Tom Hanks Hustle: The Post

This is it folks! The newest film that Mr. Tom Hanks has stared in! One of the best casts in any movie ever that there has ever been and that will ever be again.

Ladies and Gentlemen I give you The Post. 

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When you watch the trailer for this movie you think it's just about the cover-up of what was really going on in the Vietnam War. It's so much more than that though. It's the story of how The Washington Post truly came to be. It was a local paper on the verge of going under when they decide to go public. However, this was also during the time when one of the constitutional rights was on the verge of being controlled totally by the government, The Freedom of Speech. When the top secret papers of the Vietnam War were leaked The New York Times got their hands on it first. When President Nixon found out that they were publishing the secrets that basically Vietnam was a lost cause of a war he got an injunction halting The Times from publishing anymore of the papers. Around the same time, a lead came in and The Post had most of the Pentagon Papers. Now, the trouble becomes if they publish the paper they could destroy the newspaper because they would be in contempt of court or publishing anything that shares a source with The Times, or they could start a small revolution to stand up against the corrupt government.

What is there left to say in the career or Tom Hanks? He has done everything under the son, and yet every role he plays seems to show another side that we have no yet seen. However, the fact that this man was NOT nominated to an Academy Award last year for this role is a crime! I mean not many men in Hollywood can keep up with THE Meryl Streep buy my God he can! The greatness that come the screen with both of them and them playing off each other is like watching swan dance in the moonlight. It's incredible how they work off each other, it's very rare to see two true masters of their craft on the screen doing their best work at the same time. 

What I love about both of their performances is that they are both genius at intense quietness. Through the whole movie the stakes are always high, there are 1000 decisions to make in a single second. There is always a underlying of intensity and in any other movie, the stars would have already yelled, screamed, and roared in order to get their point across or to calm down the situation. In this whole movie, neither Meryl Streep or Tom Hanks ever go above a stern voice. There is no yelling, there is no screeching, there is no boisterousness in either of them. They are commanding on the screen without demanding your attention. 

The Post has to be one of the most memorable roles in Tom Hanks career. This is one that years from now I will be thinking about the movie, thinking about the roles the both played, and about the subject of this movie. How angry it makes me and how relieved I will be that this cover-up was exposed. This is a topic, the Vietnam War, that I want to look into more for personal reasons and I think that this movie is going to help lead me to some great places to look into for more information. 

With that being said. I am cutting it pretty close on watching a blogging about all of these movies, I have 3 hours till it's the New Year,but yet again I am happy that I did the challenge and that I did my Year of Courage Challenge as well. I am very excited to New Year and all of the wonderful things that it has in store for me. However, right now I am going to go an open the bottle of win my mom got me and bring in the New Year! 

Happy New Year Everyone and Cheers to a wonderful 2019!!!

Tom Hanks Hustle: The Circle

Down to the final stretch! The Final two movies of my journey this year!

This movie was nothing like I think it was going to be. Really, I had no idea what it was going to be because this was one of those movies that the trailer told you nothing! I just knew that it had Tom Hanks, Emma Watson and John Boyega in it. However, this movie is very interesting. This is about a work community called The Circle. Innovators of the internet if you will. They want to give everyone one place where all their passwords are, to see every event that is going around them and give new ideas for new way of connecting with each other. However, when one of the new guppies almost dies kayaking she is "shown" how wonderful it is to be all sharing, and showing to the internet, and a company, all at one time. She becomes totally transparent and shares almost every second of her life with an ever watching pubic. At what cost with it take for her to never be alone.

Let me start off by saying that the cast was wonderful. Not only did you have the before mentioned actors but I was happily surprised when I found that Karen Gillan was in this movie...

Most of you know her as Nebula from the Marvel films but the truly educated know her first THE Amy Pond from Doctor Who!

Anyways, this film was really entertaining but also very nightmare-ish to say the least. The reason is because this something that we are totally heading to. Everyone everywhere is constantly online. We are on for work, for play, because we are bored, or to show off how happy are lives are, even when we are not. We have to stray relevant because we don't want to slip away into obscurity. For many obscurity is worse than being dead. We give ourselves crazy rules that we "have" to live by like changing our profile picture to match the season we are in, or waiting to post something until a certain time of day because it will get more likes. Then there is this whole culture of "getting over" someone, friend or romantic, and we make certain post public on the chance that the person you are "over" sees it and sees that you are doing fine without them. When in all reality if you were over them you would not have posted the damn thing in the first place cause it wouldn't have mattered that much.

Yeah, I know ranting again... but it's the truth. We would rather live through our fake personas online than actually live your live in real time. Take for instance a selfie, or any picture really, it take about 3 seconds to pull out your phone, find the app and take the picture. Now, my question is how long does it to post it? For me 1 minute, as long as I have good service. It takes me no more than 1 minute to pull our my phone take a picture and post on facebook. However, most people are not like me. They want to add filters, captions, stickers, then they think about it for 10 minutes cause they want the picture IN THEIR HEAD to look like the one they just took. How much time and how many more pictures could you have taken and been living in the moment if you hadn't edited your face so much that you no longer recognize it and then don't post the picture because "it wasn't good enough".

There are those who are trying to do what Emma Watson in The Circle does and show every minute of their life online for everyone to see. What we learn though is that there is no privacy in that. When you have no privacy you think it won't effect others but it will. If you can never have a private moment then no one will have a private moment with you. Your late night talks with Best Friends or Spouses will stop, your moments when you want to randomly cry. Moments when you find that loves ones have passed, or when you just want to sit in silence and do nothing without being judged will not longer be there.

