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Movie Reviews

Movie Review by Kristin: EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING | #everythingeverything

by KristinLeave a Comment on Movie Review by Kristin: EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING | #everythingeverything

Ok, let me first say that this trailer captured my attention immediately when it was released. Not just because my niece has had a crush on Nick Robinson since Jurassic World either. It was because I actually felt the chemistry between Nick Robinson and Amandla Stenberg in a trailer that was less than three minutes long.

With that being said, I went into the screening for this movie having NOT read the book, so I have nothing to compare it to, but now I definitely want to read it!

I thought the film was GREAT! I had a preconceived notion that it would be the typical young, teen angst/love story where you end up sobbing into a box of tissues because you can most definitely predict the outcome.

Spoiler alert: I was wrong. For the most part anyway.

The movie follows a young girl, Maddy, who has just turned 18 and has never left her house due to an illness called Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID). Basically her immune system sucks and can’t fight off even the most mild of infections or allergies. Her life is turned upside down when a cutie pie, Olly, moves in next door and has his eyes set on her from the beginning. He awakens her need to know what it’s like to truly live outside the confines of her home.

The casting for this movie was fantastic. Nick Robinson and Amandla Stenberg had great chemistry. When their characters felt awkward, it was obvious. When they developed feelings for each other, you could feel it. When worry and confusion set in, you felt that too. There were funny moments combined with sad moments, mixed with a little worry and anxiety about whether Maddy (Amandla Stenberg) would live or die, and it all marinated into a beautiful story about falling in love and truly living your life.

Sure, there could have been a bit more character development that I’m sure was missing from the book to film adaptation, but I still thought it was a solid movie that I would most definitely see again. Perhaps an extra 30 minutes might have done the trick. Even so, my brother, who is a 37-year-old man that literally hates chick flicks even said it was a very good movie. I’m looking at all you guys that think it’s uncool to watch movies like this hahaha. I promise you, it’s okay! 

If it’s any consolation to you book lovers out there, my niece’s friend saw the movie with me and she’d read the book. She said they stuck to the book for the most part. I can not confirm nor deny that personally, but I will definitely check the book out now to fill in any blanks I might have had while watching the movie (and there weren’t many).

So go out with your friends and family to check out Everything, Everything in theaters May 19! You won’t regret it!

You should also check out the novel of the same title by Nicola Yoon (like I’m going to do)!

Have you seen it yet? When you do, let me know what you thought!

Music

New Music Friday! | #music #newreleases #tour

by KristinLeave a Comment on New Music Friday! | #music #newreleases #tour

 

YoursTruly

Good morning, music lovers!!

Ok . . . so I had to take a minute to compose myself after the influx of music releases and announcements over the past two weeks! How did you all hold up? lol . . .

So let’s talk tours first! Fans received announcements from some of their favorite artists regarding upcoming tours and, personally, I couldn’t be more excited! I’m hoping to make some contacts so I can keep up with all of them and get some show reviews posted for you all! Fingers crossed on that. Some of the artists who posted tour announcements include Fall Out Boy (dates posted below), Halsey (dates posted below), Janet Jackson, Harry Styles (dates posted below), Linkin Park, Sabrina Carpenter, Kendrick Lamar, an extension of the current Kings of Leon tour, the list goes on and on! Not to mention the fact that some of our favorite artists are currently working on new music, which means (hopefully) even more announcements are sure to be on their way!

 

Also announced in the past two weeks are singles, singles, and more singles! Fall Out Boy released “Young and Menace,” Imagine Dragons released “Thunder,” OneRepublic released “No Vacancy,” Harry Styles released “Sweet Creature,” Halsey released “Eyes Closed,” Paramore released “Told You So,” Niall Horan released “Slow Hands,” X Ambassadors released “Torches,” etc., etc., etc.

In light of all of these announcements, we also got a few music videos to watch! Anyone else miss when MTV and VH1 used to play music videos? Do they even do it at all anymore? Let me know! Here are a few of the new ones:

 

 

 

Which artists are you more excited about? Are there any tours you’re planning on attending? Are there any new artists I should be listening to? Sound off in the comments or tweet me @thisiskristin_! I also would LOVE to know who’s planning on attending ‘Kinky Boots’ on Broadway this summer to see Brendon Urie from Panic! at the Disco playing Charlie? I know I am!  🙂

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April: Days Seven & Eight | Playlists & Plans

by KristinLeave a Comment on April: Days Seven & Eight | Playlists & Plans

YoursTruly

Hey everyone!

I’m sorry for falling behind a bit on these daily posts, but last weekend was my birthday! Never fear, I’m in catch-up mode and will try to combine some days so I don’t bombard you with my rambling lol.

For Day Seven, I wanted to talk about Playlists!

I’m a HUGE music lover and I absolutely love finding new artists. I get tired of hearing the same 5 songs in rotation on the radio, so any time I can Shazam a song from a TV show or movie I’m a happy camper! I’m always taking suggestions too, so if you know of anyone I should check out, comment on this post and let me know!

