the oracle

entertainment

September 3, 2008

seems destiny ends with me saving you

As of yesterday, the Dr. Horrible soundtrack is available on iTunes. I like the "Horrible Theme," "My Freeze Ray," "A Man's Gotta Do," "Brand New Day," and "So They Say," but I think my favorite is "My Eyes."

Posted by oracle at 7:19 AM | Comments (0)

August 29, 2008

the world's filled with filth and lies

I can't believe I haven't written about Dr. Horrible before now! Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is the result of Joss Whedon, his two brothers Zack and Jed, and Maurissa Tancharden all getting together during the writer's strike and putting together three acts of an online musical tv show. Neil Patrick Harris won my heart as Dr. Horrible, and Nathan Fillion does a great job playing Captain Hammer (corporate tool). If you haven't seen it yet, take a few minutes and watch. I don't think you'll be sorry.

Posted by oracle at 9:53 AM | Comments (0)

August 1, 2008

don't go away mad

So, I'm kind of in love with Mötley Crüe. As I've mentioned before, I've got a huge crush on Nikki Sixx, I'm developing a similar (if somewhat lesser) crush on Vince Neil after seeing them play live, and I've listened to at least one Mötley Crüe song every day since Crüe Fest. I can always find one of their songs that I'm in the mood to hear. My favorites include the following (somewhat lengthy) list:
"Kickstart My Heart"
"Shout At The Devil"
"Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)"
"Hell In High Heels"
"Too Young To Fall In Love"
"New Tattoo"
"You're All Need"
"Smokin' In The Boys Room"
"Looks That Kill"
"Saints Of Los Angeles"
"Motherfucker Of The Year"
"Toast Of The Town"

Hearing any song from that list evokes the same response from me that most AC/DC songs do - namely, excited squeaking and clapping of hands as I reach to turn up the volume. When Mike asks what I want to listen to in the truck, the answer is almost always the same: Mötley Crüe! I can't wait till their next concert in our area (hopefully it is on a non-kid weekend. I'd love to actually meet Nikki Sixx this time.

Posted by oracle at 9:09 AM | Comments (0)

July 25, 2008

Webkinz

Our youngest is a huge fan of Webkinz. Every time we get the kids, she asks to go on the computer so she can sign into Webkinz, and if she can, she'll spend hours online taking care of her pets. About a month ago I decided I wanted to see what the whole Webkinz thing was about, so she and I went to the nearest Hallmark to see which Webkinz animal I wanted to get as my pet. Since there isn't a Webkinz dachshund yet, I decided on the white Samoyed. As soon as we got home, we started setting up my account. When you first adopt a Webkinz pet, you get a room for them, a certain amount of Kinzcash (your currency to spend on the site), and a couple of introduction items for your pet, including an exclusive item for their house (mine was an arctic slide) and a special treat just for that particular pet type. (My pet is named Scruffy. He's a nerf herder.)

I initially dismissed Webkinz as something just for kids, a simple site with adoptable animals to keep kids occupied, but the people who came up with the idea put a lot more thought and detail into than I realized.

If you buy a stove, blender, and/or sandwich-maker for your pet, you can prepare food for them. I've actually put together a recipe book of the foods I like making for my pet (lasagna! bean burritos! berry tarts! cinnamon buns!). Really, it's much more entertaining than you might think. And if you put together the wrong ingredients you can end up with a blech sandwich or gak, neither of which is appetising to a pet.

If you buy an outdoor room and seeds, you can plant a garden, which you then can take care of by watering daily, raking as needed, etc. Once you harvest the produce you can either feed it to your pet (who finds it tastier and more healthy for them than the produce you can buy in the W shop), or you can sell it to the W shop to earn more Kinzcash. You can grow corn, pumpkins, cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, watermelon, and strawberries. I have crops of each of those growing right now, and it is surprisingly satisfying to harvest a little pixelated pumpkin every few days.

You can buy more rooms of varying sizes (5 x 5, 7 x 7, and 10 x 10) or an outdoor room (10 x 10 only) and then you can buy things to decorate the room with. There are various room themes to choose from - rock star, arctic, modern apartment, beach, and many others - or if you decorate the room your own way, there are several different floor covering (various types of tiles, carpets, and wood patterns) and wall treatment (wallpapers and paints) options available.

You can earn Kinzcash by playing various arcade games (solitaire, a skunk-themed version of minesweeper, and many more) or by working. There is a Webkinz employment center, and every 8 hours you can go there and choose a job. Some have various requirements, while others are ones you can do right away. Personally I can't stand having to wait 8 hours, but it's not like I have a lot of say in the matter.

If you've purchased a bathtub you can give your pet baths (there's even a rubber ducky that you can put in the tub for them to play with). If you have a sink you can wash your pet's face and paws, groom them, and brush their teeth. If you have a bed, you can put your pet to bed before you log out. In fact, you are strongly encouraged to do this, that way your pet gets an adequate amount of sleep and doesn't get sick.

Seriously, I love this concept. It's simple enough for younger kids to enjoy, but with enough detail that adults who don't mind playing a kids' game can still have fun with it too. I don't think I want more than one Webkinz pet, though. That just seems like too much for me to keep up with. Unless they put out a Webkinz doxie, in which case all bets are off.

Posted by oracle at 7:22 AM | Comments (0)

July 24, 2008

Crüe Fest

I was looking forward to Crüe Fest since I bought the tickets back in April, and I was not disappointed. It was a BLAST.

My friend Jenny had tickets to Crüe Fest too, so we met up with her and her boyfriend, Ray, beforehand and rode to the show together. They had VIP tickets which gave them access to a VIP area with a bar (and nicer bathrooms!), so we were planning on catching up with them in between sets in one of the common areas, but one of the ladies at the main gate walked us all over to the VIP entrance and asked the people there to give Mike and me VIP wristbands too. We thanked her profusely and rejoiced over the unexpected access to the nicer bathrooms (okay, that may have just been me). We waited in line for a bit to get some concert shirts, then split up to go to our respective seats. Mike and I were happy to see that ours were in the center part of the venue, giving us a great view of the stage.

The first band, Trapt, started playing shortly after we sat down. I enjoyed their show, although the lead singer seemed a little uncomfortable - possibly because half the seats were empty at that point. The next band to go on was Sixx AM, one of Nikki Sixx's side projects. I was so excited to finally see Nikki Sixx live I actually had goosebumps. He kept a pretty low-profile on stage, letting the other guys have more time in the spotlight, so to speak, and I have to tell you, the singer, James Michael, fills out a wife-beater pretty nicely. I was sorry when their set ended for more reasons than one.

Next up was Papa Roach. I'm not much of a fan of theirs, so I took that opportunity to run to the bathroom. Apparently it had started pouring while Trapt was playing so I got drenched on my way too and from the VIP bathrooms, which, by the way, had no line whatsoever, nor were they the icky germ-fest I usually associate with concert-venue bathrooms. I stopped to talk to Jenny and Ray for a few minutes until the downpour got the best of us and we migrated back to our seats again. Mike proclaimed me a drowned rat when I got back, and after wringing the water out of my hair, I bundled up in three of the shirts we'd picked up before sitting down and settled back to wait out the rest of Papa Roach's set. Soon after that I noticed a commotion off to our left, but I couldn't figure out what was going on until Mike pointed out the lead singer making his way down the aisle near us. That was cool enough, but then he topped it by walking on top of the backs of the seats right in front of us. Seriously, he was mere inches away from my face. He walked over to the soundboard area right next to us and finished the song from there, then made his way back to the stage. As I said, I'm not big on their music, but I was pretty impressed with that. What a way to get the crowd pumped up! They played one more song, then cleared off the stage to make way for Buckcherry.

Buckcherry put on a fantastic show. They had great stage presence, and their energy was contagious. It was impossible not to get into the music, and when they started playing "Crazy Bitch" the crowd got into it even more. Josh Todd's lead-in to the song was hilarious, especially when he called out all the chicks who like to think they're "crazy bitches" but really aren't. Energy-wise and musically, they set the stage perfectly for Mötley Crüe.

While the stage was being prepped for Mötley Crüe's show, we met up with Jenny and Ray again and used that time to get some food while we waited. After some fries, cheese pizza, beer (for Mike), and the flattest cup of Dr. Pepper in the universe (seriously, that stuff had no traces of carbonation in it whatsoever. Even Mike said it was horrible, and he's much less picky about flat soda than I am), we went back to our seats and waited for Mötley Crüe to take the stage.

I was looking forward to seeing them play live, but their show went way beyond what I was hoping it would be. They opened with "Kickstart My Heart" and went uphill from there. The singers from all the previous bands joined them onstage for "Saints Of Los Angeles," the crowd response to "Shout At The Devil" was amazing, and I had a blast watching both Nikki Sixx and Vince Neil on stage. Their stage presence is awesome to see live. Several times Nikki took a drink of water, spit some on the audience, then tossed his water bottle into the crowd, and I'll admit, I was a little jealous of the people in the mosh pit for being that close to him. I'm too old to appreciate a damn mosh pit though, no matter how much water I'd have spit on me by Nikki Sixx. I was meh about Vince before this, but seeing him live totally changed my feelings. While I don't have quite the crush on him as I do on Nikki, Vince's stage presence certainly bumped him up to crush status in my book. Watching Mick Mars play was very moving given his medical condition, and I was even more impressed when he bowed to the audience. Poor guy. I'm so glad we got to see him play. As for Tommy Lee, well, I still don't care much for him.

We had to wait a little bit for the gates out to the parking lot to be opened up, but Jenny had a VIP parking pass too, so once we got to her car it didn't take us long to get out of the parking lot and on the road home. It seemed like we were back at her place in no time, and, in spite of the rain, Mike and I got home before 1am.

Mötley Crüe was the highlight of the concert for me, of course, but I really liked seeing Buckcherry and Sixx AM play too. I've got my fingers crossed that there's another Crüe Fest next year, 'cause I'd love to see them again.

Posted by oracle at 7:35 AM | Comments (0)

July 2, 2008

puppies and lip gloss and concerts, oh my!

I took the puppies to the vet for their annual check-up on Monday. All the tests came back negative, and Max has lost three pounds! I knew she'd lost weight because she's visibly slimmer (she has a trim little waist again!), but it's nice to know exactly how much weight she's lost. She weighs 11.10 pounds now, Jordan weighs 10.8, and Maddy weighs 9.15, all well in the range of where they should be. The vet said they all looked fantastic and that I was doing a great job of monitoring their body weight, and I preened like a proud dog mama, of course.

I'm in love with Smashbox's O-Gloss. I picked it up after Gemma recommended it, and it is fantastic. It turns a lovely shade of pink on me without looking garish. I've only had since Sunday, but it's already one of my makeup must-haves. Which brings me to my next point.

I am also in love with Philosophy's Amazing Grace. We smelled it on a waitress at Outback a couple of months ago, and it smelled so fantastic that I ordered some from Sephora as soon as we got home. Thankfully, it smells yummy on me too, and since then, it's the only scent I've been wearing. <3 (Interesting note: I like the perfume and the shower gel, but the lotion stinks.)

