Saturday, July 16, 2005
Johnny and the Chocolate Factory
The old man is out of town for the weekend, so the kids and I treated ourselves to a movie last night. I didn't really know what to expect from Tim Burton's 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'. Every photo I had seen showed Mr. Depp looking extremely weird, which is disturbing, because Mr. Depp is not supposed to look extremely weird, he's supposed to look extremely handsome. Anyway, when you expect a movie to be great (see Land of the Dead blog), it usually isn't. So I went in to this expecting to be slightly weirded out, slightly disappointed (I'm not a huge Burton fan).The first thing that made me smile was in the opening credits: David Kelly, who plays Grandpa Joe has been in my life since I was a wee las. I was amazed that he's even still alive, but he didn't look a day older than he did when I was seven. Seeing David Kelly was like smelling freshly baked bread. He reminded me of my grandparents and my childhood. It was neat.
The second grin happened when I realized who was playing Charlie: Freddie Highmore who played alongside Mr. Depp in Finding Neverland. I wanted to scoop him up and eat him then, and even though I was full from my Red Robin chicken salad, I wanted to do it again the moment I saw him. He was perfect for the part. I hope we see a lot more of him as an actor.
My favorite part of the movie is the beginning; the whole lead-up to finding the ticket is so well done in the book, and it was so in the movie too. The scene with the squirrels is hilarious, and during the scene in the TV room, I had to contain myself from peeing my pants at them all in those white goggles. Little things often amuse me to the point of hysteria; Clutch the Rocket's mascot's stupid antics is a good example. The way they all looked in those wonky white goggles was almost too much for me to handle...
Mr. Depp stole the movie, his facial expressions and vocal tone where genius. I hate to say it, but when I think of Willy Wonka in the future, his 'extremely weird' face will pop up instead of Gene Wilder's.
It was refreshing to see a movie that contained such a strong message of family values. The original movie's director, Mel Stuart, let that message get lost during the factory visit, but Tim Burton kept it alive throughout. I'm still not a Tim Burton fan, but I'm sure glad Mr. Depp is.
Old Mother Hubbard
I think it's been over two-weeks since I went to the grocery store. My poor family have been living off of Kraft Dinner, as Ali calls it, Crap Dinner, as I call it, and whatever canned soup is in the pantry. Why have I been such a neglectful wife and mother you ask? Work. Late nights, weekends, industry related events, program training. That's what's been keeping me away from my family. I managed to catch up with Big Brother while scoffing down a What-a-Burger chicken finger meal before trudging to bed on Thursday (thank the Lord for DVR). And reading a couple of pages of Harry Potter before bed each night has not managed to stop me from a) lying awake trying to push QuickBooks out of my mind even though I'm dead-tired, or b) dreaming all night about how to link billable-hours to invoices. Ugh. Work sucks. I plan to do nothing this weekend. Well, okay, I have to do housework, buy groceries, and go into work on Sunday. But compared to last weekend that will still be doing nothing.
Monday, July 04, 2005
Morphing
The toadpoles have now all morphed into toads. The release into the wild will take place tomorrow evening - tickets available at the door. From 42 poles around 30 toads have survived. Parting will be such sweet sorrow...
I have decided to let them go for two reasons: 1) even though we have introduced mealworms and crickets as per instruction, the toads continue to grow but are not eating the food provided. This worries me, what are they eating, each other? 2) Wally Sr. is not particularly fond of them and wants them off the kitchen table.
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Land of the Dead. Dead Boring That Is...
I told Jo-Nathan that I would share my thoughts on Land of the Dead. So, here they are: I immediately had doubts as to whether George Romero was even involved with this movie, apart from getting paid to put his name to it of course... I mean, there were zombies in it, yeah, but where was Bruce Willis? To sum up the movie, take one pint Independence Day, mix with 2 cups violence, 3 cups gore, and a pinch of humor. Stir thoroughly then throw in a token tough chick, a mentally-challenged nice-guy, and a badly-made-up lead zombie. Bake for 90 minutes then coat liberally with a batch of blood and guts. Sounds yummy? Not so much.
The premise seemed good at first: zombies evolve over time to become "intelligent". They learn how to hide out, sneak up on victims, and figure out how to get in to the meat market in the center of town. I may have been convinced if I'd seen more evidence of their brain-power. Big Daddy, the zombie leader seemed to be the Einstein of the bunch; roaring like a wounded dog he lead his herd of sheep around relatively few obstacles to their target: food. I figured that BD must have been a boy scout in his youth, for as well as leadership skills and a great sense of direction he even showed sympathy for a burning zombie by turning an oozie on him, why, I wondered, surly the screaming victim is dead, he can't feel any pain, can he? At this point I started to become confused. Did you know that while zombies usually like to stagger around in a slow, mindless manner like, well, zombies, they can in fact break into swift, decisive runs and chase down their prey at a whim? Hmmm.
