Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Last night I went to see Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time with Kaye. Seeing movies based on videogames is so not normal for me, since I have never been into videogames, at all, but I was interested in seeing this movie for a couple of reasons.

1. It's produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. Bruckheimer's summer blockbusters are generally very fun, especially some of the franchises he's developed in association with Disney (Pirates, National Treasure).

2. Bruckheimer is largely responsible (along with Johnny Depp, of course!) for creating a film franchise based on a theme park ride into some of my favorite movies. Say what you will about the second and third Pirates movies, I loved them for the simple fact that they gave me more screentime with Captain Jack Sparrow.

3. The trailers for Prince reminded me of Pirates, the Mummy movies, and Aladdin all rolled into one.

So, knowing next to nothing about the Prince of Persia videogames, I was pretty entertained. I'm rather curious to know what die-hard fans of the game will think of this movie - I suspect knowing nothing of the storyline or characters or point of the whole thing, I was probably better off. *wink*

If you can get past the utter ridiculousness of casting Jake Gyllenhaal as Dastan, a Persian action hero, this movie is pretty fun. And actually I thought Gyllenhaal did a surprisingly decent job in the role. He succeeds magnificently in channeling his inner Aladdin here, with a healthy dose of incredible fighting skills added just for fun. Dastan's leading lady is played by British actress Gemma Arterton. I've liked her work in Lost in Austen, the latest adaptation of Tess of the D'Urbervilles, and even her brief role in Quantum of Solace. As Kaye commented after the movie, Gemma's character - the Princess Tamina - is more than a little inept to be the latest in a long line of guardians who are supposed to protect mankind of from destroying itself with the fabled sands of time. But in this kind of movie things that make sense don't really matter (at least to me, LOL), and I thought Arterton did a pretty fair job of playing the feisty princess role.

There's a couple of other actors that I need to mention. Ben Kingsley was an interesting and rather fun choice, I thought, to play the bad guy. Gandhi to Nazim, a character in a movie based on a videogame...the man has done it all, hasn't he? :) The biggest and most entertaining surprise was Alfred Molina as Sheik Amar. The man had some of the best lines in the script and his delivery and comic timing was always pitch-perfect. It was worth going to see this movie for the ostrich races alone. On the slightly more obscure side of things, I was happy to see Richard Coyle as Dastan's older brother (even though I didn't put a name to his face until the credits started to roll). Coyle will be familiar to fans of costume dramas who've seen Wives and Daughters or Lorna Doone. I really liked his character in this film as well.

Story-wise there's not a whole lot I feel like discussing here. The main reason this movie is worth seeing on the big screen is the spectacle of it all. The special effects are, of course, eye-popping & fantastic. And I have to own I just loved the look of the movie - the costumes and sets are just gorgeous. Director Mike Newell and company have created a visually stunning world here, and they keep the action going at a fairly brisk pace. And film music junkie that I am, I have to acknowledge Harry Gregson-Williams' amazing score. It was simply gorgeous, full of great action cues and enough Middle Eastern flourishes to make the score stand out from the run-of-the-mill. Gregson-Williams' work continues to impress me as time goes on and I hear his new projects - he's fast on his way to becoming one of my favorite film composers.

So, the final verdict...Prince of Persia was a fun diversion, but I'm not going to be clamoring for Bruckheimer to turn this one into a franchise.

Ondine trailer

My friend Kaye did her own upcoming movies post today, and shared the trailer for the upcoming Colin Farrell film Ondine. People, I don't know how I missed this one, but I must see it:



Incredible, no? :)

I don't even like Barry Manilow...

...but this kid is too stinking adorable for words!!!

Review: This Fine Life by Eva Marie Everson

This Fine Life
By: Eva Marie Everson
Publisher: Revell
ISBN: 978-0-8007-3274-5

About the book:

It is the summer of 1959 and Mariette Puttnam has just graduated from boarding school. When she returns to her privileged life at home, she isn’t sure where life will take her. More schooling? A job? Marriage? Nothing feels right. How could she know that she would find the answer waiting for her in the narrow stairwell of her father’s apparel factory, exactly between the third and fourth floors?

In this unique and tender romance, popular author Eva Marie Everson takes you on a journey through the heart of a young woman bound for the unknown. Discover the joys of new love, the perseverance of deep friendship, and the gift of forgiveness that comes from a truly fine life.

Review:

When Mariette Puttnam graduates from an exclusive boarding school and returns to her family, she faces a future full of unknown and exciting possibilities. But if her parents have any say in the matter, her future will be carefully channeled – her father wants her to continue her education and join him in the family business, while her mother wants to find her a very proper Southern husband so she can begin the very proper occupation of raising a family. However, a chance meeting with Thayne Scott, a lowly mail clerk at her father’s factory, will change the course of Mariette’s life forever. Mariette and Thayne’s impetuous love affair will be sorely tested when Thayne is called into the ministry, a call Mariette isn’t sure she’ll ever be able to – or want to – understand. Thayne’s love for God and passion for spreading the gospel will impact Mariette’s life in ways she’d never dreamed possible. Through the early years of marriage and the pains of establishing a ministry, Mariette and Thayne’s marriage is severely tested. Through it all Mariette discovers that though she may not be living the life she’d planned, allowing God into the center of life wherever you find yourself can make this life very fine indeed.

