"UP" Review

At the time of this writing, Disney-Pixar's Up has received a 98% rating at Rotten Tomatoes. That means that 98% of the nation's movie critics have given it the "thumbs up." Such a high rating almost never happens.

That said, any movie, no matter how great, can be over-hyped, which can ruin the experience. For example, Ratatouille received such acclaim that my initial viewing of it was met with dissapointment (though I appreciated it much, much more the second time around). So, in the interest of not raising the bar too high, I will simply say that Up continues Pixar's streak of excellence.

Combining poignant and profound themes with memorable characters and a contagious sense of adventure is par for the course for the group that brought us Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, and Wall-E. What do all these films have in common? They effectively tap into our childlike sense of wonder while never insulting our intelligence or emotional maturity (or that of children, for that matter).

Likewise, Pixar makes the most visually stunning and sharply humorous films of anyone doing animation right now. In fact, they make some of the best films, period. Up is no exception, and it ranks particularly high on my Pixar list because it did something the others didn't. It made me cry. Twice. And I tell you, not with macho vanity, but merely to drive home the point: I don't cry in movies. It's not because I'm "too tough." I feel and get moved like anybody else. But I'm not a big cryer; when I do, it's because something is truly beautiful, and often bittersweet. States of Grace made me cry at the end. The Passion of the Christ made me cry when Mary runs to Jesus as a mother trying to comfort her son, only to, in turn, be comforted by Him. And now, Up got me going, with a pair of wordless moments (one towards the beginning, the other towards the end) that drive home how precious of a gift our lives are, as well as the people in them.

Don't worry, though, the movie is more of an adventure-comedy than a tearjerker. It simply has a beating heart, as the best adventures (and often the best comedies) do. It's thrilling. It's funny. For some reason I felt it dragged very slightly in the middle before kicking into high gear for the third act, but that's a minor complaint for something so thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. Oh, by the way, I wanted to take Doug (the dog) home with me. You will too. MY GRADE: A.

8 MONTHS IN PICTURES, SUMMER MOVIE REVIEWS

Hi there everyone! Been a long time, I know. I'll keep this brief and get you up to speed. I'm finishing up my Master's here at Auburn in marriage and family therapy. What next? Arizona, most likely, to be with family and begin my life as a professional. What follows are a series of photos of the past eight months of my life; just the highlights.

This is Kristy Malone, one of my closest friends in the world and the main reason I'm still sane after this straining year of graduate school. She's also an MFT student, and for you nosy types, no we are not dating. That said, I look forward to a lifelong friendship with one of my all-time favorite people. We've had a lot of fun together, like the above "Syrup Sopping Festival," haunted houses, the National Peanut Festival (way cooler than it sounds, with carnival rides, demolition derbies, petting zoos, and pig races!), the amazing Christmas lights at Calloway Gardens, and more.

HALLOWEEN PARTY

I went as Captain Hammer, with my friends Michelle and Adam as Dr. Horrible and Penny, respectively. This ward party had it all: Fear Factor (including the eating of live crickets), Murder in the Dark set to scary movie music, and tons of food.

MAYBE IT WAS MEMPHIS

For the annual Conference of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, eight of the twelve student therapists went to Memphis for four days. We went to BB King's Bar and Grill and enjoyed live blues (and amazing barbeque), explored gorgeous local parks, and went to a Halloween party in addition to drinking from the deep well of knowledge at the conference.

THANKSGIVING

I spent nearly two weeks at home (well, Utah and Arizona) for Thanksgiving for some much-needed R&R. That semester was the worst of my life. It was good to hang out with the fam (including my newly-acquired stepfamily!), enjoying games like the "Corn Bag Toss" as seen above.

CHRISTMAS

Awesome branch Christmas party featured an "Ugly Sweater Contest," a gingerbread house competition, White Elephant gift exchange, and more. It was pretty sweet.

Went home again for Christmas and New Years. The "Originals" got together on December 22 for a dinner, sharing memories of Mom on the anniversary of her passing. It's been two difficult years, but we're making it!

2009 SO FAR...

I'm interning at the juvenile prison, doing rehabilitation for adolescents who have sexually offended, as well as therapy with their families. This was my first professional office! One can only move up.

