Spider-Man: Far From Home

Spider-man has been a tricky character for me. I have not read the comics, so my take on him is purely from the movies that have been released. And THE Spider-man for awhile was the Tobey Maguire version released the end of my freshman year of college. It somehow found a way to make a universally-agreed-upon killer sequel, giving us Doc Ock and the classic Dashboard Confessional song "Vindicated" on a truly great soundtrack album (I have very strong memories of buying this album at the Walmart I worked on, and listening to it on incessant repeat as I drove around SLC in my silver Honda Civic). Sony then found a way to make a universally-agreed-upon abysmal third outing which most everyone would like to just forget.

The Andrew Garfield-led first outing was good, but the second one was truly awful.

Which then gave the world Tom Holland as Spider-man - truly inspired casting. Not that Tobey Maguire wasn't great, but finally Spider-man was being played by an actual teenager who really nailed the funny aspect of Spider-man. Tobey's version, while great at the time, now seems so very pedestrian.

When Sony decided to finally loan out Spider-man to Marvel, we were also blessed with not having to see another film with Spider-man's origin story. Instead he gets plopped right into the middle of an Avengers movie.

I didn't love Spidey's first outing. I was bored with a lot of it and actually fell asleep for a brief couple seconds during the fight on the Staten Island Ferry. But, much like with my evolving love for Captain America, Spidey really shone in his small roles in the Avengers movies. When he tells Tony he doesn't want to go at the end of Infinity War I started crying.

So, ALL OF THIS TO SAY, I was mildly excited to catch Spider-man: Far From Home on the Fourth last week. Tom Holland is just such a joy to watch. But you know who else was a joy to watch - Jake frickin' Gyllenhaal! He was very briefly rumored to replace Tobey Maguire as Spider-man back in the day, and he's somehow never been in a superhero movie. He looked like he was having so much FUN playing Mysterio. The twist was also really neat because I thought he kind of had a point....

For me, I think it also helped that Spider-man is now linked to the larger Avenger stories. I definitely recommend, even if you didn't see the first one.

Toy Story 4

Toy Story 3 came out nine years ago and I was pretty pleased with it. Well, more than a little. It was pretty much perfect, which means I wasn't expecting a fourth outing. And when a fourth outing was announced by Pixar, I certainly didn't expect it to be in any way as good as the third.

Except it was.

Toy Story 4 could be seen as unnecessary, as so many films with the letter or number 4 in their title are. And I guess it is unnecessary, but in the very capable hands of Pixar the story and characters never feel unnecessary. A new adventure is had by Woody, Buzz, Bo, Jessie, newcomer Forky and everyone else and it feels very much necessary.

The animation and cinematography in the film is amazing. The entire film is gorgeous to look at, but pay attention to the scenes where Woody and Bo say goodbye in the rain, Woody and Forky are walking along the highway, Bo is leading her entourage on a daring plan through the antiques store, Woody and Bo catch the late-day sun-through-the-chandelier, and anything during the carnival at night. It is all truly spectacular.

Again, Pixar makes tells a story through animation and toys that is so relevant, beautiful, touching and poignant that I laughed and cried. I was also a little terrified of the dummies! This movie may be animated and rated G, which in our culture means "kid movie" but this most certainly is not; I can't imagine any kid younger than 11 sitting through it and actually enjoying it.

I love that the story gives us a completely bad-ass Bo Peep, a character who didn't have much character in the first two films. Woody is quintessentially Wooody, and Buzz has some great moments as he listens to his "inner voice".  And Rex gets the best line of the movie - Look at how long his arms are!

Definitely see this in the theaters. It'll likely be my favorite film of the summer.

The Bachelorette: Settling??

The Bachelorette finale aired Monday, and since I don't have cable and ABC is practically impossible to get on antenna (and through streaming unless you live in one of eight markets), I had to wait until Tuesday night to watch it (thanks to the login of my friend's brother-in-law! Seriously none of my friends have cable anymore). I like being part of the public conversation of live events, so it was really hard to avoid social media and websites so I wouldn't be spoiled.

