Movie Time #7

It's been ages since my last "Movie Time", try 7 months, oops!  As I mentioned in my last post, I love a good action romance book or movie, and a month or so ago, I found one!  47 Ronin

In order to appreciate it, you have to enjoy martial art movies.  I've been a big fan of this genre since I was a kid watching all of Jean-Claude Van Damme's films!  It takes an old story and adds fantasy, and of course Hollywood money & actors.  Here's the unusual part, the lead is Keanu Reeves.  Stop laughing, he actually did a good job!!!  (I know you're all picturing Tom Cruise and The Last Samurai!)  The movie has you rooting for his character, Kai, the entire time, even until the bitter end.  (Wow, everything I've wanted to write will give away too much.)  I feel the movie has something to offer everyone... action, romance, acceptable CGI, interesting characters, great costumes, and of course decent acting.  Not wanting to spoil the movie, all I can say is, give it a chance.  (And if you want a hint, imagine Jet Li's The Forbidden Kingdom mixed with Memoirs of a Geisha.)

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

Follow Up #1

It's about time to follow up on two old posts :

Back in March 2013 I wrote a post about how much my husband & I enjoyed listening to the audio book of Ender's Game.  Well, the movie is finally out and it's not going to let you down.  I must admit, I watched the entire movie completely fascinated with how they portrayed Ender's character.  He seemed more intelligent and stronger than ever, and they did a great job bringing the book to life.  I must admit when we listened to the book years ago I envisioned Atari Space Invaders, but with this was obviously way better. For any of you sci-fi fans out there, don't miss this movie!

And speaking of children, this brings us to the follow up of a post from last October.  Barbie Dream House has been one of my most viewed posts yet.  I wish I could say its because the post is so captivating, but most likely it's because of the title and when people search for info on the house, coincidentally my blog pops up.  Anyway, my grandma did me a favor, dug around in her vast collection of photos, and mailed me a pic from when I was kid and had my own Barbie house.  My daughter was thrilled to see I had one also, and it looked just like the pictures of the 70's Dream House we had found together online.  And just so you know, my 4yr old loves her Barbie house and I recommend one to all little girls who love playing dolls.  The only problem now is she is determined to collect all the dolls from the tv show, she is well on her way and even saved up for one and bought it herself.

Well, that's it for today, think my next follow up should be in a couple weeks and it will have to do with the Jazz Dance class I participated in and maybe I'll find a 2nd one to throw in also.

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

The Hobbit

The days of eagerly waiting the latest Hobbit movies are far gone for me.  I feel so many movies are ruined by making just too many... Harry Potter & Twilight are other examples.  Being the type of person I am, I'll finish the series, just not with the same excitement as when it all started.  Last night we went and watched The Hobbit : The Desolation of Smaug (been roughly a year since the last one).  Maybe the movie was too late, an almost 3hr movie at 9PM, maybe I just wasn't that in to it, but all I can say is I slept through a lot of the film!  What a way to waste money, 3D movies are expensive enough and I slept, unbelievable!  To be honest I don't remember ever sleeping in the movie theater before, hopefully it will be the last time.  Maybe next time I'll skip the fun cocktails at the Mexican restaurant before a late movie, oops!  The movie obviously had a lot of money, time, and good acting pumped into it, I just couldn't stay awake.  Once it's out on DVD I'll give it another shot.  Have any of you watched it?  Any of you ever slept through a movie at the theater?

