Movies

I watched "The Lodge" on Hulu and I have big feelings about it.

I’m not a hundred percent sure what those feelings are. But I have them.

If you haven’t seen the movie, it’s about a man having his son and daughter stay with his wife-to-be alone at his cabin over the winter holiday. He drives them there, then leaves to get back to work, promising to show up for Christmas day.

Only the children are resentful of the stepmom-to-be because they blame her for being the cause of their mother’s suicide. If the dad hadn’t told their mom he wanted a divorce, she wouldn’t have killed herself. And the stepmom-to-be, Grace, is "crazy," as she’s the only survivor of the suicide cult their father was investigating when he met her.

So it’s an all around uncomfortable situation for Grace. She’s in an unfamiliar place with two standoffish children she barely knows and who blame her for ruining their parents’ marriage and causing their mother’s suicide. And there’s no way to leave because the dad drove them there and left with the car.

And then the weirdness starts happening.

That’s the starting premise of the movie.

A woman trapped in the middle of nowhere with two kids and her little dog Grady.

It’s well filmed. Brilliantly acted. Moody and full of a growing dread.

If you want to watch the movie, it’s currently streaming on Hulu.

Amazon ADLINK: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0875KMRN8/?tag=harperkingsley-20

And if you’ve seen it… I have points of discussion like whoa.

Skip the rest of this if you don’t want to be spoiled!!!

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Like, WTF????

My first reaction on twitter was "The Lodge movie: Well, you got what you wanted, you little bastards. smh."

I feel so bad for Grace. She was the biggest victim in the movie.

  1. She survived a horrible uber-religious childhood that culminated in a mass suicide.
  2. She pulled herself together out of nothing. From a likely segregated community to having her own place and living amongst regular society.
  3. She bought herself a dog because she’d had nothing. She went from a hopeless state of mind to having enough hope to get herself a dog because she still had love inside of her that she was willing to share.
  4. She was very vulnerable and the married person using her as research material for his book started a romantic relationship with her. Like… She was not ready for a serious relationship. He knew he was married when he seduced her. She was research material for his book. Even if the love on his part was real, it’s still a very questionable situation.
  5. She feels guilty that Richard’s wife Laura committed suicide after being told he wanted a divorce so he could remarry.
  6. The lodge was FULL of Catholic iconography that triggered her PTSD. Like, Richard takes her and the kids there, doesn’t clear away any of the religious stuff first, and then leaves her there in that creepy place with two hostile kids.
  7. Those kids messed with her meds. Drugging her then putting her through withdrawal that resulted in her psychotic episode.
  8. They gaslit her into thinking they’d killed them all with that gas heater. Then the kid fakes killing himself but not dying to "prove" that they were all trapped in purgatory.
  9. THEY KILLED HER DOG! It might have been on accident, but it was an accident that was a result of their cruelty and maliciousness.

The open end of the movie leaves me wondering what happened afterward.

Did she kill them and herself? Did she kill them and later get found alive in the cabin? Did she kill herself in front of the kids? Like, were they able to talk her around into not shooting them, maybe by pretending to kill themselves a different way? Or maybe because the gun was on the table rather than in her hand they were able to get it away from her and they killed her, got their dad’s cellphone, and were rescued from the cabin?

Whatever happened, the aftermath of the murder-suicide at the lodge…

Wow.

Like, they researched stuff on their dad’s computer and likely used his software and printer to make that fake newspaper article. Even if they lied and said she just went crazy and killed their dad and tried to kill them… there’s evidence that they were terrible kids.

Or if she killed them and herself, would the news share the lurid details of her cult past and paint her as a deranged person while ignoring the fake article and other evidence that the kids were fucking with her? Like, they’d just say she was crazy and turn her into this unsympathetic monster that was given a second chance at life that she ruined with gun violence "for no reason"?

If she survived alone, how sad would that be? To spend the rest of her life in a prison cell or a mental hospital, always questioning her own mind?

Those kids–smh.

They got what they wanted:

They got her to believe their lies. And she never became their stepmother.

Talk about a monkeypaw wish.

"What’s the hammer for?"

"Hammering."

