Movie night: Christmas Eve

Every Christmas Eve at 3 PM (we celebrate on the 24th in Sweden) we gather in front of the TV to watch Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul. It's a compilation of short films/snippets from Disney movies originally titled "From All of Us to All of You" and has been a tradition in Sweden since 1960.

Behold: My brother Stefan's head and my sister Julia's feet. Also behold the candelabra in the background, by the sofa. In the following days my sister Sara will trip over it and break all of the candles, except two.

Also traditionally (since 1994), Swedish Television shows Kan du vissla Johanna? directly following "From All of Us to All of You". I have no idea why it's become a Christmas thing, since it takes place during summer..

We didn't have it on for more than five minutes. My brother thinks it's too depressing, so we put on The Santa Clause instead (usually my sister Hanna's very adamant that we watch Kan du vissla Johanna? together, but she was giving my niece a bath and couldn't stop us = win!).
 

Here's my sister Sara in front of the TV. We were playing my favorite game "Can't Stop" and she won. Both times. I don't know how much of the movie we actually watched..

After dinner and a visit from Santa, I got to watch my favorite thing: Sagan om Karl-Bertil Jonssons julafton. I'm the only one in my family that loves it but I'm okay with that (and I can't be alone in this.. it's been on every Christmas Eve since 1975)!

It didn't stop my family from stealing the candy though.. 

Then I took a nap, while my mother and two sisters watched season one of Poldark. They got two episodes in, before I woke up and that's when they decided to put on season one of Luther instead. I watched it with them and we kept watching until six in the morning.

My 2015 goals: How I did

Buy less + clean out my movie collection 
I don't know the last time I bought a movie, to be honest. In total, I've only bought one this year. I've also gotten my movie collection down from 111 to 23.

Watch less movies but better ones 
I've been better/worse at this this year, depending on life in general. Since starting school, I've watched less but not always better. By this I mean I've found that I've tried to force myself through movies I don't really like.. just to have watched them.   
 
Find other ways to relax 
I've been reading more, for sure. And playing a lot of Township on my mobile.

Limit the time and quantity
Ugh. I'm ashamed to admit I've had little to no self control when it has come to restricting my time..

2015 - a challenging list
I don't know if I'll finish this yet since I'm giving myself until December 31th to do it. I've got 14 movies to go..   

Elin and Julia watch the classics.. sort of: #6

Movie: Fried Green Tomatoes
Status: Elin's seen it maybe once, in her early teens. Julia's never seen it.
Favorite scene: Anything involving Evelyn..    
Times we pause it: None.

It's a dark and quite chilly evening in my parents' living room. My sister and I discuss which movie to watch. Our mother joins the conversation and opts for something fluffy, romantic and fast-paced. Naturally, that makes us decide on Fried Green Tomatoes instead (i.e the opposite of what she wants). Our father joins us then. He's building a fire and doesn't really plan on staying long, but is hooked and watches the entire movie with us. Fifteen minutes in, my mother is asleep on my lap.

When it's over and we talk about it, I cry a little at the thought of people solely living on in our memories. That my future children won't know what my grandfather sounded like etc. My mother wakes up then, recites something about death and starts crying too. Julia's just sitting there, watching us in disbelief and laughing! Best movie night in quite some time..

Our hooked Papa and the fire he made

Ambition for: December

I'm not really a fan of Christmas movies. However, I find myself feeling very excited to watch some of these in December:

Home Alone
The Holiday 
Arthur Christmas
The Polar Express
You've Got Mail
A Christmas Carol (2009)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
While You Were Sleeping

I'd also like to try, for the first time:

White Christmas 
Mickey's Christmas Carol
Elf
Christmas in Connecticut
Lethal Weapon 
The Muppet Christmas Carol

In the spotlight: November

Guardians of the Galaxy 
I don't know why, but this time I fell in love! Either something happened to me during this year, to make me see it in a different light OR I was just high on life in November (i.e on top of my school work). Whatever the reason, it has overshadowed many of the movies I've watched this year!

Also: it has finally snowed!

What is this world?

I've been bad at blogging lately. Not because of a lack of will but rather energy. And waking up to news of the terrors in Paris last night makes it impossible to write about something trivial, even though it's the weekend (and my school work's under control)! How did we end up here? I feel SO powerless and really, really small.

'twas the best part

- So.. you can pick up their scent, can't you? Track their footprints?
- I was with the Navy, not the Navajo!

Jurassic World

Ambition for: November

My main ambition is to prioritize better this month, so that I have time for all the things I love. Where movies are concerned, I'm really not sure what I want to watch. Here are some maybes:

* The last few episodes of Castle, season 3
* Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies (my dad's ordered the entire Extended Edition box set)
* Spectre
* Guardians of the Galaxy
* Red Eye
* San Andreas
* Jurassic World
* The Great Gatsby
* Pan

 It's getting dark around 4 PM now and I HATE it. I feel like punching anyone that says: "Make the best of it! Light candles. Drink hot chocolate.". FYI: If I want chocolate, I'll chew it. I'm not that old yet!

In the spotlight: October

Feeling very pumped to watch a lot of movies in the beginning of October, I hadn't expected to watch even less than I did in September. But I did. And there are a lot of reasons for that: 1. I've been absolutely overwhelmed with school due to bad planning/underestimating how long an assignment will take 2. I helped my parents clean out their garage for two days straight, then followed that up with spending time with my sister when my niece got sick (and her boyfriend had to work) at the same time as I helped my youngest sister Julia study for the Swedish equivalent to the SATs; högskoleprovet. 3. Since I study from home, I've had a hard time figuring out how to divide my time. Being in an office makes it seem more official, even though I'm doing the same work in my apartment. 4. I installed Township on my phone. I'm on level 33. Enough said.   

Here are my two favorites this month:

ParaNorman
This really impressed me. The story was very gripping but had it not been animated as beautifully as it was, it wouldn't have been nearly as impactful! I may have cried a little in the end (i.e a lot)/nearly broken one of my sister's fingers from squeezing them too hard. Needless to say, it makes for an excellent movie to watch during Halloween.

