Thursday Movie Picks: Friendship (TV)

The last post of the year! Thursday Movie Picks is hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. For entries of other participants, visit her site! This last Thursday of the year is dedicated to friendships on television. Here are my picks for the week.

Thursday Movie Picks: 2018 Movies You're Looking Forward To

Thursday Movie Picks is hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. For entries of other participants and themes for the year, head over to her site. This week is about movies we're anticipating for next year. I researched a bit on this as there's a lot. Here are my picks for the week.

Black Swan

One of the things that I am guilty about when it comes to keeping my blog is how unpolished my work is. I have a tendency to type and publish without proofreading. This leads me to see my errors after my post is up, and while I am now aware that I need to polish my work, I am not good at it. While my blog isn’t my whole life, I though I would mention this in comparison to Nina Sayers’ need to be perfect. She has devoted herself to her dance, wanting to emulate the principal dancer of the company, a woman she thought to be perfect. She has this desire to be perfect in her craft, and I feel like the opposite of her. This incessant need of hers has brought out pressures that she is impervious to, and this is what Black Swan is about. Classified as a psychological horror, this is about a dancer who was cast in the lead role of their production of Swan Lake, and her destruction to fulfill her role.

Justice League

Justice League is DC’s foray into introducing new but familiar characters, and an entry way to the solo movies these characters have lined up. Taking place after the events of Batman v Superman, Batman recruits people with special abilities to take on a threat that can destroy the world. While far from being a flawless flick, Justice League does enough to quench the thirst for the new characters, but not enough to be a solid blockbuster that it should be.

Thursday Movie Picks: Small Towns

Thursday Movie Picks is hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. For the entries of other participants and themes for the year, visit her site! This week is about movies set in small towns. I'm not sure if the town has to be existing or fictional, but here are my picks for this week. 

Murder on the Orient Express

Murder on the Orient Express chronicled one of Hercule Poirot's adventures. Poirot is a detective and is a main character in one of Agatha Christie's series. This has a man getting murdered while on a train heading to London, and Poirot was tasked to uncover whom among the passengers is the culprit. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, this brings another feature retelling to the big screen.

Thursday Movie Picks: Ugly Duckling to Beautiful Swan Makeover

Thursday Movie Picks is hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. For the entries of other participants and themes for the year, head over to her site. This week's theme is ugly duckling to beautiful swan makeovers. I usually find most of this in teen movies, and my picks for the week are no exception. Here are my picks for the week.

Wind River

When Cory Lambert, a hunter goes out to look for a pack of lions tormenting the herd of a local, he stumbled across a body of a young woman he was familiar with. The location of her death caused the sheriff to place a call to the FBI, thus launching Lambert's involvement in the investigation of her death. This was a feature film of Taylor Sheridan, the writer behind Sicario and Hell and High Water, and being a fan of Sicario, I had to watch the film at some point. *spoilers ahead*

Thursday Movie Picks: Workplace (TV)

Thursday Movie Picks is hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. This month’s television theme is workplace television shows. Here are my picks for the week. 

Thursday Movie Picks: Origin Movies

Thursday Movie Picks is hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. For entires of other participants and themes for the year, head over to her site. This week's theme is about origin movies. I usually associate this with superhero movies, but I did go with one choice that isn't. Here are my picks this week.

Favorite Films Directed by Women (Part 3)

It has been a while since I posted a follow up to my list. I still haven't finished fixing the previous post due to a photo hosting change, but parts one and two are linked down below. This list is a bit of a mix bag - some are popular or well-known, others you may not heard of.

Thursday Movie Picks: Movies With Strong Female Character(s)

Thursday Movie Picks is hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. For entries of other participants, visit her site for the link up. This week focuses on strong female characters. I think the word 'strong' could mean many things - physical strength, women standing up for themselves, women with personality, and so on. Here are my picks this week:

Thursday Movie Picks: An Adaptation You Want to See

Thursday Movie Picks is hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. Check out the entries of other participants through the link up in her site. This week's theme is an adaptation of anything that you want to see. All my picks are books that I want to see get adapted. Here are my picks for the week:

Thor: Ragnarok

Thor: Ragnarok is the third installment in the Thor franchise, and has a much different tone from its predecessors. The movie has Thor facing the biggest battle known in Norse mythology – Ragnarok, the end of the world. In this case, Ragnarok meant the end of Asgard, the place getting engulfed in flames. This isn’t a spoiler; the events of Ragnarok have been explained in the opening credits. In this installment, Thor faces Hela, Goddess of Death. The viewers find out what happened to Hulk, and more of Norse mythology comes to play in the form of Valkyrie. Ragnarok is an entertaining installment in the Marvel universe, but it doesn’t really have much working for it. *spoilers ahead*

Rough Night

Rough Night deals with a group of friends having a supposedly fun bachelorette weekend, only to find themselves in trouble when they accidentally kill a guy. It is headlined by a bunch of comedic stars and some well known names to give it star power. By the way the trailer looked, it should have been a lot of fun with hijinks, but the movie either missed its mark or didn't know where to position itself - or possibly both.

