First movies to be watched in the new year! Just a handful, but I suspect this will increase quickly as the end of 2014 movies are being released in early 2015. My goal is not to write about 100+ movies in 2 movie posts like I did last year...LoL Yeah, I didn't realize that either until I was doing my recap for last year's movies. Whoops!
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, etc) - Just about what you'd expect from a Night at the Museum movie. I liked the end of the trilogy. I thought it worked well and wrapped some things. It was especially poignant with Williams in it. Hugh Jackman had a great scene and I'd see him in "Camelot"! Grade: B
Boyhood (Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette) - Had to see this after hearing about it and also hearing they filmed it over 12 years. It was pretty good. It sometimes took you a little bit to figure out it skipped to the next year, but it was an interesting look at someone growing up. I kind of liked how the movie was about him growing up, but it also was about everyone else growing up too (e.g., his mom). It was good. Grade: B/B+
Taken 3 (Liam Neeson) - Erm...I knew this was going to be bad when I heard/saw absolutely zero marketing for this! When Chris told me it was out, I seriously thought it was one of those spin-offs that no one hears about or straight to DVD...It's pretty bad and pretty predictable. The end action scene I didn't really enjoy, but I liked the other ones in the movie earlier on. It was too long, though. Grade: D
No Good Deed (Taraji P. Henson, Idris Elba) - Sometimes, there are reasons why you never hear about movies in theater...Yeah, this was one of them. It was really bad...I did like the twist, though. That I wasn't expecting. The movie definitely led you to believe it was a coincidence, but then you find out the true motive. So that was kind of interesting, but it really was bad. Grade: D
A Walk Among the Tombstones (Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens) - Kind of noir-ish or something? It was stylistic to say the least. It wasn't terrible. Wasn't great. It was predictable, but I liked Neeson's acting. Grade: C-
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell) - Wayyyy too long and wayyyy too slow in the first half of the movie. So glad I watched this on DVD. It was so boring the first hour. The last hour picked up, but the end battle scene was only okay. It didn't even hold my interest as much as I thought. I guess it you sat and thought about it, there was an interesting message in it. I liked some of the interactions of Cesar with Clarke and Russell. It could have been shorter, though. Grade: C-
This is Where I Leave You (Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, etc) - Your predictable kind of family drama (with a hint of comedy) with some romance thrown in. I wanted it to be BETTER with the cast it had. It's an excellent cast (Chris's comment: Who's NOT in this movie?) and the scenes they're in are good, but the story just wasn't the greatest. Grade: C/C-
American Sniper (Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller) - Had to see this given it's Cooper and up for an Oscar nom. Knew Chris wouldn't mind seeing it in theater (compared to Selma or Theory of Everything). It's a long movie (2:14 hours), but it needs the length to get you through 4 tours, his training/meeting his wife, and post-duty. The violence is, well, violent in it, but it's a war movie. He's a sniper. It tries its best to show you the difficulties he had while on duty and how hard it was to get back into a "normal life" when he'd come back. I completely forgot how Chris Kyle's story ends, though, so it was sad for me. I remembered after the movie about the headlines in 2013. I think Cooper did a fantastic job portraying Kyle and I think Miller did a good too. It's a good movie. Maybe not the greatest in the ways of story, but that wasn't the point as most biopics aren't about the story. They're about the people. The length...it's hard to say it should have been trimmed to be shorter, but it did feel long. Still good and will stick with me for a while. Grade: B+
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Movie Recap, 2014 Edition
103 movies for last year! Can't compare my "wish list" to this year because I didn't actually post one, but I can still do a "best of" for the year. As usual, I will focus on movies released in 2014 rather than 2013 or earlier. I wrote this in January and tweaked the Oscar mention at the end, but this focuses on movies I watched last year and not last year's movies I watched this year.
Favorites of the year (no particular order):
Must see movie of the year: The Grand Budapest Hotel and Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Runner-ups: Edge of Tomorrow and Fury
Favorite stupid comedy: 22 Jump Street
Runner-up: A Million Ways to Die in the West
Romantic/Romantic Comedy: Huh. Really nothing in way of favorites
Runner-ups: I guess They Came Together for it being different
Horror: N/A
Family film (non-animated): Muppets Most Wanted
Runner-up: Erm...I guess Maleficent
Family film (animated): Big Hero 6
Runner-up: Lego Movie, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Mr. Peabody and Sherman
Action-Adventure: Fury (kind of more of an action-drama)
Runner-up: The Equalizer and Veronica Mars (not really an action film, but I'm throwing it here)
Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Comic: Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Edge of Tomorrow
Runner-ups: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (go for the action, not the story!), Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1, The Maze Runner
Drama: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Runner-ups: Draft Day and The Fault in Our Stars
Worst of the year: Noah (by far the worst!), Walk of Shame, Transcendence
2014 Movies to See on DVD in 2015 (no order):
As for the Oscar nominations, I've only seen 6 of the 8 Best Picture nominations to date. I really want to see the other 2, though. Do I think Birdman should have won? I'll comment on everything after I've seen everything (probably by the summer...LoL). I think Birdman was good, though (watched it this week). There are a lot of films in the best/supporting actors/actresses that I haven't seen too. Though, I have seen all 5 in Actor in a Supporting Role and JK Simmons was amazing. Absolutely amazing. Terrifying, but amazing. Norton would have been my runner-up pick. They like releasing all the Oscar films at the end of the year, but I will likely see them all eventually.
Favorites of the year (no particular order):
- Edge of Tomorrow
- Big Hero 6
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- The Lego Movie
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Fury
Must see movie of the year: The Grand Budapest Hotel and Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Runner-ups: Edge of Tomorrow and Fury
Favorite stupid comedy: 22 Jump Street
Runner-up: A Million Ways to Die in the West
Romantic/Romantic Comedy: Huh. Really nothing in way of favorites
Runner-ups: I guess They Came Together for it being different
Horror: N/A
Family film (non-animated): Muppets Most Wanted
Runner-up: Erm...I guess Maleficent
Family film (animated): Big Hero 6
Runner-up: Lego Movie, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Mr. Peabody and Sherman
Action-Adventure: Fury (kind of more of an action-drama)
Runner-up: The Equalizer and Veronica Mars (not really an action film, but I'm throwing it here)
Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Comic: Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Edge of Tomorrow
Runner-ups: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (go for the action, not the story!), Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1, The Maze Runner
Drama: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Runner-ups: Draft Day and The Fault in Our Stars
Worst of the year: Noah (by far the worst!), Walk of Shame, Transcendence
2014 Movies to See on DVD in 2015 (no order):
- Birdman
- The Imitation Game
- Selma
- The Theory of Everything
- Whiplash
- Gone Girl
- Wild
- Still Alice
- The Judge
- Foxcatcher
- The Boxtrolls
- Unbroken
- Into the Woods
- Interstellar
- Inherent Vice (maybe...)
- Annie
- Penguins of Madagascar
- Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
- Exodus: Gods and Kings (have to see how bad it is!)
- Dracula Untold
- John Wick
- Blackhat
- Paddington
- The Wedding Ringer
- Mortdecai (I'm looking for a punishment...LoL)
- Black or White
- Jupiter Ascending
- Kingsman: The Secret Service (again, punishment!)
- Focus
- Chappie (...? I'm really on the fence about this one)
- Unfinished Business (...?)
- Cinderella
- Run All Night (another Liam Neeson action film, duh)
- The Divergent Series: Insurgent
- Furious 7
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (yes!)
- Spy (...?)
- Paper Towns
- Jurassic World
- Inside Out
- Ted 2
- Terminator: Genisys
- Minions
- Ant-Man
- Pan
- The Fantastic Four
- Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
- Hotel Transylvania 2
- The Peanuts Movie
- The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2
- The Good Dinosaur (probably DVD)
- In the Heart of the Sea
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens (!!)
- Mission Impossible 5
As for the Oscar nominations, I've only seen 6 of the 8 Best Picture nominations to date. I really want to see the other 2, though. Do I think Birdman should have won? I'll comment on everything after I've seen everything (probably by the summer...LoL). I think Birdman was good, though (watched it this week). There are a lot of films in the best/supporting actors/actresses that I haven't seen too. Though, I have seen all 5 in Actor in a Supporting Role and JK Simmons was amazing. Absolutely amazing. Terrifying, but amazing. Norton would have been my runner-up pick. They like releasing all the Oscar films at the end of the year, but I will likely see them all eventually.
