Face to Face

I have arrived in the 21st century...again. I am on facebook!
I had heard of facebook but thought it was just another meeting place like myspace. I find myspace hard to maneuver through and I still haven't figured out how to ad my profile picture. Facebook is easy to use and I have found many people I know on it - friends, relatives, classmates, etc. Now I am encouraging all my friends to join up!
Even my husband is on facebook! I know, several of you just fainted. My husband doesn't even know how to use a computer, mouse, email, any of it. I have to say that I will maintain that one...like I do his email. That's cool. He has found possible relatives in France and that has peaked his interest.
So, to those of you that are not on facebook yet - what are you waiting for?
Many thanks to Don Miguel for telling me to get on it!

To be Grateful at Christmas

Today was a good Christmas Eve day. I got to spend the day with my husband, we went to lunch (turned out to be free as a customer appreciation day) and some fun last minute purchases. Unfortunately, this day brought a sad purchase. Sympathy cards. Four.
It does seem surreal to be filling out Sympathy cards on Christmas Eve. A night the star appeared in the east and led wisemen and shepherds to meet the Savior. But that is what I have been doing.
In between my filling out the cards is the joyful sound of my children waiting for Santa, helping their father put up lights (yes, still putting them up) and the singing of carols.
And I fill out another card.
The news of these deaths of family and friends of family seemed to be just to much. It was to much with just one this time of year. But not as bad a blow as to the family that had to deliver such news.
Today, in a Christmas card, came the news of the death of the son of friends in NJ. He was 18 and killed in a car accident on November 29th. I sobbed when I read the card and found the memorial card inside. I didn't know him. He was the son of my husband's friends from high school but he still kept in touch. They came to our wedding. But it just hit me in the heart. Maybe because I am a mother.
A couple weeks ago, while unpacking boxes of decorations, their card from last year fell out of a box (I save cards with the decorations for years). It was a funny card and inside was a lovely picture of their son and daughter. Every year we get a card with a picture and have watched them grow.
I am not writing this to make you sad. But to pass on what was said in their card this year after saying how beautiful our children are:
"Please give them each and extra hug & 'I love you' at night."
I will.
I am grateful.

Joy To The World!

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14

"And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established forever." 2 Samuel 7:16

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And lo, an angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angels a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
Luke 2:8-14

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

"Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." John 21:29

"Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do." James 3:18

"Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:1-2

"Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation;
O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God, all glory in the highest;" John F. Wade

Many blessings and a joyful holiday
from the movie mommy's home to your home!

The Day the Earth Stood Still

The Day the Earth Stood Still is one of those movies that coulda been but turned out not to be. I guess I thought that this re-make with Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly would be the intelligent science fiction that the 1951 original had been. I just figure that if you are going to use the exact same title, character names and even robot of the original that there might be some inkling of the original left.
Maybe I am not being fair.
The story of both films is about an alien named Klaatu that comes to Earth, with a wicked cool robot, to find out if our violent species is worth saving. Klaatu is shot upon exiting the space craft, the robot defends him, Klaatu stops the robot from destroying all the soldiers, Klaatu escapes the hospital and meets a human woman and her son and learns about humanity. Well, this is where the similarity ends.
In this new version, Klaatu is interested in saving the Earth not humans per se. The Earth is a valuable commodity because it can sustain life and if we aren't going to take care of it - then we don't deserve it. Reeves is very good in this deadpan roll with very few words (personally, I think these are the best roles for him) and gets his message across with some good special effects. Connelly plays a scientist that is brought in, with a dozen other scientists, to figure out what is heading toward Earth, where it came from and then what does the alien want. I really would have liked to seen more science in the science fiction. She isn't sure about Klaatu but helps him escape and then drives him around as he decides the fate of Earth. He decides humans should be destroyed and through some contrived scene staging decides they are.
This movie offers nothing new with special effects, story or acting.
There was a great scene with Reeves and John Cleese that should have been expanded and maybe is on the cutting room floor. Once again cut the intelligent and keep the corny.
Oh, did I mention it was corny? Flat, typical characters that single mindedly see Klaatu as a threat which leads to "FIRE all missiles!"
It is hard to compare it to the original that was sending a message of impending self destruction of the human race. 1951 was a time of atom bombs, bomb shelters and fear of commies. The message was as clear then as it is now - humanity needs to unite before we destroy each other. Klaatu's message was also clear that he could do the job for us.
There are different types of science fiction in my book. There is what I call the "cerebral" type of Gattaca and Sunshine. The "popcorn" type of Independence Day and Armageddon. Then there is the "blended" type of iRobot, Artificial Intelligence and The Island. The blended science fiction can be the most satisfying for your thinking and action parts of the brain. There is a good story, message and some good action (maybe more than some action).
There are plans to remake the blended classics of Fahrenheit 451 and Logan's Run (I thought The Island had that covered). I really hope they get it right or change the titles.
The Day the Earth Stood Still could have been a great blend. The message was there and could have been presented in many different ways. The acting could have been there - I blame the casting and directing. The special effects were nothing new. Groundbreaking is what this movie needed.
Those that know the movie mommy, know that I am not out to see award winning cinema every time I watch a movie but I expect some satisfaction.
I am afraid I cannot recommend this movie to plunk down up to $10 on. Maybe a matinee or the $1 theater would do.
MM (out of 5 M's)

Favorite Christmas Movies!

The annual movie mommy Christmas movie posting is here! It would probably help if I looked at last year's posting...nah. If I don't remember, neither do you!

Love Actually (2003): If you haven't seen Love Actually yet, I don't know what you are waiting for! This movie not only has an all star cast BUT an all talent cast including Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Bill Nighy and well...many more. This who's who of British cinema doesn't really have to rely on the full talents of the actors as each superbly written vignette about love, loss, love and family tell their own story. It is a true gift to yourself to just sit and enjoy this movie.

The Holiday (2006): The unlikely combination of Jack Black, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Cameron Diaz make for a delightful movie about two women on a search for a change in their lives during the holidays and do! Winslet and Diaz play two women at opposite ends of the world (but not in their love lives) who decide to swap houses for the holidays. With a stellar supporting cast this charming movie will be a more than pleasant surprise.

Elf (2003): Whether you like Will Ferrell or not - this movie is so much fun and such a delight that you will forget he is in it! I think it is important to point out the director - Jon Favreau, who is also an actor that has appeared in funny supporting parts as in Swingers, The Replacements and Somethings Gotta Give seems to give him a good pace for adding comic timing to his directing. He also directed Iron Man and Zathura and his humor and pace is seen there as well. I don't know if Will Ferrell is the kind of actor that needs a heavy handed director to keep his shtick in line but it works for this movie. Buddy the Elf (Ferrell) was raised by Elves in the North Pole but figures out that he doesn't fit in. After finding out he had human parents and his father is still alive - he heads to the Big Apple. A fish out of water story can always be fun and is taken full advantage of in this movie. A great cast to support Ferrell doesn't hurt either. Take a chance on this movie and I promise, by the end, you will have found your own Christmas spirit!

Miracle on 34th Street (1947): Only the original captures the simple innocence of the belief or non-belief in Santa Claus. I am sure everyone reading this has seen this movie - if you haven't seen it in a while, time to see it again. This movie never loses it's magic - black and white or "colorized" it is still a treat. Is the Macy's Santa really Santa? Young Natalie Wood would like to know! At the time 20th Century Fox used it's "stable of stars" to make this movie with Maureen O'Hara and John Payne who were known for more serious movies. But in a post-war America, it was time for some belief...in something. If your children have never seen this version now is the time!

Scrooged (1988): I wasn't a fan of this movie when I was younger but over the past couple years I have come to appreciate it's unbelievably cynical "Scrooge" as only Bill Murray can play him. Bill Murray plays a TV executive who is producing a live TV version of A Christmas Carol. It is ironic that someone with zero Christmas spirit is producing this show. Of course, he is visiting by the three spirits and learns what Scrooge learned. If you are like me - give it re-watch and you will catch some things you didn't before.

Merry Christmas from the movie mommy!

