Tag Archives: movies

A Winsome Woman’s Wisdom: Jane in Her 27 Dresses

07 Wednesday Nov 2018

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The girls in Mean Girls wear pink on Wednesdays. Though we think we leave drama and teenage angst behind when we graduate high school, the world continues to hand us lemons. We still struggle with maintaining a firm foundation of our values, discovering our identity, pursuing our purpose, developing relationships and more. The teenage angst lives on; therefore, we can still learn from young adults as they come of age. Let’s take a look at some ladies as they’ve forged their way into adulthood.

 

After a couple weightier books and movies last weekend, I reveled in an upbeat romantic comedy after painting my nails bubble gum pink Sunday night. Jane in 27 Dresses showcases a issue many women struggle to overcome long into adulthood. When she first meets Kevin Doyle, he points out how she can’t say no after questioning her about her involvement in so many weddings. Jane brushes this off at first because the next wedding has her sister saying the vows. As the ceremony plans continue, Jane feels more and more distraught over her commitments and her unspoken love for the groom, her boss and longtime crush.

Eventually, Jane speaks out to tell George the truth about her sister’s lies. Though the truth jives with the right thing to do and Jane expressing herself shows improvement, she let it come out more as revenge for so many years of unspoken disappointment and anger. We all make mistakes as we learn how to better navigate relationships, communication and goals. However, we can learn from Jane that a sudden outburst of expression to cover years of it may not match the situation at hand. Once Jane talks to her sister and they each see how they envied the other and how they handled growing up without a mother affected each differently (Jane took over mothering Tess after the death). They get a better idea of the other’s perspective as well as how to better interact with her. Their dynamics change for the better. Jane continues to open herself to possibilities when she speaks to George; she learns her crush didn’t hold all she dreamed and that she can move onto a better job.

It gets easy to stay in comfortable patterns like Jane did because we have a hard time saying no. Yet that leaves little room for growth and doesn’t allow us to open doors for new opportunities. By the end of the movie, Jane sees that having honest conversations and allowing herself to speak what she wants deepens her relationship with her sister, allows her to seek better job opportunities and opens herself up to the possibility of love with someone who respects her when she accepts Kevin’s apology. We have wants and goals placed in our hearts for a reason. Sometimes it helps us as well as others to say no and to keep pursuing opportunities. Saying a small no just might make it possible to say a big yes. Jane does get to marry the handsome Kevin after all.

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3 Movies, 3 Books and 2 Songs: Halloween without the Scares

26 Friday Oct 2018

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Even though Halloween ranks last on my list of favorite holidays, it does fall during my favorite season. I do find it fun to participate in the seasonal festivities. In honor of that, I’ve created a list of suitable Halloween themed entertainment that fits the theme without including a scare factor. Consider these movies, books and songs for the upcoming weekend and holiday.

 

Movies

  • Edward Scissorhands: Despite the seemingly eerie, Frankenstein-like concept of Johnny Depp’s character having large scissors for hands, this story explores the scary consequences of fearing differences or unknown. Kind hearted Edward enters a new community and navigates interactions with neighbors as they respond differently to the newcomer. Winona Ryder’s character’s family welcomes them into their home and provides some romantic intrigue.
  • Warm Bodies: This movie also tackles the treatment of those considered different. It has the added bonus of being a zombie story following the love saga of Romeo and Juliet. The main walking dead character goes by R, and he meets Juliet and attempts to get her to safety. As Juliet figures out that R somehow has some humanity left, she works to uncover the rest of R’s name and details. I love this movie. It has a great story, awesome soundtrack and a beating heart.

Bonus: The third book installment by Isaac Marion releases in a few weeks.

  • Twilight: What falls under the Halloween category better than vampires? This year also marks the 10 year anniversary of the release of the movie. Again, this movie follows a forbidden love story and focuses more on the romance and friendships than horror. This vampire clan doesn’t even feed on humans.

 

Books

  • Dracula by Bram Stoker: I’m currently reading this for the first time. This classic text begins the vampire legacy and introduces Count Dracula. Though it may venture more into the scary realm, I look forward to learning more about the vampire lore. Something tells me it differs a bit from what we see in the Twilight Saga. Also, the diary entries end on November 6, the same day Stranger Things begins in 1983.
  • Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: This classic story celebrates its 200 year publication anniversary. Where Dracula shares the first background of vampires, Frankenstein serves as part of science fiction’s development as Victor Frankenstein conducts his famous experiment. Perhaps the inspiration for Edward Scissorhands, this book depicts a scarier outcome from an experiment resulting in a creature.
  • The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman: My best friend and I have chosen this prequel to Practical Magic as our fall themed buddy read. This story maintains the light hearted and romantic vibe from Practical Magic as it follows three young siblings coming of age. Growing up feeling different but having the truth avoided by their parents, they finally learn their heritage. Part of that involves a curse that hurts anyone who loves them, and the teens must decide how to navigate their identity and their choices.

