The Interview Review

Hi guys, I'm back, my baby (my laptop) is back, the holidays are pretty much over, and we are back into the swing of our everyday lives. Many of you have heard about this movie in the news lately, everything from hackers, terrorism, etc. Some people think the hacks and terrorism threats are true, yet others think it was all just a plain publicity stunt? What do you think? Leave your own opinion in the comments section, I would love to read them!

Anyways, let's get on to my review of The Interview...

Movie Title: The Interview
Rachel's Rating: 4 stars

     So, a few months ago when I saw one of the first previews for The Interview, I wasn't really all that excited. Sure, I was excited to see James Franco (who isn't, honestly?) Seth Rogen, and a few other cool actors in a movie about one of the most popular leaders of a country and how they try to "take him out" (ha, get what I did there *insert that one smirky emojii face here*). However, with all of the popularity, and comments about the movie, it's release, etc., etc. I actually kind of wanted to see it. Since the movie was released, not only in a few theaters, but also pretty much all over the Internet, my family decided to rent it on our Xbox 360 (there's also GooglePlay, YouTube, and a few other websites with the movie, just check out theinterviewmovie.com).
     Going into the movie, I had really low expectations. I knew it was going to be at least funny and entertaining watching a dynamic comedy duo and a very political topic, but I was actually pretty surprised! The movie starts off with a very haunting, somewhat, performance of a little girl singing about her love for North Korea and her hatred for the United States. Throw in a little bit of a story build up about Dave Skylark (James Franco's character) and how he is a very famous celebrity on a celebrity tabloid show, his producer Aaron (Seth Rogen) is feeling a bit down because the show isn't completely recognized as a real TV news show. All of a sudden North Korea decides to target the US with their new nuclear missiles and everyone goes crazy! Just so happens, Dave Skylark lands an interview with North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un (Randall Park).
     Overall, I thought it was a really good movie, some parts were pretty laugh out loud funny and other parts were actually pretty serious with a few good facts about each country and how their political systems are ran. I would also like to mention that my favorite part of the whole movie was James Franco singing Katy Perry's Firework. Now, if you know me in person, I love both Katy and James very very much, so it was the perfect combination! Definitely watch the movie if you're a fan of one, or both, celebrities, you will be laughing your head off for a good two minutes. In the end, I suggest you see The Interview just to know about the movie everyone is talking about so you can keep up with the news, and for a few good laughs.

Check out the trailer for The Interview here, if you haven't seen it yet:
Click Here to Watch The Interview Trailer

Apple

     Many people have asked me several questions about Apple, their products, the store, customer service, if Mac is better than Windows, etc. Well, all I have to say is that I love Apple and Mac products. My whole life I grew up with Windows and Microsoft. I loved it, no complaints whatsoever. Of course there are a few bad things, but I'm pretty positive and just kept going down the path of life. Well, a few years ago right before my junior year of high school my dad decided to switch my computer from a Windows PC to a Mac Mini.
     Now at this point in time I had already owned a third generation iPod Nano and an iPod Touch third generation (I loved both by the way), so I had mixed feelings about switching, but I was very excited because I have always wanted a Mac computer. Ever since then I have been a full Mac/Apple loving gal. So, of course you might have a few questions for me now that I have stated my side of the argument, well, I am here to answer those basic questions that many of you may have.

1) What's so different about Mac from Windows? What makes it better?

      In my own personal experience I believe Macs are easier to use than Windows. The user interface for a Mac is pretty self explanatory, you click an icon and it pulls up the program. All of your programs you're looking to use are already on your Mac, for FREE. Wanna edit a photo? Just open up iPhoto, the same place where you store your photos. iTunes stores your music, syncs your iPhone or iPod, Address Book saves your contacts, you can use the Apple Calendar or Apple Mail for those specific tasks, iMovie helps edit movies with a super easy interface that ANYONE could use. All of these programs are already installed on your computer once you take it out of the box. 

     Worried about viruses? No problem. With Windows you have probably had tons of viruses and tried out a wide variety of anti-virus programs. With Mac, it has a built in anti-virus system. It is EXTREMELY rare to have a virus on a Mac. If you do, just take it to an Apple Store or call of Apple Care, they will gladly help you without a doubt.

     Don't know if the price is worth the investment? I understand your problem. I was nervous about spending over $1,000 on a computer as well, but it is definitely worth it. During the time that i have had my Mac Mini (three years now) my cousin has purchased TWO different Dell Laptops due to the many various reasons of her computer problems, updated items and such, you get the point. Macs just last longer. My Uncle gave me his old Macbook laptop from back in 2003, I still have it, it still works with all of the same programs it has had since the beginning of it's usage. Macs are just better when it comes to life expectancy. 

