Louie on nature of Relationships.

Oh, Louie is on to something.

'We Bought a Zoo' (2011)

In 'We Bought a Zoo', Matt Damon plays a widowed father trying to create a fresh start for his kids following the loss of his wife. While searching for a new home, he comes across a perfect house to create a new life for his family. There is just one catch. The house is in a zoo, and the owner must take care of the zoo and its high maintenance occupants. Ben (Damon) sees the zoo as the perfect challenge for his family.
'We Bought a Zoo' is a heartwarming family film that I found to be very enjoyable. The film touches on many story lines that all come together very well. The rocky relationship between father and rebellious teenaged son. Challenge of being in charge of a zoo and bringing the place up to code in order to reopen it. Feelings of being utterly lost. Finding joy and love in life. And learning that sometimes twenty seconds of insane courage is all you need to discovery something amazing.
 'We Bought a Zoo' is a movie that kids and adults of all ages can enjoy, and it will leave you with a warm smile. There's nothing wrong with that.

IMDB-7.1/10
Metascore- 58/100
Rotten Tomatoes- Audience- 72%, Critics- 66%
Yong's Rating- 4/5 stars

somewhere i have never travelled

For Her,

somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond
any experience, your eyes have their silence:
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,
or which i cannot touch because they are too near

your slightest look easily will unclose me
though i have closed myself as fingers,
you open always petal by petal myself as spring opens
(touching skillfully, mysteriously) her first rose

or if your wish be to close me, i and
my life will shut very beautifully, suddenly,
as when the heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending;

nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals
the power of your intense fragility: whose texture
compels me with the colour of its countries,
rendering death and forever with each breathing

(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens; only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands

- e.e. cummings

Conversation with a stranger

I had a very pleasant conversation with a retired 75 year old black gentleman from south side of Chicago on a recent plane ride. He was looking at homes in Florida for a winter home. He said he's getting way too old to spend his winters in Chicago. When he asked me what I did for a living. I told him I was a dentist. He seemed surprised and asked me how old I was. I think he was trying to make sure I was old enough to be dentist (one of the downfalls of still looking like a high school senior). He asked me for advice on implants. He was interested in implants to replace his missing teeth. After I gave him some advice, he went on to give me some insightful life advices of his own. Just wanted to share some of his advices.

-"Travel as much as you can. Go and see as much of the world as you can. Always have your passport ready and just go when the opportunity presents itself. Trust me, you won't regret it."

-"Work hard and be passionate about your work. If you don't have passion for your work, then you're probably not happy with what you're doing. Don't waste your time doing something you don't enjoy. Find what makes you happy and do it with passion."

-"I love people. I chose to be happy everyday. The way I see it, why go through life being angry when you can be smiling."

-"Support your family. You may shake your head sometimes and call them idiots, but they're still you're family. Be there for them."

-"Don't rush into marriage. Find a good girl. There's a lot of pretty girls out there, but they're not always good for you. Don't let your lust get the best of you. Don't let a girl control your life. Wrong girl can give you a whole world of trouble. Always be true to yourself. Find a good woman, hold on to her and be good to her."

-"Save your money. Don't buy things you don't need. Invest your money. Material things may seem nice at first, but they fade."

-He told me there's only one thing he regrets about his life. That he didn't spend enough time with his kids. One of his son passed away from cancer when he was in his early 30's. He told me, "I wish I would've spent more time with my kids. At the time, I didn't realize it. But, looking back there's so much time I missed being with them. I realized too late that I had my priorities wrong. When you have kids, treasure your time with them because they are a blessing from God."

We both agreed that Derrick Rose was a nice kid from south side of Chicago and it's a terrible what's happened to him these past few years. We both hoped that he will come back healthy because that will be great for the city. I told him I've never been to a Bulls game, and I hoped to be season ticket holder in the future. He told me, "Hey, if that's what you want go for it."

'22 Jump Street' (2014)

The best thing about '22 Jump Street' is that it knows exactly what it is and isn't afraid to make fun of itself. Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum are back again to solve a drug case very similar to their time in '21 Jump Street'. Only this time the two buddies are going to college. '22' doesn't have the quirky charm '21' did, but that's expected from a sequel. Like I mentioned earlier, this movie knows what it's meant to do and does a pretty good job sticking to the script.
This time, the budget, jokes, explosions are all bigger. Hill and Tatum share great comedic chemistry. The cast from the first film are all back in some form with bigger roles. However, I was very disappointed that Korean Jesus didn't make a cameo. If you enjoyed the first movie, then I'm sure you'll enjoy this one as well. If you are looking to just have a good time laughing for a few hours then you should go check out '22 Jump Street'. And don't forget to stick around for the credits!

