Women and Politics

I did many things over my little break from work last week. I hung out with Chef, ate way too much, watched movies, got used to using my authoritative voice to get the Xbox One to obey my commands ("Xbox Watch TV!"), and watching tons of movies and TV.

I finally (and almost sadly) am now caught up on Scandal. It was watching this current season that I stumbled upon a monologue so well-written that I thought I was watching a different show. (The show is fairly well-written, don't get me wrong, but not a lot stands on issues per se). Oh and Lisa Kudrow delivers it like a bad ass so bonus for that.

I Wanna Catch Fire

I'm gonna wait until Sunday morning, because that's how we do, but I am so ready to see "Hunger Games: Catching Fire." The first one was just so-so, I gotta admit. The books take place so much in Katniss's head that it seemed unlikely that it would be able to be translated into a movie in a cohesive way. And I was kinda right. There were some big holes in the first one.

But hope springs eternal and the second book is set up more outside the head and in the moment, so it lends itself to being a better movie. Plus the along with the rest of the nation, I have a girl crush on Jennifer Lawrence.

Fingers crossed, it rocks. Or else Chef may boycott the third one. (But he probably would still go because he loves me.)

Sinner Showing Strikes Again

Two story  panels for
 World War Z at Arclight Hollywood

It's still our favorite time to go see a movie. Early on Sunday morning. There were literally 13 people in the theater we saw World War Z in this morning. I have been waiting for this movie for a while. Read the book. Loved it. Was curious about how it would be as a movie, as the book is not really an edge of your seat kind of thriller. The movie, however, is. I think I jumped at least three times. The ending has been much bemoaned, and I will agree it's not the strongest, but I'm not sure In think of how I would've ended it that would have lived up to the momentum that was built throughout. Plus Brad Pitt is in it. So there's that.

Since I don't want to ruin it for you, I'll just say that I give it 3.5 stars out of 4. Loved it. But I'm pretty easy on most movies nowadays. Chef and I have been talking about how much we've been enjoying going to movies now. I don't know if it's the proximity to those who actually make the movies or the buzz about town that seems to be inescapable, but the love I've always had for being whisked away by a story has multiplied the older I've gotten. Maybe I want to escape reality more and more or maybe I just value good storytelling more now, whether it's in written or visual form.

Anyway, I've seen four new movies in the last 5-6 weeks. (World War Z, Star Trek: Into Darkness, Man of Steel and Now You See Me). And I can only see more in the future since Matt Damon's new one is coming out in August. I'm also curious about The Lone Ranger. Less because of Johnny Depp or anything other than nostalgia. The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981) was the first movie my parents took me to see as a child. We even had it on VHS to watch, along with a copy of the first movie that my brother ever saw....Star Wars. I think he might've gotten more of a classic.

Is it just me or are there a lot of good movies out this summer? What do you want to see?

Hunger Games: Not So Much A Winner

The Hunger Games: Not
so much a winner

Like half the known world, I was excited for The Hunger Games to come out this past weekend. I knew it was going to be popular, so I went ahead and hedged my bets and got Chef and I sinner showing tickets. It was still pretty full for 10:15 on a Sunday morning. We went to ArcLight Hollywood and sat in the Dome, which apparently didn't open until 10 a.m. so there were a lot of people in the cold, rain waiting for the damn doors to open. In defense of the theater, it's not cold and rainy enough in LA to think ahead on that one, but I digress.

I may be the only person in the world that didn't like The Hunger Games. Let me rephrase that: Chef and I may be the only people in the world that didn't like The Hunger Games. Look, I realize that movies based on books rarely live up the books, but I also curb my expectation to match that reality. It'll never be as good in my head as on the screen. And I'm okay with that. But this wasn't just that.