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

Snail Story

Do any of you have a snail or creature in your yard that has decided to make it officially their home?  Apparently we have a pet snail!  The snail decided to show its face about six months ago.  We were preparing our terrace for a bbq and when I lifted the cover on our picnic table there was a snail in a beautiful yellowish shell.  Immediately I grabbed my phone, snapped a pic, and ever since it has been one of my favorite Instagram pics.  Then a good few months went by before it turned up again, this time in one of our plant containers.  We accepted its presence and occasionally my husband would move it hoping to make it a little happier, maybe it would be more interested in the carrots than the weeds.  After my daughter saw the movie Turbo, her interest in the snail grew and we also decided to name it Turbo, just like the racing snail in the kids movie.  The other day my husband was clearing off the terrace to clean it with the high pressure hose when our daughter said, "hey, there's Turbo!"  Turns out my husband had stepped on it, but some how it survived (similar to the movie).  And yesterday before my husband went to play golf, he found the snail in his golf shoes which he often forgets outside.  And without telling me (I wasn't home) he placed the snail in a mug on the kitchen counter and left for golf.  When I returned home last night and started tidying up after putting our daughter to bed, I noticed the mug and tossed it in the sink not knowing there was a snail inside.  I didn't get around to clearing the sink until this morning (hey, it's weekend).  After loading the dishwasher I grabbed the wash cloth so I could finish up the dishes that didn't fit.  And when I lifted the cloth from where it was draped over the faucet I realized Turbo was hiding in the upper corner of the sink.  Naturally I freaked out and grabbed my camera again.  (Unfortunately the sink wasn't clean, so I will not be showing you those pics.)  Maybe other people dare touch snails and creatures, but not me.  I was going to leave the snail until my husband could deal with it (I was even starting to think he had set me up to see how long it would take me to clean out the sink, ha-ha!)  But when the snail decided to start creeping from one basin to another, I knew I had to do something about it.  Didn't want the little thing to get into any salt or sugar, or spread germs of course.  I have been holding on to some glass jars thinking about collecting bugs or worms for my daughter and now one had an official purpose!  It didn't take me long to collect different types of soil from containers on our terrace, but the real question was how to lure the snail.  (Keep in mind my 4yr old is watching everything.)  We hit up Google to see what snails eat, and luckily we had mushrooms in the fridge I didn't mind using.  After breaking one up and shoving into the small jar half full of soil we kept placing it in Turbo's path but again and again it avoided the jar.  Then finally it curiously crawled inside... YES!  Once it was safe inside I opened the door to outback and carried the jar & snail back out to the terrace.  My daughter was very impressed that we gave it a little house.  (Again, I took pics to share with everyone!)  I doubt the little snail will be in the jar the next time we check, hope my daughter is not too disappointed.  And then once we were back inside, I scrubbed the sink to no end and then hopped on my computer to share the story with you all!

Bye! Dag! Adios! Namaste!

:) Danica

Disappointed Parent

Multiple times this weekend I have found myself bringing up an event that just didn't sit right with me, and here I am telling you all about it.  I felt this past week a school and fellow parents let me down.  How you ask?  I was able to leave a school yard with two kids I didn't know and no one stopped me or even questioned my actions.

I guess I'll have to start from the beginning for you to understand (and I want to be clear on one thing, in no way do I blame my friends).  Some close friends of ours were hosting a birthday party for their son after school and I offered to help out, especially since my daughter was already attending the party.  Here in The Netherlands once a kid turns 5 yrs old they start hosting b-day parties just for kids, this means the parents of the birthday boy or girl get 5-10 kids handed over to them and they're responsible for their well being for 2-4 hrs.  To me that's not so unusual except in the fact half the time the parents aren't even asked to drop or pick the kids up, it's left up to the host.  Different culture, different ways, or maybe I'm just clueless to how elementary aged kid b-day parties work, since mine is still a toddler.  Our good friends said they could use help transporting the kids from the school to the playground where the party would be held.  I was happy to help, even though part me assumed I would end up with one of their kids and maybe a friend in my car.  Since I'm unfamiliar with the school I ended up parking around the corner from where the other party cars were parked.  So once all 9 kids were rounded up (I think I saw 3 parents hand their kids over) they were divided and sent to 3 different cars.  I ended up with two little boys who I had never seen before.  Trusting our friends, these kids followed me & my daughter to our car and hopped in.  Then they rode to the party 15 minutes away in another town with us, all the while telling me everything about their personal lives (they're 5-6yrs old). 

This event sent up so many red flags to me, maybe I'm over reacting but I am really disappointed in these kids parents, the school, and any onlooker at the school.  Why? 