I have less than a month left of summer school. I cannot put into words how happy I will be to have a break from homework, even if it's less than a month.

We're going to see Mötley Crüe next weekend! SO EXCITED. Jenny won tickets to show, so we're going to be meeting up with them at some point during the evening. If I somehow manage to get Nikki Sixx to autograph me, we're going straight to get that tattooed over before it washes (or sweats :eep:) off. Seriously.

Lately I've been making salami sandwiches with colby jack cheese and mayo on honey wheat bread. It'll take quite a while before I get tired of them, especially with a small serving of Pringles on the side. My arteries are going on strike as we speak.

Posted by oracle at 3:03 PM | Comments (0)

July 1, 2008

Indiana Jones and the Kindom of the Crystal Skull

Mike and I saw Indiana Jones and the Kindom of the Crystal Skull right after we watched The Incredible Hulk. I'm a total Indy fangirl, so I loved it, of course.

*** SPOILERS ***

My main concern before seeing the movie was how Harrison's Ford/Indiana Jones' age was going to be handled. I was afraid it was going to feel like an old, decrepit actor trying to relive his glory years. Thankfully, the movie didn't have that feeling at all. The movie addresses the fact that Indy's older and there are references and jokes to it here and there throughout the whole film - not so many that it gets annoying, though. In fact, the only age-related complaint I have is about the grandpa pants they put Indy in at the beginning of the movie. Who the hell decided that Indiana Jones should be wearing PLEATED PANTS? Hate.

My other major concern was Shia LaBeouf's character, Mutt. I took a disliking to him from the little bit I saw in the previews, but that changed when I actually saw the movie. He played his character very well, and I'm okay with the idea of him continue on the Indiana Jones name, although I would prefer another transition movie with Harrison Ford before Indy retires. I may be looking into it too much, but I'm choosing to interpret the scene at the end when Indy takes his hat out of Mutt's hands after he picked it up off the floor at the wedding as an indicator that Indy's not quite ready to hang it up yet. Whether that's my overactive imagination or the real intention behind the scene, I thought it was a nice touch.

Initially I was very displeased that Marion was going to be included in the movie. I didn't think much of her character in Raiders, and I was anticipating more of the same. I have to admit, though, she was much better than I thought she was going to be. The way they worked her back in fit with the plot, and I was amused by the way she and Indy bickered back and forth, especially when even the Russian told them to shut up.

The movie was very much along the same lines as the other three with the expected whip action and narrow escapes, and I can't imagine that anyone was surprised by Marion's revelation that Mutt was Indy's son. (Side note: one of my favorite parts of the movie is Indy's rapid change of position on Mutt finishing school after he found out he was his father.) I liked the little references back to the previous movies (ex: showing the Ark in the warehouse scene), and I thought it was cute that the mountain in the typical opening shot turned out to be a prarie dog hill. As far as the MacGuffin went, I'm very interested in the Cities of Gold and Central/South American Indians, so the crystal skull premise drew me in, but then, as I mentioned earlier, I'm a hardcore Indy fangirl, so it's not like I watch these movies to pick them apart. As Mike put it, "If you like the others then you will like this movie. You analyze it any more than that then you shouldn't be watching the Indiana Jones movies to begin with."

Posted by oracle at 10:36 AM | Comments (1)

The Incredible Hulk

Mike and I went to see this a couple of weekends ago, hoping that it would live up to the standard set by Iron Man. We weren't disappointed.

***SPOILERS***

Edward Norton was a wonderful choice as Bruce Banner. He was very engaging, drawing me even though I had minimal knowledge of the Hulk going into the movie. I was emotionally invested in him by the time he went back to try to find the data from the experiment on him, and I may or may not have burst into tears when he was hiding from Liv Tyler outside the restaurant.

Liv Tyler was the only negative thing about the movie for me. I think her talent is over-played, and there were only a few times during the movie that I stopped thinking about her as Liv Tyler and thought of her as her character, Betty Ross (Side note: nine times out of ten when I'm talking about Betty Ross, I misspeak and call her Betsy Ross. Damn history classes.), the most notable of which was when she was yelling at the cab driver.

The rest of the cast was well chosen. William Hurt and Eli Roth were both excellent in their roles, and, even though we didn't see much of him, I liked the way Betty's boyfriend played his character too.

The effects were just as good as the casting. Most of the time we didn't get to see Bruce's transformation into the Hulk, but in one scene we get to see it step-by-step, and they did a fantastic job with that.

The movie didn't spend a lot of time on backstory. Instead, they addressed the origins of the Hulk at the beginning of the movie in a montage as the credits played. It was a nice change to not have the first third of the movie dedicated to establishing the character, to be able to get a quick look at it and then jump straight into the movie.

Probably my favorite parts of the movie were the little touches that connected it to Iron Man and the groundwork that's being established for an upcoming Avengers movie - the Stark Industries logo on boxes and weapons throughout the movie, seeing a document with Nick Fury's name and invoices from Stark Industries during the montage at the beginning, and, of course, the Tony Stark cameo at the end of the movie.

Aside from Liv Tyler, the only other thing I didn't like about the movie was the way Bruce's dog was treated in the beginning. If puppies aren't going to meet with a happy end, let's just leave them out of the movie, please.

Posted by oracle at 7:29 AM | Comments (0)

June 5, 2008

Lego Indiana Jones

As planned, I picked up Lego Indiana Jones on Tuesday, and, holy shit, I love this game so much. It's just as much fun as Lego Star Wars, with the added bonus of Indiana Jones. <3

Posted by oracle at 8:23 AM | Comments (0)

May 28, 2008

now with more surgery!

In one week I'm having laproscopic exploratory surgery to check for endometriosis, adhesions, scarring, etc. It's an outpatient procedure, but I'm more than a little nervous because I'm not sure what to expect for the recovery. The doctor said one to two weeks is what it usually takes people; I'm hoping I'm on the shorter end of that spectrum. My only previous surgery experiences involve wisdom teeth and the removal of two cysts, so it's hard for me to have a feel for how quickly I'll be able to start doing normal stuff (work, picking up kids, taking Mike to and from his vanpool, etc.). I'm sure I'm just over-thinking this, as I tend to do with new procedures, and aferwards I'll look back and think how silly I was to put this much thought into it. For now, though, I'm making a list (OF COURSE) of everything I want to have done by this time next week to make things easier for me as I'm recuperating:
pick up my Lego Indiana Jones game to help keep me entertained once I'm home from the surgery,
pre-make a couple of meals to keep in the freezer JUST IN CASE,
pick up more dog food and treats so I don't have to worry about lugging around a heavy bag while they've just stitched my belly button back together,
wash every piece of dirty laundry in the house so I won't have to worry about it for a few days at least,
repeat that process for the dishes,
vacuum to keep the dust and puppy hairs from mobilizing and taking control of the house while I'm bed-ridden,
lay in a hefty supply of reading material and bottled water upstairs so I won't have to get out of bed for anything except bathroom breaks, and
make sure every area of the house that might possibly be seen by people who are not me or Mike is tidied up because GOD FORBID MY MOM OR SISTER SEE MY HOUSE A MESS.

Posted by oracle at 6:49 AM | Comments (2)

May 27, 2008

Iron Man

We've been to see Iron Man twice now - once as soon as it came out, and then again the following weekend with the kids - and I'd be okay with going to see it every week until it's no longer in theaters. I guess that might be a bit excessive, though. The score is wonderful (I ordered the soundtrack as soon as we got home from seeing it the first time, and that's practically all I've listened to for the past few weeks), the story is excellent, the casting is fantastic, visually it's fantastic - really, I don't think there's anything about this movie I don't like. Gwyneth Paltrow is perfect as Pepper Potts, Terrence Howard is perfect as Rhodey, and Robert Downey, Jr., is so awesome I can't put into words how much I love him as Tony Stark. I'm still trying to convince Mike that we need to change our last name to Stark. He's not buying it so far, but I haven't given up yet. One thing we do agree on, however, is that this movie has set the standard for us when it comes to superhero/comic book movie adaptations.

Posted by oracle at 6:51 AM | Comments (0)

May 11, 2008

Dr. Jones says "Happy Mother's Day!"

For Mother's Day this year Mike and the kids pre-ordered the Lego Indiana Jones DS game for me. I love Indiana Jones as it is, but given how much fun I'm having with my Lego Star Wars game, you can bet your ass I'll be at Game Stop on June 3rd with my nose pressed to the glass, waiting to get my game.

Posted by oracle at 7:39 AM | Comments (0)

May 8, 2008

Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga

I love this game so much. Mike bought it for me the day before my colonoscopy, and I thought it would be a fun way to pass time when I picked it up, but I didn't realize it would take over my life.

The story mode is fun (except for the flying missions - I don't steer my little Lego crafts well!), and I really love being able to go back through the levels on free play. It's not possible to unlock everything in a level in story mode, which I think is neat. I like having areas that I can go back with different characters (a bounty hunter, storm trooper, Sith, etc.) to unlock. I'm stuck in one spot on the last level (a flying level, OF COURSE), but I'm determined to get past that without having to ask Mike or the boys for help. This will be a game I beat by myself, dammit.

Posted by oracle at 8:24 PM | Comments (0)

April 16, 2008

What would Mötley Crüe do?

I just bought our tickets to see Mötley Crüe at Crüe Fest this summer, and I'm beyond excited about the show. Eep! Neither of us have seen them play before (which, given the amount of concerts Mike has been to, is something that doesn't happen often), and since Mike's the one who introduced me to them, I love that we're going to see them for the first time together.

Posted by oracle at 7:14 AM | Comments (0)

April 3, 2008

From the Screen to Your Stereo, Vol. 2

New Found Glory covering "Hungry Eyes" and "The King of Wishful Thinking"? I'm in love. In fact, I'm kinda crushing on the whole album, especially the afore-mentioned songs and "Iris," "Crazy For You," "Stay (I Missed You)," and "The Promise." I predict that my co-workers are going to be hearing this album on repeat tomorrow.

Posted by oracle at 8:23 PM | Comments (2)

Zodiac

We watched this a couple of weeks ago, and holy shit, it was longer than I expected. Good, but loooooong, especially when the plan was to pop the movie in at 7:30 and go to bed at 9:30. HA. I guess we should've looked at the movie's running time beforehand. Aside from the "Sweet weeping Moses, when will it END?" moments after the two-hour mark had come and gone, I liked the movie a lot. I used to not really care much for Jake Gyllenhal, but now I like him more and more with each movie I see him in, and Zodiac was no different. I liked his character and the way he played him, although it was hard for me to buy him as a dad. Robert Downey Jr.'s character was appealling, too. Now I need to read the book it was based on.

Posted by oracle at 12:34 PM | Comments (0)

March 10, 2008

The Fog

We watched the remake of The Fog Sunday night, and it scared the shit out of me. I was so jittery I didn't even want to get down from the bed to pick up the remote when it fell off. I was seriously freaked out. I enjoyed it, though, and I'm looking forward to watching the original version next.

