Early Summer Movie Review

I kept telling myself I should do a blog entry this week, but I’m coming up dry on ideas. Lately it seems everything I’ve been doing writing-wise is more of the same: revisions. Thankfully there is a bright light shining at the end of that tunnel, but if I have to blog about my revisions one more time, I ran the risk of boring myself to death.

So instead, let’s branch out a bit. I’ve been doing a lot of movie-going of late. Naturally, I’m still waiting on pins and needles for The Dark Knight to open, but in the meantime I’ve kept busy with the following:

Kung Fu Panda: Seriously, any movie that can come up with the word “Ski-DUSH!” I’m going to go see. Plus I really like Jack Black. So this one was an easy sell and yet still managed to keep me thoroughly entertained. I loved it. Great for kids and adults alike.

The Happening: It ain't happening. The thing about this movie is, it had potential. It really did. But the acting was so horrendously bad, and the dialogue simply atrocious, that there was no saving it. Even Mark Wahlberg who is normally a good actor was bad. And not just bad, but BAD. BAAAAAAD. And don’t even get me started on the Zooey whoever that played his wife. She spent the entire movie with this stunned/surprised expression on her face that you kept hoping would get wiped off by some foreign object. Like a flame thrower or something like that.

Wanted: Again, being a big Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy fan, this one was an easy sell. Throw in Morgan Freeman and it’s a done deal. But, when I went into the theatre I expected to sit down and be entertained. What I didn’t expect was to have my socks knocked off. No easy feat considering I wasn’t actually wearing any. This movie not only had a great premise matched with over the top action that never felt over the top because it fit seamlessly with what was going on, but the character arc of James McAvoy’s character was worth the price of admission alone. Afterwards, I reviewed the movie in my head on the way home clicking off all the part’s of the hero’s journey. This movie had twists, turns and kept you on the edge of your seat while making you cheer on the main characters. I’d go see this movie again in a heartbeat.

Indiana Jones & The Mystery of the Crystal Skull: I’ve been waiting 20 years for this movie and it didn’t disappoint. While some people didn’t like the ending, I thought it fit perfectly with what the story was about, and with the true mystery around the crystal skulls. Plus it was nice to see the franchise branch out a bit and try something new rather than just re-hash the same old thing. They didn’t fudge on the time passing either. Both Indy and Marion had aged and there was a brief homage to the passing of Indy’s father and friend, Marcus. I think this was a fitting end to a beloved character who will likely go down in the annals of moviedom as one of the best.

So there you have it. My recent movie-going review. Next up: The Dark Knight, Mamma Mia, Traitor, and more.

Now if I could only put the same kind of dent in my TBR pile and my knitting projects I’d be really happy.

Books, Movies and Endless Snow

First up, out on book shelves today and garnering great reviews is Heart of My Heart, a SuperRomance written by my chapter-mate, Stella MacLean. This is Stella's first book to hit the shelves (though not her last!) and definitely worth checking out. Pick up your copy soon, I have a feeling they'll sell fast!

Now, back to the weather: This has been the longest winter in memory. Usually, we don't get too much snow here on the coast until after the Christmas holidays, but this year it started in November and I swear it has been nothing else since. Right up to and including the weekend when we got a little mini snow storm on Friday night. Granted the snow was gone by the next day, but still! It's April for crying out loud!! Sigh...what I wouldn't give for a tropical climate right now.

But thankfully, the sun has been out for two days in a row, the snow is off the ground (I actually whispered that part because I don't want to tempt fate), and I'm sure any day now, Spring will actually start. Any day...

As for revisions: I have finally managed to get Brimstone to under 400 pages. I am closing in, hacking away at the last 100 pages and making steady progress. Although this next chapter needs a complete overhaul where I pull things from chapters up ahead and drag them back. Which will likely mean a nice little bit of reconstruction of later chapters. Oiy. Like the snow, it seems the revisions never end. I am sooooo looking forward to working on something new.

Granted, my something new will actually be something old while I whittle Outlaw Bride down and tighten it up so I can start sending it out again as well. That will give me two completed manuscripts going out into the big bad world this year. Once that's done, it's onto Saving Grace where we get to see what madness Quinn has involved himself in and whether or not he's sobered up since his appearance in Brimstone.

Meanwhile, on other artistic fronts - I went to see the movie Run, Fat Boy, Run starring Sean Pegg. It was by far one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time. And not stupid funny, either. It was the characters. All of them, from the smallest secondary character to the lead roles were fantastic. I had a special fondness for the hero's best friend, Gordon, played by Dylan Moran. Hilarious. So if you're looking for a good, funny movie, check it out.

Miss Make A Movie

I'm blogging over at Miss Make A Movie today. Come check it out!

Movie Review - 3:10 to Yuma

Go see this movie now.

Up until now, Unforgiven had held the top spot as my favorite western of all time. With all due respect to Clint, I'm sorry to inform him he is now a close second to 3:10 to Yuma. This movie was phenomenal. Granted, I am a big (okay huge) Christian Bale fan. But this movie stands on its own merits, my CB obsession notwithstanding.

The story was poignant. The character of Dan Evans, his lot in life and the things he faced as a man a bit staggering as they were revealed bit by bit. He had the deck stacked against him and no way to fight back against it. He tried to do the right thing by his family and yet fate seemed determined to keep beating him down. Still, it was easy to see, to this character it was his family that came first. Then you had Ben Wade. His own backstory was pathetic in its own right, but he chose a much different path, with far different results and little remorse.

And when these two characters come together and these two character dynamics are set in motion, the story explodes on the screen. The actors themselves, both CB and Russell Crowe make you instantly forget you are watching the actors and you become engrossed in the characters, in what is about to happen, on how it will all play out. I found myself holding my breath, gripping my seat, silently wishing for a desired outcome. You become one with the characters. I simply forgot I was sitting in a theatre.

I had planned to go back the next day, but I was still mulling the story over in my mind and was almost glad when the movie times didn't allow me to make the Saturday show. I considered Sunday, but after a full day of my chapter meeting decided to wait until movie night with the girls this coming Friday. I'm hoping to get as many viewings in as I can before it leaves the theatres. And there's already room on the shelf for when the DVD comes out.

So if you haven't seen this movie, I highly recommend it. It is definitely a not to be missed experience.