Movie Review

Big Geek recently got me into reading the "Twilight" series, so of course I wanted to go see the movie. We went to see it today and I could not wait to review it. I feel that I have enough background to really sink my teeth into a detailed review of this highly anticipated movie rendition of a book. Brace yourselves, I get into it a bit here...

First, a quick synopsis for those of you not familiar with the books and story. Please don't believe from the media that this story is "So different from anything that has ever been done" because that is crap. Look, it's the story of a girl who moves to Washington State to live with her father and she falls for the Vampire Hottie at school which of course puts her in harm's way and ultimately he must save her. This is nothing different than most vampire stories including "The Lost Boys", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" or even the recent "True Blood". The thing that struck me and makes me hungry to read more is Edward Cullen. He and his family are interesting and tho her writing suffers in conversations between characters the author's explaination of the Cullen Vampire clan is well thought out and explained.

Cinematography. Directing photography on the northwest coast of Washington State should not be so difficult. I really felt like they tried WAY too hard to capture that "money Shot" and in the meantime could have let the beautiful surroundings of Washington tell the story on it's own terms. The cinematography was forced and mixed gritty with quirky in a bizarre way that did not work. This was confusing as a viewer because imagry and feel was so jumpy and at odds with each other.

Writing. I know that they took from the book, which to be honest, was not well written either, but seriously! The script was also missing some scenes that were important and they changed scenes by altering the motivation for them or what actually happened, when it would have been fine if they followed the book. Those who went to see the movie without reading the book were probably confounded and wondering what they had missed.

Casting. Eric, a boy who has a crush on Bella in the book is now played by a gay boy who would more likely be chasing after Edward than Bella. Jacob should have been more masculine and hotter...considering what happens in the series with his character. The actor who played Mike was great, but the Jessica character was overboard and obnoxious. They left out other chracters from the book that would have helped along the story a bit. We didn't see enough of the Cullens, but what we did see was promising and accurate. The actor who played Esme was right on for me looks wise, although I thought Esme was blonde in the book. She played the gentle nature of the mother figure wonderfully.

Acting. It was as if very few of the actors knew what the story was or what movie they were making. I have to say I was not impressed when I first saw Robert Patterson was cast as Edward, HOWEVER I was incredibly impressed with his portrayal. He did the best he could with the lines and the blocking he was given. He is a decent actor, and VERY easy on the eyes, something I had remembered from his short role in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" a few years back.
Kristen Stewart was flat, she looks like Bella might have, but she is not consistant and I could see parts of her own real life personality showing through...at least the spoiled bitch I had seen in interviews recently anyway. Jasper looked more scared than restrained and it was silly to me (hence my giggles whenever he came on screen), but in his defense they really didn't give him much to work with.

Stunts. I was interested in how they would pull off Edward running with Bella on his back thru the woods of Washington, or how the vampire fights would go. It was silly and snicker inducing for me. Perhaps if they had excluded the wide-shots and focused on the the characters with the blurry background explaining the hard to capture action.

Music. A few of the contemporary songs used were good but I was disappointed at the orchestral (and I use that term lightly) music. Music is so important at setting mood and it was poorly done here. I can honestly say I cringed a few times as I heard music swell or flutter along the background that was disjointed from what was actually going on in the scene. A wonderful opportunity to create some exciting and beautiful music was lost here.

This movie is evidence that most books should be left in the reader's imagination and never be placed on the silver screen, especially when they missed so many opportunities to make it work. Unfortunately even sweet Edward himself couldn't carry this movie on his own and I left the theater with a sour taste in my mouth.

Fun with Big Geek!

Beth and I went to the Everson Museum on Saturday to see the Marie Antoinette exhibit as well as the Andy Warhol exhibit. We had a bit of fun when it came to the children's section to pose as Marie Antoinette and play dress up:

"I do so prefer Cake over Death!"


"Off with Who's Head?"


Down on the farm with CC and Beth:



But wait! An evil plan is forming...