Music

 

“Thriller” by Michael Jackson

This song captures 80s pop culture as much as it does Michael Jackson’s rise as the King of Pop. Fun rather than scary, the hit has pep and even includes its own zombie inspired dance. It also makes a perfect background song for the Stranger Things 2 trailer, a modern cultural phenomenon showcasing the 80s that released Halloween weekend last year.

 

“I Miss You” by blink-182

This song has the lyrics and the video to capture the more emo side of Halloween. The music video takes place what could represent Dracula’s castle and its eerie outskirts, including a graveyard. The song mentions nightmares and references Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas. It even uses a simile comparing a spider eating insects caught in its web to relational angst as they sing, “like the webs from all the spiders/ catching things and eating their insides/ like my indecision to call you…” Oh, how I miss the teenage years when I first heard this song.

 

Winsome Women Wednesday: 13 Going on 30

24 Wednesday Oct 2018

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The girls in Mean Girls wear pink on Wednesdays. Though we think we leave drama and teenage angst behind when we graduate high school, the world continues to hand us lemons. We still struggle with maintaining a firm foundation of our values, discovering our identity, pursuing our purpose, developing relationships and more. The teenage angst lives on; therefore, we can still learn from young adults as they come of age. Let’s take a look at some ladies as they’ve forged their way into adulthood.

 

Thirteen-year-old Jenna Rink seeks acceptance into the popular clique The Six Chicks in the Jennifer Garner starring movie 13 Going on 30. When she wakes up in her 30-year-old body after making a wish to be “thirty, flirty and thriving,” she sets off on a journey to learn what really matters in friendships, career and life. She lives in her fantasy where she became the leader of The Six Chicks, a leader at her favorite fashion magazine and the girlfriend of a popular hockey stud. Yet as she ventures deeper into her superficially successful life, she learns she got there by abandoning what truly mattered to her. She learns some of the acceptance she received didn’t bring her the satisfaction she sought.

Rather than accept superficial approval as young Jenna Rink does, we too can stay close to our values. Jenna ultimately decides to make the right decision regarding her friends and career and starts to build a better foundation. She even reconnects with her family and decides to visit more often again. Fortunately, a movie allows a chance for a happy ending. Jenna eventually goes back to her 13-year-old self and chooses her best friend and future husband over The Six Chicks, and the movie hints at a happily ever after.

Jenna got to where she was at 30 due to a series of decisions. Clearly, she didn’t start there as we see her in a different scenario as a teen. We too don’t get into our messes by single choices. Most the time we get there unintentionally. For example, no one who struggles with a drug addiction says, “I’d like to be addicted to drugs and see what kind of ruination it can bring. I think I’ll try meth today.” In turn, it takes a lot of small decisions and adjustments to get back on track. We can choose what we value and base our goals and everyday decisions on that foundation. This keeps us on track for a more fulfilling life.

 

What choice can you make today that will help you stay on track?

 

Listen, Follow, Speak

20 Saturday Oct 2018

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When I watched The King’s Speech last Sunday while my nails dried, I couldn’t help but see a parallel between King George VI’s journey to king and Moses’s to leader of the Israelites. Then this weekend I read the story of God speaking to Moses through the burning bush during my prayer time. Again, the experience seemed familiar. Both these notable speakers knew they did not possess the greatest skill for their calling. Yet following the responsibility laid before them, they far exceeded anyone’s expectations, including their own. This reminded me of the doubt I regularly fight when it comes to following through on my purpose. Leaders and common folk alike struggle with insecurities.

Neither King George VI nor Moses started with the skills needed to fulfill their duty. Yet they willingly followed the instructions given them. Moses reluctantly followed God’s request to go to Pharaoh, and King George VI met with his speech therapist regularly to progressively overcome his stammer. Though neither one completely diminishes his weakness, they each use their developed skill to serve their people. They also both find success.

Doubt creeps into all our minds at some point and with varying strengths. Between my negative thoughts and my obsession with approval, I find myself not even trying to use, let alone continue developing, some of my skills and gifts. However, no matter how they compare to the greatest in that particular field, I still can contribute encouragement to the world no matter how small. I simply must follow my direction faithfully. It poses more challenge than it seems, but the possibility exists with a continual renewing of the mind and focus on truthful, good and noble thoughts and deeds.

