Bridge to Terabithia

I wasn't sure that I would like Disney's film adaptation of the book because the trailer gave the impression that it was a fantasy film. I was happy to see that the film makers were actually very true to the book and the children's performances were fantastic. The little girl who played May Belle Aarons was such a cutie and Anna Sophia Robb who played Leslie Burke is a delight to watch. I think that film goers who aren't familiar with the book and expect a Narnia like fantasy extravaganza will be extremely disappointed. I'm glad to have seen it and would probably see it again.

Premonition

We rented Premonition the other night. The premise seemed interesting but mostly we wanted to see Julian McMahon's performance. The movie starts out well and Sandra Bullock delivers a solid performance as Linda Hanson a housewife who is experiencing her days out of order. Unfortunately the movie falls apart at the end. For instance the viewer is left with questions, like why was Linda given the opportunity to change the future? I also question the casting of Dr. Roth, I don't think Peter Stormare was the right choice for this role, further why did he seem to have ulterior motives? Overall though it was an entertaining 2 hours and for Bullock fans a must see.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Despite many interruptions this morning, I finally got through the last few pages of J.K. Rowling’s last installment in the Harry Potter series. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows picks up Harry’s tale immediately following the events that took place in the previous book in the series. There is a lot of action in this book, many shocking and perhaps needless deaths, and some surprises towards the end. There are many twists and turns leading of course to a final showdown between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. Although I was not disappointed with this book, there were many moments in the narrative when I felt that Rowling was purposely trying to invoke similarities with the Lord of the Rings series, which for me takes away from the originality of her series. After all these years, we finally know what happens to the "Boy Who Lived" and despite the very satisfying conclusion to the series, I can't help feel a bit sad that there won't be another Harry Potter book to look forward to.

Ayyy! Mariachi

Anyone who has ever been to one of my mother's parties knows that they won't leave hungry. There's always a great feast -- plenty of good food, a fully stocked bar...but she outdid herself this time. I think everyone's jaws dropped when they saw the mariachi band walk in playing a song. David and I were further floored when we realized that the mariachi was for us, in celebration of our one year anniversary. Thanks mom, we really enjoyed the surprise!

Dancing the night away...

Best Wishes Harold & Sherry!

My cousin Harold and Sherry were married last Friday, July 20th in Plymouth. Luckily the weather cooperated and it turned out to be a gorgeous day. It was a fabulous location for a wedding and the sirloin and lobster they served was delectable. A good time was had by all. -Liz

The Bride and Groom

3 of the Calderón brothersIrlanda Elizabeth (Mom)Mary & Ely"Hey there"Here's Mary again
Virginia & Ely
Will, Melvin & DavidKat & Ely with uncle Victor

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Although I was looking forward to the film adaptation of J.K.Rowling's fifth Harry Potter book, my expectations weren't high simply because this was my least favorite book in the series. Although I am well aware of the difficulties associated with cutting down a book so rich in detail, I felt that there were way too many omissions. A major one was leaving out the scene where a Black family heirloom (a heavy golden locket that no one can open) is found at the Order's headquarters. Other less significant omissions included the alienation of Percy Weasley from his family and Ron and Ginny's participation in Quidditch was left out completely. There were characters that deserved more screen time. Namely, Luna Lovegood, Ginny Weasley, Kreacher and Tonks. The character of Dolores Umbridge was well cast, her scenes were probably the best in the film.

Transformers

Even after all these years, I can still remember the song from the commercials and cartoon program..."Transformers...more than meets the eye.." This movie was surprisingly good and I really enjoyed the nostalgia the battle between the Autobots versus the Decepticons evoked. I was afraid the movie would be really campy, but it was really well done. The characters were all really cool and they changed some of the characters for the better, for example Megatron is no longer a gun. I loved Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Bumblebee.....The human characters were well cast, I especially liked Shia LeBeouf, who was in Holes a few years ago and also played the annoying little brother on the Disney series Even Stevens. He'll definitely be getting more screen time in the sequel which I don't doubt is in the works.

A Day in July

It was great spending time with Nancy & John, the twins and Joe. We had a nice day at Lookout Farm eating gelatto and at Choate Park in Medway. -Liz

Block Island

We spent the July 4th holiday on Block Island; although it wasn't the best beach weather, we still had a great day!

Krishan and David goofing around David D's fishing boat

Ratatouille

This is definitely not a flick that we'd normally see in the theater, but we took our nephew to see Ratatouille last night because it was the only film he hadn't seen yet. It was hard to get past the idea of rats in the kitchen, but I was pleasantly surprised that despite the rats, I enjoyed this film. The movie has some interesting characters, witty dialogue and it is also a very original story.

Congratulations Mike & Jos

Mike and Jos were married on June 30th on the Cape. Everyone had a fabulous time!

The happy coupleMike and David clean up well, they're both so handsome! The 5 Driscoll kids + Mom
David + Dad
Krishan Joe

Ocean's 13

I truly enjoyed Ocean's 11. Ocean's 12 was ok minus the whole Julia Roberts is Tess, Tess is Julia Roberts thing. Ocean's 13? Enjoyable, the Clooney/Pitt dynamic is good and the rest of the cast is fun to watch. Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin were a nice addition to the expanding cast of characters, but Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones were missed. I especially liked the sparring between Pitt and Clooney. "Keep the weight off," Rusty says to Ocean, an obvious dig at Clooney for packing on the weight for Syriana and no one can miss the reference to Pitt's real-life situation when Ocean responds, "Settle down, have a couple of kids." So funny!

Live Free or Die Hard

Ah, the 4th installment of the Die Hard franchise. Not great but not horrible either. It was entertaining and Bruce Willis got some of the old standard McClain wisecracks and unbelievable feats in.