Also, I like taking Chef to movies based off books because chances are good that I've read the books and he hasn't. So, there's a fresh perspective from someone else on why things did or didn't work out in the movie when they are clearly explained in the book. Here are some of my top highlights of things that aren't placed in any sort of context in The Hunger Games (movie):

• Why Peeta was partnered with the careers in the beginning
• Why Katniss plays up the romance with Peeta during the Games (it was there, but not explained enough where Chef knew why)
• The names, stories or any kind of way to identify the other tributes (other than Rue). The name "foxface is literally uttered one time. Cato gets like 3-4 mentions. We could've gotten this with a creatively written montage of their pre-game interviews, but we didn't.
• Why we should care about Rue. I cried in the theater but only because I knew the book version when Katniss was thinking of Prim as Rue. 
• Any of the other stylists, and some significant time with Cinna.
• Any kind of fear of Snow. 
• What the hell each of the districts produces
• Why the Capitol is so rich (this gets brushed over).

There's more, but honestly it just makes me sad. I realize there's a challenge when the book is written in first person and half the movie takes place in a world where you can't really say your inner monologue aloud because the world is listening, but come on. The script just didn't work for me. They could've cut at least one uttering of "May the odds be ever in your favor" with some actual dialogue that moved the story forward. It could've been done. It just wasn't.

It doesn't make me exceptionally hopefully for the next two movies. Chef said "Was the first the worst of the books?"  No, it was the best. "Oh, I was hoping maybe they had better source material for the next ones."

Yup, that about explains it. 

Holiday Spirit Quest: Almost Halfway Home

Shipping off the cards    

Last night I went to my company Holiday Party. It was fun. I sat with friends and ate good food and had a nice pomegranate cocktail. I was convinced I was going to win a door prize. I didn't but two of the people I met up with did. I got over the disappointment by reliving  the IU-UK game in my head. (You can do it for reals through this link.)

I also watched two Christmas movies this weekend (Love Actually and Four Christmases) AND the Lifetime Christmas movie (12 Men of Christmas starring Kristin Chenoweth). So this is what I've gotten marked off my list thus far:

Yes, that's tape holding it.

1. Listen to nothing but Christmas music on one commute home. (did it twice, actually)
2. Give a gift to a stranger. (bought Christmas dinner for a family at our local Ralph's)
3. Make a Gingerbread house. (pictures to prove it!)
4. Put out at least one holiday decoration. (IU Santa is now a lucky charm)
5. Buy something tacky just because its seasonal. (Snooki. That's all)
6. Watch a Christmas movie. (Love Actually --totally counts--and Four Christmases)
7. Send holiday cards. (In the mail)
8. Give a gift to someone without expecting one in return. (Donated a toy to our local CASA)
9. Read The Santaland Diaries by David Sedaris. (Technically listened to it on audiobook but I realized while listening that I had actually already read this.)
10. Attend a Holiday Party. (Last night's work party).
11. Watch a Lifetime or Hallmark Holiday movie (counts separately from one above). (12 Men of Christmas--it was. . .predictable)
12. Make puppy chow (and give most of it away). 
13. Buy something that smells like Christmas.  (Peppermint Holidays candle--not exactly peppermint but much better).

The infamous candle

No. A Child did not make this. It was a grown adult, but it was my first time,  so lay off. 

Chef and I are wondering how long the Gingerbread House will last with the cats around. At least I have photographic evidence that I did it. 

Breaking Dawn Dilemma

I also spontaneously break
out in songs about what I'm
doing at the moment. 

Fine. I'll begrudgingly admit that I have seen and read all the Twilight series iterations. I read them all and they were pretty bad. The story was fairly interesting, but the details and the characters bugged the shit out of me. Mostly it is Bella. The whiny, "I'm not good enough for Edward" routine is pretty tired. Could we not have a heroine that had some balls? Perhaps that explains my preference for The Hunger Games series. I hope the movies don't suck.

But I digress. For some reason, lately I've been enjoying watching Twilight. Fx has been playing it and I've got it on the bedroom DVR. I start it out before I doze off and enjoy it. Mostly the cheesy puppy love stuff. I don't know if I'm more romantic or less as I've gotten older, but I enjoy a good doze of cheesiness now more than I did before.  And now you know my secret shame. Not so secret any more.

