Saving What You Love

A Story of Romance and Two Opposites Completing Each Other

Rose Tico (Left) and Finn (Right)

Leia Organa and Han Solo’s First Big Kiss In Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), cementing romance as a major theme of star Wars

This post may contain spoilers for Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Romance has long been a theme in Star Wars. It began with the will-they-won’t-they of Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa, defined by the contrasting opposites. On one hand, you had Han’s rough, roguish charms as defined by Harrison Ford’s portrayals of similar roles of his scrappy hero protagonists in films such as the Indiana Jones series. On the other, you had the dignified, if still notably willing to get down and be her own self-saving princess, Leia Organa, played by Carrie Fisher.

Then, in the following prequels, the entire three movies had the through-line of the star-crossed lovers romance between the anti-war diplomat and princess Padmé Amidala, and the warrior, Chosen One, and forbidden to love Anakin Skywalker. It could be said that the tragedy of the Star Wars prequels was, at least in part, the inevitable result of the forces (lower-case “F”) keeping the two apart.

And now we have two new romances for the new trilogy of the Star Wars saga: Daisy Ridley’s Rey, the new hope of the galaxy and its last remaining Jedi and Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren, the brooding leader of the First Order. And… the budding romance between John Boyega’s Finn the former stormtrooper, and Kelly Marie Tran’s Rose Tico, the Rebellion’s mechanic.

Rose Tico and Finn: Saving What You Love

Rose Tico and Finn’s romance in The Last Jedi is misunderstood.

Rose provides a wisdom to Finn that he did not have; why the Rebellion, or the good guys in general, do what they do. Rose begins and ends the story as a hero enthusiastic to do good.

Finn’s story in The Force Awakens had been characterized by reluctance to be a hero; by the end, he distinguishes himself by being a hero to save his friends. In The Last Jedi, some may argue his story repeats again; he is characterized by his reluctance to be a hero, but then attempts to save the day again.

However, in The Last Jedi, there is a sharp difference. Finn undergoes a journey to learn what it means to be a hero because at the beginning of The Last Jedi he still is not one, in spite of what Rose had idealized him as. He was there to save arguably one of his only friends, the galaxy be damned. It’s only when Rose guides him towards opening up to the suffering of others does he truly understand what it means to be a hero.

That’s how we’re gonna win. Not fighting what we hate. Saving what we love.

-Rose Tico, Star Wars: The Last Jedi

And at the end, his attempt at heroism — throwing himself and a rickety speeding bike towards a mining laser even when there is no chance at success — fails. Rose throws herself in the way of his attempted self-sacrifice.

Such a thing may seem like a backwards move, but it makes sense in earnest. An archetypal hero simply throws himself at the enemy, taking down as many as he can with him. Finn never lacked that bravery, only the motivation to do so.

However, it’s Rose’s insight and empathy that completes him. Here, Rose showcases an equally brave heroic act that Finn learns from: reaching out and protecting one’s loved ones. Throwing himself at the mining laser with no hope of success was a heroic act, but ultimately what will win is the power of love, not destruction. It’s through the motivation to protect each other instead of blindly fighting the First Order that the Rebellion survives the third act of The Last Jedi, with Finn now having both his own bravery to fight evil and Rose’s wisdom to prioritize watching out and protecting his own and others from that evil at his disposal.

It’s this two-parts-that-make-up-a-whole that is a unique approach to romance in Star Wars. One that may include even Rey and Kylo Ren in the soon-to-be-released Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Han and Leia were two very different people, but as similar as they were alike. Anakin and Padmé were the classical star-crossed lovers. But Rose and Finn serve to complete Finn, tempering what is there with something new that adds to himself.

I can’t wait to see what Star Wars has next in store for romance.

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Jean-Michel Vaillancourt

Jean-Michel Vaillancourt is a D&D fanatic, a video game enthusiast, a book-lover, and an eternal seeker for the art of storycraft in modern TV pop culture.

Why Hallmark Films are a Necessity for Christmas

Why Hallmark Movies are a Necessity to Celebrating Christmas

During the month of December, my mom and I sit down every single night and watch at least one Hallmark Christmas movie together. It is a tradition that we’ve had for years, and I’m sure by now we’ve watched every single one.  But no matter how many times we re-watch the movies, it always leaves us with that feel-good feeling.  Hallmark movies have that power to leave you in the Christmas spirit.

That doesn’t mean that these movies aren’t cringey and so cheesy that it’s hard to look at the screen… because they are. They are full of cringey moments and scenes that make you want to shove your face in a pillow and scream, but they are so worth it.  They make you feel light-hearted and as if Christmas is really special and full of happiness. 

Christmas is one of my favourite holidays and it makes the darkness of December seem so much lighter.  It’s a time that, for me, is full of family and celebrating and spending time with my loved ones. These are all traits that appear in almost every Hallmark movie ever filmed.  They almost always follow the path of someone who hates Christmas but ends up finding someone who changes their heart and makes them love again.  It’s all very unrealistic, but it’s the kind of light-hearted romantic film that everyone needs in their life.  They are films with almost no depth, but ones that you can watch at the end of a long day when all you need to do is relax and stop thinking.

If you’re looking for a care-free and spirit-filled Christmas film, just Google any Hallmark movie.  Even though they are rarely well-produced movies, they always have endless amounts of cheer and can boost your mood in just a few moments of watching.

              For me, Hallmark Christmas movies are a big part of a tradition that my mother and I follow every year, but that doesn’t stop me from encouraging others to watch these light-hearted films.  The films, full of the Christmas Spirit, are always capable of making you leaving your room feeling better, even if the level of reality is very far-fetched.  This is why I feel that they are 100 per cent a necessity for Christmas, and make December a very holly jolly month! I recommend indulging yourself in some extra cheer this year, and I promise you won’t regret it!

Happy December and I hope you have a Merry Christmas! 😊

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Esther J

Esther is a lover of travelling and is always going to new places. To pass time between adventures she can usually be found with her nose in a book

Fun facts about: How the Grinch Stole Christmas

If you’re anything like me, you grew up loving Jim Carrey and prayed to one day be as comical and witty as him. Okay, maybe not as relatable as I thought. It’s the first day of December, which means its officially Christmas time! In other words: binge watch every single Christmas movie on Netlfix, Hulu, Crave and Disney Plus month!! Let’s spice things up today with some fun factoids about How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

1. On the Graham Norton Show, Jim confessed that in order to endure the eight hours of heavy makeup and suit, he had to train with an officer who trains the CIA how to endure torture. Isn’t that wild? Many actors tend to put themselves in insane circumstances just to fulfill an acting role. Similar to Leonardo Dicaprio for his role in The Revenant where he legitimately had to go inside a dead horse’s carcass. 

2. Although the movie was filmed at Universal Studios in Florida, Jim Carrey stayed true to his Canadian ethnicity according to this gag reel. The man probably said the words, “I’m sorry” more than he inhaled oxygen during the production of the movie.

3. Similar to Whoville, Canada also has its very own Mount Crumpit! It’s located in the province of British Columbia and has a peak of 331 meters. Although it is located in Canada, I don’t think that’s where Jim Carrey lives, unfortunately.

4. “Max” in the movie, aka the Grinch’s dog, was actually a female in real life, and her real name was Kelly. She’s also a rescue dog!

5. The man who recorded the song, “You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch” for the television special of the book, is the same man who originated as the voice of Tony the Tiger (Thurl Ravenscroft). And while Ravenscroft wasn’t credited, it was commonly thought that Borlis Karloff sang the song.

