VOTING

The day has (almost) arrived. The day where I get up, do a little stretch, put on a shirt with a not so distracting design (I need room for my 'I VOTED' sticker) and head out to one of my favorite places, the polling center. It's the one and only, ELECTION DAYY!!

This post will be short and sweet, and mostly to the point. I need everyone to go out and vote. All I ask of you fine people, is to get out there and exercise your right to have a say in this country's well being and future.

I just love to vote. I really, honestly get so excited about voting, that I cried during this year's primaries when I arrived at my polling center in Blacksburg, Virginia and they had CLOSED EARLY. I was so tired and upset, that I got back to my apt and cried to my roommates and to my father on the phone about not being able to vote. I hadn't even made up my mind about Hillary or Obama, but I just was horrified that they took away my right to vote. So maybe I'm being dramatic here, but who cares, so then when the only sliver of happiness left of my day was taken away from me when the release of 'Into the WIld' was delayed and I could not buy it to make myself forget about the voting outrage, I was grief-stricken.

SO enough about my sad stories, I am just asking you to get out there and vote. Otherwise I will not speak to you on this election day. But I guess if you just didn't register, that's a whole different ballgame. So if you're registered, then that means you need to VOTE.

peace, love and hope. (and happy voting to you all.)

and here's my not-so-hidden choice for whom I hope you're voting.

my peaceful, happy place.

I am addicted to the movies. This is nothing new to the people who know me best. But i realized how calm and happy I was last night after I got home from the movies last night. Some could say it was because the movie I had just seen had a happy ending, and sure, I'm not as happy when I come home after a depressing movie, but I am calm... like I've just gotten my fix. And that's just what going to the movies is for me, it's even more calming than M&Ms! I know, this is another shocker.

Everyone on earth has that thing that they have to do. Well for me, it's going into that theatre and waiting for them to turn the lights off. To watch something that's bigger than myself and something that will bring me into another world. It's like my therapy. I love sitting in those seats, no matter how much my butt falls asleep... and sure, there are some seats in certain theatres I've been too that I wouldn't mind if I never sat in them again, but most of the time, I love those seats. My favorite is when no one is sitting in front of me so I can put my feet up or not worry about kicking the seat when the aisle is too small for my long legs.

And then the previews start. They are just as much fun as the movie itself, because I get to plan out my future! Decide which ones I want to see and which to skip. And finally the movie starts. At first I get agitated if the people around me aren't quiet by the time the 20th Century Fox music plays. But I know for most, people think this is still free range talk time. And for an hour and a half, 2 hours, whatever, I don't have to talk to ANYONE. I can just sit there and observe. I turn my phone on silent and I don't worry about if I've been sent a text or missed a phone call. It's like a need my weekly fix of the movies, I can't live without them. I LOVE IT.

I believe that this is why I get so angry when the people around me are talking. I just want to watch the movie in peace and quiet. It's especially annoying when it's not just teenagers talking, the adults should know better than this. And I'm not judging the old people who are trying to whisper, even though they should know not to talk either, but because they do not realize the volume of their voices. I've had first hand experience with my own grandma on this one in the last James Bond flick.

So others may go to the gym for therapy, others go to actual therapy, others like to walk when they want their peace and quiet, so I am telling you fine people of America, that the movie theatre is my safe haven. So please respect those of us who treat the movies like this and be quiet!

I love the movies. LOVE LOVE LOVE going and sitting in the dark theatre. I seriously get itchy for the movies when I haven't been in a while. You may say that I'm pathetic, or a dork? But I would beg to differ. Well I am a dork. I'll give you that one.

So take some time out today to think of that one thing that makes you oh so happy.

good news

good news, friendos. my dear cat snowflake went to the vet today and got a smaller cone for her head. now she is a bit happier, though she would still rather kill us than wear that cone. but we learned that she may have hyper thyroidism. she is old, 17 years! but as you can tell from the pic in the last post, she went from spaceship to this...



i know she looks like she hails from the far away land of planet of the cats, she's just letting her head droop way down, i suppose this may be the most comfortable with the cone?

but why am i blogging about my cat? you got me. i am tired and don't have time to blog about my next topic. my love for sitting in movie theaters. until next time...

something's been bugging me.

