Wow, it's been a while since I've updated! I wanted to update last week but I caught this nasty cold and basically just slept when I wasn't at work. The good news is that I am fully recovered now and ready to continue forward!
I've been working out for a few weeks now and it's been going pretty well. Our friend, Jordan, was nice enough to give us his elliptical and so I've been using that every other day. I started using it for 25 minutes each time and am slowly increasing that amount. I've also been adding sit-ups to my routine after I'm done using the elliptical. It's perfect because I can slip my feet right underneath our gigantic couch and it keeps me from shifting around at all. I'm thinking of starting to walk/run on the days when I don't use the elliptical so that I'll be working out every day.
For my lists, the only thing I've added to is the movie list (it's still pretty easy to watch movies when you're sick). I have three films to review! The first one is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), directed by David Fincher and written by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord with F. Scott Fitzgerald as the writer of the original short story. This was a phenomenal movie, largely thanks to the terrific acting by Brad Pitt. He did an exceptional job at playing a man who physically ages backwards and he's growing up. Every stage of his life was fascinating - whether he was a lovable old man with the spirit of a child or a man in his 40s terrified about the potential consequences of being a father. I also must give credit to his makeup artists; they made all of his years look so real. This film's supporting actors cannot be forgotten either. Matthew was the one who realized that Captain Mike was played by Jared Harris, who is also David Robert Jones in Fringe. His character's crass and humorous demeanor was a welcome presence in such a dark and serious environment as the war-filled Atlantic. Tilda Swinton played a mysterious and interesting love interest for Benjamin Button. Their affair kept me on my toes as to whether or not her husband would ever find out. Her final appearance in the movie was surprising but very cute. Although long, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a great movie and it's worth watching every second of this film!
Rating: 4/5
Next up is Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), directed by Edgar Wright and written by Michael Bacall and Edgar Wright with Bryan Lee O'Malley as the original writer of the Scott Pilgrim graphic novel. I originally decided not to watch this movie because the previews looked dumb to me, but I was so very, very wrong. This was an insanely creative, funny, and flashy explosion of a movie, and I loved it! Every single scene has a new strange or hilarious situation, and the sheer outrageousness of the entire film makes it a blast to watch! This is a film that actually uses CGI correctly; most films throw in way too much CGI for its own good (ie, the newest Star Wars films), especially when the movie still attempts to convince the audience that everything in the film is real to the characters. But this movie has none of that - this movie knows that there's no way to make a plot about seven evil exes seem realistic, so we get hilarious video-game and pop culture interjections. I was in stitches when they were mocking Seinfeld and loved how Scott shared not just an apartment, but a bed with his gay roommate Wallace (played by Kieran Culkin). Scott Pilgrim, played by Michael Cera, starts off as a rather unlikable unemployed loser but during the film he gains a handful of positive attributes and eventually becomes as lovable as the other characters. Everyone did a great job with their characters; they were all quirky and unique without taking away from the flow of the film. This has been the most pleasantly surprising film I've seen in a long time and I have half a mind to go out and buy it in the near future. You all should!
Rating: 4/5
Finally there is Toy Story 3 (2010), directed by Lee Unkrich and written by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich, and Michael Ardnt. Now I realize that I might give this movie a higher rating and more praise than others, but I don't care. I am part of the generation that grew up with the Toy Story movies; the first came out when I was eight and the second when I was twelve, so I have been a fan of this series for quite some time. Toy Story 3 was everything I had hoped it would be and more. All of the characters held true to the same personalities that they had in the first two films, and Woody's devotion to Andy was so completely heartwarming. They were a little bit repetitive with their main villain. Just like with Toy Story 2 he was a seemingly wise, helpful old toy who tried to make the gang feel welcome at first. However, I never trusted him for a second! The scenes with Buzz in demo mode were too funny, as was the scene with the toddlers in the caterpillar room. I must admit that I was actually on the edge of my seat when the toys were in the dump, but an adorably hilarious moment came to the rescue! I didn't know how the movie was going to end, and I was surprised with what Andy decided to do. It does fit with the whole theme of growing up and moving on, but that still doesn't mean it didn't make me sad. Toy Story 3 was an amazing conclusion to such an endearing series, and I think it's a great tribute to all those toys that helped shape our childhoods.
Rating: 4.5/5
Movies: 22/100 viewed
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