Bad Words Will Leave You Shaking Your Head While Laughing Outloud.......A Lot!

Guy Trilby has a giant chip on his shoulder and is on a mission which is to win the National Spelling Bee.  The only problem is the simple fact that he is an adult.  But do not worry my friends for Guy has found a way in.  It seems the rules indicate you cannot be in the spelling bee if you passed the 8th grade.   Guy has not.  Don't let this fool you though for he is brilliant and some might even say genius,  but he is not using his genius for good.  No, it is pure evil.  Pure conniving,  vindictive evil. 

Guy will stop at nothing to win the spelling bee.  Whether it be convincing another contestant that he slept with his mother,  putting ketchup on a teens chair then making her think she started her period, to making a woman cry by basically downgrading her to a cellular level.  He is by far the most mean spirited person you'll ever encounter,  yet someone cracks him open.  Indeed, he opens up and finds friendship in a persistent 10 year old and fellow contestant.  Although most parents would be revolted to find their children even in the same room as Guy.  He and his little friend have quite the bond.  Together they go out for an evening of theft, fake car crashes,  a brief encounter with a prostitute, and end the night with ice cream.  However dysfunctional it may be, their kinship is endearing.  

The big question that still remains is why on earth would a grown man be so obsessed with winning a spelling bee and with such anger?  I have to be honest,  you do get a strong hint of why about 3/4 into the movie.  Once you do make the connection,  it makes total sense.  But winning the bee ends up being harder than he thinks when his one and only friend surprises you with some secrets of his own.  I can say this,  Guy's development does improve by the end as he learns how to be a better person and open up to others after all.

Jason Bateman acted and directed this film which was one of my main reasons for wanting to see it.  I am now convinced you don't want Jason on your bad side as he has proved time and time again through his varied roles to have a biting side,  but the guy is a great actor and hilarious in my opinion.  So this film may not be realistic, but after seeing the trailor, I doubt that is what movie goers are after.   It is a film to see for a ridiculously good laugh and enjoyable time.

Divergent: Don't Underestimate the Power of the Human Spirit

It is always exciting to see a movie based on a beloved book.  I know there are those who claim the movie is never as good.  To you I say this......get over it.  Movies and books are completely different for a reason and I encourage you to try to appreciate both interpretations.  In the case of Divergent, I must say it aligned very well, even though I wouldn't have cared if it didn't.

Divergent is set in a futuristic Chicago post world war.  Humans as we predicted, pretty much destroyed most of the world due to greed, lying, selfishness, etc.  So some decided that in order to maintain the human species without repeating previous mistakes, a certain order should be maintained. That is where Factions come in. Factions are communities that contain certain traits such as intelligence, survival, honesty, compassion, etc.  Beatrice was born into Abnegation which is the selfless faction. This faction does not condone vanity and only means to serve others. However, when teenagers are of age, they take a test that determines if they should stay with their faction or belong somewhere else.  They may choose other than what the test decides, but typically the test is the deciding factor.  Beatrice and her brother both surprise their parents when they choose two completely different factions than their upbringing.  Her brother's test determined his placement, but Beatrice found out her results were inconclusive which implies people can actually belong to more than one faction....this is called Divergent and is very rare.....and dangerous.

Beatrice chooses the faction she relates to the most which is Dauntless.  This is a complete opposite of what she has always known.  For this faction is about defending and survival of the fittest.  Soon, all the initiates discover they will not all be Dauntless.  The bottom percentage who cannot cut it will be deemed Factionless and thrown to the streets.  This terrifies our soft spoken leading lady as she is at the bottom percentile from the beginning.  But Beatrice (whom is now referred to as Tris) proves herself as she rises above her fellow initiates.  Tris' placement seems to be just right as her friendships grow as well as her bond with a certain handsome Dauntless leader.  Unfortunately this all comes to an end when her secret Divergent status is in question.

