Last Minute Movie Watches of 2022

A few extra movie reviews to share that you might want to check out before we head into 2023. 

I love a good whodunnit movie, and so the first Knives Out was a total blast to watch with intriguing characters and a great story.  Rian Johnson is back again in the director’s chair to present us with Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

We welcome back to the screen, world-famous detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) as he travels to Greece this time to solve a new case, involving tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) and his privileged bunch of has-been socialites. 

This sequel had its moments of enjoyment, mainly thanks to Daniel Craig and Edward Norton’s performances, with a few laughs from others, like alpha-male, Duke Cody (Dave Bautista). Mirroring a lot of narcissism qualities that are abundantly obvious in many leaders and trendy gurus, if you haven’t kept up with the kombucha craze or have any familiarity with cancel culture, you may not laugh as hard as others would.  Despite some twists, the casting fell short for me though, as there wasn’t as many layers to peel back as I would have hoped.

When you mix Home Alone, The Ref, and Die Hard together, you’ll get just a taste of  Violent Night directed by Norwegian director Tommy Wirkola.

No one expects to get a taste of their own medicine on Christmas eve, but one wealthy family is held hostage by a team of mercenaries who are not interested in spreading any holiday cheer. What could have been a total train wreck in this film, turns into a sleigh ride of insanity,  but in the best possible way. 

Without spoiling much, let’s just say Santa (played by David Harbour) deserves all the milk and cookies he wants for his performance. Although the amount of brutal kills were pretty intense and graphic, there’s more to the film than just horror. There’s a beautiful bond between Santa and Trudy (Leah Brady) that might be expected, but still brings a sense of spirit and magic to the screen.

Love Birds is an uplifting New Zealand film that has the right amount of comedy and romance. It’s light-hearted and rather predictable of what we’d witness in a rom-com, but it’s still joyful. When failing at love and floundering through life, it doesn’t seem so bad when a shelduck comes to the rescue.  Doug (Rhys Darby) and Holly (Sally Hawkins) are lovely on-screen together.  With the epic soundtrack of Queen, in the end, we all just need somebody to love. 

Troll is a Norwegian film directed by Roar Uthaug that in some ways could be a template for many mythical creatures who are awakened after years in captivity or due to humans tampering with nature. 

This time we are set-up looking at deep into the beautiful mountain of Dovre, where folklore tales about creatures made of earth and stone (trolls) are shared between father, Tobias (Gard B. Eidsvold) and his daughter Nora (Ine Marie Wilmann).  Fast-forward to 20 years later, estranged from her father, Nora is a leading paleontologist and a sudden explosion awakens a massive troll who is ready to destroy everything in its path.

The movie is action-packed, with some comedic relief added in from Andreas, (Kim Falck) and awesome cinematography to keep the entertainment level high.  Gard is great at story-telling in a way that we can really feel like we’re transported in time, where imagination and the wonder of childhood never gets curtailed by growing up. 

Nora’s rekindled bond with her father is endearing and holds a special place in the film. We watch as she wrestles with conflicting emotions, yet still holding echoing words of her father to “look with your heart, not with your eyes.”

💜Special mention:  Ms. Marvel, created by Bisha K. Ali

My husband binge-watched all 6 episodes and told me that I really need to watch this. 

Episode 1 just grabbed me. "Let's go to Episode 2, then leave the rest for the next day," I said. Well, this mini series was so exceptionally good that I got hooked into all of them in a single evening.

The characters are so layered and expressive in their roles. What a wonderful casting overall, especially Kamala - Ms Marvel (Iman Vellani) and her mother, Muneeba (Zenobia Shroff).  I loved their connection so much.  

I could really appreciate the cultural aspects too, the humour that went along with it, and the emotional scenes that just weaved so effortlessly throughout.   

Every episode is filled with such great dialogue and a lot of self-reflective moments that are very relatable at various stages of life. I don't think this is just inspiring for the younger generations, but also the older ones too. 

Of course, there are some great action-packed battles and superhero moments of awe, as well as a head-bopping soundtrack too.  

We are reminded from a beautiful quote by Sheikh Abdullah in the show that "good is not something you are, It is something you do."

