Cats

I'm not a cat video person. But I could watch this a dozen times and laugh harder with each viewing.

Precious

The other day I was working on the computer and Brynn and Max were playing in front of me. I said to them, "You guys are so precious." Brynn looked at me and said, "Daddy, we are not precioussssss." She pulled out the Gollum voice and I busted up laughing.

Looper

This year was not my favorite for films. Last year I had a hard time narrowing down my top five. This year I'm having a hard time even putting together a top five. However, this was also not a strong movie going year for Lindsay and I. We always seem to have bad luck in theaters--crappy projector, lame audience, etc. Going out to a movie is not our favorite thing anymore. We have a great little home theater system downstairs that is much more convenient. So I still have many films to catch up on: Lincoln, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Moonrise Kingdom, Silver Linings Playbook.

Last night I watched Looper. My top five is coming together! What a great film. Totally original, great visuals, and of course anything with Bruce Willis is my kind of film. The movie was in my dreams and I woke up this morning still playing out the story. I love these types of films. Also, I was yelling at the screen during the last 5 minutes! "Nooooooooo!!!" Watch the movie and you will know why.

This just in...

Harry Potter to sit down with Oprah to admit use of Gillyweed in the 1994 Tri Wizard Tournament.

Beautiful

This looks fake, but it's not. It's a great snapshot of the snow that Tokyo received this past week. It would be quite cool to walk down Main Street and see snow falling like this.

10 Years Adam!

I can't believe my little man is 10! You will never meet a sweeter, more caring kid than this. We love him so much!

He started out as our chub! We miss those cheeks...

San Diego-5 years. This photo is a favorite.

Disneyland 2012. Adam and I shared my favorite moment of the year. Lindsay and the rest of the kids went back to the hotel for a nap, while Adam and I stayed at the park for some alone time. We watched some movies at the Opera House, rode down Main Street and then hunted around for some coin press machines. One of the most enjoyable, fulfilling two hours of the past many years.

Zero Dark Thirty

It was okay.

Les Miz Review

I knew going into this film that I was going to pick it to pieces. I have grown up loving the music and the spectacle. There is a style and a certain performance for each part that is ingrained in my mind. For example, if Jean Valjean is not Colm Wilkinson, then it pretty much does nothing for me. Each year I teach a unit on Les Miserables to my sixth grade students. We read a condensed version of the novel and then watch the Les Miz concert with Colm. It never gets old. I loved that he played the Bishop. Kam even turned to me and said, "That sounds like the guy who played Jean Valjean in the show we watched." Good ear, Kam!

I went in with low expectations and tried to love it more than I did. It was a good film (B-  maybe) but it didn't move me when I wanted it to. Here's what I liked: the movie focused a lot on the Revolution. The songs were the same, but it seemed to bring out the story of the Revolution and its importance. Loved that! My main complaint of the film is that Les Miz is supposed to be a big, bolstering musical power, but the intimacy of film took much of that away. Many songs pulled back and didn't go for the rafters. Too many close-ups. I wanted the actors to just let go, but most times they didn't.

I really wanted to like Hugh Jackman. I have never not liked him with his past performances. I thought he gave Valjean a great character and nailed his redemption, but I'm sorry, his voice SUCKED! Way too high and tinny. Sorry, Hugh. You are not my Jean Valjean. (Grade: B)

Worst part of the show. Russell Crowe was woefully miscast. (Grade: F)

I hate Fantine. Everyone hates Fantine. She is a whining little...anyway, I've never been a fan of her character or her voice. Anne Hathaway totally turned me on my heels though. She made me cry like a baby. I LOVED her! Who would have thought? (Grade: A-, I bring her down a bit for her death scene--a little too much drama)

Hilarious! The Thenardiers don't need strong voices--they just need to provide the slime and humor. Sasha Baron Cohen was perfect. I was giggling every time he was on screen. (Grades: Thenardier- A-, Madame Thenardier- B)

Listening to Amanda Seyfried sing is what I imagine a unicorn would sound like when singing. That's not a compliment. Marius can either be a great force in the show (Michael Ball) or someone to laugh at (Nick Jonas). Eddie Redmayne was my favorite part of the show! Fantastic acting and singing. I rooted for him and loved every moment of his performance. (Grades: Cosette- D, Marius- A)

If you don't love Eponine, then you have no business loving Les Miserables. She is always my favorite in the show and if you have a good Eponine, you can overlook most everything else. Samantha Banks was just about perfect in every way. I loved, loved her. "A Little Fall of Rain" is the reason why I will see this again someday. (Grade: A)

Les Miserables

Just saw Les Miserables tonight. I will post about it soon. Might be a long one...

Great movie line

Lindsay and I watched The Social Network the other night with our brother Collin. Great movie. I love this line referencing Karate Kid:

Divya Narendra: Every minute this site is up HarvardConnection becomes less valuable. I want an injunction, I want damages, I want punitive relief and I want him dead.
Cameron Winklevoss: Yeah, I want those things too.
Divya Narendra: Then why aren't we doing anything about it? Because we're gentlemen of Harvard?!
Cameron Winklevoss: No, because you're not thinking how it's gonna look.
Divya Narendra: How's it gonna look?
Cameron Winklevoss: Like my brother and I are in skeleton costumes chasing the Karate Kid around the high school gym.

MTC with the Family

My dad is serving in a branch presidency at the MTC and last Sunday our family went to his sacrament meeting. We had lunch in the cafeteria (food has not improved in the last 20 years) and then attended their meeting. The kids were a hit with the missionaries, especially the sisters. We had a good time and the boys were excited to see what lies ahead for them (not saying that Brynn isn't going on a mission, but her only thought there was running up and down the halls).