Purple Tears For My Mama

22 years ago yesterday (April 28) my Mama passed away.

The emotions that happen on this day each year are crazy.  I will admit that it has got better over the years.  I don't spend so much time sad about it anymore.  I spend most of the day thinking of good times.  That's how my Mama would want it.

I miss being able to talk to her every day. Well, I really miss her talking back because I still talk to her all the time.  Anytime something good or bad happens I think I need to tell her.  She loved Prince and would have been especially sad to hear of his death.  When I heard the news she was the first person I thought of.

I'm sure some people have a problem with the things that are so special to me and make me feel so connected to my Mama.  But I don't care...LOL.  She wasn't perfect (who is?).  But she loved me with all her heart.  And she never put blinders on me for how the world was - the good or the bad.  She exposed me to all types of music, all types of literature, all types of art, and all types of television and film.  She encouraged me to make my own decisions and like things because I liked them (not because someone else did or thought I should).

Prince was one of the many artists that both my Mama and I shared a love for.  I spent my teenage years singing to Prince's music....and still do today.  As with many people, he helped define my youth and my musical tastes. I listened to his 1999 (album) and Purple Rain (album) for HOURS on end. When the movie Purple Rain came out we watched it over and over and over....signing to every tune of course.  Purple Rain was shown at The Grand Theatre in Pier Park last night.  I had never seen it on the big screen and thought it was fitting to see it on this day - on the anniversary of my Mama's death.

The movie was as great as it was every other time I have seen it.  Classic 80s! The music!  The clothes!  The hair!  The memories!  I just wish my Mama would have been there to see it too.  I like to think that she's getting to sing those songs with the man himself these days.  I can see her now singing and dancing along, partying like it's 1999.  Partying was one thing she was really good at...LOL.

In the days to come there will be lots of information released on Prince's death and the suspected causes of it.  The tabloids are already having a field day.  I will not focus on this and let it taint my memories associated with Prince.  He was a musical genious and his music and movies will live on forever.  Take some time to enjoy them.  Spend some time listening to his lyrics - really listening to them.  Listen past the sex references and see how they actually relate to life in general.  And take some time to tell the people that mean something to you how you feel.  You never know when it's the last time you will get the chance.  This year my tears for my Mama will be purple....just like the rain.

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Purple Rain (1984) - (IMDB link)
Directors: Prince, Michael Ballhaus
Stars: Prince, Apollonia Kotero, Morris Day, Clarence Williams III...

Check out this link for Prince's 40 Biggest Billboard Hits - WOW!

Check out this link for Rolling Stone readers poll: The 10 Best Prince Songs

And some of my personal favorites (I can't pick just one) with release year.  There are so many more I could list here...anything off of 1999 and Purple Rain should really be here as I LOVE both of those albums. Check out the first link for video and song facts link for more info about each:
Purple Rain (1984) - song facts
When Doves Cry (1984) - song facts
Let's Go Crazy (1984) - song facts
1999 (1983) - song facts
Little Red Corvette (1983) - song facts
Darling Nikki (1984) - song facts
Take Me With U (1984)

Mamita's Pizzeria - Authentic and Delicious!

We LOVE pizza so when a place says they guarantee it's the best in 50 miles or its free, we have to try it.  Tonight Ron and I tried a new place and we were very pleased.

Mamita's Pizzeria is located at 2808 W 23rd Street in Panama City.  It's in a small building set a little back from the road, but when the Highway 390 expansion is complete they will have the prime corner spot!  That could take a while so we need to keep them in business now!

The restaurant wasn't crowded.  It was quite intimate actually.  There appeared to only be 1 server. He did a great job, once we got our drinks initially. We also met one of the owners, who came out from the kitchen to say hello to us. He was very nice and thankful to us for eating there.

We wanted to try everything! We couldn't do that...but we made a great effort.

We started with Garlic Knots as an appetizer.  They were awesome!  They were light and fluffy with the perfect amount of garlic and Parmesan cheese on top.  They are served with homemade ranch or marinara sauce - we had both!

Instead of settling on a large pizza of one style we ordered three different small pizzas.

I chose Mamita's Classic (The Italian Pleaser) - pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, ham, mushrooms, onions, Italian sausage, green peppers, and black olives...Yum!!!  I loved how the mushrooms and Italian sausage were sliced thin.  I don't like thick pieces of either of these so it was perfect.

Ron picked a Meat Lovers (All The Good Stuff) - pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, ham, Italian sausage, and smoked bacon.  It also come with hamburger but Ron didn't get it on his pizza.  He said this pizza was great!

Just look at those yummy pies!!

And we also got a Buffalo Wing Pizza - mozzarella cheese, grilled chicken, smoked bacon, spicy buffalo sauce, and homemade ranch.  It also comes with onions but we left those off since Ron doesn't like them.  This pizza....OMG...this pizza is awesome!

Sorry, I didn't get a picture of the whole pizza.  It was too good and we couldn't help ourselves.

I strongly encourage you to check this place out. We will definitely be back.

Be sure to sign up for their birthday club and email club so you can get special deals.  You can do that here: Birthday Club

Follow them on Facebook too: facebook.com/mamitaspizza/

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ~ A Hit in My Book

It's been a while since my last blog post.  It seems like talking about some iconic characters is a pretty good reason to get back into the swing of blogging.

