The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry - Movie Review

 

I was browsing Netflix and looking for a movie.  It's so hard to find movies that don't have a lot of violence, sex or foul language. I'm not a prude but sometimes I just want a good, more wholesome movie.  It's hard to find adult movies like this but luckily I found "The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry"

The 2022 movie is based off the novel by Gabrielle Zevin.  I didn't read the book but I think I would have enjoyed it.  

The film begins with A.J. Fikry (wonderfully played by Kunal Nayyar, who you might know as Raj from The Big Bang Theory), a reclusive and grumpy bookstore owner on Alice Island (filmed at Cape Code, Massachusetts).  Amelia Loman (played by Lucy Hale who you might know as Katy Keene from Riverdale) is a book sales representative who travels to his bookstore from her home in Rhode Island.  His wife had passed away a couple of years ago and he just seems to have no interest in anything.  She tries to sell him some books to put in his store, one book in particular she mentions is "The Late Bloomer" about an elderly couple that finds love at an old age.  Amelia (aka: Amy) believes it to be a beautiful memoir but she can't find any buyers interested in the book at all and that book eventually becomes a flop.

That evening, A.J. pulls his prized guarded copy of Tamerlane (a rare collection of Edgar Allen Poe poems) out to view it, but he eventually passes out from too much drinking after wallering in self-pity all night.

When he awakens, he see the mess he made the night before has been cleaned up and someone has stolen his copy of Tamerlane, which he merely had for investment purposes and had hoped to sell it one day so he could retire from the bookstore.  He reports the stolen book to his friend Officer Lambiase, who takes the info but they don't do much to find the book, knowing it will be pretty difficult to track down.

A.J. also has a writer friend named Daniel (Scott Foley, well known for Felicity), who is married to Ismay (Christina Hendricks from Mad Men & Good Girls). If I recall correctly, Ismay was A.J.'s sister-in-law (his late wife's sister).

One day, a young girl comes in holding a 2-year-old and asks for book and when A.J. goes to get it, he finds she has left and left the little girl behind for him to care for.  A.J. falls for the cute little girl and eventually adopts her.  Ismay, for some reason, doesn't seem especially happy about this but she supports her friend.

About 4 years later, we see that Amy has still been making regular trips to Alice Island and has gotten to know A.J. and the child (Maya).  Maya is very fond of Amy.  After one visit, A.J stumbles upon "The Late Bloomer" that Amy recommended when they first met.  He reads it in one evening and ends us crying like baby.  He then contacts Amy and want to take her to lunch and discuss it.

Eventually a friendship and then romance develops and the movie continues over the next 10 year or so as we see the characters deal with loss and growth.  

It was a very sweet movie and perfect to watch on a nice rainy day.  I won't tell more so as not to give the story away.  

I do have one negative thing to say and it wasn't about the movie per se, but more about the set of the movie.  First, it takes place in the northeastern US on Alice Island (Cape Code stood in for the Island).  Now I have never been to Cape Cod (although I want to so much), but I hear that although they are not native to Cape Cod, hydrangeas are quite popular and well known and practically associated with the island.  Over 155 varieties grow there!

Hydrangea season on the island is June - August (warm months, of course).  In the movie however, they were blooming all throughout the entire movie.  It was nuts, characters were walking around with coats, heavy sweaters and hats, yet those flowers were in full bloom...all...the...time! Seriously?  I don't know why it bothered me but it kind of did.  There is one scene where they are closing down the bookstore and poof all the hydrangea bushes are mysteriously gone but in the next scene, when the bookstore is re-opened, poof full bloom again.  Small little vent, but still... :)

Anyway, despite the flowers (ha ha), I recommend this movie - very sweet!

The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings

 Just like the Harry Potter movies, that I can watch over and over again....The Hobbit movie series and The Lord of the Rings movie series are also movies that I can as well.  These movies are rather long though, coming in at almost 3 hours each!  Therefore, I never watch them when they are on broadcast TV.  I only watch on HBO or some other non-commercial outlet.

They are just so beautiful.  They are so well written and wonderful adaptations of the books. The special effects are incredible, and they are so entertaining and just so....well...eloquent.  The musical score throughout the movies only add to the magic of it. 

Today, I'm having a Hobbit movie marathon and while watching the ending credits of the 2nd Hobbit movie "The Desolation of Smaug", I heard and was reminded of this hauntingly beautiful song by Ed Sheeran.  I never heard it on the radio but in my opinion, it should have gotten a lot of airplay.

W.I.P. Wednesday - I am Groot (again)

 

 

This really shouldn't be WIP Wednesday because I have already finished it but WIP Wednesday sounds better than F.O. Wednesday (Finished Object, not what you may have been thinking...) 😁

 We have really been dealing with some things in my family the past few months.

First, my cousin was diagnosed with tongue cancer.  He is not a smoker and has never used any type of tobacco products.  He just finished his 6 weeks of radiation and chemo and we are so glad for that.  Now we just hope and pray that the treatment was successful.

My aunt was diagnosed with cancer in her knee.  She had it before in the other leg but it was a different kind and thankfully she beat it.  However, this one was worse and the doctor's said the only chance of survival was amputation.  She went through with that.  We were so pleased with how well she came through it all and she was feeling great - no pain!! She had a great attitude and was doing her rehab and coming along.  Sadly, she took a very sudden turn for the worse this past weekend and passed away yesterday. They discovered the cancer had spread throughout her body and she there was no way she would have been strong enough to go through treatment and I don't know at that point if it would have even been an option.  She is at peace now and out of pain - no more suffering for her.  For that, I am grateful.

The same aunt's daughter (my cousin) is married and her husband was diagnosed about the same time as my other cousin and my aunt, with cancer too - his was tonsil cancer.  I thought...why don't they remove them, but for some reason that didn't seem to be the road the doctor's wanted to take.  He is still going through his radiation/chemo treatments and seems to be responding well.

His favorite movie is Guardians of the Galaxy and according to my cousin, they watch it every week, sometimes more than once a week.  She asked if I would make him a Baby Groot.

