Tag Archives: movies

Why Your Kids Should Watch More TV

“I just want to be honest with you. I have given up any and all pretense of monitoring my kids’ television viewing. I won’t be taking them to any R-rated movies anytime soon because, hello, awkward for me, but as far as the TV goes, I’m done parenting.”

Ellen: That was my melodramatic confession to Erin as I overheard some ladies near us in a lecture we were attending talking about “screen time.”

Erin: Emphasis on the melodramatic. But, to be fair, this is a bit of a departure from conventional wisdom. I can see the hackles raising from here.

Ellen: I’m not so sure it’s conventional wisdom so much as following the movement of the herd. Regardless, I just felt like you needed to know my stance. We hit hard on the “sensible” and on this point: I. just. don’t. care. any. more.

Erin: This might be a good time for a reminder that you have a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old. Ellen’s not setting up preschoolers in front of The Walking Dead with popcorn: no need to pull out the pitchforks, people.

Ellen: True. While I never really got bent out of shape about duration of viewing–if I needed to park my kids in front of the tube for four hours so we could have clean clothes and sanitary toilets, then party on–I DID monitor content.

But I think I got a little brainwashed, or maybe entrenched is a better word, about shielding them from content. Since I always saw the TV as something for my convenience and not really their entertainment, I was still not letting them watch nighttime TV with us well into their middle school years. Not even sitcoms.

Erin: So what changed?

Ellen: American Horror Story. Just a couple of months ago, I walked into my youngest’s room and saw her hunched over her phone.

“So what are you watching?”

“American Horror Story: Murder House.”

“Well, I think you should have asked me and I think you should stop right now.”

“I already watched five episodes at M’s house.”

Erin: Well, that horse is out of the barn.

Ellen: Make that a demonic horse trailing entrails bent on eating bunny rabbits alive and you would be more accurate.

Erin: Ooo, you were at quite the crossroads. So what did you do after you bleached your eyes?

Ellen: As far as I could see, I had two choices. One, I could lay down the “this is forbidden” hammer and set her up to sneak behind my back because of a decree we both knew I could never enforce. Every kid carries a TV in their pocket nowadays.

Erin: I learned the hard way arbitrary battle lines in the sand are a pitfall.

Ellen: Exactly. I had a crisis moment where I was like: at what point does the entertainment shielding stop? Shouldn’t she be allowed to choose her own entertainment? What am I protecting her from?

So I picked door number two: taking it to the 58-inch in the family room to watch it together, and discuss it.

Erin: I like it. Go big or go home. So how did it go?

Ellen: It was really uncomfortable all the way through the second season, Asylum. We had some brutally “interesting” discussions about violence, rape, and mental illness. We always say you should use pop culture as kindling for conversation with your kids. Well, I was definitely walking the cringe-worthy walk through that season.

Erin: This feels like the right time to let you know I let my four oldest kids watch the Godfather with us. Now, “watch” is definitely in air quotes for certain parts with the 11-year-old. I had him sitting next to me the whole time and there was a fair bit of ear-muffing and blindfolding through some of the grittier parts. But it’s an iconic film and I’m glad that I had the chance to watch it with my kids. The fact that later that week my 16-year-old daughter got bonus points for nailing a reference to the film in social studies class just put the cherry on top of my cinematic cake.

Ellen: I wish I had been there to see that! You can take heart, though, at least you left the 7-year-old out of the fun.

I am not done with my confessions, though. We went on to watch the third season of American Horror Story, but I Googled the fourth season and drew the line there. Freak Show just seemed too gratuitous and that is saying A LOT.

Erin: See? You still monitor. But my parents didn’t at all. I was left to my own devices and figured out pretty quickly that I’m a total wuss and could never even dream of watching something like “American Horror Story.” But I love cheesy dramas, like double cheesy with extra cheese on top, (Hello, Greek and Summerland).

The larger point is that I had the chance to figure that out for myself. In the midst of my teenage struggle for control and identity, I was being given an opportunity to wrestle with one important question: what did I like.

Ellen: Okay, final confession. I don’t know that I was making a larger stand so much as Freak Show wasn’t on Netflix yet. But don’t despair, we found a new obsession while scrolling the menu: Pretty Little Liars. Still dealing with murder, but much less graphically . . . and more deliciously.

I initially groaned when they suggested it, but I have to admit it has led me down memory lane.

