Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. :) Enjoy your day!
I want to extend a special father's day out to my step-dad. He has been the greatest father anyone could ask for. he came into my life at 6 years old and I forget that he's my step-dad some days.
Length: 2 hours & 5 mins Released: 2014 Genre: Drama, Romance, and Comedy Rating: PG-13 Directed By: Josh Boone Where I Got It: seen in theaters SUMMARY: Hazel and Gus are two extraordinary teenagers who share an acerbic wit, a disdain for the conventional, and a love that sweeps them - and us - on an unforgettable journey. Their relationship is all the more miraculous, given that they met and fell in love at a cancer support group. THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, based upon the number-one bestselling novel by John Green, explores the funny, thrilling and tragic business of being alive and in love. TRAILER:
CAST:
Hazel - Shailene Woodley
Gus - Ansel Elgort
Isaac - Nat Wolff
Frannie - Laura Dern
Michael - Sam Trammell
Van Houten - Willem Dafoe
REVIEW:
Okay.....I have not read the book yet. I have read a John Green book a long time ago (I didn't finish it), so it counts? Right? Honestly, sometimes seeing the movie motivates me to read the book. Like the first Harry Potter movie made me actually interested in reading the series. This movie did motivate me to check out this book and give John Green a second chance.
I went with a group of my gal pals to see this and HOLY TEARVILLE! The place was in tears. There was something that would get you. I don't care who you are. Even my one friend who doesn't cry found something in the film that made her tear up. I even cried a couple times. 0.0 The thing that really got me was when Hazel was talking about when she first got the cancer and they thought she was going to die. The mom leaned over and told her, "It's okay to let go honey...we love you." Then the mom started crying. OH MY GOODNESS!!!! It struck close to home. I had been about the same age as Hazel when I was in the hospital and nearly died myself...it just reminded me of the struggle my parents went through.
Anyways....
I liked this movie. If you look past that these two lovebirds are young adults (thus it is a young adult book/movie), it is a good tale about love and facing ones mortality. I read a few reviews saying that this was "cheesy", "phony", "unrealistic", and etc. First of all....THIS IS A STORY WRITTEN FOR YOUNG ADULTS! DUH!? What did you really expect? Books/movies like these are written to give people hope of finding that true love even when it doesn't seem possible. People with cancer also can find love. >_> At times it was a touch cheesy, but a good cheesy. Gus was a cheeseball, but that was just his personality. A lovable cheeseball. I personally like Isaac more (when he wasn't in a relationship with that skank).
WARNING!
DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE IN THEATERS!!!!! OR wait til the crowds calm down before going. The pre-teen fandom girls killed my soul. I wanted to punch them. They don't understand the rule to turn off their phone and put their phone in their purse/pocket. >_> It ruined part of the movie for me, because I would get distracted by the ringtones going off and all the blue lights. Sighs.
The cast was pretty good. I especially loved the fact that Willem Dafoe played the cranky author. He was a brunette though...so I didn't catch it was him right away. 0.o He was a genius (like always). The writing was good. I loved how they presented texting and emailing to each other. You were able to follow along and I liked it. The comedy was subtle, but it was there.
In the end, this was a good movie. It did have some cheesy moments in it, but I feel it added flavor to the film. It was a tearfest, so make sure to bring someone that won't judge you. Keep in mind this is a young adult book inspired movie, so yeah.....I will one day read the book. It has inspired me to do so. In the end, I shall stamp this with..........5 stars. More like 4.5, but I rounded.
Favorite Character(s): Hazel, Isaac, Gus, Frannie, and Michael
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Van Houten (asshole, but I love the actor) and Isaac's ex
Publication Date: December 15, 2013 Amazon Digital Services, Inc. eBook; 88 pages
Heat level: Sweet
Colonel James Fitzwilliam is home. The war has left him weary, battle-scarred—and a free man of fortune ready to find a wife. He travels to Pemberley, his second home. There he meets Kitty Bennet. Her unexpected charms soon have him questioning his familial duty and his expectations. A fight looms on the horizon when his aunt—Lady Catherine de Bourgh—and his parents arrive with their own plans for his future.
Kitty Bennet has found happiness. At Pemberley, she has improved herself and formed true friendships with her sister Lizzy and Georgiana Darcy. Kitty is captivated by the gentlemanly Colonel Fitzwilliam. But she will not be silly over a redcoat again, and she will not risk her happiness—or his family’s displeasure—for his attentions. Colonel Fitzwilliam, Darcy, Lizzy, and Georgiana have their say, and Kitty learns a new lesson—love will find you at Pemberley.
Miss Darcy Decides
Publication Date: January 21, 2014 Amazon Digital Services, Inc. eBook; 77 pages
Heat level: Sweet
Miss Darcy Decides is a light, sweet Pride and Prejudice novella, book two in the Love at Pemberley series.
While visiting a young woman—who was not so fortunate as Miss Georgiana Darcy in escaping the persuasions of a rogue—Georgiana meets Sir Camden Sutton, whose reputation causes Georgiana to wonder as to his motives. Her wondering soon turns to a different feeling when Sir Camden comes to stay at Pemberley, showing himself to be a very different man than was rumored.
While Sir Camden struggles with his past and his commitment to his future, as well as the ill intentions of haughty Caroline Bingley, Miss Darcy must decide whether to listen to others, or the words written on her heart.
