The Circle: How Much Connection is Too Much?

When I saw a poster of this movie and saw it starred Tom Hanks and Emma Watson, I knew it was going to be nothing short of awesome.  Then I saw the trailer and found out it involved a girl who gets caught up in a company that is all about connectivity (Sounds familiar?) and was instantly stoked for a great film.

Mae is a temp customer service rep for a small company that pays little.  This all changes when her friend gets her an interview at a major company called The Circle which is known as the place to work.  Mae nails the interview and is thrown into a world she's never seen.  Yes, she has a cell phone and knows how to text, but this is a whole new level.  The Circle expects its employees to attend every get-to-gether, update their social media pages constantly, and basically connect/expose everything about themselves to the world.  Everyone who works there seems to love this and even though she resisted at first, Mae begins to drink the Kool-aid.  Things really fall into place for her when her company is able to help her father who is suffering from Multiple Sclerosis.  Things could't be better and Mae is rising to the top of a very successful company.  Her parents back home and childhood friend begin to pull away as Mae is now full involved in a world they want no part in.  She ends up having to make some choices and finds out that there is such thing as too much access which can be deadly.

This movie is like one giant conglomerate of Facebook, Apple, Google, and any other "techy" business you would like to throw in.  The obsession of sharing every aspect of life evolves so much that these people believe it to be every human right to have access to EVERYTHING whether it has to do with them or not.  It's engaging, suspenseful, emotional, and raw.  Tom Hanks plays the CEO of The Circle and Emma Watson plays our innocent Mae.  I saw it with my girlfriends and cannot wait to see it again with my husband.  Am I going to stop social media?  No, but it does make you want to be more conscious of how much is too much when it comes to sharing aspects of our life to the world.  Rotten Tomatoes gave it 18% and IMDB gave it 5.3/10.  I must be in a good mood or just super easy going today because I would definitely give it a 7/10.  I think if you are fascinated by the context, you will be very happy with the film.  Anyone with a social media account can appreciate the overall message, but you'll just have to see it for yourself.

2017 Summer Movie Preview- Studio C Style

Summer Preview Experience
Twice a year, Celebration Cinemas puts on an event where movie goers have the opportunity to see trailers of upcoming movies.  There is one in late Fall called the Holiday Preview and one in the Spring called the Summer Preview.  I believe this is my 3rd one and I have to say was my favorite.  The hubs and I have always chosen Studio C as our theater of choice when it comes to Celebration because of their trendy atmosphere, delicious eats, and wonderful staff.  So we knew which theater was the right choice for this.  The minute we got there, we were greeted with smiles and given tickets to use for the drawings in which about 20 people either won a gift card, movie ticket, or refillable popcorn bucket.  There were several options for their hottest food items so all we really needed to do was by our drinks or popcorn.....which you know I did.  Each preview experience has been different but this one stood out to me since I can tell they have learned from each one.  This time they did all of the drawings in the beginning and then let the trailers run without an intermission.  I loved it because it promoted efficiency and allowed us to focus on the trailers without staying super late on a work night.  They also gave us a list of movie trailers they were playing and a link to submit our choices of what we wanted to see this summer, which is a really good business tactic if you ask me.  If you haven't gone to a trailer preview before, I highly recommend it.  It gives you a chance to see what is up and coming and have a different kind of date night.  Okay, I know you've all been waiting, so go ahead and take a look at the movies I highly recommend this summer.

Must See Movies Summer 2017

The Circle
Tom Hanks and Emma Watson star in a movie that's all too familiar when one girl entered into a world where literally everything is recorded....a little familiar eh?  See what happens when she tries to escape as she finds out none of us have much control in our own lives.  A suspenseful film for sure!

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
If you loved this dysfunctional group of super heroes the first time, then you will be pleased to know they are back and funnier than ever.  Plus it's got Baby Groot!  A definite action packed comedy.

The Lovers
What happens when a couple who's been married for many years both become unfaithful?  Plot twist- what happens when they cheat on the people they've been cheating with to get back together?  A romantic comedy of what one couple goes through to fall back in love.

Snatched
The beloved Goldy Hawn and Amy Schumer are in quite the pickle when they play the part of a mother/daughter duo who decide to take a vaca to Mexico and get kidnapped.  This movie is filled with a mix of Goldy and Amy's humor which make for a histerical film.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul
This book was well loved by children and so will this movie.  The Heffley family is on traveling on vacation and run into all kinds of ordeals on their way.  A great movie for the whole family.

Everything, Everything
One boy falls in love with a girl who can't leave her house as her sickness has her confined.  The natural bacteria and infections in the air could very well kill her.  So when she decides she has had enough and escapes with him to experience what she's been missing, her life is in his hands. A definite young adult romance film.

Baywatch
When you do a reboot of Baywatch and throw The Rock along with Zack Efron......you've got quite the entertaining movie.  I don't think there is really much else I need to say, but please know they are making fun of the series and it's awesome.

Wonder Woman
A bad ass "shero" film for all feminists!  Haha- or just a really good action movie starring a super hero woman who knows how to kick butt.

Rough Night
A group of BFFs are out for a bachelorette party having the time of their life.  Things start to turn ugly when they accidentally kill the mail stripper and have to figure out what to do next.  This is the perfect comedy to go see with your girlfriends.

