Ruminations from the Temple

Like millions of other fans, we saw it - the long-awaited new Star Wars film, the Force Awakens. Let me just say up front—a small disclaimer—that I am not your average Star Wars fan. Further, I am not a fangirl in the sense that I have to buy every t-shirt and action figure that hits the store shelves…well, mostly (I do love my Jedi robes). I am the fan that thrives on the story, the details, the philosophy, the technology, the backstories…you get the gist. I live in the mind of the characters, and in the maker. I don’t care as much about the ‘ride’ of an action-packed movie as much as how much it makes me think. In fact, while I appreciate the thrill of a good dog-fight over an exotic planet, that is not what makes the movie for me. I guess when you wait for a couple years, then experience the massive amounts of hype, by both the media, the producer et al., and the fans, you may be set up for a little disappointment by the reality. I don’t know that I would say full-on ...

I didn't see the Noah movie. I'm glad I didn't after some of the reviews I read and heard. However, this new rendition of Exodus was definitely worth the ticket price. Egyptian eye-candy The story is oh-so-familiar, so I was very interested in their interpretation. I always love to see ancient Egypt come to life. Here are a few of my observations: 1. Christian Bale does a pretty good job with the famous role. And he wasn't hard to look at, either. I did wonder why he wasn't bald in the typical Egyptian fashion for royal men, however, it is important to note that he most likely looks better with hair. 2. Joel Edgerton, whom you may recognize from Star Wars as the young Owen Lars, was a decent Ramses. We won't talk about the scholarly discrepancies about timelines and whether he was THE Ramses that we see in the Bible account...we will just pretend like this is how it went down for the sake of entertainment. 3. The costumes were fabulous. Absolutel...

Why do I think hardly anyone saw this movie ? I didn't hear anything about it, other than an obscure trailer long ago. Thankfully, Padawan kept it in mind and was watching for it to show up at the cheap theater. For a paltry $1 per ticket, we got a real treat. Ewan McGregor was very believable as Dr. Alfred Jones, a rather nerdy fisheries expert, who is thrust into a position of consultant on a far-fetched dream of bringing salmon to the Yemen. This is a wonderful and sweet chick-flick. What I liked: watching Ewan McGregor for 107 minutes. listening to Ewan McGregor for 107 minutes. watching the Sheikh, played by Arm Waked, for somewhat less than 107 minutes. the story was easy to watch, although pretty predictable. I loved the dry British humor! that it was a feel-good movie with excellent cinematography (there are some really great camera shots!) What I didn't like: Really, not much. It reminded me of films made in the 80s that were solely for the purpo...

Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. brings together a team of super humans to form The Avengers to help save the Earth from Loki and his army. Am I the last one to see this movie ? Everyone was so excited to see it, even going to midnight showings of the action-packed superhero extravaganza. Great reviews and woohoos! on facebook absolutely drove me to see the movie. Thankfully, it was showing in non-3D, and I had free passes that I was saving for a good reason to go to the theater. So, everyone knows the story, right? Honestly, I don't know if I can tell you the story, other than Mace Windu...er, Fury goes against some mysterious council to put together the Avengers, a group of super-skilled warriors with PTSD to fight invaders that want to take over Earth. Yep, the stuff of comic books, for sure. Oops, sorry... graphic novels . What I liked: The heroes were fab! Black Widow, Captain America...Iron Man!!  Oh yes, Tony Stark - what a character! (Who said they don't create ...

Before I say anything, I must reveal that this movie is my favorite of the saga. Yes, I know...Jar Jar Binks. Yes, Yoda looked kinda strange and bug-eyed. Yes, Jake Lloyd was rather difficult on the set. Regardless, I thrill every time I see Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan make their appearance, and laugh when Jar Jar makes a fool of himself. I love the costumes, the philosophy, the dialog and the story. I love it all...and have to admit that I have probably watched/listened to this movie at the very least 50 times, or more (that may be a bit of an underestimate). Having said all that, you may be thinking, "why in the world review it, then?" I want to tell you how exciting it was to see it on the big screen once again - 3D, no less! The pod race was beyond thrilling for me. The space battle was even more epic than before. In fact, I turned to my companions several times and said, "this is a completely new movie!!" For me, it was. The details of the costumes, the detai...

Last night, my bestest girlfriends and I visited our favorite movie theater. Why is it our favorite movie theater, you ask? Well, that is because admission is only $2. Amazingly, it looks just like all the other theaters except the movies have been out longer and the ticket is cheaper...much cheaper. Anyway, we decided against Lion King 3D and opted to check out The Help. Several of us had heard good things about it from others who had paid full-price for their viewing, so we thought we'd give it a go. I have to say, we were not disappointed. In a similar fashion to the latest Nancy Drew movie, the costumes were impeccable. Absolutely a feast for the eyes. The contrast of the maid uniforms of 'the help' and the over the top frou-frou of the southern women of the sixties was striking. What was interestingly missing, however, was a soundtrack of much note. I noticed the music only a couple of times, and when I did I was surprised at it's inclusion. That didn't dim...

OK, this was a fun movie! I first discovered Daniel Craig, (who plays the main character Jake Lonergan in this movie), in the latest James Bond offering.  My hubby was 'watching' it on television; unfortunately, he falls asleep far before the plot of any movie is even revealed.  When I eventually come into the room, I end up getting sucked into whatever is playing...usually some shoot 'em up or disgusting horror flick.  But this time is was Daniel Craig, who plays an incredible Bond , by the way.   Who is this guy, and where did he come from??  Why had I never seen him before? (When I mentioned him to my husband, he said, "oh yeah, isn't that the guy who never smiles?"  Yeah, that's him. *chuckle*) yep...pretty easy to look at, eh? This movie had it all...well, except Obi-Wan, that is.  The hero of the story is exceptional, exactly what you'd want a hero to be like.  Talk about kickin' some butt!  Harrison Ford is such a jerk...

