Thank you Carrie: 13 Moving Tributes to Our Princess Leia

Carrie Fisher didn't expect to become famous, let alone the icon of a major franchise. 

Daughter to actress Debbie Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher, she started studying the arts as a young adult, and then sort of fell into showbusiness by taking one small job and then landing the role of a lifetime. In 1977, Princess Leia in George Lucas's A New Hope became a beacon for what would become generations of fans. Her character's intelligence, tenacity and resilient attitude set herself among the best and most beloved heroines in film history.

After being absent from the big screen for nearly thirty years, the fandom never thought Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia would ever return. When Disney rebooted the franchise in 2015 with The Force Awakens, one of the greatest most anticipating moments was to see the original characters come back. Leia returned as a sophisticated General still fighting the good fight against evil. Though Fisher unexpectedly passed away in December 2016, a year before the eighth film and most recent installment The Last Jedi hit theaters, her character and performance became a sudden a goodbye that has meant the world to so many fans, including myself.

The legacy she leaves behind both on and off the screen is unforgettable. Now that the eighth movie has hit theaters, I thought now would be the best time to send out a simple Thank You to Carrie and our Princess Leia with thirteen moving tributes celebrating her humor, confidence, bravery, spontaneity, vulnerability, and pure bad-assery. May the Force Be With You.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) Is Not the Sequel We Were Looking For

Photo Credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

In 2015, Disney brought back George Lucas's Star Wars with ambitious plans to churn out films until 2020. Following a long-awaited ten years after the prequels disappointed the masses, Star Wars: The Force Awakens renewed the beloved franchise to a solid, mixed reaction. Leaving its sequel with a lot of questions to answer, The Last Jedi had one job to do, and unfortunately, didn't get it exactly right.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS. Please return when you've seen the movie.

The Ten Best Christmas Movies of All Time Relay

Nostra came up with a great idea to get everyone in the Christmas spirit: a Best Christmas Movies of All Time relay race, where bloggers try to decide which are the best holiday movies. Thanks to Margaret at Cinematic Corner for passing the torch over to me! Let's get started!

Here are the rules:

The list has 10 Christmas movies (in random order) and when the baton is handed over to a new blogger, he or she has to remove one title of the list (with an explanation why) and add one new title. 

Once that is done a new blogger is contacted who will take the baton and run with it, doing the same (you can reinstate a title which has been previously removed). 

As Christmas is in three weeks I want to ask you to publish your entry as quickly as possible to make sure the list changes as much as possible before the 25th of December. Add the logo of this relay race to your post and also add links to those who came before you making it easy for everyone to find all the entries

The bloggers so far: Marked Movies, Keith and the Movies, Flixchatter, Rambling Film, Two Dollar Cinema, Dell on Movies, A Film a Day, Cinematic Corner

2nd Annual Merry Fictional Challenge

The holiday season is here! And, I thought I would pep this place up a bit with a little Christmas cheer from a holiday blog challenge I created last year. Get the list of questions at this post. If you'd like to join in, feel free to comment with a link to your blog in this post below or tweet me! I'd love to see your answers!

5 Questions That Need To Be Answered in Star Wars: The Last Jedi

In 2015, Disney revitalized the galactically popular Star Wars franchise with the exciting reboot Star Wars: The Force Awakens. In the seventh installment, Rey (Daisy Ridley) was an orphaned scavenger who discovers her astonishing Jedi abilities and becomes entangled in Luke Skywalker's legacy, the rise of the First Order, and the dark Jedi-in-training Kylo Ren. As the follow-up to the previous flick, The Last Jedi aims to be a massive success at the box office and hopefully answers a lot of questions its predecessor left behind. Before we hop into our Millennium Falcons and hit hyperdrive to the movie theaters this weekend, here are five questions that need to be answered in Star Wars: The Last Jedi! Hope you enjoy!

20 Scenes Why Gal Gadot Should Be Nominated for Best Actress

One of the biggest highlights in 2017 was Wonder Woman. After the studios had so little faith in her own solo movie, she was finally able to shield herself from an onslaught of low expectations, superficial backlash, and a crummy production to give female-driven movies a continued fighting chance.