Well...how would I say no to that?  I love my cousin-in-law!!  I was happy to make it for him.

 My only issue was I couldn't find the yarn I wanted to use.  In the past, I used Red Heart Super Saver (RHSS) in Cafe Latte.  I couldn't find it anywhere!  So I used Hobby Lobby's I Love This Yarn in brown.  Groot still came out pretty cute but a tiny bit darker than I like him to be.  I like him to be a little lighter brown so you can see his smile a little better.

 I sure hope he likes him! I know my little kitten sure was curious about him.

 

 

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory

I have been busy cleaning house today - doing some deep down stuff, like cleaning the blinds (a chore), washing windows, dusting baseboards, etc. - you know, those things you don't get to as often as you should?

I took a break to run out and get some caulk and a new front door mat and pick up some free Chick-fil-a nuggets (a reward on the mobile app) and iced tea.  When I got home, I decided to take a break and eat lunch and low and behold the classic 1971 Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory was coming on so don't you know I sat there and watched the entire thing  (using commercial breaks to do a bit more housework).

I hadn't sat down and watched the entire movie in one sitting in a long time - this movie really is a gem! I saw it as a kid, my mom was good about taking us to see the latest Disney and kid movie that was out but I was young so I didn't appreciate it for the true great movie that it is!

Gene Wilder is amazing - I've always loved him in everything but boy was he PERFECT for this role.
Some quotes I just love....

When an adult asks a question about the chocolate river, Wonka doesn't skip a beat and simply says "All questions must be in writing" and continues to talk as if the question wasn't asked - probably a classic Gene Wilder ad lib.

I also love when he is mixing up something in the Invention Room, he says "Invention is 93% perspiration, 6% electricity, 4% evaporation and 2% butterscotch ripple - HAHA!!

He throws tennis shoes into a vat and Veruca's dad asks "What's that for?" and Wonka says "Gives it a kick" - Too Funny!

He speaks English, French and German throughout the movie.

While watching, I did notice a few little flubs/mistakes/goofs.

1) In the beginning, Charlie is gifted a bar of chocolate from his family, in hopes that it contains the "Golden Ticket" - he opens it and it doesn't have the ticket but I suppose it wouldn't - why? Because what he has in his hand is not a bar of chocolate - it is a Moon Pie - yes - a Moon Pie!  He tears it in half and offers to share it with his family - why did they give him a Moon Pie, when the "Golden Ticket is in Chocolate Bars?

2) When Violet is on TV after winning the Golden Ticket, she says she always chews gum but switched to chocolate when she heard about the contest, she JUST found the ticket, she's on TV chewing gum and says she has been chewing the same piece of gum for 3 months - but how can that be if she switched to chocolate when the contest started and only just found the ticket?

3) When the guest all get on the boat to go down the chocolate river and into the tunnel, there are exactly enough seats for each of them.  However, 2 of the guest are gone due to an accidental fall into the Chocolate River (Augustus Goop and his mother) - so if Augustus hadn't had fallen into the river, there would not have been enough seats on the boat - there isn't room to stand and it is too dangerous (as we find out) to do so.  So, why didn't he plan to have enough seats for all his guests?  He didn't know Augustus would fall into the river before they gone on the boat.

3) When Violet is turning into a blueberry, there is a blue light shining on her face to make her face turn blue - but the light shines on her hair too - so her bangs are also blue (initially)

Interesting Trivia - did you know one of the Oompa Loompas was a female ?  I wonder which one?

MoviePass Woes

I know in the scheme of life, this is just a teeny, weeny tiny problem but I just feel I need to write it down so I am choosing my blog to do so.

In December of last year, I decided to get a membership to MoviePass.  As I have mentioned many, many times, I love going to the movies.  I love watching movies in general, but there is just something special about going to the movie theater.  So I was thrilled to sign up for MoviePass.

Here is what it was - $9.95 / month
See 1 movie per day

Pretty awesome, right?  Now I am no dope. I thought to myself...this is too good to be true - basically I pay the price for 1 movie for the month but I can see 30 movies!  But I figured I would try it and it would last until it lasted.

MoviePass Change 1:
After having it about a month, I received notification that you couldn't see repeat movies. Meaning...if you saw the movie already using MoviePass, then you can't see the same movie again.

No problem for me...first of all, it never occurred to me to go watch the same movie again, when there are so many choices out there and not sure why someone would do that anyway...so no big deal to me.

MoviePass Change 2:
A couple of months later, I received notification that I had to submit a photo of my ticket after I purchased it using MoviePass

While perplexed by this because no reason was given as to why but they did say that if you missed one time, ok but if you missed a 2nd time, then your MoviePass would be canceled and you could never ever sign up to be a MoviePass member ever again during your lifetime.  This was stated as if it was a great enhancement for us...Uh, I don't know how but alrighty.

At first I was worried because the first time I tried to submit a picture, it wouldn't accept it.  I tried about 10 times and it wouldn't accept it but luckily, it finally did.

Again, I thought, while a mild inconvenience, not a big deal, I will take a photo each time and so I did.

MoviePass Change 3:
Again, sent to us as if this was a great thing that we would love because it enhances the movie going experience....there is now going to be "Peak Pricing" - where you have to pay an additional "small fee" (which I heard from others was typically $6-$8) for movies that were in high demand.  I saw several people on Facebook complain about this because the so-called high demand movies would have an empty theater - so why then was it high demand and they had to pay extra to see it?

Still, for me, I thought, no big deal.  I often go see movies during the week and before 7pm so they are usually not part of "Peak Pricing" and I avoided seeing any on the weekends that were marked as "Peak Pricing" so still...I was still paying $10 a month to see a movie per day.  Although I wasn't going every day of course.

MoviePass Change 4:
A couple of weeks afterward, Mission Impossible: Fallout came out and I think it broke MoviePass….the app was down all weekend that it came out - you couldn't use it at all apparently.

I was working all weekend so wasn't even aware of the problem until I saw it on the news.  But all in all, since I was working, it didn't effect me and I blew it off - hoping they would fix it.

