Terminator: Genisys [SPOILERS]

Photo credit: ScreenRant

I went to see Terminator: Genisys on July 5th in theatres. 

I own Terminator 1 and Terminator 2: Judgement Day and know them quite well. I saw Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines around the time it came out in 2003 (Mind you, I was an adolescent at the time, and don't remember much about the film excluding the lady terminator). I never saw Terminator: Salvation or the television series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. 

At the beginning of the film, I questioned if Genisys would be a remake of the first Terminator since that is when Kyle and Sarah meet, fall in love, and kill the first T-800. I was excited to see the spin they took with the space time continuum. 

There were some continuity issues in the script, as with most time travel movies. It is said at the beginning of the film that only living flesh covered things can travel through the machine without being ripped to shreds. Saying that, how could the T-1000 or Cyborg John Connor pass through time travel? The T-1000 is all liquid metal that merely mimics humans. John Connor was replaced at the cellular level with little machines and even meets his demise in an incomplete time travel.

Since this was such a serious, action movie, I was distracted by the scene where Sarah, Kyle, and 'Pops' getting arrested and the very out of place "Bad Boys" sequence. There were some jokes that were fun, such as 'Pops' smile (A homage to Terminator 2: Judgement Day), but that seen took me out of the intensity. 

The effects were very well done, especially with young Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Genisys facility. That said, I thought it was strange that they kept the same awful effect for arriving in a new time with the lightning strikes. It was almost comical how different it was. 

I don't think anyone will win any awards on the acting field. I was still into it, but I wasn't sold by the actors performances. 

There is a fun tidbit for those Game of Thrones fans. Seeing the trailer for the first time, I said to boyfriend Nik, "Oh isn't that the girl who plays Daenerys in Game of Thrones?" and he said, "I don't think so, I thought they used the same lady from the Sarah Connor Chronicles." So I looked it up and it turns out that yes it is Emilia Clarke who plays Sarah in Genisys, and Lena Headley (Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones) plays Sarah in the Sarah Connor Chronicles! 

I wasn't sure how they were going to fit Arnold Schwarzenegger into this film since he is getting significantly older. They made a fair argument for his flesh deterioration. I didn't think it was necessary to constantly reaffirm him as "Old, not obsolete." 

As the credits scrolled, the group I was with found that there was Emilia Clarke (Sarah Connor) and Jason Clarke (John Connor) and thought there was a relation. My research shows that there doesn't seem to be a correlation between the two. 

I thought Matt Smith did particularly well as Skynet. I have never seen Doctor Who, but I quickly recognized him from that show. Still, this was a good villainous role for him. 

I will probably buy this movie when it comes out and add to my Terminator collection. I think I will also go back and watch Rise of the Machines and Salvation and hope that gives some more light to the questions I had with the film. 

I would give this a 7/10 just because it has a space in my heart for the franchise. 

Have a great week! 

Valleyfair!

Photo credit: http://www.valleyfair.com/ 

To kick off Fourth of July Weekend, my friend Casey and I went to Valleyfair! It was a hot, overcast day which is perfect for a theme park with a water park! 

Obligatory selfie. Casey is so much taller than me, so she always has to lean to make it into photos with me comfortably! 

Casey and I had gone to see Jurassic World [See my review here!]. We had to do the famous Chris Pratt stance with the velociraptor! We couldn't find an animatronic that was exactly a velociraptor, so we chose this one to pose with. There were a lot of other people around us that probably thought we were crazy. 

There were many dinosaur animatronics outside of the "Dinosaurs Alive!" exhibit, and they were very well made! 

The rides were fun. My favorite roller coaster was probably the Wild Thing or the Corkscrew. 

We went to a great little place called the Lion's Tap in Eden Prairie for lunch. They only serve burgers, fries, and beverages. They are simple burger experts! Their prices are comparable, for two burgers, one order of fries, and a soda, we paid $12.88 with Casey's loyalty card. 