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Favorite Recipes of 2014
Considering the amount of cooking I've been doing and since I am not an original cook at all, I've decided to post some of my favorite recipes I've cooked the past year. :) It wasn't a full year of cooking, but it was pretty darn close!
In a 7-day week, we do leftovers 2-3 times a week. I was on vacation 3 times this past year for about a week each time when I was regularly cooking. I've repeated a dozen to a dozen-and-a-half recipes at least twice, if not more. I cooked regularly in 2014 for about 44 weeks. So, yeah, it's been a LOT of recipes!
The list is going to seem rather long, but I estimate I've made something like 150-200 recipes this past year for dinner alone. I also baked pretty heavily off-and-on throughout the year too, but I'm not going to post those recipes.
Guess this makes my top 10% of recipes from 2014... :P They are in no particular order. You'll see I went through a quinoa, enchilada, and one pan/pot phases. :) Links to the recipes are there so you can also enjoy these!
Quick & Healthy Meal in Under 30 - Sausage & Veggies - Such an easy recipe and it's really good. I tend to pepper it pretty heavily and I used hot links to add some spice into it, but I like it and the boys do too. The pepper in it are amazing. We serve it as is with nothing else. Though, cornbread or dinner rolls wouldn't be bad to serve with it.
One pan Mexican quinoa - You start to really like some food bloggers and I like this blogger, but this meal is excellent. It's pretty quick and it's healthy. I add ground turkey to it, but it can be left as is for something vegetarian.
Italian sausage stew - One recipe I've made several times this past year. It's become my go-to easy recipe to freeze ahead when I go away and I cook the week's meals after I return the week before I leave. It's really easy to make and it's tasty. The thing I've changed, though, is I use hot links in it rather than sausage out of a casing. The hot links make it spicier and more flavorful. I quarter the hot link slices, though, and I do "brown" it. The quartering of the hot link makes it smaller pieces, which I liked more than just slicing it or slicing it into two pieces. Sausage out of a casing wasn't the same either...I also serve this with bread.
Skillet steak, onions, and mushrooms - Chris loves mushrooms and steak so when I found this recipe, it was perfect! It's really good. I pepper the heck out of it and add a fair amount of garlic powder, but the juices from everything at the bottom of the dish goes amazingly well over garlic mashed potatoes (I've learned for garlic mashed potatoes, you boil the garlic with your potatoes and then mash the garlic into the potatoes - so simple and so tasty!). We use it a like a gravy and none of the juices go to waste.
Chicken meatball and orzo soup - Oh man this was good. I made it the first time and immediately started thinking about making it again. The only thing you need to be careful about is how much orzo you put in and how "soup-y" you want it. I wanted mine more soup-y so I added more chicken broth at the end, but having it thicker is fine too. The orzo is small after all. :) I would definitely "taste test" this AFTER everything has simmered together. I tried immediately after I put everything in and I was disappointed by the flavor. I let it all sit and the flavors came out by the end and it was amazing. I used ground turkey instead of ground chicken and it was fine.
Slow cooker chili verde - This is so tasty, a co-worker of mine requested this at our potluck after I had let her try it the first time I made it. It's really easy to make and the slow cooker is important to meld and bring out all the flavors. With that said, the food on the stove top is pretty good right afterwards too! I use ground turkey instead of pork and I tend to add more chili powder in it to increase the spice level (I use mild salsa verde). Having it sit in the slow cooker means the chili powder gets amplified more than when you taste it on the stove top. I also don't prefer the strong taste of parsley so I kind of add however much looks good. You need the parsley in it (or something leafy, maybe cilantro next time), but too much parsley I don't enjoy.
Chicken enchilada quinoa - Basically, if it's Mexican food, I'm most likely going to like it. :) This was tasty, but the chili sauce always helps in that regard! I liked the texture the quinoa gave. This is a lot like having a healthier version of enchiladas.
Green chili enchilada soup - Tasty and easy to put together. I love enchilada soups so I was happy when I found this one! The salsa verde you use or the canned chilies do make a taste difference, though. The first time I made this, it had a slightly weird after taste. It wasn't bad, but it was interesting. The next time, I didn't have the problem. So I'm not sure.
Spicy Sriracha chicken and quinoa bowl - The cilantro on top is a must! With that said, be careful how much sriracha you put in this...LoL I wasn't paying attention and put the half cup and almost died. It was wayyyyy too spicy for me and I can tolerate pretty spicy things. The boys ate it better than I did. With that said, the quinoa on the bottom helps mute the spiciness, but be careful with the spice level!
Spicy orange tofu and peppers (caveat) - Honestly, I didn't like the tofu in this. I think it was because I used extra firm tofu and I should know better from previous experience. Extra firm tofu is disgusting! It's especially gross when you fry it. :P I got it, though, because it was already diced for me. Next time, I'd stick with firm tofu. With that said, the boys loved it and I gave my portion to Chris (he ate it happily) and Rob wanted seconds, but the recipe only made 3 portions for us (if I had read recipe, I'd have seen it said "serves 2"). The reason I'm posting this, though, is the spicy orange sauce was amazing. I would make the spicy orange sauce for something else like chicken or beef. It was really, really good. Good enough that I'm willing to try this again with firm tofu!
Easy one pan fettuccine alfredo - A really easy fettuccine alfredo to make and it was really tasty. Anytime I want fettucine alfredo, I go for this recipe. The ease of it would make it close to the top, but it's also tasty too!
Parmesan turkey meatloaf - I went through a meatloaf phase (just like the quinoa or enchilada phase) and I liked this one. It's pretty similar to any other meatloaf, but has the addition of marinara sauce and cheese. Honestly, anything "parmesan" I love too...LoL
One pot pasta: tomato, basil - Kind of like a pomodoro pasta, to be honest. I added chicken at the end and it was tasty and light! Really easy to make as it all cooks in the same pot at the same time.
Slow cooker Italian Meatballs or Baked meatball parmigiana - I went through a meatball phase too...LoL These were both good and similar. I'm telling you, if it has marinara sauce and cheese on it, I'm good to go!
One pan enchilada pasta - I've made this several times and I enjoy it. I probably put too much cheese into it too, but...it's tasty! Again, chili sauce makes things taste good. I add the olives on top too. I've learned to like them on my enchiladas, but I add the sliced ones and not whole ones.
Jalapeno popper chicken chili - One of the first recipes I made more than once. I haven't had this in a long time, but it's good. It is one you need to play with the spices to get it the way you like it. It was part of the reason I've made this twice. :)
Stuffed french bread pizza - This is really easy to adapt to whatever you want to put into yours, but I will make the stuffing ahead of time, freeze it, and then defrost it when I'm ready to make it. It makes for tasty food that's freezable. I've used different breads too. I don't prefer the ricotta cheese as much, so I cut back on the ricotta cheese in the recipe and I get everything "light." The breakfast sausage is a must, though! I use the spicier one.
One pan chicken Parmesan - The panko bread crumbs on top make this dish! This is easy to make, but I tend to make it in a big pot and then pour it into a baking dish at the end. So...mine is more like 2-pan chicken parmesan.
Fasolada -This is a Greek bean soup and I made it on a whim. The first day it was okay, but the next day it was super good. I loved this soup and it was great to be paired with the mozzarella, avocado, and bacon grilled sandwiches I made.
So, there you have it! My top recipes of the year. Not all of them are healthy and some of them are healthy. Regardless, I enjoy cooking new things so I don't tend to repeat too often. I've made SEVERAL different type of hamburger recipes (at least 5) too. I can't say anything stuck out as my favorites, but I've learned you can put just about anything into hamburger (beef or turkey) meat. I also baked a lot from cookies (like laceys and gingersnaps) to bread (like sourdough and peasant bread) to snacks (like bagels and pretzels). I also got into blended fruit drinks and green smoothies.
