Shoot 'Em Up -movie review

There are moments in movie-making when you just get to see something that takes entertainment to the far corners of what it can be. A film that really refuses to be serious, demanding, or even realistic. A film that invigorates you with style, action and sexiness. A film that aspires to be nothing but an 80-minute rocking adventure that never stops. And this year that film is Shoot'em Up Shoot'Em Up is exactly what it says it is. The film runs for 82 minutes and fills every frame with a hail of bullets. Each scene endeavours to create more creative and elaborate gun fights. Gunfights in a factory. Gunfights in stairwells. Gunfights during a car chase. Gunfights while skydiving. Gunfights during a wicked hot sex scene. Gunfights without a gun! This may sound silly, redundant even, but if you can release your grasp on reality and enjoy the Looney Tunes hyperbole of it all then it is intensely satisfying.

The "story" follows a reluctant hero who ends up playing saviour to a newborn infant that is the target of assassins trying to cover-up a nasty T-cell breeding scheme. See? Craziness! But technically the film is impeccable. What could have been a B-flick yawn is a rock'n'roll-fueled rollercoster. The lighting and set design are inventive and effective. To be fair, the movie is MY kind of film as many of the technical elements were done by people who had worked on other films I enjoyed immensely (the editor from Blade 2, Out of Sight's production designer, sound guys from Underworld).

The chosen actors are impeccable for their roles. Clive Owen is perfectly cast as a rugged and reluctant hero with a penchant for carrots and creative gunplay. Few actors can blend his charisma, cool and charm in such over-the-top surroundings. Leading the chase against the Clive is a Paul Giamatti - exchanging his loser image for a bit of creepy instead. Third in the mix is Moncia Bellucci as a hooker with a very special talent and a very golden heart. And so the three collide in a series of near escapes and by the end of it all the justice is dispensed, the future looks bright and the body count is high.

The Next Generation

I received this new picture today of the next generation in my family. It is interesting to not be the bottom rung of the family ladder anymore. It is also fun that they are all so amazingly cute, adorable, sweet and all those other adjectives used to describe children when you love them very much!


Who they are (clockwise): Taggart (my nephew), Maebe (my niece) & Mathilda (my cousin Meaghan's girl which makes her my first cousin once removed - I think!)

Model Tag

This my nephew in his second Sears modelling gig. He is clearly demonstrating the awesome fun of the Dora plane ... OK - he's actually pointing at the toy next to him like IT is more interesting but he can't be doing everything perfect.

You can see the actual ad at Sears online.

Why Matt Damon Rules!

Matt Damon is definately one of the greatest actors of his generation. He is undeniably talented and attractive. He is ripe with star power and balanced with real-life humbleness. And then you see the movie Eurotrip (shut up! it is a fun movie!) and it contains the BEST Matt Damon cameo of all time.

Check it HERE!

When was the Last Time you were Awake for 24hrs?

If you are me, that question would be answered with "this weekend" and in spite of the tiredness it induced it was great fun and totally unexpected. I love those moments in your life when things just keep rolling and all you can do is try to keep up. The past week was a busy one - I was on the road training staff and that can be exhausting. As it turns out my travels took me to Edmundston, NB for a couple of days. What a cute little town it is. It also has a video store with the BEST sales (3 for $15) on previously-viewed movies so I was a very happy camper.

After all the training was done I had my 8 hour drive on Saturday back home. I got up at 8am and was on the road by 9 - a big feat for me, especially on a weekend! My plan included a pit stop in Shediac to visit an great friend with a fabulous place on the beach. What a wonderful day to spend outside on the coast. OK - it WAS a little bit sweaty but I was playing bocci ball so I was being (sorta) active! After some laughs and some beer it was time to hit the road again - don't worry I was responsible! It was very tempting to stay and enjoy the sure-to-be-excellent food and the beach bonfire but I had elswhere to be!

So back to HFX in order to slip into a dress, do some makeup and head over to a wine & cheese party for the night. What a great event. The premise is that everyone brings a bottle of wine but keeps the identity hidden. So you spend the night trying wines with no notions about them. This allows you try things you might not normally and get monumentally drunk without thinking about it. The atmosphere was perfect and the crowd was in for a good time. I could not have had more fun. But of course it can't stop there so I had to host a little post-party to keep things interesting and keep me awake until the next 8am. Thus ... my 24hrs. WHEW!

Reality Bites

Just an FYI that my apartment is a "... den of slack" and I am SO unproductive there it is crazy. It is like my brain melts and falls out of my ears when I get home. This is not to say that I dislike my apartment - I actually really like my hobbit-hole as my personal space - but man, I cannot work in it! I need to find an inspiration space. I need a go-to location to be useful. I wonder where that could be?

Coves + Capes = Good Times

One of the great things in the world is when things collide to be a good time without having to plan too much. I can sometimes over-plan! I was hoping to go camping - which caused me to cancel on a kayaking invite - but my throat had been bothering me and I was positive that sickness was on the horizon. So no plans were made but then the weekend just gelled together into a full and rewarding use of time. Friday was mellow and full of football which is always good.

Saturday started with work but that turned out to go well and quickly. I often find the office a productive place to be when noone else is around and Saturday allowed me to get some extra tasks completed. Once all the details were done I went down to the local theatre to catch Becoming Jane - a romantic tale based on the life of Jane Austin. Two tear-filled hours of tragic romance later I was back in the sunshine. With clear skies above me I took off to Peggy's Cove with hopes of taking some decent pictures of the sunset. I must confess to loving Peggy's Cove now. It has become my personal retreat when I want to go somewhere to think and just soak up the sea air.

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Fish'n'chips for dinner and an hour of fading sun later left me some great shots and full of energy. What to do with that energy? Time to go for a beer. So a social drink with some co-workers tunred into a 4am-night at the Alehouse (it has been ages!). Needless to say, I was feeling a little bit rough the next morning. But I had a little plan in the back of my brain to finally visit Cape Split and I wasn't going to flake out. So I got my awesome car started and drove the hour to the valley to begin my scenic trek. I began by taking some pictures along the shore because the views were excellent. But that meant that I missed the actual trail head and ended up on a more "rustic" path. This path led me to a convoluted mix of trails through the wilds of the penninsula. I got scratched by raspberry bushes, thrashed through overgrown brush, got stuck on the wrong side of a ravine, and had a genuine "where the hell am I" moment only twice! I think this is the downside of hiking alone - you end up in the middle of nowhere with only the partridges to talk to! Eventually I found the path - and ACTUAL path - and got my way to the point. What an incredible place.

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After my random trekking it was marvelous to walk into the open grass, see the sun sparkles on the sea, listen to the gulls, and try to take pictures of the rock formations without falling off the cliffs! A full and fabulous afternoon. After it all, my body tired and sore (hiking hungover is not recommended) I drove home in time to watch my favourite cheesy show "Instant Star". What a brilliant weekend.

Maebe Motivation

Just to make sure that I don't contribute to the development of a second-child complex for Maebe I thought I would post another pic of my darling neice. This is another chance for me to gush about her awesomeness.

Actually, today is a busy and tiring one for me so I wish I could be sleeping as peacefully as this little pumpkin here. I am really struggling with balance in my life these days. I am feeling completely caged by my work, school, and volunteer obligations and when I get like this I start to get sick and shut down. I have realized that I haven't committed to a job location for more than a year so I think I have itchy-work-feet!

The other stressor is my anxiety over what my "plan" is for the future. I know that I am not satisfied with my current life situation but I am feeling completely overwhelmed about what to do/where to go next. The arrival of Maebe has really made me think about being closer to my family and that requires some planning. I am working towards a May graduation and that requires effort. But I find my motivations depleted these days. I have lost my life inspiration and I am not sure where it is. Of course life is not as gloomy as this post may imply. I am just feeling lost right now (a common theme on this blog is you sift through the archives) but I know it will pass. Good things lay ahead - I just can't see them yet. So I need to remind myself to focus on today. FYI, I am VERY bad at being present-minded! Thus, in moments like this I look to the wonders of children and the warm love that I feel for those in my family and push forward to the bright side of life.