Rough Night: Best/Worst Bachelorette Weekend Ever!

The night I saw this movie was the BEST!  I live about 2 minutes away from Studio C, an amazing theater in Okemos, MI, and have been dying to ride my new bike with a basket to the movies. Wednesday's movie was on a sunny night with no rain, so I knew this was my night.  Not only was the bike ride perfect, but I ended up seeing a movie that made me laugh out loud a lot.

Jessica is running for office and a work-a-holic, but has an amazingly supportive fiancé and is about to embark on a weekend of fun with her BFFs from college for her bachelorette party.  Alice, who has always proclaimed herself to be the closest person to Jessica, has planned an epic party and has no idea it is about to get more real than she imagined.  The gals go to a beautiful paradise with blue water and white sandy beaches while making sure they dance the night away.  Once back at their amazing pad, they get this idea that it would be fun to hire a stripper.  This is when things get a little crazy, as if they hadn't already.  The stripper does his thing and Alice gets a little too excited only to end up accidentally killing the guy.  Now their night is about protecting their butts and making sure nobody goes to jail.  Meanwhile, Jessica leaves a horrible voicemail to her fiancé that gets cut off, which gives him a very wrong idea of what her night is like.  He ends up driving across the country to save his future marriage.  Will he still want to marry her when he finds out she was an accessory to murder?

This movie didn't get the best ratings.  IMDB gave it 5.5/10 and Rotten Tomatoes was really no better at 50%.  I thought it was hilarious and would give it a 7.5/10!!  Each girl in this movie had their own backstory and brought more comedy.  It also had some awesome stars such as Jillian Bell (she was in the 2nd Jump Street movie) and Kate McKinnon (SNL!).  As much as I loved the femininity of the girls portion of the film, my favorite component had to be the side story occurring with her fiancé.  He and his friends had the most hilarious bachelor party (we are talking wine and cheese tasting) and when he thinks his finance is cheating on him, he follows the advise of his friends and drives across the country in a diaper and drinks a ton of Monster drinks, just to make sure he gets to her in time.  His story makes this movie, along with the ridiculous comedy from some amazing ladies.

The Mummy: Egypt Meets the Walking Dead

I gotta be honest, this was definitely a movie I saw to chow down on some popcorn and appease the hubby. I did enjoy the original Mummy movies and am not a big Tom Cruise fan, so with those factors lumped together, I was not too eager to see this.  Nothing against Tom, the dude has done a TON, but I think I'm just kind of over him.  Maybe if he did another Jerry McGuire or something, it would change my tune.  I digress. The Mummy reboot was't as bad as I thought, but still not the greatest.

Nick Morton isn't the best person in the world.  He isn't even decent.  The guy takes what he wants and does't seem to care who it affects.  This causes him more harm that he could ever imagine when he accidentally awakes an evil princess who was mummified thousands of years ago.  She is back with a vengeance and is searching for a human body to store the God of Death.  Since Nick was the smart one to awake her, she seems to think he is her soulmate and the perfect candidate.  It's up to Nick to find a way to break this curse and hopefully save the world from utter destruction.

The beginning of this film was actually really good.  It was interesting and grabbed my attention.  Then it gets weird when I start wondering if I am watching The Mummy or The Walking Dead.  I was literally waiting for Rick and Carl to turn up.  You take that and then add the fact that Nick (Mr. Cruise) evolves into a God, and it's time to check out early.  My husband even asked me if we could leave when we had 20 minutes left.  IMDB seems to agree with 5.9/10 stars and Rotten Tomatoes gave it 16%.  I would give it a solid 3/10.  Save your money and just Netflix or go see Wonder Woman again.

Picture Perfect by Jodi Picoult: Things Are Rarely as Perfect as They Seem

I went through a Jodi Picoult binge a few years ago after reading My Sister's Keeper.  The girl can write.  Usually, her tales involve lots of drama and a court case, but this story was missing the latter.  For this reason, I kept picking it up to read, and then placing it back on the shelf. I just didn't know if it would pull me in like her others have.  So finally when I was in the used book section of Schuler's, I caved in and forced myself to read it. Best decision ever.

