Ten Percent

Well, I've hit a pretty significant milestone. I have officially watched 100 of the 1001 movies!! It took a while to get there, but I'm confident I will be a little better at watching movies from the book, now that I've added my own Netflix account.

Dance, Girl, Dance (1940)

I could not have picked a more perfect movie to watch as my 100th! This movie had a little bit of everything I love about film. 

First of all, I love movies set in this time period. It was a different age. Women were so much classier, even when they were trashy. Secondly, it was a musical!!! Oh, how I love musicals. OK - maybe it wasn't a full fledged musical, but there was some singing and a lot of dancing. Finally, it starred the late, great, Lucille Ball - one of my all-time favorite actresses.

Dance is about a troupe of dancers who are struggling to find jobs. Their best dancer, Bubbles (Ball) quits the troupe when she gets a solo offer and the other girls continue to look for employment elsewhere. The main character, Judy O'Brien (Maureen O'Hara), is an aspiring ballerina. Bubbles comes back and hires Judy to dance in her new Burlesque show, and that's when things start to get pretty crazy. Love triangles, rowdy men, and some risque dancing ensue.

I loved the movie. I think the story was well-written. There were a few plot points I thought were going to be left unanswered, but everything wraps up in the end. It was just the right mix of drama, music, romance, and comedy. Go watch this film, I'm giving it four stars.

Until the next movie!

Goodbye Summer!

Well it looks like my summer is officially over. In approximately 11 1/2 hours I will begin my senior year at Texas A&M and it is bittersweet. The last three years have gone by in the blink of an eye. I'm hoping for an incredible last year at A&M and plan on savoring every moment I have left.

Since today was my last day of "freedom," so to speak, I celebrated in true form - watching a movie from The Book. This was #99, folks. That means the next movie is going to be EPIC because its a big milestone!!

Milestone, or not, each movie I cross off the list is equally significant as its predecessor and what comes after. As you all know, some of these movies I enjoy thoroughly, while others I can barely make it through. Tonight, I'm pleased to say, was the latter. I really liked this one!!

Patton (1970)
I'm a sucker for war movies, what can I say. Especially if they revolve around WWII. I've never understood my fascination with WWII, but it completely entices me. I'm not a history person... I find it interesting, but not memorization and all that. I can tell you some trivial facts, but not many. But there are certain era's (WWII era included) that I just can't get enough of. This is probably one of the reasons I enjoyed this movie.

George C. Scott plays the infamous General Patton. In my opinion, Scott did a wonderful job portraying this controversial general. He was hot-headed, outspoken, but a mighty fine general. Scott echoed all of these traits and more impeccably.

The movie mainly follows Patton in the short period before he takes command of the 3rd Army, and then the time he holds as commander. Patton shows a different side to the general than most people are used to seeing, but it is a nice insight - one Francis Ford Coppola was hoping to show through his script.

If you like war movies, this should be a must see on your list. If you have three hours to kill, this would be an entertaining and informative way to spend it. Overall, I'm giving it 3 1/2 stars.

Until the next movie!

The Greatest Invention of the 21st Century

Let's talk a little bit about something I like to call Netflix.

Netflix has easily become a large part of popular culture in the last 5 or 6 years. Netflixing is a verb used by many. Staying in to watch Netflix is often preferred to a night out on the town. I has become the ultimate distraction for students of all ages. Date nights tend to revolve around what will be watched. Watching TV and Movies can never be the same. In fact, other companies have had to change the was they let people access their content because of Netflix.

Hulu not only offers a small selection of movies and full TV series, but they allow you to watch current seasons of TV, something Netflix does not. But Hulu doesn't have the rights to some networks. So those networks have created a subscription process too for those that would like to stream current episodes. Technology is emerging, and I love it.

But back to Netflix...

Did you know Netflix started it's subscription-based service in 1999? Impossible right??? These days, it seems like most people didn't get an account until the last few years, or they just bum off of a friend (or parent). But today, when people say they have a Netflix account, they usually are referring to their streaming account. Nobody gets Netflix on DVD anymore.

My family first got a Netflix account when me and my sister were in elementary school. As a kid, it was the coolest thing ever. Most of our friends had never even heard of Netflix. At the time, we would get three DVD's sent to our house at a time. This was before BluRay was the more popular choice, and streaming was pretty far out of the picture. My parents managed the account, of course. My mom would add some movies intended just for her and my dad, a few movies for the whole family, and then movies for me and my sister. She tried to keep it balanced so there was always something for everyone to watch. Most of the movies I remember watching in the beginning were classic Disney movies that my parents grew up with, old cartoons, and every Don Knotts film imaginable.

