Bloodsuckers and Widowers: A Love Story

I'm sad to report that yesterday, Wendy reported to me that she was falling in love with another man. It's true: his name is Edward (the tramp!), and he just so happens to be a vampire.

Yes, that's right, Wendy is the latest to fall victim to the charms of Stephanie Meyer's vampire romance, Twilight. Since last month, I've watched not one, but four of my family members (all female) find themselves debilitated and distracted by the apparent page-turner. Here are a few other examples of the book's power (with only the slightest of exaggeration):

• Jennie found herself glued to the book in a window seat while flying over the Hawaiian islands. "Are we there already?" she asked, oblivious that we had just crossed four time zones.
  
• Katie couldn't bring herself to come to the phone to talk to me about my wife's then-secret pregnancy because she was "more interested in vampires right now."
• Kristen purchased and finished Twilight and its sequel, New Moon, within three days time. She then promptly gave Jackson three days worth of neglected bottles.
  
• Most recently, Wendy bought or borrowed two pregnancy books, and quickly cast them aside for the more romantic persuadings of Edward and his infernal fangs. "I don't even remember that I'm pregnant when I'm reading about my hunky vampire!"
  

I'm pretty sure that if we husbands don't put a proverbial stake in the heart of Ms. Meyer's witchcraft, we'll promptly be served with divorce papers (signed in blood, of course). Brethren, unite!

I...CAN'T...WAIT!!!

It's really the mother of comic-book movie franchises. The Mona Lisa of superhero flicks. And it's rebooting again, coming up on May 4. Yes, I'm talking about Spider-man 3, and if I sound a little excited, well...that might be understating it a bit.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not really a comic-book movie nut; there have been more stinkers (Ghost Rider, Fantastic Four) in the genre than real winners. But when moviemakers get one right, man do they make me feel like a 10-year old boy all over again. I mean seriously...fast-paced action, killer special-effects, teen angst, romance...Spider-man movies have it all. And Spider-man 2 was even cooler than the first; here's hoping that Spider-man 3 will continue that trend!

Watch a trailer here, and then go buy your tickets here; I've already bought mine. Isn't it time we all revisited our youth?

Is "Lost" good again?

I really hope my sentiments aren't premature, but right now the answer to the question is YES, "Lost" has been really good in recent weeks. True, the Nikki/Paulo episode was morbid, but in a very logically-satisfying way. But at least the recent Locke and Kate episodes felt relevant and moved the story along. This pleasing trend was magnified tonight in the very intriguing, very smart, very revealing Juliet-centric episode. Why was it so satisfying? Probably because it gave us some good answers, and restored a bit of our waning faith that the producers aren't just making it up from week to week. It feels really good to say it: "Lost" is finally worth talking about again!

I wish I could say the same for "24," which, after starting the season strong, has lagged in recent weeks under the heavy burden of a boring White House, Jack's unconvincing family history, and an interminable nuclear bomb/terrorist plot. I was pleased, though, with this past Monday's finale, which at least promises to bring us back to a character whose past was left up in the air, and which will bring Jack Bauer back into the forefront of the show. I hadn't given up complete hope, but the prospect of a new direction for the remainder of the season brings some promise to an otherwise lackluster "24" season.

Man I love my DVR!

Miscellaneous Movie News

Here are a couple of mildly interesting tidbits of information about some upcoming movies. I don't know how I feel about a few of them, but I'm interested to know what you think:

• Variety has reported that Shia LeBeouf ("Holes") has been cast as Indiana Jones' son in the upcoming sequel. (Indy has a son? Will he also be named after a dog?)
• Maggie Gyllenhal ("Stranger than Fiction") has taken over Katie Holmes' role in the upcoming "Batman Begins" sequel, "The Dark Knight." This is the latest in the previously announced cast additions of Heath Ledger as the Joker and Aaron Eckhart as Harvey "Two-Face."
• Disney formally announced this week that "Toy Story 3" is in production for release in 2010. Both Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are confirmed to be returning.
• Disney also announced its return to 2-D traditional animation for the upcoming "The Frog Princess," to be set in New Orleans. They also announced that the film's heroine is Disney's first African-American princess and will be added to the company's ever-lucrative group of princesses at its worldwide parks. The film will be released in 2009.
• Finally, M. Night Shyamalan has announced that his next film, "The Happening" (his first R-rated movie) will be "a paranoid thriller about a family on the run from a natural crisis that presents a large-scale threat to humanity." What do you want to bet that the large-scale threat will be defeated by a few errant glasses of water?

