"The Christmas Cure" - Hallmark Christmas Movie Review

This movie served as a kick off to Hallmark's annual Countdown to Christmas. The movie is about a young woman, Vanessa, who is a very busy doctor. She is finally able to spend Christmas with her family and she's very excited about that. Upon returning home she crosses paths with her high school sweetheart and finds out that her father is retiring. She spends her Christmas deciding if she wants to take over for her dad or further her career.


 Stars: Brooke Nevin, Steve Byers, & Patrick Duffy

This movie was...ugh. I could not get into it at all. The main love interests had no chemistry whatsoever. Byers' character Mitch was poorly written. Mitch and Vanessa did not seem like high school sweethearts- in fact they seemed like strangers. The majority of the movie focuses on Nevin's character and her inner struggle of staying or going; there is no time spent on the rekindling romance until towards the end. The only redeemable and semi interesting parts of this story was Duffy and his wife and the teenagers subplot romantic story line. I had no emotional attachment to the two main characters. I cared more about Dr. Turner (Duffy) and his wife and their adorable moments, as well as Kyle (Vanessa's younger brother) and his crush Shelly. There were 2 parts that made me tear up- once again these parts had nothing to do with Vanessa and Mitch. There is an elderly woman that Dr. Turner visits weekly since her husband died, Mrs. Willis, and each Christmas she bakes a traditional German cake for her late husband. It was very sweet. Overall, I'd give this movie 1 star and say skip it. There are WAY better movies on Hallmark to watch. 

"Power Rangers" Movie Review

GO SEE IT!! YOU WILL LOVE IT! STAY FOR THE CREDITS!!

*I'll post a more in depth review/recap later ;)

Pretty Little Liars Recap - "Playtime" (S07E11)

Pretty Little Liars is back for the final season!

We open with Spencer being rushed to the hospital followed by the Liars. As she is rushed into the emergency room they try and piece together what just happened and where Jenna and Mary Drake disappeared to. As they talk they see Toby being rushed in on a gurney.

Flash forward to a week later and we learn that both Toby and Spencer survived their respective injuries, but poor Yvonne is in a medically induced coma. Aria visits with Toby to see how he's doing before heading to Ezra's apartment. She packs a bag and as she is leaving, he finally arrives. He asks where she's going then basically asks her to stay. They talk a little about Nicole, but Ezra doesn't say much. Aria gets a text from Spencer and goes to see her.

Meanwhile, Hanna wakes up next to Caleb and wants to start looking for Jenna. He hands Hanna her sketchbook and tries to remind her of her passion. He encourages her to continue pursing fashion even though it almost broke them up before. He wants her to find herself again. Emily and Paige both get hired at the high school, Emily as the swim coach and Paige as an athletic department head. They both now work with Alison who shows up late for work. When Emily asks if she's ok, she says yes and she was late because she went to the doctor. She starts pushing Emily away already.

Aria arrives at Spencer's and the Liars are waiting for her with a big gift box sent from AD. They are upset to realize that Noel Kahn was not AD and they were wrong. They open the box to find a giant interactive board game set up like Rosewood with each of the girls as a game piece. It's so creepy! Spencer thinks AD wants them to play, but Hanna thinks AD want to play with them. They all agree not to play the game.

Hanna asks Aria what's going on with her and Ezra and Aria tells her about their conversation. Hanna assures her that Ezra will tell Nicole about them and things will work out between Ezra and Aria. She suggests Aria works on planning the wedding so that when Ezra is ready, everything is set. Mona runs into Hanna while she is sketching and looks through her book. She comes up with a way to get Hanna's name out there in the fashion world.

Spencer meets with Detective Fury and he tells her that they don't think Dr. Rollins is actually in France anymore. He shows her a gun and Spencer insists it's the one she saw Jenna holding. Fury tells her that it doesn't match the bullet that they pulled out of her shoulder. Spencer doesn't understand, and he suggests that someone else may have been there and took the shot at Spencer. Spencer heads home and awaits the arrivial of her mother. When Veronica arrives she apologizes for not making it home sooner and says Mr. H is on his way. She asks what happened and Spencer gives her the run down of what went down with Jenna, Noel, and Mary Drake. She tells her that Mary Drake claimed to be her birth mother. Veronica doesn't deny it, just reminds Spencer that Mary is crazy. Finally Veronica breaks down and tells her that Jessica DiLaurentis had come to visit her and told her about her twin sister who was in Radley. They said she was pregnant and while they didn't know the father of Charles/Charlotte, they knew the father of this baby. Apparently Mr. Hastings thought he had run into Jessica, when it was actually Mary Drake, they slept together and she got pregnant. Veronica agreed to take the baby. She waited outside and Spencer was brought to her. Spencer can't believe it. She doesn't understand why her mother stayed with her father with everything he has done to her. She disappears into the barn.