Strike: The Silkworm (Part 2)

Strike is a British crime series starring Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger. This is based on the works by Robert Galbraith, who is also known as J.K. Rowling. The Silkworm follows the death of Owen Quine, a controversial writer who released a manuscript that targeted his wife, his mistress, and his colleagues in the publishing world. It took me a longer time to watch this episode because I really don't remember much from the book, thus I had to keep on looking at my notes in the previous episode in order for it to make sense. *spoilers ahead*

Quick Reviews

Sometimes I don't have it in me to write more than one paragraph about a movie, thus quick reviews! I don't want to dump a lot of reviews under one post, so a quick review post would likely contain three to four movies, depending on how much I've watched lately or for the past few months. Below are my thoughts on Heartbeats, Atomic Blonde, and Fun Mom Dinner.

A Clockwork Orange

I didn't know much about A Clockwork Orange before putting in on my watch list. It was a popular film by Stanley Kubrick and has been referenced and parodied again and again in pop culture. It is hard not to associate the color orange, bowl hat, glass of milk, and a mascaraed eye with the film. Since I liked The Shining, I thought I would give this a go.

Ruby Red

Ruby Red is the first book in the fantasy series written by Kirsten Gier, and are translated from German. This is about a teenage girl who finds out that she has the ability to travel through time, and the secrets and conspiracies that lie behind her ability. There are three books in the series, making for three movie adaptations released two years apart. I have read the books but don't remember much aside from the main points. The books are made for binge reading though.

Strike: The Silkworm (Part 1)

Strike is a British crime series adapted from novels by Robert Galbraith, who is also known as JK Rowling. It stars Tom Burke as Cormoran Strike, and Holliday Grainger as Robin Ellacott, the two leads of the series. The Silkworm is the second novel of the series, and is about a missing writer and a controversial manuscript that he wrote. spoilers ahead

Blade Runner 2049

It can be said that the sequel to Ridley Scott's Blade Runner is one of the most anticipated films of the year. It is impossible to escape the excitement of it; from the stunning images that peppered articles discussing the film, to interviews and sightings done by the film's star powers, and the trailer to boast it all. The addition of it being helmed by Denis Villeneuve gives the film a certain expectation, as not only is the original considered a classic, but Villeneuve has been churning amazing films. I watched this knowing nothing about the sequel, and with no expectations. I was very surprised, not because it was an incredible film, but because I was already anticipating another viewing even before I finished the film. *spoilers ahead*

What I Love About Disney's Beauty & the Beast (1991)

I watched the special edition of Beauty & the Beast two months ago, and loved it. It is one of Disney's best movies, and one of my favorites. While the live adaptation of Beauty & the Beast is one of the hyped up movies this year, I think the animated version is still the superior Disney movie. I'm not here to tell you why but I will share the six things I love about Beauty and the Beast.

Passengers

Passengers was 2016's space movie, and was on top of my watch list, but the buzz wasn't favorable so my interest waned. I wanted to give it a chance, and since I didn't read any review or criticism about this, I didn't know what to expect. In general, it isn't as bad as the buzz made it sound. It had good factors and bad ones, but this was a mediocre outing from Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence. *contains spoilers*

Strike: The Cuckoo's Calling (Part 3)

Strike is a British crime series starring Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger. This is based on the books by Robert Galbraith, who is also known as JK Rowling. The Cuckoo's Calling encompasses the first three episodes of the show, this part being the final installment. This centers the death of Lula Landry that was initially ruled out as suicide, but Strike was hired by her adoptive brother because he thinks someone murdered his sister. I've noticed in my previous posts that there are some details that I didn't mention happening, but I would point to that as a reference, so I will just be incorporating those additional details here.

Thursday Movie Picks: Family (TV)

Thursday Movie Picks is hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. The last Thursdays of every month has been television-related, with this month’s theme being about TV families. Most of the television shows I watch nowadays have a family center in them. Here are my picks this week.

Reading Wrap Up: July to September 2017

What a reading quarter! My July to September selection wasn't as varied as I'd like it to be but it was a good selection. I have set a reading goal of 75 books this year, and by the looks of it, the goal is manageable. Removing most graphic novels aside, that is usually the amount of books I get to read per year, so I am on track with that goal.  I have read 27 books this quarter, and it was a mixed bag. There are a couple of good ones, but nothing that I am obsessing over. With that, here are 4 of the selections that I've read.

