It's been a long time since I watched, like, a "normal" movie. But my husband watched it and said it was good, so he "made" me watch it too. And what's not to like? Tom Hanks.. you know?
It's a Western setting... and our dude goes around to all the communities and reads them the news, since they have a hard time getting it any other way. In his travels he comes across a stage coach wreck and rescues a girl who is being transported to her family. After some time he learns that she was was kidnapped by the Indians years back and her Indian family was killed and so now she has been rescued from that situation and is being taken to the only family she now has, an aunt and uncle. It falls on our hero to continue that mission.
And so they have some adventures together and life is rough out there in the Western world, and they bond. And it's adorable. And then comes the time when he has to give her to this family that she doesn't know.
Here's the trailer:
So yeah, it was a fun movie to watch after not seeing movies for so long. I really love Tom Hanks of course, and the girl they got to play this part was fantastic. Not an easy roll at all. And of course, the music is fantastic... James Newton Howard. What's not to love there either, right?
Watch it if you get a chance. If you've already seen, it what did you think?
Starring: Song Joong Ki, Kim Tae Ri, Richard Armitage, Seon Kyu Jin
Rating: Two thumbs up
When I learned that two of my worlds were colliding in this movie, I knew I needed to give it a try. Yes, a favorite British actor and a favorite Korean actor...together... in one movie! Also... space! I haven't seen a good fun space adventure for a long time it seems.
Anyway, it lived up to fun space adventure-ness!
It's about a ragtag group of misfits who are space "sweepers"... with the job of cleaning up junk floating around in space. Also, Earth is dying and a dude has created a utopian-like society in space that is quite exclusive, which many people don't agree with.
And then there's this girl who somehow gets lost and everyone thinks she is dangerous because of some special powers she has. Our little group of crazy people find her and they are so excited to claim the huge reward for doing so. But then they learn that the plan is to destroy her. So they have to rethink everything.
It's very fun with all these crazy people interacting with a kid.. .and to see that bond happen. And the whole theme of Earth dying and what's the best thing humanity can do about it. And what are solutions that will work.
Our hero and the kid he rescues.
I enjoyed the acting, and the music and the crazy very unrealistic space fights! And all the characters of course. It was very fun to see my two actors interact with each other, though that scene was very brief in the end.
The movie is mostly Korean, but there is also lots of English too, and many moments with French and Spanish and Russian ( I think) and even a language I didn't know... maybe something made up? I don't know, but yeah. Lots of languages used, so I loved that.
Anyway, despite many familiar space movie tropes, it was quite a fun diversion for the night, this movie!
Movie: Parasite Genre: who the heck knows!! I've seen people call it a horror/comedy. Starring: Choi Wooshik, Park So Dam, Kang Ho Song, ChoYeo Jeong Rating: R My Rating: two thumbs up, I think...lol
So I'm not one that usually watches R movies, let's just say that. But because of my "connection" (geez what word do I use there? LOL... my love of all things Korean?) I have been intrigued by this movie from the get go. Everyone was talking about it. I knew I needed to watch it.
THEN it won best picture, best director and a couple others at the Academy Awards. It had to be done. I had to watch it!
But I was nervous actually. I knew it would be a disturbing movie. A harsh movie. A hard one to watch. And I was right about that. Though I'm glad I watched and I don't think I'll be forever tainted by it or anything! (R rating for many subtitled fbombs, a weird sex scene, and violence)
Everyone describes this move as being about class warfare. The clash between lower and upper society in Seoul. We have a family who is living in a terrible basement apartment struggling to find work. We have a family living in a huge beautiful mansion struggling to find good help for their kids and family. The two get together and we have this crazy movie!
The boy ends up getting a tutoring job for the girl in the rich family. They then infiltrate by having the sister be the art teacher for the little boy. They cause both the chauffeur and the housekeeper to get fired and manage to get their parents into both of these positions. They feel they have succeeded and finally made it!
But then...
...stuff happens.
And you are watching it going, WHAT THE HECK IS HAPPENING???
And then it gets weirder from there.
And it's all quite depressing. This feeling that people who are in the lower dregs of society can not escape. I hate that. But it does also give hope... like tiny shred. So...hopefully there's hope!
The acting was amazing. The music was good. The suspense was fabulous. The snark was great. The whole feel of it was pretty crazy. I really enjoyed seeing something so different. It was refreshing in that sense.
And in case you wondered, this did NOT feel like a kdrama. Other than the subtitles and language and such. While I didn't at first recognize their names, it turns out that I have seen pretty much all of the actors in a drama though. I thought that was cool.
Speaking of subtitles, on twitter the day after it won its Oscar, there was a huge debate about subtitles vs. dubbing. I'm guessing you probably know where I land on that debate. HA. It still baffles me that people would actually rather not hear the original language. So much of the acting nuances happen through that. You would lose SO MUCH if it was dubbed!
Anyway. It was fun to finally know what all the buzz was about and to form my own opinions on everything! I truly find it fascinating that so many people loved it.
I'm dying to know if anyone who reads this has watched it, or plans to? I would love to know what you think!
I've not been going to the movies much lately, but over the holidays I saw three movies in one week. I know, right? Here's what I thought of them:
JUMANJI 2: The Next Level
I hadn't see the first one of these... and since work was taking us to this second one I had to catch up and so we rented that one first and watched it in preparation. I thought it was surprisingly funny, which seemed to be the sentiment from most people who had already seen it. Not bad, quite funny, not creepy like Robin Williams version, and etc. I agreed. It was a fun movie. So with that I looked forward to this second one.