The proprieter of "The Worst Pies in London" perhaps??? Beth thinks me more a pirate wench in this getup:


I've gotta say that I was NOT impressed with this museum. The shell and spaces have incredible potential, but I found the walls to be rather empty and lacking, with exception to the Warhol and MA exhibits. One room literally had 2 sculptures and 3 canvas in it and left me mumbling "That's it?" If you are a ceramic head, you may enjoy the plethora of ceramics and pottery in the lower level, although the layout was elementary at best and very uninteresting. The gift shop is in need of a major overhaul as it's tie-ins to exhibits were cheesy and some were a bit of a stretch.

I refuse to believe that a local Museum should be so boring. They should take a lesson from another local museum that bridges modern and local art with classical and historical pieces flawlessly. Everson has a wonderful opportunity to fill the culture gap in central NY, it would be a shame if they missed the boat.

What if...

What if... I assembled a team to create my own Marketing, Design and Promotions Company?

Lamby could be our promoter and business generator, Pinky could be a creative consultant as well as manage our books and accounting, Nate P. could be the Illustrator, I could (after a few classes in Illustrator, Quark and Photoshop) become the designer, Chantal could be our web guru, Big Geek could be a creative consultant and designer, and Sam & Tabbi could be our IT team!

All of these people are great at what they do, and it would be a winning mixture. Lamby and Pinky are anchors, because they are in fact rennaissance women who can pretty much DO ANYTHING! That is always helpful! I can see the personalities meshing so well that we would actually HAVE FUN at work! Fun and positive energy is what helps my creativity flow and I feel it is an important part of a career. Love what you do, Do what you love. Your clients will notice!

I have interviewed a few such groupings of professionals for my current job and have been impressed with how they came together, but one in particular has failed to impress in what they offer and timeliness of their delivery of assets (hence we did not go with them for any projects)

Once I saw this I KNEW we could do better (of course), helping local businesses promote themselves thru web, advertising and other media outlets. But we need a hook, something that sets us apart from the competition, something more than the fact that we would provide a superior creative product in a timely fashion...

Something to ponder...yea?

Random Things in London & Wales

Randomness is everywhere, tho if it makes sense that you notice certain thing, is it randomness or is it kismet? Here are some "random" happenings from my trip...which ones do you think were actually more fate?

The squirrels in Hyde park were VERY friendly and photogenic:

This tree was so neat. Paths went inside it, almost like a little hobbit hole:

A very modern sculpture was being worked on here. The contrast in buildings was interesting:


Put some money in his tin and he'll ride his bike and ring his bell:


Yep, I made a friend along the Thames...


Our Inn in Wales had a few of these beautiful wood carvings on the walls:


A giant and a midget knight? That is kinda creepy Tower of London!


SO I am soaked and my hair looks like Medusa, But I am ready to defend the Tower my Lord!


Um hi Buffy! What are you doing here all alone on the banks of the Thames? (NOW are you all with me on Alysa reminding me of SMG?)


So many people have asked if I took a picture of the guards...So here he is. Not really sure what the big attraction is, BUT when he moved around I thought I had found the Ministry of Silly Walks!!!


Ahh, at judgement he holds the scrolls of your sins... Master Po this is for you!


The door reads:

"Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan

Study Room,

Enquiries and Students

10.00 - 13.00, 14.00 - 16.30

Monday -Friday"

This is what a REAL Crystal Skull looks like Dr. Jones... altho this was found to be a fraud because it was proven to be made by machine, not by hands of the Aztecs.


Click on this picture to see a larger view...read what is shown on the face of St. Paul's. Definitely fitting, and hence FATE.

My London Wales Recap!

Since I took 331 pictures, I thought it would be best to just post a few highlights and let you all know my daily itinerary from my fabulous trip! It's 8 days of travel and a bit long, but a good recap of my adventures!

Tuesday, Nov 4th: Arrived at Gatwick international at 9am London time. Alysa picked me up and we headed to the Abbey Road flat to settle in and have breakfast.

That afternoon Alysa had class so I hopped on the tube and went to Hyde Park and Kensington Park. Even tho it was off season, the parks are beautiful and I enjoyed all of the statues and also walking around Kensington Palace!

In the evening we made a stop at Kings Cross Station and Platform 9 3/4:
and then we headed to Liverpool Street and grabbed some dinner at a pub. I had traditional Fish and Chips of course...and a few Guinness!

