To be honest before watching "Marley & Me", I thought I had it all figured out about this film. I was pretty sure that this film was going to be about a happy ending movie about a dog but I was completely wrong. Let me just say, I definitely bawled to this movie like no other. Not only at the end but throughout of it. I've always been a huge fan of dogs since I had my own about ten years ago but because of my allergies, we had to give it away.

When I found out that Marley & Me was directed by David Frankel, I knew I had to check it out. One of my favorites movies by him is "Devil Wears Prada" and knowing that was an amazing movie and one of my favorites, I knew Marley & Me would be too. 

Marley & Me is a romantic comedy drama starring Jennifer Anniston and Owen Wilson. It's about a newlywed couple that grow up together along with Marley, the dog. Jennifer and Owen gets married and move to Florida to pursue in their writing career for their news article. Throughout the movie, the married couple decides to get a puppy and named it Marley but after a few months, Marley grows into a 100 pound dog that causes a lot of chaos for the couple. Since the married couple became richer and had children of their own, they were losing patience with Marley's energy. The busy family is so attached to their busy lifestyle that they forgot how old Marley has gotten. After going to the doctor's for Marley's checkup, they were informed that his time is coming up. 

While watching this movie, I realized this movie isn't about just a dog. It's about human life with a dog and how the family grew up together along with a dog. The movie was very relatable to me and probably to many viewers out there which was one of the reasons why it was such a good movie.. at least, to me.

A particular scene that really made me bawl was when the family realized that something was wrong with Marley. It was a daily routine for Marley to wait for the kids at the bus stop but the kids realized he hasn't been doing that lately because he was getting old and sick. As the family were playing outside, Marley ran away from home because he knew his time was coming up and for dogs, they like to be alone when their about to pass away.

Marley & Me has taught me that "Life happens when you're making other plans",which is so true. A quote that has been stuck into my head was when Owen Wilson said "the chaos is what made Marley worth living with" even though at the time it didn't seem like it. I realized that relates to everyone, not just dogs. Sometimes the chaos you have with a certain someone, is what makes worth living with.

Overall, I absolutely found this movie enjoyable even though I bawled through it. 

Interview

Finding Nemo is one of my favorite Pixar movies. The movie is a sweet Father-Son tale with some very scary moments. Marlin (Nemo's dad) loses his son Nemo, after he ventures out to the sea so Marlin faces many obstacles to find his one and only son. This is probably one of the few pixar movies that has brought out my sensitive side. I really enjoyed the storyline of the movie and how everything fit perfectly together. I like Dory's and Marlin's relationship throughout the movie.... how much they need and depend on each other. Overall, I definitely give it ten stars and can't wait to watch it again :-)

Interview

For my interview, I was going to interview my high school movie media teacher but I haven't had the chance to reach out to him for an interview so I decided to ask a questions to my manager from my job. My manager and I are very close when it comes to movies so we keep each other updated about what movies to watch and not to watch during our shifts. I decided to ask her a few questions relating to movies so hope you guys enjoy!


Lena: Katie, you also enjoy watching movies. Why?
Katie: Most people go on vacations to get away from stress but for me, watching movies is my getaway. Movies help me with my stress and emotions. Movies cures everything (laughs)

Lena: You mentioned to me before that James Cameron is one of your favorite movie directors. Why?
Katie: He's definitely one of my favorite's because his imagination is so different than any other director's out there. He knows how to use his imagination and direct it into a movie. James Cameron is very brilliant, creative and just amazing. He has made a significant contribution to the development of the film industry.

Lena: He's definitely my favorite movie director too. What's your favorite movie by him?
Katie: This is a hard one because I definitely loved all of his movies but If I had to choose my top favorite, it would have to be Avatar.

Lena: Why, Avatar?
Katie: Avatar was such a brilliant movie. The movie was just a fantasy and everything about it was just remarkable. Just the fact that James Cameron had the imagination to think of this wonderful film surprised me. His movie Avatar was just in a whole different level from his previous movies.

Lena: Since you enjoy movies so much, Did you ever consider about being a movie director .. or anything related to movies in general?
Katie: I definitely considered acting and being a movie writer but I just never really hard the urge to "go for it".

