Shrek Forever After & OPI Who the Shrek Are You

Okay, so I’m back again. Hopefully the posts will be a little more consistant this week, but…we’ll see. My review for today is the last of the Shrek movies, and although Forever After isn’t the best of the four, at least it’s not the worst. In fact, it’s actually okay…for a fourquel (yup, I just invented that word).

Shrek finds himself longing for the happy days when he was a “real” ogre, not the domesticated one that family life and fame has made him. On a stupid whim, he makes a deal with creepy little wish granter, Rumplestiltskin, and finds that he never befriended Donkey, never rescued Fiona and never saved the kingdom of Far Far Away. In fact, he was never born at all and at the end of the day will cease to exist entirely. He sets out on (another) quest to accomplish all of the things he already did in the first three movies and set everything right again.

Puss and Donkey are hilarious as usual, although I find that the scenes with the other ogres fall flat. There are several jokes that I know are supposed to be funny, but aren’t. I do like the introduction of the Pied Piper as an assasin who can make any species of his choice bust a move and Rumplestiltskin, though a little bit annoying, has possibly one of the best villain lines ever (“Nobody’s smart but me!”). I don’t know that this installment was necessary, since it retreads a lot of ground already covered, but it did give me just a taste of why I fell in love with the first two movies. (Oh, and did I mention Fat Puss? Hilarious!)

This picture is 3 coats of OPI’s Who the Shrek Are You (from the collection that came out at the same time as this movie). It is a perfect Shrek green although it was a little bit runny and tended to drag during application. It’s not really my color, as it makes my skin look very red, but I’m sure it would look fabulous on people with darker skin. ~K

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull & OPI Peru-B-Ruby

Confession time. I know everyone on the planet pretty much loathed Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but I didn’t mind it so much. Yes, it’s a little weird with the whole inter-dimensional beings and all, but realistically, all of the Indiana Jones movies are a little on the heavy side when it comes to the super-natural. What it does have is the same manic energy as the original trilogy.

It’s 1957 and instead of Nazis, Indy has to contend with the Soviets, led by the slightly unhinged Dr. Spalko (Cate Blanchett). Joining him on this adventure is Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf), a young greaser; Harold Oxley (John Hurt), an old colleague of Indy’s, and Indy’s old flame Marion Ravenwood, who is now known as Mary Williams and is Mutt’s mother.  This rag-tag little group is trying to return a crystal skull Oxley found to a temple in Peru, while fighting off the Soviets who are hot on their trail.  Along the way there’s a fridge nuking, man eating ants, and a trip over three waterfalls.

The cast is first rate.  Harrison Ford is back in his element as the roguish archeologist and Karen Allen is just as feisty and beautiful as she was in Raiders.  Shia LeBeouf does his best Marlon Brando impression, but it works. Cate Blanchett’s Ukrainian accent seems pretty good, but her dark bobbed hair seems a little off, and it’s hard to take her too seriously as an evil villain.

Like I said, it’s not the best of the series, but I don’t think it’s as terrible as it could have been.  My recommendation, give it a chance and don’t think too hard.

OPI’s Peru-B-Ruby is a lovely polish, but it’s not very original.  In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve reviewed a similar polish several times before.  It’s almost a fuchsia pink with shimmer.  What did impress me was the coverage of this polish.  I find that shimmery polishes often take three coats, but this picture is only two coats, so not bad.  ~E

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade & OPI Berlin There Done That

All fairness? I don’t know what K is smoking but it is totally not fair to stick me with Temple of Doom and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Am I right people? Plus, she got to do her favorite Indy movie, so in all fairness, I should get to do mine!

Ok, enough venting. Like I said, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is my favorite in the series. I love Harrison Ford’s Indiana, but throw in Sean Connery as his dad, and I am at a loss to figure out how to make it better. Oh yeah, bring John Rhys-Davies and Denholm Elliott back as Sallah and Marcus Brody respectively, and make them even funnier than before, and this is almost the perfect action movie, at least in my book.

This story opens with a little look into the back story of Indiana Jones. We find out that Indy’s father is obsessed with finding the Holy Grail, which has the power to give eternal life, and we see where his hatred of snakes stems from (“I hate snakes, Jock! I hate ‘em!”). This opening scene sets the stage for “the Jones’ Boys” quest for the Holy Grail. This involves slogging through catacombs in Venice, hitching a ride on a Zeppelin, and contending with Indy’s old nemeses, the Nazis.

In Raiders, the best parts of the movie were when Indy and Marion were sparring. In this one, the sparring is also terrific, except it’s between Indy and his dad. Alison Doody is gorgeous as Dr. Elsa Schneider, but she is just no match for Sean Connery.

