Proud

Well, I kind of keep a low profile about personal things, and really try not to brag about my children. But this is one of the things that I can’t help but step over the line and be proud of publicly.
Big Sis wrote a book and now it is in print. It is called, “Yoga By The Seat of Your Pants.” The content is practical postures for professional people. The book examines common work related stress and injuries and very simple yoga exercises you can do right at your desk. It is a very easy/fun reading book with detailed description and pictures of all the exercises one can do to prevent any type of injury, weather mental or physical.
If you are interested in her book I can give you information on it. Currently she is working on her website and will have that up and running within the week.
That little girl of mine has always been an independent Go-getter. Her accomplishments are just extraordinary and yes I am beaming proud Mama.

Here is a picture from the book, but due to no scanning capabilities the words are backwards. But the pictures kind of give the flavor. Sorry about the quality

 

Harry

I was down stairs at work today and said to a co-worker gee it’s Tuesday.  She looked at me really funny and said “my dear it is Thursday.” Oh my gosh you must be joking?  What happened to Wednesday? I must be caught up in this weird warp of time.  Usually I count the days down until Friday.  We went to see Harry Potter when it opened.  Wow Harry grew up, he has a full blown  5- o’clock shadow in some scenes. Chee took me to see the movie sweet, huh! Usually it’s the mom the pays for the tickets.  She was so excited to see her hero Harry/Daniel.  She has a several pictures of him and has admired him since she was 10 years old. The movie was about ready to start and all of  sudden her eye starts tearing like a leaky faucet.  Her contact was irritating her.  I told her to go to the restroom and take it out.  She said that she did not bring her glasses, and she could not go cause the movie was starting.  Oh boy, darn luck.  We watched the movie  and I will not give away any thing, she came out of the movie lost in thought and I asked her if she was excited to see Harry/Daniel.  She answer, no all the excitement is gone.  The spell of love wore off. Oh my baby has grown up.                                                                                                                As we exited the theater there was a line of people that weaved down two flight of stairs out the exit door and around the corner of the theater.  The majority of people were teenagers and adults.                        Next is the book release one week from Saturday.  I  already got my 25% coupon ready for Chee to get the next exciting chapter of Harry Potter. I hope it is brighter and more uplifting since it is the last of the series. But I highly doubt it. The last two movies have been very dark to me and Harry is moody and brewing most of the times.  Poor kid does not get to enjoy his teenage years… I guess I would not either if the evil people were chasing after me all the time and my pseudo parents did not like me.

 

Power & Popularity

 

We saw Masterpiece Theater’s interpretation of Queen Elizabeth 1. It was long and really rich with historical information. I picked up a few more facts about the great Virgin Queen. Women libbers unite, this was one woman who did proclaim, no man would ever rule over me. Wow, talk about a strong sense of independence.

Not being a historical person, I never knew that she spent sometime imprisoned in the Tower of London. She was released after the death of her older half sister’s death and took rein over England. While she was imprisoned only a few loyal people stood by her. After she took rein family and people came out of woodwork proclaiming their devotion and love for her. Throughout her rein there were only a few people who she trusted and as she lived a long life those people died along the way. So where am I going with this?

What is it about human nature that causes them to flock to leaders wether or not they like the person, on false pretense, kissing up just to get perks that come along with being acquainted with someone of power. There are times when I find myself doing just that, but then I realize what I am doing and then turn it down a couple of notches.

Do all species on the Earth have this pattern ingrained in their DNA? Is this some type of survival skill? This is what happens when I read a book or watch a movie. I pick up the oddest things and mull it over for a while. Have you ever noticed yourself doing this?

 

Hollywoodland

What a weird movie. This movie had a “long wait” status on Netflix. I can see why cause it was a long movie and it took forever to get into the movie. It stars Adrien Brody, Diane Lane and Ben Affleck to name a few. You would think with those names the movie would be interesting. It was about George Reeve who played in the original Superman series; the mystery beside his untimely death, was it a suicide or was it a murder? Well, it was originally ruled as a suicide and the actor was deemed depressed as the cause of this incidence. Adrien Brody’s character was a PI and was given a tip by a guy on the police force that the evidence supported the opposite theory. The movie pretty much ended up where it started. It did give some good in-site into George Reeve, if the depiction is true that guy was messed up from the get go always wanting what is on the other side of the hill, never satisfied with what he got. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would rate this movie just boring… Maybe because I was inpatient with it I did not get the whole point.

