Endless Love: The Joys and Hardships of First Love

I will never forget early November, 2000, my sophomore year in highschool.  I was a wreck, eyes red, cheeks covered in tears, my heart palpitations at ridiculous speeds, and all before school started.  To top it off,  my mom was singing "Love Hurts" as I laid my head in her lap and balled.  I did make it to school and got comfort from my friends, expecially one awesome friend named Danny who skipped 2nd period with me to walk the halls and talk about my current predicament.  You see,  the guy I had been dating (for a month.....yeah) broke up with me the night before and my life as I knew it was over.  Looking back,  it is rather endearing to think how emotional I was.  Don't get me wrong, he was a wonderful guy and we had some wonderful times.  Homecoming, soccer games, and seeing Castaway on New Year's Day were all great, but you would have thought a relative died based on my reaction.  This is how it is though for so many first loves.   Oliver wasn't even my first love and just look at how I handled it when it ended.  (Oliver, I hope somehow you are looking down and laughing at this. I don't think you realized just how pathetic I was.....or maybe you did. )  So does this mean all teenagers should wait until college hits, or until they are further along on their life ambitions?  Heavens no!  Love is a beautiful,  crazy, messy thing that truly screws with your every being, and we are so lucky to experience it.  When I say it, I mean ALL of it.  The good, the bad,  and the ugly.  I know I've gone off on a rant here,  but my point is that if you have ever been in love or can remember what it is like to first fall in love, then you will truly appreciate this movie.   I may not be 16 anymore,  but at a ripe age of 28, can appreciate that the theme of first love and all its angst is quite evident.

Jade Butterfield graduates from high school with the highest GPA and a successful path ahead of her.   Unfortunately,  the passing of her older brother has given her a rather closed off high school experience with her time spent studying or reading.   What she doesn't realize is that David has been admiring her from afar for quite sometime and with the luck of fate,  finally gets his chance.  After high school graduation,  David in his innocent yet mildly flirtatious way catches her attention and helps give her the life she's missed out on for so long.  David comes from a hard working family consisting of him and his father.  Jade's mother is an author and her father is a cardiologist.  They come from completely different walks of life, yet complete one another just so. Their romance begins full force and gives them a summer they will never forget.   The only problem is that David and Jade come from different life experiences and David has secrets he hopes stay behind him. 

At this point it seems like nothing could go wrong, and then Jades father, who is still morning the death of his son and wants to control the children he has remaining, becomes uncomfortable with his daughter's new romance and outlook on life.   He knows he is losing her and will do anything to keep her within his grasp.  What starts as typical father behavior with not thinking anyone is good enough for his daughter, turns into irrational and dangerous methods that put Davids secrets at risk of resurfacing. 

Is their love able to stand the test of family?   Will Jade see David for who he truly is?  I encourage you to see this film and know that it may be geared towards a certain  age group, but will remind you of just how lovely it is to allow someone the ability to have your whole heart before life experience and jaded views get in the way.   So see it and find the young,  innocent love you once had within you.

A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby

There is nothing worse than feeling like you are suffocating, going nowhere, or like all hope is lost.  We have to be honest with ourselves.  At some point, we have all been there.  When life didn't take the course we wanted or maybe there was never a course, we have felt that sense of sadness.  Maybe a loved one was lost from death or simply left.  Our job security wasn't as secure as we thought.  The debt seemed never ending and there was no way to recover.  Whatever the reason for our saddness, it was real.  For most of us,  we were able to get out of our"funks."    Sometimes all it takes is faith or loved ones to get us out of it.   For others, it may be making a plan of action.  What happens to those that never recover?  More specifically, what happens to those who are depressed in such a manner that death seems like the only option? 

Maureen-  Maureen is a devout Catholic who has a son whom is basically a vegetable.  She must clean him, change him, feed him, and everything you would need to do for an infant.  He can't communicate to her, so she spends her days talking to him as if he could.   She even makes up stories to tell him just to break up the monotony.  One day she realized he was a teenager with a bedroom of a baby.  The walls and decor hadn't been changed since he was little.   What was the point?  It wasn't like he noticed.  She did however.   So Maureen bought items teenage boys would want to see on the walls such as famous athletes and pretty girls.   He had Walkmans still in the packaging.  It was really more for her than for him.  Day in and day out, this was all her life had consisted of.  She felt guilty for being so sad,  but couldn't do it anymore.  She knew he would be taken care of by excellent nurses in her absence.   The idea of leaving him made her sad and she would have felt worse abandoning him to live a more exciting life.  She felt this life was her punishment for having premarital relations and she just couldn't bare it any longer.  So on New Year's Eve, Maureen went to Topper's on the roof to end her life.

