Movies I watched recently

Good afternoon everyone!

If you’re American, I hope you’re having a wonderful Thanksgiving. If you’re not American, I hope you’re having a wonderful day.

I’ve been sick at home for three days so I’ve been watching a lot of YouTube. There’s only so many videos you can watch before you die of boredom so I’ve been watching a few movies, even though I don’t really feel like it. I thought I might share the last five movies I’ve watched because one can always use movie suggestions, right?

A Star is Born

I had been looking forward to watching this one since I watched the trailer, a couple of months ago. I went to the cinema as soon as I had the chance and it was wonderful. It’s a beautiful film and I’m rooting for it to win a few Academy Awards. Lady Gaga’s performance is flawless and the same can be said for Bradley Cooper’s acting, singing (who knew?!) and directing. Their chemistry is out of this world. I cried my eyes out too because there’s so much to feel. It’s now a favorite.

Loved: The soundtrack. Rui and I listen to it in the car and I fall asleep to it often.

Liked: Lady Gaga looks beautiful with no makeup.

Didn’t like: The ending.

Crazy Rich Asians

I’m glad I didn’t go to the movies to watch this one because I didn’t like it as much as I was expecting. It’s fun and light but not a “spending money to go see it” movie. Is this a weird criteria?

Loved: A whole Asian cast

Liked: Their accent

Didn’t like: The crazy over the top rich people spending kind of bothers me

Stepmom

I’ve been in a 90’s movie kick lately and this one has been on my list for a while. I love movies about moms because I feel inspired by them. I really liked this one, despite the fact that you can spot very obvious 90’s movie cliches when it comes to plot and cinematography.

Loved: Mom love

Liked: Younger Susan Sarandon, Julia Roberts and Jena Malone

Didn’t like: The ending

Baby Boom

Once again, moms. The 80’s. I love that this movie is fun while dealing with serious issues such as adoption, women’s careers, and the idea of “having it all”.

Loved: J.C. bonding with baby Elizabeth

Liked: 80’s work fashion

Didn’t like: How they portray the corporate world as being the wrong place for a mother

Green Card

I didn’t know anything about this movie until I actually saw it. I love Gerard Depardieu and his character. It’s a romantic comedy about two very different people that fall in love, after getting married.

Loved: Gerard Depardieu’s accent

Liked: The main female character’s name – Brontë

Didn’t like: The ending

So, yeah. This is it. Have you watched any of this films? Any opinions you’d like to share?

I’m also interested in what you’ve been watching and accepting suggestions.

Hugs, Chey.

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Oscars 2018 – Red Carpet: My Top 10 Gowns (In No Particular Order)

Here’s my top 10 favorites from last night:

Do we share any favorites?

xx

My Oscar History – Getting Robbed Since 2015 #justiceforcheila + Share your opinions: Let’s Talk Cinema

Good morning everyone!

It’s 09.43 as I’m starting this post and I didn’t sleep at all last night. No, it wasn’t insomnia. It was OSCARS NIGHT. If you know me half well you know how much I live love The Oscars.

The first time any kind of movie award caught my attention was back in 2013. I had loved movies all my life, way before that, but I was taking cinema classes in college so I became interested in awards, actors and technical aspects. I’m not sure I actually watched the ceremony in 2013 but I know I was really happy thatArgowon.

Now, 2014 was a turning point. I had done so much research for the whole of 2013 and was way more into the whole Oscar phenomenon. I had watched all the films and was rooting for 12 Years a Slave, which ended up winning Best Picture. I was very happy with the winners of Best Actor in a Leading Role and Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto for Dallas Buyers Club. In my opinion, all of the movies were really good that year. Here’s the full list of nominees:

86th Academy Awards Nominees

By 2015, I was addicted. It had become my thing. It was also the first time I felt deceived. Oh yes. I was rooting for either The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything or Boyhood. Wonderful movies. I mean, I had three favorites, it’s not like I would be disappointed, would I? Wrong. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)took the Oscar for Best Picture. Okay. But why? I was happy that Eddie Redmayne won Best Actor for The Theory of Everything because, let’s face it, he played a damn good Stephen Hawking. Julliane Moore took the Award for Best Actress with Still Alice which was well deserved. Still, my heart broke a little.

2016 came and my dreams were shattered once again. There were so many good movies. I mean, I did like Spotlight, the winner. But it’s not the one I would have picked. There was Room, The Revenant, The Martian, Brooklyn, Bridge of Spies, The Big Short. I felt like there were better choices for Best Picture. Thank God Leonardo DiCaprio won Best Actor in a Leading Role, FINALLY, otherwise I would have lost my shit! Although I do think Eddie Redmayne should have won again, for his brilliant performance in The Danish Girl. He would have won two years in a row, which would have been awesome. But Leo deserved that Oscar. He froze his ass in Canada to film The Revenant. I mean, he had been freezing his ass since Titanic and no Oscar. He got inside a friggin horse. It was his.

2017 was a weird year for me. I had seen all of the movies and was really excited but fell asleep before the ceremony. It was actually a blessing, otherwise I might have had a stroke because of the “La La Land… Fuck no… Moonlight” incident. I was obviously rooting for La La Land and the disappointment would be too hard to take after that false alarm. The other films were all really good, though, the best being Hacksaw Ridge, in my opinion.

So you have probably realized by now how I’ve been robbed since 2015, haven’t you? So unfair. Well, this year was no different. I was feeling pretty confident that Timothée Chalamet would win Best Actor. Nope. That dude who played Churchill in The Darkest Hour (A.k.A Dunkirk number 2) took Oscar home. Well, that was sad. Fortunately, Best Picture was still to come and I was fine with either Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri or Call Me By Your Name. I was so wrong. The Shape of fuck a fish won instead. I mean… How? Why? I feel empty inside. How could they do this to me?? You do understand why I’m so upset don’t you? Thank you.

Yeah, I just needed to vent and share this long, sad story. The Oscars are probably the reason I take so much medication. It’s too much too handle. Year after year. I guess I’ll just go and cry in a corner now, maybe listen to the La La Land soundtrack and try to feel better. There’s always 2019. No one is getting my Oscar next year.

Tell me guys,

Does anyone share my disappointment?

Are you a cinema lover?

What’s your favorite movie ever?

How do you feel about the Oscars?

Did you watch any of this year’s nominees?

Were you rooting for a film/actor?

xx

To Be Read & To Be Watched: August – December 2017

Hello everyone,

Do you still remember me? I’ve been kind of absent. I intend to get back for good , and return to my daily posting. Now that our vacation is over, I can get back to my routines, tasks and to-do lists. You like that, don’t you?

Today I bring you a lists of the books, series, films and documentaries I plan on watching from now until the end of the year. I never know what to read or what to watch, so I feel more organized if I make lists. Also, I can get your opinion and suggestions, which are both very welcome.

You’re already acquainted with my movie list: 

Day 1: The Godfather

Day 2: The Godfather: Part II

Day 3: Casablanca

Day 4: Memento

Day 5: Sunset Boulevard

Day 6: Requiem for a Dream (I’ve started this one but gave up. It was late and it was confusing. I’ll obviously get back to it)

Day 7: Before Sunrise (Already waiting on my computer so it will probably be the next one to watch)

Day 8: Lion

Day 9: Les Miserables

Day 10: Babel

Day 11: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Day 12: Munich

Day 13: The Aviator

Day 14: Pulp Fiction

Day 15: Suicide Squad

Day 16: Inception

Day 17: It

Day 18: It’s a Wonderful Life

Day 19: Selma

Day 20: Apocalypse Now

Day 21: Cinema Paradiso

Day 22: To Kill a Mockingbird

Day 23: Rebecca

Day 24: Winter’s Bone

Day 25: Hotel Rwanda

Day 26: Mystic River

Day 27: Chicago

Day 28: Beauty and the Beast (Waiting on my computer)

Day 29: The Zookeeper’s Wife

Day 30: The Shack

I intend to keep this list and go through it and I’ll only make a new one when I finish this one. I’ll probably watch other movies that might premiere until the end of the year or Rui’s choices for movie night. I’ll add them to the list as I go.

My To Be Read list:

This is actually the first time I do a to be read list, I think. I know many bloggers who do it and I actually read their lists. I’m also usually impressed with how many books they can read in a month or year. Very fast and avid readers out there.

Books I won:

I did a little shelf-shopping and found a few books I’ve bought and that I’ve been meaning to read for a long time and decided it was time. Why read something else before going through my virgin books? So, from my collection (which is not big, I own between 40 and 50 books), I’ve picked the following:

Death With Interruptions by José Saramago (Portuguese)

Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

Os Enamoramentos by Javier Marías (Portuguese but from a Spanish writer)

The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James

Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D. H. Lawrence (One of my favorite writers)

Tender is The Night and The Last Tycoon by Francis Scott Fitzgerald

Books I’ve borrowed from the Library:

House Rules by Jodie Picoult

Perfect Match by Jodie Picoult

Keeping Faith by Jodie Picoult

I’ve borrowed these because they are lighter reads than classics. I do prefer classics but they can get boring and are more difficult and slower to read because of the language. I can read a little faster in Portuguese so these might come handy when I’m busy. They’re usually very good books, although a little bit tragic for my taste.

Books From Kindle:

I don’t have a kindle reader but I read them on my phone, which is fine. I would rather have some kind of tablet or ipad but the phone will do.

Better Off Wed by Laura Durham

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Audio Books:

Bunner Sisters by Edith Wharton

Now from books to series:

I’m currently watching:

• Poldark (season 3)
• Game of thrones (season 7)
• Mr. Selfridge (season 1)

I’m waiting for: 

• The Crown (December 8, 2017)
• Outlander (September 10, 2017)
• Victoria (Fall)
• The Walking Dead (October 23, 2017) – My Birthday!!
• American Horror Story (September, 5, 2017)
• Stranger Things (October 27, 2017)
• Call the Midwife (Spring 2018)
• This Is Us (September 26, 2017

Documentaries:

• One Man, Six Wives, 29 Children (Polygamy Documentary)
• The Victorian Way of Death
• BBC Mental –  A History of the Madhouse
• BBC 2017 – Nuclear Weapons
• The Bridge
• The Most Shocking Psychiatry Documentary Ever
• The True Story: The Silence of the Lambs
• The Origin of HIV
• Science and the Swastika: The Deadliest Experiment
• New York’s Hidden Past

(… among others)

Magazines I read: 

 

• Cosmopolitan UK
• Cosmopolitan USA
• Glamour UK
• Red UK
• Tattler UK
• Star Magazine UK (Don’t judge 1)
• Star Magazine USA (Don’t judge 2)
• Reader’s Digest
• Vogue USA

So, these are my lists.

Would you like to share yours?

Do we share any favorites?

Do you have any suggestions?

 

Thank you so much for reading.