Good thing I prepared, because I would have been so lost otherwise. Anyway, the second one was pretty much more of the first in that the kids end up in the video game AGAIN (even though it was destroyed in that first movie!) because they had to rescue their friend. They thought they would have the same characters as the first, but there was much body swapping going on and they had to experience a different body. So that was funny. Also, add to the mix that the grandpas ending up coming with them, and so that was funny. (A fun way to get some more big names in this movie!)The best thing about these movies is seeing these actors have to play up being a person they are not... I mean that goes without saying for any actor, right? But you KNOW what I mean when it comes to this movie! LOL! Anyway, the adventures were crazy and fun and everything was exaggerated as expected and I really enjoyed it. Woot!
The trailer:
FROZEN 2
I'm not a huge Frozen fan, but of course we had to go just to be part of the in crowd. HA HA! And I wanted to hear the music so... we went. And yes the music was fun. I especially enjoyed the haunting song at the very beginning that the mom sings. So pretty. The story was a bit sad, given the whole betrayal spin, but of course all things end happily. I really enjoy Anna and Kristof the most for sure. And the Olaf of course, as we all do.
What I especially enjoyed was seeing all my kpop favorites going ballistic over Into the Unknown and everyone doing covers of it. So fun! And some of them blow me away with their renditions. For example Sunyoul from Up10tion, singing it in Elsa's original key, which is AMAZING. Take a listen:
But here's the trailer:
STAR WARS IX: The Rise of Skywalker
Here's another one we were able to go to with work people, the husband's this time. I wasn't as excited about this one as I have been for Star Wars' past, but just the fact that it was the end of the series... something I had been in love with since seeing the first one in 1977 at 12 years old... gave me chills, and made me so sad at the same time. What a ride it's been, this Star Wars thing, eh? I am blown away by the epicness of it all!
Anyway, I ended up loving it. I thought it was a great end to the epicness. It felt good. I got weepy. I was happy with the arc of certain characters. Confused by some stuff, but not overly so. Anyway, I don't want to say too much in case someone happens up this who cares about spoilers. Plus I don't remember details much either! HA. I need to see it again I think.
Here's the trailer:
Anyway, it was a fun week of movie watching. I do miss the movies and hope to go more this year! Bring that back into my life!!
I posted awhile back that I thought it would be fun to re-watch all the Star Wars movies prior to the last and final (right? it is the end for real, right?) movie coming out in December. I'm a little behind of course, but I have at this point managed to rewatch the first trilogy, Episodes I-III. Here are my thoughts just for fun.
Episode I: The Phantom Menace
I remember enjoying this movie thoroughly when it came out in the theaters. There was no one there to tell me that I shouldn't be. However, during the course of the years and the criticism, I do agree that this movie has issues. For me it's mostly a matter of very cheesy dialogue. I do enjoy little boy Anakin but I still find the age difference between his little boy self and teenage Padme disturbing. Like how does that age difference shrink suddenly in the second movie? I can't remember how old they are supposed to be, but in my mind in that first movie he is 10 and she is 14 or 15 (but looks older). I have no idea if this is right, but it seems like a doable age difference for the second movie's events.
Anyway. The plot and the set up for the events that are to come work for me. The scary addition of the Sith characters, the getting to know the corruption of the Emperor, the discovery of Anakin, and etc. I love the pod race, and light saber fight at the end. Also, it rips my heart out when Anakin walks away and leaves his mom. Painful.
So despite the flaws, I sill find this movie full of emotion and heart. I also enjoy Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor a lot and find them to be pretty awesome Jedis.
Episode II: Attack of the Clones
The clone part of this movie I never quite understood. The development of the Storm Troopers, yes? Which is intended for our side (ie. The Republic) but ends up being for the Empire somehow. Guys, I don't follow some of the politics of these movies really, so how this happened still confuses me!
Anyway, again the dialogue is somewhat cheesy and Anakin's angst is distracting, but I seriously think that is how this character is truly suppose to be and still find Hayden Christensen to portray him very well. I think his method of delivery his lines is how someone turning to the dark side would be.... quite emotionless. AND YET, with too much emotion. He does it well. I think I'm in the minority on that. But there you go. Anyway, he has very expressive eyes and regardless of everything else, his eyes say it all. The scene after his mom dies is so very powerful to me, no matter what people say.
I've always thought the romance could have been developed a little better. It seems like he demands, she resists, and then she suddenly gives in. I wish we could see it happen a little more naturally. But still, the music for this romance makes it all seem beautiful! LOL.
I love the fight scene in the arena at the end. I find the final fight scene with Count Dooku to be forced and sudden. He seems to come out of nowhere too. Anyway. The back story of Boba Fett is also interesting to me.
Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
This third movie has always been a hard one for me to watch, which must imply that by this time, I have become fully and emotional attached and invested. Seeing Anakin turn is painful. Seeing him give up everything with the hope of saving Padme is painful. Seeing him actually believe the Emperor is painful.
The younglings scene is heart wrenching and will forever be one of the saddest movie moments. But then it just gets more heart wrenching to me when Obiwon and Anakin fight at the end. Like I feel teary every single time. When Obiwon cries..."you were like a brother to me!" AH!!! It's so intense. And the music. The music is SO GOOD! And the setting. I mean could this have happened at a more perfectly awful place?
I love the tie ins with what's to come in Episode IV too. The sunset at the end with Luke especially. I mean you know they knew we would love that.
Anyway. I do feel like these movies continuously need to be defended, which is why it might seem like that's what I was doing. But despite their flaws, I feel like they did a great job of setting up the world for the original/middle trilogy.
Every time I watch them, I am reminded of the moment when as a 13 year old kid I read a blurb somewhere in some pop culture magazine that they had plans to make a prequel trilogy that would set up the story for the Star Wars that I loved. The idea of this blew me away and so when I watch it, I am fascinated that it actually really happened.
