Thursday Movie Picks #350: TMP Television Edition - Opening Title Sequence

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five titles 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 -  Opening Title Sequence

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I've been really looking forward to this week's theme TV opening title sequence which is more on the visual aspects of the opening (next month's TV TMP will be for theme songs). You know how most streaming platforms like Netflix has an option to "skip intro"? I almost never do that because I love watching opening title sequences (OTS) and appreciate a well made and well thought out one. And if you like opening title sequence too there's this excellent site you might want to check out that has been around for several years https://www.artofthetitle.com/ Today's post is going to be quite long. My picks are going to be the OTS I like and will be based on 5 themes so there will actually be more than 5 TV series here.

A Different Opening Title Sequence for Each Season

 

 

The Politician (2019 - )

The OTS starts off with an opened wooden mannequin. There are compartments in it and we see it is filled with objects that are important to the main character (MC) and story. The objects in season 2 are different from that in season 1. The mannequin is then closed, painted, clothed and ends with it becoming a real man, the MC. It's a great looking OTS and has a catchy song to go along with it.

Deutschland 83 (2015) Deutschland 86 (2018) Deutschland 89 (2020)

OTS has this pop art collage-ish look with scraps of paper pasted together with images from the season. Each new season is a new collage scene with images from the new season. The series is about the cold war so coupled with a great song the OTS has this almost colorful upbeat spiralling sense of doom. 

 

Artsy

 

 

Anne with an E (2017-2019)

The OTS has this really beautiful storybook decoupage diorama-like look. It fits very well with the title character and how imaginative and dreamy she is.

 

Comic Book Inspired

 

 

iZombie (2015-2019)
Unlike the other series I picked today, I don't love this series but I do like it and like the OTS. Loosely based on a comic book, the OTS is presented as comic book panels that shows how the MC becomes a zombie and also introduces the major characters in the series. Subsequent seasons would add new panels introducing new characters important to the season. 

 

 

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018-2020)

Similarly as above, while I don't love this series, I do enjoy it. And I do like the OTS and how it pays tribute to it's comic book roots. The graphics has this very vintagey comic book look to the tune of an eerie Halloweenish music.

 

 

Transforming Images

 

The Night Manager (2016)

Last of my picks that I don't love but do like the OTS. It has this clever sort of playing with the images where when the camera zooms out it transforms the images into something else. A tea set on a round tray from above becomes a barrel of a gun. Moving boats in the ocean from above transforms into missiles in the sky. This is a spy thriller so the OTS is very fitting in that nothing is what it seems.

 

 

Defending Jacob (2020)

OTS here is less sleek than The Night Manager but it still has the same transforming images thing going on. A blade of a knife becomes the light coming from beneath a door. Branches in a dense woods becomes a finger print.

 

 

Each Episode a Slightly Different Opening Title Sequence
 

 

Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

The OTS shows a map of the Game of Thrones world. With each episode highlighting the locations that the story goes to in that particular episode. I absolutely love the OTS here. It is just looks so stunning and has great sound (the sounds of metal clanging, fire burning and gears moving) plus there's also that now iconic theme song.

Home Before Dark (2020 - )

The series is about a young girl looking into the unsolved case of her father's still missing best friend who was abducted as a child. The OTS shows the girl's notebook being flipped open on a desk and each episode highlights new things on the desk or in the notebook reflecting the girl's new findings in that particular episode.

 

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Thursday Movie Picks #349: Fake Identity

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 Fake Identity

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There's two ways to go for this theme: Teens using a Fake ID to buy alcohol or get into clubs or someone using a fake identity to conceal their real one. I'm going for the latter. My picks today are recent watches that I like featuring characters that use a fake identity. All of these movies the characters that use a fake identity are only revealed the earliest somewhere in the middle of the movie and the latest ones revealed only at the very end; so I will keep it all spoiler free.

Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)

Strangers descend at a hotel and bad things are about to happen. Everyone here looks shady from the beginning, so I totally thought a few were faking who they were.

