.jeri.

Happy New Year

Well, we're off to Gron's to welcome 2005.

Be safe out there tonight, everyone!

Posted by wendytime at 05:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Simpsons Season 5

Wow. So this week I watched all of season five. Ric was so tired when he got home from work, so I just watched them whenever he was sleeping.

I've watched it all with commentaries on. Great stuff. They even have a lot of deleted scenes you can watch during the context of the show. There were some jokes that should never have been deleted!

I love the commentaries. You learn so much about how the show works, how many problems they have with censors and advertising, how incredibly sarcastic the writers are, and all the scoop about the stars who come in to do readings for the shows. I like the James Taylor episode because you can listen to him as he records his song - first with the original lyrics and then with the Simpsons lyrics. The story behind it is funny as well.

A lot of great stories and an eye into the minds of the creators are well worth it for me. I love this show.

Posted by wendytime at 11:24 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Happy Anniversary!

Well, we may only have been married for a year, but as of today, Ric and I have been together for 5 years! I am continually blessed by him and grateful that God sent him into my life.

Posted by wendytime at 04:46 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

A Very Long Engagement

I will have to review this again sometime after a second viewing, since the people who sat next to me were distracting me through the first half of the movie.

Despite that, this latest effort from Jeunet is very strong. He takes a more serious tone in this story of a young girl who spends a long time trying to track down her fiance who was supposedly killed during the first World War.

The battle scenes are sometimes hard to watch, but the movie as a whole is very beautiful. The story itself begins very simply, and then it unfolds into a ton of clues and leads. All the while, everyone tells the girl to give up, but she is convinced she will find her fiance alive.

I definitely want to see it again, but I would say it's one of the best movies I saw this year.

Posted by wendytime at 12:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

My Christmas

My Christmas isn't entirely over - we have one more celebration on Thursday. Woo.

I'm sorry, but this year just hasn't seemed like Christmas at all. We celebrated on all these weird days with the families. The weather was warmer. Ric was either not around or too tired to help decorate or shop or wrap presents. My best friend didn't drop by on Christmas Eve like she awlays has every year. I missed every single Merry Christmas call from our friends.

I've been eating a lot better this past month, and as a result, all the Christmas food made me sick. I had a stomach ache late at night on Christmas Eve that lasted through all of Christmas day. We went with my family to see Les Miserables at the Pantages. The play was good, but the ride kept me feeling sick. When we got home, I got to hug the toilet for a while as I threw up the only bits of food that weren't fully digested.

I asked God for at least one day where my body could feel completely healthy for Christmas. Guess that wasn't His plan. I've had headaches, I've got some kind of itchy thing going on although my skin isn't red with a rash, I got sick to the stomach, and my back and shoulder hurt as always.

I guess I'm just looking at the negatives over the positives - I saw tons of movies, spent time with family without going nuts (except in the car with my dad on Christmas day - he has a story for every mile on the freeway heading into LA), got served food without having to help cook anything, got great gifts, etc. We are eternally blessed by God financially and in our marriage. I guess I just need to put my focus on those things rather than the rest, but I can't help but be a bit depressed this year. Oh well.

Posted by wendytime at 03:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Merry Christmas!

I wish you all a safe and happy Christmas. Watch or read a Christmas Carol, eat lots of food, open great gifts, relax, and remember what you're celebrating.

Posted by wendytime at 02:29 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

The Forgotten

Dollared this one yesterday.

Julianne Moore stars as a mother who, 14 months later, is still grieving the loss of her son who died in a plane crash. Oddly, the entire world thinks she is over-grieving, which is weird enough in itself (it has only been a year!), but then, suddenly, the entire world has forgotten the existence of her son. His photos are gone, people don't know what she's talking about when she mentions him, and she's told she's delusional. But she has memories and is convinced she'll find him. When she meets up with a father of a friend of her son, they both start to piece things together, and are soon being hunted down by the NSA and some X-Files-esque happenings ensue.

The movie was actually a lot better than I expected, without being all that special. It really did run like an extended episode of the X-Files, with Alfrie Woodard starring as David Duchovny.

There actually were a few moments that surprised me (although the trailers did a spectacular job of giving away what was going to happen in one of those moments), and Moore was convincing in her role.