An unfamiliar women at the school (my kid does not attend there) led 3 children off to her car and not one teacher or parent stopped to ask any questions!  They were purely handed over by their parent or teacher to a b-day party and never asked for any more details.

Am I overreacting?  All I can think about is my kids future and the many parties she'll be invited to, I would never want my kid to end up in a vehicle with someone I had never met, I would never just assume she would be o.k. and get dropped off at home hours later. 

I expressed this to our good friends and they agreed with me, they too were shocked at how blasé the parents were.  Our friends are good parents and very trustworthy, maybe that's why the kids were handed over so easily, but even so I am disappointed in the way parents handle their kids these days.  Just because something is considered the norm doesn't make it right.  I plan on attending b-day parties with my daughter until she's older, and even then I will be the one dropping her off and picking her up.  Again, am I blowing this out of proportion?

Movie Time #5

I have a very unsuccessful series of posts titled Movie Time... since the readers aren't interested in my general opinion about the many movies I watch, I am going to switch it up.  Here are a list of movies I either turned off or just bared to sit through over the past few months :

 

(Am I being judgmental, did I miss something, or are these just crap movies?)

TURNED IT OFF :


The Romantics

Bored stiff from the beginning, sorry Katie










Hansel & Gretel - Witch Hunters

I could have dealt with the poor story line if the witches weren't so gross










BARED THROUGH IT :


Twilight - Breaking Dawn Part 2

Actually laughed out loud because some parts were so bad










Monte Carlo

This movie is not for adults, can't believe I sat through it

Movie Time #4

Here's another quick movie review... it's actually been a while since I watched some of these movies but I wanted to send this portion of the list out since it's continually getting longer with each movie we watch!

The Campaign
This movie isn't going to win any awards but it's worth watching for the laughs.  I absolutely love Zach Galifianakis & Will Ferrell is also one of my all-time favorite comedic actors.  As usual Zach plays the underdog surrounded by people that just don't understand him.  You'll have to watch to see
if he beats out Will's character to win the campaign.


Hick
I had no idea what I was getting into when I decided to watch this movie but it turned out to be quite good and I'll probably watch it again.  Chloe Moritz was good (she's always good), Blake Lively surprisingly not bad or too cheesy, and the story intriguing and keeps you hooked.  So much happens in this movie that you'd never wish upon anyone's child, a hard way to grow up fast.


Here Comes the Boom
What movie with Kevin James isn't funny?  I guess it takes a certain sense of humor to like this movie because of the MMA fighting.  I had no problem with the fight scenes or the intensity of the arenas but I did find it should have a higher rating than just PG, I sure would let my kid watch them bloody each other up.  But the idea of saving the music dept through MMA wins was meant well.


Taken 2
The movie was still watchable despite the fact it was way too similar to the first one.  They really didn't need to make a sequel but I guess the first one was so popular they didn't have a choice.  No matter what it's awesome that Liam Neeson has become an action hero in his 60's, when does that ever happen?  I like him in the action role, just would like to see him in a different film!


This is 40
The movie was o.k. and it was a funny idea to follow up Knocked Up but I probably wouldn't watch it again.  Sure there were some laughs, it wouldn't be good if there weren't ways you could make comparisons to your own life.  Love watching Paul Rudd & Leslie Mann back together again, they have great on screen chemistry, plus they're hilarious!  Glad the movie was about their characters.


10 Years
To be honest I was disappointed with this movie.  They had a great cast, a good story idea, and yet it was a let down.  Not really sure what they could have done to help, maybe the characters shouldn't have come across desperate or weak, but maybe that was the point. 10 yrs after high school isn't that long and a lot of people haven't found themselves yet.  I will not be watching it again though.

Hope you liked my quick movie reviews and there will be more in the future.  (And if you liked these check out my last movie review post!)

