New York, I Don't Love You

My friend and I decided to see a movie over the weekend. To set the record straight from the very beginning- I suggested Where the Wild Things Are. But noooooo, she didn't want to see it. (A decision she came to regret.) So she gave me 3 options: 1) New York, I Love You 2) Couples Retreat and 3) Coco Before Chanel.

I skimmed over the summaries and decided that out of the three, New York, I Love You looked interesting. It has a huge and well-known cast It was supposed to be a bunch of short stories about love. I now remember why I disliked the short story section of all of my English classes.

Let's just say, some clever marketing people promoted this flop. How they made this movie look appealing, I'll never know. The trailer was the best thing about the movie. That, and the very short storyline with Cloris Leachman and her husband as an older couple celebrating their 60-something year anniversary. It was a sweet moment. But that was it, only a moment.

The movie was terrible. My dad always told me that "hate is a strong word," and he always made me think twice about using it. Sorry, dad, but I HATED this movie. It was a complete mess. When the movie was finally over, all we could do was bust out laughing.

I was paranoid about posting such a strong opinion of the movie. Did I miss something? So I searched around and read other and most people had the same reaction as me.

I never thought I would need a description for a 0 on the Sweet Tea Scale. But I do now. I had to go home and watch Breakfast at Tiffany's, just to help me not hate New York because of this movie. It was a very bad, American version of Love, Actually. If this movie is really a depiction of love in New York, I feel very, very sorry for the place.

500 Days

I have been a slacker about seeing Julie and Julia. I know you're sick of me talking about it. I'm really hopeful that this will be the week!

I did see 500 Days of the Summer a few weeks ago. (My friend that I was going with had already seen Julie and Julia.) But 500 Days of Summer was fabulous! It is very relatable and for a movie about a relationship, surprisingly not mushy.

I give it a 5 on the Sweet Tea Scale= Sweet, cold, perfect, and homemade. Perhaps even served in a Mason Jar!

Pass the Popcorn

With reruns and bad summer tv, what's a tv junkie to do? Answer: Watch some Braves and then catch up on movies! I've been on a definite movie kick lately. Oldies and newbies and everything in-between, my Netflix subscription is coming in handy this summer!

(STS= Sweet Tea Scale)

Oldies:

Girls Just Want to Have Fun- Makes you want to crimp the hair, have a girls night, pop some popcorn, and dance. Definitely worth the $5 Target purchase and a 4 on the STS.

Beaches- I may be one of the last people to actually see this movie. I knew this was going to be sad. I was warned. I read about it. I figured out what was going to happen. And it STILL got to me. Big time waterworks. If you're behind the times like me, and haven't seen it yet, make sure you have the Kleenex ready. A sappy 5 on the STS.

In-Between:

Definitely, Maybe- This one left a lot to be desired. I had no idea that a political campaign would have a cheesy role. It didn't really work for me. A low 3 on the STS.

Fool's Gold- I was bored, okay? Matthew McConaughey was shirtless a lot of the movie, so what's not to love? Seriously though, it's kind of a cute movie, especially if you have a thing for good old fashioned treasure hunts. A high 3 on the STS.

Confessions of a Shopaholic- Cute and typical, but entertaining. A lot of the movie is too materialistic for my taste. A high 3 on the STS.

Frost/Nixon- Very serious and slow in parts, but well worth the watch. A 4 on the STS.

Revolutionary Road- Really makes you think and has great acting. Earns a 4 on the STS.

Newbies:

My Sister's Keeper- Glad I saw it, but won't be buying it when it's on the Target $5 shelf. I'm told that, as usual, the book is better. A 3 on my STS.

The Proposal- Surprisingly funny. Lots of laughing out loud. Great cast. Ryan Reynolds is adorable. A high 4 on the STS.

I also watched HBO's documentary on Ted Kennedy last week. No matter what your political leaning or feeling about Sen. Kennedy, his life story (as most of the other Kennedy's) is truly fascinating and a built-in history lesson. I definitely recommend it.

Have you seen any of these? If so, what did you think? What else are you watching this summer?

I'm still determined to see Away We Go and simply CAN'T wait for Julie and Julia. The book so far is fab! A twenty-something, a blog, Amy Adams, food, and a cooking legend all rolled into one!!!

It's Summer!!!!

Time to blog! Even if my mind is in a million places and doesn't have one focused thing to blog about. You've been officially warned of the complete randomness of this post!

Happy Summer, People! It's the most wonderful time of the year for me! Always has been my favorite...and not just because of the break from school.

