Movies

As a follow-up to the tomato lamenting, the FDA has approved tomatoes grown in certain states safe to eat. California is one of them! But I'll probably wait just a little longer, just in case... You can see if your state is approved at http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tomatoes.html.

I love watching movies so I thought I might mention a few movies that I saw this weekend. Hint, I liked them all.

First up, the Hulk! Yes, I was there opening weekend to view yet another comic book movie. I like them so much. And, I needed to have my faith in the green monster restored after that terrible version just a few short years ago. I was not disappointed! Ed Norton, who just rocks anyway in just about everything, was able to carry off the scrappy scientist who's got just enough inner turmoil to freak out on you at any moment, even without being infected by gamma rays. The movie gave shout outs to the tv series from the opening credits with it's grainy, blue photography that made me feel like I was sitting in my living room watching my 13in tv way back when. And they continued to pay homage to the series throughout, replicating some classic scenes and dialogue. What was great is that they gave these nods without being campy and without deviating from the story at hand, which was filled with lots of action and a little bit of humor when possible. I really enjoyed it. Everyone is saying, well it's not as great as Ironman but still good. I suppose. Ironman tells a much more complicated story. The Hulk is just an ordinary man trying to control the rage within. The story is well told and a lot of fun to watch. I'd definitely recommend it to any action fan!

Next up this weekend was Lars and the Real Girl. The initial idea of it freaked me out a bit. A lonely, social outcast orders a 'Real Girl' online and interacts with her like a real person. While these dolls are mostly sold as sex toys (and to sneak into carpool lanes) his intentions are much more pure. He is in a delusion where he actually believes she is a real person. His brother and sister-in-law take him to a doctor who encourages everyone to go along with his delusion until he is able to work out the psychological issues he's long avoided. This extends to the entire small town in which they live. It was sweet to see how willing everyone in the story is to help him, how they accept his 'girlfriend' Bianca and treat her as an ordinary person. There care for her really shows their love for him and it's nice to think that sometimes people can be that loving towards another person. It was also interesting for me to see how his progress evolves throughout his meetings with the doctor and see his relationships change all around him. I'm a sucker and cry easily at movies and this one had me crying on early on and often as I was touched by many scenes. A very sweet story to watch.

Lastly, this weekend I watched Stardust. I did not want to see this in the theater because I felt that the casting of Robert De Niro was a really bad idea for the role. I also never felt that the trailers gave me anything different about this fairytale from others so I felt I already knew the story before I saw it. That right there takes it off the table as an $9 movie and onto the rental list. Which we did. Now my husband became very interested in the movie once he heard that it was based on the novel by Neil Gaiman who has also written many wonderful things, Sandman being one of his favorites. That inspired us to move it up on the list. The story was entertaining and imaginative. It is, at it's heart, a fairytale with witches, spells, love, kings, betrayal, hidden identities and a quest. Taken as a simple story with interesting twists then it is lovely. De Niro was an odd choice for his character. I think they thought it would be funny but the whole time I was thinking, this isn't really working, and it took me out of the story for his scenes. Other than that, I did enjoy it very much and a happily ever after ending will make me teary-eyed every time. It's a great fluffy movie with no great message, just the ability to take you to another world for a little while.