I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info: 28 October 2016 on Netflix
     Watched 26 Dec 2016

Writer and Director: Osgood Perkins
Running Time: 1 Hour and 29 Minutes

Staring:  Ruth Wilson, Bob Balaban and Lucy Boynton

Rating? TV-14

SPOILERS? Not really enough to matter

REVIEWS

IMDB: 4.7 of 10

MY RATING: 3

STORYLINE

A young nurse takes care of an elderly author who lives in a hundred year old house.

MY REVIEW

This movie was a horrific letdown. There are definitely scenes that are utter gloriousness and the rest are not sod awesome. I was enamored by the first scene, the girl in the dress. She was like a painting, out of focus but obviously interesting.  As it stands, the idea, a sort of quiet horror of which I typically do have an affinity. But this was off. It was less than fear and more of a feeling of a heavy dread that never quite grabs a hold of the watcher. Very Gothic in feel.

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• Oh, Oz Perkins, you tried. I have to give you that!
• The narration is, I think, the best part of the whole movie. It's present in the majority of the film and is more of a poem than a script. I appreciated the effort.
• Artistic masterpiece!

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• Despite the artful cinematography, the story is shallow and never quite gets under your skin. It felt unfinished and to me, it seemed that the watcher would just have to fill in the dark spots for themselves. 

On a more personal note..... Super fun today! I went with a pink sweater, SUPER PINK, and a flower because.. F*~K CHRISTMAS! It's Hawaii somewhere! Then there's Jinx and Rocket hanging out on their new cat lounge!

Rogue One

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info: 16 December 2016
     Lucky Girl that I am got to see it one day early!!

Director: Gareth Edwards
Writer: Chris Weitz, Tony Gilroy, John Knoll and Gary Whitta. Based on characters developed by George Lucas.
Running Time: 134 Minutes

Staring:  Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alyn Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Forest Whitaker and Riz Ahmed. (There are a ton more, but really, I think you get it!)

Rating? PG-13

SPOILERS? NO!!!!

REVIEWS

IMDB: 8.3 of 10

MY RATING: 8

STORYLINE

Jyn Erso, a Rebellion soldier and criminal, is about to experience her biggest challenge yet when Mon Mothma sets her out on a mission to steal the plans for the Death Star. With help from the Rebels, a master swordsman, and non-allied forces, Jyn will be in for something bigger than she thinks.

MY REVIEW

Full disclosure; I AM a Star Wars Girl! I mean, seriously, I have a 6'4" mannequin wearing a Darth Vader costume in my living room! I was almost an hour early for the movie and sat quietly and patiently through what seemed like an endless parade of shit movies that seemed to bombard me one after the next. {All I could think about was.. WHEN WILL THIS BE OVER!} Basically, I did love this movie. Gareth Edwards delivered from the directors chair a strong, well-developed movie that will stand up to the Star Wars fanatics like myself. There were a few little things that stopped this from being perfect, however, they were not movie destroyers!!

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• STAR WARS UNIVERSE- I loved the idea of showing more planets and plentitude of environments. Typical  Star Wars cities are desert, forest, crazy city or running piles of lava. I was very happy to see move options for the new Star Wars universe to grow into. Well Done!
• EASTER EGGS- Plenty of wonderful items that a true fan will love to see and smile at while the movie plays. One hint.. Listen for "Red-5"
• EMOTIONALLY stunning story. The writers did a wonderful job tying in stories from several movies and comments made into a full story. Jyn Erso, played fantastically well by Felicity Jones was the epitome of a fully rationalized and developed character!
• REBELS! These were anti-heroes at best!  They were the exact type of "rebel scum" that a true fan wants to see be amazing on the screen.
• CGI- I will NOT say what the specific things were, but it was amazing! Two specific items that will not be missed were amazing. 
• CINEMATOGRAPHY- There were some amazing shots, some of which made me quite nearly tear up!

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:
Although there was not much that I didn't like, there were a few things that I just could not look past. I mean, it's not a soul-stealing about of items that ruined the movie for me, but it was enough to bring it from a 10 to an 8.

• The CRAWL!- WHERE is the crawl? How can I have a Star Wars movie with no crawl?
• The TITLE- That WAS NOT Star Wars Font!!
• The SCORE: You know what makes a Star Wars movie for me? JOHN MOTHER-F'ING WILLIAMS! I get that he is 84 years old and needed a break. (See article here from Bustle.)
• The JEDI- Not a full deal-breaker, but missed having some Jedi around!
• DARTH VADER- I am not going to say much, but I DO HAVE DARTH VADER IN MY LIVING ROOM! I can understand why they went with the Episode 4 Helmet, but the massive, overly ridiculous shoulder pads were a bit over the top!

