Fed Up - The Movie

Adam and I watched this documentary FED UP and wow, it was so terrifying. I have struggled for what seems like years, to become Vegetarian.  With nut allergies, and a host of other excuses really, I've not removed all meat and fish from my diet. Aside from the occasional  serving of Bacon, I have stopped eating Pork and Lamb.

I admit fully that once I get home from a long day and commute, it is easier to go to processed foods.  Also, what I take for lunch seems to be among the worst possible choices.

More than just getting to a body weight within the suggested BMI, or being able to fit into a certain goal size, I am interested in health.  What I want for my family and loved ones is health.

The truth is, nothing worth doing comes easy or without effort so, I best get a move on.

Finally!

It seemed to take me forever this year to adjust to the time change.  This week is the first since we turned the clocks back that I haven't felt like going to bed at 8:00pm.

I don't know why, but it takes a bit longer to get home. The buses and the subways have more people on them.  I suppose we all have our after work pre-holiday chores to get out of the way.

I stopped at the library on the way home. I got Tina Fey's Bossypants and for Adam the new memoir from Robert Evans. It'll be a nice quiet reading weekend.  I did put a hold on the Helen Fielding's new Bridget Jones book Mad About the Boy, but after I read about the demise of a critical character, I cancelled my hold and am still awfully disappointed. I refuse to read it.

Tonight I feel like sitting in our front room, cozy in the corner, with Stardust on DVD in the background, and doing some writing.  The only negative is that my chair is just not as comfortable as I need it to be. Maybe it's due to my bad posture.  Sit up straight!

This morning I thought I'd hit my snooze button but had in fact, turned my alarm off.  I left the house 1 hour later than usual and got a lovely picture of the new moon in the morning sky.

This is where I am & where I'll be for the next little while. Lovely.

Big Drink and Small Gandalf

Yesterday I met Mom for lunch and a movie.  We were going to go see Les Misérables during the Christmas break but I was not into being around people or taking the bus more than necessary, so we waited until this past weekend.

I disagree with some of the harsh criticism some people have tweeted, I think the singing by all 3 primary actors, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, and Anne Hathaway was just as it needed to be; raw and real.  They acted and sang with emotion that gave me goosebumps and filled my eyes and heart with tears.

I have not seen Les Mis on stage live.  I didn't know the story at all. I actually don't really dig musical theater.  But this felt more like an Opera. I enjoy the Opera and I thoroughly enjoyed the film.

I also scored an awesome bit of geek treasure at the concession stand; a big drink with a small Gandalf!

Awesome.

Sunday Matinée

Mom & I went to a Sunday Matinée and saw The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. We both enjoyed it very much.

Judy Dench and Maggie Smith are amongst my favorites. Add in Bill Nighy and Tom Wilkinson and well, you just can't go wrong.

This may sound odd, but it was lovely to see so many wrinkles on screen.  These ladies have aged gracefully and it is so lovely to see natural faces full of experience and emotion.

I laughed, I cried, I laughed and cried some more.  I will watch it again when it comes out on DVD. This film is in my Top 10.

My Mom and some of her balcony garden.

The Hunger Games - Catching Fire - Mockingjay

I have finished reading all 3 books by Suzanne Collins in her Hunger Games Trilogy. I have not read 3 books in such succession so quickly before.  What I wish I'd been able to do was lock myself away in a cozy nook for a week and just read all three together beginning to end.

Yes, it is Young Adult literature, I get that.  When I shared with a friend how much I was enjoying the story I got, " Aren't those books for teenagers?" Harry Potter certainly wasn't written with me in mind either but I love those stories. Even The Hobbit was originally written by Tolkien as a children's story.  The way I look at it is, if it is well written, if I enjoy it, if it is a story that makes me want to turn each page and, if I can imagine in my mind he world the author has created, who cares who the target audience is.

