Ok so let’s get down to business, I live for these music shows, but unlike the Video Music Awards, The American Music Awards are always better, classier, and SHORTER! lol. It’s performance-award-performance-performance-award  pattern makes for a smoother show and a less boring one! This year’s 41st AMAs… had a hell of a performance list. However I’m just going to shine a light on my performance highlights.

Justin Timberlake

(as per usual… the main reason I watch!)

So let’s start with the JUSTIN NEWS first shall we?…

He won 3 out of the 5 awards he was nominated for including…

The FIRST award of the night for Favorite Pop/Rock Male

Favorite Soul/R&B Artist

Favorite Soul/R&B Album

***Was proud to see him make it all about praising his fans tonight (along with cracking a few jokes, you’d think he was the host [and he should have been!] sorry but Pitbull just frustrates me!) …you know where it’s at J.T.*** #support

AND his performance was kick ass!

As he sang a new song off The 20/20 Experience Vol.2- “Drink You Away”

In which he took to the stage and said “We’re J.T. and the Tennessee Kids, this is a song about alcohol.”

I was a little bummed to see him not win the other two awards he was nominated for, but I mean my girl

I mean “RED” is an amazing album, it’s well deserved!

Taylor Swift won Artist of the Year and I am happy for her, but if it was up to me Best Pop/Rock Album would have went to JT instead of One Direction, I’m just sayin’…although I did enjoy the boys performance of their new song “Story of my life.”  I’m seriously vibin on that song, LOL.

I wanna be Justin’s bestie! 

Any who it wasn’t a surprise that the night pretty much belonged to Justin Timberlake and Taylor Swift, they were the night’s biggest winners. The two were joking and being super adorable the whole night. Taylor presented Justin with his first award and he graciously offered her his arm upon exiting the stage and even uttered a “Taylor you look lovely tonight,” during his acceptance speech. During the acceptance of another award as he passed Taylor they turned to each other and had a very “OMG [I won]” fangirl moment. It was actually the cutest thing ever! And I am SO jealous of her, because I know that she is like my age and is a huge fan and I’m just like OMG can we switch places, T-swift, hook it up! 😉

And to my dismay Justin skipped out on the red carpet and attended the Award show sans Jessica Biel. I mean what the hell is that about? First she doesn’t come out during the vma’s (ok yea fine she was backstage, but still it was a big night for him she could have sat in the damn audience) and then she’s no where to be found tonight. I just don’t understand. And I noticed, Justin was not only sans Jessica, but sans wedding ring as well, I’m just sayin’. This couple is bonkers. They are both beautiful and famous and in love…why don’t they ever just show that! They always have beautiful things to say about each other in interviews (esp. with Ellen, lol). But when it comes to public events they act like strangers. I mean I understand the whole privacy aspect, and I’m not saying share your most intimate details (I mean whatever, he already wrote two albums about that ;)) But I’m just sayin’ it’d be nice to see her actually support her husband socially! I mean she has the guy every girl wants, appreciate it girl! But hey that’s just how I see it, she seems like she makes an amazing wife, and he definitely seems like he’s an amazing husband, and whatever works for them! To each they’re own. I just often wonder if it ever bothers Justin? I know it’d bother me if the person I love wasn’t there physically, to support me. Just throwing it out there, lol. (No this is not another post award show feud brewing…hahaha)

And I’m not saying all of this because I am naive enough to think that they are breaking up, I mean I highly doubt that, they are human and can go places separately. It’s just a matter of frustration, because it seems to be a pattern with them. But then again what if she’s pregnant…oh my god, I’m just starting shit now aren’t I? I think I’d die! ahah Ok I’ll stop, enough speculation. But the whole no wedding band and never thanking her in speeches is kinda disrespectful JT, haha. If you were my husband I’d be a little pissed off about that. Jessica Biel must have gotten the message via twitter, when fans began wondering about her absence in which she replied…

Good for you girl 😉

My other favorite moments had to include

Jennifer Lopez‘ Tribute to Latin singer Celia Cruz which was freakin’ AMAZING, she sported 3 beautiful outfits and danced her ass off, not to mention Justin Timberlake’s applause after was… the. best. reaction. ever. (standing ovation from the president of pop) see what happens when you’re not around Jessica 😉

I’m just kidding…in fact Justin probably just went straight home after the show to be with her…after all they’ve been touring together since the beginning of this month.

Oh ya see, what a sweet husband

Justin also tweeted, facebooked, and instagramed this little gem today!

The caption read “Thank you, thank you, and thank you..!! #AMAS”

Ariana Grande‘s performance was beautiful…what a voice…Watch HERE

She also won the Favorite New Artist award! I was so happy for her!

And OMG you guys TLC performed (with Lil mama) in honor of Lisa Left eye, and they sang WATERFALLS, I swear I had a moment there, it was so beautiful and I was just reminded of how much I LOVE that song!

And last but not least Miley Cyrus closed the night with “Wrecking Ball” and a Cat inspired theme, which I really didn’t get what the relationship between the crying cat in space to her and her cat printed two-piece latex outfit, had to do with that heartbreaking song… but never the less, girl has a voice and I love that song. She actually surprised me on the red carpet and I was kind of proud to see that she classed it up, wearing a simple white suit and little make up. Granted she wore nothing under the blazer, but I still think there’s that fine line between slutty and sexy and I’m happy to see she didn’t cross it. But like I’ve said before, to each her own, Miley’s doing her thing and she knows what she’s doing and she knows what’s going to get talked about and what’s going to keep her relevant. So if you ask me, she’s a business woman, strategizing.

My Fashion picks of the night have to be

Taylor Swift

This is just so different for her. I mean she always looks classy and beautiful no matter what, but I just feel like she usually opts for the really overly mature long gown. And it was nice to see her in something young, shiny, sexy, girly and flirty. She still looked classy and I just think she stole it for me, as far as the fashion goes.

Katy Perry

And I also liked Katy Perry’s red carpet look, it isn’t anything I would personally like, but I just thought she looked really elegant and sweet. I may not be the biggest Katy fan, but when she was interviewed and asked about her current status on twitter, (she is now the most followed person,) she said something that I really loved. Katy said that she feels the reason why she’s gained so many follows is because she “never has anyone speak for her, no one is running her twitter but her,” and she feels fans can relate better to her that way, and doesn’t agree with others who have their team tweet for them. I totally agree with that, it pisses me off so much when I see Team J.T. tweeting on Justin’s account. It just can feel like a slap in the face to a fan, like he doesn’t care to tweet himself. But then again, I think Justin is just starting to utilize Twitter, and realizing he’s gotta get on that. After all twitter wasn’t even a thing back when he started with *NSYNC and still wasn’t  even in existence during his first two solo albums, Haha. Oh my little eletronically challenged man! 😉

Oops I did it again, I guess it always comes back to Justin doesn’t it? lol 😀

And can I just say quickly that I LOVE the nail cam, like omg I wanna walk a red carpet event so bad, just so I can walk the nail cam red carpet with my manicure! ahah I think that is just the cutest thing ever!

And that’s all I have to say about the AMA’s…it was a good show, and definitely worth a watch if you haven’t seen it already, but I live for this kind of shit, so if it’s not your cup of tea, that’s cool too.

Happy Monday!

Buy your turkey yet? …seriously I can’t even wait for Thanksgiving! 😀

-<3-

“Miss Representation” Discussion

props to Jennifer for creating such an amazing piece of knowledge and insight…

Trailer:

Ok, so like many of you out there I get on my Netflix sprees, where I scroll through the many selections trying to find some mind numbing pleasure that will somehow allow my mind even the slightest escape from life’s stresses. Instead what kept haunting me was something far greater. A documentary entitled “Miss Representation.” I had seen this in passing several times and then one day recently one of my favorite inspirations (actress, writer, and director) Kimberly McCullough tweeted about it!

An example of how social media can be used to spread value

And it was once again back on my radar. So I set myself up for greatness and I watched it, being impacted and knowing I would want to blog about this, I ferociously typed notes into my cell phone not wanting to miss any key points when discussing such a powerful piece.

The documentary starts off with a bit of a narrative from the director and you get a sense of her story and why she felt driven to create this documentary. It becomes clear that her aim is to create a better world for her daughter’s growing generation. And throughout this powerful journey we see many powerful, independent, positively influential woman in media share their opinions and their insights. It’s an array of TV personalities, actresses, women in politics, news anchors, activists, the list is endless. But what makes this even more human is the fact that there are opinions of young high school students (both girls and boys) who are at the root of this generation’s media tyranny. When you see these children who are entering young adulthood, noticing how media distorts the image of women and makes us into something that is more so thought of as objects rather than human beings, you start to realize that something needs to be done about this. And this documentary takes a stand against just that.

There were so many things said and discussed about how media views woman. This idea that woman are not to be images of empowerment but just to serve as an aspect of beauty, or an accessory to a man an his success. And if that image isn’t just perfect as the media portrays model in magazines, and on billboard ads, and in commercials, then they are just simply unworthy. Which is a total crock of shit! Sorry but this is a subject that just fires me up, so I make no apologies for my bold language or opinion!

