Why I Stopped Posting My Child's Face Online

I recently made the decision to stop posting my child's face on my social media profiles (including Facebook, Instagram, etc.)

I'm aware that there are a lot of people that I know that still do this. And honestly, that's fine. I do not judge them for that. Everyone has the right to decide what to do with their own social media accounts, AND their kids. But, the fact that I know so many moms and am friends online with so many mom's who do this, I didn't want to post my reasoning on those accounts because I know it will come off as some kind of virtue signaling, or just "look at me and my decisions, they are better than yours". I'm not trying to give that impression. 

Plant Haven

So I figure, I'll post my reasonings on my blog, which hardly anyone reads, much less the people I'm online friends with on those platforms. I'm making it so that if someone wants to dig hard enough, they can and will see my reasons, and that's fine! If they never find this, that's fine too. I'm putting this out there in the world in case the right people do come across it. I'm not trying to say that everyone's values and views should be the same as my values and views. But, if you come across this post, I hope it will give you something to think about!

So with that out of the way...

I'm a fairly new mom. I have a two year old son, and if you caught my last post, you'll know I'm also pregnant with our second child (gender to be discovered!) When I first had my son, I was like any other new mom, posting the newborn hospital pictures on my feed, announcing my sweet baby's arrival, and the subsequent monthly updates. 

I don't think I realized it fully at the time, but even back then I felt... weird about it. As long as I've had a social media, I think I've been like everyone else where I'm trying to pick the best and favorite edited photos in my camera roll to share the highlights that I want to share. I did this back in 2020 when I shared some of my makeup looks, and I've done it on the blog for years when I share some of my VSCO edited photos of my every day life. 

It gets a little weirder to me when thinking about what pictures of my son, my child, LOOK the best that I want to post and share with people and the world. 

Posting my child online, subconsciously made me to ask these questions when considering which ones to post - 

Which of these photos does he look the cutest? 

Which of these photos show my best vsco editing on him? 

In which of these photos does he showcase the kind of child I want to be seen as raising? 

Which of these photos is worthy to showcase the announcement that my son has finally entered the world? (out of the 75 of them I took, trying to get the "perfect photo" for my son's newborn announcement)

Maybe at this point you can start to see where my "ick" has come from at the beginning. Why would I think it's appropriate to have such an appearance mindset towards my baby son?

My son is barely alive. Barely born into this world, and by posting him online, I'm subjecting him to this type of scrutiny, even if only in myself, even without realizing it. 

I recognize that not everyone will even have the same mindset about choosing photos of their children. Maybe no one is thinking anything remotely like those questions above. 

But, as I grew my "mom knowledge", another huge reason to avoid posting my son started to make itself known.

Privacy, safety, and consent. 

The internet has evolved so much since I was young. Predators are constantly finding new ways to be, well, predatory, online. I'm not going to cite my sources here, you can do as much as a google search to find out more about what I'm talking about. But nowadays, AI software is so advanced it can be used to change an innocent photo into something very realistic that can be used for evil. Even apart from AI usage, I have known people personally who was involved and trusted in church, but was actually a child predator. He would google pictures of little girls to use them for his fantasizing and f*etish behavior. Truly disgusting stuff. I would not be surprised if he used pictures on Facebook of friend's kids for the same thing. 

And you know what, sure. Any predator online can do anything they want to any photo online, including of me! This isn't exclusive to children. I have to make my own decisions about my own face online based on that knowledge. But the fact that my child is a minor and is unable to consent to any of that, is where I draw the line. 

My son does not have the ability to decide if he wants to subject his face to random online predators. He is two. It's my job as his mother to protect him in the ways that he can't protect himself. 

If I'm out in public and someone is filming my child without my notice or knowledge, then there's nothing I can do about that, sadly. That person will receive their due payment for their behavior. But subjecting my son to predatory behavior and even just scrutiny online is something that I can control.

Some might believe that their children's pictures are "safe" just because they have their accounts private. 

I thought that too, and to this day my accounts are still private (even thought all my son's photos are removed by this point). 

The fact is, your child's pictures are simply NOT guaranteed safe within a specified group of people just because they are posted on a private account. Screenshots are a thing. And chances are, people you know (or think you know) aren't who you think they are. Remember the dude I knew personally that I mentioned above? He was involved and respected and trusted in the church. Perfect "private friend group" material (also don't worry, he's in jail now).

But I want to share child updates with my friends online! Great. Do that without pictures. You can type a post about your child's development and funny quirks without any pictures at all (on Facebook). Or better yet, if my friends want to keep themselves updated on my life and my kid's progress, they can come see me and my kids personally! That's what hanging out is for. That's what a village is for. That's what church fellowship is for. 