Yet, this movie does something when you first watch it. It's a brilliant move really. They show you the great side to being like that. They show you the beauty or being totally transparent. The man in charge is played by Tom Hanks. He tells Watson that his son, in the movie, has Cerebral Palsy and can no do thinks like go kayaking, or climbing Mount Everest. Yet, he can feel like he is there when one of the Circlers  does those things and film it. Look how much beauty and wonder can you bring to those who can't do the same things for whatever reason. Why would you want to deny someone the same beauty that you see just because your alone.

Lord let me tell you it almost had me saying that this was a good idea.

Tom Hanks. The man who has very rarely played the bad guy in his career is playing one now. However, it's brilliantly done because you don't know if he really is a bad guy or what plans he has for The Circle, you just know there is something about him that you don't fully trust. It drives me nuts that his plans were never fully uncovered in the movie. The fact that Mr. Hanks can make you want to trust him so much yet want to run at the same time is one of the rare things you have seen in Actors at any point in time during history. Most of the time you hate the bad guy so much that you love to watch him. You don't want to trust them or do anything with them but you love hating them. Mr. Hanks you don't love to hate. You just wish he wasn't evil. This is one of those movie again where Hanks is not in every single scene but he is part of the driving force behind the scene. You constantly wonder if he is watching or what he is doing when he is not there. It's really eerie but its true.

To be honest, because we don't see that much of him in his career I would love to see more movies where is the bad guy. I really don't want to see him being a mass murderer but I would like to see him in more roles like this just because he is so good playing an opposite of himself.

Tom Hank Hustle: Inferno

The movie that I dread....

This is the 3rd movie of the Da Vinci Code. 

Look, I did not like the first two movies in this series. I did not want to watch this last one. This just like that everything changes. Out of these three movies this had to be the best one! The plot was interesting from begging to end. The character were easy to follow, and so was the dang puzzle. That was one of the big problems in the first two films. You could get so easily lost in the puzzle and all of the side stories that you forgot what was going on. However, this one was very interesting. The only problem that I had with it was the love story with Hanks. It felt a little forced and out of place. Like it was thrown in to give the plot more depth but I felt that it didn't really add anything to the story. You could have taken it out and the movie would have ended just the same. 

I would not mind watching this one again. It won't be first on my list but I would watch it again.

Tom Hanks Hustle: Sully

Ah, Sully. This is one movie I was really ready to revisit. I remember that I enjoyed the film in 2016. Since it had been a while so I was excited about it again.

Famed for saving 155 souls on the fateful airplane. Sully goes through the trial of that 208 seconds that he was in the air.

You know there are some movies that you enjoy or love when you first watch them. Then after some time apart you watch it again and you realize just how awful the movie really is. This is not that movie. I really enjoyed the first viewing of the movie but the second time around I found that I love it even more. The performance of Mr. Hanks in this film has to be one of his best. I would love to know what he does to really get to understand the people he is playing and the issues that they go through. I love the story or this film. Now just about the forced water landing, but the story that happens after. Most stories really focus on the actual event and then touch on the aftermath. This film does it differently. They focus on the trail that followed and, to give reference, they went back and showed the accident. They all know why they are there but it's important to note that they all went through one of the scariest things in their lives and now defend every action that they took. They have to prove that what they did was right. Yes, they saved everyone on board but could they have saved the plane? 

This is a movie that I think will be an understated classic one day. It's gonna be one of those movies that someone is going to come across when they come across Mr. Hanks' career. They will watch it and know a wonderful story and the man who brought it to life. 

Year of Courage: Surrender

Yes, Surrender. Sounds a little off right? Well, let me tell you it's the truth. I surrendered. Not to an enemy, or to a person, or for a cause. I surrendered and did nothing...

Looks folks, it's the end of the year. It's the most wonderful, crazy, stressful, fun, sad, emotional, terrible, insane and glorious time of the year. I chose to surrender to all of it and not really do a challenge. In turn I realized that was doing one. Before I get into the why let me tell you the movie that I watched. I chose It's a Wonderful Life. 

Look I am not going to go on a whole spiel about this movie. When it comes down to it George, Jimmy Stewart, has a choice to surrender to if overwhelming feelings or to the people that he loves. Surrender to what could have been and be miserable or to surrender what is and make it better. 

So, what did I surrender to? Not doing a challenge. I spent weeks last year coming up with a list for this year all for it just to be changed. When it came down to it. I was out of challenges, that were going to be challenging, so instead I chose to do something crazy and do nothing. Doing nothing doesn't seem crazy, or out there or scary but it is. Doing nothing seems to me like I failed. That I didn't do one thing every month, that I didn't complete the challenge before me. Let me tell you. I am glad I did. So far this whole month of December I didn't have to worry about a challenge. I didn't have to worry about doing something else onto the whole list of crazy I had to the month. 

So, here is what I have done instead of doing a challenge. 

1. Went to Mighty Musical Monday Christmas at the Tennessee Theatre.

2. Went to a Jewelry Party

3. Saw the new Robin Hood movie.

4. Celebrated my birthday with my small group! 

5. Had on of my besties, Beth, come into town wither her husband and little girl and we went out for my birthday with Alaina, Luke, and Clark. 

