New Moon

BOOK: Great! It's actually one of my favorite in the series (mostly because I can relate to Bella when Edward leaves her...)

MOVIE: Eh...

I must say, I think director Chris Weitz caught some of the most important parts from the book beautifully on film, but it wasn't enough. The movie just reminded me how boring the first three books actually are. Stephanie Meyer writes emotion, not story. It's not until her last book when something actually happens! (Note to Mrs. Meyer: Edward leaving is SOMETHING HAPPENING. Having a baby is SOMETHING HAPPENING. Not knowing whether you like Edward or Jacob is NOT something happening!)

But thanks to this movie, however, I am now for Team Jacob... ;)

I give this movie 2 RED BULLS!
(meaning I would need 2 Red Bulls to see this movie again...)

2012

Are....you....KIDDING ME!?

So apparently, John Cusack seems to be the only person who can drive a limousine through the streets of California while the earth is crumbling beneath him and buildings are falling all around the place. REALLY!?

But no, honestly, I don't know WHY I saw potential in this film. I guess I thought the plot was going to be more about the Mayan prediction, or the belief in high solar activity for the year 2012, but boy, was I wrong...

This was your typical disaster movie, and I think director Roland Emmerich knew it. I'll admit, this film was VERY FUNNY! But it had to be due to such a poorly written script. I just wish it were the other way around....

I give this movie NO RED BULLS!

(meaning that even if the earth were crumbling beneath me, I wouldn't dare waste a perfectly good Red Bull just to watch this movie again...)

Sexting

SEXTING = "sexy tesxting"

SERIOUSLY!? Have you ever done this?

(NOTE: Thank you, "Glee," for creating this wonderful new word...) ;)

"Nerds Among Us" This Weekend!!! :)

Russ Weatherford

Check out Russ's website!

Finnian's Rainbow

First off, let me say that I HOPE this show does well now that it has officially opened. I saw it during previews, and it deserves good praise....

But, that being said, the second act is MUCH BETTER than the first! The first was very slow and boring. The music was great, as were the voices of Kate Baldwin and Cheyenne Jackson! And don't get me wrong....the story is cute, but I feel like our ingenue's fall in love instantly. And there's no "love at first sight" thing going on, either. One seen they meet, and the next they're already talking about marriage. What ever happened to some fun flirting!? ;)

What really caught me, however, was in the second act....there was a BEAUTIFUL dance piece between the mute girl and a harmonica player. I was so mesmerized, I was hooked for the rest of the show. I only wished the play had opened with a similar number. Then I might have paid attention during the first act more....

Regardless, the message of the show was beautiful, and it's amazing to think that something that was written so long ago can still coincide with the values and nature of today's society. You would think we might learn over so many years....

I give this musical 2 RED BULLS!

(meaning I would need 2 Red Bulls to see this show again, and mostly for Act 1)

Away We Go

This was a very beautiful movie, and much different than I expected. This film got a lot of hype when it was in theatres, and it was much deserved.

From the trailer, I thought this movie would be about raising a new baby to a couple unfamiliar with raising a family. But instead, this was a beautiful film not just about starting a new life for a new family, but it was more about finding a new home. And sometimes, home is where we least expect it.... :)

I give this movie only HALF A RED BULL!
(meaning I would need less than a full Red Bull to watch this move again...)

Where the Wild Things Are

Wow.

I don't even know what to say about this BEUATIFUL film....

So let me start by saying this....

You have a book....with 4 complete sentences in it.....with only about 335 words.....HOW DO YOU MAKE THAT INTO A MOVIE?

Well, Spike Jonze knows how! He took a classic picture book and turned it into a wonderful piece of art.

Without giving too much away (I want everyone to experience this film the way I did....with an open mind....), the story reminded me of my good friend, Robert Sambursky, who died during my senior year of college. It reminded me of the people who come and go in our lives, just like Max came and left in the world of the Wild Things. Furthermore, it reminded me about what we learn from those people, just like what Max learned from the Wild Things and vice versa.

I must also give mad props to Max Records for his AMAZING rendition of Max, the "King" of the Wild Things. This boy was the perfect find! He was so naturally talented, I only hope he can at least be nominated for an Oscar for his role. He deserves it....

The visualization of the movie was also stunning! It was MORE than what I was expecting, and it made me want to LIVE in the world of the Wild Things. And the music was also well done! Congrats to all! :)

I give this movie NO RED BULLS!!!
(meaning I would need NO Red Bulls in order to watch this movie again.)

So I THANK YOU, Spike Jonze, for NOT ruining a beloved children's classic, but turning it into something even more beautiful than the original... :)

The Invention of Lying

Cute movie. I thought the original concept/idea for the film was very unique, but it went in a completely different direction than I was expecting. This movie became FAR TOO RELIGIOUS than what it should have been. I wasn't expecting it, and it just became a little too awkward in the end...

That being said.....

Ricky Gervais is always worth a laugh, and the rest of the cast was very true and natural as well. I DID enjoy what Ricky's character LEARNS from the whole experience, I just wish he had discovered it with less religious undertones.

I give this movie 2 RED BULLS!
(meaning I would need 2 Red Bulls to watch this movie again...)

National Equality March - October 11th, 2009

Wow.

It's only been a couple of days, but I am still quite emotional over the experience I had at the National March for Equality in Washington, D.C. that took place on October 11th, 2009...

First of all, I just want to THANK EVERYONE WHO ATTENDED!!! The last I heard there was over 150,000 people there, which truly makes it the largest march for gay/equal rights in the past decade! GO US! :)

Next, I am 26, and to some, I am still young, but I was TRULY INSPIRED by the amount of teenagers I saw at the rally. My brother is also gay, and he came out at a much earlier age than I did, and I always admired him for that. So to all the teens who attended, way to represent. :)

Also, I received MUCHO SUPPORT from friends and family members before I went down to D.C., and I just want to thank everyone else who (for whatever reason...) could NOT make it down to the march for sending someone in their place to represent them. I, personally, felt like I was representing AT LEAST 10 friends who weren't there physically, but it made me feel like a stronger person. :)

I also MUST THANK Broadway Impact. They, alone (with Equity Cares) sponsored 25 buses from NYC to D.C. and back, bring 1400 people to the march, and that is truly amazing! This organization makes me want to do more for gay rights....so THANK YOU BROADWAY IMPACT for being a true leader! :)

Now, as for the march itself....

Again.

Wow. :)

To start the day off with a RAINBOW IN THE SKY WITH NO RAIN FOR MILES....that is TRULY a sign from a higher power! The weather couldn't have been better, I was only bummed because I prepared for the cold by wearing my rainbow sweatshirt, but it was so hot, I had to take it off....thank God I had my "peace shirt" underneath....

