TMST: Favorite Romances (Books, Movies, Stories, Poems...etc)

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

2/15/2022 Valentine's Day Share your favorite romance moments: movie, book, story, etc.

Awwww I will say romance anything is my 2nd favorite genre! I love historicals the most, but romance is a close 2nd (some days I feel like it takes 1st place). And don't get me started on historical romances ;) Blending TWO of my favorites? Can't get enough folks!

I am a hopeless romantic and I do adore a love of tragic love stories! Those are always a blast. I love having my heart break. hehehe

Soooo favorites? Mmmmmm there are so many things I could share. I love how vague this post is....mmm. Maybe I'll share some favorites from certain categories.

First....let's do book and movie/TV adaptation:

#1 is def Cold Mountain. Both the book and the hit movie. Both are fantastic.

#2 is Wuthering Heights. I love the book and the Tom Hardy version. Eeeek. I could be biased because I def crush on Tom Hardy but it is SO good. ;) And the book is a classic!! 

#3 Bridgerton and The Duke and I. I am LOVING this TV show adaptation AND I have been enjoying the series (I think I am on book 3?). Can't wait to read more and see the new season in March.

Favorite Book Series:

One of my favorite romance series is the Pink Carnation series by Lauren Willig. I think it is what really got me in the genre mixing. There is contemporary love, historical romance, historical fiction, mystery, spies....so many of the things ALL in one. I would simply DIE if these became a show or movie series. 

Favorite(s) of the classics:

Mmmm let's see. Oh! Jane Austen is the Queen of classic love stories FOR sure. Her stuff is a must if you are reading classic love stories. My ultimate fave is Persuasion. 2nd place goes to the famous Pride and Prejudice. 

Favorite of the romance poets: 

#1 Thomas Wyatt. Love his stuff. He has a sprinkle of tragic love so he is def on the top of my list! 

#2 Robert Byrne....bc duh. 

#3 Edgar Allen Poe....that tragic love again...can't get enough!! So he counts for romance in my books ;) 

Favorite Contemporary movies: 

I haven't read the book (so I couldn't count it towards the first category), but I simply LOVE this movie. It makes me cry every.single.damned.time. 

Juno!!! This is def a love story I love and is cute!

A Star is Born made me feel everything. All the emotions! I've seen a couple of the older ones, but this one is the best 100000%.

I used to watch this once a month I swear! It's been a couple of years so I'm itching to watch it again! I love Rom Coms. They bring me joy! Watch 50 First Dates !!! If I had to pick only ONE Rom Com....this is the one. 

Okay, I will stop myself there. I could go on and on. There are SO many good books, movies, and TV shows. 

There are so many stories and couples that I love. So many genres. Eeee. 

I think that is why I love romance so much. It can be found everywhere and in every genre. Love is can found in the most unlikely places. ^_^

Guest Post: Eco-Horror Films - What Are The Consequences of Energy Consumption, Pollution, and Radiation?

Happy 1st of December!

I would all like you to give another warm welcome to my guest here at CRR's! 

Maria is a writer interested in comic books, cycling, and horror films. Her hobbies include cooking, doodling, and finding local shops around the city. She currently lives in Chicago with her two pet turtles, Franklin and Roy. You can follow her on Twitter @MariaRamos1889.

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Eco-Horror Films: What Are The Consequences of Energy Consumption, Pollution, and Radiation?

There’s nothing more terrifying than a force we cannot physically fight or a threat that we have unleashed upon ourselves. Eco-horror movies tap into the very real fear of mankind destroying themselves when we abuse and destroy the environment for personal gain. About 82 percent of global warming emissions come from energy consumption, like cars and electricity, according to Alberta Energy. If we continue down this destructive path there’s no telling when exactly Mother Nature will decide to fight back with the fiery vengeance of these movies.

Godzilla (1954)

Godzilla stars Akira Takarada (Hideto Ogata) and Momoko Kochi (Emiko Yamane) along with a few other actors who have played a part in the franchise since its birth. It tells the story of a massive dinosaur-like creature who has awoken due to excessive hydrogen bomb testing. Godzilla goes on a rampage upon her awakening and it’s up to Emiko and Hideto to figure out a way to stop her, but how do you stop a beast that has become immune to radiation and explosives?