Well that’s it for now! Which fact did you find the most shocking/interesting? Let us know down in the comments!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV2JfcxJn4Y

A 19 year old student at Algonquin College, being forced out of her comfort zone to write about stuff she likes and post it ! Avid lover of movies, movie soundtracks, and sweet and salty popcorn.

A Guide to Becoming a MCU fan

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a long 10-year stretch of movies. Despite being loved by such a large and ever-growing fan base, some newer fans are intimidated by the amount of movies that they need to watch to catch up. In the last 10 years, Marvel has released a total of 23 films, all of which are part of what is called The Infinity Saga.

The saga is broken up into 3 phases, with each movie leading into one another and dropping hints for what is to come. These usually include hints in post-credit scenes – so make sure that you stick around for those. For those people who think that 23 movies is way too many to catch up on, just keep reading and I’ll guide you through which order to watch so you can join this expanding and amazing universe. 

There are two orders in which you could watch these movies. The first one is by release date:

Phase One 

Iron Man (2008)

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Iron Man 2 (2010)

Thor (2011)

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Marvel’s The Avengers (2012)

Phase Two

Iron Man 3 (2013)

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Ant-Man (2015)

Phase Three

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Doctor Strange (2016)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Black Panther (2018)

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

Captain Marvel (2019)

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

Following along with the phases, you will get to see how the films improve over the years as the franchise grows and more money is being put into the movies. You also see the Avengers slowly coming together, piece by piece, and how the newer heroes are added in as well.  This is how I grew up watching the films and became a super fan. 

The second option for you to get into the films is to watch in chronological order: 

Captain America: The First Avenger (taking place during WWII)

Captain Marvel (set in 1995)

Iron Man (set in 2010)

Iron Man 2 (events after Iron Man)

The Incredible Hulk (no exact time but pre-Avengers)

Thor (pre-Avengers, no exact time)

The Avengers (set in 2012)

Iron Man 3 (six months after The Avengers)

Thor: The Dark World (post-Avengers, pre-Ultron)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (post-Avengers, pre-Ultron)

Guardians of the Galaxy (set in 2014)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (after Guardians)

Avengers: Age of Ultron (set in 2015)

Ant-Man (set in 2015)

Captain America: Civil War (post-Ultron, pre-Infinity War)

Spider-Man: Homecoming (post-Civil War, pre-Infinity War)

Doctor Strange (set in 2016)

Black Panther (set in 2017)

Thor: Ragnarok (post-Ultron, pre-Infinity War)

Avengers: Infinity War (set in 2017)

Ant-Man and The Wasp (kind of unknown but fits between IW and Endgame)

Avengers: Endgame (starts in 2017, finishes in 2022)

Spider-Man: Far From Home (post-Endgame)

Either list is perfectly fine to start off your movie marathon, but deciding to watch chronologically gives you the chance to see how all the events unfold into each other. You get to see Thor grow from pretty much nothing into the God of Thunder and watch how the Tesseract finds its way into the movies. Don't forget to watch for the attacks of Thanos and the effect he has behind the scenes. 

If you plan on jumping on the MCU bandwagon, you’d better start now! It will take you around 40 hours to complete them all. Plus, with Disney+ being out, the service makes it a lot easier for you to stream. And in 2020, they’ve announced lots more in store for us Marvel fans. 

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Joey R.

Joey is a lover of books and all things related to superheroes. She is a hoarder of books and can’t keep up with her tbr pile.

Martin Scorsese, Please Reconsider Your Definition of “Cinema”

Movies are art. Why should we exclude one kind over another in that discussion?

Cinema: a place where people go to watch films for entertainment.

Or: The business and art of making films.

Those are the definitions easily found within modern dictionaries. But that’s not really what we mean when someone declares that a modern movie is “not cinema.”

What we really mean is, “What is art?”

Martin Scorsese is a director of Academy-nominated movies including The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), a crime film about the a stockbroker’s rampant corruption and decadence. He is known mainly for crime films and gangster movies like Goodfellas (1990), which follows gangsters attempting to climb their way up the ladder of a New York mob before unraveling and falling prey to drug addiction.

Martin Scorsese

In an interview with Empire magazine in October, Scorsese mentions that superhero movies are “not cinema,” likening them to “theme parks”. In an opinion piece published in The New York Times, he clarified his remarks, adding that while he means no animosity towards Marvel films, “many of the elements that define cinema as I know it are there in Marvel pictures. What’s not there is revelation, mystery or genuine emotional danger. Nothing is at risk. The pictures are made to satisfy a specific set of demands, and they are designed as variations on a finite number of themes.”

As the opinion piece goes on, he comments that superhero movies have taken over the big screen and that productions – such as his own works that are more cerebral and less high-octane in nature – are being increasingly edged out, lambasting the trend of big-budget movies taking fewer risks. As he puts it, “there’s worldwide audiovisual entertainment [AKA superhero movies], and there’s cinema [AKA Goodfellas, The Irishman, The Shining].” Bold comments are mine.

You will note the three movies I inserted as examples of movies Scorcese made or liked are ones that are generally liked as well. The Shining is not exactly an underground, irrelevant movie hit. The Wolf of Wall Street is a movie made in this decade with roughly an 80% per cent critic and audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. While I have watched very little of Scorsese’s work, it’s hard to deny his skill in film-making

In other words, Scorsese is hardly just some stodgy codger living in Hollywood’s attic. He remains part of the here and now.

So why does what Scorsese directs qualify as “cinema” where Marvel or DC’s offerings don’t?

Yes, there tends to be thematic principles that have guided the latest trend of superhero movies for nearly the past decade since the original Iron Man: Good vs Evil, Justice, Cooperation, Responsibility, Family…

Those are themes worth exploring. Just as Scorsese directs and participates in movies focusing on the aspects of humanity that will bring about its own downfall, superhero movies focus on the aspects of humanity that will bring about its own rise to a utopia. Both are equally valid, even if the latter aspect is an easier pill to swallow than the former.

Does Wonder Woman running through No Man’s Land not count as “cinema”? What about when she experiences firsthand the horror of mustard gas, wandering through a village that had been brimming with life a few hours prior but now was an eerily silent graveyard? Is the deafening silence of a goddess processing the true extent of human cruelty for the first time not enough emotion to be “cinema”?

Thor experiences PTSD following defeat brought on by his fatal flaw – his sense of pride. Do his attempts to scrape and claw out of the deep, dark hole of depression, only to still be found worthy by the mythical weapon Mjolnir not count as “cinema”?

What counts as “cinema”, Scorsese? Because superhero movies, even if they are safe, even if they are produced seemingly en-masse to the exclusion of other films, still touch the hearts of millions of people worldwide.

What is cinema? It is art as a moving picture.

Marvel is art.

DC is art.

Scorsese is art.

Movies are art. Please don’t exclude one genre, theme, or director over another. Reconsider your definition of “cinema.”

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Jean-Michel Vaillancourt

Jean-Michel Vaillancourt is a D&D fanatic, a video game enthusiast, a book-lover, and an eternal seeker for the art of storycraft in modern TV pop culture.

Watching Movies is Good for Our Health

I come bearing great news!

I know that perhaps sometimes we’ll associate sitting down and watching movies with laziness which, theoretically, makes sense. However, what if I were to tell you that watching movies can be good for your health? You probably wouldn’t believe me, but the science is there! 

Throughout the last 20 years we’ve become increasingly aware of the significance of mental health in our lives and how it impacts us as humans. Now, we know that mental health is just as important as physical health; going day-to-day working, moving, thinking and using up energy is not easy when you’re feeling down and less than 100 per cent. Even tasks such as getting out of bed or brushing our hair can seem difficult at times. We try our best to preach our best tips for feeling better mentally all day, every day, and movies can help with this. 