But it truly felt inspirational and emotional to march down the streets of Washington with THOUSANDS of people with the same beliefs! I took many great pics at the White House, as well as the Capitol where we ended up, but no words can really recapture the moment as I was living it. Marching for something you TRULY BELIEVE IN is something EVERYONE has to do AT LEAST ONCE in their lifetime....

I was also very proud to find that my hometown friend, Tanner Efinger, made a BEAUTIFUL speech at the rally! Just another reason to be proud... :)

I was also glad that many people were standing up to President Obama. Yes, we know we voted him in, but one of the speakers said it best when she said, "We voted for you because we BELIEVE you are the one who can help us. BUT...we can no longer wait. The time is NOW! CHANGE IS NOW! NOW! NOW! NOW!" I only HOPE the President heard....

On the other hand.....President Obama made some MAJOR promises at the HRC dinner the night before. I would love to see him hold up to these promises in the next 3 years, just in case he can't get re-elected, but we shall see what the future brings....

Finally, I realized something today....

Someone told me that it is "sad that we have to march for our own rights." But I actually have to disagree....

I am actually GLAD that I have to march for my own equal rights! Our forefathers have always talked about "those who died to defend this country," well....maybe it's MY TURN (or OUR TURN) to defend it! I am actually PROUD that WHEN I have equal rights, I will have EARNED THEM MYSELF! And after this march, I won't have to say that I did NOTHING just to be treated equal....

....I can say that I MARCHED for my rights....and DAMN did it feel good.... :)

KEEP EQUALITY GOING!!!

TELL YOUR STORY....

PASS MINE ALONG!

PASS MY VIDEO ALONG: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS-VKJn5lPw

KEEP LOVE STRONG!!! :)

National Equality March Video

Whip It

CONGRATULATIONS DREW BARRYMORE!!!

As her beautiful directorial debut, Whip It is a wonderful girl-power movie about discovering oneself through rollerblading.

Ellen Page makes a great main character for us. Her awkwardness is always adorable. And although her natural talents remind me of the same character we saw in Juno, this time around, Ellen was a bit more shy rather than sarcastic. That being said, she was still perfectly cast. :)

Marcia Gay Harden also gives a splendid performance as Ellen Page's mother. That woman can take the simplest of roles and turn it into a character that's deep and beautiful. She's my muse. :)

And you know who I hadn't seen since Home Alone??? Daniel Stern! And wow, can this guy act! What a touching, supportive performance as Ellen's father! I was thoroughly impressed. As was I with Ellen's best friend, Alia Shawkat as Pash. Both did a job well done. :)

Who I really loved, however, was Kristen Wiig. I've always admired this woman. She's always 110% committed to every one of her roles, whether it be on SNL or another film. But what I loved about Kristen's work as Maggie Mayhem in this film was that she showed us she can be a little serious and sensitive, too. She played the most sincere single mom who was just out there doing what she loved, FOR who she loved. I was truly touched, Kristen....thank you.... :)

The only thing I would have changed about this movie was maybe having a little less Drew Barrymore in it. I mean, don't get me wrong, I LOVE Drew, and I am so proud of her new directing accomplishment! And I also LOVE seeing directors in their own movies...but to an extent. I always look for M. Night in his films, but they are usually small roles. He's usually in a scene or two, and that's it. But Drew was still a major character in this film. I mean, props to her for handling it all, but I would have rather seen her as a beauty contest judge for a scene or two, rather than her ditsy self as a roller derby chick. Love her....but just saying....

I give this movie 0.5 RED BULLS!
(As much as I liked it, I would only need half a Red Bull to watch it again.)

Heroes - WHAT WENT WRONG???

Dear Heroes,

WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!?!?!?!?

Your show sucks now! :( But let me tell you why....

1. TOO MANY CHARACTERS: When you only have an hour show, and you can't fit all of your characters into one episode, you know you have a problem....

Honestly, I think you guys got cocky in the very first season. You knew you had a hit right away (which you did...), but you started introducing new heroes and killing them off in the same episode. What the hell!? And now, there's so many "heroes" in the show that I don't even know who's a main character anymore. And I'm sick of just following Claire....

Lost has a lot of characters to keep up with. But there's a BIG difference between their main characters and other minor roles, and yet, we love both. Heroes, on the other hand, makes everyone out to be so important and evil and scheming that they ALL look like main characters. But because there's so many, I don't care for any of them as much as I should.

Look at Desperate Housewives....the show usually only introduces ONE new housewife each season, and there's always someone dying off, so a show that started off with 4 housewives now has 6, but it works because WE SEE THEM ALL IN THE SAME EPISODE!!! As for Heroes, we don't see everyone each week, and that's not a good thing...

Furthermore, going back to my example of Lost...yes, it has a lot of characters, but they are also located ON THE SAME ISLAND!!! Which brings me to my next point...

2. ALL OVER THE PLACE: Heroes is in too many locations. If you asked me right now, I couldn't tell you who's in New York City, who's still in California, what's going on in DC, or where these new carnival characters come from. Hell, I still think Hiro is in 16th century Japan! What the hell was that all about? I mean, don't get me wrong...I like time travel. I get it. They do it on Lost. But it also makes sense...

In one episode, Heroes can go back and forth between so many different characters in AT LEAST 5 different cities and locations, it's too much to keep up with. Season 1 was AWESOME because we only had about 10 main characters and they were all fighting for the same thing...to save New York City. Yes, they were in different locations, but not as many as they are now...

3. SOAP OPERA ACTING: And what's up with the new story lines? Last week, I think we had to deal with Matt suffering from keeping Sylar locked inside his mind. Ooooooooooo......so scary! (NOT!) I felt like I was on a soap opera! Where's the fighting!? I liked it when they were being hunted. Things were intense. But now, I can't even tell who's good and who's bad anymore! And Peter....what a pussy!? No one likes a pussy. I hate that he's "ashamed" of his powers, just like Matt. What kind of "hero" is ashamed of who they are!?

4. WEAK MOTIVATION: The best comic books work because of their deep character motivation. I like to think of some comic books as Greek tragedies....people don't just gouge out their eyes for no reason. It's always a sacrifice for someone else, or for love, but the point is, the motivation is usually strong.

In the Spiderman movies, Peter Parker doesn't just one day wake up and he's suddenly Spiderman. He LEARNS how to use his talents and abilities to avenge his uncle. And even his Uncle Ben was more like a father figure to him, which makes the motivation even deeper.