DVD Review

Nim's Island: Normally, when you hear "a movie the entire family will enjoy" you think - kids' movie or even chick movie. Nim's Island really is a movie that everyone will enjoy - if they don't...you should consider why you are friends with them!
The tag line for this movie is "Be the hero of your own story" and that is very true!
The title character is played by Abigail Breslin (brilliant in Little Miss Sunshine) as a child raised on a tropical island with her marine biologist father (played by the ultra-hunky Gerard Butler) . They love the fact they live away from the world and can enjoy their island. A series of events leaves Nim alone on the island with invaders on their way and her only way to communicate is through the internet. She receives an email (on her shared email account with her father) addressed to her father from the famous adventure author Alex Rover. Nim is a huge fan and is happy to answer questions from the author about research for the next book.
Adventure ensues for Nim, Dad and Alex Rover. And without revealing to much it has enough adventure, romance and kid appeal that, really, the entire family or an adult looking for a good movie can enjoy.
You will be surprised and delighted by the cast and how the story comes together and ends.
I put this one up there with The Last Mimzy as surprisingly wonderful and and leaving the viewer feeling warm inside - that lasts for days.
MMMMM (out of 5 M's)

James Bond - The Movie Review

Quantum of Solace: This is hands down one of the best James Bond movies EVER! I mean really! I consider myself the big screen expert on James Bond (see my post below this one) and my expert opinion says - Go see this movie!
Daniel Craig bring James Bond to a new level. Forget Jason Bourne or the Transporter movies - Bond can take them all on. Craig isn't just another pretty face or bod. He is an actor who brings a level of depth and down right humanity to the part with a dash of cynical humor. He is also evenly matched to Dame Judi Dench as M. Don't look for Q or his gadgets in this movie. There isn't even Miss Money Penny. And no Aston Martin. There are plenty of the usual 007 stunts to keep every action fan happy, don't worry. And as usual, the opening sequence has a wild one.
Bond is up to his usual super spy antics but M is worried that he will go out for revenge because of the death of his main squeeze from the last movie. Don't worry if you didn't see it. I saw it and I had trouble keeping track of who the players were...but that didn't matter. There is also a young woman that is on the trail of revenge as well. She is a cool customer whom Bond runs into along the way and inadvertently leads him to who he was looking for. They make a good team.
Bond's revenge is not for who you or M thinks it is. And that makes for an interesting character study on the relationships of the main characters.
There is no doubt that this 007 is for a new generation. Don't get me wrong, Pierce Brosnan was definitely part of my generation's wish list for Bond. But I don't get hung up on that (after all there have been 10 Doctor Who's). The character has to evolve and grow with the times. In the old days the bad guys were Commies of all kinds. Now, the enemy isn't so easy to recognize and loyalty seems easier to buy.
Go see this movie, even if you have never seen a James Bond movie. You will be left wanting more.
MMMMM (out of 5 M's)

The Streak

I have a secret. It involves a spy. A debonair, slick, well dressed spy, who is often shaken, not stirred. Yes, I have had a relationship with James Bond since 1973. I was young then but old enough to know that I had to have more.
In 1973 my father took me to see Live and Let Die at the Margate Twin. I was 6 years old and I had never seen anything like it. I recall commenting that I had never been so frightened in my entire life. I think it had to do with voodoo, witch doctors and wild special effects - on the big screen. Maybe it was a little much for a small child - but it didn't end there.
Since then, I have seen every James Bond movie AT the movies. Yes, it's only the big screen for me and James. My Dad usually took me and when I moved out on my own I would go many times by myself. Nothing would keep us apart.
Yes, Roger Moore was my first. And they say that you never forget your first Bond - he is usually the favorite carried through life. Sorry Sean Connery fans. But he never did it for me. I even liked the short lived Bond of Timothy Dalton. I think he should have had more chances. But then again - Pierce Brosnan - schwing! Remington Steele fans waited, for what seemed like forever, for him to be Bond. The part seemed a sure fit. Alas, some relationships are not made to last forever.
Now, I have a new Bond in my life - Daniel Craig - SCHWING! Okay, okay, there are hormones involved (You know how to make a hormone right?). Yes, hunkiness has come to the character. I welcome the change. Don't get me wrong - I dig debonair and someone who looks good in a tux but there is nothing wrong with looking good in a tight swimsuit!
My love for Bond movies transcends good looks and schwingability. There is no other series like it. And I feel no other streak like it. Sure, maybe you saw all the Friday the 13th movies at the movies (begs the question of - why?) but to each his/her own. But I have NEVER met anyone with my streak.
It's a small thing. But I think about all that has happened to me in the past 35 years and well...I don't see anything else that consistent in it.
And yes, I will walk across a room, stop and turn - pretending to shoot. Like the beginning of a 007 movie.

VOTE!

It's your right.

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not
be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
— Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1870)

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not
be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.
— Nineteenth Amendment (1920)

The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any
primary or other election . . . shall not be denied or abridged . . . by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.
— Twenty-fourth Amendment (1964)

The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of age.
— Twenty-sixth Amendment (1971)

Rays of Hope

There is nothing better than when your favorite sports team is in a championship! In the Tampa Bay area we had some droughts. Then we won the the Superbowl in 2002 and the Arena Football championship. Then we won the Stanley Cup in 2004. These teams were thought to be out of any running for any kind of championship and often looked like the were playing for the other team. We've put that to an end.
Now it is time for the Tampa Bay Rays (formerly the Devil Rays) to get some!
Baseball in the Tampa Bay area, up until 1998, was reserved for Spring training of other MLB teams. The St. Louis Cardinals were in St. Petersburg for years. The Yankees train in Tampa. The Phillies in Clearwater and so on. We knew baseball. Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio and others of fame stayed in the area. Baseball star watching was a popular sport in town.
In 1998 the Tampa Bay Devil Rays debuted to a sold out and enthusiastic home crowd!
(Just in case you don't know - the term "Tampa Bay" refers to the entire geographic area of 4 major cities and many small towns in and around the area.)
The Devil Rays started out in the basement and have been scratching and scraping their way up from the bottom ever since. Attendance dwindled. Heads hung low.
And now after 10 years in the league - they are in the World Series. Not only IN the World Series but BEAT the Yankees and the Red Sox to get there!
In the past there would be Yankees fans at Devil Rays games...they outnumbered the home team fans. There would be more cheering when a Yankee did something great then the Devil Rays (who never did anything great). Not for lack of trying. We had Jose Canseco a known DH but he was a dud. They got Joe Piniella to get the team rolling but no go.
This season the stands have been full. Baseball is back!
Apparently the Devil Rays just needed some faith. This season the Devil in the name was dropped and a new logo was developed. There might be something to that because when the Buccaneers changed their colors and logo they started having winning seasons. Coincidence?
Sport, if nothing else, is about superstition with luck and dash of fate.
The Rays are one of the youngest teams in the league (in regard to the age of the players) that seems to just enjoy playing the game. No, they aren't used to winning and maybe that makes the taste of it all the more sweeter.
I don't know what will happen when this series is over. If the Rays win there will be fireworks and horns blowing till 5am the next day. If they lose the fans will still meet them at the airport. That's the kind of sports town "Tampa Bay" is.
We know how to lose and keep playing.
And we know the taste of victory and how to relish it.
And sometimes it is...how you play the game.

Now Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

A new season is here! Finally! After the writer's strike and a long summer (bright spot being The Closer) it is time to kick back and enjoy this season's fare.
I am glad that my old favorites have returned - Criminal Minds, Pushing Daisies, Ugly Betty, Ghost Whisperer (guilty pleasure!) and NCIS (I still hope for improvement).

I have decided to try out a few new shows as well:

Bones : This isn't exactly a new show but it is new to me. Having been on USA network since 2005 it has a steady following of viewers and I can see why. Starring Emily Deschanel (who has a decent sized body of work but only in small parts) and David Boreanaz (known to many viewers as the hunky sensitive vampire, Angel) as an odd couple solving cases for the FBI. Bones is the nickname of Deschanel's character because she is a forensic anthropologist who studies bones and what they can tell her. Boreanaz's character is an FBI agent who sees how she can help him solve cases. This could be a typical formula series but USA network has shown us through Monk, House, Psych and Dead Zone that they are far from formula. Bones follows these two investigators as well as the rest of her team and the FBI gang. There are many characters that get woven into each story (much like CSI) that creates more of an ensemble feel. There is sexual chemistry but it is not forced - it seems natural and the viewer isn't left waiting for these two to "get together." We can wait. They are very good developing characters. If you are looking for something different in your viewing - give Bones a chance.

The Mentalist : I can only hope that actor Simon Baker (you may remember him as the cad in The Devil Wears Prada) can carry this show on his own as the title character because the rest of the cast is lacking. Baker plays a former TV psychic who now works as a private investigator helping the police solve cases. He admits he was never a psychic but uses his keen powers of observation to solve the crimes (ala Sherlock Holmes). Baker is charming, witty and a pleasure to watch as he effortlessly cruises through each case. That cannot be said for his co-star Robin Tunney, who in spite of a large resume of TV and movies, falls flat. She is supposed to be this tough cop who puts up with his tricks. She is either mis-cast, mis-directed, badly written, a weak actress or all of the above. What they need is a tougher woman! There are many great examples of strong women on TV and she is not one of them. There is also this terrible excuse for sexual tension. It's not there! The rest of the cast is okay but the show needs work. Keep Baker and re-work the rest of the show and it will be a winner. It is worth watching for Baker and that's it.

I eagerly await the premiere of Eleventh Hour this week! I hope it is worth the wait.

Enjoying Life's Moments

I could have titled this posting, "Enjoying Life's Small Moments," but since I have been blessed with my children - there are no small moments.
Yes, I am majoring in Theology but that is not why I chose "blessed" to described my children in my life. I chose that word because a blessing is a great gift from God, the Father, the Creator or whatever you want to call Him/Her. My children are the greatest gift and event that has ever happened to me. They are beautiful and full of wonder and questions about the world around them.
Occasionally it makes me sad to have to answer a future question like, "Why does Bill get to play football? I want to play to!" Do I really have to explain it is for boys? True some girls do play...but not in the NFL. Not that that is the hardest question I will ever get but she is starting to say she wants to play football.
They also have questions of joy for me like my son asking, "Mommy, where is God? I don't see him?" This came after I explained who God was and that he was often way up in the sky. He did later look out the window and exclaim that he did see God (don't doubt it).
Some moments I hope to remember for the rest of my life and I am sure will always bring a smile like the other night...
My daughter is potty training and the other night had a victory. As a reward we all had m&m's and danced to a boom box in the living room. My children each wrapped a blanket around their waist. Trinity said she was a princess and twirled around (like princesses do) and my son said he was the King and proceeded to dance regally. They danced with such joy! I had to dance as well! I was about to turn off the radio when "Young Americans" by David Bowie came on. A great tune. We just kept dancing by twirling, jumping and falling on the floor. The laughter was infectious. I thought, as I watched the delight of my children, that I never want to forget this moment.
Someday I might be blue and all I have to do is think of my "wild bunch," "angels," and "thing 1 and thing 2, "young Americans" and I will not be able to stop smiling.

