Could Be...

There is a song early on in West Side Story, sung by Tony before he even meets Maria.  The song "Something's Coming" describes the feeling he has that something major is about to happen.

It's only just out of reach, down the block, on a beach, under a tree.
I got a feeling there's a miracle due, gonna come true, coming to me!

The song is stuck in my head today.  See, I've got butterflies in my stomach.  I have no idea why - it could be one of a half-dozen different things racing through my head, or maybe it's just heartburn from breakfast!  But if it's heartburn, it's the most optimistic heartburn I can remember.  I'm genuinely happy for the first time in a while, and I really do feel like I'm on the verge of... I don't know.

However, I can't give myself over completely to this unsubstantiated wonder.  See, there was another movie that featured this song...


(TERRIBLE quality video and audio, and no clue what the graphic in the middle of the screen is doing there.  Skip to 1:10 and you'll get the idea.)

(also, slightly off-topic: this is another example of the type of driving I tend to see from men driving BMWs)

So, I don't know what is coming.  It could be something wonderful and amazing and unexpected... or it could be a bus.  For now, I'll accept the moderate insomnia and randomly sweaty palms and feet and hope for the best.  And until the bus hits me, I'm going to keep smiling and enjoy the ride!

Tweet Little Movie Reviews

Since I’m not really great at movie reviews, but seem to be watching a fair number via HBO and HBO On Demand, I thought I’d take the chance to share a few mini-reviews with you. Each is Twitter-length (140 characters) or shorter, not including the movie title.

Marley and Me
OMG I can’t remember the last time I cried so hard. The trailer/commercials billed this as a comedy! Great, but BOO false advertising!


Get Smart
The movie was as enjoyable as the TV show! Complete with explosions, plenty of LOL moments, and The Rock, it’s a comedy I’d watch again.

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
2 hours of my life I’ll never get back. Not funny despite some A-list cast. Michael Douglas should’ve retired after The American President!

Moulin Rouge
Saw it before, own the DVD, still love it. And I cry every time I watch it. And did I mention the music? A+

Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
Cute family movie with colorful cast including Tucci, Breslin, and Joan Cusack. Watch it with a kid, not quite enough to bother adults with.

Temple Grandin
Just watched 'Temple Grandin.' If you don't have HBO, find a friend who does and borrow their living room for 2 hours. Totally worth it.

(I really did tweet that last one)

I saw this morning that Changeling popped in to the on demand listing, so I'm sure to watch that some time soon, despite the fact that it stars that husband-stealing baby-collecting Angelina Jolie. Has anyone else seen any movies recently worth a 140-character review?

Top Ten

Apparently people who care about such things have recently realized that this month is the end of the '00 decade. To honor it, they have been making "Top _____ of the Decade" lists, because that's what people do. I was listening to the guys on SBK Live last night debating the top 10 movies of the decade, and only agreeing with one or two of their picks.

So here's my Ten Favorite Movies of the 2000's:
(in alphabetical order...because I can't pick a favorite)

1. Batman Begins
2. Chicago
3. Crash
4. Erin Brockovich
5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
6. Finding Neverland
7. Juno
8. Monsters, Inc. (which could have just as easily been Finding Nemo or maybe Up... I just couldn't pick one and didn't want the list to be so Pixar-centric)
9. Moulin Rouge
10. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Others that almost made the cut were Shrek 2, Traffic, and the rest of the Pixar movies.

The ones I've listed are the ones that I either own or wish that I did (looking for a last-minute gift? try #3, 5, 6, or 7), and that I would recommend that everyone see at least once. And with the exception of Chicago, which is more of a spectacle, these are movies that I really connected with. So what do you think? What are your top movies?

Update (12/17): I should have referenced my DVD collection before writing this list. I can't believe I forgot Saved! or Zoolander. Those two definitely should've been in the top ten, but I can't decide which ones get bumped.

Preaching the Gospel of UP

So, and you may have noticed if you follow my Twitter feed, I saw Disney/Pixar's "Up" on Friday night. And ever since I have been running around to everyone I know and telling them that they have to see the movie. And to bring tissues.

