2049

Last Friday on opening night Matt and I went to see the new Blade Runner movie that critics called a "Masterpiece"..... well was it? Hardly. First of all the movie is 2 hours and 54 minutes and it is a movie that felt that LONG. And the thing is at least 45 minutes of the movie were Ryan Gosling walking in slow motion, Ryan Gosling reaching for things in slow motion, Ryan Gosling standing. I am NOT kidding. The movie wasn't terrible but it wasn't great. And Jared Leto... blink and you miss him, pretty much. And sure there are several twists but they happen so far apart and the HUGE twist at the end is pretty much rushed and it's over. Sadly I would not sit thru this movie again and I wanted to love it so much.
This parody pretty much explains the movie.......... LOL

Books GALORE

A few months back this Spring I was in a bad place and I wasn't enjoying reading, that alone is heartbreaking. Thank goodness this Summer I have gotten my grove back and I have the pool to thank. I only go for an hour here and there but that time away from my phone, reading in between swimming... those are some of my favorites! I have read a ton this Summer (a ton is relative for readers) but I wanted to share a couple of my favorites with you today!

Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way

So of all people my Mom the NON-reader gave me this book and I could NOT have loved it more. This is equal parts old Hollywood glamour, scandal and love. I didn't know what to expect and I love love loved this book. I read this in 3 days and I can't wait to share it with my Book Club!

Clara Lawson is torn from her life in an instant. Without warning, her home is invaded by armed men, and she finds herself separated from her beloved husband and daughters. The last thing her husband yells to her is to say nothing.
In chapters that alternate between past and present, the novel slowly unpeels the layers of Clara’s fractured life. We see her growing up, raised with her sisters by the stern Mama and Papa G, becoming a poised and educated young woman, falling desperately in love with the forbidden son of her adoptive parents. We see her now, sequestered in an institution, questioned by men and women who call her a different name—Diana—and who accuse her husband of unspeakable crimes. As recollections of her past collide with new revelations, Clara must question everything she thought she knew, to come to terms with the truth of her history and to summon the strength to navigate her future.

A friend of mine in Book Club recommended The Girl Before and we generally enjoy the same books! This is a story of Stockholm syndrome or is it more? I read this SO SO fast because I had to know what was going on. You get 2 different timelines the now and the before and I love that it switches back and forth so quick. My only negative is that I wish it was a tad more grit, a bit more R than PG... I know, I am weird!

Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout's knife; Sam, who went up against the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape Pine Cottage and the man she refers to only as Him. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them, and, with that, one another. Despite the media's attempts, they never meet.
 
Now, Quincy is doing well—maybe even great, thanks to her Xanax prescription. She has a caring almost-fiancé, Jeff; a popular baking blog; a beautiful apartment; and a therapeutic presence in Coop, the police officer who saved her life all those years ago. Her memory won’t even allow her to recall the events of that night; the past is in the past.

Ok hold the phone... WHILE You order FINAL GIRLS!!! DO IT! This was not what I expected but it hooked me and it reads just like a movie! I hope this will be a movie one day for sure! I don't want to give anything away but a Final Girl is like at a mass tragedy or horror movie death, it's the final girl left standing. What do they have in common? What is their life like after? Read and find out!!!!

Identical twin sisters who couldn't look more alike...or live more differently.Harper Frost is laid-back, easygoing. She doesn't care what anyone thinks of her. She likes a beer and a shot and wouldn't be caught dead wearing anything fashionable. She's inherited her father's rundown house on Martha's Vineyard, but she can't hold down a job, and her latest romantic disaster has the entire island talking. 
Two beautiful islands only eleven miles apart.Tabitha Frost is dignified, refined. She prefers a fine wine and has inherited the impeccable taste of her mother, the iconic fashion designer Eleanor Roxie-Frost. She's also inherited her mother's questionable parenting skills--Tabitha's teenage daughter, Ainsley, is in full rebellion mode--and a flailing fashion boutique on Nantucket in desperate need of a cash infusion. 
One unforgettable summer that will change their lives forever.

Let me first say that I LOVE everything Elin writes, they are all so much more than a chick lit. They have heart, some have tragedy and they are far more complex than the covers would imply. This is a story of identical twins who could not be more different but can they mend the past to help each other now? That is a lame review by me but I sure did enjoy this book!

Movie Madness

This past weekend I was SO lucky to see a movie EVERYDAY!!! And that pretty much sums up a perfect weekend in my book! I like to rank movies I see but each of these is SO different you can't really compare them! I really enjoyed all of them and recommend them all! It is kinda funny this post shows how vast my movie tastes are! 

King Arthur! Matt really wanted to see this movie and I did too and NOT just because of this hunk Charlie Hunnam! But really, he is very special! 😏 This was a Guy Ritchie version of this legend and it was full of effects, action and wild shots! Matt and I really enjoyed this movie it was a fun and modern retelling of this story. 