But there's NO motivation anymore on Heroes. Everything is now always based on some secret plan between Angela and HRG. But where's their reasons? I know you try to keep everything a secret until the very end, but keeping secrets doesn't make a good show. On Desperate Housewives and Lost, they reveal their secrets slowly, but at least give a clue here and there in each episode. Heroes doesn't do that at all anymore, and I sort of think it's because they have nothing left to reveal....

So here's what we need...

1. VILLAINS: No comic book super hero ever had just ONE villain. There was always the ULTIMATE bad guy, but even they had henchmen. In this case, we need a villain BESIDES Sylar. Sylar is the perfect mastermind, but that's all. After the volume "Villains," we sort of saw a bit of good AND bad in ALL of our "heroes." So now I can't tell who's good and who's bad any more. I thought that whole volume was going to set up an all out WAR for our "heroes," but when that didn't happen, I was bummed (being hunted doesn't count as a war...). Yet, it was still a decent volume of episodes....

We NEED a strict set of good guys who are constantly fighting a certain set of bad guys. It's not that hard. Now go find us someone other than Sylar for everyone else to fight his or her "evil doings"...

2. STRUCTURE: Honestly, the show doesn't need "to be continued" every episode. If we just had a bunch of heroes who weren't so afraid of their abilities, and who WANTED to work together to save the day, they could fight a different villain in each episode. It'd be like a live action cartoon series...I'd be cool with that.

Otherwise, a restructuring of the show can also involve a much better story line, again, with deep motivation, not so many heroes, and more bad guys... :)

And finally....

3. HEROES!!!! Right now, we HAVE NO HEROES!!! Heroes has no heroes! What's wrong with that!? Claire just wants to be a normal college kid. Peter wants to live the life of a boring paramedic. Matt wants a normal family life. What the hell!? I get it if you're trying to say that "there's a hero in all of us," but I don't think that's what you're trying to say, lol.

These characters have had time to accept their powers. I thought they already did! So why give up again? Where's their motivation???? We NEED stronger heroes on this show. And Hiro's "cat saving" abilities are a little lame.

YET...

He and Ando are the only ones fighting for justice in the series. We need more Hiros....literally...


Thanks for listening. :)

JD

Apology to Megan Fox

I want to personally apologize to Megan Fox....

Although I did not see Jennifer's Body (and with only $6 million made on opening weekend, it looks like no one else did either...), but I think I misjudged Megan Fox.

After watching Megan on The Jay Leno Show, I realized that Megan is a very funny and natural person. I just think she's been caught up in all the Hollywood hype (especially surrounding her very tastefully done bikini pics...). And now after seeing her on the season premiere of SNL, Megan was completely committed to every one of her roles, and I was utterly impressed!

So Megan Fox, I apologize for judging your decision to make Jennifer's Body. You are a good actress trying to make it like the rest of us. :)

But I hope opening weekend showed you that boobs don't make a movie....you do.... ;)

JD

Flash Forward

Ok, so HOW AWESOME IS THIS SHOW!? We're only two episodes in, and I'm already completely hooked! I know ABC is trying to capture it's die-hard Lost fans (which is totally me...), and this is the perfect show for them to do that with, but I am expecting it to be a little easier to follow than Lost.

Of course, I'm already wondering how the season will end...and will it end on April 29th, 2010? Is that why they chose that date? Most shows don't end until mid-May, so will there be a few episodes AFTER we catch up to the future, or are we watching on a Lost "time schedule" in which there's been 5 seasons, yet besides the flashbacks, only about 3 months went by with our survivors on the island? (And that doesn't include time travel either...)

But the real questions are: WHO are the two mysterious figures who were AWAKE during the black out??? And WHAT caused the black out to occur in the first place??? Oh, and WHERE IS DOMINIC MONAGHAN??? I loved seeing Seth MacFarlane on the first episode, and the show on a whole reminds me of 24, but rather than living one hour at a time, these characters live one DAY at a time... :)

THEORIES: I know the producers are saying that Flash Forward has NOTHING TO DO WITH LOST....but what if it does....of course, I NEVER want Lost to end, but we all know it has to, especially if we want it to remain concise. But what if ABC is not just trying to give Lost fans a new show, but rather CONTINUE the same concept/ideas with a different series such as Flash Forward? For those Lost fans out there, we all know what happened at the end of season 5....but what if "The Incident" is what caused the blackout in Flash Forward??? HOW AWESOME WOULD THAT BE!?!? We all know a magnetic pulse made Oceanic flight 815 crash on the island, so I can totally believe that a hydrogen bomb going off made the entire WORLD blackout for 2 minutes and 17 sconds...

...see how cool this show can be.... ;)

School of Rock

Dude--how AWESOME is this movie!? I mean, I've seen it before, but I forgot how GOOD Jack Black can be! And with an all-star cast like Sarah Silverman, Joan Cusack, and even....dare I say it....ADAM PASCAL!!!! How can you go wrong!?

I just love the message behind this movie. Kids should be in school to learn. We should ALL be learning every day of our lives! The learning should NEVER stop! And it doesn't matter HOW we learn something, just as long as we LEARN SOMETHING! We ALL have special talents, and they should NEVER be held back! Sure, we may want someone else's talent, but if we always be true to ourselves and showcase who we are, we can never go wrong....

As much as I WANT to give this movie a FULL Red Bull.....

I give this movie HALF A RED BULL!!!

(It's definitely a film I can watch over and over again, but I would only need a few sips each time...)

Thanks for making a classic movie, Jack! :)

P.S. Now it's YOUR TURN to dish about Kathy Griffen..... :)

Superior Donuts

From talented writer, Tracy Letts, author of the popular August: Osage County, Broadway's new Superior Donuts is a BEAUTIFUL play about the slowly fading "American Dream."

From start to finish, this play had me in stitches! Yasen Peyankov plays the perfect Russian small business owner in Chicago's Uptown district. He complains about every little thing with ultimate detail and dedication, lol. And who would have known that Jane Alderman as Lady used to work in casting. Her comedic timing never missed a beat!

But who really stole the show in terms of laughter was Jon Michael Hill as Franco Wicks. His role was very stereotypical, but Jon was so committed to his character, practically everything he said was hilarious! YET...at the same time....Franco was completely inspirational. He showed us the true value of the long-forgotten "American Dream," and that it can start at such a young age. We all have dreams and aspirations, but why are there so many people in this world who want to stop those from happening? Maybe more of our dreams would come true if we helped OTHERS with their own dreams first...

As for Michael McKean, this was a very different role for him, but he played it brilliantly. We are used to seeing Michael in Christopher Guest's mockumentary movies, but the role of Arthur was a little more sensitive than his usual taste. The relationship between him and Franco, however, was marvelous! One would never expect two people with such an age difference to click so suddenly, but Michael and Jon pulled it off with flying colors! It was the two of them who truly show us how important we are to each other, no matter what color, race, or sexuality we are. This relationship moves you to tears by the end of the play....

