NEW BLOG

Hey! Sorry that I’ve rarely been posting! I’ve just been overwhelmed with homework and I have exams in two weeks! 

And my friend and I have also started up a new blog called allyouneedtosucceed.wordpress.com which you should all go like! We’ll be posting some short stories we’ve written, some writing tips and ideas, maybe some book and movie reviews and more! And if you also enjoy writing you can send us in your writing, for us to read it, or even post it on the blog! 

Hopefully I’ll be posting a bit more soon! 

Thanks!

Rach, x

LMAO

The Breakfast Club (1985)

‘The Breakfast Club’ is the 1985 movie that everyone’s heard of. Even if it was only from watching the movie Pitch Perfect, which according to the YouTube comments under TBC’s trailer, is where half the people discovered the movie.

Me? I wasn’t even born when the ‘The Breakfast Club’ was released. But I’d heard of it, even before Pitch Perfect. It just brought it to my attention. And the way that Anna Kendrick & Skylar Astin’s characters seemed to love the movie, I knew that I had to watch it. So when I went to the shops yesterday I bought it, and then after dinner with my friends, went home and watched it. And I loved it.

While The Breakfast Club might not be my favourite movie of all time, it’s definitely up there. The film is about 5 teenagers with nothing in common, except the fact they all have Saturday Detention at the school library. But by the end of the day ‘they had bared their souls to each other and become good friends’ (courtesy of my DVD cover blurb).

To the outside world they were just simply the Jock (Emilio Estevez), the Princess (Molly Ringwald), the Brain (Anthony Michael Hall), the Criminal (Judd Nelson) and the BasketCase (Ally Sheedy). At 7am they had nothing to say to each other but eventually they started talking, about life, about their parents, about sex, and eventually they realised they had more in common then they first thought, causing unexpected friendships & relationships.

This is a touching and accurate picture of teenage life now & then. There’s no doubt that this movie is a classic and that everyone should watch this movie, at least once in their life.

“To the outside world they were simply the Jock, the Brain, the Criminal, the Princess and the Kook, but to each other, they would always be The Breakfast Club.”

Rach, x

LMAO

Wreck-It Ralph ~ Movie Review

I sat down and watched Wreck-It Ralph after high reviews from my younger brother and sister – and I’m glad I did. It was bright, and original and fun! The movie starring John C Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jane Lynch and more, was released earlier this year by Disney, with a running time of 120 minutes.

The movie focuses on the life of Wreck-It Ralph, the bad guy in the arcade game Fix-It Felix, where the game comes to life after we’ve stopped playing. The film opens up at a support group for villains including some familiar faces such as Bowser. The start of the movie is funny, and exciting, although the middle of the film does get a little slow, it picks up at the end.

But Ralph doesn’t want to be the bad guy anymore, so he abandons his game, searching for a gold medal elsewhere, so he can be accepted. So ‘he turbos’ into another game, ‘Hero’s Duty’, where he finds himself in a bit of trouble. But when he finally gets the medal, he is transported into another game: ‘Sugar Rush’, a candy coated racing game. There he meets Vanellope von Schweetz, a nine year old racer, who wants to race but is banned for being a ‘glitch’. He decides to help her learn to race, and get back on the track!

The story is warm and fun, with a real interesting storyline as well as unexpected twists and turns, near the end. But the story has a nice message with it, about friendship and self-acceptance.

This movie would be good for a family movie night. Although I agree it’s most suited to kids, adults and teens might also enjoy it, like I did.

Rach, x

LMAO

Harry, A History ~ Book Review (& when I joined the HP fandom)

I picked this book up the other day for a couple of dollars, at my local second hand store. I was actually looking for the last three Harry Potter books to complete my collection. Then my friend handed me this book – Harry, A History – and I bought it. I was a little skeptical but it seemed promising. It’s written by Melissa Anelli, an admin at the Harry Potter fan site: The Leaky Cauldron. It’s about her journey into the fandom and her experiences along the way. As the tag line on the front cover reads: ‘The True Story of a Boy Wizard, His Fans, and Life Inside The Harry Potter Phenomenon.’

This book was intriguing and kept me interested for hours. Being on school holidays it was a good way to spend a day – reading in the sun on my back porch. But the thing I found most interesting, was reading about the author and the Harry Potter fandom’s experience in waiting for the books to come out. I first read the series in 2009 when they’d all been published. I never had to wait for months even years for the next book to be released. I just finished one book and then picked up the next. I never got the chance to sit and ponder what would happen next.
This is mainly because the first book was published in 1997, a year before I was born. But I’m still consider myself a major HP fan regardless.

