6506. See a John Wayne Movie

 In preparation of our trip to John Wayne's Birthplace in August, I figured I better actually watch a John Wayne movie. Westerns are not my favorite genre. I don't think I ever really watched one. 

I asked on Facebook which movie of his I should watch. True Grit or The Quiet Man were popular choices. However, I was limited to what was available on Hoopla through the library. Shannon suggested McLintock! because it was her mom's favorite and since it was available on Hoopla it is the one I watched.

In McLintock!, wealthy rancher G.W. McLintock uses his power and influence in the territory to keep the peace between farmers, ranchers, land-grabbers, Indians, and corrupt government officials. (IMBD).

The movie wasn't bad once you got over the over the top fight scenes and typical acting found in western movies. I was actually surprised these kinds of movies still exist based on how PC our society has become. McLintock "beats" his wife with a spatula on the behind due to bad behavior. He gives his future son-in-law similar advice about keeping his wife in her place. 

The fight scene at the quarry was hilarious with every one slipping down into the cement pit even McLintock's wife. There are quite a few funny moments in the moive.

I'm still not a western fan but I would be willing to watch more. Telling the hubby what I did and watched, he was like you watched the wrong movie. He believes Rooster Cogburn is the best John Wayne movie. It is not available through Hoopla. However it is available through the library. Maybe I will rent it before we leave in August especially if it gets me a badge for the summer reading program.

Craxi at the Movies: Crimes of Grindelwald

As soon as I heard Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald was coming out, I got tickets. I am not much of a movie goer. I think the last movie I saw in the theaters was Fast and Furious 8... in Costa Rica. I really wanted to see this one.

Honestly I was not overly impressed. It was good but it lacked something. I spent the first half of the movie confused as hell as who was who and who was doing what even though I know the Harry Potter story line and saw the last Fantastic Beast movie. I just couldn't make heads or tails of the beginning of the movie.

Once everything started to make sense, it was over. It literally left you hanging for the next movie. They exposed a huge twist and then rolled the credits. I have to go back and read Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows to confirm the twist.  I also have to wait two years to find out what happens next.

There were other very non-Harry Potter aspects of the movie that just irked me.

1. The teachers at Hogwarts when the movie took place wore regular fancy clothes like three piece suits... where are the cloaks and pointy hats??? It was more like a muggle boarding school than the greatest school for witchcraft and wizardry.

2. I thought they were at Beauxbatons (the French wizardry school) instead of Hogwarts based on how they cut to Hogwarts. It really didn't make sense at the beginning of the scene. It took a long to figure out they were at Hogwarts and that the man teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts was Dumbledore.

3. Speaking of Dumbledore, if the movie took place in the 1920s like it supposed to then Dumbledore really aged in 60 years which I suppose is possible. Dumbledore looked NOTHING like he should have in the movie. He opted for three piece suits and no beard. He didn't seem anything like Dumbledore. Very disappointing.

I get that they are really separate movies but please bring back the wizard robes.

I also need to get my hands on a Sirius Black Family tree. There is a character in the movie that could possible be a relative but doesn't seem so dark. More things to leave you hanging for the next movie.

As much as I don't like to search the internet for the behind the scenes thoughts and tidbits I might just have to in order to figure out the mind set for this movie.. Maybe reading the screenplay will help.

Now don't let me deter you from going to the movie. It is worth seeing but be prepared to be confused, angry, and slightly betrayed while you watch it.

Craxi At the Movies: Beauty and the Beast

When I heard that Disney was remaking Beauty and the Beast as a live-action move, I was skeptical. It is my favorite Disney movie and I wasn't sure if it would be ruined if they made it live-action. Then I found out Emma Watson was playing Belle and decided I wanted to see it.

Image from imdb.com

My movie-going experience did not start well. After paying through the nose for a bottle of water ($4.25... heck I can buy a whole case for that price and my movie ticket was only $5), Erin and I had to stand around waiting to get into the theater as they were still cleaning it... and it was 10 minutes before show time... Then by the time the previews and announcements were finished it was nearly 20 minutes AFTER the time the movie was supposed to start.

The movie, however, was REALLY well done but I still prefer the animated version. I'm glad they stuck to the original story.. a tale as old as time.. Sure they were a few differences but they were minor and added to the movie. The way the explained the snow at the castle was most beneficial.

Emma Watson was amazing as Belle. However, it is sad that a whole new generation that will know her as Belle and not Hermoine. I didn't even realize she could sing. The animated beast is so much better looking than the new beast. I really didn't like the horns. I wouldn't say he was scary but he definitely was more beast-like.

