Kickass

So if you're like me, you occasionally need a break from your existence. And if you're like me, you don't drink. (not likely...but quick shout out to my girls in the hot chics who drink perrier club!) So if you're anything like me, you'd think sneaking off to go see a movie with friends on a Wednesday night would be just the thing.

But here's where the trouble starts.

beloved friend: we're going to see Kickass at the 3 dollar theatre.
me: Oh that looks good. But. I just read on flixter that it's pretty gratuitous in the violence department.
beloved friend: oh I haven't heard that.
my inner voice: don't do it, not worth it.
me: Cool - sure, sounds good.
inner voice: go see How to Train Your Dragon! Hubs would never watch it with you. You love animation. You can't WAIT to see Toystory 3. Why risk it?
me: what time does it play?

I hate violent movies. I violently hate violent movies. I can't watch the murderous mayhem, it churns my guts and makes me just shake. So thanks to my unfortunate ignoring of the very articulate and clear inner voice, tonight I landed myself at an incredibly violent movie.

And I'm still shaking.

There was a ton of redeeming stuff about it, in terms of production value, ideas, acting even. The parts I watched anyway, most was watched from behind my hands or with averted eyes. Perhaps it was a very good movie, but I  hated it with every cell in my overly sensitive body. Afterwards I went into the badly lit pink bathroom of the 2nd run theatre and had a good cry.

I cannot reconcile this experience sometimes, I don't know how to do this. How do you raise a kid in a world where we think it's funny or charming or fun to watch an 10 year old girl kickass with every weapon known to human kind? And I"m a fan of dark comedy, I get that, but I'm still just blown away (bazooka to the chest) that our society thinks it's neat to make a super action killer character out of a little girl. It's disgusting. And, y'all know me, I'm not one of those Mom's who wants to censor the world or what not - but SERIOUSLY - how is this okay?

One of the scenes played just like a video game, I lost track of the body count. To which I say, video games harumph. I don't play them. I don't want the boy to play them. Ever. Certainly not the gun-ee or goreee ones. How can I protect him from that? It's so ubiquitous. I'm so screwed here people. In fact today there was a war of sorts just beyond the sweetness of our font porch. Seven kids ranging in age from 4-9 were battling it out with orange and green machine guns. Foam pellets flying. The sweet 8 year old girl who comes by to walk brown dog was at the forefront with her big, creepy, cute colored gun. And what's even more upsetting? She looks like she knows how to carry the damn thing. As if I know what that looks like.

As we drove home I thought about his sweet blonde head asleep in the crib. The sound of the ocean plays in his room and tiny little butt is pushed up in the air under a crocheted blanket his grandmother made for him. In the morning we will pick him up and he will smile his blindingly sweet smile at us. His white soft arms will wrap around us, he may touch my cheek with an open palm as he's done lately. We'll read him books about a little red barn with all of the animals, nothing about the genetically modified crops in the fields or the terrible slaughtering practices in the other barn. Or the killing going on in theatre's nationwide. I don't know how to reconcile the worlds.

But on the porch I saw the battle going by while the little one joyfully yelped and barked the sounds of learning a language. At least I could just inhale his sweet baby skin and dream of the billions I could make if there was some way to bottle his smell.

(what I see when I am lying on the padded porch with the BHB - this is sorta cliche California, right?)

sweet faced dude 

Here are some sun-soaked porch pictures. Today was the first day I saw him successfully stack the legos himself. Clearly the kid is a genius.

And I prayed he didn't notice the guns, no doubt he'll ask me for one soon.

Yours in-between worlds,

Away We Go

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Up In The Air

George Clooney is so hot.

It's that damn George Clooney! He's so hot right now!


Sorry to mix my movies. Zoolander happens to be one of my all time favorite movies. If that fact means you don't care what I have to say about any other movie, so be it. Don't let the browser hit you on the ass on your way out.


YOU: Wow, really Jane? That was pretty rude. Do you actually feel that strongly about Zoo-freakin'-Lander?

