I'm a freckle face.  I used to think my freckles were SO UGLY and wish that one day I would wake up and they would be gone. Instead, I woke up one day and realized that these freckles make me look younger! That is actually exciting once one reaches a certain age! 

Ugly is kind of an ugly word. That is why I'm so excited to tell you about a new film coming out this week called UGLY DOLLS.

In the adorably different town of Uglyville, weird is celebrated, strange is special and beauty is embraced as more than simply meets the eye. Here, the free-spirited Moxy and her UglyDoll friends live every day in a whirlwind of bliss, letting their freak flags fly in a celebration of life and its endless possibilities. The endearingly unique residents of Uglyville occasionally look to the sky above the town, where a new UglyDoll will appear and be embraced by the community.

Moxy (Kelly Clarkson) loves her square-peg life in this round-hole town, but her curiosity about all things leads her to wonder if there’s something – anything – on the other side of the mountain which nestles Uglyville. Moxy gathers a group of her closest friends and sets off to find what’s on the other side. They discover another world – Perfection – a town where more conventional dolls are trained in protocols before they graduate and are sent to the “real” world to find the love of a child.

In Perfection, Moxy and her crew are subject to the manipulations of Lou (Nick Jonas), the perfect doll in charge of training recruits. Here, the UglyDolls will confront what it means to be different, struggle with their desire to be loved, and ultimately discover that you don’t have to be perfect to be amazing because who you truly are is what matters most.  UGLYDOLLS releases in theaters this Friday, May, 3.

Click here to watch the trailer for UGLY DOLLS

 

I'm so excited that my favorite baby elephant, DUMBO, is soaring back to the big screen next week!

From Disney and visionary director Tim Burton, the all-new grand live-action adventure “Dumbo” expands on the beloved classic story where differences are celebrated, family is cherished and dreams take flight.

When I was a little girl, my grandfather took my sister and me to the circus every single year. He had a connection at the convention center where the circus was held and he got us first row seats every time.  One year, he got us into the circus. They put glittery vests and hats on us and we got to ride in a cart driven by an elephant while we waved to the crowd. My grandmother called us the "Queens of the Circus". My sister and I dreamed of becoming the pretty acrobats in the circus after that. They had lots of makeup, wore high heels (that they kicked off before climbing up to the ropes) and very glam outfits covered in jewels.  We outgrew the dream but I still can recall all of the sites and sounds of the Circus.  The memories of the excitement of the circus, plus the time with our Grandfather have lasted forever.

That is why I was so excited when Disney asked me to blog about DUMBO.

From Disney and visionary director Tim Burton, “Dumbo” expands on the beloved classic story where differences are celebrated, family is cherished and dreams take flight.   Circus owner Max Medici (Danny DeVito) enlists former star Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) and his children Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins) to care for a newborn elephant whose oversized ears make him a laughingstock in an already struggling circus. But when they discover that Dumbo can fly, the circus makes an incredible comeback, attracting persuasive entrepreneur V.A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton), who recruits the peculiar pachyderm for his newest, larger-than-life entertainment venture, Dreamland. Dumbo soars to new heights alongside a charming and spectacular aerial artist, Colette Marchant (Eva Green), until Holt learns that beneath its shiny veneer, Dreamland is full of dark secrets.  “Dumbo” soars into theaters on March 29


I'm headed to see it this weekend. Are you? 


Click here to watch the trailer for DUMBO
Click here to go the website for DUMBO

CREED II Is coming out!

   

"But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!"

-ROCKY BALBOA

Living in a house full of boys/men for the past twenty plus years, I have become a huge fan of the ROCKY films. The message of never giving up, even in the face of adversity is kind of a mantra around here. We definitely blast the Rocky theme loudly when times are tough.

That is why we are all so excited that CREED II starring Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone is coming to theaters just in time for the kids to be home for Thanksgiving Break.  CREED II is a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit and the power of family.

