Wreck-It Ralf

     Who doesn’t love a good Disney movie?

     This is the story of the antagonist of a video game (“Fix-It Felix Jr.”) by the name of Wreck-It Ralf.  Ralf has been destroying a building over and over again for thirty years, as Felix follows him around and repairs the damages.  When the game is over, Felix is rewarded for saving the people of the building, and they throw Ralf from the roof.

     Ralf was programmed to do bad things, but he is not a bad guy.  He has to play the role of the villain, but just wants to be a hero.  He decides to leave his game and go searching for one where he will be excepted and he can win the prize at the end.  He just wants to be respected and welcomed, instead of feared and ignored.

     He soon ends up in a game called “Hero’s Duty,” where he sees how difficult it can be to be the hero.  Nonetheless, he wins the medal in the end.  Now to return to his game, where he thinks he will be welcomed since he has proven he is a good guy.  Unfortunately, one thing leads to another, and he becomes stranded in a game made entirely out of candy (“Sugar Rush,” a racing game).

     Here he meets a young girl named Vanellope, who is considered a glitch because there is something astray in her programming.  For this reason, no one likes Vanellope, and she lives alone in a secret location.  The two outcasts become an odd pair, and try to help each other achieve their dreams.  If they could just get around the evil King Candy, who wants neither Ralf nor Vanellope to be a part of his game, everything would be fine.

     This was a cute movie.  It is an original idea, which is difficult to find nowadays.  The story took you through different generations of games, and even had some classics (such as Pacman).  You’d go from the pixilated game of “Fix-It Felix, Jr.” to the high definition game play of “Hero’s Duty.”  It showed the evolution of arcade games, and made you think about how the characters must feel.  After all, they are programmed to do the same motions over and over again, all day and every day.  Even if you are the hero, that can be taxing.

     I liked this film a lot, and look forward to seeing it again.  I give it an 8 out of 10.  Wreck-It Ralf is rated PG and runs 101 minutes.

Stupid Sayings - Bit of a Rant

People are scared of being silent.  They need to respond to everything, even if their colloquial expressions are meaningless and stupid when you think three seconds about them.  If you use any of the following, I strongly urge you to cease IMMEDIATELY and spare us all of the unnecessary noise!

"If I had a nickel…[for every time that happened]…"

     Oh really?  Your boyfriend sleeps with your identical twin thinking it is you quite a lot then?  Chances are no matter why you are saying this, if you really DID have a nickel for every time something happened, you’d have…one nickel.  Say nothing and save everyone the aggravation!

"Everything else is frosting on the cake."

     I don’t know about you, but I eat the cake for the cake.  In fact, I usually scrape off the frosting!  If they are trying to get the point across that everything else is extra goodness, they should say something like “everything else is ice cream next to the cake.”  And many people are lactose intolerant, so that is not appealing to them either.

"The world is your oyster."

     So are we saying that when you get a piece of sand in your shoe, that that festering that takes place is just your body trying to make a pearl?  Not going to happen.
     Why would you want the world to be an oyster anyway?  They are smelly, slimy, and a lot of people are allergic to shell fish.  Seems like a bad combination if you ask me.



"The Peanut Gallery."

     Again.  I'm not a nut...not a peanut at least...and what about the whole allergy thing (maybe there are just too many allergies in this world)?  Are we trying to kill the people of the world with these sayings?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, my fellow Americans!

Today is a day that we do what we should be doing each and every day: being thankful for what we have.

Have a wonderful day!

I am Thankful for...

I am thankful everyday for so much.  But in the spirit of Thanksgiving this week, I have decided to share some of the things I am currently most thankful for (in no particular order).

I am thankful for everyone who ever actually reads what I post online.

I am thankful for my health.

I am thankful for my family and friends.

I am thankful for Johnny Depp, and all he has directly and indirectly done for me.

I am thankful for my abilities, talents, and gifts.

I am thankful for the opportunities with which I have been fortunate to have.

I am thankful that I have a job (no matter how much I complain about it).

I am thankful for heat/AC (during appropriate months), electricity and cable, running hot and cold water, that I have food in the refrigerator (sometimes too much), a car to get me from point A to point B, and that I have a safe place to sleep at night.

Cloud Atlas

     I am not going to lie.  I have little idea on what this movie was about.  I am not saying that there are not deeper, meaningful messages.  I am just saying that the average viewer will not get many or any of them after trying to decipher what the plot of the film is.

     It is a story of reincarnation, and how one person’s life affects another’s, with acts of kindness or crime having ripple effects throughout history.  Basically, there is a cast of eight actors who through a series of quite intense makeup and costume effects, are transformed into numerous different characters in many points in time (some of which remain unrecognizable, until revealed in the ending credits).  The movie bounces between these stories, and the audience needs to keep up on who is where and when, and what is happening. 

     The cast is quite impressive: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant, and Susan Sarandon to name a few.  However, this does not distract from the confusing intertwined plotlines that bounce from one generation to another and back again.  For example, one story begins in London in the year 2012.  The opening scene is almost entirely unrelated to the rest of the story, so it is easy to forget the time period as they go back and forth.  The actors being in all of the storylines also did not help you keep them straight.

     “Cloud Atlas” is a lot to process and take in.  It is a movie you need to see more than once, because it is not possible to catch every nuance the first time around.  I’d give it a 5.5, because it was not dumbed down enough for me to comprehend it.  The effects and makeup were amazing though.  The movie is rated R, and quite lengthy at 172 minutes.