I was sure bachelorette Rachel would pick Peter. Both gap-toothed, they had great chemistry and seemed to really talk when they were together. Obviously, there is a lot of editing done on the show so we are only seeing what producers intend to make a good story. But really, they just seemed so right together. Also, the other front-runner, Bryan, I have disliked from the start - aggressive, sloppy kisser; charmer; just..ugh.

Only problem with Peter, though (at least according to what we were shown), was that he didn't feel ready to be engaged at the end. The premise of the show is to find love and get engaged. But that's the problem - it assumes getting engaged is the only logical step after deciding you are in love with someone. When, in reality, people who had been on three or four dates and weren't dating twenty other people simultaneously would decide to get to know each other more before getting engaged.

Rachel wanted a fiance, not a boyfriend. A fact she made clear multiple times. However, Peter also made it clear he wasn't ready to propose, and yet she continue to give him roses until he was one of the last two remaining. When they had their final night together, they had a brutal ending that felt entirely too real to anyone who has experienced a break up.

I've only felt real emotions twice before while watching The Bachelor/Bachelorette - when Jason broke up with Molly during the After the Final Rose, and when Brooks ended things with Desiree during his hometown. This break up between Rachel and Peter was devastating to watch, and I didn't want to believe it was the end. But then Chris Harrison, live in studio, said that that was the last time Rachel saw Peter.

NOOOOOOOO. I for real kept waiting for some twist to happen. Nothing. The show went on, with absolutely no suspense or intrigue and, honestly, no passion in Bryan's proposal to Rachel.

Only Rachel really knows why she made the choices she did. Based on what was broadcast, it looks like she was settling. The breakup with passionate, the proposal was not. It seemed she had to go with Bryan because he was the only one left out of default. It didn't help that Rachel insisted on getting a ring at the end, not a boyfriend. But having a ring is no guarantee that you will get married. It reminds of the movie He's Just Not That Into You. Ben Affleck is dating Jennifer Aniston. She wants to get married, but he doesn't see the need; he loves her and wants to be with just her - why do they have to get married? She realizes that being committed and in love is what is important (he ends up proposing anyway, which I was okay with because they had been dating seven years, living together, and he saw that it was important to her after they both compromised).

I have to completely agree with Peter on his thinking about engagement. It's not something done when still getting to know each other; it's done when you know for sure that is the person you want to be with forever. I believe in long courtships and short engagements, because once a couple is engaged it's just one short step to getting married.

Now Rachel is talking about her and Bryan getting to know one another, not sure where they will live, taking it slow. But they're engaged. So apparently that's better??

I still struggle with many gender roles and tropes that the franchise embraces. Why must Rachel wait for one of the men to propose to her? It's her show, why can't she?! Why must we still have the men asking the dad's permission to marry their daughter?! This is 2017! Why are we still so fixated on worth tied to being engaged/married and using it as a barometer of success? Rachel is already successful in life.

It was a pretty good season, and I was incredibly disappointed in the finale. We'll see what happens with the relationship, but the franchise does not have a great track record (although better with Bachelorettes than Bachelors).

Official End of Summer Movie Season: The Light Between Oceans

Facebook reminded me that on this day in 2011 I saw the movie "The Debt." Back then, I wrote about how one knows it's the end of summer based on what kind of movies are released. Here's what I said:
"Summer is always heralded in by big-budget, flashy tent-pole pictures usually involving a superhero or some sort of number in the title signifying it's a sequel of something that was popular two summers ago. Basically anything a teenage boy would like to see.

But then we get to the end, where a lot of the smaller films that aren't quite summer movies (read: there's no superheroes or animation) get unloaded. Films like The Help, One Day, and Crazy, Stupid, Love. Generally they're based on books. It's a very fine line between when those end and the fall movies start, but I think the distinction this year is made by the film The Debt."

Today I had the same experience when I went to see "The Light Between Oceans." It's not a splashy remake or sequel or addition to an ever-growing cinematic universe. There are no tie-ins with fast-food chains, car brands, or insurance companies (seriously, did you see the Progressive Insurance commercials linked to Ghostbusters?!). It's a character-driven film adapted from a novel. 

