Thursday Flix with @meganslayer ~ Shrill #TV #hulu #originals

I realize this isn’t a movie and is a tv show. I know that. I also know that it felt like a movie played in bits – as in the chunks of episodes I watched since I couldn’t binge all at once. Shrill is its own animal. I don’t say that in a mean or nasty way. I mean it’s original. Annie is a big girl trying to shed all of the rotten big girl wrinkles in the carpet. Big is also in the eye of the beholder – one woman might see a size 2 woman as big where as someone who is size 20 might not think they’re big – but all women have to deal with the wrinkles in the carpet. We never feel good enough, we jump to conclusions that make us believe we’re unworthy, we try to be more no matter what. That’s what I liked about this show. Annie is trying. She can be a bully and take no prisoners one minute, then capitulate to her dirt bag boyfriend at other times. I liked how she grew through the story. I wish the ending hadn’t felt so…clunky and abrupt, but that’s life. Check it out.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8962130/

A woman seeks out ways to change her life without changing her body.

Thursday Flicks with @meganslayer ~ Love Potion, No. 9 #movie #review #moviereview

The swan aspect of this story is cute. Sandra Bullock’s character is the ultimate swan. Once she gets the right clothes and a little help with makeup, she’s a knockout. But she’s fallible. She gets a little too high on the attention. Then she ends up being romanced by the ex who is a total sleeze. I’ll admit it. The best part of this movie was Tate Donovan and his clueless, hapless, but means well character. I wasn’t a fan of Sandra Bullock’s character in that she started out being relatable (who hasn’t wanted to look better or wanted a little help when it comes to being savvy in public?), but she lets it go to her head a bit fast. I liked the romance aspect the best when she and Donovan are together. It’s a cute movie and should be watched at least once.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102343

Two scientists who are hopeless with the opposite sex experiment with a substance that makes them irresistible to anyone who hears them speak.

Thursday Flicks with @meganslayer ~ Someone Like You #Movie #Review #meganslayer

I have to start with this movie is cute, but it’s not super memorable. Thankfully, Hugh Jackman saves the film. Honestly, I didn’t like Ashley Judd’s character very much. She got so into her own head about men and what was wrong with her that it got annoying, BUT it’s relatable. She wants to find love and thinks she does, then realizes she’s been used. It happens. It’s so normal. But some of the ways she handles things is aggravating. There is a very 2000s feel to the movie. Her hairstyle is the obligatory cute girl cut of the era. But it worked. I liked the movie. It is cute. Greg Kinnear is good as the jerk and I liked the reformed jerk in Hugh Jackman. Check it out.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0244970/

After being jilted by her boyfriend, a talk show talent scout writes a column on the relationship habits of men which gains her national fame.

What I’m Watching Saturdays with @meganslayer – Moonwalk One

I do love my NASA shows and when I stumbled on this one, I had to watch it. I knew it was an old movie. Old, meaning, it wasn’t made on the current anniversary. It’s from 1970, s the music is a little strange, the format is a tad grainy in spots and it seems like something from that era, but it’s still interesting. It shows what other parts of the world were doing when the US went to the moon. The world went on. If you’re looking for a nostalgic look at Apollo 11, then this might be the one for you.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0449073/

This documentary from 1970 explores all aspects of the Apollo 11 Moon mission.

What I’m Watching Saturdays with @meganslayer ~ Brother to Brother

This week I nabbed a copy of Brother to Brother. I saw Anthony Mackie was in it and that’s what drew me in. I liked him as Falcon, and why not try this one, too? It was a good movie and taught me a few things about the Harlem Renaissance. I liked how the character of Perry was handled. it showed him as a real person, not a stereotype. My favorite character had to be Bruce. The man went through a lot and came out on the other side. I like how he taught Perry to be true to himself while being cognizant of the world around him. Good viewing.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0306597/

A drama that looks back on the Harlem Renaissance from the perspective of an elderly, black writer who meets a gay teenager in a New York homeless shelter.

Christmas Time with @MeganSlayer ~ the 20th Day of Christmas ~ #christmas #movies #whitechristmas

This time of year I like to watch holiday movies. Well, I like to watch them in July, too, but that’s another blog post. I love to watch holiday flicks, but there are a few I haven’t seen. There are lot I have and some I wish I hadn’t, but that happens. You have to watch them to know if they’re any good.

So this time around I decided to watch White Christmas. I’d seen some of the movie, but not all of it. The funny part is, when I saw the chunk, it made no sense.. . Trust me. It’s worth watching and worth seeing the whole movie. This isn’t one you can come into halfway through and know what’s going on.

I enjoyed it. The song and dance numbers are great and lively. The movie was the reason the song White Christmas became so popular and I can see why. Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby shine. Rosemary Clooney is awesome, too.

If you’re in the mood for a holiday movie and want something light, but fun, then this might be the one for you!

