Melissa Clark
Stories (11/0)
Five Movies You NEED To Watch (If You Have Not Already)
1. Wild(2014) Summary: The movie tells the true story of Cheryl Strayed based on her memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. In June 1995, inexperienced hiker Cheryl Strayed begins her 1,100 mile hike across the Pacific Crest Trail. Cheryl became distrought over loosing her mother, Bobbi to cancer and turned to heroin and anonymous sex to numb the pain. This led to the abortion of an unwanted pregnancy and the end of her marriage to her husband Paul. Cheryl hopes to use the experience to heal and rediver who she is. As Cheryl treks along she runs into hardships such as animals and bad weather, and even lost toenails but she pushes forward testing her courage, strength and determination to complete the hike and emerge greater than she was before.
By Melissa Clark3 months ago in Geeks
Five Movies You NEED To Watch (If You Have Not Already)
1. Clouds(2020) Summary: The movie tells the true story of Zach Sobiech based on his mother's memoir: Fly a Little Higher: How God Answered a Mom's Small Prayer in a Big Way by Laura Sobiech. In 2012, Zach is a high school senior being treated for cancer called osteosarcoma. One day after a trip to the hospital where he needed an emergency surgery to fix his collapsed lung he discoveries that his treatment has stopped working and is given six to ten months to live. As his cancer is now terminal he teams up with his best friend Sammy Brown as they begin to write music together. As the year goes on Zach spends time with his family, gets a girlfriend named Amy Adamle and writes many songs with Sammy including the titular song Clouds.
By Melissa Clark4 months ago in Geeks
Five Coming Of Age Television Show Recommendations
1. Heartstopper Premise: Heartstopper was released on Netflix on April 22nd, 2022 based on the graphic novels of the same name by Alice Oseman. Charlie Spring is an openly gay student at the fictional all boys Truham Grammar School in England. On his first day after winter break he meets and soon develops a crush on classmate and star rugby player, Nick Nelson. After a series a sweet 'hi's' and simple small talk the two develop a close friendship that becomes something more when Nick realizes his own undeniable feelings for Charlie and begins questioning his sexuality. What comes next is a semester of love, family, friends, bullies, self discovery, questions, answers, and that feeling you get when your heart beats so fast you are afraid it will stop.
By Melissa Clarkabout a year ago in Education
Operation Flight
Henry was beginning to loose track of time in the Underworld. It was bad enough that it looked like a dreary version of Storybrooke but being surrounded by everyone who could not move on made his heart ache. He hoped Emma would find Hook soon. The bright side was that they had helped people like Herc and even Cora move on but they still had to worry about Hades. He loved their adventures but things had gotten out of hand recently. First, Emma contracted the Dark One's powers and to get rid of them had to kill Hook. He just had to come back with them. Henry wanted his mother to be happy. She had already lost hid father and she could not loose him to. He had grown to like Hook himself even if things were a little weird right now.Henry had decided he needed to step away just to think. Emma had to give him permission to walk the streets of Under-Storybrook so long as he stay away from the river and not wander too far, however far this went, and look around. Henry dragged his feet on the sidewalk and watched people go by. Everyone looked scared or angry, two people in hoods looked down and shuffled away. Several people made eye contact but no one stopped to talk to him. Henry promised himself he'd help someone move on, but who. Something strange happened then, within seconds a small crowd shoved him into the street, had a pair of hands not dragged him out he would have been hit by the oncoming car. "Thank you." Henry said. "Are you alright?" The voice came from his rescuer. He looked young, about fifteen but very tall and handsome. He had dark hair, dark eyes, and tan skin. "Let's get out of the way. You would think the cars would be nice enough to stop. I haven't seen you here before. Wait you have a pulse. You're alive! How are you here?" The boy quickly led himself and Henry to a less busy part of the sidewalk. "My name is Icarus." He extended his hand and Henry shook it. "My name is Henry." "Nice to meet you." They both said.
By Melissa Clarkabout a year ago in Geeks
Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets
Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets came out on July 21, 2017 based on the comic series titled Valerian & Laureline by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mezieres. In the 28th century the International Space Station has been converted to a place where all creatures from all over the galaxy can live in peace. One day, space debri crash lands on the planet, Mul, destroying everything and killing some of the alien humanoid residents including Princess Linho Minhaa. Thirty years later Major Valerian and his partner Sergeant Laureline are tasked with securing a critter known as the converter who was believed to once have lived on Mul and so begins a journey to uncover the mystery behind the once closed case. I remember seeing this in the cinema the day it premiered. Films that take place in outer space are my favorite because they create a universe much bigger than our own. After all, we're told to reach for the stars. An obvious challenge was putting years worth of comic adventures in a two hour film and while certain details were discarded others were improved.
