July 2020 is #CleanMovieMonth2020!

Hello, everyone!

I'm just popping in quickly to say that I am participating in #CleanMovieMonth2020! It is hosted by Pure Entertainment Preservation Society (PEPS) and the purpose of it is to celebrate the Motion Picture Production Code.

Now, I'm no expert on it (PEPS is! Everything I've learned is from them), but my understanding is this: The "Code" was a group of self regulators who would inspect films in the production stage to make sure that they were able to be watched by all ages. Making them wholesome, uplifting, and clean was their goal! Basically they wanted every film to be what we would qualify as a G rated movie nowadays. It ran from 1934-1965, but they were less thorough after 1954. In 1965 the current Rating System was established.

How does PEPS intend to celebrate the "Code"? Well, they have declared July as #CleanMovieMonth2020 (this is their third year doing it!) and the idea is to watch 20 American films from 1934-1954 in this time. They are going full-out and not watching a film from any other years, but they invite others to join with a more relaxed version. Just watch a few movies from 1934-1954 during July and think about the difference between them and films from other eras.

I have decided to go all out, too. Since summer is pretty busy for me I probably won't get 20, but (besides one thing that I have planned) any movie that I watch is going to be from 1934-1954! I'm posting here to make sure that I am held accountable.

For more information on #CleanMovieMonth2020 and tons of articles on the Code, check HERE.

PEPS is also hosting a second blogathon within #CleanMovieMonth2020. It is called the Code Classics Blogathon, where the focus is on American movies from 1934-1954 which were based on classic literature!

If you have a favorite film to talk about, they would love for you to join them. For more information and a list of topics claimed, go HERE.

What will be my first movie + review for July? Well, you'll just have to come back tomorrow to see my entry in Charity at The Sacred in the Secular's Olivia de Havilland Blogathon!

Until then, stay safe and healthy! How familiar are all of you with the "Code"? HERE is a post I wrote about it awhile back.

Thanks for reading!

MovieCritic

Book Review: Dancing and Doughnuts - by Rachel Kovaciny

Howdy, y'all!

I'm here today to review the second book in Rachel Kovaciny's Once Upon a Western series! I reviewed the first book Cloaked HERE, and she is publishing the third book in July, so I decided that it was high time that I checked out the mystery here. If you couldn't tell, her books are fairytale retellings in a western setting, so no magic! Now that is a true challenge. I hope that you enjoy my review!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This is spoiler free!


Dancing and Doughnuts - by Rachel Kovaciny:

Jedidiah Jones has been drifting ever since the Civil War and is looking for work. Just something that will pay enough to get him through to the next town, but he is willing to work hard. The surprise is all his when he finds some people willing to pay fifty dollars for just solving a mystery. It doesn't seem like it would be too hard to find suspects in such a small town. Now, who would want to hurt the Algonas's dance hall by spiking their cider?
Genre: Western, Fairytale retelling.
"Haul back on them reins a minute, Sheriff."
Characters: 9. This is a retelling of Twelve Dancing Princesses, so as you would imagine, there are a lot of characters. What I love about this is that it isn't overwhelming. The main character Jedidiah Jones can't keep track of all of the Algona girls, and that is realistic, because twelve is a huge number! I loved the Seven Brides for Seven Brothers vibe that I got with the names. We get other characters developed besides them, which I really appreciated because I know that with my writing because I know all of my characters I want the audience to know them, too, but it doesn't work that way.
'I wondered why, since she seemed amply able to read minds, she hadn't used her clairvoyance to find the culprit herself.'
My favorites:
Jedidiah Jones: He was such a fun protagonist! Being in his thought was the perfect setting for this story and really got to know him in this short time. Bonus, you should totally picture him as Bobby Darin... just sayin.
Alice Algona: I love her sense! She was down to earth and reasonable and her character was perfect.
Rest of the Algonas: I really liked Clara, and the differences we were able to see between them.
I'm not going to talk about any more of them, you just have to see for yourself!
Words: 9, have I ever mentioned that first person is my favorite point of view? Well, it is. Any guess what, this is first person! Ah, I love it. Jedidiah's narration is so natural, you fall into the story instantly. No bad words at all!
Quotes: 8, 'I had no notion of what I would do next, but sometimes looking like you're busy goes a long way. That had been one of the first things I'd learned as a soldier.'
I can personally tell you, that this is a good piece of advice. It's taken me awhile to learn it, but it goes a long way.
Content: 10, there are some mild fights and characters get intoxicated. Both are shown as not good, and is perfectly clean!
Originality: 9, ah, this story! Everything about it was so creative, and it is just brimming with fairytale elements, all without the magic! Such a neat plot. I thought that I saw where it was going, but I was only partially correct!
Good For: Fairytale lovers, western lovers.
Age Range: Absolutely all and any ages!
Overall Score: 9!
"I know it's twelve to one, but I've been outnumbered before and lived to tell about it."
Bonus thoughts:
This was a rollicking good time! I'm so glad that I read it, even though it took me a while. I had been in a little reading ditch (do you like that term? I just came up with it) and this was so refreshing.