This leads me to one last point about no longer sharing my child's face online - which is kind of a perk! I can't tell you how many mom friends I know who, as soon as they had kids, their social medias are just FULL of their kids. It's all about their kids. You go onto their profile, with their name on it, and I can't even find the person, cause it's allllll about their kids! 

Again, this is fine, and whoever wants to do this, is totally fine. But I think a big part of "losing yourself" in motherhood is blending your life with your kids in ways that you don't really need to. Of course, becoming a mother completely changes your life. This is a wonderful thing, this is how it should be! But each individual mother in the world is still a person, and still themselves! Why not utilize YOUR social media, to showcase YOUR updates? And YOUR likes and dislikes? And YOUR hobbies? And YOUR favorite foods? And YOUR milestones? Your profile has YOUR name on it, after all!

Even if you're a mom, YOU ARE NOT YOUR KIDS! 

I'm a new mom myself, but I've already met many many moms who struggle with this. They even come to resent their kids for it! 

We can be great mothers, but I also believe that our individuality is a priceless gift! 

GOD made me, ME. He gave me children, and being their caregiver is part of who I am. But it's not ALL of who I am. Just like being a wife is not ALL of who I am. 

I am me, a child of GOD, made in His image first and foremost. 

After all, if people want to be update on my life, they can come to MY social media and be satisfied. Because it's my social media, and I'm an adult posting myself and/or other adults who consent to be a photo on my page.

At this point I've seen enough and heard enough online and otherwise in my personal experiences in life that this is the conviction I've come to have and therefore must follow through on it. Again, I recognize not everyone agrees or feels this way, and that's totally fine. But I hope that if you have found this post and read my thoughts, maybe it will help your thoughts on it too! 

If you have any thoughts you want to share, feel free to leave a comment!

~ Amaris // ☆

2018 Movies

Hey everyone. I did a thing.
That thing was that I decided at the beginning of 2018 (yes, that's last year) I wanted to keep track of all the movies I watched, and what I think of them. 
You know, just for funsies. 
Here's the list.

It's long, I know.
Don't @ me.

(Note: Please do your own research before watching these, especially with younger movie watchers. Every movie title in this post links to the review from either Plugged In Online, or the Parent's Guide section from IMDB. Thanks, peeps!)

January:

January 1st: Priceless (2016)
Not my favorite Christian flick. I love the heart and inspiration behind it, but the story felt flat and slightly cheesy according to my standards. It kept me interested, so that was good, but that still didn't redeem it, in my opinion. 3/10

January 17th: Forrest Gump (1994)
A rewatch. Seriously considering naming this my personal 'favorite movie of all time'. There are some skip-worthy moments for sure, but I would say the movie as a whole is worth it. 10/10

January 20th: The Greatest Showman (2017)
As far as I'm concerned, this movie can be called "The Greatest Musical Amaris Has Ever Seen That Doesn't Annoy The Heck Out of Her". 8/10

Total Movies: 3

The Greatest Showman

February:

February 14th: You've Got Mail (1998)
So freaking cute. A great remake of the old 'Shop Around the Corner'. A few cuss words to watch out for, but mostly clean. 8/10

February 15th: The Young Victoria (2009)
Captured my heart completely. So, so beautiful. (Gimme that Prince Albert right now pls) 9/10

February 22nd: Walt Before Mickey (2015)
Wasn't sure if I should put this on the list, cause I didn't finish it. A huge shame. Not the hidden Netflix gem I was hoping it would be, and not worth my time at all. 0/10

February 23rd: Wonder (2017)
A very sweet movie. Probably wouldn't watch it again, tho. Just don't care enough. 6/10

February 23rd: Gifted (2017)
A very sweet little movie. The little girl was adorable. Some cuss words, a lil bit of sexuality, but mostly ok. 5/10

February 24th: Cast Away (2000)
1. 'WILLLLSOOONNNN'. 2. Out of all the FedEx boxes that got washed up on the island, he saved 'the special one' in the hopes of delivering it one day, 3. Kelly's picture inspired him to keep living. A Tom Hanks masterpiece. 8/10

Jebruary 25th: The Glass Castle (2017)
Frustrated me on so many levels, this movie. The characters, the story, the content, everything. The soundtrack was pretty, tho. And I love all the actresses who played the main girl. 4/10

Total Movies: 6.5

The Young Victoria

March

March 2nd: Bruce Almighty (2003)
VidAngel blocked out so much it was kinda hard to watch. Kinda funny during some parts. We had an issue of some false doctrine going on though. Sorry Morgan Freeman, but it doesn't say "be your own miracle" anywhere in the Bible. 2/10