***SPOILERS***

I liked the way the story alternated back and forth between what had happened so long ago and the present day events. I'm not a big fan of Smallville, but I thought Tom Welling was yummy, and I felt bad for him at the end when Elizabeth disappeared. I don't blame the original four guys for not wanting the lepers on their island (just looking at some of them made me cringe, movie or no), but what they did was pretty horrible. Too bad the lepers didn't have their revenge on them instead of their descendants.

PS: I'm SO glad I hadn't seen this before we went on our honeymoon, otherwise our drive through that creepy fog would've been much more nerve-wracking for me!

Posted by oracle at 8:18 PM | Comments (0)

February 29, 2008

you have a new revenge rival

Mike bought me a present yesterday - Burnout: Revenge for the 360. We have it for the Xbox, but it's not backwards compatible with the 360, so if I wanted to play it, I had to fire up the Xbox. That's not a big deal, but it is an inconvenience, so I haven't played it much since we got the 360. Until yesterday. I spent a good couple of hours playing it, at first just trying to get familiar with the controls again (there was an embarassing stretch where I couldn't figure out how to accelerate. Luckily Mike was in the bathroom at the time and wasn't there to witness my ineptitude), and then trying to rank up. I unlocked a couple of cars, a handful of events, and ranked up a couple of times before going to bed, and I can't wait to play some more this weekend.

Posted by oracle at 1:25 PM | Comments (0)

February 28, 2008

Paparazzi

Mike and I watched Paparazzi this afternoon, and it's another movie I'm glad we Netflixed instead of buying.

***SPOILERS***

The main thing I didn't like about the movie was the way I felt after watching it. I was hoping that the detective (it would've been an awesome touch if they'd had Peter Faulk play the detective) wouldn't catch Bo (the main character, played by Cole Hauser, who was also in The Break-Up), but after seeing what he did to the paparazzi, I felt kind of guilty for cheering for him. He should've been the good guy, not someone who stooped to their level. Anyways, the one thing I liked about Paparazzi was the way they worked in cameos. In one scene, Mel Gibson is sitting in the waiting room when Bo leaves his anger management appointment. Chris Rock delivers a pizza to Bo's house, Vince Vaughn is on set when Bo is working on a movie (I LOVE Vince's lines in that scene), and Matthew McConaughey introduces himself to Bo and his family when they're at a movie premier.

An interesting note: the paparazzi with the English accent (played by Tom Hollander) played Lord Cutler Beckett in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and PotC:At World's End.

Posted by oracle at 8:49 PM | Comments (0)

February 25, 2008

As Good As It Gets

We watched this after The Break-Up, and it was just what I needed to see - a warm, funny, cute movie that left me feeling much better than when I started watching it. The way Jack Nicholson played Melvin was fantastic.

***SPOILERS***

I started off the movie hating him (he put a dog down the trash chute!), and by the time the movie finished I was hoping he'd get a happily ever after with Helen Hunt. Greg Kinnear was great as Simon, and I LOVED his interaction with Melvin towards the end of the movie. I also loved the way Cuba Gooding Jr.'s character got Melvin to help out. Of course, one of my favorite things about the movie was the way Melvin and the dog got so attached to each other. It was definitely a movie to watch snuggled up with my husband and pups.

Posted by oracle at 7:49 AM | Comments (0)

The Break-Up

Mike and I watched The Break-Up Saturday night. It was a good movie, but I didn't like it much, mostly because it was very uncomfortable to watch.

***SPOILERS***

The fights they had, the things they said to each other, all of those struck too close to home more often than I would have liked. Brooke (Jennifer Anniston's character) should've spelled things out for him before they go to the breaking point, Gary (Vince Vaughn's character) should've paid more attention and given more of himself before she broke down; she shouldn't have broken up with him, hoping he'd realize what a mess his life would be without her, he shouldn't have acted like the break-up wasn't bothering him. The scene at the concert when she was waiting for him broke my heart as I reconnected to all the times I'd felt like that. I kept thinking (hoping) they'd get back together in the next scene, right until the credits started rolling. I know a happy ending wouldn't have been very realistic after all that, but I was hoping for one all the same.

I did like the way Brooke's friend (played by Joey Lauren Adams) didn't just agree with her on everything. It was nice to see her let Brooke know she wasn't handling things very well sometimes. I also liked the way Gary and Brooke got together at the beginning of the movie and the way Gary's friend Johnny O kept talking about finding someone to take care of the guy Gary thought Brooke was seeing. Justin Long was funny as Brooke's co-worker (quite a change from seeing him in Jeepers Creepers!), and I really liked the way Judy Davis played Brooke's boss.

Posted by oracle at 7:45 AM | Comments (0)

February 5, 2008

The Texas Chainsaw Massacres: The Beginning

Mike and I watched The Texas Chainsaw Massacres: The Beginning Saturday night. It was another one of those movies I'm glad we didn't buy. It was okay to watch once, but I don't see myself ever feeling like taking the time to watch it again.

(interesting tidbit courtsey of IMDB: the guy that played Eric also plays Bryce Larkin on "Chuck.")

Posted by oracle at 10:02 AM | Comments (0)

January 28, 2008

Saw IV

Mike and I just finished watching Saw IV a little bit ago, and from what I saw through my fingers, I think it's gorier than any of the other three.

*** SPOILERS ***

The autopsy scene was HORRIBLE. I usually don't feel nauseous from watching things (I just shriek and flap my hands while I look away), but I had to breathe shallowly to make it through this part without throwing up. The washed out look of the autopsy room and the people in it was a nice contrast to the blood and guts as they were performing the autopsy. Seeing that fat guy's eyes get poked out then his limbs ripped apart was awful, as was watching that one chick's scalp get pulled off. Even using my usual method of peeking through my fingers didn't make it any easier to see. Ugh.

The one thing I heard most about this movie was how much it jumped around, but after watching it all the way through, I don't think it jumped around as much as I'd heard it did. Sure there were plenty of flashbacks, but all of those were obviously flashbacks. Once Mike and I figured out where the movie was in the timeline, we were set.

Scott Patterson (Luke from "Gilmore Girls") was one of the main characters, and while I love him to pieces as Luke, he was not cut out for the role of a grouchy hardassed FBI agent.

I liked the way the very end tied in with the end of Saw 3, and I'm looking forward to Saw 5 so I can get some answers to the questions they left unanswered. I'm not looking forward to the gore, though.

Posted by oracle at 10:16 PM | Comments (0)

January 26, 2008

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

We watched Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End with the kids over the weekend, and, like PotC: Dead Man's Chest, it was much better than I was anticipating.

***SPOILERS***

I didn't like Kiera Knightly - she seems too skinny and sqwaky for a piratess - and I was very upset that Jack Davenport got killed. I thought the Calypso/Davy Jones thread was interesting, although I was a little disappointed at the way that turned out. Even though I hated Orlando Bloom's character, Will Turner, for the first two PotC movies, I really liked him in this one, and I was crushed when he was killed. I've heard rumors that this is the last PotC movie they'll be making, at least with these characters. If that's true, I'm glad because I don't want them to run the franchise into the ground - I'd much rather have them end on a high note - but I'm bummed because some of these characters (Will, Jack, I'm looking at you) are appealing. I would like to see them replace Kiera Knightly, though. Catherine Zeta Jones would be a much better piratess, I think.

Posted by oracle at 10:01 PM | Comments (0)

January 23, 2008

Hollywoodland

We watched this after we watched The Prestige, and all I have to say about watching the two movies back to back is, don't. Even though The Prestige sort of ends on a happy note, overall the ending left me feeling very angry and unsettled - a feeling Hollywoodland did nothing to dispel.

***SPOILERS***

I was very interested in the premise of the movie, (due in part, I'm sure to my recent interest in true crime) but, as with The Black Dahlia, the execution of the movie was not what I was hoping for. Ben Affleck was not engaging at all as George Reeves. I'm not sure if it's because of the way the character was written or if it was just Ben Affleck's portrayal of him, but Reeves came across as kind of annoying. By the time things were winding down, I was ready to smack him and tell him to stop moping and start making some changes already.

Adrien Brody was good as the private detective, but his storyline was pretty bleak, too. Seeing his interaction with his son and ex-wife was painful, and not even the implied reconciliation with his son at the end could counteract that. The sight of him staggering drunk, trying to pick his son up from school, was hard to bounce back from. Molly Parker played his ex-wife, and even though all of the scenes she was in were awkward, it was neat seeing her in this, especially so soon after we'd been watching "Deadwood."

Unlike The Black Dahlia, Hollywoodland didn't wrap things up neatly, solving the murder for the audience. Did George Reeves shoot himself or was he murdered? If he was murdered, did his fiancee (played by Robin Tunney) kill him? Was it his former girlfriend or her husband? I don't like leaving things unresolved, and I feel this movie did that on both storyline fronts.

Posted by oracle at 1:46 PM | Comments (0)

January 16, 2008

The Prestige

We watched The Prestige on Monday. All I really knew about it was that it was about two rival magicians, and one kills the others wife. Since it was about magicians, ignorantly I was expecting something very similar to The Illusionist, and in some respects it was almost exactly what I expected, but then in others it was very different.

***SPOILERS***

I didn't realize we'd see it go back and forth, from the end of the story to the very beginning to the end again to the middle, etc. It was initially very confusing, however, after seeing the whole thing, I'm glad they did it that way; it gave the movie the feel of a puzzle.

On a side note, Christian Bale with that faux British accent was very hard to take seriously until after I got more engaged in the movie, and even then it was hard to buy at times. I found it quite amusing that his character's name was Alfred, given that Michael Caine co-starred in the movie, and it was fun to watch the two of them interact in a different way than they did onscreen in Batman Begins. Even with all the clips we saw I didn't ever get attached to Christian Bale's wife, Sarah, but I did feel a little sad during that last fight they had when she asked him if he loved her and his reply was, "No. Not today." Similarly, I never cared much for Scarlett Johannsen's character, although my heart did break a little for her when Hugh Jackman sent her off to spy on Christian Bale. The scene where she told him to leave his family at home where they belonged while he was with her made it hard for me to be sympathetic when she was trying to get him to open up about his feelings for Sarah after she had killed herself.

When Hugh Jackman's wife died early on in the movie I wasn't emotionally invested enough to feel anything other than a twinge of sympathy. Same thing when Christian Bale's fingers were shot off. But as the movie led up to Christian Bale's execution, seeing his interaction with his daughter, his love for her, and the anguish of not being able to be there for her, there was no question about it - I hated Hugh Jackman's character. HATED. I don't care that he lost his wife. I don't care that Christian Bale might have been responsible for her death. I didn't care that they'd been rivals for several years. The way he set things up was despicable. And dooming his other selves to death every night in that water tank? Almost as bad. Mike picked up on that immediately, by the way. As soon as we flashed back to the scene where Christian Bales is trying to break into the water tank, Mike commented, "I bet that's how he gets rid of his double every night," and sure enough, it was.

