Challenge Completed: 30 Netflix Movies In 30 Days!

Hi guys! In May I undertook a movie challenge, namely my 30 Netflix Movies in 30 Days Challenge. Did I get anywhere near watching 30 movies? No I did not. As it turned out, May was kind of busy, and I was all over the place, with long movie-less stretches, then days I'd get multiple titles watched in. My grand total was 16, which is over halfway at least! So here are the films I saw and what I thought of them!

1. GET OUT
I started off my challenge brilliantly with this unsettling horror film directed by Jordan Peele in his directorial debut. This was so creepy, with amazing acting, including welcome comedic relief from the main character's best friend. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and loving this, and I don't even usually like horror films!

2. TAG
This ridiculous adventure is surprisingly based on real-life events, and although it's not going to win any awards, it's funny in parts and comes under the category of 'guilty pleasure' viewing for me. A movie you can just put on and not think about!

3. GAME NIGHT
Much like TAG, GAME NIGHT is 'stupid funny' but if you're a fan of Jason Bateman comedies, you'll enjoy it. There were enough funny bits to keep me engaged with the interesting storyline.

4. ISN'T IT ROMANTIC
First of all, I'll watch anything with Rebel Wilson in it #fangirlalert. Even though this was quite clever, I found it to be both good and bad at the same time. Not everything works, but it is ultimately satisfying. Side note: how many times have Rebel Wislon and Adam Devine starred together now? I love these two together!

5. BACHELORETTE
I hated this film with every fibre of my being! It was utter bullshit, not even funny and barely watchable. The characters were horrible and offensive with no redeeming qualities and I basically hated all of them. Not even Rebel Wilson could save this abomination. Also, does Isla Fisher play exactly the same crazy, over the top character in every single film, or am I going insane?

6. THE BIG SHORT
I have mixed feeling about THE BIG SHORT. It has an impressive cast, and the story, based on real-life events, is very interesting. However, I found the celebrity cameos (Selena Gomez, Margot Robbie etc) as annoying as the rapidly cut together scenes. It was good overall, but I get the feeling most people enjoyed this one more than I did.

7. BAD MOMS
I love watching a comedy with a female lead cast! This is quite funny, and even though I looked on in horror at some of this, I also could relate to other parts! It's an entertaining romp and I'll now be seeking out the sequel. Stay tuned for the cast with their real life Mums during the end credits. It's quite sweet!

8. UNICORN STORE
I really enjoyed Brie Larson's directorial debut film. Of course, I'm magnetically drawn to anything with unicorns as the subject matter, obviously! This is weird, mystical, whimsical, beautiful and a bit sad. With the added bonus of Samuel L Jackson, for the win! I highly recommend this one, for something out of the ordinary.

9. MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
In this Woody Allen directed fantasy-comedy, Gil, Owen Wilson's character, goes back in time to 1920's Paris, a time and place this screenwriter and aspiring author romanticizes. I should probably read the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. I keep giving them more chances, but I need to accept that I really don't enjoy Woody Allen films. Also, Rachel McAdams character in this is a total bitch, with not one redeeming quality. Ugh!

10. THE NICE GUYS
Here's a prime case of building up a movie too much in your head as you've been wanting to see it for so long, then being totally disappointed when it doesn't live up to your expectations. So I feel let down by this film, despite great performances from Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, another actor who I'll watch in anything. It was good, but not great. Oh well.

11. MOVIE 43
What. Is. This. Film? Well it's highly offensive, and it won't be for everyone. It's basically gross out humour starring an ensemble cast and split up into fourteen different stories, each directed by a different person (Peter Farrelly, Elizabeth Banks, James Gunn and Brett Ratner to name a few). Think Hugh Jackman with a ballsack on his neck and Chris Pratt with diarrhea after taking a laxative because his partner asks him to shit on her. No words. It's pretty dire and the best part is spotting all the stars who miraculously agreed to be a part of this!

12. LIFE OF THE PARTY
I found this Melissa McCarthy comedy (written by McCarthy and her husband Ben Falcone) to be incredibly unfunny, although it does improve slightly throughout. All I'll say is, thank God for Maya Rudolph.

13. ALEX STRANGELOVE
This is an enjoyable cute and funny Netflix original coming of age story, dealing with sexual identity. Produced by Ben Stiller, it's heartfelt and very heartwarming. Recommended!

