It's all about confidence...I FEEL PRETTY

What if , and only if in an ideal world, people were not judge by the cover? Would you imagine how it could be for everybody to be just you not matter how you look but what you as a person represent? Unfortunately we are living in a time where we've become more self aware of our looks. New ways to exercise and be more fit so  basically we all can look like those models in the magazines that for many years we always wanted to be or look like. Now it is a possibility but to get there will be pain and sacrifice. And because of that our expectation have become higher. If i work out five days a week and i'm worried about having a good diet, and a healthy life style, i can't settle with someone that doesn't have the same perspective, right? This blindfold us into a tramp of physical connection placing a spiritual or emotional one in second terms. What if someone doesn't fir our standards of how they should look but they are attractive enough to us to give them a try, specially if we share the same goals, ideas, enjoy spending time together, makes you laugh, or think, or feel good about yourself? Isn't that what really matters at the end? If so, why have we become so focus in how we look pretending to be perfect, hiding became the fact that we embrace the challenge of pushing ourselves to be better and look better? And not because looking good or be in perfect shape is a bad thing but shouldn't that be a personal choice where it will make us feel better when looking ourselves at the mirror rather than selling ourselves through social media in order to get validation and attention, and expecting to find someone that will make us feel like winning the major price for being out of their league?

Well, this and more might come to a resolution and will be put on a test in a new comedy delivered by Comedy Central actress Amy Schumer, in her third movie, where she explores and exposes society and it's devotion for the perfect look. "I Feel Pretty" (2018) follows the story of Renee, another New Yorker that struggles with the insecurity of her looks. She might be pretty but her body doesn't fit the standards of a size zero. And because of that she can't but feel insecure and shy, which is a reflection in her life. Working in a basement for a major cosmetic company in the IT department, while her dreams of become a receptionist for her company are crushed by the idea of never looking like those girls that seem out of any magazine. And she is trying. She follows every step to push herself into a better look, fashion, fitness, you name it, but it's just hard when you don't feel confident about it. So she navigates the scenes of soul cycling, diets, trendy products to make you look prettier, all while she hangs with her friends, a trio of feminist women that want to feel free of expectations and labels but Renee is not like that, she loves them, but she wants to be part of the cosmopolitan world where she could  feel pretty and desired and look just like all these girls that she runs into at the gym and the street. But while she is so worried about getting to that point and dreaming about a life that doesn't belong to her just trying to fit in when she already has an amazing life that has been just underated by herself, unable to live it and explore it with more determination and fierce as it's deserved, wasting time in all these distractions.

The movie moves in a good pace between it's comic relief and it's morality about the story of an insecure woman, just like many others, struggling to fit in a world that demands her to be someone that she is not . But the problem with it is that falls victim of it's own predicament. Trying to not be too preachy, becomes too predictable, and if you have seen the previews, you have seen everything. There are some fresh jokes and the journey of this woman is reliable to any woman in the modern era but there's always that feeling of we've seen this before and this time around it's not as fun as it should be, but the message comes with a good timing in hands of one of the most popular comedians of this generation, but even tho it fails to deliver, becoming just another project where the idea surpasses the result, and that has been reflected in the box office. But if you in the mood for a fun time at the movies this should accomplish that. The Journey of Renee navigating the scene of any single woman in NYC is just entertaining enough to escape from your own life and root for her. Why? well because happens that this woman hits her head just to wake up looking at herself in ways that any model would die for. She sees her as gorgeous woman willing to take over the world at any opportunity because the fact that she can see herself as always wanted gives her confidence enough to feel strong and fight for all what she wanted. And while everybody else sees her as the ordinary same Renee, her confidence and new energy will make a difference among everybody making them change their mind regarding how they look at her.

Now this new Renee is a confident woman that truly believes she is so beautiful in the outside that can hit on guys in the line for laundry, or participate in a wet t shirts competition, and fight for that job that she thinks she deserves and she's capable enough to get it, and now with this new attitude she might get it. Too good to be true? well not really, the point is that while we are to invested in our own insecurities, we miss looking at others, and we just idealize them by their looks. We assume that just because someone looks great and stays in perfect shape and health, will own confidence and strength to face the world, but truth is that everybody has insecurities of their own and everybody is fighting their own battles, so if we can just take a break and empathize with each other we might realize how much do we have in common rather than how different we might look. We all struggle with the same issues. Love doesn't happen just because you are prettier or more successful. Is you personality that will take  you there and will connect with others, so it's all about how you will approach it. How do we face meeting someone and opening to get to know them. Because no matter how you look if someone sees the real you, they will look at you just the way you want to be seen. It is true that unfortunately we are treated the way we look, but also you can be a very attractive person with no sense of fashion and at the end of the day you'll still look undesirable for some, or you can have a perfect body that will make turn heads in the street but if you are boring and lack of culture that is no going to take you anyway but being objectified.

