The Unofficial Movie/TV Show Tag~Unofficially An Excuse to Talk About Something Extremely Unfortunate

Hello, everybody!

I have not been terribly active in the blogging world of late due to an abundance of academic obligations, but in case any of you were worrying, I am still alive.

I have been tagged by the fantastic Chelsea R. H. for the Unofficial Movie/TV Show Tag, which, as I understand it, is a tag in which one describes six movies or TV shows that have impacted one’s life in some way or another. Chelsea’s post is wonderful and you should all go read it because she talks about The Lord of the Rings and Sherlock and I am not sure what else you could ask for.

I must admit, I watch large quantities of movies, and a significant portion of them impact my life somehow, be it positive or negative.

So essentially this post can include whatever I want. (That’s a description of pretty much all my blog posts ever, but never mind.)

Without further ado…

Star Trek: First Contact

This movie impacted my life by totally terrifying me.

Through this experience I learned that I should never try to watch an actual horror movie, since this movie isn’t even supposed to be all that scary. I do not watch movies to be freaked out/grossed out/dead, thank you very much.

Hoodwinked

Hoodwinked showed me that the story is what makes a movie great, not the flashy special effects. The animation in this movie is nothing fancy, (in fact, it can be irritatingly primitive at times) but the structure of the mystery is unique and satisfying. It employs a nonlinear storytelling style, which I really like. The brilliance of this movie is the construction of the plot.

Also the brilliance of this movie is Patrick Warburton as the wolf.

X-Men: First Class

I don’t even like this movie. But it is extremely significant, and here is why.

There was a montage scene of Erik and Charles driving around trying to recruit Mutants. My sister and I thought it was funny when they opened and closed their car doors at the same time.

Shortly afterwards we were employed to feed our grandparents chickens every day while they were gone (the grandparents were gone, not the chickens).

Every time we got in the car, we made sure to close the doors in sync. Every time we got out of the car, we made sure to open the doors in sync. It was extremely important.

Henceforth, I am Charles Xavier and she is Erik Lehnsherr. This fact is as firm as something carved into stone and shall stand until the end of time.

If you don’t think that makes sense, that’s probably because it doesn’t.

Wonder

First of all, this was just an excellent movie. It made me wish that I had been a loyal bookworm and read the book before watching it. But alas, we all have our shortcomings.

I loved that the story explored the perspectives of so many characters, and not only that but it effectively did so. Some stories attempt to exhibit multiple perspectives and it ends up diluting the essence of the story instead of strengthening it. Wonder pulled it off brilliantly.

But what truly struck me about this movie was the importance of acknowledging people. Most of us aren’t bullies like Julian, but there were tons of kids who just basically ignored Auggie, and that can hurt just as badly. Not saying anything can send a strong message, even if you’re not meaning to.

I tend to be one of those people that just stands in the corner. I am learning how important it is to push past my own insecurities and just let people know that I see them, because as Wonder shows us, this means a lot.

Peter Pan

I do believe in fairies. I do. I do.

I half believed in Neverland for the longest time, and it is because of this movie, not the Disney adaption. There is something so magical about this film. I grew up on Narnia and I have always been entranced by the concept of magical worlds, so this movie really resonated with me. The children are adorable and the emotion is as true as it is ridiculous, which is a tricky balance.

Also I still sort of believe in fairies.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

When this series emerged on Netflix last January, it figuratively blew me away.

I wasn’t expecting much, due to my generally disdainful view of TV shows as a species, but I was amazed by how much this adaption got right. From Lemony Snicket’s deadpan delivery of definitions to Justice Strauss’s lovable quirkiness to the photograph of the piano to the Baudelaire orphans’ allergic reactions, this show continued to impress me again and again.

Since last January when this show entered my life, I have been literally waiting with figuratively baited breath for season two.

…You might say I became slightly obsessed.

…You might say I became extremely obsessed.

And after much waiting, it is finally here. Which is slightly terrifying.

As excited as I have been for season two, I cannot say I have not had my concerns.

There is always the question of whether a brilliant adaption will continue the pattern of brilliance or horrifically decline.

The greatest cause for anxiety though, is this:

Children (with the exception of Peter Pan and maybe a few others) have a tendency to age. Rather quickly. Especially babies. This is a natural phenomenon and should not be viewed with alarm.

Unless, of course, you are filming a show that takes place in a very short period of time.

We left the Baudelaires on a bench at Prufrock Preparatory School one year ago.

At the beginning of season two, they are still on that bench, as if no time has passed, but the children’s appearances (particularly Sunny’s and Klaus’s) do not support this fact.

I must admit, the way they dealt with this glaring discrepancy was so wonderfully fitting to the show that I smile every time I think of it. It was perfect and helped release the built up tension from more than a year of anticipation.

I have only watched the first four episodes, but so far season two is following faithfully in the footsteps of season one. Café Salmonella was perfect.

(This is an illustration from the book, so clearly expectations were extremely high.)

This show restores my faith in the possibility of faithful book adaptions. There are so many less than amazing adaptions out there, and sometimes I need to be reminded that good ones exist.

Also I am just extremely obsessed, as I may have mentioned.

In Conclusion

Well, since I haven’t talked about movies enough yet, here is a list of several others that have impacted me somehow, or are just really spectacular so I can’t end this post without listing them.

Honorable Mention (for varying reasons I will not go into): LOTR, Inception, A Monster Calls, The Flash, Sherlock, That Thing You Do, I,Robot, Anne of Green Gables, Spiderman (2002), The Princess Bride, Back to the Future, The Happiest Millionaire, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Hacksaw Ridge, Glory, Pride and Prejudice (1995), The Help, a plethora of animated Disney movies, almost every Pixar movie

As we have already established, I watch a lot of movies.

Much thanks to Chelsea for tagging me for this fun (unofficial) tag!

What are some movies or TV shows that have been significant to your life? Have you seen any of the ones I mentioned? Do you like scary movies? What amazing (or terrible) movies have you seen recently? Are you overly invested in the lives of characters in film? Are you as excited about ASOUE as I am? Let me know all your cinematic news in the comments!