Go watch

History Channel has a great series, Live to Tell,it is so interesting to watch and hear about Army Ranger and Seal missions from Iraq and Afghanistan. Just another reason to be proud of all our soldiers who protect our Country!!

I recently watched Burnt and really liked it,much different than I thought it would be,but enjoyable all the way around. Plus, Bradley Cooper,so you can't go wrong there!

What I have watched

The Judge

I actually watched this movie a couple months ago but I still really enjoyed it. It is a bit long but the heart of it and the wacky,real characters make it worth it. And, Robert Downey!! Robery Downey! I liked that this movie had a couple twists and turns and you never really knew where it was taking you. Well done!

Best of Me

I read the book years ago so I didn't remember a lot about the story lines and now I don't know if the ending of the movie was the same as in the book. Either way,I thought this movie was well done and told a great love story of two people and how getting a second chance at life and love can make all the difference. Plus, James Marsden,so that is good enough.

recently

watched
captain phillips
i knew the story,like most of us, but I didn't know or remember the exact details. what a scary encounter and experience! it had me riveted,and of course tom hanks nails it. so believable and heart breaking and heroic!

saving mr.banks
my sole purpose of watching this movie was to see why it was called 'saving mr banks' if it was about walt disney and the female creator of mary poppins. well,you find out why and more! it was a cute-at-times-unique story. not bad for a redbox rental.

jack ryan:shadow recruit
this movie had me at chris pine and action drama. i never read the tom clancy novels so i didn't have much going into it but it was also enjoyable. sometimes not realistic/plausible but it had me rooting for the good guys and trying to figure out how it would all end. another worthwhile redbox rental.

mary poppins
okay,it is true that i have never seen this movie before...i am not a big musical fan,nor is my family,i guess since it was never on when i was little. however,this was okay. i adore julie andrews and dick van dyke so they won me over. the singing was...well,it is a musical so there was a lot of it. and it is over two hours long!! yikes! mary poppins also sort of seemed annoyed whenever the attention wasn't on her so that bugged me :) funny story and the special effects were fantastic,especially considering it was made in the 60s! worth the free library rental.

tammy
i just saw it last night with the Besites,it was funny! and there was some sweet moments,too. i love melissa mccarthy though (since she was Sookie on gilmore girls!) so she can do no wrong in my book. there is a bunch of foul language though but not as much as her previous movies. worth it if you want some good laughs and a wacky family/plot line :)

listened to
david crowder's neon steeple
this cd rocks! my first crowder hit was 'i am' and it had me hooked. i really like 'my beloved', 'because he lives', 'you are', 'lift your head'

movies i have seen recently

The Internship

Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson,they are hard to pass up but I must admit that this film was just "blah". At least it was an original idea and story. I just thought that some parts were unnecessary to the overall story line or they went on too long. It is definitely a "guys guy" movie,with the humor and girls scenes. But the general theme and heart of the movie was decent. I give it a C.


The Heat

I have been excited to see this movie for a few weeks,I enjoy both Bullock and McCarthy plus it is about time that a movie centers around to tough women instead of two tough men! I liked this movie,it was definitely funny and wacky and it seriously had me tearing up twice at the end! Although there was too much use of swear words for my own personal preference and at few rather intense/gory scenes (hence the R rating...). The story line was quirky just like the characters and the whole thing went by quickly,in a good way :) I give this movie an A.


Identity Thief

I rented this,finally! I like Jason and Melissa and they had such a fun chemistry that made the whole premise more funny. I was taken aback though by the strong language (I didn't realize it was R) but there are some really hilarious lines and parts in this goofy story. Again,I liked that it was something different and there was some heart at the center of the story. I give it a B.

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What have you seen lately?

safe haven

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i am a Josh Duhmel fan

i wasn't too sold on Julianne Hough when i saw the previews months ago

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the little girl who played Lexi stole the show,i thought,adorable and cute!!

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i read Nicholas Sparks novel long ago when it came out and really enjoyed it;i remember i actually didn't hate the ending for once because it wasn't sad or frustrating

i am a sucker for his work

i love anything set in the South

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i don't remember everything from the book BUT i thought this was a well done movie version of the story

i saw the twist at the end coming a bit before it was revealed and i thought it was a sweet idea

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Julianne Hough won me over, she didn't seem like she was trying/acting too hard or fake--nicely done!

the soundtrack is just as good

this movie was thrilling/dark/suspenseful as much as it was sweet and romantic


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i recommend this movie,even if you just rent it :)

a couple hours well spent!

worth a rental

Last night I rented The Flying Scotsman 

It was a spur of the moment pick but I am glad I discovered it because I love: anything UK related, cycling, Johnny Lee Miller, and a true story.  I learned a lot more about cycling and just how much Graeme Obree changed the WCF, the make up of a bike and the sport of cycling.

