New Moon Movie Review

New Moon, the second installment in the Twilight saga, is a fairly decent movie. It his all the high points in the book and told the overall story pretty well. It was fun to see the Cullens again, and I'm glad Jasper got a line in the movie so we could hear his southern accent (he was a confederate soldier, after all). I liked that Rosalie got a couple lines to explain why she doesn't want Bella to turn into a vampire. But I'm sure the back stories of Jasper and Rosalie will never make it into the movies, nor will those of Esme, Emmet or Alice. At least Carlisle's was hinted at in this one.

The best thing about this whole movie was the Volturi, the ancient and powerful governing body for all vampires. The Volturi are led by Aro, expertly played by Michael Sheen. Sheen stands out as a seasoned professional among an entire cast of amateurs. He is deliciously evil and power hungry, and I'm bummed that the Volturi aren't part of the third story.

The second book was all about the wolf pack so I was a little disappointed that they didn't go into more detail about it. They could have spared a minute or two to explain the pack mentality and how they're all connected all the time (and they all hate it). They very briefly mentioned that a pack member has to (i.e., physically cannot do otherwise even if they want to) follow the Alpha's orders. I was most surprised they left out the imprinting since it has such a huge impact on the end of the last book. But I guess they're going to follow the pattern of the Harry Potter movies and just chunk it all into the last movie.

My complaint about the special effects is that when the sun hits Edward he radiates light like a light bulb is in inside of him and shooting out of his pores. The effect is worse than a disco ball. I much prefer the low budget effect of the first movie which matched perfectly how I imagined Edward in the sun.

Overall the movie was decent. It's a must-see for Twihards, but for the mere Twi-curious you might want to skip the chaos of the movie theater and wait for the DVD.

Movie & Book Reviews

I'll start with the movie reviews. 2012 rocked! Great special effects drive this movie starring John Cusack and Amanda Peet. The editors of this movie did a great job at balancing the special effects with the human interest stories. If the world were to experience something this huge in such a short amount of time, this is probably very close to what would happen. Great movie, great story. Go see this one.

The Damned United is a British movie starring Michael Sheen as soccer coach Brian Clough. It's a true story about Clough and his drive to be a better coach than his rival Don Revie. I like that it's not the typical story arc where the guy starts as nothing and ends up on top and everybody lives happily ever after. The movie is filled with fantastic British actors such as Colm Meaney, James Broadbent, and Timothy Spall. If you don't catch this one in the theater, make sure you put it in your rental queue.

Now on to books. The Magicians by Lev Grossman was a very interesting read. It sounds like it would be Harry Potter all over again because our protagonist, Quentin, finds out that he can do real magic and goes off to magic school instead of college. However, this book is absolutely nothing like Harry Potter. HP is the typical hero's story. This book is about the elite students at an elite school who are insufferable snobs who excel at what they do. When they graduate from school they have the capability to do almost anything, and they're given vast amounts of money to do it with. But with no focus in their lives they become overly self-indulgent and grow bored with themselves. The author holds degrees from Harvard and Yale, so we can see that he has plopped his Ivy League experience into a story about magicians. This is very well done and, as I said before, it's very interesting to read. I definitely recommend this one.

Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris, the latest book in her Harper Connelly mystery series, is probably the best story in this series so far. After getting struck by lightning as a teenager, Harper can sense dead bodies. While discovering the reason for her client's father's passing, Harper uncovers secrets about that family's past which end up tying into her own family secrets. If you're looking for something easy and entertaining to read, give this one a shot.

Battle of the Blades - Week 6

We're down to the final three: Simpson, Lemieux and Richer. I think that these are the top three guys so I'm pleased with the voting and judging so far. Tonight, though, the judges were highly praising Lemieux and Richer, and sort of dissed Simpson for his edges. I disagree completely. All three of the them are good at tossing their partners around in various lifts, but only Craig Simpson has truly embraced figure skating. He's learned how to do a waltz jump (and, in fact, did three of them in a row last week), today he did a spiral, he's done some tricky footwork, and he's the only guy to actually skate on one foot! I don't understand why the judges don't appreciate his hard work as much as I do.

On a side note, Katerina Witt was the guest judge and she's just a little weird. She kept making remarks about wanting to be in a threesome with the skaters. o.O Her comments were just a little odd. Maybe her thoughts didn't quite translate well from the German in her head to the English out of her mouth. However she was handing out 6.0's like they were going out of style. It's about time. For a few weeks I've been screaming six-point-oh! at the TV every time Craig Simpson and Jamie Sale skate and she gave them one.

