Tag Archives: groovy movies

Nov25

Groovy Movies: Doctor Sleep Edition

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Groovy Movies: Doctor Sleep Edition

Hi there! This past weekend, my sister, boyfriend, and I headed off to the movies to see Doctor Sleep, the sequel to Stephen King’s The Shining. We are all avid fans of Mr. King so we were definitely looking forward to an afternoon viewing of Doctor Sleep. I am not proud of this, but I never got around to reading the book. Believe you me, I’m just as ashamed of myself as all of you!

However, this allowed me to see the film with no preconceived notions of how it should be because I really didn’t know too much about it. This was a good and a bad thing so, without giving away any spoilers, let’s discuss:

^^^ And, as always, I have no rights to this video!

Danny Torrence is all grown up, an alcoholic, and is still shining despite his efforts to stifle it through his addiction. And, can you blame him after his traumatizing stay at the Overlook Hotel as a child? But, what does it mean to shine, you might ask? Well, the shining is kind of like your intuition working on overdrive. You might be able to tell someone where they lost their watch. You could see people who have been dead for years. Or you can communicate with others telepathically. It all depends on the person who is shining.

To shine is an amazing gift and there are those who want to harvest in on that power by tracking down the shiner, killing them, and inhaling their “steam”, which is released through fear and pain. With this group of baddies on the prowl, the shining population is dwindling down leaving some with hardly any shine at all and a handful of mega powerful minds whose shine is impossible to dim.

Cue Danny Torrence and his new friend, Abra, a teenage girl who he meets through telepathic communication. The shine hunters are on to them but can they turn those chasing them into the prey? Watch Doctor Sleep and find out!

Okay, so let’s get to the good things about watching Doctor Sleep without reading the book. Let me start out by saying that this flick was close to three hours long, so not knowing anything about the story line helped keep my attention for most of the film. It made every new development exciting but, as with any long movie, I found myself wondering throughout the viewing just when the hell it would be over so I could go pee.

Had I known where the plot was going and would ultimately end up, maybe the jitters of mentally begging the movie to finish up would have gone away. I also wish that I had a better appreciation of who the characters were and where they were coming from. Don’t get me wrong, the cast was cool and the baddies were badass. But, I think I would have liked them all a bit more if I had a book description to compare them to.

Do I have a problem with long movies? Absolutely not. I could watch the Lord Of The Rings on repeat for days. But, I do have a problem when movies are long and they don’t necessarily have to be. For example, a healthy half hour could have easily been shaved off of Doctor Sleep and the movie would have still been good, if not better. The beginning and ending were exciting but the middle was so drawn out that it made me wish that the grand finale would just hurry up and finish.

My sister happened to read Doctor Sleep and commented that the beginning and ending were very true to the book but it strayed hard in the middle. I can’t comment on this but just going off of what she said, the movie rendition could definitely have been shortened.

I am still happy that I saw the movie in theaters and I had a fun outing with my favorite people but it wasn’t the best film that I’ve seen, by far. In fact, the more I think about it the less I like it. But, it was still good by my standards and I will rate it with a six out of ten stars.

What were your thoughts on Doctor Sleep if you have seen it? What is your favorite Stephen King book or movie? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: IMDB

Oct18

Groovy Movies: Joker Edition

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Groovy Movies: Joker Edition

Hello, hello! My dad and I have been looking forward to seeing Joker and spent an afternoon together bearing witness to the amazing spectacle created by Joaquin Phoenix. The buzz on this flick has been strong, especially with talk already of Phoenix bagging Best Actor at the Academy Awards and an eight minute standing ovation at a Venice film festival. Within mere seconds, I understood that the hype was real, because Phoenix’s performance was one of the best I’ve seen in years. Take a look at the trailer and, without giving spoilers away, let’s discuss

^^^ And, as always, I have no rights to this video!

Arthur Fleck, AKA the Joker – a villain that everyone loves to hate and was famously portrayed by the late Heath Ledger was gifted with a two hour film showing just how exactly he came to be. From the lack of care from his delusional mother, severe abuse at the hands of her boyfriend, and a penchant for uncontrollable fits of laughter, no one can say that the Joker had it easy.

And, now, as a middle aged man with a love for vaudeville trying to make his way in the hardened Gotham City as a hired clown and stand up comic, things seem far from hopeful for Arthur Fleck. Mentally unstable, down on his luck, and making the claim that he never felt like he “existed”, Joker explores the transition from man to villain. Showcasing every beating, disappointment, and uncovered truths from the lies he’s been fed his whole life, Fleck begins a dangerous downward spiral into a life of crime amidst a city devoured by darkness and political unrest.