Erin: You want to tell me about this blackmail/murder mystery you were involved with in high school?

Ellen: Calm down. There is no bestseller on the horizon for me. I was WAY too boring for that. No, I’m talking about the group bonding effect of watching trashy serial TV with your friends and family. The anticipation. The cringing. The collective experience.

I lived it in high school rushing home with my friends to watch General Hospital on the VCR; in college, gathering in the dorm lounge to devour 90210; and in married life, eating up the cheesiness of Melrose Place like a boatload of tasty Cheezits.

So, I guess what I’m saying is that I have let TV evolve from a babysitter to a (sometimes questionable) family activity . . . at least until we can go outside again without dressing like a fur trader from 1659. You know, to avoid frostbite.

Erin: And I guess what I’m saying is that the point of it being questionable at all is moot if you make your television watching a family activity. Would I have wanted my kids to watch “The Godfather” without me? Um, no. This movie milestone was mine to share, and so was the post-movie chatter.

It was every bit as important to me as a hike on our favorite trail, not just for the moment but for the added benefits–us all cuddled together in front of a show together, the shared point of cultural reference (nothing says “I love you” like a well-timed horse’s head in your bed joke, the Brando impressions). Censors, take the night off, we’re making memories that last here.

Ellen: Sometimes you have to get through letting your kids grow up just like you have to get through this horrendous winter: just plow through it.

Erin: Or, at the very least, Netflix it.

So what do you think?

– Ellen and Erin

Your Kids Should Watch More TV—Honestly

Click To Tweet

You can follow us on Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Check out our books, “I Just Want to Be Alone” and “You Have Lipstick on Your Teeth.”

Have every post delivered to your inbox! You can opt out at any time, but you won’t want to.

Share it real good . . .

The Marital Code of Movie Quotes

86 Replies

Monday Listicles this week is “10 Best Movie Quotes” as suggested by the fabulous, funny and sensible Ally from Just A Normal Mom. So you know what that means? We got the husbands involved again just like we did for the James Bond post.

Erin: In addition to this just being fun, we learned something about our marriages, even after all these years . . .

Ellen: And we are talking years! I have 19 years and Erin has 16 years notched on the old garter belts.

Erin: Don’t do the math, people! As far as you know, we were child brides.

Ellen: That’s our story, and we’re sticking to it. Anyway, my husband and I have a short hand, semi-secret, vernacular based on movie quotes! I never really realized it until writing this post.

Erin: Steve and I do the same thing!

Ellen: Do other couples do this??

Erin: Hard to say, but let’s just assume our semi-secret code will be secret no more.

The Marital Code of Movie Quotes

Ellen and Frank

1.“O’Doyle Rules!”

Usage — (1) To proclaim superiority when crushing someone else (2) Ending to a conversation involving waxing poetic about our awesomeness.

Remember the bullish family of kids who plagued Billy Madison with acts of obnoxiousness at nearly every grade level as he took his speedy second chance run through his entire 12 years of school and always bellowed “O’Doyle Rules!”? That’s us. Sort of.

Whenever we crush at something major like UNO, Trivial Pursuit, or swimming pool water blaster fights, we always exclaim, “O’Doyle Rules!” But truly we say it with love and mostly to each other.

We also end our (private) conversations where we catch ourselves congratulating ourselves for our fabulosity with this little proclamation. Helps us keep our obnoxiousness from spilling over into the public arena. You’re welcome.

2. “Imagine it.”

Usage — (1) Usually uttered by Frank when Ellen has the audacity to complain that he is blocking her view of the TV, parade, shoe sale rack, etc. (2) Less likely to provoke a rabbit punch when used to indicate you’re not sure how something is going to end.

All you need to know is that The Skulls is about the worst elitist frat boy ever who utters this to a girl whose view he was blocking at a rowing race.

Scene -Generically Pretty Blonde (GPB) sitting there chilling and taking in a rowing race, like we all like to do. Paul Walker’s character, Caleb Mandrake (I know, right?) struts over like a rooster on Viagra and plops in front of her. Like 2 inches in front of her, because, you know, he’s super cool.

GPB: “Hey, Caleb, I can’t see.”

Caleb (without turning around): “Imagine it.”

Okay, I admit it, he IS cool.

3. “When do you drink vodka?” “Whenever.”

Usage — Mostly used by Frank to express an unknown completion date of some task.

To really get this gem, you have to hear the “Whenever” deadpanned in Allison’s (Ally Sheedy) voice.