It is a well done film, well acted and interesting and heart warming.

Watch it if you get the chance :)

A must see!!

The Impossible starring Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor and three amazing children actors: Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin,Oaklee Pendergast tells the true story of one family who survived the 2004 Tsunami in Thailand.

 

Words to describe this amazing story are: intense, surreal, powerful,love-filled, inspiring, heartwarming,real,moving,breath-taking.  It truly felt like I was in that Tsunami at times and the courage and strength of this family along with all the other survivors and families of those lost still mesmerizes me. Incredibly acted by all;I only wish there had been an epilogue at the end...

Go see this BUT bring LOTS of tissues because it is sad and sweet all at once.

three on tuesday

Thanks,Lauren & Tiffany!

Three Movies
I decided to spice this topic up a bit and include two movies I love and one that freaks me out....

1. The Little Mermaid
It is my favorite childhood movie, I adored Ariel and her singing voice :) A Disney classic!



2. Sweet Home Alabama
You just cannot go wrong with this cast, romance, funniness, setting and southern accents! I own this movie and will watch it EVERY time it is on tv. Love!



3.Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
I love Roald Dahl and the book was fine but the original movie freaked me out! I can't watch it, and don't even get me started on the more current version with Johnny Depp, I stay far away from it. I think it is because those munchkin characters looked like clowns and so does Johnny's character in the more recent edition. SCARY stuff. My 10 yr old niece likes to tease me about my fear of this movie too,lol. It gives me the shakes just thinking about it.



thanks to google for the images!
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What are your top three movies?

movie night swap reveal!

I was so excited to discover Linny and Ms. Attitude's movie night swap.

 

I was paired up with the lovely Crystal and she did the BEST job picking out movies and items for my package. It didn't hurt that we were practically the same person (we both adore sweet romantic comedies and chocolate + pb combos).

Crystal sent me:

a bag of movie theater popcorn
a box of reeses pieces
a package of pb mms
the ugly truth
sweet home Alabama
the perfect man
super fuzzy slipper socks
a bottle of perfectly dark purple nail polish
a cool pencil case

Thanks again so much, Crystal! You were an awesome swap buddy!

And thanks for the awesomely fun swap idea, Linny and Ms. A!! I had a blast :)

what i have seen:

machine gun preacher

This was a movie that started off rough but in the end the overall story was decent and made me happy for the character. It is based on a true man and his story. The whole idea is a reality and a rough one at that but the courage this man shows is powerful. Worth a redbox rental at least.

man on a ledge

A good cast, quick story and it had me waiting in suspense for the ending. A lighter,less intense plot that is all about good guys trying to prove who the real bad guys are. Not bad for a fun movie on a saturday night. Worth the redbox rental.

fracture

This is an older movie but I never saw it when it was originally out. I love me some Ryan Gosling though so I had to grab it from my library. A great and interesting plot about a murder trying to be acquitted and how the prosecutor tries to figure it all out. Had me guessing til the end! Well worth a rental,or even a free check-out from your local library.

one for the money

I liked the cast of this movie and even though I never read this book/series I still enjoyed this movie. Not so terrible, had me a bit surprised by the ending. A fun chick-flick/mystery for a saturday night. Worth the redbox rental.


the forgerer

Saw this on the redbox website and thought it sounded good. It was pretty slow/boring....I wouldn't waste your money on it, wait for it to come on tv or something :)

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What have you seen lately?

day 14 of 15 day challenge

Day 14: If you were only allowed to watch one movie for the rest of your life, what movie would it be and why?

Sweet Home Alabama





This movie is cute, funny, sweet, set in the South,and always puts me in a good mood. I love anything with Reese Witherspoon but then add in Josh Lucas and Patrick Dempsey and you definitely have my attention! A light-hearted, swoon-worthy movie I adore for my hopeless romantic heart :)

(google was used for the images,of course).
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What movie would you pick?

Thanks, Sar!

YES and yes

This weekend two good-looking movies come out...

