Elizabeth Stevens's Blog
January 14, 2022
Making all the hard choices this year, y'all.
Alas, I've burnt myself out. What was once working for me, no longer does. My life's changed - I have this small human I enjoy hanging out with (even if we read the same book what feels like a hundred times a day) and a PhD that also won't write or research itself - and I need to change how I work so I don't go completely insane. So, what does this mean for books? It's not like my release schedule thus far has been terribly reliable, but I figured you might want to know what's coming up.
With Tank and Ashton, the final books in the Grace Grayson and Loving the Sykes series, coming out early Feb - thank all that is holy - that marks the end of planned dual releases. I need no more research data on it, so never again am I putting that kind of pressure on myself...until I inevitably do because I'm like that.
[image error][image error]Perfectly Accidental - Roman's POV of Accidentally Perfect - comes out in April, and that marks the last pre-order I have going for me. (Don't forget you can pre-order the special edition original Accidentally Perfect cover tie-in from my new and improved webstore.) This is super scary, but alas and alack I just can't keep going the way I've been going.
[image error][image error][image error][image error]When I started this publishing thing, I had a few books stored up. I had less ideas fighting for space in my head, and I found it easy to finish a book well and truly by the pre-order deadline. As I went on, I got more and more ideas, and sticking to one in order to finish it for release got more difficult. Then, it seemed I couldn't finish a book unless there was a pre-order deadline, and I was quite often down to minutes to spare. It was hectic and exhilarating. Still, when I re-read the story, I was proud to have it out in the world and excited for the reader feedback. Then came the Grace Grayson and Loving the Sykes series. They broke everything.
I needed research data for my PhD, so I promised myself I was releasing two concurrent five book series, and that they'd release every six months. Well, apart from every single book being delayed by 30 days (or more), I've kept that promise. A Grace Grayson and Loving the Sykes books has/will come out every six months. But it's left me broken. It's left my process broken. I sit at the computer for literal hours and achieve nothing because these stories didn't want to be told when I wanted - no, needed - them to be told. Then I have two weeks to write two books. It's doable, but it takes a toll on me and my family, and I don't feel quite as proud of what I send out into the world. I've said it before and I'll say it again; when I was writing Rollie, I fully believed it was the worst piece of crap I'd ever written (and, I'm including the stuff I churned out 20 years ago when I was just starting out). When I read Rollie start to finish, I actually thought it was pretty decent. Considering. The word count, though, was dismal. I'd lost the ability to work out what was filler and what I was cutting to save on writing time.
So, changes need to be made and - I never thought I'd see the day - I need to find some more routine, and actually plan and get some time management skills. Otherwise, you'll probably never want to read another of my books again. And, frankly, neither will I.
I still have a million ideas, I still plan to release those million ideas, but I need to make some changes and get my groove back. Perfectly Accidental is helping. It's getting me back into why I loved writing in the first place, but it's also made me realise that my books have lost...something along the way. Something that made them special. And I need to try to find that again.
After Perfectly Accidental releases, I need to take some time to get back to writing for fun. While I'm hoping I'll still be able to release something in June, September and December this year, I'm not making firm plans until I've finished writing those things and I'm happy with them. So, maybe I won't get anything published between April 2022 and March 2023, but I can promise that my books will be better because of it. Short term pain for long term gain (good lord, who am I? :P).
[image error][image error][image error]Starting 2023, I'll be publishing regularly in March, June, September, and December, every year (until I change my mind lol). The plan is two New Adult and two Young Adult. What am I going to do with the rest of that time? Other than furiously finishing my PhD as quickly as possible, I'm going to be building up series so I can rapid release them when every single book in the series is finished. Some of these series are a few novella-length stories, and some are eight or nine 80k books long. But I just can't have another series like Grace Grayson or Loving the Sykes happen where I'm sure I've got the stories down, then I come to write them all and I legitimately blank on them for six months.
Part of this means I'm straying into new territory, new genres. I need to get my mojo back, and to do that I need to just write what I'm passionate and excited about in the moment. I will never get enough of writing romance, but I've had enough of fluffy, contemporary romances for the moment. I need me some darker, more dangerous heroes. I'll get back to the likes of Keeping Up Appearances, and I'll keep writing Royal Misadventures, but I've got so many more ideas and worlds and vibes I want to explore.
[image error][image error][image error][image error]Which means I'm also going to be launching three new pennames in 2022 to take their place proudly alongside 'Elizabeth Stevens'. No hiding or making you guess who they are, making you wonder if this book or that is mine. I'll be releasing each one as 'Elizabeth Stevens writing as...' so you'll always be able to find me and my books. They're just a way of letting you know a bit more clearly exactly what you're getting into and which of my books you'll want to read. Where there's some overlap between pennames, I'll put books under whichever fits the right tone/vibe/feel of the story. Who knows, maybe a couple of them will end up co-writing lol!
Elizabeth Stevens will continue to be all my typical Young Adult stuff - the stuff that brought most (if not all) of you here. The sort of books that came out before I started writing New Adult; contemporary, romance, fantasy, middle grade, etc. Think Keeping Up Appearances, Royal Misadventures, Valiant Valerie, the Art of Breaking Up. All those books I think of as quintessentially me.
Pippa Langhorn's going to be taking over my New Adult contemporary work. Her first story comes out later this year as part of a multi-author anthology and I'm very excited. Once I've got a few books under her belt, I'll be re-packaging (editing, new covers, etc.) Grace Grayson and Loving the Sykes and handing them over to her. She's got a few standalones to build up first - and they're more along the lines of my YA stuff as well - bit of parody/satire and having some fun with the clichés instead of blindly sticking to them.
Scarlett Knox will be in charge of my Mature YA/New Adult spec fic and paranormal
romances. Anything a little dark or quirky and with fantasy/sci-fi elements will be Scarlett's domain. The Damned trilogy will be signed over to her at some stage, and she's got A LOT of series building under her banner; lots more Heaven & Hell Chronicles (Saved if I do, Loved if I do, Raised if I do, and Reaped if I do, among them), an academy series with a smouldering trapped demon, and some standalones.
And, finally, E.J. Knox will be the one for dark, bully-style romances (and Reverse Harem, if I get so bold). A totally new genre for me, but one for which I've got a lot going on already. All going well, E.J.'s first book comes out in September - a standalone, academy, bully romance described as Sky High meets the Boys. Fear not, just because it's bully romance does not mean weak, pushover main characters or bullies who get away with it - our MCs will fight back and they'll bring their bully to their ever so repentive knees.
You'll be able to find all my pennames on the same socials - at least, for now.
If you're after merchandise, this is your start of year reminder that the new and improved webstore has merchandise. The old merch store is still up and running while I finish setting up the new one. If there's a specific piece of merch you're after and you can't find it, let me know and I'll add it!
[image error][image error][image error][image error][image error][image error][image error][image error]If you've got any questions or comments about any of my books - past, present or future - leave a comment here, hit me up on socials, or send me an email. The next twelve months is going to be a bit up in the air, but you'll get all the news on all my progress as soon as I have it.
I'm going to stop procrastinating now (yeah, right) and go and keep working on Tank and Ashton. Three more weeks and the insane pressure is off! Three more weeks and I can breathe again.
Read, write, and live well,
x iz
July 30, 2020
News, News, News!
Where has the year gone? I had all these grand plans for what I was going to do with the blog so it was much more exciting, and now it's almost August and I've done none of them! I don't even have the excuse I didn't have time, because current world events have given me nothing but time, really. I've just used it really badly.Anyway, the point of today's post is to celebrate a bunch of news!First up on the agenda is not one but TWO new releases. They were a little later than I expected, but they're finally here and even my husband is quite proud of them.
First up is Hawk & the Lady, book 2 in the Grace Grayson series and the fake fiance sequel to January's Chaos & the Geek. You can get it now in print and ebook from your favourite retailer, including me!LeahAll I wanted to do was get a cosy cottage in the suburbs and live with my million cats. What I got instead was suitor after suitor paraded in front of me and the threat of a looming engagement. So, what else was a girl to do?PatrickIf there’s one thing that makes a guy reconsider his womanising ways, it’s seeing his best mate and his little sister settle down.I don’t know a lot about ladies, despite my remarkable ability to play a part. All I know is there’s always more underneath the mask, and there’s only one lady who can tame this hawk.
