3 Films

But, courtesy of Netflix's mail service, we did have a double feature today. 1st up: 'Just Go With It', a comedy about a man who has his assistant to pose as his ex-wife to help him land a girl. The plot is ridiculous and has holes big enough to fit a truck through sideways, but oddly enough, I liked it. It was surprisingly funny, and there was a noticeable and sweet on-screen chemistry between Adam Sandler and Jennifer Anniston (whodathunkit?)

2nd course: The Queen, starring Helen Mirren. The Queen and newly elected PM Tony Blair navigate the public's perception of the monarchy in the wake of Princess Di's death. I thought it was a superb movie. I like that they don't shy away from the idea/(fact?) that Di's private persona was directly at odds with the image she manipulated in the media. I love how the film traces Blair's building indignation w/ the attacks leveled against his Queen, and his rise to defend her. A+

Oy, almost forgot a film we watched over the weekend: "Good Neighbors". Set in an apartment building in Quebec while a serial rapist/killer is on the loose, it follows 3 neighbors who hit it off but who may - or may not - each have their own dark secret. Lisa found it boring, I thought it was quirky and entertaining, if a bit light on action, plot, motive, and . . .well, a lot of things. Plus Jay Baurchel's voice gets on my nerves. C+

About the Blu-Ray player . . .

I should mention that my my brand new Sony Blu-Ray player, purchased in March, took a dump last month. No one dropped it, manhandled or otherwise harmed the thing, it just went kaput. Sony's response? They'll fix it, sight unseen, for a flat fee - of $110, $15 less than the cost of it new. FU Sony, rest assured the replacement will not come w/ your name on the box (when I can afford it). Meanwhile I can no longer stream my beloved Netflix, and have been in mourning ever since.

Thank You!

A big thank you to Lisa and the girls for coming by the Tiger den meeting and helping us put together a special gift for all the Mom's and Dad's!

Thank You!!

A big thank you to Lisa and the girls for coming by the Tiger den meeting and helping us put together a special gift for all the Mom's and Dad's!

Selfies by Junie

A Headscratcher

markers the kids linked together and posted over the office door for reasons unknown

Take Me Home Tonight

Natch, the 1st x I can watch a Packers game start to finish they struggle (but take away the win, may Carlos Harmon spend the night weeping). Last night Lis & I watched "Take me Home Tonight", a rom-com starring Topher Grace. Despite mediocre reviews, we both liked it a lot (and the soundtrack rocks!). Bonus - the bonus content on the DVD, which we rarely watched, was LOL & worth the rental cost alone.

And . . . 

thanks to Vincent Cruz and Desean Jackson's performances tonight on SNF, I've notched a win in my fantasy league (and I still have a player left on the field tomorrow night). 4 and 7 on the year. Yay me. (smirk).

Selfies of Junie

Watch Out!

whoo-ee LuLu is a pill today

Kiss Me Deadly

I just finished watching "Kiss Me Deadly" a 1955 Mike Hammer film considered a masterpiece of dark, paranoid noir. (recently released on Criterion, it was playing on PBS) True to its reputation, the characters are dark, brooding, sadistic, and lacking any moral center. Damn good film. And the ending - YIKES! 66 years later and I honestly think the last four minutes are among the most frightening you'll see. The sound effects alone gave me the willies!

Some of Lisa's Floral Designs

Captain America

Normally I find superhero movies tedious at best, and usually nothing more than an excuse to spend $ on f/x instead of a script. Not so with 'Captain America', which I greatly enjoyed. The emphasis was on the story and the character (of the man, not the 'hero') and I thought it was well done start to finish. I even enjoyed the '40's visuals and look forward to seeing more of Cap. (Smiley and Lu also enjoyed the film, tho' Yaya  ducked out halfway through).

Regis's Finale

watching Regis' last show. Two minutes in and I'm damn near tearing up

Lisa's Arrangements

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)" by Mindy Kaling

Today I finished reading "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)" by Mindy Kaling ('Kelly' from 'The Office'). It's funny and I enjoyed it, but it was nowhere near as good as Tina Fey's offering. Check it out.

Friends

LOL'ing through an episode of Friends (the one where Ross meets Phoebe's future husband - "Chandler watches shark porn!")

Quote

"A thought which does not result in an action is nothing much, and an action which does not proceed from a thought is nothing at all." - Archbishop Fulton Sheen

Accused at 17 and The Craigslist Killer

Awhile back we rented "Accused at 17" a TV-movieish DVD about a 17 year old framed for murder after her revenge against a rival goes too far. It was ok, but nothing I'd watch a second time. Also, a coupladays back we rented "The Craigslist Killer", a good if unexceptionable take on the famous case. A) Dude was a media creation. One murder in Boston and he's national news? C'mon B) he wasn't very good at it. If there's one thing I respect it's competency, and thus he earns an F.

Chained

After work/dance/X-Factor I rented "Chained" an Aussie film set in the '70's. Jules is a mid-level mob guy who's given control of a brothel that deals in women forced into sexual slavery. His conscience starts to get the best of him, putting him at odds with his bosses. Horrible reviews on the web, just awful - but I liked it. I really did. Sure, it had flaws and the accents were so strong that at times I had to resort to the subtitles (which were only in Spanish!) to understand the dialogue. Still, Paul Murphy was great as Jules, and I liked the character a lot. Worth the price of a Redbox rental, for sure.

Yay!

Junie is line leader for 'galloping' @ dance 2day!

Semi-Celebrity Sighting

Today I sold a Nook to former Brewer Jerry Augustine, who was buying it for a woman who will care for him after upcoming surgery. I also sold one to Ms. Charney's husband (as a gift for her).

Back and Forth with LuLu

(yesterday, en route to dance)

LuLu: When I grow up I'm going to be a teacher. I'm gonna go to college. 

Me: Really? I kind of hoped you'd grow up to be a drug dealer slash bank robber.

LuLu:  (w/out missing a beat): No, that'll be my summer job . . .

NKOTB on Regis

i love Donnie Osmond. And Regis Philbin.

New Kids clip just played on Regis, the earliest act showcased today by nearly a decade!

Insidious and a True Story

'Insidious' is a mighty scary movie, at least until they devote the last fourth of the film to some new-agey rigmarole and end on a note right out of a teen horror flick. Nice to see Darth Maul's still acting tho'. 

Anyhow, true story: Lisa was less than horrified by the film's demon, because a year or two before she met me she flipped down the visor of her car and saw *that* face reflected back at her in the mirror, as if it was in the back seat behind her. She screamed, as you'd expect, but there endeth the anecdote.

Me and My Junebug