The ONLY THING I DIDN'T LIKE about this piece (and I blame no one but director and author...) was the monologues....I mean, seriously, guys? It was like you were trying to put a Shakespearean soliloquy into a really good contemporary play! You made them SOOOOOOO over-the-top important, but WHY!?!?!? First of all, I saw no reason for them. I could have cared less about what Arthur's father did to him when he was 5 years old, or how much Vietnam affected him. Honestly, I barely listened to him every time that spotlight burnt his face as Michael spoke directly to the audience, yet it still didn't affect my memory of the play. They were completely unnecessary! I mean, did you need a way to change the scene or something? Why couldn't Michael have talked to Franco directly? Could he have revealed this "need-to-know" information through more dialogue? That I would have enjoyed! But the way it is now....the play would be 110% perfection without the monologues completely. But for now, it's only 100%... ;)

The good news is that I saw Superior Donuts during previews, so hopefully the director reads this note before the show opens. I think the entire cast and production team has a smash hit without the monologues. Otherwise, it's still a hit! :)

I give this play 1 RED BULL!!!

(meaning I would only need 1 Red Bull to go see it again...and I usually have one every day, so that's only natural for me, lol!)

P.S. Thank you, Michael and Jon for your inspiration! You truly put on a wonderful show. :)

Manny Adventures -- PARKOUR!!!

Here's mine and Linus' take on parkour from NBC's "The Office!" :)

Parkour on NBC's "The Office"

Jennifer's Body

This isn't a review, especially considering I will NEVER SEE THIS MOVIE!!! But I just wanted to say that I think this is a HORRIBLE way to exploit Megan Fox! Honestly, I can't even believe she let Hollywood do this to her! I mean, we know she was hot in the first Transformers movie, but she had so much potential! This movie, however, is just totally going in the wrong direction for her...

I give this movie 10 RED BULLS!!!

(that's how many Red Bulls I would need in order for someone to get me to watch this movie...)

P.S. Megan, Fox, I like you....but this movie makes you seem desperate for sex and is a cheap ploy to get straight men to want you....but deep down, we know you're better than that....so please do something with more class for your next film....and Transformers 3 doesn't count....

New Moon: NEW TRAILER!!! :)

Fanboys

A not so long time ago in the same galaxy we live in now....

HOW DID I MISS THIS MOVIE!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

For some reason, I thought this movie was a documentary that followed real nerds at some Star Wars convention, but MAN--was I wrong!!!

This movie was INCREDIBAD!!! And not just because I'm a Star Wars fan.... But the plot alone is simple (as most comedies usually are), yet touching and sincere at the same time. It makes you think, "What would you do for a dying friend?"

But all the Star Wars references and connections to the actual films were brilliant, and the actors had PERFECT comedic timing! Dan Fogler (who I forgot won a Tony Award for his role in "Spelling Bee") is hilarious! He makes being stupid so natural! LOL! I am also a huge fan of Kristen Bell and Seth Rogan, so kudos to them! And all the original Star Wars actors!!! WOW! is all I have left to say....

If you are a Star Wars fan....GO WATCH THIS MOVIE NOW!!!! After all....George Lucas calls this movie a "love letter to the originals..."

I give this movie NO RED BULLS!!!

(clearly, I would not need a single DROP of Red Bull to watch this movie over and over again...)

May the force be with you... ;)

Slings & Arrows

So I know this is mostly a movie blog, but I discovered a new favorite TV show....

It's a Canadian classic called "Slings & Arrows" (and by classic I mean 2005...)

The show was supposed to be a 6 part mini series, but was SO GOOD that it was made into 3 seasons!

It follows the lives of a group of actors who are all part of a theatre company, and each season, they do a classic Shakespeare play. But what's so brilliant is that every character in the show is also based on a Shakespearean character, usually from the play they are trying to put on. How genius is that!?!?

Oh, and did I mention that one of the leads is Rachel McAdams??? (She's my fav....) :)

So if you're an actor, or you like Shakespeare, or if you like TV, or even if you just like Rachel McAdams, or maybe even C) for all of the above....GO WATCH THIS SERIES NOW!!!! It's shows like this as to why the tube was made.... ;)

Clearly, this TV program gets NO RED BULLS!!!

(In other words, I could watch it all night without any Red Bulls to carry me through, but too bad I'm watching it one episode at a time with the housemates....too bad....)

Surf's Up

I've seen this movie before, so this will be a short review, but I must admit that it is super cute and honest. I think I laughed harder the first time around, and probably because the friend I watched it with was cracking up, but I definitely love the "style" of the movie. When it first came out, there were so many penguin movies in the theaters that I didn't know which ones to like. So when I finally saw this on DVD, I thought it was a great depiction of not only the "surfer life," but also of someone who has "fallen off the path" (which happens to the best of us....).

This all-star cast (Msrio Cantone, James Woods, Shia LaBeouf, Jeff Bridges, Jon Heder, Zooey Deschanel, Diedrich Bader, etc) works so well together, you couldn't have asked for a better voiceover lineup! I applaud them all for being honest and truly captivating.

I give this movie 1 RED BULL!!!

(In other words, I would only need 1 Red Bull to watch it all over again...)

"New York, I Love You" Trailer

New York, I love you, too.... :)

A Few Good Men

I've seen this movie before, and you can usually find it on some of my top 10 lists, but rather than review it (it should be a classic in everyone's eyes....), I'd like to share the moment when I first saw this film...

I was maybe about 15 when I first saw this movie, and it was during a Boy Scout retreat. We were going white water rafting for the weekend, and on our way down to the campsite, we drove in our Scoutmaster's car, who also happened to be the father of my good friend, Steve. Now, this car was sweet because it was one of those vans that had a tv in it so that we could hook up the Nintendo 64 (yup....old school....) and watch movies. So after we had enough of GoldenEye on the N64, we decided to watch "A Few Good Men."

Now, I had never heard of this movie before, but I HAD heard one of it's most famous quotes before ("You want the truth? You can't handle the truth!"), but I just never knew it was in this film. So we're watching the movie, and we get to the campsite, and it's not finished. So we continue to watch the film as everyone else sets up their tents (I know, so scout-like of us, lol), but before you know it, all the other scouts start piling in the car to join us. So we get to the part where Jack Nicholson gets put on the stand, and the conversation between him and Tom Cruise gets heated, and FINALLY...he says it....

"You want the truth? You can't HANDLE the truth!"

And then the power shut off....

