Harry Potter!!

As I'm sure you know, I LOVE HARRY POTTER! 

Not the character himself, or necessarily the actor...but basically everything about the books (and sometimes the movies).  Right now is one of the rare times you will hear me say nice things about the movies.  I'm not saying that I hate the movies (I don't) but I will never say that I love them.  Or even that they're great...they're just good.  Sort of.  Some more than others.  Anyway, I won't say anything bad about the first 6 movies right now.  I'll concentrate right now on the 7th movie...where it all ends :(

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

This book is the best in the series.  It is the conclusion of 7 years of Harry's life in the wizarding world and concludes with the ultimate battle of good versus evil.  And I mean BATTLE! Awesome!  The book is so jam packed with material essential to the story that is was broken into 2 parts for the film.  Early on in the filmmaking, the producers decided to concentrate the films on what is going on that directly relates to Harry.  This is how they chose what parts of the books to leave out of the previous films.  Anything not directly related to Harry (and the Voldemort connection) was left out of the films. I don't typically think breaking a book into 2 parts for a film is a good idea, but it was totally necessary for this film.  If you didn't read the books (MISTAKE!  DO IT NOW!  IT WON'T TAKE LONG!) then Part 1 was probably pretty boring for you and likely pretty confusing as well.  The concept of Voldemort's horcruxes is brought up in the 6th film (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) but the concept isn't really explained well.  Part 2 of the film is basically a war.  The story progressively gets darker and more sinister through the series from innocent 11 year old Harry entering school and culminating with Harry fighting for his life and the lives of all the people he loves, as well as everyone in the wizarding world and muggles as well.  The film is will made and the most important parts of the book are in the film and done well.  I laughed, cheered, and of course I cried.

There was only one thing I was disappointed in for this film.  The lack of completion of the Deathly Hallows story.  The Deathly Hallows are vitally important to the story in this book and the entire Harry Potter saga.  Without the Dealthy Hallows (all 3 of them) Harry would never have survived and ultimately killed Voldemort.  The movie never established this!  They never even touched on the fact that Harry's invisibility cloak IS one of the Hallows.  That would have been pretty impotant to know.  If they were just going to talk about the Elder Wand then why even bring up the story of the 3 brothers in Part 1 and mention that there are 3 Hallows?  When Harry opened the snitch and found the Resurrection Stone, they didn't really say was it was.  It just sort of did its thing and that was that.   But the fact that Harry ended the story in possesion of all 3 Hallows is really important!  He was "the master of death."  Kind of an important point, don't you think?  Might explain how he survived being killed by Voldemort...again.  I know that the movies are designed to supplement the books.  They can't put in everything, but this seemed like a huge oversight to me!  The Deathly Hallows are my favorite part! 

(Stayed tuned later this year for my next tattoo...it will look something like this next picture!)

Anyway...the bottom line is that Harry Potter is over.  Boo.  I'm so sad about that!  I was sad enough when the books were finished, but now the films too.  What will I look forward too now?  I guess we'll see in October how much Pottermore can ease my withdrawl!

Pixar: True Animation Domination

With the recent release of the newest Pixar CGI Animated film, Shawn and I started talking about our favorite Pixar films.  Shawn and I both have been fans of Disney Animation since we were small children...we are known to sing loudly on car trips to music from Beauty and the Beast or Aladdin.  While the Disney animated films a great, Pixar films have accomplished much more.  Pixar films are not just animated kids movies, they are great films that just happen to be animated.  The characters are great, the plots are unique and often quite touching while also being very funny.  We are both huge fans!

To date, there are 11 Pixar films.  Here is my listing, from least to the best!

11. Ratatouille

10. A Bug's Life

9. Cars

8. WALL-E

7. Toy Story

6. Toy Story 2

5. Finding Nemo

4. Up

3. Monsters Inc.

2. Toy Story 3

1. Incredibles

With the exception of Ratatouille, I thoroughly enjoyed all of the Pixar movies.  I also want to make sure that it is known how difficult it was to choose a favorite movie out of these choices...especially trying to choose between the 3 Toy Story films.  They are all so good!  If you haven't seen any of these, I highly recommend you do!

Twilight: Eclipse

Unless you live under a rock, you are aware of the Twilight craze that has been sweeping the world over the last few years.  I read the books a couple of years ago and I really enjoyed them.  When I heard they were going to make the books into movies I was immediately afraid...the movie industry likes to ruin my favorite books (Example: The DaVinci Code, Harry Potter).  I have been fairly disappointed with the films Twilight and Twilight: New Moon.  They were both ok, but the mediocre acting really hindered the overall effect.  I had better expectations for Eclipse, seeing as it is my favorite of the books and there is actual fighting in the books, so they didn't have to create action for the films where is doesn't exist (like they did in New Moon). 

