WATCHED IN OCTOBER

October has been quite an exciting month for me when it comes to the books I have read and films and series I have watched. With Halloween creeping closer each day, I was in the mood to watch some spooky films (nothing too scary) and so, I am excited to share my thoughts on the few I got to.

F I L M S

Coraline (2009)

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR.

When Coraline moves to an old house, she feels bored and neglected by her parents. She finds a hidden door with a bricked up passage. During the night, she crosses the passage and finds a parallel world where everybody has buttons instead of eyes, with caring parents and all her dreams coming true. When the Other Mother invites Coraline to stay in her world forever, the girl refuses and finds that the alternate reality where she is trapped is only a trick to lure her.

I have been wanting to watch this film and read the book for such a long time and finally got to both at the beginning of the month. I really loved the film but, in my opinion, I think the book is better. Still, the film had my attention the entire time. I loved the characters and think their voices fit so well with the picture I had of them inside my head before watching the film. Definitely recommend if you are in the mood for something creepy (but not too creepy).

The Addams Family (2019)

THINK YOUR FAMILY IS WEIRD?

The Addams family’s lives begin to unravel when they face-off against a treacherous, greedy crafty reality-TV host while also preparing for their extended family to arrive for a major celebration.

When I first heard about this film, I thought it was going to be completely different from the Addams Family I know and love. That was not completely the case, which I really appreciated. However, the film could have gone in a completely different direction. I did not enjoy the plot of the story centred around a TV show in a more modern town. The TV show host irritated me to no end. I would have much rather seen the film just about the Addams Family. I loved Charlize Theron and Chloë Grace Mortez as Morticia and Wednesday. Each character’s voice fit their personality really well.

Corpse Bride (2005)

THERE’S BEEN A GRAVE MISUNDERSTANDING.

Set in a 19th-century european village, this stop-motion animation feature follows the story of Victor, a young man whisked away to the underworld and wed to a mysterious corpse bride, while his real bride Victoria waits bereft in the land of the living.

After years of wanting to watch this film, I finally got to it! I really loved and enjoyed this film. I do not know what I expected but it was something completely different. I loved the spooky atmosphere as well as Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp’s voices for the two main characters.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

THIS IS HALLOWEEN, EVERYBODY MAKE A SCENE!

Tired of scaring humans every October 31 with the same old bag of tricks, Jack Skellington, the spindly king of Halloween Town, kidnaps Santa Claus and plans to deliver shrunken heads and other ghoulish gifts to children on Christmas morning. But as Christmas approaches, Jack’s rag-doll girlfriend, Sally, tries to foil his misguided plans.

This one is yet another film I have been wanting to watch for the longest time. I really enjoyed it and found myself singing along with the characters (especially the song ‘This is Halloween’—it is still stuck in my head). It is the perfect creepy film to watch on Halloween with your family.

Hubie’s Halloween (2020)

FEAR. LESS.

Hubie Dubois who, despite his devotion to his hometown of Salem, Massachusetts (and its legendary Halloween celebration), is a figure of mockery for kids and adults alike. But this year, something really is going bump in the night, and it’s up to Hubie to save Halloween.

What. Did. I. Watch? My sister and I decided to watch this together and when the credits rolled, we were still staring at the screen dumbfounded. This film was really stupid. There is just no other way to describe it. It was all over the place, not funny at all and Adam Sandler’s character’s voice? Just no. We had a difficult time understanding him. This film was not even scary, it was just downright weird.

The Tourist (2010)

IT ALL STARTED WHEN HE MET A WOMAN

American tourist Frank meets mysterious British woman Elsie on the train to Venice. Romance seems to bud, but there’s more to her than meets the eye. Remake of the 2005 French film “Anthony Zimmer”, written and directed by Jérôme Salle.

I watched this film a while back and really enjoyed it and was in the mood to rewatch it the other day. I loved the setting of the film and felt like I was their seeing all these beautiful places along with the characters. I loved Angelina and Johnny Depp in this one and will forever wish to have her classiness and elegance.

Rebecca (2020)

After a whirlwind romance with a wealthy widower, a naïve bride moves to his family estate but can’t escape the haunting shadow of his late wife.

I still have to finish about an hour of the film when this blog post is up but so far, it’s nothing special. The book is one I would love to get to soon so that I can form a better opinion on the story.

S E R I E S

The Big Bang Theory (S4:E3—S6:E19)

The lives of four socially awkward friends, Leonard, Sheldon, Howard and Raj, take a wild turn when they meet the beautiful and free-spirited Penny.

I just cannot get enough of this series. It gives me a few laughs and helps me forget all things stressful.

Emily in Paris (S1:E1—S1:E10)

Chicago marketing executive Emily Cooper is hired to provide an American perspective at a marketing firm in Paris.

I binged this series on a whim and even though I enjoyed it, I did not understand all the hype surrounding it. I loved seeing Paris along with Emily (Lily Collins) but that’s about it.

[Disclaimers: The photos used in the blog posts graphic are from Pinterest and the movie covers used in the blog post are from Google and Letterboxd.]