Photo by Jasin Boland/Columbia Pictures

What do cows do for fun? They go to the moooo-vies! (This is one of the kids’ favorite jokes. lol.)

This afternoon Darin and I loaded up the older two kids (the younger two were at his mom’s house) and headed towards the dump. Except that we stopped off at the movies; we told them we were picking up trash and they reluctantly got out of the truck. But, well, we tricked them. Darin dropped the three of us off to watch the remake of The Karate Kid.

We loved it.

It’s not the Karate Kid I grew up watching. There’s no wax on, wax off. There are no Cobras or Jersey accents (was that Jersey?) or Pat Morita. There’s a move to a new place, a bully, a girl, a Kung-Fu teacher, a hurt leg and a huge win. Of course there’s also a chore/life lesson used as the basis of the Kung-Fu lesson. The bones of the story are the same, the details different.

We really enjoyed it. From a parent’s perspective, it was a great movie that I didn’t mind my children watching because the language was mostly safe (Jaden Smith’s character cusses and is reprimanded for it) and there were no mature scenes or situations.

I felt Jaden Smith did an excellent job acting and could teach some Hollywood pop icons a thing or two; he has all of the best parts of his parents (actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith). I would be really surprised if he didn’t win something during awards season because he really did a fantastic job (if Kristen Stewart wins something and he doesn’t I’m really going to be surprised).

Jackie Chan is typical Jackie Chan, minus the comedic antics (he actually has a really great dramatic scene), Chris Tucker and Edwin Starr. And Taraji P. Henson rocks; you might remember her as Shug from Hustle & Flow (one of my faves) or Aunt April in I Can Do Bad All By Myself.

We were discussing our rating of the movie while we waited on Darin and the little girls to pick us up; Jaiden said she didn’t want to give it two thumbs up, she wanted to give it a “million billion” thumbs up.

And I cried a little in a few places.

Jaylen has already asked to buy it on DVD and I’m pretty sure we will be adding it to our collection. I can’t wait to see it again.

Photo by Kimberly French/Summit Entertainment

Tonight was also our Eclipse meet-up! In November I met up with my co-worker Sara and our boss’s daughters to see New Moon and after that we vowed to see Eclipse together too. Tonight we had a big dinner: Darin, me and the kids; Sara, her brother and her friend; our boss’s daughters; and Gwen and her children. Then? Time for the movie! Darin and our kids and Gwen and her kids had dinner, but didn’t go to the movie.

Anyhoo.

This movie was better than the first two. I liked Edward more, but I’m still Team Jacob (have been since I read New Moon in December ’08). I’m just over the whole controlling boyfriend thing, so Edward doesn’t really appeal to me too much. But I digress.

Movie adaptations of books can never encompass the entire thing. By now, we all know this, don’t we? But it still seems like so much was left out.

What I liked? Edward’s proposal and Bella’s engagement ring. Jacob’s one-liners (“Let’s face it, I’m hotter than you are!”). Bella’s hair and makeup. Charlie’s one-liners. The t-shirt quilt Bella’s mom gave her during her visit. The flashbacks. Jasper as a soldier. The field of wildflowers.

What I didn’t like? Kristen Stewart’s awkward acting. Bree Tanner. Rosalee (a personal problem – I’ve seen her in too many things and can’t get past her other roles). Jasper in present day (he’s just weird). Bree Tanner (what is up with her?). The new Victoria’s hair (it’s weird up front). The way Bella chooses Edward over Jacob (blah!).

When the movie was over, I went to a local restaurant to pick up the kids and see my husband for a few minutes (I love having a husband, by the way, especially the one I have because he is wonderful). He wanted to watch the UFC fight and took the children with him because our times overlapped by about 15 minutes or so. I know he was really ready for me to pick them up, especially since it was after bedtime and they couldn’t sit still or stop whining.

Save for Jaylen, they didn’t protest bedtime too much. Especially Emma who was in her jammies and already tucked into bed when I went upstairs for our nightly hugs and kisses.

Photo by Jonathan Wenk/Sony Pictures

Once they were in bed, I indulged in yet another movie: Julie & Julia (it finally hit my movie channels!). I am my dad’s child in that I adore watching movies and when The Mister is not here or otherwise engaged, I love watching them. Having a cooking blog myself, and having read parts of Julie & Julia when it was just a blog (back in ’02), I’ve wanted to watch the movie for quite awhile. I’ve heard mixed reviews and, well, mine is mixed too.

I think the general consensus in the blogosphere is that Julie Powell (the blogger) is self-absorbed (aren’t we all?) and that came through in the movie. I didn’t like her. But I adored Meryl Streep/Julia Child. I’m not sure if I liked Amy Adams in this role, but Meryl Streep, as always, rocked it.

When it was over I thought, “Well, okay … I can scratch that one off of my list.” I honestly don’t know if I liked it or not. And did Julia Child really not like her? That’s interesting …

Overall? Loved Karate Kid, am so-so on Eclipse and Julie & Julia. And the veggie pizza I had for dinner? Freakin’ fabulous!

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