Hello, friends!
It turns out when one goes on a European vacation in July one forgets about one's blogoversary, which was on July 19th, 2025. As of today it turns out that I've been blogging now for 9 years and about 2 months.
!!!!!!!!!
This is a late edition of my usual yearly summary, so kick back and enjoy the feast of gifs I have in store for you! It's time to celebrate!
Stats:
Followers: 77! You faithful readers mean so much to me!
All time page views: 457,845! I could thank you guys over and over again, but it can't express how much I appreciate you all reading my silly ramblings.
Posts: 532, with this being the 533rd!
Top 3 most popular posts:
1. Older vs. Newer Review: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
2. Movie Review: Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
3. Book vs. Movie Review: The Summer of the Monkeys
My 5 current favorite posts:
1. All My Sons // 10 (+1) More Fictional Boys I Have Adopted
2. Various Family Dynamics // Lemony Snicket's centrality of siblings in stories
3. The Running Wild in Impractical Outfits Tag // Seeing If I Have Any Sense of Style
4. 5 Lessons From Cosmo Brown on How to Be the Perfect Best Friend
5. august slipped away and my tears ricochet // // My Top 10 Fan Videos feat. Taylor Swift Songs
Changes/YouTube videos:
I got one more movie review up since last year: The Breakfast Club (1985). I've decided for now that I'm not going to be doing number ratings, but just talk about what benefits I saw from the movie. I hope to get some more book reviews up in the coming year!
As for my YouTube channel, I've been a bit more successful! Which means I've put up 2 videos:
Flowers in Your Hair // Enola and Tewksbury (Enola Holmes 1 & 2)
Life in Pink // Barbie (Barbie)
Currently about me:
I am reading: Scaramouche - by Raphael Sabatini.
I am listening to (audiobook): Betsy-Tacy - by Maud Hart Lovelace
I am watching: Leverage. I know, I say this almost every year, but the fact is that I'm scared to finish it because I LOVE IT so much.
I am rewatching: A Series of Unfortunate Events, season 2. If you think this is why I have so many gifs from there, you are correct.
5 Favorite books:
1. All the Crooked Saints - by Maggie Stiefvater
2. Anne of the Island - by L. M. Montgomery
3. Anne of Green Gables - by L. M. Montgomery
4. Holes - by Louis Sachar
5. Pride and Prejudice - by Jane Austen (this and North & South are always fighting over which I like better.)
5 Favorite movies:
1. It's a Wonderful Life (1947)
3. Rope (1948)
4. This Beautiful Fantastic (2017)
I already talked about this, but I started a Letterboxd account and I am obsessed.
Favorite TV show:
1. Hotel del Luna (as I've raved about, this is peak cinema)
2. Leverage (Eliot, Parker, Hardison, Sophie, and Nate for the win)
3. Robin Hood BBC (my OUTLAWS! <3)
4. Once Upon a Time (Have I finished this? No. Do I dream of it constantly? Yes)
5. Geek Girl (I just read the book for the first time and it made me love the show EVEN MORE which I didn't think was possible.)
The 30 Songs Tag:
YEARS AGO (as in 2020) I was tagged by McKayla for The 30 Songs Tag. This seems like as good of a time as ever to jam out.
When McKayla tagged me she had gotten creative and only answered with songs from musicals. Inspired by her, my catch for this post is that I'll be filling out these questions just using songs from movies and TV! I don’t mean anything that is a Broadway musical, but something that originated on screen. There may be a few on here that became Broadway hits but only because they were such fan favorites beforehand.
In case you want to listen along, I've embedded a playlist with all these songs! I couldn't get the Spotify version to work, so YouTube will do.
1. Your favorite song?
And already I regret life choices. I choose my niche to be songs from all of TV and film and then I’m asked for the top favorite. What I’ve been doing with “favorite” questions to avoid an existential crisis is to say my CURRENT favorite, not my all time favorite. For current favorite, I’ve been jamming out to “My Sails are Set” by AURORA from—you may have guessed it based on all these gifs—the live-action TV show One Piece.
2. Your least favorite song?
Instead of one song I’m going to say a whole “album,” because I hardly liked any of the songs from Descendants 3 (2019). Which is a bummer because, as a huge fan of the first two movies, I was looking forward to this SO MUCH back in 2019.
3. A Song That Makes You Happy?
It’s a little ridiculous how happy I get when I hear “Determinate” from Lemonade Mouth (2011). I remember hearing it a lot when it came out and thinking that it was weird. Then in 2020 I watched the movie and LOVED IT. Now I can’t be upset in any way while listening to that song.
