How I Spent My Single Lady Valentine's Day

I know, I know, it's been awhile. I assure you, though, I've been working on a lot of stuff that's going to start making this blog awesome again. I have been working on myself a lot, and figuring out what I want and don't want out of life. Most important? I've been doing some new stuff and I'm ready to tell you guys all about it. But! That's not what this post is about.

For most of my adult life, I have been alone on Valentine's Day. And honestly? It doesn't really matter to me. It always feels fake to take just one day a year to celebrate the love we should be celebrating, and embracing, every day instead of just being horrible to each other. There are arguments on both sides of the table, whether it's a Hallmark holiday or a blemished day in history. I try to take it for what it is currently and basically tolerate everything being red and pink and all of the lovey-dovey stuff for the half price chocolate on February 15th. Hey, at least I'm honest.

This year, though... this year's plans were some of the best I've made in awhile. And what were those plans, you might ask? Simple. See Robocop. Eat pretzel bites. Be happy. And that is precisely. what. I. did.

 

As for the film, I really, really loved it. I haven't seen the original in awhile so I can't compare the two, but what I will say is that Robocop is definitely worth your ten bucks. I had heard reviewers saying both that it was great and that it was horrible. I like to make my own choices, so I went in with a blank slate and an open mind.

Robocop is about a future in which we are utilizing robots overseas instead of humans to keep the peace. There is much argument between politicians over whether or not the robots can be used stateside, with Detroit as the focus. Detroit of 2028 (when the film takes place) is not much different than it is now, with crime plaguing the streets and police officers attempting to keep the peace. Detective Alex Murphy (played by Joel Kinnaman from The Killing) is critically injured in the line of duty, and his wife is approached by the Omnicorp conglomerate with a way for her to keep him alive - by using him to test out a half man/half machine law enforcement officer.

I don't want to give away too much, but what I want to say is that I did not leave disappointed whatsoever. The supporting actors were all wonderful, from Michael Keaton and Gary Oldman as the CEO and a researcher for Omnicorp to Samuel L. Jackson as a television personality, the film was cast wonderfully. The other big thing I noticed? The film was about thirty percent gun fights and explosions, but the film was not ultraviolent, as I have gotten used to with almost every film that comes out. And the lack of real violence made it enjoyable. The other theme that really came out was the humanity of all of the characters. Whether intentional or not, the fight between the man and machine and heart versus computer made the viewer wondering which side would win out. All in all, two hours of great entertainment that's totally worth your ten bucks.

I also figured that since it is Valentine's Day and all, that I would have no issue getting into the theater, since most girls are into romantic comedies, especially given the date on the calendar. I was right about that - there were only about twenty people in the theater, mostly teenagers. I just remembered the good karma moment I had, so I'll add that too.

Sitting at the end of the aisle, I was too distracted by my pretzel bites to notice when one of the kids dropped $10 out of their pocket when it happened. When they came back, I asked one if they were looking for it and she said no, so I put it in my pocket and figured worst case scenario, I'd walk out with an extra $10. One of the other girls came up to me in a total panic and asked if I found the money, so I gave it back. Er go, I could have been a total jerk, but I chose not to.

Even though it's not Valentine's Day anymore, I hope everyone had a great day. What did you all do?

To boldly go....

Last night, I got a fun opportunity to go and see Star Trek: Into Darkness at an advance screening. As everyone likely knows by now, the film started its' nationwide run last night at midnight, but I decided on a review anyhow!

By no means do I call myself a Trekkie - I have family and friends who are, but I'm not, really. I have seen some here and there in the course of my life, but never been incredibly interested. When the first reboot film came out in 2009, I decided to go see it, and I absolutely loved it! As someone who wasn't that invested in Star Trek or the original stories, these films work for me. And that is what they were meant as - a reboot of a franchise many decades old.

Going into Into Darkness blind was likely the best thing I ever could have done. Throughout the course of the entire film, I was entertained. From the trip to Nibiru that began the film to the characters' hilarious rapport (for the most part), it was perfect to me. All of the actors complement not only their characters, but each other so very well, and I cannot imagine other actors in those roles. I was a little bit disappointed that Bones was typecast as a background character in this film, instead of a character on par with Spock or Kirk.

I tried not to be spoiler-tastic, but let me leave you with this: if you're thinking of seeing Star Trek: Into Darkness, do it! I saw it in 3D, and would actually like to see it again in 2D - only because the 3D left me a little bit more distracted than I usually am watching a movie. And it's opening weekend - what better chance than now?

Night at the Movies: Magic Mike

For me, going to the movies is an old pastime. I remember being in high school and getting my parents to pony up $20 so I could go see Pirates of the Caribbean for the fourth time and just how exciting it was. Now, movies are overpriced and I'm not the biggest fan of going to them. In the past couple of weeks, however, I've gone to two!

courtesy Lionsgate

Two weekends ago, I got together with my best friend from high school, Laura, and we had a girls' day. That day included shopping, giant margaritas, a trip to the casino, and finally, to see Magic Mike. It looked ridiculous, so of course, I wanted to see it.

seriously, these margaritas were no joke! i had 2.

I personally didn't know the backstory of Channing Tatum's history as a former male stripper, and nor did I really care. I just thought Magic Mike would make a fun afternoon, and it definitely did.

The story followed Mike, a part time male stripper in a revue called Xquisite. His real dream was creating custom furniture, but his credit and background couldn't get him a loan. He wound up doing side work in construction and shaking his ass every night. On one of these side jobs, he met Alex Pettyfer's character, Adam, and decided to bring him along to that night's show. Of course, he didn't let him in on the fact that he thought Adam would make a great addition to the cast.

The cast was great. Matthew McConaughey played the club's manager wonderfully, while Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer, and the other big names brought up the tail end (get it?) in a great way. Sure, there was a lot of random gratuitous male nudity, but of course it didn't matter but to be a feast to the eyes.

The storyline wasn't something I was expecting. In a way I thought that things jumped around a bit too much - from the club, to the side jobs, to drug overdoses and blossoming relationships - and then it was just over. If I could change anything, I would definitely change the ending. I've also never seen a Steven Soderbergh movie (I don't think), so I wasn't expecting such a large storyline to go along with a film that was being advertised as nothing but a bunch of gratuitous nudity. Definitely was not what I expected, but it was still a good time.

If you're looking for an excuse to hang out with an old friend, or even to get together with the girls, Magic Mike is definitely a surefire bet for a great time.