By Melissa Clark2 years ago in Geeks
Crimson Peak
Crimson Peak was released on October 16, 2015. In 1887, ten year old Edith Cushing is visited by the ghost of her mother with a warning saying "Beware of Crimson Peak." Fourteen years later in 1901 Edith, now a budding author, falls in love with and marries the Baronet Sir Thomas Sharpe and moves to Allerdale Hall, his home in England. Soon, Edith discovers that ghosts haunt her new home and, with her mother's warning on her mind, sets out to find the truth. After watching Pan's Labyrinth I decided to try another Guillermo del Toro film so I set my sights on this. I clung to my seat for support and found myself leaning towards or away from the screen in suspension. Who knew you could get goosebumps on your feet? I remember seeing a trailer for this film on multiple trips to the theater. It did scare me but it also intrigued me. Gothic horror became common in the 20th century and spawned many novels ahead of their time such as Frankenstein, The Huntchback Of Notre Dame, and the well know written works of Edgar Allan Poe.
By Melissa Clark3 years ago in Geeks
Pan's Labyrinth
Pan’s Labyrinth was released on December 29, 2006. In the summer of 1944 in Francoist, Spain eleven-year-old Ofelia and her pregnant but sick mother, Carmen, journey to live with Carmen’s new husband, Captain Vidal. Carmen is bedridden and Ofelia finds time to explore. One night she is visited by a fairy who takes her to a faun. There, she discovers she is the lost princess Moanna and will have to complete three tasks before the full moon in order to return to her kingdom. I have been recommended this film countless times and I finally saw it on Netflix. My neighbor liked how I referred to it as a Spanish Narnia. One fact about this film is in Spanish it is called El laberinto del fauno which translates in English to The Labyrinth Of The Faun. Despite the English title it was released as, it has nothing to do with the faun called Pan in Greek Mythology which I had originally thought but that did not suede my interest in the slightest. I only found myself imagining I was a little girl again and going on an adventure.
By Melissa Clark3 years ago in Geeks
Midsommar
Midsommar came out on July 5, 2019. After a family tragedy grief-stricken Dani Ardor accompanies her boyfriend, Christian, and his friends, Josh and Mark, as they head to Halsingland, Sweden to attend the midsummer festival at their mutual friend, Pelle’s, home village with people known as Hargas. What comes next is nine days of Pagan rituals, psychedelic trips, and many what’s going on?
By Melissa Clark3 years ago in Geeks
XOXO
XOXO was released to Netflix on August 26, 2016. Six strangers come from all around to attend the music festival called XOXO. What comes is a day of and night of partying, drug trips, dates, fights, love, happiness, and an opportunity of a lifetime. The most important thing about the film is it is a character film. The main plot is the festival but it’s the ensemble that drives the story. We focus on the individual lives of Ethan, Tariq, Krystal, Shannie, Ray, and Neil. Since the pandemic of 2020, music festivals and concerts have been either cancelled or postponed so it is nice and bittersweet to see lots of people in a group dancing and having a good time.
By Melissa Clark3 years ago in Geeks
The Revenant
The Revenant was released to theaters on December 25, 2015. Through the territory of the Dakotas in 1823 a group of frontiersmen are forced to flee with their fur trade after an attack on their camp site. The journey takes a setback when one man named Hugh Glass is brutally mauled by a grizzly bear and left too injured to take care of himself. Soon, his caretakers decide to leave him for dead upon fear that they will be attacked and killed themselves. This is where the title comes in: “as if back from the dead to seek revenge.” In the role that earned him his Oscar win, Leonardo DiCaprio shines as Hugh Glass as he literally pulls himself out of the hole he was in and pushes himself through snow covered woods and freezing temperatures all while injured. When portraying a historical figure, it is important to be authentic. DiCaprio was so committed to the role he actually ate raw meat on camera. Upon recent viewing I noticed how much DiCaprio acted through his eyes. In times when Glass was not speaking to anyone every emotion he felt was seen, whether this was as reaction to the present or having a memory, it was all in the eyes.
By Melissa Clark3 years ago in Geeks
How To Rock a Basement
How To Rock A Basement It was a hot spring day at Brewster High School the first week of May. Gravity 5 and The Perfs were moving boxes in the school’s basement. Everyone had gone home for the weekend, but the seven students received detention for disrupting class that day. Kacey and Molly for arguing, Nelson and Grace were too loud, Kevin was eating, and Zander and Stevie were late. Since the school was being cleaned all the boxes had to be sorted. Everyone seemed to have a problem with their punishment except Stevie who was sorting boxes quietly. too quiet. “This is your fault Kacey!” Molly snapped. Kacey turned toward the dark haired girl with unsettled rage like before. “My fault!? You’re the one who tripped me!”
By Melissa Clark3 years ago in Geeks