Hotel Transylvania
Speaking of Halloween - this was as close as I got to it. I spent that entire weekend writing a 5000 word exam for my first course. I'm not really a big fan of Halloween though, so I'm not complaining! This was nowhere near as good or as original as ParaNorman, but very very entertaining instead. It succeed in taking my mind off the Swedish health care politics for a while..

Ambition for: October

I'm suddenly very pumped to watch movies this month. I don't know what happened! 

For my 2015 challenge, I want to watch:

* Red Eye
* La belle et la bête
* 127 Hours
* Empire State
* My Man Godfrey
* The Good Girl
* Season 3 of Castle (I'm about halfway through)
* Bowling For Columbine
* Australia

For the rest of the month, I hope to get to:

* Goodzilla (2014)
* Day After Tomorrow
* The Great Gatsby
* Prisoners
* Zodiac
* Only You

And since it turns out that the cinemas in my part of Sweden won't show The Gift after all, I may possibly go see either Everest or The Intern depending on what my family decides..

Insurance

To make sure I complete one of my goals before the end of 2015, I've actually made a plan:

A movie that takes place in your region: Jag saknar dig 
A movie by a female director: Near Dark (Kathryn Bigelow) 
A documentary: Bowling for Columbine  
A movie based on a true story: Empire State/Black Mass
A movie someone in your family loves: Australia
A movie that's more than 70 years old: My Man Godfrey (1936)
A movie based entirely on its cover: 9
A movie you watched in school: Romeo + Juliet/Psycho
A movie based on a memoir: 127 Hours
A movie with antonyms in the title: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
A movie set somewhere you've always wanted to visit: The Piano (set in New Zealand)
A movie you own but have never watched: Hours (with Paul Walker, not Nicole Kidman)
A movie in a foreign language (other than English): Intouchables (2011)/La belle et la bête (2014)
A movie based on a play: My Fair Lady

Good luck, to me..

In the spotlight: September

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
I've seen this before, several times (I'm not ashamed to say that I saw it five times in the cinema), but I'd forgotten how entertaining it is! Watching it, for me, is like having a cup of coffee.

Southpaw
The performances in this was just amazing! I'm seriously blown away.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame
This is seriously the best animated Disney movie, in my opinion, next to Bambi. It's gripping, with a seriously creepy villain. It's funny and entertaining with well executed action scenes. The songs are spaced out perfectly and the ending is not cheesy at all (big plus!). Need I say more? <3


I was also able to check these off from my challenging 2015 list this month:

A popular director's first movie: Strictly Ballroom
Four movies in a day: Glada hälsningar från Missångerträsk, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Home on the Ranch, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
A movie from you childhood: Anastasia

Something to keep me warm

The Gift 
Swedish movie premiere: 2nd of October
I wrote about my excitement for this movie in May and I'm finally gonna get to watch it! Mostly I'm excited for Joel Edgerton. He is one of my favorite actors and has both written and directed + is starring in this. Normally, I just go to the movies when my family goes (since I don't have a car) but for this, I'm gonna borrow one and go by myself.  

The Dressmaker
Swedish movie premiere: ?
This looks very much like my type of movie; quirky, funny, romantic and a little dark. And full of girl power! Right now I can't find a release date, but I'm excited anyways.  

Secret in Their Eyes
Swedish movie premiere: 4th of December
Normally I don't gravitate towards thrillers, but this looks both well acted and intriguing. Also - a villain that's creepily unaffected by everything.. makes me uncomfortably nervous. It's been a long time since Julia Robert starred in something I've felt this excited about.

Spectre
Swedish movie premiere: 30th of October
I've watched all of Daniel Craig's Bond movies in the cinema so far. Consequently, I can't break the chain now and have to go see it!*

The Martian 
Swedish movie premiere: 2nd of October
I wrote about this in June and I hope to watch it with my dad at some point. He's a big Sci-Fi fan and therefore I don't mind waiting until the movie is released on DVD, if it means we get to watch it together. Plus, if it gets too nerve-wracking I can actually fast forward.. something I've found quite difficult to do in a movie theater.

Winter is coming.

* I'm just kidding. I have no shame! Daniel Craig is the only Bond I like and I don't even care what this one is about! I'll watch it regardless.

Presently watching, this Sunday

I'm almost through the first month of my two year long university education. I've really enjoyed having a "job" again, but reading lots of textbooks have meant less time to watch movies (i.e a good thing). When I've had time to watch stuff, I've gravitated towards easy things like:

* The European Eventing Championships
* "Sommar med Ernst", a Swedish interior design program
* April's videos on Youtube; from her oldest to her newest (currently watching her "March TBR!" from 2014)
* Friends, season 3
* Max Payne/The Bodyguard/Miss Julie (these are by no means things I watch just to unwind - if they were, I'd be done with them already. I'm just slowly making my way through them.. every other week.. in between easier things)

* Also, we're watching Glada hälsningar från Missångerträsk in the cinema today; me, my sisters minus Hanna plus our mom (we all love the book)

The cinema in Umeå (SF).

To stop or not to stop watching..

My sister Julia is one of those people that likes to watch precisely EVERY episode of a show. In order. Without missing a single word of it. I used to think that was crazy! I'm not overly fond of TV-shows myself, because I prefer the format of a movie. When it ends, it ends. Sure, they can make sequels, but the original movie will still be neatly wrapped up; comfortably concluded (and I don't have to watch the sequel). Julia never usually watches a movie more than once or twice; that's always seemed like madness to me.

That's also why I've been no stranger to stopping when I've thought a show has been going downhill - even if it has been in the middle of a season. I can count the shows I've actually watched all the way through on one hand. I'm so glad I haven't done that with Friends. It might have taken me a few years, but I'm nearing the end of season three and it's getting really good. I guess there's actually something to be said for not just watching the same movies over and over and over again (until you know the entire dialog by heart). To actually commit to following a story to the end, no matter how uncomfortable it might make you..

Julia, I hail you as my morning star, because you are the way you are..

Here comes a lion, father..

The moment Chandler babysits his duck while it's swimming in the bathtub.. is the moment I want to hold up season three of Friends and go: NAAAAAANTS INGONYAAAAAAMA BAGITHI BABA!

