The 2021 Movie Post

Not sure this is still worth doing because I don't see as many movies as I used to, but I guess I like looking back for myself to see what I watched and what I thought about movies, so here we go!

Here are my previous years' posts: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, and 2005.

1. Marvel's Black Widow - I really enjoyed this movie. I had been looking forward to a Black Widow movie since Iron Man 2, but it never came and it never came. And then I thought they might do a Hawkeye and Black Widow movie, but that never came. And then it was supposed to come out on my birthday and then COVID hit, so needless to say, I had been anticipating its release for a while. Anyway, I was happy that they finally made a Black Widow movie, and I liked it. I think they did a great job casting the movie, giving it a plot, and it had enough humor to not feel overly sad or dark, so it was good. I like the Natasha character, and I like the Yelena character, as well.

2. A Quiet Place Part II - I enjoy this franchise. I maybe liked the first one of these movies a bit better than the second one, but I really liked the second one, too. I would like to request a third movie of A Quiet Place, please. After I watch these movies, I still feel like I have to walk around all quiet-like in my house. It does a great job of creating the mood. I like suspenseful movies that aren't gross or too occult, and this series squeaks in with those. If it were more bloody, I would maybe be too grossed out, but they barely stayed on the right side of not too gross. But seriously, the nail is still there???? Could we please take a second to fix the nail?

3. In the Heights - I pretty much liked everything about this movie. I thought the music was decent, and okay, I think Anthony Ramos is such a charismatic actor. He is a great singer and actor. More of him, please, movie people. And I loved all the characters and their roles. It was such a great cultural film, and the swimming pool scene and the bodega ... I don't know. It was just great.

4. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - I liked this movie the first time I saw it. I wasn't completely sold by all of the weird and strange characters and the dragon, and the basically flying during the fight scene, but then I watched it a second time, and I decided it was good and I could accept that weird stuff. I really, really liked Awkwafina in it. She is just so weird, but I kind of loved it. And I really could relate to the character because of the whole hanging out with a guy for years and years and you're "just friends," but then you have all these strange experiences together. I so relate to that. A lot. And I even went and saw it with one of my just friends guy friends, so it was kind of perfect. And my teenager is always asking me when I'm going to marry him, just like how the grandma does in the movie. Anyway, so relatable. And I'm never going to get together with or marry my friend, but I would be okay if eventually Shang-Chi and Katy get together in these Marvel movies. But it's also okay if they never do. Because that's like my life.

5. Encanto - This was a tough choice of what to put here, but I guess I liked the fact that this was a musical, even though for me, the music wasn't great or necessarily as catchy as other people think it is. But my teen and I got to enjoyably see this in a theater all by ourselves, and later that week, I came home to "I had to watch it again on Disney+." So it definitely worked for my teenager. It had some fun and funny parts. The plot, to me, was not that appealing, but it still worked.

6. Spider-Man: No Way Home - I liked this movie just fine. I was excited to see the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man, as well as Willem Dafoe, and Alfred Molina. I was fine with all the others from previous movies, but those were the ones I had liked the best. My teen had only ever seen Spider-Man: Homecoming and still enjoyed the movie. For me, Spider-Man is at the point of oversaturation, but you know, if they keep making money, then I guess, so be it. I also haven't seen the Venom movies, so that's not an area that I feel passionate about. I do like Zendaya's MJ and Jacob Batalon's Ned, and I do like these newer characters, like the Tom Holland Spider-Man and how he relates with the rest of the Avengers. I also like the high school classmates. They are funny.

7. Raya and the Last Dragon - I thought this was a cute movie. Chinese stuff is interesting to me, as my parents lived in mainland China and also Hong Kong for a few years, and I visited them a few times during that. They make for interesting movies, so I was fine with it. And I enjoy the martial arts, generally. It had a good plot and was cute.

8. Pixar's Luca - This was also a cute movie, with adventure and friendship, and all kinds of cute themes for kids. I enjoyed that they really wanted to win the race to buy a Vespa. It was hilarious in that way, and I thought all the characters were funny in their own way. It was kind of wacky, but it was also really fun.