Ender's Game

I can only remember listening to one audio book in my adult years, Ender's Game.  At this time in our lives (over 7yrs ago) my husband was easily spending 4-5hrs in his car everyday and he was looking for ways to entertain himself.  A colleague suggested audio books, so he took him up on the suggestion and borrowed a stack of cd's.  One of which he enjoyed so much he wanted to share it with me.  Despite the hours he spent in the car for work, at this time we also often went on Sunday drives, which took us all over The Netherlands and occasionally across the border.  It was the perfect time for us to pop in the cd's and get lost in Orson Scott Card's imaginative book.  We were big on movies and owned a couple tv show collections on dvd but we didn't read together.  (Do you read with your partner or at least exchange books?)  It was an entirely new experience for us!  Sometimes we would return home and just sit in the apartment parking lot finishing off a chapter, we couldn't get enough.  Even the ending of the book shocked us, all of that listening and imagining and somehow the author still surprised us.  When we finished the audio book we talked about buying more but it never happened.  Then here we are all these years later and I've started seeing advertisements for Ender's Game, but this time it's a movie!  For old times sake maybe I can convince my husband to watch it at the theater with me, but if not, we'll definitely be renting it down the road.  The book is about kids, but the idea behind it is so much more.  I'm crossing my fingers that the director gets it right and passes on this intriguing story from 1985! 

Movie Time #3

It's been just over a month and I have more movie reviews (done my way) in store for you!  Please let me know what you thought of these movies and if you have any recommendations.

The Outsiders

I don't usually watch old movies, but somehow I stumbled upon this one and curiosity made me watch.  It has a huge cast of famous stars and it was interesting to see them all so young and in one movie.  Despite the fact the movie is 30yrs old, and times seemed more innocent, there are still common themes challenging kids today... exclusion, labeling, bad home situations, etc.  And by the way Mandy Moore is the spitting image of a young Diane Lane, it was kind of creepy!  Is it worth watching twice?  I'll probably never watch it again, but I was glad I gave it shot.

The Lake House

I tend to watch newer films because I've seen most of the old ones, but some how this flick from 2006 managed to slip passed me.  Anyone my age loved seeing Keanu Reeves & Sandra Bullock together in Speed, and with this movie you get to see them again!  It starts out slow, but then definitely gets your attention, so please bare through the beginning.  At points in the moving I found myself hoping they would find a way to be together, it really sucked me into their ups and downs.  At times you feel you know how it's going to end but they do their best to keep you guessing.  It was an interesting romance, mostly because their situation is impossible and yet made sense.  Will I watch it again?  Sure, it's a great chick flick for once every few years.

Green Lantern

Wow, wish I had something nice to say about this movie.  I love sci-fi and movies based on comics book characters.  I like watching movies with real couples or when real-life couples fall in love.  But this movie couldn't hold my attention.  I tried, gave it an hour or so - even played a game on the iPad in the background - but I just couldn't get into it.  Maybe the character itself is flawed (hopefully no comic book fanatics are reading this), because the movie tried, they brought in Ryan Reynolds, pumped a lot of money into the graphics and costumes, but no amount of Hollywood power could save this movie.  I guess I should have listened when warned about how crappy it was.  Will I watch it again?  No way, I didn't even make it through the first round!

Dark Shadows

Apparently this movie is based on an old tv show... I never saw the show so I can't make any comparisons.  To me, it was new.  It is packed with a great quirky cast, most of them can do no wrong in my eyes.  Johnny Depp was a perfect choice for the lead.  The colors, costumes, and sets were great, and the story entertaining.  There were a few good laughs along the way, especially because he is trying to adjust to the 70's and it's confusing for all of them.  Growing up I loved The Addams Family and this definitely had that kind of feel.  Will I watch it again?  I'm sure it'll eventually end up on our tv again.

The Dictator

To enjoy this movie you have to appreciate Sacha Baron Cohen's humor.  You also had to have liked the previous movies, Borat & Bruno.  He's great at creating funny characters and really giving them his all.  Whether it's staged or not I love watching people's reactions to these over-the-top characters.  I laughed so hard during the helicopter scene of this movie, if you've seen it you will not forget the count down.  His extreme humor also makes you think about how crazy real life situations are, it's deeper than you think!  Will I watch it again?  I personally will not turn it on but if happens to be on tv, sure. 
 