💜Have you seen any of these?  Drop me a note in the comments, or send me an email using my webform on the side and also let me know what you've been watching!

An Alternative List of Valentine’s Movies for the Hopeful Romantics

This year instead of giving you typical lovey-dovey films that I have watched more times than I can count, such as, When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and 13 Going on 30,  I decided to share some movies that I stumbled upon over the years, which may not fit into everyone’s Valentine’s Day mold, but they all contain the puzzling emotions that we like to call love.

As a hopeful romantic yet still to this day, nursing some pretty deep wounds from previous holidays, I know that love comes in so many delicate forms. It has the power to not only excite us, but it can also really blind us.

It is important to distinguish between love and lust. There’s a lot of murky waters to swim through dealing with those feelings.

Be okay with embracing singlehood until you find someone who is worthy in your eyes of changing your Facebook status for. “I’m not willing to gamble my whole life on someone who’s, well, not quite sure. It’s like you said. I’m still looking for something more extraordinary than that.” ~Bridget, Bridget Jones’s Diary

Also a detail not to overlook; promptly jump ship when the love that you’re pouring out to someone is unrequited. “I understand feeling as small and as insignificant as humanly possible. And how it can actually ache in places you didn’t know you had inside you. And it doesn’t matter how many new haircuts you get, or gyms you join, or how many glasses of chardonnay you drink with your girlfriends… you still go to bed every night going over every detail and wonder what you did wrong or how you could have misunderstood.” – Iris, The Holiday.

Movie List:

Love Me If You Dare: A French delight that is beautifully filmed and challenges the ways we perceive love through the ages. A childhood game of innocence trails into adulthood and spirals out of control leaving unresolved feelings mangled in confusion.

Warm Bodies: You may roll your eyes and wonder how can a zombie movie be on this list, but give it a chance and see Nicholas Hoult shine in his role as “R.”  Another quirky but well-done film that really  captures the essence of survival, companionship and the complexities of love.

Kissed:  If there is one movie that you will always remember Molly Parker for, this Canadian film would be it.  A controversial yet sensual piece about love in a very intimate way. What line would you be willing to cross between the world of the living and beyond?

He Loves Me… He Loves Me Not: I was shocked to see Audrey Tautou (the sweetheart from Amelie!) in such a dark and provocative role, but this one really caught my attention. A dose of romantic obsession never ceases to thrill me.

Howard The Duck: Do you have a soft spot for the cheesy and quirkiness of this 80’s gem? I sure do. It grew on me, the more times I watched it. The connection between Howard and big-hair, big-dreamer, Beverly, is sweet and playful. Yes, maybe just a tad bit out of the ordinary too, which makes this a perfect choice for the list.

The Hunger: Fangs out everyone! Who doesn’t love a good vampire love triangle story? Staring the beloved David Bowie, and directed by Tony Scott, it will get you a little hot under the collar.

Get Real: A sweet coming-of-age British film that explores the topic of sexuality and dealing with the jittery, sweaty-palms, heart-pumping emotions of love. Ben Silverstone is so endearing in this role, and with a lot of funny and “a-ha” moments, you’ll see that whether you’re gay or straight, there’s no perfect way to fall in love sometimes.

So there are a handful of films that you may want to try and find on February 14th! If you are mourning the loss of a love lost or planning on hexing your ex with sage on Valentine’s Day, remember to take a moment and smile because as alone as you may feel, I believe there is someone special in this big wide world who is thinking of you. “My dearest friend, If you don’t mind, I’d like to join you by your side. Where we could gaze into the stars, and sit together, now and forever. For it is plain as anyone could see, we’re simply meant to be.”– Jack, Nightmare Before Christmas.

Have any favourites that I should check out? Send me a message and let me know! 

Dating: You Said I Wasn't Your Kind, Only Here For The Ride

I recently met a man who told me that “the worst punishment anyone can be faced with in life is loneliness. We need air to breathe, food to keep our bodies working, and companionship to feel alive. He believed that “no man (or woman) is an island.” He didn’t mention anything about sex, which was very surprising, as it is human nature to have those needs, but I allowed him to continue.

