Guardians of the Galaxy, Movie Review

Rating: 4.25 out of 5 Stars

Guardians of the Galaxy had an incredible opening last weekend, blowing August records with a $94 million domestic gross, and a 92% Fresh Tomato rating at RottenTomatoes.com.  The fresh tomato rating is right up there with the original Iron Man at 93% certified fresh and Marvel's The Avengers which also boasts a 92% fresh tomato rating.

Guardians is in very good company.

News broke a couple years ago that Marvel would be adapting Guardians of the Galaxy into a feature film.  It seems right, with the success of Thor, and I love a good space flick, but when details about this lesser known Marvel franchise began to circulate, I was a little nervous about the future of Marvel.  A talking raccoon?  Seriously!!??  Guardians was going to either be amazing or a flat out disaster.

This new Marvel film is an amazing, fantastic fun.

Pater Quill, aka Star Lord, played by Chris Pratt, was abducted by aliens at a tender young age.  His only ties to Earth are a couple nick-knacks and an "Awesome Mix Vol. 1" cassette tape, which was compiled by his Mother and covers great tunes from the 70s and early 80s.  It's these tunes that make up the movie score, humanizing Quill, letting us know he's like us, only he gets to romp around space, getting into all sorts of fun trouble.

And amidst all this fun trouble he meets Gamora, a green Zoe Saldana , the alien Drax (Dave Bautista), a walking tree names Groot with an incredibly short vocabulary (Vin Diesel)--"I am Groot" can mean so many things--, and the talking, fighting machine known as Rocket the Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper).

In terms of Space Opera's and adventures, we've seen great imaginings through Star Wars and Star Trek, Star Gate, Babylon 5, Farscape, Firefly, and Battlestar Galactica.  All really fun, interesting takes on what life beyond our own could be like.  Guardians of the Galaxy offers a new take, keeping it fresh with different colored aliens (green, pink, blue, etc) and incredible planets.  The planet where we first meet Star Lord is quite intriguing: The home of a past advanced society, forced to leave due to unstable geysers and other cool geological forces. The visuals and technology spectacular.

The acting is great, though I wish some of the characters weren't so two-dimensional.  The villain Ronan, played by the incredibly talented Lee Pace, felt a little flat.  I don't blame Pace's performance, but rather the writing.  The funny thing is, I felt, out of all the characters, Rocket the Raccoon was the most three-dimensional!  I really felt for the little guy.  I was prepared to be annoyed by Groot, the tree, but was surprised when I ended up loving the character instead.

Guardians of the Galaxy is pure fun.  A great capstone for the Summer movie rush.

Buy a big bag of popcorn and prepare to laugh!

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for some language.

(As a note to the rating, there is a lot of fowl language, more so then other Marvel films.  The bit in the trailer where Peter Quill slowly "flips the bird" and it's blurred out?  It's not blurred in the movie, and lasts for several seconds.)

Beware The Fur! Heh . . .

It's kind of funny, but when I first saw this furry Chewbacca journal at the Disney Store I immediately thought Harry Potter and not Star Wars.

You know, that furry book on Monsters Hagrid had the 3rd year Hogwarts students buy.  The one that almost killed Harry.

That's what I thought.

What was the second thing I thought?

A journal covered in imitation hair is kind of disturbing.

The Many Ways to be Happy, Mormon Tab Style

"Santino Fontana and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir perform a "Happy" Medley including "Happy" by singer/producer Pharell Williams."

This medley was for the Pioneer Day concert.

Lot's of fun!

Love the nod to Charlie Brown :0)

Belle: Movie Review

Rating: 5 stars out of 5.

Belle is a beautiful film based on the true life of Dido Elizabeth Belle.  She was born into slavery in the West Indies, the daughter of Captain, later Admiral, John Lindsay and Maria Belle.  Lindsay found his daughter and took her back to England to be raised by his uncle, Lord Chief Justice William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, along with Dido's cousin Elizabeth Murray, who was only a year older.

Dido lived with her Uncle 30 years, and during this time two landmark cases about slavery came before William Murray, one of which is highlighted in the film.  It is thought that these these cases were the formal end of slavery in England, and many speculated that William's niece served as influence. (Wikipedia).

Clearly parts of Dido's life is embellished, giving a possible history where there is lack.  Though I would love to know everything the history books have failed to glean, Belle is a beautiful film about an amazing person.

The story telling is tight.  Cinematography beautiful.  Costumes and settings elegant.  Acting top-notch.

I can't find a single fault in this film.

This is one of my most favorite movies in years.

(Belle may no longer be in theaters, but it will be released to video August 26.)

MPAA: Rated PG for thematic elements, some language and brief smoking images.

