Trailer Review: Before Midnight

So I kept seeing the trailer for this on TV. TV I would like to remind you is always a novelty experience during breaks because I HAVE NO TV AT SCHOOL... -__- .... Anyways, I kept seeing the trailer on TV and just knew it was an Indie-flick (it's like this sixth sense I have). The thing about Indie-flicks is that they are typically truer to life, feel more realistic, and more often than not showcase humorous trailers for films that end up decidedly deeper, sadder, or darker in tone. But that's definitely not a bad thing; it's a great thing in my opinion. I have a feeling this might be one such film.

After learning more about this film, I discovered it was the third installment of a trilogy 18 years in the making. Before Sunrise (1995) follows Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) as they first meet on a train in Europe and spend the night together. Before Sunset (2004) joins them 9 years later when they reunite on Jesse's book tour for a book their night together inspired. Now in Before Midnight (2013), we join them 9 years later as a couple with their twin daughters. This movie has less of the rosy-colored romance of the first two, but I think it will address a more real issue: what it means to be with someone when time has worn at the luster of romance. And if that wasn't enough to intrigue you, this film received a Metacritic score of 97%, meaning the film critics loved this film (I didn't think they gave such high reviews). This is definitely a movie I hope to see.

For my Arizona friends, this film will be showing at Harkins Camelview 5 in Scottsdale starting this Friday.

We Are Products of Our Education

All of us have experienced the education system for some period of our lives, some of us may still be experiencing it. Nonetheless, in that time we are introduced to many fellow students and teachers and to an even smaller group of educators that will forever leave an impression on our lives. I've been blessed, lucky, fortunate to have encountered a handful of truly exceptional teachers, ones that shaped me as a person.

We are the product of our experiences and the people we share these experiences with. Everything happens for a reason. We meet people at a particular point in our lives for a purpose, one that we may not understand immediately, one that may enable us to meet another person in one great chain reaction of life. The teachers I've had are no exception.

These wonderful people deserve much praise and appreciation because those truly exceptional teachers foster and inspire children to become great people. Presidents and Nobel Prize winners and good parents all had teachers of some sort. They don't even have to be school teachers (I consider my mom to be one of my greatest teachers).

Yesterday I went to lunch with five of the most influential teachers I've had. These teachers saw more in me than I saw in myself. They are the believers when others--including ourselves--count us out. (Now, I know what some of you might thinking: "Isn't that weird; I mean I don't even know if my former teachers even remember who I am." I'm here to say it is never "weird" to show your appreciation...plus I visit them all quite frequently so there's no weirdness.)

My 1st grade teacher I only had for 2 months when I first moved here, but I needed her to be my first teacher in this strange, new place because I can't imagine a kinder, more energetic, more welcoming 1st grade teacher to help me overcome my fears of the cafeteria, as illogical as they were.

My 2nd grade teacher became like an aunt, even sharing my mom's maiden name...sorta (there's only a one-letter difference). She is the type of person that even if you haven't seen her in years will pick up right where you left off.

My 6th grade teacher set me up for the rest of my secondary education; she was the first to have me tested for advanced placement. Without her confidence in me, I wouldn't have taken honors or AP, I wouldn't have received college credit in high school, and I wouldn't be graduating from college a year early.

My Junior AP English teacher showed me the truest form of hard work and dedication. She enforced the ideal that more should be expected from us as students but more importantly that we as students could rise up to meet those expectations. She makes me want to live up to my potential and be a better writer.

And of course my mom raised me into the person I am, quirks and all. Her big heart and enduring spirit is my inspiration for striving to the best I can be: to be the best friend I can be and to be the best person I can be. I could dedicate an entire blog post to this teacher of mine (and perhaps I will).

And honorable mention goes to my Freshman English teacher, a man who I regard as a father-figure in my life, a man who set me up for the rest of high school and college and fostered a love of writing that is with me to this day. If he didn't live in Oregon right now, he would have most certainly been invited to lunch, and he wouldn't even feel awkward being the only man at the table because his family is overrun with women haha.

I've had so many great teachers that have left their mark. I haven't mentioned them all, but they're out there. They've all done something, building upon what the former did. There's a designated day or week for Teacher Appreciation. But I'm here to say that everyday should be about Teacher Appreciation. Your appreciation doesn't necessarily have to be going out to lunch with them like me (because I find hanging out with grown-ups fascinating and fun). Your appreciation could be as simple as an internal reflection, realizing that you could not be a student of the universe without its teachers, that you are a product of your education.


Who are some of your most influential teachers? Are they your coach, your music instructor, your martial arts master, your grandma who taught you to use a sewing machine (mine did!)? Or is it your best friend who gave you a new hobby or taught you how to live a fuller life (my best friends did!)? Feel free to comment below.

Film Review: Epic -- Just how epic was it?

So as per our usual, my mom and I went to the movies this past weekend. Saturday we saw the animated feature, Epic. Basically, it's about this girl who's having issues with her dad, a man obsessed with finding proof of a secret civilization of tiny woodland people. Well it looked super cute and funny. I walked in expecting another awesome animated flick but left a bit unsatisfied. Don't get me wrong, it was a good movie, but it left me wanting more. I thought the characters were a bit superficial, only scratching the surface of potentially deep family dynamics. There is no obviously happy "happy ending" (or at least not the one I was looking for). Plus someone dies and that just pissed me off. HOWEVER, it still had some good aspects to it. It was visually beautiful! These artists really made a masterpiece with this film; the nature/character details were gorgeous. The voice actors were prime: Colin Farrel, with his sexy, naturally Irish accent melted me heart; Aziz Ansari, of Parks and Rec fame, voices a hilarious slug; Beyonce voices the Queen, and Amanda Seyfried and Josh Hutcherson voice the two main characters. Again, it was a fun movie but didn't quite live up to its potential.

Click to View "Epic" Trailer

"You are the nucleus of your existence."

Sooo it's definitely been awhile since I've last blogged (*slap my own wrist*). I've been wanting to start it back up this summer (I even have a few ideas that have been kicking around in my head since my last post...in February). In the spirit of blogging, I took a moment to read some of Shaun T's blog.

For those of you who don't know, Shaun T is one of my heroes. He is the fitness professional responsible for the Beachbody workout programs Insanity, Hip Hop Abs, Rockin' Body, and others. I bought Insanity (well...my mom did; THANKS MOM!). With it, Shaun T truly changed my fitness life. Anyways enough of me fawning over this wonderful man.

I wanted to share his blog post titled "You are the nucleus of your existence."

The sun is one of the most powerful forces in the universe—but it doesn’t boast about its power; it humbly provides energy for us to LIVE!

You are your own life’s sun—for your family, a best friend, for your significant other. You provide POWER to those around you and inspire them to shine in their life…simply by being YOU!

“You are the nucleus of your existence.”

Now, imagine how much more powerful you become for your world when you focus on not just existing for the people in it, but LIVING for your galaxy!

The sun is just one of about 200 billion stars, but yet it shines brightest to us on our planet. There are 7 billion people on this earth, but only one of them shines brightest in your world—YOU!

Be the humble star you are and stand proud, but not boastful. Be confident, but not arrogant. Do the right things for the right reasons—never because you fear the consequences. Accept you for YOU…and together, we can only improve! And THAT is soooo inspiring to me!
But this is only possible if you believe in your ability to be your very BEST sun. So…how will YOU improve the nucleus of your existence starting today?  --Shaun T

THIS is soooo inspiring to me! Hopefully it inspires you too :)

For the actual blog entry go here.

Dial "M" for Movie: My Introduction to Alfred Hitchcock

As part of being a film major, I am privileged to study film texts and analyze from various points of view. This semester is no different. My Tuesday night class is "Film Theory and Criticism." The class title is self-explanatory, but this class narrows its scope to studying one of the most influential film directors Alfred Hitchcock and how he is an auteur (or author) of films.

A LOT of people know who Hitchcock is or have at least heard of him. A couple of his most famous works are Psycho (1960) and The Birds (1963). And I know what you're thinking, "Well geeze, Becca. You must know all about Hitchcock being a film major and all!" Hahaha...no...not all.

I know; I'm like the worst film major ever, but I saw part of The Birds when I was little and was all, "Ohmygosh!!! Those birds are freakin' killing people! WHAAAT!" Plus, other elements were against Hitchcock films in my eyes....Ok, just one. I don't really like a ton of older movies (what a bad film major I am), but like anything prior to 1980 I probably won't go out of my way to watch. (Exceptions of course exist, namely The Sound of Music [1965] and White Christmas [1954].)

However, this class provides me the opportunity to view about 12 Hitchcock films. And I must say the two I've seen so far have been incredibly entertaining! Go figure!