Now back to the book, which covers topics such as Wizard Rock – Harry Potter themed music – to how HP fans got the author through the tragic 9/11 attacks when she didn’t know whether her sister was okay. The book is a must read for any Harry Potter fan. I just hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Rach, x

LMAO

Red Dawn ~ Movie Review

Red Dawn is a 2012 movie about a group of teenagers who try to save their town from an invasion of North Korean soldiers. It has a great cast, starring actors such as Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson, Isabel Lucas, Jeffery Dean Morgan and Adrianne Palicki. In fact the cast is the main reason I even watched this movie.

The movie has an engaging storyline and bits of humour as well as many hard story lines. But it’s a war – people are going to die, even if it’s terribly sad. The actors were great and the storyline was even better. This movie is based on the 1984 movie of the same name. I couldn’t help but think Red Dawn was like the American version of the Australian book/movie Tomorrow When The War Began. In which a group of teenagers fight back as there town is invaded by Korean Soldiers. But as we’ll as many similarities there were many differences.

I recommend this movie to anyone and everyone. It’s exciting and makes you emotional and there is something for everyone. I would give it a 7.5/10

Rach, x

LMAO

Perks of Being a Wallflower ~ Movie Review

Perks of Being a Wallflower is a 2012 movie based on the best selling novel by Stephen Chbosky, of the same name. It has an amazing cast including Logan Lerman as Charlie, Emma Watson as Sam, and Ezra Miller as Patrick, her step-brother. I’d have to say that the cast was one of the best parts of the movie – they made me smile and laugh.

The story line is confusing and beautiful. And to quote the back of my DVD cover ‘…a moving tale of love, loss, fear and hope – and the unforgettable friends that help us through life.’
The story is about Charlie, a 15 year old freshman who at the start of the film is shy and unpopular. Until he befriends two seniors Sam and Patrick. They introduce him to new people and new experiences. But Charlie, as you learn later is mentally unwell because of something that happened to him when he was younger.

A couple of weeks ago, I actually read the book of which the movie is based on. And I hate to say it, but I didn’t really like the book – at least no where as much as I liked the movie. Which is surprising as usually I enjoy the books more.

Overall, Perks of Being a Wallflower was a terrific movie that had me crying in some parts and laughing the next. I recommend that everyone go watch it!

I give it a 7.5/10 🙂

Rach, x

LMAO

Monday’s Quotes: Dexter ~ Part One

If you didn’t already know (or you were living under a rock) Dexter is an American television series, that first premiered in 2006. The series focuses on Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a blood spatter pattern analyst for Miami Metro Police Department Homicide Unit. And he also happens to lead a secret life as a serial killer, who only kills murderers and bad people. The show is intriguing, and keeps you engaged for hours on end. In fact I’ve devoured the first five seasons in the last few weeks, and am now on the sixth season. Dexter has been airing for eight years now, with the eight season airing in June, later this year. I recommend you all go check out this show, if crime shows are your thing, and even if they aren’t.

So, for Monday Quotes, I have decided to pick some of my favourite quotes from the show and share them with you. It’s been difficult as it was hard to narrow it down, so I’m just bringing you my favs from the first two seasons!

SEASON ONE: 

Dexter Morgan [voiceover]: Hey, wanna play? Yes, I want to play. I really, really do.

Sergeant Doakes: You give me the f**king creeps, you know that Dexter?

Dexter Morgan: Yeah, I know, sorry about that.

Dexter Morgan: Harry and Dorris Morgan did a wonderful job raising me. But they’re both dead now. I didn’t kill them. Honest.

Lt. Maria Laguerta: So then he must have already had the head with him in the front seat. Huh, that’s weird. Why would he keep it there?

Dexter Morgan: I don’t know. So he could use a carpool lane?

Dexter Morgan: I can kill a man, dismember his body, and be home in time for Letterman. But knowing what to say when my girlfriend’s feeling insecure… I’m totally lost.

Dexter Morgan [voiceover]: Most people have a hard time dealing with death, but I’m not most people. It’s the grief that makes me uncomfortable. Not because I’m a killer, really. I just don’t understand all that emotion, which makes it tough to fake.

[putting on sun glasses]  

Dexter Morgan: In those cases, shades come in handy.

 

Dexter Morgan: Etorphine Hydrochloride?

Vince Masuka: An animal tranquilizer more powerful than morphine. Causes total paralysis. That mark on her neck kept bugging me, so I ordered up a tox screen.

Dexter Morgan [voice over]: That’s it. No more doughnuts for Masuka.

