Movies: "Julie and Julia," "Sunshine Cleaning," and "Elephant."

Yesterday was a good day! Cody and I met Belkis and Zorn for ice cream and went to see "Julie and Julia," which was actually completely adorable. If you haven't seen it yet, check out the trailer here. It made me want to pick up one of my favourite cookbooks, like "Moosewood" or "Enchanted Broccoli Forest" and try a new recipe!

Seeing "Julie and Julia" reminded me of another movie I've seen with Amy Adams recently, "Sunshine Cleaning." They were showing it on the flight from Houston to Portland, and although I could barely hear it, I enjoyed it quite a bit--especially more than the movie my mom chose next, "New In Town," where every Minnesota accent was faked so poorly it was embarrassing. Has Renée Zellweger been in anything moderately good lately? The answer is resoundingly no. No, she has not.

Well, anyway, here is the trailer for "Sunshine Cleaning."

Two nights ago, Cody and I also watched "Elephant," a film by Gus Van Sant. I'd always been curious because I'd heard such good reviews. Overall, Cody and I agreed that it was a very refreshing film. It was based on the Columbine shootings, but instead of passing judgements and trying to make the victims seem like perfect, angelic human beings while demonizing the killers, it simply was. It showed what was likely an average day at Columbine High School, full of the single-minded pursuit of the photographer, the bingeing of several of the girls, the embarrassment faced by one of the girls that didn't quite fit in, the alcoholism of one boy's father, and the strangely beautiful mind of one of the killers, among others.

At points, though, the movie seemed as if it was dragging on. As Cody put it simply and accurately, "There was a lot of walking in that movie." For some reason, probably 75% consisted of students walking from place to place and the other 25% had some other action to it. In fact, only in the last twenty minutes or so do the two killers begin their assault on the school. I'm not sure if Gus Van Sant did that intentionally, because you are aware that the shooting is going to occur, but you just don't know when. When the pair enter the building, you are almost relieved, but of course, when you see the cruelty and the devastation wrought, that sentiment is immediately regretted.

I think that Cody and I both appreciated the movie a lot once we were able to slow down and let it unfold. There were no heroes; there were victims, but not all ones that you particularly liked; there were no villains. You could point the finger of blame on several people, if you really wanted to, but it wasn't ever encouraged. "Elephant" was quite poetically told and moving. On a less serious note, it also made me incredibly happy that I am no longer in high school. Yikes.

Today, Cody and I are setting out to do some dress shirt and pants shopping for him. He finished his bartending certification and has gotten a job! The restaurant manager raised her offer to $7.75 an hour plus tips, which of course, he just couldn't turn down. I'm very excited for him! I'm moving about two hours from here for more college, so now I must find a job too, but I have a lot of food service/catering experience, so it shouldn't be too difficult.

I hope you are having a fantastic day!