Something Like That

Aren’t these just the CUTEST little cupcakes ever?? They were for a 1 year-old’s B-day party! So adorable!

 

Boy howdy has it been a whirlwind weekend!! Wild times, I tell ya! There are so many little stories about all the fun things I did this weekend, but let’s get real—that would take up too much of this blog post and you’d be yawning halfway through as if to say, “Oh, is that all? Psh. Oooohkay!” 😉

 

So instead, here’s a quick week-in-review, photo steeze! 

Let’s work our way back, shall we?

 

Check out these sweet mustache tattoos!

I just got back from a Birthday party for my friends, Anthon & Jeannie’s little boy, Finn, who just turned ONE! The weather wasn’t ideal, but the party was super sweet and it was so nice to spend some time with their rad little fam! There were so many cute little touches to the decor to help this little man celebrate his 1st year of life as a little old man 😉 Jeannie did an A+ job!

 

That is one sassy lady that knows what’s up! Cheers to coffee!

 

So this one is a little bittersweet . . . SWEET because I finally got to try the Starbucks Anniversary Blend in all it’s nummy goodness! But BITTER because of the reason I grabbed it. Here’s a hint . . . I ordered it black with a Shot In The Dark. Yup, sadly enough, I got zero sleep last night and I’ve been running on pure adrenaline since yesterday morning. I just could not sleep after last night’s excitement and with new thoughts/ideas that had been swirling in my head all day. When I say I could not sleep, what I mean is I could not, for the life of me, rest my mind and body. So of course, I did what any normal person in my position would do. I took melatonin and put on classical music. I spent the entire evening watching old movies and making a Pinterest board of movies that I want to buy. 😐

 

That’s a’malotta pins, Batman!

 

Yeahhhh. I know. I’m not proud of it. But for that reason, I’m going to attempt to get caught up by going to bed earlier tonight. And what excitement might I be referring to?? Well, this of course:

 

Aaaay yooooo Sounders Scarf Up!!

 

My best friend, Grace, treated me to a night out at my 2nd ever Sounders game! It was WILD!! We had great seats and got to chat it up a lot while we watched the game. Sadly, the Sounders lost and I am still none-the-wiser on how exactly soccer works, but we had a great time anyway! PLUS we shared some Ivar’s Fish ‘N’ Chips with a garlic blend topping and it was DEEEEEEELISH! From beginning to end, it was a perfect night and I’m so thankful that Grace invited me to tag along!

 

Me and my Gracie Lou Who

 

Saturday I tried REALLY hard to keep my mind focused on non-ministry things, since it was my Sabbath, but it’s SERIOUSLY so difficult for me to stop my mind from thinking up new ideas and systems to use in ministry. With our youth group and children’s ministry being back in full-force, my motivation is even more compelling because I just adore those kiddos and I want them to have all the best things in the universe. I just have to work on remembering that part of that best thing is a Children’s Director/Youth Pastor that maintains a healthy, balanced lifestyle and is able to intentionally “Let go and Let God.” (Which, ironically is one of my most hated phrases because it’s killer tough to do!)

 

Back at it in my “sweet spot” nook, leading our student ministry in our Sunday morning service

 

Oooooh yeahhh . . .  also . . .

 

It’s a hap-hap-happy day at The Roosevelt House! Happy Birthday to my rad housemate + friend, Jessica

 

Despite some SERIOUS outta control drama/issues we’ve been having with one of our housemates lately, we were able to celebrate the Happiest of Birthdays for one of our other housemates! She’s seriously such a near and dear friend and I’m super thankful for all she brings to my life. Jess is actually one of the big contributors to my learning how to make healthier meals at home. Even without that, though, she’s a gem and it was fun to shower her with love and appreciation and enjoy some quality dinner time convos with her!

 

oooooh what could it beeee?

