@hobbit: It definitely took a while before I figured out the time-jumps, haha. But yeah, you're right: the realization of all these pieces converging was cool.

watched several series most of which are not appropriate to post here as they are for adults or upper teens

Watched “Goodbye Christopher Robin” on the way to my friend’s wedding. Not what I expected, but it was good. I’d definitely watch it again.
And then I watched “The Nanny Diaries” on the way back. Not quite what I expected and contained adult themes I didn’t expect. Will not be watching again. Pity that its core message got sullied by some of the other stuff happening. (Though I do have to smile at Chris Evans’ character laughing at Scarlett Johansson’s character’s star-spangled costume, considering he would end up wearing one as a different character some years later.... 😛 Though in all fairness, Captain America does not look as ridiculous as that.)

Most of the tv/Netflix I've been watching lately has been cooking shows because I find them entertaining without taking a lot of brain, and I've been a little under the weather (approximately) and not up for concentrating on complex plotline like I normally could enjoy.
The last movie I saw in theater (because I haven't had a lot of theater money lately) was A Wrinkle In Time, which I have Serious Mixed Feelings about. I might just copy-paste the commentary I gave to a friend, with obvious potential spoiler-warnings.

There were a bunch of little changes which added up, for me, to it having less depth of soul than the book. Was probably my biggest peeve. Mystical spirituality yes. But it felt like more of a hero's journey of self-discovery + family drama and less like - participating in a microcosm of a conflict and a reality much bigger than yourself.

Some of the things I felt like would have deepened it I can understand *why* they were cut or changed, they might have seemed like side-plots which would lengthen the storyline. But it *added up.*

Um - how do I explain.
-The Mrs were never explained on their backstory. They were there as guides, not as Stars, as warriors in their own right who had made sacrifices for the cause and had a personal stake in it.
-Aunt Beast was lampshaded but we didn't really get to meet her. Flipped past an image of her world when we were with the Happy Medium, but the way the confrontation was timed, everything happened in a row rather than that temporary tesser away - which like I said. Timing issues. But it's *valuable* to me thematically to have that idea of Meg being faced with the personhood of creatures radically different than her, and folk with other ways of understanding the world re:sight.
-Camazotz was *surreal* which was very fun for me in some ways, having reality seemingly changing around you is both an interesting visual shorthand of showing It's influence without being able to get a good screen-translation of how telepathy feels, but also - the breakdown and shifting of the illusions implied a lack of civilians. A lack of true civilian casualties outside of the Murrays. Which for one thing rather lowers the stakes, *only* fighting for the family and against evil's influence in the abstract rather than literally being faced with what that evil can do to a human mind and soul if it wins - and for another thing, again as with the Stars' backstory and Aunt Beast - it means less - less part of a - less part of a greater reality, less other worlds to fight for and value of *all* creation not just the earthlings in the equation - I don't know if I am explaining things well.

after my friend expressed concern as to whether "hero's journey" meant making Meg excessively special and deleting the fallible everygirl aspect of her character -

...Well. Not quite as bad as *that* on the hero's journey aspect. <.< She wasn't treated like some kind of anointed one, more like - humanly valuable but initially very bad at seeing and working within her potential. It was more the extent to which she was centerstaged and the sort of feel-good power-up nature of how they spun the ending which felt hero's journey-y to me??

Pluses -
-Mrs Whatsit was kind of a whimsical ditz, which is *not* how I tend to read her on autopilot but it was fun and worked somehow?
-Meg's selfconsciousness read well, as did the painfully awkward school relationships. And Calvin was a sweetheart.
-Charles Wallace: tactless, precocious, loving. *Very Creepy* when possessed. (*Not*, however, visibly borderline psychic. *Why* movie. Kything is such a lovely part of the worldbuilding!)
-their father... I've heard there was a bit of a Doug Gresham and Digory's apple thing going here for the director, bringing her feelings about recently losing her pwn father to the table with Meg's search. And I think it shows. There was some very effective pathos and longing on that front, at least to my reading.