Here is the Creed Trailer

 Life has become a balancing act for Adonis Creed. Between personal obligations and training for his next big fight, he is up against the challenge of his life. Facing an opponent with ties to his family's past only intensifies his impending battle in the ring. Rocky Balboa is there by his side through it all and, together, Rocky and Adonis will confront their shared legacy, question what's worth fighting for, and discover that nothing's more important than family. Creed II is about going back to basics to rediscover what made you a champion in the first place, and remembering that, no matter where you go, you can't escape your history.  The film releases in theaters on Wednesday, November 21.  #CreedII

Watch the Creed II Trailer right here!

Yes, you read that right. Click here to watch the trailer for the upcoming film Creed II.

It is coming to a theater near you on November 21st. Everyone in my house can't wait to go see this one. (We are HUGE Rocky fans around here and we also also huge fans of Michael B. Jordan and of course, Sylvester Stalone)

Here is the plot:

Life has become a balancing act for Adonis Creed. Between personal obligations and training for his next big fight, he is up against the challenge of his life. Facing an opponent with ties to his family's past only intensifies his impending battle in the ring. Rocky Balboa is there by his side through it all and, together, Rocky and Adonis will confront their shared legacy, question what's worth fighting for, and discover that nothing's more important than family. Creed II is about going back to basics to rediscover what made you a champion in the first place, and remembering that, no matter where you go, you can't escape your history.

Yeti or Not Here We Come...

    When I was growing up,  my best friend Suzy lived across the street. We were OBSESSED with Big foot.  I'm not sure why, because we never heard of any Bigfoot sightings in South Florida. We read anything we could get our hands on about Bigfoot and begged our local librarian to get more books on him for our local library.  
   You can imagine my delight when I heard that a new movie is coming out called SMALLFOOT. This movie turns the Bigfoot legend upside down.  
    An animated adventure for all ages, with original music and an all-star cast, “Smallfoot” turns a myth upside down when a bright young yeti finds something he thought didn’t exist—a human. 

    News of this “smallfoot” throws the simple yeti community into an uproar over what else might be out there in the big world beyond their snowy village, in an all new story about friendship, courage and the joy of discovery. 

    “Smallfoot” stars Channing Tatum (“The LEGO® Batman Movie,” the “Jump Street” films) , Zendaya (“Spider-Man: Homecoming”), Common (“Selma”), LeBron James (upcoming “Space Jam 2”), Danny DeVito (“The Lorax,” Oscar nominee for “Erin Brockovich”), Gina Rodriguez (“Jane the Virgin”), and Yara Shahidi (TV’s “Black-ish”).  It debuts in theaters on September 28.

I'm going to track down Suzy and drag her to see it. In the meantime, click here to see the trailer!

Operation Finale hits theaters on August 29th

This is a movie that I'm dying to see. It is the story of the capture of Nazi monster Adolf Eichmann in Argentina. I'm planning on going to see this film with my husband ASAP as I've met many holocaust survivors here in South Florida and this is an important part of the story. 

to watch the trailer click here


 Operation Finale, brings to life one of the most daring covert operations in modern history. Starring Academy Award winner Sir Ben Kingsley (Gandhi, Schindler's List) and Golden Globe winner Oscar Isaac (Star Wars: The Last Jedi, X-Men: Apocalypse), the film vividly captures the ingenious and brilliantly executed mission to capture Adolf Eichmann, one of the chief architects of the Holocaust.

Fifteen years after the end of World War II, acting on irrefutable evidence, a top-secret team of Israeli agents travel to Argentina where Eichmann (Kingsley) has been in hiding together with his family under an alias Ricardo Klement and execute an extremely dangerous abduction. In attempting to sneak him out of Argentina to stand trial in Israel while being pursued by the country's right-wing forces, agent Peter Malkin (Isaac) is forced to engage Eichmann in an intense and gripping game of cat-and-mouse with life-and-death stakes. 

Operation Finale is in theaters on August 29th

GIVEAWAY… $50 giftcard to Target from the Movie DOG DAYS

This is Lucca Bella Donatella. (she is regular size, the bottles are giant). Lucca is a rescue cat and she is nutty. She only wants to be petted on her terms, when she wants it. She ignores us most of the time, but cries when we get ready to leave the house without her.  Lucca is family. Just like family, you never really know what you're gonna get.  Despite her quirks, she is our furrever family. 

