It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

In light of Halloween coming up I decided to show some of my favorite non-scary Halloween movies:

Nightmare Before Christmas



Casper



Edward Scissorhands

It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

Twilight Woods

I am currently sitting amongst piles of papers and stacks of books in front of a day long marathon of Grey's Anatomy - welcome to finals week. Before this started I did manage a little shopping spree to help stave off the inevitable. One of my stops was at Bath & Body Works where I discovered what I have now termed 'My scent of the season.'

Twilight Woods

According to the Bath & Body Works website: "Master perfumers have blended apricot nectar, mimosa petals and Tuscan cypress to create this hypnotic fragrance, inspired by a romantic walk in enchanted woods. "

I can only describe the scent as sweet while still having a warmth to it. I tend to shy away from fruity scents as they remind me too much of sprays I used as a teenager - but the light sophistication of this scent is what drew me in. Always a little wary of trying too a new fragrance I decided to pick up the roll on version. At only $7.50 I figured I couldn't go wrong and I am so excited that I did. I highly recommend picking up this scent!

(image from Bath & Body Works website: www.bathandbodyworks.com)

Paranormal Activity: Spoilers

So I just got out of a screening of the new horror film Paranormal Activity. Overall I felt that the movie was okay, nothing too incredible - but worth a trip to see if your into horror movies. I wanted to review the movie since it's been forever since I've seen one in theatres, but in order to talk about this movie there will be some definite major spoilers (you've been warned)....

I felt that the movie had definite potential, but it was comparable to the TV show "A Haunting." Where there are reenactments and nothing is taken too seriously. I've heard that a lot of people were laughing/talking during screenings of this and I will be the first to admit that I was one of those people. I definitely was scared that things were going to jump out at me during the movie, but it was not one of those films that stayed with me afterwards. The character development was interesting - as the film continued and the demonic happenings increased Micah became more of an a**hole and Katie more of a witch with a b. By the end of the movie I felt that Micah had it coming to him after being so mean to Katie and then antagonizing the demon. The Ouija board scene was somewhat laughable mainly because it was predictable and then having it catch fire was a bit over the top. It was a bit of a tease to go into the story about the other possessed girl and then not learn anything more about it. I suppose its because its a mock-u-mentary, and we aren't suppose to learn anymore than the characters do but I found it rather frustrating. I suppose after years of horror films I'm conditioned to want to know why the person is being followed around by a demon, not just how the demon is follow them around.

The whole ending I felt was a bit of a cop out. Not only was Micah the dumbest character to not realize how clearly messed up Katie was (aka possessed), but the ending felt a bit over the top. Obviously the movie was going to have some sort of major ending, but it felt like it was too far of a stretch compared to the previous scenes. To have possessed Katie throw her dead boyfriends body at the camera and then stare creepily at him/camera for an ending was a bit too traditional Hollywood ending for a movie that survived off of more subtle things (like the noises and the sheets moving).

Overall I felt the movie was okay. Definitely not the best horror film I've seen, but worth a look just to see what all the hypes about. Apparently it was leaked on the Internet awhile ago and there are various endings. After reading about them I would have gone with just ending with her rocking on the floor, totally creepy. The character development was nice, with the couple getting more hostile toward each other and the demon feeding off the negative energy. I liked that the movie's scare was fueled more by what you didn't see or assumed was happening. As the audience was limited by seeing only what the supposed handheld camera saw I felt like my imagination filled in and added to the on edge feel. Additionally, it was interesting watching a film without a score behind it - I hadn't really noticed it till I read off of a few message boards. I suppose the demon's footsteps provided the "soundtrack" for the film.

I feel this is a DVD rental unless you have some deep desire to see what all the hype is about.

Victoria Secret Chicago

I recently received my birthday "gift card" courtesy of Victoria Secret in the mail. I am debating whether I should check out their new store on Michigan Avenue Thursday and try to use it. According to the website the new Chicago will have personalized shopping and concierge service, in addition to an expanded section of their traditional intimates. I wont lie I'm a little intimidated. In preparation for the grand opening Thursday Victoria Secret has a whole week of events including a signing with Marisa Miller and a collection of the infamous angel wings.

Needless to say I am intrigued and intimidated by this whole thing and may just wait to use my cheapy gift card...

P.S. Yes they have a website dedicated solely to this new opening: www.vschicago.com

Dear John

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks was one of the few books I can say I read cover-to-cover. It was heartbreakingly beautiful and painfully realistic. The book is about a man named John Tyree who on leave from the army falls in love with a girl named Savannah. He promises to marry her and quit the army...then 9/11 happens. Its a Nicholas Sparks book so its full of unrealistic romantic lines and tearful acts all under the context of a southern sun. I suppose it resonated with me mainly because the years in which I started to formulate an understanding of romantic love was also the time when I came to understand more deeply the idea of war. Now (unfortunately) this marriage of the two has become common place, particularly among people my age.

The trailer looks promising, although I haven't been all that thrilled with movie interpretations of Spark's books in the past I am hopeful. The cast looks great. The song they use in the trailer is Snow Patrol's (featuring Martha Wainwright) "Set Fire in the Third Bar."

Glee

After a birthday weekend battling a horrendous cold its things like this that make me smile...