The Invisible Guest (2016)
A wealthy businessman meets a lawyer, an expert in witness preparation, to prepare and build a defense for a trial where he is accused of murdering his lover. I really enjoyed this mystery thriller. It has a lot of fun twist and turns and I did not expect the fake identity.

Stonehearst Asylum (2014)

Based on a short story by Edgar Allen Poe - A new graduate, the alienist Dr Newgate arrives at Stonehearst Asylum to expand his training. He soon realises something is not quite right in the asylum.

I was already spoiled about some parts of it except for the revelation at the end which was a nice extra twist.

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Thursday Movie Picks #348: Movies That Haven't Aged Well

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 Movies That Haven't Aged Well

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This week's theme is a suggestion by Getter. This is a great theme. Haven't we all seen a movie and think "this won't age well; 10 years from now it would look terrible". The only problem is I rarely get to rewatch movies so I don't actually get to see if it is true years later, so I am having trouble finding picks today.

Avatar (2009)

I did not see this in IMAX 3D. I saw this on a DVD rental at home a few months after it's theatrical release. Even then I think it's already started to age with its over reliance on visual effects. Without the supposedly stunning visuals of IMAX 3D experience this movie was so meh with its mediocre story. What is it other than a mash up of a Pocahontas and FernGully story. I can't believe Disney is making 4 more Avatar movies. Does Avatar really have a strong fan base? Is anyone really pining for them? 

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
This was quite popular when it came out but I only saw it in 2016 and I didn't like it. I think we're suppose to laugh at these ridiculous sexist male characters in the seventies as if it was a thing of the past and society have progressed to a better inclusive and respectful version. Then of course in 2017 and 2018 #MeToo and #TimesUp movement happened...and duhh...say all women...not quite a thing of the past issit? So yeah Anchorman has not aged well...and is so obviously written by men.

 

Blade (1998)

I saw this in the late 90s on a rental and liked it a lot. In the mid 2000s I rewatched it and yes the visual effects did not aged well. However I still think it's a fun vampire action movie. By the way, Blade is getting a reboot which will be part of phase 5 of the MCU with Mahershala Ali playing the title role and apparently it will be a PG13 movie. Initial thoughts on the reboot: Not sure how old Blade is suppose to look but I had thought they would go for someone younger in the reboot if they were going to have more than one movie. Snipes was in his mid-30s when he was Blade and Ali is now in his mid-40s. And why is a vampire movie PG13? 

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Thursday Movie Picks #347: Oscar Winners Edition: Best Actor and Best Actress

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 Oscar Winners Edition: Best Actor and Best Actress

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This post is coming quite late so I'll be keeping it short. Here are my favourites:

 

 

BEST ACTOR

 

Forest Whitaker in The last King of Scotland (2006)

Whitaker put in a good and terrifying performance as Idi Amin.

 

Russell Crowe in Gladiator (2000)

The late 90s and early 2000s was the height of Crowe's acting career, he was nominated back to back Best Actor for three years and won for Gladiator. I don't remember much of The Insider but I didn't much like A Beautiful Mind. Gladiator I like a lot.

 

Peter Finch in Network (1976)

Finch was great as the anchorman who has a meltdown on air, the first of what would be his many rants.

 

Paul Scofield in A Man for All Seasons (1966)

I've picked this before for Best Picture and Scofield puts in a terrific performance as Thomas More.

 

 

 

BEST ACTRESS

 

Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine (2013)

Blanchett is great here as a former socialite who is trying hard to hold on to her former life and losing her mind in the process. The story reminds me of A Streetcar Named Desire, but I prefer Blue Jasmine and Blanchett's performance.

 

Natalie Portman in Black Swan (2010)

I thought Portman was really good in this as the ballet dancer spiraling towards insanity.

 

Faye Dunaway in Network (1976)

There's just a lot of outstanding performances in this one including Dunaway's who plays the ambitious TV executive.

 

Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins (1964)

Mary Poppins is one of my childhood favourites and Andrews was just great in it

 

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Thursday Movie Picks #346: Romance Tropes / TMP Television Edition - Love Triangles

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 Romance Tropes / TMP Television Edition - Love Triangles

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Hey it's February and it's time for the Romance Tropes Edition. Take a look at what's in store for the rest of the month. 