JJ- JJ was destined for great things. A musician at heart with a rocking band that would make it big someday and a girl friend that worshipped him was all he needed.  Unfortunately both ended up not lasting forever like he thought.  His band broke up as did his friendship with Eddie,  his best friend and long time band mate.  His girlfriend left him shortly after, leaving him in a state of despair.   He dropped out of high school for music and that didn't last, so his options were flipping burgers or delivering pizzas for the remainder of his life.  But this brilliant young mind who was well versed in Virginia Wolf and other such literary geniuses couldn't bare the path that seemed to be his only option.   So JJ created another option.   On New Year's Eve, he delivered what would be his last pizza to a party at Topper's,  and walked to the roof with one mission, to kill himself.

Jess- Being the daughter of a somewhat political leader is hard enough, but throw in a sister who left one day and never came back,  and life can be just unbearable.   Jess also happens to be an expert on pushing people away.  Needless to say, with never being able to fill the void of her sister and friends never sticking around,  Jess is alone.  With her less than desirable,  pushy,  and bold personality,  this isn't entirely shocking even to her.  Jess can't seem to get anything right, except for maybe one thing......ending her life, going out with a bang.  What would be the perfect night to do this? New Year's Eve of course.   So she makes her way to the roof of Toppers with one mission, to not come back.

Martin- Martin used to have it all.   A thriving TV career, beautiful wife, lovely daughters,  and all the money you could want.  The only problem was that having it all was never enough.  Then the drugs were never enough, the drinking, and the  youthful women willing to show him a good time.  He was living life in the fast lane  and crashed into a brick wall, head first, when a 15 year old who happened to look 18 changed the course of his path.    After her father pressed charges,  Martin was thrown in jail which lead to him loosing his wife, daughters,  TV career, and money.  He still had his fame, but it wasn't the desirable kind.   There was nothing left to live for, so he thought the only way was to get out.   This all lingered in his mind as he sat, drunk, on the roof top of Topper's on New Year's Eve.  All he had to do was jump.

Little did this foursome know that their plans had quite a few detours before making their final leaps into eternity.  After interfering on one another's plans, and one crazy night,  they decided to wait until Valentine's Day (apparently the other big night to end it all)  to make their final fairwells.   What they did not account for was just how long of a journey they were in for and what self realizations they had to make.   Then on Valentine's night, unfortunately someone would jump, and it changed them forever.  

This story has such a morbid concept when you read the back,  but don't let that fool you.   There is so much wit, charm, and relatable themes that will resonate with most readers.  It truly captures just how sensitive the human heart is, our need for companionship,  and how loving life can be painful.    A wonderful novel.

Vampire Academy:The Time for Vampire Movies Must Come to an End

I never thought I would say this but........if you have any intension of seeing Vampire Academy, please save your time and money.   I always thought I could find the good in any movie, but today was proven wrong.  Yes, the movie theater experience was wonderful,  but only because I love seeing movies.   The movie itself however, left me laughing at how bad it truly was.  So be prepared to read my very first bad review.

Vampire Academy is based on the book by Richelle Mead.  Richelle did a fantastic job writing the novel and I encourage you to read my post regarding it.  That will be a much happier account than what you are going to have here.   I do promise this is not one of those posts where an avid book reader is unfairly criticizing a movie because it "just wasn't the same as the book."  I am fully aware that books and movies will be different.  Typically, I appreciate that.   The lack luster of the film had nothing to do with the book.  To sum it up for you,  it was bad acting, terrible special effects, and over doing it with the sexual innuendos.   Not to mention, the constant jumping around.  The scenes transitioned so quickly, you never fully grasped what was happening. 

