Blue Valentine (2010)

I'm on a mission to see as many of the Oscar-nominated movies as I can. I do this every year, but this may be the first year that I'm actually ahead of the curve!

Being new to the Austin area, I am still learning my way around town, so I was glad to find the Regal Arbor 8 Cinema - this is where the more artsy films are shown in Austin (kind of like the Angelika in Dallas). (Ed.s Note: If there are other theatres like this in Austin, I would like to know - I love artsy movies!)

Blue Valentine stars Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling as a married couple. It's like a side by side story - one side is their coming together and falling in love, the other side is the unraveling of their marriage. These two sides go back and forth throughout the movie until at the end, you have a full understanding of their relationship.

It's not a feel good movie and it's hard to watch at times. Having never been married... if that is what being married is like, then I'm perfectly content to stay single. However, Williams and Gosling are excellent in their roles. What I liked most about this movie is that I kept coming back and thinking about for several days, which is why it took me a few days to blog about it.

If you like character studies and don't mind dark - this is a great movie. Not my favorite movie I've seen, but a good one nonetheless.

Mo's Review:
Blue Valentine (2010): 4 out of 5 stars

The Last Time I Saw You by Elizabeth Berg

My commitment to read more in 2010 is going strong as I've finished five books so far this year. I'm really making time each night to read and it's been enjoyable.

This book is a character study of five different characters as they prepare for their 40th high school reunion. Candy is the hoochie girl with the unhappy marriage and a secret. Lester is the nerdy vet with a big heart. Mary Ann was the outcast who just wanted a friend and to be accepted. Pete learns that just because he was the big jock in high school, it doesn't matter now. And Dorothy is going to the reunion with one thing on her mind - what happens when she doesn't get what she wants?

Berg does a good job of creating the characters and it is interesting to see how they interact and how the reunion changes them. This was a good book, I gave it three stars because I liked it. It wasn't the best book I read, but it was enjoyable.

Mo's Review:
"The Last Time I Saw You" by Elizabeth Berg (2010, 241 pages): 3 out of 5 Stars

You Can't Make This Shit Up

So I was running late to work the other morning (not sure I should mention that on here, huh?) and I was watching Good Morning America.

They had a lady who was on because a security camera video of her texting and then falling into a fountain had gone viral on You Tube. You can see the video here.

So she was on Good Morning America because she was so embarrassed and they were considering SUING. SUING? Why? Because you were an idiot and you didn't pay attention and fell into the fountain?

The plot thickens when it's later revealed that she's been arrested for identity theft and theft of credit cards. She actually left Good Morning America to go for a court appearance on the theft charges......

She's so worried about her feelings after falling in the fountain - but does she even consider the feelings of those that she has stolen from?

People never cease to amaze me....

Room by Emma Donoghue

This may be one of the most thought-provoking books that I have read in a long time. My friend Lisa has previously read this book and I kept talking to her throughout my reading of the book - you couldn't help but want to talk about the book.

I really don't want to say too much about this book, because the reader needs to come in with a clear mind in order to really have the a-ha's that I had. So I will simply restate what I've seen on Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com.

Jack is a five year old boy who has lived in Room with his Ma for his entire life. It is his entire world, but it is his Ma's prison. They fear nightly visits from a man named Old Jack. What happens when Jack and Ma are able to escape Room and come to know what is called Outside?

This is an eerie topic, it echoes the Jacey Duggar story a bit, but it is so well written and so thought provoking - it makes you really think about what Jack might feel like and how he can process his new world.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to read!!

Mo's Review:

"Room" by Emma Donoghue (2010, 321 pages): 5 out of 5 Stars

The King's Speech (2010)

As you can tell, I love movies!! I consider myself to be a movie buff and I've been lucky to have a variety of friends who like to see different genres of movies.

As the Oscars approach, this movie kept coming up as a potential nominee for Best Picture as well as Best Actor for Colin Firth. (Ed.'s Note: I have a thing for Colin Firth. Some weird, bizarre, nerdy British thing.....)