Stake and regional Young Single Adult activities have been awesome (and usually include late-night runs to Waffle House). This one was bowling.

Took this one on my camera phone. I apologize if it's offensive, but...c'mon, that's funny.

Just down the street from the Stake Center is...this.

Coming back from a singles dance with my friends...yeah, I hit a turkey.

My car, same friends, different story. Prank wars around here sometimes escalate.

Kristy and I just had to get out of Auburn one day, so we drove 20 minutes away and found all sorts of stuff: 1) A gas station selling, literally, white dirt for pregnant women to eat, "for the minerals." As a local told me: "You know how white women eat ice? Black women eat dirt." Offensive? Yes. But, I'm discovering that there's truth to it. We also found creepy abandoned farms, strange animals, and this 1800's-era Church with an outdoor pavalion meetinghouse that had a very unsettling feeling about it. Given the time period it was constructed, in the South, and the undeniably evil feeling we got there, we both had the strong impression that African-Americans were hung there by the Klan.

In March, we had, in a 24-hour period: a hailstorm with a freaky TORNADO rip through the outskirts of the city (two miles from my apartment), a 75-degree paradise in the afternoon, and a 25-degree blizzard leaving four inches of snow.

Yeah, we have an awesome beach three hours away.

Lately, we've been playing a lot of Rock Band. I do have a band, named Shredder, made up of my buddies Jake and Thor. No, I'm NOT SWEATING! We played through a tornado warning, and I had ran in the rain/hail to get there, so I was soaked.

We've also been doing a lot of karaoke at this place called Bogey's. My stage name is White Chocolate. We get the place going! Our DJ is this awesome black lady in her 40's named Nelly.

SUMMER MOVIE REVIEWS: Wolverine, Star Trek, Earth, Angels and Demons, Terminator: Salvation.

Meh. I know my sisters loved it, so I won't bad mouth it too much here, but the whole thing felt undercooked to me; plus, the inconsistency of Sabretooth being Wolverine's intelligent brother, compared with the radically different conceptualization of the character in the same series, was jarring for me. It opens well (the first 20 minutes got my hopes up), but after that I thought the storyline was a rambling mess. Sorry. The motorcycle chase was cool, though. And if I graded the film on Hugh's torso, it'd be different. My grade: C.

Star Trek is the best movie of the summer so far. While I'm no Trekkie, I was able to appreciate the delicate balance between making an summer-adrenaline movie with an attractive young cast while staying true to spirit of the original series. J.J. Abrhams has, in effect, done for Star Trek what Christopher Nolan did for Batman: get rid of the cheesy elements that made the series a laughing-stock while drawing out the raw power of the core themes and characters. Just like Nolan, Abrams has allowed the nerds to say to the mainstream public: "See? That's why we're so into this!" The story is good and the jokes hit the mark about 80% of the time, but the cast is where it's at. Chris Pine is makes for an entertainingly arrogant Kirk, and Heroes' Zachary Quinto is fine as Spock, but I'm all about the supporting cast, especially Zoe Saldana's impossibly hot Uhura, Karl Urban's (The Lord of the Rings) suprisingly funny take on Bones McCoy, and the pies de resistance, Simon Pegg, underused but awesome, as Scotty. If you've seen Shaun of the Dead and/or Hot Fuzz, you know Simon Pegg is the shiz. The Leonard Nimoy cameo is perfect, the action thrilling. My grade: A

Stunning photography and the thrilling drama of nature. I'm not partial to documentaries, but this was phenomenally entertaining, moving, and yes, testimony-building. See my full review at:

http://meridianmagazine.com/arts/090515earth.html. My grade: A-

This is being unfairly maligned by critics. This is at once more thrilling and more involving than The Da Vinci Code was, and Ron Howard's direction is more surefooted and fast-paced here. Visually gorgeous. By streamlining the novel's narrative, the film loses much (but not all) of the science vs. faith dichotomy that gave the book its weight. As it is, the film version of Angels and Demons makes for a very entertaining thriller. Some of the dialogue is poor, you have to suspend disbelief the way you would for a James Bond or Indiana Jones movie, and keep in mind that this is historical fiction (emphasis on fiction). If you can do that, this is a blast. Ewan McGregor rocks. Be warned, it is violent and intense, and pushes that PG-13 boundary. My grade: B+