Growing up, we spent almost every single weekend in the summer at the lake where my grandparents lived. I miss those days, and hope to recapture it when I'm home for the 4th next week.
I love the boat rides, skiing, getting all wrinkly from the water because it's way too hot to not be in the water.
I love the way when other boats pass you, they wave in such a friendly southern way. Everyone is happy on the lake.
I love my grandfather's homemade icecream (and am not going to worry about how many weight watcher points it is!)
I love that when you're out on the lake for the day, it doesn't matter what time it is, and the day seems longer and sweeter than a day not on the lake.
I love how good I sleep at night after the sun and water wears you out.

And the 4th of July, well the lake is simply THE place to be- no questions asked. That's where everyone is. We would put the anchor out at the Marina and watch the boat parade and then the fireworks...the highlight of the year on Lake Hartwell! My sister and three cousins and I would belt patriotic tunes out at the top of lungs. Over and over and over again. We had a lot of fun.

I haven't been home for the 4th of July since college. So the countdown is on.



But before June is officially over, (and can anyone else believe that June/the first half of 2009 is almost officially over???) I have to give a some birthday shout outs to some special people!

Happy Birthday to my bff back home! (We MUST take some pictures when I'm home next week, this one is 3 years old!!)




Happy Birthday to two of my roomies!



Happy Birthday to my Grandmother!




Next up....The Hangover's Sweet Tea Rating. Lots of hype about this one. It's a laugh out loud type of crazy summer movie. I can definitely see why guys adore this one. Could it be the guy's response to He's Just Not that Into You? There's definitely a reason it's rated R. And I definitely have a new crush on Bradley Cooper. I'll give it a generous 4 on the scale. Have you seen it? What did you think?

I also recently watched Revolutionary Road, Gran Torino, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Gran Torino was my favorite followed by Revolutionary Road. I don't even know what to say about Benjamin Button except that it was 2 hours and 45 minutes of Forrest Gump meets The Notebook with a splash of Titanic thrown in for the heck of it. For me, it was kind of a mess.


I know, I know, you've probably had your fill of Jon and Kate drama. But you come here for my 2 cents so here it is! I've been a fan from the beginning when I stumbled upon a marathon of the first season about 3 years ago. I watched the potty training, Alexis' alligator obsession, Maddy's meltdowns, the reorganizing of their home, the twins first music lessons, and the sextuplet's birthday parties.

The appeal of the show for me (besides the adorable kiddies) was watching an ordinary family deal with an extraordinary situation. Over the last few seasons, the show, (and seemingly Jon and Kate themselves) lost touch of that original appeal. They went from working normal jobs, having friends and family a part of their life and show, and clipping coupons to moving into a mini-mansion, taking free vacations to Hawaii/California/Colorado, and accepting all kinds of free gifts.

Being a product of divorce and a blended family (we like to joke that we're functional in our dysfunction), I have to say that I'm glad there weren't cameras all over my house or any sort of audience when we were going through such a personal, heartbreaking, and life changing event. I feel for the Gosselin's and hope that they all come out of this okay!

I've already started watching the new show Raising Sextuplets on WE. These parents work full time, run marathons, the dad is in grad school, and they still find time to smile! I'm SUCH a sucker for shows about big families. (The Duggar's, Jon and Kate, Big Love, Brothers and Sisters)

So there you have it! Complete and total randomness from my summer memories on the lake to movies to Jon and Kate. Plenty of comment material for you to choose from!

Movie Bug

Did you watch the Oscars? I watched as long as I could...but fell asleep before it ended. There has been so much buzz about all of the great movies this year, and I definitely caught the movie bug last night. I told you a few weeks ago how much I enjoyed Slumdog Millionaire and am happy it won! I hope I can catch some of the other Oscar favorites in the next few weeks. Maybe it's the cold weather, or all the reruns on TV lately, but I'm in the mood to watch some movies!

I recently saw a piece highlighting actress Amy Adams on CBS Sunday Morning (a weekly must for me.) Love Her!

I've only seen her in two movies, Enchanted and Charlie Wilson's War. She was nominated for Oscars for her supporting roles in Doubt this year, and in Junebug in 2006. Junebug is now on my Netflix list. (Yes, after a 6 months hiatus, I broke down and rejoined Netflix. Just too many movies I want to see!) Adams is starring in two movies I'm looking forward to this year:

Sunshine Cleaning- This movie was presented at this year's Sundance Festival and is brought to us from the producers of Little Miss Sunshine. It's a story of a single mom trying to make some money to pay for her son's tuition. She joins her sister for a business venture and ends up with a lesson in following their dreams. (I know...sounds sappy, but right up my ally!) It's coming out in March.

