What did you breadwinners watch this week? (11/12-11/18)

Must resist…
In the spirit of the holidays, I must resist…


[none]

Helloaf!

Of yours:
Ginger Snaps 2 7/10
D&D : Honor Amongst Thieves 7.5/10

My Week:
Christmas at the Chalet (2023) 7/10
I liked this one. It wasn't really anything new or different, but it did have a good feel to it, and Teri Hatcher was actually fun to watch in this one.

My Christmas Guide (2023) 8/10
Ugh. Chad was such a jerk. I liked this one a lot more than I thought I would based on the description. It was really sweet. I liked that the romance was really understated. It was reminiscent to Noel Next Door, which I really liked last year, and then I looked and it was the same writer. Will be going on my rewatch list.

Ghosts of Christmas Always (2022) 9/10
This was one of my top picks last year, so I had to watch it again. Liked it as much as I did the last time I watched it. I think this will certainly be a yearly watch for me.

Caveat (2020) 8/10
I really liked this one. It was really atmospheric, and the plot was intriguing. It's certainly a slow burn, but the ending is so worth it. The tension in this movie is certainly tangible, and that rabbit was creepy as hell. It kept me guessing too, which is something I appreciate so much. Great movie.

Christmas Island (2023) 7/10
It's nice to see Hallmark make a few more Christmas movies outside of the Vancouver area. The plot was extremely cookie cutter, but I didn't seem to mind this one so much. I really like both Andrew Walker, and Rachel Skarsten, so that probably helped.

Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas (2021) 8/10
I didn't get a chance to see this before I cut the cord, so it's been sitting in my list until I started watching Christmas movies this year. Man I miss this show. So annoyed when it got cancelled, but on the other hand, it didn't outstay it's welcome, and I was excited to watch this finally. Although I didn't think it had the heart as some of the episodes in the series, I will admit to tearing up. Glad I'm finally knocking this off my list, to put it on my Christmas rewatch list.

Merry Mystery Christmas (2023) 5/10
Okay, yay for filming location. Glad to see some east coast Canada for a change. The rest of the film was just boring. I didn't care for the characters, nor the mystery.

A Heidelberg Holiday (2023) 5/10
Props to Hallmark for continuing to have occasional movies actually set (mostly) in the cities they are supposed to be. The setting was lovely and the star of the show. Heidi was sooooo annoying though. She didn't deserve Lukas. Story was pretty cookie cutter.

EXmas (2023) 6/10
It was a bit of a ridiculous plot, and a very toxic family. It's tough to root for characters who are so unlikeable. Maybe if we had a bit more of their backstory before their conflict I might have cared more? The comedy didn't really land for me, but the clichéd moments of depth and tenderness are what I expected from a Christmas movie. Certainly not my favourite this year, but I did enjoy it a little bit.

My Bloody Valentine (2009) 6/10
Prior review:
Watched this in 3D when it first came out and really didn't care for it. I thought I would try it again to see if I liked it any better this time around. I guess I did. It's very predictable, and cliché, but there is some good gore. Even not watching in 3D I appreciated some of the splatter. The story doesn't always make perfect sense, I mean blood does splatter, but it'll do.

Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie (2012) 2/10
Watched this as part of a group watch, and if it weren't for the group I would have bailed right away. This movie is just not for me, as it's certainly not my sense of humour. I pretty much hated it.

Rats: Night of Terror (1984) 6/10
Another watch party movie. I didn't hate this one, but it was pretty ridiculous. So many things didn't make sense, and the effects were pretty funny. Good movie? Nope, but it was mostly fun to watch. Does get pretty boring at points, and the ending was soooo stupid.