Ambition for: September

I want to finish:

* Castle, season 3
* Max Payne/Bodyguard/Primal Fear

I'd like these to be our picks for the Chocolatebunnymovieclub this month:

* Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
* The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

And finally, I want to watch:

* Snatch
* Mirror Mirror
* Chances Are
* Only You 
* Strictly Ballroom

Home

I would like to preface this post by stating that I in fact AM adventurous when I travel and that I often do cool things like.. well, I'm blanking now, but [insert "cool things that one does when one is all alone in a city where one doesn't know anyone" here]. Now, keep that image of me doing those cool things in your mind, while you read on..

I just feel so at ease in the cinema. And that was my saving grace on Wednesday when I went to Umeå to take part in some introductory shenanigans at the university. I felt uneasy, tired and hungry the entire day but when I finally got to make myself comfortable in one of those red familiar chairs, I immediately relaxed. Unclenched my jaw. Almost fell asleep. Those 12 years I spent working at (and watching close to every movie we showed) our local movie theater must have conditioned me like one of Pavlov's dogs! Not that I'm complaining..

My nirvana

OTIFHCILTB (One True Inspiration For How Carefree I'd Like To Be)

 Solo: [carefully places himself on a sofa, upon realizing he's been drugged]

Victoria: What are you doing?

Solo: I've been here before and last time I fell rather badly and hurt my head..

The Man from U.N.C.L.E

In the spotlight: August

First, I turned 31 and due to the stress of having to finish my summer course (the gods of Olympus) I couldn't really enjoy it. Upon completion I was left semi-scarred and stressed out (almost to the point of twitching every time I heard the word "Aphrodite" (still do)). Then, I got in some weird downsizing mood and did nothing but clean out stuff and watch movies until I was hit with the mother of all movie hangovers (i.e I wanted to watch everything/nothing, all at the same time). Finally, at the end of the month, everything turned around when I learned that I'd been accepted into university! Yaay! (also, credit goes to Inside Out, for bringing me out of my movie slump)

Inside out
This was amazing. Amazingly amazing. I'm gonna watch it in the cinema again on Saturday.    

Schindler's List
I felt the tears building up like a wave until I was struck with an explosive cry-attack that left even me stunned. You know, the kind where you have to laugh at yourself because you're crying/howling for 10 minutes?

The Age of Adaline
Oh, Blake Lively. How you impress me! <3

The Man from U.N.C.L.E
This was surprisingly good! The story itself wasn't really my cup of tea but the way it was shot/the humor/the acting really made up for it.


I was also able to check these off from my challenging 2015 list this month:

A movie with a one-word title: Avatar
A movie longer than 3 hours: Schindler's List 
A mystery or a thriller: Skyfall

Miguel; my spirit animal..

 

Miguel: We'll follow that trail!

Tulio: What trail?

Miguel: [chopping at vines with sword] The trail that we blaze! 

[the vines fall down revealing a solid wall of rock] 

[long pause]

Miguel: [pointing in another direction] THAT trail that we blaze... 

The Road to El Dorado

Movie night: The Man from U.N.C.L.E

My sister Julia picked me up, we drove for an hour, picked up our friend Mattias and then headed for the beach to meet our sister Sara and her fiancé Henrik. It's been unusually warm in the north of Sweden this week, but it still drops back to normal temperatures at night (around +5ºC). Consequently, the water was freezing.

After some pizza, we watched The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Henrik and Sara were THIS excited for the movie:

I really liked it! I felt like the plot was a little too confusing and predictable, but the acting/way it was told, more than made up for it. Sara + Julia really loved it and Julia even went as far as naming it one of her "all time top 10". 

Currently watching, yo!

Phu! I'm finally done with my exam and the aftermath of it (i.e stress-related anxiety). Just in time for the first (and probably only) heatwave this summer! This does not mean I watch less movies, however, just that I watch them at night:

* Castle, season 2 (starting season 3 very soon)
* The Man from U.N.C.L.E (in the cinema tomorrow)
* Schindler's List (a Chocolatebunnymovieclub pick.. I'm NOT excited!)
* The Bodyguard/Primal Fear/Max Payne  - I'm sort of halfway through all of them..

R.I.P brain

I'm taking a course in classical mythology this summer. Why did I choose this? WHY? It's about equal parts interesting/frustrating/like reading Tolkien. Don't tell me Hesiod, Homer, Herodotus, Hera, Hermes, Hades, Hephaestus, Hector, Harmonia and Heracles couldn't just as easily be characters from The Lord of the Rings?! How am I supposed to memorize this?  

I'm taking the test on Friday. When I'm done with it, I'm: 1) Sleeping for a week 2) never again reading anything that requires me to learn the names in both English AND Swedish and 3) never ever watching the movie Troy. EVER.

Ambition for: August

Even though I might have developed an allergy to grass this summer, I'm thankful for it! So much so, that I'm determined to go swimming at least once before it gets too cold. It's a little unclear how catching a cold will help pay homage to this summer but I just want one swim outside really, so I'm going with it. Here are some other things I want to do/watch this month:

* Watch Funny Face
* Finish my summer course
* Pick raspberries, cloudberries, blueberries and bake something using rhubarbs
* Rewatch season two of Elementary
* Celebrate my 31th birthday
* Watch something starring Gregory Peck
* Spend at least one day by the sea
* Take the canoe out on a stream somewhere
* Watch Crossroads (2002) with my mom and Julia
* Clean out my parents' garage
* Cook with more variation
* Watch Paper Towns in the cinema

In the spotlight: July

Elementary
I've been reluctant to finish the third season because I didn't like the way it seemed to be headed but after about the 12th episode or so, it turned around (for the better) and I just flew through the rest of it. I then started watching season one again, which is the best season in my opinion (I've already watched it once this year, in March). What I love most about this show is how intensely Jonny Lee Miller's Sherlock feels things. He's not some emotionless sociopath or a trickster that never seems to be affected by the things that happen. No, his feelings are raw and real and that makes it easy to understand why he turned to drugs in the first place; his mind is as much of a burden as it is a gift.

The Heat 
Dear Melissa McCarthy, 

I'm more and more blown away by you with every movie I watch.

