Okay, okay, my sister shamed me into getting a new post out here. I know it's been a while, but it turns out these things are a bigger responsibility than you realize. Plus, you all know what a nutso summer schedule the kid and I have. But soccer is done, swimming is done, school shopping is almost done (I was informed this morning that a printed hoodie is now required) so it's time to catch up.

Now, I have to be honest, I don't even know if I can remember everything I've seen since the last post (MAY?!?! Really?), but I found some stubs and have some vague memories, so here goes.

Land of the Lost (Saturday, 6/6): I thought that, having been a fan of the show during my childhood, I might be slightly disappointed with the movie. And I was right, except that it had some pretty funny bits and wasn't as sucky as it might have been. Rental.

The Hangover (Saturday, 6/6): HA! But so not a movie for the kids. A genuinely funny movie, laughed very hard, had a lot of fun, but seriouly: NOT ONE FOR THE KIDS. And the end credits -- OY! Did I mention that this is not one you should watch around the kids? Because you really, really shouldn't.

BIG GAP IN MY MEMORY

My Sister's Keeper (Saturday, 6/27): Very sad, you will need tissues, and a decent movie. But I felt like the purpose of the movie was to make me cry, not to make me think, because in the end... well, if you haven't read the book, you should rent this one for a winter afternoon, curl up with a warm blankie and a box of tissues and let it all hang out.

Away We Go (Saturday, 6/27): Juno for adults. Great story of two slackers looking for their place in the parenting universe by visiting all of the worst examples they can find. Funny, touching, Maggie Gylenhall rocks, and you should rent this one, too.

ANOTHER BIG GAP IN MY MEMORY, BUT...

Ice Age 3: Yuck. Okay, not the worst movie in the franchise, not the best movie in the franchise, your kids will like it and you will go make dinner and do some laundry and never think of it again. And I was very disappointed that I couldn't really identify Simon Pegg's voice work. I knew which character he was, it just wasn't uniquely his voice.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (times 3): WOOHOO! At first, I was unbelievably perturbed, confused and let down. Then I went to see it again and realized how much I missed in the first go-round. Holy buckets, they did some really good stuff with the material. Of course, they also hacked and slashed through loads of the book, and I'm not sure how we're going to fill in the voids before we get to 7.1 and 7.2, but there was loads they did very right. And then I saw it a third time (long story, but see the review directly above, did it need a second viewing? No. No it did not.) and discovered that there were still a few things I had missed. Am now waiting breathlessly for the DVD.

500 Days of Summer (Saturday, August 8): Loved it, just loved it. If you don't like flashing back and forth, you might hate this movie, but I loved how they juxtaposed how we feel in and out of love. Funny and touching, you should definitely rent it.

Julie and Julia (Saturday, August 8): Cute and funny, and probably as big a reason for me to get my tush in gear again as my sister's guilt-inducing comment, because I felt guilty watching this lost 29/30 year old woman trying to find her life's joy again through her blog. She dedicated a year of her life, and I sat there thinking "oh boy, how behind am I?" And then Karen reminded me. Right after you take out the "My Sister's Keeper" DVD, you should put this one in and snuggle back down on the couch. It's exactly the pick-me-up you're going to need.

Funny People (Saturday, August 8): Too long, way too long, and I had a jumbo sized bladder issue through the last hour. It just kept going! URGH! It wasn't a great movie, it wasn't a terrible movie, but it certainly could have been a shorter movie. Best part of the movie: Eric Bana. So nice to see him having fun with a role, he usually has such heavy emotional characters he never seems to have fun. And he should always use his Australian accent from here on. Hoo boy!

And that's all I can remember. Whitney could probably fill in all the blanks for me, and I know the twist in Orphan (but I'm not sharing), so for whatever movies I've missed -- well, they must have sucked worse than Ice Age 3. I'll try to be more dilligent in the future since I know my sister's Netflix wish list needs filling.

Sunshine and love -- Chris