People still remember King George VI as a great speaker who used his speeches to restore hope in England’s monarchy and country during a time of conflict. Moses has mistakes on his record (he even died before entering the Promised Land as a result), but he still reigns as one of the greatest biblical leaders. We can hold hope that we need not reach perfection in our efforts. We can follow our path faithfully, including making efforts to develop our skills so we can serve as best we can.

Two Movies and a Book: Fairy Tale Love

15 Friday Jun 2018

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This weekend marks the middle of prime wedding season. All sorts of friends, families and acquaintances will gather and mingle to honor love. As greetings and vows get exchanged, expectations of all involved parties mount. Everyone wants the fairy tale love, or they at least want to witness it. If you don’t have a wedding to attend this week, you can soak in the weirdness of love throughout history by dappling in stories and characters from Arabian Nights, Shrek 2 and Enchanted. 

Arabian Nights has an overarching story of a newlywed bride telling a series of intertwined vignettes to her king husband to ensure she survives another day since the wives before her lasted one day before he executed them due to his mistrust of women. Her tales involve travelers, jinn and other creatures and men of various occupancies. Throughout them all, the characters expect something from the others and retaliate when disappointed. Read some or all to see how the queen keeps herself and the other women in the kingdom alive through story.

When you need a break from the long Arabian Nights, you can enjoy a lighter side of ancient fairy tale creatures by watching Shrek 2. The second installment of the series picks up after Shrek and Princess Fiona’s honeymoon and follows them to Far Far Away, where meet Fiona’s king and queen parents. Their expectations of what they dreamed for their daughter clash with reality, and they all struggle to accept the new family dynamics. Though an animated family movie, it reminds those joining families this wedding season of the true difficulty, and oftentimes tension, of interacting with in-laws and extended family. Of course in this story we get the added comedy brought from classic characters from Brothers Grimm fairy tales.

To add to the fairy tale dream, watch Enchanted as your next movie feature. This live action film follows a storybook princess as she finds herself in New York City. Clearly, her expectations of love vary a bit from most of the people she meets in NYC, including the man who helps her survive the big city. The fairy tale world and real world clash to show the contrast and balance between dreams, expectations, hope, reality. Since it’s a Disney film and pays homage to its classic predecessors, you can rest assured they all find happy endings.

As we continue through prime wedding season, we can renew our hope in fairy tale love and also balance it out with reality. Summer time works great for a light story, and we all enjoy a happy ending sometimes. When we want to give ourselves a reality check we can revisit the roots of these fairy tale stories and be thankful the tensions with in-laws in our world typically don’t result in people getting changed into animals or run ins with jinn. Here’s to a weekend of real life happily ever afters.

Two Movies and a Book: High School Dreamers

01 Friday Jun 2018

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Ten years ago, I graduated high school. While I may not have a reunion to attend, I can spend a weekend basking in world of young adults. The movies She’s the Man and Hairspray as well as Sarah Dessen’s book The Truth About Forever came out during my high school years. The characters in these stories grapple with the cost of pursuing their dreams and the tensions that arise within themselves and from those around them as they take aim. Spend the weekend in the high school realm with Amanda Bynes on your screen and young ladies of various backgrounds reminding you to hold onto your dreams.

In She’s the Man Amanda Bynes’ character Viola follows the plotline of the Shakespeare comedy Twelfth Night as she poses as her brother so she can play soccer. Laughs follow as she attempts the mannerisms of an adolescent boy and hones in skills. Though her mother wishes Viola to shine as a debutant, Viola proves she can wear a dress as well as a soccer jersey.

Hairspray, which stars Amanda Bynes in the best friend role, demonstrates not only the tensions that arise from pursuing a dream but also racial tensions as Tracy Turnblad auditions for a dance show and supports integration. Singing and dancing abound as people start to notice the talent surrounding them. In the face of rejection for her weight and her views, Tracy holds onto her desire to dance and to develop her friendships.

Sarah Dessen’s novel The Truth about Forever deals with loss and the discovery of new and old dreams as Macy recovers from her father’s death. She and her mother don’t discuss their situation, and at a new summer job Macy makes new friends who help her sort through her pain. Though her mom resists the friends at first, Macy evaluates her life and how she wants to progress. Rather than box herself in with rules, she starts to consider goals again as she opens up with herself, her mom and her friends.

