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I Still Believe

I Still Believe is a true life story of Jeremy Camp, a Christian singer. The story highlights his love story once he gets to college. It is created by the creators of the hit Christian movie “I Can Only Imagine” which tells the life story of the band MercyMe. This film will hit theaters on February 13th.

This movie is based on a Christian singer’s life and a story of faith and the love of God. So if you are religious, this will be a great movie for you. But on the other side, this movie is not a religious movie that “shoves Christianity down your throat,” so if you’re not religious, I still recommend this movie. It is a great love story even diregarding the religious aspect. Age-wise, this movie is rated PG and I truly believe this is a good movie for any age, 10-100. Viewers interested in love stories, faith movies or movies about people who become sick, this is a movie for you.

PLOT: This movie is similar to the movies I Can Only Imagine and The Fault In Our Stars if the two movies had a child together. Jeremy Camp goes to college with his guitar in hand with aspirations of becoming a signer. He snuck backstage to a John Loo concert and met John himself. John took Jeremy under his wing as a new artist. Jeremy takes a glance into the crowd and sees Melissa in the crowd and instantly falls in love. Melissa happens to be one of John’s good friends and also his love interest. When Jeremy and Melissa meet and start to enjoy each other’s company, the situation is sticky as they don’t want to hurt John. The relationship is very up and down until Melissa becomes sick. Melissa gets diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer. Jeremy’s life is instantly changed as he must decide if he wants Melissa to be the number one priority of his life. The rest of the story is their journey through Melissa’s illness and their relationship along with Jeremy’s music career and their faith for God through it all.

CAST: I Still Believe is set-up for success with the two stars playing Jeremy Camp and his love-interest, Melissa Hennings. Jeremy is played by the Riverdale star, KJ Apa and Melissa is played by the For the People Star, Britt Robertson. KJ did an extremely good job of playing the college-kid and rising star along with the emotional side of the “family-man.” He also had a great voice to star as the breakout Christian singer. Britt did a great job acting as a college student, but being nearly 30 years old, it was very clear that she was not college age. It was much less evident of her age once she became sick, and she did an incredible job in every other aspect of playing Melissa Hennings. She made you love her very quickly and made everyone in the theater root for her the first second she was on screen.

Other notable names in the movie: Melissa Roxburgh had a very minor part playing Melissa Hennings’ sister. Her role was very similar to her leading role in the TV show Manifest, so the role was a very good fit for her. Shania Twain played the role of Jeremy’s mom, she also had a minor role. Stranger Things and Sabrina star Abigail Cowen was featured at the very end of the movie as another musician following Jeremy’s act. And Forest Gump’s Gary Sinise played the supporting role of Jeremy’s dad.

I will repeat myself as I said, I think this a good movie for all ages, religions, and all different types of movie lovers. You can see I Still Believe in theaters March 13th. You can check out the trailer here.

RATING: 77%

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Instant Family

I was a little torn while debating what genre this movie was prior to seeing it. I had no clue what to expect between a comedy or a sob story drama, but it wan’t quite either. I of course would lean it more toward a comedy, as apparently that is what it was intended to be.

Whatever genre this movie was, it’s a hit.

I’m going to start with the cast, because that is more than likely the sole reason I loved this movie so much, along with the perfect story-line, script, and the rest of the movie.

CAST:

Mark Wahlberg as Pete: Mark Wahlberg was already one of my favorite actors of all time, but this movie only made me fall in love with him more. He shows both his loving father side, as he does in every other movie he’s in, but also shows his absolute knee-slapping hilarious side. He makes this movie what it is, I wouldn’t doubt that this role was written specifically for him, he is absolutely incredible, but what’s new?

Rose Byrne as Ellie: Who else would play a mom in a comedy? Her character is the exact same as her role in the Neighbors movies, except a lot more appropriate. She shows her loving, nurturing mom side along with her comedic side along with Wahlberg. The two are the perfect comedy couple in every way and I absolutely loved Rose in this role of the over the top, slightly confused, comedic, and perfect mom.

Isabela Moner as Lizzy:  Lizzy’s character was written to be fairly unlikeable, only because of what all she and her siblings have been through in the system. Moner plays Lizzy with all of the right emotions at the right time. Although Lizzy definitely was not my favorite character, Moner was perfect casting.

Julianna Gamiz as Lita: Gamiz is an absolute STAR! Lita was definitely my favorite character in this movie. The role was definitely written for a cute and funny kid, and Gamiz is exactly that. Her comedic timing is impeccable and she is as cute as can be.

