We snuck out of work early on Friday and went to see Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Figured that was a safe bet, as we’d be able to dodge the Teenage Brigade…they weren’t out of school yet. Ha!

Seriously though, both CU and I thought the movie was great. Perfect casting. Everyone is great…everyone is funny…there’s nothing I enjoy more now than a great adult comedy. This one wasn’t even a gross-out comedy. There are a few references, but it’s nothing that made me blush. And I’ve seen a naked man before, so the vision of Jason Segal in all his nakeditude wasn’t all that shocking.

I’m not really one for detail-by-detail movie reviews, especially when they usually sound like reviews the pros have already written. It’s funny. Me like. You go see. You like, too.

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Any big plans for the weekend? We’re going to check out Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Ever since we witnessed the media onslaught over Easter weekend in Chicago, we’ve been intrigued.

Funny thing, when we were checking out room rates at the Turtle Bay Resort around this time last year, we remembered a big alert on their website indicating filming of a major motion picture would be taking place…FYI. You know, so your bikini bottom doesn’t get in a wad when you go there for your honeymoon and find out the place is well, the site of major motion picture filming.

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See ya, Netflix!

Today @ PC World Macworld Announcement 3: iTunes Movie Rentals

I was flipping through the channel lineup at lunch, and stopped at That Thing You Do! on HBO because, well, that’s what I do when that movie is on. I remember when it was released in the theater, I saw it three times in one weekend…with three different groups of people. My friend Lisa and I even cut out of work early one afternoon to catch it in a completely empty theater…that was fun. We were so naughty back then!

I also remember seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark literally, about a dozen times in the theater when it was out. The movie theater at our mall back then showed it for…no joke…about a year.

Interestingly, I don’t think I’ve been to see a movie multiple times in the theater other than those two instances. I’m kind of fuzzy on whether I saw Pretty Woman more than once…

So, have any of you cut out of work to go to the movies? I’ll admit…CU and I have done it a few times. It was really easy when we both worked for the same company, and the movie theater was just across the street. Heh.

Capt. UberHusband and I went to see Knocked Up yesterday morning. First off, there’s an interesting contingent of folks who go to see movies on Sunday mornings. It’s usually folks viewing solo, or old & cranky couples like us who want to avoid all the kids who hang out at the theaters the rest of the time.

And then…there are the moms who bring their 11-year olds to see…Knocked Up. I have no idea what parents are thinking when they take their kids to R-rated movies. I mean, seriously. I remember back in Sacramento, I went to see To Die For with my friend Paul…and we were stunned to see a couple and their tween child a few rows up from us. To Die For! Murder! Sex! Ambition! More Sex! Did I mention sex?

Anyway, I’d been hearing the hype for the last year about how this movie was Close To The Funniest Movie Ever, Save Judd Apatow’s Last Movie, The 40-Year Old Virgin…so we went and saw it opening weekend. We reserve opening weekend screenings for Very Special Movies.

All I have to say is…eh. You know, it wasn’t the language that bugged me (after all, I enjoyed Borat)…and I’m not so sheltered that the drug use and the drunk sex really affected me, although about half of our theater seemed stunned at what they were hearing and seeing. Reminded me of when I went to see Brokeback Mountain, and the two old ladies behind me gasped and sighed and made all sorts of unapproving sounds for two hours.

But the movie was just…the best way I can describe it is…too much. You know that saying, sometimes more is just…well…more? There was probably half an hour of movie that could have been easily cut to tighten things up a bit. My favorite part of the movie was watching Ryan Seacrest rant about Jessica Simpson and say the F-word a dozen times. That was worth the $5 Early Bird admission price alone.

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Capt. UberHusband and I had a date today. We went and saw Cinderella Man. He saw it at 11:45 a.m. EDT and I saw it at 11:05 a.m. CDT. Then, we got on the phone afterwards to discuss.