Summer and Fall Scenic Ski Lift at Sundance

 I've know about the scenic ski lift at Sundance for years, but never took the time to try it out, thinking it was crazy expensive.  But it's not crazy expensive, but quite reasonable, and with 4 or more from the same family, you get 10% off, which is nice.  I believe the day lift ends before 6:00pm, but I can't remember.  I would love to try out the Full Moon lift.

 

 The prices.

 On the way up with my Mom.  Grandpa, Grandma, and Aunt Tam were right before us.

 The beautiful view.  At one point we were right next to a cliff, and ended up eye level with a deer looking straight at us.

 On the way down.

Back on the ground.

The total trip time is around 45 minutes, which is a nice length.

I definitely want to ride the ski lift a few more times this year.  It's so relaxing and peaceful!  And next time I'll have to get off at the top and enjoy a hike :0)

How to Train Your Dragon 2: Movie Review

Rating: 4.25 out of 5 Stars.

It's crazy to think that only four years ago we met the brave dragon trainer Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and the loveable toothless, amidst beautiful viking scenery and Scottish influenced music.  It was a surprise hit, and one of my favorite animations to date.

And in these 4 years Hiccup has been up to quite a lot.  There's been at least two seasons of Dreamworks Dragons: Defenders of Berk on Cartoon Network, which I honestly haven't seen.  (I have seen several episodes of the Kung Fu Panda series on the same network, and it's FANTASTIC.  So Dreamworks Dragons is probably pretty good, too.)

In How to Train Your Dragon 2 we see Hiccup, Astrid (America Ferrera), and the gang looking older.  They're not the same age as before, which we see a lot in animation (are those Simpson kids Ever going to grow up?).  I love the change and maturity.  I love the fact that the gap between both films are noted, and that we're ready to see the next adventure village Berk is about to embark.

The village is fully embracing dragons now, no longer deathly terrified.  They're everywhere!  And the dragons are loyal friends to everyone.  This change is fun to see.

Yet Hiccup is restless, wanting more, curious to see what is beyond the horizon.  Curiosity killed the cat, and though there's no cats in Berkland, curiosity has it's consequences, which Hiccup will learn in a huge way.  Hiccup's journey also leads him to the mystery of his Mother and personal self discovery.  (Love how vague I made that?  The trailer gives away too much!)

The music is just as stunning as before, with new themes and elaborated old motifs.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 is a fun ride, and in my humble opinion better then the first. (Though my brothers do prefer its predecessor.)

MPAA: Rated PG for adventure action and some mild rude humor.

Yuzen Summer 2014 Box Review and Spoilers

Yuzen, which delivers 4 times a year, corresponding with the 4 seasons: Spring (February), Summer (May), Autumn (August), and Winter (November).  It's $33 a box, and the theme is all about bringing a little Zen to your life.  The site states, "Each box has the very best Eco-conscious products to nourish the body and soul."  

"Each box includes high-quality natural and organic personal care products, healthy snacks, and lifestyle items carefully chosen from about 6 companies."  It's mainly filled with deluxe sample sizes, which are smaller then the original size, but big enough to try and use.  Sometimes there's full size items, too!!

 Beautiful packaging, as always.

 The reveal!

 Each box comes with an info card detailing why they choose each item, and a coupon code to use if you want to order more.

 The seven items we received.

MyChelle Dermaceuticals Ultimate Lask and Brow Serum, valued at $62.50

I can't believe this is full size!!  Incredible value.  I haven't tried this yet, but I really need to, because I'm curious.  And I love how it's natural.  I once won a bottle of Latisse, but choose not to try it because it can permanently stain the skin.  This will be good.

 Sencha Naturals Pink Dragonfruit Mints, valued at $3.

I didn't try these because they have green tea, so I gave them to my aunt.  I bet they were wonderful, though.

 Hugo Naturals Handcrafted Soap, Vanilla & Sweet Orange, valued at $3.99.

"Our soaps are truly special: a hand-crafted blend of all-natural essential oils and botanical extracts that gently clean and deeply condition skin. Creamy lather and the rich scent of natural Vanilla and Sweet Orange extract create a luxurious experience in bath or shower. Proudly made in the USA by Hugo Naturals."

I love the smell of this soap, and that they use essential oils.

Shamanuti Seaweed Toner, valued at $10.

"Skin loves this delicious nutrient and mineral rich toner. It adjusts pH and refines the pores. It will nourish and hydrate the skin while removing any residual make-up or cleanser."

I'm a diehard Clinique 3 system follower, but I'm super excited to try this out.

Kerstin Florian Lavender Body Spray, valued at $12.

Oh my goodness, I love, love, LOVE this!!  It smells so good, and I love the moisturizing feel it give the skin.

Kneipp Balancing Lavender Herbal Bath, valued at $5.50.

Another wonderful lavender product.  Have I ever mentioned how much I love lavender?  I love it.  Haven't tried this yet because I've been saving this for a special day.

Aromaflage Botanical Fragrance & Insect Repellent, valued at $4.

This sample is Soooooo Small!  Not large enough to try out, and I did, on my Idaho cabin trip, in which I was feasted upon by mosquitoes, so I turned to DEET for protection.  If I was able to get a good spritz the results may have been different.  Like the smell.

Transformer: Age of Extinction, Movie Review

Rating: 3.25 out of 5 Stars.

Wow, this movie is long.

Nearly 15 minutes shy of 3 hours long.

A full 2 hr. and 37 min. of Summer action and explosions.

This is either good or bad, depending on how you wish to view the situation.

Transformers: Age of Extinction is the fourth movie in the Transformers Saga, brought to us by Michael Bay who has faithfully held the Transformer reins since the beginning. This movie is a continuation, Shia LaBeouf free, which I'm honestly glad.  The consequences from the last Transformers play out with a whole new set of characters, namely through the Yeager family (Mark Wahlberg as father and Nicola Peltz as the daughter.)  Cade Yeager is an inventor who's trying to better the future through robotics.  Tessa Yeager is a teenager playing adult, worrying about bills and college while a scattered Cade hopes his inventions will lead them to wealth, meanwhile they face losing their home.

The Autobots, the good guys in the Transformer universe, are being hunted down and destroyed.  If you find one, you call and report it to the government.  If you don't report your findings, there are consequences of the unpleasant variety.

Cade finds an Autobot.  Reporting means getting reward money that can be a huge help.  Not reporting, but helping, means getting tracked down and becoming fugitives.

There's many aspects to this film I loved and found quite entertaining.  Good humor.  Great action.  And I like some of the new characters.  Unlike the past movies there wasn't as much sexual innuendo and potty humor.  Huge plus.  And the "Age of Extinction" plays off of the extinction of the dinosaurs and our own potential for extinction.  There's some really fun ideas presented, and I love the ancient dinosaur transformers.  Really fun stuff.

I didn't like how long the movie was.  There were points where I just mentally checked out.  The editing was poorly done at times, and could have been a whole lot tighter, allowing for less time in the theater, and a more concise plot.  I'm glad the story played out, because I didn't want a "Desolation of Smaug" situation.  Don't-Get-Me-Started.  So I'm glad everything was tied up, because there were times I was thinking, "They're going to end it here!  Oh wait, it's still going."  "It's going to end here!!" . . . "Still going . . ." " . . . yeah."

Still, this movie is a good Summer flick, and there are some great moments, especially with Stanley Tucci's character in the later half of the movie.

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, language and brief innuendo.

One Pin Down, Many More To Go or The Un-Sporty-ness of Sarah

I'm not sporty.

I'm not sporty at all.

Not even a little bit.

It has something to do with the fact that I'm a mesh up of accident prone mingled with bad luck, tied up with a pretty pink bow, broken bones and glasses to match.

* Cue Sad Music *

I was always the last gal picked during P.E.! (Dodge ball and four square aside.  Four square was the best.) Ashamed!  Despair! The absolute model of pathetic!  Okay, not that bad.  But being the last person picked for the class football/baseball/basketball team has its effect. 

It builds character.

You know, Physical Education was the only subject I participated in that I never won a school assembly award.  Science, arts, English, history, math, leadership, citizenship, home economics, student council, class spirit, etc, but no P.E.  It wasn't for a lack of trying. 

My Parents were both super into sports growing up.  My Mom did tennis, basketball, soft ball, and so forth.  My Dad was on the Cross Country and Track and Field team.

My brothers and I . . . I don't know what happened to us.  

(Oh, I did track and field in Middle School.  Made it to the Talure regionals in the 800 meter race.  Side note, so I've got potential . . . to be more sporty.)

Then there's bowling.

I've got family pedigree in this sport.  My grandparents, back in their youthful marriage days, had personal bowling balls they played with.  That's huge.  Somewhere in the attic there's a box full of bowling trophies my Great-grandpa Rhoads on my Dad's side won.  And my Grandma's sister played professionally.

Anyway, a couple months ago I played after a super long absence.

Want to know how fantastic I did?

I earned 49 points my first game!!!

Forty-Nine Points!!!!

That's not good.

My Mom, equally absent from the sport, earned 134 points.  She got a higher score then the dudes playing next to us.

The second game I earned 87 points.  An almost 100% improvement.

See . . . I've got a little sporty-ness potential . . .

Gundam Wing = Pure Happiness

Gundam Wing = Pure Happiness?

Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration . . .

No, no it's not an exaggeration.  I was wondering the aisles at Barnes & Noble when I found these Gundam Wing model kits.  It was like stepping back in time!

And the awesomeness made me giggle.

 You even get a miniature Heero and Duo in the kits!

How cute is that?

I actually think that's pretty cool.

And for the record: I really need a Wing Zero for my collection.

Just saying.