4 Movies In 4 Weeks #1: The Day The Earth Stood Still

"Most Horror movies are certainly that."

-Brendan Francis

Back in December my favorite store, Old Navy, had a special promotion, here how it worked. Be at the store when it opens, get into line, get a special bracelet, purchase $20.00 in store merchandise, receive 4 free movie tickets. I was needing a few more presents, and they had exactly what I needed. So, I got up really early on the day of the promotion, put on my 4 layers of clothing, and got myself down to the store bright and early. Actually, I left later then I was wanting to, so I was just sure I would be out of luck because of the long line that would surely have already formed.

Well, if you remember, I told you about it in a entry back in December. There really wasn't much of a line to worry about. It seems that the promise of movie tickets wasn't even enough to coax folks to spend this past holiday season. So, I did my $20.00 worth of shopping, purchasing 3 scarves for Sarah, and a pair of slippers for Alan, collected my book of tickets, and I was home before 9 AM. I was smiling all day long, because I was going to surprise Alan with the tickets when he got home that night. Silly me. It seems he had heard of the promotion also, and he needed a few things as well, so he went to a different Old Navy, in a different city, during his lunch hour. Imagine how surprised we BOTH were that evening, when we both pulled out our big surprise for each other. LOL.

Fast forward to the present time. We now have enough tickets to go on 4 dates in the month of January. We only have until January 31st to use the tickets, which was the downside of the promotion. Still, there are some movies that came out just before Christmas that Alan and I wanted to see, but for whatever reason time didn't allow for. One of those movies was the one we saw last night... "The Day The Earth Stood Still." We love the old classic, as you already know Alan and I are big fans of those old black and white gems. Who doesn't love a good horror movie? Although I have to admit, I am a big of a snob when it comes to remakes. I hate it when the original movie is changed too much. Sometimes it works out, but for the most part it always seems like a cheap effort in the end.

The new version of "The Day The Earth Stood Still" didn't even rise to that level! If you haven't gone to see it yet... don't bother. It is a waste of time. The editing was flawed, you could tell in different scenes that a green screen was being used. The new story had MAJOR flaws. The acting by everyone was stiff and boring, especially Kathy Bates, who played the Secretary of Defense. It is unusual to see that from her. It was as if she were just wanting to get the silly dialog over with and go home. It has been a long time since I saw a film that didn't contain at least one single clever moment, but last night that is exactly what happened. Nadda. The role played by John Cleese could have been phone in. By the time I left the theater I was wondering what Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connolly had been thinking when they took on the roles? Bad acting. Bad editing. Bad directing. Bad movie.

Ho Hum.

I think I will just forget I saw it, and focus on next Friday and the next movie on my list.

Ho Hum.

So tell me, what upcoming movies are you looking forward to seeing?

Bride Wars
He's Just Not That Into You
Confessions Of A Shopaholic
Inkheart
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
The Unborn
Hotel For Dogs
New In Town

-Carly
"Buttered Popcorn"
Regal Movie Cinema
Dublin, California
January 2nd 2009
Afternoon