A Netflix Christmas

So, it's less than three days until Christmas. You may be a Scrooge, a Santa, or somewhere in between. Maybe you have plans with family tomorrow and you need an hour-and-a-half distraction from your esteemed guests, or maybe you just need a bit of you-time. Whatever your holiday case may be, Netflix, like a caring and lifelong friend, has got you covered.

Netflix, just like a well-meaning friend, can be very misguided. It suggested some "Holiday Favorites" to me such as Snow Days-which looks like a very epic crossover with Bob the Builder, Thomas the Tank, and Barney-Mule-Tide Christmas-which sounds as equally boring as it looks disturbing-and so many cliche-looking made for TV movies that I won't even waste my time going through them all. Nothing screams Holiday Favorites like a quick cash grab, amiright? Anyway, this year, I only devoted my time to watching what I assumed would be quality. Here are the Christmas movies I watched, in order, and my thoughts.

The star rating will be given with a few things in mind: overall re-watchability year after year, festiveness, snow (because I'm biased), etc.

Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas

I came in like a Christmas Ball!

Ok. So this movie is something I watched very frequently during my childhood Christmases. That being said, this will definitely be clouded with nostalgia. As an adult, you'll like it if you enjoy the more classic hand-drawn animation and Mickey, Goofy, Donald, etc. They even do a clever version of Gift of the Magi with Mickey and Minnie and you may get some laughs out of Donald Duck's plight in dealing with his ungrateful nephews.

4/5 Stars. This has all the makings of a sappy Christmas movie: the boy who doesn't believe in Santa Claus, the family gatherings, and the spirit of giving.

Love Actually

Please don't hate me. I realize that this movie is very popular and well-liked, but there were some things that rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe it is due to the fact that I had just finished the great documentary Miss Representation, but I just felt as if they could have done so much better. I enjoyed the star-studded cast, because if it had been comprised of people who did not come with such star power, then the movie would have been even more lacking than it already was.

Why else would I care about all these people's lives?

 Don't get me wrong, I may watch this movie again because I found myself laughing a bit here and there, but there were definitely things that found very problematic. If you are going to watch it, don't do it with kids in the room, even if there is a very young Thomas Brodie-Sangster.

He's actually 24 here. Dermatologists hate him.

If you are looking for a relaxed romantic comedy about the pitfalls of city romance, give it a watch!
3.5/5 Stars. Due to some of the problems throughout the film, I would't want to watch this too much. The message it gives is not completely clear. Though it seems to be telling the us that love is actually present in our world, it just seemed shallow at times.

White Christmas

An obvious classic, it is most well-known for the song "White Christmas". However, there are a few others tunes that are just as nice that cover topics from "snow" to "army service". This is family-friendly because you won't have to sit through any awkward scenes with your in-laws, but may not hold the attention of some of the younger viewers. It's predictable, flashy, and everything a musical movie was from the 50's.

5/5 Stars. Classic Christmas film. Though it suffers from a lot of over-hype, it will get you into the Christmas Spirit. 

A Christmas Carol

On the right you'll see a dead man whom I adore.

 I'm in love...Maybe it's because I'm vaguely reminded of Bill Hader? 

This was surprisingly great! I thought it was going to be droll, but from the very first scene I was hooked! The acting was entertaining, the mood was jovial, and overall it was a memorable film. Clocking in at a little over an hour, this will surely make my list for movies that get watched year after year. I find this to be my favorite version of A Christmas Carol that I have seen to date.

5/5 Stars. Short, as re-watchable as It's a Wonderful Life, good message, and perfect mix of seriousness and joy.

Fireplace For Your Home: Winter Wonderland For Your Home

I have zero snow where I am. I can, at the very least, pretend that I am in a winter wonderland. Music plays throughout and I can pretend I am in the frozen tundra of somewhere else.
5/5 Stars. Snow is one of my favorite things, and the can be playing the background of all my daily tasks.

