The Big V Day

I think I may really dislike Valentine's Day. I dislike the expectations that I should buy candy and items that will rot my children's teeth and stick to my carpet. I dislike the mounting pressure that simmers beneath the surface when you're asked "whatcha doin' for Valentine's Day". If I actually answered with what has happened the answers would go as follows: 2009 after making dinner and cleaning the kitchen I then made a second dinner of filet mignon and cleaned the kitchen for a second time. I think I was done cleaning right around 11pm and by 11:30 was asleep on the couch. The gift that year, I think I got a card that had a joke about putting up with the Other, the picture on the front is of a guy falling off of the couch and snoring. Nothing says romance like laziness and a card that says "hey I am completely aware that I'm lazy, but I got you this card sooooo...." 2010 received a gift certificate for a spa, this would have been a completely unexpected thoughtful gift had I not witnessed it being handed to the Other by his mother. I thanked HER profusely. This year, well this year I spent it solo. The Other is off finding hisself in the southern suburbs of Minnesota. I ate dinner with the 3 munchkins, forced them to bed early and finished watching Jungle Fever. This brings me to the important stuff...movie reviews!

1) Inception: I figured it out pretty quickly; I'm not bragging or trying to show how intelligent I can be while watching film. It was entertaining. I'm not a big science fiction film person but I liked the concept. I liked the actors. Also, I need to keep up on Leo's career in case this whole thing with Bar Rafaeli doesn't work out and he happens to be at the Cub in Bloomington Minnesota and he happens to say "hey, can you reach that orange juice" I would say something like "oh, you like Simply Orange too" He would respond with something that would bring us closer and then we're married and I'm not blogging about Valentine's Day any more because I'm living in LA part time and the other part we'll go with Italy. Yes, Italy. They need more strong women over there to protest that prime minister!

2) The Kids are Alright: I LOVED it. Maybe I loved the sunny streets of California, Julianne Moore in cool T-shirts and specifically Mark Ruffalo. Oh Mark- if you're reading this, and you happen to become follower #5, can we get coffee? Anyway, can I meet a guy who likes organic farming, drives a motorcycle, likes children, lives in California, has Petit Syrahs in his cabinet in his cool green house with a cool garden and runs a restaurant? (oh why trade that when you can have a guy who drapes over a couch and once a year gets you a card to remind you of how well he drapes over that couch?) The Kids are Alright, yes, they are. Go see it.

3) Black Swan- well well well, Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis (I'd date her and I'm not gay, just sayin', she's done with Macauly Caulkin, might as well check out the territory) anyway, Barbara Hershey, ballet, dark ominous music, a bit of self mutilation, freaky images, subways, New Yorkish gritty feel. Very arthouse. I imagine Andy Warhol and his buddies were the real deal and this movie is a more entertaining version of the insanity behind being THE ballerina of the minute. Did I mention Winona Ryder, whooo she does not look great with a 95 haircut.