New Review!!!

The following reviews are by the Super Mommy. A regular contributor to this blog!

Babylon AD
Since he first stole the show in Boiler Room, I’ve believed Vin Diesel was like pizza. Even “bad” Vin was “good” Vin. Until I saw Babylon AD, that is. Vin, baby, WHAT were you thinking?

OK, in all fairness, the sorry state of this movie probably isn’t Vin’s fault. Not totally, at least. I think blame more fully falls on whoever produced this mess and felt they could do it without the benefit of a screenwriter. That’s really the only explanation I can come up with for the near-total lack of discernable, trackable plot.

In theory, the film trails Diesel’s character, Toorop (no one ever explains the weird name, but then so much goes unexplained in this flick) a mercenary for hire who is inexplicably living in Russia in the near future. Russian mobster Gorsky (French film legend Gerard Depardieu) hires Toorop to smuggle a just-post-pubescent girl (Melanie Thierry) and her guardian (Michelle Yeoh) from their convent in the frozen north to New York City. No, it’s never explained what Gorsky’s interest is in all this. Are you seeing a pattern here? Along the way, there are a few explosions, a lot of dead bodies killed in singularly uncreative ways, a submarine, a female super preacher who looks a lot like George W. Bush in drag, artificial intelligence, and not one, but two (count ‘em – TWO) immaculate conceptions.

If that all seems confusing and aimless when you read it here … well, it looks that way on the screen too. The movie limps along for the first hour, and then it’s as if the writer and director realized they had just another 30 minutes to play with and they were frantic to wrap up the story, even if the ending made no sense at all. What little plot there is just falls apart and the last 30 minutes are confusing snippets of storyline that just don’t follow sensible from the 60 minutes that preceded them.

Babylon AD is 90 minutes of missed opportunities, huge plot holes and wasted performances by otherwise good actors. Going back to my original pizza analogy, this is a big, greasy slice of stupid and not even Vin can make it worth sitting through.

Rating: M (and only because Vin is in it)

Vin that’s Worth Watching – on DVD

Vin Diesel is probably one of his generation’s most under-rated, poorly type-cast actors. Here are a few gems that will remind you that Vin’s not just a great action star, he’s a great actor as well:

Pitch Black
Pitch Black is just pitch-perfect in every way, from the CGI aliens who are creepy as heck, to the creative story of a band of travelers stranded on a planet about to plunge into eternal night, to Diesel’s stellar performance as Riddick Bowe. Not only are there great supporting cast performances (Wings Hauser and Radha Mitchell are both awesome), and special effects, the movie actually has a message. Pitch Black is not just a story of survival hard-won by a badass criminal. It’s a story of personal redemption.
Rating: MMMMM

Boiler Room
Vin has a supporting role in this Giovanni Ribisi vehicle about fraudulent stock traders, but his personality just jumps off the screen in every scene he’s in. Guys, it’s worth watching for the hot cars. Ladies, it’s worth watching because Vin flashes that melt-your-panties smile of his throughout the movie.
MMM

Fast and Furious
No one plays the bad boy with the bulging biceps and a good heart as well as Vin Diesel. Again, he’s in a supporting role but when this film first came out it was pretty much universally agreed by critics and fans alike that Vin OWNED this movie. All you really need to know about the plot is that it involves fast cars, spectacular chase scenes and a great get-away by Diesel’s not-so-bad badass character.
MMM

The Iron Giant
What’s that? You didn’t know Diesel had a role in this sweet children’s film about a young boy who befriends an extra-terrestrial robot stranded on Earth? Yes, it’s an animated movie for kids, but it’s got an exciting story and a great message. AND it’s got Vin as the voice of the robot. This one makes my list because it proves Vin’s acting prowess. He carries the store and imbues his character with life using his voice alone –without the power of his sexy smile and great bod.
MMMM

And NO, I did not forget XXX. It doesn’t qualify for my list of great Vin vehicles because it’s missing an essential element of Diesel’s best roles – deep development of a flawed character who ultimately turns out to be more noble than he thought he could be.

Many thanks to the Super Mommy for the above reviews! Once again, she helps keep this blog afloat!

Where is the movie mommy?

I know, I know, I have disappeared for a few weeks.
Well...I've been busy!
School, work, family, school, school, school...
I will be back...very soon! Hang in there and don't stop checking my posts!
Thanks!

Et Tu Bejing?

When I was heavily competing in Martial Arts tournaments I noticed a troubling thing...women's competition being shoved, pushed and man-handled out of the way for the men to compete. Most men judging these tournaments were Black Belts and were waiting themselves to compete. Black Belt men's competition is what everyone wanted to see. Notice I said "men's." True, women Black Belts did judge as well and had to leave their posts to compete. Then there was the problem of getting enough Black Belt men to judge us - our peers. They did so, begrudgingly. While watching us, their eyes were always sliding over to the other rings to watch their own students. By the time I was done competing, 15 years later, it was a little better. At least all women of all ranks weren't lumped together as they had been the past.
Then we come to the Olympics. I did expect more. The brutal facts appear to be that the viewing public doesn't want to see women's basketball, beach volleyball or swimming in prime time. That's PRIME time. If they do, they should say so. Sure, there were a few re-viewings of the women winning beach volleyball BUT the men's finals were actually being played in US prime time.
When did you find out the women won the gold in basketball? Did you know that? I saw it as a foot note in my sports section (the worst sports section I have ever seen). Did you know a woman won the gold in Judo? How about sailing? Fencing? These are all United States women! Yes, Yes, the women's gymnastics is on prime time. But isn't that a "girl's" sport? I hate to put it that way but men don't mind seeing girls in leotards...in prime time. Long live Title IX!
Do guys want to see a woman all sweaty and doing Judo? Maybe not. But I think it is something our girls and young women need to see - in prime time.

Get Over It!

Okay, this is for you: You, who still have election bumper stickers from 2004 on your car...IT'S OVER!
If your guy lost - get over it! If your guy won - stop gloating!
That goes for the rest of you with "save the whales," "world peace," "pro-life/choice," "free china," "girl power," "amnesty international," "support the troops," etc.
PLEASE stop clinging to your outdated idealistic sentimental ways! It's the 21st century!
How about, "support better pre-natal care," "vaccinate your children," "stay married," "stop being selfish and donate blood," or "start thinking." I'm not that clever but I tried.
And for God's sake, take those stupid fish off your car! If you really are a Christian - you would certainly drive that way.

Mamma Mia!

GUEST REVIEWER! The Super Mommy is back!!!

If you loved Abba, then you’ll adore Mamma Mia! If you’re saying “Who’s Abba?” it’s time to discover the musically multi-layered, lyrically enlightened talents of one of the ‘70s most revered – or reviled – pop groups, and this movie is just the vehicle for your voyage of discovery!

The movie version of the hit Broadway musical boasts an all-star cast, including the too-talented-to-be-totally-human Meryl Streep, and a trio of yummilicious guys - Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard. Streep portrays Donna Sheridan, an aging former flower child who runs a run-down hotel on a tiny Greek isle. Bubbly, buxom and seemingly carefree on the surface – Donna hides a sexy secret. Twenty years ago, after then-boyfriend Sam (Brosnan) broke her heart by returning to England to marry someone else, she slept with two other guys within days of his departure from their Greek hideaway. Donna doesn’t know who sired her daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfreid) – Sam, Bill (Skarsgard) or Harry (Firth).

What’s more, she’s never told Sophie anything about her dad. On the eve of her wedding, Sophie dreams of walking down the aisle on her father’s arm. When she discovers Donna’s diary from 20 years ago, she takes matters into her own hands and secretly invites her three potential fathers to attend her wedding. When all three show up, hilarity, some heartbreak and, of course, outrageously great music ensue.

Usually, if I love a song I really only love it from the original artist. I’m not a “cover” gal. But writer Catherine Johnson and director Phyllida Lloyd brilliantly work Abba’s greatest hits into the story. The performers – including a true “Greek chorus” - infuse each number with a rich breadth of emotion based on the context of the story.

All your favorite Abba hits are here – from “Does Your Mother Know (That You’re Out)” and “Dancing Queen” to “I Have a Dream” and “Money, Money, Money.” Standout moments include a funny and tender rendering of “Chiquitita” by Christine Baranski and Julie Waters, Streep’s deeply poignant delivery of “Slipping Through My Fingers” as she helps Sophie get dressed for her wedding and a high-energy performance of “Does Your Mother Know” by Baranski and ensemble.

The runaway moment of the movie, however, has to be when Streep belts out “The Winner Takes it All” in response to Sam’s overtures of reconciliation. She literally sent chills down my spine. Rumor has it that Streep recorded the number in Stockholm and nailed it in a single take.

