I don't see what anyone can see in anyone else but you.
I hope everyone had a good, or at least tolerable, Valentine's Day. My actual February 14th was rather dull, as Lee was working and everyone else in the world was celebrating or working. I ended up watching some of the ridiculousness that Disney calls Cinderella III: A Twist in Time which partially contributed to a very complex and inscrutable nightmare involving ninjas and time travel-- and the small mountaintop house owned by some family friends, and the entire forensics team from high school, and rescue at the hands of Rodney (the maintenance guy from Warren Wilson) of all people.
But Friday night was OUR Valentine's Day. Lee and I both had the night off, so we got to have an actual DATE- dinner and a movie! P.F. Chang's and Juno, to be exact. Both very excellent.
I had to pay for dinner because I lost the bet. As most of you know, I have been vegetarian for years, and Lee has always been a proud meat eater. Back in early December, he decided to try going vegetarian for a while, as an experiment, then he declared that he liked how he felt and was going to stick to the vegetarian diet. I didn't think he could do it. So we made a bet. If he was still vegetarian by Valentine's Day, I would pay for a nice dinner. If he was eating meat, then he would buy. And, to my great astonishment, he has remained meat-free, so P.F. Chang's was on me.
Juno was amazing. I highly recommend seeing it. Unfortunately, I think the premise turns most people off. It sounds so hollow, "a movie about a girl in high school who gets pregnant and decides to have the baby and give it up for adoption." It's so not that, though. It's not an "issue" movie. It's much more of a character-driven story, with very complex, very real, and very entertaining characters.
I find it interesting that people on both sides of the abortion debate are embracing this movie. Having seen it, I can understand why. She chooses not to have an abortion, but the movie makes it very clear that it's her choice, and a choice she is owning. And it's really cool to see a movie that is frank about all of the factors involved in the choices she makes-- the nightmare of having to tell her parents, the awkwardness of attending doctor's appointments when you're sixteen and not keeping the baby-- not to mention having to be excused from school to go to said doctor's appointments, and the baby's father's bewilderment and uncertainty of his role in the situation.
I really hope Ellen Page gets the Oscar. And I think Jennifer Garner should have gotten a nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Her performance (as the adoptive mother) is phenomenal-- it was her performance that brought tears to my eyes. She starts out as a laughably uptight, whitewashed suburban upper class stereotype, contrasting with her laid-back musician husband, whom Juno develops an oddball friendship with-- and then their roles entirely flip. It's amazing, how the film takes you on that journey with Juno-- as she matures, and the situation progresses, you come to see how the husband is actually the asshole. And you think the film is going to sell out and come to an easy resolution like so many movies before it... but it doesn't. It actually ends well for everyone, but not in a cheesy way.
And did I mention she finds the adoptive couple in the PennySaver? Nice touch-- I've always wondered about the people behind those ads.
The dynamics with Juno's father and stepmother are really well-played too. This is one of few movies in which the main character is a teenager, and yet the parents are not one-dimensional. The scene where the stepmother tells off a presumptuous ultrasound tech is seriously not to be missed.
I want the soundtrack. And the music isn't even that good. But it's loved music, you know? It's like homemade backyard folkie music, that's not made with much professionalism, and not the most talent in the world, but someone put so much love into it that you just want to love it for them.
Seriously, see this movie. I mean, when the girl goes into labor, she yells "THUNDERCATS ARE GO!", for goodness's sake. How could you not want to see this movie?
All in all, a good valentine's day. My actual GIFT was Season 7 of Gilmore Girls on dvd, so I now have the entire series. I rock. I still hate Christopher and want Luke to rip him in half, but I actually consider Season 7 a vast improvement over Season 6. The best thing Season 6 ever had going for it was Sebastian Bach singing "Hollaback Girl"-- but truly, that's worth a lot.
Lemon-flavored Muffin Top cookies from the Kroger bakery are amazing, and should be eaten with reverence. Even if they did steal the idea from Seinfeld.
But Friday night was OUR Valentine's Day. Lee and I both had the night off, so we got to have an actual DATE- dinner and a movie! P.F. Chang's and Juno, to be exact. Both very excellent.
I had to pay for dinner because I lost the bet. As most of you know, I have been vegetarian for years, and Lee has always been a proud meat eater. Back in early December, he decided to try going vegetarian for a while, as an experiment, then he declared that he liked how he felt and was going to stick to the vegetarian diet. I didn't think he could do it. So we made a bet. If he was still vegetarian by Valentine's Day, I would pay for a nice dinner. If he was eating meat, then he would buy. And, to my great astonishment, he has remained meat-free, so P.F. Chang's was on me.
Juno was amazing. I highly recommend seeing it. Unfortunately, I think the premise turns most people off. It sounds so hollow, "a movie about a girl in high school who gets pregnant and decides to have the baby and give it up for adoption." It's so not that, though. It's not an "issue" movie. It's much more of a character-driven story, with very complex, very real, and very entertaining characters.
I find it interesting that people on both sides of the abortion debate are embracing this movie. Having seen it, I can understand why. She chooses not to have an abortion, but the movie makes it very clear that it's her choice, and a choice she is owning. And it's really cool to see a movie that is frank about all of the factors involved in the choices she makes-- the nightmare of having to tell her parents, the awkwardness of attending doctor's appointments when you're sixteen and not keeping the baby-- not to mention having to be excused from school to go to said doctor's appointments, and the baby's father's bewilderment and uncertainty of his role in the situation.
I really hope Ellen Page gets the Oscar. And I think Jennifer Garner should have gotten a nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Her performance (as the adoptive mother) is phenomenal-- it was her performance that brought tears to my eyes. She starts out as a laughably uptight, whitewashed suburban upper class stereotype, contrasting with her laid-back musician husband, whom Juno develops an oddball friendship with-- and then their roles entirely flip. It's amazing, how the film takes you on that journey with Juno-- as she matures, and the situation progresses, you come to see how the husband is actually the asshole. And you think the film is going to sell out and come to an easy resolution like so many movies before it... but it doesn't. It actually ends well for everyone, but not in a cheesy way.
And did I mention she finds the adoptive couple in the PennySaver? Nice touch-- I've always wondered about the people behind those ads.
The dynamics with Juno's father and stepmother are really well-played too. This is one of few movies in which the main character is a teenager, and yet the parents are not one-dimensional. The scene where the stepmother tells off a presumptuous ultrasound tech is seriously not to be missed.
I want the soundtrack. And the music isn't even that good. But it's loved music, you know? It's like homemade backyard folkie music, that's not made with much professionalism, and not the most talent in the world, but someone put so much love into it that you just want to love it for them.
Seriously, see this movie. I mean, when the girl goes into labor, she yells "THUNDERCATS ARE GO!", for goodness's sake. How could you not want to see this movie?
All in all, a good valentine's day. My actual GIFT was Season 7 of Gilmore Girls on dvd, so I now have the entire series. I rock. I still hate Christopher and want Luke to rip him in half, but I actually consider Season 7 a vast improvement over Season 6. The best thing Season 6 ever had going for it was Sebastian Bach singing "Hollaback Girl"-- but truly, that's worth a lot.
Lemon-flavored Muffin Top cookies from the Kroger bakery are amazing, and should be eaten with reverence. Even if they did steal the idea from Seinfeld.