Julie's Blog

Ranger is Sensitive to Music?

It has been awhile, so I thought that I would share with you about my best-dog-in-the-world, Ranger.

 

A few weeks ago I discovered on my Tivo (don't you love Tivo?) that I can download music videos.  And being the huge Billy Joel fan that I am, I downloaded "Piano Man".  While watching the video, Ranger started acting strange during the harmonica portions of the song.  Every time the harmonica started playing, he started howling.   When the harmonica stops, he stops.  When the harmonica starts again, he starts again.  It was so strange, that we had to play the video again to see if he would do it again.  We discovered that unless he was distracted (for example by food, by playing with Izzy, etc...), he would howl every time the harmonica was playing.  But we don't know is - Is he howling because he is complaining?  Is he howling because it is hurting his ears?  Or is he howling because he likes it and is singing with it?  We honestly have no idea why he is doing this.

Since then, while listening to the stereo or watching TV either songs would come on the radio or jingles for commercials would come on that has a violin playing.  And guess what?  Yep, Ranger starts his howling again!  Every time commercials would come on playing a violin (or some similar instrument), he howls!  Once again.....complaining or singing?

Thankfully, this hasn't happened often enough to start being annoying yet.  (Whew!!)  It is still terribly amusing.  But I am curious as to your thoughts.....Why do you think Ranger is doing this?

Why We Love Drowsey Monkey!

Today, August 2nd, 2008, is the first year blog-iversary for my friend Drowsey Monkey and her blog.  So, in honor of this, I, along with a lot of her other blogging friends are posting a tribute to Drowsey Monkey about why we love her so much!  By the way, I have to thank Olga at Olga, The Traveling Bra and Speedcat at the Speedcat Hollydale Page for the idea.

So, why do I love Drowsey Monkey?  Let me count the ways....

1. She is Canadian!
2. She is a "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" fan!
3. She turned me on to Kiva!  I encourage you to check Kiva out here.
4. Tally Ban!  (And if you don't know what I am talking about, go here to check it out.)
5. She is just so darn funny and creative!

Bottom line....We love you, Drowsey Monkey!

Do You Want to Believe? The X-Files Movie Review

I went to see the new X-Files movie "The X-Files: I Want to Believe" last night.  So as promised, here is my review of the movie.  Please keep in mind that I am a huge fan of the TV series.  I have seen almost every episode of the show.  Coming from this perspective, I am probably a little biased in my opinion.  All of that said...

The movie stars David Duchovny (Fox Mulder), Gillian Anderson (Dana Scully), Billy Connolly, Amanda Peet and Xzibit.  Amanda Peet and Xzibit are the two new FBI agents.  Billy Connolly plays "Father Joe", who also claims to be a psychic.  The acting by Billy Connolly, Amanda Peet and Xzibit are all OK in the movie.  Not wonderful, not bad....somewhere in between.  Also, be forewarned, the plot line for this movie has nothing to do with aliens or any conspiracy theories.  It does have a lot of religious overtones and some strange sexual ones.  (No specifics since I don't want to spoil anything....)

I really enjoyed seeing Mulder again.  As I expected, David Duchovny did a good job.  It is so nice seeing some of Mulder's humor and quirks again.  For those of you who are fans of the TV show, at least a couple of his "quirks" are apparent especially at the beginning of the movie.  (Once again, I won't spoil you with the specifics.)  Mulder does what you would expect him to do throughout the movie, (Yay!!) which was fabulous to see, in my opinion!

My biggest issue with the movie is with Scully, believe it or not. Scully was dark, unhappy and depressing.....more so than I expected.  Mulder and Scully have known each other now, theoretically, at least 15 years now, right?  Shouldn't she expect Mulder to do what he does by now?  Why is she surprised by this?  Scully's nagging and back & forth are rather annoying.  I can't really blame Gillian Anderson's acting performance for this.  I have to blame the writing.  The writers (Chris Carter & Frank Spotnitz) probably wrote the part that way to create tension.  But, frankly, I didn't really like it.

