Time travellers

Oh what a fantasy to be a time traveller back to past centuries and decades, disguised as someone from that era only to try have some sort of mission or trying to get back home. Maybe it was Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure which sparked my interest as a young kid back in the 80's. In this blog post I'm going to feature 2 current TV series which I've really taken a liking to which touch on the above mentioned themes, and one cult movie which to this day, remains one of my favourite films of all time.

11.22.63 - Hulu 2016 (TV Series based on the story by Stephen King

James Franco heads the cast of this time travelling drama thriller first set in our modern day millennium but then spins back into 1963. I've always really liked the roles Franco has played, he has a certain old school charm about him, that gracious smile and classic character appeal (maybe it's the fact he's born and raised in Palo Alto! A valley boy at heart). I guess my least favourite movie he starred in was 127 hours (because no one wants to watch a guy saw his arm off!) and his character in that was a bit cocky.

Franco spying on Oswald - 11.22.63

In a nutshell the plot of this series goes something like this: Jake Epping is an everyday school teacher in2016 who's friend Al (Templeton) that owns an old diner, entrusts him with a secret before he passes on due to illness. He shows Jake that he has a very special...broom closet(?) in his diner...which is actually a worm hole which leads back to 1960. Before Al passes, he gives Jake a run down on what he has been trying to achieve for the last 15 years....to try and prevent the assassination of JFK (1963). Without giving too much more away, you kind of then get the idea that Jake now is entrusted a mission and travels back to 1960 and stays there establishing his life as a teacher back in that decade.

There are a number of intense scenes in the lead up to him slowly crossing paths attempting to spy on the accused Lee Harvey Oswald. The one thing I enjoy with this series is that Jake is immersed in staying in the era he's travelled to and the thought of him travelling back to 2015 doesn't really cross his mind too much, enabling the viewer to really get into the plot for him to try and put that curve ball into histories time line. Of course there is a love interest and a few heart stopping moments in episodes 4 and 5 and this is much needed to keep the momentum rolling. Still watching this one but I highly recommend to give it a go if you like the time traveller concept (and US political history).

Outlander - Starz 2014 (TV Series based on the novels by Diana Gabaldon)

Recommended to me by a friend who knew I absolutely adored the drama, mystique and vintage appeal of Downton Abbey, I thought I'd give this english / Scottish series a whirl and I was pleasantly surprised to be hooked by the end of the first episode. This series also follows the time traveller theme and ties in Pagan ritual to attributing to the sacred stones of which act as a wormhole back into the year 1743. The main character Claire (Catrionia Balfe) is a war nurse working on the WW2 front in 1945. The war ends and she returns to her life back in London where she is re-united with her husband Frank (Tobias Menzies) who was an english war captain responsible for arranging the secret missions into Europe. Being separated for 5 yrs thanks to the war, they decide to renew their marriage vows and take to the Scottish countryside to celebrate their second honeymoon. They stay in a quaint village where Frank knows the priest and there are many lazy days spent discussing ancient Scottish history and the victorian era when the English were under the rule of King Arthur and trying to over-throw the Clans to regain Scottish land. 

Jamie and Claire - Season 1: Outlander

While Frank and the priest discuss the history of the countryside, Claire is taken into the kitchen to speak with the priests housekeeper who reads her tea leaves and her palm and reveals an unusual premonition about Claire's future. There are a few more strange instances which follow this encounter and in the middle of the night, Frank and Claire decide to see if the fable of Pagan rituals run true by visiting the ancient rocks of Craig Ne Dun. They secretly discover an ancient female ceremony of dancing in the moonlight within the circle of the rocks and this ritual fascinates Claire to the point where she ventures back there the next day. After hearing a strange thunder role, she is drawn to touch the stones and then is thrown back into time to the year 1743. 