Fireplace 4K: Classic Crackling Fireplace from Fireplace for Your Home

Wow. The public asked for more and they delivered. My biggest complaint is the lack of music. You can watch the trailer for the first of the riveting films here, and don't forget to check out the Behind the Scenes.
4/5 Stars. I have a fireplace, but it doesn't crackle like this one. I can play it and choose my own music, or just decide to enjoy the warmth of the television screen.

Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection

Do you feel like crying? Because you may after you watch some of these animated shorts. Without spoiling anything, just know that there is some surprising depth within some of these short films. That may be because one of the shorts was based off an already written short story.

Those aren't tears! I got snow in my eyes, I swear!

The varying type of cartoons doesn't really give it a succinct feel, but this is to be expected with a combination of short stories by different authors and animators. You may have seen some of these before, but the creators of the shorts talk a bit about their processes beforehand, which is very interesting and adds new depth to each piece.

Help me! I'm feeling!

2/5 Stars. Though this is great to watch, I would not necessarily call it a "Holiday Favorite". I guess there's snow, and I love re-watching Paperman over again, but calling this a holiday favorite just because one of the shorts features two elves and another features Elsa does not make me think much of Christmas.

The Ref

Kevin Spacey. What a gift to humankind. He acts, he sings, directs, produces, and he even does impressions! This stud of a man is in this film and makes me enjoy it even more. But enough about him. This dark comedy centers around an extremely dysfunctional family and a burglar who has to deal with it all.

A man who has seen hell in the form a Christmas dinner.

Technically, it's rated R which means it should not be showed to the young children at your Christmas party, but there were youngish kids in it, so pop it in! However, you probably won't want to watch this around your parents if the relationship is already strained because it may bring to light a few flaws you were trying to ignore until they left your Christmas dinner.
5/5 Stars. There's a drunk Santa, snow, Christmas dinner, presents...how much more Christmas can you get?


Netflix, it seems, has got you covered. Are there any films in this list that you may add to your yearly watching? Did you watch any films about Christmas that were surprisingly good? Let me know in the comments below and have an eggnog on me.

Music of the Month: December 2015

Hey! I'm aware this is very late in the month of December, so this may count as January's as well. You probably thought this would be a posting of Holiday-type music, but instead it's all Star Wars!

I just saw Star Wars Episode VII and heck did I love it! The reason I can love because it definitely loved me back. Let's pretend the Star Wars Christmas Special never happened and just make Star Wars: The Force Awakens this holiday's movie.

Get out of here you Luke-sized Barbie.

John Williams is a very accomplished composer and in this playlist there are a few of his highlighted tracks from all seven of the movies. Say what you like about the prequels, but the compositions are still on par with the original movies. I'm sure there will be a long post about my thoughts on Star Wars later, but until then May the Force be with you. 

As always, if you ever have any suggestions for music to be highlighted, please let me know! You will get credit and you will have my gratitude! Thank you!

Get to this music quicker than lightspeed!

Halloween TV

I absolutely adore Autumn. And Halloween. Any excuse for anything thematic is great in my book! And what better way to be thematic than watching some fun Halloween-themed television shows? Ok, sure, there are a lot of ways, but this is super easy. This Wikipedia link will show you oodles of Halloween episodes for you to watch! Here are a few that I found on the list that are some of my favorites.

The Regular Show: Terror Tales of the Park

Funny, creepy, and even morbid. this episode is definitely scary in its own way. Featuring three stories (unfortunately Muscle Man's was my least favorite) each hilarious and entertaining enough to fill up an entire 20 minutes. 

The Suite Life of Zack & Cody: The Ghost of Suite 613

This episode definitely creeped me out as kid. It was one of those classic "Suite Life" episodes that doesn't disappoint. Featuring most of the characters in a room together locked in a scary bet, the hilarity ensues. 

Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Puppetmaster

Spoilers aside, not only is this episode crucial for character development, it is also one of the darkest episodes of the series. I wouldn't recommend watching this one if you haven't seen the series (considering its in the third season) but this episode will definitely leave an impression on even the most seasoned viewer.

