New Girl.

Fox has given us many goodies over the years.  From The Simpsons to American Idol to Bones Fox proves itself over and over that they sure know how to make a fantastic television program.  Have there been plenty of loser shows?  Absolutely!  But let's forget about those and focus on one particular sitcom that makes me laugh out loud: New Girl.

I LOVE THIS SHOW.  I started watching it with my sister because we both adore Zooey Deschanel. You may recognize her name, as Zooey has been in show business for many years.  First, she is one half of She & Him, an indie duo with M.Ward. If you have not listened to their music than I suggest you go do that.  It's a soft, bubbly mixture of originals and covers.  They have five full albums and each one is perfectly amazing in it's own way.

The first time I recognized Zooey as an actress was in the 2003 movie Elf, starring Will Ferrell.  She plays Jovie, the blonde haired love interested of Buddy.  Zooey is highly recognized for her signature long dark hair and heavy bangs so it is a bit shocking to see her with short blond hair.  Zooey also has a famous sister, Emily Deschanel who stars in the hit Fox series Bones.

Zooey brings the right amount of quirk to play the main character Jess Day in New Girl.  The story begins with Jess going through a break-up and finding a loft apartment with three single men.  They do not always understand all the crazy things Jess gets into but they all form a lasting bond.

Honorable mention goes out to Damon Wayans, Jr who plays Coach.  Coach is seen in the first episode of the series and then was replaced by Winston, played by Lamorne Morris.  Luckily, Coach moves back in later in the series to make the loft rather crowded for a season.  Damon brings this unique character to life with loud, physical comedy.  I was sad to see him go but it made sense for the character to leave. 

Winston is my favorite ever.  With the cat he stole from his ex-girlfriend to the "pranks" he plays on people, Winston makes me laugh the loudest.  You never know what to expect from him.  He's a good friend with a solid heart.  He might get you into a sticky situation at first but he will do everything in his power to fix it.  Everyone should have a friend like Winston in their lives.

Then we have Schmidt and Nick.  They just go together.  They've been friends since college and sometimes other charters question their sexuality.  However, they're just close friends and that is really awesome!  Schmidt is played by Max Greenfield and the part is so perfectly acted.  Max knows just how to play this character.  Schmidt is selfish, self-obsessed, and any other term that includes the word "self."  But he truly loves and cares deeply for those around him. (If you haven't seen Max in American Horror Story: Hotel than be prepared to see a VERY different side of this incredible actor!)

Which brings me to Nick Miller, played by Jake Johnson.  Jake is basically a comedian.  His roles are so often hilarious and he always shines.  In New Girl, he plays Nick who is a goofy and loyal friend.  He likes to DIY everything around the apartment, which is one of my favorite story lines of the show.  You can't flush the toilet and run the shower at the same time.  And you should really see his "rain water" shower head!

The last of the main characters is CeCe, played by Hannah Simone.  CeCe is Jess' best friend.  They have known each other since childhood and there are some hilarious flashbacks.  I have to give the casting department props for the casting of young Jess and CeCe because the girls (Lauren Dair Owens and Jaidan Jiron) really look like young versions of Zooey and Hannah.  CeCe has plenty of funny antics with Jess and eventually finds love with Schmidt of all people. I only say that because they are complete opposites but they bring out the best in each other and I'm glad the show took their relationship in that direction.

I highly suggest you check out New Girl!  The current season, which airs every Tuesday at 8/7c on Fox, does not feature Zooey because she was pregnant during the filming of that season and her character is on jury duty.  She was in the first few episodes but you can see that the wardrobe department tried concealing her pregnant belly.  If you need to catch up on everything New Girl than head over to Netflix where all the seasons are streaming right now!

Check out the video before for some of the funniest moments of the first season!

Better Call Saul.

It's showtime, folks!

In the spirit of spin-offs I bring you Better Call Saul.

I'm sure you have heard of a little award winning show called Breaking Bad.  If you haven't then I suggest getting Netflix for under your rock because you're going to want to binge watch this show from beginning to end.  Breaking Bad will need it's own post but for now let's focus on one character who was so liked by fans that he got his own television series: Saul Goodman.  Appearing in 43 of 62 episodes of Breaking Bad, Bob Odenkirk played a loveable lawyer who always manged to get himself into trouble.  Saul Goodman is a smart man with a fast mouth but he gets himself into sticky situations that make views both cringe and laugh.

Fans were devastated when Breaking Bad came to an end.  Five heart pumping seasons of Walter White doing the unimaginable just to pay his medical bills.  However, the phoenix rose from the ashes and AMC brought us Better Call Saul.

Vince Gillian  is a master of creation and brought fans a new show that allows us to truly connect with the characters.  I'm going out on a limb to state that this may be one of the best spin-offs ever created.  Better Call Saul is already Emmy nominated and it's easy to see why.  The camera work and editing is beautiful.  The casting is great with some characters crossing over from Breaking Bad, such as Tuco.  Bob Odenkirk is a talented actor and brings everything fans loved about Saul into an entirely new place.  This is a show that can stand on its own without even needing to be labeled as a spin-off.

Better Call Saul takes us deeper into who Jimmy McGill really is.  How did he get started?  How did he end up such an illegal mess? How did he become Saul Goodman?  I'm still finding the answers to these questions while I watch season one.  Check back soon for Better Call Saul: Part Two.

Season two will be starting up February 15, 2016 on AMC at 10/9c.  If you need to catch up than season one is streaming right now on Netflix, along with Breaking Bad.  I know what I'll be doing for the next couple of weeks!

Joey.

Spin-offs.  We dread them yet we cannot seem to tear our eyes away from the series premier.  With this post I bring you Joey, a spin-off of the beloved sitcom Friends.

Joey follows Joey Tribbiani on his move from New York City to Los Angeles to follow his acting career.  I am a big time fan of Friends.  I have watched the series through from beginning to end at least six times.  You can catch all of Friends streaming on Netflix right now, which makes it easier to binge watch.  Joey premiered in 2004, shortly after Friends ended.  I was still young but I vaguely remember watching the first episode and thinking it was terrible.  So I never watched it again.

