If you haven't seen this movie (yet) and if you are the least bit of a peripheral fan of the original series, get on over to your nearest theater and see it.

The movie critic in our paper gave it 2.5 stars, but said fans would love it. The official site shows 8.4 out of 10.

Well, we just loved it. It's got at least one memorable line. Lots of laughs. Plenty of insight into the original characters. Time travel. Black holes. Love. Love of family. Developing friendship. Lots of great CGI. We give it a 5 out of 4 stars. Maybe too many fist fights with Captain Kirk, but that's minor.

And we'll likely see it again, maybe even at a IMAX.

Most of the characters have more than a passing nod's acquaintance with the characters of the original. It doesn't take long before these actors become the characters that are so beloved.

Zachary Quinto plays Spock to perfection. I can't wait to see him again!

Chris Pine is James T. Kirk to a T. He even begins to look a little like him. Eric Bana is terrific as the evil nemesis Nero -- great makeup, BTW.

When Simon Pegg comes on screen as Scotty, the energy and laughs ratchet up. He's always funny and very clever. He's spot on with comic timing.

Karl Urban is Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy. Bruce Greenwood is Capt. Christopher Pike -- I like him in everything I've seen him in. I couldn't quite get into Zoe Saldana as Nyota Uhura in the same way as the older Uhura. But she becomes her own character with a new story line.

I personally was happy that Leonard Nimoy revised his Spock Prime. One reviewer said it slowed down the action that never recovers from it. We didn't think so. We liked that part of the story line.

So when does the next movie in the franchise come out? We will be at the midnight showing.

Have you seen it?

Karin

Originally posted 2009-05-09 13:04:07.

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We went as a family to see The Avengers, and we all liked it. We didn't anticipate the crowd on a Tuesday night, but it was packed, and we sat 3 rows up from the front, which surprisingly wasn't too bad.

As has been said in many reviews, the humor between the characters was fun, the CGI was amazing, and be sure to stay through the end credits, because more is a'comin'.

We give it 4 stars.

That said, there was a great article from Vogue about creating eyes to match the movie characters. They are very beautiful!

http://www.vogue.in/content/how-get-superhero-eyes#5

OPI has released a nail collection based on Spider Man.

If you decide to take up the challenge, email me a picture and I'll post it on my blog.

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

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Vitus is a charming movie, full of love, and I highly recommend it, if you have not seen it already. It is a slice of life I'd like to return to more than once. Beautifully filmed and acted.

In 2007 it won the best Swiss Film Prize (Fredi M. Murer who directed and co-wrote the script) as well as the Undine Award for Best Debut, Male for Teo Gheorghiu. It was the 2006 entry for Best Foreign Film for the Academy Awards.

When I see a foreign film like this, it makes me wish I'd kept up with German, though this is in Swiss German. At one point they ask Vitus to speak high German. I could pick up a few words and phrases here and there. The DVD I watched had English subtitles. It would be interesting to see if it also had German or French. After seeing it with English, I could freshen up on the other languages I have some smattering of knowledge in.

There are a few spoken words in English. Vitus' mother is English, so the actress had to be able to speak both English and German.

The DVD extras
Some of the missing scenes are as charming as the movie. Additionally, the interview with Bruno Ganz is excellent. The film about the movie includes some interesting interviews with the director/writer. He had the script for a number of years. One of the first things he needed to do was cast the young man to play Vitus, then find a look alike to play him at a younger age. Fredi said he thought it was a story he wrote, but the young man he cast has essentially the same story in RL.

The Story
Vitus von Holzen is an exceptional child. He takes to the piano as if he were Mozart. To make matters worse, he is a genius with an I.Q. of at least 180. This gets him into trouble at school, where the other kids tease him, and where teachers are jealous, instead of protecting and nurturing his gifts. The latter makes me both sad and angry. Teachers should foster a child like this, not give them more to handle.

His mother contributes to his unhappiness. She wishes to protect him, but in fact, does him harm by pushing him. Her self image is tied up with having an exceptional son, though to do her justice, her love is not tied to this. I suspect it would be difficult to parent a child like this. His father is an inventor, rarely at home, but when he is, he gently teaches his son.

And then Vitus rebels.

Considering that nothing he ever wanted was allowed him, from his first piano teacher to his babysitter, it's no wonder he has to continue to rebel. I found the scene where he locks his mother out of the house for a day (and later his father, that night) delightful. If he would go to such lengths then, why did they not begin to listen to him. You don't win by being self-willed with a child like this. They can be more willful than you are.

The saving grace
His grandfather, played by Bruno Ganz, is his ally in life. He provides a place of refuge, literally and figuratively. It was a joy to watch Ganz.

What to do
He wants to be normal. He pretends he is no longer gifted in either life or the piano, but after a period of time, his grandfather becomes aware and is sworn to secrecy.

But there is need for money
His grandfather only has enough money to last for about 5 years, and the company his father works for is tanking. And instead of the CEO position going to his father, it goes to the owner's son.

Vitus convinces his grandfather to let him invest all the grandfather's money.

The piano playing
The piano playing is all done by Teo himself. He is tremendously gifted and in RL has won awards and played with symphonies. This is his first film. He says he'd rather play the piano. In one of the extras his piano teacher says that Teo had already practiced for 2 hours, by the time he got there, then practiced 3 hours more. I don't doubt it. Teo's mother is interviewed at one point, and if you can believe her, she let him decide about the film.

The ends tied up nicely
There are twists and surprises in the story, with a satisfying ending. Vitus comes into his own, in more ways than one. The relationships in the movie are loving, despite the errors made.

The casting
The casting is excellent.