I don't know how this movie would be for someone who hasn't seen any of the other ones. I think I'd be lost. As a thrill ride, Terminator Salvation delivers, with awesome spectacle and intense action, as well as some nice narrative tie-ins to the original trilogy (I especially liked young Kyle Reese). It effectively captures the post-apocalyptic world hinted at in the original three. That said, I feel that the Director's cut, said to contain 20 minutes of cut material, will do much to flesh out the story and characters and give the film more of the emotional weight that gave James Cameron's first two films such suprising punch. Christian Bale effectively makes an awesome G.I. Joe, but the character of John Conner has such dramatic potential that it's sad to see him so underwritten here. Bale is more than equal to the task as an actor if given the screenplay (forget Batman, if you want to see this man really act, watch his incredibly nuanced performance as the meek and humble rancher of quiet integrity in 3:10 to Yuma). Still, even with the plot holes and lost potential, this is a fun night at the movies. My grade: B.

Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Dragon-Con, more

First of all, if you have yet to check out my current favorite piece of entertainment, "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog," do so immediately. This is a 45-minute, three-act musical comedy done by writing genius Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Serenity) during the writer's strike. He was bored and wanted to create something; while Dr. Horrible is low-budget, it is high-quality in terms of both comedy and music. Entertainment Weekley says: "The songs are kinda perfect...the thing is dam*ed funny." Done specifically for the internet (though a DVD is forthcoming), it can legally be watched for free at http://www.hulu.com/watch/28343/dr-horribles-sing-along-blog. The soundtrack is available on iTunes. Stars Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser, How I Met Your Mother) as a lovestruck wannabe supervillain, with Nathan Fillion (Serenity, Waitress, Desperate Housewives) as the self-absorbed superhero smitten with the same girl. Be patient for the first few minutes; it really kicks in when the first song starts (though the opening is quite funny). By the end, you may be suprised at its emotional punch.


GOOD TIMES AT AUBURN

Life is good here. My buddy Grant has been throwing parties at his place (see above pics); we've BBQ'd, swam in the pool, played on the tramp, watched movies. Pretty sweet. Last week Auburn played LSU. Great game, though we lost 26-21. Still, the Church and faculty tailgates are always fun, with volleyball, grilled meats, music, etc. We went to a dance and I hit a turkey with my car (imagine someone throwing a bowling ball at your bumper at 80 mph. Blood and plumage were everywhere! My friends and I go to Auburn volleyball games to support our friend Lauren. Institute is a blast, and we always have fun games afterwards and Office marathons. All this helps me cope with the pressures of grad school, which is going very well, thank you.

DRAGON-CON 2008

With Hayden Panetierre of Heroes.

Take your average Star Trek convention. Expand it to include ALL sci-fi, fantasy, comic books, and horror in TV, movies, and literature. Invite tens of thousands of nerds from around the world and celebrities from said genres. Have said nerds dress up in elaborate costumes. For three glorious days in Atlanta, tens of thousands of geeks filled the Sheraton, the Hyatt, the Hilton, and the Marriot. The conference halls and rooms were filled for panels of actors, directors, and artists, as well as swap-meet style shopping of memorobilia, hard-to-find DVD's and comic books, music, and art. I met celebs, attended Firefly and Superman panels, parties with fans and actors, a Dr. Horrible showing with hundreds of people watching on the big screen and singing along, robot wars where geeks bring their own homemade robots and have them fight to the destruction (actually really cool), a big costume contest, a Miss Klingon beauty pageant, and so on. The food courts, bars, and restaurants were filled with creatures from another dimension. It was tons of fun. I went with my buddy Tiffany, and we stayed with her friend Brian. Really cool.

With the cast of Battlestar Galactica.

With the men of Firefly/Serenity. They were so funny.

With the women of Firefly/Serenity.

Looking down from the Marriot 42nd floor.

