Movie Review: New Year's Eve

Blurb: New Year's Eve is all about parties, glitz, a midnight kiss, and maybe a few short-lived resolutions, right? Or could it be about something more? Valentine's Day writer Katherine Fugate and director Garry Marshall have once again joined forces to explore one of the most emotionally charged days of the year. Their uncanny ability to tell multiple stories at the same time, to intertwine those stories in the most unexpected ways, and to make sure viewers are emotionally invested in every single character makes the film an intriguing puzzle. Of course, a cast list that reads like an award-nomination roster doesn't hurt its success either. Among the host of "main characters" in the story is Claire Morgan (Hilary Swank), the woman in charge of the ball drop in Times Square. Naturally things don't go quite as planned and she's forced to do some serious on-the-spot improvising--oh, and it should be noted that she's deathly afraid of heights and there's somewhere else she really should be on New Year's Eve. Then there's the suddenly rebellious tween daughter Hailey (Abigail Breslin), who runs off to meet her boyfriend in Times Square for a New Year's Eve kiss, with her panicked mom (Sarah Jessica Parker) in hot pursuit. Mousy secretary Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer) decides to finally act on her long list of New Year's resolutions and enlists the unlikely help of courier Paul (Zac Efron). An exclusive New Year's Eve party throws together caterer Laura (Katherine Heigl), entertainer Jensen (Jon Bon Jovi), and sous chef Ava (Sofia Vergara). And then there's Sam (Josh Duhamel), a wealthy playboy who just can't seem to resist keeping an unlikely appointment to meet a mystery woman he met by chance last New Year's Eve and hasn't seen since (think An Affair to Remember and Sleepless in Seattle). Other notable talent includes Ashton Kutcher, Ryan Seacrest, Hector Elizondo, Halle Berry, Robert De Niro, Lea Michele, Cary Elwes, Seth Meyers, and a host of others.

Review: If you loved Love Actually or Valentine's Day, you definitely want to give this film a shot. It doesn't matter what time of year it is, this movie will take you straight to Dec 31st.

I love the multiple story lines. They all revolve around love and some forgiveness. The cast is star-studded to say the least. It is hard to pinpoint a specific story line that is a favorite, though Laura and Jensen's story is very sweet, and how can you not love Jon Bon Jovi? I wasn't quite as keen on Katherine Heigl's Laura, but oh well, Sofia Vergara stole the show with most of her scenes. How can one woman that is so bombshell/sex symbol-ish always come across as sweet?

Ashton Kutcher plays Randy, an illustrator who gets trapped in an elevator with one of Jensen's back up singers. Their time in the elevator is, of course, life changing. It was hard to watch Ashton, because he really looked too much like Walden Schmidt. God I hate him in Two and a Half Men.

Sarah Jessica Parker makes an appearance in this one as a mom of a teenage daughter who runs off to see the ball drop and find a guy in Time Square. Note to SJP, why can't they comb your hair in movies? GAH! And the really snarky part of me says, neigh!

This is definitely a chick flick. I can't think of a reason a guy would want to see this one, except to make his girlfriend happy.

Ladies? There's enough eye candy here to keep you happy; Bon Jovi, Zac Efron, Ryan Seacrest to name a few.

Get the girls together and have a movie night with this one. A bottle of wine will make it better. Definitely worth the rental fee.

RIP Donna Summer

Today we say farewell to another talented musician that has died too young.

Donna Summer died today. Another victim of cancer.

~sigh~

She was only 63.

Entirely too young to be going on to the next world.

Her music was part of the disco era. Love it or not, she had a fantastic voice.

Her music will be missed.

Movie Review: Joyful Noise

Blurb: The small town of Pacashau, Georgia, has fallen on hard times, but the people are counting on the Divinity Church Choir to lift their spirits by winning the National Joyful Noise Competition. The choir has always known how to sing in harmony, but the discord between its two leading ladies now threatens to tear them apart. Their newly appointed director, Vi Rose Hill, stubbornly wants to stick with their tried-and-true traditional style, while the fiery G.G. Sparrow thinks tried-and-true translates to tired-and-old. Shaking things up even more is the arrival of G.G.'s rebellious grandson, Randy. Randy has an ear for music, but he also has an eye for Vi Rose's beautiful and talented daughter, Olivia, and the sparks between the two teenagers are causing even more friction between G.G. and Vi Rose.

Review: I was totally amazed that this movie was nearly 2 hours long. It is a cute musical comedy, with a strong emphasis on music. That's what really carries this film, more so than the plot, which is weak. A church choir battling to win a competition. I expected more friction between G.G. and Vi, but the plot really revolved around the romance between Olivia and Randy.