9. Marvel's Eternals - I watched this for a second time to see if I would still think it was weird, and I did. The whole idea behind this movie is just kind of weird to me, and that's okay. I didn't really love a lot of the main characters. I only kind of liked Sersi and Sprite, and I didn't even care for Ikaris (attractive, but a jerk), Ajak (too motherly... should have been leaderly without motherly), Thena (too much of them having to tell us how beautiful she is... if she's beautiful, you don't have to tell us all the time, maybe just once), or Druig (too eternally cranky) that much. I liked the rest of them just fine, but my favorite by far was Kingo and Karun. I thought they made the movie. The rest of it was kind of just blah to me. Anyway, weird plot. Weird Celestials. But I will say that Angelina Jolie was tolerable, and I thought she would be really annoying. So I guess that's good. Maybe the real fault was that they were trying to develop too many characters in one movie? I am interested to see what happens with the Dane Whitman character, though. But also, I didn't need the love scene between Ikaris and Sersi. Like, we got it... they loved each other and were together for 5,000 years and even got married. You didn't actually need a making love scene. It felt weird for a Marvel movie.

10. Jungle Cruise - This was an astoundingly stupid and dumb movie. But I laughed in it, especially at the punny jokes that were akin to the Disneyland ride. But really, they started out the movie the exact same way as the Star Gate movie or the Atlantis movie. And then it was just weird from there. I know it wasn't supposed to be serious, but it was very dumb. I don't regret watching it, though. It was fine.

I also saw from 2021:

Clifford the Big Red Dog - This was so corny, as expected. But it was also cute, and it was an okay movie version of the kids book, which I used to really like when I was little. I'm not sad they made it, and I'm not sad that I watched it, but it was certainly not a cinematic masterpiece. It felt like an after school TV special.

Space Jam: A New Legacy - I felt like the trailer from this movie was the entire movie. Like, most of the jokes were in the trailer, even. So they did in 1 minute what they also accomplished in 2 hours. I never saw the original Space Jam, but my teen loved the first one, and also said this movie was his favorite of the year. It was my least favorite of the year. But the popcorn was good. We got extra butter. And we also built a good memory for the teen to cherish. And look, I like basketball, so it's not like it was a problem with basketball. I just didn't think it was great. I think the only joke I laughed at was when Michael B Jordan came in, and my teen didn't even get that joke. Ah well.

I also saw from 2019:

Abominable - It was fine and cute. It was a pretty film, visually beautiful.

Klaus - I liked it. It was a cute Christmas movie!

I also saw from 2020:

Mulan - Unnecessary, but it was also fine. I didn't hate it.

Movies I guess I sort of still want to see from 2020:

The Call of the Wild
Dolittle
Wonder Woman 1984
The Croods: A New Age
The New Mutants
Bill & Ted Face the Music

Movies I still want to see from 2021:

Dune
The Matrix Resurrections
King Richard
Belfast
No Time to Die
Dear Evan Hansen

It's hard to watch movies anymore because the teen has essentially taken over the TV for video games. I do watch some on my tablet when I'm doing stuff, but I feel like I don't have a ton of time to just sit and watch a movie. Single parenting is rough, y'all. And I feel like I hardly do stuff with friends anymore. Ah well.

The 2020 Movie Post

Well, 2020 was a weird year for movies because of COVID-19. My movie theater did have some new movies and new showings, but there really weren't very many new releases at all this year. I decided to still write this, even though I won't really have hardly any movies to talk about. I've always been of the opinion that just because you have fewer of something doesn't mean that it isn't still valuable. So I give you my 2020 Movie Post.

Here are my previous years' posts: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, and 2005.

1. Tenet - I guess I just like movies that make you think. And action/adventure movies. This was both of those, so I liked it. I feel like I kept up with what was happening in the movie pretty well. Like, I was pretty sure early on who was doing the various things. That wasn't a surprise to me at all. Even though I wasn't surprised, I still really enjoyed it. Thank you for making this movie, movie people!

2. Pixar's Onward - This was a really cute and nerdy movie. It was such a warm-hearted movie. It kind of breaks your heart at the end a bit, but it was still really good and fun.

3. Pixar's Soul - I liked this movie because it was kind of a travesty but also really good. I liked the reminder to enjoy the little moments of every day and to recognize the good in the simple moments. I think life is really like that. I do have some amazing things that happen, but most of my life is the small and simple moments.

4. Hamilton - I was wanting to see this show for a while, but I didn't want to spend as much money as it was costing to see it. I was happy to be able to watch this show on Disney+ finally. I had tried to listen to the soundtrack earlier but couldn't really get through it. I enjoy the soundtrack mostly now because I have seen the show. I liked it. It wasn't perfect, and I'm not a fangirl of it, but really, it was pretty clever, good, musically entertaining, etc.

