Last Movie Review of the Year: The Hobbit

 Well, we finally got to see "The Hobbit", just under the wire to make my 2012 movie list.

 I knew I'd enjoy this movie. The Lord of The Rings Trilogy is on my all-time favorites list, and with the same director, locations, and many of the same actors, it was like revisiting an old friend. Martin Freeman is wonderfully believable as a younger Bilbo. (After seeing this movie, I began watching "Sherlock" on Netflix, in part, just to see more of him.)

 Also stellar is Richard Armitage as Thorin, leader of the Dwarf company. As light and humorous as "The Hobbit" is, there is also emotional depth there, much of it riding on Thorin, and Armitage is up to the task. The pain of a leader who has seen his homeland devastated is plain on his face, as is the determination and duty to regain what was lost. He also has a great singing voice; the dwarf chorus singing "The Misty Mountain" gave me chills.

 There is so much going on in this movie, it never really feels like almost three hours; I can't think of any scenes I'd cut to shorten it, although maybe I'll change my mind after repeated viewings. And there will be repeated viewings. This is one of the movies I'll be buying to watch over and over with my kids when they're old enough.

 I haven't read the book (yet), so I can't compare the book and the movie. I read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy after seeing the movies, so I'm going to wait until after the last of this trilogy to start "The Hobbit." I really don't know how they can stretch a book that size into three movies, but I'm willing to keep an open mind. I can't wait for part two next December.

A Good Costume Accessory: Common Sense

 A news story caught my eye today. It was a light, local color piece, that just as easily could have been a serious tragedy.

 Anime Nebraskon was this past weekend in Omaha. This is a large sci-fi convention, with an emphasis on Anime fandom. As with most sci-fi conventions, costuming is a big part of the event. One of the costumed attendees (who will remain nameless here, he's been embarrassed enough) ran short of cash during the convention, so he headed for a nearby bank. However, he was in costume as a character from the Resident Evil video games, complete with prop gun, worn in a visible holster. You can guess what happened next.

 Witnesses who saw him walking into the bank called 911, and the police showed up full bore, no doubt fearing armed robbery at best, mass shooting at worst. Luckily all turned out well. The costumed attendee complied with police instructions, the misunderstanding was sorted out and everyone had a good laugh. But this could so easily have gone the other way.

 A lot of commenters on the news media Facebook pages for this story are calling this guy an idiot, or worse, but that's hardly fair. Yes, it was an error in judgment (which he admits) but an understandable one. Now, I've attended conventions in costume, and I have stopped in public places, in costume, on my way to or from the convention. Sometimes it's necessary: you need food, gas or cash. And when you're immersed in geek culture for a weekend, it's easy to forget what you look like to outsiders. You spend the weekend in costume, surrounded by other people in costume, and everything you do revolves around your particular fan obsessions. Everyone you meet is "in the know."

 Some fan commenters on the Facebook pages are calling the people who called 911 idiots for not realizing this was just a guy in costume, but that's not fair either. No matter how big a convention is, you can't expect average people nearby to know about it, or to recognize a particular costume when they see it on the street. After what happened in Colorado, like it or not, any costume including prop weapons is going to look suspicious - and it should! Better to err on the side of safety.

 So a word of advice to convention-goers: When you need to leave this protected environment, try to remember that, no matter how big a deal the convention is in your life, people on the outside may not know it's even going on. They will have no idea why you're dressed as you are, or what your character is supposed to be. Use some common sense, and leave obvious weapons at the hotel, or in your car. After all, it's fun to explain your elaborate costume to curious outsiders, but you really don't want to try to explain it to the police.

 

The Biggest Story of the Day (Hint: It's NOT Hurricane Sandy)

...Not that Hurricane Sandy isn't a big story. Millions of dollars in property damage and millions of people without power is no laughing matter. We're just lucky to live in a time when science can give us enough warning to prepare. 100 years ago, a storm like this would have left thousands dead and injured instead of just a few.

 I feel especially sorry for all those on the East Coast still lacking power, because without Internet access, they missed the REALLY big story today: Disney bought Lucasfilm, and announced there would be new Star Wars movies, with the first planned for 2015.

 For Star Wars geeks, this is a jaw-dropping announcement. Uncle George, Lucas the control freak, sole owner of privately held Lucasfilm, cashing out to Disney? Actually allowing someone else to control the Star Wars franchise? Unheard of. Plus, three new movies announced. The final trilogy that George said was never going to happen, is officially happening starting in 2015. Christmas came early this year!