As young adults, high schools start to really take hold of their dreams. Even as an adult ten years out of high school, I struggle to keep those dreams close and pursue them despite tension that may arise within myself or from those around me. As these characters show, our goals have a purpose that can benefit not only ourselves but those around us. We can join forces with friends and family to progress them and see positive results.

Stepping Into Structure

20 Tuesday Jan 2015

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I’m at Dunkin Donuts for my high tea and writing hour again. GROUPLOVE’s song “Ways To Go” just started playing as I contemplated the topic for this post. The title alone reminds me that I indeed have a ways to go before I feel “normal” again, well normal for me at least. At this point, I have to tell myself to take one day at a time and consider each task I do an accomplishment, even if it’s simply “I went to the gym today. That’s good.” Otherwise, it seems too daunting to improve so many aspects of my life at one time.

My overall goal is to knock out my depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms. This entails tasks in just about every facet of my life. Right now I see that structure and regularity will give me grounding for performing in this three ring circus where I seem to star. I previously mentioned that having my journaling and writing time every day alleviates some of my anxiety. That gives at least part of my day some structure, and that makes my standing stronger. Next is to add more to it (and my regular exercise routine).

Regular events or tasks can be anything. I love mornings and treasure my two minutes to sip on my coffee before I am ready to tackle the day. Those quiet moments that happen without fail guarantee me a good starting point, whether I get to enjoy my makeup application or not. Watching a weekly TV show one night can provide structure as well. A local movie theater has been playing the Back to the Future trilogy for the past couple weeks on their Retro Thursday night. As those are some of my favorite films, I have gone to each one. Anticipating the movie and getting out of the house give me a positive distraction, especially as I sit on the edge of my seat lost in the action of the movie. As the films wrap up this week, I have to find another weekly event to enjoy. Perhaps I can find a book club or some such similar group; it would provide meaningful interaction as well.

It may seem odd to focus on the seemingly superfluous aspects of life first, but they’re more steady. They provide a structure, and they give me some extra support. Then I can add more therapy sessions and such, knowing I still have time with people and fun distractions already in motion. That means I can add more and more accomplishments to each day.

Life can get daunting, especially when at the starting point of so many aspects. Take it one item and one day at a time, and use that to create a standing point for yourself. Then you can pivot different directions to tackle each area of your life and goals.

Liebster Award

24 Friday Jan 2014

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The lovely Ginger Loves Makeup has nominated me for the Liebster Award! This gives me the opportunity to share a little more about myself and to encourage other bloggers with my own nominations.

Here are the rules I’m following for this Liebster post:

  1. thank the person who nominated you, and post a link to their blog on your blog.
    2. display the award on your blog — by including it in your post and/or displaying it using a “widget” or a “gadget”.
    (Note that the best way to do this is to save the image to your own computer and then upload it to your blog post.)
    3. answer 11 questions about yourself, which will be provided to you by the person who nominated you.
    4. provide 11 random facts about yourself.
    5. nominate 5 – 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award, who have less than 1000 followers.
    (Note that you can always ask the blog owner this since not all blogs display a widget that lets the readers know this
    information!)
    6. create a list of questions for the blogger to answer.
    7. list these rules in your post. (You can copy and paste them from here.)
    Once you have written your post, and published it, you then have to:
    8. Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster award
    and provide a link for them to your post so that they can learn about it (they might not have ever heard of it!)
    I would like to add that you can nominate someone who already has been given this award, as long as
    they have less than 1000 followers/subscribers. The idea behind this award is to recognize new bloggers and
    help promote them! The benefit is that you get from doing this is that you get some promotion, too!

 

Here are my answers to Ginger’s 11 questions:

  1. What is your favorite time of year?

 

Fall is my favorite season, and I enjoy the following holiday season

 
2.What’s your favorite type of nail polish?
OPI, especially red shades

 
3. What are your favorite TV show and movie of all time?
My absolute favorite TV show is One Tree Hill, and my all-time favorite movie is a tie between Finding Neverland and Stranger Than Fiction.

 
4. Who or what inspires you the most?
Typically, music inspires me most.

 
5. In your free time, what is your favorite thing to do?
I like to journal and write.

 
6. What is your favorite color to wear year-round?
Green. Just green.

 
7. How often do you normally change your nail polish?
I religiously paint my nails every Sunday night.

 
8. What’s your favorite thing to eat?
Ice cream.

 
9. Name three things in your purse right now.
my wallet, sunglasses, my new Swiss card knife.

 
10. What is one beauty product you cannot live without?
nail polish

 
11. And lastly, what made you start your blog?
I’m not quite sure. It was a new venue for writing to try, and it slowly lured me into sharing more of my thoughts.