Chef volunteered to go see Breaking Dawn with me. I'm debating whether or not to take him up on the offer. People here are going nuts for the movie. There's a whole camping area outside of the venue of the premiere. Yesterday morning I saw a news piece where the reporter interviewed two people who had come from Florida to camp out for nearly a week to get a glimpse of Robert Patinson and Kristen Stewart as they walk the red carpet. That seems like a drastic measure.

Anyway, how much would I owe Chef if I make him endure Breaking Dawn in the theaters? What's the proper amount of payback for a movie like that? I like to know what I'm going to owe going in.

Lazy Sunday: Recharge my batteries

You can't really see the big
snowflakes through this DC
street scene.

I got in from Washington DC last night at about 1 a.m. PST. Which is 4 a.m. EST and frankly my body is still confused. It will be even more confused when I head to Charleston on Wednesday through next Saturday. It's weird to think that at this time yesterday, I was freezing my ass off in DC as big, wet snowflakes came drifting down. I was out and about in it and cursing incessantly at the same time. I'm such a weather wuss now. I was trading texts with Chef saying "So cold!" and he was texting back "So sunny and warm here already". I forget that this thing called "Winter" exists in other places. I think I've tried to block it out of my memories.

Anyway, I got home last night at 1 a.m. and had tried unsuccessfully to get some sleep on the plane. I grabbed my bag and got to listen to the taxi wrangler complain about the LAPD beating him up for "absolutely no reason! Second time in three weeks!". It was the middle of the night and apparently the dude wasn't picking up on my "don't talk to me, just get me a cab" face. I also had to argue with the cab driver to NOT take me through the scary neighborhoods at night to get to my place. I would think that not getting carjacked would be an objective in both of interests, but apparently, I was mistaken.

Yep, that's 85 degrees on October 30th.

Got home. Hugged Chef. Pet a cat. Or four. Unpacked. Went to sleep. Woke to bacon frying. Plopped on the couch. Made a grocery list and logged on to the Colts game while Chef went grocery shopping for us. Which was super awesome of him. Did some writing while trying not to cry in sadness and frustration at being 0-8. Went out for lunch, but was a little disappointed because our first choice was closed on Sundays. But we had lunch outside. Because while I had a freezing day yesterday, today was 85 and sunny. And one of those moments when I said "I love LA!".

Now to lounge on the couch and watch football, the TV shows that I missed all week, and movies. Not too shabby of a Sunday. What are you going to do?

Stupid Triathlon

It's not enough that people actually volunteer to run, swim and bike all over God's creation in the name of fun, but do they have to shut down the roads too? (Chef to me yesterday: You know you'd do one if you actually could.  He's probably right.) Yesterday as Chef and I were leaving to go see Moneyball, we were confronted with a big problem. We were on one side of Olympic Avenue and the movie theater was on the other.

The thing about this movie theater is its awesomeness and the fact you prepay for your tickets to select your seat. So we couldn't change theaters. And the triathlon route ran from Santa Monica to downtown LA, so there was no easy way around it. Keep in mind that had we lived one measly block further north we'd have had no problem.

After having a near panic attack (those of you who know me know that I cannot stand being late to movies, theater, basically anything that starts on a schedule gets me anxious--I want to be there, in my seats, waiting), Chef called the theater, told them we weren't going to make our early sinner showing and got us in to the next showing 50 minutes later.

In the end, we got there just in time. And it was totally worth it. Moneyball was everything and nothing like I expected it to be. In the end, it was just great storytelling, and isn't that what any good movie or book is supposed to be?

Movies I Can't Wait to See

Being in LA (or New York too, actually), one thing you see a ton of is movie posters. They're on billboards, plastered on construction sites, bus stops, and buses themselves. They are EVERYWHERE. And they start about 2 months before the actual movie comes out, so by the time the TV ads kick in, you feel like you've seen the movie almost.

