Christmas Movies

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is watching all my favorite Christmas movies, while eating candy canes and drinking hot chocolate of course.

Eloise at Christmastime

Eloise is my favorite, and not just because Eloise is my middle name. She's a rambunctious kid with endless confidence and sparkly style. Her pink Christmas tree, jingle bell accessories, and carol spreading antics create an entertaining story that emulates the Christmas spirit.

Julie Andrews plays her nanny, and she is perfection as always. She tries to keep track of Eloise, which is no easy task but she handles it with her usual charm and an imagination to match Eloise. And honestly, who wouldn't want to celebrate Christmas with Julie Andrews?

And then there's Bill, Eloise's waiter friend who sings show tunes and has candy cane duels with her. It's so cute to see Eloise trying to set Bill up with Rachel, the boss's daughter. It's also interesting to see what Eloise could grow up to be, since Rachel also grew up in the Plaza.

Polar Express

This beautifully animated story has a gorgeous soundtrack and a heartfelt theme. The children in this movie are all trying to believe in something, whether it be Santa or a chance at happiness. They embark on an epic journey on Christmas Eve that involves trains, hot chocolate, personalized tickets, jingle bells, elves, and of course Santa.

I can't wait to watch this movie again, it really shows the spirit of Christmas. Whether you focus on Santa, love, or just believing in something, the story can appeal to anyone.

Elf

This Christmas movie brings the childhood excitement about Santa into the adult world. A full grown adult, Will Ferrell, acts like a small child which creates that trademark Elf humor. He gets everyone else excited for Christmas, which is fun to watch since they're all kind of dragged down by the consumer aspect of the holidays.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

The classic children's story is turned into something much bigger with Jim Carey.

I love all the subtle adult jokes slipped into a children's story. It makes this movie for everyone, no matter the age.

Cindy Lou Who is adorable. Her family's shenanigans, the mayor's ridiculousness, and the Grinch's past all make up a fun story.

And honestly, the Grinch is a lot easier to relate to than the funny little who's and their craziness. He just wants to sleep, eat when he's bored, and avoid his relatives. Who can't relate to that?

And in the end, you remember the spirit of Christmas and what it's all about.

Home Alone

Amidst all the fire setting, booby tapping, movie quoting antics, this movie shows the importance of family during the holidays. Kevin gets left home one Christmas, and on the wrong flight the next. Hopefully, the third Christmas they can just stay home to insure no one gets lost.

Kevin learns to appreciate his family. He defends his house, buys groceries, and watches forbidden movies. Eventually he misses his parents, and even his siblings.

Santa Claus

This movie came out in the early 90s and has all the classic 90s charm. Tim Allen goes from a cranky divorced dad to Santa Claus. He couldn't have done it without the adorable Charlie and his persistent belief in his dad.

Scott Calvin grows into his new job, gaining weight and a massive sweet tooth. Being Santa helps him become a good dad to Charlie, though he is still a sassy Santa.

His elves give him red pajamas, tell him how to be Mr Claus, and spring him out of jail. His family accepts his new life and Charlie gets to be a Santa in training.

Whatever your favorite Christmas movie, enjoy the holiday spirit.

Merry Christmas!

Shadowhunters Review

As a huge fan of everything written by Cassandra Clare, I was beyond excited when The Mortal Instruments movie came out. When that clearly wasn't going to lead to a sequel, I didn't expect to see any more demon fighting redheads on the big screen.

But that all changed with Shadowhunters.

The show is separate from the movie, starting at the beginning instead of being a continuation. They take the shadow world and make it their own, adjusting it to television and adapting to the modern age.

The result is impressive. They have all the main characters fighting the same battles that made us speed read the books, while also adding their own flare to it.

I loved the world inverted episode. Like the dream they experience while exploring the demon realm in the last book, we see a world that could have been. What kind of people would they be if they weren't shadowhunters? Did shadowhunting really bring out Isabelle's confidence and stunt Alec's personality? Was it obsessing over angels and demons that turned Valentine into a psycho? Probably.

What's great about this show is it not only includes so many favorite moments form the books, but it explores the world of shadowhunting in a classic media entertainment kind of way.

