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Mother’s Day Movies: The Struggles of Being a Mother

Motherhood is something unimaginably difficult to those who’ve never experienced it. From physically tending to a growing child, to influencing who that child grows up to be, motherhood is full of struggles that show why we should appreciate mothers on this special day. Though nothing can be done to perfection, mothers always make that effort for their children, or as the saying goes “mother knows best.” Every  situation brings something different, and in those times moms have to make difficult decisions as to what’s best for their child.

In today’s society, mother’s have every right to seek fulfilling careers and, at times, that’s combined with the desire to give their child financial comforts while foregoing spending a lot of time with them. In the film The Nightingale (distributed by World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation) Quan Ying is burdened by her desire to give her child a comfortable life, and to achieve that, she and her husband work tireless hours. However, when Quan Ying is faced with not having anyone to take care of her daughter Renxing, she makes the difficult decision to have her daughter join her grandfather on a trip to his hometown. This resolve was difficult since it was done without telling her husband, who would have vetoed her decision. Ultimately, the journey turns out for the best, as Renxing gains a more mature worldview on this journey, though it was a difficult one.

Sometimes life takes unexpected turns, and health makes the struggle of motherhood a lot more difficult. In the the film The Lovely Patient, Katherine is faced with putting the burden of relying on her son for support after she suffers a stroke. Despite the situation, their relationship is made stronger in the struggle.

In Ways to Live Forever, young Sam McQueen has leukemia, and his mother, Amanda, along with other adults, do the best they can so that he can have as normal a life as possible. Though she is unable to heal her child’s ailment, she does the best she can so that he can have a happy and normal life.

Lastly, these are just some film examples of how difficult it is to be a mother. The world is full of stories of different circumstances making motherhood have it’s happy moments and it's sad ones. Today is Mother’s Day, and we all should take the time to make it a special one for our own mothers so that they know how much we appreciate all they do to try and give us the best.

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International Bird Day

May 4th marks a very special day in celebrating nature since it is the day that International Bird Day is celebrated. This date marks an approximation as to when most species of birds begin to migrate, and what better day to celebrate this avian species and to promote the conservation of their kind and their habitats. After all, birds are creatures that continue to inspire great art like Picasso’s “Dove of Peace,” Brancusi’s sculpture “Bird in Space,” and even in films like The Nightingale (distributed by World Wide Motion Pictures), where birds take a central role. In this film, one of the main plot lines revolves around a pet nightingale that is being transported to its village of origin by a grandfather and his granddaughter.

For this International Bird Day, let’s commemorate the central protagonist of the film by learning a little bit about the species. Nightingales tend to breed in summer months in warm humid climates, typical of certain European and Asian forests (much like the nightingale in the film, which came from a rainforest in Yanshuo, China). During the winter, nightingales migrate to Africa to find warmer climates, and during the spring they return north to their nesting grounds. This species was given its common name since it could be heard singing during the day and during the night, and it is believed that single males sing during nighttime to attract mates. Nightingales’ diets consists of insects, fruits, nuts, and seeds, and the small birds are predated by animals like rats, foxes, snakes, larger birds, and cats. Because of their preferred habitat of thick rainforests, and because of their small size, nightingales are very difficult to spot, but their song could easily be heard despite the foliage. This May 4th, if you want to see a tale about this species, check out The Nightingale which will be available on VOD and DVD.

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Celebrate Your Favorite Stories on National Tell A Story Day!

Whether it be a story from a book, your imagination, or from memory, telling stories is a special way to learn and expand your mind. Each year on April 27, people all over the country celebrate National Tell A Story Day, a day where people get together and share various kinds of stories.

Special reading events are often times held in community centers, churches, libraries, and schools. Many libraries even have special story telling times for children.

Besides being educational, telling stories from past generations can help carry on family traditions and help families grow closer.

This brings to mind the character Sam (played by Robbie Kay) in the film Ways To Live Forever, as he documents his life and tells stories about his experiences after finding out he has been diagnosed with leukemia.

Sam’s heartwarming story takes you on an adventure as he learns more about his disease and grows into a teenager. He finds meaning to his life by leaving behind his story for all people to know.

As Sam’s homeschool teachers says in the film, “Humans have discovered that living forever is not possible, but there is something eternal that we can leave behind…works of art.”

To celebrate this day, you can create your own tale and work on your creativity and public speaking skills, or even tell a story your grandma told you about her grandma. It can be a short story or a long story, fiction or nonfiction - take advantage of this day to share your story!

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Music for all you record lovers

Have you ever lost yourself in a record store? Looking at all the vinyls, wondering how a previous generation’s method of entertainment still exists in today’s society? With digital formats of music allowing us to simply buy music instantly onto our devices, it’s hard to think that vinyls would ever make a comeback or how it could still continue to exist. Yet, when you look around, vinyls are still pretty much thriving in our mainstream culture being displayed in stores like Forever21.