Something's been bugging me. Or really, MANY things. let's just see how many i can actually remember right now.

ONE. when a CD skips. i know, this is not important in the grand scheme of things... but when I was to just drive to work, and i'm sick of the radio and i don't really have to drive so far as to plug in my iPod, i rely on some of my mixes. Today I popped in my Now 7 cd. I know, this one is a CLASSIC. so you can imagine, much to my dismay, the CD starts skipping on one of my fave tracks of the CD, Mandy Moore's "In my pocket." The same thing (the horrible disappointment and sadness you feel) when a DVD skips. It crushes your soul. You were groovin' and enjoyin' and BAM. Sometimes the skip lasts a second and sometimes it last the whole dame song, or a whole scene of a movie. It's just ruins everything. And I'm someone who prides myself on the care I use on my discs. But in some cases, my DVDs were scratched by others. Some CDs were scratched when I was dumb and put their info jacket insert, whatever you want to call them, behind the actual CD. I have since learned better and out the CDs behind the insert, this is of course in my travel CD case incase you were confused about my use of jewel boxes.

TWO. sarah palin. and the american people who support her. All these people that are just so CLUELESS about her lack of understanding about her own potential job, the world, our country, the list could go on. Obama doesn't walk around saying parts of the country are more pro-America. He doesn't wink when he's trying to make a point but can't seem to finish his sentence. She'll go on SNL, but not Meet the Press, the View, she won't even go on The O'Reilly Factor for goodness sake. I don't understand, or really, I DO understand. Her OWN campaign is scared to put her on these things knowing that if she's not rehearsed enough or memorized enough, God only knows what will come out of her mouth. But I want to just shed a tear right now... because I feel BAD almost that it's come down to this. Letting her only speak to crowds where she's prepared something... she can't even answer a third grader correctly when asked what a VP does/what she'll do as VP.

And because I'm a woman, of COURSE i would have liked to like her. But because she came out of no where with nothing but a dead bear on her couch to show for, i can't support her. (Check those photos out for real, they are from her anchorage office, i saw them on aol.)

THREE. When people criticize Ellen for speaking about her opinions on the potential ban on gay marriage in California. Just let the woman speak about the things she cares about. For other celebs, that may be cats or Darfur. For Ellen, it's something that hits close to home. And i agree with her, what are people so scared of? I'd love to know. Who cares if a couple in love of the same sex wants to get married. Should we really stand in the way of their happiness? I should think not. You KNOWWW half the people who are complaining would be PISSED if the government was threatening to take away the rights and privileges of their own marriage.

FOUR. That people still believe that Obama is muslim (but really, why would it matter?), or that he had that first meeting in Ayer's basement. AHHHH people, please use http://www.factcheck.org/. PUT ON THOSE THINKING CAPS! USE YOUR RESOURCES!

FIVE. when the book you want is already checked out. But these are things that cannot be helped. We should all be so grateful that others are reading.

Let's discuss what makes me happy and end on a high note.

ONE. Obama making an appearance via satellite today on the Ellen show and tried to prove that he's a better dancer than Michelle. I love you Obama, but she's got you beat.

TWO. When the kids I've been helping in swimming classes finally get what I've been trying to teach them. When it CLICKS!

THREE. When people show up to work and actually do their jobs. Ahhh, I can smell the accomplishment.

FOUR. Reading a great book, even if it meant having to wait for it because someone else got to enjoy it too. Have you visited your local library lately?

FIVE. Laughing out loud. Whether at a TV show, with your Dad, talking to friends, or at your cat who is banging into things because you had to put on a cone around her neck to keep from scratching her head (but really that makes you sad on the inside too.)



