Mini Movie Reviews

January 10, 2019January 9, 2019 SarahLeave a comment

Exactly what it says on the tin – I watch movies and then write mini reviews to post here. Groundbreaking.

I love science fiction movies.I watched a bunch this past week, so I thought it’d be good to use those for my first mini movie review post. I’ve added the descriptions from IMDB because I’m not sure how well known any of them are. Except Bird Box. Bird Box is popular.

Occupation

A small group of town residents have to band together after a devastating ground invasion.
Description from IMDB.

This is an Australian alien invasion movie, and it’s pretty okay. The characters are pretty one dimensional, and a few are needlessly antagonistic, but I liked the premise. I also enjoyed the explosions. The story was fine, really, it just tried to do too much. There were too many characters to follow in a single movie and way too many plotlines. Three different romantic relationships, family drama, teen angst, father-hates-girl’s-love-interest, pregnancy and childbirth in the alien invasion, and so forth. And those are just the ones that don’t have anything to do with aliens. I can definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a fun movie that has lots of explosions.

Bird Box

Five years after an ominous unseen presence drives most of society to suicide, a mother and her two children make a desperate bid to reach safety.
Description from IMDB.

I read Bird Box a few years ago and it stuck with me. So I was excited that it was turned into a movie. I really liked it, but I wasn’t as in love with it as I was hoping to be. It’s still a movie I would definitely urge people to watch. The plot is solid, Sandra Bullock is fabulous as usual, and those kids are adorable. I don’t really have any complaints. Other than the end, that is. I really like the dark ending from the book and was kind of bummed it wasn’t in the movie. The ending they went with probably has wider appeal.

The Osiris Child

Set in the future in a time of interplanetary colonization, an unlikely pair race against an impending global crisis and are confronted by the monsters that live inside us all.
Description from IMDB.

I enjoyed this movie more than I probably should have. No ragrets. So, a dad finds out that the military-like corporation he works for is going to blow up the planet they’re orbiting (for reasons I can’t say), but plot twist, his kid who he’s generally estranged from is currently living on that planet. He steals a ship and gets to the surface. All I want to say here is that if you’re building high tech space ships to dogfight with, they should have a mechanism to see behind them. He makes friends with a prison escapee and the adventure is on. I don’t want to say too much more, but it’s an enjoyable movie. Also another Australian science fiction movie. Apparently I like them.

2036: Origin Unknown

After a failed mission to Mars, A.I./ARTI is now used for the 2036 mission with a few human supervisors. A monolith of unknown origin is found there. It will have a big effect on Earth.
Description from IMDB.

This is not a movie I’d recommend to anyone. Usually I can find a use case for any movie, but this one is just….not what I’m into I guess. Which is unfortunate, since I love Katee Sackhoff. To be fair, the first half or so was fine, but then it went downhill fast.

My Christmas Movie Marathon

December 19, 2018December 18, 2018 SarahLeave a comment

This past Saturday a good friend of mine came down to celebrate Christmaspalooza – a several years old tradition we have of watching Christmas movies (usually bad ones) and making baked goodies. This is the lineup from this year:

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding

Aldovia is a tremendously poorly run country who should have democratic elections promptly. The movie rarely has the bride and groom in the same room, which was a super weird choice. I didn’t watch this for Count Simon’s redemption arc or the government’s financial failings.

Christmas Inheritance

This was pretty cute, I won’t lie. It was the perfect amount of Hallmark-like shenanigans. The formula worked well, though I found myself liking her original boyfriend more than you’re supposed to like the original man in her life. I’m reasonably sure she has to move back to New York City to run her company (that she inherited from her dad even though she showed no aptitude for leadership), so that’s a nice change. My friend called it ‘A Trump Family Christmas’, but I feel like that’s an unfair comparison. She’s not nearly as spoiled by the end of the movie as she does in the beginning.

The Christmas Chronicles

This is by far my favorite of the four movies! I actually enjoyed all four, to differing degrees, but this is the best. Kurt Russell is so dang good. His Santa Claus is an excellent twist on the usual one. And Oliver Hudson in the beginning made me happy.

This movie is a kids’ Christmas adventure that reminds me of 1990s Christmas movies. It made me nostalgic, though I don’t know how it would stack up to them.

It’s a really cute movie, y’all, and I would definitely recommend it. The older brother sucks for a good bit of the beginning, just so you know.

The Holiday Calendar

This movie is so dang cute. It’s just a feel-good Christmas movie with questionable judgement on her part until she suddenly ‘sees the light’ at the end.

I love a good Advent calendar in real life, so you know I loved seeing a magical one bring love to someone. I love a good trope, too, so the best-friend-is-your-true-love-you-dummy is also right up my alley. A photographer dealing with her parents asking about her life choices feels pretty legit, but then they’re won over by some art at a school auction which makes me wonder if they ever looked at her work. Still cute, though.

I still have a ton of movies that I want to watch, but haven’t had the chance yet and might not get the chance to before Christmas. I have part of next week off (from work *and* family) so I might just declare one of those days to be another movie marathon. I feel like you can watch Christmas movies through to New Year’s.