Everything, Everything
Sunday Matt played golf because all of our snow had melted so I decided to treat myself to a morning movie! I haven't read this book so I can't comment on how true it was to the book but I really enjoyed this. I would say this is the perfect cheesy teen LOVE story. The lead couple is beyond cute and there are a few moments of sad but over all this is just a love story. I really enjoyed this movie!!!

Alien Covenant

I can't say this was better than the others because it was so different but this is the movie I have been looking forward to!!! This is the follow up to Prometheus all part of the "Alien" family! Here is the weird thing I don't like Horror due to the excessive blood. YES, this movie does have blood BUT this is a horror movie that makes you think. It completely transports you to this version of our future and I love it. For me this was a good amount blood and scares mixed in with adventure and survival which I love. I kinda want to go see this one again to see what I missed!

And PS- I LOVE everything Ridley Scott does, he is genius!

X

You know that Matt and I love us some SUPER Hero movies and so naturally we were very excited for Logan even though the last X-Men was a tad of a let down. Boy O Boy was this different. You can't even call this an X-Men movie, it is SO SO MUCH MORE. Hugh Jackman is incredible and you can literally feel and see the pain he is in during this movie. This movie is raw, gut wrenching, bloody and sad. At the parting shot before the movie ended I had my mouth open in awe of this movie. I know you guys are thinking ya.... right. But just check out rotten tomatoes and other reviews, you guys this is incredible. And funny side story 90% of the movie is set in a fictional 2029 Oklahoma City. SO that was fun!
But really this movie is so wonderful, I can't wait to see it again!!!!!!

Lots of Laughs

You guys here is the thing.... I just don't watch comedies on TV, movies... YES.... TV? Not really. Mostly because they are not funny to me, comedies seem to be just plain stupid. I am a Drama girl all the way on my DVR but lately I have expanded and I have to share! Lets jump right in...

Ok, surely unless you are living under a rock then you have to have heard about the new Netflix show Santa Clarita Diet! You guys this is FUNNY!! And even my parents are hooked! This is a new take on zombies and Drew Barrymore is perfection ..... just watch it. DO IT. TRUST ME and did I mention they are Realtors? Hysterical!

Next up is The Mick on Fox and although sometimes its stupid I am HOOKED! It is so funny and just watch it! You can catch up OnDemand and I insist you do!

The Great Wall

So this movie got a ton of flack for Matt Damon being the lead, he is white and this is an Asian movie. I even felt that way at first but then I saw it and it fits into the story. He is in Asia "trading" and essentially is captured by the Chinese on at the Great Wall... long story short once he finds out what they are fighting for me wants to help and joins in. Listen this movie is pure fantasy but it is beautifully shot and full of monster and action..... all things I love! Hey, I have no shame I enjoy being entertained! I would say this is defiantly a renter, maybe not a theater worthy movie but Matt and I really enjoyed this. It was a fun Saturday night movie!

50 Shades Worse

Last night I decided what the hell and I went to the 7pm opening of Fifty Shades Darker, I was excited! Date night for ONE! I liked the first movie, I thought it was fun and it didn't take itself too seriously which made it really enjoyable. And for once it looks like I agree with all the reviews of this movie.......
Fast forward to this one and Mr. EL James wrote this script with a crayon. The dialogue was horrific and very childlike and stiff. The audience I watched it with laughed A LOT and it isn't a comedy. And then the crew that edited this movie ..... I am mean, I can't even. It was BEYOND choppy, no actual plot for instance....... (spoiler) Christians chopper crashes, the whole family is watching the news cover it, the news then says he has been found "Breaking News" and then a magical Mr. Grey Teleported and walked into the room with his family. People laughed so hard.
I kept looking at my watch.
And the sex scenes are just very scripted, now.... heck ya Christian is SUPER fine but thats all. I mean why turn on the shower and get in with all your clothes on? ugh
I am super easy to please, I was not expecting an Oscar-worthy movie but this was a MESS. It was like a really bad lifetime movie with boobs. Do yourself a favor and wait until you can rent this I wish I had. And the magical marriage proposal? It happened like 10 times which took away anything special about it. He says they will pick out the ring together and the next scene he has one in his pocket, STUPID. OH one more thing the scenes with his "Mrs. Robinson" are so bad and maybe it is because Kim Basinger's face literally does NOT move but her stuff got the biggest laughs.
OK, OK... I will stop.
What a disappointment

GOOD Reads!

 Winifred Allen needs a vacation.

Stifled by a soul-crushing job, devastated by the death of her beloved brother, and lonely after the end of a fifteen-year marriage, Wini is feeling vulnerable. So when her three best friends insist on a high-octane getaway for their annual girls’ trip, she signs on, despite her misgivings.

