December Movie Wrap-up

My final movie list of 2022! I watched a total of 238 movies in 2022, including re-watches and including The Guardians of the Galaxy special. Letterboxd had it listed, so since I logged it there I decided to include it here. I did really love it! 

Some people gasp when I tell them I watched over 200 movies this year, but let's keep in mind that the vast majority are Hallmark movies, which are less than 90 minutes long without commercials. I watch about 40ish minutes in the morning while I eat breakfast and 40ish minutes in the afternoon while I eat lunch.

Most of the movies I watched in December were Hallmark Christmas movies, with the exception of Top Gun, Top Gun Maverick, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. I was very impressed with Top Gun: Maverick. Rarely is a sequel as good as the first one, but this sequel was so much better than the first one! I am planning to review it soon (as well as Thor: Love and Thunder), but for now I will say Top Gun: Maverick was my favorite movie of 2022.

As far as the Hallmark Christmas movies go, my favorites were The Santa Stakeout, which I reviewed on Caboodle of Cozies, and It's Christmas, Eve. Neither of those were released this year, but I've been wanting to see them since last year and I finally did. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed both of them. I had no idea that LeAnn Rimes is such a talented actress!

Campfire Christmas was released in July (for Christmas in July) and I did watch it then. However, that was the movie I was watching when I realized I had that echo in my ear that ended up lasting all week. I knew I liked it when I watched it then and I wanted to watch it again without the echo in my ear. It was a more pleasant experience this time around. :-)

However, my favorite movie of the entire holiday season was Hallmark's Hanukkah on Rye. How strange that it would be included in "Countdown to Christmas", but I do appreciate the fact that Hallmark is beginning to show more diversity in various ways. Apart from that, this was just a really well-done movie. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to watch it again and make it the last movie of the year that I watched.

1  Top Gun❄❄❄❄❄💖

2  A Christmas Cookie Catastrophe❄❄❄❄

4  The Christmas Cottage❄❄❄❄

5  A Fabled Holiday❄❄❄❄❄💖

6  Long Lost Christmas❄❄❄❄❄💖

7  Write Before Christmas❄❄❄

8  A Dickens of a Holiday❄❄❄❄❄💖

9  Open by Christmas❄❄❄❄❄💖

10 Top Gun: Maverick❄❄❄❄❄💖

12 Christmas by Starlight❄❄❄❄

 

13 The Most Colorful Time of the Year❄❄

14 Top Gun: Maverick❄❄❄❄❄💖

15 A Maple Valley Christmas❄❄❄

16 Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater❄❄❄❄

19 The Santa Stakeout❄❄❄❄❄💖

20 The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special❄❄❄❄❄💖

21 Hanukkah on Rye❄❄❄❄❄💖

22 The Holiday Sitter❄❄❄❄

23 'Twas the Night Before Christmas❄❄❄❄💖

24 It's Christmas, Eve❄❄❄❄❄💖

25 How the Grinch Stole Christmas❄❄❄❄

25 The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special❄❄❄❄❄💖

25 Haul Out the Holly❄❄❄❄💖

27 The Santa Stakeout❄❄❄❄❄💖

28 Window Wonderland❄❄❄❄💖

30 Campfire Christmas❄❄❄❄💖

30 Holiday Heritage❄❄❄❄

31 Hanukkah on Rye❄❄❄❄❄💖

And that's a wrap! This will be the last time I am posting my monthly movie wrap-up on this blog. From now on I will post it on Caboodle of Cozies. I'll be slightly altering the theme of that blog so it fits with everything else I post there. I hope to see you there!

November Movies

And here are my November movies watched, now that we are almost at the end of December!

Most of them were Hallmark movies, with the exceptions being Thor: Love and Thunder (I really will review this one soon...) and Christmas at the Drive-In (another epic fail from Great American Family). This is not to say that Hallmark never has bad movies, because they do (Fly Away With Me being one of them), but GAF overall has a very different vibe. As I said in my October list, I know they are surrounded by controversy, but I wanted to give them a fair chance. It's not going well so far.

Dating the Delaneys was the biggest surprise for me. In one way it was your average Hallmark movie, but it had a certain kind of flair to it. Maybe it was the acting. Rachel Boston and Paul Campbell rarely disappoint. 

I started watching Christmas movies in November because there are so many I want to watch. The highlight was Christmas Connection, which was released in 2017. My favorite newly released Christmas movie I watched in November was Ghosts of Christmas Always (a very unique and charming twist on A Christmas Carol). This movie was cleverly released the day before Halloween. That was followed by Haul Out the Holly, which was a very close second for me. The only reason I didn't give it five falling leaves/stars is because the plot had some issues, but overall it was a delightfully hilarious movie. There was a lot of hype around Three Wise Men and a Baby, rightfully so. Though I had some issues with the plot, it was a great movie with lots of laughs, but not a favorite of mine. I may or may not watch it again next year.

So without further ado, here's the list!

1  Love's Portrait🍂🍂🍂

2  Dating the Delaneys🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂💖

3  Marry Me In Yosemite🍂🍂🍂🍂

4  Fly Away With Me🍂🍂

7  Romance in Style🍂🍂🍂🍂

10 Lights, Camera, Christmas!🍂🍂🍂🍂💖

11 Journey Back to Christmas🍂🍂🍂🍂

13 The Most Wonderful Time of the Year🍂🍂🍂🍂

14 A Magical Christmas Village🍂🍂🍂

15 Thor: Love and Thunder🍂🍂🍂🍂💖

16 Christmas in Homestead🍂🍂🍂🍂💖

17 A Cozy Christmas Inn🍂🍂🍂🍂💖

18 The Royal Nanny🍂🍂🍂🍂💖

21 Three Wise Men and a Baby🍂🍂🍂🍂

21 A Bride for Christmas🍂🍂🍂🍂

22 Christmas Connection🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂💖

23 Ghosts of Christmas Always🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂💖

25 Murder, She Baked: A Plum Pudding Mystery🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂💖

28 Christmas at the Drive-In🍂🍂

30 Haul Out the Holly 🍂🍂🍂🍂💖 

October Movies

Yay! I am finally posting my October list of movies watched. I was pleased with most of the ones I watched, with The Good Witch Hallmark series being the highlight and Home for Harvest, a GAF (Great American Family) movie being the low-light. (I know there is a lot of controversy surrounding this channel, but I wanted to give it a fair chance. This was the first movie on this channel that I watched and the only one I watched on it this month.)

