Halloween Movies That Aren't Scary!

    If you're anything like me, you aren't really a huge fan of Halloween.  October is one of my favorite months, but Halloween always makes me a little anxious.  Almost all of my friends love Halloween, (as most of the rest of the world would agree), so it's difficult for me to participate in the Halloween festivities when it most often includes a scary movie marathon.  I can't do scary, so, as a result, I get scared easily; I HATE the dark, I don't do haunted houses or corn mazes and I cringe at the sight of porcelain dolls.  I just don't enjoy being scared, and that's OK!  Not everyone enjoys those gory, suspenseful messes, so I thought I'd come up with a list of acceptable alternative movies to watch if you're not into that scary business.  Now that Halloween is almost upon us, the Halloween-themed movies will be starting.  Most of the ones on my list will even be on ABC Family's 13 Nights of Halloween, if you're interested, (check your local listings).  I will list my top five favorites first, (in no particular order), followed by five honorable mentions.

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    Beetlejuice:  This is still one of my favorite movies to watch during Halloween.  I didn't always like it, but I've grown to appreciate it over the years.  This movie allowed me to fall in love with Winona Ryder.  If you still haven't seen it, (the movie came out in 1988), the movie is about a married couple, Adam and Barbara, who die in a tragic car accident.  Their house goes in the market after years of vacancy and is purchased by an art dealer and her family, including young Lydia Deetz.  Adam and Barbara are still coming to terms with their predicament, but loathe the new owners of their home, so they make a deal with the devil to get them out of there.  This movie is horrific, as any Tim Burton movie should be.  The characters are great and dynamic, the story is morbid, tragic and funny at the same time, and the acting by Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice is fantastic.  I highly recommend if you're a fan of Tim Burton and his other works, mainly Edward Scissorhands.

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    Casper: The ORIGINAL Casper, from 1995, is another one of my all-time favorite Halloween movies.  If you've seen any other Casper movie, this one beats them all.  Kat Harvey follows her father, who is a "paranormal psychologist," to Maine to explore a haunted mansion, all the while on a quest to track down Kat's dead mother.  Kat is determined to stay put this time around and befriends a "friendly" ghost named Casper.  Her father ends up running into Casper's nasty uncles and hilarity ensues.  The ghosts want them out, but Kat's dad isn't leaving without answers.  This movie is hauntingly beautiful and a great coming-of-age story.  The ending gets me every time with ALL THE FEELS, so if you haven't yet, go watch it.

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    Hocus Pocus:  I can't make a list of Halloween movies without including this one.  It's a cult classic and everyone loves it, regardless of what kind of Halloween experience you prefer.  Three witches are resurrected on Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts to finish a ritual started centuries ago.  Two teenagers and an adorably brave little cat/human named Binx embark on an epic journey to save their town.  Easily one of Sarah Jessica Parker's best performances and who can forget Sean Murray as Thackery?!?  UGH, I need this movie in my life right now.

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    Hellboy:  I know this isn't technically a Halloween film, but I still love a little Guillermo del Toro to round out my Halloween playlist.  Since most of his stuff is terrifying, quite frankly, I thoroughly enjoy this non-creepy(ish) take on a demon reborn.  Hellboy follows a paranormal research team that was founded close to the beginning of World War II, in which this team stumbled upon a Nazi camp during a ritualistic opening of a door to Hell by Rasputin.  Although they managed to defeat the Nazis and close the door to the other side, a small demonic humanoid being came through and was adopted by the team and codenamed "Hellboy," because of his red skin and horns. Flash forward to today and he's working with the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defence, (BPRD), to stop an influx of paranormal events from taking over the city of New York.  This movie has tons of action and sarcasm, so if you're into that, this movie is for you.  I really prefer this one to the second one because it's a little darker and has an element of mystery around it, plus a lot more humor, which I love.  Hellboy is also a comic book that I've been reading this month and it is similar, yet different to the movie, so if you're into reading your films, have at it.

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    Harry Potter:  I can't make this list and not include a little Harry Potter!  Obviously with it's heavy focus on magic and the supernatural, this is a perfect series for Halloween, (or any event actually).  Clearly I'm not suggesting a Harry Potter marathon next weekend, (unless you really want to), but I would definitely recommend The Sorcerer's Stone, due to it's Halloween-specific scenes as well as The Prisoner of Azkaban, just for a little dose of magical creatures and creepy scenery.  Those two are the most suited for Halloween, in my opinion, (which is almost always right when it comes to Harry Potter).  So go have yourselves a HP marathon!