14. EQUALS
I really enjoyed this Kristen Stewart and Nicholas Hoult starring sci-fi romantic drama. It was an atmospheric rollercoaster that had me enthralled throughout, reminding me of the classic Romeo and Juliet story in parts! It's a bit moody and slow, but if you're a fan of these actors, you'll enjoy it. Also starring Aussies Guy Pearce (with a very short haircut) and Jacki Weaver.

15. EXTREMELY WICKED, SHOCKINGLY EVIL AND VILE
Zac Efron is amazing as serial killer Ted Bundy in this captivating film. It's super intense and I was seriously transfixed the whole time. Told from the point of view of Bundy's girlfriend Elizabeth Kendall, this biographical crime thriller features one of Efron's best performances and legitimately makes me want to watch Conversations With A Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes series on Netflix as well.

16. GIRLS TRIP
Again, it's fantastic to see an all-female lead in a film. Although overlong, this is certainly funny and entertaining, and features a few notable gross-out comedy scenes. Tiffany Haddish is the absolute stand out star of GIRLS TRIP (although you may not be a fan if you find swearing objectionable); she is hilarious and I now have to watch everything else she's in!

You may be interested in Netflix Recommendation: After Life

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Max My Movies: 30 Netflix Movies in 30 Days Challenge!

Hi guys! As you may have noticed, there have been less blog posts lately. I'm finding that my focus is shifting towards posting on Instagram, and with two accounts to run (@imhungrymax and @shinyglitterbug), that takes up a lot of time! But don't worry, I haven't given up on the blog, and will be trying a bit harder to blog more frequently.

Recently I had the crazy idea to do another one of my movie challenges. If you're not sure what I'm talking about, you can check out my previous Max My Movies: March Movie Challenge. It's actually hilarious because I barely get time for Netflix anymore, but when I do I always seem to be catching up on my episodic shows, such as Dynasty, Riverdale and Star Trek: Discovery. I've also watched Titans, Russian Doll and You, all of which I loved. I've had slightly more time lately thanks to a cold that had me collapsed on the couch for the best part of a week. Click here to read about all the shows I've watched on Netflix lately! It saddens me, though, that I never seem to indulge my first love, movies. Which is where this challenge comes in.

This May, I'll be maxxing my movies in an attempt to watch 30 Netflix Movies In 30 Days. Yes, you're right, May does have 31 days, but 30 has a nicer ring to it and I didn't want to go too crazy haha. I've been gradually adding titles to my watch list, and you can read below what I'm planning to see.

The rules of this challenge are fairly simple:
1. All the movies must currently be on Australian Netflix
2. I must not have seen the movies before
3. The goal is to watch 30 movies in the month of May, or as close to this as possible!

There are going to be some days where it's impossible to get a film watched, so this doesn't need to be a one-a-day deal. In fact, I predict I'll be 'catching up' on the weekends when I have more time.

Here's my (not-set-in-stone) Watch List:

1.   Unicorn Store
2.   Get Out
3.   Isn't It Romantic
4.   Tag
5.   Bachelorette
6.   Dumplin'
7.   The Big Short
8.   Birdbox
9.   The Disaster Artist
10.  Captain Fantastic
11.  Dark Shadows
12.  Colossal
13.  Goosebumps
14.  The Revenant
15.  Vacation
16.  Black Mass
17.  Sandy Wexler
18.  Velvet Buzzsaw
19.  Game Night
20.  Midnight In Paris
21.  The Walk
22.  Alex Strangelove
23.  Lovelace
24.  Nymphomaniac Vol 1
25.  To The Bone
26.  In The Cut
27.  The Sweetest Thing
28.  Bad Moms
29.  Get Hard
30.  Equals

I'm so excited for this! Look out for a blog post in June detailing how I went with this challenge and what I thought of the movies I saw!

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Movie Review: HEREDITARY

{SPOILER-FREE}

Starring: Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro and Ann Dowd
Director: Ari Aster
Genre: Horror/Supernatural
Rating: MA15+
Australian Release Date: 07/06/2018

Hi guys! Last night I was lucky enough to see the Adelaide Preview screening of American horror/supernatural film HEREDITARY. There has been a lot of hype surrounding this movie, so I was super keen to see it for myself, and I have to say, it lived up to the hype, and then some. Horror is not my favourite genre, but this disturbing movie was amazing. Everyone in my screening was enthralled and you could have heard a pin drop at one point! This movie is still playing over and over again in my mind, and I think it will be with me for some time. 

When Ellen, the matriarch of the Graham family, passes away, her daughter's family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry. The more they discover, the more they find themselves trying to outrun the sinister fate they seem to have inherited as it slowly destroys everything they know.