I most definitely give this movie JJJJJ out of JJJJJ. I'm trying to reserve "best Pixar movie ever" judgement for a few years to see if it holds up to the way I love Monsters, Inc. or Finding Nemo after 50+ viewings. But something about this movie got under my skin and stuck with me the way no movie I can remember has.

Without ruining any potential surprises for anyone, I can't possibly do anything close to a proper movie review. But really, go see it. We saw it in 3D, which was cool, and I have every intention of going to see it again in 2D, just to make the comparison. And, you know, maybe I'll make it through the movie without crying next time.

(and yes, I promised a post about our day with Beth and Pete and the girls. I've decided to just post the photos on Facebook.)

What the Eff?

So you know that interview I had on Monday? The one that I wore my brand new super coordinated suit and painful heeled shoes that even now my feet feel as if they were crushed? The one that I woke up early for? The one with someone other than the person that I was supposed to interview with?

It turns out that interview didn't count for anything.

Yeah.

That face you're making? I've been making it for the past 12 hours.

I woke up today to multiple calendar requests on my work e-mail and a voicemail. When I spoke to the secretary to reschedule and asked if it was a do-over from the first interview, she said yes and then got kind of snippy and said "*I'm* the one doing the interviews, and I discussed it with [the guy I interviewed with] and I need to bring you all in again."

If I were interviewing for a position within that immediate work unit, I would have said "no thank you" and moved on. If this was going to be the case, then they should have called us all that day and rescheduled us. I really feel like there's either some sort of power struggle going on, or there's some other untold story, but I'm really not as enthusiastic this time around. And I have yet to hear anything that sounds like an apology for the inconvenience and the emotional roller coaster.

And since the interview is in the same place, and the same major players work there, I decided I needed to get another suit. I got the brown one with the teal shirt that I tried on before. No time to screw around and try on a bunch of stuff, and luckily I had tried on 3/4 of the mall in my last excursion. This time we were in, out, and to Pay Less for a pair of brown shoes in about 40 minutes. I'm not in love with the outfit, but whatever. At this point, I'm just ready for it to be over.

(this time, I will print out a resume though...)

In Other News...

I had rehearsal tonight, rehearsal tomorrow, work Friday and Saturday, and then rehearsals Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and shows Weds, Thurs, and Friday. My throat still hurts. And I have PMS now, which doesn't bode well for next week.

My eyes are just fine. I still wore my glasses on Monday for my "just kidding" interview, but was back in contacts on Tuesday when we went to see WALL-E. I'm still taking them out at night, but I'm fine. The redness is gone. Even Scott has stopped worrying about them!

Speaking of WALL-E, I loved it. The only thing that stopped me from instantly proclaiming it my new Pixar favorite was the fact that that WALL-E had a pet cockroach on Earth. That ate Twinkies. Every time the thing skittered up a wall, I shuddered. Oh - and it got smashed twice and came back to life. See? Pixar understands how roaches just... never... die! Otherwise, I totally loved it. It's definitely in my top 3 with Finding Nemo and Monsters Inc. I'll have to re-evaluate after I've seen it 100 times.

I Heart Ben Barnes

Who is Ben Barnes? None other than the title character in the second Chronicles of Narnia movie, Prince Caspian. And also, I loved the movie.

I was really concerned that they turned a 70-page story into a movie that lasted 2 1/2 hours. In the book, the story includes flashbacks all over the place. To their credit, the filmmakers created a much more linear story. They added a battle scene (the first major good vs. evil battle) that at first I was annoyed with, but I found that it really added a depth to the main characters that wasn't in the book. I found myself surprisingly emotionally invested in the story.

I'm looking forward to the DVD, and am keeping my fingers crossed for a commentary with the stars of the movie.

This is the second movie in a row that Scott and I have seen where we end up sitting in a row all by ourselves. It's really starting to give me a complex! A couple will come up, sit in our row, wait a minute, and then go find seats elsewhere. I think it's because we sit where there's a lot of leg room but you have to sit up straight in order to see the very bottom of the screen over the seats in front of you. But maybe it's our aroma? Or they just sense that I sometimes have trouble keeping Scott quiet for the duration of a movie! Whatever it is, we enjoy not having anyone too near us.

Hillary in the Movies

FYI, I am knocking some serious wood as I type this.