What follows? Pure and total anarchy, just as the newly formed Joker likes it.

This movie was absolutely haunting to me. Joaquin Phoenix, who lost fifty pounds to play this role, was an emaciated skeleton of a man, which made his screeching high pitched laugh even more unsettling. Blatantly placing his violent behaviors on his mental illnesses was also a disturbing one and it begs the question of if this movie is a “safe” one to be viewed by the general public. Is it a popcorn flick that tells a backstory of one of the most well known villains in history? Or, could it be viewed as a manifesto for the bullied and scared to make a stand – especially in the current political state we are in as we speak.

Regardless of your views on the issue, there is no denying that it was a well made film with a stellar performance by Phoenix. The imagery of streets filled with garbage, rain pelting down, and a man in painted face and a suit is one that I will not be forgetting any time soon.

Joker took its sweet time building up and by the final action packed scenes, the tension was ready to be cut with a knife. This resulted in a simply delicious viewing experience of seeing all of the dominoes that were so carefully placed throughout the film begin to topple to form the big picture. My dad and I left the theater feeling nothing short of shook up. And, honestly, there were some scenes that were genuinely hard to watch. But, I think that was the whole point of Joker and every tense, gut wrenching moment was a testament to that.

Not for the faint of heart but a damn good flick, I’m giving Joker a prestigious ten out of ten stars. Love it or hate it, Joker is going to be talked about, analyzed, and either applauded or frowned upon for years to come. Joaquin Phoenix gave an iconic performance and I’m already ready to watch it again.

What were your thoughts on Joker? Who is your favorite comic book villain? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: IMDB

Sep18

Groovy Movies: Walmart Haul Edition

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Groovy Movies: Walmart Haul Edition

Howdy! Le sigh, you guys all know I can’t resist the five dollar DVD section while out shopping. I seriously just can’t help myself and it’s an absolute curse. But, there are worse things that I could be addicted to so I guess I’m not complaining. While shopping with a client, I accidentally went a bit too hard at Wally World and ended up with this big ol’ haul. Check it out:

walmart

I know, I know six movies is a bit excessive – but how can you say no to such an excellent selection for a whole five bucks?! The answer is, that you don’t… obviously. I am a HUGE Melissa McCarthy fan and haven’t seen Life Of The Party yet so I figured I’d snag that. And, of course, anything with Will Ferrell and fine ass Mark Wahlberg is fine by me! Daddy’s Home is hilarious, so that will make for a fun night in.

Now, a Lil Red Groovy Movie haul wouldn’t be the same without some scary ones so getting A Nightmare On Elm Street and It was a must. I am eagerly awaiting seeing It Chapter 2 in theaters so I plan on watching the first one and the original beforehand. Also, for those of you who haven’t seen There Will Be Blood, PLEASE DO, because it is a masterpiece. Alright, Party on, Wayne!

Which movies do you have in your collection? Which flicks are you looking forward to seeing in theaters? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep10

Groovy Movies: Aladdin Edition

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Groovy Movies: Aladdin Edition

Helloooo everyone! I can’t say that I am a HUGE Disney fan but it’s not like I don’t enjoy the movies, either. It has been an exciting time in the movie world because live action remakes of Disney classics are the new trend. Unfortunately, I wasn’t overly impressed with Beauty And The Beast or The Lion King’s remake. However, I absolutely LOVED the live action Aladdin, despite its poor reviews. So, take a look at the toe tapping trailer and let’s discuss:

^^^ And, as always, I have no rights to this video!

Normally, a Disney film isn’t my first choice to play after a day at work but, I’m not going to lie, I was looking forward to watching Aladdin. Last Christmas, I had the absolute pleasure of being able to see the Broadway rendition of Aladdin at Playhouse Square with my family and I felt like the 2019 film was a wonderful blend of the Broadway show and the original cartoon. Spending the evening watching the movie gave me a new appreciation for the music and artistry that went into the iconic original and it was such a beautiful, modern nod to its predecessor.

The costumes, scenery, and *most* of the characters were divine but Will Smith as the genie completely made the film for me. He was utterly brilliant and I think Robin Williams would be proud of the performance that was so inspired by his own but with a fresh, new spin on it.”You Ain’t Never Had A Friend Like Me” reminded me so much of the Broadway performance that I really enjoyed and Will Smith’s fabulous flamboyance kept me in stitches the whole time.