STAR WARS

R2D2

BAR-2-D2 (he really makes drinks!)

HARRY POTTER characters

Ghostbusters!

Firefly/Serenity

THE LORD OF THE RINGS

SUPERHEROES

IRON MAN -hahahaha!

WTF?

DISNEY PRINCESS GISELLE

ZOMBIE DISNEY PRINCESSES

Yuck!

SWEENEY TODD

ALIEN LOVIN'

Remember this guy, from Sesame Street? Yyyep yep yep yep yep!

V FOR VENDETTA

GINGY FROM SHREK. I saw him standing at a urinal; funniest thing ever.

BARBIE IN HER BOX

PREDATOR

Carly in hospital, entertainment reviewer gig, more.

Wow, what a whirlwind month. Today I'll be sharing some deeply personal things, borderline too sacred to post here, but I do so in hopes that it'll fortify the faith of those who read it. But before I get to the heavy stuff, here's a quick update on me and mine:

- Dad and Carol celebrate their first anniversary this week! Love you guys, and congratulations.


- I just had my first week of my second year of grad school. Twenty years of school down, one to go! I love my professors, I really do. Scott Ketring (who's LDS) is my professor right now. He goes on hilarious, ranting tangents all the time. Tommy threw another "butt-pickin' BBQ" for those graduating and their families. I've gone from seeing clients for maybe 2 hours once a week to having clients every day, so that's cool. I really do love therapy. This is so the right fit for me.

- I got an internship at the juvenile detention facility. Go me. This'll be good.

- I stepped behind the camera and directed for the first time in 3 years! It was a funny commercial for the Teen Advisory Board, with whom I have my assistantship. I also doubled for the lead actor for the big stunt involving a human body (mine) hitting a tree at full speed! I miss it all, so this was a lot of fun. I was also involved in radio ads that we recorded in Montgomery. I'm so proud of our kids, they've performed their hearts out in these things.

- I've been having fun playing with the Young Single Adults in my branch. We went to a couple of dances in Georgia (I met a girl who nearly outbelched me), had some late night Waffle House, hung out at the Beesley's (he's the institute rep for the South) playing dodgeball on their trampoline. We've played sand volleyball and had a pizza party, pool volleyball and had hot wings, ultimate frisbee, kick the can. This weekend my buddy threw a Barbeque and a party. We've had a lot of fun together. I love my friends here.


- I got a gig at the Mormon website Meridian Magazine as an entertainment columnist. I wrote in a rebuttal to a review that called The Dark Knight sadistic and immoral, in which I argued that it's actually one of the more morally-centered films of recent years. They published my rebuttal as an article and invited me to be a regular for them! Pretty cool. I've done a second article on Brian Regan. You can see my stuff here: http://meridianmagazine.com/arts/index.html Just look for anything with my name on it.

- Yesterday we had tornadoes touch down a few miles away. The sirens went off to alert the city, twice at about 7 pm and once at about 3 in the morning. The tornado warning tower is about forty yards from my house; I'm going to be crushed by the very thing that is warning me of danger. We had a tropical storm blow through yesterday; it was scary and gorgeous (just how I like my women. Rowr.)

FAMILY HEALTH CONCERNS

- My niece Clair had brain surgery for a large tuber which was contributing to major, involuntary, and continuous seizures. The surgery was successful, and Summer (her mama) tells me that Clair seems so much happier and has so much more energy now that the seizures aren't zapping all her energy. I believe so much in the power of fasting and prayer. And Claire is the cutest. Just look at her!

- My cousin Carly, who I adore (people often say that we are the opposite-gender counterparts of each other), was in Georgia for a friend's wedding. She came with her friend Nicole Rich to a dance in Georgia, where we all met up and had a blast. Now, to mention the tender mercies of the Lord, I spent all Saturday on 3 hours sleep, shooting a commercial in the humid sun of Alabama. I went home and went to sleep. My body woke itself up after a few hours; two minutes later I got a call from my cousin Dallin (my phone had been on silent) telling me that Carly was in critical condition at the hospital, had been in a car accident on the way from the wedding to the reception. One of the passengers was dead on the scene, and Carly had a fracture in her neck. With her immediate family across the country in Utah, I left immediately for Macon, GA. Another tender mercy: I didn't have enough money in my bank account to pay for gas, and then suddenly I did. I don't know how.