OPI’s Berlin There Done That is a brownish-grayish cream polish (is it just me, or does it seem like I am always wearing creams?)  The formula is quite good and was pretty much opaque after just two coats.  Although I don’t love the wide brush, I have tiny little nails, but I am getting used to it and not slopping polish all over the place, at least not too badly.

I can’t say why, but I have become a sucker for these seemingly odd colored cream polishes (like Orly’s Mirror Mirror or OPI’s Skull and Gloss Bones).  They are colors I didn’t think I would like initially, but once they are on my nails, I sort of loved them, and this is no exception. ~K

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom & OPI Charmed By a Snake

E says that I don’t get to review both of the “good” Indiana Jones movies (even though in all fairness I should do) so here I am again to review Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. I would say this is my least favorite of Indy’s big screen adventures, but that doesn’t mean it’s a complete stinker. There are some great things here, such as Short Round (Jonathan Ke Quan), and the entire opening scene in Cafe Obi Wan (sans Willie’s surreal musical number) is just awesomeness. There’s also some funny slapstick in the jungle and later in the Maharajah’s palace as Indy and Willie clumsily seduce each other. And the business in the tunnels with the spiky ceiling and the bugs is just classic Indiana Jones (plus, we get the famous hat grabbing scene that has been parodied over and over).

And for those of you who have lived sad, Indiana Jones-less lives, here’s a quick recap of the plot:  Dr. Jones (apparently before he remembered all of that righteous indignation about how ancient artifacts should be in museums) is in Shanghai to sell a relic to a big shot crime boss and very nearly becomes a relic himself. He escapes (of course!), dragging bratty singer Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw, woefully miscast in a badly written part) and miniscule sidekick Short Round along with him for a series of misadventures in India. There are bugs, snakes (naturally), and chilled monkey’s brains, and that’s just dinner.

This movie genuinely scared me as a child, but so did Raiders and Crusade. I think the difference here is that (spoilers!) my trusty Dr. Jones becomes one of the bad guys, and that’s just really depressing, even if it’s short-lived. Unacceptable!

I couldn’t help myself. This is OPI’s Charmed By a Snake from their India Collection. It’s a gorgeous, caramel brown with tons of gold shimmer. This picture is two coats with a topcoat, and can I just say, I’m in love! ~K

Raiders of the Lost Ark & OPI Dusk Over Cairo

There are not words to describe my love for Indiana Jones. I never get tired of them (no, not even Temple of Doom) and that’s kind of a big deal for me and my infinitesimal attention span. Raiders is my favorite (I think mainly because I want to be Marion Ravenwood when I grow up…) so I’m glad I get to review it. This is where we first meet Dr. Jones, part-time archeology professor and part-time tomb raider (don’t deny it, he’s always going after the treasure). After losing a fancy find to his perpetual nemesis, Belloq (Paul Freeman), Indy is enlisted by the US government to stop the Nazis from acquiring the legendary Ark of the Covenant. To do so, he has to look up an old flame, Marion (Karen Allen) who isn’t completely pleased to see him again, but eventually agrees to help him out.

This movie has everything: romance, adventure, Nazis, snakes, giant boulders, archeology, Harrison Ford…yeah, I think I listed all of the important things. Ford is fantastic as Indiana Jones (no surprise there, he was terrific as Han Solo as well) as are all of the cast in their respective parts. Steven Spielberg is like a kid in a candy store behind the camera and John Williams score is completely iconic. None of the other Indiana Jones movies are as good as this one (although The Last Crusade comes close…gotta love me some Sean Connery). If you haven’t seen Raiders (I think you must live under a rock if you haven’t) go and see it immediately. You won’t regret it.

And on a totally unrelated sidenote: Does anyone else want to marry Seth MacFarlane after watching the Oscars last night, or is it just me? (Call me, Seth!)

My polish for this movie is OPI’s Dusk Over Cairo, a coral-y mauve frost monster that was a little bit sheer. This picture is three coats without a topcoat. It’s kind of a matronly color, but I will admit it is a pretty shade and does remind me of a fiery sunset. Still, not my cup of tea. ~K

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel & OPI Black Cherry Chutney

I didn’t love The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.  There were aspects of it that I liked, but overall, it left me feeling kind of blah.  I thought the cast was first rate, particularly Dev Patel, Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, and of course Maggie Smith.  I liked the premise, but there was just something that rubbed me the wrong way about it.

