Alice in Wonderland Party

Last week Jonathan took me to see Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland (2010 film). (If you want to see my review of it, just follow the link.)



I guess in conjunction with this new film, Disney re-released their cartoon classic of the same title. Being that my husband (and, of course, my children!) had never seen this movie, I secretly snagged a copy and we had ourselves an "Alice in Wonderland party" wherein I could introduce my family to a movie that I loved growing up and we could have a fun time together while enjoying it!





I set the table while the kids were down for their nap so that they wouldn't see what I had planned for the evening. I picked up these "card plates" (see below) at Goodwill over a year ago. I think I paid $4 for 8 of them. Goodwill, btw, is one of my favorite places to snag things. I've decorated almost our entire house at Goodwill and I've picked up a lot of dinnerware there that is just a little bit unusual and is fun to look at. These plates were one of my early finds.



The cups were a Christmas gift from my mom and we've, sadly, not made very much use out of them. Being designed specifically for ice cream treats, I haven't WANTED to make a whole lot of use of them, if you know what I mean, but I thought pulling them out and serving our drinks in them would be a fun treat. I was right!



I pulled out everything red that I could find that had hearts on it to represent the Red Queen, of course!

My family LOVES pancakes and I seldom make them. It's a treat when I do, so guess what we had for dinner at our Alice in Wonderland party? I experimented with a new cinnamon banana pancake recipe too which was fabulous! Yum!



Did I already say that these pancakes were delicious? Ok, just checking....



A fun treat and addition to a meal with kids is sparkling water. We just welcomed a Trader Joe's to our town and I've been enjoying trying out their various treats. We picked up a bottle of their sparkling mineral water for $0.89. It added some flair to the meal.



But the best treat of all (food-wise I mean) was our splurge for Oreo ice cream cookies from Cold Stone Creamery. OH MY!



We had a GREAT time enjoying dinner and then watching the movie. It was a fun way to spend the evening as a family as we were doing things that were special and unusual for us. Decorating the table was a great touch and just made the evening feel like a party, which was, in fact, what we called it.



Family parties, I've decided ought to be the norm and not the exception. I have a feeling we'll be doing this again. Stay tuned!

Reference: http://offeringhospitality.blogspot.com/2010/04/alice-in-wonderland-party.html

REVIEW: Date Night

The expressions, they say everything. Date Night, more actively then any film that I can think of, tests the theory that if you put enough talented people into something that is pretty much shite, it will make it into something good. Or in other words, if you give Steve Carell bad dialogue, then Steve Carell will make it into good dialogue, one way or another. Date Night features an out-dated concept, an awkward script and more then one of what I like to call 'Accidental Husband' moments, where an attempted joke is so horribly unfunny that you consequently experience an embarrassment so pitiless, that the recollection of it years later will still make you squirm.







But because of the many, many talented people that were persuaded/blackmailed into being in Date Night, there are moments to enjoy. In particular the cameos of James Franco and Mila Kunis playing a lowlife couple called Taste and Whippet, whom this movie clearly should have been entirely about. Franco in particular just straight up fucking owns, and is a becoming a little bit of comedic genius these days. He's come a long way since being so fucking awful as Harry Osborn in the Spider-Man movies. Fey and Carell, although a believable couple visually, and that's pleasing to see in a mainstream release, played up to the camera a bit too much for my liking, so much so that I almost preferred Carell when he wasn't being funny. And in a comedy as broad as this that's a deer in the headlights type deal. Fey is OK I guess, but like Carell mugs a bit too frequently. I guess that's what happens when you put Shawn ' Pink Panther 2.0' Levy behind the camera. Ray Liotta does his usual rent a mob boss thing, I kind of dug the legend that is William Fichtner as the ridiculously caricatured sleazy politician, and Mark Wahlberg's sense of naive sincerity is something of a potential comedic goldmine that only I Heart Huckabees has properly utilized, one day maybe, because this movie just makes jokes about his abs, which, admittedly, are stunning.







