The year that was

2008 brought some interesting life changes for me as I moved back to Vancouver after living in Toronto for four years. I am glad to be back home with friends and family again but I do miss my friends back in TO.

Aside from still being astounded in watching my niece able to grow up, 2008 brought some great adventures. I traversed the Maritimes in May and realized a childhood dream of going to Prince Edward Island to see the land where Anne of Green Gables came from and seeing things like Green Gables and Dalvay-by-the-Sea (aka The White Sands Hotel) with my own eyes.

While work travel didn’t take me places like Shanghai this year, I did get to go to Los Angeles for the first time and realize another dream: seeing the taping of The Price is Right!!! You can catch my show on January 8, 2009.

This year I also volunteered for the Vancouver International Film Festival. While not quite like volunteering for the Toronto International Film Festival, it was still an awesome experience and I got to see 11 movies out of it. My personal favourites were: I've Loved You So Long, I am Good, Rachel Getting Married and Summer House (despite that last 10 minutes).

Speaking of movies. I didn't see many first run movies in theatres this year. Now that I live near a second run movie house, have seen some double headers. But I digress.

The biggest disappointment in 2008 was the fact that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince movie was moved from November 21 2008 to July 17, 2009. I was so looking forward to that movie last year but now I have to wait another year to see it. The trailers make the movie look awesome.

Among the highlights of movies I did see include WALL-E, Prince Caspian, Get Smart and Mamma Mia. This list actually sums up all the movies I did see in theatres this year.

I am saving the Twilight movie for last. It was a movie that I had no desire to see in 2008. It was the movie that took over my beloved Harry Potter spot. But that was before I read any of the books. As mentioned in a previous blog, I only read the book to see what the big deal was and the big deal was the epic love story between a teenage girl and an impossibly handsome vampire. After reading all four books, I really wanted to see the movie. My review is posted but the movie still lingers with me especially when I listen to Carter Burwell's Bella's Lullaby. It takes me that that scene in the movie and I remember Kristen Stewart's and Robert Pattinson's chemistry.

I would say Twilight was a surprise for my in 2008. I didn't expect to love it.
2008 was also a great year for me reading wise. I've read like about seven books in the last two months. I haven't read that many books released this year but the highlight was Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling. At least 2008 gave me something Harry Potter related.

Also let's take a moment to mourn the cancellation of shows that I loved in 2008: Pushing Daisies and Eli Stone. TV this year was a bit of a disappointment too as I am not interested in any of the new shows that were introduced for the 2008-09 TV season.

Things to look forward to 2009 movie wise. Well I am currently reading The Time Traveler's Wife and I am looking forward to seeing that movie as the book so far is very intriguing.

I am also eagerly anticipating The Lovely Bones, the movie based on the book by Alice Sebold. The book was amazing and I cried during some parts of it. The cast of the film is good too (Rachel Weisz and Mark Walberg) so I am hoping the film will be faithful to the story.

Of course I am looking forward to July 17, 2009 for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and November 20, 2009 for New Moon (the second film in the Twilight Saga –although the book sucks). They are filming New Moon in Vancouver in March so maybe I will get to see Robert Pattinson milling about Vancouver.

Happy New Year and see you in 2009.

Twilight vs. Harry Potter: Which one do I love and why?

If I had to choose between these two book series, easily I would have hands down have said the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling. How could I not chose this, after all it is my literary love. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's (Sorcerer's) Stone was the book that started my love of reading.

As my brothers could attest, I never liked reading. Even I am surprised that I survived high school. I think with a couple of exceptions (like Hiroshima and A Farewell to Arms (which by the way, I really had to slog through that to even finish)) I don't think I ever read a novel all the way through. I mostly relied on the movie version to get through tests. As an aside, I remember when I used to work at a video store, I would always laugh as I saw high schoolers come in to rent Hamlet, Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights as I knew that they were only watching those because that is what they were studying at the time.

But back to the issue at hand, as soon as I read the first Harry Potter book, I became hooked on his tale. At first, I didn’t want to read Harry Potter because I thought they were children's books but there was so much hype about it that I was curious but didn't want to fall for the hype. However, I joined an online book club and they recommended the first Harry Potter. After all, this same book club recommended The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery and I really loved that book. So I gave them the benefit of the doubt and walked into a book store to buy Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

I couldn't put the book down. What surprised me the most was that it didn't read as a children's novel. Adults could totally get into it and I loved the fact that it wasn’t predictable as most kids books are. You think one person is the villain throughout but then Rowling puts in a twist you don't see coming.

This became the same thing through books 2 to 7. And as the books grew in size and became darker, it was evident that Harry Potter could be enjoyed by all ages. I love the suspense that Rowling created as the series progressed. I wanted to know the outcome of the saga. I read Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows (the last book in series) in 24 hours. The fastest I have read any book. I wanted to read it fast so I wouldn't be spoiled by people talking about in the streets or the Internet. I needed to know how it all ended. I was on tenderhooks and worried throughout. It didn’t help that Rowling said that at least two characters would die and I didn't put it past her that one of the two could have been one of the trio of Harry, Ron and Hermione.

Reading Harry Potter lead me to read more and more. Since May 2008, I've read almost 10 books. I think the most I've ever read in one year.

Four of those books where the Twilight Saga. And if it wasn't for Harry Potter, I would have never read Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. I was so biased for Harry Potter that when I saw a local bookshop having a midnight release party for Breaking Dawn the last in the Twilight series, I wanted to see if it was to the grand scale as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows midnight release party. This is the same bookshop that held that party at Van Dusen Gardens and not at the store. I went to a midnight release party in Toronto for HP7 and it was an awesome experience. Anyways, I went there at around 11:45pm and saw that the line-up wasn't large and I laughed and knew there would be no line-ups that stretched a good portion of West Broadway and knew that Harry Potter would always be more popular than Twilight, which still holds true today.

This was all before I even read the Twilight Saga. As with Harry Potter, I was curious to see why teenage girls and their moms loved this story about the love story between a human teenager and a vampire. And since the movie was coming out soon (taking over Harry Potter and the Half –Blood Prince's old release spot) I decided to borrow the book from the library.

