Movie Review Monday: MURDER AND MAYHEM!

Hello my fellow readers and clue seekers! Today, we review not one, but two, yes TWO movies! Yet again! This time, we have two movies that will have you guessing and send your heart pounding, though not always in a good way. So let's begin:

"Knives Out" (Director: Rian Johnson)

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Now, the reviews are NOT exaggerating. Honestly, while some things are done away with quickly, and some things seem obvious, this movie was quite hilarious. First of all, you have an all-star cast who all gave BRILLIANT performances, although I will raise my one BIG issue: Please, for the love of all that is decent and holy, NEVER GIVE DANIEL CRAIG A SOUTHERN ACCENT AGAIN! Either keep him with his natural accent (which would have worked as well for this movie) or cast someone else. Honestly, the accent he was trying to do was about as butchered as the overall explanation of what happened to Christopher Lee's character and the time afterward. 

Also, the quips in this movie are quite funny. Some great one-liners delivered, my favorite still being "What is this? CSI KFC?" delivered by our wonderful and former Captain America, Chris Evans. I feel like I need to make that into something, but not sure what just yet. And if you are all about family drama, then you will feel right at home with this dysfunction! It might even make your family look sane!

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This movie has basically been described as a modern take on a whodunit, even though we find out in the very beginning who did it. But do not think everything is as it seems, because, like all true murder mysteries, IT'S NOT! (Wow, big shock.) Everything then becomes a bit of a tangled web, as we power through the family listening to a will reading, and their faults are revealed for all the world to see, making them all potential suspects. It's only after the family turns on the poor caretaker that it really turns into a who TRIED to do it, with Daniel Craig's "gentleman detective" right in the middle of it all, hired under mysterious circumstances, trying to find the "doughnut hole [that] seems to have another doughnut, with another doughnut hole, inside it..." There's another design in that somewhere...

Overall, I found this movie exactly as Jamie Lee Curtis says:  

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"Uncut Gems" (Directors: Josh and Benny Safdie)

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Has the ride stopped, because I want off! Adam Sandler attempting to do this very mob-like movie was DEFINITELY a stretch, and not exactly in a good way. While it was a nice change of pace for the actor, and shows commitment, this movie was like one long anxiety attack. Seriously, many times I kept feeling like something was going to happen, and then nothing ever does. You can't do that to someone unless you would like to induce a panic attack in them. And why would you set this movie in 2012? Just this by itself seems to be like a random choice of time frame. This isn't a period piece, we don't need to go backwards.

While I did go into this movie with the ending ruined (thank you to my brother), I didn't know exactly HOW everything would culminate. The movie follows Howard (played by Adam Sandler) who is a gambling addict that works in the famous NYC Diamond District. This is a very obvious and very BAD combination, being surrounded by all that wealth and beauty. For some reason--let's assume a gambling debt--he owes money to this guy named Arno, who we later find out is his brother-in-law. At the same time, Harold is trying to make enough money from selling a GIANT uncut Ethiopian black fire opal, which he thinks is over a million dollars.  Cue my drool:

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Now, for those of you who are not gem experts (and I am definitely not one of them, despite my love of jewelry and unique pieces), let me try and say something about opals: first, there are many types, the most common that we know of being lab created and natural. If you ever seen the two together, you will notice that a lab created opal is more white, while a natural opal is going to have a lot more green to it, among many other colors. This plays into the two more common classes of opal: precious and common. Precious opal displays play-of-color (iridescence), common opal does not. Black opal is considered to be the rarest, whereas white, gray and green are the most common.

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From here, we basically follow Howard through all his follies as he tries to pay off his debts to pretty much everyone, basically using the black fire opal as a chip in this whole scheme. It becomes a pretty predictable movie, although the ending kind of threw me just a bit, despite the fact that it was already spoiled for me. The performances were not horrible, but not the greatest. I was HATING the fact that Idina Menzel, who was playing Howard's wife, was basically being cast as a "Real Housewife of Long Island" complete with mob-sounding accent and all. So, if you like an anxiety-driven, drug-induced thrill ride with a weird, 80s sounding techno soundtrack, you've found your movie!

