Well, that past week of time just went by and there were no interludes at all by me on this here website. I pledge to do better, as I really do enjoy posting. But last week was a little busy and rough, and I hope that there is good news ahead. If not, I continue trudging forward and looking to make sure that good news does end up coming my way.
So maybe I’ll go in reverse chronological order and post the videos I just made this evening while Larry was making dinner. I had realized that while I take lots and lots of pictures, there’s rarely much in the way of video of us together. Or even by ourselves. Not that I need to be in video (my Jeopardy! appearance attests to that), but hey, it’d be nice for posterity. So here are some videos:
Apparently my voice is very high still. One day puberty will come. This next video is an instructional one as Larry demonstrates how to effectively drop hard pasta into boiling water while also being a very scenic display.
The Grammys were fun this year, and I loved that Adele, Beyonce, and Bruno Mars performed a lot. I think Beyonce was robbed in either Record or Album of the Year – Adele could have taken one and Beyonce the other, but what can you do. I liked that Adele recognized that too. Beyonce’s video for “Hold Up” is still ridiculously awesome, as is the rest of Lemonade.
Last night was a lot of fun. Larry & I were invited by our friend Amy, who we had met on our 2011 Mediterranean cruise, to meet her in LA with some friends to celebrate her birthday. We Uber’d there and had a fun time catching up and talking with her friends, who quickly became our friends too, as they were huge fans of the movie Spy too, so yeah, good people.
We also went and saw 2 movies this weekend – on Saturday we saw John Wick: Chapter 2 and today we saw The LEGO Batman Movie. Happily, both were great!
John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
Well, if you enjoyed the first John Wick, then by all means, go see this movie as it effectively picks up shortly after that first one ended. The mayhem awoken by the events in the first movie don’t let up and Keanu Reeves’ John Wick only has more and more hell unleashed upon his world which he handles in gorgeous, stunning scenes. Plot points that could take up a whole movie on their own get resolved in short, violent order and lead to the next epic takedown. Happily, no dog gets killed in this one – but that poor little puppy in the first one really is the catalyst that changes John Wick’s life forever nonetheless. If you haven’t seen the first movie, go and do so. It’s insanely good. But alas, if you don’t have the time, just know that John Wick is a retired assassin who gets dragged back into this underworld and effectively declares all-out war on it. There are allies all around, and one of the best parts is the Continental Hotel and its status as a safe haven, but for how long and for whom is a question this movie wrestles with… Honestly, this movie just kicks so much ass and needs to be seen to be believed.
Then today, we saw a much lighter movie!
The LEGO Batman Movie (2017)
If you saw The LEGO Movie from a few years ago, then you’ll appreciate where this year’s LEGO movie is coming from in terms of humor and creativity. Will Arnett again voices our caped crusader Batman in this movie, which deals with Batman’s predicament in being unable to form lasting bonds with anyone due to the scars from losing his family. Enter the endlessly charming Dick Grayson (Robin), the new Commissioner Gordon (Barbara Gordon), and his trustworthy butler, Alfred. Don’t discount the importance of having a life-long nemesis in the Joker either! Oh yeah, EVERY single DC character shows up in this, along with a very great number of surprise villains. The movie is very cute, very funny, and has a lot of references that’ll make you chuckle if you catch on to them. It’s a movie worth seeing, that’s for sure – although be warned it’s over 100 minutes, so don’t be like me and drink a medium soda and think you can hold it since the end must be coming soon. The end is not coming right then – the movie has a surprisingly long Act 3.
Movies Seen in 2017:
Fantastic / Rave-worthy:
- Hidden Figures (2016)
- Jackie (2016)
- John Wick: Chapter 2
Very Good:
- The LEGO Batman Movie
Okay / Wait to See at Home: