Wow, Cory Feldman sure aged between this movie and Goonies a year later.. Also, why are so many Halloween movies centered around Christmas. Anyway. this movie is still pretty awesome. I have to point out that the animatronics for Gizmo are amazing for this being 1984. What a cute little guy. I promise that if someone gets me one for Christmas I'll follow all the rules.

An American Werewolf In London - John watched this one without me. That's okay though, because we own it, and I've seen it before.

 

The Mummy (1999) - I absolutely love this movie. It is full of action, adventure and so many memorable lines... Do you swear? Every damn day. He he. Definitely one I'd recommend for anyone's movie watching pleasure.

 

My Bloody Valentine (1981) - Entertaining. Bloody. Cheesy. Not as horrific as I expected. One thing I do appreciate about these 1980's horror films is that the directors still knew how to leave some of the violence to the viewers imagination. And would you believe it, a whole movie without nudity. Wow. I was pleasantly surprised since the 2009 version was full of naked (we watched that one last year.) If you're going to watch a version of this movie I suggest the 1981 version.

 

Stir of Echoes (1999) - This was better than expected. Kevin Bacon, after being hypnotized starts seeing ghosts and has to solve a mystery with the knowledge he has gained. This runs along the same vein as What Lies Beneath, The Sixth Sense, and The Other's. If you liked those, chances are you'll enjoy this one.

 

Night Fright (1967) - We spent the entire movie waiting for Elvira or the Mystery Science Theater guys to pop in, but sadly we got the actual movie and not one with commentary. I guess 1967 was really just that lame. It took forever to get to the point of them movie and apparently John fast-forwarded a bit while I was out of the room. In the end, after waiting so long, the monster was destroyed very anticlimactically.

 

The Signal (2007) - I randomly picked this from the free Amazon Prime movies on our Blu-Ray... It was questionable on if it was any good. For the most part it was entertaining. Confusing, yes. But entertaining. It's shown in three segments and each once makes you doubt what came before and then the ending confused the heck out of us. Was it a *happy* ending or wasn't it. I don't know, I was too lost. This one was full of foul language and a naked but within the first 10 minutes.

Halloween Movie Month 2011

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (2010) – This movie was entertaining enough. Out of all the one’s we’ve watched so far this year it was definitely the best. But that’s not saying much. Dylan is a Private Investigator who used to work as a mediator between the worlds of the dead and the living. He’s pulled back into the world when crazy things start going down in the world of the undead. I kept expecting Brandon Roth to go all Superman on the undead... but he never really did.

Crucible of Horror (1971) – This movie had so many flaws in the murder plot that I just couldn’t stand it. I found myself several times yelling at the television telling the useless women to “just shoot him!” The ending was pretty predictable. Full of bad 70’s acting even though it had some great actors to draw from. Very disappointing. Very slow. Very un-scary for a movie in a box set called “Pure Terror”.

Double Exposure (1983) – Terrible, terrible movie. I can’t believe we watched this. A photographer has graphic dreams of killing his models and then they turn up dead. The question is… is he really the one killing them or is it something else. It really did keep me guessing for most of the movie, but when the end comes all you can say is, “really!? That’s how it ends?” Not one I’d recommend to anyone. Oh, and there was lots and lots of naked.

Mystery Science Theater 3000: Werewolf (1996) – This movie was so bad I was surprised to learn that it was filmed in the 90’s… but then again 90’s movies were never really that good. All the actors were foreigners and their accents just got worse as the movie progressed. I don’t think I could have made it through the movie with out the Mystery Science Theater guys shadows in front giving running commentary. It was awful.

They Live (1988) – or rather “John Carpenter’s: They Live” like adding John Carpenter’s name to it would make it any better. Staring Roddy Piper… (yes, that is in fact Rowdy Roddy Piper.) There are aliens living among us, and they are hiding themselves with a massive power transmission that hides what they really look like… unless of course you have the magic sunglasses that allows you to see them as they are. All in all the movie was rather lame, but it had the worlds best line: “I came here to chew bubblegum and kick some ass... and I ran out of bubblegum.” And of course there was one really long unnecessarily absurd fight scene because Roddy is/was a huge member of the WWF.

