Despicable Me 2

Adorable! If you enjoyed the first movie then you should love this one! The villains are not the focus of this one. It is more of a redemption story. Gru (voice by Steve Carell) is no longer and evil villain trying to steal the moon or take things. He know is a happy father to Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Agnes (Elsie Fisher), and Edith (Dana Gaier). This Anti-villain task for ask Gru to join them but even in this task force to take down villains they may have their own agenda.
Gru works with Lucy (Kristen Wiig) to watch the workers in this shopping center to catch the bad guy. There is a Mexican restaurant owned by Eduardo who Gru is convinced is El Macho. However the Anti-villain says they have the guy. But then why are his minions being taken? Gru does not notice this because he is not as focused on being home, or the jam they were making. His trusty sidekick Dr. Nefario (Russel Brand) has missed doing evil and leaves him.
What he did not know was the evil planning was with El Macho and they are taking the minions and turning them into evil killers! They are indestructible. Of course there needs to be an epic battle between Gru and El Macho. Good verses evil is always a good match up.
Be ready to smile, giggle, feel slightly sad, but overall entertained.

Make up

I have green eyes and have stuck mainly to using purple and browns for my make up. I have been wanting to get to know more ways of doing my make up because I am simply getting bored and want to try new things. I found this amazing site on Youtube for doing eyes with plum colors, a different way then how I do it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVM2BWhoswY

Generation

Wall Street Journal Article

New York Times

News

I used to think that each generation was one in the same. In a sense it is but now I am realizing it truly is not. I feel so bad for my generation and younger. They do not know the social disconnect we all share. When our friend is sitting right next to us we will text and have our own private conversation. Why not talk to them?! They are next to you. But oh goodness our others friends that are there which we are suppose to be hanging out with are sitting there and we don't want them to know what we are talking about.

I will admit I am guilty of this crime too. I will be with friends and something with come up and I want to share it so I text that one person. My other friends might want to know too. They could even enjoy what was going on around us. However I keep them out. Why? We are all guilty of this and it has gotten to a point of being normal. How is this a normal behavior? We loss empathy for people. We loss the joy others can give us. We loss our creativity. Those are crimes in which we cannot go back.

We have all scene it. When was the last time an original movie came out? One that was not made from a copy of a book, copy a cartoon, redone a movie, or had a new storyline? Everyday is a new day but we continue to live in the past. There have been a few books that have changed and written what we have not read before. When I look at books now I see a new memoir written about a celebrities life.

The classics are in the back of Barns and Nobles while the celebrity memoir is up front. Are people going to buy books that have been around for years that will change their life? Or grab and "easy read" about a celebrity that is all over the magazines, but we don't know the truth about what really happens in their life. It is a memoir. Read a classic Keep those a live.

I will start reading the books I have heard so much about but have not read because I hear of these other stories and I finish them quickly. I will read through the list of books my Creative Writing professor has given me:

Angela's Ashes Frank McCourt

Tuesday's with Morrie Mitch Albom

Note found in a bottle Susan Cheever

Boyhood: Scenes from Provincial Life J.M. Coetzee

Colored People:A Memoir. Henry Louis Gates

The Shadow Man Mary Gordon

Daddy We Hardly Knew you Germaine Greer

Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia Marya Hornbacher

All Souls: A family story from Southie Michael Patrick MacDonald

Are You Somebody Nuala O'Faolain

Dubliners (Stories) James Joyce

The Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad

Dangling Man Saul Bellow

Seize the Day Saul Bellow

Ravelstein Saul Bellow

The old man and the Sea Ernest Hemingway

The Sun also Rises Ernest Hemingway

A Farewell to Arms Ernest Hemingway

A Separate Peace John Knowles

Slaughter House Five Kurt Vonnegut

The Color Purple Alice Walker

Jazz Toni Morrison Beloved Toni Morrison

Sula Toni Morrison A Mercry Toni Morrison

Interpreter of Maladies Jhumpa Lahiri (Stories)

Unaccustomed Earth Jhumpa Lahiri (Stories)

