Jumper Review (Warning: Spoilers)

I’ve been watching a lot more movies lately than I usually do. My dad rented Jumper over the weekened and watched it with Mom. I heard some of the music near the end, and liked it so much I decided to watch the movie *whistles innocently*

I don’t like any of the characters. David Rice steals money from banks once he learns he can teleport, and despite saying he’ll pay it back, he never does. It’s implied he and a girl he meets in a bar do something immoral (he’s shown shirtless, standing at the window, and she’s in bed behind him mostly covered with a sheet but with her shoulders bared), and then he begans to do the same thing with Millie, his girlfriend, in an inappropriate scene that I skipped. Griffin won’t help save Millie when she’s captured because he’s so intent on killing the bad guys, even at the cost of her life, and so David leaves him entangled in electrical wires. There’s nothing to like about them – they have no redeeming values and suffer no consequences for their actions. Some of the poor choices David and Griffin make might be attributed to the way they grew up (Griffin’s parents were killed when he was five and David’s mother left the family when he was five, leaving him to grow up with an abusive father. This does not excuse them in my point of view, however).

There are some cool scenes where they’re jumping around, and I love the theme music, but this movie isn’t worth watching. You come away no better than before, worse if you’ve watched a certain scene and heard the language my DVD player mutes, and wonder if there’s any morality left in the world. If David had been a real hero who made the right choices, it would have been a fun movie. As it is, skip it.

Have an amazing rest of your life!

- WM

“Ice Cream and Stuff” and Follow-Up Thoughts to The Dark Knight

See, I said I would. But first:

My intention was not to talk about movies in this post, but I forgot I was going to post my other thoughts on The Dark Knight. The movie left me feeling slightly disturbed until I went to bed and prayed for a few minutes last night. The bad parts hung on longer than the good parts, because the good parts weren’t powerful enough. The morning brought perspective, and then you can concentrate on its good aspects. I don’t want to see it again in the theater, but when it comes out on DVD, so I can analyze it more thoroughly. Maggie G. totally ruined the character Rachel Dawes for me. If she’d played the character in both Batman movies, it might’ve been better, but as it is…fiddlesticks. Another thing about the movie, the thing that probably disturbed me the most, is that playing the Joker kind of messed Heath Ledger up, and that’s one of the reasons he was taking the pills he overdosed on (that killed him). It seems so wrong to me that someone died in part (granted, he had other issues, my brother says) because a character he portrayed in a movie got to him to an extent.

When we went to the movie rental store today (see the post before this), I mentioned that we shouldn’t go in the grocery store and get ice cream (which is what I do these days to hint to people, because sugar is bad for you, so I can’t say we /should/.) My aunt is leaving tomorrow, so we made that our excuse, and went and bought ice cream, Bluebell’s birthday cake flavor (my aunt’s favorite).

My aunt brought birthday presents for the whole family (she only comes here a couple of times a year). She gave me a pretty blue pouch with a dog tag in it that says “Designed by God” on it. I’ve worn it every day since

I’m still reading A Tale of Two Cities. I’m a little over halfway through (yep, I need to get cracking). Doctor Manette just recovered from the shock of learning something the morning of Luce and Charles’s wedding. I really want to read The Circle Trilogy (Ted Dekker) and The Chronicles of Narnia (C. S. Lewis) again, but I still need to read three other books that I’ve never read before for the reading challenge on Clean Place, so I think I’ll do that first. Ted Dekker’s book Sinner is out now. It’s a sequel to Saint, and I can’t wait to read it!

Have an amazing rest of your life.

- WM

Rescue Dawn Review (Warning: Spoilers)

We went to a movie rental place and ended up renting Rescue Dawn.

Negative elements:

Too much talk of crud.

Some profanity (which our DVD player mutes, but for those that don’t have that kind…)

Moments of grossness (pulling leeches off, eating worms, eating a live snake)

The one time Dieter says a prayer, he asks God why He never helps them when they need it.

Dieter once mentions a female guard at the camp he’s imprisoned in and her smile, and says something about wishing there wasn’t war, despite the fact he has a fiance back home.

One of the men in the camp betrays the others when they’re trying to escape.

