Middleage depression

Watched Sideways this weekend -- rated it a 5. I have to agree with Justin as I am not sure why this movie was up for Best Picture. I mean, yes, the acting was fantastic -- amazing really. Giamatti should have been up for best actor. However, the story was not really surprising or innovative in any way. Since it's advertised as a mid-life crisis story, I expected more of a revelation or pay-off at the end, and although there was some, it was not very satisfying. Overall, it's just a depressing story.

The update that is not an update

Drum roll...... No new information on the progress of the house!! However, as disappointing as that may seem, there is a silver lining. Justin and I planned to have a "last-ditch" discussion with the builder -- to determine whether or not it was worth it for us to keep hanging in there, or if it was time for us to pull the plug and just buy an existing home somewhere else. Well, we did talk to the builder on the phone today, and he said everything I had hoped to hear and more. First, he apologized for all the delays and took complete responsibility, even though it is really the city's fault and not his. (In case you don't remember where we've left off; our building permit is being held by the city of Shawnee, waiting on one last signature from a city official.) Then the builder said that he would actually talk to the bank on our behalf to get our rate lock extended. He emphasized that he does a LOT of business through this bank, so he believes he carries some weight with them. Yet if his words alone are not enough, he even offered to put up some of his own money to help with the extension. All of these things give us a lot more faith in him as a builder and so Justin and I are going to wait it out and see where the chips may fall. Stay tuned for more city government fun!

?Habla Espanol?

Watched Spanglish the other day -- going to rate it a 7. It was better than I expected, as it wasn't a typical "Adam Sandler" movie at all -- it was definitely more dramatic, and Adam didn't even have the funniest role. But it is a touching story about a culture clashes and personal identity. I recommend that you give it a try.

Just another movie

Watched Sin City last night -- rated it a 7. That is sort of a preliminary rating, as I want to see it again sometime to be sure. You see it is a mixture of very good things and very bad things and it's hard to find out which weighs more. I mean the visualistic style is of course amazing. The characters are interesting, but not overly deep. It definitely feels like a comic book on the screen more so than anything I've seen to date. However, the dialog is also just like a comic book -- which was cute at first, but then got really old, and eventually seemed strange coming out of actors' mouths. And of course, the setting is pretty dark, which leads to some depressing stories and kind of a 'down' feeling at the end. But the visuals.... I mean, it reminds me of Hero for the impact and stunningness..... yet on the dark side. It is definitely worth seeing on the big screen. Just make sure you have something happy to do afterwards. ;)