Movie Mondays

Movie Monday is here. I spent most of the month outside or working on my blog and not watching movies or documentaries- I’m not complaining about that. LOL! The weather in July was absolutely amazing and I couldn't resist being outside. I did squeeze in TWO shows/movies in July and I was not disappointed with what I picked. 

Greek Seasons 2,3 and 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I really liked how they tied this series up. I forgot how funny and relatable this series was. It was interesting to see them add in bits and pieces of pop culture to the show that were relevant during 2007-2011ish. The music was great and its been over ten years since it has premiered and some of the things in it are a little dated like early 2000's fashion trends and flip phones. Overall I really enjoyed this and I was actually sad to see this end. I would love for them to do a followup mini series of all the characters 10 years later. 

The Fault in the Stars⭐⭐⭐⭐

Oh my! What a wonderful movie. I laughed and cried and felt for the characters. I read the book back in 2015 and I remember feeling so connected to the characters. From what I remember the movie story line stayed pretty close to the book story line. I was a ball of mush after watching and reading this. 

Other than those two, I watched random episodes of Below Deck on Bravo, along with random episodes of American Dad, The Office, Family Guy, Big Bang Theory and 90 day fiancee. I love to put one of these shows on and use it for background noise. I've been really into 90 day fiancee with my mom lately- I am so curious why people take such a big risk for love. The crazy story lines and the unique people make it a great show to zone out too. 

BIG NEWS!

I started a book(!!!) last week and I  just finished  it and this is the first book I've read since the end of March. This will be book #11 for me. I will tell you all the details next month in the Media Monday post. 

What have you been reading and watching lately?

[[Some infinities are bigger than other infinities.- John Green]]

-gabrielle

Movie Monday

Hello! We are here again for another Movie Monday. I watched all these in June. Let's just say reading was not even on my radar in June. I truly enjoyed watching these movies. I was feeling bored on my lunch one day and I decided to start a movie. I found that over 2 days I was able to complete a movie; this made my lunch breaks more enjoyable for the time being.

On to the movies:

Survivor Caramoan ⭐⭐⭐
This was my end of my Survivor binge watching. A New Jersey native, Eddie, was on this season and I watched it strictly for that. A cast member from the previous season I watched was also on it, Brenda. It was interesting but I think my dream of watching more Survivor will be snuffed out.

Just Mercy ⭐⭐⭐⭐
When this movie came out in the theaters back in January, I was so intrigued by it. I never got a chance to see it in theaters so when I found it, I knew I had to watch it. This movie was so powerful, moving and emotional. I wanted to read the book to see how it compares to the movie.

The King of Staten Island ⭐⭐⭐.5
My parents and I watched this on Father's Day and we all really loved this. I am a fan of Pete Davidson because he has Crohn's Disease too and he does not shy away from telling people about it- mostly in a funny ways. This movie was semi-autobiographical and hilarious. For mature audiences only. 

The Circle ⭐⭐⭐
I read this book back in 2017 and I remember thinking how interesting this concept was of having your whole life online and having everything connected. Its a little scary now to think about and I feel like big brother would be truly watching you every move. I feel that is the way social media is now moving into- wearable devices that track everything under the sun. It was good movie overall. Tom Hanks plays a really creepy character.

Wish Upon a Star ⭐⭐.5
I loved this movie when I first saw it on the Disney Channel and now 24 years after its debut, I still love it. I did not realize how old this movie really is and I don't think it shows its age, that much. It's a corny and full of 90s fashion but its a great movie to zone out to.

Stick it ⭐⭐.5
Another cheesy teen movie that for what it is, its pretty solid. The gymnastic routines and flips and twists were clearly done by professionals but the visual aspects that they created were my favorite part. This is a good movie to semi-watch, semi-stare at your phone.

