Dream Movie Vacation Blog Challenge

It's summertime and the living is supposed to be easy. Everyone is wishing bon voyage to their homes and workplaces to sail the open seas or relax on the beach. This little seasonal tradition gave me an idea : a dream (film-related) vacation blog challenge!

If you could travel to any place in the film universe with any of your favorite characters or love-to-hate villains, what kind of a vacation would you take?

Would you travel to a death-defying stay at Jurassic Park, a magical night at Hogwarts, midnight rendezvous to 1920s Paris, an alien planet far, far away?

Which characters would be your travel buddies - Hermione Granger, Jack Sparrow, Holly Golightly, Mary Poppins, or Indiana Jones?

Post your choice(s) of a destination(s), and at least three characters who would tag along.

Use pictures or gifs of your choices. What kind of things would you do on your vacation? Who would you meet? Venture to some place modern or a fantasy world? Be as creative as you would like!

Feel free to use one of my (full-size) banners or make your own. There's no deadline to post or share your idea! Tweet me or comment with your post!

*open image in new tab for full size

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) excels on all cylinders

Photo Credit: Mad Max Fury Road / Warner Bros Pictures

Re-imagined from the 1980s cult series, creator George Miller sets a new standard for old dogs being given a new life in Mad Max: Fury Road. Utilizing what he didn't have nearly thirty years ago, Miller amplifies his recreation - stunts, music, shooting locations, cast, and script - to the max.

Across a dry, broken wasteland, we are thrust into a good ole fashion cat-and-mouse chase. But this showdown isn't an ode to Tom and Jerry cartoons.  Dropkicked into a post-apocalyptic world, desert buries any semblance of society as we know it. Gas and water are the new currency, and everyone has gone mad.

Immortan Joe is a ruthless God whose followers worship the steering wheel, imprison innocent people to be his blood donors, and will do anything to reach immortality. Straddled to huge trucks are his furious warriors on teetering poles and done-up battle cars. Their war songs blare from flame-throwing guitar players and drummers. Rebels Max (Tom Hardy), Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) and Joe's precious brides try to outrun his troupe through onslaughts of motorcycle mavens, dictators of other territories, and the barren environment that's destroyed everything.

Tucked inside all of the heart-pounding action are inviting moments of insight into our heroes. Max suffers nightmares and hallucinations of his former life filled with unspeakable terrors, and Furiosa dares to return to her childhood land to gain a little redemption. Escaping Joe's tyranny is the first step to a "better" quality of survival, but then it becomes something more; a mutual pact of trust, respect, trying to help the other find a place to call home, even if that isn't tangible. Beyond the action is a band of lost souls meeting in the middle to find stability and atonement in the sand-like ashes of this wretched domain.

The cast conveys so much with so little dialogue. The seamless choreography is ingrained into the production with the stunts but also the casts' performances. There's no doubt that Hardy will become an even bigger star since it's his (debatable) break-out role in Inception. Theron, quite simply, is a perfect storm on the brink of imploding or exploding; complex, raw, and fierce. And, the women, also known as the Breeders, and Nux (a worshiper of Joe's), aren't reduced to meek background players. Each brought their own strengths to a team that bonds, not easily, but with steady confidence against a barbarous villain.

Most of the film thrives on adrenaline between Max and Furiosa attempting to leave Joe and his merry men behind in the dust. This reboot is flashy, but its appearance offers more than what meets the eye. Not only does the story trust us to go on its wild ride, the special effects are just not for eye candy; each slice of action is impressive stunt-wise and propels the wickedness. Explosions are exciting, but he allows enough space and screen-time to absorb what's going on, even if sometimes it feels overwhelming to comprehend the magnitude of its madness.

Good guys versus bad guys are the big draw for action films, and many can be filled with cliches or violence for violence sake and/or weak characters. A balance of both male and female characters that aren't held back or down is often what's missing for movies that just want to parade bullets firing on all cylinders without a strong context. Max Max: Fury Road is high-velocity opera set in the West boosting its characters and fans into high gear for nearly two hours. Even if Max may be the title of the film, it's really everyone's show. And it's all very, maddeningly, kick-assingly, lovely.

