Some thoughts about "Insidious"

So I saw Insidious this past weekend. It came in #3 at the box office its opening weekend and I guess that's okay but I don't know if they'll be able to sustain it.
The movie was okay. It was a little more cliched and much more of a Poltergeist rip-off than I expected, but for a "scary movie" it was enjoyable. I guess I thought it would be scarier; I'm kind of a wimp when it comes to horror films, and I only jumped like twice in the theater.

Some thoughts (good and bad) that went through my head during and after the movie:

• What was the purpose of Rose Byrne's character being a songwriter? It had NO connection to the story at all. Of all the "work from home" professions they could think of why this one? The one song they showed her writing and singing was really lame.
• And while we're talking about it, if you're going to have one of your leads be a songwriter, and her character's husband is played by Patrick Wilson, an actor with a BEAUTIFUL voice who has been nominated for TWO Tony awards for his singing? Don't have said character played by Patrick Wilson "act" tone-deaf and feign a horrible singing voice. It's insulting to Patrick and his fans. And my ears.
• Rose Byrne's character is named "Renai". Ugh. What is the purpose of this whacked out spelling. Renee. Geez.
• I did find it odd but kind of awesome and fairly realistic that when they showed Byrne and Wilson getting ready for bed, they were dressed and doing things like real adult people. Wearing old t-shirts and boxers as pjs and Patrick putting eye cream on for his wrinkles and concerned about his thinning and graying hair.
• What is up with Barbara Hershey playing super creepy moms these days? And there was strangely no chemistry between her and Patrick Wilson. They barely acted like they knew each other, much less were supposed to be mother and son. Everytime he said 'Mom' I was shocked that he was talking to Hershey.
• Could've done without the lame "Geek Squad" paranormal activity ghostbuster dudes, who were supposed to be comedy relief?
• Who is taking care of Renai and Josh's two other kids if Grandma Barbara is at the house fighting demons?!
• SPOILER ALERT - I get that they geared the ending for a sequel but damn, did they have to leave so many unanswered questions? Was the black/red faced demon defeated? Was the old lady demon at the end the same one we learned of earlier in the film?
• Why was the black/red faced demon shown in, what can only be described as his boudoir, prancing around like Buffalo Bill. I mean seriously, why do movies these days make demons act so fey?
• Why wasn't it scarier?

Okay, I'll admit, this was a scary fucking scene.



The return of "The Teeth"

Does Tony Robbins scare anybody else like he terrifies me?

His teeth and HUGE smile attached to his gigantic eleventy foot frame with his deep voice...I've never really understood why he's been so successful as a motivational speaker when he just reminds me of Jaws from all the James Bond movies.

That being said, I'm somewhat intrigued by his new reality show debuting tomorrow on NBC called Breakthrough. The show profiles people who have survived harrowing and tremendously difficult circumstances that range from financial to medical to emotional turmoil. And how these people were able to find the strength to transform their lives -- even in the most extreme circumstances.

I myself have struggled with a few crises over the past few years and come through the other side, bruised, but alive and stronger in many ways than I was before, so where as a decade ago I would have found this type of show to be incredibly sappy, I find myself really looking forward to it.

Additionally Tony "Teeth" Robbins has teamed up with Arianna Huffington at HuffPost to ask people who have gone through their own crisis to share their stories.

Here are the questions they're asking:

1. What was your life like right before the challenge or crisis hit?


2. What was the crisis you faced? What happened -- what did you feel and experience?


3. What pulled you through this difficult, unjust, or impossible time? What was the trigger or catalyst for change? Was it a belief, a strategy, a faith, a person, a tool? What made the change possible?


4. Once you turned the corner mentally or emotionally, what did you do to turn your life around?


5. How is your life better today because you lived through the crisis? How have you transformed? How are you stronger emotionally, physically, spiritually? What gifts do you have to give because of this?


I'm not sure I'm going to blog about my experiences and send them in or even share them here, but I have promised myself that I'm seriously going to think about each of these questions and my answers to them.

Happy last week of July 2010!