Takers ⭐⭐⭐
This was on my watchlist for a while and I decided to start it during my lunch last week. Besides it being a little dated, overall it was your run of the mill action movie. TI, Chris Brown and Paul Walker were among the stars in the movie. I giggled when I realized they all had flip phones. HA!

I also finished a season of a TV show too!

Season 1 of Greek. This show came out back in 2006ish on ABCFamily. I loved watching this. They made 4 season of this show but I think I actually only watched the first season when it was on TV. I loved re-watching this and catching celebrities' that had a small role. They also had hidden a lot of pop culture jokes in the show that now re-watching, I totally get them. I am already on season 2 and I cannot wait to see what happens.

What have you been watching recently?

[[Be silly. Be honest. Be KIND]]

-gabrielle

Movie Monday

Happy June! I am so excited for a new month with new possibilities ahead. In May I didn't read any books again. I gave myself grace to do what I can and this month, movies were the easier for me to consume. I really liked all the movies that I  watched this month.

12 Strong ⭐⭐⭐⭐- this was such a great movie and it made it even better because it was a true story. I couldn't believe what these soldiers went through and how they accomplished what they set out to do. This kept me engaged the whole time. Such a great story and crazy that it was a 'secret' mission so when the finally came back, they didn't get any recognition until now.

The Fittest-⭐⭐⭐.5  I love watching cross fit documentaries. (there I said it,  I am such a weirdo that doesn't even participate in CrossFit but I have so much respect for these athletes) Each year they put out the documentary for the CrossFit games I get so excited. The format of the CrossFit games was completely new in 2019 and all the normal top of the class athletes were thrown off by this. It was interesting to see how the got to the fittest. The amount of training and dedication that these athletes put into this sport is ridiculous and amazing to see.

Troop Beverly Hills-⭐⭐⭐ This was one of my favorite movies growing up. I wanted to be in Troop Beverly Hills so bad as a kid! A fun and light hearted movie that is a trip down memory lane with all the 80s fashion and lingo. I still love it for all of the cheesiness after all of this time.

Center Stage- ⭐⭐.5 This movie turned 20 a few weeks ago so I had to re-watch it. I love it even more after learning they used real dancers in this movie. Now it makes sense why it looked so real and so good.

Eighth Grade-⭐⭐⭐ This faux documentary reminded me so much of how I was in eighth grade- awkward and self conscious. I thought it was really well put together and showed how hard eighth grade really is and how communication is through technology and these kids don't know a world without technology.

and for my weirdest TV obsession during quarantine:

Survivor- Season 21-⭐⭐⭐. I never have watched Survivor before and I watched it because I learned one of my favorite country musician, Chase Rice, was a contestant on it back in 2011. This was super entertaining and I found myself watching just one more episode and really rooting for the contestants. If you're wondering, Chase Rice finished 2nd this season.

There it is, my random assortment of Movies and TV shows that I watched in May. I am currently watching Survivor Season 26. I have about 5 episodes left in this season. I plan on watching another season after this one. I'm hooked on this show.

[[Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.- Ferris Bueller]]

-gabrielle

Popcorn, Monsters and Ticket Stubs

There is no secret that I do not like scary things and with Halloween being last month, I had an itch to see something sorta scary. I like kids scary movies that are cute but also a little scary. Eric and I went to see some not so scary movies- Hotel Transylvania 2 and Goosebumps. We thought it would be fun to review the movies from our own perspectives.

Hotel Transylvania 2

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Gabrielle's Review//
I saw the first Hotel Transylvania a few years ago and I fell in love with the cast of monsters and the story behind it. I had high hopes for the sequel and it did not disappoint. The lovable cast of monsters and humans alike were invited back to the Hotel to celebrate Dennis' birthday. The "Drac pack" is back for a new adventure to try to teach Dennis how to be a monster. The zany antics kept me laughing the whole time. You can't help but love this movie

Kids, Adults and everyone in between will love this movie- its action, comedy and even a little love story. The hilarious voice actors- Adam Sandler, Andy Samburg, Kevin James and Selena Gomez- make this film. Adam Sandler's character Dracula actually looks like him!! I'm curious to see if they will make another one!

