Catching Up On Some Awards

Hey, readers!

One of the things I love about blogging on WordPress is the camaraderie between us bloggers and the recognitions we pass along.  This community continually recognizes and praises each other for their time and effort they put into their blog(s) and its content with awards that are passed along, as many of you have received I’m sure.  Many of my fellow bloggers have given me such awards over the last few months that because of video games, television, extra curricular activities, and (of all things) movies, I have not yet responded to.  To make up for it, I am going to answer all of the questions from the award nominations.  They are grouped by award. Unfortunately with waiting so long, there are many similar questions asked by different people. That’s on me for waiting so long to do a write up for these. There is a lot to get through so let’s get started, shall we?

Liebster Award

First award is a Liebster Award from Tom of Plain, Simple Tom Reviews:

Favourite Disney Villain? Scar. He’s one of the few villains who actually gets (and keeps!) what he is trying to get.
If you could put one film in a space capsule to be sent off to an alien planet, which would it be and why? My first thought is Alien, but that probably wouldn’t be a good idea.  I would have to choose Toy Story.  A story about friendship can be understood in any language by any culture.
Name a film that too few people have seen, but deserves to be watched. This is a little tough one because I don’t feel like I have watched many films that aren’t widely known.  However, I would say The Cannonball Run.  It is an early 80s road trip comedy that has several of the biggest stars from that time, including Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, and many, many more.
Will there ever be a truly great videogame-to-film adaptation? Has there been one already? I think eventually someone will figure it out. Mad Max was enjoyable and Prince of Persia and Assassin’s Creed (although I wasn’t a huge fan of the latter) did well to capture elements from their sources that are easily recognizable by their fan base.
Which film deserves to be wiped off the face of the earth? Rage. I want that garbage out of here.
Who was your first, or biggest, film/tv crush? I’ve been into Modern Family since season one and have had a crush on Sarah Highland since then. Maybe not my first or biggest but probably my longest.
Which film character’s job would you most want? Not any one character but I would want to be a Jedi. That’s a job, right? Maintaining peace in the galaxy is a very important job.
Would you rather watch paint dry or watch grass grow? Probably watch paint dry. I imagine it wouldn’t take as long.
If it was Groundhog Day and you were able to choose a day to endlessly relive, which would it be and what song would be playing at 6:00 every morning? Definitely Saturday. Anything classic rock.
Hanks, Hardy or Hiddleston? (A big shout out to all the Toms out there!??) After some deliberation, Hiddleston.
And finally, a favourite: which 5 actors/actresses would you have at a dinner party? Emma Watson, Emma Stone, Jennifer Lawrence, Dwayne Johnson, and Ryan Reynolds.

R. Hayward of Big Face, Small Razor also nominated me for a Liebster Award:

Talk about your favourite cinema, where is it and what does it do that’s so much better than the rest? I’m lucky that I have several theaters I can choose from for going to the theater but my favorite is my favorite for one simple reason: It shows fewer trailers than the others.
35mm or digital? Either, as long as it looks good.
Home or cinema? Both. Going to the cinema is always a blast but, being the introvert that I am, staying at home away from people is nice, too. Plus at home there is a higher chance of cuddling with my puppies and I get less weird looks for wearing lounge pants.
Name the most obscure film you’ve seen. How did you discover it and what could you say about it to get other people to watch it? Being a soccer/football player, I would say Goal II.  I watched in during one particularly long flight. It’s the second film in a trilogy about a soccer player and his rise as a superstar soccer/football player in the UEFA European Champions League. Kuno Becker, who plays the main character, does an emotional job as the character and many real life soccer/football players have cameos.
Think of your favourite director who no longer works (either dead or living) and what you’d like to see them do if they could make one more film. Most of my favorite directors are still directing so I can’t really answer this one. Sorry. 😦
Ever had an idea for a film of your own? I’ve had a few ‘What if’ ideas for existing franchises but nothing really of my own original ideas. At least none that are coming to mind.
What’s are your favourite TV shows: one that is finished, and one that is currently airing? Finished: Whose Line is it Anyway? Current: Modern Family and Brooklyn Nine-Nine (can’t really choose between those two)
What’s your favourite trope in media? Mine, for example, is where someone traces their finger on a map or in a book and then double-taps something of importance to the story. Spit takes always get me to laugh.
If you could wipe any song from history, what would it be? I don’t really have a song I loathe enough to wish is didn’t exist. Movie on the other hand…
What helps you maintain creativity? I joke about procrastinating and doing a bunch of stuff like soccer, video games and watching TV, for reasons why I don’t write as often as others but that is honestly what enables me to keep this blog going and writing (somewhat) decently.  I know people who put a ton of time and effort into their blogs *cough* Kim *cough* because it’s what they love and being busy keeps them going and they continuously turn out great content. I, however, tend to lose focus when I spend too much time concentrating on one thing. By constantly switching between activities, it weirdly helps me focus and remain creative.
Why do you write? I write to connect with others.  Although I haven’t physically met many of you, my writing as allowed me to communicate with you and grow friendships with you I otherwise would not have.