6. When to the Knoxville Christmas Parade.

7. Went to the Ladies Christmas Breakfast at church.

8. Saw the King and I with my mom at the Tennessee Theatre.

9. Wrapped Presents

10. Had our small group board game party

There is a whole slue of other things and it's not even Christmas yet! 

So, do I regret "not doing a challenge" no. Cause I felt guilty for a while about it cause I would have "failed". However, taking time to enjoy life as it come and do things like hanging with friends, and making cookies, and just living in moment is something that a lot of us forget to do. Especially, during this time of year. 

So, take this challenge with me... 

Surrendered what you can't change, surrender to this time in your life, surrender to the fact that life is crazy but it can also be fun, and surrender to this moment.. whenever that moment may be.

Have a Merry Christmas!

Alaina's Trial by Movies: Mildred Peirce

Joan Crawford is one of those actresses that has a great body of work. However, there are some key movies that she does that really stands out. Mildred Peirce is one of them.

This is a great Noir Film that allows Ms. Crawford to have the intensity that she is remembered for having but without her being the crazy bad guy. As great as this movie is I was a little nervous of showing it to Alaina. Alaina has never really seen a noir film before and lets face it this is not that happy of a story.

1. What were your thoughts going into this movie? I was interested because this a genre that I haven't seen before.

2. What was your favorite part of the movie? The twist at the end when we find that she really didn't murder anyone. That she would do anything for Veta.

3. Who was your favorite character? Anyone but Veta. Really I think I liked Wally the best.

4. Why? He watched out for Veta whenever he could and he wasn't a terrible person.

5. What did you not like about the film? VETA! Just her... she's a jerk.

6. What did you think about Joan Crawford? I liked her. She did an excellent job of having her expressions reaching her eyes.

7. What do you think of the move now that we have watched it? I really enjoyed it. I liked the murder mystery feel and the character development was easy to follow.

8. Would you watch it again? Yeah.

9. Would you recommend? To someone who liked murder mysteries.

10. What relevance does it have to today? Stop killing people.. Also raise your kids right, and you can't make someone love you.

Year of Courage: Write 3 Honest Letters

The month on November has ben totally crazy...

It has felt like a very short month and a very long month at the exact same time.

However, life keeps going so it took me very down to the wire to get this challenge done but I did. The challenge this month was to write 3 totally honest letters to people that I love and send them out to them. I think that this was the most emotional challenge yet.

The movie I chose to go with this challenge was Letters to Juliet. 

Honestly, I never saw the movie before this. I really did just pick the film because it dealt with letters and I was at a loss for what movie to pick. It actually ended up being perfect because the whole basis of the movie was a woman who wrote a letter to Juliet, as in Romeo and Juliet, and left it on the wall of her "home" in Verona. She wrote about how she had fallen in love with a local man but was engaged to a man that she was not nearly as madly in love with as the other man. However, was not found by the volunteer until 50 years later. However, they still wrote back even though it had been so long. 

If I keep going I will spoil the movie and I don't want to do that. However, it ended up being perfect for this challenge because she put her heart out there and was honest about her feelings with both people, even if it was just in paper alone. 

Like I said this had to be the most emotional challenge of the year. Like telling what I think of them in any way, shape, form, or fashion. I do it in my car or my apartment all the time. I yell at people, call them names, tell them that their life choices are stupid but I don't do it to their face! 

So, I am not going to say who I wrote to because that would defeat the purpose of writing an honest letting of saying who it was and why I did it. However, I did say I cut it to the wire and I did. I wrote and sent the last letter on the 30th of November. So, the other two I got feedback and but I am still waiting for the last one. Which makes it worse cause that was the HARDEST letter that I had to write and I almost talked myself out of doing it. Not because I was going to say mean things it was just opening up like that is weird for me. 

Anyways, I will say that the feedback that I have gotten from the other two letters was amazing. I felt good to tell people what I thought about them and how great they are and that they loved me just as much to. I like doing it because honestly sometimes we need that reminder that we love someone that much and that we are loved that much. 

I know that this wasn't anything crazy like skydiving but it still meant something to me and it was totally scary to do it. 

I'm still glad I did it though.

Tom Hanks Hustle: A Hologram for the King

This is the movie that I really wanted to watch again but also really didn't want to. When I first saw this movie is was in 2016 during my crazy movie year. The day I saw it I had just found out my cousin, Dean, had died in a car accident. I didn't know how to process my emotions so I went to movies.

This movie is about a man who is at his whit's end. He is recently divorced, trying to put his daughter though school, hating his job, and just feel lost overall. He thinks that if he can get his company this deal for a working hologram meeting technology for the King of Saudi Arabia that it might turn his life around.

The reason that I say that this movie helped be to process my emotion was because my cousin died very unexpectant and very young. I had just love my grandma a few weeks before and was trying to understand that when this happened. To this day I can not speak about that tragedy for very long because I breakdown at the unfairness of it all.

Anyways, Feeling that much anger, hurt, confusion, pain, sorrow, worry and all the emotion that come with death I didn't know how to deal with it. I could not keep my mind on one thing about it enough to process anything really. I wanted to scream, cry, hit something or someone, be angry but I could not stick with one emotion long enough to really deal with any of them. My grandma's death wasn't this bad because I thought it might be coming soon because she wasn't in the best health in her final years, and because of her age, and just because sometimes you know it's going to come sooner rather than later. With a death like Dean's it was so out of the blue and such a different type of sorrow. With my grandma I could be at peace that she was not longer suffering or in any sort of pain. I was sad but I could accept her death as her time to go. Dean's was not. His was unnecessary, cruel, unthinkable, and most of all preventable. Totally unfair in every single way.