Last but not least, one MAJOR highlight of my past week/end was getting this rad little package from my friend Carrie! I REALLY wanna tell you what’s inside, but it’s gonna have to wait for the next blog post because it’s

1. Pretty awesome

2. Takes a little bit of explanation

3. Could rave about it for hours, which would turn into an EVEN longer post!

4. Is late and I need to get cookin’.

and 5. I love keepin’ ya in suspense 😉

So stay tuned to the next post and I’ll tell you what’s in the goodie bag!

 

Big gulps huh? Alright. Welp, see ya later!

 

Life’s a Happy Song

The Birthday fun continues! Alright, so I’m pretty sure last night was the conclusion of my Birthday celebration. My best friend, Heather, took me out to dinner and a movie at our favorite theater—Cinebarre. Cinebarre combines dinner and a movie for you by setting up little bars in front of your seat. You write down your order on a sheet of paper on that bar and stand it up for the waiter to come grab your order and they will bring your food to your seat so that you can eat dinner while you enjoy the movie. Every time I go, it makes me think of all the fun times I had watching movies at the Alamo Draft House back in Austin, which is essentially the same thing with a different name.

After work, I met up with Heather and we grabbed some coffee and gabbed about our upcoming holiday plans and just got caught up on what was going on in each of our lives, which was the perfect kick-off to the evening! Now, when we go see a movie together, we HAVE to fun it up a bit. Since we were going to see The Muppets, we decided to dress up like muppets! She dressed as the Swedish Chef and I dressed up as Miss Piggy!

Please bear in mind that I wasn't able to get a blonde wig and that the pig nose I bought at the store was actually a boar nose. So I looked extra ridiculous, which is kinda perfect.

You can just imagine how many laughs and smiles we got from people at the theater who happened to notice our fresh fashions. 😉

Okay, here’s a close up, just because I’m sure you could use the laugh:

I wasn’t too sure what to expect from the movie, since I had only seen one trailer and had stayed away from a lot of the online reviews. I wanted to go in with a fresh approach to one of my childhood classics. I grew up watching The Muppet Show and Muppet Babies—Gonzo was my favorite! From the moment the first musical number started, I had a giant smile on my face and couldn’t help but sway from side-to-side. I loved that it was just a feel-good movie and didn’t take itself too seriously. It moved at a good pace and carried so many great messages in it. A couple of unexpected highlights for me were:

• Dave Grohl’s cameo

• Jim Parson’s cameo

No but seriously, the MOMENT that Jim Parsons came on the screen, I grabbed Heather, and whisper shouted, “SHELDONNNNNNNNN!!!!” I was having an ultimate fan-girl moment:

It was ridiculous. I was grabbing her arm and giggling and then after he went offscreen, I had a moment where I had to catch my breath because I was barely breathing through the freak-out. I was grabbing my heart and swooning and then Heather stretched out her hand to pretend to rewind the scene. IF ONLY. 🙂

Look, I know he’s gay, but that doesn’t negate the fact that he is so ridiculously adorably quirky and handsome. PS: If you know any straight guys that embody the wonder that is Jim Parsons, please send him my way. 🙂

Anyway, back to the movie . . .

I loved seeing all the modern-day celebs interacting with the muppets and the storyline was sweet. It reminded me what it was like to be a kid again and how important it is to fight for what you believe in. I walked away thinking about how I needed to get my nieces Muppet things for Christmas, as opposed to Hello Kitty or Bratz or whatever else is out there for them. I want them to be able to appreciate the simpler, sweeter, more wholesome things in life.

Since Heather is such a huge giver, she not only paid for my dinner and movie, she also blessed me with 2 other amazing gifts:

A converse tree ornament that is going on my tree when I set it up this Saturday!

A jar of her homemade lotion—lemon scented! This stuff is so wonderful! Every time I put it on, it reminds me of a lemon merengue pie and it just rejuvenates my senses and makes me smile.

I could not ask for a better end to all of my Birthday celebrations! I really am blessed to have such wonderful quality friends who share life and laughter with me.