Movies are an amazing art form. Using elements such as image, sound effects, music, dialogue, storyline, conflict and resolution gives us a visual story that provokes emotion. 

When watching a typical conflict-resolution movie, your brain will release a chemical called cortisol during a conflict or a particularly stressful part in the movie, and then it will release dopamine afterward which causes feelings of pleasure. There's even a form of therapy called “cinema therapy,” which therapists prescribe to their patients with when they believe it could be beneficial. 

Movies can distract you from what you’re currently experiencing. By investing your attention into a movie, you’re concentrating on the story of the characters, what they’re experiencing and how they’re reacting to it all. This allows you to forget what’s bothering you. If the movie has a positive ending, it can make you feel hopeful about your own personal struggles.

Additionally, they can make you relate to something you’re going through and seeing it from a completely different perspective. Say you experience something unpleasant and you think of it as a huge inconvenience. A movie where the main character also goes through a tough situation, then realizing that the problem led them to a better place in the end, can aid you into seeing things more clearly and to keep your mind wide open.

Movies can allow an emotional release. Keeping in your emotions for a long period of time can add up to the point where you’ll eventually burn out. A comedy or a coming-of-age movie that can make you cry allows you to feel somewhat lighter and lets you get a lot of disregarded emotions off of your chest. It is also helpful to watch a movie you love to feel a sense of comfort.

If you ever feel blue or overwhelmed, I highly recommend disconnecting from your phone and any sources of possible stress and misery. Sit down and enjoy a movie you know will make you feel better. Thanks, science!

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Andy March.

A 19 year old student at Algonquin College, being forced out of her comfort zone to write about stuff she likes and post it ! Avid lover of movies, movie soundtracks, and sweet and salty popcorn.

Five of the Best Classic Films

The Classics.  The original Hollywood.  The best of the best. 

The classics pull at your emotions and show the beauty of original filmmaking. They show the rawest of the raw and have the ability to make you laugh, cry and make you feel alive again. The classics are capable of so much and they really show us how far we’ve come.

Regardless of how old they are, how grainy the film is or how bad the shots are, I think there is a lot to be said about what they were able to accomplish with what they had… not to mention the platform they set up for some of the greatest movies ever to be made to use as a launching point.  So, let’s get started.

Gone with the Wind (1939):

Gone with the Wind is adapted from the book written by Margret Mitchel in 1936. Anyone who has any interest in romance will love this movie that was based on an epic historical romance. Rotten Tomatoes has given it incredible scores, with one of the highest scores on the site from both the audience and tomato meters.

The film, set in southern America against the backdrop of the American Civil War, tells the story of a strong-willed daughter of a Georgia plantation owner and follows her romantic pursuit of the husband of her cousin. The leading roles are played by Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable, both of whom create a tragic yet stunning love story.  It’s definitely worth spending more than the runtime of three and a half hours watching it.

Citizen Kane (1941):

Forced to watch this movie in my grade 12 English class, I wasn’t sure that I would like it. (I rarely liked the things we had to watch in high school.)  But this movie surpassed all my expectations, and had my classmates and I yelling at the screen as the plot unfolded. 

Citizen Kane starts off slowly but, as the story unfolds, it pulls you in rather quickly. Directed by and starring Orson Welles, this quasi-biographical film examines the life and legacy of Charles Foster Kane, a character based in part upon American newspaper magnates and Chicago tycoons. Kane’s career in the publishing world is born of idealistic social service, but he gradually becomes ruthless in the pursuit of power. This film is narrated principally through flashbacks and is told through the research of a reporter trying to solve the mystery of Kane’s dying word: “Rosebud”. This story is dramatic and flourished but is told in a way that mesmerizes its viewers and has you wondering what is going to happen next.

Casablanca (1942):

Casablanca is a romantic drama based on an unproduced stage play, Everybody Comes to Rick’s. You can’t possibly go wrong with this story starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.  The chemistry between the two characters on screen is phenomenal and keeps viewers seated while waiting for the next big turn.  Set during World War II, it follows the story of an American expatriate who must chose between his love for a woman and helping her and her husband, a Czech resistance leader, escape from Vichy-controlled city of Casablanca to continue his fight against the Germans.

The story is intense, dramatic and keeps you wanting more.  It’s one of my personal favourites, and also one of the first classics I was introduced to. I can’t help but suggest this movie to anyone who asks.  It’s a great story, and tells of a beautiful yet tragic love.          

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946):

It’s a Wonderful Life has already made an appearance in one of my other blogs, but it’s just too good to leave out. It’s a Christmas fantasy drama film that is one of the most beloved in American cinema and has become a traditional viewing for many during the Christmas season. 

The film stars James Stewart as George Bailey, a man who has given up so many of his dreams to help others.  He has planned to commit suicide on Christmas Eve but this plan is intervened upon by his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody.  The movie follows the two as Odbody shows Bailey all the lives he has touched and how he has impacted so many people in his time on earth.  He than shows how different life in his community of Bedford Falls would be if he had never been born.  This movie is touching and a tear jerker while also being beautifully produced. It really is a great film to watch at any time of the year, regardless of the genre it falls under. It shows the beauty of life and how there are people out there whose lives you may have impacted for the better without even realizing it.

Singin’ in the Rain (1952):

Singin’ in the Rain was first introduced to me when I was in my grade nine music class.  I’ve always been a huge fan of musicals and maybe that’s why this one has always stuck with me. 

Regardless though, I’m sure I’m not the only one who has undying love for this film.  The musical-romantic comedy film starring Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds has so much to offer.  Lighthearted and funny, this film depicts Hollywood in the late 1920s with the three stars portraying performers caught up in the transition from silent films to ‘talkies.’  This film is full of laughter and catchy tunes, including the titular track ‘Singin’ in the Rain’. I don’t think you can’t ever go wrong with musicals and this one, in particular, is next to flawless.

That’s all I’ve got for you, but I hope you spend some free time this December catching up on the classics! Enjoy their originality and the creativity they bring.  If you have any suggestions of movies you want me to review or classics you think should have been in my top five, please let me know!  I hope you enjoyed, and I’ll be back with another blog post soon!

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Esther J

Esther is a lover of travelling and is always going to new places. To pass time between adventures she can usually be found with her nose in a book

Big Debate: Is The Nightmare Before Christmas a Halloween film or a Christmas film?

With spooky season coming to a quick ending, some of us are still looking for that perfect holiday movie to keep us in the mood. It’s still too soon for Christmas celebrations but too late for those spooky and thrilling Halloween movies...so what do we do? My solution for all of you is to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas! What better way to get you excited for all the holiday fun that is to come but still feed your spooky craving?

For those that, for some reason, have never watched this film or heard of it, I’ll give you a brief description. 

 Jack Skellington aka ‘The Pumpkin King’ lives in Halloween Town, a world that only celebrates Halloween and knows nothing about any other holiday. But one day, Jack stubbles across Christmas Town and becomes instantly star-struck over the entire concept of what it is. He does his best to show the rest of his town’s people the joys of this wondrous holiday and even goes far enough to kidnap Santa Claus!

The whole concept of this film, many years later, is still so interesting to me. You have spooky characters interacting with enchanting elements of Christmas in what is arguably one of the best Tim Burton films to date.

As much as I love this movie, I still have the burning question of whether or not that this can be considered a Halloween film or a Christmas film. With most films that are special to different holidays, they make the genres very clear; Hallmark Christmas films, for example, leave no confusion as to whether or not I am watching a thriller or a holiday rom/com.

