Night at the Museum 2/ Angels & Demons (Mini Reviews)

I've always been a bit of a movie buff, so I'd missed not being able to catch a movie on the big screen since last year. I must say it was quite comforting to enjoy the familiar feeling of settling into my seat, popcorn and drink in hand, anxiously awaiting for the movie previews (the more the merrier). After a long movie-going absence, I've now seen two movies within the past couple of weeks, neither of which really satisfied my movie viewing craving. I took my two nephews to see A Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and I went with my friend to see Angels & Demons. So here goes. A brief mini-review of each.

In this sequel to the original Night at the Museum, Ben Stiller reprises his role as Larry Daley, the previous security guard at the Museum of Natural History, and current owner of a company that produces his inventions. Larry still visits his old friends, Jedediah (Owen Wilson) and Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams) at the museum and its readily apparent during the visit that while he's successful, he's not happy. On one such visit he finds out that all of his friends will be shipped to the Federal Archives housed at the Smithsonian in DC in order to make room for newer interactive exhibits. Larry finds out from Teddy that he and a few others are staying behind, but since the miraculous tablet that brings them all to life will not be traveling to the Smithsonian, this means it will be the others last night alive. Later at home, Larry receives a frantic call from Jedediah, who's now at the Smithsonian, that they are under attack, and of course, Larry rushes to the rescue.

The movie was very cute, but in truth its the same old gimmick without the freshness of the first movie. I didn't find it all that hilarious either, except for a silly slap fight scene between Larry and Dexter the monkey which had me in stitches. The one redeeming feature of the movie was the performance of the always enchanting Amy Adams as Amelia Earhart. Whether she's a fairy tale princess (Enchanted), a pregnant young wife (Junebug), or in this case Amelia Earhart, Amy Adams always manages to make you fall in love with her character. Hank Azaria as the evil pharoah Kahmunrah was also pretty good. Overall, I'd say wait for the DVD, though if you have kids, waiting might not be an option.

Angels & Demons is supposed to serve as a sequel to the movie The Da Vinci Code, though in actuality Angels & Demons, the novel, was published before The Da Vinci Code. In the movie, Tom Hanks is back as Robert Langdon a brilliant symbologist who is asked by the Vatican to help them solve the mystery of a secret society known as the Illuminati who are claiming to have possession of four abducted cardinals who are the preferred (preferiti) candidates to replace the recently deceased Pope as the new Pontiff. Langdon, along with the help of Dr. Vittoria Vetra, not only have to save the preferiti, but also find a volatile material (anti-matter) stolen from a lab which could potentially obliterate the Vatican.

What can I say about this movie? If you've read the book, which I have, then the movie will fall short by comparison. In all honesty and fairness, I'll admit that I find most film adaptations of novels lacking. I will add that if you'd like to see some amazing views of Rome, then dish out the $10; and if you haven't read the book then dish out the $10 because overall the movie was entertaining, with alot of action and excitement, and Tom Hanks was very good as always.

A Visit to "Holy Mountain"

"Holy Mountain" is supposedly what people call Graymoor, the home of the Franciscan Friars and Sisters of the Atonement, located in Garrison NY. My cousin and her husband visit Graymoor regularly and they offered to give me a tour. Graymoor has chapels and shrines dedicated to a variety of Saints, including St. Francis, St. Anthony, St. Bernadette, Our Lady of Fatima and many more, all set on beautiful gardens seemingly designed to inspire peaceful meditation, prayer or just a few minutes of awe soaking in God's amazing handiwork.


This is in the St. Jude Meditation Garden which among other things includes the statue of Our Lady of Medjugorje, which was blessed by Our Lady herself during the apparitions, and the World Trade Center Cross.This is the World Trade Center Cross which was constructed and dedicated by the Ironworkers of Local 40 NYC to those who lost their lives on 9/11. The cross is made of steel girders with a concrete base using ashes and steel from the World Trade Center site.Our Lady of Fatima and the three shepherd children she appeared to.St. Bernadette and Our Lady of Lourdes.



This was a wonderful experience which I hope to repeat on my own so that I can dedicate more time to peaceful and quite contemplation and prayer.

