Wandering through the Shelves

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Thursday Movie Picks #120: Halloween Edition - Epidemic/Pandemic/Outbreak

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share three movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple simple: Each week there is a topic for you to create a list of three movies. Your picks can either be favourites/best, worst, hidden gems, or if you're up to it one of each.For further details visit the series main page here.

---

This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Halloween Edition - Epidemic/Pandemic/Outbreak

---

Hey it's October and the whole of this month I'm running the Halloween Edition. Take a look at what's in store for the rest of the weeks.

October 6 - Halloween Edition: Witches/Warlock
October 13 - Halloween Edition: Creature/Monster Features (NO Aliens/Vampires/Zombies/Werewolves) (Example of Creature/Monsters: Cujo)
October 20 - Halloween Edition: Science Fiction Horror
October 27 - Halloween Edition: Epidemic/Pandemic/Outbreak

Ahh...it's last week of October. I hope you had a fun one and discovered some good new scary movies to watch.

28 Days Later (2002)
Absolutely love this movie! Great story, great music and just really really scary. I think this was the first zombie-ish movie I ever saw and what a movie to start with.

Contagion (2011)
Scary because it sorta looked like SARS (which did happen here) even with the way it was spread globally. The movie does up the mysterious epidemic several notches with what looks like a worst mortality rate so yeah very very scary but at least we can console ourselves that one of this magnitude didn't happen and yet look how easily and quickly it could.

Carriers (2009)
Two brothers and their friends are on the road to go to their childhood vacation spot to escape a mysterious outbreak that has seemingly left the world quite deserted. It has been a few years since I saw this but I remember liking it. It's like a low key version of Zombieland, that's not a comedy and wasn't quite a zombie outbreak (I think people got rapidly sick but linger for some time) but has a more disastrous consequence for a few of the main characters.

---

So that's it...my three picks. What three movies made your list today?

---

Check out some of my random Thursday Movie Picks

Thursday Movie Picks #28: Movies with Colour in the Title
Thursday Movie Picks #17: Movies Featuring Amnesiacs
Thursday Movie Picks #25: Bank Robberies
Thursday Movie Picks #13: Zombie Movies
Thursday Movie Picks #22: Movies that Feature a Family Secret

---

If you are participating be sure to add your blog post to the linky widget below (Enter your Blog Post URL, your Blog Name and your email {which will remain hidden}). Please also visit the other participating blogs, spread the word about this meme, and also link back to my blog on your own Thursday Movie Picks post :)

---

Participating Blogs/Bloggers

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Thursday Movie Picks #119: Halloween Edition - Science Fiction Horror

---

This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Halloween Edition - Science Fiction Horror

---

Hey it's October and the whole of this month I'm running the Halloween Edition. Take a look at what's in store for the rest of the weeks.

October 6 - Halloween Edition: Witches/Warlock
October 13 - Halloween Edition: Creature/Monster Features (NO Aliens/Vampires/Zombies/Werewolves) (Example of Creature/Monsters: Cujo)
October 20 - Halloween Edition: Science Fiction Horror
October 27 - Halloween Edition: Epidemic/Pandemic/Outbreak

Black Mirror 3rd season will be out this week, so it's the perfect time for a science fiction horror theme.

Ex Machina (2015)
A young programmer is invited to a remote facility to participate in a psychological test with an android. I love that we're constantly trying to make out what and who exactly is being tested.

Daybreakers (2009)
Set in the near future, vampires have become the dominant race and are trying to find a solution to their food supply problem as the human race is on the brink of extinction. While the movie doesn't have a great last act, it does create an imaginative future vampire world - like how does a vampire walk about or drive around town during the day?

The Fly (1986)
I'm struggling to find a third pick so I'm just going with this, The Fly, which I haven't watch in ages and probably never will again. I saw it as a kid; this and Alien totally freaked me out.

---

So that's it...my three picks. What three movies made your list today?

---

Participating Blogs/Bloggers

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Thursday Movie Picks #118: Halloween Edition - Creature/Monster Features (NO Aliens/Vampires/Zombies/Werewolves)

---

This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Halloween Edition - Creature/Monster Features (NO Aliens/Vampires/Zombies/Werewolves)

---

Hey it's October and the whole of this month I'm running the Halloween Edition. Take a look at what's in store for the rest of the weeks.

October 6 - Halloween Edition: Witches/Warlock
October 13 - Halloween Edition: Creature/Monster Features (NO Aliens/Vampires/Zombies/Werewolves) (Example of Creature/Monsters: Cujo)
October 20 - Halloween Edition: Science Fiction Horror
October 27 - Halloween Edition: Epidemic/Pandemic/Outbreak

I hope this week's theme isn't too challenging. I feel we've already had a lot of aliens, vampires, zombies and werewolves; time for other sort of monsters to get picked...giants, dragons, rabid animals, etc....take your pick.

Trick 'r Treat (2007)
I think if you love Halloween, trick or treating, costumes and urban legends you just have to watch this. It has a bunch of interwoven stories all set on one Halloween night. Lots of monsters in this one including the creature with the burlap covered head that's on the poster.

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
One of my favorite movies. While I do think the real monster in this Ofelia's stepfather, the other worldly creatures are memorably creepy.

Death Note (2006)
There has been talk of an American remake for this for the longest time and it looks like it's finally happening; I think Netflix is doing a movie or TV series. Anyway the monstrous creature in this is Ryuk a god of death of some kind and in this 2006 Japanese adaptation he looks like a metal goth joker - the cgi work isn't really good so am looking forward to see how he'll look in the new adaptation. The gist of the story, Ryuk drops his "Death Note" a notebook, that gives anyone the power to kill by writing the name of that person, which is picked up by a college student. Disappointed by the injustice he sees, the student decides to rid the world of criminals.

---

So that's it...my three picks. What three movies made your list today?

---

Participating Blogs/Bloggers

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Thursday Movie Picks #117: Halloween Edition - Witches/Warlocks

---

This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Halloween Edition - Witches/Warlocks

---

Hey it's October and the whole of this month I'm running the Halloween Edition. Take a look at what's in store for the rest of the weeks.

October 6 - Halloween Edition: Witches/Warlock
October 13 - Halloween Edition: Creature/Monster Features (NO Aliens/Vampires/Zombies/Werewolves) (Example of Creature/Monsters: Cujo)
October 20 - Halloween Edition: Science Fiction Horror
October 27 - Halloween Edition: Epidemic/Pandemic/Outbreak

Can you believe it that this is the third time I've run the Halloween Edition! Time flies! You know what else flies? Today's theme: witches and warlocks (which being the male equivalent of witches should be able to fly too right?). My picks today are witchy movies I've enjoyed in the past that I would love to revisit.

Practical Magic (1998)
I vaguely remember this being about sister witches with some romantic plot. It also stars a lot of actors I like and plus quite some time back I read a book which was like a mix of this and Chocolat, which reminded me that I would love to see this again.

Hocus Pocus (1993)
Once again its about sister witches. They get resurrected and cross paths with some trick-or-treaters(?). Yep not remembering much other than it was just a fun movie which I think I may even have seen it in the theaters.

The Craft (1996)
I remember this one slightly better. New girl in school befriends a group of witches and later they overuse their powers and one (or was it all?) of the witches go crazy. I think I was a tween when I saw this and I thought it was just the coolest "teen" movie, so yeah I definitely want to rewatch this.

It seems the 90's had quite a number of these light witchy movies. Are there any in recent years that are similar?

---

So that's it...my three picks. What three movies made your list today?

---

Participating Blogs/Bloggers

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Thursday Movie Picks #116: Cults/Secret Societies

---

This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Cults/Secret Societies

---

Today's theme is quite similar to the one 2 weeks ago - the difference is that it can't be a school related society.

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

The movie follows a young woman who has just left a cult and tries to get back to normal society with the help of her sister and brother-in law. I really like this one. It's quite a tense movie and has this sense of dread through out that her past would catch up to her.

Sound of My Voice (2011)
Two documentary filmmakers join a cult led by a woman who claims she is from the future. I just found the premise very interesting, but the movie overall was just underwhelming to me. I feel like I probably need a second watch though as I still can't decide if that ending means she is or isn't from the future.

Byzantium (2012)

Mother and daughter vampires are on the run from a secret brotherhood that have been chasing them for 200 years. Love love this movie.