I arrived late at night and met some of Carly's friends who were by her bedside as she slept. They told me the story of how the car got rear-ended at an angle while waiting at a red light, by a car that was going 65 mph by the time it hit them. The person who died was the groom's mission companion. Carly's roommate Nicole Rich had a hemorrage in her brain; the doctors performed brain surgery, and when I got there Nicole's status was a complete wild card: forseeably she could die, have brain damage, or make a full recovery. Nicole also had a cracked femur, which I hear is terribly painful. Carly had a fracture in her neck, an inch away from paralyzation; she also had a dislocated hip (which had already been set when I got there), vertebrae out of alignment, a concussion, and a nasty gash on her forehead. The driver and the shotgun rider had whiplash, and one of them had temporary amnesia, but both were released within 24 hours. The bride (Kimberly Whigham), the groom (Doug), the parents of the bride, and several others were there.


The newlyweds postponed their honeymoon and spent the weekend tending to their friends. The parents of the bride were some of the most faithful, genuine, thoughtful, and friendly people I'd ever met. The whole weekend, there was a tremendous outpouring of the Spirit of God. I haven't felt it so strongly since the two weeks after my mother died. So much love and genuine concern. So much optimism and gratitude in the face of tragedy. Instead of mourning the loss of their wedding weekend, the newlyweds were united in love for their friends and for each other. The Latter-Day Saints in Macon, Georgia didn't know any of us (the wedding was two hours away in Atlanta), but there was more food than we knew what to do with the whole weekend. Sister missionaries came and sang. Priesthood holders gave Carly a blessing before I got there, and brought us the sacrament on Sunday. Carly's Nauvoo performance friends sang with us in her room. Even though she was weakened, Carly's voice was still angelic.


Carly was a big hit with the doctors and nurses. She was so genuinely cheerful, and was always thanking them, making small talk, getting to know them. I have no doubt that they visited her room more than they had to just because they liked her. The only time she wasn't upbeat was when she thought of her friend Nicole, whose condition was still uncertain; Carly's concern for her was always on her mind, and she cried quite a bit out of worry for her, and when Nicole's parents arrived from Utah. Otherwise, she was cracking jokes left and right. The best was when a strong black male nurse came and helped her adjust in bed. He cradled her with one arm, and adjusted her bedding underneath her as he hoisted her up. Carly deadpanned "Ooo, muscles!" which made us all laugh and him blush a bit. He said: "Sorry I had to get so close," and Carly shamelessly replied "You can hold me tight anytime you want!" It was fantastic.

Carly also kept worrying if I was comfortable, especially as I slept in the reclining chair. For someone in her situation, I found that incredibly sweet. She's truly a Peterson. I read scriptures to Carly, prayed with her, sang to her. I slept in a reclining chair next to her in case she needed anything. We swapped stupid jokes. Everyone's making a big deal about my being there, but I don't think too much of it, for 3 reasons:
1) My mom raised me right (Dad, you helped too).
2) I didn't do anything anyone in my family wouldn't have done.
3) I got to sleep in, eat free food, and flirt with Carly's friends. Nobody say I didn't get anything out of this!


Lindsey (Carly's sister) flew across the country on the earliest flight she could find (8 am Utah time), but with the time zone differential, she arrived in Macon at 5 pm. Lindsey is terrific. She, Carly, and I had a little slumber party, and Lindsey washed Carly's hair, which at that point still had dried blood in it. We had a great time. At about this point the driver and shotgun passenger were released, and they came down to visit Carly. I was on the phone with Robyn (my aunt, Carly's mom) very, very often. Robyn couldn't fly for her own health reasons, and not being able to be there made her sick with worry, though good reports on Carly's health soothed her.


