Holiday Update

Thanksgiving 2010 in Solon

Nicole is here and I'm proud to say ... the holidays are here... in a magical way!  Last Thursday, Dan and I drove to Solon and back, the day of Thanksgiving, to celebrate with his family.  Clare is the best hostess known to man and made a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner for us all. We did very little Black Friday shopping on the way back, as it was pouring rain and places were packed with small discounts.  This past Saturday was a much more beautiful day, as we drove to my parent's house for Thanksgiving and 4 birthday celebrations (my father turned 60 and my nephew, Gavin, turned 10!!!).  I made a giant cake for all, my famous cheesy potatoes which are always a hit at our place , and our pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!   It's always wonderful to catch up with family, especially for the holidays.

On the business side of life:  Entrepreneur plans are anything but settled for Dan and I, as we have changed our thoughts on a business plan from pizza, to fudge, offering misc. services, art collectibles, and now possibly taking over the ALZ store, if we're given the opportunity.  Dan and I are REALLY hoping this will be a possibility and something the owners will at least discuss with us to work out the details.  At this point, we are simply waiting for Jeff (one of the most thoughtful, amazing people ever) to let us know what they say, as he will be meeting with them early this week (he is our original connection for this business idea).  We are more than ready to start or take over a business, especially online-based, but have yet to square away details and land on something.  I am nervously waiting, with fingers (tightly) crossed.  If this doesn't pan out, we will continue to keep our heads held high, as we know we will be successful once we do land on something.

Tomorrow, Dan and I will be picking up a REAL Christmas tree.  I'm very excited, as I have not had one for years.  I enjoy that pine smell that fills the house SO much and I think Juice will enjoy it too.  She at least enjoys swatting at the ornaments! ;)

On another note, in 2 weeks, Monica will graduate with her masters and I am VERY excited to celebrate that morning/afternoon with her.  She's such a great sister and I'm so excited and proud of her accomplishments. Every time I think of her moving up the education ladder, I remember how she used to play teacher/classroom with Jason and I growing up.  This is truly what she was meant to do and I love to see her happy doing it!

Christmas tree decorating, shopping, Monica's graduation, and more to come.  Come back soon to hear all about it!  See you soon - Nicole

The Blog is BACK! Weekly Update

Apologies for the delay, faithful readers, I’ve been attempting to make some changes with how my column is set up on Examiner.com.  Because I joined during a time where changes are being made to the functionality of the site, a few mistakes were made.  Hopefully soon those issues will be fixed, and I won’t still be in the “Animation” sub-section and I’ll be in “Movies” where I belong!  Of course, you probably don’t get there by sifting through the categories anyway, so nothing to worry about.  *Update* Category fixed!


LIMBO
I promised Eric a follow-up on the Xbox360 Arcade game LIMBO and, as expected, I was blown away.  For those not with us the first time, LIMBO is a dark, dreary, surprisingly addictive puzzle game available for download on the Xbox Live marketplace.  It's creepy, it's really hard, and it will haunt your dreams until you finish the very last challenge.  If you enjoy games that make you think, this unique puzzler will suck you in and leave little room for anything else on your mind.


Movie News
There has actually been a good amount of news recently, and very good news if you're a fan of the truly epic. According to IESB.net, your days of waiting in hours-long lines for a Star Wars movie aren't over.  Check out the link for the whole story, but apparently the rumors are quite founded that there is indeed another Star Wars trilogy in the works.  They will in fact be sequels, but whether they're the long-awaited episodes 7, 8, and 9 is anyone's guess.  As for why, since we're talking about George Lucas, there's really only one guess.


Also, I know I’m rather behind on this, but the first information about Christopher Nolan’s sequel to The Dark Knight has been released.  Rumors have been flying all over the internet for months now about casting choices, villains, love interests, etc, and while there isn’t a whole lot set in stone yet, there are some things known for sure.


One: It is called The Dark Knight Rises.


Two: Tom Hardy will be in the film.  Many of you know him as "Eames the Forger" in Inception.  He will indeed be playing a villain, though which one is not known.


Three: There will be two female leads, one villain and one love interest.  Again, which characters they play is pure speculation at this point, though casting choices have been nailed down to Anne Hathaway, Keira Knightly, Blake Lively, Natalie Portman, Naomi Watts, and Rachel Weisz.


Four: Some of the filming will be taking place in Louisiana, leading some to speculate about Killer Croc’s involvement.  Keyword: speculate.


Five: Nolan has unequivocally stated that neither the Riddler, Penguin, nor Robin will be in the film.


Six: The script is done; it will begin shooting in April 2011, and will be released July 20, 2012.  Some scenes will be IMAX, and there will be absolutely no 3D.


DVD Pick of the Week:  In Bruges
You get instant kudos for just having heard of this one.  It stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as hit men hiding out in the picturesque Belgian city of Bruges after a job.  Powered by some outstanding performances (particularly Farrell, who will make you completely forget why you vowed to stop seeing his movies) this dark comedy/crime thriller will make you laugh, cry, and laugh some more.  Trust me on this one, and thank me afterwards.  4/5 stars


In other news, I’ll definitely be seeing Skyline soon, and 127 Hours as soon as I can.  Are there any movies you plan on seeing soon?  Leave me a comment below!


Check out my recent updates: A flashback review of Avatar in honor of the new DVD collection, and reviews of the movies Buried & Unstoppable.  Also, check back soon (both sites)for an in-depth Inception dissection.


Enjoy what you read here?  Comment below, subscribe above, follow me on Twitter @DGPmovieXaminer, subscribe to my Examiner page here, or email me at DGleesonPrata@gmail.com