If you love your pets, you're going to want to see the upcoming film, DOG DAYS.  DOG DAYS is a hilarious and heartfelt ensemble comedy that follows the lives of multiple dog owners and their beloved fluffy pals.  When these human and canine’s paths start to intertwine, their lives begin changing in ways they never expected.  This is a sweet film about the joy our furry friends bring into our lives and what they can teach us about treating people with kindness and compassion.  DOG DAYS releases in theaters in August 8.

 Click here to watch the trailer for this film

Please leave a comment below to win a $50 gift card to Target where you can load up on treats to pamper your pet. This giveaway is sponsored by the film DOG DAYS.  I winner will be randomly chosen from the comment on August 5th at Midnight EST and will be notified by e-mail. The Target gift card will then be e-mailed to you. 

New movie alert

I'm super excited to give you the heads up on Warner Bros’ latest animated feature which is coming out this fall. Lebron James, Channing Tatum, James Corden, Zendaya, Gina Rodriguez and Common all voice characters in this super fun film! adventure for all ages, with original music and an all-star cast, “SMALLFOOT” turns the Bigfoot legend upside down when a bright young Yeti finds something he thought didn’t exist—a human. News of this “smallfoot” throws the simple Yeti community into an uproar over what else might be out there in the big world beyond their snowy village, in an all new story about friendship, courage and the joy of discovery.

Here is the trailer

Great new movie coming out and a GIVEAWAY !!!!

Summer means a slew of big blockbusters featuring the biggest Hollywood stars.  But this summer, the most inspirational person to hit the big screen may not be The Avengers, Tom Cruise, and even “The Rock.”  It’s Pope Francis!!!

The Pope will appear for the first time ever in the family movie, BEYOND THE SUN. The film hopes to bring a message of joy, and God’s love to all audiences.  BEYOND THE SUN is a modern-day tale of hope, faith and courage based on stories from the Bible. The family movie chronicles the adventures of four young friends in search of God.f

The film, which releases across multiple platforms including iTunes, Amazon, and TUGG on May 15, has created a special contest where one lucky winner will have an opportunity to win an Exclusive Private Tour of the Vatican and Front Row Tickets to an Audience with The Pope For Four!  click here to enter  and  Click here to watch the trailer for this film  

 In the meantime, Beyond the Sun is sponsoring my giveaway for a free $50 amazon gift card. Just leave a comment below before Midnight on May 24th and I will randomly pick a winner!  

New Movie Alert...Wraith

There is a new movie coming out that might be of interest to you. It's called WRAITH and tackles the touchy subject of unplanned pregnancy.

Michael Sajabel, who previously directed legendary actor Peter O’Toole in One Night With the King based on the Biblical story of Esther, wrote and directed WRAITH to “….incorporate a very important message about valuing all life no matter how complicated it can get.” 

WRAITH is a supernatural thriller that explores the story of a family who invites evil into their home after they decide they may not go forward with an unplanned pregnancy.  The film reminds us that God always protects and provides, and that protecting life is always the right choice.

Recently an important member of our family instantly passed away when she was in a horrific car accident. The accident was not her fault and it was horrible that her children had no chance to say goodbye.  The fact that she was on her way to a cruise with three of her dear friends, who also passed away made it all the more horrible.

Thinking about four funerals in one day made me realize how precious life is. Live each day like it is your last. 

WRAITH releases across multiple video on demand platforms and on dvd/blu ray on today, May 8th. Go check it out and let me know what you think about it. 

The Miracle Season

    I was on a Dance Team in High School. During my first year, the squad was full of newbies as the prior team had all graduated. We thought we were great because when we danced at Pep Rallies and during halftime shows, our school family cheered and told us we were amazing. You can imagine our disappointment and surprise when, during our first spring as a team, we went to the State Competition and bombed out. We realized we pretty much sucked compared to the other teams.  During the long drive home from the competition, we decided we did not want to suck anymore.

