Review: Cowboys & Aliens

I personally had some what of high hopes for this movie; the combination was different and the previews looked promising, regardless of the ridiculously blatant title that had some people scoffing. In this movie, we kind of follow a man (later to find out that his name is Jake Lonergan, played by Daniel Craig) who doesn't remember who he is or what happened, but we find things out with him throughout the movie through flash backs he experiences. He ends up in the fearful town of Absolution, that gets raided by these monsters/aliens. Jake, who just got arrested for who they say he was in the past, becomes their only hope because of the metal wrist cuff he mysteriously sports, that just so happens to be a powerful weapon also, and teams up with a couple of the town members, as well a woman named Ella Swenson (Olivia Wilde) who seems to know something about Jake that he himself doesn't at this point.

General Thoughts:
Ah, where to begin? I really hoped this would be a great movie but by the end I was a bit disappointed. I mean, it was shot really well, and they really captured the feel of those western movies, which I enjoyed (despite some of their forced accents). However, I feel the movie really lacked in the story department.
The element of mystery was evident ever since the beginning, as it should, and continues as we receive puzzle pieces of information throughout the movie. The pieces start coming together but they never form a complete picture. Hardly anything was elaborated upon, leaving us with only vague ideas that we just had to accept and move on, none of which was wrapped up in the end either. That was my biggest complaint, even forgiving the "lame" parts that basically all alien movies carry anyway. And also, can I take this moment to say that I hate those captain-obvious lines? Like, "They're here!". Yes, Ella, we all (including your cowboy posse) saw them.
All of that aside, I did enjoy the random humor throughout that lightened things a bit here and there (mainly put forth by Harrison Ford's character, Woodrow Dolarhyde) and there were some great scenes, including those where Daniel Craig displays just how much of a BAMF he can be.

SPOILER. If you don't want the story spoiled, don't read this next paragraph. Otherwise, by all means, indulge with me.
Let me just rant for a bit. Why is it that they pretty much elaborated nothing? Things such as where Ella really came from and why they were getting attacked, why the aliens even wanted the gold and where they came from, why they were taking the townspeople and killing them like they were, as if they were test subjects, and can someone please explain to me the purpose or meaning that random hummingbird held? We're just left there like, "Oh okay, a place beyond the stars, sure", "Oh they're here for the gold; Haha, funny joke, Mr. Harrison Ford!", and "Oh no! Killing of hostages! Oh phew, Jake saved them." It's as if the writers just didn't want to put the extra effort to tie things together. All I'm saying is, there better not be anything like a sequel.
And what parts did I find extremely lame? Ella dies and they wrap her and put her in the fire, which she ends up walking out of the fire saying, "I never told you this, but I'm different. I'm not from here, I just took this form." Okay, the concept of that is fine, but I really think they could have explained or shown who she was some other way. Again, going back to the lack of elaboration and details. Also, the part where the Native American chief gives Jake some magical potion that restores his memory in order to find where the aliens' 'headquarters' were located.
SPOILER END/


Overall:
It was alright. It was shot really well and I was interested in many parts, but the story line was really plain for me. It just lacked any kind of detail or elaboration. If you can forgive that, and the cheesiness like in pretty much all alien movies, you'll enjoy it. The picture was very nice and Harrison Ford's character was a hoot.

Review: Crazy, Stupid, Love

Tonight was the opening night of Crazy, Stupid, Love, which was better than I originally thought it would be. I mean, I figured it would be good because Steve Carell is great, as well as Emma Stone. And Julianne Moore. Not to mention the eye candy that is Ryan Gosling. But anywho, basically the story is about a long term married couple (married since age 17 I believe?) that toss the idea of getting a divorce because Emily (Julianne Moore's character) felt as though something in their relationship had died over the years, which led her to having an affair with co-worker, David Lindhagen (Kevin Bacon). Cal, played by Steve Carell, gets scooped up by Jacob (Ryan Gosling), who teaches him the tricks of the trade (in this case, picking up women at the bar).

General Thoughts:

Within the main story line, there are 2 cute inner stories, as well as several plot twists, which were very enjoyable, since some really weren't expected. I don't want to ruin the movie for anyone who wants to watch it, but at one point I figured it was about to be over, only to have more added to the story. Which made it a longer movie, but I don't feel as if it dragged much at all, because there was always something going on.

There were some cute/sappy moments (as expected), as well as pretty awkward moments, but what Steve Carell movie is complete without several of those? Equally awkward is when there's an intimate scene and you're just kind of sitting there, waiting for it to be over. There just happened to be one of those scenes in this movie that was way too stretched out in my opinion. (Actually there were two, but the other was just a ridiculous scene where Marisa Tomei is going crazy over Steve Carell.) The camera, literally, panned slowly down and then around and back up. Not to mention, it was a pretty silent scene. And it was a full theater. That aside, of course there were comedic scenes and moments, but I feel as though this particular film was more towards the serious end of the spectrum, as opposed to, say, Date Night, where the comedy was pretty much constant.

Comments on the Cast:

Steve Carell did a great job as usual. He always plays those socially awkward people so well. Ryan Gosling was gorgeous, with his extremely spiffy wardrobe AND "photoshopped" body. Lol, there was a slow-mo shot in the movie, (you know, those kinds that check the guy out) where he's eating a slice of pizza in the mall and he's all decked out, and I don't think I've ever seen anyone look as cool as he did, eating pizza. Emma Stone was just as goofy as ever, I love her. Oh, and what? Josh Groban? He was an unexpected appearance for me, since I didn't look deeply into the casting. I wonder if he will be doing more movies in the future.. Kevin Bacon is always good also, though switched gears a bit for this one, taking on more of a whimsical character in contrast to his recent performance in X-Men: First Class. Great jobs by the younger ones in this movie as well: Jonah Bobo (Robbie) and Joey King (Molly). Analeigh Tipton also played her role well, as an awkward/confused high-school teenager and babysitter.

Overall:

I enjoyed it, despite the sappiness and expected ending. I feel as though there was enough interest and fun plot twists that made it fine and separated it from many "chick-flicks". If you like Steve Carell, or are in the mood for something fun to watch, I recommend it!

Current Thoughts/Ideas

I'm going to start off by talking about my extreme reluctance to finishing my drivers education. I know I should have my license by now but it just never happened, so here I am. The one I'm taking is online so honestly it's pretty simple. However. So time consuming. And not to mention painfully boring. I'm inching along at snail's pace (currently chapter 4, part 2, out of 9 chapters total) but I, without a doubt, need to step it up if I want to finish before I leave. Which I do. Speaking of things I need to finish, there are 7 book covers hanging out on my floor that are in need of being run through the sewing machine..

On to a more interesting topic. So, I watch a lot of YouTube. It truly takes over any leisure time I might have, and I am unashamed. In addition to the plethora of beauty videos I watch on a regular basis, I also keep up with various Kpop things, one more recently being dance covers and tutorials. I have, for the longest time, wanted to learn dances and such but I never got around to committing much time (story of all of my hobbies' lives). Watching these videos sparked the interest once more unfortunately. I just need to randomly decide to get up and learn everything one day or something.

Another thing I want to start up is making videos. Naturally, watching them makes me want to try my hand at it. I don't believe it'll happen any time soon, but hopefully in the near future. Mainly because I haven't got any plans on what I would like to film. I'm leaning mostly towards starting off with tutorials and grouping inspired looks together as series/themes. I think it's important that I build my makeup collection first though. I'm thinking of purchasing a Bh Cosmetics 120 palette for a broad range of colors. Also a Sigma brush set. Perhaps both will happen once I get back to working and receiving some kind of money flow, and I would also need to develop some kind of filming set-up when I move into my new apartment.

I'm hoping also, when I move I can give some more attention to my poor Bisou-Ai doll who has been spending his days lying on my desk, practically neglected. Now that he has a proper wig and eyes, he's just missing a face-up. And some more clothing. But there's just too much going on at the moment to even think about getting materials gathered and set up, let alone starting any projects.

That reminds me. I need to start cleaning and packing extremely soon. I reckon it'll take ages to figure out what I'm taking, what to chunk out, and what's staying behind to collect dust.
Too much to do, so little time. And as a random side note, I want to change this blog's layout. It's too bland for me.

Well now I just feel silly.

Over a year since this poor blog was created and what to show for it? 3 measly, rather ridiculous posts (if they can even be called that). But I've come crawling back. For more torture. No, I just keep getting the pulls to start up another blog for some reason. But! There is a small, teensy roadblock. To say my life is uninteresting is an understatement. That, and mix it with flaky hobbies that have never taken off, and you get what can be called my sad existence.
Alright, let's not be so depressing. I do love my life and what God has so graciously done for me so far. As for this blog however... See, I have my ideas. And my interests. And the urge to spew nonsense about it all. Sounds like the perfect formula for a blog, no? Well, I sure hope so.

So. What do I want to blog about? Good question. Let me just start off with what I'm interested in, and hopefully the list won't be so long that it's falling off the page. Kidding, I'll just sum it up in a short list. Fashion, art (of many sorts, i.e. dolls and drawing, to name a few), films, makeup/beauty, and sewing. My, that's quite an assortment. Is it too much for a single blog to handle? Hard to say. I suppose I won't actually know for certain unless I give it a whirl. Let me rephrase that: an ACTUAL whirl. None of this half-baked, squeezing an obligatory "It's been a while!" out of my derrière every couple of months to a year, type of effort.

Yes, I should be positive and tell myself that this time will be different and I'll keep up. Unfortunately I can't make any promises or guarantees, even to myself. Which sounds awfully sad, now that I read back. But in any case, I shall definitely try. Try, to build this budding baby blog (alliteration, ter-her) into an amazing masterpiece that will be found and followed for it's great content and witty humor, bringing life to everyone's dull days, put up on a blog's Wall-of-Fame, where a photo of it will be encased in a golden frame complete with personalized carvings, and when walking down the red carpet of blogs, everyone will turn to gaze upon its recognizable features and know it's name, and I'll be walking right alongside, posing for pictures, tears of joy welling up in my eyes like a mother on her child's graduation day. None of which I truly mean, but I do hope to get the ball rolling soon because I miss blogging. And in no way do I think this blog will ever get more than a few random stumblers, but I'm just fine with that. It's more of just a place where I can throw my thoughts down, and keep it collected in one (somewhat) organized space.

Now, I believe I've rambled enough for one post and it's nearing 2am, so I shall bring this to a close and leave you (whoever that may be) with one final thought.
I leave back to my university in about 2 and a half weeks. I'm both excited and nervous. But mostly excited. With pretty much equal parts nervous. So whatever I just said, scratch it. I'm excited AND nervous. Phew.

So here's the thing.

To be quite honest, I don't have the slightest idea why I actually created this blog. I think the intent was that I would just use it for daily musings and rants of the sort (other than fashion-related, although my last post seems to have overruled that). However, as you can tell, that never really happened. Laziness? Being busy? Perhaps both. Hopefully that will change, at least a tad, to the point where I'll post randomly every now and then. I don't want my posts to be anything like a summary of recent events, because when that happens, I begin to feel obligated to talk about everything that went down during the day, weekend, week, what have you, which in turn makes it not so enjoyable to blog anymore. So random it will be.
On that note, lately I've realized that my weekends are amazing. I get to hang out with the most awesome people as well as do things that are so much fun. When it's Monday, I literally dread the next 4 or 5 days that I must endure before it's weekend again. It seems like an exaggeration, but it's hardly that. I go through the week, longing for the weekend to finally roll around. Personally, weekends are what make the weekdays possible to get through. It's just a bit depressing when you think about it, not to mention it makes it feel like the weeks are going by extremely fast (or maybe that's just because I only have about 2 months left of high school). At any rate, I have a feeling that once I finally reach the long, awaited summer vacation, things will only get worse from there. We shall see.

Laziness.

The disease has struck once again and has shown no mercy. Hmm, reality? Care to kick my butt into gear?

On the flip-side, I've actually been posting my outfits on Chictopia somewhat regularly (lookie here!), so that's something. However, the photos are completely craptastic and I've been much too lazy to post anything of worth on my blog. Icanhasdigitalcameraplz? And maybe some more time while you're at it. I could use a bit more of that. (read: a LOT more) Really though, I feel as if I don't have the time to do much of anything anymore. Yet I still insist on wasting the time I do have. Perfect example right here! I have English homework I still need to complete but ever since I got home, I've been on the interweb. Oh, what a dilemma. Not really, I'm just a tard who can't manage my time.
That aside, I should rummage through my closet and decide what I want to wear tomorrow. In Fashion Design we were told we would do mock interviews of some nature so I need to be dressed accordingly. My portfolio has been lacking attention though, and it is part of the interview. Hopefully I won't be in too much trouble; I was out last class and found out about this through my classmate only today.

New episode of Project Runway in about 35 minutes. I've been a little frustrated with this show only because I, for one, don't think Christopher (aka Drama Queen/I'm-gonna-cry-every-time-I'm-in-the-bottom-two guy) should still be in the running. I don't understand why they continue to save him; he's been in the bottom, how many weeks in a row? I actually had high hopes for him in the beginning after his winning dress but every week after that did not impress me at all. We shall see in this next episode however.

Mac and cheese. and weenies.

So I made a blog where I could just spew ramblings about life and other stuffs. :D Now I can just use the other one for fashion, just like my original intent.