Honorable Mentions: Of course Octavia Spencer as Karen was hilarious as always. Gustavo Quiroz as Juan, the third child, was extremely funny and sweet.

PLOT:  If you hadn’t heard about this movie, it is about a couple that decides that they want to home and maybe adopt a foster child. They decide that they want to adopt a teenager, without knowing that she comes with two siblings. The rest of the movie is about the struggles they face while housing the foster children, getting to know them, debating whether or not they want to adopt, and all of the rest of the struggles they faced throughout the whole process. As I previously said, it is a comedy mixed with a little drama and it is done so well.

This movie was incredibly eye-opening to how hard it is to go through the foster adoption process. Also to how many children are in foster care and how many struggles they have to face daily. I’ve known some parents that have tried to adopt their foster children and I never realized how hard it must be! This is an incredible movie to go see with the family, especially during the holidays to really focus on how blessed and thankful we all are!

This movie is rated PG-13, but for language. So if your 10-12 year old is mature enough to handle the language, go see it with them. I loved this movie, I loved that it made me laugh, I loved that it made me cry, I love Mark Wahlberg, and I love what this movie stands for. This is definitely a must-see in theaters for the year!

RATING: 90%

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Viral Beauty

“Marsha Day was looking for a date. She got a million subscribers instead.”

This movie is FILLED with mixed-emotions all around. It hits some uncomfortable topics, and DOES IT WELL! This movie was made perfectly at the right time; WE NEED THIS FILM! And I’ll tell you why…

PLOT SUMMARY: Marsha Day, played by Casey Killoran, posts a video on a dating website, looking for a high-end, ambitious, Ivy League grad, and of course, must be approved by her beloved cat, Mr. Kittsy . Once Perez Hilton, as himself, brings attention to her video, Marsha’s video goes viral, getting millions of views. There are, of course, contradicting views on Marsha, from supporters to online trolls bullying Marsha about her weight and how she looks, Marsha receives a ton of media coverage and is picked up by a management agency. Marsha is bound by her management to sponsorships and certain things to say in her web videos. Marsha meets a cute, Dartmouth grad, fitness trainer online named Will, played by Mark Junek, and they immediately hit it off. The rest of the story is about Marsha’s life once she got famous and how people across the world treat her differently.

ENDING (no spoilers): This ending is anything but what would be expected of a movie like this, but it’s exactly how it would’ve in the real world. The movie takes a complete 180 and I sat there wondering, is that really the end? It has an ending that really makes you re-evaluate your life and what’s truly important to you.

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This movie gets right to the point at the beginning of the movie, no dilly-dallying on unnecessary background. NO! This movie is FULL of content and continues to go go go until the credits start rolling.

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WHAT’S THE POINT? Viral beauty hits all of the REAL LIFE topics that we MUST start paying attention to in our world, as social media and money continue to become so important to people.  Let’s start with bullying, cyberbullying or the typical face to face bullying.

  • This is a problem, and this has been a problem since the beginning of time! When are people going to understand that ALL PEOPLE HAVE REAL FEELINGS?! Viral Beauty hits that point, that bullying is a problem, no matter how old you are! Marsha is a grown woman, and people all over the world were blatantly bullying her, physically and verbally abusing her when they saw her in person, and even telling her that she should die. But what this movie has done better than any other movie I’ve seen is that Marsha didn’t flinch. We can tell that Marsha gets upset at these comment, obviously who wouldn’t, but she doesn’t let it break her or stop her. In my opinion, Marsha was the winner in every argument that people online were giving her, because she DIDN’T RESPOND! She stayed strong throughout the movie, despite how much absolute hate she was getting.

Next let’s talk about social media, fame and money– what is an up and coming problem in society.

  • This movie is all about social media, obviously hints the name “Viral Beauty.” It emphasizes how much importance we have placed on our fame on social media in our society. We get so caught up in what everyone is doing on social media, judging and voicing our opinions about people online is a second nature that is a horrible habit! We watch people on social media and our first response is to judge them for what we don’t like rather than celebrating others for what we do like about them!
  • Next let’s talk about fame. There are a couple of cases in this movie that people let fame get to their head in more ways than one. W also get to see how people will do anything for fame, and that’s truly how society is today.
  • Then talking about money, we truly get to see the evilness of money throughout this film. As people in today’s society, we seem to put gaining money or being successful over truly being happy. Viral Beauty hits every point of that. Is it really worth it to have a lot of money if your not happy? I don’t know but Marsha sure seems to have an opinion for herself.

