Iron Man 3 Review

Last night I had the chance to go to the premiere of the new movie Iron Man 3 in Imax 3D. For weeks, I've counted down the days, and it was not a disappointment to say the least. I really enjoyed every element of it, from the action to the comedy and romance, and it was obvious I was not the only one in the theater that thought this.

The movie started with Tony Stark narrating a background story that began New Years Eve, 1999. Without spoiling too much, I'll begin with the main points of the movie. Tony manages to piss off an aspiring business man in that year which starts the rise of a new evil villain 13 years later, called the Mandarin. The business man, Aldrich Killian, appears to be working for this villain and now Tony is trying his best to keep him and everyone around him safe. Of course there can't be a movie like this without a little drama. After Tony hears about the Mandarin and threatens him, he is attacked at his house. As usual, someone close to him's life is now in peril, and he must find a way to save them.
After a short detour, Tony teams up with his good friend Rhodey, who dons his own Iron Man suit called the Iron Patriot, and they immediately search for The Mandarin.  The audience will be on the edge of their seat during this thrilling adventure with Stark and the gang, and a plot twist at the end will keep everyone guessing at what will happen next.

In my opinion, Robert Downey Jr. is the perfect actor for this series. He makes the movie come to life, the relationships real, and not to mention the entire movie action packed. We get to see the inner-workings of his mind a bit more now, and it's fascinating to see the brain behind the man.
Another aspect I really liked was the fact that this time, Tony wasn't exactly the main hero. Of course Iron Man kicks criminal butt, however we get to see Pepper and Rhodey in action too, assisting Tony in his quest to take down the Mandarin. After a few laughs, heroic moments, and Avenger references that made the series flow well, the movie comes to a close, and the audience clapped, clearly satisfied with how it turned out.

Overall, it was a great movie and worth seeing if you're a fan of Marvel. As always, stay after the credits for a funny bonus scene featuring another well known Avenger. With the success of this movie, it looks like Marvel is going to have a good two years ahead of them. They have at least 9 new projects coming up including Thor 2, Captain America 2, Ant Man, The Amazing Spiderman 2, Avengers 2, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Wolverine, and not to mention the spin-off TV series SHIELD all coming out. As a huge fan myself, I'm anxiously waiting and can't wait to see what Marvel will do next.

Music Speaks When Words Can't

Music isn't just something we listen to everyday, it's a way for people to connect and express themselves. It's an outlet, it's inspiration, and it's appreciated by different people for different reasons. With so many genres of music out there, we all have our opinions, but no one's opinion is wrong. It's music, and I think sometimes people forget that when they tell someone their music preference is "stupid" or "bad". There's no right or wrong in music. A friend of mine named Leah responds to this by saying, "Different people enjoy different things. It's called an opinion, and everyone is entitled to one." 

"In my opinion," says Katie Treadaway, "It is one of the strongest moving forces our world has at our disposal, and we don't take advantage of it. Many people lack the means to express themselves positively. Perhaps if they had access to music, our world would be a better place."

Music has the power to bring people closer together and it's one thing that most everyone has in common with each other. I asked Leah why music was so important to her and this is what she said, "It's basically the thing that keeps me sane. it changes moods, ideas, opinions, etc. Music makes the world better."

Obviously music is important in society and it seems to me that it's always been this way. Music is heard wherever you go; In the background in a store, in the elevator, in the car on the drive to school. You can't escape it. Music is powerful and I think sometimes we take that for granted.

I have many favorite artists, but I decided to narrow it down to just three. So without further ado, my top three picks, in order, for my favorite artists:

1. Ed Sheeran

For Ed Sheeran, it's all about the music. He performs for the love of music and for the fans. He's incredibly talented and can play a variety of music. With over 5.5 million fans at the age of 22, Ed Sheeran has come very far from when he first started his career at just the young age of 14. It was a long journey, but recently he's become very successful. What makes me love Ed so much, besides his undeniable talent, is his generous and kind nature. With all that fame, you would think it would've gone to his head already like it has to so many other artists, but it seems as if Ed's the same guy he was 8 years ago when he started. On one tour date, Ed even bought a bunch of the tickets for the front rows and pit seats and gave them out to fans who didn't have any tickets but were standing outside the venue, devotedly cheering him on anyway. (Besides, his fans are called Sheerios! What's not to love?)

Favorite Sheeran song: Wake Me Up

2. Mike Rosenberg (Passenger)

A friend and opening act of Sheeran's, Mike Rosenberg, better known as Passenger, also has amazing talent as well. His voice is so unique and his music speaks volumes. With all the songs about being in love today, it's refreshing to hear songs about things that are going on in people's everyday lives, and this is usually what Mike sings about. I personally love his music, but his unique style is certainly not for everyone. However, he was an easy choice for this list.