To say the least, I think I've tripled my food knowledge this past year, which isn't saying much since I didn't know a lot in the beginning past the basics. On the other hand, I think ANYONE can cook if they can follow a recipe. From there, it's simply trial and error to learn new techniques (Googling is my friend both in learning new terminology AND finding new recipes (Pinterest is great for recipes too)), your tastes, and being able to manipulate recipes. I still can't really manipulate recipes and don't really have the desire to, but cooking is kind of like a science experiment and that I can handle!
In a 7-day week, we do leftovers 2-3 times a week. I was on vacation 3 times this past year for about a week each time when I was regularly cooking. I've repeated a dozen to a dozen-and-a-half recipes at least twice, if not more. I cooked regularly in 2014 for about 44 weeks. So, yeah, it's been a LOT of recipes!
The list is going to seem rather long, but I estimate I've made something like 150-200 recipes this past year for dinner alone. I also baked pretty heavily off-and-on throughout the year too, but I'm not going to post those recipes.
Guess this makes my top 10% of recipes from 2014... :P They are in no particular order. You'll see I went through a quinoa, enchilada, and one pan/pot phases. :) Links to the recipes are there so you can also enjoy these!
Quick & Healthy Meal in Under 30 - Sausage & Veggies - Such an easy recipe and it's really good. I tend to pepper it pretty heavily and I used hot links to add some spice into it, but I like it and the boys do too. The pepper in it are amazing. We serve it as is with nothing else. Though, cornbread or dinner rolls wouldn't be bad to serve with it.
One pan Mexican quinoa - You start to really like some food bloggers and I like this blogger, but this meal is excellent. It's pretty quick and it's healthy. I add ground turkey to it, but it can be left as is for something vegetarian.
Italian sausage stew - One recipe I've made several times this past year. It's become my go-to easy recipe to freeze ahead when I go away and I cook the week's meals after I return the week before I leave. It's really easy to make and it's tasty. The thing I've changed, though, is I use hot links in it rather than sausage out of a casing. The hot links make it spicier and more flavorful. I quarter the hot link slices, though, and I do "brown" it. The quartering of the hot link makes it smaller pieces, which I liked more than just slicing it or slicing it into two pieces. Sausage out of a casing wasn't the same either...I also serve this with bread.
Skillet steak, onions, and mushrooms - Chris loves mushrooms and steak so when I found this recipe, it was perfect! It's really good. I pepper the heck out of it and add a fair amount of garlic powder, but the juices from everything at the bottom of the dish goes amazingly well over garlic mashed potatoes (I've learned for garlic mashed potatoes, you boil the garlic with your potatoes and then mash the garlic into the potatoes - so simple and so tasty!). We use it a like a gravy and none of the juices go to waste.
Chicken meatball and orzo soup - Oh man this was good. I made it the first time and immediately started thinking about making it again. The only thing you need to be careful about is how much orzo you put in and how "soup-y" you want it. I wanted mine more soup-y so I added more chicken broth at the end, but having it thicker is fine too. The orzo is small after all. :) I would definitely "taste test" this AFTER everything has simmered together. I tried immediately after I put everything in and I was disappointed by the flavor. I let it all sit and the flavors came out by the end and it was amazing. I used ground turkey instead of ground chicken and it was fine.
Slow cooker chili verde - This is so tasty, a co-worker of mine requested this at our potluck after I had let her try it the first time I made it. It's really easy to make and the slow cooker is important to meld and bring out all the flavors. With that said, the food on the stove top is pretty good right afterwards too! I use ground turkey instead of pork and I tend to add more chili powder in it to increase the spice level (I use mild salsa verde). Having it sit in the slow cooker means the chili powder gets amplified more than when you taste it on the stove top. I also don't prefer the strong taste of parsley so I kind of add however much looks good. You need the parsley in it (or something leafy, maybe cilantro next time), but too much parsley I don't enjoy.
Chicken enchilada quinoa - Basically, if it's Mexican food, I'm most likely going to like it. :) This was tasty, but the chili sauce always helps in that regard! I liked the texture the quinoa gave. This is a lot like having a healthier version of enchiladas.
Green chili enchilada soup - Tasty and easy to put together. I love enchilada soups so I was happy when I found this one! The salsa verde you use or the canned chilies do make a taste difference, though. The first time I made this, it had a slightly weird after taste. It wasn't bad, but it was interesting. The next time, I didn't have the problem. So I'm not sure.
Spicy Sriracha chicken and quinoa bowl - The cilantro on top is a must! With that said, be careful how much sriracha you put in this...LoL I wasn't paying attention and put the half cup and almost died. It was wayyyyy too spicy for me and I can tolerate pretty spicy things. The boys ate it better than I did. With that said, the quinoa on the bottom helps mute the spiciness, but be careful with the spice level!
Spicy orange tofu and peppers (caveat) - Honestly, I didn't like the tofu in this. I think it was because I used extra firm tofu and I should know better from previous experience. Extra firm tofu is disgusting! It's especially gross when you fry it. :P I got it, though, because it was already diced for me. Next time, I'd stick with firm tofu. With that said, the boys loved it and I gave my portion to Chris (he ate it happily) and Rob wanted seconds, but the recipe only made 3 portions for us (if I had read recipe, I'd have seen it said "serves 2"). The reason I'm posting this, though, is the spicy orange sauce was amazing. I would make the spicy orange sauce for something else like chicken or beef. It was really, really good. Good enough that I'm willing to try this again with firm tofu!
Easy one pan fettuccine alfredo - A really easy fettuccine alfredo to make and it was really tasty. Anytime I want fettucine alfredo, I go for this recipe. The ease of it would make it close to the top, but it's also tasty too!
Parmesan turkey meatloaf - I went through a meatloaf phase (just like the quinoa or enchilada phase) and I liked this one. It's pretty similar to any other meatloaf, but has the addition of marinara sauce and cheese. Honestly, anything "parmesan" I love too...LoL
One pot pasta: tomato, basil - Kind of like a pomodoro pasta, to be honest. I added chicken at the end and it was tasty and light! Really easy to make as it all cooks in the same pot at the same time.
Slow cooker Italian Meatballs or Baked meatball parmigiana - I went through a meatball phase too...LoL These were both good and similar. I'm telling you, if it has marinara sauce and cheese on it, I'm good to go!
One pan enchilada pasta - I've made this several times and I enjoy it. I probably put too much cheese into it too, but...it's tasty! Again, chili sauce makes things taste good. I add the olives on top too. I've learned to like them on my enchiladas, but I add the sliced ones and not whole ones.
Jalapeno popper chicken chili - One of the first recipes I made more than once. I haven't had this in a long time, but it's good. It is one you need to play with the spices to get it the way you like it. It was part of the reason I've made this twice. :)
Stuffed french bread pizza - This is really easy to adapt to whatever you want to put into yours, but I will make the stuffing ahead of time, freeze it, and then defrost it when I'm ready to make it. It makes for tasty food that's freezable. I've used different breads too. I don't prefer the ricotta cheese as much, so I cut back on the ricotta cheese in the recipe and I get everything "light." The breakfast sausage is a must, though! I use the spicier one.
One pan chicken Parmesan - The panko bread crumbs on top make this dish! This is easy to make, but I tend to make it in a big pot and then pour it into a baking dish at the end. So...mine is more like 2-pan chicken parmesan.
Fasolada -This is a Greek bean soup and I made it on a whim. The first day it was okay, but the next day it was super good. I loved this soup and it was great to be paired with the mozzarella, avocado, and bacon grilled sandwiches I made.
So, there you have it! My top recipes of the year. Not all of them are healthy and some of them are healthy. Regardless, I enjoy cooking new things so I don't tend to repeat too often. I've made SEVERAL different type of hamburger recipes (at least 5) too. I can't say anything stuck out as my favorites, but I've learned you can put just about anything into hamburger (beef or turkey) meat. I also baked a lot from cookies (like laceys and gingersnaps) to bread (like sourdough and peasant bread) to snacks (like bagels and pretzels). I also got into blended fruit drinks and green smoothies.
To say the least, I think I've tripled my food knowledge this past year, which isn't saying much since I didn't know a lot in the beginning past the basics. On the other hand, I think ANYONE can cook if they can follow a recipe. From there, it's simply trial and error to learn new techniques (Googling is my friend both in learning new terminology AND finding new recipes (Pinterest is great for recipes too)), your tastes, and being able to manipulate recipes. I still can't really manipulate recipes and don't really have the desire to, but cooking is kind of like a science experiment and that I can handle!
