Strawberry Cinnamon Muffins

One day, I decided to bake strawberry muffins for the first time ever. 

I decided to bake them myself rather than buying them at the store, so I started searching for recipes. I came across one on the Food Network, which called for strawberries, cinnamon, bananas, nutmeg, blueberries, and nuts. It looked like a great recipe, though being the baker and cook that I am I love to experiment and change up recipes, customizing them to my preferences. I don't like blueberries, nuts, or nutmeg—and I didn't have any bananas lying around—so I cut those ingredients out.

Instead, I only included strawberries and added a bit more cinnamon than I probably should have. The result was these strawberry cinnamon muffins.

You can read my recipe and full article at Delishably – Strawberry Cinnamon Muffin Recipe.

"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" (2011) - Movie Review - Laughter is the Fountain of Youth

Source: IMDB.com

Laughter is the Fountain of Youth

Pirates, British army, Spanish army… and oh yes, we can't forget mermaids! All three of the former are after the proposed Fountain of Youth in this movie. But what this movie doesn't mention as part of the recipe on how to find and use the Fountain of Youth is the ingredient of laughter. The new "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" is an adventurous movie where once the journey begins you never want it to end.

Brief Summary

"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" movie is comedic in its unique way besides the sword fighting action. You can count on a belly full of laughter to be included in the journey, that is for sure. Even though, two of the main characters from previous "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) and Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), are not included in this film, there is more of a quirky semi-main character. Instead we get more servings of another favorite pirate character we all can't help but adore and love, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), and we learn more about Jack and a lady from his past, Angelica, who catches up to him.

Direction and Theme of the Film

The movie script was written cleverly - being a lot of it was based off of facts and legends, and the scenes capture the viewer easily, especially those with Captain Jack Sparrow. Captain Sparrow seems to be our Fountain of Youth as he tends to be the source of most witty jokes and lines. Though there were some corny moments in the movie, the mermaids certainly made unique waves.

Overall, this movie seems to be a fountain of youth in itself; a bottle full of laughter. You certainly add more years to your life after watching this enjoyable movie. After all, the more you laugh, the less wrinkles appear, and your soul stays young. The grade I would give this movie is an A.

Originally published June 1, 2011 on Hubpages. Last updated on Whimsical Thoughts on March 4, 2026.

"No Strings Attached" - Movie Review - Remaining Completely Emotionless Is Not Possible

Source: IMDB.com

Remaining Completely Emotionless Is Not Possible

Friends with benefits? Unattached sex? Many people think being completely emotionless is better than including emotions. Depending on how you look at it, it may or may not be better at first. Eventually, at least one person ends up feeling something. Most of the time it doesn't workout, where very rarely it does. "No Strings Attached" is about exactly that concept.

Brief Summary

The movie "No Strings Attached" is about two friends, Emma (Natalie Portman) and Adam (Ashton Kutcher), who decide to just have sex without involving dates and emotions. Emma is not the typical girl though as she appears to be emotionless, and Adam is not the typical guy as he is the more emotional one.

Concept and Theme of the Film

Even though this movie goes against some stereotypes for a female and a male, there are still some ways the characters follow the gender roles. The way they communicate about their situation to other people of their same gender. When Adam and his male friends talk about the situation, they are straight to the point with very little emotion. When Emma and her sister talk about the situation, there's a lot of emotion, which shows underneath it all, Emma is more emotional than she appears to be.

Direction

The script was brilliantly written and directed and shows that people don't always follow the stereotypes. It's witty and funny, keeping the laughs rolling out throughout the entire movie. Though it does show that no matter what, being completely emotionless is not possible. Eventually, at least one person ends up with some degree of emotions and wants more. In this case, this movie, they both do, which rarely happens.

People cannot stay stagnant in that type of relationship forever; either you stop and move on or decide to be together completely. This movie greatly shows that idea and the grade I would give this movie is an A.

How would you rate the concept of this movie?

What do you think?

"Unstoppable" (2010) - Movie Review - Parallels From the Movie to Real Life

Source: IMDB.com

     

Parallels From the Movie to Real Life

Have you ever felt that your life was a runaway train? A train full of components that could explode if derailed? An unstoppable train that is difficult to gain control again after accidental mistake? Though the movie, "Unstoppable" is literary about that situation, there are parallels that could be drawn from the movie and metaphorically happen in real life.

Brief Summary

"Unstoppable" is about a runaway train which is carrying dangerous components that could explode. The two main characters Frank (Denzel Washington) and Will (Chris Pine) find themselves chasing the runaway train due to one person's poor judgment and accidental mistake that could end in tragedy. 