“Frank, when are you going to take out the trash?” “Whenever.”

“Frank, when are you going to take out the ~~live~~ dead Christmas tree?” “Whenever.”

“Frank, when would you like to get busy?” “Whenev . . . wait!”

4. “Fear does not exist in this dojo!” “Yes, Sensei!”

Usage — A frequent (humorous) pep talk gem given before tests, games, and performances.

Frank to the girls before a swim meet: “Concentrate on your turns and swim hard into the wall. Fear does not exist in this dojo!” His ABSOLUTE dream is for the girls to one day respond, “Yes, Sensei!” IF this ever happens he will declare himself the winner of parenthood and exit the building.

5.“Lighten up, Francis”

Usage — What do you think it means?? Isn’t it obvious or are you daft or something?? Geez!!

Frank may or may not frequently use this, because Ellen may or may not frequently need to lighten up.

Erin and Steve

6. “There’s no crying in baseball.”

Usage — (1) Steve to the crew whenever they start sniveling or whining about something or, you know, “forget to use that thing three feet above their a$%.” (Direct quote that precedes this one in the movie) (2) Steve to Erin when she has left the ranch.

Five kids means that we have more than our share of whining. This is how we shut it down.

Steve is such a ridiculously spot-on mimic that when he channels Tom Hanks as he says this, you want to wipe your nose on your sleeve, pull your stuff together, and make the play (not the throw to home with a tw0-run lead, but you get my drift). Pronto.

7. “Let it go, Indiana.”

Usage — (1) Used to break a child out of an obsession (2) Used to stop Erin (or sometimes Steve, but let’s be fair, it’s usually Erin) in the middle of a rant.

Your family may not have fallen under the power of Minecraft yet, but it is the Dark Master of Timesuck around here. We have tried all sorts of systems to control the tech time, but it’s a painful weaning from this particular game EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. We use this phrase most often when trying to pry the keyboard from the kung-fu grip of a tween boy.

Of course, it’s equally at play trying to bring Erin down off a ledge or out of her tree.

Erin uses it most often to stop Steve from playing Civilization, the adult equivalent of Minecraft. (Note to readers: Do not buy this game for your husband for his birthday.)

8. “You’re killing me, Smalls.”

Usage — (1) Used almost exclusively on a kid who has proven either clueless, exasperating, or both (2) Also used as a verbal high five for a funny.

Our life provides endless opportunities to throw this one around. In fact, we like it so much we have given it a second life as a mark of admiration for some clever punny-ness.

Erin heard they started putting this saying on t-shirts. She would not turn down a gift like that. Just saying.

9. “I don’t know, Margo.”

Usage — (1) Used between Erin and Steve to answer a question that could be deemed snarkastic (2) Occasionally used to answer any question, because it’s just so darn funny.

Todd and Margo are the yuppie neighbors to the Griswolds. This phrase is appropriate any time someone is packing ‘tude or piling some edginess on a stack of sass. In fact, we just used this one today when discussing the basketball schedule for the 9 year old. Now, Erin is not saying who was bringing the Margo and who had to sling the Todd, but everyone is still standing and talking to each other so we are counting that as a victory.

You really do have to say it just like Todd though, so here’s the clip just in case you have been living in a bomb shelter and haven’t seen this Chevy Chase Christmas classic movie.

10. “Francisco. That’s fun to say.”

Usage — (1) bringing on a laugh in the middle of a tense moment (2) talking a teen off that hormonal ledge (3) Any time you want to inject some funny, like on the 1000 miles of car trips we took over Christmas break.

Oh, Elf, is an awesome movie for lots of reasons, not the least of which is that it brought this phrase into our life. Truly, this is the parental equivalent of the bomb squad for diffusing the landmines in our living room, our car, wherever.

It induces a laugh. Every. Single. Time.

Thank you once again to Stasha for hosting the fabulous Monday Listicles every week. We love the writers we meet there every week, so make this the week you actually click the link and check it out.

For as Yoda says, “Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.” See what we did there? We can’t help ourselves. Happy Monday from Ellen and Erin.

And an extra Happy Monday to Erin’s daughter who you know as Biddie. She turns 14 today. Here’s one of Erin’s favorite Happy Birthday movie clips just for her from Uncle Buck.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Biddie!

Tell us! Do YOU talk in movie Quotes?

Share it real good . . .