Though I'm so over Shymalan's ego, I'm curious to see what Pixar and Disney are up to, and hope Pixar can help Disney start making consistently cool movies again. Any thoughts?

Justin's 10-Word Reviews

Since I have gotten behind with my reviews but know my readers demand to know what I have seen lately, I'm going to experiment with 10-word reviews (starting after the title) for the movies I have seen lately. Let me know what you think:

• "The Bridge to Terabithia": Not a fantasy, but touching coming-of-age family drama (*** out of four)
  
• "Ghost Rider": Silly, nonsensical, clumsy comic book adaptation. "The Mummy" meets "Constantine." (*1/2 out of four)
  
• "Stranger than Fiction": Thoughtful, breezy & unique comedy-drama with a sweet gooey center. (***1/2 out of four). ("&" doesn't count as a word)
  
• "The Illusionist": Moody, mysterious, enchanting score, slightly frustrating but overall satisfying conclusion (***1/2 out of four)
• "Flushed Away": Mildly clever moments sprinkled throughout a noisy, crude, "family" mess (** out of four)

I'm also anxious to see "The Prestige" and "Music and Lyrics," but I'm secretly saving my movie bucks for the upcoming May movie binge that I'm planning. Can you believe that we're just over two months away and still haven't seen a trailer for "Pirates 3"?!?!

"Lost" on life support

OK it's official: "Lost" is starting to bug the crap out of me. While last week's time-travel episode was unique and intriguing, as part of the larger story all it did was frustrate me. Add to that last night's dreadful episode featuring a clairvoyant (and nearly naked) Thai tattoo-artist, and I'm seriously starting to wonder if the folks behind "Lost" have lost it themselves. ABC's promos kept touting last night's episode as answering "three of Lost's biggest questions"; all I was able to find out was that Jack's tattoos mean absolutely nothing of interest. No insight into why the Others are creepy child-kidnappers. No interesting revelations about the Dharma Initiative. NOTHING from our favorite characters back on the beach.

The whole time I just kept asking myself, why aren't Kate and Sawyer grilling this kid about his origins and everything happening on the other island? Why doesn't Jack ask something meaningful of his captors, instead of blindly just going along with everything they do and acting mad about it? WHY DON'T PEOPLE JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER INSTEAD OF GIVING EACH OTHER PAINFULLY "MEANINGFUL" GLANCES OVER AND OVER AND OVER!?!?!

Judging by the show's dwindling ratings (the last episode didn't even hit the top 20 shows for the week and received its lowest numbers ever for a new episode), it's clear that I'm not the only viewer that is losing interest. So there it is: "Lost" is on my endangered list. I'm still watching, but I'm finding little joy in it as I once did. And it makes me enormously upset to see that my once-favorite show is now flying off the hook.

What would save "Lost"? One suggestion I have would be to bring back J.J. Abrams, who co-created the show but has gone on to direct "M:I:iii" (and tonight's episode of "The Office"). Or simply decide that they'll tell the story that has yet to be told and get it over with. Don't get me wrong--when "Lost" is good it's SO much fun, but it has become tedium as of late. So my simple request to producers (who I'm sure frequent my blog) is to just make the show good again. Is that so much to ask?

Napoleon vs. Ricky Bobby

One of my faithful readers (Clay) requested that I give a little blog-love to the upcoming Will Ferrell/Jon Heder ice-skating comedy, "Blades of Glory." To be honest, when I first saw the trailer, I wasn't overly excited about the movie: Will Ferrell and Jon Heder have some pretty uneven track records (Ferrell in "Bewitched," Heder in anything but "Napoleon Dynamite"). That said, when they get it right, they knock it out of the park (Ferrell in "Talladega Nights" or "Elf" and Heder in, well, "Napoleon Dynamite"). Plus, it's getting some online buzz that has at least a few people excited. So here's hoping that the movie is silly perfection. Check it out here.

More "Indy" news

Here are a few interesting tidbits of speculation (meaning unconfirmed) about the upcoming "Indiana Jones" sequel. From RottenTomatoes.com,

• Three of the leading ladies from the series (Karen Allen, Kate Capshaw, and perhaps even Alison Doody) will be returning for cameo roles.
• John Rhys-Davies is likely to be back in the sidekick role.
• Sean Connery seems to be returning to play Indy's dad.
• The flick will take place in the 1950s.
• The movie will make a huge truckload of money.