Rating: ★★★ Have you seen Mad-Max: Fury Road? What do you think?

Stars I Love: Judy Garland

I'm sure the triple threat above needs no introduction, and any attempt I could manage to thread together probably wouldn't encapsulate her talent or my admiration of her. In the two years of running Oh So Geeky so far, I'm surprised that I've only mentioned this actress and singer in passing. When anyone mentions movie star worship, Judy Garland is as close as it gets for me.

Every one has his or her idol, someone that no other person in the history can hold a candle to. It may be a historical figure, movie icon, or music legend that arrives in the midst of our teenage years and wakes us up in a way no other person we've seen or read about had done before. Growing up, my mom was (and still is) obsessed with Classic Hollywood. My family has always treated films like its own religion; we devoured them for fun, debate, and even aspiring occupations. So when I say that I had seen Judy Garland movies during all of adolescent years, I truly did. Turner Classic Movie channel was something of a surrogate parent to me, where I had seen all of her movies like Meet Me In St. Louis, the Andy Hardy series, and The Harvey Girls dozens and dozens of times.

Under the Tuscan Sun (2003) shines

Photo Credit: Under the Tuscan Sun / Buena Vista Pictures

Under The Tuscan Sun (2003) brings a chick flick heroine learning something she's always known, or just figured out: men stink. Publicly loathed writer Frances Mayes (Diane Lane) divorces her adulterous husband, and on a whim, becomes the owner of a dilapidated villa in Tuscany.

It's certainly a fixer-upper, and so is Maye's life. She understands and yearns that there is more to life than settling for a broken heart, but she doesn't know quite where to start. Charismatic, and one of the best modern leading ladies around, Lane is wonderfully charming as she makes new friends, rebuilds her villa, and undergoes a slight whirlwind romance. But her transformation doesn't focus on filling the void of one lost relationship with another, but regaining her own self-confidence and forging a different life for herself.

While Lane shines, and quick appearances by Sandra O and Kate Walsh, the script is a bit blotchy. The start of Mayes trek to Tuscany and some of the relationships Mayes builds are quite cliche. Perhaps the performer who suffers the worst is stage veteran Lindsay Duncan, who plays the less elegant, more eccentric Brit who is trying to hold onto her attractiveness offers too much kookiness and not enough elegance or substance. Her character may be my only big qualm about the film.

Mayes' journey centers on stepping out of bounds to adapt a new life. She wants a home, instead of a house; something that is filled with family, and not just the opposite sex. The movie is not typically about her hunting for men in a new country but recovering from marital infidelity on the other side of the world. The location itself is an exotic character supporting Lane. Every frame of her villa, the countryside, and beach is beautiful and makes me feel like I'm on vacation.

Overall the story strongly reminded me of Eat, Pray, Love about author Elizabeth Gilbert who treks the world to gain her own inner peace. Both movies are rewarding for those who don't mind motivating women stepping out of their own world to discover other priorities. I would even counter the former is offers a more heartfelt performance by its star Diane Lane than Love's Julia Roberts.

Some chick flicks grow dated with age, but at only twelve years old, Under the Tuscan Sun is a pleasing romp through the "women's film" genre. Though the adaptation of the same name is off-key in its fictionalization, director Audrey Wells crafts a splendid rom-com. Humbly, and with great charm, the film reminds us that sometimes it does a person good to rebuild their lives one relationship as well as one room at a time.
Rating: ★★☆ Have you seen Under the Tuscan Sun? What do you think?

Favorite Movie Travel Posters

Summer has recently taken off, and now is the time to go on vacation, or at least of dreaming of taking time off from work and home. To induce some inspiration of home-away-from-home getaways, here are some wonderful travel posters from films like Avatar to Jaws - even if some locales aren't exactly like paradise.

Artwork by Ster Kinekor

Source

Artwork by Magic Mushroom Paper Co.