Coming back to the park, we headed for the water park where we lounged in the lazy river and climbed up several flights of stairs to ride in a giant tube down a water slide. It was terrifying because it feels like there's always a risk of the tube falling on top of you when going up the sides of the water slides. Still fun though! 

To end our day, we stuffed our faces with classic funnel cake. We specifically ordered the banana and nutella funnel cake and it was delicious!

 To make the day even better, a butterfly landed on my finger! It startled me, but it stayed for almost 30 seconds, so I was really excited!

Have a great week!

Date Day!

Hello!

The other day, boyfriend Nik and I went to a little mall called Northtown in Coon Rapids, MN. 

I decided it would be nice to actually dress up a little bit, since it is rare that the both of us have full days off together. 

We were most excited to see that the new Hobby Lobby is now open! Nik bought a Star Wars Empire Strikes Back lunch box for his father. I bought a rocket for my father. They have so many cool craft things, I just wanted to buy the whole store!

We met up with our friend, Ivan, and we shopped around Best Buy and the pet store. It was fun, but the animals in that store are SO EXPENSIVE! I saw a cute kitten for $700, it was insane! In the words of adoptapet.com, Adopt, don't shop! And it's even worth it when you look at those prices! 

Tried to take a selfie as Nik looked into the skylight and sneezed. Romantic, really. 

We ended our trip with some Auntie Anne's pretzels. I wanted to get a regular salted with cheese, but they didn't have any ready at that point, so I settled for cinnamon sugar with icing. 

I hope to do more travel related blogs like this in the future! 

We'll see how it goes!

Have a great week!

July 3rd Fireworks

Hello!

On July 3rd, Anoka High School released their 4th of July fireworks! 

Here are a few pictures taken on my phone of parts of the show! 

Minnesota has regulations against personal use of these kinds of fireworks. It doesn't seem to stop anyone from going over to Wisconsin to purchase these kinds of fireworks, however. During the show, a few houses in the surrounding area shot off some of their own fireworks to contribute to the show. It was funny to view them as a competition to the full Anoka show.

Hope you had a great holiday weekend!

Have a great week!

Jurassic World Review [SPOILERS]

On June 12, I went to see Jurassic World with a few friends. I wasn't planning on seeing the movie on the release date, so I did not prepare myself by watching any of the older films. I admit I am writing this a few weeks after the fact, so I may miss some important points, but hopefully this still works! 

As someone who went into the film rather blindly, I enjoyed it as an action/adventure film. The effects were absolutely phenomenal, and the way they paid homage to the older Jurassic Park films was almost endearing. 

Chris Pratt was a good fit for the character Owen. I would have been interested to hear more of his back story. How does an ex-military man get involved with an expensive theme park? 

I was not fond of Bryce Dallas Howard's character, Claire. For being someone so powerful within the company, she completely falls into the "damsel in distress" trope and is portrayed as weak, irresponsible, and hard headed. 

Saying that,

I found this movie to be incredibly predictable and it really seemed to be trying too hard to be a great "comeback" film. This film showed that even if someone doesn't have to have a meaningful death to die. Thousands of background characters were killed off in fatal swoops of dinosaur infiltration. 

The character Masrani, had the stupidest death I have seen for an important character in a long time. He could have easily avoided his death by not trying to fly the helicopter [it was already shown earlier that he is not a competent pilot. Of course he loses control and dies. Even though it was a stupid death, it wasn't given much emotional power.  

In the film, the whole situation that gets Zach and Gray into a potential deadly situation could have been easily avoided by technology that could have easily been available considering the world offered even more extensive technology. This technology would be an override for the gyroscope ride that the boys were enjoying when the "return" screen showed up. Everyone knows that customers want to get the most out of their money and without an override that takes control of the ride to bring the ride back to station, they would stay out as long as physically possible which simply does not work in a capitalist society like a theme park. 

I did not understand the importance of keeping the genetic makeup of the Indominus Rex a secret. It really shouldn't be, especially if a problem like the one that happened happens.The fiasco with the velociraptors that turn on Owen and company. 

