Movies to watch if you like... "Game of Thrones"

The fifth season of "Game of Thrones" has begun!
That means those of us who have the patience and the memory capacity to still be watching this show will want nothing more than to consume everything Westros.

My history with the show is very much like most. All of my friends had read the book and had been obsessed with the show since the beginning. But I had my own shows ("Once Upon a Time") to keep characters straight and didn't have the time or patience to sit through the three seasons I had missed.

This was quickly remedied by my roommate who had every season on DVD and together, for about a month, we marathoned from the beginning. That was quite an exhausting month let me tell you. I wanted to take a break after The Red Wedding, but she convinced me that things had just gotten started.

As of today, I am still a season behind but absolutely love the show. I have also learned to watch it by myself. In my own room. With the doors closed. You never know what craziness is going to pop up in this show.

So because I know the show has gained such a huge following and I really need to get myself up to speed, I decided to put together a list of movies to get viewers in the mood to return to Westros.

Please enjoy!

Dragonheart (1996)

Ok, so Daeny's dragons don't talk or sound like Sean Connery. But there are dragons in this movie and weird dragon magic.

The Princess Bride (1987)

A key plot of revenge-- Wouldn't it be fantastic if Arya went up to Joffrey and said,"You killed my father. Prepare to die."? Some romance-- definitely not as steamy or as twisted but it still counts. These two can be compared to Jon and Ygritte in the Fire Swamp- but Ygritte gets to be Westley because she knows what the heck she's doing.

The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003)

You won't be able to pronounce half of the characters names. There is tons of weird magic- including one scary sorceress. And you get to see Ned alive ... oh, wait. Never mind.

First Knight (1995)

Another story about a good king whose kingdom all wants to betray him. ... Wait, was there a good king in this show?

The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)

The ultimate revenge story with violence and betrayal and people who say they are friends but really aren't.

The Mists of Avalon (2001)

You need a movie of kick-ass, powerful women who hold the palm of a kingdom in their hands. Who rule the world? GIRLS!

Kingdom of Heaven (2005)

Orlando Bloom and Kit Harington look EXACTLY THE SAME! In this movie, Bloom finds himself in the Crusades- the ultimate battle of violence- and the protection of a "wall" of sorts- Jerusalem.

300 (2006)

Violence. So much violence. And Lena Heady! But this time she's good. And there's no creepy romance involved.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

Kit Harington AND dragons! Check out my review here.

The Other Woman (2014)

For the times you want to punch Jaime Lannister in the face... Check out my review here.

In Review: "Woman in Gold"

A movie about the power of art and its connection to the past.

The Story

It's the true story about a woman who wants to get back a painting of her aunt that was stolen from her. The painting is one of Gustav Klimt's most famous paintings-- "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I" otherwise known as "Woman in Gold", Oh, and the people who stole it from her-- the Nazis. Years later, when she is an old woman, she wants to get it back but by then, the painting has become the prized possession of Austria, nearly impossible for her to retrieve. But with the help from a out-of-luck lawyer, she travels back to Austria and back to the shadows of her past to get back what is rightfully hers.

The Stars

Helen Mirren plays the main character Maria Altman, a woman of unpredictable gumption and spunk. As expected, Mirren is comical and lovable while being the sassy grandma you wish you had. Ryan Reynolds has a complicated character to play. Randoul Schoenberg, great-grandson of the famous composer Arnold Schoenberg, is kind of a pathetic character who seems to be way over his head with this case. From the beginning, the only thing the audience sees is his failures and the fact that he is related to this semi-famous person. We can't possibly understand why this old lady asked this inexperienced kid to help her win this lifelong case. But then we see him grow, just a glimpse. It's not a full blown character transformation, but we get a glimpse of why this case means so much to him. And it's enough to tolerate his character and crack a smile at him every once and a while.

The Message

Art is a living breathing piece of the past that stretches across generations, across centuries to remind us to move forward. Art was all the freedom these people had. They could not speak up but they could sing. They could not hold protests but they could hold a cello in their arms and play. They could not look upon their loved ones anymore but they had the objects they left behind. She had the painting. Now I pray that there will never come a day when a single man can seize the world in a crippling fear. But the only way to do that is to remember that it did happen and millions paid for the fear and hatred of others with their lives. And to this day, there are still wrongs to be righted, possessions that have not been returned and scars that have never healed. But for this woman this painting this canvas of color and shine healed a piece of her broken heart by reminding her that our home is not where we live or where we were born. But the people we share our lives with. They mean everything.

Overall

This case is not what you watch CSI for, or SVU or even the West Wing. There are no dead bodies. No murder weapons. No scandals. It's a paper case driven by hard facts and started by people who are already buried in the ground. You shouldn't watch this movie for the thrill of the case. And most people won't understand this woman's connection to a piece of art, and why, when she is so old, does she still need to get it back.

The people who should watch this movie is someone who is fascinated by art. Not just thinks walking through an art museum is a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon. But someone who really gets it. Really feels for the artist who slaved over the a canvas for months, sometimes years, to create something out of nothing. Doesn't have to be someone who is artistically gifted. Just someone who understands why artists paint, draw, sing, play, dance, write and whatever else they feel like doing. Someone who is appalled by the injustice of art being destroyed, outlawed, art programs in schools being ended, and art being hidden from sight. That's what this movie is about. It's about a terrible injustice that was done many years ago-- their art, their lives, their souls were stolen from them.

