Team Edward Takes A Bite Out of Hollywood

Twilight debuted on Friday to huge box office takes. It made more $$ on Friday than the entire movie cost to make. By last night, it had drawn in an estimated $74 million bucks. Now, that is some good ROI. Good enough for the sequel (three more total need to be turned from books to movies) to be greenlighted by the production company.

That is the money behind Twilight. So, was it everything that fans wanted? Did it deliver the romance and suspense of the book? Well, that depends on who you ask.

I am a closet Twlilighter. (Guess I am coming out of the closet!) I have read the books and actually reread many of my favorite parts. I have read online the 200+ pages that Meyer (the author of the books for those who are not fanpires) has written of Midnight Sun. That is the "character development gotten way out of hand" that Meyer wrote retelling Twlight from Edward's head...Twilight is told from Bella's head. I am quite certain I have Googled Twilight on almost a daily basis recently just to check the news. I also have a quote from Eclipse (Book 3 of 4) on my wall. Yep, I am one of THOSE people. I did draw the line at the "Team Edward" t-shirt...but I did think about it...I have to admit it. I suppose that coming clean about this obsession is the first step to recovery...or further obsession...hard to tell.

Anyway, back to the movie. It was OK. I think folks who have not poured over the books will like it more than those of us who have the books committed to memory. I will say that I wish the director had had more money to work with on the film. The "special effects" weren't all that special and were, at times, chessy. However, at its heart still lies the beginnings of the story of accident prone Bella and the tortured soul Edward. I will admit this here but you guys reading this keep it under your hats. The first time Edward appears in the movie I really could have screamed like a teenage girl! I mean there he was...Edward Cullen brought to life! Kudos to Robert Pattinson and his extremely weird and overwhelmingly sexy hair! It is more than the hair...he also has this intense gaze that is at once both wonderfully romantic and more than a bit scary. He makes the perfect Edward. The 22 year old Brit will never have a normal life again. Girls (OK...and women my age who might have a momentary lapse and want to scream at him) will be screaming his name for years to come.

I could hash and rehash what was or wasn't in the movie and give you my opinions. It is my blog after all. BUT, I think everyone should form their own opinion of Twilight. Some will never get the "it" factor that hooked millions of readers. The closest way to describe the "it" factor that Twilight has is it is love without reason or fear. It is Romeo killing himself when he thinks his Juliet has died and Juliet doing herself in once she awakens to a dead Romeo. At the heart of it all, it is about unconditional love...a very hard thing to find today. How many of us love anyone unconditionally? It is a Godly thing to do...perhaps the most Godly thing any of us can do on Earth. That is what makes Twilight special...it holds to the most basic need in all of us, the need to be loved and accepted by another person no matter what we are inside or out.

OK...so enough of my waxing poetic. The chemistry between those playing Edward and Bella is good. The one serious kiss they have heats up the screen better than the half porno sex scenes that appear in a lot of movies. It had punch...and it needed it because (if they stay true to the books) we aren't going to see much more than kissing for a long time.

So, bring on New Moon! (For those of you that are not Twilighters, that is book 2...and will be movie 2.) The production company has its release tentatively scheduled for 2010. How will we all endure the wait? I suppose the support groups and shock therapy will help.

Yep, that is why we take the kids to church!

This morning my little one (let's just call him Texas Ranger) crawled into bed with me for some snuggle time. I don't know a mom on the planet that doesn't love to snuggle with their little one. As we snuggled with his two green frogs that MUST be in hand when he is in any bed, we got into a discussion about Christmas. I had put up some of our Christmas decorations while the kids were asleep last night so they woke up to a slightly changed house. This change made Texas Ranger (TR) think that perhaps Santa was right around the corner.

So, here we are having this great moment and talking when TR asks if it is time for Christmas. I tell him that it isn't Christmas yet but it is time to start putting out our Christmas stuff. Thinking that this would be a great Chrisitan teaching moment I grabbed onto it and moved forward. I asked TR if he knew what Christmas was really about. He started with presents and I told him no. Then his answer (after some pondering) was Santa. Again, I told him no and prompted him with the question, "whose birth do we celebrate at Christmas?". This time he was really thinking. He paused for several moments before finally answering, "Elf". It sure is good that TR goes to church every Sunday. Obviously he needs to be put in the slow Sunday School class after that answer!