I thought Jafar and Jasmine were also exceptionally strong characters and were cast well. But, I wasn’t too crazy about the choice for Aladdin. Had he not been acting alongside such powerful cast mates he would have totally sizzled out and he was outshined the entire movie. He was just too meek and mild and, although he was the title character, he didn’t stand out in anyway shape or form. But, because the rest of the film was so spot on, a poor casting choice for the lead was just a blip on my radar.

What I loved the most about Aladdin was the big picture that was created in every scene. The glorious palaces, the bustling market of Agrahbah, and the vast deserts all seemed so real that I felt like I was right there, too. The magnificent choices in color, costumes, and oh yeah – the fantastic musical numbers just seemed like the cherry on top of what was already splendid. Saying that Aladdin was visually stimulating is a severe understatement and the beauty of the rapidly changing scenery in “A Whole New World” moved me to tears.

If you’re a die hard Disney fan, I think you’ll love this movie. And, if you’re like me, who isn’t the most avid Disney fan – you are still going to love this movie. Aladdin was a fast moving tale of being true to yourself, unexpected girl power, and that everything is a little bit better with your friends by your side… magic powers or no! I rate this movie with a nine out of ten and I highly recommend it!

What were your thoughts on the new Aladdin? What has been your favorite Disney movie remake? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: IMDb

Sep5

Groovy Movies: Walmart Haul Edition

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Groovy Movies: Walmart Haul Edition

Hello! As soon as I get home from work and blogging needs and paperwork are complete, all I want to do is relax. Usually, my routine once I return home and complete the rest of my busy work is eat, practice my languages on Duolingo, pop in a movie, and read before bed. I am an avid movie fan and, because I don’t have any streaming services, I’ll purchase DVDs in store if I can find them on the cheap. The last time I was at Walmart with a client, they had a three dollar movie bin so I took home the following:

moviess

Lol, no surprises here that one from my selection is a scary movie! But, now I have both of The Conjuring films which I’m happy about. And, I just watched the second one this past week after a busy day. Despite my love of all things horror, I still need a laugh and my beloved Melissa McCarthy and Will Ferrell are just what the doctor ordered for that. Old School is one of my favorite comedies, other than Step Brothers, so it was exciting to have found it. And, although Tammy is the dumbest movie ever, it reminds me of when my sister and I saw it in theaters and we still quote it to this day – so I couldn’t not get it!

Discount movie buying is a nice little pick me up for when I need a treat and it provides me with entertainment for many evenings to come. For three bucks a pop, I’d say that these were all totally worth it. Movie night, anyone?

How do you treat yourself? What kind of entertainment do you enjoy after a day at work? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: Pinterest

Aug22

Groovy Movies: Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark Edition

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Groovy Movies: Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark Edition

Hello hello! One movie that I was really looking forward to this summer was Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark and, let me tell you, it did not disappoint. Now, before we get started: No, I have not read the books, so I was going into it with no preconceived notions of what it should be like. Honestly, I was just excited that Guillermo Del Toro was working on it, because he is my favorite ANYTHING when it comes to movies. So, take a look at the trailer and let’s discuss without giving the flick away:

^^^ And, as always, I have no rights to this video!

My understanding of the original books of Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark is that it’s just that – a collection of scary stories. And, I know there were a good amount of people who were disappointed that not as many of these ghost stories were included as they would have liked. But, be that as it may, the movie needed a story line and I thought a really innovative and interesting one was created.

On Halloween night, Stella and a group of friends sneak into a supposed “haunted house” in their town – the Bellows mansion. The story goes that the family owned a paper mill that put the town on the map but had a dark secret – a horribly disfigured daughter named Sarah that they would never let leave the house. According to the legend, children would visit Sarah by sitting outside of the walls of her room and she would tell them scary stories. Oh, and did I mention that children were disappearing constantly?

While Stella, Ramon, Augie, and Chuck are exploring the mansion, they stumble upon Sarah’s room, where Stella finds her book of stories and decides to borrow it. BIG MISTAKE, because the nightmare that was laying dormant starts all over again, as the book begins to write itself every night, featuring a story based around one of the characters. The story usually has something to do with a nightmare or something that has traumatized the character that it’s happening to. So, it is up to Stella to solve the mystery of how to stop the curse from continuing before there is no one left.

