Free Dance Lessons at the Church on 500 East (2nd and 4th Saturdays, 8:30-10:00 pm)

Dan and I can now Cha Cha. Poorly. But even that's an accomplishment. Actually, we've pretty much forgotten all the steps. Anyway, we give free dance lessons a thumbs up.

Jasper's Mullet

I braided it during sacrament meeting yesterday. I'm torn. It's either the coolest hairdo ever, or it's time to chop off the mullet.

Julie and Julia

Meryl Streep is incredibly endearing in this role. I think what really makes this movie charming is the love story between Julia and her husband, Paul: two not terribly attractive (or young) people with wonderful personalities and a grand appreciation for one another. Their half of the movie is far and away superior. I really liked Amy Adams in Enchanted, but she's just sort of okay in this. I found her husband somewhat more appealing than I found Julie, but they are certianly not what makes this movie so enjoyable.

(500) Days of Summer

Funny. Sweet. Quirky. Dan and I both really enjoyed this film. I like what it says about love and what's real. The ending is satisfying. The characters are wonderful, even the bit parts. The boss, the sister, and the friends are probably the best things about this movie, actually. The lead girl, I think, is a phony, but that's exactly what she should be. I never knew that kid from "Third Rock from the Sun" would be in something good (I really thought that show was lame), but he's fabulous in this movie. And the cards with the cat made me laugh.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (film)

Well, the movies are always a let down, as they should be, really. You can't expect them to pull off the books. But I think, of the movies, this one was the least of a let down for me. I actually really like Michael Gambon as Dumbledore, and I found him swell in this one. My biggest complaint is Harry's lack of training with Snape, since (in a Darth Vader-esque fashion) Snape is the central character of the series. But you can't shove the whole book into a movie, I know. My other complaint is the complete lack of chemistry in the romances. I'd say Harry and Ginny have negative chemistry, and Ron and Hermione have almost non-existent chemistry. This is also the case in the books though. I will say that I thought there was excellent chemistry between Harry and Hermione in the scene in which he comforted her when she was depressed and jealous over Ron. I guess few people agree, but I'd have liked to have seen Harry hook up with Luna. Slughorn was amusing, though not at all what I pictured. Not fat enough, for one thing. Also, his dubbed memory wasn't as funny as the one in the book---(You'll go wrong, boy, mark my words). All in all, I enjoyed this fim and thought it the best of the Potter films so far.

Up!

One of the headlines I saw for this movie read "Pixar does it again". If it weren't for the first twenty minutes of this movie, I'd say that headline sums it up pretty well. I like Pixar. I think they make terrific movies and most of this movie was as good as anything Pixar had ever done, but the first twenty minutes are downright spectacular. The opening sequence for this film is so good! We're talking "It's a Wonderful Life" good. I was absolutely enchanted. The rest of the movie was a ton of fun with some bits that choked me up because they referred back to the first twenty minutes. I would absolutely recommend that any and everybody rush out and see this movie right away.

I thought I'd add The Onion's review of Star Trek just to go along with Angie's.


Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film As 'Fun, Watchable'