Movie Review: Warm Bodies

Movie Review

Warm Bodies

Rated PG-13

Language

Zombie Violence

Well for starters you will either love this movie or think it’s stupid. No middle ground from what I’ve read. The message is clear in this movie, and no it’s not necrophilia is acceptable. But rather, love cures all or something. I never thought of love as a cure, but there you go. All you need is love.

“R” (Nicholas Hoult) is a zombie just going about life death, doing corpse-y things, thinking corpse-y thoughts. One day as him as his zombie buddies are hungry and on the prowl, he comes across the beautiful Julie (Teresa Palmer) after he eats her really hot boyfriend (Dave Franco). R begins to feel something he has never felt in death before. And his heart starts to beat. All he knows is that he wants to keep her. He takes her back to his pad (an airplane) and a montage of getting to know each other ensues. While there he eats her bf’s brains on the DL because eating people’s brains are the closest that the undead have to dreaming. When they do that, they can experience their victim’s memories and it makes them feel alive. Or at least it does in R’s case, he’s an odd one.

Why yes, this is a better love story than Twilight.

Julie’s father (John Malkovich) is the leader in this post-apocalyptic world and is building a giant wall around their city where no zombies can get through.  He’s lost his wife to the infection and he ain’t gonna take no more! He’s kind of a general  or leader, I didn’t really get the official title but he runs things.  Now Julie realizes that she has feelings or R and that he is slowly changing back and she has to tell her father, but will he understand?

This is a new twist on movies with a central theme of forbidden love. There were a lot of Romeo & Juliet references. It was predictable but I liked the concept. I’m actually going to purchase this when it comes out on DVD. I feel bad for the main girl because she looked so much like Kristen Stewart and it must suck getting compared to another actress (my 10 year old even noticed the similarity) when you’re trying to stand out.

"Since there is no Facebook, this is a pic of the girl I'm stalking"

This movie is based on a book which I will definitely have to get my hands on since sources say they took a lot out of the movie. Movies usually do that. Go fig.

All in all I found it enjoyable aside from scenes defying logic, but then again, we’re talking zombies here. I give it 8 out of 10. 

What Are You Waiting For?

Everyone once in a while someone comes along and tells me I need to find someone. Don’t get me wrong, I do want to be in a relationship….someday.  But now is not a good time. There is so much to do and I give my all to everything I’m involved in that there is no room. I once got asked “What are you so afraid of?” I’m not but I guess if pressed for an answer then I’d be afraid of being with someone just to be with someone and then biding time until someone else comes along. Or being with someone I’m not that attracted to.  Settling.

I want the real thing. And if it never happens, I’m okay with it. There are worse things in the world. So many people have left this earth without ever experiencing romantic love. Sometimes people have left without experiencing any love at all. What’s one more person? There are people on this earth fighting to just survive or even eat.

What am I doing in the mean time? Playing the chess game of life. Getting all the pieces in place. I guess I have several chess games going at once. Most notably is the climbing the career ladder at my job. I was hinted today that I’d be a good manager. Second time and I think I should start making a move towards that. Second game would be a writing career. Doing what I love for a living.

But I digress, as I've said before I want to find someone who’s into 83% of the things I’m into. The other 17% is so we can go off and do our own thing. I know what I want and I believe that he’s out there and it’s just a matter of timing. I’m glad that it’s not weird anymore to be single and not looking. There are a lot of other people out there focused and ambitious and the last thing they need is a relationship.

                                                          It's half past bachelorhood.

I spoke with someone recently who is in a relationship and his life is not where he wants it at the moment. We discussed his girlfriend and I asked him “When you get everything together are you going to leave her because you think you can do better?” and his response was “That’s what I’m afraid of”. He said she can sense this and is still holding on. I don’t agree with the way this person is handling this and I've stated it, but it’s not my life. He knows right from wrong and I've reiterated just how wrong this was.  That’s what looking for love when you are lonely can do. Both were lonely when they found each other. Instead of using that time alone productively and enjoying it, they chose to run from themselves to another person.