The Nightmare Before Christmas holds very obvious horror aspects, including: the main character is a skeleton who lives in a Halloween Town, is nicknamed “The Pumpkin King” and has a pet dog who is a ghost. You could instantly think that, yes, this is advertised as a Halloween film… but it’s not that simple. 

The entire film is based all around Christmas! The majority of the film is Jack discovering Christmas Town and the wonders it has to offer, which are all new and shocking to him. He starts to bring the magic of Christmas to his dark and creepy town… or, more accurately, his version of what Christmas is. This is one of the big burning questions that divides the social media world around this time of year.

The director of the film, Henry Selick, finally gave us the answer: it is a Halloween film. Selick said that, from the people who created the film’s perspective, this movie is all about how the people of Halloween Town would react to something as different as Christmas.  I could get behind this reasoning (and it was released just before Halloween of 1993) but what I see when I watch this film is people celebrating the joys of Christmas time.

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Joey R.

Joey is a lover of books and all things related to superheroes. She is a hoarder of books and can’t keep up with her tbr pile.

Jojo Rabbit's Superstar

Adolph Hitler had a cult of personality, one Jojo Rabbit reminds us of.

Adoplh hitler at a parade.

This post contains spoilers for Jojo Rabbit.

Content Warning: Nazis, Fascism

There is a sequence within the movie Jojo Rabbit, not 15 minutes in, that radically changed my vision of the infamous man Adolf Hitler.

Jojo, a 10-year-old German boy, runs out into the streets of his hometown within Nazi Germany. He’s plucked up his courage to go to a Hitler Youth weekend getaway, thanks to his imaginary friend Adolf Hitler giving him a pep talk in the mirror. Jojo goes skipping along through the city, cheerfully giving people the Nazi salute and running into an open field joyfully. He leaps into the air, Hitler beside him (just as filled with joy) and things slow down as Jojo reaches midair, a moment now suspended in time.

The next few minutes are not of the little boy, but of grainy black-and-white war propaganda. – not of tanks, not of planes, not of soldiers. And the music isn’t military music – it’s The Beatles.

The footage is of Hitler, the real Hitler, exercising his star power. He looks like he showed up to a Justin Bieber concert in uniform. He reaches down from above to extend his hand to a sea of eager fangirls reaching up to touch him, like a chosen messiah appearing in all his glory to the faithful or a music star standing onstage and meeting scores of his cheering fans.

Hitler was a charismatic man. Everyone knows that. It’s an oft-repeated point when the question of how Hitler’s rise to power happened arises.

But Jojo Rabbit is not content to say that Hitler was charismatic and leave it at that. The movie reminds you that he was not merely charismatic. Hitler was a star, as much of a pop celebrity as a strong leader. A mythology was built around him as a genius strategist who was the peak of his “race,” somewhat like a pro wrestler has a story and special moves and may even be considered to have a supernatural spirit.

Jojo, the main character, is emblematic of this. His room is plastered with enough posters of the Führer and Hitler paraphernalia that even the exhausted, seen-it-all Gestapo that visit his house on a routine inspection seem genuinely cheerful when they see how much merchandise little Jojo has. They even praise aloud his blind patriotism and hold him up as an example for good German boys everywhere.  

For much of the movie, Jojo is not married to the ideals of the Nazi Party, even if he spits their political talking points of the war at his more moderate mother during a tense moment at dinnertime. He wants to become a soldier… not out of a sense of justice, but because he feels he should.

Why does he feel he should?

Why, Hitler wants him to.

The same way sports stars sponsor food and drink.

Now, I feel it’s necessary to say I don’t think that sports stars, pro wrestlers, music artists, or celebrities are all “literally Hitler” or contributing to fascism and/or the rise of the troubling American (and Canadian) trend of neo-Nazis and hate speech.

I find Jojo Rabbit’s subtext that Hitler was a celebrity with a cult of personality to be chilling. United States President Donald Trump rose to office in the White House based entirely on popularity and saying a lot of racist, homophobic things while having a fanbase that has spent who-even-knows how much money in merchandise sales. It’s hard to look at the vision of the Hitler within Jojo Rabbit, both mockery and reality, and not see a parallel and a personality that could just as easily inspire the right things as the wrong things in people if it’s not reigned in.

This is what sufficiently powerful movies can do. In a single scene of less than five minutes, with no dialogue whatsoever, they can change your worldview of a single thing in history.

That is powerful. I hope more movies seek to use that power for good.

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Jean-Michel Vaillancourt

Jean-Michel Vaillancourt is a D&D fanatic, a video game enthusiast, a book-lover, and an eternal seeker for the art of storycraft in modern TV pop culture.

Movies That Don’t Make Sense or Shouldn’t Have Been Made (Spoiler warning)

We’ve all seen movies which left us kind of baffled or annoyed. We all hope that, when we sit down to enjoy a new movie, it will be life-changing or at the least make us feel some type of emotion. Movies are an art form and, when they end up being preposterous, it can leave a funny taste in your mouth. Here are a couple of my picks for most nonsensical movies and why I have branded them as such. 

Warning: Spoilers below.  

Halloween III: Season of the Witch

IMDB: 4.9/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 42% 27%

Where to start with this one? Let’s begin by mentioning how great the Halloween franchise is as a whole. With reboot after reboot and the storyline consistency across the series for the most part, one film stands out from all the others.

Halloween III: Season of the Witch appears to be the most random instalment in a franchise. John Carpenter’s movies were successful, with the recurring battle between Michael Myers and Laurie Strode and her family line being a central focus. Why is it, then, that they released such a contrasting film within the franchise? A theory: since it was directed by someone other than John Carpenter (Tommy Lee Wallace, with John Carpenter and Debra Hill participating as producers instead,) perhaps they had a different vision in mind? According to this article, this instalment almost ruined the franchise’s success. 

The third Halloween consists of a doctor, Daniel Challis, who attempts to unravel the terrifying secret of a Halloween mask company run by Conal Cochran. Cochran plans on executing a mass murder, using the masks he sells as a lethal weapon, with the help of a ancient Celtic ritual. The idea is to invoke this ritual on Halloween night, when all the children who bought masks are wearing them. Cochran also has what I would call “cyborg-bodyguard type people” who go out and murder anyone who poses a threat to his sadistic plan... a little sci-fi, a little horror, but apparently no Michael Myers 

Scary Movie 5

IMDB: 3.5/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 4% 38%

When will casting directors learn that reboots of successful movies won’t be stellar unless you cast main characters back into the movie?

Anna Faris has starred as the main role in every Scary Movie up until the fifth instalment. She takes on the name of Cindy Campbell (a take off Scream’s Sydney Prescott) who is commonly referred to as an unintelligent and silly character, always getting into hilariously impractical situations with her friends and constantly running from some sort of lethal threat to her and her friends. Throughout the years, Scary Movie fans have come to love the brunette-then-blonde goofball that Cindy is. It is justifiable, then, that the public sentiment suggests the newest instalment isn’t as good without the presence of Faris. Regina Hall, who plays Brenda Meeks alongside Faris, doesn’t make a reappearance either. However, Charlie Sheen and Simon Rex do play roles in it – jarring, considering that Rex’s character passed away in the fourth installment.

The film itself is a hot mess. Basing itself off the premises of the Paranormal Activity, Mother and Black Swan, it is basically a compilation of many bits and pieces of each film in a failed attempt to relate to the already faulty plot.