I had already planned to see this movie before I found what happened. I went to church and I came home and mom told me. I knew that he died in a car crash and I didn't want to know anymore. My parents didn't know I didn't want to know the details. They found out over the phone with my uncle and my dad said it out loud. I ran downstairs and sobbed. I didn't want that imagine in my head but I had it now and it just made me so much more angry.

After I got my self under enough control to be able to do more than just cried I told mom I was going to the movie. I needed to not be around anyone, I needed to not have to think about it if I didn't want to. I didn't want to have to walk away from my parents every time my uncle called. I just didn't want it. I wanted time to breathe. So, I carried on and went to the movie. I didn't kow that it was going to help me in such a huge way. The fact that the character the Mr. Hanks plays in the film is going through very real and painful changes in his life and is feeling a lot of the emotions I was and trying to hide it made for a good film, and healing process for me.

When you are making a film you can have real human emotions but you can't have them all at once or you can't understand the movie. How you layer the film to build off of the current emotion you are showing and the previous emotions shown in the film can really make or break the soul of a movie. This film did it beautifully. We were able to feel the stresses that Mr. Hanks was going though and remember them and kept building a beautiful picture of how he was sorting it all out. In the movie theater that day I was able to forget what happened but was allowed to feel the what the film wanted me to feel in the moment. Because I was giving time to feel and process the emotion watching the movie I felt so much more in control, and at peace with what was going on, than I did when I walked in.

Because I was at a crazy emotional mess when I saw this film I wanted to watch it again to see what I missed, and I didn't because I didn't want to have the same level of emotions that I did that day. However, I am glad I watched it. It really was as good as I remember from the first time and I was able to enjoy it more not being as emotional. It's not the craziest role he has ever done but I think it is one of his more meaningful roles.

Tom Hanks Hustle: Bridge of Spies

The next film on our list continues to show how well Mr. Hanks can turn into anyone he wishes. 

In the mist of the Cold War spies are being sent out by both the Soviet Union and the US. When Rudolf Able is arrested in New York for being a spy James B. Donovan is selected to be his lawyer. When the rest of the country just wants to sentence him to death and be done with it Donovan sees that his arrest was not conducted correctly and tries to really fight for him. However, this doesn't work for the judge thinks like the rest of the country. A few years last the CIA is on a secret mission of their own. When the plane is shot down over the USSR the piolet doesn't do what he is told, kill himself, and rather takes to being captured. He is sentenced to 10 years in confinement in the USSR. However, everything changes when Donovan is sent a letter from the government that the USSR would like to make a trade of spies.

When this movie first came out I really wanted to see it buy never really got the chance. Right before I saw the movie my mom said she saw it and said it was good. That is impressive coming from her! So, I was excited to watch. I loved how dramatic this movie felt without going over the top. Mr. Hanks also does a good job in his role. He knows that that goal of the film is to tell about the situations that happened along with the characters. This is one of the most interesting films I have seen so far. It was a smart write and cast and they really handled the film beautifully. 

Alaina's Trial by Movies: Doris Day

So, this is a very big movie. Not because this is a favorite or mine or anything like that, well it is, however there are other reasons.

The movie that we watched is Pillow Talk starring Doris Day.

Pillow Talk is about a boy and a girl who share a party line (if you don't know what that is PLEASE start watching old movies and educate yourself!) and can not stand each other. Brad is a single man who loves the ladies and does everything he can to woo them. However, in order to do this he is constantly on the phone. This drives the other half of the party line, Jan, crazy! She is trying very hard to get who own line so she doesn't have to listen to him anymore. But because this is a romantic comedy, they end up meeting and craziness ensues.

The reason that this is a big movie is because this is the first movie that Clark, Alaina's new born baby, got to watch with his Aunt Daisy!!!!! 

He is my dashing boy and I love him! Actually, this challenge and him have a history this year. When Alaina came over to watch the Ginger Rogers film The Gay Divorcee she told me she was pregnant with him. When we watched the Sammy Davis Jr. movie Robin and the 7 Hoods was the first time I got to feel him movie. So, I am very happy that we got to have this movie too! 

Anyways, we are going to say that Clark loved it, cause let's face it he can't talk yet to have a say, and let's see what his parents thought shall we?

1. What were your thoughts going into this movie? I didn't know what to think. I didn't think it was going to be funny.

2. What was your favorite part of the movie? Luke interjects "It had a good ending with the running joke of Brad going to the OB's office". Alaina says "Where Jon goes to Connecticut to stop Brad from wooing Jan".

3. Favorite Character? Brad... no wait Rex (if you watch the movie you will understand)

4. Why? Cause he is a hilariously dumb genius.

5. What did you not like about the movie? Luke: MEN ARE SCUM! Alaina: Same...

6. What did you think of Doris Day? I enjoyed her! She was excellent. Luke: I like that she enjoyed being herself. That she was a professional women and liked being herself. She was a "complete women".

7. What do you think of the movie after we have watched it? I really enjoyed it. I would have to say that this is my favorite that we have watched so far. Luke: I give it a 0 out of 10 because were no talking pillows.