Sunshine Blogger Award

Now onto the Sunshine Blogger Awards. Firstly is Kelechi of Confessions of a Geek Mind:

What’s your favourite 80s film? I’ll go with one of entries for last year’s Ultimate 80s Blogathon and say Airplane!
Who’s your favourite film director? Steven Spielberg
If you could invite up to four celebrities for dinner, who would it be? Emma Watson, Emma Stone, Steven Spielberg, Alan Menkin
Who’s your favourite actor to play Batman out of:

  • Adam West
  • Michael Keaton
  • Kevin Conroy (Animated Series)
  • Val Kilmer
  • George Clooney
  • Christian Bale
  • Ben Affleck

Sonic the Hedgehog or Mario? Tough one. I grew up with both of them but I’d probably say Mario. Sonic hasn’t been doing well the last couple years.
If there was a prop/item from a movie you wish you could own, what would it be? A lightsaber.
What was the last film you watched you fell asleep through? I don’t usually fall asleep during movies unless I am using them as background noise to fall asleep to. And if that’s the case, it is usually a movie I have seen a lot. That being said, I did doze off a little while watching Wild Wild West for the recent Ultimate 90s Blogathon.
If you could guest star in any TV series, what would it be? Modern Family or Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
What’s your favourite hobby besides blogging? I have a few: Playing soccer, rock climbing, and playing video games (I’m really into Overwatch right now).
Dream holiday destination? Italy
If you could change one thing about the Oscars, what would it be? That there was no “Best Picture” category. Instead, have more genres have their own “Best of” category.

Next award is from Catherine of Thoughts All Sorts:

If you could somehow transport yourself into a movie and be a character, who would you be? Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars Saga.
A good book and a good movie are lovingly waiting for you at the same time. Do you read or watch a movie? Watch a movie.
Do you find yourself quoting movies (or books) or singing lines of songs to colleagues (or friends) when an opportune moment presents itself in a conversation or situation? All the time!
Night owl or Early bird? I’m a programmer, ergo night owl.
Which movie from your childhood will you always have a soft spot for even if it isn’t as great as you remember it? Space Jam
What languages do you speak? English (obviously) and some Russian.
What is your perfect holiday destination? Visiting several Italian cities, including Rome, Venice, and Florence.
Have you ever met anyone famous? Yes, Ernie Hudson.
Vampires or werewolves? Vampires
What is your guilty pleasure (book, movie or series)? My guilty pleasure movies are the early Anne Hathaway stuff, like The Princess Diaries and The Devil Wears Prada.
If you could transport yourself back in time to live in another era/age, which would it be? I wold love to see Renaissance Europe. Diseases notwithstanding, the growth in the arts and sciences would be something great to witness firsthand.

Next is an award from Renate of Popcorn and Film:

If you could live in any country, which one would it be? I’ve heard good things about Sweden. 😉
Which movie are you most looking forward to watching at the cinema this year? Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2Spider-Man: HomecomingRough NightThe Circle, and Star Wars: Episode VIII: The Last Jedi to name a few.
If you could discuss one movie with a producer or actor, who would it be and which movie would you discuss? Joss Whedon about The Avengers.
In which Hogwarts house do you belong? Hufflepuff
Which is your favorite TV-Show atm? Modern Family and Brooklyn Nine-Nine
If you could write a book about yourself, what would the title be? Drew: The Boy Who Still Has No Idea What He’s Doing
If you could go back to the past and change something in your life, what would it be? (but be warned that changing history can be very dangerous) I don’t know if it would change much but there was a good friend I had in high school that I hesitated to ask out. I would go back and ask her out sooner just to see where that could have gone.
Would you rather go to HogwartsXavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters or Starfleet Academy? Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.
Best thing that will happen in 2017? Luke Skywalker will speak again!
The best food from your country that you would recommend everyone to try? An authentic barbecued slab of ribs.
Which movie should everyone watch right now and why? Million Dollar Baby because it tells a great story, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman and Hilary Swank gave career-best performances (in my opinion) and few movies have left an impact on me the way this one has.