SPF - 18

IMDB: 3.3/10

Rotten tomatoes (audience score): 9%

Let’s talk a little bit about Netflix originals for a second. The company has produced many well-rounded movies and series including Stranger Things, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Orange is the New Black and Gerald’s Game. Netflix has also released some questionable movies as well. A special mention goes to SPF - 18, which is often included among the most confusing and plotless teen romance movie ever produced. 

The movie starts off with a dream couple, Penny Cooper and Johnny Sanders (shockingly played by Noah Centineo.) The couple, along with a couple of their friends, spend a few days at a celebrity’s beach house through connections. Cooper is a quirky videographer and her boyfriend Sanders is a surfer. Go figure.

The rest is fairly complicated to explain, but let’s just say another attractive teenage boy makes an appearance and Penny becomes stuck in a love triangle. The relationships become so confusing and inconsistent, to the point where there appear to be 17,000 plot lines happening all at once.

Somehow, this movie scored a couple of grade-A superstars to feature in it. How? I don’t know. Keanu Reeves, Pamela Anderson and Molly Ringwald star in the movie – some played characters and some appeared as themselves. But unless you’re a diehard Pamela Anderson fan, this movie isn’t for you.

Sierra Burgess is a Loser

IMDB: 5.9/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 61% 32%

When this Netflix Original was released, many viewers though this to be a new possible coming-of-age film with a good message behind it. The beginning of the movie may have you thinking, “Hey, what could go wrong?”

Apparently, a lot. While having the highest ratings on this list, the movie appears to be fairly problematic. Unfortunately, it received a huge backlash surrounding transphobic jokes, catfishing, non-consensual notions and even revenge porn – some quite intense claims for a PG-13 movie.

Sierra Burgess (played by Shannon Purser) is an intelligent teenager who struggles with body positivity. Although being very bright, she deals with a fair amount of bullying at her school. Veronica (played by Kristine Froseth,) along with her two friends, are Burgess’ main tormentors.

As you can imagine, Veronica and her friends are the typical “It” girls with expensive clothing and slim figures, the types that are able to make any guy fall for them. Meanwhile, Burgess is concerned that she won’t get into her dream ivy league school so, by her counsellor’s suggestion, she plans on doing something that will make her stand out on her resume.

One day, Jamie sees Veronica and asks her for her number; she gives him Burgess’ number instead. That evening, the two begin to text without Jamie knowing who Burgess really is. 

Oof, okay. Following that day, Jamie discloses that he believes he is speaking to Veronica, and this bothers her because she had begun to grow fond of the guy who had been texting her. Instead of exposing herself to Jamie, she gets Veronica to make a deal with her; Veronica will help her into fooling Jamie so that she can keep texting him. In return, Sierra aids Veronica with her grades. Notice something off? Thought so. Throughout this time, the girls end up developing a friendship and begin putting aside their differences. 

At this point it just seems to get worse. Jamie goes on for the majority of the film believing he is texting, talking on the phone and falling for Veronica when he is actually doing all these things with Sierra. The poor kid even shares some of his deepest thoughts in those calls and texts, confiding in who he believes is Veronica. Veronica even went on a date with Jamie where Sierra joined them, but stayed hidden. After this date, Veronica staged a kiss with Jamie, switching with Sierra at the last second so that she would be the one kissing him. This is where the non-consent claims come into play.

Later on in the movie, Veronica meets up with her college boy Spence at a party. She had invited Sierra as well. At the party, Veronica and Spence end up hooking up and Spence takes a picture with her phone which Sierra somehow gets a hold of later on. This is important to remember.

The girls’ school has a football game against Jamie’s school – Jamie, of course, being the quarterback.. To make matters more interesting, Veronica is a cheerleader. As you can predict, Veronica and Jamie run into each other and evidently end up kissing. Who sees this? Sierra. Who acts out? Sierra. 

The girl takes matters into her own hands and hacks Veronica’s instagram with 20,000 followers, posting the picture of her and Spence. Don’t think it can get any worse? Another student decides to plaster that picture on the scoreboard at the game, displaying it to all those who are present. Inevitably, Jamie sees this and is outraged, Veronica realizes who’s to blame and exposes Sierra to Jamie, after which he decides to cut off communication with both indefinitely.

And just when you thought it was over, both Jamie and Veronica decide to simply forgive Sierra for her errors after she releases an original song about being a misfit. They all lived happily ever after at the school dance! Great!

Let’s all say what we’re thinking: Huh? 

It is impossible to know how these characters came to forgive and forget so quickly; any of this would’ve had serious consequences in the real world. There aren’t any actual solutions to the problems embedded in this movie, which is why it has been labeled as being so problematic. This movie targets a young audience and it’s important that coming-of-age films preach correct social protocol. You know, like consent.

There is no doubt that there are countless other movies out in the world that are as bad/weird as these ones. However, there is no point in discussing these things. In the end, bad movies make us admire and appreciate the good ones. Are there any movies in your opinion that shouldn’t have been made? Let us know below!

Andy March.

A 19 year old student at Algonquin College, being forced out of her comfort zone to write about stuff she likes and post it ! Avid lover of movies, movie soundtracks, and sweet and salty popcorn.

Top 10 Christmas Movies

Top 10 Christmas movies

Christmas is fast approaching, and with Halloween passed, the new season is upon us. People everywhere are putting up tinsel, unpacking old decorations and heading out to buy new. With all the excitement of the Christmas season,  many people will be ready to settle down with a cup of hot cocoa and re-watch their favourites. Christmas movies are almost always cheesy and predictable, but regardless of the staple Hallmark has on them, they are still worth it. So, settle in, and I'll give you my top ten Christmas movies that I believe are worthy of being in the Christmas genre.

10. Love Actually

                   A movie with Kiera Knightely, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, and Colin Firth? Count me in! Following the struggles of different characters during the Christmas season, this cheesy rom-com focuses on the one thing everyone wants to see more of, 'love.' Showing how love can intertwine each one of us, 'Love Actually' pulls you in from the get-go.

9. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

                I think this movie's audience is very selective. So many people say that the Grinch is dark and that young children are frightened of the way Jim Carrey allows himself to be perceived.  But the truth of the matter is that the Grinch is dark. He always has been bleak, and I think the fact that Jim Carrey took on this role and acted it as he thought it should be done, really makes him stand apart from others. Because of Jim Carrey, this movie can stand on its own and is single-handedly raised it to something too much better than what Hollywood usually releases.

8. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (1964)

A classic! Everyone loves Rudolph and everyone knows his name! This movie makes you feel right at home and everyone loves it. You can't go wrong with Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer!

7. The Santa Clause

            A fantastic Christmas film starring Tim Allen. Of course, Tim Allen makes it funny and full of adventure. Following the life of a man who is handed the life of Santa Clause, we see how it impacts him and the weight and the pressures of the suit hold. It's a light-hearted film that is easy and fun to watch at any age.

6. A Christmas Carol (2009)

Jim Carrey pulls it off again. Playing the role of Scrooge as well as the three ghosts that haunt him, this manages to be one of the best and scariest 'A Christmas Carol' to be made. The animation is fantastic and brings this movie to life. 'A Christmas Carol' is one of the films out there that has been recreated time and time again, and yet this one stands out to me. This movie is compelling and intriguing, but it is very dark. I don't recommend watching it with children as it focusses on the dark side of Dickens's original. Not child-friendly but worth the watch.

5. Christmas with the Kranks

               Maybe not for everyone, but this movie is full of surprises that keep you on your toes and always has you laughing. Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis are comical as you follow them through their disastrous Christmas. Trying to make it perfect for their daughter's last-minute return home, you follow them through their chaotic plans. Laughter is something I can guarantee, and I promise you will finish the movie feeling lighter and happier.