Also our today is the steamy enemies to lovers book 2 in the Loving the Sykes series, Carter. You can get it now in print and ebook from your favourite retailer, including me! According to my husband, "it has its charms".CARTERAll it takes is one night and one mistake to show me that maybe a guy can have it all. Of course, we’d need to find a middle ground between arguing and sex.There’s a fine line between love and hate.EMMAAll it takes it one moment and one monumental mistake to change the course of my life. But I’m not sure I’m ready to open up again, even for him.There’s a fine line between love and hate.Those of you who follow my releases closely will probably have noticed that I haven't got any pre-order or even release dates for a Young Adult book out at the moment, despite some cover reveal promises. This brings us onto the next bit of news I have to share with you and serves as the main reason for that.Come the end of October, I'll have myself a new small overlord in the house and, since I have no control over whether my tiny human might be a bit of an arsehole or a co-operative little cherub, I haven't set any release dates...yet. I do have plans, though. Grand plans, that will hopefully come to fruition.
All going well, Reign and the Art of Breaking Upwill both come out in April 2021. I'll hopefully be able to give out more concrete plans by October (including exact dates and pre-order links *fingers crossed*).
Other YA releases for 2021 
will be in September, October and November and be the first trilogy of my new fantasy epic, the Danu Cycle. Gryffynhall, Elfhaven and Innisfail will be rapid released as part of my PhD research, so also keep a lookout for some public appearances by me.The pre-orders for book 3s and 4s of Grace Grayson (O Lord and Rollie) and Loving the Sykes (Luther and Oscar) are already up as I'm using them for a PhD-related experiment. And the final book 5s (Tank and Ashton) will be up for pre-order in January 2021.For those Royal Misadventures fans, I will be releasing a few more over the next 18 months, I just don't have any exact dates for you at the moment, but I'm working on it as best I can. You can also expect a few more shorts coming your way in the form of Pithy Pooka Shorts and a new novella series.Don't forget you can get some great merch for my books from the Merchandise Store. Bags, mugs, tees, phone cases, and more!
So, stay tuned for updated release news in the next few months! Remember to follow me on socials for the most up to date news.
As always, read, write, and live well,x iz
First up is Hawk & the Lady, book 2 in the Grace Grayson series and the fake fiance sequel to January's Chaos & the Geek. You can get it now in print and ebook from your favourite retailer, including me!LeahAll I wanted to do was get a cosy cottage in the suburbs and live with my million cats. What I got instead was suitor after suitor paraded in front of me and the threat of a looming engagement. So, what else was a girl to do?PatrickIf there’s one thing that makes a guy reconsider his womanising ways, it’s seeing his best mate and his little sister settle down.I don’t know a lot about ladies, despite my remarkable ability to play a part. All I know is there’s always more underneath the mask, and there’s only one lady who can tame this hawk.Also our today is the steamy enemies to lovers book 2 in the Loving the Sykes series, Carter. You can get it now in print and ebook from your favourite retailer, including me! According to my husband, "it has its charms".CARTERAll it takes is one night and one mistake to show me that maybe a guy can have it all. Of course, we’d need to find a middle ground between arguing and sex.There’s a fine line between love and hate.EMMAAll it takes it one moment and one monumental mistake to change the course of my life. But I’m not sure I’m ready to open up again, even for him.There’s a fine line between love and hate.Those of you who follow my releases closely will probably have noticed that I haven't got any pre-order or even release dates for a Young Adult book out at the moment, despite some cover reveal promises. This brings us onto the next bit of news I have to share with you and serves as the main reason for that.Come the end of October, I'll have myself a new small overlord in the house and, since I have no control over whether my tiny human might be a bit of an arsehole or a co-operative little cherub, I haven't set any release dates...yet. I do have plans, though. Grand plans, that will hopefully come to fruition.All going well, Reign and the Art of Breaking Upwill both come out in April 2021. I'll hopefully be able to give out more concrete plans by October (including exact dates and pre-order links *fingers crossed*).Other YA releases for 2021 will be in September, October and November and be the first trilogy of my new fantasy epic, the Danu Cycle. Gryffynhall, Elfhaven and Innisfail will be rapid released as part of my PhD research, so also keep a lookout for some public appearances by me.The pre-orders for book 3s and 4s of Grace Grayson (O Lord and Rollie) and Loving the Sykes (Luther and Oscar) are already up as I'm using them for a PhD-related experiment. And the final book 5s (Tank and Ashton) will be up for pre-order in January 2021.For those Royal Misadventures fans, I will be releasing a few more over the next 18 months, I just don't have any exact dates for you at the moment, but I'm working on it as best I can. You can also expect a few more shorts coming your way in the form of Pithy Pooka Shorts and a new novella series.Don't forget you can get some great merch for my books from the Merchandise Store. Bags, mugs, tees, phone cases, and more!So, stay tuned for updated release news in the next few months! Remember to follow me on socials for the most up to date news.As always, read, write, and live well,x iz
December 23, 2019
Release date push
So, I'm feeling a touch like a bit of a failure over here, but I've had to push the dates for my January 3 releases - Damned if I don't, Caden, and Chaos & the Geek.
I wanted to push on through to get it all together in time, but due to medical and other reasons, I'm going to need more time to bring together something you're going to want to read. The official release date is now January 31 2020, but they will all be released as close to the original release date (January 3) as possible.
I'm super sorry for any inconvenience and hope you all have a lovely holiday break.
x iz
I wanted to push on through to get it all together in time, but due to medical and other reasons, I'm going to need more time to bring together something you're going to want to read. The official release date is now January 31 2020, but they will all be released as close to the original release date (January 3) as possible.
I'm super sorry for any inconvenience and hope you all have a lovely holiday break.
x iz
December 17, 2019
On the eighteenth day of Christmas...
... a husband takes over the blog post (my husband, to be exact).24 days of Christmas
Each day of Christmas, I'll be reviewing a Christmas movie and sharing a new Christmas outfit. Today was a typical Australian summer day - 43 Celsius and hot enough for the air conditioner to give up for the day. Anyone want to trade hemispheres for the rest of the holidays?Today my long-suffering husband has hijacked the blog, to give his "honest movie review" of the Christmas movie 'Frozen in Love' Complete with his very own Christmas t-shirt! So, friends, romans, countrymen, I will pass you over to his very capable hands...and may God take pity on my soul...To be clear, she calls me her "long-suffering" husband as a description of my life, not as a label to help her distinguish between her different husbands - I am her only husband ... as far as I am aware ...Here we are at day eighteen, and Christmas is flying towards us. With only one week to go, the lights are lighting, the cookies are cooking, and the mistletoe is...toeing? (Actually, I don't think we have mistletoe here in Australia). What we do have is heat - and lots of it. 43C degrees of it (just shy of 110F, for our international brethren). With heat records being set across the country, I thought it fitting to review a movie that will cool us all down:
Frozen in Love - 2.5/5 candy canesWell, if the intention was to cool down, you couldn't get much colder than the on-screen chemistry between these two. 
Ah yes, the big heart-warming moment when she realises that she is in love with him (sorry, spoilers?)"Frozen in Love" sees Rachael Leigh Cook as Mary, the owner of a struggling book-shop and Niall Matter as Adam, a "bad boy" ice-hockey player. Mary has to promote her book shop, or risk losing the family business forever. Adam has to revive his image, or risk his illustrious ice-hockey career...but wait, what if you paired them together? Maybe Adam could help promote this local book shop? And maybe in doing so Mary will help re-build his image with his local fans? It's just so crazy it could work!A classic opposites-attract story, which really doesn't have all that much more going for it. The main roles were actually acted pretty well, though Rachael Leigh Cook could work on looking less angry all the time.
Sorry Rachael, that's just my opinion...please don't hurt me...The movie is, as Izzie says, "deliciously predictable". It's a classic boy-and-girl meet, boy-and-girl hate each other, boy-and-girl are forced to work together, boy acts like an idiot, girl looks angry, boy-and-girl realise they are more alike than they first thought, boy-and-girl fall in love, everyone lives happily ever after.Blegh.
