CHICAGO!...and Indianapolis

A couple of weeks ago, Garr and I took a trip out to the Midwest. The main reason behind going was that Garr wanted to go to the Children's Museum in Indianapolis to see a new Star Wars Exhibit that they have there. We also both really wanted to to go to Chicago. Since both out parents live within 3 hours of each, we figured we could spend a little time with family too. It was a ton of fun and so I thought I would document it in pictures...since it is the most excited thing we have done since we went to DC during Christmas.

Garr wearing the first of the many little kid outfitis they had in the children's museum for the KIDS. My mom also got in on that action. Chris (the only one that really was supposed to put the stuff on) is in the middle. They pose with R2D2 and Mom convienienly is in front of Yoda...thanks a lot Mom.

Garr posing with Jabba the Hutt. I think he might have a crush on him...I would say man crush, but Jabba is isn't really a man. Anyway.

Garr and Henry doing a puppet show with the dinosaur puppets. Plot: Henry's dinosaur tries to take Garr's dinosaur's egg. Garr zealously defends his baby and egg by biting the other dinosaur's tail. Needless to say it was one of my proudest moments.

Again, Garr going inside a underwater looking thing that was designed for parents to take picture of their kids while they are in there. Garr proudly messed up a few kids picture. Way to to go!

Garr in front of a Clone Wars picture thing. He is trying (but failing) to contain his excitement.

Here's me trying to be cool and go in all the kid stuff too.

Alice and Henry, just to show that we were there with other people too.

This is how I found Garr, digging for fake fossils with protective eye ware. He's obviously not thrilled about being disturbed.

Garr in front of a Star Wars movie prop. Yes, we went all the way to Indianapolis mainly for this.

In the Egypt section. Yes, Garr did wear that around the entire place. Henry and Alice accompany him on an alligator along with some random kid. You can only see his leg and hand. He wasn't getting out of the picture so I just took it, and he ducked down at the last second.

Garr in the middle of the dinosaur area. He was oh too excited.

Garr with his favorite pose in front of an Egypt wall painting.

Garr wearing a child's lab coat picking his teeth with a dinosaur fossil. Same old same old.

Garr hugging the dinosaur goodbye before we left.

Garr, Chris, Henry, and Tom with the statues outside the museum. Garr kept on saying, "Sally take the picture, take it, take it, this really hurts.

On to Chicago. This is Gino's East in Downtown Chicago. They are supposed to have some of the best deep dish pizza in Chicago, so we pretty much had to go. The family came along too, and it was really fun. They give you crayons to write on the walls, so we tried to leave our mark even though the walls were so covered it was pretty hard to find a semi-blank spot. Once the food came, needless to say, we were in deep dish pizza heaven.

Garr and I on the architectural river cruise, it was tons of fun for a modern architecture nerd like me.

One of my favorite pictures of all time of Garr.

Garr was excited to be photoed under the Illinois sign.

A cool building and half of my head.

Garr just before going into the Taste of Chicago.

In front of Buckingham Fountain.

Garr eating deep dish pizza at the taste of Chicago.

Me eating an assortment of fried foods at the Taste of Chicago, and man was it tasty.

Garr in front of the Chrome Gate statue. It really is pretty dang cool, especially underneath it.

Garr didn't even know about this R2D2 post office box in front of the Museum of Science and Industry. We were both like, "BONUS!"

At Ed Debevic's, where the waiters are told to be rude to you, and it's pretty funny.

Me at Ed Debevic's dutifully wearing my hat and looking pretty darn good, if I do say so myself.

Back in Decatur, this is Garr posing with his look-a-likes.

Garr and his Mom and Dad. Garr's mom was not a fan of his Punisher shirt, but we took the picture anyway.

Back in Indiana around the campfire that Garr built in the back yard.

Mom and I at Holiday World (in Santa Claus, Indiana...I know), Mom: Cute, Me: covered with about 50 layers of sunscreen trying to protect my albinism.

Garr after an especially painful wooded roller coaster at Holiday World.

The fam in line for a ride at Holiday World.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Wolverine was one of the movies that I had been most looking forward to coming out this year. I am definitely biased since Wolverine is one of my favorite comic book heroes. Some of the critics said that this movies was just another origin story, and that it was nothing new. For me I loved to see what happened to him to make him the way he is in the X-Men movies. It answered a lot of questions I had while watching the other 3 movies. Since I am fascinated with Wolverine, I enjoyed every minute of this movie. I can see how some people might get confused since there are a lot of characters that come in and out of the movie, but I thought it was awesome. The action is amazing and I thought that the story was well done. It is most definitely my favorite movie this year so far. If you like tons of great action and awesome superheroes, definitely go and see it. I know I will see it again in the theater. 9.5/10.

Star Trek

Star Trek is one of the more highly anticipated movies of this year, and we were excited to go and see it. Although Garr is predominantly a Star Wars fan, he heard that this Star Trek movie was supposed to have a lot more action and be more like Star Wars, so we happily went to see it. We were not disappointed. Although Garr was defiantly not converted to the Star Trek camp, we both really enjoyed it. The choice in actors was excellent. They looked like the old 60's characters, but the new young actors also made Star Trek more current and accessible to our generation. I liked how they stuck with a lot of the old catch phrases, but also were able to update some things. The Effects were really good, and I thought the story was clever and very in touch with the rest of the Star Trek universe. Garr and I could not help but make many connections between Star Trek and the Star Wars movies. I will not elaborate too much on that, but it was interesting to see. We are definitely going to see it again in the theater, and I highly reccomend it. 8.5/10.