I remember a composition I wrote when I was in grade 3. I wish I still had it. I'm quite sure it was a complete rip off of a mixture of Simon in the Land of the Chalk Drawings and The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.  It had to do with going over the hedge in our backyard that resulted in entering a secret land.  I love these types of stories. I always have.

When I read The Philosophers Stone, the moment Hagrid took Harry through the back door of The Leaky Cauldron and tapped his umbrella/wand on the bricks to open the way to Diagon Alley, I was 10 years old again. When I saw the movie, I cried at that scene.  It was so perfect. So well done. Exactly as I saw it in my head as I was reading the book.  I think about some of my favorite books, TV shows and films childhood through adulthood:  The Secret Garden, Peter Pan, The Wizard of Oz, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Narnia, Mary Poppins, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Stardust, even The Land of the Lost.  The Hunger Games reminded me of these stories a little with Katniss and Gale going under the fence into the woods. Leaving the every day world  to go on an adventure.

Another thing I really like about the character of Katniss Everdeen was her sense of self and her strength.  If I had a young daughter I would be happy if she wanted to be like Katniss.  I even made Adam laugh when I mentioned that if he & I were to go to Comic-Con I would want to cosplay her.

I will admit right here and now, I read The Twilight series.  I enjoyed them for what they were.  What I enjoyed about them was it brought back the feeling of that first love we've all experienced.  When you're a teenage girl and everything revolves around the boy. I had my own Edward when I was a teenager.  He didn't sparkle or watch me sleep at night, but he did have blond hair and was pale ;) He was my everything.  What Stephanie Meyer did unfortunately was create a character who didn't evolve.  The casting of Kristen Stewart didn't help matters as that girl has two facial expressions;
1. Blank stare.
2. Blank stare while biting lip.


This photo and this quote from Stephen King really do say it best:

Source

"Harry Potter is about confronting fears, finding inner strength and doing what is right in the face of adversity. Twilight is about how important it is to have a boyfriend." — Stephen King

I was sad to read the last page of Mockingjay. Luckily I do have the film The Hunger Games to look forward to opening next week.  So far the reviews are positive.  I'm looking forward to seeing The Capitol, Peeta's camouflage in the arena, and The Hob.

What I have to decide now is what to read next.

Neverland

Adam showed me this trailer for Neverland.

It is showing on the Space channel December 18th & 19th.

Peter Pan being one of my favorite stories, I am

really looking forward to this.

 

Neverland: 
Peter and his streetwise gang are transported from turn-of-the-century London into an enchanting parallel world where time stands still and an adventure awaits like nothing you've seen before. Stars Rhys Ifans, Bob Hoskins, Charlie Rowe, Anna Friel and Kiera Knightley as the voice of Tinkerbell. 

Ten On Wednesday

These are the last 10 movies I've watched.

Please note that they are not in order. I cannot remember the order!

1. 17 Again

2. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

3. Narnia - The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

4. The Help

5. The Midnight Meat Train  (seriously scary good with Bradley Cooper)

6. Friends With Benefits

7. The Change Up

8. Percy Jackson and The Olympians - The Lightning Thief

9. The Hangover

10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

The Bell Jar

I am re-reading The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.

I first read it a few years ago when I took it out from the library.

A couple of weeks ago, Adam had an appointment downtown in the

entertainment district at 10pm on a Friday night.

More often than not on Monday mornings, there is something in the

paper about a shooting or a stabbing or a hit and run in that part of the city.

It's not a bad area, it's actually a very nice part of town.

There are just too many young stupid drunk people that flock there

and do really stupid things.

So rather than sit at home and worry I went with him.

There was a Chapters Books one block away from where he was going that was open late.

I went in, bought The Bell Jar for $14.00 then got a coffee frappacino

from the in-store Starbucks,  read & drank as I waited for Adam.

If you know anything about Sylvia Plath, you know that

she was a poet more than a novelist.

The Bell Jar was her only novel and it was published just

a few weeks before she took her own life.

Her depression is evident in her writing.

Maybe that's why I connected with it.