The thing with spin-offs is that we all just want to keep watching our favorite show that we know and love.  We start watching these spin-off shows with a closed mind and eventually these shows get canceled after just half a season.  However, after some time has passed maybe we should be revisiting these shows.  I'm always putting Friends on when I'm home cleaning, cooking, or working on a project but enough time has passed that now I'm hungry for new material and Joey is one satisfying meal.

I am here to tell you that you should try re-watching all of those failed spin-offs!  Well, maybe not all of them.  Caleb and decided to watch Joey and I have to say we both really like it so far.  We sat down and watched four episodes in a row.  It's still our favorite Joey but he's in a new setting with new people.

The premise of the show has Joey moving to L.A. with his Sister, Gina Tribianni played by Drea de Matteo.  You might recognize Drea as Adriana in The Sopranos or more recently as Wendy in Sons of Anarchy.  Originally Joey's sister Gina was played by K.J. Steinberg in "The One Where Chandler Can't Remember."

Gina had a baby at age 16 and her son is now 20 years old in this series.  Michael Tribianni, played by Paulo Costanza, is a rocket scientist which is pretty funny considering what a dope Joey is.  You might recognize Paulo from his role as Evan in Royal Pains.

Replacing his quirky agent Estelle is Jennifer Coolidge as Bobbie.  I adore Jennifer Coolidge!  I love her in everything I've seen her in.  She even had a guest role on Friends as Monica and Phoebe's frenemy Amanda Buffamonteezi (Monica darling!  It's Amanda calling!).

An unfamiliar face to me is Andrea Anders, who plays Alex, the super at Joey's apartment complex.  She's no Mr. Treeger but she's still a great character.  She has a slew of recurring television roles you might want to check out!

One more character worth mentioning is Joey's potential best friend, Howard!  Howard is played by the hilarious Ben Falcone.  Ben is married to Melissa McCarthy and has appeared in many of her movies as well as his own.  New Girl, Bridesmaids, Tammy, and even Gilmore Girls are just a few of the great projects he's been a part of.

I am only about six episodes in but I could not wait to write about this one.  I will make another entry about Joey when I finish the series.  Luckily this particular spin-off managed to last for two whole seasons!

Check back in a few weeks for more on Joey!

Greek.

Here's a little something on an old favorite of mine: Greek.

Today, I decided I wanted to write about the college show Greek, which is streaming right now over at Netflix.  Greek originally aired on ABC Family in 2007 and ran for four seasons.  I watched it every week when it originally aired and remembered really liking it.  So, when I saw it recently on Netflix I decided to give it another shot.  I discovered that my memory is terrible and I remembered almost none of the plot and details that happened, so it was almost like watching it for the first time.  It was just as great as I thought!!!

The show is semi-immature, as far as television for a 23 year old goes.  However, it isn't a high school romp so at least that's something!  The show follows a Freshman named Rusty Cartwright who starts college at CRU, where his older cool sister, Casey goes. Over the course of the show you watch their sibling relationship grow as they mature and school comes to a close.

The show's focus is on fraternity's and sororities, which is not a topic I care about, but it puts a nice spin on them I think. It shows the party and hazing side, but also shows the brother/sisterhood/friendships and I think that's pretty darn cool.

The stars Jacob Zachar as Rusty and Spencer Grammer as Casey. Neither have had many roles, however Spencer is the daughter of Kelsey Grammer! You might recognize Clark Duke, though! He plays the dorky, God-loving best friend of Rusty, Dale. Clark Duke is in both Hot Tub Time Machine and Kick-Ass movies. Good for you, Clark! The rest of the cast is not well-known but I think they all do a great job and I just love this show, guys.

Basically all you need to know is that this a college drama/comedy (dramedy? I think that's a real thing but I'm not sure how to spell it...) about a group of misfits who all have a love/hate relationship but in the end find a way to become friends. I think there are many aspects of this show that are realistic and give a good view of college life. Plus, while it's likely more of a girls show, my husband did chuckle quite a few times while I binge watched Greek!

Just check it out, please! You might be disappointed or you might just love it! I think the show ran the perfect amount of time and it is good it ended when it did. In fact, I didn't even realize I was on the final episode until everyone started saying goodbye and I was tearing up.

Here's a little trailer, to show you what the show is like. Oh! Also the first season features a lot of music and performances by The Plain White T's! They even appeared in an episode as frat brothers. So if you like them, than that's a plus!

Scream.

HAPPY (almost) HALLOWEEN!  I completely forgot to write on Tuesday, it's been a crazy week, and I apologize.  So, without further adieu, I give you Scream.

Scream is a 1996 slasher directed by Wes Craven.  A lot of people really hate the Scream movies but I love them!  I think the original film is unique, interesting, surprising, and pretty scary at times.  The first time I saw it, I jumped a lot.  Now, after having seen numerous times, it's more funny because it's predictable.

The movie stars Neve Campbell as Sidney, a teenage girl haunted by the killer Ghostface one year after her mothers death.  The movie has a pretty awesome cast including Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, and a short lived appearance by Drew Barrymore.

The movie pays homage to teen flicks and horror movies, at times poking fun.  They openly discuss the "Rules" to horror movies; if they break rules then someone usually dies.  Ghostface, at times, seems invincible no matter how many times he gets hit over the head or thrown out of a window.  It's silly, of course, but that is how horror movies operate!  And Wes Craven just uses it to his advantage in Scream.

After Scream came the sequel, then another, then another, and then after ten years they decided to make Scream 4!  The absolute best thing about all the sequels is that the actors/characters stayed the same.  A lot of time passed between the first and fourth movies but the actors stuck with it and I think that is admirable.

According to Wiki, Wes Craven has signed on to do a Scream 5 and 6.  Now, the fourth wasn't very good so I'm not really looking forward to these movies.  With that said, I love that the franchise is still going!  There's something kind of sentimental about that.  There was also talk of an MTV show but that would be terrible and I hope that never happens.

So, Scream.  You've heard of it, you've probably seen it, so go watch it!  It's streaming right now on Netflix, tomorrow is Halloween, and this is a good film for the holiday.  Happy Halloween, everybody!!  Here's some scenes from the first movie, enjoy!

The Evil Dead & Evil Dead II.

"We're gonna get you, not another peep, time to go to sleep."

In honor of seeing Evil Dead The Musical on Saturday in Massachusetts, I decided to watch the first two Evil Dead movies.  The Musical was SO GREAT.  I highly recommend it for anyone who is a fan of the cult classic because it is hilarious, well-done, and very bloody.  We got to sit right in the front row, of a small venue, in the splatter zone.  I got pretty covered in fake blood, it was dripping down my face.  It was fantastic!

Evil Dead is awesome.  It is an over-the-top, disgusting gore-fest, heart-pounding horror cult classic movie!  And I love it.  The second one was a little confusing for me but I still liked it.  The first one, though, that one has the original Linda.  And Linda laughing and singing is one of the creepiest things I have ever seen in my life.  Ever.  She haunts my dreams.

The original 1981 The Evil Dead stars the one, the only, Bruce Campbell!  Bruce not only stars in the first three movies but also co-produced the movies.  Now, I'll admit, I was a little confused over the hype of Bruce because at first he seems like a nothing character.  However, he somehow keeps surviving.  Even when everyone else dies and comes back to life and dies again, Bruce just keeps getting cooler.  And of course, in the sequel is when Bruce gets his trademark, bad-ass look:

Bruce Campbell plays Ashley "Ash" Williams in all of the Evil Dead movies, including an appearance in the 2013 re-make (I have not yet seen the re-make but I would love to!  I've heard it's pretty great as well.).  The oh so scary Linda is played by Betsy Baker and, judging by what I have seen online, I believe she is quite popular with hardcore fans along with Bruce.  The Evil Dead really has sparked an intense following, even today, 32 years later.

One thing that is great about these movies is the amount of blood used.  There will be a scene where blood just comes gushing out, completely soaking the character.  Then the camera cuts and suddenly all that blood is gone.  It's so great!  I enjoyed the use of props, make-up, fake blood, and effects in these movies, it was very well done in the over-the-top way it was meant to be.  The first film was to be taken seriously but it had a small budget and got pretty campy.  The sequel was purposely comedic and made fun of the first film quite a bit.  I like when directors and actors can make fun of themselves.

Now let's not forget the most important thing about these films: Sam Raimi.  Raimi directed and wrote The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, and Army of Darkness.  He also wrote, but not directed, the 2013 re-make of Evil Dead and is writing Army of Darkness 2 right now, set to release in 2016.  Raimi has also written and directed Drag Me to Hell, Spider-Man 3, and The Quick and the Dead.  Those are just the ones I've seen of his work, there's more!  He is a talented writer and director and I have enjoyed all his films that I have seen.  He has a particular style and I think it really works.

The Evil Dead and Evil Dead II are streaming right now on Netflix.  So, go check it out, there's plenty of gore to be watched!  Please enjoy creepy Linda in the clip below.

Also, here's a little preview of Evil Dead The Musical, in case you ever want to check that out, too!  It's a bloody good time!

Elvira.

I decided it was finally time to watch Elvira: Mistress of the Dark.

The first Elvira movie, directed by James Signorelli, came out in 1988.  Elvira is a different kind of woman, full of spunk with big hair and even bigger boobs.  I had seen the movie on Netflix for a while now but decided to finally watch it after Elvira herself made an appearance on one of my favorite shows, Face Off.

Elvira is played by Cassandra Peterson, who started her career as a Vegas showgirl and still today makes appearances as the famous Mistress of the Dark.  In the movie, Elvira is very outspoken and does not let anyone take advantage of her.  Her sultry, revealing appearance attracts all kinds of creeps but Elvira fights them off.  When she learns of the passing of a long-lost Aunt, Elvira goes to the small town to collect her inheritance and really shakes things up!  The men all love her!  The women think she's trash!  But the teenagers befriend her and stand up for Elvira in this hilariously, dark comedy.

Elvira is definitely a cult movie, as the bizarre plot and outlandish appearance of Elvira is not for everyone.  I really did enjoy this movie quite a bit!  Certainly not my favorite but it is entertaining.

So, give it a try if you've never seen it!  I know it looks weird but it is a great movie.  Elvira will charm you and her large bosoms and revealing outfit won't bother you a bit!  Enjoy!

Watch the trailer below and please notice the part where Elvira uses her chest to bust through the chain on the gate!  I keep laughing about that scene.... 

Nine Dead.

Happy October 8th!  Continuing in the horror awesomeness that is October I bring you this week: Nine Dead.

Nine Dead has been available to stream on Netflix for a while now and I watched it because a friend told me how great it was.  I definitely agree that this movie is pretty great, even if Melissa Joan Hart is the biggest name in it.

The movie was released in 2010 and is directed by Chris Shadley, whose camera and electrical work includes everything from Spiderman to The Muppets to Little Black Book.  Shadley has had his hand in many great films but Nine Dead was his first and only movie as director.  The film is fairly low-budget, some acting is great while others are quite mediocre, but the plot it interesting.

Nine Dead is about nine strangers who are locked in a basement together.  A hooded man tells them that they have ninety minutes to figure out how they are all connected and he will come back every ten minutes to kill one of them until they figure it out or time is up.  These people have no idea how they are connected and are not given a single clue to help them get started.

Melissa Joan Hart is one of the nine people locked in the basement.  I love Melissa in Sabrina the Teenage Witch, that show will always be one of my favorites.  Melissa was huge in her younger days as Clarissa Darling on the Nickelodeon show Clarissa Explains It All and continues to act today.  However, her acting as an adult falls pretty short and I did not particularly like her in Nine Dead.  That could just be because her character is super annoying and bossy, though.  Horror is probably a difficult genre for actors because there is a lot of screaming, crying, limping, and being terrified the entire movie and not everyone is capable of pulling that off.

The only other name I recognize is Daniel Baldwin, who played a detective.  Everyone else is not important so I will not be mentioning them.  You can look it up here yourself if you feel so inclined.

I'm not really sure what else to say about this movie.  Horror is pretty self-explanatory: people will die, it will be gruesome, you might love it or hate it, and the ending will surprise you.  The ending on this one was.... not exactly great.  I won't give anything away but I want you to prepare for possible disappointment,  however if you like horror you should already know how to watch the genre.