Founded in 2007, Record Store Day (RSD) is an annual event held on the third Saturday of April, celebrating the culture of independently-owned record stores. This year, Record Store Day will on April 16th, 2016. As tradition follows, RSD will have three tiers of exclusive releases of discs. The tiers including RSD Exclusive Release, RSD Limited Run/Regional Focus Release, and ‘RSD First’ Release. The lists of the releases can be found here: http://www.recordstoreday.com/SpecialReleases

The lists of exclusive releases include:

The All-American Rejects’ Move Along in LP format

The second album by The All-American Rejects released on July 12th, 2005. It had three top 15 singles, which helped the album become a double platinum.

The Animals’ Animal Tracks in 10” Vinyl

The third album in the United States released by the Animals first released in 1965.

Justin Bieber’s Purpose in 12” Picture Disc

Bieber’s fourth studio album released on November 13th, 2015. The album was made with the help of Skrillex and Diplo for their top 10 single, “Where Are U Now”. Other singles off of the album include “Sorry”, “Love Yourself”, and “Company”.

David Bowie’s I Dig Everything - The Pye Singles 1966 in 12” Vinyl

Go back to the 60s listening to David Bowie! The vinyl contains six tracks consisting of “I’m Not Losing Sleep”, “I Dig Everything”, and “Good Morning Girl”.

Dr. Who’s Genesis of the Daleks in LP Format

Doctor Who fans rejoice for the release of the Genesis of the Daleks! Travel back to the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) as he ventured with Sarah Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan as they challenge Davros, the creator of the Daleks.

Madonna’s Like A Virgin & Other Hits in 12” Colored Vinyl

Travel back to the 80’s back when Madonna first appeared onto the musical scene. Like A Virgin was released on November 12th, 1984!

And many more!

In the soundtrack of Red Roses & Petrol, Flogging Molly plays a huge role in the film creating the ambience, atmosphere, and the mood. Flogging Molly based in Los Angeles, California is an Irish-American Celtic punk band. After the release of Red Roses  Petrol in 2003, Flogging Molly has continued to release three albums, “Within a Mile of Home”, “Float”, and “Speed of Darkness” with a new album in the making to be released in 2016 with their new single, “The Hand of John L. Sullivan,” honoring the Irish-American boxer.

Currently on tour, Flogging Molly’s next local stop on their Splash Tour will be in San Diego, CA on August 6th at the Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air! Check them out at here.

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Let’s Celebrate Our Ancestors

In Asian beliefs, it is believed to always tie loose ends with a person before their deaths. Being in debt with the dead would only bring misfortune to an individual throughout the rest of their lives until the debt is fulfilled or repaid. Qingming creates a method for the Chinese to bring a closure to all their loose ends while paying their respects to their ancestors.

In China, Qingming, or Tomb Sweeping Day in English, is a day dedicated to paying one’s respects to their family’s ancestors. The origin of Qingming begins with Jie Zitui, who had loyally followed Chong’er, Duke Wen of Jin. However, when Chong’er became duke, he repaid all those who supported him graciously, but skipped over Jie. When Duke Wen attempted to find Jie for repayment, he never found him. Jie had moved into the forests with his mother, so Duke Wen ordered his troops to set the forest on fire. Accidentally killing Jie and his mother, Duke Wen ordered three days without fire to honor Jie’s memory. A year later, the duke returned to the grave to find a willow tree in blossom. The lost forest is still called Jiexiu, meaning “Jie’s rest.”

Honoring the dead, just like Duke Chong’er did, provided a sense of closure from remorse and allowed the living to say thank you to the dead. In the film The Nightingale, Zhu Zhi Gen travels across China to pay his respects to his late wife’s grave, as well to fulfill his promise. Qingming provides a way to honor one’s ancestors at their grave sites by sweeping their tombs, offering them tea, wine, chopsticks, and/or libations. Zhu Zhi Gen brings a nightingale to his former wife and said one last goodbye to her, and releasing it for one last flight.

The purpose of Qingming is to honor one’s ancestors and hope for fortune from them. So this year’s Qingming on April 4th, visit your ancestor’s graves and tie up any loose ends. Remember your ancestors’ legacy, enjoy their lives as well as your own, and wish for the best.

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Tune into Netflix for The Nightingale

Make it a date to stay home and hang out with your family and friends celebrating the Netflix release of the beloved film, The Nightingale.

In addition to iTunes, The Nightingale will be available for streaming on Netflix and available for purchase on DVD beginning April 5.

The Nightingale follows the story of Zhigen and his quest to go back to his hometown and free his bird as a promise he made to his late wife. The journey becomes a little more interesting when his granddaughter Renxing, a spoiled city girl from Beijing, joins him on the adventure while her father is out of town.

The two individuals share experiences and discover meaning to family and life that stays within their hearts (and hopefully even yours), forever.

DVD’s are available at indiemoviestore.com

For additional information on the Nightingale, visit the official page or like the official movie page on Facebook.