Thursday, October 28, 2010

Friday Night Cinema - on Thursday

Bonjour, Ya'll!

It's been awhile since I've updated. Well the big news we've been holding close is that we BOUGHT A HOUSE! More details to follow when I post the pictures and all the details!

Ok, So we've been holding onto our most recent DVD rental for about 2 weeks now, "Magnificent Destination" a documentary about the space shuttle program. Recently I've been on a kick on NASA, space travel and really all things science related. My secret dream is that E becomes a science superstar, and her interest stemming from our DVD picks. Yes I realize that is pretty absurd.
Unfortunately for the DVD queue, my obsession with space means bombarding it with anything space-related. So until I actually watch the movie we rented, I've decided to go old school.

Thanks to the miraculous Netflix website that keeps a list of every movie ever rented or watched instantly, I'm going to review movies that I watched one year ago. So below are all movies we watched around the end of October/beginning of November in 2009. Doing this is my version of time-travel through my awesome movie watching. So we can consider this a science experiment because it is science related. Kinda.

1. RocknRolla: A Guy Ritchie action paced movie on English mobsters. Woah, that is deep (insert sarcasm). Thandie Newton starred in this comedic, action packed adventure. She usually choses interesting roles, so I was excited to see what she would bring to the table. Gerard Butler (300 Hottie) also starred. He was so amazing in 300 that ever since that, all other film choices have just been meh. Anyways to be honest, I do not remember the movie much at all. I gave it 3 stars meaning in Netflix world that i "liked" it. But if I like a film I usually rate it 4 stars, so I'm assuming I wasn't impressed with Guy Ritchie's latest flick. Though I haven't been impressed with much of anything he's done lately.

2. Pollock: Biopic on famed artist Pollock. From his humble beginnings to watching him find his iconic style and continuing onto his death. Ed Harris starred and directed. He did a great job. Bio pics are Hit or Miss most of the time and this one Hit Hard. It kept moving and kept me entertained. Well if after a biopic movie ends and I find myself on Wikipedia, than I liked the film. It's an older film (2000), but a great flick to watch anytime you can.

3. Roy Orbison: Black and White: This has a blazing 5 Stars. If you have PBS (and watch it!) you've probably seen excerpts of this concert of Roy Orbison rocking his awesome tunes. D is a huge Orbison fan, so he loved watching this.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Friday Night Cinema - on Monday

It's that time of the week again when I impress everyone with all of the movies we have watched.

1. Un Prophete (The Prophet) - 2009 french film that is incredible. It's about Malik, a 18 yr old boy sentenced to 6 years in prison. He has to make his way and ends up being involved with many interesting characters. The movie is captivating because even though he is in prison, he learns a lot and even gets to do things he never thought possible. I'm a HUGE shawshank fan, and though nothing holds a candle to that film, this movie holds its own ground. I believe it was nominated for Best foreign Film during the Oscars last year.

2. Couples Retreat - RomCom starring who else but Vince Vaughn. He and his gaggle of friends embark on couples counseling in Bali for the week. Laughter ensues? I don't know...my expectations were low low low for this film so it was a kind surprise when I somewhat watched the entire film without completely gauging my eyes out. It's one of those flicks where you can do a load of wash and organizing the tots toys with out missing anything integral.

3. Social Network - D and I actually went to the movies last week at the Alamo Drafthouse. We love that place! Unless you've been hiding under a rock the past 4 years or so, you know what Facebook is and how your grandmother keeps calling you, begging for you to show her how to get on "The Facebook". Anyways this film goes biopic to see the inception of it and all of the fallout that comes with becoming a billionaire by the age of 26. The film was good, no questions about that. Sorkin never disappoints and keeps you interested with interesting dialogue and characters.

4. A Perfect Getaway - 2009 film starring Milla Jovovich (5th Element & Dazed & Confused) and Steve Zahn as a couple on their honeymoon in Hawaii. There is a grotesque murder on the island as they trek around in the trails of the beautiful oasis. Ummm, it was a good film. During the climax I began to get confused about everything and magically, lost my interest in the film. Well not really lost my interest, but moreso I was watching it alone and had no one to explain what was going on. Some of the character development was meh. Zahn and Jovovich have given stellar performances in the past, so I'm not sure why they didn't bring their A games to the screen with this one. They did come off as an unlikely married couple -- I mean c'mon, she's a former model!