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Rest of 2014 movie recaps
As promised from my "Happy 2015" post, here is the epic of epic movie posts! Most of these will be very short. Usually, I add the actors names in, but there are too many movies and I've already placed the empty parentheses for some of them. I'm just going to leave them blank. You can Google the movie if you want to know who is in it. :)
47 Ronin ( ) - The special effects for this movie were interesting. Unfortunately, the way the story was told, with the special effects, and the script, it was sometimes hard to take this movie seriously. I did NOT know this is actually based on a piece of Japanese legend till the very end. Knowing that, I was rather disappointed in the movie that it wasn't better. Grade: C-/D+
Labor Day ( ) - This wasn't too bad. I liked the story, overall. It was an interesting story about love and family. I liked Winslet too. I thought she did a good job. I thought they all did good jobs. It's your atypical feel good love story. It went a way I wasn't exactly expecting, but the end made it all work out. Grade: C+
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty ( ) - I thought this was cute, gentle, feel good movie. There's nothing strenuous about the movie, but it's an interesting little adventure and it worked for me. The end of the movie was really touching. With that said, it's nothing earth shattering. Grade: C+
Ride Along ( ) - Typical comedy you'd expect. It wasn't terrible, but wasn't great. Grade: C-
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ( ) - I was expecting more, but it wasn't terrible either. I didn't think it was as good as the general populace, but it did its job. My complaints are it was too long and too many villains. The too many villains issue muddles the plot a little and there things in the plot that you went, "Why was that mentioned?". At the same time, they're trying to GO places in the Spider-Man-verse ala Avengers so I get that too. I didn't mind Foxx and the heartbreaking moment was done really, really well. It was tasteful and slightly less traumatic than what is actually in the comics. It's still mostly true to the comic, but changed just enough to make it less traumatic and still have the same impact, shock, and horror. I'll watch the 3rd one and any spin-offs. Grade: C/C+
The Monuments Men ( ) - I can see why this didn't do so great in the box office. With that SUPERB of a cast, you expect the movie to be spot on and good. The story just doesn't have the "oomph" you'd expect. It's lacking in conveying its message, I think. I liked the acting. I liked the concept. I liked what they tried to do with it, but it's just missing its heart, maybe? I don't know. It was lackluster for me and a disappointment. Grade: C-
Gambit ( ) - Cute film. I actually rather liked it. I liked Diaz and Firth wasn't bad either. It's got a nice little twist at the end I wasn't expecting. I will say, it's pretty sub-par for Firth and even for Diaz because it IS supposed to be silly and you're not supposed to take it seriously as anything. With that said, it was kind of fun to watch Diaz and Firth in the same film. LoL Grade: C
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit ( ) - Not my favorite Jack Ryan. They went younger, which isn't a problem, but this movie had 2.5 action scenes in it. Action scenes do not make a movie, but the non-action parts just didn't jive with me. They were kind of bland and boring. Grade: C-
Her ( ) - I thought this was cute, if slightly bizarre and rather slow paced. It's an interesting story about love and what counts as love or a relationship. Phoenix was really good. Let's be honest, he's mostly acting to a voice and no body around him. I thought he did a good job. I liked Johanssen as the voice too. Adams and everyone else in the film were very much there as a support cast to show different types of relationships and how it IS possible for him to have fallen in love with Samantha. Cute film, but it is slow and different. Grade: B
Maleficient ( ) - I must be one of the few who didn't enjoy the film as much as my friends. Not to say it was terrible, but I wanted more out of it. I didn't like Fanning. I didn't like the Prince. I sometimes didn't like Jolie either. With that said, mostly, I really liked Jolie. I thought she was a good Maleficient and was looking forward to that. I thought the King was well-done too. I liked the twist on the story too. Other than that, it was just okay for me. Grade: C-
Edge of Tomorrow ( ) - Oh wow. Now THIS was a good summer film! It's not doing well at the box office and that's a shame because it is a good movie. Considering the amount of movies I see and the fact I LOVE a good non-stop action film, this was really good. I don't even like Tom Cruise and if it wasn't for Chris who wanted to see it, I wouldn't have seen it. I have to say, I liked Cruise in the film, which is good because I didn't like him in Oblivion. I liked Blunt too. She was kick butt! You didn't learn a whole lot about her, but it wasn't necessary. I just liked having a strong female for once (*ahem* Michael Bay!). I liked how they handled the flashbacks. There was also some humor in the beginning, but there was also heart as you saw how hard it is to repeat everything. It was a good film. I own it on DVD now. Grade: A
X-Men Days of Future Past ( ) - Slightly disappointed, but I liked it more than Spider-Man 2. I think I didn't like it as much as Edge of Tomorrow, though. I think I was more excited for the end credit scene than anything else. I thought there were some really good action scenes, but I think I liked the "Future" story better than the "Past" story. The end was rather "fluffy" too. There were just too many things, in my opinion, that weren't needed. There were some really neat moments, though. Grade: C+/B-
A Million Ways to Die in the West ( ) - Disappointment. I liked it more than Ted, but it wasn't as funny as I wanted it to be. There were some "ha ha" moments, but they were chuckles rather than flat out laughs. I wanted a good belly laugh or something and you never got there. There were some funny and quotable moments, though. Grade: C
Gozilla ( ) - Not bad. I liked it. It was a little too long and they did some weird things with the plot that was both origin and continuation story so that was a little weird and confusing, but it wasn't bad. I liked the CG. The script did ruin some of the "suspense" about Godzilla in the very beginning and everyone I know who saw it had the same idea at the very end battle scene with the nuke, but, eh. I did wish there was more Godzilla fighting, though. Not enough Godzilla time! Who cares about the humans?! LoL The humans were okay. Olsen (not one of the twins) kept tripping me out, though, because that Olsen gene is VERY strong through all the girls! Grade: C+
How to Train Your Dragon 2 ( ) - Aww...I liked it! I don't think it's as good as the first one, but it'll be close. I do think the movie ran in chapters, though. Chapter 1, blah. Chapter 2, blah. So the movie was a little chunky and didn't flow very well, but other than that, I liked it! Plus...a glowing Toothless! I watched this in theater and DVD. Grade: B+
22 Jump Street ( ) - Cute sequel. Wasn't as good as the first, but it wasn't terrible. Grade: C+
Transformers: Age of Extinction ( ) - Too long. Wayyyy too long and I watched this in theater and on DVD. The dinosaurs were cool, though. That was about it. Oh, no, I liked how there wasn't a stupid male lead and female lead romance story! Not to say there wasn't a romance story (what's with the panicking females during the big fights?), but it wasn't like the others. Grade: C-
Saving Mr. Banks ( ) - I liked it! I thought it was well-done all around. Grade: B+
Walk of Shame ( ) - I read in some article about the most forgettable movies of 2014 and this one made the list. LoL It is rather forgettable and really tedious and not funny. Grade: D
3 Days to Kill ( ) - Could have been worse. Could have been better. Kind of your typical has-been spy movie, except this one has a terminally ill former spy. Grade: D
Robocop ( ) - Er...Let's hope the franchise ends with this movie or someone else tries for a different movie. I haven't seen the original and this movie wasn't good and since the original is iconic, this HAD to have been terrible in comparison! It's an okay sci-fi action movie, but I didn't enjoy the story. Grade: D+
Lone Survivor ( ) - As said by the name, everyone dies. LoL It's sad in the beginning because of that, but I liked the acting. The story was interesting too. Good modern war film, but not great. Grade: C+/B-
Divergent ( ) - I liked this more than the book. Not sure what that says about me since I normally like the book more than the movie, but maybe I liked the book just enough and the movie had enough in it for me to like the movie more. I know I'm in the minority. People who liked the book, thought the book was better. Eh. Either way, I liked it enough to make me want to read the next book, but I know how many people were upset with the 3rd book that I don't REALLY want to read it. We'll see. I'll watch the next movie on DVD like this one. Grade: C
Rio 2 ( ) - It was cute. Similar to the first one, but always with a different angle. I liked the music. Not much to say. Grade: C
Noah ( ) -What a terrible movie! I think one of the worst movies of the year. Even if you don't know the Biblical story of Noah, you'd STILL think it was terrible. That's how bad it is. Grade: F