Mamma Mia! is a feel-good movie that delivers big-time on fun, over-the-top great performances and music that will make you want to dance down the theater aisle. I’ll be buying the soundtrack for sure – even though Brosnan (for whom I have harbored a deep and abiding lust for 20 years) can’t sing his way out of a paper bag.

Totally Abba junkie alert: Keep your eyes peeled for cameos by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus – the writing half of the original Swedish quartet.

Highly recommended!

MMMM (out of 5 Ms)

The movie mommy thanks The Super Mommy

for helping keep up with movie reviews!

I Want My Mummy!

The Mummy: Tomb of The Dragon Emperor (The Mummy 3): Any fan of The Mummy series will enjoy this movie! I am such a fan! The first Mummy movie was not expected to be such a huge hit, even the actors thought it was a risky project. Instead it catapulted careers and spawned two more installments and a spin-off. My favorite of the series is still The Mummy from 1999. If you have not seen it yet, then see that before seeing this one.
The Mummy 3 is full of action and fun - just as you would expect from the series. Jet Li plays the title character and it shows a great deal of history of his character. It is so interesting that you really want to see a movie about his character! It showed him conquering China and building the Great Wall but he wanted to conquer death as well. Also, introduced in this segment is a sorceress played by Michele Yoeh, you also want to see more of her. The movie focuses on the discovery of the Emperor and his army appearing as statues buried deep underground (like the famous Chinese terracotta army that was found in 1974). Our heroes and their son get involved with the unfortunate reviving of the Emperor and the fact that his army will be invincible if it leaves the Great Wall of China. Brendan Frasier leads the O'Connell clan with his usual wit and charm. His wife, Evelyn, is not played in the this movie by the lovely and talented Rachel Weisz. Instead she is replaced by Maria Bello who doesn't appear to have had any significant movie roles. She lacks the chemistry with Frasier that he had with Weisz. We do find out in the beginning of the movie that that is the problem that Rick and Evelyn have. They are bored. This movie picks up in 1946, after the war, when they had apparently been spies for the British government. They miss the excitement they used to share and jump at an opportunity to go to China on a mission for their government. There they run into their son, Alex (who looks to old to be their son), who just so happened to be in China because he quit school to dig up this Emperor. Well, the Emperor has his 1946 henchmen who want to raise the Emperor from the dead and give glory back to China.
There are lots of intertwining plots and characters and you can tell a lot must have been left on the cutting room floor. And even though I loved this movie - I feel more could have been cut. More Jet Li, less Rick and Evy family drama. Jet Li and Michele Yoeh are great. Li doesn't speak any English in the movie (neither did Imoteph) but Yoeh does by the end (she turns out to get some satisfying screen time). There is also some classic Chinese butt whopin'. And as I said, I would have loved to have seen an entire movie about the Dragon Emperor...but maybe that will be another spin-off.
MMMM (out of 5 M's)

The Vacation Mommy

The movie mommy has hit the road with the family for a summer vacation! We have only taken one long vacation with the kids before this and that was trying (March 2008) but the kids are older and better trained - or maybe we are.

We always take little weekenders but this was THE big trip. The kind of travelling tradition we will always have. Overall it has been a good trip. We had the trip to the ER but other than that, uneventful. We travelled about 7 hours the first day and arrived at my Dad's. The kids loved the beach and their uncle whom they now call "Dude." We went to the boardwalk until well after dark and the children loved the boardwalk rides. Even my son who never liked a ride that moved - a big breakthrough for him. After a weekend at "the shore" we headed to the Adirondack mountains and our family lakeside cabin or camp, as they call them up here. The kids are having a blast. They have been boating, on a train ride and today we took a ride on a paddle boat - something I first did as a baby (same boat). My son has been swimming off our dock with glee. His smile is wide and he is proud of himself - another breakthrough event for him.

This vacation has been good for our family. Our short trips have prepared us for this long one. We know what we need and don't need. The kids are at an age where they can really enjoy family activities with us.

These are just some ramblings I decided to write...in between my crushing amount of online work I have to do for school.

We head in the direction of home on in a couple days - and we are exhausted. A good vacation should always need you ready for another one!

New Reviews!

The following reviews are by the Super Mommy, special guest reviewer!

Wall*E
The Movie Mommy can attest to the fact that the Super Mommy is almost always able to find something to complain about. So imagine how shocked she was when I told her I couldn’t find a single thing to criticize about Wall*E, Pixar’s latest animated offering. From start to finish, the movie is just a gem – arguably the best the studio has put out in a string of excellent movies.

Wall*E predicts a distant future that we can easily imagine evolving out of Earth’s current environmental and social issues. Humans have literally trashed the planet and abandoned the debris-choked world for life on a luxurious starliner created by a Big Brother-style corporation. Before splitting for the stars, however, people left behind an army of robots to clean things up and prepare the Earth for eventual repopulation. Several hundred years later, all the robots have broken down. The only one left is Wall*E, an adorable little ‘bot who bears a striking resemblance to the main character in Short Circuit. Somehow, Wall*E has developed a personality and now spends his days compacting trash, playing with the only living thing left on the planet – a roach – watching a videotape of “Hello Dolly” and pining for companionship.

When another robot – this one a sleek, flying, laser-blasting Princes Leia-like character – arrives on Earth, Wall*E sees a chance to end his yearning and make a friend. Wall*E and Eve do become friends, and their bond takes the little robot on an adventure from the trash-choked cities of Earth all the way to the distant starliner that bears the last remnants of the human race. Inactivity and freedom from Earth’s gravity have turned humans into a race of sluggish, fat, sedentary creatures that seem like they would be ill-prepared for the challenge of repopulating their home world.

You could say Wall*E is a cautionary tale of the future our world faces if humans don’t clean up their act. You could interpret the film as a profound statement on the transcendent power of a simple touch. You could even view it as a story of redemption on a truly grand scale. But more than anything else, Wall*E is just good, clean fun – with a message. Kids will enjoy the animation, cuteness and slapstick moments. Adults will feel uplifted by the movie’s more grown-up themes.

Don’t wait for this to come out on DVD. Go see it in the theater. The sound effects are awesome (the first 30 minutes are dialogue-free yet brilliantly communicate the characters and situations), the animation is top-notch and the characters will win your heart.

MMMMM (out of 5)

The Walker
Almost every time I see Woody Harrelson in a movie I think to myself he was a sorry replacement for Coach and he hasn’t gotten much better with experience. But I have to give credit where credit is due; Harrelson shines in this psychological thriller set in the dirty social underbelly of Washington, D.C. Harrelson portrays Carter Page III, the son of a well-respected and long dead politician who never quite manages to live up to his father’s legacy. In his own way, “Car” is as much a mover and shaker as his father was. Carter is a “walker,” a socially adroit gay man who “walks” the wealthy, beautiful wives of Washington, D.C. politicians from fund-raiser to dinner to canasta game. When one of his canasta partners (Kristin Scott Thomas as a singularly self-centered wife of a powerful senator) finds her secret lover brutally murdered Carter’s loyalty is tested. He covers for his friend and is drawn into an ever-twisting plot that points an accusing finger all the way to Capitol Hill.

Harrelson is brilliant as the deeply insecure yet outwardly polished Carter. A stellar supporting cast includes Lilly Tomlin as the passive-aggressive, manipulative wife of a behind-the-scenes power broker adroitly played by Ned Beatty (who seems to be channeling Karl Rove). Wilhem DaFoe is the well-intentioned and powerful senator who seems oblivious to the indiscretions of his wife (Thomas). And Lauren Bacall steals every scene she’s in as the grand dame of Washington socialites – and perhaps the only true friend Carter has in the city.

The story is complex and compelling and Harrelson is a lot of fun to watch. Highly recommended for an evening of adult DVD-watching.

MMM (out of 5)

The above reviews were by the Super Mommy! Many thanks from the movie mommy and her readers.

The Student Mommy

The movie mommy has been silent of late because of school. I am now in the process of getting my Master's Degree and it is all consuming. I work full time, mommy full time and wife full time. Even though I am only taking 2 online classes...it is ALOT more work than I expected. 26 hours of video lectures, 5 book reports and 4 textbooks of reading. There are also discussion panels and group projects. ALL in 8 weeks! Like I said, more than I expected.
Basically, I am not going to see another movie until my classes are over in August. Next semester I plan on just one class and I am hoping that will free me up a bit to continue my movie watching.
I will be squeezing in The Closer, which begins it's new season this month but that will probably be it. I don't know what I would do if this was during the regular TV season...TiVo?
I am just letting everyone know that I will be doing some posts but not about any new movies. I have a guest reviewer, The Super Mommy, that will doing most of the reviews. She sees a new movie a week and is a regular renter of the latest releases. So, be expecting some good stuff on here.
Back to the studies!

Guest Reviewer!