So, I hope you enjoy Nine Dead!  It is not a scary, jumpy horror movie but more of a psychological thriller kind of horror.  Plus some gore!  What would horror be without a little (aka. a ton) of gore?

Watch the trailer for Nine Dead below to get a better feel for the movie.  I really think you'll enjoy this one, as I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it!

The Walking Dead.

HAPPY OCTOBER!  October is my favorite month of the year.  Why?  Because the whole month is dedicated to celebrating Halloween!  Halloween is my favorite holiday!  There is just something about Halloween that makes me extraordinarily happy.  The decorations, the celebration, the costumes, and of course the candy.  Also, with October comes Autumn, my favorite season of the year.  I live in Maine and Fall in Maine is gorgeous!  Fall in Maine means cooler weather, beautiful changing leaves, and pumpkin flavored everything.  What's not to like?  So, dressed in plaid flannel and boots all October I will be writing strictly about horror!  I'm hoping to write a new horror post each week of October in celebration of Halloween!  So, to start us off I bring you The Walking Dead.

I admit, I was late jumping on this bandwagon.  The Walking Dead series has been in my Netflix instant queue for at least a year, maybe more if it's even been on Netflix that long.  Finally last week I decided it was time to give it a try.  I'm not really sure why it took me so long to watch but it just never felt right.  But holy-moly I'm glad I finally gave it a shot.

The Walking Dead is AMAZING.  There is so much to talk about and I know I won't even be able to touch on it all.  First of all, let me start by saying how great it is to have a gory horror television series.  Besides American Horror Story, there really are no other horror shows out there.  Which is too bad because horror is a wonderfully disgusting and much loved genre that could be touched on a bit more on television.

This horror/drama series follows a group of people led by former Sheriff Rick Grimes.  I suppose Rick is the main protagonist of the show, as the series started with just him and he is the leader of the group.  The rest of the group does question his authority and decisions from time to time, including his own wife and son, but I find Rick to be a solid leader and his choices for the group usually have a way of working out.

For those of you unfamiliar with the AMC original show The Walking Dead, let me offer a little plot.  The series was created in 2010  by Frank Darabont and is basically about a zombie apocalypse.  Though, in the show no one ever refers to them as zombies, they call them "Walkers" and also one group calls them "Biters."  The world, or at least we assume the entire world, somehow gets overtaken by Walkers and most people either die or get turned into a Walker.  It is a creative take on the whole zombie thing, which is a popular topic in horror right now.

The show is totally gruesome and graphic, so if you don't like gore than this is probably not the show for you.  There are some heavy zombie head bashing moments but also quieter human interaction moments.  The acting on The Walking Dead is superb!  The intense fighting or conversation moments between characters are just so well written and acted.

Because there are so many main characters I will list them to help you get a clear picture.  Now, of course with a show like this there are many casualties!  So, some of these characters last a long time, some a short time, and some are not introduced for quite a while.  Here's the main players:

• Rick Grimes: Played by Andrew Lincoln, is the leader of the group, a decent father and husband though he does like to go off and save the world, and an all around nice guy.
• Lori Grimes: Played by Sarah Wayne Callies, is Rick's wife, she's kind of annoying but she's a good worker and a solid character.
• Carl Grimes: Played by Chandler Riggs, Carl is Rick and Lori's son.  He's pretty young but he carries a gun and wants to help, almost to a fault.
• Glenn Rhee: Played by Steven Yeun, Glenn is one of my favorite characters.  He's the token Asian and a very good guy.
• Daryl Dixon: Played by Norman Reedus, is my favorite character and will probably be yours as well.  You want to hate him at first but quickly learn he's a super dude.
• Dale Horvath: Played by Jeffrey DeMunn, is the voice of reason and understanding in the group.  Dale is the group mechanic and is an excellent and willing lookout.
• Andrea: Played by Laurie Holden, Andrea is kind of annoying and does not listen to people.  She gets herself into trouble by not listening to people like Dale and Michonne.
• Shane Walsh: Played by Jon Bernthal, Shane pretends to be a good guy but is he really?
• Merle Dixon: Played by Michael Rooker, Merle quickly gets cut off from the group (get it??) but I always knew he'd be back.  No body, not dead.  That's my slogan for The Walked Dead.
• Carol Peletier: Played by Melissa McBride, I weirdly really like Carol.  She's a little pathetic at first, well kind of the whole show.  Her husband is a jerk-face but Carol makes it through.  I'm rooting for a relationship between Carol and Daryl.  I'm pretty sure it will happen.
• Sophia Peletier: Played by Madison Lintz, Sophia is Carol's daughter.  She gets lost in the woods and Daryl stops at nothing to find her.  That's why I think he and Carol will get together, because he cared about Sophia so greatly.
• Maggie Greene: Played by Lauren Cohan, Maggie is Hershel's daughter and Glenn's love.  She and Glenn immediately fall in love, it's pretty sweet.  She's one of the few female characters I like in the show.
• Hershel Greene: Played by Scott Wilson, Hershel is cool!  At first I wasn't sure about him, he seemed kind of mean and harsh.  But he quickly becomes a total bad-ass.
• Beth Greene:  Played by Emily Kinney, Beth is Hershel's younger daughter.  Her character is fairly minor but she's always there.  I have a feeling she'll somehow become more focused upon.
• Michonne: Played by Danai Gurira, Michonne is AWESOME.  I liked her the second the saw her slice a Walker's head off with her sword.  Oh yeah, she carries a SWORD.  It does not get any cooler than a sword.
• The Governor: Played by David Morrissey, this guy is a total DB (douche bag, for those of you who don't know what that stands for).  I hate him because he's crooked but pretends to be perfect. 
• T-Dog: Played by IronE Singleton, T-Dog is just a good man.  Super nice, puts his life in jeopardy for others and has a very unfortunate nickname.  I mean, T-Dog, really?  How much more stereotypical can you get for the token black man of the show?  Geesh.

I hope that's everybody important!  There are tons of characters, as you can see.  Something neat about The Walking Dead, if you look at the cast on IMDB, it lists people as "Walker" and they'll be in like thirteen episodes which I think is super cool.  They don't just have random people every single time they need Walkers, they use the same actors over and over.  How cool must that job be?  Sit around for a few hours, get made up into a zombie, then walk around making gross noises!  Sounds fun to me!