On Tuesday night, I watched Obama's victory speech in North Carolina. At one point, wiping away my tears of joy, I looked over to Scott and noted that he had only mentioned Hillary's name in the very beginning of the speech. After that, the speech was pretty much about why he was a better man for the job than John McCain. "Huh... he's acting like he's moving on. That's excellent!"

And the next day, the news media all pretty much agreed. That warmed my heart too. But then the rest of the political news was devoted to Hillary and when they thought she might bow out. After winning the next two, so that she can go out on top? Before the convention? At the convention? After the inauguration?

Ever since I started hearing these stories, I just keep having random movie lines pop into my head. And now I will share them with you:

Goonies never say die!

I'm not dead yet. (Monty Python and the Holy Grail)

Another from MPatHG:
King Arthur: [after Arthur's cut off both of the Black Knight's arms] Look, you stupid Bastard. You've got no arms left.
Black Knight: Yes I have.
King Arthur: *Look*!
Black Knight: It's just a flesh wound.

And then there's this one from The Princess Bride that keeps popping into my head. I don't know why: I killed you too quickly the last time. A mistake I don't mean to duplicate tonight.

Dr. Jones

Another WGA Casualty

I just read something about movies being cancelled or put on hold because of the WGA strike. This one piqued my curiosity:

'Shantaram'
Warner Bros. called off the February start date on this Mira Nair-directed flick, in which Johnny Depp was set to star as an Australian heroin addict who escapes prison, pretends to be a doctor in India and eventually fights against the Russians in Afghanistan. Busy guy.

Umm... any guesses on whether this movie will (or would have been) any good? That's quite the twisty plot!

"I've Got a Package..."

Scott and I saw something at Downtown Disney this evening that pretty much defied explanation. There, exiting the AMC, was the UPS guy. A foursome of pretty young-20's girls stopped him. We couldn't hear the conversation, but as we were walking past, one of the girls whipped out a camera and two of the girls were posed with the UPS guy.



They were having their photo taken with the UPS guy!



Seriously!



So Scott and I were trying to figure out WHY someone would do such a thing. The best explanation I could come up with was that the girls were from a country where UPS doesn't go, but where they could have seen Legally Blonde.



I wonder if this happens to random service people often in tourist areas. Do they go to L.A. and ask a cop to pretend-beat them for a souvenir photo? I guess maybe it's like us idiot Americans who want our photo taken with the Bobbys, the Beefeaters, the Palace Guard, etc.



the UPS guy? That's definitely a first for me!

Dispatches from the In Box

This NetFlix debacle is, I believe, finally over. But that's not what I thought 10 minutes ago. I had the following e-mail this morning in my in-box:

Dear Jamie,

It appears that you accidently* returned one of your personal DVDs or CDs in a Netflix envelope. Rest assured, we will send your disc right back to you.

If you haven't already sent back the Netflix movie you intended to return, please include it with your next return along with a note including your name and email address so we can match the movie to your account.

-The Netflix Team

Umm... you mean the personal CD that you sent to me? You're going to send it back?!? But it's a Backstreet Boys song. I don't want it!

So I called customer service to figure out what was going on. The nice man (Derek) who answered my call assured me that it was an automated message, and that they had already processed the return and a new movie is on its way to me. Let's hope he's right.

Any bets on whether or not that other CD is being returned to me after all?

* I cut & pasted that right from their e-mail. Apparently NetFlix doesn't have spell check.

Unexpected Song

Well that was interesting!

I just went over to the TV to play a NetFlix movie I've had for a few weeks, and I got quite a surprise when I removed the disc from its sleeve. There was no DVD in the sleeve - there was a CD-R with handwriting on the front. It says, "I love you like a fat kid loves cake. Musical Clue!" And the ! is dotted with a heart.

Seriously.

I didn't want to risk exposing the computer to some malicious hacker with girly handwriting, but I just had to know what was on the CD. So I put it in the stereo in the bedroom (you know - the one with 1/4" of dust on top that hasn't been used in about a year). The CD had one single track: I Want You Back, which I believe it by the Back Street Boys.

I wish I knew the story behind the disc. Was there a break-up? Did she try to surprise him with the disc by hiding it inside a movie sleeve, and then accidentally drop it in the mail? Did he send it back as an act of rejection? Is the movie I tried to rent really worth re-ordering?