Now, I just don’t get why people aren’t going to see this movie. If you’re avoiding it because you think Russell Crowe is a jerk, get over yourself and go watch him do what he does best…act. He’s amazing. Just like with what he did for A Beautiful Mind and Gladiator, he took his character, boxing legend Jim Braddock…and became him.

It was a mesmerizing and unbelievably riveting film. I cried when Jim Braddock’s family didn’t have enough money to pay their electric bill during the depths of the Depression. I cried when he told his daughter that he’d had a dream about steaks and mashed potatoes and that he was stuffed, so could she finish his breakfast? I cried when he had no choice but to go to the government for assistance and I cried when he paid the $368 back.

I cheered when he kicked Max Baer’s arrogant ass in the ring and became the heavyweight champion.

I don’t recommend taking the kids to see Cinderella Man, because the movie is very violent…I have a tough time watching boxing, real or fictional. But then again, some movies are made for adults and all you adults out there…you should go see it. I hate to use that tired cliche of it being a movie about the triumph of the human spirit, but it was.

And Paul Giamatti…he was amazing…one of the best supporting performances I think I’ve ever seen.

I think the funniest part of the movie was the woman behind me who apparently wasn’t up to speed on Jim Braddock’s story because, when he took a fairly nasty punch part-way through his bout with Baer, she said, “Well, that’s the end of his boxing career.” {snicker}

Can’t wait for next weekend, when Mr. and Mrs. UberHusband get to go see Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

The UberHusband and I went to see Sideways yesterday afternoon, putting our Academy Award Best Picture viewing average above 500 (watched Ray Saturday night) for the first time in many years.

Once in a while, for giggles I go read the twits at the IMDB movie message boards and yesterday morning some sort of “Just because you liked Sideways doesn’t mean you’re a better person than me!” smackdown was going on. The only reason I mention that is that I came out of the movie not feeling like an indie flick snob per se, but I will admit that to be enjoyable, I really think you had to use more brainpower than if you were watching…say…Big Momma’s House. There are metaphors and emotional struggles and a valiant attempt at a “triumph of the human spirit” vibe…if you can’t/won’t/don’t feel like looking beneath the surface you’ll miss the wonderful complexity of the film.

Ah…sounds like a fine wine…and the main character, Miles. Go figure.

If you go to see Sideways and are expecting Harold and Kumar Go To Napa or Dude, Where’s My Gerwurtzraminer?, you’ll be sorely disappointed.

It didn’t help that Grandma Siskel and Grandma Ebert were sitting directly behind us with their broken hearing aids (how else could I explain why they had to TALK SO LOUD DURING THE MOVIE), shocked and dismayed and saddened by the liberal use of the F-word, as well as Thomas Haden Church’s bare backside and another rather unfortunate (albeit hilarious) scene of full-frontal male nudity. If you want to avoid these sorts of things ladies, don’t go to see an R-rated movie. Sheesh.

Frick and Frack behind us reminded me of when the UberHusband and I went to see Traffic in the theater and had The County’s Most Sheltered Couple sitting behind us. They tsk-tskd the whole way through and were shocked and dismayed and saddened and…surprised(?) by all of the, ahem, drug activity going on. ::shaking my head in disbelief::

But, I thought Sideways was fantastic. I loved seeing the scenery from the Santa Barbara area, as it reminded me I really need to get back out there now that I can actually afford to go wine-tasting and folks won’t shoo me off their property for being an opportunistic college student just looking for a quick buzz.

The writing was witty, clever and at times sad and poignant. The UberHusband hit the nail on the head when he said the movie’s ending determines whether you’re a glass half-empty or a glass half-full person. That made sense to me, since I thought the same thing about Before Sunset’s ending.

By the way, I’m a glass half-full kind of person. The bottle of 2003 Cambria Pinot Noir we bought after the movie was rather nice, as well.