It's hard to believe a movie like Wonder Woman - adventurous, romantic, funny, dramatic - took 72 years in the making. The culmination of her film's success - which includes breaking box office records - came to down to timing with director Patty Jenkins, screenplay by Allan Heinberg, and most importantly, its leading lady Gal Gadot. If the movie was rushed to rake in money or compete with other female-led superhero movies, WW could've been a complete disaster. Because Zak Snyder discovered Gal, and she stole the show in Batman Versus Superman: Dawn of Justice, this movie offered an incredible portrayal of the legendary character.

The Walking Dead 08x07 Time For After

Photo Credit: AMC

The line has been drawn between Saviors and Alexandria, but loyalties are tested as the hammer is starting to crack down on going through with the all-out war. As Rick tries to appeal to the trash heapster's community for a stronger alliance, Negan wants to know who has betrayed while walkers flood their gates. It's time for another recap of The Walking Dead latest episode.

Below includes spoilers of the show and comic book, theories of who might be killed off. You've been warned but hope you enjoy!

Season eight promised us an all-out war between the communities, but it's time to deliver action and intrigue has been slow-going - to say the least. In the eleventh hour of the new season, episode seven seems to follow in the same glacial pace as the prior two seasons. Someone has betrayed the Sanctuary, and every episode "it's time to find out who that is", as AHK (Alexandria, Hilltop Colony and Kingdom) fight for a better future.

Fifty Shades Freed (2017) Trailer Reaction

Photo Credit: Fifty Shades Darker / Universal Pictures 

So the last trailer for the Fifty Shades series has finally been revealed. If you've been following me for a while, you might know I harbor a complex love / hate relationship with this trilogy. I'm not ashamed to admit (okay, maybe a tiny bit): I'm excited for this. For the past three years, I've gone to the theaters cringing my way through the movies, letting the novels take me back to college when I didn't know I'd fall down this rabbit hole. It's only fitting, in the occasional tradition of fangirling, to do a trailer reaction.

Based on the books by E.L. James, virgin bookworm Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) doesn't run away from possessive billionaire Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) the second she realizes he is the mayor of Crazy Town. No, they fall in love and fix each other all in the name of vanilla sex. So let's begin! This trailer is NSFW. "Spoilers" below.

The Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Trailer Reaction

After nearly twenty movies following every other superhero in the Marvel catalogue, the fight between good and evil all comes to a head with The Avengers: Infinity War. Earth's mightiest heroes unite to fight against Thanos, a superbeing causing destruction throughout the galaxies on the hunt for the Infinity Stones. Hype has been building for this galactic movie since Comic Con this year, and why not - it's filled with every actor of the Marvel Cinematic Universe all kicking butt and taking names.

Hold onto your Spidey-senses as we get straight into the new trailer! SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT

The Walking Dead 08x05 The Big Scary U

Photo Credit: AMC

While the communities have been dealing with tragedy during their invasion of the Sanctuary, a few of the apocalypse's biggest enemies and worst traitors have been sitting pretty, or as pretty as it can get when they're backed into a corner. Father Gabriel was left trapped with Negan, while Simon, Dwight, and Eugene begin to suspect each other and other Saviors of betraying their leader. It's time for another recap of The Walking Dead's latest episode!

Below includes spoilers of the show and comic book. You've been warned, but hope you enjoy!

Stranger Things 2 (2017) Channels an Awkward Phase

Photo Credit: Netflix

In 2016, Stranger Things became easily one of the most binge-worthy, obsession-inducing shows in recent history. Building characters into tropes only to shatter them in a world mixing Stephen King mystery and Steven Spielberg adventure made every episode THE BEST THING EVER. The fanbase's love of the cast and jaw-dropping cliffhangers understandably set up its future with the impossible task to follow in its predecessor's huge footsteps. Stranger Things 2 has critics and fans talking again, but this time, it's not exactly for the best reasons.

Returning to Hawkins, Indiana, one year after a young boy Will Byers is found safe and sound following a terrifying disappearance, supernatural elements continue to burst at the seams. The Byers family and a young girl with telepathic powers, Eleven, have managed to rescue the boy out of the Upside Down, but the same can't be same about him or their small town.

