I'm Just Going to Dork Out Here for a Moment

Expelliarmus, and whatnot! I've just returned from seeing HP7 Part 2! (Or, the final Harry Potter film, for those of you who aren't into abbreviations.)

Not only did I just experience cinematic history, but I got to do so at the Alamo Drafthouse! Or, at least, the one in Houston. I guess the original is in Austin. If you are unfamiliar with the Alamo Drafthouse, as I was until recently, let me tell you a few things about why it is wonderful. For one, they are very serious about not allowing talking and texting and obnoxiousness during the movie. This is nice, because it heightens your movie enjoyment, and protects you from the kind of people who think they are adding to your movie-going experience by yelling at the screen.

For two, they recently developed this pre-show ad to remind people of their serious silence policy (perhaps you've seen it floating around the internet?):



If you're somehow still not in love with this place, let me tell you this: they will bring you food and alcohol. To your seat. During the movie. It's true! I myself had green chile cheese french fries and 2 pints of cider*, all while enjoying the magic of Harry Potter. I swear, it's almost enough to make you want to move to Texas.

Almost.

Anyway, Harry Potter was everything I hoped it would be, with the exception that I wish a little more had been made of the showdown between Mrs. Weasley and Bellatrix. I was most interested to see if they would include the nineteen-years-later epilogue, so I was really excited to find that they did. It was a little cheesy, particularly because some of the actors 'aged up' a little better than others, but it was still totally worth it. All in all, I'd say it was lovely and definitely worth seeing.

Although really, you were going to see / have seen it anyway, even if everyone had said it was awful, right? I mean, it's practically our civic duty, really.

In conclusion, let's just take a moment to celebrate Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood, the unsung (and unsettlingly sexy) heroes of the Harry Potter series.

Aaaaawwww yeah.

*I feel obligated to let you know that for some reason they forgot to bring Lee his food, so we had to flag the waiter down during the show (very risky given the no talking policy!) to remind him. I think we were probably the exception though because it seemed like everyone else was getting their food promptly, and once we let him know it took care of it post haste. Seriously, go to the Alamo Drafthouse! And take me with you!

It's More Difficult Than You'd Imagine to Be This Lazy

Today I chose to continue my winning streak by devoting yet another day to sitting around doing nothing. Last night after I finished blogging we busted out the vodka and Coke (for Lee) and cranberry juice (for me (btw, DO NOT buy Splenda-sweetened diet cranberry juice, trust me)), and I forced Lee to sit down and watch 500 Days of Summer with me. I'm not normally a huge fan of romantic comedies, but I really enjoyed this one, so it went on my list of Things to Share with Lee Next Time We're Together. I'm pretty sure we both have these lists, and I think they're probably mostly populated with things in which the other person is not typically interested. For Lee, it's things like romantic movies; for me, it's movies about terrorism. Nevertheless, I think one of the best parts of being in a relationship (romantic or otherwise) is being exposed to things you wouldn't normally seek out, and being able to gain an appreciation for them by seeing them through someone else's eyes. There. That's my overly sappy way of justifying my tendency to force my boyfriend to watch things he doesn't care about.

What was my point, anyway? Oh right: vodka and movies. After 500 Days of Summer, we watched a few more things on Netflix, so we didn't get to sleep until the wee hours of the morning. Between the alcohol and staying up so late, I had no choice but to sleep away half the day. After that, I sat around watching old episodes of Hoarders on Netflix while Lee surfed the internet. Finally, around 4:30, we got it together well enough to do something really productive: go to the movies!

We saw Super 8, and it was sooo good. In addition to a pretty entertaining storyline, it had such a gorgeous aesthetic and well-developed point of view that it almost felt like an instant classic. I would definitely recommend it, particularly to fans of Fringe, E.T., and movies that tell adult stories from the perspectives of children.

After the movie, I attempted to run 7 miles in Houston in July, but I think that's a story I'll save for tomorrow. Spoiler alert: I didn't make it. And to celebrate, I'm going eat some spaghetti. It's basically reverse carb-loading, but I don't recommend it. It's only for very advanced runners like myself, trust me.