~Sarah~

Blogoween · Movies & TV

My Favorite Stephen King Adaptations

October 9, 2018October 6, 2018 SarahLeave a comment

Honestly, I haven’t read a ton of Stephen King books. Not for any particular reason, I just haven’t. I have a few on the TBR Mountain, though, so that’ll change hopefully. Shane loves Stephen King novels, and we both love the adaptations. I know King isn’t huge on a lot of them, but to each his own. Here’s a list of my favorite adaptations. Besides the obvious Shawshank Redemption and The Shining. Those two are almost required watching these days.

Castle Rock ~ Okay, okay, it’s not *technically* an adaptation but a new story set in King’s favorite place – Maine. Using actors from past adaptations and containing shout-outs to King properties (Shawshank prison, anyone?), it’s close enough. And holy hell Bill Skarsgård is amazing. I loved him in Hemlock Grove and he just keeps delivering amazing performances. Also Sissy Spacek is a joy. It’s really mind trippy & I’m sure that even though I think I have a handle on what’s happening I probably have no idea.

Stand By Me ~ I didn’t see this movie until I was an adult, but it’s a movie that was a big part of Shane’s childhood. I really enjoy this movie and didn’t even realize it was a Stephen King story until much much later on.

It: Chapter 1 ~ Moment of truth – I never saw the Tim Curry version. Or if I did, I don’t remember it. I love Tim Curry, though. This is a movie my 13 year old niece and I can talk about together, which makes it edge up the list a bit. Even without that, it’s a solid movie.

The Stand ~ This is the mini series that kicked off my love of the apocalypse & science fiction in a big way. I can’t overstate how much this movie impacted my interests and tastes over the years. I will always have a soft spot for The Stand. I was pretty young when I watched it for the first time and I can still remember watching it religiously over and over again. If I ever write my novel, blame this mini-series.

The Langoliers ~ I grew up on this mini series (though I only ever watched it as a movie). I haven’t watched it in years and yet I can recall entire scenes vividly. It did not age well, though. I just watched a few clips on YouTube for nostalgia’s sake and they were not fabulous. But seriously, it will always be a favorite.

Haven ~ I actually lost interest towards the end of the show’s run. I’m not a fan of love triangles and then the weirdness of her choice, I just snoozed through the last season. The first few seasons were crazy awesome though and I’ll probably go back and watch those. Adam Copeland as Dwight is one of my favorite performances. Just trust me on this one.

Movies & TV · Top Ten Tuesday

Ten Bingeable TV Shows

September 4, 2018September 4, 2018 SarahLeave a comment

Top Ten Tuesday is a feature currently run by That Artsy Reader Girl.

There are so so so many amazing shows to watch, this list barely even brushes the surface. I’ve broken it into two parts – the first 5 are shows I’ve binged (more than once in some cases), and the second are shows I’m planning on watching. I kept it to shows that have more than 1 season & had a great time choosing just 10. I know a few of them are over suggested (GoT, I’m looking at you!), but sometimes that’s for a reason.

Shows I Watched & Loved:

Father Brown
- This is by far the odd man out in the list – I don’t generally go for shows that have anything to do with ‘saving souls’, but I really enjoy this one. It’s your basic 1950s British cozy murder mystery show (my favorite) but the main character is a priest who does a bit of moralizing at least once in every episode. I will say, Father Brown is chill regarding things that the Catholic church is decidedly not-chill about. I wouldn’t be able to watch the show if it wasn’t modernized a bit. Also, Sid Carter is my favorite character in all of television.
Bob’s Burgers
- I once got incredibly sick and spent days in bed watching tv. This show was my constant companion and to this day I have a soft spot for it. It’s cute, quirky, slightly dumb, but also smart and I love rewatching episodes on bad days.
The X-Files
- Shane and I watched the first set of seasons together on a computer monitor while in college, so maybe it just has a warm and fuzzy place in my heart because of that. I don’t really know how to describe it, but I love it.
Grimm
- This is Shane’s favorite show, and I think we’re due a rewatch pretty soon. It’s a retelling of a ton of Grimm’s fairy tales, and can be a pretty dark watch. It gets pretty bananas at some points.
Death in Paradise
- Another British cozy murder mystery show. Do not go to Saint Marie on vacation, because you will straight up be murdered. It’s present-day, surprisingly non-violent for the most part, and the bad guy is always caught. Can’t ask for more.

Shows I’ve Been Told to Watch & Love:

Game of Thrones
- I’m currently watching this one! I’m only on episode 5 of season 1 though. I know a lot of what happens over the series (so far) because I spend a lot of time on the internet and I’m pretty excited to see where things go.
The Great British Bake Off
- This is my next feel-good watch. I’ve heard so many good things about this show I’m excited to see if it’s a good lazy winter day watch.
Vikings
- This show just looks badass. I can’t wait to watch it obsessively over the course of several weeks.
Downton Abbey
- I’m legitimately baffled as to how I’ve gone this long without watching Downton Abbey. It covers my (current) favorite period of English history, so it’s definitely on my list!
The Handmaid’s Tale
- I know why I haven’t watched this one – I read the book at a very charged time in my life and I have lots of feelings about it. I know the show is amazing, and is similar yet wildly different from the book so I’m absolutely up to watching it. I just needed some time before I did.

Enjoy!