Mini Movie Review: X-Men: Days of Future Past

Weee finally got to see X-Men: Days of Future Past. Unfortunately in 3D but I'll get over it. And finally is actually a couple weeks ago. But this is what happens when you're slow and then your internet stops working for a couple days.

The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods in 'X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST.' The beloved characters from the original 'X-Men' film trilogy join forces with their younger selves from the past, 'X-Men: First Class,' in order to change a major historical event and fight in an epic battle that could save our future.

I'm going to start off by saying, this movie kind of hurts your head. I mean just look at the title, and the fact that you have old/original/present Professor X and Magneto and young/new/past Charles and Erik. It's also kind of clever and interesting. It's fun to see the parts where the movie takes place in the '70s.

I think it's funny that Logan is the one who goes back in time, not only because he can survive the trip, but because he's the one who looks the same between both sets of movies. Someone actually told me that Hugh Jackman didn't want to play Wolverine anymore and I said "so, no more Wolverine in X-Men then?" because he is Wolverine.

The movie had funny parts, and sad parts, and some really cool special effects. I've been hearing a lot that the favourite character was Quicksilver, and I have to agree that he was kind of awesome. There's a moment between him and Erik that's only really funny if you know that he's supposed to be Erik's son, but luckily Josh had told me not 30 seconds before, so I at least got the joke.

I feel bad for Logan though, because after he comes back to the future (it's only really his consciousness back in his past body) he's the only one who remembers the original past before he went back and changed it.

I originally thought from reading that the original characters were going to join forces, that they were actually going to go back and time and the two Charles and Eriks were actually going to meet and fight together. I was a little disappointed. It was interesting to see how they did do it though. I'm not going to tell you exactly how, I'll leave a little bit as a surprise.

Overall I did enjoy the movie, I don't know if I'll be adding it to my collection quite yet. I don't have any other of the X-Men movies so I might wait a little while, but I will be getting it eventually. Maybe I'll wait and see if they come out with a huge box set and get that. Or, get it for Josh and take all his copies haha. I would recommend seeing the movie though, it's got an interesting story line and mutant superheroes so what's not to love?

Harry Potter ReRead: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Wow I failed this month. Finally finished Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on the 12th. I started super late and just never got the chance to read. Hopefully I can catch up on Half Blood Prince. So, for anyone who still doesn't know what I'm doing, this Harry Potter reread started with my sister and some of her blog friends and I decided to join in. You can find the post explaining the reread in more detail here and you can also check out my reviews of the previous books.

Synopsis, in case you've never read the book (if you haven't there will likely be spoilers) or if you just forgot what the book's about.

Harry Potter is due to start his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His best friends Ron and Hermione have been very secretive all summer and he is desperate to get back to school and find out what has been going on. However, what Harry discovers is far more devastating than he could ever have expected... 

Suspense, secrets and thrilling action from the pen of J.K. Rowling ensure an electrifying adventure that is impossible to put down.

 The first probably 5 times I read this book, I'm pretty sure I hated it. Umbridge is horrendous and I think that's what made me hate it. But I think I completely overlooked how hilarious it is. I felt like every 20 pages I was laughing at something (ok until later on when people started dying).

Some of the lines I found hilarious

I also found I kept getting irritated with Harry liking Cho. Because I just want him to hurry up and get together with Ginny. Other things I got annoyed with and/or did not like: Harry being a twerp "oh poor Harry" the entire god damn book, Umbridge! Ughhhhh enough said, the end (Sirius), not enough Weasley twins after the middle of the book, Neville's parents, and everyone just not believing Harry and Dumbledore made me sad.

Things I did like: McGonagall kicking ass the entire book, more Ginny, Luna! wacko but awesome, Fred and George when they were actually in the book, any of the various scenes/lines in the pictures I posted, and the DA.

I'm going to mention, that I didn't change the colour of any of the pictures, it's just funny/different lighting

I also think I've learned why Neville has always been so atrocious at magic. The wand chooses the wizard, as Ollivander says in book one, but on page 700, we find out that Neville has been using his father's old wand. After this point, Neville becomes a much better wizard. In part, after fighting the Death Eaters he has more confidence in himself, but he also gets his own wand that chose him.

If you can get past how awful Umbridge is and how she makes Hogwarts such a horrible place, which is hard I know, it's actually a really good book. The trio is starting to grow up a little bit, there's more hints at romance, the story is starting to get a little bit darker, and Harry is finally learning more about his past and why he's the "Chosen One".