Favorite Passenger song: Heart's On Fire

3. Nina Nesbitt

This Scottish singer has a gorgeous voice and plays the guitar and keyboard particularly well. Her music, like Passenger's, is a unique style that I love. As a young artist, she's very inspiring. Nina writes her own music and lyrics and performs very naturally. I recommend Nina to anyone who's looking for upcoming artists as well as to venture out genre-wise.

Favorite Nina song: Jessica

The Final Problem

       Sherlock on BBC takes place in present-day England where a young Sherlock Holmes and his flatmate John Watson are now famous for solving mysteries. In fact, Sherlock is known as a "consulting detective" and many times we see the police coming to him and John for help on cases. The two have faced Sherlock's arch-nemesis Moriarty before, but in the second season finale, The Reichenbach Fall, he returns.

       The episode begins with John Watson visiting his therapist for the first time in 18 months. He seems out of sorts and at a loss for words. When asked what happened, John can barely manage to speak, but finally he tells her, "My best friend, Sherlock Holmes, is dead". The opening credits and music plays and we're escorted to three months before where many different scenes are showing Sherlock being awarded with gifts and gratitude for solving yet another case. 

       Meanwhile, outside the Tower of London where Jim Moriarty sneaks his way inside to steal the Crown Jewels. Seems like an ordinary Moriarty thing to do, right? Except Jim doesn't steal them at all. In fact, he comes extremely close just to let himself get caught. Why does he do this? To prove a point. To show England that Jim Moriarty is powerful and should be feared. Not only does he break into the Tower of London, but he also does the same to the vault in the Bank of England and all of the cells in Pentonville Prison just by using his mobile phone. Needless to say he is escorted to jail quickly to wait for his trial. The day of the trial comes and the verdict takes less than 10 minutes to be declared. Moriarty is innocent. Later it is discovered this is because he rigged the jury, threatening them if they didn't let him go.

     The rest of the episode is Sherlock trying to solve the many mind puzzles that Moriarty gives him. Jim is trying to get rid of Sherlock once and for all and the famous detective tries to do the same to him. Skip to the end and the two are up on the rooftop of St. Bartholomew's Hospital where Moriarty explains his entire plot and how he managed to do everything he did to Sherlock and makes it clear that he wants Holmes to commit suicide. A lot more happens [You can read about it here] but Sherlock is forced to commit suicide; Forced to jump off the roof of the building. He makes a call to John and shortly after hanging up, falls. However, that's not the end. At the very end of the episode, we see John and their landlady Mrs. Hudson standing at Sherlock's grave. The camera pans over to the trees and we catch a glimpse of Sherlock Holmes himself watching them. How can this be? We watched him jump off the building, watched him fall to his death, so how is it that he's still alive?

      This is the question that Sherlock fans everywhere have asked themselves. Many have come up with different theories as to how he survived so I decided to join in a few months ago. I began researching and coming up with my own ideas and now I believe I've just about got it. So here it is: My Reichenbach Falls theory.

       The first thing to know before we start is a bit of background information. Right before the roof scene occurs, a few things happen. 1) Sherlock asks his friend that works at a morgue, Molly Hooper, for help. We never see what he asks her to do but we know he needs her help. 2) Sherlock speaks of an underground Homeless Network that is "More lax about taking bribes". I believe that he bribed his Homeless Network [HN] to help him trick Watson into thinking he's dead after the fall. 3) He's bouncing a ball around in a room while talking to John, just before going to the roof. What's the point in showing this, you might ask. Well, there's a trick to stop your pulse using a rubber ball that comes in handy later on for him since he wants to make John believe he's dead.

       Cut to Sherlock on the roof with Moriarty after Jim has shot himself. Sherlock begins hyperventilating right before he calls John. Now this is very out of character for the detective since he's never worried much about anything. So the question is, why is he doing this? The answer is pretty simple. Hyperventilating is a good way to prepare yourself before holding your breath for a long time which is something he's going to want to do so that John knows he's not breathing. So he knows Sherlock's not actually alive.

       During his phone call with John, Watson runs outside and begins looking for Sherlock who tells him to stand in a specific place. John does so and looks up to the building to see Sherlock standing on the ledge. "Stay where you are John, keep your eyes fixed on me." He says. This is extremely important because he doesn't want John to see that the area below him is set up so that he can survive his fall.