Seven Pounds

We kept putting off seeing Seven Pounds since all of the trailers were so confusing. The trailers were obviously supposed to be confusing, but instead of making us want to see it they made us avoid it at first. When we did eventually get around to seeing it, we were glad we did. Unlike some movies that are intended to be fairly simple and end up being overly complicated, this movie seems quite complicated on the surface, but is actually fairly simple and ends up being easy to understand. The story lends itself well to film. It is hard not to give the whole movie away if I describe it really at all. I can just say that it is a good movie and worth seeing. 7.5/10.

Duplicity

We thought that we would give Duplicity a try despite its mixed reviews. Unfortunately it lives up to its name but not in a positive way. There is so much going on. It is hard to follow all of the different facets of the story. There is not a good pay off at the end, and we left the theater with an unfulfilled sensation. All the actors did a very good job. The cast was amazing. The story seemed like it was trying to be like Oceans 11 but then not. If you are looking for a good spy flick, this is not it. 4/10.

The Rocker

I would have to say that this in one of the most underrated movies that I have seen in a while. The trailers really did this movie no favors and made it look less funny than it actually is. The Office's Rainn Wilson plays a washed-up old drummer that joins his nephews band and gets a second chance. Although the plot sounds really cheesy it actually ends up being pretty funny. Wilson charismatically takes on yet another eccentric role and pulls if off quite well. It is fairly clean other than the part where he drums naked for a segment. I say at least give The Rocker a chance, if you like School of Rock then you will most likely enjoy this as well. 7.5/10.

Push

This movies sounded like something that Garr and I would really like. It is about people who have different superhuman abilities. This is the reason that we went and saw it at the dollar theater despite some bad reviews that we had heard. Unfortunately some of the bad reviews were well merited. They really tried to do too much with it. The story is much too complex and extremely hard to follow. The story jumps around a lot. Sometimes it seems like it is just an excuse for more useless fighting. Don't get me wrong. I like action just as much as the next person, but when I'm utterly confused as to why the people are beating the crap out of each other, I get a little annoyed. Save yourself two hours of confusion, and don't watch it. 5/10.

Race to Witch Mountain

This was a good action movie for kids. The plot was not innovative or very interesting, but if you are watching it with kids, it's not going to matter very much anyway. I watched the old Race to Witch Mountain and this is very different from it and obviously an improvement. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson did a pretty good job, but the child actors in the movie tended to get on my nerves. If you need an action movie to watch with kids, I guess this would be a good candidate. But if you are looking for really good action and maybe a plot that is less formulaic, go for something else. 6/10.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Since I first saw a trailer for this movie, I had though it would be an interesting story. One of my favorite movies is Schindler's List, and I hoped that this would be similar. Set during World War II, this story is seen through the innocent eyes of Bruno the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a concentration camp whose forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence has startling and unexpected consequences. Although it is a very touching and wrenching story, it is very different from Schindler's list. We got it from Red Box, and it was well worth it. I give it a 8.5/10.

He's Just Not That Into You

This post is to be seen as a warning not too see this movie. Disclaimer: Garr was actually the one who wanted to see it in the first place. I should have been more adamantly against it. I'm ashamed to say that we actually sat through the whole thing. If you like overly hyped movies with too many prominent actors for a horrible script... then this is probably a good movie for you. I admit there were a few funny parts, but if the "Mac Guy" is the best part of a movie with so many well-known actors...it's not a good sign. This movie sucks....enough said...1/10.

Slumdog Millionaire

Before it won the Oscar for best picture we had heard about Slumdog Millionaire, and thought it sounded like an interesting movie. We saw it on our Clearplay but heard that it does not really need editing despite its R rating. Here is a brief synopsis of it: A Mumbai teen who grew up in the slums becomes a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" He is arrested under suspicion of cheating, and while being interrogated events from his life history are shown which explain why he knows the answers. I don't know if I agree that this is really the best picture of the year. Garr would obviously say that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was the best picture of the year, but Slumdog Millionaire definatly has a lot going for it. The story draws the viewer in, and you quickly get invested in the characters. It has a message of hope and is an uplifting story. I definitely would recommend trying out this movie. I give it a 9/10.

Paul Blart Mall Cop

We had heard a lot about this movie, that it was really funny and that we would like it. We waited to see it in the dollar theater and were glad that we did not pay full price. We did like it and thought there were a few really funny parts, but it didn't live up to all of the hype we had heard. The plot was nothing special and the jokes were often sub par. Garr noted that it seems like is a parody of the first Die Hard, and if you take it that way then it is a little more funny. It was a fairly clean comedy, and we appreciated that. For the most part it's a forgettable movie but entertaining to watch. It is probably worth a try at red box, but don't expect too much. I give it a 6.5/10.