Considering I only watched last night’s Golden Globe Awards during commercial breaks for other shows, I sure did form some opinions:

1. Mariska Hargitay wins for Best Supporting Actress when basically she and Stabler (a man) run the Special Victims Unit, and Teri Hatcher wins for Best Actress although she is but a part of an ensemble that includes 3 other women (4 if you count Nicollette). What’s up with that? Don’t get me wrong…love Teri…loved her dress last night, loved her hair…but Mariska got robbed…again. But wait…this is what I get for flipping back and forth…although the caption said Best Supporting Actress on the replay I saw, I guess she won for Best Actress. Sweet! Cha-freaking-ching!

2. There was something very…synergistic…about watching Susan change a flat tire on Desperate Housewives last night (“I don’t think I’ve ever found Teri Hatcher sexier than I do right now.” -the UberHusband) while sucking up to Edie, then flipping over to NBC and watching her win a Golden Globe.

3. Aging actresses need to get over themselves. For some reason they all like to talk about each other now and how wonderful it is to be an aging actress and to get all sorts of roles of substance. Glenn Close is chumming it up with Meryl Streep during her award speech, just as they all did during the Emmy awards. This bothers me. Glenn…you were hot in Fatal Attraction but now you’re playing Eleanor of Aquitaine. Let it go.

4. Nicole Kidman…does PETA know that you kidnapped a peacock and glued it to your dress?

5. Jason Bateman…Best Actor in a comedy. Betcha all didn’t think he had it in him way back when on Little House On the Prairie, did you?

6. I really need to go see Closer. And Sideways. And The Aviator. And Million Dollar Baby.

7. If we could get sponsors to rally together to pay Star Jones to never speak in public again, I’d support that.

8. Martin Scorcese is really, really…short.

This weekend was movie weekend. This morning, the UberHusband and I went out and saw a great movie and last night we watched two good movies on DVD, enjoyed a yummy dinner and topped it off with bananas foster since today…today I get back on the low-carb bandwagon because, well, I have three 2-piece swimsuits that I need to look good in when we go to Hawaii in 24 days. But, that’s not the point…

We’ll go in chronological order…first up was Little Black Book late yesterday afternoon with Brittany Murphy and Academy Awards® Winner Holly Hunter. Cute movie, although midway through I started to loathe Ms. Murphy’s Stacy as much as I did Julia Roberts’s Julianne in My Best Friend’s Wedding. Some women think they have the right…nay, the obligation to themselves to do things they know deep down inside aren’t right…but they do them anyway and invite us along for the $7.00 ride. Average movie…most guys will hate it and probably most women too because ultimately, Stacy deserves everything she gets and could have avoided a lot of pain but…anyway…I can think of worse ways to spend ninety minutes.

After that, we finally watched Garden State, which has been the film industry’s darling for awhile but we just…as usual…never got around to seeing it. The only thing that really stood out at me was the fact that I kept trying to compare it to other movies. I thought it had elements of Memento, Punch Drunk Love, Say Anything, Reality Bites, Gross Pointe Blank and even a little of Clerks. I swear the UberHusband was asleep at the end, but he said he wasn’t. I almost was…it was a good movie, I think…and I love Zach Braff but maybe I just don’t identify with that mid-20s angst thing anymore and how damn…dramatic it all was. But, on an upside, Natalie Portman absolutely sparkled…but she’s just like that.

Today…today we went and saw In Good Company, with Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace and The Chick From Lost in Translation, Scar-Jo as I like to call her. It was smart, funny, clever…but isn’t for people under the age of oh, 16 so leave the little ones at home. They’ll get bored. Guaranteed. I’ll put it to you this way, Topher was better in this movie than he was on Saturday Night Live last night, so don’t let his horrific trucker interpretation scare you off. The movie’s by the same guy who brought you About a Boy so expect lots of witty dialogue, pensive introspection and awkward contemplation. And, I mean that in a good way.

So, the UberHusband and I just got home from a Saturday morning matinee of Team America: World Police. I’m still shaking my head, because it was the funniest movie I’ve seen in a long time…hilarious in those oh-so-inappropriate ways: graphic sex, senseless violence, watching Janeane Garofalo get her head blown off. You know what I’m talking about. It was a funny movie. Very funny.