Toni Collette, in the lead role of Annie, gives a brave, raw performance that's believable and even harrowing at times. She really gives this her all. In fact, the acting across the board is excellent; look out for Milly Shapiro who is so creepy as Charlie, Annie's daughter. Hereditary was written and directed by Ari Aster in his directorial debut, and honestly I can't wait to see what he does next, if this film is anything to go by. It's so impressive for a first time effort. The musical score was also pretty spot-on, perfectly building tension and giving a gloomy atmosphere of foreboding.

This is a spoiler-free write up, as I don't want to ruin it for anyone, but there are some chilling events in this film that have to be seen to be believed. Hereditary slowly builds the tension, but as things go from bad to worse, it had me hooked and engrossed. It's chilling, scary, disturbing and above all, unsettling. Go see it, Hereditary is worth the hype.

Fun Fact: On Anzac Day, a movie theatre in Western Australia accidentally played a trailer for Hereditary before a screening of the family-friendly film Peter Rabbit, no doubt freaking out a bunch of kids and angering their parents. Oops!

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Disclaimer: I was invited to a preview screening of this film. Reviews are my honest opinion. There are no affiliate links in this post. Please see the Disclosure page for further information.

What's your favourite horror film?

Max My Movies: March Movie Challenge!

Hi guys! Do I love setting myself challenges? The answer is YES! I've just finished my February Sample Challenge which I'll blog the results of soon, and now I'm on to a new challenge of a different kind. I've been watching a lot of Netflix shows lately, so much so that I'm neglecting my first love, movies. But that's all about to change as I force myself to watch 31 movies in 31 days. Yes, that's right, it's time for my March Movie Challenge!

The rules:
~ I must not have seen the movie before
~ I can watch them in any order
~ I can swap movies out of the challenge and put others in their place
~ they can be from any source, eg DVD, Bluray, TV, Netflix, the cinema.
~ I can skip a day here and there, but must try to watch 31 movies by March 31

OK, so here are the 31 films I've selected for the challenge, along with a few alternatives in case I feel like watching those instead...

1    Nightcrawler (Jake Gyllenhaal Rene Russo)
2    Spotlight (Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton)
3    Suicide Squad (Will Smith, Margot Robbie)
4    Zero Dark Thirty (Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton)
5    The Ides Of March (Ryan Gosling, George Clooney)
6    David Brent: Life On The Road (Ricky Gervais, Ben Bailey Smith)
7    The Rover (Guy Pearce, Robert Pattinson)
8    Bridget Jones's Baby (Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth)
9    Scoop (Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson)
10  Beautiful Creatures (Alden Ehrenreich, Alice Englert)
11  Snowpiercer (Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton)
12  Rough Night (Scarlett Johansson, Kate McKinnon)
13  Miss You Already (Drew Barrymore, Toni Collette)  
14  J.Edgar (Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer)
15  Dallas Buyers Club (Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner)
16  Revolutionary Road (Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet)
17  Blue Jasmine (Cate Blanchett, Sally Hawkins)
18  Personal Shopper (Kristen Stewart, Nora Waldstätten)
19  The Revenant (Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy)
20  Good Time (Robert Pattinson, Jennifer Jason Leigh)
21  Kill Bill: Volume 1 (Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu)
22  Kill Bill: Volume 2 (Uma Thurman, Daryl Hannah)
23  Zoolander 2 (Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson)
24  What We Do In The Shadows (Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi)
25  The Intern (Robert De Niro, Anne Hathaway)
26  Gravity (Sandra Bullock, George Clooney)
27  Trancendence (Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall)
28  Money Monster (George Clooney, Julia Roberts)
29  Eat Pray Love (Julia Roberts, James Franco)
30  Public Enemies (Johnny Depp, Christian Bale)
31  Mud (Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon)

Alternative Titles
1  John Wick (Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist)
2  John Wick : Chapter 2 (Keanu Reeves, Common)
3  Walk The Line (Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon)
4  I'm Not There (Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett)  
5  The Babadook (Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman)

After organising this challenge I've realised a few Netflix-related minor problems; new episodes of Dynasty and Riverdale are being released in March, as well as the much anticipated (by me!) release of Season 2 of Santa Clarita Diet and the third and final season of Love on Netflix, all of which I probably won't have time to watch given this epic challenge. Aargh!

You may be interested in Movie Review: Paddington 2

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Do you set yourself ridiculous challenges like this? What's your favourite film?