And I do have a literary policy. I seem to read books knowing that a movie version is coming. I did that with Atonement, Howard's End, Remains of the Day, The Lovely Bones, etc…

So I read the first book in the Twilight Saga and as I was reading it, I did get a sense of why people love it. The reason why I didn't want to read it at first was because a) it was for teenage girls and I haven't been a teenager in a long time and b) it was a horror story and I don't do horror.

But how wrong I was, the elements of horror weren't scary at all and the appeal of it is the love story. And I am a romantic and I really love a great love story especially the one that Meyer depicted in Twilight.

Twilight does remind me a lot about Jane Eyre (my classic literary love) and I read that one of the influence's of Twilight is Jane Eyre and I can see that. Bella sees herself as ordinary while Jane calls hers "small, obscure, plain and little." The Edwards that they love are handsome, beautiful and rich. Both women don't think that their Edwards could ever love them in return as they love them. The Edwards on the other hand see themselves as monsters, damaged good, unworthy of Bella's and Jane's love.

If you ever read the first 12 chapters of Midnight Sun, the retelling of Twilight from Edward Cullen's perspective, you see that Bella and Edward were totally in synch with each other in terms of their feelings. Both pretty much fell in love with each other at the same time, felt the same insecurities until they were finally able to profess their love in the meadow. It actually melts my heart as I write this.

I also thought it was romantic that it was the first love for both and considering that Edward is a 108 year old vampire, it is quite sweet. And I love that sometimes the first love you feel for that person is the ONE.

While Harry Potter has elements of romance in it, it wasn't the overriding dominant theme. After all, it was all about defeating Voldemort. But I loved that Rowling brought together Harry and Ginny and Ron and Hermione and I really loved the epilogue as we got to see a happy ending happen to these couples. I was less thrilled that she killed off my other favourite couple in the series: Tonks and Lupin. No good Rowling, not good at all.

But those romances don't hold a candle to the intense love that Bella and Edward feel for each other and as you continue reading the other books in the series New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn you can feel their love grow (just ignore the Jacob parts) and you get to see them live and be a couple. Another influence of Meyer was the Anne of Green Gables series because you get to see Anne and Gilbert's life after getting married. Breaking Dawn, while ridiculous in places, really showed what I wanted to see in the Saga: Bella and Edward after they got married. To me, it seemed that their love story got more complete and even hotter. However, unlike HP7, I wasn't on tenderhooks because I somehow knew there would be a happy ending while the ending to Deathly Hallows was mixed with joy and sadness. It was a more of a bittersweet ending.

So I can I chose which I love better? I think I can and that would be Harry Potter. As I said, if there was no Harry Potter, there would be no Twilight. I remember after HP7, I was telling a friend while we debriefed over HP7 that I would never read again. Harry Potter got me into reading and didn't see any books that interested me but she said I should give Twilight a try, A year and half later, I am glad that the old adage of never say never is true.

What do I read next? I don't know. I am waiting for Midnight Sun to actually get published and then after that, who knows.

Twilight movie review

Twilight doesn't quite shine

By Vanessa Ho

Don’t get me wrong, I really wanted to love Catherine Hardwicke's adaption of Stephenie Meyer's widely popular vampire romance Twilight. After all I fell in love with the books that depict the epic love story between ordinary high schooler Bella Swan (played how I imagined her to be by Kristen Stewart) and an impossibly beautiful vampire named Edward Cullen (the perfectly cast Robert Pattinson aka Cedric Diggory from Harry Potter).

But alas, I didn’t. Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg has been very faithful to Meyer's first book in the Twilight saga and even cribbed a lot of the dialogue from the novel but certain scenes just didn't translate well to the screen as they did on the page. For instance, the first moment that Edward sees Bella in biology, he is repulsed by her smell because he is overwhelmingly attracted to her human scent but the scene just comes off as unintentionally funny they way Pattinson held his mouth and nose as if he is about to throw up.

But I am getting ahead of myself, Twilight starts with Bella moving away from sunny Phoenix to

dreary Forks, Washington to live with her father (Billy Burke) after her mother (Sarah Clarke) remarries and wants to travel with her new husband as he tries to make it as a professional baseball player. Soon after starting at the new school, she attracts the unwanted attention of many of the boys at the school but she is immediately intrigued by Edward and his family. At this point, she doesn’t suspect them to be vampires. Edward constantly avoids her and I guess that makes him more attractive to her. Eventually, she figures out who he is, thanks to some help from childhood friend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) and confronts him with her theories, which he confirms by showing her various things.

Edward takes Bella to meet his vampire family and explains that they aren't like other vampires. The only hunt animals. However, Bella's life becomes endangered after another vampire called James (Cam Gigandet) smells Bella and wants her blood, thus setting up a battle to save her life or doom her to become a vampire.

The most important aspect to me of any adaptation of Twilight is chemistry. Do Pattinson and Stewart have chemistry? From the trailers and photos I've seen, I inferred that they did and when I finally saw the movie, I agree. It was a very slow burn chemistry (much like how the characters in the book slowly fall in love) and culminated to a very hot kiss in Bella's bedroom.

Stewart has to carry the whole film as Bella is the central character and she does a great job but at times, especially near the end after the climactic battle, she was a bit over the top in her line delivery.

And you can tell that this film was made for only $40 million. The special effects weren't great, especially during a pivotal scene between Edward and Bella that I won't spoil to those that haven’t read the books. Here's hoping that New Moon, the next film in the Twilight Saga will have a bigger budget and better special effects.

But at the heart of this film is the love story between Bella and Edward and after being away from the film for a few hours, that is really all I can think about and what I think about after I've read the novels so in that sense, the film succeeded in my expectations of capturing their love. After all, I am quite the romantic.

VIFF 2008: The Stone of Destiny

The Stone of Destiny received a standing ovation from the audience at the opening of the Canadian Images portion of the 27th Annual Vancouver International Film Festival and I don't it wholly deserved it.

Director and writer Charles Martin Smith tells the true story of a group of Scottish university students from Glasgow as they plan and steal the Stone of Destiny or the Coronation Stone from Westminster Abbey but his story telling is filmed with so many clichés such as the "don't fall for me" line leading lady Kate Mara throws to leading man Charlie Cox knowing that they eventually will and the shy Alan (Ciaron Kelly) coming out of his shell at a crucial moment, that it is hard to truly enjoy it.