Bond has the Best One-Liners

48 Replies

Despite the fact that Sean Connery was always trying to distance himself from the role that made him famous, the WORLD is crazy about Bond. So crazy in fact that the 50th anniversary of the release of Doctor No—the world’s first introduction to the cinematic Bond (the literary Bond had already been around for a decade)— warrants mass merry-making on the web and in the real world.

Ellen and Frank saw Skyfall on opening night. If you were so inclined to give Frank the title of “Biggest Fan”, he wouldn’t refuse it.

We are super-happy to make our list of 10 Things Bond, because it’s like having a little Hollywood party of our own. Our husbands are true Bond fans and, to be honest, they practically wrote this list for us. Although Steve and Frank rattled off Bond trivia like Aston Martin Headlight Machine Guns, both agreed that Bond IS his classic one-liners. After this list, we are true believers in the value of their fan-dom.

Connery claimed that if you removed all of Bond’s “exotic touches” all you had was a “dull, prosaic gentleman.” Why are you hating on your gravy train, Sean? We disagree, Sir Bond Basher! Have you seen Daniel Craig? Bond is sexy, funny, naughty, naughty, naughty. And punny.

Ten Bond Zingers

1. Poor Ian Fleming died of a heart attack a month before Goldfinger was released, so he didn’t get to see his baby on the big screen. We realize that Bond himself did not deliver this line, but it is such a classic that it has to be included. Strapped to a table with a laser perilously closing in, Bond stalls for time, and Goldfinger delivers the iconic retort.

Bond: “Do you expect me to talk?”

Goldfinger: “No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die.”

2. So much of what makes a Bond one-liner great is that which goes unspoken. Connery’s facial expression during this scene is just as priceless as the banter with the well-endowed Plenty O’Toole.

Plenty: “Hi, I’m plenty.”

Bond: “Of course, you are.”

Plenty: “Plenty O’Toole.”

Bond: “Named after your father perhaps.”

3. Goldfinger was a darn good Bond film. This moment between Honor Blackman and Sean Connery is one of the most classic in the land of Bond-dom. Bond has been drugged by Goldfinger and is emerging from his narcoleptic fog when he sees the lovely Miss Blackman.

Bond: “Well, who are you?”

Pussy: “My name is Pussy Galore.”

Bond: “I must be dreaming.”

4. Poor George Lazenby only got to suit up as 007 once in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, but he did get to deliver this classic one-liner. As Bond and his wife Tracy (Surprise! Bond was married! No worries. Only true Bond Dorks know this stuff) were escaping from Blofeld’s henchmen on the slopes, one of the nameless henchmen falls into the snowblower blades and gets fricasseed. As the snowblower sprays his remnants over the landscape, Bond delivers this line.

Bond: “He had lots of guts.”

5. In the final moments of The Spy Who Loved Me, Roger Moore as Bond shares a “moment” with a beautiful Russian spy in an underwater escape pod. The Minister of Defense intrudes upon this intimate moment and Bond gets to deliver this line. That’s one fine way to end a movie.

Defense Minister: “Bond, what are you doing?”

Bond: “Keeping the British end up, sir.”

6. Dr. No is the first Bond film, and it started the craze for all things Bond. This classic car chase scene is one reason. In this scene, Bond is en route to Miss Taro following her invitation when he is ambushed by the Three Blind Mice. Bond’s stellar driving skills are on display as he expertly weaves his way through the Alps and then cruises his Sunbeam Alpine under a construction vehicle as his pursuers plummet to their death. (Girl note here: Recognize this car? Same one Grace Kelly drove in To Catch a Thief. Poor Cary Grant never saw her coming.) The fact that this car chase ends with a classic one-liner takes it to another level.

Construction worker: “Where do you think they were headed?”

Bond: “I think they were on their way to a funeral.”

7. Goldfinger is infinitely quotable. As Bond gets cozy with an agent trying to seduce him, a henchman tries to take him out. Bond pushes him into the full tub. As the henchman reaches for his gun, Bond throws a heating element into the tub and electrocutes him, then delivers this line. Note: Only Bond can make this stuff cool. Do not try this at home.

Bond: “Shocking, positively shocking.”

8. Ursula Andress in the famous “emerging from the water” scene is another reason Dr.No sparked world-wide Bond mania. It also provided a great chance for Bond to deliver another classic.

Ursula: “What are you doing here? Looking for shells?”

