I went into the movies expecting a mindless bit of fluff, a typical comic book movie, and hopefully a decent introduction to characters I knew nothing about. You see, although I enjoy comic book movies, I've actually never opened a comic book in my life. Except for the one Superman comic that my 9 year old nephew left in my car one time. And I only really glanced at it. Really. ;)
Anyway, I felt it was a good introduction and a lot of fun. And I also found it was a little deeper than I expected, especially in relation to the character "The Thing." I enjoyed his struggles with the change in his apperance and what its implications were to his life, and especially his relationships. Not that a movie always has to carry some universal message, but it helps when there is some kind of wisdom to impart, such as accepting who you are as well as accepting change when it happens to you.
Basically, the film begins with a set up on how they became "fantastic." There was an accident in space, of course, and instead of killing them, it allowed them to develop unique and interesting abilities. The rest of the movie involves four of the five learning to use (and in one case, really enjoy) their new talents and banding together to foil the evil plans of the fifth member of their crew, who changed into something less "fantastic" than the others.
In the end, everything works out well and good conquers evil, which is a given, and they set things up perfectly for a sequel.
My perceptions? It really was a fun movie. I enjoyed it. Oddly, though the female members of the audience were supposed to be attracted to The Human Torch, I found myself thinking Mr Fantastic was just adorable. Torchie was cute too, though. lol
Anyway, my nephew loved it and I thought it was pretty cool. It was a great popcorn movie and if you haven't seen it, you should check it out when the DVD comes out.
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Quick Word Count Update....
Words: 15,381
Words to go: 54,619
Days to go: 21
Words per day: 2600 (yikes!)
I feel great about the progress of the book. The hero and heroine have met and are entering into the first roadblock of their relationship. Things are going really well and I am enjoying writing it. These characters are really starting to become real people to me and they are taking on a life of their own, which every writer wants! So even though I have the somewhat daunting task of writing almost 3,000 words a day for the next 21 days, I feel pretty good about it. How strange is that??!!
For details about the next whirlwind writing opportunity, the National Novel Writing Month Web site, linked here and join me in November as I start yet another novel, while waiting anxiously to see if this one will be published! And yes, I'm insane...
Words to go: 54,619
Days to go: 21
Words per day: 2600 (yikes!)
I feel great about the progress of the book. The hero and heroine have met and are entering into the first roadblock of their relationship. Things are going really well and I am enjoying writing it. These characters are really starting to become real people to me and they are taking on a life of their own, which every writer wants! So even though I have the somewhat daunting task of writing almost 3,000 words a day for the next 21 days, I feel pretty good about it. How strange is that??!!
For details about the next whirlwind writing opportunity, the National Novel Writing Month Web site, linked here and join me in November as I start yet another novel, while waiting anxiously to see if this one will be published! And yes, I'm insane...
I (heart) Chicago
Notice a trend? I (heart) everywhere that's not Alabama. ;) Especially considering the hurricane season we've had so far! But anyway, I'm in Chicago right now for work. It's my second visit to the Windy City and I really love it. It's such an interesting place, and the buildings are beautiful! Here's the view from my hotel room.
Another view shows the coolest building I've ever seen. It reflects several buildings just across from it, including my hotel. I don't know what the building is, but I think it's beautiful. Anyway, the conference hasn't started yet, so I have some time to enjoy being in a very comfortable room. Right now I'm watching ER and writing this blog. I'ts 10:30 in the morning and I've just finished breakfast. It was really good, too! Later today, the conference begins and there will be little leisure time after that, but I'm actually looking forward to the sessions. They are always so interesting and fun, and they always give me new ideas and teach me more about my job, so it's cool.
The only bad thing about this trip is that I tried to get tickets for Wicked here in Chicago and they were already sold out. :( I really wanted to see it again. Oh well, maybe when it comes to Atlanta I can take a little road trip and see it then. Seriously, this show is so good that I want to see it many, many times! I will eventually post a review of the show on my review site.
Anyway, I'm going to end this here, but will probably do another post with some more pictures and news from my trip to Chicago. Stay tuned!
Sunday, August 07, 2005
I (heart) LA!
