Warm Bodies Review, Movie Not the Book

       Warm Bodies is the movie adaption of the book, also named Warm Bodies, by Isaac Marion. I just saw the movie Friday and I really wish I had read the book first, just because I'm the kind of person to read the book before the movie comes out. This review has some spoilers, so you've been warned if you haven't seen it yet!
       R (played by the amazing actor, Nicholas Hoult, I'd say he's definitely one to watch in upcoming movies such as Jack the Giant Slayer, Mad Max: Fury Road, and X-Men: Days of the Future Past) is a zombie as a result of the zombie apocalypse  he has a friend named M (later to be revealed as Marcus). When R and M are out looking for food along with others of their kind, they run into human girl Julie and her friends. The zombies and humans attack each other and R saves Julie (Teresa Palmer) in the process. R keeps Julie safe in his home, which is pretty cool for a zombie, for a few days meanwhile the two develop a relationship and that's when R and his kind begin to change. But the Bonies aren't going to allow this change without a fight. 
         The characters in the movie were so amazing first of all, they were charming and the actors really were able to portray each character really well! I loved R because even though he was a zombie, he was able to be lively at the same time which was very ironic! Throughout the movie the audience can hear him make comments in his head, ugh there's a word for that but I forgot what it's called, and they're always quirky and just really laughable! The comedic approach of this movie just made it one hundred times better in my opinion. Julie was a really strong character that I also adored, I loved how she wasn't focused or concerned on her appearance and how natural she looked (I mean the actress actually had bags under her eyes in this movie, which just made it feel even more raw and natural). All the other characters were lovable in their own ways also like Marcus and Nora, I would have liked to see more of these two though, they were just really funny characters that I enjoyed!
       The movie was fast-paced and it seemed to work for it. The plot was different and I don't think I've ever seen something like it, so extra points for originality, you know if I was keeping score. Though there was love involved, it was a really unique love story with scenes of action that anyone could enjoy. If you haven't seen it yet, I definitely recommend you to check it out! Warm Bodies receives 5 out f 5 stars for being one of the best movies I've seen in a while! 

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Song Review: Now by Paramore

              So this is like the first time that I'm actually reviewing music, which has been a while. Well, in my defense there isn't much music to review out there especially full albums because for some reason there aren't any artists who have released albums. Now that I think about it I don't think people ever release albums in January, probably because it's after the holidays and stuff. Anyways, since there isn't much music that has been released that I can review, I decided to just write a song review. My first song review will be the new single by Paramore called Now.
        Paramore now consists of three members after the departure of its two founding members back in 2010 after some conflict they had with each other, they thought it would be best for all of them if they just went their separate ways. When I learned about their breakup, it was shocking but if that's what was best for them then I was fine with it. I knew that each individual was talented and I knew that I wouldn't hear the last of them. 
        With the remaining members of Paramore left: lead singer, Hayley Williams; bass guitarist, Jeremy Davis; and guitarist, Taylor York they are planning on releasing a new album. It's set to be released on April 9, 2013 and it's a self-titled album called Paramore. This will be their fourth studio album but their first one without Josh and Zac Farro. 
         Their first single, Now, definitely has a new sound to it. Though it's difficult to get used to, it's not bad. It reminds me of something I would hear in the nineties. Though I'm not a big fan of the song for the reason that it just sounds so different, I'm sure it will grow on me like most songs do. It's exciting that they're releasing a new album soon and I'm sure it's not going to be disappointing. 