Eclipse didn't disappoint.  I really did enjoy it more than the first two films.  The acting seemed better, even from Kristen Stewart!  This books had a lot of back story for the Cullen vampires Jasper and Rosalie.  I was afraid this would be left out, but was happily surprised to see the back stories realized!  Also, the movie showed a lot of what was going on in Seattle during the Eclipse story, which is only mentioned in the book.  A full account of Victoria's army in Seattle was recently released in a Twilight Novelette by Stephenie Meyer called The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: A Twilight Novella.  This was a really quick but interesting read if you've read the Twilight books and love them. 

Overall, I liked Eclipse a lot and I think if you're a fan of the books you should definitely go see it while it is in the theater.

The Toys Are Back in Town!

We went to see Toy Story 3 last night and it did not disappoint!  Last year when Toy Story & Toy Story 2 were released in 3D Shawn and I went to see them and it was great!  Toy Story is one of Shawn's favorite Pixar movies and I have always like it alot, although Toy Story 2 was my favorite of the two.  Well...I now have a new favorite! 

Toy Story 3 was hilarious!  Theresa and I were laughing so hard throughout the movie!  Children will like this movie, but adults are gonna LOVE it!  There are so many throwbacks to toys of our childhood and the jokes are definitely targeted toward adults, but not at all in a bad way.  It was so funny but still had some really touching moments.  I'm not gonna lie, at the end of the movie Shawn, Theresa and I all shed a few small tears.

Since the story is different now, and many years have passed since Toy Story 2, not all of the toys return for this film.  Andy has grown up, so many of his toys are no longer around.  The main group is still present though.  I don't want to give anything away, but there is a portion of the movie where Buzz is speaking Spanish...priceless!  Go see this movie.  You won't regret it!

Iron Man 2

I am sure this will be shocking to all...but we went to see Iron Man 2 last night fo the midnight showing.  The movie just opened today across the country and Shawn had to see it immediately!  I admit, I wanted to see it too, but not necessarily at midnight :)  The movie was great though!  Not as good as the original (of course) but still really great!  Definately worth seeing in the theater.  Jon Favreau did another fantastic directing job, as well as acting in the movie again. Robert Downey Jr. and Don Cheadle were great as Iron Man (Tony Stark) & War Machine (Lt. Col. James "Rhoadey" Rhoades).  The fight scene at the end was amazing!  Gweneth Paltrow again portrayed Pepper Potts, but Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff was added to the cast.  Scarlett Johansson was totally kick ass, but it is good that her character didn't speak much because her acting was mediocre at best.  Samuel Jackson and Clark Gregg reprised their roles as the agents from SHIELD arranging the Avenger Initiative (so stay after the credits if you're a comic book nerd...you'll appreciate the little scene).  Mickey Rourke again proved that the is creepy, but in a good way for this role as his character is the perfect 'bad guy' that takes advantage of Sam Rockwell's character Justin Hammer, another arms manufacturer that wants desperately to show up the great Tony Stark.  Just go see the movie.  You'll love it!

The Blind Side

Shawn and I have been waiting to get The Blind Side from Netflix, but it has been a long wait since so many people want to see it.  I am a sucker for any movie that is about football and based on a true story, so I have been anxious to see this one.  Plus, I have heard so many good things about it!

Well, it finally arrived today!  Shawn and I just watched it and it was really great.  These type of stories are so touching...and yes they always make me cry!  Just in case you haven't seen it, the basic story is about a homeless teenager from the bad side of town who happens to get a chance to go to a private Christian high school.  He is the only black student and due to his past he doesn't do well in the classes.  He has never had much of an education since he spent most of his childhood in many different foster homes.  Luckily he has a second chace at Wingate.  At first, it seems that he is going to fail once again, but the teachers finally begin to understand him and a wonderful family takes him in and makes him a part of their family.  They get him involved in sports and he ends up being a great football player.  He goes on to play football in college and now plays in the NFL.  Sandra Bullock won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy. The cast also includes Kathy Bates and Tim McGraw.  The acting was great, especially the lead role of Michael Oher played by Quinton Aaron.

If Leigh Anne Tuohy is anything like her character is portrayed in the movie then I wish there were more people like her and her family.  This woman took in this boy and gave him a place to live, clothes and food and in the end gave him love and a family, something he had never experienced before.  They discussed briefly at the end how so many other kids that grew up in nthe neighborhood that Michael Oher did don't have the chance at life that Michael was given, or even anything close. They have the potential to be so much more, but are never given any oppotunities.  Not that all of those children are looking for something better, but many of them are.  They discuss in the film how so often children that are raised in an environment of drugs and violence, as Michael was, end up with extremely violent tendencies.  But not Michael.  He would rather do anything hurt another person.  It is just wonderful to see how one person can make such a profound difference in the life of another person.

I have told Shawn many times that I am going to bring home a baby from work one day.  He knows that I am kidding...now...but maybe one day.  There are so many babies that come through my NICU that deserve more than they are going to get out of life.  Everytime we send a baby into protective custody or foster care I wish I was in a situation to bring them home with me.  Hopefully more people will decide to offer good homes to children who need them.