As the tension built up, the stakes were high for a payoff at the end. Of course, they ran into the standard problem in movies of this type: how the heck do we end this thing? And it ended all too anti-climactically... and quickly... and happily.

Wish they would have had more guts, but it was good enough for a dollar.

Posted by wendytime at 02:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Alfie

Dollared this one on Tuesday right before I went to the dentist and they filled a cavity. My right side of my mouth was numb for 5 hours and I couldn't eat anything. Grrrr.

But about the movie... hmm. I'm still trying to decide exactly what I thought of it. I haven't seen the original (shame on me) yet, so I have nothing to compare this one to. Alfie is a man who takes any opportunity he can get with women, but has trouble not hurting other people in the process. Slowly but surely, the women in his life start to disappear, he starts having health problems, and he starts to realize that maybe he wants something more to his life.

Jude Law is good, although I think the film may have been slightly too celebratory of his good looks. Susan Sarandon as a sexy older woman is simply creepy. Marissa Tomei as a "hot" woman isn't very believable.

It's a very standard plot, slightly obvious in its lesson, but then there were some creative touches, some cool music (scored by Mick Jagger), and it didn't seem as cliche as I imagined it would be.

I guess overall I'd give it a mild thumbs up. I'm not sure it will change anyone's life, but it's enjoyable enough.

Posted by wendytime at 11:56 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Finding Neverland

I FINALLY saw this movie! While it wasn't the explosion of moviemaking that the critics are making it out to be, the more I think about this movie after having left the theatre, the more I appreciate it.

The highlight of the movie for me was Peter. Not Peter Pan, but Peter, the son of a widow, whom J.M. Barrie befriends in the park. Peter is very serious ever since his father passed away, and Barrie helps him to start imagining and writing things. This kid was very good.

It's interesting to surmise how an author comes about writing a story that will last forever. I don't know how much is fact vs. fiction, and I don't care. The story itself remains innocent enough for my mom to watch without seeming overly cheery. I like the serious tones it takes while also bringing in scenes of imagination.

Overall, I like it fairly well and admired how it looked along with how it was played out. Finding Neverland was quite enjoyable.

Posted by wendytime at 10:49 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Ocean's Twelve

Saw this one on my "vacation" in Castro Valley. Wow, the weekend went quickly and slowly both at the same time. We didn't have much time to stop, but the ride there lasted a lifetime.

Ocean's Eleven wasn't really my favorite type of movie. I thought it was stylish and fun, but really not very remarkable. I think I felt pretty much the exact same sentiments with Ocean's Twelve. You're not there to get to know characters or exercise your brain. It's fun, looks cool sometimes, and it entertains you for a couple of hours, with perhaps a couple of laughs. I'll probably never watch either of the movies again, but I don't regret seeing them.

Posted by wendytime at 05:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

i have nothing to post about.

well j-ol just dropped by. thank you for distracting me. oh yeah - the teeth look good.

work is dull today, but i did have an out by going to the graduation luncheon for our students in the adult program. listening to their struggles was half funny and half interesting. i mean, i know it's a lot for them to get through the program while working and being parents, but when they talk about their homework, it just makes me laugh in comparison with some of the work i had to do.

this weekend i'm off to castro valley to have christmas with ric's mom's side of the family. this drive is going to be loooooooooong, going up one day and coming back the next.

the apprentice ended last night. i think trump faked saying that it was a tough decision, just to make the loser feel better. everyone was rooting for kelly.

someone is eating salmon. i can smell it, and it's disgusting.

oh yes, i'm on vacation for two weeks after today! so i've got that going for me.

Posted by wendytime at 02:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

She Likes....

One of the things I always admired about Amelie was how quickly the audience was able to learn about certain characters through the quick introductions to them that included their likes and dislikes. For instance, one of Amelie's likes was turning around and looking at people's faces in the movie theatre.

I've been thinking about that a lot lately - not the movie theatre, but the lists of likes. Were it to be expanded for one character, it could be like a modern-day pillow book. Of what would a modern-day pillow book consist? Maybe I'm just nuts for thinking about that.

At any rate, I've been thinking about the odd things that I like or find interesting. One thing I hate about my new job is that I now use a multiple-stall restroom. The only thing redeemable about it for me is this: through the cracks of the far-right stall, one can see each person as she enters the bathroom and look at herself in the mirror. I find it fascinating to see the different expresions people make when looking at themselves in the mirror when they think no one is observing them. Some of them put on bright smiles, some look in disgust at themselves, etc. I don't know if that sounds creepy, but there's something interesting in catching a glimpse at an innocent, vulnerable moment in someone else's life that I would otherwise never think about.