ME: Yes, Yes I do. I love it. I mean comon'...the walk off? Pure genius.

YOU: Oh, okay. You know what? You're right.

ME: Ah good. Glad to see you've got great taste in movies. What a relief!

Ok, back to the action. Yes, hot. I just have to start there with GC's hotness. I mean, hellllo.  And while it should absolutely have no any bearing whatsoever on whether or not Up In the Air is a good movie, I'm sorry to say but it does.

It made it better. And it was already quite good.

Nominations for 2010 Oscars will be announced next Tuesday. I feel pretty darn confident that Up in the Air will be among the best picture contenders. Do I think it deserves to win that auspicious award? Short answer: Kinda.

Here's what worked for me. The filmgoing experience. I was quite satisfied. Ok, I granted I was a little frustrated with the ending, I'm not saying why yet (don't worry, I'll flag with spoiler alerts) but I get the strong feeling that we are supposed to be a little frustrated by the ending. And I laughed. I got a little weepy. I was swept away into the story and it's character's just like I'm supposta be.

Hot GC's character evolves. I like evolvement! In fact I think it's critical to a hero's journey and thusly the audience journey. Our hero should come out the other side a pretty different guy in a believable way. He did. I believed it.

And wow. I LOVED the casting a--key--ross the board. Down to the bit parts. This is often effed up by other filmmakers but Jason Reitman and his team just nailed this casting thing. I love lovey loved the love interest played by Vera Farmiga. What a power move, more or less an unknown ( I totally IMDB'd her on my iPhone on the way home from the theatre). And the other key role was played flawlessly by relative newcomer Anna Kendrick. Holy delightful! And the sisters. And. Really? Everyone! Like down to the gate agents kind of thing. I really appreciate this attention to detail, how often do you see a movie and things are humming along swimmingly when it suddenly gets knocked off track by a wooden lame actor with zero ability phoning it in and then Whoa! Weird! Bam! you're out of the story and have to find your way back with a gulp of DC and a few bites of popcorn. This friends, did not happen. Plus I don't drink DC, it makes me feel funny.

So here it comes...my issue with the movie.

**Spoiler Alert**

Ok, so. What's with the out o' the blue married status of our gal? I mean, I get that surprise's are good - ie: "ohhh, wow, didn't see that coming" But this was too far out. I don't think it's fair to take an audience to a wedding on a WEEKEND and give us tons of smilee -gorgeous- we're-a-couple-now-twirling around-the-dance-floor with a woman who is not wearing a ring and did I mention it was on the Weekend? And isn't it totally true that when you go to a wedding with someone you're taking the next step? Especially the wedding of a family member? On a Weekend?

Harumph.

**Okay, comon' back**

So I wanted to overlook this flaw, I really did. The only other issue I had is that it could be a bit stage-ee at times. Like the shot (don't worry, it's in the trailer) of the two of them opening their laptops at the same time. I mean, yea. No. That's heightened reality, which I am all for but all of the reality needs to match. But, well. Hold on, I think I'm being a bit curmudgeon-ly. The heightened stuff happens alot...and it's fun. See the thing is I didn't like Juno. (gasp! I know!) and that level of inauthenticity that happens in the cutesy moments (ah Jane, there you go again) is why I didn't like Juno and it was where I got lost momentarily in this movie too. His apartment? Just not believable. I get what you're trying to do, but it's frustrating.

I do love Jason Bateman as the boss. That dude is a fantastic freakin' actor who I think is sorta underrated. Not by me, by the world. Anyhoo. Ok so I know I'm all over the map but y'all know me well by now and wouldn't expect any less. Or more.

All of the acting goodness along with one of the better moments in recent cinema (the hotel lobby sobby scene) add up to something definitely worth seeing, as in I'd see it again.

So I give it an A--. Or B++. I can't commit to just one sign here. It's flawed it a pretty major way in my mind but totally, totally worth the ride. Especially to watch the uber hot George Clooney totally nail it. May he win many more awards and put on many more benefits and may he be in a movie that I direct someday so that I can admire him in person.

