Eddie the Eagle

I love these human spirit type stories. I'm all about the dreamers that turn into doers, that laugh in the face of adversity and naysayers. Those people who have insatiable spirits that can't be broken... the eternal optimists... I love them! Probably because I definitely ain't one! But I tell you what, I love their stories, and I feel like more and more of them are being told recently in bio pics, and to that I say, Keep 'em Coming!!!

The one I saw most recently was Eddie the Eagle. It looked cute, but a really didn't know the story. Now I am not here to say how accurate the film was to the actual story, just how much I loved the story told in the film.

Plot Summary:
Eddie Edwards grew up with the dream of going to the Olympics despite his physical limits. Becoming an excellent downhill skier he is cut from the Olympic ski team because he just a bit too awkward to represent the British. With the Olympics one year away, Eddie decides he is going to become a ski jumper, because there aren't any British ski jumpers, and therefore, no competition. So with nothing but his tenacious spirit and his disillusioned coach he sets out to train and qualify for the Winter Olympics in Calgary.

Soundtrack:
Oh my, I found the soundtrack to be a fun throwback to the classic 80s soundtrack! With a synthesizer heavily featured it reminded me of Chariots of Fire and Ladyhawk. I loved it.  


Overall Thoughts:
Omo! I loved this movie. I am just amazed by what a person can do when they put their mind to it! I laughed, I cringed, I clutched the arm rests, I cried a little. It was just a fantastic movie. And here is the thing... ah! I can't say what I want to because I don't want to spoil it if you don't know his story... but it is just amazing how happy and excited he is just to compete in the Olympics, he doesn't care about placing, he just wants to compete. Ugh, it's great! (A little side note, this was the same Olympics that the Jamaicans first competed with their bobsled team. Maybe it just because of Cool Runnings and this movie, but that Olympics must have been one for the underdogs!)

Parent Guide:
The coach makes an analogy comparing ski jumping to having sex... which was a bit awkward. Other mild innuendos.  Dangerous scenes and injuries relating to ski jumping.

Trailer:

The Celebrity Phenomenon

This is something that I think about, well honestly, too much and too often. But I am going to invite you into my crazy musings on the subject of celebrities.

As a single, not dating, no kids, no social life, thirty something, I watch a lot of movies, lots of TV, and now lots of Kdramas (which we've discussed) and lots of Super Junior videos (also discussed). These are things I enjoy doing, mostly because I can enjoy doing these things independent of someone else, no companion necessary. PERFECT FOR ME!!!! And then I gush about them with my sister, friends, and random strangers I find on social media.

So I tend to have lots of celebrity crushes... It's just inevitable, given my lack swoon-worthy men in my real life. But this whole idea of celebrity crush is just really frustrating to me.

Here is what happens:

1st - Your Interest is PIQUED.
You watch a movie, TV show, music video, whatever the medium, and you notice, "Hey that guy is kinda cute," or "intriguing" or "talented" or "funny."

Step 2 - The  Discovery Stage
At this stage you still have rational feelings about this celebrity, it's just mere curiosity that leads you to find out more of his projects and accomplishments. "He was really good in Faith, I wonder what else he is in?"  Or "Oh, I love that song, I wonder if he has any more like it." This leads to a casual search on wikipedia or IMDB. And you discover the plethora of projects he has been involved in and you embark on watching, listening, or reading these other projects.

This stage can also lead you to learn interesting facts about this potential crush, such as not only is he an actor, but also a musician, or a writer, or a star athlete. I warn you, this is when mere curiosity can lead to feelings of admiration for their accomplishments. DANGER: the more impressive their accomplishments, the faster the fall.



Thirdly, Unconsciously Conscious Decision Making
At this stage you unconsciously are deciding on whether you are going to choose to spend your time to continue looking into this celebrity, watching youtube video after youtube video, listening to song after song, or show after show. If you beyond the intrigue phase and you truly enjoy this person, then you don't even realize that you have watched over 20 videos on youtube. You just remember looking up that first one. If you find yourself disappointed with the celebrity, you more than likely consciously choose to spend your time doing something else... like reading a book... or investigating a different celebrity.

At this point you might surprise yourself with the amount of personal detail you now have stored away in your brain. Facts that are entirely useless on your quality of life, like his favorite color is red, his dog's name is Choco, he is a bit self conscious about his height, might start replacing useful information pertinent to your life, like that appointment you are now late to because you forgot about it while you watched youtube videos... Things like that...

Finally, Fangirling Feels
The point of no return. The irrational development of emotional attachment to celebrities. This stage is completely ridiculous! Utterly baffling! And fully frustrating!!! And apparently it's not a new development! I mean you see it dramatized on movies all the time (which means it must be true), with girls swooning at the feet of Elvis. Or screaming girls swarming the Beatles. I can just imagine it happening at the Globe after a production of Romeo and Juliet, and the females in the audience being quite overcome by the dashingness of Romeo, and falling at the foot of the stage (or maybe that would just be drunkenness...), either way, the Fangirling Feels are not new and they are real, they are intense... and man, oh man they are pathetic... and yet SO MUCH FUN!

So that is the process... at least for me... whether you wanted to know it or not. But the Phenomenon to me is that a famous person can take an intelligent, rational human being and turn her into a sighing, swooning mess. And I am not talking about teenagers either! I am talking about grown adult women... Yes, I am one of them, but I know I am not alone! How can guys whom I've never met, never had a personal conversation with, whom I don't even speak the same language as!!!! take me from a love pessimist to a melty piece of love sick hormones? I don't get it!!!! HOW DO THEY HAVE THAT KIND OF INFLUENCE ON ME??? It is extremely  frustrating! I mean, how ridiculous is this??? Someone who has no idea we exist, doesn't even know we are one of their millions of followers, can make us feel very real emotions? This is a crazy phenomenon to me! Unexplainable, yet very real!

Do you find yourself experiencing this same phenomenon? Do you agree that it is frustrating, yet fun? Do you find yourself bewildered by the very real Feels?

Here are some of the men that cause me to have Fangirl Feels:

Who do you Fangirl... or fanboy over?

Zootopia! So Cute!

This morning (Friday morning when I started this post) I got a text at 5:55am. One of my besties, whom I haven't seen in, ugh! too long, sent me this, "Ok I need you to go watch and review some movies on your blog because I trust your judgement. Also I miss you and love you."

First of all, C, I miss and love you too! Secondly, you read my blog??? Really, I was pretty sure only 3 people read my blog, and not always that many. Thirdly, anytime you want my opinion on a movie just ask, seriously, I have probably seen it! And finally, what a great way to start my day! (thankfully I was already awake).

So by C's request, I shall now review Zootopia... It's been a few weeks, so forgive me if I get anything wrong, it isn't as fresh as my movies I review usually are.

Uh-Hmm....

I mentioned Zootopia's preview in my review of the Good Dinosaur. Just the preview put me in fits of giggles... can't breathe this is so ridiculous giggles... they really are the best kind of giggles. And I am happy to say the movie didn't disappoint. Now I wasn't in giggles the entire time, but I giggled throughout.

Plot Summary:

Judy Hopps is a bunny that dreams to be a police officer in the beautiful city of Zootopia, where predators and prey live harmoniously. With everyone doubting that a bunny rabbit can take on big bad guys, Judy works unceasingly in the police academy to prove them wrong and follow her dream. Though graduating first in her class at the academy, once in Zootopia, she still isn't taken seriously, and is assigned as a meter-maid. Until she essentially tricks her boss into giving her an impossible case of a missing predator. Then things get tricky!

Cinematography.... err... I mean animation:

Of course it was beautiful! It's Disney.

Soundtrack:  

 The soundtrack was good. The only song that stood out to me while at the movie was Shakira's Try Everything, but the Zootopia Suite is very fun as are a lot of the other songs if you take the time to listen to them on Spotify.



Overall Thoughts:
I loved it!!! It is fun and witty. There are lots of underlying lessons, but the two that stood out the most for me were, even if you're afraid, or think you might fail, you still should try (ergo the song Try Everything), and the second lesson is on prejudice, and how it can go both ways. I laughed lots. It's a nice, feel good movie. The sloths still kill me, they were my favorite!!!

Parent Guide:
Some scary jump scenes with "savage" animals. There is also a part with nude animals... which is, ya know, how we are used to seeing them... but still they make a big deal about it so if you are uncomfortable with that, now you are aware. (It's been awhile, so I don't remember the language, so I apologize if there is anything else.)

Trailer:
I'll show you the non-sloth trailer since that one was featured in a differnet post.