Arthur and the Invisibles

Yesterday, I watched the movie Bridge to Terabithia, and I considered writing a review for it, but it was so bad that I don't even want to bother. I decided to review Arthur and the Invisibles instead. I watched it a few weeks ago, and I loved it! It's a perfect family movie - unlike Terabithia, which I found to be both boring, and depressing.

~ Movie Review ~

Arthur and the Invisibles
10-year-old Arthur is living with his grandmother in a quiet country house. He has recently lost his grandfather, and sees little of his parents. His grandmother entertains him by reading stories to him. One of these stories is about the Minimoys — tiny elfin beings living underground in the garden of his grandparents' house. According to these stories, the Minimoys hold a wondrous and expensive treasure of rubies given by an African tribe to Arthur's grandfather. Arthur has become enamoured with a picture of Selenia, princess of the Minimoys.

Arthur's grandmother has been given a two-day deadline to pay a large sum of money to a building developer named Davido, who has bought up her mortgage from the bank and plans to evict the two. Arthur takes it upon himself to find the rubies in order to pay off the debt. After stumbling across various clues written a few years previously by his grandfather, Arthur manages to find the key to the Minimoys' world...
(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars. ****

Voices:
Madonna - Princess Selenia Jimmy Fallon - Betameche Robert De Niro - King Harvey Keitel - Miro Chazz Palminteri - The Travel Agent Emilio Estevez - Ferryman Snoop Dogg - Max Anthony Anderson - Koolomassai David Bowie - Malthazard

Actors:
Freddie Highmore - Arthur Mia Farrow - Arthur's Grandmother Penny Balfour - Arthur's Mother Douglas Rand - Arthur's Father Ron Crawford - Archibald Adam LeFevre - Davido


~*Quote of the day*~
A bank is a place where they lend you an umbrella in fair weather and ask for it back when it begins to rain.

Robert Frost

Currently Listening to... "More Than Words" - Extreme

Creeping Paranoia - A.k.a.: Spooky Sunday

It's 12:47am, so I guess technically it's Monday morning, but anyway...

The tale of my Spooky Sunday:
I was reading a blog post by Sebastien on http://chronicallysickbutstillthinking.blogspot.com/. He was talking about mythological stories, fairy tales, etc... So I started looking around the internet, and I found a page on Wikipedia about the "Jersey Devil". I remember reading stories about it when I was a kid, and after I read the article, I followed the links and ended up spending a couple of hours reading about the Mothman, Werewolves, and the Chupacabra. Fascinating stuff - but most of it was completely unbelievable crap. I'm not a superstitious person. I don't believe in ghosts, aliens, Bigfoot, etc... but I do believe that there are some very strange things in this world. Things that can't always be easily explained.

Some things are perfectly innocent coincidences. For example: while I was reading one of the "Werewolf" stories (a supposed eye-witness account) all the web-pages I had open that contained paranormal articles closed themselves. None of the others did. I had six other web-pages open, and they all stayed open. A coincidence, yes, but an odd one.

Later Sunday night:
After a long hard day of doing absolutely nothing, I sat down in the den to watch a movie with my family. Which movie? Eight Legged Freaks - a story about giant spiders. A great movie to watch right before going to bed... especially if you are terrified of spiders. 0_0

Half-way through the movie, my dog Daisy jumped up and started barking (which is something she rarely ever does). Seconds later, we heard the doorknob of the front door being turned... It was around 11:30pm, so we definitely were not expecting any visitors. My brother jumped up, and crept quietly to the door. He turned on the floodlights, peeked out the curtains --- and saw nothing. No one was there.

No more than 10 seconds had passed between the time the doorknob rattled, and when my brother looked out the window. We have a large yard, but there are plenty of lights, and still we couldn't locate the source of the noise. That in itself is creepy enough, but the thing is, this was the third night in a row that this has happened.

Anyone who would like to offer up an explanation for this strange occurrence, please feel free to do so.

After all the spooky stories I read in the morning, the movie I watched at night, and the really weird, unexplained doorknob thing - I'm sure I'll have some memorable dreams tonight... assuming I even sleep at all.

Sweet Dreams everyone ~

Where the Heart Is

I watched this movie on TV tonight. I've seen it before, and I forgot how good it is! It's packed with wonderful actors. It stars: Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd, Sally Field, Stockard Channing, and Joan Cusack - to name a few. It's very moving at times, and the ending leaves you feeling good inside.