This woman, Renee, will find love and success in a life that it was already very successful in it's own but she was unable to see it. Her new rebooted confidence will only make that life to tumble as soon she will move herself from that humble place to one that belongs to those superficial people that usually put more weight in the way someone looks rather that how good and quality is a person, because confidence hasn't to go against being a good human and work on yourself. No matter how great you are, and how many doors will that open for you, is the real you, what ill keep  that place and achieve bigger goals. People who ca also see you by the cover will only prove to be as empty and shallow as the clothes they wear because there's more of everybody than just the way they look. Looking like any magazine model doesn't give you the right to feel empowered and treat others wrong. Sadly is us that aloud this to happen, giving them that power to feel superior than others when should be the opposite. It is time to stop this culture before goes out balance, and give looks the place deserves. So while you wonder what are you doing with your life, and worrying too much about how you look you better take a break, chill and enjoy this comedy with a charm, that will entertain you enough while give you a life lesson that we are well aware of just not following it, and afterwards you might want to focus in you as much as the time you spend at the gym and looking for new food options that will make you lose weight faster and with no effort. Love might be around the corner for you and all you need to be worried about is to be prepare enough to catch it before you miss the opportunity of meeting someone that really sees you behind your cover.

BLOCKERS...are you ready to let it go?

Prom night? Losing your virginity? Getting drunk and party? Sounds like the prefect setting for a raunchy teenage comedy where young kids with all these hormones going them crazy, are just trying to have sex for the first time using, of course prom night, as an excuse to close one chapter in their lives and move on as grown ups, sexually experienced. But what about their parents? Maybe it's not all about the kids but the place they come from and the situations they are living with the people raising them, because at the end is like everybody says right? blame the parents, or we are the person they shaped through all these years. We've seen so many stories about coming to age, and exploring sexuality while trying to become a grown up. Dealing with family issues while trying to find your own identity is a business that we all have been through. Trying to find the person that we want to become and shape it while we try to keep up with friends and school and all these new responsibilities and changes it's not an easy journey, reason why there have been so many stories about it that we are at a point where we don't know what else we could possibly been missing. Oh no wait? What about the parents? Those humans that happen to  be living with us as teenagers, and are the ones staying up while we to parties, and keep track of our grades and feed us and tolerate us when we for no reason wake up in a weird mood or simply feel frustrated for no reason? Yes, those grown up that we don't understand because everything seems like a no go for them while we want to explore everything. Those individuals that we seek for protection and advise when we feel like lost but we try to avoid them when we feel like we can rule the world. What's happening through their minds in those moments and how do the deal with all the mess we cause? Because they seem like having no option but to love us and keep up with it.

Well, for all of you wondering that, here's finally an answer, deliver through a new raunchy comedy about teenagers that is not only about teenagers but the parents of a trio of teenagers that are looking to lose their virginity at prom night. "Blockers" (2018), is the new comedy from Universal Studios that after being successful bringing all time raunchy comedies that now are classics fir their genre, now deliveries a new story that not only focuses in their young cast, but their parents that will go to a similar journey exploring a bit of their own issues in life such as their young cubs will. Julie, Kayla and Sam are three young girls that have been friends since elementary school and now that are about to finish high school they make a pact to lose their virginity because they want to share a moment together so when time passes they all can talk about but there is more into it that they think. Having sex for the first time is not just a business of being horny and get off. Sam is the only one in a relationship. She's been dating a guy during high school and even they know it's nothing serious once they start college, she wants to share that moment to him because of her feelings to him and want a special for her. So she is committed to the idea of using prom night to move forward in her relationship, but her plans won't come well for her mom, Lisa, an overprotective single mom, that is afraid to accept that her whole life has been hanging around her daughter so now that she is about to move away for college, she is afraid of being left behind finding herself alone the for first time after years when she got pregnant and dropped college to follow a guy that want nothing with her, so now that she knows the real intentions of her daughter for that special night she'll do whatever is in her power to stop her.

Kayla is a peculiar girl, she is a very confident and self aware young woman that has no problem having fun and enjoying herself as part of embracing her as a young lady but also owning it without labels, All this thanks to being raised by her mom, an Indian descent psychologist, and her dad, Mitchel, an all american man, that could look like any strong muscular guy just to be a very emotional one. So when Sam shares her intentions for prom night, Kayla signs up with her date, her chemistry class partner. She sees the opportunity more as a challenge for her to become a woman and a grown up than as a sexual act. Reason why she has no problem committing to it, so they can all talk about this in the years to come and feel closer to her all time friends. But her overprotective dad, won't be ok with this idea of her beloved daughter as he feels like she still needs to be protected and he won't let anyone to touch her even less to hurt her. Reason why he will join this mission to stop the kids of making a bad decision, just to realize that her daughter is strong enough to make her own decisions all thanks to be raised by him, with strong values and ideals that make her such a unique woman. But for him to realize that, he will have to deal with new tricks for the old and young generations  that like to have fun in very different ways from the ones he used to, pushing his own limits to learn how far can he go for the things he matter the most.

And lastly, we have Sam, the shy and nerdy one that might be hiding something, reason of why that behavior. But she is trying, so decides to join this pact with a nerdy guy she is seeing to pretend. She actually doesn't feel prepared for that but she needs to try and prove herself that all what she thinks is true and there's no way back. So she will try using the excuse of having someone to go to prom already. But her family situation is complicated. Her father, Hunter, is not an easy guy, he wants to steal the show, and now more than never, since it's now a divorced man, because his wife left him for a nicer man. So the only thing he feels has left is his daughter but even she loves him, she can get closer to any of her parents, afraid of her rejection. Hunter knows her and believes she is lesbian, so he is not worries about her doing anything crazy at prom night until after reading her text messages with the other two parents and seeing her with a guy, he might be wrong and need to stop her to make the biggest mistake of her life, for she needs to do this to prove herself what she really is and once she does, she will embrace her true identity, and lucky her, her father will be there for her, but not without having to go through a tough journey for himself to realize that he can be more than this joke that he pretend to be and while dealing with a mission along the other two parents to stop their kids, figuring out where they will be before is too late, he'll understand that might not be late for him to start fresh a new life and accepting his own mistakes, but her daughter is someone that he did right and that is always a good start.