And then there’s the expected war violence with shooting and such, and Dieter is tortured (hung upside down, tied to a bull and dragged along, dunked in water, etc.). Duane is killed rather gruesomely (but not especially graphically) by a villager with a machete.

Positive elements:

There’s a theme of perseverance, and I just realized the spell checker on this thing isn’t working, so I hope I haven’t misspelled anything.

Dieter refuses to denounce the United States when captured (and is tortured as a result). He’s compassionate to the comrade he escapes with and looks out for him.

Other thoughts:

At first I didn’t really like the filmmaker’s style or Christian Bale’s acting, but it improved as the movie went on, along with the pace, which was rather slow at first. At times I worried most of the movie would be about him being tortured, but that didn’t last that long. I was sad that Duane didn’t make it. But the movie has a happy ending.

Have an amazing rest of your life, and in my next post, I’ll write about ice cream and stuff, instead of movie issues.

- WM

The Dark Knight Review (Warning: Spoilers!)

My brother, my aunt, my mom and I went to see The Dark Knight today, and here’s what I thought of it. I’m note going to note all of the negative and positive elements. You can read more about those here: http://www.pluggedinonline.com . I disagree with their review in a few places – the violence and disturbingness wasn’t as bad as it made out.

The Joker is creepy and has no qualms whatsoever about killing people. I suppose you could call him a “good” villain – he’s very villainous. He’s not as disturbing as I feared, but he is icky. I wasn’t sure if I should put this under negative or positive elements. The Joker is certainly negative but he’s a villain and does a good of being a villain, which is bad…*goes in circles*

Same for Harvey Dent. It’s disappointing and a negative element that after being so good, he turns so evil, but he’s a villain from the comics (which I haven’t read), known, I think, as Two-Face or something like that.

Negative Elements:

The most disturbing part of the movie is the side of Harvey Dent’s face that gets partly burned off. It looks horrible.

Batman lies when he takes the blame for the five people Harvey kills, which is for a good reason, but it’s still wrong.

There is a cringe-worthy moment when the Joker impales a man’s face on a pencil. We see the pencil on the table, the Joker slams the man’s head down, and the man falls on the floor with no pencil on the table. The Joker threatens people with knives pressed to their mouths while he makes up stories about how he got his scars (but the only time he cuts peoples’ mouths like his own, we don’t see or hear the act being done, we just the see the bodies of the men and a glimpse of the damage in a darkened room. Not to excuse the movie’s violence).

Positive Elements:

Though there’s a lot of violence, it refrains from showing all the gory details. The camera leaves much to the imagination.

Batman, of course, is noble and heroic for the most part. To keep the Joker from having succeeded in destroying Harvey Dent’s reputation and the hope of Gotham’s people, he takes the blame for Harvey’s actions upon himself (although he lies to do it).

The Joker rigs to blow two huge ships full of people. He gives the detonator to one ship to the other ship and vice versa and tells the people that he’ll blow both ships up himself at midnight – unless one of them blows the other up first to survive. But neither do it (and the Joker doesn’t blow them up either, because he’s hanging from a building about to get caught by the police, thanks to Batman).

Other things are mentioned in PluggedIn’s review.

My other thoughts:

Maggie Gyllenhaal instead of Katie Holmes played Rachel Dawes, and her performance is disappointing. I very much prefer Katie Holmes, which is why *MAJOR SPOILER* I wasn’t mad at the movie-making people for having her get blown up and why, although I felt bad for Batman, I wasn’t too sorry that she was planning on marrying Harvey, not Batman. (If was real life instead of a movie, that would be way different.) That doesn’t mean I’m glad, but I don’t like Maggie as Rachel. Katie Holmes did the part way better.

Again, the side of Harvey’s face that caught on fire after getting wet with gasoline looks really nasty.

The end of the movie isn’t very satisfactory – Batman is running from the police since they think he killed the people Harvey did. Overall, it wasn’t too bad. I might have to see it again to form a more educated opinion.

I’ve been going to bed late and got up early, so if none of that made sense, that’s why. )

Have an amazing rest of your life!