IMDB-8.1/10
Metascore- 71/100
Rotten Tomatoes- Critic- 83% Audience- 90%
Yong's Rating- 3/5 stars

'X-Men: Days of Future Past' (2014)

  'X-Men: Days of the Future Past' continues where 'X-Men: First Class' left off. The audience find our heroes in a grim future world where both humans and mutants are targets of dangerous killing robots known as Sentinels. (When will the future learn creating giant all-powerful robots are never good idea for mankind.) Facing certain extinction at the hands of the Sentinels, the X-Men devise a plan to change the course of history by traveling back in time and making sure the Sentinels are never allowed to go into production.
 The core cast from 'First Class' returns for this film. Along with cameo appearances from cast members of the previous X-men franchise. The returning cast is very likable and the more you get to know about them, the more they grow on you. 'Days of the Future Past' has all the action that you want in a summer movie along with a good storyline. Which is always a plus. Even if you aren't fans of the previous X-men movies, I think there's still something there for you to enjoy. If you are a fan, then you've probably already seen this and had a good time doing so.

IMDB- 8.6/10
Metascore-74/100
Rotten Tomatoes-  Audience- 95% Critics- 91%
Yong's Rating- 3.5/5 stars

Brandi Carlile

I've been listening to a lot of Brandi Carlile recently. I immediately fell in love with her sound and her beautiful lyrics. I would love to see her live when I get a chance. Just wanted to share one of her songs, 'Dying Days'. I believe everyone should have a chance to find at least one person who you can truly love with all your heart and soul until your dying days.

Love Lessons from Movies.

Here are a few lessons I've learned about love from movies.

Love makes you do some silly things.

 Love can be confusing. "I would never want to belong to a club that would have someone like me for a member"- Annie Hall.

Love doesn't always mean happily ever after. What a depressing thought. "Love fades..." Annie Hall.

But when you meet the right person, love can be special. "They say when you meet the love of your life time stops, and that's true."- Big Fish

If you are lucky enough, it could even be your best friend.

While you are still searching for your true love, you know your pet will be there to love you.

Love means there is someone out there for you to help you hide all your flaws and imperfections.

You know when you are ready when all you can think about is her/him.
"When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."- When Harry Met Sally

Most importantly, true love is worth fighting for. What could be more noble than that?

Frozen (2013)

  It's a fact that everyone has a soft spot in their hearts for Disney movies whether they like to admit it or not. I'm not the one to hide my love for Disney movies. Recently, Pixar has been on a roll with their release of memorable hits. But, movies like 'Frozen' show Disney still has some magic left.
  'Frozen' tells the story of two sisters, Anna (Kristin Bell) and Elsa (Idina Menzel). The two princesses are very close growing up, but when Elsa's secret power puts Anna and everyone who she loves in danger, Elsa has no choice but to shut out the world and live in isolation. You see, Elsa has the power to create ice, snow, anything winter related with her hands. The problem with her icy powers is that Elsa has no idea how to control her power, which only gets stronger as she gets older. As much as Elsa wants nothing more than to shut out the world around her, Anna longs to experience everything that life has to offer. When an unexpected chain of events during Elsa's coronation risks putting the entire kingdom into an everlasting winter, we are treated to a wonderful adventure of self discovery and love between the two sisters.    
  I was pleasantly surprised by 'Frozen' and just how much I found myself enjoying the hell out of this movie. I'm just going to put it out there, but I think 'Frozen' will join the ranks of 'The Lion King' and 'Beauty and the Beast' as Disney classics. It's got everything you want in any good Disney movie, catchy tunes (check, 'Do you want to build a snowman...'), memorable character (Olaf), adventure, and you can't leave out a beautiful love story. I dare you to go watch 'Frozen' and not smile or walk out with a warm heart. Because if you don't, you don't have a heart.


IMDB-8.1/10
Metascore- 74/100
Rotten tomatoes- Audience- 90%, Critics- 89%
Yong's Rating- 5/5 stars

Blue Jasmine (2013)

Woody Allen's 'Blue Jasmine' is a look into a woman at her ends. Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) has lost everything. We are introduced to a woman who has lost her youth, family, fortune, and reputation. And by looks of everything, her sanity is not close behind. When Jasmine's life comes crumpling down on the east coast, she moves to the west coast to start over with the help of her sister (Sally Hawkins). It's not an easy transition for a New York socialite to get accumulated to the lower middle class life style in San Francisco.
'Blue Jasmine' showcases Cate Blanchett's powerful performance with her portrayal of Jasmine. It's sure to get her several nominations come awards season. The side storyline of Jasmine's sister, Ginger is worth noting, but did not really capture my attention. As a film on a whole, its ideas have been examined in many of Woody's other films. 'Another Woman', 'September', and 'Alice' come to mind. All portray a high class woman dealing with self identify and a life crisis. 'Blue Jasmine' may have some lighter moments, but it is one of Woody's darker film. Don't expect to watch this to get that warm happy feeling. I will admit, I didn't think this was one of Woody's better movies, but as with any Woody Allen movie, there's always something there worth watching for.

IMDB-7.8/10
Metascore- 78/100
Rotten Tomatoes- Critics-91% Audience-83%
Yong's Rating- 2.5/5 stars