Still with me? Next up is an award from Becky of Film Music Central:

Star Trek or Star Wars? Pfft, Star Wars
Favorite film score of all time? Star Wars, more specifically Return of the Jedi
Which film is going to win Best Picture at the Oscars? A little late for this but based on buzz I would have guessed La La Land.
What is your favorite TV show? Modern Family and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow? African or European?
Favorite Disney film (animated OR live-action)? Not including Pixar, Aladdin.
What movie are you most looking forward to this year? As much as I want to say Star Wars: Episode VIII, I’m probably going to say Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Do you have any pets? Yes, 16! A 75-gallon (284 liter) aquarium with 14 fish and two dogs, Vicki “The Grump” and Buck “The Idiot” (but they aren’t in the aquarium).
If you could have ONE superpower, which would it be? Teleportation.
Justice League vs. Avengers vs. Suicide Squad… who comes out alive (I’m thinking of the film versions in this case) I want to say the Avengers but if the Justice League has Super-Man, then they would probably win.

My last Sunshine Blogger Award for this post comes from Allie of Often Off Topic:

If you could add an Award category to the Oscars, what would you add? Either Best Comedy Film or Best Action Film. I don’t think those genres get enough love, particularly for Best Picture, at the awards.
Who is The Last Jedi? Ben Solo
Which Director should take over from Ben Affleck for The Batman? I would love to see someone who was involved with Batman: The Animated Series to take over.
I need a break from Oscar movies. What should I watch this weekend? The Avengers. Or if you want to avoid movies, Avatar: The Last Airbender.
What’s your all time favourite book? This is cheating, as it’s actually three, but The Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn.
If you were a talk show host, who would be your first guest? Emma Watson and Allie Adkins 😉
What’s your least favourite movie genre? Horror
What movie are you embarrassed to admit you’ve never seen? Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I’ve seen a bunch of clips but never the whole thing.
Is Wonder Woman going to save the DC Cinematic Universe? “Save” might be a bit of a stretch but I’m hoping it will begin to steer it in the right direction.
Which actor/actress do you love enough to see them in anything and everything? Dwayne Johnson / Emma Stone
Which movie would you like to experience for the first time again? This is a great question! I’ve actually written a whole post on this very question before. I would love to watch Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back for the first time again.

Mystery Blogger Award

On to the last of the awards: the Mystery Blogger Award. This award has some other requirements, I covered them in the last Mystery Blogger Award I received. You can go here to check them out. The first Mystery Blogger Award is from Christian of AniB Productions:

What is your favorite animated show and why? (if you can, perhaps from West and East!) As an addendum: Would you like me to write a review of that show(s) if I haven’t already? My favorite Western animated show is the Avatar series (The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra) and my favorite Eastern animated show is One Piece. Sure!
If you’re a sports fan, who do you root for, and do you have any unique stories about being a fan of your team(s) of choice? For football, I root for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Denver Broncos. For Baseball, I root for the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers. For hockey, I root for the Detroit Red Wings. And for MLS, I root for the Columbus Crew and New England Revolution. I don’t really have many stories because I don’t follow sports too closely. However, I can recall how I became a Steelers fan. In elementary school, my mom let me invite a few friends over to watch the Sunday game. The Steelers were playing and she bought be a Steelers sweatshirt.  I have been a fan ever since.
What’s your most overrated animated movie or show? I know this will make some people upset but Up.
What would be one live-action show or movie you’d highly recommend to anyone? Million Dollar Baby for something more serious, The Avengers for something more laid back.
What was your motive to start writing a blog? I originally started writing a blog to feel like the time I would spend watching movies was for something other than entertaining my time, that there was a purpose to it.

And this post is going to end as it started, with an award from Tom of Plain, Simple Tome Reviews:

What’s your favourite movie quote? Dude, you can’t do this to me. There are too many! I often will use some of my favorite quotes for my Movie Quote of the Week so go have a look over there.
Which book does everyone need to read, right now? Technically they are graphic novels but Alan Moore’s The Watchman and Marvel’s Civil War (the original 2006 one, not the disappointing sequel from last year)
What would your last meal on Earth be? A big plate of lasagna with some cheese covered broccoli, then strawberry shortcake with whip cream for dessert.
If it was Groundhog Day, what song would play for you every morning at 6 am? I get the feeling this is one of your favorite questions. 😛 “Walk This Way” by Aerosmith.
What have I got in my pocket? That’s not fair. That’s against the rules! Ask another one.

And that’s it! Thanks for sticking around and reading all of it. I hoped you learned something new about yours truly.  Thank you to everyone who nominated me and for your patience.  I’d like to say I’ll do better next time but then I’d be lying. 😛

Until next time, cheers!

A Gift From Wolftsor: The Mystery Blogger Award

Mystery Blogger Award

I come to you today bearing an award! Wolfstor has nominated me for the Mystery Blogger Award. The rules are as follows:

  1. Put the award logo/image on your blog
  2. List the rules.
  3. Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
  4. Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well
  5. Tell your readers 3 things about yourself
  6. You have to nominate 10 – 20 people
  7. Notify your nominees by commenting on their blog
  8. Ask your nominees any 5 questions of your choice; with one weird or funny question (specify)
  9. Share a link to your best post(s)

Thank you Wolfstor for the nomination! This was quite a mystery to me and we have only recently been introduced to each other so I’m thankful you thought of me for this award. 🙂

The Mystery Blogger Award was created by Okoto Enigma. You can find out more information about it here.