The Walking Dead can be complicated and there is a lot of story-line that happens fairly quickly, so I don't want to go into any more detail on the show.  I suggest you check it out if you haven't already.  The first three seasons are streaming on Netflix!  Netflix actually just added the third season a couple days ago, I'm assuming because the fourth season will be starting soon on AMC.  So you better get caught up now!  I'm almost finished the third season and I KNOW a lot will happen.  I honestly cannot rave enough about his awesome horror show.  Go check it out and as always, enjoy!  Here's a clip about season four!

My Advice to Netflix/The Core.

I think my problem with lack of inspiration and blogging is that there is nothing new on Netflix.  I keep browsing the "New Releases" and "Recently Added" on Netflix but nothing has been catching my eye.  I keep starting movies and then stopping them because they're terrible.  But are they really terrible?  Or I have maxed out my Netflix watching ability?  I didn't think it was possible but I can't seem to get into anything.

I did watch The Core last night.  I had seen the beginning of The Core three times.  Made more than halfway through but had never made it to the ending.  Finally, I discovered that Netflix had indeed added The Core to their streaming list.  Thank you Netflix! Finally I can see the ending of this movie!

So, I guess this blog entry is going to turn into some writing about The Core.

So, this movie is pretty cool.  Very unrealistic, but cool.  These scientists/astronauts travel to the core of the earth to, well, save the earth!  And they get "Rat" aka DJ Qualls to keep it all off the internet!  He gets to control the internet! I'm so excited to write about this movie suddenly.

The Core features a star-studded cast!  It's actually pretty crazy!  We've got Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Stanley Tucci, and Richard Jenkins.  Plus some other great actors that I sort of recognize by face but not name, so I won't list them.  Mostly because I'm lazy, to be perfectly honest.

The graphics in this movie are interesting.  They're not quite bad but they don't seem realistic.  I mean, we don't really know what the inside of the earth would be like if we were to tunnel through it.  However, I don't think it would look like a long ship moving super fast through water and that's how it looked in the The Core.

I won't go into too much detail on this one.  It's pretty darn good, though.  So check it out now in case Netflix won't keep streaming for long! I don't really know how long they keep titles streaming but they should start switching it up soon.  I'm getting bored.

Enjoy!  This clip from the movie is of the Golden Gate Bridge melting.   The sun is so strong because the earth's core stopped spinning and the world is going insane.  This looks freakishly realistic.

Once Upon A Time.

I am so into the second season of Once Upon A Time that I can't even watch anything else.  It is SO GOOD.  SO GOOD.  Please, if you have not watched it yet then please go.  It's available to stream on Netflix.  And the seasons are so long!  A lot of shows only have twelve or thirteen episodes but there are twenty-two episodes of the second season.  Many new characters, new magic, new lands, outsiders, flashbacks, relationships, it's all so crazy!  I love how everything ties in together.

If you have not read it yet, check out my post on Once Upon A Time.  Thanks!

Enjoy some music!  I love movies but I love music even more.

The Possession.

I love horror movies.  It's my favorite genre and it probably seems uncharacteristic of me.  I'm not sure what it is about horror that I like so much because I definitely don't like being scared.  I don't watch horror when I'm going to be home all alone for a night.  Sometimes I cringe at the gore or I hide my face during a suspenseful moment and maybe that is what horror is all about.  The whole point of the genre.

Demons are not my favorite but The Possession was a very decent movie.  I actually watched thinking it was another movie called Sinister.  Clearly it wasn't the same movie!  But it was still quite good.  The Possession is about a little girl who buys an old box at a lawn-sale.  What's in the box possesses her and her father will stop at nothing to get that demon out of his little girl.

Not an original plot but it was still entertaining.  The movie is based off a real box called the Dybbuk box. Jewish folklore defines a dybbuk is a restless spirit believed to be able to haunt and possess the living.  The box was first brought to light by previous owner Kevin Mannis who put the box up for auction on ebay.  Mannis said that the box had "belonged to a Holocaust survivor named Havela, who had escaped to Spain prior to her immigration to the United States. Havela purposely sealed a dybbuk inside the box after it contacted her and friends performing a seance with a homemade oracle board."

When Mannis opened the box, according to Wiki, he found "that it contained two 1920s pennies, a lock of blonde hair bound with cord, a lock of black/brown hair bound with cord, a small statue engraved with the Hebrew word 'Shalom', a small, golden wine goblet, one dried rose bud, and a single candle holder with four octopus-shaped legs; all items supposedly used in Jewish folklore to exorcise demons."

The Dybbuk box is very cool and, if the information on Wiki is correct, has had interesting experiences with its past owners:

"Numerous owners of the box have reported that strange phenomena accompany it. In his story, Mannis claimed he experienced a series of horrific nightmares shared with other people while they were in possession of the box or when they stayed at his home while he had it. His mother suffered a stroke on the same day he gave her the box as a birthday present – October 28. Every owner of the box has reported that smells of cat urine or jasmine flower and nightmares involving an old hag accompany the box. Iosif Neitzke, a Missouri student at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri and the last person to auction the box on eBay, claimed that the box caused electronic failure – phenomena from lights burning out in his house to computer failure, a mysterious insect swarm centering around the box, and unexplained medical conditions such as extreme and sudden hair loss. Jason Haxton, Director of the Museum of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Missouri, had been following Neitzke's blogs regarding the box and when he was ready to be rid of the box Neitzke sold it to Haxton. Haxton wrote The Dibbuk Box, and claimed that he subsequently developed strange health problems, including hives, coughing up blood, and "head-to-toe welts" His wife experienced "bloody, weeping, blisters" after coming in contact with clothing he wore during a failed containment attempt. His office also experienced the bursting of light bulbs, shared by Neitzke and Mannis and computer failures akin to Neitzke's experiences^. Upon removal of the box from the museum, Haxton had locked the box in the back of his truck, parking it at his home in the evening. Haxton experienced nightmares of Hag-like women, not unlike Mannis's claims. The final straw, Haxton claims, happened while he and his son were watching television and his son noticed a black flame-like mass in the room with them. Haxton consulted with Rabbis to try to figure out a way to seal the dybbuk in the box again. Apparently successful, he took the freshly resealed box and hid it at a secret location, which he will not reveal."