My PR theory on why this is done is that the majority of those people who make movies or act in them live in NYC or LA. If you want to make someone think the movie is being promoted heavily everywhere, promote heavily where they are. They'll never know that there's not one damn billboard in Nashville for The Cape or not an out-of-home campaign running in Indiana for Drop Dead Diva.

That being said. There are several movies coming out that I'm itching to see. Here they are:

• Moneyball (Brad Pitt, Philip Seymour Hoffman and baseball? WINNER!)
• The Ides of March (It's a movie about a press secretary that messes up. Love the idea. Did I mention Ryan Gosling is that press secretary?)
• Twilight: Breaking Dawn (no judgement people. My only hope is that Kristen Stewart is mute for most of it)
• We Bought a Zoo (interesting premise and Matt Damon) 

I'm sure more will pop up as the (brace for it) holiday movie season gets hopping. 

How is Footloose gonna work?

I'm personally a little tired of remakes of 80s movies. Mostly because they don't change a damn thing about the movie except the cast and expect us to buy it. Lately I've been seeing the Footloose ads everywhere and I'm a little concerned. Is it because I can't imagine anyone playing Ren McCormack other than Kevin Bacon? Or that remaking a movie seems like a bad idea when you don't change anything (except the women get sluttier dance moves and fewer clothes)?

Mostly it's because I'M NOT BUYING IT. It was hard enough to swallow the idea of a town that banned music and dancing in 1984. It's damn near impossible to believe it would happen in 2011. And if they push the date of the movie back to the 80s it goes back to my "Why the hell?" theory.

If you're going to do a remake of something, make it contemporary. Change it up. Don't get tied to the iconography of the original. Or better yet. . .Be original. Easy A is an example of something loosely based of a historic novel (The Scarlet Letter). It's updated, it's not literal and it's pretty well done.

People my age will not go see Footloose because we prefer our Ariel to be wearing godawful sweaters with red cowboy boots and skintight jean. And young people aren't going to see it because they didn't see FAME or the Hairspray remake or any other godawful thing that's been thrown at them as "new" or "updated" lately.

Save the money. Watch the Julianne Hough Pro Activ commercial and rent the original Footloose.

Harry Potter is Dead. . .Kind Of

More than a week after it came out, Chef and I went to see Harry Potter: The Dealthy Hallows Part 2. While we certainly could've gone last week, I wanted to wait a week for a couple of reasons. 1) I'm never a big fan of watching movies in large crowds. Cell phones, texting and annoying conversations are more likely the more people are involved. Hence my love of the sinner showing. 2) I wanted to hold off on the last piece of a long era. It's like saving favorite gummy bear flavors in a pack until the end.

And so Chef and I packed up this morning and went to The Grove. It's not our favorite movie place Arclight rules), but HP7 wasn't being played at the Arclight Hollywood, so it was either hit The Grove (about 10 minutes door to door) or drive 35 to the next nearest Arclight. Of course, the tipping point was that I thought I had gift certificates to the Grove theater, but it turns out, I did not. Oh well. We'll definitely use those on another occasion.

In the end, I loved the movie and thought it did just as well as the others in capturing the Harry Potter spirit. In the end, I was thinking about all my Harry Potter memories and one in particular came to mind. It was the summer just after I graduated from college. I had gone home to help take care of my mother while she was ill and that summer wasn't the best in my life.

One of the high points was that Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire came out. I had pre-ordered my copy through Amazon and unfortunately had to go to my day job at GE when it was supposed to be arriving at my house. My mom had ordered something from QVC too, as was her past time. She decided that she'd make something special out of our packages arriving, so she said she'd wait until I got home and we could open them together. Kind of like a Christmas, even if we both knew what we were getting.

So I got home, and we tore into the packages like it was Christmas morning. I danced around the living room so excited and a few minutes later hole myself up in my room to read. I don't remember what was in the box for my mother. I do remember it was a surprise to her because she opened it and said "Oh, that's not what I thought it was going to be!" and was excited genuinely as well.

Now Harry Potter is over and I think about those kinds of memories. The story was great, but the context of where i was in my life when I read or watched the story progress is something different and special altogether. I mean, I know I'll remember this movie because it was the only Harry Potter I saw or read for the first time as a wife.