Did any one like it???

 

Chick Film Weekend

It had been a while since I’ve seen a good chick-flicks. Well, this weekend was chick-flick weekend.  We started out on Friday by seeing the movie The Waitress.  Chee requested this one and was very excited to see this movie.  It would be an OK movie to see on DVD.  On the big screen I though it was not worth it.  It is a simple story of a girl in a bad marriage that becomes pregnant, has an affair with her doctor, really good at bake pies and is miserable. It had an unreal feel to the movie and the ending was totally hokey.

** Just read that the Director/actress of the movie The Waitress, Adrienne Shelly was murdered on Nov 2, 2006.  :0(

Music and Lyrics was the next movie.  This movie was about a washed up 80’s male performer who was asked by a Brittney –Christine super star to write a song for her to perform at on her newest album by Friday.  Drew enters into his life as a lousy plant tender who is a gifted writer. Together they form a back and forth business/love relationship while trying to achieve this impossible goal.  It was a yawner and so predictable. Drew and Hugh have very little chemistry together.

The third and finally chick-flick movie was Catch and Release.  Don’t ask me why I thought this would be a light romantic comedy. It was a darker movie in the “ Hope Floats” with Sandra Bullock flavor.  The movie opens with a funeral open house.  Jennifer Garner‘s character loses her fiancée days before their wedding.  She is devastated.  She begins to put her life back together only to find out that her relationship with the man she loved was false and filled with deception. It was a very long movie, choppy and lacked the ability to hook us into the story.

This is one of those three strikes and you’re out sort of thing.  It is back to TV for us.

 

The Pursuit of Happyness

We watched this movie the other night. It was about a guy struggling to make a living, raise a child and live the life he dreamt about. Will Smith did an excellent job and his son will probably follow in Dad and Mom’s footprints.

In the beginning of the March we went to a seminar about interpreting dreams. It was advertised in the local paper. This group meet every week and it was a small group of people who knew each other prior. We went around the circle introducing ourselves and one of the men (who was 84 years old )in the group said he was an actor and the latest movie he acted in was the Pursuit of Happyness. He said that he played a doctor in the movie who purchased what Will Smith’s character was selling.

The movie is an inspirational movie that states that you can do anything you dream of. Just don’t loose sight of it during bad times. I recommend it, but there might be some parts you might want to fast forward due to the length of the movie.

 

The Illusionist

I had wanted to see this movie when I came out in the theaters. Of course something or other kept me from seeing it. Now, I can really say, double darn gosh, that would have been a real pleasure to see on big screen.

 

The Cinematography is really a treat.  It is artfully mastered.  The attention to detail on this period film was at it’s finest. Show me a period film with a thrilling mystery and romance and I am all over it like a cheap suit. Edward Norton is a phenomenal actor.  Paul Giamatte is an excellent actor and sure lives up to his past performances.  (I really liked his performance in The Lady in the Water.) Jessica Biel performance was unremarkable, unless you are a guy and just liked her for the gratuitous scenes of her backside.

 

The movie takes place in Vienna in the early 1900’s.  The Illusionist, Eisenheim falls in love with an Aristocrat that is above his social status.  The Aristocrat becomes romantically linked with a Crown Prince.  The Illusionist uses his magical talents to gain his heart desires, the Aristocrat.  In between you have a competition for power, politics, romance, violence and of course magic.

This is a must see.  You will really enjoy this movie.

 

 

Children of Men

I was so excited when I saw the advertisement for this movie.  I could hardly wait to go and see it.  Py got the book before Christmas, he read and past it on to me.  I struggled to get through the book and gave up.  I put off seeing the movie until I read several reviews.  Finally last Friday I picked up Chee from school and we went off the see Children of Men. We sat through the 1-hour and 40 something minutes.  While the movie was not a yawner; it was a on the end of your seat kind of move, total action and violence galore, a total man movie.  It was like everyone said nothing like the book except the same theme.
After the movie we existed the theater and I asked Chee where she would like of go for dinner.  Chee said to me, I cannot eat, that movie was so gross and violent.  So we walked around the shops until her mind healed a bit.
Yes it was violent.  Must be like how it is in the Middle East. I was very disappointed with the movie.  Often times I’ll think I go to see a movie for entertainment purposes. But what is my definition of entertainment, something that I do not see on the CNN 24 hour’s day,
something that takes me away from the world’s war problems. With all the reviews for this movie I did not hear one person say this was a really violent movie, but then I only heard the reviews from a man’s perspective.