On a more personal note..... The last few days have been pretty freaking awesome! I am pretty sure I've had good hair days since I got that massive trim a few weeks ago! Wednesday night, I went to dinner with some friends from work and they JUST HAD to go see the lights on the boardwalk, so we did. We got yelled at by a very UN-CHRISTMASSY driver who was concerned that we did not know the "No pedestrians on the boardwalk while the lights are up rule." She was very rude! AND finally, I was super stoked when I found out that I could listen to Forensic Files on the way home from work!! So awesome! Anyway! Have a good night! Enjoy!

Let's Be Evil

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info: 5 August 2016
     Watched on Netflix 29 November 2016

Director: Martin Owen
Writer: Elizabeth Morris and Martin Owen
Running Time: 1 Hour and 22 Minutes

Staring:  Kara Tointin, Elizabeth Morris, Jamie Bernadette and Elliot James Langridge

Rating? Unrated

SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS

IMDB: 5.9 of 10

RT: Critics: 22%; Audience: 19%
MY RATING: 2

STORYLINE

Three chaperones are hired to supervise an advanced learning program for gifted children, who wear Augmented Reality Glasses to assist in their education. Contained within a secure, underground facility, events quickly spiral out of control.

MY REVIEW

Let's be REAL, this is REALLY BAD!! This was an hour and 20 minutes of my life that I WILL NEVER GET BACK! I really wanted to give it a shot because it has an actor that I recognized from the British soap opera, The Eastenders, Kara Tointin who played Dawn Swann. Although the premise sounds like it would be a very interesting ride towards modern teaching techniques mixed with a little Village of the Damned undertones, it does not deliver.  

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• For a low budget horror thriller, the Special Effects are amazingly well done. 
• It's ambitious, I'll give then that one little recognition. 

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• Character development is basically nonexistent! There is no time spent to better understand the motives of the three main adults other than they need money so they take an insane job in a weird under ground bunker basically babysitting a handful of pre-teen genuises who all have to wear a google-glass knock off.
• Who is the random janitor looking dude they kill at 1:06? Where did he come from? 
• Advanced technology? For a movie that was supposed to be heavy on the high-tech.. the ONLY thing high-tech along the way were the glasses. 70's-80's furniture and atmosphere and 90's computers?
• The Ending? What the hell does all of this mean? There was no plot line that got us to this place. No story. Nothing. It just didn't make any sense at all.

On a more personal note..... Well, it was a pretty enjoyable day minus this crapt-astic movie. Selfies, kitties and Pumpkin Spice cake balls!

The Arrival

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info: 11 November 2016
   Saw it at Lynnhaven Mall AMC (Written 19 Nov)

Director: Dennis Villenueve
Writer: Eric Heisserer and Ted Chiang
Running Time: 1 Hour and 56 Minutes

Staring:  Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker

Rating? PG-13

SPOILERS? Not Enough to make a difference

REVIEWS

IMDB: 8.5 of 10

MY RATING: 9

STORYLINE

When mysterious spacecraft touch down across the globe, an elite team - led by expert linguist Louise Banks - is brought together to investigate. As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and the team race against time for answers - and to find them, she will take a chance that could threaten her life, and quite possibly humanity.

MY REVIEW

You know that feeling you get when you leave a movie that just makes you feel like it spoke to you on a level that cannot be explained? That IS how I felt leaving The Arrival. I was not surprised since the director Denis Villeneuve also directed another stellar movie, Sicario, as well as having experience in writing, acting, editing and cinematography. I think that helps him create a complete experience. I think the question, "Are we alone here?" is the foremost query for anyone who is interested in space exploration and the universe. This movie demands your attention unlike any other Sci-Fi in this specific genre since Contact.

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• This movie was filled with complex and nuanced emotional pieces that when tied together and reviewed at the completion are amazing works of creativity! There are so many streams of conscious thought going on at the same time in this movie and they are intertwined beautifully.
• Amy Adams earns some serious street cred from me for this role where she plays mother, teacher, educator, scientist and explorer. Her range going from one to the next brought a genuine humanity to the character of Dr. Louise Banks.
• If you enjoyed Inception and it's story in a story in a story theme, this will work for you. I appreciated the complex planes of existence told in back story flashbacks. I don't want to give anything away, but this was done beautifully!
• The Score! It was understated but bold. There should be Oscars here!!
• I think the set design and costuming was stunning. It was understated and likely drab in most places, but I think it was necessary.  

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• I wanted more from the story that was promised. Aliens arriving on earth and I only got to see them briefly. I wanted to better understand the whole piece and I know it's unlikely in a movie like this. (By a movie like this, I mean that it was less about aliens and more about the human experience.) 
• It was super slow to get started but once it picked up, it was good. Just took WAY too long to get going.

On a more personal note..... First, there's a song that's been on repeat for the last few weeks in my head and in my iPhone. Blue October's Home. This band has been a big part of my life since their first album, Consent to Treatment, came out in 1998. They're songs have such amazing lyrics and Justin Furstenfeld puts his life into the these songs and they have such amazing soul. So, here is the music video and I have a feeling that if you give it a listen, you'll like it!!