A Gem on the Hudson

This Saturday morning I met my cousin and her hubby for breakfast at a small cafe in the Village of Cold Spring. While the main purpose of the trip was to visit Graymoor (a separate post to come), Cold Spring was selected as a meeting point for us and it turned out to be a welcomed surprise for me. I'd never been to this quaint little village that lies on the banks of the Hudson River but I will definitely be returning for a visit. Given the early morning hour (8:00 am), none of the wonderful little shops which line the main street were open, but the beautiful storefronts with any number of antique shops to choose from for window shopping, and also some unique and charming gift shops more than made up for it. All of this with the added bonus of a breathtaking waterfront to enjoy the natural beauty of the Hudson.

I'm a G(l)eek

“By its very definition, Glee is about opening yourself up to joy.” The quote appears within the first minute of Glee’s pilot episode, and while the quote refers to William McKinley High School’s glee club it could just as easily be referring to the show itself. I loved it!

The show is a musical comedy that tells the story of a young and idealistic Spanish teacher, and former member of the glee club during its glory days, who takes on the seemingly dauntless task of restoring the glee club to its heyday and (dare he dream) making it all the way to Nationals. The show will have you cheering, smiling, and singing along to a great soundtrack.

Unfortunately (boo to Fox), the show doesn’t start until the Fall. This little slice of joy was just a teaser meant to keep us eagerly awaiting its official start. Let me say -- I can’t wait for Fall! (Note to self: patience is a virtue, patience is a virtue, patience is a virtue.)

An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination

I bought and started reading "An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination" by Elizabeth McCracken months ago, well prior to my mom passing. I recently picked it up again, despite all instincts of self-preservation saying not to read a sad book when you're already sad, but insanity won out.

The book is a memoir chronicling the story of Elizabeth McCracken, a writer, teacher, and spinster ("I would never have called myself single" she says. "The word suggests a certain willingness to flirt in bars.") who falls in love with Edward Harvey, also an author and gets married. Together, Elizabeth and Edward continue to write and travel, including to Berlin, Denmark, Ireland, and Paris. During one such trip to France, Elizabeth finds out that she's pregnant. She says "I loved being pregnant. Whatever hormones had shaken together in my bloodstream, it was an agreeable cocktail." They referred to the baby as Pudding. Pudding, what are you up to? they'd say to her stomach. In the last month of her pregnancy the unthinkable happens and after a frantic visit to the midwife, and then later to the hospital, their greatest fears are realized when an ultrasound confirms that the baby has died in utero and she has to deliver it. As Elizabeth says "This is the happiest story in the world with the saddest ending." Luckily the books doesn't end there, it also tells what happened next, not only the heartbreak, the sense of blame, the sense of sameness, the escape from France and its memories, but also the return back home, and almost a year later finding out she's pregnant again and having a happy healthy baby to love with the knowledge that the love for the first magnifies the love for the second, and vice versa.

I would definitely recommend this book. I've grieved and I'm grieving for a loved one lost, but never, thank God, a child. I can't even begin to imagine the grief of a parent losing a child. The story is lovingly and honestly told, and while the main storyline centers on a child lost, it really also deals with grief in general and how we relate to one another, how we cope, and how there never really is closure. As the author says "I want a book that acknowledges that life goes on but that death goes on too, that a person who is dead will never disappear from view. Your friends may say, time heals all wounds. No, it doesn't, but eventually you'll feel better."

Giving Thanks

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance which commemorates U.S. men and women who died serving their country. In the hustle and bustle of every day life, it's so easy to overlook the true meaning and purpose of Memorial Day, and instead celebrate the mere fact of a day off from work.

Today, I give thanks to all those soldiers who gave their lives in wars past protecting this beautiful country, and all those soldiers who today stand ready to give their life doing the same. I thank them for their many sacrifices; for being far from home and family in faraway lands, for risking life and limb for our freedom, and for giving up their peaceful slumber so that we can be safe.

In particular, this Memorial Day I give thanks to my incredible nephew, Anthony, who served in Iraq for 15 months (thankfully, he's home safe and sound) and makes us proud each and every day.

Thank you to my Anthony, and the countless men and women -- the true heroes -- who give so much without fame or glory.