Actually, the movie wasn't as bad as I make it out to be, and it did have its funny, sweet moments ... unfortunately, they were all a little forgettable. In this crazy, crazy world of holiday cheer and Baby Yoda's, movies need more than a predictable storyline and okay-ish acting to cut the mustard (so to speak). In fact, until I wrote this bit, I actually thought this was another one of those movies that doesn't appear to have an ending (read: I fell asleep during it). But actually, I did watch all of it, it was just a little...meh...But what do I know? Maybe I just don't appreciate the subtle art of predictable love stories? Maybe it just wasn't my kind of movie? Maybe my expectations are just too high, especially after some of the more brilliant ones I have experienced (Klaus, anyone?) Or maybe I've just got my Grinch on overload this year? And yes, for the purists, it turns out that this was not strictly a Christmas movie - however, it contains snow, and that's about as much as many other 'real' Christmas movies have...That's probably enough from me, Izzie's giving me another one of those classic "stop doing what you are doing" death stares...oh no, sorry, that's just Rachael again.
All in all, I feel like I came across a little harsh to start with, and I give this movie a pass grade...only...If you've got a suggestion for a movie, leave it in the comments.You can check out the trailer (?) below (international bollocks willing).
Each day of Christmas, I'll be reviewing a Christmas movie and sharing a new Christmas outfit. Today was a typical Australian summer day - 43 Celsius and hot enough for the air conditioner to give up for the day. Anyone want to trade hemispheres for the rest of the holidays?Today my long-suffering husband has hijacked the blog, to give his "honest movie review" of the Christmas movie 'Frozen in Love' Complete with his very own Christmas t-shirt! So, friends, romans, countrymen, I will pass you over to his very capable hands...and may God take pity on my soul...To be clear, she calls me her "long-suffering" husband as a description of my life, not as a label to help her distinguish between her different husbands - I am her only husband ... as far as I am aware ...Here we are at day eighteen, and Christmas is flying towards us. With only one week to go, the lights are lighting, the cookies are cooking, and the mistletoe is...toeing? (Actually, I don't think we have mistletoe here in Australia). What we do have is heat - and lots of it. 43C degrees of it (just shy of 110F, for our international brethren). With heat records being set across the country, I thought it fitting to review a movie that will cool us all down:Frozen in Love - 2.5/5 candy canesWell, if the intention was to cool down, you couldn't get much colder than the on-screen chemistry between these two. Ah yes, the big heart-warming moment when she realises that she is in love with him (sorry, spoilers?)"Frozen in Love" sees Rachael Leigh Cook as Mary, the owner of a struggling book-shop and Niall Matter as Adam, a "bad boy" ice-hockey player. Mary has to promote her book shop, or risk losing the family business forever. Adam has to revive his image, or risk his illustrious ice-hockey career...but wait, what if you paired them together? Maybe Adam could help promote this local book shop? And maybe in doing so Mary will help re-build his image with his local fans? It's just so crazy it could work!A classic opposites-attract story, which really doesn't have all that much more going for it. The main roles were actually acted pretty well, though Rachael Leigh Cook could work on looking less angry all the time.Sorry Rachael, that's just my opinion...please don't hurt me...The movie is, as Izzie says, "deliciously predictable". It's a classic boy-and-girl meet, boy-and-girl hate each other, boy-and-girl are forced to work together, boy acts like an idiot, girl looks angry, boy-and-girl realise they are more alike than they first thought, boy-and-girl fall in love, everyone lives happily ever after.Blegh.Actually, the movie wasn't as bad as I make it out to be, and it did have its funny, sweet moments ... unfortunately, they were all a little forgettable. In this crazy, crazy world of holiday cheer and Baby Yoda's, movies need more than a predictable storyline and okay-ish acting to cut the mustard (so to speak). In fact, until I wrote this bit, I actually thought this was another one of those movies that doesn't appear to have an ending (read: I fell asleep during it). But actually, I did watch all of it, it was just a little...meh...But what do I know? Maybe I just don't appreciate the subtle art of predictable love stories? Maybe it just wasn't my kind of movie? Maybe my expectations are just too high, especially after some of the more brilliant ones I have experienced (Klaus, anyone?) Or maybe I've just got my Grinch on overload this year? And yes, for the purists, it turns out that this was not strictly a Christmas movie - however, it contains snow, and that's about as much as many other 'real' Christmas movies have...That's probably enough from me, Izzie's giving me another one of those classic "stop doing what you are doing" death stares...oh no, sorry, that's just Rachael again.All in all, I feel like I came across a little harsh to start with, and I give this movie a pass grade...only...If you've got a suggestion for a movie, leave it in the comments.You can check out the trailer (?) below (international bollocks willing).
December 16, 2019
On the seventeenth day of Christmas...
...I need a nap. But I'm not giving up.24 days of Christmas
Each day of Christmas, I'll be reviewing a Christmas movie and sharing a new Christmas outfit.Day 17 sees me way behind on posting - I got the movies watched and the reviews written, but just didn't get to the posting until now. So, my tee reflects my attitude a bit today. Add in the fact that I am STILL behind on my writing and I'm this close to being over it all. Still. I'm not giving up! Yet.Today's Aussie Christmas carol is brought to you by Scraping the Barrel.Day seventeen and we're back on Netflix. I couldn't help myself.
the Christmas Chronicles - 4/5 starsSo I watched this one last year, but it turns out I'd completely forgotten ALL of it. As I was watching it, I wasn't surprised by anything that had happened as though I was expecting it, but I did know I expected it...if that makes sense...Either way, last year Hubby fell asleep during it and has since been telling me it was boring. I quote, "it wasn't even one of those times I was tired and fell asleep. It was so boring I didn't bother trying to not fall asleep." But I wanted to do it because I enjoyed it. And - haha - he informed me it wasn't as bad as he'd thought it was and I got a gold star for it being an acceptable movie. I'm not really sure what I had to do with it, but look I'll take it.This movie was a great little family flick. We start out with a montage of fun family Christmas videos - which you just know means something awful is about to happen - and then we pull away to reveal that, yes! Something awful has happened. So it is, the first Christmas after their dad's death that Teddy and Kate Pierce and their mum are just trying to get through Christmas with their new reality. Kate (played by Darby Camp) is sweet but knows more swear words than I remember knowing at ten. Teddy (played by Judah Lewis) is BUTT LOADS of teen angst, like he gives Edward Cullen a run for his money in some bits. But I'm there for it, because the dude does actually have depth and he gave me a giggle on more than one occasion. Also, if I was...half my age, he'd be a very attractive young man - not that that's in anyway relevant (damn, getting old).Now, Teddy and Kate do not get along at all, much to the chagrin of their mother. Left home alone on Christmas Eve, Kate somehow manages to convince her grumpy older brother to help her get real video footage of Santa Claus (seriously, I feel so weird calling him that...but he was played by Kurt Russell, so...). The two of them go all Home Alone on the house and lie in wait with their junk food to catch Santa in the act. Naturally, they get him and follow him outside, cut to Kate climbing into the sleigh (which is STUNNING, btw) and Teddy following, and suddenly you have a recipe for disaster. Kate causes Santa to freak the hell out and the sleigh crashes. Santa loses his sack and his hat, and the race is on to get everything back on track so that Christmas cheer doesn't die and the world is plunged into another Dark Ages.Can I just say that the chemistry between Judah Lewis and Kurt Russell was off the charts. They played off each other so well. Every time they were on screen together, I really didn't see any need for Kate to be there (sorry...), especially when her input was really just questioning everything Santa did. That's not to say I didn't like Kate, I just REALLY appreciated the interplay between Lewis and Russell.I like this movie. And I know it's becoming painfully obvious that I basically love every Christmas movie and I'm trying super hard to be discerning. But, I did just really love this movie. It had fun and laughter and excellent holiday vibes. I'm still trying to work out why it was called the Christmas Chronicles - will there be sequels? What are they chronicling? Is the book a chronicle? Like I need answers!! But, I'll allow the lack of confusion...for now and award this one 4/5 magical Santa hats.If you've got a suggestion for a movie, leave it in the comments. You can find the play-by-play below the trailer.You can check out the trailer below (fingers crossed there isn't any regional bollocks that gets in the way).The Christmas Chronicles brain vomit:You know when we start with a montage of excellent family Christmases that something is going to go horribly wrong and someone is going to die.Now, I have seen this before, but I really don't remember that much. I know hubby fell asleep. But that's about it.No! See? Told you.She wants a skateboard? She's so cool.Don't be a dick, Teddy. Naw, he couldn't do it.Teddy's friends just look like dicks. Oh! They are dicks!Ha! Little sister for the win.Bahaha! Sibling fight.Is it an American thing to not put the tree and stuff up til like Christmas eve? I've noticed people on social media only doing it recently too. Where is the first day of the season??Kate is a super cute kid, though.There is more to Christmas than all that stuff, but...should there be?Exactly how old is Teddy and his teenage crisis?Poor Mum.Naw, Teddy and his teen angst.
