holy moley

*chills*

I remember how it felt seeing Hogwarts for the first time...in 2002.

I'm not ready to see the end.

Some memorable quotes from HP7:


"Just tell me one thing, is this real?  Or has this been happening inside my head?"
"Of course it's happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean it's not real?"


"Here lies Dobby.  A free elf."


"Does it hurt?"
"Dying?  Not at all.  It's quicker and easier than falling asleep."

"He read the letter again, but could not take in any more meaning than he had done the first time, and was reduced to staring at the handwriting itself.  She had made her "g"s the same way he did.  He searched the entire letter for them.  It was an incredible treasure, proof that [his mother] had lived, really lived, that her warm hand had once moved across this parchment, tracing ink into these letters, these words, words about him, Harry, her son. Brushing the wetness from his eyes he reread the letter again.  It was like listening to a half-remembered voice."

"But they were not living.  They were gone.  The tears came before he could stop them.  What was the point in pretending.  He let them fall down to the thick snow, to the place where the last of [his mother and father] lay, not knowing that their living son stood so near, his heart still beating, alive because of their sacrifice and close to wishing, at this moment, that he was sleeping under the snow with them."

[Looking at the ghosts (?) of his parents before going off to what he thought was certain death]
Her smile was widest of all.  And her green eyes, so like his, searched his face hungrily, as though she would never be able to look at him enough.
Harry:  "You'll stay with me?"
His Dad:  "Until the very end."



How am I ever going to make it through these movies?

Jen Reviews Stuff

Maybe I should change careers.  I kind of like watching movies and then doing reviews.  It's fun.

Anyways - that's what you are getting today.  Movie Reviews.  I had a pretty lazy Saturday.  V and I had a nice long depressing movie marathon.  We didn't plan on watching a bunch of depressing movies - it just kind of worked out that way.  I guess going to see Remember Me Friday night put us in a reflective mood and made us want to keep with the trend.  

So the thought to take away from this post is this:

 "You cannot do a kindness too soon,
 for you never know how soon it will be too late"  

Ralph Waldo Emerson

So without further ado...my movie reviews

Remember Me

I thought this movie was really, really good.  And no, I'm not being biased.  I wasn’t expecting some happy-go-lucky movie – but even going in knowing that, I was still floored by the emotions I felt leaving the theater.  The story itself is good.  You become interested in what happens to these characters because they are well written and well acted.  It felt more like you were watching real life people living their lives instead of some action packed, angst filled rollercoaster.  I liked that.  Finding out bits of information of the characters’ pasts throughout the movie also made it interesting all the way through.  I loved the sweet, developing romance parts.  Even though I could barely watch the water fight that ended up in the tub - b/c *shudders* that tub/shower was *gags* too much.  Ugh.  I don't know that I'm going to be able to step foot in my own CLEAN shower for a while after that atrocity.  *shudders again*  I mean you know how I am with bathtubs anyway - I think I might have nightmares about that for a while.  Sorry - got sidetracked... Back to the Review...  The ending floored me to an extent that I am still shocked by the impact this less than 2 hour movie had on me.  I think the underlying message is this:  sometimes terrible things happen and there is nothing we can do to stop them.  They change your life and make you change into a much different person than you ever thought you’d be.  The key is to not give up – even when that’s all you want to do.  The only option we have is to keep living and to celebrate the life we have regardless of what we thought our lives would be or should have been.  Live while you can, love while you can and forgive while you can.   Because truthfully – there are millions of things out there that could happen at any second that could change your world forever.  You don’t want to be that person, trying desperately to say "I love you" or "I’m sorry", if you suddenly only had seconds left.  

The sad thing – is that I KNEW how this movie would end or better yet – WHEN – this movie would end.  I didn’t know details – I just stupidly read a review that mentioned it.  Which I kicked myself for (hard) because I completely stayed away from reading anything about this movie b/c I heard there was a bit of a shock ending.  I figured reading an "official" review wouldn’t give away any major details.  I was wrong.  Although the anxiety was building throughout the entire second half of the movie for what I knew was to come – I still felt the dread and shock when everything finally clicked into place and you knew, without a doubt what was coming. 

