The Fall Flim Challenge: October Recap

Since I completed my original challenge list by mid-October, this update is a little early!  I am proud of the fact that I didn't make any changes to my original list.  That means there were some great ones and some terrible ones so be sure to scroll through the entire post.  PS - some of the really good ones are toward the bottom!

10/2 - The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

Watched for any Disney movie.

3 out of 5 stars

 

Disney always does great work....even back in the 80's.  The story was your typical Disney model with everything working out in the end with lots of drama in between.  I'm pretty sure my niece and nephew would love it!

10/2 - White Chicks (2004)

Watched for any movie with white or black in the title.

3 out of 5 stars 

I am a big Wayans brothers fan so this movie was right up my alley.  Laughter was common throughout.  And it was incredibly amazing how these two black men were transformed into white women.  Quite impressive make-up work in this one!

10/5 - Loser (2000)

Watched for a film with an actress having my same name.

1 out of 5 stars

It was extremely difficult to find ANY movies that had a theatrical release with an actress named Andrea in them so I considered it a win that we even found Loser.  However, the movie accurately described itself.  It was a dud.  There weren't really any scenes that I can even highlight as having potential.  It reminded me a bit of a hallmark movie in several ways.

10/9 - All the President's Men (1976)

Watched for any movie on Time's Top Ten Newspaper Movies.

3 out of 5 stars

As an Oscar-nominated best picture, I welcomed this film to my list. And it mostly delivered.  I definitely enjoyed it, but there were points where it started to drag a bit too long.  I'm familiar with the Watergate scandal so I think I just wanted them to move along more quickly.  It was interesting to see the writers smoking in the office and using rotary phones.  Some things have changed quite a bit since then!!

10/10 - Superman Returns (2006)

Watched for a film about a superhero.

2 out of 5 stars

I'm not an action movie fan.  Or a superhero fan, really.  I wasn't too excited about this one, but I managed to enjoy the story more than I anticipated.  I just couldn't grasp how Lois Lane didn't realize that Clark Kent and Superman were the same person.  Talk about a low maintenance costume!  At least Batman wears a mask, right?

10/10 -  Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)

Watched for any movie set in Egypt OR with an Egyptian character OR starring an Egyptian. actor/actress.

1 out of 5 stars

I didn't love this one for many of the same reasons that I didn't love Noah.  It was far more complex and interesting that Noah though so I did give it one star.  After watching this one, I remembered why I don't watch Bible movies that are made for entertainment value rather than accuracy.  The TV series that Mark Burnett and Roma Downey produced a couple years ago was far better than these two movies...if you ask me.

10/11 - King Arthur (2004)

Watched for a film about a knight.

3 out of 5 stars

Surprisingly, given my dislike for action movies, I liked this one.  I didn't really enjoy the battle scenes, but the knights were all incredibly likable.  I found myself pulling for them at each turn.  It was also great to have some humor written into the script.  Definitely need a laugh or two after watching a mass slaughter of humanity!

10/11 - Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay (2008)

Watched for movie incorporating unicorns in the story.

1 out of 5 stars

Yeah...this movie was just not for me.  Maybe I would have enjoyed it more 10 or so years ago, but today it was just crude and stupid.  Neil Patrick Harris was the saving grace for me.  How can you not like NPH?!?!  And, of course, he summoned the unicorn incorporation that was needed to check this one off the list!

10/12 - No Country For Old Men (2007)

Watched for movie mentioned in Levi Strauss' Denim in the Oscars: A Look at Jeans in Cinema.

4 out of 5 stars

I had high expectations for this movie since it racked up at the Oscars. Thankfully, it didn't disappoint!  It kept me on the edge of my seat.  Totally creepy.  The characters were all fantastic.  I loved all the random people that Mr. Crazy Guy interacted with throughout the course of his search for the missing money.  Great movie!

10/12 - Dumb and Dumber To (2014)

Watched for movie featuring an idiot as the main character.

1 out of 5 stars

Wow!  This one brought on a whole new level of stupid.  Not just one idiot was the main character - this movie had two!  I think I would have enjoyed it more if the release had followed the original by 3-5 years rather than two decades.  It was just too much ridiculousness for me.

10/13 - Parenthood (1989)

Watched for any movie with a score of 90% or greater on rotten tomatoes.

4 out of 5 stars

Lots of laughs in this true to life version of family chaos.  The TV series Parenthood (which I'm currently watching on Netflix) is loosely based on the characters in this movie.  Any family drama/comedy always does it for me cause I can usually totally identify with at least one character!

10/14 - The Judge (2014)

Watched for a movie about personal victory.

5 out of 5 stars

I really liked this movie.  It was easily my favorite for the full list of 25 for the challenge.  The family drama films are truly my cup of tea.  There is always someone that you can identify with in some form or fashion.  I enjoyed all the various angles this film took along the way.  Definitely recommend giving it a watch if you are looking for a quality movie night!

10/14 - A Most Violent Year (2014)

Watched for a movie set in New York City.

2 out of 5 stars

This movie had promise.  It really did.  But it just moved SO darn slow.  It was a struggle to make it to the end though things did pick up a bit about an hour and fifteen minutes in!  Compelling story, but needed a more prevalent boost of action throughout.

10/15 - Foxcatcher (2014)

Watched for a movie about the Olympics.

4 out of 5 stars

Wow!  Fabulous acting in this film.  The characters certainly have interesting personalities and quirks.  It did seem a bit long at times, but overall it was a great movie.  Definitely recommend checking it out...especially if you want to see Steve Carell at his finest!

I completed the original challenge list of 25 movies on October 15 coming in 5th out of 20 participants.  Fortunately, there is a bonus round!  It was posted on the 15th so stay tuned for my official bonus list and updates on those movies...I think there will be some good ones in that mix!

Andrea :)

ONE YEAR AGO TODAY!!!!

It has been a whole year since we stood at the alter saying our vows and promising each other forever in front of all our family and friends on our wedding day!!  I've shared all the details and tons of pictures with you this past year, but saved our awesome wedding day video for today!  Enjoy taking a peek into the fabulous beginning of the #MarriedMaitlands!

Andrea :)

Saturday States: New Jersey & Delaware

New Jersey

State Nickname: The Garden State

Year of Family Trip: 2002

Cities Visited: Seaside Heights, Atlantic City, Margate

Can't Miss Tourist Attractions:

the boardwalk on the Atlantic Ocean, Lucy the Elephant

Since we visited the MTV beach house in San Diego a couple years prior to our Northeast excursion, we decided that Seaside Heights was a great place to stop on this journey.  We weren't quite as fascinated with the beach house on this trip, but we did manage to have fun at the beach.  Our day there was a bit overcast, but we made the best of it!

Lucy the Elephant

Lucy is no ordinary elephant.  She is a six-story architectural feat constructed of wood and tin sheeting.  Over the years, Lucy has served as a real estate office, restaurant, and cottage.  Talk about multi-dimensional...literally!  Today, you can take a guided tour for a nominal fee.  We randomly saw this oddity advertised when we were roaming the boardwalk in Atlantic City...and knew immediately we had to check it out!  Located in nearby Margate, it was well worth the 15 minute drive.  If you are ever in the area, be sure to stop in!

Delaware

State Nickname: The First State

Year of Family Trip: 2002

Cities Visited: just drove through on our Northeast tour

Can't Miss Tourist Attractions: suggestions welcome!

We mostly enjoyed the scenery along the highway as we drove through Delaware.  We can't remember a specific city we traveled through or place we dined, but we were there.  And we have the souvenir spoon to prove it!

Have you visited any unique spots in New Jersey or Delaware?

Andrea :)

Maitlands Go West: Muir Woods & Wine Tasting

On our last day in the bay area, we ventured outside the city to Muir Woods in the morning.  The redwood trees there are such a beauty.  We aren't huge nature lovers, but we really enjoyed spending a quiet morning walking through the trees.

In the afternoon, we ventured to both Somona Valley and Napa Valley for a some wine tasting.  When in Rome, right?  We began our wine tour in Sonoma Valley at Jacuzzi Family Vineyards.  We sampled a few wines before roaming around the vineyard for a bit.  Gorgeous scenery!

Next, we headed to Napa Valley for tastings at Beringer and Sutter Home.  Both proved fabulous, but Beringer was a little stuffy.  The tasting was ridiculously overpriced, but the product is good.  Needless to say, we didn't stay long at Beringer.

Sutter Home was far and away our best stop of the day!  We lucked out by having Rich host us for a tasting.  He was fantastic!!  We gave him an idea of our preferences and he totally ran with it!  We tried several different types...and honestly, he never suggested one we didn't like!  We spent much more time here than we anticipated, but it was well worth it!

