From the Inside Out

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to wake up one day and be seventeen again? Would you be happy to live your life over, or would you freak out over being back in high school? It’s an interesting thing to ponder.

It’s also the premise of a movie named “17 Again.” The film focuses on a guy whose life didn’t quite turn out how he wanted. He wishes he could go back to high school and change it. Soon after, it happens. He’s seventeen again and gets the chance to rewrite his life.

The movie was entertaining and funny — much better than I expected it to be. It also got me thinking about whether I would want to go back and do it all over again. I enjoyed my teenage years. They were filled with fun, friends, and freedom — a far cry from the heavy responsibilities that now lay on my shoulders.

Being young and irresponsible again would be a fun escape, but I’d only want to do it for a short time — like a brief vacation from reality. I’m quite pleased with the way my life has turned out so I wouldn’t want to go back and make any major changes.

God has given me so many great blessings for which I am eternally thankful — fantastic husband, amazing friends and family, a good career, and a thriving church — what more can a girl ask for?

What about you? Would you do it? If so, what would you change?

According to a poll of 2,000 movie-goers in the UK, these are the worst or “cheesiest” moments in film. Most women opted for moments from romantic comedies while men chose lines from action flicks. However, 33% of the overall vote unanimously agreed on the top moment.

The span of films in the top 10 ranged only from 1986 to 1999. How many of these movies can you name?

1. “I’m the king of the world!”

2. “Nobody puts Baby in the corner.”

3. “Is it still raining? I hadn’t noticed.”

4. “I love you.” “Ditto.”

5. “You can be my wingman any time.”

6. “I’m just a girl standing in front of a boy asking him to love her.”

7. “Today we celebrate our Independence Day.”

8. “They make take our lives, but they will never take our freedom!”

9. “You had me at hello.”

10. “You’re a godsend, a savior.” “No, I’m a postman.”

So, what do you think? Did they get it right? What other “cheesy” moments are missing?

I’ve been anticipating the opening of Australia since the first time I saw the trailer. I haven’t watched an epic movie in a long time, and this one caught my attention immediately. The critical reviews were mixed, but I loved the film. It did not disappoint, and it seems that most of the Rotten Tomatoes community agrees with me. The movie earned a rating of 74% fresh from RT — not bad, not bad at all.

Australia is “an epic and romantic action adventure, set in that country on the explosive brink of World War II. An English aristocrat (Kidman) travels to the faraway continent, where she meets a rough-hewn local (Jackman) and reluctantly agrees to join forces with him to save the land she inherited. Together, they embark upon a transforming journey across hundreds of miles of the world’s most beautiful yet unforgiving terrain, only to still face the bombing of the city of Darwin by the Japanese forces that attacked Pearl Harbor.”

Baz Huhrmann weaves a compelling story of romance, drama, and action adventure in this cinematic experience. It’s a long film (just shy of three hours), but it held my attention the entire time. The scenery is amazing. Kidman and Jackman have great chemistry, and for the single ladies, Jackman proves why he was selected by People magazine as 2008’s “sexiest man alive”. The young actor who played “Nullah” also provided a compelling performance.

If you have some free time this weekend, skip the crowded malls and watch this epic adventure.

My rating: A

Across the country, teenage girls flocked to the premiere of Twilight in theaters today. The film is based on a series of books written by author Stephenie Meyer, and the storyline follows a young girl who falls in love with a vampire, Edward Cullen. For a review of the first book, check out Jessica’s blog, The Rules for Twilight.

I haven’t read any of the books or watched the movie, but since vampires are in the news this weekend, I decided to honor the top 5 most awesome vampires from both film and TV:

5. Lestat De Lioncourt (aka Tom Cruise) from Interview with a Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles. Although I was more drawn to Louis (played by Brad Pitt) in the movie, Lestat is the perfect vampire anti-hero, so he deserves to make the Top 5.

4. Blade (Wesley Snipes) from Blade. I’m not a fan of the Blade movies, but Wesley Snipes does a great job of portraying a half-vampire, half-human who wants to rid the world of evil vampires. Besides, who doesn’t love Wesley Snipes?

3. DAVID (Keifer Sutherland) from The Lost Boys. Keifer Sutherland…need I say more? He’s awesome. And for those of you who are fans, his television series 24 kicks off on Sunday…get your Tivos ready!

2. Angel (David Boreanaz) from the television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The character of Angel was created by Joss Whedon, one of my favorite writers in Hollywood. Angel was a vampire cursed with a soul, seeking forgiveness and redemption for his past crimes. He was Buffy’s love interest in the original series, but later he appeared in his own spin-off show.

1. Spike (James Marsters) from the television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Yes, I do have two “Buffy” characters in my Top 5, but they both deserve it. Did I mention that Joss Whedon is a genius? Anyway, Spike is my all-time favorite vampire villain with a killer sense of humor. I absolutely loved his character…perfection.

If you didn’t watch the show, check out the DVDs. They’re worth it.

The highly anticipated James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, opened in theaters today. It’s the second movie to feature Daniel Craig as James Bond and the first film where the storyline picks up moments after the previous movie ended. If you haven’t seen Casino Royale, I highly recommend that you pick up the DVD and watch it before seeing Quantum of Solace. If you have already seen Casino Royale, but don’t remember it, then you should watch it again before checking out the new flick. It will help you follow the storyline.

The new Bond movie is all action. The plot is weak, and character development is limited. Bond is out for revenge and will stop at nothing until he takes down the bad guys — that’s about as deep as it gets. I don’t usually expect a complex plot from a Bond movie, but the last film raised my expectations. Too bad it didn’t live up to those expectations.

It’s not all bad, though. If you like non-stop action, this is the movie for you. There’s an overabundance of fight scenes and chase sequences. So much that it doesn’t really build to a climax at the end. It simply offers a continuation of the same frenzied pace that was set from the beginning. If you like that, you won’t be disappointed.

Guidelive.com gave it a “C” rating. I don’t think it was quite that bad, and Gary really liked it, so the movie is going to earn a solid “B” from me.

If you watch the film this weekend, weigh in with your ranking and review by leaving a comment below.