Cue the ghosts of future past... MTV has turned out some pretty memorable movies but they're not always memorable for the same reasons. There's 2001's Save the Last Dance, with all its ballet-meets-hiphop coolness. There's 2004's Napoleon Dynamite with its endlessly quotable kitsch. There's the unbelievably low-key 2006 movie, Broken Bridges starring Toby Keith, Burt Reynolds, Kelly Preston … Continue reading When MTV Does Sci-fi
We’re All In This Together
I've heard things about Sunday School Musical, and when I found it on Tubi, curiousity got the better of me, not that there's much to ruin about the movie. Simply put, it is both a nostalgia hit and a train wreck, so averting the eyes is impossible, and anyway, it's an Asylum movie, so we … Continue reading We’re All In This Together
Go West, Young Canadian
Janette Oke is one of the premier contemporary authors of Christian literature, and as her novels are mostly set on the Canadian prairies Laura Ingalls Wilder would be her closest comparison. Oke's eight-book Love Comes Softly series has sold millions of copies and continues to be discovered and re-discovered by enthusiastic readers. Six of the … Continue reading Go West, Young Canadian
Spider Pig, Spider Pig
Ah, The Simpsons Movie. Remember the hype around this thing? It was going to be The Simpsons, only much, much bigger. Then there was the biggest (or smallest) dangling carrot of all...ahem, this is going to a very Freudian place. Moving on... My husband and I went to this movie a week after our son was born. … Continue reading Spider Pig, Spider Pig
Praising the Lord And Changing the World
I don't think there's another hymn that's as ubiquitous as "Amazing Grace." Everyone sings it, tons of musicians have covered it (here's one), and pretty much no one has a problem with it, whether they're Christian or not. What people might not know, though, is that the song was once the anthem of the abolition … Continue reading Praising the Lord And Changing the World
Stage To Screen: What A Girl Wants
When I heard that 2003's What A Girl Wants was based on a play, my first thought was, "Really?" For those who haven't seen it, the movie follows Daphne Reynolds (Amanda Bynes), who leads a rather bohemian existence with her mom, Libby (Kelly Preston) in a fifth-floor walkup in New York's Chinatown. Libby is a wedding … Continue reading Stage To Screen: What A Girl Wants
Who Are You Really, Frank?
It sounds funny nowadays, but there was a time when commercial pilots were treated like rockstars. Obviously it's always taken a lot of training and testing to become a pilot, but for Frank Abagnale it was a stepping stone. 2002's Catch Me If You Can tells some of his story, or at least it seems to, and … Continue reading Who Are You Really, Frank?
I Am Woman, Hear Me Quote RomComs
I'm middle-aged. I freely admit it. *ducks sheepishly behind laptop monitor* Seriously, though, the forties don't seem to be very different from the thirties, other than the looming spectre of menopause for women, and the decade can even have some perks. A lot of us forty-somethings feel more comfortable in our own skin and care … Continue reading I Am Woman, Hear Me Quote RomComs
Home Again, Naturally
I don't know about anyone else, but I've been listening to a lot of classic rock lately, and this radio station I hear driving to and from work plays all the good stuff. They also play Lynard Skynard, which of course means "Freebird," not to mention "Sweet Home Alabama," which I've had in my head … Continue reading Home Again, Naturally
Who’s Your Tad Hamilton?
*insert Wilhelm scream here* Who hasn't fantasized about meeting a celeb? I know I have, and in this age of social media it's more possible than ever, at least on some level. That can be pretty cool. Or not, but I won't mention any names. It's kind of an odd mix of navel-gazing and fairy … Continue reading Who’s Your Tad Hamilton?
Bad On Purpose?
The badness is back, y'all... Who else thought (or thinks) M. Night Shyamalan was going to be the next Hitchcock? I sure did. Night likes macguffins and making cameos in his own films, plus the camerawork in Signs was very silent film-esque, with characters reacting to unseen horror. Even The Village grows on a lot of … Continue reading Bad On Purpose?
Five Reasons To See “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”
We're here, guys... Remember My Big Fat Greek Wedding? Who doesn't, right? The film started life as a one-woman play about Nia Vardalos's experiences growing up Greek in Manitoba, and came to the big screen after Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson saw Vardalos perform in Los Angeles. This was 2002's Little Movie That Could, because how … Continue reading Five Reasons To See “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”
My Favorite Lord of the Rings Character
Love it, like it, or not, it's pretty safe to say no one's indifferent to Lord of the Rings, and people are pretty precious about their favorite characters. Remember the uproar when Tom Bombadil was left out of the movies? It's still a slightly touchy subject because there are LOTR fans who are that committed. Me, … Continue reading My Favorite Lord of the Rings Character
Reading Rarities: What We Saw
Those who remember 9-11 will no doubt recall the huge demand for merch that immediately followed. The Longs Drugs I worked at during that time couldn't keep American flags, or anything flag-related, in the store. What we did get would sell out by the end of the day. Naturally, 9-11 books, magazines, and T-shirts were … Continue reading Reading Rarities: What We Saw
It Takes All Kinds
We all have unpopular opinions, and film is such a subjective topic that there's gonna be division somewhere (Last Jedi, anyone?). Ergo, the idea of coaxing a few secrets out into the open is fraught with intrigue. Here are two of my possibly unpopular opinions, and there are plenty more where these came from. *Impish … Continue reading It Takes All Kinds
You Will Not Forget This Date
It's hard to believe 9-11 happened twenty years ago today. How much has America changed since then? How much has the world changed since then? Look at us now. https://twitter.com/ian_mckelvey/status/1427608214024212485?s=20 Of course, on that bright Tuesday morning we had no way of predicting what was about to unfold. People went to work and school, got … Continue reading You Will Not Forget This Date
I Honestly Like This Movie
Sometimes you just need a good popcorn flick. Or any popcorn flick. Even the guilty pleasure variety. For me, one of those guilty pleasures is 2001's The Wedding Planner, a movie in which the titular character has always been outside looking in at happy endings. For those who aren't familiar with the plot, it's this: Mary … Continue reading I Honestly Like This Movie
Taking Up Room 