So my people, I leave you with this. Use your brains. Check your facts. Read a book. Laugh out loud. and most importantly, Use good judgement.

great sequels

I've decided to write a little something about the best sequels out there that DID deserve to get made. As I sat and watched "Father of the Bride" this morning on TV, I found myself hoping that as the ending approached "Father of the Bride: Part 2" would come on after. Much to my disappointment, The Encore Love channel decided to throw my dreams out the window and play "The Fugitive." Not that I don't like the Fugitive, but after "Father of the Bride," I want to watch the sequel!

So here's a list of my favorite, watch-worthy sequels.
- "Father of the Bride: Part 2" -Who doesn't want to see a pregnant Diane Keaton, Kimberly Williams and a funny Martin Short doing pre-natal exercises to a ridiculously good workout plan by Franc? While this sequels story line of Mother and Daughter having babies at the same time, it's a happy and fun movie to sit through. You don't ever think that they shouldn't have made this film! I can't get enough.

-"My Girl 2" - I sometimes want to watch this one over "My Girl" because I know I'll cry my eyes out over the first one. But this sequel is genuine and as audience members, we want to see teenage Vada Sultenfuss grow up some more and see how she's coping with Thomas J's death down the road. We get to see her travel to CA to find out more about her mother and all in love with her not-really-related cousin, pierce her ears without permission! and lose her Thomas J mood ring (or so she thinks) in that weird dinosaur tar pit. I love me some "My Girl 2." Plus, the soundtrack made me fall in love with the Steve Miller Band song "Swingtown."

- "Toy Story 2" - We all know how those Disney sequels can go. This one surpasses them all and sticks true to the original's charm.

Here's some that are automatically on this list... "Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back," "The Godfather Part II," "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" ( and that goes for "Epidode VI" and "The Return of the King") "Back to the Future 2," and I'm skipping over "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" to "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." Because let's be honest, "Doom" has the most annoying sidekicks ever to grace a sequel.

So bust out those series and enjoy the first movies and then these great sequels!

must list

here's a must list of some recent faves to hold you over til I can sit down and write a full post...

In no particular order...
- La Misma Luna (Under the Same Moon) - spectacular!
- Pink! - She is not such a recent must have... she is always a fave. Especially So What! Her CD debuts Oct 28th
- The Office Season premiere!
- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - ahhhh! I cried my eyes out. J'adore.
- OBAMAAAA
- Sharon Osbourne on Ellen
- Hot Topics on The View
- READING... in general.
- Ew, Variety, The Huffington Post...
- Ricky Gervais
- Project Runway
- Grey's Anatomy Season Premiere
- anddd hiking.

what are some of your must haves?

Russell Brand, Sarah Palin and my love for Weeds

So now that I'm home and just lifeguarding while I look for a job, I've got lots of time to catch up on politics, tv, books, you name it. So my first item on the list was Russell Brand and the MTV VMAs. Many a people are angered by his performance and jokes about the Jonas Brothers, especially. Personally I found him hilarious. I'd say 90% of his jokes were funny which is a pretty good percentage if we're talking MTV VMAs here... let's be serious, they're not always the funniest thing you can find on TV. But I thought his humor was quick witted and yes, he is a bit crazy... but who isn't?

I knew he was just joking about the Jonas Brothers... but it seems as though parts of America missed that part. And what really gets me ticked off is when people complain about it who didn't see all of the jokes! They just hear the bit about putting the ring around their testicles, or whatever he said. Sure that was a bit crude, but they didn't even hear the funnier parts that came before that! And then for Jordin Sparks... who represents what I consider middle america... she just made that silly comment about anyone making fun of the rings is a slut. Well... thanks Jordin for taking the jokes to the next level and ruining the moment. She's the one who started this whole mess by reacting the way she did. I'm willing to bet five dollars that if Jordin didn't say that, no one would be talking about The Jo Bros rings. America needs to lighten up!