Julie and Julia- Based on the book by Julie Powell, a twenty-something decides to spice up her life by cooking one of Julia Child's recipes from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1 everyday for a year. Powell blogged about it, turned that into a book, and now a movie! Amy Adams and Meryl Streep reunite and hopefully their chemistry from Doubt will carry over. I've also been wanting to read this book...I have until August to do so before the movie comes out.

He's Just Not That Into You....

The book was a chick-lit hit, and the movie probably will be too. Great cast. Truthful sentiment. Some funny parts.

I admit that I was SUCKER for all the hype. For some of us, this book/movie/story is what we're living and dealing (aka- struggling) with in real life.

A major theme of the movie was learning the lesson of being the exception vs. being the rule. This was played out in several love triangles and situations where girls like to hold on to any small bit of hope that because they heard that a certain situation ended in happily ever after for a friend of a friend's cousin's coworker, and therefore, could work out for us too. But in most cases, this is not so much the case. We are the rule, not the exception.

I generally like movies that inspire, make me think about situations differently, teach me something new, or make me laugh my head off. Maybe it's just me, but this movie, left me feeling like I'll never be the exception...only the rule.

I made the mistake of building this movie up in my head...like it would reveal the secrets of dating and magically solve all my problems. Not so much the case. I've gotten to the point that I don't mind being single- I see the benefits for me personally and why it's probably a good thing right now. But I've also realize I truly stink at the dating game. So a movie about the frustrations of dating did not hit the spot.

To this movie I say, Thanks for taking my $10.50 and 2 hours and 9 minutes of my life to show me what I already knew: Dating (and the male gender) Sucks, and He's apparently not that into me. Thanks for the newsflash, but I'd rather escape to the movies to get AWAY from the challenges of everyday life.

I'm sure if you've already become an EXCEPTION, you'll love the movie. But if you're like me and seem to always be the RULE, you're better off seeing something else. I'm very surprisingly going to give this movie a 2 on the Sweet Tea Scale.

I'm going to go watch The Notebook, Sweet Home Alabama, and any other happy romantic comedy I can find to help me forget that he's just not that into me. I'd rather believe in fictional happy endings right now.

Slumdog Millionaire

Before all the Inauguration festivities began, I had the opportunity to see Slumdog Millionaire. Loved it! It's been nominated for 10 Oscars and I for one will be rooting for it to win! I'm giving it a 5 on the Sweet Tea Scale. I hope you get the chance to enjoy it as much as I did!

Weekend Ratings

I can't believe the weekend is already over! Ugh...another week. I crossed a few things off the list this past weekend:

Ray's Hell Burger- I finally got to try out this much talked about burger joint in Arlington. And it was YUMMY! I'm not a huge burger and fry person...especially out at restaurants (homemade is always better.) I was always that weird kid that preferred salads instead of burgers and chicken fingers. But when I do eat a burger, I expect a lot! The burger I had at Ray's was one of the best I've ever had. In a town of overpriced everything, the meal was surprisingly inexpensive. The burger gets a 5 on the Sweet Tea Scale. The restaurant is on the small side and it has no sign out front, which adds character to the experience. It makes you feel like you found a delicious little secret...until you see how packed it is!


Four Christmases- I was very much looking forward to this movie. I was ready to laugh. The title itself sums up my typical holiday experience...getting shuffled around to cover all the family gatherings on Christmas Eve and Day. That's what happens when your ENTIRE family lives in the same town. We have recently cut the total number of Christmas stops down to 3. Things are further challenging because my feisty little sister decided to make her fashionably late entrance into the world on Christmas Day. So after we do the Christmas thing, then we have her birthday celebration. All of this to say....I can relate to Four Christmases literally.

The movie is enjoyable, though somewhat typical, holiday romantic comedy. I'm trying to put my current bah-humbug attitude about happy endings aside and not take it out on this innocent movie. So, I'm ranking it a 4 on the Sweet Tea Scale.


Rachel Getting Married- It was a rare double movie weekend for me. To balance out the funny and light-hearted Four Christmases, I also saw Rachel Getting Married, starring Anne Hathaway. Ummmmm, I don't know what to say about this one except- Dysfunctional. Hathaway did give a good performance which explains the Oscar buzz, but the story is OUT THERE. It definitely doesn't exactly spread Christmas cheer. I'm glad I saw it, but will give it a 2 on the Sweet Tea Scale.


PS- My fantasy team, Pinkisthenewfootball survived the first week of playoffs!