Each day of Christmas, I'll be reviewing a Christmas movie and sharing a new Christmas outfit.Day 17 sees me way behind on posting - I got the movies watched and the reviews written, but just didn't get to the posting until now. So, my tee reflects my attitude a bit today. Add in the fact that I am STILL behind on my writing and I'm this close to being over it all. Still. I'm not giving up! Yet.Today's Aussie Christmas carol is brought to you by Scraping the Barrel.Day seventeen and we're back on Netflix. I couldn't help myself.the Christmas Chronicles - 4/5 starsSo I watched this one last year, but it turns out I'd completely forgotten ALL of it. As I was watching it, I wasn't surprised by anything that had happened as though I was expecting it, but I did know I expected it...if that makes sense...Either way, last year Hubby fell asleep during it and has since been telling me it was boring. I quote, "it wasn't even one of those times I was tired and fell asleep. It was so boring I didn't bother trying to not fall asleep." But I wanted to do it because I enjoyed it. And - haha - he informed me it wasn't as bad as he'd thought it was and I got a gold star for it being an acceptable movie. I'm not really sure what I had to do with it, but look I'll take it.This movie was a great little family flick. We start out with a montage of fun family Christmas videos - which you just know means something awful is about to happen - and then we pull away to reveal that, yes! Something awful has happened. So it is, the first Christmas after their dad's death that Teddy and Kate Pierce and their mum are just trying to get through Christmas with their new reality. Kate (played by Darby Camp) is sweet but knows more swear words than I remember knowing at ten. Teddy (played by Judah Lewis) is BUTT LOADS of teen angst, like he gives Edward Cullen a run for his money in some bits. But I'm there for it, because the dude does actually have depth and he gave me a giggle on more than one occasion. Also, if I was...half my age, he'd be a very attractive young man - not that that's in anyway relevant (damn, getting old).Now, Teddy and Kate do not get along at all, much to the chagrin of their mother. Left home alone on Christmas Eve, Kate somehow manages to convince her grumpy older brother to help her get real video footage of Santa Claus (seriously, I feel so weird calling him that...but he was played by Kurt Russell, so...). The two of them go all Home Alone on the house and lie in wait with their junk food to catch Santa in the act. Naturally, they get him and follow him outside, cut to Kate climbing into the sleigh (which is STUNNING, btw) and Teddy following, and suddenly you have a recipe for disaster. Kate causes Santa to freak the hell out and the sleigh crashes. Santa loses his sack and his hat, and the race is on to get everything back on track so that Christmas cheer doesn't die and the world is plunged into another Dark Ages.Can I just say that the chemistry between Judah Lewis and Kurt Russell was off the charts. They played off each other so well. Every time they were on screen together, I really didn't see any need for Kate to be there (sorry...), especially when her input was really just questioning everything Santa did. That's not to say I didn't like Kate, I just REALLY appreciated the interplay between Lewis and Russell.I like this movie. And I know it's becoming painfully obvious that I basically love every Christmas movie and I'm trying super hard to be discerning. But, I did just really love this movie. It had fun and laughter and excellent holiday vibes. I'm still trying to work out why it was called the Christmas Chronicles - will there be sequels? What are they chronicling? Is the book a chronicle? Like I need answers!! But, I'll allow the lack of confusion...for now and award this one 4/5 magical Santa hats.If you've got a suggestion for a movie, leave it in the comments. You can find the play-by-play below the trailer.You can check out the trailer below (fingers crossed there isn't any regional bollocks that gets in the way).The Christmas Chronicles brain vomit:You know when we start with a montage of excellent family Christmases that something is going to go horribly wrong and someone is going to die.Now, I have seen this before, but I really don't remember that much. I know hubby fell asleep. But that's about it.No! See? Told you.She wants a skateboard? She's so cool.Don't be a dick, Teddy. Naw, he couldn't do it.Teddy's friends just look like dicks. Oh! They are dicks!Ha! Little sister for the win.Bahaha! Sibling fight.Is it an American thing to not put the tree and stuff up til like Christmas eve? I've noticed people on social media only doing it recently too. Where is the first day of the season??Kate is a super cute kid, though.There is more to Christmas than all that stuff, but...should there be?Exactly how old is Teddy and his teenage crisis?Poor Mum.Naw, Teddy and his teen angst.
December 15, 2019
On the sixteenth day of Christmas...
...I develop an unhealthy obsession with 'Snog, Marry, Avoid' clips.24 days of Christmas
Each day of Christmas, I'll be reviewing a Christmas movie and sharing a new Christmas outfit. Today saw me preparing for an onslaught of heat wave and thus getting nothing done. I am seriously doing terribly with the writing at the moment and it is driving me batty. In good news, my t-shirt cheered me up.I'm quite pleased with this t-shirt. I think it is rather punderfully punny. I'm not really a fan of avocados, but I'm more than willing to take full advantage of them for my own gain.On day sixteen I find yet another new (to me) Christmas movie producer and I am defs down for it.
12 Dates of Christmas - 4.5/5 golden ringsThis one is so old! I mean, it's not old. But it's from 2011. I had no idea about that. So weird. It's also ABC Family - so far my Netflix embargo is going well.Hubby and I have decided that any movie that starts out with a Christmas song gets an A for effort and is going to be good. And a pop cover of 12 days of Christmas? Winner. Once we had decided this, we took a short break for the procuring of Milo and honey cakes. That is not a euphemism. We needed snack restockage. After 'play' was hit again, I took back my winner and decided that was a terrible version of that song and waited patiently for it to be over.We start out this movie with Kate Stanton (Amy Smart, who I know from a million things and can't place her at all) in a situation that had me rolling my eyes and wanting to throw honey cakes at the screen. Kate is determined to get her ex-boyfriend back. We have no idea why the broke up, how they broke up, or how long before they'd broken up. But she is happy to go to extraordinary lengths to win him back - honestly, how well is she paid to be spending US$250 on a sweater for an ex? And where can I apply? Only catch is that Kate has a blind date that night too that's an obligation to her step-mum. Of course, on the blind date, she actually answers the call from he ex and arranges to meet him in front of her blind date. When she meets the ex, surprise! He has a new girlfriend he's about to propose to. So she gets the dog - forever? - and there's pretty much no way the ex is going to take her back.Can I just say that I was into Miles as soon as he opened his mouth? The guy has a quick, sassy wit that I am totally down for. He exudes confidence but not in an arrogant way. And he has ZERO patience for Kate's rudeness and totally tattles on her. I was pretty much in love with him from the outset, tbh.So, how does Kate plan on getting out of this mess she's landed herself in? Luckily, she doesn't have to. This movie isn't called 12 Dates of Christmas for nothing. I had a brilliant time watching all the clues that she was going to see again and realise it was the same day. It was super fun. The only thing I was a bit surprised by was the return point - the bit where she always woke up to relive the day again. In hindsight, it was obvious, but when we went for round two I was a little let down for some reason. It also took me far too long to realise that there was a hint in the first frame of each run that told you which number they were up to - I only noticed when there were kids with geese hats on and I wondered why the heck there were kids with geese on their heads. Six kids. Then it hit and I felt like a total goober.Now, it took Kate far too long to not only realise that Miles was quite good, but to then let go of her ex. I got a little bit worried at about the seventh run because I wasn't sure how she was going to keep cocking it up. But, I have to say that the ending was perfect and I will definitely be rewatching it. It was lovely. Just lovely. It was hilarious. It was funny. It had messages galore but not shoved down your throat. She became a wonderfully better person, stopped bloody chasing a guy who didn't want her and realised what a great guy who did want her looked like. There was some family growth as well and friends growth which was sweet.All around it far surpassed my expectations and was deliciously festive to boot. So, my rating? I had trouble with this. I felt like, compared to my other reviews, I couldn't quite give it a 5 because I didn't jump out of my seat in excitement, but it was far better than a 4. Which left me with 4.5/5 golden rings.If you've got a suggestion for a movie, leave it in the comments. You can find the play-by-play below the trailer.You can check out the trailer below (fingers crossed there isn't any regional bollocks that gets in the way).12 Dates of Christmas brain vomit:We start with a pop version of the 12 days of Christmas. Good start.We then took a pause for milo and honey cakes. And no, that is not a euphemism.Oh, nope. That's a terrible version of this song. She is trying way too hard.What is her situation. I'm confused. Who are Jack and Max?I like jam.It's a secret santa...it doesn't need thought. It's an obligation.Jack is the ex..okay. Oh duh, the blurb
