Spiders and Sharks.....Oh My!

Summer is the best time to see action films.  There is just something about warm weather that makes seeing a movie filled with suspense even better.  This week, I was entertained by two vastly different, but equally awesome flicks.

SpiderMan: Homecoming

Peter Parker is back for a 3rd reboot of Spiderman.  In this version, Peter has to prove himself to Tony Stark before becoming one of the Avengers, but he is struggling with trying to find out how he can do that.  He spends his days trying to be a teenager, but his nights are protecting the innocent.  No matter how many times Tony tells him to leave well enough alone, Peter finds himself fighting the bad guys. He gets himself into quite a pickle when he discovers a group of not-so-good guys are stealing high tech weapons that are literally out of this world.  These weapons are more than his spidey suit can handle which leaves Peter depending on his buddy of iron to save the day.  Will this ruin his chance to fight side by side with the big boys?

This movie did a great job of not repeating the other Spiderman flicks.  We know Peter's Uncle Ben died and we know how, so thank you for not showing the same story again.  This story focused more on Peter evolving into the best version of himself.  I also liked how the bad guys weren't extreme characters.  The main villain was a regular Joe who was sick of being walked on, and he didn't have any powers, just sick weapons that were meant for those not-so-earthly.  It was funny, entertaining, and had the cute guy meets girl component as well.  A definite must see. Apparently IMDB and Rottem Tomatoes agrees since IMDB gave it 8.1/10 and Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 93%.  I'd give it an 8/10 so I'll be the bad guy this time.

47 Meters Down

I need to stop seeing shark movies by myself.  The last one I saw was with Blake Lively and you don't realize how creepy these movies are until you see them by yourself.  Needless to say, I found myself alone at the theater surrounded by a dark ocean and hungry sharks.

Lisa was dumped by her boyfriend for being boring, so decides to take her sister on a trip to Mexico to prove to him how boring she can be.  The girls meet a couple of cute locals who convince them to show their adventurous sides and dive with sharks.  I know, smart girls.  Lisa and Kate decide to ignore their intuition and embrace the adventure.  This all turns quite bleak when the cage they are submerged in breaks from the boat and plummets......you guessed it.....47 meters into the ocean.  The girls are left with little air and sharks that are ready to have their 4th meal.  Was this mission for bravery really worth it?

I have to say, this was not as cheesey as I thought it would be.  Mandy Moore did an excellent job playing a girl who is fighting to break free of herself and be the adventurous girl her sister is.  The shark scenes were not too gruesome and you are at the edge of your seat most of the movie.  Just don't show up late because you won't be able to find where the seats are.....we're talking dark.  I have to say, there is a pretty frustrating plot twist at the end and you are pretty much left thinking....what the heck (or another 4 letter word).  IMDB gave it 5.9/10 and Rotten Tomatoes gave it 53%.  I'd give it a solid 6/10.  It was suspenseful and you didn't see the ending ahead of time.  It was what it was, a movie about two girls who want to impress boys so they dive with sharks.  So take that for what you will and just enjoy being entertained.

The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns: 2 Vastly Different Stories with A Powerful Commonality

I have to admit, I am not typically the most patriotic person.  It isn't that I don't think the country I reside in has wonderful aspects and people, but I have always been more focused on loving the planet we live on which entails taking care of it as well as all of the species living in it, humans included.  So take my patriotism and apply it to my love for humanity, being kind to all, taking care of those in need, and treating our planet like the amazing shrine that it is.  I digress.  So I found it interesting that when the 4th of July rolled around this year, I was on vacation and ended up reading two books based on Afghanistan from the 1980's through the 2000's.  Reading these books, definitely gave me perspective and I do feel fortunate to have the freedoms we have. It is always important to strive for better, but there are many countries such as Afghanistan that are in shambles and their people are treated worse then any of us can imagine.  I love when you pick up a book that changes you and I was fortunate enough to read two books that did this.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini:

Amir grew up in Kabul with his father and his father's life long servant and his son, Hassan.  Yes they were servants, but Hassan and his father were also family to Amir and his dad. During this time, Amir knew it was looked down on that he was so close with Hassan based on where he was from, but that didn't stop him from spending all of his time with him.  Unfortunately, Amir was sometimes inflicted and used Hassan's failings against him such as his inability to read and his lack of knowledge of the world.  Hassan's biggest fault was that he had such unconditional love and loyalty for Amir, even when Amir didn't necessarily deserve it.  One afternoon after what should have been the best day in Amir and Hassan's lives, Amir witnessed Hassan have the worst things imaginable done to him by local bullies, and Amir just stood by in secret watching.  He never stopped the boys nor stood up for his friend and this eventually ate at him so much that he framed Hassan and made it so they had to leave Amir and his father's home.  This guilt never left Amir and as he grew up and left for the U.S., he never realized his life would eventually come back full circle and back to Kabul where it all began.