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Happy Self-Promotion Sunday!

Hello my fellow readers, and welcome to the LAST SUNDAY OF THE DECADE! This is the last SPS of this year, and so I am going to try and go out with a BANG!

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We have quite a few new products up on the Etsy site, mostly keychains, but a few paper cutouts ready to go out. No new figurines, due to the cold causing me to be unable to sand outside (and I do not wish to do any sanding INSIDE because it would mess with my asthma). But I am hoping that might change soon.

So, let me first start with the cutouts, and then onto the unboxing video! So thanks again to Samoht Lion Creations for these beauties, although unfortunately, I need to fix a few of the frames (one with apoxie clay).  But these are the first four designs. I think I am going to be getting at least one more (Princess Cadance), but for now, I have Twilight, Celestia, Luna and a Princess Big Mac! And if you like these designs as paper cutouts, you can always check them out on my TeePublic page!

Now, more keychains! Check out the unboxing of my third round of keychains, here for your viewing pleasure! And make sure you go check out my Etsy site for all of these items! I still have my sale going on too, so make sure you check it out!

In the meantime:

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Movie Review Monday! A Day of Twos!

Happy Monday my fellow readers! It's Movie Review Monday, and we have a plethora of movies to talk about! Since I had a snow day on Tuesday, I decided to spend the days at the movies and saw, not only "Frozen II" but "Two Popes." 

Let's review, shall we?

"Frozen II" (Directors: Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee)

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OK, so I knew I would EVENTUALLY see this movie, but after one of my little 1st graders heard me singing one day and telling me I sounded just like Elsa, I felt like I had to go to this movie. And to be honest, I am pretty glad I did. Now, this isn't necessarily a movie that everyone ASKED for--I mean, the way the last one ended, the sequel isn't exactly necessary except to make merchandise, to be honest. However, despite pandering to the fact that "Frozen" pretty much became the turn-to movie for any parent, after the shorts that were made as little interludes, a sequel was pretty much guaranteed. 

This movie follows Elsa picking up on something supernatural happening around her, mainly hearing a voice no one else can hear (surprisingly, no one calls her crazy), and deciding to wake up some supernatural elemental spirits in order to help her on her quest. Now, I am not sure WHY waking up the spirits was necessary, when it seemed that just following the voice would have been enough. The spirits do become necessary later, but I feel like that it could have been developed more. And yes, I do realize they are making this movie for kids so not everything needs to make sense and have a back story, though sometimes I wish they would. 

The movie does go into the history of Elsa and Anna's mother and father, as well as their grandfather, who is the cause of the trouble that begins with the start of the movie. It was nice to have a bit of closure for what happened to their parents, as well as see the characters grow in their own ways. Although surprisingly, I was not as amused by Olaf this time around as I was when I saw the first movie. It's almost as if they were trying to show the whole cast as maturing, and the most obvious way to do so was to make Olaf a bit more mature, in spite of his immaturity and goofiness. 

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Overall, I did love the music, even though Kristoff's song was very cringe-worthy and trying to make it seem like a cheesy 90s ballad. But many of the songs were beautiful, and in the end, I felt there was closure to the whole "Frozen" universe.

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"Two Popes" (Director: Fernando Meirelles)

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What if Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis got together and watched a soccer match? Well, in this movie you have your answer. Did this actually happen? More than likely not, but as you sit and watch this movie, you will start to wonder if any of the interactions that take place between Pope Benedict (played by Anthony Hopkins) and Pope Francis (played by Jonathan Pryce) actually happened.

This movie is a bit of a reflection, as Pope Benedict listens to the history of Pope Francis' life, all while taking place several days before Pope Benedict announces his resignation (this means Pope Francis is still a cardinal at this point.) While talking about his life, the two Popes talk about the issues within the Catholic Church and what can be done to make things right. 