    We went to dance camps over the summer, we hired a choreographer and we practiced and practiced and practiced. When our bodies hurt and our feet were covered in blisters, we practiced more. The next year, we went back to the State Championship and killed it. We then went onto the National Championship and won it. 

   I feel that those years of practice and discipline have helped me throughout my adult life. I know that when I want something, I can get it if I work hard enough. 

    This is why I was really excited when Grace Hill Media sent me the trailer for The Miracle Season which is in theaters on April 6th.  This film is based on the inspiring true story of West High School girls' volleyball team.  After the tragic death of the school's star player Caroline "Line" Found, the remaining team players must band together under the guidance of their tough-love coach in hope of winning the state championship.

Click here to watch the trailer

I'm moving and held an online Garage Sale on Ebay!

   I have sold our home of twenty years and we are moving about 30 minutes up the street to an amazing place. We are trading some square footage for resort-like living with a million dollar view. I've lived in this house since I was 7 months pregnant with my youngest son who is now headed to college.  Besides lots of great memories, this place was filled with stuff. An embarrassing amount of stuff. 20 years of four people and their stuff. Most of it had to go. 

    A regular old garage or yard sale was out of the question because of two factors. The first is that my homeowner's association does not allow them. I probably could have broken the rules if I really wanted to. My HOA is not very on top of things.

    The second reason is that my friends around here that have held garage sales have advised that the local garage sale shoppers are really intense. They will argue with the owner until she just accepts a dime or a quarter for all of her treasures. They are so persistent and annoying that the owner just wants to get the shoppers out of her face. I am not making this up.  I do live in Miami. People are kind of tough and crazy here from all of the beautiful weather.

    I'd rather donate or giveaway my stuff than argue with the locals, so I did what any sane person would do, I held a garage sale on eBay!

    I have two eBay stores, one for fashion and one for everything else.  I listed the clothes, shoes, and handbags in one and now about half of my closet has found homes with people who will appreciate it.

    As for the fun stuff, tons of it has sold on eBay over the past few months.  I grouped up some of the small stuff into bundles. Now my wallet is fatter and my new place will be clutter free. 


Here are some of the fun things that sold in my  eBay Store :

    I started out with service for 12 in water, wine and champagne glasses in 1994. By 2018. I had about 20 pieces total. Not sure if they were broken during great parties or by a clumsy housekeeper.   They sold singly for a 100 and then the rest were sold to a buyer in Oregon for $850.  They cost $35 each when I registered for them in 1994 so they actually went up in value...

     I bundled some of my "J" collection and they sold at auction very quickly...

    This would have sold for $1 or less had I hosted a garage sale....

   This was an airplane freebee...

This was a souvenir...

 I bought this painting only because the artist chanted "Saint Ann, SaintAnn find me a man"when I looked at it. It made me laugh at the time but the painting sat in a closet for years...

 Old technology always sells. I'm sure that they would have sold for more separately but I did not want to take the time...

 This was a shocker.  I really don't carry my wine anywhere so I'm glad it has found a new home...

Visit my eBay store at http://stores.ebay.com/casachic to see more of my virtual garage sale and follow my eBay journey on Instagram at http://stores.ebay.com/casachic . I give lots of tips there about selling on eBay.

My Favorite Book is turning into a movie starring three of my favorite people!!

I was a voracious reader when I was a child and I  loved A Wrinkle in Time.  I read it again a few years ago when my son was assigned it for school and still loved it. 

I'm soooo excited because it is now a movie starring three people who are always on my list of dream dinner party guests, OPRAH, REESE WITHERSPOON and MINDY KALING! I'm sorry if I seem over-excited but this is an amazing cast and an amazing story.

From visionary director Ava DuVernay comes Disney’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” an epic adventure based on Madeleine L’Engle’s timeless classic that takes audiences across dimensions of time and space, examining the nature of darkness versus light, good versus evil and, ultimately, the triumph of love.  The film also stars  Chris Pine and Storm Reid as “Meg Murry.”

