TMP – Oscar Winner Edition: Best Original Score and Best Original Song

September 2, 2021September 2, 2021 Kat Impossible5 Comments

It’s Thursday and I’m back with a new Thursday Movie Picks feature post. This series is hosted by Wandering through the Shelves and offers you a weekly prompt to post some movie recommendations/talking points according to the theme. Usually, you are supposed to post about 3-5 examples, which I find a very manageable amount.

This week is once again part of the Oscar Winner Edition, which will continue to be a reoccurring theme during each month. As was evident from the post title, we are dealing with Best Original Song and Best Original Score this time around – another two for one post! Music is such an important component to filmmaking, as is sound design in general. I’m looking forward to diving into some good music today!

Best Original Score

Soul

(Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross & Jon Batiste)

Soul was a beautiful movie that lived off of music, so it only makes sense to mention it here. Jazz in general might not be for everyone, but I’m sure it can enchant you here. (Also, it’s not like it’s all “just” jazz.)

Black Panther

(Ludwig Göransson)

I’ve mentioned Black Panther a lot for these posts, but 1) I’m happy when superhero movies get recognition from the Academy and 2) the movie was fantastic/iconic/a whole movement. If I hear a certain rhythm of tribal drums, I immediately think of Wakanda and/or the Dora Milaje. The score did THAT!

Finding Neverland

(Jan A. P. Kaczmarek)

I was obsessed with this movie when I was like 11 years old. I’m sure I watched it 20+ times and I cried every single one of them. To me, that movie was pure magic and my Peter Pan loving heart was all in.

Best Original Song

Man or Muppet (The Muppets)

(music and lyrics by Bret McKenzie)

Is this song ridiculous? Absolutely! Did it still get stuck in my head? Yes, it sure did!

Remember Me (Coco)

(music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez)

My favorite song from Coco is actually “Un Poco Loco”, but this one made me tear up in the end. So, it deserves to be on this list.

Falling Slowly (Once)

(music and lyrics by Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová)

I just love the song! All the more for getting covered on a show I love (Good Trouble), but that’s another story.

You’ll Be In My Heart (Tarzan)

(music and lyrics by Phil Collins)

I love the whole soundtrack. Phil Collins doing all the songs in dozens of languages, despite not speaking them, was just the cherry on top. I will admit to having grown up with mostly the German versions of the Tarzan songs, but it is (next to the Anastasia soundtrack) one of the most played CDs of my childhood.

Honorable Mentions

I couldn’t go without a little shout out to some more songs that I loved and that were nominated, however, didn’t win.

Mystery of Love by Sufjan Stevens (Call Me by Your Name)
Lost Stars from the movie Begin Again (performed by Keira Knightley and Adam Levine in different versions)
Coming Home from the movie Country Strong (which has a fantastic soundtrack in general)
A LOT of Disney songs …
Tron: Legacy was snubbed for Best Score, because it was never even nominated. You can fight me on that, but I’ll stick to that opinion.

Which songs and scores would have made it onto your list? What did you think of my selection? Let’s talk about that!

Thursday Movie Picks: Non-English Language Movies

July 15, 2021July 14, 2021 Kat Impossible20 Comments

Today we’re going to focus on Non-English language movies! There’s really so much content out there that gets dismissed because people would need subtitles or dubbing to watch them and that’s just not fair. As there’s a whole world of movies that can be explored this way and I find it really hard to pick, I decided to focus on films made in my mother tongue – German. (Please, no one come for me for not including Austrian movies … I feel the shame enough as is.) I also wanted to spotlight films that were sweet or fun and not too much of a downer. So, at least on my post, we have a theme within a theme!

Der Junge muss an die frische Luft/All About Me

This movie is the the biopic of a German comedic actor and had me laughing and crying in the movie theater. It was done so well, the boy is a fantastic actor and will go far. I was just in love with it in a way I never expected to. It hits all the emotional chords.

SMS für Dich/Text for You

I’ve seen this movie so many times, I have lost count entirely. Although it’s kind of messed up to play with the mind of a grieving person like that, I … found it endearing? I really, really love this movie. It’s one of my all time favorite German RomComs and has cemented Karoline Herfurth as a great director for me (even though I don’t love all her directorial work).

Vielmachglas/A Jar Full of Life

I remember being surprised by how deep this movie actually was, despite some really ridiculous scenes. In the end, the message was great.

Die wilden Kerle/The Wild Soccer Bunch

These movies (and I mean all of them!) shaped my childhood. Everyone was crushing on the guys or girls and it didn’t matter if you liked soccer or not – something about them was just magic. I played the soundtrack up and down and just wanted to go on an adventure.

Ruby Red Trilogy

This is based on a popular YA time travel book series and while the movies are super corny, they get better over time. I’m not sure what to think of the English dubbing, but maybe you can find it with subtitles instead?