For the Monday night skate off, Richer's partner had hurt her back and couldn't skate. The judges decided, and the skaters agreed, that all three pairs will remain in the competition and all will skate in next Sunday's competition. So Canada, make sure you watch and vote next week!

Book Reviews

Covet, the latest book by JR Ward, is the first of a new series in which the world hangs in the balance between angels and demons with one guy who can save us all. There will be seven books in this series, one for each of the deadly sins. This book really appealed to my inner sci-fi/fantasy/action geek. There were a few scenes that could have been tightened up a little, but overall I really enjoyed this book. I recommend it to anyone who loves the Urban Fantasy sub-genre of books.

Soulless by Gail Carriger is cute and funny. It's set in Victorian England, which is usually a big "ugh" for me. But the whole book was filled with such silliness that I couldn't help but enjoy it. I guess I'd classify it as a historical vampire/werewolf mystery adventure. (Does that even make sense?!) Our spunky heroine is a parasol-carrying soulless spinster (at the ripe old age of 25) who is determined to solve the mysterious disappearances and murders of all the supernatural beings. If you have any interest in something light and a little off the wall I recommend giving this a try.

Tempted is the latest in the House of Night series by P.C. and Kristen Cast. It's the continuing story of teenager Zoey Redbird, favored priestess of the vampyre goddess Nyx, who tries to lead a group of her friends against the forces of evil that erupt in her life. This is series just OK. If I were a teenager I'm sure I'd like it more, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to my adult friends unless they were specifically looking to read something like this.

This Is It - Movie Review

It was truly stunning to watch Michael Jackson's concert rehearsal footage for his never-realized This Is It concert. This footage was taped over the course of a few different rehearsals each at different stages of completion. Michael Jackson was involved in every part of this production from the instrumental music, vocals, dancing, staging, lighting, special effects and everything in between. I found it interesting to see how he inspired everyone to achieve excellence through his passion, commitment and, most refreshingly, his genuine kindness. And in an age where many singer's voices are dubbed and digitally corrected due to (extreme) lack of talent, it was awesome to hear him sing and sound just like he does on his albums. And, of course, his dancing is phenomenal.

I loved some of the phrases he used while giving directions during rehearsals. In one scene he was trying to get the tempo right on The Way You Make Me Feel. He wanted the beginning slower and with a specific overall "tone" (for lack of a better word on my part). He told the keyboardist that he wanted the musical feeling of "just getting out of bed" - which, when you listened to it, was an accurate description of how it sounded. Then the keyboardist started adding more music too quickly, and Michael Jackson corrected him by telling him that he wanted the music to "simmer" for awhile before it kicked in.

I was enthralled with this whole movie. I want to see him perform this concert live. It's clear why the 50 shows he had scheduled sold out almost instantly. I wish we could turn back time and somehow prevent his untimely and UNNECESSARY death. It's clear that he was physically healthy and excited about performing these shows. I am both inspired and heartbroken. *sigh* Anyone who has even the slightest interest in Michael Jackson should go see this movie. You will not be disappointed.

Battle of the Blades - Week 5

We're down to the final four pairs tonight, and I think it's pretty clear that Tie Domi has to go. He's clearly the worst skater of the group. He excels at lifting his partner, Toughy Hough, and swinging her around, but he lacks the ability to actually skate. The other skater in the bottom two with Tie tomorrow night will either be Stephane Richer or Claude Lemieux. Both of them skated well but not spectacularly.

Craig Simpson is the guy who is head and shoulders above the rest. He and Jamie Sale skated to the Austin Powers theme and they clearly had a lot of fun taking on the movie personas for this performance. He blew me away with a three waltz jump combo - and it was done in unison with Jamie. I look forward to watching them skate every week. The judges gave them 5.9s, but it was most obviously a 6.0 performance.

For Monday night's skate off, Domi really got turned around during the middle of his performance and then couldn't seem to get himself back together for the rest of his program. He ended up getting the boot.

Book and Movie Reviews

I just finished reading the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by JR Ward. I loved these books about a secret underworld of vampires that's slowly crumbling under archaic, oppressive traditions. The Brotherhood are a small group of men fighting the lessers, a cadre of undead scum created by the Omega (the devil). The vampire society is lead by a king, also the leader of the Brotherhood, who is trying desperately to stabilize society while the lessers wreak havoc. Each book in the series delves into the background and issues of specific characters while pushing the overall story forward. Many people in the on-line book club I belong to have a favorite character, but I couldn't possibly pick just one. I love them all!