Hilarious in the context of the first episode of "Killing It" on Peacock. Which is the only episode I’ve been able to watch, as I don’t have a Premium (paid!) subscription to Peacock.

I’ve been watching a lot of the free first episodes of shows, and there’s definitely a handful I’ve added to my to-be-watched list. As well as a few I’m fairly sure are a do-not-want.

"Killing It," starring Craig Robinson, Claudia O’Doherty, and Rell Battle, is about a man named Craig who is desperate to come up with the money needed to get his business idea off the ground. As a result of some bad luck-induced desperation, he joins a Florida competition that gives a $20,000 grand prize for whoever brings in the most pythons (I’m pretty sure those were pythons). It was definitely a good first episode, and I really got left wanting more.

Signing up for Peacock is free but requires an email address and a password. There’s some free movies and the first episodes of lots of shows. But most of the content seems to be Premium membership only. (Plus there doesn’t seem to be a way to filter content so only the free stuff is listed, boo.)

Meanwhile… Tubi, Freevee, Crackle, and PlutoTV allow you to watch movies and TV shows without signing in. YouTube doesn’t require a sign in either. Though remember: If you aren’t signed into an app, you can’t create and use watchlists, and if you leave the app and come back, your movie will restart from the beginning.

I’ve been trying out the free services to see if there’s anything I like. And while there’s plenty of filler content, there’s a few gems worth watching.

I’ve found that I prefer to watch on Tubi, as the UI is easier on the eyes and the way content is arrayed is more pleasing. Freevee has a lot of stuff as well, though you’re probably going to want to go to the "Discover" view, as the "Watch" section looks like the cable guide and it’s harder to find anything you’re looking for.

PlutoTV also has a cable guide look to it, and since it’s "live" TV there’s movies and shows that start at specific times if you want to tune in. At the same time, there’s an "On Demand" option that lets you watch their shows and movies when you want.

Crackle is an all right streamer. They have a lot of older, harder to find TV shows. I’ve watched a few movies on there and I didn’t hate the experience. I have no complaints with their service and the free factor is a plus. Though it does kind of feel like being in an old movie rental place, where you would walk in and see a row of movie cover art and you’d have to pick up the box to read the back to see what you’d want to watch.

My Amazon shop https://www.amazon.com/shop/harperkingsley0

And of course, nothing is truly free, so you’ve gotta know that the free streamers come with commercial breaks. But the nice thing is, the commercials are largely non-offensive. Like, there’s some commercials on DirecTV that make me want to cringe. Just so much do-not-want. It seems that the free content streamers are more considerate of their viewers than cable TV.

And I do like the commercial breaks that come with a little timer in the corner so you know how long you have to run to the bathroom and back without pausing.


There’s a lot of free content available, so of course the following lists aren’t complete. Like, there’s a lot of old TV shows available like Bob Ross painting, Columbo, and Bewitched that someone might be flipping through and decide to watch.

I just glanced through the various catalogues to make a short list for each app to get you started. And to give an idea of what’s available.


What’s on Tubi:
– 3rd Rock From the Sun
– The 6th Day
– The 13th Warrior
– The Angry Birds Movie
– Battle Royale
– Beetlejuice
– Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey
– Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure
– Blackfish
– Con Air
– Coraline
– Cube
– Cube 2: Hypercube
– Cube Zero
– Delirious
– Dick
– Doctor Sleep
– Earth Girls Are Easy
– Elvira Mistress of the Dark
– The Fifth Element
– Frozen (the "stuck on a ski-lift" movie)
– George Carlin: Life Is Worth Losing
– Gifted
– Hard Candy
– The Host (Korean)
– Hotel Transylvania 2
– Jumanji
– I Saw the Devil
– Little Nicky
– Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
– Meet Joe Black
– My Girl
– The Nanny
– The Oblongs
– Overboard (1987)
– Pandorum
– Penelope
– The Ramen Girl
– The Secret of Nimh
– She-Devil
– So I Married An Axe Murder
– Starship Troopers
– Terminator Salvation
– Train to Busan
– Who Framed Roger Rabbit