March 4th: Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
Way more morbid than I was expecting; but I somehow still liked it. The actors were good, the soundtrack, the cinematography, all beautiful. (Extra point because I also liked how it brought me back to the old days when I read 'Poirot Investigates' for school in 10th grade.) 9/10

March 7th: Sense & Sensibility (1995)
Didn't like it as much as Price & Prejudice, but it was lovely, just the same. 7.5/10

March 17th: The American President (1995)
Save yourself the trouble and just watch the trailer; the only good parts in this movie are in there. 3/10

March 22nd: Turner and Hooch (1989)
Sweet, adorable, hilarious. Theres is some content but it's worth a watch with a filter. 8/10

March 24th: The Imitation Game (2014) 
A re-watch. Still as good as I remember it from a few months ago. I'll reference you to this post for my full opinion. 9/10

Total Movies: 6

Murder on the Orient Express

April

April 5th: August Rush (2007)
It's so good. It's emotional, it's gripping, it's heartrending. Yet, these 'lost and found' type of movies always kinda frustrate me. There are always so many 'almost' moments. Kinda reminded me of one of those emotional dog movies. Still really good tho. 8/10
April 7th: I Can Only Imagine (2018)
Way better than I expected. It tells the story of MercyMe's Bart Millard, and the events that eventually led up to him writing one of the greatest Christian songs, I Can Only Imagine. Would highly recommend. 10/10

April 14th: Catch Me If You Can (2002)
My family and I really enjoyed this fascinating depiction of Frank Abagnale, who becomes a master con-man with fraud before he turned 19. We watched it with VidAngel, and I'm glad we did because I did NOT want to see some of the stuff I cut out. Anyways, if you've got a filter, give it a try! 9/10

Total Movies: 3

Catch Me If You Can

May

May 4th: The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015)
Wasn't great, but very beautifully put together. Story line kinda bored me. 3/10

May 5th: Paddington 2 (2017)
Saw this while babysitting. It was pretty cute, in spite of being a bit cliche. 4/10

May 25th: The King's Speech (2010)
I loved this one. It was written beautifully, acted with such talent, and the story had me very interested. 10/10

May 26th: Sherlock Holmes (2009) 
It was ok. There were too many 'convenient' things. The fighting and action sequences were a bit too choreographed, which I found annoying. I enjoyed RDJ in this movie tho. 6/10

Total Movies: 4

The King's Speech

June

June 12: Titanic (1997)
Third time watching. I love this movie and it still gets me right here in the feels every freaking time. 10/10
June 13th: The Money Pit (1986)
A bit funny during some parts, but too sensual and dumb to watch again. 2/10

June 13th: Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
An actual gem!! So sweet, adorable, and sad. It reminded me of what I like about old old movies. 10/10

June 16th: The Incredibles (2004)
This was my favorite superhero movie growing up (cause it was the only one I was allowed to watch haha), and I still really liked it when we watched it after all those years. 8/10
June 17th: The Incredibles 2 (2018)
I really liked it. It was kinda feminist (which I'm not), but I really enjoyed watching. 8/10

June 20th: Jurassic World (2015)
I feel like this movie is put together well and it's a fun experience for a family movie night, but over all it's not super great. 5/10

June 28th: The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966)
A re-watch. This is the best old Don Knotts movie, in my opinion. The ghost story used to really scare me as a child, but it's funny now. I guess that means I'm a grownup...? 7/10

Total Movies: 7

Breakfast at Tiffany's

July

July 4th: The 'Burbs (1989)
I didn't enjoy this one very much. There are way better Tom Hanks movies out there for anyone who wants to watch a classic.

July 9th: Big (1988)
Soooo cute and hilarious. It made my sister and I laugh and cry. We loved it. Watch out for a kid says the f word once, tho. 10/10

July 14th: The Bucket List (2007)
I kinda liked it because it was sweet and had a good message, but I kinda disliked it cause there was some sexy stuff and language. So idk. 5/10

July 16th: The Terminal (2004)
A great Tom Hanks movie. Super sweet and 10/10

July 17th: The Circle (2017)
This movie annoyed me. Is it supposed to be the future? I'm not sure I understood the ending? Is the movie saying that no privacy is good or bad? Why does Mae change her mind about who she stands for and what she believes in so much? So many questions?  1/10

July 19th: Big Eyes (2014)
Such a touching and beautiful movie. I loved Amy Adams. The setting was beautiful, the story was heart-gripping (ending with happiness!), the acting was great. Yes, yes yes.   9/10