Of course I shared with TR that it is indeed Jesus and not Elf who we celebrate at Christmas. He thought that over but I still think he may think it is Elf. Darn you Will Ferrell for making such a cute movie!

Being 8 is better than the alternative...

So, a friend of mine and I (you know who you are) decided to go out to eat and see a movie last weekend. I really can't remember the last time she and I saw a movie together without children present. Maybe it was when we were in college. I do have a vivid memory of seeing "Ghost" with her. You all remember that one...Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze in that movie where he gets killed by his best buddy then has to use Whoopi Goldberg to talk through since she is a scam mystic whose only real contact with the beyond is Swayze. It was a tear jerker in the end with Swayze finally saying I Love You to Moore without just saying Ditto and then Moore getting to see him taken into the light while The Righteous Brothers sing. I digress...anyway, when we saw that movie I was crying my eyes out by the end and my friend sat there like we were watching a documentary on single cell organisms. Needless to say, we have different movie watching styles and are pretty different in most other realms too. She is more reserved and thoughtful where I am yelling my opinion at anyone whether they are listening or not. Of course, we do have one thing in common...our children have brought us both to our knees and driven us to the crazy house! (I know that is not very PC of me to write "crazy house". I think the current PC term is "nut joint".)

Last weekend this friend and I had an important choice to make with huge ramifications. We could either see "Zack and Mira Make a Porno" or "High School Musical 3: Senior Year". Now the obvious bystander that sees two women entering "Zack and Mira" would assume...lesbians. I mean it would look very Lohan and Samantha...be honest. On the flip side, seeing HSM3 makes us look like 8 year olds. Again it comes back to that age old question, look like lesbians or 8 year olds.

Seeing as how neither of us looked the part (obviously missing was a fadora, vest and high top sneakers on one of us and a slutty dress on the other), we hit the cavity inducing third part of Disney's teen sing-a-long. High School Musical is SO much like High School. It has the dashing basketball star who is also a triple threat. Then there are the good/bad twins to deal with all while dressing in the latest fashions. The only real High School type thing in this movie is Vanessa whose skin shots were all over the web last fall. Now THAT could happen in High School...and probably does all over our great land daily. Better nude shots than guns kids...remember that.

Ahhhh, to be 8 again. Guess we were for about 2 hours last weekend. Now, I have GOT to get me one of those Troy posters for my bedroom wall...I already have the Captain Jack Fathead in the kids room...

Eagle Eye

The boys had school today but Mom was off because of Veteran's Day. So, I did what any good mother would do, I ran away from home and went to the movies! Yeah, I could have stayed at home and done laundry and changed sheets and dusted things but I only get a day completely to myself about once every 18 months so I was hanging on to it as if it was a lifeline...which, perhaps it was.

I did some pre-movie shopping (that is for another post...Victoria's Secret now has Swell Level 5...more to come on that) but soon enough I was in a dark theater with just my thoughts, a bag of popcorn and an excessively large Coke. (I swear I think that cup could have held a 2 ltr worth of Coke.)

Eagle Eye was chosen because it has everything I love in a movie...car chases, terrorist plots, military cover-ups and a "put your mind in neutral" kinda plot. (By that, I don't mean it wasn't smart, it is just mindless action for 2 hours.) Some might call this a guy movie but I prefer those to romantic movies...not that I don't love a good romance, it's just that I can get that most nights on TV and TV doesn't have the budget to throw together a good "guy" show with all the fireworks like this movie.

So, I would consider this was a good one. I would put it in the Live Free or Die Hard range of movies. Two thumbs way up. Beware...what comes next could be considered "spoilers"!

So, Eagle Eye focuses on a normal guy, Jerry, and a normal mom, Rachel. Now Jerry and Rachel start having a really bad couple of days because they have been "activated". Jerry has been set up to look like a terrorist and Rachel's son (off on a seamingly harmless band trip) is in danger if Rachel doesn't toe the line. The action is almost non-stop and has some really great chase scenes. I mean, there are literally dozen of cars totally demolished in this thing! Rachel also gets to drive really crazy at one point and I love this because I would like to have a chance to do that myself...but where do I pick up a Porsche SUV with bad guys chasing me? Also, there is a wonderful chase scene through the baggage system of an airport. It is suppose to be LAX, having never seen LAX's baggage system, maybe it is...whatever, it is really great. (And for those reading this...which is probably no one, TYS's baggage system does not look anything like that one.)