Yeah, I know it's been a long time since I've posted anything. I guess I've just been busy. The big news is, my vacation to LA was awesome! I really had a great time. This first pic is of me with Roger Ebert's star on the walk of fame. Since I fancy myself a movie critic, I thought it was appropriate to pose with "thumbs up" beside his star. Plus, he's my favorite critic. 
The next picture is of me and Rhea posing with the handprints of Frank Sinatra and Julie Andrews. She's beside Frank and I'm beside Julie. This was, of course, right in front of the Chinese Theater where all the hand and foot prints are. It was crowded that day, but we had a great time identifying the prints of our favorite celebrities.
And of course, who can go to LA without snapping a pic of the famous Hollywood sign. We actually drove around for about an hour before we were able to get a good vantage point from which to shoot this photo. I had to walk in front of the Scientology Celebrity Center to get this picture. It was creepy. Speaking of creepy Scientologists, while we were in LA, we were approached by three different Scientologists trying to get us to take their tests or inviting us to a free exhibit of L. Ron Hubbard's life. We politely declined, of course, but it was still very strange. So overall, our trip to LA was a blast, and I would go back and do it again in a heart beat. One thing I loved about LA was the dry air. Here in the South, the humidity is so high that it's nearly impossible to breathe, but out there I could take a breath without struggling at all! So I liked California a lot and wouldn't hesitate to go back anytime.
The Island not a tropical paradise
Well, duh. The trailers for this film did the thing trailers are not supposed to do. It gave almost the entire film away. By the time I walked into the theater, I knew that Ewan McGregor played a clone, that he found out who he really was, and that "going to the island" meant the clones were killed for their organs. I guess it's okay to know all this because, even being aware of it, I enjoyed the film and the premise. This could, of course, be because I adore Ewan McGregor and just enjoy watching him on the big screen. But I'm sure it was also the action, the romance, the humor, and the fact that, at one point, there were actually two Ewans on the screen at the same time!
So anyway, the basic premise involves two clones who enjoy spending time with each other, until one of them "wins the lottery" to go to The Island. Ewan's character (Lincoln Six Echo) sneaks around and finds out that there is no island and that his "girlfriend" is about to be killed. They escape from the facility where they are being held, which looks like a missle silo or something, and run out into a desert. I won't go into what happens next because it's actually an interesting ride. So if you have a discount theater in your town and you're bored one night, you should see this film. It's not playing at first run theaters anymore, but some of the discount ones may still be playing it. It's a fun night at the movies.
So anyway, the basic premise involves two clones who enjoy spending time with each other, until one of them "wins the lottery" to go to The Island. Ewan's character (Lincoln Six Echo) sneaks around and finds out that there is no island and that his "girlfriend" is about to be killed. They escape from the facility where they are being held, which looks like a missle silo or something, and run out into a desert. I won't go into what happens next because it's actually an interesting ride. So if you have a discount theater in your town and you're bored one night, you should see this film. It's not playing at first run theaters anymore, but some of the discount ones may still be playing it. It's a fun night at the movies.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory a tasty treat
I never thought I’d say this, but the original movie version of Willy Wonka and Charlie Bucket remains my favorite. Now, I’m a very big Johnny Depp fan and I had great expectations for this film, with him as Willy Wonka, but unfortunately, his portrayal of the famous “candy man” was a little too strange and creepy for me. But overall, the film was great entertainment and a lot of fun.
Of course, everyone knows the story of the ominous chocolate factory that no one ever goes in or out of, but it still manages to churn out millions of bars of chocolate. One day, Willy Wonka decides to open his chocolate factory to five children for a tour and some treats. He devises a contest to find these five children. Golden tickets are hidden in the wrapping of five chocolate bars and the five children who find them will be able to go into the factory. Honestly, I think Wonka must have been experiencing a sales slump and saw this as a great marketing device, as Coca-Cola and Pepsi do every summer with their various “under the cap” prizes. I’m still bitter that I didn’t win the Dr Pepper Mini Cooper this summer.
Everyone knows about the four horrible children who won the tickets by devious means and eventually get themselves into trouble at the factory. Everyone also knows about the very poor and innocent child who is kind, humble, and gentle. It is this child, Charlie Bucket, who is truly deserving of his Golden Ticket. It is this child who doesn’t get himself into any trouble and who eventually wins the contest within the contest, simply because he’s the only one left at the end of the day.
