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.
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:
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.
When I started my journey into Kdrama obsession, I knew it wasn't long until I would have to delve at least a little bit into the Kpop world. It was only a matter of time.
I had heard of Kpop before and knew that the fangirls of Kpop were quite passionate about it (my type of peeps), but I wasn't sure I could really get into it. I love music and all, but could I really get into pop music I couldn't sing along with, or understand???
YES! YES I COULD!!!!
HOLY MOLY!
SUPER JUNIOR OBSESSION
So how did this happen?! Well you know how I LOVE my Kdramas... and as expressed in the last post, She Was Pretty is currently at the top of my LOVE list. And the main reason I love it is because of REPORTER KIM!!!!! Oh my heavens, he is so funny, kind, playful, sweet, adorable, and all together lovable. Like this character is exactly the kind of guy I would love to date!!! AH!!! Love him!!!
Anyway, this lovable character was brought to life by Choi Siwon. So thus was born my new bias. (Bias = Korean term essentially meaning #1 celebrity crush) (See it really is all about the character if you want my love.) So with this new bias, I delve into who Siwon is and what else he is in... he had done a few things but I also found out he was in a group called Super Junior... like a boy band? Certainly he isn't anymore, because isn't he a bit old for that now? I mean boy bands only last like 3 years tops, right? (At least American ones)
Well, I told my friend that introduced me to Kdramas about this discovery, and her sister may have gotten extremely excited about this! This news somehow made Siwon even better!!! Really? How would I know that.... unless I learned about Super Junior...
So I looked them up on Spotify. (I love Spotify!) And I not really knowing where to start in this massive list of songs, I just let it play randomly. A few songs go by... meh... nothing was really striking a chord with me... UNTIL ... SPY came on... I loved... it was so fun! And then SUPERMAN came on... this one is quite a bit different than their usual sound, but again I LOVED IT. Soon to follow were Mr Simple, Sorry Sorry, Mamacita, Devil, Shirt, Swing, Sexy Free and Single, No Other, and pretty much everything else they do!!!!
And then the Music Video Binge began!!! Thankfully at this point, (maybe a day later) Suey was fully ensnared with me in this new obsessive behavior! (Have I ever mentioned how much I love my sister and how much we are alike in our tastes, and behaviors?!!!! I love it. We really are twins separated by twenty years!) OH MY GOODNESS PEOPLE! There are 11 of them! One boy band! Eleven members (used to be 13), been together for 10 years, so half of them are in their 30s!!!! SO THEY ARE MY AGE!!! (Totally legit to crush on them! Yes!!!) AND!!!!! These guys can dance! It looks like so much fun!!! I am a bit jealous having grown up performing in a singing and dancing group as a little girl... they actually get to do it for a living!!! HOW FUN!!!! (I miss performing! And dancing! And audiences, and the excitement right before you go on stage!) And then as I watched more I started to recognize faces and I wanted to get to know all of the members of this group... So I started to look up the individual members, and more videos of interviews so I could get to know their personalities. (Why are their personalities important to me? Especially since I can't understand them??? Who knows... but a body wants to know... and wants what it can't have I suppose...)
I was like a sponge, soaking in as much information about this group as possible... Shocking myself by learning all the members' names (and how to spell them, because if I can't pronounce them correctly it's the least I can do to learn how to spell them) and being able to recognize them within days. It has now been 14 days... and I'm fairly certain I can recognize individual voices. (I go all in when it comes to fangirling.) And the obsession doesn't seem to be dying down... My Kdrama watching has been put on the back burner, Super Junior now stolen my main focus.
My goal now is to learn all of their dances, because they look like such fun and when a song comes on I want to be able to dance "with them". Suey and I have already discussed going to their next world tour concert, which will probably be in LA. But it probably won't be for awhile since 5 of their members are fulfilling their required military service for the next two years... :( And even if a sub group comes to perform I want to wait until Siwon, Eunhyuk, and Donghae are done because they are my favorites...