There are differences, for sure. In an age of raging social media and technology, the institute became a shiny tech center. It made sense to me, why go the Harry Potter route of banning technology when you can use it to make your life easier?

They also included tidbits from The Infernal Devices series. Lydia is a completely new character, descendent of Henry Branwell and Charlotte Fairchild. I'm pretty sure Henry took Charlotte's name, but we'll let that slide. There were also references made to Tessa, and Camille was a bigger character from the beginning instead of showing up later.

One of the bigger differences was the age. In the books, Clary's journey begins just before her 16th birthday. The show starts with her 18th birthday. It directed the show towards a slightly older audience, while also giving the main characters less ties to the mundane world (like high school).

As repetitive as Clary got, I really liked her. She tells Simon that finding out she's a shadowhunter feels right, which makes sense with her toughness and determination. She's willing to do whatever it takes and quickly adapts the fighting demons. But she's also adorable, especially when she and Simon are being all bestie like. Out of all the relationships on the show, their friendship felt the most real.

Isabelle is fantastic in the show. I definitely loved her in the books, but she takes some getting used to. It takes her a while to warm up to Clary and really open up. In the show, she is happier and more accepting. She's fiercely protective of her family and isn't afraid to shake things up. She is hands down my favorite character and I love what Emeraude Toubia did with her. All hail the queen of perfect lipstick and fabulous hair.

I wasn't as happy with Magnus's character in the show. He wasn't as quirky and timeless as he comes across in the books. He was odd and entertaining, but both he and Jace have this dry mirth to them that is really difficult to transfer to the screen for some reason.

I can't wait to see what they do with the second season. The trailer for it looks amazing, and they are definitely stepping it up a notch. I'm hoping for better dialogue, more impressive cinematography, and deeper character development. There will be more characters from the books popping up, and maybe some new inventions from the screenwriters as well. 

Counting down to January. 

Live Musicals: Grease and Hairspray

It started with Grease, now we have Hairspray, what will be the next live musical?

This new trend is such a fun way to combine film and theatre. They have the numbers from the movies that most people know and love, then some aspects of the original musicals that make these stories so incredible.

Grease live was so fun, partly because the movie was made back in the 70s, which made the modern making of it so cool. 

The singing was beautiful, the dancing was on point, and the set was amazing.


Julianne Hough made Sandy endearingly sweet without being annoying. Vanessa Hudgens made Rizzo so tough and vulnerable. And Keke Palmer turned Marty from a minor character to a goddess in sequins with serious costume changing skills.

Marty has always been my favorite because of she's so cool, especially the way Keke Palmer played her. Her rendition of "Freddy My Love" is gorgeous and sultry, from nightgown to evening gown and back.

Marty's smirks, Rizzo's sarcasm, and Frenchie's optimism make Sandy's naive sweetness stand out even more.

I loved Rizzo's elvis dance, and I especially loved the use of Julianne Hough's dance experience in the cheer-off.

Speaking of all the wonderful ladies in Grease, the women in Hairspray had some amazing moments as well.

I loved the addition of numbers like "Mama I'm a Big Girl Now" and "Cooties". Both songs feature Dove Cameron's beautiful sultry voice. I love how she got to play Kristin Chenoweth's daughter again, they are a fantastic mother-daughter duo.  Kristin Chenoweth is absolute perfection in everything she does.

Maddie Baillio was the new girl on set, and she was adorable. She played Tracy with a lovely sweetness in addition to that trademark Tracy enthusiasm.

And then we have Ariana Grande, the sexy tiny Latina with the huge voice. Her awkwardness was everything Penny should be. She was perfect. It was also fun to hear her adjust her voice to the broadway style.

Her flat jokes, flailing, and nerdiness cracked me up. I was disappointed by the portrayal of Penny in the movie version, but they definitely got it right this time.

Like Grease Live, Hairspray Live had some technical difficulties. There were some sound issues, along with the lights going out on poor Maddie during her big opening number. Forgot to pay the bills, perhaps?

And of course, there's Jennifer Hudson. She is the only woman on this Earth who could have followed Queen Latifa in such an iconic role. She is a goddess. That is all.

I love all these live musicals. I'm hoping it continues, fingers crossed for Wicked! 