During the much-maligned almost NC-17 puppet sex scene I really wondered…what exactly did they cut? I couldn’t think of anything. Then it dawned on me…there’s another “sex” scene and if Trey and Matt wanted to go where I think Trey and Matt wanted to go…most of that could have wound up on the cutting room floor. I can’t divulge too much but if you see it, you’ll get it.

By the way…it was great being at an R-rated film and not seeing a single child there. This isn’t a kids’ movie…no way, no how. It’s for all grownups who still have a twinge of immaturity and enjoy senseless violence billed as a comedy. And the soundtrack? Hilarious.

Because the movie is from the guys who bring you South Park, it shouldn’t have surprised me that most of the characters sounded like Mr. Garrison and Kim Jong Il sounded exactly like a Korean Cartman.

There are some things money can’t buy…for everything else, there’s Team America. Ah…good times.

Our local Angelika theater autosent me this email yesterday because I am a valued patron. I don’t remember asking for anything from them, but…I GOT IT! Guess I’ve been living under a rock? Never even heard of this film. Then again, it is the Angelika…

Dear Stacy,

YOU ASKED FOR IT…YOU GOT IT!
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CELSIUS 41.11 Opens at the Angelika Film Center – PLANO on Friday, October 22!

“The Republicans finally have Hollywood’s answer to Michael Moore: Celsius 41.11″ - The New York Times

“Conservatives are launching a cinematic counterstrike”
- The Washington Post

“Republicans are aiming to give Michael Moore a taste of his own medicine” - Daily Variety

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Synopsis:

“This film wins an entry into the debate. It’s going to be talked about.” – Jerome R. Corsi, author of “Unfit for Command”

The highly anticipated and long awaited rebuttal to Fahrenheit 9/11 is finally here. “Celsius 41.11 - The Temperature at Which the Brain Begins to Die”, is billed as “The Truth Behind the Lies of Fahrenheit 9/11.” Celsius 41.11 presents a point-by-point defense of President Bush by politicians, journalists and scholars. Discussing the legality of the Florida recount in 2000, the Clinton administration’s record on fighting terrorism, and the theory of American exceptionalism, this eye opening documentary is a must see for anyone questioning the accuracy of Michael Moore’s infamous film.

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For showtimes and advance tickets, please visit:
www.AngelikaFilmCenter.com or www.moviefone.com.

For more information:
www.celsius4111.com

I remember being 13 years old…frankly, it sucked. I had braces, big glasses and hideous hair. I wasn’t the geekiest girl in my class, but I was close, which made it even more memorable. I tried to find a picture to display that would represent my tweeness in all its radiant glory but couldn’t find one. So, use your imagination. It was 1984 & 1985…yeah, it was bad.

So my uber-husband and I curled up with a couple of beers and 13 Going on 30 last night. I don’t use the word “adorable” to describe much in my life (except my dogs and on occasion, someone else’s dog) but this movie was just so darn cute…and adorable. There were the obvious comparisons to Tom Hanks in Big but I identified with this movie more because,well, I’m a girl. I remember wanting the “cool kids” to like me but thankfully, didn’t alienate any of my other friends in my ambition. And, I remember wanting to be older and to be able to do all of the hot and sexy things I thought came with adulthood…like parties and driving and mortgages and new air-conditioner compressors. Oh boy.

After a rather awkward 13th birthday party, our heroine Jenna Rink wishes to be 30, flirty and fabulous. She gets her wish but instead of being 30, flirty and fabulous she’s 30, crooked, self-absorbed and a raving beeyotch. She’s the kind of woman that when we’re 13, we don’t ever want to become because they’re just not a whole lot of fun. Through a series of age-inappropriate situations (her adult boyfriend stripping in front of her, needing to save the failing magazine of which she’s an editor, etc.) she comes to realize what a horrible person she became, but she can’t do anything about it at this point. The damage is done. Even her best friend prior to the Big Birthday, Mattie, doesn’t really care for her anymore. The only thing she can really do is go back to that fateful 13th birthday party and right a significant number of wrongs.

