Fall Film Challenge Update: Final Movie Reviews + How I Did Overall

I am ridiculously late in posting my final results from the fall film challenge, but I guess that's not too surprising given the fact that it took me nearly a month to get my first New Mexico recap written and posted.

I love blogging, but lately I just haven't felt like sitting down to work on it as much. This happens to me from time to time, especially when I've got a lot of things going on in my everyday life (like tons of holiday parties and upcoming travel, for example).

But anyway, I figured it was better late than never. As usual, I've asked Eric to weigh in with his thoughts as well. I was hoping to get through a few more, but we only managed to squeeze in 2 more movies since my last update.

I haven't decided for sure if I'll try this again next year, but the competitive part of me really wants to. I'd like to get through more of my list next time, though that probably won't be too difficult since I completely sucked with this challenge this year!



1.  One Day - Watched 11/22/2015

My Thoughts: I wasn't sure if I'd like this because romantic movies aren't really my thing. I'm not a completely cold hearted bitch, I just prefer my movies to be dark, scary, disturbing, or sad (or some combination of those things). Luckily for me, One Day fell into the "sad" category. I will say that parts of the movie sort of dragged on, Anne Hathaway's British accent annoyed me at times, and I wanted to punch Dexter (one of the main characters) in the face multiple times. However, while I didn't love the movie, I thought it was one of the better romantic movies I've seen recently. Everything didn't always just fall perfectly into place, and the ending made me sob like a baby. I'm glad I gave it a chance.

Eric's Thoughts: I think it's an interesting idea for a movie. It didn't play out like I thought it would, but it's hard to say more about this without spoilers. It was fun to see how the characters grew over time, and how their growth either affected their relationship or was a result of it. That sort of portrayal of time passing made it easier to see how they had changed since we were given a glimpse into who they were and who they were becoming each year around the same time.

Kristen's Rating: 3/5 stars - Liked it.

Eric's Rating: 3/5 stars - Liked it.

2.  Lolita (1997) - Watched 11/30/2015

My Thoughts: Lolita is one of my favorite novels of all time, so I was really excited to see how it would be portrayed on the screen. Thankfully, I wasn't disappointed. It's been years since I last read the book, but as I watched the film, bits and pieces came back to me in vivid detail. Jeremy Irons is wonderful as Humbert Humbert. I don't think they could have cast a better actor for that role. Similarly, Dominique Swain does an amazing job bringing the title character to life. (I was even more impressed when I read that this was her first film role. Seriously ... She is Lolita.) One of the reasons I loved the book so much was because it made me feel so many strong emotions, and this film affected me in the same way. It's repulsive and heartbreaking, and, as with the novel, I thought about this for days after I saw it. It's probably not for everyone, but I loved it.

Eric's Thoughts: Since it's told from his point of view, Lolita is portrayed as being complicit in their relationship, and I wondered if she actually was or not. And, whether she was or not, that kind of narrative puts you in the mind of a person like that, whether it be a pedophile or even a stalker ... Someone who may think something is going on between themselves and another person even though there's really nothing there.

Kristen's Rating: 5/5 stars - Loved it.

Eric's Rating: 2/5 stars - Didn't like it. (He said it was really a 2.5 because he didn't dislike it, but he didn't really like it either. I made him choose either 2 or 3 stars, though, and he told me to go with 2. Obviously we had very different feelings about this one!)

Finally, I'm going to share my final list of movies watched for this challenge. I'm kind of bummed that I didn't even get to 10, but that's okay. Maybe next time! (And hey, 9 is pretty damn close!)



1.  A Movie Set In New York City: Side Effects - 09/12
2.  A Movie Featuring A Child As The Main Character: Lolita (1997) - 11/30
3.  A Movie Starring Harrison Ford: Paranoia - 09/07
4.  A Love Story: One Day - 11/22
5.  A Movie About Something Miraculous: 127 Hours - 09/29
6.  A Movie Starring An Actor/Actress With Your First Name: Bridesmaids - 10/21
7.  A Film Mentioned On Time Magazine's List The Top Ten Newspaper Movies: Zodiac - 09/18
8.  A Movie With A Score Of 90% Or Greater On Rotten Tomatoes: It Follows - 10/02
9.  A Movie With Subtitles: The Hunt - 10/10

Challenges and Christmas Shopping: My November Goals

I'm not going to lie ... I'm already completely checked out. I scheduled this post in advance since Eric and I are already enjoying our first full day exploring New Mexico. (I'm planning to share some photos throughout the trip on Instagram, so you can follow along there if you want to check in and see what we're up to!)

