Everyone told me that the time would drag until the wedding, that this would feel like the longest summer, but I've got to say, the time has completely flown by. We're less than 2 months from our "I dos"! Our to-do list is teeny compared to the intimidating initial list. The little bride on our online to do list on Wedding Wire is getting closer and closer to her groom. (I still think they should move toward each other, perhaps I will make the suggestion.) The rest of the wedding projects don't really have to be done until the wedding, but knowing me, I'll probably get rolling on them next week. I think I'll take this long weekend for some R & R, perhaps clean a bit, make this place sparkle (for all of 2 minutes until Gracie shreds something or carries dirt in).
Hmm. So now for the randomness of movie reviews--
Traitor: Brady and I saw this tonight and it was a breath of fresh air after some of the doozies we've seen lately. Don Cheadle is a very talented actor and he manages to keep the audience engaged in the story, which is weaved pretty cleverly. It's sort of a mix of the Bourne series and a season of 24, offering a few twists that made all the movie-goers in the Cine Capri gasp in unison. Besides Don Cheadle, the cast is relatively made up of lesser known actors with the exception of Jeff Daniels. A-
Tropic Thunder: The ridiculousness that this film intends is obvious within the first 30 seconds, as the movie starts with 4 trailers for the respective actors' latest cinematic work. It pokes fun at Hollywood, actors, agents, writers, basically no one is safe. Much of the humor is the gross-out variety. Despite the controversy of Robert Downey, Jr.'s character, he somehow pulls it off. We had a major problem with the inappropriate references to one of Ben Stiller's character's former roles, which we could have done without. There were some interesting cameos, not advertised in the previews. The surprise of these actors is the best part of the movie so I won't give them away. As the credits rolled, we felt a bit ripped off, having paid $9.75 each to watch this spoof. Some people left mid-movie and had we had our sense, we would have left early on so that we could have gotten our money back. Not theatre-worthy, wait for it to come out at Redbox...you shouldn't have to wait very long. D+
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor: Hopefully this is the last Mummy movie. Noticeably absent is Rachel Weisz. The actress picked to fill her role is energetic, sassy, and likable, but it isn't quite the same. She and Brendan Fraser do have good chemistry, however, some of their lovey dovey conversations cross into the cheesy category. There's a decent backstory on the Dragon Emperor and a unrequited love triangle sort of situation. The army of clay soldiers is very cool...and real! It's good to know going into the movie that this was a real discovery and that each one was handcrafted to look unique. There, of course, was some good humor and sarcasm throughout to push the story along, which attempted to cover the holes in the logistics of the story. The special effects were still fairly good considering this is the third in the series and probably had the smallest budget. The yettis were an interesting addition. Overall, very watchable, but perhaps better as a rental. C+
Stepbrothers: I spent most of this movie covering my eyes or shaking my head in disbelief. There were occasional laughs to be had, but mainly it was acknowledgement that the joke was on me for paying to see it and as I told Brady, if I didn't laugh, I'd cry that I was spending an hour and a half of my life watching Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly act like 8-year-olds, if 8-year-olds won't take offense at me making the comparison. This is certainly a far-fetched dumb comedy movie. I was shocked that Mary Steenburgen would sign up for the role of Will Ferrell's enabling mother, keeping in mind that in real life, she is only 14 years older than him. The buddy actors were more annoying than funny, though you can sense their real-life friendship. Definitely not one for kids. If you must, rent it, but personally, I want that hour and a half of my life back! F (if there were a lower rating, it would have it)
Mamma Mia: The cast is fantastic, highlighted by Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, and the father-candidate not listed in the previews Stellan Skarsgard (better known as William Turner in Pirates of the Caribbean, though you might not recognize him right away without the starfish and barnacles covering his body). The singing is a little hard to get used to, particularly Pierce Brosnan, who did his best, but still. I enjoyed a lot of the songs, including the title track, Winner Takes It All, and Slipping Through My Fingers, which was a tear-jerker trip down memory lane of a mother watching her daughter grow up. The scene was as Meryl Streep is helping her daughter get ready for her wedding so it was particularly moving to me, as I look forward to my own mom helping me get ready in a few weeks. This is a movie I definitely think I'll be watching over and over because I found myself getting caught up in the music. The only reason I give it a minus is #1, the Colin Firth story-line isn't developed enough so the resolution there comes as a shock, #2, Pierce Brosnan's singing was sort of painful, #3, I wanted to get to know the "three potential fathers" a little better. The things I liked best were: Meryl Streep. The woman is amazing. You can feel the emotion when she sings and she sings well. She's one of those actresses who can pull of emotional scenes. I completely forgot about the harsh "Devil Wears Prada" character she played previously, captivated by the softer, more vulnerable role she portrays in Mamma Mia. The supporting cast. I knew I had to see this movie when I saw the previews and saw who was cast for the three dads. During the movie, you get a soft spot for each of them and they make the most of the detail given to their characters. Also, I discovered that the "William 'Bootstrap' Turner" actor could easily be cast as Russ, perhaps even beating out Randy Quaid. I found him to be probably the most endearing of the three, though they each played a very different character than the others. The scenery. WOW. I love the magic of island where they filmed and the character of the hotel. A-
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