Two Inappropriate Things for Tuesday

I just want to quickly share two very important things with you. First off, you should know that whenever this song comes on the radio, I and embarrassingly enthusiastic little dance in my car...



... and I'm not nearly as ashamed as I ought to be.


Secondly, I think about this scene from Grandma's Boy more often than you'd imagine.



At any given moment the probability is pretty high that in my head, I'm drunkenly singing 'Push It.'

Now, on with your day!

Your Source For Pop Culture News, A Month After It Was News

Over the weekend I saw this little film which you probably haven't heard of. It was called Star Trek? It's mostly about these two guys, 'James Kirk' and 'Spock,' who live in the future and are part of, like, this space military called 'Starfleet,' and they fly around in a space ship called 'the USS Enterprise' and some crazy shit goes down with Romulans and then they handle it and everything works out. Also Leonard Nimoy makes a bit of a cameo, but you probably don't even know who that is, so I don't know why I'm even mentioning it. Apparently there used to be a television show by the same name, and it was pretty popular, so I'm not sure why they haven't made a movie about it before now. At any rate, I just want you to know that Star Trek is a fantastic movie and it's very important to me that you see it as soon as possible, and then several more times after that. I think that you will find it enjoyable even if you have little previous knowledge of the Star Trek universe. It's the perfect mix of loud noises and explosions and humor and good times that you expect to see when you go to the cinema over the summer.

One thing about the movie that took me a little by surprise was how many members of the cast I found myself wanting to make sweet love to. I've always been a bit of a contrarian, prone to zigging with others expect me to zag, especially with regard to the kind of people I find attractive. In high school, there were always plenty of blonde-haired, blue-eyed athletic types that were the approved focus of the sexy fantasies of teenage girls. But no, those were not for me. Give me the quieter brown-eyed misfits, the ones that are equally likely to write poetry or have a gigantic music collection or read a lot of science fiction or make sarcastic comments under their breath. I like my men a little mysterious and misunderstood. This should come as no surprise to you, if you recall that I was in marching band.

(Related to quiet, mysterious men: In the movie, Spock makes a big deal about how important it is for Vulcans to keep their emotions completely under control and hidden way down deep inside. Me, to Lee: "Lee, be honest. Are you a Vulcan?")

Given my tendency to be too cool for the guys that 'everyone else' likes, when I heard all the buzz surrounding the hotness of the actor that was to play Capt. Kirk:

... I was all, "Whatever man, he's just another bland, pretty face that everybody will drool over because someone with authority declared him to be hot. Plus, look at his poofy hair." And since the film's only other option for eye candy was Spock, who would ordinarily be more my type, except I'm not so into the Vulcan eyebrows and pointy ears....

... I figured going in that this movie would be enjoyable and entertaining, but would not provide much in the way of fire for my loins. Imagine my surprise, then, when I left the theater not only blown away by the quality of the film, but also carrying a deep conviction that I would one day run away to a deserted island with Kirk and Spock, to live out our days in a spirit of mutual understanding, love, and boning.

(Fact: this past weekend my mother asked me to please stop using the word 'boning.' )

Truth be told, I think it was the good storytelling that warmed my icy heart in favor of the two men. You see, Kirk has a troubled past! He's a bad boy, yet he's super intelligent! He sticks to his guns and never gives up! And Spock! He's torn between two worlds! He doesn't know how to express himself, unsure when to follow his heart and when to bend to logic! Also, have you seen his beautiful brown eyes? I like brown eyes.

(And ok, I like passionate men who obviously need a woman to help them stay grounded. I could be that woman, you know? I could help Kirk settle down! I can show Spock how to feel! I swear Mom, I can change him! Ahem.)

Luckily, before I got too carried away by my fantasies of the dirty sexy times spent with the crew of the Enterprise, my date began to tell me his opinion on the film, opening with: "See, the thing is, Star Wars fans take great pride in the fact that our galaxy..." And that phrase was so adorable that I was rendered unable to ever think about another man again.

The end.