Jane out.



PS- This is an apt title for a post for me right now as so much of my own personal life feels very up in the air. I will dish more very soon. In fact...I'm thinking of asking folks who read my blog to help or actually make a major life decision for me and the hubs. I think it sounds kinda fun. I mean, it's better to blame the wiley internets if we find out later it was a total mistake, right? Stay tuned!

Julie & Julia

I know, I know...y'all voted for Up. But what is there to say other than that it's brilliant, hilarious and endearing and it will be one of the few movies that we'll all be able to stomach for the 100th time when our little tiny ones get to the point of shoveling DVD's back into the machine over and over again until one day it breaks because the younger one put cheetos in it and then we'll upgrade to the bitchin system whereby the kid will be choosing from our library of movies on a menu stored on some hard drive or some distant server on the interweb. Yep, that will be some fancy shizzle. Of course, to be clear, I will not let BHB watch TV until he's 8. Ahem.

So let's talk about Julie & Julia instead.

First of all, in one of the two stories featured in the movie you'll find another blogger success story. I mean, other than Dooce. All of us bloggly blogesses of the off-blue screen secretly (or not) imagine this to be our story. Start a blog. A reader stumbles by and due to the sheer brilliance of the writing, offers a book deal. We write a book. Due to the sheer genius of the book (or the catchy concept) we get a movie deal. Life is forever good as we rake in the residuals and book deals and speaking engagements. Our children are proud to call us Mommy and we can hire full time help.

Joy. Ease. Love-filled life and shiny teeth.

So there's that, so that part was definitely interesting to me. When the Julie character was all a twitter about the 20 comments on her blog and she got all to be the all-too-annoying-self-obsessed-no-sex having-blogger I turned to cute hubs and said nervously in a high-pitched voice, 'Oh haha she does not remind you of anyone, does she?' These striking similarities to persons fictional or otherwise is not why I didn't love the movie.

I found it to be many charming moments piled up with pretty people and some fun for sure, however, my takeaway was that it was plotless and flat. I give it a C+. If you loved it, I won't be hurt if you click away. Go ahead. Hit an ad on the way out, would you? Oh crap, I don't think I'm supposed to say those things. Well damn if Google sees this and takes away my adsense and the 6.42 I've earned so far so be it.

Let me back up, I loved Meryl Streep. I mean, comon'. She is so freakin' cute and just nails it. She literally channels these people, I mean the characters she plays whether they are real or otherwise. She is an American treasure and I l-l-l-l-love her. She deserved the Golden Globe and I loved her speech. So there. I also loved Stanly Tucci. He's another actor who deserves a hell of a lot more praise and great roles than he receives. And wait, I also really enjoyed Amy Adams and whoever that dude is who played her man. I found their love believable. So by now you're wondering - uh, you give it a C? I do. All of these likable people in great costumes tracking along with one historic cookbook does not a great movie make.

*Spoiler Alert!* (I promised I'd do this, here it is)

Even if these are real people - we need a plot! We need to be taken on a ride! There was some danger around Senator McCarthy and Julia's hubs getting into trouble but that fizzled off into whatever nothingness. There was some danger that Julia didn't (gasp) like what Julie was doing. And that's bad! I mean, really bad, right? Well it's shuffled off the screen in a big act 3 wrap up that I didn't find satisfying.

*Alert over* - (resume reading if you care to)

Then there is the problem of the music. Movie music is such tricky business, it my mind it's pretty rarely done perfectly. The music in this movie is all Cute and Spunky and like Pointing to the screen with a big 'Something interesting is coming!' and 'Don't you like the shiny lighting?' kinda deal. That may be a bit harsh but I will say when the credits were rolling I didn't want to hang out to hear more. I ran away.

