🍿 Wonka (2023) - ★★★☆☆
It’s fun. Very light hearted and kind of what I needed to see as we move through the holiday season.
I did like a couple of the songs, but I don’t feel that I’m going to remember watching this a year from now.
Description from The Movie Database
Willy Wonka – chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time – is proof that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you’re lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka, anything is possible.
🍿 Blow (2001) - ★★★☆☆
My wife really wanted to see this movie together. I think it’s a pretty solid tale. Well acted and showing that there are more ways of losing in life by dealing drugs. Usually, the people shown in these movies are killed off gruesomely or left strung out and destitute.
Also, it’s good to show that anybody could be a drug dealer. I think it’s a real precursor to the issue that we’re seeing with prescription meds.
But back to the film, I liked it but I don’t feel strong enough about it to give it more that 3 stars.
Don’t tell my wife.
Description from The Movie Database
A boy named George Jung grows up in a struggling family in the 1950’s. His mother nags at her husband as he is trying to make a living for the family. It is finally revealed that George’s father cannot make a living and the family goes bankrupt. George does not want the same thing to happen to him, and his friend Tuna, in the 1960’s, suggests that he deal marijuana. He is a big hit in California in the 1960’s, yet he goes to jail, where he finds out about the wonders of cocaine. As a result, when released, he gets rich by bringing cocaine to America. However, he soon pays the price.
Here is the trailer for the movie on YouTube.
🍿 Single All the Way (2021) - ★★★★☆
I liked this one. There were no “bad guys” except for the march of capitalism. Seriously, who ask people to come up with a whole new project Christmas Day?
As always, you know how things are going to go when it comes to the “will they/won’t they” portion of the romance. The execution is good and there were a lot of little giggles along the way.
Still, I will say that there was a section in the middle where I looked at my phone.
Description from The Movie Database
Desperate to avoid his family’s judgment about his perpetual single status, Peter convinces his best friend Nick to join him for the holidays and pretend that they’re now in a relationship. But when Peter’s mother sets him up on a blind date with her handsome trainer James, the plan goes awry.
Here is the link to the trailer create by Netflix.
🍿 The One I Love (2014) - ★★★★☆
This movie is a little statement about being the best version of yourself in your marriage. Take a moment and think about it. What are some of the things that you bring to the relationship? What separates you from all the other people they could be with?
This movie has really been trending on Hulu recently for good reason.
Description from The Movie Database
On the brink of separation, Ethan and Sophie escape to a beautiful vacation house for a weekend getaway in an attempt to save their marriage. What begins as a romantic and fun retreat soon becomes surreal, when an unexpected discovery forces the two to examine themselves, their relationship, and their future.
Here is the trailer on YouTube
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🍿 Serendipity (2001) - ★★☆☆☆
My wife recommended this one after we saw Something from Tiffany’s. I thought it was ok but she did not like it and said that she remembered it being a lot different when she saw it when it came out in 2001. My problem with the movie is that our protagonists were in relationships when they met up, broke up with their significant others, and then are in NEW relationships when they decide to get back together.
Not cool.
Still, I really enjoyed spending time with my wife, so thank you film for giving me that opportunity.
Description from The Movie Database
Although strangers Sara and Jonathan are both already in relationships, they realize they have genuine chemistry after a chance encounter – but part company soon after. Years later, they each yearn to reunite, despite being destined for the altar. But to give true love a chance, they have to find one another again.
Here is a link to the Serendipity trailer on YouTube.
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🍿 Something from Tiffany’s (2022) - ★★★☆☆
Rachel and Gary are happy enough but not quite ready for that big commitment. Ethan and Vanessa, the perfect picture, are just about to make it official. When a simple mix-up of gifts causes all of their paths to cross, it sets off a series of twists and unexpected discoveries that lead them where they’re truly meant to be.
A pretty solid romcom. I enjoyed watching this with my wife. Sometimes we don’t get a chance to watch a lot of films so this one was something that we both picked. What was interesting was my wife thought I didn’t like romcom, but I do. It reminds me that there’s always room for romance and the way that I think of romance is not the only correct way of doing it.
I really recommend this for someone who wants something a little lite and a little fun. I enjoy the fact that the people inside the movie weren’t all bad. In some romcoms, you have these archetypes are just that way so the audience doesn’t like them. They do things that are really really dishonest or social unacceptable and don’t feel bad when they aren’t part of the happy ending. In this film, the side characters had their faults but they weren’t bad people; they just made some bad decisions or they just grew apart from the leads.
If you are interested, here is the trailer for Something From Tiffany’s
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Description from Movie Database
While working underground to fix a water main, Brooklyn plumbers–and brothers–Mario and Luigi are transported down a mysterious pipe and wander into a magical new world. But when the brothers are separated, Mario embarks on an epic quest to find Luigi.
I fell asleep briefly somewhere between the moment where Mario goes on a mission with Princess Peach and the negotiation between Cranky Kong and the Princess. I’m not going back.
I think that’s kind of the whole vibe of the movie.
Things happen in a scene and then we go on to the next scene. A lot like the game.
Sure, I will tell people that I liked it but I don’t think I’ll ever watch this again.
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What are we doing here? Honestly, what are we doing with this “drumless” edition of Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories? What possible lessons can we learn from 2023’s second re-edition of Daft Punk’s third-best album, in which every sonic detail is the same, other than the absence of drums?
The first thing that I did with this album was listing to Giorgio by Moroder
and couldn't get into it because it just seemed off.
I took a step back and decided to listen to the entire album from the beginning with the view point that this is supposed to be different.
I’m listening to it again as I write this and I think it falls some where between a cover version and an acoustic mix. I think the article that I linked to does a better job of explaining it.
For me, the cognitive dissonance sometimes gets me out of the grove. The album moves from something that I would look at to pull songs from for a dance party to an album that I would look at for a speakeasy; a party where people are expected to talk over it.
That’s not to say it’s a bad thing. It’s definitely a different take on a record that I listened to on a regular basis.
A frequent type of post that I write is a small little review of different forms of media. Usually a movie, but I’ve been adding more tv recently. To quickly differentiate them, I’d put Media Review
in the title in the hopes that whoever it helps the reader.
There is a small problem in that I’m populating my blog using letterboxd and it goes directly to the blog. I then have to rename the post, add the alt text to the movie poster, and add the Media Review category.
I’m going to be changing this process going forward.
I’ll continue to mark the post in the category for Media Review but leave it from the post name. In this way, I won’t have to worry about dead links related to post titles changing.
Please let me know if you’ve read any of the reviews. All my writing is for me first, but I do love feedback sometimes.
Link: 📺 The Curse (2023)
Overview
An alleged curse disturbs the relationship of a newly married couple as they try to conceive a child while co-starring on their problematic new HGTV show.
One word: Awkward.
I only saw the pilot and it was one of the most awkward things I’ve ever seen on tv. It’s supposed to be that way… I think. 126% not for kids. I don’t know if I’ll come back to see the other episodes because I don’t have Show Time, but it was intriguing enough that I did listen to a podcast about the second episode in order to find out what happens to the “cherry tomato boys”.
Here is a link to the official trailer for The Curse