Thursday, June 26, 2008

Get Smart! Don’t believe everything you read…


So Kristi and I went and saw Get Smart last Saturday and we thought it was great! Online reviews tell you that this movie is not good: two and three stars. I, on the other hand, beg to differ. It definitely was not a 5-Star performance by any means but I had a great time watching it.

Steve Carell puts on a great performance as Maxwell Smart. From what I’ve seen of the old show, he captures the character well but adds his own twist on it. You do tend to see glimpses of Michael Scott throughout the movie but that’s mostly because it Steve Carell and that’s how he acts. Overall, I found him very funny (as usual) and he didn’t get annoying, which I was kind of afraid he would.
Anne Hathaway…oh, Anne Hathaway. Anne plays Agent 99 who is not entirely thrilled to be paired up with newly appointed agent Maxwell Smart. She basically spends the whole movie being very good looking and kicking a lot of butt (both of which are, let’s face it fellas, super hot). I like her acting on and off, not just in this movie but in all of her movies I’ve seen. She’s not as innocent as she looks. If you think she’s LDS because she was in The Other Side of Heaven, you are sorely mistaken. For this role, I like her. Not a ton, but enough that it didn’t distract me from the movie. Oh and Anne Hathaway bending and contorting through a field of high-intensity lasers? Ho-ly smokes! (drool) And then to see Steve Carell follow behind her was equally entertaining but in a completely different and less hot way.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is great (in my opinion) in pretty much everything he’s done. This is no exception. I guess since his last two careers, wrestling and acting, are both basically “playing pretend” (read “fake”), it would only make sense he’s good at both. He’s pretty much the only wrestling actor I’ll endorse; him and Andre the Giant in Princess Bride (sorry Hulk Hogan).

This was a thoroughly enjoyable movie, actually much more so that I had expected. Now, granted, there are some dumb parts but that’s really to be expected with this type of movie. It’s aimed at such a wide demographic that they have to try to please everybody and for the most part, it works. The dumb parts tend to be generally short and sparse which is preferable.

For those of you who watched the old series (i.e. Mike Rogan) and those who know about it but have never really seen it, you’ll both like this movie for different reasons. Either way, this movie is highly recommended.

4/5 STARS


p.s. there’s no coda or anything at the end so there’s really no need to stay all the way till the end of the credits. We waited for nothing for you. You’re welcome!



Tuesday, June 24, 2008

To all you Twilighters . . . (part 1: Theories)

Note to reader:
I did two different posts in one day! I wonder if that will ever happen again. The other is my "tag" reply if you are interested. Since Mike started his "own" site I'm going to be better at posting more often and more interesting than my usual posts. So here I go!

For all you Twilight fans, I type this post. I've been asked so many questions about what I think and heard so many different theories I might as well just put my opinions out there and tell people to refer to my blog. I think this will have to be at least a 3 part post. I'll take my time and make it as interesting as I can so that those of you who haven't read the books might be a little more interested and open to subjecting yourselves to such entertainment. Why you haven't read it by now I will never know.

So the biggest question I think everybody has is:

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN?

Every time I hear a different theory I'm compelled to read the whole series one more time. Currently I've only read through them all about 5 times. So here are some of your theories and mine. Feel free to respond with more.

Theory #1
Bella will change Edward to a human!
Hmmm, I'm not so sure. However, this was one of those comments that got me going home and starting the series again. Such lines from Edward like "I've never felt this way . . ." or how Edward seems to be developing more human like emotions makes me think twice. But could Stephenie Meyer really pull of a switch like that in her plot? I kind of hope . . .

Theory #2
Someone is going to crash the wedding!
Who you may ask? Well, there are a few people on the list, top two being Jacob (How can you have a Team Jacob if he doesn't come back?) or possibly even the Volturi. Maybe the Cullens will have some unexpected visitors again? That would definitely be fun to read through. I hope it happens as much as I want them to be together. I love that Meyer's books do not exclude some real intense action, even if it is crashing a wedding.

Theory #3
Carlisle is the Stregoni benefici!
Remember when Bella researches vampires on the internet when she figures out Edward's a vampire? Her research included the definition of the Stregoni benefici "An Italian vampire, said to be on the side of goodness, and mortal enemy of all evil vampires." I think there is more to Carlisle than meets the eye. With the last encounter of the Volturi there seemed to be uncomfortable tension between Jane and the Cullens and a hint of bitterness. I hope to hear more of Carlisle's experience when he was with the Volturi.

Theory #4
Jacob will imprint on Leah!
I sure hope so. That will give everybody a happy ending. I like happy endings. I'm sure Meyer won't disappoint me in that department.

Theory #5
Bella's power will be . . .
Okay, so there are too many theories to make it one title. Some say it will be a defensive power like protecting others' thoughts being read or from powers like Jane's. For me that's a little too "force field"-ish, but it does kind of fit in seeing how Edward, Aro, or Jane had no effect on her. She's really good at attracting boys, though not like Rosalie. She's also good at making oposing groups cooperate. Not just werewolves and vampires, but she created a whole group of friends at school that might not have otherwise happened had she not come to Forks. Some even say her power will be turning Edward human. Again, things that make me go hmmm . . .