The 39 Steps

We've viewed The 39 Steps (1935) and The Lady Vanishes (1938) thus far. After hearing Hitchcock was the master of the macabre, thrills, and horror, I was a bit concerned; I hate scary movies (I'm a baby; give me a rom-com any day). But surprisingly both films were incredibly funny. Not "omg this movie is so old it's funny" or "haha that was such a funny joke they made." It had subtle humor, my favorite brand. I love Hitchcock's use of visuals, visual humor and visual subtlety. And the endings left me satisfied, even happy.

The Lady Vanishes

The 39 Steps was very episodic in terms the main character getting into trouble and then out of trouble, repeated multiple times, which actually kept my interest. And I loved the dynamic between Hannay and Pamela, the two main characters. The Lady Vanishes definitely reminded me of Flightplan (2005): a young woman is bumped on the head and has a cute old lady help her on the train they're about to get on; they drink tea, chat, get seen by numerous passengers, etc.; the young woman goes down for a nap and wakes up to find the old lady is missing and everyone claims to have never seen the old lady and proceeds to think the young woman is crazy from the bump on her head. We spend the whole movie trying to figure out what happened, and let me tell you, I was super exhausted that night (I thought I might fall asleep in class) but this movie kept me engaged. I desperately yearned to know what the hell was going on.

Overall, I'm enjoying my Hitchcockian exposure. This Tuesday I'll be viewing my biopic, Rebecca (1940). It's like Hitch knew I'd be watching. Peace.

New Year's Resolutions!!! Because we all have them...

Okay so we're already 22 days into the new year, but everyone has New Year's Resolutions! Some people just don't realize they do. People can just subconsciously set out to be a better person, shed a few pounds, spend more time with people. We are constantly thinking of ways to better ourselves. We don't always succeed, but most of the time we at least try. My high school Spanish teacher, Senor Grover, told us that people are more likely to reach their goals if they write them down and even more likely if they tell others about their goals (something to do with accountability I'm sure). So guess what?! I'm doing BOTH. I already wrote down my resolutions, so now I'm going to share them with you.

 

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS!

***Tornado Style!!!***

 

*take pictures often/learn about photography (because photography’s sexy)

*journal (let’s leave something cool behind in case I become famous one day)

*write for at least 30 to 60 minutes a day (a Writer should write, right?)

*eat healthier/smaller portions (eat like the French, not the Americans)

*don't fall for people who don't reciprocate (aren't I the optimist?)

*move on with life (let’s try not being bitter but instead be better)

*exercise five times a week (time to get sexy...oops! too late!)

*watch less YouTube (ahh, one of my more prominent vices)

*appreciate others, especially those who appreciate me :)

*save money (Amazon! I still love you and your bargains!)

*get promoted to black belt in Tae Kwon Do (or near to)

*read for fun (crazy concept I know, but people do it)

*make movies (kind of essential for a filmmaker)

*go to sleep by midnight (I can dream, can’t I?)

*eat out less (to help me health and me wallet)

*floss daily (you can't see, but I'm smiling)

*laugh more, love more, live more

*wake up by 9am (on school days)

*blog more (off to a good start)

*don’t swear (what the truck!)

*find the joy around me

*stay true to myself

As you can see some are abstract, some are concrete, but they're my goals for being a better me.

What are some of your resolutions? Have you written them down? Told them to anyone?

Do any of yours match mine? Let me know in the comments. :) Peace.

  

***Yeah, I totally spent precious time making sure this thing had some kind of alignment to it***

Film Review: Winter Break 5/5

Promised Land: 

Another good movie. I thought Matt Damon and John Krasinski gave great performances. Something I didn't expect was how much I enjoyed Frances McDormand's performance (she plays "Sue," Damon's colleague); she had this straight-faced humor that I just love. With the premise of the movie being about a natural gas company (represented by Damon and McDormand) attempting to buy out a small farming community with resistance from an environmentalist (Krasinski), I thought the movie was going to be mostly serious with a few jokes here and there. However, much to my surprise, I felt that the movie had a nice balance of humorous and serious tones (it was funny much of the time; not always funny "haha" but funny in terms of various situations). I left satisfied  and mind-blown after a surprise twist I don't think anyone saw coming...except maybe the people aware of the true story this film is based around, which I clearly was not. My jaw literally dropped.

Click To View "Promised Land" Trailer