Looper, Hotel Tran, The Master and Pitch Perfect: Reviewed!

    This weekend wasn't a fantastic weekend for movies in general but it did provide us with one of the greatest sci-fi movies of the year, I was very impressed by it. For those that are new to the blog please read this ARTICLE in order to learn about our rating system the MMM, it'll make the whole grading thing make a lot more sense. One discrepancy is upon us for this post though, I did not watch one of these movies and am counting on a close friend's opinion on it, so there will be no MMM rating for that particular movie, keep in mind that all that is said about that movie is coming from my friend Marie, she knows her stuff, but alas, let's start this thing already.

 Looper (R) MMM Rating: 4 stars

    Making a film about time travel is always difficult and it always leaves some holes that make the whole story either lacking something or confusing. This particular movie does not fall into this category, "Looper" does not disappoint, it truly delivers a great cinematic experience and a full bodied story. The cast is superb and the direction the movie takes is profound in various ways. This is by far the best sci-fi movie I've seen this whole year, and that is a big deal for we've seen some sci-fi giants so far this year. This movie has everything you could want though, fighting, romance, deep plots, good acting, basically everything one could desire from a good film, I recommend this movie for sure, you should watch it and buy it when it comes out, a great addition to your collection.

  Hotel Transylvania (PG) MMM Rating 3 stars

     A hotel for monsters where humans are treated as the real threat, this was a great idea, not something that has never been done but something that has never been done well, in a children's movie kind of way. The movie was a true blast to see, the jokes were fresh, the story progression was fluid, and both adults and children in the theater were entertained throughout the whole performance, it was a stand up flick. There hasn't been an animation this good in a little while, we were due for a good kids animation movie. The only thing I thought was cliche and though the kids liked it I thought they could have done without was the ending rap scene, it's just so cliche, Shrek did it and they did it well, then everyone decided to do it as well and now it's just kinda old, besides that though this was a fun watch.

   The Master (R) MMM Rating 3.5 stars

    If you are in the mood for a dense movie with a heavy plot and controversial themes this is the movie for you. "The Master" is not your typical drama, it messes with your interaction with each character within the picture, you go from liking a character to hating them to being ensure about them to just not knowing how to react. This is the type of movie where if I say too much it might ruin some of the awesomeness of it thus I will refrain from speaking about plot points within the movie. Tell you what though, Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman where brilliant, it's tough to find a film where Hoffman is not fantastic in, but this one he shone in ways that he hasn't in a little while and it was good to see Joaquin impressing us once more. If you are into heavy dramas I recommend you give this movie a chance, not everyone will like this movie though, it's just that kind of movie.

   Pitch Perfect (PG-13) MMM Rating [Not Rated]

      I did not go watch this flick so these are the impressions given by Ms Marie. "The movie was really cute and funny, I took my roommates so just us girls, to go watch it. This is not a guy movie, I would never drag my boyfriend to go see this, but it's definitely a good girl night out flick. The movie is witty and cute and I had a blast throughout the whole thing, this is definitely not the greatest movie I've ever seen but it was a fun one to watch. Grab some friends together and give it a chance, I know you'll enjoy it, leave the guys at home though, well, unless you enjoy torturing your man".

   And there you have it, hope your weekend it going well, stay safe and have fun,

  Love from your humble blogger,

sWooZie Will Make Your Friday Awesome

   Due to movie theaters in my area deciding that midnight movies and premiers are a no go, all movie posts will from this point on be moved to Saturdays, this way I get to watch every movie prior to talking about them, what kind of reviewer would I be if I didn't watch everything I reviewed. So in keeping with the theme for this week I wanted to introduce you to another YouTube channel I've been a fan of for a long time, this guys is hilarious and definitely is deserving of your time. I'll try to post some of these in order and yes some of them are long, but def worth a watch, I promise you won't regret it, well I hope you won't at least. sWooZie is hilarious, give it a watch and if you enjoy some of the videos here be sure to go on his page and watch the rest of them, they will provide you with some lolz for sure. 

  

I hope these brighten your day if you are having a bad day, if you're having a good day then I hope these make it that much more awesome. sWooZie is a boss, make sure to check out the rest of his videos, he's got some really good stuff on his page.

  Love from your humble blogger,

Make Your Wednesday Awesome With "Bad Lip Reading"

  In keeping with the theme for this week I thought posting another series of videos from another of my favorite channels just might brighten your week some more. These are from "Bad Lip Reading", BLR has been doing videos for quite some time now and I've loved their content since their first videos started to show up on the net, definitely a talented crew and a really funny idea. Some videos are funnier than others of course, but for the most part I find myself laughing a few times in every video I watch from them. Hey, Wednesday is not as bad as Monday, but it still isn't Friday so maybe some of these videos will cheer you up and make this Wednesday be awesome, while you look forward to the weekend.

