Post 4: Babies

On December 5 while Aaron was at work, I decided to watch Babies without him. I was surprised that there was no narration or discussion during the movie, but also understand that there was no need for it. Ponijao from Namibia was actually my favorite of the four babies. He was the most interactive child of the bunch, and was in the "worst" conditions. He was so happy and energetic. His curiosity was contagious, and his mother was incredibly beautiful. It taught me that we are such germaphobic people here in America. It told me that I need to let my children play in the mud and get dirty from time to time.

Mari from Japan was an incredibly cute (and quiet) child. The most interesting thing I saw was the classes that her mother took her to and the groups of mothers that met up to go to the zoo and have play dates. It was interesting to see how alike we were in that respect.

Bayar from Mongolia was probably the most mischievous of the babies. It was hilarious to watch his brother respond to him. In fact, one of the first few things you see is Bayar being bundled up and his family putting him on a motorcycle to move. Later, it shows his brother bothering him and the sibling rivalry that came along with being a little brother.

Hattie from California was the American viewpoint shown in the movie. She was born into somewhat of a hippie family from what I could tell. I have to admit that whether it was supposed to be filmed this way or not, the American baby seemed to be the least interesting in my point of view. Everything was quiet and somewhat withdrawn. Overall, I enjoyed the movie more than I thought I would, and felt compelled to rewind it and show Aaron some scenes once he got home. Having it filmed without narration was actually a very interesting and atypical way of doing things, but somehow it made sense. I can't imagine having a voiceover after watching it. It taught me to watch my kids more closely, to see how their lips quiver in their sleep and how focused they are when facing a problem. I have noticed how smart my children really are, which is more than I could've ever hoped or imagined.

Post 3: Psych

When I first started watching Psych on November 27, 2010, Aaron said, "This seems like a one season kind of funny, and then it will get old." But the day before Christmas when we finished the fourth season (and the last season available on netflix), we were deeply saddened that there were no more. Every episode had an extra little something that was hilarious and plain fun. I loved every little nickname that Sean gave to Gus, and even Aaron got really into it, counting how many times a pineapple popped into the picture. Above all else, the team on this show were able to keep us interested with every quirky case. Plus, everyone's acting was tremendous. I can't wait for Netflix to get the new season on their instant queue.

Post 2: Weeds

We started watching Weeds on November 16, 2010. It was honestly love at first sight. Aaron and I sped through season 1 in 2 days. Seriously, 2 days. That's a lot of tv watching and a lot of late nights. The first season was funny and charming. It set a certain stage that the second season kind of destroyed. That's right, I didn't like the second season as much as the first. We finished it in 4 days though. Why would I not like it as much you may ask? Well, I had a LOT of drama in my life at that moment and honestly needed some form of comic relief. When things started getting dreary and nerve-wrecking on Weeds, I sort of tuned out. I didn't want to see Nancy turn into the woman that she inevitably became after being hardened by the drug trade world. The obvious turning point: getting a tattoo of a u-turn sign on her backside. Seriously? Then she gets involved with Esteban and has his baby. I stopped watching then actually. We will finish it eventually, but I'm focused on other things for now. Maybe when I want my heart to race up a little bit and I want to feel nervous and tense I'll turn it back on. For now, it can wait in our Netflix queue.

Post 1: The Ugly Truth

November 15, 2010

I mostly watched this movie because I am a sucker for romantic comedies, no matter how hard I try to seem like I'm not into that kind of thing. I was also curious about how Katherine Heigl and Gerald Butler would act together. I would like to say that I'm a fan of Ms. Heigl, but I don't know if that would be entirely true. She seems to always play the same role over and over again. She is incredibly pretty, but I seem to see the same expression on her face no matter what role she is playing. In Grey's Anatomy, at least what episodes I've seen, she seems extremely stressed all of the time, and a little lost, but devoted to her job. In 27 Dresses, which I have not seen, she is an insecure but truly devoted friend until a man shows her the light and makes her more sure of herself. In Knocked Up, she plays a secure, somewhat uptight woman who is clearly committed to her work until a man shows her the light and makes her more flexible to the idea of change and life. And it's not much different in The Ugly Truth. She plays a character whose life revolves around her work and the woman way...until a man shows her that it's okay to let herself go and get herself a man. I have to admit that some parts of it were charming and Gerald Butler played an awesome ladykiller (I would totally have let him steer me in the wrong direction for a brief time). But I felt that the movie was lacking, although the vibrator panties at the dinner table scene was quite hilarious and made me laugh until my sides hurt. As for Ms. Heigl, she is beautiful, and does her job well, but I'd like to see her in a different character.

What This Blog Is All About

Contrary to the title, I don't have much "time" in my life that is not spent sleeping, working, or caring for children. In fact, there is a very small window of time left for things like movies and books. And I love movies and books. I have decided that in order to make sure I get enough culture in my life, and in order to ensure that I don't stop reading, writing, or becoming educated and inspired, I have started this blog to have a place to critique movies and books I read throughout the year. I'm going through my instant queue and I will write a new entry for each movie or show I've watched thus far, since my memory is TERRIBLE and I cannot be expected to remember these things otherwise. Chances are, no one will read this blog, but just in case someone cares, I want to inspire others myself.

Enjoy and feel free to post comments with agreements/disagreements.