Since I'm obviously not that into setting goals this month (because, let's be honest, I probably won't do a great job sticking with them!), I'm going to keep things simple.

My November 2015 Goals:

1.  Read at least 5 books for the Semi-Charmed Winter 2015 Book Challenge. I think this is totally doable, especially since I have several days off work this month. I picked up a few of the books from my list at the library prior to leaving for our trip, so I'm definitely planning to get some reading done while we're out of town. I'd love to be one of the first to finish (though that probably won't happen since I just don't read as fast as some people)!

2.  Finish the Fall Film Challenge with at least 10 total movies watched. This means I'd only have to watch 3 more movies from my list this month, which, again, I think is totally doable. I'm obviously not going to finish all 25 movies, but I'd at least like to get through 10.

3.  Finish at least 50% of my Christmas shopping. I've been terrible about waiting until the last minute to do my Christmas shopping the last couple of years, and I'd love to avoid the last minute crunch this year. I don't even have that many people to buy for (especially since we're trying a new Secret Santa sort of thing with Eric's family this year), so it (hopefully!) shouldn't be that difficult.

And that's it. I'm not going to make any healthy eating/fitness goals this month. Between Thanksgiving and New Mexico, I can pretty much guarantee those things won't be top priorities. I'm also not going to make any major blog-related goals this month because I know I won't be able to keep up with it as much as I'd like while I'm away. I promise I'll reply to any comments/emails as soon as I can, though!

Monthly Goals: October Results

Remember when I said that October was going to be the month I lit a fire under my ass when it came to my goals? Well ... That didn't happen.

I came very close to completing pretty much every goal I made last month, but, for whatever reason, I seemed to fall short with most of them. I did manage to complete some of them, but it wasn't an amazing month for me overall.



To recap, my goals for October were:

1.  Get back into a regular workout routine.

2.  Go the entire month without buying any Starbucks Doubleshots at work.

3.  Post at least 3 times every week.

4.  Find and join more link-ups.

5.  Continue attempting to keep up with reading and commenting on other blogs.

6.  Earn at least my first Swagbucks goal every day.

7.  Watch at least 5 more movies for the Fall Film Challenge.

8.  Avoid putting any additional books on hold at the library until I finish at least half of the books I've already checked out.

And the results:

1.  I'd like to give myself a pass here, but I don't know if I really deserve one. While I've been making an effort to work out at least 3 times each week, I didn't really stick to any sort of schedule and found myself skipping my classes at the gym more and more frequently in favor of staying home and working out to a video. Yes, I was still being active, but I feel like I push myself a little more when I'm participating in a class ... So sometimes it just felt a little half-assed. I don't have high hopes for getting back into a regular routine this month either since we'll be enjoying our time in New Mexico (and, for us, "enjoying" includes eating and drinking a lot). December is probably out too since we'll be flying back to stay with my mom for Christmas. January it is!

2.  I thought I was going to make it through the month without a Doubleshot. I made it through 3 weeks straight ... And then on the 22nd, I managed to oversleep a bit, forcing me to leave the house without coffee. Anyone who knows me in real life could tell you that dealing with me in the morning before I've had any coffee is both terrible and slightly dangerous. I'm the grumpiest bitch ever, my brain feels fuzzy and unfocused, and I just generally have difficulty functioning like an actual human being. Needless to say, I was forced to buy a Doubleshot at work to make up for my lack of morning coffee at home. On the upside, that's the only time I caved.

3.  I'm going to give myself a pass on this one. Although I don't think I actually posted consistently each week, I posted a total of 12 times in October. And, since there were 4 full weeks in October, that averages out to 3 times per week. I actually like math when I can use it to make things work in my favor!