 
February 25 - Romance Tropes / TMP Television Edition: Love Triangles

 

 

Today is the last Thursday of the Romance Tropes edition. I hope you had fun with this edition because it's definitely coming back next year and I already have the themes in mind. Anyway today is also the television edition. I'm sure you are spoiled for choice since this is a trope often explored on TV. Here are some of my favourite love triangles.

Felicity (1998 - 2002) 
Felicity choose to go to the same college as her crush Ben to be near him and there she meets Noel. This so nostalgic; I grew up watching this, or at least the first two seasons or so. I remember really liking the first season but the second season was bad not just because of the hair. This was so long ago but I think I like both of the boys, Ben was the broodier one and Noel was the more mature one. Anyway...Disney+ finally launched here and Felicity is on it so it's on my to-rewatch list.

Gilmore Girls (2000 - 2007)
Brainy Rory falls for local boy Dean and rebellious new boy Jess. Another nostalgic series I grew up watching. I've watched everything except for the last season and the Netflix revival (so no spoilers please). I think I like Jess more because he and Rory were more intellactually matched. He's quick witted and can banter with the Gilmore girls unlike Dean who I remember not quite getting what they were talking about often. Also I can't believe I have never picked this series for any TMP before.

 

The Vampire Diaries (2009 - 2017)
Vampire brothers Damon and Stefan have a complicated love hate relationship partly due to the fact that they love the same girl, Elena. I think most people, other then its target audience: teens, didn't really give this a chance because it came out around the time of the Twilight vampire craze that was going on. It's one of my favourite supernatural series. I thought it was a lot of fun and no there are no glittery vampires, they're quire vicious here. I thought the series had greatworld building and mythology for the supernatural creatures. And I like most of the characters as well and if I had to choose, I'd say Damon was a more fun character to watch. He always had a sarcastic comeback at the ready. 

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Thursday Movie Picks #345: Romance Tropes Edition - Forbidden Love

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 Romance Tropes Edition - Forbidden Love

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Hey it's February and it's time for the Romance Tropes Edition. Take a look at what's in store for the rest of the month. 

 
February 18 - Romance Tropes Edition: Forbidden Love
February 25 - Romance Tropes / TMP Television Edition: Love Triangles

 

Well when something is forbidden the more the heart wants. Here are my three picks:

Romeo and Juliet (1968)
Heir of feuding families fall in love. I really like this one. It has the whole period setting and the leads were actual teenagers who had great chemistry. They exude the very youthfulness, flirtatiousness and naivety of the characters.

Moulin Rouge! (2001)
A writer falls for a courtesan who belongs to a duke. I love this movie. It's so spectacular and lively and they work in the contemporary love songs so wonderfully well.

 

Underworld (2003) & Underworld: Evolution (2006)
A vampire falls for a werewolf. My very short synopsis makes it seem these movies are romance flicks...when they're more like urban action horror with some romance. Anyway I love the first two Underworld movies. They're fun action movies and have great world building.

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Thursday Movie Picks #344: Romance Tropes Edition - Friends to Lovers

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 Romance Tropes Edition - Friends to Lovers

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Hey it's February and it's time for the Romance Tropes Edition. Take a look at what's in store for the rest of the month. 

 
February 11 - Romance Tropes Edition: Friends to Lovers
February 18 - Romance Tropes Edition: Forbidden Love
February 25 - Romance Tropes / TMP Television Edition: Love Triangles

 

Well this should be quite easy as there are plenty of titles to choose from. Here are three that I like:

P.S. It was brought to my attention by Sonia that the July 8 theme was missing. I've just now added Female Athletes as the theme for that date. You can check the TMP page for the updated schedule.

Yesterday (2019)

After an accident, a struggling musician wakes up to an alternate world where The Beatles doesn't exist. I was really wanting to love this and although I didn't quite love it, I still enjoyed it. It was cute and fun. If you love The Beatles and just pop music in general I think you'd enjoy this too. There's also a side romantic story where the main character has a best friend who's supported his journey as a musician. However, as he becomes more successful it puts a strain in their relationship and he comes to realize that there is something more than a platonic friendship between them.