One bit of information was confirmed this week, however: Paramount announced that the movie will be released on May 22, 2008. (PLEASE don't let this movie suck!)

Am I getting "Lost"?

Well thanks to the holidays and some other TV distractions, I hardly felt those three months of abstinence from "Lost." Last night I reviewed several of the most recent episodes in preparation for tomorrow's episode; as I was trying to fall asleep, I mentioned to Wendy that the most recent episodes of "Lost" represented both the best and the worst of the frustratingly addictive show:

The Best

• Sawyer's pace-maker
• Ben Linus/Henry Gale vs. the white bunny rabbits
• There are two islands?!?!
• Desmond the Clairvoyant

The Worst

• Colleen's hubby taking out her death on Sawyer (who had nothing to do with her death)
• Colleen's hubby insisting that Kate confess her love for Sawyer
  
• Sawyer and Kate getting it on against the bars of a bear cage (I mean really, right there in the open, in a cage!)
• Ignoring the show's original stars/stories
• Occasionally redundant/irrelevant flashbacks (a.k.a timekillers)

Having said all this, I don't want anyone to think that I've bailed on my formerly favorite TV show (recently dethroned by "24"): when it is good, "Lost" is REALLY good. I mean seriously, just thinking about how great Season 1 was makes me think that I owe it to producers to let them crank out a few stinkers (including the most recent, DREADFUL episode with the aforementioned cage-love). So I am cautiously optimistic that a few more months of planning will help the show be what it once was; I would gladly put it back in a two-way tie for my favorite show if it could prove its worthiness to me...

Harry Potter 7 coming on July 21!!!

Well the news is finally official: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" will be released in bookstores around the world on July 21, 2007.

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,660191984,00.html

While I initially resisted the HP book-phenomenon, I think I was finally convinced to get into them in 2000. My enjoyment of them has only increased with each excellent movie adaptation, to the point that Wendy and I have actually chosen to join with the crowds at midnight for the past two book releases. Now I've never dressed up like a wizard, nor would I consider myself as well-versed in all things "Potter" as some, but I get a little chill when I think about holding the last Harry Potter book in my hands. I'm not sure I want it to end...

Oscar Nominations

The Oscar nominations came out today, and seemed for the most part to include no big shockers. The biggest surprise, however, is likely to enrage my sister-in-law, Kristen: the musical "Dreamgirls" led in total nominations (8), but was shut out of the major categories, including Best Picture and Best Director. It did, however, receive nominations for Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson's supporting roles.

The Best Picture nominees include the Brad Pitt drama, "Babel," Martin Scorcese's "The Departed," the independent favorite, "Little Miss Sunshine," the Royal Family drama, "The Queen," and Clint Eastwood's Japanese-spoken war epic, "Letters from Iwo Jima." For a complete list of the other nominees and plenty of commentary from people who know better than I, click here.

Since I haven't seen any of the Best Picture nominees (and likely won't), I can't say I'm terribly excited for this year's awards. I am, however, looking forward to seeing Ellen DeGeneres as the host; $10 says she'll wear a pant-suit instead of a gown...

The Amazing Race: All-Stars

CBS just announced the teams for the upcoming Amazing Race: All-Stars, coming on Sunday, February 18:

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race11/
Wendy and I got into the race around season 4 or 5, so I don't know a few of the teams, but of those I know, I can't decide who I'm more excited to see: Charla & Mirna vs. the coal-miners or the beauty queens vs. Rob & Amba. This is going to be GOOD!

Masochists, Unite!

Well, it's that time of year again: smoggy air, after-Christmas sales, and the return of Fox's winter schedule. What that means for some is a sudden bounty of DVR-clogging programming, perfect for these long winter nights. Yet for me, the return of Fox's "24" and "American Idol" signifies America's delight for (and absolute obsession with) pure, unadulterated pain.

"American Idol" represents the best and worst of our society: We rejoice in the discovery of new talent, embrace the show's finalists, and devote two of our precious weekday evenings to the talent competition. But no less pleasurable (or disturbing) is our unhealthy obsession with horrific, embarrassingly bad "singing." Why do we enjoy seeing people utterly destroyed in front of terribly insensitive judges? Why are we absolutely entranced by impressions of the cowardly lion? Or black, male, talentless Celine Dion wannabes? Why does it make us so ridiculously happy to see nerve-wracked Idol-hopefuls understandably forget lyric after lyrics? Because we're masochists, that's why.