Casey Killoran, Marsha, truly plays her role to the T and is fantastic along with the rest of the cast doing an equally amazing job. This story was well written, phenomenally casted, and an incredibly interesting movie to watch. You’ll laugh, cry, and probably get a little upset somewhere in between. This movie- I would rate it as a PG13, it’s appropriate in my opinion for any mature teen. I think teens HAVE to see this movie to see how our real world is right now. This movie is so important and I enjoyed every minute watching it.

RATING: 71%

You can buy your tickets at either of these links, this movie is going to be released on October 19th

http://bit.ly/ViralBeautyFandango

bit.ly/ViralBeautyTickets

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Crazy Rich Asians

With this movie being #1 in the box office for so long, you would think that it has gotta be pretty dang good. And this movie is just that. Pretty dang good.

With rich culture and hilarious actors, this movie was unstoppable. This story is about Rachel Chu, played by Constance Wu, and Nick Young’s, played by Henry Golding, quickly growing relationship. He asks her to come to his hometown in Singapore. Little did she know, his family is the richest family in Singapore and her serious boyfriend of one year is LOADED.

PLOT SUMMARY: When the two are in Singapore, which is the large majority of the movie, Rachel tries to learn more about Nick’s culture and more about her own Asian culture. Considering Rachel grew up in America, although she can speak Mandarin, she is not like the rest of Nick’s family and struggles fitting in. With many tosses and turns of Nick’s mother, Eleanor Young, not approving of Rachel, Rachel being the talk of the city, basically everyone being against Rachel and Nick’s relationship, and Rachel having to continually try to fit into Nick’s culture and wealthy lifestyle, Rachel has a rough time.

SPOILER!! After Mrs. Young, played by Michelle Yeoh, rips Rachel to shreds and tells her the truth about Rachel’s family history: Rachel’s mother had an affair and moved to America to have Rachel, because Rachel was not her mother’s husband’s child.  Rachel was never told this and always believed her father had died before she was born. This broke Rachel.  Mrs. Young had hired detectives to find a reason that Nick shouldn’t marry Rachel, and she found it– the Young family could not be associated with a scandal like this! Rachel even declined Nick’s proposal that he gave in defiance of his mother.

SPOILER CONT!!  What I left out is how intelligent Rachel is. She is an economics professor at NYU. She beats Mrs. Young in a game of Mahjong while alluding to her intelligence in a speech that she gives Mrs. Young. Then, Nick proposes to Rachel again on the plane to America that he surprises her on… but wait… with his MOTHER’s FAMILY ENGAGEMENT RING! Then the two get engaged and have a Big Fat Young-Style Wedding!

SPOILER OVER

STANDOUTS: As the leads of this movie were nothing less than perfect for their roles, there were some unsung, big-name heroes that definitely contributed to the hilarity of the movie.

Awkwafina: Starring as Peik Lin Goh, Rachel’s old roomate, this character was made for the rising star, Awkwafina. Awkwafina has definitely made a name for herself in the year of 2018 cinema with Netflix film: Dude, and box office hits: Crazy Rich Asians and  Ocean’s 8. In this movie, her character is the comic relief in every scene she’s in and plays a big role in keeping Rachel sane during this journey. Awkwafina makes Peik the best friend we always wished we had and more than simply contributes to the comedy factor of this movie.

Ken Jeong: Starring as Peik’s father, Wye Mun Goh, did I mention that the entire Goh family is hilarious? From making fun of Rachel, to making fun of his daughter, to making fun of himself, Ken Jeong is just as funny as you would expect. Ken Jeong is known for his hilarity and his one-liners in this movie do not disappoint.

Harry Shum Jr.: One of my favorite actors, Harry Shum Jr., former star on the hit TV show “Glee”, got very little air time but somehow still seemed to manage to be toward the top of the credits. Playing Charlie Wu, Harry Shum Jr. only makes an appearance in the last minutes of the movie, but his smiling face in this movie filled my heart with joy although I wished he had a bigger role in this movie.

Honorable Mentions: Nico Santos as Oliver T’sien, Calvin Wong at P.T. Goh, and Jimmy O. Yang as Bernard Tai also were huge contributors to what a big hit this movie truly was.

This movie’s rating is PG-13 for suggestive content and language, but I would highly recommend this movie to any mature pre-teen or  teenager.

This movie will make you laugh, cry, and everything in between. In all honesty I wasn’t expecting much from this movie before its release in theaters when it gained much recognition. I was not disappointed and this movie exceeded my expectations. This is definitely a must see for the family.

RATING: 87%