On Monday, in the afternoon, I prepared to go back to Auburn, leaving Carly in the good hands of her wonderful sister, as I had class the next day. Carly gave me one of the sweetest hugs I've ever had. As I got in my car, I had the distinct prompting to go back and give Carly a priesthood blessing. I obeyed, asking Nicole Rich's father to assist. In that blessing, along with blessings of physical comfort on Carly, I blessed her to no longer worry about Nicole, that the Lord would take care of her, and that she would be alright. The words came so clearly, and the peace from the Lord was so undeniable, that I don't think any of us were surprised when Nicole started making huge steps to recovery this week. I don't claim credit in the slightest; I was the messenger, but I rejoice in the tender mercies of the Lord and for the privilege to act and speak in His name. I know that God lives, that He is our Father, and that He and our Savior Jesus Christ know us, love us, and are mindful of us individually.

Carly is now back in Utah, where she has a long and painful recovery ahead of her. Nicole has been released from the ICU. The deceased young man had his viewing tonight. Please keep everyone in your prayers. Love y'all.

Jono

Family reunion, grad-school midpoint, X-FILES, MAMMA MIA, MUMMY 3 reviews

Okay, it's been a couple of weeks since I wrote, but lotsa awesome stuff has been going down. For starters I went to Utah for a family reunion! Woo-hoo! We stayed at this really posh resort in Midvale, courtesy of Gram and Grandpa Burke, named Zermat. Midvale, apparently, was settled by Mormons from Switzerland, because they designed it to look like a European paradise.

My cousin Carly (who is the female me; we even share a birthday) picked me up at the airport, and she, Matt (cousin-in-law) and I drove up together. This place ruled. It had a pool that was half indoor, half outdoor, a gym (where I pulled a bunch of shoulder and neck muscles), a giant hot tub with a hot waterfall (which I used on said injury), and suites that were more like homes, with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, 3 flat-screen TV's, internet, and a living room. What's more, my grandparents paid for 15-20 of those suites to comfortably house the 70+ people who came.

Highlights included a cousins-only dinner (no aunts, uncles, in-laws, or kids allowed; pictured above), a rotating game night where groups of 8-10 people went from room to room and played a bunch of different games in the different suites, swimming with my family, going to see the midnight show of THE DARK KNIGHT, and having a picnic in a park with the little kids running all over the place and making us laugh. We had four generations there! Also, setting up for a family picture, with 20 of us trying to get organized and little kids' mothers fretting over their clothes and hair, only to have the sprinklers go off just as we were about to take the pic!

My grandparents are 85 years old. Nobody's sure they'll be around for the next reunion, so this was their unofficial last chance in this life to see all of us. They left us their "final" testimony of the Gospel, with Gram emphasizing virtuous thoughts and loving one another, and Grandpa bearing witness of the importance of "keeping your knees polished" through prayer and reliance on the Lord. To keep Gram happy, Carly and I did a rendition of "Getting to Know You." Cousin Logan and my brother Adam emceed the festivities on the different nights.

My personal favorite event was the "skit in a bag" activity, where different groups of us were given a short story from the lives of my grandparents, a bag full of random wacky props, and 15 minutes to prepare a 3 minute skit acting out the story, while using ALL the props. Needless to say, our versions were very loose adaptations, and we laughed our heads off. I especially enjoyed my uncle Bill (playing the role of my grandfather) tossing a baby doll (representing Bill's wife, Gayle, as a child) and dropping it on it's head, then deadpanning, "Well that explains a lot!" Cue Gayle shouting out from the audience: "HEY!"

We also performed an impromtu rendition of "Memory" from Cats, as we did at the reunion nearly 20 years ago. It wasn't the same without my dear mother, but we made do. I like to think we did it to honor her.

Anyway, Dad and Carol drove me to Provo that Saturday, and I spent the day with Charan, Tim, and Alan. It was exciting to live vicariously through the latter as he chases his film-making dreams. We went to see TDK at the IMAX and had a great time. Sunday I went to my old ward at BYU, then had lunch with good friend Kelsey Reynolds, dinner with Charan's awesome family, and played games that night with a group including Tim and my old neighbor Stephanie Cook. She's incredible amounts of fun. On Monday Charan and I went to the Provo temple, I went running, had lunch with my friend Jenny, then flew back.