Somewhere down the road in junior high, I discovered the Netflix password, and nothing stayed the same after that. I completely took over the account. There were so many movies I wanted to see!! I would add all of the movies from my favorite actors and actresses. I would rate movies to get suggestions. I would spend hours, yes hours, leafing through the endless collection of potential movies to consume. Pretty quickly, the DVD's coming to the house became all of my picks, and very few for anyone else. Luckily, the streaming service was introduced shortly after.

Once the streaming service found its way into our household, it didn't matter who controlled the Netflix account. The world was my oyster. I could watch whatever I wanted (that was available of course) whenever I wanted. I all but forgot about the DVD side of things. My senior year of high school, a majority of my free time was spent in my room watching Charmed or Cheers, because I finally got my own TV. Then, I went to college and continued to use my parents account for all of my streaming pleasure, and the DVD side of Netflix was completely dead to me.

When I moved to college, my sister sat down and looked at our DVD queue. It had close to 400 movies sitting in it. At this point, we only got one DVD at a time, and we didn't watch it nearly as quickly as we used to. I usually added more to the queue than I would watch. So, my sister deleted most of the movies waiting in the queue and now, they keep it at a modest 50 or so movies. 

It wasn't until recently that I realized how much I missed getting DVD's in the mail. I love the streaming services, but honestly, I mostly use it to watch TV shows. I'll watch a movie every now and then, but not nearly as often as I would when they were sent to us. So I sat down, thought about it, and realized, getting my own Netflix account would be a really good investment.

Here's how I see it. I try to go to the movies at least once a week, if I have time/money. Movies in College Station, with a student discount, are $4.50. A Netflix Account (DVD services only) is $7.99/month. That's like going to the movie theater twice! I will get to see way more movies for less money with a DVD account. So I did it. I got my own account. I'm still using my parents for the streaming services, but I get one DVD sent to my house at a time and I love it.

The day I signed up, I spent 6 hours, yes 6, adding movies to my queue. But not just any movies... Only movies from The Book. Remember that 'ole thing? The elusive 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book. I sat there and added every movie Netflix had to my account. Until I hit a speed bump. I found out you can only have 500 movies in your DVD queue at a time... So for now, I'm off to a great start. 

So, in conclusion, I love Netflix and it is going to be a wonderful aide in my quest to watch all 1001 movies. I'm nearing the 100th movie, and there will be a big celebration when it happens. Also, be ready for more frequent posts, now that I'm practically forcing myself to watch more movies from the book. Right now, the plan is not to use my Netflix account for any movies that are not in the book, until I've watched all the ones Netflix has to offer. This may take a while, but I WILL CONQUER THIS QUEST.

Thank you for reading all the way down to this point after my long rant about how much I love Netflix. (Maybe they will give me a free month of something for raving about them??? Doubt it)

Until the next movie!

Four Calling Birds

Well today was my first official day of winter break, and I only managed to watch one Christmas movie. But that is ok because one movie is better than one, wouldn't you say so?

Today's movie was Golden Winter. I did not have high hopes for this movie after the first five minutes. It is a live action film about a group of puppies that are abandoned by their owners and are trying to find their mom again. With the help of a young boy, they search for their mom and save Christmas in the process. Very cute concept for the movie and I loved the story-line. I did not like the cheap animation to make it look like the dogs were talking. It was downright creepy. If you want to do a movie about talking animals, either make it a cartoon or figure out something better. Some moments were cringe-worthy cheesy, but others were just the right amount. Overall, I'm giving the film 3 stars, because although I enjoyed it, little small things like the animation and bad acting took away from the overall entertainment value. And, apparently Haylie Duff is one of the voices for the dog, but I couldn't tell you which one. 

If you need a good movie with talking dogs, I would suggest sticking to the Air Bud franchise.

Three French Hens

Man, oh man, I hate finals. Sorry I haven't been able to post the last few days, but finals have really gotten the best of me. That being said, I haven't had time to watch any Christmas movies, but I did go and see a regular movie this weekend!

Horrible Bosses 2

Be warned, this movie is rated R for a reason. Don't take your kids to see this one folks. The crew is back at it again. After dealing with their, ahem, horrible bosses (see what they did there) in the last film, Nick, Kurt, and Dale are trying their hand as the bosses this time. The trio has created a new product called The Shower Buddy. However, a big company is trying to steal their idea, so rather than murder someone, which they realized last time, won't work, they plan to kidnap Rex, the corporate bigwig's son, and hold him for ransom. Of course, nothing goes quite like the trio plans, which is cause for many laughs and mishaps. Some familiar characters return, like sex-addict Julia, crazy boss Harken, and "Mother-F***a" Jones. My only word of caution: this movie is possibly racier than the last movie, so be prepared. Like I said, rated R for a reason.

With all that being said, I highly enjoyed the movie, just as much, if not more than the first movie. I was laughing like mad, and also trying to figure out how the trio could get themselves out of every mess. If you liked the first, you'll love the second. It doesn't fall into the rut most sequels do. I'm giving it 4 1/2 stars.

Only one more final for me, and then NetfliXmas will resume!

Two Turtle Doves

Yikes, there are only 12 more days until Christmas!

Well, my original plan was to have twelve posts before Christmas, but, I haven't been able to watch any Christmas movies for the last week because of finals... However, I will still try and post something every day until Christmas to live up to my promise.

Fortunately for all of you, but not so much for me, my last post never actually published... So I have about a weeks worth of movies that I reviewed, which never got posted! I will rewrite all of them, even though I haven't seen anything new since then! And hopefully I can watch at least one movie a day until Christmas!

The Fitzgerald Family Christmas

The Fitzgerald's are the definition of a dysfunctional family. I don't think a family can be any more dysfunctional than this one. All of the siblings have to come together for the holidays to decide if they will allow their dead-beat dad to come home for Christmas. This doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of the problems this family has. If you are looking for a dark Christmas movie, this is the one for you. 

Bonus: Connie Britton plays the love interest.

Rating: 2 Stars

Babes in Toyland

I highly enjoyed this movie, but I also love the 60s musical genre. I wouldn't really classify it as a Christmas movie, but Disney sure does think it is. Two young lovers must fight an evil man who has turned them into toys to prevent them from getting married. The word Christmas isn't even mentioned until an hour into the movie, and it is only briefly as the toy maker stressed about "not meeting the Christmas deadline". Despite its lack of Christmas charm, Babes in Toyland is a good, entertaining, family-friendly movie.

Bonus: Early technicolor - bright colors and crazy sets.

Rating: 3 stars

Christmas with the Kranks

I actually saw this movie when it first came out, but it had been so long I forgot what happened. It's a clever movie, but it's not the greatest. Christmas with the Kranks is one of those movies that you watch maybe once or twice, but not something you would watch every year. Tim Allen and Jamie ale acurtis are two of my favorite actors, but this is not their best work. But, if you want a quick laugh and something new to watch, this will do in a fix.

Bonus: Tim Allen and JLC

Rating: 3 1/2 Stars

Small Town Santa

Don't watch this movie. There are so many better choices out there for you to watch, this is not one of them. A grumpy police officer tried to arrest Santa and has nothing on his mind but himself and falling in love. Santa knows this, but helps him anyways. Happy ending (SPOILER), he gets the girl, but he never really gets the true Christmas spirit.

Bonus: ummmmmm

Rating: 2 Stars

Holidaze

Go watch this movie right now. It's not a Christmas Classic by any means, but this is one of the best Christmas movies I have seen on Netflix to date. I cannot merely describe the movie to do it justice, but if you need a new movie to watch this Christmas, it should be this one.

Bonus: JENNIE GARTH ❤️

Rating: 4 Stars

Scrooged

This is by far the moste bizarre, the most insane, the most ridiculous version of A Christmas Carol I have ever seen. "Scrooge" is a TV producer who is producing a TV special based on... You guessed it, A Christmas Carol. I was not expecting this movie to be so weird, so I was a bit disappointed. I will admit, it was an interesting concept for an adaptation and I haven't quite seen anything like it.

Bonus: Bill Murray is Scrooge

Rating: 3 Stars

I Am Santa Claus

I will never look at a mall Santa the same way again. This documentary followed the lives of five different Santa Clauses, ranging from a gay Santa, a professional wrestler, a sex addict, and real bearded Santa, and a completely normal Santa. It was an interesting look at what Santas are like in real life.

Bonus: SANTAAAAAAA!

Rating: 3 Stars

Alpha and Omega: Howl-iday Adventure

This is nothing "howl-iday" about this adventure. Runt, a wolf, gets lost while exploring with his two siblings. The whole wolf family goes out in search of Runt, before it is too late. This is actually the second Alpha and Omega movie, but I have not seen the first. The movie ends with apthe family around a Christmas tree, so obviously that makes this a Christmas movie.

Bonus: Ashley Tisdale and Martin Freeman provide two of the voices.

Rating: 2 Stars

The Muppet Christmas Carol

I'm pretty sure I watched this movie sometime growing up, or the entir movie was a strong bit of déjà- vu. Either way, I've seen it in its entirety now. This is probably one of the most accurate adaptations of A Chrsitmas Carol I have seen, well, except that this one has puppets in it. Personally, I'm not a big fan of The a muppets, which I why this gets a less than stellar rating. I know I am in the minority here, because for some reason, people LOVE the muppets. Sorry, I'm just not a fan!

Bonus: Micahel Caine as Scrooge

Rating: 3 1/2 Stars

The Heart of Christmas

This movie was so good. I loved it. I hated it too. This movie is disguised as a happy-go-lucky Christmas movie, but is actually a sad, sappy cancer movie. Dax is a little boy who has cancer and probably won't live to see another Christmas, so his parents decide to have Christmas in October for him. Grab a box of tissues, you'll need them.

Bonus: Candace Cameron-Burre!

Rating: 4 Stars

That's all I have for now! Hopefully I'll be able to watch some more soon!

A Partridge in a Pear Tree

On the first day of NetfliXmas, my true love gave to me....

Way too many movies to watch!

I know that technically this is my second NetfliXmas post, but for the purpose of my clever song, this is officially the first day of NetfliXmas. Which means there are at least 11 more posts to come!

The Nightmare Before Christmas

I am ashamed to admit that I have never watched this movie until today. I'm pretty sure that I am one of the last people on earth to see this movie. Everyone has always highly recommended it, but it always just looked pretty creepy, and not like a Christmas movie at all. Now, for the great debate: is The Nightmare Before Christmas actually a Christmas movie? Or is it a Halloween movie? I'm not exactly sure where I stand on this debate quite yet, but I will agree that is has several elements of both holidays. Don't be like me and wait until a quarter of your life is over before watching this movie. Christmas or Halloween, it is a good, clever movie.

Bonus: Catherine O'Hara aka Mom from Home Alone, a Christmas Classic

Rating: 4 Stars

All I Want for Christmas (2007)

Yet another instance where I strongly recommend not judging a book by its cover. I actually really, really liked this movie. Don't be fooled, there are TWO "All I Want for Christmas" movies on Netflix. This is not the movie were Santa is hanging upside-down on the cover - I haven't watched that version yet. This movie is about a widowed mom and her son. The mom is about to lose her business and is trying to raise the money to keep the community center open. The son, on the other hand, enters a contest through a toy company to get his perfect Christmas gift, which is for his mom to find a husband. It has it's cheesy moments, but it's a super cute movie about a single mom's journey to finding love once more.

Bonus: The main character looks like Heather Locklear, but alas, she is not.

Rating: 4 Stars

12 Christmas Wishes for My Dog

Watch this movie. It literally has nothing to do with a dog. Don't ask me why the title has to do with a dog, because the 12 Christmas wishes are definitely NOT for her dog. In this movie, Laura leads a crazy, sad life, and wants to turn her life around. This is where the 12 wishes come in, except she uses them for all the wrong reasons. So Laura must turn her life around on her own, and possibly find love in the process. Corny, cute, and it has a lot of Christian undertones which is a HUGE added bonus in my opinion.

Bonus: Andrea from Beverly Hills 90210 and the ginger from Clueless (sorry I don't know her name off the top of my head, but I'm sure y'all know who I'm talking about). 

Rating: 4 Stars

Chrismtas on Salvation Street

Meh, I really wasn't a big fan of this one. Honestly, I found it really hard to pay attention. The general grasp I got from what I did watch, however, is that a widowed preacher and his family move to a low-economy area that has problems with gang violence. The preacher tries to help the community and members of the gang see what a true Christian, loving family is, while showing them the true meaning of Christmas and God's eternal love. I love the overall message the movie sends, but the on-screen play of it was just slow and did a poor job of keeping the attention of the audience, aka me.

Bonus: Drawing a blank on this one, to be honest

Rating: 2 Stars

Christmas Bounty

This is a Christmas movie in the same regards that Die Hard is; the movie is set during the week prior to Christmas, but aside from the setting, it has absolutely no connections to Christmas. This, however, does not mean I didn't enjoy the movie. I just wanted to put that up front. Christmas Bounty is about a teacher who goes home for the holidays and tries to hide her family business and true self from her boyfriend. Tory Bell and her family are bounty hunters. A man who Tory had put behind bars has escaped from prison, and she must once again catch him and some of his fellow cronies. Also, get ready for a not so surprise ending.

Bonus: ABC Family movies are daaaa bessssssst.

Rating: 3 1/2 Stars

One Magic Christmas

Disney can do no wrong, right? Wrong. Disney pulls a Disney and has to give you all the feels within the first ten minutes, making the family poor and killing the father. Now the widowed mother has no Christmas Spirit and her two kids must help her find it, with the help of a Christmas Angel, Giddeon, in order to save Christmas and the family. The overall, general concept is good, but Disney has to play with our heart strings and force us on an emotional roller coaster.

Bonus: It didn't make me cry, just squeezed my heart to a pulp.

Rating: 2 1/2 Stars

Snow Day

Oops, this is definitely not a Christmas movie. However.... I would go so far to consider it a winter movie. During a snow day, a brother and a sister embark on two different quests. The brother journeys to capture the heart of his school crush, while the sister tries to sabotage the snow plow so the school will have two snow days in a row for the first time ever. Even though it wasn't a Christmas movie persay... I really enjoyed it!

Bonus: It's a Nickelodeon movie from the 90's. 

Rating: 4 Stars