Damn you, Matt Damon

I still heart Matt Damon. Even more than a decade after my borderline psychotic passion of him, I still have a special place in my heart for him. I'm not nearly as psychotic. I don't insist on going to all of his movies on the day they open, or even going to all of his movies (there were a few that I think I was the only one there for-- All the Pretty Horses, anyone?). With the exception of some voiceover work, I've seen all his movies and most of his TV appearances.

Last night I watched The Adjustment Bureau. And for the first time I cursed Matt Damon a little in my head. It was kinda billed as The Matrix meets Last of the Mohicans or at least that was my take on the marketing campaign. The fact that the movie went from billboards to movie shelf so quickly should've told me something (and honestly it did), but I'm still a sucker.

There are more holes in this weird ass plot line than in Roger Clemen's grand jury testimony. I don't really believe the chemistry between his character and Emily Blunt's. For the record, I also don't believe in her chemistry with John Krasinski, but that could just be me. It's just kind of a boring mess of a movie. I wouldn't waste your time. Even if you are currently in the throws of a Matt Damon obsession. Just watch Good Will Hunting again. Or his stint on 30 Rock (thank you AGAIN, Tina Fey).

The Sinner Showing is Better

Chef and I capped his big 30th birthday weekend by attending what I like to call the "Sinner showing" at the local movie theater. It's the early Sunday morning (or in LA early Sunday afternoon) showing--you know, when most people are in church? Well, we sin, so instead of church, we saw "The Hangover 2." But I'm a non-practicing Catholic, so I can just add that to my list of other more relevant sins (hello? nearly 7 years living with a man and not being married or related to him), confess, say my "Hail Marys" for something other than sporting events and be absolved.

Until then, I was happy to be able to go to a movie in LA without a crushing crowd. Chef and I have hit this strategy a few times when there's a popular movie out that we want to see without having to deal with the annoyance of other people. Nothing can ruin a movie-going experience faster than being behind question girl ("Why is she doing that? Where is he going?") or narrates his own experience guy ("That is SO funny!" "I canNOT believe they just did that!").

We went to Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood and when we left, Chef and I agreed that it was sad that the actual experience of going to the movie was almost more noteworthy than the movie itself (which was good, but not as good as the first and we think will probably grow on us over time--in case you cared). We decided to see which movie theater had the highest rating on yelp to see if we could up the ante. I mean, it is the movie capital of the world, right? We should be able to get a VIP movie experience.

Here's the thing about Arclight. When you buy the tickets-online or in person, you pick out your seats. None of that general admission stuff. You know where you're going to be watching the movie and don't get suckered into buying tickets and having to sit in the front row. You know before you go.

Also awesome is the fact that they don't seat people after the movie starts. If you're not there when the feature begins, you can get a later showing or a refund, but you're not going to be interrupting everyone's movie by climbing over people 20 minutes in. And there are a few previews but NO ads, so the movie starts about 5 minutes after the posted time.

And if that weren't enough you can buy cocktails and beer at the concession stand (not at the sinner showing but for the late matinees and night showings for sure). Plus the seats are giant cushioned things that have moveable armrests in case you want to snuggle. Oh, did I mention they use real butter on the popcorn? REAL BUTTER!

These seem like small things. And they probably are, but think about it. Movie-going has slowly declined and become such a hassle that I'd rather wait for a DVD and watch it at home than go out. But now, I'm totally sold on going to the movies again.

He's Still Cute, even in a Fringe Jacket

Last night Chef and I went to the movies last night to see "True Grit." We had originally planned to see it on Christmas, but laziness got the best of us (laziness and mimosas and roast turkey and pumpkin pie to be honest). So we went last night. It was our first LA theater-going experience and my first case of sticker shock. It cost us $12.75 to see a movie here. That's the FIRST time that I was a little perturbed at a price. But I got over it for Matt Damon.