4.  Pass! Technically I only got involved in one additional link-up, but I'm happy with that. (And yes, it's another book link-up/challenge. I love books, okay?) I'll probably try to get involved with a few more as time goes on, but right now I'm enjoying connecting with other book lovers.

5.  Pass! I still don't have a set schedule for this, but I managed to keep up with my blog reading/commenting a little better in October. I've also been keeping up with responding to comments on my own blog/answering emails a little better, which is also important! The next couple of months will be kind of crazy with the holidays and our upcoming trips, so I'm sure I won't be able to be quite as quick with my responses and comments ... But I'll definitely make these things a priority when I'm not as busy!

6.  I should have gotten a pass on this, but a glitch caused me to miss out on my goal one day. Swagbucks credited me for the survey I completed, but they couldn't backdate it. Whomp whomp. Despite the unfortunate glitch, I still managed to earn 6,583 SB last month (which is the equivalent of $65.83). Not too bad for just answering a few questions and clicking through a few videos!

7.  I only watched 3 movies for the Fall Film Challenge last month, so I obviously don't get a pass on this one. Eric and I usually make an effort to watch at least one scary movie on Halloween, so I did technically watch 4 movies last month ... But only 3 were for the challenge. (If you're interested, we watched Rosemary's Baby on Halloween. I'd actually never seen it before. It was pretty creepy, but some parts were a little too over-the-top for me. I eventually want to read the book as well.)

8.  I'm going to give myself a pass on this one. I finished about half of the books I had at home, but I did put a few more on hold before the month was over in preparation for the Semi-Charmed Winter 2015 Book Challenge. I also returned a couple of books I didn't read the last time I went to the library. I hate doing that, but I'd prefer to (mostly) focus on the challenge for now ... I can always pick them up again at some point in the future.

Obviously not the greatest month for me in terms of achieving my goals, but I still feel like I did an okay job (especially considering the number of goals I set). I'm not going to go crazy with goal setting for November since I'll be pretty busy between New Mexico, celebrating my 2 year wedding anniversary, and Thanksgiving ... But I'll be back tomorrow with a short list of things I'd like to accomplish this month.

Fall Film Challenge Update: What I've Watched So Far - Volume 2

When I listed my goals for October, I said I wanted to watch at least 5 movies for the fall film challenge this month. I still have a few more days left, but I don't know if I'll be able to watch 2 more movies before the start of November.

I knew going in that I'd probably have a hard time completing this challenge, but I'm kind of surprised I'm this far behind. On the plus side, at least it's been fun watching and discussing these movies with Eric!



1.  127 Hours - Watched 09/29/2015

My Thoughts: This kind of reminded me of the movie Buried with Ryan Reynolds since it's focused on one actor for the majority of the movie. I actually prefered Buried, but I did think this was pretty good. I think I'd only seen James Franco in one or two other movies (never a serious role), and I was impressed with his performance.

Eric's Thoughts: It's really entertaining for basically just being one guy the whole time. I thought his reactions seemed realistic, like how he went crazy and stuff.

Kristen's Rating: 3/5 stars - Liked it.

Eric's Rating: 4/5 stars - Really liked it.

2.  It Follows - Watched 10/02/2015

My Thoughts: I initially didn't even want to watch this movie because the premise sounded kind of stupid. Although it seems like a lot of reviews claim it's the best horror movie in years, it's not ... But it isn't awful either. The acting (particularly Maika Monroe's performance) was surprisingly good, and the film does a great job building up a slow sense of dread throughout. But they never explained where this sexually transmitted supernatural force originated or why it exists. There were also a few inconsistencies that really annoyed me. It was a decent horror movie, but definitely not the best I've ever seen.

Eric's Thoughts: It was pretty scary, and I kept wondering if a condom would provide protection against the apparent "STD." They're lucky it didn't follow them faster.

Kristen's Rating: 3/5 stars - Liked it.

Eric's Rating: 2/5 stars - Didn't like it. (He said it was really more like a 2.5 because his feelings were mostly neutral on this movie, but I forced him to stick with the Netflix ratings and wouldn't let him tack on the extra 0.5.)