Strike: The Cuckoo's Calling (Part 2)

Strike is a British detective series starring Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger based on books by Robert Galbraith (also known as JK Rowling). The first three episodes all come from The Cuckoo's Calling, which centers the death of a model that was initially ruled out as a suicide. I wrote a bit about the first episode, although it was more of my thoughts rather than an in-depth recap of the episode; this is a bit similar to that. *spoilers ahead*

Reservoir Dogs

Reservoir Dogs is about a group of people who were hired for a diamond heist, only for their plans to be foiled by a police informant in the group. The plot is straightforward, so this is relying on the delivery and pacing of the narrative. Since this was one of Quentin Tarantino's prolific work, my expectations were a bit high.

Favorite Movies Reviewed on Big Screen Small Words

Does the title make sense? I have been blogging for the past five years, and I was looking for something to celebrate the milestone. According to my review index (as of writing), I have reviewed around 200+ movies so I'm celebrating the milestone with a list of favorite movies I reviewed on my blog. I chose the ten movies on this list based on how memorable they are for me. It might be because I didn't expect to enjoy it, or I stumbled upon it some time ago and loved it. Some of these are now part of my favorite movies of all time. I won't be linking reviews because of third party hosting rules, all images are replaced with those error images. All the posts are basically 'destroyed'. The list is in alphabetical order. *may contain spoilers*

Strike: The Cuckoo's Calling (Part 1)

Strike is a British crime series based on the books by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling). The series follows Cormoran Strike, a private detective who is down on his luck. He is joined by Robin Ellacott, a temp who shows a skill for detective work. The Cuckoo's Calling is the first book in the series, and is adapted to the first three episodes of the show. This stars Tom Burke as Strike, with Holliday Grainger playing Robin. I've read the books a year or two ago and really enjoyed the series, so I thought I would give this a go. *spoilers ahead*

Thursday Movie Picks: Animated Films Geared Towards Adults

Thursday Movie Picks is hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. For more of this year's themes and other entries for the week, head over to her site. This week focuses on animated films that are targeted for adults. There is quite a lot, but since I'm trying not to repeat movies, here are my picks for this week.

Everything, Everything

Based on the novel by Nicola Yoon, this is a story about a teenage girl who has been confined in her home due to her sickness, and finds a new path in life when she meets the boy next door. I really liked the book this was based from, and while it flew under the radar, it was something I was going to see when I can. While the trailer shows most of what to expect, this was still a solid teenage flick. *review contains spoilers*

Thursday Movie Picks: High School (TV)

Thursday Movie Picks is hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. For every last Thursday of the month, the theme shifts from film to television, with this month being about high school in television. While I don't watch shows set in a high school now, I did watch a bunch of them before. Here are my picks for the week.

Baby Driver

Baby Driver is about the life of a young man who works as a getaway driver for a heist group. The driver, aptly named Baby, is quite the music enthusiast, and employs a soundtrack for his daily life. All of this is revealed during the opening sequence, marking the momentum and the kind of character Edgar Wright visions Baby to be. Baby’s life, and thus the narrative, takes a turn when he eventually meets another music-loving soul. *review contains spoilers

Grave of the Fireflies

I was told that Grave of the Fireflies is a depressing film, and for an animated feature, it lives up to its reputation. It tells the story of two siblings, Seito and Seisuke, during the last months of World War II, and their struggle to survive. Since the film is told as a flashback of sort, the audience is already informed that the characters have died, and that we see how they lived their last months. 

To the Bone

To the Bone follows Ellen, a 20 year old who is anorexic. She has been moving from one treatment facility to another, with her family hoping that she will get better. When she gets kicked out of a facility, her stepmother transfers her to Dr. Beckham's facility, as the doctor heading the program has a great reputation and success rate.

Thursday Movie Picks: Rescue

Thursday Movie Picks is hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. For entries of other participants and themes for the year, head over to her site. This week's theme is about rescue movies. Here are my picks for the week. 

Against The Crowd Blogathon 2017

It's that time of the year! Dell on Movies and KG's Movie Rants are hosting the Against the Crowd Blogathon. It runs from August 14 to 20. I've participated in this for three years now, and it's been really fun. Here are the rules:

1. Pick one movie that "everyone" loves (the more iconic, the better). That movie must have a score of 75% or more on rottentomatoes.com [or 7.0 on imdb]. Tell us why you hate it.
2. Pick one movie that "everyone" hates (the more notorious, the better). That movie must have a score of 35% or less on rottentomatoes.com [or 4.0 on imdb]. Tell us why you love it.
3. Include the tomato meter scores of both movies.
My choices for this year's entry are both movies that I am surprised that are not liked/disliked more. Here are my choices for the blogathon:

Thursday Movie Picks: Summer Blockbusters

Thursday Movie Picks is hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. For entries of other participants and themes for the year, head over to her site. This week's theme is about summer blockbusters. Blockbuster season usually starts around April and ends in July, with the year's flashiest and biggest movies are released. Here are my picks for the week.

Dunkirk

For the record, I don’t normally watch war movies and in turn, have not seen a lot of them. My brain shuts off when I hear that a movie is set during some kind of war. Movies like Captain America and Wonder Woman don’t count because even if they are set in a world war background, the war isn’t the focus of the film. Because of this, I haven’t seen any of the great war flicks, or watched movies that I am genuinely interested in watching because of the war aspect. However, I found myself paying to watch Dunkirk, with 50% of the reason being the fact that if I wait for it on DVD, there is a high chance that I wouldn’t watch it immediately. That ticket was definitely worth it, as Dunkirk is a flawless work from Christopher Nolan.

Thursday Movie Picks: Crime Family

Thursday Movie Picks is hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. For entries of other participants and the themes for the year, head over to her site. This week's theme is about crime families. The first thing that comes into my mind about crime families are mobs, and I don't think I've seen a lot of movies involving mob families, so there are the picks that are off the top of my head.

Mickey Blue Eyes

I think Mickey Blue Eyes can fall under one of Hugh Grant's lesser known or forgotten movies. It might have been popular at its initial release but this isn't a movie you would immediately associate with the actor. Grant plays a curator at an auction house who proposes to the love of his life. When she rejects, he finds out that it's because she belongs to a mob family. Now he has to figure out a way to keep true to his fiance while trying not to get himself involved with the mob.

Thursday Movie Picks: Non-English TV Shows

Thursday Movie Picks is hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. Television shows dominate every last Thursday of the month, with this month’s theme being non-English TV shows. The only non-English TV shows that I usually watch are East Asian shows, with all my picks coming from Japan. Here are my picks this week.

Demolition Man

It’s 2036 and it’s a different Los Angeles in Brambilla’s Demolition Man, an entertaining action piece starring Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes. They play John Spartan and Simon Phoenix respectively, and we meet their characters in a crossfire after years of Spartan trying to catch Phoenix. When the incident goes awry, it sends both of them into a cryogenic prison where they would be kept frozen until their respective parole hearings years later.

Thursday Movie Picks: Amusement Parks

Thursday Movie Picks is hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. For more entries and to join in, head over to her blog for themes and links. This week is about amusement parks, and here are my picks for the week. 

Reading Wrap Up: April to June 2017

I haven't been active in writing content or visiting other sites lately; most of my recent posts have been scheduled. This however is something I can write about now. I'm not on a reading slump, and have managed to finish more books for this quarter. Everything else on the other hand, is at a pause. As of writing, I have read 21 things all varying from different genres and age groups. Most of them I liked, but not enough to stand out for me to rave about. It's not that the books are bad, but I didn't get that feeling of sheer joy and the want to push whatever it is I read to you. I have five books to write about - that's good, right?

Thursday Movie Picks: Movies Based on True Events

Thursday Movie Picks is hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. This week’s theme is movies based on true events. There’s a lot of movies that are based from historical events, or stories of people. Here are my picks for this week.

My Movie Alphabet Volume 2

In celebration of the 7th birthday of her blog, Mettel Ray has hosted the second round of her movie alphabet blogathon! Head over to her site and join in the fun! I participated in her first blogathon, and had a blast writing this so I was definitely in the second time around. When I first made this list, I was just thinking off the top of my head and placed a few things in there for the sake of crossing off some letters. I did end up thinking a lot for this list, and I went with things that are currently relevant to me. I also tweaked the rules a little bit, only because I don't want to let go of some of my picks. I think this list is a much clearer reflection on where I am in terms of my preferences compared to my previous years. 

Trailer: Wonder


 When I read Wonder early last year, it stayed with me so much that it ended being one of my favorite books of the year. The story of the book was very ripe for an adaptation, and this has now become one of my most awaited for the year. Jacob Tremblay was fantastic in Room, and I have a feeling that this would be really good. 

Thursday Movie Picks: The Renaissance (14th to 17th Century)

Thursday Movie Picks is hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. This week’s theme is renaissance movies. I rarely watch period pieces so I had researched if I was getting the time lines right. Here are my picks for the week.

No, You're Crying! Blogathon

Debbie over at Moon in Gemini is hosting the No, YOU'RE Crying! Blogathon. The rules are simple - talk about our favorite tearjerker films! Head over to her site for a list of participants and their subsequent entries. I had a bunch of movies that made it to my short list, but ultimately decided on the movie that I keep coming back to. That is Disney's The Fox and the Hound - and it does not fail to make me cry. Note: spoilers for the movie below.