The one thing I must talk about is the T-Rex/Indominus Rex standoff. Obviously, this climatic scene was extreme fan-service. Kids everywhere want to see dinosaurs fight to the death. It is extraordinarily impractical to release ANOTHER deadly dinosaur to fight the dinosaur that everyone is already fearing. 

Do I think that this film lived up to the hype that was advertised? 

     Yes, I do think it lived up to the hype. Yes, it was predictable, but it was an exciting film. That is all I can ask for for a film that is technically a sequel to the original trilogy that last came out in 2001. It was good for nostalgia purposes. It was a good movie theatre experience since the effects and excitement was over the top. 

I don't think I would purchase or rewatch this film in the future, but I am glad that I viewed it. 

Overall, I would give it a 6/10 for there were many things that seemed unnecessary. 

Inside Out Review [SPOILERS]

Hello! 

Last night I went to see the new Disney Pixar movie, Inside Out.

First of all, I rather enjoyed this movie. The jokes are cute and amusing. The world created within Riley's head is imaginative, however I thought it could have been made more complex.
The themes of teamwork, emotional progression, and adaptability are shown throughout the movie.

For a children's movie, I thought the message of "It's okay to be sad sometimes" was well conveyed. This is a very powerful message for young people which are more often than not trained to be happy no matter what happens. For preteens, depression is very common with all of the hormonal changes.

The character development of Sadness is important as she explains that she doesn't know what's wrong, but she feels like she's having a break down near the beginning of the movie. This is a very relatable phrase for young people who are on an emotional rollercoaster.

The character, Joy, also develops well throughout the film. Joy is the only emotion character that doesn't have matching skin and hair. In fact, Joy has blue hair, like Sadness. This is a symbol that Joy cannot exist without Sadness. Joy cannot be appreciated without Sadness. Without Sadness, Joy is bossy, stubborn, and arrogant.

The character, Anger, was great comic relief. Being voiced by comedian Lewis Black was perfect. A subtle joke about bears in San Francisco was made that I found amusing, but I noticed it was not well received by the audience.

The characters Disgust and Fear were rather downplayed in my opinion. As a super cautious individual, my 'emotional character' Fear would be one of the forerunners in my cranial headquarters. I was surprised that Disgust was one of the emotions chosen to be one of the big five. She doesn't have a huge role other than to be there.

Riley, the home for all of the emotional characters, is an 11 year old girl who has just moved from Minnesota to San Francisco. Her new home is not what she ever expected, since they have moved into a rundown town home-esque house. I totally get why she would be upset and want to go back to Minnesota. As a happy Minnesotan, I would never want to move to California. I wished that they had portrayed a little more of the warmer seasons, though. The only thing anyone ever thinks of when thinking of Minnesota is the cold. It still gets into the 90s in the summer. We experience our lakes more than ice fishing and hockey, there's boating and cabins and swimming and regular fishing.
However, the fact that she misses Minnesota pulls at my heart strings.

The parents were the most loving, perfect parents ever portrayed ever. I have never seen real parents be so nice, and silly, and family orientated ever.

I would give it an 8/10, since I wished there had more than those five emotions, and I found Bing-Bong the Imaginary Friend a bit gimmicky. Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. I will probably buy the blu-ray when it comes out.

I think that is all I can possibly say after my first viewing of Inside Out. I hope you enjoyed this analysis!

Have a Great Week!

Get Ready With Me- Outfit!

Hello! 

Today we'll talk about outfits!

Although it is summer and fairly hot here in Minnesota, I've decided to go with a more spring look because I recently purchased this flower print blouse! 