Now let's address one more thing, if you haven't thought of it already. This is a big year and awards season for women directors. Which I think is freakin' fantastic. So I feel a bit out of line or out of synch by doggin' on our girl Nora Ephron. Historically speaking I personally loved Sleepless in Seattle and hated, really hated You've Got Mail. So you know, sometimes she hits, sometimes not so much, like ANY filmmaker. Sometimes I just think I should have some solidarity or something like that with the womens directors (s on the end of women intentional) but end of day I'm just interested in honesty and truthful moments. Oh and as you've already noticed, a plot.

It's too bad I don't have the strength or courage to see The Hurt Locker, which I hear is amazing. It's just that I literally cannot watch war movies or overly suspenseful films without throwing up. Yep, I truly am a sensitive lil thing. Director Katheryn Bigelow is apparently a total rock star in this thriller/psycho fear genre and I guess I'll never see her work. But you know, let's give a big what-what to the awesomely successful action-flick chick-director.

Okay then, there you go.

UP - A
Julie & Julia - C+

Sleepless in LA,



PS - Uhm - btw - should I keep doing this movie thing? So far, so fun, but you know...I don't know. Let me know.

PPS - I also want to give a bit shout out of thanks for your birthday comments and lovin'. I truly and totally appreciated your words. And to quickly summarize - the day it was a mix of crappy and sweet. Birthday's really can be stoopid. It's all about expectation management I suppose. I'm sure 40 will be no problem there. Ahem.

The Constant Gardener

Day late on the Movie Monday again 'cause I needed help writing this. I mean, until this minute I was calling the movie The Constant Gardner - which cute hubs pointed out might be fine if Jennifer Gardner (or to be accurate, Garner) was in it. But no, it's Gardener. Got it hubs, I put the vowel in. So since he's so damn smart, he can help me write this. I'll start.

Me: Let's start with the title, no matter how you spell it, I'm still trying to decide if it's a good title or not. I took a great screenwriting class from the dude who wrote Save the Cat and his claim is that a movie title should 'say what it is!' Ah yes, just found a little article of him talking about it here.

So while our protagonist does quite a bit of gardening in the movie, and you know, it's pretty, I never found a real compelling reason for this phrase to be on the marquee. I kept waiting for that 'gardener of souls' business or somekind of deeper metaphorical-ee type entrance into why this is the title. And shoot, Rebecca voted for this movie 'cause she thought she'd hear some valuable tips about some veggies and dirt. See what I mean? Not so much. It's more of a espionage, love triangle, thriller type dealee with some killer-diller filmmaking. But maybe the hubs saw the deeper meaning for the title.

Hubs: Thought about fibbing here, but no - I didn't see the title as a strong point either. Sure, I got the broader reference and all. But when referring to the movie, I've needed a couple of seconds for it to pop into my old mind. I neglected to ask my mom about it - she is a true constant gardener and likes Ralph Feinnes. She would've expected a HGTV epic.

But then, this isn't a Hollywood movie and came from a English novel - an artsy martini with a fartsy garnish. My suspicion is that John le Carre (the author) might've used Save the Cat to swat a roach, but likely hasn't cracked the cover in the other sense.  Want a Hollywood, Save the Cat title? Howzabout 'Take My Wife, Alive, Please'. But with the title and the trailer and Ralph as the lead and a foreign settng, I was in deep, dark, sweaty fear of being tortured by another The English Patient (or The English Not So Patient), another movie to make Catholic Mass look like Cirque du Soliel. I knew if I saw anything like another panning shot of a damned plane soaring over desert to orchestral masturbation, I’d go Elvis on our television.

Me: I liked English Patient fine. I can see why it struck a fear chord in the hubs though, here's a poster comparison:

Btw, I didn't know Elvis shot his TV, did you? Huh. That's fun. So while I did not share the EP fear that he did, I will say I have my own espionage-shoot-em-up-in-another-land movie fear. Well, to be honest I don't like guns. I know, you're thinking - boy your Hollywood career is going to be short. Yea, I know. I really love it when filmmakers can make a movie that keeps the stakes high without the lethal piece of metal. It's just such a shortcut, you know? Anyhoo. What's interesting about this movie is that despite the aforementioned potential pitfalls for me, I thought it was an excellent piece of filmmaking. Oh sure the academy did too since it was up for four oscars and some golden globes n' shizzle so I'm not exactly providing a uniqe POV there. What was cool is that I turned it off at one point and thought, "oh it's that type of movie..." but when I was compelled to finish watching once tiny boy was in bed, I was really impressed by the way it developed in really surprising ways and my once opinions about the characters was 180'd.

