My Top 10 Movies of the Decade

Well, this would normally be a post about our great Christmas (and great it was), but I have yet to upload all our pictures and videos. My computer is acting a little funny so I'll have to post all that stuff later.

I'm a big fan of "At the Movies." For those of you who don't know, it's a movie review show hosted by two of the best film critics (Michael Phillips and A. O. Scott) out there. They discuss movies in an academic way rather than just concentrating on the fluff like most critics do. For the past few weeks, they've been counting down their top 10 movies of the decade. While most of their picks were obscure foreign fare or rated R movies I have yet to see on TV, I was pleased to see "Ratatouille" make Phillips' #2 spot and "Wall-E" nab Scott's #1 spot. You can't argue with amazing storytelling and Pixar always tells amazing, original stories.

I thought it would be fun to make a list of my top 10 of the decade. Now, most of this is totally personal and really has more to do about my reaction to the movies than whether they are "good" or not. (Some of them aren't good and I fully own up to it!) My list isn't comprehensive, of course . . . I don't watch R rated movies, so obviously, there's not a whole lot of range.

10. "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." I'm not a LOTR fan in any shape or form. But, I can't deny the power of the movies and how well made they are . . . well, the first one is. The first one is the only one I think is a good film. The others are way too long, too labored and too over the top. In my opinion, the third one is unwatchable. The first movie is amazing. The acting, the special effects and the storytelling is excellent. The other two movies I can live without. I'm just not a Peter Jackson fan . . . don't get me started on "King Kong." Bleech. Anyway, this movie introduced a whole new style and several new technologies that have taken filmmaking to an all new level. Not all of it is good, in my opinion, but it is definitely a great epic movie.

9. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." I went to see this movie in the theater four times. That's a record for me! I was SO excited to see this movie, since I loved all the books. It totally lived up to all my expectations. I wished they had gotten a better Dumbledore (Richard Harris is great, but he wasn't goofy enough), but other than that, I think the first movie is the only one that gets closest to the spirit of the books. I just remember that exciting feeling I had when I first heard the theme music. I love that feeling!

8. "Juno." If you haven't seen it, RENT IT! I really love this movie. The dialouge is a bit much. There are several lines that I would've edited in the first draft if I had written it. But the cast (probably the best cast movie of the decade) has so much fun with the lines that I can't object too much.

I went to see this movie a few months after I had Charlie. I had postpartum depression BIG TIME ("You down with PPD? Yeah, you know me!"). I was really struggling. But the movie really moved me in a positive way. I left the theater so excited to go home and see my baby. That meant a lot to me, because that was such a dark time in my life. Sometimes it's the little things that help the most. It wasn't long after Mari (my sis-in-law) and I went to see this movie that she got pregnant with her third child, Eloise. I don't think it's a coincidence! The movie is not pro teen pregnancy AT ALL . . . it's more about the power of motherhood, so don't get the wrong idea! This movie is so uplifting and sincere you can't help but like it.

7. "Napoleon Dynamite." It amazes me how polarizing this movie is. You love it or hate it. I've found that it's almost a generational thing. When it came out, everyone my age embraced it and immediately "got" the humor. Tons of critics panned this movie and if you read the negative reviews, it seems like they watched an entirely different movie. Roger Ebert was very against this movie but said that he's willing to give it another chance since so many people told him he missed the mark. I watched it once and had no idea what to think. But as the days rolled by, more and more of the one-liners popped into my head and I found myself cracking up. I think it's become more of a communal event like "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." It's not just about the movie . . . it's about reliving the movie over and over again.