The film begins winter 1950 in Glasgow and culminates to Christmas 1950 when Ian Hamilton (Cox), Gavin Vernon (Stephen McCole), Kay Matheson (Mara) and Alan Stuart (Kelly) succeed in stealing the stone but without some hiccups along the way.

A little back story about the Stone of Destiny or the Coronation Stone is that it’s a oblong block of red sandstone weighing approximately 152 kg. It was used for centuries during the coronations of the monarchs of Scotland, England and Britain. Back in 1296, the Stone was captured by Edward I as spoils of war and taken to Westminster Abbey. Hamilton wanted to do something for Scottish pride as back them Scotland was being referred to North Britain and wanted a symbol to represent Scottish independence, hence stealing the Stone.

However, when the quartet finally does steal the stone, the celebration on the streets of Scotland just ring false and I just didn't get the sense of pride and excitement that the people felt over their feat. Also ringing false was when Hamilton was initially planning his heist with his friend Bill (Billy Boyd). All the books, maps, floor plans and casing the joint just rang like a false version of Ocean's Eleven and this point was really hammered home when Bill left and Hamilton recruits Matheson who then recruits Vernon who then recruits Stuart.

The only true bright spot of the film is McCole as Vernon. He not only provides comic relief but was also endearing when he told of his reason for wanting to steal the Stone and I loved the part where he affects a snotty British accent to glean information off a priest on how to better access Westminster Abbey. Truly wasted was Robert Carlyle as someone who secretly finances the theft and Oscar winner Brenda Fricker as Carlyle's maid. Her role was pointless, just serves tea, eavesdrops then leave scene. Also, what really bothered me was the celebration between Carlyle and Fricker when the Stone was stolen really rang false.

Mara was fine as Matheson (even with her uneven Scottish brogue) but the fault of the film lies with Cox, he isn’t charismatic enough to care about why he wants to steal the Stone, which in turn makes me not really care.

The Stone of Destiny is next showing on October 8th at 11:30 am at Empire Granville 7 Cinemas. The Vancouver International Film Festival runs now until Oc

Movie Review -Mamma Mia!

Mamma Mia! Frothy and fun

By Vanessa Ho

Mamma Mia! the movie is just as exuberant on screen as it is on stage. Having seen the stage production seven years ago, I had some trepidation as to how well that story can translate to the silver screen.

I needn't worry.

What works in the film's favour over the stage is the fact that it was actually filmed in Greece and the audience doesn't have to rely on their imagination to believe that they are in Mediterranean; you are there in all its beautiful and wonderful glory.

Mamma Mia! the movie and the stage musical have crafted a story around super 70s group ABBA to glorious effect. I found it amazing when I originally saw the show that they took songs like the title song and Dancing Queen and somehow made its lyrics work with the story.

But what is the story that the ABBA songs fit so nicely? Well, Mamma Mia! is about Sophie (Amanda Seyfried, TV's Big Love) who is about the get married to Sky (a very hunky Dominic Cooper) and wants her Dad to give her away. The only problem is she doesn't know who her dad is and after reading her mom's, Donna (Meryl Streep), diary, she discovers that she has three possible fathers: Sam (Pierce Brosnan), Bill (Stellan Skarsgard) and Harry (Colin Firth). Hilarity ensues when Donna discovers all three men are at the resort that she runs and gets all emotionally confused upon seeing them again, especially Brosnan's Sam. Good thing her two best friends (Christine Baranski and Julie Walters) from their singing group days are in town for the wedding to offer emotional support.

The performances from all the actors are surprisingly good, especially Streep who sings with great gusto especially on The Winner Takes it All and Walters (Harry Potter's Mrs. Weasley) offers great comic relief in particular with her wooing Skarsgard's Bill during Take a Chance on Me. Another highlight is the end credits, which I won't spoil here but if you've seen Mamma Mia! on stage then you know what I am talking about.

However, the real star of the film is Seyfried. Her singing voice alone is stupendous. I love her renditions of Lay all your love on me (one of my favourite songs from the stage version) and I have a dream.

The same can't be said for Brosnan, whose singing voice is just atrocious, more than over during SOS. I wanted to yell S.O.S so someone could save me from his singing. Firth and Skarsgard do decent jobs with the songs they are given to sing (Our Last Summer and Take a Chance on Me, respectively).

The film version also benefitted from having the original creative team on board with the stage production's director Phyllida Lloyd helming the film version and the book writer, Catherine Johnson, writing the screenplay. And unlike, The Producers movie, this didn't seem like a reproduction of the stage version because of the fact that it was filmed on location.

Mamma Mia! is one of the better recent stage to screen musical adaptations of recent years and a must see for all ABBA fans; just plug your ears when Brosnan is singing!

Movie Review: WALL-E

WALL-E: A feast for the eyes and soul

By Vanessa Ho

Pixar has another hit on their hands in WALL-E. First it started with the playful Toy Story and continued with last year's delicious Ratatouille.

WALL-E is about a robot named, well, WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class and "voiced" by Ben Burtt) that was left behind on Earth to clean-up the mess we humans made when we took off for space after the planet became uninhabitable. It has been 700 years that WALL-E has been doing his job and he is endearingly curious, finding everyday mundane things wonderful and keeping them as souvenirs like a bra, a lighter and a Rubik's cube. Also cute is how he sets out every morning for work with lunch box in hand and comes home every night to his pet cockroach.

His only source of entertainment is his love for the movie musical Hello Dolly! And he constantly watches two musical numbers from the film: "Sunday Clothes" and "It Only Takes a Moment" the latter features scenes of the two romantic leads holding hands that affect WALL-E throughout the film. Then one day, while toiling away, a ship lands on Earth and out pops EVE (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator, Elissa Knight). WALL-E falls in love with her and is very cute as he tries and court EVE, especially when he is hesitant in wanting to hold her hand.