She has a very real and clear way of writing.

As someone who suffers with depression, I prefer to read stories that are uplifting

and positive or so completely different than what my life is as a way to escape.

That's why I love watching films and reading.

While my eyes are focused on the screen or my nose is in the pages, I live in the stories

and get respite from the things in my own head.

I like to believe the old saying that most artists are tortured souls who have higher than average compassion and that the funniest comedians are those with alot of personal sadness.

Makes me appreciate my creativity and sense of humor when things are tough.

I am on page 141.

Esther, after having one session with Dr. Gordon, was prescribed Electro Shock Therapy.

She's gone to the private psychiatric hospital and had her first session.

The way Sylvia Plath wrote about it, you almost know that she's writing

from experience. She writes about the smell of the ointment put on her temples.

As I read, I am mortified to think that people with mental illness were actually

given Electro Shock Therapy as treatment.

Thank goodness for our present treatments of cognitive therapy
and a daily dose of 20mg of an SSRI.

I'll take that over shock treatment any day.

This excerpt from page 140 made me take a deep breath because I know there

are still people today that feel like Esther's mother.

'I'm through with that Dr. Gordon,' I said, after we had

left Dodo and her black wagon behind the pines. 'You can call

him up and tell him I'm not coming next week.'

My mother smiled. 'I knew my baby wasn't like that.'

I looked at her. 'Like what?'

'Like those awful people. Those awful dead people at that

hospital.' She paused. 'Iknew you'd decide to be all right again.'

My plan for this weekend is to finish the book, relax, enjoy my time at home

with Adam and Crockett and try not to worry about anything.

Strange Day

Today was a strange day.

I hit the snooze button one too many times this morning and that

resulted in my falling back asleep and having weird morning dreams.

I was going up an escalator naked.

When I got to the top I grabbed 2 boxes, one to cover the front & the other for the back.

I woke up mortified.

I love having summer hours and leaving work at 1:00pm on Friday

but at times, it messes up my internal clock.

When I got to work I thought it was Monday.

I fell asleep on the bus on my way home & when I woke up

I thought I was on my way to work.

We did groceries on the way home and I thought it was Saturday.

Plantar Fasciitis has returned in my right foot and it hurts like

a motherf**ker. There's no other way to say it.

Every step feels like I'm being stabbed in the heel.

It makes me walk differently so now my ankle is sore too.

Wah wah wah.

We went & saw a movie tonight,

Captain America - it was really good.

Reminder - Marvel Films you must ALWAYS stay until the credits are done, ALWAYS.

When we left the theater I didn't know what time it was

and I wondered why it was dark.

I'm now not feeling 100% as I feel a dull headache coming on.

Hopefully I'll sleep well as I want to work on a craft project tomorrow.

Nice lazy long weekend Saturday.

One More Off the Ten Most Wanted

In honor of the FBI taking yet another name off the

Ten Most Wanted List,

I am watching the movie " The Departed"

Jack Nicholson's character Frank Costello was based on Whitey Bulger.

Great film by Martin Scorsese. Not an exact remake of

Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, but inspired by and story built upon.

It's a good watch if you're ok with subtitles.

The DVD of The Departed has a great documentary

about South Boston & the time it was run by Whitey.

Plus, it's always a plus to watch a film with both

Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon.

Movies and Dogs

This morning it was raining.

A perfect day for me to see the next Harry Potter Film

The Chamber of Secrets.

I saw the same folks at the theater as last Saturday.

Creatures of habit we humans are, we all sat in pretty much the same seats.

Next week will be my last.

The Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite.

I love Gary Oldman.

I've said it before, he reminds me of my Dad.

I will also say, I much prefer Michael Gambon to Richard Harris.

Gambon is both eccentric and wise where Harris was really only wise.

I've watched films 4 thru 7 Part I so many times that I

don't need to see them in the theater again.

I'll wait patiently for the final film release July 15th.