I know if I ever get into a relationship, I’ll think back to my “single days” and might even miss them. I’m cherishing them now. A friend once told me how backwards I was “Most girls dress up when they’re single in order to catch a man’s eye and then when they’re in a relationship they start dressing down. You do the exact opposite.” I kind of like my way. Who am I trying to impress??? Yes, I dress up for work and special occasions, but for now I want to be comfortable.  This is who I am at this point in my life. I feel like I have all the time in the world to read a book, watch an entire season of a TV show, or just get up and leave. When you’re with someone you have to compromise and pay attention to each other’s needs.  I want to be there for them. I think by enjoying my alone phase, I’ll cherish the relationship phase all the more. If that happens….

Wisdom Teeth Removal

Hey all! Last week I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed. Didn't really have any idea what I was about to go through and couldn't find an in depth site so I decided to document it. Check it out. It's on my tumblr page. You can read it here.

5 Red Flags For Men Dating A New Woman

I've done a couple of post on warning signs for women, now it's time to explore women themselves. This is for all the good guys out there. If you’re a player then I think you deserve one of these girls. lol I’m kidding. No one deserves heartache or their time wasted.  I've been talking to a few males in my circle and they seem to be attracting the wrong type of woman. Maybe it’s not their fault; some women send over drinks and approach them. Conversation starts and before you know it she’s got you hooked. Of course you're physically attracted to her, but then she knows exactly what to say and when to bat her eyes and you find yourself staring at her when she looks away. You embark on a whirlwind romance, and then her true colors start to show. By the time you want to cool things off you find yourself tagged within a Facebook rant calling you names and filled with lies or worse you wake up to slashed tires and numerous calls and texts for the next few weeks. But there were signs all along. They say love is blind, but this wasn't love. Take a step back from dreamland, read on and see if anything sounds familiar:

She’s insecure. This girl is always fishing for compliments and while it’s nice to receive compliments, she will steer the conversation more than once towards her and how awesome she is. The sad truth is deep down inside, she’s not confident and it manifests itself by checking on you and/or trying to make you jealous. *Rick met a girl named **Zora who was a “model”. I believe she did a few flyers for some clubs here and there. It was always about Zora. One night Rick could not accompany her to an outing with her friends. Zora was not happy about this and was sure to tell Rick that a lot of guys were checking her out and she could have went home with any one of them if she wanted to. Rick was indifferent to this. He simply shrugged and said fine, whatever. Unhappy with the fact that Rick was not showing any signs of jealousy, she flew into a rage and promptly smacked him across the face. Rick did not look at her, he simply told her to get out of his car. Long story short, he had to call block her (the Mr. Number app works wonders). Other signs that she could be insecure: She has a new group of “close” friends every few months, she always has “haters” (I stand by my theory that some people invent haters) and possibly utters phrases like “other girls don’t like me”. She could possibly be an exotic dancer or have a somewhat similar occupation or just takes pix in her lingerie and posts them online.

She’s materialistic. This woman thinks she is the next Kim Kardashian. Sure, we women love to dress up once in a while, but this chick always has her hair and makeup done, quite possibly at the gym as well. This woman likes to take and take and take until you have nothing left to give. Your pictures together are posed perfectly and a little unnatural. But the thing is, just like her purse is an expensive accessory, you too are an accessory. You’re there to look good on her arm. She laments to all of her friends how you took her to such and such restaurant (orchestrated by her of course) and bought her this bracelet (snaps a pic and puts in on Twitter). Being arm candy may seem like fun for a guy, but you have to keep up appearances or face her wrath. How dare you not? To be involved with a woman like this means to come across hidden receipts and bouts or "retail therapy". It means to be in debt within 5 years. Do you really want to cash in your 401k now?

She’s needy. She doesn't want you to leave her. She showers you with gifts. Whatever you need she has it. She seems to come in your life right when you need her the most. And that’s the point. Her rationale is: if you need her, then you won’t leave her. Little by little she starts to push the status of the relationship. It’s only been a few weeks, but in her mind, it’s serious. This woman is the first to drop the “L” word. You met at the end of January and she’s already surprising you with a Valentine’s Day gift. Your Facebook status still says “single” while hers has changed to “in a relationship”. But no pressure though, right?

                                                      Look into my eyes. You will do as I say.

Her life is in shambles. I call this woman Little Miss Hot Mess. Like the guy I mentioned in 5 Signs He's Not A Nice Guy, she plays the victim card frequently. Most of her stories are pity parties and she puts it all out there. You know everything about her in 2 days. She has no filter, no discretion. Often times she needs financial help. She may even have an ex still “stalking” her. Her entire being screams “damsel in distress”. Everything is falling apart and you’re the hero there to save her. Don’t. Back away. There’s actually improvement for this one, but it’s a matter of timing. Unfortunately, it could take her years to get it right.

She’s a Manipulative Sweetie Pie – The most dangerous one.  You catch her in “little white lies” all the time.  She can turn things on you all at once and make you seem like the bad guy. She is a master at turning heated discussions in her favor. Really there is no arguing with her. She can twist your very words. No matter what, she will never see that she did anything wrong and will have everyone believing that she was the one wronged by you. She can be private and only show what she wants to show to the world. She has crafted an innocent image that can’t easily be shattered. This woman may even have you think you are the one who is crazy. With this chick, the devil is in the details. What do you catch her doing? Good deeds on the down low for a friend hurting financially? Or little digs at a coworker or neighbor she is “not too fond of” (i.e. hiding mail, kicking trash over the fence). If it's the latter then RUN. 

Hopefully this has given men some knowledge in identifying these types of women. This latest piece was written by discussing women with a couple of close male friends/relatives and also by using the power of observation. Men were there any types of women that I've left off?

*Name changed to protect those dear to me.

**Her name really was exotic and I wanted to keep the theme. 

5 Signs You're Not Ready To Date

You've been single a while and you’re feeling like you’re ready to get back out there. The word has gone out, you are looking. But there’s a difference between wanting to date and actually being ready. Do you have all of your ducks in a row? Find out below in the top 5 list.

1.     You aren't fully self-supporting. There are women out there who look at dating as a way to get a second income. Stop right there. If you aren't standing on your own two feet financially then it’s best to get that taken care of before you date. One guy informed me that he was on a dating site and he had no job and no way of taking a woman out. The sad thing is, women still met with him, but that’s a whole other post. 

2.     You’re still not over your ex. Whether it’s a break up or a death, make sure you've healed before going out. It’s not fair to get serious with someone when your heart's not 100% in the relationship.  If the shoe was on the other foot, you'd want the other person to be fully into you so extend the same courtesy. That means no thinking about the ex (unless you have to discuss children), no comparing anyone to the ex, and no running to the ex when life gets difficult.

3.     You’re selfish. It’s all about you. What you want and when you want it. And maybe you’re in med school and you don’t have time to date, you just need someone who is there the whole time.  And yes, you can probably find someone who is willing to go along with you Mr. Bossypants, but relationships are a two way street.  It’s give and take. You don’t want to be with someone who is going to end up resenting you because you followed your dreams the entire time.  So for right now, try to get your major goals out of the way (there's nothing wrong with that). Or just learn to compromise.

                                                      Photo courtesy of Jaz Levario.  www.Photosbyjaz.net 

4.     You don’t know who you are yet. This character is the exact opposite of the above mentioned. I've heard this phrase uttered by women who jumped into serious relationships and mold themselves according to their significant other. One day they wake up and panic. Is this really them? Is this what they wanted? If they’re already married then let’s hope so. But if not, there is still time to find out what you want to do and who you want to be. Relationships aren't two halves coming together to make a whole, relationships are two wholes combined to be a team, and an awesome team at that. One that supports each other and lifts each other when life knocks them down. Don’t look to your significant other to be your happiness, make sure your own happiness and self-worth is what you’re bringing to the table. When you are confident in who you are then you start attracting like-minded individuals and repelling the ones who are not are your level.

5.     All you do is think about being with someone. There are romantics and there are hopeless romantics. These are the ones who are in love with the idea of being in love. Every outing they are searching and scoping the room looking for potentials. They are eager, sometimes intense and just too forward. These types of people want to get serious fast. If this sounds like you, stop, take a deep breath and reevaluate why you want to find love so quickly. Remember, you can’t put a time frame on love, it’ll happen when it does. Don’t give yourself a certain age to “meet, marry, and make babies”. More often than not, that backfires leaving you with nothing but heartache.  Right now just stop and smell the roses. Enjoy being single. It’s all in your attitude and approach.

So singles, did I leave anything out? Is this just about everything one needs to take care of before being about to date? Add your own to the list by commenting.

Shut Up Hollywood

So it’s not totally Hollywood’s fault. We do buy what they’re selling. But is no one else seeing that the emperor isn't wearing clothes? A couple of years ago I went to the movies with some girlfriends. There we saw the trailer to the movie “No Strings Attached”. A girl in the group said “maybe I should try that”. The reply “That’s a movie”. Sure you can smile and shake your head at this girl, but how many others have tried to make someone fall in love with them by being a friend with benefits?  Yes, it is possible but only in extremely rare exceptions. For the most part, once you’re the booty call, you stay the booty call. I recently read a story of a woman who fooled herself into thinking it was just sex and that she could just walk away, but it ate at her and tore her self-esteem into shreds. A lot of females lie to themselves, thinking it won’t hurt them, but it’s damaging. Casual sex will end up controlling you in the end and it won’t be for the better.

The entertainment industry doesn't stop there. Guys often fall prey to one scenario and often. The guy in the friend zone that comes out of it when she realizes he’s the one. After all, it happened to Ryan Reynolds’ character in “Just Friends”. There a huge difference between being friends before dating and being put in the friend zone. The former is when neither were really looking to date each other, it just happened. The latter is when he is very attracted to her and she doesn't really show interest. Yes, she’ll hang out with you, but your name has been moved into a category from which you never get out. You stick around, be her shoulder to cry on, let her talk to you about other guys, etc. etc. etc. None of that will get you out of the zone.

What if you don’t know if you’re in the friend zone? Just ask her out. You’ll get your answer. If you are, move on and don’t waste your time any longer. Don’t take it personal either. Most likely it had nothing to do with looks and everything to do with chemistry/compatibility. Once you let her go you can be open to finding the one who you were supposed to be with.

Both scenarios can happen to either sex. We've all heard of the guy who fell in love while being in a no strings attached relationship. And let’s not forget the girl that was put in the friend zone. Older and wiser people may scoff at this post, but we have a depressed and insecure generation coming up and they’re way more valuable than they think they are. 

5 Signs He's NOT A Nice Guy

Before feathers get ruffled just know that the reverse can be true for women. 

The saying “Nice guys finish last” is just not true. I've met a few nice, great guys. But they’re always taken! Why? Because these guys are what real women want. The idea that women always go for a jerk is total bull.  The women that do that aren't right in the head and have obvious self-esteem issues. We don’t want you if you’re going for women with a screw loose.  Women who have it together mentally and financially are not in the market to be disrespected or have their time wasted. They know they deserve better. The problem is that some guys genuinely think they are a nice guy. Yet there’s an issue that they’re not seeing. Being single, people approach you and want to get to know you and I’m always open to making friends. This has given me a great opportunity to sit…..and watch….and wait. A jerk in disguise always reveals himself sooner or later. Read on to find out 5 signs to eliminate him as a nice guy.

1.     One of the first sentences out of his mouth are “Look, I’m a nice guy”.  Who is he trying to convince? As they say actions speak louder than words and if he has to vouch for himself because no one else will, then that’s a red flag. (Beware of the wingman endorsement too). 

2.     He talks bad about his ex.  First of all no one should be talking about their exes at all, but especially not in an unfavorable way.  That says more about him than it does her. He obviously hasn't gotten over whatever it was with her. And another thing, what’s he going to say behind your back?

3.     He plays the victim card. Bad things have happened to all of us. Whether it’s a bad childhood or his ex cheated on him and left him for someone else, if he is constantly “woe is me” something is up. It’s like they’re trying to get a pity date out of you. Some women do this too, a lot.