October was a crazy month for me and I didn't get to finish watching The Good Witch series of movies. That just means I have more to look forward to next year! My favorite non-Good Witch Hallmark movie was October Kiss. Sometimes they do produce something exceptional and this one definitely was. It was released in 2015. Unfortunately, none of the current October movies appealed to me as much as The Good Witch series and October Kiss did.

I really enjoyed Thor: Love and Thunder and I promise you I will review it soon. Unfortunately, Hocus Pocus 2 did not live up the excellence of the first one, but I guess that can be expected with sequels. It was okay, but not great. Also, I had forgotten how blah Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is.  I had seen it before and after this year I don't think I'll be watching it again.

So, here is the list of movies I watched in October, with the dates I watched them on the left and ghost/star ratings on the right. The sparkling heart indicates that it's a favorite even though it may not have earned all five ghosts.

2  Thor: Love and Thunder👻👻👻👻💖

3  Hocus Pocus👻👻👻👻👻💖

13 Hocus Pocus 2👻👻👻

14 October Kiss👻👻👻👻👻💖

16 The Good Witch👻👻👻👻👻💖

17 The Good Witch's Garden👻👻👻👻👻💖

19 Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events👻👻👻

25 Autumn in the City👻👻👻👻💖

26 Pumpkin Everything👻👻👻

27 A Harvest Wedding👻👻👻

28 Home for Harvest👻👻

29 The Good Witch's Gift👻👻👻👻👻💖

30 The Good Witch's Family👻👻👻👻💖

31 Pumpkin Pie Wars👻👻👻👻💖  

31 The Good Witch's Charm👻👻👻👻💖

September Movies

Here we are at the end of October and I'm finally posting my September list of movies watched.

Ten of these are Hallmark movies. I have had "The Wedding Veil" trilogy on my list ever since it first aired earlier this year. I am pleased to say it was worth the wait. I really enjoyed them. The only issue I had was the way the third one ended. It seemed rushed and unrealistic to me. Other than that, these are all movies I would most likely watch again in the future.

I re-watched a couple of cozy mysteries. I still need to post my review (on my Caboodle of Cozies blog) for "Curious Caterer: Dying for Chocolate". I've now seen it twice and still haven't reviewed it. "Her Pen Pal" and "The Secrets of Bella Vista" were just okay for me. "The Perfect Bride" was good, but probably not one I'll watch again. I really enjoyed "Sweet Autumn" and "Harvest Moon. I can see myself watching those again sometime in the future. In the fall, of course.

I'm probably in the minority, but I enjoyed the 2022 version of "Pinocchio". Yes, it's a little different, but it's still a good movie in my opinion. Not perfect, but good enough for me to call it a September favorite. I'll probably post a review of it when I get my act together.

"Pride and Prejudice" will always be a favorite even though the 2005 movie version doesn't measure up to the 1995 mini series. I could watch either of them any day. 

"Enchanted" was recommended to me. I thought it was average.

National Pirates Day was on September 19th, so I watched "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Treasure Island" on that day. I wish I could say I liked either of them enough to watch again, but that was not the case. I enjoyed "Pirates of the Caribbean" more than "Treasure Island", though. This was my second time watching "Pirates of the Caribbean". I probably won't watch it again and I am not planning to watch the rest in the series. (I should go hide now because I know some people will strongly disagree with me on this.)

"Thor: Love and Thunder" was not as good as the previous Thor movies, but I did thoroughly enjoy it. I will eventually post a review of it, but at this point I'd probably have to watch it again first. I'm okay with that.

So without further ado, here is the full list for September. I've "hearted" my favorites, though the hearts may be difficult to see because they happen to be the same color as the maple leaves.

2  "Her Pen Pal"🍁🍁🍁🍁

8  "Pinocchio" (2022)🍁🍁🍁🍁💖

11 "Pride and Prejudice" (2005)🍁🍁🍁🍁💖

14 "Enchanted"🍁🍁🍁

15 "Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery"🍁🍁🍁🍁💖

16 "Curious Caterer: Dying for Chocolate"🍁🍁🍁🍁💖

19 "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl"🍁🍁🍁

19 "Treasure Island"🍁🍁

20 "The Secrets of Bella Vista"🍁🍁🍁

21 "The Perfect Bride"🍁🍁🍁🍁

22 "Thor: Love and Thunder"🍁🍁🍁🍁💖

23 "Sweet Autumn"🍁🍁🍁🍁💖

26 "The Wedding Veil"🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁💖

27 "The Wedding Veil Unveiled"🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁💖

28 "The Wedding Veil Legacy"🍁🍁🍁🍁💖

30 "Harvest Moon"🍁🍁🍁🍁💖

August at the Movies

Here we are at the end of September and I'm just getting to my August list of movies watched. 

My focus was mostly on summer-themed Hallmark movies, but I also watched two others - "Death on the Nile" (starting the book today!) and "Grease". "Grease" was Qandi's favorite movie to listen to and after Olivia Newton-John, who played Sandy, recently passed I wanted to watch it again. It's a sweet story, I think. It isn't perfect, but the singing and dancing in it are amazing. It's a feel-good movie. Death on the Nile is a mystery with some cozy elements in it. I thought the first half was very slow, but the second half made it worth watching.

As you can see from the very few hearts in the list below, I was not overly impressed with the Hallmark movies I watched in August. I was especially looking forward to the ones that were filmed on location somewhere else besides the U.S. and Canada, but several of them were a disappointment. I found that in those movies the scenery was stunning, but the story not so much. They weren't terrible, but they weren't all that memorable either. Honestly, I can't even remember why I liked "Two Tickets to Paradise" so much. Lol. I might have to watch that one again next year if it airs then.

So here's the August list:

1  "A Splash of Love"🌞🌞🌞🌞

2  "Sweet Pecan Summer"🌞🌞🌞

3  "Moriah's Lighthouse"🌞🌞🌞🌞

4  "Two Tickets to Paradise"🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞💖 

5  "Sun, Sand, and Romance"🌞🌞🌞🌞

8  "Summer of Dreams"🌞🌞🌞🌞

9  "Wedding of Dreams"🌞🌞🌞🌞

10 "A Taste of Summer"🌞🌞🌞

12 "The Baker's Son"🌞🌞

15 "The 27-Hour Day"🌞🌞🌞

15 "Grease"🌞🌞🌞🌞💖

16 "Hidden Gems"🌞🌞🌞

22 "Groundswell"🌞🌞🌞🌞

23 "Big Sky River"🌞🌞🌞🌞

24 "Feeling Butterflies"🌞🌞

26 "Like Cats and Dogs"🌞🌞

29 "Death on the Nile" (2022)🌞🌞🌞🌞💖

31 "Love on Safari"🌞🌞🌞🌞

Stay tuned for my September list of movies watched coming soon and don't forget to check out Caboodle of Cozies where I post five days a week most months!