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Meh. I have a HUGE headache, and I've had it all day. The only reason I haven't gone home is that I called in sick yesterday! I felt like all of the nonstop appointments, Christmas shopping, baking, and parties took their toll on me, and I just needed a day of rest. It was nice. Though I did get some rest, I was also able to decorate my tree, finally, which had been sitting in the corner, naked, for over a week.

I also went to the dentist and found out that I have a cavity in one of my lower teeth. Bah! I knew that my triumphant "I never get cavities!" attitude would catch up with me one day. I have officially been humbled! I guess I have to start flossing more often. I just hate it, though. My gums can't take it very well. OH yeah.... they now have digital x-rays. I don't know if that's very new, but I thought they were awesome. It's a little bit weird, though, to have something in your mouth that runs a wire straight into a computer. :)

No, that's not a real picture of the cavity in my tooth.

Posted by wendytime at 04:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Rope

Is this too gruesome? It's pretty much the first thing you see in the movie.

I can't believe I never saw Rope until now! I've always enjoyed Hitchcock movies, and it's only a matter of time until I've seen pretty much all of them. Rope had, somehow, escaped me until I saw it on the tv listings at Ruth's house when we were at her Christmas party (great party, btw). I saw that it was playing later that night, so I came home and TiVo'd it, FINALLY.

In case you're not familiar, this movie is famous for being shot without traditional editing. The idea was to shoot a movie in continuous action, moving within an apartment, with no cuts. The only edits that exist are for the sake of switching reels. Otherwise, this movie runs incredibly smoothly without stopping. I found a website that has a diagram of the action here. Neat stuff.

I also really enjoyed the plot. Two young men kill a friend of theirs, whom they consider inferior to them. They store the body in a chest and then have a party, inviting the dead man's family and girlfriend, and serve the food from on top of the chest, in the middle of the room. As one of the killers gets nervous and some of the party guess something is awry, tensions mount and I freaking LOVED Jimmy Stewart's scene at the end.

I think something I really admired was the thinking behind the movie--not only in the meticulous filming. The actions of the young men bring about a lot of thought--about [excuse me, i just dumped a bottle of water all over my desk] morality, love, society, and words.

I'm very happy I finally got to see it!

Posted by wendytime at 09:01 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Ugetsu Monogatari

(Tales of the Pale and Silvery Moon After the Rain)

Well I don't have the eloquence to describe this movie as well as the websites I have found that describe it. So, you can go here for a nice entry on Ugetsu.

This is a Japanese movie diredcted by Kenji Mizoguchi from 1953. It tells the story of two men whose greed lead them in different directions during a time of feudal war. Full of beauty, allegory, and reflection, I enjoyed it quite a bit. I was just buzzing through tv listings on TiVo and noticed it. Glad I did.

Posted by wendytime at 11:17 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

i'm starting to love this show, along with ric

Posted by wendytime at 04:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Two Gentlemen of Verona

I'm about at the halfway point of reading through all of Shakespeare's plays. I decided to read one in between every few books, starting at the beginning of my gigantic Shakespeare volume (Oxford or Norton, I can't remember) and going to the end (skipping previously read plays).

So comes it that I began this quest with Two Gentlemen of Verona, thought to be one of Shakespeare's early works. It doesn't get put into production very often, mostly because of the controversial ending, in which one character attempts to "rape" (as it would seem) a girl, is interrupted, and then the girl's fiance decides to "give" the girl to the offender as a gesture of good friendship. HUH!?!? The only explanation the critics can find for an ending like this comes with the idea of valuing the bond of male friendship. Thought to be based on a story by Bocaccio, which also shows an example of one friend giving his woman to his male friend as a gesutre of friendship, TGOV has a hard time playing well to a modern day mindset. Back in the day, an ending like this might not have been very surprising.

Regardless of the ending, which is also a little too abrupt for my tastes, the rest of the play does have its merit. There are very funny exchanges between masters and servants, and some great scenes with the world's ugliest dog. As usual, people in disguises lead to climactic discoveries and hilarity ensues.