The problem it seems, was that MoviePass ran out of money (although it cost members $10 a month, MoviePass loads the full price of the movie to the card and the theater gets the full price).

So….when MoviePass did come back up, we were told that "just like Netflix", not all movies would be available at all times and we'd be limited - in other words - no just released Big Blockbuster movies would be allowed.

Again...although a bit irritated by this, not a big deal to me because I can wait a few weeks to see a movie, I don't have to see it the weekend it comes out.  I am patient and can wait.

MoviePass Change 5:
(I think it is the 5th change since I have had it, I have truly lost count but I am hitting the major ones)
Today, I receive notice, again...like it is a great thing....patrons don't like having to take photos of their ticket stubs nor do they like Peak Pricing so they are doing away with that....Awesome, right...well....

There is a catch...yes, some movies will still be blocked (uh, or as they say "unavailable") but now you can only see 3 movies a month.

WHAT?  OK! Now the changes are effecting me....they said 85% of the MoviePass users only see 3 or less movies a month.  Well, I am not in that 85%, I guess I am in the 15% and how do we know that is even true - anyone can pick a random statistic to throw out there.

So I could see 30 movies a month and now I can see 3.  That is a BIG difference.  At least they could have given me 4 (one a week on average).  And of those 3, I can even see a new blockbuster release.

They say if you use e-ticketing, then then all movies are available.  Well guess what, I tried that and the movie did show available, but when I selected the seat (you have to select your seat), the seat showed available, but when I selected it, it said it was sold and to pick another one...I tried 6 different seats and each one said it was no longer available.

I gave up and bought my ticket with cash instead - of course the same exact seats were showing available and I was easily able to select the first one that I tried to select with the app.

So...either the app wasn't working right or they just added that little glitch so e-tickets wouldn't work for major movies either (even though they are saying it will)

Am I annoyed?  Yes!!

Am I giving up MoviePass? No - not yet anyway.  It is still $10 a month for 3 movies and that is still cheaper than one movie (which can be $16 at night)

Of course I will keep using it for now but if it gets to where I am not being able to use it 3 times, then I will probably let it go.

I think they really want people to quit using it...

I think they initially thought people would pay $10 a month and never use the card (kind of like the Planet Fitness for movie goers) but going to the movies is fun, going the gym isn't.

I am sure that any day, I will get word that MoviePass is ka-poot but for now...I will pay my $10 and see my measly 3 movies a month.

Wizard of Oz - Pondering about Glenda

I love the movie "The Wizard of Oz" - unlike kids today, who can stream it and watch it whenever they want, I remember growing up when you could only see it once a year, they would show it on TV and it was a big deal in our family.  My siblings and I would put pillows on the floor, and lay on our tummies to watch in front of our HUGE 19-inch TV and mom would make some Jiffy Pop.  (This was even before homes had microwaves, if you can imagine the time!)

Anyway...every year, when it would begin, my mom would always say "I thought this movie was in color" and every year, we would have to remind her that it turns to color when she gets to Oz.
(Which was so magical in the 1960s and I can only imagine how magical that was in 1939 when the movie premiered.

 

 

I always questioned the part where Dorothy meets Glenda (the so-called Good Witch)

You see, on behalf of the munchkins, Glenda asks Dorothy if she is a good witch or a bad witch. Dorothy says she is not a witch, all witches are old and ugly. Glenda and the munchkins just laugh and laugh and tells her that only bad witches are ugly.

OKAY - here is where I always questioned it....

So why did she ask Dorothy if SHE was a bad witch? Was she trying to imply Dorothy was ugly? Hmmmm...maybe Glenda wasn't so good after-all. I sure sounds like that to me...

What do you think? Judge for yourself and see if you agree with me.

Oscar Ready - 2018 Version

I am ready for the Oscars!!  They are tonight and I love the Academy Awards.  I don't watch many award shows but I never miss the Academy Awards because I LOVE the movies.

As I have for many years in the past, I have seen all the best picture nominated movies and here are my thoughts.

Lady Bird - In 2002, an artistically inclined seventeen-year-old girl comes of age in Sacramento, California. You see Lady Bird (as she likes to be called, go through her senior year, have her first romantic relationship, participate in a school play, go to prom and eventually off to collage.

I'm not sure why this movie takes place in 2002 because it could have taken place in 2017 and had the same effect.  My review - very good.  Laurie Metcalf was fantastic as the mom and I would love to see her win Best Supporting Actress.

Call Me By Your Name - In 1980s Italy, a romance blossoms between a seventeen year-old student and the older man hired as his father's research assistant. The young lead, is actually an American, with an American father and Italian mother, they go to Italy in the summer and during Christmas.  This takes place during the summer. 

I can kind of see why this takes place in the 1980s because it was before gay relationships were as widely accepted as they are now - people were more in the closet back then.  The movie was good and I liked it but I am not sure it deserves an Oscar nomination.  But then again, I didn't think Moonlight deserved an Oscar nomination last year either and it won Best Picture. 

I did think a few scenes were uh...odd...such as a self-pleasuring scene with an apricot and Oliver's father basically telling him that he was gay too but back in his day that would have never been accepted so he married and lead a typical life (they didn't use those words exactly but it was heavily implied).

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri - A mother personally challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter's murder when they fail to catch the culprit.

I really liked this movie - a lot!  It is billed as a dark comedy but it really isn't.  It is a drama.  Frances McDormand is wonderful and I think deserves Best Actress - as always and Sam Rockwell was fantastic and I hope he wins Best Supporting Actor.  The movie also stars Lucas Hedges (he was also in Lady Bird) and Kathryn Newton, has a small part as his sister and she was ALSO in Lady Bird. 

Of the nominated movies, this one was my 2nd favorite.

Get Out - A young African-American goes to meet his white girlfriend's parents for a weekend in their secluded estate in the woods, but before long, the friendly and polite ambience will give way to a nightmare.