5. The Social Dilemma - This was an interesting show because it gives feedback for how addictive social media networks can be. I agree that they can be, and after watching the movie I have noticed ways in which Facebook does try to ensnare me to keep checking it. I am totally addicted to social networks, I think. However, I also think that the A.I. is not as brilliant as they think it is. So often I am shown things that I am not interested in at all or I get ads for stuff I seriously just bought and will never purchase again. Anyway, it was good, but I think it was also overly full of itself.

I also saw from 2019:

Men in Black: International - It was fun, but it wasn't particularly memorable for me. They can keep making these movies because they have created a fun world that has a lot of potential for storyline and humor. I'd probably still see them.

The Peanut Butter Falcon - This was a cute movie with a decent plot. I enjoyed this movie, and I feel like there should be more family-friendly good message-type movies out there.

Jojo Rabbit - I was talking about this movie the other day, and someone asked how you can have a comedy about the WWII holocaust? Great question. I still don't know how they did it, but they did. I think there was a sufficient amount of horror in the movie, as well, so it's not like the movie made light of the situation. Somehow they succeeded. It was a good movie.

Frozen II - I didn't like this one as well as the first movie, but it was still good. I still have a hard time with sequels to Disney movies for some reason.

Jumanji: The Next Level - I actually just saw this on a flight the other day. I think they did a great job of maintaining the same humor and feel of the first one. I mean, these are still stupid movies, but they are fun, and I laughed at it.

The Upside - This was a decently good movie. I enjoyed the premise of it and that it was a feel-good movie. I think I ended up seeing it one and a half times, but it was enjoyable for both viewings.

Harriett - Of course I was going to watch this. I just had to figure out that it was actually out. It never came to my theater, so I got the Netflix disc. I still had that at the time. Sadly, I got rid of it because I just don't watch many movies anymore. I feel like I don't have time for it. Anyway, I really liked it. Harriett Tubman is one of my favorite historical figures of all time. She was an amazing person, and I was glad for a decent movie about her. I enjoyed it well enough, even with some of its flaws.

Movies I still want to see from 2019:

Dark Phoenix
Blinded By the Light
Abominable
Midway
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Cats

Movies I still want to see from 2020:

Emma
The Call of the Wild
Dolittle
Wonder Woman 1984
The Croods: A New Age
The New Mutants
Bill & Ted Face the Music
Mulan

There would probably be more if I had paid better attention to the movie industry in 2020, but I just haven't. I think that 2020 was just a crazy year for everyone. For me I had a lot of life changes, like I'm a mom now. But also because of COVID, my head wasn't in the game as much as it could have been. I think I was emotionally exhausted for much of 2020. I'm sure a lot/most people were that way. And it's not like I stopped working or anything. I was lucky enough to be able to continue working. I was noticing that this year I did cut out a bit. We all have to shuffle around our time when circumstances change, so I noticed that I cut out a lot of my media consumption. That just tanked. I don't know if/when it will come back. I do enjoy movies still, but I don't know when I'll be able to sit down and watch many movies. We'll see how I do in 2021, I guess!

The 2019 Movie Post

Well, I didn't really spend that much time in 2019 watching movies, so I ended up waiting until I had watched three more movies at the beginning of 2020, and now I am writing this, just so there's not an abysmal number of movies on here.

Here are my previous years' posts: 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, and 2005.

1. Knives Out - I decided that this one got the first position because it was a year of generally derivative movies, either because they were part of a series or because they were a remake. This was the most entertaining original movie of them all. It seems like it could be a stage play because it didn't really have a lot of necessary scenes, but I enjoyed it as a movie, anyway. The cast was great, I laughed at a lot of the lines, and I just enjoyed it, in general.

2. Captain Marvel - I really enjoyed this one because it was so 90s nostalgic for me. The music, the style, and all of that was actually quite consistent. The plot was entertaining, and there was a bit of humor in it. I mean, it's pretty fake, too, but the comedy was enough that I could tolerate the fakeryness.

3. Yesterday - This was a fun movie that I laughed about. The main character was really enjoyable to follow. He was just a regular guy that had unfortunate stuff happen to him, so I thought it was easy enough to relate to him. It was like someone's daydream from the middle of a boring class brought to the movie screen and adding in a good soundtrack.