Reading This Fine Life proved to be an unexpected joy. I don’t typically gravitate towards fiction set in the 1960s, but the exquisite promise that Mariette meets her future “in the narrow stairwell of her father’s apparel factory, exactly between the third and fourth floors” captured my imagination. Of course the fabulous, Mad Men-style cover didn’t hurt, either. From the first few chapters it would be easy to assume that this novel is a “typical” boy-meets-girl romance, but Everson gives readers something so much richer than that. More than just a romance between two impetuous teens on the cusp of adulthood, This Fine Life is about what it takes to make a life, what happens after the first blush of romance has settled and the “I do’s” have been spoken. It’s a rare thing (in my experience, anyway) to find fiction that is less about the initial romance and more about the romance of building a marriage and a life together, and the commitment it takes to work through the trials when it would be easier to walk away.

The pages of This Fine Life positively drip with Southern charm. Everson so excels at bringing this time period to life, I felt like I was seeing movies like Tammy Tell Me True or April Love come to life (the latter starring Pat Boone, which is wildly appropriate considering it’s Boone’s rendition of the song “Friendly Persuasion” that plays an important role in Thayne and Mariette’s first meeting). Every description, from Mariette’s clothing to the food, appliances, and shops she frequents fully immerse you in 1960s Georgia, and I loved every second of the time I spent in her world. While Everson does a superb job saturating her storytelling with colorful descriptions and rich characterizations that bring the people and places within the pages of This Fine Life vividly to life, it’s the journey Mariette and Thayne take as they grow and mature as individuals and in their marriage that will stick with you long after you finish the final pages. I applaud Everson for crafting such a memorable story about the power and beauty of commitment, and seeking and finding one’s place and purpose in this life. Mariette’s story is one that cannot fail, I think, to tug the heartstrings of anyone who’s searching, or remembers what it’s like, to embark on the often-painful, but ultimately rewarding, journey of self-discovery and finding one’s place in this world that makes up a life. This Fine Life is a story worth savoring, a powerful reminder of the fine life to be found when one trusts in the faithfulness of an unchanging God.

This Fine Life preview

For those of you who are friends with me on Facebook, you may recall seeing a discussion on my wall about a sudden change I'm making - namely, a move. Well let me tell you, that has thrown the proverbial monkey wrench into all my plans for the week as I'm in full-blown oh-my-gosh-I-can't-believe-I'm-moving-in-less-than-a-month-and-why-on-earth-do-I-have-so-much-STUFF mode.

Well, this has coincided with the Revell tour for Eva Marie Everson's latest novel, This Fine Life. I've never read any of Everson's other solo offerings or the popular Potluck Club series she co-authored with Linda Evans Shephard. So I wasn't sure  what to expect from This Fine Life - I only knew I had to read it because of the time period (1960s South), the fabulous, Mad Men-esque designed cover, and the exquisite, intriguing promise that young Mariette meets her future "between the third and fourth floors" of her father's apparel factory. Here's the entire back cover blurb:

It is the summer of 1959 and Mariette Puttnam has just graduated from boarding school. When she returns to her privileged life at home, she isn't sure where life will take her. More schooling? A job? Marriage? Nothing feels right. how could she know that she would find the answer waiting for her in the narrow stairwell of her father's apparel factory, exactly between the third and fourth floors?

In this unique and tender romance, popular author Eva Marie Everson takes you on a journey through the herat of a young woman bound for the unknown. Discover the joys of new love, the perseverance of deep friendship, and the gift of forgiveness that comes from a truly fine life.

This novel is absolutely exquisite, each page in Mariette's journey worth savoring. Everson excels at bringing the 1960s to life, saturating the novel with so much period detail from the food to the clothes that you feel as though Mariette and her family could step from the pages into real life, they are so well drawn. And the journey - wow. Everson has crafted a story that cannot fail to touch the heartstrings of anyone who is searching, or remembers what it's like, to embark on a journey of self-discovery, seeking one's place in the world.

I plan to post one of my full-blown, long reviews (*grin*) just as soon as I get rested enough to string my thougths together into more coherent sentences. Till then, bear with me on the blog front- the next few weeks are bound to be crazy. :)

Miss Marple Series V begins tomorrow

Tomorrow on Masterpiece Mystery, Series V of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple begins with a new adaptation of The Mirror Crac'd from Side to Side. Here's a bit about the story to whet your appetite:

A new series of Miss Marple premieres on MASTERPIECE MYSTERY! this Sunday, May 23, 2010. In Agatha Christie's The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side, a glamorous celebrity and her dashing husband have settled in St. Mary Mead, and everyone is excited for a party to welcome them. But the hospitality turns horrific when a guest is murdered, and the high drama is just beginning! Julia McKenzie stars as Miss Marple along with Joanna Lumley and Lindsay Duncan. (One episode; 90 minutes; TV-PG)

Upcoming movies...the summer edition, part one...