---

Participating Blogs/Bloggers

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Thursday Movie Picks #115: Teen Angst

---

This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Teen Angst (Suggested by Brittani Burnham)

---

Today is quite a challenging topic as I sort of feel a lot of movies with teens feature some form of teen angst so the pool to pick from is rather large. So I'm doing a theme within a theme and picking ones I like with female protagonists.

Ginger Snaps (2000)

It's about two goth sisters (so you know they're very angsty) who have a morbid fascination with death and one of them becomes a werewolf. It's a really good female coming of age story with some werewolf horror elements.

An Education (2009)
A teen girl meets an older man who seduces her into skipping the whole getting-an-academic-education for a life of fancy hotels, friends and parties.

Stoker (2013)

A teen girl has to come to terms with who she is when her father dies and an uncle she never knew existed appears. If you like teen angst beautifully shot and a little twisty...this is it.

---

Participating Blogs/Bloggers

Thursday, September 15, 2016

Thursday Movie Picks #114: Sororities/Fraternities/School Secret Societies

---

This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Sororities/Fraternities/School Secret Societies

---

Quite a lot of of movies that fall within this theme across all genres, so you could totally do a theme within a theme. I went with all girls comedy last week, this week it's all boys drama.

The Riot Club (2014)

The movie follows a group of Oxford students that belong to an elite club and what happens during their annual dinner. The tagline on the poster captures these guys perfectly: they're rich and rotten. Of my picks today I like this the least. As the movie doesn't really explore their ugly elitism beyond the confines of the club, the movie ends up looking like it is just going for shocking us with what happens during the dinner.

The Chocolate War (1988)
Picking this again as it's perfect for today's theme. A boy rebels against his school's secret society by refusing to sell chocolate boxes for the school fund raiser and inadvertently escalates the power struggle between one of the society's leaders and the school's corrupt headmaster. Love the book and while the move falls a little short, still a worthy watch. So if you can't find the movie go read the book.

Dead Poets Society (1989)

An English teacher inspires his students to seize the day and appreciate poetry. Just one of my favourite movies ever.

---

Participating Blogs/Bloggers

Thursday, September 8, 2016

Thursday Movie Picks #113: College Movies

---

This week's Thursday Movie Picks is College Movies

---

I'm finding it challenging to find college flicks that I love so I'm going for some bad apples today.

Legally Blonde (2001)

I never got why this one is just so well loved. I mean now I sort of get that part of the appeal is the nostalgia for early 2000s, but I still just mostly see it as just a so-so chick flick comedy.

The House Bunny (2008)
Another one where I don't get why people like it.

Damsels in Distress (2011)

Went into this expecting a quirky, dark comedy-ish college flick and was totally disappointed. It was just a dull dull move with a script that was just awfully awkward and characters that was way too cartoony.

---

Participating Blogs/Bloggers

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Thursday Movie Picks #112: World War 2

---

This week's Thursday Movie Picks is World War 2

---

I just generally don't go for war movies, but this week was a little better than the previous World War 1 theme in that I have a slightly larger pool of watched films to pick from. I'm just going with 3 of my most recent watch.

Fury (2014)

The movie follows a tank crew during the last few days (or was it weeks?) of the war in Europe. I can't think of any other film that ever gave the perspective of a tank crew or the role of tanks during a war, so that was interesting. Although the way the interior of the tank was shot made it seem a lot roomier than I think it actually was.

The Book Thief (2013)
Based on a very popular YA novel, I was looking forward to it. It was underwhelming. I haven't read the book so I'm not really judging it as an adaptation. It's just the story is narrated by Death, and as we are to believe it to be so, I don't think the film (maybe the book did a better job?) quite show us why this girl's story stands out from all the rest in the whole human existence. I can see how her story would appeal to book lovers in that she is totally badass stealing books that were banned but I'd imagined Death would have seen more people that had to make extraordinary choices and led extraordinary lives.

The Imitation Game (2014)

Underwhelmed by this too. It just feels Oscar baity.

---

Participating Blogs/Bloggers

Home

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Thursday, September 15, 2016

Thursday, September 8, 2016

Thursday, September 1, 2016