Before I tell you three things about myself, I’ll first answer the questions Wolfstor asked:

Why are you writing? I’m writing because I like to share my enjoyment of movies with others. However, I’ve kept writing because of all of the great people I’ve met since I started writing for this blog. Talking with so many different people is an experience that drives be to continue.
What is your favorite 80s TV series? Generation One Transformers. Watching it now it’s super corny but it’s corny fun.
What is the worst movie you remember ever watching? Rage. Whatever you do, don’t. Watch. This. Movie.
What is the most beautiful thing in the city you live in? Me!
If you were given a 1000 Dollars/Euros/Random currency of your choice and needed to spend it on ‘fun things’ within 24 hours – what would be the scenario? 🙂 I don’t know if I could spend $1,000 in 24 hours! Things I would definitely do include going to the local zoo, since it is one of my favorite places to go, catch a movie or two at the theater, grab dinner at a “fancy” restaurant, and maybe look online for something to do on a future date and book it (technically that would be spending the money, so loophole!).

Three things about me… hmm…

  1. I’ve mentioned this many, many times but I am an avid gamer.  The most recent multiplayer game I have picked up is Overwatch.  I can’t get enough! The gameplay is great, the characters are diverse and interesting, and Blizzard is continuously coming out with new content. If you play on PC, too, let me know and maybe we can play together sometime!
  2. I rock climb regularly.  My buddy and I try to go a few times a month.  It was something I tried in college and did for a while but then stopped for whatever reason.  About two years ago I convinced my friend to go with me to the local rock climbing gym and we have been going regularly ever since.
  3. I once wrote a review on my phone while sitting in a deer blind.  It was a terrible day and I hardly saw any deer, so to pass the time I wrote a review for the movie I watched the night before.

My nominees are

Allie (Often Off Topic)
Carl (Listening to Film)
Catherine (Thoughts All Sorts)
Film Frenzy
Kim (By Hook or Book)
SG (Rhyme and Reason)

If you are unfamiliar with any of these blogs, I highly recommend you check them out. They all write great content that is worth reading.

For my nominees, your questions are

  1. What is your favorite place you have visited?
  2. What would you do if you had a time machine and didn’t have to worry about the ill effects of time travel?
  3. What was your favorite film released last year?
  4. Why did you start blogging?
  5. If you could live in any fictional universe, which would you choose?

I am particularly fond of this post I wrote shortly before Star Wars: The Force Awakens was in theaters discussing movies I would like to view for the first time again.  I haven’t found a good place to link to it permanently yet.  Last year, I started inviting other bloggers to collaborate on posts with me and I like the way the Ranking the Disney Renaissance Films post turned out, mostly because it deals with the Disney renaissance but also because it was my most popular post featuring a special guest from last year.

And I think that covers all of the acceptance criteria. Thanks again to Wolfstor for the nomination! I enjoyed putting this together and I can’t wait to see my nominees’ answers. 🙂 Anyone is free to answer the questions in the comments below if you’d like, even if you aren’t one of my nominees.

Shameless plug time! If you are interested in participating in the Ultimate 90s Blogathon, hosted by Kim from Tranquil Dreams and myself, you can find all the information here.

Until next time, cheers!

Happy Thanksgiving! Celebrating with Special Guests

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is a day here in the States that we give thanks for what we have and the people in our lives.  A time we gather around our table eating gravy-smothered turkey, stuffing, beats, and pumpkin pie.  A time we gather around the television, screaming and cheering at the football game.  A time we talk with those not seen often, catching up on lost time.  A time we remember those who are special in ours lives, especially those no longer with us.  No matter how Thanksgiving is spent, it is always with family and loved ones.

We all have something to be thankful for in our lives.  For me, this blog has become something extra special to me, way more than I ever imagined when I first started in the summer of 2013.  Now, I don’t know about you, but I am a horrible (great?) procrastinator.  At any given moment, I will do anything and everything to distract myself from what I need to do.  This blog has helped me get better at not doing that.  Feeling responsible to give you, my readers and friends, some content pushes me to actually get stuff done.  If I don’t deliver what I promise, I begin to feel guilty, like I let you guys down, and I don’t like letting my friends down.  This has conditioned me to sit down (or stand up if need be) and just do what I have to, although it helps that this is something I like to do and is sometimes part of my procrastination process.  I am thankful that this blog pushes me to do better in other parts of my life.