So there're my disjointed and random thoughts. Now I need to watch Solo and Rogue One before moving onto the original trilogy of my childhood/teenage years. I'm getting a little behind with the one a week plan, but I'm still working on the marathon in general. Anyone else out there doing this mission? Let me know!
Movie: Gemini Man Starring: Will Smith Genre: Action Adventure Rating: one and a half thumbs up
I have a goal to start finding my love for the movies again, so the plan is to just simply go more often for date night, or whatever. Here's hoping some decent ones show up now and then! Mostly I look at the list of available movies and there's just nothing that looks good.
Anyway, that being said, the other night we ended up randomly at Gemini Man. Because anything Will Smith has got to be good, right?
And it was... not bad. Actually quite good I'd say. I actually enjoyed it!
The premise is that we have an assassin... Will Smith, who kills the bad guys. And then just as he's about to retire, someone is out to kill HIM. And when he finds out who it is, this dude LOOKS JUST LIKE HIM... a younger him. So he and his cohort (a girl he has just barely met) set out to figure out what's going on. And who this dude is.
It's all quite fascinating really. And a little disturbing.
There is lots of violence and fighting, but not as much as I expected. The movie actually had a lot of chill and quiet moments which was surprising. I remember leaving the theater thinking... there were some great parts and some really weird parts. I think some of it seemed very real... and some of it seemed way too fake and digital-ized, you know? I think that was it.
But we had no idea if Will Smith played both characters, and it turns out, he sure did! So somehow they managed to make him look all those years younger. It didn't look fake, that part, either. And he looked just different enough that it made us wonder (not knowing going in) if it was him, or someone else.
Anyway, what an excellent acting job! I loved that.
So, if you are up for a decent action adventure, and you are a Will Smith fan, then check it out!
Genre: period drama Starring: um... everyone...Maggie Smith mostly Rating: Two thumbs up of course!
GUYS! I WENT TO A MOVIE!
It's been the tradition with my co-worker that we celebrate our birthdays by sluffing work and going to a movie together. We missed it last year somehow, so were determined to make it happen this year... and thankfully there was actually a movie we both wanted to see... DOWNTON ABBEY of course!
I was a little worried I would have forgotten how the series ended... but it all came back and was not a problem. I quickly remembered all the reasons I loved the series.
The basis for this movie is that the king and queen of England are coming for a visit. So the house is in a flurry to get ready, both the up and the down stairs. It's very fun to see what needs to be done. It's also a little distressful to see how what is being demanded by the monarchs. So crazy.
There are some awesome antics that end up happening that are totally delightful. Can I just say how much I love Anna and Bates. :)
Branson is still my favorite.
The whole movie I stressed trying to figure out what king and queen this would be.. and where the Princess Mary in the movie features in things. I determined afterward that they (the king and queen) are the grandparents of our current Queen Elizabeth. And that George, her dad, was their son... and the brother of the Princess Mary in the movie. Do you all agree with me?
King George V and Queen Mary
Anyway, I loved seeing it on the big screen, with the big beautiful sweeping views of the country, and the music that gave me chills. Loved it!
It was really fun to go to a movie again. I hope I can start making it more a thing again...if only there were better movies out there to see. I'm pretty underwhelmed by most of them. Let me know if you see a good one!
In case you want to see the trailer. It's a good one!
Genre: Marvel superheros (it's its own genre now, right?) Starring: EVERYONE I think. But my favorites are Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Hemsworth. Oh and Jeremy Renner. My Rating: Two thumbs up of course
If I understand correctly, it's okay to talk about this movie now yes? At any rate, if you are still nervous about spoilers, you can come back after you've watched it and we can discuss, deal?
So I'm happy we did the little catch up thing before going to this movie. It helped a ton to understand stuff and I actually think it was nice to have it all fresh in my mind. Maybe those who didn't need to catch up rewatched stuff? I'm guessing that probably happened a lot too. Anyway.
I think Infinity War and Endgame should be considered a pair... a part 1 and part 2. Know what I mean?
To summarize: In Infinity War our villain, Thanos, decides to round up the Infinity stones so he can be all powerful and do mankind a "service" by getting rid of half of all people. Our heroes try to stop him and a huge battle happens in Wakanda on the Black Panther's territory in which things do not end well. We are left with a "what just happened?" feeling in the worst worst way!
So in Endgame we pick up right where we left off... for a moment anyway, and things continue to look very dire. Our um... remaining.. heroes are baffled and depressed and have no idea what to do.
Five years pass and a very key thing happens and suddenly there is hope again. Our brilliant minded heroes put their heads together (well one especially brilliant mind) and pretty much figure out how to go back in time to stop Thanos. They actually have to go back before that and get the stones first, before Thanos does.
Which makes for the best part of the movie actually, when they come across their former selves in previous movies. That was so fun!
My other favorite thing about this movie is how many very very human parts there were. Like, I feel like a lot of times these movies are more about the special effects and sometimes forgets about the actual human connections. This movie had that everywhere, which I truly appreciated. I think the emotions of all these characters were so raw and exposed, that they all couldn't help but be more human. Know what I mean?
I may have touched on spoilery things above, but now I'm going to be truly spoilery about stuff, so be warned now especially:
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Loki's death in the first movie (Infinity War) made me sad, but it happened so fast and so out of no where that I was unprepared and didn't really register that it happened. And I really really hoped that he would be saved in this one, but I'm not sure if that happened. His character was left ambiguously and we don't really know what happened to him, do we? He was there in the past and then he disappeared. Where did he go? Did he still get killed in the future?