6. "Chicago"/"Moulin Rouge." These two movies signaled the return of the Hollywood musical. Both feature big stars showing off their voices and dance talents (Catharine Zeta Jones is just freaking amazing!) in bright, splashy sets and tightly choreographed dance numbers. Why not just pick one? Well, these two movies have what the other lacks. "Chicago" has a lot going for it but for me, it lacks something huge . . . heart. After all the amazing numbers and performances, it feels like an empty exercise. No one changes. No one grows. I didn't like the fact that (spoiler!) both women get away with murder. Frankly, I think it would've been a better movie had they been hanged. I know that sounds awful, but it's true. Not all musicals end well. Look at "Cabaret." Not the most cheerful movie, but it is amazing and it gets the point across. There is no point to "Chicago." There's a little movie from the 1930's called "Roxie Hart." It's the same story of "Chicago" starring Ginger Rogers . . . only with a much more satisfying ending. It's very cute and not nearly as skanky as "Chicago."

"Moulin Rouge," on the other hand, is nothing but heart. It's overwhelmingly sappy and frantic . . . two things that don't mix well. If only Baz Luhurmann could use some restraint . . . but we're talking about Baz Luhrmann here so I know it's too much to ask. If only the rest of the movie had been edited like the "Tango de Roxanne" number . . . THAT'S the movie I want to see. I still think that part of the movie is one of the most brilliantly edited scenes I've ever seen.

5. "Pride and Prejudice." Let's get this over with. It IS the best novel ever written. Period. I loved the BBC adaptation . . . until I saw Joe Wright's version. People argue that the BBC version is more "loyal" to the book. It's slavishly loyal until the climax, where (spoiler!) Darcy aids Lydia's marriage to Wickham. I was so mad when I first saw it because it ruined the best part of the book. When you read the book, it's obvious Darcy has everything to do with saving the Bennett family. But the magic of the book is that we find out from Darcy that he did it all for Elizabeth. In the BBC version, they took the liberty of showing Darcy doing all those things. It so much more romantic and satisfying to learn Darcy's involvement at the same moment Elizabeth does . . . just like in this version. Plus, can you beat that moment when she sees Darcy walking through the meadow? I have goosebumps just thinking about it! Overall, this version is more romantic and more loyal to the heart of the book, rather than just the plot or words. If you have a hard time following the plot of this movie, do yourself a favor and READ THE BOOK! You won't regret it, I promise.

I also like how this film version cast women who were reasonably young enough to play the Bennetts. They giggle and act like teenagers. The country ball at the beginning of the movie, unlike the ones in other Jane Austen adaptations, actually looks like fun. Keira Knightley is "IT" to me. When I found out they were doing a new "Pride and Prejudice" with her in it, I about died. Not to mention, Judi Dench as Lady Catharine, holy cow. This movie has such an amazing cast. I know a lot of people are faithful to Colin Firth as Darcy. I love Colin Firth, but I like Matthew McFayden better! He reminds me a little bit of John Cusack in "Say Anything . . ." (sigh!) only, a 19th century version. Trust me, if they had boomboxes in Regency England, I could totally see Darcy holding one up and blasting Peter Gabriel outside Elizabeth's window.

4. PIXAR. I'm copping out on this one. I couldn't decide which Pixar movie of the decade touched me or wowed me the most. I'll say it's a tie between "The Incredibles", "Ratatouille", "Wall-E" and "Up". Each of these movies first and foremost have amazing scripts (all of these, with the exception of "Up", were nominated for the "Best Original Screenplay" Oscar--"Up" will be nominated for that AND "Best Picture" this year, I promise you). I would give anything to have an ounce of the talent Brad Bird has. All of these movies are so original, touching and gorgeous. They are everything movies are supposed to be. I'm not usually a fan of "kids movies." Even though these are animated films, I think they are more sophisticated than anything else Hollywood has put out in the past three decades. I was excited to see two of these films make the "At the Movies" lists, but I wasn't surprised one bit.

3. "Enchanted." I think this is as close as you can get to a perfect movie. A great idea, great actors and beautiful execution. Everything happens when it should, in the way it should. I have yet to find someone who has seen this movie that didn't like it. I forced John to watch it and even though "it wasn't his thing," he grudgingly admitted that it was "better than he thought it would be." I have a love/hate relationship with Disney. This movie reminds everyone about the genius of Disney. It brought back the innocence, the wonderful music, adventure and romance that only Disney can deliver. Plus, Amy Adams is the biz-omb. It's clear from this movie that she was raised Mormon!