What starts out as an invigorating hiking and rafting excursion in the remote Allagash Wilderness soon becomes an all-too-real nightmare: A freak accident leaves the women stranded, separating them from their raft and everything they need to survive. When night descends, a fire on the mountainside lures them to a ramshackle camp that appears to be their lifeline. But as Wini and her friends grasp the true intent of their supposed saviors, long buried secrets emerge and lifelong allegiances are put to the test. To survive, Wini must reach beyond the world she knows to harness an inner strength she never knew she possessed.

With intimately observed characters, visceral prose, and pacing as ruthless as the river itself, The River at Night is a dark exploration of creatures—both friend and foe—that you won’t soon forget.

I finished The River at Night last night and I really loved this book! It was a quick thriller of a book which was just what I needed! It was The River Wild meets Misery! Each character has their own baggage and reason to need this trip and I loved how the friendships was the basis for this book! I could super easy see this as a movie starring like Blake Lively! If your looking for a FUN February book then this is the ONE!

 In a ruined and toxic landscape, a community exists in a giant silo underground, hundreds of stories deep. There, men and women live in a society full of regulations they believe are meant to protect them. Sheriff Holston, who has unwaveringly upheld the silo’s rules for years, unexpectedly breaks the greatest taboo of all: He asks to go outside. His fateful decision unleashes a drastic series of events. An unlikely candidate is appointed to replace him: Juliette, a mechanic with no training in law, whose special knack is fixing machines. Now Juliette is about to be entrusted with fixing her silo, and she will soon learn just how badly her world is broken. The silo is about to confront what its history has only hinted about and its inhabitants have never dared to whisper.
 Uprising.

There are several versions of this book, this started as a short story so make sure you get THIS cover!!! And this is a pretty thick book and it took me a little bit but I LOVED it! Once again this is a different take on the apocalypse and I digged it (no pun intended)! This book was very vivid I could picture the silos they live in and the world around them perfectly! And whats great is the twist has a twist, it's a reverse twist and I liked it! There are 2 more in this series and I will be starting book 2 very soon!

Manchester by the Sea

So I decided that I finally wanted to see what all the fuss was about regarding this movie, Best Actor and Best Picture contender. I knew that this was not an uplifting movie so I didn't go into this with any false idea of what I was watching. The thing is this is just a story, there is no high, there is NO resolution, there is no real movement and then 2 1/2 hours later it literally just ends. This is about a guy (Casey) who is dealing with the crappy life he has been dealt with but then realizes that after his brother dies he is the guardian of his nephew but doesn't want to be. You can see he does have a good heart but it has been broken too many times to feel anymore.
With that being said ya, Casey Affleck was great. He played miserable and sad perfectly but I have never seen him smile in real life so I am not sure this was too hard. I am sure he will win the Oscar because this is a movie he doesn't even smile once. But there was nothing special about this movie, I'd say this is a renter and make sure your not in any mood to be uplifted. But to each their own, huh?



PS- like 1/3 of the movie is literally Casey Affleck driving around in his car with no words. Trust me on this.

Birth of a Nation

Saturday night Matt and I went out to a new place right by our house and we LOVED it, so fun finding a new restaurant so close to our house to splurge on! When we got home Matt wanted to watch the NFL playoff game that was on so I went to rent a movie in bed with Bella. Birth of a Nation was out on my TV and I was excited, I wanted to see this in the theater. I talk about it all the time that I LOVE a movie that not only entertains but teaches. Setting aside the controversy of the Director/Writer/Actor Nate Parker, ok......... I am only talking about the movie and I LOVED it. It was heartbreaking, emotional, well told and true. In fact I did a lot of research after watching the movie and this particular story ended MUCH much more awful than the movie could show. I would encourage you to watch this, it was a great movie........

I also saw that the movie was filmed in Savannah which was really cool since I was most likely at the places this Summer it was filmed. The movie touched me even more since I was able to experience and walk in the steps of the slaves that built this country.

You probably remember my posts last Summer but this was the slave mart at the port of Charleston, as soon as the slave ships docked the slaves were brought here to sell for the highest prices.

And one of the plantations we toured had the original slave homes still standing which is rare! These were actually much nicer than most but this plantation made bricks so they got to use them.......

And seeing a movie such as Birth of a Nation make the lives that walked this slave home come alive is truly something.

Anyways the point is see the movie, educate yourself!

Hidden Figures

 This past weekend I went to see Hidden Figures and today I am almost at a loss of words of who to describe this incredible and touching film. You know there are certain films based on a True Story that can not only entertain you but teach you and this one leads that pack. I feel like this should be required viewing for everyone, so everyone can see the story of these 3 (and many more) women who helped the US get into space. While watching this I was thinking, I wonder what it is like to be so smart.... its mind blowing, literally. Below is the real picture of one of the ladies behind the scenes at NASA. The cast was incredible, you will laugh, you could cry, you will learn and most of all you will be touched by the lives of these women.