As a young woman who hopes to one day be part of the tv and film industry, I don’t ever want any young girl or woman, or young boys to be made to feel like they aren’t good enough or that because of how they look they aren’t to be made to feel valued and special. Everything I write and film, I want to have a positive and meaningful impact. And I think because of this documentary I have opened my eyes a lot more, to the possibility of change for a better future for this and further generations to come.

Speaking of media being a devilish impact on today’s youth, I witnessed a few horrifying images in this film. Granted let it be known, these were included to make a point! But they showed images of a young girl (probably no older then 7 years old) being spray tanned for a beauty competition! Probably from a show resembling that of “toddlers in tiaras.” Like, what? See right off the bat you are teaching girls, babies in fact, that how they look as they are, is just not good enough.

Speaking of this idea of not being good enough and being compared to media models…understand this… that even models are photo-shopped and fabricated to fit an even higher standard of beauty, in fact an unattainable one.

Media tyranny extends as far as the news…in fact especially news. The way women news anchors and women in politics are degraded and their intellectual abilities are made out to be far less important. Instead their physical appearance is made the front and center topic. And why is this? Katie Couric was the first major women anchor, and her appearance was continuously scrutinized. Instead of discussing her ability to do her job and do it well, what she wore and her legs became the major topic. And this is NEWS? If that’s what we call news, then we need to redefine the word, immediately. Other news anchors were showcased in cleavage bearing shirts, showing us that true women of journalism were being degraded for what can only be deemed as a cheap rating boost. When what the woman giving the news is wearing becomes more important and more talked about then the billions of people starving in the world there is a problem with media! Scrutiny of women in news and in media in general are solely based on their physical appearances and their personal relationships outside the workplace. When people weren’t talking about Katie Couric showing too much sexy leg, they were talking about her dating a younger guy. When instead they should be focusing on her intellectual ability to deliver a powerful news story. Katie explained how she found it difficult trying to conform to both being pleasingly appearing to viewers, but remain professional. And because she even has to worry about this just goes to show how the media sends mixed messages to women, telling them that they have to be everything in order for their opinion to even be considered.

Tv talk show host Rachel Maddow, joked about her lack of appeal to some people, how she refuses to conform to the media’s ideal image and how she doesn’t wish to dumb herself down to that level. She said instead that rather then doll herself up she’d rather you “focus on what I’m saying, not how I look,” and focus on how she’s been doing her show this way for years and won’t be changing, that once you get over that fact, then maybe you’ll listen. I personally adored that. I think so many of us worry about looking a certain way, to in some way appease the views of men, but when it comes to voicing our opinions and sticking up for our rights, we either get hushed by men, or we get intimidated and slink back.

One woman running for office even went onto explain how she was asked “well if you are elected who will take care of your children?” She later said “if I were a man no one would be asking me this question.” And why is that? Because a women’s only place is to be a child bearer, to take care of the house hold responsibilities and to tend to her husband. Give me a freakin’ break. A woman, who is strong and determined both as a mother, and or a career woman, should be thought of as sexy. That’s what sexy should really be thought of as. A man should want the women in his life to achieve greatness, and not beat them down because of it. So what if that intimidates you, get over it, men have been holding their power and status over women since the dawn of time. And it is only right and natural for women to want to break free from those chains and make a name for themselves. Because they deserve to and because it is their right not only as women but as humans.

Both Sarah Palin, and Hillary Clinton were degraded and misrepresented during their times running for office. The documentary showcased how Senator Hillary Clinton was once headlined as Mrs. Clinton resulting in an attempt to demean her own personal accomplishments in politics and letting her be known solely as the former president’s wife. She was portrayed as a bitch because of her strong determined persona. While Sarah Palin tried to take a different route and remain a mother and likeable woman of the people, and got clobbered on as well. She was pornafied and looked at for her appearance. As you can see both ways failed and the public refused to embrace either strategy. When things like that happen, it’s no wonder, women at times feel they can’t speak their minds, because it’s almost as if no matter what we do, what we say, what we wear, who we are, is just not good enough. Because well we are just not men. It’s as simple as that.