3.  The Hunt - Watched 10/10/2015

My Thoughts: I loved this movie. It was one of those films where you just want to shake the characters and scream in their faces saying, "Are you even watching what's going on? Are you even listening?" Eric touches on this in his review as well, but I liked that everything wasn't straightforward. It's easy to believe that Lucas (played by Mads Mikkelsen) is innocent based on the information given, but there are a few times where things get a little blurred and that tiny seed of doubt is planted. It's an intense movie that's most definitely not for everyone, but I thought it was amazing.

Eric's Thoughts: It was well done, and I thought it was interesting how they created a sense of doubt with regard to his innocence. While it wasn't based on a true story, it was realistic and shocking how quickly a situation like that could escalate.

Kristen's Rating: 5/5 stars - Loved it.

Eric's Rating: 3/5 stars - Liked it.

4.  Bridesmaids - Watched 10/21/2015

My Thoughts: I feel like everyone thinks this is one of the funniest movies ever, and, while it definitely had its funny moments, I was kind of surprised that so many people think it's so hilarious. (Though, to be fair, I tend to like dark comedies a lot more than silly comedies like Bridesmaids.) I did like that Annie (Kristen Wiig's character) seemed pretty realistic despite how over-the-top so much of the movie was. I think a lot of the things she was experiencing were things a lot of women have experienced at one point or another. I enjoyed the movie for the most part, but I don't know if I'd watch it again.

Eric's Thoughts: I didn't think it was as funny as people said it was. It seemed kind of slow, and I definitely wouldn't have watched it if I wasn't part of this challenge. [My comment: So cute that he said he was part of this challenge!] Even though I didn't really like it, it was still kind of a fun, goofy movie.

Kristen's Rating: 3/5 stars - Liked it.

Eric's Rating: 2/5 stars - Didn't like it.

I think our reviews were a little more in-depth this time around, but I still think I'm much better at reviewing books. I'm clearly also much better at reading challenges than I am at movie challenges.

Time to Light a Fire Under My Ass: My October Goals

After spending last month basically doing whatever the hell I wanted, I figured it was time to buckle down and get back into some sort of routine. This applies to pretty much all areas of my life: exercise, eating healthier, meal planning, blogging, etc.

And, since I also spent a lot of money on fun things last month, I feel like I need to be a little more frugal this month. (Though I may allow myself to buy a couple of new clothing items. I've been torturing myself with online "window shopping" a lot lately, and, since I haven't purchased any new clothes in at least 5 or 6 months, I feel like it wouldn't be a huge deal to splurge on a couple of new things for fall/winter. But we'll see.)

My October 2015 Goals:

1.  Get back into a regular workout routine. I've been struggling with this for the past couple of months, and it's been driving me nuts. I went from regularly working out 3-4 times each week to maybe working out 1-2 times each week (and twice would be a really good week). I've noticed that I've been feeling a lot more sluggish since I stopped working out as much, so I know I need to get over my lack of motivation and get back into it.

2.  Go the entire month without buying any Starbucks Doubleshots at work. I think I've only managed to go an entire month without buying at least one Starbucks Doubleshot once or twice this year. That's kind of insane. I'm completely addicted to them, but they're 210 calories, filled with sugar, and they're about $3.00 each. So obviously if I can avoid them this month, I can cut some calories and save some money. Win win.

3.  Post at least 3 times every week. Last month I was mostly kind of "meh" about blogging. As a result, I spent the majority of my time doing everything but blogging. (Well, except going to the gym, of course. I clearly wasn't doing much of that either.) I will never be the kind of blogger that posts 5 times every week, but I think I should probably post more than once or twice a week if at all possible.

4.  Find and join more link-ups. I'm not going to go crazy with link-ups or anything, but I've really only been active in the Show Us Your Books! link-up lately. I love that link-ups allow me to talk about things I love with others with similar interests, and I feel like I've discovered a lot of other really awesome bloggers this way. (And, to be honest, it's also nice to see more people visiting and commenting on my own blog. It makes me feel good to know that other people care about what I'm writing.) If I can find and join even one additional link-up this month, I'd be happy.