By the way, I'm being super vague so that if you decide based on our vaguities that you want to netflix it, you won't be robbed of the goodies. If I ever bust into a spoiler alert, I'll be sure to say so. So yea. I really liked it. It's the type of movie that haunts and wanders through random thought moments and daydreams. It was beautifully shot. So, two rattles up from me.

Hubs: Ditto on the rattles. And nice investigative work on those posters, baby!

I've come to really appreciate films like this. The movie - in script, direction, and editing - is an elegant mess that capitalizes on our minds' ability to cobble together disparate images and details to form a story. I love this style, dammit. It mimics the movies we see in our heads. And as Jane hinted, it felt like a sometimes dream/sometimes nightmare. There's a precision to it (that I wish I fully understood) that fuels the chaotic essence at the heart of the story. The world is disquietingly random, even on a good day. Relationships - and our imaginations within them - are not under our control, no matter how passionate or defined they seem. And Africa has become a dusty and brutal political clusterboink - though mostly degrades to a simple and horrible anarchy - that the rest of the world could conceivably be sucked into.

The added beauty is that I'm not sure it would be considered a political story. And that's brilliant. No preaching. The basic story is the struggle of a complex love, and the political turbulence is the vivid backdrop. Yet it's more powerful because of it's gravitational dance with the characters from a slight distance. It's a beautiful thing to observe. And I'm picky - a preachy movie with an upfront agenda is as interesting to me as Ann Coulter bitching about the price of cocaine.

The movie is haunting after the credits. But as a new dad, a film like this haunts me again because of nurturing a 9-month-old boy into this wondrous and fucked world. Love and hate. I love brave movies like this with their necessary realism. And I hate stories depicting the world as a place where people (not shown in the film, thank god) will hang a man upside down from a tree, skin him alive, then stuff his own genitalia into his mouth during his last breaths. Christ, that was hard to write. And it was hard to hear in the story. And I wish I could believe that it never happens, or even that it's just distant, heinous evil that can't touch us. What can I say? How can both this story and the BHB's sweet face both exist, here and now. And how will I explain those shitty things? Will I be able to prepare my guy to find some comfort amidst these conditions? Will he he understand that this place is perfect, even though there is no such thing as our concept of perfection? Years and years to go. Then tomorrow is today, and the answers won't be easier. Nevertheless, in the end, he'll have to find him for himself. I wonder if, and pray that I can lose fear to provide an example.

Me: Aw. Good. Now you can see why I love him so, what an awesome brain.

Putting the poll up for next week now. Vote on over there to your left, as you can see I (ok, we) are having fun with this.

Happy Monday (ahem) to you!

P.S. - If you are a link follower at all, you'll notice I'm amazonin' it alot. I've decided to become an 'associate'. Full disclosure seems like a good thing.

Food Inc

thanks to those who voted in the schmancy movie poll over there to the left. Cause let's be clear any viewer participation at all (be it comment, follow or vote) in this blog makes me feel UBER special. So here goes.

Time for another edition of: Monday Movies: Masterpiece or Meh? (or something in-between)

Watch this movie.
Don't wait.


I"m so tempted to end here. Bwha hahaha! It is tempting.

But I won't. So let me 'splain.

You know how we just go along eating the food, you know the food that we get at the Crazy Chicken (El Pollo Loco) or MickeyD's (um, I don't go there dammit) or that nice restaurant where we're spending 20 bucks a plate. We think 'Gosh, I'm sure it's safe. I'm sure the animals that we're eating were treated with... okay they were killed but at least fed and had a little bit of animal joy, some lil piece of what I would consider to be humane treatment. I don't really know where this food came from but since that chef is so swell and the food tastes SO Good, you know, it's gotta be good.

