Movies

Last night I did something I haven't done since high school. I went to two movies in one night. And they were in two different cities!

First on the list was Fireproof which I've wanted to see since I first saw the trailer for it awhile back. It was difficult for me to watch at first, as it brought back some painful memories. I think they handled the topic very well and they did not sugarcoat the Gospel at all. I don't want to ruin any aspect of this movie for anyone who might be reading this, but there is one scene that I want to call to attention that appears in the trailer. Caleb (Kirk Cameron) has just gotten rid of the computer. In it's place, he puts a vase full of red roses with a note card that says, "I love you more". This is what every woman needs to see demonstrated in the relationship, almost more than anything else. She needs to know that she comes before a pricey toy, bad habits, other people. That she is valued so much her husband is willing to put her needs first. I won't get into all the reasons why this movie touched me so much....but it did. I have another friend who hasn't seen it yet, so I hope to go see it again!

The next movie I saw was Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. It was a lot like American Graffiti and Dazed and Confused except with music. It has made me realize that there is a lot more music in the world that I've not had access to here in Kentucky.

For now I've got sorting, packing and labeling to do.

Of Wall E and Clutter

Yesterday I (finally) got to see Wall E! I went with two friends and the (young) niece of one of the friends. I'd heard many different opinions on how children reacted to the movie, so I was curious to see if she would enjoy it. Myself and one of my friends (the aunt of said niece), enjoyed the movie. We laughed in all the "right" places and I teared up in all the "right" places. (I can't speak for my friend on the tears.) My other friend declared that the movie "was alright, but it's not one of my favorites". The young child got restless after Eve arrived, and actually started trying to have conversations with her aunt a few times (loose teeth, potty breaks, what are we doing next?). In fact, they missed the last five minutes of the movie and came back in time for the credits. Got to love those (second) potty breaks!

I don't think the niece was that into it, I didn't hear her laugh too often at anything so I wonder if the story line wasn't a bit over her head. She's probably in the five to seven age range. I do have to say that my Levi's botched the ending for myself and my other friend.

When we got up to let our friend and the niece out for the potty break, my friend's drink somehow latched onto the back pocket of my jeans and fell perfectly through the gap in my seat to rest (right side up!) on the floor. I retrieved the drink, my friend told me what happened, and we laughed so hard that (I at least), cried. Now if only I could teach those jeans to grab a Hershey bar or two.....

Which brings me to clutter. Tonight I helped move a friend of mine from DivorceCare group. I jinxed the whole thing by saying that she lives in an apartment, how much stuff could she have? Friends, the answer to that question is lots. Enough to fill up two apartments and a truck. In fact, we didn't even get it all moved. So. I am more determined than ever to sell a majority of my things in a yard sale. What I don't sell goes to Goodwill or the dump or I may even consider giving some of it away. There is no way that I will pay storage fees to hold my junk. No way.
Expect the yard sale to be heavy on books, dishes, one function kitchen appliances and candles.

Twilight....

.....will be a movie! Now I have to hurry and read the series...I always dread that the movie will not live up to what I imagined from the book. That's probably why I haven't been able to watch the Narnia movies.

However. While I was reading this, I couldn't help but wonder what it was about the characters/the plot/the whole concept that made this book so appealing. Vampires aren't a new concept; neither is the idea of vampire vs. wolverine. What sucked me in? The book is narrated in the first person, by Bella. I think readers identify quickly with first person. And then I realized that what sucked me in is the same thing that kept me and my BFF (hey, it was high school) sneaking and reading her mom's Harlequinn (I know, I know) novels.

The basic formula is the same. Not so perfect chick (clumsy, pudgy, sloppy, "unlovable") sees man-so-handsome-as-to-be -Greek-godlike and thinks he never in a trillion years will notice her. But, he always does. He saves the day, wants to be with her 24/7, fixes every little problem she has and marries her in the end. In the epilogue, the couple usually has at least one child on the way, and they're living the dream life in whatever place they met.

And that's my problem with romances. Reality is a far cry from fantasy romance fiction. A man doesn't "complete" a woman, only God can fill that chink in her heart. The attraction is almost always based on lust alone. I think there is a danger in reading these, because it causes unrealistic expectations in a woman's own relationships. Plus, it keeps the guys around us to a (very) unrealistic standard.

I'm not saying sweet/charming/romantic guys don't exist; they do. In fact, I've recently met one couple who had a rather fairy tale courtship (ladies, the way he courted his (now) wife is unbelievably romantic), but that doesn't mean that they will never disagree or that they only love because of the mushy stuff.

Anyway, my point is beware the romance novel ("Christian" ones fall in the beware category, too).

Of X-Men and Vampires

The byproduct of an overactive imagination is that I have really bizarre, interesting (to me) dreams. Last night I had a dream that involved vampires (the result of reading twilight) and the X-Men, primarily Gambit. Why the X-Men? I have no idea. I think it could be because the assassins in Wanted kind of reminded me of mutants.

Anyway. I found out that there is another X-Men (sorta) movie coming that finally has Gambit! Yay! I’m not so sure about the actor they picked to play him; he doesn’t seem like he could pull it off. I guess I’ll find out next year.