"The Happening" Wasn't Happening For Me

Every other Friday, Don and I go out for "date night." We usually end up at a movie--most of the time we just show up at the theater and choose something last-minute. I like the surprise of not planning what we're going to see ahead of time, but sometimes it's pretty slim pickin's at the Cineplex--tonight was one of those nights.

Almost everything there was either a kids movie (Kung Fu Panda, Wall-E) or something we'd already seen (The Visitor, Sex and the City--ok I saw that twice!) or something I had zero interest in (Mongol--no thank you! Get Smart--Don's going to have to take the kids if he wants to see that one!). So that left us with The Happening--the newest thriller from M. Night Shyamalan. Can someone tell me what's happened to M. Night? I think almost everyone would be in "agreeance" that Sixth Sense was amazing and brilliant--but after that it's been pretty much downhill.

Signs was ok--I'm a big Joaquin Phoenix fan and I found the movie semi-interesting. Same with Unbreakable--it was just "a'ight" for me and had some cool stuff going on. Then there was Lady in the Water--god-awful and The Village which was so stupid I've blocked it from my memory.

I hadn't read any reviews of The Happening but I was hopeful that maybe it was time for M. Night to come out of his slump and give us a new masterpiece. It didn't "happen."

To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure what it was about! The movie starts on a busy afternoon in Central Park--suddenly everyone stops moving and then they all start killing themselves.

Next we meet Elliott (Mark Wahlberg), a science teacher in Philadelphia, who learns of this strange "happening" and flees for the country with his weird wife (Zooey Deschanel) along with a fellow teacher and the teacher's daughter.

Not a whole lot happens after that--the bizarre suicides continue around them as they run through the countryside trying to figure out why. The trees? And the plants? Is it their fault? Are the trees trying to kill everyone? It's never really made clear. They run and hide. They have a strange run-in with Betty Buckley (Eight is Enough!).

The weird wife is feeling guilty because she has been keeping a secret from her husband. A secret so shocking she can't stop thinking about it even though she is surrounded by gore and horrific acts of suicide. At one point she blurts it out because they are all probably going to die and she just can't die with this secret. But I'm going to give it away. Are you ready for it? Are you sitting down because it's a doozy:

She had dessert with a male co-worker! Tiramisu! (I'm not kidding).

That's about as exciting as it gets.

The end was a huge letdown. Remember the end of Sixth Sense? OMG! Bruce Willis is the dead guy!? I never saw that coming! OMG!

The end of The Happening was like "Wha...?" "It's over?" (Thank goodness).

"I have something to tell you....."

Nooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!

Raccoons and Sex and the City

So I had these big plans to see Sex and the City on Sunday. I was going with a friend and there was going to be sushi afterwards and possibly a wine tasting--all very Sex and the City-ish! But my friend canceled and I ended up having a very un-Sex and the City-ish Sunday...shuttling kids around, eating a gross piece of cold pizza for lunch and cleaning.

Last night I decided to just go to the movie by myself. I really wanted to see it before I overheard some of the plot surprises and once I got the baby to bed there was nothing pressing going on around here--so off I went!

I haven't been to a movie by myself in ages and it wasn't too bad! Once I had my popcorn and Twizzlers and a nice seat it didn't really matter.

I LOVED the movie!! It was so nice to see "the girls" again and it was so much fun to see what they'd been up to these past few years. I liked the way Carrie seemed more together and mature--same with Samantha--her character has evolved and she seemed more real to me than she did in the show. I wish I had a friend like Samantha in real life!

The Vogue shoot with the wedding dresses was SO much fun! Just beautiful to watch all those amazing gowns! Of course, all the girls' clothes were great and made me totally jealous. Oh how I wish I could be a size zero and wear 4 inch heels! I was not crazy about Charlotte's high-necked maternity dresses, however--that was not the best look.

The movie was definitely a tear-jerker. The woman next to me was literally sobbing--not just sniffling--she was hysterical! I could have easily cried but I kept it together-- I did not want to sit in the theatre alone crying. But it was super emotional...

So when I got home, Don announced that we had finally caught the raccoon! While I was at the movie he had put in the usual treats and fiddled around with the trap so it was super sensitive which, I guess, did the trick.
I went out to look at the raccoon and she just looked at me with her sad little raccoon eyes and I felt SO guilty thinking about the babies who were now alone in my ceiling and how worried she must have felt knowing she wasn't with them (apparently raccoons are very maternal). Then I started thinking about the movie...Mr. Big in the closet, Steve on the Brooklyn Bridge...and I started crying--like the woman in the theatre. Don seemed confused and was saying stuff like "But we can't let the raccoons stay in our house."

I put I towel over the raccoon's cage because it was drizzling and called the wildlife place to tell them we had caught her and to make sure they could get here ASAP to get the babies out.

I was just about to complain about how they weren't showing up--but they just got here. They took the mom away and we are trying to figure out what to do about the babies. The trick now is to determine if they are able to come out on their own and get food, so another trap has been set. I'm also supposed to listen for any crying or whatever from them tonight.

So the raccoon saga continues!