C.H.U.D. (1984)

Police Captain Bosch (Christopher Curry) must team up with Shepard (Daniel Stern), a local volunteer who works with the homeless, and Cooper (John Heard) to uncover the truth about what’s really going on in the sewers and how to stop it. The NRC has been secretly transporting toxic waste beneath Manhattan, in the sewers, even though they were strictly advised not to. Unfortunately, as a result of storing the toxic waste, the homeless population who live in the sewers began to mutate into cannibalistic humanoids pulling people down into the sewers to devour them.

The Bay (2012)

Donna Thompson, a young news reporter (played by Kether Donohue), recalls the tragic events that broke out in a small town in Maryland. The Chesapeake Bay has been receiving factory runoff for years - a problem no one really took too seriously until the day of an annual seafood festival when parasites from the runoff infects the town’s water supply. During the festival, panic and confusion ensues as people are being devoured by mutated fish and become violently sick and deformed by the water itself. This film is sure to make you think twice about indulging in seafood.

Children of Men (2006)

In Children of Men, constant pollution has caused a flu pandemic that killed many and destroyed humanity’s ability to reproduce. Clive Owen plays Theo, a man who must escort the only pregnant woman in the world, Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey) to the safety of a scientific group determined to solve man’s self-inflicted infertility. Along the way they must evade many who wish to stop them with any means necessary, even if it means mankind becomes extinct as a result.

The Day after Tomorrow (2004)

This movie is the worst case scenario for the effects of global warming and the best depiction of just how Mother Nature’s wrath can annihilate humanity. Dennis Quaid plays a climatologist intent on warning the president of the impending intense shift in climate change. His son, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, is trapped with his friends in New York when flood waters rise and super storms begin to pound the continent forcing the world into the next ice age.

Conclusion

Perhaps some of these situations seem implausible but they’re still worth contemplating. If we aren’t quick to change our ways or work on better sources of fuel, some fear we may be destined for these types of devastating outcomes. Though who’s to say, maybe we need a Godzilla or an ice age to initiate a new renaissance and make us appreciate the beautiful destructive resilience of our planet Earth.

Guest Post: How Home Invasion Films Could Change with Today's Technology

I would all like you to give another warm welcome to my guest here at CRR's! And also HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maria is a writer interested in comic books, cycling, and horror films. Her hobbies include cooking, doodling, and finding local shops around the city. She currently lives in Chicago with her two pet turtles, Franklin and Roy. You can follow her on Twitter @MariaRamos1889.

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How Home Invasion Films Could Change with Today’s Technology

Films that were made in the past were great in their own time, but that’s all these films have come to be - things of the past. Can you imagine how different these classics from the 90s and beyond would be in today’s world? In the day and age of WiFi and a plethora of advanced technology at our fingertips, several of these overused movie tropes from the past would not make any sense. Many can’t go a full twenty-four hours without their cell phone, and the fact that villains would have to devise plans to combat all such technology in order to fulfill their evil deeds, leaves us with a number of plots that just wouldn’t fly in today’s tech-savvy world.

Scream

Take Scream, for example. Released in the mid 90s, this slasher classic was the first of its kind featuring characters who were aware of real world horror films. The entire premise of the film revolves around victims receiving mysterious threats from an unknown caller who then appears in a ghost mask and kills whoever was on the line. Of course, caller ID wasn't really a thing back then and many teens get brutally murdered over the course of the film.

It’s clear this movie would need significant rewrites in order for it to work in today's world. First of all, the killer uses a phone to torment his victims before he kills them. We now have caller ID built into just about every telecommunications device, and thanks to advanced GPS tracking capabilities, the killer's location would have been discovered almost immediately. Unfortunately, we’ve advanced to the point where there are now caller ID spoofing apps, and technology to outsmart these apps; but either way this technology would render the original Ghostface villains tactics obsolete.

Home Alone

Home Alone, another 90s classic, would also be completely different today. Following a power outage and all the alarms being turned off, the McCallister family scrambles to get to the airport in time for their flight to Paris and the parents don’t realize until it’s too late that they have left their 8 year old son Kevin behind. Of course, there’s no way to check up on him and all the direct flights back home are booked. Needless to say, this movie would’ve never happened today.

