Rolling Around in Holiday Leftovers...
Hello LJ! How was your holiday?
So my Christmas was pretty good- I got some nice stuff but nothing huge, which I'm glad about. I'm too big for my parents to be going crazy over me, and I don't yet have a significant other to spoil me. I gave my nephews personalized authentic Red Sox jerseys that looked very cute on them; my mother candles, lotions and soaps from Williams & Sonoma; shirts for my brother, and two movies for my dad.
Then last night, we watched Rocky Balboa, and holy crap it was good. I have to say, I do think it was better than the original (blaspheme!). I think Sly just put together a more solid movie- his writing was a bit smarter and even funnier, and the lighting and cinematography was just gorgeous. It was the product of a veteran, rather than a kid with guts and feeling, and isn't that the whole point?
I don't know if Adrian was dead because that was the original way Sly wanted to the movie to be, or because he couldn't get Talia Shire to do the movie. Either way, I think it worked out perfectly. Rocky's grief was nice and subtle, no show-boating from Stallone or Burt Young. I loved how Rocky kept a chair at the cemetery- nice touch to show us how much he misses Adrian.
The inclusion of Steps and 'Little Marie' was just enough. I remember that part from the first movie, so that was some nice continuity. It wasn't disrespectful to Adrian's memory, and I like how if Rocky were to have a 'love interest', as it were, it was with a nice neighborhood girl, who looked like a woman in her 40's should look, instead of some Teri Hatcher-looking Hollywood princess. The part outside the bar, where Rocky got all, "It's not okay" and went up and *schooled* that fatass punk- MROWR, but damn if Sly's not sexier at 60 than he was at 40!
The training montage was great, of course. Sly knows what we all want to see there. I loved how the little dog was wearing a little gray sweatsuit- so cute!
Then there was that scene with Rocky and Robin, and that was just killer. Nice contrast from Rocky IV and Rocky V where Rocky was sort of an absentee parent, and he had to learn lessons from his son and family, and now Rocky was saying, "I love you, but you're a man now, so take responsibility for your own actions. And don't forget to visit your mother." *Sniffle*
And just saw the soaps today, lounging around the house. (I think maybe I'll stay at my mother's house forever. I'm loving it right now.) I was disappointed in the Christmas episodes, but today was better. Spike and Zach and even Ryan in the engineer's hats was adorable. Though I'm not a fan of anything Lavery, I'm enjoying this storyline how Zach and Ryan aren't getting in each other's face over Spike, and they're all getting along for the baby's sake. It's a nice break from the constant ugly custody battles that pass for storylines on soaps these days. Ditto for Jessica, Nash, Antonio and Bree on One Life To Live. (But really, I would love it for them to just say that Spike is Zach's son and be done with it.)
Robert LeSardo for the win! And Robert LeSardo and Adrian Alvarado being all hot and smoldering *together* for the championship! I can't even tell you how excited I am that 'Father Mateo' Ruiz is back. So what do we think? Is it Manny in disguise? Is Father Mateo not as peaceful and calm as he is pretending to be? So. Damn. Excited. I am practically bouncing in my seat hoping for RLS/Becky Herbst scenes. (Can't *wait* to see that confrontation.) And more RLS/AA scenes. And oh man. RLS/AA/Julie Marie Berman scenes may very well just stop my heart.
So my Christmas was pretty good- I got some nice stuff but nothing huge, which I'm glad about. I'm too big for my parents to be going crazy over me, and I don't yet have a significant other to spoil me. I gave my nephews personalized authentic Red Sox jerseys that looked very cute on them; my mother candles, lotions and soaps from Williams & Sonoma; shirts for my brother, and two movies for my dad.
Then last night, we watched Rocky Balboa, and holy crap it was good. I have to say, I do think it was better than the original (blaspheme!). I think Sly just put together a more solid movie- his writing was a bit smarter and even funnier, and the lighting and cinematography was just gorgeous. It was the product of a veteran, rather than a kid with guts and feeling, and isn't that the whole point?
I don't know if Adrian was dead because that was the original way Sly wanted to the movie to be, or because he couldn't get Talia Shire to do the movie. Either way, I think it worked out perfectly. Rocky's grief was nice and subtle, no show-boating from Stallone or Burt Young. I loved how Rocky kept a chair at the cemetery- nice touch to show us how much he misses Adrian.
The inclusion of Steps and 'Little Marie' was just enough. I remember that part from the first movie, so that was some nice continuity. It wasn't disrespectful to Adrian's memory, and I like how if Rocky were to have a 'love interest', as it were, it was with a nice neighborhood girl, who looked like a woman in her 40's should look, instead of some Teri Hatcher-looking Hollywood princess. The part outside the bar, where Rocky got all, "It's not okay" and went up and *schooled* that fatass punk- MROWR, but damn if Sly's not sexier at 60 than he was at 40!
The training montage was great, of course. Sly knows what we all want to see there. I loved how the little dog was wearing a little gray sweatsuit- so cute!
Then there was that scene with Rocky and Robin, and that was just killer. Nice contrast from Rocky IV and Rocky V where Rocky was sort of an absentee parent, and he had to learn lessons from his son and family, and now Rocky was saying, "I love you, but you're a man now, so take responsibility for your own actions. And don't forget to visit your mother." *Sniffle*
And just saw the soaps today, lounging around the house. (I think maybe I'll stay at my mother's house forever. I'm loving it right now.) I was disappointed in the Christmas episodes, but today was better. Spike and Zach and even Ryan in the engineer's hats was adorable. Though I'm not a fan of anything Lavery, I'm enjoying this storyline how Zach and Ryan aren't getting in each other's face over Spike, and they're all getting along for the baby's sake. It's a nice break from the constant ugly custody battles that pass for storylines on soaps these days. Ditto for Jessica, Nash, Antonio and Bree on One Life To Live. (But really, I would love it for them to just say that Spike is Zach's son and be done with it.)
Robert LeSardo for the win! And Robert LeSardo and Adrian Alvarado being all hot and smoldering *together* for the championship! I can't even tell you how excited I am that 'Father Mateo' Ruiz is back. So what do we think? Is it Manny in disguise? Is Father Mateo not as peaceful and calm as he is pretending to be? So. Damn. Excited. I am practically bouncing in my seat hoping for RLS/Becky Herbst scenes. (Can't *wait* to see that confrontation.) And more RLS/AA scenes. And oh man. RLS/AA/Julie Marie Berman scenes may very well just stop my heart.