Vampire Journals (1997) – Remember what I just barely said about 90’s movies? This one didn’t change my statement. This was horrible… What terrible acting. Again a bunch of people who didn’t speak English very well. I guess the plot of the movie was one vampire out to get revenge on another vampire, but with all the naked boobs and bad accents I didn’t follow the plot too well. -- Vampires. Apparently. Can't. Speak. In. Full. Sentences. What did I learn from this movie? A) The vampires in this movie were very wasteful. They would bite someone and then open their mouth and let blood spurt all over the victim. B) All crazy vampire women sacrifices must wear white flow-y dresses. And when you add A + B = a mess. John actually stated that it would suck to have to try and get those stains out.

Grave of the Vampire (1974) – John and I agreed that the subject of this movie was a terrible vampire. Instead of just biting all his prey and drinking them dry he opted to kill them by various means; Throat slitting. Smashing a head with a sarcophagus. Breaking a back over a tombstone. Ice pick… The premise of the movie was that the main vampire (who was a terrible vampire) raped a woman and she birthed a half vampire who spent his life searching for his father to kill him. Well…. To ruin the end for you (because trust me, you don’t really want to watch it) The child of the vampire kills his father but then… are you ready for it? …. He TURNS into the vampire. Duh duh DUNN!

Big Bad Wolf (2006) – Lots and lots of naked boobs and sexual situations. So… boy is trying to pledge for a frat. They go to his step-father’s cabin in the woods. Everyone but original boy and his girl die a horrible death at the claws of a slathering talking werewolf in pants. They run home and one thing leads to another and some how it is deduced that step-father IS the werewolf and the have to get proof and kill him. A few more people die. More naked boobs. A big fire… were wolf dies, but boy is bit. OH NO! The tragedy of it all! Yes, I just ruined the entire movie for you. Don’t watch it.

Movies: Halloween Movie Month 2011

Curse of the Devil (1974) - This movie was .... interesting. Being a foreign horror movie from the 70's it was expected to be campy. It's the story of a man who's ancestors were cursed by a witch that one day one of her people would be killed by one of his people and the curse would come upon him. Well, after several generations it happened and the man was turned into a werewolf that ran amuck and killed the family of the woman he loved and some other random villagers too. In the end the woman must make the decision to kill him because a werewolf can only be killed by the woman who loves him. There is campy violence, bright red blood, full nudity, and lots of horrible dubbed dialogue, cut scenes, and story... Only watch this if you want to see something really stupid.

Dark clouds may hang on me sometimes

Well, it's been a while since I posted about a favorite out of my collection. Recently John and I have moved all the music on our computer to an external hard drive and as I've been going through, deleting duplicates, I have been reminded about how much music I have that I love so very much. Here is a CD that played a lot during my high school years.

 

 

   Under the Table and Dreaming

             Dave Matthews Band

 

The Best of What's Around

What Would You Say

Satellite

Rhyme & Reason

Typical Situation

Dancing Nancies

Ants Marching

Lover Lay Down

Jimi Thing

Warehouse

Pay For What You Get

#34

 

 

Under the Table and Dreaming was released September 1994. I don't think I really thought much about the album until the summer of 1995 when there was a boy I worked with at Lagoon named Eric Clark. I used to call him Jack for fun. He was a sweet quiet kid from Bountiful, but very funny and a good friend. He asked me to go to the HORDE festival with him that summer where Dave Matthews was performing, of course I said yes because I wasn't often asked out on dates. Jack also took me to another DMB concert the next year. He was a great guy, and the Dave Matthews concerts were totally awesome. Thus began my love affair with the Dave Matthews Band. This CD is the first studio release for the band, and it contains a lot of great music.

This was one of the first albums I bought for my budding CD collection... and sadly enough it's also one of the first Albums that my nephews helped destroy with little shoes full of sand. I still have my original copy, it's been smeared with CD repair cream so many times over the years, but it skips and sounds terrible when listened to in a player. I haven't bought a new copy yet, but one day maybe I will.

 

A few of my favorites off this album are:

The Best of What's Around

What Would You Say

Satellite

Ants Marching

and my favorite off the entire album is Dancing Nancies

 

Why is Dancing Nancies my favorite you ask? Well, I think it is because it is the first song I heard off this album. I heard it sung by the band Colors, at a concert in the Davis High auditorium (probably back in 1994.) I fell in love with the song back then and decided that I needed it for my own. It's always been a favorite of mine.