Hope you got some lolz out of watching some of these videos. I recommend you watch the original videos and movies that they are making of parody of, it makes the videos ten times funnier. Well, I hope your week goes well, and pray that you all stay safe,

 Love from your humble blogger,

HISHE Tribute: Make Your Monday Awesome

      So today is Monday, and Monday's are never the best, well I guess sometimes they can be, on the off chance that something awesome happens like we have a holiday or something, but usually Monday's aren't any fun and thus the need for humor in order to make Monday's become fun. YouTube is always a good choice, a few laughs here and there go a long way to making any day just a little brighter. With all that said today we'll be featuring a few videos from one of my favorite YouTube channels, How It Should Have Ended, check out their site HERE. Hopefully these videos will brighten your day a bit, they did mine for sure.

  Hope you liked them :)

  Love from your humble blogger,

"Dredd", "End Of Watch" And Clint's Latest Reviewed

    There were a lot of good movies that came out this weekend, more than I could watch in a few days that's for sure. The one movie I wanted to watch the most was "The Perks Of Being A Wallflower" and though I sought the movie out I cannot for the life of me find a movie theater close to where I live that is playing the movie, which saddens me greatly. There are a lot of mixed reviews flowing the web regarding this movie, I recommend you check it out, let me know what you think, should I even bother with trying to watch it? Anyway, on we go. If you are new to the blog and are not familiar to our rating scale, MMM, then please read the article explaining it HERE.

  End Of Watch (R) MMM Rating 4 stars

    I've seen a lot of cop movies over my life, some good, most bad, but honestly I felt like this was the first "real" police officer movie I've ever seen. The cast was perfect, it felt real, it was raw and it did not attempt to apologize for itself, this movie was fantastic. Be warned that there are some really hard scenes to watch in this movie but they are real scenes, they touch on the basic cruel nature of humanity while at the same time others scenes touch on the beauty that can be found in humans as well. This is the first movie I've ever seen that depicts the life of a police officer in such a realistic way, it is a movie so there will be flaws, but there is no other movie out there that makes you respect the job like this one, in fact you leave the movie theater with a new perspective on what a police officer experiences. If you are ok with strong movies do go watch this one, it was a great flick, one you should own for sure and the best movie to come out this weekend.

   Dredd (R) MMM Rating 3 stars  

    Many people don't know this but Judge Dredd is based off of a comic book, shocking I know. This is important to note, for this is no re-make of the butchered attempt by Stallone so many years back, but a true representation of the comic books, this is a real Dredd movie. With that noted you should expect a few things, tons of violence, tons of gore, tons of curse words, lots of fight scenes, and very little dialogue. If you are ok with all that then you're set for an awesome experience. Dredd is not a movie for everyone and I think that fans of the comics will be the ones to love this movie the most, but it was an entertaining movie, I wouldn't recommend it to everyone but I did enjoy it. If you are familiar with the comic books you know where I'm coming from, they are a fun read but not everyone could deal with the heavy material. In the end though this was a great Dredd movie, definitely go watch it if you are a fan.

   Trouble With The Curve (PG-13) MMM Rating 2.5 stars

   I love Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams is as fantastic as ever but this movie is only any good or captivating at all because of them two, that's an undeniable fact. Had there been two other actors doing this movie and this flick would have been an overall flop. The movie is a fun Saturday afternoon film, it doesn't have an original plot, or a twist, you know what's going to happen even before you watch it, but it still was a entertaining experience. It's not the greatest movie Clint has ever been in but it's not the worst, it's something in the middle that reminds us that Clint is still just a man and that sometimes he can be in mediocre movies. If you are looking for something simple, something you can count on not to shock you or challenge you, then this is the movie for you. I think everyone will enjoy this movie, it was a good movie, but it just simply wasn't great.

     The Perks Of Being A Wallflower (PG-13) MMM Rating [pending]

 Watch the preview, it looks great, if you have a chance to watch it then let me know what you thought.

   

And there you have it, hope you all have a great weekend and pray that it is a safe one for all of you,

    Love from your humble blogger,

Friday post postoned to Saturday

    Due to the fact that I haven't been able to watch all the movies for this post yet I'll be writing the reviews tomorrow.

     Hope you all have a great Friday :)

   Love from your humble blogger,

How Having Good Friends Changed My Life

     We've heard from our parents and teachers all our lives how having the right friends or keeping the right company can aid us in living a good life. This gets tiring after a while and in some cases it even brings about an extra added rebellion in us that causes us to go and make some friends that our parents and teachers do not approve of, this is a pretty standard rebellion among people of all ages. In the end of the day though they are right, it sucks but it's true, your friends do begin to define you, they are the ones that will either aid you in growing or be the ones to help you fail in life. Before you tune me out here, hear me out, these are some things I've learned in my own life and some friends I've had that have aided me in life in various ways.