Since then, I've finished my first year of my master's program! Only one to go, and I am done! I had a neat missionary experience when a couple in my apartment complex moved out and gave me their house fan and a bunch of frozen food. I gave them my testimony, the special Ensign about the Savior, and a copy of The Testaments. I went to my friend Janet's big Catholic wedding yesterday, in a beautiful church in Georgia. It was wonderful. I hung out with my buddies Rachel Birmingham, Ali Zaremba, Stefanie Goetz, Kelly Tu, and Marinda Levy. There was great food, an open bar (I had orange juice mixed with cranberry juice, Sprite, and a lime. So refreshing). The night before I went to a church dance in Atlanta; it was a 50's dance, but not everyone got the memo, so wardrobe ranged from 50's to casual to formal. It was fun regardless. I can do The Worm. That's right. On Wednesday we had an Institute closing social, playing sand volleyball, swimming, and having pizza. That night I also watched Xanadu. No shame.

MOVIE REVIEW: THE X-FILES- I WANT TO BELIEVE

I don't know why this was so poorly reviewed. Perhaps people were expecting this to finally tie up all the loose plot threads the show left undone. Instead, this is a standalone suspense mystery that plays out like a director's cut of a good episode. It's genuinely scary, it's pretty well-acted, it's smart and unsettling. And as much as I tire of George W. Bush jokes, there's one here that's quite clever. All in all, if you like The X-Files, or if you just like to get creeped out, it's hard to go wrong here. ***1/2 (out of five) Rated PG-13 for moderate profanity and some violence.

MOVIE REVIEW: MAMMA MIA

Did you know Meryl Streep can do a toe-touch? Seriously! And that Pierce Brosnan has a raspy yet macho singing voice? Kind of like a deeper Bryan Adams. Basically, if you like ABBA, if you like fun fluffy musicals, if you dig that type of energy, this is a blast. If not, move along. Colin Firth adds charm, the young lady's got some pipes, the Greek scenery is gorgeous, and there's a lot of girl-power going on. Not a lot of substance, but that's not what it's going for. It just wants to give you a good time, and it succeeds. ***1/2 (out of five). Rated PG-13 for innuendo.

MOVIE REVIEW: THE MUMMY 3

New director. New locale (China). Jet Li as the villain. Michelle Yeoh helping the heroes. New actress playing Brendan Fraser's wife. Abominable snowman. And yet, this all feels so familiar. We've seen it done before (and better) in the first two Mummy movies. This isn't terrible, it's just...meh. Fraser is good. The actor playing his son annoys the crap out of me (or maybe it's just how the character is written). The effects are great. The swordfight between Li and Yeoh (which could have been worth the price of admission alone) is neutered by up-tight camerawork, poor editing, and un-inventive choreography. The jokes, which were "tongue-in cheek" bad before are now just bad. Meh. ** (out of five). PG-13 for violence and mild married innuendo.

THE DARK KNIGHT REVIEW

Though this film deserves a very long review, as I have so much to say about it, what more needs to be said than has already been mentioned by the nation's critics, who have contributed to The Dark Knight's whopping 94% rating on rottentomatoes.com? Some are saying it's better than Batman Begins, director Chris Nolan's first film in this new Batman series. I disagree, but only because I think that film is a lot better than some critics remember it. I do think, however, that The Dark Knight is just as masterful, and since I consider both to be nearly flawless enough to give them each five stars, it's high enough praise to say this new film is the rare sequel that lives up to the original. Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker? Everything you've heard, all of the praise and hype? All true. His is a riveting, terrifying, and darkly hilarious portrayal of the ultimate villain, and it's a completely original take on the character. Everyone will be talking about his performance, as well they should be, but I hope they won't lose sight of how terrific the acting is across the board. Christian Bale continues to impress as the best Batman/Bruce Wayne ever. Since he was so well established last time, he's given slightly less screen time here, but he's equally compelling as a man pushed to his limits. Michael Cain and Morgan Freeman have less to do, but every second they're on screen, they're terrific. Gary Oldman continues to show that he's just as compelling playing good guys as bad ones; his Commisioner Gordon is a pillar of virtue. Maggie Gyllenhall (Stranger Than Fiction) steps in for Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes. While I'm one of the apparently few people who didn't mind Mrs. Cruise in the first film, Gyllenhall adds a bit more life to the character. Finally, BYU graduate Aaron Eckhart gives a subtle and layered performance as Gotham D.A. Harvey Dent. If Ledger wasn't stealing the show, it'd be Eckhart's acting everyone would be talking about.