The movie stars Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander as Tom and Isabel, a couple who are light house caretaker and mistress on a remote island in Australia. He is a veteran of The Great War and enjoys the solitude; she is a force of nature who brings him joy and peace (that may sound cliche, but the way it is portrayed it seems anything but). When they suffer two miscarriages, it seems like a blessing from above when a small boat drifts ashore one day with a dead man and live baby girl in it. 

The movie went in directions I wasn't expecting, so it all unfolded as a pleasant surprise (I have not read the book...yet). It was breathtakingly beautiful, from the costumes to the sets to the scenery to the music (Alexandre Desplat has been nominated for Best Score 7 times in the last ten years). The powerhouse performances from the three main leads brings it all together to create a moving and fantastic story of love and forgiveness. 

Folks, I would see Michael Fassbender in nearly anything since he won me over as Mr. Rochester in a film adaptation of my favorite novel, Jane Eyre. And Rachel Weisz is an actress who is always giving wonderful performances even in mediocre films (or extremely strange ones like The Lobster). 

Two-A-Days

Friday morning I had some things I needed to do that involved being outside. I started sort of early, 7:30, to beat the heat and humidity of the afternoon. It didn't matter though. I was dripping in sweat in five minutes. And it didn't get any better for the hour and a half I was outside.

I had to take a shower during my lunch break.

Today I spent the day in Dallas with friends. Another hot and humid day. And another day where I had to take another shower later in the day. A trend of two showers in the day.

I hope this doesn't become a trend. However it IS summer in Texas

Superhero'd Out

I am officially superhero'd out. I started to feel this after the latest Captain America movie. I knew it was legit when I had no desire to see the latest X-Men movie. But I haven't stopped seeing movies. Far from it.

It started a couple weeks ago when I caught a showing of Zootopia, after reading a friend's impassioned status update regarding it. I remember seeing the trailer for it while experiencing The Force Awakens way back in December. I thought the sloth scene was hilarious, but was one of those scenes that would only be funny the first time you saw it, and I didn't think the entire movie would be able to live up to that scene. It DID! And not just because it was funny, but because the story was so timely and needed. I love the message it sends about going for your dreams, not giving into stereotypes,and that we are all in this together.

I also found it refreshing that the main character was a female and that a romance wasn't shoehorned in. Don't get me wrong, I like romance just as much as the next person and romcoms are one of my favorite genres. It's just that sometimes it's nice to see a story play out that is just about having friends. The female protagonist is not very common, considering that three of the trailers before the film were for cartoons that are populated by men and the token female voice. It's depressing.

My friend Rachel and I had a movie night last week. We generally focus on romcoms and this time around we watched Notting Hill as Rachel had never seen it. Notting Hill came out way back in 1999, and is the story of a regular ol' book-store-owning English bloke and the famous movie star he falls in love with. It sounds ridiculous, but in the deft hands of Richard Curtis and stars Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, it is wonderful. What I like about the film is that the characters are adults and act as such. They don't have any cloying, annoying misunderstandings that keep them apart before the end of the movie. There are no getting ready montages. No character types - "She's a stiff, he's a life-force" in the words of Joss Whedon - just regular people with regular, normal personalities. And the soundtrack is killer.

Last Saturday my friend Steph and I hit up the Angelika to see hot indie flick The Lobster. The premise is that couples are favored over single people. Anyone who is single is sent to The Hotel where they have 45 days to find a companion. If they don't they are then turned into an animal of their choice. The first half of the movie was clever and just the right kind of satire and commentary on society's fascination with pairing off. But then it veered wildly and was rather strange. The best part of the film was the experience when the film ended, the lights came up, and everyone in the theater awkwardly laughed and wondered aloud what had just happened. It was a shared movie-going experience that was both fleeting and everlasting. Steph and I have discussed the meaning of the film multiple times. I would only recommend this film to a small number of people; it's not for the masses.