I feel bad because I'm sure the actors did their best.....maybe.  But I could have cared less about any of them as it felt bland and lacked dimension.  The characters playing vampires looked like they were wearing those fake vampire teeth you get when you are 5 for Halloween and I had high expectations for the Strigoi (the supposedly dangerous vampires)  who looked like they were straight out of a 1980 flick.  The worst was how much sex appeal was used.  I do admit,  the main character in the book was a tad promiscuous,  but they added to that for the film by insinuating ideas that were not accurate.   For example,  the vampires feed off of humans in a safe manner that is tolerated by humans.  The movie made it seem more sexual and risqué.  I know I sound old fashioned,  but let's keep things authentic shall we?

Lastly,  please think about what movies you send your kids to.  If you look at the trail or and other advertisements, you will see the audience it is geared for.  So, to the mother of 4 who thought it appropriate to take her 8 year old son......shame on you!

Okay,  maybe that wasn't lastly, but I have to end on a positive note.  I thought it funny that one character was an Edward Cullen knock off as well as the fact that they made  a Twilight reference.   And......nope, that's all.  So there you have it folks.  A real blockbuster.  Maybe you should see it and prove me wrong or be entertained by everything I've mentioned.  Either way I suppose simply seeing a movie can be a wonderful thing regardless of the quality of the film.

A New and Improved Movie Experience: Welcome to Studio C

I still remember a few years ago when my friend Kellie told me she went to this meeting at Celebration Cinema on the south side of Lansing.   It was an intriguing meeting as a group of individuals were asked various questions and brainstormed the perfect movie experience.   When she told me about their conversation, I remember thinking how cool their concepts would be.   At the time, I had no idea what amazing movie experience I would have just a few short years later.

Located near the Meridian Mall, in the wonderful city of Okemos, is a theater unlike any other.  Do you hate having to get to theaters early in order to get good seats?  Do you wish the seats were of higher quality?  Instead of going out to dinner then going to a movie, wouldn't you rather do both under the same roof?  Well my friend,  now you have a theater that allows for more convenience along with an upscale atmosphere.  Let me take you on a journey that is all things Studio C.

No More Having to Arrive Early
Studio C offers you reserved seating.  Whether you order online or go to the theater to pickup your tickets.  You will choose your seats based on a seating chart.   This eliminates those long lines for big movies coming out.  It also gives you the freedom to arrive at the theater closer to the movie start time. Nobody will sit in your seat and if they do, you have the ticket to kick them out.  Just think of how incredible it would be to not have to worry about saving seats! This is truly every movie goer's dream.

Affordable
Not only are the seats reserved,  but they are comfortable!  I know that you must be wondering what the catch is.  I promise you, the pricing is affordable for the quality and convenience you are getting.  There are two kinds of seating.  Premier and House.  I promise to enlighten you on the premier experience later. House seats are $8.00 before 6 pm.  After 6 they are $10.00.  Are you a college student just trying to get by?  No worries! Student prices are $7.00 and on Thursdays they have a promotion for $5.00 student tickets.  So as you can see, the range of prices makes this an experience most can afford.

Culinary Masters
Are you wanting more than popcorn and candy while you enjoy your film?  Fear not, Oscar's Bistro has a variety of freshly prepared food for you.  From sliders, to salads, chili fries,  hotdogs,  pizza, and succulent desserts, Oscar's will have whatever your taste buds are craving and then some.  Please don't think of it as typical movie theater concessions.  The food is prepared to give you the feel as if you were at a gourmet restaurant. Are you in the mood for an adult beverage?  They serve numerous tasty beverages such as drafts, mixed drinks, and coffee beverages as well.  The best part of Oscar's is that you can order your food, get a buzzer, go into your movie, and go pick up your food when the buzzer goes off.  Oscar's Bistro also has a dining area for before or after the movie.

Premier Experience
What if you don't want to go pick up your food?  You may just want to sit back, relax, and have it brought to you.   This can happen for you should you choose the premier experience.  Premier seats are comfortable recliners with a button to page your server as well as attached trays for your food.   Your server will greet you with a smile and as much free popcorn as you want! They will take your order and serve your food to you in a quiet manner that does not interrupt the movie.  Premier seating is $15.00 for students and $18.00 for everyone else.  I have had the premier experience several times as a treat and couldn't ask for a better scenario.  It was nice being able to order a meal,  but also enjoyable eating unlimited free popcorn while lying back in a ridiculously comfy seat.