Lena: Why?
Katie: I mean I believe that I had the imagination to become a movie writer and If I received acting lessons, I think I would've been sent to hollywood. (laughs) No but in all seriousness, I definitely wanted to pursue in acting but I was just raised to go to college. My parents weren't really supportive of me being in an acting industry.

Lena: What's your favorite part about movies in general?
Katie: I enjoy movies because of enjoyment and relaxation. It's interesting to see characters in movies, fashion, hairstyles and etc. As I see it, while watching movies I have the ability to leave reality by enjoying it. It's my escape away from life.

500 Days of Summer

Another favorite movie of mine is "500 Days of Summer" starring Joseph Gordon Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. The reason why I absolutely love this movie is because it isn't just a typical love story, it's a story about love. The movie focuses on the rise and fall of a relationship of heart, soul and a recognition that it is better have to loved and lost than never loved at all. It was also very relatable to the audience out there because it shows that not everything about love is perfect and not everything has a perfect ending when it comes to love. Overall, I thought it was one of the most funniest yet saddest romantic comedy of all time.

Inception

Inception is one of the best movies created of all time starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page and Tom Hardy. I've always been a huge fan of Leonardo DiCaprio and Joseph Gordon Levitt
since their first acting in "Growing Pains" and "10 things I hate about you". So I was very excited to watch two of my favorite actors starring in a movie together. Re-watching Inception many times helped me fully understand the movie wholly. Inception is the most ambitious psychological thriller I've ever seen. I honestly can say that I can watch this movie over and over again and still be mind blown. Inception is about a team of dream professionals who enter peoples dreams and manipulate them. The movie is about a complex world and dreams. Even though the movie was a bit confusing, I loved every part of it. Not only did it have great acting, It also had an intriguing plot and brilliant visuals. Through this movie, I realized there is no "correct" ending. Many viewers from the audience are debating what happened on the final scene of the movie. Was Leonardo DiCaprio awake or dreaming? I guess you have to figure that out on your own. Overall, the movie was well acted, directed and wonderfully put together. I loved and appreciated how Nolan draws everything together like a puzzle.

http://www.screencast.com/users/Cinephilia/folders/Default/media/f8bbec57-273a-49b3-a0ad-9a179af5318b

Easy A

Since going to the movies are a bit pricey, I am very pleased to say that I finally decided to sign up for netflix! I am very happy with my decision and a bit sad that I haven't signed up sooner. Through netflix, I caught up with many movies I haven't seen and the best thing about it is that they mail recent movies to your house. I ordered "Easy A" through netflix and it was delivered to my house the next day.
"Easy A" is a romantic high school comedy starring young hollywood actors Emma Stone, Penn Badgley and Amanda Bynes. This high school comedy is about an insecure high school teen who gains popularity by exaggerating a small lie about losing her virginity to her "imaginary" boyfriend. Rumors began to spread around causing Olive (Emma Stone) to be the new gossip in her high school. After rumors were spread, Olive pretends to sleep with her gay best friend in order to help him fend off his bullies. Once she helped him out, several boys from her school find out what she has done and decides to pay her to do the same favor for them hoping to benefit from their "lost virginities". Basically, Olive realizes her life resembles Hester Prynne from "The Scarlet Letter" and decides to use the rumors to her advantage by putting a red "A" known as "adultry" onto her clothes. In the end, she realized she hurt her reputation by helping others to pretend to lose their virginity. She finally decides to stand up for herself and re fix her reputation by confronting the boys to tell the truth to the school. Once she fixed her reputation, she realized she was in love with the one guy who has always had her back and always believed the rumors about her were untrue, Todd (Penn Badgely).
Overall, "Easy A" was absolutely enjoyable. I thought the movie was one of the year's freshest, funniest and the most entertaining high school comedy since Mean Girls. Emma Stone gave a terrific performance and through her role, my respect for her has grown. Through this movie, I've learned that we shouldn't pretend someone who we're not just because of our reputation because reputation is only temporary and being yourself is not. "Easy A" was very inspiring to myself and many girls out there. The only thing I was a bit confused about was how Olive, a 17 year high school student gained attention from her entire school by losing her virginity. Nonetheless, I thought the movie was superb and I can't wait to watch it again!

http://www.screencast.com/users/lenachung/folders/Jing/media/c6f8fea1-4a08-4f4d-94d0-e10ae9d1d083