But my other favorite is definitely Ironman and so... yeah. I cried... okay. Because I LOVE how RDJ portrays this character and this was a hard hard one to watch. And man there is so much foreshadowing that it's going to be him... you all caught it I'm sure. So I think we as an audience were basically prepared. But still. That it had to HIM of all the people!!
Natasha and Hawkeye fighting over who would die... that was hard too. Sob. I heard she is going to get her own movie after all... but what about him? I want him to have one too! He is my other favorite! (Does that make three favorites now? I haven't even talked about Thor!)
Thor! Wasn't he crazy awesome in this one? Oh my word, he sort of stole the show, yeah? LOL! That was funny. Like a total alter ego for him. What the heck. And when he was able to talk to his mom in the past? Dang. That was good.
Ironman talking to his dad in the past was also great.
And then the Captain. I cried again when he saw his love in the past. And for him to get that happy ending after all with her??? YES!!!! The best ending ever!
I was happy the green girl, Gomorrah... yeah? (I had to look it up, lol.) But she needs to remember a few things, eh? Poor Quill. They'll figure it out though. :)
There were a few superheroes that showed up for this movie's final big battle that I wasn't familiar with. I'm guessing a missed a few movies still, and have a few more to catch up on. I think I need to watch the Spiderman movie because that kid makes me laugh.
Oh, and wait, why was Vision not in this one? Or did I miss him? And his girl Wanda, yeah? That felt weird to me since he was a key part of the previous movie. Anyway, I probably missed them somehow in all that craziness.
Okay, I think those are most of my thoughts. It was good. I was glued. My husband, however, fell asleep YET AGAIN. Sigh.
Great job Marvel for taking us all on a crazy fun ride these past few years. It will be fun to see what's next.
Here's a lovely trailer, which I've only just now seen for the first time. It gives me chills.
So awhile back we learned that the husband's work was treating us to The Endgame. However, the past few years we had become very very behind in all our Avenger movie watching. So we knew in order to fully enjoy this movie, we needed to to a lot of catching up!
Here's what we watched:
Spoilers might be ahead... I have no idea at this point what I'm going to say yet....
I'm a pretty decent Thor movie fan, but somehow never watched this one. Well, of course it was a sad one right from the get go. WHAT THE HECK??? I sort of felt like, well, there is no point in watching the rest of this movie NOW!! :)
But it was good to see Thor in action again, with his evil sister as the main villain. I enjoyed the introduction to some new and quite funny characters. The Hulk always makes me a little crazy, but it was fun to see him as part of this movie too.
Unlike Thor, I am not a very big Guardians fan. So I pretty much avoided this movie on purpose. The characters are supposed to be funny, but I find the humor extremely cringe worth for the most part. I do enjoy the music though, I must say! So for the first half of this movie, I was rolling my eyes a lot and hoping for it to get over with soon.
However, the second half was much more interesting with the conflict and redemption of a couple of interesting characters. I enjoyed their development. I also enjoyed seeing Kurt Russel in his role. I enjoy also the attempt at throwing in a little romance in here, but it needs a lot of work. Sigh.
Some might think this one wasn't necessary in order to understand the Avenger movies, but I think it did help a lot. After we watched it, both my husband and I looked at each and said... have we already seen that one? It felt vaguely familiar, but not enough to really ring any bells. LOL.
So, yeah. This one was fun. Pretty cool special effects as all these movies have. I find it interesting that the power to get big and small and big and small is quite a powerful one. Who would have thought??
The crazy boys in the crazy van are my favorite part of this movie.
We didn't watch Ant Man and the Wasp, though we probably should have. Maybe we will still get to that one. But my daughter sent us a link to the clip that was shown after the credits and told us she thought this was a key moment for Endgame. And yes, it sure was. I'm glad we went in with THAT little bit of knowledge!
Well, finally the BIG movie that needed catching up on. I knew that if nothing else we had to watch this one before Endgame. Wow, but we heard lots about this one last year! So I was dreading it a bit and nervous for it and pretty much knew what to expect from all the buzz last year. But yeah. This movie and Endgame are more like a Part 1 and Part 2, don't you think?
Anyway. I felt it was non stop stress of a movie. My husband fell asleep but I was on edge the whole time. And baffled as everyone was at what the heck happened.
I must say, that these movies, all of them, just seem like one big special effect fight. Which, is cool for a while, but after a bit, it gets tiring and just really hard to understand what's actually happening. this is probably one reason why I sort of drifted away from keeping up with them.
But I truly enjoyed seeing all the characters trying to save the universe together! There were some I didn't quite remember, though I think I'd seen their movies. But for the most part, I think we did a pretty good job getting ourselves prepared for it!
I also decided that I'm much more of an Iron Man sort of humor person than a Guardians sort of humor person. Can you see the difference between those two like I do? Anyway, I fall on the Iron Man side. I also enjoyed the quips from the Spiderman boy. I never did watch his version of the Spiderman story. I guess I figured I knew that story. But I do enjoy his take on Spiderman (boy). LOL.
So after that, I deemed ourselves ready! We didn't do Captain Marvel. I hoped that didn't matter. Or, like I said, Ant Man and the Wasp. Are those the only two that came out between Infinity War and Endgame? I guess we can still watch them at some point, yeah?
I have a list of a bunch of things I've seen and read and attended this past while. I was going to write posts for them all, but then I remembered the awesome mini review idea and thought: brilliant plan! Especially since most of these really don't require a full post. So here goes.
Movie: Robin Hood
We had the theater rented out for Stuey's work people. I have no idea why they picked this movie for a party, but they did, so we went. I knew nothing AT ALL going in. So, it was yet again another take on the story of how Robin Hood began. I love this story, so of course I enjoyed it. But mostly it made me miss the BBC production that I loved back in the day. The dude playing Robin Hood reminded me both of that dude and Stephen Amell who plays the Green Arrow dude. Anyway, it was enjoyable with lots of great fight/escapade scenes as one would expect with Robin Hood.