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Review

Ever since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was published and the last of the films were released, fans have been wanting, wishing, and begging for more Harry Potter magic. Thankfully, J.K. Rowling has granted those desires. She has continually dropped bits of information about the wizarding world, and now there is something of a prequel series.

I'm convinced J.K. Rowling allowed this story to unfold because Americans felt left out. Hogwarts is amazing, and it's so fun to read about British people and places. But what about other magic schools? The French and Russian schools are in the fourth Harry Potter book, so that's probably what made Americans ask the golden question.


What would the wizarding world in America be like?


We get a glimpse of that in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Eddie Redmayne stars as an animal loving Hufflepuff, adventurer, and future author. Can we all agree that Eddie Redmayne is a through and through Hufflepuff? You might think all that adventuring and taming beasts takes a lot of courage, like a Gryffindor. But taking care of creatures takes a tremendous amount of kindness and patience, just like a Hufflepuff.

Eddie Redmayne shuffles and ducks his head through this magical tale of New York City in the 1920s, a place of witch hunts, underground clubs, house elf bartenders, and mobster goblins. He's shy, he's awkward, and he's completely devoted to the contents of his battered briefcase. 

You'd think with magic he could make it impossible for anyone but himself to release anything from his case, but maybe that's too advanced for the 20s. 

One of my favorite aspects of this movie was that it had so many different perspectives in it. You have Newt, the British Hogwarts alumni (sort of) that we are used to, the American wizards and witches, mugs/no-majs who are affected by and suspicious of magic, and of course a muggle who gets dragged into the whole mess.

Jacob's reactions to suddenly being immersed in the wizarding world are exactly how most of us would feel. He is us. He is our way of relating to the story. Newt, always forgetting to follow the rules, takes a liking to Jacob and decides they are friends. Never mind the no wizard and muggle relationship law, not important. It's not as if Newt is rebellious, it's almost like he doesn't notice that there are rules other than proper behavior around magical creatures and not making eye contact with the humans or they will attack.


Newt and Jacob, opposites, meet another pair of opposites when Tina yells at Newt them brings the boys home to deal with them, introducing them to her mind reading sister Queenie.

The two pairs couple off and the depend on each other as they battle many obstacles in their quest to recover Newt's escaped beasts.

There are some beautiful shots of New York, charming displays of the 1920s, and a classic American twist on magic (still in love with the idea of mobster goblins here). 

I love Harry Potter. It's a world where anything can happen. with magic, you have so much more potential to create but also way more opportunity to inflict disaster. This movie was a fun way to explore wizards of other cultures, wizards of other time periods, and magical creatures. 

Fairy Tale Retellings

You would think with the number of fairy tale renditions, we would be sick of them. But these classic stories are beautiful and have a magic that is fun to apply to modern life. That's why Once Upon a Time is such a hit, why Disney is investing in live action remakes like Maleficent and Broadway movies like Into the Woods.

Because we still try to bring a little magic in our lives, and one of the best ways to do that is through stories.

Here are some of my favorite versions of these classic stories:


Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

This fantastic novel is based on a few pages by the Grimm brothers. Shannon Hale had a lot of room to create, with just the skeleton of a pollen to base her story on.

Ani is a timid princess who has been sheltered from life before being sent away to be some other kingdom's queen. She's sent away because she's odd, but ultimately it's those oddities that help her survive her journey. She has to run from her own people and blend into a new country by adopting the native accent and hiding her golden hair.

She finds bravery and confidence in herself that she never had to use, and she embraces her talents that her mother always tried to hide. On the way, she makes friends, falls in love, and saves multiple kingdoms, all while putting up with a bunch of geese everyday.

Being a goose girl teaches Princess Ani to have spunk, and she becomes a better queen for it.


Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge

This is one of my favorite books. Rachelle chooses the path of needles at a young age. Driven by curiosity, unable to sit still and wait for someone else to save her, fueled with desperation to discover the truth, she is not the helpless Little Red Riding Hood. 

Again, this author has a simple children's story to go off of, but she does so many amazing things with it. She throws in a magical forest full of supernatural creatures, a demonic villain, a haunting tempter, and an old legend that Rachelle must decipher to overcome her doom. 