5.  Continue attempting to keep up with reading and commenting on other blogs. Sometimes it's really hard for me to find time to keep up with the blogs I enjoy. And then when I actually have some free time, I start to feel overwhelmed when I see I have at least 100-200 posts to read. I wanted to create a schedule for this last month, but I never actually did. I did a better job keeping up with it for the most part, but I still found myself getting really behind at certain points. I just need to figure out what works best for me and stick with it.

6.  Earn at least my first Swagbucks goal every day this month. Thanks to Stephanie, I've become a huge fan of Swagbucks. I know that some people feel like it takes a lot of time and effort, but, for me, it's an easy thing to do each day in order to get a few extra bucks. I mean, if I'm on my computer anyway (or just watching TV), it doesn't take much work to click through a few videos. And if I don't mind putting in some extra effort, I'll take a survey or two. (Which, to be honest, typically don't require a ton of effort either.) It doesn't seem like much most days, but it can really add up. Since I started using it near the end of May last year, I've earned almost $630. That's not a ton of money, but considering the fact that I didn't even use it much for at least a few months (I think I only earned between 1 and 3 SB most days during those months) and the actual amount of time and effort I spend using it, that's actually pretty good.

7.  Watch at least 5 more movies for the Fall Film Challenge. I'll be very surprised if I'm able to complete this challenge, but I'm going to at least try to get through as many movies on my list as possible. I don't want to set the bar too high for myself, though, so 5 it is.

8.  Avoid putting any additional books on hold at the library until I finish at least half of the books I've already checked out. This probably sounds silly, but I have a serious problem when it comes to placing books on hold at the library. I still have quite a few on hold (including a few that will likely become available within the next couple of weeks), but I have 12 books at home right now. It's gotten a little ridiculous. I don't need to check that many books out at once.

I made more goals than usual, but at least a couple of them are just simple reminders of things I should avoid this month. (Though, if I'm being honest, those are two of the most difficult goals for me.) If I can accomplish all of these, I'll be very happy!

Monthly Goals: September Results

Since I knew September was going to be kind of a busy month for me, I kept my goals really simple. I didn't even make any fitness or healthy eating goals because I knew it would be too hard to stick with them while we were traveling. (I probably should have made at least one health related goal, though. I mean, did you see the shit I ate and drank while I was in Minnesota?)



My goals for September were:

1.  Finish the Literary Ladies Summer Book Challenge.

2.  Watch at least 3 movies for the Fall Film Challenge.

3.  Try to come up with a schedule for reading/commenting on blogs.

Here are the results:

1.  Done! I actually finished with a few days to spare. I could have easily finished it much earlier, but I kept getting distracted with books that weren't part of the challenge. Oh, the struggles of a book nerd! (If you haven't seen my Literary Ladies Summer Book Challenge results and would like to, check out this post.)

2.  Done! I watched a total of 5 movies in September (so maybe there's hope that I'll actually get through most of my movie picks for this challenge!). I reviewed 3 of them here, though if you haven't read that post, I'll go ahead and tell you that my movie reviews aren't nearly as in-depth as my book reviews. I'm not cut out to be a movie critic, I guess. I watched a fourth movie for the challenge after I posted those reviews, and my fifth movie wasn't part of the challenge. (It was just a Netflix DVD that had been sitting in my apartment for way too long, and I didn't want to just send it back without watching it.)

3.  I was kind of 50/50 with this one. I've been a little better when it comes to keeping up with my blog reading and commenting (and responding to comments on my own blog, of course), but I still haven't figured out a great schedule for this. Sometimes I feel like I have a lot of extra time and manage to (mostly) get caught up on my reading/commenting, but then I'll have a busy week and the next time I open Bloglovin', I have 100+ unread posts. This is a work in progress, I guess.

September wasn't a bad month for me, but I also made things pretty easy on myself. I'd like to challenge myself a little more in October.

I'll be posting my October monthly goals in the next few days. I can't commit to a day yet because I haven't really thought about them that much ... I need some time to figure out what I'd like to do.

I know these posts aren't the most popular anyway, so I doubt anyone is going to be overly disappointed if I post my goals on, say, Sunday instead of Friday. These posts are mostly for me. If I share my goals in a public space, I'm more likely to work on them. Trust me, it's never fun to come back a month later only to write something like, "I really didn't accomplish much last month because I got busy/lazy/other random excuse."