There you go! I recommend this to all of you! Now it's your turn to settle down and talk: what is your favorite fairytale and one of its retellings? Have any of you read this?

Thanks for reading my review! Stay safe and healthy. Happy trails!

MovieCritic

Movie Review: The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

Hello, to all of you!

It seems to be a trend to take some classic cartoon (whether it is in print or a tv show) and make a movie where they change it into digital animation. I wasn't a fan of the concept, but a few of the results have turned out pretty well! One of them is this movie! I wasn't very familiar with the Tintin comics before this, but I really enjoyed this movie and since then have liked the comics that I've gotten to read!

This film takes you on quite and adventure, are you ready for this review?

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This is spoiler free!


The Adventures of Tintin (2011):

(aka The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn)
Based on: the comics by Hergé.
"Nothing is an accident."
Tintin is a young journalist who stumbles upon a new mystery by purchasing an antique model of a ship. The moment he does someone tries to buy it from him, but he doesn't sell it because this has really caught his interest. Through this tiny ship he finds himself on a trek around the world, and through history, where he meets friends and foes. What mysteries does the ship The Unicorn hold, and is there more that one?
"What secrets do you hold?"

Genre: Mystery, Family, Animated, Adventure.
Length: approx. 107 minutes.
Costumes: 8, animated so there isn't a lot of focus on it, but I don't mind. Nothing bad!
Script: 10, Captain Haddock swears a lot, but there aren't any bad words! He just kind of yells whatever comes into his head. His favorite is: "Billions of blue blistering barnicles!" Which my sisters and I now yell a lot, too.
Crew: Directed by: Steven Spielberg. Written by: Steven Spielberg, Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, & Hergé.
Starring the voices of:
Jamie Bell as Tintin.

Andy Serkis as Captain Haddock. "I don't remember anything about anything."

Nick Frost and Simon Pegg as Thompson and Thompson. "I am not your sidekick, you're mine."
Daniel Craig as Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine.

Toby Jones as Aristides Silk.

Gad Elmaleh as Omar ben Salaad.
Joe Starr as Barnaby Dawes.
Enn Reitel as Nestor & Mr. Crabtree.
Tony Curran as Lieutenant Delcour.
Sonje Fortag as Mrs. Finch.
Cary Elwes and Phillip Rhys as pilots.
Kim Stengel as Bianca Castafiore.
Nathan Meister as Market Artist.

Animation: 10, ACK. As you all know, digital animation is not my favorite, but this is absolutely spectacular! The transitions from scene to scene are phenomenal! Plus, the way that they included the original animation is brilliant. I couldn't find the image that I wanted to show you, but believe me, it's amazing.

Music: 9, it's just so much fun. It totally gets you into a mystery mood! It goes so well with the opening credits (which have the original animation) and it is great.
Music by: John Williams.
Quotes: 9, as I said above, my sisters and I quote Captain Haddock quite a bit. Tintin also has some good lines!
"The library should have the answer."
Content: 7, there is death, gross things, smoking, a lot of drinking, and violence.
Originality: 10, love it! Afterwards the mystery seems so obvious and I couldn't believe that I had missed it, but it also is super complex.
Good For: mystery lovers, literally anyone!

Age Range: It's rated PG because there is that violence and drinking. I would say anyone over 8 would be fine, but it always depends on the individual.
Overall Score: 9!
"There's something you need to know about failure, Tintin, you can never let it beat you."
Bonus thoughts:

Do you know those movies where you just have such good memories of you watching them? Well, this is one of those for me. The first time I saw this was at my grandma's and I was sitting eating orange "snow balls". The opening had me hooked and I never looked away! I made my sisters watch it as soon as they could, and it is one of our favorites! The characters are so endearing and loveable, you love to watch them. Tintin is so resourceful, and Captain Haddock has gone through some rough things but you continue to route for him. I will not forget my precious little Snowy! That dog is so adorable and I love how he gets Tintin in (and occasionally out of) trouble! If nothing else, watch for the outstanding animation! If you can't tell, I'm so impressed.

Have any of you seen this? Tell me your favorite animated mystery movie! Stay safe and healthy!

Thanks for reading!

MovieCritic

"For the Broken Heart, For the Broken Girl" - by Lia Marie: COVER REVEAL!!!

Hello, hello, hello!

Today is the cover reveal of Lia Marie's first poetry collection!