Christmas in July (and More) Movies

I had a couple of themes going with my movies watched in July. Hallmark celebrated Christmas in July, and so did I. There was only on true Christmas in July movie (one where they celebrate Christmas in the month of July) and it was good.  The others were simply Christmas movies that they aired in July. 

My favorite on this list is "The Nine Kittens of Christmas" (which my kittens chose not to watch with me...maybe they were jealous?). I left that one and "The Nine Lives of Christmas" on the DVR so I can watch them again around Christmastime. Maybe by then Bell and Fiona will want to watch it with me. You can read my reviews of both of those feline movies by clicking on the titles in the list below.

I watched "A Nashville Christmas Carol" twice because I really enjoyed it. That's another one I saved on the DVR so I can watch it again in December. You might think "Oh no, not ANOTHER version of A Christmas Carol", but this one was quite different, while still keeping with the main theme of the original story. It is a star-studded film with several country singers making appearances. This could have gone all wrong, but it didn't. It was very enjoyable.

My other main theme was the Disney Fairies movies. I finally finished watching the entire series and I will be posting reviews on this blog soon. What I'll tell you for now is that I am really impressed with the overall series. It's Disney at its best.

I finally watched "Hamilton", which blew me away. It lived up to the hype it so rightfully received. You can click on the title in the list below to read my full review.

I watched "The Batman" twice. The first time I thought it was just okay. I watched it again thinking I would enjoy it more the second time around. Unfortunately, I was even more turned off by it the second time. I know I'm in the minority, as it's a very popular movie. It just isn't the kind of movie that appeals to me. I didn't like the dark (literal and figurative) tone, nor the frequent use of bad language. I couldn't even bring myself to write a review about it.

I concluded the month with an all-time favorite, the original cartoon version of "Beauty and the Beast". I only gave it four stars (sunflowers on this list) because it didn't have the same magic it did when I first watched it years ago. It's still a great movie, though.

"Romance on the Menu" is the only non-Christmas Hallmark movie I watched in July. In the U.S. it's called "Hearts Down Under". The Australian setting is what appealed to me (plus I like the lead actress, Cindy Busby), but the overall movie was just average. 

In the list below, I included sparkling hearts if there was something extra special I liked about it (even if it didn't earn five stars). I don't include the hearts in my reviews anymore, but I'm still including them in my monthly wrap-up.

Without further ado, here's the full July list!

1  "Hamilton"🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻💖

6  "Pixie Hollow Games"🌻🌻🌻

7  "Secret of the Wings"🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻💖

7  "Tinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy"🌻🌻🌻🌻💖

8  "A Cheerful Christmas"🌻🌻🌻🌻💖

8  "Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast"🌻🌻🌻🌻💖

11 "The Nine Lives of Christmas"🌻🌻🌻🌻💖

11 "The Nine Kittens of Christmas"🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻💖

12 "My Grown-Up Christmas List"🌻🌻🌻🌻

14 "Romance on the Menu" (A.K.A. "Hearts Down Under")🌻🌻🌻

15 "Christmas in Dollywood"🌻🌻🌻🌻

18 "Campfire Christmas"🌻🌻🌻🌻💖

19 "The Batman"🌻🌻🌻

20 "Christmas at Graceland"🌻🌻🌻

21 "Last Vermont Christmas"🌻🌻🌻🌻

22 "A Nashville Christmas Carol"🌻🌻🌻🌻💖

22 "The Batman"🌻🌻

24 "A Nashville Christmas Carol"🌻🌻🌻🌻💖

28 "Beauty and the Beast" (1991)🌻🌻🌻🌻💖

Be on the lookout for my reviews of the Tinker Bell series. I'll soon be posting reviews of each individual movie.

Do you celebrate Christmas in July? If so, how? Tell me in the comments below!

Not Quite 23 Movies I Watched in June

June was a busy month since the wall-to-wall carpet was replaced. It was chaos for a while and it's been quite the feat putting everything back together again, though it's also been a good opportunity to declutter and donate.

In the midst of the chaos I have found a reprieve in lots of great movies, although not quite 23 in June. Hallmark aired a bunch of wedding-themed movies over the past few months and I recorded them so I could watch them during wedding season here in the U.S. The first one I watched, "One Perfect Wedding" is part of a trilogy. Unfortunately, this third one was not as good as the first two ("One Winter Weekend" and "One Winter Proposal").

Not all of the Hallmark movies I watched are wedding-themed, though. I loved "Rip in Time" so much that I watched it again this month. I do need to review that one. "Color My World with Love" is semi-wedding-themed and the two leads have Down Syndrome (in real life, too). At some point soon, I want to post a review about that one. There were also a few summer-themed Hallmark romcoms that I watched. I'm such a seasonal movie-watcher and I'm glad Hallmark caters to this. While not all Hallmark movies are spectacular, even the average ones are a great comfort to me.

I also watched some of the Disney Fairies movies, which so far are AMAZING!! There are seven Disney Fairies movies and I am planning to watch and post reviews of all of them, most likely in July. 

The only mystery movie I watched was a Miss Marple one. The Miss Marple movies are not bad, but they are also not my favorites. I've also been watching season 2 of "Murder, She Wrote" and some of the Sherlock Holmes television episodes. I really enjoy both of those, but especially "Murder, She Wrote". I will be reviewing "Murder, She Wrote", but it will probably be about another month before I share that one.

Disney+ released "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" in June. I watched it twice. I enjoyed it even less the second time! To see my full review of it, you can click on the link in the list below.

On Disney+, I also watched the "Obi-Wan Kenobi" series and I'm still watching "Ms. Marvel". I reviewed "Obi-Wan Kenobi" and I'll be doing the same for "Ms. Marvel" in a couple of weeks after the finale airs.

Here's the full list of movies I watched in June, next to the dates on which I watched them. Since the roses have been blooming, that's what I used to rate them (five roses being the highest rating), along with the heart if they are extra special.

2  "Tinker Bell"🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹💖

3  "One Perfect Wedding"🌹🌹½

4  "Tinker Bell"🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹💖

6  "Miss Marple:  The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side" (1992)🌹🌹🌹

7  "The Last Bridesmaid"🌹🌹🌹🌹💖

9  "Wedding Every Weekend"🌹🌹🌹🌹💖

10 "Stop the Wedding"🌹🌹🌹🌹💖

12 "Rip in Time"🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹💖

13 "Color My World with Love"🌹🌹🌹🌹½💖

14 "In My Dreams"🌹🌹🌹🌹

21 "Caribbean Summer"🌹🌹🌹🌹

22 "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness"🌹🌹🌹

23 "Chasing Waterfalls"🌹🌹🌹🌹

24 "Every Time a Bell Rings"🌹🌹🌹

26 "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness"🌹🌹

27 "Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure"🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹💖

27 "Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue"🌹🌹🌹🌹💖

28 "The Vows We Keep"🌹🌹🌹🌹💖

30 "In the Key of Love"🌹🌹🌹

Starting in July, I will not be using ½ stars anymore and I probably won't use hearts anymore either. I want to have a consistent rating system for books and movies, and since Goodreads does not allow ½ stars nor hearts, I've decided to use their rating system for movies as well. I hope you'll take a look at my list of books read this year on the right sidebar of my blog. I will definitely be reviewing books soon, just like I do some movies, In fact, I have something brand new coming later in July specifically for cozy mysteries, so stay tuned for that!

As far as movies go in July, Hallmark is doing Christmas in July, so I'll be watching a lot of those. I'll also continue watching, "Murder, She Wrote", "Ms. Marvel", and the Miss Marple and Sherlock Holmes movies and episodes. This in addition to reading a few more books, too. I'm looking forward to another fun-filled month ahead!

This is the May Movie-thon

Woweeeee! This was indeed The May. Far more than 23 movies were watched!

My main focus in May, as you can see, was Star Wars. I had seen all of the Star Wars live-action movies before, some more than once, but this time I re-watched and reviewed all of them. In the list below, organized by date watched, I linked them to the posts where I reviewed them. Some are listed twice...because I watched them twice this May. :-) I really wanted to get a full understanding of them and I believe I accomplished that, though I'll probably give the sequel trilogy another chance next year.

I couldn't make May all about Star Wars, though. I did watch other movies. Most others are Hallmark. Some are romcoms and others are cozy mysteries. One series of movies I watched were Hallmark's Flower Shop Mysteries, starring Brooke Shields as the amateur sleuth. I was not entirely impressed with this series and I'm not upset that they no longer make them. Those are my least favorite Hallmark mysteries that I've seen so far.

I also watched two Miss Marple and one Hercule Poirot movies on DVDs that are part of a set which was a birthday gift. These are two of the most famous amateur sleuths in the history of cozy mysteries, created by Agatha Christie. Overall, I prefer the more modern cozy mysteries, but these are not too bad either.

In addition to these, I've also been watching "Murder, She Wrote" and "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes". These are old t.v. series that I'll review after watching each season. I am almost done watching the first season of "Murder, She Wrote", but it may be a while before I review them because I only watch those once a week or once every couple of weeks.

My favorite movie this month was by far "Rip In Time". It's a new Hallmark movie and while it is a romcom, it's very different than any others I've seen. I came to really love Niall Matter in the Aurora Teagarden Mysteries and he did an exceptional job starring in "Rip In Time". It's a fresh take with a unique twist on the classic tale, "Rip Van Winkle". "Rip in Time is both heart-warming and hilarious. I laughed out loud throughout the movie.  I will definitely watch that one again soon and maybe post a review of it.

This month I used stars to represent Star Wars to rate the movies, plus the sparkling heart if there was something extra special about them. The total number of stars possible is five.

Here's the full month of May list:

1 "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope"🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟💖

2 "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story"🌟🌟🌟🌟½💖

3 "Mum's the Word: A Flower Shop Mystery"🌟🌟🌟

4 "Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back"🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟💖

5 "Snipped in the Bud: A Flower Shop Mystery"🌟🌟🌟½

6 "Dearly Depotted: A Flower Shop Mystery"🌟🌟🌟🌟

6 "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace"🌟🌟🌟🌟½💖

8 "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones"🌟🌟🌟🌟

9 "Miss Marple: The Murder at the Vicarage" (1986)🌟🌟🌟

10 "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" (2000)🌟🌟🌟🌟

10 "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith"🌟🌟🌟🌟½💖

11 "Surprised By Love"🌟🌟🌟½

12 "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones"🌟🌟🌟🌟½💖

12 "Solo: A Star Wars Story"🌟🌟🌟🌟💖

13 "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith"🌟🌟🌟🌟½💖

14 "Solo: A Star Wars Story"🌟🌟🌟🌟💖

14 "Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi"🌟🌟🌟🌟💖

16 "Curious Caterer: Dying for Chocolate"🌟🌟🌟🌟½💖

17 "Heart of the Matter"🌟🌟🌟🌟½💖

18 "Warming Up To You"🌟🌟🌟🌟½💖

19 "The Magic of Ordinary Days"🌟🌟🌟🌟

20 "The Love Letter" (1998)🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟💖

21 "Bottled With Love"🌟🌟🌟

23 "Miss Marple: A Caribbean Mystery" (1989)🌟🌟🌟

24 "Rip In Time"🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟💖

25 "The Presence of Love"🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟💖

26 "The Irresistible Blueberry Farm"🌟🌟🌟🌟

27 "Just One Kiss"🌟🌟🌟

28 "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens"🌟🌟🌟🌟½💖

29 "Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi"🌟🌟🌟

30 "Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker"🌟🌟🌟½💖

June will be filled with wedding-themed Hallmark romcoms. A photographer friend of mine told me we're in the midst of wedding season, so this is the perfect time of year to watch those (most of which have been recorded over the past few months).

I'll also continue watching "Murder, She Wrote", "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes", and the Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot movies. I've already started watching "Obi-Wan Kenobi", the Star Wars series on Disney+, and I'll also be watching the upcoming "Ms. Marvel" series.

If you want to see what I've been reading, don't forget to check out my list of books read on the right sidebar of my blog. The most current book I read will always be on top. Sometime soon I am planning to start posting reviews of books. I've been reading so many good ones and I want to share them with you!

Cheers to all of you and Happy June!

Growth

As I stood before this tree
Nature softy spoke to me
and said

Listen

Vision

Belief
Hope
Resilience
Interdependence
Communication
Kindness
Love

This
is how we grow.

"Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" (SPOILER ALERT)

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐½💖

According to traditional machete order, the next movie after "The Empire Strikes Back" is "Attack of the Clones". "Return of the Jedi" will come later. 

Traditional machete order completely skips "The Phantom Menace", which I believe is tragic (skipping it, not the movie itself). It is probably the most hated Star Wars movie. That assessment of it has never made sense to me. It's one of my favorites and I believe it is important to the overall Star Wars story. So I chose to watch it next.

