Movie flubs

Julie's movie-of-the-week this week has been Disney's Beauty and the Beast. My OCD has taken over and I just can't let this go any longer. I have a problem with this adaptation. It's a minor one, admittedly, but it's really getting on my nerves.

At the beginning, the narrator -- the same actor that voices Cogsworth, incidentally -- give us the back story. A young spoiled prince laughs at an old woman when she offers him a rose in return for shelter. She turns into an enchantress and curses him to become a beast, and enchants the entire household as well. The rose is magic: it will bloom until the prince turns 21, at which point he better have found his soul mate.


Okay, I'm good so far.

After awhile, we get into the movie. We get to know Belle and her father, are annoyed with Gaston, and charmed by Lumière.

We reach the high point of the movie (musically speaking, at least) when we watch the dishes present their "culinary cabaret," Be Our Guest.



This is where my problem arises. If you skip ahead in this video to 2:20, you might see what I mean.

Ten years we've been rusting,
Needing so much more than dusting.
Needing exercise, a chance to use our skills.

So they've been clocks and candelabras and teapots for 10 years. Got it.

Wait, that means the prince was only 11 when the spell was cast on him and the household. You can see why I think that might be a bit of a problem:

(1) Why is an 11-year-old opening the door late at night to a stranger?
(2) Where were/are his parents?
(3) Didn't the enchantress overreact just a bit? I mean, he's only 11, after all. It's not like he's supposed to be able to recognize inner beauty at that age. Heck, a lot of 21-year-olds still don't know what it is.

And regardless of the prince's age, how does the kingdom just completely forget that there's a prince in a castle only half a league away? That just doesn't jibe with common sense.

Does anyone else have a problem with any of this? Or am I seriously overthinking it? (Kellie, you don't count, because I know you have underlying and fundamental issues with the story as a whole, not necessarily this adaptation or smaller nuances.)

Limited engagement

Any Michael Jackson fans out there? Are any of my Cleveland friends Michael Jackson fans? Have you heard about this movie? I don't know a lot about it, but MJ has a new single to be release in just a few weeks, called "This Is It." You probably also know that at the time of his death, he was preparing for a concert tour. The day before he died, an eight-hour rehearsal was filmed. This movie is (at least) partially from that footage. The movie will be released in theaters worldwide on October 28th and will run for two weeks only (I'm guessing it probably won't make it to the $1 theater). Tickets go on sale this Sunday. I really want to go -- anyone interested in coming with me?

Thankful November: Day 10

Today I am thankful for good deals. (This post goes back to Saturday's temple trip again.) After the temple (and the $1.85 gas), we went to Red Robin for lunch, then across the parking lot to Circuit City, and then to Handel's for homemade ice cream. The only reason we went to Circuit City is because there were guys out on the corners holding up 20% off signs. Apparently the store was closing. So we walked around for a few minutes to see if there was anything worth buying. We found a couple of movies that we really like (well, one that I sort-of like and Ben really likes, and one that Ben sort-of likes and we really like), so we picked those up for Christmas gifts (stocking stuffers -- they were like $8 and $12 or something). We also found the "Bourne" trilogy on DVD for only $20! What a deal! We were really excited.

Wishful Wednesday: Date Night

Living in Cleveland, I have the special opportunity each November to see one of my favorite figure skaters perform. An Evening With Scott Hamilton and Friends is a special one-night-only show that he does here in Cleveland each year. Scott Hamilton is an Olympic gold medalist, US and World champion known for his fun and quirky style on the ice. In 1997, it was widely publicized that Scott had testicular cancer. In 2004, it was announced that he had a benign brain tumor. Scott chose to be treated at the Cleveland Clinic, and now hosts a benefit night for the Taussig Cancer Institute each year. He brings great musical/vocal talent to perform with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, as well as numerous performers on the ice. Many of them are names people might know (last year Ekaterina Gordeeva was one of the performers), and others are up-and-coming stars. This year, Kristi Yamaguchi will be co-hosting with Scott.

The event is being held at the Q on Saturday, November 8th at 5:00pm. Ben can get discounted tickets through his work, like he did last year. Last year he skipped his Boy Scout camping trip that weekend to go with me. This year his campout is the following weekend, so he won't miss anything (although I suspect that he wishes it was the weekend of this event).

So, I actually get my wish this week! Yay!

What do YOU wish for today?

Wishful Wednesday: Concert Tickets

Last week I heard a radio commercial for a concert that will be in Cleveland in November. It features these two (yes, two) fabulously talented ladies:

Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire have a history of performing together. Okay, they appeared on CMT Crossroads, but they will be here in Cleveland on their 2 Worlds 2 Voices tour. What a fun show that would be!

Part of this Wishful Wednesday is my confession that I have only ever been to one (yes, one) concert, and it was while Ben and I were dating. We went to see Green Day, with Jimmy Eat World opening for them. It was fun.

What do YOU wish for today?

A must-see

I just watched a truly extraordinary movie. The first time I saw a preview for this film, I wanted to see it. I knew it would be good. I never got around to it, though. Yesterday, I was at Blockbuster, and got some DVDs in a four-for-twenty-dollars deal, and this was one that qualified. Martian Child is now one of my favorite movies. I can't even begin to describe how well it was done, and what an amazing film it is. You have to see it.

For those interested...

Stephanie Meyer will be on the Ellen show tomorrow afternoon.

Friday Feature: Movies

Sorry I'm so late getting my Friday Feature up today. It's been a busy day, and I didn't have this one ready to go in advance.

Today's feature is about the movies. Who doesn't like movies? Whether it's going to the theater, watching it on the big screen, eating popcorn so dripping it's practically soggy, or curling up on the couch with a blanket and some hot chocolate, I don't know a single person who doesn't like movies.

But have you ever watched a movie and said, "I know that guy... What do I know him from? Was he the guy that played (insert character here) in (insert movie/TV show here) like three years ago?" Did you know there's an easy way to find out? It's called the Internet Movie Database, or IMDB. It's a very comprehensive collection of who played what and when. There is trivia about the stars, synopses about movies and TV shows, gaffes in the editing, funny quotes and cross-referencing on screen appearances. If you're a movie person, and you get hung up on the actors, IMDB will become your new best friend.

The second part of today's feature is more for the local Clevelanders. Do you love going to the movies but just can't afford it? It's not like it's just a $10 trip anymore (for ticket and snacks). It's a lot tighter on the pocketbook to do dinner and a movie now than it used to be. But there are some movies that you just have to see on the big screen. Good action movies, for example. Well, there's a solution for you. There is a Cinemark dollar theater in Willoughby Hills. They get movies a couple of months after they originally come out, but if you're willing to wait it's a great deal! For example, Ben and I are WAY overdue to see the new Indiana Jones movie, but it's in the dollar theater now. I'm really excited. The first time we went, I thought the concessions were going to be way overpriced to make up for ticket prices, but was pleasantly surprised to find that the concession prices are only as expensive as a "normal" theater or maybe even a little less.

So Ben and I finally need to go see Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Anyone want to babysit next week? :)

Out of my seat and cheering

Did anybody else stay up late enough last night to watch the men's 4x100 freestyle relay in Olympic swimming? If not, boy did you miss a great show. Michael Phelps got his second gold medal of the game, the world record was shattered by about 4 seconds, and the USA won by eight one-hundredths of a second! The final split swum by the USA was done in a record 46 seconds! I found video of it on YouTube, but since NBC owns the rights, I'm not sure how long this will be up before copyright issues knock it down.



Here is a link to the official broadcast from NBC, with the interviews and commentary at the end.