2) How's Apple's Customer Service?

     The Apple Store has the very best top of the line customer service. Worried about switching over to a Mac? Don't be, just take one step into an Apple Store and there will be a friendly face waiting for you willing to answer any questions you have, point you in the right direction of the electronic you are looking for. If you don't want to talk for too long, you don't have to. Once an Apple associate shows you where to find your desired electronic, they leave to let you play around with the device for as long as you would life. At first it's pretty awkward playing on a random computer or iPod, but then you get sucked into the beauty of the device and end up walking out of the store with your very own copy of it.

     When you think your device is broken and have no where to turn, don't worry, Apple has got you covered. Before starting college I received a MacBook Pro as a graduation present. This past week, after taking an online quiz for my Psychology class, my laptop screen became all green and fuzzy (similar to how "snow" looks on your TV, only a bit more visible and green). I tried everything I could to fix the computer, but nothing was happening. Finally, I decided to schedule an appointment at the Apple Store with my Mac Mini. There are plenty of appointment times and days to choose from. The Apple website asked me if I had called Apple Care (I didn't because I google the symptoms of my computer, and apparently it's a common issue with the GPU [Graphic Processing Unit]). I showed up to my appointment an hour early, checked in, and waited 20 minutes and I was helped out by one of their employees at the help desk, which they call a genius bar. Their employee assisted me, asking me simple questions about what went wrong with my laptop, but he also asked me questions about my hobbies and school while performing a diagnostics test on my computer. Turns out I had to send my laptop to the company, the warranty covered all expenses, so they could fix it and return it back to me before seven days (how many times has a company said that and you have to call them every week for a month or two to get back your computer or device that still doesn't work? Yeah, that doesn't happen with Apple at all). Although I am without my baby (the laptop) for a week, I know that it is in good hands and that I have made a few friends with the employees at the Apple Store in the process.

3) The third question is...

     Whatever else you want it to be! Feel free to ask me any questions you want down in the comments. Of course I will try my best to answer your question(s) as soon as possible, but in the mean time, you can call Apple, or head down to your nearest Apple Store. Their employees will be more than happy to answer any and all of your questions.

This is not a paid for advertisement or anything like that for Apple and Mac products, I just wanted to say how great of a company they are and how much they have made my life a better, technology wise. But seriously, I love them. Thank you for taking care of my baby Apple! I hope to have her back in my arms super soon (I know I will). 

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed my random post about Apple, have a great day! 

Bath and Body Works Fall Candle Review 2014

     Although it may be the beginning of winter, I would like to post my review of a few fall seasonal candles I bought from Bath and Body Works.

Candle Scent: Pumpkin Cinnamon Bun in the Mason Jar Version
Rachel's Rating: 2 stars

     The first candle is called Pumpkin Cinnamon Bun. I bought it in a deal on the Mason jars that Bath and Body Works features throughout the year. I purchased this scent along with Pumpkin Spiced Waffle ( I think that's what it's called if I remember correctly). Now, the other candle I bought was amazing! I loved the scent so much that I bought a second car air freshener pack of it because it made my car smell like a plate of delicious waffles! This candle, not so much, sadly. It only made my room smell for a few minutes when I first lit it, but every time after that it didn't smell at all. Along with the lack of scent to the candle, the candle didn't last as long as I hopped it would. Of course I realize that it's a Mason candle and not their 3 wick candles, but I was hoping for it to last a bit longer than the five days (burning for about an hour or two each day) that the candle did last for. Overall, I was somewhat disappointed, but I did love the Pumpkin Spiced Waffle candle that I purchased along with this one. I read a few other customer reviews about the Pumpkin Spiced Waffle Fall Scent and they loved it as well, so hopefully Bath and Body Works will bring back the scent next year like how they did this winter season with Vanilla Bean Noel, that would be very exciting!



