Well, I’m officially home for the holidays (my apologies for the lack of posts over the past few weeks…I literally went from Thanksgiving to presentations, tests, and papers galore during the lovely time before break we like to call hell week), so hopefully the upcoming combination of boredom which will inevitably set in soon, as well as my upcoming trip to NYC that you’re all destined to hear lots about (both before and after and probably way after as well) will make up for my lack of posts with many many new posts, so either get excited or take this as a warning (kidding!).
As a stereotypical Jew, my December 25th will consist of heading to the movie theatre to enjoy a film with the family before scarfing down some delicious Chinese food (shocker, right?), but Christmas will most definitely not be the only time I am headed to the movies. Both of my parents are huge movie buffs, and the trait was definitely not skipped when it comes to me. Although our tastes do differ (most recent example: they (along with the rest of the world) loved Lincoln, and personally (don’t kill me) it was not my favorite (and that’s putting it lightly)), we all love going to the movies as much as possible. So, without further ado, here is my “must see” list for the holidays (subject to change and in no particular order)-
Les Miserables- This should not be a surprise to anybody. In fact, you should be rolling your eyes right now because it’s so obvious. This one (and this one is in particular order) is at the top of my list. I mean, come on, you can’t expect a Broadway- loving, entertainment-blogging, show tunes- singing girl to skip this one (and if you’re at all surprised I am so desperate and excited to see this, go back and read, well, almost any other post on this blog J). Although I, regretfully, have not seen the live musical on stage, I absolutely love the music and cannot wait to see them performed on the big screen. Though I wish more strictly-Broadway- bred talent was adorning the silver screen, and yes, I am disappointed Lea Michele will not be playing Eponine (how anybody turned her down for that role is beyond me), Aaron Tveit will be on the big screen, and that’s enough for me (Broadway-star wise, I mean [I mean, have you seen him?!]).
Monsters Inc. 3D– Now before you roll your eyes again (for different reasons, I’d hope), take into account that everybody wants to feel like a kid again, and sitting through a Pixar movie that you already know and love, this time experiencing it in 3D, offers that. You know you like it, you know what to expect, and you know you won’t be disappointed. If you can’t take that into account, than just realize it is an amazing Pixar movie (with a prequel coming out at some point soon?) and (if you’re me), sometimes being at home for five weeks straight means you may not have anything better to do, and yes I’d rather see this in 3D than watch 90210 on Netflix (actually 90210 is great, but, you get my point).
This is 40- This is definitely going to be December 25th for me (because my sister will be out of town and I have to wait on her to see Les Miz, and this is probably one of the only ones my parents and I will agree on for our Chinese food and movie day also known as Christmas), and it looks great. The sort-of sequel to Knocked Up is going to be hilarious, and I can say that with confidence just knowing it’s a Judd Apatow film. Sure, I may not be 40 with kids, and I may not understand the complexities of marriage, but any comedy with Paul Rudd, first of all, is going to be enjoyable, and the scene from the trailer when Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann are smoking pot in the hotel room is enough for me to be excited to see this.
On the Road– I definitely need to read the book (and the Kindle is all charged and ready and ready to be used this winter break) before I see this movie. No shame, the first time I heard about it was when Seth Cohen and Summer Roberts on The OC discovered it was a mutual favorite, and of course it’s referred to as a classic. I love to read but hate Kristen Stewart (I know, I know, I’m a Twilight fan and don’t like the Bella…), but the book has gotten so much praise it’s worth seeing the movie if only to get me reading for fun again.
Parental Guidance and The Guilt Trip– I’m putting these together because I feel the same way about them; they will either be brilliant or really stupid. They both have amazing, legendary actors in the cast (Bette Midler with Billy Crystal and Barbra Streisand, respectably), and a plot that can go one of two ways (one has Midler and Crystal babysitting their grandkids and trying to relate to their generation, the other has Streisand and Seth Rogen going on a mother- son road trip). Both are comedies, of course (the actors in the cast can tell you that), but I’m a little more enthusiastic and hopeful about The Guilt Trip, and it’s for a reason you wouldn’t think; because it’s rated PG-13. When I’m deciding to see a movie I always look at the rating (mostly for comedies), because that will tell me for whom the humor is geared. If it looks cute but is rated G, I know and eight- year- olds will find it hilarious, which means I probably won’t (Pixar movies don’t count). If it’s PG-13, however, the jokes will a little more inappropriate, which usually means I’ll like it (and relate to it) more. The same goes for R rated movies. Now, it isn’t an exact science, and it’s not the only factor I use, but still, it’s worked well so far. There are always exceptions of course; like I said before, Pixar movies, as well as the Shrek movies. There are also movies that are hard to pinpoint and throw you off. The movie Fun Size, with Victoria Justice, looked like a cute, Nickelodeon kids movie. I had it pegged as a little kid’s comedy that I wouldn’t like at all. Then you watch the preview and see some questionable content, (an electronic rooster does something inappropriate with a car…this really threw my off as I was watching the trailer and still convinced it was a kids’ movie), and then you see it is rated PG-13. Victoria Justice has a show on Nickelodeon (similar to iCarly I believe), so you can see my confusion. I never saw the movie, but that is definitely an outlier to my little theory (and the only one I can think of at the moment). The point is, I will probably see both Parental Guidance and The Guilt Trip for the casts alone, but am a little hesitant about the humor.
No doubt I’ve probably forgot some (and no, I didn’t forget The Hobbit, but it’s not my cup of tea), but those are the movies I am most looking forward to this holiday season. I will update my Twitter as I see each one, and will hopefully give you guys some feedback (mostly positive, I hope!). Some people look forward to hot chocolate and Christmas caroling this time of year, and I look forward to Coke ICEEs, hot popcorn, and the silver screen. What can I say? I’m an entertainment blogger 🙂
-Wendi
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