Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

2011          1hr 39m           R

Soon after moving in with her father and his new girlfriend, young Sally discovers she isn't alone in the house: strange creatures live there -- and they might not be as friendly as Sally thinks. Guillermo del Toro co-writes this horror film. Info from Netflix!

This was another random movie that just watched because I like the cover of the movie. Within 30 seconds I knew this movie was directed by Guillermo del Toro. I didn't see his name on the cover because I was not paying too much attention. But, his style of direction is so recognizable. It is just so him. I saw Pan's Labyrinth when it came out and I just loved it. It was dark but whimsical. Kind of like Tim Burton but I like del Toro's style much more. Pan's Labyrinth made me a fan of him. I watched The Orphanage and just kind of liked it. I wanted to like it more but just couldn't. Anywhoo...

If I had seen this movie when I was a little girl I would have loved it beyond belief. I have a soft spot for movies where people move into a new house and there is something going on and they uncover it through exploration and luck. I think I like it because I want to move into a big house and have a mystery surrounding it. Nothing terrible, just something unknown. Secret rooms and passageways, skeleton keys, and attics with dusty old treasures.

Del Toro has a knack at making scary and interesting monsters and the ones in this movie are perfect. The drawings of the monsters are even scarier than the monsters themselves. I kind of wish they had shown the drawings before the monsters. It would have made them even creepier. Even though the little monsters are super scary I didn't think about them that evening when I went to bed. I have a habit of thinking about scary things when I go to bed. I don't get scared like a little kid and then can't sleep but I do get nervous. Not with this movie though, I think it just didn't pop into my mind while falling asleep. Paranormal Activity though, that is a different story. 

The ending was good, I kind of wish it had ended a bit differently though. As a child I would see it differently but now that I am older I see it from a different point of view. I tend to put myself into the roles when I watch movies. This is why I cry a lot when I watch movies and shows, and even when I read books.

Netflix game this movie 3.4 Stars and I give it 5 Scary Monsters.

Boy Wonder

2010             1hr 36m             R

Years after witnessing his mother's brutal murder, withdrawn Sean Donovan develops a dark alter ego and starts dispensing some vigilante justice. But soon a dedicated cop picks up his trail, and Sean's twisted crusade begins to implode. Info from Netflix!

I am going to start by saying to watch this movie. You will like it. I watched this movie because I liked the look of the cover and the name. That is it. I didn't even look at the synopsis. I love the cover for the movie. His piercing eyes and black painted cheeks peeking out from under his hood make him look so dark and cool. 

The name of the movie and the synopsis make it sound a bit like a normal super hero movie but it is far from it. There is a bit of ass kicking an it pretty awesome. I could have used a bit more dolling out of the justice. 

While watching the movie I knew I knew his face from somewhere but I could not place it so I looked him up. Apparently, I know him from several places. He was in Lost, The Unit, and Zoey 101. Where most people might recognize him is from True Blood as Tolliver Humphries. He was very good in this movie and fell into the role easily.  He was very believable. The end of the movie was great and does not disappoint.

Netflix gave this movie 3.8 stars and I give it 4 super heroes.

The Addams Family

1991           1hr 39m          PG-13

Stepping out of the pages of Charles Addams' cartoons and the 1960s television series, this big-screen version of the beloved, macabre family centers on con artists out to swindle the Addamses by introducing a bogus Uncle Fester (Christopher Lloyd) into their home. Barry Sonnenfeld directs the tailor-made cast, which includes Anjelica Huston as Morticia, Raul Julia as Gomez and Christina Ricci as scene-stealing daughter Wednesday. Info from Netflix!

When I spotted this movie on Netflix I got really excited and knew I need to watch it ASAP. I haven't seen this movie since the early 90's and I hoped that it was as good as I remembered it being. I have seen the 2nd one many times and in recent years and love that one, so I hoped that the first held up. Well, it did. It was so funny, perhaps even funnier. I was only 8 when this movie came out so much of the humor and language went way over my head. I caught all the stuff I missed or didn't understand as a kid and really like it. 

The movie does show its age a little. Thing looks a little strange around the wrist area.  You can see where the CG is. It looks a little smudgy. Other than little things like that it is fine though. The humor is really great. I laughed quite a bit. The movie is full of quick little jokes that I saw coming and I wanted it and it happened and I was happy that it did.

Watch it. Netflix game it 3.5 Stars and I give it 5 Happy Spiders.

Hannibal

2001             2hr 11m            R

Anthony Hopkins returns as serial killer Hannibal Lecter -- one of the great villains in screen history -- in this riveting sequel that finds his only surviving victim trying to draw Lecter out of hiding by using FBI agent Clarice Starling as bait. Info from Netflix.

The Hannibal movies are all good movies to me. The original is the best of course and the others are nice additions. Hannibal has always been a likeable bad guy to me. He has a lot of charisma. Even though he is a murderer and a cruel person, I can't help but to like him. Anyone else? Or am I just a big weirdy-beardy? 

I am fine with Clarice not being played by Jodi Foster but I kind of wish that they had gotten her. It is just a little weird when actors switch in and out. The continuity gets a little messed up. But, I like Julianne Moore so no big deal. Anthony Hopkins will forever be Hannibal Lecter to me no matter what movie he is in. I know that is not what an actor wants but I can't help it. The original movie stuck with me and and he was so weird and scary. I love it.

Netflix game it 3.6 Stars and I give it 4 Hearts.

Not Another Teen Movie

2001          1hr 28m           R

 

On a bet, a gridiron hero at John Hughes High School sets out to turn a bespectacled plain Jane into a beautiful prom queen in this outrageous parody that ruthlessly lampoons popular teen movies of all stripes. Info from Netflix!

I haven't seen one of the spoof movies from the early 2000's in some time so I thought I would watch one of the funny ones today. It was new on Netflix and was perfect for my mood. It was really funny, just like I remember. It was strange seeing some actors that I didn't know of back then and now to see them so young. Ted Mosby of How I Met Your Mother and the main character is Lexi from Grey's Anatomy. I spent half the movie trying to place her and finally I just looked her up.

The humor was really enjoyable and I laughed quite a bit. Being a teen and young adult when all the teen movies were coming out I really enjoyed this movie making fun of them. I like a movie that doesn't take its self seriously. If you haven't seen this movie, watch it. It makes fun of all teenagers and their movies. What is not to like about that?

Netflix gives it 3.3 and I give it 4. 4 puppies.

DC Cupcakes

 2010         1 Season          TV-PG

Sophie and Katherine face the challenges of a booming cupcake business. With feuding staff, a new location and floods of customers, they must increase output without compromising the taste and quality that made them famous. Info from Netflix! 

I have only watched a few episodes of this show so I am not an expert so when I say these things please don't take them to be gospel. I don't really like it. I thought I would love it, why wouldn't I? It has cupcakes. Isn't that enough? But alas, no.

It feels very scripted.

The "drama" is ridiculous.

I don't care about these people.

There you go. This is it since there is nothing very remarkable about the show.

Netflix gave it 3.7 Stars and I give it a stinky face.

 

A Clockwork Orange

1971          R           2hr 16m

In this Stanley Kubrick classic based on Anthony Burgess's novel, teenage miscreant Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell) wanders aimlessly amid a bleak, futuristic urban landscape, drinking drugged milk and listening to Beethoven with his fellow "droogs." But he also spends his time stealing, raping and beating innocent people in nihilistic orgies of violence, all in an attempt to get his nightly kicks.

Info from Netflix! 

I feel like I should have watched this years ago just because it is a classic movie. I did the same thing with The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I just saw it last year. I kind of feel the same way about both movies. Visually, it is lovely. Everything else, meh. I feel like there is something wrong with me because I am not seeing what everyone else is seeing. I by no means am a movie snob or pretend to be one. I don't pick apart movies and try to find hidden meanings and what not so I tend to not really enjoy movies that need that. 

I loved the look of the movie and I loved the sound. The cadence of people talking and the way they spoke with each other was fun and interesting. The color, sets, and costumes were great. I think the thing that didn't really catch me was the story for the 2nd half of the movie. I enjoyed the first half following Alex around from the street to the jail and then back out again. Once he stumbles back to HOME is where it kind of loses me. 

All in all I am happy that I finally watched it but I am not sure if I will watch it again any time soon. Perhaps this is one of those movies where I don't like it at first but then I see it again down the road and I love it. It has happened and it will happen again. Netflix gave this 3.7 Stars and I give it 3 Stars.