On her travel back to the 1700's and in a daze, she comes across the english army who think of her as a spy and the Captain tries to rape Claire in the process until the handsome red haired Jamie (Sam Heughan) appears. A fight ensues and Jamie is able to fight off the captain but is hurt by gun-fire. Claire is able to rescue him and treat several war wounds he attains from the English "redcoats" or soldiers. And from there....the story is born. I adore the antique styling and edict of the time. The sexism for me is highly confronting (I am feminist in nature) so the way the men treat the women in this time is appalling (and Claire seems to think so too!) yet she is vocal about this and does call it out (much to the dismay of the men) and makes you realise how forward 1945 actually was for women's rights (even though to this very day us ladies are still fighting for some pretty basic equality). The romantic chemistry between Claire and Jamie is intense and when telling my husband about the unfolding plot, he seemed a little jealous of my newfound "man crush" on the red head hehe. I highly recommend this series, especially now Game of Thrones has made its Season 6 appearance. It's a nice little filler in between waiting for other series to commence. Amazon has the entire 16 episode first season available for a small fee. Season 2 has commenced but I am yet to watch. You will find watching this show that every episode will be more intense than the last. 

Donnie Darko - 2001 (Flower films) 

Not sure what other folks think of this, but I hail Donnie Darko as one of the epic cult movies of the early millennium. The cast of a few familiar faces (Barrymore and Swayze) joins the brother and sister team Gyllenhaal's. They actually play brother and sister in the movie so this adds a real raw dynamic to the relationship between Donnie and Elizabeth. This film boasts of a timeless and haunting movie soundtrack which stays with you long after the film has ended. Set in the year 1988, the setting and scenes are strangely futuristic yet still have that 80's charm about them without being too over the top. Donnie isn't your run of the mill typical teenager. He's not a jock, a bit weird and has a number of different talents. He could even be mistaken for slightly autistic but this doesn't stop him from embarking on a series of unfortunate events which ultimately pave the way for him discovering the power of time. His parents think he needs psychiatric help as he references an imaginary friend "Frank" who when he sees him is dressed as a scary bunny rabbit.

Donnie and Gretchen  - Donnie Darko 2001

It's a movie with so many symbols and sub plots which fit together like a broken puzzle that I found myself needing to watch it a second time after my first viewing as there were so many scenes where if you blinked, you would miss something essential to figuring out. You learn about Donnie's alter ego, his visions, flashbacks and early in the plot, an aeroplanes engine actually falls through his bedroom ceiling. From there the story then spirals into weirdness with Donnie trying to piece together clues to why all these things are happening to him under the guidance of his imaginary friend "Frank" and some of the clues provided pointing to time and how it can be altered.

Barrymore plays Donnie's english teacher and her role in the movie is one of support for Donnie and his weird teen behaviour. Swayze makes an appearance as a do-gooder motivational speaker sent in to talk to the students about life and his cameo role is actually quite comical, as he explains to the teens about the 2 extreme's of life - "Love and fear". Donnie in his quest for protecting those he loves and holds dear, finds he needs to complete his search to be able to 'edit' time. Once with the help of 'Frank' he realises he has the power to do this and brings the tale of these 2 teen star crossed lovers to its finale.

When I first watched this film, I actually thought it was a twisted love story. Donnie has a love interest Gretchen in the film...she's the "new girl" at school and is almost as weird as Donnie. They both hit it off straight away and she becomes embroiled in Donnie's world. The emphasis on their teen connection is so strong that I guess that's what drove me to think of it as a twisted kind of love story, until I watched the directors cut which came out shortly after the main film and there are added scenes in it which then really reveal the "time travel" theme. Without rambling on too much more, this is really a film you have to see with your own eyes. There are a crazy amount of awesome one liners in it too and there are moments of comedy, sadness and disbelief. All the big emotions you would expect from this kind of cult film. Grab the popcorn and really enjoy it!

Home inspiration!

Fixer Upper - HGTV 2014 - ongoing

I've recently caught on to the TV series "Fixer Upper" where a Texan couple whose business is to renovate and restore dumps of houses. I stumbled across it on Netflix around 3 weeks ago and have been hooked every since. Interior decorating is a small passion of mine, and I thought that watching this show would give me a little inspiration.

