The MRFH 2005 Revue

Sweet 2005, we hardly knew ye and yet you were chock full of crunchy MRFHalicious goodness. We kicked off with a wedding, closed things out with a birth and watched a lot of great (and not so great) movies in between. From summits to pits of despair, this is how 2005 went down from this Mutant's point of view.

Highlights

When Head Mutants Done Git Hitched
Justin's wedding and the summit it spawned was of such scope and magnitude that we're STILL trying to sort out the article to go with it! For the first time ever, five (count 'em - FIVE!) Mutants joined together in a Summit Deluxe and the world did not (as many scientists had predicted) implode. We got to watch Justin get all gooey and emotional and had the privilege of welcoming his sweet and lovely bride Caramel into our dysfunctional Mutant family. While Justin was often busy for some reason, and Drew left shortly after the reception (though not before watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail while he and Sean tried to drink each other into oblivion), the rest of us soldiered on with Mutant Bowling, Sin City and possibly the largest expletive-deleted platters of food any of us had ever seen. It was an astoundingly good time.

The Pennsylvania Journey
After a scant few months or so of recovery time from the Wedding Summit, I packed up the spawn and hit the road for more summit fun. High points included a mutant viewing of The Goonies with Justin, Fondue with Lissa, Drew and their significant others, and watching Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban with Liss. For some reason, my summit article generated a lot of advice on carsickness cures. Thanks to all the forum regulars who contributed to SoM1's continued gastrointestinal fortitude!

A Ducklet Is Born
Although I’ll certainly retain my title as Senior Mutant Mom, my heartiest congratulations go out to Mutant Lissa and her stalwart hubby Duckie for the birth of the first Mutant baby born in captivity (outside of Marvel Comics anyway). Well done!

Sue and Drew Get Tenure
Yes indeedy, Drew and I no longer sulk at the bottom of the totem pole of seniority as MRFH happily welcomed two shiny new stylin’ writers to the staff. Shalen and Nancy, may your keyboards never become gummed up with dairy products, and may your DVD collections remain glossy coated and bright eyed.

Movie Stuff

Best Financial Decision of 2005: Netflix
I'm not endorsing one mail-rental company over another, (not unless someone offers me bags of money anyway) but I have to admit that I am still giddily overjoyed to be able to rent practically any and every movie ever made. Living in the relative boonies, finding the old and obscure cinematic gems I crave has always been a trial. Until now. Those little red envelopes have increased my Mutant powers by at least 120%!

Favorite Flicks: Sin City
Dang, who knew I'd find a noir-ish bloodbath so much fun? Who knew Clive Owen was so incredibly yummy? Sin City stands as the movie that surprised me the most in 2005. I saw it twice; once by myself and once in the company of mutants. (PoolMan looks extremely intense when he watches movies, by the way.) I'm not sure I'll add this to my DVD collection, and it isn't a movie to share with the kidlings, but good stuff. Very good stuff.

Favorite Flicks: Batman Begins
I haven’t liked Batman much over the past decade or two. Everything after Michael Keaton is sort of a painful blur for me. But pair up Mr. Edgy Christian Bale and an incarnation of Liam Neeson that knows how to tap into the dark side, and I was hooked! This is definitely on my keeper list.

Favorite Flicks: Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
Speaking of the dark side, I'm not going to be a spoiled brat by wishing RotS had been better written. The novel, I will say, was incredibly good. I'm only grateful that George didn't turn the movie into yawning pit of mediocrity. Loved Obi Wan, loved the fight with Grievous, loved the young padawan's gutsy last stand at the temple. As for the sticky dialogue — at least I can fast forward past it on DVD.

Favorite Flicks: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry nearly didn't make it onto my list, because there was as much I didn't like about GoF as there were things I enjoyed. I admit it’s hard to adapt a book the size of a third world country into a movie, but I wonder if they could have done it in a way that didn't remind me of a chunk of pastrami being fed through the meat slicer at my local deli. In any case, the film adaption of the challenges were as cool as I could have wished for, so this gets a nod.

Favorite Flicks: The Island
Not the best movie in the world, but unfairly stomped on by critics, I think. It was solid, an interesting premise, had somewhat disturbing imagery, and contained one of the better chase scenes of the year. I continue to think Ewan McGregor should quit attempting American accents, but otherwise a decent movie. Worth the six buck matinee certainly.

Favorite Flicks: Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Another terrific surprise of my 2005 movie viewing experience and one that will probably make it into my DVD collection. Ignoring the tabloid frenzy, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie really did have some smokin’ intense screen chemistry together. The dialogue was top-notch, the action non-stop and I definitely enjoyed the awesome fight/chase choreography. Minivans rule!

Favorite Flicks: Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
This managed in one movie what it took Harry Potter two false starts to accomplish; an entertaining, exciting, stunning and faithful adaption of the book from whence it came. Best of all, I don't have to obsess over when the next book will come out. I had them all read by 1980!

Of course with the good, inevitably comes the not-so-good. Fortunately there aren't many of them. Or maybe there are, and I've finally achieved truly selective amnesia.

Bummers: Grave of the Fireflies
No it wasn't in theaters, and this is the only movie I'm going to mention that wasn't released in '05, but it isn't every year (I hope!!!) that you run into the most heinous and disgusting spitglob of animated pomposity ever drizzled onto film. I still can't believe this peezocrap was marketed for children. This is by far my biggest rental regret of the year. I'd rather fall into a vat of razorblades and lemonade than see this travesty again.

Bummers: Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy
I loved the book. In fact, if memory serves, the book was instrumental in securing my very first boyfriend back in the early eighties! To this day, I get a warm fuzzy feeling when I read the line, "Ford, you're turning into a penguin. Stop it." Ah, sweet romance. Unfortunately, as brilliant as the book is, the movie was a confusing mishmash of hacked scenes, broken dialogue and rogue shovels. Not even Alan Rickman could save it. Not even a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster could have made it tolerable. Hands down, this was the biggest cinematic disappointment of the year for me.

Bummers: Bewitched
Chalk this up to motherly love. Spawn of Mutant 2 wanted to see it. We saw it. I think she might have liked it. I think I might have managed to stay awake for about three minutes of it... just long enough to be incredibly embarrassed for Nicole Kidman and Michael Caine. Nuff said.

Bummers: Robots
As far as Ewan McGregor flicks goes, most people would have swapped this out with The Island. I didn't hate Robots. It was cute. But as I sat in the theatre and watched it, I could never get past the thought that what worked brilliantly for Robin Williams in Aladdin crashed and burned here. I like improv in its place, but his performance was so over the top that it just wasn't funny.

Bummers: Brokeback Mountain
My problem with Brokeback Mountain in 2005 had nothing to do with story, script or acting and EVERYTHING to do with the fact that weeks after the hype hit the newspapers, it STILL wasn't playing within a hundred mile radius of my home. Here's hoping it becomes a highlight of 2006!