    One of many steps you can take to having good friends that will aid you in life is to find people that are better than you in aspects of life that you are bad in. This can vary from being able to talk to girls, to sports, to thinking deeply, to being a good student and so forth. This step is crucial, good friends are those that are always there for you and those that call you out when you're being dumb. If you only surround yourself with people who you are better than then you will have a tough time growing for they will probably never call you out on stuff, they'll just assume you're always being smart, being that you're better than them. It sounds silly, and in theory this might even sound shallow, but in practice this is generally the case. Keep in mind here that I'm speaking about close friends, like best friends, not all friends, if you're the type of person that has 30 close friends then this post might get a little tough for you, well, depending on your confidence level.

       I tend to have a tough time discerning sometimes if something is going to be offensive or not to different people, no joke, I've legitimately cracked jokes, or pulled pranks on friends, colleges and etc thinking that they would find it funny only to offend a ton of people in the end, its a rather taxing flaw of mine. In High School though a friend came along, Lyle, and in college another friend, Crane, came along to aid me stop being a moron. These two guys have changed my life in the most significant of ways. You might call them "jerks" but these guys to me were "blunt realists", they constantly put me in my place and stopped me from doing a lot of stupid stuff. These are the perfect kind of friends to have, both were obnoxiously brilliant,  both helped me grow exponentially and for some reason they both liked hanging out with me, good times for sure. This is what I mean though, I have a flaw, and in life have found friends that have aided me in this flaw, that's what having good friends is all about.

     In Grad school I was blessed to have another friend like that show up in my life but this guy was actually a really nice guy, Mike, I like to call him my American dad. So as stated in the previous post I'm originally from Brazil, this meant that even when we moved here I never really had an "American" childhood. I never played catch, or went camping, or learned fishing, or worked on the car, or hunted, mine was a different type of childhood. This is where Mike has been a great aid in my life, not only did he teach me to play baseball but we joined a team and I got to score my first run, afterward I even got an icy, I never had one before, this might sound bizarre to you but it meant a lot to me, it was like finally getting to have these experiences. I've been a naturalized American for about two years now, but I'll tell you what, never have I felt more American then after playing baseball, getting an icy, and going home to watch "The Sandlot" for the first time, it was epic. I had good parents mind you, this is not a gripe about them, I love them dearly, but I've enjoyed learning from Mike, a great friend for sure.

     One of the most essential type of friends to have and hold on to are the listeners within your life. You'll always find people that love to talk but those that love to listen, those are the ones you should always treasure for they are a rare breed and a valuable one at that. I can think of five people within my own life that fit this bill, 2 which are present right now and 3 that I've been friends with since High School. A fact of life is that you'll always have problems, you'll always go through tough times, and the best way to deal with your problems is to talk them out with people you trust, having friends that not only are good listeners but love you and care for you is a must in life. Too often do we hide our feelings and bottle up our emotions only to blow up later and cause more problems, thus I recommend you find a friend you can trust and vent to to your hearts content.

    Having good close friends is a blessing and I hope that you'll be able to find some someday if you don't already have them. I hope your week has been going well and pray that you all stay safe.

  Love from your humble blogger,

How Reading Changed My Life

      I was born in Brazil and only moved to the States when I was eleven, I spoke no English mind you except for the classics like: "I want cheeseburger" or "How are you?" and so forth, this obviously put me in an interesting place when starting my education in the states. Middle School is rough for kids that are a bit different, I was no exception, put a Brazilian kid that knows little English in there and you got yourself an easy target for jokes and mockery. At the time strength was what got me out of the radar, a bit of muscle here and there and people just tend to leave you alone afterward. It took me a while to finally find a way to learn the language better, and after a few months I finally knew what the direction I needed to take, reading, that was the answer to my language problem.

     For me reading started slowly, my vocabulary was miniscule so big books were out of the picture, so I started with kids books, picking up anything I could to read as much as possible. My mother used to take us to the library a bit so that helped as well, good parenting is always a great aid. I focused on simple exercises like listening to a song and reading the lyrics, trying to understand the meaning of the song and the dictation in order to be able to sing each particular song well. I'm not a great singer so obviously that was a difficult thing. This was the beginning process before getting to "real" books, it was children's books, music, comic books, magazines and eventually I worked my discipline enough and learned enough English to read "real" books. It was one of the most defining accomplishments till that point in my life, I was about fourteen at the time.

    I'll always remember the first "real" book I read in English, "Lord Of The Rings", it took me like 3 months to read the whole thing but the sense of accomplishment from reading it was a high I had never had before, like beating a really hard game, or winning a tough sports match, this was my tiny awesome victory. So this adventure into reading took off and more and more books began to be added to my collection, I also at this time got very into comic books thus graphic novels started being added to my collection as well, and through this process, slowly but surely not only did I start to read faster and comprehend more and more but my speech got better, my writing got better and my critical thinking also improved significantly.