4.     He treats his family bad. Sure he sent flowers to your job and took you to the ballet, but if he ends a conversation with his sister in a barrage of swear words he is definitely acting like he’s a nice guy only with you.  Our family gets on our nerves sometimes, but that’s no reason to be ugly with them. At the end of the day they are still family and you need to cut this guy loose.

5.     He gets flirty quickly. There’s a difference between the cute flirty and the sexual flirty. If the first calls/texts get sexual, it’s clear what he has on his mind. He is not interested in getting to know you nor does he care about what you've accomplished. Walk away.

Remember, most guys are never truly themselves when you meet them. Some will say and do whatever they need to get you into bed.  Respect yourself. I've seen way too many girls crying, feeling used and betrayed.  They’re not going to come at you in true form. It’s going to be subtle.  Ladies, if we collectively raise the standard then they’ll have no choice but to rise to it.

What other things could be added to the list?  Men, was there a woman that fooled you into thinking she was sweet and innocent?

Movie Review: End Of Watch

Movie Review

End Of Watch

This time I would like to do the rating of the movie first so there won't be any spoilers at the top. The review will be after the image.

Rated R:

Violence

Gore

Adult Themes

Language

Drug Use

                                                                    "I wish I could quit you"

Caution Spoilers Ahead

Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Miguel Zavala (Micheal Peña) are partners on a dangerous beat in South Central L.A. Because BriBri (my pet name for him) is super curious and wants to be a detective when he grows up, he accidentally goes and exposes a human trafficking ring. Government officials know all of this and let him know he messed up bad. And yes they do know there were children in the house but rules are rules, Brian.  You just can't go around rescuing people. The Mexican cartel leader is a not a happy camper; the word is out and there is a hit on the two officers.  Now throughout the movie you have 2 types of film style: the normal movie camera shots  and the hand held shots that various characters (mainly Taylor) use, I liked it at first but then it got a little weird.  Besides that the action was intense and realistic. I only had a slight problem with the final shoot out. You have 4 gang members firing from the second floor at Taylor and Zavala and the only wound was Taylor’s left hand.  Other than that it was a great movie. It really got to me and I almost cried. To be honest, in the middle of the movie I thought it would be Brian to die and then Miguel would name his son after him. That prediction changed as the movie went on, of course. I thought some of the characters were spot on and downright scary.  All in all, this is a definite purchase to add to any movie snob’s collection. Watching it with your bro (or bff) is optional but I do recommend it as it will only strengthen the bond.

Also starring Anna Kendrick as the “perfect” girlfriend turned wife and American Ferrera.

««««¶

Make New Memories

When a place or a song jostles a memory of someone, and that person is gone, they tend to avoid those reminders.  They stop going to the coffee shop that they loved because they went there with an ex and it’s too painful.  They turn the station when that song comes on the radio. The one they danced to all night.

In my previous post, I mentioned about going to the restaurant my dad took us to on special occasions. No running from the memories, just taking it all in. A way of honoring him, I guess.  A way of reliving good times.  But what if you want to forget someone?  Does one stay away from the places that they liked just to repress all of those memories?  Screw that. Nothing can keep me away from the best Chinese takeout by my house. Now if there was a chance that I would run into my ex, then yeah, I’d stay away. That type of situation has got to be frustrating. Fortunately, mine moved elsewhere. I have the city to myself. Instead of shying away from the theater we went to, I go there 20 more times with different people and make new, good memories. I keep going until that place doesn't remind me of someone. It’s the same with songs. I listen to them at work and dance around. I sing to them, do karaoke with friends to them. Now those songs are just my songs.

Any other things besides songs and places that might jog someone’s memory? Clothes? I think I have a few articles of clothing from that time period. I’m not sure. I think I've done a pretty good job of forgetting. Lol. Wait, if I still have a jacket from 1997 then I must have something from the relationship era.  The few shirts that I may have, I've probably already worn them other places and probably snapped pictures with other people.

This is just me; a person who just happens to forget and get over someone and never look back.  I let go. Here's a techie visual: Delete all of those memories, and then save over it with new memories onto your RAM. Keep saving the good stuff until you’ve used your entire RAM. J

Enjoy you day!