And it was a beautiful moment! It was like we were meant to see the movie ONLY for that one quote! And honestly, I don't even remember watching the rest of the film until a few years later, but I just remember that line, and the amazing acting on all accounts, and even though I think lawyer movies are super boring, I thought this one was more than entertaining.

And so, that's my story about seeing "A Few Good Men," and I don't think I'll ever forget it... :)

Clearly, this movie needs NO RED BULLS!!!

The Good Son

Wow! I gotta give credit to my roommate, Megan, for making me watch this movie. Who know McCaulay Culkin could be so scary!?

I wouldn't classify this as a horror film, but definitely more of as suspense thriller. And trust me---it was suspenseful! LOL!!!

Without giving anything away, Culkin is just plain evil. He's almost like a skinny Eric Cartman from South Park. Actually, I think the two are EXACTLY alike!

Elijah Wood, of course, is perfect as the "good son," but who I really admired the most is Wendy Crewson. Her role as Culkin's mother was more than genuine and completely motivational. In fact, I thought the entire story had great motivation for each of it's characters, including the "bad son."

SPOILER ALERT!!!!

The only part of the story I didn't like was the end.... I didn't like how Crewson has to make a choice as to which son to save. Clearly, Culkin got what he deserved in the end, but did he really have to die? He couldn't have just ended up in a mental institution? I even wouldn't have minded the set up for a sequel if this was the case, lol. But I just tried to put myself in the same situation as the mother, and I probably would have done my best to save both children. But then again....I really only feel sorry for Culkin because he was only a child. If he had been that evil and closer to my age, I wouldn't have minded his death so much....

I give this movie 1.5 RED BULLS

(as much as I liked the film, I would still need 1 and a half Red Bulls to watch it again, and mostly to help myself from cringing during the freaky Culkin scenes...)

I Love You, Man

This movie was good....but only good.....

I'm not going to say much about it, but I did laugh, so that's gotta count for something. Honestly, I love Paul Rudd and Jason Segel, but I must admit that I think Paul does better as a secondary character rather than our male lead. I also thought Jason was brilliant in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," but only bland in this movie. Both actors were extremely natural, which I think is key, and I guess in a comedy that's all you need. As long as the jokes are there, which they were.

I should also give Paul and Jason credit for perfectly depicting a typical "straight relationship," simply between two men. As a gay 20-something year old, all I want to do is love another person who just happens to be the same sex as me. So I must thank Paul and Jason for showing us that a gay relationship can be the same thing as a straight "bromance."

I give this movie 1.5 REDBULLS!

(meaning I would need 1 and a half Red Bulls to watch this movie again, and mostly just for the slow parts....)

John Pallotta Master Classes

Hi bloggers!

So today I was contacted by John Pallotta, and I may be taking master classes from him at some point so that I can become a better coach! He told me he googled "master actors" and my name came up, so HOW AWESOME IS THAT!!!

So please check out his website for John Pallotta Acting Studios at www.johnpallotta.com! If anyone else is interested in taking FREE classes and considers themself a "master actor" as well, I suggest contacting John immediately!

Here's to learning together! :)

JD

Russ Weatherford

So, I have a new friend/mentor (I have many mentors!), and he is a playwright/brilliant man! His name is Russ Weatherford, and if you haven't heard about him, please check him out at www.russweatherford.com. I will be taking over as his web designer, and we will be working together on his blog and so much more! I hope you all take the time to check out his site. Thanks so much! :)

JD

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Billy Elliot (the movie)

Wow. This is one emotional film....

I'm so glad I watched this again since high school. I thought I didn't like it way back when it first came out (2000), but now I realize that it was just the fact that I "didn't get it." Because tonight, I thought this movie was brilliant!!!

First off, right from the bat, I want to recognize Julie Walters. This woman is a phenomenal actress! Being the nerd that I am, I always knew Julie for her role as Molly Weasley in the Harry Potter films (and I am uber excited to see her duke it out with Belatrix Lastrange in the last movie...), but watching her as Billy's ballet teacher was more than inspirational. You don't see many teachers these days who want to teach just for the sake of teaching, or in this case--because she sees a boy with talent. And although they never mention this in the film, we as an audience know that Mrs. Wilkinson is the mother figure that Billy always longed for, and Julie Walters was more than perfect in the role. So already, I THANK YOU, Julie, for such a wonderful performance... :)

Next--the story is well beyond inspirational. I like to consider myself a musical theatre major, but these days, you have to be a triple threat, and if I have one thing missing, it's my ability to dance. But I've always WANTED to dance! I can just never find the time or money to take classes. But what Billy Elliot showed me is that that doesn't matter. The money will come if we are meant to do something. But in the meantime, you just have to do what you love...

And Jamie Bell as Billy Elliot! His dance sequences had me in awe! It's like he would mix jazz with tap with ballet with modern with you name it! But more importantly, he danced what he felt! After his audition, when he is asked how dancing makes him feel, and his response is:

"Don't know. Sorta feels good. Sorta stiff and that, but once I get going...then I like, forget everything. And...sorta disappear. Sorta disappear. Like I feel a change in my whole body. And I've got this fire in my body. I'm just there. Flyin' like a bird. Like electricity. Yeah...like electricity..."

Well, that moment made me cry. I feel like we all feel this way sometimes. Like there's something we're meant to do, but we just don't know how to explain how amazing it feels...

I must also give credit to Gary Lewis as Billy's father. To watch him go from being 100% unsupportive to 150% supportive of his son was quite the journey to behold! I especially love his reaction at the end of the film when Billy comes out on stage to dance. And to see Jackie Elliot almost give up on his beliefs and work in the mines again just to support his son's dreams....well....that makes up for how mean he was at the beginning of the movie.

But who I felt was most touching in this movie was the simplest character of them all--the Grandma (played by Jean Heywood). Most of her lines were, "I could have been a professional dancer..." And although everyone thought she was crazy, she was right! We can ALL be what we want to be with determination and hard work, otherwise we let life go by and wither away like dear old Grandma...

But I think that's just what Billy Elliot is about....it's about not missing out on our chances before it's too late. That and to always follow our dreams--no matter how ridiculous someone else may think they are....

I give this movie NO REDBULLS!!!

(meaning I could watch this movie over and over again without the need for my favorite energy drink...)

Here's to happy dreaming.... ;)

Robin Hood: Men In Tights

This is the FUNNIEST Mel Brooks movie of all time! I've seen it before, so I'm not really going to "review" it, but let me just say this....