While season one was so meta to the eighties, filled to the brink with easter eggs and homages, the story managed to create its own iconic imagery. Everything from the opening song to moments of Eleven and her love of Eggos and Joyce communicating through Christmas lights - to name a few- gobbled the world whole with cosplaying, memes, and artistic tributes. Balancing three different storylines and sets of characters, the full plot centered on finding out more about the Upside Down and Eleven's mysterious abilities plays out like massive quest to slay the beast and be rescued by the princess. We went along with everyone's moves, but never knew exactly what was lurking around the corner.

Now, in season two, the show's creators relaxes on subtle (or obvious) homages so much, it makes one wonder if they ran out of steam, inspiration or both. Underneath the misshapen writing, elements that made the show so successful in the first place like the loveable characters and retro worldbuilding still exists, but unfortunately, lets that unique blend of science-fiction, horror, and nostalgia slip into the void.

Netflix's self-generated hype using horror-inspired posters and the trailer featuring Michael Jackson's iconic Thriller feels misleading. The story continues to further beloved, established relationships along, but doesn't create many exciting inferences to its inspired era nor memorable moments of its own. As characters are still broken up into multiple storylines about Will, Eleven, JUSTICE FOR BARB, and the Upside Down, they all feel separate, never completely melding with each other. Downplaying an aim to recreate the first season's King/Spielberg dynamic, this return to Hawkins is much more like a visit to simple nowhere town (that could even be set in our time period) where some weird stuff's going on.

While the story is more or less a repeat of season one with more visible monsters instead of one mostly lurking in the shadows, old and new characters slightly shift ahead but still remain a little of the same. Allowing the characters to evolve a la Harry Potter at least one year at a time, the boxes they're put into gives them plenty of room to grow for future seasons.

On the upside, Hopper becomes Eleven's surrogate father, and hey, parenting a telepathic bad-ass isn't easy; Joyce finds a warm relationship with Bob ("newcomer" Sean Astin), who may be the father figure Will and Jonathan deserve. On the downside: Nancy's gungho on serving justice to Barbra through a conspiratorial journalist but is still stuck in a love triangle, so yeah Jonathan's still around; Max, a new student at school takes up the mantle as the next girl to be reluctantly welcomed into the boy's club (atypically replacing Eleven), while her abusive brother Billy won't go away for the life of us. Adding newer characters to the mix, one would hope that they are interesting and worthy of precious screentime, but mostly come across as just existing, making us wish established characters had more time to develop.

What primarily does work for Stranger Things 2 are a few characters getting more fleshed out, becoming emotional anchors to the widening threat of the Upside Down. Will, who was mostly a gooey icicle in season one, experiences heartbreaking bouts of PTSD, making his connection to the beyond far more terrifying than we imagined. Eleven, who was previously an interesting character but Carrie on crack, becomes more humanized through her backstory. And finally, Steve sheds his possessive hormonal boyfriend front to be a big brother for the boys. The entire cast's talent still offers that absolute magic with their chemistry, transforming the 'typical mystery' vibes to feel as fresh as it used to.

With the monumental success of Stranger Things's first season, and the warm reception to its return, any follow-up would have difficult stepping out of its own extraordinary shadow. Season two's episode-to-episode arc is messy, but by the end, the story ties up neatly enough to be satisfying. Transitioning out of the global hit it was, its cast offers fine performances (awards for Noah Schnapp please) full of comedy, love, and heartache. Stranger Things 2 might've not been the exciting sequel it could've been, but the final results aren't the worst thing in the world. We have reality to hold up that mantelpiece, and Hawkins is still a welcome escape - even if it's just channeling an awkward phase right now.

Rating: ★★☆
Have you watched Stranger Things 2?

What did you think?

The Walking Dead 08x04 Some Guy

Gene Page / AMC

On the hunt for weapons and to take down any Savior no questions asked, the communities came together against the Sanctuary. But everything didn't go as planned. The Kingdom came across an unexpected weapon cutting King Ezekiel's unbreakable optimism down to size, while The Hilltop Colony deals with unsuspecting visitors. It's time for another recap of The Walking Dead's latest episode!

Below includes spoilers of the show and comic book. You've been warned, but hope you enjoy!