    Now we're getting into the honorable mentions.  These movies are perfect for Halloween, however they aren't my absolute favorites, (even though some of them are classics).  Definitely make time for these before next weekend!

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    The Nightmare Before Christmas:  Unlike the rest of the world, I'm actually not a huge fan of this movie.  It used to scare me as a child, so I never took a liking to it like everyone else did.  I watched it again last year and I thought better of it this second time around, so I'm adding it to my list.  It's obviously a cult classic and made for Halloween, (and Christmas), viewing.  The fact that this movie bleeds directly into Christmas territory still irks me, but to each his own.  Tim Burton's crazy like that I guess.

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    It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!:  I love the Peanuts, so I'm going to include this lesser-known work of theirs on this list.  Everyone I know shits on The Great Pumpkin, but I LOVE IT!  While Charlie Brown and the rest of the gang celebrate Halloween, Linus sits out in a pumpkin patch to await the arrival of The Great Pumpkin, of which he is the sole believer.  It's so cute and perfect for kids and I'm so glad they're still airing it on television.  The Peanuts are like family tradition and everyone has their own personal favorite that they watch every year.  Even if it's not yours, make the effort to watch this one.

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    Batman Returns:  As I've figured out, any Tim Burton film is perfect for Halloween.  Case and point, the second Batman movie.  Although the original Batman was also a Tim Burton film, I found that the second one, featuring the Penguin, (courtesy of Danny Devito), was a lot darker and more Halloween-esq.  This one also has Catwoman, played by Michelle Pfeiffer.  Lots of black leather.

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    The Crow:  I'm not a huge fan of this movie, but my husband loves it.  Set on Halloween, this movie is about a couple who are murdered the night before their wedding.  On the anniversary of their death, Eric Draven is resurrected to exact vengeance for his beloved.  This movie is extremely creepy and dark, has an inner-city setting and interesting visual effects.  There are some decent fighting scenes as well and a lot of killing, so prepare yourself for some gore if you're planning on watching this one.

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    Ghostbusters:  This last one was an obvious choice.  I tend to lean more towards funny Halloween movies and this one is no exception.  If you've never heard of Ghostbusters, you don't deserve to know.  Three unemployed parapsychology professors start ridding their neighborhood of poltergeists and hilarity ensues.  This is another cult classic with an all-star cast: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Rick Moranis.  It's currently going through a reboot, so check it out if you're interested.

    Well, there you go!  There's my list of Halloween movies to watch if you don't like scary movies.  Are there movies I missed?  Which ones are your go-to favorites for Halloween?  Let me know in the comments below.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Carpe Diem

    Hey everyone.  Sorry I didn't post yesterday, but we ended up having a family emergency, so I really didn't have time.  One of my childhood dogs passed away yesterday.  He was 14 years old and it was devastating for our family.  We've had him since I was eleven, so I grew up with him.  I'm glad I was there with him during his final moments, but it was still difficult to accept.  It still is.  It's going to take some time for me to cope with his loss, but eventually I think I'll be alright.  I gave some extra love to all my other animals just because.  I'll miss you bud <3

    Despite the fact that I'm still grieving, I'd like to perk up my spirits a bit by giving you my list of five movies that you should watch to get in the mood for the fall season.  Fall is by far my favorite season.  There's almost nothing I hate about it, (except Halloween, but I don't "hate" Halloween as much as it just makes me uncomfortable...I HATE being scared).  So as August slowly comes to a close, (seriously, could this month move ANY slower?!!? I've been dying here on the East Coast with all this heat and humidity!), I'd like to review and recommend some movies I will be watching, not only to help me feel better, but also to help me prepare for this wonderful Fall season.

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    Who doesn't love a good Disney movie?!  Pocahontas is one of my favorites and it was one of the first to portray a strong, independent female leading character, (which seems to be very "in" right now).  If you live under a rock or refused to pay attention in history class, Pocahontas is about a group of English settlers coming over to the New World to colonize, where one of them meets a native woman who teaches him about the land and about humanity.  This Disney version tweaks the historical facts a bit, (as in John Smith and Pocahontas had no relationship and she ended up marrying Kocuom and then got captured by the English and sent to live among them where she fell in love again with John Rolfe, who was in the second Disney adaptation, among other inconsistencies).  Regardless of the historical inaccuracies, the movie screams Fall with all the colored Virginia foliage and the harvesting of food.  This Native American and English settler interaction is also reminiscent of the Thanksgiving feast between the two peoples, that may or may not have actually happened.  It's just a really great Disney movie, ok?  Go watch it, it's on Netflix.