Oh, the intrigue...

The Week of Potter

Well, most die-hard Harry Potter fans have already seen the movie (it premiered last week... I think). I just finished re-reading book 5, so Scott and I are going to see it today. Right now, I'm in the process of re-reading book 6 so that I'm fully refreshed when book 7 comes out this Friday at midnight.

Of course, I'm still looking for someone to go stand in the "loser line" at Wal Mart with me. Scott is working late that night.

Sometimes it's fun to be swept up in the hype. And I doubt that, in my lifetime, there will again be this much hype over a series of books. Besides, I can't risk not reading the last book right away, because I don't want to hear who dies or how it ends from anyone else before I can read it for myself.

In other book news, one of my favorite non-Potter books in recent years, Sammy's Hill (by Kristin Gore... yes, that Gore) has a sequel out called Sammy's House. I'm really excited about reading it - the blurb seems to have all the elements that made the original book so funny. Oh - and according to Amazon.com, Sammy's Hill is now under film development. Yay!

Off to the movies...

Date Day

Scott and I had a date yesterday. Apparently now that he's 30, our dates have to end before sun-down. (note: that was completely not true. I picked the movie time and I'm the one who prefers to eat out for lunch because it's cheaper. I am the old man in our relationship.)

Our date started with a brand new Japanese restaurant in a strip mall a few miles down 27. We got a menu in the mail about a week ago and after looking at the pictures I declared that we MUST GO at our earliest convenience. Which was yesterday. We got there very close to noon and were the only ones in the restaurant until 5 minutes before we left. The food was amazing. I got a vegetable tempura bento box (comes with sticky rice, won tons, and california rolls, plus miso soup and salad with ginger dressing) and Scott got the scallops tempura. Yum! I haven't had Japanese food that good and fresh since the place that Mom and I used to go to in New Jersey. And our total bill was $25 after tax and tip. Anyway, we are hoping that more people discover this place because we really would like to go back. It's called KUMO and is in the plaza with the new(er) Publix and Applebees on 27 in Davenport. If you're in the neighborhood, go!

And would anyone like to guess what our next stop was? That's right, AMC theater for a 2:30 DLP showing of Pirates 3. Finally I know how it ends (except for that major door they left for a potential fourth movie). When Pirates 2 came out, I was really disappointed. But then I saw it a few times on DVD and caught the things I missed the first time around and really liked it. This one I pretty much enjoyed the whole way through. I objected to the Captain Jack hallucinations (which is all I'll say about that for fear of giving anything away). I didn't feel like they added anything to the story. But other than that, I enjoyed the action, I enjoyed the story line, and I enjoyed all of the new pirates.

I have some free movie tickets (the kind you can't use in the first two weeks a movie is out) from work and we'll probably go see Shrek 3 next week. As for Spiderman 3, I never saw the second and have little desire to see the third. The next movie I plan on paying for is Ratatouille (although I'm still lobbying my bosses/Chefs to take us all and call it "team building"), and possibly Harry Potter 5.

After the movie, we spent way more money than we should stocking up on Pirates booty. I got a great shirt with Captain Jack's pirate flag, Scott got the new video game (which we've been playing ever since), we both got antenna toppers, and I got a travel mug and a new Captain Jack for my collection. Possibly a little sad, but we do love the booty!

Today was laundry day. And tomorrow I'm back at work. Woo hoo.

Yaaaargh!

Pirates 3 opens tonight at 8 pm. Sadly, I won't get to see it until Monday at the earliest. It is going to be so hard to not listen to everyone else I know talking about this movie until I get to see it (of course, this is the same reason I'll be at Wal Mart buying the last Harry Potter book at midnight the day it comes out).

Anyway, here's a Pirates fix for anyone else out there who might be in desperate need of one:

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I'll Be Your Doll...

Scott and I caught the last 1/2 hour of Guys and Dolls on TV last night. I can't remember the last time I actually saw any of the first half of the movie, but we catch that last part quite a bit. And every time, I find myself totally swooning over Marlon Brando.

Here he is, saying "Who knew somebody who looks like this would end up as the Godfather?" Well, I guess it would be unrealistic to think that someone who looked this good in a movie that came out the year my mother was born would still be attractive in my lifetime.

