half-baked! Thea’s thoughts on the half-baked world

December 29, 2009

Avatar is a MUST See

First of all this was one movie that I really didn’t know much about because I didn’t watch any previews or trailer clips. If you haven’t heard of it, click on the video above and watch the preview.

I must say that I think this is the best movie I have seen that can touch everyone, no matter what you like.  For instance, there are Star Trek fans but others won’t go watch it if they aren’t interested in Star Trek or never watched it as a kid or adult. You might be lost in that film if you don’t know who James T. Kirk is or Spock. But with this film, WOW!  The graphics and story line keep you from falling asleep even though it is a long movie.

It is in 3D and I was told from many on my Facebook when I asked about it, that 3D is the way to go! Well, some people might get motion sickness because of the action and movement that is in this film. If you don’t get motion sickness, then you should be fine and it would be one heck of a movie to watch in 3D!  In my family I have some that get motion sickness, so we didn’t watch it in 3D and we went to the 9 pm showing. We were in our car at 11:50 going home, so it is about a 2-1/2 hour movie.

I don’t want to say too much about the movie. The video above says all you need to know, to go and see it.  I have noticed that in previews, whatever you see is usually the only best parts of the movie but with this one, there is so much more that is good that isn’t in the preview.

Leaving last night I thought that James Cameron is smart! Who wouldn’t want to watch a film and be happy for the man, who is in the wheelchair, to be able to run again? This movie is perfect for everyone. There is hardly any cursing, that I can remember, and there isn’t any nudity scenes.

So, out of all the movies I have scene this year for 2009, Avatar is the best, hands down! Go see it!!

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December 20, 2009

UP!

I remember seeing the previews to this movie and thinking I want to see it! It just came out on rentals and last night while I was laying in bed feeling sick as a dog, I decided to watch this movie called, UP.

First, I have to say that the cartoon characters or would they even be called cartoon, maybe vector? Anyway, these characters are awesome! The facial expressions of Ellie makes you think you are really looking at a child and recognizing each thought as it comes across her face.

It is something how we are put together with the people in our life.  We don’t mistakenly come across someone’s site or bump into them.  I believe everything happens for a reason and if you are here reading this, it was meant for you to get to know me and my writings! If you comment, then it was meant for me to get to know you, otherwise I wouldn’t know who is reading. I couldn’t help but be reminded of, when little Carl met Ellie, how I met my husband.  I didn’t meet him in an old run down abadoned home like the beginning of their story but I did meet him at a gas station at 3 am on my Junior Prom night!  You don’t “just happen” to be somewhere and meet someone that will change the course of the rest of your life. I think it is a divine intervention! :) At least with my case it was.

So, Carl always wanted adventure!  Don’t we all remember a time when we wanted an adventure?  To watch this movie and see Carl grow old and not achieving his adventure with the love of his life beside him brought tears to my eyes.  Then life knocks at the door introducing Russell, the little over weight boy scout, who was trying to earn his last badge by helping a Senior Citizen.  How many of us help Seniors out today without something in return?  One day we will be a senior citizen and I hope that I am approached by someone young for their help.  It will make me feel like I am still here to do something in my life. Even though I am old and can’t get around a room without a cane that has tennis balls on the bottom legs.  These days it seems like they are treated with an air of “You don’t know what your talking about” kind of like how it was for us as parents when our children are becoming the age that everything we say or do is wrong and they are right. Seniors might be completely gray and look like q-tips as you are driving behind them but they are still young at heart, not ready to give in to being old or treated that way.  They still want to feel important, not feel as if they are a burden to society.  Especially in this fast paced one we live in now.

I would encourage everyone to sit down with their family or just by yourself like I was last night and watch this movie.  It will make you laugh, cry and want to call your Grandparents to tell them you love them or make you cry harder cause you miss them and can only say it to yourself! Then again, it might help you to learn to have patience with the elderly when you see them walking slowly across the pedestrian walk way in front of Wal-Mart or when you are behind them on the road and they are going slowly!  They aren’t going slow to get on your nerves. They might be having a hard time seeing or they might just be nervous in the fast pace race we are all running.  We could probably learn a few things from our elderly, like to slow down and enjoy life.  There are so many of our senior citizens that are like toddlers, spending most of their time in daycare, which is retirement homes.

This movie will also remind you of what your dreams were and if you are still young, go for it because you aren’t getting any younger. Time goes by and it seems it is going by faster every year. If you are thinking you are too old, help someone else achieve it. Or better yet, still try if the desire is there to achieve your dreams.  UP shows you that you are never too old and it is wonderful having someone beside you to share it, no matter who it is.

Life is still going on and there are people out there that are going through what you went through and it would be nice to have a mentor to help them get through the hard times. That mentor could be you! No matter what your age! So if you “run into someone” or if someone knocks on your door like our boy scout Russell did, give them the time of day. You wanted it at one time, remember that?

So many life lessons. Rent UP today!

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December 13, 2009

Julie & Julia

What a wonderful movie!  I am by no means a cook and my husband would waste no time admitting that fact but one thing I learned from this movie, is that I am much like Julia Child.  Watching her trying to find something to do with her life while her husband worked was exactly what I have done.  Her passion was right in front of her and it didn’t click until after trying to become a hat maker, a bridge player and I am sure much more that we don’t know about.  The one thing she loved was eating French food.  She wanted to learn how to cook french style but there wasn’t any cook book teaching in english.  So, she took french language classes thinking she would be able to read the cook book and eat french cuisine. After a time, she decided to go to a french cooking school.

Some movies make you wish you never watched them and wasted the 2 hours of your life on nonsense.  This movie was a definite joy and made me look back on my life and see where I am now.  We all have a passion for something and it could be staring us right in the face. Mine is writing.  I don’t have a problem putting words on paper. It comes fairly easy and I love coming up with ideas that would possibly get the attention of the reader.

Watching Julie write every day for a year was inspiring.  To actually follow through on something that took a year, especially cooking recipes that don’t look easy to make, that was awesome.  She was faithful in her posting on her blog and it took months but she started to get readers and comments, which are hard to get.  That is what I plan on doing, being faithful to my Diaries of a Fruitcake and to my readers.

This movie is one to see.  I watched it off of Netflix.  The name, Julie & Julia.

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October 10, 2009

Love Happens

It’s a cold Saturday morning and I decided that my girls and I would go and see a chic flick.  I suggested “Love Happens” with Jennifer Aniston! I thought it would be a nice romantic movie, something that girls would love to watch without a man falling asleep next to them. My oldest was like…NOOOOO..but she gave in and decided to sit next to me and watch the movie.  Looking at the empty seats, she counted herself, me and my youngest daughter and another woman.  So, there were 4 of us in this little area at the noon showing.  I guess she was trying to make a point?!

It was a touching movie. I wouldn’t call it a romantic movie though it does have some great ideas for sparking the dying flame in your relationship. There are a lot of things we can do that are free and crazy that show you care enough about the person. To make them live life and put a smile on their face. This movie is about a man who deals with the loss of his spouse by writing a book to help others. But does he really deal with HIS loss?  He is going to different cities and doing a week seminar to help others take the first step, of many, in recovery. I personally haven’t really experienced the death of a loved one that was really close to me, like a child, parent or spouse.  I have lost my dog and went through the grieving process, with a tear or two, here and there.  I really can’t imagine losing someone so close to me but I know it will eventually happen, like it does for so many of us.

It was interesting that the movie pointed out fear.

That we allow fear to stop us when we lose someone.  He brought up that some stop doing things that make us who we are.  They die to self.  For example: Do you still take the elevator or taxi? Do you stop working in a certain field? Do you stop attending certain events or stop going to a store that you frequented with your loved one?  It hurts because they aren’t there or the last time you did a certain thing, like ride in an elevator, was with them.

I don’t know what type of books or help is out there for those who have lost a loved one but I would like to hear from you and what has helped you cope.
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September 27, 2009

Do You Have a Clearance Puppy?

taffyandmeFor the last day of 2008, while my husband and teenage son were on the first row, in the end zone watching Vanderbilt play against Boston College in the Music City Bowl, I took my teenage girls to a movie. We decided to watch Marley & Me in the Governors Square Mall off Wilma Rudolph Blvd. I had heard that the ending was sad, so I didn’t really want to go see this one but we did.

I was pleasantly surprised by a crazy, insane dog that liked to tear up the house and eat the furniture, even the floor! It made me think, “This dog is special. Not all animals are like this.”

They got their ‘clearance puppy’ as the next step after their marriage, instead of babies. It reminded me of my husband and I when we got married. Our first addition to the Agnew clan was Cocoa, a deer chihuahua. With long legs and big ears, she looked like a rat as a baby but grew into her own. She was so faithful and loyal but not very obedient, which led to her death. She was 8 years old.

We had left on my Grandpa’s tractor to go fishing, (this is in Alabama) and Cocoa was in the fenced-in yard but somehow got out to try and follow us (so we assume, we didn’t see her). When we got back she was hiding in some bushes. We had thought she got hit by a car and took her to the Vet immediately. As we were waiting for the results of the x-rays, I was looking through her coat and saw teeth marks and that is when we realized she was attacked by a big dog, according to the markings. The Vet gave us some pain medicine for her but she died the next morning in our arms. It was very hard to let go of our first addition to our family. Because of my experience, I could associate with the characters and their feelings with their “baby”.

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