Fall Film Challenge Update: What I've Watched So Far - Volume 1

About a month ago I decided to participate in a fall film challenge. I'll honestly be really surprised if I can manage to watch 25 movies in 3 months, but at least I'm having fun with it.

One of the reasons I was so excited about this challenge was the fact that it was something Eric and I could do together. Since he's been watching the movies with me, I told him he should get even more involved and help me with my reviews.

I'll tell you right now that these aren't thorough, IMDB worthy reviews. Maybe we'll get better at this after we write a few more of these posts ... Maybe we won't.

Either way, it was fun to get my husband a little more involved with my blog.



1.  Paranoia - Watched 09/07/2015

My Thoughts: It's not really my type of movie, but it was pretty entertaining. It held my interest, and it wasn't a bad way to pass the time.

Eric's Thoughts: It was exciting and suspenseful. I really liked the technology, especially the "phone wallet thingy." I liked the ending even though I saw it coming.

Kristen's Rating: 3/5 stars - Liked it.

Eric's Rating: 3/5 stars - Liked it.

2.  Side Effects - Watched 09/12/2015

My Thoughts: This is a great example of the kind of movie I love. It was a little dark, and it had a really interesting twist. Rooney Mara was so good that it almost made me want to watch the American version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Almost. (But, let's be honest, I will never willingly watch the American version of a foreign movie.)

Eric's Thoughts: It was good and I liked the unusual story. I think the title was really fitting without being really obvious. I usually don't seek out this type of movie, but I really liked this one.

Kristen's Rating: 4/5 stars - Really liked it.

Eric's Rating: 4/5 stars - Really liked it.

3.  Zodiac - Watched 09/18/2015

My Thoughts: It's amazing that I hadn't seen this movie before, and thankfully it didn't disappoint. I've read a lot about serial killers over the years, but I really didn't know much about the Zodiac Killer. This movie made me want to learn more.

Eric's Thoughts: I like movies that are based on historical events, so this was right up my alley. I always wonder how much of it is factual, though. This was probably the third time I've seen this movie, and each time the investigators and reporters became more obsessed!

Kristen's Rating: 4/5 stars - Really liked it.

Eric's Rating: 4/5 stars - Really liked it.

Things I learned while writing this post:

1.  I'm much better at writing book reviews. I would be a terrible movie critic.

2.  We probably shouldn't wait so long to write these reviews. We wrote all of this in one night.

3.  Eric apparently thinks the Netflix rating system is really difficult to use. He says he won't finish a movie if he thinks it sucks (so basically nothing will get less than 3 stars), and it would have to be "really special" to get 5 stars from him.

4.  Eric doesn't mind spoilers in his reviews. I refused to write some of the things he said because it would completely ruin the ending for anyone who hasn't seen the movie.

5.  It's really hard to try to type someone else's stream of consciousness.

Keeping it Simple: My September Goals

Since I didn't do a great job sticking with my August goals, I've decided to make things a little easier on myself this month. While I think I could probably push myself a little harder (and I probably should), I don't want to get overly ambitious and then come back at the beginning of October to report that I barely accomplished anything.

My September 2015 Goals:

1.  Finish the Literary Ladies Summer Book Challenge. I stuck with my original list (which can be found here, if you're interested), and I've completed 9 out of 10 books. I still need to read my pick for "A Book That Was Recommended By Another Blogger," and I need to do it by the time this challenge ends on September 21.

2.  Watch at least 3 movies for the Fall Film Challenge. (You can check out my list here.) I think this is a realistic number of movies to watch in a month. If I want to complete the challenge and watch 25 movies in 3 months, I should actually be watching a lot more than 3 movies in September. I know how busy things can get, though, and I already have plans for 3 of the 4 weekends this month ... So I'll stick with 3.

3.  Try to come up with a schedule for reading/commenting on blogs. For a while I was keeping up with my favorite bloggers and commenting within at least a day or two of the original post. Lately, though, I've been letting posts pile up in my Bloglovin' feed for days. I always catch back up, but I feel like it's a huge time suck to spend a night or two reading everything everyone has posted for an entire week (or sometimes longer) and then take time to comment on the things that really stand out. When I don't have a schedule, sometimes I let things slide for too long. I need structure.

I was going to try to come up with a couple more goals, but I think I'll keep things simple this month. Besides, I'm already in vacation mode ... Labor Day is coming up, and I took off a couple of extra days to visit my friend Danielle in Minnesota. I'm so excited to have a 5 day weekend, and I'm looking forward to spending time with Danielle and exploring a new area! 

Fall Film Challenge 2015: 25 Movies in 3 Months

After participating in a summer book challenge (well, technically I'm still participating since I haven't completed all 10 books!), I realized I really love these types of things. Challenges like this combine so many things I love: entertainment, making lists, connecting with others, and, of course, getting out of my comfort zone a bit to check out things I might otherwise have ignored.

So when Stephanie and Erin shared posts about a fall movie challenge, I was intrigued. I've been trying to read a lot this year, so I haven't been watching as many movies (or as much TV, for that matter). When I do watch Netflix, I'm usually binge watching a TV show. I guess I've been in kind of a movie rut lately. I can't even remember the last time I watched a movie that I really loved.

I'm hoping this challenge will help me start enjoying movies again. I wouldn't say I don't like movies anymore, but sometimes it's hard for me to devote 100% of my attention to a film. (Which is probably why a lot of the foreign films on my Netflix queue have been sitting there, unwatched, for at least a year.) 

It will also be a little more fun because it's something I can share with Eric (when he wants to see the movie too, anyway). Although I've discovered that I love reading challenges, that's a solitary activity. Yes, he could read the same books I'm reading so we could discuss them, but we don't usually enjoy the same types of books ... So it wouldn't be very fun for him (or for me if he picked the book). We like a lot of the same movies, though, so I'm sure we'll be checking a bunch of these off the list together. (I know there are a few on this list that he'll probably pass on, though.)

I'll admit that finding movies to fit each category that I've never seen and that had a theatrical release was more difficult than I initially thought (and, if I'm being honest, I initially thought it would be pretty challenging). For the most part, I tried to pick movies that were already on my Netflix queue because I really need to clean that shit up. I did end up adding a few, though, so I still have about 100 on my instant queue and over 300 on my DVD queue. Yikes.

If watching 25 movies in 3 months sounds like something you'd want to do, you can read the official rules here.

Edited to add: I was either really tired when I wrote and edited this or I just don't know how to count (either is totally possible), but the challenge runs from September 1 through November 30, so you have 3 full months to watch 25 movies. I've edited this post to reflect that.

Here are my picks:

1. A movie set in New York City: Side Effects

I didn't know this was set in New York until I started Googling. I was relieved because I feel like it's been sitting in my instant queue for a really long time.

2. A movie that incorporates hot air balloons in the story: Night Crossing
Apparently there aren't that many movies that feature hot air balloons (or so it would seem). I'd already seen Up (if that even counts) and Enduring Love, and there weren't many other movies listed that appealed to me. This one sounds like it could be pretty good, though.

3. A movie featuring a child as the main character: Lolita (The 1997 version)
Although Humbert Humbert is technically the main character, I think this probably still counts. I love the novel, and I've wanted to see how it translates to film for a while.

4. A Disney film: Inside Out
Since Netflix didn't list any tentative release dates for this, I placed a hold on it at the library. I'm number 152. Hopefully I'll get it within the 2 month time period for this challenge! I know I can always pick something else, but I really want to see this one.

5. A movie set in Egypt OR featuring an Egyptian character OR starring an Egyptian actor/actress: Benny's Video
I was shocked to learn that part of this movie takes place in Egypt ... It seems kind of random. Regardless, this has been in my queue forever so I'm glad it fit into one of the categories.

6. A close friend or family member's favorite film: The Majestic
I asked Eric if he had any favorite movies that I hadn't seen, and this was one of them. He claims one of the last scenes is one of his favorite movie scenes of all time, so I'm definitely curious.

7. A movie with the word "Great" in the title: Great Expectations (The 1998 version)
I didn't really want to see this, but nothing else sounded better.

8. A movie starring Harrison Ford: Paranoia
I realized I've seen a lot of Harrison Ford's movies when I was trying to pick one for this challenge. Erin chose the same movie for this category, so hopefully we both enjoy it!