Speaking of Favorites... Suey wanted me to do my Top 5 Super Junior Members... So here we go!!!!
#1 Siwon
Siwon will always be my number One because of Reporter Kim... the end. But he has the most expressive face! I love it... There is a trend in all Super Junior music videos, a lot of them start with a close up of Siwon's face... It's kinda funny. He seems to always be there for his fellow members whether it is to comfort or break up a fight, or cheer up, or entertain. He seems like an incredible friend. (Which, can I say, comes across in She Was Pretty!) He is handsome and adorable, there is a difference and he is both! He's my fav!
I am not going to give the rest of my top 5 numbers because... well because it is quite fluid at this point... (and I'm indecisive)
Eunhyuk
Oh Eunhyuk! My favorite dancer! I just LOVE this guy! The members of Super Junior always tease him about being the ugliest member... I just want to say NO WAY!!! This GUY!!! UGH! He is such an amazing performer! He might not be classically handsome the way Siwon is, but there are moments when he performs that he just takes my breath away because I find him so attractive! I think it comes from his confidence, his skill, and his charming personality. When he dances he has this punk attitude and style that I love to watch. Eunhyuk also seems so sincere and sweet, I just can't help but love him! So if anyone says you're ugly, I'll fight them for you Eunhyuk Oppa!
Donghae
This one kinda snuck up on me. Yes... he is very attractive, but he is kind of a quiet one, and because I am cursed, I tend to like the outgoing charming ones. The vibe I got from Donghae was just quiet, and maybe even a little cockiness... OH MY NO! He is quiet, yes. The strong silent type, but he is just a big ol' softy, and is quite sensitive and humble. I am so glad to be wrong again! Ah! He is so endearing with strong sincerity. And then with the members he is so fun! I can see him being a contender for Siwon's number 1 spot if Siwon wasn't locked in.
Leeteuk
Oh Leeteuk! Leader of Super Junior... because he is the oldest. He is 32... He doesn't look 32... Gosh... I wish I looked half as good as he does! This guy is super charming, which you know I have a weakness for... Ugh! He has my favorite smile! That dimple! He has one of the best smiles! Oh man, I love smiles.
Kyuhyun
The first time I heard him sing A cappella I was floored! He has my favorite voice in the group! He is also the evil maknae (meaning the youngest in the group) and loves to give the other members a hard time and pranks them. I love it!
Here are the rest of the members I love them too! I'd love to meet anyone of them. But I would probably just stare awkwardly and tell them thank you over and over again since that is pretty much the extent of my Korean at this point.
Thank you for enduring my gushing! Isn't it amazing that because of the internet in two weeks I can go from not being able to tell them apart to knowing their names, what their personalities are like, who is singing, and who is missing... Crazy! Hopefully I will soon be able to say I know their dances! I am loving this new group!!! Do you have Kpop groups I should love as well??? Or should I just love on these guys some more??? ;) I think I shall!!! :) PROUD TO BE AN ELF!!!!
A little less than a year ago a friend told me she was really into Kdramas (Korean Dramas)... I began to worry about her sanity. She recommended that I should try them out and insisted that I would love them. With eyebrows doubting and slight eye rolls, I tried my best to politely say, "Yeah, no way, but thanks." I imagined anime, I imagined really bad acting Korean soap operas, I imagined it being extremely lame!
Then this same friend came to stay with me for Thanksgiving. (Maybe I should mention that we are kindred spirits, bosom buddies, and best friends... essentially, I would do anything for this chica.) So when asked if I would give Kdramas a try... just three episodes... I reluctantly said yes....
A little over a month has now passed and I am utterly and irrevocably obsessed with Kdramas. I have consumed eight dramas. I've put away my foolish Kdrama prejudice, eaten crow, and doing penance for my harsh judgements by trying to K-onvert any and all that are willing to give it a try...
So WHY do I LOVE Kdramas SO much? Oh my... let's see if I can illuminate the addictiveness of them...