On my way to the theater on the bus, there was a lady with a small

black dog ( Pekingese??)  wearing a yellow raincoat with a hood.

It was adorable. His name is Sebastian.

I've posted a photo of' him and his owner as my photo

of the day on my Project 365.

 Sebastian in his rain coat!

I say Movies, because after Harry Potter, Adam was

waiting for me in a different theater in the same complex

as we went to see X-Men First Class.

I loved it. There is a great cameo scene.

It is my favorite of the X-Men films so far.

Wolverine coming in second - Hugh Jackman - yummy!

It was so well done, really well acted and written and

really tells the story of how Magento and Prof X

came to be.

I also really like James McAvoy.

After the film, Adam told me we had to stop by the PJs Pet in the mall.

The doggie in the window; a Pug/ Boston Cross with a brindle coat.

Seeing Dogs in pet shops break my heart.

Especially breeds that I know are prone to health issues.

Pets are not to be purchased as impulse buys because they are cute

or on a payment plan to a store at $50 month.

We got Crockett from a breeder after doing alot of research and meeting

the mother and puppies from previous litters.

These poor pups most likely came from somewhere sad

where they are looked at as profit and not family companions.

By the time we left the theater, the sun was shining.

Crockett and I went for a short walk and bumped into

his lady Pug friend Lola.

She is adorable. Regal.

Harry Potter

This morning at 10:30am, I was at the movie theater watching

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone.

I've already purchased my ticket for next Saturdays showing of

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

and the Saturday after that for

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

The theater is playing each film every Saturday at 10:30am

and Monday at 7:00pm in sequence weekly until the release of

the final Harry Potter film.

$5 a ticket. Not bad at all!

I'm excited to see the final film but also sad in the knowledge

that that'll be it.

At least I still have The Hobbit to look forward to.

Pardon Me? Um, no!

During summer hours, I need to take a different

bus home as the one that passes in front of my office

only runs during rush hours.

The other bus stop is only a few blocks away.

Well, today, I got mistaken for, yes, a hooker!!!!

There I was, standing waiting for the bus, next to a pole that
clearly has a bus stop sign on it.
I was just standing there next to it.
I wasn't twirling around it, leaning on it, or kissing it.

An Indian man in a green Honda Civic slows up, stares as me,
stops in front of the bus stop, rolls down his window and asks me,
" Do you want to party?"
Shocked, I say, "Pardon me? Um, no!"

I had my camera out as I was taking photos of pine cones on the
trees near the bus stop & captured this great "wtf" reaction shot as he drove away!

 Reviewing my surroundings, I went across the street to take a photo of
where I was standing waiting for the bus.
Was there a hooker-on-duty sign?
What gave this man the idea I was a party girl?
It certainly wasn't my wardrobe.
Coral sweat shirt, navy blue t-shirt, jeans & sneakers
and no make up!

If I was a lady of the evening and this was my corner, it would be very
sad and I don't think I would be successful or at the top of the profession.
It's not a very happening corner, although, there must be
a bakery nearby because the air smelled like fresh baked
chocolate chip cookies!

The sad thing is, the factory behind the bus stop in this photo is 
Pasta Quistini where the the fiance of the owners daughter
was killed in April when he got pulled into a pasta machine.

 Here I waited for my chauffeur (bus).

 Looking to the left.

 Looking to the right.

See??  Not really a high traffic hooker friendly corner.
The funny thing was when I told Adam the story, he asked me if I was flattered.
Twice in one day, I had the same reaction, " Pardon me? Um, no!"

Here is a photo of the pine cone buds I was taking of the trees by the bus stop.
The tree was giving off a really strong pine scent.
With the pine scent & chocolate chip cookie smell in the air,
it reminded me of Christmas!

I finally got on my bus & met Adam to see another
Friday afternoon matinee.
We saw The Hangover Part II.
It was funny. Bradley Cooper didn't disappoint but they
really did give every funny thing away in the trailers.
I'd still advise folks, for 90 minutes of pure laughter & escapism,
it is a good film.