   I originally started reading in order to improve my vocabulary but never did I expect, in my young mind, that reading would improve my life so much, it was as if every book I consumed changed me little by little. By the time I reached 10th grade I moved on to heavier material, I picked up Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard and Plato. Looking back I understand that these four where not the best way to start my philosophy education but I knew nothing about the subject so how was I to know where to start, keep in mind this were pre-wikipedia days. So diving in to the deep end of the pool my education continued and learning heavier material increased my understanding of the world, life, and aided me in being a better writer, thinker and also aided my speech as well, reading kinda does that.

    This process continued way into College and Grad School, it is one of the major things that separates student's skill in the classroom. Reading is one of the best ways to help you in life, it'll increase your imagination, it'll aid you in your critical thinking, it'll help your writing and it'll expand your vocabulary. There are a ton of benefits that come from reading, and I've experienced a few of those withing my own life. I encourage you to pick up a book this month and start setting a reading goal per year, something like 10-20 books is a good average, if you can do more then do so, I personally read a lot more as well, but 10-20 is a good start. You'll see the benefits right away, it's like exercising but for your mind, it seems like a good thing to exercise. 

  Hope you all had a great weekend and pray that this coming week might be a great one for you.

Love from your humble blogger,

An Apology for an Old Post About Best Friends Dating Your Exs

   I recently learned that one of my previous posts offended some people that were involved with the post. It's interesting, I was unaware how many people actually read this blog that are part of my day to day life. I want to apologize for any hurt the post might have caused, it was not meant to injure any of you and I'm ashamed at myself that I wasn't more vague within my own post, I could have gone about constructing a post in a much more elaborate fashion on the subject instead of being so direct about it, as an instructional post for other people going through similar situations, I not only failed at writing a decent post but offended you all as well, for that I am truly and sincerely sorry. I apologize from the bottom of my heart that this has caused any harm to any of you. Please know that this will never occur again and that I count this as a life lesson, I was not only wrong but I see now how appalling the whole post was, please accept my sincere remorse,  the post has been deleted and will never surface again.

    honestly and from the heart,

         Mario Ransan

10 Years, R.E., Arbitrage, E2 and Campaign Reviewed!

     There were some interesting selections this weekend, one that impressed a whole lot, one that was par for the course and one that disappointed some. On top of that I got to watch some movies that have come out in the last two to three weeks that I didn't get to give a chance to prior which is always nice. So without further ado let's dive right in. First things first though, if you are not familiar with our rating system the MMM, then please follow this LINK and read the article there, it'll make more sense of the ratings.

    10 Years (PG-13) MMM Rating: 1 star

     So we have the normal High School reunion format with a new up and coming cast to follow it along. The movie follows the general drama you would expect from a High School reunion, you have some love triangles, someone who wants to get married but can't get over their crush, a remorseful bully and so forth, pretty standard and to the book. Overlooking the fact that this is the best looking High School bunch ever created, this movie failed in the most important element, humor. Frankly I didn't find this movie that funny, I also thought a lot of the humor was very forced, as in they tried to play on controversial points in order to get laughs but really only got boos. This isn't a movie you should pay to see, wait for it to come on TV, or watch it with come friends and make fun of it, that's the only way I feel that this movie would turn out fun.

    Resident Evil: Retribution (R) MMM Rating: 2 stars

    I'm a huge Resident Evil fan, played through all the games, and have seen all the movies, so when I say this movie is comparable to your general Jason Statham movie I feel like I know what I'm talking about, maybe just out of shear love for the franchise. The whole story of Resident Evil, within the games, is brilliant, truly awe inspiring and are all fun to play. The movies started off right, following the game plot and keeping up with the characters we learned to love, but took a twisted turn on their third through fifth installments, it's not to say that these are bad movies, but they are just not great productions. This falls under your general "Jason Statham" story arch due to the fact that the movie is simple, it's action to have more action, there's no real story working it's way within it, and the story that is being told could be told in a mere ten minutes or so. With all that said, if you liked the previous movies then go watch this one, you'll like it, but if you are looking for something engaging and smart then this is not the movie for you.

    Arbitrage (R) MMM Rating: 3 Stars

   Oh Richard Gere, how awesome are you? So this movie is by far the best release this weekend, if you are ready for a good thriller that will mess with your emotions and your conception of morals this is the right movie for you. This movie messes with you in a few ways, the story follows a thief of a business man who has more negative qualities then any other lead character I've seen in a while. The whole time we follow him and understand that this guy is a selfish prat, that there really isn't any redeeming quality about him but in the end you still cheer for him to win, that's where your morals are being tested, why do we cheer for him, why does it seem that he should get away with it, I personally think it's due to how messed up our sense of right and wrong is in today's culture, this is a good mirror into our own souls type of movie. If you are looking for something more engaging this weekend then I recommend this movie, there really isn't anything else out that can fight on the same level as this movie, but just because it is the best along the line of bad movie this does not make it a 4 star movie, that's an important distinction to make around these times.