Last night, I put a quote up from the movie as my Facebook status. The quote was: "From this day forth, all the toilets in the kingdom shall be known as.....JOHNS!!!" (A beautiful quote made by the handsome Patrick Stewart in reference to Prince John, played by Richard Lewis.) Well, let's just say that people are STILL commenting on my Facebook status, leaving one new quote after another! THAT'S how funny this movie is.....the jokes just keep coming and coming! And even after you've seen it plenty of times, the jokes are STILL funny! That's the power of Mel Brooks...

"Faigalas???"

"No, we're just merry...." :)

I give this movie NO REDBULLS!!!

(meaning I would not need a single Red Bull to stay awake to watch this movie over and over and over again...)

Sandy Hook

So last week, for the first time in my life, I went to a nude beach...

....and I LOVED IT!!!!

My friend Brett took me to Sandy Hook, NJ, and I'm not gonna lie, but it was actually pretty easy to take my clothes off in front of everyone. People were so free and relaxed there that no one really cared what you looked like.

And I thought NYC was diverse! But there were so many DIFFERENT kinds of people at this beach....people who were skinny, fit, overweight, out of shape, hairy, smooth, old, young, saggy, baggy, big, small, etc, etc, etc. But most of all, they were all FRIENDLY! I saw one group of guys having a conversation with each other and joking around and laughing and touching each other as if they were in the middle of Times Square, yet their junk was hanging out! And then I saw a family there with a 2 year old boy who was naked, too! It was just so comforting to see people there of all ages, shapes, and sizes...

But here's what I realized....

Nude beaches are NOT about the nudity. Honestly, I've seen more sex and people hook up through websites and at bars where people usually have clothes on. But nude beaches are about the people. They're about that feeling of freedom, which I feel we have lost as a society lately...

In any case, I recommend that EVERYONE try going to a nude beach at least ONCE in their lifetime. And if you need some encouragement, don't hesitate to ask yours truly... ;)

JD

Love Drunk

I'm so proud of my friend, Martin Johnson, lead singer of Boys Like Girls!!! :)

I HAVE A FAN!!!! :)

Hey Bloggers!

SO TODAY, I SIGNED ON FACEBOOK, AND WHAT DID I FIND BUT THE FOLLOWING MOST LOVELY MESSAGE IN MY INBOX:

“HEY, JD. I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT YOUR “NERDS AMONG US” VIDEOS WERE SO AWESOME! I REALLY LOVE THEATRE, AND I WASN’T ABLE TO REALLY GET INTO IT UNTIL THIS YEAR, BUT I JUST THINK IT’S SO COOL. SO YEAH, BASICALLY ALL I WANTED TO SAY WAS THAT YOUR VIDEOS WERE AWESOME AND YOU’RE REALLY COOL. HAHA, THANKS FOR READING! :)”
~ S.B.

HOW COOL IS THAT!? I MEAN, I KNEW MY FRIENDS LIKED WHAT I DID, BUT THEY ALREADY KNOW I’M A NERD! BUT TO INSPIRE A GIRL WHO SIMPLY SAW MY VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE AND FACEBOOK MEANT MORE TO ME THAN SHE COULD EVER IMAGINE....

THANK YOU, S.B. THIS “NERD BLOG” IS JUST FOR YOU.... :)

JD

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District 9

I don't think words can express how awesome and creative this movie was, let alone my nerdy blog. But that's just it....this movie was PHENOMENAL!!!

First of all, it was DIFFERENT--more different than any other movie I've ever seen. I mean, yeah, we've seen alien movies before, but none like this. The aliens were unique, too, which I also liked.

The story was also fantastic! It wasn't just about humans vs. aliens...it was about trying to co-exist. And it made you think--WHAT IF? What if aliens came down to our planet and couldn't get home? Would we exterminate them in fear that they would exterminate us first? Or would we help them? And if we did, would we help them humanely or INhumanely? In the movie, the humans THINK they are helping the aliens by keeping them secluded, but the whole situation kept reminding me of the Holocaust or about being black in the 1960s...

I also need to give mad props to the lead, Sharlto Copley. His performance as Wikus was excellent! Everything that this man goes through, he was emotionally present for. These days, we rarely get to see film characters go through an actual journey. But to see who Copley was in the beginning, only to see how his transformation affects him in the end was a beautiful process to behold. And he held NOTHING back! One minute his character was selfish and wanted nothing more than to fix himself, and the next minute he was completely selfLESS by saving the alien race. Copley's character of Wikus alone made for a fantastic storyline to follow...

I really don't know what else to say, but I do clearly remember watching 98% of the movie with my mouth hanging wide open. I was seriously in shock as to how amazing this piece of film was....every second of it! And I must admit, this movie's marketing ploy of using Peter Jackson as a sell point even though he was only a producer was brilliant! I admit, that's what got me to go, but you also have to commend Neill Blomkamp for directing such an amazing and unique film! He had a huge role to take on, but with Jackson backing him up, I now trust the both of them... ;)

But I leave you with this....

What would YOU do if an alien spaceship landed on Earth and could not get back to its home planet? Would you run? Would you want to see it? Would you be scared? Would you welcome them? Would you want the government to control them? But most of all....would you SACRIFICE yourself for them???

Here's to when that day actually comes....

I give this movie NO REDBULLS

(meaning that I would see it again in a heartbeat, WITHOUT my favorite energy drink...)

Coraline

I finally sat down to watch Coraline today, and it definitely lived up to it's expectations, but not beyond them...

I feel this movie received a lot of hype when it was in the theatres. Maybe too much? But no, I think it deserved the recognition. It was a very imaginative film, and the animation was beautifully done. I only wish I had been able to see it in 3D.

I guess I was just expecting it to "change my life" somehow, but it didn't. I think sometimes when a movie gets a lot of hype when it first comes out, we expect so much that by the time we finally do get around to seeing it, it's never usually as good as what we expected. But only because we then expect too much. I think I expected too much....

I also thought the voiceovers were only mediocre. Dakoda Fanning was great as Coraline, but Teri Hatcher was so monotone and boring until the very end. I understand she was supposed to be boring and bland, which was why Coraline wanted a different mother in the first place, but even when she was the evil witch her expressions didn't change much. I thought the secondary characters where FAR more interesting and advanced than Teri Hatcher's character. And that's a shame, because I LOVE Desperate Housewives! Even clumsy Susan.... ;)

I give this movie 1.5 REDBULLS

(meaning I would need to drink 1 and a half Redbulls to watch this movie again....but I would mostly only watch it again for its unique imagery and visual effects....)

The Ruins

Flesh-eating plants!?!?!? At least Jenna Malone got away...

And if you think I spoiled anything for you, TRUST ME...I didn't...