Crimson Bound is a beautiful combination of legend, lore, and survival. It questions what it means to be human, how goodness can prevail, and if we all deserve to be saved even if we have chosen damnation. 

Sometimes, you need to break the rules in order to find a happy ending. 

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

I read this book so much as a kid, the book fell apart. I loved the story of this girl who was given a horrible lot in life, and worked through it. She won her life over with humor and adventure and extreme stubbornness. 

Ella is cursed. She is forced to obey every and any order given to her. She loses her mother at a young age, her father is mostly absent, her fairy godmother is her cook in disguise, and her best friend is the prince. 

She learns languages instead of embroidery, she laughs at Prince Char instead of swooning, and even when her stepfamily turns her into a slave, she uses every ounce of passive aggression to mess with their heads. 

She's not bitter, she's smart. She laughs and she works and she loves. 

Beauty by Robin McKinley

Beauty and the Beast has been reimagined again and again. This novel takes a more classic approach, with the three daughters of a merchant and their request gifts, their father plucking a rose from a castle garden, and a faithful daughter going to the castle to save her father.  

Beauty is settled with her nickname at a young age, deciding Honour is a lame name, especially following her two lovely sisters Hope and Grace. 

But while Beauty may find her name ill fitting, she has the honour to fulfill her father's promise, and she manages to find beauty in a beast-like creature. She leaves her family, adjusts to a magic castle, reads her way through a massive library, and learns to accept herself along with the Beast.  

Fairy tales are hugely influential in the arts. We love taking the fun stories we adored through childhood and twisting them into a different version we can appreciate as adults. In the end, all we want is a good story. 

Getting Ready for Gilmore Girls (and other extreme sports)

I grew up watching Gilmore Girls with my sisters.

Some of our best moments together were piling on the couch, literally on top of each other, and giggling through Lorelai's witticisms and Rory's adorableness. This was usually a post cookie baking event. I know, aren't we just too cute?


Gilmore Girls shows all kinds of female relationships, something that is not so much uncommon as it is glossed over in television. Yes, Lorelai and Rory are best friends as well as a mother and daughter. They eat and laugh their way through life, all the while sharing everything with each other. But there's so much range in the relationships.

Lorelai may have passed on her name and wit to Rory, but their personalities are so different. Still too you have Lorlei's difficult relationship with her mother, Emily's downright hostile relationship with her mother-in-law, Rory's frenemy turned best friend Paris, and Rory's life long bestie Lane.

And all the while, there are boys, men, and borderline aliens that come and go from the Gilmore life.

We've seen it all, sometimes again and again. We may mark different seasons by who we watched them with, where we were, what flavor of Ben and Jerry's ice cream we were obsessed with at the time, the list is seriously endless.

As it is, I initially wasn't sure how to respond to the idea of a new ending.




It's not like the current ending is perfect or anything. It's more like a pause than a stop, and I had settled with the idea of making up an ending in my head. I like to envision Luke stop being a butt, buying that perfect house and marrying Lorelai. And of course Lorelai's business thriving. For Rory, I knew she would travel the world and have adventures and be successful. She's Rory Gilmore, she's unstoppable. And if she so happened to eventually-finally-meet a guy who was NICE and SMART and didn't get possessive or jealous ALL THE TIME, that would be great too.

But as the new episodes became a sure thing, and the hype began, the posters released, and the trailer squealed over, I got excited. Really excited. I'm counting the days, I'm planning my Thanksgiving weekend around this show, and shamelessly shunning anyone from my house on Black Friday who is not a die hard fan.

Did I try everything to get my sister/best Gilmore buddy to visit me this Thanksgiving? Yes. Am I a little heartbroken that she can't come? Maybe. Will I forever hold it against her? Also maybe.


But sisters or not, fans or no, this show is finally getting the ending Amy Sherman-Pallidino - all hail the goddess of writing - always imagined. And honestly, I fully intend to absolutely lose it while watching this new version of Gilmore Girls with pie and leftover turkey. Best Thanksgiving ever!

Halloween Movies

With a week left until Halloween, it's time to get intense with the Halloween movies. There are some classics, there are some new creations, and there are some childhood favorites that we never outgrew.