2. "The Dark Knight." I walked out of the theater after this movie feeling absolutely exhausted. I have never felt so tense during a movie . . . and not realized how tense I was the entire time! All superhero movies have some sort of threat to either the world or their hometown (usually New York . . . let it go, already). Never have I seen one where I could actually feel the threat. "The Dark Knight" goes beyond the typical themes of good vs. evil . . . it's about anarchy vs. order. I know a lot of people didn't like this movie because it's so dark. That's why I like it. This movies shows you what's beyond evil . . . and it's freaking terrifying! Not to mention, all the acting in this movie is top notch. There are a lot of actors playing complex characters beautifully.


1. "Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." This movie (even though it was one of the top box office earners of 2008) was universally panned. One of my new favorite shows "Community" even had a running gag in one episode about how awful it was.

I loved it.

You have to understand my connection to Indiana Jones. I grew up with those movies. Those movies are my childhood. I've been in love with Indiana Jones since before I was in kindergarten. For nearly two decades I dreamed that they would make a fourth installment of the series. Rumors came and went. Harrison Ford got older and older. Then, my dream came true. I found myself sitting in an extremely hot and smelly theater (there were a lot of fat guys in fedoras there) at 11 p.m. in May 2008. I was there with my parents and my brothers, which made it even more fun and nostalgic. As the lights went down, I prayed, "Please be good. Please be good." Then, I realized what an amazing moment this was. I was finally seeing the fourth Indiana Jones! Not to mention, the movie had two of my favorite actors, Shia LaBeouf and Cate Blanchett. "Just enjoy it," I thought. And I did. Was it great? No. Was it fun? Absolutely. I doubt there will be a cinematic moment for me that was bigger than the realization of a fourth Indiana Jones movie.

Until I see one of my own scripts come to life on the big screen, of course.

Honorable Mentions: "Casino Royale", "Signs", the "Hellboy" movies, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl", "Iron Man", "The Queen."

"Gleek"

If you're on facebook, you've already figured out, I'm a "gleek" (a Glee geek). I initially hated the show because it was "cliche" and a host of other issues that can be condensed into "English major kvetching." While it's not perfect, I'm totally addicted. I highly recommend it and I cannot wait until the 29th when I get my Glee DVD (that is on my Christmas list John, remember?).

To add to John's joy (that is "sarcasm"), Charlie is a "gleek" as well. Here's a link to a video of Charlie imitating the "Glee" kids singing Van Halen's "Jump." It is a lot of jumping and him singing "Bah!", but if you skip to about the 1:12 minute mark, you'll get to see him hit a "power note" ala Mercedes (you've got to watch the girl on screen and then see what Charlie does).

Since this is sort of my journal, let me indulge in sharing a few more funny Charlie moments from this week:

(While watching the "Wolfie" video from my previous post and watching himself do that awful fake laugh)
Charlie: That is so fake.

Me: Charlie, can you say the prayer?
Charlie: (sigh) I guess so.

(This was at dinner tonight. My dad was trying to get Charlie to eat.)
Papa (my dad): (pointing to a piece of chicken on Charlie's tray) Are you going to eat that piece of chicken?
Charlie: It's so little . . . and so CUTE!

Charlie and Aspen Meet Wolfie

I just realized I've had a Thankgiving background on my blog for over a month! The funny part is that for the first time in probably 10 years, I actually have some Christmas spirit. Guess that didn't extend to my blog until now . . .

For a little more non-irony irony (I've got an English degree, so don't get me started on the proper use of "irony"), the one year I don't get a flu shot I get the flu. John's work has a bunch of nurses come and give free flu shots. Well, the day they came I was on antibiotics for a sinus infection so I couldn't get the shot. I refuse to pay $35 to get something I usually get for free. I get it that nurses work hard too, but charging $35 for a stick? I mean, really. Give me the dang syringe and I'll do it myself! Really, I think I could. So if this post makes no sense, I'll blame it on the flu. I haven't been sick like this in years. I spent half the day in bed yesterday because I seriously felt like I'd pass out any time I even sat up. Ugh.

