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Watch a Movie + Save the Savanna

No idea what to do with your hunny, your family, your significant other, or with you, yourself + ewe tonight?

Why not go to the movies?

DisneyNature is showing African Cats (narrated by none other than Samuel L. Jackson).

And if you go opening week, Disney will make a donation in your honor to benefit the Save The Savanna projects.

Who couldn't say no to these faces...??

 

{ personally I can't wait to see this lion-gator faceoff go down...}

 

See? Doing your part to help our Earth is easy.

:)

A very green and happy Earth Day to ewe + yours.

 

xoxo!

-h-

 

Mary and Max - Flick Review

I have LOVED the art of claymation since I was originaly exposed to Nick Park's charming Wallace and Gromit characters from The Wrong Trousers.

( You all might be more familiar with Nick's work in the full-length films Curse of the Were Rabbit and Chicken Run. )

In fact - I loved Gromit so much, I almost renamed my own dog!

When I watch these clay creations, I can't help but think of the patience it must take to see a claymation project through from beginning to end... MOUNTAINS of patience!

Although I try to seek out new claymation films, I stumbled upon one the other day quite by accident...

 

Mary & Max is a full-length claymation film from Australia. The forever talented Toni Collette and Philip Seymour Hoffman provide the two lead voices.

This film is a great story that explores the many definitions of friendship and themes of self-acceptance. Both of the lead characters are adorable and sweet in their own ways. Mary's quirkiness actually reminded me of my older sister at times - very cute. :)

This isn't really a children's movie due to some content. But it is definitely worth a look for anyone else who loves independent and/or claymation films.

I really loved how different it was!!!

 

5 big ole fat stars from me!

You can find it on Netflix. :)

xoxo

-h-

Flu Flicks

I wish I could be checking in with you all this morning to share adventures from my Memorial Day weekend.

We initially had plans to make a short road-trip (maybe to Savannah, Charleston, or Atlanta) this weekend to explore historical treasures and partake in some real, legitimate southern food...

But, Ryan got sick last week. And I'm still getting over a cold-bug myself. So we didn't get up to much this weekend. Besides going through an almost unhealthy amount of Tylenol, Sudafed and Mucinex, we got a lot of rest and watched "the tube."

Here are reviews of some flicks we watched this weekend:

 

The Blind Side

Amazing movie... funny, heartwarming... an incredible story.

Two-Thumbs Up... 10 Stars... LOVED it! :)

 

 

Couples Retreat

Loved the cast, but the movie disappointed. The plot needed a little help... had funny parts, but ultimately the movie fell flat.

Gorgeous landscape though! It was filmed in Bora Bora... and just watching this movie will make you want to pack your sunscreen and swimming suits and book a beach getaway ASAP! :)

  

Sherlock Holmes

Witty, clever, exhilarating script, executed to perfection.

Robert Downy, Jr. is definitely at the top of his game. No one could have presented a more believable performance. He has a way of absorbing himself into his roles until he and his characters are one... completely inseparable. He and Jude Law had fantastic chemistry onscreen.

You'll really enjoy this one! 

xxoo!

-h-

BL Finale Shout Out

Congratulations, Michael!

What an inspiration. You made me cry. No... you made me bawl! :)

Way to go.

And Ashley & Daris - WOW! Little hottie biscotti's! 

Can't wait until next season.

mwah!

-h-

BL Finale

So... I'm watching the Biggest Loser finale.

First thoughts?

Who told Sam & Koli this was a costume party?

Koli's hot pink pants were RIDICULOUS. All I could think was... "Jem!!! Truly outrageous! Truly, truly outrageous!!!"

And Sam was trying to pull of a cop uniform? Oi vay. You guys look great... and you should be proud of your weight loss, but seriously. Just because you look good doesn't mean you should wear ANYTHING.

And Michael apparently wanted to join that group with his gigantic diamond-studded skull belt buckle.

I'm a Texas-girl... so I understand that there is a time and a place for big belt buckles. The time? The 1800's. The place? Between some Wrangler's and a pearl-snap cowboy shirt. NOT in 2010 between jeans and a sweater.

But... enough fashion criticism!

I was PSYCHED that Daris won a spot in the finals over Koli.

AMAZED that Ashley's mom looked so teeny tiny...

And so PROUD of all of the contestants and the personal battles they waged.

I haven't watched the end yet... but I would honestly be happy with any one of the three winning... talk about a great trio!!!

Daris, Ashley, and Michael... you should be so proud of yourselves! Way to go!!

Earth Slowing Down...

I don't know how it works, but sometimes it feels like the earth actually slows down on certain days... and if you're lucky, it can happen just when you need it to.

*  *  *

The first half of our Sunday was uber lazy. The hunny + I spent some quality "vegetable time" on our couch, laying like broccoli, catching up on episodes of LOST and Fringe, and taking naps in between snacking on chips & queso, chips & salsa... and just plain chips.

I also got to watch some cool nature shows about monkeys and nerdy stuff like that. Then we watched Temple Grandin (we had DVR'd it when it showed on HBO way back when). And I have to say... I was surprised and intrigued for most of the movie. It wasn't what I had expected, despite seeing Claire Danes being interviewed on The Colbert Report and hearing her the movie and Temple in great detail. I would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a superb story, great acting and interesting cinematography. :)

 

 

After lazing around, we got a surge of energy. I tried to clean my car, though I'm sad to say the pollen isn't waving a white flag quite yet. After all my efforts, my car ended up looking almost as dirty as when I had begun! We also did some light yardwork (I am thinking about getting a certification in weed-hunting. I LOVE getting rid of weeds!)

