5 Movies You Should NEVER See

Since I've listed my favorite movies, I have to list my least-favorite as well. Actually, I shouldn't say I liked them the least, I should say I didn't like them at all. Anyway, here they are:

"Being Human" -- starring Robin Williams. A complete waste of 2 hours. The most I can say for this movie is that it will always be 2 hours wasted with my favorite people in the world. Hopefully Brooks, Blake, Lexia, and I can laugh about it for years to come.
"Bicentennial Man" -- another Robin Williams flop. The whole sexual relationship between those robots was just . . . weird.
"Duets" -- I struggled to even finish this movie. Why did Gwyneth Paltrow act like a ditzy 7 year-old girl? I think the movie was mainly supposed to involve character development, but that development s-u-c-k-e-d.
"The Stepford Wives" -- I'm referring to the remake, here. The ending was total crap. I should've known the 70's version couldn't be outdone.
"Ella Enchanted" -- Okay, okay. I probably should've seen this one coming, but Lauren wanted to see Hugh Dancy (You did, Lauren; you did.). So we watched it and realized we had wasted precious time.

My Favorite Movies

I think about this a lot, so I decided to put my list down in one place. I don't even want to try to prioritize the list, so it's in no particular order.

"Casablanca" -- How can we go wrong with a movie that has lines like, "Round up the usual suspects," "Of all the gin joints in all the world, she had to walk into mine," and "The problems of 3 people don't amount to a hill of beans in this world . . . If you don't go, you'll regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life. Remember; we'll always have Paris." (Or something like that.)
"The Sound of Music" -- Is there a better musical score out there? I think not.
"Funny Girl" -- This definitely does NOT beat "The Sound of Music," but who can deny that the songs in here are brilliant? My favorite scene used to be the roller skating act (what with the grapes on the shoulder and everything), but now it's the "You Are Woman, I Am Man" part (hmmm . . . I think I'm maturing).
"Mansfield Park" -- Lovely.
"Chocolat" -- Uh, the fact that this movie has a lot to do with chocolate is glorious. What better theme for a movie? I don't know if there is one. Plus, there is this really handsome devil playing Juliet Binoche's love interest. For a picture, click here.
"Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" -- I'm still stuck on chocolate. Need I say more than "opening credits?" Plus, Gene Wilder is the best!
"About A Boy" -- Again, lovely. It's a wonderfully clean and non-offensive show. The music for this one is nice, too.
"In Good Company" -- from one of the directors of "About A Boy." Although I don't know whether the relationship between Carter and Alex (Was that her name?) had to be sexual, I liked that the emphasis was not on them. More movies need to be about relationships in general, rather than relationships between men and women. This is what I like about the Weitz brothers.
"Finding Nemo" -- Hey, what is an animation doing in here? But if there is one, it should be this. I loved it. One of my favorite lines is spoken by a Boston lobster: "It's wicked dahk." And I forgot the father sea turtle: "You got some serious thrill issues, dude."
"Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" -- I think it's easy to see how I made this transition. I know it's a crazy choice, but this movie was great. We all know that everybody loves it.
"It's A Wonderful Life" -- Best feel-good movie ever. Period.
"In America" -- Another feel-good movie
"So I Married an Axe Murderer" -- Mike Meyers' best. Ah, I love movies from the early 90's.
"Groundhog's Day" -- Bill Murray's best.
"The Royal Tenenbaums" -- The walls in the house are pink! This alone makes the movie worth it. Seriously, though, the movie is a refreshing change from big blockbuster movies.
"The Shawshank Redemption" -- This is one of those movies I HAVE to watch every time it comes on TNT. The moment the pebble rips through the Raquel Welch poster tickles me every time.
"Working Girl" -- Another movie I have to watch when it comes on TV. I love 80's movies. They're all about making it big and climbing to the top. Rags to riches.
"The Labyrinth" -- This goes along with movies like "The Goonies" and "Lucas." Kind of weird movies, but if you grow up on them, you learn to love them. Plus, David Bowie is the Goblin King. I ALWAYS wanted Sarah to stay with him.
Most John Hughes movies -- He is master in teen flicks. I'll list them: "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," "Pretty In Pink," "Some Kind of Wonderful," and "The Breakfast Club." He also directed "Christmas Vacation" and "Home Alone" -- both very good movies. I didn't, however, like one of his latest: "Maid In Manhattan." Yuck.
"Jane Eyre" -- This has to be the Orson Welles version; it's really the only way to go. It's so . . . romantic. :)
"Emma" -- Charming and funny. Jane Austen is one of my favorite authors.
"You've Got Mail" -- My favorite Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks movie; although "Joe vs. the Volcano" was pretty good too.
"Legally Blonde" -- I don't care who you are; you like this movie. Who wouldn't?
"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" -- It's my favorite Indiana Jones movie. I can't wait for the next one!
"Return of the Jedi" -- I like the original version best. Lucas cut out the great song in the last scene. What was he thinking?!?
"Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" -- The complete wonder felt when watching this movie for the first time cannot be matched. It was wonder-full!
"Pirates of the Carribean" -- Ummm . . . I'll admit it; Johnny Depp made this movie.
"The Talented Mr. Ripley" -- This was so weird and new and interesting; I loved it.