The following review is by the Super Mommy:

OK, first let me say that The Happening is NOT as bad as you’ve likely read. Yes, I read all the reviews that basically said M. Night Shyamalan has lost his mind and finally produced the stinker that will sink his career. You know, the ones that said The Happening is not only HIS worst movie, but one of the worst movies ever. (I tend to think those reviewers never saw Gigli or Message in a Bottle and so don’t really have a good basis of comparison for saying a movie sucks.)
I went to see The Happening anyway because … well it’s M. Night Shyamalan and I’ve seen every one of his flicks on the big screen since The Sixth Sense. There are millions of worshippers like me who will go see this movie just because it’s … M. Night Shyamalan. And therein, I think, lays the heart of the problem. If anyone else had made this movie, I don’t think critics and the public would be bashing it quite so viciously.
In brief, the movie revolves around a phenomenon – a “happening” – that is inducing people to commit suicide in some very grisly ways (hence the R-rating, the only one of Shyamalan’s movies to get the rating). Elliott (Mark Wahlberg), a Philadelphia high school science teacher, goes on a spiritual journey – and physical jaunt through the Pennsylvania countryside – to keep his loved ones safe while trying to discover the cause of the phenomenon.
This movie is definitely worth seeing. It’s got a thought-provoking ecological message, a lot to say about human nature in times of crisis, and some very good performances from Wahlberg and John Legiuzamo (one of my favorite under-rated actors). And pay attention to Betty Buckley – who arrives late in the movie.
You’ve probably heard the story is dull, and I can understand how many people would think so. There are no explosions, no high-speed car chases, no profanity, no nudity and – frankly – not that much gore. How in the world Shyamalan thought he could make a summer movie without at least ONE of those blockbuster elements is truly bewildering to me. He’s not guilty of making a bad movie; he’s guilty of seriously misreading what Americans want in a summer blockbuster.
The Happening is a thinking movie, as are ALL of Shyamalan’s films. Like all his work, the movie is built on an underlying message and you have to pay attention to glean what that message is. Unlike his previous films, however, there is no punch at the end, no “Ah-HA!” moment when it all comes together. We’ve come to expect that from Shyamalan – from the revelation of Bruce Willis’ life-challenged status at the end of The Sixth Sense to the true nature of the community in The Village. That payoff isn’t present in The Happening, and critics and fans are crucifying him for it.
If The Happening truly fails as a movie – and I don’t think it does – it’s because the writer/director overestimated the maturity of his audience. After five successful films, he thought his audience had grown up enough to NOT need that final bonk over the head that sums up his movie’s message and delivers a final adrenaline spike. Apparently, he was wrong.

The above review was by the Super Mommy. The Super Mommy is an experienced movie goer, writer, mommy, reviewer and regular contributor to the movie mommy blog.

Separate Lives

With my daughter in preschool and my son in summer day camp I have come to the realization that I don't know how they are spending their days. Seems silly doesn't it? But in the past they were in small day care home environments with only a few other children (sometimes they were the only children). I would get reports on cute things they did or new things they said or experienced. Now that they are among the masses I don't get such reports. Only that they, "Had a good day."
I have to admit that I feel like an "empty nester." Once again - silly notion. But there they are...off on their own having conversations, meeting other people, even going places...without me! I have no idea what they are doing! Silly.
I worry about them but have be confident that they are being well taken care of and will know what to do and how to act. The wish of every parent to be sure...until their child is well into adulthood.
It's a little scary that I don't have total control over their lives or know how they are being taken care of. Will someone be there to cut up his pizza? Do they know she doesn't like apples?
They come home with songs and sayings that I have never said to them. And scraped knees. They also give the standard answer on how their day was, "Okay." I ask them what they did and sometimes they tell me and sometimes they don't. I really have to pry to get any real response.
They are growing up before my eyes and when I drop them off...I wonder...what are they going to do, see, say, hear and experience. I will never know.
I just have to let go...a little.

Indiana Jones

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: If you can get over Harrison Ford looking like the Crypt Keeper, the references to the past Indy movies and the other worldly nature of the plot...then you can enjoy this movie. Of course Indy is gonna look old, I know it's set 20 years since the last movie. Now that we are in the 1950s there is also a new enemy...exit Nazis and enter Ruskies. The Russians are in search of artifacts that can give them an advantage...even an alien advantage over their capitalistic enemies.
I liked this movie but if you are not a fan then I don't think you will. It's basically made for fans. There are all the references to the old movies and even bringing back Karen Allen's character from the first Indy movie. There some predictable plot lines that come up involving Shia LeBeouf (least impressive role I've seen him in) that we didn't need...well, we didn't need his character at all. I don't think him being in the movie will be appealing enough for young movie goers to really go for this movie.
There is action! Good old fashioned Indians Jones action! Whips, knives, guns, vehicles, snakes, quicksand, bugs, waterfalls, booby traps...you know the usual stuff we come to expect from this type of movie. In that aspect - it will not disappoint!
The whole crystal skull thing is pretty cool and some parts of that mythos I would have liked to have seen more of but they spent so much time on set up that they didn't leave much for the actual meat & potatoes of the movie...then they rush to the ending - which was interesting.
I won't give too much away about the movie because I still recommend it.
If you are a fan - go see it! You should have seen it already! I liked it. I'm a fan.
MMM1/2M (out of 5 M's)

Classic Movie Corner

This is a new series of articles in which I will recommend a classic movie. And I mean classic! If you haven't seen these then you are missing out on what has been borrowed from to make today's great movies. It had to start somewhere and these movies are it!

One of my favorite movies is Now, Voyager (1942, Warner Bros.). Starring Bette Davis, Paul Henreid and Claude Rains (both of Casablanca fame) this movie was made at a time when actors, even what we would call super stars of today, made over twenty movies a year. Each studio, in a sense, owned the actors that worked for them. They weren't making "blockbusters" just entertainment. Bette Davis had to lobby the studio to get the part (hard to believe) and won it. It is said that she had never thrown herself into a part more and this is evident in her Oscar nominated performance as Charlotte Vale a frumpy spinster Aunt who is driven from her home by an oppressive mother and dissolving confidence and into the care of Dr. Jaquith (Rains) who tries to keep her from total breakdown by therapy and being out of her otherwise emotionally destructive environment.
After her therapy, Charlotte decides to embark, by herself, on a cruise to South America. She has totally transformed herself from absolute frump to stunning beauty (I normally wouldn't call Davis a stunning beauty). I am not a costume person but her ensembles are stunning. On the cruise she meets a group of travellers including Jerry Durrance (Henreid) whose natural friendly charm and good looks grab Charlotte's attention. Jerry notices, not a transformed frump, but a lovely woman. He is fascinated by her distance and mystery. They open up to each other and fall in love. Not in the same sense we have in movies today. There is kissing, clutching, holding...all accompanied by Max Steiner's Oscar winning score...who needs sex scenes? The sizzling scenes between the two stars are enough.
After the cruise, it is back to reality. For Charlotte it is back to face her mother and for Jerry it is back to face the problems at home that include a troubled teenage girl. Charlotte tries to go home and is brilliant the way she faces down her mother, over and over again. Charlotte is even courted by a doctor that never noticed her before even though he had been at the house for dinner parties many times. The dialogue has you glued to every scene in which Charlotte explains very carefully to her mother why she does what she does. After one such fight, her mother has a fall and then eventually a heart attack. Charlotte is filled with guilt and escapes to Dr. Jaquith's sanatorium. There she meets Tina. A teenage girl that reminds Charlotte of herself. She discovers that Tina is Jerry's daughter and decides to take an interest in her. By today's standards of viewing this might seem strange but the innocence of the times do not make it sinister at all. Charlotte helps the girl out of love for Jerry, at first, and then by her genuine love for the girl. Charlotte and Tina are victorious in their transformations and receiving love - from Jerry.
Jerry and Charlotte bump into each other various times during the film, after the cruise, and you will be on the edge of your seat waiting for them to embrace. But Jerry is still married and Charlotte has her morals. We know...that romance is not dead.
And even in the end after agreeing that they shouldn't be romantically involved...all Jerry can say is, "Shall we have a cigarette on it?" And as he lights both cigarettes in his mouth and hands one to her, she says, "Oh, Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon... we have the stars."
They don't make like that anymore.