Rock of Ages

I should have done my research before watching this movie, I had no idea it was a musical, completely caught me off guard!  I actually turned it on to get a good laugh, seeing Tom Cruise pretend to be a rock star should have been funny.  But there was little I enjoyed about this movie, and there was definitely no laughing.  I fast forwarded through most of it and didn't even bother to watch the end.  Kind of a shame because I think Julianne Hough has potential.  I loved Grease, why can't I get into modern day musicals?  Will I watch it again?  Not a chance!
 

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

I eventually really enjoyed watching this unlikely pair, Steve Carell & Kiera Knightley.  At first I considered turning the movie off but I'm glad I refrained because it turned out to be o.k.  Despite being a little slow it was an interesting role for Carell, not his usual comedy flicks.  And I don't want to spoil it for anyone, so you might want to stop reading now, but the movie actually followed through with it's title which really surprised me.  I kept waiting for things to turn around but they didn't.  Will I watch this movie again?  There's a good chance on a night with nothing better to do I could end up watching it again.

I already have another list of watched movies waiting to be posted, still not quite sure where I squeeze all of these movies into my schedule! 

Movie Time #2

I'm not exactly sure how I find the time to do it, but I watch a lot of movies.  I've been a movie fan since my grandpa bought me a VHS series of Disney Classics when I was around 8yrs old.  I watch all types of movies, sci-fi, drama, romance, action, etc. etc.  (But no horror flicks for me!)  I've previously blogged about movies, giving my oh so desired opinion, ha-ha!  You can see those reviews here : Chick Flicks & Movie Time #1.  And here's the next round, just a portion of the movies I've watched over the past two months. 

The Dark Knight Rises
My husband is a huge fan of the new series.  I enjoyed the older more colorful Batman series, Val Kilmer/George Clooney days.  But I have to admit the latest installment wasn't so bad.  Anne Hathaway isn't one of my favorites, in my mind she's still just the awkward girl from The Princess Diaries.  But Tom Hardy made up for that, even though he gained weight and they covered his face.  No matter what the bad guys in the "darker" series are well done and keep the movies interesting.  And I'm definitely curious about JGL's role in the next film.  Would I watch the movie again?  I already have and will again in the future.

Total Recall
Since I never watched the original with Arnold Schwarzenegger I didn't have much to compare it to, which made it obviously more enjoyable.  Some people I've talked to thought the women weren't good choices, but I think Kate & Jessica did just fine.  I enjoyed the movie from beginning to end, whether predictable or not.  I liked the action and the hint of love, and I really enjoyed the futuristic feel to it.  I haven't seen many movies with Colin Farrell, but he did well and was believable.  I feel they could have done more with the movie, but possibly conformed to keep it similar to the original.  Will I watch it again?  Yes, definitely.

G.I. Joe - The Rise of Cobra
I love this movie.  Action movies are one of my favorites, and this one adds futuristic technology, a little romance, and some humor.  I've always enjoyed a movie that kicks ass, this goes back to the days I watched endless JCVD movies as a preteen.  Plus I like it when they develop movies based on things I remember from my childhood, still waiting on a He-Man & She-Ra movie though.  I'm thoroughly looking forward to the 2nd one, which comes out in 2013.  Again JGL is in it, who ever knew he'd turn to action flicks after 3rd Rock From The Sun.  Have I watched this movie repeatedly?  More times than I can remember.

Lawless
This doesn't exactly fit into the usual movie's I watch, it's on the slow boring side.  I actually thought my husband would enjoy it, but he refused to watch it with me.  I have to admit, I fast forwarded through parts of the movie, this might have contributed to my disappointment in the end.  I waited and waited for it to get interesting, then they killed off the only character worth anything.  Obviously the point of the movie was about the younger brother moving up and developing himself but I just couldn't get into it.  I also expected something to happen romantically between two of the characters and it never quite panned out.  Will I watch it again?  No.

