A New Year...But First, The Year in Review.

So, it's been a long time since I blogged. Months. So much has happened. Too much has happened. 2010 wasn't a great year. Sure, memories were made and there were happy occasions, but unfortunately these happy moments tend to be overshadowed by things like unemployment, being so broke that you are eating pasta for days on end (just so you don't have to give up Internet or cable), and of course death.



As 2011 came rushing at me, I realized I needed to think positively for the new year. I needed to set goals. Resolutions...though I hate that word. No one keeps their resolutions. But goals they keep. I have been successful with goals before. Quitting smoking (though that took a few tries to get it right). A family trip to Disney World. Rescuing a pup from a shelter (ok, that goal took about thirteen months of daily begging to my husband before it became real. And even till this day he shakes his head with disbelief at my overgrown, goofy, paper towel eating, static sheet shitting puppy).

So...goals. Positive goals. My theme for 2011 is "Healthy and Wealthy". That's it. If I think Healthy, I will be Healthy, and I will eat Healthy...and maybe drink less. Maybe. If I think Wealthy, I will be Wealthy by...saving money...spending less...keeping my eye on how much I spend...and write, write, write.

Don't get me wrong. I'm very realistic. I know I am not going to be the next JK Rowling. Hell, I am not even going to be the next Lucia St. Clair Robson (who? Exactly. But, look her up...she's awesome!) But I need to think positive...think Healthy and Wealthy...this means eating right, spending right, and writing right.

So, my goal is to write a little bit each day. Some days I will have the time to write for hours on a short story or one of my novels. And other days, when laundry is piled up and the cooktop needs a good scrubbing (that would be today), I still have to write. Even if just for a few short moments. And this is where my blogs come in handy. It may not be a fictional romance or a twisted tale of terror, but it's something. It keeps the juices flowing. It's off the top of my head. It's RAMBLING baby!! And yet, it's still writing.

So, I'm back. Rambling about movies. Movies, one of my most favorite things in the world. It's up there with reading, writing, and breathing for me.

And what better way to start the New Year than to look back at the old year. The best. The worse. The biggest disappointment. The greatest loss.

The best? I've raved about it before and I will rave about it again and again. The best movie I watched in 2010 is The Road with Viggo Mortensen. How this movie was overlooked by the Academy is beyond me. I guess it was just too depressing. Too scary. Too realistic of an Apocalyptic future. Too haunting.

The Road has been making its rounds on Showtime lately and I've been avoiding it at all cost. I recommend it to EVERYONE, but watching this dark, haunting movie once is enough for me to get it. It hung over me like a dark cloud for days and I cannot relive that. Not to mention it makes me want to stockpile on truckloads of canned goods and bottled water, grab my kids and run for the hills or an isolated island. It is because of this effect this story had on me that I think it was the best movie I saw in 2010.

The worse movie I watched in 2010? Well, it was going to be Observe and Report with Seth Rogan, until last Thursday when I sat down to watch Gang of Roses. What can I say about this movie? I love a western and when I saw the little synopsis in the Guide, I thought "Oooh...a Western about female outlaws. Sounds cool."

Oh Good Lord. Where do I begin with Gang of Roses? Let me put it this way: It's a western that stars L'il Kim and Bobby Brown (yes THAT Bobby Brown aka Mr. Whitney Houston). And the girls all wear tight, midriff baring, boob popping leather hip-hop meets Grand Ole' Opry outfits. Need I say more? I don't think I'm even going to waste my time.

Biggest disappointment of 2010? Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One. No, no...it wasn't bad. I'm not even sure if it was good. Because I never got to see it. That's my own personal biggest disappointment. I'm such a Harry Potter fan. Seriously, you should see my house during Halloween. I have a life sized Dementor that floats in my living room. I have a banner that boasts all four houses of Hogwarts. I dyed my son's hair black when he was three just so he could be Harry Potter for Halloween. Poor kid cried. But he made a damn awesome Harry Potter.

I am so, so, so disappointed in myself that I did not get the chance or take the time to see the latest installment, and the first half of the end, of Harry Potter. I hang my muggle head in shame as I beg to still be considered a great fan of Harry and company.

The Movie that should have won the Oscar? Of all the movies that where nominated, I stand by my opinion that District 9 was the best of the ten. Haven't seen it yet? You gotta check it out.




And then of course, we lost some of Movie/Television's Finest in 2010. We lost a Golden Girl, The Angels' Charlie, another Redgrave, a Lost Boy, the inspiration for Stand and Deliver, The Fonz's Mr. C., and Dennis Hopper. They will all be missed by fans, friends, or family. I do believe the world of movies will not be the same without Dennis Hopper to portray those odd, quirky, and sometimes frightening Dennis Hopper-esque roles.

And here it is folks. My first post in a long time. My first post in the New Year. Hopefully, I'll continue to blog and keep up my goals. Healthy and Wealthy in 2011. I just have to remind myself that everyday and take each day as it comes. Gosh, I sound so damn positive right now. It's almost sickening. But aren't we all so bright about the outlook of a New Year? Remind me to re-read this post in about 12 months, so I can see if I still have the same chipper attitude going...and see if I'm rich...and thin.

From the Movie Junkie to you:
Happy New Year!!! May your year be as Healthy and Wealthy as I hope mine to be.