Shock Value

Okay, what's the deal with network television shows just having to have a big shocker of season ender that includes someone being killed or appearing to be? Sure, you want someone to tune in during the fall but does someone have to be blown away to have that happen? I think the writers' strike was that the writers were struck in the head with something. I mean this is the best they can do? The networks are, with good reason, nervous about keeping viewers. The strike obliterated some shows and put some on hold until the fall - with the networks hoping to regain the viewers. But I find their way of luring us back to our current favorites is just plain unimaginative. These used to be called "cliffhangers" but in this case...they more than jumped off.
Four of the shows I watch regularly had one of these endings.
CSI: Miami ended with David Caruso shot and looking kind of lifeless. We know he won't make the NYPD Blue mistake again - he'll be back. Sunglasses and over-acting.
CSI (Vegas) ended with Warrick being graphically shot in the neck while sitting in his car. I mean unnecessarily graphic. He's sitting in the car and a dirty cop (non one knows he's dirty) is talking to him and we see him shoot Warrick in the neck (we are watching from the driver's side window). We can see the exit wound! He sits in the seat gurgling and coughing with blood coming out his neck...then he's dead! True that actor was leaving anyway and everyone knew it...but really...they had to do it like that? He just had a nice meal with his friends and you see everyone exit the cafe smiling about what a good time they had. Then you see that?! Bang!!! That's the ending Soprano fans wanted to see...not CSI.
NCIS ended with the Director, Jennie Sheppard, being blown away in a big gun battle. Her death was a little more of her taking some bad guys with her...but still...why? She is dying of some degenerative disease and wants to go out on her terms while protecting some government secret. She basically lays in wait for the bad guys. Not that graphic an ending...you see from the outside a huge gun battle that is happening inside the diner. Jennie is seen laying in blood...ALOT of blood. CBS had been saying for months someone would not survive until next season. I could have thought of a few more characters she could have taken with her. The show is weakly written...but I still watch it. Abby and Ducky are worth it.
Criminal Minds is a never miss favorite BUT even they had to stoop to the someone dies ending! You don't know who it is...at least not until the fall. The team is hunting down some homegrown terrorists and they realize they are possibly being targeted. So, what do they do...all leave the various murder scenes alone. You see four of the main characters getting into a different big black government SUV (music is swelling - screen split into four shots) then BAM!!! One of them is blown to kingdom come! We don't know who! Tune in this fall! Lame. This is the only show that has me interested in tuning in next season. With protest.
When J.R. was shot on Dallas, that was one of the most shocking events on TV. No one got shot at the end of a season back then. At the time it was brilliant. I guess now, writers feel we are so desensitized to violence (and we are) that they feel we need gurgling blood from a favorite character's neck to keep us interested. I really don't need to see that.
Babylon 5 had one of my favorite cliffhangers that had the main character jumping into a deep abyss with a space ship full of nuclear explosives homing in on his signal...he disappeared into the darkness with the ship (bright white) coming straight out of space and following him...then BOOM! Fade to black. Everyone I knew who watched that episode screamed out loud with disbelief and horror. You know we tuned in the next season!
Star Trek: The Next Generation was one of the only TV shows the really knew how to do a cliffhanger, a great one, season after season. Klingon civil war, time traveling aliens (Data's head!), Tasha Yar as a Romulan...and the ultimate...Picard as a Borg! C'mon! You can't beat that! If you can't remember the quintessential cliffhanger image...just remember one of the best lines on TV...
"Resistance is futile...Number One..."
Stay tuned...

Iron Man

I work with complete comic book fans. I would say more than fans...I would say true believers that know every story line and incarnation of every super hero there ever was. And when Iron Man came out they told me it was the best adaptation of a comic book hero they had ever seen. With that being said - I had to see this movie. I should mention that I am not a comic book person. My knowledge of the comic book super heroes is from cartoons, live action TV shows and movies. I don't base my opinion on whether or not the movie is true to the comic (with the exception of the Phantom which I loyally read in the paper every day and was a great movie). I just love an entertaining movie.
Iron Man delivers! And a franchise is born!
Iron Man is not for someone that just wants to see complete action and effects. Iron Man is what I would call a thinking person's action movie. Robert Downey Jr. (BRILLIANT!!!) plays the flawed main character - Tony Stark, a womanizing boozer, who develops high tech weapons for the military and owns the company. Stark is in Afghanistan giving a preview to the military of one of his weapons when he captured by militants and kept captive for months. The captures want him to use their stockpile of weapons (his weapons - which makes him wonder how they got them) to make a missile. But instead Stark makes his first Iron Man suit and his own artificial heart. After his ordeal Stark is a changed man who is obsessed with his Iron Man concept and improving it. This is most of the movie - the character development. I won't go into much more...since you are going to see this movie!
Downey is a joy to watch on screen and you cheer for this talented actor's big comeback to the big screen. He is a naturally funny guy, he brings the same kind of warmth and playing off the irony of things that Michael Keaton did as Bruce Wayne. Be a serious hero but realize that the whole concept can appear a bit absurd to the outsider.
Side note: As a movie watcher it is interesting to see the history of who our bad guys are in hero movies...it was the Nazis, then Russians or Chinese (Communists in general), rouge Russians/Eastern Europe and now middle easterners...basically whoever we envision at the time as the worst possible enemy we could have and do have. Usually for super heroes it is a mad scientist or brilliant criminal mind...
Iron Man is much like Batman in the fact that he doesn't possess any real super powers (other than his heart generator that runs his suit). He wasn't born with powers or fall into a vat of toxic waste. He has a mission and toys to get it done. I like movies that focus on the development of characters as long as it is done right. I really wasn't crazy about the last Batman movie - at least not as crazy about it as other fans. I think it spent way to long on the character's personal journey and you know what? I really don't care! We already know what Bruce Wayne's motivation was...I didn't need to see him in his full training sessions. That is why there didn't need to be three Star Wars prequels - one and half would have been fine, thank you. Back to the movie...
Iron Man basically rocks! And comic book fans MUST sit through all the credits until the end (like X-Men 3) and you will see a glimpse into the future of this franchise and give the comic book folks a thrill. With a good supporting cast including Jeff Bridges and Terrance Howard this movie will leave you ready to rock out...Black Sabbath style.
MMMMM (out of 5 M's)

Mother's Day

I have been meaning to write this entry for a long time and Mother's Day has inspired me.
There are lots of inspired tales about being a mother that I could comment on but I would like to focus on something I have been thinking about for...2 years, 7 months and 5 days...that I am the mother of a girl.
I don't know if man feels this intense pressure of being the example of manhood he sets for his son. Being a parent is hard enough. I can tell you that I feel, as my daughter never takes her eyes off me, that I have the monumental responsibility of being the representative of the human female to my daughter.
She stands in the doorway of the bathroom watching me get ready in the morning. She sees me put in my earrings and asks if she can have earrings too and hands me my shoes. What is she thinking? That she wants to me?
They say that babies aren't born with a sense of gender and that is something we put on them. That may be true for the most part. My son calls my daughter, "he," and "him." But it seems my daughter knows she is a girl or at least that she and I share some of the same physical characteristics. She knows she is a girl. She loves pink, princesses and baby dolls - those that know me know I never encouraged this. It just evolved. She just evolves...on her own.
She wants to go on every ride at Busch Garden's. Even the ones that I am too big for and she has to go on alone. She is not afraid. She is my daughter. Could I have instilled this lack of fear?
She is the youngest in the house yet she makes her voice known. If you don't hear her at first, don't worry, you will.
What did the mothers of Hillary Clinton, Billie Jean King, Katie Couric or Admiral Grace Hopper think their daughters would be up to in life? What kind of women were they to encourage their daughters to be successful? Am I that mother?
My daughter is adorable and beautiful. And not just on the outside. I can see her beauty shining through her from deep within. A 2 year old with deep soul?
I will return to my first thoughts...that she looks to me to be the example of womanhood. Me! Me? I was worried having a girl. Who was I kidding? My fear of having a girl was that I would have be the example. Of course, my son looks to me as an example but not in the same exact way. A boy will always be a boy but a girl will be a woman. My little woman.
She is kind and gentle to her "baby." Could be a baby doll or stuffed animal. She hugs it, kisses it, puts it to bed and I have even heard her sing to her baby...what I sing to her, "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You," by the Four Seasons. Am I her role model?
She is an independent girl. She is stubborn and is at odds with her father - as they share some of the same temperament. She is my angel.
I think she is here in the world to teach me something.
One day, a few months ago, I asked her a series of questions, as she sat on my lap and I rubbed her hair...
"I wonder what you will be? Will you do great things?"
"No."
"Will you cure cancer?"
"No."
"Will you be President?"
"No."
"Will you be famous?"
"No."
"Will you be a great woman?"
"No."
"Will you love your mommy?"
"YES!"
That's my girl!

Juno: The Review

I have overheard people say, "Juno? Isn't that the pregnant teen movie? Uh, I'll skip it." Probably the same people who thought Little Miss Sunshine was about a girl in a beauty pageant. It's okay with me if they want to miss a gem in this year's movie garbage pile. Actually, if you are one of those people that prefer to be cinematically stunted...then you don't have to continue reading this review. For the rest of you keen movie watchers...
Juno was just what I needed. I was so hoping it was good. I was having a crappy day and didn't need to be disappointed like I was by the rest of the Oscar nominated movies (exception being Michael Clayton). I knew Juno was about a pregnant teenager and her wit in the previews was enough to spark my interest. The script and the cast make this movie a delight. Ellen Page (X-Men 3, Hard Candy) is brilliant as the title character. She is a 16 year old girl who has sex with her best friend once and well...it only takes once. Her boyfriend/best friend is kind of an awkward semi-jock geek who is smitten with her and who no one else thinks "had it in him" to get someone pregnant. These aren't bad kids from bad homes - the stigma. Juno's parents take it as well as anyone can. The father (J.K. Simmons) is disappointed and her step-mother goes right to work on a prenatal care plan. The whole school knows and Juno doesn't care. She's pregnant - it'll speak for itself. She is already somewhat mature (and seems more mature than some of the adults we meet) and grows even more through her pregnancy (no pun intended). With the supporting cast of Justin Bateman and Jennifer Garner (so much potential!) this movie can do no wrong.
Jason Reitman, who also wrote and directed Thank You For Smoking, makes this movie about an uncomfortable subject...more comfortable with his frank speaking characters who are human and doing the best they can with it.
It's hard to say if this movie was better than Michael Clayton. It certainly beats out any other nominated movies from last year. This is a hard movie to peg. It would be like putting Little Miss Sunshine or Thank You For Smoking in a genre. Comedy? Drama? Like Juno, these movies fall into their own category - that would be brilliant.
MMMMM (out of 5 M's)

Guest Reviewer!