Well, I think I've taken up enough space for listing good movies. Obviously there are many more, but I'm tired of making up a seemingly never-ending list. Comment on your favorite movie(s), K?

Six Flags Over Jaw-juh

That's Georgia for you non-Southern folk. I went to Six Flags on Saturday and was so impressed by one particular ride that I had to post something about it. I only wish I had pictures to accompany this post.
Let me start by saying that I hadn't been to Six Flags since high school. It was strange to have to walk through metal detectors at the entrance. . . My onetime favorite roller coaster was The Ninja, but it now gives me headaches (It's really quite amazing that kids can pretty much ignore pain.). Then the Batman ride opened, and that was THE coolest because your legs are left to dangle in the air. So when I heard that you're horizontal for the Superman ride, I was officially psyched. Here are the stats:

MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 115'
FIRST DROP: 100'
LENGTH: 2759'
SPEED: 60 MPH
NUMBER OF TRAINS: 3
CAPACITY: 1520 riders per hour
COLORS: Red, yellow, and blue
MANUFACTURER: Bolliger & Mabillard
OPENING DATE: Spring 2002
RIDE TIME: 3 minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES: A 78-foot pretzel shaped inverted loop, a 360 degree in-line roll and first of it's kind dual loading stations

I still didn't expect magic or anything, but I was in for a real treat. I want to mention here the beauty of this roller coaster. With the Superman, you can forget about blah color schemes. No; no blacks and greens and oranges for Superman. It's red, yellow, and blue! We stood in line for about an hour (It's also really quite amazing that kids AND adults stand in line for up to 2 hours to experience something that lasts less than a minute.). We sat down, buckled ourselves in, and the machine locked us into horizontal position. Yes, this was going to be good. I was comfortable (which is saying a lot for roller coaster seats), and I felt safe. It was the smoothest coaster ride I had EVER been on. EVER.
The second time we got on, our seats got locked in position for about 20 minutes. But it really wasn't too uncomfortable. I actually had a fun time hangin' there and chatting with everyone. And even with the technical difficulties, it was best ride of the day.
So that's my plug for the Superman.

Oh yeah -- the thing I'm thankful for today: The Superman Ultimate Flight (!)

Try Reading This

The pweor of the hmuan mnid.

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be at the rghit pclae.
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raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

One of Those Personal (But Not Too Personal) Surveys

Thing I'm thankful for: Chocolate and peanut butter

Okay. Now it's time for one of those personal surveys. It won't be TOO personal, though, because that would be weird.