The McCallister family is generally well off and have a pretty nice house. It’s probably safe to assume all of their kids would have an iPhone, and with today’s WiFi capabilities it wouldn’t have been overly difficult to reach Kevin on the phone, through text message, or some app. Still, the McCallister's were loaded, and they wouldn’t have left their mansion unprotected meaning it would have been armed with the best home security system that money can buy which would’ve allowed Kevin’s parents to check up on him via online video and alerted the authorities to any intrusions. The two criminals who tormented young Kevin in more than one film would have been arrested immediately.

The Ring

The Ring, the first American remake of a Japanese horror classic, features viewers of a videotape inexplicably dying seven days after watching it. The plotline is a bit strange with the tape being haunted by an evil entity known as Samara who literally crawls out of the television and scares the person to death. A horrifying film at the time of its release, the movie still holds up to this day and many regard it as a classic. But VHS tapes are long gone, and now even DVD’s are on their way out with all these new streaming services constantly popping up. However, could she perform such a feat on a DVD or Blu-ray disc? It’s possible, The Ring could still work because Samara is technically a spirit, so even our current technology might not be able to stop her.

Funny Games

Funny Games was a sick and mentally disturbing game of a foreign film that was released in 1997, with an American remake in 2007. The film features a family of three that goes on a vacation to the countryside where two evil young men take the family hostage and force them to perform a number of sadistic “games”. While malfunctioning phones are shown in the film, many people have security systems in their vacation homes these days and even if the victims had knowingly allowed their visitors into the house, they still could have used the system to alert authorities. It’s also safe to say there would be more than one cell phone and surely some sort of tablet or computer lying around. Funny Games would have had a much different ending with our new device consumed lifestyles.

Conclusion

Movies are like a time capsule. The technology that's available at the time of a film's production cannot be changed. If you stop and think about it, today's movies wouldn't work ten years from now either. That's why it's important for us to appreciate the classic films for what they are. Writers today have to think about technology when writing a film set in modern times. Home invasion films are much harder to pull off in today's technologically sound world, of course we just have to be ahead of the times as so perfectly demonstrated in The Purge. While the technology references may become outdated and new systems more difficult to overrun, the home invasion trope will continue to entertain as long as it’s a possibility lurking right outside your door.

Guest Post: What the Dystopian Genre Needs to Address by Maria Ramos

I would all like you to give another warm welcome to my guest here at CRR's!

Maria is a writer interested in comic books, cycling, and horror films. Her hobbies include cooking, doodling, and finding local shops around the city. She currently lives in Chicago with her two pet turtles, Franklin and Roy. You can follow her on Twitter @MariaRamos1889.

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What the Dystopian Genre Needs to Address

The recent rise in popularity among young adult novels and films that started with the Harry Potter franchise has erupted into a massive market aimed at teenagers. Lately, authors have been preoccupied with placing their young protagonists into dystopian futures, where the government is corrupt and survival is often a brutal, arduous struggle. In the case of the upcoming film The Scorch Trials, the second in James Dashner's Maze Runner saga, a group of teenagers is imprisoned in a desolate and isolated landscape as part of a scientific experiment. So why is it that these stories resonate so much with their target audience?

Stories such as The Hunger Games and Divergent (which are both currently on demand if you have cable) place their characters in a society where the ruling class is unquestionably evil, and the heroes find themselves in a position to subvert the powerful and overthrow a fascist regime for the good of the common people. Adolescents generally view authority in a negative light, and they can identify with the desire to rebel and have an impact on the way their world is shaped. Some of the more perceptive teens who read these novels may recognize parallels to their own world, whether it is in the huge income disparity in modern America, or the way the rich manipulate the media to serve their own ends. And a larger portion of the audience is likely drawn to the budding romances that always seem to be a subplot in these novels.

While these stories do a good job of communicating ideas that most teens recognize and respond to, they neglect to examine issues that would likely be present in an actual dystopian society. Racism, which has been and continues to be a source of conflict in societies everywhere, somehow disappears in these fictional cultures. The casts of the Divergent and The Maze Runner films are completely white except for one select African American character in both. While The Hunger Games does feature some black characters, there is no mention of or allusion to any sort of bigotry or discrimination, or even the slightest hint of cultural differences - except unfortunately, by real-world fans.