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    This is definitely not the horrible remake "Blog Wars" that I had the unfortunate opportunity to witness.  This, my friends, is the original 1996 Nickelodeon movie Harriet the Spy, featuring Michelle Trachtenberg, in her film debut, and Rosie O'Donnell as the admirable Golly.  As an owner of the original VHS, I can say that possessing this orange tape was one of the crowning achievements of my childhood.  This is my favorite movie of all time, no question.  I've been watching this movie since I was five years old and have been more than influenced by the main character Harriet as she described the world from her perspective inside her "Private" composition notebook.  I have about 20 notebooks myself, having adopted her knack for discovery and her investigative tendencies.  I was obsessed with this movie, to put it lightly, so it's no wonder why it's on my list of fall favorites.  This movie takes place during the beginning of the school year in New York City I believe, (they never actually say, but you can make inferences from the setting), and follows a young spy named Harriet M. Welsch along with her friends Janie and Sport as they enter 6th grade.  Harriet writes about all of her classmates and everyone else she meets in her notebook, including those lucky few on her "spy route" throughout her neighborhood.  Eventually the notebook catches up to Harriet and gets exposed, forcing her to deal with the consequences.  This movie tackles a lot of heavy issues, including poverty, neglect, mental instability, friendship, acceptance, and coming of age, just to name a few.  I can quote this movie verbatim and I would highly recommend it if you're into quirky, coming-of-age movies dealing with a young writer and her quest for the truth.  Not to mention the gorgeous setting of NYC in the fall with the parks and inner-city gardens, etc.  I can't say enough about this movie!

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    Any excuse to watch Robin Williams is a good one.  Good Will Hunting is one of my favorite Robin Williams films, not to mention Matt Damon isn't bad to look at either!  This movie, written by some of my favorite Bostonians, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, (who is also the lead in the film), follows a young South Boston man, Will Hunting, as he deals with his unknown future after he assaults a police officer.  He becomes a janitor at MIT and begins seeing a therapist, (Williams), who helps him reevaluate his relationships.  He also begins taking courses with a professor of advanced mathematics, learning that he has a rare gift.  This movie has all sorts of feels, even by just watching the scenes with Robin Williams.  This is easily one of Matt Damon's best performances to date.  Obviously the setting of this movie, collegiate Boston, screams fall.  Just look at the poster!  This movie is a bit heavy on the emotional side, so be prepared to cry during some or all of this film.  This movie is also on Netflix I believe, so if you're in the mood for some foliage, some authentic Boston accents and a good cry, you're in!

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    Another Robin Williams flick!  This one has to be my favorite Robin Williams film, obviously because of his incredible performance, but also because of the literary references throughout.  This movie is perfect, not only for those of you who love fall, but also those of you, like me, who are literary junkies.  This movie has poetry, intrigue, romance, rebellion, and a lot more.  I watched this movie with my freshman last fall at the end of their poetry unit and it received great reception, (as it should).  There are also some pretty big names in this movie, besides Robin Williams, including Ethan Hawke as Todd Anderson and Kurtwood Smith of That 70s Show fame playing Mr. Perry, Neil's father.  Dead Poets Society follows a group of prep school boys on track to become lawyers, doctors and such when they meet an extraordinary English teacher named John Keating, who teaches them to leave the boundaries of their education and follow their passions.  This film takes place at a conservative prep school somewhere in the Northeast during the first semester of school, (fall and winter).  The setting alone will increase your need for colored foliage and crisp New England air.  This movie is also on the heavy side toward the end, which scarred my freshman for life I bet, but this movie's message is worth it.  It's also ridiculously quotable and you'll find yourself speaking like Dr. Keating in no time after watching this movie.  "O Captain, My Captain" still makes me tear up a bit...  Easily my second favorite movie to watch to get pumped for the fall season.

