People Like Us: The Importance of Unimportance

I recently saw "People Like Us" and though I'm not convinced the characters are like ME, I am a fan of the six rules of life that Chris Pine teaches to Elizabeth Banks' young movie son. I'll give you the six, so you can take a look, but my personal favorite is number three. 1. If you like something, because you think other people are going to like it, it’s a sure bet that no one will. 2. Most doors in the world are closed, so if you find one that you want to get into, you damn well better have an interesting knock. 3. Everything that you think is important isn’t. Everything that you think is unimportant is. 4. Don’t shit where you eat. 5. Lean into it. The outcome doesn’t matter. What matters is that you were there for it, whatever ‘it’ is - good or bad. 6. Don’t sleep with people, who have more problems than you do. I relate to number three, because I feel like so many people in this world spend oodles of time stressing and worrying about things that, in the grand scheme of things, are NOT important. They stay up nights freaking out about things that are out of their control, and what may be worse is that they waste other people's time talking about it and talking about it and talking about it. Shut up already! I'm sure we've all had someone special in our lives suffer from or die of cancer or another terrible disease. We know people, whose children were born with a serous medical issue. Making the most of every single day while we can and making our relationships the best they can be? That's important. Focusing on the fact that a seemingly great guy, who asked for your number in a bar hasn't called you? NOT important. Making sure that your family has enough food to eat? Important. Getting that promotion that would have allowed you to buy that snazzy new Mercedes you've been eyeing? Not important. We all wish our lives could be better in one way or another. Trust me - I'm right there with you. But I think we all need to take a step back, remove ourselves from our own little world for a bit, and REALLY think about what's important in our lives. At the end of your life, what will matter the most???

Is the Tree of Life Growing For You?

"The only way to be happy is to love. Unless you love, your life will flash by." I've been thinking about this since I saw "The Tree of Life" starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn four days ago. We all need love in our lives, right? We need to love and we need to be loved, but are we all finding love? I mean true love... not just love for now. Some choose not to love, because they fear they'll be hurt. We all know the saying "'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." But what if we can't find true love, will our lives flash by? I feel like it will. People go through different phases of life - childhood, high school, college, the working world, relationships, marriage, kids, success, failure, hardship, joy, retirement and so many other things, but if there's no love mixed in, doesn't your life tend to feel like one big phase, instead of a bunch of different ones? If you spend your whole life working and not focusing on what really matters, what do you end up with at the end of your life? I'm thinking probably not a whole lot. What do YOU think?

Hamlet 2 Be or Not to Be - That Is the Question

"Hamlet 2" stars Steve Coogan as a wannabe actor, who's appeared in a series of embarrassing commercials, but takes a job as a high school theater teacher to pay the bills. In his mind, it's a temporary situation. The movie starts off posing the question "Where do dreams go to die"? In this movie, out on DVD, dreams apparently go to Tucson to die. But is that where they truly are buried? You'll have to see the movie to find out, but let's talk about that. People dream of being actors, rock stars, astronauts, but at what point do you throw in the towel? Not everyone can become a famous actor, not everyone can become a legendary rock star, not everyone can walk on the moon. While some try harder than others and really attempt to make their dreams come true, others just sit back and wait for it to happen. Some set goals for themselves - if I'm not a series regular on a sitcom by the age of 30, then I'll go to law school and become a lawyer. If I'm not making a decent living as a musician by the time I'm 35, I'll become a music teacher. But what about those people, who are 40, still struggling to pay their rent and still clinging to the hope that one day, they will make it? People say if you follow your dream and do what you love, it will work out, but will it? Does it always work out for everyone? It just doesn't seem possible. Los Angeles is full of people, who moved there to be famous. It's also full of broken dreams and bitterness. So, I want to know what YOU think. When should people take a dose of reality and say "Ya know what? I gave it a try and it didn't work out. What are my other options? Maybe I can make a living at something else that will make me happy enough and do what I TRULY love in my spare time." DISCUSS. Thanks.

Super 8 Gets a Super 10

Yes, once again it's been a very long time since I've written. Sadly, that's what happens when you host, produce and write a five day a week national t.v. show. Though I've seen a million movies in the last few months (o.k., maybe hundreds of thousands!), I have not been able to share with you... until now. "Super 8" brought me back to a time that I feel needs to make a comeback. The neighborhood kids spend their summer making a super 8 movie about zombies. Of course, there's a whole lot of other stuff mixed in that I won't reveal, because it's a shhhhhhhhhhh... secret! But remember the days when kids would ride their bikes around town, play outside and use their imaginations? I miss that. Nowadays, kids are so stuck to their computers and video games... and don't get me wrong, they have worth for sure, but can't we find a balance? One hour a day on the computer and then head outside? Or even if the weather's bad and you have to stay inside, why not trade technology for some construction paper and watercolors, a journal and a pen or an instrument and some sheet music. We need creativity to continue in this world... and we have to start with the youngins'. Perhaps a nice start for your family would be to head to the theater and see "Super 8". That way, you can capture the imagination that J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg had as kids and continue to bring to the big screen for our enjoyment.

Life as We Like It

Do you ever think about the difference between having your own biological children and adopting? In "Life as We Know It" starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel, her best friend is married to his best friend and the two friends have a baby. Heigl and Duhamel don't like each other much, but have had to spend time together over the years, because of their friends. They had a terrible blind date once, but now pick on each other like a big brother and little sister. When their friends die in a car crash, they find out that the will gives custody of the baby to the two of them, TOGETHER! We all love our nieces and nephews, right? We love our friend's kids. We hear of people all the time adopting children and raising them as their own. Years later, when some of the kids grow up and meet their biological parents, they still consider their adoptive parents their real parents, because they're the ones who read them bedtime stories, went to every Little League game, helped them with their homework, stayed up with them in the middle of the night when they were scared or upset and taught them the ways of the world. So many people have kids for one reason or another, but aren't there for them. They abandon them, whether physically or emotionally. They say (who are they? I don't know... people, I guess) that you can't choose your family, but you can choose your friends. Many people consider their friends family, because they're the ones, who are there for them when they need it the most. Then, there are the adopted kids, who say they never felt like they belonged in their family. They didn't feel like they fit in. They felt like an outsider. Some mothers who adopt say they never felt that connection with their adopted child that forms between mother and child during pregnancy. As with anything, every case is different. Until you go through it yourself, you'll never know. As with anything, adoption is a gamble, but so is having biological children. You can do your very best and they can still get in with a bad crowd, turn to drugs or run away from home. There are no guarantees in this life. That's probably the ONLY guarantee. Wait, so that means there is ONE guarantee. Anyway, you know what I mean. Just do your best and hope for the best. That's really all we can do.

Is Paranormal Activity Normal?

Yes, once again, it's been months since I've written my blog. It's so crazy that I'm a host and producer at ReelzChannel, TV About Movies and I stopped writing my blog about movies once I started working there. Why can't there be 40 hours in a day? Well, this blog is called Filmspiration, so it's interesting to me that I got inspiration from another person to resume writing it regularly like I used to. Thank you to that person! So, let's make a pact, me and you and whomever else is reading, let's shake on it, pinky swear and all that good stuff... I will write in this blog AT LEAST once a week and update all the movies I've seen in that week - in the theater and at home. Agree? Great! Moving on now. "Paranormal Activity 2" is the second installment to the low-budget, big hit "Paranormal Activity". This one doesn't continue where it left off, it tells of the events leading up to what happened in the first one. O.K., that's all you get. As you know, I don't give away anything in this blog. I talk about something in the movie that made me think or raises a question. Let's talk about paranormal activity, not the movie - actual paranormal activity. Do you believe in ghosts, spirits or demons? When a door shuts on its own, did a ghost shut it? When a draft comes from the window, but the window isn't open, does it make you wonder if your house is haunted? What about strange, unexplained noises? How can you explain something falling off a shelf on its own when it wasn't tinkering on the edge? We've all experienced something like this at some time or another, haven't we? We don't usually get spooked by it. We just blow it off - "Huh, that was weird. Oh well". Do ghosts only stick around if they've left some unfinished business? Are they only connected to houses and buildings or do they follow people from place to place? OR... are all those strange, unexplained instances nothing at all? As we enter Halloween week, really think about it. Is any of it real or is it just a way to freak us out during Halloween time and spook us in a dark theater? Whichever it is, if they do it right, it works!

I'm baaaaa.. aaaaaaccccccckkkkkk!!!

It's been a number of months since I've posted, though I've seen tons of movies in that time. I've seen the usual ones in the theaters, but I've discovered a new found love of old movies - classics that, for one reason or another, I just haven't seen. It's almost a crime that I've missed some of these, but don't call the cops, because I'm finally catching up! Because of that, I've decided to tweak my blog a bit and include movies that you can find on DVD. Also, in December, I accepted a position as a host, writer and producer at ReelzChannel, T.V. About Movies, so I have more reason than ever to continue writing about my life-long passion, movies. That's the main reason I haven't written - I've been super busy. Good busy, but definitely busy. Be sure to catch me on Hollywood's Top Ten Monday through Friday at 7:30 p.m. eastern. Each day, I count down a different category and show clips from some of your favorites. Look for shows, such as Car Chases, Movie Makeovers and New Classics. You'll also notice that this is a different blog address. In time, I hope to transfer all my old blogs to this address if you're feeling nostalgic. O.K., now on to the serious business at hand... today's movie! It's Tyler Perry's latest flick, Why Did I Get Married Too? The question should really be, "Why did I stay in it for so long?" This movie deals with four couples, all going through something different in their marriages. Some are cheating, one is ultra-jealous, untrustworthy and a little bit crazy, one stayed with her ex even though he physically abused her and they're all lying in one way or another. I'm a proponent of making marriages work and not giving up too easily. I think a lot of people just throw in the towel and don't even try to fix bad marriages. I mean, look at our divorce rate... but on the other hand, if it's violent, if you're being unfaithful and if you feel you need to hide stuff from your spouse, is it worth it to stick around? Many people say they're doing it for the kids, but don't you think it's healthier for children to grow up seeing their parents happy and apart, then miserable and together? I don't know. You tell me.