I can't wait to read more in this series. The next book in this series is due out in April. Her latest book, Covet, is the first in a companion series. I will be reading it in the near future (once I straighten out my massive tbr list). I really liked these books and recommend them if Urban Fantasy is your reading genre of choice.

I also saw a couple movies this weekend. Law Abiding Citizen, starring Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx, was pretty good. Butler plays a man whose wife and daughter were murdered during a robbery. One of the bad guys gets the death penalty, but the other bad guy gets free after a few years in prison because he made a plea deal and ratted on the other guy. Butler spends the rest of the movie getting back at all the people who essentially let this second felon walk. It's very well made. If you don't get to the theaters to see this one, put it in your rental queue.

The other movie I saw was Good Hair, a documentary by Chris Rock about African-American women's hair. It was informative, funny (no surprise there with Chris Rock at the helm), and very well made. He explores all aspects of hair products and styles while interviewing many people ranging from common everyday people to celebrities. The most revealing aspect for me was what a HUGE business this is just because women don't like their hair! And this statement applies to white women as well, even though this movie specifically focuses on black hair. Definitely see this movie, no matter what race you are. After watching this, I swear I won't complain about my hair as much. (If I said "never" you'd know I was lying.)

Battle of the Blades - Week 4

This is still my most favorite show on TV right now. This week's musical theme was R&B, and the guest judge was Lanny McDonald. Lanny still has his giant 'stash, it's just white now instead of red.

Craig Simpson and Jamie Sale TOTALLY BLEW ME AWAY! I was screaming 6.0! 6.0! at the TV. Craig is skating really, really well (in spite of a back injury), they both have a great feel for the music, AND he was the first guy to do an actual jump!! A waltz jump, if you've never done a jump in figure skates, can be difficult. The judges only gave them 5.9's. I thought Dick Button might cave and give them a 6.0 but he didn't. He's probably saving it for the last episode or two.

Claude Lemieux looked great too. I still predict Lemieux and Simpson in the final two. Tie Domi got stuck with some crappy slow song I've never heard before, but he skated pretty darn well to the music with his partner (even if he is still in hockey skates). Daneyko and Richer were OK, but not fantastic. I'm guessing these are the two that will be in the skate-off tonight. We shall see!

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Daneyko and Domi were in the bottom two tonight. Domi skated very well. Daneyko did pretty good too, but not as good as Domi. Daneyko had a little bit of a flub on one of the lifts, but even discounting that his program didn't measure up to Domi's and he was booted off.

Battle of the Blades - Week 3

Week three and the pressure is ON! Tonight they skated to Latin music, and for the first time we're starting to see who's got the skating chops to make it. Most pairs skated well. Stephane Richer turned in a solid performance, while Tie Domi was fun to watch (as usual) and probably remains the crowd favorite.

Ken Daneyko was a little klutzy and he dumped his partner on her butt. Ron Duguay and Barb Underhill were a bit lackluster in their performance. I'm guessing those are the two that will be in the skate off tomorrow night.

After tonight I'm predict that the final two skaters will be Craig Simpson and *cough gag choke* Claude Lemieux. They both are skating exceptionally well, and they don't look like clumsy lumbering hockey players. I'm seriously impressed with their skating. The only thing either of them lack is the training to do spins and jumps, otherwise you'd never guess that weren't trained figure skaters.

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I was half wrong. The two players skating off on Monday night were Ron Duguay and Tie Domi. Tie's performance maybe wasn't technically advanced but he sold his "Rico Suave" performance to the judges. Ron Duguay's performance was similar to last nights: underwhelming. Ron was sent home. No more looking at his fake tans or perfectly coiffed hair (or his bad disco shirts).

Battle of the Blades - Week 2

Ho-lee-KOW! Last week when they announced that everyone would be skating to Frank Sinatra music on their second week, I thought it was a dirty trick to play on all the hockey players who are still getting used to figure skates. But they all looked really great this week. All the men wore figure skates except for Tie Domi, who did great anyway. I was especially surprised at how well Mr. Clean look-alike Ken Daneyko did.

My favorite was Craig Simpson who skated an honest-to-God pairs program with his partner Jamie Sale. He even did a few spirals as well as some lifts. I think they had the best performance, but the judges liked Claude Lemieux and Shae-Lynn Bourne the best. But again, they all turned in really great performances. I'm so impressed.