This movie isn't exactly what I thought it would be.  It was creepy and suspenseful.  I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would...in fact, I saw it twice (luckily it was on HBO and I had recorded it).   It is billed as a horror movie and I don't like horror movies but I really wouldn't classify it as horror - the last 5 minutes was a bit of a blood bath but the rest of the movie wasn't like that at all - it was just creepy and kept you guessing.  It is an usual Oscar pick, but it was a good movie so I sort of can see why it was selected.

Dunkirk - Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Empire and France are surrounded by the German Army, and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.

This is the only Oscar nominated movie that I found myself bored with - I kept waiting for it to get over.  I was so looking forward to seeing but there wasn't enough dialogue for me I suppose.  Surprisingly, I found it kind of boring.  Very disappointed with this one.  Too bad.

Darkest Hour - During the early days of World War II, the fate of Western Europe hangs on the newly-appointed British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, who must decide whether to negotiate with Adolf Hitler, or fight on against incredible odds. I liked this one. 

I actually saw it just before Dunkirk and I am glad I did because it discussed Dunkirk quite a bit in this movie.   I enjoyed this movie and recommend it.  Gary Oldman is perhaps one of the greatest actors that ever lived and he is fantastic as Churchill.  I love the scene when he was in the London Underground and talking to the people.  Very, very good!

The Post - A cover-up that spanned four U.S. Presidents pushed the country's first female newspaper publisher and a hard-driving editor to join an unprecedented battle between the press and the government.

I loved this movie but when a movie stars Tom Hanks AND Meryl Streep - you know it will be good.  As I have mentioned many times, I love them both and Meryl Streep is my favorite actress - she is just amazing - I would love to see her win Best Actress but I do think that Frances McDormand deserves it too.  Tough to choose on this.

Great movie and makes you appreciate the media - the way it USE to be - wish we still had people like that running our papers and news programs.

Phantom Thread - Set in 1950's London, Reynolds Woodcock is a renowned dressmaker whose fastidious life is disrupted by a young, strong-willed woman, Alma, who becomes his muse and lover.

I really enjoyed this movie a lot - the story was good, Daniel Day Lewis was great (isn't he always?) and the costumes where amazing, of course!  It had kind of sick twisted ending though and I was left kind of going - huh? really?  I can see why it was nominated for Best Picture - very good.

The Shape of Water - At a top secret research facility in 1962, a lonely janitor forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held in captivity.

Yet another movie set in another time - if you are keeping count, that is 7 of the 9 nominated movies that were set in the past.

I saved this one for last because I LOVED this movie.  The plot sounds so strange, I know, but it was so good!  I found myself teary eyed a couple of times.  Great acting, great and different story - unique.  I would have never gone to see this movie if it hadn't been nominated for best picture but I am so glad I saw it.  It may not be for everyone but I loved it and while I'm not sure that it will win best picture, I really want it to.

So...there you have it, my annual Best Picture nomination reviews.  Did you see any of these movies?  If so, what did you think of them?

The Ghost & Mrs. Muir - Crochet Goodness

One of my favorite movies is The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.  Today is a rainy and cold day and a perfect day to snuggle up with some yarn in my hand and work on an afghan and watch a nice classic black and white movie.

While watching, I remembered that this movie has some crochet goodness in it.  The widowed Mrs. Muir has a lady that lives with her, Martha, and helps her with the house and her daughter, Anna (play the super cute Natalie Wood). 

In a few places during the movie, Martha covers Mrs. Muir up with a crochet blanket - they are 2 different granny square blankets - one made of many smaller granny squares and one made of just one large granny.  They are both super lovely.

 

I love the beauty of this black and white film but I wish there were still shots of these scenes in color so I could see what color these crochet afghans were in real life - don't you know they are beautiful?

This just goes to show that a classic granny square blanket NEVER goes out of style.

 

I Am Baby Groot 3

I mentioned before that I made a Baby Groot for my sister.  I also mentioned that her co-worker liked it and asked for me to make one for her pastor, so Baby Groot 2 was born.

Well...I posted a photo of Baby Groot (original) on a crochet facebook group (because someone wanted to know if anyone had a pattern for one) and one of the people in the group, asked me if I would make HER one too!!

Although she stated she crocheted, she didn't crochet amigurumi.  So...I told her I would!

So...Here is Baby Groot 3.  Maybe I should go into business - Haha!!

Each one is a little bit different (mostly with the vines and leaves and their pots are all different)

He is fun to make but I am ready to move onto something else now.  I have another amigurumi in mind and plan on working on that this week before getting back to my knitted shawl.

Groot 2 and Movie Review

About 6 weeks ago, I crocheted my sister a Baby Groot.  Her co-worker saw it and said that her pastor loves "Guardians of the Galaxy" and she wanted to know if I would make one for her to give to her pastor as a gift.

So...I made another one - here is Baby Groot 2  (not to be confused with Audrey 2 from Little Shop of Horrors.)

He came out pretty cute, I must say...I used a different green on this one - the leaves are a little brighter and I couldn't find the exact size pot I needed - the other one I made had the perfect sized pot, this one was a tiny bit bigger (or maybe Groot 2 is a little slimmer than Groot 1).  I hope her pastor likes him.

The same day I crocheted this, I saw Guardians of the Galaxy 2 - oh my gosh - so good!! I might even say it was better than the first one - lots of intense moments and Baby Groot was too funny.  I always stay for the credits and the credits had a teen-aged Groot - maybe a hint a Guardians of the Galaxy 3 (hopefully).  I give it 5 out of 5 stars!!
:
Also, unrelated - I saw Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Men Tell No Tales and it was GREAT! - Also 5 out of 5 stars! 

I am Crochet Groot !

I am so excited that Guardians of the Galaxy - Vol. 2 is coming out soon.  As soon as the first one was over, I wanted the story to keep going.

If you saw the first movie, I'm sure you became a fan of Groot - who is an extraterrestrial tree-like creature, who happens to also be a superhero. 

Groot doesn't say much - in fact all he says is "I am Groot" but he is a great character.  At the end of the first movie, Groot sacrifices himself to save his friends but a small little twig remains and eventually becomes "Baby Groot" - who is even better than adult Groot (based on the previews).

The character (both adult and baby) is voiced by Vin Diesel. 