I would definitely recommend this album for you if you enjoy some good jazzy, funk-rock, southern cookin' music to listen to. They're great.

Movies: This Weeks Edition

Fright Night (2011) – This movie was great. We saw this Friday night to get out of our hot house and spend some time with our friend Holly. Mostly we saw this movie because it had David Tennant in it. but He was just a pleasant highlight. For the most part we all really enjoyed watching this. The language was terrible (as it usually is for this quality of horror movies) as we don’t believe that every other word in a sentence needs to start with the letter F and have four letters. But whatever. A vampire moves into a Las Vegas neighborhood and then people start disappearing. The boy next door is clued into the fact that something is wrong and then the movie goes from there of trying to run from the crazy vampire and trying to kill it as the same time. This was a very entertaining kick off to our Halloween Movie Month for 2011.

 

Burlesque (2010) – Good movie. I am totally fascinated by the world of burlesque. I think it all started back with Moulin Rouge, so when this movie came out last year I told John I wanted to see it. And he quietly admitted that he wanted to see it too. It took us a while, but we finally rented it… and we loved it. The story goes that a small town girl from Iowa moves to LA looking to be a singer and stumbles upon a Burlesque club and falls in love with the idea of working there. By being a push devoted person she gets a job and it’s all up from there. There’s is a love story, and a story of persevering no matter what mixed in. It stars Christina Aguilera and Cher.

 

Live Free or Die Hard (2007) – Matt Farrell: “You just killed a helicopter with a car!” John McClane: “I was out of bullets.” – This movie never gets old.

 

Die Another Day (2002) – One of my least favorite Pierce Brosnan Bond films. But still good none-the-less. Bond is off the record and trying to find a villain that escaped him. This includes: Exploding diamonds. Face changing. A giant satellite used to kill people. And an Ice hotel. All great fun. It also has Madonna in it. Least favorite part of the movie: Halle Berry.

 

Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) – So much better than expected. It wasn’t to campy or cheesy and was enjoyable to watch. Brendan Frazer, while looking for clues to the disappearance of his brother, discovers that Jules Verne wasn’t full of it when he wrote his book. This was a good family movie.

Blood Magic

Blood Magic

By Tessa Gratton

 

I don’t know what it is about the Paranormal YA genre lately, but I have loved reading all of these books that have a touch of something magical in them.

This is the story of two teenagers who are a little more than slightly damaged by the acts of their parents. They’re drawn together by the use of magic. Blood Magic, to be exact. Nick has hidden memories of his mother, and Silla is just learning things about her father. Together they have to discover what is wrong with their families and what they need to do to make sure everyone is safe.

I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t get this as an audio book to listen to at work, so it took me a little longer to actually read than it would have if I’d just listened to it… but it was worth it. I loved the story line. I loved finding out little hidden things about the characters. I was surprised when my hypothesis was incorrect and the twist in the plot that made me says “hmmm.” I admit that I cried a little at the end.

I really loved this book. I'll recommend it to anyone who is looking for a little entertainment and doesn't mind a little dark magic.

Blood Magic is the first novel by Tessa Gratton. The book was recommended to me by Maggie Stiefvater, author of Shiver and Linger, who is one of Ms. Gratton's critique partners, along with Brenna Yavanoff (author of The Replacement). The three of them make up the members of the Merry Sisters of Fate website. (Where one of these three people post a new short story on Mondays. They're fun to read.)

Movies: Nothin' Else to Watch

Empire Records (1995) - This movie wasn't as good as I had been led to believe. It seems like everyone I know who has seen it loved it and recommended it to me... Well, we watched it, and let me just says... I wasn't impressed. It was actually quite boring. It was kind of fun to look back at the world of 1995. The styles, and teenage issues... but didn't I see this all happen before in an episode of Saved by The Bell? I had been hopeful that it would be full of teenage mayhem as the group had to ban together and fix the major issue that was brought up in the first 10 minutes of the movie, ala Ferris Bueller fashion, but it never happened and I was disappointed.

 

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition) (2001) - As always this is a fantastic movie. I love the extended editions for all the extra bits of fun that are put in. We've watched the extended edition so many times now that we have forgotten what's in this that isn't in the other, but when we watch the other it's like there is too much missing. What great movies. Epic in every sense of the word.