We'll have to wait until tomorrow to see which two pairs get the least amount of votes before we find out who'll get booted off next. Based on tonight's performance I'd go with Glenn Anderson who tripped on his toe pick and fell, then tripped on his toe pick again getting up. Shortly after that there was a very shaky lift that had me yelling "oh $hi+" because I thought he was going to drop his partner, Isabelle Brasseur. In spite of these mistakes, it was still a pretty good performance. If he can turn in a stellar performance tomorrow night, the judges might save him.

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As predicted, Glenn Anderson was in the bottom two, as well as Stephan Richer for the second week in a row (not quite sure why he keeps ending up in the bottom). Glenn skated much better in the elimination round. His lift toward the end of the program was solid, and led to a little bit of a different ending than what we saw on Sunday night (the correct ending, I'm assuming). But the judges voted him out.

The best part about this elimination round was Don Cherry calling out Dick Button for being excessively mean toward Glenn Anderson. Having followed figure skating for a couple decades, I'm used to Dick Button ripping apart the skaters. I don't think Don Cherry expected his harsh criticism since this show is just for fun and they're all skating for charity. It just goes to show you that the bitchiness of the figure skating world permeates everything it touches. Too bad.

Battle of the Blades - Week 1

OMG! Battle of the Blades is my new favorite show! It's on CBC every Sunday and Monday for the next six weeks. This show pairs hockey players with figure skaters to see how well the hockey players adapt to figure skating. It's hosted by Ron MacLean and Kurt Browning, and the judges are Dick Button and Sandra Bezic with a guest judge each week. This week's judge was Kelly Hrudey who you could tell had a lot of fun watching the big brawny hockey players skate a little routine with their partners.

The pairs are Bob Probert and Kristina Lenko (see photo), Claude Lemieux and Shae-Lynn Bourne, Glenn Anderson and Isabelle Brasseur, Stephane Richer and Marie-France Dubreuil, Ken Daneyko and Jodeyne Higgins, Tie Domi and Christine (Tuffy) Hough-Sweeney, Craig Simpson and Jamie Sale, and Ron Duguay and Barbara Underhill.

It's a lot better than you might think because the hockey players already know how to skate. Most of them have adjusted pretty well to the toe picks on the figure skates, but a few of them obviously didn't because they ended up wearing their hockey skates. Probert, Domi and Duguay all wore their hockey skates, but then Barbara Underhill sported a pair herself for this first round.

The judges gave the highest marks to Duguay who clearly visited Studio 54 a time or two when he played for New York. It kills kills kills me to say this, but if I had voted it would have been for Claude Lemieux. *choke choke, gag gag* Seriously, Lemieux and Bourne had the most elements in their program, including a full overhead lift, AND Lemieux did the whole thing on figure skates! I was really impressed. Actually I was impressed with all of the guys who all did a lot better than I had expected....except for Probert. *sigh*

I wish I could say my Red Wing skated figure eights around Domi, but he clearly had the hardest time adjusting to the fluidity of movement needed for figure skating. And after the skate-off on Monday between Probert and Richer (who had the two lowest vote tallys), the judges voted off Probert.

Next week the remaining seven pairs will be skating to music by Frank Sinatra, and the guest judge is going to be........drum roll........Don Cherry! YES! Grapes himself will be critiquing Tie Domi's ability to adapt a lovely skating routine to a lilting Frank Sinatra melody. (No, pigs aren't flying and hell hasn't frozen over.) If that's not enough to get you tune in then I don't know what is.

Pandorum

Pandorum was a good action /sci-fi flick reminiscent of the Alien movies. It was a little predictable but well made and fun to watch. It did have a nice little twist at the end, and God knows I love those!

My friend had a question about a key plot point, and when I pointed out the scene where we got that information she grumbled something about having someone else give us the information instead of the guy who's hard to understand. My one complaint was that at the end of every scene someone had to say "We've got to get out of here." It was obvious by everything that was going on in the plot that it was crucial for them to keep moving. I don't think they had to remind us quite so often. But hey, if you can roll with that and focus your listening on the mumbly guy's big scene, you're sure to enjoy this thriller.

Movie and Book Reviews

The Informant starring Matt Damon is hilarious. It's based on a true story about a VP at a company who turns informant for the FBI and provides evidence of price fixing in the industry. But the way it's made has you laughing throughout the entire film. It's unbelievable to watch all the events unfold. If you don't catch this one at the theater then definitely put it in your rental pile.

I rented Race to Witch Mountain. I'll admit it: I only rented it because to look at The Rock. You can skip this movie.

Dan Brown's new book The Lost Symbol is a fun read. I would say it's not as far-fetched as Angels & Demons or The Da Vinci Code, which I liked but I'm guessing most other people won't like this one as much. It's set in Washington, DC and focuses on the secrets and symbols of the Masons.