Both actors give command performances, very much playing off of each other in terms of dynamics. When I was told that this movie was like an imaginary conversation, I wasn't sure what to expect, although it was very much a pleasant surprise I enjoyed it as much as I did. The quips are hysterical. This is very much a dark horse type of film, and I would highly recommend it.

Self-Promotion Sunday! New Keychains!

Hello my fellow readers and HAPPY HOLIDAYS! I hope everyone has been doing well and their holiday shopping is coming to a close. Just to let you know, I do still have a promotion going on on my Etsy page. Between now and January 1st, use the coupon code HOLIDAY20 to get 20% off any order over $25!!! If you are still looking for a gift, I will do my best to mail it out by the middle of this week. Hopefully everyone is able to find a gift that they love.

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Now, a great new unboxing video is here for you! I got in a bunch of new keychains and I cannot wait for them to go up on my Etsy page, hopefully by this evening. I hope you like all of these, and cannot wait for the 2nd box that should be coming soon, but not til after the holidays!

Movie Review Monday!

Hello neighbor! It's time for another Movie Review Monday. This week is special because we have two movies to review: "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" and "The Kitchen." Isn't that wonderful? 

"A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" (Director: Marielle Heller)

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First off, let me do away with anyone thinking this might be another documentary: it's not. While I have not had the chance yet to SEE the documentary (something that I need to remedy very soon), please do not think you are getting a documentary with this movie. It's inspired by true events as well as the article "Can You Say...Hero?" that appeared in Esquire magazine by Tom Junod. This is all very well and good, but Mr. Rogers (played absolutely perfectly to a T by Tom Hanks) is merely a side character in this movie. Think of Mr. Rogers as Jiminey Cricket, coming in to offer life lessons when they are most needed, to the jaded writer who is interviewing him, Lloyd Vogel (played by Matthew Rhys). This story is more about Vogel, and how he takes the lessons that Mr. Rogers offers him, all the while seeing the effect that Mr. Rogers has on all those around him.

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The whole movie is meant to feel like an episode of "Mr. Rogers Neighborhood" and it definitely gives off that feel: from the transitions that show travel on sets that are done in the likeness of the miniature landscapes that you can recall from the old show, down the details of the puppets like Daniel and King Friday. And to be honest, I SOOOOO wish that Mr. Rogers was still on, because a lot of his lessons make me feel like they could be relevant to our children today, especially in schools trying to incorporate SEL and Mood Meters. If you don't know what those things are, ask a teacher. It feels VERY much like what Mr. Rogers always tried to teach, about expressing your feelings. In today's day and age, this is something that a lot of us do not do, and it's something we should. Many of us don't take time to talk about how we feel, or someone doesn't listen properly because you have a hard time expressing your feelings. And expressing emotion is exactly what this movie is about, trying to get Lloyd to change his outlook on his relationships with his father, and his wife and newborn son.  This is something we should all take a lesson from and perhaps, open our ears a bit more and make ourselves be heard just a little bit louder.

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There were many times when I started getting choked up, although the part that got me the most was the part when Mr. Rogers was talking about special items from childhood, which seems extremely silly, but it's something I think many of us can relate to. I immediately thought of the teddy bear that I have had since I was 3 days old, Big Brown Bear, that still goes with me everywhere because I am so used to it's presence that this thing has caused the occasional fight between me and previous boyfriends--I was told by one that any time he tried to take away my bear when I had passed out, I would start beating him with it! LOL! 

Either way, this movie is well done, in my opinion, and a good way to enter into the season of giving.

