Up and down and all around the year has wound down to it’s end and another ramps on up, up, YUP!

I’ve been so lax in giving myself time, time to write and share my ramblings as I’ve devoted my focus to my kiddo, full on just taking it day by day and enjoying family mode. I’m happily giving kiddo my attention along with My Guy Dave (MGD). Dave and I love being parents, yup.

And through the day to day, ups and downs and this and that I’ve managed to do some movie watching here and there…this year it really wasn’t a lot of movie, le sigh, but I found a few new discoveries, watched a few extra bits of tv shows (lots of kiddo’s TV shows and movie parts/pieces) and well, my to watch list has grown EVEN longer, but here’s to more tomorrows to do some catching up. wink. Good Vibes.

I don’t quite see pandemic life as finally over, and I’m still being careful and wearing my mask when out and about inside place, and that’s right for me, but I did manage to make it to a movie theater, twice. My movie outings were moral imperatives and so I just had to go.

First up my big return to a movie theater was for DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS directed by my favorite director Sam Raimi. My dad and I went to the movies together and it was a blast. I loved it, I love Raimi directing and Bruce Campbell had great cameo bits so it delivered for this silly fangirl! yup.

My next theater outing was for a memorial at the Aero in Santa Monica for actor Clu Gulager who passed in 2022. It was a celebration for Clu and his wife Miriam Byrd-Nethery put on by Clu’s son John and daughter-in-law Diane. I was a bit late to the memorial but still elated I was there. The memorial was beautiful and it was great to see so many of Clu and Miriam’s times together on the big screen. John asked for us all to remember Clu as long as we could so that he’s not forgotten. Clu has long been a favorite of mine and I have had a tribute post in the works but so it goes, I didn’t get it done. But here and now I’ll share a bit more. To remember Clu!

Being an avid movie watcher I knew of Clu, my dad had shown me some of his movies, we had seen him in Tapeheads, so yes, we were fans. One night while standing in line at a midnight movie at the Nuart, with my dad, we noticed an older fella at the front of the line and my dad said to me, that’s Clu Gulager. Well we were too shy to do much more than but be happy to see him out and about. But, as it went along I went to a screening of FEAST in Hollywood and met Clu after while getting autographs. Clu said to me he liked my hair!! HEEE!!!! Well, after that I’d see Clu at other screenings and then when I was at the height of my New Beverly adventures I got to share many a line with Clu and had the awesome times of chats and movie watching with him. I really did think I’d get one more chance to watch one more movie with him, cheers Clu. Yup!

Keep remembering Clu Gulager! YUP YUP YUP! I will all my days! God Speed Clu and Miriam.

Now, I bring to you my movie watching tally:

    1. THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT (1974)
    2. LUXURY LINER (1948)
    3. ETERNALS (2021)
    4. SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE 2 (1987)
    5. THE NEXT KARATE KID (1994)
    6. MATCHMAKER MYSTERIES: A KILLER ENGAGEMENT (2021)
    7. ENCANTO (2021)
    8. AT LONG LAST (1975)
    9. THE ATOMIC CITY (1952)
    10. ZOUZOU (1934)
    11. MURDER, HE SAYS (1945)
    12. MISS FISHER AND THE CRYPT OF TEARS (2020)
    13. PRINCESS TAM-TAM (1935)
    14. POT ‘O GOLD (1941)
    15. THE NEPTUNE FACTOR (1973)
    16. FREE GUY (2021)
    17. KIMI (2022)
    18. DON’T LOOK UP (2021)
    19. MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944) *resee
    20. HONOLULU (1939)
    21. THE ADAM PROJECT (2022)
    22. TURNING RED (2022)
    23. THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART (2019)
    24. BREWSTER MCCLOUD (1970)
    25. LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1986) *resee
    26. SPIDERMAN NO WAY HOME (2021)
    27. KURT VONNEGUT UNSTUCK IN TIME (2021)
    28. STARSTRUCK (1982)
    29. CHIP & DALE RESCUE RANGERS (2022)
    30. MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO (1986) *resee
    31. DR. STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS (2022)
    32. THE BATMAN (2022)
    33. THE GRAYMAN (2022)
    34. DANGEROUSLY CLOSE (1986)
    35. THE NIGHT MUST FALL (1937)
    36. SHIPS AHOY (1942)
    37. THOR LOVE & THUNDER (2022)
    38. I LOVE MELVIN (1953)
    39. HOCUS POCUS 2 (2022)
    40. HOCUS POCUS (1993)
    41. BARBARIAN (2022)
    42. SEE HOW THEY RUN (2022)
    43. DRESSED TO KILL (1946)
    44. MY SOUTHERN FAMILY CHRISTMAS (2022) *BRUCE CAMPBELL HALLMARK! YES!
    45. THE AUTOMAT (2021)
    46. NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989) *resee
    47. GLASS ONION (2022)
    48. ELF (2003) *resee
    49. CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT (1945)
    50. NIGHT WATCH (1973)
    51. THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT PART 2 (1976)

    Highlights, discoveries: Slumber Party Massacre 2, thanks to a twitter pal earlier in the year I found it was streaming where I could watch and having a night to myself I gave it a watch. It was a silly blast. I actually had to wrangle MGD to watch the ending with me as it just made me giddy. A rockin’ and rolling serial killer! I didn’t know how much I needed to see that!