As a romantic gesture, he gives EVE a potted plant that he finds while working. But as soon as EVE sees it, she grabs it and goes into lock down. This was what she was sent to Earth to discover. Here WALL-E tries all he can to wake EVE up and does various things to protect her. Eventually, EVE's ship comes back and gets her and brings her back to the Axiom, a space cruise ship that is home to Earth's former citizens that because of years of being in space and inactivity (due to relying on hover chairs) have become morbidly obese. Adventure ensues when the plant goes missing and WALL-E and EVE must rescue it in order for the ship's captain (Jeff Garlin) to fulfill his mission of finding sustainable life on Earth so humans can go back home. I was definitely tearing up near the end of the film.

The blending of live-action clips of Hello Dolly! into the animated sequences are marvelous and seamless. As well, Fred Willard plays the only live person in the movie as Shelby Forthright, CEO of the Buy N Large, a company that features prominently in the film. His blending into the action was also seamless.

The animation is visually appealing in particular the scenes with WALL-E travelling from Earth to the Axiom and WALL-E himself was drawn very well and loved how he expresses emotions through his eyes.

While the film features very little dialogue except for the sounds created by sound designer Burtt (who also created some of the legendary sounds in Star Wars such as the lightsabers' distinctive noises), the story was very effectively told through the animated emotions of the two leads as well as using the music from Hello Dolly!

As well, the messages of the film: global warming and inactivity leads to obesity were never in your face and told well through the use of humor. As with all Pixar films there was definitely something for everybody young and old.

Looking forward to see what Pixar brings in 2009. If it is anything like their past nine, then I expect nothing but greatness.

Movie Review -Prince Caspian

Narnia's Prince Caspian still charms

By Vanessa Ho

While the first Chronicles of Narnia movie The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was magical and whimsical, the second installment, Prince Caspian¸ is darker, filled with great epic battles against good and evil and a little something something between Caspian (Ben Barnes) and Susan Pevensie (Anna Popplewell).
Andrew Adamson takes the helm again as director and adaptor. He does follow C.S. Lewis' 256 page novel to a tee but has to fatten the story up in order to fill out the film's over two our running time.

He does it by adding battle sequences, while grand to behold, weren't in the books. However, to his credit, these scenes do serve a purpose to the general story.
Prince Caspian opens up with the birth of a son for King Miraz (Sergio Castellito), which spells trouble for his nephew Caspian, who is heir to the throne of Narnia. He is woken up in the middle of the night by his tutor, Doctor Cornelius (Vincent Grass), to flee his uncle's castle and his given Queen Susan's magical horn to use when he needs help. As he flees deep in the forest and encounters trouble and blows Susan's horn.

Back in England, the Pevensie children, Peter (William Moseley), Susan, Edmund(Skander Keyes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley) are waiting to board the Tube to go to boarding school but are magically pulled into a tunnel that brings that back to Narnia.

They soon discover the ruins of their home Cair Paravel and find out that while a year has passed in their world, 1300 years passed in Narnia time. And in that time, a race called the Telmarines invaded Narnia shortly after the Pevensies left Narnia and the world that the Pevensies knew has become a more "savage place then they remembered" according to their dwarf ally Trumpkin (played wonderfully by Peter Dinklage).

Soon a battle ensues with the Pevensies, Caspian and the Narnian's joining forces to bring down Miraz and his army to bring peace back to Narnia with maybe with the help of Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson).

The film is filled with wonderful special effects, in particular the scene were Lucy encounters the tree people but at times, it seemed that Adamson wanted to cram the movie with as much special effects as possible like the river scene at the climax of one of the battles.

Barnes is a find as Caspian but does a weird European accent that seems out of place and not at all how I imagined the character when reading the book. All the Pevensie children had definitely matured as performers, especially little Henley, in her scenes with Aslan. Keyes has also matured in his performance of Edmund from the last film. This is evident in his interaction with his siblings.

Popplewell and Moseley were particularly bad asses in all their battle scenes, rocking the bow and arrow and sword respectively. I also really enjoyed the chemistry between Barnes and Popplewell and even though a "romance" between Caspian and Susan wasn't in the novel, I ate it up even knowing that it won't go anywhere in future movie adaptations.

Caspian wasn't as magical as the first Narnia film but here's hoping the magic will continue with Voyage of the Dawn Treader coming out in 2010.

For fans of The Office -British and American

I am not a fan of The Office having only seen a few episodes but this video from the season finale of SNL had me laughing so hard:



I hope you enjoy

Harry Potter stuff

People that know me know that I am a major Harry Potter fan and I've done miscellaneous things in the fandom such as sort myself and most recently, I just found out what kind of wand I would have.

So apparently, after taking a test at: http://www.diagonalley.5u.com/ollivanders/index.html
This would be my wand.

Wood type: chestnut Length: 9 inches Core: Dragon Heartstring get your own wand!

As well, after being sorted via Facebook application, I would be in Hufflepuff. And at first I wanted to be Gryffindor but I thought about it and I am an extremely loyal person (as demonstrated by me not shopping at Sears because I used to work for the Bay) so it all fit. Anyways, just wanted to share my geekiness.

Movie News - Ellen Page to star in "Jane Eyre"

There is news that was released today that BBC Films is planning a feature film adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre" starring Canada's Ellen Page in the title role. I don't know how I feel about this piece of movie news. I love Jane Eyre and love Ellen Page. She is the right age but I don't know if she has the right look for it. I know she can do period as I first noticed her in Pit Pony but I just don't know. Another reason for my trepidation is the fact that BBC recently did a superb miniseries adaptation in 2006 of Jane Eyre. Ruth Wilson was awesome as Jane and Toby Stephens was excellent as Rochester. The last time it was a feature film, it was 1996 and it starred Charlotte Gainsbourg and William Hurt. That production wasn't great except for the music.

I will see it and I am looking forward to see who would be Rochester -there are rumours that it could be Christian Bale (not a bad choice). If there is one thing that I ask the screenwriter is that she capture the passion of their love story that Sandy Welch managed to capture. So I expect to see that it follows the book pretty faithfully, beautiful location and scenery, a great score and awesome chemistry between Page and the one who plays Rochester. If this film version has all of those and can equal the Wilson/Stephens version then I will like.