Memories of a Kick Ass Date Night...

Ok...so that title makes no sense at all, but here we go....

Shawn and I decided we needed a date night tonight.  Our schedules haven't really been coordinating well lately, so a night together seemed to be just the thing we needed.  Shawn got home from work and we headed out for the evening on Lake Street in Oak Park.  If you've never been to Oak Park and are in the Chicago area you definately should.  Lake Street between Harlem and Euclid is probably one of my favorite places in the world!  We walked around, window shopped, and shopped just a bit too (got something for Theresa for her birthday...hehe).   There is a really cute little shop that sells all kinds of weird, random things.  I got some candy cigarettes (remember those??) and Shawn got some Pop Rocks.  Plus they had these sweet ass glasses...

Then we stopped in to Flat Top Grill for dinner (yummy) and had a drink at Bar Louie before we headed to the Lake Theater to see Kick Ass.  I wasn't really sure how well I was going to like Kick Ass...I had seen all the previews (obviously I had...I live with Shawn!) and it looked good but I was not so sure.  I had heard some reviews on the radio about how violent it was and about the language.  Well, I really did like it a lot!  It definitely was violent, with lots of blood splattering about and some crazy guns, knives, swords and any other kind of weapon you can imagine!  Also the language was terrible, and most of that coming from the mouth of an 11 year old girl (who happens to be the most kick ass character in the movie)!  Throw in the sexual teenage angst and I definitely recommend leaving the kids at home!  Teenagers should be fine, but this movie totally earned its R rating!  It was really funny though, and all the characters were great (except Nicholas Cage...I really don't like him).  It actually did have a really good story line that kept you interested throughout...it wasn't just about the action and violence.  Definitely worth seeing!

I also found this picture on Shawn's phone when I was getting the funny glasses picture and I realized that we never posted it.  It is a picture of my car after the accident we had in May 2008 that resulted in my broken neck, wrist, etc and all the great experiences that came afterward.  Needless to say the car was totalled.  It is still hard to look back at this car and the pictures of myself from the week after the accident with my cast and neck brace and full body brusing, especially when I know that the stupid guy who caused the accident has basically been allowed to do all this to me without any kind of repercussions.  Well, I guess this is another soapbox...some other time.

Parting is such sweet sorrow...

We had such a great time visiting with my family this weekend...it is hard to leave today.  Theresa headed back to South Bend yesterday early to have Easter with her family, but before she left we had an awesome game night!  Mom & Eric joined us to play Apples to Apples (a great game) then a round of Quiddler (my favorite word game).  It was so much fun!  Reminded me again how much I LOVE game night!

On Easter, Mom, Eric, Shawn and I went to an early dinner at Texas Roadhouse then we went to a movie.  We saw Clash of the Titans in 3-D.  It wasn't bad, but not great either.  The 3-D was really lame and not at all worth the extra money.  They should have released the movie when the originally planned instead of waiting to add the 3-D effect.  It wasn't anything special.  The plot was okay, but I was bored for more than the first half.  It did pick up and the end was pretty good, but they gave away too much of the good action sequences in the previews and didn't really leave anything else to wow you with in the movie.

Today Shawn and I are leaving to head back home with a stop off to have dinner with his parents.  It'll be nice to sleep in my bed tonight!

Shutter Island

Oh, how I love date night :)  Shawn and I went to the mall last night to do some shopping then we decided to see a movie while we were there.  Shawn had been planning to see Shutter Island when it came out, but I wasn't so sure.  I thought it looked kind of scary plus I typically am not a huge fan of Scorcese films, but Shawn loves them (especially when they have Leonardo DiCaprio in them).  So we decided to see the movie then get dinner afterward.  I have to admit that I loved the movie!  I was so surprised.  I didn't know anything about the movie at all (and I have since discovered that it is based on a book - my dad read it and said it is good).  It is a great movie!  There are parts that a bloody and kind of graphic but the story is really great.  I would definately recommend seeing this movie.  We were near a Steak N Shake, which Shawn loves, so we ate dinner there and got milkshakes before heading home.  We really had a nice night together...but we always do anyway when we're together!

Shawn leaves tomorrow for his work conference in Santa Cruz, California, which is right outside of San Jose.  He'll be there for 3 days, but we decided since he was going there for work anyway we might as well make a trip of it.  So...he will be done Wednesday morning and I am going to fly out to LA and we'll meet there Wednesday then we'll stay until Sunday morning.  We're going to be staying with Albert, plus we'll be able to visit Andrew finally!  Our friend Bryce lives out there also, and Shawn has another old friend who we're going to try to see as well.  We planned out today all the stuff we're going to try to do while we're there and we're getting excited.  I've been out there once before in 2003, but Shawn never has.  I'm sure we'll have a great time plus we're really looking forward to seeing Andrew!  He's doing really great in his recovery, so we're really happy about that!  We'll take lots of pictures, so check back.