We're introduced to Chip and Joanna (JoJo) Gaines and their business Magnolia designs. They have 4 kids who you meet through out the series, mainly on their farm which they are also building and renovating their own house through out the first series. What I love about this show is the fact that the Waco couples who come to Chip and JoJo have some kind of idea what they want, but then get the choice of usually 3 houses (mainly dumps or weirdly out-dated homes in the Waco area) and then they place their trust in both of them to spruce the place up. When I watched the first series, houses were going for a song! $80K - $150K. It looks like $200K + in Waco gets you some kind of mini mansion so I don't even want to know what $600K would buy you (considering that's the median house price range here in San Jose California and also back home in Perth Australia the Texan's have it pretty darn good!)

I came across this funny Mashable article on what 21 things you can expect from every episode of watching this series and it pretty much hits the nail on the head so to speak hehe.

You realise that Chip is a bit of a goofball in the first series but then his dorkiness really takes off in the second series, along with many reveals of his rotund belly lol. He's really cheesy, but get's away with it because JoJo just thinks he's hilarious. There is also always the dreaded phone call to the prospective new owners on something that has potentially "thrown" the budget out by a bit of money. It seems to be the added "suspense" theme on every episode and after almost 2 seasons becomes quite predictable. 

There are a few things that I love about JoJo's design style and a few which grate on me a little. 

I love is her ability to take furniture junk and transform it into gorgeous rustic pieces of gold. I really like her idea's on removing walls and raising ceilings, adding windows etc. Those are all difficult things to do back in Australia as we build our houses with brick and concrete so it's more difficult to effect the overall houses structure and support. She also likes to simplify things to make translating changes to her customers easy to understand. Some of the husbands in the couples they do work for simply don't have the imagination to picture JoJo's updates, and watching her express these with her expert computer design software and their delight, is always entertaining to watch. Another enjoyment is seeing some "left over budget" options and then trying to predict which one the home owners will go with. Sometimes I found their decisions not ideal but Magnolia's finished end product really never lets the viewer or the home owner down.

The downsides to JoJo's style: I find her rustic and somewhat antique vintage style doesn't sway or vary away from the same kinds of colour palette's, room layouts, kitchen layouts and styles. There is always a metal plaque here, crown mouldings in the ceilings and hard wood floors. Where I understand it must be "the in thing" to want a fireplace, dark wood floors, mint green or grey everything on the walls and those large roman clocks / rustic and victorian up-cycled furniture, we are yet to see her transform a house using some modern flare, primary bold colours and modern furniture. I think my favourite 2 episodes emerged in season 2 where JoJo's home buyers pick a very awesome 1960's mod house which looks like a trailer from outside and inside is like an open shell. Even Chip and her expressed how they never had taken on something so retro future modern before and the final reveal was pretty awesome. The other favourite for me (which I think was episode 12 season 2) was the large 2 story house with entry on the second floor, being made into a "beach house" look and feel, with modern wrought iron stairwell and wiring, more modern furniture and kitchen. That house even had my husband gasping on the re-work they did.

It's also obvious that the "customers" coming to them are people they know, whether friends or families from schools their kids go to, I don't see a variation away from couples. I saw one episode where it was a mother and her older daughter, but how about throwing in a gay couple or friends who may be buying the property as an investment. Those would be interesting to see and also the couples offering more to do with the overall colour template. And those farmhouse sinks. Really? Every house needs one? Or a kitchen isle bench? Black counter tops? All starting to look the same as the episodes roll on. 

I look forward though to watching the last few episodes I have of season 2 on Netflix and look forward to season 3 this year. Hopefully there will be some sway in the styles they use to keep all of us home decor nuts inspired :)

Goofball island. Population you.

Now for a more light hearted entry after that very sombre "end of the world" tone from my last blog post! When Disney's Inside Out quotes Riley as having a "goofball island" I'd like to think we all have a bit of goofball in us. Some of us lose part of it as adults, but for most of us, that silly spark remains with us at heart :) I'd like to dedicate this post to some of my favourite goofball TV shows and movies that I recommend to anyone wanting a giggle and a laugh, guaranteed to pick you up out of your blues, make you cringe and in general just give you a good giggle. The 80's was a particular favourite of mine with the likes of Chevy Chase, Eddie Murphy, Steve Martin, Bill Murray, John Candy and Dan Akroyd.