Best Wishes,
Elin

Terminator Genisys
For me, this was all about Sarah Connor. I didn't like her that much before - either she was the epitome of helplessness or over-the-top angry and unreasonable. Emilia Clarke's Sarah on the other hand is tough and self-sufficient but also caring and reachable.

A Knight's Tale
The pacing is great, you really want to poke the villain in the eye yet it's not depressing and dark - what more can you ask for? 

Roman Holiday
Oh, this was excellent! Extremely frustrating for me to watch, but excellent.


I was also able to check these off from my challenging 2015 list this month:

A movie that scares you: Event Horizon
A movie set in the future: Terminator Genisys
A movie that made you cry hard: The Green Mile
A movie with a number in the title: Third Star
A book-to-movie adaptation: Luftslottet som sprängdes
A movie set in a foreign country: Roman Holiday

Tired thoughts

I'm usually not opposed to watching long movies. In the case of  Luftslottet som sprängdes (The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest), however, I very intensely feel like I want the 2 hours and 16 minutes I spent watching it back. Right now, if possible.

The one where Cotton Ball lives

I've just spent the past two hours with Cotton Ball, Alan Poe and Sardini on board the Con Air.

At least that was what Julia thought their names were, when I asked.

We both agreed that not being able to remember even the main character's name, is a sure sign that you don't care about anyone or anything that happens in the movie.

And maybe rightly so? Just take Vince Larkin for example:

That man mostly ran back and forth across an airfield and got knocked down a bunch of times.

Caring stops rather quickly, to say the least.

(We never stopped caring about Cotton Ball though and luckily he made it.)

Con Air

ChocolateBunnyMovieClub 2.0

Since we've finished 14 movies from our original ChocolateBunnyMovieClub list, we've gone ahead and updated it a bit. This is what we want to watch together, in the near future: 

Movies - new to both of us:

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Casablanca
Citizen Kane
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Die Hard
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Enter the Dragon
From Here to Eternity
Heat
Indiana Jones (one of them - we haven't seen any)
Mad Max: Fury Road
Mary Poppins
Psycho
Roman Holiday
Taxi Driver
The Godfather
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The Producers (any of Mel Brooks's movies besides Robin Hood: Men In Tights, really)
The Wolf Man (1941)
Vertigo

Movies - new to one of us:

A Fish Called Wanda
Con Air
Eight Legged Freaks
Jaws
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Pulp Fiction
Schindler's List  

Movies that we're rewatching:

The Jungle Book

ChocolateBunnyMovieClub: The progress

Earlier this year, my sister Julia and I decided to start watching movies together. For once they would be ones that we'd decided on in advance. Ones that were iconic or that we really wanted to watch the other suffer through. So far, we've ticked off 14 movies from our ever growing list: 

* Léon: Post #1 
* The Shawshank Redemption: Post #2 
* Shutter Island: Post #3 
* Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Terminator Salvation: Post #4
* Event Horizon: Post #5

* American Beauty: We watched it because I was in a Kevin Spacey-period + I'd been a long time since I saw it and Julia had never seen it. It was much better than I remembered. 

* Pay It Forward: Again, because of Kevin Spacey. Plus Julia wanted to re-watch it and so did I. It was better than we remembered.

* The Green Mile: Julia really wanted to watch this. I already had, many times, but somehow I had repressed how sad it was and so I surprised myself by crying for 60% of the film. Julia cried once. In the end.
 
* The Matrix: Our brother wanted us to see it + I'd always wanted to. Neither of us liked it very much - not because it was a bad film at all, but because it wasn't our type of film. 

* The Princess Bride: I'd heard so many good things about this and I wasn't disappointed. It didn't wow me though, mostly because I'd expected it to be funnier.   

* Third Star: This is the movie that has impacted me the most, in a very "I cried for 20 minutes"-kind of way. I knew this and was obviously not that excited to watch this with Julia. She, on the other hand, wanted to watch it because of that very reason.

 This perfectly illustrates our relationship

Summer-y of things currently watched..

* A woman and her bunny hang out in her parents garden. The sun is shining and the mosquitoes are annoying. Evidently they're having fun because the woman's reading and the bunny's making ecstatic, twirly jumps. They stay outside until the first raindrops fall, 20 minutes later (because obviously that's what the mosquitoes were trying to convey with their relentless attacks). Safe and dry inside, the woman and her sisters decide to socialize in front of The Princess Bride and A Knight's Tale, aided by chips and watermelon. All is well. 

* A woman and her sisters + her favorite (/only) niece go searching for a flee market. It's the middle of the week and, as usual this summer, it looks like it's about to rain. They do get a little lost on the way (the woman could have been a more attentive map reader, I suppose) but find their way eventually. After fleemarketing, they head for the city where the woman FINALLY buys herself a shoe rack and the sisters buy baby stuff. In the evening the woman + her sister Sara goes to the cinema to watch Terminator Genisys. Afterwards, the woman returns home (extremely tired), and then stubbornly assembles her shoe rack. The end!

* A woman and her youngest cousin Lina hang out for two days. They talk for hours about religion, play Mario Kart and Yoshi's Woolly World, feed some ducks and eat some ice cream. Being only 14 means Lina's got far more energy than the woman and so, after the woman's helped her cousin catch her train, she collapses in front of Friends while making a conscious effort to stay awake past 10 PM. She succeeds! 

I'm living the high life..

When I woke up this morning, I felt like someone had sucker punched me between my eyes.

And then stuffed my nose with cotton balls. 
If it was the five hours of sleep I got or the fact that I cried on and off during about 60% of The Green Mile, that caused it? I don't know. 
My eyelids does look bee stung though, so I'm gonna go with the latter alternative..
I even tried a hair of the dog this morning and described certain scenes to my sister Hanna while she breastfed, but all it took was talking about Mouseville for me to tear up again.
If this is what a hangover feels like, I'm glad I don't drink!

The Green Mile

Unpopular opinions, yo

A popular movie that you didn't like:

Pretty Woman
I can't stress enough how much I hate this movie. How can ANYONE think it's romantic that Edward buys a prostitute? Even if they eventually fall in love, there are still too many disturbing scenes where he has sex with her while having paid for it (the piano scene for example). Plus I feel like Edward's just another stereotypical "bad boy" with lots of money, a hole in his heart and commitment issues.

