Marvel-ous

Sometimes I get the desire to blog but don't have an immediate idea of what to talk about. Now would be one of those times. However, in looking at what I've posted previously, I think I'll discuss the end of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). I will try very hard to keep what I say spoiler free as I know it can be hard to see movies right when they come out, even if you really really want to.
Before I tackle Endgame, I want to talk about Captain Marvel. I went into the theater expecting to like it, but I purposely tried not to learn too much about it beforehand. I've learned that doing this can really ruin your experience with a movie, so I now try to go into them knowing very little. Take my experience with Crimson Peak a few years ago. It was marketed as a horror movie, so that's what I expected and wanted to see. It is not a horror movie at all. Tom Hiddleston was right in saying it's a love story that happens to have ghosts. If I hadn't gone into it expecting something so different from what it was, I may not have been so disappointed. I won't wait any longer to say I. LOVED. IT. Captain Marvel gave me hope. Call me overdramatic or stupid, it did. Brie Larson, who plays Carol, summed up my feelings exactly here:

Those are the things that I learned too. It was so refreshing to see issues that women face daily being tackled on the big screen, like being told to smile, or to prove ourselves to men. It's really difficult to put words into how this movie made me feel, but suffice it to say that I was not prepared for it!! But Carol is my new favorite and I don't see that changing. (Even with her terrible hair in Endgame. I know that's how it is in the comics but I still hate it.)
Now....on to Endgame. Dun dun DUUUNNNNN!!! Hahaha, couldn't stop myself. It's crazy to think that this journey we've been on with these characters for 10-some odd years is now complete. I say complete instead of over, because I feel it wrapped everything up really well and didn't leave anything lacking. Others disagree with me, I'm sure, but this is my blog so I'm going to write my opinions. I've seen Endgame twice, and it's much better the second time around. The first time is (at least for me) so stressful because you don't know what's going to happen to who. The second time you can just relax and enjoy how well everything comes together. I cried tears of joy and sorrow. I know I'm not alone in that, so I feel less dumb admitting it. Again I'm finding it hard to explain how I feel about it. One thing that resonated with me that I will attempt to mention without spoilers is the concept of being worthy. Someone who thought they had lost their worthiness and value because of failing with Thanos was proven wrong. I really enjoyed that, as I've been struggling with my own worth for a while now. So lately Marvel has knocked it out of the park for me. For a lot of this time, I enjoyed the movies and the stories of the heroes, but I never really got the full of effect of what they can do for some people. But I get it now. And for that I am incredibly grateful to Stan Lee and Marvel and all those who have been involved in this universe.

When there's no more room in hell, the dead shall walk the earth

I did it!!! I finally finished going through my list of classic horror movies!! It took longer than intended, but isn't that how everything in life goes? Since I've already talked about some trends I've noticed in the movies, I'm just going to touch on a few that stand out.

Psycho

Norman Bates is one of the best creeps, psychos (ha!), oddballs, whatever you want to call him that I have seen in a long time. (I know this movie came out in the 60s, I'm just saying.) I loved to watch his twisted, subtly building creepiness. So, so good.  This was a highly entertaining slow burn that I could make a tradition of watching every Halloween. Will I? I don't know, that idea truly just came to me as I'm typing.

A Nightmare on Elm Street

I don't even know where to start with this movie. I freaking LOVE it. It made me laugh out loud due to some cheesiness, but also has some genuinely creepy concepts. Robert Englund is amazing as Freddy. Wes Craven is the king of horror, not John Carpenter. Sorry, not sorry. I've even watched almost all the sequels because I love Freddy that much. 

Evil Dead

Ah, the cult classic. I had major gaps in my knowledge. And I have some questions now. Why is Ash's iconic chainsaw hand not present until roughly 3/4 of the way into Evil Dead 2?! And was it intentionally as terrible as it is? Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate it. But I somehow had no idea that it was so bad. Also...the laughing deer head in Evil Dead 2?...and people think I'm crazy for my fear of taxidermy. That thing gave me ALL THE NOPES. Also, Norman Bates and his birds? I AM NOT INSANE. TAXIDERMY IS USED IN HORROR BECAUSE IT'S CREEPY AF. Ahem.

The Babadook

 This movie...I still don't even totally know what to say about it. It's hard to watch at times because of how the mom treats her son. It isn't as in your face scary as most movies, it's definitely more psychological. Normally I like this, but the ending kind of ruined the movie for me. I won't spoil it, and I'm not angry I watched it, but I feel like it's in a league of its own. If you want to watch it, I definitely think you should, but it's very difficult to describe.

Silence of the Lambs

 I love the character Hannibal Lecter. There, I said it. He's deliciously evil. Anthony Hopkins' and Mads Mikkelsen's portrayals really can't be compared. They're both great for their own reasons and I loved seeing this one since I watched the tv show first. I definitely plan to watch the other movies in this series.

Rosemary's Baby

This one made me truly uncomfortable. Maybe it's because what I've been through with pregnancies, but I do not recommend it. It wasn't the fun kind of uncomfortable or scary and I truly felt awful for Rosemary. Honestly, this one gave me worse feelings than The Exorcist.

Child's Play

I didn't think I'd like this movie as much as I did. All the craziness at the end won me over with this one, although I don't plan on watching the sequels. I guess it illustrates how much the ending of a movie really can make it or break it.

Some final thoughts-Hollywood tends to ruin Stephen King's concepts. Carrie was terrible and The Shining could have been much better. I am very grateful that George A. Romero started the zombie craze and I enjoyed seeing where that whole genre started. And The Exorcist...yes, I watched it and didn't feel it was scary. I really felt like a lot of what was done was done for pure shock value and so it fell flat for me. I also didn't realize how much of Dracula was just Bela Lugosi staring at the camera. And he had armadillos! I read somewhere that the reason they used armadillos was because at the time, they weren't a widely known creature so people would think they were more otherworldly. How funny is that?! It's been really fun to see the origins of some things and fill the gaps in my horror knowledge.