Something Borrowed (2011) 

A little drunk after a few drinks, a woman admits to her friend from law school that she had always had a crush on him, the same friend who is now the fiance of her best friend. I haven't seen this in a long time but I know I'm in the minority in that I enjoyed this movie.

 

We Don't Live Here Anymore (2004)

Two sets of couples are friends and each of the spouses is having an affair with the other's spouse. I saw this once a long time ago so I don't remember much other than I like it and thought it was a good drama about some very messy entanglements.

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Thursday Movie Picks #343: Romance Tropes Edition - Fake Relationship

 

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 Romance Tropes Edition - Fake Relationship

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Hey it's February and it's time for the Romance Tropes Edition. Take a look at what's in store for the rest of the month. 

 

February 4 - Romance Tropes Edition: Fake Relationship
February 11 - Romance Tropes Edition: Friends to Lovers
February 18 - Romance Tropes Edition: Forbidden Love
February 25 - Romance Tropes / TMP Television Edition: Love Triangles

 

Today is the first of the Romance Tropes Edition which will run the whole of February and is something that I hope will be an annual edition. Until recently, I've been a big book snob and had avoided romance novels. Now I read quite a lot of them and they are so much fun. The Romance Tropes Edition is very much inspired by the sub-genres and popular tropes in the romance novels I've read. Today's theme is an extremely popular (Netflix's Bridgerton, a book adaptation, if you've seen it, it has this very trope) book trope; the premise usually has two characters for some reason or other pretend to be in a romantic relationship when they actually aren't but eventually fall in love due to spending so much time with each. Anyway Bridgerton is a TV series so it will not count. Here are my movie picks:

Wedding Date (2005)

A woman hires a male escort to pretend to be her date to her sister's wedding to make the best man who was her ex-fiance jealous. It's been a long time since I've seen this but I remember enjoying it. One I'd like to watch again

 

The Proposal (2009)

A boss gets her assistant to agree to marry her and they pretend to be engaged in order for her to
escape deportation. I think this will be probably be popular this week since this is also one of the most successful romantic comedies ever. I didn't love it, but thought it was okay.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018)

A teen girl's secret love letters (ones that were never meant to be sent) get mysteriously mailed out to her crushes. To avoid being confronted by a neighbour (one of the receipients of the love letter) about the very letter, she engages in a fake relationship with another letter recipient who sees it as an opportunity to make his ex-girlfriend jealous. I love the book which was just super adorable and this is a great adaptation. It is charming, funny and the leads had great chemistry.

 

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Thursday Movie Picks #342: TMP Television Edition - 2020 Freshmen Series

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five titles 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 -  2020 Freshmen Series

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Limited series cannot be included today. Because the theme does refer to Freshmen, which means the first season of a series and limited series with only the one season is not the first of anything. So there goes my possible pick of Queen's Gambit and Little Fires Everywhere. No matter, I still saw plenty of good ones that had their first season in 2020. All of the series I picked today have been renewed for a second season, but who knows with the ongoing pandemic...there have been other renewals that were eventually scrapped. So here's hoping they all still get their second season.

Home Before Dark (2020 - )
A young girl and her family moves back to her father's childhood home in a small town after he loses his newspaper job in the city. An aspiring journalist herself, she starts her own newspaper and begins to dig into the unsolved case of her father's still missing best friend who had been abducted as a child. While clearly made for tweens and teens in mind, it was still surprisingly good and one adults can enjoy...the way Pixar movie manages the right amount of darkness and heartbreak while still being acceptable for kids. The young lead actress is the standout in this atmospheric mystery which was only partway solved in the first season so I'm glad this series is getting a second season.

