Me Before You

So I read Me Before You by Jo Jo Moyes a few months ago and read After You a few weeks ago. The movie finally was released this weekend, and I was able to talk my husband into seeing it with me. 

The movie was so spot on to the book and I NEVER say that about books that get made into movies! 

I also had no idea the lead character Emilia Clarke was the same person who is in Game of Thrones aka Kaleesi? Not even sure if I spelled that right. 

I highly recommend to read the book first before you see the film. This isn't a "Love" story like a Nicholas Sparks book either. That much I can tell you without giving it all away. 

The Age of Adaline

"Like many women, Adaline (Blake Lively) is 29 this year, and was 29 last year and the year before that. Unlike other women, she is telling the truth: She has been 29 for 78 years, and “The Age of Adaline” is an entire century and change.

Echoing “Groundhog Day” and “Benjamin Button,” “The Age of Adaline” is a romance with an enticing emotional structure. Adaline (who stopped aging after a freak accident that combined hypothermia with a lightning strike) feels she can’t tell anyone about her condition, so she hasn’t allowed herself to be photographed since 1954 and uses forged identity papers. Every 10 years she picks up stakes, changes her name and creates a new life, retaining emotional ties only to a series of identical spaniels and to her daughter — who today looks old enough to be her grandmother and is played by the venerable Ellen Burstyn."-blurb taken from NYPost 

So I saw The Age of Adaline on Friday afternoon and loved it. All I wanted to do was time warp back to earlier eras so I could be around the fashion and good mannered people of those times. Seriously why don't women today dress as they did back then!? It kills me! 

Some might say the narration in the film is a little cheesy, but then again you know going into the film that no one lives forever or doesn't age so you have to play along. I couldn't drag my hubby to this one, so I went alone. It's worth seeing in my opinion. I couldn't tear my eyes of the big screen from Blake Lively. She was stunning. 

I couldn't help but question and ask my self, why aren't women today more like what I saw on the big screen? Why don't we speak more eloquently and act more lady like? Sometimes I just don't get how all of these great things got so lost in translation over the years. 

I think this quote on the picture below pretty much sums up the movie and why anyone should go and see it! 

Fifty Shades say what?

I made it to the theater today to see the highly talked about Fifty Shades of Grey.

 If you recall, I read the books and blogged about it back in 2012 here I've also blogged about it here, here, here, & here

I've read opinions all over the place about this film how it being released at Valentines would send the wrong message and blah blah and how the whole submissive is borderline domestic violence and or abuse etc etc....

I walked into the theater expecting to feel really awkward watching this film especially during what I was expecting were some really intense sexual scenes. 

I am happy to report no awkwardness was felt, and those intense sexual scenes didn't really happen. I thought everything they showed was very tasteful and I've seen worse. They really didn't even show much. A few tie ups with a tie, or ropes and a blindfuold which truth be told couples in relationships today who aren't dominatrix do this type of stuff and aren't submissives/dominace people. How often have we seen movies where one person handcuffs the other to the bed? It's not something new that's for sure. 

Raunchy? Nope. The only thing that felt weird was hearing/seeing Jamie Dornan say "laters baby." I thought it was a tad cheesy but hey it's a big part of the book in the dialogue between Ana and Christian. 

Anyone else go out and see it? 

I thought it gave all us fans of the book a well deserved brought to life to the big screen. 

I was skeptical about Dakota Johnson and she ROCKED it as Ana. 

Book Reviews/Movie Reviews

Some things never change, especially when it comes to me and my love of reading and movie watching.
Up first, Emily Giffin's The One and Only.
UGH WORST BOOK SHES EVER WRITTEN! I can honestly say I am done reading Emily's books. She had a gem with Something Borrowed and Something Blue, and after that all her books kinda lost their sparkle for me. But this one, was by far her worst one. Too much football and a slightly incestuous-like relationship ruin this book. The characters are great on their own, but their relationships and the story in general don't feel authentic. It is actually a bit disturbing, if you really think about the true dynamics/power structure of it all. My opinion SKIP IT! 

Loved Sparrow by Sara Mack. Great read. 
Sparrow tells the love story of Kyle and Addison. After meeting at the lake when they were sixteen both feel a connection that transcends time. But after a lovely summer together everything ends abruptly. Kyle's world is turned upside down and he lives his life wondering what happened with Addison. 

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover. I just finished it, it was alright. A lot like previous ones I've read by her. Not sure any of her books will top her book "Slammed."

As a teenager, Toni Murphy had a life full of typical adolescent
complications: a boyfriend she adored, a younger sister she couldn't relate to, a strained relationship with her parents, and classmates who seemed hell-bent on making her life miserable. Things weren't easy, but Toni could never have predicted how horrific they would become until her younger sister was brutally murdered one summer night.

Toni and her boyfriend, Ryan, were convicted of the murder and sent to prison.

