The Space Between Us, mini movie review

 "Courage is just fear that has said its prayers."

 ~ Sarah Elliot (character), best line in the movie.

Rating: B-

Many of us look up to the stars and dream about living among them.  What would it be like?  How different from Earth would it be?  We get so caught up looking up that we forget to look around, failing to realize the beauty we already have.

Nathaniel Shepherd (Gary Oldman) dreams of Mars, but due to a health issue he is not allowed to participate on the first mission to live on Mars he helped start.  Gardner Elliot (Asa Butterfield) is the first child born on Mars to astronaut Sarah Elliot who dies giving birth.  Gardner's was never meant to exist, and so he's kept a secret, hidden on isolated Mars, dreaming of Earth as he searches Earth's online network for his unknown father.

Nathaniel would give anything to live on Mars.

Gardner would give anything to live on Earth, but growing up on Mars has allowed his heart to grow twice the size of a normal human heart and his bones to be weak, therefore making life on Earth impossible.

Thanks to a risky experimental surgery Gardner is allowed to come to Earth, despite Nathaniel's objections, to see the beauty we all take for granted and search for his father.  He finds Tulsa (Britt Robertson), a girl he found online and has fallen in love with, and together they set out on a journey.  The movie truly soars while watching Gardner's wide-eyed wonder and innocence during his discovery of Earth.

Is the plot predictable?  Yes.  Is it a sappy teenage love story?  Yup.  And unfortunately the plot is spliced together, particularly in the beginning, feeling jagged at parts.  The anti-gravity scenes felt off with hair tied up, lack of seat-belts dangling, and so forth.  Despite this Asa Butterfield does a fine job carrying The Space Between Us.  He's charming in the role.

I liked this movie!  I cried.  My Mom cried.  This movie has a lot of heart (And I'm not talking about Gardner's enlarged heart).  The story is sweet.  I don't know if this movie is for everyone, but if you like sci-fi and a nice love story this movie is one you might like.

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for brief sensuality and language.

Watch Out For Those Seesaws!!

I had never seen this sign before!

A few months ago my Mom, Grandma, and I drove around Mesquite Nevada to see if there was anything worth doing, besides casino stuff.  It's where we stay when my Grandparents and Mom visit my Uncle who lives in Southern California, as it's the halfway spot.  My Uncle, Aunt, and Grandfather gamble, while my Mom, Grandmother and I twiddle our thumbs.

Usually we just stay in the hotel room or walk around Wal-mart.  Sometimes we see a movie or drive to St. George.  Mostly we don't do anything beyond this.  After many, many visits to Mesquite we finally drove around to see what this town is all about.  We didn't even make it a half hour before getting bored.  hardly any shops and eateries.  Mostly communities and golfing developed for retirees.  A few casinos here and there. A movie theater.

But after going down one street I spotted this sign: A yellow diamond with a silhouette of kids playing on a seesaw.

A seesaw.

I looked around and there were no seesaws.  There wasn't even a playground, so it was just odd.

It's been ages since I've seen a seesaw at a playground, only seeing them as jokes used on old cartoons.  Do modern playgrounds even have seesaws?  As a kid I remember playing on one with no success.  Seesaws are tricky.  But remembering the playgrounds of my youth I suddenly got quite nostalgic.  Playgrounds are not what they once were.  Now play equipment is plastic, blue and yellow, designed for optimal safety with no room for imagination and wonder.

I'm glad that I got to play on "dangerous" playgrounds in my youth, drink water from a hose, play outside, and spent nights looking up at the stars, back when you could vibrantly see them.

We need to bring back seesaws, playing in dirt, monkey bars, and old fashion play.

What Our Life Focus Should Be

(Photo by Robin Stufflebeam)

"Being humble means recognizing we are not on Earth to see how important we can become, but to see how much difference we can make in the lives of others."

~ Gordon B. Hinckley 

FabFitFun Winter 2016 Subscription Box

I got this box last December, and I'm finally reviewing it!  Really, I was just going through my pictures and thought it a shame that I took the time to take these photos, but never shared them, so here it is!  FabFitFun Winter 2016.