Outer Banks (2020 -  )

A group teens who are the poorer year round residents of the Outer Banks go on a search for a long lost treasure. When this came out, there had been some comparisons with the other Netflix show about poor kids also featuring a treasure hunt which had a diverse cast, On My Block. I actually didn't like On My Block. The acting in that is awful, the series is a comedy but the humor just doesn't land right, the poor acting probably has something to do with it. So I say skip On My Block and watch Outer Banks. Outer Banks was such a surprise. It had no recognizable names headlining it and it premiered seemingly without much buzz, but it turned out to be actually a really good teen adventure series. The teen characters are older here and the actors are also much older but at least they can act. I think it is the chemistry between the characters which made this good and fun to watch.

 

Upload (2020 - )

After dying, a man's wealthy girlfriend had his consciousness uploaded into a virtual world. In his new existence, he befriends his handler (a person who still exists in the real world) who takes care of his needs in the virtual world and also starts to question the circumstances around his death. This sci-fi series is a lot of fun, sweet and funny. There's also a murder mystery element which keeps the suspense going with what or who is behind the main character's death.

 

Trying (2020 - )

After unsuccessfully trying for a baby on their own, the series follow a couple as they go through the adoption process. This is a sweet charming series that has an almost indie romantic comedy feel to it and the chemistry between the leads is great. I think, out of the five I've picked today, this is probably the least talked about, at least I haven't seen much buzz. It's actually on Apple TV, which is mostly populated by American productions, and this being British seems to be a little overlooked.
 

The Flight Attendant  (2020 - )

A flight attendant, an alcoholic, after a night of heavy drinking wakes up in a bed in a hotel in a foreign country beside a dead man. Unable to remember what happened and fearful of being held up in a foreign country, she goes on to her next flight and does her job like nothing has happened until they land in New York and the flight crew is brought in for questioning by the FBI. I had read the book this was adapted from. The book had been more of a drama thriller, but this TV series totally change the tone of it making it more of dark comedy thriller...and I think it still works. Kaley Cuoco plays the flight attendant in this and she was pretty good, her flight attendant is messy and has that ditsy blond thing going on which plays well into the whole dark comedy tone. While her situation was dire...there was still a little humor, unlike the book which was all rather dark. So yeah this adaptation turn out to be a fun watch, looking forward to the second season.

 

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Thursday Movie Picks #341: Police Detective

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 Police Detective

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There are a lot of police detective movies, but this time I'm trying to go with movies that I have not picked before for TMP. Here the three:

In the Shadow of the Moon (2019)

A police officer has been trying to track a serial killer who resurfaces every few years. The movie jumps in time often, so the main character isn't a police detective the whole time. Anyway, I didn't know what to expect with this one and it turned out pretty decent. There's also a time travel element here which is always interesting.

 

Frequency (2000)

Through an old HAM radio, a police detective is able to communicate 30 years into the past with his father who had died when he was a child. Warning his father of his impeding death triggered a set of new events, including the murder of his mother, which father and son now try to solve and prevent. I'm quite surprised that I've not picked this for TMP before. It's been a long time since I've seen but I remember liking it a lot. If you've seen and liked the Spanish film Mirage (2018), then I recommend watching Frequency as well.

Bad Boys (1995)

Two detectives protect a witness while investigating a case of drugs stolen from the police's evidence storage room. I saw all the Bad Boys movies last year and this is one of those rare franchise where the movies are consistent, I enjoyed all of them. But if I have to pick, it would be the first one, since it started it all. I think the best thing about these movies is the chemistry of the two leads. The constant bickering of the two characters is just funny.

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Thursday Movie Picks #340: 2020 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 2020 Releases

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I've seen few 2020 releases so my options were limited. Here are the ones I like.

Blow the Man Down (2020)

After having just lost her mother recently and getting into an argument with her sister, younger sister Mary Beth goes to drown her sorrows at the bar. Meeting a man there she decides to get in a car with him only to see something terrible resulting in a gruesome incident which further leads to her and her sister discovering the criminal activities that have been going on in their small fishing village. The movie opens with a bunch of fisherman singing a shanty and I really didn't know what to expect because it looked like it could be very quirky something perhaps like a Wes Anderson movie. Turns out it really wasn't all that quirky. It's more of a small town crime drama that was rather atmospheric and reminds me of other similar sort of small town crime movies like Fargo or Shimmer Lake except that this is a very female centric movie. Anyway I really really like it.

