Prince of Persia

This may be one of the shortest blogs I've ever done... I got to see this in yet another prescreening in Seattle. I went by myself and I loved it. :) It was a lovely date. Just me and Mr. Gyllenhaal. (And all of the other people there, too.)

One of my current mentors who has no idea...

Sorry if any of my readers thinks I am referring to them. I am not. I am, however, referring to Ingrid Michaelson. She is an amazing singer song-writer and I adore her and her work. Every time I think I come up with something good she releases an album ten times better. :) Which I am completely okay with considering she is so ridiculously talented. Click on the link ("Locked Up" below) and you'll see exactly what I mean. (It's only 4 minutes 26 seconds.)

Anyhow, I thought it was about time I shared with you what I hope to do someday. Maybe even in Germany...

My current favorite song - Locked Up by Ingrid Michaelson.

Have I mentioned that I love her?

Chart Notes: My Milkshake

It has been said that my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, but today a patient brought me my milkshake. Literally. I don't know if any of you are familiar with Don's Drive-In in Puyallup near the fairgrounds, but one of my patients today was late and we weren't able to see her for another hour. So she said she was going to Don's and asked if we wanted anything. Naturally we said no and then I mentioned that when I was little they used to make these awesome butterscotch milkshakes. Well when my patient came back she had gotten me my milkshake! Thank you lovely woman! Sadly it was not as brilliant as I remembered it, but in this case it was definitely the thought that counted more than anything else. Hooray for strangers loving strangers. Cheers.

Robin Hood

First of all, I love Robin Hood. I love shooting a bow and arrow. I love reciting lines from most Robin Hood movies or tv shows. I am a fan. So when I saw there was a prescreening for the new Robin Hood, I had to try and see it. Even if I had no tickets.

Danny, Jordan, and I knew full well that the chances of us getting in were slim. So we left earlier than we ever have. So early in fact, that when we arrived the line that normally forms out front made up of the general public was relatively short. I went in and saw no moderators, no press sign-in chicas, no prescreening nazis anywhere. So I simply went up to one of the theatre workers and said, "Hi. I'm here for the 7pm screening of Robin Hood. Where are we?" She kindly obliged and told me which theatre I would be in. I summoned Danny and Jordan and just like that we ascended the escalator within the AMC. We arrived at the theatre only to find that the credits for Nightmare on Elm Street were still rolling. So we waited outside with a couple of random people who turned out to be junior olympic archers and the people from 106.1 FM waiting to set up inside. And when they went in, so did we. Our seats were prime.

It was no Gladiator, but Ridley Scott did a pretty fantastic job with this film. Be forewarned, though. This is not a retelling of the legend most of us know from either Errol Flynn, Disney, Costner/Rickman, or BBC-America. This is before all of that. In a nutshell, how he became who he is. NOT him as Robin of the Hood. There are major discrepancies between this telling and all others that I'm remotely familiar with. For example, King Richard is a bit of a tard. Not endearing in the least. And Marion... well, I can't really go into that without revealing rather pertinent things in the plot. However, Cate and Russell did amazing. Loved them both. I also approve of the guy who played Prince John. He was over the top and ridiculous but it worked. "This is my first time in war... I'll lead!!" And there will be times where you will feel like the legend is being completely rewritten: people you're used to hating you will worry you are about to like and vice versa. Just remember that this is before the robbing-from-the-rich-to-feed-the-poor out-law came to be exactly that. On a side note, something that caught me off guard was Matthew Macfadyen. He played the all entirely too grodie Sheriff of Nottingham. Seriously, my skin felt like it was crawling every time I saw him. I completely fell in love with him as Mr. Darcy in the recent Pride & Prejudice with Keira Knightley (ooo, Knightley is the guy from Emma! But I digress...); and so to see him as this yokel - well. Well done to him and the makeup department. It took me a minute or two to even recognize him.