July 19th: A Hologram for the King (2016)
It wasn't the greatest Tom Hanks movie. There were some sweet moments, but I wasn't fond of the ending, and plus I had to skip a couple of things which makes it hardly worth my time anyways. 3/10

July 19th: The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)
Another 'Not the Greatest Tom Hanks Movie' movie. A complete wasted evening, if you ask me. Too many dumb and sexual things. Even Carrie Fisher didn't make things better. 0/10

July 21st: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)
Even if Western isn't my thing, it's easy to see why this is my Mom's favorite movie. It was definitely a classic, really gripping and kept me on my toes. I really enjoyed the experience, if I'm being honest. 8/10

July 28th: Hello, My Name is Doris (2015)
There were a lot of cute things about this movie, and I enjoyed those parts but on the flip side of things the ending kinda annoyed me plus there was some sexy stuff as well as language, so the good parts weren't worth it. 4/10

Total Movies: 10

The Terminal

August

August 2nd: Jaws (1975)
I really like sharks, and I really like this movie. I don't know why. 7/10

August 10th: Christopher Robin (2018)
It brought back good memories but on the other hand I almost fell asleep watching it because it was super slow. Really cute tho. 3/10

August 31st: Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Me and my sister impulsively decided to watch this one late evening after getting frozen yogurt together mainly so we could laugh at the funny emo segments. It's not a horrible movie, to be honest. But Marvel can do (and has done) a lot better. 5/10

Total Movies: 3

Christopher Robin

September

September 2nd: The Meg (2018)
It was no 'Jaws'. But I did like some of the character development, a few of the jump-scares, and the main character did a good job, in my opinion. Over all, it wasn't a bad movie, and I had a good time  cause I saw it in theaters with my brother. 4/10

Total movies: 1

The Meg

October

October 7th: Sleepless in Seattle  (1996)
It was sweet, but also unsatisfying. I really wished for some cute couple moments between Tom Hanks and the girl. 'Big' and 'The Terminal' are much better if you like romantic Tom Hanks. 5/10

October 12: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)
I realllly loved this movie! And I hold the (apparently popular) opinion that this movie does the book justice. It's great if you like period dramas, romances, WWII movies, or just sweet movies. 9.5/10

October 15th: Larry Crowne (2011)
Sooo funny and cute. I still like 'Big' and 'The Terminal' better for romantic Tom Hanks, but this one is really close to those two. 7.5/10

Total Movies: 3

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

November

November 4th & 24th: Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
Absolutely loved it! It had some content issues, so I would read the Plugged In review for this one, especially before watching it with younger viewers. But apart from this, one of my favorite movies this year. The theater experience really added to the music, I felt like I wanted to get up and dance! It's hard to walk away from this movie not a Queen fan.10/10

November 22nd: A Knight's Tale (2001)
It had some pretty cute parts, and a few really funny parts, but nothing great enough to make me care to see it again. Heath Ledger tho. *nods* yes. 3.5/10

Total Movies: 2

Bohemian Rhapsody

December

December 14th: Letters to Juliet (2010)
I remember watching this movie when it first came out, and being the young, romance-loving person I was at the age of 12-14, I was absolutely obsessed at the time. This was my first time watching it again since then, and although Charlie was not as ravishingly handsome as I remember, the plot not quite so capturing, it was still really, really sweet. It brought back sweet memories, and I just  liked the story. It wasn't great, but I liked it. I also might have shed a small nostalgic tear or two. But you mustn't tell. 7.5/10

December 14th: That Thing You Do! (1996)
Didn't really go crazy for this one. The story kinda dragged on, and it was a little weird overall. I loved Liv Tyler's character, tho; and *spoiler* I loved how she got together with that drummer boi - super cute *end of spoiler*. 3.5/10

Total Movies: 2

Letters to Juliet

~*~

Grand Total:  
50.5 Movies

There you are, folks. Yeah, I know I should've posted this in January. But I'm not that late. Anyways, my plan worked! I watched way more movies in 2018! It was a good year.
Well, thanks for sticking around to the end, peeps.

I'll be back sometime on this blog.
When? I don't know.
But sometime.

-Amaris


Have you seen any of the movies on my list? What are your opinions of them? 

Problems I Have With Pride & Prejudice 2005

I am not a negative person by nature, but I would like to present these thoughts of mine for your reading pleasure. Let us see on whether or not we agree!
I did a rather old post kind of like this awhile back, but my opinions have changed a little, so I wanted to update from a fresh perspective. So here you go.

Disclaimer: These are my own personal opinions, they are not meant to bash anyone who might think differently than me. Let's keep this fun, peeps.

To begin.