Five Years

A lot can happen in five years.  

Five years ago today, I was diagnosed with cancer.  I've been through a lot since then.  I've also done and seen more in these past five years than I did in my entire life beforehand.

I was given a precious gift: a second chance at life. 

I try to enjoy every moment, and just be thankful I am here today to experience it.  

I often think if November 14, 2007 had turned out differently, what I would have been able to achieve.  I equally wonder had it not occurred, what I would never have been able to accomplish.  Take things as they come, and try to make the best of it.

Today, I look back and think about everything I have done over the past five years.  Then I imagine what I will be able to do in TEN. 

You are only limited by your imagination and your determination. Live life well.

Happy Veterans Day

In America, November 11th is Veterans Day, when we honor all those who have served for our country.  

We honor those men and women who have dedicated their lives and made sacrifices to protect us and our rights.

Remember your heroes, even if you've never met them.

Peter Pan - By J.M. Barrie

     This is the book of the play and movies of the same name.  It was first produced in a theatre in London on December 27, 1904.  Since then, it has been adapted multiple times into various media.

     It is the story of a young girl named Wendy Darling, and her two brothers John and Michael as they struggle with growing up.  One night, a boy who never grows any older, Peter Pan, flies into the nursery where the children are sleeping, and loses his shadow.  Yes, his shadow becomes detached from his body.

     He is so upset by the fact he cannot reattach his shadow, that he ends up waking Wendy, who is overly nurturing, and sews his shadow back on for him.  He is so elated that he takes Wendy and her brothers back to the Neverland where he lives with the lost boys (boys who were lost as young children).  He wants Wendy to be a mother for all of them, since they are missing and in desperate need of the love of a mother.

     The children fly to the Neverland, also home to pirates, Indians, fairies, and mermaids.  Wendy quickly becomes a mother to the children, including her own brothers.  As time passes, the Darlings seem to have forgotten from where they come, and that Wendy is not truly their mother.  The Neverland seems to have a power of the children that causes them to forget what life was like before they arrived there.  Peter’s short term memory is so bad, that you can never tell if what he’s saying is the truth or not.  Wendy remembers the most, and thinks about the parents and home she left behind.  But even she begins to think that some of her memories may only have been dreams.

     The pirates are led by Peter’s archenemy Captain James Hook (rightfully named since a hook replaces an arm that was lost in battle with Peter and fed to a crocodile, which now tirelessly follows Hook around to get the rest of him).  The pirates are endlessly chasing the lost boys around the Neverland, and finally manage to outwit and kidnap them; all save but Peter.

     Peter rescues the boys and Wendy from the pirate’s captivity, and battles Hook man to boy.  After this, Wendy and her brothers fly back home.  Their parents had all but given up hope that their children would one day return, when they finally do.

     This is an interesting story to read, especially since it is self-aware that it is speaking to the reader.  It is written with the imagination of a child, and reminds us that adults forget how to believe in the fantastical, which is why they no longer see it.

     One of the biggest take away messages is about how time is always chasing after us.  The crocodile who is chasing after Hook had swallowed a ticking clock, which would warn Hook that he was coming for him.  When the clock ran out, the animal was able to move about unnoticed, and was able to surprise his prey.  Peter is trying to outrun time, and is inexplicably succeeding at remaining young forever.  But while he remains young, he loses Wendy, someone he cared deeply for.  We should not try to fool with the hands of time, but just remember what our youth was like.  That was the worst part about the story; that the adults had these wonderful adventures and were able to do incredible things, only to forget that it even happened.  Mature without forgetting.

Election Time!

Are you an American Citizen?

Are you at least 18 years of age?

Have you registered to vote?

If you answered "yes" to all of these questions, get your butt out to the polls and vote TODAY!!!  Not only is there always important spots to vote for, this is a PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION year!  If somehow you have been living under a rock the past few months and do not know who is running, look it up NOW, then get out there and VOTE!!!  Every vote does count (no matter what you think).  There is no excuse (unless one of the above does not apply to you).  If you are at least 18, you could (and should) have registered by now.  If you are registered, you could have requested an absentee ballot and submitted it by now.  Don't be lazy and don't make excuses.  If you do not vote, you do not have the right to complain about the results and consequences.  Get educated, and exercise your right to VOTE.

Hurricane Sandy

The Northeast part of the United States just got hit by Hurricane Sandy.  Where I am, we did much better than last year during Hurricane Irene.  We had power for the duration of the storm, and no flooding.

For others, they were not so lucky.

By the coast of Connecticut, as well as New York, flooding was a big issue, as the strong winds made the waves rise more than many structures were prepared for.

While storms like this throw into sharp perspective that humans
do not stand a chance against the more powerful...

...and intelligent, nature...

...Possibly more disturbing is the realization that "The Day After Tomorrow"
may not be much further off than that after all.

It is heartbreaking to watch the news and to see the havoc this storm left in its wake.  Houses were torn in half, properties were literally moved by the strength of the water, and others burnt down.  With the advanced notice of this storm, people were able to evacuate high risk areas, which meant the fatality rate for Sandy was not as bad as some hurricanes.  But it still left many people either without homes, or with extensive damage.

Be thankful for what you have, and do not expect to have a tomorrow with anything.