4. A Song That Makes You Sad?
“Never Forget” sung by Michelle Pfeiffer from the credits of Murder on the Orient Express (2017). It is a gut punch in song form if I’ve ever heard one.
5. A Song That You Often Get Stuck in Your Head?
SO MANY. I’m very susceptible to song cues. One that always surprises me is “Something That I Want” from the credits of Tangled (2010).
6. A Song That Reminds You of Someone?
It’s been a few years since I raved about Julie and the Phantoms, but those of you who have been around for a while are probably not surprised that I brought it up again. “This Band is Back” reminds me of my sisters and I love to play it whenever we’re all together.
7. A Song That Reminds You of Someplace?
When I hear "Let’s Go Make a Memory" from A Week Away (2021) I am immediately transported to driving down dirt roads with my sister in the summertime. My sister does not like that movie but it doesn’t stop us from jamming out.
(Editing Chloe is realizing how many times she uses the phrase "jamming out" and apologizes but knows if she don't publish this post now she wont' ever)
8. A Song That Reminds You of a Certain Event?
"The Other Side" from The Greatest Showman (2017) reminds me of the time that a friend and I performed it for karaoke. *dies from embarrassment* I’m just such a horrible singer, guys.
9. A Song You Know All the Words to?
I am notorious for not knowing the words to songs.
 |
| Source: Legit me, guys |
However, back in 2015 I thought I was the coolest person ever to be listening to Liv and Maddie songs on my iPod. I especially loved rocking out to “You, Me and the Beat” and “Say Hey.” I just listened to them again, and yep, I somehow still know all the words.
10. A Song You Could Dance to?
If you watch me closely while I’m listening to “When Can I See You Again?” by Owl City, from Wreck it Ralph (2014), I will in fact do a little kick when the word “sidekick” is said.
And “Better When I’m Dancing” by Megan Trainor from The Peanuts Movie (2015) is pretty self-explanatory. I just looked up when that movie came out because I was thinking it was around 2018, but NO. 2015?? A decade?? I'm old.
11. A Song That Makes You Fall Asleep?
Admittedly most of the songs on my lullaby playlist are from movies. The first I always go to is “If I Had Words - Version Two” from Babe (1995).
12. A Song From Your Favorite Band?
“The Line” by Twenty One Pilots which is in the show Arcane: League of Legends. It may come as a surprise but I don’t actually listen to songs from movies non-stop; I’m almost alway jamming out to Twenty One Pilots 24/7. I was SO STOKED around a year ago when I heard that TØP was going to have a song in the show because the music from the first season SLAPPED but when I first heard it I wasn’t really a fan. Fast forward to me listening to it all last semester, and I am now a huge fan.
13. A Song From A Band You Hate?
I don’t think I hate this band, but based on how you can never find me listening to country music, I would probably not be able to handle the Zac Brown Band. But I love their version of “From Now On” from the Greatest Showman Reimagined album.
(Update: I just learned that the Zac Brown Band is responsible for the monstrosity that is "Chicken Fried" so yes, this is a good answer to this question because I hate that song. They have one winner with me)
14. A Song Nobody Would Expect You to Love?
“Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King (1994). Growing up I was the kid who always rolled my eyes or stuck my tongue out when there was any kind of romance plot. Therefore my sisters are shocked that I love this song. It’s always in my top for Disney songs which surprises everyone who knows me.
15. A Song That Describes You?
Going through my “Describing Me” playlist (yes, such a creative title), I realize the mix is eclectic to say the least. I’m going to say “Zero” by Imagine Dragons from Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) because even though I didn’t like that movie, one of the reasons I didn’t like it is because I related TOO HARD. It also has the double meaning of me being obsessed with math so I have to choose a song that is a number.
And I’m pretty sure I’ve said this somewhere on the blog before, but as the middle sister I relate hardcore to “Surface Pressure” from Encanto (2021). I know, I’m basic.
16. An Underrated Song More People Should Love?
This song is not technically from a movie, but it’s inspired by a movie, so I can break my own rules. “When I Was Older” by Billie Eilish is inspired by the film Roma (2018) and while that film isn’t in my favorites (if you want to know what my favorite hispanic films are, I made a list a while back HERE), the song definitely has all my love. It’s SUCH A VIBE. Yet neither Billie Eilish fans yet nor people who have seen Roma seem to know about it??