Last but definitely not least is The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. I adored this book! It's a murder mystery told from the first person perspective of an 11 year old chemistry enthusiast named Flavia. The thing I loved the most about this book is the distinction between the world everyone else lives in, and Flavia's world. This book is charming and funny, and you have to put it in your to-be-read pile.

Movie Reviews: Inglourious Basterds, etc.

I finally got to see Inglourious Basterds this weekend and loved it. It's set in Nazi occupied France in WWII and focuses on an elite group of Jewish American soldiers called the Basterds (led by Brad Pitt's character) who brutally kill and scalp Nazis. They eventually cross paths one fateful evening with a Jewish woman (hiding her identity) who runs a movie theater in Paris that is frequented by German soldiers. Together they change the course of history (if only!!). This is classic Tarantino and I highly recommend it to his fans. However, don't go see this movie if you don't like his other movies.

I also rented a bunch of stinkers lately. I highly do not recommend Employee of the Month (not funny), The Watchmen (WAY too long), Dream Girls (well made but boring), or Laddder 49 (predictable and boring).

Gamer and Stranger in a Strange Land

It was a cloudy day here in Michigan so I went to see Gamer starring Gerard Butler. It takes place in the not-too-distant future where nanochips are implanted into the brain cells of convicts and are then controlled like a video game character by real people in a real life combat scenario. Ultimately it explores technology taken to far by greedy, obsessive humans. It's a decent movie if you're into action/sci-fi films, but if you're a chick-flick type movie goer don't see this one.

Also, at the urging of a friend of mine I read Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein...eventually...after setting a reading schedule and forcing myself to stick to it. My main problem is that it was written in the '60s for a '60s mentality. Had I read it then I probably would have loved it. But, with my modern sci-fi mentality, I struggled to make it through. It wasn't a bad book or a poorly written book, it was just very laborious for me to read. But I'm glad I did, though, because it's a sci-fi classic and I've always wanted to read it.

It's about a man from Mars who comes to live on Earth. I would have enjoyed it more if the book focused on the man from Mars. As it is, less than a third of the book is about him. The main portion of the book focuses on our human reactions to him, told primarily through a blow-hard named Jubal who talks just to hear himself talk. If I ran the universe, I would make a "good parts" version like they did for Princess Bride. But I don't, and therefore it's hard for me to recommend this to anyone else.

District 9 movie and Dark Swan book series

I went to see District 9 this weekend and loved it! It's an intelligent and fresh take on what would happen if aliens came to earth. I like that it happens in Johannesburg, South Africa (very symbolic, btw) as opposed to some typical US city. I also liked that they used all unknown actors, which played well with the documentary-style of storytelling. The only thing I didn't like is that almost all of it was filmed on hand-held cameras making for a lot of jittery shots. My eyes were getting sore after awhile so I kept looking down to focus on my stable and unmoving knee for a few moments. Excellent movie. I highly recommend it.

I've also read the Dark Swan book series by Richelle Mead which so far includes Storm Born and Thorn Queen. I just read these two books to kill a couple days until the new Chelsea Cain book comes out, but I ended up enjoying reading these two books. They're fun and easy to read urban fantasy books. Pick these up if you're looking for an easy way to kill some time. {Thorn Queen is currently available as a free download on the Kindle.}

Book Reviews: The Hollows Series and the Fever series

I was recently laid up after having an operation on my foot so I had a lot of time to make a dent in my TBR pile. The first series I read was the urban fantasy Hollows series by Kim Harrison which includes Dead Witch Walking; The Good, The Bad and the Undead; Every Which Way But Dead; A Fistful of Charms; For a Few Demons More; The Outlaw Demon Wails; and White Witch, Black Curse. I absolutely LOVED this series. The main character, Rachel Morgan, is a witch with a messed up and complicated life, and although life keeps throwing curveballs at her she still manages to fight the good fight.

There are so many fun and interesting characters, my favorite of which is a pixie named Jenks who is one of Rachel's business partners. He may only be four inches tall but his personality is larger than life. My favorite part of these books are the Tink curses he spews out, such as Tink's titties! Tink's tampons! Tink's diaphram! And, of course, Tink's a Disney whore! Baa-haa-haa!

All these books were so much fun to read. I recommend them to everyone.

