Thursday Movie Picks #290: TMP Television Edition - 2019 Freshmen Series

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share your movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is TMP Television Edition - 2019 Freshmen Series

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Another theme I've been looking forward to. I've already mentioned a couple of 2019 freshmen series I like (The Politician, Evil and The Society) in previous TMPs, so I'm going to pick 5 more that I like that I have yet to mention before.

The Witcher (2019 - )

With Game of Thrones now concluded, The Witcher is primed to fill the fantasy void. How does it compare? Game of Thrones I loved from the first season, I suppose it was the whole political intrigue thing, which I tend to love and of course it has amazing characters. The Witcher, at least for its first season is more of a heroes' journey, which I am not as fond of, where we follow three of its main characters until their paths finally cross and I have to say I don't feel particularly invested in its characters just yet. However I think the series has potential, especially since the characters have finally met up, the story could now go in a much more interesting direction in season two.

Sanditon (2019)
I've read most of Jane Austen's finished novels and have watched the various movie and TV adaptations of them. Sanditon, if you've not heard of it yet, is based on Jane Austen's unfinished novel, one I have not read. So it was such a delight to have seen this TV series and experienced an Austen story for the first time in such a long time. The last episode of the first season had a sort of an open ending, and with the novel being an unfinished one, the series' writer certainly has a lot of room to expand the story beyond the original plot for the second season. Unfortunately it seems ITV, the original broadcaster in the UK, has cancelled the series back in December. Still, as it has only been shown in the US this year, I'm hoping with an increase in its number of fans, it will be picked for a second season perhaps even by a different outlet. 

Dead to Me  (2019 - )

Netflix it seems in 2018/2019 excelled in putting out comedic series (this series, along with After Life and The Kominsky Method) featuring characters dealing with grief. Dead to Me is more of a dark comedy, about a widow making a new friend at a grief support group not knowing that the friend is harbouring a shocking secret. This series is so unexpectedly good...I totally wasn't aware of what the series was about when I started watching, and was quite surprise by the dark turns it took, and yet the series was still able to be very funny. Can't wait for the next season.

After Life (2019 - )

This is the other series dealing with grief about a man struggling after the death of his wife and the only thing keeping him going is that his dog is dependent on him. I've like Gervais's other works like The Office and Extras and I think this is as good or perhaps better. It manages to balance being so sad without losing the humor.

Russian Doll (2019 - )
A woman attending her birthday party is stuck in a time loop where she ends up dying again and again. I really enjoyed this. It's fast paced, weird and darkly funny though I'm not really sure where the story is going. It is confirmed for a second season so I am going to lookout for it.

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Thursday Movie Picks #289: Unforgettable Film Scores

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share your movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Unforgettable Film Scores

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Today's theme is a suggestion from Brittani. I've been looking forward to today's theme. There's plenty to choose from. There's the classics and blockbusters of course like Star Wars, LOTR and Harry Potter. However my favourites, while not exactly small movies are not big blockbusters either and this time I can't help myself and am picking 6 movies...I know a lot....which is such a rarity.

 

Kissing in the Rain from Great Expectations (1998)
This is one my favourite movies of all time and I can't believe I almost forgot to add this track. This I believe was played when Finn was older and in New York...in you guessed it the rain, and the track has a sense of both magic that he sort of finally gets the girl and nostalgia I guess for when he first met Estella.

 

Surrounded from The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)
I love the movie and the movie's score. This particular track I picked I think was played when the soldiers had surrounded the Musketeers and the man in the iron mask, it has a very dramatic action full orchestra sort of sound that expresses the valor and honor of the characters in the scene.  

 

In the House In a Heartbeat from 28 Days Later... (2002)
Love the movie. This track I'm pretty sure is the one that was played when Cillian Murphy's emaciated character wakes up and wanders into an empty London dazed and confused. The track is just so eerie and has this sense of increasing distress. 

 

Death is the Road to Awe from The Fountain (2006)
Unlike the other movies I've picked today, I don't like this movie. I find it much like Cloud Atlas, too ambitious with the whole interconnected-ness thing. But I do love this track which has this escalating tense shrill violins or maybe cello sound...I obviously can't tell instruments apart... anyway the track is just so beautiful and haunting.

Coronation from Stardust (2007)
This is another one of my favourite movies and I love this track that comes at the end. It is has a sort of grand epic sound that is also so joyous it's like the equivalent of seeing fireworks.

Jane's Escape from Jane Eyre (2011)
Once again love the movie. There's a line in the book, as well as in the movie, where Rochester speaks of a string within him that is connected tightly and inextricably to Jane. And this track which features taut straining violins that plays as Jane makes her escape from Thornfield Hall perfectly references that quote and expresses that what was between them is now being pulled apart.

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Thursday Movie Picks #288: 2019 Releases

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share your movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is 2019 Releases

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This is yet another tough one since I've only seen a handful of 2019 releases. Anyway here are the ones I like.

Earthquake Bird (2019)
An expat in Japan is questioned about a missing friend who may have been involved with her boyfriend. I like it. It is very atmospheric and broody with an extremely unreliable protagonist, so it really kept me guessing until the end.

The King (2019)
It's about the prince as he becomes Henry V. I've not read Shakespeare Henry V, but I'm guessing this is an adaptation of it instead of being more historical based...since certain people did not die in reality as when they do in this movie...but without Shakespeare's prose, which I suppose made it easier to understand at least for me. Historical inaccuracies aside, I really like it. It was well written and well paced. Everyone was good in their parts and those last few scenes with Henry V and Catherine and later William were great. The only thing I didn't like was Pattinson as the Dauphin, it was too over the top I thought.

Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019)
Spider-man goes on a European school trip and once again he has to save the day. I'm really enjoying this new Spider-man franchise. It's bright, fun and funny. I think it's because they kept Spider-man a teenager, so there's a wide eyed wonder about him where everything is both scary but still cool and fun and there's also his friends where a lot of the humor comes from. I'm looking forward to the third movie especially after that revelation at the end.

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Thursday Movie Picks #287: Favorite Films by Steven Spielberg

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share your movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Favorite Films by Steven Spielberg

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Today's theme is a suggestion from B. I haven't really seen a lot of films directed by Spielberg, and those that I've seen, I saw quite a long time ago that I hardly remember anything so this turn out to be quite a challenge. Anyway here are the three I like best.

Minority Report (2002)
It is one of those movies that I like it better the second time. It's a good crime thriller with a cool look and the action was good as well.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
It's like Pinocchio but in the future and it is soo sad.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Of the three I like this best. It's a great sweet heartwarming sci-fi adventure movie that has a sense of magic and wonder. When I think of movie magic...I think of this movie. It's basically everything that Stranger Things wants to be.

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Thursday Movie Picks #286: Escape

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share your movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Escape

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Hey! Hope you've had a good start to the new year and welcome to the first TMP of 2020. Today's theme is escape. I don't want to overthink it, so I'm just going to go with recent "Escape" movies I've seen.

Escape Room (2019)
It was fine, a decent scary not too scary movie. There is going to be a sequel which...I mean more elaborate puzzles? How are they going to make that more interesting? Maybe by the end of it the gamemasters get caught because surely someone must have taken a selfie of their invitation.

Orbiter 9 (2017)
I like this one. It's basically about a young woman on a spaceship to a distant planet who escapes from the ship to discover what is really going on.

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
I really like this. It's a really scary thriller. Does she stay in the shelter with two men she doesn't know or does she escape into some apocalyptic wasteland?

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