Yesterday I went out to see Love and Friendship, another indie that's been pretty hot since it debuted at Sundance earlier this year. The film is based on a Jane Austen novella, however I hear this film version has been heavily adapted. I did not enjoy this movie. I found it boring and insufferable. I didn't care about any of the characters and is only the second time I wanted to leave the theater before the film ended (the first being X-Men Origins: Wolverine). I get what it was going for, but for me it fell really flat. However, my movie-going cousin loved it, so for another side of the story read her review.

Then there is Me Before You, which I have seen more than once in the ten days it's been out. I rather adore this film, and it was just what I needed in a testosterone-filled summer movie season. Before leaving for Seattle I had seen the trailer, and decided that I would make it my in-flight reading material. I purchased the book at the airport and read it on my four-hour there and back flights. I love the friendship between the two characters, and how they each provide what the other needs. Read this gentleman's write-up of it, and then make the blueberry scones he recommends (I just did and they are wonderful). My cousin also has a lovely review of it.

The Summer Movie Season isn't always the time to find small, character-driven stories. It's also not the time to find female-oriented stories. So I was happy to have found these, even if some of them I didn't like.

Three Movies in One Week

It's summertime, which means there a lot of movies hitting theaters. There is a new film opening every weekend, and unlike during non-summertime or Oscar-bait months, these are all BIG films. Big stars! Big effects! Big sequels!

Last week I saw three movies. First up was the Magic Mike sequel. Just like when I saw the first one, I went with a bunch of friends from work. Unlike the first one, it was not a good movie. The first one had a story and an indy-vibe to it. It had something to say. It didn't waste a ton of time on the secondary characters. The sequel, Magic Mike XXL, unfortunately fell under the trap of giving the audience what they supposedly wanted (this is never a good choice; it's how we got Juan Pablo as a Bachelor and 157 seasons of American Idol). Apparently the public wanted not only the side characters to now have stories and things to do, but they wanted more of them! And they wanted a road trip movie! And they wanted unnecessary dancing! Don't get me wrong, Tatum is a legit dancer, however this time around there was far less "magic".

I've already discussed Terminator: Genisys.

On the Fourth I saw Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. It's one of those film-y movies that I really like. It is a film that just looks nice; the director clearly spent time planning his shots. Also, I want to live in a house and neighborhood exactly like the one Earl and Rachel live in. That is exactly my style. The film premiered at Sundance and won the Audience Award, and it' well-deserved.

It's now the middle point of the Summer Movie Season. There are still a lot of big releases left; some I am excited for and others I am indifferent about. 
---Mission: Impossible 5 - slightly interested. Since I no longer subscribe to Entertainment Weekly magazine, I had no idea this movie even existed until I saw a trailer during the Super Bowl. Tom Cruise doesn't exactly excite me anymore, but it could be fun.
---Minions: no. Just no.
---Ant-man: not really.
---Trainwreck: interested. It could be the perfect antithesis to the "Big Summer Blockbuster"
---Southpaw: hmm. Interested.
---Pixels: no. I'm a film snob.
---Fantastic Four: not really.

It might be a slow second half of summer. 

Summer Movie Season

 The Summer Movie Season started a couple weeks ago with Iron Man 3, which I saw when I was in Salt Lake for graduation. This film was initially not on my radar to see, as I've only half-seen the first one and haven't seen the second one. But it was the only movie playing the weekend I was in Salt Lake that I wanted to see. I enjoyed the movie a lot! Maybe it was because I didn't have any expectations going into it, maybe it was because I really like The Avengers, and maybe it's because it is just a really well done movie.

The movie I was really looking forward to was Star Trek: Into Darkness. As I've stated numerous times before, J.J. Abrams can practically do no wrong--he really is just that awesome. Waiting four years from the previous film seemed like an awfully long time. I was pumped for this movie. And I was....underwhelmed. I kept waiting for it to kick into gear and get exciting and, for me, it never really did. I think Benedict Cumberbatch is awesome but was not used enough in the movie. I'm as non-trekkie as they get, so maybe some of the "inside"jokes and lore were lost on me this time. However, I really loved the opening scene because the set design was so amazing with those colors!