~ Movie Review ~

Where the Heart Is
Novalee Nation, 17 and very pregnant, has never been part of a real home. The closest thing to family for the hard-luck teen is her selfish, would-be musician boyfriend, Willy Jack, with whom she's traveling from Tennessee to California in a rust bucket that used to be a Plymouth. A bathroom stop en route, at an Oklahoma Wal-Mart, changes Novalee's life forever. For when she leaves the store, she discovers that Willy Jack and the Plymouth are gone. Only her Polaroid camera remains in the parking space. Alone and broke, Novalee surreptitiously moves into the vast store, borrowing food and supplies from its shelves. When she gives birth on the floor - and her hideaway is revealed - Novalee and her "Wal-Mart Baby" become instant celebrities. More importantly, over the next few years, Novalee finally becomes part of an unconventional, makeshift family comprised of her wonderfully eccentric new friends. Now, with the family she always wanted, Novalee is transformed from a homeless teen to a successful and strong woman. She has finally found a home in this small town where fate has dropped her.

(From wheretheheartismovie.com)

I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars. ****

~*Movie Quotes of the day*~

Lexie Coop: Americus? What kind of a name is Americus?

Novalee Nation: I wanted her to have a strong name.

Lexie Coop: Well, I guess I shouldn't talk. I named my kids after snack foods: Brownie, Praline, Cherry and Baby Ruth.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Orderly: Lexie, one of your kids is on the phone.

Lexie Coop: Which one?

Orderly: Uh, I don't know, Twinkie, Pez... one of 'em.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Currently Listening to... "Butterflies And Hurricanes" - William Joseph

Been down and out...

You've probably noticed that I haven't written anything in a while. I've been sick with a cold (or something similar) for over a week. It's very annoying. I haven't given up on my blog, I just haven't really felt like writing lately. I have been watching a lot of movies in my downtime, so you can expect some movie reviews in the not-too-distant future.

Until then, I'm going to relax for a while...

Pecan Pie Cupcakes

I found this recipe on http://www.recipezaar.com. I made a batch this afternoon and they're great! They really do taste kind of like a Pecan pie, and it was so easy to make. This one's going into my recipe book!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Pecan Pie Cupcakes

1 cup - chopped Pecans
1/2 cup - all-purpose Flour
1 cup - Brown Sugar
2/3 cup - melted Butter
2 - Eggs
1 tsp. - Vanilla
1 tsp. - Karo syrup (optional)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Preheat oven to 350*.
Combine all ingredients and mix well.
Spray a miniature muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
Fill each 3/4 full.
Bake at 350* for approximately 18-25 minutes.
Top with Powdered Sugar.

My mini-vacation...

Yesterday, my Mother and I went to Tannehill State park. They were having a Gem, Mineral and Jewelery show, and we wanted to take a little time to break out of our usual routine. So, we first stopped by a gas station, filled the tank and washed the windshield, and with my usual ironic/bad luck, it started to rain moments later. The gem show is an outdoor event, so I was worried that by the time we got there, all the vendors would be packed up and gone. Fortunately, I was wrong. There were still several stands open. I love shows like this one, because I used to collect gemstones and fossils (yes, I was a nerd). There was so much cool stuff that I wanted to buy! I ended up spending 3 times the amount of money I had planned on using. I'm not usually an impulse buyer, but when will I go to another Jewelery show? I had to get some kind of memento. A pair of bookends caught my eye, and I got a really good deal. I guess I should have taken them back to the car instead of carrying them around (they are pretty heavy), and today my arm is sore.

Right as we reached the last in a long line of vendors, something else caught my eye again. It was a pink Opal. I love Opals... I love the way they sparkle. So I bought it, and the guy recommended another vendor who does gem setting. So I found his stand, picked out the perfect silver ring setting, and watched as he set my stone in the ring. Something about picking the stone and the ring separately makes it even more special to me. I love things that are unique and one of a kind. My Mom paid for the setting, and I paid for the Opal. I also bought two other rings. I'm not sure what they are made of... some kind of stone or metal (I think), but the Opal ring is the one I love. I'll always have it to remember the great day we had.

After we got tired of walking around, we went to the Furnace Master's Restaurant, which is the only restaurant in Tannehill park. They have great food there. I got the chopped steak, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, and hash brown casserole. Mom got the fried catfish, turnip greens, fried green tomatoes, and macaroni and cheese. It also comes with a roll, or cornbread. I probably ate too much, but hey, what are mini-vacations for?

I love driving around that part of Alabama. It's so peaceful and relaxing out there, and there are animals everywhere. On the trip we saw: horses, cows, goats, emu, and one bat. I meant to take some pictures, but it was raining, so I didn't bother.

I really had a great time. : )

A few pics of the bookends:

I just put a few books together for an example. My actual bookshelf is much larger...