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About Table for Five:
First there was me and my husband, and then there were two wonderful sons. And then there was a new baby coming! One day, we walked into a restaurant, and the waitress asked how many? I said, table for four, please. Then I turned to my husband and said, when the baby comes, we'll need to ask for a table for five. And the rest, as they say, is history. I hope you enjoy my posts, reviews, photos, and giveaways!
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Not surprisingly, I had a huge pile of packages waiting for me when I got home from Disney, including the DVD “How She Move“. Set in Toronto’s Jamaican community, this movie stars Rutina Wesley as Raya, who has to leave private school and return to her neighborhood after the death of her sister. As she struggles for acceptance from her sister’s friends and works to earn a scholarship to pay for private school tuition, she finds herself drawn into the world of competitive Step Dancing.
If you aren’t familiar with Step, it’s very popular in colleges, especially among African-American fraternities. The scenes that show Raya learning the dance moves so she can join a crew preparing for an International competition are fierce and fun. The soundtrack features Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes and will get you moving as you watch. While this movie doesn’t have much in the way of plot, the dance sequences are electrifying and you’ll find yourself cheering during the big competition finale. You can get both the movie and the soundtrack on Amazon.com.
I am a huge fan of J.J. Abrams, so I went into the viewing of Cloverfield with an open mind. I had read a few reviews that were not kind to this movie, for example, this review from Rolling Stone.com which called out the “trite screenwriting” and “amateurish acting”, and compared the characters to “walking MySpace profiles that don’t get any hits”-ha!
But, I needed to see it for myself. And as much as I wanted it to be one of those movies that really isn’t as bad as the critics say, it totally is. The movie starts with a going-away party for Rob, a vapid yuppie who is moving to Japan (nice try, making that little “Godzilla” reference, but it was unnecessary). Rob’s brother Jason asks his friend Hud (really? HUD?) to document the party by filming everything with his camcorder. We get to see such exciting moments as the arrival of Beth, Rob’s former girlfriend, who has brought her new boyfriend to the party (real classy), and Lily, who is honestly just there to look pretty I guess.
This part goes on and on, conversations are had that do nothing to propel the story forward in a meaningful way, until there is a load crash/boom/bang and the “real” movie starts. Realizing that some sort of disaster is happening, what do our pretty Manhattan young people do? Go outside and start RUNNING THE HELL AROUND. They run across the Brooklyn Bridge, they run towards Central Park, they just run and run and RUN. Oh, and who else is on the street late at night in midtown Manhattan besides people who look like extras from “The Hills”? NO ONE. Apparently, there are NO GROWNUPS in Manhattan at night.
The title of the movie comes from the code name the Army gives this project, to bring down this monster that is attacking. The implication that what we are actually dealing with is our feelings about September 11th is, frankly, insulting. Oh yes, and the supposed irony of the footage that Hud is filming with his camcorder is that he is recording over footage he had shot earlier of Rob and Beth in their happier days. Occasionally Hud will set the camera down and the footage will switch to Rob and Beth. For me, because all the actors sort of looked completely alike, it took me a few times to figure out who they were and why we were suddenly seeing something that obviously took place at a different time.
This movie had no diversity in it’s actors, no real depth of feeling beyond “I’m so scared! What are we going to do!”, and an ending that just sort of…ended. I hate doing negative reviews, but the truth is, I did not like this movie at all, and my copy of the DVD will likely end up in a garage sale at some point. I appreciate CLICK sending it to me, but it is not a keeper. Or any good, for that matter.
If, however, you just have to check it out for yourself, use my Amazon Associates link here and buy a copy of Cloverfield for yourself. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Baby Einstein Baby’s First Sounds: Discoveries for Little Ears introduces babies to the beginning sounds of “ah” “buh” “duh” “ee” and “mm,” along with the wonderful classical music that all Baby Einstein DVDs have, the fun puppet shows and scenes of real-life parents playing with their babies. Each sound is then connected to simple words in English, Spanish, Chinese and French.
I’m a fan of Baby Einstein, and Kaitlyn did like this one although she is obviously way beyond learning basic sounds. The one thing I would have liked is less emphasis on the foreign language words, but the DVD is entertaining overall. Here’s a clip of the part that makes Kaitlyn crack up every time! And yes I know it auto-plays, it’s in the code and I don’t know how to undo it 
“Puppets”
I have FOUR COPIES to give away, so if you would like to enter to win your own DVD, for ONE entry, please leave a comment with your real first name, and make sure I have your email address to contact you.
For TWO entries, subscribe to this blog’s feed, fave it on Technorati, and/or mention this giveaway on your own blog.
For THREE entries and my undying gratitude, nominate me in the “Who’s Your BlogHer Hero?” contest at BlogHer.com, using this nomination form. Use the name Elizabeth Edwards, the email elizabeth@table4five.net, and this URL. You’ll need to write, in 100 words or less, how I demonstrate Passion, Innovation, and the Ability to Inspire a Community, so please only nominate me if you are able to write about that. GRATITUDE, I tell you 
The contest will end on Monday, April 21st at 9 AM Eastern, so you have plenty of time to enter! Good luck!
I’m shamefully late writing this review; the DVD has been out for a few weeks and the new season started March 24th. If you aren’t watching “Greek” on ABC Family on Monday nights, you are missing out. With excellent directing, superb acting, and characters you will grow to love, “Greek” reminds me of Gilmore Girls or Veronica Mars.
The show stars Spencer Grammer, daughter of “Frasier” star Kelsey Grammer, as Casey Cartwright, member of Zeta Beta Zeta sorority. Jacob Zachar plays Caseys’ nerdy Freshman brother Rusty, a Physics Major who wants to break out of his geeky shell and experience “real college life” by rushing a fraternity. Rusty’s roommate Dale is a devout Christian who is a member of a “Purity Pledge” group, yet has the ability to unwind and have fun in surprising ways.
Other standouts on the show include Scott M. Foster (”Quarterlife”) as Cappie, president of the Kappa Tau house and Casey’s ex, and Jake McDorman (”Live Free or Die Hard”) as Evan Chambers, president of rival frat Omega Chi and Casey’s current love. Amber Stevens daughter of former American Top 40 DJ Shadoe Stevens, plays Casey’s sorority sister and best friend Ashleigh, Paul James is Calvin, Rusty’s best friend who has a secret he is keeping. And in a role that surprised me, and completely baffled me until I looked up the show on IMdB, Rusty’s girlfriend for a few episodes is played by Jessica Rose, who YouTube fans will recognize as the infamous “Bree” from the vlog series LonelyGirl15.
This might be a show about kids in Fraternities and Sororities, but it really is much more than that. After a few minutes watching the first episode, I found myself drawn in by this show. All the major parts are so well acted, and there’s enough pop culture thrown in to make the plot fresh and interesting. Even the frat party scenes are interesting, although I never went to a single frat party in college where the frat house was as CLEAN as the houses in this show.
You can certainly watch “Greek” on Monday nights on ABC Family without feeling like you won’t understand the plot, but it will make a lot more sense if you watch the first season. The whole box set is only $19.99 on Amazon, too. You might even be able to rent it at Blockbuster and I’m sure Netflix has it, too. I don’t want to be the only one who’s geeking out about this show, so join me in watching it, okay? Okay!
C
At it’s core, The Kite Runner
The title refers to a popular sport in Afghanistan at that time, kite flying. One boy would man the kite, the string specially treated to be razor sharp, with a goal of cutting the strings of the other kites. Once a kite was cut, another boy would run to catch it, as kites were a prized possession. During the city tournament, Amir’s kite wins, and Hassan runs to catch it. It is that simple act of running to catch a kite that drives the rest of the story forward.
Hassan is brutally attacked by a group of older boys who resent him for being Hazara, a people who populate the central regions of Afghanistan. Amir witnesses the attack but does not intervene, and the resulting guilt causes him to make a decision that impacts his life and Hassan’s life forever. Amir is shown to be non-violent, a pacifist almost to a fault, while it is Hassan who shows courage in the face of bullies, until he is overpowered and unable to fight.
After the Soviet Union occupies Afghanistan, Baba and Amir flee to Pakistan, and then make their way to California. Years later, Amir, now married, receives a phone call calling him back to Pakistan. He learns a shocking family secret, and embarks on a journey back to Afghanistan to rescue a boy who is living in horrible conditions. He finds his beloved Kabul to be greatly changed.
I won’t give away the ending except to say that there is happiness to it, and a sense of closure for Amir. He gets his chance at redemption as well as finding a way to move his life forward. Except for the one scene of brutality, which is really not even shown as much as implied, the movie is full of stirring images of life in Afghanistan, and for Afghanis living in California. The wedding of Amir and Soraya is particularly beautiful. If you are a fan of the book, you should definitely see this. If you haven’t read the book, you should still see this, for it’s evocative imagery, it’s quietly brilliant acting, and it’s happy ending.
To enter to win $1000.00 or one of ten copies of “The Kite Runner” signed by author Khaled Hosseini, visit this Kite Runner DVD Sweepstakes page to enter and for all of the rules. The contest ends April 8th.