Thanks for unblocking me, amigo! ;->

What a week, what a workweek indeed! I've hardly had time to collect my thoughts on the following:

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) - What a load of fun this turned out to be. A postmodern fantasy adventure with an charming ragtag group of heroes and plenty of clever comedic moments. 7

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023) - Not terrible, but for Pete's sake who watches Transformers movies for the human characters? 6

Bellflower (2010) - More about the vibes and atmosphere than the actual story, but it's worth checking out as a sensory experience. 6

My Bloody Valentine (2009) - A fun grindhouse flick that embraces its own campy identity while almost - almost - providing enough inventiveness to make it a cut above the slasher formula. 6.5

Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie (2012) - I agree it's a mixed bag with not every bit being a winner, but there are plenty of inspired skits (dumb/silly/absurd as they may be) that tilt the scales in its favor. Not quite worthy of an immediate back to back rewatch ala Top Gun, but still a fun revisit. 6.5

Rats: Night of Terror (1984) - Some technically accomplished cinematography doesn't quite make up for an otherwise shabby story and production. 4.5

Also this week:

The Killer (2023) - A sharply crafted spy-flavored thriller with exquisitely executed moments of tension throughout. Fincher provides sharp director from a script by his previous Seven collaborator, and what results is wonderfully misanthropic tale of a gig economy assassin steeped in sly understated humor. 7.5

The Creator (2023) - A frustrating watch. Visually stunning with an impressively crafted level of production considering its budget. 9 in execution and a 5 in narrative coherence, so I'll split the difference here. 6.5

Reasons of the Heart (1996) - Decided to check out some older TV movies and found this one to be racy and wild. Kind of like a Disney version of a trashy paperback romance novel. 6

Oppenheimer (2023) - Still digesting this one.

(to be continued)

Just cuz I like you, I'll let this "🐀 🐀 🐀 🐀/10" slide just this once.

So glad you liked Ginger Snaps 2! And Tatiana Maslany is just great, isn't she? Just like, in general lol. There's more Ginger (of sorts) in the 3rd one, but I'm hesitant to recommend a purchase. Maybe watch it on Youtube if you have any interest in finishing the trilogy.

I know I've seen My Bloody Valentine, no memory if I liked it or not. All I remember is a mine, and Jensen Ackles was in it.

Let Him Go (2020)

Diane Lane and Kevin Costner are reunited in the role of parents, of a very much human son this time, who is actually vulnerable to falling of a horse and dying. Now they have to go chasing after their ex-daughter-in-law in an attempt to get back their grandson, and end up battling the family of her new abusive husband. This begins slowly, and chugs along, showing us the search for the grandbaby. And then it gets incredibly violent. I really enjoyed the scenic shots of… wherever in the US this was shot, beautiful. Some good performances. But, again, the Dumb Woman getting everybody killed trope rears its ugly head. I have to say I was quite shocked how violent it got towards the end there, for what I thought was a drama. IDK, it was… a movie, and I watched it. 3 out of 7 severed fingers.

Casper (1995)

The desire of Casper the Friendly Ghost to get an alive human girl girlfriend lead to Christina Ricci and President Thomas J. Whitmore moving into the dilapidated mansion him and his not-so-friendly uncles haunt. And those ghosts will definitely not go gently into that good night. There is obviously CG in this movie. But there are also actual sets, which are wonderful. As a kid I wanted to live in that mansion (maybe sans the ghosts). Great score, great cinematography (courtesy of Dean Cundey). Cathy Moriarty and Eric Idle are top tier 90s sleazeballs. A kids movie, but it doesn’t treat its audience like actual babies. IMO a very well made movie, and quite enjoyable still.

...

I didn't watch any movies, but I did shoot some video....that's almost the same right?

The Killer (2023) - i thought it needed a better ending. plot wise i am not sure how or why the love interest survives. 7/10

Oppenheimer (2023) - felt like two moves. the first half up to the explosion was really good. you have to appreciate it when hollywood does historical drama. 8/10

Chained (2013) - a low budget canadian serial killer movie. the movie is very stark and brutal probably too much so. the ending was unfulfilling. 6/10

NEXT WEEK...I DARE YOU...TO TITLE THE THREAD...WHAT DID YOU BURRITO FUCKERS WATCH THIS WEEK.

Movies

-Body Rock (1984)
You guys should totally do this movie for MovieClub. It's got hideous fashion, music, acting, writing, etc. Don't worry, it's more of a dance movie like Flashdance rather than a musical. And if you ever thought breakdancing was cool, you won't after seeing this movie!

-Perry Mason: The Case of the Avenging Ace (1988)

TV shows

-Neighbours - marathon

-Psych - marathon