 Candle Scent: Pumpkin Cupcake the 3 Wick Version
Rachel's Rating: 3 stars

     So I realized when I finished burning this candle last night that I didn't take a picture of it, but if you wanted to know, the wax was a nice orange pumpkin color, if you're into that type of thing, haha! Anyways, I liked this candle to a certain degree. It wasn't my all time favorite candle of all time from Bath and Body Works, but I liked it enough to finish burning it. When I was in the store and I sniffed this candle the scent was amazing. They seemed to have captured the right combination between how a pumpkin smells and how a Vanilla Cupcake smells. Now, Vanilla Cupcake is my absolute favorite smell of all time. A few years ago my best friend had a Vanilla Cupcake perfume and it was the most beautiful smell I have ever smelt (that's a pretty weird sentence now that I think about it). I got home and I lit the candle for about a week and a half (burning about 2 hours of more each day) and I was happy about how long the candle lasted, which is good since it was a 3 wick version and I spent enough money on it with the buy two of the 3 wick candles for $22 (great deal by the way, if you can't get to their annual $8 3 Wick Candle day), but I wasn't too happy about how long the scent lasted. This candle was pretty weird, and I realize that it might have been me who was the weird one, but I would rather think it  was the candle because I would burn it for 2-3 hours a day and either I got used to the scent in my bedroom, or the candle seemed to lose it's smell after the first hour of it being burnt. I'm not quite sure how I feel about this candle. I could see them brining back this scent next season because Vanilla is such a common favorite with many men and women, but I don't think it will be one of the first scents I put in my bag next year during the fall season.


That's it for this year's fall candle review! My winter candle review should be out in a few weeks so look forward to that coming soon! Have a scent filled day everyone!

Howdy, It's Been a Long Time!

     Hey guys, I know it's been a few days since my last post. First semester college finals consumed me, along with my two jobs, family life, social life, etc. Obviously, all of those come first. Anyways, it's now winter break for about a month (yes, a MONTH :D ) and I am prepared to spend a majority of my time doing whatever I like during Winter Break because I'm not too happy with my final grades this past semester and I would like to focus 99% of my time studying. My future depends on these grades, and my children and grandchildren also depend on these. Every single action during this time in my life effects my future. *Sigh* that's a lot of pressure.
     Anyways, look forward to my next post with a bunch of reviews about a few items from my favorite store, Bath and Body Works (I'm not quite sure how I want to figure it out format and review wise, so I can't release an exact date). There's going to be a few other posts and such along the way this Winter Break like video game reviews, book reviews, daily updates, and such. Pretty much just look forward to posts more often than they have been for the next few weeks.

     See you all soon! Don't forget to like the blog's Facebook page by clicking the Facebook icon on the right and enter your email for automatically sent notifications for whenever there's a new post. I hope you all have a WONDERFUL day :)

-Rachel

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One Review

This post is way long past overdue, but when you're a college student the week before finals, school is a bit more of a priority than blogging (sadly). Anyways, here is a review for the newest segment of the Hunger Games!

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One
Rachel's Rating: 5 stars!

Alright, you so if you don't know me personally, I absolutely LOVE the Hunger Games trilogy. I read the very first book a month after it came out, thanks to one of my friends letting me borrow her copy of this "very awesome and unique book", and let's just say, ever since then, I have been in love with the whole entire series, world of Panem, and every single little detail about Suzanne Collin's book trilogy. So of course, this review might be a bit biased since I am a very old school fan of the series, but I'll try my best to keep it unbiased with the least amount of spoilers as possible.

Okay, so I have seen the movie three times in theaters since it came out about two weeks ago (once at midnight, on that weekend, and the following Wednesday) and I was not bored of the movie at all. Each time I saw it, I noticed new things about the movie, and things about the audience. It is hilarious watching the reactions of the women in the audience, but haven't read the books, and how they experience the cliff hanger ending, so funny!

Time for a synopsis!
The movie picks up about three days after the second movie, Catching Fire, ended with Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and District 12. It starts off building up on how District 13 is run by President Coin (Julianne Moore) and how they have survived for these past few years under the Capitol's radar. It's a very interesting build up of District 13, I just wished they had a bit more details like the book, but of course not every single movie based off of a book is going to be an exact replica. Katniss is nursed back to health, as much as possible, since she's still a bit cray cray from the games and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) being held prisoner in the Capitol. Plutarch (Phillip Seymour Hoffman, in one of his final roles) and President Coin question Katniss and ask her to be their "Mockingjay" of the revolution against the capitol and President Snow (Donald Sutherland) of course Katniss is hesitant and has a few conditions. There's some old friends that join Katniss in District 13, like Haymitch (Woody Harrelson), Gale (Liam Hemsworth), and Effie (Elizabeth Banks) to make the story a bit more interesting and to add comedic relief.

Enjoy the second to last movie in the book based series, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One. I know I did! I think it really means something when I have seen the movie three times (so far) and I consider Mockingjay to be my least favorite book in the whole entire series. I have to say Francis Lawrence (the director of Catching Fire and the two Mockingjay films with no relation to the beautiful and gorgeous Jennifer Lawrence) did an excellent job with this film, and the second part is ready to be released, since he filmed it the same time as part one, and he should release it early. Just saying ;)

Overall, I give the film five stars!
Now, enjoy this picture of me dressed up as Katniss Everdeen from this past Halloween...