Dexter Morgan: Maybe if I don’t blink, my eyes will tear up.

Sergeant Doakes [Doakes seemingly walks up out of nowhere]: Stop grinning like a f**king psycho and get back to work!

Rita Bennett: I got your message. How’s Debra?

Dexter Morgan: Hmm, she has all her limbs.

Rita Bennett: Thank God she is alive. That poor thing must be a mess, falling for a serial killer.

Dexter Morgan: What are the odds?

Dexter Morgan: His happy place. Where he kills more than time.

SEASON TWO: 

Debra Morgan: My psycho-killer fiancé? Please, I’ve had worse. At least he paid for my meals.

Masuka: Say it.

Dexter: (sighs) You’re my daddy?

Masuka: Sounds weird when you say it.

Rita: (referring to the Bay Harbour Butcher) You know, I hope they catch him today, and I’m not a violent person, but I hope they hurt him. (turns to kiss Dexter) Have a good day.

Dexter: (voice over) Make up your mind.

Rita: (about her mother) You’ll like her, Dexter. She’s great. She’s a very strong woman.

Dexter: I’ll keep that in mind in case I have any heavy lifting to do.

Masuka: How come you got a hug and I get a pat on the nose?

Angel: Cause you’re like a retarded puppy.

 Dexter (to a dead Jimenez): Can’t leave you here. Can’t take you with me. Don’t go anywhere.

Lundy: What exactly is Sergeant Doakes’ problem with you, Morgan?

Dexter (voice over): I kill people, for one.

Deb: I wondered if maybe you were also cheesed about my whole not-disclosing thing. I don’t want you to think I’m unsure or… embarrassed or anything.

Lundy: Why would you be embarrassed? I’m hot!

Hope you enjoyed these quoted whether you’re a fan or not, but tune in over the next few weeks, for the rest of my favourite Dexter quotes from the other five seasons.

For more check out: http://www.tvfanatic.com/quotes/shows/dexter/season-1/

Rach, x

LMAO

Katniss vs. Merida

How did I spend my Saturday night?  Curled up in my room, with some chocolates and the 2012 movie, ‘Brave’. Yes, see I wanted to watch the movie for myself, and see the similarities between the main character Merida, and Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games. Having watched both movies now I can see that there are both some major similarities, and major differences between the two stories.

The major difference between them is the plot. Brave is about a young woman named Merida, who is a princess to a castle. She loves to spend her time in the woods, with her bow and arrow, and her horse Angus. Yet her mother wants her to be a proper princess. They hold an archery competition among the four clans’ eldest children. The three men compete, but Merida, joins in claiming she is the eldest child of the fourth clan, and is competing for her own hand in marriage. She wins of course, being extremely talented in archery, but her mother is terribly embarrassed. After a heated argument with her mother, Merida escapes into the forest with her trusty horse, and stumbles upon a witch’s cottage. And not to spoil the rest of the movie for you, I will just quote Wikipedia, “In the film, set in the Scottish Highlands, a skilled archer named Merida defies an age-old custom, causing chaos in her kingdom. After consulting a witch for help, Merida accidentally curses her family and is forced to undo the spell herself before it is too late.”

Whereas the plot of ‘The Hunger Games’, is completely different. 24 kids thrown into an arena to fight to the death against each other. Being a big Hunger Games fan I obviously prefer it to Brave, but I will agree there are many similarities between the two.

Some things that were similar between the two movies include the fact that both Katniss and Merida feel most comfortable in the forest. They both are also very skilled with a bow and arrow. They are both rebellious, and neither of them have a particularly close relationship with their mother (although this changes). Both hate dressing up, Katniss at the capitol in the fancy dresses, and Merida with the dresses her mother wants her to wear. They both compete in ‘games’ although the circumstances are very different. Katniss volunteers to compete in The Hunger Games, in place of her sister. Merida competes in an archery competition, winning her own hand in marriage, to avoid marrying one of the men. Although, the Brave ‘games’ are much more festive and celebrated, though this could be seen as the capitol. They are both very resourceful. Katniss demonstrated this in supplying food for her family, and in her time in The Hunger Games. Merida indicated this when her mother and her were living in the forest. And another example of a similarity between the two movies, is the presence of a deadly berry called ‘nightshade’ in Brave and ‘night lock’ in The Hunger Games.

While the plot and characters of ‘Brave’ and ‘The Hunger Games’ are completely different, there are many similarities between the two movies, and their main characters. If you haven’t seen these movies, I recommend you watch them both, and make your own comparisons. Comment on your own thoughts!