 But if it's surprising that George sold Lucasfilm, it's not surprising who bought it. Who but Disney could afford to continue something as epic as Star Wars? There was already a relationship in place - the Star Tours ride premiered at Disneyland back in 1987, and Disney has been doing Star Wars weekends at its parks for some time now.

 So this is the dawn of a new Star Wars era. We're already getting new movies, so what's next? Maybe this will mean a whole Star Wars-themed Disney park, a la Universal's Harry Potter attraction. Maybe this means George won't be able to keep changing the original trilogy any time he feels like it. Maybe we'll even get to see the original theatrical release versions of the first three Star Wars movies on DVD. It feels like the universe is new again, and anything can happen.


 "When you wish upon a star..."

Movie Review: "Cloud Atlas"

 Well, this hasn't happened for a while - we got to see a movie on its opening weekend. Saturday night, we went to "Cloud Atlas."

 This is a very interesting movie, with a big-name cast: Halle Berry, Tom Hanks, Hugh Grant, Hugo Weaving and Susan Sarandon, just for starters. Going in, I had no real idea what this movie was about, and now I know why - it's not the kind of movie you can boil down to a brief plot synopsis.

 The first 15 minutes are confusing as heck, jumping around in time quickly and randomly from the mid-1800s to a post-apocalyptic far future. (Just to add to the confusion, the far future characters speak a pidgin English that's almost impossible to comprehend, at least at first.) But gradually, as each time frame's plot starts to develop, you begin to see the connections between the storylines. The sudden changes are still jarring, but if you're paying attention you can keep up.

 It's also incredibly interesting to see the actors playing different characters in each storyline, sometimes in such heavy makeup they completely disappear into the character. (Stick around through the credits, they run photos of all the characters played by each actor next to the actors' names. Even if you're looking for it, I guarantee you'll miss some of them.)

 This is the most original science fiction movie I've seen in some time. It doesn't exist just to show off flashy special effects - the visual effects are stellar, but definitely secondary to the story. It has something to say about how everyone's lives are connected, and how actions and relationships can echo throughout space and time. It's philosophical, arty, complex, and at almost three hours, incredibly long - but it's definitely worth the time and money to see in the theater.

Movie Review: Hotel Transylvania

 Since the boy has two days off this week (parent-teacher conferences) we dropped the toddler at day care and went to a movie. That's kind of our day-off treat, now that he's a big school-ager. We get to see a movie and split a huge tub of popcorn for lunch.

 So this time, we saw "Hotel Transylvania." Lots of good voice talent in this one: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Steve Buscemi, Selena Gomez and Kevin James, just for starters. The plot: Dracula builds a hidden castle as a refuge for the monster community, and to keep his daughter safe from the dangerous human mob who killed her mother. Enter the young human backpacking his way across Europe, who accidently stumbles on the castle and falls for Drac's daughter.

 This is a pretty predictable movie, with the expected fish-out-of water jokes as the young human tries to blend in as one of the monsters. And the expected reaction as the monsters discover the human who's been hiding in their midst. And the predictable conflict of no boy ever being good enough for daddy's little vampire, followed by the usual change of heart, as Dracula realizes his daughter has to live her own life, he can't always keep her locked up and safe, and the humans aren't all bad after all.

 In general, adults will probably have the feeling they've seen this all before, but hey, it's new to the kids. And even if the message/moral is a bit heavy-handed, at least the animation is pretty and the jokes are funny enough to entertain kids and adults. The monsters weren't at all scary, making this a good movie for the younger kids - and it's not like there are a lot of choices out there in that category.

 It's hard not to compare this to "ParaNorman" (the last movie the boy and I saw together.) Both animated, both featuring misunderstood monsters, both with a moral at the end - but all-in-all, "ParaNorman" is the movie that will stick with you.  "Hotel Transylvania," while fun, is ultimately forgettable. (Not that there's anything wrong with a couple hours of escapist entertainment on your day off!)

Product Review: Huggies Little Movers Slip-On Diapers

 Yep, this is a diaper review, so if you don't have any diaper-wearing children in your life, feel free to skip this one, I don't mind.


Huggies Little Movers Slip-On Diapers
Average retail price: about $20-$25 for the Big Pack size box, count varies by size

 This product came out about a year or so ago - you probably saw the ads: wiggly babies crawling, staggering and dancing around, with adults trying to change them. The idea was that a slip-on diaper would be easier for changing an older baby that moves around a lot.