Wasn't I talking about the movie...OK...so Jerry and Rachel must follow a series of actions relayed to them via cell phone. If they don't comply, bad things will happen...those calling the shots do away with a fringe character just to show us all that they mean business. As average Joe and Jane move like chess pieces on a board, the reality behind what is happening to them (or rather why it is all happening to them) starts to take shape. I will not ruining the ending but they win. (No, that doesn't ruin it for you...I didn't tell you how they win did I? So touchy!)

Another thing that makes this a good one is Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan (Jerry and Rachel). They do a great job of playing normal folks thrust into something so much larger than themselves. Shia is the next generation's Tom Hanks. He is the "every man". He isn't too cute and he can play humor as well as drama. I really like this guy...and so does Steven Spielberg so he is pretty much set. As long as he doesn't go Lohan or something, he is going to be a star for years to come. Michelle does a good job as well. You will totally believe she is a mom terrified that something is going to happen to her little boy. As a mom, she made me connect with her terror at the thought of losing something so precious to her.

I would also like to say kudos to the folks who made this movie. It would have been so easy to have thrown Jerry and Rachel together in a hotel room at some point to have the "we may not make it out of this so let's have sex" sex. That didn't happen...and it shouldn't because the world is falling apart around them and that would have just been odd. They instead become a team fighting towards a common goal.

Well, that is the popcorn report on Eagle Eye. It will probably leave theaters soon as Hollywood makes room for the holiday push. If you can't catch it in theaters, I would hit the Blockbuster for it when it makes its DVD debut (with special bonus features and never before seen things that no one will care about...).

PS - Interestingly enough, hubby is at the theater right now watching this same movie with some guy friends. I gave you the girl breakdown on Eagle Eye, now I would like to give you the guy breakdown..."it was good, they blew things up". You are welcome.

Walker and Texas Ranger

I have two boys. One is 4 and the other is 8. I would like to tell you all that these are fine boys that obey their mother and are kind to one another. I would be telling a terrible lie if I told you that.

Don't get me wrong, they are just typical boys. This is what I tell myself to make it through another day without meds. They will grow up and their strong willed personalities will make them do great things and make their mother proud. This is justice for me having to endure trips to Wal-Mart where one of them lays in the floor and yells or they fight each other to the death in the Target.

It comes down to this...I have Walker and Texas Ranger living with me. (For those of you who have not been fortunate enough to watch the masterpiece of cinematic art known as Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, you may not know what I mean. I would highly recommend this treasure.) I am not really sure where they came from exactly. I mean, I know how they got here...I do remember those moments with absolute clarity (one was 9 lbs and the other over 8! YIKES!). I just don't know how Walker and Texas Ranger ended up being my little "angels" to look after. Why are they coming at me like a spider monkey? I was a good child...just ask my mom.

Now these high spirited boys do make life interesting...and fun...as long as you have an offbeat sense of humor. Why, just the other day on the way home from church we had a wonderful discussion about one of God's creatures...skunks. We had just smelled a skunk and my hubby says, "I would like to have a skunk for a pet". (I know what you are thinking...he may be the Ricky Bobby in this family...I too have considered this option.) So, upon hearing that Daddy wants a skunk as a pet, the 4 year old says, in his very serious voice, "Daddy, we can't have a skunk because they would fart up the place". At this point Daddy and I are trying to look out the windows and not encourage the use of such language while at the same time laughing so hard we are crying. Finally, Daddy pulls himself together enough to say that a pet skunk would have the farts taken out before we got it for a pet. Thank goodness the air was cleared on that issue.

Wasn't this suppose to be about movies or something...

With that great title from a movie I thought I would be blogging more about my insane love of the movies. Also, this blog was born out of that thought...not from my own head, but from that of a good friend (you know who you are).