    Josephine Baker movies were such a delight and fun find thanks to Videoteque.

    My most favorite movie discovery was: STARSTRUCK (1982) which I got on DVD from Videotheque. One day at the video store with kiddo she was busy playing with cats Jules and Jade and so I started at the shelf before me and STAR STUCK caught my eye. Reading the description of a musical I knew I had to rent it. Discovering this movie made me a bit happier and my life is better having seen it, yup. (“I’ve got the right to dream.”)

    More on STARSTRUCK, an Australian movie directed by Gillian Armstrong. It’s about a girl Jackie (Jo Kennedy) who wants to be a singing superstar and her very young teenage cousin/brother (not really sure), Angus (Ross O’Donovan) the want to be manger/songwriter is ready to help

    “Do what you want, be what you like, like what you be.” (sing it, live it!)

    From the moment the movie started I knew it was a new favorite, I had to get MGD and watch it from the start with him and I’m happy to report we both fell for this movie. I’m kinda surprised I had never heard of this movie before, a rock and roll musical!!!! Then once we finished the movie, MGD found us the soundtrack, a record and I play it a lot. Then not too long after watching movie I found a YouTube page with all the songs celebrating STARSTRUCK 40th anniversary!!!! Now what I’d give for a big screen viewing of STARSTRUCK!!!!

    NIGHT WATCH (1973) is my most recent discovery as my kiddo now doesn’t nap anymore and goes to bed early I get a little more time to switch channels, hey I like switching channels, anyways. I was watching TCM and NIGHT WATCH was next and I got to watch it from beginning to end. Elizabeth Taylor is a married woman and things aren’t going well and it get worse when she witnesses a body in the house next door. OH gosh, what a fun movie to fall upon and Elizabeth Taylor is just grand, I say nothing more to avoid spoilers for anyone else who wants to tune in. Yup.

    MY FAVORITE 2022 movies: DR STRANGE, THOR LOVE & THUNDER and GLASS ONION. (Hey I don’t watch a lot like I used to and truth be told I really just want fun entertainment right now, I’m not making excuses and I’ll put the heavy stuff on my to watch one day list…)

    The best of the best was watching MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO with my kiddo and my mom. Kiddo watched from beginning to end without getting distracted. It’s a special movie to share with family. Then I even got to craft kiddo a few soot sprites with my felting gear. If all goes well we will all get a chance to see TOTORO on the big screen in 2023.

    For another few tidbit highlights, my favorite TV shows of 2022 were OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH, COBRA KAI, discovering JOE PERA TALK ABOUT…and PAINTING WITH JOHN season 2. Oh and PEACEMAKER and SHE-HULK and WHAT WE DO IN SHADOWS, QUANTUM LEAP and WEREWOLF BY NIGHT, and no way least ANDOR, yeah!

    I didn’t get a chance to read as much as I would like, but I read and loved SHANE (“Man can keep his self respect without having to cram it down another man’s throat.) I read three Lloyd Alexander Books, I can’t wait to read TIME CAT to my kiddo one day. LIARMOUTH: A FEEL BAD ROMANCE by JOHN WATERS was one of the most ridonkulous books ever and I had such an intense ride, I couldn’t put it down having to see where it all ended. FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON was beautiful, so beautiful and heartbreaking. The last book I read in 2022 was MY YEAR OF REST AND RELAXATION by Ohesa Moshfegh and that was another ride of a book I was glad to discover.

    Now the year sure knows how to turn one upside down and all around. My priorities are MGD and our little kiddo. The three of us, growing up, enjoying each day finding fun and happy places. What more could I want? Happy and healthy is my wish for one and all. And though everyday can’t always be happy, I do my best. If I can watch a movie along the way too, there’s more happy indeed, but movies come when I need them most and I’m okay not watching as many as I used to, it’s about quality over quantity, hey it sounds good.

    Well, just as I am a rambling sort; here’s to thinking positive rather than falling to the pessimism that abounds and I’ll not give up on a better tomorrow doing my best to enjoy today and each day as it goes along. yup yup yup. Take care out there, good vibes. YUP!