Wednesday, Nov 5th: My birthday started out by heading to the National Theater to see if I could get a ticket to the play Alysa and her class were attending that evening. I did get a standing room ticket for 5 pounds which was fine because the play was only about 1 hour and 40 minutes. We then strolled along the Thames past the London Eye and over the bridge to Big Ben and Parliament. There was alot of security as Parliament was in session.

We headed over to West Minster Abbey and took the tour of this amazing structure. I was so impressed and did not realize how many and who was actually buried there! Besides Royals the likes of Mary Queen of Scots, but Sir Lawrence Olivier, Sir Isaac Newton and Darwin are buried there as well!

That evening we ate at a little chain eatery called EAT. One of Alysa's classmates was not attending the show that night so they gave me his ticket. The seats were second row balcony and the play was "Oedipus" starring Ralph Fiennes!!! It was wonderful.

Afterwards a few of Alysa's classmates joineds us for drinks near Trafalger Square for my birthday. The pubs are all so cozy and wonderful in London.

Thursday Nov 6th: Up early again for shopping at Top Shop and the famous Hamley's toy shop in Oxford Circus. Coffees at Cafe Nero and a tour of the area of Soho where Alysa has her internship with a casting company.

Alysa had class again so I went to the Victoria and Albert Museum. It was lovely and had lots of great English hertitage from Medieval to present day. I enjoyed getting lost in all the history for a few hours! This is the largest bed in Britain: the Bed of Ware and quite possibly the bed of my dreams. The carvings on the frame and ceiling were amazing tho this picture couldn't capture it's true beauty:

At 6pm I hopped on the tube and went to meet Alysa at the Tottenheim Court Road Stop. From there we met up with my friend Becca who has worked in London for about 5 years in publishing. We went to a pub and sat and chit chatted and had some more great beer! It was great to catch up with her and I look forward to her being home at Christmas so we can once again chat over drinks!

Friday, Nov 7th: An especailly early start because we were headed to Pembroke, Wales for the weekend. The train ride was about 5 hours, but went fast.

We arrived in Pembroke around 2pm and checked into our lovely Welsh Inn, just a stone's throw from the Pembroke Castle!

I had a wonderful Steak and Guinness Pie for late lunch at a local eatery and we took a walk around this beautiful town and through the paths that encircled the castle. It was beautiful to see the castle as the lights began to light it up in the ever growing darkness. The town was small and quaint and the people were very friendly and helpful.

That night we went to a local pub called the Castle Inn which was so cool inside. We met some Welsh calvary boys, which made me feel REALLY old. :) They were quite nice and very interested to know why Americans were in Pembroke, since it is such a small out of the way town.

We returned to our Inn for sandwiches and a final drink and discussions with the owners and locals turned quickly to the new American President, and what they thought our ethnic backgrounds were. It was an interesting evening!

Saturday Nov 8th: Today we tour the castle! After a traditional english breakfast at our Inn, we went to the castle and found that entry was only 3.50 pounds!! No guides, just a book to take along, so you could take your time and run around by yourself for as long as you wanted! It took us a few hours to go through the entire castle complex. It was huge! The sun came out and tho it was a bit windy it was warm and sunny and blue skies prevailed until about 3 pm! A perfect day.


Pembroke Castle is a medeival castle that was originally a wooden structure in 1193 which gave way to the current stone structure in the 1200's. Henry the VII was born there and it was quite a pivital spot for Welsh and English history.

After the castle we had soup and tea and sweets at a local eatery just across of from the castle. This tided us over until we had our large meal at the Inn that night. I had a lovely Welsh lamb dish. It was wonderful! Alysa and I finished our bottle of wine and sat in the cozy bar for the evening as the rain had begun and was very heavy.

Sunday, Nov 9th: We decide to be lazy and veg until about 11:30 when we had to check out. We packed up, settled our bill and checked out. The Inn was nice enough to let us leave our bags while we walked about a bit. We mailed our postcards and the rain got heavier so we went back to the Inn and had lunch, dessert and tea and sat chatting in the coziness until it was time to catch our train.