So on to the fun stuff. A couple of weeks ago Charlie and I had a play date with my friend Sarah and her daughter Aspen. It was sooo much fun. It was cold and drizzly that day, so we literally had the entire zoo to ourselves. It was so nice to let our crazy two year olds run amok while we got to have some girl bonding time. The best was watching Charlie and Aspen play together. They get along so well. Aspen helped keep Charlie in line. Any time he'd run too far off, Aspen would yell, "Come ON, Charlie! Come back!" He would listen to Aspen, not me. In fact, he wanted to do everything she did. For example:

Yet, he drew the line at the petting zoo. Can't you sense his dread in this picture?

Aspen happily played with all the animals. The goat's ARE scary, I'll admit . . . heck, one of them literally swallowed part of my sis-in-law's stroller and she had to physically yank it out of its throat! I always think of that when we're at the petting zoo. Anyway, I tried to get Charlie to pet the pig since it was gentle, but as soon as it starting oinking, Charlie took off towards the exit. He's in this "I'm scared of everything" phase. It's pretty annoying. He makes himself shake and declares, "I'm scared!" at EVERYTHING. I had to hold him for the first 10 minutes at the zoo that day. My back hurt so I just dropped him and refused to pick him up again. Here's what Charlie did about 30 seconds after he was whining about being scared of the monkey:
Yes, he's giving Hank knuckles.

Here's a video of Charlie and Aspen meeting "Wolfie." Sarah and I told them it was a wolfe, although technically it was a coyote. We're not zoologists, okay! We told Charlie and Aspen to howl at him . . . only for him to start howling back! I wish I had turned my camera on 10 seconds earlier . . . this could've made it on "America's Funniest Home Videos" for sure. This video also highlights Charlie's fake laugh that drive John and I crazy! I plan on adding a bunch of videos to my YouTube channel, so if you're interested, feel free to hit the "subscribe" button on this link.

Charlie Chatter

My kid scares me to death.

I always thought he would be such a sweet kid. He was affectionate. He was kind.

That's all changed. Well, kind of.

He is still "huggy" and sweet . . . but that boy has a mouth.

I was a pretty good kid growing up. My parents (and grudgingly, my siblings) all agree I was the "best" kid. I didn't sneak out. I didn't cause trouble. I did what I was told, didn't do was I was told not to do. Obedient. Helpful. But . . . I had a mouth. And I'm getting it back in spades.

Charlie is talking so much and learning more every day. It's scary how fast he's growing up. Just in the past week he's gained tons of new vocabulary. He's speaking in sentences now. John just got back from a 10 day business trip and he was shocked to hear all that Charlie could suddenly say. Sounds positive, right? It would be if he wasn't such a darned smart aleck!

Here are some recent examples:

Charlie: Hey, Stinky Face. How're you?
Me: Did you just call me Stinky Face?
Charlie: Actually . . . no. No, no.
(He repeated the insult later and admitted that yes, he did call me "Stinky Face.")

Me: Charlie, you need to go take a bath.
Charlie: If you say so.

Charlie loves to play "phone." He has a toy phone and has conversations with Harry Potter (usually about dogs), Batman . . . and my sister-in-law Mari. It's a strange phone tree, I know, but he's 2 (I find myself repeating that mantra several times a day). One day, he handed the phone to me and said, "Talk to Batman." Here is a transcript of that conversation:

Me: Batman? Hi. You want to talk to Charlie?
Charlie: (whispering and shaking his head) No, no!
Me: Charlie doesn't want to talk to you, Batman.
Charlie: (giggling)
Me: (to Charlie) Charlie, can't you please talk to Batman? It's important.
Charlie: (whispering) No. No talk to Batman.
Me: (to Batman) Sorry, Batman. He doesn't want to talk to you.
Charlie: (giggling harder)
Me: (to Charlie) Charlie, you hurt Batman's feelings.
Charlie: (cackling)
Me: (to Charlie) Batman's crying, Charlie.
Charlie: (on the floor, belly laughing)

So glad I've been able to teach my child empathy.