So this time, prom night won't be the big issue but the setting for a journey where teenagers and grown ups, will realize that there is more in life than just a moment of passion, but every moment should be full of passion, and children are more connected that we can imagine with their parents, that is why sometimes we clash so often with them as we can see more of ourselves with them and same for them, that can see all her dreams and frustrations all together in this new generation, without realizing that the second time might go different and they need to give them a chance to prove it and push them to succeed. And yes, sex it's a journey of it's own and we all make a bigger deal of it than what it is, reason why communication should always be open without shame of it, so we can learn and feel confident of what might come. And definitely if want to spend a good time at the movies while remembering those days of youth when your hormones where dominating your thoughts or you already parent of one of some kids that might being going through that phase, never is to late to remember that growing up is fun but mostly is a pain and a challenge everyday, and this diverse cast will make you remember that while learning one thing or two about life, sex and love and mostly about yourself because nothing is as raunchy as you trying to have sex for the first time or re kindle the spark with your long time partner, but the heart behind that is what matters the most and you'll definitely find that in this comedy, delivered by a talented team with memorable moments that shine more in their deepest than when try to be fun, if you know what i mean....

A QUIET PLACE....if they hear you, they'll hunt you.

Sometimes the same formula can still feels new and fresh depending on the way you use it. And to prove that we don't need big budgets or noise to make something bigger, better, louder, we get this month an interesting movie called "A quiet Place" (2018), a project about monsters, aliens, invading and taking over the world. Something that we have seen before. There is no novelty about it, but under the hand of the actor and director John Krasinski, the story takes different levels delivery one of the most nerve breaking movies we've seen recently. The setting is pretty much another post apocalyptic world, where after a few months after being attacked by some sort of species, that might be another experiment that went wrong or an alien species that came to invade, truth is we really don't know and that is no what the movies tries to focus in, but instead let us keep guessing and come up with bunch of theories. The fact is this monsters are hunting us because even they are blind, have a very sensitive and develop sense of hearing, so they can hear every single move from miles away and will come from you in a matter of seconds, plus seems like they have a skin that works like a shield protecting them from being attacked or shot. leaving us an easy prey and without any way to fight back. So all the survivor had to adapt and being trying to figure out a way to hurt them back, their weakness, but no success so far,  so they have to leave in a very quite, almost silent place, avoiding make any possible noise by moving or talking, Adaptation for survival or die, and be prepared for the worst it's the only way to make it through.

And that's when we follow a particular family of five. They are looking for supplies at an abandon supermarket while we get to learn how they live these days. Mom is the one in charge of the house chores and she's pregnant. The oldest, she's deaf, so she has to be more careful with her moves as she can not notice any possible noise, reason why her parents had lined the way for her to follow. The Son is trying to help and learn but he's to scared after all what they've been through to find the strength to fight but his parents are trying to show him how to because they need him to survive when they won't be around.  And Dad is just trying to protect them and provide them to survive, hunting and building tramps so they can be prepared in case of an attack. But life has become a struggle for all of them. There's no sound, no fun, every single move has to be done carefully and well planned and no room to improvise or mistakes because that will cost them a lot. In top of all this stressful and hopeless situation, this particular family just went through a very hard loss, so they are just getting back together in track, but after this kind of experiences, there are always wounds left that need to be heal and sometimes we don't know how, specially when our minds and actions are focused in surviving physically leaving the emotions on the side but emotions are the ones that tend to control or lead us, so how could you face the world that keeps moving and won't wait for you, if feeling broken or something is missing?

The parents are still humans and a man and a woman that love each other but they have needs and expectations as any one else. But now everything has to be put on the side and just live day by day trying to survive. Their loved has evolved to a point of becoming a team, where the main goal is to protect their family and teach them how to survive when they will be by their own. Their love has a big wound from a loss that stays around as guilt and they can't let them fail again, specially now that a new baby is coming soon and the have to make this work, but how would you make a baby to stay quite and avoid making any noise? There is no romance or excitement in their lives anymore. Their relationship holds on to any possible moment they can find to enjoy be with each other and keep building that love without proper communication and just basing it on their love for their family. How can you live with love without the opportunity of sharing moments of romance or passion while everything is meant for survival and the minimum wrong move might cost your life or your beloved ones. So what is the point of survive if there is nothing to look forward to. Your life is just meant to be lined up by a predator that is chasing you every second. And in top of that you get to sacrifice one of the things that makes us more humans, language. Using sign language to communicate, you have to shut down your voice and omit any sound, music or singing. There is no room for those moments that fulfill your life, but the love to others will keep you going to protect them and hold on there until the very end.