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Complicated and Confusing

         We're all human and we all have our complications and we have our moments when we're just confused not only by simple things like algebra problems and science class but also because of other human beings, like our freinds and family. Why are we so complicated and confusing? I guess it just comes naturally to us and it's just the way we live that makes us this way. But we all wish we weren't this way a lot of the time. Especially when a person you care about is mad at you, for what seems like no apparent reason a lot of the time.
        When they're mad at you they seem cold and distant, not their usual selves. With everyone else they give them a smile or a wave or joke around but with you they just act differently with you and you have no idea why! You drive yourself crazy trying to figure out why he or she is mad at you and yet you still don't know what's up with them. You also don't want to ask what's wrong because when you do ask them they say something like (if you're lucky): "Nothing's wrong." or "You should know what you did to me." or "Nothing, I'm just tired." or most of the time you'll get the most typical answer: "Nothing. I don't know what you're talking about." I know from personal experience I give people the latter.
        Why do we act like this? Why can't we just be upfront? It would make things a lot easier then holding a grudge, right? We're all fully aware of the fact that if we were honest with one another then things in life wouldn't be as complicated and confusing in our lives, it could be one less thing to stress over. Trying to figure out why your best friend or whoever is mad at you is a lot of work and it's just not fair to either person. That's why when I'm mad I try to be as upfront as soon as possible and it usually works because me and the person I'm mad at end up being cool after a while.
        Then again it's one thing to be the one who's mad but it's a whole other thing to be the one that's being mad at. The latter isn't fun, especially of the person who's mad at you isn't as upfront as you'd like them to be.
        So next time someone is mad at you, just take it one day at a time. There's no way they can avoid you forever, right? Also keep in mind that if you don't like it when a person is mad at you, try to take it easy on the person that you get frusturated with. It'll make everything less complicated and confusing for you and everyone else.

(474 words)

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

         The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is by Jennifer E. Smith. The book spans for a period of twenty-four hours following protagonist, Hadley Sullivan, who is on her way to London to see her dad get married to the women she's not so fond of, (even though you know, they haven't actually met).  When Hadley misses her flight to London by four minutes, who knew four minutes could have such an impact in your life! Because that's when she meets British boy, Oliver. When meeting Oliver, it almost seems like fate is in the works but when they lose each other in the airport after arriving, will they be able to find each other once again?
        What I liked about this book was it was an easy read and there's an innocence about it that makes you fall in love with the book that you just can't put it down! Starting it I immediately liked it because it's different than what I usually read. I liked how endearing and simple yet complicated the characters, Hadley and Oliver came across. Initially, when I first saw the book and the read the summary I thought it was just going to be filled with "fluff" but I was pleasantly surprised. There really weren't any cheesy moments, they seemed real and the connection between the characters definitely intensified that experience. Hadley coming to terms about her feelings towards her dad was a constant struggle for her throughout the book and I'm happy about the way it ended with them.
        There's nothing that I didn't like about the book except that it felt so short! I wish it had been longer but than again I don't think there would have been more to the story, it felt like that it was the perfect length and it ended at a beautiful moment. I love the idea that in such a short amount of time you can have such a powerful connection. I give The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith 5 out of 5 stars! 

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Our Media Consumption

           The media has become a part of our lives and these days it's even easier to stay connected to it because of technology becoming more and more advanced. With that in mind, how long do we (teenagers) spend dealing with the media? Let's take a moment to really think about it and think about all the attention we give the media such as the Internet, our phones, watching television, listening to the radio, even something as simple as reading a magazine or the newspaper.

         When I get up at six in the morning I watch music videos on MTV or VH1 while I'm getting ready for school for about half an hour to 45 minutes. That's how my day usually starts. Then I would say that I spend about five minutes on my cellphone, usually sending a text, between my classes everyday. So that would be five minutes before school starts then five minutes between first and second period and so on. In total that's about 30 minutes on my phone before the school day ends and maybe even more if my teachers let us have our phones out or if I feel like I need to send a text during class. So in total maybe about an hour everyday on my phone, just for texting someone, if not more. Meanwhile I'm texting my friends I'm usually listening to music on Pandora, YouTube, or usually my own music which is another form of media. So on top of my hour of texting throughout the school day and listening to music accumulates to about two to two and a half hours. Sometimes my classes require me to get on the computer so we'll say about one hour every once in a while. When I get home, I work on my homework at my desk in my room which happens to have my computer in there. So I'll spend about two to three hours on the computer doing homework and checking social networks like Facebook, YouTube, and Tumblr. Afterwards I'll watch television for about two to three hours as well. So far, starting from my day to the end I would say I spend about 8 hours and 15 minutes dealing with the media a day then add some additional time when I'm on my phone while I'm at home, we'll say about half an hour. So in total that is roughly 8 hours and 45 minutes to 9 hours everyday dealing with the media, which seems outrageous now that I'm really thinking about it. Take about 9 hours by 7, you get 63 hours a week dealing with the media out of the 168 hours in a week.
             An article here shows that the average time kids spend watching television each day is about 4 hours. 54% of kids have their own T.V in their room which most definitely would be easy access for children to the media as well as a computer in the room. 
         What I'm trying to say is I think it's very possible to spend so much time dealing with the media. If you think about it a majority of us are always on our phones in between classes, during classes, before and after school. Because there are intervals and we're not constantly on our phones, or listening to music, or watching T.V as much as we like it feels like we aren't getting on the media often when the truth is we are on it more than we probably should be. 