And scene. End of thought process.

Food Inc asks you to actually think about your food, about the places it's been, who is getting paid along the way and what is at risk. It's one of those 'eye opening' documentaries. I've been known to avoid these films, I'll think. 'Gawd, I can't see another movie about government corruption (duh, we know!) or how evil we are to civilians in Iraq, or entire villages of people that are starving, I'll really start crying and never stop.' Because I know it, I know it and it's upsetting and I feel powerless and there is rarely anything if much I can do. But I do watch them, occasionally. And get upset.

I was feeling pretty bold when I sidled up to Food Inc. But I was pleasantly surprised. While I did get a little smack down of reality that was tough to swallow (get it?) , I also got a nice little edu-macation and importantly I liked the filmmaking alot. No small thing for me, if you're going to scare me or inform me or inspire me, thanks so much for taking the time to make killer graphics or really interesting visuals that wouldn't be caught dead in a Ken Burns film.

If you've read The Omnivore's Dilemma, you know the dealio. The movie is based on this book by Micheal Pollan and he tells the story of how the majority of our food is 'industrialized' down to the control of seeds and comes from 3 or 4 corporation who are trying to squash (trying? well, often succeeding) the little farmers. Most farmers are working for these corporations and let's just say it's not a good scenario.

So while I have a lot more to learn and a whole heck of a lot to think about, I am very glad I watched this film. The images of the industrialized chicken houses and slaughter houses and the facts about how 90% of what we eat has CORN in it (as in derived from, or fed, or syruped or whatevs) shook me to my core. I cannot continue to eat what I was eating and pretend I don't know what is going on.

And of course I was looking at the film with one hand over my eyes, but the other one waving with a little Amen brother! Tell it! This shizzle has got to change. It's funny how the little one who is still eating what I'm eating (and now a whole lotta baby mush that I make at a furious pace to keep up with his little growing belly) is making me care, really care about these issues. And of course not just what he is eating now, but more than that, what planet and food system will he inherit.

But what's awesome about Food Inc is that I felt immediately empowered with the information I need to make a few changes that I DO believe will make a difference. At first I decided to become a Vegetarian. And then I decided that I would like to support farmers who treat the animals well and let's get honest I really like chicken, but it does mean I just can't eat the random 'don't know the backstory chicken' anymore. So I become an Integritarian. And OH yes I did just make that up, and OH yes I feel prettttty proud of it.  As in, I eat with integrity.

What's tricky about that is all of the food labels that can kick your ass in a fit of semantic confusion. Does organic mean free range? Nope, not necessarily. Does free-range mean they get to wander the forest? Nope, rarely at best. So I'm still digging through all of this as well as bugging the butcher at Whole Foods about his Organic chickens from Mary's. So far his answers were pretty darn good, but I'm thinking I'd like to go to her farm and see for myself so that I can be sure to feel good about eating what she produces. In fact the film features a farmer named Joel Salatin who literally has happy pigs rolling around behind him in the interview and they are literally - as happy as pigs in shit. I thought...I could eat the animals who lived that sweet life. And apparently this guy sells to Chipotle Mexican Grill, and they are one of his biggest customers. Pretty darn cool. Chipotle claims that their chicken and pork is completely 'natural' as in, not from industrialized farms. And their beef is 50% there. Ok, a place I can go out and eat chicken if I'd like to...they make being an Integritarian easier. Godblessem.

I do feel like I can be a part of a massive necessary change by voting for a different world with my  dollar. By refusing to support those thoughtless, heartless and dangerous industrialized foods at every turn possible. And so, I buy the organics. I go to the farmer's market. I am done with the meats unless I know what farm and how and why and I must say I'm pretty afraid of the fishes. The food choices are slimming (as in what's avail) of course it wouldn't break my heart if that was the result on my butt too. When I went all evangelical about this on Facebook a few weeks ago a friend of mine told me she pulled corn and evil meats and the rest out of her diet when this movie came out last summer and has since lost a ton of weight. I just saw her the other day and I'm here to tell you, watching this movie just might make you hot. She looks GOOD.

