Sunday, Bloody Sunday...

I have had a delightful weekend thus far.  Three day weekends are the best!


I started the weekend off by leaving work a bit early on Friday and getting a pedi at the Hawaiian Nail Bar - I chose the Milk & Honey this time, pure bliss!  I have known for a while that a restaurant in Arlington called Candlelite Inn would be going up for auction in June.  It is kind of an Arlington institution, apparently been around since 1957.  The food is sub-par, but you do not necessarily go there for the food.  Once Jerod disclosed this news to his parents, they said it was the location of their first date, so we met them there for dinner on Friday.  I absolutely adore his parents, I will proud to call them in-laws some day. We came home and watched the Hangover in anticipation for our viewing of the Hangover 2 tomorrow.


Home Sweet Home
Saturday we went to look at apartments. We went to 5 complexes I believe.  We LOVED the first one and will not be surprised if that's the place we call home for the next several years.  However, I am trying to be reasonable and will still consider a few other options before making a final decision.


We also watched 2 movies.


Little Fockers 
This movie was pretty much what I expected.  I had several laughs but nothing earth-shattering.  I wanted to watch a comedy and this movie fit the bill just fine.


The Mechanic 
I remember seeing the trailer for this film.  And then when it came out on DVD, I thought it might be a movie Jerod would enjoy - lots of action and shoot 'em up.  So, my expectations were quite low.  However, I was very pleasantly surprised.  This was a bad ass movie.  I really enjoyed the plot and all the action.  And ladies, go ahead and recommend this to your guy, the lead in the movie, Jason Statham, is extremely easy on the eyes.


Sunday


Jerod and I have pretty different tastes in films.  I tried to watch Blue Valentine with him and he was just not into it.  So, I knew when several films came out on DVD, he would just not be into watching them.  So, I sent him home this morning so I could have my Nicole movie watching extravaganza.  Here are my thoughts...


All Good Things 
This film is based upon a real-life story occurring between 1971-2002.  It would be classified (according to me) as a suspenseful romance. It stars Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst.  This film was wonderfully twisted and suspenseful.  I very much enjoyed it.  The acting was superb.  Ryan Gosling has very much impressed me with his range.  I thought he was dreamy in The Notebook and he played a very strong character in Blue Valentine.  This film showed a whole new dimension of him.  And Kirsten Dunst - WOW!   I wrote her off years ago. But she played her character beautifully.  I highly recommend this film.  In fact, well, this should surprise no one, but I sought out the book written about the crime that this film was based upon and plan to begin reading it after I finish this blog post.


Somewhere 
This is a film, well, it's hard to explain.  If you watch this film, I highly recommend viewing the "Making Of" first.  This is a film by Sofia Coppola, daughter of Francis Ford Copolla. She also directed Lost in Translation.    This is a film I consider a snapshot in time.  There is not a lot of background information, so it is open to interpretation.  Like Lost in Translation, this film is shot beautifully. It is truly a work of art.  There is not a lot of background music or distractions, the film very much is what it is.  And what is, a snapshot of a Hollywood "bad boy" portrayed brilliantly by Stephen Dorff.  Circumstances bring his 11 year old daughter, played by Elle Fanning, into his life as he has never experienced before.  I love that this film feels very genuine, not forced like many films feel.  I highly recommend this film as well.


Rabbit Hole 
This film is very complex first of all.  It stars Nicole Kidman (who I am not a fan of) and Aaron Eckhart (I like him).  They portray a married couple that lost their son 8 months ago prior in a car accident.  Sandra Oh is also in the film, and I love her, so this film gains points there.  To lose a child... I could not imagine a worse hell.  I heard somewhere, possibly in a movie, that to lose a spouse, you become a widow or widower, but there is no identifying name when you lose a child because it is too f&$ked up to discuss.  This film illustrates how people deal with grief and pain differently and on so many levels.  It is a good film, but certainly not heart-warming.


The Other Woman 

I was not sure what this film was about when I Redbox-ed it.  I thought it was another story about adultery and betrayal.  It is, to some degree, but it is so much more.  It stars Natalie Portman, an actress that I love.  She has such an amazing sense of style.  Lauren Ambrose is in this film.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE her from one of my all-time favorite television shows, Six Feet Under.  I cried when that show ended, not just because of the beautiful ending, but because the characters that I grew to love ended. This movie also stars Lisa Kudrow.  For the most part, I will always see her as Phoebe, but wow, her character in this film is a ball-busting biatchPortman's character is very vulnerable, much like her character in Closer
one of my favorite films.  Her character in this film plays a stepmother trying to find her way in the life of her stepson.  This hits a bit close to home.  Jerod has 2 daughters that will become my stepdaughters once we are married.  They live quite far away, so developing a close relationship will prove to be difficult.  Nonetheless, it is scary to think that once we say "I do", two darling little girls will become part of my family.  I think this is an incredible film and highly recommend it.


Previews 


I have always loved independent films, but watching the trailer for a few upcoming ones has peaked my interest even more.  Especially since 2 of them: they are French films with English subtitles.  Those are: Ricky - very intriguing, but a bit odd and The Beautiful Person - a film that seems to be about lust, obsession, and desire.  


Hilarity Ensues
This films brings together an incredible ensemble cast for what I imagine will be an amazing film - Peep World .  Sarah Silverman, Rainn Wilson, Michael C. Hall, Judy Greer, Ron Rifkin - need I say more??




Reading....


I will be starting the above-mentioned book based on All Good Things.  But I just finished a book called The Heart of Memory by Alison Strobel.  It is a Christian Fiction novel, which I enjoy reading from time to time, about faith.  


I want to thank everyone that has served our country in the name of freedom, that's what this weekend is about.  Enjoy your Memorial Day everyone!  Jerod and I plan to go see the Hangover 2.


Title Disclosure:  This is the opening track on U2's 1983 album WAR.  Per Wikipedia,  its lyrics describe the horror felt by an observer of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, mainly focusing on the Bloody Sunday incident in Derry where British troops shot and killed unarmed civil rights protesters and bystanders.