The only thing I can't quite wrap my mind around is this: which Hugh Jackman died in the water tank each night? Was it the original one, the one who had started the magic show? Or was it the new one, who had been created? Mike and I tossed the question around briefly after the movie, but came to no resolution. The only way to know that, I think, is to know what happens when that electricity zaps an object. Does it get transported to a certain point while a duplicate is created in its place? Or does the original object remain fixed while a duplicate is created at that other point? I think, based on Hugh Jackman's reaction when Christian Bale was below-stage while he was drowning, that the original Hugh Jackman was transported to the other point, and the duplicate fell into the water tank, which is why he had no idea what was happening. But then, that's just a guess, because the movie didn't really spell that out for us.

Posted by oracle at 1:16 PM | Comments (0)

January 14, 2008

horror night - January '08

This month was '80s vampire flicks. We started off with Fright Night and ended with The Lost Boys, neither of which I'd seen before, and both of which I really enjoyed watching. Next month we're tossing around the idea of watching Bubba Ho-tep and some other movie, TBD sometime in between now and then.

Posted by oracle at 6:47 PM | Comments (2)

January 13, 2008

remember when we first had the thought of living?

Egypt Central's album is coming out on Tuesday! Now I'll finally get to see if I like the rest of the album as much as I like "Over and Under".

Posted by oracle at 8:51 PM | Comments (0)

January 11, 2008

Fables

Last month I was introduced to Fables - the best comic book series ever. I was intrigued when I heard the premise, but I had no idea how wonderfully it would be played out. Roughly: all different farie tale characters have been kicked out of their various worlds or "homelands" by the Adversary. A large group of them have formed a community called Fabletown in our world, where they all live and try to avoid catching the attention of the mundane humans ("mundies") surrounding their city. The writing is excellent, the plots are very engaging, and the characters, while not original, are very well-written for this series. Some of my favorites are Bigby Wolf, Snow White, Boy Blue, Rose Red, the Beast, and Flycatcher. With the exception of volumes 2 and 3, I have all the trade paperback volumes currently released. The next volume, 10, is due out in May, and after I get that I think I'm going to have to start getting the comics monthly to tide me over until the next volume is released.

Posted by oracle at 8:25 PM | Comments (0)

January 10, 2008

Sorry!

When the boys and I were at Target last week, Z spotted the Battleship/Connect Four/Sorry/Trouble game for the DS. There were a couple left when we went to Target this weekend, so I picked one up for Mike. He started playing it after we got home and discovered that up to four people can play together on their DSs, so I'm going to get a copy for each of the kids to keep at our house, that way we can play when they're with us.

Posted by oracle at 1:03 PM | Comments (0)

January 8, 2008

Mario makes my thumbs hurt

For a while now Z has been telling me about a Mario game he thought I would enjoy, but I never put much thought into until this past weekend when he handed me his DS and said, "Here. Play this." It took all of eight seconds (the same amount of time it took me to die) for me to realize that I needed to have that game. We made a special stop at Best Buy to pick it up, and it took up the majority of my time after that. The New Super Mario Brothers is not a game for me to play in public or around small children. I get caught up in the game, clutching my DS like it's my lifeline, swearing like a sailor when I die, and glaring at any outside distractions. I played it all afternoon Sunday and a good chunk of yesterday before my sore thumbs forced me to set it aside for a day or so. They need to hurry up and get callused already, because I'm itching to pick it back up. I have a princess to rescue!

Posted by oracle at 4:53 AM | Comments (0)

January 3, 2008

Confessor

Mike gave me Confessor, the last book in Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series, as one of my Christmas presents this year. I just finished it on Tuesday, and I absolutely loved it. It was everything I had hoped it would be. It was a fantastic end to the series, and none of the characters who died were near and dear to my heart, so I didn't even tear up once! Seriously, I can't say enough good things about the book. This series is one of my all-time favorites.

Posted by oracle at 10:25 AM | Comments (0)

December 21, 2007

Black Christmas - the original

Meh. Mike and I watched the original version of Black Christmas this afternoon. The premise (a killer in a sorority house at Christmastime) wasn't bad, but I was less than impressed with the way it was executed (hee).

*** SPOILERS ***

The murders started earlier than I thought they would, and my initial belief that Margot Kidder's (the old Lois Lane) character was going to be the survivor chick was wrong, wrong, wrong. I was right about when the housemother got killed, though, and, boy, was I glad to not have to listen to HER anymore in the movie. All of that aside, my main complaint is that we didn't ever learn enough about the killer or his motives. I gathered that he was the one making the creepy phone calls, so it's possible that he was just batshit crazy, with no more motivation than that. But that's not enough for me - the beginning of the movie gave the impression that he was creeping into the attic, but the dialogue said that the girls had been getting the creepy calls since before the holiday party at the beginning of the movie, so, what was the deal? Had he been living there all the time, just waiting for his opportunity (or for something to push him around the bend), or were the earlier calls a coincidence, and he'd just gotten in the house that night? What happened with the survivor chick and her boyfriend? I don't think she killed him - my money's on the same guy who killed everyone else doing it - but it's hard to tell from what we saw. And did the killer eventually kill the survivor girl after everyone left the house, or were we just seeing him creep around for the hell of it? While I like having to think a bit during movies, I also like having some of the holes filled in neatly, and this movie left too many unsolved questions for my liking.

Posted by oracle at 7:50 PM | Comments (0)

redhead? check. 27? check.

Mike and I were watching the third season of Will and Grace last night, and I was surprised to hear Grace throw out that she was 27. She can't be 27; I'm 27. In some ways I feel like she should be much older than that, and in others I feel like I'm much older than her. I miss the days of being the same age as Buffy.

Posted by oracle at 11:09 AM | Comments (0)

December 19, 2007

I wish I could shake some sense into you and walk out the door

Last night was one of music nostalgia. Better Than Ezra - Porcelain, Chris Knight - Oil Patch Town, The Crystals - Then He Kissed Me, The Righteous Brothers - You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin', Mark Chesnutt - Almost Goodbye/I Just Wanted You To Know, Loreena McKennitt - Bonny Portmore, Queen - Princes Of The Universe, Mark Collie - Even the Man in the Moon is Cryin', Clay Walker - What's It To You/Where Do I Fit In The Picture, Aaron Tippin - Working Man's Ph.d., George Strait - Amarillo By Morning, John Berry - I Think About It All the Time/What's In It For Me, Metallica - Turn The Page. Each song is an emotional bookmark, an instant connection to a memory and a feeling, and listening to them last night felt like going through bunch of old photographs.

Posted by oracle at 2:06 PM | Comments (0)

won't look back when I say goodbye

I've been loving Simple Plan's new song, "When I'm Gone," ever since Mike called it to my attention last week. The video for it, however, is another story entirely. I like the idea, that the chick sees him everywhere, but I could do without the weird lines during the scenes with the band.

PS: I am not thrilled about having to wait till February for their new album. I want it NOW, dammit.

Posted by oracle at 9:44 AM | Comments (0)

December 15, 2007

Identity

Mike and I watched Identity last night for my birthday. I didn't expect much from it other than a couple hours of entertainment, but it went way beyond that. The premise was fantastic, the casting was excellent, and the ending took me completely by surprise.

*** SPOILERS ***

Up until they wheeled the prisoner into the room for the impromptu hearing, I thought the prisoner Ray Liotta's character was transporting was the prisoner they were waiting for, and I couldn't figure out why the description for the movie said they were trying to figure out the killer's identity when it was clearly Ray Liotta's prisoner. I was surprised when we learned that all the people at the motel were different "voices" in Malcom Rivers' head, and I think the way that scene was handled was very well done. I didn't suspect that Ray Liotta wasn't a cop until Amanda Peet's character saw the radio missing from the cop car and found the file with his mug shot in it, but after I saw that, I understood why there was blood and a small hole on the back of his shirt earlier in the movie. At the time I had commented on it to Mike but didn't even consider the possibility that Ray Liotta might not be who he said he was.

At the end of the movie, Mike mentioned that he had expected Ray Liotta to pop up at the last minute. That was something else I hadn't considered, but once he said it, it made sense. Because of that, I wasn't surprised when Amanda Peet turned up the 1 key in her orange grove, although I was surprised to see that the killer was the little boy. After the car exploded, I just assumed he had died and didn't think about him as a possible suspect.

Posted by oracle at 11:59 AM | Comments (0)

December 10, 2007

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Mike and I watched Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer with the kids Saturday night. I loved the first Fantastic Four movie, and this one wasn't a disappointment, either. In fact, I thought it was a fantastic (heh) follow up to the first movie. I've never read any of the FF comic books, so I don't know how true any of the details are to the original stories, but I really enjoyed the movie.

PS: Johnny Storm? Such a hottie.

Posted by oracle at 8:38 AM | Comments (0)

December 2, 2007

Wizard's First Rule

This isn't new news, but I'm just finding out about it. Sam Raimi is going to be directing a tv mini-series of Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series, starting with the first book, Wizard's First Rule. This makes me almost as happy as finding out about The Dark is Rising. All my favorite fantasy stories are being translated to film!

Posted by oracle at 8:29 PM | Comments (5)

horror night - December '07

Last night was our monthly horror movie night. We started off with Audition, a Japanese horror flick Fantm had been talking about for a couple of months, and finished with Skinwalkers, a werewolf movie Mike wanted to see.

*** SPOILERS ***

Audition is about a widower who is trying to find a new wife by holding auditions. I guess I was expecting it to be something along the lines of Ringu or Ju-on, which it wasn't. The ending was pretty horrific, but, with a few exceptions, most of the movie was build-up to that point. Predictably, I couldn't watch the torture part. Turning my head away from the tv didn't help much, though, because the sound effects were just as horrible. The sound of the wire cutting through his ankle was AWFUL. Like Bug, the ending to Audition was confusing. I couldn't tell if it was all real and he was just having flashbacks because of the pain he was in or if it was all a weird dream.

Skinwalkers was pretty predictable but not bad, even though the werewolves were Hollywood werewolves. I think werewolves in movies should be actual wolves with paws and all, not people made up to look like wolf-creatures. Similarly, I am not thrilled with the way Hollywood vampires seem to be moving away from normal fangs and shifting to the shark-teeth fangs we saw in 30 Days of Night. Werewolves should be actual wolves, and vampires should have four fangs - two on top, two on the bottom. Period. So let it be written, so let it be done, amen. But I digress. As I was saying, Skinwalkers wasn't bad. Some of the acting could've been better, and I would've been happier if more of the good werewolves had lived, but overall it was pretty decent. A lot of the actors looked familiar, but the only one I could place was Jason Behr, but Maddy and D said that the guy who played Casey Jones in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movies was also in Skinwalkers. My TMNT knowledge is non-existent these days, so I'll take their word for it. Maddy and I talked about crocheting while we watch the movies, so it might turn into a crochet/horror movie night. We shall see.