The action: terrific (a mid-movie chase scene stands out in my mind). The screenplay: just like Begins, it's full of fantastic moral investigations, fleshed-out characters, and plenty of surprises which I wouldn't dare reveal here. Like the first film, this is dark and scary, but with a lining of humanity and just a touch of humor. The direction is even better this time (thank you, Mr. Nolan, for allowing us to actually see the fights). Don't believe those reviews which say they don't know how this slipped by with a PG-13 rating; it is intense, and the Joker is brutal and horrific, but just like a great Hitchcock movie, the actual gruesome stuff occurs in your imagination, not on-screen. There's not any blood that I can remember, though there are some freaky images vis-a-vis the villains' physical appearance and the sight of some corpses. That being said, this is not a movie to take kids to. Just because you don't see a lot of gore, doesn't mean it isn't terrifying. If you're afraid of clowns, buckle up. Pushed to his limits, Batman gets mean. I mean Jack Bauer mean! At any rate, this is a terrific film; a crime/morality drama first, an action thriller second, and a comic book movie third. It isn't flawless, but the minor complaints are so nit-picky that I've no need to mention them here. Sorry WALL*E, but you're gonna have to pass the crown of year's best film over. The Dark Knight is king, and his jester is one bad motha! ***** (out of five).

Hellboy 2 Review- Surprise: it rocks!

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. 2004's Hellboy was mostly a dull, plodding movie. Every once and a while there were flashes of potential from the creative team: a crackling one-liner, an iconic image, a piece of hard-hitting action, a great character moment. But on the whole, the whole thing felt watered-down, forced, and a waste of talent. Rumor has it that studio suits interfered, as they're wont to do, with the creative vision of the director. But that director was Guillermo Del Toro, whose next film, the visionary Pan's Labrynth, won three Academy Awards, received a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival, and got a whopping 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This time, the studio suits politely stood out of his way. Hellboy 2: The Golden Army is at once an altogether superior sequel as well as a highly entertaining standalone adventure movie. The characters are terrific, the action sequences genuinely thrilling, the comedy hits the mark (it rarely did in the first film), and the visual design is at times among the most original and unique of anything I've ever seen. Oh, and there's a character who sounds just like Elder Uchdorf, and Selma Blair is quite comely in this. Go see this movie to enjoy the craft of a great director on the rise. You don't have to have seen the first film to enjoy this one; all you need is my brief plot synopsis (after the review) to get you up to speed for the second. For me, this is on par with Iron Man as the summer's best action entertainment so far (The Dark Knight, of course, soon cometh). While no character in this shines as brightly as Robert Downey Jr's ultra-cool Tony Stark, the ensemble here is better, the action is just as good, and the creativity and visual imagery are terrific. Del Toro is contracted to direct The Hobbit, with Peter Jackson producing. Having seen Hellboy II, I'm salivating for that product. Even more complimentary, when I saw Hellboy I didn't care to see the series continue; having seen it's brawny, spunky, and imaginative sequel, I cannot wait for another installment. **** (out of five) (Rated PG-13 for creepy images, action violence).

PLOT SYNOPSIS: HELLBOY (2004)
In 1944, the Nazis open a portal to Hell, hoping to unleash its power on the Earth. Allied soldiers stop it, but not before a newborn demon gets through. Adopted by a paranormal scientist (and man of faith), the creature develops a love for humanity, kittens, and Baby Ruth candy bars. In the present day (he ages differently) he works undercover for the FBI, fighting demons and monsters, with his best friend Abe (who is amphibious and psychic), and the girl of his dreams, Liz (whose superpower is creating and controlling fire). By the end of the movie, Hellboy chooses good over evil and gets the girl, though he loses his father. He yearns to be accepted by the people he's protecting, but the government insists he keep his existence hidden.