Tag: Fun

6 Annoying Movie Cliches

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Unbelievable Movie Cliches

I love movies. It’s on my list of “8 Fun Things”. I know that what happens on the screen is only a reflection of what happens in life and sometimes it is completely make-believe. It is not real life. No matter what, however, it is to be believable (depending on the genre) to the audience; they are to believe that what the characters go through in the film, are reality for them.  Having seen many films in my day, there are some common occurrences that are simply NOT believable and they have become pet peeves of movies for me.  You may agree.  Here is a list of 6 that come to mind:

1.  Shut-up Moments – When in an argument in real life, no one ever comes up with that one magic line that shuts the other one up and shocks them into silence.  At least, not in any of my arguments.  I see it happen a lot in Hollywood whether on television or film.  One of the best “shut up” moments came in A Few Good Men when Jack Nicholson was pushed to the edge with questioning while on the stand and responded to the statement “I want the truth!” with “YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!!”.  What do you say to that?

2.  Choreographed Dance Scenes – I love a good dance sequence but in some movies, I find it distracting when a group joins in the dance and they know all the moves.  Like the closing scene in Footloose, Kevin Bacon yells out “LET’S DANCE” and the teens of the town, who were previously forbidden to dance, join him in a perfectly choreographed number on the dance floor.  Wouldn’t happen … unless it was a flash mob I guess.

3.  16th Century Glamour – In historical romance movies, the romantic couple usually consists of a beautiful Hollywood actress complemented by an equally beautiful male counterpart.  Shakespeare in Love comes to mind.  The exquisite Gwyneth Paltrow and the handsome Joseph Fiennes make a most lovely couple in this movie about William Shakespeare’s love interest.  Guess what?  Back in the 16th century, nobody would look like that.  Their teeth would be brown if they had teeth at all and their hair would be frizzy dull mops.  There wasn’t any toothpaste or moisturizing conditioners back then.  I don’t think they would pluck unsightly stray eyebrow hairs either but I could be wrong.

4.  Crazy Fighting Stamina –  It drives me crazy when a hero in an action scene, gets shot, punched, kicked and slapped several times and keeps fighting as fiercely after 15 minutes as he did when he started.  Chances are, if someone gets shot, they are down.  Maybe not dead but definitely hindered.  Die Hard is a perfect example.  How many times does Bruce Willis get punched, shot, body-slammed and head-butted and still carries on with wild intensity.   No way.

5.  TURN ON THE LIGHT! –  I always wonder why the main character in a suspense thriller, never turns on the light when s/he is searching for strange noises in the dark.  Seems like a no-brainer to me.   I find myself screaming at the protagonist to TURN ON THE LIGHT!.  I mean come on, that’s a stupid move.  I turn on lots of lights even when I’m just home by myself let alone when I hear a strange noise and want to investigate it.  Maybe that’s just me.

6.  Real Life Soundtrack – Music certainly can enhance a film and help to set the tone of any particular scene.  I find it disappointing in real life, that a soundtrack is not playing overhead to give me cues to perhaps in-suing danger or something uplifting to build inspiration.  When my husband walks through the door, certainly we should hear “Take my Breath Away” right?  Or when I am getting ready for a night on the town shouldn’t I hear “I Feel Like a Woman” by Shania Twain?

What are some of your “Unbelievable” movie cliches?

 

 

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8 “FUN” Things

Vicki2 Comments
FUN
FUN

Continuing with “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin, she talks about “Finding Fun”. It got me thinking about what I find fun. I know how I feel when I am HAVING fun but I can’t say as I have ever consciously thought about what it is that I seek out when I go in pursuit of “HAVING FUN”.  With intentional thought, I created this list of 8 things I find fun (as of March 2015 – it is ever-changing and evolving):

8.  Crafting – I don’t like to make all crafts but I do particularly like to make cards or creative ways to give simple gifts.  My mom is a crafter too and so it’s even better when the 2 of us can get together and share resources, ideas and time.  A pot of tea is often a must-have for a good crafting session.

DIY Money Jar Gift
The Money Jar

7.  Travel Adventures – I love to visit new places near and far.  Experiencing something for the first time is exhilarating.  Sometimes you find something so wonderful that you put it on a list to come back to in order to experience it more thoroughly or differently another time.

6.  Girls Night/Day – As a wife and mom, I’ve discovered the awesomeness of time spent with the girls.  I live with all boys so sometimes it’s the estrogen factor.  Just being in the company of other women is enough to just feel fun because it’s different.  Sometimes, it’s just nice to have a conversation with another adult who is not my husband.  I feel with my girlfriends I don’t even have to speak and they just get me without any explanation.  I find it fun just to not have to work to be understood.

Girls Night Out
Girl Friends

5.  Board Games – Great memories of times spent with family revolve around board games.  I love games.  I thought at first it was the competition but when I thought about all the solitary games I loved to play I decided it was the challenge.  Even better to work through challenges with teammates.  Not only is the challenge good for the brain but there are usually lots of laughs which exercises the soul.

4.  Social media – Social media blows my mind.  I can’t believe how many connections you can make, relationships you can start and things you can learn by tapping into the vastness of social media.  I am taking a Social Media Marketing program and the more I learn about it the more enthralled I become.  I find the philosophies, possibilities and the speed of it, fascinating.  Sometimes, I get caught between embracing it and fearing it for I think it can be powerful whether used for good or bad.  Of course, I strive to use its power for good.

3.  Genealogy – I compare it to treasure hunting.  There is always a map in the form of your family tree and you never know what information or artifacts it will lead to.  I have been known to spend a nice quiet day on a weekend, travelling to cemeteries to look for resting places of my ancestors.  I’m sure if you are not interested in genealogy, that might sound boring or creepy but I know there are other genealogists out there that will agree that this is a super fun way to spend a day.

Genealogy, Ancestory
Noel Ancestors

2.  Outdoors – Spending time with Mother Nature is a wonderful “fun” thing.  It can take on so many different shapes for me.  Sometimes, it’s a hike through a conservation area with my boys, a boat ride on the lake in the summer or quietly resting on a river bank reading a book.  I can’t forget camping, canoeing, fishing, swimming or bird watching.  Just about anything that I can do that requires me being a part of the outdoors is what I would call “fun”.  Although, I must admit, add rain to any of those and the “fun” factor is gone for me.  I’d have to shift to sitting on the covered deck, especially during a brilliant thunder storm, with a glass of red wine.

Oscars, The Movies
Let’s Go to The Movies

1.  Watching Movies – What can I say?  I LOVE movies.  I love going to the theatre to watch movies, or staying at home.   I find it extra fun to stream a movie on the laptop and use a DVP to project the movie on to the wall so it’s like a theatre at home.  The ULTIMATE in movie watching, is project the movie on to the side of the house on a beautiful summer’s eve and have a home version of a drive-in.  No movie is complete without popcorn and a coke (in my opinion).  I find movies fun to watch by myself and even more fun to watch with friends and family.  One of my favourite events throughout the year is the Oscars.  I try to watch as many of the Oscar-nominated films as I can each year to see how well I predict the winners.

What is it that you find fun?  Actually, thinking about what you find fun can be fun. 🙂