Movie Review ~ Citizen Kane ~ #movie #review @MeganSlayer

 I decided long ago to start watching the classic movies . Why not? They are supposed to be great films. Why not watch them. So, the first one in this series of Classic Films is Citizen Kane.  I’d never seen this film. I know, that seems crazy. Everyone quotes the famous line, “Rosebud.” It’s all over pop culture. So, I needed to see it.

I have to start by saying I was a tad confused by the film at the first. It sure seemed like two films in one. But once I really paid attention and  drank in the lustrous situation, I really liked the film. Orson Welles has the grandeur of William Randolph Hurst nailed. The overwhelming home and property, the need for things, the need for beautiful women… having to have THE paper to end all papers. Yeah, the guy was a jerk–well, Kane was.

There is a lot of information in the film. Many places where one can’t be a casual observer. You have to pay attention. If you don’t have a lot of time or have to be doing something else while watching, then save this movie for later.

If you’re willing to give the time and patience to watching this movie, then Citizen Kane might be one for you. There is a lot going on, but it’s worth the viewing.

Movie Review ~ Week-End in Havana ~ @meganslayer #movie #review #BWmovie

I’m a sucker for a John Payne movie. Don’t place the name? You might remember him as the lawyer from Miracle on 34th Street.  But this isn’t that movie. Put some dark-rimmed glasses on him and he’s swoon-worthy.

Like I said, though, this review isn’t about that movie. This one is about Week-End in Havana. It’s a fun, yet romantic picture featuring Mr. Payne, Alice Faye, Cesar Romero and Carmen Miranda. Faye heads to Havana and her ship runs aground. Unfortunately, Payne, who works for the shipping company, is sent to Havana to obtain waivers from the passengers so they can have another trip another time. Faye wants hers now. No waiver. Payne feigns interest in her and escorts her around the island. Romero, thinking she’s got money, tries to get involved and win money to help his career as a gambler and the one of his singing star wife, played by Miranda.

The antics are amusing…watching Romero try to run from the fiery Miranda, Payne trying not to fall for Faye and the girlfriend who isn’t sure everything is on the level, even though it is. The girlfriend who tries to interfere. Gotta have one of those characters. It’s a light movie and just plain fun.

If you’re looking for an afternoon viewing on a chilly day, then this one might be the one for you. The scenery is lush, the gowns exquisite and the singing numbers are fun. Find it and watch this flick today.

Movie Review ~ Goodbye, Mr. Chips ~ @meganslayer #movie #review #BWmovie

Depressing, but worth the watch. I’d never seen Goodbye Mr. Chips. I kept thinking, this is an award-winning movie. I should catch it. Did I? Not until the other day. I wish I hadn’t waited.

This movie ticked a lot of boxes for me. There’s adventure, a bumbling, but lovable hero, romance, and a few tears. Mr. Chipping, aka Mr. Chips just wants to teach at an all boys school. How he goes through is life and his trials is interesting. By the end of the movie, I felt like I knew the character well.

I rooted for him. Hoped he’d get what he wanted, then cried more than once at the end. Greer Garson plays a good foil for him in his love interest. I almost wished she were on the screen longer. Their interplay was great.

I wish it hadn’t been quite such a depressing film. Gracious. What that poor man went through during his time as a teacher and master. I felt for him, though, which was the point. I wanted to see him succeed. It’s a long movie for the time, but worth the watch. If  you’re in the mood for a movie that will tug at the heartstrings, then this might be the one.

Movie Review ~ Now, Voyager @MeganSlayer #movies #review #thoughts

I’ve been on a black and white movie binge for a while and the first one I watched happened to be Now, Voyager. I’ve wanted to catch this one for a while. I’m not sure why I hadn’t watched it before. I love a good Bette Davis movie and this one wasn’t bad.

I loved how Davis, as Charlotte, bloomed through the story. The way she grew and changed was great. Then there’s the romance that can’t be between Davis and Paul Henreid. I liked him in Casablanca, but here, Henreid shines. He’s a tortured man and trying to find happiness. Some of the reasons for his unhappiness are of his own making, but I could overlook it.

A few things I couldn’t overlook were how dated this movie truly was. Unfortunately, I initially watched it through the lens of current times. Just because Charlotte is brow-beaten doesn’t mean she should have to go to a sanitarium, but she does. She doesn’t get along with her mother–but who could! Mother was as coarse as they come. It’s no wonder Charlotte felt belittled. Then there was the scene with Tina. There’s no way someone who wasn’t the child’s biological relative would be able to not only take her out of the sanitarium for a camping trip without supervision, but to keep her out on said trip. No way they’d allow the pair, a motherly woman and a young teen to pair up the way they did or to allow the teen to move in with the woman. Without the parent’s approval? Oy. It bothered me. And how the father just went with it.

I liked the movie, but I had some serious issues with the emotional affair and the child situation.

Looked at through a more innocent lens, this movie is brilliant acting on the part of Davis. She shined in her role and the way she came out of her shell was great. Henreid played a handsome hero figure and the romance satisfied, despite it being doomed.

If you’re in the mood for a movie with an ending you won’t see coming, then this might be the one for you.