The other book series I read was the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning which includes Darkfever, Bloodfever, Faefever, and Dreamfever. The main character, MacKayla Lane, is unwittingly lured into an epic fight between humans and faes for the planet earth. The series is just ok. The only thing that keeps it really intersting is the character Jerhico Z. Barrons. We're still not sure who or what he is. He's dark, powerful, mysterious, dangerous, and he keeps Mac alive. I wouldn't necessarily recommend these books unless this is your genre of choice.

Julie & Julia

I went to see Julie & Julia before I get laid up with my foot surgery. I didn't think it would be a good movie because it didn't appear to have any plot. However, Meryl Streep comes through once again with her larger than life portrayal of Julia Child. You can't help but love her, annoying voice and all. And I love Stanley Tucci who played Julia's husband (but I like him in anything he does). Amy Adams, who portrayed the woman who cooked her way through Julia Child's cookbook in year, was good as well. It's a good movie if you're looking for something to see.

On a side note, I would like to remind people who sit in the seats at the ends of the rows in movie theaters that once the movie is over, you need to stand up and exit the theater. If you didn't get hint when the movie ended and the credits started rolling, the other cue is when those of us who sit in the middle of the rows stand up and start moving toward the aisles (re: you). We don't want to be blocked in until you feel like getting your lazy keester out of the (uncomfortable) chair.

Book Review: Night Huntress Series

I just read my way through the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost, which includes Halfway to the Grave, One Foot in the Grave, At Grave's End, and the recently released Destined for an Early Grave. What a fun read! It follows our heroine, Cat, through her adventures of finding and killing bad vampires while inadvertently getting involved with the good vampires.

I like that Cat is a tough, take-charge chick who doesn't need a guy to save her that Bones, the good vampire who finds her, let's her be that chick and loves her for it. There's also a lot of humor and action in these books. If you're looking for something fun to read, check these out.

Movie and Book Reviews

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was the best Harry Potter movie yet. I think much of it has to do with being able to dispense with the "ooh, look at that cool new spell Hermione can do" and the "oh no, a cave a troll in the girl's bathroom" type gimmicks and get down to the nitty gritty story that's been brewing for six books.

Even if you've never read the books and have only seen the movies, you know that a war is coming. It's always been leading to a showdown between Harry and Voldemort. Half Blood Prince is a great set-up for the ending of the series. I understand the need to cut out as much from the books as possible to get the movie down to a good running time, but the movie-only people (I feel) have been cheated out of the entire back story of Tom Riddle/Voldemort. While not entirely necessary, it seems like something everyone should know going into the Deathly Hallows. It only seems fair since we've been exposed to most of Harry's back story and this series ostensibly centers around those two and how and why they're bound together through Trelawney's prophecy (though we discover at the end of the last book that the series is really about two other characters, but I won't spoil that for those of you who haven't read the books).

And now I'm going to whine about other scenes missing from the movie because I'm a huge Potter dork. The most satisfying scene in the book, and possibly the whole series, was when Dumbledore came to pick up Harry from the Dursley's and gave them all the big old what for, Dumbledore-style of course. Those horrible people have had that coming for a long time and I would have loved to see them get what's coming to them on screen. I also would have liked to see the opening chapter, The Other Minister, where the Prime Minister (unwillingly) meets the Minister of Magic who has to explain that all the disasters occurring in England are actually caused by bad wizards. They even could have gotten Michael Sheen to play the Prime Minister (he plays Tony Blair in just about half the movies he's in). It's a funny chapter in the book and it would have brought a moment of levity to a dark movie. As would the scenes at the Weasley's in the beginning with Fleur Delacour, who the rest of the kids nickname Phlegm due to her overbearing personality. But at 2 1/2 hours I understand why these scenes were cut.This is a fabulous must-see movie. The seasoned actors are great as you would expect (Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane). But this movie also highlights how good the kids have become. They've all done a little bit of work outside of the Potterverse and it's improved their acting in these movies. Emma Watson has always been the best actor of the main trio, but Daniel Radcliff's stage work on Equus has brought him up to the level of the adult actors in the movie. I think he now has the ability to believably pull off all the horrible and wonderful things that happen in Deathly Hallows. If only I had one of those darn time-turners I could speed myself ahead to watch the last two installments right now!

Public Enemies with Johnny Depp and Christian Bale was boring. The movie makers missed the mark on what to focus on and how to make it interesting. Don't bother with this one.

I also rented a couple. Shooter with Mark Wahlberg was decent but predictable. Stephen King's The Shining (not to be confused with the Kubrick version) was an excellent adaptation of the book. Less psycho and more cerebral, it focused more on the mental state of the alcoholic father, and his son who is gifted with some form of ESP that he calls 'the shining.'

