If you're anything like me, then you take a ton of photos when you travel. Doesn't matter if I travel within New York City or to ano...

If you're anything like me, then you take a ton of photos when you travel. Doesn't matter if I travel within New York City or to another state, I want to capture a memory of the moment with a photo. If I can take a selfie, even better.

Note: The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free. While this is a sponsored post, any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.

But taking a selfie isn't always easy. You need to have the right lighting, or angle or sometimes the right camera. Some cameras are better when it comes to taking a selfie, like the Canon IVY CLIQ+ instant print camera - available at Best Buy.



I recently received one for review, so I can test out some of the features that make the Canon IVY CLIQ+ both a good travel camera and great for selfies.

Some of the Canon IVY CLIQ+ features includes

1. Features a large 2" selfie mirror with an 8 LED ring light for great looking selfies.
2. Features a memory card slot so you can actually keep digital copies of all the photos you take! (memory card sold separately)
3. IVY CLIQ+ comes in Pearl White, Ruby Red, Saphhire Blue and Rose Gold
4. Either choose to print 2x3" peel-and-stick photos direct from the IVY CLIQ+'s camera OR print photos taken from your smartphone via the Canon Mini Print app
5. When you connect your smartphone to the Canon Mini Print app via Bluetooth you can even use fun AR filters and add effects, frames, text, and stickers to your 2”x3” peel-and-stick photos!

So right away I wanted to try out the 2" selfie mirror. Because come on! Who doesn't want to get that great selfie?! So I took my Canon IVY CLIQ+ with me on a mini trip around NYC.



The first thing I notice is how light and easy to carry the Canon IVY CLIQ+ is. I can easily slip it into my bag or pocket and when I need to take a photo, it comes out, I figure out my angle within the selfie mirror guidelines and "click". So easy!


Since it was bright daytime I didn't need to use the 8 LED ring light, but it's good to know it's there in case I need "extra" lightening. And turning it on is as easy as sliding the button!


Once I took my photo, a few seconds later it prints nice and easy. In full color on ZINK photo paper (ZINK stands for Zero Ink printing technology. Instead of ink, it uses colorful dye-based crystals embedded inside the paper. The ZINK-enabled device uses heat to activate and colorize these crystals.)


The print itself is really good quality. But more cool then that, you can peel and stick the print on different surfaces. Just think how easy you can now make travel books, memory boards or anything else you can stick a photo on.


While getting my photo printed right away is amazing, in case I wanted to save the photos, I could use a memory card (sold separately). I can also edit my photos using the companion app for the camera.



Of course I tried this out and was pleased with the different filters and photo editing features available. There's lots to explore to enhance my travel photos. And again, it's all easy to use.


While I tested out the CLIQ+ instant print camera, for those folks not all about the selfie mirror, Canon also has the Canon IVY CLIQ, which has these features:

1. Instantly print a 2x3" peel-and-stick photo right after you shoot it, directly from the IVY CLIQ camera. Thanks to the peel & stick back you can place these practically anywhere!
2. Features a memory card slot so you can actually keep digital copies of all the photos you take! (memory card sold separately)
3. The IVY has a small selfie mirror for taking perfectly centered group shots.
4. CLIQ comes in Seaside Blue, Bumble Bee Yellow, Lady Bug Red and Mint Green.

No matter which Canon IVY camera you chose to check out, they both will help you take travel photos in a new and exciting way. And yes any travel selfies. LOL

To learn more about the Canon IVY instant print camera, visit your local Best Buy retailer or online:

Cannon IVY CLIQ Instant Print Camera: www.bby.me/ppjnu
Cannon IVY CLIQ+ Instant Print Camera: www.bby.me/h6y8e

Now that Paramount Home Entertainment has released WONDER PARK on Digital and Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack, families will want to add this animate...

Now that Paramount Home Entertainment has released WONDER PARK on Digital and Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack, families will want to add this animated adventure to their home movies collection.

