Top 10 Movies of 2018!

Happy holidays to everyone!  I’d like to present you with my Top 10 Films of 2018! There were so many incredible movies to watch and so these were the ones that made me laugh the hardest, shed the most tears, brought some nostalgia to my life, and provoked a lot of great conversation afterwards. Of course, some of my choices may not mesh with yours, but that’s the beauty of having a personal opinion. :)

Whether you are keen on celebrating or actively choose to forgo the holiday festivities all together, know that the pure joy of movie-watching never goes out of style.

You can also check out my Top 10 list below that has the trailers of each film: 

Searching

An incredibly riveting thriller that leaves no stone unturned to discover the truth behind the disappearance of a 16-year old missing girl and her father’s emotional quest to find her.

Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

A touching documentary about the life and legacy of children’s TV show host, Fred Rogers. A man who always challenged the status quo in hopes of showing how kindness can truly make the world go round.

Paddington 2

A “pawfect” sequel that the whole family will love! Heart-warming, funny, witty and oh so British. Hugh Grant’s dance scene was the cherry on top.

Game Night

A hilarious and wild ride filled with thrills and chills that will leave you rolling the dice at who makes it out alive. Great ensemble cast.

BlacKkKlansman

Based on the heroic true story of Ron Stallworth, the first ever African-American detective to serve in the Colorado Springs Police Department, who exposes the wicked ways of the Ku Klux Klan. Eye-opening, clever and passionate. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

Mamma Mia 2

A musical celebration of life, love and friendship that warrants a box of tissue to be near by! Great performances and a bonus to hear so many other Abba songs that weren’t played in the first one.  Andante, Andante is a personal favourite.

Bohemian Rhapsody

Long live Queen! Freddie Mercury’s spirit comes alive on-screen, portrayed by the multi-talented Remi Malic.  A captivating story of life in the fast lane that sometimes makes us all want to Break Free.

Instant Family

A film that shines a light on the complexities of adoption and the fostering system in a way that tugs at your heart strings yet still manages to have plenty of quirky humour. Mark Wahlberg continues to impress in whatever role he takes on.

Green Book

An unlikely friendship blooms in the midst of racial tension during the 1960’s. The chemistry between Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali is one you don’t want to miss.

Bumblebee

The Transformers movie that we’ve all been waiting for! Filled with action, comedy, and “Don’t You Forget About Me” moments that pack an emotional punch. Hailee Steinfeld was casted perfectly for this role. All the 80’s references, including a fantastic soundtrack (from A-Ha to The Smiths) make this a total favourite.

Honourable mention to: Mary Poppins Returns

The visual style of the movie  was so beautifully done. Emily Blunt made me proud, she WAS Mary Poppins. Julie Walters was hilarious and Lin-Manuel Miranda, as Jack…what a spectacular performance! All the singing, dancing and those adorable Banks children truly melted my heart! Go see it!

Bright Lights Windsor 2018

Another holiday highlight was going down to Bright Lights Windsor! It was fun seeing all the beautiful displays and checking out the vendors! It was twice as big as last year so there was a lot of walking to do around Jackson Park.

A great tourist attraction and definitely a wonderful event for our community, especially with our growing need to support local talent here in Windsor, Ontario. Very happy that they Bill had a few performance dates booked there. He loved seeing all the smiling faces and received a lot of compliments.

Here are some photos taken below, so enjoy!

Me and the Nutcracker

A new Snow friend!

Gorgeous display

Bill and I

X-Mas Tree all lit up - so pretty!

Me in the sparkly tunnel!

Bill Nuvo doing some awesome LED juggling for the crowds.
Thanks Sergio for the photos!

Happy Holidays 2018!

Honouring the memory of Bill's grandma, our holiday tree is up!

We always add our little touches too that you can see in the photo that makes this tree uniquely ours!

Wishing all my readers a happy holiday!