~It's too short

This story is not one to be taken in a small amount of time. The story requires a good deal of thought and pondering to enjoy it thoroughly. When watching P&P '05, we cannot do that. It's too painfully short. It's so short it hurts my brain to watch it.
I really wish they would've:
1. Made the movie into a miniseries, or at least
2. Made the movie super long.
This would give us much more time to spend with the movie's beautiful aesthetics and appreciate things such as acting talent. *sigh* But alas.

~Elizabeth Bennet's makeup isn't accurate- and it just bugs me in general

This "I love you" rainstorm scene in particular (completely setting aside the fact that this scene in this setting wasn’t supposed to happen anyways) just bugged me because of how dark and sultry Elizabeth’s makeup was. I am not a ‘costume’ expert, but I do know that back in these times, makeup was very faint, natural, and light. The only people who wore makeup enough to see was women of ill repute, or... (dare I say it on this clean blog…) prostitutes, who were essentially outcasts.
Not to mention dark, smudgy eyeliner bugs me in general. But that’s just me.
(Also, this is off the makeup biz, but why is Elizabeth such a ragamuffin in general? Certainly neat hair and ironed clothing were a must, even for someone of her class?) (Help me out, history peeps.)

~The costumes aren’t accurate either

This one I can’t say much about, as I am not a ‘costume’ expert, as I said. But in spite of my thoughts on this movies’ costumes, I have been in the discussion of other people who know much more of the subject who also think the costumes are historically lacking. And who am I to argue with a history person?
Plus, I just don’t understand Caroline Bingley’s dress in this ball scene at all??? In the 19th century, I always figured that women didn't wear night gowns to balls...
But perhaps I'm wrong... anyone?

~Mr. Darcy is the opposite of attractive (*whispers* aka he's ugly)

I know, I know. Some women think otherwise. This is my personal opinion (and no offense to the actor as a person), but I do not care for this Darcy’s looks. He’s supposed to be handsome, right? Isn’t that what the book suggests? Help me here, people. It’s been awhile since I read the book. P&P 05’s Darcy is not how I imagine a handsome-suitor-with-a-gazillion-pounds to look. Also, his hair is weird.

~The Bingleys are weird

Caroline does alright at acting high-and-mighty and all, but her costumes are horrid (again with the nightgown ball dress), but she's not even in the story enough for me to even have an extensive opinion about her.
That scene when Caroline was supposed to have caused her brother to leave town to keep him away from Jane? Like, for real that scene just happened so fast and without very much explanation at all. If I hadn’t read the book already, I would’ve been completely confused, as my mom was because she hadn't read the book. *frustrated groan*

And I haven’t even gotten to Charles Bingley yet. Let me just say this; I think Hollywood/other movie making people are getting confused about what the term ‘handsome’ means. He’s friendly enough (I rather think his personality is on the ‘ok’ side), but he’s just not attractive. At all.

~Mr. Collins isn’t ridiculous enough to make me hardly notice his existence at all

This Mr. Collins is just kind of there. Like, hardly anything happens with him until he proposes to Elizabeth and gets rejected, and even then he’s still not much of anything when it comes to ‘personality’. As I remember it in the book, Mr. Collins was supposed to be somewhat ridiculous and comedic, while he tries his best to be serious. You could take this Mr. Collins out entirely and it would effect the movie very little.

~The Bennet family isn't ridiculous enough either

In the true spirit of Jane Austen's writing, the Bennet family (apart from Jane and Elizabeth) are supposed to be ridiculous enough to make you laugh to yourself, and even out loud. P&P '95 captures the hilarity splendidly, but in 2005... I honestly can't remember laughing once, to myself or otherwise.

Mrs. Bennet is okay. Not funny, but okay. Mr. Bennet I probably like the most. But the rest of them are filled with many non-laughable moments (or perhaps they ARE laughable, but the moment is too short that I can't notice / enjoy it?) that leave me more bored than amused. Sad, but true.

~*~

Well, that's about it. 
Let's end this barrage of negativity with some positive notes:

A Few Things I Do Like:
~Jane Bennet (I love Rosamund Pike in this role)
~The soundtrack (I live and breathe the music from this movie no joke)
~The sets and props and aesthetics (such a beautiful movie really)

~*~
There you have it. My true thoughts on a movie controversial among period drama lovers around the world. I did re-watch this right before I wrote this so that I can remember all of my thoughts (gotta be accurate, you know?), and was not entirely bored, because in spite of it's flaws, I do enjoy watching it.
It's not terrible by any means.

