As a child of the 80s (I would have been around the same age as the nephews in the movie), I love the music, atmosphere, and nonstop 80s references of The Wedding Singer. I’ve seen it so many times that it’s mostly a comfort movie for me, but it never stops being funny. I can’t even single out one favorite part, so here are some scattered thoughts.
The first time I saw The Wedding Singer was at a drive-in with my college roommates, Kathy and Emily. It was appropriate that we saw it together, because it eventually became the unofficial movie of our friendship. Kathy and I, both going through a terrible time romantically and generally in the winter of 1999, busted out the “Love Stinks” scene daily on our VHS tape. I can still probably recite/sing the whole thing.
“I have the microphone, and you don’t. So you will listen to every damn word I have to say!!!”
Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore have great chemistry, and I love them together for any reason. (I think Drew is at her most adorable in this film.)
Steve Buscemi is always hilarious just standing there.
And in case you forgot…nobody talks to Billy Idol that way!
By the way, if I ever have another wedding, I want a string quartet playing “Don’t Stop Believing” (a la the first wedding of the movie). I’m serious. It shouldn’t be surprising, given what I named my blog.
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The only problem with iTunes and related services is that it’s so easy to go on a music shopping spree. You go there to download one or two songs, but it turns into “Oh yeah, I liked that song too!” and “I might as well get the whole album, it’s only $8!” Then you’re in the kind of trouble that was more avoidable when you had to pay for a physical stack of CDs at a physical register. (Another good reason why I still don’t have an e-reader – applying this principle to books would lead to financial ruin for me.)
All that to say, I’ve been buying a lot of music lately, and I feel almost evangelical about some of it:
About ten years ago (!), Jenn sent me a mix CD with a couple of Sarah Harmer songs on it. I immediately liked them, bought Sarah’s album You Were Here, and have continued enjoying her music ever since. Her latest album, Oh Little Fire, is absolutely her best yet. From the musicians I’m blessed to have in my life, I’ve absorbed some knowledge of what makes a well-written song, and every one of these songs is like a jewel. LOVE IT.
I’m soaking up the huge Americana trend in music right now (although I’m afraid it’s nearing saturation :\). Needtobreathe sounds like a combination of Kings of Leon and Mumford and Sons. Every song on their latest album, The Outsiders, is fantastic. I didn’t know at first that Needtobreathe is a Christian band – and, as someone who hit her limit of CCM years ago, I mean that in the best possible way. I also find their music somehow manly – none of these songs would be out of place on Deadliest Catch or something. Anyway, my brother introduced me to this album, so I think of him when I listen to it.
Miranda Lambert has a freshness and honesty that comes across in everything she sings. “The House That Built Me” consistently makes me cry, even though I have no deep longings for my childhood house. There’s just something powerful in every note of that song. I also love “Heart Like Mine” and “Only Prettier.”
I’m also excited about a few upcoming releases!
I confess: Until recent years, I wasn’t very into Coldplay. I thought they were okay, but they were so excessively hyped that I didn’t want to hop on the bandwagon. But when Viva La Vida came out, it swept me away with its awesomeness, and I felt dumb for resisting so long. (See also Caedmon’s Call and the release of 40 Acres when I was in college.) Now I’m excited for new works of genius! Last I heard, the album was almost finished.
GAVIN!!!
I’m not sure how I feel about the Tim Burton-ish vibe she’s rocking here, but I’ve waited and waited for Anna Nalick’s follow-up to one of my all-time favorite albums, Wreck of the Day. There’s no official release date yet, but I remain hopeful!
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This weekend was eventful in a pleasant, low-key way.
