Jack: I love getting tossed in a sack and shoved through a magic portal.

Santa: Oh, good, that was my idea!

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Over the holiday weekend, I got a chance to see both Silver Linings Playbook and Rise of the Guardians.

My mom came into town for Thanksgiving, so Wednesday night I introduced her to the Alamo Drafthouse. While she was not used to eating in the dark, she enjoyed her first Drafthouse experience and we both really liked Rise of the Guardians. I had heard a bad review on the radio and was not sure about it, but it ended up being fantastic.

When the Boogeyman, aka Pitch, tries to take over the world, the immortal guardians must join forces to stop him before children stop believing in the guardians and they disappear. If you have not already figured it from the picture, the group of guardians is comprised of Santa Claus, Jack Frost, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny and the Sandman voiced by Alec Baldwin, Chris Pine, Isla Fisher and Hugh Jackman respectively (the Sandman does not speak) and the Boogeyman is Jude Law. I also quite enjoyed the elves and the yetis, who help Santa in his workshop.

While the plot was fairly predictable, my mom and I both thought that it was funny and very entertaining. It was visually beautiful, the dialogue was witty and it is just a great holiday adventure for the whole family.

"As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!"

On this Thanksgiving, I give you a few clips of awesome Thanksgiving themed episodes of television. The first is "Turkeys Away" from WKRP in Cincinnati. I was not actually alive when this episode originally aired, but I think it is hilarious. Apologies for the quality of the video:



I have recently been rewatching The West Wing and I really love this episode where President Bartlett calls the Butterball Hotline. I just always enjoy that he has to pretend that he is someone other than the President while talking to the woman on the phone. It reminds me of the scene in The American President when Michael Douglas's character tries to order flowers over the phone. But I digress, here is Martin Sheen in all his Presidential glory.



Another great Thanksgiving episode of The West Wing involves the President pardoning a turkey and C.J. having to choose between two candidates.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer also has a classic episode involving the spirit of a Native American warrior who is angry about having been massacred by Sunnydale settlers. There were not a lot clips available, but I do enjoy this one where Buffy accidentally turns the Native American that she is fighting into a bear :)



I also enjoy Xander and his syphilis in this episode and, of course, the appearance of Angel.

And, of course, no list would be complete without a Friends clip. They always had the best Thanksgiving episodes every season.  The Gellar Cup, the one where Rachel puts meat in the trifle and the one with Brad Pitt are all so good! This one involves a flashback to when Monica accidentally cuts off Chandler's toe.



A few honorable mentions that I could not find clips for includes New Girl "Thanksgiving," How I Met Your Mother "Slapsgiving," Felicity "Thanksgiving" and Parenthood "Happy Thanksgiving." Although, I do have to say, shows need to get more creative with their titles :)

At the beginning of this holiday season, I also ask you to remember that there are still many people struggling after Hurricane Sandy. I have listed some places below where you can donate money and find places to help volunteer. Every little bit helps!

I hope that everyone enjoys their holiday and stays safe.

xoxo
c

Staten Strong
Presbyterian Disaster Asisitance
American Red Cross
Habitat for Humanity

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"May The Lord Grant You Extra Innings."

So far this Fall, I have not done as well as usual on my list of movies that I want to see. The Words and The Cold Light of Day received horrible reviews, more horrible than I expected, so I will wait until they come out on DVD. Yes, I will still eventually watch them because of my love for Bradley and Henry respectively.  In general, I have not been all that inspired to go to the movies lately.

However, I did go and see Trouble with the Curve today and I really enjoyed it. It was definitely not a perfect movie, but it was about baseball, it made me laugh and it made me cry. What more can a girl ask for?

Clint Eastwood plays Gus Lobel, an aging baseball scout for the Atlanta Braves whose eye sight is beginning to go and is still the best in the business. His daughter Mickey, played by Amy Adams, is close to making partner at her law firm, but when the Braves start to question Gus's judgement, she takes time off to join him on a recruiting trip to check out the number one draft pick a week before the draft. Despite their strained relationship, she ends up jeopardizing her own job to save her father's.

Eastwood and Adams have great chemistry. I love Adams and think she is fantastic in every role that she takes on. Justin Timberlake plays her love interest and, while his character is probably unnecessary, I thought he did a good job and I liked his interactions with both Adams and Eastwood. In general, he is becoming a great actor and has started to work on some interesting projects.



I would not say that this is a must-see movie. The dialogue does not always flow seamlessly and the struggles in Gus and Mickey's relationship were a little drawn out, but the interactions between the actors keep you invested and engaged. Overall, I think that if you like baseball you will probably enjoy this as much as I did.

xoxo
c
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"Tell me you love me."

September is finally here and that means so is the start of Fall Television. Therefore, as is tradition, here is my list of all the new and returning shows for which I will be tuning in. As always, I have packed my schedule.

Returning Shows:

Blue Bloods
Castle
Community
Don't Trust the B---- In Apartment 23
Grey's Anatomy
Happy Endings
Hart of Dixie
Homeland
How I Met Your Mother
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
NCIS
New Girl
Once Upon A Time
Parenthood
Revenge
Scandal
Sons of Anarchy
Suburgatory
The Good Wife
The Vampire Diaries
The Voice

2012 Fall Movie Preview

The only good thing about the approaching end of summer is the prospect of all the great movies coming out. My Entertainment Weekly Fall Movie Preview edition came this weekend and I have once again put together the list of films about which I am most excited.

September
7   - The Words (Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Jeremy Irons, Ben Barnes)
       The Cold Light of Day (Henry Cavill, Bruce Willis, Sigourney Weaver)
14 - The Perks of Being A Wallflower (Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Mae Whitman)
21 - End Of Watch (Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Pena, Anna Kendrick, America Ferrera)




Other possibilities for September include Bachelorette (9/7) , 10 Years (9/21) and Trouble With The Curve (9/21).

October
5   - Pitch Perfect (Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, Elizabeth Banks)
       Frankenweenie (Charlie Tahan, Martin Short, Catherin O'Hara, Winona Ryan)
12 - Argo (Ben Affleck, Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Bryan Cranston)
       3, 2, 1...Frankie Go Boom (Chris O'Dowd, Charlie Hunnam, Lizzy Caplain, Ron Perlman)




Other possibilites for October are  The Paperboy (10/5) and Nobody Walks (10/12).