On another subject, I feel like I've been posting a lot of period-drama related posts lately? Or is that just me? I certainly enjoyed the period drama tag all the bloggers did awhile back. :)
But if I'm not careful, I might end up one of 'those' period drama-obsessed blogs.
*shivers*
Anywho.
Let me know which of these sentiments you agree or disagree with. :)

See ya.
-Amaris

Just a Few Opinions About 'The Imitation Game' [2014]

 "I'm not a spy, I'm a mathematician."

The other day, I watched a movie, The Imitation Game.
And the movie surprised me, a bit. There were some things about it that I didn't expect. So, I wanted to write a post about it, for your enjoyment.
Here we go.

Let's Start Off With a Disclaimer: 
I'm not going to recommend this movie to you to watch if your family has young children, unless members in your family are, say, 16-ish or older. Or whoever is old enough to view things like homosexuality in a movie with a fresh, biblical perspective. This is not your "Family Movie Night" kind of movie. With that being said, it is a good idea that every movie you wish to watch with your family in your own home be reviewed first by a reputable 'Christian worldview' movie site such as Plugged In Online, which my family has been reading for years.
This is just my suggestion, of course, and I understand that every family is different in the way they do things.
Anyways, you will probably understand/agree with me more after you read my opinions here.

In light of that, let us continue!
Here are my opinions about The Imitation Game, starring  Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Allen Leech, plus more.
The overview:
Alan Turing, a British scientist and mathematician (who was also a homosexual), and his team have to break a system of 'unbreakable' Nazi codes by building a machine (a.k.a. 'the world's first digital computer) that will analyze and decipher German Enigma messages in order to win WWII.

Let's begin with a few notes on talent:
1. Brilliant acting
Everyone played their role incredibly well, in my opinion. I always love a movie where the acting is on par. It makes such a difference. Sometimes people say I have high standards when I (occasionally) say I don't like a movie because it has bad acting.
But for real, good acting can seriously make all the difference in the world, in spite of how good the story might be in itself.

Also, on acting:
2. Keira Knightley surprised me
I gotta be honest: Keira Knightley has never blown me away with a role. I guess it's because the only films I've seen her in have never done much for me. I don't like any of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies,  and you all know my opinion about Pride & Prejudice 2005, which isn't a HORRIBLE movie, but like I said, 'it doesn't do much for me.' 
I was surprisingly pleased by the good job Knightley did with this role in particular. I even, shall I say, enjoyed watching her. It could've been her chemistry while acting with Benedict Cumberbatch that did the trick, or perhaps she was just acting better than normal.
I also really appreciated her character (a.k.a. who was actually a real person, but we'll call her a 'character'). She was very supportive and understanding, able to do a hard day's work, but also smart as any man. That is what I call a good strong female character that isn't annoying or sexualized!

3. The story overall
I have to mention the overall telling of this story.
I feel like it deserves more than just to say 'it was done well'. I say that the story was interesting, kept me un-bored, flowed nicely, wasn't confusing (for the most part), as well as historically pleasing. Meaning, historical in a way that is enjoyable yet sad (at the same time) without being too morbid, as some war movies tend to be.
Yes, I just made up that term, 'historically pleasing'. It's like 'aesthetically pleasing' but with history. Do you like it?  :)
Anyways. Just in the case of the story itself, it was a good movie from that standpoint as well.

Now I shall get into some (*ahem*) 'other' stuff.
4. The movie didn't go 'overboard' with the gay stuff
There is one thing in particular (apart from all the good things I've already said about it) that stood out and really impressed me about this movie.
While it is the story of a homosexual man, the movie COULD'VE taken a whole lot more 'creative liberty' with the homosexual details, but it didn't. I mean, his lifestyle was apparent and pervading throughout the movie, but it could've shown a lot of things.
It could've shown him with other men (*cough*), but it didn't, and in another part, during a friendship story that the movie told between young Turing and another boy at his school (while it was clear the boys were 'very fond' of each other), it could've portrayed their friendship much more intimately, but... it didn't.

I guess I was impressed that this movie was actually able to tell the story according to history while not 'spicing things up' like they could have. And I respect that. Especially since our culture and society really pushes and supports the lifestyle, this movie was just telling a story. A good story.
That's why I do not consider The Imitation Game 'A Gay Movie', but rather 'A Movie About a Man Who Happened to be Gay But Also Did Some Other Stuff'.
You know what I mean? There is a difference.
In fact, the only thing to watch out for as far as 'explicit gay content' is just one comment Turing makes at one point in the movie about his activities with another man. It was definitely cringe-worthy, but other than that, 'content-to-watch-out-for' is almost (almost) nonexistent in this movie.

Basically though, this one thought alone is what made me want to write a review post on this movie.
Maybe I am easy to please, but it sure impressed me.