Likewise, sexism, another important issue around the world, is completely absent from these stories. The tough-as-nails exteriors of heroines like Katniss Everdeen and Tris Prior almost seem to preemptively nullify any sexist behavior that might be directed at them, but in worlds filled with vile, unscrupulous people, it's laughable to think that they (or any females around them) wouldn't be looked down on or taken advantage of at some point in their journey. The irony of The Hunger Games' supposed feminist bent is that Katniss actually wins by not playing, avoiding conflict whenever possible, and only killing in self defense.

If dystopian fiction is going to continue to thrive, authors need to expand their worldview beyond politics and hand-to-hand combat. Today's teens are much more thoughtful and perceptive than we often give them credit for, and they deserve stories with more thematic depth and parallels to real world problems. Including these more serious issues would open up awareness and spark discussion that could go a long way towards creating actual change. Most of all, it would introduce shades of gray into what is quickly becoming a repetitive, cookie cutter, black and white struggle of good vs. evil.

Guest Post:The Best Robot Science Fiction

I would all like you to give a warm welcome to my guest here at CRR's! She is going to be giving us a 3 part series about Science Fiction! She is an awesome writer and she has some great insight! 

Maria is a writer interested in comic books, cycling, and horror films. Her hobbies include cooking, doodling, and finding local shops around the city. She currently lives in Chicago with her two pet turtles, Franklin and Roy. You can follow her on Twitter @MariaRamos1889.

Here is part 1 of Maria's posts about Science Fiction. :) 

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So many of the science-fiction trends that are popular today can be traced back as early as the fifties. Recent films that use science-fiction as a vehicle for social commentary (such as District or even Pacific Rim) owe a tremendous amount to cold war era science fiction writers.

Writers from the past mused about an age when robots would surround us. We’ve arrived at the dawn of that age — today, artificial intelligence (AI) encompasses everything from the satellite-based GPS mode in cell phones that help people navigate, to the automated home security systems sold by ADT in Durham, to the surgical robots presently in use at hospitals in Houston.

For every useful application of modern AI, however, we must remain alert. Whether AI and its development into more and more complex forms will ultimately help or hinder the human race going forward is often a point of debate and contention, and it’s also a theme which links the following novels that, although written over the span of the past 70 years or so, are often considered among the best in robot science fiction.

1. I, Robot (1950) by Isaac Asimov — This "novel" is actually a series of short stories which revolutionized robot fiction by providing us with "The Three Laws" of robotics the short story Runabout. Asimov’s “laws” establish a basis for exploring the relationship between humans and robots throughout not only Asimov’s work, but science-fiction in general. Not only did Asimov continue to explore the psychological and sociological implications of human dependence on artificial intelligence in the form of robots, but he set the foundation for other authors to do the same. 
   
2. Cyborg (1972) by Martin Caiden — This one formed the basis for the 1970's television The Six Million Dollar Man, starring Lee Majors as Steve Austin, the novel's main character, a former astronaut turned “bionic man” who was injured in a test flight that should have killed him. However, while the television series focused mainly on his life after receiving all the cybernetic implants (both legs, one arm, and one eye), the novel explores the issues of the man dealing first with the devastating injuries and then with the existential crisis of living as a man/machine hybrid. There is also a reboot currently in production that will star Mark Wahlberg.
   
   
   
3. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968) by Philip K. Dick — As relevant today as when it was originally published, this novel explores the meaning of humanity by contrasting humans and robots of higher intelligence. It does so through the story of a bounty hunter sent to deactivate and destroy a set of androids that have escaped their owners and are now on the loose in a futuristic and dystopian earth. The novel was the original source material for the Ridley Scott movie Blade Runner.
   
4. The Soul of the Robot (1974) by Barrington J. Bayley — This is a simpler tale that nonetheless sticks to the theme of exploring what it means to a machine to be human. It is the tale of the only robot with consciousness, or a soul, if you will, and his struggles with what to do with it and how to prove that, although machine, he is at least the equal to the flesh and blood humans all around him. It’s quite similar to a story that Asimov published two years later, The Bicentennial Man, which was made into a film in the nineties starring Robin Williams.
   