Welcome to Studio
Now that you've heard me rant, I hope you take the time to see for yourself just how amazing it truly is. The trendy atmosphere alone will lure you in along with the several indie films they feature in addition to the major blockbusters.   If you are still skeptical than go at least once to say you did.   I promise you won't regret it.

Check out more information and show times at
https://celebrationcinema.com/studioc

See you at the movies!

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead : Yes, it's another teen vampire book, and you will like it!

This novel could not have come at a better time.  I recently finished Winter's Tale and if you read the book or read my blog about the book, you'd know it was 748 pages of extensive, poetic vocabulary.   Needless to say, I needed my next book to be an easy read with an entertaining plot.  Cue in the vampires!   Now, I did read and was a a HUGE Twilight fan and can tell you, if you are looking for that kind of obsession,  this is not the novel or series for you.  However, if you are looking for a novel with fantasy,  good verses evil, forbidden love, and some steamy moments, then you have come to the right place.

Our story starts with Rose and Lissa. These girls are thick as thieves and on the run from the academy they've spent most their lives in.  Their escape has lasted longer than they had expected until it all comes to an end when they are caught and brought back. Going back is terrifying for the girls as they discovered deep dark secrets about who they are and what they are capable of.  Although they are resistant at first, Rose and Lissa slowly get back into their routine at the academy and are back to their original social status amongst their peers. 

Rose and Lissa are more than bffs.  Rose is Lissa's guardian in training as Lissa is royalty in her vampire community. Gaurdians sre to protect their Moroi at all costs. Rose is a Dhampir which means she is human and fights to protect vampires such as Lissa.  What do you protect a vampire from you ask?   A more severe vampire.   Lissa and those like her are called Moroi.  Moroi are vampires who feed on Dhampirs but do not kill them.  It is quite the opposite actually.  Feeding on the Dhampir gives the Dhampir a high.   They feed just enough to satisfy their own hunger and do this without causing harm to them.  Basically the "good" vampires.  Some vampires aren't so nice and feed until their victim is dead.  These vampires are dead themselves.   They are called the Strigoi.  Strigoi are powerful and deadly to the Dhampir and Moroi, so it is imperative they be destroyed.

As the girls try to figure out things back at the academy, more unfolds and they find themselves in the same situations before running away the first time.  Lissa has powers that are rare for Moroi and quite powerful. These abilities are slowly destroying her and Rose must do everything in her power to protect her.  Rose and Lissa's bond is quite strong as Lissa used her healing powers to bring her back from the dead many years ago.  This bond allows for Rose to get into Lissa's mind which saves Lissa throughout the story.   The girls continue to rise above the difficult scenarios they are put in as someone or something is out to get Lissa.  They don't know why but as they begin to figure it out, they are blind sided by the truth and it is almost too late when Lissa is taken.

Rose and her tall, dark, and handsome mentor must save Lissa from her capture and ignore their attraction and connection for one another while doing so.  Will Rose get to Lissa on time?  Who has Lissa and what will become of her?  More importantly,  will she be strong enough to endure that is about to occur?   Find out and read Vampire Academy!

The relation to Twilight is apparent with there being good and bad vampires.   I also see a common theme with this and most novels recently becoming popular which is the protagonist having secret abilities unknown to themselves.  I saw this in Twilight,  Divergent, and now this. Richelle Mead does a great job keeping you in suspense and you try to uncover the many secrets entailed as well as the relationship between Rose and Dimitri (the mentor).  I read it in 4 days and was quite content after.  I am definitely looking forward to seeing the movie!  Look for that review on Thursday.  Until next time.

Winter's Tale: A Tale of Eternal Love

I must preface my post with this; I read the book and if you read my post about it, are aware that it didn't leave me as satisfied as I had hoped.  This was one of the books I knew was being adapted into a movie and when I saw the trailor, I really built both the book and the movie up in my mind.  Which isn't exactly shocking as I do that with pretty much everything in life.  So after reading the book and feeling disappointed,  I was debating boycotting the movie altogether and moving on.  But this a movie and I like to think that I will give any movie a try.  After some serious thought and the simple fact that I have seen everything that is currently out, the boy and I went to see it.  I am so glad I did.

