On Friday after work, I helped set up for Saturday's string quartet concert and then walked to the bank in the pouring rain. Fun times but I suppose if you walked in a nor'easter, that was nothing. Besides, I had Chinese food waiting...
Saturday was the concert itself. I showed up when I was told but I really think I could wait at least another half hour before going. Since I'm "the guy" now, I may negotiate this. Nothing really that exciting happened. I did get approached by a woman who complained the water fountain just gave a "weak stream." She must have been using only one finger or something because I found, when I "palmed" it, it worked fine. I liked that they do afternoon concerts now as I can be home for dinner but attendance at this one in particular wasn't good.
I arrived home to discover our movie-loving friend who I knew was coming up for the day was still there so we had pizza and beer and watched the following movies...
Hellboy 2: This was very good. I honestly don't remember enough of the first one to say definitively if this better or worse but I will say they upped the fantasy quotient which I think both helped it and hurt it. The fairy prince was an awesome villain but the demon or whatever that helped save Hellboy's life in Ireland was a little too out there in my opinion. And they traveled there in a WWII-era plane? The black-ops unit that they are should have more advanced aircraft than that unless it's important to the story; which it wasn't... Overall, I liked this so much, I wonder how they can top it except if they deal with more of his past.
The Women: Normally, even "chick flicks" have at least a couple men in supporting roles but this had none whatsoever. What it did have was certainly not every actress of the last thirty years but quite a few nonetheless. The two main stars were Meg Ryan and Annette Benning. Meg's husband is having an affair with a perfume-spritzer girl played by Eva Mendez (Joan Collins in the 1939 version.). Benning, Debra Messing and Jada Pinkett-Smith play her friends. The four women are different archetypes. Ryan plays a married socialite with one kid. Benning plays a career woman with no plans for children. Messing is a Jewish artist who's married and pregnant with her fifth child. Pinkett-Smith plays a commitment-phobic lesbian. Guess which archetype is the only one to appear in the '39 movie...I enjoy a good chick flick and "buddy chick flicks" are even easier for men like myself to swallow I think so this was great. I mean add Candace Bergen, Chloris Leachman, Bette Midler (whose role here is based on a different, and much larger, role, I guess, in the other movie...) and Carrie Fisher and how can this movie suck?
Today after church we had book group at a couple's home and had a fabulous birthday lunch for another member. One member never came even though he told people he was. Don't know what happened...
As I ponder the gorgeous weather today, I leave you with something I've meant to post for days...
Saturday was the concert itself. I showed up when I was told but I really think I could wait at least another half hour before going. Since I'm "the guy" now, I may negotiate this. Nothing really that exciting happened. I did get approached by a woman who complained the water fountain just gave a "weak stream." She must have been using only one finger or something because I found, when I "palmed" it, it worked fine. I liked that they do afternoon concerts now as I can be home for dinner but attendance at this one in particular wasn't good.
I arrived home to discover our movie-loving friend who I knew was coming up for the day was still there so we had pizza and beer and watched the following movies...
Hellboy 2: This was very good. I honestly don't remember enough of the first one to say definitively if this better or worse but I will say they upped the fantasy quotient which I think both helped it and hurt it. The fairy prince was an awesome villain but the demon or whatever that helped save Hellboy's life in Ireland was a little too out there in my opinion. And they traveled there in a WWII-era plane? The black-ops unit that they are should have more advanced aircraft than that unless it's important to the story; which it wasn't... Overall, I liked this so much, I wonder how they can top it except if they deal with more of his past.
The Women: Normally, even "chick flicks" have at least a couple men in supporting roles but this had none whatsoever. What it did have was certainly not every actress of the last thirty years but quite a few nonetheless. The two main stars were Meg Ryan and Annette Benning. Meg's husband is having an affair with a perfume-spritzer girl played by Eva Mendez (Joan Collins in the 1939 version.). Benning, Debra Messing and Jada Pinkett-Smith play her friends. The four women are different archetypes. Ryan plays a married socialite with one kid. Benning plays a career woman with no plans for children. Messing is a Jewish artist who's married and pregnant with her fifth child. Pinkett-Smith plays a commitment-phobic lesbian. Guess which archetype is the only one to appear in the '39 movie...I enjoy a good chick flick and "buddy chick flicks" are even easier for men like myself to swallow I think so this was great. I mean add Candace Bergen, Chloris Leachman, Bette Midler (whose role here is based on a different, and much larger, role, I guess, in the other movie...) and Carrie Fisher and how can this movie suck?
Today after church we had book group at a couple's home and had a fabulous birthday lunch for another member. One member never came even though he told people he was. Don't know what happened...
As I ponder the gorgeous weather today, I leave you with something I've meant to post for days...
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