Skeptical? Look no further than the fictional, terrorist-heavy world of my Fox favorite, "24." Where else is behavior that by any other standard would be reprehensible (if not criminal) is not only permitted, but encouraged? Witness a few examples from this week's season premiere: two separate shoulder-stabbings, numerous bloody shootings, a freaky vampire-ish Jack Bauer-escape, and one casualty-heavy nuclear explosion. And yet through all the gory mayhem, those who give it a chance find themselves utterly addicted, and with the simple snap of a neck, we're pulled into another stress-filled 24 hours. Masochists, I tell you...all of us. At least until May...

What were your favorite cringe-worthy moments from the "24" and "American Idol" premieres?

"Night at the Museum" review

Ben Stiller's latest is a whimsical family-friendly adventure akin to other PG-rated adventure-comedies like "Jumanji" and "Zathura." It's fast-paced and inoffensive, and quite often very funny. While Stiller plays the same put-upon, unlucky fellow he plays in nearly every movie, here the typecasting works in the quirky context of a museum-come-to-life (and-run-amok). Though the concept is fairly silly and decidedly far-fetched, Stiller and the rest of the cast (filled with comedy vets old and young) keep things light enough that the time passes pleasantly enough. While I knew that I would laugh at Owen Wilson's cowboy, I was surprised to find myself smiling at nearly everything spoken by Mickey Rooney's grumpy old night guard and Ricky Gervais' communication-challenged curator. (Robin Williams and Dick Van Dyke also get a few laughs.) It's not a classic movie that I'll need to watch over and over, but it was breezy enough to make for a decent holiday diversion. (*** out of four)

Delta, Delta, Delta may I help ya, help ya, help ya?

I don't really know much about this potential merger between US Airways and Delta, I just know I don't want to lose my SkyMiles. If you want to sign a petition to voice your opinion, click here.

"Indiana Jones 4" coming in 2008!!!

Can't tell you how excited I am that this is finally going to happen.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3ied0764c52ea0c6b79e5a439cf257d65d

Only about 18 months to go...

Europe 2006

Here are just a few photos from our recent trip to France and Italy. I tried to include some that show us in front of recognizable landmarks, but I couldn't resist throwing in a picture of Wendy's absolute favorite European moment (feeding pigeons in St. Mark's Square in Venice). (Shhh...don't tell her that we have pigeons in the U.S....)

Here we are outside the Louvre in Paris...

...in front of the Arc de Triumph (that's the Eiffel Tower in the distance)...

...standing on the Rialto Bridge in Venice...
...and in front of the Roman Coliseum.

It was an amazing trip; more fun than we could have imagined, and yet we were so glad to get back home. What did we miss most about the U.S.? Well, aside from the obvious (family, friends), I'd have to say free soda refills and public non-smoking ordinances. We're glad to be home!

"Deja Vu," "The Pursuit of Happyness" reviews

I haven't seen a ton of movies lately, but did catch up on a couple over the past week. Both were satisfying movies for their respective genres, but nothing that will make me hurry out and see them again.