As Tris continues to succeed and passes tests that should take much longer than she is to complete them, she has more eyes on her than she'd like.  Four, her knight in shining armor and leader of the initiates, notices as well and shares his secret of being Divergent as well.  Together they soon discover just how deadly their Divergence is.  You see, those in control are not fond of people who cannot conform.  In fact, being Divergent means you have independent thought and contain various components to the different factions.  This is hard to control and therefore feared.  What do we do with what he fear?  Try our best to destroy it, which is exactly the plan.  Tris and Four must survive an impossible situation when all who are not Divergent are out under a trans in which Divergent humans are easier to identify.  In the end lives will be lost and Tris and Four will admit just how much they mean to one another, but will it be enough to save them?

The overall themes of not categorizing someone into one group, not conforming, having independent thought and using it in the right way, as well as facing one's fears are prevalent throughout this dark yet engaging film.  I also have to be honest, seeing this feeble young girl grow into a kick ass heroine warms my heart.  That along with the awesome music and epic scenery make a great movie.  You will have to overlook a few cheesy lines that will only be cheesy to those who have not read the book.  But it is a great movie that the book lovers and movie goers will enjoy.

The Giver by: Lois Lowry

Wouldn't it be nice if we could eliminate all the stupid decisions people make?  What if we could end suffering, war, irrational thought?  Think of how peaceful life would be.  Life is like this for Jona.  He lives in a time where everyone speaks eloquently and without agenda.  Each family consists of a mother, father, and two children.   Each child is transitioned into adulthood at age 12 and is assigned a job.   Leading up to this point in his life is exciting for Jona.  What job will the elders of his community assign him?  Will he be the right fit? 

Little does Jona realize that his whole world and what he has always known is about to change forever.   Jona is assigned a job alright, the job of a Receiver.   The Receiver is a one man job in which he is to receive all of the memories of the world from the Giver.  Once all the memories have been transferred, Jona will be the Giver.   Not only is this a lonely job,  but Jona soon finds out it is a painful job as well. You see the memories he receives are actually components of the world that you and I experience everyday. Colors, sadness, happiness, love, war, anger, starvation, music, and so much more are all concepts Jona never knew until the Giver transferred them to Jona.  The whole idea behind having a Receiver is so that when the unexpected occurs in the community, the Receiver can inform the leaders what to do based on memories and experiences unknown to those seeking advice.  Why doesn't the community see colors or experience love?  It is all because of "sameness."  Everyone dresses alike, thinks alike, reacts alike, and even take pills so sexual urges are removed.   Parents  receive children,  they do not conceive them.  This is all part of maintaining order and keeping a structured and thriving human population.  But what if they got it all wrong?

The more Jona learns the more he questions the world he's always known.  So it is no surprise when he wants to change it.  You see Jona transform from an ignorant child simply doing what has always been done, to a boy who desires the world beyond his familiarity.  This genius novel will leave you visualizing Jona and the world beyond. 

The Son of God: An Enlightening, Emotional Account

Before revealing my thoughts on the movie, I find it important that you know where I am coming from.   I am Catholic.  I believe in Jesus and his teachings.  With that said, I am not here to preach to you.   What you believe or I believe is neither here nor there.  However, if you are reading this, you appreciate good movies and will decide to see this movie or not for whatever reason you decide.   I wanted to see it because today was my day to spend some time with the big guy upstairs.   I had the day off and thought a 12:15 showing at my favorite theater, Studio C would be the perfect scenario.  This wasn't a popcorn, pop, and entertainment kind of experience.   I was actually the only one in the theater which I was happy with as it made me feel like I was more than a viewer.  I felt like I was right there as the film portrayed a very different time.   So without further delay,  I will begin my interpretation of a masterful film.

Jesus graces the world with his presence on the day of his birth, but our story begins when Jesus first meets Peter, one of his first followers.  He invites himself on Peter's boat and asks him to give him one hour.  One hour to convince him that together they can change the world.   Peter hesitantly goes along and their fishing trip in a lake without fish begins.  Peter tries telling Jesus that there are no fish, but Jesus changes his perspective when Peter pulls nets and nets of fish from the water.   And so begins Jesus' journey of making miracles and growing his followers.