Stay tuned for my "Top 10 Movies of 2018!" blog soon. :)

Getting Into The Spirit, Eh? 12 Days of Canadian Christmas – Toldo Holiday Pops

Check out my review of Toldo Holiday Pops - 12 Days of Canadian Christmas:

This time of year carries a mix of emotions for people, myself included.  It is meant to be a time of love but it also filled with a season of loss. However, there is something magically soothing just hearing violins playing in unison and the harmony of a choir that can really lift your spirits. Going to The Capitol Theatre here in Windsor, Ontario to see Toldo Holiday Pops – 12 Days of Canadian Christmas, presented by the Windsor Symphony Orchestra (WSO), feels like that hot cup of cocoa in your belly on a cold winter’s day – especially with tiny marshmallows on top!

With his sixth season as WSO’s Musical Director, Robert Franz is truly a sight to see! His contagious spirit radiates when he is conducting. His discipline and poise really bring something very special to this show that is definitely a crowd-pleaser for all ages. With a flounce in his step, Robert’s passion is undeniable. He is a musical marvel with a cheeky humour, complete with colourful and deliberate mismatched socks.

On vocals, Sara Fontaine steps onto the stage. With an extensive background in music, teaching and owning her own studio here in Windsor-Essex County, Sara’s voice can stop you in your tracks.  Singing “Joy To The World” in a jazzy/gospel style and hitting the high note in “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” will melt your heart. She is a powerhouse of sound and those were my two favourite sung by her.

The evening started out with a beautiful Overture on French Carols, and you could hear many favourites throughout the 2-hour show, such as: Little Drummer Boy, Feliz Navidad, Waltz of the Flowers, and a medley from the Polar Express film. The WSO orchestra chorus raised the bar with a chilling rendition of O’Holy Night that deserved a standing ovation.

The highlight of the evening was bringing best-selling book, A Porcupine in a Pine Tree, written by Helaine Becker and illustrated by Werner Zimmermann, to life with music.  A hilarious tribute to all things Canadian, including beaver tails, caribous, and of course, The Stanley Cup.

Not forgetting our Jewish friends, several Hanukkah songs were played, with the adorable Music Moves Kids choir from Director, Erin Armstrong and Windsor Essex Youth Choir from Danielle Sirek.

Of course, you cannot forget the big jolly guy who made a special appearance and made all the kids eyes light up. Some children wanted slime, others asked for an Elf on the Shelf. However, the best reply to “What would you like for Christmas?” had to be a little girl name Grace, who responded with, “I want a horse!” Clearly some planning went into that gift request!

Not surprising, it was announced that the Toldo Holiday Pops had a sold-out performance. If you’ve never been to the symphony before, I would recommend dipping your toes into this holiday show in the future and experiencing Maestro Franz and his exceptional team.  After all,  “without music, life would be a mistake” ― Friedrich Nietzsche.

The WSO returns on January 26 with French Connections, a journey of musical colours and textures by French composers. The program features a traditional French song, and Claude Debussy’s impressionistic suite Printemps. Members of the Windsor Symphony Youth Orchestra will join the WSO on stage and perform Faure’s Masques et Bergamasques.

The performance also showcases the World Premiere of Toronto-based composer Jordan Pal’s Trombone Concerto and Saint Saëns innovative Symphony No. 2 in A minor.

Are We Dead Yet?: Dead in a Week (Or Your Money Back) Movie Review

Check out my review of Dead in a Week:

Meet William (Aneurin Barnard) a forlorn writer who is convinced that his life has no purpose and dying is the only way out. After yet another failed attempt at suicide, he crosses paths with an “Angel of Death” assassin,  Leslie (Tom Wilkinson), who promises to fulfill his wish once and for all.

There are odd moments in Dead in a Week, directed by Tom Edmunds, where Leslie and William are sitting down to discuss the details of the contract, complete with a brochure titled “Your Death, Your Way.” The pamphlet has various options of death that you can choose from, including pictures.  If you haven’t guessed by now, dark humour is rampant in this British film and there is no shortage of mockery on such a grim topic.