You've seen the trailer so you don't need me to tell you what happens. Its True Lies if everyone was who they pretended to be. You know everything that could conceivably happen, and it does, exactly as you think it will. Some may find it cheaply comforting, I simply find it tiring that this amount of on camera talent was wasted on something so inherently useless. Having said that, it does feature Jimmi Simpson, who is one of my favorite actors that nobody has heard of, in an entirely disposable and expository role. Still, he was both a McPoyle on Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia and Mary the criminologist on Psych for fuck's sake. Love that guy. Anyway this movie sucks. My suggestion, Youtube the James Franco scene, which compels me to give this 5/10 even though I really don't want to, and save yourself 7.50.







Rating: 5/10

Reference: http://nextwednesdayinstead.blogspot.com/2010/04/review-date-night.html

Reference: http://alice-in-wonderland-movie-talk.blogspot.com/2010/04/review-date-night.html

An Early Jim Reardon Creation

A few weeks ago, I found some early work from Jim Reardon and I wanted to share.



Maybe you don't know who Jim Reardon is. He's the co-writer of one of my favorite movies ever, Wall-E. He was a writer on the 90s cartoon Tiny Toon Adventures. And he was also an animation director for The Simpsons for over 14 years (and still works as a storyboard consultant). He directed some of my all-time favorite episodes, including King-Size Homer, 22 Short Films about Springfield, Lemon of Troy, El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer), Mr. Plow and Lisa's Wedding (among many others). In other words, this is a man I have a deep respect for.



Reardon made this little movie in 1983 when he was studing at CalArts. It's not politically correct. It is violent and NSFW (also not for children or people offended by the maiming of beloved Peanuts characters), but it is also funny and contains elements that would later be found in his work on The Simpsons (it is very Itchy and Scratchy, to be sure). And I also love his little note at the end. Smart move, Reardon.







And in case you didn't see it, one of my reviews was included in an article by LAMB (the Large Association of Movie Blogs). Take a look!

Reference: http://justplainsomething.blogspot.com/2010/04/early-jim-reardon-creation.html

REVIEW: Date Night

The expressions, they say everything. Date Night, more actively then any film that I can think of, tests the theory that if you put enough talented people into something that is pretty much shite, it will make it into something good. Or in other words, if you give Steve Carell bad dialogue, then Steve Carell will make it into good dialogue, one way or another. Date Night features an out-dated concept, an awkward script and more then one of what I like to call 'Accidental Husband' moments, where an attempted joke is so horribly unfunny that you consequently experience an embarrassment so pitiless, that the recollection of it years later will still make you squirm.



But because of the many, many talented people that were persuaded/blackmailed into being in Date Night, there are moments to enjoy. In particular the cameos of James Franco and Mila Kunis playing a lowlife couple called Taste and Whippet, whom this movie clearly should have been entirely about. Franco in particular just straight up fucking owns, and is a becoming a little bit of comedic genius these days. He's come a long way since being so fucking awful as Harry Osborn in the Spider-Man movies. Fey and Carell, although a believable couple visually, and that's pleasing to see in a mainstream release, played up to the camera a bit too much for my liking, so much so that I almost preferred Carell when he wasn't being funny. And in a comedy as broad as this that's a deer in the headlights type deal. Fey is OK I guess, but like Carell mugs a bit too frequently. I guess that's what happens when you put Shawn ' Pink Panther 2.0' Levy behind the camera. Ray Liotta does his usual rent a mob boss thing, I kind of dug the legend that is William Fichtner as the ridiculously caricatured sleazy politician, and Mark Wahlberg's sense of naive sincerity is something of a potential comedic goldmine that only I Heart Huckabees has properly utilized, one day maybe, because this movie just makes jokes about his abs, which, admittedly, are stunning.



You've seen the trailer so you don't need me to tell you what happens. Its True Lies if everyone was who they pretended to be. You know everything that could conceivably happen, and it does, exactly as you think it will. Some may find it cheaply comforting, I simply find it tiring that this amount of on camera talent was wasted on something so inherently useless. Having said that, it does feature Jimmi Simpson, who is one of my favorite actors that nobody has heard of, in an entirely disposable and expository role. Still, he was both a McPoyle on Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia and Mary the criminologist on Psych for fuck's sake. Love that guy. Anyway this movie sucks. My suggestion, Youtube the James Franco scene, which compels me to give this 5/10 even though I really don't want to, and save yourself 7.50.



