Summer Movies

My summer movie list, thus far:

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - Good CG and action, but the storyline is still subpar to most films. I will say, Chris said this too, we found it more memorable than the first one. I enjoyed the first one, but it's one of those borderline films on whether you really liked it or not. This one I enjoyed, still kind of borderline, but I liked it better. I may buy the series in DVD when they come down in price. I like Bumblebee the best in this movie (I was more upset over Bumblebee in the first movie than anyone/thing else...). There are corny parts in the movie (as a Michael Bay film must have) and its 2.5 hours length can be felt sometimes through the last hour (I think it should have been 2 hours), but it did okay for me. B/B-

The Proposal - Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds...who'd of thought they'd be a dynamic duo? Ryan Reynolds did a fantastic job of keeping up with Sandra Bullock. The comedic timing and their acting were great (I still chuckle at certain scenes when I think about them). I laughed so hard during some parts I was crying. The theater was hysterical sometimes too. It's a romantic comedy, but it's the type you feel like you want to/can tell everyone about to go see (which I do). Chris even enjoyed it and recommended it to his friends and mom. The storyline isn't anything original (your normal romantic comedy outline), but Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds definitely make this film. So far, it's been my favorite of the summer and I await its release in DVD. A

UP - Is Pixar ever going to make a dump of a film? I hope not (Toy Story 3 2010!!), but their record is amazing. All I knew about UP before I went to see it is it's about an old man, something about balloons lifting his house up and a boy who's stuck on his porch. Pixar, though, has a good enough record that I knew I wanted to see it and/or own it (even if I never saw it first). Chris and I went and saw it and it just touched something sweet and tender in my heart. Chris didn't prefer it and would have been perfectly fine if he never saw it (it is definitely a PG family film), but it was just a sweet film. I think it has something to do with the fact the main character is older and you get a flash through his life in the first 15 minutes of the movie. The overall storyline was well done and the dogs in the movie are hilarious! Chris and I still joke about them. They were definitely the comedians in the movie. The boy in the film is a nice contrast between the other two characters in the movie who are older. He also brings something new to the main character too. For a sweet, tender, sometimes action packed, family movie...this is definitely a go. A-

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian - I liked the first one (I own it on DVD), so I wanted to see this second one. Plus, I'm starting on a Amy Adams kick (I really like her in Enchanted and thought she did a really good job in Doubt). It was enjoyable, though somewhat similar to the first one.  I also can't help but keep saying that one line from the Egyptian dude, "I have come BACK to life!" (It was in the trailer.) I liked Amy Adams in the film, some of the costumes annoyed me (plastic for the Egyptian Pharoh), but it kept my attention. Overall good film and you have to like Octavius and Jed. I'd probably buy it on DVD once it drops below $20. B

Terminator Salvation - Chris's hero, Christian Bale, starred in this film (like no one knows that considering he had one of his famous rages on set and was called on it). I'm not a big Christian Bale fan, he's not bad, but he's not fantastic in my mind either. Anyway, this was Chris's summer pick so we had to go see it. We went with a bunch of co-workers (like 10?) and it was a good action packed film. I like Marcus in the film (he's the center of the film). It also asked an interesting question about what really makes us human (Marcus is a machine, but he has a human heart and thinks he's a human). So it looked at the parallels between Marcus, humans, and the Terminators. It also touched upon second chances. Christian Bale was a really good John Connor (he has that "rallying" type of personality that'll make anyone go to battle). There is one thing at the very end that everyone at work and I laughed about (it's not possible even if the movie takes place a decade later - everything else is pretty "realistic"). Chris was a little affronted we all laughed about it. Overall, it was a good, clean action film and Chris wants to see it again and I wouldn't mind too. B

Angels and Demons - I don't remember a whole lot of the first one, but having seen Da Vinci Code, I wanted to see what this one was all about. I actually liked this one better than the first one. It was a bit more suspenseful and had a twist ending to it. I like those clue finding type of movies/books (National Treasure anyone?) so I also enjoyed that aspect of the film. It was enjoyable seeing it, but I wouldn't see it again because there's just something about this film that creeps me out when I think about some of the deaths in the film. Though, I will say, I do like Tom Hanks and Ewan McGregor in the film. They did a good job. B

Star Trek - Not being a Trekkie or really watching the original TV series, I may not have seen the movie in theaters. It wasn't high on Chris or my movie watching list. We (Dad, Mom, Chris, and I) went on Mother's Day to see this since my Dad had seen it already and liked it. I must say, for summer films I've seen so far, it has the best combo of everything: good acting, costumes, storyline, CG, and action. I enjoyed it a lot, but it gives me the feeling of a "family film." That "content" feeling after seeing it (not a "heart racing" feeling like an action). Even though I liked it, I don't know if I'd ever want to see it again, though. Not sure why, but that's just my feeling. I was content seeing it once and glad I did, but I don't need to see it again. A-

X-Men Origins: Wolverine - What can I say about Wolverine...Other than Hugh Jackman being an excellent Wolverine, I don't know what else to say. It was a good action film, but kind of lame in the line of X-Men. (The X-Men series feels like it's never quite lived up to what it could really be.) There was a bad blue screen moment at the end of the movie and some CG I thought could have been done a little better, but it wasn't totally horrible. It was a good film to watch, but I wouldn't want to see it again. Though, I did have an urge to rewatch the X-Men movies again because I now understand a little more about Wolverine's background. At work, a lot of the guys complained about how horrible they botched some of the characters in the movie, but (for someone who hasn't read/seen the comics) it was fine. B-

Upcoming films I'd like to see: Public Enemies, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (!!!!!!!!!!), Julie and Julia, The Time Traveler's Wife (based on the book)

Arrival Date for UCSB

Not a whole lot is going on. Borders is getting worse by the day as an employee who has been there for 5 years. It's a struggle to get through each day there. Mentally, not just the normal "what a rough day." When you get to the point that you HAVE to drag yourself into work...you know it's time to quit. I need to hold out just a few more months, though. The end of this month I'll know whether I won the scholarship or not too. June 24th is when the winners will be notified. Winners get a letter. Non-winners get an e-mail. So...let's hope I win! $10,000 would be fantastic (covers half my fees or my year rent), but I'll get the $2,500 too. :P I'm not picky! LoL

In other news, my mandatory arrival date for UCSB is September 14th (2.5 weeks before classes start). Classes start on a Thursday...Anyway, it's a 2.5 week long orientation. *rolls eyes* It's literally scheduled from 9am-5pm M-F and one Saturday from 9am-12pm for the Calc review. I was planning to do the calc thing, but I definitely will do it now since it's scheduled into our long days as it is. I also get to take a writing assessment and workshop in those days too. Joy, but a good thing since I've been out of school for a year and have picked up some bad habits. The nice thing about my schedule in the Fall (first year is planned out for you) is I have lectures only from 9:30am to noon, but I have labs/discussions in the afternoon. If I can pull it off (missing colloquia and one stat review class) I can leave at noon on Thursday if I wanted to go home for the weekend. The scary class will be our 2.5 week class. It's taught 4 days a week AND has a lab/discussion for three meetings. To say the least, I'm going to be swamped. Between 16 units, stat review (1 month, twice a week, no credit), career workshop/speakers (twice a week), and colloquia (twice a week), I'm doing something for the program from 9am to 5pm most days of the week. The only plus is it's only M-TH. Nothing on Friday! I'm happy about that. I'm planning to do my lab discussion for that 2.5 week class at 8:30am, but it's only 3 times. I think I can deal with it. :P

With that...I must be off!