The following review of The Mist is by the Super Mommy.

I like a happy ending as much as the next gal. That said, I’m not one of those people who MUST have a happy ending, who can’t appreciate an ending that is ironic instead of positive, or that is downright unhappy but appropriate. I tell you this so you’ll understand that it’s really unusual for me to have a visceral negative reaction to the ending of a movie. The Mist, however, has an ending that just ruined the movie for me. Director Frank Darabont also wrote the screenplay adapting Stephen King’s popular novella of the same name. Thomas Janes (one of my favorite under-rated actors) plays Dave Drayton, an artist living with his wife and young son in (where else) Castle Rock, Maine. The trouble begins when Dave and his son, Billy, are grocery shopping in town and a man runs into the store, bleeding from the nose and crying out that “There’s something in the mist.” And then the mist rolls in and all hell breaks loose.
For nearly two hours this made-for-TV movie was on its way to ranking among my favorite Stephen King adaptations. It had everything you want in a creepy horror flick – compelling characters, decent dialogue, scary as heck monsters rendered in excellent CGI, believable conflicts among the characters and incisive commentary on the human condition. Forget the fact that Thomas Janes is stellar, or that Oscar winner Marcia Gaye Harden tears up the scenery as the apocalypse-predicting village Bible-thumper. It doesn’t matter that over the course of the film you are inexorably moved to care deeply about these characters. Because they’re going to get screwed, royally, by the end of the movie – and so are you. The Mist has the ONLY kind of ending I really hate – an unhappy ending that’s obviously done for gratuitous shock value and that doesn’t flow naturally from the two hours that preceded it. When an ending seems to serve no other purpose than to let life take a big, ugly, stinky crap on the protagonist, then it’s an ending that serves no purpose.
Don’t see this movie. SPOILER WARNING: (Don’t read this next sentence if you still think you want to see this dismal debacle.)
If you are a parent, you will lose sleep over how this movie ends. I sure did.

All reviews in this blog are by the movie mommy unless otherwise noted.

April Rentals

There Will Be Blood: There will be a waste of time...there will be boring...there will be 2 hours of my life I won't get back. Sorry, to be so harsh but when a movie is nominated for an Oscar and the lead actor wins...I just expect ALOT more from a movie. Daniel Day Lewis, basically, is a one man show in this movie about a success obsessed oil man from the beginnings of oil's importance in this country. Lewis pulls it off and does present an excellent performance but it is not enough for me to tell you to watch this plodding, dark, boring film. Best Picture nominee? What are the Academy members thinking?
M (out of 5 M's) - just for Lewis' performance.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story: The problem I had with this movie is that it wasn't what I expected - in a bad way. I thought that with a multi-talented actor like John C. Reilly that I was going to see something more like Taladega Nights, probably better. A fun send up of the music industry with some hints of Walk The Line. Instead it was a total parody of Walk The Line. Don't get me wrong...I have no problem with the art form of the parody. After all, SNL and the Abrahams brothers (Airplane!, Hot Shots!, etc.) have done very well off them. But those were funny. I have to admit I am not into Scary Movie, Date Movie, Epic Movie, etc. You really have to have seen all the movies they are making fun because of the lack of creativity and originality involved. Same thing with Walk Hard. If you saw Walk The Line (which I did) then you might find some of the stuff amusing. My husband laughed at the slap stick physical comedy and some gross bits. But I found my mind wandering waiting for something new. I did giggle at one part - when Cox returns home to make things right with his Dad and finds him quietly singing, "The wrong boy died..." Like I said, you have to be there to find the stuff funny. As much as my friends don't like Will Ferrell, they have to admit that his stuff is original. He pokes fun at different industries like Nascar, figure skating and TV news but he does it with is own fresh, pushing the edge of decorum, irreverent and often sick fashion. I was expecting the same from Walk Hard. I have to say that the music in Walk Hard was impressive. If the movie was as original and funny as the songs...this movie might have worked for me.
M (out of 5 M's)

The Seeker: The Dark is Rising: Based on a series of children's books this movie was a pleasant surprise compared to my recent disappointing rentals. Nothing real new here: On a boy's birthday (his 13th) he finds out he is destined to save the world from an ancient darkness that threatens it...oh, and finds out he has magic powers. The nice pace and honest acting make this movie enjoyable for the sci-fi/fantasy fan. It doesn't give everything away but instead counts on some intelligence of it's viewers to pick some things out. It is slow in the beginning as we meet this boy's family and see he is a frustrated teen in a very big family in a country that is not his own (they are American's living in a small village in England). But stay with it as this story unfolds and develops into a cascading climax. I recommend it as something fresh and original...something I yearned to see these days.
MMM1/2M (out of 5 M's)

Becoming Jane: Anne Hathaway plays 20 year old Jane Austin as she learns about love and is frustrated by being a woman in the time she lives in. I think Hathaway is a charming actress who does a great job in this okay vehicle. I love Jane Austin. Gimme Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice and Emma any day and I am happy. The movie tries to show how Austin was inspired by the people she knew and how she incorporated them into her stories. It also tries to be a romance but I feel that fell flat. I would rather has seen a movie about her later years and how she tried to get published in a world where a woman that was independent was a disappointment to her family, a woman could not inherit wealth or earn her own. A movie like that (or like Miss Potter, see "Movie Time!" from July 14th blog posting) I feel would have done Austin more justice than seeing her frustrated in love. I think if you want to know Jane Austin then read her books and/or see the movies based on them. I can recommend a few!
MM (out of 5 M's)

Available as a Rental:
My Boy Jack: Caught this last night on PBS' Masterpiece Theatre and was so glad I did! The film follows the story of Jack Kipling, the son of the famous author Rudyard Kipling whose works(Jungle Book, The Man Who Would Be King, Gunga Din, etc.) were (and remain) wildly popular during his lifetime. Rudyard Kipling (David Haig, who also wrote and directed) is a strong proponent to England entering WWI and makes inflammatory speech's to the same (even though the King asks him not to). At the same time Jack Kipling (Daniel Radcliffe, yes, Harry Pottter) is trying every avenue available to join the military. Because of his class and status he needs to be an officer and because of his poor eyesight (without glasses) he is refused at every turn. War is finally declared and every young man in the UK is ready to go fight. Rudyard Kipling uses his influence (he works for the military propaganda office) to get young Jack into the Army. He is only 17. It is a sad fact that almost an entire generation was lost during this most ferocious war and the Kipling family is not without it's pain at the news of Jack's status of missing in action. The second half of the story is about the search for news of Jack. Caroline Kipling (Kim Cattrall), Jack's mother, will stop at nothing to find out if her son is alive, including contacting the Red Cross and interviewing damaged soldiers that were at the battle that day. Beautifully filmed and and acted. Available as a rental.
MMMMM (out of 5 M's)

Reviews Are In

Sorry for my absence! I had a vacation and lots of catching up to do.

I have to start out my reviews with some can't miss TV. You must tune in every Sunday night to HBO and watch the John Adams mini-series. Besides Paul Giamatti's brilliant performance, to see the birth of our nation in all it's beauty and tragedy makes it educational as well. A country needs to know what it is fighting for when it says it is "fighting for freedom around the world." It is important to know the real pains and politics of freedom's birth in this country first.

Once : Give this movie a chance! I watched this movie with my husband and another couple and the other couple left half way through. Maybe I would have as well if I hadn't seen the show stopping performance at the Academy Awards of the winning song "Falling Slowly" sung by the movie's two leads - Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. I was so impressed by the song that I began listening to the soundtrack at work (thanks to a co-worker that had it). I'm hooked!

I think we are so visually stunned by movies like Transformers and No Country For Old Men that we don't want to spend some time just watching a quiet movie that is more than long music video. Once is low budget but sweet and follows the journey of a musician who goes from performing on the street to a studio, at the behest of young woman, who hears his brilliance and heartache that he belts out in every tune. There is A LOT of music - be prepared. I already loved the music so I enjoyed seeing it performed by the stars and by Hansard's real band The Frames. Don't look for biting dialogue and big effects. Just enjoy these regular folks doing what they love.

MMMM (out of 5 M's)

30 Days of Night : I am not a horror movie type at all but this one looked good and seemed to have some credibility with Josh Hartnett in the leading roll. Based on a graphic novel series, this movie delivers. It delivers the story, the gore and the jump out of your skin effect you want from a good scary movie.

The film is about an Alaskan town that is as far north as you can get in the US and every year they have 30 days without sunshine. Hmmm...let's see...who do you think would love a town with no sunlight and humans...you guessed it - Vampires. Our vampires at lead there by a Renfield type character who prepares the town by burning cell phones and murdering sled dogs. The population of the town drops significantly during the 30 days because some folks just can't take the darkness and fly out. Slowly, but surely, the town gets cut off from the rest of world and with no power...the are in the dark. After a nice build up and incredibly gory scene of vampires run amok, we see a few stragglers trying to sneak around town and wait out the 30 days. Good acting and story really make this movie worthwhile.

MMM1/2M (of 5)

No Country For Old Men : Motion Picture of the Year? I don't know about the merit of that because I haven't seen all the others but it is a good movie. It would help to already be familiar with the Coen brothers' work like Fargo, Intolerable Cruelty, Miller's Crossing, O Brother, Where Art Thou, Bad Santa and Raising Arizona - to name a few. Nothing about this writing, directing, producing (and so on) of this team is predictable. This movie is no exception.