Another thing that makes me angry about Middle America is that everyone who loves Sarah Palin is like boo hoo you're picking on Sarah. Well excuse me for wanting some information about the possible VP. If John McCain dies, I would like to hear what she has to say about banning books and her gun laws and her thoughts on abortion and blah blahh. I'm sick of all this BS about the media being too invasive... the MEDIA is just DOING THEIR JOBS! As citizens of America we have the RIGHT to know what Sarah Palin, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and John McCain think and believe. We have the right to know what they're going to do for this country and what they've done in the past... goodness gracious people, stop playing the gender card and open up your minds. America needs to get smart!

Onto a more positive note. I love "Weeds." The TV series on Showtime. It's sooooo good. I just finished Season 3 and unfortunately I don't get Showtime, so I've got to wait for Season 4 to be done with and get out on DVD. It's quick, smart, funny, heart-warming, and just has an all around great cast! I can't say enough good things about it. Well one bad thing, from doing my research into Season 4, my fave character Conrad seems to be out. Where did he go. If anyone can tell me where he's gone, it'd be much appreciated. He's the really funny guy in "Baby Mama" and was also in "The 40-year-old Virgin" and a bunch of other things... Romany Malco is his name. Everyone should check out "Weeds" and maybe... Showtime should pay me now for being such a great supporter! Haaa!

OH! So I've always said that I'm proud to have never watched "The Hills" and will refuse to watch it, convinced that it will make me lose brain cells. Well I watched one.... (insert gasp here... i know, it's awful) and only because my friend Amy was over and it was on before the VMAs. Well I did feel a few brain cells short, but luckily Russell Brand's jokes gave me them back I think... So anyway, it was the WORST hour? of my life... I think I watched 2 episodes. I just cannot believe how AWFUL Spencer is. WWHYYY does anyone let him get away with his personality. I think he is the worst person I've ever seen in my life. I really hope I never meet anyone like that. EVER.

Well, peace out friends. I hope you all open your minds a bit and do some research into important issues these days like the election and when to criticize a comedian and when to just enjoy the show.

Palin's Speech

I don't really know where to begin.

I guess I'll begin with my favorite part of the speech. Which was not even a part of her speech, it was when her youngest dueghter spit on her hand and combed over the baby's hair. It was cute and gross all at the same time... I say we get that kid in the VP seat!

So besides spitting out lies about Obama and talking all of our money and raising taxes... she just scared me.

I did not get a good vibe from her and I thought she was very cold and just being the bitch from High School that no one was really friends with. Even the way she greeted her family at the end turned me off in the fact that she grabbed her children's faces and shoved them into her cheek. She couldn't even kiss them on the cheeks?! And yes, she had the baby in her arms so she couldn't hug them.. but it was all very odd. If I were her, I'd be kissing their cheeks and you know, show them my thanks for their coming along and supporting me.

She was such a spit fire, but not in a good way. I wonder how much information they really had to cram into her head because she didn't know that much about McCain or about what he's done... I wonder how much she has been paying attention to anything lately since she has the five-month-old special needs child. Now I do support her little shout out to the parents of special needs children, but I almost took it the wrong way. I thought she was just trying to get the sympathy vote... I do have sympathy, but don't use your special needs child for the election in the wrong way.

I guess we'll see what more people are saying tomorrow... and as always, I'll be watching my fave ladies on The View at 11 to see what they thought. I will just about die if Elisabeth says one more time that she thinks Palin has more experience as Obama. There is no comparison... I don't care if he's never been a Governor, you cannot say that she's got more experience than him.

Like my dad said when she criticized Obama for writing two memoirs but no law... 'is it better to have someone whose written no laws or someone whose voted against the laws he wrote himself.'

I ask you my dear friends to pay attention this year and don't vote based on gender or race, but on beliefs, values and the way the candidate sees our country. Do your research and get out there and vote.

the 08 race to the white house

I'd like to apologize for my long absence from this blog. I was at camp calumet lutheran for boys and girls all summer working two jobs, so when I did get a second off, I was probably sleeping.