Each day of Christmas, I'll be reviewing a Christmas movie and sharing a new Christmas outfit. Today saw me preparing for an onslaught of heat wave and thus getting nothing done. I am seriously doing terribly with the writing at the moment and it is driving me batty. In good news, my t-shirt cheered me up.I'm quite pleased with this t-shirt. I think it is rather punderfully punny. I'm not really a fan of avocados, but I'm more than willing to take full advantage of them for my own gain.On day sixteen I find yet another new (to me) Christmas movie producer and I am defs down for it.12 Dates of Christmas - 4.5/5 golden ringsThis one is so old! I mean, it's not old. But it's from 2011. I had no idea about that. So weird. It's also ABC Family - so far my Netflix embargo is going well.Hubby and I have decided that any movie that starts out with a Christmas song gets an A for effort and is going to be good. And a pop cover of 12 days of Christmas? Winner. Once we had decided this, we took a short break for the procuring of Milo and honey cakes. That is not a euphemism. We needed snack restockage. After 'play' was hit again, I took back my winner and decided that was a terrible version of that song and waited patiently for it to be over.We start out this movie with Kate Stanton (Amy Smart, who I know from a million things and can't place her at all) in a situation that had me rolling my eyes and wanting to throw honey cakes at the screen. Kate is determined to get her ex-boyfriend back. We have no idea why the broke up, how they broke up, or how long before they'd broken up. But she is happy to go to extraordinary lengths to win him back - honestly, how well is she paid to be spending US$250 on a sweater for an ex? And where can I apply? Only catch is that Kate has a blind date that night too that's an obligation to her step-mum. Of course, on the blind date, she actually answers the call from he ex and arranges to meet him in front of her blind date. When she meets the ex, surprise! He has a new girlfriend he's about to propose to. So she gets the dog - forever? - and there's pretty much no way the ex is going to take her back.Can I just say that I was into Miles as soon as he opened his mouth? The guy has a quick, sassy wit that I am totally down for. He exudes confidence but not in an arrogant way. And he has ZERO patience for Kate's rudeness and totally tattles on her. I was pretty much in love with him from the outset, tbh.So, how does Kate plan on getting out of this mess she's landed herself in? Luckily, she doesn't have to. This movie isn't called 12 Dates of Christmas for nothing. I had a brilliant time watching all the clues that she was going to see again and realise it was the same day. It was super fun. The only thing I was a bit surprised by was the return point - the bit where she always woke up to relive the day again. In hindsight, it was obvious, but when we went for round two I was a little let down for some reason. It also took me far too long to realise that there was a hint in the first frame of each run that told you which number they were up to - I only noticed when there were kids with geese hats on and I wondered why the heck there were kids with geese on their heads. Six kids. Then it hit and I felt like a total goober.Now, it took Kate far too long to not only realise that Miles was quite good, but to then let go of her ex. I got a little bit worried at about the seventh run because I wasn't sure how she was going to keep cocking it up. But, I have to say that the ending was perfect and I will definitely be rewatching it. It was lovely. Just lovely. It was hilarious. It was funny. It had messages galore but not shoved down your throat. She became a wonderfully better person, stopped bloody chasing a guy who didn't want her and realised what a great guy who did want her looked like. There was some family growth as well and friends growth which was sweet.All around it far surpassed my expectations and was deliciously festive to boot. So, my rating? I had trouble with this. I felt like, compared to my other reviews, I couldn't quite give it a 5 because I didn't jump out of my seat in excitement, but it was far better than a 4. Which left me with 4.5/5 golden rings.If you've got a suggestion for a movie, leave it in the comments. You can find the play-by-play below the trailer.You can check out the trailer below (fingers crossed there isn't any regional bollocks that gets in the way).12 Dates of Christmas brain vomit:We start with a pop version of the 12 days of Christmas. Good start.We then took a pause for milo and honey cakes. And no, that is not a euphemism.Oh, nope. That's a terrible version of this song. She is trying way too hard.What is her situation. I'm confused. Who are Jack and Max?I like jam.It's a secret santa...it doesn't need thought. It's an obligation.Jack is the ex..okay. Oh duh, the blurb
December 14, 2019
On the fifteenth day of Christmas...
...I'm surprised by sex. And lots of it.24 days of Christmas
Each day of Christmas, I'll be reviewing a Christmas movie and sharing a new Christmas outfit. There was a lot of busy work at our place today and it was horribly hot. This is no excuse for the abundance of boobs, so for that I apologise.I thought this tee went quite nicely with today's movie, although I think I'd say today's movie was a little more than 1% naughty. It was a good one.And here's another gem of an Aussie Christmas carol.On day fifteen I find a new Christmas movie producer and I'm loving it.
the Trouble with Mistletoe - 4/5 reindeer headbands that are, in fact, not penisesSo...this one... What can I say about this one...? I was...taken completely off-guard by this one. I can't decide it I loved it or LOVED it. How best to describe this movie? Well, think of all those steamy romance novels you love so much and add Christmas - I know there are plenty of Christmas ones, I just haven't got that far yet - but in movie-form. Unsurprisingly then, this one was a book first and I am definitely putting it on my TBR. The book was by Jill Shalvis and, if you're interested, there's a nice double review over on the Book Boyfriend Addict - these guys are new to me, but won't be for long.To start with, I'd forgotten the premise entirely. So when hubby asked me how they could possibly be playing twenty-eight year olds, I was super confused. Allow me to expand. This movie is about a young woman Willa (Rachel Melvin) who has to fight both her head and her heart when she starts falling for the guy who stood her up in high school ten years earlier. The guy, Keane - such a romance male lead name - (Thomas Beaudoin) has zero idea who she is and this causes a blip of problem when he finally confronts her about why she's holding back from their animal magnetism. Now, I had very little problem with their animal magnetism. It was hot. Like, these two were scorching even compared to an Aussie summer. My only grumble is that he kept telling her instead of asking her - "have dinner with me", "have coffee with me". Like, come on Keane, you've got the makings of a beta boy in the streets and an alpha in the sheets, would a question mark kill you?There was a lot good about this movie though. A LOT. It was full of sexual innuendo, brilliant jokes I almost missed they were so quick, some over-protective BFFs we didn't see nearly enough of, a naughty cat, a Christmas-themed dog wedding, many a heart flutter, and sex. Like a lot of sex. I'm not talking fade to black, kick the door closed behind them, you know they're doing the business sex. Actual sex. It's not porn-y R-rated or anything, you don't see any bits. But they are sex scenes I was not expecting and I certainly didn't mind. I was there for it. Don't have time for a steamy holiday romance novel? Get your eyes around this movie. Did I mention there was a glimpse of male cleftal horizon? There was. And it was quite nice.So, this one earns a solid 4/5 reindeer headbands that are, in fact, nothing like penises. I don't know who Passionflix are, but I'm going off to see what else of theirs I can find.If you've got a suggestion for a movie, leave it in the comments. You can find the play-by-play below the trailer.You can check out the trailer below (fingers crossed there isn't any regional bollocks that gets in the way).the Trouble with Mistletoe brain vomit:Passionflix - don't know who or what they are, but okay. Not Netflix so I'm happy.Strong start. Any movie that starts with a Christmas song is always more promising.It is definitely VERY Christmassy. And I see she's the one who LOVES ChristmasOh a fountain wish, always a good thingPuppies!!! This movie is heading for 5 star status.Christmas is supposed to have thrown up on Dec 1.Haha, penis headbands! But...they don't look penises.Toss another coin in the fountain? I feel like that's too many coins close together. This can't possibly go wrong.So...so what does she have? A boarding kennel? A pet store? A vet? All of the above?Keane Wynnters... that's a name. I'm just not convinced he's hot enough to pull that off.They're not penises! OMG - it's December and they've got bells on. Only an idiot would think they're penises. Don't marry that one, Willa.Oh, flashback. Always good.Ah, so she's been tossing a penny in since she wanted Keane to notice her. Cliché much?I love the house though.Not her house. Sad face.What was that? He had a dizzy spell because magic penny?No, heights phobia. Boring.Out of staples? She's not an idiot. Is she?Dog wedding. In December. Christmas themed. Oi.Archer and Spencer. They can handle those names.. Only best friends? No. Bad brain.Naw, they're all BFF bravado on him.Aw! All the puppers are at the wedding!Fastest wedding in history?Oh God. This movie is all sorts of suggestive. Much better than Hallmark