Don't get me wrong, of course. I'm not into 'gay movies' now.
You might remember that I didn't watch Beauty & The Beast for a long time after it came out because of the whole 'openly gay character' thing.
I still don't agree with the homosexual lifestyle (same as I don't agree with stealing or lying or cheating or ANY sin).
But if you'll notice, BatB was sort of... making fun of the whole thing. They were, in fact, playing with it.
Whereas, The Imitation Game was simply a true-story depiction. As in, this really happened. And they're telling the story about it.
It would be one thing if I were watching the movie because I support gay people. It would also be one thing if I was watching the movie because I enjoy gay characters.

No, no.

I watched this movie because
1. I love historical movies (at least the ones that are 99% clean),
2. I like WWII stories that don't just involve the battlefield and the gestapo and people hiding Jews,
3. I wanted to watch this movie when I first saw it come out because it looked interesting back then,
4. I don't think it's right that people back then were so hateful to homosexuals, and I think it's important to remember the way things used to be for people,
 and
5. Benedict Cumberbatch is my favorite actor (No, I'm serious. That's a legitimate reason.)

And there you have it.
If you choose to watch this movie, I hope you enjoy. Watch out for a couple of moments, but all in all, it's the kind of movie that I think is 'important to see eventually in your life'.

Thanks for reading!
-Amaris

Have you seen The Imitation Game? 

What did you think of it?

Spider-Man: Homecoming // 2017

Did you ever think you would see another Spider-Man post on this blog?
Well, if you did and even if you didn't, here's another one.
This past Sunday I saw Spider-Man: Homecoming.
I'm going to try something different with the way I present this review. I'm going to separate my thoughts into categories, and we shall see how it goes.
What's that you say? You want pictures and gifs? Don't worry, I have those too.
Let us begin.

Firstly, I must say, this is a bit of a long review, as I have lots of things to talk about. I tried to cut it down some, but it's still pretty long. So bear with me. :)
Before I actually saw this movie, I was a little worried that it wasn't going to make a lot of sense, because I got the impression after watching trailers that it went hand-in-hand with the latest Avengers movie.
That would have been very confusing, considering I have not seen ANY Avengers movie, ever. So if SH made a lot of references to past stories, where would that leave me? Thankfully, that didn't really happen. While the Avengers people DO tie into Peter's story in this movie (Iron Man and Captain America were both involved), Spider-Man: Homecoming stood 99% on it's own, apart from just a few references that I didn't really 'get'. Anyhow, I was happy to discover that a person can watch SH with or without having seen past Avengers movies.

What I Liked About Spider-Man Homecoming:
~First and foremost, I gotta say that Tom Holland did an excellent job as our friendly web-slinger. Even though I love past Spider-Men, Tom has something that they didn't: youthfulness. Sure, Tobey Maguire looked kind of young, but he didn't really look high school age to me. Same with Andrew Garfield. But Tom? Perfection. He did such a good job at being awkward, and boyish, and a geeky science nerd, and fifteen. Which is quite young to act like. But Tom did it! He brought it. Amazingly. You see, Peter Parker's character has to have the correct ratio of boyish and edgy (but not annoying) sarcasm, spider-resembling superpowers, and emotional baggage for him to be the Peter he was meant to be.

From the Amazing Spiderman... see what I mean about the sarcasm...

 He is a combination of weakness and strength, *semi-spoiler* but his strengths always come through in the end, just like they're supposed to. And they end up saving the day, which was a great part of this movie. *end of spoiler*
He is your modern and updated Spider-Man, but he's still your classic Peter. He even cried a couple of times. Yes, when you get Tom Holland as Spider-Man, you get the complete package.
Like I said, Tom did it. Jolly good show, Tom.
*hats off to tom*
 Plus can we just take a second to appreciate how low-key adorable he is....

~The overall story, I feel, was engaging and very thought out. Some of the problems I get when I try (yes, I do try) to watch other super-hero movies (HEMcaptainameicaAHEM), is that they don't have enough plot to satisfy me. Well, there's plot, I guess. But it's just a bunch of fighting plot, and not enough interesting plot. I feel like I can't even get to know the hero because everything is moving too fast and everyone is punching and shooting, but where's the emotion? Where's the personality? Where's the heartbreak? I just can't find it. But in Spider-Man: Homecoming, I found it. The excitement and violence did NOT outweigh the touching parts, and we were actually given a chance to resonate and connect with who Peter is supposed to be as a character.

-"I just want to be like you!"  -"I want you to be better."

~This movie was funny! I loved the kind of humor that Peter's friend, Ned, brought to the picture. There were some scenes that I just laughed right out loud. It was just enjoyable like that. I get a little tired of crude and rude humor in movies. But thankfully, this movie wasn't like that (for the most part). It was genuinely hilarious. It was the perfect blend of serious stuff and funny stuff, which (to me), is what a good super-hero movie should be like.