Movie Review - Iron Man

Iron Man has some heart but lacks finish

By Vanessa Ho

Iron Man is the latest in a long line of comic book heroes to come to the screen and in director Jon Favreau's version, it doesn’t' quite meet expectations of recent quality adaptations like Spider Man 2 or Batman Begins.

The fault really isn't Favreau's as origin movies do take a while to get going and it really does take a while before we finally see Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) emerge in the Iron Man suit.

But every story has a beginning and the movie starts with Stark in a military convoy in Afghanistan that gets ambushed and his protectors all killed. He is then taken captive by terrorists group called Ten Rings who want him to reconstruct a military weapon that his company, Stark Industries (which specializes in weapons manufacturing) developed and demonstrated earlier that day.

While in captivity, instead of developing the weapon, he works on fashioning a suit, with the help of a fellow prisoner (Shaun Toub) that will help them escape their captors. The suit is powered from a miniature arc reactor, which supplies energy to an electromagnet which protects Stark's heart from the embedded shrapnel in his chest

After returning to the States, Stark shuts down the weapons manufacturing part of Stark Industries, much to the consternation of business partner Obediah Stane (Jeff Bridges).

The journey towards becoming Iron Man was satisfying and Downey Jr.'s performance as Stark/Iron Man is amazing. Seeing his transformation from brilliant engineer but womanizing billionaire to one that is dedicated to using his great mind to protect his country after learning that the weapons his company makes are being used by terrorist is what makes the movie work.

The sequence of scenes where Stark is upgrading the design of the original suit features amazing special effects (the suit looks frakking awesome) and great one liners from Downey as he interacts with his robotic team that are assisting him.

Truly wasted is Terence Howard as Stark's military friend James "Rhodey" Rhodes. He really adds nothing in his scenes but only comic relief and sidekick support.

Gwyneth Paltrow plays Pepper Potts, Stark's loyal personal assistant, who delivers witty one-liners to Stark's latest conquest early on in the film but is seemingly attracted to Stark. Paltrow's talents are also wasted in her role but it is hard to have a strong, independent female character in a super hero movie without being the damsel in distress.

As Stane, Bridges quickly turns him into a one dimensional and stereotypical comic book villain that is drunk with power and jealous over our hero Stark, this is especially true in the film's climactic scene towards the film's end that features an over the top performance from Bridges.

You can tell that Favreau's is a fan of the comic books (and he even cameos as one of Stark's bodyguards Happy Hogan). The film does feature amazing special effects and Iron Man is a superhero that definitely embraces who he is and proud to show it off and takes the audience happily along for the ride as well as its inevitable sequels.

Live Blogging the 80th Academy Awards

Hello out there and welcome to the 2nd Annual Pop Goes the World live blog of the Academy Awards. This being the 80th edition, i am so glad that the writer's strike is over so that we can have a grand celebration of this award show rewarding the best in film.

As with last year, I have made a bet with my younger brother. We disagreed on seven categories so no chance of a tie. At stake is a buffet meal while we are in Vegas in a couple of weeks.

What you won't find in this live blog is me blogging the red carpet stuff because a) I am not that into fashion and b) sometimes the questions these people ask the nominees or the celebrities are stupid.

But there is one category I am excited for and that is Best Original Song. I really want the song from Once -Falling Slowly - to win. I love that song and this weekend I picked up Once on DVD. It is such an awesome movie that everyone should see.

8:00 We are 30 minutes from the ceremony. Just have to go through 30 minutes of Regis doing the Red Carpet on ABC.

And I normally have pizza and booze as my Oscar dinner but today it's OJ and Hamburger Helper. Next year will be better as I will be back in Vancouver and can actually host an Oscar party and if my friend Lynette hosts one at her place in Victoria, I will be there!!!! She puts on an awesome party every year and I've missed it these past four years.

8:25 Five minutes to go to showtime and Regis is a bit annoying. Sometimes I think he is a bit out of touch with pop culture today and the only reason why I think he knows what he is saying is because he is reading it off a teleprompter.

I think I might have said it on my blog last year but it is a dream of mines to go to the Oscars. One of these days I hope to write a movie that might get nominated.

8:27 credits are rolling so that means we are now near the end and Regis just called Javier Bardem Xavier Bardem -see what I mean by him being out of touch. I remember Kelly Ripa saying on Friday on Live with Regis and Kelly that Regis calls Javier Bardem, Xavier.

Anyways, so close to show time. I would be more excited but I am bit tired from the weekend. Stayed up until 2am last night and did quite a bit today, so I am pooped but I think once the show starts and the awards start getting dished out I will perk up again, especially as I keep track of my Oscar pool.

8:30 Here we ago the start of the show. A CG opening with different film clips like Transformers, Easy Rider, Cars, etc... obviously honouring the fact that it is the 80th Academy Awards.

8:32 For some reason I am hearing voices....but no funny opening. Well, here is Jon Stewart, see how he does on his second time hosting.

8:35 Good joke about the depressing nominated movies and mentioning Juno (a fave film of mines)

8:37 ok laughed at the Norbit joke -I mean laughed out loud. So far so good, glad that they went right into Stewart's monologue so that means the giving out of awards can't be too far behind.

8:39 Stewart is definitely using the U.S. Election as fodder in his monologue.

8:41 sounds like it is starting. It is. First presenter. Unlike last year where it seemed it took forever to get started.

8:42 First category: Costumer Design. Me: Sweeney Todd Justin: Elizabeth. Winner: Elizabeth. Justin: 1 Vanessa: 0. Not off to a good start for me. I don't why I listen to Entertainment Weekly. But it is just the first category. But my dream of getting 24 out 24 right is over with the first category. As I said the only time I came close was 2004 when I got 23 out of 24 right.

8:47 George Clooney presenting history of the Awards. Great, our first montage of the evening. Good joke about the ceremony being long. Not a bad montage since I do love watching the Awards ceremony.

8:51 Unintenional iPhone plug.

8:52 Second category of the evening with Get Smart's Steve Carrell and Anne Hathaway. I did like how Carrell made the subject matters of the film sound like a serious documentary. It is Animated Feature. Justin and I: Ratatouille. Winner: Ratatouille. Justin: 2, Vanessa: 1. I love Ratatouille. So happy that it won.

