"The Holiday"

Last night a couple of girlfriends and I went to see the movie The Holiday.

I was in the mood for some fluffy holiday romance, and I definitely got it.

I was delighted to encounter a few surprises as well, though. I'll try not to reveal too many spoilers.

In England, Iris (played by Kate Winslet) has been treated very shabbily by a former beau. She desperately needs to escape from her life for a brief stint.

Coincidentally, in Los Angeles, Amanda (played by Cameron Diaz) has just kicked her cheating boyfriend out of her massive L.A. home. She also feels the need to get away.

The two decide to swap homes for two weeks.

Although neither is even remotely interested in romance, of course it finds them in the forms of Jack Black (for Iris in L.A.) and Jude Law (for Amanda in England).

I must mention the character of Arthur Abbott, played by Eli Wallach. Arthur is a retired Hollywood screenwriter who is an L.A. neighbour of Iris, and who becomes one of her best friends. The relationship between the two of them is a charming surprise, and it adds depth and dimension to a movie that could easily be otherwise flat.

Another delightful surprise is an interesting twist to Jude Law's character. I'll say no more about this, as I don't want to spoil the surprise for those of you who haven't yet seen the movie. If you have seen it, though, you know of which I write.

One last captivating curveball was the acting of Jack Black. My boys love Jack Black because of his appearances in shows like The School of Rock, Nacho Libre, and King Kong. Me - not so much. In this movie, however, he is amusing and adorable.

Just about the only thing I didn't like about this film I hesitate to mention, because it makes me sound petty. I found much of the relationship between Cameron Diaz and Jude Law difficult to take. The two of them are simply too attractive to be real. It's as if the film was air-brushed to achieve perfection, especially in those scenes where there is lengthy wide-eyed emoting back and forth. I mean - honestly - how can "ordinary" people possibly relate?

This is definitely a "chick flic" that regularly travels over into the "date movie" sector. I think guys would get a kick out of Jack Black's character and - to a certain extent - Jude Law's character, as well.

Well worth seeing.

Ahhh, Gee, Moondoggie!

Main Man and I caught the original Gidget on Turner Classic Movies last night.

Honest to goodness - it was the absolute ultimate!

Main Man had never seen it before, but it used to be one of my favourite movies when I was a teenager. (No, I didn't see it when it was in the theatres; I watched it on TV!)

Looking back, maybe it was one of my favourites because Gidget proved that even skinny awkward tomboys (like I was) had a chance with the cute boys.

Fondue, Frolicking, Fatigue and Feeling Forlorn

So...I'm curious to learn how everyone spent their New Year's Eve.

We had a quiet evening (well, as quiet as it gets around here, anyway) at home with the boys.

We revived an old tradition we used to have PK (pre-kids), and we spent the evening enjoying fondue. We had fondue chinoise, and it was a delightful evening as we gathered around the diningroom table, waxing nostalgic over the year that was.

Fondue takes a long time, and I was ready for a quick nap once we were done, so I took a little rest before we got the dessert fondue ready to go. We dipped pieces of angel food cake and marshmallows in addition to fruit.

I had eaten so much in the first fondue that I felt like a Weeble (Remember - Weebles wobble but they don't fall down?), so I found the chocolate fondue unbearably rich. I so wanted to enjoy it, as the toll of midnight would be signalling the beginning of yet another diet season for me, but I just couldn't. It was just too much.

We tried to smush a game of Cranium into the evening, but we sort of lost the boys once the MTV New Year's countdown began, so we gave up on that after just seven or eight turns.

I don't know whether it was all the food or the bottle of bubbly we splurged on or just the overwhelming idea of a new year beginning, but it was almost impossible to keep my eyes open until midnight. We did the funny hat/noisemaker thing with the boys at midnight, and I left the dirty dishes in the sink and hit the sack.

I suppose the ideal would be to wake up January 1 with a spotless kitchen, but c'est la vie...

Anyway, I went to sleep with #3 and the dog keeping me company in my bed and with Main Man on the computer emailing two of his blog friends (both of whom just happen to be 25 year old females) into the wee hours of 2007.

Symbolic of what the new year will bring for me? Guess we'll just have to wait and see...