4. It's a Wonderful Life

                  It's a Wonderful Life. And this movie makes its viewers see that. With faith, you can always keep going. It focusses on much more profound themes than what celebrating the holidays usually concerns. Following the life of George Bailey and seeing him want to end things during one of the 'happiest' times of the year, really opens your eyes. It's a great movie, and I think you have to watch this classic at least once in your life. This black and white film makes you think about what Christmas means to you and the importance of belonging.

3. The Holiday

                Jude Law. Need I say anything else? This creative rom-com is beautifully done and pulls you into crazy adventurous love stories from the beginning credits.

2. Elf

                 Will Ferrell brings the character 'Buddy' to life in the classic Christmas movie 'Elf.' One of my all-time favourites, this movie is just full of cheer and happiness and is capable of putting you into the Christmas movie. Buddy is a pure character and always has you laughing as his naivety. It's an awesome movie for all ages and will have your eyes glued to the screen the entirety of the film.

1.      Home Alone

                I mean, come on. Home Alone. A classic. I have watched this movie every Christmas since I was probably seven years old. I have grown up with this movie present in my life, and it is my favourite Christmas movie. Maybe it's because it's one of the only films I can rope my dad into watching with me, but watching a movie with your entire family and hearing laughter the whole time is one of the greatest feelings. I love spending time with my family and watching movies that we all can enjoy, and this one fits the criteria every time. It's humorous and a great coming of age movie that is told in the most realistic way they could think of making this movie. It's got a 10 out of 10 from me, and I'm sure you would hear that from many other people.

These are only my top ten, but I hope that these get you into the Christmas spirit. I know it's only November, but I believe it's never too early to get into the holly jolly mood. I know some of my suggestions are a bit more on the dark side, but I think that Christmas is Christmas, and you got to see all the sides of it. If you have any other suggestions, let me know!

Esther J

Esther is a lover of travelling and is always going to new places. To pass time between adventures she can usually be found with her nose in a book

What's Coming to Disney+

Everyone start your countdowns, there is only 10 days left until Disney+ drops in Canada, the U.S, and the Netherlands. Fans in Australia and New Zealand will have to wait an extra week on November 19th for the chance to subscribe to the streaming service. Disney is releasing almost everything they have created throughout the years and will even feature Disney+ originals on the service, creating a massive competition between lots of other streaming services such as Netflix, Apple TV Plus, Hulu, and HBO Max. With it only being $7 a month, I would say Disney+ is already ahead of the game before it has even come out.

Disney isn’t failing at keeping the hype going. They are releasing new content and tv shows on a regular basis over on their instagram @disneyplus and their twitter account as well. The latest trailer drop was for the original TV show The Mandorlian which is a huge spin-off Star Wars series. The show takes place five years after the Return of the Jedi, following the adventures of a bounty hunter in the New Republic. Not only will the streaming service offer original tv shows and movies from these massive and well-known corporations such as; Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar,  they will also be releasing some child-hood favourites across generations. The wide variety of movies and shows are dating all the back to the 40s! It’s fantastic that they will be showing original motion pictures that far back so parents of our generation could show their kids what they enjoyed when they were younger without having to go through the trouble of pulling out a VHS tape. They are appealing to every age group and people with different interests which is a great marketing strategy, in order to get multiple viewers you want your content to be appropriate to everyone. 

Speaking of reaching out to different fan bases, Marvel fans get ready for all the fantastic Disney+ original shows coming to your screens this month. At the San Diego Comic-Con in July Marvel Studios announced five new original TV series: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Wanda Vision, Loki, What If…? And Hawkeye. If fans aren't happy enough they didn’t stop their with the news.  D23 expo in August revealed plans for three more TV series; Ms.Marvel, Moon Knight and She Hulk. Not only do we get brand new titles to watch we are also going to be able to watch all the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies that have been released in theatres the last ten years. I think that calls for a marathon. 

For all those Disney channel kids that grew up watching in the 2000s they will be allowing access to plenty of the classic TV shows; Wizards of Waverly Place, Kim Possible, the Suite Life of Zack and Cody, That's So Raven and so much more! We can’t forget about the reboot of Lizzie Mcguire that will follow Lizzie as an adult in New York bringing back all our favourites from the show. Everyone can now see Disney throughout the years.

I for one cannot wait to sit and binge watch all that Disney+ has to offer.

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Joey R.

Joey is a lover of books and all things related to superheroes. She is a hoarder of books and can’t keep up with her tbr pile.

The Bad, The Good, And The Surprise Hit of Modern Video Game Movies

What Challenges Do Movie Adaptations of Video Games Still Face in 2019?

The Pitfalls of Adapting From Video Game To Movie

Movie adapations of video games, often called video game movies, face unique challenges. Often, they are faced with the issue of translating unrealistic-looking and exaggerated character designs to something that does not look out of place next to a real-life tree, and they tend to have a large amount of story and detail that is difficult to press down into an hour-and-a-half runtime. However, there is a recent movie that has managed to accomplish this. How did this movie manage it?

Sonic The Hedgehog: You Got A Problem With Cartoons?

The coming Sonic the Hedgehog movie, to be released by Paramount Pictures and based off Sony’s video game blue cartoon hedgehog mascot, is a shining example of what the first problem converting video games to live action is.

Sonic The Hedgehog’s Live Action Design…

…VERSUS SONIC’S DESIGN AS A GAME CHARACTER

Namely, how do you take the cartoonish proportions of characters like Sonic, with his non-human features — like a pair of eyes that take up half his face, and proportions like a pair of cherry-red shoes larger than the size of his chest — into something that can move, speak, and emote in a realistic enough way to not clash with the more grounded aesthetic necessary for a live-action production?

The answer, apparently, is not like Sonic the Hedgehog. After fans saw the trailer that debuted the Sonic movie design in action, there was major fan criticism, causing Paramount to declare the movie was being delayed from November to Valentine’s Day, causing a several month delay.

This is not a decision made lightly; the CGI and animator department has to go over every shot Sonic is in and reanimate him. How much the animators have to redo is up to speculation, but seeing as Paramount Pictures had seen fit to release a full, almost three-minute trailer, with a variety of scenes that showed off Sonic in a plethora of action scenes, there is certainly a good amount of work that needs to be redone.

To be clear, cartoons are great. Live-action is great. One is not inherently superior over the other. But it is not a one-to-one conversion. Changes have to be made, and a balance has to be carefully struck to adhere to the rules and principles of cartoon and live-action design.

Who is Allowed In Club Warcraft?

HUmans fight orcs in warcraft; And Neither Side is Truly in the wrong.

Warcraft’s reviews on Rotten Tomatoes fall into one of two camps: the audience of fans who love the source material and enjoyed the movie, and the critics who couldn’t tell the difference between a Khadgar and a Gul’Dan, and it shows.

Rotten Tomatoes marks critic reviews of Warcraft at 28% and the audience reviews at 77%. A large discrepancy, even if other movies not with video game source material have also had sharp divides between the audience’s scoring and the critics’ scoring.

However, critics tend to write not about the quality or merit of the movie, but how lost they were. “If there’s a mythology here, I missed it,” wrote Manohla Dargis of The New York Times, in a review of the movie that was positive yet confused in tone.

Warcraft, based on the decade and a half old ongoing video game World of Warcraft by Blizzard Entertainment, is a movie packed with its mythology. The story, about humans and orcs waging war on another, paints both the orcs and humans in moral shades of grey, with villains and heroes on both sides of the conflict. Every location, spell, costume, and character is placed in with loving detail and attention to care for long-time fans of Warcraft’s source material, rewarding their diligence to being part of the club made up of fans of the source material… and leaving everyone else standing outside it, wondering what exactly those people are doing in there.

