Oops! BEDA 4/31

Well, as you can see I missed a day. HOWEVER, I am COMMITTED to blogging for 31 days. I know I say that every single BEDA, but I mean it this time. I'm doing a lot of interesting things right now with this redecorating project and I actually have things to blog about. So I am DOING IT! I fully intended to blog last night after my weekly movie date with my grandmother, if for no other reason than to discuss my feelings about the movie: Mirror, Mirror. But here's the thing...I was kind of underwhelmed. It wasn't BAD, but I didn't think it was GREAT either. I suppose I just expected a little bit more from a fairy tale retelling. In my opinion the characters were kind of flat and I didn't really care what happened to any of them. It didn't help that E spoiled a MAJOR part of the ending, so even then big *GASP* moment was kind of ruined. Alas, this was no Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix* level of disappointment, but I will probably not be rewatching this film. I didn't even think Julia Roberts was convincing as a villain. Nathan Lane, however, was AMAZING and well up to his usual standard. And of course the small appearance of Sean Bean** warmed my tiny fangirl heart! All in all, if you like fairy tale retellings, check this out. If you like AMAZING fairy tale retellings, read Jackson Pearce's books.




*OotP is arguably the worst movie I've ever seen. I can't think of another movie that I've EVER been more disappointed in, so much so that had I paid for my own ticket I would have written to Warner Bros and requested a refund. I was SO disappointed in that movie and it has become the yardstick I use to measure other disappointing movies.
**Although, I did remark to my dad that I was astounded that he was not viciously killed at some point because that seems to be his MO.

Ramona and Beezus

For the past week three of my cousins- The Clone, Doda, and Jerry- have been in Alaska. They went on a missions trip and arrived home Wednesday just in time for Family Dinner Night. Needless to say, Erin (the forth member of our quintet) and I have been REALLY lonely. Since I work all the time poor Erin has really been left alone a lot. I love to do things with my cousins, either in a group or individually, so I decided that Erin and I should have a Girl's Night Out and go to the movies. She has been really looking forward to the Ramona movie, she's a HUGE Selena Gomez fan and I have recently introduced her to the books. So off we went on our epic adventure*!

I have to say, I am cheap (especially when I am playing for multiple movie tickets) so I love going to the movies on Tuesdays in town, because it is "Family Fun Night," and all tickets are matinée priced. However, Ramona was good enough that I would have paid full price to see it on opening night.** On top of a wonderful movie (my Top Ten to follow) there were a lot of really good previews. I was nervous at first, because I am doing everything I have to avoid the HP7 trailer, but luckily it wasn't included. There are so many great movies coming out and I am really looking forward to seeing them with The Fantastic Four in the fall and winter. Movies are usually a guaranteed option for quality time for us once school and sports start. Erin was captivated by Ramona, and I remained teary-eyed throughout the entire film. Overall I say that it is a great family option. It is funny enough that boys will like it, there is enough sugary sweet romance to appeal to teen and tween girls, and the warmth of the family bond between the Quimbys translates well during the movie. So! Without further ado, here is my (and Erin's) Ramona Top Ten!

Top Ten Reasons YOU Should See Ramona and Beezus

1) Joey King aka Ramona. I cannot wait to see her in more films in the future. We thought she was so funny and believable. I wanted to cry when she cried, I laughed when she laughed, my heart broke for her when she tried hard to make something work but it just failed. She brought Ramona to life for me.

2) Selena Gomez is amazing. I love that she is young and plays a teenager. I am consistently surrounded by younger kids, and I cringe when I hear them talk about their role models in Hollywood. Selena Gomez acts her age, isn't trampy, and sets a good example. She also did a really great job as Beezus.

3) Mr. and Mrs. Quimby. Best parents ever? Probably not, but the sure do try hard and it is obvious that they love each other and their family. Even when things were bad for them (no job for dad, the possibility of moving away, Aunt B's love-life stress) they were still aware of what was going on in their life. I thought that the Quimby's were a realistic representation of a family-not everything is always perfect, but when your family loves each other then you will be okay.
4) Aunt B. She is the perfect auntie who is always fun to be around. Not to mention Ginnifer Goodwin is adorable.

5) The scenes where Ramona is imagining herself in different situations are INCREDIBLE. The audience is transported into her imagination and it is really lovely. She is navigating a canyon when she is on the jungle gym, when jumping on her bed she goes to Outer Space, and the film makers do a great job of showing the imagination of a nine year old girl.

6) I loved that even though it is really hard for Beezus and Ramona to get along, they will band together when times get tough. Pretty accurate for siblings of those ages, but it is still heartwarming to see.
7) Joey King's facial expressions!***
8) Josh Duhamel is REALLY dreamy...*sigh*...and so is John Corbett, even if he is playing a dad. Erin was a big fan of Henry (Hutch Dano), she thought that HE was dreamy...*baby sigh*...

9) The entire film seemed really natural. I honestly felt like a guest in the Quimby home. The cast did an excellent job of portraying the situations that they encountered.

10) It was really funny. I thought that the comedic timing was spot on, and it didn't seem like the cast was TRYING to make the funny parts funny.

So there ya go. A few reasons why we loved Ramona and Beezus. If you have seen it feel free to let me know!

*Okay, not that epic, the movie theater is only 12 miles away.

**My hindsight has ALWAYS been 20/20

***YES! This does need it's own number! If you have seen the film then you will understand, that girl is HILARIOUS!