8:56. Katherine Heigl is presenting Make-up. Me: La Vie en Rose. Justin: Pirates of the Caribbean. Winner: La Vie En Rose. We are tied. Thank goodness to EW. We are tied. Justin: 2, Vanessa: 2.

8:59 First best song performance from Enchanted. Happy Working Song with Jon Stewart singing it no, just kidding. It is Amy Adams. It is odd that she is singing it alone on the stage but she does have a nice voice but I don't want this or any song from Enchanted or August Rush to win. I am surprised no interpretive dancing is going on. That was an odd and weird performance. Seriously, weird (and not in a good way). I hope that three songs split the vote. So far the Happy Working Song doesn't hold a candle to Falling Slowly.

9:02 I do like these Oscar memory videos. I think they are so much better than parading past Oscar winners on stage like they did for the 75th.

9:05 Crap! I forgot to tune in at 9pm to see Gillian Anderson introduce Part 3 of Pride and Prejudice on Masterpiece Classic. Oh! well.

9:06 The Rock doing an award for Best Visual Effects. Me and Justin: Transformers. Ok, Rock you are no a comedian. Winner: The Golden Compass. We both lose. Score remains at 2-2.

9:10 Cate Blanchett doing Art Direction. Me: Atonement. Justin: Sweeney Todd. Winner: Sweeney Todd. I thought about picking it but decided to go with Atonement. Justin: 3, Vanessa: 2.

9:12 You know what I am glad is that there is so far no Martin Landau moment of people's speeches not getting cut off.

9:13 First acting award via montage for Supporting Actor. Jennifer Hudson is presenting this award. A bit stiff there Jennifer in your reading. Justin will be disappointed that Tom's scened didn't involve baguettes. Justin and I: Javier Bardem. Winner: Javier Bardem. Justin: 4, Vanessa: 3. That was a no-brainer and I pretty much typed out that he was a winner even before Jennifer Hudson read the winner. Loved his Spanish thanks to his Mom.

At 9:19 I have this feeling that I am not going to win the pool this year. I am preparing myself that I have to pay for the Vegas buffet.

9:23 Taste of what the Oscar's would have been like of the writer's striker were to go on. The montage to binoculars and periscopes was a funny bit. The Bad Dreams salute was funny.

9:24 Keri Russell, whom I loved in Felicity, is introducing the August Rush song. At least the presentation of this song is more entertaining than having just Amy Adams on stage singing.
I think each song is actually song the full length version of the song. Like that much better than cutting the song short like they have done in ceremonies past.

9:28 Yes the little girl was good. What did Owen Wilson get nominated for. Anyways, Live Action Short. Justin: At Night I: Tanghi Argenthini. Winner: Les Mozart Des Pickpockets. We are still at 4-3.

9:31 ok that Bee from Bee movie or Jerry Seinfeld. Anyways, he is doing Animated Short. Justin and I: I Met the Walrus. Winner: Peter and the Wolf. Give me a freakin' break. We are still at 4-3. I am not doing very well.

9:34 I think we are at Best Supporting Actress. Alan Arkin to present. Me: Cate Blanchett. Justin: Tilda Swinton. Winner: Tilda Swinton. My goodness. How does Justin know this. Justin: 5, Vanessa: 3. That was a great speech. Definitely memorable.

9:40 I really thought that this was my year but the show seems to be moving along at a nice pace.

9:44 Jessica Alba doing the Scientific Awards. Yawn!!!!

9:46 James McAvoy -hello. And Josh Brolin, whom I remember from Young Riders. I think they are doing a screenplay award. Adapted Screenplay. Justin and I: No Country for Old Men. Winner: No Country for Old Men, although I was rooting for Canadian girl, Sarah Polley. But cool that she got nominated. The tally is 6-4 for Justin.

9:49 The Academy president is on. I can go and get a snack, which I am going to do right....now

9:51 Ok a little more interesting knowing about how the Oscar process works. Much better than the president making a long and boring speech.

9: 52 Miley Cyrus most likely doing another song in Enchanted but sung by Kristen Chenoweth, whom I love a lot. I already know that this will have a cheesy production number when Regis previewed it backstage just before the telecasted started. I really don't like the big splashy numbers anymore. I just want something simple when the songs are performed. The song is just ok, I don't think that it showcases what Kristen Chenoweth can do. I was really disappointed with that. I am sure the song is fine if seen in the context of the film but I personally didn't like it.

10:00 I did enjoy the whole pregnant actress stick.

10:01 Judi Dench and Halle Berry, really. had me going there for a second. It is Seth Rogen and the guy from Super Bad. Their banter is ok, could be funnier if it didn't seem so forced. Sound Editing. Justin: Bourne Ulitmatum. Me: No Country. Winner: The Bourne Ultimatium. I am losing so bad right now. Justin: 7 me: 4.

10:05 Next category Sound Mixing. Justin: Bourne. Me: No Country. I am pretty sure I have lost this one too. I was banking on a No Country Sweep. Winner: Bourne. 8-4 Justin. He is four categories up. I think I have lost this considering that we agreed every where else. Congratulations Justin, you have won yourself a Vegas buffet.

10:08 We are already at Best Actress, that is pretty soon. Me and Justin both predicted: Julie Christie. Winner: Marion Cotillard. 8-4 still Justin. I mean, good for her but I really wanted Julie Christie or Ellen Page to win.

10:14 I think that this is the worse I have ever done. I have only 4 right. That is really a shame for me as a movie buff. I really thought for sure I was going to do well. I really hope to hit double digits before the nights out. We have 11 categories left so hopefully I got all of those right to end up with 15 right for the evening and Justin will end up with 19 since we agreed on the remaining categories.

10:17 They are playing Wii. Cool.

10:18 Colin Farrell will be introducing the song from Once. Falling Slowly. I love this song so much. What is with the orchestra, not necessary at all. The piano and the guitar is enough. The orchestra is ruining the song. Please leave the two of them alone. The song is beautiful without all that damn orchestra. Why pan to Bill Conti and the audience. Hello it is all about Glen and Marketa.