Clive Owen is kind of dreamy

 

Movie Meme

Oh Boy I get to Play!!!

1. Popcorn or candy? I like to sneak in stuff from the outside. The food always tastes better, because it is forbidden. Hehehe…

2. Name a movie you’ve been meaning to see forever?

Taxi Driver with Jodie Foster

3. You are given the power to recall one Oscar: Who loses their award?
Shakespeare in Love (1998) I cannot see what was so great about that movie. Gwyneth Paltrow just acted like she usually does. The pink dress reminded my of a prom dress that had an ill-fitting neck- line. Actually there was no neckline.

4. Steal one costume from a movie for your wardrobe. Which will it be?Does this count? The glittered red shoes Dorothy wore in the Wizard of Oz.

5. Your favorite film franchise is…
Star Trek

6. Invite five movie people over for dinner. Who are they? Why’d you invite them? What do you feed them?

Chris Isaac. I think he is sexy even though his movie career is limited. He can sing to me over sizzling hot rice soup and spring rolls, because he is into the Asian culture.

Matt Damon. I would like to just gaze at him and listen to him talk.
I would order Chips and Salsa with a side of guacamole and Margaritas.

Carey Grant. Ohhhhhh yeah, we could banter back and forth in that funny flirtatious way. I’d pack a picnic basket of fried chicken, with brioche bread, (Trader Joe’s carries this bread and it is delicious) apples with some nice cheese, and sparkling water.

Jeremy Northam. He is an English actor who played in Wuthering Heights (1992). I would love to sit with him and listen to him speak with his accent.
I would have roasted crab with noodles and a side of salad. We could laugh at each other methods for cracking crab and then throw crab across the table and see who can catch it in their mouths. Who ever lost has to pay for dinner.

My Mom. She was in the movies. We would drive to Napa and go the French Laundry Restaurant and have a fantastic time. We would enjoy each others company, and what do they say, there is nothing like good food and someone you love.

7. What is the appropriate punishment for people who answer cell phones in the movie theater? Nothing, life is punishing enough and there are always people in the theater that will tell them off.

8. Choose a female bodyguard: Violet Song jet Sheriff, from Ultraviolet (2006)

9. What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever seen in a movie?
The man sitting to the left side in front of me picking his nose.

10. Your favorite genre (excluding comedy and drama) is?
Sci Fi, Mystery-action

11. You are given the power to greenlight movies at a major studio for one year. How do you wield this power? Give Py a chance at producing his own movie. Allow more unknown talent to star in movies and make more thought provoking movies.

12. Bonnie or Clyde? Clyde, I would like to drive one of those old fashioned cars. I would also just use water guns and take from the rich and give to the poor. Oh wait, that is another movie…

 

Review

On Sunday Chee and I went to see Marie Antoinette.  I saw Sophia Coppola’s first film , Lost in Translation and thought it was descent. I had high hope for this film considering the amount of advertisement they did for it.
The movie is basically eye candy.  If you like the fashion and food, you will love this movie.
I was hoping for a little more political in-sight.  Since in that period of time there was so much going on in France.  It basically portrayed Marie as a self absorb naïve child, caught up in a world of riches and luxury.  I realize that is what the average person is taught.
I am sure Sophia Coppola did a lot of research on Marie Antoinette.  She should have shown a more balanced portrayal of the Queen of France.  There was so much gossip and blame placed on Marie Antoinette that her reputation was truly down the toilet.  Historians have uncovered many things she did to better France, and personal sacrifices she made.  But given to the times, someone had to be blamed and brought down for the troubles in France.  Why not choose a woman, Marie was the target.  (Not much has changed today we are still have the same mentality for instance a husband has an affair.  The blame is placed on the woman; i.e., oh that slut she could not keep her hands off of married men, or the wife wasn’t giving him what he needed at home.)
Ms. Coppola could of used this opportunity to truly define who was Marie Antoinette. 

To show that public, yes she did make mistakes, and she made very good contributions.
I was disappointed. My rating for the movie on a scale of 1 – 10, I rate it at a 4.5, that is a little high but it is because of the pain staking work they did in restoring that periods costumes and settings.
These days it is rare to see a movie that is thought provoking. Hollywood is so caught up in the sex, violence and fashions.  I hope this Hollywood phase exists pretty soon cause this movie-lover is growing into a movie not-liker.