Movies

Matt and I have watched a variety of movies this summer, and I thought I'd post about the one's I've liked.

 The BoxTrolls- I wasn't sure what to think of this movie at first, and I was kind of worried that it would give me nightmares. But it was completely different than what I expected. I really liked the social message of this movie, and felt like it comically taught several different principles, including the importance of fatherhood, the willingness not to believe every rumor you hear, and accepting those who may look and act differently than you. 

Hugo- an visually artistic movie, I really felt the message hit home with this quote: "I'd imagine the whole world was one big machine. Machines never come with any extra parts, you know. They always come with the exact amount they need. So I figured, if the entire world was one big machine, I couldn't be an extra part. I had to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too." Hugo has a great message of healing, and I loved the imagery and foreshadowing throughout.




Penguins- Other than being a "valued and important member of the team" message (and I suppose the message that revenge doesn't make you feel better), I mostly liked this movie for the classic penguin comedy. I also loved how the script writers worked in famous actor's names into the dialogue. Examples: "Nicholas! Cage them!" or  "Kevin! Bake on!"

Mall Cop 2- Admittedly not my favorite of the summer, but I did appreciate how clean it was- very little swearing or sexual scenes.

I loved Inside Out! It had some characters I wasn't expecting, and a great message about valuing all feelings. As far as criticism for the movie goes, I'll let this clip speak for me. 

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Maleficent

Yes, it's taken us that long to finally see the movie Maleficent. Overall, I really enjoyed the creativity of the writers in explaining a plausible back story while still weaving in elements of the original disney movie. I especially enjoyed the portrayal of the three fairies as inept, and the twist where Maleficent ends up taking care of Aurora and raising her from afar. While I did predict several of the "plot twists" I enjoyed the movie overall.

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Sochi 2014 Olympics

We have loved watching the Olympics almost every evening over the past two weeks. What a treat. I'd like to share my favorite moments:

The tie for first in skiing. Both had interesting backstories (injured but came back for one more try and the other is a pop singer on the side).

 I thought it was great that they highlighted that he was a young father, and dedicated to his family.

I love all things ice skating. The ladies round especially. We were pulling for Yuna Kim (Korean bias), but I thought Adelina rocked her performance. And Carolina- way to come back and live your dream.

Also, the great brother and sister team at the bottom right. Did you see the clips they showed from when they were kids? So cute.

What a heartwarming backstory, and a great reaction to winning. Proving that getting any medal is special.

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Articles of Note

Thanks to Facebook, I've become aware of the following articles, which I think are worth sharing:

Stop the Mommy Wars: Let's Love More and Judge Less
This was a great visual article on the many, many parenting choices and methods there are out there, and that it is important to realize that no matter how many differences there are, there is one major similarity: you are a mother, just like the next woman is.

Why a Grammy Winner Didn't Attend the Awards Ceremony
What I appreciated most was this singer's honesty when she said that "putting herself in an environment that celebrates some of the elements she’s trying to avoid was “risky,” so she decided to stay home, as she is trying to renew her mind “to become the Heavenly Father-centered, completely satisfied with Jesus, and Holy Spirit-led woman” she once was."
I also liked the clarification that, "Though she believes God doesn’t want believers to separate themselves from the rest of the world and to avoid sharing their faith, Mandisa highlighted that it is important for Christians to speak differently so that they “shine” and stand apart from others."


Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Status Update

So there's this hilarious app on facebook "What Would I Say?" that will automatically generate a status that sounds like you. Except not.  However, it actually led to some great one-liners, which I will include in italics in the following story.

*Two teenagers, Mandi and Holli, are whispering in a school hallway about how Mandi gave her 'creative answer' to a boy who had asked her out to prom.*
"So then, it was going to navigate, but the GPS wasn't hooked in correctly."
"What did you do?"
"I took out the wires and switched which colors they were attached to."
"Wow, after that, you are a technical wonder! I'm calling you the next time I have GPS trouble!"
"Thanks. We got to the house early, hoping to surprise him. But when I asked his mom when he would be home, she was like 'Well, he's actually already here."
"Oh, no!"
"Yeah, so then Suzi was like, 'That totally ruined the prank you were planning! What are we going to do?"
"And I was all, *sniff* "I don't know...But then we realized he could be distracted playing ping pong."
"So he didn't see you?"
"Well, Suzi distracted him by offering to play a few rounds while I said I was going to the bathroom. I snuck into his room and hid a bunch of hints and arrows to point him in the right direction. I thought for sure I'd be caught because it took almost 20 minutes, but when I can out, they were still playing."
"Shut up, was he still going?"
"Well, he's a part of the ping pong table, it seems. So I played it cool, and was like, "Who's playing next?" and then he pointed to Suzi and was like, "she said you are.""
"So did he ever figure it out?"
"No! He didn't find out until later that night when he texted me and asked when I did it."


Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Comics

There are 5 comics that I read on a daily basis through this website:

Baby Blues- A comic about an everyday family- a mom, a dad, and three kids under the age of 10.  I like this comic because the jokes are based on real life experiences, to help us look on the bright side.


Luann- This comic is about a high school teenager and her various friends. It is more of a drama than a comic, but it does have funny parts.

Non Sequitur- I mostly like it when the artist does pieces on little girl Danae and her family, although the comic is completely random and out of order (hence the name).

Pearls Before Swine- This comic is drawn by a lawyer. He has a unique sense of humor (which I get most of the time). I mostly like the cute little animals.

Zits- A comic about an everyday family- a mom, a dad, and their teenage son. (created by one of the same artists that does Baby Blues). Again, I like this comic because the jokes are based on real life experiences.




What comics have you enjoyed reading?

Rhetorically,

Rebekah