Author Archives: Leann D.

Film Review: Heaven is for Real

Posted on by
1

I see myself more of a spiritual person more than religious one. Not that I don’t believe there’s a God or that there’s a higher power, I just feel myself being drawn to spirituality and the stories and tales behind it. My opinion and outlook on that has never really changed because I believed in it so strongly. Although it doesn’t make me narrow minded (that at least I’d like to believe). Because of my open mind, my sister convinced me to watch Heaven is for Real directed by Randall Wallace and written by Wallace and Christopher Parker.

The story begins with a young boy around age of 5 who goes into a risky surgery with a small chance of survival. During his surgery he tells of his near death experience and how he visited heaven and met Jesus Christ himself along with the Angels. Throughout the movie his father, the pastor of their town church attempts to convince others that his child really did see heaven and that Jesus is real.

To me, the movie portrayed hope and that a strong belief can do wonders for you. After watching the film, it made me look at religion differently and has changed my opinion heavily. It was a wonderful and eye opening movie and I would really recommend it to anyone.

-Leann D.

Heaven is for Real is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. 

The Vampire Diaries

Posted on by
Reply

The teen drama Vampire Diaries was developed by Williamson and Julie Plec and is exactly what you need if you’re looking for thrills, drama, lust, love, and danger. I could go on and on!

The TV show begins with Elena Gilbert, an average high schooler with a little less than average problems. Losing both her parents in a car accident off Wickery Bridge in the town of Mystic Falls she feels that her struggles are over. That his, until new boy Stefan Salvatore begins to attend Mystic High the same class as Elena. It’s love at first sight and they soon get to know each other. Eventually secrets are unveiled and Elena comes to learn that her boyfriend, along with his brother Damon, are vampires–but not the only ones in Mystic Falls.

Their relationships is unsteady at first because of Elena’s fear and curiosity of the unknown. Which is understandable, it’s not every day your lover tells you they crave flesh and blood. She eventually learns how to cope although things are always kept interesting.

The teen drama keeps on your toes always questioning what’s around the corner in the scene to come. If you’re searching for something to crank up your day and your heart rate, I really suggest watching vampire diaries. You will not be disappointed.

-Leann D.

Motherless Daughters by Hope Edelman

Posted on by
Reply

In September of 2012 my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. It started off as Stage 2 and was told it could be cured through treatment known as chemotherapy. Months had passed and although the radiation was harsh, she would show nothing but strength and determination to defeat her illness. Right when we believed things were getting better it took a turn for the worse and not only had her cancer increased, it had also metastasized to her ribs, her lungs, and eventually her brain. I lost my mother on October 4th, 2015.

Such a beautiful soul had finally been released to Heaven where she belonged after her excruciating battle with cancer. Since I was young, I had absolutely no idea on how to cope or even think about the future knowing my mother was no longer going to be apart of it. Believing nobody could understand the pain and loss I felt, I turned to no one for advice or comfort, until I came across the book Motherless Daughters by Hope Edelman. It explains stages of coping and all feelings tied with losing such an important part of your life. A mother’s nurturing hand shapes a woman’s identity and Hope Edelman guides us to acceptance and healing.

-Leann D.

Motherless Daughters by Hope Edelman is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. 

Pretty Little Liars

Posted on by
Reply

You’ve never seen any nastier fights or heard crazier drama than those done by girls. Lying, manipulative, and persuasive, we get away with pretty much anything. Which leads me to present one of my most favorite TV shows, Pretty Little Liars. The series was developed by I. Marlene King (based on the book series by Sara Shepard) that premiered June 8, 2010.

The main characters of the series are four best friends living in the small town of Ravenswood, Pennsylvania. The young women are connected to Alison Dilaurentis, the popular girl of them all. When she goes missing, the five girls split up at the same time the town is whipped  into a frenzy. Local papers and news channels go wild as they all ask the question, “Where is Alison’s body?” Almost two years after the disappearance, the girls reunite after Alison’s body is found and the signs pointing to murder. Everything but peace has settled on Ravenswood and the girls.

To make matters worse, an unknown stalker known only as “A” begins to torment the girls with secrets they only thought they knew through blackmail. “A” also harrasses them with information of Alison’s death and her killer. “A” is known only to the four girls because going to the police would only make matters worse, leaving them to be the only ones to figure out the murder of their beloved friend Alison.

Pretty Little Liars is a TV show is full of teen drama, crime thrillers, and most of all, mystery.

-Leann D.

Grey’s Anatomy

Posted on by
Reply

Having the power to cure someone of a disease or illness has always been something of interest to me. Whether it’s listening to their problems or putting a Band-Aid on a cut, the role doctors and nurses play drew me to the TV series, Grey’s Anatomy. The series stars Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey and Patrick Dempsey as Dereck Sheperd along with many other important cast members. They begin the show as interns at Seattle Grace Hospital and compete to be the best surgeon. They start off watching, assisting, and observing all different medical tasks such as procedure, paper work, and surgeries completed by the best surgeons in the country.

Relationships that begin as rivalries turn into every lasting friendships, with some growing more than just friendly, such as Meredith and Dereck who met for an anonymous one night stand only to discover that they work at the same hospital where Dereck already has his foot in the door as the hospital’s top neurosurgeon. An awkward and puzzled Meredith does her best to ignore the last night events and act professional in her environment, trying her best not to slip up her first day as an intern. Not to forget Meredith has been surrounded by hospitals, surgeries, and medical talk due to the fact her mother was a doctor before her with the reputation as one of the best. Being surrounded her whole life Meredith has a pretty good idea how to win the game. I mean she already has the last name of a winner.

