Movie Review Monday: Face/Off

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Welcome to another awesome edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the 1997 action movie Face/Off, featuring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage.

I've seen this movie a few times, and watched it again most recently with my brother. We wanted something simple and fun, and this delivered. The entire film is pretty ridiculous, over the top, and implausible, but it's fun and doesn't try to push an agenda or message. It takes most of it's queues from classic action movie cliches and the unique style of director John Woo.

The basic premise is that Travolta plays a cop, Sean Archer, chasing down Cage's rogue criminal, Castor Troy. Troy killed Archer's son and has been wreaking havoc for years before Archer finally apprehends Troy. Once captured, Troy's last scheme of deploying a bioweapon on Los Angeles comes to light, and Archer has to go undercover to stop it. The catch is that Archer has to take the face of Troy in order to go undercover at a secret maximum security prison to find out where the dirty bomb is. They end up swapping faces (Troy awakens from a coma and forcefully takes Archer's face) and a game of cat and mouse is on.

The premise is obviously pretty wild. The entire movie is essentially just wacky antics from Cage especially but also Travolta pretending to be Troy pretending to be Archer. It's just bad enough to be entertaining however, and while the movie is confusingly long in my opinion (over two hours), it is an enjoyably bad movie.

If you're a fan of classic '80s action movies and/or Nicolas Cage, this is definitely worth checking out. It is especially enjoyable if you listen to How Did This Get Made? do their review of the movie. They notice some laughable moments from the movie that I didn't catch the previous times I watched it but after listening to it, I really noticed them this most recent viewing.

Check out Face/Off, streaming right now on Netflix.

Thanks for stopping by!

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 05/15/15

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Geek-and-proud

Good day to you!

Here's what is going on in my world this week:

  • The Flash

Flash's first season has been amazing. It's pretty much everything I could want from a weekly superhero show; fun, action, good characters, and an expansive universe. It's been more entertaining than Arrow's frustrating third season (which is tough since season 2 of Arrow was so awesome). Next week's episode is the season finale and I'm excited for what they'll tease for season 2. They've already laid out a lot of groundwork for things to come, and I can't wait to see what they do next.

  • Agents of SHIELD

This past week was the season 2 finale for SHIELD, and this has been an interesting ride for the show so far. It feels like it has gone in a really intriguing new direction with introducing the Inhumans and focusing a bit more on superpowered people while still holding to the basic premise of the show; being about ordinary people in an extraordinary world. While it still doesn't hold up as well to some of the other comic book shows I watch (Flash and Arrow), it is still an awesome companion to the ever expanding (and fun) Marvel Cinematic Universe. I foresee it playing an increasingly important role to the films, filling in gaps and establishing backstory to the events of the films. The show is definitely worth looking into if you're a fan of the MCU.

CBS recently released an extended first look at their new superhero series (check it out above), which does a great job of showcasing the background and vibe of the show. Going for a more fun, lighthearted feeling, Supergirl looks like it is going to stake out its own place in the growing crowd of comic book shows on TV right now. I'm looking forward to seeing something different and am happy to see a female led superhero show come to the fray and hold her own with the likes of Arrow, Flash, SHIELD, and the new Legends of Tomorrow. Her and Agent Carter are important role models and are just awesome shows (or at least look like they should be in Supergirl's case).

Thanks for stopping by!

Batman and the Open Work Environment

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YY0du When I was in college there was a blissful place in the library called the quiet area. I could go to this place and something magical would happen – no one would talk to me or around me. It was my own productivity cave. Then, I got to the real world and I was introduced to the open work environment – also know as a fashion show of headphones.

The open work environment – an airy creative space to give you room to think. To allow you to collaborate with your colleagues and to really get some “innovative” work done. But what if collaboration isn’t for every minute of every day? At first I thought, I was a broken millennial. I am terrible at ping-pong and other games that frequent the open work environment, and I prefer not to drink beer at work. For the record, I like my cave. I want to be alone.

Someone who prefers to work alone? An endangered species. But then it hit me – Batman (no he didn’t actually hit me, that would suck and I would probably be dead). Batman liked his space and he did a pretty good job juggling a double life as a super hero and millionaire. Not only that, but he knew when to work with a team and when he was the only man for the job.  If he ever did yoga, his balance would be a sight to behold.

Working styles differ and finding the best one for you is important.  Realizing the space and environment I thrive in boost my productivity and creativity. Some prefer the active and energizing open work space, other prefer a coffee shop buzz or working at midnight.  Whatever you prefer, finding the right fit will be a great improvement on your work life.

If anyone needs me, use the signal. I’ll be in my cave.

Bethany’s background includes working for startups, corporations, and ad agencies. Her area of expertise is digital communication and marketing strategy. She works as the Marketing Director for CordiaGrad and graduated from University of Kentucky (Go Cats!) with her B.B.A in Marketing.

Bethany has lived in 6 different states and enjoys taking spontaneous weekend trips to explore new cities. She is a Memphis native and volunteers with St. Jude Research Hospital.  She follows Kentucky Basketball when they are winning which, according to her, is always. Connect with her on Twitter to keep the conversation going.

The Secret to Helping Your Students Find Themselves

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* This post was edited from one originally posted on The Student Affairs Hub.

I wasn't the most adventurous person when I was growing up. I only ever really went to the places I knew and ate the foods I knew I liked. While this tendency will always be a part of who I am, I've started to make intentional attempts to travel more, try more, and just get out of my comfort zone more.

You know that line about where the magic happens? Yeah, that's what I'm talking about here.

I have gone to more cities in our great country, started blogging, and have put myself out into the professional world meeting colleagues and forming connections, which as a proud introvert, is hard for me at times. I might mumble and grumble going against my nature, but afterwards, I'm always glad I made the effort to get out of my shell. I'm even planning my first trip outside of the country with my partner! I never would have thought I'd want to do a lot of these things or even have the opportunity to do them. I'm grateful for the growth these different opportunities in my life have given me and I know that students have the potential to experience the same learning.

As a student at college (or someone who works with them), there are ample opportunities to find ways to get out and experience more new things. That could be because someone is just in a new area while you're at college, it could be joining a new club or organization, applying for a job (on-campus or off), it could mean going on an alternative break trip to do service, or going away to study for a semester abroad. All of these hold value for engaging in an experience that, even if it is not exactly what was hoped for, students will get out of their comfort zone and learning new things about themselves, and the world around them.

So, making someone take risks, face fears, and embrace discomfort is easier said than done but the importance and value of the experience far outweigh whatever reticence a student might have. What we have to do as student affairs professionals is nudge our students to the zone of proximal development as it applies here, or in other words, where challenge and support are primed for growth and learning for students. They don't feel too safe or too challenged, but the discomfort is enough to allow for them to learn something new. For example, a student could learn a lot by traveling to a new city in the US with a group of fellow students, but it could be too much for them at once to perhaps travel alone to a new country.

Students will also simply listen to their trusted mentors on taking risks and finding their identity outside of their comfort zones. Our faith in them and our knowledge of the benefits of the aforementioned experiences help urge a student to go for it. I know when I was an undergraduate student, I never would have thought to apply to be an RA (which was far out of my comfort zone) but a few recommendations to do so from professional staff members helped send me other the edge and give it a shot. Five years later, here I am having found a career I love and I owe it all to the encouragement of others.

I urge you to urge your students to get out and experience new things. I'm sure they'll thank you for it.

Thanks for stopping by!

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 05/08/15

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Geek-and-proud

Good day to you!

Here's what is going on in my world this week:

We got some more details about the first Phase 3 movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe recently, as production began on Captain America: Civil War. We found out some of the notable folks who would be in it (some expected, others not) and got the synopsis of the film as well. I look forward to seeing this movie next year, as this ideological struggle is one of my favorite storylines in the comics. Check the link above for more details.

I was saddened to hear the news that Fox cancelled this show after three seasons. It was a pretty good network comedy and was one I enjoyed watching with my partner. It grew on me and stuck a bit better than it's spiritual sibling, New Girl. We may have some hope though, as Hulu may pick it up and continue it's run. I hope they do, since Hulu is hurting for a killer show in their streaming lineup.

I've been hearing a lot of random, sporadic rumors about this show, so I'm happy that now it is going to be an actual thing, and that thing is going to be called Legends of Tomorrow. Brandon Routh's ATOM seems to be leading the charge for this super-powered team up show with a time travel (!) element to the proceedings. No premiere or episode order has been set but it will be awesome to further explore the expansive DC universe on television, interestingly way before the movies get anywhere near the same depth. I'm a big fan of this DC TV Universe so I'm hopeful more is better when it comes to this new series.

Thanks for stopping by!

What I Was Geeking Out About: April 2015

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Geek-and-proud

Hey there! Here's what was going on in my world last month:

There was so much to geek out about last month, and to help you sift through it all, here's my monthly wrap up of all the stuff that was on my mind in April:

Thanks for stopping by!

Summer Movie Musings: Avengers - Age of Ultron

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avengers-age-of-ultron-giant-poster-final This past weekend saw the wide US theatrical release of Avengers: Age of Ultron, the much anticipated Marvel team-up film that continued the momentum of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) started all the way back in 2008 and has continued with several awesome movies and television shows.

It's hard to top the unique movie event that was the first Avengers movie, but Age of Ultron (AoU) succeeds at being a ton of fun, just like all of the entries in the MCU. With some amazing action set pieces, cool new characters, and a global scale to the proceedings. Ultron is a suitable villain, but these movies still are struggling to create as good a villain (and as persistent a one) as Loki.

Even with a stuffed cast of characters, a frenetic pace, and some universe building to do, the movie doesn't feel as unfocused as other superhero films were trying to do the same (Amazing Spider-Man 2 comes to mind). We get precursors to future solo movies (most importantly Captain America: Civil War and Black Panther) as well as the Infinity War saga. I appreciated these nods as well as the introductions of Vision, Quicksilver, and Scarlet Witch. They're all cool new characters that fit right into the established MCU.

Ant-Man is the next entry in the MCU (which I am really curious to see) and it will continue to expand the history of the Avengers, SHIELD, and looks to keep the same vibe of action and fun. I'll continue to review all the movies I see this summer, which will (hopefully) include Pitch Perfect 2, Inside Out, and Ant-Man (there are other movies this year I'm looking forward to as well, they just come out way later).

What did you think of Age of Ultron? Did you see it in 2D/3D? IMAX?

Thanks for stopping by!