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    This movie is everything!  Another one on my top favorite movies of all time list.  Remember the Titans is literally the perfect movie to watch to get ready for fall!  I know a lot of people like Friday Night Lights, and that's all well and good, but this movie is SO MUCH BETTER because this is based on a true story.  If you enjoy football, the civil rights movement, Denzel Washington, and the late 1960s, you will LOVE this movie!  Remember the Titans follows a high school football team in Virginia during the integration of black and white schools.  T.C. Williams High School head coach Bill Yoast is introduced to Coach Herman Boone, who ends up taking his job solely because he is an African American.  As Coaches Yoast and Boone deal with their new rankings on the football staff, the players have to deal with each other as the integrate during a time of turmoil in the south.  Coach Boone changes the game, (literally), and leads the Titans into a battle for race and the championship.  You can tell this is a Disney film because there are so many good messages in this movie about acceptance, brotherhood and hope.  Denzel Washington has a truly stellar performance as Coach Boone and Ryan Gosling actually makes his film debut as Alan Bosley.  He's hilarious!  I can't say anything bad about this movie and it is completely quotable.  The soundtrack is to die for!  So many great 70s rock hits and soul music to propel the story forward and get you pumped for football season like you've never been before.  I even tried to use one of the lines in the movie during a soccer game, which didn't help, but it got me excited, which was all I needed.  Seriously, it's better than Friday Night Lights.  Go watch it!

    So that's my list of my top five favorite fall movies.  I wanted to do a list that wasn't full of your typical fall movies, but movies I really enjoy watching and hope you do to.  Perhaps there's at least one of these movies you've never seen or heard of before that you'd be willing to try out?  Let me know in the comments what you think!  "Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent..."(Which one of those movies is this quote from?)

Sauce, Cheese and Anchovies

    Happy Tuesday everyone!  I hope everyone had a great weekend!  My husband and I went to go see How to Train Your Dragon 2 on Sunday night and it was AWESOME!  Even if you haven't seen the first one, go see it, (although it would be great if you could see the first one beforehand).  Even if you're an adult, it's still a great movie.

    We also went out to dinner with my parents for sushi, (one of our favorite foods), to chat about some things, one being moving in with them next year when our lease is up.  My husband and I had been discussing plans to build our own house and how we would go about doing that.  We don't want to settle and I'd like to make sure the next place we move to is at least somewhat more permanent.  In order to save up the money we'd need and plan out our strategy, we believe this is our best chance to really live our ideal life.  They would be converting almost the entire upstairs into a livable space, complete with a common area, full bathroom and bedroom.  We can even park in the same driveway, which we haven't been able to do for as long as we've known each other.  So by this time next year, we will be moving in with my mother in our own little "apartment" upstairs.  I'm excited about the opportunity and I can't wait to see what's in store for us in the future, as usual.

    So far my health has been much better, considering the conditions I've had to work in.  Camp has been stressful, but great these past few days.  Sometimes I can't wait until the weekend, but I've met a ton of cool kids and I will miss them next session.  The bus route has been the most stressful and problematic part of my day, what with all the kids, less help and constant noise and interruptions, (sometimes from fellow staff members...), sometimes it's difficult to sustain my patience.  I'm hoping this week will serve as somewhat of a practice round and I will be better prepared for the two week session that starts next week.  I'm hoping to find my camp spirit sometime soon, since it's been buried for several years.

    This week it's only The Bachelorette I have reviews for, so keep reading for some SPOILERS.  This week they were in Italy and I feel like they did every stereotypical thing you should do in Italy.  Nothing overly exciting, but Italy is still one of my top places to visit.  I was sad to see Cody go, (even though he's dull as dirt, he was still really cute with the way he hoped for love).  Nick annoyed me almost the entire time, as usual, and Josh made me regret putting him in my top 5 list.  I didn't like the lie detector test solely based on the fact that she didn't even bother reading the results.  Total waste of time!  I would've been all over that if I were her, but alas, I'm not.  I was also sad to see JJ go, but you really couldn't see him getting any farther anyway.  My top 3 is still Chris, Marcus and probably Brian or Josh, (I don't really like Brian either, but Josh seems to be more her type, so he's still in there, unfortunately).  I'm still holding out for Dylan to be a bit more interesting, or perhaps even less like a piece of wood, but just because he's my Bostonian guy.  We'll see what next week holds I guess.
    That's it for me this week.  I've been really busy again, (get used to hearing that all summer), so you're lucky I even posted.  I just didn't want to slack off on it again.  There is a brand new trailer, (FINALLY), for the new Ninja Turtle movie, so I've linked that video below.  It was the highlight of my day, so I hope it eases your suspicions just a little.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Good News All Around!