I bought a new-to-me oven! My kitchen has an open countertop/bar layout that requires a “drop-in” oven. They start around $1000 new, so I’ve lived with my original 1970s harvest gold range for almost five years. Also, it still works fine, and I generally believe in keeping stuff for its lifespan instead of upgrading every few years Just Because. But lately the buzzing oven timer has gone rogue, and I’m over it. I started looking on Craigslist again, and found this white smooth-top GE range for a tiny fraction of the new price! My dad is going to install it for me next weekend. In the meantime, I need oven cleaner recommendations, because I don’t think this one has EVER been cleaned. I want it to be all sparkly when it comes into the house.
I got a haircut! I didn’t intend for it to be this short (my own fault – I’m terrible at judging how much I want cut off), but I REALLY like it. My hair hasn’t been this short in several years, probably since my last Ouidad haircut. This cut is almost as good, too! If you need a curly hair stylist in Memphis, I can direct you.
I got a letter from my Compassion kid. It made me smile a lot. Note his question, “Are you married already?” I love the way kids go straight to the heart of things.
Kathy and I saw Deathly Hallows Part 2 in 3-D! It was fantastic and I cried a lot. My thoughts on the movie are basically the same as Still Wandering‘s. It was my first 3-D movie, and after years of disparaging 3-D as an unnecessary gimmick… I kind of liked it. Anyway, Kathy and I have gone to almost every midnight Potter book release and movie together, so this was the end of an era. I’m seeing it again with Caroline and some other friends on Saturday!
I baked Peach Carrot Bread. I used Splenda instead of sugar, and substituted barley flour for some of the all-purpose flour. It added a nice flavor, but I think it caused the bread to be a little dry. Still, it’s delicious!
2 Comments + Posted in: baking, beauty, domestic, movies
This movie is so iconic that there’s nothing I can say about it critically. It came out smack in the middle of my college years. I remember being intrigued by the commercials, but not thinking much of it until I started to hear about the movie EVERYWHERE. After I saw it, I went back multiple times with different groups of friends until all of them had seen it. :) It was a whole new take on my lifelong weird fascination with machines that take over the world and humans who fight them. Plus, it had kung fu.
The ORIGINAL Matrix is the only one on my list of favorite movies. The sequels were a big disappointment – in fact, I think I’ve only seen Revolutions once, in the theater. All you need to see of the sequels is the freeway chase scene from Reloaded, ending with an Agent/Morpheus fight on top of a semi, and a massive explosion. I can’t embed it, but you can watch it here. The only thing that could have made it cooler is if the semi had transformed into Optimus Prime and gotten in on the fight.
However, The Animatrix, the collection of cartoon vignettes set at various points in the Matrix universe, was pretty good. To this day I’m haunted by the prequel cartoon about the beginnings of the war, and the humans blacking out the sky as a last resort. Permanently blacking out the sky is seriously one of the most horrifying things I can imagine. I watched the short again, was re-traumatized, and decided not to post it here as a result.
Thoughts? :)
3 Comments + Posted in: movies
Last weekend, my sister and I went to Texas to visit our grandmother and other relatives. (That counts as a Travel Thursday topic, right?) Grandma is in a nursing home after back surgery, and we’d heard she wasn’t doing well, so we went to see her as soon as we could. Thankfully, although she does have physical problems, she seems pretty stable otherwise. Debra and I stayed at her house and walked the few blocks over to the home every day. We talked and talked, brought her contraband chips and cookies, and played multiple rounds of Yahtzee in the common room while an Amish-looking* visiting church group sang hymns right in front of us. Life is always a little bit odd in small-town Texas. :)
We also spent time with our uncle and aunt, and cousins! Keith and his wife live in town, and Brooke and her husband came down from Dallas for the weekend. We were close growing up, and Debra and I were very excited to see her and catch up. :)
My family spent every Thanksgiving in Texas until I was in college. Big Red is a big part of those Thanksgiving memories – it’s not available here or in Florida. Debra was thrilled to see it on tap when we went out for lunch!
It was a good trip…
…but I was happy to be home. :)
* = I had alarming flashbacks to the Lifetime movie The 19th Wife, but the people seemed normal and non-cultish aside from their attire.
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