Movies: Month in Review {January 2017}

Hello, all!  I hope you're having a splendid Saturday <3

I really enjoyed writing my previous "month in review" post, so I decided to try to keep a record of this past month's new cinematic experiences, too :)

Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)
I actually quite enjoyed this one, which kind of surprised me since I have to be "in the right mood" for the first Alice movie, and I'm not a big Alice in Wonderland fan in general.  But this movie was really fun and clever :)  I especially loved the character of Time.  He was cool.  And there were so many familiar faces in the movie!  Richard Armitage and Hattie Morahan made appearances, and it was simultaneously exciting to see them and also a little . . . weird.  Like, "should they be playing in an Alice in Wonderland movie?"  It was also funny to see Sasha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter opposite each other, because Les Mis :-P

Some of the lines were extremely quotable:  *walks into room and extends hand* "PWESENT!" ~ "Earthquake.  HAHAHA!" ~ "How was it?"  "The world?"  "Yes."  "Most interesting.  You should visit it sometime." ~ "Well, thank you for your you."  "What?"  "Thank you for your time."

Ben-Hur (2016)
Well, *I* liked this one, but I hear that I may be in the minority in that.  Apparently it ends rather drastically differently than the book?  I haven't read the book (though I do want to one day), so I couldn't say whether it is or it isn't.  Anyway, the movie certainly had its flaws, but overall I thought it was compelling and touching and well-done and all that.

Die Hard (1988)

So that . . . happened.  Ahem.  Don't judge me :-P  My brother wanted to show it to me, guys!  "I'm a good girl, I am." ;-P  

I'm not even sure how to talk about this . . . I guess just that it's telling when, in a movie about terrorist-y people, more F-bombs are dropped than any other kind.  (Seriously.  It felt like the F-word was used in colorful variations nearly every other word.)  And, of course, the violence and all.  Needless to say, my mom and I were doing this a lot:  

I FINALLY GOT TO USE THIS GIF.  I FINALLY GOT TO USE THIS GIF.

But I think what disturbs me most is that I kind of liked it.

Pollyanna (1960)

I feel a little silly saying this, but FEELINGS THOUGH.  LEGIT FEELINGS.  This was a darling, thoroughly enjoyable movie :)  I read an abridged Illustrated Classics version of the book when I was younger, but now I want to read "the real deal," dontcha know ;D

The Man from Snowy River (1982) & Return to Snowy River (1988)

Umm . . . let's just say that there were things I liked about these movies and others that I did not like so much.  For one thing, DA HECK WAS THAT WITH THE DEMON/WEREWOLF HORSE HERD????  Those eerie full-moon shots?  I don't understand.  However, I have to admit that the scenery in these movies was S.T.U.N.N.I.N.G.  And the music is definitely up to snuff, too.  Like, buy-worthy :D  And the relationships were pretty good, too.

Oh, and I watched about an hour and a half of Free State of Jones (2016), which . . . may or may not have been a good idea.

Did you discover any new movies this month?  Have you seen any of these?  What did you think of them?