I don't think I really have a whole lot else to say about the book. Stay tuned for, I was going to say next month but I'll say the end of the month (I hope) for my review of  Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Thanks for following the reread so far!
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Running Like a Girl Challenge Update: Run #1

June 4th was National Running Day. The Westin hotel at Blue Mountain Resort where I work was holding a 5km run in celebration of that. I decided to sign up for it as another run to do in June for my Running Like a Girl Challenge. This is a challenge being put on by Simon & Schuster Canada and my post explaining it can be found here.

My run did not go super fantastically, but on the flip side I suppose it wasn't completely horrible. The run started at 9am, got there just after 8:30 to register and stand around awkwardly while everyone else was talking to their friends they were going to be running with. I was supposed to have been running with a girl I worked with over the winter but she bailed. Ok fine, she got asked to work because they were apparently super busy, so I can't really be mad.

I haven't been keeping up with training, which I'm actually quite disappointed with myself about. I'm really not sure what it is that's keeping me from running. I want to run, but I guess I just get home from work and feel exceptionally lazy and would rather just sit on my butt and not do anything. But I really have no one else to blame but myself.

The run itself actually ended up only being 4.75km according to my run tracker on my phone. I suppose you can only get so close when you're dealing with the streets you have on a resort property. I ran it in just under 32 minutes, which I suppose is alright. I had to walk a little bit, probably around half a km, but I managed to make it to the 3km mark before I walked (since I knew from a previous run that I could, in fact, run 3km without stopping).

My running attire usually consists of my Adidas ultimate tee (I have 3, they're amazing), and a pair of regular Adidas capris and my trusty Adidas (yes, ok, I am mildly obsessed with the brand) running shoes that I've probably had for 4 or so years, and haven't actually seen that much use. Though on Wednesday I wish I had thrown on a tank top instead and had a good pair of shorts because it was much hotter than I expected. I still haven't gotten very good at figuring out what to wear based on the weather and how hot I'm going to actually get while running. I don't want to be cold while running so I usually end up wearing too much and get way too hot. I also want to get a pair of running shorts, because all of my shorts are big, baggy gym shorts that aren't so great for running, but I don't want to spend money on new running stuff if I'm not going to keep at it. It's a bit of a predicament.

My goal would be to be able to run 5km in 30 minutes or less. I know for my next run it will be much longer than 30 minutes, because it's not a typical road race. It's a mud race with obstacles. And again, haven't been training too much so we'll see how that goes. That race will be taking place on June 14th, so stay tuned for my recap of that run.

Thanks for following me on this journey so far :)

Upcoming June Movie Releases

Late again. I fail at keeping track of time and what I need to do. But this will be a short post as it appears as though there are only 2 movie releases in theatres that I am looking forward to, and none on DVD.

Both movies also happen to be released on June 13.

The first movie is 22 Jump Street

After making their way through high school (twice), big changes are in store for officers Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) when they go deep undercover at a local college. But when Jenko meets a kindred spirit on the football team, and Schmidt infiltrates the bohemian art major scene, they begin to question their partnership. Now they don't have to just crack the case - they have to figure out if they can have a mature relationship. If these two overgrown adolescents can grow from freshmen into real men, college might be the best thing that ever happened to them.

I haven't seen too much in the way of ads or trailers for this movie. And I mostly only want to see it because I've watched the first one and it was pretty funny. Ok, and there's Channing Tatum haha. I won't be upset if I don't end up going to see it in theatres though.


The second movie is How to Train Your Dragon 2

The thrilling second chapter of the epic "How to Train Your Dragon" trilogy returns to the fantastical world of the heroic Viking Hiccup and his faithful dragon Toothless. The inseparable duo must protect the peace and save the future of men and dragons from the power-hungry Drago.

I absolutely adored the first movie. Whoa, wait a minute, just read that synopsis and, TRILOGY??? That's super exciting. Ok. Sorry. Side tracked. But anyways, How to Train Your Dragon was adorable and funny and just all around awesome. And I'm hoping the second installment will be just as great. This one I'm hoping I can get to see in theatres (though not so excited of the probability of 3D).

Apparently Hollywood is only able to do sequels and remakes nowadays. At least that's what I find has been happening a lot lately when it comes to movies. That or adaptations. Or all of the above. Here's hoping July steps up and has some great movies.

Mini Movie Review: The Amazing Spider-Man 2

I had intended to write a review of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 soon after going to see it in theatres. Two weeks later...that's finally happening.

Luckily it was playing in both 2D and 3D in Midland so we didn't have to go see the 3D version, which, as anyone who reads this blog has come to realize, I hate.