The rain had been so persistant that the trains were unsure as to timing because of delays with flooding in areas. We were lucky to get back and make all of our connections. We arrived back in london about 12:40am. In reference to a comment from Jen Mathis: I believe I was well prepared for the cold damp of Wales that day BECAUSE I am from Upstate NY! :)

Monday, Nov 10th: Up by 7am and headed to Tower of London.
I had no idea how large the grounds were. We spent the morning there in the towers, seeing the crown jewels and seeing the place where the beheadings took place. This pic is standing on the site of the executions and what the accused would see as their last site...I know, how creepy but a grisley part of English heritage that should not be ignored:

There is a building that contains the arsenal and armour of knights, including Henry VIII suits of armour seen here: I hate to say that I knew very little about the Tower of London and the significance of many things that happened there. I was very intrigued and find myself in major reseach mode now that I am back! View of Tower Bridge from within the walls of the London Tower:

After the Tower we went to do a wonderfully touristy tour of "the London Dungeons. Mixing horror tales with history we curved through a mirror maze, stories and recreations of the plague, Jack the Ripper's killings, Sweeney Todd's Barber Shop and hangings of thieves. It was cheesy and fun and ridiculous. the walls REALLY WERE covered in Mirror (so be careful with those lazer cats!) and I will never forget the look on my face...(Alysa!)

For dinner we went to this great noodle house chain called Wagamama in South Bank. The food was great and it was nice to sit and dry off for a bit from the only rainy day we'd had before continuing our journey.

Next was the London Eye at night! The Eye is situated on the banks fo the Thames diagonally across the bridge from Big Ben and the 360 degree views of London are amazing...especailly at night!

Tuesday Nov 11th: My last day in London :( Alysa and I got up and headed to Buckingham Palace. It is a beautiful site but the Queen was not at home. Apparently when the British flag is up she is not home but when her personal flag is up she is in residence.

We lunched at Pret A Manger, a trendy fresh food style chain and then headed to the British Museum. Alysa toured the Egyptian areas with me and then headed to class. I stayed and saw all but one exhibit!

My highlight was The Rosetta Stone. It was wonderful to finally lay eyes on the real thing since I had written a paper in 7th grade on it and had been facinated with it ever since. It was hard to take a pic with how it was lite, but I like the fact that you can see my reflection taking the picture!

I have to say, the V & A museum was more interesting to me in many ways than the British Museum, but I was glad I got to tour it extensively.

For my final evening and meal in London, I had made my mind up that I MUST go to Fleet Street and eat a Meat Pie! We found a great little pub called The Old Bell on Fleet Street and I got my wish: a steak and ale pie...YUMMY!

On our way home we took our inevitable Telephone booth pics and were tired from all the days events.

Wenesday, Nov 12th: Up early, packed up and to the tube to Victoria Station to catch the Gatwick express train. It had been a wonderful trip that went so fast, but I saw so much. Thanks for the hospitality and Tour Guide services of my niece Alysa! I had a an amazing time with you!

It's C.C.'s B-day! Since she is "across the pond" I have appointed myself "guest" blogger! Here is the cake that Camilla had prepared to celebrate the big day!

Make it a memorable one, C.C.!

Halloween 2008

Overall it was a fun night. Thanks to Chantal for bringing her camera to document the evening's festivities! I am thankful that we didn't get any shots of our "Man in Uniform" who was all hands...out of everyone we met that night, he is definitely someone I would like to forget! haha.

I took a few before I left and then forgot to bring my camera, so here is a full shot of the Lara Croft outfit:



And here are a few highlights:

Chantal the 80's Chick and Me!


Don't mess with Lara Croft!


Oiy! It's a wee Captain Jack Sparrow! Incredibly authentic costume, tiny man.

Lara and her favorite Rocker Chick from the 80's! I think she stole Jack's hat!:0)


My Knight in Shining Armor...literally! This costume was AMAZING!


What's this Y'all? FANGTASIA???


Captain America...after a few too many drinks.


Thanks to Chantal for the full shot...I LOVED this costume and so many people recognized and commented on it. It was a fun Halloween...now I just need to take that hair extension out of my hair!!! (yea, Ive been wearing it all weekend!)

Oh wait: After hours at Tammy's house for...you guessed it, ROCK BAND, so I thought it would be fun to take a pic with my cell as Lara with the Wii controls like I posted last week...Those vampires are awful ill-mannered tho...TAMMY!!