Coordinate: 
Shoes: Bandolino pumps, $29.99 at TJ Maxx
Jeans: Forever21, $12
Blouse: One Clothing, $12.99 at TJ Maxx
Sweater: Old Navy, probably around $20, but it's old and I can't remember
Belt: Came off of a different dress, I believe from Kohls'
Watch: Seiko Solar, a gift, most likely from Kohls'
Necklace: Gift, most likely from JC Penny

This outfit is relatively cheap altogether [excluding watch], but it still is cute for many body types. Cinching the waist line helps give definition with an otherwise flowy piece. As someone who is really short and drowns in flowy tops and dresses, this is a must!

PS Pardon my house as it is getting painted tomorrow and we need to take everything off the walls! It's a disaster zone!

Have a Great Week!

~Nora

Get Ready With Me- Hair!

Hello! 

Now that our makeup is done, it is time to move on to hair! 

I have chosen to exemplify a hairstyle that I get lots of compliments on while I'm at work. As someone who has medium length hair, it is sometimes hard to find things to do with it. This style is a shoo-in though! Customers think it is super complex, but hopefully with this tutorial, you'll think it's easy! (And no, I promise it is not the hair shown above!)

These are the supplies you'll need! Two hair ties, and up to three hair clips. Personally, I ended up using only two. Not shown is a rat tail comb, but this is not necessary if you can manage a center part with just a brush and your fingers. 

First, you'll need to part your hair down the middle, I do this with a ConAir rat tail comb. After that you'll take a thin section nearest to the part and divide it into three sections. 

Begin French braiding, stay close to the hairline to mimic a 'wreath' look. 

Once you've reached the bottom of your section, tie it off with a hair tie. Repeat on other side.

 A crucial step is to make a ridiculous face once you've tied off both sections.

Take both sections and cross them behind your head. Secure them with clips.

After that you're ready to go with a hairstyle that will work all day in whatever temperature/ humidity level you're in! 

Have a Great Week! 

~Nora

Get Ready With Me - Makeup!

Hello everybody and welcome to Day to Day Cute! I am going to try to make this blog a daily life blog and upload as much as possible. We'll see how it goes!

Today as the first entry, I will do a step by step to my everyday makeup routine! All in all this look takes less than 10 minutes.

Products Used: 
Tarte BB Tinted Treatment Primer in shade Fair
bareMinerals BARESKIN Foundation in shade Bare Shell 02
bareMinerals Correcting Concealer in shade Light 1
Ben Nye Eyebrow Pencil in shade Taupe
Revlon Colorstay Skinny Liquid Liner in shade Black Out
MAC Eye Kohl in shade Fascinating
Covergirl Flamed Out Mascara in shade Black Blaze

Brushes Used:
Sephora Foundation Stippling Brush
Sephora Concealer Brush
Loreal Spoolie Brush
(Unfortunately I don't remember the numbers for these, I wish they would write them on the dang thing!)

First we start off with a clean face. Make sure to use a cleanser that works for your skin! 

Secondly, apply primer scarcely. This particular primer blends best with finger or sponge application. Use circular motions until blended. 

Next, apply foundation using a stippling motion. Once you have achieved the desired opacity, apply concealer to trouble spots such as acne, under eyes, and unwanted dark spots. 

Draw on your brows! This is something that I always need to take my time on. Sadly my eyebrows do not sit evenly, so one has to be corrected to meet the other. It is true that eyebrows are sisters not twins, but they are also not distant cousins. Try to draw them within the same nuclear family.

Use your liquid liner to draw a thin line along the lash line and wing it out at the end. This is usually a struggle for many ladies. All I can say is practice makes perfect, and as long as they're not outlandishly different, no one will notice. Personally, I have two different eye shapes to go along with my stupid eyebrows, so I cannot use the same technique and thickness on both and expect the same results. So far, I can guarantee that I have not been called out for my uneven eyeliner. 

After adding a few coats of mascara and white eyeliner to the inner tear ducts, the look is complete! Keep in mind this is just an every day look. It is also meant to be built on. You could do this by adding contours, blush, eyeshadows, lipstick, etc. Maybe in a future post I will exemplify those things!

I hope you enjoyed this quick tutorial!
Have a Great Week!

~Nora