• "Deja Vu": I like Denzel Washington, and have enjoyed most of the movies I have seen him in. This movie falls into the twisty sci-fi subcategory of the suspense genre, and is for the most part effective, as long as you don't think too much about the paper-thin premise. Set in New Orleans, Denzel's character is called to the scene of an apparent terrorist bombing. Once on the scene, he is observed to have an excellent eye for detail by members of a secret government agency led by Val Kilmer's character, who recruits Denzel to be part of his investigative team. It soon becomes apparent that the secret agency has access to some mind-blowing powers; powers that essentially allow them to see into the past using some high tech gadgetry and some pretty big gaps in logic. This is where you'll either love or hate the movie: if you can believe in the idea of "time-travel" and ignore your mind's tendency to ask questions, you'll enjoy the ride. Otherwise, you'll come out scratching your head and asking yourself how the movie gets away with breaking its own "rules" just to come up with a happy ending. I personally forgave the movie for its inconsistencies (some of them are pretty big) because I was entertained the whole time, but I can definitely understand how some viewers might feel duped and disappointed. Plus, the idea of deja vu is never even explained or referenced, which bugged me a little (aside from interpretation of dreams, deja vu is one of my biggest curiosities...) Overall, it's not a huge waste of time, but probably not worth the full admission price. (**1/2 out of four).
• "The Pursuit of Happyness": Now here's a movie with an appropriate title; don't plan on smiling much during this movie until just before the credits have started rolling. Will Smith plays a humble, hard-working man whose best efforts just aren't good enough sometimes, and he spends most of the movie just trying to get by with his wife and young son (played by his real-life son). Just like in the film's trailer, the movie really is all about Smith's character trying to get a decent job. While it is refreshing to see Will Smith in a role that genuinely seems challenging, the movie wears on you a bit for its sheer lack of joy! (When the movie ended, we decided that a Xanax would have helped us endure it better...). That said, Smith's performance is genuine and seems like a far-cry from the arrogant, tough-guy that he seems to always play, and in that regard makes the movie satisfying. Plus, his son really is great in the movie--they have a believable chemistry that makes the events feel all that more emotional. Though the film could possibly send the message that the pursuit of happiness is equal to the pursuit of money, I think the boy--who remains cheery and lovable through most of the movie--serves as a reminder that happiness can be found no matter what your financial circumstances are. In the end, I'm grateful I saw the movie, and feel a greater sense of gratitude for my own blessings (material and otherwise), but can't really see myself wanting to watch this one over and over again. Some journeys are best taken only once... (*** out of four).
  

Where's J-Dawg?

Lest any of my loyal readers (thanks, both of you) think that I have died, I thought I would briefly post an explanation to my recent blogosphere absence. Back in November, I took some time off to travel around France and Italy with my wife. For the record, the trip was fantastic! While most of the trip was focused on the history and culture of those countries, I have to say that movies rarely left my mind completely. For example, while pacing the halls of the Louvre in Paris, I proclaimed to myself (with a great degree of pride): "I have walked where Tom Hanks walked!" And while I know that "Gladiator" was actually filmed in Morocco, I couldn't help but think to myself that Russell Crowe probably paid a visit the Colisseum in Rome to research his role. Magic!

It is my intention to post a few of our trip pictures here in the coming weeks, as well as to update my blog with the traditional movie/TV nonsense you have come to expect. Don't give up on me, bloggers; I live on in the hearts of those who believe...

Many Mini-Reviews

Since I'm going to be gone for a few weeks, I thought I'd better throw in a few quick reviews of some of the movies that I've caught lately. They'll be short and hopefully sweet, but at least you'll stop wondering what Justin thinks of such relevant and "current" movies as "Red Eye" and "Scream 3."

• "Red Eye": This was a harmless little airplane thriller with an always entertaining Rachel McAdams and the creepy Cillian Murphy. True, it will find a happy home alongside the women-in-peril classics on Lifetime, but it's fast-paced (and short) enough to deserve a Sat. night viewing if you're in the mood for something fun. (**1/2 out of four)
• "Scream 3": Don't ask me why I watched this on TV the other day: my only answer will be that I saw the first two "Scream" movies years ago on TV and wanted to know how it would all end. Let me save you the trouble: lots of people die--most of them you can basically write off as dead as soon as they show up onscreen. What was originally a semi-clever concept (a horror movie mocking horror movies) just feels tired here. A couple of funny lines don't save it from becoming the very movie it is trying to mock. (*1/2 out of four)
• "The Lake House": This was another harmless way to spend a couple of hours. It was clean, the concept was semi-unique (if you've never seen "Frequency"), and the actors (Sandra Bullock and Keanu "Whoa" Reeves) were sufficient. (I have to say, though, that for a romance, it really didn't feel all that romantic.) Could have used a bit more levity, but overall was entertaining enough to be worth the rental. (**1/2)
• "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants": Light, breezy, and semi-soapy for the teeny-bopper audience, this movie was cute enough to not completely bore me. Some of the storylines weren't as good as others, but the chubby America Ferrera was fantastic in her pre-Ugly Betty role. Definitely a chick flick, but mostly worth the time if that's what your wife wants to watch (she picked this over "Sleepy Hollow"...). (**1/2)

Needless to say, I get to pick the next movie. I think it will be either "The Prestige" in the theater or "Constantine" on DVD--something that will get all that estrogen out of my system.