January films watched

Hello there!

I decided I will make monthly updates to my movie lists: 50/50 and IMDb Top-250 everlasting challenge.

As  I mentioned in my review of 2015, I decided I will in reality challenge myself to read 12 books this year (I read eight the last, so it shouldn’t be too bad) and watch 150 films. And as mentioned on the page for 50/50, I will also continue my TV Challenge (although I seem to get lost all the time as I start watching something that is not on that list…).

This year actually started really well when it comes to movies. I watched total of 34 films. Yes, that many. I didn’t have much life in January. But it should change in a week or so, let’s see what kind of an effect it’ll have to my watching habits. I also saw 10 films in cinemas. A lot, huh? But it’s the Oscars time, so… I still need to review Creed, Joy, The Revenant and Spotlight before the gala and I need to watch at least Room and Brooklyn.

Most of the films I saw in January were good or better or at least OK. Few turkeys like Damsels in Distress or Varsity Blues. Yeah, I lost few hours of my life for those ones but then again, I gave four or more stars to 14 films out of 34, I think that’s a lot! So good month indeed. The best of the bunch being Spotlight. Review coming later! The whole list you can see on the page.

Last year I managed to watch only two (!) films from IMDb’s list and I promised I’ll do better this year as most of those films are really good! And I started my year strongly as I watched Spirited Away that was on the list at number 43 when I froze it and also Pan’s Labyrinth on the same day (the 1st of Jan) that is #105. Btw, someone really should have warned me how awful that movie is. I mean how harsh, mean, sad, horrible (and yes, beautiful and so good) it is. It is not the film you should be watching when having a New Year’s hangover… I also added those three films that are now in Top-250 but weren’t then when I cemented my list. I want to watch them anyway and for sure will watch one of them, as that is Room, in this month.

So far so good.

What you’ve been watching in 2016? Any recommendations that I definitely should watch?

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TIFF #2 – The Oscars 2016 Update vol. 3

Finally. Toronto Update 2. And the Oscars 2016 update 3. Or basically 4 because I believe that The Martian will get multiple nominations. So, which films triumphed at TIFF? Same that triumphed at the earlier festivals already. Mostly Room and Spotlight. The latter has become the forerunner for the best picture and the first got People’s Choice Award at Toronto that usually goes to films like 12 Years a Slave or Slumdog Millionaire (both winners of the Best Picture Oscar). I already wrote both of the films, read it here!

Anything new then? Well, yes, but nothing really spectacular. I Saw the Light, that I hoped would be fantastic, plummeted. Too bad because it apparently still includes great performances from Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth Olsen.

Jean-Marc Vallée’s  (Dallas Buyers Club) Demolition got bumped to 2016 and according to Rotten Tomatoes it stinks (53%). It also, like I Saw the Light, has solid work from Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role. Denis Villeneuve’s (Prisoners) Sicario then again might be one to get some nominations despite the fact that it is supposedly quite dark and gritty. Emily Blunt might have a chance in crowded Best Actress category and Benicio Del Toro his in Supporting Actor. Might. I kind of doubt it but we’ll see. Trailer beneath. Sicario is out around Europe and US now or soonish.

Another transgender flick besides The Danish Girl (talked about it here) this year is About Ray which, according to people, who saw it in Toronto, is too light-hearted to be taken seriously enough. Elle Fanning is good in it but I doubt it helps to gain an Oscar nomination this year when a lot of ladies are giving their best works. And one other film that deals with minority issues (same heritage rights to same-sex couples) is Freeheld, led by always good Julianne Moore and supported by Ellen Page. Unfortunately the film itself doesn’t carry. Michael Shannon in another supporting role is said to be great too. But again, that is probably not enough. But you never know.

Michael Moore screened his new documentary at TIFF too. Where to Invade Next is a flick about how Moore will in the name of the USA invade other countries to get their best stuff to his country. My Finland is there as well as punch of others. I’m not sure it the film already has a distributor but if it does, it’s a candidate for documentary nomination.