Anyway, I'd like to address the issue of the 08 election. This election has turned into a dirty, dirty game my friends. I cannot believe that the republicans have whipped out their secret evil fighting machine, Sarah Palin. The woman that you have never heard of, the pro-life, pro-gun, banning books, crazy christian governor from Alaska.

Where did she come from? I know that my being at camp has kept me in a nice New Hampshire bubble, but she's been a governor for less than two years and you want me to trust her to run the country because John McCain is so old and will probably have a heart attack at the first big problem he has to deal with? I don't think so...

Another issue I have with the republicans is that they think because she is a woman, all women across the US will run towards her and vote for her in a heartbeat. It's like getting a slap in the face when people assume that. It's degrading towards women and they might as well say that we would vote for Oprah because she's run a tv show for so many years... so therefore she's qualified. (Shoot, probably a lot of women in this country would vote for Oprah.. but let's face it. She'd be better than Sarah Palin. She likes to READ!)

I don't think running a small town in Alaska and then governing one of the least populated states in the US qualifies her for the VP seat. Oh but then again, we can't forget about her being a mother. As Sherry on The View put it, 'if you can raise 5 kids then you can run the country..." or something like that. Well once again, I have to disagree. My grandmother raised 5 kids and that does not mean I would trust the country in her hands, no thank you. Being a mother is hard, and rewarding and whatever else... I wouldn't know yet, but it does not mean that you can run a country just because you've raised 5 kids.

She hasn't even made it past the teenage stage yet and she's already let one get pregnant. Whoops.

Another issue that was brought to my attention today was the fact that she tried to ban books before she was mayor and then while she was mayor. When the Library Director refused and rallied against those bans, she fired the Library Director the first minute she could when she became Mayor. Banning books is like... taking away my rights to watch certain TV... I promise I'll think of better analogies for this post later... But because I was raised by two librarians, I am whole heart-idly involved with keeping reading open to everyone and letting people choose what they want to read. Like my stance on abortion. I don't want some big wig telling me what I can and cannot do with my body. I want to read whatever the hell I want.

I bet Sarah Palin doesn't know the Bible is a banned book. Let's discuss her crazy christian antics. If she were to try and impose some of her crazy ideas onto the state and school systems then I feel bad for the Jewish, Muslim, Agnostic, Pagan, Hindus, etc. we could go on for days listing people who live in this country and don't want their kids learning Creationism and other things about Jesus.

This is a FREE country. FREE that spells free.

Well I should get off my soap box now. I know I'm not the person who knows everything about this election, but I care enough to write about it and hope that others will make the right decision.

Plus, Obama and Michelle are just so damn cute. Who wouldn't want a First Lady who knows when embellished neck lines are in?!

This has nothing to do with movies... but... I really needed to express my thoughts.

SO here goes.

I strongly dislike David Archuleta. He bores me to tears, he can't sing that well and his voice sounds like it's breathy and just plain shot.

I don't understand why the judges praise him time and time again. I just really don't get it. When Randy said he could sing anything, I was yelling back at the TV, 'NO! No he can't! And he showed us he can't sing anything almost every week, esp. the first Beatles week when he screwed up majorly! I don't even remember what song he messed up because I tried to block it out of my head immediately.

I really, truly, honestly do not understand what people see/hear in him. He's awful. He needs to go. He's never put an original spin on anything... even Kristy Lee Cook took chances.

and now I will get down from my soapbox...

after the Oscars...

Even though last night's Oscars weren't the best Oscar telecast EVER... they were still way more enjoyable than a silly montage of Oscar clips would have been if the strike didn't end and also WAYY WAYY WAY more fun than that "Golden Globes" telecast was.