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Planning For the Next School Year

           For the past two weeks we've been planning our classes for next year at my school which is always stressful in its own way and difficult but also relieving because I'm not putting my future into someone else's hands, it's all up to me to decide, which again emphasizes why it's stressful. 
        Actually, I think this is the first time that it's been difficult for me when it comes to deciding my classes. When I was in eighth grade planning for freshmen year I knew what I was going to sign up for, mostly because I just took classes required in order to graduate. As a freshmen planning for sophomore year was also easy to decide, I knew what classes I had to take and I also wanted to challenge myself so I took my first ever AP class which turned out to be AP Euro and I don't regret taking that class. I've always been interested in European History so I thought taking it was a good thing for me, I can honestly say I probably would have been bored out of my mind if I had ended up taking World History, it just didn't hold the appeal European History had for me. When I was a sophomore planning for this year, junior year, it was a little bit more difficult because I was considering whether taking three AP classes was a good thing or if I wouldn't be able to handle it, in the end I decided two would be good enough. Now I'm a junior planning for senior year. My last year of high school. It's sort of terrifying and intimidating because after high school you never know what's going to happen because it's all up to you now to make choices that could have a huge impact on your life. Right now I'm feeling like planning my classes for senior year is just the beginning of bigger choices ahead of me and I can't really decide how I feel about that. Being in control is a nice feeling but it's also bittersweet because you realize you're growing up and you can now do things that you had always wanted to do when you were younger as you looked up to your older brothers or sisters or other relatives. 
        I don't know where I'm going after high school, most definitely college but what I'm going to major in is a different story. It would help to know what I want to do so I could decide what classes could be the stepping stones to that goal. Right now I'm torn between nursing or a career in journalism, based on those two choices, I feel like it'd be best to go with science and language arts related classes for senior year. Other than that I don't know what else and I need to know soon because the deadline is coming up soon.

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Putting Boys on the Ledge by Stephanie Rowe

      Putting Boys on the Ledge is the first book in The Girlfriend's Guide to Boys by Stephanie Rowe. The book centers on freshmen girl, Blue Waller with the help of her best friends in order to help Blue get "the most amazing boy", senior guy named: Heath Cavendish. Throughout the book Blue and her friends try to get Heath to notice her by trying a variety of tactics, from joining the school play to changing up her look. Meanwhile, Blue develops a friendship with Colin, the guy who's taking care of her barn chores while she's a part of the play. 
       When I started reading this book I realized that this book would have been better for a younger audience, mainly for kids in middle school. Despite the realization, I decided to continue reading it and I can honestly say that I didn't mind it! While reading the book, I definitely thought the book was quirky and cute and I couldn't help but compare my middle school self and even younger high school self to the over-dramatic main character, Blue Waller. To the young freshmen, Blue, a lot of the things that happened to her seemed like life and death situations even though they really were't. Most of us can agree that we used to have those moments all the time when we were younger, some still do it today as well, and when you look back at your younger self, you just can't help but smile and even laugh at how silly you were! That was what definitely happened to me as I was reading this book.
      Something I didn't like about this book was that the plot felt slow and there wasn't really anything unique about it that made this book stand out. It just followed Blue on her quest to get the guy which got a little boring and redundant at times (sidenote: for some reason a lot of the books aimed at younger girls these days have the female protagonist after a guy for at least half of the book. Talking about gender roles and media in AP Lang. and Comp. really gets me thinking about this kind of things now). The characters didn't seem to develop at all, such as Blue's friends, they just kind of popped up when they were needed for some reason. I would have liked to see more interactions and relationships between the friends instead of being told about them. Just because this was a novel aimed at younger kids doesn't necessarily mean that these kind of elements should be thrown out the window.
        Putting Boys on the Ledge by Stephanie Rowe did affect me as a reader because it really made me think about and look back at my middle school and younger high school self. It really hit me that I'm growing up, that I'm graduating next year and it made me think how it feels like I was just in middle school yesterday, being a complete drama queen back then and even sometimes today. Because it did have this affect on my I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. 

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