9. A movie featuring an idiot as the main character: Step Brothers
No, I've never seen this movie. I don't watch a lot of "dumb" comedies (or comedies in general), but this was still a difficult category because I've already seen the ones I'd actually want to see.

10. A movie mentioned in the Levi Strauss list Denim and the Oscars: A Look at Jeans in Cinema: Thelma & Louise
I've seen several of the movies on that list, but I kind of can't believe I never watched this one.

11. A film about a knight: Braveheart
Like Stephanie, I've never seen Braveheart. A lot of people seem to think it's good, though, so hopefully it's worth the time. (At almost 3 hours long, it really better be worth the time!)

12. A love story: One Day
Like comedies, romantic movies aren't really my thing. I did, however, have this movie on my Netflix queue already. I guess I'm willing to occasionally branch out.

13. A movie about something miraculous: 127 Hours
This was another movie that was already on my Netflix queue. I always try to avoid spoilers, so I don't actually know if this movie fits well into this category, but the summary makes it sound like a pretty extraordinary story.

14. A movie starring an actor/actress with your first name: Bridesmaids
I almost went with a Kristen Stewart movie (I know, I know) because I actually want to see Speak. I've never seen Bridesmaids, though, and I feel like everyone thinks it's hilarious. I want to see what all the fuss is about.

15. A film about the Olympics: Munich
This is another movie that has been on my queue for a really long time. I just never got around to watching it.

16. A film mentioned on Time magazine's list The Top Ten Newspaper Movies: Zodiac
Can you believe I've never seen this? I can't. I mean, it's a movie about a serial killer that stars Jake Gyllenhaal (I love him) and is directed by David Fincher (I love him too). It's a perfect movie for me, so it was the obvious choice here.

17. A movie with a question in the title: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
I'm glad I got to include this one because my mother-in-law has told me several times recently that I should watch it.

18. A movie with a score of 90% or greater on Rotten Tomatoes: It Follows
This one was actually tough because there were so many movies I'd like to see that fall under this category. And, although the premise seemed kind of ridiculous to me at first, It Follows has been getting pretty consistently good reviews. I felt like I should give it a chance.

19. A film about a superhero: Kick-Ass
I don't really like superhero movies, but this one might be bearable.

20. A movie with subtitles: The Hunt
It's no secret that I love foreign films, so it was hard to choose just one. This one has been on my queue for a while, though, and it seems like the kind of deeply emotional, deeply disturbing movie I'd love.

21. A movie that incorporates unicorns in the story: Black Moon
I was kind of surprised that there were so many to choose from in this category. I'll also admit that I've seen The Cabin in the Woods, Fantasia, Heavenly Creatures, and The Virgin Suicides and I couldn't remember anything about unicorns in any of them. Maybe it's been too long since I've seen any of those, but I've even seen The Virgin Suicides multiple times ... It makes me wonder how I could forget (or possibly not even notice) something like that.

22. A film about a personal victory: Captain Phillips
Again, since I avoid spoilers, this was kind of a tough category for me. Since it's based on true events, though, I'm going to assume he probably survived to tell the story. (Don't answer that if you've seen it. I still want to be at least somewhat surprised!)

23. A movie with the word "Black" or "White" in the title: Red White & Blue
This is probably one of the most fucked up movies on my list (which means I'll probably end up watching it alone). It's been on my queue for a while, though, and it's received quite a few positive reviews.

24. A movie set in a country you would most like to visit: Enter the Void
This was difficult for me because I want to visit so many places. Parts of this movie are set in Tokyo, though, and Japan is pretty high on my list of places to travel. It's also another movie that has been in my queue for a long time, and I'm sure it will be awesome (and probably fucked up) because it's a film by Gaspar Noé. (He wrote and directed Irreversible, which made it into my Guide to the Best Disturbing Films.)

25. A film set in a zoo: A Zed & Two Noughts
Since I've already seen We Bought a Zoo, I was worried it would be difficult to find something for this category. I managed to find this weird little movie, though, and miraculously it's available on Netflix.

If you've seen (or want to see) any of these movies, feel free to let me know your thoughts!