Many of you already know about the infamous phrase, "Bust you up." John told Charlie to say this, thinking it was cute. It stuck. Like a Dum-Dum to a church pew (The only way he'll sit through sacrament meeting is bribery . . . in the form of sugar). Every time he said it, we'd immediately tell him it wasn't nice. Obviously, that didn't work. For Family Home Evening, John gave a little lesson about Jesus. He held up a picture of Jesus and said how Jesus was nice. John then asked Charlie what was nice and what wasn't nice. ("Is hugging nice?", etc.) The kid picked up on it right away. He interrupted John and said, "Jesus say, 'Bust you up?'" John said, "No. That's not nice so Jesus didn't say it." That didn't stop Charlie. Now, nearly every time he sees a picture of Jesus, he says, "Jesus say, 'Bust you up.'" I'm rolling my eyes as I type this. Yes, I'm that talented.

He's 2, he's 2, he's 2 . . .

Me, My Scarf and . . . Sour Grapes

My friend Lindsey sent me info on a scarf contest called "Me, My Scarf and I." As I've mentioned a thousand times, I hate sewing. However, I hate paying for alterations even more. The first prize for this contest was a serger. A serger is a special (and VERY expensive) sewing machine for sewing knits . . . basically, if you have a serger, you don't need anything else. I want one because I can make my own alterations to my clothes (I wear weird sizes, so a lot of my stuff has to be altered).

The contest was to make a scarf that echoed your personality. You had to use a sewing machine for at least part of the construction. I had what I thought was a good idea. I decided to make a screenwriting scarf. I wasn't serious about making a scarf until I told my Mom my idea. She thought it was so good she ran out and bought me the materials . . . then, I had no choice. : ) I have such a nice mom.

Along with pics of the scarf, I had to provide an explanation about how the scarf fits my personality. Just warning you, this is really embarrassing. I can't begin to tell you how humiliating it is to be a grown woman (well, sort of) and have to write a description of your personality. So, yeah, it's really lame. The only thing that gave me comfort was that there were a lot of descriptions way more lame than mine. Someone actually wrote a poem about herself. I'm not kidding.

Here's the description I posted for the contest:

I am in love with the movies. I’ve been writing screenplays for a few years now and thanks to my placement as a quarterfinalist in the Nicholl Fellowship competition (woohoo!), I’ve had some interest in a my script. With all this excitement, I decided to make a Hollywood themed scarf. I consider this scarf a good luck charm that will allow me to make my dreams come true . . . to finally sell a screenplay and see it come to life.

I used red velveteen on one side to represent the “red carpet.” The black side (it’s actually silver lame, but I used the “wrong side”) is supposed to represent a film strip. Each square contains a movie quote, to honor screenwriting. (I used iron-on transfers for that part.) I purposely left off what movie each quote comes from . . . that way, the scarf is also a conversation piece . . . and I love to talk! The quotes range from classic to quirky . . . I’m a combination of class and quirkiness. Well, I’m probably more quirky than classy! I used gold thread around each square and gold beading on the ends to represent the Best Original Screenwriting Oscar I may one day win!

This scarf overall represents my determination and passion . . . plus, it’s gaudy, which probably describes me the most.

Here are the quotes featured on the scarf. Can you guess what movies they come from (without Googling)?

"You're gonna need a bigger boat."
"I see dead people."
"A boy's best friend is his mother."
"Open the pod bay doors, HAL."
“I like your sleeves. They’re real big.”
“Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?”
“Sorry about the ‘bug eye’ thing, Jeanine.”
“It’s dull, you twit. It’ll hurt more.”