 
Look for references to Mulder's missing sister and Mulder & Scully's son, William, in the movie.  And take a look at the names in Mulder's cell phone when he calls Scully at one point in the movie.  I am pretty sure that the name above "Scully" was "Gillian".  (I, for one, found this rather amusing.)  Also, there is a George W. Bush joke in the movie that I found especially entertaining.  Lastly, there is at least one cameo in the movie from one of the other characters from the TV show.

So, bottom lines....Did I like the movie?  Yes, I really did.  Issues with Scully and all.  On the other hand, it would probably have to be pretty bad for me not to like it.  Would I be willing to see it again?  Yes, I probably would, but not in the theaters.  It would have to be on dvd.  (Side note:  Realistically, it is going to be difficult for me to watch this movie on dvd in the luxury of my own home.  Why, you may wonder?  Well, my best-dog-in-the-world Ranger watches TV.  Yes, he really watches TV.  And he gets rather annoyed when there are other dogs on TV.  [They are in his territory!  How dare they?!]  Consequently, it is hard for us to watch anything, especially movies with dogs in it, at home on TV.  And there are a lot of dogs throughout this movie.  But the important thing in this case is, Ranger aside, would I be willing to watch this movie again at home on dvd?  Yes, I would.)  Will I own this movie?  No, I won't.  I didn't enjoy it so much that I have to watch it over and over again.  But, I must say, I am glad that I went to see this movie.  It was really nice seeing my old friends again.

Why So Serious? ("The Dark Knight" Movie Review)

All right, I saw the movie "The Dark Knight" yesterday, so I thought that I would do a movie review for it.  Like my previous movie reviews, I'll try not to spoil the movie for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, while still giving you my opinion.

"The Dark Knight" stars Christian Bale, (the late) Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman.  As you would expect from this cast, the acting fine overall.  Morgan Freeman, of course, does a good job.  Not an exceptional job, but a good job.  Heath Ledger, on the other hand, as you may have heard, does a fabulous job in his role as the Joker.  There has been Oscar talk for him for this role and I think that it is well deserved.  As a matter of fact, I would say that Heath Ledger's performance is probably the best part of the movie.

This is not a happy movie that would be well suited for young kids.  "The Dark Knight" is a dark movie.  There is a reason why Batman is called "The Dark Knight", after all.  This isn't the same Batman from the TV show of my youth.  Personally, that is OKay with me, but it may not be OKay with everyone who sees this movie.

The runtime for this movie is two hours and 32 minutes.  That is my biggest problem with this movie.  It is way too long.  I think that they could have easily cut out at least 30 minutes from this movie.  There were at least a couple of spots where they could have ended this movie that I would have been perfectly fine with.  I am all right with the way that they ended the movie, but I would have been just as satisfied if they ended it at one of the spots earlier, too.

It should also be noted that this movie was the sequel to "Batman Begins".  I did see "Batman Begins", but I don't think that you have to have seen this movie prior to going to "The Dark Knight".

Am I glad that I saw the movie?  Yes, I am.  Was I entertained? Yes, I was.  Will I see this movie again or own it when it comes out on dvd?  No, I won't.  I have no desire at all to see it again or own it.  And that, more than anything should give you a pretty good idea on what I thought of this movie.

So, have you seen "The Dark Knight"?  If so, what did you think of it?  Let me know!

Movie Reviews, Entertainment or Other Stuff?

Sorry I have been gone for so long everyone....I haven't had anything to say for awhile....

I have gotten some feedback from a few people that they particularly enjoy my movie reviews and entertainment stuff.  What do you think?  What would you like to see more of (or less of) from me?  I would really like to know.  Please email me or put a comment below....

In the meantime, if you are interested in a couple of minutes of new fun from the guys over at JibJab, just go here.  I found it very entertaining....

Two New X-Files Movie Trailers!

For all of you X-Files fans out there, a couple of new movie trailers for "The X-Files:  I Want to Believe" have been released.  Both are listed below for your viewing pleasure:

If you can't see the video for the first trailer above, click here to see it on YouTube.