3 out of 4 Paintings

(This is the real life Maria Altman with the famous painting of her aunt)

If this is a subject you are passionate about, here are more movies and documentaries about the art of WWII:
"Monuments Men" (2014)
"The Rape of Europa" (2006)
"Adele's Wish" (2008)
"Stealing Klimt" (2007)
"The Train" (1964)

Kids Movies No Kid Should Watch List

WARNING: Spoilers and serious chills ahead

I mentioned in my last post that I have a list of kids movies that should not be called kids movies-- they are inappropriate or extremely scary. These movies happen to be ones that almost every parent deems fit to show your small children, but really should be thinking twice about. I am no parent, but after watching these movies as an adult, I can't help but to raise an eyebrow and say, "I watch this when I was a kid?"

1. Monster House (2006)

A house that eats children. Not even on Halloween! That goes way beyond a ghost in a house or a monster under the bed in a house. The whole house is trying to kill you!

2. All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)

Just because a movie is a cartoon that does not mean that it is meant for children. This is not a cute and cuddly animated movie about a dog and a little girl. It's about a cheating, lying, stealing dog who dies and then uses a cute little orphan girl to get back at his killer. The movie even shows kids what hell looks like.

3. Labyrinth (1986)

The very first time I watched this movie was at my aunt and uncle's house. I will never forget sitting on the bed with my cousins and we popped the movie into a VHS player. My aunt had assured me that I would love the movie being a fan of all things fantasy and sharing her love of fairies. I saw this single shot (pictured above), freaked out, and shut the tape off immediately. The creepy little creatures stealing the baby out of his crib had terrified me. It was not til I was fully grown that I attempted to watch it again. And then there were even more scary parts that I was glad I had missed as a child (the talking hands!!)

4. Return to Oz (1985)

What could be harmless about a little Wizard of Oz story? Everything. The 1935 Oz is very different from the Baum Oz. This movie is based off of the Baum version complete with a pumpkin-headed scarecrow and an evil with named Mombi who has a removable head and a whole room where she keeps her others . By the way, it was no picnic coming back to Kansas either. Dorothy was tortured with electroshock therapy to try her to get rid of the "dream" of Oz. Oh yeah, and it's a Disney movie.

5. The Witches (1990)

Another movie I waited to watch until I was grown. It's about a little boy who goes on vacation with his parents and happens to stay in a hotel inhabited by witches. And not your average witches, these are witches who eat children, use chocolate and candy to lore them away from their families, and then tear off their faces to reveal their true ugliness. This is the stuff of nightmares.

6. All the Indiana Jones Movies (except the 4th one) (1981, 1984, 1989)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

There is a way to get around these movies traumatizing your children. I successfully watched all of them before I turned 13 and I only had nightmares from "Last Crusade". Tell your kids to cover their eyes at the right moments-- before the evil priest ribs the guys heart out ("Temple"), before the Nazis get incinerated by the power of God ("Ark") and before the evil German dude turns to ash after drinking from the wrong cup ("Crusade"). These are classic adventure movies that every kid needs to watch at some point in their life (skip the 4th one though, not worth it). So a little terror won't hurt them.

7. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

You know the scene I'm talking about. Before you even got to this one, you knew it was on this list. The tunnel boat scene. It's the quintessential WTF scene. There is no purpose to scare the living daylights out of these kids and parents (honestly, they go through enough already), but the scene is still there.

8. Gremlins (1984)

#1 This is not a Christmas movie. #2 This is not a movie made for kids. The mean Gremlins are truly terrifying, there is mention of a death by fireplace on Christmas Eve, and the whole last portion of the movie. Why did he have to feed them after midnight?!!! Cute little Gizmo would have made a perfect kids' movie, but no. He had to feed them and get them wet.

9. Coraline (2009)

I only recently watched this movie for the first time. Mainly because of the movie description. It's about a girl who finds her way into a parallel universe where everything seems happy-go-lucky but is far from it. Her "parents" want to keep her in their world forever by replacing her eyes with buttons! And turn her into a zombie! And her Other Mother, as she is called, turns out to be a horrifying spider/anorexic monster!

10. The Dark Crystal (1982)

Just because it's Jim Henson (man who made "The Muppets") doesn't mean it's for kids. It's about a monkey-looking race that can only be saved by this lost shard of an ancient crystal and one money-looking thing goes looking for it. The creatures are just creepy looking. The evil bird-lizard things that take over are creepy. And the main characters almost look human but certainly are not, which makes them even more creepy.

11. The Black Cauldron (1985)

The forgotten Disney movie is forgotten for a reason. It is not for kids. The villain is an undead skeleton king who wants to raise his army of the undead to kill everyone and to do that they need to sacrifice a magic pig. The skeleton king will bring you nightmares for years. Which is why Disney World has never incorporated this movie into any of their attractions, but I hear that there used to be a walk through ride in Tokyo where you came face-to-face with the skeleton king himself. No thank you.

12. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)

I will never forget the first time I watched this movie. It was on a Snow Day. My siblings and I had just come from playing in the snow for hours outside. We were all excited because my dad had brought home a projector attached to a VHS player from his work. For some reason, we had rented "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"- something my parents had seen and thought we would like it. My sister did not. I can still remember her cowering under a blanket when she saw the Child Catcher- which is a pretty creepy concept in and of itself.

Extra: There are also parents who should really read the rating (to dad that took little kids to see R-rated "Watchmen") and the story description (to the parents who took their 7-year-old to see "Hunger Games" 2-- it's a war movie!!). Have any bad parenting at the movies stories? Any movies that terrified you as a child that I missed? Please comment and share!