The Namesake Jhumpa Lahiri Madame Bovary Gustave Flaubert

The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald

This Side of Paradise F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Book of Evidence John Banville

The Death of Artemio Cruz Carlos

Fuentes Mrs. Dalloway Virginia

Woolf Light in August William Faulkner

Sanctuary William Faulkner

Native Son Richard Wright

The Invisible Man Ralph Waldo Ellison

The Fifth Child Doris Lessing

Love Medicine Louise Erdrich

Tracks Louise Erdrich

Love in the Ruins Walker Percy

The Catcher in the Rye J. D. Salinger

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents Julia Alvarez

Love in the time of Cholera Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Wise Blood Flannery O'Connor

Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck

The Dark John McGahern

Slow Man J. M. Coetzee

Disgrace J. M. Coetzee

Waiting for the Barbarians J. M. Coetzee

I will Read this list. I will continue to add on stories. Though I will add on these books, my reflection. If any other book stand out to you which I should read please comment. I hope that you also feel incline to read a book. Reading gives us knowledge, creativity, and can bring new friendships.

Let us get our generation involved, social, creative, and gain knowledge.

- Seeking Originality

After first thinking of this topic I have spoken to two friends who share my opinion.

Hit & Run

Dax Shepard does an amazing job in this film. He directed, wrote, and starred in this film. It has a smart sense of humor with a story line. I was entertained by the story of having to rush off for Annie Bean (Kristine Bell) to make her job interview in LA. Although she has this momentous opportunity that is career and life changing, Charles Bronson (Dax Shepard) Annie boyfriend's past gets in the way of making this an easy trip. Alex Dmitri (Bradley Cooper), Neve (Joy Bryant) were Charles crime buddies, Alex went to jail and Neve used to be his fiance. They find out where Charles is thanks to Annie's ex boyfriend Gil (Michael Rosenbaum) who still believe that him and Annie belonged together. This doesn't end the crazy train, Charles witness protection officer Sanders (David Koechner).
This crazy train doesn't end here. First Sanders is introduced by him getting out of his car that's not parked, it heads down then road and he's chasing after it shooting his gun. The neighbor kids are playing in the front yard and his mini van almost runs them over. This just introduces you to the ridiculousness you're about to experience. If you liked Fast and Furious you would enjoy this. Combine that with Dukes of Hazard, well at least those are the only movie combinations that I could possibly think as a combination for this.
Writing, directing, and staring in this movie wasn't a terrible idea or job. The cast seemed like closet friend. Kristen Bell - fiance, Joy Bryant - co-stare and wife of show Parenthood, now where Michale, Dax, and David came from they could be other connections to being in the same industry. It's good to have friends that can help when it comes time to bringing a project to life.

Man of Steel

First I must admit that I saw this movie twice. TWICE! I cannot give it a proper review because each time I was distracted while watching it. Well hello, Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) is easy on the eyes but that wasn't it. There was just so much happening with the history and the length of the film that my second time watching it I fell a sleep. I don't fall asleep during movies so this wasn't a normal thing. Granted this could have been from the exhaustion of crazy life happening but still, I am saying there is a bias going into this review.
Sharing all that I will say it was generally a good movie. Could things have been taken out? Yes. Where there too many story lines going on? Yes. So, this story could have been made into two movies. On one hand was the history of who Superman man was and where he came from. This wasn't the first movie ever made though. I think that is why the writer David Goyer believed there needed to be the villain of General Zod (Michael Shannon). The villain was helpful because it was apart of the story of where he came from and connecting Clark to his original home.
Great, we have a connection of his previous world and Earth... Sound familiar? THOR.. cough cough. For you avid comic book fans you can tell me if I am wrong but I don't know the Superman story and his origins and all that so this all seemed to fit under the present Marvel franchise. Which good for them and creating all this head way. I am a Marvel fan, I enjoyed Spiderman (all four), Avengers, Thor, Iron Man, Captain America and Hulk. Well I haven't seen the remake but I did enjoy them so I am in no way trying to put them down. Although it is become clear that this happens to be a franchise.
I must give credit to Lois Lane, I think Amy Adams gave her more of that stronger women persona. Granted it is a strong 21st women. Which don't get me wrong I love a strong woman but I think we are over shadowing men a little too much and they are being seen as having no back bone in the world by television, movies, and ad. It's a little much for me. They wonder why woman can't find a man, stop putting them in such a light of being weak, all I'm say.
Now I will stop with rants and basically with this movie, I am sure you will end up seeing this at some point with friends who are Marvel fans. There was nothing too crazy or outstanding. It could have been shortened or broken into two movies rather than having two strong story lines overlapping like they did. Of course there is an ending that just shows this is not going to be the last Superman, which I cannot complain.