8. Would you watch this movie again? Oh yeah! For sure!

9. Would you recommend? Yes.

10. What relevance does this movie have today? Alaina: "Never trust men". Luke from Upstairs: "OI!!!!" Luke comes down stairs to put in his two cents: It dated itself in a bitter sweet way. "I will make you love me" and stuff from the guy. The one part were the guy tries to take advantage of her in the car would be considered more "rape-y" than funny today. However, it was over all a funny film 

 Well, that was not a bad pick at all film with my dashing boy Clark! I am sure we will be watching many more movies together. If all goes well we will be watching another film next week!

Tom Hanks Hustle: Captian Phillips

We have been on many adventures with Mr. Hanks this year but nothing quite like this.

The story of Richard Phillips, a Captain of a cargo ship, traveling though dangerous waters. His ship is taken over by pirates and must do everything in his power to save the ship and his crew.

This is an amazing movie that is based off of a true story. The fear that these men faced, and survived, in crazy. The fact that they spent days hiding from and avoiding pirates is amazing. 

This movie is thrilling and keeps you on the edge or you seat but the best bit of acting that comes from Mr. Hanks in this during the end. that really has to be some of his best work, and I have seen most of it this year. 

Tom Hanks Hustle: Saving Mr. Banks

Mr. Hanks has been very good at biographical roles so far in his career. However, we are getting into some territory that, for some, would be a very dangerous undertaking. Walt Disney has always been a man who has touched all of our lives some way or another. He is very much larger than life, the man has his own world for Pete's sake. So, taking on Walt Disney is very tricky and you have to tread very carefully. 

P.L. Travers is best known to the world as the woman who put Marry Poppins on paper. For 20 years Walt Disney has done everything in his power to take Ms. Poppins from the paper to the Silver Screen. For fear that he beloved Marry is going to be turned into something she doesn't recognize she refuses to give him the rights to her book. Now, she is at the end of her money and needs anything she can get. She caves and goes to meet with Disney and see if they can find a way to bring Ms. Poppins to life in a way that has never been done before. 

Like I said taking on the role of THE Walt Disney is something that can be very challenging. However, there is something about Mr. Hanks that as soon as he chooses to become the a certain person he makes you believe it. I hold Mr. Disney in a special place in my heart because, yes, I grew up with his movies but I also share a birthday with the guy. We were both born on December 5th. The people we hold has heroes it's very hard to allow anyone to play them on the screen. I love Mr. Hanks I really do but I was even a bit apprehensive when I first saw this movie.

However, in true Mr. Hanks charm, he wins you over immediately. As I have grown up I have hear that there are very good things and very bad things about Mr. Disney. It breaks my heart some of the things that have been said because he is a hero of mine and I don't wish to imagine him in such ways. However, you have to see that he is human too. Mr. Hanks is able to bring a humanity to Mr. Disney yet be able to portray Mr. Disney in the same light I always wish to see him. A man who loves kids, movies, his family, and his work. A gentle man who wants to being good into the world. 

  

It's roles like these that make me love Mr. Hanks even more. His ability to do what he does on the screen is crazy good. To think that we still have many more roles with him portraying other heroes on the screen coming up soon. You can do the man does his research and really wants to get the intention of each person he plays correctly. Just like Mr. Disney does with his charters on the screen as well. 

Tom Hanks Hustle: Cloud Atlas

At the beginning of the year I posted the video on Tom Hanks with James Corden doing all of Tom Hanks' movies. When we got to Cloud Atlas Mr. Corden started to say that it was a hard movie to follow and Mr. Hanks said it needed repeat viewing. This made me very excited and very nervous at the same time.

This movie, to be put as simply as possible, is about 6 different stories, in different times in history, and how the touch and shape the lives of the other stories as they go on.

That is really the best way I can explain this movie without telling everything that happens. This movie is like the movie Inception in the fact that if you are not paying attention 100% of the time you get confused, lost, and basically have no idea what is going on and have to start the film all over again. 

What makes this film unique is how the story is told. You would think that saying 6 different stories over 500 years time you will go through them in chronological order and see how they all connected. They didn't do that for this film. All of the stories where told at the same time. Which was astonishingly beautiful. The writers and the editors were somehow able to give all the stories enough detail to be told. They were able to have all of the stories hit sad moments and suspenseful moments at the same time. Doing this allowed you to move fluidly between all of the stories without having to change emotional gears. 

What was also very impressive about this story is that there are about 10ish people in the whole film. Almost every actor that stars in this film end up in every story playing a different character. Mr. Hanks himself plays 6 roles and he is NOT the same person in all of them. Sometime he is the bad guy, sometime the good, sometime he is the story, others he is a small but pivotal role. This is a fantastic movie for all of the actors in the film to really show off their acting skills. You would think that would be something that would distracted you the whole movie but it really doesn't. How the whole movie is designed leaves me in awe. They could have just done one scene wrong, or line wrong, or one anything wrong and it would have totally thrown everything off track up it truly didn't. This is a film that really could have gotten away from the actors, the directors, editors, costumes, but nothing did. They kept it straight all the way though and kept it enjoyable. 

What I really love about this movie is that I watched it 24 hours ago and I am still thinking about it like I am still watching the film. There is so much depth in this movie that Mr. Hanks is right, it does need repeat viewing. I just loved how it shows that something anyone does today, can cause a ripple effect through time. That someone who wrote a biography inspired someone hundreds of year later to write a song, who inspires someone to keep going, to inspire someone else to speak the truth that keeps going to convince someone else to start again. I don't think many of us think that simple things in our lives can touch so many people and cause such a big change. Right now I don't think anyone is really interested in what I have to say about movies, or about anything but I don't know really. Maybe someone years from now will come across this blog and like it enough to try something of their own. Or my great great grandchildren will want to know more about me and happen to find this online and get a look inside my head for a little while. 