4. Ford v Ferrari - I mean, I didn't really like the ending very much, but overall, this was an enjoyable movie that was based on a true story. I don't follow racing at all, so I appreciated that I didn't have to know a lot about it to enjoy the movie.

5. Spider-Man: Far From Home - I liked this movie because it was funny. I didn't care a lot for the antagonist nor his henchmen, but it was still enjoyable generally.

6. Shazam! - For me, this was enjoyable because I watched it pretty soon after I decided to become licensed as a foster parent. It was a cute movie that was also funny, and although it seemed to be cinematically more in the vein of something like a Power Rangers movie, I thought it was an enjoyable film overall.

7. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - I enjoyed this movie, but I also kind of didn't like some parts. The gigantic battle at the end, along with the stadium full of CGI hooded figures was a bit much for me. It just didn't feel very... personal. I will have to see it again to know really how I feel about it, but on purely the first viewing, it was probably in my bottom three of Star Wars movies.

8. Avengers: Endgame - To be quite honest, I kind of didn't like this movie the first time I saw it. It was so sad and depressing, and I think I was having some hormonal imbalances at the time I saw it. I was so cranky. But anyway, after the second viewing, I liked it a bit better. It's still on the lower end of all the Marvel movies for me, but I accept it as a decent climax of the Avengers movies. Of course I have some issues with all the time travel stuff, but that is normal for me when you add time travel in the mix.

9. Little Women - I mean, as far as remakes go, this is a solid one. I think I like Amy the best in this version over all of the other versions of the movie. I'm not sure how I feel about going back and forth through time for this, but I enjoyed it overall and cried my eyes out. I didn't have any tissues. It was messy.

10. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World - I definitely liked this movie better than the second one. I enjoyed this movie, and I think it was a great continuation of this excellent series.

I also saw:

Glass - I didn't like this one as well as either Unbreakable or Split, but it was alright.

Toy Story 4 - This was good and funny, but I think the creepy dolls did me in. I also didn't necessarily care for the overall storyline, really. It just wasn't as good as the rest of the Toy Story movies.

Downton Abbey - Yes, I saw this. I am ashamed. I watched Downton Abbey since I stumbled upon the very first episode the first time it aired on TV. This was an unnecessary movie, but it was still enjoyable. Enjoyable, but WHY did it need to be made? Money. That is why.

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part - This was enjoyable. I think these movies are cute kids movies.

Aladdin - I wasn't going to see this, but then I went on a date to this movie. It was better than I thought it was going to be. It was a decent movie, and I thought everyone did a great job acting. The script, songs, and storyline were great, and everything, but then after watching it, I had to pull out my VHS of the animated Aladdin movie and watch it because that is the one I like. I'm not interested in seeing any more remakes of Disney movies that were perfectly good to begin with. This probably makes me an old person.

I also saw from 2017:

The Space Between Us - It was okay. It was kind of boring and not great but okay.

Wonder - This was a cute movie, and I liked it.

I also saw from 2018:

Maze Runner: The Death Cure - I couldn't really remember what had happened in the previous installments with what characters, and I just didn't care a lot about this movie. Also, it wasn't very memorable.

Ocean's 8 - I'm so glad that I didn't spend money on this movie (Netflix disc - yes, I still do that). It was a fine movie as far as movies go, but it was such a copy of the first Ocean's movie of the reboot. I mean, there was even the moment when one of the female characters was eating, just like how Brad Pitt did in Ocean's 11, and I thought it was just such a copy that was full of itself with all the stars and whatnot.

Christopher Robin - It was a cute movie.

Crazy Rich Asians - I liked it, and it was interesting to see all the exorbitance portrayed in this movie. I was like, but WHY? (I've been asking that question a lot with movies lately. It must be a phase for me.)

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms - Not terrible, per se, but also not great. I think that perhaps I've never really liked the story of The Nutcracker a whole ton, even though I do enjoy the music and the dancing typically.

Creed II - I enjoyed this. I do think that Rocky IV was always my favorite of the movies, but it also got a little boring for me in the middle.

Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle - I like the story of The Jungle Book, so I enjoyed it overall, but this was probably my least favorite of all of them. I didn't really care for the ending and what they were trying to convey as a message. It felt a bit too overtly preachy.

Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse - I think people over-hyped this movie. It was fine as far as movies go, but it was also a bit too after-school cartoon for me.

Mary Poppins Returns - It was cute enough, but WHY?

Aquaman - I thought that the artistry was excellent in this movie. Like, it was a cool movie to look at, and I didn't have a problem with the characters or the storyline necessarily, but I guess I just wasn't that into it. I can't explain it. I guess I just didn't have chemistry with this movie.

Chappaquiddick - It was sort of a slog to get through. It was interesting but also pretty boring. I'm amazed at how everything was presented, and it's really uncomfortable that the public just doesn't seem to care a lot about what public figures have actually done in their lives.

Instant Family - I didn't really know what this was until I started working on a foster parenting license and then everyone was recommending to me that I watch it. It was cute and kind of humorous. It also didn't help me to feel less terrified of foster parenting.

Movies I still want to see from 2019:

Dark Phoenix
Men in Black: International
The Peanut Butter Falcon
Blinded By the Light
Abominable
Jojo Rabbit
Midway
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Frozen II
Jumanji: The Next Level
Cats (Seriously, I never saw it in the theater, and it looks super creepy, but it's like I have to just to know it's bad for myself and also to see if I can even make it through the whole movie.)

Please comment with any recommendations you may have! I hope that you were able to enjoy movies, as well!

The 2018 Movie Post

So I am really late getting this out. I started working on this in December, but I guess I sort of forgot about it for a few weeks because I kept going out of town. I'm sure the three of you who read this don't mind so much, right? This post has spoilers. Like, for reals. Spoilers.

Here are my previous years' posts: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, and 2005.

Movies I saw in 2018:

1. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindlewald - I had a hard time ordering these this year, but finally I gave this one #1. I actually didn't even like it quite as well as the first one in the series, but I thought it was still a good installment of the franchise, and it did make me want to see the next one. Ultimately, this is the movie that I thought I'd watch the most when I finally buy it. I like Jude Law as Dumbledore, but I do have to say that none of the Dumbledores have seemed like the same person to me. I suppose you're never really the same person from when you are young to when you're old, but I just don't feel like he's the same person that was characterized in the Harry Potter stories at all. I love all the rest of the characters, and I like wondering what's going to happen next.

2. Mission: Impossible - Fallout - I did a rewatch of the franchise before I saw this one, and I have to say that I'm glad that I did. I feel like I caught a lot more of what was going on the whole time. But also, there was nothing surprising at all. The plot was very see-through, even involving his wife. That being said, this was just a good and interesting action-adventure movie. I do love the Mission Impossible franchise, and all of the movies are great, except maybe #2, but even that is tolerable.

3. Ant-Man and the Wasp - Although this is not my favorite Avengers movie, it is a hilarious one. I love the antics of all of the characters, and I am always laughing at the silliness exhibited by the main character, as well as all of the side characters. The plot is just okay (it's kind of preposterous, actually), but the fact that they don't take themselves seriously and have a good time with the movie is what makes it.

4. Black Panther - This movie is definitely in my top half of the Avengers movies. It was different from the others and had a good plot. The villain is probably one of the better villains in all of the franchise. I enjoyed the beauty of Wakanda and all of the technological advances they had there. It would be awesome to have a city like that in the world. I also think that Lupita Nyong'o is an excellent actress. I feel like I could see her in a bunch more movies, and I wish she would be cast in more films.

5. Solo: A Star Wars Story - I really enjoyed this movie. Although I don't think these extra Star Wars stories are necessary, I really liked this one. I like who they got to play Han, and I especially thought that Donald Glover nailed Lando Calrissian. The obsession with capes was hilarious. The only part I didn't quite like about the movie was that Darth Maul was in it. It's a problem I have with the whole franchise storyline. No doubt that they really didn't have enough of him in Episode I, but I really resented when they brought him back in the Clone Wars series. It's my own pet peeve.

6. A Quiet Place - I am a fan of scary movies as long as they're not too gross or too evil-scary. So basically, I'm okay with PG-13 or PG-type scary movies. This one had a creepy but intriguing plot. I definitely was trying to stay quiet on the way home from the theater. They set up the stage so well, that even the theater talkers were quiet. I liked that part of it. It was a little too bloody for me, and honestly, I'm a bit bugged because I didn't see the resolution to the nail sticking out of the board. It still bothers me. Did they fix that? Did someone else step on it? What happened? Excellent thriller.

7. Bohemian Rhapsody - I enjoyed this movie. I don't know if anyone else felt like they didn't get enough of the entire songs, though. Like, I had to go listen to the real full versions of the songs later because I felt like they did cliff-hanging on those songs. Anyway, the story of Freddie Mercury was interesting and kept my attention. This is the sort of movie that helps me really appreciate the differences and talents that everyone has. For me it highlighted the value of every single person, and it made me hope that I always treat everyone kindly and appropriately.