- WM

Casting Crowns

My aunt wanted to go to the church that the band Casting Crowns goes to this morning, so we did. Mark Hall led some of the worship, and I made a Robin Hood hat from my gum wrapper while listening to the sermon. It fits on my fingers.

My cousin’s wedding went well. They served dinner and dessert after the ceremony, and some people, excluding myself, danced. I took some pictures of the decorations. Then we went home and started watching The Count of Monte Cristo. I used to like it, but this time it just made me sick. I mean, the “hero” is immoral, despite the actor portraying him as rather innocent and likable. A main plot point is the result of the sin he commits with his love interest, and the movie portrays no negative consequences of inappropriate premarital relations. So after watching part of the beginning, I went to bed. In the book, Albert isn’t Edmond’s son. Hollywood messed it up. The book is much better.

I wonder if the people who read my blog, if there are any, get tired of my movie criticisms. Hehe

Speaking of movies, The Dark Knight, sequel to Batman Begins, came out on Friday. I’m not sure if I want to see it in the theater or not.

Have an amazing rest of your life.

- WM

Blueberries and Red October

Yesterday we went blueberry picking. We picked around 10 pounds, which cost 15 dollars. The blueberries are very sweet.

My aunt from Wisconsin is staying with us. Yesterday Mom, my aunt, and I went to the mall. My aunt needed to buy a wedding gift for my cousin, who’s getting married this evening. She bought it at Macy’s (if I ever get married – which I’m not planning on – I’ll register at Wal-Mart and Target :p) and we looked through clothes for a while (well, I did some, and then stood around while they did). But before that, we went to a bookstore We bought the third book in The Circle Trilogy to complete the set for a birthday gift for another aunt, who’s coming on Monday. I had the first two in great condition because I bought them, borrowed the third from a friend, and then bought the three-in-one edition (it’s hardback. How could I resist? ). I got a 2009 Prince Caspian calendar.

We went to a grocery store and my aunt bought ingredients for the dinner that she and my brother made – grilled salmon, grilled chicken, grilled shrimp-and-veggie kabobs, and squash souffle. We hardly ever buy/make any of that except for the veggies. It was good, although the salmon had a somewhat strange flavor I didn’t care for. I think it’s because it was marinated in wine (at the store). I usually like salmon. Mom made blueberry crisp.

After dinner we watched The Hunt for Red October. It’s a little boring. There’s way too much cussing to watch it without the profanity filter, and even with the filter, you could sometimes tell what they said by the movement of their lips (and no, I /wasn’t/ trying :p) or by reading the captions it puts up (exluding the cuss word) when muting the sentence, so I stopped reading them. The muter does help. You usually can’t tell what they’re saying by watching them – this movie has a few unfortunate exceptions. Overall, without the cussing, I like it, but not enough to watch over and over again.

I should stop rambling…sorry.

Have an amazing rest of your life!

- WM

Vet Visit, Hornblower, and Dickens

We took the dogs, Molly and Sydney, to the vet this morning to get some shots and a nail clipping. Both of them get rather nervous. Sydney growls and occasionally snaps when having her nails cut. But overall, they behaved pretty well. We took them to a park afterward because we don’t want them to associate getting in the car with unpleasant experiences. They seemed to enjoy the walk.

Sydney is our 7-year-old rat terrier/beagle mix.

Molly is our 12-year-old spitz/chow chow/?? mix.

Mom and I have been watching the Horatio Hornblower series since we bought it on DVD from amazon.com. Last night we watched “The Mutiny”, which happens to be the one with a scene that needs to be partially skipped. It gets hot on deck and for some unfathomable reason, Horatio removes his clothes and has the men spray him off. It shows a clip of his rear. :p Why in the world did the makers think that part would be an asset to the movie?

Anyways, that one leaves you hanging, as Horatio is in jail waiting to be tried for mutiny (which had to be done to save the lives of everyone on the ship). I’ve seen all but one of them before, but Mom hasn’t, so we’ll probably watch the next tonight. Michaela and I watched one a week a year or two or three ago when we’d get together at her house while our mothers went to a church ladies meeting. Watching them again brings back fun, funny, and embarassing moments.

We’ve been cleaning house in preparation for the arrival of one of our aunts. She’s going to stay with us from Wednesday to Monday. One of my cousins is getting married on Saturday, the reason for the visit. And then another aunt is going to stay with us from Monday to Thursday to celebrate her birthday with us, as is the yearly tradition.

I’m halfway through A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens now. I’ve enjoyed it so far, although the main plot is moving very slowly. Our version has a forward that gives away most of the plot points and the ending of the book. If I hadn’t already seen the movie and known what happens, I would be rather upset. I recommend reading the forward /after/ the rest of the book.

Have an amazing rest of your life!

- WM

http://eldameldo.wordpress.com – my costume blog

Survey

I was looking at my old Xanga blog and saw a survey I filled out a long time ago, so I decided to fill it out again. I have a feeling the type is going to end up too small to read, but I haven’t figured out how to change it on this blog. I’m not interested in playing around with the HTML code right now : oops :

WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?  My great-grandmother, sort of.

 

 2.  WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?  A few days ago.

 

 

3.  DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?   Sort of.

 

4.  WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Turkey pastrami

 

5.   DO YOU HAVE KIDS?  No!

 

6.  IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?  If I could get to know me.

 

7.  DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?  Me, use sarcasm? No, never! Ok, I was being sarcastic. Actually, I’m not near as sarcastic as I used to be.

 

8.  DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?  Yes.

 

9.  WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?  Probably

 

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Peanut Butter Bumpers

 

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?  It depends on what shoes I’m wearing.

 

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?  Not especially

 

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?  I don’t have a favorite.

 

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?  Whether they’re a guy or a girl.

 

15. RED OR PINK?   Red

 

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?  That at times I would rather do things my way than God’s.

 

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?  All of the Clean Place members who were at the Moot.

 

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?  I’m not sending it to anyone for them to send back.

 

 19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?   Blue shorts and no shoes.

 

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?  A turkey burger

 

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?  The sound of my laptop running.

 

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Rainbow?

 

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?  The air before it rains

 

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?  Mom

 

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?

 

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?  Equestrian

 

27. HAIR COLOR?  Dark blond

 

28. EYE COLOR?  Blue

 

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?  Yes

 

30. FAVORITE FOOD? I don’t have one.

 

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?   Happy endings. At least satisfying endings.

 

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?  Little Women

 

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?   White

 

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?   Spring and Fall.

 

35. HUGS OR KISSES?  Hugs.

 

36. FAVORITE DESSERT?  I don’t know…maybe cheesecake.

 

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?  No one

 

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?  No one

 

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?   Outside Hollywood by Isaac Botkin

 

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?  Nothing. I use my laptop touchpad thing…

 

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? What Not to Wear, which I am going to stop watching because the hosts keep getting tackier.

 

42. FAVORITE SOUND?  Music or thunder

 

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?   Neither

 

44. WHAT IS THE FURTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?  You mean farthest? Colorado.

 

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?  It depends on what you mean by that.

 

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?  Georgia

 

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?  I’m not expecting any.

 

48.  WHAT IS YOUR PROUDEST ACCOMPLISHMENT?  I don’t know.

 

Aside from that, we watched fireworks last night (I got some interesting pictures). Before that, I watched Little Women with my mother and younger sister. The only part that makes me want to cry is watching Jo’s manuscript burn. That would be excruciating to have someone destroy (in my case it would be delete it and empty the recycle bin) your novel.

*cough* Anyways…

 

Have an amazing rest of your life!

- WM

Camera

Not much of great interest has happened since I last wrote an entry: I’ve worked on geometry, tried to save the lives of a couple of beetles on the back patio, procrastinated, picked blueberries, cut pieces out of some fabric for a cloak…

And I also looked at digital cameras online. The camera I share with my sisters has 4 megapixels, which takes pretty nice pictures, but I wanted something better. I prayed God would give me a new camera for free if He wanted me to have one. A day or few later, Dad came home with an 8 megapixel digital camera that the people he works for gave him for having worked at the company for 30 years. Dad said the rest of us are free to use it, since he’ll hardly use it at all. Thank You, God!

Have an amazing rest of your life!

- WM