Happy Birthday John Wayne!

I just could not let this day go past without sending out a birthday wish to the Duke! In honor of his 103rd birthday I would like to share one of my favorite film quotes of his from the film Chisum.

He just tracked down the thief that stole his horses:

Thief: So if you want these horses, I sell them to you. Did you bring some gold with you?
Chisum: No.
Thief: Silver?
Chisum: Just lead! (and of course Wayne shoots him and takes back his horses)

They will never learn, that you just do not mess with the Duke.

Snow

When I woke up this morning I was planning on a little rain, which is fine because I love rain. So I was a little surprised walking past my window, so much so that I did a double take, that it was white outside. I thought I must not be seeing things clearly since I hadn’t put in my contacts. But no, there was snow on the ground and huge flakes falling from the sky. Would someone please tell the weather man that it is almost Memorial Day and we are done with snow!

Robin Hood

Maybe it is because I go to films with low expectations that I leave the theater really enjoying them. The critics didn’t love the film, but I have to say it was one of the better Robin Hoods. As with all films lately it goes back to the beginning of the legend. There are so many interpretations of Robin Hood and I am aware of a few of them so I was willing to follow the story as the writers envisioned the tale and enjoy it. The action scenes were quite impressive and the soundtrack very moving. There are even some funny lines sprinkled through out the film that are priceless.

I also enjoyed the closing credits. I am one of those rare people who like to stay and read all the credits if I am able to. You learn so many interesting facts. Anyways, the illustrated graphics that went with the closing credits continued the feel of medieval storytelling as if someone just read to you a great adventure.

I am not a Russell Crowe fan, but I think he did an excellent job. Cate Blanchett played a strong Marion who took responsibility for her people and didn’t need a man to fight for her. Which is refreshing from other the Robin Hood films. I was surprised to see William Hurt in the film and he too did very well. Matthew Macfadyen played the Sheriff, though it was very minor, which in the end was good because he will forever be Mr. Darcy in my mind.

I want to give a nod to Max von Sydow, who played Sir Walter Loxely and Eileen Atkins, who played Eleanor of Aquitaine. I’m glad that Hollywood is going back to how it was in the 30s and 40s that some very strong characters were played by a mature actor. The film would not have had the same feeling without Max von Sydow.

When it comes down to all the Robin Hood films I have seen (Disney's Robin Hood, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, etc) I enjoyed this one the most.

Happy Birthday James Stewart

Today James Stewart, affectionately known as Jimmy, would have been 102. If all you know of him is “It’s a Wonderful Life” let me suggest two films of his that I really enjoy and might make you want to stop and watch another film of his when you see it while flipping through the channels.

Rear Window (1954)
Professional photographer Jeff confined to his New York apartment with a broken leg spends his time looking out of the window observing the neighbors. He begins to suspect that a man across the courtyard may have murdered his wife.

My Thoughts: One of my favorite Alfred Hitchcock films, that has a great cast- Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter (who I think is a wonderful character actor), and even Raymond Burr (that is Perry Mason to you).

Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962)
Mr. Hobbs longs for a vacation alone with his wife away from his long commute into work and his dysfunctional family. His wife longs for a family get-together. Of course the wife wins and off to the beach with the family they go.

My Thoughts: Laugh out loud funny. I particularly love the dance scene with Jimmy drumming up dance partners for his daughter.

Letters to Juliet

Summary: Story of a girl who helps someone find their long lost love and finds her own along the way. Not an original storyline and you know how it is going to end with a balcony scene included but you enjoy the journey anyways.

Critique: The dialogue was pretty clever in the banter. The scenery was gorgeous. The acting wasn’t horrible, except for the finance but then again maybe he was playing his role well to cause that reaction. And who can resist the fact that Vanessa Redgrave’s long lost love is played by real life husband Franco Nero. Amore! Add the Monkees song “I’m a Believer” sung in Italian and you have an enjoyable Romantic Comedy.

Side note: I can’t believe that it took six months of advertising to launch this film. When I first saw the trailer in November I thought it was coming out in February. That is a much as plug as a blockbuster film. But than again it worked because I went and saw it on opening weekend.

Real Salt Lake

Tonight I went to my first professional soccer game to see the Real Salt Lake. It was fun and I really enjoyed it. I didn’t get all the rules, especially the fouls or yellow cards as they say but it was fast moving and kept my attention. I went with AMM, AJ and AJ’s brother (who was kind enough to explain some of the rules when I was confused). We won 3 to 1 against Houston. One thing that was interesting was that the time on the clock adds and is not a countdown. My favorite player, sorry do not remember name or number, was the one wearing the pink shoes. It says a lot about his soccer ability that he is man enough to wear pink. The only complaint I had was that the drums played the entire game with the same beat and I actually missed the corny music that bands play during college football games. All in all, I can’t wait to go to another game!

Strawberry Jam

I love homemade strawberry freezer jam. This past weekend my mom and I made three batches worth and after all the hours you stare at the end product and think, boy, I am going to have to ration that out to last until next spring when I can make more. In reality you can’t just have a freezer full of jam, pity. The reward after all the hard work is to spread the fresh warm jam over homemade scones. It is like heaven. Then again after seeing how much sugar it takes to make it, I can see why.

The New Doctor Who

This week I caught up on the three new episodes of Dr Who with the new Doctor played by Matt Smith. I love that over in Britain they air the new season or special episodes on big holidays like Christmas or Easter as this time being the case. In America we just have reruns because they don’t think we are going to sit down and watch TV on holidays. But if you are like me that is really the only time you can sit down and watch TV because you do not have to go to work. Sorry, I digress.

Now for my thoughts on the season opener:

I quite liked it. Surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did (though I really do miss David Tennant, sob).

What I really liked was the establishment of the Amelia Pond character (played by Karen Gillan) with the Doctor. That she knew him since a child. Brilliant! I also like that she is a strong female character. I never really liked Billie Piper. There I said it. I know; how can I like Tennant but not the love of his life? I keep digressing sorry.

The Tartis (that’s his time traveling space ship for those who have never seen the show) is pretty cool this time around. It’s still a police call box on the outside (let’s hope they never change that) but the inside they updated it to the new character. I liked how they antiqued it for the stuffy professor look the Doctor is now going for. I think it is cool how there are now passage ways in the ship so maybe we will see other rooms. Also I like their new Doctor Who logo. I would post a picture but that would require some thinking and I am not in the mind set for that right now.

The season trailer looks so intriguing and I am way excited that the “Weeping Angels” are coming back (see my last Dr Who post about the “Blink” episode being my favorite).

The only problem I am having is that I didn’t quite enjoy last night’s episode (#3). It didn’t hold me. It could be that I was distracted by the Doctors too short pants and cheesy bowtie but I think it comes down to that he doesn’t have a presence that says “Trust me I’m The Doctor.” His madness seems juvenile not funny like Tennant. But maybe I just need time to adjust. The theme it looks like for this season is “the crack” if you watch closely it is everywhere. So we will see as the season plays along how the new Doctor fits. Here’s hoping!