I urge you to take your whole family to see this movie!!

Holiday Movies!

You know yesterday I read an article that says you need a "3rd Space", meaning that other than your home, families home, work, gym a 3rd space that makes just you happy. A place you can go and for me that is the movie theater. And you all know that about me, it is my happy place.... the perfect escape. What is your 3rd Space?

Over Christmas Matt and I saw 3 movies and I wanted to share them with you today!

Assassin's Creed got bad reviews and not very many people saw this movie based on a video game... but we did! 1. I love Michael Fassbender 2. We love action and this movie had both! This isn't a movie to write home about but this was entertaining and full of action and we both enjoyed it!

I hate animated movies, there I said it. This is the second animated movie I have seen in like a decade and with that being said...... Matt and I enjoyed this. I think it was all the music we loved for sure and Gunther (below) stole the show with his "Piggy Power". This was so cute and if you have kids you must take them!!!

I was looking forward to this movie for a long time... I love space movies. On the other hand all space movies have me firmly thinking I would NEVER EVER go into space. (ha) I loved this movie so much, my only complaint was that it ended too soon.... like all of assuden it was over. This movie had love, laughter and action which combined is a nice treat!

What did you see over the holidays that you loved???

Eva Kor

Eva Mozes Kor was just ten years old when she arrived in Auschwitz. While her parents and two older sisters were taken to the gas chambers, she and her twin, Miriam, were herded into the care of the man known as the Angel of Death, Dr. Josef Mengele. Subjected to sadistic medical experiments, she was forced to fight daily for her and her twin's survival. In this incredible true story written for young adults, readers learn of a child's endurance and survival in the face of truly extraordinary evil.

The book also includes an epilogue on Eva's recovery from this experience and her remarkable decision to publicly forgive the Nazis. Through her museum and her lectures, she has dedicated her life to giving testimony on the Holocaust, providing a message of hope for people who have suffered, and working for causes of human rights and peace.

Hear me out.... I am not sure what word fits what I am trying to say but I have always been "intrigued" or "interested" or felt a "tug" towards the Holocaust. And what I mean is it blows my mind that something like this happened, like "how could this be true" and I need to find out all that I can. I like educating myself, I have read countless memoirs and historical fictions based on the Holocaust. Something about it touches my soul and I constantly look for more to read. And when you are talking about the death of 6 million humans none of what I am saying can truly express this in the correct fashion. I realize that. 

Last week I received the greatest gift, the memoir of Eva Korr pictured below back in Auschwitz.

 This picture below is a very famous picture from the day the death camp was liberated and those 2 little girls are Eva and Miriam. What they went thru and what they witnessed was beyond what one could comprehend especially for 10 year old little girls. Her story is told with love, truth, perseverance and forgiveness. And the rippled effect this had on their lives is something not all books cover and what I loved about hers.

Today Eva runs CANDLES a Holocuast museum and gives speeches on the atrocities that happened at Auschwitz. How I found about Eva is that she is a supporter and member of Because I Said I Would and gives speeches on behalf of this wonderful organization. You see she made a promise all those years ago to survive, because if she didn't survive her twin would also be killed. A 10 year old little girl having to make promises like that is mind blowing. 

 At our December monthly meeting Alex Sheen the founder of Because I Said I Would brought an autographed copy of her book to give away after telling her story and her promise... And I GOT IT. It was more than meant to be,  I read this in one sitting and I can't get this story, this life out of my head. I have spent much time staring at this autograph thinking about where the hand that wrote this came from, what it has been thru and I can barely comprehend it. It's.... well, there are no words.

 I would highly recommend this book to educate yourself or further educate yourself and read up on Eva Kor. You can visit her foundations site by clicking HERE
She gives tours of Auschwitz, which I would so love to do. Could you imagine walking the camp with a survivor? Hearing the stories in the place it happened by someone who witnessed it and experienced it? One day maybe.

Best of 2017, Movies!

I thought today I would share with you all the BEST Movies I loved in 2016 in all categories! No these are not gonna win Oscars (well 1 might) but these movies made me happy and I could watch them a million times!

My Favorite comedy was Bad Moms! Hysterical and under all the smut was a movie with a wonderful message and heart, love your children. I LOVED this movie so very much and so did my Mom!

 My favorite scary movie was The Conjuring 2, this scared me to my core because I believe in this story. This was so well done and it left an impression on me long after I watched it!

 My favorite action was Civil War hands down and Team Captain ALL the way!!!!

 My favorite movie that makes you think is Arrival, this is SO much more than an Alien movie. It's in theaters now... GO see it!!!!

 My favorite love story/sappy movie is Me Before You! I LOVED seeing this book come to life and I fell in love with the story and the character all over again!

What was your favorite movie this year???????