Same thing happens to the kids. They have been private from games, and fun, the idea of a future where they can plan and choose the kind of life they want. Instead they are learning survival skills and unable to socialize as everyone is hiding. But growing up in such a hostile environment can bring secondary effects. The oldest is struggling with the fact of her condition as a deaf person. Frustrating for not being able to find any cure or way to listen so she can do more and help her family, and also living the guilt of feeling responsible for what happened to her family, just because of the fact that her parents are more worried and occupied trying to protect them that have forgotten to tell her how much they love her  and that is the only fuel you need in situations as extreme like these. A force and a reason to keep fighting but she feels lost and hopeless. But she has her brother. He likes her and tries to help her to deal with all the stress while she brings him some safety when he feels more scared. She is stronger than him because she feels like has nothing to lose while he is the opposite, just the idea of losing his family or putting them in danger again will kill him. How would you face your life if every opportunity is taken away from you leaving you just the fact of live to survive with all the basics but no pleasures but the one of being alive? Is it family the fuel that you need to keep going or we need more than that?

This is just a very quiet perspective of life without a proper life. We wake up every morning so confident that life is waiting for us that we forget that we are just entitled of what we believe and deserve for being humans but when we are pushed down in the food chain we have no option other than being grateful for what we have and all the opportunities we might have. The fact that we can enjoy these moments like going to the movies should be something to think about rather than take it for granted because we never know what will happen tomorrow, and what life has in storage for us. We forget that family makes us stronger and we need those relationships like friends to motivate us as enjoy the pleasures of life that we don't take our friends as serious as they should be, for being people that motivate us and help us through the hard and fun times in life, and the possibility of finding love, a partner in crime that will have your back, and stay with you in good and bad times is now replaced by the search of someone to whom have fun times, and lots of sex and pleasures, no real connections or safety. It is all matter of perspective and once that those options are taken away from you, the reality of what matters will take a different perspective so why wait to that to happen? Instead of enjoy life while we can and be grateful enough for it to have our beloved ones around and alive and cherish them and focus on what matters will definitely prepare of us for any imminent end of the world, at least as the one we know now. Let your actions speak louder for you.

iZOMBIE...following SANTA CLARITA'S DIET

And seems like the walking death are back! And not just as a movie or trend, but everywhere. More than never we get bombed by series, movies, comics, they are everywhere. What started as a scary metaphor of human basic fears of being taken away from your conscious behavior  just to follow our basic instincts  bringing up the animals and predators that we are without it. But now that setting has evolve bringing other possibilities to explore other sides of the human condition and, or expose society and it's conventional ism where we can give things more perspective from a non human or half human sight just as what we do using other monsters like vampires or were wolves, or aliens, or mythical or fantasy creatures. They all serve to tell a story about human nature and the human condition. But zombies have evolves from the last two decades making them more humans and more aggressive than what we knew decades ago. Trying to reach new audiences and updating them to make them more reliable to this era, where things more faster, so they needed to. What is surprising is the popularity they have won among viewers and how they had move to any possible media getting to a point where the market feels crowded by their stories. But before we reach the climax and we'll start moving away from them, let's explore two of the most popular and interesting proposals from this zombies, served as a comedy and mystery/comedy both under female characters which makes them even more interesting to analyze in times where finally girl power has taken over.

And so, the first one is currently showing on the CW network, "iZombie"  (2015-current) is based and loose adapted from the comic series of the same name that follows a young over achieving medical resident that when attending a boat party, it turns into a zombie feeding frenzy, ending in her, turning into one. But in difference from what we know about them, she hasn't died or lose consciousness, she is very alive, just some things have changed, she looks very pale, her pulse is very slow, and has this need to eat brains or she will turn into the beast we all know zombies do. Adding this twist to our classic zombie flick, we get the first zombie woman that instead of trying to devore humans and feed herself is fighting to do the opposite and stay as alive as possible and be able to help others. But because of what just happened to herself and the changes she is going through she alienate herself from everyone including breaking up her engagement and avoiding her family and friends, quitting her job and joining to coroner's office where she can secretly feed from dead people's brains. But soon she will discover that by doing so, she will be able to connect with the victim and have some flashbacks that might help to solve the cause of her death. With this new ability she finds a new way to serve and find a purpose in a new kind of life that will make her feel alive again. But soon we'll learn that life is all about adjustments and learning from our mistakes as she will have to start fresh and find her way back to a life that she left on pause.

While she tries to find a meaning in her life as this new person, trying to understand her feelings and re connect with everyone that cares about her, she will have to face and solve the mystery behind her own situation as that party wasn't an accident but a plan organized but another zombie with no so good intentions, and with the fact that there are others like her either will motivate her to try to understand what that implies as much as hat is happening behind curtains that she is not looking at and might put others in danger including her ex fiancé. Along four seasons will follow her journey, as a zombie trying to save the day from other not so nice zombies that have an agenda for their own and solving cases of people that has passed and there's no one to tell their story, but mostly as a young woman trying to find her place in a world that she need to fit in, giving her a new perspective about what family, friends, love means and pushing her to find answers about all that while leaving some questions over the table. And by a charming performance that will hook us with this non human situation that will focus in humanity, will touch us while falling in love and made us follow case by case her journey rooting for her not to just solve all the clues of each murder but the ones that each one is leaving on her just as any day for us in the office. Never something that is supposed to be non human anymore has explored the deeps of what being humans means and that we all share and connect with others no matter gender, race, age, background, etc.