That's all I got for now....Later!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

ACL 2010

D and I attended Austin City Limits on Friday. It was so much fun! The weather was amazing! It was 80 degrees with not a cloud in sight. With the fab weather, we saw even more fabulous bands. The Black Keyes rocked, Beach House was mellow (perfect for people watching!!), Spoon sounded amazing and Ryan Bingham did not disappoint. We read in the paper the next day that it was estimated 52,000 watched the Black Keys with us. Wowserz! Vampire Weekend was also performing, but me not being a huge concert goer, plus what seemed like a billion people wanting to see them perform was enough to deter me. Crowds are not my style people! You know me...I love live music, but I like classical venues in beautiful concert halls. Send me tickets to "Wicked" anyday!



Hello October!

The days are really starting to pick up around our house.

First, it's been a tough few weeks for us. D and I made the tough decision to have Baby E stay with my parents in Houston for the month of October. Why you ask? Ever since E had moved to her new school it just didn't feel right to us. The atmosphere wasn't the same as before, E started crying a lot during the day and we just kept having that parent alarm go off in our heads. We made the decision we would rather have E in Houston surrounded by love then have her spend 9 hours in a place that lacked love. So now we have been seeing her on the weekends. It sucks! The first week was fine because E has spent days with both sets of grandparents and it's been wonderful. But 3 days versus 1 month is quite different. Anyways, E starts her new and improved school (indoor putt putt anyone??) November 1st. Think Beverly Hills for people who toilet train. On the positive side...E spending 24/7 with my parents as she learns to use the potty is really a godsend. My baby poo'd at PF Changs on Saturday night in the potty. Yes the feeling of excitement was beyond. She is brilliant. Here's a picture of her after her momentous feat.




Other than that, we've been planning for our Big Announcement on October 19th. Being uber superstitious, I can only give a few clues like "Plateau" and "Soft Chamois". Even "Bleached Linen" is attending the clue party. Oh and these photos at Lowes on Saturday


Friday, October 1, 2010

Friday Night Cinema

Alrighty...here's my weekly round up of recently watched flicks.

Let the Right One In: Swedish vampire flick that is pretty awesome (should have enjoyed some swedish fish while watching). Oskar is a bullied kid who befriends Eli, a child vampire. Please believe when I say this is not Twilight...after the movie finished I went to wash my face. I heard a noise and about jumped twenty feet. I wouldn't go back into the bathroom until D investigated the noise (it was the water pipes). Foreign films can be more enjoyable than American one's because those directors don't feel the need to jump camera angles every few seconds. That's also another reason I don't mind E watching foreign films with me. She hears me read the subtitles to her while having a singular shot play out the scene.

OutRage: documentary on closeted gays in government. The kicker? Most of said congressmen gays vote down gay rights.

Near Dark: Kathryn Bigelow (Hurt Locker) directs this western/vampire genre stinker. It's so beyond cheesy, plus obvious cracks in the story that made this hard to watch. D loved the film, and this got me thinking Hurt Locker & Point Break must be anomalies, or perhaps Near Dark is the oddity in her catalog?

Princess & The Frog: Baby E loved the film. It wasn't Beauty and the Beast, but it wasn't Mulan (haven't seen Mulan, but doesn't seem as great as other Disney films)

Dear John: Nicholas Sparks tries to recreate the magic of 'A Walk to Remember' and 'The Notebook' It...was...meh

An American Werewolf in London: GREAT flick!!! Gosh I really don't know where to begin with out giving it away. It's really good

Kalifornia: 1992 Brad Pitt/David Duchovany film about a writer (David) trying to finish his book on serial killers as he travels in a car to California with his girlfriend. They give a ride to man, who just so happens to be a serial killer. What are the odds!! (warning, very 90's)