Movies: Action fun.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) - Saw this Monday night in IMAX. It was good. It picks up right away and it's non-stop action all the way through. Just the way I like my movies. I might suggest watching Part 1 before going just to refresh your memory. The CGI was great. I wasn't really impressed by the 3D, but I never am. I guess if you've seen the other seven movies you might as well see this one too. Here's what happens just in case you don't want to see it: Harry Potter dies, and so do all his friends. The End.

 

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) - What can I say about this movie... LOVED it. We went into this on Friday night, hoping it would be good, but we came out of it thinking it was AWESOME! We seriously pulled out our phones at dinner after the movie to see when the next showing was that we could make it to. And that's saying  A LOT. We haven't done that for any movie for quite a long time. Yes, we did see it twice this weekend. The movie was just good. The action. The character build. The plot. The actors. There was noting about this movie that I can complain about. We highly recommend it... in fact, if you go, invite us. We'll gladly go again. I hope they make a sequel, and not just the Avenger's movie.... and speaking of... don't forget to sit through the credits. You wont be disappointed.

Movies: Only one? Really?

Winnie the Pooh (2011) - I loved this movie! It was funny and heart warming. It taught a moral lesson. Eyore was as gloomy as ever. Owl was super entertaining and all the characters of the Hundred Acre Wood were as enchanting as ever. I was expecting this to be cute, but I was completely bowled over by how "Pooh" it was. The animators and story tellers stuck very well to the nostalgia of Winnie the Pooh. They didn't try to modernize it or make it action packed. It was pure and simple and very fun. The music was nice. It was 69 minutes long, just right for the theater full of children that we attended with. The short before the movie was also very cute. and In the end both the short and the movie taught us great moral lessons of life. I ♥ it. Take your kids. and don't forget to sit all the way through the credits.

Movies: Some we forgot to mention

The Mechanic (2011) - Jason Statham. Need I say more? He's a hit man who is double crossed by a double cross-er and he is out for revenge. With his new side kick, the crazy son of the man he murdered wrongfully, of course. This one wasn't as great as it could have been. It doesn't hold a candle to other Statham movies I have seen... even the dumb ones. I was disappointed. It could have been better.

 

Thunderball (1965) - SPECTRE has stolen two nuclear war heads! It's up to Sean Connery to get them back. You can never go wrong with feeding people to sharks. There were a lot of epic under water battle scenes in this one. Making some of the fights rather ridiculous. But that's Bond for you. Great movie with lots of action... even if it's in slow motion in scuba suits.

 

Diamond Are Forever (1971) - How many times do the villains have to create diamond satellite laser guns before they realize that they will never work because James Bond is there to thwart their plans? At least twice (this movie and Die Another Day, I believe.) 1970's Las Vegas is great. Stealing moon rovers. Blofeld and his cat. What a great move. Sean Connery doesn't disappoint as Bond again.

 

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) - Back to Roger Moore as Bond. This movie also has Jaws in. He's featured in several bond films as the henchman. Again with the missing Nuclear Subs. There is some underwater action. People being eaten by sharks. Explosions. James Bond stopping world domination.

Movies: Our Weekend in Films

Legendary Assassin (2008) - This movie wasn't full of the legendary assassin-ness that we were hoping for. I think this was added to our blockbuster queue when we were looking for another ninja assassin movie and was just never removed. We watched it anyway. There was very little action and the over-dubbing was terrible. I don't know if it would have been more interesting if we had watched it in its original Cantonese. As it was, we didn’t enjoy it, but we did sit through the entire thing.

 

Crocodile Dundee II (1988) – I think I have tried watching this movie several times over the years, but I always only manage to see the end. This time… I saw most of it. I think I still missed the first 45 minutes or so, but probably didn’t miss anything. This is just another cheesy 80’s movie that is watched for the nostalgia, and not for the great content.

 

The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968) – We didn’t actually get to finish watching this movie since life invaded out lounge time, but what we saw we enjoyed. There is something to be said about these old movies that have no real violence, language, sex or action, but they incite a laugh every time. Don Knotts is entertaining in this movie as the bumbling Dr. Haywood. Such a great movie. We’ll have to rent it and watch the rest one day.