Artwork by Steve Thomas

Artwork by Alex Pearson

Artwork by: the Geekerie

Artwork by Steve Thomas

Artwork by Steve Thomas
no longer available

This Is Spinal Tap (1984) goes to eleven for authenticity

Photo Credit: This is Spinal Tap / Embassy Pictures

Mockumentaries are a difficult genre to pull off. It's difficult for a studio or director to successfully parody a person or event without becoming too much of a farce itself. Not many are able to get passed an audience's lie detector. Director Rob Reiner earned all the respect and acclaim in the world for making This Is Spinal Tap, even if it isn't an instant favorite of mine.
Following a fictional British heavy metal band called Spinal Tap, a crew documents the group's contention as their recent U.S. tour comes apart at the guitar strings. It's your typical decline of a rock band with a story centered around their new album failing to gain sales, canceling tour dates, and their antics on-stage/off-stage.

Comedy itself is a hard thing to define; how do you describe what makes you laugh. With Spinal Tap, for me, it's the ridiculous amount of small details is what makes this flick an understandable classic. Backstage interviews, the band getting lost on their way to the stage from their dressing room, and a huge mix-up with the proportion of the stage set design are little hysterical moments that add up to why it's funny. While the jokes weren't always a laugh riot, the genius lies in how genuine the band comes across.

While the performances may not reap the benefits of Oscar praise, Reiner's work is a solid reminder that not every classic is going to garner Academy gold but it can earn the respect of other industries. During its initial release, the film failed due to moviegoers lack of familiarity with the band, having thought it was a real documentary. Music legends like Ozzy Osbourne and U2's The Edge swear it gimmicks their life to a tee. That is some real kudos to the authenticity of the film, its cast, their creativity, and talent.

Though I am not a fan of the 80s, especially it's music, the songbook was impeccably ridiculous. Never again will you hear some of the most ridiculous lyrics every pieced together, and think "Yeah, that sorta fits the era". It's also the type of movie that if you can quote it, you've established yourself as an official movie buff - and there are plenty of memorable one-liners.

As much as I give kudos to the movie and its impact, the film is comical but somewhat lags. Having filmed hundreds of hours worth of improvised scenes, what Reiner collects for his final version still maintains its legendary status. However, not every joke or scene is particularly funny. My attention waned when some of the bands' key players seem to ramble on incoherently (as is the actor's gimmick) and the jokes were less spot-on. The dry humor has its hits and misses.

Not that this hurts the film in any huge way, just that those not familiar or care about the 80s era/rock bands might not be attracted to watch this. I could count myself a member of both groups but was always intrigued by the movie and finally felt the need to give this one a chance. I'm glad I did; it was insanely clever but also a bit blah.

Rating: ★★☆ Have you seen This is Spinal Tap? What did you think?

10 Geeky Things That Helped Me Survive Community College

For many students (not judging), drinking and partying is a fun way to let loose from obligations at school. Call me a prude but being hungover or tired the next day never sat well with me. Again, call me lame, but I usually sat at my laptop binge-watching shows, movies, or clips. Sometimes a movie or a funny montage helped me laugh away stress or refocus my attention from endless hours of studying.

For others who are feeling the pressures of academia, and similarly may not be the partying kind, here is a compiled list of favorite things that helped me survive. I hope it may serve as inspiration to keep track of what helps you endure your own desperate or bored days ahead.

Movie Roulette Blogathon

Mettel's latest blogathon is such a cool idea. I couldn't pass up the chance to participate. Let's play Movie Roulette!

The rules are these: Pick five or more facts from a list she has provided. At random, choose a gif from one of her sets. Comment on the answers that you're given - if you want to.

Whichever movie gifs I grabbed became my answer for each fact. This was hard - I was tempted to keep picking until a more favorite movie popped up - but meh, I let it be. It was a blast! Stop by Mettel Ray for information on the blogathon if you want to join in and hope you enjoy!

Twister (1996) is the supreme disaster flick

Photo Credit: Twister / Warner Bros

Tucked into the disaster genre under classics like The Poseidon Adventure (1972) or flash-in-the-pan epics like 2012 (2009), Twister remains popular twenty years after its original theatrical release. Instead of focusing on an end-of-the-world or survival against nature plot, this flick is all about facing one of nature's awe-inspiring sights in order to understand its mechanics.
Jo (Helen Hunt) and Bill (Bill Paxton) are estranged storm chasers trailing several twisters across Oklahoma before their rival (Cary Elwes) beats them to the punch. Wrangled together by a contentious divorce, they lead a crew trying to release a data-gathering instrument to transmit tornadic behavior.