Speaking of books, I've read quite a few. I've read the 13 Dark Hunter books by Sherrilyn Kenyon and most of the ancillary short stories. The series is fun but starts off a little slow. I don't think she really had an overall story arc in mind until several books in. The last two books, Acheron and One Silent Night, were fantastic. They focused more on action and the overall plot development and less on the individual love stories.

The background of the story centers around ancient Greek and Atlantean gods. 11,000 years ago, some Apollites killed Apollo's Atlantean mistress and their baby. He took revenge by cursing all Apollites by 1) making it so they can't go in the sun so he doesn't have to look at them, 2) they have to feed off each other for sustenance, and 3) they die a very painful death on their 27th birthday since that's how old his mistress was when she was murdered. Some of them accept their fate, but those who don't, daimons, feed off of humans to suck their souls, thereby extended their lives. The Dark Hunters are the ones who kill the daimons to keep humans safe. They are people who die tragic deaths and call on Artemis (known to many in this series as 'the bitch goddess' - and rightfully so) who trade their souls to her for immortality and some extra powers so they can exact their revenge, but are then bound to serve as Dark Hunters. There's a lot of other stuff going on, but that's the main gist of the background.

I also read the four Dream Hunter books, which are offshoots of the Dark Hunter series. It takes place in the same universe but focuses on the Oneroi, the gods who can enter your dreams. I don't find these books as interesting as the Dark Hunter books, but they fill in a lot more of the overall background and characters.

This is light reading, but if you can tolerate the goopy love stories you might enjoy the overall storyline like me. I'm all set now for the latest book which comes out on August 4th, which is supposed to center around Fang and Aimee. I can't wait to see what happens next.

I also read His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik which I downloaded for free on my Kindle. It was a good story that explores how dragons would have been incorporated into the Napoleonic wars. I liked the beginning more than the end. The beginning focused on the dragon and its relationship with his person. The end of the story focused a lot on the battles. Because of that, I wasn't compelled to read additional stories in this series. But it was a solid book if you want to check it out.

Goodbye, Michael Jackson

I'm sure many of you are mourning the loss of Michael Jackson today like I am. I was obsessed with him in 6th, 7th & 8th grade. I had all his posters all over my walls and all his buttons all over my jacket. For Christmas I got a red pleather jacket that looked just like the one he wore in his Beat It video. My brother got a black one just like it and my mom a white one.

I think our neighborhood was the last one in the entire USA to get cable. When the Thriller video came out I had to go over to a friends house to catch it. MTV was playing it every half hour. They've never done that since - that's how groundbreaking the video was. That zombie dance is STILL totally kick ass!
And the moonwalk?! W-O-W!! There hasn't been a dance move before or since (or any kind of move by anybody doing anything) that blew everyone away. 'Fess up - you tried to do it and failed miserable but even now you still wish you could to it. (It's ok, me too.)

I dragged my whole family (though it wasn't hard) to the Jackson's Victory concert at the Pontiac Silverdome when I was 13. It was my first concert so I couldn't say for sure, but I think that was the first concert tour that was a 'production' and not just a concert. I remember we were all dazzled the entire time. I got to see him moonwalk live while singing Billie Jean. What a memory to have! I still have my concert ticket.

I remember when the Black or White video premiered on MTV when I was college. It obviously was about race relations so I thought it was going to be slow and preachy, but it turned out to be one of the best pop songs he ever wrote. And how cool was the end of that video when all those people were morphing into each other?!

At the end, it seems like he surrounded himself with a bunch of self-serving leeches who didn't do anything to help him emotionally or physically. And if the toxicology report reveals that his death was caused by all meds, I hope the evil Dr. Feelgood gets stripped of his medical license and thrown in jail. He had all those people around him - why didn't any of them help him? The frustrating thing is that he could have gotten help and didn't have to die.

MJ: You are missed. Say 'hi' to Elvis for me.

Movie Reviews

Movie review time! The Life Before Her Eyes starring Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood is the story of a woman who survived a Columbine-like tragedy. This isn't my normal genre of movies, so please believe me when I say it's worth renting.

I also recommend Death At A Funeral, a British comedy about family dynamics in midst of the funeral of the family patriarch. I wasn't in the mood to watch a British film, but it won me over in spite of my bad mood. It was pretty darn funny.

Darjeeling Ltd. was a little too goofy for me. It's the story of a trio of brothers who never got over the death of their father. If you're in the mood for a very quirky movie you might like this one.

Outlaw starring Sean Bean is slow, and Awake is stupid. Don't rent either of them.

