Weekends

Right now, I have two boys being entertained by cartoons and video games. Guess which one is the adult. I could play this game every weekend. It seems that my son loves watching Scooby-Doo on Sundays and my husband loves vegging out on video games. I can't begrudge either of them since I went out and played on Saturday.

Speaking of Saturday, I was so glad I went to see the movie, The Time Traveler's Wife (TTW). I have to say that I forgot a lot of details from the book and so there were surprises for me. Or, the director took poetic license with the story and changed a bunch of stuff around to make the movie work. Either way, I forgot enough of the book to enjoy the movie very much. I read TOO fast when I'm engrossed in a story and I forget story lines and details after I devour a book. I probably couldn't pass a comprehension test based on books that I've read since I skip parts too. I recently read Prodigal Summer and I did the same thing with that book. That book should really be turned into movie. It's just as good as TTW and has some really great characters...instead of Street Fighter IV - The mystery of Chin lee or Sawed XII. Sorry, I guess I'm not the main demographic for movie makers, but lately old timer movies have been pretty good with Julie & Julia and TTW. I want to see 500 days of Summer, but I may wait to rent that. I don't always like Indie films. They get a little too loosey goosey with production values or dialogue. Or they try to be avaunt-guard and I'm SO not that. Anyway...

One of the things that I enjoyed in the TTW and I remember about the book was the fighting between the couple. I believe the author really understood how married couples work and she didn't write the perfect couple, but one that argues and does hurtful things to each other, yet it wasn't a Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Jolie/Pitt) type of hurt each other, but a relationship with warts and all. The movie gave it a good Hollywood gloss with the starry-eyed lovers, but at one point in the movie, Claire's resentments come bubbling to the forefront. She wants a normal life and that's not how life worked out for her. I liked that moment. I forgot about the acting in that moment and I could see a real couple on the screen. I appreciated that sometimes life isn't just a bowl of cherries where everything works out perfect for the couple in the end. I guess I'm OK with the not so happily ever after. The ending was TOTALLY screwed up from the book and that I do remember and I don't know why the director ended it that way, but up until that moment, I was hook line sinker into the movie, and for me the screwed up ending doesn't diminish that I really enjoyed the movie.

Speaking of screwed up endings...Martin Scorsese made a movie with Jack Nicholson a few years ago....the name of it has escaped me...but it was a really GREAT double cross / mafia/ corruption at all levels type of movie. It really had me on the edge of the seat, but then again when does Jack Nicholson disappoint. Well he didn't but M. Scorsese sure did. This movie was great up until the last 5 minutes and then all hell breaks loose and he kills off everyone. It was so absurd. I thought maybe he painted himself into a creative corner, and didn't know how to end it. Who knows, maybe that screwy ending was his intention all along, but it sucked to watch all the baloney after enjoying a really solid movie. It's like going to a really nice restaurant and having a great meal and instead of enjoying a dessert, the waiter comes and sits with you and joins your conversation. You feel like this isn't why I came to this restaurant, and it doesn't take away from the meal you just ate, but going forward, you're no longer enjoying the place.

OK, no great revelations about anyone this week. I'll have to save another day to contmplate type of day...maybe on a rainy day...right now it's just too damn hot to keep writing.