Rach, x

LMAO

The Truth About Admining a Facebook Fan Page

Nine months ago, May 2012, I was at a sleepover at one of my good friends house. We are both huge The Hunger Games fans, and one of us -it might have been me- suggested we make a Hunger Games fan page. We both loved the idea, and spent ages pouring over the first book, looking for the perfect quote. Eventually we decided, and our page was officially created. “She has no idea. The effect she can have” – The Hunger Games.

I remember we spent hours posting things and asking for ‘promos’ on other pages. By the time we went to bed we had 30 likes on our page, and we were so excited. We didn’t realise what we’d gotten ourselves into. I’m not gonna be blunt – admining a fan page is hard work. For six months it was just me & my friend, asking for promos, sharing other pages, making statuses, posting photos. It was hard work. A promo by the way, you might have seen, is where one page will post on another page, “Hi there, promo for promo?” Basically you share there page, and they’ll share yours. A share for a share. It became harder to find new content. You have to be a good page. Posting at least once a day, doing promos every now and then when you (or another page) asks, so you get more likers. But then you can’t post stuff you’ve already posted, or steal something from another page without crediting them and you have to keep it HG related most of the time. After six months, in about November 2012, when we had only 300 likes, my friend and I opened an admin contest. We chose four trial admins, and three of those we’re taken on board, and are still with us today, three months later where we have 1145 likes!

But don’t get me wrong. Being a Facebook admin can be good fun. You have this power – being able to reach out and talk to people from all over the planet, bringing Hunger Games fans together. It’s great. And of course it doesn’t have to be HG. You could make a Harry Potter, or Divergent or The Host or Game of Thrones fan page. Or whatever page you want. It doesn’t even have to be a fandom page.  If you’re thinking about creating a FB page, just remember that it can be a big commitment, and you have to be prepared and able to post regularly otherwise your fans won’t be impressed. And you don’t have to have more than one person to make a page (although it will certainly make it easier). Or if you don’t want to have the hassle of making the page from scratch, look out for pages that are running admin contest, and enter! You never know, you might win!

And please, if you are a Hunger Games fan and have the time, please go check out my page, and maybe even like it? It would mean the word to me and my fellow admins! And if you do like a lot of pages and they post content, like or comment on it. It means the world to us admins, so don’t be scared. There’s nothing better than having people like or comment on your statuses and photos! Thanks on behalf of the admins 😀

Check out my page >>> 

http://www.facebook.com/SheHasNoIdeaTheEffectSheCanHaveTheHungerGames

Rach, x

LMAO

The Top 3 Highlights of My Weekend

I know what your thinking ‘Why is she posting twice in one day?’ I’ll admit it’s unusual; most of the time I post a couple of times a week, if I have the time. But I was just thinking how happy I was, and how many good things have happened this weekend, that I wanted to share. And I know, I usually post my highlights on a Friday, but I can’t wait until the end of the week.

1. Downton Abbey: Earlier this week I saw an ad on TV, advertising that Downton Abbey Season Three starts on Sunday. So in a mad rush I watched the first two seasons in a few days. And it was amazing! I love Downton. I love the cast, the stories, the era that it’s set in. In fact we were just learning about WWI, in my history class this week. And yes I know S3 has already aired overseas, but in Australia, S3 starts airingat 8:30pm, and I’m super excited so no spoilers please!

   

2. My awesome dream: Last night I had the best dream. I was engaged to Matthew Crawley (played by Dan Stevens) from Downton Abbey. Matthew is played by Dan Stevens. It was beautiful. But… I can’t remember exactly what happened in it, I just remember he was so cute, and at one point we were dancing, and it was magical. And then I woke up and reality came crashing down, and it was a sad moment. I’ve become so obsessed with Downton ATM, that I’m dreaming about it too. Oh my.

   

3. Warm Bodies: Today there was something on my FB news feed about Warm Bodies. A book by Isaac Marion that has been adapted for the big screen by Jonathan Levine. It was released in America and other places recently, but unfortunately it’s Australian release date is not to April. However this gives me time to read the book before I go see the film, considering I’m going to ask for the book for my birthday in March. Warm Bodies, is a ‘paranormal romantic zombie comedy film’. It’s about R (played by Nicholas Hoult), a zombie who doesn’t remember his past life, and is different from this fellow undead friends because he doesn’t enjoy eating people. But then he falls in love with a human, Julie (Teresa Palmer). And slowly he becomes warmer, and more human. The trailer looks absolutely awesome, and I am very excited to see this movie!

   Enjoy.

   Rach, x

   LMAO