And because I love it too much NOT to share, here’s a sparkly iced leaf we found on the way out to the car:

So sweet and special, much like my friendship with Heather!

Too-da-loooooooo!

Waiting For Superman

I think about where I am now in my life and the quality education I received that propelled me to it. I feel that from elementary schools to colleges and technical schools, the quality is just declining. I know it sounds a bit out of place, coming from someone who never actually attended college—but I’ve heard real stories about real students at real schools. The fact of the matter is that our society as a whole is encroaching upon a full-blown standard of entitlement. Children expect to have the newest technology and hottest fashion gear. They are turning to expensive gadgets and botox and YouTube fame to define themselves. Young adults expect the working world to hire them based on their “cool factor” as opposed to legitimate knowledge and experience. Having worked at a school where academics were touted as being valued, meanwhile a quality education for them to even be able to write complete paragraphs was absent, caused me to challenge myself as an educator. And older adults expect those younger than them to stop advancing and growing. They want to continue to be respected as being wiser and more-experienced, meanwhile refusing to learn new ways of doing things.

I know it will sound silly to you that I say this (or maybe it won’t), but I think about the education system often. Mainly because I think of my niece every day. She is currently growing up in an area of the city where education is not valued as much as a quick dollar is. Most children who attend Vanessa’s school, will not graduate. The streets, the culture, and the apathy invading her neighborhood will give her a slim-to-none chance to graduate high school much less pursue a successful career. And if those factors weren’t enough, the logistics of the school systems are the big kicker. Schools are financed in part by the taxes of the area the school is in, which means that lower income areas (which hers is), pay less in taxes, so their schools get less money. That means less resources and underfunded staff, which results in a devil-may-care attitude school-wide. I do, however, have hope for her and for the kids in her school to push past the stigmas of society and the cycle of living in a low-income area, to actually succeed. I know it’s possible.

I grew up in an apartment near the Rundberg area of Austin. Most called it “The Burg.” The Rundberg area (and East Austin) had been known by the city as a high-crime sector with a high-dropout-rate when I was younger. Growing up, our apartment complex looked great on the inside. It had some semblance of a backyard (which was actually just a high-fenced porch) for each apartment and there was a pool for the kids in the apartment—although most of the time we were at the pool, we were admiring all the tattoos that the neighborhood kids were giving each other with burnt needles and ink. Most of my evenings were spent on our back porch with my brother and his friends who would experiment with drugs and pyromania. Our neighbors were dealers, porn distributors, and working girls. Most people will ask me why I don’t like guns, and the truth is, “right and wrong gun shots sound the same.” Our neighborhood was constantly patrolled by cop cars and it wasn’t out of the ordinary to have neighbor kids come over because their parents weren’t home—my sibs and I grew up latch-key kids ourselves. I’m not saying that if that happens, kids will be messed up—the rest of the story gets better.

We were lucky enough to be able to use an alternate address to get into the zones of better schools. I got to attend some really great schools. When I was a kid I went to Brentwood Elementary and I was given a QUALITY education. My teachers taught me to treasure music, arts, and the written word. I fought to have my recess time be spent completely in the library learning about the Underground Railroad, and the Titanic, and the Holocaust. I loved every minute of class time because I was learning, I was imagining more and more things, I was able to approach my teachers if I had a question and I knew they’d be ready to answer with a gracious tone. I LOVED being a Brentwood Bulldog!

When it came time to decide on what middle school to go to, I was given the option. I could either go to Burnet Middle School or Lamar Middle School. I had been to Burnet Middle School before for one of my brother’s basketball games and knew that it was going to be one of my options in the future. It was shortly after the time that the Yogurt Shop murders happened. During his game, I took a walk around the school area and I remember seeing the memorial headstone structure for one of the victims in the courtyard. All I could think was, “Why would I want to go here?” So I didn’t. When it came time to choose, I chose to go to Lamar Middle School. While I was there, I participated in Pep Squad and took classes in Theater, Video Production, and Choir. These classes are a pretty major part of my education and who I am today.

