I saw this quote and it just resonated with today, so I decided to post it:
You have to believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said it'd be easy. They just promised that it would be worth it
I don't usually endorse the typical "chick flick" movies as they tend to be too sappy for me and quite predictable. That being said I have been known on more than one occasion to be sucked into their lovely, dovey, overly-romantic, completely unrealistic world. Case in point: He's Just Not That Into You and Confessions of a Shopaholic Both movies I had the privilage of seeing this past week. Both are based off of books and are geared toward women in their supposed "weaker" areas of interest: guys and shopping. While we could possibly spend the next millenium debating the sexist undertones of this - lets just talk films. He's Just Not That Into You While I haven't read the self-help book this movie was based off of it, I was impressed with how they were able to turn this into a full length film. It wasn't entirely novel in its approach as the remanding minutes of the film seemed to contradict the very premise of the movie itself by giving everyone in the audience the happy ending they so crave. Despite this (and some extremely awkward moments where I wanted to crawl under the chair) it was funny and entertaining. I suppose based on the fan base of the book and the high profile list of actors and actresses were bound to turn this into a #1 movie. Confessions of a Shopaholic Once again I didn't have the pleasure of reading the book/series. That being said while the movie definitely had a few laugh-out-loud movie moments I don't think I would actively seek to watch it again. The title of the film pretty much spells out the premise for you so I wont go into detail, but needless to say it filled my cheesy girl flick quota of the week. Bottom line: If you are a fan of these books it might be worth it for you to see these in the theatres, but if you have to pick just one I would go for "He's Just Not That Into You" and save "Confessions of a Shopaholic" for a movie rental rainy day. Either way here are the trailers for both:
Last year I picked up this book on a trip to Florida and couldn't put it down. I had already read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas a few years before and figured for the flight down...why not? Needless to say this book still sits proudly on my shelf as one of my favorites. It definitely is a literary accomplishment as Thompson at the time was only 22 years old when he wrote it. And just like the title suggests it definitely has a lot of alcohol in it. The progression of the narrator through the entire book is largely the reason I gravitated toward this book.
Why do I bring this up now? Because, like every other great book, they are making a movie out of it. According to the Internet Movie Database it will be starring Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, and Aaron Eckhart. Needless to say I am intrigued...hopefully they will do this movie justice.
Everywhere I go I seem to be hearing music by Joshua Radin. His music has managed to infiltrate just about every relationship moment in the past few months. Definitely check out his music on iTunes as it is perfect for just about any relationship/rainy day you may possibly have. Chances are you have already heard his tunes playing out of your TV speakers...don't believe me? Check out some of the examples below: Catch and Release: "What if You"
Grey's Anatomy - "One of Those Days"
Leverage - "Winter" (this is the entire episode - the song is at the end of the episode)
House - "Brand New Day" (same deal the song is at the end of the episode)
So I am scared of flying. I admit it, its an irrational phobia. And recently after the Hudson River incident (albet with the amazing piloting skills, crew, and brave passengers) it has upped my anxiety level even more. Its not only a fear of flying (plane malfunction, etc), its also claustrophobia and air sickness. Needless to say I hate flying. Despite this I continue to enjoy travel and often fly.
What brings about this topic of flying you say? The fact that in the next month and a half I have to fly all over the country for graduate school interviews. While I fully acknowledge that I chose and applied to these programs - the idea of actually flying to them scares the heck out of me. It also forces me to resort to the only options available to those of us who are scared of taking the skies:
Don't fly (don't go, plane, train, walk, etc.)
Take pills
Get hypnotized
Suck it up and try to get through the flight
While all these options are currently running through my head (minus #1), I will write back soon about which one I choose. I might end up making a run to my local "Self Hell Aisle" (Sex and the City nod) and see if I can't find a Flying for Dummies book...
Taken staring Liam Neeson as an ex-government agent, had me on the edge of my seat the entire movie.
Synopsis: Liam Neeson stars as Bryan Mills, a retired government agent who is trying to connect to his teenage daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace). While trying to adjust to slow pace of domestic life he also must contend with his ex-wife, who still resents the amount of time he spent away from their family while he was married. The start of the movie really begins when Kim decides she wants to travel around Europe with her friend. *Small spoiler* During the trip Kim gets kidnapped by some unidentified men. Being the overly protective parent that he is Bryan goes to Europe to rescue his daughter and seek revenge on those who kidnapped her.
I am slightly biased as I truely like Neeson as an actor. It was a little odd to see him in such an action heavy role. Picture Jason Bourne, but several years older. The actions scenes were exactly what I come to expect of an intelligent action film these days - dark and realistic (in the movie sense). The plot of the film itself (why Kim was kidnapped) is extremely heavy and I will not spoil it for anyone (you can wikipedia it if you really want to know). Needless to say I am surprised that this only warranted a PG-13 rating instead of an R.
I highly recommend seeing this film if you are a fan of the dark, more educated action flicks that seem to be popping up lately. If that doesn't persuade you it took #1 in the box office (topping that mall cop movie) and I went to a sold out showing.
