Live Long and Prosper

So I think I must be feeling spacey. I am in SUCH a sci-fi kinda mood! And I think I know exactly who to blame for it, too. I talked to my brother the other night on IM, and we got into a Star Wars thing... partly because my boyfriend hasn't SEEN them all. Why I haven't broken up with him over it I don't know... I guess because there's hope that he might see them and like them after all. One can hope at any rate. And since I plan to trap him in Las Vegas with another Star Wars Nerd, it's entirely possible that he might HAVE to watch them... ha ha ha. I will let him see the strip, of course. But there must be a little Star Wars, too. It's unavoidable.

It's not just Star Wars, either. It used to be when Star Trek was consistently on TV that at family functions you were embarassed to not keep up on the latest episode of The Next Generation (who DOESN'T love Captain Jean Luc Picard, honestly?) or Voyager (hell-O first female captain!). It was frequently the topic of conversation, as was whether or not it could actually be done someday. I don't think there's anyone in my family who can't do the Vulcan Salute, either. I've been able to do it since I was a child. Kind of fun. I remember the debate on why Enterprise was created, and the discussion I had with my dad about how on the other shows the rules and regulations of the Federation had limited the captains and what they could do without getting in trouble. So with Enterprise, things were still new and they hadn't come up with all the rules, thus giving the writers more freedom to play with their characters. I definitely agree... But it was a little hard for me to think of Scott Bakula as anything other than Dr. Samuel Beckett on Quantum Leap.

Speaking of which, I've seen nearly every episode of that show as well, thanks to my sister. It's a good show, with a fun premise. But what I liked best about it was that it made me feel good to see someone working so hard to make things right in the world. Kinda nice. And Scott Bakula was pretty easy on the eyes back in the day, too.

There have been new shows, of course. Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5, and the like. I remember the original Battlestar Galactica, but the new on is MUCH better and less cheesy. And then I also remember Buck Rogers... and Duck Rogers of the 24th and a half Century on Looney Tunes as a result. Funny to think of.

Side note: I miss watching Looney Tunes on Saturday mornings. Used to watch them with my brother and sister and my dad. Nothing like the classics. Yay Pepe Le Pew!

Anywho, Star Wars is calling to me, and it's partly the fault of the new one, The Clone Wars. I'm excited to see it! I never did get into the Clone Wars cartoon that was on cartoon network, but something about the movie has caught my interest. Perhaps I'll be going to see it when I go to visit my brother again next month, although I'd bet all that I have he'll have seen it by then. Can't keep my brother away. Ha ha ha. Although I'm pretty sure I COULD beat him in a light saber duel...

Let's go to the Movies, Annie

So summer movies... they are the best of films and the worst of films. So many good choices, so much crap. You have to love it at any rate. There's at least five new shows in five different genres opening every weekend. Some are romantic epics, others are adventurous tales of daring do, and still further we have slasher flicks, musicals, and computer animation. Ah... such selection! And yet I hunger for something else.

The past few films I've been to have included The Dark Knight and Mama Mia. I will now review those experiences for you.

The Dark Knight was the movie I saw with my brother in Las Vegas for my birthday. We sat close to the screen which I love to do, and settled in for a good time. I LOVED the first Batman, and my mad crush on Christian Bale has continued from my teenage years to the present. The opening credits rolled... the lights were dim... and a drunk man sat down about two seats away from me. Sigh. You could smell it. For a little while, I was amused. It's kind of like the time I went to see The Labarynth at the Garland as a midnight movie, and there were a couple of guys that snuck in a six pack of beer... cuz that's what guys DO. They take beer to old 80's movies that only girls like. Sigh. But I digress... so the Joker. He comes on and is amazing. It's fascinating and weird and creepy. And I loved it. Until Drunky McDrunkerton decided to CONSTANTLY make the comment, quite loudly, that the Joker's face reminded him of a jelly doughnut and that Heath Ledger probably died before he could pick up his paycheck. SIGH. about two-thirds of the way through the movie, as things were really getting intense, I finally snapped back, "You know what? NO ONE CARES. Shut UP." He apparently didn't realize I was talking to him, as he replied, "You talking to me?" I practically screeched yes, and then he muttered that other people were loud... and then finally got up and left the movie and took his beer with him. The rest of the movie was amazing, and fully able to be enjoyed. Two Bat-Thumbs up.

Mama Mia was much quieter... but smellier. Initially as I sat down with Emily, the theater was fairly empty. Very nice. It filled up a bit, and we did have a few people sitting down the row from us after a while. The movie started and I sipped my guava Rockstar and enjoyed the show. I occasionally hummed along, but not loud enough for anyone to hear really. About twenty minutes in, I started to get a whiff of a rather unpleasant smell. Sort of like onions and broccoli. And OLD smell... when I realized the couple down the row were two old people. Who smelled. REALLY old people. Who REALLY smelled. I kept my Rockstar close where I could smell it and tried to focus less on my sense of smell and more on hearing and seeing. The movie was fun, and as I quote a girl from church I cringe... "It's going to replace Grease as the new best sleepover movie!" This was announced in RS, as clearly this is info that everyone needs. I can't say that it would be a good sleepover movie, as since I live on my own and the whole purpose of a sleepover was to get away from your parents I feel as though I would rather be in my own house in my own bed vs. sleeping over at some other person's house. BUT if I were going to have a sleepover with fuzzy slippers and silly dancing with about 80 other girls I would recommend this as a movie. One and a half thumbs up!

As I look forward to seeing the new Mummy movie and a few others down the pipeline... I cringe to think of the fall movies and delicately hold my breath until I know the holiday film season arrives. Summer and Winter have the only good movies. And since IF isn't big on theaters and choices are more limited than usual, I find I look forward to those two movie seasons more than I do Saturdays and sleeping in.

Next on the list... I dunno. We'll see what Hollywood churns out, and hope that it's not crap.