Overall, I'd say this probably a lot lower on my list than other plays, as it has many great moments, but sometimes feels lacking. If it is one of Shakespeare's earlier works, then it shows, as his later plays seem much more complete.

Posted by wendytime at 03:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Hawaiian Christmas Party

Well, I just got back from the university Christmas chapel, my degree completion program job's Christmas party, and the university Staff Hawaiian Christmas Party. Wow.

Chapel was cool. Moses's singing voice from Prince of Egypt sang for us. I ditched the first half of one party to go to chapel. Got there just in time for the white elephant gift exchange. Someone actually gave away a white elephant. I received Christmas potholders with the Walmart smiley in a Christmas cap. Woo. I guess the fam should be looking out for those in just about a week's time at the next white elephant gift exchange. The price tags are still on them!

The university staff lunch was awesome! We thought it was funny that it's been raining lately and we're having a luau, but it worked. Water fountains, tons of fruit, and a huge array of food, from mahi mahi to pina colada rice. One of the cool features was a chocolate fountain, where you could dip fruit in the fountain and cover it with chocolate. I just got a dessert and dipped it. Heheh.

But the ultimate part of the party was when the dancing began. That's right, first the women, then the men (butt jiggling and coconut "grinding"), and then the President! I haven't laughed that hard in ages. President C.C. was hula-ing on stage with a bunch of women! Oh my gosh. If I get pictures, I'll post them. Seriously, I laughed so hard I started choking; I couldn't control myself.

And now that that's all over I only have 2.5 hours of work left. Awesome.

Posted by wendytime at 02:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

thirteen

Rented this over the weekend. I remember it received high acclaim, and several award nominations.

The only problem is that it didn't deserve it. I think the issue here is this: This is a movie that shows how the life of a 13 year-old girl goes on a downward spiral as she starts to steal, do drugs, and get involved with guys. It is shocking only to people who aren't up with the times. Those people must be the ones writing the critical reviews: 40-60 year-olds who have no idea what kids are up to in junior high.

Nothing in this movie was new to me. It all went down in my junior high, and that was a private junior high, 12 years ago. If it happened there, it's bound to happen in more abundance in present-day downtown LA.

The performances in this movie are good, not great. The directing is very unaffecting and, at times, irritating. One has no opportunity to become emotionally involved with the young girs unless they are DOING something: feeling rebellious=get a piercing; feeling sad=cutting oneself; feeling happy=going shopping; feeling pissed=screaming one's head off. When do the girls talk to each other and really ponder what's going on in their lives? Never. I don't know. Seemed kind of weird to me. This movie was all about showing how bad it could get, but not about getting to know any character in particular.

I give it a "Meh." Too much attempted shock value.

Posted by wendytime at 01:14 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

Heheheh. Do you need this, Jonathan?

Pretend to be a Canadian Traveler Kit

Posted by wendytime at 12:23 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Closer

Saw it on Saturday.

Closer feels like a play in that its characters always have something clever to say at just the right time, and the way the events fall in place doesn't feel exteremly realistic. But if one can suspend disbelief on those ends, and deal with a large amount of frank sexual language and some stripper scenes, then the movie can be enjoyable.

I liked this movie a lot because it was absolutely brutal. It was sad to see how some people seem destined to make stupid decisions and keep the cycle continuing throughout all of their relationships, and how spiteful some people can be in the game of love.

Speaking of how sad the movie was, one poignant lady remarked as she exited the theatre, "I don't know... it was just so... depressing!" I'm not sure what else she could have expected if she saw any of the previews for this movie.

At any rate, I thought all of the actors played their parts well, the story was strangely involving even though I couldn't relate with a single character (they all need Jesus. heheh.), and I would recommend it with caution to those who think they might enjoy it.

Posted by wendytime at 01:15 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

National Treasure

Okay.. I had a free movie ticket, so I opted for Bruckheimer over Stone. Hehhe. I still think I was better off.

Though this movie is filled with dramatic music while being more about action than anything else, though Nicolas Cage seems to have forgotten that he was good enough to win an Oscar quite a few times, all of the jokes fall flat, and though this movie is filled with all that is completely unrealistic.......

It is okay for what it is, keeps one entertained whether in the action or in trying to figure out how the plot moved from point A to point B, and it's clean enough for the fam.