 I tried it when it first came out. My baby was about one, sitting and pulling herself up, but not yet walking. This diaper is similar to a smaller-sized Pull-Up, it slides on like underwear, but has two tabs to unfasten the sides and take it off.

 Honestly, I'm not sure why the product researchers at Huggies thought it would be any easier to slide diapers on a wiggly baby than putting a diaper on the regular way. Yes, it's hard to keep them still, lying on their backs, legs in the air while you swap out used for new. But anyone who thought sliding a diaper on a baby like underwear would be easier, has never tried putting pants on an uncooperative baby. You stick one leg through the hole, then while you're trying to stuff the other one in, the first leg comes out.

 Also, they can't be pulled up easily unless the baby is standing - difficult to do if your baby isn't walking yet. You have to awkwardly prop the baby up, leaning against you, while you use both hands to tug the diaper up into position (it can't be done with one hand, I tried.)

 Now, I didn't really want to write a negative review - I like Huggies, I've used them on both kids - so I thought I'd wait and try them again when the baby was older. Well, I bought a pack a couple of weeks ago to try on my now-two-year-old. The Slip-On Little Movers do work a lot better on an older child. She's much better at putting pants on, and standing still on her own while I pull them up. The diaper change does go faster with these, pop off the side tabs on the old, and slide on the new.

 One major drawback: you can't go for the really quick change. Sometimes, say, in a public restroom, I do the quick change where you just slide the pants down, not take them all the way off. This way, you don't have to remove and replace shoes (and socks, since a baby will always whip off socks if given the chance.) But if your baby is wearing these, you'll have to take shoes and pants all the way off, you can not get the diapers on over shoes (I tried.)

 Overall, I don't think this is a bad product, just an unnecessary one, at least for me. Honestly, if your baby is big enough to slide the diapers on and off like underwear, it's about time to start potty training anyway, so you might as well just move straight to Pull-Ups and not bother with these.

New Recipes From A to Z: A is for Acorn Squash

 Here is number two in my quest to cook a new food starting with every letter of the alphabet. Yes, I know number two should be "B", but if you missed my previous post, Brussels sprouts were on sale last week, so I started with "B".

 I had never cooked, or to my knowledge, eaten, acorn squash before. It just never seemed appealing. But it's a popular autumn produce item, so when I saw it on sale cheap, I thought, "Here's my 'A' recipe!" Then I had to figure out what to do with it.

 Most of the recipes I looked up were variations of the same thing: cut it in half, put butter and brown sugar, or maple syrup, or both, on each half, and bake. Seemed a little sweet for my taste, I like my side dishes savory. Then I found Roasted Parmesan Acorn Squash on www.doitdelicious.com. Not only was it a savory recipe, but the instructions were clear and simple, assuming (correctly) I had no idea what to do with this gourd.
 
 First, with a sharp chef's knife, cut the ends off, then slice it lengthwise. Scoop out all the seeds and pulp with a spoon. (The look, and smell, of this step reminded me of preparing a jack o'lantern. I felt I should be carving a face into this thing instead of trying to eat it.) Then, slice each side into half moon slices. Drizzle slices with olive oil (rub it in for good coverage) and sprinkle each side with coarse sea salt, ground pepper and Parmesan cheese shreds. There were actually specific measurements for these ingredients, but I almost never measure out salt and pepper exactly, I just sprinkle on what looks right to me. Same with the cheese.

 Then just roast in the oven at 425 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. I went 40, I wanted to make sure it was done. The cheese got a little too brown and crispy, but it didn't seem to hurt the flavor any.



Here's the pic from doitdelicious.com




Here's my finished product. Nailed it!


  The adult verdict for this recipe was "keeper." The squash part was soft and squashy, the skin/rind was slightly crispy, the roasting in olive oil brought out a slightly nutty flavor that went well with the cheese, and the cracked pepper added just enough of a spicy 'pop.' (FYI, before this I had no idea you could eat the outside of these. It doesn't look at all edible in its raw form.)

 The six year old ate two bites and asked if he could be done. I told him you don't know if like something until you eat three bites (standard procedure at our house). He ate a third bite and said he still didn't like it - surprising, since he loved pureed squash as a baby. Speaking of babies, the two-year-old has yet to give her opinion. She was having a very 'two' night - crying and throwing food - so she can try some leftovers at lunch tomorrow. I have high hopes for this being the first vegetable she'll eat! Assuming it is a vegetable - or is it a fruit? I'm too tired to look it up tonight.

