Cutest Dog on the Block

I just found these pictures on my sister's Facebook and it was just too cute to resist!! This is my dog Digger. Nobody can resist this puppy. Too bad he's still not that cute.

November Movie Update

I just wanted to give a movie update on all of the movies in November and how I felt about them. We'll start with James Bond.


Rottentomatoes.com gave Quantum of Solace a courageous 65% which, for those of you who aren't aware of, means it was pretty good. Some critics loved it while others thought it was questionable. Charles Koplinski of the Illinois Times said it was," Nothing but a big-budget mess." And Betty Jo Tucker of ReelTalk Movie Reviews claimed it was, "Blurred, not stirred." Others, such as Jackie K. Cooper of jackiecooper.com, said it was, "Action from start to finish; Craig is quickly gaining on Connery as the best Bond ever." Our own Sean Means of the Salt Lake Tribune said, "It doesn't feel like a Bond movie but the middle of a Bond trilogy." He gave it a good 3 stars. So, now the question is, how did I feel about this movie. Well, to be quite honest, I thought it was completely over-done, terribly written, and a DISASTER! From start to finish, the only thing running through my head was a big, "WHAT?!?!?!" Confusing as I might have thought it to be, the plot contains nothing worth while except for the fact that James Bond is willing to kill anyone. Why? I have no idea. So, on a scale of 1 to 10, I give Quantum of Solace a generous 3. Only because I'm a fan of Daniel Craig, a great James Bond.


And now.... (drum roll please)... Twilight!!! Rottentomatoes.com gave Twilight a pathetically rotten 43% which is not good at all. While it did make an excellent 70.6 million dollars in it's first weekend (not even coming close to The Dark Knight's 158 Million), critics are still split on the reviews with this movie. Fred Topel of Can Magazine said, "I think Edward Cullen has Asperger's syndrome.... Bella should totally go for Jacob instead, but then he could do way better with any of the townies... Edward looks lame ripping trees out of the ground and jumping around the forest like Tom Cruise on Oprah." That made me laugh. And Austin Kennedy of Sin Magazine claims, "The biggest problem with the movie is the way Edward looks. It's hard to take him seriously when he resembles like an emo-Eddie Munster." But, Christopher Orr of the New Republic said, "Twilight is silly and melodramatic and hard to dislike in much the same way as its target audience, with a distinctly teenage sense of tragedy." And David Denby of the New Yorker said, "Twilight, the first movie adapted from Stephenie Meyer’s series of best-selling teen novels, is going to be a big hit with young girls, and deservedly so -- the picture delivers." Sean Means in the SL Tribune gave Twilight 2 and a half stars. So, it took me two times of viewing this film before I really decided what I thought about the movie and it's not good news for Twilighters. I thought the acting in Twilight was TERRIBLE. Honestly, I could have picked kids from Eastmont Middle School's Musicals who can act better than the leading cast. Edward Cullen looks freaky and outlandish and Bella acts and talks like a boy. They don't explain why Edward's eyes change color which is an irrational plan and the romance was lacking intensively. This movie did not do the book justice. It made Disney's High School Musical look like an Epic Feature Film the size of the Titanic. On the other hand, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson have great chemistry and the movie stuck incredibly close to the book. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give Twilight a 4.


My last movie I'm going to review is the Epic Australia featuring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. Rottentomatoes.com gave Australia a poor 52%. Movie critics had a lot to say on this subject. Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post said, "A wildly ambitious, luridly indulgent spectacle of romance, action, melodrama and historic revisionism, Australia is windy, overblown, utterly preposterous and insanely entertaining." And Stephen Whitty of the Newark-Star Ledger said, "This film is a long love song written in two parts, and these actors duet nicely." Others were extremely skeptical about this film. Adam Tobias of the Watertown Daily Times claimed, "Australia, director Baz Luhrmann's sweeping, romantic epic that takes place in the outback during the World War II-era, is exactly like the Energizer Bunny: It keeps going and going and going." Sean Means of the Salt Lake Tribune gave it 3 stars. I would have to disagree with those who did not like Australia. I believe it to be the best movie of November, the best movie of the season and, very possibly, the best movie of the year. The acting in Australia is golden as well as the storyline which keeps you on your seat the entire movie. I thought the romance was incredible and just what I wanted in a movie. Australia certainly gives The Dark Knight a run for it's money in my mind. Though it is incredibly long, I feel it's just more time of seeing Hugh Jackman on the big screen. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this movie a 9.5.


So what was everyone else's views on the movies this November? If you feel you disagree with me, please let me know your views.

A Surreal Day

I'm sad to announce the passing of my two best friends' (Matt and Morgan's) brother. Michael passed away on Friday night in a tragic four wheeling accident down in Moab. Since I have practically grown up with those boys, this has hit very close to home for me. I cannot imagine anything more awful than losing a sibling. They are going through the hardest times of their lives right now and I would ask that you keep them in your prayers and hope that they will be comforted through this miserable time. Michael was only 17 years old.

Model Shots

I have some very good friends, but none of them come close to they guys I've grown up with since I was just about 4 years old. We have had some seriously awesome times together including the time when I took this picture. This is my friend Matt, one of my very, very good friends. He's the most perfect person I know, honestly. And this is our version of the movie Zoolander. Anyway, I just found this picture and thought it would go nicely on my blog.

It's Just A Book!!!

I have been informed that the Twilight movie comes out in just a little less than two weeks. Wow, time flys when you don't care about something at all. And the soundtrack just came out last week. I wonder if anyone but me has actually listened to it. If you haven't, I highly suggest it if you are feeling down or are looking for a good laugh. The most suggested songs would be the two sung by Mr. Edward Cullen actor, Robert Pattinson. It's like a grown man moaning over something. Seriously! You can't even understand the lyrics. While listening, I'm sitting there thinking, "Just spit it out, Man!" It's comical, really. He's not singing, but trying to sing. And Bella's lullaby is more of a Symphony playing it than a piano. I think they should have spent more money on getting able actors than getting a symphony to play Bella's Lullaby. No offense if you like the actors.
Also, I'd like to point out that Edward Cullen is not a real person. Not at all. I don't care how dreamy his eyes might look in your imagination or how wonderful you imagine him holding you feels, but that's all he is. Imagination! So can we all please just get over the fact that he's a fictional character so I can stop hearing about everyone comparing Edward to any other boy in the world? Please? Because you just sound like an idiot when you are saying, "No boy is as great as Edward. He's wonderful!" He's not wonderful. He's just paper and ink. And he will never come flying into your window at night and save you from the dreary town of Forks. Why? Oh yeah, because you don't live in Forks. It's just a crappy little town in the middle of nowhere that Stephenie Meyer picked off of Google Earth. It's just a book, people. So, the next time you run a red light because you are too busy thinking about Edward Cullen -or should I say fantasizing about Edward Cullen?- think to yourself, "Why am I in love with a book character?" It's like imagining yourself marrying Batman or Mickey Mouse.

The More the Merrier

I'm happy to announce that Heath Ledger will be starring in one more film! Imagine that! This is a picture of him on the set of the movie, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus. It's actually sort of creepy to keep seeing him even though he's dead. But anyway, I'm excited for his real last movie. Also staring in this film is Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell. If you don't know who these people are, I'm sorry. Anyone who doesn't know who Johnny Depp is seriously needs to get a culture update.

While I'm on the topic of Heath Ledger, I just wanted to announce that they are going to re-release The Dark Knight in January so that it will hopefully win some Oscars and so that it can earn more money. Let's all cross our fingers that it will beat the Titanic in the box office because I'm not a fan of that ridiculously long show. So, if the Dark Knight is re-released in a theatre near home, I would highly suggest seeing it again. It's the only movie worth paying for these days.

More Spidey?

In my opinion, it is the worst superhero movie in our day. (Other than the Hulk but that's just too lame to even consider) There have already been three of them and I don't think the world will be able to consume yet another one. Or make that another TWO.

Well, it's happened. Your worst nightmare has been confirmed. Well, it might not be your biggest nightmare, but it's mine. There is most definitely going to be two more Spider-Man movies.

Thanks to my dear friend, Tobey Maguire, we are going to have to sit through two more of those terrible Marvel comic movies. He has signed on for two more movies and so I guess they are just going to make them. They aren't even going to have the same director which should just make them all the more terrible. The only reason those Spider-Man movies made any money was because of the gorgeous face of James Franco who played Spider-Man's best bud in all three movies. Well, he died in the third one so what's left of the movie that is worthwhile? And Kirsten Dunst has yet to sign on for the films so who knows what sort of talent will be in these next films.

Coming from the fact that I'm a complete DC Comics fan which, for those of you who aren't nerds like myself, means that I'm a fan of the really cool superheros such as Batman and Superman. No spiders here. I will probably not even see these next Spider-Man flicks. I mean, have you seen the price of movie tickets these days?

We'll just have to wait and see what happens with this feature film. I don't know if I'll be able to wait until 2011!

Best of 2008

This is my prediction of what the top 11 movies were of 2008 are. Some of them haven't even premiered yet and some haven't even been rated yet but I'm pretty sure that this is what I'm going to be sticking with. Please note that this is what I believe and I don't see R rated movies so if you think something else should be on the list, too bad for you. Make your own list. So anyway, here it is.

Number 11: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

So I know that some people really didn't like this movie, but I thought it was fairly decent. What I mean to say is that it was really good and entertaining until aliens came into the picture. Also, to really get this movie, you have to remember that it's completely fictional and a lot of stuff doesn't make sense in the real world. That's what makes it entertaining!

Number 10: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

I really enjoyed this movie. But, I must admit that most of the reason that I liked it so much was for the new add to the cast, Prince Caspian. He is a very good looking guy. The acting wasn't great and at some parts, I was a little disappointed but all in all, it was pretty good.

Number 9: Get Smart

After The Office, I am proud to say that I am an avid Steve Carell fan. I think that anything with him in it is hilarious so I really enjoyed Get Smart. Comedy movies still aren't my favorite but I was really impressed with it. Although, I don't think any of us can get over the fact that no matter what you say, Steve Carell is still 20 YEARS OLDER than Anne Hathaway!

Number 8: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I don't really know what to say about this movie. When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I thought, "What the heck was that?!?" But now, as I hear more and more about this movie and learn a little more about it, I've decided that it's probably going to be a very good movie. Plus, they are already talking about Oscar Nominations

Number 7: Wall-E

I didn't see this movie until a few weeks after it had already come out. I didn't really know what to think about it. On one hand, Pixar always makes incredible movies, but on the other, it looked really childish and there seemed to be absolutely no talking in it which was sure to drive me mad. But, after I saw it, I am glad to say that it was extremely cute and it had a great message. Pixar did it once again.

Number 6: The Soloist

This movie has really caught my eye. I think it looks downright incredible and I can't wait for it to come out. It's sure to be a hit. Now, it hasn't been rated but it still looks awesome. For those of you who aren't aware of this movie yet, it is about a journalist (Robert Downey, Jr.) who befriends a homeless man (Jamie Foxx) who used to be a musician at Julliard. This one has also been claimed Oscar-worthy.

Number 5: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

This is a movie set in the time of World War II. It's about a son of the commandant at a Jewish concentration camp. The boy, Bruno, become friends with a boy he met through the wired fence of the concentration camp. They become friends but that friendship can't last because of their differences. Now, I've never read this book but I have heard it is exceptional. I think this movie will be good and extremely moving. I can't wait to see it.

Number 4: Australia

This movie caught my eye at first just because of the actors. I have always been a fan of both Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. As you can tell it's a love story but it is also so much more than that. It's about the the bombing of Darwin, Australia before World War II. I think it looks incredible.

Number 3: Quantum of Solace

I was never a James Bond fan until the latest one (Casino Royale) came out. Now, I am a fan. Mostly, I think that Daniel Craig is an amazing actor and a talented James Bond. I'm excited to see how this movie plays out. I can't wait for it to come out and I think it will definitely be the best movie that comes out this fall. Sorry, Twilighters.

Number Two: Iron Man

At first, I was not an Iron Man fan. Actually, I didn't even see the movie until a few weeks ago. I thought it looked like a bad superhero version of Transformers. But, after I saw it, I was glad that I did. I'm pretty sure this changed my whole perspective on Sci-Fi movies. This movie has been announced as one of the best -if not the best- Science Fiction movies of all time. Thank goodness something finally killed Star Wars.

Number One: The Dark Knight

Anyone who knows me is not surprised by my pick for the best movie of the year. Honestly, nothing came even close to beating this. Heath Ledger is one of the best actors I've ever seen in my life. If there was one movie I would have chosen to be his last film, it would be this one hands down. Heath did steal the show completely and nobody will ever be able to play the Joker again on the big screen, but I do like the other actors in the Batman flick as well. Christian Bale is a favorite as always and I really hope he sticks around for another one and the new face, Mr. Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) did an excellent job. And let's not hide the fact that his ties to Utah aren't fantastic. So, this movie defeats all others and was definitely the best of the year. There you have it, the top 11 best movies of 2008.

Favorite Pass Times

I have absolutely wonderful news! It's volleyball time again! I'm so excited to get back to club and to actually get to compete at my own level again. Don't get me wrong, the Jordan High Freshman team was fun and church is always a good laugh but I like to get in other girl's faces and have to work harder than ever before to get points. I'm excited to go back to High Country Volleyball Club!
I am positive that nobody is surprised I'm going back to High-C after my last season. Seriously, my team last year was the best team ever. All of the girls were so awesome and I spent some of the most hilarious times of my life with them. I even lived with them in hotel rooms! So, as a tribute to High Country 13 Elite Team, here are some of my pics from last season. Thanks to my big sister Jennifer who took these wonderful shots. Isn't she just amazing?

This is one of my very, very good friends Lyndi. She was seriously the mouth of our team. She lead us in almost every single cheer all season. That's 9 months of being the loudest of the court! She also gives the best turkeys (a slap on the leg hard enough to make a mark) I've ever seen in my life. She's awesome and I love her!

Jess and I were the oldest on the team. And we were proud of that. We even started our own club. And we were also in charge of keeping Lyndi in line when we went to Spokane. Jess is one of the funniest people you will ever meet in your life. Hence the pic!

Volleyball is the greatest sport on the planet and it is also a team sport. If one person isn't having a good game, nobody is having a good game. That's just how it works. Our adrenaline and good hits fire everyone else up. This leaves a lot of room for cheers, high-fives, and pats on the back. This is a great picture of us celebrating after a good play.

I get really into the sport. This is why I play volleyball and why I am good. Well, good enough to play with these girls! I honestly can't tell you what's going through my head right there. But, it probably has something to do with making a great play and winning the game!

And last but not least, our team picture! We had a great season and it was so much fun to play with these girls. It's fun to get to know other people who enjoy something as much as you do and that's why I love club so much. I was especially thankful to get to go to National Junior Olympics with this team which meant that we has a few extra months together! Volleyball is great!

The Next Jane Austen?

You know that song that you liked at first but then it became #1 on iTunes and they started to play it on every radio station after every other song so you started to hate it? You know how there's virtually no way to get away from it so you just have to withstand two to three minutes of hearing the same annoying words that you literally never want to hear sung to that tune again? Yeah, that is exactly what I feel like every single time I hear the words "Twilight," and "Stephenie Meyer."

I came across an article in Time magazine a few months back that said, "Forget the next JK Rowling, Edward Cullen is the next Mr. Darcy of the world of literature." So, is Stephenie Meyer the next Jane Austen? I think not.

First of all, this movie coming out November 21st is going to demolish that book like we have never seen done before. Forget how pathetic those Harry Potter movies are. But, not to worry because Stephenie obviously knew that her books were going to be ruined and she didn't want to miss out on all of the fun so she went ahead and published one of the worst books I have ever read in my life. I had never thought that the best way to slaughter a character who becomes more and more annoying in every book is to make them get pregnant with a man eating child.

Second of all, there's no such things as bad publicity? I don't know about that. Teenage girls have become so obsessed about Edward Cullen and the rest of the Twilight crew that it's nearly impossible not to know what the books are about. But, most intelligent people are wise enough to stay clear of a book that seems to have more screaming in the reviews than anything good to say. It has gotten so out of hand that the word "Twilight" makes more people in this country cringe than shriek with glee.

Thirdly, Twilight will not become a classic novel that will be read and taught to young adults for years to come. A classic novel takes many things, most of which are not in this so called "Saga." It has to be timeless which it is not due to the vast expanse of car names jotted deep into the sentences. In 100 years, future Americans will not want to hear about a brand new, yellow Turbo Porsche.

Also, I'm not so sure Stephenie Meyer knows exactly who her audience is. One of the very first things you do when writing any sort of text is know who your audience is. This is something they teach you in 5th grade English class. Really. So, as we have all seen and heard, Twilight is clearly a book for teenaged girls. New Moon and Eclipse are also mostly for teens. But, Breaking Dawn is not. And you cannot change your audience on a book that is a sequel. You can't! It's just really not good. And personally, I do not think it is a good idea to write a book for teenage girls about a character who has a baby and loves this baby more than almost anything else in the world. This book was also hightly predictable and extremely anticlimatic.

In esscence, I think we can all agree that Stephenie Meyer is not the next Jane Austen. Not even close. Not even a little. Not at all.