I am going to approach this review differently. Since it is so hated, I am going to list 23 reasons why I respectfully disagree. In no specific order, here is why I love "The Phantom Menace":

1.  This is the movie where Luke's and Leia's parents meet. It is a major part of the Skywalker story.

2.  I happen to adore Jar Jar Binks.

3.  We see more of Yoda, arguably the most iconic Star Wars character.

4.  We get to know young Anakin, which begins the evolution of another iconic character.

5.  Contrary to popular opinion, I believe Jake Lloyd nailed the role of young Anakin.

6.  Qui-Gon Jinn is an amazing character who is strong with the Force.

7.  The Duel of Fates battle is epic.

8.  A defining moment for Obi-Wan Kenobi is when he kills Darth Maul.

9.  Obi-Wan Kenobi's character shines through his faithfulness to Qui-Gon and young Anakin.

10. We find out who created C-3PO and how he meets his bud, R2-D2.

11. There are some memorable quotes in Episode 1.

12. The scenery is a feast for my eyes.

13. The journey to the underwater city is so much fun!

14. The overall creativity continues.

15.  Rated PG, it's suitable for adults and children alike.

16. The elaborate costumes are stunning.

17. The podrace is fun to watch, with Anakin in the driver's seat.

18. Amidst all the action, there is also some comic relief.

19. It has stood the test of time. I enjoy it as much today as I did the first time I watched it.

20. Padmé is a fierce woman who gets her time to shine in this movie.

21. The music makes me feel the action.

22. Qui-Gon's death scene is poignant.

23. Palpatine being elected Chancellor at the end is significant in the saga.

A few items on the list are true for other Star Wars movies as well, but they're worth mentioning here because they help make Episode 1 what it is. It isn't the epic masterpiece that "The Empire Strikes Back" is, but it is still a great movie worth watching. I recommend not omitting this from any Star Wars marathon. If you've never seen it, watch it again, ignore the reviews and judge for yourself. If you've already seen it and didn't like it, give it another chance. It's the kind of movie that could grow on you.

23 Movies I Watched in April 2022

April was a good movie-watching month! It started out slow with "Peter Pan", the original, which I thought was just okay, but a couple of movies later, it really picked up with some movies I really enjoyed. Only a handful of these are produced by Hallmark and despite their cheesy titles, there was only one of those that didn't earn a heart. 

The reason I started with "Peter Pan" is because after reading "A Sprinking of Murder: A Fairy Garden Mystery", I started believing in fairies and really taking a liking to the whole idea of them. So I watched "Peter Pan" mainly to see Tinker Bell. I ended the month with her live action origin movie, which I loved more than words can say! I cannot wait to watch the rest of them in her series.

"Austenland", which is based on "Pride and Prejudice" was a huge disappointment to me. I guess they can't all be good, even if they are based on "Pride and Prejudice".

"Small Fry" and "22 vs. Earth" are both movie shorts, each lasting about ten minutes. "Small Fry" is based on "Toy Story" and "22 vs. Earth" is based on "Soul". I've seen both "Toy Story and "Soul" and I liked them, but the movie shorts were just average. I've seen some movie shorts in the past that were really good, so it is possible to fit a good story into such a short amount of time.

I gave some of these movies their own blog posts. In the list below, the links to those reviews are within the title. They should show up in brown on your screen (yellow when you hover over the title). So just click on the title to read the review. The highest rating a movie could get is five tulips.

1  "Peter Pan"🌷🌷

4  "Return to Never Land"🌷🌷🌷

5  "Turning Red"🌷🌷🌷🌷💖

6  "Turning Red"🌷🌷🌷🌷💖

7  "The Color of Rain"🌷🌷🌷🌷💖

8  "Moonlight in Vermont"🌷🌷🌷🌷💖

12 "Pride and Prejudice"🌷🌷🌷🌷½💖

17 "Easter Under Wraps"🌷🌷🌷🌷½💖

18 "Peter Rabbit" 🌷🌷🌷🌷💖

18 "Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway"🌷🌷🌷🌷💖

19 "The Biggest Little Farm"🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷💖 

21 "Austenland"🌷🌷

22 "The Biggest Little Farm: The Return"🌷🌷🌷🌷

22 "Nature of Love"🌷🌷🌷🌷½💖

25 "Spider-Man: No Way Home"🌷🌷🌷🌷½💖

26 "Cloudy With a Chance of Love"🌷🌷🌷🌷💖

27 "Tulips in Spring"🌷🌷🌷

27 "Spider-Man: No Way Home"🌷🌷🌷🌷½💖

28 "Bright Star"🌷🌷🌷🌷½💖

29 "Small Fry"🌷🌷🌷

29 "22 vs. Earth🌷🌷🌷

29 "A Quiet Passion"🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷💖

30 "Tinker Bell"🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷💖

I want to add that I watched a couple of these over a period of two or three days. The dates listed here are the dates I finished watching them.

On a closing note, I am really disappointed that Candace Cameron Bure switched the the GAC Network. This also means there will be no more Aurora Teagarden Mysteries, to my knowledge. I wasn't really crazy about her Christmas movies, but I loved the mysteries. I'm glad I watched them last month before she left the network because it wouldn't have been the same knowing that was the end of them. Part of the excitement of watching them was knowing there was more to come.

May is going to be another busy movie month. It is Star Wars Month, so I'll be re-watching all nine episode movies (and reviewing them), re-watching both seasons of "The Mandalorian", watching "The Book of Boba Fett" series for the first time, and concluding with the new "Obi Wan Kenobi" series (which will spill over into June).

On top of all of this, I will also watch Hallmark's three Flower Shop Mysteries, as well as the Caps playoff run. 

Then I might need a long vacation on a deserted island.

Happy movie watching to all of you!

March Movie Madness

In March I watched a total of 24 movies, with 23 of them being produced by Hallmark. The only exception was the 2021 release of "West Side Story", which I felt was average.

I wanted to finish watching all of the Aurora Teagarden Mysteries that have aired to date, and I did. I recently reviewed the first two books in the series (click here to read my review) and now I'll share a little about the movies.

This is a rare exception where I felt the movies were much better than the two books in the series that I read. Whereas the books focus primarily on Roe's day-to-day life, the movies really have well-developed mysteries. The movies are also more cozy than the books. There is an ongoing storyline throughout the movies, which ties it all together, but each movie is a separate mystery. The secondary ongoing plot is just a minor part of the movies and it does not overpower the mysteries.

Candace Cameron Bure makes a fantastic on screen Roe, although very different than in the books. However, it's really the supporting cast that takes this series of movies to a higher level. I liked seeing the same familiar faces each time. Most of them were on Roe's side and they worked with her to solve the mysteries. I found this comforting, like coming home to old friends each time. Others saw her as a nuisance, but deep down even they knew she was observant and smart.

On the rare occasion when one or more of the supporting cast was absent from a movie, they were dearly missed. The entire cast had amazing chemistry. My favorite character was Roe's best friend, Sally. I enjoyed seeing her quirky personality. 

I definitely had a least favorite in this movie series, "A Bundle of Trouble", but even that was a great movie. Later in the series, I was often able to figure out whodunnit almost as soon as that character was introduced. Still, the movies held my attention and I was curious to see how it would unfold.

Another Hallmark mystery I watched in March was one that was just released this year, "Cut, Color, Murder". (Is it weird that I intentionally watched this one the week Qandi and I both got our hair done?) I am hoping this becomes a series. I really enjoyed it. I can definitely see myself watching it again even though I know how it ends. Knowing the ending does not always ruin it for me. It's like seeing what a jigsaw puzzle is supposed to look like when it's done, but still enjoying putting the pieces together.

The other movies I watched were spring-themed romcoms. My favorite of those was "It Was Always You". To my delight, there were several scenes involving the consumption of popcorn. But beyond that, I also enjoyed watching the plot unfold. None of them measured up the Aurora Teagarden Mysteries, though.

Here's the full list, with the date I watched them to the left. They could earn a total of five cherry blossoms. The heart means it's a favorite of mine.

1   "Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: The Julius House"🌸🌸🌸🌸

2   "West Side Story" (2021)🌸🌸🌸

3   "Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Dead Over Heels"🌸🌸🌸🌸

8   "Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: A Bundle of Trouble"🌸🌸🌸

9   "Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Last Scene Alive"🌸🌸🌸🌸💖

10 "Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Reap What You Sew"🌸🌸🌸½

11  "Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: The Disappearing Game"🌸🌸🌸🌸

14  "Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: A Game of Cat and Mouse"🌸🌸🌸🌸½💖

15  "Forever in My Heart"🌸🌸🌸

15  "Cut, Color, Murder"🌸🌸🌸🌸💖

16  "It Was Always You"🌸🌸🌸🌸💖

17  "Royally Ever After"🌸🌸½

17  "As Luck Would Have It"🌸🌸🌸

21  "Hearts of Spring"🌸🌸🌸

22  "Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: An Inheritance to Die For"🌸🌸🌸🌸½💖

23  "Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: A Very Foul Play"🌸🌸🌸🌸½

24  "Fashionably Yours"🌸🌸🌸🌸💖

25  "A Brush With Love"🌸🌸½

27  "Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Heist and Seek"🌸🌸🌸🌸½💖

28  "Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Reunited and it Feels So Deadly"🌸🌸🌸🌸½💖

28  "Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: How to Con a Con"🌸🌸🌸🌸

29  "Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Til Death Do Us Part"🌸🌸🌸🌸½💖

30  "Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Honeymoon, Honeymurder"🌸🌸🌸🌸

31  "Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Haunted By Murder"🌸🌸🌸🌸½💖

12 Memories from the Last Day I Spent with Stephanie

Twelve years ago today I saw my best friend for the last time (little did I know it would be). To observe this date, here are twelve memories from that beautiful day spent with Stephanie.

1. We went to the Baltimore Aquarium during the day.

2. We had dinner at Houlihan's near the Aquarium. (That location permanently closed three years later.) 

3. Stephanie's mom taught me how to use my glucose monitor that evening, as it was when I was just starting to regularly check my blood sugar. (I rarely have the need to check it anymore.)

4. The chopped salad I had for dinner that evening was the best I've ever had, even to this day. 

5. We saw a dolphin show at the Aquarium.

6. While watching the dolphin show, I ate a sandwich that I had brought from home. This was why I only ate a salad for dinner. I wasn't very hungry.

7. The sea creatures at the Aquarium were mesmerizing.

8. The weather that day was cool and misty. I didn't wear a coat...and I regretted it.

9. It was during my spring break. (It was during what would end up being my last year of teaching.)

10. We were celebrating Stephanie's birthday, exactly two months late. 

11. It wasn't just Stephanie and me who were together that day. There were five of us.

12. My last memory of my best friend is a happy one. It was a good day.

To see pictures taken on that day, check out this post: "One Last Time".

23 Different Movies I Watched in February 2022

Okay, so this month I did plan my movie watching experiences so that I would see 23 of them by the end of the month. Below is a list of those movies. The numbers to the left are the dates in February on which I watched them. The number of snowflakes, with 5 being the highest rating, indicates how good I thought they were and the heart indicates it's a definite favorite that I will likely watch again sometime. Most, but not all, of these are Hallmark movies.

1  "A Bone to Pick": An Aurora Teagarden Mystery"❆❆❆❆

1  "Real Murders": An Aurora Teagarden Mystery"❆❆❆❆1/2💖

2  "Three Bedrooms, One Corpse: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery"❆❆❆❆1/2

3  "Mrs. Doubtfire"❆❆❆❆💖 (Click title for full review)

4  "The Shop Around the Corner"❆❆❆

7  "A Knight's Tale"❆❆❆❆💖 (Click title for full review)

9  "Lost in Austen"❆❆❆❆❆💖

10 "Marple: The Body in the Library"❆❆1/2

10 "Miss Marple: The Murder at the Vicarage"❆❆❆1/2

11 "Love, Romance, and Chocolate"❆❆❆1/2

12 "Love on Ice"❆❆❆❆💖

13 "Love Under the Rainbow"❆❆❆❆💖 (Click title for full review)

14 "Matching Hearts"❆❆

14 "Valentine Ever After"❆❆❆1/2💖

14 "All Things Valentine"❆❆❆❆💖

15 "Winter Love Story"❆❆❆1/2

16 "Winter's Dream"❆❆❆

17 "Amazing Winter Romance"❆❆❆❆1/2💖

21 "Love on the Slopes"❆❆❆❆1/2💖

22 "Winter in Vail"❆❆❆❆

23 "Winter Castle"❆❆❆

24 "A Royal Winter"❆❆❆

28 "Hearts of Winter"❆❆❆❆1/2💖

27 "Crossword Mysteries: Abracadavar"❆❆❆❆1/2💖

The one I watched on the 27th was a re-watch from January, so it isn't a "different" movie. It's my favorite Hallmark mystery movie that I've seen so far. I thought maybe I wouldn't enjoy it as much the second time around since I already knew how it ended, but I actually enjoyed and appreciated it more after the re-watch. I picked up on clues that I hadn't noticed before, so that was fun to see. When I first rated it, I gave it 4 snowflakes. For the re-watch I added half a snowflake. 