The Wizard of Oz
I had quite high expectations for this - firstly because it's a classic and secondly because it's quite innovative given that it's made in 1939 (I think I read somewhere that they created the tornado using a sock?). It felt too long, however, without much happening plus the songs are more "I sing when I could talk" than anything else and I'm not a fan of those types of musicals.

Se7en:
Again, this was a case of too high expectations for me. I think the reason I didn't like it was the lack of real suspense - you never got to see the victims before they were killed and that made it hard to root for the villain to get caught. Also, I didn't much care for either Brad Pitt's or Morgan Freeman's characters.

I don't think it's unpopular to hate snow, but I felt it was fitting since I dislike this image about as much as the movies above..

A popular character that you do not like:

Leonard Hofstadter (TBBT)
He's such a love/hate character for me.. (my hate post and love post)

Edward Cullen & Jacob Black (Twilight)
When talking about these two - I feel it's fitting to sum up my feelings about them using this (slightly modified) quote: "I want to fong you, until your insides are out, your outsides are in, your entrails will become your extrails I will w-rip... all the p... ung. Pain, lots of pain."

Again, I'm about as excited for this to become a reality as I am for the 105th Pirates of the Caribbean-movie..

A popular director that you just cannot get into:

Quentin Tarantino
It's not that I dislike his style at all, I'm just not overcome with the desire to watch all his movies/sing his praises like I feel most people are.


A popular show or movie that you have no interest in watching:
Breaking Bad, Dexter, Game of Thrones
Both BB and Dexter are types of shows that (like Tarantino's movies) are too grim for me. I want lots of light in the things I watch! As for Game of Thrones, I just have a hard time with loosing characters and bad guys winning..

Elin and Julia watch the classics.. sort of: #5

Movie: Event Horizon
Status: Julia only wants to see it because it scared Elin half to death when she was 13 and watched it with her MUCH tougher friend..
Favorite scene: Bah! Like there is one? How about the scenes with the creepy child or all the intestines or Baby Bear's impromptu space walk (without a suit)?
Times we pause it: Once, when Elin prolongs the agony by going to the bathroom for about 15 minutes..

This whole evening started off with Julia spiking my water with salt. Really - that should have been my first clue! After the water prank + her subsequent 5 minute laugh attack, we started on what I can only describe as my road to nightmares-about-aliens-with-their-feet-chopped-off.
I really can't tell if this movie was good or not. Mostly because I have almost nothing to compare it too but also because I was too busy hiding behind my stuffed hippo for the majority of it.

Julia didn't like it that much and actually had the nerve to call it tame/a walk in the park etc. Either she's hiding her fear extremely well OR I'm about as equipped for watching horror as I am for riding horses (i.e very VERY.. unequipped)?

Ambition for: July

July's usually the warmest month here in Sweden, but it doesn't really look that promising this year. There are things I'm gonna do however, regardless of the weather (am I rhyming unintentionally?):

* Celebrate my sister Hanna's 28th birthday (19/7)
* Go and see an outdoor play (4/7)
* Camp with my siblings (if we manage to find two rain-free days..)
* Finish my summer course at the university (at least the majority of it, since I take the exam in August)
* Go swimming (yeah, right!)
* Eat my weight in strawberries and cherries
* Listen to Mr. Big
* Unlock my bakery in Cooking Fever  I did, and then removed it, because I became too addicted..
* Play Mario Kart
* Help my mom and dad organize their storage properly
* Finish my library books before the 27th
* Sunbathe without dying from mosquitoes/pollen I'm gonna count 1 day for twenty minutes as a success!

Subsequently, my movie ambitions are quite modest this month:

* Body of Proof, season 2 (nope - they removed it from Viaplay.se)
* Elementary, season 3
* Paper Towns
* Terminator 5

If I'm able, I'd REALLY like to train this little dragon to walk on a leash too! Her current state of obedience is reduced to freaking out and then bolting into the nearest bush. Edit: Have to find and buy an escape proof harness first!

In the spotlight: June

Body of Proof
Halfway through season 2 at the moment. I love it because it's almost impossible to guess which of the presented characters are the culprit! Plus, even though the expert is very good at being an expert.. she's never alone in solving the crimes (unlike the experts in Unforgettable or The Mentalist for example)!

The Terminator
Both 1 and 2 are so very well paced. And they have great entertainment value! I felt such joy when I watched them.

The Big Bang Theory 
I normally always watch this before bed (and have it on in the background while I sleep) but recently I've slept without it and properly watched full episodes instead. That's reminded me of the fact that it's probably my favorite show ever. 

Bambi
I just want to step into the movie and pet Bambi. Not creepily or anything, just casually stroll by and then attack him: *pet* *pet* *petpetpetpetpetpetpetpetpetpet*!


I was also able to check these off from my challenging 2015 list this month:

A movie you've started but never finished: Django Unchained 
A movie at the bottom of your "to be watched"-list: Taken
A movie with nonhuman characters: The Wolverine
A trilogy: The Terminator Saga (1-4) 
A funny movie: Spy

10 things I love about Leonard Hofstadter

1. That he's willing to watch sports with Penny and paint "Go sports!" on his stomach (season 6, e 01)

2. His willingness to drive Sheldon wherever he needs to go

3. The enormous amount of patience and understanding he has for Sheldon

4. That he won't have sex with a wealthy woman to secure a donation (season 4, e 15)

5. Those times when he helps Sheldon out by calling Sheldon's mother

6. That he's very open and honest about his feelings for Penny  - he's not afraid to say that he loves her + propose to her a lot

7. His openness about his interests + his devotion to them

8. His behavior towards Amy during and after the wedding they attend (season 5, e 03)

9. That he'll spend the night in front of their building in a hard hat, just to please Sheldon (season 5, e 15)

10. The fact that he bought Penny a car to support her acting career (season 7, e 17)

The Big Bang Theory 

Elin and The Yeti watch the classics.. sort of: #4

Movies: Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Status: Neither of us have seen the first one. Elin's watched the second one once (in like 1998).
Favorite scenes: Any scene with Arnold, really. 
Times we pause them: Maybe 5 in total - mostly to discuss the time travel aspect..