Stars I Love: Ryan Gosling

Art Streiber New York Magazine

How do you describe Ryan Gosling? I've unceremoniously given him the nickname Canadian Sugarcube, but that's just my massive crush talking. (The Twelve Days of Ryan Gosling is up to two threads on twitter and has only just begun...) But critics have called him one of the best actors of his generation, while almost anyone familiar with The Gos calls him charming, talented, smart, personable - to say the least. Settle into your onesie, in celebration of his birthday, we're digging into the charisma of his career and what makes him so lovable. Or, all of the reasons why he's one of my favorite stars - if not my TOP favorite.

The Walking Dead 8X03 Monsters

Gene Page / AMC

After amping up the ante of The Walking Dead's opening episodes Mercy and The Damned, it's third installation aims to take us even further with its action-packed momentum. The groups are in the midst of attacking the Sanctuary but face a crossroads on whether or not they're becoming the monsters they despise so much.

Below includes spoilers of the show and comic book. You've been warned, but hope you enjoy!

The Walking Dead 8X02 The Damned

Jackson Lee Davis /AMC

The Walking Dead's season premiere was just the start of a long war waged against Negan. Alexandria, The Hilltop Colony and the Kingdom took their trained civilians straight to the Sanctuary to fight, upping their game with an explosive zombie hoard. As Father Gabriel finds himself stranded in a shed with Negan, the community's plans are far from over.

Below includes spoilers of the show and comic book, as well as theories of future character deaths. You've been warned, but hope you enjoy!

My Cousin Rachel (2017) is the Victorian-horror-romance we need

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Based on the novel by Daphne DuMaurier, director Roger Michell creates a spellbinding Gothic horror that fits our every period-drama need. In the beginning, the story seems like an open-and-close of murder, but languidly turns into a tale between an unreliable narrator and a Victorian femme-fatale.

Observing from afar, a young man Phillip (Sam Claflin) becomes suspicious about the torrid affair between his cousin Ambrose and companion Rachel (Rachel Weisz). When his revered fatherly figure dies rather quickly and under mysterious circumstances, Phillip declares justice for his loss but instead finds himself down a path Ambrose took: falling under her spell.

So rarely does a Gothic horror movie plant a very simple idea in our heads, but My Cousin Rachel sparks us to ask did she or didn't she, and then makes us question our choice every step of the way.

From the beginning, Phillip's beliefs about her guilt and wanting to make her pay for his relative's death is easy to side with. What he knows or assumes about Rachel from his loved one's letters about her as a "torment" and his worsening his health is all we need to believe she may be guilty too. When she shows up on his doorstep, her compelling presence, only wanting the best of everything for him, makes it difficult to gauge whether she's working his emotions to her own benefit or if she's as innocent as she could be. Lacking in any romantic relationships himself, he's overwhelmed by her femininity and prowess, easily squashing the vengeance he held so firmly. But as Phillip grows increasingly obsessed with his newfound love, nearly vying for ownership over her, it becomes harder to see Rachel as a murderess casting revenge, and more of a free spirit not wanting to be possessed by anyone; unfortunately, caged in by societal rules.

One thing is almost certain: their love affair will end in catastrophe, but along the way, the story asks who the culprit is. The story starts out concerned if Rachel murdered Ambrose, and slowly begins mirroring a possibility of how their relationship grew troublesome. At once Phillip and Rachel can be hopeful, joyous, and splendidly over the moon about each other, but then on a dime turns extraordinarily spiteful and malicious. At every turn, Rachel never escapes the unyielding paranoia Phillip has cast on her, or she cast on herself. For both of them, the question we started out with of who killed Ambrose turns into who is the victim and the manipulator.

To make this work, the leads had to be very special. From big adaptations The Hunger Games and Me Before You to smaller productions like Their Finest, Sam Claflin rarely does no-wrong. Phillip required someone who was dashing and broken, skeptical and selfish, and Claflin offers everything his character needs to believe in his convictions whether they're wrong or right. To build his downfalls, by the same token, Rachel Weisz captures an enigmatic spirit for Rachel. In no time at all, one can't help but be warmed by her spirits, sympathetic of the quickly forgotten notion that she too lost Ambrose, guilty for casting her innocence aside too soon, but also left questioning her intentions. Throughout her career Weisz's managed a myriad of complex roles, slipping under the radar as one of the best actresses in Meryl Streep's league. Together, they make an hypnotic, complicated duo.

