myJaxon

Director:Tim Hill
Writers: Jon Vitti and Will McRobb
Release Date: 14 December 2007
Cast: Jason Lee, David Cross, Cameron Richardson, Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, and Jesse McCartney

We rented the new Alvin and the Chipmunks tonight and Ian’s reaction was priceless. The movie just started and all of a sudden, we hear Ian erupting into giggles. It was great. We tried to recreate it, but…yeah, he turned a little camera shy.

I have to say, I loved the cartoon Alvin and the Chipmunks growing up, so when I heard they were doing a live action movie, I was kind of skeptical. They don’t normally do them well and I have been disappointed in the past. I really can’t say that with this movie. They actually did a pretty good job with it. It was better than I thought it would be. I am definitely going to be buying this movie, and not because it made Ian giggle at the beginning. It did capture Ian’s attention for awhile, but it’s still a bit long for him. He can barely sit still during a 30 minute show, so I knew he wasn’t going to make it through this one, but he kept coming back it. Especially when the chipmunks were singing. And speaking of their songs, there was some dialog that should be familiar to any fan of the old cartoons. They still used the familiar songs - the Chipmunk Song & Witch Doctor - but they did modernize it a bit. I didn’t have a problem with the modernized version of the Chipmunk Song, but Witch Doctor wasn’t that great. I prefer the old version of that one.

Overall, the movie was good. Jason Lee did a good job as David Seville and the CGI animation was pretty good. The story had a good story arc and it really didn’t drag. When we got to the end of the movie, the final conflict or conflict resolution, it kind of caught me by surprise. I like movies like that. It means that I was interested enough in it that I lost track of time for awhile. Isn’t that the point of movies? To lose track of time, to just relax and not worry about what’s going on while watching a good story? Alvin and the Chipmunks is definitely a movie I would recommend.

Jesse and I borrowed Death at a Funeral from the library this weekend and it was really good. It’s a British comedy that takes place during the funeral service of the patriarch of a dysfunctional British family. One would think a funeral wouldn’t be a comedic experience, but once you factor in a midget with a secret, a fiancée who is acting weird, and two brothers who have their own issues, interesting chaos ensues.

While I’m not familiar with the majority of the cast, I am a huge fan of Alan Tudyk. For those who may not know him, he played Wash in Joss Whedon’s series, Firefly. This guy is such a fabulous actor that he was the reason I wanted to see this movie in the first place.

Overall, the rest of the movie was spectacular. The entire cast was hilarious and there was never a dry moment. The story never really became dull or slow paced, but kept the watcher interested and wanting to know more. Seriously, if you haven’t seen this movie yet, and you like British comedies (even if you don’t like British comedies), then go out and rent this one. Here’s a trailer if you’re interested.

Director: Frank Oz
Writer: Dean Craig
Release: 11 July 2007
Cast: Matthew Macfadyen, Keeley Hawes, Andy Nyman, Ewen Bremner, Daisy Donovan, Alan Tudyk, Jane Asher, Kris Marshall, Rupert Graves.

So I just started my first workout as I begin trying to lose weight yet again. According to our physician, yoga and pilates are the way to go. I’m not a fan of home workout videos. I prefer looking like an idiot in an aerobic class because they I try not to look like an idiot. It’s more of a motivation thing. Doing it at home just seems silly and I get more self conscious than anything. I found this especially true with Billy Blanks Bootcamp workouts; plus he would go really fast and it’s more of a kickboxing and I can’t do that with Ian around.

Anyway, the first yoga workout I tried was Sara Ivanhoe’s 20 Min Yoga Makeover - Flat Abs. I’ve only done it once (Ian woke up half way through it), but I thought it was good. The workout didn’t use a fast pace method, but more of a slowly working the muscles idea. I was able to do this on the floor and I didn’t feel to self conscious since I wasn’t making these big gestures. I felt that I was actually working my muscles because it was hard to slowly do some of the techniques and that’s mainly because I am so out of shape. I’ve done a lot of the techniques before and I know I used to be able to do them, so it is a wake-up call knowing that I can’t do them now. The biggest thing I need to remember is to continue breathing as I’m doing the exercises. Even though Ian woke up 5-10 minutes into the workout, I was still able to do some of the techniques while he was up and around. It was kind of hard when he decided to climb on me, but he was climbing on my stomach and those were the muscles I was working at the time, so I think that worked a little.

Overall, I think I can do this DVD. I’m going to keep doing it once a day (at least) until I have to return it to the library.

Comedy Central ran the movie premier of Waiting tonight. It’s a movie that I’ve been wanting to see and we flipped to it. It’s only been on for about 15 minutes now, but we’re already thinking we should have rented it. We’re getting the feeling that it’s going to get cut and bleeped enough that the DVD release is going to be a lot more funny.

So far, this movie is a classic example of bad humor. Not bad in the idea of “oh god why am I watching this”, but bad as in “oh god that was bad” all the while laughing my butt off. The conversations these guys have, it’s amusing to listen to and yet I’m still wondering wtf. I do have to admit one thing, if you like eating at restaurants like Logan’s, Chili’s, Bennigans, then there may be parts you want to skip. However, I’ve worked at a couple of those type restaurants and I can say that I’ve never worked in an atmosphere like this one. At the moment, it’s one of those movies that is funny in a bad sort of way and I can’t look away, but I’m still looking through my fingers.

So it’s bordering on an hour into the movie and it’s starting to remind me a lot of Clerks. Same kind of humor, but it’s not done by Kevin Smith. However, the movie does have some incredible actors: Ryan Reynolds (Van Wilder), Justin Long (Mac & PC commercials), and Dane Cook.

Just finished the movie and overall I like it. It still reminds me a lot of Clerks, but there’s a bit more to it. It does end up having a moral at the end and it’s kind of amusing to see what everyone goes through. I actually think it would be fun to work at that place. There is a rumor that there is a Still Waiting coming out sometime this year, but we’ll see. The movie is great. You have to see it.

Tonight, Fox aired a new show called New Amsterdam. The show revolves around a homicide detective, Amsterdam, who won’t die until he finds his soul mate. He gets this reward, or curse depending on your viewpoint, from a Native American shaman. I’m not really sure why he become immortal, but it doesn’t revolve around a vampire who can only be out at night or any other paranormal handicaps, just a guy who has lived a really long time who has lost of experience. It’s actually kind of nice. This is a show that can attract a wide audience. It’s another crime show to attract the CSI/L&O junkies, yet it has that paranormal angle of immortality to attract those looking for something different. We’re going to see how Amsterdam handles having a partner, the search for his soul mate, and how he handles never being able to die.

Overall, I think the show has a lot of promise. It’s something that Jesse and I can watch - I get my paranormal fix and he gets a show with a decent plot.