Well...a few weeks ago, my sister saw a cute crochet character on Facebook and asked me if I could make it for her.  I was surprised because she isn't known to be a Sci-Fi fan and I told her I was surprised she'd seen "Guardians of the Galaxy" - turns out she hadn't and had no idea who Groot was...she just thought it was cute.

And I agreed - it is cute.  I found the free pattern over on Twinkie Chan's site.  If you are not familiar with her, check her out.  Her designs are ADORABLE. If you have watched Fuller House on Netflix, then you have seen plenty of her designs worn by Kimmy....such as....

 The Bacon & Egg Scarf

 The Pizza Scarf

The Cupcake Scarf

Anyway...the Groot pattern was so fun - pretty easy to make and I like seeing him come to live as I crocheted each little piece.  I found the tiny clay pot at JoAnn's for 99 cents.

So...if you like Baby Groot - give this a try - you will be happy you did.

February 2017 Movies

Generally, I wait until the month is over before posting the list of movies I saw this month, but I decided to post this since the Oscars are tonight.

Here are movies I watched in February.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back - as you know...I am a BIG Tom Cruise fan.  I loved the first Jack Reacher.  This one was really good too but I didn't enjoy it as much as the first one, which surprised me.  I was rather tired though when I was watching it so maybe that had something to do with it.

Bridget Jones' Baby - I have read all the Bridget Jones books and have seen all the movies.  This one wasn't actually a book first, which was a bit different than the previous movies.  However, it was still a great movie and true to the story and character.  Funny, sweet, and it ended just like I wanted it to end.  Great movie for a girl's night.  PS:  I love Renee Zellweger too and wish she made more movies.

Each year, I try to see all the best picture nominated movies but I hadn't seen any this year so I was happy when Regal Cinemas had an "Oscar Film Festival" and I got to see these movies for one low price.  It was awesome!!

Lion - this movie was so good!! The first half of the movie is subtitled because it takes place in India when a young boy, Saroo, finds himself separated from his family and 1,600 kilometers (roughly 1,000 miles) from home.  He basically takes care of himself and lives on the streets of Calcutta for 2 years before he is adopted by a family from Tazmania.  After college, memories of his life in India haunt him and he does what he can to try to find out where he is from and to find his family.  This is based on a true story - very, very good!!  So glad I saw this.

La La Land - while this movie takes place in the modern day, it has an "old Hollywood" kind of feel.  It is a musical, which use to be so popular in the 1940s and 1950s but you don't hear of them anymore.  In a nutshell, it is about a jazz pianist and an aspiring actress in Los Angeles, who fall in love.  Besides the great music and beautiful story, I loved the colors - the cast wore all solid colors, no prints - just solids and all the colors of the clothes, cars, murals, etc were just so colorful and bright!  It is pleasing to the eye and pleasing to the ears and pleasing to the heart and soul.  Great movie and I hope it wins best picture!!

Moonlight - This is told about the same man, in 3 different stories.  Part I when he is a young boy, we find out that dad isn't in the picture, mom is a crack-head, he gets bullied at school (even his own mom calls him a homo-sexual but she doesn't use a nice word for it) and an adult male and his girlfriend take an interest in him and kind of become parent figures for him.  Part II occurs when he is a teenager - still getting bullied, but worse.  His mom's drug use has gotten worse and he often gets kicked out of his own home and goes to say with his parent figures.  Something happens between him and his long time friend (his only friend) both sexually and then later in a situation with the bully, that ends up sending him to jail for a period of time.  In Part III, we see him a an adult, his mom is now in rehab and trying to get her life together.  He has modeled himself after his father figure but isn't in the best line of work.  He gets a call from his old friend and decides to drive to see him.  One thing I didn't like is that the movie just kind of ended abruptly.  Just - black screen and it was over.  Another thing that I didn't like is that the male characters constantly called each other the "n" word.  Do black guys really do this in real life?  I sure hope not but after seeing this movie (and another one), I wonder if they do.  I did like the story line and the acting was very good but at times, I just wanted the story to move along a bit faster.  It was good overall and I am glad I saw it.

Arrival - This movie was really good.  Amy Adams was excellent.  It had me on the edge of my seat pretty much from the beginning and through the whole thing - it wasn't a thriller, but you could just put yourself in the place of the characters and can imagine how scared you would be if you had to face what they were facing.  It had a plot twist that was reveled towards the end of the movie but it was reveled quickly and in a bit of a strange way.  Many people left the movie crying.  I didn't.  There was a group of people sitting in front of me talking about "why didn't the aliens do this if they knew that" and they had some good points.  The ending just felt rushed and forced and didn't answer a lot of questions but the overall message of the movie was good and the acting and special effects were excellent.  Glad I saw this too.

Fences - The acting was good, most of the time but Denzel Washington's acting was just over-the-top at times.  There was a LOT of dialogue.  About 85% of the move takes place in the family's back yard.  Basically is it about a crotchety middle aged man who is a bit of a of S.O.B. and his relationships with the people in his family.  It takes place in 1956 and the main character is a WW II survivor.  For most of the film, I felt like I was watching a play instead of a movie.  It just had that "play feel" to it and when the credit rolled, I understood why - it was based on a play - no wonder!  It was a good movie, good story but some over the top acting and had the feel of a play.  I am glad I saw it but it isn't anything that I would watch again.  Once again, the male characters (especially the main one) used the "n" word about a thousand times.  Really? Do black men talk to each other this way?  Did they do that in the 1950s?  How can they use this word when the great civil right leaders fought so hard for them so that no one called them that word anymore.  It made me a bit sad that they were using that word for each other without even a little thought as to what they were saying.  Viola Davis was super good in this movie (she always is anyway) but I didn't like one scene when she had on an apron AND was holding a dish towel, yet she had snot streaming down her nose - really, woman, wipe your nose/face (she finally did but with her hand - what was that about?).

Mancester by the Sea -very good movie but depressing as all get out.  I am not normally a Casey Affleck fan - he is a good actor, but I generally don't care for his movies (mainly because I know that it is going to be FULL of the "F" word).  This movie was an exception though, in terms that I did like it (although it WAS still fully of the "F" word).  He really did a great job in this movie - very believable and you felt for him.  Good story.  I know he is from New England so his accent probably wasn't much of a stretch but the other actors did great with their accents.  Good movie but sad.  F-word count by the was 84 (unless I missed a few) - also several "s"-words, GDs and using the Lord's name in vein in various ways.  It is a shame, the movie didn't need all that but I excepted it considering the lead actor.

Hacksaw Ridge -great movie - great!  I loved it.  I general do not care for "war" movies but this was much more than that.  I was surprised the Vince Vaughn was in this movie too - different kind of role for him and he was super good.  I tell you - this movie makes you REALLY appreciate the military and all those men who died for our freedom.  It is sad how much we take our freedom for granted but so many sacrificed so much for our country and I know they do every single day!  It was gory, during the war scenes, of course but...war is gory - it really is and I think this was a true depiction of that.  Great acting and amazing story about a true hero.  This was based on a true story and at the end just before the credits, it showed the real people talking - loved that they included that.  This is very close 2nd to me for best picture. 

Hidden Figures - also based on a true story (third one - along with Lion and Hacksaw Ridge).  It is funny because I watch the show Timeless and heard about Katherine Johnson back in November 2016, when they did an episode involving her.  I never knew about her and the other "colored" women (as they were referred to back in the 1960s) that worked on the space program.  I read up about her because of the show Timeless and then low and behold, 2 months later, a movie comes out about her.  What a fascinating woman she was - a genius.  The other women were too - an engineer and another that basically taught herself how to write computer programs using Fortran and the first IBM computer - which took up a huge room.  I just can't help but wonder what these women would have accomplished if they didn't live in a segregated and sexist world and were able to be like the women of today - wow!  They were incredible.  Loved this movie, loved the fashion, the sets, and the cars too.  Thank the Lord for these woman and what they did for our country and for NASA.

Hell or High Water -everyone kept saying "oh, that western movie" when I mentioned this movie, but is is NOT a western, I guess the title sounds like it would be and it takes place in Texas so maybe that is why they think that.  However, it was a story about 2 brothers that rob banks in an effort to get money to save the family ranch.  One is a divorced father of 2 boys, the other is a career criminal who was released from prison.  It was a good movie, a little predicable but pretty good.  Not one I would have seen and personally not Oscar-worthy to me (which I think the other 8 were and deserve their nominations). I wouldn't watch it again but I am glad I saw it.

MY OSCAR MOVIE RANKING

This isn't necessarily who I think will or should win but this is the ranking of movies in the order that I liked them, personally.

1. La La Land - Old Hollywood feel, great music, dancing and colors!
2. Hacksaw Ridge - Makes you grateful to be an American and appreciate our military
3. Hidden Figures - Amazing story, great acting, makes you realize how far we've all come.
4. Lion - Beautiful story, happy ending, touching.
5. Mancester by the Sea - while sad and tragic and too much foul language, still a good movie
6. Arrival - great effects but the message of this movie has stayed with me and I can't stop thinking about the message of it, which left such an unexpected impact on me. Really makes me think about life and loss, love and loss.  I can honestly say, the message of this movie, has made me re-evaluate many things.  Who would have thought an "alien" movie could do that?  Not me, that is for sure.
7. Moonlight - well told trilogy, great acting - I almost ranked this 6 because I thought the movie was better overall than Arrival, but the message of Arrival struck me so, which is why I made this #7 instead of #6)
8. Fences - good story, a of a downer. I would have loved to have seen this as a play (which Denzel won a Tony for) but as a movie, it just felt like a play and seemed a bit over-acted.
9. Hell or Highwater - just because it is last on my list, doesn't mean it wasn't a good movie.  It was, but it isn't my particular favorite genre of movies.  It was good, but just don't see why it was nominated for an Oscar.

Did you see any of these movies?  What did you think?  Who do you think will win the Oscar?

Janury 2017 Movies

I used to post a listing of monthly movies that I have watched - that were new to me.
I haven't done that in a while because of various factors, I just wasn't up to seeing movies much, let alone blogging about them but...I have seen a few movies this month so thought I would share

1) Star Wars: Rouge One - my first movie of 2017.  What did I think?  It was great!  I loved how it explained why the Death Star had that little flaw in the center of it and how Princess Leia got a hold of that information.  Plus, the special effects, story and acting was all great!

2) Guardians of the Galaxy - I know this movie is a few years old but a sequel is coming out later this year and I have heard so many good things about this movie so thought I would watch it.  I enjoyed it a lot.  Tons of action and lots of unexpected humor.  Looking forward to the sequel.

3) Miss Peregrin's Home for Peculiar Children - I wanted to see this movie when it first came out, but never got around to it.  I'm kind of glad of that.  It was just ok to me.  A little slow in the beginning. I liked it but glad I didn't pay full price to go see it.

4) Florence Foster Jenkins - so good.  As I have mentioned several times on this blog, I love Meryl Streep and almost always see a new movie of hers in January (seems like her movies are always around Nov - Feb time).   She was so good in this movie - funny but sweet.  Hugh Grant did a good job too and showed off a few dance moves.  Great costumes too - I am sure they will win for costume design when Oscar time rolls around.

5) Eddie the Eagle - I wanted to see this movie when it was initially released too but again, never did.  I am kind of glad because although I thought it was a really good movie, with a really good story, I was fine waiting for it to be on HBO.  It was a true story and was very inspirational.

6) Jack Reacher - again, wanted to see it on the big screen but didn't and this one ... I wish I had.  WOW!  Great movie, but then again I love Tom Cruise movies - LOVE THEM!  This movie was so action packed and also unexpectedly funny at times.  Can't wait to see the sequel!

7) Taken & Taken 2 - I'm putting these together since I watched them back to back and they were basically the same movie with different angles.  Both were really good - I want to see Taken 3 now and there is a new show coming on at the end of February. I will watch it - I love action movies.

8) Because I Said So - I went to donate blood and they said they really needed platets and could I take the time do that instead.  I had never donated platelets before but since they had a greater need and I had time, I decided to do so (turned out that I didn't do well - I almost passed out when it was over and 3 people had to come  rush over to help get me back - it was a bit scary there for a bit).  But...since it takes about 2 hours to donate, they let you pick out a DVD to watch.  So, I picked out this movie.  I enjoyed it - I'm not really a fan of Diane Keaton's because I don't think she is that great of an actress and can be super silly but she was okay in this and I liked the story pretty good - it was entertaining while I laid there with needles stuck in both arms for 2 hours. 

9) The Founder - about Ray Kroc, the "Founder" of McDonald's starring Michael Keaton.  I've always loved Michael Keaton and this movie looked good and interesting and so my sis and I went to see it on a Sunday afternoon.  It was very good.  A great story that was very eye opening.  McDonald's Corporation isn't the fast food chain, per se, but it is really a real estate holdings company.  I highly recommend it - it will make you look at the Golden Arches in a different way.

Walt Before Mickey

After 12 loyal and dedicated years, my TiVo Series 2 DVR decided it was time to retire and just stopped working.  I knew it was coming because it had gotten to where it would freeze up a lot and I'd have to unplug it and re-plug in just to get it going so I knew its time was coming.  Most people I have heard said theirs lasted about 4 years so I think 12 years was pretty awesome.  TiVo doesn't even make these anymore and if you deactivate the service on one (which I did, of course), then you can't re-activate it.  Goodbye series 2, loyal and trusted friend

But hello....TiVo Bolt - new and tiny TiVo - which is totally cool and awesome!!!

When I first was gifted a TiVo for my birthday 12 year's ago - it was the only DVR on the market - of course every cable and satellite company offers them now but there is just something special about TiVo to me.  To me, owning a TiVo over the cable company's DVR is like owning an iPod over the Zune.

At any rate - while I could go on and on and on about my new TiVo Bolt, this post really isn't about that.

Now that I can stream Netflix through my TiVo (how cool is that?), I watched this wonderful movie yesterday called "Walt Before Mickey".  What a great movie - it is rare to find a movie that isn't full of a lot of bad language and sex but yet is not a "kid" movie and is an enjoyable movie that an adult would like...but this movie is one of them.  I think kids would enjoy it too (maybe not toddlers, but older kids).

It stars Thomas Ian Nichols (Red Band Society, Party of Five, American Pie movies) as a young Walt Disney and John Heder (Napolean Dynamite, Blades of Glory) as Roy Disney.  It was nice to seem him in a more serious role and he did a fantastic job playing Roy.  Jodie Sweetin (Full House) has a small but critical role as their Aunt Charlotte. 

It tells of Walt's life from a young boy, drawing cartoon horses on the side of a barn, to a  young man, who wants to start his own company and make his own animated films.

I've always admired Walt Disney - he was such a visionary!!  So imaginative and creative.  However, he was not a great businessman - luckily he had a brother who was.  He had some minor successes and some big failures until he came up with that cute little mouse that we all know and love today.

 

If you are a Disney fan, like me, you are known for looking for Hidden Mickeys at both the Walt Disney World Theme Parks and also in the animated movies.  The one in the movie poster posted above is kind of example but it really isn't a hidden Mickey because it is obvious that the cloud is supposed to look like Mickey, right?  So it is an intentional Mickey.

I spotted a Hidden Mickey while watching Walt Before Mickey, too!!  Actually, the scene had two Disney meanings.  After Walt is married, he is riding on a train and his wife is napping on his shoulder.  Before dozing off, she mentions something about his dreams coming true.  He looks out and sees a shooting star so decides to make a wish (get it? When You Wish Upon a Star.....Your Dreams Come True), then as he is looking at the shooting star, I noticed the dark night sky had an interestingly shapped cloud.  I did a screen shot - it is a little dark (it was night time after all) but can you see Mickey?  (click on the photo to enlarge, if needed)

Anyway, I give this move 5 stars (all wished upon) - if you haven't seen it, take the time - especially if you are a Disney fan!

Upcoming Movies

Note to self:

Here are some upcoming movies I want to see:

The Light Between Oceans - Sep 2
Sully - Sep 9
Bridget Jones Baby - Sep 16
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Sep 30
Girl on a Train - Oct 7
A Madea Halloween - Oct 21

There may be more later but these are the ones I can think of at the moment

New Crochet Technique

Over at the Crochet Crowd....they had a call for Dishcloths and they posted several patterns.  I know I said no new projects until all the WIPs were completed but a dishcloth is something I can whip out in an hour.

The Crochet Crowd was looking for submissions because they are going to feature dishcloths, I believe, in their next e-magazine.  Not sure they will even give mine a look but I decided to make one anyway.

I have heard a lot of buzz lately about Corner - to - Corner (or C2C) afghans and this dishcloth is a C2C dishcloth - so I thought - why not give it a try and learn a new technique.

It really took about 30 minutes to do - which I thought was pretty good considering I never made this pattern before.  Not sure I love the look of the pattern but I liked doing it - it was fun, different and quick.

I used self-striping Sugar N' Cream yarn and made it while I was watching "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (which I discovered is a REALLY long movie - almost 3 hours - luckily it was on TCM and therefore didn't have commercials)

Whatcha Reading Wednesday

Normally I have W.I.P. (work in progress) Wednesday but I say "normally" as if I have been making regular WIP posts, which I haven't.  Why?  Because I haven't been working on any crochet or knit projects lately. 

After all I went through last year, I just can't always find the joy I need to do crafty things.  I have 3 projects in the works and one of them just needs to have squares sewed together.  It was a mystery CAL, which I didn't end up liking much so I have set it aside.  I guess I will piece it together, maybe next week I will start - I will probably gift it to my friend's dog to use as a blanket.  I have sworn of mystery CALs forever...I have only done 2 but didn't like either of them and decided I don't like mysteries.....except for mystery books

(how did you like that lead in)

I just finished reading "Jaws".  I have seen the movie a gahjillion times - yes - a gah-jillion times but never read the book so I decided to read it (when I was at the beach no-less)

 

The basic storyline was similar to the movie but there were some differences.  Some minor, some major.

**** SPOILER ALERT ****
(STOP READING IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW)


First of all, in the movie, it appears Chief Brody is somewhat new to his job - maybe a year or less but in the book, he has been sheriff for about 17 years, very well seasoned.  The characters in both books are about the same but the Chief Brody in the movie is a bit more physically fit. 

In the movie, Chief Martin Brody and his wife, Ellen, have 2 boys (about 12 and 6).  In the book, they have 3 boys ranging from 17 to 10.

In the movie, lovable Richard Dreyfuss plays the character of Hooper, the marine biologist, with a great interest in sharks.  He is fascinated and excited to be on this journey to catch the Great White.  In the book, however, Hooper is kind a yuppie - grew up kind of wealthy - tall, blond and tan. 

As it turns out, in the book, Hooper and Ellen have a past.  She use to date his brother when she was in high school.  She is quite attracted to Hooper (in the book) and flirts with him big time.  Not only does she flirt with him, she sets up a rendezvous' !!  She sleeps with Hooper and gets a little afternoon delight at a local motel.  Ugh! 

I hated that part in the book because I love their relationship in the movie - very close and supportive.  In the book, Brody is suspicious of Hooper and Ellen but his suspicions are not validated. Thank goodness, he never finds out and part of the reason why is because....Hooper dies in the book!!  Ugh!  I didn't mind that the book Hooper died because I was mad at him for sleeping with Ellen but I was glad that the movie Hooper didn't die because I loved the movie Hooper.

Steven Spielberg totally changed the Hooper character and I am glad he did - Hooper is likeable in the movie - you cheer for him.  In the book, you don't like what he does with Ellen - other than that, he isn't really a bad guy but you don't feel too bad for him when "the fish" as they mostly call it in the book, ends up eating him out of that so-called "shark-protecting cage". 

As for the character of Quint.  Robert Shaw played him quiet well in the movie - very much like the book character but with less cussing (thank goodness - the book had a lot of that).  The only bad thing about the book though - is that Quint doesn't really become involved until about the last 70 pages or so - he isn't in it very much.  He dies, like he dies in the movie. 

The movie had kind of a "brothers in arms/buddy" feel to it - these 3 guys with nothing in common that come together, become friends and kill a great white shark!  They don't bond like that in the book - they get along alright but they are not "buddies" by any means.

As you most likely know, the end of the movie is spectacular, when Brody blows the shark up into a billion pieces and you just want to stand up and cheer.  He doesn't blow it up in the book, he  harpoons it, he kills it and then kicks back to shore holding onto one of those floating barrels.  It was not a big dramatic ending like the movie.  Of course there is no soundtrack to the book so that probably helps the movie too - haha!

All and all - I give the book 4 stars.  It was a really good read - I would have given it 5 if it didn't have so much cussing (the book was more violent than the movie too if you can believe that but you do expect that in a book about a killer shark). 

If you never read it, you should give it a chance.

August 2014 Movies

Movies I saw in August 2014 that were new to me

• Oh Brother, Where Art Thou - older movie, great music plus George Clooney
  
• Glass House: The Good Mother - pretty good suspenseful movie
  
  
• Still Mine - James Cromwell movie - I had never heard of it before.  Good clean movie (well except for curse words, which were not needed) - about an 87-year old man building a new house for his wife with Alzheimers.  Based on a true story.

July 2014 Movies

These are new (to me) movies that I saw in July 2014

Jersey Boys - I saw the broadway show and loved it so was happy when the movie came it - it didn't disappoint.  Very good!  Great music!

Grown Ups 2 - I love Adam Sandler and liked Grown Ups but this movie was awful.  Sorry Adam :(

Take Me Out To the Ballgame - a 1949 musical.  Starring Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Esther Williams &Betty Garrett so you know it was good !

Remembering the Artist, Robert De Niro, Sr. - a documentary about the artwork of Robert De Niro, Sr. (the famous actor's father).  Very interesting.

Coyote Ugly - yes, I think the entire free world has seen this movie and yes, I know it is about 14 years old, but I never saw it, believe it or not, so finally decided to watch it.  I liked it.  It isn't something I would watch over and over but it was a decent enough movie.

Edge of Tomorrow - If you know me, you know that I LOVE TOM CRUISE MOVIES !!!  The man is so incredibly talented and he not only is an amazing actor, he does his own stunts and they are phenomenal stunts !  On top of that he has the looks and the charm.  I can't believe he hasn't ever won an Oscar - so unfair!  Anyway.  this movie, by far, has been my favorite so far this year.  I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.  It is futuristic - about an alien war.  The plot is easy to understand but hard to explain to someone else.  JUST GO SEE IT !!

Wish I Was Here - written and starring Zach Braff and my favorite young actress, Joey King, as his daughter.  It is about an out-of-work actor who can no longer afford private school so decides to home school his kids by teaching them real life.

Buddy Epsen - The Tin Man

I am sure that most people know that Buddy Epsen (well knows as Jed Clampett of the Beverly Hillbillies) was supposed to play the part of the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz.  However, due to a severe allergic reaction to the aluminum powder makeup, he couldn't.

(Note: They used aluminum paste makeup on Jack Haley to ensure they didn't have the same problem that Epsen had)

What a lot of people may not know is that he did record "If I Only Had a Heart".  I really like it but in the end, I am glad that Jack Haley ended up with the role.  I have a great fondness for the tin man.  He is so sweet and gentle.  While Buddy Ebsen does a wonderful version of this song.  I love Jack Haley's angelic voice and can't imagine anyone else as the Tin Man.

Interesting Fact 1:  Did you know that Liza Minnelli, Judy Garland's (aka Dorthy) daughter, became Jack Haley's (the Tin Man's) daughter-in-law?  Liza was married to Jack Haley, Jr. 

Interesting Fact 2:   Did you know that Jack Haley (the Tin Man) was the Godfather to John Lahr, who was Bert Lahr's (the Lion) son?

Anyway....here is Buddy Epsen's version of "If I Only Had a Heart"