And if all that wouldn't be enough, we also get another dosis of blood and human parts that serve as a happy meal from McDonald's, explore "Santa Clarita Diet" (2017-current), another comedy set up in the suburban town in California that serves as a title for the show. This one under the wing of NETFLIX, and with big names as Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant in the main roles as a couple and parents living the suburban life of two realtors that only deal with mundane situations at home such as her teenager daughter and their annoying neighbors to the regular stress of their job until one day, she gets really sick and dies for a few minutes just to come back to life just as if nothing happened. But it did. She seems the same but she is not, she has no pulse, no blood, and it's really hungry, and her cravings includes human meat. But when she realizes how much she need to eat human parts will be too late to prevent her to kill someone that was at the wrong time in the wrong place. Covering this accident will put the entire family in danger and in peril to cover her tracks while trying to figure what is happening to her and how to move from here. Why is she like this? How that happened? Will she lose herself at some point or will she get rotten as the zombies in the movies with the lack of a heart, pulse and blood in her veins ?

All this are the hang cliffs for us to follow her journey while exposing our society values. How far would you be able to go for the love of your life? Would that include murder? So if you kill someone that is a bad person or has done bad things or bad decisions in life in order to save someone you care, would you? Or is that as bad as killing an innocent? When you have nothing to lose because you are already dead things get another perspective. Food becomes just an instrument of survival rather than a pleasure. Sex becomes an instinct rather than a passionate feeling. Your career is basically trying to get all your shit together and make it day by day without losing it. Family proves to be the one that sticks with you for better or worse and that at the end supposedly will have your back and accept you for what you are or what you've become. Going from one crazy situation to another, things just get more complicated one minute at the time, and with only two seasons we are still intrigued by the fact of not having clear answers of what is causing this people to suffer this condition but one thing is for sure, a new diet has arrived and while some deserve to die others might deserve a second chance to find a new meaning in live and figure out what real means to stay alive and embrace life with all what it brings to anyone...joy, fear, sadness, experiences, lessons, tragedies, ideas, adventures, all get mixed and we get anyone's family journey to figure out who they are as a whole and individually and mostly why should they stick together. If want a real answer you better start bing watching this funny series that will be a bloody but funny mess.

READY PLAYER ONE...the only thing real is reality

Based on the popular novel, that mention apart, happens to be one of my favorite books, "Ready Player one" (2018) is the new book adaptation into a motion picture that these days we see happening as a trend, so after becoming a best seller back in 2011, it was meant to be his translation into the big screen, specially after the whole story has so many cinematic references that just not doing it will be such a missed opportunity. It might not b a life changing read or a Pulitzer nominee, but it is such a fun ride, specially for all those with a geek heart that grew up in the 80's and 90's. So what's all this buzz about? Well, the story takes us to the near future, 2045 to be exact, where after globalization and global warming, the planet is suffering an economical recession, leading it's population to a high rate of unemployment, and a drastic separation between low class from the wealthy. In this not so fictional setting we meet Wade, an orphan living with his aunt and her abusive  boyfriend. This 17 year old boy in lack of opportunities has been living hiding in a virtual world called the Oasis. For those not familiar with virtual reality, think about this like going online in the internet jut that with the proper gear you'll actually feel like being immersive in this world, so you can create your avatar as whatever your choice is and be a new you, a version of you that always wanted to be. Also not only you can be whatever you want to be or look as your desire but to do whatever you  can possible imagine without leaving your room. That's the magic of virtual reality, it can make you feel like being somewhere or do something without actually being there. But also this can be tricky and addictive as a hideout from reality.

And that is exactly what everybody is doing in order to escape their lives and the ugly truth out there. They just log in and build a life in this virtual world that offers more opportunities than the real one. That is until the owner and creator of it dies and leaves a message to all the users, where he left a hidden egg  and to be able to find it they will have to go through 3 challenges that will give them three keys to find this egg, and whoever finds it first will heritage all his money and the rights of the Oasis. This starts an east hunt among basically everybody as involve different motives such as the opportunity of become a millionaire and own the biggest company in the world, but for some is just the opportunity to save the place they like the most and make it better for the world. But the challenge is not an easy task and it's been 5 years since the challenge started and no one has even found the first key until the name Parzival, Wade's avatar nickname, shows up on the board leading the score of the race. Unfortunately this will set the bar higher and big corporation with the resources to make things happen will invest everything they have to try to win this but how far can they go until someone stops them Or can a no one be able to win them? The fact that all clues to find and complete the challenge are based in the life of it's creator, a Steve Jobs type of man, and all cover by different hints from pop culture from the 80's, an era where this nerd grew up, making it an immersive experience for anyone else into his world, as if the oasis wouldn't be enough, making it seem like the game is about to get to know and understand it's creator, so who's playing who?