And I saw a preview for Man of Steel, which is the movie I'm looking forward to this summer (well, besides Before Midnight)! Bring on the summer movie season!

Avett Brothers

Summer is full of outdoor concerts and I love it. Tonight my fantabulous friend Pam and I returned to Gallivan Plaza to listen to The Avett Brothers. Last year it rained on us. This year it was hot. Hot and smelly (b.o., weed, something manure-ish, spilled beer). While Pam and I both think last years concert was better--different playlist, longer--we still very much enjoyed this one as well. We enjoyed crazy mustached-man, man wearing a tank top, dude who was very drunk and danced a bit too much, girl turning 30 who bumped up on me too many times, 11 people wearing Avett Brothers shirts (myself included), boy with sunflower shirt, boy who barely moved, and 12-year old on yearbook staff with the older boyfriend.

Oh, and the MUSIC!! They played a lot of older older songs this year, which I'm not as familiar with. Pammy once again did not get to hear her favorite, Ill With Want, and I didn't get to hear Colorshow. But the brothers put on a fabulous show, with banjos, cellos, stand-up bass, drums, piano and guitar. Oh, and the harmonica. It was awesome!

After the show, as we were walking by the vans and such, Scott and Seth walked out to their bus and Seth Avett and I shared a wave. It was kinda awesome.

How Do You Know It's the End Of Summer?

There are many things that signal the end of summer--school starting, the weather changing, your favorite flip-flop breaking. For me, though, I always know it's the end of summer based on movies. Summer is always heralded in by big-budget, flashy tent-pole pictures usually involving a superhero or some sort of number in the title signifying it's a sequel of something that was popular two summers ago. Basically anything a teenage boy would like to see.

But then we get to the end, where a lot of the smaller films that aren't quite summer movies (read: there's no superheroes or animation) get unloaded. Films like The Help, One Day, and Crazy, Stupid, Love. Generally they're based on books.

It's a very fine line between when those end and the fall movies start, but I think the distinction this year is made by the film The Debt. I hadn't heard a single thing about this movie until just last week, but the trailer seemed pretty convincing, especially since it starred Helen Mirren, the delicious Sam Worthington, and new "It" actress Jessica Chastain. See the movie, you will not be disappointed. Director John Madden stages the film with lots of suspense, emotion, and intrigue that I couldn't look away.

Also, three of the four trailers before the film I wanted to see. That's also how I know summer is over. I don't need a barometer to know the changing seasons, just give me a movie theater.

Picture Post

I have been doing things recently. Here are pictures to prove it.

Grandma turned 98 and we had a big family get-together in Ephraim.

Family Reunion in Blackfoot. (My mom and her sister Debra)

Saw best friend Lindsay-loo in a play in Pocatello.

Went to Bear Lake with some co-workers (I'm in the pink swimming suit).

Celebrated Mo's sixth birthday.

Visited with my cousin Rachel and her new baby, Kieden (sadly, no pictures were taken).

Ice cream with old friend.

Continued my obsession with, and got my sister also hooked on, The Vampire Diaries.

The Avett Brothers

I discovered The Avett Brothers about a year ago. I heard one of their songs on a tv show and bought their cd I and Love and You based off that one song. I love the album, and when I found out they were coming to Salt Lake this summer I immediately got tickets.

And tonight, Pammy and I braved the slight rain coming down to attend the concert. I love, love, love live concerts, the energy and excitement and fun they create. Nothing is better. I'm only familiar with their most recent album, but I enjoyed all the songs they sang. They have a ton of energy on stage and really get into their songs. I love it. (Have I used the word 'love' enough in this post?!) The rain let up early on in their set and it was just pure fun and love after that.

On a random not, I had no idea what they looked like when I bought their cd. I bought it based purely on how much I liked the sound of it (my brother thinks it's country because they're from North Carolina, Pam's husband refers to it as 'hippie music'. It is neither.) But if you know anything about me, you know my strange affinity for beards. And The Avett Brothers really rock the beards.