This movie shows that all of our lives intertwine in such a way we will never fully be able to comprehend. I think that is one of the most beautiful things about life itself.  

Year of Courage: Haunted Corn Maze

October..... The creepiest time of the year. Earlier this year I did a scary movie for something for me to overcome. So, if you know that I don't do scary movies you know very well that I don't do anything haunted. I am not big of haunted houses or corn mazes. I have never been to either one because they are not my thing. So, October was one of the easiest things I could pick out for the year cause there is a whole month dedicated to scary things. Thus, why the haunted corn maze. 

Now since I don't do scary movies I had a fun time trying to figure out a Halloween related movie that was not actually that scary, and since I already had used Hocus Pocus earlier I knew that I could not do that one. Alaina helped me out with that one and suggest Boo! A Madea Halloween.

To which I thought was perfect! I mean this movie had one jump scare that only got you if you are easily scared, like I am. However, it's hilarious and a good way to detox if the haunted maze was too much. 

So, here is was happened. 

Like the scary movie, I got some help from my friend Austin. This time we took more people with us on our adventure! Dakota, Austin's little brother, and Will, Austin's best friend, joined us. This ended up being way better because none of us had ever done a haunted corn maze. So, everyone was going to experience this for the first time. 

I was totally fine on the way there. We were joking and cracking up for the 40 minute drive, no problem finding the place or anything like. It's was after we bought the tickets, and were standing in line that is started to get to me..... 

The same reason I don't like scary movies is the same reason I don't do haunted houses. I HATE jump scares. I STILL don't understand the point of paying good money to be scared. WHO ENJOYS BEING SCARED! 

Anyways, We are standing in line hearing people screaming in the far off distance, chainsaws going off everywhere and I am dreading my choice.... I willing jumped 14,000 feet out of plane in August but I can't handle a haunted corn maze... go figure. We are finally allowed to go in. We turn the first corner and a man in a Jason mask comes out of the corn to which I scream terribly loud and back into the three boys... I feel like I am not going to make it through this before I start to cry.

We go through I few more turns and nothing scares me too bad. Then we run into the nice couple that was in front of us in the line. They had a way better flashlight than we did and they let us follow them and work together to get through the maze. As soon as we got the better flashlight it was so much easier to get through the maze. Cause with the corn you can hear where people are walking through and you shine in that direction you catch them before they catch you.... that is if you are at the front of the line.... which the boy were not...

This my friends.... is how the scary people in the maze left me ALONE!!! 

These three boys... the same boys who love scary movies, the ones who love scary video games... can not handle clowns..... Everyone in this maze was  clown of some sort!!! I would see them coming I was try to warn them, they would not hear me and get scared and I would laugh every single time! We got to one point were several of these guys, one with a chainsaw, came around all sides and cornered us. The boys are screaming! I am laughing my butt off so hard I want to fall on the ground! That is when I realized that all of the masked people realized I was laughing and left me alone, they let me get by easily, they tormented the boys longer than me and finally let them pass.

This goes on the whole time and I am laughing the whole way to through. That is until we get past stopping post 8. We turn the corner and there is this guy in this bloody, gory, mask... giving out high fives. He keeps saying "you're doing great I am trying to send out good vibes, you guys are almost out your doing great". We turn the corner and see this tunnel. I am like ok, there are scary people in the tunnel, there is gonna be a chainsaw it's gonna be great. So, I am preparing myself when I hear from behind me the same guy say "I'M SO SORRY...." then he started a chainsaw behind us, the guy in the tunnel started a chainsaw, there was another guy right when we got in throw his bloody arm out with a fake knife... THE HAPPY GUY LURED US INTO A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY! 

It was BRILLIANT! It was pure evil, and genius, and I am so mad that I was so impressed with his evil plan. 

I have to say that it's was so much fun because I wasn't one being scared the most. Would I go do it again, sure but I'm not gonna be the one to plan it. If someone else want's to go then I might go but I don't think that is going to be a yearly thing for me! 

Because I was scared I didn't get any videos however, Dakota got a few Snapchats that I got from him to share a little bit of the experience.

However, this one is the after we made it out of the maze! Yes, I did thank the scary man for a good time and he waved to us!

Tom Hanks Hustle: Extreamly Loud and Incredibly Close

The darkest day in recent American history was September 11, 2001. Anyone who was alive that day knows it and knows it all too well. I myself was in Mrs. Williams 4th grade class on that day. Ten years after the darkest day the movie Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close came out.

This story takes place a year after the events of 9/11. In the perspective of a young boy who sees the world differently than the rest of us. He tries to answer questions that we still have not figured out which is simply why. Oskar's father always did scavenger hunts. His father always went big on them and made Oskar follow clues all over the place. A year after 9/11, Oskar finds a key inside of a vase. He believes that his father left him the clue in order to find answers to impossible questions. The only clue is that the envelope in the vase says "Black" on it. Leading to look up every single person with the last name Black in New York reported in the last census. Leading to a journey of healing, not only for Oskar and his family, but for a city still grieving the events of a year earlier.

