Inception

Inception Review

by Priya

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Science Fiction

Released: July 13, 2010

Director: Christopher Nolan

Inception centers around a failed architect, Dom Cobb, who has resorted to illegal measures to try and fix his enormously complicated and dark past. His partner, Arthur helps him conduct corporate espionage using highly advanced technology that enables them to travel into the subconscious of subjects, and steal secrets, thoughts, and memories inside of their minds. Most of the movie takes place inside dreams, and almost none of it takes place in the reality.

Dom and Arthur try to steal from a rich businessman named Saito, and make him believe that they are trying to help him. Also, while performing the mission, Mal, Dom's deceased wife from his own mind arrives and messes everything up.

In actuality, Saito had been testing the two men, and wanted them to infiltrate the mind of business heir Robert Fisher, as his dying father Maurice Fisher's large company was engulfing Saito's smaller company. He wanted inception, the act of inserting an idea into someone's mind while they rest.

Influenced from the idea of clearing his name, Cobb and Arthur take the challenge, and gather their team for the job. In Paris, he recruits young architecture student Ariadne to structure the worlds and mazes inside of the dreams. He also gathers Eames, a conman, and Yusuf, a chemist, and together, they do the impossible.

Afterthoughts....

When I first saw this movie, I was astounded. I didn't really understand it, but it amazed me. Everything about it was so intriguing, and the events of the story were more chaotic and real than they actually were.

I decided to watch it again, and try and figure out the details I either missed or forgot from the first time I saw it. I was able to grasp the plot and most of the details, as well as the fast-paced action and swift, yet deranged characters.

The whole movie itself was demented, but not necessarily in the way one might think.

After seeing this movie, I immediately recognized how well the movie was played out. Every corner was covered, and everything came together in the cliffhanger ending. It was not only a science fiction film, but an emotional drama that dealt with the importance of family, and the dark secrets of Dom's mind explained just why he acted the way he did. Mal, Dom's deceased wife, played an important part in the movie; she was the real reason the movie had a purpose. Even though he never saw her alive in the movie, he saw her as his own interpretation of her; it was only what he remembered about her. However, because he couldn't let her out of his mind, she began to work against him, and made everyone's job increasingly more difficult.

The actors did a splendid job, in my opinion. The main cast included Leonardo DiCaprio as Dom Cobb, Ken Watanabe as Saito, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Arthur, Ellen Page as Ariadne, Tom Hardy as Eames, Dileep Rao as Yusuf, and Marion Cotillard as Mal.

The actors and actresses captured the suspenseful moments, the dramatic moments, the sad ones, as well as the comedic ones. The movie's computer-generated effects were astounding as well; the effects made the movie feel so real, and the music added more liveliness.

Overall, this is a must-watch. It's unlike any movie you will ever see, and it's so increasingly difficult to explain that it's easier if one watches it. A warning, though. You may find yourself wanting more after the credits start to roll out, but there is no sequel!

Inception earns a 5 out of 5 from Priya Ray.

Spelling Bee

Yesterday was my middle school spelling bee.

I had been preparing for it, and gone over the word list millions of times.

On Wednesday, I got to school a little early, and had to go to the bleachers and sit with the other kids. Normally I would go to band at that time, but since I was participating in the spelling bee I didn't go. I had my friend test me on my words a few more times.

When I got to homeroom, I stayed at my usual desk and studied until they announced that it was time for the spelling bee to start.

I grabbed my books and walked out of the room, and up the four flights of stairs to the third floor
to the classroom where the bee was held.


The bee began, and an eighth-grader went first, and spelled her word incorrectly. She was asked to leave. A few more kids went, and then it was my turn.

One of my words was, "genetic," and I spelled it correctly!

By the second round, there were only four of us left. They were hard words, but I was prepared.

The boy ahead of me got his word right, but so did I. The two boys that went after me both got their word wrong, however.

Then it was just me and the other boy. One of us would be champion, and the other would be runner-up. I knew what I would be.

The boy was asked to spell, "lucrative."

He spelled it wrong.

My word was, "sedentary." If I spelled that word right, I would be champion.

And so I did.

"S - E - D - E - N - T - A - R - Y," I said.

I won.





So I was the winner of the School Spelling Bee. I'm advancing to the regional bee in March.

After the regional bee comes the Scripps Spelling Bee.


WISH ME LUCK!!

Monday

Today I woke up, and began to moan because I knew I had to go to school for another 9 hours. Then I remembered that I had a doctor's appointment before school. I relaxed, and went back to sleep.

Since the doctor's appointment was at 8:30, we woke up later than usual and left the house in the pouring rain. My mom had planned to take me to school after the appointment, but that never happened.