Well, despite the fact that my scarf seems to the only non-patchwork quilt, I won nothing. Can you tell I'm bitter? I really despise contests that claim to be about one thing only to really be another. They claimed that the contest was more about creativity and showing personality than about sewing. If that was true, then why did all the winning scarves look exactly the same? I'm not kidding. They were all patchy quilts with at least one bird on it. They were harder to construct than mine . . . it was a sewing snob contest. It was ONLY about the sewing. I guess it's my fault that I willingly entered a sewing contest actually believing I could win! It still feels good to gripe.

"Friday"

Sorry I've been slacking on the blogging lately. No real reason or excuse. I just haven't been doing it. I'm really behind so hopefully I'll be posting a lot to catch up.

The past few days have been rough. A sweet lady from my branch passed away suddenly this week. The funeral is this Saturday. She left behind a 13 year old son. I cannot even begin to imagine what he must be going through. The Relief Society asked for memories of Sister Friday so they could compile a book for her son, Logan. This is what I wrote:

"I've talked to a lot of friends over the past couple of days about Judy. They all say the same thing, "We were really close." Judy was just that kind of person. She loved everyone and went out of her way to care for those around her.

What I'll remember most about Judy is her trust. I babysat Logan as a baby and toddler constantly. I was only a teenager at the time and she treated me like I was the best babysitter ever. I loved Logan so much and she knew that. When I turned 16, I had a huge birthday party. She brought Logan to the party (he was probably only 2 and a half at the time) so he could "give" me a present just from him: it was a bunny holding a sign saying, "Somebunny loves you." She remembered that as a young girl I collected rabbits. I was so touched by that present. It was my favorite from that birthday.

At my baby shower, there was a frame for everyone to write a note to Charlie. Sister Friday said this, "Charlie, Your Mom used to be my son's babysitter! I know that she's great with babies--you're a lucky boy. Love, Sister Friday." That message made me cry because I was terrified of taking care of a baby. Frankly, I'm not great with babies . . . but she thought I was. That meant the world to me.

Judy was Charlie's first Nursery leader and he loved her. And how she babied him! Every time we would come to get him from the Nursery, without fail, she'd be holding him. When we would wake Charlie up on Sunday and tell him it was time to go to church, he would ask, "Friday?" "Yes," we'd tell him. "You're going to see Sister Friday." I'm so grateful he was able to see her one last time at Tanner's baptism. She came right up to him and gave her a hug. "Hi, Friday," he said. I'm so glad I got to witness that."

There's actually more to that story about the baptism. I didn't include it because it had to do more about me than Judy. That weekend, the weekend after Thanksgiving, Charlie and I were supposed to go up to my sis-in-law Laura's house. I was really looking forward to it (and still am--we got to reschedule, girl!), since John was going to be out of town. Then I found out Tanner (Judy's grandson . . . well, step-grandon, but it's all the same) was getting baptized. This baptism was very special because Tanner had waited so long to be baptized. I felt really strongly that I needed to be there. I didn't quite understand the feeling. I love Tanner and I'm in the Primary Presidency, but I knew he wouldn't be shattered if I wasn't there. I didn't feel like I was THAT important. But the feeling persisted and I obeyed. So I went to the baptism and it was sweet. And as I related in the memory, Judy got to hug Charlie and say hi, but I thought nothing of it. The night we heard the news about Judy, I understood why I had to be at the baptism. It was so I could see her and Charlie together one last time. Even though Charlie won't remember her, I needed to see him hug her and talk to her one last time.

I cannot express how grateful that makes me feel. It's such a small thing, but it gives me so much comfort and closure. I'm just amazed at how much Heavenly Father knows us and loves us. Even though we all wish Judy was still here, there have been so many blessings surrounding her passing. My story is just a small part of the blessings imparted this week. It seems like everyone has a story to tell where things were put in order before she passed away. It's so easy to see the sadness and tragedy . . . but if we can look beyond that, there is so much love and gratitude to be had for Heavenly Father and His plan. I'll miss "Sister Friday" and I'm really not looking forward to this funeral. It'll be hard to see her family there without her. But I know that she and her family are taken care of and that they'll be together again.