Prometheus
I haven't watched a true sci-fi flick in a while.  My husband doesn't enjoy alien movies so I have to watch them in my own time.  (I did get him to sit through Attack the Block, though).  I tried everything to convince him this film had nothing to do with the movie Alien (which I never saw) but he knew better.  I didn't find it to be too scary, but I did look away on occasions.  The cast did o.k., but I do wish they had brought in more big names like Charlize Theron.  The robot did well, and turned out to be the most interesting character.  There were things I didn't pick up on but I'm sure a quick look at IMDB would clear that up.  Do I plan on watching it again?  Probably not.

The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey
As expected, the movie was top notch.  The money they put in to it is obvious.  I heard complaints about it being in 3D but we had no issues.  I don't feel it needed to be in 3D but it didn't take away from the movie either.  The detail was amazing, the storyline interesting, the characters well chosen, I can't complain.  And even though the movie was 3hrs, I could have watched more... I actually expected about 30 minutes more.  We had great seats, front row of the balcony!  Will I watch this one again?  Maybe.  Will I watch the next one?  Definitely.  Do I wonder why they make so many and drag the series out?  Yes, but money is the answer.

Hope you enjoyed my quick reviews, done my own way.  I also hope you check out at least half of the movies I mentioned!  And keep an eye out for more reviews in the future.

Chick Flick

I can't say I'm always in the mood for a chick flick, I usually prefer action or sci-fi, but over the past month I've managed to squeeze in a few.  Mostly because of the lack of decent movies available at the moment.  Last year the trailers for all of the 2012 movies looked great, I was ready to buy a discount pass for the theater because I expected to be there monthly.  But it's May and I can only remember going to one movie so far.  Maybe the American movies are taking their time making it over to Europe, maybe I missed the showings, all I know is I've had to fall back on chick flicks.  I'm not putting them down, I usually get a good laugh, maybe a tear, and I definitely draw inspiration for my stories from them, I just don't think they're always worth going to the theater for and my husband would rather eat vegetables than watch one. 

Extreme boredom led me to choose between No Strings Attached and Friends with Benefits (aren't they the same movie?).  Since Ashton Kutcher can quickly get annoying I went with Friends with Benefits (o.k. Justin Timberlake acting is also questionable, but Mila Kunis is good).  As usual the end - and most of it - was predictable, but it was still cute.  Would I say I recommend it, ummm, ummm, I guess, if you're looking to pass some time.  What do I remember about the movie, the flash mob, the scenes where I had to cover my daughter's eyes, and the dad with no pants.  You'll have to watch it if you want explanations.

Then there was The Vow.  I went to the theater for this one.  Only because it was Ladies Night; you get a free drink, a free snack, and a goodie bag (free - it's included in the jacked up price).  I expected tears, I even brought tissues, but nothing, just enough emotion to get the lump in your throat but not enough to make the tears flow.  I counted on tears, it's been a while since I cried at the theater.  Did the movie let me down?  A bit.  Would I recommend it, maybe.  The idea behind it was good, it's even loosely based on a true story, and it definitely makes you think about your own situation but still it didn't quite meet the bar.  One of the best scenes in the movie involved the mother, but the movie was supposed to be about the couple.

Last but not least, This Means War.  I had a very low expectation for this movie, Reese Witherspoon urks me a little, as well as Chris Pine.  But it turned out to be decent.  Maybe because it appealed to the action-romance side of me (most of the stories I write are action-romance).  Almost everything that happens in the movie could and would never happen in real-life, it reminded me of a lot of 80's movies but with a 2012 twist.  Everyone did a decent job and there was never a point I thought I'll pause it and most likely never turn it on again.  Is the ending predictable, yes.  Was Chelsea Handler a funny addition, yes.  Would I watch it again, probably.

Did I see trailers for upcoming chick flicks I plan to watch.?  Of course... they know how to target their audience.  Magic Mike, this one I plan to see at the theater with a group of friends.  Is there a storyline, who knows and who cares.  And there's also The Lucky One, there's a plot and decent actors/actresses.