And here is the second trailer:

If you can't see the video for the second trailer above, click here to see it on YouTube.

Six More Quirks

I recently got this tag from my friend DrowseyMonkey.  I am supposed to share six quirks about myself.  I think that I have done this before, so I have decided (taking the idea from DrowseyMonkey) to ask my handsome hubby....Here is what he says are six quirks about myself:

1. Even though I like spaghetti sauce and ketchup, I don't particularly like tomatoes on things.  If the tomatoes are visible, I pick them off.  The same thing goes with onions.

2. I fold and sort my underwear by type.

3. Even when it is really hot outside, often times, my hands are still really cold.

4. I have an "unholy" obsession with Joss Whedon shows and comic books.

5. I have kind of a tiny little head, as judged by my jug-headed husband (his words, not mine!).

6. I am concrete-sequential.  There is a process for everything.  And if there isn't a process for something, I will make one up......and then that is the best way to do it!

Instead of passing this on, I am going to leave this tag open.  If you choose to do it, here are the rules:

1. Link the person(s) who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules on your blog.
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them.
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.

Thanks for the tag, DrowseyMonkey!  And I hope that you enjoyed my quirks, according to Jeremy!

The Breast Cancer Website and Xxtraordinary Blogger Award

My friend Shinade at The Painted Veil gave me this fabulous award this week!  It is the Xxtraordinary Blogger award.  Thank you so much, Shinade!

Also, Shinade asked me to pass on this very important message on to you.  If The Breast Cancer Site received 8 million clicks in the month of June, their premiere sponsor, Bare Necessities, will donate $10,000 more for free mammograms!  Please go to The Breast Cancer Site and hit the pink button on a daily basis.  You can even sign up for daily reminders to be sent to your email on the website.

Please spread the word and ask everyone to click, click, click!

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Goose egg for Senator McCain, or is that a chicken egg in your campaign, Senator???
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So How Was the New Indiana Jones Movie?

So my friend Speedcat saw on a previous post of mine that I planned on seeing the new Indiana Jones movie and asked me to do a review of the movie.  I saw it earlier today along with my handsome hubby, Jeremy, and our good friend Bobbi.  So how was it?  Well, let's start with the good.....



It was great seeing Indiana Jones again!  The hat....the whip.....the jacket....the one-liners....It was so good just seeing him again.  Frankly, that was probably the best part of the movie.  As my friend Bobbi put it, it was like seeing an old friend again.  There was lots of action.  Pretty much the whole movie was full of action, actually.  There weren't any slow parts, really.  The effects were really good.  And there were some fabulous stunts in the movie, too.  Harrison Ford looked good, although he is definitely looking old.  He looked like he was in pretty good shape for a guy his age, though.



All of that said, here is the less than good part.....Very predictable.  The storyline was lacking, especially in certain parts of the movie.  I actually had to remind myself a couple of times about "suspension of disbelief".  In other words, I had a really hard time buying into some of things that occurred in the the movie.  Remember, this is a movie for entertainment purposes only.  It doesn't have to be believable, right?  You may have to remind yourself of this during the movie.  I haven't had this particular problem with any of the other Indiana Jones movies.  But for some reason, it was a problem in this one.  The villain in this movie, played by Cate Blanchett, wasn't the best.  But I don't blame that on Cate Blanchett (she is a good actress).  Once again, I blame that on storyline.

All of that being said.....Did I enjoy the movie?  Yes, I did!  Am I glad that I went to see it?  Yes, I am.  Did I enjoy the movie?  Yes, I did.  Would I recommend it to someone else?  Not necessarily.  Go see it only if you can keep in mind (and live with) all of the negatives that I said above.  Would I see this movie knowing everything above?  Yes, I probably would.....I would for a couple of reasons.  First, because I am awfully stubborn.  Second, because it is Indiana Jones, after all.  And it has been a long time since I have seen my old friend on the big screen.