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Showing posts from 2015

Crimson Peak

Before I start, I just want to tell you how badly I want to spoil this movie for you. There is, as always, a twist towards the end of the film, and it's somewhat difficult for me to discuss the plot without going into the (rather unsurprising) twist. But okay, okay, I'll try to refrain from talking about it. I know a lot of people were/are excited about Crimson Peak , so if you haven't seen it yet, I won't ruin it for you! Basic plot: A young American woman named Edith (Mia Wasikowska) is swept off her feet by a visitor from England, Thomas (Tom Hiddleston). She leaves her life in America behind to marry and live with him in an isolated, creepy, dilapidated house in the UK. Don't get me wrong, I can see the appeal. Handsome foreign man is so in love with you that he wants to take you with him across the pond? But as soon as you see the house, you can tell it won't go well. You know that's the case at the beginning of the movie, to be honest, but still.

Hinterland Season 1

Angst personified Oh look, a gloomy detective series set in Wales. I'll take it! Most detective shows follow a formula, and Hinterland is no exception. Unfortunately, it's not a good formula, not when it's this overused. DCI Tom Mathias is described as "troubled." How unexpected! The go-to issue in these cases are: alcoholism coupled with a murdered wife/child. They don't get into his past right away, but it doesn't take long before you know he has children (I assume they're alive) and an ex, and that he sometimes drinks in his lonely trailer. He also never smiles. Ever. Tom is a serious man, and he's got his unresolved issues just like all detectives do. Oh yes, and he jogs a lot, typically at the beginning and end of episodes. Don't let my negativity fool you, though; I like it. It's a decent show with a beautiful, atmospheric setting. It's not going to make you laugh, which is a shame, but it does provide some gritty murde

Silent Hill

Advice: if you love the name Sharon, you should watch this movie. "Sharon! Sharon! Sharooooon!" No, really, keep yelling her name. Don't mind the monsters who can hear you, I'm sure they're all too busy watching Duck Dynasty and munching on Doritos (mm, Doritos) to pay you any attention. So yes, keep doing what you're doing, because you're full of good ideas, Rose. Story: Rose's adopted daughter Sharoooooon is one hell of a sleepwalker, and she loves saying 'Silent Hill' in her sleep, so naturally Rose and her husband, the wasted Sean Bean, look it up and see that it's a foul, supposedly haunted place in West Virginia. Rose, being responsible, kidnaps Sharooooooon and drives her there, despite the glaring signs telling her not to, and risking her daughter's life in the process. Frankly, no one should go to West Virginia. If you were born there, okay, it's not your fault, but if you go there willingly, shame on you! After t

The Visit

I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this movie. As excited I was to see this, it still managed to exceed my expectations. M. Night Shyamalan, are you really back to form? Because you need to keep making movies like this, I'm serious. The Visit is about two exceptionally nice kids who decide to visit their estranged grandparents so that their single mom can have some alone time with her new boyfriend. You mean they're not angsty and trying to sabotage her happiness? I don't believe you! Nonetheless, that's the case. Their mom doesn't even want them to go, it's just unfathomable. If I ever pop out little minions, they need to be like this. Unfortunately for the kids, things don't go quite as planned, because their grandparents are beyond weird. They're only staying for a week, but things escalate quickly. It's both creepy as hell and hilarious. I adore this movie! All scary films should use humor in combination with scares; it&#

The Martian

I'll preface this by saying that I almost skipped out on this in the fear that it would be like Interstellar , which wasn't a bad movie, but managed to disappoint and confuse and leave me feeling irritated. Also, Mackenzie Foy and Jessica Chastain look nothing alike, fools! Speaking of, Chastain and Matt Damon were both in Interstellar , and now they're both in this, so naturally I wondered if there was some connection between the movies (thankfully there isn't). That was before I actually looked into it, however. After reading up on it and seeing the great reception The Martian received, I suddenly wanted to see it very badly. I do love Matt Damon, have I ever told you that? This ended up being my choice for family movie night, and we actually convinced my brother to come along (a rare occurrence), and even a family friend wanted to go. Amazing! No one left disappointed. The Martian is an excellent film, and that's not something I often say about a movie

My Current Addictions

O, my love! I'm never prepared to find a show to fall in love with. Alas, it happens when I least expect it. At the moment I'm in love with The IT Crowd and Gotham . Despite this, I'm still open for some further lovin'. Is that wrong of me? Maybe. PBS is going to start airing Indian Summer tomorrow night, and while I don't plan on watching it right away, I suspect I might like it quite a bit. Either way, I'll let you know if and when I watch it. In the mean time, I'm going to be a gothic geek. OKAY?! Okay.