The House
Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler are the parents of an intelligent daughter who gets accepted to Berkley, only to find out they can't afford it.  So what do they do?  They open a casino in their basement.  Think all things Vegas, but in their basement.

An Inconvenient Sequel
My conservative friends may not be a fan, but seriously, all of my readers need to see this.  Does the title sound familiar?  Yes, Al Gore is back with another cry to the human race to do something about the cold hard FACTS of Global Warming and Climate Change.  This movie shows how far we've come, and what we are risking if we don't use our voices with this new presidency.  A must see for anyone who gives a hoot about our planet.

A Ghost Story
I don't think all of you will like this, but I had to throw one out there for my indie film friends.  This one stars Casey Affleck and reflects on what happens when life changes and we leave a little bit ourselves behind as it does.

Other Notable Must Sees:

Captain Underpants- For the kids.
The Mummy- A reboot of the origin starring Tom Cruise.
All Eyez on Me- The story of 2-Pac.
Cars 3- For the family.
Transformers: The Last Night- For the Optimus Prime followers.
Despicable Me 3: Another great one for the family.
Spider-Man: Homecoming- The next gen of our favorite spidey hero and this one includes Iron Man!
The Emoji Movie- It looks hilarious and definitely has adult humor.
Detroit 67- Think Detroit in the 60's.....yeah.
The Hitman's Bodyguard- Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds meets The Bodyguard.
The Nut Job 2- Another sequel for the kiddos.


Alright guys- no excuses.  Go to the movies!

Gifted: A Movie Review

Chris Evans is the sarcastic character we all know and love from Avengers known as Captain America.  Once in awhile, he'll venture off and star in a different kind of movie with less action and more heart.  He rocked it in Before I Go and did it again with this movie about a genius little girl who lives with her uncle after her mom dies.  It was literally everything I hoped it would be.

Mary Adler is in first grade, but has the personality of a 25 year old and the brain of Albert Einstein.  The girl can solve complex equations that mathematicians struggle with.  Her uncle, Frank, is trying to give her a normal life after witnessing his sister end her own from struggling with depression. He knew his sister always struggled with her genius and abnormal life so thought his sister would want Mary to play and just be a kid as much as possible.  Things begin to crumble for him when his mother all of a sudden wants to be in her granddaughter's life.  She stopped talking to her daughter when she became pregnant for Mary and after 7 years, decides she wants to take her.  Frank knows his  mom just wants to take Mary to live with the ridiculously smart and shove math down her throat just like she did with her mother, but he does everything he can to fight her, which unfortunately means going to court.  Will the judge side with what Mary has always known, or send her to Boston to live with her estranged grandmother?  More importantly, will Frank decide that a one bedroom apartment and simple living is lacking in what Mary really needs or deserves?

As I said earlier, this movie was everything I had hoped it would be.  Mackenzie Grace, who plays Mary, was exceptional.  Her charismatic personality and adult humor in such a tiny body was endearing.  The plot posed an intriguing question of which would be better for her between living with her uncle who repaired boats for a living, or living in Boston surrounded by mathematicians.  All Mary wanted was to live with her uncle and continue with their blissful life, but the more he sees what she is capable of, the more he questions his own ability to raise her.  His conflict of missing back his previous bachelor life and living the life of a single parent was well acted by Chris Evans.  This movie had a ton of heart and definitely brought out the emotions. I is a must see for sure. IMDB gave it a 7.7/10 and Rotten Tomatoes gave it 65%.  I will raise IMDB and give it a solid 8/10, but you should see it for yourself and decide.

The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes by Anna McPartlin

I don't know what I love more about this novel.  It has to be a tie between the heartfelt story and the awesome Irish dialect throughout.  I must warn you though, you will need to have tissues on hand as the tears will most certainly come and when they do- good luck controlling them.  Don't let this deter you from reading it though.  As I have said previously, I am currently reading a list of books from Buzzfeed that are intended to make you cry, but also to make you laugh, and experience all of the other glorious emotions our human bodies are meant to live through.

Rabbit is in her 40's and is currently living the last of her days.  She was diagnosed with breast cancer years ago, went into remission, it spread to the other breast, she thought they got it again, and then it spread.  The last was when her leg broke and they found out it had spread to her bones.  She was living with stage 4 and even though she still had all of the hope in the world, was sent to hospice.  Her mother, Molly, and father, Jack, were not ready to give up and even though their daughter was in hospice, were researching everything to do what they could to save her.  Rabbit's impending death became the elephant in the room that nobody in her circle of friends and family was willing to address.  They all thought Rabbit would just be Rabbit and walk out of that room a healed woman who had beaten cancer.  After all, Rabbit had her teenage daughter to think about and a full life left to live.  As time continued and Rabbit worsened, it became evident that Rabbit would not be going home and some decisions would have to be made.  The biggest issue at hand was regarding who would take her daughter Juliet.  Secondly- how would any of them survive without their Rabbit?

This story is raw in every sense of the word.  Each character has his/her own backstory and you get to know each one as the author intertwines them and brings them all back to our main character.  The emotions of Rabbit in having to say goodbye, along with the denial many of her loved ones faced was extremely realistic yet beautifully written.  Beyond the character development of her loved ones, you also have a love story intermixed that ends on the most romantic note.  I promise you that you will laugh and cry as you read this, but it will also make you so glad you read it.  A beautiful story and must read.