No movie is for everyone. But when a movie does not make sense to anyone except the fans who already know who, what, and where everything is before watching the movie, that movie is leaving a lot of people out of the clubhouse.

The Live-Action Rodent That Scurried Around Its Potential Pitfalls

Detective Pikachu’s Live-Action Design (as appearing in Detective pikachu, courtesy of warner bros Pictures)

Detective Pikachu is the most successful video game movie to date, grossing $436 million USD at the box office, surpassing the previous contender, Warcraft’s $433.7 million USD.

Detective Pikachu faced the same problems of both Sonic and Warcraft.

First, the cartoon-like Pokemon risked being unpleasant or unlikable being brought to a live-action format, with funny proportions and arms too stubby to believably feed themselves. The head of the franchise mascot, Pikachu, a rodent that generates bolts of electricity from mousy red cheeks, has a head that are the width of its body, and its long, pointed ears are about as tall.

Second, Pokemon itself is the highest-grossing media franchise in the world, with over twenty years since its first release of Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green in Japan that began the media property known as Pokemon. In other words, it also risked being alienating and impossibly dense for critics and audience members not familiar with Pokemon.

And yet, Detective Pikachu worked. The VFX department for Detective Pikachu and The Pokemon Company worked closely together and used the real world as much as possible for inspiration, extensively studying real animals as the basis for Pokemon’s fictional ones. Anatomy posters of Pokemon were drawn up, the cinematography was made to allow the live-action and CGI to blend together, and a careful balance was deliberately made between cartoon and realism.

Even more, the movie didn’t leave anyone out. Detective Pikachu is an adapation of a short spin-off of the Pokemon games, also titled Detective Pikachu. The game is a simple mystery story about a boy who teams up with a talking Pikachu with a detective hat to find the boy’s father.

It was a good choice for an adaptatioon: the game itself is simple, with a clear beginning, middle and end. And the adaptation made use of how easy the source material was to understand: the movie Detective Pikachu stands at 68% critic score and 80% audience score, beating out Warcraft in audience reviews and winning over critics by a landslide in comparison, even if critics still concluded that while they could follow along, the movie was made for the fans.

Detective Pikachu has managed to avoid the pitfalls that its recent past and current future rivals have fallen into. A lot of care went into avoiding the pitfalls that would plague other video game movies. Paring down a dense mythology into a smaller piece, allowing the film to take time to explain the core premise of its world to potential new audience members was a smart idea. Ensuring that the CGI characters struck a balance between their cartoon counterparts and what a completely realistic take on them would be took time and effort. Video game movies are not impossible. As with all adaptations across mediums, it is not a perfect art, but it can be done, and done well.

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Jean-Michel Vaillancourt

Jean-Michel Vaillancourt is a D&D fanatic, a video game enthusiast, a book-lover, and an eternal seeker for the art of storycraft in modern TV pop culture.

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Top 8 Horror Movies for Halloween

October is the month of all things spooky. From pumpkin carving to trick or treating nothing makes the Halloween spirit more vibrant than horror movies. Sit back and enjoy as I tell you why these are my top eight horror films to watch leading up to the big day!

8. Paranormal Activity (2007)

Mika and Katie begin to film suspicious activity going on in their house which turns into a disturbing discovery that there are supernatural pursuits occurring.

Now if you’re in the mood for a heart-pounding, sweat inducing, terrifying experience, the Paranormal Activity franchise has all the suspense and terror you could ask for. It is one of the scariest movies Oren Peli has directed, which called for the production of 4 more movies. 

7. It (2017)

Every 27 years in Derry, a series of children go missing and a clown known as Pennywise menaces the kids of the town resulting in a regroupment of “loser” kids who fight the identity.

Contrary to popular belief, not every film remake is bad. Andres Muschietti’s adaption of ‘It’ is a blissful blend of scary and comedic relief with a touch of drama, thanks to a certain love triangle. The actors in this adaption will make you laugh and shrivel with fear. Definitely don’t skip out on this one!

6. Beetlejuice (1988)

Andy and Barbara Maitland are left haunting their household after they pass away in a car accident. While a new family of three, including a depressed daughter named Lydia move in, the Maitlands take initiative and try to scare them out of their house. With the help of a dead entity named Beetlejuice, who ends up causing more harm than good, the plot begins to unravel.

The wit and the comical relief in this movie calls for a less scary feature compared to the ones on this list, but don’t be fooled, Beetlejuice is still a Halloween classic. Directed by the Halloween king himself, Tim Burton, he knows his way around a fantasy-horror adaption.

5. Child’s Play (1988)

Birthday boy Andy receives the present of a lifetime; a good guy doll. Having a selection of catch phrases, body and eye movements, all you need is a pair of batteries to bring your doll to life. After strange things start occurring in the Barclay household, including the death of Andy’s mom’s friend, Karen Barclay starts to suspect that something supernatural is going on. 

Scary dolls. Scary dolls that come to life. Enough said. 

4. Dead silence (2007)

An unexplainable murder occurs, leaving a distraught man named Jamie, a widow. Coincidentally enough, a mysterious package was left on his doorstep, remaining in Jamie’s hands, a dummy doll. Returning to his hometown desperately for answers, he discovers the bone-chilling legend of Mary Shaw, the ventriloquist.

“Beware the stare of Mary Shaw,” they said, and they were right. If you’re looking to scare yourself senseless, possessed dolls is the route to go.

3. Scream (1996)

In a quaint suburban town, horror strikes as a gruesome murder of a high school student takes place exactly a year after the murder of main character, Sidney Prescott’s mother. The town is on high alert, on the hunt for a for a masked killer, and all eyes seem to turn to Sydney. As murders keep happening people are pointing fingers to their own suspects.

Featuring famous actors such as Courteney Cox and Skeet Ulrich, this movie is a play on your classic slasher who terrorizes high school students but with a twist. It is full of classic jump-scares.

2.  Nightmare on elm street (1984)

An evil entity by the name of ‘Freddy Krueger’ torment a group of adolescents through their dreams and starts taking them down, one by one. Lead gal, Nancy has to move fast and stay awake if she wants to save her friends from this terrifying being that appears to be unavoidable.

A classic slasher-horror film turned into a whopping franchise of nine movies. You can’t go wrong with a killer that attacks you in your dreams and scars your memory with his terrifying knife-hand. 

1. Halloween (1978)

A young boy by the name of Michael Myers on Halloween night of 1967 murders his teenage sister  and consequently gets locked up, leaving his baby sister Lory an independent child. 15 years later, there’s a psych ward transportation bus crash, leaving mental patients out on the loose including an older Michael, who sets sail to his hometown, on the hunt to finish what he started.

Now this one is a given. This holiday wouldn’t be what it is without the chilling horror that is Michael Myers. The film has had many continuations and remakes that are still being done to this day. It was directed by the legend himself, John Carpenter.

Halloween has been terrifying horror fanatics for over 41 years and will continue to do so for years to come. These are my top eight, but there are so many more to consider! If you have any suggestions for me to watch as the Halloween season hits its peak, let me know! Hope you enjoyed and will come back for more spooky content this October!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Nightmare_on_Elm_Street

Andy March

Andy March is a 19 year old student at Algonquin College, being forced out of her comfort zone to write about stuff she likes and post it ! Avid lover of movies, movie soundtracks, and sweet and salty popcorn.

