Chuck Berry RIP (1926-2017)

        Rock music lost an icon this past Sunday when guitar pioneer Chuck Berry

  passed away at the ripe age of 90. He had been a trailblazer in the rock world

  paving the way for such rock acts in the 1960's and inspiring many bands to

  follow. Without Berry, there'd be no The Beatles, no Rolling Stones or even no

  Elvis Presley. 

      Many of his songs including "Johnny B. Good" & "No Particular Place to Go"

  have become synonymous with him. While "My Ding a Ling" was his only #1 hit,

  many stations banned it from airplay due to the nature and sexual innuendos. 

       He may be gone but definitely not forgotten. May his music live on for future

  generations. 

Beauty & the Beast (2017)

     

Beauty & the Beast
Dir: Bill Condon
Cast: Emma Watson, Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Kevin Kline, Dan Stevens,
Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellan, Emma Thompson

      It has become a yearly tradition for Disney to release a live action adaptation of their

animated classics that started with Cinderella. This is one is based on the 1991 Oscar 

winning film of the same name.

    Emma Watson portrays Belle, a bookish young woman who encounters a lonely beast

(Dan Stevens) while looking for her father (Kline). The cursed beast must find true love

before the last rose petal falls or he remains a beast forever. Living in the dark castle,

he hides from the townspeople never to show his face. Keeping him company are

sentient objects that sing and dance.

   The narcissist villain Gaston (Luke Evans) comes to town looking to marry Belle.

Frozen's Josh Gad plays his sidekick LeFou who constantly praises him. The 

controversy surrounding his character has been blown out of proportion and 

shouldn't have been an issue to begin with.

    The movie was quite enjoyable with its memorable songs. The costumes and

settings were top notch as well as the CGI. There are a few scenes that may be

intense for the little ones but older ones should be able to handle it.

    The Beauty and the Beast is a proper remake and should be regarded as one.

It's a perfect date movie and a tale as old as time. 

    Grade: A (9.5/10)

Happy 1 Year Anniversary

       Hello Everyone, 

         I just thought I take a minute to tell you that my blog is celebrating it's 1 year 
    anniversary. Since I started my blog in school, I have continued it ever since. One
    of the things I like about it is being able to post my reviews & feelings on various
    topics. Blogging gives me a voice I wouldn't normally have beyond cyber-
    space. I also don't need a degree in writing to start blogging.
        Since I've been blogging, I've learned how to:

        1. Change the color of the text

        2. Adjust font size

        3. Upload pictures 

        4. Embed videos

        5. Add labels
   
        I just would like to thank my teacher who introduced me to it and I've been 
    having fun ever since. 😊
      

The Croods (2013)

 

The Croods
Dir: Chris Sanders, Kirk DeMicco
Cast (voices): Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Cloris Leachman

       The Croods is one of those movies that not only kids will enjoy but adults as well

   and that features an all star cast. After their cave gets destroyed by a massive earthquake,

   a prehistoric family sets off on a journey to find a new home.

       Along the way, they meet a caveboy named Guy (Reynolds), whom their daughter

  Eep (Stone) falls in love with. Guy shows the family how to adapt to be modern. The

  crazy Nicolas Cage voices Grug, her overbearing father whom he must keep his family

  together. Grug doesn't trust Guy and they bond hoping Guy is capable of being with

  Eep. 

      I thought this movie was really funny and had some good lessons. Plus I also like

  Emma Stone alot. The Croods focuses on a strong family dynamic that carries the 

  story forward. The morals of not being afraid should inspire kids to do the same. 

  Dreamworks Animation continues their winning streak and while it may not be an

  instant classic like Toy Story, it'll surely put a smile on the kids faces.

Grade: B- (7/10)

Few of my favorite things

     Here are a few of my favorite things:

     1). Favorite sound: The heater running in my house during the night

     2.) Favorite TV show: Legends of Tomorrow

     3.) Favorite baseball team: Oakland A's

     4.) Favorite restaurant: Rocco's Pizzeria 

     5.) Favorite ice cream flavor: vanilla

     6.) Favorite actress: Emma Stone
    
     7.) Favorite cereal: Cap'N Crunch

     8.) Favorite comic strip: Calvin and Hobbes

Logan

Logan
Dir: James Mangold
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Dafne Keen, Boyd Holdbrook,

      

        When the first X-Men movie was released seventeen years ago, Hugh Jackman 
 became a star and household name. It ushered in an era of superhero movies and 
 changed the landscape of the summer blockbuster. In Jackman's final and most 
 famous role as Wolverine, he finds himself tending to his mentor Professor X 
 (Patrick Stewart) whom he must hide from society. 

        Along the way, he takes in Laura (Dafne Keen), a genetically engineered little 
 girl with powers just like Logan's. Together they go on the run from an sinister 
 corporation rounding up mutants from experimentation purposes. Little Laura 
 spends most of the movie as mute and unleashes her inner monster when threatened.

        

       The serious tone in this movie makes you forget that it's a comic book movie. It

 touches on one's mortality when mutants have died out. Logan's body is also dying 

 and must need injections to keep him healthy.

      Although the movie was pretty violent in nature, it is deserving of it's R rating.

 It is a well acted movie with likable characters that you can relate to. It is not only 
 only one of the most gritty superhero movies, it's also one of the best. Despite the 
 slow pacing of the film, Jackman's run as the Wolverine ends off an a high note.

                                             Grade: A (9/10)

Eatery 4: Black Angus

      Black Angus 

      

     3195 N. Main Street

  Pleasant Hill, CA

      
     Black Angus is one of the premiere steakhouses in the East Bay. Located on
  the city border between Walnut Creek & Pleasant Hill, this restaurant serves
  a delectable assortment of beef as well as seafood.
      
     Since it my mom had a birthday coupon, we decided to eat there. We arrived early 
just in time before it opened and we were promptly seated. Browsing through the menu,
I looked at all the delicious meals they served.
   
    A nice waitress came by and introduced herself and recommended the signature 
dishes. To make it better they offered unlimited refills of soda.

    For our starters, I ordered a salad that came fresh and the fork was extremely cold like
 it had been left in the freezer. Black Angus must want to save on their electrical bill
 because this place is quite dark.

    After waiting for a few minutes, the main course arrived. The plate of crispy shrimp 
and fries were excellent as they were piping hot. The tartar sauce wasn't bad as well.
My mom had the baked potato and dad had the prime rib with tater tots.

    If the main course didn't fill me up then I couldn't wait for the dessert to come. Taking 
a quick look at and noticed the delectable desserts served. The slice of Reese's peanut 
butter pie was very delicious along with the chocolate sauce.

   I found the food to be quite delicious and tasty. The congenial waitresses and prompt
service will make me want to return to this location in the near future.
 
    Grade: 4 / 5 stars