Movie Review: PADDINGTON 2

Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Brendan Gleeson, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington
Director: Paul King
Genre: Family/Adventure
Rating: G
Australian Release Date: 21/12/2017

I was lucky enough to win a family pass to an Advance Screening of PADDINGTON 2, pretty exciting given how amazing the first movie was! This was one of the movies that Mr 10 and I both wanted to see, so I was entering all the competitions I could, and it paid off. The first movie was delightful from start to finish; I reviewed it back in 2014 when it came out and you can check out my PADDINGTON review here.

If you're going to see Paddington 2, I'd recommend watching Paddington first, because it's brilliant and you'll have a better appreciation for the sequel. But even if you haven't seen the first flick, you'll have no trouble understanding Paddington 2. 

Here's the official synopsis:
The much-anticipated sequel to the worldwide hit family film finds Paddington happily settled with the Brown family in Windsor Gardens, where he has become a popular member of the community, spreading joy and marmalade wherever he goes. While searching for the perfect present for his beloved Aunt Lucy’s hundredth birthday, Paddington spots a unique pop-up book in Mr. Gruber’s antique shop and embarks upon a series of odd jobs to buy it. But when the book is stolen, it’s up to Paddington and the Browns to unmask the thief.

I found this movie to be just as captivating as the first one. Paddington Bear is charming as usual, and the movie looks beautiful, from start to finish. It's also very funny! From a kid's perspective, the story is straightforward and easy to follow and the 'sad bits' are kept to a 'bear' minimum (sorry, couldn't help myself). This is a perfect blend of live action and CGI animation; Paddington looks very real and very cute. He's so easy to fall in love with, and you end up really wanting things to work out for him. This is a bear who is decent and kind-hearted, with really good manners. Hugh Grant is quite entertaining in his over-the-top role as Phoenix Buchanan, Hugh Bonneville seems to have gotten himself into shape since the first movie (which I immediately noticed, lol) and I have to  say, watching Sally Hawkins in this makes me want to finally see her acclaimed film, Happy-Go-Lucky. We took my son and his friend along and they both really enjoyed Paddington 2. With the school holidays approaching, put this one on your list of movies to take the kids to. It's a feel-good adventure the whole family will appreciate and I highly recommend it!

Fun Fact: Hugh Bonneville, who plays Henry Brown, was born in Paddington, UK!

You may be interested in Max My Movies: August Round-Up!

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Will you be seeing Paddington 2? Who's your favourite bear?

Max My Movies: August Round-Up!

Hi guys! I didn't go quite so crazy last month, and only managed to see six films. July, however, was a massive movie month; I actually watched 20 films! If you want to read about them, you can check that out here. Just letting you know that I'm super-busy during September, with multiple Birthdays and family celebrations, so I may not get as much time to blog. Hopefully I get a few published here and there when I get a hot minute! For now, though, let's have a look at everything I watched in the August Round-Up!

PASSENGERS
My husband, ever the sci-fi fan, recommended this to me after watching it during a plane trip. I probably would have ended up seeing it eventually anyway, given it stars both Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt. The cast is basically just Lawrence, Pratt and Michael Sheen for the most part, and some viewers may find this one slow going, but I was enthralled all the way through. Would re-watch!

DOCTOR STRANGE
This was a re-watch because when I saw this at the cinema (thankfully with free tickets) I was quite sick and not really concentrating, as I was just trying not to throw up. So I was happy to watch this properly with hubby when we saw it was on Netflix. This is a really good film; the action is amazing, acting is brilliant and the special effects are mind-blowing. It also peppers some witty one-liners throughout the intensity, which helps lighten things. I loved it.

CRUEL INTENTIONS
Another re-watch, but at least I hadn't seen Cruel Intentions since its 1999 release! It was so much fun re-watching this movie after such a long time, mainly because I'd forgotten everything except for the famous girl-on-girl kissing scene, lol. Umm, how annoying is Selma Blair in this movie? I know she's playing a character, but god damn! Sarah Michelle Gellar is impressively evil and Ryan Philippe is pretty good, too. Such a guilty pleasure!

30 MINUTES OR LESS
This is a mindless B-grade 'slacker' action-comedy that's mildly funny and even more mildly entertaining. What can I say, I have a weird obsession with Jesse Eisenberg, even though he seems like a complete dick in real life, going by the stories of how notoriously difficult he is to interview. Did you know he's the brother of Hallie Eisenberg, who played Little Miss Amanda in Bicentennial Man? This also stars Danny McBride, but let it be said, Aziz Ansari is the best thing this movie has going for it. It's pretty shit, but OK if you have a spare hour and a half and find Ansari amusing.