    I know, it's Friday, not Thursday...  I've been super busy again because I'm winding down from finals week.  As of right now, I've finished almost all of my projects save for the big one: the 10-15 page literary review, (which really isn't a review of literature as much as it is an essay regarding a 21st-century writing topic).  It's due Wednesday, so hopefully I can finish by then, but I'll have to be smart about time management.  Because of all of this, plus work, I've been super busy as well as super tired with no willpower to do anything but sit, let alone type a blog.
    Like the title suggests, I have plenty of good news to go around since my last post.  Not only did I get the summer day camp counselor position I wanted, but I also got placed for my internship!  Now that I have security, I can finally relax.  I'll be starting summer camp training in the middle of June and teaching Freshman English starting at the end of August.  I'm beyond excited about both of these opportunities so I can't wait to get started!  Things are looking up.

    This month is also Lupus Awareness Month, where people are encouraged to find out more about Lupus and do what they can to raise awareness.  The official Lupus website for the Lupus Foundation of America provides information on Lupus and various organizations to raise awareness and funds for Lupus research.  As someone who has Lupus, this month has always been important to me in order to educate my friends and family on the severity and complexity of this chronic illness.  I hope that you guys check it out and learn more about this disease.  "Put On Purple"Day is May 16th, so put on something purple to raise Lupus awareness!
    Now it's time for TV spoilers and reviews!

  The Amazing Race had it's ups and downs this week.  I was very sad to see the cowboys go home because they had played a loyal and fair race.  They just struck out on luck this week.  I was really hoping to see the Blondes go home, finally, but alas, they live to race another day...  Easily my favorite part of this episode was when Brenchel got pummeled by the "raging bulls" and Rachel kept whining about them being "too hard on them" just because she's a girl.  Sorry hun, just because you're a girl, doesn't mean they will give you a free pass.  In fact, strong women are very popular right now, so you feigning frailty isn't going to get you sympathy points.  If Dave and Connor win this, I will be perfectly fine with that.

  Once Upon a Time was awesome this week!  The way Regina embraced her light magic really let us see that she has changed.  Although I don't believe that Zelena is actually gone for good, I am impressed with Regina's resilience.  What's up with the green smoke and what will happen to the necklace now that it's in Regina's vault?  If Zelena regains her human form she can wreak some serious havoc in that chamber, so fingers crossed that that doesn't happen.  I really loved the way Rumple proposed to Belle with his dagger.  It showed her that he's literally willing to give up his life for her.  But that pride turned into confusion and hatred as soon as he revealed to Zelena that he tricked Belle with a duplicate dagger so he could stab Zelena with the real one.  Come on Rumple, you're FINALLY free!  Neal wouldn't have wanted this to happen...  I'm not sure if Emma will really end up going back to New York, but I say she stays with a last minute change of heart.  Partially because of her new baby brother!  No name yet, but I'm sure we'll find out this weekend.  I can't wait until they have their actual real-life baby!

  Game of Thrones was alright this week.  Not my favorite episode, but definitely suspenseful.  I was REALLY hoping that Bran would yell out to Jon, but I know why he didn't.  Jon will be kicking himself if he ever finds out that they were there that whole time and didn't say anything.  Jon was reunited with his long-lost dire wolf, which was very touching.  I want a Stark family reunion! (whoever is left I guess...).  Sansa looked downright terrified at Lisa's emotional rampage and who can blame her?  Now she has to bunk up with the crazies and I feel really bad for her right now.  I think the only truly innocent character right now is Tommen, the poor bastard.  I like the relationship he has with Margaery and I think they would work well together.  I also enjoyed watching Arya practice her swordsmanship while with the Hound.  She seems like she's gotten so much better and I can't wait to see her strike out on her own and kill everyone on her list.
    That's all I have for this week.  I saw Amazing Spider Man 2 last weekend and it was wicked good!  I would definitely recommend it.  There has also been an announcement that they are rebooting the Mighty Morphin Power Ranger movie!  It's still in the beginning stages and a lot is unknown as of now, but I'm still excited about it.  They will most likely not use the original cast, (for obvious reasons), but I would bet money on Jason David Frank making at least a cameo appearance.  This weekend is Mother's Day, so I will be spending time with my mom, cooking, baking and drinking lots of wine!  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.