My clear February favorite was "Lost in Austen". I definitely need to take the time to re-watch this one and write a review for it. It's a very unique and engaging twist on "Pride & Prejudice", while still staying true in many ways to the original. If you're a "Pride and Prejudice" fan, I highly recommend "Lost in Austen"!

Note that a movie did not have to earn five snowflakes to receive a heart. The heart just means there was something unique about it that touched me. In some cases, the discussion I had with someone about it afterward increased the rating because that person gave me a new appreciation for it.

In March, I am planning to watch the rest of the Aurora Teagarden Mysteries. There are 18 of them in all. I am not sure which other movies I'll watch, but I'm sure there will be five more to make it a list of 23.

I also started watching the 80s-90s series "Murder, She Wrote". All 12 seasons are streaming on the free version of Peacock. They also air on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, but they are easier to watch on the streaming Peacock platform. I never watched the show before, so they will all be new to me. So far, I watched the first two episodes and I loved them. Those two were one mystery. I believe the rest of the episodes through the 12 seasons are all individual mysteries.

Have you seen any of these? Is so, tell me what you think in the comments below!

23 Movies I Watched in January 2022

Many of you know by now that 23 is my favorite number, which is why most of the lists on my blog consist of 23 items. However, I promise you I did not plan ahead to watch 23 movies this January. It just happened that way! (Maybe listing "Eternals" twice is cheating a bit, but since I watched it twice in January, I'm counting it twice for this list.)

I started the month with a movie I had already seen in December, but since I loved it so much I decided to begin this year with it. It's interesting to note I began and ended the month with two train movies. I do love train movies, but I did not plan it that way. Those two also happen to be my two favorite movies from this month. The only other one I gave the maximum of five stars to (snowflakes, for the purpose of this list), was "North to Home", a new original Hallmark movie. It's quite a departure from the typical Hallmark romance and I appreciated that change.

All three of my five star/snowflake movies won me over with the spot-on cast and engaging storyline, but "The Christmas Train" also won me over with the unexpected twist at the end. Without that element of surprise, I would have given it four stars. 

My least favorite was Hallmark's first new movie of 2022, "Where Your Heart Belongs". It was just okay and I'm glad I watched it early in the month.

Most of these movies had some sort of winter theme, with the exception of a small handful. I'll probably always watch Marvel movies as soon as they are available to stream at no extra charge, so that's why I watched "Eternals" in January. I watched all of the "Crossword Mysteries" movies because January is National  Puzzle Month. I watched "Christopher Robin" in honor of Winnie the Pooh Day. "North to Home", "The Birthday Wish", and "Don't Forget I Love You" all had a birthday theme, which I watched the week of Stephanie's birthday.

Note that a movie did not have to earn the maximum of five stars/snowflakes in order for me to consider it a favorite. A favorite means there was some element of it that moved me in a way the others didn't. I am very likely to revisit my favorites at some point.

The number to the left of each movie is the date on which I watched it. The snowflakes take the place of star ratings, with five snowflakes being the best. Half stars are used for some of them. A heart indicates that it is one of my favorites from the month. 

So without further ado, here is my January 2022 list of movies I watched:

2 "The Christmas Train"❄❄❄❄❄💖

3 "Where Your Heart Belongs"❄❄

3 "The Christmas Promise"❄❄❄❄💖

4 "A Timeless Christmas"❄❄❄💖

5 "Sugar Plum Twist"❄❄❄❄💖

6 "Christmas Under Wraps"❄❄❄

7 "One Winter Weekend"❄❄❄💖

10 "Crossword Mysteries: A Puzzle to Die For"❄❄❄

11 "Crossword Mysteries: Proposing Murder"❄❄❄

12 "Eternals"❄❄❄

12 "Crossword Mysteries: Abracadaver"❄❄❄❄💖

13 "Eternals"❄❄❄

17 "The Lost Valentine"❄❄❄❄

18 "Christopher Robin"❄❄❄ ½💖

19 "Taking a Shot at Love"❄❄❄ ½💖

20 "One Winter Proposal"❄❄❄💖

21 "Crossword Mysteries: Terminal Descent"❄❄❄ ½

22 "Murder on the Orient Express" (1974)❄❄ ½

24 "Crossword Mysteries: Riddle Me Dead"❄❄❄ ½💖

25 "North to Home"❄❄❄❄❄💖

26 "The Birthday Wish"❄❄ ½

28 "Don't Forget I Love You"❄❄❄ ½

31 "Murder on the Orient Express" (2017)❄❄❄❄❄💖

It was a fun month of movie-watching and I'm looking forward to February films. Of course, with Valentine's Day being in February, there will be some movies with love as the theme. (That shouldn't be too difficult to find with Hallmark. LOL.) However, February is also National Library Lovers Month, so I'll also watch all or most of the "Aurora Teagarden Mysteries". The main character, who is also the amateur sleuth, is a librarian. There are 17 of those movies, none of which I have seen, with the 18th set to be released in February. I have my work cut out for me. :-)

23 DIFFERENT Christmas-themed Movies I Watched

So, this holiday season (which for me ran from the day after Thanksgiving through January 6th), I watched "a few" movies with a Christmas theme. I didn't plan to watch 23 different movies, but I guess it's no surprise that I did. I watched all of these, except for one, for the first time. Most of them were produced by Hallmark, but there were a few that were not. Here's the complete list:

Produced by Hallmark
"A Godwink Christmas"
"A Royal Christmas"
"A Timeless Christmas"
"A Veteran's Christmas"
"Christmas in Tahoe"
"Christmas Under Wraps"
"Christmas Waltz"
"Gingerbread Miracle"
"Let It Snow"
"Next Stop, Christmas"
"Northern Lights of Christmas"
"Sugar Plum Twist"
"The Christmas Contest"
The Christmas Note"
"The Christmas Promise"
"The Christmas Secret"
"The Christmas Train"
"The Nine Kittens of Christmas" (Read my review here.)
"The Nine Lives of Christmas" (Read my review here.)
"Time for Us to Come Home for Christmas"

Not produced by Hallmark 
"A Christmas Carol" (1984) (Read my review here.)

"Gremlins"
"Little Women" (1994)
"Little Women" (2019)

My favorite of them all was the 2019 Greta Gerwig's "Little Women". My review is coming soon! The reason why I say I watched 23 DIFFERENT movies is because although I watched a total of 24 movies, I watched two versions of "Little Women".

What was I thinking when I watched "Gremlins" years ago and loved it?? I can't see myself watching it again. It was my least favorite this holiday season.