No…but it IS wrong

They say women are too emotional, which causes them to be irrational and base their decisions off that irrationality, and that it isn’t appropriate in politics and media. Well maybe it’s that emotion that gives us humility that this world needs. Being a compassionate person should only enable you to be a better, more invested leader. A leader who wishes the best for the people they lead. Another problem of media is focused on men. This idea that men need not be emotional creatures. I think when young boys are subject to that notion; it makes them case themselves in a hard shell, an exterior that enables them to be incapable of true rational communication with women. And understanding emotion should never make you less of a man. And maybe if fathers and other male role models spent more time promoting that, then seeing how many half naked super models they can cram into commercial breaks during football season…maybe then the future men of this generation won’t be so susceptible to the degrading and scrutiny of women.

This idea that men dominate politics and leadership roles, go to show that maybe that’s the major problem with media, or rather one of the many major problems. Throughout the documentary they showed statistics of women in all fields. And statistics show that the women’s perspective in media is seriously low. In order for media to change and to stop damaging the minds of young girls everywhere, (and young boys as well) there needs to be a greater women input. There should be more women in politics, more women directors, and writers, and more women in news, and advertising and more women in media in general. And men should want to lobby for that, and want to create that greater more humanized approach. After all we are all human, and female or male, it shouldn’t matter.

The film and tv industries alone are male dominated, and so when you see these movies and tv shows revolving around a male protagonist and his conquest, its generally written and directed by a man. This entire point made in the documentary definitely made me think. The women featured went on to describe when a woman seems to be a protagonist, or a bad ass chick in a film, it’s often times, that she is wearing a scantily designed leather body suit or revealing outfit of some kind, that really isn’t detrimental to her role and ways of saving people. One of the women described this as “the fighting fuck toy,” this woman serves for the eyes of the male viewer. They serve as sex objects and body props. Or then there is the bitchy boss storyline that falls into the pattern of a woman who has given up having a family for the sake of achieving success and throughout the film there’s a man or others vowing to knock her down a peg, because of this. The documentary also goes onto explain how there are seldom dynamic female roles offered.   Women need to tell their stories. Women have voices of their own, and although it’s been relentlessly stifled and cast aside for years, I think it’s about time that shit changes! The documentary goes on to explain that women need not be sexualized to feel empowered and that women have come a long way from the days where their appearance was considered the only power they had. However, although we’ve come a long way, we still have a long ways to go.

Another woman featured was director Catherine Hardwick. Best known for directing “Thirteen” and the first installment of the “Twilight” series. She brought up the valid point that she wasn’t asked to direct any further twilight films, and when she asked why she was told “it’d be better directed by a man.” She also made another valid point that if a man could go on to direct sex and the city, why couldn’t she continue directing the twilight films. It’s the media beasts’ way of saying we just don’t want a woman director. The documentary quoted the phrase I’ve heard a good amount of times when taking my writing and screenwriting classes, “write what you know,” and as I said before, women need to write their own stories and tell our sides of things, and how we see the world. Because sure call us more emotional, more irrational, well that’s what is going to get to a person, it’s going to have an impact on other people, and hopefully many other women and girls. And hopefully it will give them the incentive to strive for more, and to support each other, support other women. The documentary goes on to say that if women don’t stick up for other women, no one else will.

There was a quote displayed that said

“You can’t be what you can’t see”

So it’s difficult for young girls to grow up to have that drive in them to strive for greatness, to strive for becoming both a powerful and intelligent woman, rather then just focusing on how they look to others. Young girls can’t be that if they don’t see it happening before them. Because of the poor role models the media presents for all the world to see and to idolize, “young girls and woman are brought up to be fundamentally insecure.” They need to be surrounded by positive influences. And if they aren’t they need to strive to be those who do the inspiring, there is a first person to lobby for each and every cause.

These dehumanizing and stereotypical assumptions placed upon women, are just overbearing and it has a sickening impact on many young girls and women today. In the form of eating disorders and other disorders. And as a young woman myself, I can completely understand why, and I understand the pressure put upon us all. And it just isn’t fair. In fact a few years ago I wrote an article for my college newspaper, discussing media’s violent affect on body image, and know that I’ve seen this documentary I realize this issue is still continuous an still prominent. But what I don’t understand, is this toxic waste that men plant upon women. Men need to understand something. A woman brought you into this world. No matter how it was done, no matter which woman carried you, you came from a woman. A woman gave you life. You would not be here; you would not be even half as successful or powerful if she had not done so. You would not even exist. Understand that. And understand that she did not carry you for 9 months, dealing with physical transformation, and morning sickness for you to turn into an ignorant misogynistic asshole. I’m not putting this upon all men, in fact several men were part of this documentary and had a lot of great insight, so it was refreshing to see that they understand there is a severe issue of sexism plagued upon women in today’s society and the fact that they spoke out on it, was a foot in the right direction. Because not all men degrade women, but for the better part of the population that does, yes I’m talking to you….get your shit together and understand that your perspective isn’t the only perspective that matters.