“Sex is important in a relationship,” he blatantly told me. “To be intimate, to make love with another is a wonderful feeling, so don’t get me wrong there, but it’s not everything.” When he said “it’s not everything” those words seemed to echo in my head. “Having someone to share some good conversation with over a cup of coffee and to explore all the beauty that life has to offer together, holds more value in the end, my dear lady.”

I thought about all the people who have faced terrible illnesses and how amazing it was that their partner’s still stuck by their side. I’ve read stories of others who couldn’t participate any longer in sexual relations because of trauma and/or medical reasons, not only females, but males too. They wondered when their partner would leave or even have an affair due to that gap in the relationship. It’s often embarrassing and makes you feel like a solitary existence is easier on your heart.
I had hoped that someday there would be a dating service that offered companionship on a level that took out the physical component. You could hold hands or cuddle, but the rest was never really brought into the equation. It was almost like an unwritten rule that wasn’t discussed, sort of the way it’s known to stay away from topics like politics, sex, and religion on a first date.

Needless to say, a friend on Facebook posted a link to this site called Romance Only (formerly 2date4Love.com) The founder, Laura B. was diagnosed with Stage IV cervical cancer and after treatments found that her body no longer responded the same way as it did before, which made it a challenge to date. The site is geared towards people who are looking for love that doesn’t focus on the physical. It is about finding a compatible partner who respects and understands your decision that intimacy can be much more than what it initially is portrayed in the media and in society.

My only hope is that people will genuinely sign up and the fakes who prey on the vulnerable will just continue to browse the other dating sites and leave this one alone.

After reading more on the site, it appears to be a great resource for connecting with others who truly feel the way you do.

It really doesn’t matter what your story is. Everyone deserves to have someone special in their life to come home to and ask “hi honey, how was your day?” and to feel a warm embrace without the expectation that something else has to follow.

There are billions of people in the world, but finding that connection is far from easy. As my gentleman friend told me “you kiss a lot of frogs to get to your prince and the one who stays through the worst times is worth keeping around for the better times ahead.”

Love Me If You Dare Movie Review: I Dare You

Movie Review



Parlez-vous francais? Un peu – which for any non-speaking French people, translates to a little bit, in English. Personally, I enjoy watching foreign films. They could be from Asia, France, Germany, India or anywhere in the world. Sometimes, I will be adventurous and try to just watch a movie to see how much I can understand, and other times, it’s a real blessing to have the option of subtitles!

Love Me If You Dare is a movie that I stumbled upon when I browsing through the international film section. It is yet another beautiful French film, filled with wonder and mystery, directed by Yann Samuell.  

What starts out as an innocent game during childhood between both characters Julien and Sophie, soon turns into an emotional struggle of survival throughout the rest of their adult lives. The dares seem simplistic enough to begin with, but as the years pass by and the game continues, the dares start to carry a lot of underlying ammunition.

It’s fascinating and perhaps a little morbid to watch Julien and Sophie’s lives spiral out of control over a measly game that could have been stopped long ago. However the yearning to hold onto each other seems almost like a surreal experience, and not the typical romantic fairy tale that love is made out to always be.

This was an amazing movie on so many levels. What I got out of the movie is that trying to run away from something much deeper inside your heart and soul is harder than anyone could ever dare to admit.

Somewhere In Time Movie Review: Come Back To Me

Movie review

In the film Somewhere in Time, on the opening night of his first play, Richard Collier (played by Christopher Reeve) is greeted by a mysterious older woman who subtly puts an antique watch into his hand with a picture of a beautiful woman. Several years later, wanting to get away from work, Richard decides to take a break and finds himself staying in a hotel where he becomes awe-struck and obsessed by the same photograph he was given inside the watch. On the hunt for answers, he finds out that the woman was an actress back in the 1900's named Elise McKenna (played by the beautiful Jane Seymour.) Unable to get her out of his mind, he resorts to self-hypnosis in the hope of travelling back in time to meet and fall in love with her. 

This was such a romantic movie filled with beauty and utter simplicity. Christopher Reeve gave a brilliant performance showing his strong-willed character on the brink of madness and my heart was filled with awe feeling the passionate love between Richard and Elise that endured throughout the film. His obsession with Elise reached a point where the yearning for her became almost heartbreaking to watch. Seeing how far of a journey he went, even in his own mind, makes time travel a truly life-changing experience.