Now thirty-four, Toni is out on parole and back in her hometown, struggling to adjust to a new life on the outside. Prison changed her, hardened her, and she’s doing everything in her power to avoid violating her parole and going back. This means having absolutely no contact with Ryan, avoiding fellow parolees looking to pick fights, and steering clear of trouble in all its forms. But nothing is making that easy—not Ryan, who is convinced he can figure out the truth; not her mother, who doubts Toni's innocence; and certainly not the group of women who made Toni's life hell in high school and may have darker secrets than anyone realizes. No matter how hard she tries, ignoring her old life to start a new one is impossible. Before Toni can truly move on, she must risk everything to find out what really happened that night.

But the truth might be the most terrifying thing of all. 

I loved this one. Probably my second favorite by Chevy Stevens since she wrote her first big smash "still missing." I recommend reading this one as well! 

Next up...
Wild by Cheryl Strayed

I read the book first before seeing the movie. I felt like I could relate to Cheryl's story a little bit, you see she loses her mother and basically self distructs and has to "find herself." I will say there was one particular part of the book that I had a really really hard time getting through mainly because I do NOT deal well with any type of animals and harm to animals in books or movies. I pretty much threw my book across the room and didn't want to read any further it was just to much and to graphic for me. 

I do recommend reading this book, and seeing the movie, as there are quite a lot of differences from the book to the film. 

Speaking of the film holy boobies Reese! You see them A LOT in this movie! I had no idea she'd show em all! Be prepared if you haven't seen the film yet! 
And the author, Cheryl makes a cameo at the very beginning of the film, she drops Reese off at the PCT trail in the truck. It happens pretty quick and if you don't know what the author looks like, most will never catch it! 

I saw Unbroken on Christmas day. Two words about this movie: MIND BLOWN. The story of Louis Zamperini is so moving. It's mind boggling how much he went through, suffered, you name it to survive. I highly recommend seeing this film. 
And if you are a fan of the hottie Garrett Hedlund, he's in the movie. If his name isn't ringing a bell, think of the movie Country Strong, and also he's in the movie Troy, and Tron. 



He also is quite smitten with Kristen Dunst! 

And lastly, the film The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks. (I did read the book, but not recently as the book came out a few years ago) 

I liked this one. 

I can honestly say the movie made me want to go to Lousiana really bad. It was so beautifully filmed! 

I feel like there are many others I could review, but it's getting late, and I do resume work tomorrow, and have to get some shut eye in! 

I heart Kristen Bell aka Veronica Mars

One might ask, did you do anything for your spring break? And my response would be yep, sure did-Watched all 3 seasons of Veronica Mars starring one of my girl crushes Kristen Bell.

I was sucked in from the moment I started this show. The love affair between Duncan and Veronica the potential of them being half brother and sister...the death of her best friend her best friend's boy friend and his crazy life. What could one not love about this show!? 

So I finally made it to the theater to see the movie. I just had to see how "Veronica" was doing 9 years since the show ended. I was really hoping that Duncan Kane would somehow come out of the woodwork and be in the movie..perhaps a triangle in Veronica's love life between Logan and Piz. Didn't happen. :( Sad face. 

The infamous black bag/purse made it back into the movie. Cool points in my book! 

Did I mention Kristen has the best hair?!?! Seriously...I die! Best styles and cut ever. She always looks impeccable. 

I will say, when watching the movie, you could definitely tell she had just had her baby. Her boobs were HUGE in the movie and you can tell they did their best to "cover" her body up. Didn't faze me at all though. 

On a random note, I cannot find these ANYWHERE!!! Everyone remembers these cardboard shoe boxes for storage right?!?! Seriously I searched every where online and in stores. No luck. All there is plastic and who wants that heavy crap in their closet? Not me! 

And there's my random post for ya for the weekend! 

Welcome Back Disney!

Confession: The last time I saw a Disney animated movie in the movie theater, was in 1995 when Pocahontas came out to the theater. I really thought Disney's great days were over, because that was one of the last movies that "mirrored" the drawings and cell paintings that brought movies to life such as Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, and the Little Mermaid. All of a sudden it was all about 3D and computer animation. Enter Toy Story and Bug's Life and movies I couldn't stand to watch because to me, it wasn't traditional Disney. 

Anyhow, fast forward to yesterday. Yesterday, I went and saw FROZEN with a girlfriend of mine, and as an adult, I thought it was TERRIFIC!

 My only criticism of the film was I feel that disney really needs to step away from the "Brat doll" look for their characters. The first thought that popped in my head when I saw Ana and Elsa was that they looked exactly like Rapunzel from Tangled, just different hair color and eyes. 

Many of people didn't recognize Josh Gad. One of the films that came to mind that I've seen him in was the "Love and Other Drugs" movie with Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal. 

There have been so many great celebs as Disney character voices, recall all of these famous faces and the characters they voiced? 

Here's Mandy Moore as Rapunzel she's got such a fabulous voice.

