Movie Review – Vantage Point

Posted on March 1, 2008 by

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I saw Vantage Point today and really liked it!!! I was surprised to discover that one of the criticisms I had for Atonement was just what made this movie appealing to me!! I am talking about the way they showed a scene and then showed the same scene again from a different start point! The difference was that in Atonement, it made it confusing and didn’t seem to add any value to the movie. In Vantage Point, it was done extremely well and was the entire point of the movie — to show how the same event is viewed from several different people’s perspectives! Even though I was watching the same scene over and over again and obviously knew what was coming, I was still riveted to the screen and tense with anticipation! Each time the scene was shown from someone else’s vantage point, it revealed a little more information to paint a bigger picture of what was happening. They pulled it all together beautifully in the end, too…….very good!!

The actors were perfect choices for the characters! Forrest Whitaker was great, as usual – he was successful in making me believe that he was really in the midst of this horrific event by expressing all the emotions I would imagine going through! Poor William Hurt had to be shot over and over and over again, but he also conveyed emotions that were believable. I adore Dennis Quaid and he didn’t disappoint me in this movie — his character was center most in the story and I immediately connected with him.

I really enjoyed this movie — it held my interest through the entire film and I found myself caring for the characters (and hating the ones that were portraying not so nice people).

Will this get added to my video/DVD collection? It just might!
Was I sorry I spent the money on it? Definitely not – I’m glad I chose this one!
Did I enjoy it? Absolutely!!!

Rating – Two thumbs up or an A

Saturday around town….

Posted on March 1, 2008 by

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What a GREAT day it is today!!! Warm…..Sunny…..Breezy…..Gorgeous Sky…..Perfect!!!!! I decided to take my camera with me and capture some shots of this fabulous day!!!

My first stop was at the movies — not many people chose to be cooped up inside for the early bird matinee! I did, though! I saw the 10:10 AM showing of Vantage Point (I’ll write a review in another post). Take a gander at that fabulous sky!!!

As I drove around town, I noticed TONS of signs that Spring just might have sprung!!! Several yards along Spring Lane and other streets have Daffodils popping up! Here is a shot of a large bed of beautiful Daffodils on the corner of the US 1 on ramp and Horner Blvd. How pretty!! I love Daffodils, Crocus, and Tulips – they scream “new beginnings” and “fresh starts”!!!!

The Temple Theater has a new show starting this coming Thursday (the 6th) – it is a one man show – Mark Twain On Stage!!! It is a limited engagement — only showing until the 16th — so get your tickets quickly! I can’t wait to see it — I saw Hal Holbrook’s version of it many years ago and it was fantastic!! I’m sure this will be well worth the time and $$, as well.

“I’ve been working on the railroad, all the live long day. I’ve been working on the railroad, just to pass the time away.” They sure are doing a lot on the tracks between Chatham Street and Depot Park – new stone, new ties! I hope they are also planning to fix the tracks that cross the streets and make them less bumpy!

Speaking of Chatham Street — there has been a lot of activity going on in those empty buildings beside Renalds lately! Looks like they are well on their way to being beautifully renovated buildings – can’t wait to find out what will go in there!!!

One last great picture to show what a breathtaking day it is!!! The sky over Depot Park is so vivid and the flag is flapping in the breeze — what a shot!!!

To top off my day, I went to Love Nails and had a great manicure and pedicure!!! It is dinner time and I’m getting hungry (haven’t had anything to eat all day, except a small popcorn at the movies) — hhhmmm – wonder where I should go for dinner????

The Adventures of Katie, Megan, and Amy

Posted on February 29, 2008 by

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The girls have a nice, big backyard to play in — all fenced in so they are safe and sound! The morning routine is that they get up, go out to do their business, come in to eat breakfast, then go back out to play and burn off some energy! While they are out playing, I get my shower and get ready for work. When I’m ready for work, they come in and get settled in for the day.

Well, today we had a little departure from the norm…………..

Everything was as usual up until the part where they come in to settle in for the day! I got ready for work and went to the back door to call them in – they didn’t come! This isn’t terribly unusual – sometimes all I have to do is open the door and they come running – sometimes they are more interested in whatever has their attention at the moment (a cat, squirrels, birds, whatever). Also, the front of the fence is just back from the front of the house, so the back yard wraps around both sides of the house making areas that they can be in that I can’t see them! When they don’t come in after calling them, I usually rattle the box of biscuits – that always gets their attention and makes them come running for treats! So, since I was running a little later than usual, I used that tactic this morning to get them to come in quicker. I rattled the box, called their names, and nothing — no one came running! I did it again – still nothing! I thought, “this can’t be good!” I put on my shoes and went out to look for them. I went around the left side of the house – no girls! I went around the right side of the house – no girls! I stopped breathing for a minute – then I noticed it! The last picket on the picket fence was pulled away from the support brace and pushed over to create a nice sized gap in the pickets!!!