Candace Cameron Bure is supposedly the queen of Hallmark Christmas movies. I had never seen any of her movies until this past holiday season (though I've seen her in her t.v. show, "Full House"). Her Christmas movies I watched this holiday season were "A Christmas Contest", "Christmas Under Wraps", and "Let It Snow". "A Christmas Contest" is her most recent Christmas movie, which premiered this past holiday season. I did not have high hopes for it when I saw the previews, but I gave it a chance anyway. It turned out to be my least favorite Hallmark movies of all the ones I watched this holiday season. The other two were better, but still did not impress me as much as I had hoped they would. "Christmas Under Wraps" and "Let It Snow" aren't bad movies. They're just your typical Hallmark, very predictable, romance with no real surprises.

Lacey Chabert (who, bless her heart, sadly lost her sister just before Lacey's latest Christmas movie premiered in December) is another very popular and well-loved Hallmark star. I favor her acting over Candace Cameron Bure's. I first saw Lacey in "Pride, Prejudice, and Mistletoe" (read my brief review here) last year. This year, the movies she starred in that I watched were "A Royal Christmas", "Christmas Waltz" and "Time for Us to Come Home for Christmas". They were all pretty good, but my favorite of these was the latter. "Time for Us to Come Home for Christmas" was a bit of a mystery, which is what I enjoyed most about it. 

One actress I discovered this holiday season and really like is Kimberley Sustad. She starred in "A Godwink Christmas", "The Nine Kittens of Christmas", and "The Nine Lives of Christmas". We all know I love the cat movies because they had cats in them, but Kimberley Sustad is also why I liked them so much. "A Godwink Christmas" was the first in a series of Godwink movies, which came out in 2018. It's really just another Hallmark movie with the same basic plot, but the acting was phenomenal by both leads. That's why I liked it so much.

"Sugar Plum Twist" and "The Christmas Train" were two more standouts from this list. I didn't have high expectations for "Sugar Plum Twist", but it surprised me. It has a sweet plot that didn't just focus on romance and the acting was believable. "The Christmas Train" is based on a book that I have not yet read, but Hallmark did a great job with this movie. The acting was great all around (Morgan Freeman in a Hallmark movie?!) and their was an unexpected plot twist at the end. I like when a movie is engaging throughout and then surprises me at the end. "The Christmas Train" did all of that for me.

I am going to continue watching Hallmark movies because I just love them so much. I'll list my reasons in a future blog post. I am especially looking forward to watching their mystery movies, starting with Crossword Mysteries starring Lacey Chabert! I thought this was a good series of movies to start with because January happens to be National Puzzle Month!

October Movies List - 22 Plus a Few

I was reading an article this morning in which the author wrote about how, even as an adult, she has never outgrown the magic of Halloween.  I feel the same way. While I don't go trick-or-treating anymore and my only costume this year were cat ears and a collar (a Halloween-themed necklace I made years ago) that I wore during an informal virtual meetup, I celebrated all month long in other ways. I read several cozy mysteries and, just like last year, I watched a lot of movies (along with a few Halloween-themed episodes of t.v. shows). Once again, I watched too many to write reviews for all of them, but I've compiled a list and I've provided links for the ones that have reviews. 

The ones in green are movies I've seen before and the ones in orange are the ones I watched for the first time. Here's what I watched this October (listed in alphabetical order):

"Alice in Wonderland"

"Alice Through the Looking Glass"

"Black Widow" (Read my review here.)

"Clue"

"Death Comes to Pemberley" (Read my review here.)

"Frankenweenie" (1984)

"Frankenweenie" (2012)

"Halloweentown"

"Halloweentown High"

"Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge"

"Hocus Pocus"

"Into the Woods"

"Labrynth"

"Monsters University"

"Monsters, Inc."

"Muppets Haunted Mansion"

"Murder, She Baked: Just Desserts" (Read my review here.)

"Return to Halloweentown"

"Run"

"Sleepy Hollow"

"The Good Witch"

"The Haunted Mansion"

 My favorites from the entire list are "Black Widow", "Death Comes to Pemberley", "Hocus Pocus", "Monsters University" (surprisingly slightly better than "Monsters Inc."), "Run" (but difficult to watch because of the subject matter), and "Sleepy Hollow". I don't usually like gory movies, but "Sleepy Hollow" is an exception. Johnny Depp's character adds a bit of light-heartedness, which makes the gory scenes easier to tolerate. He is almost as disgusted with gore as I am!

In addition to these movies, I can add some Halloween-themed episodes that I watched - "WandaVision" (which I still love as much as I did the first time I watched it), "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown", and "Friends". The actor, James Michael Tyler, who played the beloved coffee shop manager, Gunther, recently passed away from cancer. I am happy he's in the Halloween episode and I can honor his memory by watching it (and all of the other 150+ episodes he's in). He was like the seventh "friend" and he will be missed.

If you'd like to read what I watched last year, click here.

And that's a wrap on October 2021! I have lots of movies and books lined up already for November and December. Stay tuned!

23 Movies on My Halloween Month List

There are so many movies I want to see! In the spirit of Halloween, I made a list of 23 movies I want to watch this month. Some of them are VERY loosely related to Halloween, but they are still fun movies. I won't have time to watch all of them, so I'll start with the ones I can access at home at no extra charge. Then I will borrow the rest from the library this year or save them for next year. 

In alphabetical order, here's my "in the spirit of Halloween" list:

1. "Beetlejuice"

2. "Birdman"

3. " The Birds"

4. "Bram Stoker's Dracula"

5. "Casper"

6. "Coco"

7. "Get Out"

8. "Halloweentown"

9. "Hocus Pocus"

10. "Horror Express"

11. "Hotel Transylvania 1"

12. "Hotel Transylvania 2"

13. "Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation"

14. "Interview with the Vampire"

15. "Jumanji"

16. "Jumanji: The Next Level"

17. "Monsters, Inc."

18. "Nightmare Before Christmas"

19. "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies"

20. "Sleepy Hollow"

21. "The Shining"

22. "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride"

23. "Zathura: A Space Adventure"

I have seen some of these (the ones in green), but I have posted reviews for none of them. If I plan to watch them again, it means I really like them. You'll notice a wide variety of genres in my choices. I don't really have a favorite genre. I just enjoy watching good movies of almost any kind.

Note:  I saw the first "Jumanji", but it was before I started reviewing movies. I watched and reviewed "Welcome to the Jungle" (you can read that review here) and I have not seen "The Next Level" yet. That's why I skipped the one I already reviewed, but included the others, when I wrote my list.

Do you see any on the list that you've seen or want to see? Are there any Halloween-themed movies that aren't on the list that you would suggest I add?