The movie centers around Evelyn (Judi Dench), a recent widow who has to sell her home to pay off her husband’s debts.  This leaves her in a predicament similar to several other elderly Brits: ready to retire but not satisfied with the options available.  This group includes Douglas (Bill Nighy) and Jean Anislie (Penelope Wilton), who have been married for 39 years, Graham Dashwood (Tom Wilkinson), a recently retired high court judge, Muriel (Maggie Smith), a racist former housekeeper heading to India for a hip replacement, Norman is a skirt-chaser who is a bit past his prime, and Madge (Celia Imrie), who is out to find herself a wealthy husband.

Evelyn and her troop head out to the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel in India, run by Sonny, an eternal optimist whose hotel leans a little more on the side of a dump than a perfect retirement place for “the elderly and beautiful”.  Some adjust better than others.  Evelyn thrives, whereas Ms. Anislie struggles.  Graham reconnects with his past, and Muriel starts connecting with the Indians around her.

If the cast sounds like a list of who’s who in the British acting community, it is, and they all bring their A-game.  Unfortunately, the material just isn’t up to par.  I wanted to like this movie, but I just didn’t.

On a side note, if you missed the Golden Globes, check out Will Farrell and Kristen Wiig introducing the Best Actress nominees.  This is what really made me want to see this movie, even though it didn’t live up to their description.

Going along with the Indian theme, I give you OPI’s Black Cherry Chutney.  This is a pretty awesome polish, and I’m not just saying that because it reminds me of black cherry soda (I do love me some black cherry soda).  This is a beautiful deep, reddish-purple color.  Application was a breeze and this picture is only two coats.  As opposed to The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Black Cherry Chutney is a definite keeper! ~E

When In Rome & OPI All Rose Leads To Rome

When in Rome is sort of a silly movie, but silly isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  The story centers on Beth, a workaholic who thinks finding an internet connection is just as important as attending to her bridesmaid duties at her sister’s Roman wedding.  At said wedding, she meets Nick, a very handsome sports journalist, and she starts to let her walls down.  After seeing what she thinks is him sporting with one of the groom’s relatives, Beth gets drunk and goes dancing in the Fountain of Love.  To spite the fountain, she takes four coins, four individuals’ wishes for love.  Little does Beth know, if you remove a coin from the fountain, the person who threw it into the fountain will instantly fall in love with you.

Enter some very interesting characters, all professing their love for Beth: A tortured Italian artist who sees Beth as his muse (Will Arnett), a sausage magnate (Danny DeVito), and a street magician (Jon Heder).  Nick also re-enters the picture, and even though Beth is awful to him, he keeps coming back.  This leads Beth to be suspicious of his motives and she believes he is the owner of the fourth coin.  To break the spell, Beth has to return each coin to each suitor, but now that she’s fallen in love with Nick, she’s not sure if she wants to give his back.

Like I said, it’s a bit silly, but it’s also a lot of fun.  I have loved Kristen Bell since her Veronica Mars days and Josh Duhamel is incredibly handsome, but goofy at the same time.  Their height difference is a little funny, but it seems like everyone in the cast is having a great time reveling in the silliness of it all.  Silly, but still fun.

OPI’s All Rose Lead to Rome is a super pink polish, which is really not my thing.  Luckily, the polish also has a pink shimmer to it, and I do enjoy a shimmer.  Considering this is an old polish, the formula was still pretty good and this picture is three coats.  I can’t say I love it, but it is a pretty and anyone who likes a hot pink polish might try checking this one out. ~E

Comparison Day! (pale blue shimmer)

Today I have a comparison of OPI’s I Vant to Be A-Lone Star (index), Butter London’s Lady Muck (middle), Essie’s Sag Harbor (ring) and Diamond Cosmetics Serendipity (pinky). This picture is 2 coats of each polish without topcoat.

Lady is by far my favorite with the deepest color and the most shimmer (and best formula), Serendipity is the closest in color, while Sag is slightly greener and I Vant is much paler than all the rest. These all have a lovely formula and go on beautifully.

OPI I Vant to Be A-Lone Star is from the Texas Collection (Spring 2011)

I’m not sure what collection Lady Muck came from or when it came out.

Essie Sag Harbor is from the North Fork Collection (Summer 2009)

Diamond Cosmetics Serendipity is from their Spring 2010 Collection.

Best of 2012

So, 2012 was really the year of action movies.  I love chick flicks, but there weren’t many worth mentioning this year (maybe Salmon Fishing in the Yemen or One For the Money, but they didn’t make it into my top ten).  Here’s my top ten list, which are in no particular order (and bear in mind that there are many movies from this year I haven’t seen yet):

The Avengers-Robert Downey Jr + Chris Evans + Joss Whedon + Mark Ruffalo + Chris Hemsworth = Total and complete awesomeness!