YES, Magic Mike (the cast is amazingly handsome,duh!)

and yes to People Like Us (this seems real sweet and a unique story)

movie x 3

the lucky one


I had read the book back in 2008 and even though I didn't remember everything about the story I still thought it was a decent and well-done movie. I was skeptical about the casting, it seemed
 like an odd pairing, but I must say that I forgot about Zack Efron's other roles while watching him portray Logan. Not so sappy and had me actually teary eyed on a couple occasions. Well worth the afternoon admission price.

the 5 year engagement


I had high hopes for this movie and in the end it just was "meh". Not terrible but definitely not really worth the $7.50. I enjoy both Jason Segal and Emily Blunt, the acting was good and the overall storyline was relate-able with a plausible ending. However, I thought there were not a lot of hilarious-laugh-out-loud moments like I figured there would be. And thankfully it wasn't AS dirty/raunchy as I figured it would be (I mean it is a judd apatow film after all). It also found it sort of slow/boring at times. I wish I had waited to redbox it :)

junebug


This is an older movie I rented because I adore Amy Adams (and I think she was nominated for an Oscar with this role a couple years ago). Her character was the best part of this film. An interesting,different, sometimes cute, sometimes funny story. Sad yet bittersweet ending;but I love a Southern setting.

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(thanks google for the movie posters!)

book talk

Sunday night my older sister and I went to a Jodi Picoult book talk. Neither of us had been to one of these types of things before so we didn't really know what was going to happen. We both have been avid readers of Jodi's books for years (before she really became well known) but I have to admit I was rather disappointed with this experience. Sure Jodi was nice and all but I felt it was rather boring. She talked for an hour total and more than half of that time was spent on talking about wolves. Seriously, no offense but I didn't really want to learn about the pack mentality of wolves even if they are a part of her newest book, I just felt like she spent too much time on that subject. I wanted to hear more about the overall story, her writing process, how/why she creates her characters and stories, why she writes about rather intense and depressing subject matters. Did she ever want to be a lawyer because most of her books contain courtroom scenes? I wanted to learn more about her as an author and about the books she has written, not about wolves. And she read a part of her book to us, and I am sure it is just me but I don't want to really know about the book before I read it, I want to be "surprised" by parts,especially in a fictional story.

The last bit of the talk was spent answering some questions from the audience and I found that part the most interesting. One question she answered was "why was the ending of movie version of my sister's keeper totally different compared to her book?" Jodi answered with "I don't know, the director changed it and never told me why..." I never saw the movie version until today (coincidentally it was playing on lifetime on sunday night so I recorded it beforehand) and I will admit that I rather liked the movie's ending,it made more sense and was more realistic. Not that Jodi's ending wasn't just as sad and moving, but the movie's ending was more believable and I thought it was more powerful. Also, I loved the acting, well done by all!

Those are my two cents...in case you wanted to hear them :)

I am still a fan of Jodi's books and I will be reading her newest one eventually, but I am not sure if I would go see her again (at least not for $11).

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Have you ever gone to one of your favorite author's book talks?

A weekend of classics

Over the weekend I had a mini-marathon of classic movies. Some I liked, some I loved, some not so much.


Bringing up Baby

This movie was hilarious and wacky. I loved that it was in black and white and two timeless actors are the stars. Such a goofy premise and Susan (Katherine's character) reminded be of the children's storybook character, Amelia Bedelia, because she is so goofy and literal. Lots of talking and silly drama. I enjoyed it though.

His Girl Friday

Another black and white film with A LOT of talking and activity. I thought it was an interesting premise because it sounds like a story for today's day and age. I loved that Rosalind's character was a tough women in a "man's" job. A story about true love, I guess...I found it just "okay".

Gone with the Wind

This is one of my favorite books but I  never saw the movie version until now. I thought it was well done although it freaked me out that the men looked SO much older than the women. I liked that it showed how toxic Rhett and Scarlett really were, I never thought they were a good match because they were too similar and selfish. Also, I thought it was strange that Scarlett's children from her previous marriages were not included in the film. Great acting by all. It is super long but it actually didn't feel that long as I watched it. The character of Ashley was portrayed well,it was totally obvious that he never did love Scarlett, she just was too blind and into herself to really see that until it was too late. I still think Scarlett is a great example of how to just be happy/content with what you have instead of obsessing about what you should/could have because one day it will be gone and then you have nothing. A great way to spend an afternoon :)

Better of Dead

A classic 80s movie I was told to watch by some of my older siblings. I, however,was not a big fan. It was really wacky and weird. I mean I understand the premise, pretty relateable for any teenager, but it went on for too long. I ended up fast forwarding through the end....oops!

The Third Man

I was not that into this movie;moved pretty slow. I liked that it was in black-and-white though. Fun mystery to follow but I wish it had been solved more quickly. Neat European setting and cool,funky music.