Hanna takes Aria to look at wedding venues. At their favorite one they run into Holden. Remember him from high school? Yeah. Hanna gets a call from Mona and disappears. Holden offers to show Aria around his sister's place. He asks how she's doing and who she is getting married to. When he finds out it's Mr. Fitz, he is supportive. He asks Aria what they want for their wedding, and she can't answer. Holden and Aria run into Ezra on the street. He tells her that Nicole's parents called and he's going to New York. Aria looks visibly saddened about this, but says goodbye.

At Rosewood High, tension brews between Paige and Ali when they resort trading insults during a committee meeting. Emily tries to intervene, but is unsuccessful. These three working together is going to be nothing if not interesting. Emily confronts Ali about it afterwards and she blames it on her pregnancy and her ruined life. Em reminds her that nothing is going well for anyone and Ali brings up that she's pregnant with her scheming sham of a husband who used her, robbed her, medicated her, and is now gone. Emily tried to remind her that she's not alone. Ali questions if she should tell the others.

Meanwhile, Spencer drinks some wine to drown her sorrows and decides to play the game. She picks up the phone attached to the side and places it on the "home" section. The creepy game lights up and asks her to pick "truth or dare." Spencer picks "dare" and is told to visit Toby. She visits him and they sit and talk in the hospital. He can't believe a deer caused his accident and wonders if they'll ever really get out of Rosewood. After she meets with Toby, she returns home and the fame spits out an envelope. She reads a letter from Mary written while she was in Radley to her newborn daughter. She wishes her daughter well and is sorry she was born in a madhouse. Spencer falls asleep with the letter and Veronica is saddened when she sees it.

Hanna meets Mona who introduces her to a Senator's daughter who is interested in her clothes. The woman comes to Hanna's and tries on some outfits before telling Hanna that she'd email the boss lady her top choices to wear. When she leaves, Hanna is furious that Mona is selling herself as the boss. Mona comes over and the girls talk it out. Mona tells Hanna that it was a misunderstanding and she will fix it, she promises that she knows Hanna is running the show.

The girls meet at Spencer's and she confesses that she started playing the game. Everyone is pissed. She apologizes and says she wasn't thinking. The girls try to decide what to do and Hanna goes to destroy the game, but before she does a video starts playing on the phone screen. It's a video of them where they buried Rollins' body. It says "can't stop playing now." They realize that they're trapped and must finish the game or the video will go to the police and the accidental murder and ensuing cover up of Archer/Elliot will be discovered.

We finally see Jenna who looks a little scared until she is handed a book by a stranger. She begins reading the book in Braille and slowly smiles as she says "endgame." This is not good.

Wonder Woman Movie and Black Widow

Do you know what is really upsetting for a Marvel fan? No Black Widow movie and the lack of Black Widow merchandise. Are you kidding me? Black Widow is a beloved character by women and men, yet Marvel continuously skips over her. Personally, I think the main reason Wonder Woman is getting her own feature film is because DC has sat quietly and observed Marvel fans begging for years to get a Black Widow movie and someone over at DC thought "hey, if these fans are asking for a female led superhero movie, why don't we make one for our star female superhero?!" And you know what, it's a brilliant move!

I am not a DC fan, but I will be seeing the Wonder Woman film and I know when I leave the theater I am going to be even more pissed that there is no Black Widow movie. My hope is that this movie will destroy the box office because that would get us a step closer to a Black Widow movie. It's sad to me though that Marvel has ignored fans for so long in this, but kudos to DC for seeing Marvel's mistake and jumping in. I also saw a comercial for DC Superhero girls dolls. So not only are DC fans getting a Wonder Woman film, but they're getting all of these female inspired toys and merchandise. Marvel is going to lose many young fans due to this. I mean when a little girl is going down the toy aisle looking for a Black Widow doll, but can only find Wonder Woman, who do you think she's going to pick? Is she going to hold out in hopes of a Black Widow doll magically appearing? No! She's going to dump Nat (and Marvel) and go for Wonder Woman (DC). So once again, kudos to DC for going this route and not alienating or ignoring your female fans.