AMERICAN MADE
I was lucky enough to win a double pass to a Preview Screening of this, complete with free beer and pizza, which was pretty damn cool! American Made is based on the true story of Barry Seal, a TWA pilot, who was reportedly a drug smuggler turned DEA informant and is basically about the Iran-Contra affair of the '80s. Tom Cruise gives a great performance as Seal, and kept me intrigued in this fantastical tale, 'based on a true lie'. Well worth a watch!

BIRDMAN
I'd been wanting to see this film ever since it was released in 2014. It was certainly weird, artistic and captivating, but I still don't really know what to think of it? Michael Keaton is amazing in the lead role, and Edward Norton, Emma Stone and Naomi Watts deliver great performances as well. There's a near-constant jazzy back-beat to this film, which gives it energy and urgency. Also of note, the extremely long scenes where the camera follows a character, so that parts of the film play out like it's shot in one take. I've seen Birdman and yet I'm still not sure I understand it?

You may be interested in Max My Movies: July Round-Up!

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Have you seen any movies that have made an impression on you lately?

Max My Movies: July Round-Up!

Oh boy, July was a huge movie month for me! My husband went away for work, the school holidays were on and my Dad took Mr 9 for a few days, so I spent a lot of time drinking wine and watching films! Since I saw twenty (yes 20!) films, I'll go through them pretty quickly, because that many in-depth reviews is not fun for you or me! This will be Spoiler-Free, just in case you haven't seen them. Here's everything I saw, in the order I saw them!

1. CARS 3
To be honest, I thought the third installment in the 'Cars' franchise was a bit boring. We saw this in a double with 'Despicable Me 3', and even Mr 9 preferred the latter. The saving grace is the amped up racing action, as Lightning McQueen tries to get back into the game. But for me it was all a bit 'meh'.

2. DESPICABLE ME 3
This was the perfect school holiday movie and a film I think both kids and adults would enjoy. South Park's Trey Parker was perfect as the former 80's child star Balthazar Bratt, bringing nostalgic 80's hits with his scenes. I loved this movie! It was entertaining from start to finish, funny, and did I mention the brilliant 80's soundtrack?

3. HOW TO BE SINGLE
I cried during a movie that featured cock lollipops (lollicocks?), Rebel Wilson in a light-up dress and the phrase 'dicksand'. And it wasn't due to Dakota Johnson's shit acting. I'm being super-critical, this was actually better than I expected and I did laugh. Rebel Wilson fans should check it out for sure.

4. WHAT IF
What if your best friend is also the love of your life? I can't stress how much I adore movies where best friends fall in love! It's just so satisfying and romantic to watch. This rom-com is based on Toothpaste And Cigars  (remind you of Coffee And Cigarettes?) and stars the growing-on-me Daniel Radcliffe and quirky Zoe Kazan. Recommended if you, too, enjoy this genre!

5. OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL
This has a magnificent cast including James Franco, Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz and Zach Braff, and was captivating from start to finish. My nine year old also enjoyed it, and it's always good when you find something suitable for family viewing. My main memory of this movie is how beautiful it looked; the colours popped and nearly every scene was a stunning sight to behold.

6. FOCUS
I really enjoyed this con artist movie starring Will Smith and Australia's own Margot Robbie. It was exciting to watch, there was plenty happening and to be honest, it was amazing just to be able to watch a more adult movie (this isn't porn! I just mean it's not kid-friendly!) without the constant interruptions a nine year old son brings. Parents, you know what I mean.

7. CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE  OF MEATBALLS
I loaded this up on Netflix for my son and was only half watching whilst scrolling Instagram, so I can't give my full opinion. It was pretty standard and didn't blow my socks off, but Mr 9 liked it well enough.

8. CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS 2
Much the same as Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, I was only watching this sequel in a half-arsed fashion, and had mainly put it on for my son. The main thing I was thinking throughout was 'I really need to think of some non-animated family-friendly films I can watch with Mr 9, as animated crap often gets on my tits lol.

9. WALK OF SHAME
I saw the trailer for this a while ago and all I can remember is it's the movie with the girl in the yellow dress. Now I was drunk for a lot of these movies, but for some reason I thought I was watching 'Obvious Child' (which is still on my Watch List) instead of the yellow dress film. Oops. This was mildly funny, although a bit of a one-trick pony. It didn't take me long to get sick of the 'worst day ever' scenario but thankfully Elizabeth Banks was nice to look at haha.

