Mirkwood Reflections

Here is a list of movies I saw in the theater in 2008. Not a long list (eleven), but perhaps more than an average year? I guess I am going to the theater about once a month. Not too shabby. I still need to write reviews on several of them, but I've given you my 10 second recommendations instead. The Day the Earth Stood Still (PG-13) (2008) (Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly) - Do you like Keanu or sci-fi? Then see it. If not, don't bother. Bolt (PG) (2008) (voices of John Travolta, Miley Cyrus) - I didn't review this, but it was one of my favorite movies this year! GREAT FUN! Way better than Wall-E. Twilight (PG-13) (2008) (Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson) - My review The Dark Knight (PG-13) (2008) (Christian Bale, Heath Ledger) - My review Mamma Mia! (PG-13) (2008) (Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan) - My review WALL·E (G) (2008) (voices of Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight) - Worth a viewing. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (PG) (2008) (Ben Barnes, William Moseley) - Read the...

I have read a few reviews of the Twilight movie and most of them don't even address movie issues at all - focusing instead on the plot. The rest of the reviews are either written by obsessed fans, thus being totally slanted (for OR against), or by people who haven't read the books at all, thus missing the point of the series. Here is the one of the only balanced reviews I have read - at the RedBlog . I'd love links to any reviews of Twilight that present both its positive and negative points. My thoughts on the review: This is the one of the only reviews of Twilight: The Movie that actually addressed aspects of the film itself. Most of the reviews I've read focused on how unrealistic/annoying/strange the storyline is. That's a BOOK issue, not a movie issue; sorry, critics! One review compared Pattinson to James Dean - HELLO? That is just silly. Twilight is a sub-par film based on a first novel with a cultish following. I read all 4 books and enjoyed them, but I...

Notification arrived that a review of Twilight should have appeared in this space before now (Sorry, C!), so here is my hurried-off-the-cuff-5-hours-of-sleep replica of a real review. The Twilight series of books first came to my attention by way of a good friend. We made a trade-off bargain. I'd read Twilight and she'd read a book I'd been begging HER to read. I liked the vampire novel enough to read the two sequels. When the fourth book was published, I re-read the first three in order to read the fourth. (I couldn't remember them well enough to go on to the sequel without a re-read.) I purposely didn't re-read Twilight before the movie, so as to avoid the book-movie comparison game that fans often must play. Then again, I'm not a typical Twilight fan, as Bella gets on my last nerve. To make matters worse, I am on Team Jacob . (I know - horrors!) So, my expectations were not perhaps the same as many Twilight fangirls. I hoped to enjoy the movie and perhaps to...

A truly hilarious spoof of the Twilight trailer . (If you haven't seen the trailer, this will really not make any sense to you, so go watch it first! Click on videos and watch all of the trailers.) Thanks, Jen, for (FINALLY) telling me about it! lol

Saw Wall-E over the weekend - LOVED IT! Also recently viewed P.S. I Love You . Reviews will be coming for those soon. I also plan a review of the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. Just as soon as I finish reading Breaking Dawn !

I wrote this post for an email list and then - DING - a lightbulb moment! I can post this to my sadly neglected media review blog! So here you go..... ~~~~~ I saw Prince Caspian with my kids a couple weeks ago. Liked it. First one was better. (NOTE - Yeah, I know I owe y'all a review!) Wanted to take them to see Nim's Island , but wanted to read the book to them first. Now have read the book; need to make time to see the movie IF I can still find it showing somewhere. No plans to see Indiana Jones in the theatres, although I may be persuaded at some point if there is time (short supply here, except at 2 am). DVD will be good enough for me. I think. Ironman is on the list to see, since my oldest (David is THIRTEEN now) wants to see it VERY BADLY. I guess I can suffer through Robert Downey, Jr. (Very Big Grin) Let's see.... what else? For some odd reason I REALLY want to see Speed Racer . It tanked and got terrible reviews. But I still wanna see it. No tangible reason why e...

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer - 12/02/07 Good - Fiction Edward leaves and Bella establishes a relationship with Jacob, but he also has a secret. The sequel to Twilight - I can't wait to read the 3rd one. I'm #6 on the library's waiting list. How to Write Romances by Phyllis Taylor Pianka - 12/11/07 Good - Non-fiction How to combine conflict, desire, adventure and romance to create compelling love stories (1988) Although this book is twenty (!) years old, I think the info is still relevant. It jives with all the other info I have read online. Open Invitation by Karen Kendall - 12/13/07 Fair - Romance Explicit Ranchowner needs an etiquette consultant to get him ready for his sister's wedding This is part of the Harlequin Blaze series. Let's just say I don't think *I* will be writing this sort of romance novel. I debated even putting it on my list here, but honesty won out. :::sickly grin::: Montana Twins by Charlotte Maclay - 12/16/07 Fair - Romance Sheriff...