The film truly shows the spiritual power surrounding Jesus and those who go near him.  Each knows there is something special about him.  However, as with anything surreal and seemingly unnatural,  there are doubters.  Jesus alters their doubts by walking on water, making the cripple walk, forgiving the sinners, and resurrecting the dead.  As time continues, he is followed by thousands and word continues to spread.

The high priest of Jerusalem takes issue with a man claiming to be the Son of God as this does not align with his account of God and his teachings.  He also fears the slaughter of the Romans if more begin to follow the alleged Son of God.   So he, with the help of Judas, a follower and betrayer of Jesus, make it so Jesus is arrested and later crucified on a cross and put to death.   Jesus forsees all of this before it happens and tries to reassure his people that they must have faith and always follow his path.  Their reassurance is later strengthened when he does rise from the dead.

What I loved most about this movie was that it gave the overall message of loving others and forgiveness.   True acts of humanity.   Yes I am a person of faith, but whether you are Jewish,  Muslim, or Atheist,  I'd like to hope that all people want to be good at heart.   Which is the evident theme throughout the movie as this man is tortured with wips, a thorn crown,  and nails in his hands, but it still reassuring others and asking God to forgive those persecuting and hurting him.  Ever since leaving the theater, I couldn't get the image of Jesus. This human being essentially who hurt when others hurt, just wanted the most purist thing in the world,  which was love.  Love of all things,  all people.  I do recommend tissues as some of the scenes leading to his death are so well acted and portrayed that you will cry, or just ball like I did. For me it truly was a wonderful movie experience because it did what good movies do.  It left me feeling like I was there and changed my perspective after leaving.   This is one of those films that will stay with you, because it means something, regardless of your beliefs.

The Hundred-Foot Journey by: Richard C. Morais

When I first acknowledged that I would be reading this book, I wasn't in the least bit excited.  But it was on the Buzzfeed.com's list of books to read before they hit theaters for 2014, so I had to committ.  After reading the back, it reminded me of Eat Pray Love which only added to my lack of excitement.  Looking back, I feel guilty for my first thoughts after purchasing it.  "Yes. It's only 242 pages so this won't take long at all."  With that said my friends, I am here to tell you that my first impressions were wrong once again.

Hassan learns at a young age how unfair life can be when his mother's life is taken.  From there his father must uproot their lives in hopes of doing what he does best, and that is cook Indian cuisine.  With the help of family money,  Hassan's father takes them to France of all places to open an Indian restaurant.  You'd think that Indian cuisine would have no place in such an upscale area, but Hassan' s father leaves the cooking to his son who has a gift even he is unaware of until later in life.   The problem is not the cuisine, but the uptight control freak who happens to be the owner and chef of an elite French restaurant.   The problem is Madame Mallory.  Madame Mallory has quite the number of issues with the loud and unconventional new restaurant across the street.   Music, scenery, and evident competition slowly make her crazier than usual.  She tries to use her leverage in town to file complaints and eventually wins when the restaurant is asked to shut down.  This all changes when she has a taste of the competition who happens to be Hassan.  Her taste buds and heart know what takes her a long time to confess which is that Hassan has the talent and skills even she lacks. Which leads her to her new obsession.   She will not rest until Hassan joins her restaurant as her apprentice.  Hassan's father is livid with this request and naturally turns it down, over and over again.  Until finally when Madame Mallory is sitting on his front lawn without food or water for days, he concedes.   And so begins Hassan's journey.

Hassan begins as an apprentice with Madame Mallory and learns what talents he has and how to use those talents in preparing French cuisine.  He gains the confidence and expertise while making friends along the way.   His love life is rather complex as the only commitment that he can make is with the kitchen.   This is definitely a result of his mother's passing.  Then Hassan finally out grows his surroundings and has to say goodbye to Madame Mallory in order to continue growing to become what he was meant to be which is a master chef in his own restaurant.   Sadly he is also saying goodbye to the girl who wouldn't follow him. 