Well, sorry to spring another upcoming movies post on you so soon, but this is turning into quite a week. I'm in the middle of a few books (reviews to come of course!), I still haven't reviewed Iron Man 2 or Letters to Juliet (loved 'em both just in case you were wondering), and I finalized plans to move sometime within the next month. Let the packing frenzy commence!

Since May is already half over (can you believe it?!) the summer movie season is gong to be kicking into high gear. There's a handful of movies coming out in June that I'm interested in seeing...here you go:

You all know I'm a sucker for a good historical epic. :) Princess Ka'iulani has already opened in limited release, mostly on the west coast (I think). There's no telling if it will ever make it's way to Tennessee, but if it does I definitely want to see it. Starring Q'orianka Kilcher, who played Pocahontas in the gorgeous film The New World.



Killers opens 6/4, starring Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher. Looks fun but it may end up being a rental:



The A-Team opens on 6/11, and people I can not WAIT for this one. I absolutely love the TV show. While no one can fully replace George Peppard as Hannibal, and no one can ever, EVER replace Dwight Schultz as Murdock (LOVE him!), this cast looks like it will do a decent job. :) Starring Liam Neeson as Hannibal, Bradley Cooper as Faceman, Sharlto Copley as Murdock, and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson as B.A.



Last but certainly not least, Knight and Day opens 6/25 starring Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise. I am endlessly entertained by this trailer, which is really something if you know how long I've spent loathing Tom Cruise (I've mellowed on that somewhat...loved Valkyrie, bad accent & all). If it comes down to a choice between this movie & Killers, this one will win, no contest...

Review: It Had to Be You by Janice Thompson

It Had to Be You (Weddings by Bella #3)

By: Janice Thompson
Publisher: Revell
ISBN: 978-0-8007-3344-5

About the book:

Bella couldn’t be happier that two of her long-feuding relatives have finally admitted their love for one another and are getting married. Their forties-style wedding is sure to be a night to remember. But when the Rossi house begins to fill up with family from Italy – and an old mobster from New Jersey – life starts to get complicated. Will a friend from the past drive the happy couple apart once more? And will Bella ever have time to think of her own rapidly approaching wedding in the chaos?

Full of humor, plenty of Italian passion, and a bit of Texas gumption, It Had to Be You will have you laughing out loud and wiping a tear from your eye.

Review:

Bella and the rest of the Rossi clan return for a third outing of wedding-fueled hilarity in It Had to Be You, the final novel in Janice Thompson’s “Weddings by Bella” series. Bella’s beloved Aunt Rosa and Uncle Laz have finally foregone constant feuding in favor of marriage, and tasked Bella with planning an elaborate forties-themed wedding, complete with live swing music. Several long-distance members of the Rossi family descend on the household for the celebration, complicating the wedding preparations with their own personal drama and opinions. When a former mob boss is added to the mix who disapproves of the bride-to-be, Bella’s best friend disappears, and interest in Club Wed explodes, Bella wonders if plans for her own dream wedding to her cowboy fiancé D.J. will be lost in the drama and busyness of everyone else’s lives. In order to make her own happily ever after come true, Bella has one final lesson to learn about trust and control in order to step fearlessly into her future, full of faith.

With It Had to Be You, Thompson brings Bella’s story full circle. There have been times when Bella’s character has been a bit frustrating, since she never seems to move past the insecurities that plague her perception of herself and her abilities. But she’s seen both personal and professional success on the wedding front, since Club Wed brought D.J. into her life and his support has been integral to both the business’s success and Bella’s growing confidence as a wedding planner. When it comes time to realize her own bridal dreams, Bella finally learns a valuable lesson – that receiving can be as much of a gift as giving, and true freedom can be found in relinquishing control to a God one can trust to guide your steps. But more than Bella’s story, this is a trilogy about family, and all of the ups, downs, drama and love that comes with the territory of belonging to a group of unique and varied personalities. The Rossis are truly the Italian version of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, with all of the family love and drama grounded by a rock-solid Christian faith. While this installment feels a bit preachier than volumes one and two, fans of the series will not want to miss a third helping of Thompson’s trademark warmth and humor.

This is as breezy and fast-paced a read as the first two novels in the “Bella” series. It’s critical to read the series in order, since the events of each subsequent book follow closely on its predecessor. One of my favorite elements of this story is how the family’s love of pop standards takes center stage thanks to the theme of Rosa and Laz’s wedding. I loved reading about the planning involved in bringing my favorite time period to life for two characters who’ve been so much fun to read about throughout the series. Speaking of Rosa and Laz, I really appreciate how Thompson doesn’t limit love and marriage to the younger characters alone. In Bella’s life, people of all ages, sizes, and backgrounds fall in love left and right in this series, just one of the reasons that make this trilogy such a joy to read. A large part of the series’ appeal is the characters’ appreciation of classic song – and like the classics of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, the Rossi family virtues of unconditional love, forgiveness, and support endure and make you want to spend time with Bella and her whacky family. It Had to Be You is a satisfying conclusion to the frothy fun and heart of the “Weddings by Bella” series. Once you start reading, you won't want to stop - and I can promise you'll be craving Italian food. :)