I personally do not believe in demons, ghosts, aliens, or anything of the sort.  However, I still like movies and stories about those topics.  The Possession is a great horror film!  It has that typical horror end where more could possibly happen in the future.  Plus it has a great cast!  Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays the father and Kyra Sedgwick plays the mother.  I feel like Sedgwick is too big a name for her small role but it was still nice to see her.  Natasha Calis plays the girl who gets possessed and Madison Davenport plays her older sister.  Both are unknowns but I think they did a wonderful job, especially Calis.  Being possessed seems like a hard job!

So, in honor of it almost being fall, almost being October my favorite month, and eventually being Halloween, here's a good horror!  It's streaming right now on Netflix, so please enjoy!

PS. I wanted to add that Marisyahu is in this film.  He's a musician and has done music for a few of movies plus has two of his own albums.  I am not familiar with him but Caleb recognized him right away.

Safe Haven.

I'm not always into romance movies but I have a soft spot for Nicholas Sparks movie adaptations.  I mean, who doesn't right?  Sparks is known for writing some intensely romantic and dramatic novels and many of his books have been turned into movies like A Walk to Remember, Nights in Rodanthe, The Notebook, and The Last Song.  I will admit I've never actually read one of his books and admitting that somehow feels wrong.  The emotions I feel when watching any of his movies are pretty strong so I can't even imagine what it is like to read his books.

I recently watched Safe Haven on Netflix while I was browsing the "recently released" section.  Let me tell you, that was a damn good movie.  I was hooked pretty immediately from beginning to end.  And just to warn you, I was a crying mess at the end so come prepared with tissues!

Safe Haven stars Julianne Hough as a woman running from her past to a little seaside town where she meets a man she never expected to fall in love with, who is played by Josh Duhamel.  You probably remember Julianne Hough from Dancing with the Stars!  She is a talented dancer, country music singer, and now actress.  I was a tad unsure of her casting for this role but I think she was outstanding.  I was also unsure about Josh Duhamel because I always think of him as playing jerks.  Luckily, I was wrong, he was great, and the pair had wonderful chemistry.

Sometimes Nicholas Sparks gives his work such a surprise ending that I hate it.  It's either stupid or just too sad to even comprehend.  A Walk to Remember and Nights in Rodanthe are two of my favorite endings.  I know A Walk to Remember probably seems like a weird choice because she dies at the end but you know the whole time that she's sick so you shouldn't be surprised.  And if you haven't seen that movie, then sorry for spoiling the ending.  But don't worry, while it may be sad it's also very sweet and satisfying.  I love movies with a satisfying ending!

Dear John has the worst ending ever out of all the Nicholas Sparks movies I've ever seen.  It is so terrible.  It ruined the rest of the movie.  That makes me sad because I love Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum.

The Lucky One is maybe the steamiest Sparks film.  I mean, Zac Efron hunkyhunk and Taylor Schilling from Orange Is The New Black?  Hello! Steamy love scene!

Anyway, now that I'm semi off track let's get back to Safe Haven.  It's really great guys!  I highly recommend it.  It is a romance/drama, it will make you cry, but it has a wonderfully satisfying ending.

50 First Dates.

I am not a huge Adam Sandler fan.  However, there are two movies of his that I love: The Wedding Singer and 50 First Dates.  50 First Dates just became available to stream on Netlix and I was super pumped to watch it.  I just realized that the two Adam Sandler movies I love also have Drew Barrymore starring opposite... hmm.

If you have not seen this movie then please go watch it right this minute.  It is so good!  It's a great romantic comedy, with maybe a little more comedy than romance.  A wonderfully hilarious cast make this movie fantastic.  We have Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Rob Schneider (of course!), Sean Astin, Dan Aykroyd, Blake Clark, and apparently Maya Rudolph is in this somewhere.

This movie, for those of you crazies who do not know, is about a woman with short-term memory loss who keeps meeting the same man over and over again.  In true romantic comedy fashion, they fall in love, fall out of love, and end up happily ever after.  Don't even try to tell me that I spoiled the ending for you because as soon as you see the words "romantic comedy" you should know how the entire movie will play out.

This is a movie where Adam Sandler is charming, handsome, and patient.  Usually he is crude and I don't find him that funny so this is a nice change.  He gets his comedic moments but overall he plays a pretty swell dude.  He has breakfast every single morning with a woman who cannot remember him.  He goes along with the facade: pretending it's her father's birthday,  watching the same game on tv (that's actually a recording), seeing her wear the same outfit everyday, and reading an old newspaper with her.  I mean, this guy is great!  Some days she likes him and some days she doesn't.  Plus, he works with dolphins and his best friend is a walrus!  You can't get any cooler than that!

50 First Dates has endless laughs within the hilarious writing and acting.  Adam and Drew must have great chemistry because they go together like peanut butter and jelly.  But only the raspberry jelly.  And by jelly I mean jam.  And by jam I mean preserves.

I cannot tell you enough how much I love this movie.  It's one of those films that I can keep watching a lot and never get sick of.  I can't say that for too many movies.  This one makes the cut, though.  I think you should check it out if you haven't seen it already.  It's streaming right now on Netflix and should be enjoyed thoroughly.

The clip below from 50 First Dates is of Adam Sandler singing an original called "Forgetful Lucy" to Drew Barrymore.  It's one of my favorite Adam originals and captures the movie perfectly.  So please enjoy!

Once Upon A Time.

I love fairy tales and have always loved Disney movies since I was a child.  Once Upon a Time is an excellent show that started in 2011 on ABC and features a multitude of fairy tale characters.  The show is set in a fictional town called Storybrooke, Maine.  The residents are all characters from different fairy tales and were brought to Storybrooke by a curse made by an evil queen.  Each episode is centered in Storybrooke but there is always a second plot about another fairy tale character's life before the curse happened.