It comes out in theaters tomorrow, March 9th so if you need to reach me, I'll be at the movie theater tomorrow!

Here is a link to the trailer  A Wrinkle in Time Trailer

Forever my Girl...

I met my husband before the days of cell phones. I was recruited by my friend to take photos at a surprise party for her friend Craig.  I brought my 35mm point and shoot camera and got some great shots.  Craig wanted copies of the photos and asked me for my phone number so that he could pick them up once I took them to the now-defunct Eckerd Drug store photo lab and got them developed (Doubles were free!).  I teased him and said that he would not remember my phone number as he had downed some birthday drinks.

The next day there was a message on my answering machine (the kind with the tape) which said "I remembered".

25 years, a great wedding, two great kids later we are still happy. I still have the tape from the answering machine with his message (but no mini recorder to play it on!).

Grace Hill Media has asked me to tell you about a great romantic moving coming out this week. It is called Forever My Girl.  It tells the story of music super-star Liam Page (Alex Roe) who left his bride, Josie (Jessica Rothe), at the altar choosing fame and fortune instead. However, Liam never got over Josie, his one true love, nor did he ever forget his Southern roots in the small community where he was born and raised. When he unexpectedly returns to his hometown for the funeral of his high school best friend, Liam is suddenly faced with the consequences of all that he left behind.  Forever My Girl is an uplifting romantic film about second chances. 

You can watch the trailer here...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iEOQn8UUHI

Grab your sweetie pie and make him take you to see this for date night. I'm sure he'll like it just as much as you do. 

Tell me below, how did you meet your better half? 

The Miracle Season is coming!

I'm back from a blogging absence to tell you about a great movie coming out and I've been given a sneak peak to share with you all. 

THE MIRACLE SEASON is based on the inspiring true story of West High School girls' volleyball team. After the tragic death of the school's star player Caroline "Line" Found, the remaining players must band together under the guidance of their tough-love coach in hopes of winning the state championship. 

It stars two of my favorite actors, Helen Hunt and William Hurt so how could it not be great! 

THE MIRACLE SEASON is available in theaters everywhere on April 13, 2018!

Click here to watch the trailer!

A Dog's Purpose!

    We all love our pets. I currently live with two cats who I really like but they favor the men around here. Here is the Queen Bee of the place, Miss Fatness (she has her own Instagram account!). She is very sweet but not the sharpest tool in the shed. Good thing she is pretty.

However, I have a dog-nephew Petie , who is certainly part-human. He is the friendliest, best dog that I have met. He even rings a bell when he wants to go out. Here he is in his Halloween costume. You just know he is more than a pet. Look at that smile. 

 

Petie is one of the reasons why I can't wait to go see the new film, A Dog's Purpose. It comes out in theaters on January 27th!. Based on the beloved bestselling novel by W. Bruce Cameron, A DOG’S PURPOSE, is a sweet and lovable family film that shares the soulful and surprising story of one devoted dog (voiced by Josh Gad (OLAF!)) who finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he teaches to laugh and love.  Told from the perspective of “everybody’s best friend” the film highlights the importance of familial bonds, and the unconditional love we have for our best friends.  The movie stars Dennis Quaid, Britt Robertson, K.J. Apa, and John Ortiz.

Tell me about your pets. Do you think that they are part human? I'd love to hear your stories.

Here is a trailer for A Dog's Purpose 

Courage is all you need to win...

Girls my age love Luke Perry,  so I was really excited when Anchor Bay Entertainment asked me to tell my readers about a new movie coming out starring our favorite 90210-r. The film is called Race to Win and it is coming out on Digital HD from Starz and on DVD next month.

It is a heart-warming, family-friendly film about a family running a horse ranch. The DVD will be available in stores on February 14th. In the meantime, here is a link to the trailer.

Hillsong..Let hope Rise & Great DVD Giveaway (FREE STUFF!)