It’s such a shame because the media and especially the internet, with its growing convenience, can be such a helpful tool; it can be such a source of information. And yet we use it to tear each other down. Katie Couric said something that I really loved she said “Media can be a change; it just has to do with who’s piloting the plane?” And I think that’s such a brilliant metaphor, because as long as these media corporations are driven by men and their perspectives, women will continue to be deemed as less powerful and less influential and so I say to you never let someone devalue you as a human being. You have every right to what ever you want in life, whether it’s to be a stay at home mom, or a career woman, or both! You are beautiful for who you are, and these media images that make you think otherwise are all products of mass media, distorting women to make you think you need to buy their product. You like makeup, you like fashion, good for you! To each her own. But just know that without it, you are just as beautiful, and if you do dress up, make sure it is for you, and not for the benefit or the viewing pleasure of anyone else. And I know that in this world we all gossip and we all talk, every girl has slut shammed at least one other girl in their lifetime. But just realize that we are all in this together. Maybe you don’t agree with that girl posting those racy pictures on facebook or instagram, or maybe you don’t agree with the girl who keeps to herself and chooses to remain conservative, no matter what the case, understand it is her prerogative. Say your piece if need be and move on. The less we insult and degrade each other as women, the more of a united front we will be. And we can tear down this media beast run by men, because times are changing and women are becoming aware of their own voices and it’s time to join this movement! And be a part of history. It’s an amazing thing to be a woman, there are so many layers to that word and it is our job as women to unfold each and every one and discover who we are and what we can do. So fight for what you believe and never let a man tell you can’t do something.  And if he does just kick him in the balls… just kidding…well maybe 😉

To watch the full documentary…

You can find it on Netflix…

and shout out to Kimberly McCullough for tweeting about it! Gave me the incentive to watch it!

Never be ashamed to be a woman.

#GirlPower

-<3-

On the heels of Halloween there seems to be a fast forward straight to Christmas, stores all over and commercials on tv are already advertising…and poor Thanksgiving gets overshadowed BIG time. Now don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas, but Thanksgiving has slowly crept up on me, and has really become a holiday I love.

It’s a day where I get to spend it with some amazing people, whom I love so much. AND I get to eat some of the most amazing food; a lot of it (and not feel bad about it). AND I get to maintain family traditions that have been around since I was a child. My family likes to wake up and watch either The Macy’s Day parade, or the old classic “March of the Wooden Soldiers,” which just so happens to be this creepy bizarre film about a big real life toyland that deals with it’s own interpretations of several fairytales.

My Thanksgiving fun musts

THE FOOD

Ah the beautiful feast…

Contribute to the Thanksgiving Meal, if you  and your family are not hosting Thanksgiving yourself, then bring something where ever you are going. It’s always in good taste to offer a helping hand. I’ve even been a part of the whole cooking process a few years, I’d go over and help my aunt cook. Granted I’m not a cook, but I would just do and make what she told  me to and how she told me to! haha. Hey it’s always good to have an extra set of hands. If you’re not a cook at all, then bring something store bought, it’s the thought that counts! In my family we eat in stages, there are the appetizer type foods, then the turkey and all that jazz for the main meal, and then tadaaaa dessert!!!! So there is always room for contribution. I haven’t decided what I want to make, but I’m more of a baking girl, so maybe I’ll bake something, OMG maybe I’ll bake a pie, I just feel like Thanksgiving is the time for pie! And I LOVE me some pie! Which to choose, which to choose??? And my mom always makes sweet potatoes, it’s basically just like the canned yams with marshmallows on top, and it is just THE BOMB! I seriously can’t wait for that, it’s not thanksgiving without mom’s sweet potatoes! Another fav of mine is these little appetizers my Aunt makes, it’s like celery filled with cream cheese and topped with a slice of a green olive, and you just cut them into little bite sizes, SO amazing, I could eat like 50 cause they’re so tiny! Those two things are a thanksgiving must for me!

THE TRADITIONS

As I’ve grown older it’s been more about sleeping, rather then waking up super early to watch the parade or “March of the Wooden Soldiers,” lol, but I do try my best to at least catch a glimpse here and there of both. This year I think I’ll lobby to wake up early, but we may be busy preparing anyway, so I may have to resort to a later showing via watching it on DVD, lol. As for the parade well it’s on for quite a while, so I’m sure I’ll catch that.