Starting out, I never considered myself much of a writer. Even to this day, over three years later, I still don’t.  I’m just a person who puts his thoughts and feelings into words. Nothing special and certainly not enough to consider myself a writer.  However, I have noticed an improvement in my written communication since starting out.  Besides the experience of me writing, seeing so many different styles of writing across the blogosphere, I am always learning from them and trying to improve my writing so I feel like I can fit in with the rest of you who actually know how to write.  I am thankful that by writing for this blog, I have been able to improve my writing skills.

Working with clients time zones away, I know how efficient the the internet is to communicate with others all over the globe. Yet, I never expected to talk with people literally all over the world.  I have spoken with people from Canada, the UK, South Africa, Israel, and even Indonesia. I was even able to meet up with one of my fellow bloggers earlier this year.  Although I might not know all your names or seen your faces, I consider you friends.  I am truly thankful for the bonds I have created with many of you that grew from becoming a blogger. I am sure they will last for many more years to come.

Seeing as this is a day we all give thanks, I extended an invitation for those who wanted to join in and asked them a simple question: Why are you thankful for your blog and for being and blogger? Here is what they had to say:

Ashley (Box Office Buzz)

I initially chose to start a blog on WordPress because I liked the blog designs available and the ease of working with the templates. However, what has kept me on WordPress is the wonderful community of bloggers. I’m thankful to have a place where I can geek out about my favorite movies and TV shows. I don’t get made fun of for sharing my passions, and even if people disagree, they do it in a respectful manner. Although I’ll probably never get to meet many of my blog buddies face to face, I’m thankful we can all connect through blogging! 🙂

Catherine (Thoughts All Sorts)

Thoughts All Sorts began blogging purely as a written outlet for whatever came to mind (hence the name). For nobody really. Well, for me to just write in a “public” forum meaning I needed to make an effort. This was rapidly to change. Fate had other plans and somehow I came across one of those addictive things called a Blogathon. I finally plucked up the courage to participate and wow…it was like opening Pandora’s Box. Just that one post changed everything and I am so thankful for that! The world, no, the Blogs, I discovered are the best thing out there. I would definitely not be blogging anymore if I didn’t have the support of the wonderful people behind these Blogs. So, I’m thankful for the readers and the writers out there and especially the time they invest in the community. They range from  the social bloggers and the serious ones, but most importantly they range across all corners of the globe, across all genders, age groups, beliefs, races, the works…and THAT makes it so awesome…the things I’ve become exposed to, the opinions, recommendations and just general comments…they always, ALWAYS make my day! Oh…and I’m thankful that I’m bound to add a new movie or book to my “To Watch/Read” list…daily.

Keith (Keith Loves Movies)

I am thankful for my blog and being a blogger because I get to share my love of movies (and now television) with the rest of the world. I’ve always liked movies and I often went to the theater. My friends knew this and they would often go to me with questions or asked me for recommendations. One day, a friend suggested that I should write about movies and that was when my blog was born. When I started almost a year and a half ago, I had no idea what was going to happen or how big it would become but I’m glad I did it. I’ve seen over 160 movies this year and it is has been fun to write about them so far. I hope to do a lot more in the future as my blog grows.

Allie (Flick Chicks)

Movies have always been a big part of my life. I was brought up on Disney, which I still hold close to my heart. As I got older, I went through some rough times and movies were my escape. Any movie I’ve watched more than a handful of times, I have memories attached to, both good and bad. I also love to talk about them, but before I started blogging most conversations would go something like:
Me: Oh hey, I watched a brilliant movie over the weekend called ‘—————-’, have you seen it?
Other Person: Nah, it looks rubbish/Yeah it was okay/Why are you watching that when you should be watching ‘—————’ instead?

Eventually, I kept myself to myself. When I met Jenna, my blogging buddy at work, I found we shared a common interest, movies! Not only movies, but talking about movies! My life was changed forever. We shared DVDs, had movie nights together, wrote emails back and forth with little reviews, and my love for all things cinematic was rekindled.

It was only a matter of time before we started a blog called Flick Chicks together. To begin with, we were talking to ourselves, but eventually we found our way into the movie blogosphere by taking part in a blogathon, and got chatting to other bloggers. From there, our little network grew and grew, and every day I get excited to check if there are any new comments on the blog. I’m so thankful for everyone who stops by and takes the time to comment on something I’ve written.

Writing has always been therapeutic for me, and although I haven’t studied film, or even writing or journalism, I love the fact that I can put my thoughts down into words, share it online, and have other bloggers interact with me. We aren’t a snobby scene in the slightest, and I’m thankful for the fact I can be truthful and honest about how I feel about a movie, without being belittled for it. Whether I loved a movie that bombed at the box office, or hated a classic, I can share my thoughts without fear and a lot of times, be surprised that there are others out there who feel the same.

