Mirkwood Reflections

Before Mamma Mia, this commercial played. Marla, Darlene, and I were appalled. Since we had missed seeing the website at the beginning of the ad, it looked to us like a remake of The Breakfast Club . "SACRILEGE!" "They had BETTER not be re-making The Breakfast Club !!?" At the end of the commercial, we all sighed in relief to note that this was merely a commercial for J.C. Penney. But it wouldn't be beyond the scope of imagination to predict a remake of the classic John Hughes 80's film. They remade WarGames , after all. And just about every 70's or 80's popular TV show, toy, or movie is either being remade or followed up with a sequel. ( Transformers , Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , Lost Boys , Indiana Jones , Star Wars , The Smurfs , to mention only a few off the top of my head...)

I figured The Game Plan would be just another run-of-the-mill Disney flick, but I was pleasantly surprised. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson plays a self-absorbed quarterback who is confronted with a young daughter he didn't know he had. The film plays out fairly predictably - big tough guy learning to like ballet, obligatory messy kitchen scene, last minute sports comeback - but it all works together in quite a satisfying way. Very family friendly. All of my kids, from age 6 to 13 were engaged with this movie from the beginning. My sensitive 11 year old was in tears at one point and laughing hysterically at many others. I recommend it for families with kids of all ages. The Game Plan - imdb.com The Game Plan - screenit.com

Mamma mia, here I go again My my, how can I resist you? Mamma mia, does it show again? My my, just how much Ive missed you... What could be more fun than a chick flick? How about a musical chick flick? How about a chick flick set on a gorgeous Greek island? How about a chick flick with Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth SINGING, along with numerous attractive younger men? How about that same film along with two of your most fun-loving friends? Now you've got the picture! This is how I spent my afternoon today - watching the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Mamma Mia ! Sophie is getting married and she doesn't know who her father is, but she wants him to walk her down the aisle. She reads her mom's diary and realizes that there are three possibilities for her paternity. (Yes, this could lead to some interesting discussions with kids.) She invites all three men to her wedding on the remote Greek island where her mother runs a small hotel. Hilarity, misunderstanding, and...

A GREAT Christian perspective on The Dark Knight is available at pluggedinonline.com . (Lots of spoilers though!)

I've never really been a comic book kind of girl. Oh , of course, I watched the Superman movies with Christopher Reeve back in the day - didn't everybody? But I resisted pretty much all other comic books and related media. Then I had sons. Suddenly I was part of the Star Wars craze, the Spiderman hoopla, and the Batman buzz. And you know what? I liked it! Yeah, the woman who would prefer a romantic comedy above almost everything else (except Lord of the Rings !) was sucked into the comic book world. So, I've racked up viewings of Spiderman 1 , 2 and 3 , of Ironman , of Batman Begins , of Superman Returns , The Rocketeer , even Constantine (although that was a movie I saw on my own - hehe), and several others. And tonight, I added The Dark Knight to my list. Lots of people LOVED The Dark Knight . The reviews are great! Heath Ledger's untimely death only added to the hype surrounding it. What did I think? Did I like it? Well, I'm still not quite sure. We attend...

David thinks the upcoming Clone Wars animated movie looks cool! I'll have to admit it is quite exciting! The movie comes out mid-August, so there's ANOTHER movie we'll want to see in theatres. I can take James to this one too. In case you're wondering, the Clone Wars take place between Episodes 2 and 3.

After watching The Jane Austen Book Club (which I really don't recommend), my friend Darlene and I decided we wanted our own Austen club and started one - The Rollicking Readers Club. So far we've read Emma and Persuasion . Pride and Prejudice is our next selection. I am becoming steeped in the world of Jane Austen, so I thought now would be an appropriate time to view Becoming Jane . What a charming movie! The filmmakers, along with some scholars, apparently imagine that Jane Austen had at least one star-crossed love affair. Becoming Jane is the fictionalized account of that love story. No one alive knows for sure what actually happened because much of Jane's correspondence with her sister was destroyed. Family legend includes some details, but they have been passed down orally and have no substantiation. But, whatever the truth, it is a well-told story. Jane is a single woman living with her family around the turn of the 19th century. She falls in love with a pennil...

Oh my, lots of movies to see - and gorgeous weather that doesn't mesh with the desire to sit in a theater! I've never understood the summer movie season - weather in Michigan is bad enough the rest of the year that in summer I don't want to sit in a theater too much. Haven't managed to see Indiana Jones . Ah well. Planning to see The Dark Knight and Mamma Mia . At least I WANT TO. And The Day the Earth Stood Still , of course. :-) (Especially since I didn't even bother with Street Kings !) Others I'd not mind viewing: Get Smart, The Accidental Husband. David's asking for Journey to the Center of the Earth and the other kids want to see Kung Fu Panda . They all want to see Wall-E . The girls want to see Kit Kittredge .

I've been wondering about this film for a while. It looks MUCH better than I thought it would. What do you think? Will you see it? And yes, that is Will Smith's son that shows up in the trailer. Oh yeah, and Keanu. :::silly grin:::

Wow, can you believe it's July already? Strapless by Leigh Riker - 06/01/08 Fair - Chick Lit Darcie travels to Australia for work and meets Dylan, a handsome sexy sheep rancher. Explicit sex. I read this because it was here and I was bored and needed a light read. I don't recommend it. Vivaldi's Virgins by Barbara Quick - 06/18/08 Good - Fiction Anna Maria is a 14-year-old student of Antonio Vivaldi at the Pieta' music school & foundling home in 18th century Venice amid intrigue, lies, and amazing music. We have listened over and over to the Classical Kids audio cassette Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery which takes place at this school. Quick's book is probably a lot more realistic; it certainly is a lot more earthy. Vivaldi is a real man. The orphans sneak out, but for more risque purposes than Katarina in Ring of Mystery. But, the music! Oh, the music. Did you know Vivaldi's music was largely unknown until the 20th century? Anyway, this was a satisfying ...