Movie of the Month: The Kings of Summer

When a friend of a friend suggested that I spend my Sunday afternoon watching The Kings of Summer, I was skeptical. He described it as a movie about three friends who head into the woods to live for the summer. I was imagining a very Lord of the Flies-esque movie (and I really disliked reading Lord of the Flies--probably the only book in high school that I couldn't bring myself to finish), so I didn't set my hopes very high.

I could not have been more happily surprised. I could probably write endlessly about how beautifully this movie was shot and how I found myself laughing hysterically, but what struck me most was the familial relationships portrayed in the movie.

When the boys run away and build a house in the woods (primarily from stolen construction site goods), they leave their parents to reflect on what they could have done to drive their children away. Meanwhile, the boys have a grand old time at first, but come to realize maybe they aren't the "men" they claim to be, especially when they let a girl come between them.

What impressed me how genuine each moment felt between the characters. For example, at the end Joe and Patrick don't waste their time with big long speeches about how sorry they are or tears and hugs, they simply see each other riding in their parents' cars, flip each other off, and smile. The cars then go their separate ways and Joe makes a joke to his father about Patrick "goofing off." It felt like a moment captured from real life. Mix that with a great soundtrack and really great humor, and we have the makings of a classic coming of age movie.

There was nothing about The Kings of Summer that I disliked, but Rotten Tomatoes only gave it a 74%, and IMDB leaves it at 7.4 stars. It received rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival, and I, personally, could watch it again and again.

Backpacking Through Europe!

My friend, Taylor, and I are planning a month-long trip to Europe for May 2014. We are so excited, but I can tell the planning will be overwhelming. Simply choosing which places to visit while we're there is proving to be tricky. We want to see so many places--London, Prague, Amsterdam, Venice, Berlin--but also genuinely experience the people and culture of the countries we visit. I'm beginning to think it might not be a bad idea to show up without a plan and travel on a whim, but my type-A personality is protesting. We know that we'll be staying in hostels, and I'm sure we'll meet other travelers with insight about what to see and where to stay.

She has been to Europe once before with a student-related choir group, so she has a decent idea of what she'd like to see, but I am at a loss. All I know is that I want to fly into London and start there. (I need to visit Universal's Harry Potter set!) Also, I wouldn't mind finding a small village to hang out in and be lazy for a couple days.

Which ever plan we choose--winging it or planning an itinerary--I figured it was time to start doing a little research. I bought a couple travel books, and discovered that they are over 1000 pages each. It is going to take a mighty long time to go through them and bookmark the useful/relevant information. Still, I know it will be worth in in the long run.

Have I mentioned how excited I am? 

My family is German, so this is a must. I'd like to spend time in Berlin and Munich.

London! I could live in Great Britain. I also heard about a cheese rolling festival that occurs during the last Monday in May every year...

I've heard that the Netherlands can be very tourist-y, but that won't stop me!