Broadway: Finding Neverland
Last week we went to another musical... Finding Neverland and it was also enjoyable. I thought my heart strings would be tugged at more than they were, but it was sweet and the music was pretty great and the kids in the show were awesome. I think the actual stars could have been... louder. Not sure if it was their fault or the fault of the sound guy. But yeah. LOUDER!
Book: Flower Boy Tour Guide by Shannon Kent
Another fun fluffy K fan book.... this one not kpop, but kdrama. I read it on my phone on the plane coming home from our Thanksgiving adventure. It was a quick read, yes! It's about a girl (this one is not YA but NA... very very clean NA) who goes to Korea to participate in a tour of all the fun kdrama places. And the guy who leads this tour is beautiful of course (the flower boy... a term for beautiful guy.) But they annoy each other... until they don't. :) It was fun, as all these little easy K fan books are!
TV Show: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
While visiting my daughter, I suggested we watch this one evening. It was a fun one to watch together though her husband thought it was way too predictable and trope-y. I didn't remember the book at all, so everything was new to me. I really enjoyed it and thought it was a sweet and well done movie.
Movie: Luck Key
When Toto joined us in Illinois for Thanksgiving she "made" us watch this Korean movie that she had just watched with roommates and loved. Everyone actually seemed to enjoy it, (the above son in law seemed to enjoy it better than PPP Society!) It's one of those movies where you THINK you know what's happening, but in the end, everything was not at all as it seemed. We have two guys who live completely different lives and they somehow (the mess up of the locker key) switch lives. And in the process, they become better dudes... and in the process we the viewers find out what's REALLY going on. Pretty good!
Movie: BTS Burn the Stage
Earlier this year YouTube Red did an awesome documentary on BTS following them on their Wings tour (the one in 2017 that I was able to attend) and we all loved. So then they decided to do a feature film. I thought it was the same thing, but when it came out the week before Thanksgiving (only limited showings in limited places) I heard from all those able to go that it was similar, but different. So of course I was sad I couldn't go since I was no where near a theater that was showing it. But lucky for me, they decided to bring it back for a second run and I got to go this time! YES! It was so fun. I smiled and giggled so much my face hurt. It's so awesome to see the behind the scenes of what these guys put themselves through to make fans happy and put on the best concerts they can.
What have you all been watching, seeing and reading these days?
Movie: Bohemian Rhapsody Genre: Biography/Musical Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee Rating: Two thumbs up
I've actually watched a handful of movies the past while and I've gotten really behind telling you about them! LOL! (This cracks me up big time since I know you are all DYING to know my thoughts on the things....)
Of course I had to watch this movie even though it took forever for me to finally get there! We did make it before it left the theaters though!
Queen was one of my first musical loves that I discovered on my own (meaning not the stuff my parents played and/or sang.) I was very very much in love with We Will Rock You and We Are the Champions right around my 13th birthday I think it was.. .and I got that 45 record with one song on one side and the other on the other. I was ecstatic! I loved it so so much!!
A few years later I was all about Another One Bites the Dust. Oh man... that song though. I also remember loving Crazy Little Thing Called Love and Under Pressure and of course Flash Gordon.. oh MAN I LOVED THAT ONE! LOL! And the movie that went with it! Guys I was just as crazy then as I am now believe me.
Anyway, as far as the Bohemian Rhapsody song, I have no idea when I became aware of it... I think I just always knew it! And I think this is one song that I can say I pretty much know every word. If ever I had to do Karaoke this is the song I'd choose....
The movie was awesome. Sad. Depressing. Yes. But awesome. I was not aware of the "group" growing up... I just loved the songs. I knew nothing about them as people. If I would have known them, I can tell you I would have been in love with the drummer. Pretty sure of it. The dude playing the drummer was dang cute.
The movie takes us through the whole beginning of Queen and how they become popular, how Freddie Mercury just got crazier and crazier, how he estranged himself from the group, and how they came together again for the huge LIVE AID concert... a concert I should have known about and been aware of... but I was not up on those things then. Probably someone on the radio talked about it. But the fact that Queen came together for that and how big a deal it really was... I was not aware.
Anyway, so it was fun to see this story. Though as I said... it's so depressing. I feel like so many success stories end in sadness and tragedy and relationships that are ruined. It seems to happen over and over again.
Despite all that, they remain one of my all time favorites. I love them so much. And there are so may memories tied up with their songs. I'm glad I was part of their heyday back in the late 70s and early 80s! :)
The movie trailer:
And the MV for Flash!! LOL! I LOVE THIS SO MUCH! It's the BEST cheesiest thing EVER!!
Movie: Little Women Genre: Classic retelling Starring: Lea Thompson, Ian Bohen, Lucas Grabeel, Sarah Davenport Rating: PG13 My rating: two thumbs up
So it's been awhile, but Jenny and I randomly at the spur of the moment went to this movie together about a month ago and I've been wanting to tell you all about it!
I went in knowing nothing except that it was a modern re-make of Little Women, which was intriguing, but made me a little nervous.
But no need, I was pleasantly surprised! It's a really great retelling and I loved what they did with it! Especially the Freddy/Mr. Bhaer dude!
So the story is told in flash back mostly, since we are with Jo in the present day as she is trying to become a writer in New York. We see her pitch her book to a panel of judges and they reject it, including Professor Bhaer, but Jo tracks him down and persists and he becomes her mentor and friend. As she is doing this, we get flashbacks to her childhood days, and thus the main parts of the book we know so well!
So I really enjoyed seeing them form a relationship and it made that whole romance much more plausible and real. In fact this time I think I was actually rooting for it to happen! WEIRD!