Why? Because I think WONDER PARK will get kids’ imaginations soaring in so many ways. But for the sake of being brief, I'm sharing 3 main reason why families will enjoy WONDER PARK:

Fun Animal Friends

When June first enters Wonder Park, she's not sure what she'll find. Along with a park filled with broken down rides and attractions, June also finds some animal friends. At first they are a bit quirky, but as June and the crew (Steve, Greta, June, Cooper, Gus, Peanut and Boomer) learn what's happening to the park, they each start to form a bond needed to save the day. It's mostly funny at times to see, but in the end the love and support come through for the team.

Female Engineering, Creativity and Problem Solving

The start of the film shows June and her mother building Wonder Park, not only in their minds but also in real life. I love this so much. Her mom encourages June to be a creative engineer for her park. This lesson later comes in handy when June has to problem solve and figure out how to save the park and her friends. A good lesson for females young and *ahem* older. We can solve our own problems with a little bit of creativity and belief in ourselves.

The Wonder of Using Your Imagination

One of the great message in Wonder Park is that it's wonderful to use your imagination. You can create so many amazing things, places and friends. There's no limit. The film does a great of showing what a "whispered" thought can inspire. It's a though provoking and visual joy that encourages letting out imagination free.


WONDER PARK | Official Trailer



The fun-filled bonus content gives viewers the chance to sing along with June and her friends, learn how to draw Boomer and the Wonder Chimps, watch Gus the Beaver yodel his heart out, make crazy noises like voiceover artists, and take a tour of Wonderland.

SYNOPSIS

WONDER PARK is the story of a young girl named June with a big imagination who makes an incredible discovery—the amusement park of her dreams has come to life. Filled with the world’s wildest rides operated by fun-loving animals, the excitement never ends.

But when trouble hits, June and her misfit team of furry friends begin an unforgettable journey to save the park. Action-packed and brimming with laughs, WONDER PARK is a ride the whole family will love.


The WONDER PARK Blu-ray Combo pack includes access to a Digital copy of the film as well as the following:

Blu-ray

• Feature film in high definition
• Bonus Content:
• Gus Yodeling – Deleted Scene
• The Wonder Chimp Channel
• The Pi Song Sing-Along
• Making Noises (It’s Actually a Job?!!)
• June’s Guide to Wonderland
• June’s Welcoming Crew
• Boardwalk Caricatures:
• Drawing Boomer
• Drawing the Wonder Chimp Pirate
• Drawing the Wonder Chimp Princess

DVD

• Feature film in standard definition

The WONDER PARK single-disc DVD includes the feature film in standard definition.


To learn more, visit - www.WonderParkMovie.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/WonderParkMovie
Twitter: www.twitter.com/WonderParkMovie
Instagram: www.instagram.com/WonderParkMovie

After watching the trailer for Mindy Kaling's Late Night, I knew I wanted to see it. Late Night seemed filled with humor and maybe a mes...

After watching the trailer for Mindy Kaling's Late Night, I knew I wanted to see it. Late Night seemed filled with humor and maybe a message about female bonding. I can totally watch that.

Note: I was invited as media to the screening. Any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.

Ironically after attending a screening for Late Night, I felt that the movie offered lots more then humor, it also offered female empowerment on so many levels.

Amazon Studios film "Late Night" is now in theaters nationwide.

Read more

- Behind Mindy Kaling's Late Night Storyline, Fashion and Message

My Review of "Late Night"

While the film focuses on Katherine Newbury (Emma Thompson) trying to save her late night career with some help from new "minority" hire Molly (Mindy Kaling), the issues facing both women are relatable to ALL women. We've all been there when someone didn't think we "belong".

While tackling the issue of women empowerment seems like a big task, Late Night does it well with witty dialog and brutally humorous moments. One of my favorite scenes is when Mindy is congratulated for getting the job because she's a "minority" not just because she qualified. Her response to the comment is perfect! And encouraging. There's nothing wrong with being a "minority" at a job, but we don't have to let it define us.

Late Night - Featurette: The Making Of | Amazon Studios


Part of Katherine issue is not fully being herself. Once she embraces who she is and what she can do, then her career take a turn that's better for her.

Meanwhile, Molly steps outside her shell to be a better "self", which helps her inspire others and changes things for the better.