With some pretty off-the-wall humour and morbid scenes, I was reminded a bit of filmmakers; the Cohen Brothers, who seem to delight or disturb their audiences.  At times, it’s hard not to laugh because although William continues to muster up the courage to die, it doesn’t seem like he can even do that properly. There is a short little montage of all his suicide attempts, including the most ridiculous one, where he sticks his head in the oven, but the gas suddenly turns off. In the background, “I Think We’re Alone Now” by Tiffany is playing.

William has lovable qualities and who can resist those puppy-dog eyes, but his preoccupation with dying seems unconvincing. After making all necessary arrangements, out of the blue, William gets a call from Ellie (Freya Mavor), who is a publisher’s assistant and seems very keen on his book.  A romantic love connection forms between them, making William realize that he may just want to live.  Unfortunately, a signed contract is taken very seriously for Leslie, who is teetering on forced retirement if he doesn’t fulfill his quota for “kills” during the week. He is less than impressed with William’s sudden revelation.

Things that could go wrong, go wrong, oh so very wrong. People are accidentally killed and William is once again escaping death, this time hand-in-hand with Ellie. The dark humour really comes into play during one scene between Leslie and his boss, Harvey, (played by the eccentric Christopher Eccleston). The interaction has funny elements, but seems to trail off into a zone where the initial joke gets lost in the banter.

Despite some flaws, I found this film oddly sentimental in very unexpected ways. The obscurity of how suicide is portrayed might not sit well with everyone, but sometimes it reminds us not to take life too seriously after all.

Goodness Gracious: Almost Almost Famous Movie Review

Check out my review of Almost, Almost Famous: 

Everyone has a dream. A vision to live a life of abundance and doing what they were “meant” to do. However, what happens when reality slaps you in the face and says you’re not quite good enough and you just don’t have what it takes? It’s a hard pill to swallow and some see this as a challenge to prove others wrong, and others give up before they even had a chance to make their mark.

Almost, Almost Famous takes a snapshot look into the public and private lives of Texan rockabilly musician Lance Lipinsky as Jerry Lee Lewis, Las Vegas-based R & B singer Bobby Brooks as Jackie Wilson and the “Elvis from Orlando” Ted Torres on their “Class of ’59” cross country road tour.  There are small mentions of Bill Culp, as Big Bopper and Jeff Giles, as Buddy Holly, but they were not the main focus of the documentary. Along for the wildest ride, you also get to meet their tour manager Marty Kramer, who may look like just another roadie, but he has helped launched the artists’ careers and rubbed elbows with some of the biggest and brightest stars from Burton Cummings to Lynyrd Skynyrd.

The entertainment business may seem filled with glitz and glamour, but it’s also filled with disappointment and often destruction of close family and romantic relationships. It’s hard for many artists to know where their character ends and their own identity begins. They lose themselves in the roles they are showing to the world.  This often leads to a distorted sense of self and burn-out.

Sadly, tribute artists are now really a dime a dozen and it is estimated by Marty that with over 85,000 Elvis impersonators, only 500 get employed. This is shocking because of the amount of unexplored talent that are cast aside simply because they may not be the preferred image of what others expect or don’t market themselves as well as someone else in the industry.   All that make-up to turn back the hands of time and countless hours of perfecting the Elvis-do or the cans of hairspray to get the perfect Bill Haley kiss curl get washed out, just like many of their careers.

On a brighter side, there are moments that show the incredible appreciation and devotion that fans bring to their lives, which make the struggles worth while. Those simple times when you see the joy in someone’s eyes as they are reliving their precious youth through such a poignant era like the 1950’s. There is also an incredible story shared about Bobby Brooks that you actually need to watch to believe.

No matter what people say, it is always hard to walk in someone else’s shoes. For many of these talented tribute artists that are showcased, fame and fortune is limited. There is always someone younger, smarter, and with the right connections that will take the #1 spot. The desire to develop their own careers outside of their idols in the long-term is a true balancing act.  In reality, all the passion in the world doesn’t mean a lot, if you cannot pay your rent.