And hello…did the guy who had a crush on you in the eighth grade turn out to look like Mark Ruffalo? I know. He didn’t for me, either. Of course, now I’ll have a tough time going to see We Don’t Live Here Anymore because I can’t picture the guy as a cheating louse.

But I digress. I love Jennifer Garner and, you’d think I’d watch Alias but for some reason I don’t. Honestly, I don’t even know what night its on. Maybe I’d rather have my Jenny G. with a side of girly-girl substituted for the kung-fu.

Oh…editing note…when the PG-13 rating came up on the screen, it mentioned a “brief drug reference.” Want to know what the brief drug reference was? As an adult, Mattie says to Jenna, “Are you high?” Then he asks if she’s been smoking marijuana…or if she’s on X. That’s it. Flew by us so fast we didn’t realize that was it until we sat down and deconstructed the movie. We like that sort of thing.

Something else that has to be mentioned, doesn’t anyone check what the current music is for their subject year anymore? It was supposed to be 1987 when Jenna is 13 but they’re playing Thriller…and Rick Springfield…and…Pat Benatar. Come on, “Love is a Battlefield” came out in 1983…the year I was 13. No self-respecting teenage girl ever danced to a song that was four years old….not at a slumber party, not at a magazine promo party, not even by herself. Not cool at all. I had the same complaint about The Wedding Singer. There were plenty of songs from 1987 they could have used…Debbie Gibson’s “Shake Your Love” or “I Think We’re Alone Now” by Tiffany. Or, what about something off of Madonna’s True Blue album, since Jenna had the cover picture framed in her room? But again, I think we’re always talking about publishing rights with this sort of thing…still. I bet Robbie Nevill could have used some residual cash for “C’est La Vie.” Should have called him and gotten the hookup.

And…I blew right through the 30, flirty and fabulous stage and am now at almost-33, footloose and fancy-free? That sounds awful precious, now doesn’t it? {wink}

I’m such a sucker for sentimental schlock. Last night, after a week of listening to commentators drone so sadly about many U.S. Olympic athletes “only getting the silver” or “only getting the bronze” and watching America’s pathetic excuse for a basketball “Dream Team” lose again, I decided to watch a feel-good Olympics movie…something that might restore my faith, if you will.

In the spirit of such underrated underdog sports movies such as Lucas, Wildcats, The Cutting Edge and Quarterback Princess, my husband and I watched Miracle, the Disney-ized recount of Herb Brooks’ 1980 U.S. Hockey team and their quest for Olympic gold. In true Disney spirit, I think my eyes started watering about ten minutes in, when Herb Brooks (played by Kurt Russell, complete with circa ‘79 hair) starts busting the balls of a bunch of cocky ice hockey phenoms from Bawston and Minniesota. At the beginning, he asks them their name and who they play for. They give their name and their college. Halfway through the movie, they finally catch on to why they’ve been running drills for hours on end and respond with their name and an enthusiastic “the United States of America!” Music swells.

You watch them train, you watch all of these hockey players lose their individual momentum and become a true team…”a family” four of them call themselves to Brooks as they express their concern that one of them will be the final person cut to get their team down to 20 players from 21. You watch their no-longer-a-boy-not-quite-a-man expressions as they stare down the stoic Soviet hockey players, then you cheer with them when they indeed beat the Soviet team, 4-3.

Now, I was only eight years old when this momentous game was played and there’s a whole generation of kids and young adults out there who don’t remember what the Cold War was or that there used to be an Olympic juggernaut known as the Soviet Union. But, although I was young, I remember. I remember what a huge deal it was for a bunch of kids to get together and beat the best hockey team in the world…a team who’d had that distinction for 15 years prior.