Ok, let’s save rest of TIFF stuff, the better half, I think, to the next post. Check out my updated predictions here and stay tuned.

Oh, another big player was revealed today when The Big Short, film starring small names like Christian Bale, Brad Pitt, Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling, will premiere at AFI Fest. I do hate those hairstyles a lot but the story is a true story based on same author’s, Michael Lewis, book who wrote The Blind Side and Moneyball (both Best Picture nominees. According to Variety’s Kristopher Tapley The Big Short “as I hear it, could be an awards play for Christian Bale and particularly Steve Carell, with other hopes for best picture and best adapted screenplay lingering.” Trailer with horrible hairs:

Back on the Saddle!

I thought about this a lot. If I have an interest to write this blog. And if I can find time. But as long as I have time to binge-watch Netflix, I also have time to write my blog.

Let’s take an update.

I live in Amsterdam now. I’m in exchange. For my studies that I started two years ago. If you’re interested in reading more about me and my actual life, not just about movies, feel free to browse “The List Lover” posts that you can find from the left side menu.

I’m still pursuing my dreams. One way or another. I will be studying Business of Sports and Events during my time in Amsterdam. That will start on Monday. And after that I will have my practical training aka Internship time. I have quite big dreams concerning that but I will talk about it later.

So, how about my lists. Well, as you, who have read my blog earlier, know I love the Oscars. And I already made my early (very long lists of) predictions for next February. Check them here. And please feel free to tell me if I’ve forgotten something. Or make suggestions for the best documentary category, I’m so lost with that one. Thankfully, I will be here in Amsterdam when they are having IDFA, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam in November, the mother of documentary film festivals.

Then, IMDB top-250. Yeah, I haven’t watched any since January. Yay for me… Tomorrow I’ll be seeing Manhattan though. I’m going to visit the Eye that is contemporary movie culture centre in here Amsterdam and they are showing the film.

Ok. 50/50. I haven’t watched that many films this year to be honest. But I did see 15/64 in cinemas. That’s not bad, I think. I listed the series, just to explain to myself why there aren’t more films in the list.

Well, my Bucket List. I’ve started number 56. Hah, I actually had my IQ tested (66). It’s normal. I never thought it would be very high but at least a bt. To be honest. It’s not. Wow. I’ve been too honest there… Well, what’s written it’s written… I guess. Number 90. is thankfully getting closer everyday.

And lastly, my list of 101 things in 1001 days. The deadline is gone. I managed to do quite many things from the list:

1. Get into some school to study something you really want to study and stay there. 

Still there.

Then I volunteered at film festivals (though I still want to go to Sundance or Toronto), joined Pinterest and Twitter (still using both) and started a blog (actually two but other one is in Finnish). I unpacked and then packed again as I don’t have home in Finland anymore. I saw new artists and tried new foods and restaurants and shot more people with my camera. I got new haircuts and new glasses as well. I made a short film, I used earrings and started to use more feminine clothes altogether. I saw Wicked and Supernatural season 6 (it was a drag…). I visit Lapland and Louvre. I got a bicycle(s, actually). And I got a pasta machine from my friends for my birthday (didn’t by it myself but who cares!). I managed to do 36/101. Not bad. And I will continue it. From now on it’ll be list of 55 things in 555 days.

@Satumaah

Pinterest

The List Lover Updates (50/50, The Oscars and 101 Things)

I did check my Bucket List too but I haven’t done any of them. To explain a little to all of you who haven’t noticed my pages on the top of this, is that I love lists and challenges, so I’m basically all the time trying to achieve something. That’s in my nature. I’ve posted few List Lover’s (read: me) posts previously, they can be found by clicking the link of The List Lover on Themes (right hand side on the Home page). I mentioned I will be updating how I’m doing but guess movies have just taken me so thoroughly that I really haven’t paid that much attention to my personal life here in the blogverse. But let’s take a look.