I’m thankful for everything that blogging has brought me. I talk about a lot of you fellow bloggers all the time, and consider you to be my friends. I’m thankful for the comments, and the Twitter mentions, that cheer me up when I’m feeling blue. And I’m thankful to you all for widening my movie horizons. For recommending hidden indie gems that I’d never heard of, and for convincing me to see classics that I thought would be dull. Thank you!

Robin (Write Out of LA)

Sometimes you have to brush aside the making a living aspect of writing a blog. You also have to roll with the punches when it comes to the hard work that goes into the upkeep of a website. You have to take it in your stride when time eludes you, that blogging can essentially suck hours from you daily. You can bitch and moan about these things, out loud, or internally within your many thoughts. How do I make money with my site? When will I be rewarded for my hard work? Why are there not more hours in the day? Of course if you just drop it all and quit – problem solved.

Yeah, I thought so. Many a time do I remind myself of the pride, the passion, the privilege, that comes with writing about what you love. I am thankful for that. Pouring your thoughts onto the page, like right now, so you can share your notions. I am thankful for that. The community of film-lovers with whom I can mingle, from all walks of life: America. Hong Kong. Germany. Greece. Canada. Brazil. France. New Zealand.  I am thankful for them. Every single one of them. Their contributions to my site, be it by providing physical, publishable words, or mere page clicks while sipping their coffee. I am grateful for those.

Maybe, just maybe, one day I can quit my day job, and make this my priority, make it my living, work harder, faster, and with more zest than ever. That’s the dream. And I am thankful for that.

SG (Rhyme and Reason)

I’ve so much to look up and be thankful for,
The least of which is my own blog,
A hobby, an outlet, a dare to explore
And add my unique dialogue.

I’m thankful for movies I’d never have seen
Without recommendations and tips
From fellow film bloggers, who never are mean
Like some online relationships.

Beyond all the personal gratification
Of writing what I love and know
And seeing that someone in some distant nation
Is liking what I have to show,

A blog is a door to acquaintances, friends,
And fans of what I enjoy too.
To Drew, Rob, and far as the blogosphere sends,
A Happy Thanksgiving to you!

Rob (Movierob)

As a fan of film, I watch as many films as I can (both new and old). As much as I love movies though, I enjoy having meaningful discussions with others about movies. Since starting my blog 3.5 years ago, I have been so thankful and grateful for the lovely film blogging community who are always there when needed. I have discussed, debated, derided and of course been delighted by so many conversations with my fellow bloggers and that makes this even more fun!

Kim (Tranquil Dreams)

Starting up a blog is probably one of the best decisions that I’ve made. A blog is a space to share crazy, stupid and sometimes random (or boring) thoughts. It’s a place to stay positive. In fact, it makes me thankful for many things. The first is the chance to meet a lot of like-minded people who share a lot of similar interests and at times even opens up a ton of other avenues to look into. Second, I’m thankful because it gives the motivation to improve, update, upgrade. It’s a place to learn. Everyday with a blog is a learning experience whether it’s just learning about a new movie or book, or a different opinion and view on whatever topic, learning how to write better and structure posts better, or even technically learning how to put together pictures, edit videos and produce a podcast. This leads onto the third reason why I’m thankful. I’m thankful because the blogosphere (that I’ve encountered) is a place of acceptance. Sure, there are people who might strongly disagree but I’ve never met anyone so extreme. Everyone here is accepting and growing as an individual. It’s great to be among such a motivated crowd and realize that sometimes all those crazy hobbies you have are also someone else’s. In a world when its kind of messy and real life sometimes dishes us a ton of losses, its nice to find some friends and acquaintances, even if they are only through email and comments that always shines a light into our world and hope that we can do the same for them. Being a blogger is something I’m thankful for every single day because everyone I’ve met and all the posts I’ve read has made me a better person: more courageous and motivated and even more passionate and energized to do better every single day.


Huge thank you to everyone who joined in.  I am grateful that all of you took the time to respond and share something personal. Thank you.

I will propose the same question to the rest of you and you can answer in the comments: Why are you thankful for your blog and for being and blogger?

Until next time, cheers!