Bond: “I’m just looking.”

9. There are certain things true Bond fans know—the names of all his enemies, the cars he drove in all the movies, the Bond Girls—and then there is the stuff the rest of us know. One thing we all know is how Bond takes his favorite drink, the martini. “Shaken, not stirred.” Check out all the different Bonds ordering their favorite drink.

10. In the end, the most classic line, the line that everyone knows, remembers, and tries to duplicate with the same amount of effortless cool is Bond’s introduction itself: “Bond, James Bond.” When Sean Connery delivered this line first in Dr. No, a million fans, a movie franchise, and a style icon was born.

Want some more One-Liners? We have a category for that. Check out our Snorts!

Thanks once again to Stasha for her own brand of effortless cool. In honor of Bond, we might even dub them Her Majesty’s Monday Listicles, but no matter what you call them, they are a great place to read great writers and check out some fun lists.

And thanks to Anja from Cocalores who gave us our topic this week. She has a great blog about crafts, travel, and life. Check her out. Bond fans have to stick together.

—Erin and Ellen

Who do you think portrayed Bond best??

Share it real good . . .

Delete These Movies From Our Brains, Please

41 Replies

It’s Monday, but not just any Monday—it’s the Monday after Mother’s Day. Hopefully, you were treated like a queen, but if you weren’t (and let’s face it, there’s a 50/50 chance some of you were washing dishes or doing laundry yesterday), you deserve something sweet. And what is sweeter than revenge?

Our weekly dues to the Cool Kids’ Club over at Stasha’s Monday Listicles this week are 10 Things We Want to Delete. These movies sprang to our minds immediately because it was a crime against humanity that they were released. Sweet vengeance will be ours.

We usually like to talk movies, but these movies are sooooo bad they deserve nothing better than being gutted, filleted, and served up at their expense for your enjoyment. In retribution for sucking minutes of our life or life from our souls, we are taking this crew downtown and showing them no mercy. We split the list down the middle: Erin’s picks are italicized, Ellen’s are not.

If you saw them, sorry. If you haven’t, thank your lucky stars. If you actually LOVE these films, we are at a loss for words.

1. Showgirls—Forget the really bad casting decision to have the cute cheerleader from Saved by the Bell as one of the leads (Poor Elizabeth Berkley). Forget that the movie poster alone could serve as soft porn. But do not forget that this movie is so awful that even some gratuitous nudity couldn’t save it.

This movie is zero-fun where it had some chances to be and just pretty darn uncomfortable in other places. It’s so mock-worthy, but then you have to feel bad for mocking. Really, why the heck pay money for this? The poor girls at the heart of this movie aren’t sophisticated or privileged or even in on the mean-spirited jokes at the heart of this film, so you just feel kind of uncomfortable and icky watching the scenes unfold.

After Nomi, the character played by our hapless gal Liz, climbs her way to the top for her one moment of glory as a Vegas dancer, she says, “I just hope I am as good as the show.” Well, in THIS case, you certainly are.

2. Pirates of the Caribbean at World’s End— Poor Johnny Depp. When you are so beautiful and talented, you apparently forget that you are also human and make mistakes. Now, I can concede that the first in this series of movies was a bit of a romp and good fun. I can even agree that the second, while worse than than the first, still had some enjoyable moments. But THIS movie I cannot forgive, because you are Johnny Depp—you are deep and artistic and full of integrity and MONEY. And THIS movie is what happens when you have too much money and no brains. Steve likes to say, “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” Sorry, Johnny, we all love you, but this one’s a stinker and even your infinite charms can’t keep it afloat.

3. Beverly Hills Cop 3—This is a really old movie, but I remember it breaking my heart a little back then. The first two BHC movies were funny, campy, and just good old-fashioned movie FUN. Some might even argue that the first two movies are the stars in the crown of Murphy, but this soulless, joyless piece of drivel even seemed to break Eddie Murphy a little. Has he ever looked so spectacularly uncomfortable anywhere? The other movies were comedies with a little action, but this one was an action movie with a little comedy. They dropped the formula and thus rendered it nearly unwatchable. Eddie Murphy was never the same after this film and, for that, we all lose.