The school that Lamar “fed” into was McCallum High School. I was once again given a choice by my mom to pick which school I wanted to go to—McCallum, or Lanier (which we lived 5 blocks away from). Again, when I was younger, Lanier did not have a good rep. It was known as a school for less fortunate students. Kids I knew that attended Lanier spent the majority of their time in gangs and working the streets to get extra money for food for their families. I chose to go to McCallum—partially because I’d known people who had gone there, also because both my parents had graduated from there, and because it was the Fine Arts Academy in the AISD system and I wanted to be a part of that (and I was)! I got to participate in Theater, Tech Theater, Songwriting, Colorguard, and Winterguard. I got to travel with our band to Disney World and Hawaii to march at Epcot, and to New York City to play Carnegie Hall. I got to experience the world on an entirely different level.

I realize that no matter what school you send your kids to (whether you homeschool or not), the effectiveness depends on your student’s resilience to the peer environment, their desire to learn, parent interaction, and the quality of education they are receiving. Most reading this have seen To Sir With Love, Dangerous Minds, Freedom Writers, or at the very least, Take The Lead, so you KNOW it’s possible for the “less fortunate” kids to have teachers in their life who DO make a difference. But after watching the trailer for the documentary Waiting For Superman and hearing stories from friends who are teachers, it leaves me distraught about our current education system but also renews the hope in me that a brighter future for kids is possible.

As I hear stories of Vanessa growing up, I can’t help but want the best for her. I realize that having her live through my same experiences may not be the best thing for her, but the opportunity for her to challenge her mind and to grow in her talents is. As a supporter of quality education and as a believer that there are still ways that we can get involved in joining with local schools to improve a child’s educational experience, I would encourage you to go see this movie. I rarely watch documentaries, but this is one I could not avoid if someone held me at gunpoint . . . okay well maybe that’s a bit extreme, but I’m definitely going to see it!

For more information on Waiting For Superman and the Take Action campaign and how you can help locally, check out: http://www.waitingforsuperman.com/

http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1600178470

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American Daydreams

As I look back through the recent offerings that Hollywood has released in theaters, I find myself wondering, “Can’t they come up with something more original?” I am aware that due to the economy and other fears and facets of the movie-making industry that the safe bet is to ride the 3-D wave while it’s here and to put out as many secure sequels as possible. I get it. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it. In fact, with the exception of Toy Story 3 (which I saw in 2D first), the 3D movies I’ve seen advertised just haven’t seemed to be worthwhile endeavors for me. But all in all, I was in search of something new, something original, something creative that was able to stand on its own without so many extra gimmicks and bells and whistles—and I think INCEPTION did that.

Last night I decided to go to the midnight showing of Inception. Mostly because I was entirely anxious to see it, having read plot lines and script reviews online. Also for the sheer fun of going to a midnight showing! So I drank some coffee to stay awake before I headed out, stuffed my Twizzlers into my bag and headed out the door to experience Inception on the IMAX screen.

I must admit that part of the fun of going to the movies is the things you overhear in line and in the theater. Last night, as I was waiting in line, there were 3 guys on my right hand side talking about their girlfriends and how they don’t really like them. One of the guys even said his girlfriend’s name was “Anna ‘Bail on James’ Murphy,” which made me turn my head and chuckle quietly. The two guys on my left side were MUCH funner anyway. One of the guys had missed a call earlier that day and was trying to guess who it was. “It’s a 406 area code. I wonder if it’s ______. Or maybe it’s _____. Actually I bet it’s ______ cause he said he’d be in _____” So I put my eavesdroppery to good use and looked up the area code on my phone.

“What’s the area code?”

“Oh, it’s 406.”

“Ah. Okay. That’s Montana.”

“Montana! I knew it!”