I also like how Ned knew Peter was 'The Spider-Man'. It brought a lot of humor into things, and it was kind of a refreshing change from the first Spider-Man movie with Tobey Maguire when literally no one knew who he was. I guess I'm glad that Peter wasn't alone in this one. Several people knew who he was, actually.

What I Didn't Like (yes, there were a few things):
~Aunt May. I did not like Aunt May. No offense to the actress who played her in the movie, but I prefer the older, friendly, understanding, granny-type Aunt May. This one was... weird. And annoying. She didn't seem like your typical 'aunt' at all. I mean, I know everything is supposed to be redone and modern and updated in this movie, but couldn't we keep the 'old Aunt May' theme? This one seemed more like Peter's older sister! Plus, to me, the two didn't have the aunt/nephew chemistry at all. Every time she tried to encourage him, or give him a hug, or just be his aunt that we've always loved, it was just... so... weird. It didn't seem right. :P

~There was one more little thing: I wish that the movie had shown more of Peter helping and saving people. There wasn't anything BIG that he was able to help with. In fact, he messed a lot of things up. It almost seemed like Spider-Man wasn't a big deal to anyone at all. Aren't superheroes supposed to be heroes to people? I do realize that the movie was portraying how young and naive and immature he's supposed to be, but I feel like they could have made him be a bigger help to random people in general.

 Ok, last of the dislikes:
~I did not like Peter's high school girlfriend/crush, Liz. Ok, I didn't hate her. I just didn't feel like she was right. Kind of like Aunt May, she didn't seem to go with Peter. She wasn't terrible, but I think they could've done much better. She was no MJ. Also, it was kind of weird that she's like, 8 years older than him (in real life, not in the movie) and I could kind of tell it. But I do like the way Peter acts around a girl he likes. It's pretty funny. XD

Violence & Other Content:
~I didn't enjoy the generous amounts of language sprinkled throughout this movie. Why are superhero movies like this? Can't they just be clean? Anyways, you have to watch out for cuss words. Because there are some, including an unfinished f-word (please, Marvel. Please), crude comments made by high schoolers (you know how they are... in the movies, anyways), rude nicknames for Peter, and your usual d-word, h-word, a-word, and more that I can't remember. It wasn't an unbearable amount of language, but I gotta say that a language filter would be nice to watch this movie with.

~As far as violence goes, it didn't seem super intense or graphic to me. I'm not used to watching Marvel movies, you understand, so I don't rightly know what kind of violence levels are in all of them. But anyways, in spite of a few small things, the hitting and punching and shooting wasn't the worst I've ever seen in a movie.
A guy gets disintegrated by some kind of matter-dissolving ray gun (that sounds pretty cheesy when I type it), Spider-Man gets beat up a couple of times, of course (he's the 'good guy', after all). People scream when there's a disaster on a ferry, a store almost gets blown up, etc. You know. The usual.

That's almost all I had to say, but here are A Few Other Things:
I liked the villain: Not too cheesy, interesting enough. I liked his bad-guy costumes, too.
I liked Michelle: She's always... just... there. With funny comments. "You guys are losers..." "I can't believe you guys are at this lame party."
I liked Tony Stark: Or as the internet calls him, 'Papa Stark'. I love his role as Peter's mentor figure, and the way he sweeps in with his fancy suit all the time.
I liked the high school setting: All the teenager vibes, backpacks and school hallways. Sticky notes, pencils, notepads, gym bleachers. You know.
I liked Peters super-cool super-suit: I do feel like the spider symbol thingy could have been more epic looking, but the rest of the suit and all it's gadgets was pretty cool. Karen was hilarious. :)

Overall:
I kind of expected to enjoy this movie because of my partiality to Spider-Man, and I did. It was put together well, the acting was splendid on everyone's part, I laughed out loud and even almost cried once. It was quite a fun time all around because I usually don't watch superhero movies at all, much less in theaters. So it was pretty great. Would I recommend this movie? Yes. Even if you're not a superhero person (and I'm still not at all...), I dare you to go see this movie and not enjoy it.

After all, this is what I said when my friend texted me and asked me how the movie was:
Me: "Well, there were a lot of funny little bits, mixed with touching bits, mixed with exciting bits, [plus Ned plus Tony plus Karen] and altogether it made a pretty enjoyable movie."
And so.
I think I've said my piece. If you've read all the way to the end, congratulate yourself.
Bye, friends!
-Amaris

But first... just look at those glasses... look at them.

 Ok. Bye.