I absolutely LOVED Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark. I enjoyed the characters whose back and forth high school quips were hilarious, the plot was great, and the creatures that come to life in the stories were so creepy and visually interesting. Normally, scary movies don’t freak me out but this one definitely did. To have a source of evil that taps into what frightens you is terrifying and having a book that “reads you” to create it was such a brilliant idea.

And, in true Del Toro fashion, the visuals were spectacular which is the driving force behind my rave review. The monsters coming to life from the stories were scary as hell and they made me genuinely uncomfortable to look at. Don’t even get me started on the Pale Woman – YIKES!

I highly recommend this movie and am giving it a perfect ten, which rarely happens. I enjoyed every minute of it, was scared senseless, and want to see it again and read the books so badly. Don’t let your preconceived notions of what the movie “should” be cloud your vision if you’ve read the books, because you’ll be ruining a wonderful film for yourself.

Who has seen or read Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark? What are your thoughts on it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: The Playlist

Aug19

Apartment Must Haves: Entertainment Edition

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Apartment Must Haves: Entertainment Edition

Hi! Being in my own apartment is, for the most part, a lot of fun. But, there’s a lot more that goes in to running a mini household than people might think. From your necessities to keeping a sanitary environment like trash bags, detergent, and cleaning projects to things to keep you occupied like a gaming system, books, or movies – we are going to discuss it all in this Apartment Must Haves series.

Today, we are going to chat about one of the big ones, for me at least, when it comes to an apartment and that is entertainment. Whether that be when you’re with your friends or just hanging out alone, it’s important to have things on hand that you enjoy to fight the boredom blues. I, myself, have a few shelves dedicated to preventing idle hands during my free time. Check it out:

aptapt1apt2apt3

And, let’s not forget the new air hockey table! 😀

airair1

Having my own little setup of easily accessible books and movies is an absolute must for me because I am an avid fan of both. Cracking open a good book or putting a movie on during a rainy afternoon is one of my favorite things to do. It’s relaxing and there’s nothing like being transported to another world for a few hours.

I also have a GameCube and am hoping to get a Wii or a Switch so that there are more options for my friends and I to do when they come over – other than getting wine drunk, of course. 😉 And, I would really like to invest in some classic board and table top games, as well, so I can start hosting game nights once a month or so. Good, clean fun is important and being a hostess with the mostess when company is over will make your place the ultimate hangout when you want it to be!

This is why I had to snag my air hockey table when I found it at the Goodwill. Seriously, what’s more fun than that?! There is nothing wrong with having drinks with friends at your place, but I don’t want that to be just what my apartment is about. And, having good entertainment, whether that be hosting a movie night or a game night is a great way to add some variety into your apartment hangs.

What are your favorite board games? What type of games or gaming systems are worth investing in? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug6

Groovy Movies: Dollar Tree Haul Edition

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Groovy Movies: Dollar Tree Haul Edition

Helloooo! One of my favorite stores that I frequent with a client of mine is the Dollar Tree. And, considering everything there is only a dollar, I can definitely afford it! If her and I end up at the Dollar Tree, I usually will end up indulging if there is anything good there, because I’d much rather pay a dollar for food, paper products, decor, etc. than the marked up price at the grocery store.

This time around, aside from food, I ended up purchasing five movies for a dollar each, which is such an amazing deal considering one movie from Target costs five bucks! So, I got five brand new movies for the price of one. Check it out:

movies

I am a huge fan of having movies to watch at home as well as books to read to keep me entertained instead of paying for a streaming service. Getting Netflix or the like will happen eventually, but holding it off by paying five dollars for some new flicks to enjoy definitely saves me money. Not that Netflix isn’t fairly cheap, but you all know that your girl likes to ball on a budget.

Frankly, the only movie that I super like out of the five that I bought is Masterminds. That is one of my favorite comedies and I could watch it one hundred times and still laugh hysterically, so that was a great find. And, as far as the other four go, they will provide me with something to do during a free evening and that’s good enough for me, even if I don’t end up loving them.

Lil Red will never be above bargain shopping and if there is a Dollar Tree in your area, I highly recommend hitting one up. You never know what goodies you’re going to find!