Cassie assumed Alex Rivers was going to be an entitled actor when she was offered a job to help with his set in Tanzania since it was based on an anthropologist, which is what Cassie was in the real world.  This proved to be true, but during the their time together, Cassie also saw the side of Alex he never showed anyone.  The two quickly found out how much they completed one another and needed one another so it wasn't at all shocking when they quickly married and began their life together.  It was a dream world for Cassie.  Multiple houses, cleaning ladies, chauffeurs, hired hands to do the grocery shopping, and so much more that made Cassie feel as if she was living someone else's life.  The one tangible thing she had was Alex.  The two were inseparable and as long as she had him, she would always be safe......or so she thought.  One night, Cassie got home late from a delayed flight and soon discovered that Alex, although 95% of the time was amazing, also had a dark side.  The slap across the face was something she never, ever expected, but soon that grew to being kicked in the ribs, blood dripping down her face, and bruises she would continually need to hide from the rest of the world.  Each time Alex lost his temper, Cassie has tried her best not to set him off.  She knew if she could just get it right, it would't happen again.  He loved her, he needed her, and she knew he couldn't live without her.  It was his past that made him this way and she could fix it.  Then the unthinkable occurred and she got pregnant.  This was supposed to be an exciting time for them.  She knew Alex did't want kids, but thought that was his insecurities as his own father had failed him.  She couldn't wait to tell him, but before she could, he cracked again and this time it was really bad.  She knew once it was over, so was her dream with their unborn baby.  After that, life seemed to calm down, and Cassie thought that just maybe the beatings were done.  She found her answer soon after when she got pregnant again and he lost his temper.  Cassie knew then that she had to leave.  She loved Alex and always would, but she had to save this baby.  She made a plan and fled, but that was interrupted as she got in an accident and lost her memory.  One police officer with his own backstory, Will, found her and helped her find out who she was and who she was married to.  Something didn't feel right to Will when he returned Cassie to her husband and couldn't shake it.  Something was very wrong, but he didn't know what or what he could do about it.  Meanwhile, Cassie returned home and slowly started remembering what happened and why she left in the first place. The problem was, would she be able to leave again?

As you can see, this book has all kinds of twists.  What I liked about it most was the readers ability to see the major dilemma Cassie was going through.  She loved Alex and would't have left had she not gotten pregnant.  This poor girl really thought she was helping Alex by absorbing all his pain when he hit her.  To her, he needed her and she needed him.  No matter how much it hurt, she would endure, but when the baby came, this all changed.  It was empowering to see her evolve and become independent and gain the strength needed to do what was right.  I also loved that I really did't know how it would end until it was finished.  So no, there was no major court case, but Jodi Picoult didn't need that in this novel.  I highly recommend it if you are in the mood for empowerment, suspense, and inspiration.

Wonder Woman: Now That's a Gal I Want in My Corner

This movie has gotten a ton of hype for being one of the first with a female as the leading hero.  Many wondered how it would compare to its testosterone filled counterparts.  I think the box office can speak to that given it killed records on its first weekend.  To put it in perspective, I saw this on a Saturday evening at 6pm which can usually count on being halfway filled on a big movie night, but not with this movie.  Every seat was filled because that theater was packed.  Most importantly to me, was the murmurs after. People were raving about how good it was and I have to say I definitely agree.

Diana was raised a princess of the Amazons, but felt a desire for more than just being a princess.  This was because she was so much more than that and as she got older, she saw she was destined for greater things.  When a mysterious gentlemen showed up on her island, her true destiny came into view as she left the only world she knew to defeat the evil of the world and bring peace.  Diane had faith in humanity and knew they were capable of good, but was constantly challenged as she discovered WWII in all its cruelty.  Convinced people could change, Diana didn't stop until the true culprit of all of this could be stopped. Would her strength be enough though and would she find out the real truth of how she came to be?

This movie just killed it when it comes to female heroes.  I loved her strength but more importantly her compassion.  She was strong, brave, and also loved humanity and would do anything for it because of that.  Not that male heroes don't have some of these qualities, but I think thats what makes a female hero more compelling is that they seem to demonstrate it in a different, better way. (No offense guys.)  Rotten Tomatoes gave it 93% and IMDB gave it 8.3 out of 10.  I would give it a solid 9.5/10.  It truly was an awesome movie that kept me engaged, had amazing action scenes, and such raw emotions.  A perfect kick-off to summer kind of movie.