Miracle reminded me what I’ve always thought the Olympics should be about…sure, the term “triumph of the human spirit” is overly sentimental and probably quaint, but don’t you get a big surge of pride when you see someone achieve something great after working so damn hard to make that achievement? I do…and that’s why it pains me to see professional athletes in the Olympic games. I watch the arrogant, self-righteousness of the U.S. men’s basketball team and I don’t see that desire…don’t see that hunger…to be a part of something for our country. They don’t care because they can go back to their multi-million dollar contracts without even skipping a beat. They don’t care because the sum of their individual egos will always be larger than the sum of their community spirit. You can tell. They’re not, well, a family. They don’t need to be, anymore.

If I could insert a .wav file here that played that swelling music you always here at the end of a feel-good movie when the hero (or heroine) triumphs, I would. How cool would that be?

Back to television this week…Trading Spices and The Amazing Race. I’m rather enjoying the proverbial calm before the storm that is the onslaught of the New Fall TV Season. Batten down the hatches, it’s gonna be a wild ride!

Last night, as I was sipping my Absolut Vanilla Vodka & diet root beer (zero carbs!), I came upon the last ten minutes of the World Bartending Challenge on Food Network. The first guy I see…no joke…his last name is Barcode. Rick Barcode. I can’t help but wonder if that’s a stage name or if, when his ancestors got off the boat, they had the incredible foresight to name themselves for a technology that was still a hundred years off.

Anyway, I watched the last ten minutes and saw ladies and gentleman twirl, juggle and toss their bottles. It was a very Cocktail moment. Of course, I also had a vision of that Simpsons episode where Moe competes for top bartending honors at a Duff Beer festival. That was a great episode. I wouldn’t particularly recommend that you seek the Food Network show out, but for a few good laughts, track down “Pygmoelian” from season 11 of The Simpsons.

Today though…whoa, nellie! The husband and I went to see The Bourne Identity. After about half an hour, I swear I was in a 2-hour episode of The Amazing Race with Team Bourne (”Amnesiac/CIA Assassin”) and Team CIA (”Academy Award Winner Joan Allen/Bad Guys From the Last Movie”).

A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with it’s own pros and cons. In this Detour, it’s “Fight” or “Flight.” In Fight, you answer the invasive, incriminating questions of an American consulate agent who is detaining you in Italy. All cons, no pros. In Flight, you kick him in the head and run. All pros, no cons.

The teams must now drive who-knows-how-far to Berlin, Germany and hunt down the hotel where the entire Bourne saga began many years ago. Once there, they must evade local, national and international authorities. The first team to total his/her car, get shot and still make it out of there alive, gets the next clue. The last team may be eliminated.

No kidding…I had headaches there was so much going on in this movie, but it was great and you need to go see it!

Also fun…saw the trailer for Ocean’s Twelve, which comes out December 10. Can’t wait for that.

So, my uber-husband and I went to see Shrek 2 this morning and it was wonderful! As with last weekend’s trek to see Spider-Man 2, I hadn’t seen the original until last weekend. I know, shame on me. Regardless, Shrek 2 was a wonderful way to spend 93 minutes, in spite of the dolt with the ringing cell phone in the theater and the parents sitting next to us, whose 4-year old daughter had no interest in anything except putting her blankie on her head. Now I know why little kids have to watch a movie 300 times…because they only watch 2 seconds of the film each viewing.

The movie picks up right where the first one left off, with Shrek & Fiona’s honeymoon, which is just adorable. I especially liked Fiona’s butt-kicking of The Little Mermaid. The plot is this: Fiona’s parents have summoned her and her new husband to the Land of Far, Far Away to celebrate their nuptials. The catch? Mom & Dad think Fiona married Prince Charming. Shrek doesn’t want to go, Nick & Jessica-esque newlywed bickering ensues and they wind up heading out anyway, with Donkey in tow.

Welcome to the LofFFA, bitch! No kidding! The land of Far, Far Away is plush. Nice shopping, clean streets and it’s nice to know that the citizens aren’t lacking for overpriced coffee. Needless to say, Mom and Dad are less than impressed. Mom eventually warms up to Shrek because he makes her daughter happy but Dad just can’t get over the fact that his daughter married an ogre, is actually happy, and that now he has to answer to the Fairy Godmother with whom he made a devil of a deal.