So I got all my big predictions correct except for Best Actress. I changed my vote from Julie Christie to Ellen Page, ONE) because after seeing 'Away From Her' I liked Page's performance better. TWO) because I really hated Julie Christie's audio commentary. Did I mention that in yesterday's post? I'm not really sure... but her commentary was so bad it's worth speaking of again. My movie business class professor told me I should start youtube videos discussing the audio commentaries for films, specifically Oscar nominated ones... this idea could actually go somewhere. For now though, I'll just write about it.

Ms. Christie, or Julie as I like to call her, yes we are friends and on a first name basis... as I am with all of the Oscar noms from last night... had nothing valuable to say in her audio commentary. Granted I could only watch/listen for about 20 minutes before giving up, but she was just awful giving no insight into how she worked with any of her cast members... now maybe I should have listened more.. to see if she ever did say anything, but if you don' talk about them within the first twenty minutes of commentary, I doubt you will. The only spoken word about any of her co-stars was about Olympia (Dukakis). NOT ONE SINGLE WORD ABOUT GORDON PINSENT. HELLOOOO. You had to SPOON with the man... and NOTHIING!? no, 'hey, Gordon and I laughed a lot during this scene and had to do it multiple times'... or 'Gordon was a wonder to work with'... NOTHING.

And then Julie complained about not wanting to do this film. She said she was obviously glad she did... but she was really opposed to it because she didn't like the cold... (she has scenes skiing and laying in the snow) and she didn't want to learn 'Canadian.' I didn't realized 'Canadian' was a language you had to learn Julie... Yes she claifys herself and mentions learning the 'Canadian' accent. But really, you're now nominated for an Oscar... you shouldn't be complaining about anything, Julie!

I bed half a dozen other older actresses wouldn't have minded at all to have to pick up a 'Canadian' accent for a role... God only knows how many Daniel Day-Lewis has had to learn... and look at him, he's grateful.

SO, I'm going to get off of my soap box now... I hope you all enjoyed the telecast... and are anxiously awaiting the start of this year's Oscar race/season!

OSCARS!

TODAY. IS. OSCAR. DAY! I am excited. Tonight's show is going to be a good one, I can feel it in my bones... and it should be, because the writers' strike is over so we can have the REAL oscars! I got to write an article for big lick about my predictions... and also past Oscar wins to check out and Oscar snubs that we still love.

But I hope everyone enjoys the show this fine Oscar evening... I just love love love the Oscars.

HERE is my article about the Oscars...
http://www.biglicku.com/blu/Stories/StoryDisplayPage.aspx?&title=My%20predictions%20for%20Oscar%202008&id=904#

you can see the others by clicking on my name in the TAGS part towards the bottom of the page.

V-Day

is it bad that I want to see Definitely, Maybe?... I don't think so... Even rotten tomatoes liked it better than 27 Dresses. But there was no way I could go tonight at a 720 showing on Valentines... I would be with all couples. Shooot.

The Writers' Strike is OVER!

THE WRITER'S STRIKE IS OVER!!!!!!!!!!! yippee.

i suppose this is a good ending to the bad day i just wrote about.

let's get the OFFICE back up and running@

VA's not so super Tuesday

Today was the VA super Tuesday, not last Tuesday... but TODAY. I was extremely excited to vote and so I had class until 6:15 and knew the polls were open until 7. This was the first time I couldn't vote in the afternoon, so I felt like I would really be there with the after work voters. SO I pull into the parking lot at 6:25 and the doors are CLOSED. Everything is dark and shut down; they've shut down the polls at my location EARLY. I immediately call my father and express my hatred towards this elementary school for shutting down early and making a very hopeful and entitled voter angry.

I come back to my apt. and yell to my roommate that I'm really pissed and I start to cry. Who knew not being able to vote would make someone cry. But the tears were also reflecting a really hectic weekend and plain exhaustion.