THE OUTFIT

Bethany Mota’s
Outfit Ideas

Now when it comes to holidays I always like to get a little dressed up, you’re going to be seeing lots of people and enjoying a nice family gathering, so it’s nice to dress up. However, when it comes to my family, we usually end up traveling and let’s face it Thanksgiving is NOT the time to wear fitted clothing anyway! So keeping that in mind, find something that is both cute and comfortable. I actually just bought my outfit recently. I got this above the knee caramel colored corduroy skirt and I’ve been waiting for an excuse to wear it, so I think it would be perfect for Thanksgiving. And I plan to pair it with this sheer cream colored collared blouse with gold studs on the collar. I’ll also most likely wear some brown or cream colored tights and these brown short tie up snake skin boots I have. I would have loved to wear a big old fluffy sweater, I saw so many cute ones…but something tells me if I end up helping with the cooking, the kitchen may just sweat me out! lol.

Beauty guru Bethany Mota… gave some gorgeous ideas for your thanksgiving wardrobe, some more dressy, some more laid back; for those who may just be hanging home…really cute stuff! Check it out!

Make a list of all your blessings, to bring out the true meaning of the holiday ❤

I’m thankful for…

My life, that god gave me

My parents

My brother

My family

My goddaughter

My friends

All my other loved ones

Love

Good Health for myself and my family

My religion and faith

My home

My upbringing

Food on the table and clothes on my back

My education

My abilities

The talents I’ve been blessed with, even though I’m still figuring them out for myself

water, air, oxygen

Music

The little things in life

*****

What are you thankful for?

And remember Christmas will come, it will have it’s time…

Let this month be about Thanksgiving

Let it have it’s time!

And if you guys are like me and tend to travel around during the holidays; for instance I just found out I’m splitting the holiday so half the day I’ll be with my dad’s side and the other half I’ll spend with my mom’s side! Here’s some incentive on how to cope with double the food haha….

Ahhh Gilmore Girls, the one with the 4 thanksgivings!

“Let’s go and eat, and eat and eat and eat” 😛

So friends… I know it’s a little early but…

Eat a lot of good food and enjoy!

-<3-

Have you ever had that random moment where you are just bored, flipping through channels and you come across an interesting movie…maybe just a few minutes in, one that you’ve never seen before. And so you set yourself in for the moment and you become immersed in a new storyline, new characters, new love, new loss, and for that moment in time the possibilities are endless, because you just don’t know how it’s all going to end? This happens to me endlessly and I LOVE it!

Over the summer I caught “10 years,” it’s initial appeal… it’s endless cast list of stars. I saw

That’s a serious cast list

Channing Tatum AND Jenna Dewan Tatum’s names and I was just like hmmm, well this may just be my kinda movie, lol. Meanwhile, I hadn’t even heard of it before, was it even advertised? It’s about a 10 year high school reunion, where friends gather and see how many people have changed and how they’ve succeeded or how they’ve stumbled along. As new comers are introduced as wives, husbands, future fiances, etc, we see the relationships evolve between the string of friends, and we see that high school was just a time of the past, with some fun (and some not so fun) memories.

The movie is light, it’s fun, it’s enjoyable. You don’t have to see their whole high school experience to indulge in who these friends were, and who they are now. The fact that they make references to the past throughout the film through reminiscing, and through a gallery of old photos, gives a decent depiction of their high school experience. There’s a sea of many; you have the prom king and queen (who missed the prom), the hot popular party girl, the not so geeky party girl’s lackeys, the pre-emptive frat boys, the wanna be black kid, the well known douche bag, the geeks, the small town boy turned hit musician, and the loner girl in her yellow designer shoes who thinks anyone barely remembers her.

Throughout the film you realize these friends all have their individual relationships within this inner circle we call high school, we see some moved away, some got married, some had children, some are still grasping for greatness, some made it big, and some stayed close to home. But what stroke me most about this film was the love story within. There are several that I can peg, (Channing and the Mrs. are super cute in this film!) some that should belong in high school and some that should have or a least could have extended past the adolescent time. The love story I want to talk about is the inevitable chemistry between Elise and Reeves.

Hello Handsome 😉

We first see Reeves when he meets up with his two old high school friends who have gotten married and had kids. He hitches a ride with them and here is where we find out Reeves is a musician. When his friend offers to play his cd during the car ride. Reeves denies the offer saying “c’mon I don’t wanna listen to that shit.” He mentions how he wasn’t even going to come. Meanwhile, he seems to take a liking to his friend’s kids as he jokes with them crammed in between two car seats. Yes what a rockstar! Did I mention he also took a cab, and is now hitching a ride with friends…you’d think he’d hirer a private town car or something? And this was just the start of my love affair for  the Reeves character.