Oh well Sky, we'll always have Havana.

Poof!

I seem to have disappeared again. Sorry about that. Sadly, I just haven't had much to talk about. Actually, I have plenty to talk about, but am sworn to secrecy until tomorrow. And even then, it's not in any way exciting enough to build any kind of suspense. But just the same, mum's the word.

I spent my weekend watching The Devil Wears Prada - which I enjoyed so much I watched all of the special features and then watched the movie again another day - and John Tucker Must Die - which had the hot gardener from Desperate Housewives in it (yep - that's the best thing I can say about it). The Queen is at the top of my Netflix queue right now, which is cool, considering the real queen is in the US right now. Fashion note: I love her purple suit, although it does remind me a little of the red hat ladies.

Other than that, the biggest thing in my life right now is this big pimple on my chin. I've got a blob of toothpaste on it right now - a proven method which sucks all of the moisture from the area. Honestly, I'm worried that I'm going to go outside to my car and an airplane is going to mistake my chin for a runway signal and try to land on top of me. The toothpaste? It's a public service!

Nothing

There is nothing about the movie The Breakfast Club that makes it worth staying up watching it until 3 am.

Especially when the alarm goes off at 9.

But I'm not going to complain about being tired because Scott rolled in some time around dawn. Oh well, at least that should be the last of the late nights for him until this time next year.

Acting Like a Girl

I am a Grad Nite widow. It's ok - it's only 4 nights a year, and I do enjoy my solitude in small bites. Scott rolled in at 5:30 this morning, and will probably be out until about 'til the same time tonight.

Last night I took advantage of some quiet time at home to act like a girl - I curled up on the recliner with the last two scoops of ice cream (still in the carton), and watched a chick flick. I don't really care for Jack Black - one of the biggest over-actors of our time - but I love Kate Winslet, and Cameron Diaz and Jude Law aren't so bad either. The movie was actually better than I expected it to be.

Tonight I'm going to go to bed by midnight. I had a pretty productive day at work today, and feel that I deserve a full nine hours of sleep.

By the way, if anyone ever offers you a chocolate bar that looks like this, tell them you gave up chocolate for Lent (or some made-up holiday). Who makes chocolate with dates and shitake mushrooms, anyway? Here's the description from some random website:

A dream of a thousand and one compositions. A puree of Jordanian sun-drenched dates mixed with Arabica coffee revelling in a white chocolate cream. On a further layer, spices and the Asiatic traditional health mushroom Shiitake are immersed in a dark canache. Colorfully created and wrapped in a dark chocolate coating.

Riiight! It tastes a little like soap, and I got a piece stuck in my tooth that I had to let dissolve because the tip of my tongue was repelled by it! I'm not sure who gave these to our Chef, but he's been giving them out like... umm... candy. Just yesterday, he gave me a bar of fennel-orange hot chocolate mix. It requires warming the milk, and the directions are in metric, so I'm waiting to see my husband again so that we can share that experience! The company is based in Austria, and judging by these flavors, Austrians are a pretty wacky bunch!

Back At It

Today, I returned to the "real world." While there, I caught the trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. I highly recommend it, if only for the clip of Captain Jack and Davy Jones sword fighting.

(note - video quality on here sucks, but I wanted something I could embed. This link is better)

Amazingly enough, my office was still standing when I got back. In fact, there were no major issues for me to tackle at all. I had some correspondence to catch up on, and had to re-learn how to do my job (the brain is apparently still waterlogged), but it was basically business as usual.

Sadly, I returned to the news that my trainee (now fully trained and competent) was offered an amazing job opportunity in a part of the country she really loves. Her last day is April 13. And the Boss is going to be having much-needed back surgery in the coming weeks - with a minimum three week recovery time.

Perhaps I'll have a new trainee by the end of June. Perhaps he or she will last longer than 4 months.

I was about halfway through my shift today when I realized that I really do like my job. I dreaded going back because I was truly enjoying my life of sloth, but once I walked in the door, I was happy to be there. Of course, it helped that I was greeted with a whole bunch of "you were missed" stories from some of the others in the office. I dig the positive reinforcement!

Life is good.