These movies have great entertainment value and are both very well paced! But they are also very confusing - at least to us. After a few discussion breaks about the weirdness of it all, we decide to just roll with whatever it is that we don't understand. And so when the T-1000 (in the second film) turns into some sort of gecko-floor-robot, we just go with it. When he turns into a big metal blob? Again - we go with it (and then jokingly refer to him as "the blob" for the rest of the movie).   

I really liked the first film, mostly for the insta-love (you know - when someone loves "a lifetime's worth" in just a few hours? I'm a sucker for that) and Julia was definitely a bigger fan of the second one. I have to agree with her overall though because I think Arnold makes for a much better hero than villain and Edward Furlong is fantastic.

Here's proof of: 1) Julia's allusiveness (she's hereby renamed "The Yeti") 2) Our first real heat wave this summer (Yaay! Shorts!) and 3) The fact that we've been really responsible and watched the movies at night when you can't be outside anyways (because of about one million mosquitoes). 

Updated movie collection

After I wrote the previous post regarding my goals, I decided to go through my collection again. I ended up cutting it down from 43 to 22 movies, just like that (it wasn't even hard). This is my updated movie collection:

Singin' in the Rain, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Other Sister, Sherlock Holmes, Lord of the Rings, Wild Child, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Forrest Gump.
What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, The Hunger Games, The Host, National Treasure, Blood diamond, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Die Hard 4.0, Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.
Bambi, Avatar, Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken, Chocolat, Titanic, Romeo + Juliet. 

6/12

Now that we're about halfway through the year, I felt it was time to revisit my goals for 2015:

* I wanted to watch "less but better" movies:
Since January 1th I've watched about 90 movies + five seasons of different TV shows (not that good - I wish I'd watched fewer and relaxed more). My sister Julia and I have started a movie club too (the chocolate bunny movie club), which has been great. It's meant more time with her + really fun movie nights (we've laughed a loooot!). I've also kept my focus and watched whatever I've felt like - continuously trying to let go of my urge to "remember everything I watch and watch every movie I hear anything about".

* I wanted to buy less and clean out my movie collection:
I cleaned it out several times and went from 111 to 43 movies. Since then I've bought one movie - You've got mail. This is an all-time record for me and I've realized that I don't need to hang on to nearly as many movies as I'd previously thought! My love for a movie doesn't make it an "auto buy" because I should really just keep movies that I want to watch over and over. Using sites like Viaplay has really helped me to realize that I can watch a movie and then let it go.

* I wanted to just watch movies at night/try to watch just one per day or for a certain amount of time:
I've made no conscious effort in this area, but I guess I've been better about this during certain months. Not enough to check it off the list though.

* I wanted to find other ways to relax (read more, etc):
Nope. I still sleep with The Big Bang Theory on in the background. I still watch something before I fall asleep. I always watch Youtube when I brush my teeth etc etc. This is proving to be the hardest goal on my list, by far!

Aaand.. a new addition:

* 2015 - a challenging list: I made this this month, just to have something fun to challenge myself with, when I don't know what to watch next. I'll keep working on it during the year and if I don't finish it in 2015, it's no big deal. The last thing I want to do is put pressure on myself (movies are one of my hobbies, not my job).

 Let's pretend like my fingers are a failed attempt at a peace sign (to celebrate my progress) and not proof of my inability to take a photo without covering up some part of the lens..

First world problems (Currently watching)

I'm in this weird mood where I don't really want to watch movies (I'm shocking myself here), but read outdoors instead. That's why I've started multiple things, without really committing to any of them:

* Monsters University
* Max Payne
* Body of Proof, season 2
* Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (if you sort of jump through it - does it count as a re-watch?)
* Terminator 2: Judgment Day

* Am also very excited for The Martian to come out! Can't wait to watch it with my father! He's a sucker for all things space-related and since he's always a little distracted when I tell him stuff, I'm almost 100% sure that he's gonna be really excited to tell me about "this new movie where a man gets left behind on Mars" in the fall - even though I already told him about it yesterday! It's in one ear and out the other, when it comes to him.. (it doesn't really help that his hearing never was any good to begin with) <3

It must be the coldest summer I've ever experienced and I still want nothing more than to be outside (sure, I live in the north of Sweden, but June doesn't usually involve nights with a temperature around +3 C)!

Nostalgia: Summertime

In the summer of 1996 I spent many evenings over at my friend Sofia's house, where we watched lots of movies on her living room floor/read lots of David Eddings's books on her roof. To this day, late summer evenings still makes me think of The Bridges of Madison County and The Langoliers.

My best friend Marléne and I grew up together on the same street and spent most of our summers outside (almost never watching any movies). That's why I remember the summer we watched Terminator 2: Judgement Day so well - mainly because I spent the rest of it randomly asking my mother what our hamster's name was (we had a bunny) to make sure she wasn't a robot. Around that time I also watched Twister and Broken Arrow a lot.

In 1997, when I turned 13, my aunt gave me a VHS copy of Dirty Dancing and since I grew up with four younger siblings it was a big deal for me. My birthday became the one day of the year when I got to watch something "grown-up" at home. In the summers that followed, I discovered both What's Eating Gilbert Grape? and Forrest Gump and I started watching those on my birthdays instead. I don't know why I remember this one birthday so vividly, but it was getting dark earlier and had started to smell a little like autumn. We had picked some blueberries in the morning and while my mother made my cake I watched Stealing Beauty on the TV. I haven't watched it since, but somehow the memory of that particular birthday has stuck with me.

Today, I try to watch less movies in the summertime and spend more time outside. Mainly doing stuff like this:

My brother and me and our bunny in the summer of 2008. She was the bossy one that bit us wherever she could (once through the cartilage on my ear). 

Life hack #2

What do you do when nothing cheers you up, because your pollen medicine makes you want to sleep 24/7? You eat ice cream for breakfast, take a super hot shower, snuggle with some form of animal and teach yourself a new quote from the movie you.. already know many quotes from:

You know - there's a big world out there. Filled with desperate orphans who would gladly swim across an ocean of thumbtacks just to be eclipsed by the long shadow that is cast by my accomplishments. But I don't care about them! I chose to open my heart to you two lovely children and your hideous primate. All I ask in return is that you do each and every thing that pops into my head while I enjoy the enourmous fortune your parents left behind.