Where do you do the best bargain shopping at? Which streaming service do you recommend? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul30

Groovy Movies: The Lion King Edition

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Groovy Movies: The Lion King Edition

Hey hey! This has truly been the summer of Disney movies with Aladdin, Toy Story 4, and The Lion King being released in theaters. One of my clients has a particular fondness for Disney movies, so taking her to see the new Lion King was an absolute must. Now, you all know that I am a scary movie girl through and through with some suspense, thriller, and comedy peppered in for good measure. So, of course, I didn’t enjoy this film as much as your average bear. But, it still had its moments so take a look at the trailer and let’s discuss:

^^^ And, as always, I have no rights to this video.

I can’t exactly say that I had a strong Disney childhood, because I honestly barely remember any of the movies. As the baby of the family, my older siblings weren’t interested in watching the classic Disney flicks by the time I was old enough to enjoy and comprehend them. So, although I know the basics about The Lion King, it is definitely not one that I can recall in detail.

I feel like this was an advantage for me to go into this movie not really knowing much about it, because I didn’t have any expectations based on the cartoon. Overall, I can’t say that I loved The Lion King, by any means. But, it was a pleasant enough flick to sit through.

The Lion King really did boast an all star cast including James Earl Jones, Donald Glover, and BEYONCE for crying out loud. And, they were alright. But Seth Rogan as Pumbaa and Billy Eichner as Timon took the cake. Rogan and Eichner were freaking hilarious and I found myself laughing out loud in all of their scenes. They had great chemistry with each other, the singing wasn’t bad, and they were the only characters in the live action movie that I could actually envision saying their lines.

And, that, brings me to my main qualms about The Lion King. Rogan and Eichner embodied their characters perfectly and somehow managed to sound like how a warthog and meercat might if they had human voices. But, all of the other characters felt so disjointed from their voices and the songs that they were singing. It almost made it feel like a documentary with Beyonce just happening to do the music for it.

I also was a bit disappointed with how the scenes with Scar and the hyenas played out. From what I do remember of the cartoon Lion King, Scar was a major A-HOLE. Like, he was this sneering, rotten villain who killed his own brother. In the live action version, Scar just appeared bored and the hyenas were really annoying. I didn’t get this sense of looming darkness that I remember Scar having and that made Mufasa’s death be kind of like an “oh” moment, instead of bringing me to tears – which I totally thought it would.

Was this movie worth seeing in theaters? For die hard Disney fans, yes. For anyone else, use your discretion. As your average person going in to this movie expecting nothing, I’ll give it an average rating of six out of ten stars. I think that it was a difficult task to create a live action version of singing animals and this one missed the mark for me.

How did you feel about the new Lion King? Which Disney movie are you hoping they remake next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: Heroic Hollywood

Jul20

Groovy Movies: Crawl Edition

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Groovy Movies: Crawl Edition

Howdy! This past week, I took one of my clients to see a new creature horror movie called Crawl. Normally, I am not big on the flicks with giant animals terrorizing people, but this one was highly entertaining, super suspenseful, short and sweet, and the actors weren’t half bad, either. Take a look at the trailer and then read on to find out my rating for this new release:

^^^ And, as always, I have no rights to this video.

Long story short, a hella hurricane is happening in Florida and when swim star, Hayley, has heard nothing from her dad, she ventures to their old home to investigate. He is nowhere to be found inside of the house but the family dog, Sugar, leads her to the crawl space beneath, which she begrudgingly goes into.

After some searching in the claustrophobic bottom layer of the house, Hayley finds her dad severely injured with an alligator bite to the shoulder and leg compliments of the one that entered the premises through a flooded drain pipe. And, to make matters worse, there’s not one but two of them. And, to make matters worse AGAIN, the crawl space is beginning to fill with water thanks to the major hurricane happening. So, their options are to drown or figure a way out despite the massive gators making home there…

And save the dog, of course.

Like I said earlier, these types of movies are normally not my cup of tea. But, I thought that Crawl was an absolute HOOT. It was a really fun watch and the suspense was nonstop thanks to a combination of things like the close quarters of the crawl space, the flood waters steadily rising, and oh yeah – the big ass alligators. I also liked how this movie was relatively short at an hour and a half because it moved quickly and made the anticipation of the flood waters rising feel even more desperate.

Hayley and her dad were also both very likeable and I found myself rooting for them and their safety the entire movie. So, whenever a setback would happen or a plan didn’t work, it definitely felt like a major blow. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie and I would give it a seven out of ten. It was a great summer flick to see in theaters and I would for sure recommend it!

Who else has seen Crawl? What were your thoughts on it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: AMC Theaters