       Now he hangs up, takes a breath, then leans backward to fall off the building. The screen cuts a few times between Sherlock's fall and John yelling his name. There's obviously some deliberate editing so you don't see him falling straight from the sky onto the ground which makes me believe he didn't do just that.

The thing is, you can even see it's not that hard of a landing even
though this GIF is sped up a little. It almost looks as if he just sort of
flops on the ground and bounces a bit.

There was a small detour in between, but the question is, if he didn't fall onto the ground at first, where did he fall? The answer to that has been a mystery. If you watch the scene carefully you will notice a small laundry truck parked outside. Now, Sherlock couldn't have possibly fallen into the truck itself, but I believe he had his HN help by carrying out a basket or something large like this out and when he fell, they were underneath him enough to catch him in it. John couldn't see this because, as mentioned before, Sherlock had told him to stand directly where he couldn't view anything that was happening. Something that I find odd is how the truck drives away shortly after he, as I believe he did, climbed out of the basket and flopped onto the ground. What a normal driver would do would be get out of the truck and check on Sherlock, but instead he drives off.

Another girl drew this to show what the bin that he fell in
may have looked like. She thought it should have wheels
so that it could have made a quick getaway without being
seen by John

       Sherlock climbs out of the bin and onto the ground where he lays as still as possible after shoving the small rubber ball mentioned before into his right armpit and lied down on his right side, putting a heavy amount of pressure on it. This is when his HN comes in. The camera cuts to John running towards him, he gets a quick look at Sherlock on the ground before being knocked down by a mysterious cyclist. The cyclist is believed to be part of the HN. The rest of the people on the ground surround Sherlock all while John is trying to regain his balance.

       They look ordinary but I think they are also part of the HN. There's a "doctor" who has his hand on Sherlock's neck practically the entire time, "checking his pulse". I put this in quotes because the doctor is there even when John comes up and tries to check Sherlock's pulse and even tries to push him away. This doctor is trying to keep John from really checking the pulse to know he's dead.

       The other people there play a part too. Someone had to have brought the fake blood and poured it around Sherlock. What's a huge fall without blood, right? The rest are mostly there to make sure John doesn't get too close. They want it believable so they let him check the pulse in Sherlock's right arm once before pulling him back. Why the right arm? That's the arm that holds the ball and stops his pulse.

       The very final part of this scene shows Sherlock getting carried off in a gurney. The thing is, I don't think it's Sherlock. While John is pushed off by others and lets Sherlock out of his sight for a minute, the HN switches out Sherlock's body with the fake doctor's before pulling him into the morgue.

You can tell this isn't him. There's no blood on his face like there was before. In the shot where Sherlock is examined up close, his face is covered in blood. No way this is him. Now why wouldn't Sherlock be on the gurney? He wants to watch John and make sure everything is going according to plan. So if he isn't on the gurney and he's not on the ground...Where is he? One clear answer that has stood out above the rest is phone booth situated just out front. He watches John and when John is gone, he leaves. We have no idea where he goes, but there is some debate on whether he stays with his brother Mycroft or maybe even the crafty dominatrix Irene Adler. No one knows for sure, but my bet is with his brother right now.

Ed Sheeran Concert Review

     A few months ago, I had one of the best experiences of my life. I've been to a lot of different concerts before, but this one was definitely the greatest. Ed Sheeran's performance was spectacular and his opening act was not a let-down either.

     Ed Sheeran is a British solo artist who began his career in 2005. Although he started early, his career didn't really take off until last year when his single "The A Team" came out. After that, people around the world began to hear his music and now he's well known almost everywhere. With 3 albums and 6 EPs, Ed Sheeran is not stopping his musical career anytime soon.

Not everyone in the United States has heard of him quite yet, so I was lucky enough to get into the concert a few months ago. On September 9th, I went with my friend Megan to stand outside the venue in line.     

     Although we didn't have tickets, we found someone who was selling three of them. We wasted no time in purchasing two of them before waiting in the long line to get inside. It was general admission and seeing as we came so late, we knew we wouldn't get great spots, but that didn't stop us from trying. We climbed to the second floor and could see the stage pretty well.

     It was a pretty tight squeeze, but that was to be expected with only a limited amount of room. Waiting for almost half an hour, I was getting pretty excited and soon Ed's opening act stepped out. Mike Rosenberg, better known as Passenger, came out with his guitar and played a few songs. The crowd loved him and I quickly became a fan of his song Let Her Go. After the crowd was pumped up, the main act, Ed Sheeran sneaked onto the stage and sung a duet with Passenger. Everyone went crazy for the two after it was over and Mike said his goodbyes.

