Inspired Ink: Number One

Angel here! Just a quick little post for you -

I wanted to start a little post series on here for the various fandoms and call it, Inspired Ink. As a gal with seven tattoos (and counting), ink is a passion of mine. For example, one of my favorite tattoos:

 

This isn't the best shot of it, because it was taken LITERALLY right after it was finished, so it's all red and shiny. Any guesses? Yes, no?

Alright, alright - for those of you that don't get it: Padfoot was the Marauder's nickname if you will for Sirius Black, from Harry Potter. Those that know me well know I'm a die hard Harry Potter fan. Soon enough, I'll have a bigger post on this. But for now, we stick to the tattoo.

Now, here's what I expect from YOU all:

Send us your pictures! We wanna see your ink! Something from a book, movie, etc that has truly inspired you. Send it to us on Facebook or email it to thousandlivesreview at yahoo dot com with the subject "Inspired Ink" and, with your consent, we'll feature you in an album on Facebook as well as a post on here!

See you all when I'm back from Chicago!

~Angel

Review: The Lone Ranger

This is one of those movies that, upon leaving the theater, I realized I needed to insert my foot into
my mouth. Because I was so wrong about this movie, and was ready to be let down - "Come ON?! Really? Johnny Depp as Tonto?" and "They'll just mess this up like everything else I love." (Ha, okay, I'm a little melodramatic, I'll admit.) Not that I don't love Johnny Depp, I just have this constant fear that they are casting him for everything to make a million of the same character. Ya know. Type casting. Yeeeah. Yuck. And I can't deny that it pretty much did happen in this movie, as well. Tonto was a very Jack Sparrow-esque character, which I'm sure they did on purpose. Everyone loves Jack, right?

But that aside, I did find myself amused throughout the entire film, and being taken back to childhood and watching Lone Ranger reruns and wanting masks and sidekicks and adventure. Not only that, though - this movie was a very Tonto and Lone Ranger focused movie, not just Lone Ranger and his sidekick that gets somewhat taken for granted, Tonto. Obviously with someone like Johnny Depp playing Tonto, you know that he won't just be some sidekick that could be ignored or overshadowed. But I enjoyed how they developed this relationship, and that it wasn't just "Here's a Native American version of Jack Sparrow. Look at that bird on his head! He's so crazy. Love you, Depp!" the entire film, with some occasional shots of Armie Hammer in his Lone Ranger garb.

Plus, the action was pretty great, and the story line was interesting enough, though I had most of it figured out pretty early on. But you could easily blame that on my Intro to Cinema class and it's ability to ruin movies for you for forever.

I'd recommend Lone Ranger for sure! Great family movie, though there is a lot of violence involved, there isn't so much it isn't ok for most kiddos.

~Angel

Review: Despicable Me 2

So, I won't deny it. I am a month away from turning 23, and I was so ridiculously excited for this

movie that it's funny. I've watched Despicable Me well over 100 times, mostly because two of my nieces are OBSESSED and we watch it over and over (and over and over..), but also because I love it as a movie and enjoy every time I watch it. They even opened up the ride at my beloved Universal Studios, Orlando, the week after I left in 2012 (bummer) which gave me an excuse to return just before the new movie came out (yay!) and ride the awesome new ride - Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem. I won't get too detailed on it, but yeah. The walk-through is amazing, because you go through Gru's house and see all of this amazing stuff from the movie. It's just a Must-Do for fans. I mean come ON, look at that thing!


Whoops, lost track of the point. Anyway,
Despicable Me 2 did not disappoint me. I was somewhat terrified, as always, that it would be a terrible sequel that basically copied the first film and didn't take on anything new, or worse - completely leave everything from the first film out of it and make some bizarre awful thing. *shudders*
Luckily for me, and many other fans, this was the perfect blend of new and old. Just as most sequels should be, after all. It kept true to the spirit of the first film while tackling a new plot. I've taken my nieces to see it already and they adored it, plus I just went back tonight (for my 2nd time watching it now), and still loved it.

So, is Despicable Me 2 worth your bucks? I'd say so! Definitely a fun movie for all ages, and I'd even say it's worth seeing in 3D.


~Angel

Review: This is the End

I've got to admit, there was quite a lot of effort involved for myself and fellow reviewer, Brittaney, in

order to see this movie - an hour long drive on my only day off days before we left for Orlando. Uh. Yeah. So, of course, we were hoping this would be a good movie and worth not only the gas, but the crazy ticket price.

Luckily, it totally was. We both loved it, and I've actually seen it twice now.

The concept for This is the End is - shocker - a 'What if?' apocalypse scenario. I know what you're thinking - that we've had quite a lot of post-apocalyptic films (and then some) lately, and this could end up being another in a long line. However, I was very happy with the take on the subject and with the way they took the story on as 'themselves'/celebrities and not some random characters. It was also fairly hilarious, even with some jokes that some people would perhaps frown upon. I thought it was a great stand out for both comedy and End of Days themed movies.

I'm pretty excited to see this one come to DVD, because I'm ready to watch it again. I'd recommend it in a heartbeat, though it's definitely NOT a kid friendly movie.

~Angel

Introducing Our Third Girl: Brittaney.

 

"I'm a big dreamer with little motivation." Music, art, movies, and reading are my passions. Anything dealing with my creative side, I love it. Reading a good book or watching a good movie let's me visit places I never thought I would be able to. Some of the biggest lessons I've gotten in this life have been from one of the two.  I get a kick from helping people, makes me feel happy. I dream all kinds of dreams, whether or not I achieve them is up to me. I want to be an artist, a singer, an actor, a writer, an archeologist, a zoologist, a world traveler and plenty of other things. I don't want to end up regretting my life because I didn't take risks. Risks are what it's all about. Yes I did just watch Grumpy Old Men, and yes I do love that movie. :) I have my beliefs and my morals, and I will never let anyone change that. I stand up for what I think is right, although I may not be right all the time. I like to get my point across, and because of this you might find me stubborn, maybe a bit annoying. I haven't reached anywhere near my full potential yet in this life, but I'm still young and I know that I have plenty of time to do so. Try to categorize me, you can't. You might think you have me pinned, but eventually I will shock you and completely change your opinion of me. This actually happens more than you would think. I'm working on being myself, who is a person that I don't think anybody knows, including me. I believe people are constantly changing and finding out who you are is a lifelong journey, so I'm in it for the long haul. I have a 3 month old puppy whose name is Sora. He is my baby and I love him. My other baby is Michael, who is 23 years old, and he could possibly be the love of my life. I love my little family, friends included. The people in my life are the ones who have shaped me into who I am today. Oh yeah, my name is Brittaney and I am 22 years old going on 12. Forgot that bit. "If you cannot be a poet, be the poem." -David Carradine

-Brittaney