Color: blue
Number: really any even number, but I guess I'll go with . . . 6
Ice cream flavor: CHOCOLATE -- YUM!
Scent: rain, ink on paper, bread baking in the oven, HUGO, and baby smell (not the stinky diaper part, but the so fresh and so clean part)
Sound: Mom's voice, children's voices, thunderstorms, wedding bells and clock towers, and ummm . . . popping my knuckles (yeah, it's weird, but whatever)
Day of the week: Sunday
Time of day: the time when no one else is awake
Item of clothing: JEANS. Period.
Food: Mom's potato salad
Drink: milk -- 2%, no chocolate
Vegetable: corn
Fruit: apple
Flower: Tulips
Place to travel: Switzerland or basically any German-speaking country
Want kids one day? How many? OF COURSE! Lots and lots
Kids' names? Sam, Luke, John, Nicholas, Natalie, Cathy, Susanna, Anne, Jenna, and Stella. I also like weird names, but I would never give them to my children -- Seamus, Vincent, and Victor
Place you shop the most: lately, Target
Cup half-full or half-empty? It depends on what's inside. If we're talkin' milk, it's half-empty; if we're speaking in metaphorical terms, it's half-full.
Love at first sight or a deeper look? I don't even know what this means. Why are these stupid questions always on these surveys? I guess I could take it off, but then you wouldn't get the full effect of this survey.
Who was your first love? my future husband, of course!!!
Hard situation in your life: right now -- being young and not knowing where I'm going (that sounds like Willy Wonka)
Superhero: Batman
TV show: "Seinfeld," "Family Ties," and "The Cosby Show." I will always have a soft spot for "Felicity," though, because I used to watch it with two of my favorite people in the world.
Season: Fall

Summertime and the Livin' Is Easy

I just want to reply to my last post. I feel that I was very negative on that particular day (I may not have sounded like it, but I was most definitely in that state of mind.). I realized that right now, my family has been very supportive of my 20-something trials, and I am really grateful for them. My parents are giving me plenty of time to find a good job (i.e., For the most part, they're letting me be a bum.). Aso, danke meine Familie. Ihr sind meinen Retterin.
This leads me to my new post-ly feature, which is to name something/someone I am thankful for. So I am thankful for my family and . . . the Rebers, who are like my second family.

Where Have All the Copyediting Jobs Gone?

I don't have much to write about today, but I did want to mention that today was the summer solstice. It's the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. I learned this from Blake's blog. I've been so bothered about the goings-on in my life right now, that I haven't even kept up with science news. For me, that's pretty low.
This brings me to my rant. Why is it so ridiculously hard to find a job after college? I need a job, but I don't have the experience most firms want. I think we should be judged by how willing we are to learn, though. Hmmm...how would that work? What if I just started showing up to places at 9:00 and pretended that I actually have a job there? Maybe no one would notice. Maybe.
Anyway, look at my blog in about a week; I should have pictures posted about my trip to Florida.

Movie I'm Most Looking Forward To Right Now

I periodically check movie trailers on Apple. Lately I haven't been too impressed, but I saw a trailer for "In Her Shoes" just now, and I think it will be quite good. Usually Cameron Diaz kind of bothers me -- I don't really know why; maybe she's just a little too hyper. I think she'll be okay in this movie, though. And Toni Collette is always fun to watch. One of the best parts about this movie is that it's set to come out in my birthday month! YAY!

I 'Heart' Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart has always been one of my favorite stores. How can it go wrong? I can buy in affordable bulk, AND (and this is the more important reason) it's open for all 24 hours of the day! For people like me who stay up late, it's wonderful. It's also wonderful when I have a school project due the next day, and I find I need plastic fruit (or something) in the middle of the night. Maybe there's an argument for the fact that it puts "mom and pop" places out of business, but I'd say it's a small one. I mean, COME ON! 24 HOURS! (Whoever doesn't like Wal-Mart probably isn't a procrastinator.)
Wal-Mart's standards dropped a bit, though, when Target started. Target's service was friendlier, their stores were cleaner, and the clothes were better. I always feel a little guilty when I look for a Target before I look for a Wal-Mart.
The good news is that Wal-Mart is setting its sights on those higher niceties. They are trying to cater to the Target-type customers. (I only hope they still offer low-priced options as well.) You can read all about it here. Also, read about the dropped plans for a NY Wal-Mart here. (Darn it; they came so close, so close.)

How Mark Felt Became 'Deep Throat'

Today's post title is also the name of the Washington Post article I just read on MSN. Bob Woodward writes about how he got to know the man who helped him solve Watergate. I'm sure most of you have read it, but if you haven't, this is my way of telling you YOU SHOULD. It's a really interesting read, especial the last few pages. The article can be found here.