The film is as much of a love story as it is an action movie. Jo's passion for how tornadoes work was brought on by a tragedy during her childhood. Her near-obsession, now as an adult, affects her marriage and drives her daredevil ambition. Awesomely played by Hunt, she doesn't pull punches, knows how to get under Bill's skin, knows what she wants and gets it done. Like the cyclones, she takes command of every scene and everyone around her.

On the other hand, Bill is not diluted to a white-knight trope. Having accepted becoming a weatherman and planning to remarry, his stubborn, ambitious, and hot-headed nature pits him against her on always having the final word or being right. This also the biggest attraction they have towards each other. Though Paxton's acting may be a bit over the top at times, he and Hunt share good chemistry. Both characters have strong personalities and neither one softens who they are but try to make it work. It's refreshing.

Though Bill and Helen are as big of stars as the twisters, the supporting characters aren't flat or one-dimensional. With the exception of Melissa (Bill's fiance), she is the only real fish-out-of-water character who gets sucked into chasing tornadoes. Played by Jami Gertz, even she gives a sympathetic performance of being forced into the field for the first time and truly understanding what Bill did for a living.

Though their crew doesn't have deep arcs or development, they have a genuine presence in supporting Bill and Jo as revered leaders. There is a sense of camaraderie between all of them. Perhaps the biggest stand-out is a young Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Dusty, the eccentric adrenaline seeker. He has some of the best lines. Even the showy villainous role of Dr. Jonas Miller (Cary Elwes), whose greatest crime is going the corporate route and adapting their design of Dorothy to his own, doesn't feel like an empty role.

As much the film offers in terms of over-the-top '90s gold, it also harbors awesome special effects. Rather than being overwhelmed with CGI, which provides technical aspects that couldn't have been achieved in real time, the added force of on-set effects takes the green screen components to another level. Director Jan de Bont was adamant that the actors had on-set obstacles to play off until the tornadoes were digitally added in. He employed seven giant wind machines and two specially rigged jet engines to blow 200 mph winds as well as water (for rain effects). During the biggest chase, a two-story home and 18-wheeler were dropped by cranes into the actor's path. More impressively, Hunt and Paxton performed a myriad of their own stunts and suffered a laundry list of injuries.

With six major action scenes evenly paced, the movie does not feel overwhelmingly violent. The chases not only play to will they or won't they be able to disperse their data-transmitting equipment successfully but will Bill and Jo end up together. Every chase is spotlighted in its own way growing bigger in scale, more intense, and raising the stakes for the characters. Mark Mancina's score combines original score and heavy metal bands, adding a hardcore element to the adventure.

Twister has been one of my favorite summer movies, if not, one of my favorite movies of all time. One of the greatest wonders for this movie is just how many fans accept the fallacies of its science. It's not accurate, but blockbusters are meant to be a fun ride. Too many try to pack in a thin story that is burdened with a green screen everywhere and a variety of characters without any real objectives or chemistry. Twister isn't too ambitious that the effort doesn't pay off or fall to be too goofy that it's Sci-Fi channel unwatchable. The movie may not be perfect and doesn't depict twisters as correctly as many would like, but damn, it's fun and surprisingly doesn't suck. If you watch, hold on for your life!

Rating: ★★★

Have you seen Twister? What do you think?

P.S. And, as for that cow scene:

Real-life storm chaser Vince Miller gives high marks to the special-effects wizards who brought the cyclones to life. "There's a scene in the movie where a cow flies by," says Miller, a one-time consultant at the Weather Channel. "I've never seen anything like that. But there was a tornado in South Dakota in the '60s filled with flying rocks. It turns out the rocks were a herd of cattle. (x)

Memorable Songs from College

photography: ALASDAIR MCLELLAN

There once was a day when my drive to school was only thirty minutes. Finances and landlords being how they were, my family made a considerable move further from our closest campus: two hours away, to be exact. Since my schedule synced with my sister's, we did a lot of driving together. Though we make for a good pair of compatible road trip buddies, thankfully, we had some good tunes to keep us sane during traffic jams.

