The Pillars of the Earth (8/31/10)

This was an amazingly well done mini series.  Richard read this book a long time back and absolutely loved it.  A couple years ago I decided to read it as well, as I always need to be reading something, and I loved it as well.  The book was beautifully written and the movie did a great job capturing the story.

This is an 8 part mini series that was shown on Starz, it was very well done.  Richard had always pondered if this book would be made into a movie, and then we always said it was just too long for a movie and too much would be cut out.  So I'm incredibly happy that they did a mini series and didn't cut out the story. 

Yep, I highly recommend watching it, Netflix has it streaming live right now.  It is for a mature audience as there is quite a bit of violence and adult content, so I wouldn't recommend it for kids. 

Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

Book two in the Chronicles of Narnia is just as good as the first.  Once again I was drawn in.  It's amazing how easy these stories are to read, how short they are, and yet how much information you get.  I've read far longer books and finished it feeling like I didn't read a thing.  I think I just might own this movie too, so now I need to watch both, maybe next weekend if I am able to find the time.

I've started the third book and found my bookmark from when I was a kid, apparently I only got part way into the third book and quit reading them.  I wonder what happened to make me quit reading them then?  Strange.  I'll finish the chronicles this time!

Hockey Mom (8/16/10)

This is from 2005 and I had never heard of it before, apparently it has a few different names.  When it starts the name that shows up is Chicks with Sticks, but when searching for the DVD cover I also found it was called Anybody's Game as well.  Strange the way that works.  This is obviously a movie from Canada where hockey is loved by all.  I so wish we would embrace hockey that way in the USA.  The movie was good, I wish it hadn't been called Hockey Mom, for one that makes it sound like something entirely different from what it is.  The blurb on it also made it sound different as well.  The lead character in this movie is a hockey player (in the movie), and a very good one at that.  She isn't just some mom who has a kid that plays hockey, she didn't just one day decide she wanted to play, she is a hockey player and has always been a hockey player.  The movie was cute and annoying at times, but all in all I liked it. 

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

This is one of those books I have read when I was little.  I loved it, it is such a classic book.  It is a wonderful book for kids, I have the whole set of them and I can't wait to be able to read them to my kids I don't have yet.  Now that I'm done with this one I will move on to the rest, I'm excited to get the whole story.  I'm not sure if I read all of the Chronicles of Narnia when I was a kid or not, but I didn't have anyone reading them to me either.  Great book and super easy to read!  I think I need to rewatch the movie sometime soon, I'm pretty sure it's one I actually own.

So You Think You Can Dance: Season 7

I have this weakness for SYTYCD, I can't help but watch it every time it comes out.  Here is my season recap. As always the dancing was amazing this year.   My favorite by far was Alex so it was super sad when he got injured, I hope he decides to do another season when he is all healed up.  Though it's sad for him that he was bonding with all the people from this season and will have to go through it all again.

The contestants this year were much more kooky then previous years, I loved it!  My favorite (after Alex) was Lauren so I'm super excited she won, there wasn't anything they threw at her that she didn't look like a natural doing.  I think when they said "she feels music like no one else" that about sums up her amazingness.  Kent was technically amazing but I did have issues with his cheesy Kentness, I imagine when he matures a bit he'll be absolutely amazing.  I liked Robert more as the season progressed, he started out so excited that he was a bit obnoxious but he really settled down and started dancing amazing towards the end.  As for the people lower then that in placing I'm not going to go into talking about them much (though I did enjoy Billy, I think he would have done a better job if he had been able to continue that first season he started on).

I was VERY happy they replaced Mary with Mia this year, sure Mia can say some crazy things but at least she doesn't scream like a maniac.  I used to fast forward through every thing she said because she annoyed me so much!

Below are a few of my favorite routines from the season.  I'm sure there are more that I am forgetting but here is one dance from each of my favorites.

Merlin (8/10/10)

We've been watching this over the last few weeks and just finished the first season.  I enjoyed it and it annoyed Richard a bit.  I suppose I can see his point, it seems everything is one big adventure or another, magic is being used constantly and no one notices, and we aren't really seeing the relationships grow but they are growing.  I guess for the type of show I look at it more simply then he does, or maybe I just don't expect much out of things.  I did have to question how tossing something in the lake was hiding it from ever being found, I mean it's not really all that hidden, but otherwise I don't normally question all that much.  Merlin is constantly struggling with not using his powers and Arthur is constantly proving he isn't the brightest guy in the kingdom but he does have a good heart.  Yeah, I found it amusing.  I'm sure to watch the next season when it's out on DVD.

Remember Me (8/8/10)

I guess somewhere along the line I figured this would be sad, but I really didn't know how sad.  I don't know if I just figured what had happened to them in the past would be the sadness or what, but I seriously wasn't ready for the way this ended.  I normally try not to write about what movies are about but this time I'm going to break that trend, so if you don't want to hear more about the movie, don't read the rest of this.

I loved the boy meets girl aspect of the story.  I loved seeing them go through their tough times. And I loved watching the dad slowly realize that maybe it's about time he gave attention to the children that remain.  I think what made this so sad wasn't the fact that one of the main characters died, though that was really sad.  What made it so gut wrenching is that he died in an event that we are all familiar with, we all lived through, and I would hope we all remember exactly what we were doing at that time.  9/11 is something that I feel like people tend to forget about now that time has gone by; unless you were somehow directly connected to someone who lost their life in that tragic event we don't often hear about it all that much and we don't see information related to it anymore.  I recall them taking all the pictures down and taking it off the tv after it happened, I realize they didn't want to make people angry, but they shouldn't hide it all such that people forget either.  I saved some pictures from 9/11 to go through from time to time as a reminded.  I'll post a few below.  I loved this movie, it was insanely sad, but the story felt all too real.

Never forget.

Enchantment by Orson Scott Card

I stayed up all night finishing this book, it really is an amazing piece or art.  I loved how it is an old story made new, it's the story minus everything you normally get plus the "happy ever after" or not so happy depending on how and when you look at it.  Great book, well worth reading.  I really do enjoy Orson Scott Card, so far everything I've read of his has been quite amazing.  I need to go to half price books and see what else of his they have sitting around.

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough

I loved this book, it was so human and expressed feeling to situations that everyone has but hides within themselves. I think it just helps you realize that how you feel is okay, you just have to encompass it and continue one with life and not let things drag you down completely.  This book follows you through the lives of various people in the Cleary family, though mostly it focuses on Meggie and her relationships with them all.  It made me want to cry, but not because of how sad any one thing was that happened, but because I could watch the years unfold and feel the losses of the characters.  It was a great book, certainly worth my reading it.  I've moved the mini series to the top of my netflix queue, I hope it does the book justice, the reviews look good so I'm hoping it does!