The Other Woman ( ) - Kind of a fun, silly comedy. Nothing tough about it at all. Could have been more memorable or better? I don't know. It falls flat. Grade: C-
Planes: Fire & Rescue ( ) - A lot like the original Planes. It's cute for a kid. Wasn't enamored of it, but I like the franchise. Grade: C
Muppets Most Wanted ( ) - Cute movie. Falls in line with the original well. I liked the Kermit and Ms. Piggy romance story. I liked the cast too. Grade: B-
Draft Day ( ) - The surprise shocker of the year for me. Not knowing almost anything about the football draft, I had no idea what I was going into watching this. It had a fun little twist at the end! I'm not sure if I think it's a twist because I have no idea what goes into a draft and someone who does might see it coming, but it was unexpected for me and I liked it. Garner has NO point in the movie, though. She's the "moral compass," but whatever. Other than that, I liked it. Grade: B
Transcendence ( ) - Oh Depp...what's happened to you? This movie was...not good. Grade: D
Guardians of the Galaxy ( ) - I've watched this twice on DVD (don't even own it on DVD) and in theater...'Nough said. Grade: A
They Came Together ( ) - I can't tell if I like this movie or not. LoL I can see why the reviews are mixed...It was really different than a normal rom-com and almost tongue-in-cheek...? I don't know. It's different, but I watched it fascinated by it and I liked Poehler's and Rudd's chemistry. Still a really weird rom-com... Grade: C/C+
Dom Hemingway ( ) - Not what I expected it to be...I like Jude Law, but that's just about it...It's rough to watch. Grade: D
Need for Speed ( ) - I should know better than to rent a racing movie that I hadn't heard of before...Car scenes were cool, I guess. Grade: D
The Railway Man ( ) - Rented this because it was Firth and Kidman in it. I had no idea what it was about, but I liked it. I thought it was a good acting job on everyone's part. It is a little slow and has some other small issues, but I liked it. Grade: B-
Non-Stop ( ) - You know it's a forgettable movie when I can't even remember who's IN this movie, let alone what it's about. I like Taken, but Neeson has got to stop these type of films! They keep getting worse the more he does...With that said, I still enjoy watching Neeson kick butt :P Grade: C
Snowpiercer ( ) - What a unique film...Not sure what to expect from it, but Chris wanted to see it and it was getting good reviews. It's like a dystopia movie for adults. It's good acting on Evans part and the story was interesting. It's an action film, but it works with what it has on the train (it takes place on a train). I'm still confused about what I really watched (I should rewatch it), but it's good...? I don't know. It's weird. Grade: C+
The Fault in Our Stars - D'awww...The book made me cry. The movie made me cry. I feel like I'm complete now with TFIOS. It does a good adaptation of the book. It has heart. Grade: B
Neighbors - Just what I expected it to be. There were funny scenes in it, but always ends up with some sort of "soft" message at the end. The scene at the end with Effron and Rogen modeling outside Abercrombie and Fitch (I think it was A&F) is hilarious... Grade: C
Sex Tape - Diaz needs to pick better rom-coms...I didn't even like Diaz's and Segel's chemistry... Grade: D
Chef -Wanted to watch this in theater, but Chris didn't want to. Got to watch it and it met my expectations. It's a cute film and I liked it from start to stop. My only problem with it is the heart-warming story is marred by the innuendos. They're not as bad as a comedy like Neighbors, but it's not entirely appropriate for this type of film. It feels a little awkward. With that said, I still immensely enjoyed the movie even with the cussing and innuendos. Grade: B
The Prince - This was another "What film was this?" Even after reading the synopsis, I still have troubles remembering it... Grade: D
Hercules - Well...it could have been worse, but it could have been lots better. I don't like Dwayne Johnson in these types of films... With that said, the story progression was a different take. Still...nope. Grade: D
Mr. Peabody and Sherman - Another good animation this year. New animations are just so much better than the sequels, though. I liked this. I thought it was fun. Grade: B
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For - Eh. Not as good as the first one, but I do enjoy watching the style of the movie. Grade: C-
Earth to Echo - A cuter version of E.T. Mostly. Pretty much. Basically, E.T. + kids filming the adventure themselves + growing up and moving away from your best friends. Other than that...it was slow and didn't hold my attention well. Grade: D
The Expendables 3 - What you'd expect. Grade: C
Tammy - Kind of a disappointment. I expected more from it. Tammy was rather unlikeable in the beginning so that didn't help things at all... Then the whole story was kind of like, "What?" Grade: D
The Giver - Didn't read the book so I can't compare to it or any other version, but...It was okay? My immediate thought was, "Is The Giver the original dystopia novel?!" Eh. Grade: D+
The Hundred-Foot Journey - I wanted to see all the food movies this year. LoL I knew this was a DVD rental, though. This was a good movie. It's predictable. It's not taxing. It's just a good, solid film. I liked the acting. I liked the story. I liked the cooking. It's cute. It might be a little slow, but it works for the way it's set-up. Grade: B
Let's Be Cops - Silly from start to stop, but I did like the end and where they ended up. Grade: C-
Jersey Boys - Basically the male version of Dreamgirls. I haven't seen the play. It was okay...I think Dreamgirls is better, though Grade: C
When the Game Stands Tall - It wasn't terrible, but I'm still not quite sure what the point of the movie was. Was it supposed to show the kids got through the loss, picked themselves up, and still triumphed? I don't know. Grade: D+/C-
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Er. It could have been worse? LoL Grade: D+
And So It Goes - Kind of a mind boggling film with good actors. Was this supposed to be a rom-com like As Good As it Gets? If so, it failed by a LOT. If not, I have no idea what this was supposed to be. It was too heavy of a film... Grade: D
The November Man - Not terrible, but I expected more from it considering it was sort of Bond-like... Grade: C-
Blended - This was listed in the "forgettable movies of 2014." Granted, it's forgettable. On the other hand, it was kind of cute too. It's quirky and kind of suffers from things here-and-there, but it was cute. It wasn't as bad as I thought it could have been. Grade: D+/C-
The Angriest Man in Brooklyn - Don't bother...LoL If you're going to watch a Robin Williams movie, don't watch this one... Grade: D
The Spectacular Now - Old movie from a few years ago that I wanted to watch, but never got to watch. It's a coming of age movie. Wasn't terrible. Wasn't great. Grade: C-
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies - Oh The Hobbit...At least you were better than the Desolation of Smaug. Unfortunately, you only had two cool scenes in you the entire time. And Legolas had the worst most memorable line in the movie. LoL I'll still buy you in extended DVD and watch you again, but LotR is much better and I'll keep watch the first one more instead. Grade: C+
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 - I think the movies are good adaptations of the books. Catching Fire is still my favorite movie, though. This movie was good, but I don't like the place Katniss is in emotionally and mentally. It grates on my nerves. So this movie wasn't as enjoyable as I'd like, but I still liked it. Grade: C+/B-
Big Hero 6 - This is one of my favorite movies of the year. It's so cute! It's a good film. Good for older children, but also good for adults. I enjoyed it and I liked the heart in it. I'm clueless, though, because I had no idea it was a super hero movie till you got the "aha" for why it's called Big Hero 6. Derp on me. Grade: A
The Equalizer - Kind of like Taken in a different vein. It was an interesting watch. It is violent, but it is good. Grade: B
Fury - What a good film, but it was sad. It was good acting and the depiction of war was good. I thought everyone did a good job in this and I wasn't sure about some of the actors. Grade: B+
The Maze Runner - Didn't read the book, but I liked the movie. I thought they did a good job. The girl was kind of useless as the fact she was a girl (not as a body), but I'm sure she'll have a stronger role down the road. Grade: C+
Speed Racer - OLD movie, but I never watched it before! This is Chris's boss's favorite movie so he lent it to us. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. The style of the movie was interesting too. Grade: C
Pitch Black - Now I'm really going back in time...I saw Riddick this year, which I highly enjoyed. I hadn't watched Pitch Black, though, which is the first Riddick film. So I watched it. I like it. The scene when he rotates his arms around is NUTS, though! Grade: C
The Interview - The last movie of 2014 I watched. Watched this Christmas Eve when it was available to rent digitally. It was what I expected it to be. It had some funny scenes and, of course, it has its "touching" side. It was mostly "eh." It met my expectations. Grade: C-
There it is! 103 movies! Movie year recap will be coming up...I will actually do one this year unlike last year where I drafted it and never posted it. :P
I've already watched 2 movies this year: Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb and Boyhood. I'll post those later.