Spongebob Squarepants: Graveyard Shift

This is one of the most memorable and quotable episodes of Spongebob. It's funny, easy to identify with, and just plain enjoyable to watch. 

Glee: The Rocky Horror Glee Show

I'm adding this to the list because technically Rocky Horror Picture Show isn't TV, but this more than qualifies. Though not the real thing by any means, if you have any love in your heart for tributes, this one captures the spirit of Rocky Horror just fine.

Parks and Recreation: Halloween Surprise

Don't, I repeat, Don't watch this episode unless you have seen most of the episodes up to this point. There is so much awesome in this episode that watching it before it's time would be a disservice to yourself. As with much of Parks and Rec (first season aside. I hate Mark.), the jokes are fantastic and the character development is touching.

Anyway, I hope you liked this short list. What are some of your favorite spooky TV episodes? 

Promoting an App? And you aren't getting paid?

So as you may have discovered, I absolutely adore binge-watching television. However, I have a major flaw when it comes to watching TV. What is that problem? Well, I didn't really realize I had a problem until my roommate abruptly pointed it out by saying "Why do you never finish good TV shows?".

Ouch. This isn't necessarily true, but it is a pattern. It goes a little something like this: I watch a lot of a show, something gets in the way (like another TV show perhaps), and then I forget...everything. Mostly I forget where I was in the show when I finally get the urge to watch it again. And sure, Netflix marks off where you were last, but what if I'm using other means? Legal means, of course! That's where this awesome app comes in!

 This picture kind of makes it look like a dating app, but it's really not...unless you want it to be! It's amazing! There are so many great features! My favorite feature is the profile. It keeps a record of all the TV shows you have ever watched, need to watch, and plan to watch. It is fantastic. If I am ever needing to find a good show to watch, I can just look at my list! I don't have to write anything down and can quickly scan for shows that I have started but have forgotten about for a few months.

It even shows your progress in the form of a bar across the bottom of the show. Also, See that time up there?! That's where it shows your accomplishment of time spent watching amazing TV shows

And once you mark off that you have watched an episode, you can talk all about it with a community of watchers!

So I guess it could be a great dating app! There are so many great features, so you should just really get the app for yourself and check it out. You can access it on the web, and it works for Android and IOS. So, Go explore the fantastic world of TV!

Cheers, Giles.

That gif wasn't needed, I just needed some eye candy.

Funny Fish

Living in a dorm room can be difficult for an empathetic pet lover. Though my house is only 15 minutes away, I still don't have access to my two dogs as often as I would like. There is something about the company of a dog that just wants to cuddle that I adore. But this post isn't about my dogs, it's about my fish!

I know I wanted a pet with me. However, you are only allowed to have a fish in a tank 29 gallons or smaller. So I got myself a 10 gallon fish tank. Here are the wonderful fish I currently own compared to their human counterparts.

Harley Quinn.
She puts up with so much. 

Vincent.
Arguably the best ginger painter.

Rorschach. My favorite antihero with a chip on his shoulder. His morals are unshakable. 

(Update: He died before this could be published. What a true hero.)

Frodo, Pippin, Merry. Sam died.

Mr. Bingly. I'd choose him over Mr. Darcy any day.

Here's a quick pic of my tank!

 I really enjoy having my fish tank at my desk while I work.
Just keep swimming!

Music of the Month: September 2015

Wow! The school year has already started for me, and since I'm a music major taking a few music classes, I've discovered some new music!

What? People actually sang that? Yes. Gregorian Chant is really so beautiful. Usually only one melody line and sung in Latin, the beautiful music is without rhythm and is truly relaxing. I find that it makes good studying music. It was so free formed that it could even vary what pitch it started on from time to time. Go take a music history class. It's awesome.

This playlist is just comprised of six songs that we are required to listen to for the Middle Ages portion of this semester. There are a few other songs, but these are the only chants.

For those of you wanting a link to this playlist, click here!