1. Maybe this one is not a huge reason for you, but it is for me. For the most part they are very "clean" entertainment. There aren't overly graphic sex scenes, which seems to be so rare nowadays. (If you have seen some the "teen" dramas nowadays I am shocked at what they show on TV, and especially direct at teenagers... it drives me a little crazy.) And girls are dressed fairly modestly, ok granted they wear some pretty short skirts, but I would rather have that than bosoms fairly overflowing out of blouses.
She Was Pretty
2. They usually have a very engaging plots with cliffhangers at the end of each episode. Some of the plot lines are a little outrageous, but at least they are fun. And this also adds to their addictiveness.
Lie To Me
3. THE ROMANTIC TENSION. This might seem weird if I also were to say that in 20 episodes you might only get 3 kisses, maybe 5 mutual hugs, a handful of wrist grabs that you just wish were hand holds. And I LOVE IT. The romantic interactions are so sweet and innocent, it just kills me. These little dramas are more romantic than those shows that have a sex scene once every episode. Every much a lesson in less is more! And when the couple finally kisses it's pure ecstasy.
Secret Garden
4. You get to see your couple really grow... as individuals and as a couple. Over the time I watch a drama, I notice the characters become stronger, they mature, they grow. And the greatest thing is that when the couple gets together the show isn't over! They get to struggle together some. It makes me happy... It isn't, "oh, she got the guy and now life is hunky dory!" It's "Oh they are together, now let's see them work as a team... or not work as a team and struggle some... or lots." It's great!
Coffee Prince
5. This last reason is probably a very individual experience, pertaining only to me. These dramas restored some of my belief in the love story again. With the beautiful innocence that surround these kdramas, I could feel some of acidic cynicism being sucked out of my bitter and single soul. I couldn't help it. The repugnant stench of pure lustfulness and selfish wanton disguised as romance has abounded in American shows and movies, being slyly and gradually slipped into my life and tainting my expectations of love. I'm fairly certain that no one would ever want to rip off my clothes and devour me. But suddenly, watching these cute little shows I could feel my heart lighten in the simple expressions of affection. A kiss to the forehead. A piggy back ride. Getting medicine for someone who is sick. A brush of a hand. Making them lunch. UGH! IT WAS JUST SO DARN CUTE!!!! I COULDN'T HANDLE IT!!!!! The innocence and the sweetness... that is what I long for.... *sigh...
Therefore, a new obsession was born. And in the words of my family, my friend created a monster. It has taken over my life... leading me to a new Kpop obsession (more on that later) and beginning a study in the Korean language. (So really it has become a cultural study.)
Another reason I love this new obsession... If you find someone who is also into Kdramas, you are instantaneously best friends. Seriously... instantaneously. It's great. I love fandoms.
SO if you are willing to give it a try, I recommend starting with She Was Pretty. It is my current favorite. It's adorable, funny, frustrating, and wonderful. Give it at least three episodes... and after you are done we can talk about how much we love Reporter Kim! Man I wish he was real... really in my life...(I use dramafever.com and viki.com, they are like hulu)
Here are the Kdramas I have watched... If you have seen these, let's chat... or if you have recommendations, I am all ears!
Lie to Me (Loved... but it was also my first drama so it has a special place in my heart)
Faith/ The Great Doctor (Loved! Only one kiss but so many other great moments!)
Secret Garden (Loved! So funny! Very quirky)
Boys Over Flowers (This one just made me mad! But lots of people love it, it's like a rite of passage, but if you watch I will definitely have lots to talk about with you!)
Coffee Prince (Frustrating, in like a good way, but after the12th episode, one of my favorite couples!)
She Was Pretty (LOVED!!!! Favorite!)
Heirs (Another Lee Min Ho one... it was good, but I wasn't like WOW... I can't love them all)
Birth of a Beauty (Not done with this one, but this one has a bit of a dark plot... but I am enjoying)
Anytime Disney and Pixar get together I usually think, "Instant Classic," but for whatever reason the previews for The Good Dinosaur were underwhelming. I wasn't dying to see it, I wasn't waiting for opening night to come so I could watch this new movie, like I was for other Disney films. But I knew I would see it eventually, on a night that I just wanted something simple to watch.