A Gift From Kira: The Sunshine Blogger Award

Sunshine blogger award

What a way to kick of Year Four! The fantastic Kira from Film and TV 101 has nominated me for the Sunshine Blogger award. The criteria for accepting the award is pretty simple:

  • Post the award on your blog
  • Thank the person who nominated you
  • Answer the 11 questions they set you
  • Pick another 11 bloggers (and let them know they are nominated!)
  • Set them 11 questions

So, thank you Kira for the nomination! Kira writes about all sorts of films and has recently expanded onto twitter and her own youtube channel. Go check out her site when you get a chance. Her questions for me are:

What is your favorite film? The Avengers
What is your least favorite film? I don’t know how to answer this but the worst movie I have seen and reviewed is Rage.
Who is your favorite movie villain? Scar from The Lion King
Who is your favorite movie hero? Probably John McClane from the Die Hard series
What do you think should be the number one all-time greatest film (NOT your favorite) Million Dollar Baby
What is your favorite TV show? My current favorites are Modern Family and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. However Whose Line Is It Anyway? is one of my all-time favorites.
What is your least favorite TV show? I don’t really have a least favorite TV show because if I don’t like a show after a few episodes I stop watching it.
Who is your favorite TV villain? It’s always changing but the Reverse Flash from Flash season 1.
Who is your favorite TV hero? The Flash to go with my TV villain choice.
What is your favorite TV title sequence? Oh, that’s a tuffy. Almost anything from the 80s is great just because of its cheesiness.
Film or TV? I like both a lot. I seem to be one of the few who still watch shows as they air on TV. Both are good at telling great stories in their own unique way.

Looking back, the last time I did an award write-up was early last July, which means I haven’t accepted any awards at all in the past year! So to thank those who nominated me for an award during that time, I’m nominating you for this award to pass along my thanks:

Vinnie (vinnieh) (Creative Blogger Award)
Mesh (Mesh the Movie Freak) (Dragon’s Loyalty & Versatile Blogger Awards)
Evelyn (Films & Series: What about them?) (Liebster Award)
That Other Critic (That Other Critic) (Liebster Award)
Tom (Plain, Simple Tom) (Liebster Award)

I would also like to nominate those who have been special guests (or blogathon co-host) on my blog so far this year:

Ashley (Box Office Buzz)
Kim (Tranquil Dreams)
Emma (Emmakwall (explains it all))
Jenna and Allie (Flick Chicks)
Rob (Movierob)
Natasha (Life of this City Girl)

And for you, my nominees, if you don’t participate in awards, I understand. For those of you who do, here are your questions:

  • Who is your favorite actor?
  • Who is your favorite actress?
  • Do you prefer to have a physical DVD/Blu-Ray disk or a digital copy?
  • Do you prefer special editions or are you content with just having a copy of the film?
  • What is your favorite place you have traveled?
  • What is your favorite place to travel to in your town?
  • If a genie could grant you one wish, what would it be?
  • If you could have any super power, what would it be?
  • What made you decide to start blogging?
  • What are you proud of most about your blog?
  • What have you learned from being a blogger?

Thanks again to Kira for the nomination! I can’t wait to see the answers from my nominees. 🙂

Cheers!

A Gift From That Other Critic: The Liebster Award

The Liebster AwardA huge ‘Thank you’ to That Other Critic for this nomination.  I’ve only recently started following him but we have become good blogging friends.  If you don’t follow him yet, please go check out his site (after finishing this article of course).  He writes some great in-depth movie reviews that are a delight to read. The rules for the Liebster Award this time around are as follows:

  • Thank the blog who nominated you and link back to them.
  • Nominate up to 11 other bloggers to receive the coveted award.
  • Answer 11 questions from the blogger who nominated you.
  • Tell your readers 11 random facts about yourself.
  • Give the nominees 11 questions to answer on their blog when they post their nomination.

Before I get into the nitty-gritty, I would just like to mention that this is the fastest turn around I have done on an award, so I hope you feel special Critic. I guess it helps that I was on vacation this week. Anyway, here are the questions posed by Critic and my answers:

  • What is a movie/series that is considered a cultural landmark that you’ve never seen?  I don’t like to admit it but I have never seen any of the Lord of the Rings films.  That may change soon, though, because a friend of mine heard, freaked out, and offered to watch the trilogy with me (the full four hour editions).
  • What is a movie that everyone loves, that you hate?  I’m going to have to go with something more recent and say Nightcrawler. I wouldn’t say I hated it, I feel Gyllenhaal should have been nominated for best actor, but I didn’t think it was as amazing as almost everyone else says it is.
  • Alternatively, what’s a movie that everyone hates, that you love?  I know they are flawed, but I really enjoy the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy and am a proud defender of them. Could they have been better? Most certainly. But they are what they are and still have their qualities.
  • What’s your favorite book of all time?  The Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn.
  • If you were born in a different era, which would you want to have been born in?  The late 1970s and 1980s. Many of my favorite bands are from that era and I would have loved to see many of them during their prime.
  • Who is your favorite director?  Easy, Steven Spielberg.
  • If you ever directed/wrote a film, what would it be about? What genre would it be?  I’m not sure what a film written/directed by me would be about but it would probably be either a fantasy or science-fiction movie.
  • What is your biggest pet peeve?  When people take food off my plate without asking. I’ll share my food, just ask me first!
  • What is the funniest movie you’ve ever seen?  Another easy one, Airplane!. I could watch that movie over and over and laugh every time.
  • What is your favorite movie in each of these genres:
  • Is there a film that was a challenge to watch the entirety of for you, that you watched anyways? If so, what is it?  I’m pretty good at watching a movie the whole way through. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve stopped a movie without finishing but I don’t remember what they were. I don’t walk out of theaters because I paid for the ticket so I’m not going to leave.