47 Ronin ( ) - The special effects for this movie were interesting. Unfortunately, the way the story was told, with the special effects, and the script, it was sometimes hard to take this movie seriously. I did NOT know this is actually based on a piece of Japanese legend till the very end. Knowing that, I was rather disappointed in the movie that it wasn't better. Grade: C-/D+
Labor Day ( ) - This wasn't too bad. I liked the story, overall. It was an interesting story about love and family. I liked Winslet too. I thought she did a good job. I thought they all did good jobs. It's your atypical feel good love story. It went a way I wasn't exactly expecting, but the end made it all work out. Grade: C+
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty ( ) - I thought this was cute, gentle, feel good movie. There's nothing strenuous about the movie, but it's an interesting little adventure and it worked for me. The end of the movie was really touching. With that said, it's nothing earth shattering. Grade: C+
Ride Along ( ) - Typical comedy you'd expect. It wasn't terrible, but wasn't great. Grade: C-
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ( ) - I was expecting more, but it wasn't terrible either. I didn't think it was as good as the general populace, but it did its job. My complaints are it was too long and too many villains. The too many villains issue muddles the plot a little and there things in the plot that you went, "Why was that mentioned?". At the same time, they're trying to GO places in the Spider-Man-verse ala Avengers so I get that too. I didn't mind Foxx and the heartbreaking moment was done really, really well. It was tasteful and slightly less traumatic than what is actually in the comics. It's still mostly true to the comic, but changed just enough to make it less traumatic and still have the same impact, shock, and horror. I'll watch the 3rd one and any spin-offs. Grade: C/C+
The Monuments Men ( ) - I can see why this didn't do so great in the box office. With that SUPERB of a cast, you expect the movie to be spot on and good. The story just doesn't have the "oomph" you'd expect. It's lacking in conveying its message, I think. I liked the acting. I liked the concept. I liked what they tried to do with it, but it's just missing its heart, maybe? I don't know. It was lackluster for me and a disappointment. Grade: C-
Gambit ( ) - Cute film. I actually rather liked it. I liked Diaz and Firth wasn't bad either. It's got a nice little twist at the end I wasn't expecting. I will say, it's pretty sub-par for Firth and even for Diaz because it IS supposed to be silly and you're not supposed to take it seriously as anything. With that said, it was kind of fun to watch Diaz and Firth in the same film. LoL Grade: C
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit ( ) - Not my favorite Jack Ryan. They went younger, which isn't a problem, but this movie had 2.5 action scenes in it. Action scenes do not make a movie, but the non-action parts just didn't jive with me. They were kind of bland and boring. Grade: C-
Her ( ) - I thought this was cute, if slightly bizarre and rather slow paced. It's an interesting story about love and what counts as love or a relationship. Phoenix was really good. Let's be honest, he's mostly acting to a voice and no body around him. I thought he did a good job. I liked Johanssen as the voice too. Adams and everyone else in the film were very much there as a support cast to show different types of relationships and how it IS possible for him to have fallen in love with Samantha. Cute film, but it is slow and different. Grade: B
Maleficient ( ) - I must be one of the few who didn't enjoy the film as much as my friends. Not to say it was terrible, but I wanted more out of it. I didn't like Fanning. I didn't like the Prince. I sometimes didn't like Jolie either. With that said, mostly, I really liked Jolie. I thought she was a good Maleficient and was looking forward to that. I thought the King was well-done too. I liked the twist on the story too. Other than that, it was just okay for me. Grade: C-
Edge of Tomorrow ( ) - Oh wow. Now THIS was a good summer film! It's not doing well at the box office and that's a shame because it is a good movie. Considering the amount of movies I see and the fact I LOVE a good non-stop action film, this was really good. I don't even like Tom Cruise and if it wasn't for Chris who wanted to see it, I wouldn't have seen it. I have to say, I liked Cruise in the film, which is good because I didn't like him in Oblivion. I liked Blunt too. She was kick butt! You didn't learn a whole lot about her, but it wasn't necessary. I just liked having a strong female for once (*ahem* Michael Bay!). I liked how they handled the flashbacks. There was also some humor in the beginning, but there was also heart as you saw how hard it is to repeat everything. It was a good film. I own it on DVD now. Grade: A
X-Men Days of Future Past ( ) - Slightly disappointed, but I liked it more than Spider-Man 2. I think I didn't like it as much as Edge of Tomorrow, though. I think I was more excited for the end credit scene than anything else. I thought there were some really good action scenes, but I think I liked the "Future" story better than the "Past" story. The end was rather "fluffy" too. There were just too many things, in my opinion, that weren't needed. There were some really neat moments, though. Grade: C+/B-
A Million Ways to Die in the West ( ) - Disappointment. I liked it more than Ted, but it wasn't as funny as I wanted it to be. There were some "ha ha" moments, but they were chuckles rather than flat out laughs. I wanted a good belly laugh or something and you never got there. There were some funny and quotable moments, though. Grade: C
Gozilla ( ) - Not bad. I liked it. It was a little too long and they did some weird things with the plot that was both origin and continuation story so that was a little weird and confusing, but it wasn't bad. I liked the CG. The script did ruin some of the "suspense" about Godzilla in the very beginning and everyone I know who saw it had the same idea at the very end battle scene with the nuke, but, eh. I did wish there was more Godzilla fighting, though. Not enough Godzilla time! Who cares about the humans?! LoL The humans were okay. Olsen (not one of the twins) kept tripping me out, though, because that Olsen gene is VERY strong through all the girls! Grade: C+
How to Train Your Dragon 2 ( ) - Aww...I liked it! I don't think it's as good as the first one, but it'll be close. I do think the movie ran in chapters, though. Chapter 1, blah. Chapter 2, blah. So the movie was a little chunky and didn't flow very well, but other than that, I liked it! Plus...a glowing Toothless! I watched this in theater and DVD. Grade: B+
22 Jump Street ( ) - Cute sequel. Wasn't as good as the first, but it wasn't terrible. Grade: C+
Transformers: Age of Extinction ( ) - Too long. Wayyyy too long and I watched this in theater and on DVD. The dinosaurs were cool, though. That was about it. Oh, no, I liked how there wasn't a stupid male lead and female lead romance story! Not to say there wasn't a romance story (what's with the panicking females during the big fights?), but it wasn't like the others. Grade: C-
Saving Mr. Banks ( ) - I liked it! I thought it was well-done all around. Grade: B+
Walk of Shame ( ) - I read in some article about the most forgettable movies of 2014 and this one made the list. LoL It is rather forgettable and really tedious and not funny. Grade: D
3 Days to Kill ( ) - Could have been worse. Could have been better. Kind of your typical has-been spy movie, except this one has a terminally ill former spy. Grade: D
Robocop ( ) - Er...Let's hope the franchise ends with this movie or someone else tries for a different movie. I haven't seen the original and this movie wasn't good and since the original is iconic, this HAD to have been terrible in comparison! It's an okay sci-fi action movie, but I didn't enjoy the story. Grade: D+
Lone Survivor ( ) - As said by the name, everyone dies. LoL It's sad in the beginning because of that, but I liked the acting. The story was interesting too. Good modern war film, but not great. Grade: C+/B-
Divergent ( ) - I liked this more than the book. Not sure what that says about me since I normally like the book more than the movie, but maybe I liked the book just enough and the movie had enough in it for me to like the movie more. I know I'm in the minority. People who liked the book, thought the book was better. Eh. Either way, I liked it enough to make me want to read the next book, but I know how many people were upset with the 3rd book that I don't REALLY want to read it. We'll see. I'll watch the next movie on DVD like this one. Grade: C
Rio 2 ( ) - It was cute. Similar to the first one, but always with a different angle. I liked the music. Not much to say. Grade: C
Noah ( ) -What a terrible movie! I think one of the worst movies of the year. Even if you don't know the Biblical story of Noah, you'd STILL think it was terrible. That's how bad it is. Grade: F
The Other Woman ( ) - Kind of a fun, silly comedy. Nothing tough about it at all. Could have been more memorable or better? I don't know. It falls flat. Grade: C-
Planes: Fire & Rescue ( ) - A lot like the original Planes. It's cute for a kid. Wasn't enamored of it, but I like the franchise. Grade: C