(At least it was better than The Happening...) ;)

I give this movie AT LEAST 3 REDBULLS

(meaning I would need AT LEAST 3 Redbulls to stay awake to watch this film again....lots of stress on the phrase, "AT LEAST"...)

Funny People

I hate to say it, but I was a little disappointed in this movie.... :(

I mean, don't get me wrong, it was very funny! But the jokes got old, and I was expecting SO MUCH MORE!

That being said, let's start with what worked...

The opening: Watching old footage of Adam Sandler make prank phone calls was the perfect set up for a film. It brought me back to my childhood when Sandler was doing more slap-stick comedy.

And after this, the jokes were pretty good. I enjoyed how Seth Rogan and Sandler meet and begin working together, and the scenes between them were almost always hilarious! I also give props to Jonah Hill for using his comedic timing all the way to the end. This movie wouldn't have been the same without him... :)

But here's what DIDN'T WORK...

The story: Honestly, I think the trailer for this film COMPLETELY RUINED the movie for me when I saw it in it's entirety. In the trailer, we find out that Adam Sandler is going to die. Fine. I can totally see a movie being PHENOMENAL with "funny people" who USE their comedy and laughter to cheer people up or get through the worst of times in life. We all do that, no matter how funny we are...

But the trailer also tells us that Sandler becomes cured of his deathly disease. Which is only ok... Perhaps the cancer could have given him a second look at life. Fine. I wish we all had a chance at that, but I also wish the trailer hadn't given this piece of information away. I think I would have been more emotionally attached to Sandler's character if didn't know he was going to live BEFORE seeing the movie. Even without seeing the trailer, the fact that he becomes cured almost makes the cancer pointless. UNLESS he LEARNED from his "second look" at life, but I don't really think that he did...

Furthermore, when Sandler learns that he is dying, he goes after the "girl that got away." This is great. But it totally just BOMBED in the end. :( First off, it all worked out too fast. One minute, Leslie Mann (who is still hilarious, btw...) doesn't want to talk to Sandler because he used to stalk her, and the next minute they're best friends again and she's dumping her husband for him. And then a minute later, she's back to loving her Australian husband and leaving Adam Sandler again...WTF??? Did anyone else get that? Lol! Just like the cancer, in the end, things go back to the way they were set up in the beginning, and it only makes the whole affair completely pointless.

I admit, as funny as these people are, this movie could have been SO MUCH BETTER if Sandler's character died in the end, even after having his little affair with his old girlfriend, but the rest of the cast all used their comedy and jokes to help them deal with their loss. Now, THAT'S a movie I would see....and more than once....

I give this movie 2 REDBULLS!!!

(In other words, I would need 2 Redbulls to stay away to see this movie again, and mostly towards the end of the film...)

P.S. Although this movie was FAR too long for a comedy (even for a dramady...), and there was really NO ending, what I DID get out of this movie, especially from the last scene, was that it's the "funny people" in our lives (or our good friends) who should matter more to us than the "girls that got away." Friendships can last a lifetime, but only if we let them. Romantic relationships last....well....one never knows...

Movie List (182 out of 268)

Apparently if you've seen more than 85 you're supposed to have no life, but there's only like 270-something here and a lot of them are really common and you've been living under a rock if you haven't seen at least 85 of them.

( ) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(X) Grease
(X) Grease 2
(X) Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
(X) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
(X) Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End
(X) Boondock Saints
(X) Fight Club
( ) Starsky and Hutch
(X) Blazing Saddles

Total so far: 8

(X) The Neverending Story
(X) The Neverending Story II
(??) The Neverending Story III
(X) Airplane
(X) The Princess Bride
(X) Willow
(X) Anchorman
(X) Napoleon Dynamite
(X) Labyrinth

Total so far: 16

(X) Saw
(X) Saw II
(X) Saw III
( ) Saw IV
( ) Saw V
( ) White Noise
(X) White Oleander
( ) Anger Management
( ) 50 First Dates

Total so far: 20

(X) The Princess Diaries
(X) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
(X) Scream
(X) Scream 2
(X) Scream 3
(X) I Know What You Did Last Summer
(X) I Still Know What You Did Last Summer
(X) The Shining
( ) Candyman
(X) Stand By Me

Total so far: 29

(X) Scary Movie
(X) Scary Movie 2
(X) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
( ) Resident Evil
( ) Resident Evil 2
( ) Resident Evil 3
(X) American Pie
(X) American Pie 2
(X) American Wedding
(X) American Pie Band Camp

Total so far: 36

(X) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
(X) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
(X) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
(X) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
(X) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
(X) Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince
(X) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
(X) The Village
(X) Lilo & Stitch
(X) Finding Nemo

Total so far: 46

(X) Finding Neverland
(X) Signs
(X) The Grinch
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
( ) White Chicks
(X) Butterfly Effect
(X) 13 Going on 30
(X) I, Robot
(X) Robots

Total so far: 53

(X) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
(X) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
( ) Along Came Polly
(X) Deep Impact
( ) King Pin
(X) Never Been Kissed
(X) Meet The Parents
(X) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights

Total so far: 59

( ) Joe Dirt
(X) King Kong
(X) A Cinderella Story
(X) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(X) Dumb & Dumber
(X) Dumber & Dumberer
(X) Halloween
(X) Surviving X-MAS

Total so far: 66

(X) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
(X) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
(X) Flubber
(X) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(X) Practical Magic
(X) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship

Total so far: 72

( ) From Hell
( ) Hellboy
( ) Secret Window
( ) I Am Sam
(X) The Whole Nine Yards
(X) The Whole Ten Yards
(X) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child's Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky

Total so far: 75

(X) Ten Things I Hate About You
( ) Just Married
( ) Gothika
( ) Nightmare on Elm Street
(X) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
( ) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(X) The Mask
(X) Son Of The Mask

Total so far: 79

(X) Bad Boys
(X) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number Slevin
(X) Ocean's Eleven
(X) Ocean's Twelve
(X) Ocean's Thirteen
(X) Bourne Identity -- #85! (I guess this means I have no life...) ;)
(X) Bourne Supremacy
(X) Bourne Ultimatum

Total so far: 87

( ) Sixteen Candles
( ) Pretty in Pink
( ) Lone Star
(X) Bedazzled
(X) Predator I
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog
(X) Ice Age
(X) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
(X) Curious George

Total so far: 92

(X) Independence Day
( ) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
( ) Christine
(X) ET
( ) Children of the Corn
( ) My Boss's Daughter
(X) Maid in Manhattan
(X) War of the Worlds

Total so far: 96

(X) Rush Hour
(X) Rush Hour 2
(X) Rush Hour 3
( ) Best Bet
(X) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(X) She's All That
(X) Calendar Girls
(X) Sideways
(X) Mars Attacks
(X) Event Horizon