The full message of the film is be the best YOU wherever and however you are. It's a great message that women (and men) need to hear (watch).

SYNOPSIS

Late Night - Final Trailer | Amazon Studios


Katherine Newbury (Emma Thompson) is a pioneer and legendary host on the late-night talk-show circuit. When she’s accused of being a “woman who hates women,” she puts affirmative action on the to-do list, and—presto!—Molly (Mindy Kaling) is hired as the one woman in Katherine’s all-male writers’ room.

But Molly might be too little too late, as the formidable Katherine also faces the reality of low ratings and a network that wants to replace her. Molly, wanting to prove she’s not simply a diversity hire who’s disrupting the comfort of the brotherhood, is determined to help Katherine by revitalizing her show and career—and possibly effect even bigger change at the same time.

Starring Emma Thompson, Mindy Kaling, Max Casella, Hugh Dancy, John Lithgow, Denis O’Hare, Reid Scott and Amy Ryan

Directed by Nisha Ganatra
Written by, Produced by and Starring Mindy Kaling

To learn more, visit

Facebook - www.facebook.com/latenightthemovie
Twitter -www.twitter.com/latenightmovie
Instagram - www.instagram.com/latenightmovie

Can you imagine living after a global alien invasion? Do you trust the aliens or fight back for humanity? That is the decision before Gabrie...

Can you imagine living after a global alien invasion? Do you trust the aliens or fight back for humanity? That is the decision before Gabriel (Ashton Sanders) in CAPTIVE STATE, available on Blu-ray, DVD, Digital, Movies Anywhere, as well as On Demand on from Participant Media and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

Note: I received product sample for review purpose. Any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.

Filled with unexpected twists and shocking revelations, CAPTIVE STATE on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital features exclusive insight from cast and filmmakers, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, taking fans deeper into the world of this sci-fi adventure.

The Story-line

“What happens if your rights were taken away by this huge occupying force?” Producer Crockett shares. “Would you just sit by and live-and-let-live, let it happen, or would you be somebody who takes a stand? I think this story really explores that without making a judgment one way or the other. I don’t think anybody really knows how they would react to a situation like this until it happens.”

“I also think Captive State fits in well with Participant Media’s body of work because it not only tells a great story, but also addresses issues that the world faces today,” Crockett adds about his producing partners, Participant Media’s Jeff Skoll and Jonathan King. Participant Media, the media company dedicated to entertainment that inspires audiences to engage in positive social change.

“Our story’s set nine years in the future, and because of the way these aliens are mining our resources, pillaging the planet, they’re starting to have a negative effect on our world,” Crockett continues about the script’s topicality. “There is the issue of climate change, very subtly portrayed in the story. The film has a social conscience in asking questions like ‘what are our responsibilities to humanity? What are our responsibilities to the planet?’

Participant Media’s Jonathan King, who serves as executive producer on the film, describes what interested the company in working with Wyatt: “Rupert excels at building worlds filled with suspense, intrigue and innovative action. With Captive State, Rupert continues his exploration of control, oppression and resistance that began with The Escapist and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Like all good science fiction, this movie offers a way to look at our own circumstances through a unique lens.”

The Characters

“I saw Gabriel as a crocodile who sits and waits but is so aware of everything that’s going on around him,” Sanders shares about his take on his character. “Rupert and I had the same ideas for Gabriel. Gabriel sits and waits. He doesn’t say much unless he has to.”

“Ashton’s a very old soul,” Wyatt observes about his 22-year-old star. “I took a while to find that character when we were casting because I wanted somebody who was very young and, in many ways, green to the world. At the same time, have an ability of stillness. Have the ability to see things through a rough experience in life. That was the character of Gabriel — a kid who lost his parents, lost his brother and lived in a disenfranchised part of Chicago while making this choice to keep his head down and not get into trouble.”

“Machine Gun Kelly (whose birth name is Colson Baker) was one of those key pieces of casting like with Ashton,” Wyatt continues. “I had a very clear idea in my mind for the role of Gabriel’s best friend, Jurgis. Physically and visually. Tall, gangly, unpredictable. A Lithuanian-American kind of character. I saw a YouTube clip with Machine Gun Kelly and thought he was funny. I had no idea if he could act, but he sent in a casting tape. He was great.”