Anyways the real soul of this story relies on the quest of a young boy trying to find love, friendship and himself in a world that seems to have nothing to offer but to hide in an alternative reality where you can actually have a life, like a drug offering you some distraction from your reality. Under the vision of director Steven Spielberg, the movie brings all the magic of his cinematic vision and follows the same story line he got us used to. Bombing the screen with so many references that while in the book seem to be quotes or winks to a golden era, in here feel like a parade trying to prove a point. And this might be the biggest flaw of the movie. While the book became so popular for it's easter egg hunt and all the clues hidden in the pop culture of the 80's, focusing in the search of Parzival to each one of them, in the big screen they changed completely the story to keep the basic story line just adjusting it to make it more as a real race where there is no much time to waste exploring little details but go straight to the action and it bigger, louder, brighter, and not always more means better. We get a visual sugar rush where we prefer to spend more time in the virtual world than knowing what is happening to the real one and it's characters and that is not a good sign. This new adaptation from the original source has made the true fans to reject the movie, by omitting a lot of information that gives the journey of each character a purpose and a real place in this virtual world, rather than just create another collage of the same type of characters looking to appeal to anyone.

While in the book the chase for the hidden egg is longer and full of different challenges that involve a very wide knowledge of pop culture such as movies, tv shows, music, games, books from the 80's, here in the movie, everything seems so simple that we can't but wonder what all the fuzz is about and how come no one figure it out before. In the book, Wide spent most of his life navigating through the Oasis playing video games and watching all movies that by now he knows by memory, giving him that advantage over others, just because sadly he has no other life, no friends, no family to look after him, so he hides in this world to socialize with others and explore different things that at the end will shape him towards the man he will become. And just because the fact that he is a no one and he navigates under water learning all these clues about the life of the creator being able to be unnoticed while everybody else explore out and expose. So when he becomes the first person to find the first key, all eyes will be on him and will become a very popular character, changing his life completely but the race is on and everything is about to change including the fact that he will make new friends and enemies and most important, love. This will come in the shape of his ciber crush, a girls that has been blogging about clues and theories of the location of  the hidden egg, and in a world where everyone could be whatever they choose to be, he might be tricked and fall for the wrong person, but deep inside of him, he knows she is a genuine person worth to take the risk and since he has nothing to lose, that makes him stronger.

But hiding and trying to escape reality to live even if it’s a non real scenario fair to compensate whatever is missing? How about real connections? Getting to know someone by hanging with them face to face and be able to see their face expressions and touch them from a hug to a kiss. How can we compensate that? Your feeling towards them will be real but might be based in a fictional, idealistic ground. A big lesson these days where people spend more time online that living out and about. A time where walking down the street looking at your phone and Being more concern about social media than social life. When kids prefer to spend their afternoons playing video games instead of going outside and play sports or ride a bike. A time when dating and meeting new people is all about online sites and apps, where you can pretend to be the person you want but might not be truthful to the reality, leaving us behind of those days where greeting someone at the bar or a party feels so outdated. We have become victims of technology, because it’s easier to escape and pretend than face reality, motivated by our fears we choose the easy way but that doesn’t justify it, there’s nothing as real as reality and the only way to actually embrace life is to be here and Be able to take life as it comes knowing that just as any other reality it will become better we just need to find the right motivation and surround us with the right company to become as strong as any avatar.

PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING... time to take control of your life

What could be deeper and insightful about big robots kicking their asses and fighting to each other in a big scale, meaning that cities will be destroyed and lots of people might die in the process but hey!, it's a blockbuster spectacle where we get to see amazing FX and make our childhood biggest dreams where our robot toys where fighting monsters until one of them will ended breaking apart. But definitely still can't find anything deep, life changing, up to a philosophical conversation to bring up to the table about all that boy's fantasy, but just that nostalgia of actually seeing those fights come alive in the big screen. So, following the events of the the original film, that was conceived by director Guillermo del Toro and his affection for monsters as a way to explain and explore more of the human condition, but not even that first entry was a beloved gem for the critics, and neither the box office was a success, but did enough in it's run internationally that the studio decided to green light a sequel in hopes of repeat a global success and make more money about it, but again, seems like there is nothing artistic or meaningful behind the idea of continuing this saga where the world was under attacked of an alien invasion that was coming from a rupture in the Pacific Ocean that was connecting to different worlds, making us the target for a alien species to become extinct and maybe use our natural resources or just erase us from the map as an entire species. But while the first movie explores topics such as courage, and overcome your fears and ghosts from the past in order to fight and win your personal battles, it didn't go very deep into this as was using the big scale fights as a metaphor to this process for the humans trying to win a war.

The fact that the movie industry is dying because of the rising of TV as a prime option for everybody, while ticket prices keep increasing making it far from an affordable entertainment for families anymore, desperate measures had been taken, pushing the studios to hold into any option that can bring some cash to the table, and they will milk that cow until there is nothing left, proving that movies had moved from being an art to a mere business where any idea able to been sold to the audience and make a profit is welcome, no matter how bad it will turn or the lack of an actual story of good writing is but wrapped it up in a shiny presentation for those just willing to put their brain on the side and kill some time because at this point not even well done FX are game changers, as we've seen great stories along the most innovated visuals. With the excuse of using the big screen as a must see for this kind of epic battles, an immersing experience for anyone at the theaters rather than your living room, makes this kind of blockbusters the only survivors to this Hollywood crisis, so every studio is fighting hard to find a franchise to develop and patent as their signature to keep going on business. There are no more Hollywood celebrities able to attract audiences to the movies, things have changed where is the story and the franchise the one capable to stand up and make some business or be cursed to become a bomb. If you want to see a deep, emotional drama or a funny rom-com, people prefer to wait until available on demand and watch it comfortable at home. There motion picture events are dying but the few one still alive are taking all the gold.