National Lampoons Vacation - 1983 (Warner Bros)

The cast of National Lampoons

Clark Griswold and the family set off on a cross country adventure from Chicago to California to experience "Wally World" (America's favourite theme park) and along the way everything that could possibly go wrong does. Yappy loud teenager kids Rusty and Audrey, pouty wife Ellen and their trusty wagon almost don't survive the epic adventure their goofball father sets out for them, with a stop at their hillbilly cousins house half way, their crazy aunt adds to the already cringe worthy family mix. True 80's style, the naff fashions and mishaps will have you covering your eyes and shaking your head. Chevy Chase is at his most supreme dork and sadly I think this was the peak of Beverly DeAngelo's career. Anthony Michael Hall goes on from this role to star in other 80's teen flicks which will make the "teenage heart throb" blog post list. Add this one to the list for your cheesy movie night... it's a classic!

Coming to America - 1988 (Paramount Pictures)

Happy endings - Coming to America

Dubbed a "romantic classic" of the 80's, this one also in my opinion falls under best goofball movie of the 80's too. Murphy who plays Akeem - the prince of an African dynasty Zamunda, goes on a quest to find his Queen after being presented with total flops by his parents (King of Zamunda played by James Earl Jones). He decides that America's glory will present him with a fine selection of bride material and he and Semmi (Arseno Hall) take to America but to hide his wealth, Akeem goes under cover as a poor guy (much to Semmi's disgrace) living in Queens NYC. He meets Lisa McDowell (Shari Headly) when he applies to work in her fathers rip off McDonalds restaurant "McDowells" in Queens. This is one of my all time favourite goofball movies because Eddie plays the eloquent goofball so well. There are a list of one liners which you'll keep in your heart forever. "Sexual Chocolate!" comes to mind (in the 80's Murphy had a knack of dressing as alternate characters) such in this film where he actually plays all the different gents in the barber shop - from the barber himself to all the clients, and then the lead singer of the band playing at a fundraiser...it's a hilarious part of his breakthrough movie comedy niche which was largely unique too. 

Revenge of the Nerds - 1984 (20th Century Fox)

The Nerds in action

No goofball comedy night is complete without a viewing of the movie which put nerds on the map. I think any modern day nerd could watch this film and instantly relate to it. When 4 buddies enrol in college to study computer science, they are faced with the fraternity onslaught and college woes to fit in. Main star is Robert Carradine and by the looks of his extensive movie role list, he stuck to the goofball genre quite heavily through out his career. Just like National Lampoons, this film will get your cringe factor going and perhaps take you way back to your college days. Thank god for these guys though social media and the internet as we know it wasn't around during all the embarrassment.

Ghostbusters - 1984 (Columbia Films)

Who ya gonna call? 

Hailed as one of the best comedy cult flicks of the last 30 years, Ghostbusters has an all star cast with king of the goofballs Bill Murray, there to serve the classic one liners. Along side him Dan Akroyd and Rick Moranis. Sigourney Weaver plays a very more seductive role (worlds apart from her Alien character!) and the only one liners you will ever need to remember for the rest of your life will be "Are you a god?" No. "Then diiiiiie!" and "You are the key master and I am the gate keeper". Along with your awesome 80's computer generated gouls ghosts and such, this is one of my all time favourite movies...one which I could happily watch on repeat or...as a kid, I think I actually did! 

They put the "e" back in humane

There have been a small handful of shows and movies in my time which I've watched that have left a profound mark in my heart. I'm going to dedicate this blog post to 2 stand out TV series and a movie which really put into perspective our humanity, mortality and which make you ponder what a tiny speck we all are in this huge universe that is our existence.

