The Stepford Wives

Thanksgiving Weekend

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Just got back in a bit ago from a very nice and very relaxing Thanksgiving weekend.

Friday after work I walked the block-and-a-half from the office building to Seattle’s Greyhound station and (after the requisite waiting around for an hour or so in a crowded, dingy bus terminal) hopped a bus out to Ellensburg and spent the weekend with Prairie. We had a very pleasant four days of doing next to nothing other than lying around, watching DVDs, and munching on Thanksgiving goodies. She’d made a really good Thanksgiving dinner (turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes with melted marshmallows on top, cranberry jelly, and pumpkin pie) that, true to form, lasted all weekend long.

CWU Campus, Ellensburg, WA

We ended up watching Shrek 2 (good, of course), Van Helsing (entertaining moments, but overall really bad), The Stepford Wives (the new version — cute, but not great), Raising Helen (cute), and I’ve now seen the first three seasons of Friends (which, I have to admit, is a fun little sitcom), plus we went out to see National Treasure in the theater (not great, but definitely enjoyable).

Willow leaves, Ellensburg, WA

Eventually, the weekend drew to a close, and after Prairie loaded my bag up with leftovers, I hopped the return bus to Seattle, and am home again.

It looks like my brother and his family visited Alaska for the holiday, and there a lot more baby pictures up on the family photo gallery, including this cute one of Kevin, Emily, and Noah.

Kevin, Emily, and Noah

iTunes “Pluto” by Björk from the album Homogenic (1997, 3:19).

Trailers that caught my eye

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Three trailers caught my eye today while I was waiting for The Day After Tomorrow to start.

Collateral: Tom Cruise finally loses the floppy in-the-face haircut, gains a more hard-edged look, and becomes a bad guy. Not sure one way or the other right now, but it didn’t get dismissed immediately.

Alexander: Oliver Stone biopic of Alexander the Great. I waffle back and forth on Oliver Stone’s films, but I’m betting that at the very least, he’ll be able to churn something out that’s both more entertaining and more accurate than Troy ended up being. Besides, the cast list (Colin Farrell, Jared Leto, Anthony Hopkins, Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer) looks pretty decent, and I’m just happy about seeing Val Kilmer showing up in something again.

The Stepford Wives: Sure, this one’s been on my radar for a while now, but this is the first time I’d actually seen a full trailer. Having done so, I have to admit, I’m a lot less trepidatious about the film than I was before. Not only does presenting it as a comedy rather than as a thriller look more likely, but I noticed quite a few shots in the trailer that look to be practically lifted directly from the original movie, so they’re apparently making an attempt to respect the original film version, rather than just reworking the original novel entirely from scratch. Definitely encouraging.

iTunes: “Burn the Beat” by Jams, The from the album History of the Jams, The (1987, 6:31).

Upcoming movies

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Every so often, Prairie and I will go through Apple’s movie trailer page, checking out what’s coming up in the next few months and seeing what interests us. Here’s today’s batch of possibilities (in no particular order)…

  • The United States of Leland: Can Jena Malone be in a bad movie? Everything I’ve seen her in so far has impressed me (Contact, Donnie Darko and The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys), and now I keep seeing her in trailers for movies that catch my eye (Saved, and now Leland). Add Kevin Spacey and an interesting looking trailer, and it definitely goes on the “potential” list.
  • King Arthur: So far, I’ve got mixed feelings on this one. If they can do the story well, then I’m all for it (one of my favorite retellings of the Arthurian saga is Jack Whyte’s Camulod Chronicles, which take a very realistic non-magical approach) — but something about the trailer isn’t quite grabbing me. All the stars look much to “pretty” on first blush, like they’re trying to aim for a cast full of Viggo Mortenson-as-Aragorn to pull in the teen girl contingent. On the other hand, Keira Knightley looks supremely drool worthy in her battle garb, so maybe I’m not one to talk….
  • The Village: M. Night Shyamalan is a bit of an enigma to me. So far, each of his films has been great upon first viewing, but has absolutely no replay value afterwards (with the sole exception of The Sixth Sense, which was fun to watch a second time just to see all the subtle hints you missed the first time), and I found Signs to be a letdown at the end. As with the rest, the trailer for this one has me going “Oooohhh…” — but will he finally be able to craft a movie that stands up to multiple viewings?
  • Raising Helen: Okay, this one was definitely a Prairie pick. ;) Looks to be a cute little comedy — but it’s got Kate Husdon (yum) and Joan Cusack, who I’ve always enjoyed when she pops up in a film. Probably a renter rather than one to beeline for in the theater (at least in my estimation).
  • Connie and Carla: The first part of the trailer had me cringing. Then the drag queens showed up, and suddenly I was fine with it. Which probably says something about me, but I’m not sure I want to go there….
  • The Notebook: Again, sappy romantic stuff is generally more along Prairie’s tastes than mine, but if I’m in a mood for it, this looks like it could be good, and it’s certainly pretty. We’ll see when it comes out.
  • The Last Shot: I’m most intrigued by the fact that this is apparently based on a true story about a guy hired by the FBI (without his knowledge) to direct a movie (that will never be released) in order to run a sting on the mob. The trailer has some cute lines in it (though these days, often those are the only good lines in the entire film)…reserving judgment on this one for the moment.
  • Godsend: This one I’d never heard of before tonight, but it’s rocketed right the top of my “potential” list. After a couple loses their son in an accident, they’re approached by a doctor who offers to inseminate the mother with a clone of their son, essentially allowing him to be “reborn.” Once the new son hits the age that he died, things start to get all sorts of freaky. Looks to be quite cool.
  • Garden State: This trailer caught my eye when Prairie, Kirsten and I went off to see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Very little idea what the movie is about, but the imagery in the trailer is enough to catch my interest. I am amused by the link on the trailer page to the trailer’s music on the iTunes Music Store, though — hadn’t seen that trick before!
  • The Stepford Wives: I’m really unsure about this one. While I’ve not read the book, I’m a fan of the (dated, but still creepy) original film version, and the fact that this is listed as a “comedy” makes me wonder about it. Of course, with Nicole Kidman (yum) and Christopher Walken in the film, it can’t be all bad, right?
  • Godzilla: The orignal — UNCUT. UNCENSORED. UNDUBBED. I am so there.

iTunes: “Kooler Than Jesus (Electric Messiah)” by My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult from the album Confessions of A Knife (1990, 4:12).