"Hang on, everybody - I wanna try something I saw in a cartoon once!"

Since all of my regular season shows have finished and the new summer seasons are just now getting started, I have not been watching a whole lot lately. Also, because of this ridiculously hot weather, I have been spending a significant amount of time by my aunt's pool READING! Shocking, I know, but it does happen from time to time :o)  I have also been watching lots of the World Cup.

I did finally get around to watching An Education the other night when my mother ordered it OnDemand. It was a good film, well acted, etc. I just was not very excited by it. Carey Mulligan's performance was definitely excellent. However, I am not sure that it was more deserving of an Oscar nomination than Emily Blunt's role as Queen Victoria. I do love Emily Blunt though, so I am little biased.  I was, however, excited to see Olivia Williams from Dollhouse as the teacher. I would not say that everyone HAS to see this film, but it was well-done, so if it looks like something you would enjoy, then you will probably like it. I know, that was not super helpful, but it is pretty much all I can say.

The A-Team, on the other hand, was SO MUCH FUN! I did not go into this movie expecting much more than a typical action film. The special effects did leave something to be desired and, while the scene was hilarious, the idea of "flying" a tank is not exactly what I would call realistic. However, if you were a fan of the TV show then I think you will definitely enjoy it. I used to love watching this show with my brother when we were younger and I was happy to see that my favorite characters were as entertaining as I remembered them being. And if you do go see the movie, make sure you stay until the credits finish! Definitely a fun summer flick!

It also made me happy to see Bradley Cooper wearing Phillies shirts in two different scenes. It obviously does not take a whole lot to make me happy, especially when it involves Bradley Cooper. To be fair though, I loved him before most people and while I did try to track him down while he was filming The Dark Fields though in Philly last month, I was unsuccessful. C'est la vie!

Season three of Deadwood was just as awesome as expected. My only complaint would be that, because it was canceled, the finale left some unanswered questions. I have no idea if it was canceled after the season was finished filming, so it is possible they thought they were coming back for another season. Regardless, it was an excellent series overall and I highly recommend everyone watching it at some point. Timothy Olyphant and Ian McShane are obvious stars, but it is really the supporting characters that really make this show shine. Just be prepared for lots of people's throats getting cut :o)

I am now planning to catch up on It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. I have heard that this is a hilarious show and after learning that Chase Utley and Ryan Howard will be in an episode of the upcoming season, I decided it was time I started watching. In fact, one of my friends has threatened to cut me off unless I watch the show, so I guess I better get started :o)

I never did see Sex and the City 2, mostly because it got horrible reviews, but also because I just never found the time.  I do, however, still really want to see Toy Story 3, so that is on my to-do list for next week.  I have also added Despicable Me to my list of movies that I might see depending on reviews, because the previews look really funny.

xoxo

c

So many places still need our help after all the devastating natural and unnatural disasters that have happened, please consider donating SOMEWHERE. Here are my suggestions:

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance

Habitat for Humanity

United Way

AmeriCares

StillerStrong

The Nature Conservancy
National Wildlife Federation
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"If you don’t have faith that the world will turn in your direction then it just simply never will."

After letting it sit on top of my Blu-ray player for five months, I have FINALLY watched Rachel Getting Married. (You are all very proud of me, I know, you do not have to say it :o) Anne Hathaway plays a recovering addict who is getting out of rehab just in time for her older sister's wedding. As I had been warned, there were a couple scenes where you feel the awkwardness of the situation, which always makes me physical uncomfortable, but overall it was an excellent film. I especially liked that the music was not like a normal soundtrack, that the musicians were actually playing live while the scenes were being filmed. It made it much more natural that the wedding musicians, who were also friends of the family, were either rehearsing on the porch or just messing around in the other room while the family was interacting elsewhere in the house. The performances were fantastic and because of the realness of the characters and the way it was filmed, you really felt like part of this family. Anne Hathaway's performance is amazing and should not be missed!

On the complete opposite end of the movie-spectrum, I also recently watched Dear John. It was pretty much exactly what you would expect from a Nicholas Sparks book made into a movie (ie. A Walk to Remember and The Notebook). It was not horrible but it was not that great either. It also had this autism sub-plot that was not really developed all that well and just made the story more convoluted than it needed to be. Channing Tatum's and Amanda Seyfried's performances were fine, I just wish they would choose better movies to make. They are both good actors, they just happen to make some crappy movies.

I have completed Deadwood season two and it continues to be amazing. I am a taking a little break before starting season three two watch a few movies, but will get back into it very soon.

From Netflix, I have gotten Quantum of Solace and Silkwood.

The only James Bond movies that I have seen are the Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig versions. I have never really found them to be anything extraordinary. I watch them because they are fun and there are crazy action and fight sequences. But I have never found the plots to be all that interesting or believable. After watching Quantum of Solace, that tradition lives on. Maybe the earlier Bond movies have more to them, but I am going to guess that they probably do not. I did enjoy Quantum of Solace, as it was pretty much exactly what I had expected it to be. It was also very cool to see Siena, Italy at the beginning of the movie after having been there ten years ago with my Ya-yas :o)

I never got the chance to see MacGruber :o( It did not get very good reviews and did not do well in theaters, so it is already out of theaters near me. I just never had the time to get to see it so I will, unfortunately, have to wait until it is out on DVD. (Sorry JGE!!!)


On a completely non-entertainment related note, there are a lot of things going on in the world right now. The people of New Orleans, Haiti, Chile are still recovering from natural disasters. The Gulf Coast is also dealing with the on-going issue of the oil spill. There have been earthquakes, tornadoes and flooding all over the world, as well as in our own backyards. If you are feeling as completely hopeless and useless as I am and want to know where you can send money and aid, here are a few of my suggestions:
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
Habitat for Humanity
United Way
AmeriCares


I will be celebrating my 27th birthday this Sunday, so in honor of...myself...I leave you with this funny clip :o)



xoxo
c

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