So on a Monday night I suggest it to my brother, and we head out. I thought there would be lots of families there for Family night, but we go anyway. We walk into the theater. There is one family there. One. Two parents. Two kids. And us. This doesn't bode well for the movie. We settle in. Previews start... And can I just say I laughed more at the preview for Zootopia than at anytime during the movie. (Like it was almost embarrassing at how much that preview tickled my funny bone... We couldn't tell if the family was laughing at the preview or at me. Sorry, not sorry. Those sloths killed me!)
Plot Summary (SPOILERS):
Arlo is the runt of his family. He wants to make his mark like the rest of his family does when they do a good job. But the problem is he is scared of everything, even the chickens he is in charge of feeding. (Seriously though Arlo, I am right there with you! Chickens are terrifying. I'm utterly scared of birds.)
Me waiting for chickens to move away from the door. Scary chickens. No I wasn't joking!
His dad tries to encourage him and gives him a new job of trapping and killing the critter that is eating all of their food storage. When Arlo can't bring himself to kill the cute little critter (human child) and lets him go, events follow that lead to the death of Arlo's father and then Arlo being swept away and lost. He survives with the help of the Spot (the human critter), meeting friends and foes along the way, and ultimately overcoming his fears and making his mark.
Arlo protected by Spot
Soundtrack:
Wasn't anything to holler about. Good, but not spectacular. This one is kind of fun.
Overall Thoughts:
Really I kept thinking, this seems a lot like Lion King... like a lot. I mean there was the death of his dad, a stampede, even a vision where his dad comes back to guide him. So the plot didn't feel very original. What I did like was that it had a real western feel to it. Herbivores were farmers, and Carnivores were ranchers with herds of bison, and there are rustlers and everything. I liked that the T-rexes were not the bad guys and even galloped when they ran. I liked that Spot had doglike attributes. I did cry near the end... but I cry at tissue commercials, so that really isn't a measure of how great it is, but that I was invested enough. So the Good Dinosaur, was just that, Good. Not great.
I was far more attached to Spot than Arlo...
Trailer:
Parent Guide:
If you have a gaggle of kids, you probably don't want to spend the $70 to see it, wait for it to come to video. Death of a parent (but it's Disney, I mean come on, what do you expect). Some potty humor. Death of some animals for food. Perilous situations.
AND here is the trailer for Zootopia that had me in fits... I'm a little ridiculous.
I started thinking of other movies that have similar plot lines, but not just Christmas time themes. Here are some I came up with... The Wedding Date, One Small Hitch, The Proposal, Pretty Woman, Green Card. I am sure there are even more out there, but this makes me wonder, have people actually done this that it is such a common story plot?
Then I start thinking a little more... Has this strategy actually worked for people? Is this a sound dating strategy? I mean, I am the only single female in my family, I have reached the ripe age of 30, the subject of my dating life or lack thereof is mentioned at least once during each family get together, blind date setups are offered constantly, and my desperate-o-meter is on the rise, is this a strategy I should consider? Approach a man I find attractive and seems to have everything going for him and proposition him in pretending to be my boyfriend and eventually he will fall desperately in love with me? Essentially, the thinking is if someone pretends to do something long enough they will develop those feelings... Interesting... so you are saying I could get anyone to fall in love with me as long as I get them to pretend that they are for long enough... Extremely interesting.
... Where is Tom Hiddleston?
... though I don't think I can afford his usual acting salary... stupid teacher salary!
Man, I love Hollywood logic. (Also why if I ever had an acting husband, "Sorry Honey, tell your agent you can only do action and horror films now.")
Though I don't think this is something I could actually pull off because I can't even approach a man to have a conversation with me, let alone ask him to pretend to love me.