The voice of Merida in Brave
I had no idea Kelly MacDonald voiced her--I only know her from the show Boardwalk Empire!

Fun fact about the film Brave:
Brave is the first disney film that is not inspired by either literature (Snow White, Cinderella, etc.) or real-life (Pocahontas, Tiana) works and the first without a love interest. She also never sings a major song, thus breaking away the traditional line-up, though as a child, she sang a small verse of a song in Gaelic, and Merida's rich Scottish brogue makes her the second Disney Princess with an accent. 

Interesting, Right? 

Let's flash back to The Lion King

This movie is PACKED with super star voices! No joke!

Moira Kelly is the voice of adult Nala. 

Personally, when I hear her name, I always think of her first major breakout role at Kate in "The Cutting Edge" ice skating movie. If you haven't seen it, it's a great flick! Here's a clip.

The voice of scar is Jeremy Irons

The voice of Simba's dad Mustafa is James Earl Jones

Jonathan Taylor Thomas is the voice of young Simba

Mr. Bean er real name Rowan Atkinson is Zazu

Cheech Marin was the voice of one of the 3 hyena. 

 

Fun fact for you--_Cheech was also the voice of another famous disney character from Oliver and Company the little Chihuahua named Tito. 

Whoopi Goldberg the voice of one of the other hyena

Nathan Lane is the voice of Timone

Matthew Broderick is the voice of adult Simba

And this famous guy is Phil Harris. He has been the voice for THREE different Disney characters! He's the voice of Baloo in The Jungle Book, Thomas O'Malley in The Aristocats, and Little John in Robin Hood! I think that's a record! 

There are many more famous people that have done multiple voices in Disney films you can check out the list HERE!

This lady

Kathryn Beaumont is the fabulous lady who voiced two very prominent Disney characters; Alice from Alice in Wonderland and Wendy Darling.

I could go on with this list FOREVER! If you missed my disney post from 2011 year you can check it out here

Well, till next time bloggers! :) 

Movie Review

Last week during Thanksgiving weekend, I dragged my hubby to go and see "Dallas Buyers Club." I had heard that Jared Leto and Matthew McConaughey were up for Oscars for their roles in this film. 

I will say this, if you are someone that is uncomfortable watching sex or drugs on screen, this film isn't for you. 

There hasn't been an AIDS movie made since Tom Hanks starred in Philadelphia film in 1993. 

This is one of those movies that made me "Think" about it even hours after I had seen the film. A reminder to always be careful...you can't fully trust where people have "been" so to speak. And that's all I'll say about that. 

What the movie is about:

A son of Texas, Ron Woodroof is an electrician and rodeo cowboy. In 1985, he is well into an unexamined existence with a devil-may-care lifestyle. Suddenly, Ron is blindsided by being diagnosed as H.I.V.-positive and given 30 days to live. Yet he will not, and does not, accept a death sentence. His crash course of research reveals a lack of approved treatments and medications in the U.S., so Ron crosses the border into Mexico. There, he learns about alternative treatments and begins smuggling them into the U.S., challenging the medical and scientific community including his concerned physician, Dr. Eve Saks. An outsider to the gay community, Ron finds an unlikely ally in fellow AIDS patient Rayon, a transsexual who shares Ron's lust for life. Rayon also shares Ron's entrepreneurial spirit: seeking to avoid government sanctions against selling non-approved medicines and supplements, they establish a "buyers club," where H.I.V.-positive people pay monthly dues for access to the newly acquired supplies. Deep in the heart of Texas, Ron's pioneering underground collective beats loud and strong. With a growing community of friends and clients, Ron fights for dignity, education, and acceptance. In the years following his diagnosis, the embattled Lone Star loner lives life to the fullest like never before.

Lets Go to the Movies!

Whenever I hear that tagline or saying I always think of the movie "Annie" and how they sing that number in the movie.

Anyway, where was I? Oh! The movies! I just came home from seeing "Catching Fire" the second installment of The Hunger Games. It was TERRIFIC! I never say that about sequels or series. Like ever!

And I was thrilled to see that the actress Jena Malone had a nice role in the film! She's such a great actress and I hadn't seen her in anything recent in a while!

This is how she looks for the majority of the film

If you aren't familiar with her, her first break out role was in a child abuse movie called Bastard Out of Carolina. I remember seeing it when I was much younger. It was pretty heavy! She was also in the movie Stepmom with Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts.

I saw the trailer called "Endless Love" and the first thought that went through my mind was THE NOTEBOOK!!! It completely made me think of a modern day Noah and Allie and I have a feeling I'll get suckered into seeing it because I can't resist those types of films!

"Endless Love stars Alex Pettyfer (Magic Mike) and Gabriella Wilde (The Three Musketeers) in the story of a privileged girl and a charismatic boy whose instant desire sparks a love affair made only more reckless by parents trying to keep them apart."

Here's the trailer...

Here