5. Neuromancer (1984) by William Gibson — Hardcore cerebral sci-fi, this gem comes from the author who first coined the phrase "cyberspace," a concept used liberally in this novel. The basic plot follows a has-been computer hacker/drug addict who is recruited for his nefarious skills by a less-than-reputable party. From there, the characters physically travel in and out of cyberspace and the matrix, and the reader is taken in and out of the consciousness of several characters, a consciousness that is found to also be eminently transferable to said cyberspace and mingled with superior artificial intelligence, blurring the lines between humanity and AI.
   

Regardless of whether you follow the debate over artificial intelligence and whether it will be the salvation or doom of mankind eventually, the above novels each provide entertainment mixed with food for thought, making them as relevant today as the day they were first published.

Wordless Wednesday

Movie Review: Pitch Perfect

Length: 112 mins
Released: 2012
Genre: Comedy, Music 
Rating: PG-13 (sexual material, language and drug references)
Directed By: Jason Moore
Where I Got It: Seen it in theaters








CAST:
Beca - Anna Kendrick (Twilight, Up in the Air)
Jesse - Skylar Astin (Hamlet 2)
Benji - Ben Platt (first film)
Fat Amy - Rebel Wilson (Bridesmaids)
Chloe - Brittany Snow (Prom Night, Hairspray)
Aubrey - Anna Champ (The Help)

TRAILER: N/A (Youtube is acting up. *sad face*)



SUMMARY:
"The Barden Bellas are a collegiate, all-girls a cappella singing group thriving on female pop songs and their perfect looks. After a disastrous failing at last year's finals, they are forced to regroup. Among the new recruits is freshman Beca, an independent, aspiring DJ with no interest in the college life. But after she meets Jesse, from the rival all-male a cappella group, Beca has a new outlook and takes it upon herself to help the Bellas find their new look and sound and get back into the competition."

Finally I'm diving back into movie reviews. I've done some serious adjustments to these reviews. Hope you guys like the new look! It's more organized and easier to accomplish. ^.^

Sarah, her mom, and I have been DYING to see this movie. We seen the trailer while watching 'Magic Mike' (a later review to come perhaps). We really hoped they would rename the film to 'Fat Amy'. Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) was the bee's-knees. She stole the movie, I feel. I wish I could be Fat Amy. Without her the movie would have fell flat in the comedy section. This movie was basically like 'Bring It On', but with singing and Fat Amy. 

The plot was alright and the acting was fairly good. Anna Kendrick tried the Bella Swan card; misfit, awkward, boring, every guy wants her, and etc...which I found funny. I loved the cast on both sides of the gender pool. The guys were HILARIOUS and very attractive. The girls....interesting mix of people. All of them opposites to say the least. A lesbian  a sex addict, a very quiet and morbid Asian, the Bella-wannabe, Fat Amy, a stuck-up bitch (don't mind my French), and a red-head. 

The boys of Pitch Perfect

My friend Sarah is studying to be a Music major, so I had to ask her a couple questions. If you have a limited knowledge of music terms, then you might be confused like me. Like "nodes"...what is that? I missed that joke entirely because I'm a Social Studies major, not a Music major. Just a side note for you guys. There might be a couple jokes that might slip by. Also a lot of the jokes could be seen as dirty and I would agree. Don't take young kids to see this.

I really liked this movie overall, it was cute and funny. I loved the music! Even though they beat "I Saw the Sign" too death with a medal pole. Mmmmm. That song was stuck in my head for days. *beats head on table* However I'll share the song that has haunted me for days. 

In the end, I grant this 4 stars. I would recommend this to those that love musicals, music, or just a funny movie to ward of being bored. I'll admit it....I did not read the book, because I had no idea it was a book until later on. 0_0

Favorite Character(s): Fat Amy (she should be Woman of the Year), Benji (awwww), Jesse (yumm), and Beca's boss (*drools*)

I have no idea what his name his 0_0

Not-so Favorite Character(s): Chloe and Aubrey (meh)

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<3CaroleRae

Next Movie of the Week

This is just going to be a quick post...I have a paper due tomorrow at 10 am and I'm only 50% done! Oh no! Anyways....the next Movie of the Week is.....
THE VOW!