Next on my netflix in the 'I'm feeling brave' category.
King Corn.

Alrightee then. We'll see if I get to enjoy any movies between now and then, I'll try to give you some more swell choices for next week. Thanks again for playing.

Rock on super chics!

Avatar

Okay! So here @ LCD I've decided to start a new thang. It's called Monday Movie Musings. 
Magic
Masterpieces
Wait! Back-off strikethrough, jesus!  I like that last one.

Monday Movie Masterpieces.

What do y'all think? Here's my thought. Let's talk movies on Mondays. It's as if I have a life and go out to movies on weekends and since I am a big-shot film school graduate (oh yea!)  I'll use big film geek words and talk about why I think films are in fact achieve Masterpiece status or live in total crapland. Or something inbetween. I know what you're thinking - whatever Jane! We can just go to Metacritic or Rotten Tomatoes and hear from a REAL film critic. But, but I say to you. Where else can you hear from the POV of a new-ish Momma, a sensitive little soul who cries in every movie, a filmmaker about to break through and a total smart ass? Here, that's where. Game on y'all!

(deep breath)

I saw Avatar today and HOLY CRAP IS IT GOOD!

But let me back up and say this.
I seriously didn't want to go. I am not a fan of guys who are mean to their actors. In a recent NPR interview he said that meanie stuff was just legend. But Kate Winslet got into trouble for saying she would never work with him again. Oh, hold on, maybe she was misquoted. She said she'd never work with water again. Ok. Well, you decide what you think based on this evidence. I was upset because I have a friend who was an extra on the set of Titanic down in Mexico and she said he terribly mis-treated not only crew and extras (often treated like kee-rap) but even his stars. He tried to drown them. Or well, no. He didn't try. He just almost did inadvertently and then said 'let's go again'. Insensitive. Driven. Jerky.

but.

A fargin' genius.

My estimation of Avatar? Yep, a masterpiece. I was truly blown away by this movie. And yes I cried my head off. For anyone who's seen it, um hello, the tree scene? Were you bawling like a baby, or was it just me? OMFG. I gasped at the beauty. GASPed, not once but many, many times. The world he and his team created can only be described using E words. Extraordinary, exquisite, elaborate, enduring and well extra-terrestrial yes with such a loving wink back at earth and also the rave scene.  One of my favorite scenes of all times that induced the ol tear roll down cheek was in Wall-E. You know - when the use the fire extinguishers to propel themselves through space? There was a scene in this movie that rivals and possibly surpasses that scene. Oh no, I'm not kidding. I do not say this lightly people, I heart Pixar so deeply. But. This. is. Stuuuning. On the aforementioned review sites I saw that one of the reviewers called it the new Star Wars. I totally agree. In fact, that was one of my thoughts as I stumbled blinking back into the light today with my mom. I can't wait for 2010 or so when I can show this to BHB.

Only drag is, if you've ever read that lil 'Story By' over there to the left you know that I dreamt of making the next Star Wars. Dammit! That's done. I guess I'll be happy to make the next Garden State. I'm not enough of a sci-fi geek to have been that guy anyway, but I am a Joseph Campbell fan so expect a hero's journey with all the trappin's.

Ok, I forgot to use big words. This is my freshman effort,  I'll bring those and some more complex sentences next Monday. Having seen Avatar 3d today I'm still in this amazing space of sitting in it and near it and just wanting to breathe in the goodness of their planet. (with one of those breath-ee things on my head of course) Oh and I will say this. If When Mr Cameron wins a bajillion Oscars for this and goes up there for the fourth time (Editor, Writer, Director, Producer) to take home Best Picture, if he even THINKS about pulling a "I'm the King of Pandora!" I will personally kick his ass.

So, did you guys like it?