Jurassic Park in the Park

Friday night Em and I headed over to Fairmont Park in Sugarhouse to check out Jurassic Park in the park. As you may know, I'm a huge fan of movies in the park ever since I experienced it the first time in New York. I love when summer comes and parks all over the valley have Movie Nights.

You might remember Jurassic Park, the Spielberg-directed tale about dinosaurs gone amok on an island in Costa Rica, and the people who unfortunately get in their way. I remember seeing this movie when out came it with my whole family. Tickets were like 5 bucks, we bought two large popcorns and two large drinks, I sat with my mom and dad while Jared and Em sat on the front row. The theater was packed and it was a pretty cool experience.

The movie and dinosaurs hold up really well after all these years (it came out in 1993). It's intense and scary and a great ride. Spielberg rarely misses, and this one is definitely a hit (too bad the subsequent sequels weren't quite as good).

Temple of Doom

The iconic Indiana Jones has been around for 30 years. To mark the occasion, the Gallivan Plaza downtown is showing all four Indy movies for their Monday Movies this summer. I unfortunately missed the first one, but last night my sister and I caught the showing of my favorite Indy movie, Indiana Jones and the Temple Doom.

Yes, it is my favorite. I remember first seeing it when I was a kid. Raiders of the Lost Ark was slightly above my understanding at that age, and something about Indy, Short-round, the kids, and everything else really appealed to me. Most fans consider this the weakest Indy outing (until the utterly awful Indy 4 came out) because of the very things I liked about it. It fell victim to the sequel curse supposedly, but it is really a trilogy's middle act, not a sequel. And as such, it is quite good.

As I watch it as an adult, I am sort of shocked at how dark it is. People's hearts are getting ripped out, Indy is 'posessed' for a little while, children are forced into slave labor. I have no idea why I enjoyed it so much as a kid (or how my parents let me watch it!) But as an adult, I still enjoy it. I loved hearing other people in the park laugh at funny parts, get grossed out by the wacky dinner entrees, freaked out by the bugs and creepy-crawlies, and clap at the end.

Indy is pretty much the coolest archaeologist out there. July 11th is The Last Crusade. Be there with me.

Books and Music

Mockingjay, the third and final book of The Hunger Games, came out on Tuesday and my two awesome friends, Cat and Pam, and I went to Barnes and Noble at midnight to get it. That's why these girls are awesome--they love to read just like me and we're always getting books for each other and lending and borrowing from our personal libraries. I finished the book on Thursday. I loved it, probably because it ended just how I wanted it to. But also because I've come to love the characters and the story.

On Thursday Pam and I headed downtown to catch the last Twilight Concert Series in Pioneer Park. The act was She and Him, and I loved it, despite it being hot and crowded (but that's what you get when it's a free summer concert!). The music was super cool; Zooey Deschanel has a crazy cool voice and plays the piano and ukulele. The best part of the night was when their (totally awesome) band left the stage and it was just she and him (haha, funny I know) with their voices and guitar. I love simple and stripped down music.


The end of summer is pretty much here now, but I'm glad I got in one last good book and outdoor concert!

Perkes Reunion

Every year, on the last Saturday in July, my mom, her six sisters, their kids, and their kids' kids, descend on a park in Blackfoot to eat, run races, play volleyball/softball, and get updated on each others' lives. I always enjoy getting together with family and seeing how they all change. Since my mom is near the end of seven sisters, I have a lot of cousins that are older than me. This means that they're all married and have kids, some of which aren't that much younger than me. So we have lots of little ones running around, participating in races and getting in to trouble.



























I am pretty sure that I was the only cousin there who was not married and/or has kids (thanks for not coming, Em!). Because of this, I took my time getting to know my cousins' kids and trying to learn their names and get to know them. It was a fun time and I'm already looking forward to next year!