Don't Discount Cartoons!

Hey, sorry I haven't posted anything super recently! I was hoping I could post something substantial at least once a week, but life got in the way and now I'm in bed nursing 12 yellow jacket stings. (That was like a week ago). Also, as I was finishing this post I was also just finishing up my first week of college. It's been great but also difficult for a multitude of reasons.
Anyway, enough of my sob story. Time for one of my favorite subjects...Cartoons!
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Now, I know many people immediately write off cartoons as either completely childish or embarrassingly vulgar. There are plenty of cartoons that fit these two stereotypes, but with the power of the internet I have been re-watching old cartoons and discovering new ones, and have been left with quite the pleasant surprise.

Don't get me wrong, I do have quite a broad range of interests and am more apt to watch a variety of cartoons that won't appeal to everyone. I am quite fond of The Adventures of Tintin, The Simpsons, Steven Universe, and Rick & Morty. It's completely understandable to not like any of the previously mentioned cartoons. The humor, plot points, or characters don't appeal to everyone. However, I don't think it's fair to simply write-off a particular show simply because it is animated.

Animation has come so far, that even three-dimensional animation can look nice for lower budget tv shows. Hand drawn cartoons don't always have to look like The Problem Solverz (Gross. What even is that! And could they have had a worse marketing strategy? My ears are bleeding! This is the last time I do any research). And when you've found a great show, the voice acting can be impeccable.

All media ages over time, but you can't discount old cartoons either. Batman: The Animated Series still has a great soundtrack and even though the animation may be a bit drab when compared with some of today's shows, it still boasts some great talent that doesn't fade with time: Mark Hamill voices the Joker.

Even newer cartoons aren't always bad. The problem doesn't lie in the fact that there are bad cartoons (even though there are plenty of those). The problem is over-saturation of a market. And though you can't always make everyone happy, it can still be argued that one has to try a bit harder to find "good shows" nowadays. Back when my mom was a kid, they had five channels. The TV guide was simplistic and easy to follow. Now, there are thousands of shows and you can watch old or new programs. So networks have to try that much harder to get people to watch their new TV shows. The good thing about this is that there are a variety of shows out there to capture viewer's attentions.

These tactics cartoons use are not always bad. While shows like the long running Futurama and currently-in-it's-second-season Rick & Morty do often go for the lowest denominator to get a few cheap laughs, they also don't hesitate to provide satiric criticism into the issues that society deals with today. For example, in one episode of Futurama the issue of Robosexual marriage is brought up (the marriage between a robot and a human). I guess you could say the biggest problem with cartoons of this nature are the lack of politically-correctness that they have. However, what changes were ever made without someone causing a few problems.

Shows that are geared towards a younger audience still can have a running social commentary. This is most obvious in the mainstream shows like Steven Universe and Adventure Time. Steven Universe features a cast of mainly females, which is pretty cool by itself, but a few of the ladies are attracted to other ladies. In fact, in a recent episode there was even a time when one of the girl characters kissed another girl character on the neck.

I could go into even more detail about various cartoons, but the point is that there are plenty of shows out there with substance and some of them just happen to be cartoons. So go check out a few cartoons and expand your horizons!

Want to watch a cartoon but don't know where to start? Message me or leave a comment.

Music of the Month

Just for fun, I will be changing the music selection for my blog probably about once a month. I was considering keeping it solely instrumental, but then decided that would severely limit my options. It's hard for me to read while listening to a song with any sort of lyric, so I understand the the problem that this might cause if you want to listen while perusing my blog.

With that being said, you can always copy the link and listen to it elsewhere, so I don't feel too bad about having lyrical pieces in my playlist. Each month, I'll have a new post with some basic info about the corresponding playlist.

I will definitely take recommendations for what to post from anyone who has anything to offer! It can be as mainstream as the the current Top 40 or different as a Monk Gregorian chant. Anything you have to offer is much appreciated! Those who do send in recommendations will definitely get credit for your taste in music.

Thanks for your support and happy listening!