This book was a story of friendship, but also finding bravery in ourselves.  Amir evolved throughout the novel and finally in the end, became a man he could be proud of.  There were many raw images spread throughout, such as Hassan being taken advantage of by the cruelest of people, a little boy in an orphanage being sold to a leader of the Taliban with a sick temperament, people being brutally murdered just for having different beliefs, and the constant sound of bombs destroying homes and memories created.  It will definitely stay with you long after you read it, but makes you appreciative of the life you have and therefore encourages you to live it in a better way.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini:

Miriam's entire life was about challenges.  She was the daughter of a housemaid and member of high society which left her illegitimate.  She lived with her mother far into the country and only saw her father once a week where he would share stories of the life he lived, a life that really didn't include Miriam.  One day she fled to go find him and stay with him, only to be turned away.  When she came back home, her mother had killed herself thinking her daughter would never come back.  Instead of taking her in, her father gave her away to a 45 year old man, while Miriam was only 15.  She was wed and forced to a live with a man that only wanted her for one thing, a child, and a boy at that.  When she could't produce this for him, he added another, younger wife to their family.  Little did Miriam know, this new wife and Miriam would soon team together to defy the man that controlled them, beat them, and used them for his own pleasure.  They only had one another, but it was the most love and kinship Miriam ever knew.  Miriam's story was sad and her life did not end well, but she died knowing she was loved and she had loved in return.

This was my favorite of the two from this author.  I am sure it is because this was really a story about the women in Afghanistan and the constant oppression they endured.  Take Miriam who was forced into marriage, forced into sex at age 15 with a 45 year old man, beaten, and when she tried to run away, she was locked in storage for 3 days without food or water.  Her husband fed her rocks to show her how awful her cooking was.  Then add in the Taliban take-over. When the Taliban took over, they announced their rules which involved women never being allowed out of the house without a male relative, they must be fully dressed in what they called the Women's Veil which had to cover everything, literally everything, and a billion other ridiculous rules treating them as worthless beings.   As I am reading this, I am thinking of all of the choices I get to make and the marriage I get to choose and it just breaks my heart.  Miriam is a hero and after everything she went through, she still chose to live selflessly in the end.  I will never forget her story nor the images portrayed from this amazingly written novel.

This link gives you a small picture in to the world of women who must follow the rules of the Taliban. Warning: it will enrage you.

4th of July Weekend 2017 Comedies: The House VS. Cars 3

For many, the tradition on a summer holiday weekend is to head up north or venture of to the lake.  For others, they enjoy "stay-cations' and enjoy the local perks.  If you are the latter and are looking for a good summer comedy- I have two for you.  One would be great for the whole family and the other would be perfect for a date night........an adult date night.

Cars 3 was a fun experience and I am proud to say that I, with no kids, invited my friends, with three kids, to attend.  We had a blast!  It was neat to see the kids' excitement for seeing a movie and how engulfed in it they were.  Cars was about the last races of our friend Lightning McQueen who has a big decision to make.  He is being out raced by younger, more advanced race cars and needs to decide if it's time for him to say goodbye to the world he has always known and always been good at.  He is convinced he has one more race left in him so works with a great support team to make this happen.  In the end he ends up choosing between focusing on his own dream and helping someone else achieve theres. This movie was the perfect family movie with the appropriate amount of adult humor to help all stay engaged.  

The House was a hilarious movie about two parents (played by Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler) who realize they have no money to send their only child to college.  To them, if they can't afford to send her, college won't be in the cards, so they devise a plan with a down and out of his lucky friend to raise funds. Now their friend is in the middle of a divorce due to his severe gambling addition so it isn't at all surprising when the idea is to run a casino out of his home.  This seems nuts at first, but the numbers can't be argued.  Will and Amy's characters soon realize they are pretty good at this new lifestyle and take things a little to far when fingers are getting chopped off, police get involved, and scary mobsters get wind of their operations.  This movie was funny, raunchy, and packed with swearing.  Picture a mix between SNL and Parks and Rec.  I laughed out loud a ton and think you will too.

So if you are in the mood for a comedy, depending on who is tagging along, I hope one of these makes your 4th of July to-do list.  

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.