Roman Holiday

One of my favorites from this weekend. A cute,light-hearted,funny,simple story. I was going crazy at the end though, I wanted her to come back out after him. I couldn't get over Gregory Peck,his voice is very sexy and he looked quite tall and handsome. Although it did seem to have a lot of quiet,lull moments towards the end that were sort of annoying.

North by Northwest

I liked this movie a lot; fun, spy-ish mystery. Funny parts and it was cool to see how the stunts/graphics were done back then. Another Cary Grant movie to end the weekend.

speechless

I watched this last weekend and liked it more than hated it...if that makes sense?

It is definitely a different movie compared to what I normally watch but it is quite a unique story and character. However,there are a handful of graphic parts (hence the R rating...) and one in particular I probably won't get out of my head anytime soon. There didn't seem to be a lot of dialogue in the movie but I liked it, it made it all simpler and interesting.

I love Ryan Gosling and he did a great job playing the part of a hero/criminal.

Did anyone else think that this could be a movie from the 80s with the funky music and hot pink font?

LOVED it

Yes, I will admit that I love a cheesy movie...

Yes, I will admit that I am a hopeless romantic...

Yes, I will admit that romantic comedies are my favorite genre of films...

Yes, I will admit that I couldn't wait to see this movie...

Yes, I will admit that I am sucker for a Rachel McAdams movie...

Yes, I will admit that I loved The Vow.



I saw it tuesday and it was great! Such a sweet, heart-warming, funny, sad, makes-you-think, makes-you-believe-in-love, very romantic, makes you a "meant-to-be"-believer, true love lover,not-too-sappy-or-contrived film. It swooned me and yet was so realistic because it stuck to the reality of the couple it is based upon. Yep, this main incident really happened to a couple! (Although I am betting that the family-drama/sscenario was added by hollywood, it seemed like too much dirty laundry to air for a real family).



Although I didn't like Rachel's hair coloring towards the middle/end of the film.it was driving me crazy because she looked like an old lady-it looked so gray!



Just go see the movie!

You really can't go wrong with Rachel McAdams or Channing Tatum anyways, right...?! Or having the setting be Chicago (wooo!).

(thanks google and imdb for the images!)
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Happy Saturday!

w.i.l.w.

This week I am loving...

The non-Winter like weather we continue to have

How Bman stuffed the whole munchkin donut into his mouth this morning then smiled so big when I said, "oh my gosh,did you put that whole thing in your mouth?!"

Planning my upcoming trip tp NY!!

That I bought my plane tickets to NY!

Spreading the love on Valentine's Day to my family :)

Sipping on an iced coffee.

Spending time with bestie B yesterday--we met up for brunch and then went to see a movie (The Vow)

The Vow! It is a great, real, sweet move about true love and discovering what is really meant to be.

Being so close to Having 70 followers; I really cannot believe it...you girls rock!

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Happy Wednesday!

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As always, thanks Jamie!

Top 5 Tuesday +1

Rachel's topic this week: Favorite Romantic Movies

I love this topic because romantic comedies are one of my favorite movie genres. Here is my list:


1. Sweet Home Alabama
I will watch this movie every time it is on :) I LOVE it! An awesome cast: Reese Witherspoon, Patrick Dempsey and Josh Lucas plus sexy southern accents. Hard to go wrong! And it is just funny and I love how the characters drive each other crazy just like a real couple would. Childhood sweethearts just melt my heart.



2. The Notebook
 Classic love story, I love everything about this movie:the cast, the era, the clothes, the accents, the old couple, the passion, the pureness and devastation of young love. It gets me every time!


3.. Water for Elephants
This movie is a fantastic love story set in a gorgeous time. I love these characters and their stories and the trouble they get themselves into. A classic "guy saving a girl in a bad relationship" story but then there is so much more than just that.



4. How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days
This is just a fun goofy romance film, I love Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey. The premise and characters are kind of far-fetched but it makes me laugh and swoon anyways :) Plus there is a Keith Urban song featured in it!



5. Lucky 7
This was a movie on the Lifetime channel that I discovered years ago but I fell in love with it. A cute story about a neurotic women who is trying to follow her mother's wish for her. Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Patrick Dempsey are so cute in it. A fun and heart-warming movie about realizing who is right in front of you and trusting your own heart.


6. 27 Dresses
A fun character and sweet story line. And I love that for once the guy isn't the one doing ALL the work, the girl has to come to her senses too! And although I am not a big Katherine Heigl fan she does a great job in this movie plus I do like me some James Marsden (and Ed Burns!).


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What movies are on your list?

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Happy Valentine's Day!

or if you prefer, Happy Tuesday!