I have long since broken my streak of seeing every Matt Damon movie on the weekend it comes out, and even broke my streak of seeing every Matt Damon movie in the theater. However, it does go to show that if I'm going to pay to see something on a movie screen that is frankly on a little bigger than our gaudy large TV at home, then my dollars still vote for the big Matt Damon. It is a crush that started more than a decade ago, reached some pretty embarrassingly high (or low depending on the perspective) levels of addiction and has since mellowed to a manageable amount of adoration. But I have to say that the Matt Damon horse was a pretty good one to pick. He's stood up pretty well over time and has only seemed more normal with age. Two things I look for in a Hollywood crush.

We laid out the bucks to see "True Grit" and the movie was pretty good. And Matt Damon still looked good with weird hair, a long ass moustache and fringe leather jacket. Not too shabby. The only odd thing was the man sitting next to me. No, not Chef. There was a guy sporting a leather man-purse ("There's skittles in there!"-name that movie), a bag of popcorn and a drink. He was alone and got up twice to get the free refills (on a side note, I love that this theater has the fountain drink stations that allow you to serve yourself. I mean, nothing holds up a line longer than filling up the large jug of Coke Zero that I require to sit still for 2 hours). All of that--not so weird. He just had an odd look about him and it made me lean myself towards Chef a little more than normal.

And halfway through the movie, I knew my suspicions were true when the chick on the OTHER side of the guy (he was there by himself) said in a normal voice "Quit touching me and trying to touch me!" and then moved to sit in the empty seat on the other side of her friend. The guy then got up and left the theater. I was thankful that the woman sat with another woman. I think if it had been a man with her, there might've been a fight. And that would've interrupted my Matt Damon viewing, which in the scheme of things, is way more important than some potential sexual assault. (You know, I'm kidding).

So bottom lines:

True Grit-worth the price.

Creepy guy sits next to you in the theater: hope there's a single woman on the other side of you to take the brunt of the creepiness.

My Saturday Ritual

If I would've known myself two years (or more) ago, I probably would've not liked myself a whole lot. That's not true. I would've liked myself until I started mentioning calories and exercising and then in my head I would've thought "rub it in my face, bitch."

Mostly I say that because I've started getting up when Chef does on the weekends. He gets up at 4 or so to get into work (he preps until the restaurant opens). I get up and go running. That's right. Not only is my ass up before the sun, but it's up and running. I started doing this a few months ago when it got blazing hot and I was reluctant to run past sun up.

So now, I get up, run, feed the cats, empty litter boxes, take a shower and then curl back up into bed knowing that I have 4 more hours of sleep. Seriously, perhaps it's working against itself, but getting up and then knowing you have plenty more time to sleep is a luxury that I never knew existed. Sometimes I take advantage and sleep. Other times I take advantage and watch horrible chick flicks that I know Chef wouldn't care to see. Either way, I'm the winner.

When I finally get up, I vacuum. Four cats and despite the fact that three don't shed very much, one does and that's enough. So, vacuum, eat some cereal (all done in my underwear) and wait for Chef to come home. However, underwear has become a problem this week.

We don't have the luxury of a washer/dryer or hook ups. We do, however, have pay machines a mere 50 yards away. They require quarters and in this day and age of debit cards, I rarely have the silver. We got the majority of our clothes washed with a roll I got at the bank last week, but Chef forgot to wash my undies (I'm thinking this was not an accident). So, I'm in those last few pairs that are smashed under a bra that fit 80 pounds ago. Luckily, (and this is probably too much info, but I'm going for it) these are undies that I bought in a sentimental state. They look like Underoos. Supergirl Underoos nonetheless. It was kind of liberating to have them on under my suit pants the other day. Gave me a boost of confidence.

Underwear aside, I then spend the majority of my Saturdays hanging out with Chef. Today we watched movies and ate Hungry Girl Kung Pao Chicken (delicious). Of course, my time is limited as he goes to bed early to accommodate his work schedule (he doesn't have the extra four hour luxury). I better get back to my spot on the couch before the other lady fo the house (Mila) takes my spot on Chef's lap.