Grey’s Anatomy is full of love, lust, romance, gore, curiosity, and learning. A tad extreme it gives you a good idea what surgeons deal with on a day to day basis. The television series was well put together and keeps the viewers wanting more.

-Leann D.

White Chicks by Keenen Ivory Wayan

Posted on by
Reply

Among all comical movies I think my favorite would have to be White Chicks starring the Wayan brothers. The story begins with Shawn and Marlon portraying characters Kevin and Marcus as under cover cops. The two are inseparable and the best of friends always having each others backs no matter what the situation maybe. As the plot continues the boys get themselves into a case believing their only job was to pick up two rich white girls from the airport names Brittany and Tiffany Wilson, also known as the Wilson sisters.

The sisters had always received what they wanted in exchanged for nothing. They are both snotty, bratty, conceited, and spoiled. On the way to the hotel from the airport, a small incident happens where the girls are unable to show up the events they planned for due to facial cuts and scratches, creating a huge and disastrous situation where both Kevin and Marcus can loose their jobs. With so much at stake they take matters into their own hands and devise a plan to pretend to be the Wilson sisters while continuing to be under cover cops on the low. Throughout there experience playing as different people they come to learn unexposed information, create new friendships, and become better police. The movie is funny, full of action, and great for a night with the girls.

Endless Love

Posted on by
2

Endless Love is a tale about an intelligent and beautiful girl who just graduated high school. Always with her head in a book and no time to chit chat, Jade never really got out to live the high school experience or create any friendships. Constantly surrounded by her parents, mentors, and elders, Jade’s goal in life was to become a doctor. With plenty of schools and scholarships on her mind, there really was no time for fun. Until she meets what seems to be the light of her life, David. Coming from such a rich and well structured family, David is a bit out of the ordinary for Jade. David grew up with a father, low income, and a small house, but he is well put together. Sparks fly the second they meet eyes and the story goes from there. David brings the joy and happiness out of Jade that nobody had ever seen before. All are thrilled to hear Jade finally getting out and actually acting like a kid for once, except her father. Such a narrow-minded man does all that he can to keep the two apart. Although it seems to just fuel the teen love even more. Other than the intention of rebellion, Jade and David were really meant to be together. Throughout the movie their actions will display determination and that love could never be broken no matter what boundaries are created to separate them. True love never dies, as they all say.

 

Rhianna

Posted on by
Reply

The Goddess herself, Robyn Rhianna Fenty was born in the beautiful islands of Barbados in Saint Michael’s. She is currently 29 years old born, February 20th, 1988. She began her career recording demo tapes under record producer Evan Rogers in 2003. She then worked her way up and signed a contract with Def Jams Recording.

She is now worth millions and produces hundreds of beautiful songs. Her music gives females a sense of girl power and makes you want to get up and dance. The artist won a Grammy Award for her album Apologetic and is one of the best selling artists of all time. Her sales exceed 230 million records worldwide.

My favorite songs have to be “Too Good” that she featured in with Drake, “Disturbia”, “What’s My Name”, and “Stay”. She is a huge inspiration to me, that if you strive for greatness, there’s nothing left than to become perfection. I’m absolutely in love with rich Barbadian accent and her style. If I had the ability to spend one day with a famous music artist, without a doubt it would be Rhianna.

Drake

Posted on by
2

Rappers nowadays are only singing about money, girls, and gangs. Absolutely no purpose or feelings behind what they sing about in their videos. This makes it hard to believe there are any rap singers out there worth listening to. With such a strong opinion about music these days, I’m very picky when it comes to listening to music. But, I can optimistically that the artist Drake is not like the others.

Aubrey Drake Graham is 30 years old and was born October 24th, 1986 in Ontario, Canada. He started off in the teen drama “Degrassi” and moved onto music around 2009. His hip hop and R&B music is known all around the world for the catchy, upbeat songs. He sings about his hometown Toronto, ” the 6″ along with his family and friends. His most recent album More Life has been played on the radio, spoken about on TV, and even been featured in magazines! Drake is known for his charm, his way with words, and his ability to touch your soul with his music. Predictable, at least 80% of all his fans are girls and more are to come. He is an amazing rapper and a great musical influence. His songs range from let’s get crazy and dance to let’s sip some wine and cry. Drake is the way to go if you’re trying to get down at the club or lay in bed and think about life.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Posted on by
3

I’m not much of a Marvel fan to begin with. Nothing against the movies, I was just never very interested in plots about superheroes saving civilians. My boyfriend decided to take me (on our very first date) to watch Spider-Man: Homecoming which came out this summer. To my surprise the movie is full of excitement, action, thrills, and most of all bravery.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is an American superhero film based on the Marvel comics franchise and uses actor Tom Holland to portray Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man. Now every super hero needs a mentor and that so happens to be Robert Downey Jr. also known as Iron Man. From a first time watcher’s opinion, I was very impressed with how the plot was put together. There was never a dull or boring moment while the movie played. Many laughs as well as “ahhs” were heard during the movie as it kept us all on the edge of our seat, eager to find out what will happen next.

I would totally recommend Spider-Man: Homecoming to anyone looking for a thrill at the movie theater and of course suggest it to the original Marvel fans. I can promise that all will leave with a smile on their face and an itch of curiosity while we all wait to see what Marvel can come up with next!