Traffic was horrendous for an unknown reason, but that was a minor occurrence. We got to the podiatrist's office, and my mom had a heart attack when she realized her flat tire. The appointment went smoothly, but my mother had to call roadside assistance while I stayed in the waiting room and watched the horrible weather forecast for the US.

Unfortunately, the lug nut on the tire had cracked in half. The mechanic put the donut tire on, and my mother drove slowly to Mozda, where we sat in the waiting room for 3 hours watching Rachel Ray while they put on an entirely new wheel.

It was expensive.

For some strange reason, that morning, I knew I most likely wasn't going to school. It wasn't for the reason I thought, which was the appointment extending for longer, and then getting stuck in traffic.

If a child is not in school by 11:30, they are not allowed to participate in any after-school activities, which means that if by some chance my mother had taken me to school afterwards, It would really have been for nothing.



Today was actually really good. I had some McDonald's hash browns, a Crunch bar, and a salad and fries from Wendy's. And of course, I got to skip school.

I owe it all to the cheap and inexperienced mechanics that put the original tire on!

Remembering 9/11

Today is September 11. It's been 12 years since the tragic events that took place in New York. Planes crashed, people died, and things were on fire. We will forever remember this day.

But that's the problem. Most people don't remember that day. They choose to try to forget it, and some don't even know much about it. Why?

Because children in the 10-12 age range were either babies or not even born yet when the towers fell.
My teacher said that we live in another world now. On September 10, 2001, everything was different. Security wasn't as stressed, and people could get away with showing up for a flight 15 minutes before takeoff.

However, I used to visit Washington D.C. often through ages 2-5. I remember seeing the burnt Pentagon and wondering what the heck happened.

He also said that the first sports event to take place was a Steeler Game... in Heinz Field. His buddy had two tickets, but rumours were spreading about something happening at the sporting event, and no one wanted to go with him. So, my teacher went with him, and it took three hours to get in the stadium.  The searched EVERYONE, patted them down and there were marine corp men with machine guns on either side.

 They finally got to their seats at the end of the third quarter.


Now, it's 2013. The "future." The World Trade Center HAS been rebuilt. There are memorials that mark where each tower stood, and at night TALL light beams shine up, towards the sky, forming the tall buildings that used to stand there.

Posting Troubles

Okay, so I know I haven't been posting for a while. In case you were wondering, I have started school, and with swimming, gymnastics, homework, and random after-school trips with my family, I haven't really had time to blog. Don't worry, I've got more reviews and posts coming, and I'm currently writing a book, which will be for sale on this site!

My next post WILL be about 9/11, so stay tuned until then. This was just a newsflash for any of the people who read my blog.

Siblings

Lots of people have siblings, and the ones that don't often want them.

I have a little brother. My friends like to say he's that he's adorable, or that they'd trade their twin or their older sibling for him. And sometimes, I feel the same way about their little siblings. 

The truth is: Every child is up and down. Literally. 

At first, when visiting, you may see them as cute, sweet, gentle, and... yeah.
But after hanging around them for long you kind of see their true colors.

Wow. I just described my brother in an example story.

I'm not saying all children are bad. I've actually met some youngsters who are very well-behaved.

Youngsters. What am I, 60?

On the other hand, I'm the older sister. Being the oldest has advantages and disadvantages. More of the latter.

• I get to boss my brother around. It doesn't always work.
• Every time my brother crys people assume it's my fault.
• I don't get to go first often in board games.
• This list is getting boring.

My foot is falling asleep.

I'll write more about this later. Or not, I don't know.

Color Sensational Lip Gloss by Maybelline

Yo. I'm back from vacation.

I'm going to do a review of Color Sensational Lip Gloss by Maybelline!

These two are the ones that I own. I'll be comparing them. The pink one is Punch of Pink and the orange is Coral Heat.

Keep in mind that how these glosses show up on MY lips may vary from the way they show up on your lips. I'm Indian/African - American, so my lips are darker.

Punch of Pink 

As you can see, this color tinted my lips with a slight pinkish color, nothing more. I wouldn't say I loved this color, but it's alright. 

Coral Heat

I liked Coral Heat better. The color was much brighter and suited my dark lips well. It actually looked the way I thought Punch of Pink was going to look. 

Pros Punch of Pink 

Good for people with dark lips who want a slight bit of color, but nothing too flashy.

Cons Punch of Pink 

Lip gloss tastes bad. It really is gross, so don't lick your lips to get it off.

Expensive. Unless you've got money to burn, I suggest buying only 1 to start with.