Last evening I had the pleasure of viewing the newest remake of the story of Robin Hood . I have to admit that it wasn't something that was even on my radar screen until a friend mentioned it to me. She is a staunch Russell Crowe fan and absolutely was not going to miss him as the 12 th century legend. It sounded like a fun time out with the 'girls', so myself, my daughter, my best friend and our Russell-crazed friend headed for the theater. The first thing that struck me was the costuming. It was so realistic and, well, smelly-looking! Excellent costuming made this instantly believable to me. Next, the musical score by Marc Streitenfeld was rich and well-orchestrated, adding to the texture and feeling of the time period. Crowe (Robin Hood) and Cate Blanchett (Lady Marion) I was impressed with this movie; it held my attention for the entire 2 hours and 20 minutes. Even though it is longer than most epics, the engaging story, breathtaking cinematography, excell...

Just the title of this post alone makes me want to laugh! We just came from viewing The Men Who Stare at Goats, starring George Clooney and Ewan McGregor. All I can say is...HAHAHAHAHA! Yeah, we thought this movie was an absolute hoot! My Padawan and I, as you may already know, are AVID Star Wars fans. And boy did they reference our favorite obsession in this movie. It's the story of a special ops group within the military specializing in psychic abilities - super soldiers, at it were...Jedi Warriors. The story is told through the eyes of a struggling journalist (Mr. McGregor) who is following a fantastic story about these US Jedi Warriors. It is loosely based upon a true story taking place in the late 70's-early 80's. George Clooney plays a very believable 'super-soldier' with psychic abilities who takes our humble journalist on an incredible journey in the middle east. I have read several reviews of this movie, and it would seem that my buddy and I are def...

Last night was the arrival of the fabulous Star Wars in Concert here in Seattle. The production is traveling to thrill Star Wars fans all across the country with a full orchestra, light show and video montages of the movies we love. Traveling with the musicians is some of the original props and costumes used in the films. We had the pleasure of attending and trooping with the Rebel Legion Alpha Base and the 501st Garrison Titan - what an evening! Padawan and I had a lot of fun being 'stationed' by the most popular of costumes in the exhibit of props, the Darth Vader costume from the original trilogy. What a crowd of picture-takers! By far my favorite concert goers were the littlest Star Wars fans dressed as their favorite characters. We saw many Boba Fetts, little Leias, Jedi younglings and even a couple of Jawas and an Ewok. The pure excitement of the event was mirrored in their young faces - one and all. So, we posed for pictures, worked the crowd, and answered q...

The new season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars has started again! We were graced by an 'hour' of new story line and furthering of the character Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker's padawan. Unfortunately, she is being blamed for picking up Anakin's habit of disobedience and I just don't see that going to a good place. Cad Bane, the bounty hunter, is a truly evil character, but perfect as a villian. And, as always, I love the animation. The fight scene in zero gravity is truly art in motion. I don't want to give away too many details for those that haven't had the pleasure of viewing the entire episode, so I'll just end with the wisdom opener: A lesson learned is a lesson earned. I'd like to tweak that a bit, actually. I like this better: A lesson learned is wisdom earned. *smile*

Oh yeah!

So, we just got back from viewing the new movie starring Tom Hanks and Ewan McGregor, Angels & Demons (directed by Ron Howard). I loved it! I did not have the occasion to see Davinci Code, however when I saw that Ewan McGregor was in this sequel, I thought I could probably spring for a ticket. *smile* Here is the synopsis: It revolves around the quest of fictional Harvard University symbologist Robert Langdon to uncover the mysteries of a secret society called the Illuminati and to unravel a plot to annihilate Vatican City using destructive antimatter. The book uses the idea of a historical conflict between science and religion, particularly that between the Illuminati and the Roman Catholic Church. The novel introduces the character Robert Langdon, who is also the protagonist of Brown's subsequent 2003 novel, The Da Vinci Code. It also shares many stylistic elements with its sequel, such as conspiracies of secret societies, a single-day time frame, and the Catholic Church. A...

My dear friend and I went to see this new installment of the Star Trek universe last night...$10 to get in! I can't believe it...sheesh! Despite the sticker shock, we completely and thoroughly enjoyed the ride! We laughed at so many of the nods toward the original characters; very well done, not cheesy at all. The costumes were fabulous, the special effects were even better and the actors just nailed it. Being someone who has watched Star Trek for years, but not truly considered a 'trekkie', I didn't see any continuity issues; the movie seemed to follow all the rules, as it were. I hated the villian, but that's all good, right? And I enjoyed loving and hating Kirk for his cockiness, but that's the way it should be, as well! Spock, who is my favorite Star Trek character (always has been), was absolutely brilliant. Fascinating. It would be highly entertaining to see this movie in IMAX, as I have heard it is showing in IMAX all over the country. Wonder how ...

So, we just returned from seeing The Clone Wars, the newest installment to the Star Wars Galaxy. The following review is written from the viewpoint of a TOTAL Star Wars geek, so be forewarned… My expectation for The Clone Wars movie was much less than it actually delivered. I guess it was a good thing to read several reviews, both good and bad, prior seeing the movie. The most thorough review I read was on the StarWarsAddiction site; they described the movie's good and not so good facets. However, I was thrilled from the opening moments of the title clear through to the last posing scene. My favorite characters, Obi-Wan and Anakin, were portrayed just as they were in the opening sequence of the (novelization of) The Revenge of the Sith - as total and complete heroes of the Clone Wars, and a great team, as well. Other well-known characters were presented exactly in keeping with the ongoing characterization of them; Yoda was wise and very short, Mace sounded just like Sam Jackson, an...