Top 10 Family Halloween Movies

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1. HalloweenTown (1998)
   
   HalloweenTown is the only option to be placed at the number one spot on this list. It holds a special place in many 2000s kids hearts as one of the best Halloween films to this day. This movie follows a young girl named Marnie Cromwell who discovers that her family is a long line of witches and visits Halloweentown with her two younger siblings and then the madness begins. It has a perfect mixture of witches, goblins, skeletons, magic, all types of Halloween goodness one could only ask for in a movie for this season. You can always count on it playing on Disney channel every year and that’s when you know spooky season has started! 
   

2. Twitches (2005)
   
   Twitches is another Disney original classic. Twin sisters, Alex and Camryn were whisked away from their world into the human realm when darkness took over their kingdom. Now that they are both in their teens they have come together to defeat the darkness and find out that they are witches! Twin witches… Twitches, get it? It is packed full of funny, sisterly moments and of course, magic!  
   
   

3. Hocus Pocus (1993)
   
   One could not have a list of Halloween movies and not put Hocus Pocus on it. We follow 3 teens named Max, Dani and Allison who live in Salem, Massachusetts. One night they accidentally resurrect the infamous Sanderson Sisters. These three witches were executed around three hundred years ago for the use of dark magic; now that they are alive and walking the earth again they are determined to continue what they started and wreak havoc on the town! Each sister has their own great personality that brings something different to the movie. 
   
   

4. Return to Halloweentown (2006)
   
   The final installment in the iconic Halloweentown movies brings Marnie and her brother Dylan back to the magical place of Halloweentown but this time it is to attend Witch University.  Despite the outrageous recast of Marnie, fans still loved this wrapup to their favourite childhood film series!
       
   

5. Casper (1995)
   
   Who doesn’t love Casper the friendly ghost? He is an adorable, friendly ghost that haunts a mansion with his 2 uncles who are not so nice. In the film James Harvey and his daughter, Kat, moves into the haunted mansion in Maine. Casper and Kat quickly start a budding romance that very clearly will not work out but Casper is determined to become a human again with the help of his new friend. It is a very cute and soft halloween movie for those who like to stay away from the terrifying movies around this time of year.
   
   

6. HalloweenTown High (2004)
   
   Marnie takes on a huge deal with the council people of Halloweentown. She takes in students from Halloweentown to attend normal highschool for the time being to show that humans and monsters could co-exist, but if anything goes wrong then Marnie loses her powers! Of course evil is following them wherever they go and the Cromwells must stop it. 
   
   

7. HalloweenTown II: Kalabar’s Revenge (2001)
   
   Marnie once again must fight evil from Halloweentown and save everyone in the mortal world before midnight hits on Halloween night or else everyone will turn into the monster costumes that they are wearing! Can she do it? Guess you will have to watch and find out. 
   
   

8. Twitches Too (2007)
   We are back following Alex and Camryn as they are navigating their adult lives in very different ways but both have the same thought; that their birth father is still alive. They decide to go in search for him and believe he is being held in the ‘Shadowlands’ where their evil uncle might also be held, still posing a threat. This sequel is packed with mystery and magic.
   
   

9. Scary Godmother  (2003)
   A less popular one then the ones that are above but still just as great! We follow young kids that are trick or treating on Halloween night and awaken the Scary Godmother who shows the kids that not all monsters are bad and have a fun Halloween party! This is a nice short cartoon film that everyone should experience this spooktacular season.
   
   

10. Monster House (2006)
    Coming in at the number 10 spot is Monster House. Despite it being at the bottom don’t be fooled it is still full of thrills and Halloween fun. 3 teens have taken it upon themselves to defeat this ‘Monster House’ before innocent kids are out trick or treating or else they might meet a horrible end. This movie's ending will shock many and is another cartoon classic that should be at the top of your list.

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Joey R.

Joey is a lover of books and all things related to superheroes. She is a hoarder of books and can’t keep up with her tbr pile.

Cinematic Failure? Warner Bros vs J.K Rowling

The train for Hogwarts never left without you. Every time you opened a book, you were on the train with Harry and his friends, thinking of all the things that could lay ahead. You were with them every step of the adventure, living every moment in the pages as if it were real life. So when Warner Bros mentioned that they were adapting the books into movies, all Harry Potter fans were ecstatic about Harry’s experience coming to the big screen. The story J.K. Rowling was able to tell in a magical world of her own creation entranced her readers and left them wanting more, book after book.  When the series was adapted into movies, everyone was excited.  Those who had read the books time and time again wanted to see the world they had dreamt up in their minds brought to screen.  With each movie scoring over 75% on Rotten Tomatoes most would say that Warner Bros was successful in their endeavour of bringing the world of Harry Potter to life.  And I would agree, to a certain extent.

The world Rowling created had so many vivid and intricate details that no one was expecting the movie adaptations to hold the features that the novels did.  But Warner Bros managed to leave specific details that, while not altering the plot, did change certain classic scenes that occurred in the novels. 

One of the most significant holes in the movies that I always noticed was the loss of Peeves the Poltergeist.  He appears in every book, always causing trouble and trying to get students in trouble. He is generally just a pain throughout the entire series.  He is a prankster, not liked by the other ghosts and, although his presence does not alter the ending of the series, it does affect the mood in certain moments in the books.  One of the biggest moments is when the Weasley twins are flying away from Hogwarts in the fifth novel, Order of the Phoenix. They had just spent the year tormenting Dolores Umbridge, a Ministry Official and an awful teacher who had earned a place on the teaching staff at Hogwarts.  All the students hate her, and most of the teachers didn’t like her either. I’m pretty sure readers hated her more than Voldemort in this novel.  I know I sure did! The Weasley twins did too – in this scene, they had just let all hell loose with one of their classic pranks before turning back to Peeves, who was waiting in the corner observing the whole incident unfold, and yelling out, “Give her hell for us Peeves!” while Peeves saluted them.

Rowling did a perfect job in making the audience regard Peeves as the character that you didn’t like, no matter what happened. He was never anyone’s favourite… it wasn’t for any specific reason other than the fact that he was just annoying. Peeves was the thorn in your side you couldn’t seem to get rid of, but when he salutes the Weasley twins in the fifth book, it’s a little victory for all the readers. I can remember reading so many parts and thinking “Oh no, what’s he going to do this time?”.   It’s inspiring to see him saluting students when he would never listen to anyone, ever. I think Warner Bros really messed up in leaving him out. 

Like I said before, it doesn’t alter the plot. Those who didn’t read the books will forever remain oblivious, but it’s unfortunate that they cut out such a great character. Seeing the fifth movie on screens and watching the part described above, I remember thinking, “Wow, it would’ve been so much more effective if Peeves had been there.” The moment would have felt so much more empowering and fulfilling – the twins were leaving someone behind who would continue to fight for what they had spent all year working on.  Rowling wrote him so well and he was such a fun character that added life to every scene he was in.

Regardless of my view, Warner Bros really did do a fantastic job bringing Harry Potter to life, and I really wish these little things didn’t affect my perspective of the movies. But being an avid reader of the series, the little things start to bother you.  That, of course, is only one of the aspects where I think Warner Bros messed up. If you want to hear about more differences between the movie and the books, whether it’s Harry Potter or another adaptation, let me know in the comments!

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Esther J

Esther is a lover of travelling and is always going to new places. To pass time between adventures she can usually be found with her nose in a book.

Intro to Us

Did you know ‘Jurassic Park’ raptors terrifying noises were made by tortoises mating? Well, that’s why we’re here: a constant supply of our favourite movies, top 10 lists, and our best recommendations. Jumping from spooky season to the Christmas spirit, we are here to suggest our favourite horror films and the best sappy romances. Stick around and we guarantee your ‘to-watch list’ will grow and grow.

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