8. Avengers: Infinity War - I liked this movie. When I saw this movie in the theater, it felt really long, like they packed a lot of plot and action into the movie. They did a good job of really taunting the viewers at the end and adding the feeling of futility and despair and loss of the Avengers. I'm looking forward to and curious for the resolution on the next movie.

8.5. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Man, I was really struggling this year to add all the things I saw. I had to edit this in February to add this! I really liked this one. It was enjoyable and told a heartwarming story, and I liked all of the actors. I would recommend this one.

9. The Incredibles 2 - This was good, clean fun. I like that they picked up where they left off, even though there was something that felt a little bit different in this movie than the first. I really enjoyed this one.

10. Ready Player One - I haven't read the book, but this one felt like an adaptation. It was good, but the whole time for me it felt like I was missing maybe some character development or something? Maybe it's that I'm not really into video games, so maybe I didn't understand the overall appeal. Still, it was a good movie, though, and it was different from a lot of movies, which is always good.

I also saw:

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom - I liked the Jurassic World movie, but I don't know if I just can't accept dinosaurs roaming the USA or what? Like, will the next one have dinos roaming the Las Vegas strip or something? I'm just not sure how I feel about that. There was so much of the movie that wasn't plot but was just chaos from being chased by even scarier dinosaurs than the last time. Like, okay, enough of that. You don't have to create new dinosaurs to make me freaked out by them. I'm already freaked out by the ones that were in the original movie.

The Commuter - Yeah, okay, Liam Neeson. I'm just not sure if I like him as an action movie star. For me, I would instead typecast him in dramas. But that's just me. It wasn't a terrible movie, but I wasn't that into it, either. I'd put this in the category of movies that you watch when you're sick and don't want to think about anything.

A Wrinkle in Time - I think this book is great. I thought the movie adaptation of that book was okay. I feel like maybe they were trying too hard with the hair and makeup. It all seemed a bit too fake. I get that it's a fantasy-esque movie, but using extra glitter and makeup didn't really cut it for me. It made it look like a Nickelodeon special, and I sort of resented that about the movie. I think they should have taken it more seriously or at least lay off the glitter.

Tomb Raider - This was okay. Oddly enough, for a mummy-type movie, I actually enjoyed it more than the actual Mummy movies. But I feel like it was more of the caliber of an amusement park ride and less of an actual movie. I still enjoyed it, though. It felt like it needed more adventure and less dire straits.

The House with a Clock in its Walls - I think this was decent for a kids movie. The clowns and puppets and dolls and mannequins were super creepy.

Ralph Breaks the Internet - This was a fun movie. It wasn't great, but it had some clever stuff.

The Cloverfield Paradox - It's like, I really wanted this to be good, but then there was a disembodied hand that apparently had free will and a brain to communicate. I can suspend my disbelief somewhat far, but that was too far.

The 15:17 to Paris - I mean, if you're going to have a shooter on a train story, it really should be based on real events. The appeal to this movie was actually that they had some of the real people play themselves. It felt a bit more like a home movie that way, but I think it was okay because I knew those were the real people.

I also saw some Film Festival Movies: 

Krieg - This was good. Because it was done in the actual languages, I was having a problem figuring out who was who, even though I speak a little bit of German. It was enjoyable enough, but if I were to watch a movie like this, I would pick the movie Tangerines (see below). Still, though, I have no complaint with the acting or anything else. You may enjoy this if you ever have the chance to watch it.

Lear's Shadow - Well, I guess I cried a little bit. This is clearly a movie for theater nerds, as it's basically likening the King Lear story to contemporary fictional events of family and good family friends. It was a film, but it is clearly intended to be played out in a small theater, maybe a black box theater.

I also saw from 2015:

Tangerines (the foreign film from Georgia) - I really enjoyed this movie. It's worth the watch if you're into war movies.

Woman in Gold - I liked this, but it also made me really frustrated for continued exploitation of a people who had everything taken from them.

Sing - I wanted this to be better than it was. It was just okay.

I also saw from 2016:

The Secret Life of Pets - It was just okay also. I guess I'm not that into pets.

Suicide Squad - I didn't really care for this that much. It was okayish and kind of dumbish.

