Mary and the Witch's Flower

Mary and the Witch's Flower ( Hiromasa Yonebayashi and Giles New, 2017)

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Rating: Q=7, P=6 / Can't Get Enough

Scale 1=4, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

Animated, Coming of Age, Magic, Fantasy, Adventure, Based on Book

I really enjoyed this film--such glorious animation for the first out of Studio Ponoc. I am certain that this new animation studio will be successful. I would have liked to watch it in the original Japanese, but I didn't have the option. This is a story in the vein of Harry Potter and Kiki's Delivery Service, but it does hold its own. A fun escape for all ages!

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October Thrillers Challenge: Frankenstein

Frankenstein (James Whale, 1931)

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Rating: Q=5, P=4 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=2, Scale 3=2, Scale 4=2

Classic, Thriller, Suspense, Based on Book

It was fun to watch Frankenstein in its entirety, since there are so many classic scenes and lines. I especially found it fun to compare it to the many, many other versions of the tale that I have seen over the years (a personal favorite will always be Mel Brook's Young Frankenstein).

From this little challenge, I've discovered that my new favorite classic actor is Dwight Frye. I'll be investigating more from this exceptional character actor soon!

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Ladybird

Ladybird (Greta Gerwig, 2017)

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Rating: Q=7, P=4 / Can't Get Enough

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=2, Scale 4=2

Coming of Age, Complex Relationships, Mother-Daughter

This film feels so real. Senior year of high school is a meaningful, crazy, exhausting, and difficult year. For me, it was a roller-coaster of emotion, much of it negative and awful. But it was also rewarding. I love that this film shows us how strong the bond between mother and daughter can be. Even when it looks ugly. And it can look brutally ugly. Ladybird also shows us that first loves can be fleeting and disappointing, that friendship is confusing, that it is difficult to prove yourself when you don't even know yourself...and then comes those first few weeks of college. So dramatically different from everything before. And then you realize what you had. A truly wonderful film.

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October Thrillers Challenge: Dirty Harry

Dirty Harry (Don Siegel, 1971)

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Rating: Q=4, P=3 / Thanks But No Thanks

Scale 1=2, Scale 2=2, Scale 3=2, Scale 4=1

Thriller, Crime, Action

As I expected, this film just wasn't for me. Clint Eastwood is certainly a legendary actor but his style has never been my favorite. I suppose that makes sense because he is more of a physical actor, not a talker. This movie is all about the chase and doesn't give much depth of characters, which is fine but I always like to know more about the "why." Scorpio is one of the creepiest villains I've seen in film, so that doesn't help my personal score for the film. I do, however, appreciate the action shots and suspense throughout.

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