 

The Half of It (2020)

A jock gets an introverted smart girl to help him write love letters to his crush and along the way the girl starts to fall for his crush too. When I saw the plot of this I thought...nooo...not another sort of secret identity love triangle-ish plot like Sierra Burgess Is a Loser. Well it's not. This is a sweet and charming movie about love, friendship, being selfless and above all just being kind to each other.

Enola Holmes (2020)

Sherlock Holmes' teen sister, Enola, sets off on her own to find her missing mother using what she thinks are clues left by her. I've picked this before for the adaptations theme last year and I'm picking it once again. This was a super charming and fun adventure movie. I love it. I hope they quickly make a sequel before Brown gets to old to play the teenage Holmes.

 

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Thursday Movie Picks #339: Oscar Winners Edition: Best Picture

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 Oscar Winners Edition: Best Picture

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Hi and welcome to the 8th run of TMP. Today is also the start of Oscar Winners Edition with Best Picture being first up. Shouldn't be too difficult with 90+ winners to choose from. I'm picking some of my favourites.

Rebecca (1940)

We've had a similar TMP theme way back in 2015. I picked Rebecca then and I'm picking it once again because I love this movie. Joan Fontaine is the star here. She is so perfect as the Second Mrs. de Winter. Her portrayal had the right mix of youth, innocence and naivety.

 

A Man for All Seasons (1966)

Henry the VIII's rule from the point he tried to divorce Katherine of Aragon to his death was a tumultuous one and makes great drama for the screen. A Man of All Seasons is I think one of the best movies that depicts a short span of that period and focuses on Thomas More who tried to defend himself against charges of treason. The movie is based on a play so is very dialogue heavy which I like and had good performances by the cast.

American Beauty (1999)

This is such a great movie and was my first introduction to dark comedy back in 1999. It's funny, it's sad...it is just soo good.

The Departed (2006)

Mob movies tend to bore me but the whole undercover cop vs mole in the police premise was interesting and made the movie thrilling with all the twist and turns. I also thought it had great pacing.

 

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2021 Thursday Movie Picks Schedule (Final)

Hi everyone! Thanks to everyone who submitted a theme suggestion. There were some interesting suggestions that I just couldn't pick, because as you know being a host I participate in every single one of the TMPs and I would have had to sit out on some of them as, if you've been a frequent reader of my blog or comments, I've mentioned here and there that I don't watch Anime, watch few Docu Films and few black and white movies and so far none silent ones. Basically I only pick themes that I know I can participate :) .

Here is the updated final schedule which I will also post on the Thursday Movie Picks page for your easy reference. 

Any questions or clarification needed please leave a comment.

 

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2021 Thursday Movie Picks Schedule (Final)

January 7 -  Oscar Winners Edition: Best Picture
January 14 - 2020 Releases
January 21 - Police Detective
January 28 - TMP Television Edition: 2020 Freshmen Series
February 4 - Romance Tropes Edition: Fake Relationship
February 11 - Romance Tropes Edition: Friends to Lovers
February 18 - Romance Tropes Edition: Forbidden Love
February 25 - Romance Tropes / TMP Television Edition: Love Triangles
March 4 - Oscar Winners Edition: Best Actor and Best Actress
March 11 - Movies That Haven't Aged Well [Suggested by Getter]
March 18 - Fake Identity
March 25 - TMP Television Edition: Opening Title Sequence
April 1 - Oscar Winners Edition: Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress
April 8 -  Amateur Sleuths
April 15 - Female Cinematographers [Suggested by Brittani]
April 22 - Psychological Thriller
April 29 - TMP Television Edition: TV Score and/or Theme Song
May 6 - Oscar Winners Edition: Best Director
May 13 - Period Dramas
May 20 - Cyberpunk
May 27 - TMP Television Edition: Globetrotting (Scripted, Non-reality, Non-travel, Non-docu series)
June 3 - Oscar Winners Edition: Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay
June 10 - Worst Book to Movie Adaptations [Suggested by ThePunkTheory]
June 17 - Natural Disaster
June 24 - TMP Television Edition: Fish Out of Water
July 1 - Oscar Winners Edition: Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects
July 8 - Female Athletes
July 15 - Non-English Language Movies
July 22 - Summer Break
July 29 - TMP Television Edition: Book Adaptations
August 5 - Oscar Winners Edition: Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling
August 12 - Movies that Confused You [Suggested by Brittani]
August 19 - Treasure Hunt
August 26 - TMP Television Edition: Books You Want to be Adapted into a TV Series
September 2 - Oscar Winners Edition: Best Original Score and Best Original Song
September 9 - Actors or Actresses Playing Themselves
September 16 - Outlaws
September 23 -  Femme Fatales
September 30 -TMP Television Edition: Non-English
October 7 - Halloween Edition: School
October 14 - Halloween Edition: Folk or Urban Legend
October 21 - Halloween Edition: Horror Comedy
October 28 - Halloween/ TMP Television Edition: Horror
November 4 - Oscar Winners Edition: Best Animated Movie
November 11 - Dream Sequences
November 18 - Book Adaptations
November 25 - TMP Television Edition: Mystery
December 2 - Oscar Winners Edition: Best Foreign Language Movie
December 9 - Rags to Riches
December 16 - New to the City
December 23 - Holiday Party
December 30 -TMP Television Edition: Holiday