Muppets Most Wanted ( ) - Cute movie. Falls in line with the original well. I liked the Kermit and Ms. Piggy romance story. I liked the cast too. Grade: B-
Draft Day ( ) - The surprise shocker of the year for me. Not knowing almost anything about the football draft, I had no idea what I was going into watching this. It had a fun little twist at the end! I'm not sure if I think it's a twist because I have no idea what goes into a draft and someone who does might see it coming, but it was unexpected for me and I liked it. Garner has NO point in the movie, though. She's the "moral compass," but whatever. Other than that, I liked it. Grade: B
Transcendence ( ) - Oh Depp...what's happened to you? This movie was...not good. Grade: D
Guardians of the Galaxy ( ) - I've watched this twice on DVD (don't even own it on DVD) and in theater...'Nough said. Grade: A
They Came Together ( ) - I can't tell if I like this movie or not. LoL I can see why the reviews are mixed...It was really different than a normal rom-com and almost tongue-in-cheek...? I don't know. It's different, but I watched it fascinated by it and I liked Poehler's and Rudd's chemistry. Still a really weird rom-com... Grade: C/C+
Dom Hemingway ( ) - Not what I expected it to be...I like Jude Law, but that's just about it...It's rough to watch. Grade: D
Need for Speed ( ) - I should know better than to rent a racing movie that I hadn't heard of before...Car scenes were cool, I guess. Grade: D
The Railway Man ( ) - Rented this because it was Firth and Kidman in it. I had no idea what it was about, but I liked it. I thought it was a good acting job on everyone's part. It is a little slow and has some other small issues, but I liked it. Grade: B-
Non-Stop ( ) - You know it's a forgettable movie when I can't even remember who's IN this movie, let alone what it's about. I like Taken, but Neeson has got to stop these type of films! They keep getting worse the more he does...With that said, I still enjoy watching Neeson kick butt :P Grade: C
Snowpiercer ( ) - What a unique film...Not sure what to expect from it, but Chris wanted to see it and it was getting good reviews. It's like a dystopia movie for adults. It's good acting on Evans part and the story was interesting. It's an action film, but it works with what it has on the train (it takes place on a train). I'm still confused about what I really watched (I should rewatch it), but it's good...? I don't know. It's weird. Grade: C+
The Fault in Our Stars - D'awww...The book made me cry. The movie made me cry. I feel like I'm complete now with TFIOS. It does a good adaptation of the book. It has heart. Grade: B
Neighbors - Just what I expected it to be. There were funny scenes in it, but always ends up with some sort of "soft" message at the end. The scene at the end with Effron and Rogen modeling outside Abercrombie and Fitch (I think it was A&F) is hilarious... Grade: C
Sex Tape - Diaz needs to pick better rom-coms...I didn't even like Diaz's and Segel's chemistry... Grade: D
Chef -Wanted to watch this in theater, but Chris didn't want to. Got to watch it and it met my expectations. It's a cute film and I liked it from start to stop. My only problem with it is the heart-warming story is marred by the innuendos. They're not as bad as a comedy like Neighbors, but it's not entirely appropriate for this type of film. It feels a little awkward. With that said, I still immensely enjoyed the movie even with the cussing and innuendos. Grade: B
The Prince - This was another "What film was this?" Even after reading the synopsis, I still have troubles remembering it... Grade: D
Hercules - Well...it could have been worse, but it could have been lots better. I don't like Dwayne Johnson in these types of films... With that said, the story progression was a different take. Still...nope. Grade: D
Mr. Peabody and Sherman - Another good animation this year. New animations are just so much better than the sequels, though. I liked this. I thought it was fun. Grade: B
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For - Eh. Not as good as the first one, but I do enjoy watching the style of the movie. Grade: C-
Earth to Echo - A cuter version of E.T. Mostly. Pretty much. Basically, E.T. + kids filming the adventure themselves + growing up and moving away from your best friends. Other than that...it was slow and didn't hold my attention well. Grade: D
The Expendables 3 - What you'd expect. Grade: C
Tammy - Kind of a disappointment. I expected more from it. Tammy was rather unlikeable in the beginning so that didn't help things at all... Then the whole story was kind of like, "What?" Grade: D
The Giver - Didn't read the book so I can't compare to it or any other version, but...It was okay? My immediate thought was, "Is The Giver the original dystopia novel?!" Eh. Grade: D+
The Hundred-Foot Journey - I wanted to see all the food movies this year. LoL I knew this was a DVD rental, though. This was a good movie. It's predictable. It's not taxing. It's just a good, solid film. I liked the acting. I liked the story. I liked the cooking. It's cute. It might be a little slow, but it works for the way it's set-up. Grade: B
Let's Be Cops - Silly from start to stop, but I did like the end and where they ended up. Grade: C-
Jersey Boys - Basically the male version of Dreamgirls. I haven't seen the play. It was okay...I think Dreamgirls is better, though Grade: C
When the Game Stands Tall - It wasn't terrible, but I'm still not quite sure what the point of the movie was. Was it supposed to show the kids got through the loss, picked themselves up, and still triumphed? I don't know. Grade: D+/C-
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Er. It could have been worse? LoL Grade: D+
And So It Goes - Kind of a mind boggling film with good actors. Was this supposed to be a rom-com like As Good As it Gets? If so, it failed by a LOT. If not, I have no idea what this was supposed to be. It was too heavy of a film... Grade: D
The November Man - Not terrible, but I expected more from it considering it was sort of Bond-like... Grade: C-
Blended - This was listed in the "forgettable movies of 2014." Granted, it's forgettable. On the other hand, it was kind of cute too. It's quirky and kind of suffers from things here-and-there, but it was cute. It wasn't as bad as I thought it could have been. Grade: D+/C-
The Angriest Man in Brooklyn - Don't bother...LoL If you're going to watch a Robin Williams movie, don't watch this one... Grade: D
The Spectacular Now - Old movie from a few years ago that I wanted to watch, but never got to watch. It's a coming of age movie. Wasn't terrible. Wasn't great. Grade: C-
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies - Oh The Hobbit...At least you were better than the Desolation of Smaug. Unfortunately, you only had two cool scenes in you the entire time. And Legolas had the worst most memorable line in the movie. LoL I'll still buy you in extended DVD and watch you again, but LotR is much better and I'll keep watch the first one more instead. Grade: C+
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 - I think the movies are good adaptations of the books. Catching Fire is still my favorite movie, though. This movie was good, but I don't like the place Katniss is in emotionally and mentally. It grates on my nerves. So this movie wasn't as enjoyable as I'd like, but I still liked it. Grade: C+/B-
Big Hero 6 - This is one of my favorite movies of the year. It's so cute! It's a good film. Good for older children, but also good for adults. I enjoyed it and I liked the heart in it. I'm clueless, though, because I had no idea it was a super hero movie till you got the "aha" for why it's called Big Hero 6. Derp on me. Grade: A
The Equalizer - Kind of like Taken in a different vein. It was an interesting watch. It is violent, but it is good. Grade: B
Fury - What a good film, but it was sad. It was good acting and the depiction of war was good. I thought everyone did a good job in this and I wasn't sure about some of the actors. Grade: B+
The Maze Runner - Didn't read the book, but I liked the movie. I thought they did a good job. The girl was kind of useless as the fact she was a girl (not as a body), but I'm sure she'll have a stronger role down the road. Grade: C+
Speed Racer - OLD movie, but I never watched it before! This is Chris's boss's favorite movie so he lent it to us. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. The style of the movie was interesting too. Grade: C
Pitch Black - Now I'm really going back in time...I saw Riddick this year, which I highly enjoyed. I hadn't watched Pitch Black, though, which is the first Riddick film. So I watched it. I like it. The scene when he rotates his arms around is NUTS, though! Grade: C
The Interview - The last movie of 2014 I watched. Watched this Christmas Eve when it was available to rent digitally. It was what I expected it to be. It had some funny scenes and, of course, it has its "touching" side. It was mostly "eh." It met my expectations. Grade: C-
There it is! 103 movies! Movie year recap will be coming up...I will actually do one this year unlike last year where I drafted it and never posted it. :P
I've already watched 2 movies this year: Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb and Boyhood. I'll post those later.