Miracles from Heaven - This was a nice story, made nice by the fact that it was based on true events. I think it would have come off as really corny if I hadn't known that.

Queen of Katwe - I really liked this. As previously mentioned, I like Lupita Nyong'o, so I enjoyed her in this movie, as well.

Inferno - This was a super creepy movie at first, but then I enjoyed it for the mysterious adventure that it was. I enjoyed that it went to Istanbul in the Basilica Cistern. I have been to a bunch of places that were in this movie, so I think it made it more enjoyable than it otherwise would have been. The only unrealistic thing about this movie is that they didn't eat enough gelato when they were in Italy. (ha!)

I also saw from 2017:

The Post - I enjoyed this movie. It wasn't great, but it was good.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle - I laughed and laughed. It was such a stupid but fun movie.

Justice League - I actually enjoyed this one, even though it was pretty preposterous. Maybe I'll even see Aquaman because maybe they've figured out how to make decent movies again?

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales - This was so forgettable. It's on Netflix now, and I started watching it, thinking I hadn't seen it, but then I was like, oh yeah, I did see this. So forgettable.

The Dark Tower - Eh, it was alright. I mean, I'm not going to watch it all the time, but I could see it again.

Coco - I loved it. I could watch this all the time.

Darkest Hour - I thought this was a fantastic movie. It was super enjoyable and well-made!

Movies I still want to see from 2017:

The Space Between Us
The LEGO Batman Movie (maybe)
Wonder

Movies I still want to see from 2018:

Maze Runner: The Death Cure
Ocean's 8
Christopher Robin
Crazy Rich Asians
Venom
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms?
Creed II
Robin Hood?
Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle
Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse
Mary Poppins Returns
Aquaman
Holmes and Watson?

Knott's Berry Farm on the Super Cheap for One Day from Las Vegas

Remember that one time I went to Disneyland on the super cheap for one day from Las Vegas?

Well, I went to Knott's Berry Farm in June, and this technique worked great!

We got our Megabus tickets leaving Las Vegas at 1 a.m. from the South Strip Transit Terminal. We mostly got $5 tickets, but we did have a couple of $10 tickets because I ended up having to change weekends.

We were dropped off at the same ARTIC Sports Complex and picked up bus 15 from there and paid for a day pass with the Token Transit app. Bus 18 only runs from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. to and from Disneyland, so that was one difference to keep in mind. We walked over to IHOP and ate breakfast and then picked up the bus 18 at 9 a.m. The bus runs every hour from there, and they even stop it in the middle of the day, so that means it picks up at 9, 10, and 11. We were able to get into Knott's Berry Farm before 10 a.m., even though it says it doesn't open until 10. Be sure you purchase your tickets ahead of time on the app or online. We paid $50 on the app versus the $79 price it is at the gate.

The bus stops and picks up down the block from the entrance of Knott's Berry Farm. The bus ride takes about a half an hour, so that means that on the Knott's Berry Farm side, the bus picks up starting at 4:30 p.m., so we could take the one at 8:30 or 9:30 p.m. We chose to get the bus back at 8:30 p.m., just to make sure we got back. We timed the bus trips, and the bus from the ARTIC Complex to Disneyland takes about 15 - 20 min. The bus from Disneyland to Knott's Berry Farm takes about a half an hour. Since we split the morning one up with eating at IHOP, we didn't get a good idea about what time they pick up and drop off.

On the way back, we went from Knott's Berry Farm straight back, and it ended up taking over an hour if you include waiting at Disneyland for bus 15. Bus 15 runs every 20 minutes. So even though we got on the bus at 8:30 at Knott's Berry Farm, we didn't get back at the ARTIC Complex until about 9:40. We watched, and we theoretically could have come back on the 9:30 p.m. bus from Knott's Berry Farm, but it really is cutting it close. There was an Angel's game that night, so traffic wasn't normal. The bus 15 we saw got back about 5 or 10 minutes before the Megabus came and left at 10:50 p.m. So theoretically you could take the 9:30 p.m. bus from Knott's Berry Farm back, but that is cutting it close. The total price of this trip per person was $80.13 plus food and gas to Las Vegas. That included park tickets and bus tickets. So, that's a pretty good price for a day of fun!

Next up, I'm going to go to an LA Rams game. I'll update about that when I go!

Also, Megabus just added routes from Las Vegas to Phoenix for $.99. Yes, ninety-nine cents! I might try that sometime.