10:22 Jack Nicholson is doing what montage? I guess a montage of all the Best Picture Winners. too bad the years are cut off. In 80 years of the Oscars and Best Picture, I have seen I think 24 of them. Not too bad.

10:27 Renee Zellweger is doing Film Editing. Justin and I: No Country. Winner: The Bourne Ultimatum. We are still at 8-4 for Justin. I am surprised that the Bourne film is winning in these technical areas.

10:29 while this guy is doing his speech, I have noticed that there hasn't been a presentation for Best Picture nominees throughout.

10:31 Nicole Kidman is presenting a special award to Robert Boyle a legendary production designer. This is for the Honorary Oscar. The guy is 98 and I think he is still working today or at least teaching today.

10:42 Penelope Cruz to present Foreign Language Film. Me and Justin: The Counterfeiters. Please let me get this right. I already lost the bet. I just need my movie pride back. Winner: The Counterfeiters. Thank God. 9-5, still for Justin.

10:44 Patrick Dempsey aka McDreamy is introducing the final song from Enchanted. Another cheesy production number. It reminds me of all the times when Alan Menken's song were nominated in the past like from Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. I feel like turning to Masterpiece Classic so I could see clips from the new Sense and Sensibility and Room with a View. The guy singing is cute though but I think the song is whatever. I know I am very biased towards the song from Once. Why not do one for Amy Adams like have a whole bunch of people in animal costumes pretend they are cleaning the Oscar stage!

10:48 John Travolta will come on and announce the winner for Best Song. Me and Justin: Falling Slowly from Once. This is the one and only category I truly care about and am rooting to win, which is Once. Winner: Falling Slowly from Once. I am so happy. I am jumping up and down right now. Too bad Marketa didn't get to say thanks but Glen did a good job. Score: 10-6, still for Justin. I am too chuffed that Once won. To anyone that hasn't seen Once. Go out and rent it or better yet, get the soundtrack on iTunes. I never bought anything from iTunes before until I saw Once last year and as soon as I heard Falling Slowly and the equally beautiful If You Want Me, I bought the soundtrack.

10:51 I agree with Jon Stewart that the song is beautiful.

10:57 Marketa gets to say her thank you's. Thank you Jon Stewart. I love Jon Stewart for allowing Marketa to do her speech.

10:59 Cinematography presented by Cameron Diaz. I forgot we differed here. Me: No Country. Justin: Atonement. The way I am going, I probably am wrong. Winner: There Will be Blood. I rather both of us be wrong than Justin be right. Score 10-6, still for Justin.

11:01 Hilary Swank is doing the dead people montage. Not to be glib about it but that's the only way to call it and I think it is sad that people applaud only for certain people. I think Heath Ledger would get a fair number of applause.

11:05 While the montage was going on, I was reading other blogs of the Oscar, in particular EW and they said that Jon Stewart letting Marketa do her speech was the classiest thing on the show and I so agree.

11:08 Original score presented by Amy Adams. A category that I always love. Me and Justin: Atonement. Winner: Atonement. Score 11-7. I am inching into double digits, yay!!!!!

11:11 Tom Hanks doing another montage I think, not so sure. Ok, so he is doing best documentary short via soldiers in Bagdad. I think it's nice touch. Me and Justin: Sari's Mother. Winner: Freeheld. Was thinking about chosing that one but thought the Academy was filled so many old farts and they were too conservative to chose a film that had to do with a lesbian. Score still at 11-7. Can I break double digits?

11:15 Documentary Feature. Both Justin and I chose No End in Sight. Winner: Taxi to the Dark Side. Still at 11-7. Not hitting double digits this year, I don't think. If I get best actor, best original screenplay, best director and best picture I will hit 11 right.

11:23 Harrison Ford doing Original Screenplay. Go Juno as Justin and I guessed Juno. Winner: Diablo Cody for Juno. A great film, filled with awesome dialogue. She deserves to win. Score: 12-8.

11:29 We are one minute until the ceremony is supposed to end. Best Actor presented by Helen Mirren. This should be a no-brainer as Justin and I picked: Daniel Day Lewis. Winner: Daniel Day Lewis. Score 13-9. So close to double digits. I am willing to lose double digits if Juno wins best picture!!!!

After all this is over, I am going to rewind my tape and re-watch the Once performance and re-watch their acceptance speech.

11:39 Best Director to be presented by Martin Scorsese who finally got honoured last year. Our pick is the Cohen Brothers. Winner: The Cohen Brothers. Yay!!!! Double digits for me!!!! Score: 14-10.

11:44 The big one. Best Picture presented by Denzel Washington. Our Pick: No Country for Old Men. Winner: No Country for Old Men. Final tally: Justin 15 Vanessa: 11

Totally flamed out this year. Congratulations Justin. Enjoy your buffet!! I'll win next year.

Overall, I think Jon Stewart did a good job and they were only 18 minutes over. The best moment for me was when Once won and that Jon Stewart let Market Irglova do her speech.

Until next year, I will be blogging from Vancouver and it won't be so late for me.

2008 Oscar Nominations are out

Oh! Canada. What a great day to be a Canadian. I am so pleased with the nominations this year. I am very happy that Juno got some major love, especially for Ellen Page, Jason Reitman, Diablo Cody and film itself. I am also happy that Sarah Polley got a nomination for Away from Her and that Julie Christie got nominated. I think Julie Christie will win this, she was amazing and devasting in that film. The best picture race looks interesting, first time that I've seen three out of the five before the nominations came out (Atonement, Michael Clayton and Juno) but I think the winner will be No Country for Old Men.

I am also very stoked that Once got nominated for Original song for "Falling Slowly." It's up against three songs from Enchanted and one from August Rush. I hope Once wins, the nominated song is one of my all-time favourite songs and I hope that the three Enchanted songs cancel each other out like the three songs from Dreamgirls did last year.

I am also rooting for Ratatouille to win Best Animated Film. I'll make my predictions closer to the Academy Awards and here is hoping that the ceremony actually happens.