What is so scary or wrong about having a female driven superhero film? As I said before, both women and men love Natasha, so where is the problem? I realize Marvel never had a Black Widow in their original master plan, but fans have been begging for one (and an Avengers type sitcom) for years. Had they jumped on it to start with they could have had a film out by now- before DC! Marvel has consistently destroyed DC when it comes to superhero films. I mean how long was the Avengers in the works before any of us even caught on? We all just thought they were trying to capitalize on a genre, but no, they were redefining this genre. Marvel worked hard to create each superhero in their own film and in their own way, only to tie them together slowly for years so that when it came time, the Avengers would make sense. But now they are losing their edge. Civil War and Batman vs Superman were (at their basic level) similar stories, and I think it's safe to say that Marvel annihilated them. Civil War made 1.132 billion dollars at the box office while Batman vs Superman brought in 872.2 billion. They both has a budget of 250 million. Now Wonder Woman is going to go on unopposed. Personally, I can't believe Marvel would just lie down and let DC take this. I'm afraid they're going to have some long term damage as a result.

As much as I want a Black Widow movie, I think it might be too late. Story wise we have been with Nat since Iron Man 2 which was released in 2010. All of these other heroes have gotten their origins told before they become too involved in the Avengers. We just met Black Panther and "Avengers" Spider Man and they're both getting stories. Ant Man got one before he joined team Cap. Nat has just been woven in to all of the other stories, with very little information on her past. She is a mystery (which makes sense because she is a spy) and if Marvel wants to keep her that way, then why can't we follow her on a mission? This would have made a lot more sense pre Winter Solider as now S.H.I.E.L.D. has been destroyed. Do you see what I mean when I say it might be too late? It makes me sad that people who only watch the films just think of her as a hot assassin. Yes she is a hot assassin, but do you know why she is so good at what she does? Do you know why she moves so quick and does the things she does? Most people assume that her quick work is just for movie purposes, but Nat's brain moves quickly and she is always anticipating the next move which is what makes her such a valuable fighter. She is always in the middle of the action for a reason. In Winter Solider she runs straight as guns are being fired at her. She's smart so she knows this is increasing her chances of getting shot, but it lowers the chances of civilians getting shot. She thinks on her feet, but movies that are so full of other major characters and their story lines you don't get to explore the nitty gritty of the "support" characters- no matter how much the fans love them.

I'm also afraid that if the Wonder Woman movie fails, then all hope for a Black Widow movie will go out the window. So please, try and support this film. It may be a roundabout way of getting our own girl on the screen as the number one star not just a support.

Sidenote: thanks to author Margaret Stohl for seeing the value in Natasha and creating "Black Widow: Forever Red" and "Black Widow: Red Vengeance" so fans can at least read about Nat. I recommend checking them.

(notice this gif above where a toy was made from this scene but the Black Widow wasn't the one on the bike- it was one of her male costars instead...isn't that nice of Marvel?)

"Beauty and the Beast" Movie Review

Wow. Just wow. This movie has truly lived up to the hype surrounding it which is something rare. I'll admit that I was nervous to watch this film because Beauty and the Beast is a treasured animated classic. I do not know a single person who doesn't like that movie and in my opinion it's one of Disney's best movies ever. That is a lot to live up to for bringing these beloved characters and their songs to life.

Emma Watson was flawless as Belle. She truly brought her to life in the best possible way. There has been so much surrounding Emma's changes to Belle that I was nervous she had been changed too much. However, the changes work perfectly with the character-she is as strong-willed, intelligent, and kind as ever.

Speaking of stories surrounding this movie, if you're concerned about Lefou being gay and his "gay scene" in the film then you really shouldn't worry- trust me. In the cartoon, I thought he had a thing for Gaston so when they announced that he was officially gay in this film, it didn't surprise me at all. I would have been more surprised if he were straight. Josh Gad truly does a spectacular job with Lefou (as if there was any doubt!).

Luke Evans as Gaston was fantastic. I hate him so much, yet I can't stop singing his songs! He really rocked the role and the songs that came with it.