Each day of Christmas, I'll be reviewing a Christmas movie and sharing a new Christmas outfit. There was a lot of busy work at our place today and it was horribly hot. This is no excuse for the abundance of boobs, so for that I apologise.I thought this tee went quite nicely with today's movie, although I think I'd say today's movie was a little more than 1% naughty. It was a good one.And here's another gem of an Aussie Christmas carol.On day fifteen I find a new Christmas movie producer and I'm loving it.the Trouble with Mistletoe - 4/5 reindeer headbands that are, in fact, not penisesSo...this one... What can I say about this one...? I was...taken completely off-guard by this one. I can't decide it I loved it or LOVED it. How best to describe this movie? Well, think of all those steamy romance novels you love so much and add Christmas - I know there are plenty of Christmas ones, I just haven't got that far yet - but in movie-form. Unsurprisingly then, this one was a book first and I am definitely putting it on my TBR. The book was by Jill Shalvis and, if you're interested, there's a nice double review over on the Book Boyfriend Addict - these guys are new to me, but won't be for long.To start with, I'd forgotten the premise entirely. So when hubby asked me how they could possibly be playing twenty-eight year olds, I was super confused. Allow me to expand. This movie is about a young woman Willa (Rachel Melvin) who has to fight both her head and her heart when she starts falling for the guy who stood her up in high school ten years earlier. The guy, Keane - such a romance male lead name - (Thomas Beaudoin) has zero idea who she is and this causes a blip of problem when he finally confronts her about why she's holding back from their animal magnetism. Now, I had very little problem with their animal magnetism. It was hot. Like, these two were scorching even compared to an Aussie summer. My only grumble is that he kept telling her instead of asking her - "have dinner with me", "have coffee with me". Like, come on Keane, you've got the makings of a beta boy in the streets and an alpha in the sheets, would a question mark kill you?There was a lot good about this movie though. A LOT. It was full of sexual innuendo, brilliant jokes I almost missed they were so quick, some over-protective BFFs we didn't see nearly enough of, a naughty cat, a Christmas-themed dog wedding, many a heart flutter, and sex. Like a lot of sex. I'm not talking fade to black, kick the door closed behind them, you know they're doing the business sex. Actual sex. It's not porn-y R-rated or anything, you don't see any bits. But they are sex scenes I was not expecting and I certainly didn't mind. I was there for it. Don't have time for a steamy holiday romance novel? Get your eyes around this movie. Did I mention there was a glimpse of male cleftal horizon? There was. And it was quite nice.So, this one earns a solid 4/5 reindeer headbands that are, in fact, nothing like penises. I don't know who Passionflix are, but I'm going off to see what else of theirs I can find.If you've got a suggestion for a movie, leave it in the comments. You can find the play-by-play below the trailer.You can check out the trailer below (fingers crossed there isn't any regional bollocks that gets in the way).the Trouble with Mistletoe brain vomit:Passionflix - don't know who or what they are, but okay. Not Netflix so I'm happy.Strong start. Any movie that starts with a Christmas song is always more promising.It is definitely VERY Christmassy. And I see she's the one who LOVES ChristmasOh a fountain wish, always a good thingPuppies!!! This movie is heading for 5 star status.Christmas is supposed to have thrown up on Dec 1.Haha, penis headbands! But...they don't look penises.Toss another coin in the fountain? I feel like that's too many coins close together. This can't possibly go wrong.So...so what does she have? A boarding kennel? A pet store? A vet? All of the above?Keane Wynnters... that's a name. I'm just not convinced he's hot enough to pull that off.They're not penises! OMG - it's December and they've got bells on. Only an idiot would think they're penises. Don't marry that one, Willa.Oh, flashback. Always good.Ah, so she's been tossing a penny in since she wanted Keane to notice her. Cliché much?I love the house though.Not her house. Sad face.What was that? He had a dizzy spell because magic penny?No, heights phobia. Boring.Out of staples? She's not an idiot. Is she?Dog wedding. In December. Christmas themed. Oi.Archer and Spencer. They can handle those names.. Only best friends? No. Bad brain.Naw, they're all BFF bravado on him.Aw! All the puppers are at the wedding!Fastest wedding in history?Oh God. This movie is all sorts of suggestive. Much better than Hallmark
December 13, 2019
On the fourteenth day of Christmas...
...I socialised like the human adult I'm not.24 days of Christmas
Each day of Christmas, I'll be reviewing a Christmas movie and sharing a new Christmas outfit. Today's tee expresses my love for social situations (guys, I love you dearly, but pants!). Unfortunately, it's going to be upwards of 40 degrees Celsius this coming week, so I won't be able to make this a fixture of my wardrobe.As promised, I also have another gem of an Aussie Christmas carol for you. Please do not judge me by the weirdness of my country. I promise we're the good kind of weird.On this, the fourteenth day of Christmas, I'm back on Hallmark movies.
Christmas Incorporated - 3.5/5 glittery tree topper starsTee hee, so this one's another Hallmark movie. My bad. I can't remember if I knew this or not. But I'd heard it was awesome so I had to watch it. And, it wasn't too bad really. I had some issues with it - because I'm getting mighty picky and demanding of my Christmas movies now.This movie opens with Riley Vance (played by Shenae Grimes-Beech - I've never heard of her before, but it seems polite to put their names in. Plus she reminded me of Anna Kendrick and we all know how much I love her) looking for a new job. At first, she's unhirable because she doesn't already have a job - in some weird-arse movie logic that probably happens far too often in real life for comfort. Then she hasn't got the right experience - fair enough in my opinion. Then, she gets the job but only because she's the wrong Riley V. Now, we don't just have a boss-PA relationship being set-up here, but also a mistaken identity romance. I was going to get down for this.Meeting our male lead in William Young (played by Steve Lund) was a touch confusing. He was good-looking enough to be a bit of a jerk. But he wasn't really. Did he have a chip on his shoulder? Something to prove? Was he just a Grinch? They set all these things up, but as a character he didn't act like he had these back stories. He was nice enough, he laughed, he smiled, he was incredibly polite and didn't bustle into interactions all overly arrogant and expectant. Which made him a really weird romance lead. On one hand, it felt like the movie was lacking with none of these major tropes. On the other, it made for a super productive and conducive to setting up the sweet romance. I was just so confused about whether I like it or not.There was a mean reporter because, a town full of overly friendly people who had the introvert in me shrinking in terror, and a toy factory. It all came together with all the cliché you want in a Hallmark movie - all my predictions came true and, instead of feeling annoyingly unsurprised, I felt quite satisfied. I think this is one of those films where I would have been quite sad if they'd suddenly veered off-script and given me some originality. It might have been my mood, it might have been that, by the end, my Christmas movie expecations had lowered again. But whatever the reason, I was happy with it.So I give this one 3.5/5 glittery tree topper stars. It was good. It left me feeling warm and fuzzy and I really enjoyed watching it. But I'm not going to run out and watch it again straight away. It had everything I wanted in a Hallmark Christmas movie with the romance and the small town and the decorations - SOOO many decorations, I was truly jealous. It was sweet and heartwarming, and quite a nice bit of Holiday escapism.If you've got a suggestion for a movie, leave it in the comments. You'll find the play-by-play below the trailer.You can check out the (best I could find) trailer below (fingers crossed there isn't any regional bollocks that gets in the way).Christmas Incorporated brain vomit:Yay Hallmark!What a bitch.He wasn't quite so bad.Who is William Young?Now that's Christmas decorating!! That's Christmas dressing. Good dedication, people.What a positive young woman - there's no way he's going to be a grumpy Darcy-typeOkay, so he's not a Darcy, he's a douche. Brilliant.Insufferable Christmas cheer? So he's Scrooge McDouche? (As opposed to Scrooge McDuck... get it?)Everyone is too friendly. Like not too much for a Hallmark movie. But too much for my introverted arse.That is an appropriate amount of garland.Haha jail. Ain't no one cares about your fancy credentials here, boy. Except the mayor, he's right up William's arse.Who doesn't like Christmas?