Can't wait to watch it! I've been dying to see this forever!

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<3CaroleRae

Childhood Wednesday Part VIII

~Instead of posting Wildcard Wednesday posts I want to try a new series of postings. Don't worry Wildcard Wednesday won't be gone forever, but I want to try this. Lately I've been thinking a lot about my childhood. My childhood was far from perfect, but without what I experienced I would not be the person I am today. That's the same with all of us. Without our experiences as kids, we wouldn't be who we are today.

With this new posting series, I want to explore what highly influenced me as a kid. I sort of base this from 'Top Ten Tuesday' and the '30 Day Picture Challenge' from Facebook~

Welcome to week 8 in the Childhood Wednesday series! There's only a couple more weeks left! It feels like I just started this series! =( Carole is sad again...........ANYWAYS! This week I'll be sharing my top 8 movies that changed my life as a kid. How exciting! Shall we begin? 

                                                        

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Number 8 is....'Devil's Arithmetic' starring Kristen Dunst. This was my first adult movie that had a very serious plot in it. To be honest I had nightmares! It is about the horrors of the holocaust through the eyes of a young girl. However, this movie made me be obsessed with history. I had liked history, but this movie really made me a history buff.

#7 is....'The Wizard of Oz'. This is a classic movie that everyone should watch at least once in their lifetime! Not only is the story great, but the messages being told is wonderful for kids. I really enjoyed the world of Oz, because it seemed like a great place to live.  

#6 is...'Pokemon The First Movie: Mewtwo vs. Mew'. If you went back in time and looked at my room, it was covered in Pokemon stuff. I even had a huge Jigglypuff pillow pet (yes, there were pillow pets in the 1990s). This movie was epically sad, it even had my mom crying like a baby! It's a great movie, with a great meaning too. 

#5 is....'My Dog Skip' starring Frankie Muniz. Okay, the trailers for this movie tricks you! It makes you think it's a super happy and funny movie, so Dad took me to see it at the theaters and BAM! It was horribly sad! He felt horrible taking little me to see this. He still apologizes when this movie is mentioned. It was a good movie and had a wonderful plot and meaning, but for a young kid it was horrible! Especially when the little kid just got a puppy. 

#4 is....'Mulan'. Okay, Mulan is my role model! I mean seriously, she's the toughest Disney heroine. She's not a pampered princess who needs to be rescued. She saves herself mentally and physically. She should be every little girl's role model.

#3......'McLintock!'. Still a personal favorite of mine starring John Wayne! My mother introduced John Wayne to me at a very young age (not literally, mind you). I think my mother is secretly in love with him....It's loosely based off 'The Taming of the Shrew'. It's a cute little movie and I still love popping this on when I'm in a John Wayne mood.

#2.....'Beauty and the Beast'. A great Disney classic that a lot of people forget about, even though it holds the greatest lesson that you'll ever learn as a child: love yourself and don't judge others by what they look like. 

And at #1 is......'The Little Mermaid'. I really loved this movie as a kid. I couldn't get enough of watching this and I remember watching it at least twice a day. As a kid I would've given anything to become a mermaid, I even use to play Mermaid with my gal pals in the pool. I looked up to Ariel, but I never understood completely why she wanted to be a human instead of a mermaid.

I hoped you enjoyed this week's topic! What movies influenced you as kid so much that you still are influenced by them today? To see part 7, click THIS!

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<3CaroleRae

Red Riding Hood Movie

I seen the trailer a couple days of go. I am SO excited! I don't care if no one wants to go see the movie with me, I'll go by myself. It's looks amazing! I will defiantly make a review on it when I do see it. It comes out March 11 2011 and it stars Amanda Seyfried (as Little Red), Gary Oldman, Billy Burke (played Charlie in Twilight saga), Max Irons, and many more. A very talented group of actors. It's bond to be a CLASSIC! Here's a trailer from youtube for those unlucky people who haven't seen any of the trailers yet:

Also, either tomorrow and later tonight, I'm going to post a review on The Roommate, because I've been "forced" (haha) to see it with a couple of my gal pals. I've been itching to see that.

<3