Updates and Movies of Disappointment

I know, it's been awhile. I'd like to say I've been off on a whirlwind tour of Europe, but that's not true (yet). There have been too many moments when I think, "Oh, this movie was awful, I need to review that", and then I let it go and can't fathom coming back to it. And then months go by, with piles of movies gathering and nothing to show for it. But while I'm very gifted in the art of procrastination, I'm also equally good at coming back to things I've left alone too long. That being said, it's time to give this baby some fuel! What really motivated me in finally updating tonight is that I'm going on a short, albeit exciting trip to Niagara Falls soon, and there's something satisfying and comforting in knowing that I've checked a few things off of my to-do list beforehand. Not that my life won't continue to be filled with various messes to clean up and tasks to complete, but maybe getting a few minor things out of the

Insidious: Chapter 3

This was supposed to be included in a giant post about horror movies I've recently watched, but I've been so damn lazy about it that I decided at least one of them should get out there sooner rather than later. The rest will be making an appearance soon, I swear (crosses fingers)! If you don't know me or haven't read my previous posts, then I'm going to tell you now: I love Insidious . All of them. Even this one. It's rare for every movie to be a hit with me, but I can honestly say that I've enjoyed every single Insidious movie so far. If I had to choose, I'd probably say the first one is and likely always will be my favorite. The second one, which received terrible reviews, was surprisingly good, too. Even my brother, who finally got around to watching the first two recently, commented that he thought they were equally good, and that's huge praise from him. I'm not saying the majority of people will agree, but horror fans should watch th

Review: Housebound

Once in a blue moon, Netflix recommends a horror movie to me (based on what I've previously watched, which isn't always a good thing) that's actually decent. There are countless bad movies on there, and all you have to do is check out the user rating to get an idea. Or look at the cover and title. That's usually all you need. Surprisingly, Housebound has a rather high rating, despite the somewhat basic plot, and I decided to give it a go: Kylie is sentenced to eight months of house arrest after robbing an ATM. You'd think that'd be a relief considering, you know, jail sucks, but she doesn't like her mother or stepfather, and the house is possibly haunted. Personally, that sounds like a dream come true to me, but we can't all like creepy houses. This isn't terrifying, but it has its moments. More importantly, it's funny. Not uproariously funny, but it provides some chuckles, and it doesn't go about it in a cheesy way, and it doesn

The World's End (and Letchworth Garden City)

Fact: this was on my to-watch list before it even finished filming. Unsurprisingly, I only got around to watching it recently. The Grand Procrastinator strikes again! But I do have one legitimate reason for putting it off for so long: it's personal. World's End was partially filmed in Letchworth Garden City. When I first visited there, they had already started filming. And when I ended up living there for 3 months, they were still filming, but production was almost over. I'd wanted to be able to see it in Broadway Cinema, the movie theater in Letchworth, but I was long gone by that time, and I was dreadfully missing it. In the months after I left, I couldn't bring myself to watch it in case it made me emotional. Emotions are stupid, I know. Go away! After awhile, I magically forgot that this movie existed, and by the time I remembered it, I was no longer in danger of feeling anything that could be described as 'emotional.' As someone who enjoyed Shaun o

You're Gorgeous by Babybird

Happy March! Have some Babybird. You know how much I love weird/unconventional/provocative songs!

New Blog!

I've been meaning to start a new blog for awhile. It's really just to document some of my travels. Please check it out if you're interested! :)  http://givemeaballoon.blogspot.com/

Now Transferring To My iPod...

Sia: Elastic Heart I love Sia's new music video for Elastic Heart . I think her don't-look-at-me-look-at-them approach to her recent videos and performances is a bit affected, but hey, at least we get to watch cool interpretive dancing/fighting. It's rare for me to love a music video. In fact, they sometimes take away from my enjoyment of the song, or they distract me from it too much, when they should be adding to it. Luckily, the ever-talented Sia has managed to make two of her recent videos interesting and compelling. Glass Animals: Gooey The lyrics to Gooey are...strange, but you can't deny the appeal of this song. You cannot. You must not. You do not (whatho, Captain Wentworth!).

Becoming a Netflix Addict

It took me long enough, but I recently decided to take advantage of my brother's Netflix subscription by streaming it online. That just shows you how far and wide my procrastination goes. Because it's just too difficult to sign in, I mean Jesus. Friends Naturally, I am now watching everything, and they recently put all ten seasons of Friends on there. Goodbye productivity! I'm watching that whole series from start to finish, and no one can stop me! The fact that I watched every episode when it was on (oh, childhood) doesn't matter. Of course I'm also taking this opportunity to watch other shows that I never got to (or never heard of). The Tudors is a good example. It was on my radar for awhile when it was on, but then it dropped off. Now I've zipped through the first season and into the second. My only complaint so far is that the divorce storyline is dragging on. Just do it already! I'm excited about the cast, though. So many familiar faces (Jeremy N