This movie hurts to watch in a good way. I am not even going to even try to imagine what someone who lost someone in 9/11 or who lived in New York during the time. I can't believe that anyone who was alive and witnessed the news during that day can say there where not effected in some wat. It was a time of great sorrow, of confusion, but the stories or people, of life, of hope, of togetherness that I have gotten to hear after have been amazing. This move, in a small way, shows the hope that comes out of that fear. It shows who people are willing to help each other heal.

I could keep going but I will get to the reason why this movie was watched in the first place.

When I was looking up Mr. Hanks' movies I found that I came across a few titles that I was not sure if he started in. Most he has in a few there have only been a few minutes of. So, I either did not watch them or I watched them and did not write about them cause he was not in them enough. Mr. Hanks' is not the main star in the movie. He is in, but not for very much of the them film. The reason I am still writing about this film is even though he is not the main star, he is the driving force behind the movie.

He is the reason why Oskar goes on this adventure. He is the reason why this particular story is taking place. He is the reason that we gets to see so many people of New York and see how it has thrived  since the events.

In the number of movies that I have seen from all different years, different genres, different topics... I do not recall any movie having a star being such a driving force off the screen than on. I will say that it's very impressive that Mr. Hanks was able to portray so much faith, so much hope, so much emotion in a character so very little seen on screen. It's amazing to watch really. It's amazing how much love is shown from this lost father through the whole movie.

It's simply an amazing film of love, kindness, and the power we have as humans to heal in so many more ways than we could have possibly ever think. It shows how resilient we are as a country and as individuals. It's shows that sometime the best thing we can do for one another is a small gesture, like answer a knock on a door, can bring such lasting impact on our lives.

Alaina's Trial by Movies: Katherine Hepburn

Katherine Hepburn. She is one the most well known actresses off all time. She is mostly known for her roles with Spencer Tracy. However, she is also well versed in comedies, and other roles, outside of her performances with Mr. Tracy. One of the most memorable roles if in Bringing Up Baby.

This movie is about a Professor who has many life changes happening in the same week. He is getting married, a rare dinosaur bone has been found for his museum, and he is trying to win a million dollar grant for the same museum. However, when trying to win over the favor of the lawyer that represents the person giving way the million, he has an unfortunate run in with Susan. Susan is a woman whose head is always in the clouds. She doesn't really know what is going on outside her world. If she sees something that she wants that is outside of her world she will do everything in her power to make it a part of her world. So, when she meets Professor David she finds that she wants him. During the same time her brother sends her a live leopard named Baby to deliver to her aunt. She tricks David into helping her on the day of his wedding.

I have always found this film to be charming. It's one of the best slapstick comedies you will see. So, when it came to choosing what film for Alaina to watch of course it had to be one of the films that made me fall in love with Katherine Hepburn Bringing Up Baby. 

1. What were your thoughts going into this movie? I had no idea really. If I had to guess I thought it was going to be about a baby and not a leopard.
2. What was your favorite part of the movie? Either when they first brought the leopard on the screen, being the movie lover that I am, or at the end when Katherine Hepburn in swaying back and forth on the ladder that should have fallen over already.
3. Favorite character? Cary Grant's character David.
4. Why? He was the only sane one in the whole movie.
5. What did you not like about the movie? I get that you are not supposed to like David's fiancé but it bugs me that he never did get married. As someone who very much looked forward to getting married on her wedding day it made me sad that he like skipped over it.
6. What did you think of the actor we watched this time? I loved Katherine Hepburn's goofiness.
7. What do you think of the movie after watched it? It was nothing like I expected it to be. It was fun and silly.
8. Would you watch it again? Yes
9. Would you recommend? To someone who really like on the nose humor, yes.
10. What relevance does it have to today? Make sure you recognize your leopard and don’t talk to strange women.

I love Alaina. I can not wait to see what she has to say about our next film!

Year of Courage: Get a Dog

September has been the hardest freaking month to do something courage wise. This is the one month that I have constantly changed what I wanted to do. I wanted to originally adopt a dog and chose not to do that. Then I wanted to travel alone and realized I have been doing that this year already going to Oz, and Kansas so defeated the purpose. Then I was going to learn something new. Then I didn't have the time, or energy, to really read the book. Then I came back to adopting a dog. The movie that went with this is A Dog's Purpose. 

This is a movie from the point of view of a dog who found is purpose to be with his owner Ethan. When we first meet him we find that he is a puppy and trying to figure out what life is about. Then when he passes he becomes a new dog and play a different role in other people minds as he gets older. This cycle continues at the end of the time he is with Ethan and come back later as a different do to make sure Ethan is still on a good path.

So, for week I have been toying with the idea of getting a dog. The reason I allowed myself to do that was because I just started a new job in the middle of August that had me working less hours during the day. So, I would not feel as bad leaving a dog home alone for that amount of time. I started looking on Young Williams Animal Center's website to see if there are any dogs that I might love. I kept coming back to that one dog named Churchill. He is a Mastiff/ Chinese Shar Pei mix. Totally loveable, and sweet and everything. I thought I would not be able to get him because he is part mastiff. I emailed my complex and they said I could adopt him if I wanted. 

I call tell them I want to meet him, they have me take him for a sleepover at my place for a few days! 

He is the sweetest boy ever! He is adorable and I love him! He came home and we met my parents, my bother and his dog, and had a really good first day. Then I had to go to work the next day.... That when things got bad.