The musical highlights include Olivia and the choir's rendition of Man In The Mirror, which would make Michael Jackson proud. Randy's version of McCartney's Maybe I'm Amazed and G.G's From Here To The Moon and Back and you can't forget Queen Latifah's Fix Me Jesus.

Truth be told, I didn't care if the plot was weak, because the music was so good, and it was totally awesome to see Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton in a film together. Their fight scene in the restaurant about halfway through the movie was hilarious. There was great chemistry between all the characters.

This is a purely feel good movie. Don't expect to be wowed by great acting or a fantastic script, because you'll be disappointed. Watch this movie for the music! You'll probably want to pick up the soundtrack after you see the film because the music is so fantastic!

Cover Reveal: Deadly Secrets, Loving Lies

Imprint: Dead Sexy
Title: Deadly Secrets, Loving Lies
Author: Cynthia Cooke
Genre: Short Romantic Suspense
Trope: Hero protector, family secrets
Tone:  On the run Balance of Romance to Suspense (R/S): 65/35
Heat level: Moderate, 3/5
Length: 68,000 words
Release date: May 13h, 2012
AISN: To come
Marketing elements/tags: contemporary, romance, romantic suspense, action‐adventure, family secrets, hero protector, fast‐paced suspense

We all surround ourselves with armor protecting our hearts and our inner wounds forged in  childhood. Learning to trust someone enough to let them inside the armor, to let them help you shed it to become your true self, unafraid and ready to take on the world is the greatest gift love can give you.  And the gift Kyle gives to Genie. ~Cynthia Cooke

Family secrets must be kept, and painful wounds must be ignored.   After an all‐out assault by a vicious terrorist bent on destroying her entire family, a former government agent must break the strict rules she has always lived by when she emerges from hiding to reluctantly accept the help of her all‐too‐sexy ex‐lover. Running a deadly race against time, they rush to rescue her kidnapped sister, find her missing father, and bring the notorious villain to justice. But nothing ever goes as planned. Bullets fly, danger abounds, and their passion reignites even faster than the lies are flowing. But their stubbornly held secrets just might spell the end of their rekindled love and hopes for the future...as well as their very lives.

Buy @ Amazon

Restaurant Review: Don Patron - Belle Vernon, PA

Finally! A Mexican restaurant in the Mon Valley that has both good food and good service. Don Patron has a menu that you can literally drool over. It is pages long! Full of burritos, fajitas, tacos etc.

The pricing is great for meals. Most everything is around $9.00 and that includes combination plates. If you get a burrito...well, paying  $9.00 is worth it too. These things are huge!

We ordered mixed fajitas for two for mom and dad. There was ample steak and chicken along with the peppers and onions. Dad ate two fajitas mom ate one and there was plenty left over for anyone else that wanted one.

Each person got a nice sized container of rice, beans, lettuce, guacamole and sour cream! Oh and with the burritos? You don't have to ask for sour cream! OMG!

The ground meat in my burrito was wonderful! This didn't have your usual burger meat taste! Plus the cheese on the side of my burrito was to die for.

Homemade chips and salsa on the side too!

This is definitely a place I'll be going back to!

Movie Review: It's Complicated

Movie Blurb: Two-time Academy Award® winner Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin star in this hilarious look at marriage, divorce and everything in between. Jane (Streep) has three grown kids, a thriving Santa Barbara bakery and an amicable relationship with her ex-husband, Jake (Baldwin). Now, a decade after their divorce, an innocent dinner between Jane and Jake turns into the unimaginable - an affair. Caught in the middle of their rekindled romance are Jake’s young wife and Adam (Martin), a recently divorced architect who starts to fall for Jane. Could love be sweeter the second time around? It’s… complicated!

Review: This movie is part chick flick, part comedy. It doesn't really fit in that rom-com arena, at least not like the traditional rom-coms. The cast is stellar. How can you not like Streep and Martin. (I wish there was more of Martin in this film). Even Alec Baldwin is good, though he plays pretty much the same character you see him play everywhere.

What made this movie enjoyable was that it kept you guessing about which guy she was going to end up with, her first husband, Jake (Baldwin) or the cute, kinda geeky, Adam (Martin). Plus no matter what role you cast Meryl in, she is super. You felt her confusion and you watched her grow. I think her feelings for her ex were common given the situation, and there are times when you wanted her and Jake to get back together...but then there is Adam.

I have no idea what it is about Steve Martin, but in the last 25 years, he's become oddly sexy. I think its the grey hair, but totally youthful face, plus he's always playing some lovable guy.

The scene in the bakery was priceless. As was the scene where Jake strips down in Jane's bedroom to surprise her, with her laptop covering his naughty bits. Poor Adam on the other end of the webcam!

This movie was just fab! It is light, fun and just a good time. Well worth the rental price and a box of popcorn!

I Don't Do Hype

Things that get to much hype annoy the heck out of me. I always feel like people that fangirl/fanboy over stuff tend to be like lemmings, following something ridiculous to their certain doom.

Lately books have been the cause of a whole lotta hype.

First you had Harry Potter...this series got kids reading. The story was great and the characters were really wonderful. I've not read the complete series, but in my opinion, this series was worth the hype.

Then there's Twilight. I won't even go there. I can't understand why anyone read and went all crazy over these books. They are so bad.

Which leads me to the following, 50 Shades of Grey. It started as Twilight fanfic..and it got published.

WTF is the world coming to.

Fanfic is not supposed to get published.

When will the madness cease!

And why can't people hype better series, like Amanda Stevens Graveyard Queen?

RIP George Lindsey

It seems like all we are doing this year is saying goodbye to icons, both musical and television...Whitney Houston, Davy Jones, Adam Yaugh, Dick Clark and now joining the ranks, George Lindsey, who the world will remember with fondness as Goober Pyle.

Another member of the iconic cast of The Andy Griffith show going on to his great reward.

Hats off you to George!

Thanks for the laughs!

George was 83.

Book Talk

I have a confession.

I'm in love with my ereader.

I've read so many books with my Nook that reading a hard cover book is uncomfortable.

I don't mind reading paperbacks in any form, but hard cover books I have a hard time dealing with now. They are simply too bulky.

That makes me feel awful. I feel like I'm betraying books.

Now that really sounds silly.

This wouldn't bother me so much if I needed my ereader to conserve space. (OK maybe I do, just a little) But I really bought my Nook so that I could read free galleys.

Yeah..I spent $120 on my nook so I could get free books!

Something only I would do!

Movies I Couldn't Finish

I went through a huge movie watching spurt last month. Then something happened and even though I took out a few films I knew I'd like, or that I wanted to watch, I just couldn't finish them for one reason or another. I think the prime reason was lack of sleep.

I do my movie watching on the weekends. Sadly usually late at night and I've just been so tired lately that I couldn't stay awake for anything.

So what movies didn't make it to the end?

The Smurfs were one, and I'm actually really sad about that one. I kept falling asleep through it, and it was so damn cute.

I am still trying to figure out why Neil Patrick Harris keeps getting cast in films for young adults and kids.

I also just can't like NPH. I don't know why. I think it is because I hate his character on How I Met  You Mother.

The next movie I couldn't finish...Marley and Me

I think because I knew what the ending would be, and because everyone told me about it, I couldn't finish it. I watched the first half and then gave up.

I loved Marley. I really loved Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston. To be honest, I never thought I'd like her in a movie, I never much cared for her at all, but in this I know she was good.

I guess my period of excitement over movies is done.

It might take awhile before I can sit and watch anything again.

Drat.

Unless I can somehow get out to see Dark Shadows!!

Book Promo: These Girls

Bestselling author Sarah Pekkanen talks to six sets of best friends about the healing power of female friendships. Sarah's latest book is These Girls, the story of three women who become unlikely roommates in New York City - and turn into one another's lifelines. Please visit www.sarahpekkanen.com for

French Toast In A Mug

My mom heard about this on Live! With Kelly this morning, so it's late in the evening and I'm making her French Toast in a freaking mug!

Great news!

It tastes good!

2 slices bread

1 T melted butter
1 Egg
2 T milk
1/4 tsp cinnamon and sugar
few drops Vanilla
maple syrup

DIRECTIONS:

Melt butter in microwave. Swirl it around to coat inside of mug. Add egg, milk, cinnamon and vanilla, whisk together. Rip up bread and push it down into mug with fork until bread is covered with liquid. Microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes.

remove from microwave, add some maple syrup and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Double Trouble Chocolate Chip

Prep Time 20 min
Total Time 30 min
Servings 24 cookies

This is a great make it with a mix cookie. I hate making chocolate chips straight from a package mix. It feels like cheating! That's why I went looking for something to spruce it up. I found this on the brand's website, and oooh they are so good. I'll update with my picture in a bit.

Ingredients

1 package Krusteaz Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 egg
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons water
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional) I used chopped walnuts in one dozen the other I left plain)
1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Place all ingredients in medium bowl.
• Stir until dough forms, hand kneading if necessary.
• Using rounded tablespoon dough for each cookie, place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Or you can use parchment paper
• Bake 9-11 minutes.

Sometimes Change Is Bad

If you are on Facebook, you know that change is bad. Every time Facebook implements something new, it is met with cries of "Stop! Change it back!" Take for instance, the new Timeline. It sucks, I'll admit it. But it isn't worth bitching about, because Facebook does not care about its users. (Much the same way, Zynga doesn't care about the 80 million people that want to go ape shit over the number of goals their games send their way daily)

But back to change. Blogger has made some very white changes lately.

I don't usually bitch about stuff like this, but today I am.

Blech!

Thank god there is an option to keep the old blogger interface, because I think I would have cried otherwise. I will give Blogger kudos for letting us keep our old interface. Perhaps deep down they know that the new one sucks!

TV Gripe

Two of my favorite shows annoyed the hell out of me last night.

Two Broke Girls had Max and Caroline doing taxes and rushing to get to the post office to get them done. Uh, I'm pretty sure the chickies have a computer. Why are they mailing them? Actually how in the hell has Max managed to not file and not have the IRS come down on her ass?

SRSLY!

Yeah...that was so wrong and stupid. If it weren't for Sofia and Oleg, last night's epi would have sucked!

Next up, Mike and Molly.

OK, so Molly is turning into bridezilla. Her dress doesn't fit, she's getting super obnoxious and she kicks off a side mirror from some skinny bitch's BMW, and get's arrested.

Everything is happy in the end. What I want to know is when will she get in trouble at work. Cos I'm sure the school district doesn't want a teacher that goes around assaulting people.

I know sitcoms aren't about reality, but sometimes I wish they weren't so far out there, because this really got on my nerves last night.  Surly the writers could have come up with something better than this.

Making Bread

It's 80 degrees out, so what am I doing? Baking? Crazy, right?

Here's my recipe for Pineapple Walnut Bread

1 stick of butter
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 8oz can of crushed pineapple drained
1/2 of chopped walnuts

Cream the butter and sugar.
Slowly add the eggs.
In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
Add to butter mixture, alternating with the pineapple.
Fold in the nuts.
Pour into a greased/floured bread pan and bake for 50-60 minutes.

Movie Review: Hop

Movie Blurb:From the makers of Despicable Me comes an all-new comedy about candy, chicks and rock n roll! He was destined to be the Easter Bunny, but all he wanted to do was rock! When teenage E.B. (voiced by Russell Brand) leaves for Hollywood in pursuit of his dream to become a rockstar drummer, he meets Fred (James Marsden), an out-of-work slacker with his own lofty goals. Together the two encounter a series of hilarious mishaps and misadventures and in the end help each other recognize the importance of family.

Review: If you love movie's like Up, Despicable Me or even Coraline, why haven't you seen this movie? I was wondering why I hadn't yesterday, until I bought it for 48 hours On Demand.

This is a great family film. The plot is cheesy and cute. Russell Brand as E.B.? Totally awesome. I never thought the bunny would be a Brit! His cameo later in the film was cute too. It is hard not to be amused by the bunny and his drumming, equally so the evil chick Carlos and the dancing chick Phillip.

The little Peeps are the minions of the Easter world. Too freaking cute too.

The Easter factory almost makes Wonka's chocolate factory look lame.

Oh and then there's the human's. I loved Fred, played by James Marsden, who kept reminding me of a younger Matt Bomer. His sister is played by Kaley Couco of Big Bang Theory fame. It was a little hard to visualize her as a go getter, but hey, that's what acting is all about.

This movie was so fun. I could watch it again and again. There aren't many Easter films, but this is definitely a must see for this holiday!

Movie Review: Zookeeper

Movie Blurb: In this wacky comedy, Kevin James plays Griffin Keyes, a zookeeper who loves animals who love him back! In appreciation of their keeper's devotion to their well-being, a gorilla (voiced by Nick Nolte), a monkey (voiced by Adam Sandler), a lioness (voiced by Cher), and others suddenly start speaking up to help engineer a romance between Griffin and a pretty colleague (Rosario Dawson). Leslie Bibb, Donnie Wahlberg co-star.

Review:Kevin James is one of those guys you really have to love, even though most of what he's done, film wise is pretty lousy.

Zookeeper looked amusing, though, so I decided to rent it and give it a try.

It was cute.

The voices of the animals were super annoying for the most part, but all in all, the story was a good one, for the most part.  (Adam Sandler's Donald the Monkey was the worst, and Cher's Lioness the best)

The movie pretty much states that what you want isn't always the best choice. Griffin wanted to win back Stephanie, a snotty girl who dumped him badly 5 years ago (played by Leslie Bibbs). The animals of the zoo come to his aid in a Doctor Doolittle kind of way and he gets what he wants, only to find, he doesn't like what he's become. But don't think this film is deep like that.

No, he takes Bernie the gorilla to TGIFridays and has him pretend that he's in costume.

So there's a lot of silliness.

It's a good family film, and Rosario Dawson's Kate (The female Zookeeper) is awesome. The best scene in the film is the two of them swinging around trying to make Stephanie jealous at a wedding reception.

A halfway decent flick for $1.27.

Movie Review: Snow Flower & The Secret Fan

Movie Blurb: From the director of The Joy Luck Club, and based on the best-selling novel, comes a timeless portrait of female friendship. Centuries ago, two “sworn sisters” are isolated by their families, but stay connected through a secret language written in the folds of a white silk fan. Now in modern-day Shanghai, their descendents must draw inspiration from the past as they struggle to maintain their own eternal bond in the face of life’s complications. What unfolds are two stories, generations apart, but everlasting in their universal notion of love, hope and friendship.

Review: If you read the fantastic book by Lisa See, you might want to pass on this film. The movie only tells part of the story, seeking to add a modern spin along with the historical. Oh and there's also subtitles.

My thoughts are...if you are going to have part of the film done in English, why not do the rest as well. Perhaps it is for authenticity, but for whatever reason, it doesn't work here. The two story lines could also have worked if they were aiming for a longer film, but instead they kept the film at 1 hour and 40 minutes, so each story felt incomplete.

Snow flower and Lily had such a special relationship and you only catch little snippets of that in this movie. The same can be said for Nina and Sophia. It did open your eyes to Laotongs "old sames" and the nushu language that was for women, but so much is left out. I think even those people that didn't read the book will feel the choppiness of this film.

I won't blame the actresses, as both Bingbing Li and Gianna Jun did a great job playing the dual roles. Hugh Jackman makes an appearance as Sophia's Australian lover. I think he was cast for the benefit of attracting an audience.

The cinematography, however, is what makes this movie worth watching, especially in the 19th century parts of the film. The visuals and film score are stunning, which doesn't have me wishing for my $1.27 rental fee back. I am happy that I never went to the theater to see this one, that wouldn't have been worth my money.

Movie Review: Beastly

Movie Blurb: Seventeen-year-old Kyle (Alex Pettyfer) is the spoiled, shallow and incredibly popular prince of his high school kingdom. Kyle foolishly chooses Kendra (Mary-Kate Olsen), a witch masquerading as a high school student, as his latest target for humiliation. In order to teach Kyle a lesson, Kendra transforms him into someone as unattractive on the outside as he is on the inside. Now he has one year to find someone to love him, or he will remain Beastly forever. A quiet classmate he never noticed named Lindy (Vanessa Hudgens) may be his best chance to prove that love is never ugly.

Review: I have a mixed bag of emotions about this movie. It is a modern/teen version of Beauty and the Beast. In some parts the movie works really well. In others, it is very ho hum.

Kyle is a rich snotty, only pretty things deserve attention kind of a-hole. He's gorgeous and he knows it. I'm thinking his character might have been more interesting in the book, because there's no real reason why he acts the way he does, and the same goes for his father, who isn't played by anyone super attractive.

The most impressive acting in this film is surprisingly by Mary-Kate Olsen. WTF! She plays the "teenage witch" and she's no Sabrina! She's not really evil, but not really nice, she's out to prove something to Kyle when she turns him ugly. He has a year to find someone to love him, in spite of his looks or he gets to remain ugly for life!

Awww poor cute Kyle!

The other notable addition to this strange cast of characters is Neil Patrick Harris, the blind tutor. He doles out romantic advice and some other amusing quips, but sadly he comes across as a slightly watered down version of Barney, his How I Met Your Mother character. Sometimes I wonder if Neil can play another part?

Then there's our beauty, Vannesa Hudgens, most notably from High School Musical and dating Zac Effron. She's pretty enough but there's no reason why Kyle/Hunter should fall for her. In fact, we're never quite sure why he singles her out after he turns ugly. Again, I blame the change from book to screenplay.

I've not read the book, but I'm pretty sure this one didn't make the transition to film well.

It is a fun fluffy film to watch when rentals are slim, but it certainly isn't worth investing money on for keeps