Eric's Review//
      Having never seen Hotel Transylvania 1, I didn’t really know what to expect when it came to the sequel. Don’t worry, you don’t necessarily need to see the first one to enjoy to second. Knowing it was a children’s movie had me skeptical (I’m a 31 year old man) but the animation and the constant barrage of jokes kept me entertained from the opening credits.

        Hotel Transylvania is a hotel run by a lovable staff of monsters. Starring comedy heavy weights like Adam Sandler and David Spade its no wonder this movie had no slow spots. It moved from one hysterical and heart warming scene to the next. Ultimately, what made the movie so appealing to me was the story line. It displayed the timeless bond between family members. It doesn’t matter if you’re 10 years old going on 30 or 30 years old going on 10, Hotel Transylvania is a hit from beginning to end. I just hope they have a room for me at the hotel.

Overall review//
 We both really liked it and it was a perfect film for October and Halloween.

Goosebumps

 

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Gabrielle's Review//

As a kid, I grew up reading Goosebumps books, watching the scary movies and tv shows. I was super excited when I heard there was going to be a movie! I didn't know what to expect with this movie, I was just hoping all the favorite characters would be in it- Slappy the dummy, the abominable snowman, Fifi the vampire poodle, the lawn gnomes. The movie itself was cute, very appropriate to watch on Halloween. The story line was a bit far fetched for this 27 year old but as R. L. Stine said, every story has three parts- a beginning, a middle and the twist. I didn't see the TWIST coming but it ending being a fun easy going film.

I think younger kids would like this more than the generation that actually read the R.L. Stine books. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it. The jury's out on this one. 

Eric's Review//

  I’m not going to sugar coat this one. Jack Black, definitely did this movie for the pay check. The movies run time was only about an hour and a half but it felt like an eternity. Jack Black, who plays Goosebumps author R.L. Stein,  is the only bright spot in an otherwise morbid, black hole of poorly shot scenes and under enthusiastically delivered lines.

        I may not be the best reviewer for this because I’d never read any of the Goosebumps books but I could only imagine a hardcore fan would have been outraged. Goosebumps—a book that should have stayed on the shelf

Overall Review//

We should have waited to see this on Netflix.

As you can see, Eric and I had different opinions about Goosebumps but each time at the movies we had a great time! We also cannot wait for The Good Dinosaur, Sisters and Star Wars.

 

Have you seen any good movies lately? Are you excited for any movies coming up?

5 years ago...

I was dating this boy and he had me totally smitten. He held doors open for me, picked me up at my house (in this white car), always paid (even when I offered to pay), watched Disney movies and silly cartoon with me...you can see where I'm going- he was the perfect guy in a Taylor Swift song. When we came home for thanksgiving- we lived in the same town we went to see happy feet. It was a sweet movie but since we decided to go to a late showing, we assumed (you know what happens when you assume) it would be empty. Well we were SOOO wrong An eight year old little girl decided to have a birthday party at the movies and decided to stay up late and watch yup you guessed it- happy feet. It was precious and we laughed about it afterwards. It was a perfect date.
Unfortunatly it didn't work out and years went by and he admitted to me that he had made a mistake hurting me and it has eaten away at him for the past four years. Sweet right?! Well , not really because he graduated and moved outta state. Sounds like another Taylor Swift song right?
We still keep in contact, wishing each other happy birthday but that's it.

SO the whole point of this post was that Happy Feet 2 came out or is coming out this weekend and I got a fit of giggles when I realized that
1. It's been 5 years since we dated
2. Happy feet 2 is out
3. How much I want to call him and see if he wants to go see happy feet 2 this weekend for old times sake.

I will not be doing #3 but it would be nice.

God I feel old. 5 years is a long time.

A whole new world for you and me.
-Elle