Free Range Mama

somehow i did what hillary couldn't

I got elected President ... of our local homeschool organization, anyway. Yes, I realize that I'm not a likely candidate for such a thing, and yes, I do realize that it doesn't come with a salary or, well, any perks at all.  I stumbled into the meeting late (first meeting I've managed to attend in over a year), and kind of got drafted into the position, which apparently everybody there had already agreed they didn't want. Naturally, I knew there was an election happening, but I assumed there'd be candidates to choose from, not a drive for volunteers, but there ya go. I know I sound a bit ambivalent about it, but I kind of enjoy positions of responsibility - so I think it will be fine. I usually avoid volunteering for things like the plague because it's so easy to over-commit myself and I do so love my free time, but at the same time I'm happy to be involved with this organization, and I don't mind giving back something when that something is needed. 

Today was the last day of wilderness school for the kids. I was so glad the weather was better than yesterday, which was an absolute downpour. I joined Z for their potluck lunch celebration, which was lovely... though I missed the ceremony part where they presented the kids with necklaces and kind of closed out the year, which would have been nice to see.

Here is Z feeding the fish when she got home:

Instead of being out in the woods and going to bead ceremonies, I was at home catching up on e-mail, making macaroni for the potluck, and watching Dh's Netflix rental : Balls of Fury which was appallingly awful. I had hoped it would be awful in a good/funny way, like Zoolander or Talladega Nights, but sadly, no. It was awful in an awful way. Pretty much just a lot of people falling down and getting hit in the nuts. It sucked. My movie looks a bit more promising (and is highly unlikely to be worse)... Dan in Real Life... so I'll be watching that next.

movie review: Casino Royale

So I saw a movie in an actual theatre on Friday, so the least I can do is review it.

Casino Royale

So the burning question on everyone's minds is what do I think of Daniel Craig, the 'new' James Bond? I give him 3 of 5 stars. I rated him on 3 categories - performance, overall appearance, and the swimsuit competition.

Performance

Craig can act. I like that in an actor. But can he act like James Bond? I give him major props for trying to make the character his own, but he definitely took it in a more "tough guy" brutish direction than what one generally associates with the ultra-suave Bond. I can cut him some slack, because he is supposed to be kind of a rookie in this movie, but it's hard to imagine that this guy is going to be getting by on his charm and sophistication in future endeavors.

Appearance

So... I like my Bond a little less blonde (I was hoping they'd cast Clive Owen), but I'll let that slide. Even without taking that into account, I'm going to have to say that Craig does not have the look. He's just not quite handsome enough. No, Bond isn't supposed to be a pretty boy, but he is supposed to be highly desirable to the ladies, so he needs to be a little better looking than the average guy, and beefcake alone doesn't cut it. I just don't see this guy turning all those heads. I also have to fault him for shamelessly ripping off Derek Zoolander's "Blue Steel" look, which he was sporting at nearly every turn.

Thankfully he didn't try to roll out "Magnum" ... but he's probably saving that for the next movie.

Swimsuit competition

Yes, he does actually appear in a swimsuit, not to mention completely nude in one scene, which means he showed more skin than any of the women in this film if you can believe that. The man is ripped as hell - a fact that the director clearly doesn't want anyone to miss. Really. We get it. He's buff.  Being buff does make some of his stunts more convincing, which is cool, but it also makes him look considerably less comfortable in a tuxedo. Previous Bonds, Timothy Dalton notwithstanding, had a way of making it look like they were so at home in a tux that you might actually see them wearing one around the house or at the supermarket. Craig looks like he picked up the wrong suitcase at the airport and he needs his gym bag back.

And on to the Plot... (Spoiler alert!)

There was a LOT of improvement in the storyline department over the last few Bond movies (what the hell was up with those 'Conflict Diamonds' in the last one? Ugh.)There were some deviations from the usual formula, largely explainable by the fact that Bond is still supposedly in his earliest incarnation. Bond leaves a beautiful woman in a hotel room without having sex with her so that he can catch a flight? Please. Later Bond would have missed the flight and gotten a charter or stolen a plane and flown it himself. . Bond falls in love? Well, okay, he does that in other movies too, but never so naively. Bond drives a cheesy rental car? God forbid. Bond bombs an embassy? Even he would know better. He didn't bring a nice enough suit? Impossible. Oh, there were plot holes of course, and things that could never ever happen (see: scene where he comes back from the dead), but that's to be expected. It's not supposed to be realistic, is it?  There were some great laughs, some good one-liners (and a few bad ones), and the plot actually required a little thinking to follow along. There were fewer "flashing arrows" (times when they go out of their way to dumb something down and make it really freaking obvious) which I appreciated. The villain in this movie was pretty tame by the usual standards. He was more realistic, I suppose, but he lacked the over-the-top sinister "Dr. Evil" factor. Yeah, he was evil, but he didn't seem to have any special resources at his disposal - secret laboratories...shark pits...space stations... pshychotic bodyguards.... that sort of thing... but I'm not complaining. Overall, the movie was awesome, and the Montenegro shots are gorgeous. Seriously. Wow.