Thursday 13- Netflix Confessions, and Blog Challenge Day 22

If you know me, you know I love Netflix. I watch TV shows and movies that I have been meaning to watch, but never got around to them. Now, sometimes I find myself scrolling through Netflix's selections and I can't really find anything I want to watch. That is when I end up watching movies I had never heard of (or had heard of, but never had any desire to actually watch). Now, don't judge me, but here are thirteen movies I have recently watched on Netflix.

I have an addiction (lack of a better word) to BAD "B" horror movies. I'm drawn to them, like a moth to a flame. I can't help myself. Some of these fall into that category. Again, no judging please.

Forget Me Not- It's graduation weekend, and Sandy Channing, the popular class president of her small-town high school, should be enjoying the time of her life. But when her friends start disappearing, Sandy discovers they have unwittingly awakened the vengeful spirit of a girl they wronged long ago. Fighting for her sanity, Sandy must unlock a dark secret from her own past before it's too late. Honestly, the plot idea had potential...and that is where it ended. The only actors I had ever heard of were Micah Alberti (who played Matt on the TV show Wildfire) and Christopher Atkins (best known for his role in The Blue Lagoon with Brooke Shields). You had your "typical" teenage behavior throughout the movie. Their parties involved alcohol, drugs, and un-Baptist like behavior (it wasn't shown, but it was implied). Either Hollywood stretches the truth about high school parties or perhaps I missed all of those when I was in school. I mean, our band nerd parties got a little wild, but nothing like that! :) If you like "B" horror movies, and are already paying for Netflix, go ahead and watch this, I didn't absolutely hate it but I wouldn't go spend extra money renting it from Red Box or anything.

Fingerprints- Fresh out of rehab, a young woman moves back in with her parents and sister, and soon becomes involved in a mystery that has left people in her town paralyzed. Hey, this movie had Lou Diamond Phillips, I had to watch it. Okay, maybe not HAD to, but I like him, so I gave it a chance. The movie revolves around a story about a school bus full of kids getting hit on the town's train tracks like 40 years ago, and today if you park on the tracks, the ghost of the children push your car off to safety. If you sprinkle baby powder on your bumper, you can see their fingerprints. (This is actually an urban legend in San Antonio, I always wanted to go try it when I lived there, but never did.) The movie also has Josh Henderson (if you watch the new Dallas, he is John Ross Ewing) and Andrew Lawrence (brother of Joey Lawrence). Again, the plot idea had potential but the storyline had so many holes (I know, it's a "B" movie, I shouldn't expect much). The acting was less than stellar (except for Lou Diamond Phillips, of course). I wouldn't go out of your way to watch this one though, even with Netflix. Unless you are really, really, really bored (or drunk).

A Haunting in Salem- In this spine-chilling indie horror flick, a sheriff relocates to Salem, Mass., with his family -- only to discover that the house they've moved into is plagued by an ancient curse and haunted by malicious spirits. It pains me to not have anything positive to say about this movie because it was directed by Dick Van Dyke's grandson Shane (and you know how much I love Dick Van Dyke), but alas, I can't. Shane's brother Carey also had a bit role (his acting wasn't that bad, but the poor script didn't help it much). Poor Shane really needs to find better scripts to direct. Now, I recently went to Salem and the footage they had of a car driving around town looked nothing like Salem. Not even close. And there were orange trees everywhere. I don't think Salem is known for their orange trees (but I could be wrong). Yeah, if this movie comes on, run away. Far, far away, and don't look back. I'll put it this way- it made Sharknado look Oscar worthy.

House at the End of the Street- When a teenager and her mother move to a little town, the girl finds that an accident happened in the house at the end of the street. But things get complicated when she befriends a boy who is the only survivor in the accident. This one actually wasn't ALL bad. The acting wasn't horrible and the plot was entertaining enough. And this one had people I had actually heard of: Elisabeth Shue (Adventures in Babysitting, and more recently, CSI), Jennifer Lawrence (I've never seen The Hunger Games but I've read she's in it), Gil Bellows (Ally McBeal) and Max Thieriot (Bates Motel). Now don't get me wrong, the plot had some holes in it, and the acting was not "Oscar worthy", but they weren't too distracting. Again, if you like "B" horror movies, watch it on Netflix.

Elsewhere- A teen girl disappears after trying to meet men online in order to escape her small town. Apparently, only her best friend worries enough to investigate the mystery. I'm just going to go ahead and admit the only reason I clicked "watch" on this movie is because Paul Wesley (Stefan from The Vampire Diaries) was in it. It also had Anna Kendrick, who I think is a good actress. This is an okay one to watch if you need to waste 90 minutes of you life, but don't expect too much.

The Paperboy- A reporter returns to his Florida hometown to investigate a case involving a death row inmate. Now a movie with Matthew McConaughey and Zac Efron might seem appealing, but don't be fooled by that. This movie kinda disturbed me, and I can't really pinpoint why. And I normally like Nicole Kidman, but I didn't really like her character at all in the movie. I wouldn't watch it again, but that is just me. Although it was interesting to see Zac Efron in a movie where he didn't sing, dance, or play basketball.

Scream 4- Ten years have passed, and Sidney Prescott, who has put herself back together thanks in part to her writing, is visited by the Ghostface Killer. I'm not sure how I missed that this came out a few years ago, where was I? As cheesy as they are, I like these slasher films. Although I find them more funny than scary (of course, I think that is the point of them). If you are a fan of the Scream movies, check this one out. It's worth the time (in my opinion).