And then you give in and sleep for 10 hours. You're welcome.

Where I send my love letters

dr.king.schulz@hisdentalwaggon.com

 

 

Django Unchained

A review: Astérix: Le domaine des dieux

The year? 50 BC. The region? Gaul. Surrounded by four Roman military camps lies a tiny nameless village untouched by the expanding Roman empire. Their secret? An endless supply of the magical potion that makes them seemingly invincible. Thanks to the druid Miraculix they can go about their business as usual; hunting wild boars and “discussing” the freshness of the fish (i.e. just fighting in general). However, César has grown tired of their constant defiance. In hiring a young architect to surround the village with Roman buildings, he's abandoned force for indoctrination. So sure that this will make the Gauls surrender to him once and for all, he's forgotten to take Astérix and Obelix into consideration.

I grew up with the adventures of Astérix and Obelix and I feel that this movie really succeeds in recreating the charm I remember. Being young when I read the comic books, I was more in love with the characters than anything else (honestly – most of the content went right over my head) and to my delight the animators have kept the varying body shapes that I remember loving so much. This means that all the nationalities presented come in various sizes. Most of the focus of the animation itself has gone into character details such as Obelix's velvet bows or Astérix's slimy cheek (because he's been struck by a fish) and since this movie is so heavily centered around the people, I don't miss any elaborate backgrounds. Some of the more action-packed scenes even feel like copies straight from the comic books and, being a big fan of that type of physical comedy, I giggle my way through most of it.

I fully understand why today's animation is made for both adults and children and I appreciate the step in that direction, but I find myself repeatedly wishing for a movie made only for grown ups. For the ones of us who like animation but dislike anime. Such a movie would mean I could avoid the suffering I go through when Le domaine des dieux suddenly transforms Obelix into King Kong. I'm sure the kids love it and it does turn the action up several notches, but to me - who's always admired Obelix more than Astérix, it feels like a blasphemy. The smart, thin Astérix is already portrayed as the leader of the dumb, fat Obelix. To turn him into a food-obsessed monster as well only further increases the detrimental message that fat people are meant to follow and lack all forms of self-control.   

© 2014 les Éditions Albert René / Goscinny Uderzo © 2014, M6 Studio, Belvision, M6 Films et SNC.
All Rights Reserved.

Used with permission. 

2015 - a challenging list

Rules: 1. Complete this challenge before the end of 2015. 2. A movie/show can only be used once - no repeats.

A movie released in 2015
A movie directed by someone under 30
A movie with nonhuman characters
A funny movie
A movie that you sister Sara recommended
An Oscar-winning movie
A movie at the bottom of your "to be watched" list
A trilogy 
A movie with magic
An animated movie
A movie set in high school
A season of a TV-show that's based on a book or a movie
A movie you've started but never finished
A movie that scares you
A movie set in the future
A movie that made you cry hard
A movie with a number in the title
A book-to-movie adaptation
A movie set in a foreign country
A movie with a one-word title
A movie longer than 3 hours
A mystery or a thriller
A popular director's first movie
Four movies in a day
A movie from you childhood
A movie that takes place in your region
A classic you've never watched
A movie by a female director
A short film
A documentary
Finishing a season of a TV-show that you've started but never finished
A movie based on a true story
A movie someone in your family loves
A movie that's more than 70 years old
A movie based entirely on its cover
A movie you watched in school
A movie based on a memoir
A movie with antonyms in the title
A movie set somewhere you've always wanted to visit
A movie that came out the year you were born (1984)
A movie with bad reviews
A movie with a love triangle
A movie with a color in the title
A movie that is directed by + stars that actor/actress
A movie you own but have never watched
A movie in a foreign language (other than English) 
A movie set during Christmas
A movie with your initials (EL)
A movie based on a play
A banned movie

(An alteration of this Reading Challange from Popsugar..)

In the spotlight: May

I only managed to watch 1,5 of my planned movies this month (Transformers 4 + a little bit of L.A Confidential (decided to not finish it)). I watched a lot of other stuff though - these are my favorites:

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
I will always love these movies. I can't wait for the third in the series! Had a sort of "watch-it-on-repeat"-phase early in the month and just watched it everyday for a week. 

Cinderella
The rest of the month I've had this on repeat, whilst embroidering. I'm seriously in love with this movie! (my review)

Unforgettable
This is really not a very good series at times; it's inconsistent about what story to tell and we loose important side characters without so much as a goodbye. I'm in love with Poppy Montgomery and Dylan Walsh however and that's why I'm on season two right now. 

The Best of Me
It's bad and cheesy but sort of sweet at the same time. The only reason it's on this list though is because I watched it with my mom and my sister Sara - which seldom happens (Sara being home at the same time as my mom's able to stay awake for an entire movie, that is). 


And my non-movie favorite: 

* My niece Sigrid! She was born on the 12th of May and is just the cutest baby I've ever seen.

These reindeer were also a lovely addition to my month. They hung out on a field close to where I worked for a week. 

Ambition for: June

1. Things I've meant to watch in previous months:

* Australia
* Apocalypto
* Daybreakers
* Monsters University
* The Great Gatsby
* Max Payne

2. Things I might want to re-watch:

* Sherlock Holmes
* Life as We Know It
* The Grand Budapest Hotel
* Crossroads

3. Things I've never watched before:
 
* Pitch Perfect 2 in the cinema
* Season 2 of Unforgettable
* The Gambler
* Taken

Celebrating mothers

In preparation for Mother's Day (31th of May in Sweden), I've compiled this list of my favorite female characters that play the part of a mother to a child, in all the ways that really matter:

Hobson 
Nanny

Hobson (Helen Mirren) genuinely loves Arthur (Russell Brand) for who he is - weaknesses and all.  And since she's well aware of these weaknesses she tries to guide (not force) him to better things. She's always waiting for him to find the right way and if he falls, she'll try to pick him back up again. 