Well, I hope this wasn't too long for you. My other posts will be about "What I hope will be in Breaking Dawn" and "Silly questions I've thought of and heard." Feel free to share any of your ideas. Stay tuned for more!

Just for you Holly (and who ever else wants to know)

Okay, so I finally have a few minutes. Here you go Holls!

4 Jobs I've had:
1. Carwasher Cashier
2. Day care staff memeber at Hand in Hand Child Care
3. Vocal Lesson Accompanist at Eastern Arizona College
4. Receptionist at Arizona Maxillofacial Surgery (Oral Surgeons)

4 Movies I would watch more than once:
1. Sense and Sensibility
2. Pride and Prejudice
3. She's the Man
4. Steel Magnolias

4 Places that I've Lived:
1. Mesa, AZ (born and raised)
2. Thatcher, AZ
3. Chandler, AZ
4. Gilbert, AZ (Oh yeah, I get around)

4 Places I've been to/visited:
1. Utah
2. California
3. Nevada
4. Mexico

4 Favorite foods:
1. Steak
2. Potatoes
3. Otter Pops
4. Fresh Fruit and vegetables straight from the garden (washed first of course)

4 Places I would like to visit:
1. Church Historical sites
2. Italy
3. Portugal
4. All the temples in the world

4 Things I'm looking forward to:
1. Having another baby
2. Moving into a house
3. Mike finishing his degree program
4. Growing old with my dear sweet husband :)

Saturday, June 14, 2008

So, I got tagged...or whatever...

Hey, it's Mike. My sister tagged me so here's the info:

4 Jobs I've had:
1. Fry’s Food (bagger)
2. United Artist’s Theaters (best job ever!)
3. Deseret Book
4. Bank of America (no, I’m not a teller)

4 Movies I would watch more than once:
1. TRON
2. Harry Potter (any)
3. Iron Man
4. Lord of the Rings

4 Places that I've Lived:
1. Mesa, AZ (born and raised)
2. Portugal
3. Cabo Verde (that’s in Africa)
4. Gilbert and Chandler. AZ

4 Places I've been to/visited:
1. Portugal
2. Cabo Verde (that’s in Africa)
3. Nauvoo
4. Washington D.C.

4 Favorite foods:
1. Steak
2. Strange foods I’ve never tried
2. Barbecue
4. Mint Julep from Disneyland (okay, so this isn’t “food”, sue me)

4 Places I would like to visit:
1. China
2. Italy
3. Japan
4. A home that I own

4 Things I'm looking forward to:
1. Having another baby
2. Starting my degree program
3. Finishing my degree program
4. Start a business with my best friend, Clint

Monday, June 9, 2008

Mike's new blog

So, you can probably tell when I post something versus when Kristi makes a post. Generally hers are meaningful and not random at all. Mine are the exact opposite. So rather than clutter up the family blog with random ramblings and strange internet finds, I've created my own blog to house such gems. Go take a look!

http://www.goldfixe.blogspot.com/ Click HERE

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Uh oh...Did we lose you?

Okay, so we changes our layout to something a little more...(insert adjective here)? In that process we lost our list of blogs. I found some of them but I know I'll miss somebody and I don't want to offend or lose touch with anyone.

Please leave your blog address in the comments and we'll definitely add you to the list.

You guys rule,

Us

Thursday, June 5, 2008

It's about stinkin' time!!!



Okay, so I've been kind of in denial for the last couple of weeks. However when you want something so bad and you finally get it you just can't stop thinking about it and you keep wondering if you really got what you wanted. Something quite like visiting another continent or country, say like Italy. You know you made the plans, got the ticket, and even got on the plane, but when you get there all you can think is, "I'm in Italy. I can't believe I'm in Italy" when all you really know is, you're definitely not home, something's different. Okay, so that's my analogy. Here's what's up.





WE'RE PREGNANT!




Officially confirmed, 100%, real live baby in my tummy. Here's the real proof.
The due date is January 5, 2009 according to the ultra sound so I'm 9 1/2 weeks. Mike's rooting for next year because next year's benefits include 3 months of paid paternity leave as opposed to the 2 months he will have this year. I'll be suprised if he stays home for 2 months as it is, but it will be nice to have the help. So that's the news! You may now consider yourself informed.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Sweet. Fancy. Moses.

Okay, I like water slides. I haven't been to Sunsplash or whatever in, like, eight or nine years. That being said, I want to fly to Germany right now to ride on a single water slide.

Get this...You hop in what I can only call a launch tube for the human torpedo you are about to become. There's no sitting down waiting for some faux-lifeguard to tell you when you can go. Nope. You enter the death chamber and basically hyperventilate until...sweet release. You either die immediately or choke on your heart as you drop straight down. "But Mike", you say, "I've been down the bonzai slides before. I can handle this." Trust me, this is different. You don't drop straight down on the bonzai. And why do you need to drop straight down? What a silly question. To pick up enough speed for the FULL LOOP, of course. That's right. For the first time ever a full loop on a water slide. Take that Sunsplash!! Your water park just sank another notch on the water park hierarchy.

Check out the video to see how awesomely scary this this is:



I'm pretty sure they have medical teams standing by to remove the colossal wedgies received by this. That and all the hard attacks. You think the splash down pool is super-chlorinated? I bet it is what with all the people getting the pee scared out of them.

via Gizmodo