This is a tale of good verses evil.  Young Peter Lake washed up along the shores of New York when he was little and was taken in by Pearly Soams.  Pearly ran a group of thieves and evil doers.  His main conquest was to inflict pain and misery to others.   So when Peter began stealing in ways that did not physically harm the victims and developing his own ideas of right and wrong, Pearly had a problem with this.   Then when Peter couldn't live like this anymore and left Pearly, Pearly wanted him dead.  Just so you are aware, Pearly is a demon. On the outside he appears to be a human, a terrible, evil human, but a human.  He is not human however,  and sees signs that Peter Lake is going to be involved in a miracle. Pearly cannot allow this to happen and does  everything in his power to prevent it.

Meanwhile, Peter Lake, who has no idea of this alleged miracle, is attempting to steal from the elite Penn family while they are away.  As he enters the house, he meets Beverly Penn and at that very moment is is forever changed, forever captured, forever in love.  Unfortunately the love of his life does not have very long as she is dying.  Even with death in the near future, Beverly and Peter cherish every living moment together.  Then Peter starts to wonder if you can love someone so much that is saves them from death.   I wish I could say this was the case but,  Beverly died in his arms.  Peter knew Pearly had something to do with this and went to find him, but was beaten to death and never found.  Pearly was quite happy as he was able to put a stop to a potential miracle.   Or so he thought.

A century later, we find Peter Lake near the grave of his beloved Beverly.  There are two problems with this though......1.) Peter Lake has not aged.  2.) He doesn't know who he is.   All he knows is an image of a red headed beauty he can't stop thinking about.  Peter Lake develops a routine of drawing her image on the sidewalk and visiting the grave yard in hopes of finding answers.   Then one fateful day,  he meets Abby.  Abby and her mother end up helping Peter discover who he is, remember the woman he still loves from 100 years ago, and why he is still alive.  He then discovers he is part of a miracle.  Beverly was his miracle (whichis what Pearlygot wrong) and he was meant to save Abby from dying of Cancer.

Unfortunately,  Pearly makes this discovery as well and literally makes a deal with the devil to stop it.   Pearly chases Peter to the magical place where he and Beverly spent there last days together. They both know this is where Peter can save Abby.  Pearly and his 20 men are strong and we begin to loose hope if Peter's miracle will occur.  The true question of which is more powerful..good or evil is at stake here.  I can't give it all away,  but can tell you that the human heart is a powerful thing and this film is a true reminder of that.

The film had a magical, poetic feel to it and actually helped me grasp what I couldn't from the book.  If you want an enchanting love story, with excellent actors such as Colin Farrell and Russell Crowe,  than this is a good movie for you.

Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin

I remember first picking up this book at the local bookstore and thinking......oh my gosh, how many pages is this?  After looking through it, I soon found out it was in fact 748 pages.  Not 748 pages with large print and an easy to read flow.  This seemed to be 748 pages of poetic and extravagant wording, which was exactly what it turned out to be.

Peter Lake didn't always make the right decisions,  but on one day, making a poor choice, such as robbing someone, ended up being just the right choice.  While attempting to Rob the house of the Penn family, Peter meets the love of his life Beverly Penn.  His breath is taken away and all else no longer matters.  Peter and Beverly's romance blossoms and their love story enfolds.  Unfortunately Beverly is sick and eventually Peter has to say goodbye.

What transpires after this is rather complex.  You see, for  reason, Peter Lake lives a long time after this.  We are talking over 50 years.......but he doesn't age at all.  This along with many other characters and their complex connections to Peter Lake,his past,  and his infamous white house,  make for a quite complicated novel.

Mark Help in did a beautiful job giving so much imagery to this novel, but it distracted me from the plot. I felt that I read as if I was waiting for more to happen and was unimpressed in the end.  The author left up most concepts to the imagination of the reader, which could be considered a positive thing.   It truly depends on your preference.

I don't regret reading it as it challenged me to read one of the most difficult books I have  ever read.  As a reader,  challenging yourself to try new genres and reading more complex text will only help you be a more well rounded reader,  which for me is the goal.