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Happy 2015!
Man, has it been almost 3 months since my last blog post? So much for blogging more last year. :P But...it's a new year! New year, new me? I don't like that phrase. I don't like New Year's Resolutions either. First off, most times you break them and, really, shouldn't you ALWAYS be striving to be better? Why does the first of the year have to start that? Sure, it's a nice "even" spot, but still...
At any rate...HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Looking back to last year, not a lot of "significant" things happened, but I had some small things that happened. Most of which involves my health.
I managed to lose 42 lbs from June to December! Woohoo! I have gained 6.5 lbs thanks to the holidays, but I'm slowly starting to get myself back on track. I'm basically buying no more sweets. So once what I have is consumed, that's it! I could just get back fully on calorie counting, but that means I won't consume the stuff I have left and it goes to waste. So...I might as well finish it. ;) I need to get back to it hard. My goal is to lose another 20 lbs in the next 6 months. So, basically, in a year I want to lose 60 pounds. :)
I've learned to like new foods! I've learned to like avocado. Who'd of thunk. For years I've tried avocado and never liked it. For whatever reason, I learned to like it this year. I still don't eat a lot of it, but I will buy it to have on hamburgers and salads. So, that's cool. I also have decided I like brussels sprouts (they remind me of a more bitter broccoli with the texture of lettuce), kale, and quinoa. Kale is fantastic because it's better to eat it cooked rather than raw and putting it in anything reminds me of cabbage in soups. They're pretty flavorless in soups and I like the texture they give. Quinoa has been a trial and error...I don't like it on its own, but I like it in soups, chilies, and things with a light sauce. It's healthy for you and I like the texture. Plus, it's so cute and tiny!
I'm cooking! Since mid-February last year, I have been cooking at home on a weekly basis. That's part of why I've managed to lose weight, but it's also really helped my digestive track. I'm lactose intolerant and before cooking at home, I would HAVE to take lactaid pills with any dairy I took and hope it would actually work. Now that I'm cooking at home and eating a more balanced diet, I don't have to take the pills! I can actually eat dairy and be okay. I'm not 100% off of them (heavy dairy days require the pills), but I'm much better off than I was. I have noticed the past two weeks (basically since my birthday when my eating went downhill) I can't get away with that as well, so it's a definite sign my diet makes a difference in how I can handle dairy. But the cooking has been great. My only problem is food is so expensive! LoL I have to be better about food budgeting...With that said, by planning meals out a week in advance, I'm definitely buying less than I would without planning, I'm eating out less, and I'm snacking less (well, snacking less is also calorie counting).
I bought less nail polish! LoL Maybe not a big thing, but an accomplishment for me. :) My goal this year is to spend less than I did last year. I'm starting to find my pitfalls and really judge my "needs" on polish. It's still hard...especially since I shop almost exclusively with indie polishes so "waiting" to buy that polish doesn't exist since they won't make it again, but I'm trying. January is going to be a "no buy" month, which I'm hoping to extend into February.
I watched 103 movies this year. :) Not as many as last year (I watched 110 in 2013), but I broke 100! Considering I slowed down a lot towards the end of the year, not bad. I actually wasn't sure I'd even make 100. I'll blog a HUGE post about the movies I watched later. It's half-done since I've been working on it off-and-on for weeks (months?) now.
In other things, I went down south 4 times. I went to the racetrack 3 times. I got appointed (or, most likely will be appointed - find out Monday or Tuesday) to the Marina Coast Water District Water Conservation Commission. I made it a priority to visit the chiropractor monthly (the exercise, weight loss, and chiro almost fixed my lower back problem I had last year, though it's still a constant work in progress). I didn't have any weird doctor visits! No weird cysts or hives. :P I survived my work's management changes.
Mostly, I can't complain about the year. :) It was a good year for me and it was definitely the year of getting my health in order.
Welcome 2015. It'll be fun to see what you bring. I'm hoping for a new job, driving license, meeting my weight goal, having more fun times with family and friends, and maybe some traveling. :) If you want to throw in winning the lottery, that's cool. ;) Cheers, everyone!
At any rate...HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Looking back to last year, not a lot of "significant" things happened, but I had some small things that happened. Most of which involves my health.
I managed to lose 42 lbs from June to December! Woohoo! I have gained 6.5 lbs thanks to the holidays, but I'm slowly starting to get myself back on track. I'm basically buying no more sweets. So once what I have is consumed, that's it! I could just get back fully on calorie counting, but that means I won't consume the stuff I have left and it goes to waste. So...I might as well finish it. ;) I need to get back to it hard. My goal is to lose another 20 lbs in the next 6 months. So, basically, in a year I want to lose 60 pounds. :)
I've learned to like new foods! I've learned to like avocado. Who'd of thunk. For years I've tried avocado and never liked it. For whatever reason, I learned to like it this year. I still don't eat a lot of it, but I will buy it to have on hamburgers and salads. So, that's cool. I also have decided I like brussels sprouts (they remind me of a more bitter broccoli with the texture of lettuce), kale, and quinoa. Kale is fantastic because it's better to eat it cooked rather than raw and putting it in anything reminds me of cabbage in soups. They're pretty flavorless in soups and I like the texture they give. Quinoa has been a trial and error...I don't like it on its own, but I like it in soups, chilies, and things with a light sauce. It's healthy for you and I like the texture. Plus, it's so cute and tiny!
I'm cooking! Since mid-February last year, I have been cooking at home on a weekly basis. That's part of why I've managed to lose weight, but it's also really helped my digestive track. I'm lactose intolerant and before cooking at home, I would HAVE to take lactaid pills with any dairy I took and hope it would actually work. Now that I'm cooking at home and eating a more balanced diet, I don't have to take the pills! I can actually eat dairy and be okay. I'm not 100% off of them (heavy dairy days require the pills), but I'm much better off than I was. I have noticed the past two weeks (basically since my birthday when my eating went downhill) I can't get away with that as well, so it's a definite sign my diet makes a difference in how I can handle dairy. But the cooking has been great. My only problem is food is so expensive! LoL I have to be better about food budgeting...With that said, by planning meals out a week in advance, I'm definitely buying less than I would without planning, I'm eating out less, and I'm snacking less (well, snacking less is also calorie counting).
I bought less nail polish! LoL Maybe not a big thing, but an accomplishment for me. :) My goal this year is to spend less than I did last year. I'm starting to find my pitfalls and really judge my "needs" on polish. It's still hard...especially since I shop almost exclusively with indie polishes so "waiting" to buy that polish doesn't exist since they won't make it again, but I'm trying. January is going to be a "no buy" month, which I'm hoping to extend into February.
I watched 103 movies this year. :) Not as many as last year (I watched 110 in 2013), but I broke 100! Considering I slowed down a lot towards the end of the year, not bad. I actually wasn't sure I'd even make 100. I'll blog a HUGE post about the movies I watched later. It's half-done since I've been working on it off-and-on for weeks (months?) now.
In other things, I went down south 4 times. I went to the racetrack 3 times. I got appointed (or, most likely will be appointed - find out Monday or Tuesday) to the Marina Coast Water District Water Conservation Commission. I made it a priority to visit the chiropractor monthly (the exercise, weight loss, and chiro almost fixed my lower back problem I had last year, though it's still a constant work in progress). I didn't have any weird doctor visits! No weird cysts or hives. :P I survived my work's management changes.
Mostly, I can't complain about the year. :) It was a good year for me and it was definitely the year of getting my health in order.
Welcome 2015. It'll be fun to see what you bring. I'm hoping for a new job, driving license, meeting my weight goal, having more fun times with family and friends, and maybe some traveling. :) If you want to throw in winning the lottery, that's cool. ;) Cheers, everyone!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)