Hocus Pocus 

First of all, this is probably the most watched Halloween movie. Whether you love it or hate it, it defines Halloween.


Nightmare before Christmas

People argue whether this is a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie. I honestly welcome an excuse to watch it to celebrate two holidays. Tim Burton is perfect, especially for all things creepy and delightful.


Halloweentown 

This Disney classic takes a different approach to witches, making them relatable teenagers with extraordinary hobbies. It's fun and silly and has a giant pumpkin in the town square. You can also visit that pumpkin in St Helens Oregon.


Dark Shadows 

What's Halloween without Johnny Depp? His awkward old fashioned manners, Michelle Pfeiffer and all her loveliness, vampires, werewolves, and ghosts all make up a very random and quirky Halloween story. 

Hotel Transylvania

This animated movie addresses the cliches of Dracula and other classic monsters, while spinning a fun modern version making Dracula an overprotective father. Mavis is so cute, and I love Jonathan's goofiness.


Addams Family

One of my personal favorites, a story of a morbid and strange family that love everything creepy especially each other. Wednesday's poker face and violent habits are hands down the best thing about this movie. She's innocently evil and it's adorable. The sheer creepiness of their habits should make them alien, but they have such a lovable family bond. They live in a heightened Halloween reality.


These few among several others are classic, beloved Halloween films. Watch them while making your costume or carving pumpkins, or eating spider shaped cookies.

Halloween Reading List

While we decorate for Halloween, make our costumes, and plan our haunted house-straw maze-candy  devouring festivities, we need some material for ideas and inspiration. Here are some lovely and horrifying books/authors perfect for getting into the Halloween spirit.

Grimm Brothers

I have an old book of Grimm Brother fairy tales that I take everywhere with me. You may think fairy tales are all magic and love stories, but more often than not they involve boiling children alive, chopping off fingers, and turning into ravens. These fun little tidbits of casual grotesqueness are always entertaining.

Goosebumps

I grew up reading these books under the covers with a flashlight late at night like a psycho who was just begging for nightmares. I loved the stories of children turning into monsters, especially the innocent situations that quickly got super creepy. One of my favorites was The Horror at Camp Jellyjam.

Neil Gaiman

One of my all time favorite authors, Gaiman is a master at writing creepy stories. Coraline and The Graveyard Book are both about kids involved in horrifying events, while Stardust and Neverwhere are more of fantastical adult adventures. Good Omens is my favorite of his work, mostly because he and Terry Pratchet write an adorable relationship between an angel and demon that never ceases to make me laugh. He's also got some great short stories, his collection called Trigger Warning is a fantastic series of stories perfect for October.

Harry Potter

This wouldn't be a proper booklist without Harry Potter on it. Witches, wizards, magic toads, and a demonic evil villain are all things that make these books great for Halloween. Plus, who doesn't want to dress up as Harry or Hermione or Luna?

Lois Duncan

I discovered this author while experiencing the horror of middle school. She is probably most famous for I Know What You Did Last Summer, because it became a movie. But I also really enjoyed Lost in Time, which is about the dangers of having an immortal stepfamily. Stranger with my Face was also good, it was about twin sisters who take swapping lives a little far.

Edgar Allan Poe

Finally, the famous author/poet/tortured artist. Poe writes creepy romantic poems such as "Annabel Lee" and delightful short stories like "The Tell-Tale Heart" that just seep terror into your bones. He is a truly genius and disturbed author, and definitely appropriate for Halloween.


My house is covered in pumpkin decorations, my Halloween socks are in the wash, and my reading material is selected.

Disney: Animated vs. Live Action

When I think of my childhood, I think of the tiny little TV and VCR we had in our basement. My siblings and I would huddle around it and watch our favorite Disney movies. The magic onscreen was simple compared to what we see now, but it was enough to spark my imagination.

With all the new technology and discoveries in film and animation, our beloved Disney classics are being remade into live action films. Do we have to choose between classic and innovative? Original and modern? Childhood and adulthood?  It's all a matter of magic and imagination, so why should we have to choose?

Cinderella


Let's start with one of the most loved (and remade) Disney films. Cinderella is iconic, yes because of her fairy godmother and glass slippers, but also because of her her kindness and willingness to be happy despite the unkind people around her.