Now here are a few random facts about me:

  • I have The Mummy and The Mummy Returns on every format since their release and plan on keeping that going.
  • I try not to splurge often. However, every year I buy a ton of fireworks for the Fourth of July.
  • I collect keychains.
  • I also collect labels of the beers I drink.  It’s much less space-consuming than keeping the entire bottle.
  • I love apple juice, like borderline addicted.
  • I have a stutter.  It’s strangely and annoyingly inconsistent. I’ve learned ways around it but it is still a pain in the neck sometimes.

Here are my nominees:

Finally, my questions for my nominees:

  • Can you wiggle your ears?
  • Do you watch any web series? If so, what’s your favorite one?
  • What is the first movie you remember watching in the theaters?
  • Do you prefer 3D or 2D movies or are you indifferent?
  • Do/Did you play any sports? Which ones?
  • What is your favorite card game?
  • What is your favorite board game?
  • What is your favorite video game?
  • If you had a time machine and could go back in time without consequence of messing up the future, where and when would you visit and why?
  • Do you have a motto or mantra?
  • What is your favorite thing about blogging or being a blogger?

Thanks again to That Other Critic for the nomination and I can’t wait to see what my nominees come up with!

Cheers.

A Gift From Khalid: Dragon’s Loyalty Award

Dragons Loyalty AwardWow, another award! I don’t think I deserve all these, but hey, I’m not going to argue.  This award comes from Khalid over at The Blazing Reel.  Khalid offers many different features on his site so I highly recommend you go check it out.  The rules are as follows:

  • Display the award on your blog
  • Announce your win with a post and link the blogger who awarded you
  • Present 15 deserving bloggers with the award
  • Link your awardees in the post and let them know of their being awarded
  • Write seven interesting things about you

Khalid, you and I have only recently started following each other, but thank you for the nomination!

I’m going to do something slightly different but I will explain in just a moment. I had trouble coming up with facts about myself I haven’t used in my other awards, so this took me time to think of some new stuff. I managed to think of a few things, so here are seven facts about myself:

  • I am a web developer. I’ve been web programming for about five years and I’ve been a programmer for about eight years. I enjoy (almost) every minute of it.
  • I can’t write English cursive.  It’s not that I don’t know how, it’s just that when I do, I switch to writing Russian cursive. In high school, I only wrote cursive in my Russian language class. So after a few words I switch languages. I still write English words, just with the Russian letter equivalent (so “p” becomes “п”, “d” becomes “д”, etc.). It’s not as bad now but I have to concentrate more on what I’m writing.
  • I don’t mind when things are messy but I don’t like it when things are dirty.
  • I recently bought a new fish tank.  I upgraded from a 20-gallon aquarium I’ve had for almost 15 years to a 75-gallon aquarium.
  • I learned how do drive a manual transmission car only just recently. I wanted to learn so when I bought my car several months ago, I bought a stick shift so I would be forced to learn and keep up with it.
  • I have come to the conclusion that no one has a cute yawn.  You may have a cute sneeze or cute laugh or cute something else, but you do not have a cute yawn. I’m sorry, you just don’t.
  • I describe myself as an extroverted introvert.  I thought I created that term but then I heard other people say it and realized I’m not that special. What I mean by “extroverted introvert” is that I am an introvert but I have some extroverted tendencies.  If someone is really interested, I can talk about it in the comments, but I’d be here for a while if I started listing all the nuances. I’ve also seen the term “outgoing introvert” to describe this type of behavior.

Now, as for that “something different” I mentioned, I’m not going to nominate anyone. Whenever I see the Dragon’s Loyalty Award passed around, I think of it as a recognition to loyal followers of that blog. So going with that thought process, instead of nominating 15 bloggers, I’m going to list 15 20 bloggers who I would consider loyal followers. These aren’t loyal followers like a cult… maybe… (PS, I made some Kool-Aid for you guys)… but I constantly see their presence on this blog. I wouldn’t have kept up with this blog for nearly two years if people weren’t reading.  This is a giant thank you to everyone listed here:

If you feel left out, I am truly sorry. My initial list was waaaaay longer and I had a very hard time narrowing it down to 15, so that’s why I have included an extra five. But really, a HUGE Thank You to those of you (both listed and not listed) who continually come back to Drew’s Movie Reviews week after week. I wouldn’t be here without you! 😀

Thanks again to Khalid for the nomination.

Cheers!