Each day of Christmas, I'll be reviewing a Christmas movie and sharing a new Christmas outfit. Today's tee expresses my love for social situations (guys, I love you dearly, but pants!). Unfortunately, it's going to be upwards of 40 degrees Celsius this coming week, so I won't be able to make this a fixture of my wardrobe.As promised, I also have another gem of an Aussie Christmas carol for you. Please do not judge me by the weirdness of my country. I promise we're the good kind of weird.On this, the fourteenth day of Christmas, I'm back on Hallmark movies.Christmas Incorporated - 3.5/5 glittery tree topper starsTee hee, so this one's another Hallmark movie. My bad. I can't remember if I knew this or not. But I'd heard it was awesome so I had to watch it. And, it wasn't too bad really. I had some issues with it - because I'm getting mighty picky and demanding of my Christmas movies now.This movie opens with Riley Vance (played by Shenae Grimes-Beech - I've never heard of her before, but it seems polite to put their names in. Plus she reminded me of Anna Kendrick and we all know how much I love her) looking for a new job. At first, she's unhirable because she doesn't already have a job - in some weird-arse movie logic that probably happens far too often in real life for comfort. Then she hasn't got the right experience - fair enough in my opinion. Then, she gets the job but only because she's the wrong Riley V. Now, we don't just have a boss-PA relationship being set-up here, but also a mistaken identity romance. I was going to get down for this.Meeting our male lead in William Young (played by Steve Lund) was a touch confusing. He was good-looking enough to be a bit of a jerk. But he wasn't really. Did he have a chip on his shoulder? Something to prove? Was he just a Grinch? They set all these things up, but as a character he didn't act like he had these back stories. He was nice enough, he laughed, he smiled, he was incredibly polite and didn't bustle into interactions all overly arrogant and expectant. Which made him a really weird romance lead. On one hand, it felt like the movie was lacking with none of these major tropes. On the other, it made for a super productive and conducive to setting up the sweet romance. I was just so confused about whether I like it or not.There was a mean reporter because, a town full of overly friendly people who had the introvert in me shrinking in terror, and a toy factory. It all came together with all the cliché you want in a Hallmark movie - all my predictions came true and, instead of feeling annoyingly unsurprised, I felt quite satisfied. I think this is one of those films where I would have been quite sad if they'd suddenly veered off-script and given me some originality. It might have been my mood, it might have been that, by the end, my Christmas movie expecations had lowered again. But whatever the reason, I was happy with it.So I give this one 3.5/5 glittery tree topper stars. It was good. It left me feeling warm and fuzzy and I really enjoyed watching it. But I'm not going to run out and watch it again straight away. It had everything I wanted in a Hallmark Christmas movie with the romance and the small town and the decorations - SOOO many decorations, I was truly jealous. It was sweet and heartwarming, and quite a nice bit of Holiday escapism.If you've got a suggestion for a movie, leave it in the comments. You'll find the play-by-play below the trailer.You can check out the (best I could find) trailer below (fingers crossed there isn't any regional bollocks that gets in the way).Christmas Incorporated brain vomit:Yay Hallmark!What a bitch.He wasn't quite so bad.Who is William Young?Now that's Christmas decorating!! That's Christmas dressing. Good dedication, people.What a positive young woman - there's no way he's going to be a grumpy Darcy-typeOkay, so he's not a Darcy, he's a douche. Brilliant.Insufferable Christmas cheer? So he's Scrooge McDouche? (As opposed to Scrooge McDuck... get it?)Everyone is too friendly. Like not too much for a Hallmark movie. But too much for my introverted arse.That is an appropriate amount of garland.Haha jail. Ain't no one cares about your fancy credentials here, boy. Except the mayor, he's right up William's arse.Who doesn't like Christmas?
On (Friday) the thirteenth day of Christmas...
...I get into the holiday spirit. Double the holiday spirit.24 days of Christmas
Each day of Christmas, I'll be reviewing a Christmas movie and sharing a new Christmas outfit. For a Friday the thirteenth in December, it was impossible not to go Jack Skellington today. In fact, it would have been a travesty. So, loathe to not take every opportunity to combine my two favourite holidays, here I am.I was even organised enough to get this done before the end of the 13th in Oz. Because I'm trying out this new thing where I'm an organised human being for once. We'll see how long it lasts, lol.As promised, I'm also adding an Australian Christmas carol (regional bollocks allowing, so fingers crossed it works) for the last twelve days of Christmas. I give you Aussie Jingle Bells.The standard and expected movie for Friday the thirteenth of December is undoubtedly A Nightmare Before Christmas - I wore the t-shirt to prove it. I watched it - of course I did - and have been singing 'Kidnap the Sandy Claws' ever since. BUT, I thought we'd go with something less predictable. And holy hells, was I impressed.
Anna and the Apocalypse - 5/5 candy canesWe started out watching Krampus: the Christmas Devil (2013). We got maybe ten minutes in before we had to turn it off - the production was just so low and the actors just unbearable that we couldn't continue. Which was a shame, because it opened with an attempted drowning and I was interested to see what they did with the Krampus legend. But it wasn't worth it. So we trolled through the movies to see what else we had in the horror Christmas genre. And we came upon Anna and the Apocalypse again.I know I gushed over A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish and said if I found a better movie than that I was going to have to find something more disastrous than eating my hat, but Anna and the Apocalypse gave it a serious run for its money. Christmas Wish pulls ahead by a whisker if only for the tighter Christmas vibes. I wasn't expecting a lot out of Anna to be honest. I didn't expect much in the way of production. I anticipated a C-movie at best with cheap gore and awful songs. But this movie was brilliant and I spent the whole time with a smile on my face.I went into it knowing very little - it was a musical, horror, comedy, Christmas film where the characters have to "fight, slash and sing their way to survival" (IMBb) - so I was super surprised to end up watching High School Musical meets Shaun of the Dead. This movie stars a bunch of relative unknowns as highs choolers just trying to survive the usual trials and tribulations of high school and the Holiday season, when a virus escapes. Et voila, now it's a whole different kind of survival.This movie had some depth to it, there was some character growth, a bit of a love-triangle, and a kiss-arse young woman in the title role of Anna (Ella Hunt). It looked at family, love, friendship, and getting through that cusp of adulthood. The lyrics and music were catchy and juxtaposed so well with what was actually happening on screen, and both the singing talent of the actors was incredible - I really hope we'll see more of all of them - as well as their acting ability. Ben Wiggins, who played Anna's love interest and bit of a prick Nick, really surprised me with his talent...when I wasn't distracted by those dreamy eyes.Even if it wasn't a Hollywood Ending, I'm giving this movie a full 5/5 candy canes and adding it to the 'annual must-watch list'. I really suggest you do the same. Now, there are definite spoilers in the play-by-play, so I'm adding it after the trailer this time. Let me know what you think of that format.The soundtrack was so unexpectedly awesome, I'm going to try embedding the Spotify playlist here for you (if that fails - find it here).If you've got a suggestion for a movie, leave it in the comments.You can check out the trailer below (fingers crossed there isn't any regional bollocks that gets in the way).Anna and the Apocalypse play-by-play (also known as internal thought vomit). Spoilers ensue.So I've read very little about this other than that there's killing and zombies and singing and dancing.Good, solid start. I mean we're at the credits still. But good.It's british, that's nice.Oh, there's a virus! Wonder what's going to happen