Dan Stevens is the Beast and he was fantastic. He brought such life to this character. He makes you fall in love with him; he brings him to a new level. The Beast was difficult at first and scary, but once he starts opening up...it's so great.


**SPOILER PICTURES AND COMMENTARY AHEAD!

Lumiere and Cogsworth 

In this scene, he shows Belle a book given to him by the Enchantress that will transport them anywhere they want to go. Belle takes them to the place where she was born in Paris. Beast/Prince has no idea until she begins telling him about it and looking at the drawings her father left behind. She says she never knew what happened to her mother and her father would never tell her. He finds a doctor's mask and says it was probably the plague that took her mother. It is a very touching scene between these two. We finally find out what happened and it gives Belle and the viewers some peace.

This was so magical...it's hard to describe the beauty.

Dan looks exactly like the Prince in the animated version, doesn't he?!

We finally have a legit Beauty and the Beast wedding! This is Belle's dress! It was such a beautiful scene!

Ultimately I give this move 5 stars- it's a MUST SEE!

The Vampire Diaries Comes to an End

After 8 seasons of vampires, doppelgangers, witches, werewolves, vampire hunters, and hybrids The Vampire Diaries will end tonight. We started this journey in 2009 with the mysterious Stefan and Damon Salvatore coming to town and changing the lives of our beloved Elena, Bonnie, Caroline, Jeremy, Tyler, and Matt. We have lost so many characters throughout this series, many were beloved and others we cheered on as they died. This show has constantly pulled us in and ripped our hearts up, but it was so worth it.

We have watched these characters grow and mature (ahem Caroline) and yet they have stayed together. No matter what has happened in this group, they have all stuck together. They said goodbye to Alaric together, they gave Caroline a funeral, they have defended one another to the point of dying or nearly dying for their loved ones.

Elena Gilbert has come so far from the sad, whiny girl we knew in season 1. Elena has always been selfless (to a fault), but we have watched her become strong and continue on through the worst tragedies. I'm not sure who has worse luck on this show, Elena or Bonnie.

Caroline Forbes (Salvatore) has come so far from the desperate, jealous, immature, controlling, insecure young woman she was in season 1. After changing into a vampire in season 2, Caroline had to learn how to control her emotions and she is better for it. She has become strong and confident and one of my favorite characters.

Damon Salvatore was our baddie from the start. The bad guy with the heart of gold. Damon was willing to sacrifice everyone for the one he loves- selfish, yes, but sweet? DUH! Damon always went out of his way to protect Elena, even when she didn't love him or couldn't stand him. Damon definitely made plenty of mistakes, but he has transformed into quite the hero.

Stefan Salvatore has grown from the brooding lovelorn vampire hero of season 1 to a happy human. He has been through so much, including living out his ripper side, but he has always worked to protect his friends and his brother. Damon and Stefan have come so far in their relationship.

Honestly, I'm a little afraid to see how this ends. Knowing Julie Plec and her history of gut wrenching deaths (I'm looking at you Jenna, Alaric, Jeremy, Liz, Enzo...) I feel like no one is safe. Katherine is now the Queen of Hell, so who knows what she is going to do. Elena comes back, so is Katherine finally going to kill her? Stefan is a human so he is easy pickings and of course he and Caroline just got married...this is going to be a rough night.

One thing is for certain. I'm going to miss these characters and I am going to miss Mystic Falls. Maybe someday I will forgive Julie Plec for never following through with Klaroline  (WHY JULIE! WHY!?!?) but until that day come there is always fanfiction (RISE KLAROLINE SHIPPERS!). In the end, I will always be grateful that my ultimate TVD ship, Delena, finally got together. It was a rough road, but that is what made it worth it. This ride has been incredible and I have loved spending my Thursdays in Mystic Falls with my friends.

Shadowhunters - Recap "Day of Wrath" (S02E04)

Clary races to the City of Bones to visit with Jace. She makes her way down into the City and is greeted by one of the Silent Brothers. He takes her to Jace who is surprised to see Clary. She says she will do whatever it takes to free him, but Jace tells her that he deserves to be there. He also asks Clary not to visit him again and she is forced to leave. Clary returns to the Institute in time to go out in the field with Alec to investigate a demon attack.