We then headed out for a bit to avoid going stir-crazy, visiting some of our favorite stores. Finally, I got my office shaped up for the coming week and tended to my ever-growing seedlings.

I went to bed wondering just how many hours it had been since I got up. It had felt like I'd been up for two days straight... but not in a bad way! I love it when I feel like I get in the perfect balance of relaxing and being productive in the same day.

It doesn't happen very often!! 

I hope you all had good weekends too!

xxoo!

-h-

Five Flicks

 

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

LOVED IT!

Excellent flick for fun-lovers and kids-at-heart. Punny jokes abound in this original story - some great voice talent by a variety of actors and creative animation and cinematography.

 

 

 

Law-Abiding Citizen

Liked it.

Not for the faint of heart. You'll find yourself rooting for Gerard Butler's character... so much so that the end may disappoint you. This movie featured fabulous momentum and talented actors... but ultimately, I expected more than what was delivered in its final moments.

Moon

LOVED IT.

This was a surprising love for me. While this is a sci-fi movie, it also plays out as a mystery. Your brain will be scrambling to try to figure out what is going on as you watch the plot unfold, and I doubt you'll be able to foresee a few twists!

 

 

 

Battle for Terra

Pass this one if you can.

Not as great as it could have been.

This Fern-Gully-type flick took FOREVER to get going and had some serious problems... the alien people seem to be able to float and fly when they want to, but they also experience near-fatal falls from mid-air. Too many other additional issues to get anywhere close to a thumbs up.

 

 

 

Zombieland

FABULOUS!

With a witty Fight Club-style narrative and accompanying graphics that give you insight into the main character's head, this zombie movie does not fail to please. I'm not a huge fan of scary movies, but this came movie came with a hefty serving of humor. It was more suspenseful than scary! A new classic in my books. :)

We've rented a few more that we'll probably watch at some point this week.

 

xxoo!

-h-

Sabbatical

Happy New Year! Yes, it's slightly belated... but still heartfelt!

I suppose I should wish you all Merry Christmas as well, since I haven't been online for a few weeks. I spent time during my sabbatical spending time with my hunny, my family and friends, I started some new projects and finished older ones, and just reenergized overall. Ahhhh... it feels SO good to start the new year with clear mind.

Ryan and I watched a bunch of movies over the last few weeks... including a ton of holiday flicks.

Recommended:

Four Christmases

Avatar

Paranormal Activity

Night at the Museum

The "new" Harry Potter

The Ugly Truth

Death at a Funeral

 

Mildly Entertaining:

Inglourious Basterds

9

 

I also baked a little - my Gran's shortbread (which was tasty in small bites), my sister's lemon sandwich cookies (with cream cheese frosting in the middle!!), and ready-to-bake frozen cookie dough. Needless to say, I've been opting for my stretch-jeans!!

So you can tell I've definitely been taking it easy and enjoying my time off. :)

((Oh! And on the wedding front... Ryan and I finally picked out an engagement ring and bands for me. I LOVE my ring! I'm also making arrangements to try on wedding dresses with my mum & sisters... YAY! Now we just have to narrow down a city and venue for this shindig! ))

 Ciao for now, flocky flock!

Hot diggity dog!

So, our first Halloween in the house was pretty fun!

We had a BUNCH of trick-or-treat'ers... I was really surprised! And there were some really cute costumes. My favorite costume of the evening was a very vibrant and colorful Rainbow Brite - a girl after my own heart!

 I ended up getting dressed up in a simple costume, since we were staying at home. I painted a large yellow circle on a white shirt, wore white shorts, devil horns and red eye makeup.

Can you guess what I went as? A DEVILED EGG!! :)

We also let Riley dress up for fifteen minutes or so. I took it off of him as soon as he started to sulk. But it was cute while it lasted!

 

 
 

After we turned out the porch lights and had a bite to eat, we settled in to watch The Orphan. It was... well... not as scary as I'd expected... and the acting was top notch! I ended up enjoying it, which is surprising for me - I'm usually not one for horror movies.

  

I hope you all had excellent Halloween weekends and enjoyed the "extra" hour!

 

xxoo!

-h-

The Last Beekeeper

I watched "The Last Beekeeper" on the Planet Green channel yesterday...

 

And I was absolutely mesmerized.

It's a documentary that follows several beekeepers in different parts of the nation as they try to figure out why so many of each of their colonies are randomly dying. 

You may have heard stories in the news in the last few years that have mentioned the unexplained decline in bee colonies over the last few years. The film documents how beekeepers and experts across the nation have been baffled by the unexplained deaths and are scrambling to figure out whether disease, parasites or maybe even stress are to blame for the hemorrhaging loss of their financial investments.

 

Apparently, the current "bread & butter" of beekeepers is not in harvesting honey - these days, beekeepers travel thousands of miles across the country with their hives to get paid for their bees to pollinate crops. Some crops, such as almonds, rely solely on bees... so more and more beekeepers have been forced to abandon the honey industry, which turns little profit, for the larger promise of pollination contracts.

 

If you have a chance to catch this flick, please give it a chance. It is surprisingly moving and inescapably captivating.