I have a few playlists going on Apple Music right now, but the one I use the most is eclectic to say the least! I have Hailee Steinfeld, ZAYN, Ed Sheeran, The 1975, Syml, Muse, Lady Gaga, The Chainsmokers, Ruelle and Amber Run. Ruelle is featured a lot on one of my favorite shows, The Originals, and they’re absolutely incredible! I usually add a lot of my Shazam tags to that playlist as well so it’s always growing.

I also have a Justin Timberlake playlist, OneRepublic, The Script and Imagine Dragons. Those four are probably my favorite artists/bands.

How about you? What are you listening to? Is there anyone I should check out?

 
Day Eight is about highlighting what Plans are on my to-do list . . . and there’s a lot! I won’t bore you with everything, but here are the essentials:

  1. Definitely need to hit the gym. In the past year I moved from my home of 29 years to a cute little apartment. For some reason during the chaos of moving and working full-time, I decided it would be a “good idea” to also take 5 online classes. I haven’t had much time within the past year, but now that school has slowed down and I’m almost done, I plan on being at the gym every day.
  2. This past week I started looking for apartments to rent in Georgia, New York and New Jersey. During my search, I stumbled upon a GORGEOUS new home for about half of what it would cost if it were here in Miami. This really made me smarten up about spending/saving money, so saving is definitely on my list of plans.
  3. I graduated high school in 2002 (yes, I’m old) and have been taking college courses here and there ever since. I’ve worked full-time since I was 18 so it wasn’t always easy to put time aside for school. Trying to find online classes or classes that coincide with your work schedule is a bitch! I’ve already received my Associates Degree and Liberal Arts and am about to finish my Bachelors Degree in English – Creative Writing, so now it’s time to think and plan for the possibility of grad school. Am I crazy for considering it? Probably!

 

That’s all I’ll bore you with for now, but let me know what plans you have for the rest of the year!

Music

NEW MUSIC: PENTATONIX | PTX, Vol. IV – Classics

by KristinLeave a Comment on NEW MUSIC: PENTATONIX | PTX, Vol. IV – Classics

image1

You guys!!!! We have been blessed with another EP from our favorite a capella group!

Pentatonix released their new EP, PTX Vol. IV – Classics, today April 7 and – no surprise – it’s incredible! We got to see their music video for ‘Imagine’ (posted below) a few weeks ago and it was fantastic. Their vocals were great and the message in the video was powerful. One of my favorite things about this group, besides their vocal talent, is the fact that their videos are so low budget but are better than most big budget videos. They showcase their talent rather than distracting us with nonsense lol.

So check out their ‘Imagine’  and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ (released today!) videos below and let me know what you think!

Also…if you’re thinking of heading out to see them LIVE (and I strongly suggest you do), you can read my review of their show here in South Florida by clicking the link below:

PENTATONIX: World Tour 2016 (Review)

 

You can also find Pentatonix at the following links:

Website: ptxofficial.com
Twitter: @ptxofficial
Instagram: @ptxofficial
Facebook: Pentatonix
iTunes: Pentatonix
YouTube Channel: PTX Official

 

 

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April: Day Six | What is one thing you need to start doing?

by KristinLeave a Comment on April: Day Six | What is one thing you need to start doing?

YoursTruly

 

The loaded question for Day Six is:

What is one thing you need to start doing?

Besides the typical going to the gym, eating healthy, saving money, etc., I think my answer for this one is that I need to start driving places. Yes, I know how ridiculous that sounds lol.

Throughout my life my dad always drove my mom and me everywhere. Starting a new job? He’d drive you there to let you get a feel for the area before having to do it by yourself. Need to stop by school for something? He’d drive you there too. The man LOVED to drive and would volunteer to drive you everywhere. While I appreciated it at the time, I feel like it caused some damage. I get anxiety when I have to drive places I’m not familiar with.

I’m 33 and have lived in Miami for the past 27 years, but I’ve yet to drive myself to Orlando. That means I can’t take little spontaneous trips to Disney with my niece, I can’t plan road trips with friends because I’m the only one whose hands start to sweat when I have to get on a highway. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a good driver and I’m a safe driver, but I don’t trust other drivers. I’ve seen way too many people putting make-up on while they drive, plucking their eyebrows, eating, texting . . . you get the point. It makes me nervous and I try to avoid it.

The anxiety I get comes with a price though. Friends invite me to things and I sometimes turn them down because the thought of driving there alone makes my head spin. This sometimes causes them to think twice about inviting me because they automatically assume I’ll turn down the invite. It hurts sometimes, but I’m sure it hurts them when I can’t make it. Something that people don’t try to understand about anxiety though is that it’s not something you can just say, “Hey! I’m gonna get over this today!” Believe me, I wish it was that easy because I tell myself that all the time.

So that’s what I need to start doing . . . I need to take baby steps so that I can eventually make that trip to Disney with my niece

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April: Day Five | What do you think of social media?

by KristinLeave a Comment on April: Day Five | What do you think of social media?

YoursTruly

Hey there! I hope you’re having a fantastic start to the month!

For Day Five the question is:

What do you think of social media?