Photo Op…

Next we see the impact his arrival has on the reunion as fellow classmates ask for autographs and pictures. In one of the smallest moments, we instantly see Reeves’ whole reason for coming in the first place. When Elise walks in, after everyone has already taken their complimentary pictures and entered the party. Elise waltzes in and Reeves in thrown off his game as he sees her from above.

After the party is under way, Reeves then comes over to Elise and asks to take a seat alongside of her, the table of fans (I mean classmates) instantly agree, as Reeves hands Elise $3. Elise is confused, and Reeves responds that he owed her the money when she lent it to him all those years ago during  a physics class trip to the planetarium. She says thank you, but laughs because she doesn’t remember. Not long into their conversation, another fan comes along to pay compliments to Reeves’ hit song “Never Had” claiming it’s her favorite song ever. Reeves thanks her, but rushes off with Elise. He also boldly confesses that maybe you date who you’re  supposed to like in high school, not who you actually like, as he makes mention to how she had a boyfriend back in high school who moved to Austin, Elise is surprised he even remembered that.

Outside Elise and Reeves reminisce, they talk about where they are now in their lives. Elise mentions she has a boyfriend. We then see Reeves kick into a kind of subtle “jealous” mode where he tries to divulge some answers as to who this man is. But it’s done in a kind of sexy, joking, non evasive way, one in which Elise, seems like she wants to run from.  Here we learn that Elise has never heard Reeves’ song, that she only recently found out he was a rockstar. In which Reeves replies “I’m not a rockstar, I’m just a musician.” Which seems fitting since Elise seems to be the only one not phased by his fame, even looking with him about possibly having several “baby mamas” due to fame, to which he laughs. Between that, and the fact that she is completely unaware of how he feels about her all these years, and how out of touch she is with his rock star status, makes her a genuinely likeable character. It makes for a greater dynamic.  Good for you Elise my girl, all nonchalant and then boom, she soon gets her shining moment… (you’ll understand what I’m talking about in a few paragraphs!). It’s clear that even in the small moments, these two have chemistry, it’s in the small glances, and the smirks and smiles. It’s in the way they are dancing around the fact that they came here for each other.

Later on back at the reunion party, Elise and Reeves are looking around at the gallery of photos displayed.  Elise pokes fun at an old picture of Reeves and his crew, and then makes mention to the fact that she doesn’t even feel like she went to this school. That there probably isn’t even one photo of her up there. Reeves says there has to be one, and he searches. He asks her why would she come to the reunion if she felt that way…she says “I don’t know” and he just looks at her. Then he finds a photo of her as she stands in the background in her bright yellow shoes. She instantly laughs at herself saying she forgot all about them, while Reeves says “I didn’t.” Elise goes on to admit  they were the only designer things she owned and she always wore them.

Elise’s famous yellow shoes…

Later on their attraction is followed to another location as the reunion gets moved to the gang’s high school hangout. Reeves’ friends tease him how it’s his only night home and they’ve barely seen him. One friend doesn’t even remember Elise, but Reeves quickly corrects him stating she was in their Physics class Junior Year. Which once again makes me love him more!  I mean after all this time he still remembers her!

As Reeves and Elise sit closely in a booth, an obnoxiously drunk friend hits to the karaoke machine, screaming to Reeves that his song is one of the choices. The crowd urges Reeves to sing. Elise agrees saying she’d love it if he’d sing his song. Reeves is a little reluctant, saying “You’re really gonna make me do this?” As she replies “Well I’m not gonna make you, but I would really love it.” He in turn says “You should have just lied and said that you heard it and that you liked it, cuz then I wouldn’t have to do this” As he chugs a drink and heads to the stage, the crowd of friends cheer. He jokes saying he’s never Karaoke’d himself before, and as he starts, he stops, saying that he needs to do this right. With a quick guitar loan from the bartender, we are driven into a beautiful heartfelt ballet, as Reeves sings of new found fame but also not forgetting the girl he never had, and how she made an impact on him. It isn’t quite clear who that girl is, until the famous lines…

Watch the scene HERE

“In this motel
Well passed midnight
When I’m bluer than a bruise
You come drifting in through the half light
In your funny yellow shoes
And I hope that’s you standing at my doorway
That’s the scratching of your key
And I hope this song I’m singing
Someday finds you…Where ever you may be”

And Elise realizes it’s about her. When Reeves comes to sit back down beside her she asks “So that’s your big hit song?” In which he replies “That’s my big hit song.” And she shockingly says “I didn’t know you remembered anything about me, let alone could write a song about me?” Reeves responds “Really?” It’s evident that these two meant more to each other then they’ve let on both in the past, and in the present. They discuss how back in high school they shared a fleeting moment in a parking lot, but Elise confesses how she got scared. When tension gets too high for her, she chooses to say she needs to go, in which causes Reeves to ask “Getting scared again?” To which she replies “Yes.” Reeves offers to walk her out.

