We'll take a cup o' kindness yet, For auld lang syne.

Ring in that New Year!

A new year with new, if not somewhat wavering, resolve. Undertaking the new year feels both a welcome and daunting task. But for some reason, 2013 feels like it's going to be different. Not any better or any worse necessarily, but different. When I turned 27 a few weeks ago I had the same feeling. There's just something about THIS year. And I will not just wait and see what, if anything, happens - I will actively pursue or avoid those things that need pursuing or avoiding. There are habits that need cultivating or abandoning, decisions that need addressing, pounds that need losing, books that need reading, faith that needs strengthening, etc. 

I have crafted 2 very simple lists... One list of what I need more in my life, the other of what I need less.

MORE in 2013

• Reading 
• Water
• Simplicity
• Exercising
• Faith
• Laughter
• Prayer
• Service
• Travel
• Singing
• Kindness
• Zumba
• Friendships
• Hope
• Self-control
• Punctuality
• Sleep (Better sleep...)
• Walking
• Decision-making
• Learning... Specifically, French...

LESS in 2013

• Excuses
• Comparing
• Fear
• Spending
• Garbage Eating
• Distraction
• Time-wasting
• Sadness
• "Screen" time
• Procrastinating
• Gossip
• Worrying
• Materialism
• Doubt
• Grudge-holding
• Looking back

So there they are. My endeavors for 2013. I have more specific goals in mind, but these are all the things that will help me accomplish them. It's never a surprise when you find lots of the same goals carry over from year to year, but they're always worth pursuing and starting afresh whether it's the new year or the middle of July. And '13, ironically enough, may be my luckiest year yet! 

So bring on and ring in the New Year!

"To love another person is to see the face of God..." Victor Hugo

2 - 4 - 6 - 0 - 1

Me again. But guess what?? You're NOT getting a list of top 10 reasons to see Les Mis. Because it’s Les (freakin') Mis…

If I were assembling such a list, Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, Aaron Tveit, and Samantha Barks would all occupy the first few slots. 

I will offer this disclaimer... Purists of the stage production who thought making this movie in the first place was blasphemy ("Anne Hathaway? Ewww! Russell Crowe? Ewww! BLASPHEME!") may squirm a little at some of the performances. Not every note is studio-polished perfection. Hugh Jackman is not Alfie Boe or Colm Wilkinson. Anne Hathaway is not Lea Salonga. Eddie Redmayne is not Michael Ball, but THANKFULLY he's not Nick Jonas either. Approaching their performances from a strictly technical point of view will spoil the movie for you. Even the so-called "weak links" weren't that weak. The actors are phenomenal and I seriously doubt there are many (if any) in Hollywood who could have done any better. I doubt YOU could do any better either. So there. 

Purists of the story and its characters will appreciate Tom Hooper's vision. (Ew, that sounds so pretentious. Anyway...) The way it's filmed is beautiful. Honestly, I didn't have as significant an understanding of the story until I saw it performed onscreen, scene after emotional scene relentlessly unfolding before my tear-obscured eyeballs. "I Dreamed A Dream" didn't truly break my heart until I heard Anne Hathaway sing it. Marius wasn't as sympathetic a character until I saw him sit among those empty chairs and empty tables. "A Little Fall of Rain" was greatly improved by the literal fall of rain. Conceptually all the pieces of the story fit better and it just added to the drama. Lots and lots of DRAMA... Oh, my soul...

So how did the Waters family hold up during the movie? When it finally ended we were the last ones out of the theater, all but 2 of us still sobbing, my mother near-hysterical. We're a bunch of boobs.

My Dad, who loves both the book and the musical, loved the movie. He loved, loved, LOVED the movie. So much that he shared this on the facebook: 

I have seen many posts regarding the movie Les Miserable. Some commenting on the acting others on the singing. For me, the acting and singing are secondary to the story itself. There are few fiction books written that teach as much about repentance, forgiveness, redemption and love as Les Mis. I would suggest you read the book to get a more detailed understanding of the characters, something a movie or stage play can't provide.

I've taken my Dad's advice. Still reading... Nowhere near finished... Give me 10 years.

She's miserable. He's miserable. We're all of us miserable.

Guys, this movie is just so GOOD. It is soul-crushingly good. My soul was literally crushed. It may not necessarily be Tony caliber, but it is Oscar caliber. From the book to the musical to the movie, the overarching themes remain: hope, mercy, redemption, and forgiveness. They're just presented through different mediums by different methods. And there really are some nice surprises in the movie. Accept these simple truths before walking into the theater and you'll be in good shape. As I've told you before, it will BE OKAY.

If you saw the movie and loved it, please tell me. We will talk about how much we love it together!

If you hated it, don't bother. 

ALSO, don't be ridiculous - it was amazing.

Lauren's Grade: A

"Far over the Misty Mountains cold..."

The last time I wanted to do one of these, I didn't. That was earlier this year when The Hunger Games came out. Well, it's a little late for The Hunger Games. So while I still have this movie fresh in my mind, here we go...

Lauren's Top 10 for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

"What was that? Lauren's Top 10 for my movie??"

1. Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins. Funny, fussy, reluctantly heroic, and endearing.
2. Dwarves are not notoriously attractive, but I think Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield is about as close as you’re going to get. Google him... I dare you. Fili and Kili aren't bad either. Perhaps I could pass for a she-dwarf. Heigh-ho!
3. Continuity. Like The Fellowship of the Ring, the movie begins on the day of Bilbo’s eleventy-first (111^th) birthday. He sits alone at his desk writing an account of his adventures and addressing a letter to Frodo. It’s moments before Frodo has left to meet Gandalf so we get to see Frodo and Bilbo interact a little. Stuff like "Darn those Sackville-Bagginses!" and "Oh, uncle Bilbo... You so crazy!" It may have been a little gratuitous, but I appreciated it.
4. It's been almost 10 years (10 YEARS!!) since we've visited Middle Earth.
5. Soundtrack. I’m listening to it right now. Howard Shore keeps many familiar themes from LOTR (Hello, Shire! Hello, Rivendell!) while making a memorable score independent from others in the series... Hello, Misty Mountains!
6. The special effects. Watching the extended cuts of LOTR when they were recently re-released in theaters reminded me how good the original movies actually look - and this is 10 years ago. Nowadays Gollum looks even more real. A little too real... The trolls, goblins, and orcs? Also very believable and disgusting - blood, warts, goiters, and all. However, try as they might, they could not make Ian McKellen’s eyes look NOT old. 
7. History. You get a lot of information that Tolkien didn't necessarily include in The Hobbit. While this slows the movie's pace a little, it's nice having more background. And it's probably why they're able to present the story in 3 parts. 2 whole movies still to go! 
8. It's fun seeing actors come back and reprise their roles from LOTR. Gandalf, Galadriel, Elrond, Frodo, Old Bilbo, Saruman (Christopher Lee isn't dead... YET), and Gollum. Especially Gollum.
9. Bret McKenzie gets more face time as an elf named Lindir. So I guess it was fun seeing him again too. And look at that! His character has a name now! I only know because I Googled it. 
10. Though Benedict Cumberbatch hasn't uttered a word yet as the Necromancer or as Smaug, I'm still really excited for when he does. Now that I think of it, Lee Pace didn't say anything as Thranduil either. But elves don't say much. 
11. Because it bears repeating... Martin Freeman really is perfect as Bilbo Baggins. And if you don't like the movie much at first, give it another chance. I like the movie a lot, like I knew I probably would, but I enjoyed it more the second time around.

Lauren's Grade: B+