So where am I going with this on a movie blog you ask? Well the only thing that kept me from continuing to cry was my knowledge that I was going out to buy 'Into The Wild'. I've been waiting for this day since I first saw the film in the theaters. So I stop my crying and get my butt over to the FYE, where I have a handy dandy gift card, ready to purchase 'Into the Wild' and 'Across the Universe'. 'Into the Wild' is not there. Well I think, that's OK, I'll go to Target, use my gift card to buy 'Across the Universe' and it'll be all set. Then I start wondering, if anyone should have 'ITW' today, it would be FYE... so I'm now starring at the Coming Soon poster and I don't see it listed... so it just has to be a mistake... I get up to the register and finally notice... ALLLL the way down at the bottom is 'Into The Wild' coming March 4.

I seriously wanted to keep crying right then. Like, could my day get any worse? An awful exam in the AM, lack of sleep, not being able to vote and now I can't buy 'ITW'... GREAT.

so I then go to Coldstone where my roommate is working and she gives me cheap ice cream... in a NEW chocolate cake batter flavor... it is divine and I go back to my apt, turn on 'The Biggest Loser' and drink wine to drown away my sorrows.

Should we movie fans really have to put up with this writers' strike... which should be over tonight!!! AND not having DVDs released when they say they will?!?! oy vey.

two for one.

It seems like every time I update this thing, I say it seems it's been forever... and so it has been, once again. BUT I really am trying to be good about it from now on, because I have to make my own website for part of a class, and this blog will be moved over to that website hopefully. SO I will need constant info going from now on for that site...

So tonight, I'm going to give you two for the price of one. My 'Enchanted' review and one for '27 Dresses.' Both of which I wrote for my internship/now job, BigLickU.com... enjoy.

Adams leaves you ‘Enchanted’

By Jenna Hasskarl

(Nov. 26) Disney’s new animated-turned-real-life epic adventure “Enchanted” hit the big screen on Wednesday, and the main star of the film is certainly Amy Adams.

In the traditionally hand-drawn opening, Adams plays Giselle, a beautiful red-headed princess (HOORAY!), who lives in a cute bungalow in the forest and who just wants to find her one true love. James Marsden plays Prince Edward, who doesn’t realize he wants to marry because his evil step-mother Queen Narissa, Susan Sarandon, is scared of losing her crown and has kept him from ever seeing a fair maiden.

But when Prince Edward hears Giselle singing, he’s set on finding her. They meet and immediately decide to marry tomorrow! The wedding day comes; but before Giselle can make it to the altar, Queen Narcissa pushes Giselle down a well to where happily-ever-after doesn’t exist: modern day New York City.

Adams gets lost, and no one is very friendly; she gets shoved onto a Subway and ends up very downtown and even more deserted. She finds a castle on a billboard and manages to climb up and start knocking on the billboard because she honestly believes this will help her get back home.

It’s when she’s up on the billboard that divorce lawyer Robert, Patrick Dempsey, and his daughter Morgan drive by. Morgan runs out of the taxicab when she sees Giselle and tries to help. Giselle tries to get down but then finds herself hanging from the billboard. Robert is there to catch her, and still wary of Giselle’s naïve persona, he takes her home.

Giselle’s best little friend Pip, a chipmunk, is the only one to see Giselle get pushed down the well; so the next thing we know, Prince Edward is falling through the well to rescue Giselle with Pip right behind him.

Meanwhile, Robert agrees to let Giselle stay. The only problem is that, when she wakes up, his apartment is a mess. So what does Giselle do? She summons the animals, of course. So with a little yodel, all the rats, pigeons and cockroaches from NYC arrive in Robert’s apartment.

Giselle gets all of these pests to help her clean Robert and Morgan’s apartment by singing the “Happy Working Song.” (All of the songs were great.) Of course when Robert finds the pests in his apartment, he is none too pleased. All of the songs in the film are sung by Adams and Marsden themselves and are quite catchy.

Adams does a wonderful job floating around New York City, just as if she were still moving about in her animated world. Her hand motions stay whimsical and light throughout the film. It’s only when reality and New York City’s own magic affect her toward the end that her hand motions become more human.

The cast is good, but it’s Adams who shines and enchants her audience. The musical number she sings in Central Park, “That’s How You Know,” gets a couple hundred people to follow her, and you really feel captivated and drawn to her as an audience member too. And she can really sing!

“Enchanted” also has something for adults. There are more jokes about Disney clichés than one can count, and they’ll have you laughing about how silly those clichés actually are. For example, it was mostly adults in the audience who laughed at the joke about getting married tomorrow. It’ll also have you rehashing all those hours you spent watching the Disney films when you were a kid, remembering how crazy some of the plot lines in those films are too.

The only problem with “Enchanted” is the end, which is a bit drawn out. It builds you up but then leaves you hanging and wanting a bit more. I won’t give anything more away because I don’t want to keep you from seeing it.

Overall, I really liked “Enchanted,” clichés and all, and I highly recommend it. Adams’ optimistic and wide-eyed personality shines through so much that you actually believe she could have fallen out of a fairy tale. It’s a fun film to catch with friends and family this holiday season.





27 Dresses: Always a bridesmaid…
By Jenna Hasskarl

“Always the bridesmaid and never the bride” should be Jane’s (played by Katherine Heigl) middle name or official life slogan. She’s the girl we all dread being. Instead of being a bridesmaid for maybe five weddings tops, Jane has been a bridesmaid for 27 weddings. Not only is that a lot of weddings, it’s a lot of money this young New Yorker has got to spend on dresses.

Predictable and sometimes a little over-the-top, “27 Dresses” does deliver a cute and entertaining romantic comedy. Mainly, Heigl and James Marsden, who plays her love interest Kevin, are the best parts about the movie.

Heigl, who has been all over the Hollywood scene lately and recently got married herself, is selfless, loveable and cute; we want her to succeed. And we actually don’t mind that she’s been in 27 weddings because we see that she’s actually good at organizing the show.

Jane falls in love with weddings when she’s a small child at a family member’s nuptials. The bride has torn her dress and little Jane has got the perfect idea: to use her sister’s hair ribbon to put the dress back together and save the day.

Although the outcome is totally unrealistic for a kid to pull off, she’s then asked to carry the train down the aisle -- and that was the start of her love for weddings.

Now into her later 20’s, Jane is still in love with weddings and even manages to be in two at the same time. Marsden’s character catches her frantically changing in the back of a taxi on the way to the second wedding, where, as she does at the first one, spends just enough time to give a toast or participate in a cliché wedding dance, then she’s back to the other and repeats this process all night long.

But Jane also has dreams of her own. She’s in love with her boss (Edward Burns), who then, much to Jane’s dismay, happens to fall in love with and propose to Jane’s sister, Tess (Malin Akerman).

With her dreams shattered, Jane tries to be supportive as she plans her sister’s wedding and goes along even when her sister steals all of her own ideas for her dream wedding.

“27 Dresses” also lives up to its genre name of romantic comedy thanks to “The Devil Wears Prada” scripter Aline Brosh McKenna, who serves up plenty of fun and witty banter for Heigl and Marsden. Even the slightly overdone sing-along to Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jets” in a bar is fun and leaves you smiling.

Judy Greer plays Jane’s best friend Casey, whose witty antics deliver laughs as well. She seems to always play the best friend in these sorts of movies, so hopefully some day she can move up to leading lady status.

The other real shining star of the movie isn’t on screen but off. Catherine Marie Thomas, the costume designer, created 27 beautiful, outrageous and/or down-right awful bridesmaids dresses that give the movie some real character.

Overall, “27 Dresses” could have been a bit more daring with its script but Heigl and Marsden are just so darn likeable that you don’t care so much about the predictability of the film. And for anyone else out there who has noticed that Marsden never gets the girl, or at least the girl he sets out for, his luck may change! (I’m not really giving anything away, am I?)

Let’s face it: Jane must be the prefect bridesmaid if she’s organized, selfless and willing to wear these awful dresses for you on your special day.