I won’t belabor the plot because, as I said, everyone knows what happens in the story. I will, however, talk about the differences between the original movie and this one. One addition I truly enjoyed was the back story about Wonka himself. Obviously this man is so screwed up because he has what we like to call “daddy issues.” Daddy is played brilliantly by Christopher Lee, who is as menacing as a dentist in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as he was as Saruman, the evil wizard in Lord of the Rings.
Another amazing part about this movie would have to be the special effects and sets. I don’t know how much of the sets were CGI, but they were amazing! I particularly enjoyed “The Chocolate Room” with the chocolate river and the trees and grass and everything made of some type of candy. This was one of my favorite parts of the original, and I was thrilled that they didn’t alter it too much. The kids and their stories were pretty much the same, which was good. Casting was excellent, especially Charlie. This little actor will be doing movies for a good long while, especially since he has apparently made friends with Johnny Depp during the filming of Finding Neverland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He has a lot of talent for such a young boy and he’s just precious!
Another difference is the music. The kids don’t sing at all, and the Oompa Loompa songs are of various styles with tunes that aren’t really catchy or memorable. It was cool that they incorporated so many different styles, but I really missed the old versions of the songs, which were extremely catchy and fun.
Basically, I will say that Charlie and the Chocolate Factory may become a classic for this generation of kids, but those of us who knew and loved Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with Gene Wilder will always remember it more fondly than this new film. And that’s okay.
Of course, everyone knows the story of the ominous chocolate factory that no one ever goes in or out of, but it still manages to churn out millions of bars of chocolate. One day, Willy Wonka decides to open his chocolate factory to five children for a tour and some treats. He devises a contest to find these five children. Golden tickets are hidden in the wrapping of five chocolate bars and the five children who find them will be able to go into the factory. Honestly, I think Wonka must have been experiencing a sales slump and saw this as a great marketing device, as Coca-Cola and Pepsi do every summer with their various “under the cap” prizes. I’m still bitter that I didn’t win the Dr Pepper Mini Cooper this summer.
Everyone knows about the four horrible children who won the tickets by devious means and eventually get themselves into trouble at the factory. Everyone also knows about the very poor and innocent child who is kind, humble, and gentle. It is this child, Charlie Bucket, who is truly deserving of his Golden Ticket. It is this child who doesn’t get himself into any trouble and who eventually wins the contest within the contest, simply because he’s the only one left at the end of the day.
I won’t belabor the plot because, as I said, everyone knows what happens in the story. I will, however, talk about the differences between the original movie and this one. One addition I truly enjoyed was the back story about Wonka himself. Obviously this man is so screwed up because he has what we like to call “daddy issues.” Daddy is played brilliantly by Christopher Lee, who is as menacing as a dentist in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as he was as Saruman, the evil wizard in Lord of the Rings.
Another amazing part about this movie would have to be the special effects and sets. I don’t know how much of the sets were CGI, but they were amazing! I particularly enjoyed “The Chocolate Room” with the chocolate river and the trees and grass and everything made of some type of candy. This was one of my favorite parts of the original, and I was thrilled that they didn’t alter it too much. The kids and their stories were pretty much the same, which was good. Casting was excellent, especially Charlie. This little actor will be doing movies for a good long while, especially since he has apparently made friends with Johnny Depp during the filming of Finding Neverland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He has a lot of talent for such a young boy and he’s just precious!
Another difference is the music. The kids don’t sing at all, and the Oompa Loompa songs are of various styles with tunes that aren’t really catchy or memorable. It was cool that they incorporated so many different styles, but I really missed the old versions of the songs, which were extremely catchy and fun.
Basically, I will say that Charlie and the Chocolate Factory may become a classic for this generation of kids, but those of us who knew and loved Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with Gene Wilder will always remember it more fondly than this new film. And that’s okay.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Coming Soon...
It's been awhile, I know. But just a quick update. Coming soon on this site, you will see reviews of: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Island, Dark Water, Must Love Dogs, and the newest Harry Potter book: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Look for these updates soon. Sometime this week, I hope! Until then, enjoy your trips to the movies!
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