Concept and Theme of the Film

Not only do Frank and especially Will, find themselves chasing a literal train, but also some sort of runaway train within their lives. It seemed as though as they made progress in stopping and saving the literal train, at the same time it saved their metaphorical one in their lives with rocky relationships with family members. Even though I felt the characters weren't fully developed, this movie delivered a powerful message overall. The message of the concept that if you conquer the little steps and took the risks necessary in taking care of an out of control problem, you can gain control more effectively and fix the situation.

Direction

The script was cleverly written well and thoughtful. Though, pretty much the characters' lives and about who they were, were more told than shown. A let down, which I found my mind slightly wandering from the screen.

The grade I would give this movie is a B+.

This represents the situation in the film and hope, perseverance, & desire
the characters Frank & Will have for achieving the goal of saving the literal
train & the metaphorical trains in their lives. One wrong move & the train will crash.
Source: © Вера Тихонова - Adobe Stock

The Top Fifteen Overall Best Movies of 2010

Films that Pull in the Viewer Well

Source: ©AlyssaScheidemann

There were many good movies and many terrible movies from the year 2010. But what separates a good film from a great film and from a terrible one is the movie's ability to suck you in to its story. Its ability to let it blow your mind. Lines and scenes don't necessarily get stuck in our minds to the point where we memorize them but we get pulled into the story because it was shown with great precision. This my list of the overall best movies of 2010. It's a newer and extended version of my previous list so some will be repeated. On the other hand, there are movies I have added because they are so great they deserve at least a mention.

15.) Unstoppable

Source: IMDB.com

14.) How To Train Your Dragon (animated version)

Source: IMDB.com

13.) Remember Me

Source: IMDB.com

12.) Tangled

Source: IMDB.com

11.) The Switch

Source: IMDB.com

10.) The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Source: IMDB.com

9.) Easy A

Source: IMDB.com

8.) Despicable Me

Source: IMDB.com

7.) The Social Network

Source: IMDB.com

6.) Toy Story 3

Source: IMDB.com

5.) Alice in Wonderland

Source: IMDB.com

4.) Black Swan

Source: IMDB.com

3.) Inception

Source: IMDB.com

2.) The King's Speech

Source: IMDB.com

1.) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Source: IMDB.com

Limitless - Movie Review - How Technology Affects Us

Source: IMDB.com

How Technology Affects Us

The newest, and apparent best and fastest technology is constantly being developed. We end up craving it, constantly looking for ways to help us deliver our thoughts and ideas faster. The movie, Limitless, is a deep and analytical movie which deals with exactly that concept. The way the newer technology has an effect on our bodies, on us, and the way we communicate ideas.

Brief Summary

Limitless is about a writer, Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper), who has writer's block. He can't write the words fast enough that he wants to write due to having trouble recalling information. The character finds out about a new special drug called NZT, which lets the user be able to use one hundred percent of their brain compared to the normal use of twenty percent. Once he starts taking NZT, Eddie begins to be able to access all information quickly and instantly process it all, and turns into a needed person without much effort. All they would need to do is skim words and they would learn it, process it, and know it so they could communicate their ideas and thoughts faster. Every user becomes extremely lazy and sick when they are off the pill.

Concept and Themes of the Film

The pill, NZT, in this movie, is a perfect example of new technology people could become reliant and addicted to. We want more technology. We want faster technology and we mostly want it to do it for us. We become lazy if we allow technology, even as simple as a little pill, control us just because we don't want to put the effort in. There is a reason why we only use the amount of our brain, only twenty percent, which we're supposed to and not completely all of it at once. If we try to access all of it at once, we become subject to information overload and we can't handle it. It ends up harming us than helping. We really need time to process information. That is how we truly learn and should be more active.

We want to communicate ideas and information faster. But is faster really better? Is it really better if we don't take the time to think and process it? We are approached with flashes of information all the time. We are meant to pick and choose which information to focus on, and study to process. That is how we really learn and communicate best, when we communicate our strengths. Technology is meant to aid us, not learn it for us because without the help, after we rely on it, we don't remember anything.

Direction

The script was written beautifully and the director, Neil Burger, did a wonderful job translating the scenario in the greatly crafted scenes. Cooper's superb acting showed perfectly and exactly what new technology could do to a person who lets the technology completely control them. The way the movie was pieced together really captures the audience's attention excellently.

This movie, Limitless, shows newer technology, especially a pill, isn't always better for us in the long run. We need to make sure we are in control of the technology and that it doesn't control us till we are sickly dependent on it. The grade I would give this film is an A.

