Taige Crenshaw -…increasing the sizzle factor

From the first time I saw it was intrigued. My first Uno game was when I was a kid. It was a Christmas gift and one that I to this day feel was the best gift ever. When I opened the deck, read the directions, explained to my family and then all my family present at Christmas sat down to play it was magical. It was fun, loud and exciting. When I won my first game and shouted “Uno” I was hooked. After that we played often. There was laughter, fun and teasing. I took my Uno game wherever I could and played with whoever was willing.

As the years went on I still played but not as often. In college I bought a new Uno deck so I could have some fun on those nights I had night duty as a RA for my college. And I found others who loved the game. During my night duty I would put out the word that an Uno game was on. People would come and we would have some cut throat games. Some with as high as 20 people with others waiting to take the place of the losers. It was a fun rotation of people to match Uno wit’s with. It was a great time. I even bought an Uno handheld game so I could play wherever I went.

But atlas time passed and I lost track of my Uno. At least until the last year or so. I noticed in the café at the day job there was a set of people playing Uno and my love of the Uno started to come back. Each time I passed the Uno players in the café I watched as they played and longed to join them. I didn’t but my Uno love continued to grow. Finally I asked to take part in a game and was accepted in. When I won my first game and shouted “Uno” it brought back memories of that first game. I was hooked all over again. Ahh Uno brought back so many memories or time spent with family and friends.

And since I love gadgets I am now in search of an Uno handheld game (grin). I love me some Uno. Now loud and clear. Come on and shout it with me “Uno”.

There are so many interesting movies being released this year. From the action packed, drama, animated, horror, and to the comedies there is something for everyone. I have noticed a pattern to many of the movies – love. They all seem to have some underlying theme of love. Love of friends or family, intimate love or even the obsessive “if I can’t have you no one else will” or “I will have what you have or be you”.

It is interesting that the exploration of love can be done in so many ways. As an author I find this so fascinating. This exploration of love in so many vastly different ways. This is why my TBR pile is so large and my book library even larger. This is why there are so many writers with so many stories to tell. Stories that one reader may love while another may hate or be ambivalent to.

The same goes for movies. If you different movie viewer’s how was a movie you get a different response. The gush that is was great and then the details of why. The shrugs that it was okay then a vague description of movie. The it was sucky and then the lament of all that was wrong with the movie. No matter which opinion the moviegoer has they have one. The same as readers do.

I listen to the thoughts on the movie but then I make my own decision on whether to see it or not. I’ve had movie critics or people who have seen a certain movie say it was the best thing ever. Yet when I saw it if I decided to go it was fantastically sucktastic. In my own humble opinion. The like or not of anything goes by the person. That persons taste or what they like. It even goes by the mood you might be in when you see it.

Movies have evolved year after year. Getting more great, weird, fantastical, special effecty, animated, worst or on and on of what you think. So the next time you go to the movies think of what your hmmmm reaction was and share it with someone.

There are lots of more movies releasing this year and each year forward. I’m going to enjoy going to see various movies and seeing no matter good, bad or indifferent what kind of hmmmm reaction I will have. After all a movie at least for me it’s all about the hmmmmm….