4. Glitter—When I told Ellen this was one of my picks, she said, “It has Mariah Carey, and it is called “Glitter”, what did you expect?” I should have known better. Truly. But it was kind of like a train wreck, I had to see just how bad it was. It’s abysmal. Three things pop immediately to mind: The chemistry between the leads would not power a lightbulb, the writers never met a movie cliche they didn’t like, and Mariah was incomprehensible unless she was singing. My main memory was hiding in my popcorn bowl every time the least hip man on earth said things like “you got no food in yo crib”. At least the popcorn was yummy.

5. Deadringers-— Okay this was billed as a psychological thriller, but it was just psycho in the worst possible way. It didn’ t make you think, “How clever!” It made you desire brain ajax to scrub the memories away. I usually purge the details of movies as soon as I see them or else I would never remember crucial things like my shoe size or where I stashed the chocolate. This movie was released decades ago, but it is burned into my neurons. I’ll share the trailer playing in my head: twin gynos (creepers) obsess over a woman, one goes off the reservation and starts mutilating woman (where’s the medical board!?!), he convinces his brother to go under his knife (WTF), disembowels him with a homemade torture chamber retractor (WTF!!), and then inexplicable curls up in the excavated corpse ‘s arms and dies. Yeah. 116 minutes of my life I would like back, please.

6. The Crying Game—I don’t dislike this film, because of the infamous reveal. My opening weekend seat in the front row, with my neck cricked back at a 90 degree angle, DID give that scene a whole level of intimacy I could have done without, but that is not the point. I felt punked, because the IRA action film I THOUGHT I was watching in the beginning dissolved into a lot of angst and, well, crying. I kept waiting for the action to return and it. just. never. did.

7. District 9— This movie stunk like the pile of bug guts that littered its landscape. It started out with such promise: the mockumentary was intense. And then. . . it just fizzled. Social commentary faded away. While the Crying Game could have done with a little less reveal, this film needed one. Big time. This thing might have been passable as a video game, but my popcorn didn’t come with a controller. If only it had come with a can of Raid.

8. Boxing Helena–I hate myself for even seeing this film, because I was warned in the title. I went into this movie with the idea that it was a romantic drama. Oh HELL no. This movie is romantic in the same way having pink eye is sexy: NOT AT ALL. Kim Bassinger had to pay over $3 million to renege on her contract and not star in this film. Best money spent. Ever.

I’ll cut to the meat (pun intended): Crazy doctor with mommy issues quadruple amputates a woman so annoying and nasty you don’t even feel sorry for her. And get this! Turns out it was all a dream. No pithiness. No resolution. The directors must have realized this movie was so twisted nothing could mitigate it, so they just obliterated it. And thus, more minutes of my life stolen.

9. Vanilla Sky—What is this movie about? I don’t know. I don’t know. I DON’T KNOW!! I could not remember the exact plot of this film, just that I hated it. A lot. So being the responsible blogger that I am, I looked up a synopsis. Yeah, I still don’t know what the movie was about, but I found this quote from the film that just about sums it up.

“I’ll tell you in another life, when we are both cats.” Sofia Serrano
Exactly.

10. Twilight—I might be bringing a whole world of hurt down upon my head, but I am just going to say it out loud: This is a BAD movie. I know it caused teens and Moms alike to lose their ever-loving minds. I saw the t-shirts (Go Team Jacob!), I heard the soundtrack, I read the book. I get the appeal. I understand the fervor. This is just a bad movie, and I won’t pretend otherwise. Most of the main characters’ movie acting consists of looking hot and gazing angstily (it may not be a word, but it fits perfectly) at each other. And don’t even get me started on the special effects. When I am reading, I am willing to suspend my disbelief—it’s part of the writer/reader contract—but when I am seeing it on film, it’s a whole new ballgame. In this case, the ballgame especially brings into crystal-clear and sparkly focus just how unbelievable it all is. And don’t even get me started on the sequels.

But we have a little sweet surprise for you. There is a cure for that which ails bad movies, and that, my dear bloggy friends, is Rifftrax. I was already a big fan of my BIL Dan and my sister Karen before they introduced us to Rifftrax. After we sat through our inaugural movie night in which the team from Rifftrax brought down the classic “Jaws”, Karen and Dan skyrocketed to the top of our Christmas list (you see the way to our hearts!) Now, Steve and I are true believers. Rifftrax’s tagline is “we don’t make movies, we make movies funny”, and they deliver BIG TIME. You can follow the link to check it all out, rent a riff, and even the DVD you want to mock.

So here is our Mother’s Day gift—a little Rifftrax preview takedown of “Twilight”.