Book Review: "Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children"

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children
by Ransom Riggs, 2011

 This book was one of those impulse buys - you know, how when you go to the bookstore for a particular book, but it's not out yet, then you spot something interesting on the display table on your way out? It's one of those. It's got this vintage photo on the cover (early 1900s), of a truly creepy little girl who appears to be hovering several inches above the ground. That's the kind of cover that will get my attention.

 After the violent and mysterious death of his grandfather, teenager Jacob goes to Wales to find the truth behind his grandfather's bizarre stories of growing up in an orphanage - an orphanage for children with strange talents.

 This is a great adventure story, full of conspiracies, secret organizations, and strange children who somehow live outside of linear time. Inserted in the book are some of the most wonderfully strange vintage photographs I've ever seen - the photos alone are worth the price of the book!

 It's hard to believe this is Riggs' first novel. The characters are believable and compelling - you truly care what happens to them. The story is well-paced, moving the action along so naturally that you just can't put it down. (I think I finished it in about two days - and two late nights!)

 "Peculiar Children" is the author's third book, and first fiction novel. On his blog, the author promised a sequel, which according to Amazon is due out June of 2013. Can't wait!

My Day Is Ruined...

...Because I just found out "The Sing-Off" has been cancelled. Apparently, it was cancelled back in May, but somehow I missed the announcement. I only found out because I googled it, looking for the date when the new season would start. Imagine my disappointment after reading there would be no new season.

 Why would NBC cancel this show? OK, the ratings weren't great, but that speaks to NBC's scheduling problems, not the quality of the show. This was, hands down, my favorite reality music show - even above "American Idol." (And I'm a die-hard "Idol" fan from way back).

 If you never saw it, "The Sing-Off" was an a capella choral competition. It followed the basic format of other singing competitions: groups sing a song related to a weekly theme, three celebrity judges give feedback, each week one group is eliminated. On this show, the judges chose the group that went home; the only audience vote was at the finale.

 The quality of musical performance on this show was so much higher than others. Viewers weren't subjected to awful auditions by clueless people, we only saw the ones who deserved to be there. And there's nothing that challenges vocalists like singing without instrumental accompaniment. A show former high school/college choir geeks could really appreciate, (yes, I'm one) this show had groups who did everything from barbershop to beat boxing - and they did it amazingly well. (My six-year-old can beat box. I'm not saying he learned it from this show, but this was one of the few prime-time shows he was allowed to watch.)

 Maybe NBC will realize what a gem they had, and bring it back at mid-season when their current crop of mediocre shows have all tanked. Here's hoping!

My four favorite performances from last season (last I checked, still available as singles on iTunes):
"Grenade" by Delilah

 

 

"Whattya Want From Me" by Delilah

"American Boy" by Afro Blue

 

 

"Video Killed the Radio Star" by Pentatonix (the season three winners)

 

Attribution: all videos from YouTube

Friday List: Best Movie Quotes

For a fun Friday blog, I thought I'd list some of my favorite movie quotes. It was going to be a top 10 list, but I came up with 25 and didn't think I could cut it. To make the list they had to be from a movie I love, from an interesting character, and quotable - meaning I can, and do, use them in random conversations. A gold star to anyone who can name all the movies!

So in no particular order:

1.  "It's against my programming to impersonate a deity."
2.  "They come in pints?"
3.  "Tell me of your homeworld, Usul."
4.  "Ray, when someone asks you if you're a god, you say 'Yes!'"
5.  "It's a rock, it doesn't have any vulnerable points!"
6.  "This task has been appointed to you, and if you do not find a way, no one will."
7.  "You got into Harvard Law?" "What, like it's hard?"
8.  "Don't tell me, you're from outer space." "No, I'm from Iowa. I just work in outer space."
9.  "That's no moon. It's a space station."
10.  "That word you keep using. I do not think it means what you think it means."
11.  "Never tell me the odds!"
12.  "Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a bumpy night."
13.  "Greater good? I am your wife! I am the greatest 'good' you are ever gonna get!"
14.  "He's my brother." "He killed 80 people in two days." "He's adopted."
15.   "There's a shortage of perfect breasts in the world. It would be a shame to damage yours."
16.   "Why is the rum gone?"
17.  "Rule number 1: Cardio."
18.  "That still only counts as one!"
19.   "In the last two hours I've lost my job, my apartment, my car, and my girlfriend." "You still have your health."
20.  "Surely, you can't be serious." "I am serious. And don't call me Shirley."
21.  "Would it help if I got out and pushed?"
22.  "Puny god."
23.   "They mostly come out at night, mostly."
24.  "Well, they were a bit...bitey."
25.  "I declare this house...clean."