Each day of Christmas, I'll be reviewing a Christmas movie and sharing a new Christmas outfit. For a Friday the thirteenth in December, it was impossible not to go Jack Skellington today. In fact, it would have been a travesty. So, loathe to not take every opportunity to combine my two favourite holidays, here I am.I was even organised enough to get this done before the end of the 13th in Oz. Because I'm trying out this new thing where I'm an organised human being for once. We'll see how long it lasts, lol.As promised, I'm also adding an Australian Christmas carol (regional bollocks allowing, so fingers crossed it works) for the last twelve days of Christmas. I give you Aussie Jingle Bells.The standard and expected movie for Friday the thirteenth of December is undoubtedly A Nightmare Before Christmas - I wore the t-shirt to prove it. I watched it - of course I did - and have been singing 'Kidnap the Sandy Claws' ever since. BUT, I thought we'd go with something less predictable. And holy hells, was I impressed.Anna and the Apocalypse - 5/5 candy canesWe started out watching Krampus: the Christmas Devil (2013). We got maybe ten minutes in before we had to turn it off - the production was just so low and the actors just unbearable that we couldn't continue. Which was a shame, because it opened with an attempted drowning and I was interested to see what they did with the Krampus legend. But it wasn't worth it. So we trolled through the movies to see what else we had in the horror Christmas genre. And we came upon Anna and the Apocalypse again.I know I gushed over A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish and said if I found a better movie than that I was going to have to find something more disastrous than eating my hat, but Anna and the Apocalypse gave it a serious run for its money. Christmas Wish pulls ahead by a whisker if only for the tighter Christmas vibes. I wasn't expecting a lot out of Anna to be honest. I didn't expect much in the way of production. I anticipated a C-movie at best with cheap gore and awful songs. But this movie was brilliant and I spent the whole time with a smile on my face.I went into it knowing very little - it was a musical, horror, comedy, Christmas film where the characters have to "fight, slash and sing their way to survival" (IMBb) - so I was super surprised to end up watching High School Musical meets Shaun of the Dead. This movie stars a bunch of relative unknowns as highs choolers just trying to survive the usual trials and tribulations of high school and the Holiday season, when a virus escapes. Et voila, now it's a whole different kind of survival.This movie had some depth to it, there was some character growth, a bit of a love-triangle, and a kiss-arse young woman in the title role of Anna (Ella Hunt). It looked at family, love, friendship, and getting through that cusp of adulthood. The lyrics and music were catchy and juxtaposed so well with what was actually happening on screen, and both the singing talent of the actors was incredible - I really hope we'll see more of all of them - as well as their acting ability. Ben Wiggins, who played Anna's love interest and bit of a prick Nick, really surprised me with his talent...when I wasn't distracted by those dreamy eyes.Even if it wasn't a Hollywood Ending, I'm giving this movie a full 5/5 candy canes and adding it to the 'annual must-watch list'. I really suggest you do the same. Now, there are definite spoilers in the play-by-play, so I'm adding it after the trailer this time. Let me know what you think of that format.The soundtrack was so unexpectedly awesome, I'm going to try embedding the Spotify playlist here for you (if that fails - find it here).If you've got a suggestion for a movie, leave it in the comments.You can check out the trailer below (fingers crossed there isn't any regional bollocks that gets in the way).Anna and the Apocalypse play-by-play (also known as internal thought vomit). Spoilers ensue.So I've read very little about this other than that there's killing and zombies and singing and dancing.Good, solid start. I mean we're at the credits still. But good.It's british, that's nice.Oh, there's a virus! Wonder what's going to happen
December 11, 2019
On the twelfth day of Christmas...
...I have an unimpressed photo-bomber.24 days of Christmas
Each day of Christmas, I'll be reviewing a Christmas movie and sharing a new Christmas outfit. I've forgone any attempt at self-satisfaction with these pictures - The likelihood we'll manage (what I think of as) a good picture of me in anything other than the same boring pose each day is minimal. So, I chose fun instead.There was some vogue-ing going on today, and someone was displeased with the shenanigans. I'm still not sure if it's because we woke him up or if he's just a humbug now he's six.On day 11, I'm back to Netflix - my bad - and a very fuzzy title image.
Holiday in the Wild - 2/5 candy canesNow, admittedly this was also a Netflix movie, but in my defense...elephants. adorable baby elephants being all saved and romance and Christmas. Add in the allure of Rob Lowe... How could you say no to that? I mean, really.Holiday in the Wild follows Kate's (Kristin Davis) journey of self-rediscovery after her husband abruptly ends their marriage. She's booked them a second honeymoon in Africa in order to reconnect after their son goes off to college. Obviously, with their marriage ended, Kate goes to Africa alone. Whereupon she meets Derek (Rob Lowe). Naturally their first meeting goes poorly - although Derek does get some lobster out of it, so not a total loss. The next day, Kate is off on a plane for a five star safari and who is the pilot? Yup, none other than Derek. On the way, Derek makes a stop to rescue a baby elephant and the rest, as they say, is history.I had big expectations. And this movie didn't disappoint. There were cute elephants being adorable, there were amazing shots of Africa, there was a sweet romance, and a whole lot of finding yourself. I really enjoyed it. Also, Kristin Davis was super natural and it was so refreshing to see a romance heroine looking like an actual real human woman in a camp in Africa.So...what's with the low candy cane rating? Well, someone thought this was a Christmas movie. I don't know how I got it into my head (probably all those articles and lists adding it to the Netflix Christmas movie releases for the year), but I did. It even started out with a Christmas card photo shoot. But then...there was some Christmas, but really not enough for it to be called a Christmas movie. Any other time of the year, this would get 3.5-4/5 stars. But it's not any other time of the year, it's Christmas and, for the spectacular lack of Christmasness, it can really only receive 2/5 candy canes.Below, I'll give you my play-by-play. As usual, there might be a few spoilers. So if you don't want to risk spoilers and wanna watch the trailer, skip past the dot points.So...Netflix again...my bad.Hang on, it's August?I'd like to be a lady who lunches. As long as lunch doesn't involve pants.Wait for the son to leave? He literally just walked out the door.Is this... is this even a real Christmas movie?Yes, live your best single life!Is that Champagne cold though…?Mm...lobster.Mm...Rob Lowe.Mm...martini.No Rob, Mr Conrad's a dick.Lost his touch? I dunno. Got what he wanted, didn't he?The only true dishevellment is when one has a single rose petal in one's hair.Trekker!! Noice.Or just convenient?Naw, doesn't have a woman he loves...yet
Each day of Christmas, I'll be reviewing a Christmas movie and sharing a new Christmas outfit. I've forgone any attempt at self-satisfaction with these pictures - The likelihood we'll manage (what I think of as) a good picture of me in anything other than the same boring pose each day is minimal. So, I chose fun instead.There was some vogue-ing going on today, and someone was displeased with the shenanigans. I'm still not sure if it's because we woke him up or if he's just a humbug now he's six.On day 11, I'm back to Netflix - my bad - and a very fuzzy title image.Holiday in the Wild - 2/5 candy canesNow, admittedly this was also a Netflix movie, but in my defense...elephants. adorable baby elephants being all saved and romance and Christmas. Add in the allure of Rob Lowe... How could you say no to that? I mean, really.Holiday in the Wild follows Kate's (Kristin Davis) journey of self-rediscovery after her husband abruptly ends their marriage. She's booked them a second honeymoon in Africa in order to reconnect after their son goes off to college. Obviously, with their marriage ended, Kate goes to Africa alone. Whereupon she meets Derek (Rob Lowe). Naturally their first meeting goes poorly - although Derek does get some lobster out of it, so not a total loss. The next day, Kate is off on a plane for a five star safari and who is the pilot? Yup, none other than Derek. On the way, Derek makes a stop to rescue a baby elephant and the rest, as they say, is history.I had big expectations. And this movie didn't disappoint. There were cute elephants being adorable, there were amazing shots of Africa, there was a sweet romance, and a whole lot of finding yourself. I really enjoyed it. Also, Kristin Davis was super natural and it was so refreshing to see a romance heroine looking like an actual real human woman in a camp in Africa.So...what's with the low candy cane rating? Well, someone thought this was a Christmas movie. I don't know how I got it into my head (probably all those articles and lists adding it to the Netflix Christmas movie releases for the year), but I did. It even started out with a Christmas card photo shoot. But then...there was some Christmas, but really not enough for it to be called a Christmas movie. Any other time of the year, this would get 3.5-4/5 stars. But it's not any other time of the year, it's Christmas and, for the spectacular lack of Christmasness, it can really only receive 2/5 candy canes.Below, I'll give you my play-by-play. As usual, there might be a few spoilers. So if you don't want to risk spoilers and wanna watch the trailer, skip past the dot points.So...Netflix again...my bad.Hang on, it's August?I'd like to be a lady who lunches. As long as lunch doesn't involve pants.Wait for the son to leave? He literally just walked out the door.Is this... is this even a real Christmas movie?Yes, live your best single life!Is that Champagne cold though…?Mm...lobster.Mm...Rob Lowe.Mm...martini.No Rob, Mr Conrad's a dick.Lost his touch? I dunno. Got what he wanted, didn't he?The only true dishevellment is when one has a single rose petal in one's hair.Trekker!! Noice.Or just convenient?Naw, doesn't have a woman he loves...yet
