Secrets of the Heart

  Falling for Christmas Starring Lindsay Lohan, Chord Overstreet, and Jack Wagner She's back! First I want to say that I have always been a fan of Lindsay Lohan since "Parent Trap" and I am so happy to see her back on screen. Lindsay stars as Sierra Belmont, a rich heiress who proves that there is more to her than fancy designer clothes and daddy's money.  When I first heard the synopsis, I thought it was another version of "Overboard" originally starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell but I was wrong. It has its own rustic charm with its theme of family, tradition, and memorable keepsakes. We learn early on that Sierra lost her mother when she was very young and the snowglobe her mother treasured was the link to her memories of her mother. She clearly has a close relationship with her father (Jack Wagner) who is anything but a pushover parent. He's supportive, caring, and wanting only the best for his daughter.  Her desire to not want the position of vice

  Lake Michigan Monster Starring Ryan Brickson Cole Tews, Beulah Peters, Wayne Tews, Daniel Long, Erick West, & Chris Hoelter Challenge Accepted. I don't usually find treasures like this unless I stumble upon them on my own. It reminds me of a B-rated comedy film from the classics. It has the cinematography of old films like "The Creature from the Black Lagoon," comedy of films like "Naked Gun," and graphics of pre-top technological days however it is entertaining all the same.  Captain Seafield hires a team to hunt and kill the sea or rather lake monster who killed his father "so long ago." I must say, I believe my favorite plan was Operation Nauty Girl. I won't say why, you'll just have to watch to find out. By the end of the film, we finally come face to face with the monster and yes, even feel some sympathy for her. She asks or rather pleads for peace from the game of vengeance they've been playing with each other all these years. 

  SpongeBob The Musical Starring Ethan Slater, Gavin Lee, Danny Skinner, Wesley Taylor, and Christina Sajous I am not a fan of SpongeBob Squarepants so you can imagine my reluctance to watch the musical but alas, I was pleasantly entertained. My kids love SpongeBob, especially my oldest but I always felt I lost IQ points just hearing the episodes in passing.  If you recall from my Shrek The Musical review, I stated that not EVERY film should be made into a musical and not EVERY musical should be made into a film. This, of course, is a TV to musical production and the creators succeeded very well. The actors give their all in these performances, embodying the beloved characters of the small screen; the costumes are vibrant, cheery, and are enough for the audience to easily identify the characters brought to life; the music makes your feet want to move, hips wiggle, and voices bust into song with the cast; this is what a musical is. I was pleased to see genuine costumes and not over the

  Along for the Ride Starring Emma Pasarow, Belmont Cameli, Laura Kariuki, Andie MacDowell, Kate Bosworth, and Dermont Mulroney This is a feel good film that really pulls at the heart strings. Emma Pasarow plays Auden, a recent high school graduate that finds she never fit in with her classmates so she decides to explore the unknown. The unknown, in this case, is Colby. She decides to branch out by living with her father and stepmother Heidi while working at Heidi's store.  While staying with her dad and stepmom, she sees a repeated pattern from her father; not helping, isolating himself, and easily giving up. At first she tries to cover for him but later, acknowledges the truth with some help from her mom. Though her mom consistently made negative comments about her dad, it was to try to save her from the pain of rejection. Heidi was a new mom, caring for their daughter Thisbe by herself which had proven to be a stressful task. Heidi had no help and no break even when she asked fo

  Shrek The Musical Starring Brian D'Arcy James, Sutton Foster, Christopher Sieber, and Daniel Breaker First, I must say that I do love the Shrek films; well, maybe "love" is a strong word. I LOVE the first film, LIKED the second film, and surprised there was a third. I shall say that I was challenged to view Shrek the Musical from two friends of mine. I love musicals however, I will say that I feel Broadway has gotten carried away. I'm a firm believer that not EVERY film should be a musical and not EVERY musical should be a film, so where does Shrek the Musical fall? Personally, the films should not have been touched. This may be entertaining for children however I had many problems with this. One such problem is the music. A successful musical needs to have memorable songs or even a singular song that stands out. I did not find any of the music catchy or memorable. The one song that caught my attention was the cast cover of "I'm A Believer" which was o

 It's agreed that what Amber Heard has done to Johnny Depp is absolutely despicable and disgusting. She has fueled anger in so many. For someone who wrote that they are "a public figure representing domestic abuse," and "felt the full force of our culture's wrath for women who speak out," she has done more damage than anyone can imagine. Domestic violence victims have difficulty speaking out because 1) they fear for their life, 2) believe that no one will believe them, 3) will continue to be victimized by their abuser, and 4) their perpetrator will receive little to no punishment for their crime.  Our society has made the assumption that women are always the victim and men are always the abuser but that is not so. Due to Amber's heinous and false accusations against Johnny, she has made it that more difficult for domestic violence victims to not only come forward and be believed but she has done what many abusers have done; further induce fear into victi