I've heard a lot about For the Broken Heart, For the Broken Girl and I am so excited! Usually poetry isn't my thing, but from what I've experienced of Lia's writing it is deep and real and authentic. Love it!

You're not here to read my ramblings, though, you want to see the cover! Start your journey to the bottom of this page:

.....................
                    .....................
                                       ....................
                                                           .....................
                                                                                ....................
                                                                                                    ....................
                                                                                                                        ....................
                                                                                                                                            .....................
                                                                                                                        .....................
                                                                                                    ...................
                                                                                ....................
                                                            ....................
                                        ....................
                    ....................

.....................

                    .....................

                                       ....................

                                                           .....................

                                                                                ....................

                                                                                                    ....................

                                                                                                                        ....................

                                                                                                                                            .....................

                                                                                                                        .....................

                                                                                                    ...................

                                                                                ....................

                                                            ....................

                                        ....................

                    ....................

.....................

                    .....................

                                       ....................

                                                           .....................

                                                                                ....................

                                                                                                    ....................

                                                                                                                        ....................

                                                                                                                                            .....................

                                                                                                                        .....................

                                                                                                    ...................

                                                                                ....................

                                                            ....................

                                        ....................

                    ....................

.....................

                    .....................

                                       ....................

                                                           .....................

                                                                                ....................

                                                                                                    ....................

                                                                                                                        ....................

                                                                                                                                            .....................

                                                                                                                        .....................

                                                                                                    ...................

                                                                                ....................

                                                            ....................

                                        ....................

                    ....................

....................

Are you ready??

.....................

                    .....................

                                       ....................

                                                           .....................

                                                                                ....................

                                                                                                    ....................

                                                                                                                        ....................

                                                                                                                                            .....................

                                                                                                                        .....................

                                                                                                    ...................

                                                                                ....................

                                                            ....................

                                        ....................

                    ....................

.....................

                    .....................

                                       ....................

                                                           .....................

                                                                                ....................

                                                                                                    ....................

                                                                                                                        ....................

                                                                                                                                            .....................

                                                                                                                        .....................

                                                                                                    ...................

                                                                                ....................

                                                            ....................

                                        ....................

                    ....................

.....................

                    .....................

                                       ....................

                                                           .....................

                                                                                ....................

                                                                                                    ....................

                                                                                                                        ....................

                                                                                                                                            .....................

                                                                                                                        .....................

                                                                                                    ...................

                                                                                ....................

                                                            ....................

                                        ....................

                    ....................

.....................

                    .....................

                                       ....................

                                                           .....................

                                                                                ....................

                                                                                                    ....................

                                                                                                                        ....................

                                                                                                                                            .....................

                                                                                                                        .....................

                                                                                                    ...................

                                                                                ....................

                                                            ....................

                                        ....................

                    ....................

.....................

                    .....................

                                       ....................

                                                           .....................

                                                                                ....................

                                                                                                    ....................

                                                                                                                        ....................

                                                                                                                                            .....................

                                                                                                                        .....................

                                                                                                    ...................

                                                                                ....................

                                                            ....................

                                        ....................

                    ....................

....................

Look!:

About it:

Split into two parts, For the Broken Heart, For the Broken Girl, is a raw collection chronicling the author's late teens. The first section, For the Broken Heart, focuses on falling for the wrong guy and the slow steady path to healing. For the Broken Girl focuses on the author's struggle with depression and learning that she doesn't need to carry the burden by herself.

For the Broken Heart, For the Broken Girl is a Lia Marie's first poetry collection.

Releases:

August 18th, 2020

Find on:

Goodreads HERE

Link to the Kindle Ebook Pre-order: HERE

About the author: 

Lia Marie is a twenty something girl from the middle of nowhere Ohio. When she isn’t writing poetry, you can find her making playlists and accidentally playing Animal Crossing for six hours. Between working her day job, Lia Marie also runs a blog, The Singing Writer, where she blogs about music, books and her life.

Find her on:
Instagram: @thesingingwriter
Website: The Singing Writer



Well, what do all of you think? Make sure to pop over HERE and tell Lia congrats on how awesome this is!

Thanks for reading!

MovieCritic

A Pixar Shorts and Screencap Game: ANSWERS!

Greetings!

It is time to reveal the answers to my Pixar game! HERE is the original post if you want to try to figure these out before reading this post.

Thank you so much to all the participants! I hope that you had as much fun playing it as I had putting it together!

Scoring reminder: Each correct guess is worth 5 points. If you get a "sweep" (get all of them correct in one of the games) that's an additional 10 points. The person who got highest points is the winner!