Not a bad Professor Bhaer, eh?
The cast was great. All the girls were awesome and perfectly cast. The banter and tension between Amy and Jo was tangible and real. I died seeing Stuart Edge (a favorite local YouTuber) playing Mr. Brooke. He did great, but WHAT? No kissing scene for him???
I thought I recognized the dude playing Laurie the whole movie, but wasn't totally sure. So afterward we looked him up and YEP, the High School Musical dude! (Not Zach of course, but the brother, I forget his name!) And he did great too. Though I am still quite the Christian Bale fan when it comes to Laurie. Yeah. Not sure that will ever change.
Anyway, I really enjoyed it and having it the present day totally worked for me. Way to go guys!
Genre: romantic comedy Starring: Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish Rating: two thumbs up
This movie, found on Netflix, is yet another thing that was making a lot of buzz and so guess what? I watched it the very weekend it came out! WHAT? I know, right? I'm so with it!
Anyway, I loved the book, so I had to support the movie, right? And I was really curious what they did with it, and I am happy to report, that... I like what they did with it! Great job movie people!
It followed the book quite closely in plot, which is that Lara Jean writes letters to her former crushes just to get the feelings out, but then one day those letters get mailed somehow and then she has to face all these guys.
One guy is her sisters just barely ex boyfriend and she can't like him. He is off limits. So when the other guy comes around asking about his letter, Lara Jean pretends to really like him still so that the first guy is thrown off.
Well, and so then these two (the second guy Peter) decide to keep pretending they are a thing, just for now, until Josh (the first guy) forgets about things. And in the meantime, they find out that they really click and are comfortable with each other and talk well, and etc.
With the two boys
But then stuff happens and Lara Jean isn't sure about Peter any more and feels totally played... even though they were pretending all along.
Peter is a great character. The dude who played him I wasn't sure about at first, but I really warmed up to him. Maybe that was the idea, but he ended up great for the part and was really quite endearing. The Lara Jean girl was great too (though I think she looked way too old for the part) but I think the kid that played the litter sister stole the show! She was awesome!
I really enjoyed it and am glad I fit it in between all the other things that take my attention! If you haven't watched it yet, you should check it out!
Movie: Crazy Rich Asians Genre: Romantic comedy Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh Rating: two thumbs up
Oh my word but this movie has made a big splash! Why do you think that is? I mean, seriously... why?
My guesses:
The story? The fact that it's a fun romantic-ish (not really about the romance since they are already together pre beginning of the movie but still) comedy about a crazy family with a likable couple and funny crazy quirky side characters that make you laugh a lot. Yeah?
Relate-able? The fact that lots of interesting but simply points are made about relationships and family and friends that we can all understand. Easy to connect to the characters and such. Yeah?
The Asian aspect? I mean it's not just me, right? Lots of people are making a big deal about the fact that the cast is all Asian, right? And that it deals with some interesting Asian cultural things that the rest of us in the world find fun to learn about, and can relate to our own cultures. And everyone thinks this is a cool thing? Yeah?
What else?
I want to say something like... THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN TRYING TO SAY FOR YEARS NOW.. .but I guess I won't because... obnoxious. LOL! But seriously... all the reasons? Yes.
So quick summary for those interested: There's this couple who has been dating for awhile now. She is American Chinese (born and raised in America... mom is from China) and he is from Singapore but has been living in New York for quite some time. Also, was mostly raised in England I think. Anyway, he decides it's time to show off to his family. What she doesn't know... until she gets there anyway, is that his family is CRAZY RICH and pretty much owns everything in Singapore. Yeah. And his mom expects him to love and marry someone a little "higher up" than poor American Chinese status. And so the conflict comes when she decides to fight the system and prove that she is every bit as worthy as any crazy rich Asian is.
The quirk!
Yeah. It was a fun enjoyable movie. I wouldn't say the best movie I've ever seen... or even the best movie I've seen in a long time. I just found it... fun and enjoyable. Favorite part is for sure those crazy side characters. Also, the mother son relationship, as I always find that fascinating. The connection between the two leads felt a little weak to me... I wanted to believe their relationship more. And the end of the movie left me a little confused. But.. it was fun and enjoyable!
But I'm still really curious about what everyone else thought was awesome about it and why it's making such a wave in the movie world. Let me know if you have ideas or if you think my guesses were close or not.
Here's the trailer for those missing out on the buzz:
Movie: A Quiet Place Genre: Horror/suspense Starring:Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds Rating: PG 13 My Rating: Two thumbs up
I really hadn't heard about this movie, I seem to be not in the right circles these days. But my daughter said, let's go to a movie and this one was the one she wanted. She'd heard a ton of great things about it. And so we went. I knew to be worried though. I knew it was going to be a bit... jumpy.. shall we say.
Which is sort of an understatement!
Anyway, the premise is this is our world awhile after an alien invasion. We first see this family as they are trying to get drugs at an abandoned pharmacy. (The scene reminded me a lot of Walking Dead scenes... rummaging through a store hoping to find what you need.) It becomes clear right away that it's very important not to be noisy. But that is not confirmed until a few more minutes into the movie... in a very big and traumatic terrible way.
Now we know. It's very very important not to make ANY noise.
Another year or so passes. The family seems to be surviving pretty well and has established a very quiet way of life. This is all thanks in part because they know sign language since their daughter is deaf.
We also see that the mom is now pregnant. Yeah, and so HOW THE HECK IS THAT GOING TO GO DOWN?