My biggest disappointment was that the castle accessories were still animated. I really though Mrs Potts, Lumiere, Cogswoth, Chip, and the rest of the gang would have been really characters as well. It does make sense though that they are animated because of the nature of the characters. Humans really don't make good household objects no matter how good the costume team is.  I also prefer the whimsical Mrs. Potts of the animated version than the more regal Mrs. Potts of the live action version.

Disney announced that LaFou is the first openly gay Disney character. My opinion: Who Cares? Now, with that being said, if Disney didn't say that I might not have drawn that conclusion. There is nothing overly obvious that he is gay. Yes, there are few moments that would make you go hmmm if you didn't know better. The final dance scene there is a moment when LaFou does give a flirtatious look to another young man but it is so brief that again if you didn't know better, you would never have guessed. I never saw LaFou dance with another man during that scene. Even though Disney introduced us to the first openly gay character, they did it in such a way that didn't detract from the movie and wasn't over the top.

Even though I prefer the animated version, I am not disappointed. If you haven't seen it, I would recommend seeing it. It is a good family movie. And yes the songs will get stuck in your head.

Would I buy it? Maybe... and that's only because I normally don't buy many movies any more.

Craxi at the Movies: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

This is BIG year for me... I went to not 1 but 2 movies in the theaters. I probably haven't done that in over 10 years. Since I was turning 37, I wanted to go see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them -- the latest Harry Potter movie. Danielle and Erin agreed to go with me.

Before I tell you about the movie I, better tell you that we went to the theater by my house which I've not been there since they remodeled it. I will be going to Marcus Valley Grand Cinema for all my future movie outings. They have the Dream Loungers which makes watching a movie so much more comfortable. After further research so does Hollywood Theater and it really depends on which theater your movie is shown in. I think all the theaters need to be upgraded to the Dream Loungers.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was original written as Harry Potter textbook/companion book to the Harry Potter books. J.K. Rowlings turned it into a screenplay set 70 years before Harry was at Hogwarts. Instead of being set in London, it's set in NYC. Newt Scammander comes to America to release on of his beasts in the wilds of Arizona. Before that can even happen, his beasts escape and another terrifying beast is on the loose in the city. He is accused of setting the terrifying beast on the city and is sentenced to death. Without giving too much away, I let you know that the world is righted again and no executions take place.

Besides Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, this has to be my favorite Harry Potter movie and Harry isn't even in it. It was funny yet serious. I laughed out loud at several parts. Besides knowing it was based on the Harry Potter textbook with the same name, I really didn't know much about the movie going into it. I thought it might have followed the Harry Potter books in a way but it really didn't. Even if you didn't read any of the books or see any of the previous movies, you would have been able to follow the plot. It had very few references to the series and made a great stand-alone film. It was much better than expected. I really liked that a Muggle or No-Maj (Non-magic people) had an important part in the movie and that he ended up helping the wizarding world.

My only gripe was that I felt jipped at the end. I felt that it just ended with 2 characters recognizing each other and really should have expanded on that a bit more. A kiss would have been nice. However, I think I'm the only that felt this way. Either way it was a great movie with great characters. This one will be bought for sure.

Now I'm off to find myself of Niffler...

Craxi at the Movies: The Girl on the Train

Normally I don’t go to the movies but since book club was reading The Girl on the Train, I really wanted to see how it compared to the book preferably before book club. Erin and I decided to take advantage of the $5 Tuesdays at Marcus and go see the movie.

The movie was okay. It did stick to the book really well and it was nice to visualize the scenes in the book but the movie itself seemed to lack continuous flow. The story flowed fine but the scenes at times seemed choppy. There were a lot of random, brief sex scenes and always with guy taking the girl from behind. Like the book, the movie was shot from different character’s perspectives. I understand that is how the book was written but the writers could have written the entire script from one perspective and not jump around. I think that’s what made the movie jumpy.

There were some minute differences between the book and the movie that unless you read the book and saw the movie, you won’t have picked up on. The book is set in London where the movie is in New York. One of the scenes in the movie took place at Rachel’s house instead of xxx’s house which kind of was creepier. The final scene was similar to the book but did have minor details changed enough to drive me nuts. However, the way the book ended and the way the movie ended were the same. The murderer was the same person. All the major details were kept in place.

If I didn’t read the book and just saw the movie, I would have said the movie was horribly done but with the knowledge I gained in reading the book, it helped me tolerate the movie. If it was a low-budget film, it definitely showed through. I knew going in the reviews weren’t great but I thought maybe they were wrong. There were spot on.

I’m glad I went to the movie and hopefully others at book club did too so I can hear what they thought of the movie. Everyone that read the book on Facebook, loved it so I’ll be curious of what people think at book club regarding the book and the movie.