First game: Pixar shorts!: Answers

1. Bao -- Incredibles 2

2. Boundin' -- Incredibles (2004)

3. Day and Night -- Toy Story 3 (2010)

4. Geri's Game -- A Bug's Life (1998)

5. La Luna -- Brave (2012)

6. Lava -- Inside Out (2015)

7. Lifted -- Ratatouille (2007)

8. Luxo Jr. -- Toy Story 2 (1999)

9. One Man Band -- Cars (2006)

10. Piper -- Finding Dory (2016)

(Look familiar to anyone?)

Scores:

ThunderbirdQueen: 45

Rachel: 25

AGirlWithIdeas: 20

Second game: Screencaps!: Answers

a. Cars (2006)

b. Up (2009)

c. The Good Dinosaur (2015)

d. Brave (2012)

e. Ratatouille (2007)

f. WALL-E (2008)

g. Toy Story (1995)

h. Cars 2 (2011)

i. Coco (2018)

j. Inside Out (2015)

Scores:

Rachel: 60

ThunderbirdQueen: 60

AGirlWithIdeas: 40

ClassicMovieMuse: 30

Make sure to check out everyone else's awesome posts for this blogathon at the master post HERE! I had a fantastic time, and I thank all of you for reading these posts!

Tell me, what is your favorite Pixar short? I love them all, but my personal favorites are La Luna and Geri's Game!

MovieCritic

Movie Review: Brave (2012)

Hello, everybody!

It is now time for my post for my Pixar Blogathon!

When deciding what to review I had it narrowed down to a few options. I realized that I had never reviewed my favorite Pixar movie! So, that is what you'll be seeing reviewed today. Enjoy!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning.


Brave (2012):

"But every once in a while, there's a day when I don't have to be a princess. No lessons, no expectations. A day where anything can happen. A day I can change my fate."
Merida is the daughter of a high chief and her favorite thing is to use her bow and arrow. When other clans arrive to try to unite by having their sons try to win her hand, Merida is fed up with it. These traditions are usless to her! She argues with her family and wants to choose her own fate. She seeks out something that will make her parents change thier minds, but only makes things worse. Is her destiny already written, or will she be able to fix the mistakes?

Genre: Adventure, Family.
Length: approx. 95 minutes.
Costumes: 8, it's animated, so I'm not too picky about it. There are a few times when people aren't wearing shirts.
Script: 9, I don't remember any bad words!

Crew:
Directed by: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, & Steve Purcell.
Written by: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, Steve Purcell, & Irene Mecchi.
Starring the voices of:
Kelly Macdonald as Merida.

Emma Thompson as Queen Elinor.

Billy Connolly as King Fergus.

Julie Walters as The Witch.
Robbie Coltrane as Lord Dingwall.
Kevin McKidd as Lord MacGuffin and Young MacGuffin.
Craig Ferguson as Lord Macintosh.
Sally Kinghorn and Eilidh Fraser as Maudie.
Steven Cree as Young Macintosh.
Peigi Barker as Young Merida.
Steve Purcell as The Crow.
Callum O'Neill as Wee Dingwall.
Patrick Doyle as Martin.
John Ratzenberger as Gordon.

Animation: 10! Have you seen the will-o'-the-wisps? GORGEOUS. All of the shots with the archery are fantastic.
"You know, some say that will-o'-the-wisps can lead you to your fate."

Music: 10, pretty much everything by Patrick Doyle is outstanding, but he out did himself here. I love how celtic it is!
Music by: Patrick Doyle.

Quotes: 8,
'"Do you think we should set a trap?"

"Try shutting yours!"'

Oscars won: 1: Best Animated Feature Film.
Content: 8, there are scary images, death, and some crude humor.
Originality: 10, I love this! Transformations in stories are awesome, and this one nails it! I haven't seen anything like it.
Good For: Families, archery lovers, anyone!

Age Range: This is PG because there is some action, intense scenes, and scary things. I would say it would be find for anyone over six, but it depends on the individual.
Overall Score: 9!

Bonus thoughts:

Ah, I love this movie. It is no secret that I am obsessed with archery! Have you counted how many times I have mentioned it in this post? That was what drew me to this movie and why I went to the theater to see it. All that involves it fits perfectly!
Like all Pixar movies, this film highlights family. It is so beautiful. How can love show through arguments? Is it possible when someone is ripped out of the family to be healed again?
Merida is a great protagonist. I relate to her fear of being pushed into things when she isn't ready. I fully understand that! None of us like to be trapped, she just wants to know that her future is undecided. Sometimes you don't want someone to do something for you. I love the relationships with her family. Hamish, Hubert and Harris are hilarious! Such troublemakers!

This movie is funny, amazing, and has such a sweet message about loving your family. Please watch this if you haven't already! It is my favorite Pixar movie for a good reason!


Thank you so much for reading! I have loved hosting this Pixar Blogathon! Make sure to check out the other entries HERE!

MovieCritic