10. THE SKELETON TWINS
I'm a big fan of both Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader and am always drawn to dramatic character pieces, so this film had been on my radar for quite some time. 'The Skeleton Twins' is definitely heavy and hard to watch in parts; a big part of it is about suicide and it can get depressing, but interspersed throughout are touching and funny moments. This film is about mending a broken brother-sister relationship, and it's just beautiful. Bring tissues!

11. HORNS
So I watched another Daniel Radcliffe film! This film is really hard to describe. It's certainly strange and I had to look up what genre it is, because I couldn't even work it out. It's 'dark fantasy horror' apparently. Umm, I liked it, it's different, it definitely kept me enthralled and I appreciated the mystery 'whodunnit'  aspect.

12. WE'RE THE MILLERS
I actually enjoyed this more than I expected, especially given the presence of Jennifer Aniston. It's a ridiculous comedy, but it has heart at the same time, in its own warped, crude way. If you want to escape with a mindless offensive comedy, this could be the one.

13. ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL
Because this is a spoiler-free post, I can't say why I didn't like this movie, and it actually really annoyed me. If you're easily depressed, probably don't watch this alone, with a bottle of wine, while your partner is out of the country like I did. Unless you have a good comedy on hand for afterwards.

14. THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
I can't believe it has taken me this long to see my lover Leo DiCaprio in the impossible-to-miss-yet-I-still-did 'The Wolf Of Wall Street'. It's a three hour epic about real-life Stockbroker Jordan Belfort, brilliantly portrayed by DiCaprio, and his rise and fall amidst a shitload of drugs and sex. It's excessive, ridiculous, funny, captivating and above-all, entertaining as fuck. Recommended!

15. WISHFUL THINKING
I only watched this because I'm a huge Drew Barrymore fan, and I didn't have high hopes. But still. Even with vintage Drew, this film is awful. I really dislike James Le Gros. Jennifer Beals haircut in this is the stuff of nightmares. And I'm pretty sure Drew Barrymore is just playing herself. Down to the daisy accessories and smoking Marlboro Reds, which she did at the time. Ugh.

16. BEE MOVIE
Both my son and I had seen this before, but he wanted to watch it again. And who can blame him! Jerry Seinfeld voices the main character, Barry the Bee, and part-wrote the screenplay, so it at least brings the laughs. Animated kids movies are one of my least favourite movie genres, but Bee Movie is great and I'd recommend it. It reminds me of 'Antz' and 'A Bug's Life', a couple of other kid-friendly hilarious animated films about the insect world.

17. THE OTHER GUYS
How do I say this without seeming like a bad parent? My son loves this movie. We've watched it together a few times, along with 'Dodgeball' (I make him look away at the bad bits). Yes, I've bred me a little Will Ferrell fan! This film is hilarious, and Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell together are gold. Their other film, 'Daddy's Home' is also great, but not as cool as 'The Other Guys'.

18. BEWITCHED
Obviously I love me some Will Ferrell, but not even his comedic genius (shut up, I'm a fan) can save this stinker. I watched the original Bewitched TV series when I was a kid, so I was interested in this despite knowing about the bad reviews. Really, the only good thing about it was that it was mild AF, so it was something non-animated that Mr 9 and I could watch together. Oh and Steve Carell as Uncle Arthur. Nailed it! I wish I could wriggle my nose like Samantha and make this hot mess disappear.

19. DRIVE
I love an intense Ryan Gosling action-drama, and this film really revved my engine (sorry). It's a bit of a slow burner, but it kept me interested the whole time and was suitably serious and moody, just like Ryan Gosling. Be warned though, the violence in this is brutal, so if you cringe at blood and gore, this may not be your cup of tea.

20. THE BOSS
I will always give Melissa McCarthy the benefit of the doubt, but let's face it, this is not her finest work. The Boss is just not very funny. Such a shame because I'm a huge fan and I love Kristen Bell, too. I don't think this has much going for it, so I'll just say I like how Director and McCarthy's real-life husband Ben Falcone has little cameos in her films, and I always look out for them.

You may be interested in Max My Movies: January Round-Up!!

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Netflix Recommendation: Santa Clarita Diet

Being a huge Drew Barrymore fan, I was so excited to hear she was starring in a Netflix original series. When I read the plot involved eating human flesh, I was even more intrigued! This quirky horror-comedy series stars Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant as mild-mannered married real estate agents, Sheila and Joel, whose world is turned upside down when Sheila undergoes a transformation.

Well that's putting it mildly. You see, while Sheila feels better than ever, with an increased libido and the boldness she's always craved, she must eat people. So it's bit of a dilemma! This offbeat show is played way over the top, it's absolutely ridiculous, but hilarious and such a guilty pleasure! It's been criticized for the level of gore, and if you don't like blood this may not be for you, but I wasn't bothered, and I'm by no means a fan of the horror genre. I think it helps to be a Drew Barrymore fan, although I haven't seen Timothy Olyphant in much before and I found him endearing, too. There are also some great guest stars (I won't spoil who they are!). And I gotta say, I have serious hair envy; Drew's locks in this show are amazing!

I'm so excited that Santa Clarita Diet has just been renewed for a second season! Definitely give this offbeat series a go, guys, you won't regret it!

You may also like Netflix Recommendation: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

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What's your favourite Drew Barrymore movie?

GIVEAWAY: Oz Comic-Con Family Weekend Pass!

Get ready to unleash your inner geek, because Oz Comic-Con is once again touring Australia! Yes, Oz Comic-Con will be visiting Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney starting later this month and I, for one, am excited! If you're into Game of Thrones, Star Wars, Doctor Who, Star Trek, cosplaying and meeting celebrities, get out your lightsaber, because I have an Oz Comic-Con Family Weekend Pass to give away! That's right, thanks to Oz Comic-Con, you can WIN a Family Weekend Pass, valued at $150 and valid for any city (Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane or Sydney)! Keep reading for how to enter.

The line-up of celebrity guests this year is impressive and even better, new guests continue to be added! Arthur Darvill (Rory from Doctor Who) has just been confirmed and Star Trek: The Next Generation's resident android, Data (aka Brent Spiner!) will also be there! Sabrina the Teenage Witch lovers will be pleased that Melissa Joan Hart is on the guest list, and being a huge Kevin Smith fan, I'm geeking out over Brian O'Halloran (Dante from cult film Clerks). Jason Momoa (Stargate Atlantis, Game of Thrones) is also a guest, but I believe he will no longer be able to attend the Perth event. You can also meet your favourite artist, writer and cosplayer as they have guests from those genres, too. Some of those include fantasy author Isobelle Carmody and comic book illustrator Stewart McKenny.

EVENT DETAILS
PERTH: March 25-26 (Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre)
ADELAIDE: April 1-2 (Adelaide Showgrounds)
MELBOURNE: July 1-2 (Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre)
BRISBANE: September 23-24 (Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre)
SYDNEY: September 30/October 1 (International Convention Centre Sydney)

Guys, if you've never experienced Oz Comic-Con before, I can tell you, it's such a fun, colourful and exciting convention! We've taken our son a few times and he loved trying to guess which characters the cosplayers were dressed up as! We are Trekkies and massive sci-fi fans, and hubby is a hardcore Whovian (aka Doctor Who freak, lol), but even if that's not your cup of tea, there are so many other movies and TV shows you'll find there to explore. There are celebrity talks to attend, meets and greets and autograph packages you can buy and merchandise stalls to peruse. There will be an Anime Station featuring a Manga Library, a Gaming Zone and a Family Activity Room to keep the kids busy! It really is a hugely entertaining event, so if you'd like to enter for a Family Weekend Pass in your city, here's how!

WIN a FAMILY WEEKEND PASS to OZ COMIC-CON!

(Valid for Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane or Sydney)

Please enter via the Rafflecopter widget at the very bottom of this post. Note that being a Max The Unicorn email subscriber and visiting the Oz Comic-Con website is mandatory. The rest of the entry methods are optional, but will gain you more entries in the Giveaway. You can subscribe via email on the right hand sidebar; don't forget to click the link in your email to finish the subscription process, otherwise your entry won't be valid! If you're already a subscriber, just pop your email into the Rafflecopter so I can match it up! Although not required, I'd love it if you could like the Max The Unicorn and Oz Comic-Con Facebook pages!

Terms & Conditions
~ This giveaway is open to Australian residents only, and will close at midnight (Adelaide time) on Wednesday 15/03/2017
~ Please only enter if you can attend one of the shows outlined above
~ The winner will be picked randomly by the Rafflecopter widget
~ The winner will be notified via email and given 48 hours to reply otherwise a new winner will be chosen.

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Disclaimer: I was kindly gifted an Oz Comic-Con Family Weekend Pass for running this Giveaway on my blog. Photos courtesy of Oz Comic-Con. Please see the Disclosure page for further information.

What's your favourite cult TV or movie character?




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Max My Movies: January Round-Up!

I feel like I haven't blogged about movies in so long, even though I've been watching a heap of them lately! Sometimes I get caught up in all the beauty posts and forget that I love writing about films too. So below is every movie I saw in January (can you believe it's already February, by the way? Crazy!). Let me know if you've seen any of these and your thoughts on it in the comments!

1. The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty
This had been on my Watch List for a while so I was thrilled when I saw it was screening on TV. I do love me a bit of Ben Stiller and Kristen Wiig, and this movie had just the right amount of quirk, wit and heart. Stunning scenery added beauty to this already visually-appealing adventure fantasy. Loved it!

2. Monster Trucks*
I received an Invite to see a preview of Monster Trucks with my family, and I honestly went along expecting, well, monster trucks! It does have monster trucks but not the normal type! I was pleasantly surprised with this family-friendly flick. There's a few familiar faces, like Rob Lowe as a baddie, Danny Glover and Barry Pepper, along with young Jared Padalecki lookalike Lucas Till in the lead role.

3. Celeste & Jesse Forever
I'd seen this once before and for some reason remembered it fondly instead of the massive sob-fest it actually is! Yes, I love Andy Samberg and am a huge Brooklyn Nine-Nine fan, so I had to give this another whirl when it came on TV. It's realistic, it's beautiful, but it's just so damn sad. I cried like a big baby and vowed to never watch Celeste & Jesse Forever ever again!

4. Now You See Me
Another film I'd been meaning to see ever since its release! For some reason I want to watch everything Jesse Eisenberg is in, despite him completely sucking as Lex Luther Jr in the already bad Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The cast of Now You See Me is an interesting mix; Isla Fisher, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Caine, Dave Franco, Woody Harrelson, Morgan Freeman, the aforementioned Eisenberg and French actress Melanie Laurent. I quite enjoyed this ride and will definitely see the sequel.

5. Trolls
I saw this with my son along with Sing, and it was a really great movie double. This colourful family film is cheerful, uplifting and great for kids. The music is really good; as a Cyndi Lauper fan, I really enjoyed the cover of True Colors. Justin Timberlake was the Executive Producer of the film's music, and his talent shines through. Little girls in particular would love Trolls!

6. Sing
Oh My Lordy, this was a fun school holiday movie! I think I loved it more than Mr 9 did. The story is pretty basic, but the singing and the choice of songs is brilliant, and made for a highly entertaining and enjoyable film. Fun for all the family!

7. Fantastic Four
This is a terrible movie. I watched this with hubby because he's into everything superhero, so I am too, because, you know, that's what happens when you have a partner. Even he said how bad this was and he's biased. Just god-damn awful.

8. Premium Rush
Aah yes! Premium Rush was the perfect popcorn movie for a lazy night in. First of all you can't go wrong with Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the lead (am I right, ladies?), then the rest was non-stop action that required absolutely no thinking. Yes, I'll watch a bunch of super-fit hotties cycle at breakneck speed whilst I lay on the couch downing a box of Cheezels. That's arm lifts, after all!

9. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
So we saw this in Gold Class with the reclining chairs and the gourmet food and drink and whatnot, and thank goodness, because I'm just not that into Star Wars. Star Trek, yes, but not Star Wars. I try, I really do, but at some point (after seeing countless Star Wars movies) I think I'll have to accept the fact and move on. Also, Ben Mendelsohn really pissed me off as Krennic and apparently that was Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso in the lead.

10. La La Land
I am still getting over this. Don't get me wrong, it's a wonderful, magical film, filled with singing, dancing, jazzy music, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. It's well acted, directed and all the rest and it's long, but never drags (which is a surefire sign of a good movie) and it's winning awards left right and centre, but BOY that ending. Why, why, why?? WHY?? This will win so many Oscars though.

11. The Adjustment Bureau
This was my second viewing of The Adjustment Bureau. Matt Damon is such a captivating leading man, and even though I'm not the biggest Emily Blunt fan, I still enjoyed re-watching this. It's got action, intrigue, a great story, romance... pretty much everything you need for movie night, Watch it next weekend, and don't forget your hat!

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Disclaimer: *I received a Family Pass to attend the preview screening of Monster Trucks. Reviews are my honest opinion. Please see the Disclosure page for further information.

Seen any good movies lately?