Point is – I knew what was coming and I still found myself completely filled with sorrow, pain, sadness and despair because this movie allows you to see things from a first person point of view instead of an outsider looking in and feeling shock and pain for what happened and the aftermath.

It will never seize to amaze me how we can remember things in our lives like they were yesterday.  How we can remember what we were doing at a specific time, exactly where we were, what we were thinking, what we felt.  It will also never seize to amaze me how those feelings can come back as strongly as we felt them at that specific time.  [You’ll understand what I’m talking about after you see the movie or hear about the ending.  I’m not being random.  ;)] 

I would recommend this movie to anyone.  It’s sad.  It’s going to leave you in a contemplative mood instead of a romantic comedy or action movie high.  But this movie makes us remember something two things we should never forget.  A tragic event.  And also that we should never take the certainty of tomorrow for granted. 

The Time Traveler’s Wife

Yet another sad, depressing movie.  I wanted to see it for a while because I love love love Rachel McAdams.  But then I heard that the book was hard to follow and the movie was confusing so it was put to the back burner until now.  I did however, like the movie.  It didn’t try to explain why or how he was traveling through time which I kind of would have liked.  But then again it probably would have been lost in translation and bogged the movie down.  I thought it was pretty neat how they advanced the love story between the two leads and enjoyed their progression through life’s hardships and tragedies.  I also learned from this movie that it is probably better to not know when you’re going to die.  Too much pain to know that your days are running out – even though this is something we all know, we don’t necessarily need to know exactly how few are left.  It hurt too much to watch the time run out and to watch them try to say goodbye.  Again, this is one of those movies that makes you realize that you need to say and act on how you feel now.  Don’t hold anything in or anything back.  Life is simply too short and unexpected.  So all in all – it’s good.  But bring tissues. 

At this point I knew we needed a happy movie.  I could barely even say ‘we need a happy movie, I can’t take another sad one’ without bawling. 

Post Grad

I loved this movie.  Kooky, random and silly at times – but so heartwarming and loveable.  And all too real at showing how frustrating it is to think you have life planned out only to find that life is never quite what we planned.  It was too cute even if it was predictable.  I think I called the ending not even halfway through the movie.  I thought it was worth watching if you’re looking for a light, silly comedy.  Which I was.  Trust.  Definitely worth watching on a lazy Saturday afternoon. 

My Sister’s Keeper

Okay – I blame Veronica for this one.  I’d already seen it.  And cried.  A lot.  So why I watched it again… I don’t know.  I almost even decided that I wouldn’t be having children after seeing this (and reading the book).  Because it’s just too much to bear.   Watching the family struggle with a lifelong illness that everyone knows is going to kill her in the end.  Kate hit the nail on the head with her insight about dying– “I don’t mind my disease killing me, but it’s killing my family too.”  I would imagine you would come to that – if you spent your entire life slowly dying of a disease and you watched your family give up everything for you.  I think the hardest part is finally accepting your inevitable fate when no one else is willing to.  Because I can see both sides of that – being the one who is able to accept what is happening and becoming ready to let go, and being the loved ones who will never be ready to let go.  See you’re crying reading this aren’t you?  Try watching the movie.  Another thing about this movie that struck me was when Anna realizes that Cambell is epileptic and has seizures induced by stress or not taking his medication at exactly the right time or a multitude of other reasons.  Anna says that she finally understands why he took on her legal case for medical emancipation – it wasn’t for the notoriety or press – it was because he could understand what it’s like to live in a body that he doesn’t have control over.  For some reason this struck me when I watched it this weekend.  I guess it’s because she has a point.  It sucks to be stuck in a body that doesn’t work the right way.  To have things happen that you have no control over.  To do everything you should do and still have it not work the right way.   It’s frustrating.  Maybe no one has "control" over their bodies – maybe it’s as simple as some work and some don’t.  Either way I can empathize.

Crazy Heart

This movie was equally as depressing.  Watching an alcoholic try to overcome a lifetime of mistakes and bad decisions isn’t all roses and sunshine.  But this movie gives us hope.  Hope that it is not always too late to make amends and get your life on track. I know this kind of goes against the theme of the other movies but still.   Having a conversation with a friend after a failed attempt to contact his long lost son stood out to me as they discussed both sides of redemption.   One side is that 25 years of mistakes is simply too much to forgive.  It’s too little too late.  Too many years of wrong.  The other side is that – no, just because it is the first ‘right’ in too many years doesn’t mean it’s not right. 

"You were wrong 25 years ago, you've been wrong since then, but you called him.  Now you're right.  You just gotta keep after it.  It's never too late"

Okay - enough movie reviews.  I definitely think I'll be finding some lighthearted comedies for a little while.  But srsly - go check out these movies if you want a movie that will make you think (and feel).  

P.S.-  Iron Man 2 was a preview for Remember Me!   Holy Crap!  I can't wait!  Love Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark!  

Facebook Stalking

I'm just gonna throw this out there - Facebook is awesome. I admit I was late to jump on the bandwagon and join FB - and the only reason I did was b/c I was peer pressured into it. But really - it has to be one of the best things out there. I mean where else can you see pictures from friends/family/complete strangers that 'tag' one of your friends in a picture... not only can you see all the pictures - but you can see them almost immediately after they are taken. No longer are the days when you have to go home to see the hard copy after they've been developed or have them sent to you in an email.

I'm rambling...

Point being - having almost instant access to pictures is nice. Especially when you are not expecting what you see.

Case in point:

Jason's Halloween pics surfaced sometime yesterday. I had no idea what he was going to dress up as since I FAIL at coming up with cool/hip/currently in style Halloween costumes. So you can imagine my surprise when I happened upon this photo.

Really?!? A MONK?!? Really? I'm actually glad I saw the picture b/c otherwise I would have never believed it. Our conversation probably would have gone something like this:

Me: So what did you come up with?

Jason: A Monk.

Me: *snicker* no really

Jason: Really.

Me: Yeah ok. NO srsly though. What you didn't come up with anything?

Jason: I told you. A Monk.

Me: um... ok do you not want to tell me?

This probably would have ensued for at least 25 minutes.

My brother...the Monk. There are no words. And srsly though - what/who is that dude next to you?!?!

However; the best part of fb stalking is seeing complete strangers. I've already decided that this next costume is the best EVER. Sorry Jason - even better than the Monk getup.

Are. You. Freaking. Kidding. Me? Oh you know which one I'm talking about.

Ok - I'm not even gonna say too much about the other two guys in this pic. Tom Cruise?!? Risky Business? Really?!?

Nope. Not even going there. Risky indeed... (haha I'm lame) I guess I could give you some points for that.

I have NO idea who the next one is suppose to be. But that hat is pretty pimpin'. It would go right along with my pirate costume.

And yeah there's Jason the Monk again.

But SRSLY?!!?? ALAN?!? From The. Best. Movie. Ever. The Hangover?!? OMG. So much WIN right there!

I about died. Not only is that the Best. Costume. Ever. - but hold on now -is that the same exact shirt?!? And do you actually own a pair of white pants like that?!?!

Or is this sold as a costume somewhere? Cause if it's NOT - You are awesome my friend. AWESOME.

Srsly compare the two pics.

It is the SAME shirt. Please don't rain on my parade and tell me it was a costume - b/c it is way better in my head if you actually own those articles of clothing.

I mean Phil is waaaaaaaaay better but Alan definitely the next best thing in that movie. Seeing this picture made me want to watch the movie again and re-live some of the best lines from my 2 fav characters.

Alan:

"That's right! You better walk on. I'll hit an old man in public!"

"...I'm a steel trap. Whatever happens tonight, I won't ever ever speak a word of it. Seriously. I don't care what happens. I don't care if we kill someone."

"How's my hair? Is it cool like Phil's?"

"Oh you know what? Next week's not good for me... the Jonas Brothers are in town..."

Phil:

"Would you shut up and drive before these nerds ask me another question."

"Would you PLEASE put some pants on?!? I feel weird having to ask you twice. "

"Hey it's Phil. Leave me a message - or don't. But do me a favor; don't text me. It's gay."

Jen Procrastinates

Big shock there I know. The good news is that I am not procrastinating on anything really important. I'm sitting in a clean apartment, I have clean clothes, I've done my lesson plans & newsletter for the week AND I already know what I am wearing tomorrow! So the only thing I have left to do today is paint my finger nails. AND I DON'T WANT TO! *throws mini tantrum* But I know for a fact that if I don't paint them - I will have them completely bitten off and hurting by 3:00 tomorrow. :(



Such a dilemma I know. Woe is me. *sighs*



So instead of doing that - I am going to review some movies I recently watched and tell you how the first two weeks of school went.



1. School Recap



To say "I survived" - is a serious, serious understatement. I always forget how much first graders grow during the year. We get to the point in the year when they are doing so much on their own, can listen to directions AND follow them. Starting over in August has to be one of the hardest parts of teaching. (notice I said 'one of the' not 'the hardest part') I have been repeating myself so much and telling my kids what to do and how to do it with SO much detail and repetition that I actually told Nick one night that he would need to be sure to "rinse the plates off and throw the trash in the trash can before he could put them in the dishwasher". I'm. Not. Kidding. You should have seen the look on his face! That was totally one of those 'priceless' moments. For both of us - b/c I didn't even realize for a few seconds why he was looking at me like I had lost my mind.

So my last two weekends have been full of quiet and relaxing activities. And needless to say - I am so totally looking forward to the long weekend coming up! This is not to say that I haven't enjoyed my new class. They are some of the sweetest, loving kids I've ever had! They are so lovable that you just can't get too upset with them... yet... And some of them are so little - I can't NOT forget that they really are 'babies' just starting out in the world away from their parents. So we're getting to know each other and learning the ropes for the classroom and I am about to be putting the foot down so hopefully by the end of the week - they will know what's up. Srsly - I had some slight rebellion due to actually having to sit and do some work this week - but we're getting there. So I am optimistic for the year! I also have pretty good parents *knocks on wood*! They all seem really helpful and accommodating! So that's awesome! I already have a snack stockpile from parents who just send stuff in 'for a rainy day' and they are all being really good about the whole food allergy situation. So all in all - a good start! Hopefully they will start getting a little better with the whole listening and paying attention situation really soon! And also - HOPEFULLY they (one child in particular) will get to the point where they (he) are (is) able to enter the room without sheding tears and throwing serious tantrums for Mom and/or Dad leaving.



2. Movie Reviews


Remember how I mentioned that I have been enjoying some quiet, relaxing activities during the weekends lately? Well yeah - mostly that means - that I have been watching movies, reading and resting my mind (and voice) from my own life.




So in no particular order I'm gonna share my thoughts on a few movies.

The Hangover

Hands down - the BEST movie I have seen in a while! I figured it would be kind of stupid and retarded. Well I guess it really was a little of both - but I haven't laughed that hard at a movie in a long time. I figured the language would be strong - but it wasn't so bad that you couldn't get past it. And can I say... Bradley Cooper as 'Phil'... wow *speechless*. He MADE that movie!

Best Lines: Phil (voicemail message) - Hey, this is Phil. Leave me a message, or don't, but do me a favor: don't text me, it's gay.

Stu - We're in a stolen cop car with what is sure to be a missing child in the back. What part of this is cool? Alan - I think the cop car part's pretty cool.

And also - the BEST part of that movie?? - the end credits. Srsly.

Knocked Up

Yeah - I'll admit - I stayed away from this one b/c I heard it was terrible. But I was intrigued so I caved. I actually thought it was pretty funny! Cliche but still had a few good laughs! Plus the ending was sweet so that's always good.

Best Lines - Little Girl: I googled 'murder'. Alison: What?!? Why!?! .... What'd it say?

17 Again

Yeah I watched it. What? Don't judge me. I originally stayed away from this one b/c I thought it would be lame. The end. So when I caved and watched it yesterday I about turned it off about 15 minutes in b/c it was lame. It had the wanna be magical feel to it and to be honest - it wasn't working. But after the 15 minute mark - it got soooo goooood!

I've never been a big fan of Zac Efron (I did force myself to sit through High School Musical 1 and 2 after all) - Other than being mesmerized by him since Nick and I discovered his resemblance to Chad two years ago when Wal-Mart whored HSM out and had pictures of them EVERYWHERE in the store. (I mean really - can you see it? Zac E. and Chad definitely have some similar facial features). Ha Ha... Sorry Lauren - I guess I never told you guys that!

Anyway- so yeah - I've never thought too much about him b/c let's face it HSM does NOT showcase good acting abilities. Sorry. It's true. But after seeing him in 17 Again - I. Am. A. Fan. He is soooo cute and *shock* he actually CAN act. I loved him in the movie! And really - the movie itself had a decent storyline!

Best Line: Mike: (pretending to read a letter to his soon-to-be ex wife): ...and then you whispered that you loved me at the homecoming dance, and I felt so peaceful... and safe... because I knew that no matter what happened, from that day on, nothing could ever be that bad... because I had you.

Lamest Line: Some Random Girl: if he were an apple he would be a delicious. Jens note: W.T.F?!?! Srsly?

Okay - as Veronica would say - Confession Time...

The ONLY reason I watched the next two movies was b/c of who was in them. There I said it.

Little Ashes

Alright - I may have lied a little a second ago. There is a slight chance I would have watched this one even if Robert Pattinson wasn't in it. It seemed interesting and I like weirdos (Dali). And honestly after the first few times you see him you actually begin to forget it's him b/c he really loses himself in the role. Which is awesome b/c that means he is a great actor. B/c let's be honest here - some (and I really mean some - not all) of his acting in Twilight was cringe-worthy. I choose to blame the direction but still - it was good to see him showing off serious acting skills. Disclaimer -Little Ashes is NOT for everyone. But since I can get past the man-on-man 'action' and see it as a tragic love 'story' - I thought it was completely heartbreaking and extremely well done. It was awkward, tragic, quirky and at the same time beautiful. I'm glad they stopped it when they did b/c the ending totally broke my heart.

Best Quote - Well actually the last scene made more of an impression on me than anything else.

Adventureland

(sorry no pic - not gonna advertise when I don't have positive things to say...)

Ummm yeah - even though I L-O-V-E Kristen Wiig (from SNL) - even she couldn't make me enjoy this movie. It just kind of dragged on and really didn't make a whole lot of sense. I mean the end was decent but still I was left wondering "What was the point?". Kristen Stewart was okay but not really memorable and the story line was pretty lame. An ok movie if you have 2 extra hours in your life that you don't really want.

Best Quote - ... yeah ummm I really don't care to even try to remember one.

On a better note - Kristen Stewart was really good in Speak. (It comes on Lifetime like all the time) and I'm not embarrassed to say I really liked her in Zathura. I would recommend both of those! And also - who can forget that she was the diabetic daughter in Panic Room who had what must have been a seriously advanced model of the 'blood sugar monitor watch'. B/c those 'watches' never really came out and/or never really took off. Cause - I would totally be on board with one of those.

Ummm... yeah - this ^ is how Bella should look in New moon. Am I right?

KStew in Zathura - I don't care what people say - she is a pretty girl!

Oh - alright - I guess I have to stop procrastinating and go paint my nails...

What are some movies you've seen recently (or not so recently)?