Bessie 
Aunt

Bessie (Diane Keaton) is sort of the polar opposite to Hank's (Leonardo DiCaprio) real mother (Meryl Streep). She encourages him to let his guard down by demanding honesty, patiently waiting for him to come to her and tell the truth. With this new, kind approach, she lures him out of his shell and teaches him that he is good enough - without embellishment.

Maleficent
Godmother

Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) is the embodiment of what I feel it's like to love someone unconditionally: You might want to give them away/mash them up and serve them for dinner/never speak to them again.. but you never do! You'd defend that person (in this case the baby Aurora (Elle Fanning)) to the death.

Katniss Everdeen  
Big sister

Even though Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and her sister live with their biological mother, Katniss is the one that comforts and supports her sister when she needs it. This could all be attributed to her role as a big sister, if it wasn't for the fact that Katniss is willing to sacrifice her own life to save her sister. That's the essential thing a mother's prepared to do and that's why she's on this list.

Bren MacGuff
Stepmother

"You're not going to be a pop-pop. Somebody else is going to find a precious blessing from Jesus in this garbage dump of a situation." Do I need to give another reason for Bren's awesomeness than this quote (from when Bren and her husband finds out that Juno (Ellen Page) is pregnant)?

Movie night: My mothersister's birthday

On Friday I had to quit my summer job because of stress-related issues and - even though it's sad, I'm proud of myself for realizing my limits in time (I was still sort of trying it out and I actually made no money from it). To make myself feel better I snapped this picture of the view going home and then went to my sister Hanna to snuggle with her turtle Gunnar:

Friday night was then spent watching The Other Woman while finishing up some presents for my sister Julia's 20th birthday. 

We celebrated her birthday (and my mother's; they're born on the same day) on Saturday by playing lots of boardgames and eating chocolate cake. I then rounded out my weekend with semi-watching Transformers 4.

If only.. #3

www.match.com;

user: carrie_wells

Unforgettable

Unhappy feet (Currently watching).

* I'm just ridiculously excited for The Gift (Joel Edgerton's the writer and director).

* I've finally started my summer job as a breakfast/lunch hostess at a hotel and I'm completely exhausted when I get home. The hours spent with feet elevated and food in hand while I struggle to stay awake past 9 PM: 10. The total amount of movies watched since then: 0.

* I have managed to watch almost the entire first season of Unforgettable though. I am in love with Poppy Montgomery!

 Randomly adding this picture of my sister Hanna watching ostriches. She's given birth. I'm an aunt now!! <3

Movie night: "Waiting for my niece"-edition

Since both me and my sister Hanna have been home during the weekdays (she's waiting for her baby, I'm waiting to start my summer job) - we've been hanging out; eating ice cream and watching movies. We saw Gravity at her place and then we watched both Honeymoon and Fifty Shades of Grey at my parent's house, with our sister Julia (she hated the latter movie and I couldn't agree more). 

The greatest benefit of living in the north of Sweden is the constant daylight in the spring- and summertime. I took this at 1 AM in the morning.

 On Sunday, I went to visit my other sister Sara for a few hours. I had a long make out session with their Dalmatian Freja (the love of my life) and then I went home to watch Cinderella on repeat.

10 things I hate about Leonard Hofstadter

1. Him apparently calling an eternal "dibs" on Penny - regardless if he's with somebody else or not.

2. Him contemplating cheating or actually cheating on the women in his life.

3. His constant negativity towards any change in Penny's career.

4. His utter lack of faith in her abilities.

5. The fact that he never ever seems caring towards Penny when she makes a mistake. Instead he uses that mistake to feed his own insecurities. 

6. His need to refer to her as unintelligent.

7. Him apparently calling an eternal "dibs" on Penny - even if he goes after other women.

8. The way he prioritizes sex above everything else.

9. If he's not over Penny - why does he date other women and then not tell them about her?

10. The fact that he doesn't keep Penny as a friend when another woman comes along (she's a huge part of their group of friends).

The Big Bang Theory

It'll be an exciting summer..

* The Water Diviner
Swedish movie premiere: 8th of May
Funnily enough, I saw a picture of Jai Courtney with a mustache and I clicked on it. I then spent the first minute of the trailer just laughing at his facial hair. And then I was intrigued and now I want to watch it. That's how they get you these days; out with anything subliminal and in with the mustache.

* Hot Pursuit
Swedish movie premiere: 22nd of May
My sister Hanna laughed at this trailer. Nothing is as funny as watching a movie with her because she laughs at the stuff that I'd never find funny otherwise. And she has the best laugh! 

* Paper Towns
Swedish movie premiere: 24th of July
This is sort of a catch-22 for me: I really don't want to see this, because it's based on one of my favorite books (I don't want them to destroy it). But at the same time - I want to see it, because it's based on one of my favorite books!  

* Fantastic Four
Swedish movie premiere: 7th of August
First of all: this looks much more well-made than the first two Fantastic Four movies. Second of all: it seems like a great cast (Jamie Bell!).

* Dark Places
Swedish movie premiere: 14th of August
Gone Girl was very fascinating; based on a book by Gillian Flynn. And this movie is also based on one of her books. And so I must watch it. 

Get here, already! I've taken my allergy medicine. I'm ready for you!

A life with him would never be boring..

Sherlock: That was no accident! It was by design!

[reveals grenade + part of toilet hidden around his waist]

Now, do I need to elaborate or can we just crack on?

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Retiring Gollum.

I've spent the past month watching a lot of Kevin Spacey's movies. His three best performances are:

1. Verbal Kint
The Usual Suspects
Not only does he make Verbal feel like the most vulnerable, relatable character of the bunch (a necessity since you're watching the story from his point of view) but he also makes him seem like a competent criminal. That's a tough balancing act.    

2. Lester Burnham
American Beauty
I firmly believe that no one can play "awkward" as well as Kevin Spacey (by awkward I mean when he incoherently tries to get his point across) and it shows in this one. I also think that this is the role that best uses his ability to deliver deadpan lines.

3. Jim Williams
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Jim is one of those unpredictable characters that you never really get to know. The ones that keep surprising and confusing you with their constant double entendres. It's like everything he says to John Cusack is flirtatious and at the same time.. not.

If only.. #2

lexie.grey@seattlegracemercywesthospital.org

Grey's Anatomy