Once Upon a Time was created by Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, who both wrote Lost and Tron: Legacy.  The series has three seasons and will also have a spin-off called Once Upon a Time in Wonderland which will be premiering this fall.

The protagonist of the show is Emma Swan, played by Jennifer Morrison, who is drawn to Storybrooke by a boy who claims to be her son that she gave up at birth.  Her son is the only one besides the evil queen, who just so happens to be his adopted mother and mayor of Storybrooke, who knows that everyone in town is really fairy tale characters trapped in this world.

It is interesting to learn about the characters and their overlapping lives in the fairly tale world.  Snow White, Prince Charming, Pinocchio, Belle, Snow White and Seven Dwarfs, and Rumpelstiltskin are just some of the main fairy tale characters in the show who the audience gets to learn more about.  It is an interesting take on the original fairy tales because their stories all overlap and intersect and suddenly here are all our favorite characters in one place.  It's wonderful!

It's a great cast featuring Jennifer Morrison, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Emilie de Ravin.  Those are just the names that I recognize, there are even more talented names featured on Once Upon a Time.  Jennifer Morrison you might recognize as Cameron from House.  I know Ginnifer Goodwin from Something Borrowed, Big Love, He's Just Not That Into You, and Mona Lisa Smile.  Emilie de Ravin is extraordinary and I know her best from Remember Me and Brick but most people probably recognize her from playing Clair Littleton on Lost from 2004 to 2010.

Once Upon a Time is about fairy tales and the show has a dreamy, imaginative feel to it.  I think it's wonderful!  The first two seasons are available to stream on Netflix and the third season and the spin-off show will be premiering at the end of September.  It's jam-packed with drama, action, and teamwork!  It's one of my favorite television shows and I think you'll enjoy it, too.

Duuuuuuude.  Check out the trailer below!  Now, the internet lied to me and told me Captain Hook joins the cast in the third season, however he joins in the second season!  I knew I should have watched that before writing about it.  Oh well!  I'm in the middle of the second season, it's totally awesome, and I want to go watch more of it right this minute!!  ALSO Mulan joins in the story! MULAN PEOPLE, MULAN.  She's very cool.

Event Horizon.

Caleb introduced me to the movie Event Horizon.  We had each browsed through all that Netflix and Amazon Prime had to offer us.  In the end, I handed him the remote, closed my eyes, and said "pick anything."  I was, of course, a bit nervous because I was sure this was going to be a really stupid movie, but I was wrong.  It was great!  Well, it was sort of stupid but in a good way.

Event Horizon, directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, came out in 1997.  For a film that came out that long ago, I am impressed with its CGI capabilities.  Normally, as you might know, I am not a fan of computer graphics but this is a case where it's necessary and it works.  Paul Anderson is probably best known for his Resident Evil movies.  He wrote, directed, and produced them.

The film is about a rescue crew, of sorts, that investigate a lost space ship called the Event Horizon.  It got lost in a black hole that it created and now something sinister is hiding on board.  It's a great horror/sci-fi and I'm not always a huge fan of sci-fi.  Though, I do seem to like most of the sci-fi movies I see, I just wouldn't pick them to watch myself.  But if it's someone else's idea, then why not?

You will probably recognize Sam Neill as Dr. William Weir.  Neill has been in tons of stuff like Jurassic Park, Daybreakers,  and The Horse Whisperer.  He's talented and versatile, though in my opinion he plays creepy the best.

Then there's Captain Miller, the captain of the rescue team, played by Laurence Fishburne.  He is best known for being in The Matrix and taking over as lead on CSI.

Those are the two main leads and the biggest names of the movie.  But shout-out to the supporting cast: Kathleen Quinlan, Joely Richardson, Richard T. Jones, Jack Noseworthy, Jason Isaacs, and Sean Pertwee who all did great.

According to IMDB, there are a lot of neat facts about Event Horizon and I feel the need to share them.  Because this blog is supposed to be about how the movie is made and interesting things that most people don't know about them.  However, I get too excited while I write and totally stray away.  Oops!  So, here's some neat stuff!:

• The space suits worn by the actors weighed 65 pounds each.  Due to the weight, standing upright in them for longer periods could lead to back injury, but sitting down was not possible either due to the backpack. Special "hanging poles" were constructed on the set, so the actors could rest on them between takes.
•  The Event Horizon was modeled on Notre Dame cathedral. Its long corridor resembles a church nave, and its interior is filled with cruciform shapes, columns and vaults. Also, its engines resemble rotated church towers. 
• When the Lewis and Clark first docks with the Event Horizon, the number of the main airlock is briefly visible: 13. 
• The Event Horizon was named after the theoretical boundary surrounding a black hole, within which gravitational attraction is so great that nothing, not even radiation, can escape because the escape velocity is greater than the speed of light. Technically, it is where the physical universe ends and physical laws no longer apply. So the ship's name is symbolic for its journey beyond the borders of the known universe.
•  Philip Eisner wrote the movie after a family tragedy. He had recently entered a multi-picture writing agreement, and in an effort to force himself to get back to work he pitched the idea of "The Shining in space" to the studio, who were very receptive. 
• The rotational shot of the space station over earth took nearly a third of the film's budget.  
• Some of the lost footage includes a great deal more of the Bosch-influenced Hell sequences and of the orgiastic video log that was found in the Event Horizon. This was shot by both director Paul W.S. Anderson and Vadim Jean, mainly on weekends. 
• The shot where Sam Neill stares out of a window which then pulls back to reveal he's on the deck of a spaceship orbiting Earth took the digital special effects house Cinesite 10 weeks to achieve. The shot lasts for 45 seconds. 

What I take from all the trivia is that Event Horizon is a complex movie.  I really did enjoy this one!  It's streaming right now on Netflix and I think you should check it out if you haven't seen it already.  If you have, then maybe you should watch it again for old time's sake!  It's a great horror/sci-fi so if you like those genres then this is a good movie for you!  Enjoy!

Watch the clip below for an intense scene between Captain Miller and a crewman.  I love how he listens to the whole thing and his face is like "Yeah, this doesn't surprise me." 

Hotel Babylon.

Wow, so I completely forgot to write yesterday.  Also, school will be starting for me next week so I may be writing less.  I will try to continue every other day but I may get bogged down in too much school work.