Check out my Project 365 shot for today.
The theater had a huge Thor display & I got
a great shot of Adam with Thor's Hammer!

Our Friday Evening Walk

Summer hours have begun for me at work, woohoo!

I get to leave at 1:00pm on Fridays until Labour Day.

Today, Adam came & met me and we went to see

a matinee - THOR.

We made it through the previews being the only 2 in the theater.

When the movie started, 2 more men came in.

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, I give it an 8 out of 10.

 I loved how Thor spoke, "He's fine! We drank, fought - he did his ancestors proud!"

He also looked mighty fine in jeans & no shirt.

After the film we went to pick up a few groceries.

As I was walking to the subway, I held the door for a

lady who had her hands full.  She told me I was an angel without wings.

She then said to Adam, "Your Mother is so nice."

HIS MOTHER?

He has more grey hair than me!

To be honest, it stung a little.

He thought it was amusing.

When we got out of the subway to come home, the sky

was just amazing. Thick white clouds that peaked like

snow capped mountains.

I came in, grabbed Crockett & my camera and we

went for a nice long walk.

Here it is in pictures.

This was the sky as we started our walk.

I got this shot right before Crockett watered them.
They will grow big and bright.

Sunset Pug

This cat watched Crockett's every step intensely for a few minutes
and he was completely unaware. He was too busy sniffing the grass.

Pretty. I've come to discover I like taking macro
photos of flowers and plants.

It was getting a bit dark so I raised the flash.

 

This was the sky as we finished our walk.



Really enjoyable walk.

My feet are sore and Crockett is fast asleep.

Rain Rain Stay Away.

The Spiderwick Chronicles

Pure escapism.

I wish I could draw.

If I could, I'm sure I'd spend hours drawing Sprites,

Hobgoblin & Thimbletack - both happy & angry

I want to buy the book collection not only for the story, but the art.



Source

 This is a story made into a film that I can and have watched

over and over and over.

If I was in the movie business, these are the kinds of films

I would want to work on.

Films both kids and adults love for the same and

very different reasons.

Source

This is how I felt when I was a kid reading books
that had great characters.
They read it with you.

Source

With the rainy weekend upon us, it
is the perfect opportunity to watch the DVD.

Books Books Books

I was going to start reading The Hobbit

on May 1st, but I've put it off a bit.

There are 2 books I am going to read before I go on my

adventure with Bilbo Baggins.

Adam has suggested I get this book forever;

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

by Steig Larsson

Why, because I have tattoos?

Cause they've been made into movies?

I finally picked it up & read the back cover.

Seems like an interesting read;

" Harriet Vanger, scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families, disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mike Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate.  He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander.  Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption."

I also picked up and read the back of

Water for Elephants

by Sara Gruen

"At the height of the Depression, Jacob Jankowski escapes everything he knows by jumping on a passing train and inadvertently runs away with the circus.  Amidst the chaos of the travelling show, Jacob comes to know Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star and the wife of August, a charismatic but cruel animal trainer. Caught between his love for Marlena and his need for belonging, Jacob is freed only by a murderous secret that will bring the big top down."

It's interesting that I picked this up as I've seen the movie trailer

a few times and it did nothing for me.

I enjoy both Reese Witherspoon and Edward Cullen, I mean

Cedric Diggory, I mean Robert Pattinson, wink wink,  but have

no desire to see the movie.  It is a story I think I'll enjoy reading.

More often the books are so much better than the films.

I also think if you're going to read a book that is also a film, it is

important to read the book first.

Case in point, the book P.S I Love You by Cecilia Ahern.

One of my favorite books. A book I can re-read

which I don't generally do.

I laughed out loud and cried as I turned the pages.

I was excited when I'd heard the movie was being made.

Gerrard Butler was perfectly cast a Gerry.

Even Hillary Swank I was ok with cast as Holly until on screen,

they had ZERO chemistry. The screenwriters also butchered the story.

AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL it was.

They should have given the film a different name and said it was

inspired by the book as it was NOTHING like the book. 

It wasn't even a good movie.

I miss having a balcony or back yard.

Summer is the best time to sit outside and get lost in a good story.

I'll have to find a nice quiet spot under a tree somewhere.

Maybe even make myself a *sit-upon* like I had back

when I went to brownie camp.

I think it was a newspaper in a garbage bag.

Something to keep my backside comfy.

I am almost finished The Lost Symbol.

That is now 3 of 3 Dan Brown books I've read that I've

really enjoyed.  He's a smart writer.

Thinking about the books I've read, they pretty much all

have been made into movies.  Hmmm.

I would go see The Lost Symbol for sure and I hope if it

is ever made it is done by Ron Howard.

Having to condense all the details and twists and turns

without losing the story was tough but Ron Howard

did a good job with the first two films.

Joanna Lumley's Nile

Adam went to bed early tonight.

For him, that's odd. I married a night owl.

There are times I'm getting up & he's just coming to bed.

I was channel surfing after watching (what I have promised

myself never to watch again) The Biggest Loser and saw listed

on TVO; Joanna Lumley's Nile.

I have to let it be known that I, even being the Anglophile I am,

never watched Absolutely Fabulous.

To me, Joanna Lumley is forever Marjorie Majors.

Who Shirley Valentine thought had grown up and become an

Airline Hostess, but no darling, is a Prostitute.

Since watching Prince of Persia, and with the recent goings on in Egypt,
I have come to realize that I know nothing of Ancient Persia or

Egyptian or really any Middle Eastern History.

Only since my love of maps and cartography started about 15 years ago
did I learn that Egypt was in Africa. I didn't realize it was transcontinental.

There, I said it, I admit it!!!!!!

I can honestly say the ONLY history I remember from school was about

the founder of Manitoba and leader of the Métis Louis Riel.

Unfortunate.

My Dad has always poo-poo'd my interest in

movies in that they're a time waster.

"Go outside, take a walk."

Well, I also love nature, but movies and documentaries have

shown me things and taken me places I can only dream of going.

Plus, my Dad would be very happy if he understood how much I love

nature, taking walks, watching animals and also looking up in the sky.

I think our natural world & everything in it is fascinating.

However, movies have made me want to learn more about History,

 Greek Mythology, Egypt, Persia, New Zealand (well, Middle Earth),

New York City, San Francisco, The Great Wall of China,

The Great Barrier Reef, the Northern Lights, Mauritius, Hong Kong, Goa,

Ireland, Turkey...   The list could go on.

I also love the ROM. I went when they had the exhibit:

Darwin: The Evolution Revolution.

My Dad actually got me a certificate for the ROM for Christmas.

Sadly and I don't know why, I didn't go to the exhibit :

The Warrior Emperor and China's Terracotta Army.

I digress. Back to Joanna Lumley's Nile.

I unfortunately missed Episode One last week, but I am

going to add this documentary to my Christmas 2011 wish list.

I'll be tuning in next Tuesday night for sure!

CLICK HERE AND WATCH THIS!!

It's making me want to go to purchase

 a cool Tilley Adventure Hat and Vest!

Source

The Storm Watch Continues (and Crockett)

I am looking forward to this storm.

This is the first time that I have a job that for a day here and there

I can work from the comfort of my home.

I have remote desktop connection set up as I'm always going

in & checking my e-mails, so I'm all set!

Also, it is the beginning of the Chinese New Year Holiday so all the folks

that I correspond with in China are off for at least a week.

It's already a plan that if we wake up & it's bad, we'll all stay home.

Hope hope hope hope hope.

I would welcome a day home.

I've shaken off the funk I was in last weekend so it can

be a very productive, relaxing and enjoyable day.

One spent in my jammies, checking my e-mail hourly and cuddling with

Crockett while I choose which recipe to tackle first out of my

fancy new cookbooks I got from my father in law.