All in all I was extremely disappointed. Shawn of the Dead is way scarier. And while the good guy does, predictably save the day, the real hero of the story is some garbage truck turned Armageddon vehicle that looks more like something Wally would make out of a couple of cardboard boxes on a rainy day.
It turns out that George did more that put his name to this movie, he wrote, produced and directed it. He is also particularly proud of it as I found out when I watched the A&E 'making of' show, he was just beaming as he explained how 9/11 had delayed its release, but he's so happy because now it makes even more sense today as it parallels the country we now live in. Well good for you, George, it's great to see those lives were not lost in vain. Pig.
I did however enjoy the performances, not to say the acting was good, but both John Leguizamo and Dennis Hopper made the movie bearable. The action based plot however did not. As you would expect, there is lots of violence, blood and gore in this flick, including some up-close and personal suicide action which particularly offended me. In seven words - don't take your kids to this movie - tots and pubescents were dotted around the theatre: I seriously can't believe people can really be that brain dead.
The premise seemed good at first: zombies evolve over time to become "intelligent". They learn how to hide out, sneak up on victims, and figure out how to get in to the meat market in the center of town. I may have been convinced if I'd seen more evidence of their brain-power. Big Daddy, the zombie leader seemed to be the Einstein of the bunch; roaring like a wounded dog he lead his herd of sheep around relatively few obstacles to their target: food. I figured that BD must have been a boy scout in his youth, for as well as leadership skills and a great sense of direction he even showed sympathy for a burning zombie by turning an oozie on him, why, I wondered, surly the screaming victim is dead, he can't feel any pain, can he? At this point I started to become confused. Did you know that while zombies usually like to stagger around in a slow, mindless manner like, well, zombies, they can in fact break into swift, decisive runs and chase down their prey at a whim? Hmmm.
All in all I was extremely disappointed. Shawn of the Dead is way scarier. And while the good guy does, predictably save the day, the real hero of the story is some garbage truck turned Armageddon vehicle that looks more like something Wally would make out of a couple of cardboard boxes on a rainy day.
It turns out that George did more that put his name to this movie, he wrote, produced and directed it. He is also particularly proud of it as I found out when I watched the A&E 'making of' show, he was just beaming as he explained how 9/11 had delayed its release, but he's so happy because now it makes even more sense today as it parallels the country we now live in. Well good for you, George, it's great to see those lives were not lost in vain. Pig.
I did however enjoy the performances, not to say the acting was good, but both John Leguizamo and Dennis Hopper made the movie bearable. The action based plot however did not. As you would expect, there is lots of violence, blood and gore in this flick, including some up-close and personal suicide action which particularly offended me. In seven words - don't take your kids to this movie - tots and pubescents were dotted around the theatre: I seriously can't believe people can really be that brain dead.
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Just very quickly...
I TOOK the pooches to the vet today. Man, do they have some get-rich-quick scheme going on! $512 for two examinations w/shots, one dose of anti-biotics for some itchy back-scabs, one dose of worming medicine, and six-months each of flea/worming prevention medication. If they weren't so darn lovable...
I RECENTLY received a new mentor. It's a great opportunity to learn business development from someone with mucho experience. But. Now I have to answer the following:
Why are you here...and WHO ARE YOU?
Personal and professional statement of purpose
Personal and professional vision and mission statements
List of personal goals for the next 12 months
List of professional goals for the next 12 months
Pressure. Help!
I'M CURRENTLY reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I thought I'd better get it finished before The Half-Blood Prince comes out. So far it's good. I think each one is a little more enjoyable than the last. Maybe it's because you get to know the characters so well; each time feels like coming home.
THE NEW job is...well, I don't really know what to say. It makes a nice change to be away from you-know-where. And I did expect it to be chaotic and frustrating at first. So let's just say, it is. There is hope on the horizon though. I see things shaping up nicely. And now that Andrés and I have been reunited, all smells rosy.
THAT'S MY news de jour.
I RECENTLY received a new mentor. It's a great opportunity to learn business development from someone with mucho experience. But. Now I have to answer the following:
Why are you here...and WHO ARE YOU?
Personal and professional statement of purpose
Personal and professional vision and mission statements
List of personal goals for the next 12 months
List of professional goals for the next 12 months
Pressure. Help!
I'M CURRENTLY reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I thought I'd better get it finished before The Half-Blood Prince comes out. So far it's good. I think each one is a little more enjoyable than the last. Maybe it's because you get to know the characters so well; each time feels like coming home.
THE NEW job is...well, I don't really know what to say. It makes a nice change to be away from you-know-where. And I did expect it to be chaotic and frustrating at first. So let's just say, it is. There is hope on the horizon though. I see things shaping up nicely. And now that Andrés and I have been reunited, all smells rosy.
THAT'S MY news de jour.
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