Here are the nominees for the 2008 Oscars:

BEST PICTURE: Atonement, Juno, Michael Clayton, No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood
BEST ACTOR: George Clooney, Michael Clayton; Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood; Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd; Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah; Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
BEST ACTRESS: Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age; Julie Christie, Away From Her; Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose; Laura Linney, The Savages; Ellen Page, Juno
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford; Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men; Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War; Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild; Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There; Ruby Dee, American Gangster; Saoirse Ronan, Atonement; Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone; Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
BEST DIRECTOR: Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood; Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men; Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton; Jason Reitman, Juno; Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Brad Bird, Ratatouille; Diablo Cody, Juno; Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton; Tamara Jenkins, The Savages; Nancy Oliver, Lars and the Real Girl
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood; Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men; Christopher Hampton, Atonement; Ronald Harwood, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly; Sarah Polley, Away From Her
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: Persepolis, Ratatouille, Surf's Up
BEST ART DIRECTION: American Gangster, Atonement, The Golden Compass, Sweeney ToddThere Will Be Blood
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: The Assassination of Jesse James…, Atonement, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood
BEST COSTUME DESIGN: Across the Universe, Atonement, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, La Vie en Rose, Sweeney Todd
BEST DOCUMENTARY: No End in Sight, Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience, Sicko, Taxi to the Dark Side, War/Dance
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT: Freeheld, La Corona (The Crown), Salim BabaSari’s Mother
BEST EDITING: The Bourne Ultimatum, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Into the Wild, No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood
BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM: Beaufort (Israel), The Counterfeiters (Austria), Katyn (Poland), Mongol (Kazakhstan) ,12 (Russia)
BEST MAKEUP: La Vie en Rose, Norbit, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: Atonement, The Kite Runner, Michael Clayton, Ratatouille, 3:10 to Yuma
BEST ORIGINAL SONG': 'Falling Slowly,'' Once; ''Happy Working Song,'' Enchanted; ''Raise It Up,'' August Rush; ''So Close,'' Enchanted; ''That's How You Know,'' Enchanted
BEST SOUND EDITING: The Bourne Ultimatum, No Country for Old Men, Ratatouille, There Will Be Blood, Transformers
BEST SOUND MIXING: The Bourne Ultimatum, No Country for Old Men, Ratatouille, 3:10 to Yuma, Transformers
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: The Golden Compass, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Transformers
BEST ANIMATED SHORT: I Met the Walrus, Madame Tutli-Putli, Meme Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven), My Love (Moya Lyubov), Peter & the Wolf
BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT: At Night, Il Supplente (The Substitute), Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets), Tanghi Argentini, The Tonto Woman

The Amazing Race 12 -January 20, 2008

Here we go the Season Finale of Amazing Race 12.

I am live blogging this so I don't know who wins but right now I am predicting that TK and Rachel will win. While I don't mind any of the three teams winning, I have a strong preference for Ron and Christina to win and not just because they are Asian, sure that is part of it but I like the fact that it is a father-daughter team and it is like if my Dad and I were doing this race. If they win or Nick and Don win then it is the first time that a familial team wins and not a dating team or a friend team. I look forward to see who wins as the show progresses.

Anchorage, Alaska. Interesting. I like that it's a good tight race, hopefully to the end. But as long as Ron and Chris win. So, Nick and Don forgot their gear, I knew that they would make a mistake somehwere.

Detour -I would do the Cod because it is just 50 and filetting them would be easier than grabbing hundreds of bitting crabs for the one with race colours. What luck for Ron and Chris to find that clue so fast, let's just hope that luck holds.

Of course TK and Rachel would find the crab and Don and Nick didn't seem too far behind with their mistake.

And the boat ride looks awesome and Alaska is beautiful. I've never been to Anchorage but been to other towns in Alaska and it is stunning. How come Chris can't do the ice climb but Ron, the man with a hernia, can.

A helicopter ride above all those glaciers should be amazing.

The Road Block: You must have a great memory for this. The road block sounds so complicated. I am so nervous. Chris was so close. I hope she fixes her mistake.

Of course, Rachel would finish first, let's up that Ron and Chris make up for that time they lost at the Road Block. It's going to be TK and Rachel. It just is. No matter what editing does. I know it will be them. But it is sweet how Ron and Chris improved their relationship. I am disappointed that Ron and Chris not win but at least they made it to the top 3. At least Nick and Don made a good show of the race.

Another season goes by and another team that I wanted to win did not. But as I said before, I am fine with any of the three teams winning.

The Amazing Race 12 January 13, 2008

Happy New Year!!

Well we are near the finish line and I personally can't wait to see who wins.

Japan looks great and a place that is on my list of places to visit.

And of course there is the equalizer where the stupid garden doesn't open until 10:00 am so it gives TK and Rachel a chance to catch up. And they did in the immigration line at Taipei and from my experience in Shanghai, those lines are long and eats up a lot of time.

The Road Block looks awesome. I think I would so do it because it would not be my brother's thing and I want to experience as much as I can in life. Ron's face looks hilarious. The underswater bit is the scary bit as 17 seconds is indeed a long time. And it seems like no hardship to drink a whole cup of tea to get the next clue unless it a really digusting tea.

What a cool speed bump, better than the yoga one that the Goths did.

The previous tip from the local paid off for TK and Rachel about using the ticket machine. It was indeed faster.

I love the fact that the clue was in Chinese and that Ron and Chris knew where to go and what to look for. I love it. And the night market is always cool.

Earth seems faster than Fire. Writing 20 messages of luck seems time consuming. While the path may hurt you can run to finish it. But I agree with Chris that it is mind over matter. I would run for it but I guess if it is jagged it would hurt. I am so glad that Ron and Kris did not fight at all during this leg. They worked well and had tremendous luck throughout the whole leg too.

I am sooooo happy that Ron and Chris are number one and are going to run for the $1 million. They are the first team after the BQs that I want to win and this time I hope that they do. The finish with the final three is all false editing-Nate and Jen are goners. Glad that TK and Rachel will also run too! And Nick and Don too!!!! YEAH!!!! Best! Final! Three! Ever! I don't care who wins now as long as it wasn't Nate and Jen. So glad they were eliminated, they were so toxic and I think they are definitely broken up.

Basically, I am ok with any of the teams winning but would be ecstatic if Ron and Chris won above all.

Can't wait for the season finale next week.