Honeymoon Killers Critique

Already feeling like your going to die a lone, this movie just propels that feeling. Fear of Marriage? Concerned about going to Match.com cause you’d meet a serial killer? Well, this movie just add those two fears. Director and writer Leonard Kastle takes Martha Beck (Shirley Stoler) a victim of Ray Fernandez (Tony Lo Bianco) to be a lover, partner, and killer. Yes, that did escalated quickly.

Martha is terrifying. She has an over barring mother who wants her to get married so she begins exchanging letter with Ray Fernandez who his mother set her up with on this letter exchange. Martha falls fast and hard. It’s easy to see this might be the first man to ever show any interest. When Ray goes back to his home after they meet the first week end she constantly calls him and wants to see him. SUPER needed! However Ray stays with her and they move in together. Ray wants to continue his day job though. Martha joins with as his sister.

Let’s reflex on this twisted idea for a second. Yes, I will go along with you to get close to this lonely women with money, manipulate them, and take convince them to give you their money for a marriage blessing. She becomes almost a driving force in the scenarios. Sure Ray is the one actually leading them on, but she’s crazy. If I haven’t made that point clear lets have this scene show it. Warning it’s a spoiler. The second women that Martha and Ray travel to leaves by the water. The scene starts with Martha being left to shore while Ray goes swimming with the women. Ray is slightly flirting with the girl, but this is job correct? Martha can’t handle so throws a tantrum and goes in past where she can swim. Martha almost drowns before Ray comes out and rescues her. When they reach a point where they both can stand they have a tender moment, a little too tender for siblings.

The women is obviously uncomfortable and that ends that moment. Even with all this dysfunctional relationship, lying, stealing, and manipulation Ray and Martha dearly care for one another. It is one example of a loving relationship. Do I recommend it? No.

This film is based on a true story. Does is seem to exploit the relationship of the couple? No. To be direct about it at least. The writer was telling this story as it happened focusing on the relationship between Ray and Martha. Without showing it from the perspective of Martha you would not have been able to pity her like you did. The moments where she whined and threw tantrums you would just want to hit her. She’s an adult. However the story begins with showing her life and you feel bad for her. Ray is seen as a bad guy you can’t stand. Ray’s a jerk basically.

As the relationship continues you see they both do really love each other. It’s a little strange but they are both there for each other and the other person comes first in their life. It is sweet to see. Although the moment that was too much to handle would be the ending when they used Myrtle Young (Marilyn Chris). She was the sweetest old lady. Martha bullied her and Ray pushed her to sign her $10,000 over to him. Myrtle become concerned about this and starts thinking correcting and can’t sleep because of not know where her checks are or why she signed them over to a man she just meet the day before.

Martha cannot handle Martha and tells her to stop but the situation escalates. Ray comes up in the commotion and it adds to Martha’s hysteria. Ray tells Martha to kill Myrtle. Martha does! The next they are cleaning up the crime scene and it just seems like a normal day. It’s amazing how that scene wasn’t the most horrifying. The final scene is them going to see Myrtle’s daughter and her family! That scene is what showed the sadistic attitude of the characters. It’s unnerving to see that these characters where not simply made up in the writers mind. Ray and Martha were real people who did this. Oh the chills!