I think social media can be one of the greatest inventions . . . when it is used properly. That’s the key word. When I was in high school we didn’t have social media. We weren’t able to connect with our favorite actors, musicians, athletes, etc. online the way we can now. YouTube wasn’t around until about three years after I graduated high school, so if you wanted to hear an interview with your favorite band (cough cough *NSYNC) you had to sit next to the radio with a CASSETTE TAPE on deck and wait to hit the record button at just the right moment. There were no DVR’s and no YouTube, so if you wanted to re-watch that amazing performance from an awards show, you had to pop a VHS TAPE in your VCR and, also, hit record button at just the right moment. The struggle was real!

I wouldn’t even have this blog if it weren’t for the internet and social media! So I do think there are a lot of positives that come along with it. It’s pretty cool to be able to reach out to our favorite actors, writers, musicians, athletes and influencers and, in some cases, even have a conversation with them. If I were able to have a conversation with Justin Timberlake in my high school years,  maybe my life would’ve taken a different path. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration lol, but it’s still pretty cool to have that possibility now. I’ve also made a ton of friends via social media that live in other states that I never would have met if I wasn’t on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

Imagine the horror of living in a time where smart phones didn’t exist! We actually had to TALK to our family and friends as opposed to texting or tweeting. I feel old saying it because even though I love the possibilities available to us via social media, I miss the times where we knew how to communicate.

Which brings me to my thoughts of how social media can be a negative thing also. I’ve been a fan of The Vampire Diaries for years now and I recapped it online with my friends for a while. As a writer, I follow a lot of the writers and creators of the show because I admire the work they do. However, I’ve seen these incredible writers get the rudest tweets and messages because the scripts didn’t include “ships” that some fans were longing for. Are you kidding me??? How can a group of writers please every single fan out there? It’s literally impossible. I’m sure the writers of these shows have thick skin to be able to do what they do, but I’m sure getting these messages from strangers claiming to be fans can also be disconcerting at times.

There is also cyber-bullying to worry about. My niece is 12 and has social media, so the worry is constantly there for me. Thankfully she doesn’t mind me being logged into her accounts so I can help guide her through the correct ways to use social media. It’s sad that terms like “fat-shaming” and “slut-shaming” exist these days. Someone doesn’t fit societies expectations for the perfect body? They’re labeled fat and unhealthy. A woman has a photo leaked of her that was sent to her boyfriend at the time? She’s a slut. A man would get props on that one though if the roles were reversed. I’ve even seen fans on Twitter send despicable comments to actors just to get a response from them. Forget the fact that the actor will respond by calling them a jerk, the fan is still excited (which baffles my mind lol).

There are a number of ways to look at social media and the effects it has on society today. When used properly, it can be fun and productive. When used improperly, it can cause pain to others.

So think about how you want to impact those around you and set the example! Let’s teach younger generations to appreciate the things they have at their fingertips and to utilize those outlets correctly.

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April: Day Four | If you were able to instantly change your life, what would be different?

by KristinLeave a Comment on April: Day Four | If you were able to instantly change your life, what would be different?

YoursTruly

Hey, everyone!

Day Four on my April list is:

If you were able to instantly change your life, what would be different?

This is a tough question because I was raised not to regret things. We go through certain experiences and we make mistakes, but we usually learn from them. I think, for the most part, that these things shape who we are, whether they’re difficult to go through or not.

However, in the past few years, I’ve experienced certain things that I wish I would change. One being my relationship with my father.

My father didn’t always know how to relate to my brothers and I. He was a Vietnam vet who often suffered from PTSD and found it much easier to relate to other veterans. There was one in particular that my dad sort of adopted in his mind. If I’m being honest, it hurt me. It hurt that he took more of an interest in this guy’s life than in mine. I would even joke to my friends that I had daddy issues. Never did I think I would lose my dad before he turned 65.

Long story short . . . my dad was diagnosed with liver cancer in April 2015 and he died a month later. It’s crazy how you don’t stop to think about how much you truly appreciate someone until they’re no longer around. My dad wasn’t perfect, but he was the type of dad that would’ve dropped everything if you needed a ride somewhere or if you had a flat tire in the middle of the night .

So if I could change something, I would change the relationship I had with my father in the years leading up to his death.

 

If I could change two things, I would also change the person I chose to give my heart to when I was way too young to even consider giving it away. Ladies, young girls . . . please remember to love yourself before you try loving someone else. I made the mistake of putting all of my affection towards one person and all he did was play games. Slept with my best friend after I (stupidly) paid for his flight to visit, repeatedly came to me to boost his ego when other girls knocked him down, said horrible things about me, played the sympathy card asking for help paying bills and then gave his girlfriend a gorgeous ring about a month or two later. Thankfully I’d smartened up by that point so he didn’t get a penny from me for that ring lol. He dangled me like a chew toy and I fell for it every time because when he shattered me to pieces, I gave him that power to do it. So appreciate yourself and don’t let ANYONE have power over you. We are strong WOMEN and we should be putting that strength and love towards someone who deserves it.

Who knows . . . if I could go back and eliminate him from my life, I might not have the troubles I have now with finding men who are only interested in two things . . . sex and feeding their own egos. Where are the good guys at???

 

What would YOU change if you could? Let me know!