A BLOG DEDICATED TO MY LOVE OF THE SILVER SCREEN
Established May 2010.


Gordie: Do you think I'm weird?
Chris: Definitely.
Gordie: No man, seriously. Am I weird?
Chris: Yeah, but so what? Everybody's weird.
-STAND BY ME

Film Critic for Twin Cities Live

Member of THE LAMB: The Large Association of Movie Blogs LAMB #1588

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Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Bite Me


So of the MANY things rolling around in my head lately that I just can't shake, one of them happens to this Vampire craze that has taken over our culture. I will be honest. I will admit it. I have totally fallen for this goofy craze. I don't want to say I was hesitant or resisted the craze, but I didn't dive in head first like your typical twelve year old girl or desperate housewife.

Past Vampire History for P McG: I feel like I was really into vampires when the movie version of Interview with a Vampire came out in theaters. I remember doing a school report in the 6th or 7th grade on the vampire legends. Mind you I was a youngin' with strict parents (No R-Rated movies for me) so I never saw the movie in the theaters but I was still drawn to this concept. A few years ago I picked up the book of Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice and read it in a Guthrie dressing room. Great book, but I still haven't read any others in the series.

Current Vamp for P McG: Two of the biggest influences on this vampire craze are the TWILIGHT series by Stephenie Meyer and the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris which spawned the HBO show TRUE BLOOD. Let's start with Twilight. I've read the first two books and I'm almost done with the third book. I haven't read them back to back. Other books have made there way between my readings of Bella, Jacob, and Edward. I've also seen and own the first two movies. The writing is terrible but somehow I am sucked in...eek. For someone who doesn't know how this saga ends, as of now I am Team Jacob...I cannot wait to finish this third book and see the movie of Eclipse! Don't worry, I will not be standing in the midnight line with a bunch of screaming girls at the Rosedale AMC. I will probably see it the next day. Next comes Sookie Stackhouse/TRUE BLOOD. I have seen the first season of True Blood and I am almost done reading the first book "Dead Until Dark". Yes, I have two books going. Eclipse is for the bedside and Dead Until Dark is the bus book. I don't have HBO so I have to patiently wait for the DVDs to be released. Season 2 comes out next week and I seriously cannot wait. Alan Ball has another AMAZING show on his hands. He created SIX FEET UNDER for those who don't know his name. I bow down to SIX FEET UNDER for numerous reasons which might be explained in another blog. I guess Alan Ball was the reason why I even started watching True Blood to begin with. I started reading the first book long after I watched the first season. I didn't think I was going to get too into it, but low and behold, I am enjoying it. I may just have to read the rest of the series. As of now there are 10 Sookie Stackhouse books and the third season of the show starts up again in July. I've heard they are quite different and the show really branches in other directions.

Here's the question. Due to the fact that I am neither a twelve year old girl nor a desperate housewife, why I have been sucked into this vampire craze? I'm not all that interested in some vampire biting me and stealing me away, so what is my fascination with this?
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Sunday, May 9, 2010

Betty, Meryl, Ma, and Grams

This blog is about women that I admire (even if I haven't met two of them)

Did everyone watch Saturday Night Live this weekend with the fabulous BETTY WHITE? They brought back some of the funniest ladies from the past ten years and it was such a hysterical show. Seriously one of the best SNLs in a long long time. Previous to SNL, I was watching a GOLDEN GIRLS marathon on the WE channel while I prepared the strata I made for breakfast. There's something about watching The GGs that puts me in a terrific mood and relaxes me. The humor is so funny, sharp, and shocking at times. Watching those four women deliver jokes with perfect timing is only something I could dream of doing. It seems like nowadays people's level of humor has dumbed down severely, so it's terrific to see people acknowledging the comedic ingeniousness that is Betty White. There was a moment during SNL where all the cast members sang "Thank You for Being a Friend". It was so heartwarming and wonderful.

I know I've said it before and I will keep saying it, but Meryl Streep is a god. She seriously can do no wrong. I just re-watched IT'S COMPLICATED and the making-up featurette. It's not a perfect movie by any means, but it's proof that she is captivating to watch no matter if it's a heavy drama or something light and fluffy like this movie.

Today is Mothers Day which meant another fun family meal. Today's meal was a brunch with strata and hash browns made by yours truly. One of my goals for 2010 was to make 10 new recipes and the strata was definitely one to add to the list. It was just wonderful to see Ma and Grams again today. Grams hasn't been doing well lately, but she is one hell of a trooper and fighter. I think I would have given up by know if it was me. Given what she's been going through, she still has her wit about it. She's 86.5 which is two years younger than Betty. God, I hope I still have some wit left when I'm her age; if I even make it that far.

Alright alright. Enough of my blabbing...

P McG
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Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Bloggity Blog

You may be wondering why I decided to start a blog and more importantly what will I write about...

Should I have a theme to this blog? Should I blog my way through something. Should I blog my way through the OTHER Julia Child cookbook "The French Chef Cookbook" where she has ALL of the recipes she used on her show? My friend Max is blogging his way through the AFI's Top 100 movies. Should I blog my way through slasher films? I don't know if blogging after each entry into the Halloween series or the Friday the 13th series would be as interesting to others as it would be to me. I could blog my way through a TV series. Jaime told me I'd put readers to sleep if I blogged my way through each awesome episode of Dawson's Creek, so maybe that isn't such a great idea.

I guess for this first blog it will be the reason I thought of writing the blog in the first place. I guess I wanted a place to rant and see if I am right or wrong in my thinking. I went to a screening of Hitchcock's The Birds last night at the Riverview. It's a classic, duh. Now, I was mostly surrounded by movie nerds like myself but I was also surrounded stupid giggly people. These types of screenings of old classic horror movies are meant for nerds like myself NOT stupid people that can't appreciate a classic. There were LOTS of people laughing throughout the whole movie. NOW don't get me wrong. Hitch has a dark sense of humor and he definitely fits in a few quips and funny lines to show this, but the movie isn't a comedy. There's no reason to be laughing throughout the whole thing. This happened to me years ago when I saw The Exorcist. People were laughing throughout the whole movie like it was a comedy. Tippi was laying there getting pecked by the birds and people were laughing like it was a Mel Brooks scene. Have I become an old movie snob? Was I missing something? Were these people laughing being they appreciated the sick twistedness of Hitch or were they just plain out laughing at the movie because they have no appreciate for a classic. Have people my generation and younger lost the sense of a classic and good taste? Am I just a boring movie snob?
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