The Cowboy in Me

Last night, my sister and I attended Tim McGraw's concert at Usana Amphitheater. I must admit that any interest I had in country music died when I moved to New York--they have not a single country station in the area. Plus, New York isn't the place where you sit in your car and listen to the radio. That, added with my changing musical tastes, means I really have no idea what is going on in country music anymore.

What I do know, though, thanks to my sister, is that Tim McGraw is still pretty cool. And, at 43, still puts on a pretty awesome live show. And is not too bad to look at, so Emily tells me.

The opening act was Lady Antebellum, who are apparently the new "hot thing" in country music right now. They sound great live, which is comforting to know that their music isn't all fabricated in a studio. I don't own either of their cds, but their music and sound is good and easy to listen to. Also, the two guys in the group have beards, so I of course like them.







Then, after an incident in our row where a Tim McGraw-look-a-like caused quite the scene, and Emily to just about have a heart attack when I looked over and swore that Tim was right there, the real Tim came on stage. He sang for two hours, covering most of his hits (which is hard considering he's been doing it for over 20 years), including, "Something Like That," "Things Change," "Down on the Farm," and Em's favorite, "The Cowboy in Me."

Pretty awesome night, even if the stench of too much human body odor and beer was lingering in the air. Outdoor concerts in the summer are the coolest.

Expectation in the Shade

Last night, my quirky best friend and I made the inconceivably hot ride down to Orem to check out the Hale Center Theater's production of 110 in the Shade. I know a person in the play and they were able to get me tickets. It's the story of a small town in Depression-era south that is experiencing drought seen through the eyes of the Curry family. When a "rain-man" comes to town promising to bring rain in 24-hours in exchange for $100, he ends up bringing a lot more than rain to some people.

Oh, and it's also about a woman, Lizzie, who's apparently getting up there in age, sees herself as plain, and is told that she's going to end up being a schoolmarm. Her interest in the "widowed" town Sheriff, File, is quite lovely, and her attraction to the rainmaker Starbuck awfully believable and swoon-inducing. I related to Lizzie, File, Starbuck, and her loving but interfering father and brothers.

It was also a night of expectations. There's this scene in 500 Days of Summer where the main guy goes to this party with all these expectations of what's going to happen when he gets there. The movie employs a split screen to show how his expectations are very different from what actually happens. While mine was in no way as drastic as Tom's in the movie, it certainly wasn't all that I expected. Not bad, actually good, but maybe sorta awkward. But I'm just an awkward person.

Toy Story 3

Best. Movie. Of. The. Summer. A-mazing!! Seriously, what are you doing reading this when you could be out watching Toy Story 3?!

Much like last summer when I professed my love for Up!, I will again tell you that this is why I go to the movies. I don't care if the characters are animated and are talking toys; they are fully developed characters, which is more than what lots of other movies offer.

The film has heart, adventure, sadness, longing, happiness, excitement, terror (that big Baby!), nostalgia, and every other emotion you could think of. It has story, character, plot, good dialogue, good lesson/moral, awesome directing. And as me and my similarly-aged friends watched, I couldn't help but think that it's not really a kid movie, as the mostly adult audience we saw it with were laughing (and crying) just as we were and the few kids that were there didn't make a sound.

So thank you, Pixar, for once again making my summer movie season great. I was beginning to think that this summer would be a complete waste, as the number of films I've seen was drastically lower than last summer. I just wasn't excited about anything coming out. Until now. Seriously, get yourself to a movie theater and be prepared to be entertained.

How to Salvage a Bummer Day

For some reason, the last few hours of work were quite the bummer. No specific reason for this; it just was. Two ways to turn the day around real fast.

First--seeing Ivy, Elliett and Moses. Ivy and Elliett had a dance performance tonight that I went to straight after work. They were so cute, and seeing them and little Mo always makes my day. It's also nice to see my brother, sister and mom.

(Elliett is the shortest one in the middle, looking at the other girl to know what to do! Ivy is second from the right.)

Second--concert in the park. With the performer being Peter Breinholt. I love outdoor concerts in the summer and I LOVE Peter Breinholt, so it was pretty much win-win.