Posted by oracle at 7:57 PM | Comments (0)

December 1, 2007

The Thing

Mike and I watched John Carpenter's The Thing last night, and it was a lot better than I thought it was going to be.

*** SPOILERS ***

The movie didn't scare me at all, although there were a couple parts that made me jump. I hated the part with the dogs, which is no surprise to anyone who knows me, but at least it answered my "Why are they trying to shoot the dog?" question from the beginning of the movie. I was totally wrong about who the imposter was, and the scene where the head drips off the table then sprouts spider legs and tries to escape made me queasy. Ick.

Posted by oracle at 11:27 AM | Comments (0)

November 29, 2007

The Return

Mike and I got The Return with Sarah Michelle Gellar from Netflix on Tuesday, and we watched it last night after we got home from my physical therapy appointment. I first saw the trailer for this when we went to see Saw 3, and it really caught my attention. The trailer looked creepy enough that I wanted see the movie in a theater, but for some reason or another, it didn't work out that way. After watching it last night, I don't mind telling you that I'm glad we didn't pay money to see it. I don't count The Return as one of the suckiest movies evar (Deep Impact, I'm looking at YOU), but I don't think it came anywhere close to achieving its potential, either.

*** SPOILERS ***

The acting didn't click and seemed half-hearted in parts. The movie built up the murderer, but the scene where SMG learned his identity was anti-climatic, as were the scenes where he was chasing her. I felt like I was supposed to feel connected to the characters, but I just didn't; they didn't seem real enough for me to empathize with them. I didn't mind the way all the loose ends were tied up in the last few minutes of the movie - in fact, I liked the way the accident explained why SMG had seen the accident earlier and why those things were happening to her - but the "I'll come back to you some day" line (or whatever it was exactly - I don't remember it verbatim) was a bit much for me. As I mentioned earlier, I got the impression from the trailer that this was a very scary movie, but I wasn't scared at all while watching the movie, not even the eensiest bit. That disappoints me greatly.

Posted by oracle at 7:34 AM | Comments (2)

November 28, 2007

Everything's Eventual

Stephen King's done it again. I finished Everything's Eventual this morning. I didn't like all of the stories as much as I did the ones from the other two short story books, but there were some good ones. I particularly liked "Everything's Eventual", "Autopsy Room Four", "In the Deathroom", "The Little Sisters of Eluria", "L. T.'s Theory of Pets",
"The Road Virus Heads North", "That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in French", and
"Riding the Bullet".

"The Little Sisters of Eluria" is part of Stephen King's The Dark Tower series. I've heard about that series several times, but nothing about it piqued my interest until I read that short story. I'm fairly confident I'll be poking through Mike's Stephen King collection over the weekend to see if I can find the first book.

Posted by oracle at 11:43 AM | Comments (0)

November 26, 2007

The Mist

After much anticipation, Mike and I went to see The Mist at an early show Saturday morning, and I liked it just as much as did 1408.

*** SPOILERS ***

The plot was a fantastic adaption from the story. While there were changes here and there (the most major change is the way the movie ends), I don't feel those changes detracted from the story at all. In fact, I think they added to it in such a way that I like both versions equally. I thought the acting was excellent as well. As you may or may not recall, I loved Thomas Jane in The Punisher, and I wasn't disappointed by his performance in this movie, either. Marcia Gay Haden was perfect for the role of Mrs. Carmody. She did such an excellent job of playing a zealot that I was ready to cheer when she got beaned with a can of peas, and when she finally died, I was elated. I spent the entire movie trying to figure out what else I had seen Laurie Holden in. It wasn't until Mike and I were talking about the movie on the way home and one of us mentioned Silent Hill that it clicked for me. There were a lot of other familiar faces in the movie (William Sadler from Roswell, Andre Braugher from Glory, Chris Owen from Van Wilder, Can't Hardly Wait, She's All That, and American Pie), and I think they did a very good job with the casting. The cinematography was perfect for the atmosphere of the movie, and the music really added to the atmosphere as well.

(Note: In the movie, Thomas Jane's character is an artist, and as the movie starts we see him working on a painting that looks very much like a gunslinger from Stephen King's Dark Tower series. I thought that was a nice touch.)

There were only two changes to the story that I thought detracted a little bit, although they certainly didn't ruin the movie for me. The first was the scene where the Army guy explained what might have happened, where the creatures were coming from. I liked the way the story originally had it - the people thought the mist might have something to do with Camp Arrowhead, but they didn't have any proof either way. The other change I didn't like was when Thomas Jane's character went back to his house to check on his wife. In the original version, they just got the hell out of the town without wasting gas or time to go check on people, and I think that was more in keeping with the uncertain nature of the story.

Posted by oracle at 4:37 AM | Comments (0)

November 23, 2007

Hostel 2

I watched maybe half of the first Hostel (the rest I squinted at as I occasionally peeked through my fingers), so I expected this one to be just as brutal, although it really wasn't as bad. I only covered my eyes a couple of times, none of which were for very long, either. The beginning was surprising and gross, as were a couple of parts throughout the rest of the movie, but overall it seemed to be more plot-driven than it was gory.

*** SPOILERS ***

Mike and I pegged the girl who would be the survivor a few minutes into her first scene. We also pegged the first victim, but that wasn't hard. By the time they finally got around to killing her, I was ready to cut her throat myself. The ending kind of surprised me: I didn't think they'd let her buy her way out of the warehouse, nor did I expect her to lop off that guy's cock and balls. I would have tried to talk them into making the bloodhound tattoo into a dachshund, though.

Posted by oracle at 8:18 PM | Comments (0)

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

When we got this movie from Netflix, I didn't know anything about it other than Mike wanted to see it because he'd read about it in Fangoria and it had Alan Rickman in it. As it turned out, the only other actor I recognized was Dustin Hoffman, who played a perfumer past his prime.

*** SPOILERS ***

I thought this was supposed to be a horror movie because it was featured in Fangoria, but in spite of the title, the murders themselves didn't seem to be the main focus of the movie. They seemed more like an undercurrent in the main character's quest to capture a person's scent, which was more interesting than I would have thought it could be.

Posted by oracle at 4:17 PM | Comments (1)

November 20, 2007

Smokin' Aces

Mike and I Netflixed Smokin' Aces and watched it over the weekend, and I was surprised by how much I liked it. I mean, I knew I was going to like seeing Ryan Reynolds in it, but I didn't expect to enjoy the movie itself as much as I did.

*** SPOILERS ***

I did figure out part of the twist at the end (that Primo Sparazza was Freeman Heller), but there were still plenty of surprises in the movie. I had no clue that Buddy Israel was Primo Sparazza's son, I thought Lazlo Soot was killing Buddy's entourage so he could get to Buddy for the reward, I didn't expect Ben Affleck's character to be killed off as soon as he was, and until Ray Liotta's charcter realized that the security guy he was in the elevator with was a hit man, I didn't think he was going to be killed off.

Posted by oracle at 8:46 AM | Comments (0)

November 5, 2007

DST + Kate = BFF

Yesterday was fantastic. I love the part of DST where we get an extra hour. More time to sleep? Yes, please! As I told Mike last night, the day felt deliciously long. I forgot about the time change until I noticed that one of the clocks was earlier than the others, and when I remembered the DST change I was delighted. We had some friends over Saturday night and watched movies till 2am (Bug and Behind The Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon). By the time Mike and I went to bed (two episodes of CSI: NY later), it was well after 3, so for me the extra hour was more than welcome. All day I felt like it was much later than it really was only to find out that I had plenty of time left to get stuff done. That was downright luxurious after a month of feeling like I was always running behind. I finished reading one of Stephen King's book of short stories, got a start on my homework for this week, made a dent in the mountain of laundry, and started tackling the sea of clutter the floor by my side of the bed has turned into.

Posted by oracle at 8:20 AM | Comments (0)

November 4, 2007

Behind The Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon

We also watched Behind The Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon last night. It was an interesting movie. The only actors in the movie that I recognized were both from CSI:Las Vegas - Scott Wilson, the actor who plays Katherine's dad, and Angela Goethals, who had a guest role in Season 6. I expected a spoof more along the lines of Scary Movie, but Behind The Mask was a much more subtle parody of horror movies.

*** SPOILERS ***

Even though it was a parody, the movie did surprise me a few times. When it was time for Leslie's serial killer debut, I knew Tayler (Angela Goethals' character) was going to interfere, but I didn't expect for Leslie to have planned for her to be his victim all along. I thought that was a nice little twist.

Posted by oracle at 4:08 PM | Comments (0)

Bug

We watched Bug with some friends last night, and it was a weird, weird movie.

*** SPOILERS ***

I didn't really think too much of this movie. It started off so slow, and then somewhere around the middle of the movie it picked up speed, but there wasn't much of a transition. It went from painfully slow to flying along without much acceleration in between, which made it hard for me to adjust to. Ashley Judd and Harry Connick Jr. were the only two actors I remember having seen before, but the guy who played Peter did a great job in his role. He started off all quiet and hesitant, and as the movie progressed he got louder and crazier. The scene where he was pulling out his teeth was almost impossible for me to watch.

I can't decide if the bugs were real or if Peter was just crazy and dragged Agnes (Ashely Judd's character) into madness too. There are some things that give me the impression that they were crazy, but then other things (mainly the fact that the doctor knew about Agnes' missing son) point towards them NOT being crazy. Mike thinks they weren't crazy, that there really was a conspiracy of some sort, but I'm not convinced.

Posted by oracle at 4:07 PM | Comments (0)

October 29, 2007

1408

This is my favorite type of horror movie. I consider this every bit as good as Skeleton Key, and I think that was one of the best horror movies I've seen so far. The build-up in this was excellent - by the time the creepy stuff started happening, I was ready to jump out of my skin.

***SPOILERS***

Samuel L. Jackson and John Cusack were both fantastic in their roles, and it was neat to watch as John Cusack's character transitioned from being a complete non-believer to someone who's obviously creeped out but trying to stay rational to someone who is 100% freaked the fuck out and wants to leave NOW. The scene near the end with his daughter made me tear up (of course), and I was completely taken by surprise when the room pulled him back after it seemed like he'd gotten away. Because of that, I didn't believe that he really had gotten out until the credits started rolling. I kept expecting the scene to shift suddenly as we found out that it was another trick. After seeing this, I'm really impatient to read the Stephen King story it's based on.

Posted by oracle at 9:54 AM | Comments (0)

October 24, 2007

30 Days of Night

Mike is a HUGE fan of the 30 Days of Night comic books, written by Steve Niles, and he was thrilled when he found out it was being made into a movie. We went to see it on Saturday with Maddy and D, but unlike Mike and D, neither Maddy or I had read any of the comic books beforehand.

*** SPOILERS ***

I really liked the movie. The story was great, and the effects were done well. It never occurred to me that Alaska would be vamp heaven in the winter, but that makes a lot of sense. Why wouldn't they want to go somewhere they didn't have to worry about sleeping for a month?

Josh Hartnett played the main character, Eben. He's very pretty to look at, but I don't think he has much of a character range. It took me at least 1/3 of the movie to figure out where I recognized the actress who played his wife, Stella, from, and once I had it, I mentally kicked myself for not getting it sooner: Melissa George was Molly on Roar. Ugh. There goes my fangrrl status. I wish the ending had been different, but that wasn't the way the story went in the comics, and I'm glad they stuck so close to the original plot. The only thing I was disappointed in was the vampires' fangs. I like vampires to have the regular vampire fangs, like in Underworld, but the 30 Days of Night vamps had a mouthful of shark teeth. That will change when I am in charge, you know.

As soon as we got home, I tracked down all of Mike's trade paperbacks and settled down to read the original stories. I was pleasantly surprised to see how close the movie had stuck to the comic books, and I'm hoping they make the second series, Dark Days, into a movie too.

Posted by oracle at 7:55 AM | Comments (0)

October 5, 2007

in which our heroine needs to pay closer attention to track listing info

I saw Better Than Ezra with Karinne and her husband in 2000 when they came to the Warner Theater in DC with The Calling. The Calling was the reason I wanted to go to the show, but after seeing BTE play I was a fan. The energy was contagious, the crowd was very into them, and the music was extremely catchy. The only disappointment was that they played a lot of songs from Closer, their new album at the time, so I had to wait until it was released to be able to hear those songs again. "Porcelain," "Misunderstood," and "Good" are my favorite BTE songs, but until yesterday I didn't realize that "Good" is on one of the albums I have (Deluxe and Closer). While I may have known that at one point, for at least the past four years I have been under the impression it was on an album I didn't have. I finally figured it out last night when I tried to find out the name of the album it was on, and, boy, do I feel stupid.

Posted by oracle at 8:02 AM | Comments (0)

September 27, 2007

Nancy Drew: The Deadly Secret of Olde World Park

I did indeed receive my Nancy Drew game before yesterday, so there will be no beheadings this week. I also FINISHED it before yesterday. The game was sitting on the doorstep waiting for me when I got home Monday afternoon (along with a box from Amazon containing two books and a CSI game for my pretty, pretty laptop, but those are stories for another day), so I tore into it like an impatient consumer and started playing right away. I put in about 45 minutes or so of gameplay before bedtime, but, like a nitwit, I forgot to, you know, SAVE the game before I turned off the DS, so I had to start from the beginning again on Tuesday when I picked it back up. In spite of that, I managed to finish the game before Mike got home from class Tuesday night.

The game itself was pretty fun, and Bess, George, and Nancy's dad interacted with her at some points in the game while Ned chauffeured Nancy around River Heights. While I enjoyed playing it, I think it's safe to say that this game was not made with 26-year-old women in mind as its target audience. It was a little too easy. Everyone I needed to talk to had an exclamation point over their head, everything I needed to look at had a magnifying glass hovering above it, and everywhere I needed to go was marked with a stick figure. Now, I appreciate my fair share of handholding, but this didn't feel like it left much of a challenge for me, and that was a little disappointing. I'm hoping that the upcoming CSI DS game proves to be more challenging.

Posted by oracle at 7:37 AM | Comments (0)

September 21, 2007

I can has CSI too?

As if the news of a Nancy Drew DS game wasn't exciting enough, I just found out that a CSI DS game (CSI: Dark Motives) is in the works. I'll have to wait for it though, because it's not scheduled for release until November 27.

Posted by oracle at 2:23 PM | Comments (0)

Nancy Drew? In the palm of my hand? Make it so.

There is a Nancy Drew DS game, and soon it will be mine! Not as soon as I would've liked, though. Mike and I went into EB Games on Tuesday so he could pick up Eternal Sonata. While I was waiting for him, I browsed through the printout of new and upcoming releases for DS games and saw the Nancy Drew game on the list. According to that printout, it was supposed to be released that day, but when I asked about it, the elfin-looking guy behind the counter said that the release date on that list is actually the day it ships, so they wouldn't have it in until Wednesday. With that in mind, I stopped Best Buy on my way home on Wednesday to pick up Nancy Drew, but they told me the game wouldn't be released until next Tuesday. My next stop was EB Games, where they told me that, yes, they had said the game would be in stock that day, but, well, it wasn't. And even though my little elfin friend from the previous day looked in the computer and called one of the other local EB Games stores, they couldn't tell me why. So I pouted, ate the ice cream Mike bought me at Maggie Moos (he knows how to make everything better), then went home and ordered it online. I even paid extra to have it delivered by the weekend so I could play my new game instead of studying for my networking test. In spite of that, the UPS site says it's going to be delivered on Monday. This does not please me at all. There is a Nancy Drew game that can be played on my pretty, pretty DS, but I CAN'T PLAY IT YET BECAUSE I CAN'T GET IT ANY SOONER THAN MONDAY. Good thing I'll be able to spend most of Wednesday getting acquainted with Ms. Drew while I sit in waiting rooms.

If I do not have my game by Wednesday, HEADS WILL ROLL. Trufax.

Posted by oracle at 1:37 PM | Comments (0)

September 10, 2007

Rob Zombie's Halloween - (the remake)

Mike and I went to see this last night, and it was pretty good. I am paranoid about not getting to the theater with enough time to get our tickets, any snacks we might want, and get seated before the previews start (I love watching the previews, Mike hates them), but in spite of my certainty that leaving the house with 15 minutes was not going to give us enough time, it did. (I did miss the first part of the previews, but that's because I was wishy-washy about getting a snack until after we'd given the usher our tickets and were on our way to sit down. And even with the long line at the concession stand, I still made it back in time to catch the previews for The Mist and 30 Days of Night, both of which look very interesting. Also in upcoming movie news - I saw the poster for The Dark is Rising, and staring at it was the highlight of my time spent waiting in various lines.) As far as the actual movie went, I liked it. I haven't seen any of the original Halloween movies, so I don't have any baseline or reference point to compare it to, however, the movie effectively creeped me out to the point that I scurried up the stairs as fast as I could after turning off the lights before bed because I am no fool - I just spent two+ hours watching Michael Meyers detach himself from shadows and noiselessly go after his next unsuspecting vicitm. Hell if it's going to be me.

Posted by oracle at 8:21 AM | Comments (0)

August 30, 2007

there's a lightning storm each and every night

I've been loving Alkaline Trio's Crimson album lately. I've had it for quite a while, but when I got it I only listened to the one song off of it that I'd fallen in love with (as I'm wont to do), completely ignoring the rest of the album until last week when my iPod shuffled it to my attention. I can't believe I didn't pick up on the fact that the entire fucking album is fantastic before now. The songs that are currently grabbing my attention are "I Was a Prayer," "Smoke," "Mercy Me," and "Burn," but, really, those are just the ones I can easily remember the names of - the other songs on the album are just as good. <3

Posted by oracle at 7:27 AM | Comments (2)

August 4, 2007

The Dead Room

We went to the library today so I could pick up the books that were on hold for me (only 7 today - I'm slacking), and one of those was ,em>The Dead Room. I started reading it after we got home, planning to get through just a few chapters before I tackled the basket of laundry that needs to be folded and put away, but once I was into the story, I didn't want to stop reading. (Part of that was because the story was pretty good, but I have to be honest, the other part was because I REALLY did not want to start on the laundry just yet.) It's a paranormal adventure story by Heather Graham, and I thought it was pretty good. I liked the characters, I liked the plot, and I really liked that there didn't seem to be anything thrown in as a token (character, scene, etc.). There were a couple of sex scenes that seemed a hair out of place, but, whatever.

*** SPOILERS ***

I hated the ending. HATED. I do not like it when a relationship starts to form throughout a book but then one of the couple dies at the end. I have gotten attached to these people, y'all. I am interested in their future, in the outcome of this relationship. I CARE, DAMMIT. This one was better than some because at least the heroine was reunited with her fiance' in the afterlife (he died in the prologue, and that made me tear up a bit too), but I still would have rather skipped the relationship build-up since it was going to go nowhere seeing as how she DIED AT THE END.

Posted by oracle at 8:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 1, 2007

the hills are aliiiive with the sound of muuuuusic

Things I learned while listening to the radio on the way home yesterday was a learning experience.

1) Matchbox Twenty is back together and has a new song out. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't love it immediately like "Push" and "Real World" (really, all the songs off their Yourself or Someone Like You album), but I haven't decided whether or not I like it yet. I suspect that will take a couple more listens.

2) Fuel's new album is being released next Tuesday. I'd heard "Wasted Time," the first single from it, before, but yesterday was the first time I heard which band played it. I really like it, and the new lead singer, Toryn Green, does a good job on the vocals, but I can't help but think that I'd like it better if it was Brett singing. Regardless, I'm still going to pick up the album when it's out. I'm just glad the new lead singer's not Chris freaking Daughtry.

Posted by oracle at 1:42 PM | Comments (0)

July 30, 2007

my nerdly heart is going to explode

Mike called me a few minutes ago to let me know that Disney is going to be making the rest of the Chronicles of Narnia books into movies and will be releasing one each May beginning in 2008 and concluding in 2013. Currently, Prince Caspian is scheduled to be released on May 16, 2008, and Voyage of the Dawn Treader (one of my favorite books of the series) is set for May 1, 2009. I don't know how much more of this bookly glee I can take!

Posted by oracle at 8:27 AM | Comments (0)

my fangrrl glee is somewhat tarnished

As excited as I am about the The Dark is Rising movie (67 days till it's in theaters!), I am alarmed by some of what I have been reading about the adaptation, particularly this bit:

The planned film diverges from the book on several fundamental points, including the decision to rewrite Will Stanton's character to change him from an eleven-year-old English boy to a fourteen-year-old American boy, significant changes to the mythological structure of the plot, re-setting the story to occur in the present-day, and the addition of a brother of Will's as a potential "Judas" character among them.

I don't really think changing Will's age is a huge deal (although that does have some impact on the story since part of the reason it's such a big deal that Will is an Old One is because he's so young), and setting it in the present isn't too major either, but changing the setting from England to AMERICA?!? That changes the whole premise of the story! Arthurian mythology is heavily woven into the series, and America is NOT the country where Arthur lived. Arthur is not supposed to come back to AMERICA in a time of great trouble, he's supposed to come back to ENGLAND to save his people. Who are ENGLISH. This change affects not just this book, but the entire series, especially The Grey King and Silver on the Tree. In both of those stories the setting (location) is pivotal. Being in England is CRITICAL to the plot. You can't just change the setting and expect everything to be the same. America is a great country and all, but it doesn't have the same atmosphere (or culture) as England, and that's important, dammit! If the location wasn't changed in the remake of the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, why was it necessary to change it for The Dark is Rising? Bah.

Posted by oracle at 7:37 AM | Comments (2)

July 29, 2007

the Dark is Rising

Sweet tiny baby Moses. My brother just called to tell me that The Dark is Rising is being made into a movie! And it's supposed to be released this year! (October 5, to be exact.) How did I not hear about this until now? I LOVE that series. As far as I'm concerned, it's easily on par with the Chronicles of Narnia, the Sword of Truth, and the Wheel of Time as one of my favorite fantasy series. In retrospect it's probably for the best that I'm just finding out about this now, because had I known earlier, it would have been hard for me to wait patiently. As it is, October seems too far away. Seriously, y'all. The Dark? Is rising.

When the Dark comes rising, six shall turn it back;
Three from the circle, three from the track;
Wood, bronze, iron; water, fire, stone;
Five will return, and one go alone.

Iron for the birthday, bronze carried long;
Wood from the burning, stone out of song;
Fire in the candle-ring, water from the thaw;
Six Signs the circle, and the grail gone before.

Fire on the mountain shall find the harp of gold
Played to wake the Sleepers, oldest of the old;
Power from the green witch, lost beneath the sea;
All shall find the light at last, silver on the tree.

Posted by oracle at 1:35 PM | Comments (0)

July 27, 2007

I like themes

Mike and I have planned Movie Nights for tonight and tomorrow, and given the current Harry Potter events (last book, new movie), both nights are going to be Harry Potter-themed. We're going to watch the first two Harry Potter movies tonight, and tomorrow we'll watch the third and fourth movies. I polled the kids to find out what their favorite "movie theater" candy, drinks, and snacks were so we can have a "concession stand" both nights (I'm going to see if I can pick up some Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans too), and on Saturday we're going to have a "movie theater dinner" with hot dogs and nachos in between the two movies. After we're all caught up on the Harry Potter timeline, we're going to surprise the kids on Sunday and take them to the theater to see the fifth movie.

Posted by oracle at 9:09 AM | Comments (2)

July 21, 2007

that Potter boy

Mike bought me the new Harry Potter book while we were at Best Buy today, and I just finished it about half an hour ago. Originally I wasn't going to buy it - I was going to wait until the library had it and check it out from there instead - but we passed by a display of the pretty hardbacks with their colorful covers and their shiny new book smells, and when Mike told me he was going to buy one for me, I couldn't say no. I started it shortly after we got home, and I just finished it a few minutes ago. I'm going to get into what I think about the Deathly Hallows later, but for now I'll give a little (a lot) backstory about me and Harry Potter.

When the first book came out, I could not have cared less about it or him. I thought it was kind of funny that so many people were getting so into it, but that was about all the thought I put into it at the time. Then, as more of the books came out and more people got into it, I started getting annoyed - I couldn't go ANYWHERE without hearing about Harry Potter, and the fans weren't laid-back about it all. They were fucking RABID, talking Harry Potter up like it was the best series ever written, bar none, and that grated on me. Even my brother got caught up. He was the cause of my first personal exposure to the series, in the form of the movies. The first Harry Potter movie was scheduled to come out right around his birthday, and because he was a HUGE fan (and I was notoriously bad about wrapping presents), I decided to take him to see it for his birthday: he'd get to see a movie he was extremely anxious to see and get a great birthday present, and I wouldn't have to wrap anything - perfection! I didn't hate the movie, but it didn't exactly suck me in, either. While I put aside some of my hate for Harry, I stayed a little aloof, unsure of whether or not I wanted to give the series any more of a try than that. The following year the second Harry Potter movie was on the horizon. Since taking my brother to the first one had been such a success, I took him to the second one for his birthday that year, with the same results. By that point I no longer hated Potter, but I still wasn't ready to don a Hogwarts shirt or wizard hat. We had plans to do the same thing the next year for the third movie, but when November rolled around, they foiled my brilliant birthday plan and pushed the release date back to the following summer. The cycle was broken (and I had to find another idea for a birthday present). After I met Mike, the kids reintroduced Harry Potter into my life. A and Z were both hardcore fans, and N was interested in the series as well, although not quite as much as his older brothers. I held out for a couple more years, but when Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released in 2005, I caved. I decided to read the first book and see how I liked it. That coincided with my start at my new job, so while I was waiting to get set up with a computer and an account and all that good stuff, I brought Harry Potter along to keep me company. It only took me a couple of days to finish the first book, and that was the beginning of the end for me. For the rest of that week and part of the next, the only things I brought to work with me were the Harry Potter books, and I read them every chance I could. I finally understood why so many people liked the series. I still didn't (and don't) think it's the Best Series Evar (I'm still partial to the Chronicles of Narnia, the Dark is Rising, the Wheel of Time, and the Sword of Truth), but I do think it's much better than I initially gave it credit for. With that said, I'm a little sad to the series come to an end, although I do think it's best to end things like this while they are still good, instead of dragging them out until they're limping along, barely breathing anymore.

Posted by oracle at 11:20 PM | Comments (0)

July 2, 2007

Clerks II

We watched this on Saturday, and I have to admit, it was much better than I thought it was going to be. I haven't seen Clerks yet, so I don't know how it compares as a sequel, but I didn't hate it like I thought I would.

Posted by oracle at 1:22 PM | Comments (0)

King Kong

We watched the remake of King Kong yesterday afternoon, and, as far as I am concerned, that will be the ONLY time I watch this movie. I cried through at least half of the damn thing, in spite of Mike's assurances that they had changed the story in this remake. The Kong/Anne interaction in the jungle choked me up, when he was reaching out for her after they captured him KILLED me, and my cold Grinch heart shattered into a bajillion pieces when he was looking for her in New York and then again after he found her and they were up on the building. The special effects were fantastic, the cast was a perfect selection (I really liked Naomi Watts and Adrien Brody in their roles, and Jack Black played his character well, even though I didn't like him much); the movie was very well done as a whole, but I cannot sit through it again. Not without leaving the room for the majority of it, anyways.

Posted by oracle at 7:01 AM | Comments (0)

July 1, 2007

CSI: Las Vegas, Season Six - the guest list

listy goodness after the jump

Episode 2 - Silas Weir Mitchell: a guest spot on Season 2 of "CSI: Miami"
Episode 3 - Skye McCole Bartusiak: The Patriot
Episode 3 - Hudson Leick: Callisto from "Xena: Warrior Princess" and "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys"
Episode 3 - Alan Rachins: a guest spot on "Lois & Clark"
Episode 4 - Daniel Graves: guest spot on "Gilmore Girls"
Episode 4 - Clea DuVall: Buffy! (Marcie in Out of Mind, Out of Sight)
Episode 4 - Tomas Arana: a guest spot on Season 1 of "CSI: Miami"
Episode 5 - Don Michael Paul: a guest spot on Season 2 of "CSI: Miami"
Episode 6 - Amy Sloan: The Day After Tomorrow, Gothika
Episode 7 & 8 - A Martinez: a guest spot on "The Magnificent Seven" and "Columbo"
Episode 7 & 8 - Sophia Santi: a guest spot on "Lois & Clark"
Episode 9 - Hal Sparks: Spider-Man 2, a guest spot on "Lois & Clark"
Episode 9 - Jessica Collins: a guest spot on "Lois & Clark"
Episode 9 - Paula Trickey: one of the bike cops from "Pacific Blue"
Episode 9 - Dane Northcutt: a guest spot on Season 2 of "CSI: Miami"
Episode 9 - Baily Chase: Buffy! (Graham Miller, Seasons 4 - 5)
Episode 10 - Lori Alan: a guest spot on "Will & Grace"
Episode 10 (& 19) - Aimee Graham: reprised her role from Season 5 (Grave Danger: Part Two)
Episode 11 - Chaney Kley: Buffy! (Chad from Real Me)
Episode 11 - Elizabeth Pryor Nagel: a guest spot on "Gilmore Girls"
Episode 12 - Mitch Pileggi: Skinner from "The X-FIles"
Episode 12 - Joe Manganiello: Spider-Man
Episode 14 - Susanna Thompson: Roar! (Gwyneth in Daybreak)
Episode 14 - Willaim Sadler: "Roswell"
Episode 15 - Melinda Clarke: reprised her role from Seasons 2 (Slaves of Las Vegas) & 3 (Lady Heather's Box)
Episode 18 - Douglas Smith: a guest spot on Season 2 of "CSI: Miami"
Episode 19 - Shonda Farr: reprised her role from Season 1 (Evaluation Day)
Episode 19 - Keri Lynn Pratt: reprised her role from Season 1 (Evaluation Day)
Episode 20 - Travis Barker: Blink 182/+44
Episode 20 - Shanna Moakler: another one of the bike cops from "Pacific Blue"
Episode 21 - Rachel Miner: The Black Dahlia
Episode 21 - Alex Skuby: Buffy! (Vincent from Bad Girls)
Episode 21 - Dave Power: Buffy! (Zack from All The Way)
Episode 22 - Julie Benz: Buffy! (Darla)
Episode 22 - Judd Nelson: The Breakfast Club
Episode 23 & 24 - Currie Graham: a guest spot in Season 1 (as a different character), guest spot on Season 2 of "CSI: Miami"
Episode 23 - Thad Luckinbill: Buffy! (R.J. from Him)
Episode 24 - Scott Michael Campbell: "Christy"
Episode 24 - Teal Redmann: reprised her role from Season 5

Posted by oracle at 12:14 PM | Comments (0)

June 29, 2007

poppy vices

Mine: The Backstreet Boys are releasing a new album this year. (I thought it was going to be sometime this summer, but it appears I might have misheard and it will really be out sometime in the fall.) Trufax*: the only BSB album I do not have is their greatest hits album.

His: The Spice Girls are back together and are kicking off an 11-city tour in LA this December. (I'm not much of a Spice Girls fan, but I'm eternally grateful that out of all the bands from that timeframe, Mike likes them more than he likes OMC.)

*stolen from Karinne, like everything else (and, like everything else, there is a good chance I am not using it properly)

Posted by oracle at 3:38 PM | Comments (1)

Ghost Rider

Mike and I watched Ghost Rider Tuesday night. As with so many lately, I didn't love it, didn't hate it - it was just a decent movie. The storyline was okay (although I am tired of romance being written into movies where it does not belong and does nothing to enhance either the story or the movie overall), the effects were okay, and the actors did a decent job. Sam Elliot and Donal Logue were my favorites, but I don't think Nicholas Cage did a bad job as Johnny Blaze. (I can't be considered a Nicholas Cage fan by any stretch of the imagination, so for me to give him even that much is pretty impressive.)

*** SPOILERS ***

My favorite part in the whole movie was when Johnny and Carter Slade were both riding out to San Venganza - playing Ghost Riders in the Sky at that point was a nice touch. Mike thought this was a better comic-book-to-movie adaptation than The Punisher, but I liked The Punisher better, which may be because I haven't read any of the comics for either character, so I don't have the same foundation he does.

Posted by oracle at 3:30 PM | Comments (0)

June 22, 2007

Fun With Dick and Jane

There was a small Netflix wait for Ghost Rider, so Mike and I got Fun With Dick and Jane to watch in the interim. Can't waste any of our precious Netflix time, you know! Anyways, the movie wasn't bad, although I'm glad I didn't buy it.

*** SPOILERS ***

Sure, there were some funny moments (like when Jane woke up with a muddy handprint on her pajama top, right over her boob - that's such a Mike thing to do it made me laugh) and the ending made me tear up (OF COURSE), but most of the movie just didn't click for me; it felt like I was sitting there, waiting for it to pick up. It seems like it takes FOREVER for things to go downhill when everything is going well for Dick in the beginning, and, likewise, it seems to take FOREVER for things to pick back up after the big crash. Mike dubbed it a good popcorn movie, and I agree.

Posted by oracle at 7:25 AM | Comments (0)

June 18, 2007

Pan's Labyrinth

Mike and I watched Pan's Labyrinth last Wednesday. I'd heard a lot of talking about it, but nothing very conclusive, so I really wasn't sure what to expect; I didn't even remember hearing that it had subtitles. Overall I thought the movie was okay. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either.

*** SPOILERS ***

(Thank Mike, because if it weren't for him, this warning wouldn't be here. I am thoughtless like that.)

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe has spoiled me for fauns in movies; I thought the faun in this movie looked downright creepy, and I kept expecting him to turn out to be a bad guy. (I'm still not entirely sure whether or not he was a bad guy; I can't tell if the ending was showing that Ofelia was really the princess after all or if it was just her mind wandering as she died.) I wasn't expecting it to be bloody at all, but there were a couple scenes that I had to look away from, cringing, and, even though I understood that it's a grown-up fairy tale and those are typically less fluffy bunny than the kiddie versions, I didn't think Ofelia's step-dad would kill her. To sum up: I didn't think it was a bad movie - it just isn't one I'm going to want to watch again. Bleak movies usually don't make their way to my replay list.

Posted by oracle at 10:20 AM | Comments (2)

The Messengers

I wanted to see The Messengers ever since I first saw the previews for it. Mike and I finally watched it last night, and I'm a bit disappointed. I think the story was such that I could've really enjoyed the movie, but the way it turned out felt like it was just a copy of a bunch of movies. There was a lot about it that just didn't click for me, like the cast's chemistry and interaction. I think Dylan McDermott is pretty hot, but for the most part it was hard for me to buy that they were a family. While some of the scary parts were creepy (one of them actually sent me ducking under the covers), even those weren't as good as they could have been. With all that said, it successfully creeped me out enough that I scampered downstairs to turn off the lights and set the alarm, and when I got back upstairs I was not happy to see that one of the lights was still on. For a few seconds my imagination tried to convince me that something had turned it back on after I turned it off, which resulted in me racing downstairs, surveying the room to make sure there was nothing waiting to pull me into the floor, turning of the light, and racing back upstairs as quickly as possible.

ETA: Holy hell. I just learned that Penelope Ann Miller was Brenda in Adventures in Babysitting. I don't think I would've ever put the two together on my own. Wow.

Posted by oracle at 8:18 AM | Comments (0)

June 11, 2007

That'll be two large tacos, a burrito and a medium 'Gir, take us back to the base right now.' Would you like a drink with that?

I'd heard plenty about Invader Zim before, but nothing about it caught my interest until Mike picked up the boxed set (last week) and we watched some of the episodes with the kids (this past weekend). Now? I'm hooked. The show is hilarious. Zim is voiced by the guy that voiced Dag from the Angry Beavers (spoot!), and he does an equally good job of voicing Zim. GIR, Dib, and Gaz, are all good too. In a nutshell, I can't help but like a show that has lines like "I told you would forever rue the day you messed with ZIM! Now, begin your ruing! I'll just sit here and watch." I'm just sad that I got into Zim too late to pick up an "Obey Pastulio!" shirt.

Posted by oracle at 7:05 AM | Comments (0)

June 7, 2007

CSI: Las Vegas, Season Five - the verdict

I like all of the seasons we've watched so far, but Season Five may be my favorite, in spite of Ecklie splitting up the team. The two-part season finale (written and directed by Quentin Tarantino) was good, and I really liked the way they handled the 4x4 episode.

Posted by oracle at 8:59 AM | Comments (0)

June 6, 2007

CSI: Las Vegas, Season Five - the guest list

Episode 1 - French Stewart: Harry from "3rd Rock From the Sun"
Episode 3 - D.B. Woodside: Buffy! (Principal Wood, Season 7) and a guest spot on CSI: Miami, Season 1 (ep 12)
Episode 3 - Larry Joshua: Spider-Man
Episode 3 - Aisha Tyler: guest spot on Season 1 of "CSI: Miami"
Episode 5 - Dina Meyer: "Birds of Prey" (Batgirl/The Oracle/Barbara Gordon) and Saw 1 - 3
Episode 5 - Doug Savant: "Desperate Housewives" (this one is a total Mike catch. I'm still DH clueless, so the only cast members I would recognize are the main 4 chicks.)
Episode 6 - Summer Glau: "Firefly" and Serenity
Episode 7 - Danica Stewart: guest spot on Season 1 of "CSI: Miami" (ep 11)
Episode 7 - John Tenney: Tombstone and a guest spot on "Lois & Clark: the New Adventures of Superman"
Episode 8 - Lindsay Crouse: Buffy! (Professor Maggie Walsh, Season 4)
Episode 8 - Sarah Buxton: I cannot figure out where I've seen her before, but I know I have. Maddening!
Episode 8 - Sam Anderson: "Angel" (Holland Manners, Seasons 1 - 2), guest spot on Season 1 of "CSI: Miami" (ep 1)
Episode 8 - Don McManus: guest spot on Season 1 of "CSI: Miami" (ep 18), a guest spot on Dawson's Creek, Hannibal
Episode 9 - Jason London: Dazed and Confused, Mallrats
Episode 9 - Nana Visitor: "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine"
Episode 10 - Mae Whitman: Hope Floats
Episode 10 - Lobo Sebastian: Next Friday
Episode 10 - Michael Bryan French: I Still Know What You Did Last Summer
Episode 11 - Sebastian Roche: Roar! (Longinus)
Episode 11 - Ted Rooney: "Gilmore Girls" (Morey)
Episode 11 - Catherine Dent: Someone Like You
Episode 17 - Stephen Baldwin
Episode 17 - Wil Wheaton: "Star Trek: the Next Generation"
Episode 20 - Donna Murph: SpiderMan 2
Episode 20 - Teal Redmann: "Gilmore Girls"
Episode 20 - Eric Allan Kramer: "Lois & Clark: the New Adventures of Superman"
Episode 21 - Robin Weigert: Calamity Jane from "Deadwood"
Episode 21 - Chris Williams: Dodgeball
Episode 23 - Kim Johnston Ulrich: "3rd Rock From the Sun"
Episode 24 - Frank Gorshin: That Darn Cat, the Riddler from the old Batman series
Episode 24 - Michael Bacall: Buffy! (Eric from "Some Assembly Required) and Grindhouse (Death Proof)

Posted by oracle at 10:58 AM | Comments (0)

May 23, 2007

I'm not going away

I'm listening to Ozzy's new album (Black Rain) thanks to my super-awesome husband, and it's pretty good. As usual, I love some of the songs and there are some that I just like, but none of the songs on the album are something I'd skip over.

Posted by oracle at 7:45 AM | Comments (0)

May 22, 2007

CSI: Las Vegas, Season 5 - the (almost) half-time review

Thus far Season 5 has validated my decision to watch shows as they're released on dvd so I can watch an entire season all the way through, if necessary. I'm a pretty interactive viewer anyways so getting extremely pissed off at characters is nothing new for me, but I really wanted to throttle Conrad Ecklie. He's so focused on politics and appearances that he doesn't care about the lab or its cases, and splitting up Gil's team was inexcusable. There was quite a bit of sputtering and indignant squeaking from my spot during that episode.

Posted by oracle at 7:56 AM | Comments (0)

May 17, 2007

God's gonna sit this one out

Mike's a pretty big fan of the Punisher comics, so when he saw The Punisher dvd the other day, he had to pick it up. We watched it tonight, and I enjoyed the movie a lot more than I thought I would. I mean, I didn't think I'd hate it or anything, but I didn't think I'd love it either, which I totally did. I went into this with very limited knowledge of the Punisher (read: only the little bit Mike's told me as he reads the comic books), so I think it was easier for me to get into the movie since I didn't know how things should be. Predictably, I HATED the scene where his entire family died. I get that it had to happen because it's part of the Punisher backstory, but, sweet Bridget, that was hard to watch. (Also hard to watch? The scene where one of the bad guys is trying to convince a guy to give up the Punisher's whereabouts by ripping out his facial piercings. :cringe:) And, Thomas Jane as Frank Castle? Hot. I'm looking forward to seeing the second Punisher movie more than I'm looking forward to seeing Spider-Man 3. (Mike: "Sacrilege!")

Posted by oracle at 10:23 PM | Comments (0)

we'll be together forever

A virus is the cause of Mike's misery, so the doctor sent us home with prescriptions for an antibiotic and a mega-strength decongestant. We wandered around while we waited for the pharmacy to fill the prescriptions and picked up the new Megadeath cd (Mike), The Punisher dvd (also Mike), and Reincarnation (me), and after the prescriptions were ready we went to Outback for dinner before going home. It started pouring while we were eating, and it was still raining pretty hard when we left, so we went straight home, where I did the rain dance with Jordan. After the puppies and I slogged in, Mike put in Reincarnation (original title: Rinne), and holy hell, y'all, I cannot recall ever having been that scared during a movie. I thought Ju-On and Ringu were pretty scary, but this one leaves those two waaaay behind. I was terrified after it ended, so we watched Demolition Man for a change of pace. I was much calmer after watching that, until Mike started scaring me. It began when he was coming back upstairs with a glass of water for me and walked slowly up the stairs (for dramatic effect, he says). All I know is that one minute the dogs were lying beside me quietly while I'm poking around online and the next minute they all picked their up heads and started growling at the dark hallway outside our bedroom. Naturally, I screamed. Twice. Which Mike thought was hilarious, so he apparently decided to scare me even more after we were in bed by rehashing Reincarnation, talking about all the dead people in the trees, and telling me it was a good thing I didn't have to walk by any trees so I wouldn't have to worry about the dead people getting me. It took me a long time to get to sleep.

Posted by oracle at 8:47 AM | Comments (0)

May 10, 2007

maybe just a smile

"Got You (Where I Want You)" has been going through my head lately. I love the song so that's not of the bad, but it is a little surprising given that I haven't heard anything from or about The Flys since this song came out. I realized that I didn't have their album in my iTunes on either computer (yeah, I'm still transferring everything over) so I dug it out of my box of cds in the garage and got my fix a few minutes ago.

This song takes me back to the summers of 1998 and 1999, a timeframe in which Karinne and I saw a LOT of movies, including Disturbing Behavior. "Got You (Where I Want You)" was the only song I liked on the Disturbing Behavior soundtrack, so I picked up The Flys albu