Top Ten Best Movies of 2010

Most Impressionable in our Minds

There are many movies that can create a great impression on us, in our minds, especially those we grew up with during childhood. Below is a list of movies that I have found to be the most inspirational and impressionable from 2010.

10.) Get Him To The Greek

Source: IMDB.com

Get Him To The Greek comes onto my list as number ten. A hilarious movie with crazy antics the characters go through, especially the character Aaron Green (Jonah Hill), all just to get the famous rock star, Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) to the Greek Theater to play a concert. The movie leaves an impression in our minds because the antics are very memorable and unique in a laughable way. A great movie if you’re hungry for laughter.

9.) Little Fockers

Source: IMDB.com

Little Fockers comes in my list at number nine. It is another hilarious movie. It’s the third movie in the “Meet The Parents” series. This movie is especially a delightful comedy and impressionable if you’ve seen the first two movies, Meet The Parents and Meet the Fockers. They reference situations into jokes from the previous movies. Definitely, it is another great movie for instant laughter.

8.) The Social Network

Source: IMDB.com

At number eight, The Social Network makes it onto my movie list. It’s a movie about the wonderful social network of Facebook and how it began. This movie leaves an impression in our mind because finding all the struggles it and its creator Mark have been through is moving and realize it’s interesting how something like Facebook, little by little, can control people’s lives.

7.) Easy A

Source: IMDB.com

On this list, the movie, Easy A comes in at number seven. It is a beautifully written script by Bert V. Royal with great actors. It’s a movie that when you give it lots of thought, it makes the viewer think. It leaves an impression on our minds because if you dig deep into the meaning of the movie it deals with lust and teen promiscuity, and by not being yourself, you only hurt yourself.

 

6.) Toy Story 3

Source: IMDB.com

Toy Story 3 comes in at number six on this list. It’s a movie not just for kids, but also very enjoyable for adults as well. The movie is impressionable on our minds because it brings back memories to the adults of when they were younger and from the first two Toy Story movies. It certainly brought back memories to me of my youth.

5.) Burlesque

Source: IMDB.com

At number five is the movie, Burlesque. Burlesque is a fun, funny, and titillating movie. The singing and dancing weaved with love stories makes the movie very impressionable and remember-able. The star-studded cast also helps it to leave an amazing impression. It moves me to now want to maybe want to learn burlesque. The movie, Burlesque, is a wonderful and perfect date movie to see with your special someone.

4.) Inception

Source: IMDB.com

The movie, Inception, makes my list at number four. Inception is an intriguing movie, which keeps the viewer engaged in the story. It leaves an impression in our minds because it suggests the concept of how to approach situations is so bizarre it leaves us thinking. The viewer needs to “read between the lines.”

Here you may also read my full review on the movie, Inception.

3.) Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Source: IMDB.com

Eclipse from the Twilight Saga comes into the list at number three. It is the third movie from the Twilight Saga. Eclipse steps up the tension and action of the story and is fantastically filmed. I am not just saying that because I am a Twilighter myself, but because I feel it is true. From the very good scripting from the book to the acting and effects. This movie leaves an impression on our minds because it is very enjoyable and done well. A great movie to watch that will keep you on the edge and laughing, and not to mention, also Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson are smokin’ hot.

2.) Despicable Me

Source: IMDB.com

The movie, Despicable Me, ranks at number two on this list. It’s an excellent and hilarious movie everyone loves. There is a perfect mix of animation and humor that leaves a great impression on our minds. The lines are memorable and easy enough to be able to be repeated over and over. Despicable Me is also another star-studded cast who are the perfect mix. It is a great “pick me up” funny movie for instant laughs.

1.) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Source: IMDB.com

Finally we reach the number one movie on this list, which is… and drum roll please… none other than, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. I consider this movie to be the best movie of 2010, not only because I am an absolute Potter fan, but also because it is a stunning movie over all. The script was superb-ably written, following the book wonderfully, the effects are incredible, and the acting much more terrifically done, the best out of all the Harry Potter series movies, mostly due to one of the best directors the films have had, David Yates. The movies became better as him as the director. This movie definitely leaves an impression in our minds, as it is so awe-inspiring, you are left speechless. It is a thoroughly enjoyable movie for everyone.

Poetry Taste #8: "Out Of Control"

"Out Of Control"

Falling apart from the inside,
All too fast, tears slide.
Out of control,
A heart-ached soul,
So wrong; it can never be right,
She considers taking flight.

[Alyssa Scheidemann - 2011]