Tommy and I went to see Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, in 3-D, which was great. The graphics were mind-boggling, and alone warranted seeing the movie even if it ended up being a steaming pile of poo in all other respects. But it was far from fecal.
The main character, Flint Lockwood, is lovable in his nerdy passion for science and technology. Although, his tuxedo tee-shirts and intentionally mussed up hair hit a little too close to hipster for my taste. It is pretty sweet, though, that he has a pet monkey named "Steve" who's voiced by none other than Doogie Howser. I do have to confess that I felt a short-lived dry heave coming on when Flint encouraged his love interest, Sam Sparks, to put on a pair of long-shunned glasses and to secure her blonde hair with a scrunchie. I don't think this would have bothered me five years ago, but with all of the jaded hipsters I've seen walking around with heinous (non-prescription) glasses, 1980's hair accessories, and mom jeans, I found this a tad offensive. However, the younger kids enjoying this film probably won't come away with that cultural observation, but rather the sense that it's OK to be who you really are, even if that is different and "imperfect"...Which gets two thumbs up.
I think my favorite character was Flint's Dad, Tim Lockwood. A man of few (but great) words, his unibrow made him look to be a distant relative of Bert, only with a bushy mustache. Oh, and by the way--Mr. T. voices one of the characters, and it's HILARIOUS. Overall, the themes were great, the animation was a veritable "feast" for the eyes, and the characters showed some encouraging depth.
After the movie we walked around the mall, which usually depresses me. However, not today, because the awesome costume store was open! The best part is all of the vintage stuff they have. I tried on a blue Sergeant Pepper-style military coat with tails, which was just about the coolest thing ever. It got me to thinking about how great it could be to dress up as a tin soldier for Halloween, but alas, I bought another costume at a rummage sale a few weeks ago.
Next, I spotted the coolest hat ever, hanging on the wall. An orange, close-fitting felt number with a HUGE feather curled over it. I nearly shat myself with excitement! On top of all that, there were lots of colorful ruffled bloomers that would have been great under a little sundresses. Very early 1900's Victorian, which is my time period of weakness.
Of course I tried on a myriad of vintage shoes, masks, and wigs, all of which were quite kick-ass. Tommy tried on a black English military coat with brass buttons, and it couldn't have fit better if a ten year old sweatshop employee sewed it on! I don't think I've ever seen him look that awesome in outerwear.
Oh, and did I mention all of this stuff cost anywhere from $2-$35? My favorite part is that half of the stuff I saw there was selling for at LEAST three times the price downstairs at H&M and Forever 21. Bustiers, little knitted berets, and faux military garb.
Needless to say, I'm probably going to have to go back tomorrow for the hat, coat, and bloomers. Time to post some things on Ebay so I can earn all the money back!
Listening to: "Lights Out" by Santogold
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