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"The Kitchen" (Director: Andrea Berloff)

This was a movie I missed in theaters, but honestly, it was in and out of theaters so quickly, I wondered how it did. Cut to this holiday weekend, when I have a bit of time to relax, I decide to rent this movie. In doing so, I realized quite quickly WHY this movie seemed to go in and out of theaters quickly: it wasn't that great. It was very fast moving, which is the sort of thing I appreciate in a movie, but in this case, I felt like I was missing pieces because of how fast it was moving. Perhaps I should have looked into the graphic novel of this first before I watched this (that's right, apparently this is based on a graphic novel and NOT true events, like it appears to be.)

This movie has some great actresses (Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, Elisabeth Moss) who are mob wives, whose husbands get sent away cause they get caught doing a job. The wives are told that while their husbands are away, they will get taken care of, but that doesn't amount to much. And when they try to get a little more, they get told to shove off, but only AFTER hearing that the reason their payments are light is because some people are not paying their fees. To get to the bottom of this, the wives head out to try and find out what's happening. Turns out, the mob isn't doing much to keep the neighborhood (set in 1970s Hell's Kitchen, NY), from having problems, and people don't like that. At this point, the women start to take over, and things seem like they are going good for a while. But things begin to take a turn, almost as quickly as their rise up the mob ladder.

While the movie itself has some great performances and great chemistry between the actresses themselves, and it's always great to see Melissa outside of a comedy role, this movie honestly is better if you just rent it. After seeing it, I am glad I didn't waste the money on a theater ticket, because it's pretty much like any other mob type movie. Decent if you want something to just put on, but not really something to go out of your way for. 

Happy Self-Promotion Sunday!

Hello everyone! Happy Self-Promotion Sunday and welcome to the beginning of December! That means HOLIDAY SHOPPING! And to start off December, I'm offering a discount! Use the coupon code SMALLBIZ to get 15% off your total order, STARTING TODAY for THIS WEEK ONLY! After that, I am offering another holiday discount from December 8th until the first of January! That coupon code is HOLIDAY20 which gives you 20% off any order over $25! So check out my store. 

Now, a reminder, check me out from December 6th to December 8th at AnonyCon! My last con for this year! The line-up for next year is already shaping up to be a good one! Check me out at one of the following cons:

CT GamerCon: March 21-22
IncrediCon: March 28-29
Hudson Valley CC: May 9-10
ConnetiCon: July 9-12
TrotCon: July 17-19 (Pending)
TerrifiCon: TBD

One last announcement before we go over what's new: I need a short break. Winter will probably be my break, or mostly break, but aside from going out to cons, I make take some time to relax a bit. I am feeling down a bit lately, and I also know that the next few months, many people around me are going to need my love and support. And I am going to do my best to be there for those people that need me the most. So I hope many of you will be understanding and supportive as my time doing customs make become limited.

However, you can show your OWN support by shopping small business, and even shopping in my store! And speaking of which, NEW MERCH IS UP!

That's right, I got three new pieces to advertise, although I was hoping to have a fourth. Maybe if tomorrow is a snow day, I will! But for now, let's start with BRAND NEW COUNTDOWN CALENDARS! These are inspired by Hearth's Warming Eve from My Little Pony, as well as the fact that MLP has lasted for ages, and there are so many different holiday inspired ponies. I did two of these for BronyCon this past summer, and decided to make two more (technically, I wanted to make a 3rd one, but the ornaments are becoming tricky, so it may not be done until after the holidays, which means it'll be better for next year.) But in the meantime, I have two more that are going up for sale. One is done with a vintage countdown calendar (the 13 is a bit loose but still works) and the other is hand painted. Both of them have their ornaments done using shrinky dinks, and on the back of each ornament, it says who the pony is. Great for anyone, whether you are a pony collector or getting something special for a little kid! They are perfect for anyone.

Next, and FINALLY, this piece has been a PAIN IN MY REAR for TOO FREAKING LONG! I FINALLY got this girl done. She was inspired by a piece I found on DeviantArt, that I am linking here, and I am so done with her! I sculpted parts of her armor on and added in a bunch of details that are a bit different that the original piece. But I hope you all like her! I am cannot believe she is FINALLY done!