   We were the only Jews on our block when I was growing up.   Luckily, our neighbors were open-minded and although many of them had never really known Jews before, it did not matter to them. They became life-long friends. Religion, although important to all of us, did not play into being neighbors and friends during both good and bad times.

   Our neighbor, a nice man from Minnesota, made us a menorah out of wood in his workshop. Our neighbors did not leave us out when they were delivering Christmas cookies or caroling.  We reciprocated with Potato Latkes and dreidel lessons.

   As young girls, my sister and I  could not understand why Santa could not come to our house like he did to all of our neighbors'.  So we hung up stockings and left cookies and he did visit. We got to double dip! 8 Crazy nights of Hanukkah presents and Christmas Presents. Doubly blessed!

   What Christmas means to me if different from what it may mean to others. I love Christmas Trees and Santa and make sure to donate to both Christmas and Hanukkah based Charity events during the season. I don't get insulted if you send me a Christmas Card or wish me Merry Christmas even if I'll be eating Bagels at my mom's annual brunch held on Christmas Day.

   My point is that just because we may believe in different things, most of us believe in the same things...take care of one another, be kind, keep the faith and peace on earth.

    Hillsong-Let Hope Rise  & Great are great films that are coming out on DVD. They are coming out on December 20th and will make great gifts! Hillsong Media has given me copies of these movies on DVD. If you are interested in winning a copy, leave a comment below (tell your friends).  I'll pick a winner by random drawing!

   Here are links to the trailers...



Greater Trailer

Hillsong Trailer

 

The good thing about a hurricane heading your way...

     Hurrican Matthew is a big, bad storming heading towards my home state.  Hurricanes suck and blow. (Pun intended). They make everyone in town insane.

     Television news makes everything worse. This morning, during the on air hysteria, the reporter actually interviewed a person who got the "THE LAST FLASHLIGHT AT HOME DEPOT". I have plenty of flashlights around here, yet this report made me feel like I needed to go out and try to find more. They then showed lines at gas stations and empty water shelves at the supermarkets in an effort to make everyone more insane. They stated that tons of flights are being canceled but later mentioned that they were only flights to Haiti, The Bahamas and Cuba where the Hurricane was striking.

      Luckily, I was able to procure gas and water the day before the hysteria (Chalk one up to being a life long Floridian) but I did have to go to Publix to  get some extra provisions this morning including Pop Tarts and pretzels. Lord help us all if a true life emergency ever hits here because Publix was like a war-torn country. Everyone was  driving their shopping carts like true a-holes. No manners whatsoever. So much for humanity and looking out for your neighbors. I literally witnessed an argument between strangers in the bread aisle and someone trying to steal water (only the really expensive stuff was left) out of someone else's cart.

    My cashier was on the verge of tears. I contemplated giving her cash tip or one of my pop-tarts. By the way, television meteorologists, supermarkets, and Home Depot LOOOOOOVE when a hurricane approaches. It is like their own personal Black Friday.

    So, do you want to know the good thing about a hurricane heading your way? Your Facebook Friends stop posting political posts and start forecasting the weather. That's something I guess.

    Currently, my house is out of the cone of destruction but we are expecting crappy weather. Go away Matthew.  Matthew McConaughey is aways invited to the Hurricane party....

The Queen of Katwe!

With all the political nonsense and horrible news on television these days, it's time to head to the movies. I just love movies that have a heartwarming and good message, so I can't wait to see Disney’s QUEEN OF KATWE  which opens nationwide on Friday,  September 30th.

The film is based on the inspiring true story of Robert Katende and Phiona Mutesi. Phiona was a young girl living in the slums of Katwe, Uganda. One day she stumbles upon Katende and a group of children playing chess in a makeshift church. Through the guidance of Katende and the game of chess, Phiona is encouraged to believe in herself. Eventually, she finds herself not only competing in local chess matches, but winning in international competitions. Robert and Phiona’s story celebrates the notion that champions can come from the most unlikely places. Here's a trailer...

I know a lot of unlikely champions. People who overcome obstacles in their lives are so inspiring. Who is your favorite unlikely champion these days?