Now on to more important things.  Hotel Babylon is my new favorite show.  I cannot even describe how much I love this show.  It's a British series that ran from 2006 to 2009.  It stars a bunch of people that look familiar but I have no idea who they are.  The show is just so great!  I was hooked from the first episode and have been exclusively watching it for the past few days.

I'm in the second season right now and there are four seasons.  Normally I like to watch an entire series before I write about it but this one couldn't wait.  I have slightly ruined it for myself by looking at IMDB because now I know a couple of the current main characters will be leaving the show soon because they're only in half the episodes that the other main characters are in.  I can see how they're giving the long-term characters more responsibility and air-time as they prepare for others to leave.  So that's interesting to watch.

The show is about eight staff at the five-star hotel Babylon who get into trouble, get out of trouble, have fun, and help their strange guests.

• Rebecca, played by Tamzin Outhwaite, is the hotel general manager.
• Charlie, played by Max Beesley, is the deputy manager.
• Tony, played by Dexter Fletcher, is the concierge.
• Jackie, played by Natalie Mendoza, is the head of housekeeping.
• Anna, played by Emma Pierson, is the lovely and scheming head of reception.
• James, played by Raymond Coulthard, is head of waitstaff I think.  His title is not clear but he does wait tables and he's in charge of ordering wine.
• Ben, played by Michael Obiora, is the token gay man of the show.  He works reception with Anna.
• Then there is the head bartender Gino, played by Martin Marquez.  Now, when I first started watching the show I thought he was Spanish.  According to his last name and IMDB profile, he is Spanish!  But for a while on the show they made him seem Italian.  Then, on the last season they clearly state that he's Spanish when a Spanish boxer stays at the hotel.  I'm not sure why there was confusion but he's definitely Spanish, don't let the name Gino fool you!

I believe there will be other main characters as the show goes on but these are the current stars.  They started in the series so they're most important.  After Rebecca leaves as Managers, Charlie takes over for a while.  Then he decides to leave as well and some other young guy, they slowly introduced, takes over.  But only for a few episodes and then he suddenly is gone and some lady is in his place.  So, once the main characters leave it gets a little dicey on who exactly is in charge.  Still a great show but I can see why it ended after four seasons.

Each episode focuses on one main theme.  The voice of Charlie usually introduces the episode while scenes of guests coming in are playing, then the opening theme song plays.  One great episode was about how guests should never pick-on the employees as employees will get revenge.  The episode featured a group of soccer (or football as they say in England) players who completely disrespect all the staff and in the end they learned a BIG lesson.  Somehow, the staff never get into trouble for their shenanigans.  I guess that's poetic license, huh?

Hotel Babylon gives an interesting look into management and hotel life.  Of course, I have no idea how much of the show is factual but I'm sure it is truthful on some level.  Within the series you learn about staff, guests, guests of guests, and how a hotel is run.  Hotel Babylon is funny, dramatic, and well made.  It has music that reminds me of Charlies Angel's, it's kind of fantastical.

I highly recommend  you check out Hotel Babylon!  It ran four seasons so there is a good chunk of show to watch.  It's always sad when you get into a show and then realize it only ran for one season so don't fear this one!  Check out this hilarious clip of Gino showing off his "gay walk" for Charlie and Ben.  Gino wanted lessons on how to act gay so that he could get better tips at the bar from a customer.  Always trying to make money on this show!

Any Day Now.

I watched a movie recently on Netflix called Any Day Now that reduced me to a crying mess.  The movie is about a gay couple in the 70s who struggle to get custody of a fifteen-year-old boy with down syndrome.  A gay couple in the 70s would have been enough.  A down syndrome boy would have been enough.  The combination sent me over the edge, though.  The movie is touching, sad, happy, wonderful, and very well made.

Alan Cumming plays Rudy Donatello, a drag singer in a gay bar who lives in a small studio apartment.  Donatello meets lawyer Paul Fliger, played by Garret Dillahunt, and the two fall in love and move in together within a few short days.  They take in Donatello's neighbor Marco, played by the talented Isaac Leyva, and the three start the most glorious family you could ever imagine.  They are so happy!  And they make this kid, who has had a crappy life with his low-life mother, so happy!  What more could anyone ask for?  Well, it's the 70s so people are not too keen on homosexual relationships, especially when children are involved.  It doesn't matter if it's best for Marco to be with Rudy and Paul, the court system sucks and bigots suck and everyone just sucks.

The ending of this movie will rip your heart out, stomp on it, grind it into oblivion, all while you're crying your eyes out.  Just to warn you.  You might go through an entire box or two of tissues.

Garret Dillahunt is AMAZING.  He plays Burt Chance on Raising Hope.  If you haven't watched Raising Hope than I suggest you do!  It's streaming on Netflix and it's hilarious.  It's a half-hour sitcom about a poor family raising a baby and getting into all sorts of silly antics.  Dillahunt is very funny in the show but he plays serious well.  Any Day Now is a serious drama and his acting shines.  He was also in the remake of The Last House on the Left in which he plays a super creepy, horrible dude.

Then we have Alan Cumming.  Dude's been in everything.  My favorites are Spice World and Romy and Michele's High School Reunion.  How can the dance scene at the end of Romy and Michele not be your favorite scene from a movie ever?

These two, with the edition of Isaac Leyva in his only role ever, makes for a great movie.  I don't even know what else to say about it.  It's just so good!  It's one of those movies that speaks to me.  I felt empowered, for some reason, while watching it.

I think you should check it out.  Right now.  Do it.  It will pull at all of your heartstrings but it's worth it.  Original, well made and acted, and streaming right now on Netflix.  Perfect!  It's also based on a true story.  You never know how much of it is true but that's always something to think about.  If the part about two people wanting this perfect child with down syndrome is true then daaaaang.  I can't even.

Here's the trailer.  Usually trailers are not good enough but this one is fantastic.  I cried, just now, watching it.  My favorite part of the entire movie is when Marco cries in his new bedroom.  Please get tissues on hand for this empowering film.  Best quote ever: "I don't see why he should be punished any more for stuff that ain't his fault."  You said in Allan Cumming! You said it.