  The Expendables 2 (R) MMM Rating: 2 stars

    The first installment in this franchise was released as a half joke half serious movie, the movie had a plot, a beginning and an end, it had decent dialogue and it delivers exactly what it promises, the most brash action movie ever made. The second installment takes this whole thing a notch higher, we have a bigger cast, more action and less serious, meaning the movie goes from being half and half to being 1/3 serious, 2/3 humor. In the end though, this movie is truly entertaining, you laugh and cringe throughout the whole thing but you stay glued to the screen wondering what they will do next. The play on Chuck Norris was brilliant, and his line about a king cobra will forever be funny to me, it was awesome that Chuck was down for making fun of his own legacy. This is your perfect action satire, with some of the best action heroes ever to be on the big screen, if you are a fan of action movies I recommend you watch this one, it's definitely a fun one.

  The Campaign (R) MMM Rating: 1.5 stars

    Poor storyline, zero plot (of any significance) and really no overly funny moments (if you have seen the preview), this is how I would describe my "The Campaign" experience. I wouldn't count this as the worst movie ever made, nor would I say that this movie lacks humor, but I am saying that this movie was disappointing in that it not only did not meet the hype but also failed to be very entertaining from beginning to end. I'm a huge fan of both actors and frankly this movie just didn't do it for me, it's again another title for you to watch with some friends and make fun of the whole way through. Some jokes got me laughing but they weren't enough to make this more than a one and a half star movie, it's just not that good and I don't recommend it. But if it comes on TV and you are bored out of your mind then do give it a watch, maybe in the right setting this thing is a masterpiece, maybe, with the wind behind it.

   This wraps up another Friday movie review, hope you all had great weeks and pray that this weekend might be a joyous one and a safe one for you all.

 Love from your humble blogger,

How Crying Changed My Life

     There was another lesson I learned when I was young that brought me much distress when I got older, the teaching that showing your emotions is a bad thing and that guys don't cry. It seems dumb to some when they hear the rule, it is obvious that that is a dumb rule, that this is something unhealthy and prejudicial that has been passed down from various generations, but it was ingrained in me just as it is ingrained in many men and women around the world. For men the saying is a little different, the opposite saying is that women are always emotional, both are false and both rob us of reaching our full potential as human beings, we need to put a stop to this in order to aid future generations.

     The stigma came about my the whole thought that the man is supposed to be the protector of the house, that a man is superior and therefore cannot show weakness when around his wife, if weakness is shown she might think you are weak and that could lead to other complications. This whole dilemma is more complicated then some would like to admit, a lot of it had to do with women not having rights, a lot had to do with arranged marriages, also the marrying age plays a huge role as well, and if we take in the more barbaric times in human history then yes it was very important for the man to be tough and be able to protect the home, but all those factors are no longer in play today, we are under a new era and new eras need new rules.

      There is a deep seeded problem when it comes to following old customs in today's age, the issue arises in the fact that this not only does not work but that causes more harm than good. In today's age there are no sword wielding bandits that will try to rob you causing you to have to be tough and battle ready, today we have guns which both men and women can operate and defend the house with, women have rights and we no longer are living in a western. The marriage age is later, on average mid 20's instead of mid teens, and we also don't have arranged marriages but mostly marry for love, divorce is more accepted now so worry of spousal murder is no longer a thing (in most cases). We live in a different world now, so this whole macho "boys don't cry" thing actually causes men to suffer more, to go through some deep sad times they don't have to go through.

     Here is a simple concept that has proven true, if you do not face your emotions head on but hide them, there will come a time where your emotions overwhelm you and you either lose control over something small, develop some deep psychological trauma, or cry over the smallest things, basically you can have a major breakdown, no one can hold on to all their emotions and never let them out, it's just not how we were built. You know, even in the olden days when a friend passed away they would cry to their heart's content, they would tare their clothing in half and mourn for a few days. Today if you cry for a fallen friend then you are "weak", looked at as a lesser man, as someone that needs to learn how to close his feelings off still, this is the other problem to this dumb rule, not only do people enforce it but they also upped the scale of the rule, it's like every man should be like Clint Eastwood in one of his westerners, never showing emotion no matter what.

   Well I'll tell you another rule that goes against this rule, "Sometimes it is good to have a good cry when tough times strike". You don't have to do it in public, you can use a movie if that will justify it better for you, just sit in your room and let it out, let it all out, after you're done you'll feel a lot better, a ton better, and be more in control of your emotions. Not only that but when your friends ask you how you are doing be honest and tell them that you're going through a tough time, don't worry, they are your friends, friends care when their friends are suffering. Sometimes we make ourselves feel alone by the fact that we don't open up to anyone, how is anyone going to help you if you never open up to them. This applies to close friends and family. Though taking this to the extreme and being open to everyone is another absurd we should seek to avoid, that brings about a whole new set of problems.