So after a Sunday of shopping at my beloved Southpark Meadows, I headed to the theatre to see this film.

I loved this movie!! It was funny, witty, and touching. I learned more about the modern British monarchy than I had known. Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter were all fabulous - I can see why this movie has generated such an Oscar buzz.

Colin Firth is Bertie.... son of King George. King George dies and his brother David is supposed to become king - however, he's in love with Wallis Simpson, the American divorcee. He abdicates, thus leaving Bertie, now known as King George VI, to take the throne.

No big deal, right? Bertie has a horrible stammering problem. He can't speak and they've tried everything. His wife finds Lionel Logue, an Australian who works with speech disorders. Bertie reluctantly tries working with Lionel. That is the basis of the film.

Bertie is the father of the current Queen Elizabeth of England and the great-grandfather of Prince William. This story is so well told, it was hard to believe it was a two-hour film.

Mo's Review:
The King's Speech (2010): 5 out of 5 stars

Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah

One of my new favorite authors is Kristin Hannah. I love her books!! Several of them I have read in one day, the only reason this one took me a few days was that I had a busy jam packed couple of days.

This book is the story of Julia Cates, a psychiatrist who has been publically humiliated following the actions of one of her clients. She heads home to Rain Valley and her sister, Ellie, the chief of police. One day Ellie gets called to town to find a feral child in the trees, clutching a wolf puppy.

Will Julia be able to help this child? Are the sisters able to reconnect and understand each other? And what happens when the child's history is revealed?

This was a great book, very interesting. The description and dialogue is engaging and you are dying to know what happens to all of the characters.

If you are looking for a good book to curl up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate and your Snuggie, this is the book!

Mo's Review:
"Magic Hour" by Kristin Hannah (2006, 391 pages): 5 out of 5 Stars

Am I getting old or is technology making me a dinosaur?

Several of my friends posted the link to this article, Things Babies Born in 2011 Will Never Know. At the beginning of the article, it referenced another article from the Huffington Post, You're Out: 20 Things that Became Obsolete This Decade. So here's the things that are obsolete or will be by the time kids today grow up:

• VCRs/video tape- when I moved to Bastrop, I sold all of my VHS (what was left, I had maybe 20-30 tapes that I hadn't watched in at least 3-4 years) to Half Price books - I don't even own a VCR anymore
• Travel agents - I remember when we went to Vegas in '93, we used a travel agent. And I've never used another one since. You can schedule tour companies, hotel, airfare, everything on the computer.
• The Separation Between Work Life and Personal Life - isn't that truth? So many people can work from home (I wish I could!) and with iPhones, we are never far from work. I'm always checking work e-mail, texts and voice mails and dealing with work issues.
• Forgetting - With the Internet recording our every move, you can't really "forget" anything. People can find out and learn a lot about you by googling you!!
• Bookstores - I have a Kindle and I love my Kindle. I have many books stored on my Kindle. But I still love buying books - there is something about holding a new book, ready to read. I love going to the bookstore and reading book jackets and selecting my next great read. But I still do subscribe to several magazines still (5), not sure about giving up on those
• Watches - the article says that people use their computers or cell phones to find the time. That may be true, but I like wearing a watch and I can't imagine not having one. I'm not sure that this is going away as quick as they think - watches have been here FOREVER!!!
• 1-900 Phone Sex Lines - gee, can't say that I'll even notice it's disappearing since it was never anything that I used!!
• Maps - I have an travel atlas in my car, but I usually use my phone to help find places and get directions to them
• Phone calling - people are using texting and Facebook more than just calling people and talking. Depending on who I'm talking to and what we are talking, at times I do prefer texting to talking. I often e-mail instead of calling as well. And now there really isn't any long distance either with digital phones and cell phones.
• Newspaper Classified Ads - people use Craiglist and other avenue to sell and buy things. Plus newspapers are becoming obsolete themselves. I've quit subscribing and find most of my content online or on my iPhone instead.
• Dial-Up Internet - I remember when I got my first computer with a modem in 1995. It took forever to connect to the Internet and it was soooo slow!! Less than 10% of people use dial up Internet anymore. Another dinosaur!!
• Encyclopedias - Some schools don't even use encyclopedias anymore. With so much content online and with Wikipedia, there really is no need for encyclopedias. I loved our set of World Books that we had at our house - I will keep them when my Mom tosses them because I can remember the hours I spent reading and researching with them.
• CDs - Many CD stores have closed and most people do their music digitally. I still have many CD's, but I've also sold a ton of them and keep most of my music managed on my iTunes. It's hard to think CDs are gone, because they don't seem like they've been here that long in the first place.
• Landline phones - Most people just use a cell phone as their major form of communication. For the last two years before I moved to Bastrop, I only used a cell phone. The only reason I have a landline know is because I could get my bundle (cable, Internet, phone) cheaper if I did all three. And it does help when my phone is a little spotty. But I rarely use it and I don't have any kind of voicemail on it.
• Film and film cameras - Again, digital has taken over. But I think there will still be a segment of society that will use film cameras for photography as art.
• Yellow Pages and Address Books - I've got a yellow pages, but they also send a CD that I could load the yellow pages on my computer, but I usually just google a place on my computer or my phone if I need to find out something. And I store all of my addresses in my phone rather than trying to keep up with a paper address book.
• Catalogs - I still get my fair share, but definitely fewer than I used to receive. You can go online and see everything you need to see.
• Fax Machines - there really is no reason why we still have these, but we do... it make take a little more time for these to die out.
• Wires - With everything going wireless, do we really need wires? I think not. They are a pain. But I still have wires on my TV and cable box. I think some wires may be a necessary evil!
• Handwritten Letters - When was the last time I wrote a letter? My XMas letter is typed, my cards are ordered online and my b-day greetings are usually sent by text or on Facebook

So what do you think? What else may become obsolete?

The Fighter

Apparently, I am on a roll when it comes to the movies. (I saw 7 during Christmas break!) And of course, when I get my Entertainment Weekly with the 25 movies I need to see before the Oscars (and I've only seen 8), I realize I have some more work to do!!

I love Marky Mark - and I think he's a pretty decent actor. I saw him on Ellen and I know he put a lot of time (years) and effort in preparation for this movie. It showed. But I think Christian Bale may have stole the show.

Micky (Wahlberg) is a fighter from Lowell, MA who isn't making much of his career. His mother and brother Dickie (Bale) don't do a great job of managing him and he keeps ending up in bad situations. He has an offer to go and train in Vegas, but turns it down to be with his family.

Dickie was famous for a fight he had with Sugar Ray like 10 years earlier, but now he is an unreliable junkie. Micky starts training with others but can't be around Dickie.

Throughout this, he has his girlfriend, played by Amy Adams. I was kind of impressed at how good Adams was at playing a low rent kind of girl.

The story is good and the acting is compelling. I can see why it's getting nominations and being recognized. It was one of my favorite movies that I did see on my break and I would highly recommend it to others.

Mo's Review:
The Fighter (2010): 5 out of 5 stars

Welcome to 2011!

A belated happy holidays to all!!

I did it again..... I started blogging strongly, then I ended the last two months without a word. It's been a busy fall and early winter here. I've meant to do a lot of things, but I've been hosting company, travelling, and getting to know both Bastrop and Austin better.

This is a big year...... travels (Philly, NYC, Charleston, Memphis, The Keys), school (waiting to hear if I get into the Ph.D. program and starting my superintendency classes at Texas State), work (continuing to work with teachers and students to improving our school), and personal (friends to make and enjoy, spending time with family, books to read, movies to see, sushi to eat, ).

Each year, I promise to do a better job with blogging and I will continue to do that. I do think that things are finally settling here and it feels good.

(Ed.'s Note: Notice I'm ignoring all of the talk about resolutions. My resolution for 2011? No resolutions!! Or actually, just to live the hell out of each day!!)