OK, so they got out — I could get them back in! I called their names and looked around the cul de sac to see if I could find them easily! I noticed Megan in the neighbor’s drive way – I called out to her and she looked at me and danced around a little and then went back to sniffing whatever it was she was sniffing……. I got the box of biscuits and went out the front door to get her attention — it worked — I got Megan home and in the house – I gave her a biscuit and shut her up in the house! One down, two to go!

I rattled the biscuit box and called their names over and over and over — I looked all over the immediate area — nothing!!! I was beginning to panic — what if they left the neighborhood and went out on the main road? Cars zip down that road like it is an Indy track…….. I knew they were most likely together — Katie and Amy are usually tied at the hip – they do everything together!!! But, where were they????? I got in the car and decided to check out the rest of the neighborhood – I drove slowly, looking in all the yards. I turned down the street that goes behind my house first! At the end of that street, it makes a 90 degree turn – right after I made that turn, I could hear Katie’s bark (it is very distinctive – I knew it was her)!!! I looked in my rear view mirror and there was Katie and Amy running to try to catch me and Katie was barking at me!!! It was like she was saying “stop Mommie, wait for us!” I hadn’t seen them in any of the yards I passed by, but they must have been in one of them and they recognized the car!!!! They came running to catch me!!! I stopped the car and they caught up to me and were all excited!! They got in the car and I took them home!!!

Once in the house, they all got biscuits and I settled them in for the day!!! WHEW!!! Everything turned out fine and I made it to work on time — but, it could have had a horrible ending!!!

I fixed the fence — it is PVC, not wood, so when the picket was pushed out, it broke the PVC where the screw went in, so it couldn’t be re-screwed or anything like that! I got some bungee cords from the garage and secured it to the support braces so that it won’t be able to be pushed out again! I checked all the other pickets to see if there were any others that might be loose or cracked or something — the rest look secure!

It was a scary experience this morning, but looking back on it now – it was so funny and sweet seeing them running after me and barking to get me to stop and let them in — I thought it was amazing that they recognized the car! I wish I could have filmed it – would have been a big winner on AFV!!!

So – that was Katie, Megan, and Amy’s big adventure this morning!!! They had fun being brave and getting a taste of freedom — all while giving me a heart attack!!!!

Another Great Movie

Posted on February 26, 2008 by

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I had the pleasure of watching another one of my all time favorite movies on TV tonight – flipping channels, I found Hope Floats! This movie is a pure joy to watch again and again and again!!! I have a copy in my collection and watch it when I think of it and I still choose it over almost anything else when I come across it on TV!

Hope Floats stars Sandra Bullock and Harry Connick, Jr. It is about a woman who finds out her husband has been cheating on her with her best friend and the worst part is that she finds out on one of those Jerry Springer type shows on national TV and with their young daughter in the audience to witness it all!!!! She packs up and moves back to her home town to stay with her mother. She goes through all the phases of grief, runs into old friends that she finds she no longer has anything in common with, discovers new friendships with old classmates that she wasn’t close to in school, loses her mother, and comes to terms with herself, her life, and her future – and falls in love. It is an amazing story! It’s funny, touching, and heart wrenching! I love this movie and highly recommend it!!!

My favorite line sums up life and are good words to live by — it is right at the end of the movie when Sandra Bullock’s character is giving advice to her precocious daughter who doesn’t think being a child is all that great:

“Beginnings are scary. Endings are usually sad. It’s what’s in the middle that counts. You gotta give hope a chance to float up. And it usually does!”

Uugghh!!!

Posted on February 26, 2008 by

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I got in to work this morning and decided to eat a Rice Crispy Treat Square — yum — it was really good!!!! I bit down onto the last bite and bit into something really hard that crunched between my teeth! I thought “OMG – what in the world was in that RCT????” I spit it out and discovered that my temporary crown popped off and I bit down on it and it crumbled!!!!

I called Dr. Wooddell’s office and told the receptionist what happened and she said “OK – can you come in at 8:00 tomorrow morning?” Apparently, this happens a lot! ha-ha

It doesn’t hurt — it’s a little heat and cold sensitive, but no pain, so I’m good until I can get them to make a new one and put it on!!! I can’t wait until I get the permanent one in a few weeks – then I won’t need to be as careful!!!

By The Way….

Posted on February 25, 2008 by

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By the way — as follow up to my post about comments:

I had ONE, count ’em, ONE comment this weekend! So – congratulations, Lisa!!! You were seriously considered for the $100 cash prize!!! Unfortunately, there wasn’t an “actual” $100 cash prize – I only promised to “consider” all commenters for one! But, you definitely were considered and your comment about “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner” was appreciated!

What? Did you really think I was going to give someone $100 to leave me a comment??? It was all just a clever ploy to get comments!! he-he-he-he-he Not, too clever, though – it only generated one comment! ;-(

Oh well – good night!