Total so far: 105

(X) Ever After
(X) Wizard of Oz
(X) Forrest Gump
( ) Big Trouble in Little China
(X) The Terminator
(X) The Terminator 2
(X) The Terminator 3
(X) X-Men
(X) X-2
(X) X-3: The Last Stand

Total so far: 114

(X) Spider-Man
(X) Spider-Man 2
(X) Spider-Man 3
(X) Sky High
(X) Jeepers Creepers
(X) Jeepers Creepers 2
(X) Catch Me If You Can
(X) The Little Mermaid
(X) Freaky Friday
( ) Reign of Fire

Total so far: 123

(X) The Skulls
(X) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
(X) The Hot Chick
(X) Shrek
(X) Shrek 2
(X) Shrek the Third
( ) Swimfan
(X) Miracle on 34th street
(X) Old School

Total so far: 131

(X) The Notebook
(X) K-Pax
(X) Krippendorf's Tribe
(X) A Walk to Remember
( ) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
(X) The 40-year-old Virgin
(X) The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
(X) The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
(X) The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Total so far: 139

(X) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(X) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(X) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
(X) Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
(X) BASEketball
( ) Hostel
(X) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects

Total so far: 145

( ) Highlander
(X) Mothman Prophecies
(X) American History X
( ) Three
( ) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(X) Monsters Inc.
(XXXXXXXXXXXX) Titanic :)

Total so far: 149

(X) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
( ) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard
( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
(X) Hulk
(X) Dawn Of the Dead
(X) Hook
(X) Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
(X) Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Total so far: 155

( ) 28 days later
(X) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
(X) Waterworld
(X) Kill Bill vol 1
(X) Kill Bill vol 2
( ) Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
( ) Kingdom of Heaven
( ) The Hills Have Eyes

Total so far: 159

( ) I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
( ) The Last House on the Left
(X) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(X) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(X) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(X) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(X) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(X) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
( ) Ewoks The Battle For Endor

Total so far: 165

( ) Re-Animator
(X) Army of Darkness
(X) The Matrix
(X) The Matrix Reloaded
(X) The Matrix Revolutions
(X) Animatrix
( ) Evil Dead
( ) Evil Dead 2
(X) Team America: World Police
(X) Ghost town

Total so far: 172

(X) Red Dragon
(X) Silence of the Lambs
(X) Hannibal
(X) Wall-E
(X) Batman Begins
(X) The Dark Knight
(X) The Prestige
(X) Cars
(X) Gone With The Wind
(X) Top Gun

GRAND TOTAL: 182!!! (out of 268!)

Now see, when there's more on this list of movies I HAVE seen vs. movies I HAVEN'T seen, then and only then might it be safe to say that I don't have a life, but it also depends on how you look at it....is the glass half empty or half full??? In this case, with movies allowing us to escape reality as it is, even if only for a few hours, I'd say the glass is half full... :)

Titanic: TWO the Surface

Top 15 Movies!!! (sort of....) ;)

RULES: Don't take too long to think about it. Name fifteen films you've seen that will always stick with you. The first fifteen you can recall. Comment with your own fifteen so that we can compare. And......GO! :)

1. Shawshank Redemption

2. First Wives Club

3. Finding Nemo

4. Titanic

5. Sister Act

6. Sister Act 2: Back in the Habbit

7. The Star Wars Saga (I'm counting it, even though it's 6 films...) ;)

8. Lord of the Rings trilogy (also counting it...)

9. Back to the Future trilogy (I think this trilogy is even better than Star Wars and LOTR when put together...)

10. Wall-E

11. A League of Their Own

12. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (this film completely changed the Harry Potter franchise for the better...)

13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix (best of the HP films, by far...)

14. Goldfinger (best of the James Bond films...)

15. Babes in Toyland (starring Keanu Reeves and Drew Barrymore...it's a classic!)

I have to admit, this was harder than I thought! Also, please note that these are some of my FAVORITE movies, and NOT 15 of the best films ever made! To me they might be, but in terms of criteria for the "best of the best," I would go with a few more classics than more recent blockbuster hits. The films above are movies that I can watch over and over and over again. Even after watching them once, I could watch them again immediately.

So then, the next question is....

What are YOUR top 15 movies??? (Comment below to let me know...)

Thanks! :)

(500) Days of Summer

This movie was super cute! I've always been a fan of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, but Zooey was also perfectly cast this time around. The connection between the two of them was very natural and beautiful all at once.

And I have to admit, the story was better than I expected... At first, I thought the scenes were going to be too choppy for me, as the timeline kept skipping back and forth between the end of the 500 days and the beginning of it. But as the film progressed, the jumping of time made perfect sense and it never got confusing. It also made many of the moments funnier than called for, so that's always a plus.

What I DIDN'T LIKE, however, was that it "WASN'T" a love story! The narrator says so from the beginning, and it makes sense when you read the end of the movie, but I WANTED a love story! As an optimist, I WANTED the "perfect ending" so to speak. (But then again, I also wanted Dawson and Joey to end up together on "Dawson's Creek," but we all know what happened there....) I guess the ending made me sad, even though I KNEW it was coming, but it made me think about our own relationships and if two people, whether they be friends or lovers, ever really DO stay together for the rest of their lives. What if I WANT to find someone to be with forever? Is that too much to ask for? According to this movie....it is..... :(

I give this movie only 1 REDBULL!

(meaning I would only need 1 Redbull to sit and watch it all over again)

***Feel free to comment, and THANKS FOR READING! (Tell your friends...) ;)

Julia & Julia

This movie was precious! First of all, anything Meryl Streep touches turns to gold. She takes so much pride in her work, and it ALWAYS pays off! She was the perfect Julia Child, so bravo to her! :)

As for Amy Adams, her journey was just as precious. She is so natural and heart-felt, this was the perfect role for her.

But I must admit, I think the best moment was seeing Jane Lynch as Julia Child's sister! I LOVE THIS WOMAN!!!! She is hilarious! And she's never a leading role, but she doesn't have to be. I truly believe she steals the show every time she appears on screen, whether it be in film or television. I can only hope my acting career can be as good as hers one day.... ;)

As for the movie as a while, it was very inspirational. It made me appreciate this blog more, especially after everything Amy's Julia goes through. It was very encouraging. But I have to say, the movie sort of ended randomly. I was expecting to see a little more about Julia Child in the end, but for what it was, it was very adorable.

I give this movie 1.5 REDBULLS!!!

(As cute as it was, I would still need 1 and a half Redbulls to watch this movie over again....unless I only had to watch the Meryl Streep scenes, lol)