Miss Bennet Blooms
Publication Date: 4/25/14 Amazon Digital Services, Inc. eBook; 70 pages
Heat level: Sweet
Miss Mary Bennet is the last unmarried Bennet sister. She believes she will live out her days as a maiden aunt, seeking quiet in the libraries and parlors of her father’s and brother-in-laws’ homes. On a visit to Pemberley, the estate of Fitzwilliam Darcy, her sister Lizzy’s husband, Mary begins to feel more is possible than her planned life of solitude. Among new friends and with new confidence, Mary opens to new feelings when she meets Mr. Nathaniel Bingley.
Nathaniel Bingley, at the insistence of his cousin Charles Bingley, finds himself at Pemberley. After Nathaniel’s years in the West Indies studying its intense flora, he is ready to seclude himself to compile his work into a book. But Nathaniel could not say no to Charles, who was one of Nathaniel’s few kind relatives after the deaths of his beloved parents. Soon, Nathaniel also finds it difficult to say no to his own feelings about the lovely Miss Mary Bennet.
Can Mary and Nathaniel look beyond their plans and accept the grace of love at Pemberley
Reina M. Williams loves period dramas, sweet reads, fairy tales, cooking and baking. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her two boys, who hope to someday take a research trip to England with their mom. For more information please visit Reina M. Williams’swebsite. You can also connect with her onTwitter,Goodreads, andPinterest.
Author: Mark Twain Title: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Adventures #1) Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, and Classic Pages: 189 First Published: 1876 Where I Got It: My shelf (Given to me by my parents) "From the famous episodes of the whitewashed fence and the ordeal in the cave to the trial of Injun Joe, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is redolent of life in the Mississippi River towns in which Twain spent his own youth. A somber undercurrent flows through the high humor and unabashed nostalgia of the novel, however, for beneath the innocence of childhood lie the inequities of adult reality—base emotions and superstitions, murder and revenge, starvation and slavery." I haven't read this book in YEARS! I could barely even remember what happened. All I remembered was Tom and his girlfriend getting lost in the cave. haha. That's pretty bad memory. However, I didn't like Tom Sawyer when I was younger. I didn't come to even like Mark Twain's writing until High School when we read 'Huckleberry Finn'. Honestly, 'Huckleberry Finn' was better then this. Odd, because that was a sequel to this one. Normally it's the first book that is better then the second. OOOooooooooooooh Tom and Sawyer. What a bunch of trouble making and danger seeking boys. If I tried ANYTHING they tried my mother wouldn't hug me and forgive me. No. I would be grounded forever! It was so annoying how everyone just forgave them for disappearing for a week, because they wanted to be pirates. >_> They showed up during their funerals and everyone just forgave them. I read somewhere that Mark Twain was pretty much mocking society's hypocrisy. I can see it. Mark Twain is a very cynical dude if you read between the lines. He is allows bashing society in some shape or form. However, he uses children as the main characters to throw off the reader. It's fantastic. Sometimes I honestly believe that Mark Twain wanted to runaway himself and hide away from the world. Do you blame him? He lived in a world of prejudice and hate and war. He lived through the Civil War and seen what people do to each other. Plus he lived through the industrial revolution. This boom took so much beauty away from the world. Yes, we are reeking the benefits in society, but at what cost? I think he really tries to show us this through Huck and Tom always running off and being "uncivilized". The biggest difference between the two boys is that Tom accepts that he HAS to come back at one point, because being "civilized" is the way of the world, but Huck hates it and doesn't completely accept it. Hence, he runs away in the second book. Off my rant.... It was a fun adventure. Sometimes it seemed a little cheesy and very childish, but it was fun. It makes me wish I ventured more when I was kid. Perhaps I would've found some treasure that would get me through college. ;D Sighs. Oh well. Tom was a little poop. He was a complete manipulator! Granted without him there would be no adventures and story, but he was still bad. The people in town call Huck a "bad influence" and a "bad egg", but Tom really was. Huck just wanted a simple life without the constraints of society. He wanted to run around with no shoes and never go to church or school. Tom was a trickster and could convince anyone to do anything. I didn't care for Tom much. I liked the way that Mark Twain ended this one. It left a nice open door for what will happen next if anything happens next. It could be labeled as "an open-ended" and I would agree with that. However, Mark Twain did it in a way that it made sense and that it isn't annoying. We all know he continues the series, but one could be content with just reading the first one and never move on. The ending was fantastic. I loved this not by the author at the end, "CONCLUSION: So endeth this chronicle. It being strictly a history of a boy it must stop here; the story could not go much further without becoming the history of a man. When one writes a novel about grown people, he knows exactly where to stop - that is, with a marriage; but when he writes of juveniles, he must stop where he best can." Well, in the end I loved the adventure. It was fun! It's a great introduction to the next book. Tom was a poop, but without him there would be no story. Huck would've never gone off on his own adventure without Tom's influence. There were some parts of the adventure that were cheesy, but overall it was fun. I would recommend this to those that like the classics or for those just looking for something different. It's a quick read, so worry not. Out of five stars I grant this one....mmmmm....4 stars. It's more like 3.5, but I rounded since I don't give out decimals. Favorite Character(s): Huck, Tom (sometimes), and Aunt Polly Not-so Favorite Character(s): Tom (sometimes), Injun Joe, Sid, and Becky (annoying little girl. >_>)