No Country For Old Men is a carefully woven tale of a few good guys, lots of bad guys and even more worse guys. The cast is first rate with Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Oscar winner Javier Bardem and many familiar actors in supporting roles. The strange fates of the leads and spurts of dialogue will keep you wanting to watch until the end - even though you know it cannot end well for most of those involved. I don't think this movie is for everyone.

MMM (of 5)

Michael Clayton : This movie will not disappoint. I still have a few Oscar nominated movies to see but I think this was better than the winner. George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton (Oscar winner for her role in this movie) are brilliant in this story of those that are in the most hated profession in the world - Lawyers. Tom Wilkinson delivers a truly award winning performance as a top corporate lawyer who goes over the edge and George Clooney, as Michael Clayton, who has to clean up the fall out. Michael Clayton is basically a "janitor." He goes in to clean up messes left by other lawyers, firms, companies and situations. No one is really sure what it is he does...but he gets it done. The beginning of the movie (the first 10 minutes) will keep you wondering that you may have missed something but you will find out what it was as the movie progresses. All your questions will be answered. This movie is filled with surprises and isn't just some kind of lawyer drama - it has real intrigue and suspense.

MMMM (of 5)

Am I Worth It?

"Dear Lord, lest I continue my complacent way, help me to remember that somewhere, somehow out there a man died for me today. As long as there be war, I then must ask and answer, 'Am I worth dying for?'" - A wartime prayer by Eleanor Roosevelt

When this Global War on Terrorism started the front page of every paper in America would have news of a soldier dying. Now, try and find it. Go ahead. Leaf through your paper and see if you can find their names. If it was someone that lived or graduated high school in your newspaper's readership area, then yes, you will find it on the front page. "Local Soldier Dies."
I live near a major Navy base that employs young men that do the most dangerous job in the Navy. The are Navy SEALS. Even among those of us that are also in the Navy - they stand out. They carry themselves differently, look differently and are respected differently. They are respected greatly. Because of this, the front page news is that someone that served on my base was killed. They are from this base which makes them from here. In the past month we lost three SEALS. Two of them were Chiefs. All under 30 years old. I might have known them. Seen them at the bowling alley with their family, the commissary (grocery store) or in line at the personnel department getting an ID card. It didn't hit really hard until last week.
Last Friday, a dreary drizzly day, I saw a sign that said "SEAL Memorial." I thought it was a memorial service at the Chapel. It was more than that - it was a funeral. I drove by the base Chapel on my way to work out at the gym and I saw something I will never forget. Even now I tear up at the thought.
There in front of the Chapel was a hearse and behind the hearse were eight Navy Chiefs lined up on either side of the gurney for the casket. They stood there in the steady rain, waiting. They were wearing their dress blues which looks like a black double breasted suit with a white shirt and black tie. They wore their white dress hats with black brims. In the rain. On the sleeves of their jackets were their rating badges (rank insignia patch) and they were gold. To wear gold means they have over 12 years of good conduct. On their sleeves were the gold hash marks indicating years of service. Most of them had over 4 hash marks (16 years of service). They stood in the rain doing what SEALS do. The job that no one else wants to do. The hard job.
Navy SEALS don't see the signs that say, "Bring Our Troops Home!" and think the signs refer to them. For the SEAL it's about the mission. Everyone in the Navy has a mission. But not like the SEALS. They train, eat, drink, live and die the mission. They are totally focused and doing a job. They volunteered to be SEALS and went through the hardest training the military has to offer. Most don't make through the training. Those that do - wanted it more.
Last week three Navy SEALS were remembered for their final mission. And there will be more.
We need to remember them and remain worthy.

When there's Nothing on...

The movie mommy's guide to surviving the TV writers' strike and the aftermath.

"250 channels and nothing on." Truer words have not been spoken until this writers' strike and it will be a month before anything new comes on now that it is over. In general it is hard to find something worthy of a few nightly hours of your life. I have several favorite shows I adore but otherwise the TV can be relagated to being the "idiot box."
Since the strike it has been tedious. Even my favorite shows are airing episodes I have already seen - several times. And movie rentals are also lacking - except for an incredible bright spot like Sunshine and the suprising Eastern Promises. Let's face it...something needs to be done.
By calendar and coincidence TV is not a total loss this month! Here's why...
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is showing it's month long salute to the Oscar's. Everyday it pays tribute to an Oscar category by showing movies that have been either nominated for or won that award. Gems like It Happened One Night, The Quiet Man, Roman Holiday, Hello Dolly!, On Golden Pond, Some Like It Hot, Stalag 17, The Dirty Dozen, Gone With the Wind and Poltergiest to name a few. It Happened One Night was especially enjoyable to watch. My husband had never seen it and I was afraid it would be too old and corny for him. But the physical comedy and constant witty banter is enough to make anyone have a belly laugh. It is an often immitated but never duplicated classic that has rarely been topped in the romantic comedy genre (as it is now known). Any one of the above named movies are enough to make you forget that there was anything else worth tuning into. Check TV Guide for more.
Believe it or not, HBO is actually showing some great stuff! HBO is usually worthless with the exception of the sports related news programming and live boxing. In the past month HBO has been showing A Good Year, ALL the Star Wars movies, The Devil Wears Prada, The Lake House, Hollywoodland, Superman Returns, American Beauty, King Kong (recent), The Sentinal, The Last Mimsy, V for Vendetta, Take The Lead and Dreamgirls to name a few. Some of those might also be to your taste. I can recommend all of them. And there are others that I am not into but you may not have seen.
Between TCM and HBO, I really haven't had to do much renting. Because there actually IS something on tonight!

Potty Mouth

This isn't just an entry about finally successfully potty training my 3 years, 10 month old son...it's about what I have learned as a parent and person. I feel the way that someone learns and problem solves is the true insight into a person and who they are. In this case - the potential of who they will be.
I consider myself to be a natural teacher. I feel that I can teach anything I know to someone else and better than it was taught to me. My confidence was unwavering...until I had to work on potty training my son.
There is undue pressure on all parents to have their child potty trained in order to go to school or be moved up into the next level at daycare. It is an incredible pressure that just can't be understood until you have gone through it. Your entire worth as a parent becomes potty training. Failure means your child won't be ready for school on time, be left behind by his peers and be left behind FOREVER! Okay, a little dramatic but it becomes a crazy sense of urgency to get this natural process of growing up complete.
I never worried about potty training til my son was about 2 1/2 and then I realized I had better start reading up on this. We had a little potty in the bathroom of our house since my son was 1. He would sit on it, rarely. I thought, hey, I can do this. I mean how hard can it be? I know how to use a toilet. Everyone I know uses one successfully. I was ready to hit it head on. I bought a book "How to Potty Train your Child in just One day." It's a great book. Really talks to parents about all the pressures we are put under to get our children potty trained by a certain age. I followed the procedure in the book exactly. I really thought my son was ready. He wasn't. That attempt was about a year ago. I had little success and lots of laundry. I felt defeated. I was so confident that I could teach him.
Various other events took place to thwart my efforts. I went active duty in the Navy and I was separated from my children (on and off...mostly off) for about 6 months. Anyone who watched/babysat my children swore they would have him trained in a week. Yeah, right.
And it goes without saying that there is TONS of advice from people who don't have kids or those that do and claim there child was potty trained a year old. Yeah, right.
My son, being who he is, does things at his own pace. He crawled at 11 months, walked at 14 months and spoke (more than his native Klingon) at 3 years old. He is not on any one's schedule but his own. I know that about him. He is a creature of habit. My mother called him mini-"Monk" (after the OCD TV detective of the same name) at an early age. Things had to be just so. If not, this lead to great tantrums and we would never know why (he couldn't communicate in English clearly enough). He likes to know how things work and he likes a procedure. I don't think I took these things into consideration when initially training him. I just thought - he's getting trained darn it!
A few months ago he started going to a home daycare where there is a boy a few months younger than him that is also going through potty training. This sense of friendly competition and encouragement had caused my son to turn a corner.
My son had been dry in the morning for over a month and through is naps. A sign a child is ready for potty training. He had been using the potty at the home daycare during the day (to urinate only). Rarely at home and he was still in pull ups. About a week ago my son came home and said he needed a "clean diaper." He insisted. I knew why. There was one part of bathroom business he didn't want to do in the potty. Once I put the pull up on him - he did what he had to do. That's when I decided - anyone old enough to ask for a clean diaper is old enough to use the potty. The next morning I put him in underwear and he hasn't been in a pull up since. Dry all night and day. He does everything in the potty now. No wet accidents and rarely any of the other kind.
My son will do things at his own pace. I should have remembered that. And I think I forget that like any other human being he has a will of his own. I need to keep this in mind as I teach him the other things he must know to move successfully through an uncertain, often unforgiving yet filled with possibilities world we live in.
Needless to say we are all extremely proud of him. Almost giddy with delight. He is also proud. This was not the impossible task that it seemed to be - just 2 weeks ago. It was part of being a parent and a child.
And suddenly, my son appears to be older. He is tall and lean and carries himself like a child and not a toddler. A little man.