   Well, I hope you have a good cry sometime this week and that this post might aid you in being more open with yourself and others when it comes to tough struggles within your life.

  Love from your humble blogger,

How Having A Female Friend Changed My Life

     For the longest time in my life I've always held to the simple truth that guys and girls can not be best friends. This was instilled in me by the constant drama that came from having close friends that were the opposite sex, on both sides mind you, there always seemed to be drama coming from either side causing any type of close friendship with the opposite sex to be something that could never truly work. Hidden agendas as in trying to get into each other's pants, having a secret crushes or trying to get something out of the friendship is a constant issue for those that try to have close friends of the opposite sex, this seemed like a dumb move and thus I've always steered clear of it, why would I ever succumb to such a risk of stress and drama just to have a female friend?

     Until recently I've always been the type to have multiple girlfriends a year, dating is a lot of fun. In my younger days, in High School and Undergrad, I was a little out of control and never really settled down with anyone, I actually ended up being in many horrible relationships which all tainted me more and more against ever allowing myself to possibly be close to anyone, from getting cheated on to dating girls that had severe issues, it was a mess. There was obviously something wrong with me, some type of dependence in having someone around, a lack of self-esteem, some need for acceptance but really I think this whole thing happened because of the fact that I was taught at a young age that guys and girls couldn't be friends.

      The physical aspect within a relationship is fun, sure, but that wasn't why I dated so much, it was due to the fact that I didn't know how to be friends with a girl without more being involved, I had no idea how to get close to a girl and not take it to the next level, this is a problem. This meant that the majority of the time that I dated someone it was due to the fact that I just wanted a close friend that was a girl to talk to but due to my upbringing just couldn't fathom doing so outside of the dating world. Personally I think this is a huge issue within today's society, something I've experienced and something I've seen many experience as well.

      As a general rule guys don't like talking about their personal issues with other guys. It is rare for a group of guys to be able to sit down and talk about their issues to one another, in fact the only place I've ever heard of something like that happening is church groups, or accountability groups, but rarely do you experience that within male friendship. Girls are different though, a girl will listen and not only just listen but she'll care, she'll sit there and let you talk, she'll give you some advice and help you understand yourself better in the process. Obviously this is a bit of a generalization, but in my personal experience this had been the case.

     Recently I became close friends with a girl, I broke my rule and decided to give this whole being friends with a girl thing a shot, and it has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. I would say that this platonic friendship is the exception to the rule but I've recently witnessed many friendships of the like working thus the rule was tossed out in my book. This friendship has changed my whole perspective on relationships, and has made dating for me irrelevant, I love women, don't take me wrong but due to the way by which I've looked at relationships for my whole life this friendship has not only opened my eyes to my reoccurring self-destructive patterns but also the fact that I would rather wait for someone that I fall head over heels over then to just date random people. The need for female friendship is being met and therefore the need to date a lot becomes a second thought, it's an interesting phenomenon.

    It's a very American thing to encourage guys and girls to not be close, in other countries such as Italy or Brazil friendship between sexes is a norm and it shows, specially in the way they behave towards each other. If you're a guy and you are like me, having this dumb rule clouding your judgment, I recommend you find a close female friend, it will not only change your life but will aid you in being able to know yourself better and be able to grow in various ways. This is a balance though, it's not one or the other but both, you should have close guy friends and close girl friends, balance is important in life.

   My hope is that this post might help at least one of you out there to not commit the same mistakes I committed for so long, and possibly save you from much heartache and headache.

  Love from your humble blogger,

Lawless, Paranorman and Timothy Green Review

      Unfortunately Branded is not playing in the area I currently reside, it's a super sad thing for me for I was looking forward to watching the movie ever since Comic-Con, too bad really. Out of the three movies coming out there really wasn't any other movie in the list that fit the theme that "Branded" was trying to pull, thus I dropped "Branded" and picked up a children's movie, it seemed like the right move at the time. Anyway, as soon as "Branded" makes it's way to Waco, TX I'll review it, for now though I'll just have to settle with not seeing it for a while. Maybe brands are behind "Branded" not being shown everywhere *tum tum tum*. Before we begin, if you have not read how the MMM scale works you can find the article HERE.