There are countless remakes of this film, including Ever After and A Cinderella Story. All have a deserving girl in a less than ideal situation who gets a sparkly dress, prince, and chance to reform her life.

But every version of this story has the same message: be kind and have courage. Prevail against the darkness in the world and rise above their expectations. Be a good person.


Jungle Book                                        

Jungle Book was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid. I loved the swing dancing monkeys, and the boy who slept in trees and played with wolves. Baloo was my favorite, a bear seemed like the ultimate best friend.

Though the tiger poses a real threat in the animated film, it's not that alarming until the climax.

The live action film, however, takes a different approach.

 

I swear to you, I have never seen anything creepier than King Louie in this year's Jungle Book. That guy was a serious beast with a mobster complex.

And he wasn't the only danger in this film. With the technology of film these days, we were reminded how crazy this story is. Mogli lives in a jungle full of real animals, not little furry friends. He has the opportunity to die at every corner of his home.

Mogli's strengths lie in his human instincts because that's what sets him apart. He is not the biggest, fastest, or scariest. But he is different, and that is much more emphasized in the live action film.


Alice in Wonderland

 I think we can all agree that this story is the result of some late nights and some interesting substance choices. But it's a story that really speaks to the colorful and wacky style of childlike dreams.

Like the animated film, the live action versions maintain the strange creatures. You never know what sort of nonsense you'll find in Wonderland. But like the Once Upon a Time spinoff, it often defies logic while making you fear for your sanity.

I love how Alice goes about this adventure with her proper English manners. She's almost unimpressed with this new world she finds herself in, which makes sense since it is her own imagination. Alice is portrayed differently in most remakes, seeming a bit more unstable and off beat.  Wonderland itself stays relatively the same level of weird, it's Alice who really changes from one portrayal to the next.

Sleeping Beauty

Now we have Maleficent's side of the story, not just the tale of Sleeping Beauty. This is a really cool way of retelling a story, take it from the villain's point of view. It changes the plot line enough to make it a completely different movie, like the case of Sleeping Beauty and Maleficent.



The dreaming Aurora dancing with her furry friends in the woods becomes a real girl who is bursting with love for life. The real difference is Maleficent herself. She may sound the same in both movies, but she is a much deeper character in her title film. She's given a purpose behind her hatred for King Stefan, and a reason for placing such a terrible curse on a baby princess.

The way this story is reimagined is beautiful. The magic, the fairies, the creatures, it's all darkly romantic, much like Maleficent. Maleficent and Aurora are such opposites, but they have a really charming relationship.


Tarzan

The animated man who can vine-surf and talk to monkeys can do some amazing things. The transformation of this classic tale to live action is breath taking. Like Jungle Book, the CGI made this film of wild creatures possible.

This was also a bit different than the original story, it gave a glimpse into Tarzan and Jane's life after their adventures in the original film.

Like Jungle Book, the audience is reminded of the vast differences between humans and beasts. Tarzan is a combination of both, because what normal guy can fly through trees so gracefully?


Snow White

Snow White is probably the second most popular remake. She's the first ever Disney princess, setting the precedent by escaping her evil stepmother's clutches and finding refuge with dwarves.

Snow White began the string of dreaming and singing princesses who fight for their future and bring joy to their lives no matter the circumstances. She's Walt Disney's darling, and filmmakers have been inspired by her for years.


Once Upon a Time is probably my favorite version of Snow White. She becomes an arrow shooting outlaw on a quest to save her prince and reclaim her kingdom. She makes mistakes, but she works hard and has so much love for the people in her life.


So while animation and live action present different versions of classic Disney tales, they both have their strengths.

With so much being done with CGI, why is animation even necessary? But there's something about animation that resonates with the audience. Movies such as Big Hero 6, How to Train a Dragon, and Cars don't need to be live action. Maybe it's just because we all grew up watching cartoons, but I don't think Disney will ever completely stop making animated films. I hope not.

I also love all the live action remakes coming out lately. I am so excited to see Beauty and the Beast next year.  There's something so enchanting about seeing fairy tales played out in our world by real people. It's really beautiful and genius film work. And though I love the classics, there's room in my heart for both. And who knows, you may discover new things from tales reimagined.