Another tear-jerker of a movie, with the great possibility that if you’re watching this alone, you’ll be finishing off that giant tub of ice cream, by the time the film credits roll.

It's Complicated Movie Review: I’ve Never Really Known How To Live Without You

Movie review:

In the movie, It’s Complicated, after 10 years of being divorced, Jane and Jake played by Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin find themselves in each other’s arms after reuniting for their son’s graduation. Jane is a workaholic and is unsure about going back into the dating scene, while Jake has taken the plunge again, this time marrying a younger woman. As Jane battles being the other woman in this discrete yet exciting affair, she is suddenly courted by a new love interest played by Steve Martin who is recently divorced and wants to start anew. Going on dates yet still sleeping with your jealous ex-husband who wants you back, doesn’t seem so easy anymore and so Jane and Jake need to decide what kind of benefits they are really looking for so things won’t remain complicated.

I loved every second of this movie! Everyone can relate to this film in some way as relationships at any age or of any kind are not always simple. Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin were fantastic together. The dialogue between them was really entertaining. Add in the painfully shy but zany character played by Steve Martin, and this was a sure hit. John Krasinski from the popular show The Office had a small but great role worth mentioning too. There were tons of hilarious scenes especially one involving a webcam and some tender moments as well that had a lot of meaning. 

It was anything but complicated to go out and purchase this movie, which I know that I will watch repeatedly and hopefully you’ll feel the same.

Valentine's Day: REEL LOVE

In honour of Valentine's Day, I dedicate this blog post to all the wonderful movies out there!

Reel Love

Well today is a holiday that people truly love or loathe, there is really no in-between. You’re either spreading virtual love all over Facebook or cranking up your stereo and making voodoo dolls of all your ex-lovers, while listening to Boy’s Don’t Cry by The Cure.

Over the years, I’ve had some amazing Valentine’s Day celebrations and others that I’d rather forget. Still, it’s my favourite holiday because I guess you can simply say that I’m in love with love! I’m that girl who you’d say is the hopeful romantic at heart. 

The beauty of film is that no matter what your mood is, there is always a movie to go with your emotion and a character that can somehow relate to your current situation.

So here we go, my diverse list of favourite movies for the following categories (note that these films can go into more than one category, I just put each in the one that I felt was the most appropriate) 

Passionate lust:

•  9 ½ Weeks
• Sex, lies and videotape
• Sliver
• The Hunger
• Red Shoe Diaries

First loves:

• Pretty in Pink
• The Princess Bride
• Never Been Kissed
• 13 Going On 30
• Clueless
• Some Kind of Wonderful

Alternative loves:

• Get Real
• Chasing Amy
• Priscilla Queen of the Desert
• Rocky Horror Picture Show
• Mannequin

Long-distance/virtual lovers:

• Sleepless in Seattle
• You’ve Got Mail
• The Holiday
• Must Love Dogs

Wishing they were in love with somebody:

• The Wedding Singer
• Amelie
• Bridget Jones’s Diary
• Love Actually

Confused about love:

• Serendipity
• The Break-Up
• It’s Complicated
• Reality Bites
• Benny and Joon
• Knocked Up
• Love Me If You Dare
• 40 Year Old Virgin
• All About Steve

Jaded, I-will-make-you-love-me/I-want-to-see-you-suffer-badly-and-take-pictures:

• Cruel Intentions
• Fatal Attraction
• Kill Bill
• Psycho
• The Last Seduction

Broken-hearted who have loved and lost:

• PS I Love You
• Cashback
• The Phantom of the Opera
• Life is Beautiful
• Bed of Roses
• High Fidelity
• Somewhere in Time

Hopefuls who want to find love again:

• When Harry Met Sally
• Romancing the Stone
• Say Anything
• As Good As It Gets

"I'm not willing to gamble my whole life on someone who's, well, not quite sure. It's like you said. I'm still looking for something more extraordinary than that." - Bridget Jones's Diary

I’ll stop here, but realize that there are countless others to recommend. So to wrap up this Valentine’s Day blog, a few last thoughts:

Know the difference between loving someone and being in love, it will save you a lot of heartache in the long run.