   Paranorman (PG) MMM: 2.5 Stars 

  It's difficult to call "Paranorman" a kids movie due to the amount of mature content within the film, I can only think of one response to this phenomenon, either there have always been adult themes in all children's movies or they recently started adding some in order to entertain parents and make more money, personally I think it's a combination of both, there have always been adult themes but lately there are a ton more. "Paranorman" is a tasteful movie about zombies and a witch causing havoc within a town and our boy Norman (who can see dead people) is the one that has to save the day. The movie is entertaining I wouldn't call it awesome, it's a fake Tim Burton picture, that's the best way to put it. There was one thing that put me off though, not because of the theme but because it didn't quite fit in the movie, the last comment by Mitch, it not only didn't fit the story but it felt like the director was trying to push a controversy on us, like maybe people would make a big deal about it and make the movie more money, who knows why he had to go that far, maybe there is a legitimate reason and that (maybe) would be ok. Adding things within a movie just for controversy without it fitting the story at all is super not cool and annoying, in fact it makes light of the controversy, a mere gimmick, but I can't fault the whole movie for one little oversight, thus the movie gets to be a little better than a Jason Statham movie.

  The Odd Life Of Timothy Green (PG) MMM: 3 stars

  One of the most important things in going to watch this movie is knowing that it does have a slow pace, more so than what you are probably accustomed to. The movie is about Timothy Green and how he came miraculously to two parents who wanted kids, their relationship with him and his impact on the community they live in. The movie starts with both parents in the adoption clinic telling the odd story of Timothy in order to try to convince the agency to allow them to adopt, that's basically the whole story summed down. Now this is what most will see when they watch this flick, but there is more to this movie. What this movie is really about relates to the very real difficulties in parenting, the fact that no matter how hard you try you can never stop making mistakes, and it is all due to love, it is all due to care, and that's beautiful. There was a line in the movie where the head lady in the agency asks them "will you stop making those mistakes that you made with Timothy if you adopt?" and their reply is not only the most honest reply ever but the sort of reply every honest parent would have to make if put in a similar circumstance, "no, no, we would try to not make the same mistakes, but we would probably learn from making new ones", this is the kind of self-assessment every parent should have. The movie is moving and I recommend it, it isn't a perfect movie but it was an  emotional experience.

   Lawless (R) MMM: 4 stars 

     If I were to list the whole stellar cast that is involved within this movie it would take up half of this paragraph, thus I'll forgo that, but check out the cast HERE. The first thing that needs to be said about this film is that it is based off of a true story, and that's pretty awesome. I did do some reading on the event after watching the movie and for the most part the screen adaptation was done pretty well, so that's two thumbs up so far. The movie is thoroughly entertaining, it keeps you engaged from beginning to end, it messes with you at times and plays on your emotions, "Lawless" will keep you engaged and emotionally involved till it's very end, I definitely recommend this movie. There is one thing though that I must warn you about, this movie is violent, not your standard violent, but old country violent, some scenes are rough to see, just be prepared for that if you go watch it. The movie was great though, Tom Hardy truly has come a long way as an actor, this was a great performance by him. If you got some time I recommend you give this movie a shot, I really enjoyed it.

   And there you have it, hope you have a great weekend and pray that it might be a safe one,

  Love from your humble blogger,

Be In The Know Friday's: A New Update

   With a new rating system, MMM, in place now we can start looking at the changes the blog will be taking regarding our Friday posts. During the summer it made sense to make Friday be the designated movie day where some of the bigger movies coming out where reviewed and fully critiqued. Now that the summer has past and the end of the year blockbusters are still so far away it just doesn't make sense anymore to spend a whole post talking about a mediocre movie that is coming out, thus a new standard is going to be set, from now on every time we are at the "off season of good movies" the blog will review three to six movies that have either come out and been neglected or are coming out in the particular weekend the post is done in.

    Other movies that have already come out might make their way into the list as well, as in *remember this old classic* type deal, the possibilities are endless. So instead of seeing a (as in one) movie being reviewed on Fridays you'll see either three or more movies being reviewed, this chain will of course be broken if a movie comes out that deserves a full page review, right now the chances of this happening are slim for the movie selection hasn't really impressed much, their doing a remake of Dredd for crying out loud! Anyway, I hope this change might make our Friday posts more entertaining to you being that we'll be covering more genres as well.

   Well here is a line up for the next four weeks (the movies are subject to change):

September 7th
 
  Lawless

  The Odd Life Of Timothy Green

  Branded


September 14th

   Resident Evil: Retribution

   The Words

   Hit And Run


September 21st

    Dredd 3D

    Trouble With The Curve

    End of Watch


September 29th

     Looper

     Hotel Transylvania

     The Master


    Hope this change will not only engage more readers but allow for more feedback regarding our Friday posts, always good to change things up from time to time,

  Love from your humble blogger,

Mario's Movie Meter or MMM Explained

    I recently got to experience something that all bloggers dream would occur to them, I met one of my readers in real life and got some real life critique and input on what I should write more about, what I should change, improve and so forth, let's call him MC for writing purposes. So MC was talking about the movie reviews, how they were missing something crucial, a rating system. MC went on to describe the many different ways one could go about creating a rating system and stated that without one the whole of the review just seemed lacking, like there was no real conclusion because in the end the reader doesn't really know what the rating really means. This troubled me and I had to concede that he had a point, and it spawned a conversation on names for this epic meter, MC came up with the triple M, Mario's Movie Meter, I instantly loved it, it's simple, and catchy, it's not fancy and corny, thus I was down. So without further ado here is an explanation of the Triple M, may this be your guide for all future movie reviews done in this blog in the future.

