Highly unlikely I'll watch anymore movies this year since I've only got one more day and I think I've watched almost everything I want to watch that's out and available on RedBox (whoa is me without any Netflix!).
At any rate, the last 3 movies!
Larry Crowne (Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts) - It's a cute romantic movie that is somewhere more in the drama realm than the comedy realm. I'm still having troubles with Roberts's and Hanks's characters connecting so quickly, but maybe I'm missing something. I just found it a little unbelievable (or too fast), but I enjoyed the film. It's a little more slow-paced, which works given Hanks's character has lost his job over the fact he doesn't have a college degree and, thus, decides to go to college. Let's also not forget that his house is upside down so he's troubled with money woes too. He meets a young college student who instantly takes a liking to him when they meet each other at the scooter parking zone his first day of school. She takes him underneath her wing and helps "spruce" him up. Roberts's character is basically in a rut with her husband and in an unhappy relationship with him and with her career. Movie really is about finding yourself later in life, especially when your life hasn't quite gone the way you wanted it too. It's cute. If you're looking to waste an hour-and-a-half of your life, this would be the movie to watch. It's mostly gentle and non-demanding, but it is also isn't anything too fantastic or necessary to watch either. You're not missing much if you don't watch it, but it's also just "okay" too. Grade: C+ (perhaps B-)
The Help (Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard, etc) - Yes, it may water down the whole discrimination aspect; yes, it may not be as powerful as the book (though I haven't read the book so I can't judge that); and, yes, it may have some historical things wrong and situations wrong/improbable and yaddy, yaddy, but I found it rather good. The acting is really good and the female cast is a lot of people you see here-and-there in other movies (at least for me). I cried while watching it, but you can't always consider that as I tend to cry through almost any remotely sad part in any film (case in point: I teared up in Conan....Really? Conan?!). The beginning is where it really tries to lay down the foundation for how strong the discrimination between white and black was back in that day in Mississippi and, from there, sort of eases its way around the issue. It made me angry in the beginning, but sad (laced with anger) later on as you really get to know the women and the abuse they receive. There are some funny moments and some tender ones too. I thought Emma Stone did a good job, but it really is Davis and Spencer who make the movie. Dallas Howard is also definitely despicable and comes off really well as the queen bee and no one goes against her. At any rate, I see the Oscar attention, but we'll also have to see when the nominations come out and I start watching those movies. I do recommend seeing this movie if you think it's something you'd like to see. It's a good film and I wouldn't mind seeing it again. Don't think I'd own it, but maybe if the price came down to $10 I would. Grade: B+/A-
Midnight in Paris (Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams) - Well, I can't say the relationship between Wilson's and McAdams's characters had a surprising ending. I knew from the get-go the way it was heading, but the film was rather cute. I don't think I've ever watched a Woody Allen film before, but who doesn't know of Woody Allen? At any rate, I enjoyed the concept and the nostalgia. It's fun seeing famous people from the 1920's (e.g., Hemmingway) and Wilson's modern character interacting with them after midnight (in Paris). The film is a mix of modern and nostalgia and is an interesting film about the past and where we think we'd rather be (era or situations). I like to think its underlying message is that the past is the past and we need to come to terms with our present and learn to live within it and with what we have. We can't go to the past to a better time. Even if we could, we wouldn't belong. So it's best we look to our present and find and do what makes us happy. At least, that's what I took from it. At any rate, I enjoyed the film and am glad I watched it. Grade: B+
Well, the last of the movies of 2011 that I watched!
Life is good. Got my first paycheck today! It feels good to be making money regularly, again! I like my co-workers and the environment is pretty good too. It's an interesting and different experience than working at Borders. You think retail is retail, but people treat Goodwill differently. There are some things you'd never do in a Borders or normal department store that people do at Goodwill, but there are also relationships you build with your customers that you don't really do at most department stores too. It's really common at Goodwill to introduce yourself or have a customer introduce himself/herself to you. I don't think any customer at Borders during my 5 years there ever introduced themselves to me. Granted, if they did, it was more because I was ordering something for them and I maybe formally shook someone's hand and gave them my name maybe a dozen times. At Goodwill, it's kind of the norm to get to know your regulars on a more personal level. It's also protocol to greet and say hi to everyone, but it was at Borders too. So, who knows. I am enjoying it, though. It's a little more laid back too. Being a lead is fine too.
Come January, I start my 2nd contract with the Aquarium. It's a big report so I'll start working on writing and researching that. It'll be interesting to work 40 hours a week and do that. I'll also continue to do MOPS twice a month before work at Goodwill. So...life went from basically nothing to a lot! It's kind of nice, but it is also a big adjustment for me too. I'm still adjusting to the standing for 8 hours at work and also just expending more energy throughout the day. I'm basically coming home tired and don't want to do much. I'm hoping after the holidays it'll get better. I've been working now for 3 weeks and all my days off (most of today even) have been filled with something to do and so I haven't had a real day of just doing nothing. New Year's Day -- nothing! At any rate, things are good. :)
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