After that, the guys both turned to me and began asking me what I was looking forward to in the movie. We all shared our relief that it wasn’t in 3D and laughed so hard at different movie jokes from other failed 3D flicks.

We eventually were let into the theater and got to experience the summer blockbuster hit of ingenious proportions. It was so action packed and I fell completely in sync with the characters. I was so engulfed in what was happening to the team on the screen, holding my breath and freaking out at tense scenes. At one point, I turned my head and (no lie) every single person in my row was on the edge of their seats looking up, wondering what was going to happen next. With every twist and turn of the movie, I found myself trying to guess what would happen next, how things were all intertwined, who was good, who was bad, who was going to live, and who was going to die. There were so many things I loved about the movie. The imagination that went into each scene and the score that backed it up kept my hopes up that the movie-making industry might actually be returning to a state of originality and pure character driven masterpieces. I’m still holding out hope.

The actors in the movie did such an amazing job portraying each of their characters and had so much great chemistry that the dialogue and expressions conveyed totally added to the entire package as well. It was refreshing to me that others could see Ellen Page in her true versatile acting form, as opposed to the stereotypical role of JUNO that most identify her with. Joseph Gordon-Levitt completely blew me away in his role and the entire supporting cast was just perfect! And it doesn’t really need to be said, but I’ll say it anyway—Leonardo DiCaprio DID not disappoint! The intensity he brings to each character is wonderful and after seeing him in this movie, it’s just a reassurance that he hasn’t lost his touch.

The action scenes were intense but not overdone. I think my favorite part about it was that Christopher Nolan didn’t feel that he NEEDED the movie to be made in 3D. It was complex, intriguing, and just a fun film to watch without extra bells and whistles. If I were to describe it, I would say it was a combination of The Dark Knight and The Prestige. Others have also mentioned that it exceeds the greatness of Memento—which is saying a lot.

I read this review earlier and it resonated with me:

He did not raise the bar. He took the bar and put it somewhere no one would ever, in their wildest dreams, think of finding it. . . .

Nolan’s exploration of the mysteries of the dream world is entrenched in truthful scientific research while offering a humanistic and philosophical take on how the dream is moved and how it can confuse or rearrange our individual realities. He also juggled multiple story lines, all supposedly progressing at different rates through time, without being the least bit confusing. . . .

But I think this Tumblr user pretty much hit the nail on the head when he said:

I will be INCREDIBLY surprised if the cast and crew of Inception doesn’t sweep every upcoming award show they’re nominated for! I highly recommend you go see this movie. It was worth every dollar I spent on it.

Even after the movie was over, the movie was not over. I got home, went straight to bed and (no lie) had an “Inception-style” dream. Leo DiCaprio was even in it and it was like I was still IN the movie. I felt like I woke up at least 20 times through the night, even though it was probably only 3—when my 1st alarm went off, when my 2nd alarm went off, and when my body finally woke up. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to fall right back asleep to see what would happen next.

Movie Trailer for Inception:

http://www.youtube.com/v/z75o-F6ja2I&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00&border=1

Cherry Bomb

http://www.youtube.com/v/OTpdXKocacQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1

this movie is coming out this weekend and I’m still so completely unsure of whether or not I want to see it in theaters or just wait for the DVD. I’m at an impasse.

I mean, I really really want to see it. I LOVE Joan Jett and I would love to see a movie that celebrates where she came from and how iconic The Runaways were to chick rock. I love Dakota Fanning as well. She’s one of my favorite actresses, and has been ever since I AM SAM. I think she’s an amazing actress who just gets better and better with each role, so I’m really excited to watch her bring Cherie Currie to life on the big screen.

. . . but then we get to the one thing that is my big deterrent. Starts with a K, ends with a Risten Stewart. “The Stew,” as I like to call her . . . is by far one of my LEAST favorite actresses. Her entire personality off screen in interviews annoys me. I feel like every role she takes is the exact same role, just with a different name. I don’t think she’s a good actress at all. She just is not my cup of tea. I ALMOST didn’t watch New Moon because of how poorly I felt she did in Twilight. I fast forward her scenes when I watch Into The Wild. I REALLY wanted to see Adventureland, but I just can’t because even in the movie trailer she annoys me. Cake Eaters? Forget it. I won’t even look for YouTube clips.

There are just some actors and actresses I can handle and some I just can’t. She, unfortunately is one of the latter. So here I am, really really really wanting to see it, but I just don’t know if I’ll be able to enjoy it if I do. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t so picky about movies, but I am. I’m probably going to regret NOT seeing it on the big screen. So I guess the next step is trying to convince myself that it’s not really The Stew playing Joan Jett. Maybe if I just pretend it’s someone more awesome . . . like Barney. 😐 Okay okay. That was harsh. I got a few days until it’s released. I got time. We’ll see how this goes.

———–

BONUS PLUS!!!

i JUST found this and it’s entirely everything I’m talking about!

http://www.youtube.com/v/P3fXV0IvNFc&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1

Meddle

Guess who’s ready for the Oscars tomorrow???

I AM!
and so is . . . Metropolitan Market!

Check it out though:

I gotta admit, I never thought I’d be getting the red carpet treatment at Metropolitan Market.

But it’s true, the Oscars are goin’ down tomorrow and I’m so excited! I love watching the Oscars. I’m really not a fan of the fact that they are including MORE nominees in the catergories though. I think they should stick to the original limit. I feel like half the show is going to be spent reading off the lists of nominees.

I’ll post my predictions tomorrow. 😀

In other news, I went to see Alice in Wonderland and I LOVED it! Tim Burton is one of my faves and I loved the movie!

PS: I want ALL of Alice’s dresses from the flick! They were GORGEOUS and sooo artsy!

This one was my fave though:

Tonight will be exciting as well—I’m going to a LITTLE BOOTS concert tonight with Kayleigh and I fully intend on getting my spaz dance on! 😀

Mi Vida Loca

http://www.youtube.com/v/wKfmsOfYNh8&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1

I’m totally going to see this movie!

You know why? I’ll tell you why:

1. I TOTALLY love America Ferrera—she’s one of my fave actresses

2. It involves a crazy mexican family—like mine!

3. It’s funny—and i like funny movies

4. El Vato dice bye bye—give it up for Spanglish!!

5. I realize that whoever I choose to marry, a little bit of those shenanigans may ensue—I’ll take notes during the movie on how to cut the damage down. 😉

Like O, Like H

This face will haunt my nightmares for years.
I’m sure of it.

I got to watch The Lovely Bones tonight. I’ve read the book—I love it! I’ve now seen the movie—it was WELL done. I want to say I LOVE it cause I really do, but it’s been SO long since I saw a movie that made me cry, made me laugh, and made me want to hire a personal bodyguard all in the same film that it leaves me on the fence of ‘loved it’ and ‘was terrified by it.’ The cinematography was great and the actors did so great. In fact, Stanley Tucci (who is one of my FAVORITE actors) played his role of the villain, George Harvey SO well that I seriously think I’m gonna have nightmares that he’s waiting in the woods to stalk me.

I think Stanley Tucci is one of the MOST AMAZING actors ever—he gives everything he has to portray a character in a way that you forget it’s a character, it becomes reality. He’s just THAT good.

He’s up for a Golden Globe tomorrow night and I’m really hoping he wins. In the meantime, I’m beefing up security in my home and doing a background check on all my neighbors 😉

If you’re brave, go see The Lovely Bones . . . it’ll help keep the Security Alarm business alive in this recession. 😉

She Paints Me Blue

LOOK! I ‘Avatarized’ myself!

This morning in Cafe Ladro, all the baristas were talking about Avatar. For the record, I haven’t seen it. I’ve heard & read mixed reviews. I will probably see it this weekend, though, just to form my own opinion. But hearing them talk about it cracks me up!