The Leftovers (HBO)

The Leftovers - Season 2 

I had a friend back home recommend The Leftovers to me in the lull of waiting for a few of our other favourites to re-appear after their season and mid-season breaks, I thought I'd give it a whirl. The first episode sets the precedent for the rest of the series and really plants that eternal question which remains the mystery of all 2 (and soon 3) seasons - how did the 140 million people "depart" our planet earth (or as those effected in the show call it - Sudden Departure). Justin Theroux leads the cast as Kevin Garvey, a small town sheriff who is directly effected by the occurrence and its after shocks, yet is one of the lucky ones whose family is left untouched. Sadly his wife (Amy Brenneman) Louise, walks out on him to join the even more mysterious cult: The Guilty Remnant, which forms shortly after the departure who hold a hefty part of the main story line as the cult members ensure they place themselves in the way of the every day town folk to never let them "forget" where their loved ones disappeared to and what happened on the day the departed left the planet. Kevin's emo daughter Jill is left in his care while his son Tommy drops out of college and takes refuge with a departed guru called Holy Wayne. Liv Tyler is introduced as Meagan, a married woman who decides to leave her husband and join The Guilt Remnant but for much of the first season struggles to understand the cult's purpose. It's later in season 2 where you will see Liv's character come to fruition as one of the main villains.

I could write on and on about just the first season of this show as the plot and sub plots are so intricate OR I could just recommend you watch it for yourself as I truly believe it is one of those thought provoking shows that needs to be seen with ones own eyes to draw ones own conclusions. It may not be for everyone as some of the themes can be quite confronting (such as the scene where Nora re-lives the day her husband and children departed) and I enjoyed the sub stories where you learn more about each character prior to the Sudden Departure too. It gives a well rounded history into the character development to understand where their heads are at, in the present. When season 1 finishes, it paves a whole new direction and chapter for the remaining characters (trying not to post spoilers!) along with a host of new characters in season 2. With the commencement of the second season, the setting changes to a little town called Jarden in texas, otherwise known as 'Miracle' where none of the population were taken on the day of the Sudden Departure. Meagan (Liv Tyler) develops into a very sinister character and immerses herself into the cult, which is in fact a takeover from the previous cult "leader" Patti of whose demise you witness in season 1.

This show for me personally made me question everything I know as mortality. How long do we actually have left on our beautiful planet? How do we know that something so similar could effect any one of us (ok...maybe by not being sucked off the face of the planet by an unknown force) but natural disasters come to mind. Will this actually happen? It also forces the viewer to think of moments such as...what would be the last thing you'd want to say to your husband or kiddies or ones you love, if a day such as the Sudden Departure ever occurred? The Leftovers taps into a forbidden emotional and spiritual place, questioning faith and beliefs. It's perplexing, but also leaves us thinking about our very existence and beyond, long after we've watched the show. I'm very much looking forward to Season 3. It will air on HBO later in the year.

Six Feet Under (HBO)

I regard this drama series as one of my all time favourites. I didn't begin watching it until around 2005 when it was in it's last season but it soon became a staple which I would happily re-visit again. Based around the Fishers, a family who own and operate an independant funeral home, each episode begins with a death, and each death is unique in it's own way, which sets the tone and theme for that particular episode and it's characters. 

As dysfunctional as a family the Fishers were, myself as a viewer could somehow relate to what drama was happening to the characters in their storylines, whether it be feuding with siblings or being deceived by parents or lovers, the loss of family or offspring, this series happened to touch so many in different ways whilst tying in those under tones of the afterlife and life's meaning and purpose. The stand out performance for me was from Rachel Griffiths playing the role of Brenda Chenowith. She plays Nate's love interest in the show and all 5 seasons span the web of love, life and death with the Fishers, Chenowith's and Sibleys. It's been a while since viewing it so I am certainly going to give it another go before the end of the year is through. After 3 Golden Globe awards, I can surely see why this is one of the best drama series of the last 20 years. 

The Road (Dimension films)

Based on the 2006 novel of the same title by Cormac McCarthy, Australian director Alan Hillcoat adapted the book in 2009 to translate into what I regard as one of the most thrilling apocalyptic movies of our time. For those who know me, I am really not into "end of the world" scenarios as the very thought really scares me, maybe because I feel threatened when faced with the very realisation that our very extinction is unknown. After reading a bit about the release of this film, I was disappointed it didn't receive the coverage or notoriety which was deserved of it. With a 25 million dollar budget, it sadly only took in 1.5 million in it's opening weekend. Perhaps the story of the world ending so darkly didn't sit well with viewers at the time. I certainly know it took a lot of courage for me to watch this film.