And the Oscar goes to….

Posted on February 25, 2008 by

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I usually get all excited about the Academy Awards — I eagerly watch for the nominees, run out and watch all the nominated movies and performances by the Best Actor / Actress and Best Supporting Actor / Actress nominees that I didn’t already see, and wait in anticipation for the show and sit glued to it for the entire production and every single award presentation!!!

This is the first year that I haven’t really given it much thought! Yeah, I’ve had a lot going on, but I usually have a lot going on – that’s never stopped me before! The difference this year is that there isn’t any of the nominees that I have a whole lot of interest in! The only nominated movie I’ve seen is Atonement (and if you scroll down, you’ll see my opinion of THAT movie)!

So – since the only part of the show that is worth staying awake for is seeing what everyone wore and I can see that on the internet and just about every talk show tomorrow — I think I’ll just go to bed early!

Good night!

Movie – Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner

Posted on February 24, 2008 by

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I was flipping channels trying to find a good movie this afternoon and came across one of the best movies of all time! I missed the very beginning, but that was OK – I have seen it at least a thousand times, so I didn’t miss anything.

The movie I had the distinct honor of watching was “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner” – the original 1967 version with Sidney Poitier, Katherine Hepburn, and Spencer Tracey (not the more recent half baked attempt to do a comedic twist on the basic story line called Guess Who, starring Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher – I didn’t waste my time on that one!).

Whether the first time or the thousandth time, this movie is captivating, touching, controversial, thought provoking, and just plain amazing! They don’t make actors the caliber of Sidney Poitier, Katherine Hepburn, and Spencer Tracey anymore! They can grab your very sole and hold it in their hands with a simple look or phrase. Sidney Poitier is an exceptional actor who demands your attention and gets it! The chemistry between Hepburn and Tracey is incredible – the off screen intense love they had for each other is apparent in every glance that takes place between them in every movie they do together. Their ability to make the characters they play come to life and touch your heart is second to none!!!

This movie tells an important story and brings out strong emotions in all who view it. The final scene is my favorite – when Tracey’s character recaps the events and conversations of the day and voices his concerns and feelings. It is one of the very best scenes ever filmed!!!

If you haven’t seen this movie, I suggest you find it in a rental store or watch for it on cable – it is so well worth the time – I am so happy I came across it today and will take the time to see it whenever I find it!

Movie Review – Atonement

Posted on February 24, 2008 by

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OK – I gave in and went to see Atonement today! I usually like period pieces, especially if they are about unrequited love or deep romance! But, I just wasn’t interested in watching this one – for some reason, it just didn’t reach out and grab me. So, I almost didn’t go see it – even though I gave it serious thought every weekend when trying to decide what movies to go see, I never put it in the top choices! Finally, today, it was down to Atonement or Vantage Point! Vantage Point looked intriguing to me, but I really wasn’t in the mood to “think” too much – I really just wanted to see a movie that would touch my heart. So – against my better judgement, I listened to the critics who have been shooting down Vantage Point and seem to really love Atonement! That should have been my clue to just stay home!

I went to the 5:10 show, so that meant that I paid full price instead of matinee price! I got in to the theater and the movie started — almost immediately, I was bored and contemplating leaving! But – I paid full price and wasn’t going to waste that kind of money! I kept thinking that it has to get better! I was WRONG!!! It was slow, uninteresting, and confusing!!! The scenes kept bouncing all around and it was really hard to keep track of what was happening and what time frame they were in!!! Several scenes started in the middle or almost end of the scene and then when it was over, it started showing the same scene again from the beginning to show what happened to get them there – it was so WEIRD!!! Then, later in the film, they had real flash backs where they were in a later time frame and then went back to a previous time frame! And then, they were suddenly MANY years later! AND – in the end, it is revealed that some of the facts that were presented were “imagined” by the character telling the story – they never actually happened – making it all even MORE confusing! There was some good acting, but there was so much about the movie that was just strange and confusing, that it far out-weighed the good acting and made it difficult to put my finger on anything that was worth watching!

I will admit, though, that the last 10 minutes were good — they actually managed to pull it all together and get it to make sense — but it was almost 2 hours too late!!!! I absolutely do NOT recommend this movie and am incredibly sorry I saw it!
  • Will I add this one to my my DVD collection? HELL NO!!!
  • Was I sorry I spent the time and $$ on it? ABSOLUTELY – BIG TIME!!!
  • Did I enjoy it? I enjoyed Monday’s Dentist appt a whole lot more!!!

I rate this one Two HUGE thumbs DOWN – or – an F

Spell Check Fixed!!!

Posted on February 23, 2008 by

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Woo Hoo — spell check on Blogger has been fixed!!! The spell check button for posts on blogger has been unusable for quite a while now — it’s been very frustrating for someone who really depends on spell check (me!!!). But, it is fixed now, so I am happy!!!!

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