 

 

 

My 11 facts about myself are:

  1. I have finally given Grease 2 (it came with Grease when I bought it a couple years ago), and I find it surprisingly entertaining.
  2. Mark Wahlberg may be my Fantasy Celebrity Valentine Day Date Draft pick for this year; it’s an inside joke since my boyfriend likes Mark Wahlberg movies so much. Mila Kunis may be a funny choice for him too since she was the romantic lead in a Mark Wahlberg and a Justin Timberlake movie.
  3. Valentine’s Day has always been my favorite holiday even though I’ve only had a Valentine once. I like the new idea around thinking of it as GALentine’s Day.
  4. I’m honored to share that my cousin asked me to be her Maid Of Honor at her upcoming wedding. I get to attend to beautiful weddings this spring!
  5. My dad’s had a Harley my whole life, and I’ve never ridden on a motorcycle. I refuse to ride one.
  6. My coffee mug today has a British flag on it; my dad and I have matching mugs from England.
  7. This year marks the 10th anniversary of my first real concert, Hanson (after seeing Avril Lavigne do a small mall show before releasing her second album that spring).
  8. I love Rock Of Ages and want to see it on stage in New York. The time period in that story is where I would go if I could time travel.

 

My 11 questions for my nominees are:

  1. What is your favorite musical?
  2. What movie is your favorite book to screen adaptation?
  3. If you could go to any concert this year, which artist would you see?
  4. What is your favorite pick up line?
  5. How did you choose your topic for your blog?
  6. How will you likely spend your Valentine’s Day this year?
  7. When was your last vacation and where did you go?
  8. If you were to host a party this upcoming weekend, what would be your ideal theme?
  9. What’s the biggest risk you have taken for potential gain or success?

10. Who has given you the greatest encouragement on your writing?

11. What movie or book character would you fancy for a Valentine’s Day date?

My nominations are:

There’s So Much To Smile About

Roamin4Happiness

Flux & Flow

 

After Marky Mark Came The Work Mouse

02 Wednesday Oct 2013

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I don’t really believe in superstitions, but I have had a strange October day. My mind at work slowly drifted as a record number of older gentlemen acted extra sweetly toward me, a mouse lurched from my locker when I opened it to retrieve my purse on my way home, and a black cat sat at the street corner by my apartment. Luckily, the cat did not cross my path. Neither did any other bad omens.

On the contrary to bad omens, I found out a new fun fact today: Mark Wahlberg used to rap under the name Marky Mark. I discovered this fact during my Skype date with one of my best friends from high school as we chatted about life. This fact came up when I mentioned all the Mark Wahlberg movies my boyfriend and I watched this past weekend (2 Guns, Pain and Gain, Date Night) and I joked that my honey had a man crush on Mark since he picks movies because Mark’s in them. I can add the “Good Vibrations” music video to the list! I’m dying to share it with my boyfriend.

Now I’m more curious about other Mark Wahlberg films. I hadn’t realized I might be interested in more Wahlberg movies, some of his dramas perhaps. I like sharing entertainment details with people I love, whether they be mutual interest or the basis for an inside joke or relation. For example, now I think of my boyfriend when I see Wahlberg movies. I’m not as into action movies, but we share time together during those movies. I even got him to try a more comedic movie during my Sunday Ritual when we watched Date Night. We got to sit close, laughing together as we soaked up each other’s company. It seems like Mark Wahlberg is vying to reach Justin Timberlake’s status as our shared person of interest. We continue to bond over JT; we discussed him and his music as we initially became friends and boyfriend/girlfriend, his “Mirrors” is our song, we have tickets to see him in concert soon, we still talk about JT and suits and ties. It’s fun to think of a special someone when you see a certain celebrity, hear a particular song, see a movie because of any connection to that person.

As I’ve mentioned previously, it’s all about the details. Now I have even more details surrounding me to remind me of the specifics of a person I love. I also have the small details of my October to make me reconsider my disbelief in superstitions. You could say it was karma for me to have a mouse jump out of my locker since I didn’t exactly participate in the spirit week crazy hair day today. I substituted crazy hair for a dress I guess. Maybe that’s why all the older gentlemen gave me extra attention, commenting on my dress and my smile. Yet the cat didn’t cross my path. I came home to sip on lemonade and chat with my old friend on Skype, during which I gleaned a new detail about my honey’s man crush.

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I captured some of my initial excitement of the “Good Vibrations” discovery.