Movie Review - Passengers by JC Phelps

Passengers

Starring 

Jennifer Lawrence

Chris Pratt

This review was submitted by JC Phelps
PG-13
1h 56min

I recently rented Passengers from Amazon. I'd come across the trailer while watching something else online. I really enjoy both Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence so I was interested in watching it.

I don't often go to the theater because of the cost so I waited until this one was available for streaming. I wouldn't have been disappointed to pay theater prices, but I'm equally not disappointed to have waited. I enjoyed the movie and my faith in both Pratt and Lawrence has remained intact. They did a great job with this story.

The story was a good one. It wasn't anything mind blowing but it did give me outside thoughts. How would I handle being stranded in the manner in which they were and so on. There were a couple of things near the beginning that questioned, such as, why didn't he wake up someone to help him? The absolute inability to fix things seemed glossed over and not very well explained. Still, I ignored those questions and liked the movie despite the questions I had.

If you haven't seen the movie yet and might be interested I'm including a link to Amazon so you can either rent or buy it.

Click here to be taken to the Amazon page - Passengers


 If you are interested in following JC Phelps' posts you can find her at jcphelps.blogspot.com

Book Review: FISH!

        I know I haven't posted for a while, for which I am sorry. All I have as an explanation is life happens and that's what I've been caught up with. Now that we have that out of the way, I'm about to recommend an amazing book for you to read. "What is this book that you have had me awaiting a review for nearly a year called?" you may ask. The title of this life-changing novel that was written by Stephen Lundin, Harry Paul, and John Christensen is simply "FISH!" and it will most definitely leave lingering thoughts and budding ideas in its wake.

   
        The first thing I need to tell you about "FISH!" is that, contrary to what the name may suggest, this novel is not actually about fish. My apologies to all of you "Finding Nemo" fans that I just crushed. The only fish in this book are located in the famous Pike Place Fish Market, where they are happily being thrown over the heads of customers and, occasionally, into their arms as well. This novel is actually a sort of self-help piece for the work-place. 

   

       In the beginning, this narrative finds it's protagonist in the middle of a tragedy. Having just lost her husband, Mary Jane is caught between her children, her grief, her bills, and her job. She is now a single mother who is buried up to her ears in hospital bills. Due to her debt, Mary Jane is pushed into an unwanted "promotion" at her job in order to keep up. The only problem with her "promotion" is that she is now the head of the "toxic energy dump" on the third floor and if she doesn't improve her floors productivity, people will lose their jobs. Locked in a dark situation with no key, she finally finds salvation in a very unlikely place. This story lets us join her in her battle to change her work environment and the attitudes of the people she works with. 

      

      If you like to read about how to improve your life and the lives around you, or even if you just enjoy a good motivational story, you will love "FISH!"

    

 And now for those of you who have made it this far:

Book Review: Life of Pi

    Usually when I read books, I stick to two or three genres. These consist of fantasy, mystery, and sometimes science fiction. So as one can expect, when I picked up this novel, I expected to either stop a few pages in or read it over the course of a couple months and never think about it again. I never expected to read it within a day of picking it up. Nor did I expect to absolutely fall in love with the author's voice and the main character's whimsical view on life.

   

   At the beginning of the book the author somehow managed to take Pi's childhood and, although it wasn't anything too special, make it funny and interesting. Perhaps one of my favorite parts of the book was the explanation of Pi's name and how he got both his true name and his nickname. It was written in a way that made me pity Pi and laugh at the same time. I also loved all of the other characters. Pi's father with his businessman attitude that led him to think of a radical solution to the dangers of running a zoo with two young children, his mother's reluctant support of his religious views, and his brother's behavior towards him are some of the things that make the book relatable. Due to the fact that they weren't flat characters, when Pi lost his family I could sympathize with him much better than I would have been able to if the author had just revolved completely around Pi and left them undeveloped and undetailed.

    When Pi was trapped in the lifeboat with a tiger, a hyena, a rat, and an orangutan I found myself clinging to every word and even when the book was dark and suspenseful, there was always a moment of humourous relief to make the suspense bearable. The book is like a batch of perfectly flavored salsa: Extremely intense with just enough salty-sweetness to give it a delightful tangy taste that tickles the back of your throat as it goes down.

    All in all, I loved this book and I wouldn't be opposed to reading it again. I definitely recommend this novel to anyone who loves a humorous story with a plot that is nothing less than epic. As for this picture at the end? It's just there as a reward to those who took the time to read my post.