I totally stuck to my juvenile taste again, but that’s just me. What are some movies in other languages you quite like? Let’s talk about that!

TMP – TV Edition: Fish Out of Water

June 24, 2021 Kat Impossible10 Comments

As it so happens, we change it up once per month and talk about TV shows instead of movies and today in particular is all about the theme Fish Out of Water! I quite like shows where a character is just so out of their element, I’m really looking forward to see what everyone else comes up with as well. Here we go!

Ted Lasso

Ted Lasso has become one of my all time favorite shows in no time whatsoever! I cannot wait for the new season to start airing by the end of July, because I just need my comfort show back. But what makes it so fish out of water? Well, Ted, an American Football coach (college football at most), gets hired as the coach for a premier league football/soccer team in England – hilarity ensues!

The Nanny

Did Fran have any experience taking care of children? Did she previously run in the circles of the rich and famous of New York’s Broadway scene? No, to both of those things. Didn’t mean it wasn’t a perfect fit in the end. I love that the show is getting some love again, because it’s now on streaming platforms.

Schitt’s Creek

Rich people not knowing how to deal is so funny to me. And Schitt’s Creek as a whole meant a lot to me as a show. I have to admit I still haven’t found it in me to watch the final season. I will, though … one day.

The O.C.

Unconsciously, I have made up a theme with these last three examples, because they are all about the rich/poor divide in some sense. The O.C. was my obsession back in the day, I loved the characters all so much. I think I was one of the few people who was actually happy to see Taylor get a more prominent role in the later seasons though … neurotic characters like hers always knew how to draw me in. They remind me of me, I suppose.

What are some of your favorite fish out of water style shows? What did you think of my picks? Let’s talk!

Thursday Movie Picks: Natural Disasters

June 17, 2021June 15, 2021 Kat Impossible9 Comments

This week’s special theme is Natural Disasters! I can’t with good conscience say that I love watching those, simply because they stress me out a lot. They’re literally natural phenomena and could happen (or have happened in some cases), which is sad and devastating and … does not exempt them from making good movies, I suppose. Here are my examples! (which definitely won’t *all* be realistic ones)

Twister (1996)

My dad had this movie in a box set with disaster films, I suppose, and I don’t know why, but I fell in love with it. I was completely fascinated by these storms, would never ever become a stormchaser myself, but wanted to know all about them. I’ve now seen it several times and really still enjoy it.

Armageddon (1998)

When I was little, I was obsessed with this movie for no good reason at all. I think it might have been the soundtrack by Aerosmith (I know it was the soundtrack), but I have some good memories about this one.

The Core (2003)

There’s just SO many big actors in this and I thought it was an interesting concept. Mainly thought of it, because I’ve seen it on TV several times now, I suppose, but always am happy to see Stanley Tucci on my screen.

An Inconvenient Truth (2006)

This documentary was one of the first to really rattle me. I was starting that age where I realized there was a world beyond my little bubble and I was just devastated to learn that we had screwed up our planet so much. There a lot of new and different information we have at this point, but I’m still glad that watching this was one of those eye-opening-moments for me.

Only the Brave (2017)

We all know I have a thing for firefighter content, so here we are. Need I really say more?

What did you think of my picks for the week? (Just as a side note, they were all classified as natural disaster movies on imdb.) What are disaster movies you enjoy? Let’s talk about it!

TMP – TV Edition: Globetrotting

May 27, 2021 Kat Impossible14 Comments

As it so happens, we change it up once per month and talk about TV shows instead of movies. Today is all about the topic of globetrotting, BUT only scripted, non-reality, non-travel, non-docu series, which eliminates quite a bunch of shows that might come to mind initially. Still, I got you covered and here are my picks!

Sense8

To this day, Sense8 is one of my all time most favorite shows ever! With its cast from all around the globe, it managed to create a feeling of connectedness to strangers I had rarely experienced before. I was lucky enough to meet the cast and creators during PRIDE weekend a couple years back and they are lovely, inspiring people in real life too. I wouldn’t want to miss this experience for anything in the world. Also, I low-key got captured at one of those events and ended up depicted for 2 seconds in the credits of the final episode.

The Librarians

The Librarians are the keepers of ancient (often magical) artifacts and as you may be able to guess, they aren’t all located in the good old US. Granted, I do believe that I associate the traveling more with the movie franchise the show is based on, but there’s still globetrotting involved. I liked the show, as corny as it may have been.

Tribes of Europa

This show takes place in a post-apocalyptic Europe, where borders are newly defined and areas ruled by tribes instead of countries and governments as we know it. There’s a lot of cringe that comes with this show, because what is that stilted dialogue at times, but the concept is interesting either way. I wasn’t a fan of all the violence and sexual abuse, but I would be curious to watch another season.

Doctor Who

The Doctor sure seems to favor contemporary Great Britain, but he does travel around the globe and the galaxy as well, not just in time. I can’t pinpoint a specific episode that enjoyed particularly because of its location, but I do remember them being in Pompeii, Venice, France, NYC etc.

What are some shows that you can think of that are about travelling the globe? And remember the parameters of the prompt – non-fiction or reality shows are not allowed!!

TMP – Oscar Winner Edition: Best Actor/Actress

March 4, 2021 Kat Impossible12 Comments

This week is once again part of the Oscar Winner Edition, which will pop up every now and then during the year and will let us focus on movies that received the Academy Award. As I’ve established before, this is not exactly a specialty of mine, but let’s see what I can come up with for Best Actor/Actress today. I feel like I’ve seen a lot of the movies from the past 2-3 decades, but I never felt that those movies were my favourites.

Room – Brie Larson

This movie is just outstanding. The premise is so heartbreaking and the point of view unique, since it mostly rests on Jacob Tremblay’s character. Still, Brie Larson gave this everything she got and made me cry several times with the impossible decisions that had to be made.

The Blind Side – Sandra Bullock

I realise this is one of those white saviour movies and I’m not excusing that narrative, but I’m a weird sucker for American Football content and I really liked it when I saw it for the first time. I think this was also the year Sandra Bullock was nominated and received the Golden Raspberry for worst performance, which I just find hilarious.

Forrest Gump – Tom Hanks

Forrest Gump is just a classic and Tom Hanks will forever been associated with the iconic role. Is there more to say?

The Artist – Jean Dujardin

I just thought it was fantastic that a French actor won in this category with a black and white silent movie in the year 2011. I mean, what are the chances?

Nominees Who Would Have (Also) Deserved the Win

I’m not here to debate whether someone rightfully got the Oscar or not, but sometimes there’s just people who I’d also have liked to see get the award. So, here are some examples:

Captain Fantastic – Viggo Mortensen
Get Out – Daniel Kaluuya
Little Women – Saoirse Ronan (or for Brooklyn, or Lady Bird)
The Devil Wears Prada – Meryl Streep
Pride & Prejudice – Keira Knightley
Finding Neverland – Johnny Depp

What are some of your favourite Best Actor/Actress Oscar Winners? What did you think of my picks? Let’s talk!

TMP – TV Edition: Love Triangles

February 25, 2021 Kat Impossible10 Comments

It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for the Thursday Movie Picks feature. This series is hosted by Wandering through the Shelves and offers you a weekly prompt to post some movie recommendations/talking points according to the theme. Usually, you are supposed to post about 3-5 examples, which I find a very manageable amount.

The entirety of February is dedicated to a special Romance Edition, focusing on many, many typical romance tropes and themes. This is the final week of the romance themes, as we are in the final week of the month, but it’s also a departure from films and a move to TV shows again. Today we’re going to focus on one of the most dreadful tropes (at least for most people) – Love Triangles. Can there even be such a thing as a good love triangle? Or are some just more notorious than others? Let’s check out my picks!

Dawson’s Creek – Dawson/Joey/Pacey

This feels like one of my first and truly OG love triangles. I was very invested in Dawson’s Creek from a young age on and so very disappointed when people in High School did not actually have these existential crisis and philosophical way of talking. It got to a point, where grade school me really mimicked Joey’s mannerisms … I was always an old soul.
Anyway, to get to the point – this was the first love triangle I was invested in and woah, did I always root for Pacey. He was the one for me.

Veronica Mars – Logan/Veronica/Weevil

CONTROVERSIAL, because this is not canon. Veronica Mars has got me through my early teens like no other show. I worshiped Veronica and dang, did I want to be a PI for a while, if only I had the guts and interest in crime like she did. Logan was always my favourite love interest of hers (Duncan Kane who? Piz was cute but could not keep up with her and while I love Leo, they had terrible timing and she was way too young when they first met), but I could not deny seeing a certain spark between her and Weevil. I swear, that had so much more potential than they gave them credit for.

We are going to ignore the final minutes of Season 4 of Veronica Mars exist!!!

Younger – Charles/Liza/Josh

My favourite show set in publishing! At first glance, you don’t think any of these relationships should work, with how they all started out with lies, but they both work so well. Charles and Liza are age appropriate, intellectually compatible and both sexy and sweet, but Josh – do not underestimate him! It was clear for a while that he wanted things in life that Liza wasn’t likely able to give him (*cough*children of his own*cough*) but he supported and loved her like no one else. They gravitate towards each other for a reason and I still can see them ending up together eventually.

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist – Simon/Zoey/Max

Simon and Zoey have this deep bond and understanding, both struggling with the death/illnesses of their fathers. It’s something not everyone will get and being able to have serious conversations about grief with someone is essential and beautiful in a partner. But then … I have such a thing for friends to lovers and Max is adorable. He might not get 100% what Zoey is going through, but he still always will keep showing up for her and that’s what you’re looking for too. Could not choose!

Honorable Mentions

The love triangles mentioned above are probably my favourites. I’m usually not very invested in them, but here are some other love triangles of shows (that I sometimes didn’t even finish) and my preferences:

Jane the Virgin: Michael/Jane/Rafael (Michael was my guy here, but not after he came back?)
Never Have I Ever: Paxton/Devi/Ben (Team Ben all the way)
Gilmore Girls: Rory with all her guys (I love Jess, but not for Rory. I always saw her more with Logan)
True Blood: Eric/Sookie/Bill (Eric. Come on.)
Lost: Jack/Kate/Sawyer (Sawyer?)
Vampire Diaries: Damon/Elena/Stefan (I literally got none of the ships I wanted. I shipped Damon with Bonnie, although I loved seeing her happy with Enzo. Elena and Stefan could have each other, did not care. I just really, really wanted Caroline with Klaus …)

I didn’t even dare mention Riverfail … can you keep up with Varchie, Barchie, Bughead, Choni, etc.?

What are some of your favourite love triangles on TV, if you have any at all? Let’s talk!

Thursday Movie Picks – Friends to Lovers

February 11, 2021February 7, 2021 Kat Impossible11 Comments

The entirety of February is dedicated to a special Romance Edition, focusing on many, many typical romance tropes and themes. Today is all about Friends to Lovers relationships, something that I consider one of the sweetest tropes. I, personally, would love for my future partner to be one of my best friends first.

Lust for Love

I don’t know if any of you watched the show Dollhouse, but it’s one that I adore and cherish. This movie was kind of the indie movie reunion of that show, at least in my mind, and I loved it every bit for that. Like … do those actors just travel in a pack? Cause I am here for it.

Also, more tuned to the movie, I like a good “help me get the girl”-but-then-I-fall-in-love-with-you-instead story.

Sleeping with Other People

Alison Brie and Jason Sudeikis are among their very best in this movie. I love it, it is so much fun – watch it if you haven’t yet!!

What If

I think Zoe Kazan is brilliant and confused Potter is also awesome. I don’t actually have much to say, I think the trailers kinda speak for themselves.

Cavemen

Trust me, this is as cliché as it gets, but I just kind of adore the cast?

When We First Met

I think Shelley Hennig is underrated and should be cast in more movies, especially romantic comedies. Thank you and goodbye.

Honorable Mentions

As per usual, I cannot restrain myself to just 3-5 movies. I always try to pick movies for my actual list that maybe not everyone has seen, but if you want the mainstream stuff and things that just didn’t fit the above list, here are some more:

Love, Rosie
He’s Just Not That Into You
13 Going on 30
Catch and Release (I HAVE SEEN THIS MOVIE SO MANY TIMES AND STILL LOVE IT TO BITS!!!)
Something Borrowed
Griffin & Phoenix

What are some of your favourite friends to lovers stories in films? I’d love to hear your thoughts on my picks too!

TMP – Oscar Winner Edition: Best Picture

January 7, 2021 Kat Impossible11 Comments

A new year, a new sub-category on the Thursday Movie Picks feature. This series is hosted by Wandering through the Shelves and offers you a weekly prompt to post some movie recommendations/talking points according to the theme. Usually, you are supposed to post about 3-5 examples, which I find a very manageable amount.

This week is part of the Oscar Winner Edition, which will pop up every now and then during the year and will let us focus on movies that received the Academy Award. I have a confession to make here and it is that I often skip the critically acclaimed stuff and rather watch my unknown indies or the super mainstream stuff, but let’s try and see what I can talk about in terms of Best Picture winners anyway.

Parasite

This movie made history for a reason. I watched it with part of my family and I am pretty sure that the majority did not enjoy it and it was a bit violent for me too at times, but the subject matter and execution were still 100% worthy of the four awards. I can still remember almost everything about it so clearly and the subtitles were no issue at all. Get over those, people!

The King’s Speech

I had this super strong obsession with Madonna’s movie W./E., which is about the brother King George took over for. It was lovely to see the other side of the story and especially his struggles with his stutter and how he overcame it in the King’s Speech. Also, Colin Firth is always very enjoyable to watch.

Slumdog Millionaire

Not saying this movie is perfect in terms of representation at all, but I watched this on the plane home from the US when I was 15. I was both excited to see my parents again, but also deeply sad that I had to go back home. It was such an odd mix of emotions and with the flight seeming endless, this movie actually managed to occupy my brain quite well. For that, I appreciate it a lot.

Nominees Who Would Have (Also) Deserved the Win

The Academy can obviously vote however they like, but here are some movies I also liked (this does not mean they always should have won instead of the actual winner, but are stuff I enjoyed):