The Dark Knight Rises-This movie blew my mind.  Anne Hathaway was amazing.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey-I love Martin Freeman.  I can’t wait for some Benedict Cumberbatch and Lee Pace in the next ones.

Les Miserables-I love music and I love Hugh Jackman.  I was kind of blown away by the singing and acting in this movie.  I anticipated being disappointed, but I wasn’t.

Brave-I have been told I am Merida, but that’s mostly just for my crazy, curly red hair.

Wreck-It Ralph-I thought I would hate this movie, but it just wasn’t to be.  Loved it!

Pitch Perfect-With a little less puking and a little less sex-talk, this movie would have been just about perfect.  Like I said, I love music.

The Hunger Games-I’m so glad they downplayed the violence.  Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson were great.

People Like Us-I know that this wasn’t a super popular movie, but I quite enjoyed it.  Chris Pine and Elizabeth Banks were completely believable as siblings.

The Life of Pi-This movie was amazing.  I don’t know if I will ever watch it again because it took such an emotional toll on me.  I mean, a girl can only cry so much.

Honorable Mentions:

John Carter

Skyfall

Mirror Mirror

Rise of the Guardians

Trouble with the Curve

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

E’s Favorite Varnishes

(These are not necessarily polishes that came out this year, just ones that were reviewed by us this year)

Sephora + Pantone Rose Dawn (Sleeping Beauty)

All That Glitters Book Smart Beauty (Beauty and the Beast)

Zoya Anthea (Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan)

Duri Unexpected Kiss (Flipped)

OPI Mermaid’s Tears (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides)

Butter London Lady Muck (The Princess Bride)

Sephora by OPI Who Let the Dorks Out (Sydney White)

OPI Ocean Love Potion (Ponyo)

OPI Skull and Glossbones (Peter Pan)

OPI Out of This World (John Carter)

K’s Favorite Varnishes

Butter London Victoriana (The Young Victoria)

Color Club Gift of Sparkle (Ramona and Beezus)

Zoya Blaze

a-england Princess Tears (Tangled)

Sephora + Pantone Universe Purple Parachute

Revlon Whimsical (Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium)

Cirque Dark Horse (The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad)

Pretty Serious Creature Crush

Hare Polish The Monster (Monsters Inc.)

Barielle Falling Star (Stardust)

Babes in Toyland & OPI You’re a Doll

I always loved Babes in Toyland when I was little.  I thought Annette Funicello was beautiful as Mary and I’m pretty sure Tommy Sands was one of my first crushes as Tom Piper.  Ray Bolger was appropriately menacing as the villain Barnaby (remember I was a kid) and Henry Calvin and Gene Sheldon were hilarious as his cronies (again, I plead being a kid).

Now that I am older, I can see the cheesiness of it all, but it is still a fun holiday movie.  Barnaby is now considerably funnier than he is scary.  No matter how old I get however, Ed Wynn as the Toymaker and Tommy Kirk as his assistant are always funny.

Mary Contrary and Tom Piper are about to be married, but because Mary will come into a large inheritance upon her marriage, Barnaby just can’t have that.  He hires Gonzorgo and Roderigo to kidnap Tom and drop him into the sea.  Instead, they decide to sell Tom to a band of gypsies, which of course backfires.  After Barnaby steals Mary’s livelihood, a flock of sheep, he convinces her that she has no choice but to marry him.  To celebrate Mary’s second engagement in as many days, Barnaby hires a band of gypsies as entertainment.  Needless to say, Tom is revealed to be alive, which doesn’t best please Barnaby.

The children in Mary’s care (I’m not sure whose children they are or how they came to be in Mary’s care) decide to find their lost sheep in the Forest of No Return, where they are captured by the trees.  Luckily, Mary and Tom find them just before they are delivered to the custody of the Toymaker of Toyland.  The Toymaker and his apprentice are in a bit of a crunch, as they won’t have enough toys for Christmas.  The children, along with Mary and Tom, agree to help them make the toys.

Meanwhile, Barnaby and his associates are plotting their revenge.  I won’t go into all the details, but I will say that it involves a shrink gun and a battle with toy soldiers.

In one scene, Mary and Tom sing a song about a doll.  It’s actually one of my least favorite scenes, but it made a nice connection to the chosen polish for this movie.  OPI’s You’re a Doll is quite a lovely polish.  It’s sort of a dusty rose, light lavender shimmery base with micro red glitter.  It is pretty sheer, and this picture is three coats.  Although it took multiple coats to be opaque, I still liked this polish.  Overall, a fun movie and a fun polish! ~E