In yet another parking lot, Elise and Reeves talk. She asks him where he lives, to which he explains he doesn’t really live anywhere, he lives out of a suitcase. She asks how often he comes home, he says “Almost never.” From this point on we realize there isn’t much of a future for these two. But that didn’t stop me from rooting for them! She reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out his cell phone, and gives him her number in case he’s ever back in town and wants to call her. He makes moves to kiss her, and she admits that it would probably be a bad idea, since he is never home. He replies “I’m here now,” and history repeats itself! Parking lot moment #2! Their story ends with them basically having sex in the back of a van, how romantic, LOL.

I loved this couple, because I felt like even through a short storyline there was so much depth. Or at least there could have been. They did a great job with the set up.  I felt like I didn’t have to see their past, to want to root for their future. But it did suck to see that they didn’t really get much of a future at all. Like I wanted more from them, from their storyline. Has that ever happened to you, where like you love a movie because you’ve fallen in love with a certain couple? Well it happens to me all the time, and I just felt like 2 hours was not long enough to tell their story. I mean if this guy has been holding onto her for this long, long enough for him to write a song about her, long enough for him to remember small encounters, and minor details, then why the hell would he just let her go? I mean they both came to the reunion looking for answers, looking for a second chance, looking for each other. And yet they’re ok with just having yet another fleeting moment and going about their regular business. For her I get it, I mean she never even knew how he felt, and he’s a rockstar, with a rockstar life, he’s never home! And I bet it’s probably like a whirlwind hearing that there is a song about you out there written by a guy you had a crush on in high school, and she’s got that boyfriend. But I mean what the hell is his excuse? I mean yea you’re a musician, and you say you’re not a rockstar, so… you can be a musician anywhere, fight for her! I just felt like this story lacked the big gesture, it’s like I’m sure his performance of the song and her realizing it’s about her was meant to be the big gesture, but if you ask me that was more like the big reveal; the climax. The big gesture would of been for him to actually stay. It isn’t up to her to make that decision, if he wanted her, he probably could have had her. Then again, he wouldn’t have written a kick ass song, so hey! lol.

Regardless of it all I love the movie. And I love the chemistry between these two characters. I just really enjoyed how their attraction for each other was shown through simplistic moments, and glances, and body language. That’s when you know someone’s a good actor when they can get an emotion across to the viewers through a slight glance. Oscar Isaac (Reeves) and Kate Mara (Elise) depicted their characters very well, they were really believable.  And I love how she wasn’t afraid to play the nervous, insecure side, and he wasn’t afraid to be a bit subtly seductive in his attempts. He was never disrespectful or overbearing, he was just perfect! But like I said, even though I loved their story, I only felt like it was just their foundation, their ending left much to be desired. See that’s the problem when you have those crazy big cast movies, where there’s so many storylines going on at once, they all manage to suffer at the expense of the other. I for one would have been completely fine, with a movie just about Elise and Reeves! Hey Jamie Linden….get on that! 😉

Elise & Reeves ❤
#onlyinthemovies

Catch the Trailer for “10 YEARS” HERE

And listen to Reeves’ “Never Had” HERE

The full real version of the song  is linked above and places these lyrics

“In this motel
Well passed midnight
When I’m bluer than a bruise
You come drifting in through the half light
In your funny yellow shoes
And I hope that’s you standing at my doorway
That’s the scratching of your key
And I hope this song I’m singing
Someday finds you
My letter to Elise”

*Like what? why did they change the lyrics in the movie?…this was gorgeous! although the more stripped down version made total sense for the movie and the atmosphere in which the scene was set, and we all know acoustics make more of an emotional impact, but those lyrics were spot on! Or they may have just cut the song short

(in fact fun side note; Oscar Isaac (Reeves) is a real musician, and actually wrote that song himself, for the movie!)

So if you haven’t seen it already, and you’re into some drama, some comedy, some love, and some overly long crushing out…

give it a shot, like I said, it was an easy watch, and definitely worth a movie night!

Enjoy!

-<3-