The first, 50/50 Challenge. This is the third year I’m participating. And I never manage to read 50 books. But I’ll try again. I just updated the page so you can see I’ve watched 16 movies this year so far and read one lousy (well, to be honest, it’s almost 800 pages, but still…) book. Movie-wise I try to watch 200 films this year, let’s see how it goes. Here is how I did last year.

IMDb-250. I think I’ve tried to watch those films forever. And I’ve only managed to watch three more since last time I updated. Quite sad. But I’ve seen Pulp Fiction, Casablanca and Big Lebowski that I only watched yesterday. Only the middle one lived up to its hype. But because I own quite many of 250, I promise I’ll watch the following during the next two months:

• The Shawshank Redemption
• Goodfellas
• Cidade de Deus
• Vertigo
• The Green Mile
• Intouchables
• Reservoir Dogs
• Amadeus
• All About Eve
• Jodaeiye Nader az Simin
• El laberinto del fauno
• The Kid
• No Country for Old Men
• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
• Trainspotting
• Annie Hall
• Warrior
• Into the Wild
• The Graduate
• Roman Holiday

The more personal one, 101 Things in 1001 Days. I have about 18,5 months left. Not that much then. And I just calculated that means doing one thing in a week. That’s a lot… Since last update, I have managed to get into school that I enjoy and have stayed there (1). Even have done quite well, so that area is nicely covered. I’m still studying International Business but I’m basically minoring in Media Studies and the combination is perfect. I’ll write more about it later. I also managed to throw the clothes that were broken away (30). And got some much closer to unpack my stuff that has been sitting in the boxes forever (28). I’ll probably manage to finish that in this month and same goes for filing the papers (29). I also saw a play when my friend had a part in one. And I visited to Paris and also Louvre (93). I really should edit those photos from there and make a photo post here! Here’s one:

And the last but not least, the Oscar winners predictions. I just updated it today. Took the lists straight from IMDb. I still have about 30 of the features to see and 13 of the shorts, so I can’t have a proper opinion yet. Only thing that is clear to me, I really think 12 Years a Slave should win the Best Picture just because how it handles the subject. And I thought Leo was better than Ejiofor but I haven’t seen Dallas Buyers Club yet, so let’s see if it changes my mind about my favourite. The ones in italics are my favourites, the ones in bold are the ones I’m predicting. What are your favourites?

50/50 Challenge of 2013

We’re already two weeks in new year, so I’ve better wrap this up. Obviously I didn’t achieve any of the goals I set to myself when it comes to this challenge. I was suppose to watch 200 movies, didn’t. I did watch 126 movies, so it’s not THAT bad but then again, it is. I call myself a film fanatic but this does not look like it. Anyhoo, here’s the list of my favourites of 2013.

I didn’t watch all Jeremy Renner films either and I surely didn’t watch the Godfathers… So hurray… And of course I didn’t read 50 books. Obviously. But I did better than 2012. Back then I read only seven books, now at least I read three more. (Yeah, I know, pathetic.) Anyways, I will be trying again and you can see here how I’m doing. I linked all the reviews I made of the books or movies to the ones that I actually reviewed.

Tomorrow back to the Oscar predictions.

BOOKS:

1. Clare, Cassandra: City of Bones (2007) ****
2. Jalo, Merja: Vaellusratsastus (1996) **½
3. Seppänen, Janne & Väliverronen, Esa: Mediayhteiskunta (2013) ****½
4. Clare, Cassandra: City of Glass (2008) ***
5. Fitzgerald, Scott F.: The Great Gatsby (1925) **
6. Clare, Cassandra: City of Ash (2008) **
7. Rowling, J.K.: Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone (1997) ****½
8. Rowling, J.K.: Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets (1998) ****
9. Rowling, J.K.: Harry Potter & the Prisoners of Azkaban (1999) *****
10. Rowling, J.K.: Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire (2000) ****½

FILMS:

WEEK 1:
1. Killer Joe (2012) ****
2. On the Road (2012) **½
3. American Pie 2 (2001) ***
4. Bonnie and Clyde (1967) ***½

WEEK 2:
5. Kovasikajuttu (2012)  ****
6. Desert Flower (2009) **½
7. Miesten Vuoro (2010) *****
8. Anna Karenina (2012) ****
9. Vanity Fair (2004) **½
10. Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974 (2009) **
11. Ted (2012) ***
12. Because I Said So (2007) *½

WEEK 3:
13. Twilight (2008) ***
14. Life of Pi (2012) ***½
15. Django Unchained (2012) ***½
16. Star Trek (2008) ****
17. Match Point (2005) ***

WEEK 4:
18. To Rome With Love (2012) **
19. Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) ****

WEEK 5:
20. Zero Dark Thirty (2012) ****½
21. Lincoln (2012) ****
22. Silver Linings Playbook (2012) ****
23. We Are Marshall (2006) **½

WEEK 6:
24. Kohta 18 (2012) ****
25. Jaws 2 (1978) **
26. Bachelorette (2012) *½
27. Moonrise Kingdom (2012) ****½
28. Cloverfield (2008) **

WEEK 7:
29. The Master (2012) ***½
30. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013) *** (major)

WEEK 8:
31. Easy A (2010) ****
32. Brave (2012) ***
33. Amour (2012) ****½
34. Les Misérables (2012) ***½
35. Argo (2012) ****½

WEEK 9:
36. Dahmer (2002) *** (major)

WEEK 10:
37. Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) ****

WEEK 11:
38. Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) **½

WEEK 12:
39. Side Effects (2013) ***½

WEEK 13:
40. The Bucket List (2007) **½

WEEK 14:
41. Wimbledon (2004) ***
42. The Mummy (1999) **½

WEEK 15:
43.She’s All That (1999) *½
44. Warm Bodies (2013) ****
45. What Happens in Vegas (2008) ***½
46. The Adjustment Bureau (2011) *½
47. Pitch Perfect (2012) ****

WEEK 17:
48. Iron Man 3 (2013) ****

WEEK 18:
49. No Strings Attached (2011) ***

WEEK 19:
50. I Give It a Year (2013) **½
51. The Place Beyond the Pines (2012) ***½

WEEK 22:
52. Demolition Man (1993) **
53. My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997) **½
54. Letters to Juliet (2010) ***
55. Titanic (1997) ***** (1997)
56. Assassination of a High School President (2008) ***½
57. Up in the Air (2009) ****½

WEEK 23:
58. Leap Year (2010) **½

WEEK 24:
59. The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988) **
60. Grease (1978) ***½
61. The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid (1972) *½
62. Bella Addormentata (2012) ***
63. Occident (2002) **½

WEEK 25:
64. Man of Steel (2013) **

WEEK 27:
65. Beautiful Creatures (2013) *½
66. The Five-Year Engagament (2012) **
67. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1996) **

WEEK 28:
68. Shaun of the Dead (2004) ***
69. Witness (1985) ***
70. The Duchess (2008) ***

WEEK 29:
71. The Bling Ring (2013) ***
72. Before Sunrise (1995) ***
73. Before Sunset (2004) ****½

WEEK 30:
74. Chalet Girl (2012) **½

WEEK 31:
75. Bridesmaids (2011) ****

WEEK 32:
76. Now You See Me (2013) ***½
77. World War Z (2013) ****
78. The Great Gatsby (2013) ***

WEEK 35:
79. Kumáre (2011) ***½
80. The Tourist (2010) *

WEEK 37:
81. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013) **½
(second time this year: Silver Linings Playbook (2012) ****)

WEEK 38:
82. Rush (2013) ****½
83. Lawless (2012) ***

WEEK 39:
84. Una Pistola en Kada Mano (2012) **½
85. Simon Killer (2012) *½
86. Nebraska (2013) ****½
87. Food Inc. (2008) ***½

WEEK 40:
88. About Time (2013) ***

WEEK 41:
89. Prisoners (2013) ****

WEEK 42:
90. Gravity (2013) ****½

WEEK 43:
91. Se7en (1995) ****½
92. Freaky Friday (2003) ****
93. Blue Jasmine (2013) ***½

WEEK 44:
94. Thor: the Dark World (2013) ****
95. Sorority Wars (2009) **
96. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) ***

WEEK 45:
97. Get Him to Greek (2010) *½

WEEK 46:
98. Chelovek s kino-apparatom (1929) ***
99. Hunger Games (2012) ****
100. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) ****
101. This Is 40 (2012) **½
102. Friends with Benefits (2011) ***½
103. 17 Again (2009) ***
104. Captain Phillips (2013) ***½

WEEK 47:
105. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) ****½
106. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) ***

WEEK 47:

107. Tamara Drewe (2010) ***
108. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) **½

WEEK 48:
109. The Hangover (2009) **½
110. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) ***½

WEEK 49:
111. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) ****½
112. Pulp Fiction (1994) **½

WEEK 50:
113. Once (2006) ***
114. Before Midnight (2013) ***½

WEEK 51:
115. Little Miss Sunshine (2006) ***½
116. Hachi: A Dog’s Tale (2009) ****
117. The Oranges (2011) ***

WEEK 52
118. Finding John Christmas (2003) *½
119. Love Actually (2003) *****
120. The Change-Up (2011) ***
121. Ruby Sparks (2012) ****
122. Straw Dogs (2011) *
123. Margin Call (2011) ****
124. Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope (2011) ***½
125. Casablanca (1942) ****½
126. Dredd (2011) **
127. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) ****

WEEK 1
128. Frozen (2013) ****½ (I saw this before the year changed.)

You can also track my movie lists in IMDb. And books at Goodreads if you’ve signed in there.

Three Books and a Movie

I finally managed to finish Cassandra Clare’s original Mortal Instruments trilogy. And by original I mean that the series was supposed to be three parts but is going to be now six novels and five of them have been published until this day. The last one is supposed to be out next year. But I don’t think I can put myself through reading three more books of Cassandra Clare’s.

Surprisingly (not), Cassandra Clare also started as a Harry Potter fan fiction writer. Well, she did work as an entertainment reporter too. But after hitting big bucks with the first book of the series, City of Bones, she was able to pursue a life of full time author. The first installment was made to a movie and released this summer and the second will apparently, even though the first flopped, start production next year. Good for them, I guess.

The books form a fantasy series located in New York. The main characters are Clary, the mundane girl, who happens to see something that no one else sees, Simon, Clary’s best friend and Jace, the guy who apparently starts to stalk Clary. There are also approximately all sorts of fantasy creatures involved plus Shadowhunters that are Cassandra Clare’s own products. Not a bad addition to fantasy world.

Ok, so to the books. The first, to be honest, wasn’t that bad. I actually like the main characters and the most important side-kicks and especially the fact it is set in New York. I love New York. And the action is there, in the first part. City of Bones moves frequently and the bickering between the main characters is quite entertaining. Even the love triangle works. I already knew who would play each part in the movie, so it was easy to image how everyone would look. And based on the first book, I was waiting for the movie to come out. Even wrote about it couple of times.

The second book, City of Ashes, was still okeish. There and there. The love triangle was getting old. The characters, even they are teenagers and they are supposed to be growing up, seemed to get more stupid. Somehow low in intake. But it still wasn’t that bad, the action was still there, although not so suave anymore. And the bickering was getting annoying. And somehow all the adults in the books were behaving really like no adult should behave.