Sassy Pants Critique

Thinking by the title the this movie could be a witty movie or some girl with an attitude. Nope. It’s a story about an under appreciated girl within her family. Forget about the witty part. All families have their dysfunctional parts to them. I believe that is a given. It is a relatable thing. However this movie takes too many levels of dysfunctional parts to a family to make it believable. There is a gay father living with his love, over protective and extremely controling mother, divorced parents, crazy grandma, and teens who do not know how to properly socialize.

Writer and director Coley Sohn seemed to be reaching for a lot within the narrative of this movie. It could have been away that he dealt with his own life. Whatever the reason it seemed like he needed to deal with something and this was his way of doing it.

This first scene opens to this girl in pink sheet, with pink pajamas, going to get dressed for the day in her closet, which is full of pink clothes. The girl, Bethany Pruit (Ashley Rickards) has an mother who is extremely over protective, it is more like a prison. Within the first half hour the extreme controlling side of the mother and rebelling of the daughter is shown. It’s not even a big thing, it’s a dress for her homeschooling graduation. Bethany picks a sexy red dress while the mother forces this pink very childish dress. The forcefulness of the mother goes to show that this is not a mother/daughter bonding time, it is to get a dress the mother picks and leave.

The mother played by Anna Gunn constantly keeps tabs on all the children moments, has them home schooled, does not let them have contact with other children, and is one massive guilt trip. The father played by Diedrich Bader is even more of child, running away from the mother, turning gay and proud.

Bethany wants out of her trapped life. One night she goes to a party with her neighbor and her mother goes to the party and forces her to come home. Bethany has had enough of her mother so sneaks out of her house to go live with her father and his lover Chip, played by Haley Joel Osment. The couple has a party hard mentality and are the extreme opposite of living with her mother.

There is no learning point to this movie. A girl is trapped by her mother, then trapped with her father. Even through all this and not really coming off as being hard working but a plan Jane who just starts designing clothes, she works retail to learn more, and even applies to a fashion college. Her mother finally finds where she is and guilts her to come home saying her grandmother is dying. Bethany return home, works for a local shop to design and the only sane one in the whole movie is the “dying” grandmother who light s cigarette while on oxygen so the mother needs to care for her.

The camera followed Bethany through out this movie. She was the focus. There was no wide shots to see the multiple characters and get more in their head. Had the story followed a wide screen setting, showing the multiple characters, this movie would have been better at showing the screwed up world this family created for itself. It stayed with natural lighting look because it mainly was inside of a house or in a store. Very rarely were the characters shown outside.

The characters rarely moved around the set. The where given one spot they stayed in. Once scene was Bethany talking with her coworker at the mall, Brianna (Shanna Collins) and she was talking about stealing the clothes because they deserve it and also trapping her boyfriend into getting her pregnant so they couldn’t break up. This is one of the few times that a low camera angle is used. It is as if to confuse the audience rather than looking down at them in judgement we are below them. What they are say is “right”.

The camera is never above the characters. It is either at eye level or a low angel. If there was an over view it was Bethany looking out her window at her neighbor Hector (Rene Rosado). That keeps perspective of Bethany though.

This movie still has potential though. Yes, the crazy mother and grandmother dynamic was well done. That is not the thing that fully gets me, but Bethany gets me. She is the main character to this movie, the driving force. She has no drive, nothing really propelling her forward. Does she seem to have a focus on fashion and want to go to school? Yes. But there seems to be no inner passion with her. Till the end. Bethany has been working at the local boutique making a decent amount of money and trying to save enough to get to school. When she losses her job because the boss does not want the focus and all his profits going to Bethany she’s upset. That’s not the kicker (spoiler) her mother stole her money! 

Correct not only is the mother over protective, guilt trips her kids, does not let them grow up and have a life, but she’s a thief. This throws Bethany over the edge and her grandmother is the one to give words of wisdom. Basically it’s your life, you can’t keep blaming your mother or be trapped in it. There comes a point in time where you need to take ownership of your own life.

The movie has a good message but the slow pace with not completely developed characters makes this movie fall short.