On Siskel! On Ebert! On Movie Reviews!!

Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire

Saw this one at an MJR -a very nice theater near home- with M&D & a million other people. It's getting hard to rate the film without the book nagging at the back of my mind. On its own, the film was indeed darker and a bit more creepy than the previous. We see You Know Who, in all his nasty glory, and the bloody recreation of YKW. For a little kid, that could definitely be freaky.

The beginning / intro was really well done - brief scenes of the Weasley's, the Quidditch World Cup, the Death Eaters (great costumes, guys!!), and then they are at school. Enough to get you going, but not to waste time. The foreign students were decent, though Fleur (or however you spell it) should have had MUCH longer hair. And those silly hats.... The dragons were great, the merpeople, the ending, all of it. Moaning Myrtle was irritating, but that's not news.

Really, it was good. I look forward to the DVD, where I can sit in the comfort of my own home and watch it all over and over again. It's hit like, $400Billion in sales already, but you should still go see it if you can.

Charlie & the Chocolate Factory

The roomie rented this one. Yowza! What a great movie! I remember people criticizing Depp when the film first came out. WHY?? Yea, he played Wonka as a total nutbag, but that is the character -the man's been isolated with Oompa-Loompas for the last xyears (I forgot to pay attention). I giggled out loud soo many times during this... Ahh, it was great.

The effects were interesting -thank Hollywood for special effects! One dude played a thousand O-Ls, just replicated all over. The sets all had a great magical feel, cartoony, distorted, and fun. The flashbacks were a tad odd, the last bit certainly odd. I really love all those people sleeping in the same bed; that's so cute.

Go see them both. Or, rent them both. Or, however you get your movies, do it. Fun, fun, fun!!

Random

I always mean to post those random things I see around town. Never do, of course.

So, I'm driving south through the city and go under an overpass, only to see it crowded with circus-themed floats. The best? The inflated giraffe, poking out of it's caged car.

(Today was the Thanksgiving parade)

A Vacation, in brief

I was away on vacation last week -the annual trip to Grand Cayman. Things were different this year -my bro didn't go with, so I brought a Jefner instead; the cleanup from Ivan (2004) was still in progress, with a ways to go; most of the staff at Morritt's were gone, including those providing the activities. Weather was great -hot, sunny and a sufficient, shall we say, 'breeze' to keep things comfortable. I fed a stingray for the first time, got a decent tan, stayed way too sober, and hardly spent any (of my own) money.

All the shit hit on this last weekend, which was okay, 'cause now I'm alright (almost eager) with work today. Sometimes the mindless drone is welcomed, as it drowns out the other crap.

Our flight home was begun with the check-in lady yelling at us for being sooooo late (we were there an hour before the flight left, in a 3-gate airport) and a broken bottle of rum. 3 long flights later, I had counseled a rambling woman, learned about personal aircrafts over Cincinnatti, and had discussed the asinine educational programs in Texas. We got to the house at midnight.

My Peace Corps invitation had arrived, finally! The news was recieved by glum looks and silence, certainly not matching my own excitement. Curious? I am invited to go to Mozambique on May 15, 2006 in order to work in the general Health & HIV/AIDS program. {I will have much more information and details posted soon, I promise!} The PC sent a big pack of info to get me started and have promised to send more when my departure gets closer.

The bro came by and shared some wild news. I'm not sure, really, the official status of things, as he seemed unsure himself, so I don't want to spout off too much to the 3 of you out there reading this. "Winging it" or "Going with the flow" are the terms that come to mind. It's good news, don't get me wrong, just unexpected. I'm not all the way absorbed into it yet. But suddenly, I feel old.

Aye, mi pobre cabeza.

The best of both, baby!

The latest from the geniuses at Abercrombie & Fitch... There are a bunch of girls staging a girlcott, the name alone causing a sensation, and getting themselves on the Today show. To them, a hearty 'Rock on!' But, how does one girlcott a company I've disliked since high school? I don't believe I have ever bought a single thing from there. With this company, it's been the prices that disgust me more than any of the products. Hard to say if spreading the word will make a difference. My friends aren't the kind to shop there, and certainly wouldn't wear a shirt like this one if they did shop there. Maybe the answer is to get involved with kids. Be a role model and show our daughters why they should avoid clothing like this. Show our daughters they don't need to choose -you can be beautiful and feminine and still have, and better yet, USE, your brain to go places in this world.