While driving home from school the other day I was thinking about how much music impacted my time in school; songs that entertained me during the drawl commute, kept me up late at night to study, and relieve stress. Hope you enjoy this list of memorable songs from my good ol' college days.

Feel free to share! What songs did you love or are memorable from your college experience?

Adele - Rolling in the Deep
Let's be honest: any hit song from her 19 or 21 record could be on this list.

Insurgent (2015)

For a teenage-dystopian film in a sea of teenage-dystopian films, how does it stand out from the crowd? As a person, how do you accept your individuality in a world that shuns your differences, or in Tris Prior's case hunts you down? Insurgent addresses these ideas as it reunites us with the franchise created by author Veronica Roth.

Civilians of a futuristic Chicago are sorted into a faction system based on five virtues; honesty, amity, selflessness, bravery, and intelligence. Heroine Tris Prior, who defies the norm by qualifying for more than one faction, is on the run from the power-hungry leader Jeanine (Kate Winslet) trying to eradicate those similar to Tris. The clash between an immeasurable hero and the society that can't confine her will inadvertently unlock secrets about the fate of their secluded world.

Taking us back to the Divergent world established by director Neil Burger in 2014, director Robert Schwentke separates this sequel from its predecessor. Every sequel gets a much grander stage than its prequel, and the sets, special-effects, and costume are not just familiar from what we've seen before but are improved upon. Amplifying its special-effects  and packing in much more gunfire, the action-packed scenes balances an empathetic portrait of Prior and delivers enough interest for the next installments - for readers and non-readers alike. With Schwentke attached to the next two installments, I look forward to how this world is going to grow.

While the film holds up in adventure, it also succeeds in bringing to light an individual defying the stereotypes of her society's enforced conformity. Like a million similar heroes we know in books and films, Prior is in search of accepting her identity. Defined as defective by the world, her evolution is not degraded or dumbed-down by other characters telling her who she should be. Instead, she is figuring it out for herself and that is the main draw. Though some of the script is not entirely organized, Priors' defiance of categorization is satisfying and rewarding as a viewer.

A great credit for the authenticity of the leading lady is Shailene Woodley. For such a young actress, she remains a versatile and intriguing talent. Equally, her main counterpart Theo James, continues to be a refreshing partner as her character's love interest, Four. Their relationship is not about coddling each other or playing cat-and-mouse with each other's emotions, which has tarnished the young adult genre. Together and alongside so many other members of the cast, the actors boost each other's performances and characters. Even if the story is centered around Prior, the film does not selfishly hold Woodley hostage to be a one-woman show. Everyone gives validity to their role whether it's leading or minor.

As a reader of the series, my only main con is that the translation of the world-building could have fared better. This is something I struggled with even when reading the novels, so the films are not necessarily to blame. The script does improve upon the motivations of Jeanine's hunt for divergents from the first film, however it can still feel disordered at times. While I truly look forward to Allegiant Part 1 and 2, part of my gripe towards the YA genre overall is that one story takes four movies to complete. Is this a fandom I love to be apart of? Sure, and each Divergent installment feels like its own stand-alone film. However, it's the in-between sections where I start to feel impatient towards the studios' prolonged cash-grabbers.

The Divergent Series is not trying to compete against the untouchable pedestal that has been emphatically (and wrongfully, in my opinion) gifted to The Hunger Games franchise. Instead the films are constructing their own world and heroine as best as possible. Compared to other aspiring series that were complete bombs due to horribly weak scripts or non-interest by audiences, Roth's series is managing to carve out a name for itself. The success of the series may not be in its ability to create a franchise-making logo of a bird encased by an inferno but the praise-worthy showcase of a layered heroine, visual aesthetics, and talented cast.