All in all I really liked the movie. Loved it, in fact. And the shot where Robin releases his arrow and you see the blood pouring over his eye through the bow and the string... mm! SO good. Seriously. There are just some priceless moments. Interestingly enough, Robin does not have many lines. But I appreciate the honesty that Russell Crowe brings to this role and any other I've seen him in for that matter. And Cate Blanchett? Fierce as Marion. She amazes me as an actress and what girl can't help but look up to Marion? I love you, Marion. (That phrase means so much more now...) I cannot, however, give the movie full marks and here is why. Like I said about Iron Man 2, it could have been tighter, could have flowed a little better. By the end you are sucked in, but it took a little bit to get there. Also, the underlying "information" seemed rather skeletal. It felt like there were a lot of deleted scenes. But I guess I'll just have to wait to buy it when it comes out with all its features to discover if I'm right, won't I? So I give Robin Hood 4 out of 5 fancy feathered arrows. And no, Whitney. There are no snakes. Just awesomeness.

Release Date: 14 May 2010

Seen: 11 May 2010

Iron Man 2 (the actually screening)

After my epic fail at trying to see Iron Man 2 earlier than its release, Jordan and I decided to go see it opening day. At 11 in the morning. The not-packed theatre made it so we had to really commit to our outward expressions of enjoyment and/or surprise. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it immensely. Of course the wit and humor flowed throughout the entire movie which I thoroughly enjoyed. And who can hold anything against Robert Downey Jr.? I mean really. Yes, that is a slightly biased opinion because I've had a talent (and/or straight up) crush on that man since I first saw him in Chances Are, but he deserves every ounce of praise I or anyone else can give him. One of my favorite parts was when Tony Stark went back to the drawing board so to speak and we got to see him and his brain work. I absolutely loved seeing that creative process portrayed. One of my newer favorite words completely applies: fantastic. Aside from that, him eating donuts in the donut was pretty awesome, too.

Robert Downey Jr./Tony Stark/Iron Man being brilliant...

That being said, I also loved each and every character. Everyone was splendidly cast and wonderfully executed. The only beef I have with the film that is holding me back from giving it 5 glowing glow-sticks is that it was just a bit... loose in some areas. I wanted the story-line to be tighter - more concise. But aside from that, loved it. I highly recommend it. Just don't expect to find this one riddled with twists of any kind. It's straightforward and awesome. Oh, and props to Gwyneth and Scarlet. You rocked it. Men love you, women want to be you. The cast in general though mad me very happy. Hello Mickey Rourke, John Slattery, Samuel L. Jackson, and my faves - Sam Rockwell, Don Cheadle, Jon Favreau, oh and Paul Bettany as the voice of Jarvis... Thank you, men. Thank. You.

So with all that, I give Iron Man 2 a rating of 4 out of 5 brand new (because they're brighter than ones that have been around a bit longer) glowing glow-sticks. Go see it. I will most likely purchase it and add it to my library. But it is mighty fun to see on the big screen. Especially when he's dancing in his suit. That Tony Stark. He's so silly. And I LOVE it!

Release Date: 7 May 2010

Seen: 7 May 2010

Iron Man 2 Prescreening FAIL!

It was bound to happen some time or another...

Yesterday, Bruce, Pam, Danny, Jordan and I all headed up to Seattle a bit too late if you ask me (I said around 5pm people!!). When we arrived, the line was ridiculous. Not to mention I left my passes at the office (I've never needed them in Washington before) and the press spot I normally take was already filled. :'( Pam, however, got past all the shenanigans and was up in the theatre corresponding with Bruce while Danny, Jordan and I started to create inside jokes and refreshed a few old ones. Good times... Unless you don't get in to see the movie you came to see!! Well, after Pam came back down to join us mere mortals who couldn't/wouldn't sneak our way in, I decided to talk with one of the power-hungry no-one-gets-in-unless-I-say-so chicas. She recognized me from some of the previous screenings. She emailed me and I'm on my way to officially being put on the press invite list. Booyah. She also said we could go to the screening on Thursday (6 May 2010) at the Pacific Science Center, but I have a previous engagement and therefore will NOT be attending. However, since I do not have to work on Friday, you better believe I'll be pulling a morning visit to the movie theatre - Longston perhaps? Maybe the SuperMall? Say 10 AM-ish?

So Iron Man 2, I will happily pay a few bucks to see you along with the general public. The rest of you will just have to await my review until then. Or you could just come along.

Release Date: 7 May 2010

Seen: Not yet...