Pros Coral Heat

Color shows up nicely on lips, just the right amount of pinkish orange.

Cons Coral Heat

Expensive, and bad tasting. Also,it takes some rubbing into lips as it gets a little solid sometimes. This is with both glosses.

Cost

They're pretty expensive, ranging from $5 - $7 apiece. 

Repurchase?

Yes. I purchased 2, and out of those two I loved 1. I didn't HATE the other, so, yes, I'd purchase again.

Overall

I'd really give this product a 4 out of 5.  It's a nice lip gloss, but it could be better. And better tasting. Or less expensive, both really.

John Hancock Tower View

This is a picture I took from the top of the John Hancock Tower. Looks like it belongs on a postcard, huh?

Vacation... heh.

Alright guys, so I'm going on vacation EARLY tomorrow morning to Chicago. We plan to drive there and spend about 8 days before heading back. During that time, while I won't have as much time to blog, I'll try to post pictures.

Also, I entered the "Flat Sonny" contest hosted by HER Interactive. I've already printed out Sonny(in black and white, sadly) and I'm going to take pictures!



Okay, bye. I've got to... do stuff.

Review Requests?

Hey people, I made an Ask.fm account! Ask me anything, (nothing too personal) and I'll get back to you with the answer for sure.

So, go on. Ask me.

http://ask.fm/CupcakesandCrazyReviews

Eos Lip Balm

Eos Lips Balm

Eos Lip Balm is all the rage right now! So twist off the cap, pucker up, and treat your lips to the smooth sensation of Eos.

This lip balm is super cute and handy. The little twistable container is really good for making sure the lip balm doesn't escape and ruin everything in your purse.

However, despite the cute packaging and delicious flavors, the balm doesn't really do anything for my lips. It just makes them waxy and sticky. It might reduce dryness temporarily, but otherwise... no.

Also, just because something is organic, doesn't automatically make it awesome.

Feedback
✓ = Pro  ✘ = Con  

 
✘ Does not do much in healing chapped, dry lips.

✓ Comes in a cute spherical twist container in an assortment of different colors and flavors.

Rating? I'd rate this balm a 3 out of 5. Just 'cuz, well, the balm doesn't really help my lips hydrate... just saying.

Would I recommend this product to a friend?

Maybe... if they were opting for a cute little lip balm sphere more than the actual balm itself.

The Deadly Device

Name: The Deadly Device

Publisher: Her Interactive

Released: October 2012

Rating : E10+

Not Scary      Mild      Bit Intense      Scary      

                     ^    

Plot

The monster-hunting and the mummy scavenging ends for Nancy. For now.

After a world-renowned scientist named Nico Jovic is electrocuted while on the verge of a scientific breakthrough, Nancy is hired to investigate what might have been murder.

Despite the fact that she's in a highly technical lab chock full of toxic chemicals and a murderer, Nancy will solve the case in no time! If she doesn't get herself killed, that is.


Characters

Niko Jovic

Niko Jovic was doing research on Nikola Tesla before his suspicious demise. He was on the verge of a major breakthrough: The secret to wireless energy transfer.

Ellie York


Sullen and unhappy, Ellie York works the night shift at the lab just so she can get away from Mason, who works during the day. Ellie was the one who found Niko's body in the lab.

Mason Quinto


Anti-social describes Mason almost perfectly. Not only does he hate being bothered, but he hates Ellie. Mason believes that Niko's work belongs to him, and that he should get credit for it, not Niko.

Gray Cortright


Gray is intimidating and mean, and it is clear that he hates his job as a security guard. He's hard to interrogate or even speak to, so it's possible that he is hiding something. When he's not around, its easy to find keys to help get into locked places.

Ryan Kilpatrick


Ryan is the lab's technology worker. She's smart and very friendly, making it easy to get information out of her. However, with her vast knowledge of science, and, most importantly Tesla coils, it's possible...

Victor Lossett


Being co-owner of the lab, Victor hired Nancy to solve the case. Victor's away for most of the game, distracted by a meeting elsewhere.

Feedback
✓ = Pro  ✘ = Con  

✘ As excited as I was to play this game, I had to admit, the game was a little boring at times.

✓ The puzzles are excruciatingly difficult, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

✘ There is a limited amount of exploration space. I would have liked it if I was able to explore the lab more.

✓ Characters are full of depth, movements are realistic, and quite hilarious. Sometimes I found myself laughing along with the character's lame jokes or hostile behavior.

✓ Animation is beautiful, objects are solid. Voice acting is superb.

Conclusion

This game was... fun. I liked it for various reasons, and disliked it for others, as shown above. I would recommend this game to my friends and family, and will definitely be playing the next game.