This weekend the latest superhero movie hit the big screen to huge audiences and vocal critics.  Anyone that knows me knows that I love (most) superhero movies.  I go to the movies to enjoy the cinematic experience and to escape from everyday life.  You can't get much better than a superhero movie to fullfill those expectations.  I love Batman and Superman so I was definately not going to miss Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Superhero movies (comic movies in general) typically have large audiences, so there's no doubt this one will too.  Box office numbers will be added to this post after the opening weekend numbers are announced.

Critics are not always so kind to superhero movies.  As a matter of fact, critics seem to have a problem with EVERY movie here lately.  Regardless, I always go in with an open mind ready to decide if I like the movie or not...and almost always I disagree with the critics.  So what did I think of this one?  Read on to find out....

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
PG-13 / 151 min / Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Release Date: 03/25/2016
Director: Zack Snyder
Stars: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter.......

What is this movie about?  Batman and Superman fighting each other, right?  Well, it's a little more complicated than that.  The IMDB page for the movie gives the synopsis as:
Fearing the actions of Superman are left unchecked, Batman takes on the man of steel, while the world wrestles with what kind of a hero it really needs.  With Batman and Superman fighting each other, a new threat, Doomsday, is created by Lex Luthor.  It's up to Superman and Batman to set aside their differences along with Wonder Woman to stop Lex Luthor and Doomsday from destroying Metropolis.

If you have seen Man of Steel you know that Superman caused a whole lot of destruction and many people were killed in collateral damage while he was saving the world.  These actions are what has everyone in such an uproar...especially Batman.  What kind of hero is a man that will cause the kind of devestation that Superman does?  There are a lot of similarities with the actions of Superman to some things happening in our "real" world.  If you don't think there are people, groups, and organizations that are causing devastating collateral damage while trying to do something heroic...well, apparently you don't watch the news or read the newspaper.  It happens frequently...in war, on the streets, in private homes.

Sidenote - The opening scenes of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice were a little reminiscent of 9/11 to me.  I'm not sure if that was intentional or if it was just something my mind conjured up.

What I didn't like about this movie -

I didn't like the way some parts of the movie was filmed.  While the fight scene was the climax of the movie, as well as having some key foreshadowing moments, parts of it were not easy to watch visually.  Between all the fire being thrown from Superman and Doomsday's eyes there was way too much red.  Part of the time you could see nothing on the screen but the fire.  I would have much preferred to have been able to actually see what was happening.

Lois Lane, the perpetual damsel in distress.  Don't get me wrong...I know that Lois Lane is an important part of the Superman mythology, but she drives me crazy.  There are so many scenes where she comes off as a strong woman to smash it all to pieces by needing a (super)man to save her.  At least Amy Adams does a great job portraying her.

I didn't really care for how Lew Luthor was portrayed.  Jesse Eisenberg was great performance wise, but the entire way that Lex Luthor was protrayed just didn't jive with me.  I will admit that it's been a long time since I've read the comics, but I don't remember Lex Luthor ever acting the same way he did in this movie.  And he's never been portrayed like this in other film versions on the small screen or big screen.  While I'm sure this reinterpretation may be one of the high points for many I think they were trying to make Lex Luthor too much like the Joker, and it didn't work for me.  If you're interested, here's an article you might want to read about this: Zack Snyder on Why He Cast Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor

Now for what I DID like -

Henry Cavill - Clark Kent / Superman

Let me just say that he is an awesome Superman.  There have been many actors play this character, some better than others. I am very happy with Henry Cavill as the adult Superman even though my personal favorite has always been Tom Welling of Smallville...!

I hope their are many, many, more movies with Superman in them because I would like to see Henry Cavill portray him for a long time to come.

Ben Affleck - Bruce Wayne / Batman

 

Oh, where do I begin?  I absolutely LOVE Ben Affleck as Batman!!!!  When it was first announced that he would play Batman there was no shortage of naysayers.  I was not one of them.  I mean, come on folks, have you seen Ben Affleck.  Have you seen Bruce Wayne and Batman in the comics?  Are they not the perfect match??  I knew immediately that he would make a fantastic Batman.  And as a slightly weathered version he is FANTASTIC! I admit it's hard to compete against Christian Bale's version of Batman...but I think Ben Affleck stood up to it just fine.  He wore the cape and cowl very well!!  And the workout scene...my, oh my!!!

I'm just going to go ahead and say that he's my favorite Batman so far.  And thankfully, I'm not alone in those thoughts.  Check out this article: 7 Reasons Ben Affleck is The Best Batman of All-Time.

As for who wins in the fight between Batman and Superman...well, the winner of this movie is....

Gal Gadot - Diana Prince / Wonder Woman

I was very skeptical when it was announced that Gal Gadot was going to portray Wonder Woman.  I have been a fan of hers for a while but I wasn't sure if the girl I knew as Gisele from the Fast & Furious franchise could pull off this iconic Amazonian warrior.  I know longer have any doubts.  She was great!!  Some of the best scenes from the movie were the ones with her in them.  In fact many think she stole the limelight from Batman and Superman.  Ummm, just maybe she did.  I can't wait to see Wonder Woman in her own feature film.  Finally, Hollywood has found the right woman for the role of Wonder Woman.

Dodge!  Anyone that knows me knows I'm a Mopar girl....and there is plenty of that in this movie.  Would someone please just buy the Jeep Limited edition Renegade Justice special edition for me already!!

So my final vote - I give the movie an A.  

***

I always like to represent when I go to superhero movies, and being conflicted on this one I had to show my appreciation for both Batman and Superman (couldn't find the right Wonder Woman shirt or I would have been wearing that).  My hubby decided on Batman - but he always wears Superman on his sleeve. 

If only he would have worn his Superman costume.... :)