Movies: The Good and the Bad

Where the Wild Things Are (2009) - This was our blockbuster movie rental for the week. I was excited to see this movie since I love the book so much. I was disappointed. It was too slow and not enough dialogue or action, and I think that if you didn't know the story or weren't paying enough attention it would have been very hard to follow. It's just a very quiet movie about Max having to learn for himself that you can't be happy all the time and that you love everyone different and that you need to grow up eventually. When thinking of this movie as a whole I guess I could say that I enjoyed it for what it was, but during those 101 minutes it seemed like it would never end and that was kind of painful. I wouldn't suggest this as a movie for kids. I wouldn't even suggest this as a movie for adults. I say that if you want to see it, watch it. If it wasn't on your too see list then don't go out of your way for it. I did tear up a little at the end, but I do that for the book too.

 

The Man With The Golden Gun (1974) - If you couldn't guess, John got the complete James Bond Movie collection for Christmas 2010. We've just recently started watching them together, although I'm sure he has watched some without me before. This one stars Roger Moore as James Bond (One of my favorites) and Christopher Lee is the bad guy. Bond is tracking down the assassin Scramanga who apparently is out to get him. There are women in bikinis, gun fights, midgets, explosions. Everything a Bond film should be.

 

Goldfinger (1964) - Ah, Sean Connery as James Bond. Does it get any better than this... (yes, actually: Pierce Brosnan.) Naked ladies painted in gold, crazy villains, nuclear bombs... the quintessential things for a movie of this sort. "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to Die." There was no lack of Bond humor and quips and jabs at the enemy that made for a good chuckle, but when it got right down to getting the Job done James Bond pulled it off like always, saving the day, getting the girl, and all without wrinkling his suit. 

Movies: Spies and some crap.

Green Lantern (2011) – It was okay. I can’t say it was any better than that. It could have been sooo much better. It was boring and not interesting and some of the animation is so bad. I feel sorry for the poor movie. I can’t believe that they paid $200M to make it and it still sucked that badly. Basically it was an introduction to the world of the Green Lanterns. First of all, I wouldn’t be seeing it if I didn’t already know who the Corps were. Secondly, it took the entire movie to get to any real action, but by the time they got there I didn’t care anymore. I'd say the acting was bad, but even good actors can only do so well with crappy dialogue. I did like Hal Jordan. That’s about the one nice thing I can say about it. We really, really wanted it to be so good. but sadly it just wasn't. Sad. Just sad. It gets two frowny faces. -- :( :(

 

Casino Royale (1966) – We came across this movie on TV and stopped to watch. I’ll admit, I dozed part of the way through it, but I was tired. John however watched the entire thing. At first I thought that it was a serious Bond film, because who would make a spoof of James Bond without changing the names….. Well, I was mistaken. Peter Sellers, Orson Wells, Woody Allen, David Niven – It had some pretty big names in it. I really enjoyed the parts I saw, and John enjoyed it enough to watch the entire thing… even with commercials. Truthfully, I’d rather watch this one than the 2006 version.

 

The World Is Not Enough (1999) – This is the first Bond movie I ever saw in the theater with John. I enjoy this one. Really, I enjoy all the Bond movies, but as I whole I choose the Pierce Brosnan era over any others. In this one he not only gets one love interest but two, however one turns out to be something he didn’t expect. I love Dame Judi Dench as M. This is also the last movie that Desmond Llewelyn appear as Q. I HATE Denise Richards. She can’t act. She’s not pretty. In my opinion she brings this whole movie down just by being there. Other than that, it’s one to watch.

 

The Living Daylights (1987) – Timothy Dalton, is not my favorite Bond. This one takes place in the Soviet Union, and several other countries while Bond tries to find a defected Soviet General who double crossed everyone and is working to start a world war. Bond, with the General’s girlfriend (of course) has to hunt him down and stop him from selling opium for money and the purchase of high-tech weapons that he wants so he can start a war. Not the best Bond movie out there, but one I hadn’t seen before. I did enjoy the fact that one of the bad guys in this movie sows up as Felix in the future Pierce Brosnan films. Amusingly enough, this SHOULD have been Pierce Brosnan’s first Bond film, but he couldn’t gout out of his Remington Steele contract. So the script was tailored to him, but Timothy Dalton was brought in to play the roll.