That's it. :)

Posted by wendytime at 04:11 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

Ray

I have to admit that I was very surprised by this movie. I know that people had been saying good things about it, but I felt like the trailers pretty much showed me what I needed to know: Ray Charles was born poor, learned piano, went blind, found fame slowly but surely, liked the women, and had a drug problem.

But I really am glad I gave it a chance. Ray was a movie filled with a lot of familiar storylines, but the style in which the story was told seemed to work in spite of that.

Jamie Foxx is amazing as Charles; it's hard to imagine that this was the same mild-manered taxi cab driver from Collateral! He is able to show both the good and bad sides of Charles convincingly.

Ray was a perfect blend of celebrating Ray Charles's music (entire songs!), showing us his past, and letting us see not only how he made it in the world, but how his womanizing and drug abuse affected his family and career.

I basically came out of the theatre thinking, "Wow, he was a real jerk... but I'm glad he changed, and I love his music." The only thing weird to me was the very abrupt ending. They went year by year in his career and then BOOM, it was over and they were summarizing the rest of his career. But that's a very small complaint.

The entire experience was filled with music and color and energy. I really think they nailed this one. Glad I gave it a chance.

Posted by wendytime at 08:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Polar Express

We saw The Polar Express the day before Thanksgiving, based on the great reviews from Ebert and Roeper, who claim the movie will become a Christmas classic. The movie I saw was a good movie, but I don't really see it becoming a classic.

The strengths of the movie are the actors and the visuals. Hanks adds humor and depth, and the children are pretty good as well, with the exception of the "nerdy" kid - who seems to be the only child in the movie voiced by an adult, the result being a nasal man's voice coming out of a little boy's face, which makes for an irritating experience whenever he is on screen.

A big weakness in the movie was music. First, you have the main theme, which is a direct rip-off of Danny Elfman's score of Edward Scissorhands. Second, the movie can't make up its mind: is it a movie with some music in it, or is it a musical? The first big musical production begins with dancing waiters serving hot chocolate. It's extremely upbeat and sets the audience up for an expectation of more songs like it, but the only other songs are 1) a slow, slow sad-sounding song, 2) canned Christmas songs played in Santa's factory, and 3) a bizarre rockin' Steven Tyler Christmas song. Make up your mind!!!! None of it flowed.

The movie really was beautiful to watch. The animation of the kids didn't bother me in the least. The whole story moves very quietly, and a lot of slow motion is used; I think they wanted the audience to feast their eyes on the artwork, but it resulted in a pace that was just a little bit too slow for its own good. Also, visually speaking, I would have expected the North Pole to be a lot more inspiring than it was.

The funny thing is, with all of these complaints, I still enjoyed myself. The friendship of three of the children was heartwarming, the adults were a good touch, it was great to look at, and an interesting adventure. So I guess that would be a mild recommendation. :)

Posted by wendytime at 09:11 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Kinsey

I caught Kinsey on Saturday, with interest in seeing Liam Neeson's performance. He does not fail to impress!

I will recommend this movie to others only if they check up on it to see if it's the kind of movie they could handle. It's high in sexual conversation and scenes, and contains homosexual content as well.

This movie follows cleverly through Kinsey's youth as he answers his own sexual history questionaire. We see him develop bisexual tendencies and we see how his father influences his outcome. The story moves on to Kinsey's relationship with his wife, and then progresses to how he undertakes a study of sexual behavior in the male and female, which had never really been done before.

I really enjoyed the movie. It made me squirm a couple of times, but overall I found it interesting. I liked how the question of science vs. emotion was brought up. I liked seeing how knowledge of sexual behavior could be seen as a double-edged sword. I liked seeing how Kinsey functioned within his family and within the realm of science.

I thought, for a movie of this sort, it was fairly tastefully done. I mean, it has a ton of sexual content, but that's what the man studied, so.... yeah.

Liam Neeson and Laura Linney were both great. Neeson's curious, studious, irritated, and innocent attitudes were very evenly played. He never went overboard. At the same time, Linney's performance was just as good, as she showed the conflict between knowledge and emotions in love through her character.

The overall directing and style were very picturesque as well.

I don't know what else to say. It made me think a lot, and it was an interesting portrayal of a complicated person's life. I really enjoyed it. You decide if you want to see it.

Posted by wendytime at 07:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)