Thursday Movie Picks #338: TMP Television Edition - Space / Aliens

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five titles 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 -  Space / Aliens

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Well this is a tough theme. I just realised I don't really watch that many sci-fi series and much less those that takes place in space or have aliens. The only recent one is The Expense. So my picks today are Alien TV series I saw as a kid.

Roswell (1999–2002)

The series follow three alien teens as they navigate life and high school. They lead very human lives hiding their alien powers well until one of them saves a classmate. This was one of my favourite teen shows growing up. I'm quite surprised I have yet to talk about it on this blog because I was like really into this series back then and would check out the fan websites for all the latest news. The series was so much fun and the two main leads had such great electric chemistry. I know the series got a reboot/re-imagining recently with the characters aged up to being adults; I hope it eventually gets added to Netflix so I can watch it.

The Outer Limits  (1995 - 2002)

This is a sci-fi horror anthology series which I saw mostly the first few seasons. I don't actually remember any of the episodes except for one. It was the very first episode of season one that was about these insects taken from soil samples from Mars, I remember it really scaring me. Apparently that episode was an adaptation from George R.R. Martin's short novel.

 

The X-Files (1993 - 2018)

This is another series that I'm surprised I've never talked about on this blog since it formed a large part part of my childhood TV experience. However, like The Outer Limits, I really don't remember any of the episodes since it was so long ago and I only saw the seasons that were from the 90s. I was probably too young to have seen the series then and some of the episodes were scary; I would cover my eyes...still I would stay tuned for the next episode.

 

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Thursday Movie Picks #337: Holiday Action Movies

 

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 Holiday Action Movies

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I've been watching quite a number of 80s and 90s action movies this past year, so today's theme was easy. In fact, these are the very movies that inspired it.

P.S. I've posted the Preliminary 2021 Schedule last Sunday, check it out here.

Lethal Weapon (1987)

I really enjoyed this one. It's a fun action packed buddy movie with two leads that have great chemistry. And it's also set around the holidays. Remember when they had the big fight in Murtaugh's front yard where the house and yard was in full Christmas decor.

Die Hard (1988)

I basically saw this because Peralta in Brooklyn Nine-Nine is obsessed with Die Hard and I hadn't seen it yet. It was ok, I was not that charmed by it. Anyway the whole premise is McClane attends his wife's office Christmas Party when a group of terrorists comes in and hold the building hostage.

Die Hard 2 (1990)

This one is similarly set around the holidays. McClane is waiting at the airport for his wife's plane to arrive when of course a group of terrorists come and seize control of the airport. I actually prefer Die Hard 2 to the first. McClane is interacting with a lot more people and covering a lot more ground (it being an airport and all); there's just a lot more things going on rather than McClane by himself like in the first movie and I just found this funnier.

 

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