 

We've always known that Spider-Man's most important conflict has been within himself: the struggle between the ordinary obligations of Peter Parker and the extraordinary responsibilities of Spider-Man. But in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker finds that his greatest battle is about to begin. It's great to be Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield). For Peter Parker, there's no feeling quite like swinging between skyscrapers, embracing being the hero, and spending time with Gwen (Emma Stone). But being Spider-Man comes at a price: only Spider-Man can protect his fellow New Yorkers from the formidable villains that threaten the city. With the emergence of Electro (Jamie Foxx), Peter must confront a foe far more powerful than he. And as his old friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), returns, Peter comes to realize that all of his enemies have one thing in common: Oscorp.

I very much enjoyed this movie. I've never been a super huge Spider-Man fan (especially not the first trilogy) but I liked The Amazing Spider-Man so I was looking forward to seeing number 2. I think Andrew Garfield has done a great job as Spider-Man. And I especially love Emma Stone as Gwen Stacey. The two of them have great chemistry together (obviously as they're actually dating).

There are quite a few funny parts in the movie, as well as a few more serious (and sad) parts. I'm not going to lie, I totally cried at the end. I like how Spider-Man doesn't just fight the big guys, he helps the little guys as well. The movie also managed to balance the action with a story line, which was good.

As a huge Marvel fan (but not so huge Spider-Man fan), Josh didn't have anything overly negative to say about the movie. Which is always a good thing.

Overall I thought it was a very good movie, and at some point will be adding it (and The Amazing Spider-Man) to my collection. I'm very much looking forward to the next, and final I believe, addition to the Amazing Spider-Man series.

Running Like a Girl Review and Update

I finally finished Running Like a Girl by Alexandra Heminsley. It took me a while to actually start reading it, but once I started it didn't take me long at all to finish it. Full disclosure: am writing this over a week after I finished the book. Bad Megan.

I received Running Like a Girl from Simon and Schuster, in exchange for participating in the Running Like a Girl Challenge. For a brief description check out my blog post. I'm going to start by giving you my thoughts on the book and then tell you how the challenge is going.

I actually really enjoyed this book. The first part (which is about 3/4 of the book) is about Alexandra's running journey. It was interesting to read about her trials and errors and her triumphs and barriers. Something always seemed to happen right before a marathon, she discovered she had a misaligned pelvis (a result of being hit by a car 4 years previous) and missed a month of training before her first marathon, and then she got tonsillitis before another one, while reading part of me felt like "really? So many things keep happening to her, is this actually real?" but obviously people get injured and sick and it just so happened that for her it was just before her runs.

She also went through quite a few ups and downs in regards to loving running. She hated it to start with (I mean really, who loves running their first time out?) and then after she ran the London Marathon (her first) she loved it and was so proud of what she had accomplished, and then that excitement wore off and she didn't want to run anymore and let herself go (so to speak) and then a friend asked her to do the London Marathon again 3 years after her first and she started to run again and love it again. Then again, after the race she felt like "what's the point?" she'd run a marathon (twice!) why did she need to keep running? She had proved she could do it. And up and down and up and down for quite a bit of the book.

The book is funny, she's very frank, she talks about in the middle of the run realizing she has to go to the bathroom and there is no way she's going to make it home and "oh my god what do I do?" and she talks about looking for the right shoes (and encounters some very rude store clerks) and the right bra.

 

She does have a very valid point, boobs are awful for running. Mine aren't as big as hers (as she says "a cartoonish size 30FF" pg 39) but they bounce quite a bit and make for an uncomfortable experience. She mentions the Shock Absorber bra, and how it completely changed her life, and when her first one bit the dust, after she reckons 250 miles or so, she took it apart to see how it was made. It was comprised of 72 different parts!

 

What I like about this book is that she's basically telling you things you should and should not do when running, but it doesn't feel that way. It feels like you're talking to your friend who says "I've been wearing the wrong socks for years and just found out you should wear double lined socks!" She's also incredibly stubborn and does not want to listen to her father's advice, regardless of how many marathons he may have run (19, as she's shocked to find out).

 

The second part of the book is essentially all research she's done and tips for running. It talks about the most common running injuries and how to avoid them. She also got to interview a few famous runners, and did quite a bit of research on the history of women's running. It shouldn't really have come as much of a shock learning how long it took for women to be accepted into the Boston Marathon, but it was surprising.

 

She's very right when she says the hardest part about running sometimes is just getting out the door. I usually have to do a lot of convincing and drag myself out the door to try and run. Once I'm out I (sort of) enjoy it, and then I get home and feel like I'm dying and never want to do it again.