I spent the whole day in a near panic attack because I freaked myself out having a dog. Yeah, I know it sound stupid, and it is, but I was so scared all day long. I spent the whole day in tears not know if I should keep him or not.

To be clear I had not officially adopted him yet. He came home with me just for a few days to see if everything would work out. There was no commitment to for me to keep him. He only stayed for about 3 days. I don't want anyone to think I keeps him for weeks then gave him back up for adoption.

A long, sad, and overemotional two days later. Churchill went back to Young Williams. It was heartbreaking because I do love him and I want him to have the best home. After actually having him in my life, and knowing he would be my responsibility is when I realized I wasn't as ready for him as I thought. It's a combination of I live alone, I don't have huge amounts of money if he were to get sick, and I am out and about a lot and can't really take him with me. Also, I think his size messed with me too. He is cuddly, and wonderful but he is a big dog. I never had pets growing up. My family was not big on pets so we never got any. So, I felt like I didn't know anything and felt like I wasn't going to give him the care I needed.

I have been beating myself for the last few days and feeling totally embarrassed that I left him down. I know that I did was the right thing but it's doesn't make it any less hard. I know that I should not keep an animal that I an not prepared for. It would not be fair to any of us.

What made it all the worse was a felt like I didn't conquer a fear. Yes, originally I wanted adopting a dog to be part of this challenge this time last year. I changed that because working 10 hour days was not going to be good the for the and that why I changed my mind. All of this came back to be a part of this challenge because I thought it was the right time and the right dog. Now it seems it was the right dog but wrong timing for me. He is the perfect dog, he is the smartest dog, and he is the most loving dog. However, I know that I could not be the best human for him. It was better for him to get a better chance at life with someone I know can be that for him.

No, I did not conquer the fear of getting a dog but that doesn't mean I failed. I still pushed my boundaries and tried. That is what matter and what makes this year to be great. I learned where the line was. I learned that I am under prepared for a dog. That doesn't mean I will always be. That means that I have to come up with some tactics to get prepared. I want to volunteer sometimes to walk the dogs maybe a Young Williams and get to know dogs better in general. I can work with them and get to know how to better care for a dog. I can take my time to see if I would do better with a smaller dog, or an older dog, or if maybe a dog is something that really isn't for me? Maybe I am a better Aunt to a dog than an owner.

Failing doesn't mean that you can't do something. It just means you have to learn and grow until you know how to succeed.

Alaina's Trial by Movies: Sammy Davis Jr.

It has been a while! 

The summer has been totally crazy and wonderful and weird. It has been fun and Alaina and I have been doing a lot of fun things together but that has put these movies on the back burner a bit. Well, actually Doctor Who has put these movies on the back burner a bit. I have now watched all of New Who so we can get back to this. 

The actor that Alaina wanted to see this week was Mr. Sammy Davis Jr.

The movie that I chose for Alaina to watch featuring him is Robin and the 7 Hoods. I know that this is more of a Frank Sinatra, Bring Crosby, or Dean Martin movie but I think the Sammy Davis Jr. has a great dancing scene, great lines, and some really good laughs. I was looking forward for her to see this movie because she has actually seen it once before. Way back when we tried to do this years ago we got about one or two movies in. She fell in love with Bing Crosby the first time we saw it. So, I was interested in what she would say about this movie again.

1. What were your thoughts going into this movie? I knew that is was going to be a funny movie. However, I don't remember seeing it so I was looking forwards to watching it again.

2. What was your favorite part of the movie? When the Speakeasy that Frank's gang was running was about to be raided by the cops and it turned into a revival church. Then they started singing the song about Mr. Booze. 

3. Who was your favorite character? Robbo, Frank Sinatra's Character

4. Why? He is the most polite gangster ever. He has this whole "don't mess with me" vibe but he is totally nice.

5. What did you not like about the movie? The Marian character was evil. In most of the Robin Hood stories she is the love interest and good but in the version she was not. She wanted to revenge and it makes her a disgrace to all Robin Hood Marians everywhere.

6. What did you think of Sammy David Jr.? I loved him because he was loyal, quirky, and quiet. 

7. What do you think of the movie now that you have watched it? It was funny, classy, and entertaining. It also has some question songs.

8. Would you watch it again? Absolutely

9. Would you recommend? Yes! This was my favorite film that we have watched so far.

10. What relevance does this movie have to today? Don't be a "do Badderer" like the song say.  

Tom Hanks Hustle: Larry Crowne

Ladies and gentlemen, Larry Crowne

Larry Crowne take pride in his job. He is hoping to be promoted one day. However, when he is called to the office and is fired instead of promoted his life turns upside down. Larry decides that he is going to go back to school. Little did he know that in doing so his life would be turned even more topsy turvy, but for the better.

I have to say.... how lack luster this movie was. I was so looking forward to seeing Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts in the same movie together but really it wasn't that grand of a picture. It's an easy movie to watch and there are a lot of well known actors in the film. Yet, the film seemed to lack a real personal connection between the two main characters of Hanks and Roberts. Also, the movie was about a gang of motor scooter enthusiasts. I thought it was motor cycles but it wasn't.... it was motor scooters....

If the whole move did not have the love interest, and basically cut out Julia Roberts part all together, I think it would have been a very sweet and funny film. I think the whole love story really slowed down the movie. They finally seemed to get a groove with each other when Robert's character finally did something other than sulk. Which really didn't happen until the end of the film. 

It's a cute film but its really not something I would recommend to someone wanting to watch a Tom Hanks film.