I have a very strong feeling that it will be bread related.

I could, if it was an option, work from home full time if
I had a proper office and work space.

I have the work ethic and discipline for it.

I think if I worked from home all the time I'd actually

work more than 40 hours a week!

My little writing nook here in the corner of our

bedroom is perfect for my laptop,

a nice warm drink, my camera, Gandalf, a lamp, my alarm clock 

& the tv/dvd converter.
Good for leisure, not proper work.

Also, a Joanne oddity is that when I work, I need quiet.

While I sit here & write my blog, I listen to music on my playlist

or have a dvd in. It's always one or the other.

My current movie is still The Prince of Persia.

I have watched it, or had it on in the background

everyday for a week.

Adam has always marvelled at my ability to rewatch movies

over and over and over.

If I like a movie, I enjoy watching it multiple times.

I look for things I may not have noticed the 1st time around.

Some of my favorites over the years that I've watched and rewatched;

While You Were Sleeping

Bridget Jones's Diary

Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring

Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers

Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King

Lord of the Rings - Extended Version Extras

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

The Chronicles of Narnia:  The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

The Bourne Identity

The Bourne Supremacy

The Bourne Ultimatum

Just Like Heaven

Troy

Inkheart

Stardust

Love Actually

The Departed

and now....

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

The criteria of being on this list is that once the movie is over

I've restarted it immediately.

To be clear, I don't sit & watch every minute of every scene while they're on.

Alot of the time they're in the background.

I've done this more since we've moved to Yonge Street to block out

the noise from the street. I get spooked easily and can't hear bad

things from the street over sword fights and battles.

Long post, many words, no photos so, here's a Crockett shot to make you smile.

It is when he was a puppy, he was going mental on our bed having a blast.

It is 11:07pm and I'd better get to bed in case

the storm doesn't develop and I've got to go to work tomorrow!

Good Night.

Prince of Persia - The Sands of Time

 Adam rented me this film;

Source

I really enjoyed it.

I had no preconceptions or expectations.

It is based on a video game that I've not played.

It's a Disney Film but with a Jerry Bruckheimer

lets make another franchise feel to it.

It was a what it should be; 2 hours of fun, fantasy,

entertainment with good looking people, some great sword fights,

a Villain, a Jester, a King, Princes and a Princess.

Of course, the Disney Happily Ever After.

I actually like Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role of Prince Dastan.

As it was a cast filled with Brits, he had a dialect coach

to master the British accent.

He had the same coach as Renee for Bridget Jones

and Gwyneth for Sliding Doors.

I think he aced it. Well done.

Throw in the great Ben Kingsley

and Alfred Molina for some star power.

Characters that added spice were the Hassansins.

Once the King's personal Assassins, now a secret tool for the bad guy.

I also like how they worked in Twirling Dervishes/Sand Dervishes.

Plus, to tell the truth, if I was 14 years old, I'm quite sure I'd have

a picture of Jake hanging in my locker ;)

New Look and a New Book

I thought I'd go for a warmer look on screen since it is so cold outside.

The previous pink template, while pretty, is best suited for summertime.

I really like the color orange especially when paired

with brown. Along with the books in the border - perfect!

Also, it's time to start reading my Christmas book

from Ma & Pa :

Jane Austen's Mansfield Park

I've not read it before nor have I seen the movie.

I will rent the movie after I finish the book.

What I did do was check out the cast list for the film on IMDB.

I was thinking that Maggie Smith was in it, but I was wrong. 

I was thinking it was the Gosford Park cast.

Mansfield Park - Gosford Park.....I was close.

The Gosford Park cast is awesome so I just might

have to rent that too one Sunday afternoon whilst

Adam is otherwise occupied.

I'd say it would not be his cup of tea.

Again, photos of Crockett are good for the soul.

Plus, I'm still trying to figure out all the settings on my new camera.

I still haven't figure out how to use the fisheye effect.

In this shot, I think Crockett looks like an Ewok!