So what can be said about a mere excuse become motion picture like "Pacific Rim: Uprising" (2018), a sequel that has more of Transformers and less of Pacific Rim, following the events of the original, where after ten years from the end of the war against the monsters, now the world seems to start getting back together, re building cities, but economies are crashing after spending all resources in trying to build big robots and survive an invasion, so way of life has change dramatically and also has people. After losing beloved ones or relatives, some people had to move on and figure out a new life without them, taking care of themselves, no matter how they lose them, but facing the fact that they are gone. And that is something we all can relate, specially these days when war has moved to our neighborhoods, and we might not feel safe anymore as we used to. So we have to evolve and learn how to survive. Being able to enjoy a life that is given by those who sacrificed themselves to get this opportunity but still living with ghosts from the past hunting us. With a cast that can't do much to show these emotions and trapped in cliched performances we move through the story of a young man whose dad died as a hero to safe humanity but left him behind, turning him into a rebel boy that will try to leave breaking the rules of a system that has left nothing for him. Until his sister pushes him to join the army, where their father belong, just for a brief mission and then he can go back to be a runaway but obviously this will turn into him realizing how he belongs to this world and how capable he i to follow  his dad steps.

Indeed, very predictable and lack of originality, specially if we look at all the characters around them, a group of teenagers that are in training to be the pilots of these huge robots, and even they suck at it, by the time the monsters are back and will threat with destroy the world, again, they will leave up to the expectations in a blink of an eye. But if you not distracted by this, you might follow the journey of the main hero, while runs into another outcast, a young girl that has develop a talent to build her own robot by stealing all the pieces from war zones. She has been trying to survive but after losing all at war now her main concern is to be prepared for any future outcomes and protect herself as she couldn't before. The pain and grief of losing your family is hardly translated in the movie, even when it becomes the line to follow the story telling of this fantasy and the motivation of it's characters. Most of them are picking up the pieces from a fallen kingdom and a life that took everything from them shaping them into someone different from what they were supposed to be or maybe it has always been supposed to be this way, but we all know someone that has bee trough this struggle and fight of becoming independent and strong after losing all, and fighting others and some monsters that represent our worst nightmares is a fight that happens every day at home, school, work, and we just need to be prepared for it and knowing that sometimes we'll lose some battles in order to learn and grow and keep fighting and becoming stronger and stronger.

Sometimes we are born into this place that we didn't choose and when we are able to  realize it we just feel like we don't belong. So do we embrace our heritage and where we belong to or should we go out and find our own place in the world?Some people might choose the first option while others  might go for the second, meaning that there is no right answer to that but what fits you better. In here, we are able to witness how the main character has been running away from his destiny as by avoiding falling into everything that has to be with his gone father, but once he decides to give it a try, again, he realizes how much he belongs to this place and how deep this place grows on you. But it's not that easy, let's not forget this is a movie and not a very deep one so in real life it translates to a real journey where understanding and accepting where you come from will show you the path of who you are so anyone can understand itself and continue their quest in life but only by getting to that point of knowing we'd be able to see the reality hiding in us and be prepared for the real fight, the one against ourselves, those voices in our heads pulling us in different directions miss leaded by the voices of others turning it into a big messy fight. So if you looking to spend a fun time feeling like a kid again or bringing back your inner childhood while watching big robots destroying cities and fighting epic battles against other robots and colossal monsters that is worth watching in the big screen, here is an option for you but leave your expectations at home regarding a profound storytelling or complex characters or moving performances and you'll have a fun time at the movies in the new era of  unjustified franchises and sequels.

Everybody deserves a great love story... LOVE, SIMON

We all look the same at first sight. Most of us come from a family that raised us. Have a group of friends that love us. We go to work or school. We struggle with the same issues about love, dreams, career, but we don't know much about the battles we all go through everyday. Personal challenges that shape any person into a fighter or a quitter. Coming to age stories always help us to remind us all this anxiety and fun while we were figuring out ourselves. Who can forget those days hanging with friends for hours doing nothing but trying to figure out the world, or those long hours of waiting to see or talk to the person we had a crush on, or how drunk we got at every Friday's party. We all share those kind of moments but there a few that go through different experiences. Because they share a secret that at some point needs to come out. And that is exactly the coming out process they need to go through but since even these days, where society is more open minded about it and we've been going through a lot of progress regarding acceptance and tolerance, it is still a defining moment in a gay person to accept himself as it is and come out to his/her family and friends. Why? Because they don't know what it would be once their truth is out. They don't want things to change in terms of the people they love but they do need things to change regarding their social and romantic life. How  can anyone could be willing to be fully loved and accepted if they don't know him/her completely. Only by being transparent and honest to ourselves, anyone can say others will get to know you and love you for who you are rather of for who you pretend to be and because life is about loving ourselves instead of fulfilling others expectations it's time of acceptance and face things the way we are.