Adds producer Crockett. “He brought real world street smarts to the film. He’s slightly older than Gabriel, a buddy who pushes him around a little bit. But, they are a great onscreen team as they go through this world that’s lost it’s way a little bit.”

“Jurgis is like a lost soul, out on the streets with an urge to rebel,” Baker adds about his character. “That is a lot of who I am as a real person. So, yeah, it was a pretty easy fit. And, me and Ashton clicked really well as friends in real life, too. Again, it was just two young cats rebelling, man. So nothing too far different than each of the people we were playing.”

The Visual Effects

VFX supervisor Eric Pascarelli (Poseidon, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Ang Lee’s Life of Pi) was immediately impressed by two aspects of the production— “the script read like a very expensive visual effects movie, which, in the end, it was not,” and something he had never before seen on any of his prior projects — a comprehensive, password-protected website, created by Wyatt, that provided in-depth visual references for the story.”

While preparing his contributions for the film, Pascarelli “talked to Rupert about many things in the script that could either be gigantic visual effects shots or not.

“And, Rupert had a very good idea of what was going to be visual effects and what wasn’t,” Pascarelli notes. “He’s very familiar with the city of Chicago. The script was obviously written with a very strong sense of the geography. So, in his mind’s eye, he knew what needed to be treated with VFX and what didn’t. There are a couple of very important moments in the script that are being done with visual effects. We spent our resources on some very neat, but very small, scenes that are being done with all of the production value of the larger VFX movies. But, they were fairly sparse throughout the story.”



“This is not a movie with cars flying everywhere and monorails and all of that stuff that usually visually defines the future in so many different movies,” Pascarelli emphasizes. This is a very down-to-earth, gritty movie with so many diverse and amazing Chicago locations chosen that were so wonderful they didn’t need effects to convey the story.”

In the end, Pascarelli was overjoyed to be part of Wyatt’s creative team, saying “how totally cool and interesting a movie this is. It is a science fiction movie, but it’s not. It is a political thriller, but it’s not. It’s really not an effects movie, yet it doesn’t hide from its visual effects. The unusual thing about this is that the effects that are sprinkled throughout helping to advance the story are very effect-sy. We’re doing giant spaceships. We’re doing aliens. But, they play very small roles visually, and ultimately, in the movie.”

“With Captive State, I wanted to make a film that cast a light on, and is relevant to, the world that we live in and experience every day,” Wyatt offers about his original and captivating parable. “But to do so in both a science fiction context and an entertaining context. My job is to give people not only a release valve from certain things in their life, but also to give them a sense of inspiration and pause for thought.”

SYNOPSIS

Captive State | Trailer | Own it now on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital


A decade since an extraterrestrial force has occupied our planet, deceiving humanity with the promise of peace and unity, Chicago Police Officer William Mulligan (Goodman) is tasked with maintaining law and order in a city on the brink of rebellion.

Gabriel (Sanders); the young brother of a fallen militant and the son of Mulligan’s ex-partner, is faced with the crucial choice: Collaborate...or fight back.

From Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt, the sci-fi thriller stars Ashton Sanders (Moonlight) alongside an out-of-this-world supporting cast including John Goodman (10 Cloverfield Lane), Jonathon Majors (Hostiles) and Vera Farmiga (“Bates Motel”).

BLU-RAY, DVD & DIGITAL BONUS FEATURES:

• Igniting a War – Producer/Co-Writer/Director Rupert Wyatt explains how this ensemble cast helped achieve a high degree of realism against the backdrop of an alien invasion story.
• Building the World of Captive State – Filmmakers and cast discuss their experiences shooting on location in Chicago, and how it played a pivotal role in setting the tone for this gritty science fiction film.
• Feature Commentary with Director/Producer/Co-Writer Rupert Wyatt

To learn more, visit www.uni.pictures/CaptiveState

Facebook - www.facebook.com/captivestatemovie
Twitter - www.twitter.com/captive_state
Instagram - www.instagram.com/captivestatemovie

In celebration of Father’s Day, Fatherly has partnered with Gillette to create Sincerely, a NYC Pop-Up Exhibit that highlights letters to bo...

In celebration of Father’s Day, Fatherly has partnered with Gillette to create Sincerely, a NYC Pop-Up Exhibit that highlights letters to boys about life and what it takes to be a good man from various sources including celebrities, writers, activists, and more.

Note: I attended this event as media. However any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.


To launch the pop-up, there was a preview night where guests had a chance to both preview the exhibit before it opens to the public, along with hearing from a panel of fathers sharing their experience and advice for raising boys.


Visitors to the Fatherly x Gillette NYC Pop-Up can:

• Read letters from famous and not-famous men alike writing letters to boys, sons and grandsons.
• Listen to short audio messages to the prompt: “What would you tell a boy growing up today?”
• Get personalized made poems for themselves, their husband, son or whoever.
• Sample Gillette products

The exhibition is open to the public from June 13th – June 16th (running through Father’s Day).

Friday, June 14th: 12 — 8 PM
Saturday, June 15th: 11 AM — 7 PM
Sunday, June 16th: 11 AM — 7 PM


And, Poetry Society will be covering the writer's desk for poems from:

Friday, June 14th (6-8PM)
Saturday, June 15th (1-7PM)
Sunday, June 16th (1-7PM)


To learn more about Fatherly, visit - www.fatherly.com

Facebook - www.facebook.com/FatherlyHQ
Twitter - www.twitter.com/FatherlyHQ
Instagram - www.instagram.com/Fatherly

The film, Oceans: Our Blue Planet is currently screening in Digital 2D and 3D at The American Museum of Natural History until January 5, 202...

The film, Oceans: Our Blue Planet is currently screening in Digital 2D and 3D at The American Museum of Natural History until January 5, 2020. The film takes visitors on a journey to uncover a spectacular world of life beneath the waves.

Narrated by Kate Winslet (Titanic, The Reader, Revolutionary Road), Oceans: Our Blue Planet features the OceanX research vessel Alucia. As viewers journey through the oceans, they share in these extraordinary discoveries and uncover a spectacular world of life beneath the waves.

Dolphins leap for joy through the surf at the beginning of the journey, and the first stop is the coral reefs, to meet fascinating animals like the ingenious tuskfish, which uses coral as a tool to crack open its shelled prey. Diving deeper, viewers encounter unfamiliar critters of the abyss and volcanoes of methane erupting from the ocean floor.

New ocean science and technology has allowed humans to go farther into the unknown than ever thought possible. From the coastal shallows to deeper, more mysterious worlds, Oceans: Our Blue Planet reveals the untold stories of the oceans’ most astonishing animals through amazing footage filmed at locations all over the world.


Oceans: Our Blue Planet – AMNH Trailer



From long-time collaborators BBC Earth and OceanX Media, Oceans: Our Blue Planet is directed by Mark Brownlow (Planet Earth: Blue Planet II, Tiny Giants) and Rachel Butler (Great Barrier Reef) and is distributed worldwide to museum cinemas by BBC Earth and Chicago-based Giant Screen Films & D3D Cinema. Microsoft, a sponsor of the film, is providing educational resources for Oceans: Our Blue Planet 3D.

The film’s release is part of a collaboration between the American Museum of Natural History and OceanX, an initiative of the Dalio Foundation, to advance ocean research and exploration. Lead funding for the Museum’s current Unseen Oceans exhibition and educational resources is provided by OceanX.

Screening through January 5, 2020, Oceans: Our Blue Planet will be shown daily in the Museum’s Samuel J. and Ethel LeFrak Theater, in 2D at 11:30 am and 4:30 pm, and in 3D at 10:30 am and 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30 pm. Times are subject to change.

To purchase tickets in advance, call 212-769-5200 or visit www.amnh.org

Facebook - www.facebook.com/naturalhistory
Twitter - www.twitter.com/AMNH
Instagram - www.instagram.com/AMNH