 

So on that note, I'll tell you how this challenge and race preparation is going. Not well. I've gone out officially (meaning tracked and recorded my runs) 3 times. And they have not been too great. My most recent was definitely more walking than running and I still can't do stupid hills, which I'm going to be running up for Met Con.

 

I really don't have much faith in being able to do these runs. I'm getting kind of worried and am almost regretting signing up. As much as I want to do the race, I just don't think I'm good enough. I think it's a combination of things making me feel like this. The fact that I only have a month, and I procrastinate and think I have time when really I don't, plus I don't exactly have the most support in it. When someone is pretty much telling you you're stupid for trying to do this, you really start to think that. And I'm a negative person with no faith in myself to begin with. So this should be an interesting month.

 

I'm going to try and write at least one more progress post, and I'll write one after each of my races. So stay tuned for that.

 

If you're thinking about starting running I'd suggest picking up Running Like a Girl, it's very informative in a way that isn't overwhelming. Even if you don't plan on running, or are already a runner, it's a quick read and a good story.

Upcoming May Movie Releases

I'm a little behind this month, but here are the movie releases I'm looking forward to in May. These are all theatre releases because there appear to be no good movies coming out on DVD this month.

Being released today (May 2) is The Amazing Spider-Man 2

We've always known that Spider-Man's most important conflict has been within himself: the struggle between the ordinary obligations of Peter Parker and the extraordinary responsibilities of Spider-Man. But in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker finds that his greatest battle is about to begin.
It's great to be Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield). For Peter Parker, there's no feeling quite like swinging between skyscrapers, embracing being the hero, and spending time with Gwen (Emma Stone). But being Spider-Man comes at a price: only Spider-Man can protect his fellow New Yorkers from the formidable villains that threaten the city. With the emergence of Electro (Jamie Foxx), Peter must confront a foe far more powerful than he. And as his old friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), returns, Peter comes to realize that all of his enemies have one thing in common: Oscorp.

I love a good superhero movie. And I really like Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man. Put those together and add Emma Stone, and I'm sold. I liked the first Amazing Spider-Man and I'm excited to see what the second installment has in store.

Released May 16 is Million Dollar Arm

In a last ditch effort to save his career as a sports agent, JB Bernstein (Jon Hamm) concocts a scheme to find baseball's next great pitching ace. Hoping to find a young cricket pitcher he can turn into a Major League Baseball star, JB travels to India to produce a reality show competition called "Million Dollar Arm." With the help of a cantankerous but eagle-eyed retired baseball scout (Alan Arkin) he discovers Dinesh (played by Madhur Mittal from 'Slumdog Millionaire') and Rinku (played by Suraj Sharma from 'Life of Pi'), two 18-year-old boys who have no idea about playing baseball, yet have a knack for throwing a fastball. Hoping to sign them to major league contracts and make a quick buck, JB brings the boys home to America to train. While the Americans are definitely out of their element in India - the boys, who have never left their rural villages - are equally challenged when they come to the States. As the boys learn the finer points of baseball - JB, with the help of his charming friend Brenda (Lake Bell) - learns valuable life lessons about teamwork, commitment and what it means to be a family.

I probably won't end up watching this in theatres (I'm very protective with my money when it comes to spending it on movies in theatres haha) but it looks like an interesting movie.

Coming out May 23 is another Marvel release, X-Men: Days of Future Past

The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods in 'X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST.' The beloved characters from the original 'X-Men' film trilogy join forces with their younger selves from the past, 'X-Men: First Class,' in order to change a major historical event and fight in an epic battle that could save our future.







Yay more X-Men! That's really all I have to say haha. It'll be fun to see the old and new characters in the same movie.

And finally, being released May 30 is Maleficent

From Disney comes 'Maleficent'- the untold story of Disney's most iconic villain from the 1959 classic 'Sleeping Beauty.' A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army threatens the harmony of the land. Maleficent rises to be the land's fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal-an act that begins to turn her pure heart to stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces an epic battle with the invading king's successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom - and perhaps to Maleficent's true happiness as well.

I like how this is sort of a remake but not. Obviously like the synopsis says, Sleeping Beauty came out in 1959, but they're not just making another Sleeping Beauty. This is the other side of the story. One that I would say the creators have a little more freedom with telling, because people have nothing to compare it to. I think Angelina Jolie will be a fabulous Maleficent, but I'm not as sold on Elle Fanning as Aurora. Either way, I think it will be an interesting movie to see.

So, those are the movie releases I'm looking forward to this month. What movies are you excited to see?