Julika Jenkins and Urs Jucker are superb as Vitus' mother and father. Kristina Lykowa and Tamara Scarpellini who play Isabel, the babysitter, at different ages are terrific. Fabrizio Borsani plays Vitus at age 6 to perfection. And the movie could not have been made without Teo Gheorghiu who plays Vitus at age 12.

Is it possible to have a normal life and be this talented?

Have you seen this?
Throw your hat into the ring for this one
If you have the least interest in foreign films, don't miss this one.

Buy it here: Vitus

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

Originally posted 2009-11-22 15:32:27.

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Well, this was a totally fun movie!

Matthew McConaughey has superb comic timing, as well as believability when he delivers a changed monologue. And I have to say that he looks a lot like a young Paul Newman here.

Michael Douglas must have had a blast riffing on his own life to a degree, making fun of everything most folks might have believed about him. He looks mighty good in this movie. Either he's had work done; the work has settled; or he might not be quite as thin as he was, which is better on him than the other way. Anyway, he's a hoot delivering lines spoofing himself (and Hugh Hefner) with a straight face.

I'd like to see the outtakes. Both Matthew and Michael have a twinkle in their eye. That in itself is fun to watch.

Jennifer Garner is good always. She has a very expressive face.

I enjoyed seeing Breckin Meyer. I expected him to play a part similar to the one he played in Kate and Leopold, but he played this differently.

Anne Archer looks good in this movie. It was like seeing her in Clear and Present Danger. She brings a lot to the part, just with her facial expressions. She plays a mature woman who doesn't cross a line into sleaze.

We walked out of the movie saying that it was one we wanted to own.

Have you seen it?

Karin

Originally posted 2009-05-01 17:20:49.

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There are a lot of truths in here! Enjoy!

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

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We love that program, though I wish they would just keep going instead of having weeks off, then we have to remember it again.

If you like the program too, you might enjoy this written interview with Bruce Campbell who plays Sam on the show.

Very interesting.

I like the character of Sam too. He's fun to watch. He looks like he's having fun too.

Karin

Originally posted 2009-06-15 10:13:05.

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I saw this movie last week -- and again on a recent cruise. A love story for grownups.

It was an enjoyable slice of life, well acted by its two veteran actors: Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman.

This is not a romantic comedy; rather, I would call it a romantic drama. And since the romance takes place in a grown up way with mature adults, rather than teens or early adulthood, it might be more enjoyable for a mature audience. There is no sex or nudity, unless you count Dustin Hoffman in the shower, looking his age.

Eileen Atkins plays the part of Emma's mother. She is terrific in the part. Vulnerability crosses her face in every scene, simply in nuances of facial expression.

Hoffman is on his way to London for his daughter's wedding. It's going to be one of the harder weekends of his life. He learns that his daughter wishes her step-father (played by James Brolin) to give her away, then that he is fired.

All the action takes place over the wedding weekend.

Liane Balaban is gorgeous as his daughter.

Along the way he fails to meet Thompson when she tries to ask him a questionnaire in the airport and when they take the same taxi -- as one gets out, the other gets in. Later, when he misses his plane home, they connect in a believable way in the airport lounge.

That leads to his return to the wedding reception and their giving love a chance. I had to suspend reality to think the reception was still going on after his long morning/afternoon away. It was nice to see a resolution within the families. I mentioned to my daughter that he was treated differently when he was alone compared to when he had Emma with him.

On the whole, I recommend it. I give it a 2.5 stars; my daughter gave it a 2.

Have you seen it?

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

Last Chance Harvey (Blu-ray Disc, 2009) Brand New and Sealed

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Originally posted 2009-01-23 18:57:56.

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Written in 2007:
One of my girls got in the car crying yesterday. Mean girls. Mean girls. Don't know if she contributed some or not, but she is sweetly sensitive which sometimes makes you a target.

She went off to school this morning hoping there wouldn't be a repeat.

I told her about college girl's forays into mean girl territory when she was in high school and junior high. I told her some of what I had faced. I told her about books that have been written about this phenomena.

And college girl came home last night for spring break so she talked to her too.

And I asked her if there was anything she wanted me to do. Did she want me to talk to the teacher, etc?

Meantime we had one of her friends over for play and dinner, which helped a lot. I encouraged her not to say too much as it sometimes comes back to haunt you. But this other friend said that mean girl had been really nice until she got with a couple of other girls.

Well, you know how you don't think of things to say in the moment, but maybe years later.

I got to laughing with college girl and her, and I said, laughing, you should have asked her if she had a kleenex.

Why? said younger girl.

I said, because then you could say because she was being a snot!

My bad.

So far as I know, this is original to me. When telling a friend and her 20ish daughter, her daughter thought it was funny and clever.

I also told my girl not to really say this, but if she thought it in her mind, it might help her laugh about it some.

She mentioned that to me in the car this morning.

Two movies my girls love are Mean Girls and 13 Going On 30 . We talked about them too.

They know the concept of mean girls, but it's different bearing the brunt of it.

Have you had successes with overcoming mean girl syndrome?

Written in 2012:
The ultimate mean girls-grown-up show on TV now is GCB, based on the book Good Christian Bitches, which we are thoroughly enjoying. It is both funny and touching -- and over the top and a spoof in many ways. Amanda was the ultimate mean girl in high school, but she has now changed and is back in Dallas, but the three women who still are in Dallas don't realize it. Each actor and actress are skilled comedic players, with perfect timing.

Carleen is played by Kristin Chenowith. Amanda's mother, Gigi, is played by Annie Potts. (This is especially funny to me, because that is what my grandkids call me -- name chosen by my son and daughter-in-law.) I love Cricket and Blake. What I've found is that all the characters have love for each other -- you have to wait until the last 5 minutes of every show, because there is usually a surprise. And there's always some singing, usually in the church choir.

Here's Annie Potts on the View:

Karin

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Originally posted 2007-02-26 10:38:01.

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