17. A Song That You Hear Often on the Radio
I remember when Encanto (2021) came out they were playing “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” everywhere but I always covered my ears because I hadn’t seen Encanto yet and didn’t want it to be spoiled. When my boss and I were driving around the other day I’m pretty sure every time I glanced at the radio it was a song from K-Pop Demon Hunters (2025), but we didn’t have the volume on. Again, I don’t want spoilers so I’ll listen to it once I’ve seen the movie!
18. A Song You Wish You Heard on the Radio
Okay, I also remember when “I’m Just Ken” from Barbie (2023) was everywhere, but I also find “Man I Am” by Sam Smith from the same movie to be a BOP and think it would be fun to have that as a contrast on the radio.
19. A Song You Listen to When You're Happy
The first time I finished NaNoWriMo I was so stoked I put on “Don’t Give Up on Me” by Andy Grammar and was screaming it at the top of my lungs out of joy. I understand that it’s an odd choice based on it being from an acclaimed sob sack of a movie, but I haven’t actually seen Five Feet Apart (2019)…
20. A Song You Listen to When You're Sad
“The Call” by Regina Spektor from Prince Caspian (2008). *cue the sobbing*
21. A Song You Listen To When You're Angry?
One of my first that I go to is “On My Own” not from Les Mis but from Teen Beach 2 (2015). Something about way all the instruments hit just scratches the itch and calms me enough so I don’t want to punch everything.
22. A Song You Want to Play at Your Wedding
I’ve never considered this, folks. XD For party vibes, I absolutely love “My Romeo” by Jessi from Cinderella and the Four Knights. Everyone would be confused because it’s almost all in Korean. The vibes are on fire!
23. A Song You Want to Play at Your Funeral
“Carried Me With You” by Brandi Carlile from the movie Onward (2020). It’s about family connection and ACK it’s gorgeous. This is my reminder that I should listen to more Brandi Carlile because I’ve loved everything I’ve heard from her so far.
24. A Song That Makes You Laugh
When I started watching A Series of Unfortunate Events my intent was to make fun of it. Then the song “It’s the Count” made me laugh like crazy and I finally understood the humor that the show is conveying. And look at me now, I’m such a fan, I keep putting gifs from the show into my blog posts.
25. A Song That You Can Play
Even though both songs are on the piano, the character Nini plays ukulele so it feels appropriate that I can play “The Rose Song” and “Wondering” from High School Musical The Musical The Series on my ukulele. Now I just need to find a key for "The Rose Song" where I sound half decent.
26. A Song You Wish You Could Play
I can’t tell you guys how many times I’ve tried to play “Tell Me If You Wanna Go Home” performed by Keira Knightley and Hailee Steinfeld from Begin Again (2012). The problem is, I’m on my ukulele so I don’t get the epic electric guitar. *sigh* It just never sounds as cool.
27. A Song From Your Childhood
My sisters and I had a collection of Disney Box Office Hits and I’m amazed that the CD somehow survived my childhood based on how much we played it. My favorite from there was probably “Breakaway” by Kelly Clarkson that was in Princess Diaries 2 (2004). I also really loved “I Thought I Lost You” from Bolt (2008).
28. Your Favorite Duet
To be clear, I don’t like the version of “You’re Welcome” from Moana (2016) that is usually played. I am, however, the biggest fan of the version with both Jordan Fisher and Lin-Manuel Miranda. I love it so much, it’s probably unhealthy.
29. Your Favorite Song at this Time Last Year
Audrey Hepburn’s “Moon River” had been hyped up a lot and I found it to be lovelier than I thought it was going to be. July 2024 I finally watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)!
30. A Song From Your Favorite Album
I’ve been trying to use a different movie/TV show for each question and I should’ve planned this better so I could say Julie and the Phantoms. Another couple of albums that I listen to a LOT (which I’m saying would qualify for “favorite album” in this context of movies and TV shows) is the soundtrack to The Book of Life (2014) and Home (2015). My favorite songs off of each of those are probably “I Love You Too Much” (and the accompanying version in Spanish, “Te Amo y Más”) and “Towards the Sun” respectively.
*is still humming “Something That I Want”*
Thank you so much for reading this blog! I can't believe that I have an archive that is 9 years old now! Even though my posts have been sporadic these last few years I'm now no longer in college! My high hopes are to get back into the rhythm of writing and answering comments. Because comments are my favorite thing EVER!
So tell me: how many of these songs do you know? Have I now infected anyone else with "Something That I Want"? Has anyone else seen the live action One Piece or A Series of Unfortunate Events?
See you guys!
Chloe the MovieCritic