Our talented Hassan continues to increase the level of his cooking skills and learns the most valuable lesson.  Only by reinventing can you truly succeed in this business.  Remaining stagnant is simply not an option.  He also learns how hard this path can be as his close companion ends his life.  It is at this point that Hassan redirects himself and who he wants to become. 

This novel is decadent and delicious.   The dynamics of Madame Mallory and Hassan keep you engaged as you continue to route for Hassan as his journey continues with many bumps along the way.  This journey far exceeds the 100 feet eluded in the title.

That Awkward Moment: A Great Movie for the Twenty Something

Mikey, Jason, and Daniel are living the good life in New York City.  Mikey is a doctor married to a soon to be lawyer.   He has all of his boxes checked.  College, med school, doctorate,  and then wife.  All of that comes crashing down when he comes home to his wife and her divorce lawyer.......whom she is sleeping with. It is up to Jason and Daniel to get him threw it.  So they introduce him to their version of the single life which entails going out and several one night stands.  The threesome then makes a pact to remain single and enjoy it's freedoms.  Neither of them realized just how difficult this pact would be to keep.

Mikey secretly tries getting his wife back by being spontaneous and trying to recapture the spark they once had.  Meanwhile Jason ends up finding a girl that captures his heart which is shocking for this very guarded and distant player.  Then we have Daniel who falls for his best girl friend. The three are in one messy, crazy whirlwind called love.

As with most secrets, each relationship is exposed only to show just how capable of love each of them is.  This messy scenario gets heightened when Mikey realizes his wife is truly not in love with him anymore, Daniel in fear of betraying his friends hurts the best girl he's ever had, and Jason makes a terrible mistake by letting his commitment fears get the best of him forcing him to miss Ellie's father's funeral. Find out if they stand a chance in this crazy game of love.

I truly enjoyed this light hearted,  humerous tale.  The witty banter among them keeps you laughing along with them. 

This is Why You Don't Mess With Liam Nesson: Non-stop a Movie Review

Today was the perfect movie experience.   I haven't seen an action movie in a while and was really feeling seeing a movie that kicked butt.  My options were between seeing Three Days to Kill and Non-stop.  Non-stop had a major factor in its favor and that my friends was Liam Neeson.  I am a huge fan of his Taken movies and was excited to see how this compared.  I definitely think I made the right choice.

Bill Marks lost his daughter to cancer a few years back and eventually divorced his wife leaving him with with his guilt and liquor.   The once police officer still wanted to serve his country so he became an air marshal.    On this day, he would embark on a new form of terror along with conflicts from his past resurfacing in one terrifying airplane ride.

While doing a routine flight he receives a message from an unknown person who hacked into his private network indicating in twenty minutes someone on the plane would die if 150 million dollars was not transfered to an account number given.  Not only was this person making threats, but they knew about his drinking and his daughter.  You later discover there is another air marshal on the plane and instantly assume it is him, but then find out he is merely a pawn in a much bigger agenda.   The other air marshal is in over his head and attempts to kill Bill which doesn't go over so well as he is killed in the process.   The irony of his death appears when Bill receives another message reminding him it's been 20 minutes and someone indeed died.  The problem is, this mystery person didn't kill him, Bill did.

Thus begins a suspenseful plane ride as Bill tries to find out who is behind this and what exactly their mission is.  Things really start to fall apart when Bill is perceived to be the bad guy.  His badge is removed,  gun taken away, and the National news is stating he is the hijacker.  Once the passengers on the plane catch wind of this, they too are against him and do everything they can to stop him.  Meanwhile, Bill is trying find the real terrorist on a plane with 150 people.  There are so many times you think you know who it is and then another plot twist leads you in a new direction.  I promise in the end you will be surprised once you find out.

This movie has the perfect amount of suspense, plot twists, and Liam Neeson kicking butt!  I do have to warn you, you may not want to fly for a bit after what happens in the end ;) So if you are in the mood for an excellent action packed movie or are a huge Liam Neeson fan than you need to see this film!