And then the third book, City of Glass; It felt like the final installment of Twilight saga. Written in somehow in rush, like “I just need to finish and get this out in time, no matter how stupid it’ll be” and gosh, it even pains me to write about it. But I had to read until the end because the characters are not that bad and I wanted to find out what happens to them. BUT the love things in the last book were 100 times Bella and Edward swooning. Horrible. I wanted to barf. And even there’s a lot of action, it’s somehow lame. And I just can’t stand it when author makes her/his characters stupid. How come they suddenly don’t realize anything? Maybe I was just getting so fed-up with these kids and the adults around them. I think I chuckled like twice during the book (and that’s almost 500 pages….) and didn’t cry at all. That’s a bad bad bad thing. I need to cry. If I don’t cry or laugh myself to sick, I’m usually reading a course book for a school or something similar to it. It means I don’t care. But apparently other people care because Clare keeps writing best sellers. Good for her. But I’m done with her work.

Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

Directed by Harald Zwart

Written by Jessica Postigo (based on the novel by Cassandra Clare)

Starring Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower, Robert Sheehan, Jonathan Rhys Meyers & Lena Headey

I saw the film back in August. It was, again, ok. Not good but not bad either. Campbell Bower in the role of Jace is very easy on the eye and I’m a fan of Robert Sheehan (known from great Brit series called Misfits) and Jonathan Rhys Meyers (well… He’s hot.) I tend to watch A LOT of chick flicks. A LOT. The most of them are indifferent like this one but I could watch it again. The action is there, the characters, even though they are teenagers, are not half-bad and the CGI did surprise me positively. The novel was better but the movie was definitely better than the third part of the books. This is like a rock version of Twilight. It’s aimed at 15-year-old girls and it succeeds in that. I’m half of a 15-year-old girl so…

Rating: **½ (out of *****)

The List Lover Went to School

Guess it’s a time to update my life after the Oscar predictions too.

The readers, who’ve been with me since the beginning, know that I’d like to be a part of the film industry or at least write about the films. And I’ve always been a big dreamer. On the right side of the home page you can find the themes I wrote mostly about. There’s also The List Lover and if you’re interested, you can read there more about the lists listed above and me trying to fulfill my dreams and goals. I try to update my success in regular basis.

So, I started an applied sciences university in my hometown Tampere a week ago, well eight days ago but still. Originally I applied to Media program but unfortunately didn’t get in. But now I’m studying International Business and still can take some courses from the Media curricula as well. Which is nice. So far, the school hasn’t exactly been that hard and some of the courses seem unbelievably boring (Financial Accounting, huh?) but I guess it’s always that way. But when it comes to my 101 Things in a 1001 Days, I have taken the step towards the first, and to me, the most important, goal on the list. With the school I will also get nearer couple of other targets. I will be starting German course the next Tuesday (#9) and also again learn the basics of Microsoft Office (#55).

As you’ve probably noticed I finally started using Twitter (#10). It’s not really my thing because I’m a blabber and it’s hard for me to write shortly (plus I’m not one of those “funny guys” either). But if you want to follow me on Twitter, the feed is on the homepage of the blog. I tweet mostly the most interesting film news, my blog posts and if I’ve seen a new film (feed from IMDb). I also have the blog at Facebook, so check that out too.

Otherwise I’ve been so badly lazy that it’s a bit hard to believe. I did get a massage (#88) though and finally watched the season six of Supernatural (#44). I also finished my goal to go to five different bars and different restaurants in my hometown (#36). I usually tend to go to the same, my kinda, places, so it was good for me to try different scenes. Tomorrow I will again try a new restaurant, Grillsson (apparently there’s no English site, so sad…) but I don’t have too high hopes for it. I only got the gift certificate.

From the Bucket List I managed to carry out zero things. Super-me… And when it comes to watching films or reading books, I’ve been the laziest ever! I shouldn’t even call myself a film fan after watching total of 15 (!) movies during the last ten weeks. That’s just sad. I did finish The Great Gatsby, the novel. It was so so so boring. Guess I don’t get great American literature?! For the films I’ve seen since the beginning of July, check 50/50. I might review some of them later this week, if I feel like it. Or just continue with the Oscar predictions. Which one would you prefer me to do?

Meanwhile, more wise words: