My Little Pony

I loved My Little Ponies back in the day, and Laraine loves them now. Good toys. But they keep changing their look, and they just keep making them look less like ponies and more like pigs.

Sherlock Holmes (2009 movie)

This movie was much better than the previews led me to believe. It was good fun escapism. The main thing that carried the film was the very good chemistry and witty banter between Holmes and Watson. The writing was strong and the acting was really good. The fight scenes were silly, but I could live with it. The villain was good enough, but not great. Inspector Lestrade was a gem. The biggest problem with the film was Rachel McAdams as Holmes' love interest. She really wasn't very interesting or believable and, as is so often the case in Hollywood, the obvious age difference was distracting and offensive. There are plenty of very attractive and capable actresses around Downey's age who could have filled the role. I suppose we can take some solace in that we've come a long way since the days of Harrison Ford and Anne Heche.

Avatar

Is anyone else staring to get a "machines are evil" vibe from James Cameron? This film is just okay for me. I never get terribly excited about special effects, but I admit that this movie is a visual feast---the foliage, the sweeping flight scenes---very nice. Nevertheless, the creatures didn't do it for me. Well done---I mean really good CG, but still screaming CG. Still not coming out of that uncanny valley. The female lead is better than the others, even quite amazing, and yet . . . still too smooth and plastic-y looking. I so much prefer make-up, costumes, and puppets, but I understand their limitations. The main complaint I have, and what kept me somewhat disengaged throughout the film, is lack of characters I could care about. The lead, Jake, is really very blah. He sort of mosies along though major choices with seemingly little internal struggle, and what's he thinking mating for life to a woman when he has no idea that he'll be able to stay in a body that can even breath in her world? Had the romance drawn me in more, I could have accepted it, but as the romance is also a bit blah, it just seems inconsiderate. While the native girl is more interesting than the leading man, she still didn't pull me in. Also, the villains are too inhuman. I appreciate the point Cameron is making about the evils we commit against our world and against unfamiliar cultures; however, if these guys were more human----not Terminators sans metal, those points about the evils of humanity would have had more resonance. Sigourney Weaver's character is actually quite good, but she's not enough to get me emotionally involved. Spoilers follow: I have other complaints about predictability; a pat, tacked on solution to the problem of the man living in the wrong body (I groaned when I saw that one coming); the feeling that too much is packed in, even though the film is three hours long; the idea that a cavalry charge on horse-like creatures against a wall of machine gun fire makes any sense---still, all these things are forgivable if the characters can carry it, and I don't think these characters do, so that's the major sore thumb of the film in my estimation. All in all though, certainly worth seeing, but the first Terminator remains James Cameron's masterpiece as far as I'm concerned.

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.