The Middle-Aged Movie Maven on Facebook

The Middle-Aged Movie Maven is posting again--on Facebook!. Here's the link:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Middle-Aged-Movie-Maven-with-Nancy-Monson/228168583866700?sk=wall

Thanks!

The Middle-Aged Movie Maven Returns!

Hi there. I haven't weighed in on my blog in a while, but that doesn't mean I've stopped going to the movies. So here, for your edification (and to help you avoid the TOTAL clinkers at the cineplex), my latest thoughts:

Killers. Ashton Kutcher is adorable and sexy, and he has charisma, but Katherine Heigl has peaked. And both are apparently taking a page from the Jennifer Aniston movie playbook and only picking the WORST scripts they can find (I hated both Valentine's Day with Kutcher, although he was cute in it, and The Ugly Truth, with Heigl). The movie opens kind of cute, but is stupid and unbelievable, with cartoon characters. They're trying to emulate Mr and Mrs Smith, but have none of the chemistry, sex appeal, or clever banter of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. They're tv stars, just like Aniston, and that's where they should stay. I didn't laugh once and even my nephew, who loves most movies, said it was too long!

Shrek 3. So-so...there are some good laughs, but overall I found it forgettable. The first two Shreks were all we needed.

Get Him to the Greek. This movie actually has some good moments. Yes, it's crass and silly, it veers kind of widely from outrageous behavior to serious moments, but if you liked The Hangover or Forgetting Sarah Marshall you might enjoy this one.

Sex and the City 2. Carrie is a big, spoiled baby crying because her sexy, rich husband doesn't want to go out on the town every night but rather wants to stay in and watch clever old movies with her. The real stinker in this movie is Samantha, though, who takes her crassness to new heights. Her behavior is HORRIBLY insulting to Muslims and not funny. The fashions are ridiculous. I was hoping to love it--especially since I liked the first movie and the series (and, I'll admit it, the book about Carrie's teen years called The Carrie Diaries). And at 2 1/2 hours, it is REALLY too long!

Iron Man 2: I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this action flick. I loved the first one, but this one looked to be much darker. But I trust in Robert Downey Jr and he delivered--he's just as funny and fun as ever. The female characters are mere sexpots in tight skirts and high heels, but the plot wasn't half bad. I was quite entertained.

On my list of movies to see: The A Team (yes, I'll probably regret it but I do love that Bradley Cooper), Winter's Bone, The Kid's Are Alright, Eat Pray Love, Joan River's--A Piece of Work, Inception.

Hi there...it's been awhile. As I mentioned in my last post, I've been concentrating on the launch and publicity for my new ebook with Linda Peckel called Just What the Doctor Ordered: An Insider's Guide to Medical Writing.

If you've ever wondered what it takes to be a medical writer, please check it out. It's available at http://www.medicalwritingbook.com/ for just $16.95.

Arts Enclave blog about Asperger's and creativity

Even though I'm not posting myself right now, I want to call your attention to a special blog post about Asperger's syndrome (which is classified as a form of autism) and creativity on the Arts Enclave blog. If you have a child who thinks differently than other kids, you might want to read what Linda Peckel (my sister) has to say about how Asperger's and other quirky behavior/thinking patterns can be a gift rather than a disability...




The Human Spectrum: From Aspergers to Creativity

http://artsenclave.wordpress.com/2010/04/01/the-human-spectrum-from-aspergers-to-creativity/

Styling...

In honor of National Crafts Month (March), I've decided to stop blogging for a while and start crafting more. (Oh, and I need to focus on publicizing my new ebook Just What the Doctor Ordered: An Insider's Guide to Medical Writing, which will be available in mid April.)

So, my last post for a while...

I've been thinking a lot about taste and style lately. Where does it come from? How do we judge it? How can one person's taste be good and another's bad? How can we say one woman has style and another doesn't? That one dresses badly (Ugly Betty comes to mind) and the other well?

My conclusion is that we can't judge it.

You like what you like...the colors, the patterns, the textures, the forms, the fit. You're born with certain proclivities, just like you're born with certain personality traits, and then they're polished by the impressions laid over you by your family, your culture, your school, your job, the time you're at in your life, the place you live. It's not something you have a lot of control over.

It just is.

What's more, style trends are arbitrary. They're just someone's opinion. For instance, although millions of women emulate the Sex and the City girls, I think most of Sarah Jessica Parker's outfits are outrageously...well, stupid. And what woman can handle tromping all over Manhattan in 4-inch stilettos?

It's not a competition: Whoever has the most style wins. We're just different. Let's embrace it!

Middle-Aged Movie Maven's Oscar Picks!

The Oscars doth approach. This Sunday in fact.

I can proudly boast to having seen all TEN, YES TEN, of the movies nominated for best picture this year. (Though it's no thanks to Netflix. I've had to rent elsewhere to catch all of the flicks, while my top requests sit in my queue week after week because they don't have enough copies. I've written three letters to the CEO Reed Hastings, called customer service twice, and downgraded my account all to no avail. They could care less about their customers. Their business model SUCKS! But I digress.)

Why am I such a cinephile? I guess because since I was a little girl movies have fed my imagination in a way nothing else could. They definitely spark my own creativity, too. And there's nothing more relaxing and, paradoxically, exciting to me than sitting in a darkened theatre watching a film on the big screen. If joy is what we're all looking for, for me it comes neatly packaged by the local cineplex!

Anyway, I know you're all waiting with baited breath for my Oscar picks (as trivial as all this movie stuff is in the scheme of things), so here you go:


Best Picture: Avatar--in 3D, an incredible ride, an incredible achievement.


Best Actor: Jeff Bridges--it's his turn for a career of great acting jobs (sorry Colin Firth).


Best Actress: Sandra Bullock--this character could have been a carictature and she made her real. I think it's her turn, too, cause everyone just likes her. (Meryl Streep could, and should on merit, edge Bullock out for her incredible portrayal of Julia Child, but I don't think she will.)


Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique in Precious. No question there. She was awesome.


Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds. He was scary hilarious.


Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow--girl power!



Best Adapted Screenplay: Up in the Air--great comedy and very human drama.

Best Screenplay: Hurt Locker--tense.


Best Animated Film: Up--touching.

So? What do you think?!

Creative interviewing

Are you a Lost fan? Last week's episode featured John Locke applying for a job at an employment agency and being asked--much to his displeasure--"What kind of animal would you describe yourself as?"

Bizarre? Yes. But not uncommon during job interviews today. Prospective employees are regularly being asked:

• If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?



• If you were a car, what kind of car would you be?



• If you were an item in the supermarket, what would you be?



• If you had a theme song for when you walked into a room, what would it be? (Mine would be The Ramones "I Want to Be Sedated," but I don't think that would get me the job!)

So what's behind this trend toward the Barbara Walters' line of questioning? According to career coach Connie Thanasoulis-Cerrachio of Six Figure Start (www.sixfigurestart.com), employers are trying to schuss out if candidates will fit in with their corporate culture, and how confident and creative they are--the latter being an increasingly important quality in today's marketplace, where companies are seeking new and innovative solutions and products to get ahead and each prospective employee is up against five other applicants for every job.

Connie says there are no right or wrong answers to these questions, but it is important to go with the flow in an interview and answer with a straight face (or at least a sense of humor!). Think about the company you're applying to and try to come up with solid answers--in advance--to potential interview questions. Make yourself stand out from the rest of the applicants by being thoughtful and unique. A little whimsy never hurt either!

For more on the subject, check out Connie's interview on NPR. Here's the link:

www.thetakeaway.org/people/connie-thanasoulis-cerrachio/