Keith-17-year-old Natalie thinks she's got it all figured out until she falls for a guy who has nothing to lose. I wasn't sure what I thought of this movie at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I actually liked it. The plot and acting were pretty good. Although Elisabeth Harnois being 30 and playing a 17 year old was a little distracting. But, it was only distracting because I know how old she is, she doesn't necessarily look it. I kinda figured out the ending of the movie, but it was still good. Worth a watch on Netflix (heck, it's worth the $1.25 rental fee to Red Box it if you don't have Netflix).

The Man in the Moon- Rural Louisiana, summer of 1957, Elvis is King. At 14, Dani is coming of age. Her older sister is beautiful, smart, and off to Duke in the fall; her mom's pregnant with number four (Dad wants a son), and Dad's pretty strict. Life gets sweeter when 17-year-old Court Foster, his widowed mom, and two little brothers move into the vacant farm next door. Court likes Dani's high spirits and direct way, and though he has a man's responsibilities on the farm, they go off swimming sometimes. The waters of adolescence are deeper than Dani realizes as hers and Court's feelings get jumbled. Then Mother Nature throws wrenching surprises at Dani, and she must come to terms with new emotions. I know, this movie is over 20 years old, but I had never seen it (I know, I know, I'm so behind). I liked this movie, the plot, the acting, it was all good (and there was Elvis music). :) I really like Reese Witherspoon and I believe this was her first movie. And I forgot how cute Jason London was back when he was younger. :) If you are like me and 20 years behind on your movie watching, check this one out.

Beauty & the Briefcase- A freelance writer looking for romance sells a story to Cosmopolitan magazine about finding love in the workplace and goes undercover at a Finance Company. Yes, I have to shamefully admit that I watched this one. It is your typical, cheesy, predictable, unrealistic ABC Family TV movie. Only watch this if you are really bored and want to bang your head against the desk after you realize you actually watched it. I'm serious- no matter how adorable you think Michael McMillian is, avoid it (he may or may not be the reason I watched it).

Madea's Witness Protection- A Wall Street investment banker who has been set up as the linchpin of his company's mob-backed Ponzi scheme is relocated with his family to Aunt Madea's southern home. Now, I like Tyler Perry. I know some people find him annoying, but I usually like his movies (Madea can be funny). This one is not one of my favorites though. It seemed to be missing something that his other movies had. Only watch this one if you are a die hard Tyler Perry fan. And I mean, DIE HARD fan. Otherwise, just watch Diary of A Mad Black Woman instead.

Maid in Manhattan- A senatorial candidate falls for a hotel maid, thinking she is a socialite when he sees her trying on a wealthy woman's dress. I'm not a huge Jennifer Lopez fan which is probably why I had been avoiding this movie the past 11 years. Eh, I didn't hate this movie, but can't say I absolutely loved it. It's your typical, predictable, romantic comedy. If romantic movies like these are your thing, check it out. If not, you aren't missing too much. It's probably like every other romantic comedy you've seen.

A Mile in His Shoes- Mickey Tussler, an autistic pitcher, joins a minor-league baseball team and has a profound effect on the team and manager Arthur "Murph" Murphy over the course of a season. Even with the flaws in this movie (and yes, there are some), I liked it. But I like these cheesy "feel good" sports movies. And you know my love of Dean Cain. And yes, Dean Cain was the reason I watched the movie in the first place. After the movie started, the kid playing Mickey seemed familiar to me. I looked him up on IMDB and realized it was Ricky Schroder's son, Luke. He looks a lot like his dad! Yes, this movie has a cheesy feel to it, and yes, it's predictable, but hey, with all the bad slasher films I watch, I deserve a "feel good" movie every once in a while, right? :) I think it's worth a watch.

Blog Challenge Day 22: What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?

I assume this means like Thanksgiving and Christmas (I'm sure it could be any holiday, but those are the only two holidays I really have traditions for).

Thanksgiving: If my family is all going to get together for a holiday, this is the one. Our traditions include:

-watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade (and having my dad complain that they show too much of the commentators and not enough of the parade). I'm starting to agree with him, we flip back and forth between channels to find the one with the most parade coverage. I don't care to hear an actor or musician tell me what their plans are for the rest of the day. I don't care what the commentators have to say about anything. And I really don't care about seeing some Broadway act or musician lip-sync to a song. Show me the floats, show me the balloons, show me the bands marching, SHOW ME SANTA! I can get violent over it. :)

-watching football. I know, this shocks you! We have our Thanksgiving meal around lunchtime. It is usually done just in time to see the Cowboys attempt to play a football game (we are disgruntled Cowboys fans, but we are still fans). Except my father, after Jerry Jones fired Tom Landry, my dad has refused to cheer for them. I think he cheers for the refs.

-Thanksgiving evening (or the next day), my sister and I watch It's A Wonderful Life. And we drink hot chocolate (despite the temperature outside), and quote the whole movie word for word, it's wonderful (no pun intended). :)

-we SOMETIMES start the Christmas decorating that weekend (it all depends if Thanksgiving falls early or later in November).

Christmas:

-singing Christmas songs together (usually on Christmas Eve around the piano)

-driving around looking at Christmas lights

-the past few years we have gone to a Christmas Eve service together at my niece's church

-On Christmas Day, my mother will answer the phone "Merry Christmas" instead of just saying hello. 

Do you have any holiday traditions?

XOXO!