Well, you'll just have to watch the movie. All I can say is that it's VERY intense and VERY edge of your seat and.. yes... lots and lots of jumps. And yes.. it's so very very quiet. I was worried there would be no music, but thankfully there was. But lots of times there wasn't. And you know, the scenes in movies when a person is sneaking around and you are just waiting for something to jump out... this WHOLE movie is that way! AH!!! But then the characters can't scream!!! I was so exhausted by the end! LOL!
But it's a great scary movie because it is all about the suspense. I love that. These guys were all great actors too because they truly had to rely on actually acting... without hardly any dialogue. It was awesome.
And the ending. I just have to say, and hopefully it's not too much of a spoiler... BEST ENDING EVER! (Even despite some... stuff.) The audience reaction is the BEST too. It's all worth it for that.
So if suspense movies are your thing, don't miss this one.
Here's the trailer if you haven't seen it yet. Beware, even the trailer is pretty intense!
Movie: Black Panther Genre: Superhero fantasy Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o My Rating: Two thumbs up
Well, I'm not much of a comic person/fan, but usually I know a little about the superhero in question when I go to one of these movies. This one, however, I knew NOTHING. So the whole story was totally new to me. And I quite enjoyed it!
For those who are like me and haven't a clue, this is the story about a hidden city in Africa who has advanced in technology way ahead of the rest of the world. But they hide it and keep it all to themselves... to protect their people and society.
But then they are infiltrated by a dude who claims to be one of their sons and so has the right to be on the throne. (Whoever is king of this place also gets to have the power of the Black Panther.) And he has plans of revenge against the whole world and wants to use their power to destroy EVERYONE. He is one angry young man.
The movie was awesome in special effects and music and all the great things we expect from a superhero movie. The actors where awesome... I enjoyed the two "Tolkein"white guys. (That joke has gotten around right?) Martin Freeman is a favorite for sure. I knew I recognized the general, I think was her role, and only afterwards realized why... Mishonne from The Walking Dead! I also especially enjoyed the sister. She was fabulous!
The stars. They are all so freaking beautiful.
Their accents were a little hard to understand. I needed subtitles, lol. I'm so used to them these days. I felt so at home when they went to Busan and bam, there were my subtitles! But hearing them speak Korean with their accents was...very interesting! LOL. I loved it. Did they really film in Busan? Because that was awesome if so.
Anyway, it was a fun movie. Very engaging and entertaining. Marvel you've done it again.
Genre: Dystopian drama/adventure Starring: Dylan O'Brien, Ki Hong Lee, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster Rating: Two thumbs up
I loved the first movie. The second one was weird, but okay. So I went to this one wondering what I'd think this time around. And let's just say I don't remember a thing about the book except that I wasn't that fond of it probably. The ending bugged me? I can't remember. (I just looked up my review and it was most unhelpful... I think basically the books was a blur for me!) So I had no notions of what to expect with the movie.
BUT, that being said, I really quite enjoyed the movie. Like quite a lot! The production and overlook of it was amazing actually. I continue to really love the casting... all the dudes that play these boys are awesome. The girls... eh.. they're okay. And the bad adults? They do the part well. The good adults.. .they are awesome.
So the movie opens with a fantastic action scene! Ah, it was a great! Our crew is trying to rescue the kids that have been captured by WCKD .... their buddy Minho being one of them. Do they succeed?
Well, mostly. But they failed with regard to Minho... so now they head for the big city (I don't think it was ever named in the movie, but the book says Denver) where all the people are pitted against each other... those out side the walls and those in. Those without the cure, and those who are hoping to have the cure any second... by testing those who are immune.. like Minho.
And Thomas' lady love Teresa, is also there and working with these guys trying to find the cure.
So anyway, they get in, and all this stuff goes down. It was all quite nail biting at times. Some stuff was of the "suspend your disbelieve" sort.. like there's NO WAY they could have done that. But it was entertaining at least.
Galley appears again ... and provides some much needed comic relief. Ah, that guy! He was awesome in this one! We needed so much more of him!
Well, anyway. It was a bit long... and there were some slow moments in the middle. But I quite enjoyed it all and the ending was pretty good except for one thing that bugged me and I was like, seriously? Was that necessary? I need to go see if it matches the book now, since I do not at all remember.
And PS can I just say that I'm pretty sure Dylan O'Brien probably has the most beautiful eyes ever? Dang boy. Am I right, or am I right?
Also, he suddenly looks and seems WAY too old to be playing this part... like, he grew up you know? Good thing this is the last one. This is the last one, right?
The trailer:
One other thing I wanted to say... and I probably say this every time with regard to James Dashner's success with The Maze Runner. Ten years ago (I think it was ten.. .maybe nine) almost to this very day we went to a book blogging party and he was there as an up and coming author. He was working on The Maze Runner at the time and so he told us all about it. He was so excited and he was all, guys... this is going be awesome! I remember thinking.. wow he has some vision thinking it's going to do so well and be so excited. And now, look at how it's all gone down pretty much just like he wanted it to. Was it all luck? A little. Was it a lot of his drive and ambition? I bet some, yes. Was it connections he made? Probably that too. But whatever it is and however you feel about him, he saw this dream, he wanted it, and he made it happen. It's very powerful to me to have been around, sitting here in the sidelines and watching it happen. My hats off to him...way to go Dashner Dude!
Movie: The Greatest Showman Genre: Musical Starring: Hugh Jackman, Zach Efron, Michelle Williams Rating: two thumbs up
We went to this one over the holidays for our annual family girls night out. It was a perfect choice. Upbeat and fun!
This is the story of P.T Barnum based on a few key moments of his life. (There's a lot left out, there's a lot of time crunching, there's a lot of glossing over, but it's generally how he got started and some difficulties he faced.) And all told with musical numbers.
P.T. Barnum, as you know, started "the greatest show on Earth" aka. the circus as we know it today.