Rating: ★ ★

Wonder Women: Shailene Woodley

The young adult fandom is vast and growing, and there are a number of young stars moving up in Hollywood's ranks. While it's hard for many to pave roles in projects outside of their television or movie franchise, Shailene Woodley is a leading lady paving a path for young adult stars.

Despite her rising popularity status for starring in films like Divergent and The Fault in Our Stars, Shailene Woodley got an early start in show business As the central character in ABC Family's The Secret Life of an American Teenager, it could be said that my fandom for her started there. However, having never watched the show's episodes in their entirety, I might have seen clips of her characters' scenes on The Soup (an E!  television clip show that pokes fun at Hollywood's best and worst entertainment moments). Throwing teenagers into one cliche debacle after another was often how the show was regarded, Woodley came through the show's five-year running, she seemed to jump on everyone's radar in The Descendants.

For her first major film role, Woodley stood out as George Clooney's rebellious conflicted teenager who helps him track down her mother's lover. At first glance, she seems unabashedly outspoken and explosively reacting off of her father's guidance. Her insecurities are slowly unmasked as she replaces her mother as a maternal figure to her younger sister. During the award show season, Woodley gained momentum among the indie crowd earning Golden Globe nominations and a win at Independent Spirit Award. It was hard not to miss her as a young starlet to watch out for. Now three years later, her on-screen talent and off-screen personality are making monumental waves on me and Hollywood.

In The Spectacular Now (2013), Woodley stars alongside Mike Teller in about a young man floating through life and relationships. Sutter Keely (Teller) is not a slacker but numbs the pain of his father's abandonment with alcoholism and keeping up appearances in the cool crowd since his football days are long gone. As Aimee Finicky, Woodley is just a normal girl who falls in love with Keely. Their crises guide them through painful circumstances and courageously putting themselves first.

The best of the movie is in the performances themselves. Teller creates a complicated protagonist whose life is tied up in his abandoned father's ambition to live in the present moment, but he's not particularly motivated in school or life. Woodley, whose Finicky is confined by her mother's dependence, exudes patience, enthusiasm, and apprehension. Together, their performances are stellar, but perhaps more so for Woodley and her budding career in the genre.

For the time being as Woodley respectably portrays young women in a variety of dramas, her characters are significantly unique. Similar to her portrayal as Beatrice Prior in the big YA phenomenon Divergent (another female character trying to brave the storms of life and love), Woodley's characters are all young at heart but aren't cut from the same YA cloth. As she grows up on-screen as in real life, I'm excited to see where her talent leads her career from big blockbusters to the independent genre.

Perhaps most of all, I admire Woodley's candor and off-screen personality. Similarly to how much I could listen to Matthew McConaughey talk all day long, Woodley shares her interests beyond acting openly and passionately. It seems rare with young stars today to hear them share anything beyond one or two adjectives let alone some of their personal interests or their movie career with bold confidence and enthusiasm. Both aspects Woodley seems to be all the time.

Her easygoing personality makes it easy to listen her press rounds and read in-depth interviews. Often calling herself a "hippy dippy", Woodley stands by her organic lifestyle and her causes of being more environmentally friendly. Showing up on the red carpet with organic or without make-up, gathering her own water from springs and adapting a paleolithic diet to her life, she doesn't forcefully encourage people to follow her lifestyle but freely shares what she does. As someone who has always followed an organic lifestyle, it's refreshing to see a star follow through with her claims of loving nature and the environment, and not skimp out from photoshoot to red carpet event on her beliefs. Her frank nature doesn't necessarily mean the more personal a star is the more relatable or likeable I'll find him/her - I just like how she isn't afraid to let her free spirit flag fly.

Whether on the big carpet wearing gowns and sporting natural make-up, or hanging out at press conferences, Woodley seems to mix in every situation. Optimistic and happy-go-lucky, Woodley hangs out happily being in the moment. In a world where people are so cynical and judgmental, Woodley is down-to-earth. Bohemian and chic, she holds no expectations against others and holds no plans for the future - what will be, will be. In Woodley's own words, that's just rad and bad-ass.

Does Shailene Woodley inspire you? What's your favorite role of hers so far?