Memoirs of a Geisha--the movie

Last night I watched "Memoirs of a Geisha" to compare it to the book. As I normally say--the book was better than the movie! Surprise, surprise.
I really did like the scenery, and the characters--that really made everything worthwhile. The plot, however, lost a lot in the movie (as most do). I would still recommend it, though.

Lucky me, my nieces are visiting from Tampa this weekend! My in-laws are here as well, and I am so glad they were able to bring Kami (6 yrs.) and Kenzie (4 yrs.) along. Those two little stinkers certainly liven the place up and keep me on my toes. They're such a blessing to me, and my favorite part is that they think Aunt Tristin is the coolest! (I also think they're the coolest because they just told me of their new-found adoration of The Sound of Music! Does it get any better than twiriling around the living room and singing "The Sound of Music" with your nieces?)

Tonight I am making a lasagne for all of us, and tomorrow James is smoking some Boston Butts so we can have barbeque with all the works! Of course, we'll make our Famous Smoked Beans and my Asian Cole Slaw. Also, it's my father-in-law's birthday on Superbowl Sunday so we're having the carrot cake that made me his favorite daughter-in-law (well, technically his only daughter-in-law, but who's counting?).

Also, we have Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to watch tonight--yay!

Not a pie person.

Last night, James and I watched a wonderful film called Waitress. It starred Keri Russell as a pregnant waitress, wanting to escape her life (typical story, right?). So, throughout the movie, she makes pies in a way that most people would journal--her pies express her emotions and document what is going on in her life. I hope I explained that well--it's really a great idea.

So, I was thinking about pies last night, and recalled one of my family's classic memories. It took place at the bar in the kitchen of my Poppy and Granny's home, where the majority of our meals there were eaten. Every night, there was some kind of dessert after dinner, the standard being a classic pound cake which was always kept underneath an aluminum cake dome with a plastic handle and the word "CAKE" written on the side. This particular night, however, the dessert of the night was some sort of pie--apple, I think. I didn't particularly want dessert, so I decided to forgo the pie I had been offered. No harm, no foul, right?

A few nights later, I was again offered pie by my Poppy. Before I could unnter a word, my Granny quickly replied, "Bennett, Tristin is not a pie person."

My refusal that fateful night forever secured my destiny of not being a "pie person".

Truth be told, I really don't prefer pies. I like berry pie and key-lime pie, and certain lemon pies... But, beyond that, I guess it's true that I am not a "pie person". Anyhow, anytime that my immediate family has pie, someone reminds the family "Oh, don't give any to Tristin--she's not a pie person. Then we all have a big laugh.

The humor lies in the fact that in the South, you cannot just turn-down a piece of pie. Why on earth would any self-respecting Southerner (which I am not--I am merely the descendant of Southerners with an inherited thirst for sweet tea) refuse a piece of pie?

Lesson learned: Don't refuse food from a Southerner. (Besides, even if you do refuse, you'll often still find a plate placed in front of you and a fork will miraculously find its way into your hand.)

Double Feature

When James and I go to the movies, we typically catch a double feature. No, it's not a cinema promo or anything like that--but James figures that if he's already got me at the movie theatre, he may as well force me into another movie! (You see, it's really not my favorite thing to go to the movies. But anyhow, it's getting less and less painful.)

I have a suggestion for a double feature--two movies that we recently saw and loved. The first is the movie Juno. It's about a 16-year-old spunky, smart-mouthed girl who gets pregnant from having first-time experimental sex with her best friend, Bleeker whose only vice is orange tic-tacs. It was charming, and I really enjoyed the small hilarious moments in the film-which contrast the quiet depth of the movie. Also, James and I both loved the music from the movie. It's a little funky, but we downloaded the soundtrack and really enjoyed listening to it.

Another must-see is No Country for Old Men. We had not heard of the movie or seen any previews, but decided to go see it because no other movies really struck our fancy. We figured that it's hard to be let down if you have no expectations of a movie. So, we grabbed some Skittles, an Icee, and some good seats and braced ourselves for a mystery-box film. From the title, I thought it would be about the industrialization of rural areas, and subdivisions taking the place of family-owned farms. I was delightfully wrong. In actuality, it was an adaptation of a book by author Cormac McCarthy (you may recognize the name--his recent book "The Road" was an Oprah Book Club pick). I won't spoil it--but it has everything you can ask for in a movie--tons of heroin, drug money, theft, revenge, murder, self-surgery--what more can you ask for?!

Films I'd like to see

...Sounds funny to post these movies here, but I figure that if my list is on the internet on something that I actually look at (i.e. not on a random scrap piece of paper or tucked away in a word document) then maybe I will remember to check out these films.

Lonesome Jim - starring Casey Affleck and Liv Tyler
Sketches of Frank Gehry - a documentary about the architect
Volver - a foreign flick with Penelope Cruz
Romance and Cigarettes - Lots of big name actors in a movie I recently heard about.

If you see any of these and have any comments, let me know.
Maybe I'll post a short review when I see them!

Afternoon Delight

I loved the movie Anchorman for all the small things. For instance, when all the anchors fight and Brick is holding the grenade... And also Brick's " I love lamp" comment. Also the anchors' rendition of "Afternoon Delight". Check out the guys singing "Afternoon Delight". It'll make your day. (This clip also includes the "I love lamp" piece.)