   MMM Rating: Instant Classic (I.C.)

     
  Sometimes in rare days, usually over the summer, there comes a movie that not only stands out among the rest but elevates itself to such a level that it cannot be rated anything but an Instant Classic. This is a rare occurrence and will not be a rating you'll see used much, but it does exist. The movies within this list are not perfect movies, these movies are not like the 5 star movies in dealing with how Oscar worthy the  movie was, these movies are in a different scale. Key examples are movies like "The Godfather", "Star Wars", "The Big Lebowki", all three movies differ in genre and style, and all three movies have their flaws, but all three movies are classics, they are beyond the five point scale, these are the movies that will live on forever and deserve much more respect.

   MMM Rating: 5/5

   The best way to describe a five star movie is to name a few titles that best encompass this particular rating, movies like "Shawshank Redemption", "Gladiator", "American Beauty", "Shakespeare In Love", "Midnight In Paris" and "Saving Private Ryan" are all a good balance of what a five star movie looks like. These are the movies that capture us, that dominate our souls for the whole two hours of showtime. Not only are these movies well directed and written, but these movies have a fantastic cast of brilliant actors and actresses that have come together to create gold. Five star movies are the type that you buy and add to your collection, the type you defend when someone speaks ill of it, the one you feel attached to even after just watching it from the theater. A five star rating is a big deal.

  MMM Rating 4/5

     A good example to define this rating is "The Book Of Eli". The movie has a good cast, a good theme, it has everything one needs in order to have a successful movie but in the end it leaves you craving for a little more, a little lack of cheese at times or a little more background on the theme we are seeing. These movies are great, amazing even, these are the ones you definitely go watch in theaters and maybe add it to your collection of movie if the price drops under fifteen dollars. Though these movies are great and though they capture your attention, they just lack the necessary magic found in five star rating movies, it isn't a big deal though, you enjoyed yourself all the way through, it was a good time, just not a stellar "I'm going to watch this movie ten more times" kind of vibe.

  MMM Rating 3/5

     "The Amazing Spiderman" is a perfect example of a three star movie. It's a movie with a good cast but not a great one, with a nice story not a brilliant one, which entertains you fully but does not wow you in any way, it's definitely the kind of movie you would watch again if it came on TV but would think twice before buying unless you found it at a Walmart five dollar bin, this doesn't speak ill of the movie, it just means that this was a fun movie but not a great one, it contained all the elements one would need in order to be entertained for the duration of the movie but afterward there was no firework that went off in your soul, there wasn't this need to watch this again or talk about it insensibly. These are still good movies, in a "nice" sense, you will never see a three star movie win an Oscar, but you will be entertained when they come on TV on a Saturday afternoon and relieve you of your boredom.

  MMM Rating 2/5

        For this category just include *every Jason Statham movie here* and you'll come to understand what it takes to be a two star movie. These movies aren't good, they don't have a good plot, the acting is overdone and cheesy but even though the movie itself isn't fantastic you still are entertained by what is happening on the screen. Let's take "Crank" for example, the movie is absurd, Jason is playing himself again and killing everyone in sight, he jumps from cars, he gets banged up to a ridiculous degree and still wins in the end, it's obnoxious from beginning to end, and in the end of it all there is still an enjoyment that can come from watching it. Mind you, this is not the type of movie one would buy, or re-watch at the theaters, that's for sure, but this is one of those movies that even though it violates everything a good movie should be, it still entertains you, even at a primal level. So, two star rating, think Jason Statham.

   MMM rating 1/5

     I personally think that one star movies are the hardest to pin down, for there are clear choices of movies that are one star and some that should get negative stars, but for the sake of keeping this rating system reasonable I'm going to lump "Chupacabra Massacre", "Gigli", "Troll 2" and "Furry Vengeance" all into this singular rating. These are the movies that are so bad that you can't help but walk out of the theater and get your money back. There is only one place that I can see these movies being any "good" ( I use that term loosely in this example) and that is if you are having a "bad movie night" with some friends and want a bad enough movie that it entertains you all while giving you some laughs in the process. This is the bottom of the barrel, it's a rating I wish I could use sparingly, but Hollywood does like to produce garbage so it can't be helped.

   So this concludes the explanation to the triple M scale, from now on I'll include a link to this article in every movie review ever posted here, just in case you need a reference to what I mean when I say a movie is a three star MMM movie. The scale has been set, now you know, and knowing is half the battle.

   Love from your humble blogger,