Monday Blurbs ~ Fourth Edition.

Aha! It's Monday again and this week I seem to be on top of my schedule. ;)

On Friday we didn't exactly watch anything though I did watch the beginning and end of 17 Again {I was pleasantly engaged in a lovely phone call for the middle of the movie ;)} and on Saturday I watched the middle portion of said movie with my folks. Now, the hard part about watching a movie geared toward teenagers {aside from the fact that yes, it usually is a fairly stupid movie} is that my parents like to talk during the movie and point out how bad or stupid it is. They did that with this movie of course but the difference was that they'd say it was awful and then laugh at a funny scene which sent confusing messages. Anyway, 17 Again is about a thirty-seven year old man who gets a second chance when he is magically changed back into a teenager again. The catch is that he's seventeen in 2009 rather than 1989. The movie really wasn't very good although it was fun to see Zac Efron in something other than High School Musical and I liked that it had a wait-till-marriage message aimed at today's public schooled teens.

In the evening {also on Saturday} my Dad, siblings, and I watched most of Die Hard. Made in 1988 and starring Bruce Willis as John McClane, the wise-cracking New York cop who comes to LA to spend Christmas with his wife. When twelve terrorists, led by Hans Gruber {played by Alan Rickman} take everyone hostage, including his wife; it's up to McClane to stop them. He bounces around the darkened building with various guns, taking out the bad guys one by one and radioing the cops down below who can't figure out who he is. This movie, while bloody, violent and with strong language {the channel it was on muted the worst foul word thankfully}, is a classic and has a good plot. And a must-see if you want to better understand some of the subplot twists in the sequels.

Also on Saturday evening we watched Source Code. Made in 2011 and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, this sci-fi, action/adventure, thriller, mystery is a good movie. Colter Stevens {played by Gyllenhaal} wakes up on a moving train with no memory of how he got there; to further complicate his bewilderment is a lovely young woman in the seat across from him who obviously knows him. Eight minutes later the train blows up and Colter finds himself in a capsule of some sort talking to a woman via computer screen and camera. She explains that he has to find the bomb and the bomber who blew up the train before the next attack happens, and sends him back. I shan't tell you anymore though for I plan to write {or at least consider writing} a review on this movie. But it is pretty good, not quite as good as Inception or Prince of Persia but still enjoyable.

On Sunday after church we watched the NASCAR race {we'd also watched the one on Saturday of course} and then, when my Dad got tired of trying to find something interesting to watch and took a nap, my mom and I put Penelope on. Made in 2006 and starring Christina Ricci as Penelope and James McAvory as the hero, this fun comedy/romance is one of my favorite movies! I hadn't seen it in awhile so I'd forgotten how much I like it. Anyway, it's about a young wealthy heiress who is cursed with the snort and ears of a pig. Having been locked up in her own house for her whole life, Penelope is tired of waiting for her mother and matchmaker Wendy to find her a suitable husband. When Max comes along she grows hopeful that he will be the one yet when he tells her he can't marry her, Penelope's heart breaks and she runs away. Her parents, of course, freak out but Penelope has a fine time making two best friends and experiencing new things. It is such a good movie!

And in the evening we watched an enjoyable re-run of Sherlock: a Study in Pink on PBS. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the 21st Century Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson, this is an entertaining and wonderful version of the world's greatest detective and his lovable side-kick. In this debut episode Watson is back from serving in the war in Afghan and is looking for someone to share a flat with. Enter Sherlock Holmes who is introduced, much along the lines of the book, in a morgue beating the bodies to study post-death bruising. A series of "suicides" have been occurring and when one victim actually leaves a message, Inspector Lestrade calls in Holmes who drags Watson into the adventure. Very well made, sticking wonderfully well to the book yet throwing in their own twists, and quite simply delightful, I highly recommend this show and can't wait for the second season!

And that sums up {more or less} my weekend. Catch ya later!