TIH, FT13, and UTM

I could not wait. I wanted to gather a group of friends to have a movie night, but I can't see it happening soon enough. So I rented Ten Inch Hero this week.

(That link takes you to the Blockbuster Online page. Blockbuster has exclusive rental rights, so sorry, no Netflix. The stores should have it to rent--that's where I got it--and the clerk and other fans have all said it can be ordered to buy. The TIH people also just announced that it will soon be available to buy in other outlets, like Amazon, too.)

It was a far better movie than most of the romantic comedy crap that's been in the theaters lately. Sweet and funny and heartwarming. People make mistakes and do idiotic things but care about each other enough to both help and tell them when they're being idiots. The cast chemistry was excellent, and the best part of the film.

I know you'll think I'm biased, but out of a very talented ensemble, Jensen Ackles stood out. Okay, Clea Duvall made me cry, but Jensen Ackles made me fall in love, over and over again during the hour-and-a-half film. I really hope he gets copies of this to show to studios and stuff. He's so much better than so many actors getting big roles. I know that as a TV star, his schedule is limited, and both being on The CW and filming in Vancouver hide him even more, but man. One viewing of one of his scenes in TIH, and anyone should want to hire him.

I do have a few nitpicks with the film. (minor) SPOILER ALERT!!!! How can a sandwich shop with four paying customers a day afford a staff of five people? There was never anyone in there! :) I liked how all of the story threads played out, but I wished Tish was a little more developed so we could see more likable things about her, and I wished Jen had gotten courage herself, especially after Priestly called her out (and rightly so!). And as much as it made my heart swell, I was a little bothered by Priestly's ending. His willingness to do what he did was courageous and telling, but he shouldn't have had to do it. (Plus, where'd the holes go? LOL)

Those are small things, though. I can't wait to buy it and watch it again, and heartily encourage everyone who loves sweet, emotional movies to give it a try!

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I went to see Friday the 13th this week, too. I would say "spoiler alert" again, but it's kind of hard to spoil something so predictable. I mean, we all know how many people are allowed to survive in a slasher flick, right?

So here are my thoughts on FT13 summed up in 4 points:

1. Jared Padalecki is hot, and so big no one makes a motorcycle big enough for him.

2. A movie that keeps showing potential gory weapons but fails to use them adequately, if at all, is lame.

3. A movie with absolutely no plot (the story line was "kill the a**hole, kill the sl**, kill the sweet guy, kill the stoner, kill the nice girl, kill the di**" [listed in no particular order]) and no logic (why did no one get killed in 20 years?) isn't worth the price of admission, unless it's a matinee. Or stars Jared Padalecki.

4. Why can't a hero just be a nice guy doing the right thing? Why does he have to have a jerky backstory for which he is trying to atone?

We screamed a lot, which was fun, even for the three people in the theater who weren't part of our group. At one point I was trying to stop myself from hiding my eyes, but then I thought, "Jared's not in this scene, you don't have to look." I appreciated that permission. And I'm totally telling Jared he's not allowed to do any more horror movies. I can't take it. (If the miraculous happens, and Jensen shows up because, like, he's lonely or something, I'll tell him that, too.)

All in all, My Bloody Valentine was better; our opinions were unanimous, of those of us who'd seen both. It had more story, more characterization, more tension, more motivation, and much more Jensen than we got of Jared. Plus, the 3D rocked.

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Things are going really, really well on Under the Moon. After the struggle to get chapter one right, I'm in love with the book and characters again. And what I learned from chapter one is really helping add depth and emotion to the rest of the book. I'm almost halfway through and expect to finish by the end of the month, barring any unexpected work uprising.

So that's all tonight! Have a good weekend, everyone!