And that is basically the story behind "Love, Simon" (2018), a romantic comedy about the process of coming out for those misfits hiding afraid of embracing themselves. Simon is a seventeen year old guy that navigates through high school just as any other kid. He has a lovely family that supports him and he loves them back. He feels lucky to have a group of friends that he knows since they were kids, so he definitely doesn't want things to change. He feels so fortunate to ruin things the way they are. But he's secret is killing him from inside, holding him back from being what he truly is. Until one day another guy secretly comes out at school motivating him to start taking baby steps on himself. The fact of having someone able to talk to, that is going through the same process, is comforting and exciting. So when both start talking to each other anonymously, they inspire each other to start accepting themselves. But as their journey get them closer, challenges may approach and they will have to face the moment of start coming out in front of others. That nerve breaking moment of telling someone you love that you are not what they thought but at the same time you are still the same and expecting them to love you as usual is a life changing moments that just a few have to go through and at some point the movie makes fun of that, turning the table to the fact that why straight people doesn't need to come out? Why if we all are equals and sexual preference is no longer a taboo or myth, why only the LGBT community has to face this moment in their lives, and they manage to do it in a very funny way, thanks to the vision and touch of tv guru Greg Berlanti, in his directorial debut, openly gay himself, trying to tell a story that can relate to everybody and trying to avoid all possible cliches about what a majority will think being gay represents.

And feels like this is the main reason for this movie to be made. Based on the popular novel Simon vs The Homo sapiens agenda, it's  adaptation comes a little bit late for a time where we are pass through the fight for acceptance and proving that being gay is ok and it's as normal as being straight. But even the timing doesn't help to make it feel fresh, its story and beloved characters will prove that a coming to age story can relate to anyone because there is always a different niche struggling to let their voice been heard. And now is the time for the LGBT community to expose their struggle when coming out as a gay person and for all the rest to get to see and understand what they go through in order to being accepted. So Simon, is just as a regular guy as it can be. He spends time with his family, friends, go partying, school, watch games, has dreams. Just as any other guy would do far from the cliches about what being gay represents and not because he is not aware of them but just because it is not a rule and he feels comfortable enough to be who he is just the way he is. No need of pretend to be someone else. No musicals, fit clothes, diva references. He is just an average Joe that happens to like other regular guys. And while we join him through his search of this anonymous guy, we'll learn that love comes in many shapes, and bases itself in that connection rather than just mere attraction. The need to find someone that can hold you hand while you going through a life changing situation makes a whole of a difference. And friends will make anyone's journey easier to handle and more fun than it seems. But finding that right person that deserves to hold your heart is a quest that no motion picture has encounter yet.

So what is so special about this movie compared with other similar teenager movies? Like those classics from the 80's? Well, let's say that special the fact that is a movie to define a whole new generation and the ones that had no chance or opportunity to come out like this and had to live their lives hiding and ashamed of their situation. Because let's remember that not long time ago, being gay was still an issue. Someone that was define as an homosexual was cursed, evil, marked as someone bad, and not even close to the idea of them getting marries or been seen holding hands or kissing in public. They were stereotyped as men trying to be girls and women pretending to be boys. But not anymore. Now that the dust has cleared out and we get to see them coming out and proud, we can realize that they are as normal as anyone else. But still, there is still this moment happening when they have to come out about their preferences to their beloved ones. But for those that don't have to go through that sounds like a minor thing, so movies like this that show it not as a big deal but a life changing event in their lives, is refreshing when we get to see how some people need to have that talk and express their preferences to the people around them not because things will change but because they will be looking after someone of their same sex. And the fact that they have to do it, means that they are looking that validation, and acceptance from others. Knowing that they'll be still loved is all what matters from this experience. There is a crucial scene in the movie where Simon finally sits and talks with his mom looking for some comfort after things seem like falling apart in school, and she admits that she didn't know or expect this but she noticed that at some point he was holding himself back, like hiding something or carrying a big secret within, and now that the secret is out, she still loves him as always and nothing will change because he is still her same son. And that moments represents this whole coming out situation.

So maybe you don't need to come out from your own sexual preferences, but maybe you also have some secrets that are holding you back from being the real you or reach your full potential, or maybe you know and love someone that has or is at this moment or you just an avid fan of romantic comedies where love as a whole comes along any obstacle and proves that is one of the major forces that unite And just as Simon journey to explore his feelings, and find the right one, while navigating the waters of puberty, friendship, family, responsibilities and all that stuff that anyone of us go through every day, we all can do better if we are able to be honest to ourselves and fight for our believes and convictions even they might not be well  taken for some and we'll have to face some rejections and criticism, but that is life in general, no matter your believes, preferences, gender, race, we all label other and point fingers so realizing that there is a lot of work to do in ourselves rather than being looking after others. But if you are in the need of coming out and are feeling trapped inside a big lie or secret, afraid of what might come after the truth, hoping for a better life for yourself where the people that supposedly loves you will also accept you, this movie is a must see for you, to get the courage and be inspired by the love and the possibility of a better option for yourself, where everyone around you that really cares and loves you won't care but for your happiness and will support you because love is unconditional, but for that, you need to love yourself and be real so others can see you for who you are rather than what are you pretend to be. Your bravery will inspire others even those ones so close minded to see how unique and special you are, unless you prefer to be another idiot but accepted rather than a misunderstood but loved one? So what it would be?...because you deserve a great story for the movie of your life.