Aldertree brings in Raphael to "discuss" Camille and ends up securing him to a chair and using UV light laser beams to cut into his skin. Poor Raphael. He goes to Magnus who is appalled to see what Aldertree did to him and works on restoring his skin. Simon joins them and they decide to find Camille.

Clary and Alec find a mundane with a hole in their chest and end up finding a young woman who is terrified and confused with blood covering her hand. She has no memory of what's happened to her and Alec and Clary put 2 and 2 together. They bring the body back to the Institute where Izzy is going to do an autopsy, but it appears that the demon needs a living host. Meanwhile Jocelyn shares the news that the Clave is requestign she transfer to Idris. She tells Clary first and asks her to go with her. Clary says she needs to think about it. When Jocelyn tells Luke he says he will go with her and she insists he can't give up his life again for her, then they FINALLY kiss! He says he would go anywhere with her.

Soon the Shadowhunters realize the demon is in the Institute and they go on lock down hunting for it. Raj is taken over by the smoke demon and he viciously goes after Lydia. He is cruel to her and ruthlessly attacks her. Lydia does her best to fight him off, but becomes seriously injured. Alec comes upon them and shoots at Raj, watching the smoke demon leave him and go into the vents. Meanwhile, Izzy and Clary are underground tracking the demon and Izzy asks if Clary is going to Idris. She says she isn't sure yet and Izzy wants her to stay.

Magnus, Simon, and Raphael finally discover what is in the box they took from Camille: her grave dirt. Raphael tells them that a vampire's grave dirt can be used to summon them and the only one who can open her box is Simon, because he has her blood in his veins (thanks to her being his sire). Simon opens the box and there is the dirt. They ask Magnus to use the dirt to summon her, but he is very conflicted about it. He explains to Simon later on that he and Camille are like Simon and Clary. Camille has been there for him through everything and he knows she has gone too far, but it hurts him to think of turning her in. He shares that she saved him from killing himself at one time and Simon begins to see why this decision is so hard for Magnus: he must choose between his best friend/former lover and his vampire foster sons.

Jace is interrogated by Aldertree with the Soul Sword (a sword blessed by the Angel that forces them to tell the truth). Aldertree asks Jace if he can pledge his full allegiance to the Clave and with difficulty Jace admits that he cannot pledge his full allegiance. Aldertree continues to question him, asking him questions about Valentine, and then goes a step further by asking Jace if he has brotherly feelings for Clary. Jace is clearly tortured by this question, but the truth is forced out when he says no. Aldertree looks all too pleased. Jace is returned to his cell and only has nightmares thanks to the Silent Brothers. His neighbor in the cell over is none other than Hodge who says Jace was right to take his hand.

Clary comes upon Alec who is sitting in the hallway looking confused with a bloody hand. She runs past him into her room only to find her mother dead on the floor. That's right you guys, Jocelyn Fray/Fairchild is dead. Clary falls to the ground in grief and Alec peaks in to see what he's done. He can't believe it. Clary leaves and he cleans himself up until he comes across Isabelle who is now possessed. She comes after him and he tries to fight her off without hurting her. Clary stabs her in the shoulder to get the demon out of her and when it is released Clary kills it. Alec takes Izzy to the infirmary and Simon shows up. He is confused about what is going on.

Valentine attacks the City of Bones and kills some of the Silent Brothers will getting the Soul Sword. Hodge helps Jace get out of his cell and is killed for it by a Circle member. Jace fights them as they make their way to the portal where Valentin stands with the sword. He tells Jace to come with him and for the members to kill Aldertree. Aldertree yells at Jace to get the sword, but Jace can't let him die. He fights off the Circle members and saves Aldertree, but loses the sword. Aldertree brings him back to the Institute where he walks in on the aftermath of the demon attack, which they realize was sent by Valentine, so they would be distracted and he could get the Soul Sword. Jace sees Simon comforting Clary and you can tell it pains him that he can't comfort her right now. He leaves to check on Izzy while Alec is overcome by guilt.

Magnus summons Camille and traps her in a cage. She's not worried and reminds Magnus that he knows she will always be there for him and that's why he would never actually turn her into the Clave- especially not for 1 or 2 vampires. Magnus tells her that this is hurting him and he appreciates who she was, but that's not who she is anymore and she has gone too far. He must protect his family and with that he portals her off to the Clave.


//Original air date: January 23, 2017