Mainly, their conversation was based on how fake Sam Worthington’s English accent was (since he’s from Australia) and how Michelle Rodriguez should have had all her scenes cut. They then jumped on the subject of LOST and how bad she sucked in LOST. I believe the exact quote was:

What was her name on that show again?

For those who can’t remember, it was Ana Lucia, and yeah she wasn’t my fave either. But now that they said that about her character in Avatar, the combination of my dislike of her LOST character and their dislike of her Avatar character will most likely make it hard for me to like her scenes in the movie.

In other news, I came across this yesterday when I was reading reviews. 😀

It’s David Letterman’s . . .

Top Ten Things Overheard In Line To See “Avatar”

10.“What a coincidence! I couldn’t find a woman to go with me either!”

9.“If I wear my 3-D glasses over my 2-D glasses, can I see in 5-D?”

8.“It’s nice that they didn’t overhype this thing”

7.“Last time I saw blue creatures for three hours, I drank too much Nyquil”

6.“It’s set in the year 2154 when America finally passes a health care bill”

5.“Which one is Chewbacca?”

4.“Based on a true story, right?”

3.“Hold on — Tiger’s texting me”

2.“Chuck Schumer just called the ticket taker a b—”

1.“$500 million for a movie — recession’s over!”

Go ahead, you can laugh. 😉

Boys Wanna Be Her

So I’m not gonna lie, it was so hard to watch WHIP IT tonight at the movie theater with an unbiased opinion. I mean . . .

1. It’s set in Austin, Texas where I’m from and I got NOTHING but love for my hometown

2. It’s about roller derby chicks, who I think are completely bad to the bone. Seriously. I know that I don’t seem like it, but I’m totally an alternative chick. From the screamo rock music to the glam makeup to crazy hair colors—I LOVE the alternative tough chick gig.

3. It’s about GIRL POWER! And as a screenwriter, one of my favorite things is making the girl the hero, as opposed to the guy. I dunno why. It’s probably a subconscious thing, or my appreciation for strong women as a whole.

4. I HEART Ellen Page as an actress. It’s so hard for me NOT to like a movie she’s in. That chick just always does a great job, in my opinion.

So yeah. It was tough. But I was able to watch it from a somewhat unbiased perspective. I still enjoyed it a LOT. Mainly because it was a chick flick, but it wasn’t a TYPICAL chick flick with flowers and sob songs and sitting around a couch talking about how “He said he loved me . . . boo hoo . . . that homewrecker . . . boo hoo” business. It was a TOUGH-CHICK FLICK. Thus, I really really liked it.

However, there were things I didn’t like. Let’s start with what I DID like and then we’ll go with what I didn’t like and then I’ll end with some notes about the soundtrack. Kind of that “lather, shave, lather” effect if you will (or if you won’t).

WHAT I LIKED:
The Girl Power. Hands down. That was what made me enjoy the movie the most—the fact that it showed the power of friendships between girls and the fact that it shed some light on some of the more “socially acceptable” view of what a successful woman is and how wrong a lot of the stereotypes are.
The Scenery. Austin, Texas is and will always be my hometown. I’m not gonna lie, a GIANT smile spread across my face when I saw a shot of UNCOMMON OBJECTS on South Congress! And seeing the HI, HOW ARE YOU wall and all the other locations that reminded me of the quirkiness that IS the ATX was just wonderful.
The Actresses: They all did a great job. Even Eve was great as “Rosa Sparks.” I must admit that when I saw her name on the cast list, I had my doubts. Most music artists are NOT good at acting. Eve’s was a very likable character and she pulled it off well. Kristen Wiig and Ellen Page were phenomenal. Juliette Lewis did a great job playing the villain, “Iron Maven”—she made it easy to hate the villain, which is hard to do in a chick flick. I even found myself WISHING that Ari Gaynor had a bigger role.
Bliss’ Journey. There are so many people from small towns that deal with the discouragement of always wanting to break out of the mold, but feeling they can never do it. That feeling that says you’ll never make it. It was great following the main character’s journey and feeling like you were right there with her.
The Portrayal of the Roller Derby Chicks. I LOVED that they gave insight into the lives of the ladies that participate in Roller Derby. It gives them a more “human” side, as opposed to being these tattooed, pierced, ragamuffin trash girls that most assume they are. I’m pretty sure that if I told my family I was going out for Roller Derby, holidays would get a whole lot more awkward. And my parents might disown me. Just sayin. 😉 But yeah, I liked that the story went beyond just these chicks that hit each other.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE:
The Choppy Film. As a disclaimer, I love indie flicks. It’s true. I do. But more importantly, indie flicks that flow smoothly and don’t leave the viewer wondering if the director took the term “CUTTING ROOM FLOOR” a little overboard. And I haven’t read the script so maybe it’s just written that way, but so many of the scenes didn’t flow into one another and were just static jumps. And that kinda . . . okay, no. really annoys me. It’s completely possible and beneficial that unless you are doing some intense action flick (see: Bourn Series) that you keep the scenes running smoothly in a preset order that doesn’t confuse the audience.
The Love Story Arc. I get that she had to be in a relationship, but her whole relationship just seemed a bit too typical and awkward at moments. Mainly because I think the guy wasn’t a really good actor. Sad, I know—but it’s just my opinion. I just felt like there could have been a lot more developed into it in place of some of the more static film shots. I found myself not being able to fall in love with their love story.
The Supermarket Sweep. I felt like the movie tried to focus on so many little things that the few things that could have been BIG hit points were lost in the fuzz. It was almost like watching an episode of Supermarket Sweep, you know, and they have like 15 minutes to get as many things in the shopping cart as possible. That’s just how I saw it. I think when you have a major motion picture, you should focus on 2 or 3 major points like: Adolescent Love, Fear of Living Up to Others’ Expectations, and Fighting Past Stereotypes, as opposed to those 3 plus 15 other things.
The Pool Scene. Watching two people make out under water is a nice cinematic effect. Making it seem like they can make out underwater for 20 minutes without coming up for air is silly. I felt like it took away the realistic factor. I mean, unless somewhere just before, they both turned into merpeople. In which case, I take it back. But also, that would be trying to hard to add the sci-fi twist to the flick.
The Over-Girlyness. I get it. It’s a chick flick. But really, it’s a FULL BLOWN chick flick. And that was kind of a turn off at times. I’m glad that Drew Barrymore helmed the project. She did a pretty good job directing. But it’s like when I try to make a brochure for a car company and involve one too many curly swoops. I think that some parts of the film could be toughed up and made a bit more “macho” if you will. There were certain parts where I was like, “Okay. This has gone from girl power to CHICK TOPIA.” It just seemed so unreal at times. . . then again, it may just be a sign that I need to have more “girly girly girly moments.” But then again, knowing myself, I’d probably run from that sort of environment.

Overall I really DID enjoy it. It made me laugh so much and I loved the acting. It definitely isn’t one of those big award winning films (and I may just have to eat my words with some humble pie if it actually wins an Oscar) but it was a great Tough Chick Flick. And I DO have to congratulate the screenwriter and the director and all of them because this is SUCH a unique type of film. It’s not Mona Lisa Smile. It’s not Steel Magnolias. It’s not The Next Karate Kid (which, by the way, should NEVER have been made). It’s not Sleepless in Seattle. It’s like MIRACLE for chicks. And I haven’t seen a movie like that in a long while.

The music was great as well! The music supervisor did a great job! I loved that it involved a lot of different styles. I think my favorite song from the soundtrack is the LOLLIPOP remix. It’s a perfect chick steeze ‘get pumped up, ready to rumble’ angle on that song. 😀 Also good songs from the album Har Mar Superstar’s cover of Never My Love and Crown of Age by The Ettes.