The Family Stone

The Family Stone

The Family Stone is one of those movies that I have to watch every year– usually late at night with no one around to see me ugly cry. It’s tradition. At the outset of my first viewing experience, I honestly didn’t have high expectations. Yet 

Die Hard

Die Hard

Here it is: Die Hard. Possibly the most well-known of the unconventional Christmas movies, and one of Alan Rickman’s greatest roles as super villain Hans Gruber (note I said “one of”. I have very strong opinions about this. Sheriff of Nottingham <3).  If you’ve never 

Grumpy Old Men

Grumpy Old Men

Grumpy Old Men– the perfect movie to help you transition from Thanksgiving turkey time to whatever December holiday you choose to celebrate. The sixth of ten films in which great friends Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau costarred, Grumpy Old Men is set in the freezing 

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Fantastic Mr. Fox

If you happen to be reading this post around Thanksgiving time, you’re in for a treat. Fantastic Mr. Fox just happens to be a wonderful stop-motion-puppety TDay movie– from the familial themes, to the color scheme, and ESPECIALLY the food. Anyone familiar with Roald Dahl, 

The American President

The American President

As I write this post, it is officially the one-week anniversary of learning the results of the 2020 election. What a ride the last seven days have been. And I could not think of a more appropriate movie to celebrate the outcome than The American 

Young Frankenstein

Young Frankenstein

Here it is: my favorite Halloween movie and perhaps my favorite Mel Brooks film, Young Frankenstein. Fans of the director will immediately recognize hilarious throwbacks (and throw forwards) to his other movies– walk this way, wasn’t your hump.. on the other side?, etc. But of 

Psycho

Psycho

I’ve been wanting to do at least one serious horror/thriller for October. But let me just say that blood, guts and ghosts don’t always make for appetizing menus. Enter Mike Pence (or should I say his winged companion) who inspired me to revisit Hitchcock’s classic 

Practical Magic

Practical Magic

If you imagined me spinning around my kitchen listening to Stevie Nicks and Joni Mitchell while executing this Practical Magic menu, that vision would be 100% accurate. It would also not be an exaggeration to say that I’ve watched this movie at least 30 times. 

Return to Oz

Return to Oz

Hi, hello, and welcome to a screening of perhaps the scariest “kids and family” movie ever made: Return to Oz. Trust me, it’s on lists. You’ve got mental institutionalization, Frankenstein-d animal/vegetable/furniture hybrid creatures (sometimes with or without a head), the witch actress from Willow, evil rock 

Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice

I read somewhere that Michael Keaton ad libbed 90% of his lines as Betelgeuse/Beetlejuice. That’s insane to me, because I consider it to be one of his best performances (it’s also his favorite role). And, the movie itself is still one of the funniest dark