There's a number of subscription boxes I've stopped getting.  It's fun getting these boxes, but month after month it becomes stuff I'll probably won't use and is taking up space, or I give the items away as gifts instead of using it.  Popsugar became one of those boxes, and since I stopped getting that box early last year I don't regret canceling.  There isn't a single Popsugar box that I wished I received.

Fabfitfun is fabulous because it only comes four times a year.  It's $50, $10 more than Popsugar, but 4 boxes verses 12 makes it manageable, and the boxes are quality.

 Anderson Lilley Beach Butter Body Cream, $24

There were two possibilities for this item: Sicilian Tangerine or Winter in Manhattan Beach.  Between my Mom and I we got both.  We didn't like Winter in Manhattan Beach, but my sister-in-law Lindsay did, so she got it.  But Sicilian Tangerine!!  Ah man, it's good.  And I love the fact that this body cream is made in the USA.  The Tangerine is really such a heavenly smell.

 D.L. & Co Candle, $45

Once again there were two variations: Bergamot Woods or Blackberry Nectar, and once again my Mom and I got the two different ones.  I like Bergamot Woods.  It's really soft, I wish it was stronger, but it's a nice woodsy smell, and I love the woods.  The candle burns clean and has a very nice glow.

 Marie Maw Company Thank You Card Set, $24

I don't see how these are Thank You cards.  They're more like celebration cards.  Cheers . . . I guess that's like wishing someone good luck or something.  Don't know what I'm going to do with these.

 Gorjana Necklace, $75

There was a silver drop style that I think would have suited me better, as I got the gold toggle dangle style, which doesn't suit me.  How should I say it?  Doesn't suit us larger women.  There, said it.  It dangles oddly.  It will look better as I continue to get more healthy with weight loss being a happy byproduct.  This style seems to be in fashion, so it's a good item in that way. 

 O.R.G. Skincare Mineral Peel Face, $44

This item is one of those reasons why it's good this box comes every three months, as I haven't used this yet!  I really need to.  It's an all-natural enzyme defoliant, and that seems cool.

 Moleskine 2017 Weekly Planner, $20.95

This came in Green and Purple, and I would have loved either, as both are my favorite color.  I love this color, and I love how much space is allowed for each day of the week, and how there are a full page for notes each week.  Awesome.

 Butter London Iconoclast Mega Volume Lacquer Mascara, $20

I love this mascara!  This is the first time I've tried something from Butter London.  I'm not that aware of this brand.  But it does give good lash coverage and look.  As an add-on item to the box I got one of their lip glosses, and I love that as well.

 The charity FabFitFun donated to for this box was Starlight Children's Foundation.  Before the box shipped out I was able to donate some money to them.  It's a charity that helps brighten the day for sick kids in the hospital.  It's a wonderful charity that's worth checking out.

 The booklet.

FabFitFun offers Add-ons, items you can get at a discount that ship with your box.  I picket up a yoga mat, yoga socks, Butter London lip gloss, and a Tiger Tail muscle roller.

Super Villain Voodoo Dolls

 All I know about voodoo dolls come from television and movies, therefore I must be an expert, though I haven't consulted Wikipedia, therefore not a super expert.

You know how geologist can look at any rock, strange or not, and tell exactly what it is?  Well, I don't have that gift, with rocks or voodoo dolls, though I'm pretty good at spotting amethysts, though not so good that I could be tricked with purple glass.  Are these voodoo doll?  I'm not sure.  My television viewing expertise makes me think so.

 Aren't they creepy?

For 75 cents I splurged on one and got The Riddler.

I just don't know what to think of it, besides being weirded out a little.

I bet Bruce Wayne would like one. 

 

Trolls, mini movie review

Rating: C

Sparkles!  Sunshine!  Giddiness!  Laughter!  If I didn't add sparkles you may have thought I was talking about the smurfs, but I'm not.  Instead I'm talking about Trolls, a movie based on those funky troll toys with fuzzy hair that was so popular when I was a kid.  I owned one, because everyone did, even though I thought it was ugly.  It had a jewel on its belly button.  Playing with its hair was amusing.

Bergens are giant like miserable creatures who discover that if they eat a happy, joyous, singing troll they get to experience a little bit of joy.  Trolls are Bergens Prozac. The Bergens enslave the trolls in a caged tree where they get to attack and steal trolls to eat.  Awesome plot point, right?  Wait, it gets better . . .

When the Trolls escape to safety, this safety is threatened, leaving Poppy (Anna Kendrick), the happiest Troll ever born, and Branch (Justin Timberlake), the most depressive troll in existence, to go off on a merry adventure full of music, singing, and understanding.

As this is a musical I did enjoy some of the songs, but overall I was disappointed with Trolls.  I was hoping for so much more, and the plot itself left me feeling discombobulated.   (discombobulated may not be the right word, creeped out is more like it, but discombobulated is such a fantastic word that I want to use it.)

And then the movie ended and I went home.

There is one great thing Trolls has given the World: "Can't Stop the Feeling" by Justin Timberlake.  It's a really great song.  So catchy and fun.

Rated PG for some mild rude humor
 

Getting Sentimental Over Old School 1980's Strawberry Shortcake

 Strawberry Shortcake!!  1980's style!  Just as I remember her.

Early last December, while Christmas Shopping at Toys R Us, I stumbled upon these classic Strawberry Shortcake dolls and friends.  This brought back so many memories.

I don't like the latest incarnation of Strawberry.

Her style seems so cold and boring.

For the longest time I tried to remember what Strawberry was like when I was a kid.  She was cute and adorable, smelled of strawberries, and was one of my favorite toys.  The 1980's had so many wonderful toys and shows: Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, Rainbow Brite, Gem, and the original My Little Pony (though I do like the new version).

I was worried the only place I would find old school Strawberry was at an antique shop, which is where I found one back in High School, but I couldn't afford the price.

Strawberry has now been re-released in all her cuteness!

 So, so cute!

On Facebook someone posted a video showing pages of an early 1980's Christmas Catalogue.

(Man, I remember looking through the JCPenney's Christmas Catalogue as a kid, making up a wish list.  Can't remember if I got anything from it, but dreaming is part of the fun.  You know, when I was in High School I remember ordering a couple special edition Barbies, but the memory is really faint.)

In one of the videos was the Strawberry Shortcake dollhouse!  I about died!  For my fourth birthday I got it, and boy was I excited.  I even remember my Dad putting it together.  That thing lasted for many years, until my brother Steven, who is 6 years younger than me, was old enough to walk and stomped all over it.  Sad day.

I would have loved to buy all the dolls I saw at Toys R Us, but money and space wouldn't allow it, so I got these three.  Such a cute reminder of my past.

Cute, cute, cute.

Cute, cute . . . cute, cute!

Cute.

There, sugar overload finished.

Disney's Pinocchio is Certified Fresh! Surprised?

Yesterday I found out that Pinocchio is once again out of the vault with another Blu-Ray release.  The last time it was released on Blu-Ray I bought it, therefore I don't need another edition, but I found the Fresh Tomato rating funny.

I like visiting Rotten Tomatoes to see what people think about the latest movie releases, but I haven't looked up classic movies.

Pinocchio is as classic as they come, right there with Snow White and Sleeping Beauty.  Bambi was traumatizing, apart from the twitterpation scene which is the best.  Pinocchio, how can anyone say anything bad about this movie?  Though I sometimes wonder how different this movie would be if Disney released a retelling today for modern audience.  Would the Blue Fairy get that amazing opening speech?  Would the naughty boys be seen smoking along with other donkey worthy terrible deeds?  Total scandal!  Pinocchio is quite bold, telling the tale of what it takes to become a "real boy."  How many of us are wooden verses real?

So are you curious about Pinoccio's fresh tomato rating?

It's 100% certified fresh.

Surprised?

I'm not.

I need to pull my copy out to re-watch this gem.

Inferno, mini movie review

Rating: D

The more I think about this movie, the more mad I get.  And then my inner madness turns into annoyance.  Just a whole lot of annoyance.

On to the review!

Inferno!  Based on the book by Dan Brown, sequel to the popular 2006's The Da Vinci Code, follows Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) on yet another rousing mystery.  This shrouded in mystery plot centers around Dante's The Divine Comedy, which isn't a comedy at all, unless you're sadistic, but a long poem about the afterlife and the several levels of Heaven and Hell.  We're trapped in the Inferno portion of this Comedy, or confused mystery solving thriller, take your pick.  Honestly, Inferno is nothing akin to funny.  Brown is joined on this merry adventure against death and human wiping destruction with Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones), a young so called doctor who may or may not be a childhood prodigy, and has obsessed over Dan Brown's work all her life.

The villain in this piece is Bertrand Zobrist (Ben Foster) who believes he must save humanity by first killing it.  His method of killing involves releasing a global epidemic worse than an out of control Ebola strike.  It's all in the name of population control, because in a short amount of years there will be way too many people alive draining resources and so forth, and therefore the bulk of humanity must perish now so those resistant to the disease can carry the banner to a brighter future, or whatever.  And this is where the movie lost me.  I won't get into the politics behind population growth theory, as there's a lot debate on both sides of the aisle, but Zobrist believes we're a minute to midnight, 11:59, and something must be done, quick.

The movie has a strong start with Langdon in a hypnotic haze, visions of death, plague, and people with their heads turned backward.  Sienna helps him escape a would be assassin, and their journey together gets more intense as they unravel Dante's clues behind an impending plague.  Langdon struggling with his memory, whereabouts, and why he is even in Florence successfully adds to the stories suspense.

I simply had an overwhelming problem with the strategy the villains uses to unleash this plague.  If Zobrist truly believed what he believed to the point of death, then why didn't he just unleash the plague?  If he was so desperate, why the chase?

Also, I wish the plot focused entirely on Langdon and Sienna.  There's a couple of scenes mixed in with the action showing Harry Sims and his work colleague discussing their involvement with the plot, and giving some background information.  These scenes were unnecessary and stifled plot pace and mystery.  The moment Harry finds himself in the main plot is where his character should have been introduced with a couple of sentences explaining who he is and what he knows.  Instead I was confused with his first scene, wanting to get back to the action.

If you're a fan of the series give Inferno a try, if not don't waste your time.

Rated PG-13 for sequences of action and violence, disturbing images, some language, thematic elements and brief sensuality.

That Creepy Beauty and the Beast Belle Doll

Last month while perusing the Hogwarts Running Club Facebook page someone posted a picture of an unknown Emma Watson Beauty and the Beast Belle Doll, comparing it to Justin Bieber.

A simple "beauty and the beast justine bieber doll" search will yield several news and blog posts on this subject, talking about the Belle doll being a great fail.

Many people in the Hogwarts Running Club thought it was a fake doll, that surely Disney wouldn't mess up this badly.  They posted a few other pictures of another Belle doll, claiming the official doll was better.  I then wrote that the pictures being posted were of a Hasbro doll (Hasbro is not living up to the standards of Mattel, but that's another subject), and that the Disney Store releases a doll not made by Hasbro, and this "Justin Bieber" doll is most likely the Disney Store version.

I was right.  The Disney Store is now selling the doll, and the product photos on the online store do not match what is shipped or found in the store!  On the site the doll has 3 out of 5 stars, though the last several reviews are single star ratings.

My big complaint is the hair line and her high forehead.

My Mom bought the doll and let the bun down to try to help her look better, but it only helps a little bit.  Then there's her jawline and face shape, the lack of detail when it comes to her face painting and sharp freckles, and her face size looks odd in proportion to the dolls body.

 She looks a little better in her blue dress, but still creepy.

I like the blue dress with different fabric textures, prints, and details.

Gaston looks good.

But other than that, seriously, Disney, missed opportunity!