Our last stop of the day was back in Sonoma Valley at Highway 12.  We just dropped in here quickly before our dinner reservation.  They really only had a dry selection of wines so I spent most of my time trying to get the perfect photo. 

Dinner was amazing!  The restaurant - Saddles - was located inside a hotel.  We ordered steak...and left wishing we lived closer!  It was SO good.  And the mac and cheese just put the whole meal over the top!  Definitely a great way to end our time in California!

Have you ever been wine tasting on the west coast?

Andrea :)

Maitlands Go West: Coit Tower & Cable Car Fun

San Francisco has a multitude of fun and exciting neighborhoods to explore.  We didn't have time to check out all of them, but we did spend some time in the Telegraph Hill area that boasts Coit Tower.  We were also able to browse City Lights Books on our way over to the tower.  This famous bookstore has multiple levels of both old and new books.

Eventually, we continued our uphill journey toward Coit Tower.  It was the steepest climb you could imagine!  Definitely not easy to access, but the views were stunning!  We waited in line for about 45 minutes to take a super small elevator to the top.  Upon arrival, we were able to see nearly all of San Fran with a bird's eye view!

On our way back down, we found a couple of stores with an insane amount of records on display!  Chris enjoyed looking through them...and even found a few for his collection!  I was just amazing at the sheer volume for people to sort through.

Our final task on the San Francisco list involved riding the cable cars.  We walked toward the end of one line passing famous Lombard street along the way.  You know I had to stop for pictures there!  We could actually see this street from the top of the tower, but it was in the shade so the photos from up there didn't turn out as clear.

Finally, we found the end of the cable car line!  We rode it both as seated passengers as well as those crazy folks that hang off the side.  I highly recommend riding while standing - SO much fun!!  Experiencing a ride on the cable cars has been on my San Fran to do list for quite some time.  I am so glad that I was able to share the experience with Chris on this trip!

We rounded out our evening with an improv show.  Our hotel advertised the San Francisco Improv Festival was going on the week we were in town. We thought it looked like fun so we bought tickets.  We actually saw a troupe from Louisville (where we held our wedding...so ironic!) perform the night we attended!    We had some good laughs and enjoyed experiencing a bit of the local life.

Our time in this fabulous city was dwindling, but we had big plans to continue to make the most of it.

Do you enjoy experiencing local activities when visiting a new place? 

Or do you prefer to stick to the tourist attractions?

Andrea :)

Maitlands Go West: Alcatraz & Fisherman's Wharf

After walking the Golden Gate Bridge, we made our way toward Alcatraz Landing to board our boat for the island.  This was my second trip to Alcatraz, but I found it just as fascinating on round two. I love the audio tour that allows you to explore the island at your own pace.

We also managed to catch a demonstration where we witnessed the slammer doors being opened and closed.  This is a manual process at Alcatraz.  It was interesting to hear how loud it is in person.  Definitely not a place I have any interest in staying for an extended amount of time!!

After spending a few hours on the island, we boarded a boat back to San Fransisco.  We worked our way down to Pier 39 to check out the seals.  It is amazing how they just hang out on those docks all day.  What a life!

We noticed a neat window display with sourdough bread figures outside the Boudin Bakery.  We were able to see part of the bread making process through the window as well.  Too bad they didn't have samples available for the onlookers!

Have you ever been to Fisherman's Wharf in San Fran? 

What is your favorite activity on the piers?

Andrea :)

Maitlands Go West: Golden Gate Bridge & Ghirardelli Square

After our stunningly beautiful drive on Hwy 1, we ended up in San Fransisco - the land of endless hills!  Our first adventure included a walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.  We walked the Brooklyn Bridge on one of our very first dates so it was fun to experience this one together as we celebrated our one year anniversary.

The walk was nice - breezy and sunny, but not too hot.  Unfortunately, the bikers and pedestrians were all on the same path so that made for a few tricky moments.  We could easily see Alcatraz and the city from the bridge.  There were lots of boats out, too.

We walked to a photo area just before the off ramp for the bridge before turning around.  We spent a total of about two hours here between walking and taking photos.

Later that night, we made our way to Ghirardelli Square for a treat!  We decided to go for the banana split, appropriately named Golden Gate on the menu.  The store was unique with a display of the chocolate making process set up in the far end of the room.  I enjoyed checking it out while we waited for our ice cream treat.

Do you enjoy Ghirardelli chocolates?  Which flavor is your favorite?

Andrea :)