Rating: 5/10

Reference: http://nextwednesdayinstead.blogspot.com/2010/04/review-date-night.html

Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows

As sombras:



1 - Underland = Flash

2 - Alice = Painkiller

3 - Oraculum = Baked

4 - Queen = Last Call

5 - Chessur = Chopper

6 - White Rabbit = Polyester Bride

7 - Wonderland = Maui Wowie

8 - Curiouser = Grifter

9 - Muchness = X

10 - Mushroom = Mushroom

11 - Midnight Tea Party = Midnight Cowboy Rides Again

12 - Vorpal = S&M

13 - Absolem = Homegrown

14 - Drink Me Eat Me = Sin

15 - Mad Hatter = Twice Baked

16 - Jabberwocky = Oil Slick



Mais fotos, review e swatches: Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos, Swatches

Reference: http://notrevanite.blogspot.com/2010/04/urban-decay-alice-in-wonderland-book-of.html

Alice in Wonderland Review

Alice in Wonderland is a story about a nineteen-year-old girl, Alice, who falls into a rabbit hole and is transported to a place called wonderland. She is told by the Hatter that she is destined to kill the Red Queen's Jabberwocky on Frabjous day, which will restore the White Queen's power. Hatter is captured by the Red Queen's army but is saved from execution by the Cheshire Cat. Meanwhile, Alice steals the Vorpal Sword from the Red Queen. When frabjous day arrives, the two armies fight, with Alice and the Jabberwocky against each other. Alice manages to slay the Jabberwocky and restore the White Queen's power. The White Queen then banishes the Red Queen to the outlands. Alice is given a vial of the Jabberwocky's blood, which takes her back home.







I feel that the movie, Alice in Wonderland is not that bad. It has some funny parts in it. Most of the funny parts include the Hatter, who is played by Johnny Depp. Most of the parts with the Hatter and the March Hare are funny, as both of them are quite crazy. This movie is also quite interesting as there are many weird characters, such as the army made up of playing-card soldiers. I feel that the Red Queen's character is also quite funny as every time somebody does something wrong, she would scream: "Off with the head!" like when a frog stole her juice, which is only a small matter. The effects of this movie are also quite cool as Alice keeps expanding and shrinking. Also, the scene is quite nice when the two armies clash with each other. However, the movies that I usually like are those with lots of action in them. Since Alice in Wonderland is not a fighting movie, except during the war of the two armies, I do not feel that this movie is a very good and interesting one. Overall, I only rate Alice in Wonderland 7/10.

Reference: http://darrylyee1p133.blogspot.com/2010/04/alice-in-wonderland-review.html

Reference: http://alice-in-wonderland-movie-talk.blogspot.com/2010/04/alice-in-wonderland-review_20.html

Alice in Wonderland Review

Alice in Wonderland is a story about a nineteen-year-old girl, Alice, who falls into a rabbit hole and is transported to a place called wonderland. She is told by the Hatter that she is destined to kill the Red Queen's Jabberwocky on Frabjous day, which will restore the White Queen's power. Hatter is captured by the Red Queen's army but is saved from execution by the Cheshire Cat. Meanwhile, Alice steals the Vorpal Sword from the Red Queen. When frabjous day arrives, the two armies fight, with Alice and the Jabberwocky against each other. Alice manages to slay the Jabberwocky and restore the White Queen's power. The White Queen then banishes the Red Queen to the outlands. Alice is given a vial of the Jabberwocky's blood, which takes her back home.



I feel that the movie, Alice in Wonderland is not that bad. It has some funny parts in it. Most of the funny parts include the Hatter, who is played by Johnny Depp. Most of the parts with the Hatter and the March Hare are funny, as both of them are quite crazy. This movie is also quite interesting as there are many weird characters, such as the army made up of playing-card soldiers. I feel that the Red Queen's character is also quite funny as every time somebody does something wrong, she would scream: "Off with the head!" like when a frog stole her juice, which is only a small matter. The effects of this movie are also quite cool as Alice keeps expanding and shrinking. Also, the scene is quite nice when the two armies clash with each other. However, the movies that I usually like are those with lots of action in them. Since Alice in Wonderland is not a fighting movie, except during the war of the two armies, I do not feel that this movie is a very good and interesting one. Overall, I only rate Alice in Wonderland 7/10.

Reference: http://darrylyee1p133.blogspot.com/2010/04/alice-in-wonderland-review.html