     The lights dimmed as Ed started the song Give Me Love. Not one person in the crowd was silent as we were all singing along. After that, Ed introduced himself and told a short story about a concert he went to in Suffolk. Then came more singing and in between songs, sometimes he would tell more stories to introduce the next song. This made the crowd feel more relaxed and friendly, almost as if we were all just hanging out with friends and Ed was one of us.

     Of course when it was about time to leave, everyone shouted for an encore and he came back out, singing The A Team and an old Irish song called The Parting Glass. It was a very slow yet beautiful song and even if we didn't know the words, everyone swayed in harmony.

     After it was all over, I had a terrible case of post-concert depression and I wished it hadn't ended. However, I'll never forget this wonderful concert and the next time he comes back to America, I will be sure to buy tickets. I'd recommend this concert for anyone who enjoys music such as his. However, I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who is planning on taking young children as some of his songs contain mature language and themes. This was a great way to connect with my friend Megan and enjoy great music. 

Cyber Bullying is a Bigger Problem Than You May Think

     Cyber-bullying is something that's been going on for years, but over the past decade has gotten much worse. Cyber-bullying is the misuse of technology to harass someone else and can be used through internet, email, and even through a cell phone. 80% of teens use their phones on a regular basis now which makes these teens more susceptible to cyber-bullying. In fact, over 1/3 of the population of young adults have been cyber-bullied before. These are distressing numbers and should be, I believe, lowered significantly.
     There is one specific site I would like to focus on in this post that has dramatically increased the amount of teens and young adults that get cyber-bullied. This site, Tumblr, has a feature on i that can allow literally anyone to send someone with a Tumblr account a message. The feature can be a fun and useful tool if used properly, however there is a downfall to it as well. This messaging tool allows people to ask questions or send messages anonymously. Tumblr's anonymous feature is sometimes being overly abused by some . People are sending hate mail to others they may or may not even know, anonymously. It's become a big problem because the people receiving the message don't know who sent it. All they see is a message telling them horrible things like, "Go kill yourself" or even "I hate you" along with many other terrible things. Sadly, these messages are all too common and random, ordinary people receive them. It's not just a one time thing for some Tumblr users. Many get multiple messages in sometimes only one day! Obviously, this is getting way out of hand.
     After getting lots of these messages, there are those that actually take the anonymous' advice and commit suicide. These are young people who have families, are loved, and have their whole lives ahead of them and after simply a couple messages, they feel life isn't worth living anymore, so they commit suicide. It may not seem like it would happen very often, but over 4,400 teens each year take their lives because of cyber-bullying!
     A young teen on Tumblr writes,
"I got anon hate from someone and because of him, I broke my 2 months of not cutting early this year and he's saying awful stuff. Suicide: I've thought about it because of the anon hate, but I can't do it because I can't leave the people I love behind."
     This is only one example of what cyber-bullying can do to a person. Another young girl actually did commit suicide after being overwhelmed with anonymous hate. She left a note for her friend to let her know what had happened. Here is an excerpt from the note:
"I was thinking about not doing this, [committing suicide] but the anon hate was the last straw. I want you [Her friend] to tell them that. Show them this and remind them what words can do."
     Most of the time someone sends hate to a person, they barely know him or her. They don't know what this person is really like, or their beliefs, personalities, values, or the problems they have to face everyday. The bullying gets out of hand and then suddenly an innocent life is taken. It's gone and nothing they can do can bring that person back.
     So before you hit "Send", think about this. Remember how this could affect someone to the point where they want to take their own life.

My First Post!

This is going to be a really fun and exciting project for me. Writing has always been one of my favorite things to do, so this could help me put my thoughts into words and share what I'm feeling with people who read this.
First, a little about me:
Writing is something that has always interested me. Usually what I write are fictional stories or song lyrics. I love writing a lot because I get to create my own little world in a story and choose what happens to the characters. It's a nice way to escape my own life even for just a little while and use my imagination.
Something else I love is music. My all time favorite singer has to be Ed Sheeran and one of my favorite bands is Coldplay.

Second, I've thought long and hard about what my blog will be about. It was a really tough decision and this post was difficult for me to make. It took me forever to think of what I want to actually write about. I wasn't sure what I should say at first and finally I decided that it didn't have to be about one specific thing. This blog is going to be about my life altogether. I'll take you through my day and post observations I make throughout it. I'm not usually very good about sharing my feelings or thoughts with people, but I think this will help me express myself better.

Last, I'd like to thank everyone who is following and reading this. I think I'll have fun writing this blog and I hope you enjoy reading it! Feel free to give me feedback, comments, or anything else to help me with my writing.