Wacky antics ensue where we get to meet Puss-in-Boots, a very hot cat voiced by Antonio Banderas (love the big, sad, kitty eyes) and we once again get to meet The Muffin Man (the Muffin Man? The Muffin Man!). The movie spoofs all sorts of other films from Mission Impossible to Raiders of the Lost Ark. I also loved how it debunked all sorts of fairytale myths such as: Fairy Godmothers are always good and, Prince Charming is always strong, valiant and full of integrity. At the same time though, it confirmed that the Ugly Stepsister is indeed, quite ugly and not very pleasant.

The title of this blog refers to a scene towards the end of the movie, and had a joke in it that only my husband and I seemed to get. No one else laughed but we couldn’t stop for a good thirty seconds. If you go see it, look for it…it’s subtle.

In non-movie news, we watched the 1st DVD of the 1st season of Joe Schmo…it’s unedited (uncensored! outta control!) which basically means that nothing is bleeped out and a few boob shots aren’t blurred out…no big deal. We laughed so hard through the entire show…especially when someone lost at an elimination ceremony. Here’s what happens: our Smarmy Host takes the contestant’s Lap of Luxury Commemorative Plate (with the person’s photo on it, no less) and says “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, {insert name here}, you’re dead to us” and then tosses the plate dramatically into the fireplace, shattering it into a million pieces. Brilliant! RENT THIS DVD IF YOU WANT A GUARANTEED EVENING OF LAUGHTER!!!

And in still other news, we’re ditching the Dish and getting our HDTV receiver (thanks, Comcast!) tomorrow night, which means I can watch The Amazing Race on Tuesday night and feel like I’m almost in the game! Or, well, I would if I was a twin, a mom, a bickering couple or a midget.

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

In case you’ve been living under a rock, Spider-Man 2 opened last week and I plunked down my $6 today so see the Webbed One in action for a second time. To be fair, I will say upfront that I didn’t see the original Spider-Man until two days ago. I love Tobey Maguire…he’s so good with that whole “triumph of the human spirit” thing I saw him first tackle in Pleasantville and again in Seabiscuit. You actually buy him as the good guy!

Most critics have said the sequel is better than the original to which I have to say, yes, if we’re talking about the villain. Doc Ock is scarier and more evil than the Green Goblin any day of the week. I never really bought Willem Defoe as a villain…and really couldn’t for the duration of the movie since I couldn’t get the vision of him and Madonna in Body of Evidence out of my head.

Can I just say that I loved how Doc Ock’s hands/tentacles would hiss at him when displeased? Kirsten Dunst was just as luminous and innocent and lovely in Spider-Man 2 as she was in the original…I can almost forgive her for Crazy/Beautiful…ha ha. I won’t give any of the plot away for the three people who haven’t seen the movie yet this weekend, but I’m anxiously awaiting Spider-Man 3, which they so totally set the stage for! According to IMDB.com though, it’s slated for a 2007 release which will make me…yikes…old by the time they get around to premiering it.

Saw “The Terminal” this weekend…eh. It was just…”eh.” Now, I try really hard not to read reviews before I go to a movie but last Thursday, CNN.com gave “The Terminal” an ‘eh’ review. However, the Dallas Morning News gave it an A- so I split the difference and went to see it.

The first half was GREAT…it was reminiscent of Tom Hanks in “Castaway” watching him try to get along in a completely strange world only without Wilson the Volleyball Friend. Once Spielberg had him interacting with other Airport Employees With Hearts of Gold though, things took a turn for the ludicrous. The proverbial cherry on the sundae was Catherine Zeta-Jones’ character…what was up with that? The storyline served no purpose but to put in the requisite romantic plotline.

It wasn’t awful but wasn’t great, either… 2 1/2 out of 4 stars.

On a better note, watched most of the first season of Survivor on DVD this weekend and remembered why I liked Kelly Wigglesworth so much!