The plot is simple... Mr. Barnum daydreams as a kid, falls in love with a rich guy's daughter, marries her, wants to show her the good life, but has all these fanciful dreams that never really amount to much. And then he has the idea to start a show starring random "misfit" type people he comes across. The little person he names Tom Thumb, the bearded lady, the Siamese twins, the black trapeze artist, and etc. Soon, he adds animals to the mix too. Despite a lot of criticism, his show succeeds and he becomes famous.
He then adds in a famous singer called Jenny Lind, which causes some conflict in that he forgets what he started it all for... to give back to his family.
So, for me, the message to take home was... live your dreams, stay true to yourself, march to your own drum, love your family. All this reflected in the big song numbers of the show.
And it's the songs that make this movie. Big numbers... huge production numbers. Catching tunes that will get stuck in your head. Positive fun upbeat songs. And some great choreography too. One totally takes place on the trapeze. (Way to go Zach Effron and Zendaya!) Another one is between Hugh Jackman and Zach Efron in a bar, and that is pretty amazing too!
If you like musicals, you'll love this. If you need a family movie, you'll love this. If you are into Hugh Jackman, you'll love this. If you enjoy seeing no name's become stars, you'l love this. If music gives you chills, you'll love this.
Here's a trailer, in case you need a better visual:
And of course the soundtrack is awesome... here's the whole soundtrack playlist on Youtube:
Movie: Star Wars The Last Jedi Genre: science fiction/fantasy Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega Rating: Two thumbs up
I've been hyped about Star Wars since I was 12 years old and the first one was making news everywhere because of its uniqueness. It's been fun to be a fan all these years and to be always looking forward to new movies. If my 12 year old self knew that my old 50 plus year old self was still getting to see new Star Wars movie all these years later she would DIE!
That being said, I feel like something is different. I don't know if it's me. If it's just being older. If it's the change in the leadership/direction of the movies. Or what. But my excitement level for these movies isn't what it used to be. Makes me sad.
THAT being said, I still love and enjoy them. The music is still amazing. The effects are still amazing. The excitement and edge-of-your-seatness is still amazing.
So I just saw this new movie for the second time the other day. The first time I saw it maybe I wasn't able to just relax and enjoy like I wanted.. but I went out thinking..... I don't know what to think. And there were a lot of weird things. And I just... couldn't put a finger on my reactions.
It was much better the second time around. (Maybe it was simply that I got to see it in the IMAX the second time? LOL... but it was awesome with the bigger screen and sound!) And I understood stuff a bit better and caught many things I didn't catch the first time. So I think that helped a lot.
I'm still trying to decide if I'm invested in these characters. I know many people can't stand Kylo Ren, but he fascinates me as do many vulnerable tortured villains do. He totally fits in that category for me. I'm not sure what I hope for his future, but for that moment when he seemed human in this movie...it made me happy.
Rey is...cool. I like her. But I still want to know, as she does herself... what she has to do with anything. Like why is she suddenly a part of this story? There must be more!
I loved seeing Luke in this one again. He was never my favorite, even as as 12 year old (I was always about Han... sob.) But it was fun to see him you know... do his thing there at the end.
I loved the new character Rose. I hope she is still apart of things next time. And I continued to love Finn as I did the first go around. It will be interesting to see what happens with these two characters who have now bonded pretty heavily.
Now stuff that is a bit more spoilery so stop if you haven't seen it yet and care about that sort of thing:
Princess Leia and the whole not instantly freezing and dying in space. I mean that was a really big big BIG thing she suddenly managed to do with the force. I just... yeah. That was too much.
Not learning who Rey's parents are and where she comes from... I totally thought that was going to be answered this time around. And I don't believe Kylo Ren that they are nobody. It doesn't make sense.
I loved the laser fight that Kylo and Rey have together. That was awesome.
All the strange creatures...eh. I don't get it. (The bird things, the big dinosaur things, the crystal things, etc.) Probably this is my oldness coming out.
I still find it strange that they use some many familiar scenes and... I don't know... just a lot of the same stuff from the original. Even some dialogue. Why? I think we'd all still like it if they didn't. Know what I mean?
I love the nod to the kid at at the end. I'm intrigued. The future of the rebels!
The absence of sound there at the end when that one thing happened. Awesome. I love that theaters had to have disclaimers saying that was supposed to happen and was part of the movie. Sheesh, some people!
I loved learning a little more of the back story regarding Luke and Kylo Ren. Intense.
Well, that's about all I can think of for now
Have you seen it? What were your impressions?
Here's the trailer for those are still pondering it. And just for fun for those who have already seen it!
Movie: Wonder Genre: Drama Starring: Julie Roberts, Owen Wilson, Jacob Tremblay Rating: Two thumbs up
Whenever a well loved book is turned into a movie, it's always a scary thing. But I think this one did a great job. The kid was an amazing actor... all the kids were actually, and that makes a huge difference I think. I also really enjoyed Julia and Owen who played the parents. They are pretty much good in any movie, don't you think?
This is the story of a boy who has a face deformity. He's been homeschooled and is brilliant smart. And now his parents have decided it's time for him to face the world and go to regular school.
It's a hard thing.
But this kid has an amazingly resilient and persistent personality, and before long, he is making friends without problem. Well, wait. There are some problems and that's what this is all about. And not only his problems, but the problems of those around him. His sister. Her friend. The kids he comes in contact with.
It's one of those stories that shows that EVERYONE has a story. Even if you aren't the leading character in a crazy plot.
I love that.
It was a great movie. And so many tear jerking moments. Things like the parents watching him walk away to face the scary school. And the death of a pet. And friends making up. Simple, tear jerking things.
Yes. This is a good one. Watch it some day! If you haven't already.
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