The Road (2009)

The main story is about a father and his son, survivors of the apocalypse in America, who begin their journey on the long road to the coast to try and find food water and refuge with safe groups of people. All wild life, animals and plant matter has been completley destroyed (of which you actually never find out how or why which adds more mystery to the current state) and this paves the story for the physical and emotional hardships this father and son face on their journey. The screen play, backdrops, grittiness and intensity of their situation really plays a huge part in placing you there in that moment with them. The under tones of what humanity is actually doing or in the film's case, had done to the earth us a stark reminder of where we are headed if we don't take life on this planet seriously enough to protect and nourish it. The plot moves through father and son discovering other humans, kept as food for cannibals in a houses basement and they move to rescue them. In the scenes where you see the cannibals, it really shows man's desperation to remain alive, where all sense of normality is lost and where mankind returns to its grass roots as one of the animals hunting the hunted. The sheer desperation of the father wanting his son to survive is enough to make any parents hairs on the back of their neck stand on end through out the film.

I came across this article on why every school should have a read of this book. One of the interesting points made is McCarthy's writing style where the characters are simply named and at any one given time you aren't sure who is actually narrating. I can see why this article suggests this, as being a novel written in the millennium about a real threat to our very existence would make for an interesting and in-depth analysis into the human psyche in times of sheer survival and desperation, a topic that surely does need to be addressed with future generations about our planet's longevity. For most, this film will stay with you for days and weeks after you watch it. I still think about it now and even though it makes me sad, it gives me hope to teach our children the true value in life, the environment and their self worth.

When is it time to call it a day? One season too many...

Note: There may be some "spoilers" for those who have not yet watched the most recent seasons and episodes of the TV shows mentioned below (GIRLS and Pretty Little Liars.)
If this is you, please refrain from reading on! 

Have you ever gotten to the 5th or 6th season of a TV show and thought to yourself "I think it's time they call it a day"? Recently I've had these thoughts about 2 of my "girlie" shows. There are probably more like this, but I'll stick to 2 for the time being.

GIRLS (HBO)

c/o - www.thebitterlemon.com

When Hannah (Dunham) first graced the screen in GIRLS season 1 with her awkward tom boy vintage frump, I thought "wow....she's unusually cool. Finally a character many can relate to". Hannah: fresh out of college, living in a small but modest Manhattan apartment, had a close knit group of quirky friends who were all whacky in their own way and she had hooked up with the weird and wonderfully odd Adam after the short remit of us seeing her past relationship with Elijah. The first 3 seasons of GIRLS were my utmost favourite and I recall saying to my husband at the end of every episode, that I was always wishing the episodes went for half and hour longer. I'm unsure where my love of this show unravelled. The odd love hate relationship between Adam and Hannah couldn't go on forever and I like how Dunham initiates their demise (by putting Hannah on a bus to Iowa while Adam is busy with his Broadway debut).

When I think back now, it was around mid season 4 when Hannah realises her struggles to keep herself occupied during her writing studies and the awkwardness with her fellow classmates made for cringe worthy TV (something I am sure Apatow had a hand in initiating as he seems to be the master of crafting the awkward character). There were some really awkward relationships forming around the mid season 4 mark too, the Marnie / Desi relationship drama which unfolded was a little predictable. And then there was Shoshona and her employment struggle while meeting Scott, with Jessa in the background just being all plain and crazy Jessa. Adam's new relationship with Mimi-Rose threw a bit of drama in there until Hannah's return from Iowa where she decides to start her teaching career, meets Fran (fellow teacher) then crashes Adams new girlfriends art show. Again, the uncomfortable tone creeps in with confrontations from both Adam and Hannah and them addressing their past. And so it goes on. With season 4 ending with Hannah and Fran holding hands. So why do I say "time to call it a day?"

GIRLS would have been awesomely finished with Hannah and Fran happily smooching. Talk about a high note. Jessa...well she seemed out of the picture mid S4, Shoshona and her Japan adventure or non adventure (didn't weigh much during the last few eps of season 4 anyhow), you just assume that Marnie is happily engaged to Desi (fin! end?) and Adam...well, he's an uncle now and kind of forgotten now Hannah has her new beau. Oh...what was with the Jessa / Adam thing? Maybe that is part of the reason for the continuation into Season 5. So WHY season 5? I feel that we didn't need to see Marnie and her prep for her wedding, and in episode 2, the struggle of Hannah's dads homosexuality and naiveness, the weird friendship "we're not going to cross the line" vibe going on with Adam and Jessa even though their friends have moved on. Yes people, thats right. They've moved ON. And thus I feel the show now has moved on from what it was initially intended from it's greatness. The kids from Manhattan have now grown up. They no longer seem "hip". They're no longer "GIRLS" but now women on their solo paths.

Pretty Little Liars (ABC family / Freeform)

PLL - 2016

The 6th season of Pretty Little Liars begins with "5 years later..." and it seems as though the producers are really trying to milk this show for what they can. I first started watching PLL the year my baby girl was due (that was around 2013). I happened to stumble across the first seasons on Netflix whilst on maternity leave and got hooked in this teen crime thriller / drama.

After a quick historical review of the show, I had no idea that the first episodes aired in 2010!
The inseparable clique of Aria, Hanna, Spencer and Emily and their quest to find out who the haunting "A" was and where their leader Alison had disappeared to, all came to a head in season 5 when it was revealed Alison had a brother (Charles) turned sister (Cee Cee) who was in fact the stalker of the gang and jealous of their bond. Once this is revealed, you would have thought the producers would have finished it there. Instead, they fast forward into the future to deliver more sultry and mysterious versions of Rosewoods female gang. When Season 5 concluded, felt the series had a nice rounded ending and you could go away feeling that the ladies were going to be alright and they could now find closure with the torture they endured over the 2yr period and go away to college. Cee Cee was put into a mental facility, locked away so as to not cause any more havoc. 

Finding out they were hashing a sixth season just seemed now, beyond ridiculous to me. After everything these poor teens had been through we now sit through one final (?) season cringing at all the thrilling things A put to these girls during the first 5 seasons. Sure, they are now adults, finished college, are more mature, but I really feel that the producers on this one have let the series down by forcing on it's continuation. I'm unsure what they are wanting to achieve with making the PLL gang go through the rounds of torture and stalker-dom again, even though Cee Cee is killed off in the first episode of the season, it now turns to "who killed Cee Cee". I guess only time will tell but for now, I save this show for my "watch when bored" pile. PLL airs on the Free Form network (previously Family) on Xfinity and Comcast networks USA.

Hands up who loves TV?

Since as far back as I can remember, I was brought up with a TV in the house and parents who from a young age gave me free reign to watch whatever movies and TV shows I liked in my spare time (well...back in the 80's it was Astro Boy, Sesame Street and hit movies like The Goonies btw: all time favourite movie EVER, Honey I shrunk the Kids, The Karate Kid, Never ending Story...then in the 90's it was Alf, The X-Files, Twin Peaks...just to name a few).

It's no wonder now as an adult, I still have that same appreciation for movies and TV shows. The last few years have seemed like a "golden era" in top quality TV shows with the likes of HBO, AMC, Netflix and other huge TV networks assisting in funding these series. I can't recall a time before then where serious TV drama touched on so many different genre's. Maybe I was too young to remember. Aside from raising our daughter and recently relocating to the land of the free.... (yep America) in the quiet evenings when Stella goes to bed, my husband and I do spend a lot of time catching up on all the TV series we have on the go. And then it dawned on me! What better way to I guess "record" or notate or for a better word, transcript, my thoughts, opinions and reviews on some of the stand out movies and TV series I have watched over the last 4-5 years. It may actually also give me an excuse to re-watch a few favourites too. So hands up to loves TV? (am I seeing many hands? I hope so hehe)

Many of my friends seem to be in the same boat. They have young children, the kids hit bedtime early and the parents then sit for a bit to relax and catch up on their favourite TV shows or watch a movie. So with this short introduction to why I have created this blog, I hope I have some followers who can read my thoughts, can then add to the discussion or tell me a bit about what they thought of that show or movie too.

I'll also aim to add a few links to the sites we use to preview movie ratings and scores of flicks we haven't yet watched. It's always handy to have a read and see what the consensus is from the general public. I've found this handy when starting a new TV series or wanting to download a movie.
Thanks for reading!