Melding the story and performances with the direction and stunning cinematography, My Cousin Rachel adequately fills every gothic-romance fanatics's needs. If a scene is cast in a meadow, one can't help but feel the breeze and freedom the outdoor gives. When set inside the house, it's quaint by claustrophobic. Every frame evokes that moody, unrequited stay in a haunted house waiting for the skeletons to come out of the closet. As an author DuMaurier has always been ample material for Hitchcockian-like films, and Roger Mitchell rekindling one of her stories delivers the ambiguity she delved into to make a visually and emotionally pleasing puzzle.

My Cousin Rachel proves to be a compelling mystery, a rare chameleon as a whirlwind love affair, and an identity crises for its leads. Thriving on paranoia, the who-dun-it elements work seamlessly for a first viewing, and subsequently inspire you to seek what you might've missed before. Aided by fascinating actors, a capable script, and beautiful cinematography, the movie dispenses a daunting ballad of horror and romance.

Rating: ★★★

Have you seen My Cousin Rachel?

What did you think?

The Walking Dead 08x1 Mercy

Gene Page / AMC

The Walking Dead has crossed a monumental finishing line in television, hitting 100 episodes for the series so far. Mercy kicks off the starting point, not only for the next era of the series after eight compelling years, but the war holding strong between territories. Last season, a beloved character's sacrifice for the greater good catapulted the battle from Alexandria, The Hilltop and The Kingdom, all the way to the Sanctuary.

Below includes spoilers of the show and comic book, as well as theories of future character deaths. You've been warned, but hope you enjoy!

20 Favorite Episodes of The Walking Dead

One of my all-time favorite shows The Walking Dead has hit its monumental 100th episode! For eight years, we've seen epic walker kills, learned how not to be walker bait, and witnessed beloved characters' deadly fates, surviving some of the worst a zombie apocalypse could deliver. After ranking my favorite seasons, quotes by the cast and Rick Grimes, Glenn Rhee moments, I thought it'd be a perfect time to cover myself in walker guts and go down a brutal memory lane.

In an effort to not repeat myself, some episodes are reserved for my favorite Rick-Grimes centered episodes, and there's probably a lot more I could give honorable mentions. But these are my top twenty favorites (so far). P.S. Reviews of the new season will be returning as a weekly feature on Wednesdays!

Happy 100th Episode The Walking Dead! (SPOILERS BELOW) What are your favorites? Let me know in the comments!

Wonder Women: Lisa Freemont in Rear Window (1964)

When one thinks about the intriguing elements of Alfred Hitchcock's filmography, the abundance of "icy blondes" he utilized throughout his career is hard to ignore. He worked with a myriad of starlets like Tippi Hedren, Janet Leigh, and Kim Novak, establishing them as femme fatales and victims on-screen. In celebrating Halloween by watching Rear Window, Grace Kelly's role as Lisa Freemont felt like a great character to highlight for my Wonder Women series.

Elegant and tenacious Grace Kelly dazzles in the classic thriller about an injured photographer L.B "Jeff" Jeffries (played by James Stewart) who's cocooned in his apartment and starts spying on his neighbors. Getting caught up in their own imaginations and theories, they suspect a grizzly murdered took place just across the street and try to prove their accusations to the authorities.

Throughout his career Hitchcock examined the themes of a seemingly perfect crime, and the morals that came along with the act in question. Like similar suspenseful films Marnie, Vertigo and Dial M for Murder, he also dabbled in the complications of marriage, singlehood, and the sexual tension between men and women. More prominently Rear Window, a tale of voyeurism and murder, offers a switch of gender roles where its independent and undaunted leading lady becomes the hero.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) Trailer Reaction

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The time has finally arrived young Padawans! After months of the first teaser release, the Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer dropped. As expected excitement for the eighth film, which will return to the Resistance's fight against the First Order, and Rey's ascent/descent with the force, was absolutely insane as we get a bigger idea of what's going to happen next.

Let's get straight into the new trailer! SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT