Most Anticipated Movies of 2009

I've decided that, since it's 2009 now, it's time to get excited for all of the new movies that are coming out this year. So here are the most anticipated movies:

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (I know, it sounds lame because it's X-Men. But, you've gotta love Hugh Jackman, especially after Australia.)
Terminator Salvation (I don't really know anything about the Terminator movies because I've never actually seen one, but I want to see anything with Christian Bale. It's just too bad the Governator won't be in it this time.)
G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra (This movie is staring Dennis Quaid (Yours, Mine and Ours), Brendan Fraser (George of the Jungle) and Channing Tatum (Step Up, She's the Man). So, it shouldn't be too bad.)
Halo (I will not pay 8 bucks to see that no matter what.)
Angels and Demons (I've never read the book, but it's like the Da Vinci Code, with Ewan McGregor and Tom Hanks.)
The Brazilian Job (A lot like the movie The Italian Job, I suppose.)
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (If you saw the first Transformers, you are probably excited for this one. Because who couldn't love another feature film stuffed full of commercials for General Motors?)
Watchmen (This one looks a little too... strange.)
Avatar (I'll wait to see what other people think about this...)
Star Trek (No comment.)
Public Enemies (This is a film about the earlier 1900s when there were gangsters (no, not those gangsters) sort of like the Mafia or the Mob. Anyway, it stars Johnny Depp who is pretty much amazing in every movie he's in and Christian Bale who is also very good.)
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (You've gotta admire the fact that they are still sticking with these movies. It's gotta be getting close as the longest movie series ever. After all, this one ties it up with Star Wars.)
Up (This is the latest Disney-Pixar flick. I think we can all agree that every single one of Pixar's movies are very entertaining and downright good movies. So, my hopes are high for this one.)
New Moon (With this movie, I'm going to completely forget about Twilight and keep an open mind because, after all, they are getting a new director. Let's keep our fingers crossed.)
The Lovely Bones (I've actually read this book and I thought it was really good. I'm excited to see what they do with this.)
Sherlock Holmes (Unfortunately for New Moon, this movie comes out on the same exact day and I'm going to be honest by saying that I'd rather see this over that. After Iron Man, who can't help but enjoy watching Robert Downey Jr. on scree?)

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.