Neutral:
-The Happy Medium is very visibly male?? Like, they weren't a character I had intense feelings about, but I'm not sure why the change.
-Mrs Whatsit's Uriel form being a plant-creature rather than a winged centaur. It *is* more distinctly alien that way and looks kinda cool in flight, but I had very much wanted to see a proper winged centaur-creature, especially after the abhorrent CG in the *old* Wrinkle in Time movie.
-their father being spun as a genius holding correct theories which were viewed as very crackpot in the community rather than being a member of team.

-It being a giant brain instead of a normallish-sized one. Sorta works but. Feel like the old version was better at - banality of evil?

...Anyway. I am glad I got to see it, and Meg was lovely, little selfconscious earnest clever firecracker that she is, but I do wish it had felt more in the spirit of the book to me!

Watched Paul apostle of Christ great movie. Just be careful if you don't know how to see someone in physical pain as there is a bit of that.

IIIIIII am trying to remember if I've seen that one...part of me wants to say I have, but that part might be wrong.

it's from this year hobbit of narnia.

Ah, okay, thanks. Then I'm thinking of a different one.

I recently watched Lady and the Tramp on a really old VHS tape we have. Still love it! (But I need to get a new one because this skiped horribly. 😛 ) And also Thor:Ragnarok which I 90% ish liked. (PM me if you're interested in my review.)

I also finally got around to watching "A United Kingdom" which I really liked. It is about the leader of an african nation who marries a British Woman during the time a nearby neighboring Country South Africa is starting Apartheid and the political fallout surrounding their marriage. It also deals with Predudice. I can't remember much objectional content except maybe some language. (Mostly objectional people and attatudes :P) Please check some reviewing source or have your parents do so.)

Watched “The Darkest Hour” last night (and am about to do so again before I have to return it to the library). There’s some swearing and some adult context to an accidental hand gesture, but apart from those, it’s pretty good. It’s also interesting that the film doesn’t paint Winston Churchill in a fabulous light at all angles: he’s very, very flawed, and yet, it is this man we commemorate so much when we think back on WWII. Makes one think about how God uses the least likely of mankind to fulfill His purposes.

I
Love
Newsies.

Just thought I'd share with yall that awesome thing

Got to do quite a bit of movie watching on my flights to, within and from the US. During the first flight, I broke my headphone jack inside the port and couldn't get any sound so I rewatched the 2012 oscar-winning black and white silent film, The Artist (PG-13). On the next flight, I watched The Greatest Showman for the first time, which was quite different from what I expected. I especially liked the acting, costumes and singing, through I can't decide what I think of the story itself (I was also watching it sleep-deprived).

After that, mostly because I can't sleep on planes, I decided to watch some of the Star Wars films because I know the stories well enought that I can close my eyes while listening or even doze off for a bit and I would still know what was going on. Also it's been quite a long time since I've watched any of the older ones. On 4 of my flights, I managed to get through all the prequels, Rogue One and most of the original trilogy in chronological order. I was two-thirds of the way through Return of the Jedi when I landed in Heathrow and unfortunately my last flight only had The last Jedi available so I had to skip the end of RotJ and The Force Awakens but 7 and a half out of 9 seems like a good achievement. I especially enjoyed watching the originals after Rogue One which I hadn't done before.

p.s. I haven't seen Solo yet; waiting for our cinemas to release it in 2D, which is why I couldn't post about my Star Wars watching in the Star Wars thread.

Ajnos, that's a lot of Star Wars movies to watch all at once; I'm glad you found something to help pass the time on the plane!

We re-watched the Walden/Fox Dawn Treader the other day. I still love watching it, even though it's different from the book. We go from the overly grown-up and cynical PC to this movie that highlights temptation and faith but doesn't really explain either concept as it should be explained. Some changes, like Lucy comparing herself to Susan instead of the ambiguous "beauty beyond the lot of mortals", Edmund trying to enlist in the military, and Eustace thinking that his rowboat can magically propel itself, I really love.

@Pev: Which rendition of Newsies? I love both, but have more inclination to the Broadway.

Saw Doctor Strange yesterday. It was a little unusual with lots and lots of special effects.