On to the normal stuff! It's been a fun few days!! I finally got a new job this month!! I am super excited! So excited that I went out and bought some new SHOES!! I love heels and these little black velvet wedges were JUST the thing that I needed to make my afternoon! Absolutely does not hurt that they look super adorable with skinny jeans!! Halloween was last week. I was a fancy cat, again! I think I need to throw away these ears so I can make better choices!!

Glitch

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info: Australian Television show that premiered on 9 July 2015 on ABC1. Available on NETFLIX.

Director: Emma Freeman
Writer: Tony Ayres, Louise Fox, Adam Hill, Kris Mrksa and Giula Sandler.
Running Time: 6 Episodes, 55 Minutes each

Staring:  Rick Bramhall, Emma Booth, Ned Dennehy and Andrew McFarlane

Rating? Unrated Television Show

SPOILERS? NO

REVIEWS

IMDB: 7.7 of 10

MY RATING: 8

STORYLINE

When Constable James Hayes (Rick Bramhall), a police officer in the small town of Yoorana, Australia, is called to the local cemetery in the middle of the night, he makes a discovery that turns his world upside down. Six people have inexplicably risen from the dead in perfect health, one of them is his deceased first wife, Kate (Emma Booth).

MY REVIEW

I'm always looking for something on Netflix, obscure, interesting.. I did find something that quite nearly fits the bill with this TV series.  I am a Netflix junkie and can easily get through an entire season of a show in a day or two. At the end of the first episode, I couldn't stop watching!! I believe I finished in two days!

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• Suspense! The writer/director/producers did an amazing job on the ideas of how to draw your attention into a focused spot that builds such an amazing feel of suspense that you almost can't blink your eyes!
• Acting! The actors found for this tv series are just fabulous!
• Storytelling at it's best! I loved the way they really used the actors to further the story. Twists and turns, facial expressions, you could feel the pain in the actors eyes as they were trying to play out their story lines!

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• I'm really hoping that they address some of the loose ends that were left dangling at the end of season one. How did they come back from the dead? Why can't they leave the city? Come on!! Bring on Season 2-3 or even 4!!
• It's NOT that I DIDN'T like anything super big. I just couldn't see giving this a 10 because it's a tv show and definitely has less of the general grandiose attitudes you'd find in a movie.

On a more personal note..... Fun times today! I played out in the back yard with the kitties for a little while. Decided to get the sewing machine out and make a knife roll for all of my fancy knives! And finally, decided to go for a run. Something about closing the day out with a de-stressing run that can really make you feel amazing!

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Independence Day: Resurgence

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info: 24 June 2016
     Watched on iTunes 22 Oct 2016

Director: Roland Emmerich
Writer: Nicolas Wright, James Woods, Dean Devlin, Roland Emmerich, James Vanderbilt and others.
Running Time: 120 Minutes

Staring: Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman Sela Ward, William Fichtner, Judd Hirsch, Brent Spiner and Vivica A. Fox

Rating? PG-13

SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS

IMDB: 5.4 of 10

MY RATING: 2

STORYLINE

Two decades after the freak alien invasion that nearly destroyed mankind, a new threat emerges. This alien mothership is more than twice the size as the last one and once again, the world's armies must band together to save the world. Do they have enough firepower or will this battle change and will the aliens take over?

MY REVIEW

I almost feel like making a post on the Reddit feed for "Today I Learned" and it would have gone a little something like this..

Today, Reddit users, I spent two hours of my life watching a movie. It was supposed to be a big budget action movie and well, Today I learned that action movies can be pretty boring.

I remember in 1996 going to see the original in theaters when it came out. I did like it and I feel pretty bad about saying this, but this was a pretty terrible movie.  It was just missing something that the original didn't have. So, I give it a 2 for the pretty bad acting (Except for Bill Pullman), horrid writing and dialog, lack of a good story and just nothing redeemable in my eyes.

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• Some of the CG was not that bad.
• The first 10-15 minutes were not too bad, it's the rest of the movie that just lets your down. There is no soul here!!
• Thanks for bringing back Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman and Brent Spiner. But it felt like they were there, but they were half of what they could have been. Bill Pullman really pulled out a great performance despite the bad concept and basic writing.

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• Will Smith, however you play it, was the star of the original. With him  not there, even though the concept that they came up with for why he wasn't there was not bad, he was missed.
• Did not treat the audience like intelligent humans. I do not need to be spoon-fed the plot by bad dialog and mediocre actors.
• I should have known better since the writer/Director Roland Emmerich was also responsible for 2012, a smorgasbord of the absurd and quite a bad movie.

On a more personal note..... Had some awesome time with the kittens in the backyard today. Pretty awesome photo shoot! Then Taylor came over for me to put on her face paint for a Halloween party. I am pretty proud of how it turned out! Then I made dinner... Boneless Pork ribs in a Soyaki Sauce with rice and veggies...