how do you feel about harp music, hmm?
wedding planning, oh god.
because skype is now free to call anywhere in north america (at least until december of this year it is), I have been able to be on the same bat channel as my grandmother is, lately. it’s definitely easier planning a wedding from across the country when you have more than a minute and a half of talk time at any give moment.
the wedding is to be held at the Morehead Inn **warning: musical website. “I didn’t know they made porn here…” at 11 o’clock in the morning on August 12th, 2006. Whee! We’ll be doing the deed in the cobblestone courtyard out back and the brunch reception is in the tea room.
my biggest fear has been that the wedding will turn into this huge, overblown affair that I’ll just hate and regret spending an obscene amount of money on. As it turns out, this quaint little restoration house was FAR more reasonably priced than I ever anticipated – and that made me almost cry when I first heard it from the managers lips. the ‘estate fee’ is what you pay to use the grounds, the fee I thought would be absurdly astronomical, the fee I thought would be the prohibiting factor in NOT choosing to get married there.
boy, was I wrong. Even the minimum cost for food was reasonable, especially considering I’m only having about 50 people coming. we had initially wanted to get married at sunset on the lake – but seriously, august in north carolina is hotter than two muskrats in a wool sock having sex. we decided on a morning wedding.
the food, I’m told, will be completely delicious and exhibitive of southern ‘elegant comfort’ food. whatever. so long as it doesn’t suck, I’m happy. I haven’t actually contacted the minister yet – which is probably a bad thing. I should get on that, hey? my original plan for making my own cake is fast falling by the wayside as our days will likely be busier than we currently anticipate, but I’m planning to call Edible Art of Charlotte to find out about doing cupcakes in ivory and garnet – should be fabulous!
I’m really glad to be in Canada, not really worried about the planning. my family isn’t having to do too much, and neither am I. I think that’s how it should be. No bridezilla here, no way. But I am looking forward to the bridesmaid’s luncheon at the most divine tea-house in the south! *squee!*
Filed under daily, life, whatnot | Comments (4)wasn’t so very impressed.
I didn’t feel like I had built up any untoward expectations in my mind. I’ve read the book at least five times – and thoroughly enjoyed the ‘thrill of the hunt’ each and every time. I’d go so far as to say I know The DaVinci Code like I know The Sound of Music – you remember every detail, but it’s fun to go through it all over again.
I remember when I first heard they were making the book into a movie. I sighed, because the last couple of book-to-movies were disappointing. The books – yes, I know – are always better than the movie. I checked IMDB early on for information on who was playing which parts. I have always liked Tom Hanks, and was pleased (if a little perplexed) that he would be playing Robert Langdon. Audrey Tautou, whom I loved (loved, loved) in Amelie played Sophie Neveu – I had no qualms with her. Ian McKellen (on whom I have the giantest crush in all the world) portrays (rather well, too!) Sir Leigh Teabing.
However much excitement I went into the movie with, some ten minutes into the beginning I was already a bit disillusioned. I sincerely hate when movie treatments drastically change the script. BIG plot changes are NOT acceptable to me. I wanted to see this movie make me feel like the book did – excited and pent up and excited and a bit more excited. Instead, I was subjected to what was, in my humble opinion, an ‘Americanized’ adaptation of what WAS a good story.
I also have to tell you that I’m one of the biggest movie whores I know. I love movies. I sincerely LOVE suspending my disbelief for all but the cheesiest of stunts and love scenes and action and drama. I’ll happily give two thumbs up to reasonable facsimilies of life and its highs and lows. But I really felt that The DaVinci Code let me down. It made me feel like I should have left at least 20 IQ points at home in order to enjoy the massive LEAPS the characters made in solving the (not as inclusive or intense) puzzles.
Paul Bettany wasn’t nearly as menacing or as convincing as he should have been as Silas. He didn’t terrify me like the man in the story did. Honestly, I thought he was rather boring. It was too easy to tell Italian wasn’t even his fourth language – he spoke so slowly I found myself doing the impatient nodding thing as his words eventually unfolded. It’s like he was sounding out his lines as they filmed, and that was hard for me to deal with.
Sophie, ah Sophie. Pretty, insipid and uninspiring Sohpie. I’m so glad you’re of royal blood, darling, because I have NO idea how you became a cryptologist. They really insulted her intelligence as well as mine when they made her role out to be so dependant. If I see (bless her heart, I still love her) those big doe eyes looking scared and tremulous one more time, I’m going to scream. Tom Hanks is not going to save you honey! He can barely save himself!
And Tom, dear Tom. I really, really was hoping for your best out of this. Instead, I had to fight back the yawns and unclench my hands from the urge to smooth out that perpetually perplexed expression on your face. Concern = furrow the brow. Exasperation = furrow the brow. Terror = furrow the brow. Concentration = furrow the brow. Constipation = furrow the brow.
Honestly, man, don’t you have anything else? And can you please get a haircut? Not all Harvard Professors are hippies with goofy hair. Sheesh.
The parts that sincerely made me smile throughout the movie were Ian McKellan being the cutest grampa in the world. But overall, I walked out of the movie feeling like I wanted my money back. The biggest problem with the movie was that the book was based on the Hunt. The movie didn’t give me any of that HUNT excitement. Even Adrian said that he felt the characters in the book weren’t very deep or moving – what was intense in the story was the finding of the answers and living the dreams of the past.
I didn’t feel like the movie gave me any great sense of that. I don’t think I’ll ever watch the movie again – but I was excited to see one thing: The Last Supper painting – I looked it up right after I read the book. I also looked up The Madonna of the Rocks and compared it to The Virgin of the Rocks. Very, very interesting stuff. I will continue to love history as much as I always have, and stories like The DaVinci Code make it more palatable to the general public, which is exciting. But I don’t think I’ll ever again see another book made into a movie. I’ve been disappointed too many times – and this one was one of the best/worst examples.
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