So, my latest "movie about to come out obsession" is Twilight. I know, those were suppose to be books meant for teenage girls. Who cares, they (all 4 of them with the slight exception of book 2) were great. So, to see these characters brought to my favorite medium outside of books gives me something to look forward to. Yes, I have read all about the cast, the director, the budget, the hype, etc. I know that at first (long before I discovered this little world where vampires roam Washington state) the character of Edward was cast and people HATED the casting. Now, they think Robert Pattinson is none other than Edward conjured straight from the book. I do love his crazy hair... So what that he is 22 and I am 36...I am sure I could still be his Bella if I put my mind to it. Laugh if you must.

Having seen all 12 or so trailers that this movie has spawned, I know that I have seen all the "big moments" but it is all those little ones that I can't wait to see brought to life on the big screen. Losing myself in a movie based on a book that I already lost myself in is simply wonderful. I can almost smell the popcorn!

As a side note, I have a helpful movie viewing tip about how not to have to rush to the bathroom during a movie. There is nothing I hate more than that...OK, there are things I hate more but let me ramble a minute. The way it use to work for me was go into the theater and then run out just before the movie started to try to pee again. Then I would almost always start to have that "I gotta go" feeling just as the movie was heating up. I would put it off as long as possible trying to gage the best time to run out...not missing the best part of the movie. Then I was off, rushing down the steps (but not too fast so that the other theater goers think I am nuts), then rounding the corner and taking off. Into the bathroom and taking care of business with lightening speed. Rush back out of the bathroom with hopes I have hand sanitizer in my purse so I don't waste precious time washing my hands. (You have done it too, don't judge.) Then run back in and thrown myself in my seat and ask hubby, "what did I miss!", to get the answer, "nothing". Too many times I have later seen the movie on DVD to see that I indeed did miss something. SO, I have found the solution to the problem. Still do the last minute trip to the restroom but then eat at least twice as much (more if you can stomach the yellow oil they pretend is butter) as you drink. The popcorn will soak up the liquid (usually a Coke in my case because I am from the South and it is almost our regional drink...sweet tea is number one of course with Coke as a close second)! It is an amazing revelation that I have discovered and I am sharing it here publicly for the very first time. You are welcome.

Back to Twilight, this movie centers around a normal girl, Bella, who movies to a town called Forks in Washington state. She immediately draws the attention of a member of a beautiful but odd family known as the Cullens (Vampires hidding in plain sight). Edward, yes, the one of great hair mentioned above, just about kills Bella because her blood is so powerful to him. Guess I should mention that these vamps don't drink human blood, just animal blood. So, we are off and running on this tale of forbidden love. The ordinary human and the beautiful, but very deadly, vampire. It is a great ride in the book and I am hoping it will be on screen. Releasing on November 21, I am sure this is going to pull down the bucks...and allow the other 3 books to start their progression from written word to big screen blockbusters. Be sure to check it out.

Random Thoughts...

A normal Saturday...kids are screaming and attempting to slay each other with enough weapons to arm a small middle eastern country (one of those countries without all that oil money). Hubby is curled up on the sofa flipping through the channels. Ahhhh...domestic bliss. But what is all this about having to clean the house and now the kids are yelling that they are hungry! What?!

Oh yeah, and those $100+ tickets to Disney on Ice for tonight that I bought and surprised on the kids were met with lukewarm reviews. In fact, Ethan proclaimed he DID NOT want to go because he was afraid he would slip and fall on the ice. When it was explained that he would not be on the ice, he broke down because he WANTS to skate. Head hitting wall over and over...mine, not the kids...I know what you thought. So, it may be that I dropped $100+ bucks just down the drain. Man, that would have paid for a massage...probably with those hot rocks thrown in. No, I will not think like that. We will go and have MANDATORY family fun at this event. Happy, happy, happy! When the event photos eventually get scrapbooked...sometime late in Obama's first term, those kids and their parents will look so freaking happy it will make people think that the perfect family attended Disney on Ice!

Darn...almost lunch time...what to fix?

Ok, so what is with this Blog title?

I would like to say that I am extremely creative and came up with this thoughtful blog title myself. Maybe to make everyone think, even for a moment, about their very existance. Not so much.

It is actually one of my favorite lines from the movie The Shawshank Redemption. Andy speaks this line to Red about where he wants to live out of rest of his life...in a warm place with no memory.

Thanks to Andy for the title and myself for watching far too many movies and remembering, almost frighteningly, the dialogue from these movies.