Movie & Book Reviews

I've been laid up after having surgery on my foot so I have lots of reviews to post from all this free time on my hands. I'll start with The Hangover which was hilarious. Three guys wake up in their trashed Vegas hotel room after a crazy night out on the town for a bachelor party to find a chicken, a baby, and a tiger - but no groom. They have no memory of the night before and try to retrace their steps so they can find their friend. This movie was absolutely laugh out loud funny. This is a must see.

Yesterday I went through South Park Season 12. If you're a South Park fan this is a must see. The first few episodes were a little on the weak side, but as the season progressed the episodes got funnier culminating in the best and last episode of the season where Butters thinks he's turned into a vampire after getting a Hot Topic makeover and drinking Clamato. I love Butters.

The rest of the movies I watched I can't really recommend. Deception, starring Hugh Jackman and Ewan McGregor, is slow and predictable. Harsh Times, starring Christian Bale, is about a stupid white guy trying to fit into Latino street culture. One Missed Call wasn't scary at all. Lars and the Real Girl wasn't bad, but I thought it was supposed to be comedy and it turned out to be a touching indy film.

Now for a couple book reviews. The first one is a short story that was free on the Kindle called Serial by Jack Kilborn and Blake Crouch. It's three chapters long. The first chapter follows a male serial killer who rapes and tortures a hitch hiker in a cornfield. The second chapter follows a female serial killer who drugs her victims so she can tie them to the back of the car and drag them until they die. The third chapter has these two serial killers meet each other and gets interesting as we watch them try to kill each other. Very twisted. It's not bad, but I'm glad it was only three chapters because it was disturbing.

The other book was also a free Kindle download called The Alchemyst by Michael Scott. It's aimed at a pre-teen audience, but it was a good little story. It's about Nicholas Flamel and the philosopher's stone, which can make the elixir of life. Some bad people steal the codex of ancient formulas and it's up to a set of twins to help Flamel save the world from destruction. Cute, but I can't recommend it to an adult audience.

Pride & Prejudice & Zombies

Zombies?! Yes, you read that right. Some genius named Seth Grahame-Smith took Jane Austen's torturously boring novel and wrote in a bunch of zombies to spice it up. The Bennet girls are all ninja warriors pledged to kill Satan's minions, but the main story is still Austen's original drivel. This book is much more clever and entertaining than it sounds like it would be.

It took me a long time to read this; probably about a month when my usual pace for a book is a few days to a week. It if weren't for Grahame-Smith's upgrades I would have stabbed my eyes out with a fork and tossed the book into the garbage (well, not really because I have it on my Kindle, but you get the point). I don't know how Austen got herself published and why her books are considered classics. Thank God Grahame-Smith had the inclination and the time to revamp it so than now I may say that this new version is definitely a classic.

My initial thought was that he should upgrade all of Austen's books, but his next project is going to be Abe Lincoln: Vampire Slayer. I'm glad he's spreading the love around. I'm looking forward to his future works.

Movie Reviews

Up was a fabulous movie! I love that animated movies are more geared to an adult audience these days. It's about old man who lifts his house up with helium balloons to fulfill his life-long dream of exploring South America. Soon after lift off he realized that he's not alone. An eight year old Wilderness Explorer was on his porch when the house lifted off. I loved this kid - he had the funniest lines!

The most beautiful part of the movie is the beginning, which tells the life story of the old man exclusively visually (no dialogue whatsoever). We learned so much about our main character in only a few minutes of animation. Very impressive. Definitely go see this one.

One you should definitely skip is Drag Me To Hell. Indeed. I felt like I was actually in hell while sitting through this piece of crap. At the half hour point I was bored stiff. I wasn't scared at all and it was completely predictable. At several points I laughing because it was so lame - like the angry talking goat, for example. I'm amazed that someone thought this was a good enough script to give Sam Raimi millions of dollars to make this. Do you really want to be the guy who made the worst movie in the past decade?!

I've rented several movies as well. Ones you should catch are Kill Shot based on an Elmore Leonard book starring Mickey Rourke and Diane Lane (filmed in Michigan, btw); December Boys, a British coming of age movie about a group of orphans in Australia starring Dan Radcliff; and Swing Vote, a very over-the-top political comedy starring Kevin Costner, Dennis Hopper and Kelsey Grammer.

Ones to remove from your movie queue Paul Blart: Mall Cop, which was really stupid and not funny at all (I think Adam Sandler had his hand in this somehow which explains why it sucked so hard); and American Yakuza from 1993 which wasn't horrible, but doesn't stand up to today's movie standards.