What’s on Freevee:
– Battle Royale

  • Belle et Sébastien
  • Cats
  • Dead Like Me
  • Deadpool
  • Deadpool 2
  • Dredd
  • The Founder
  • Frozen (ski-lift movie)
  • The Hunt
  • The Last Unicorn
  • Logan
  • Miss Potter
  • Penelope
  • Prometheus
  • Shrek
  • The Ramen Girl
  • The Tribe

What’s on Crackle:
– The Borrowers (British TV)
– Das Boot
– Edge of Tomorrow
– The Flying Nun
– Freaks
– Gidget
– The Little Princess (Shirley Temple)
– The Man From Nowhere
– The Musketeers (British TV)
– Sherlock (British TV)


What’s on PlutoTV:
– A River Runs Through It
– Bebe’s Kids
– Benjamin Button
– Chappie
– Cloud Atlas
– Fargo
– Ghosts (TV series)
– Jawbreaker
– Jupiter Ascending
– The Host (Korean)
– Life (sci-fi alien)
– Little Man Tate
– Panic Room
– Overboard (1987)
– She-Devil
– Snow Piercer
– Their Finest


My faves: Tubi, Freevee, and PlutoTV.

Movies I recently watched and liked: Their Finest. The Ramen Girl. Gifted. Belle et Sébastien.


We have an Amazon Prime account, so the streaming device I have experience with is the Amazon Fire TV Stick => Amazon ADLINK: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XVYZ1Y5/?tag=harperkingsley-20 <= and the Kindle Fire.

As such, the front end is pretty much an advertisement for Amazon content. But if you go into the Prime app on the Fire TV, there’s a section called "Free to me" that has all the free to watch stuff from your Prime account and your subscribed Prime channels (trials, on my part. I use the heck out of the 7-day trials when available). And of course, I’ve got the pin-protection on so nobody "accidentally" makes a purchase on the account.

This is the Alexa routine I made =>https://alexa.amazon.com/routines/shared/3haSlRa-QISGP_VQXXb9Fw <= though I didn’t know it would share as a QR code. The activation phrase is "Alexa, how does she walk?"

I’m thinking about making more Alexa routines, because it was kind of fun.

When you ask Alexa about the weather while you’re watching a movie, the bottom of the screen comes up while she’s talking… and the movie will continue to play with no sound in the background!

I asked her what’s the weather like on the moon, and she gave great information about the moon being cold in the dark and hot in the sunlight. But when I asked what the weather is like on Jupiter… She kept telling the weather for Jupiter, Florida!

“What Happened to Monday”, a movie on Netflix.

You can see “What Happened to Monday” on Netflix.

Wow.

Plot from Wikipedia
Around the year 2043, overpopulation causes a worldwide crisis, resulting in a strict one-child policy enforced by the Child Allocation Bureau. When multiple children are born to one mother, all but the eldest are put into cryosleep. Karen Settman dies when she gives birth to identical septuplet sisters. Their grandfather Terrence names them after the days of the week and trains them to pose as a single individual named after their mother, and to leave the house only on the day of their name. To safeguard their secret, Terrence ensures they share information on a daily basis and replicates any accident that affects one of the sisters’ physical appearance. The sisters develop a system of wigs and makeup to cover any identifying features.

I’m honestly not sure which sibling was my favorite, but
Noomi Rapace did an amazing job in making each sister distinct.

It was a good movie. Solid acting, sci-fi with plenty of drama, and a lot of Noomi Rapace being an amazing action star. Seriously, wow.

Title: Scandal Makers
Directed by: Kang Hyeong-cheol
Written by: Kang Hyeong-cheol
Starring: Cha Tae-hyun, Park Bo-young, Wang Seok-hyeon
Running time: 108 minutes
Language: Korean

Summary borrowed from Wikipedia: Former teen idol Nam Hyeon-soo (Cha Tae-hyun) who thinks he is pretty popular is now in his thirties and working as a radio DJ. A young woman named Hwang Jeong-nam (Park Bo-young) sent stories about her being a single mother to the radio station Hyeon-soo worked at, telling him she is going to meet her father. When he finds out that he is the father of Jeong-nam when she comes to his apartment with her son Ki-Dong (Wang Seok-hyeon). He also finds out that Jeong-nam was his first love’s name and the other Jeong-nam’s real name is Jae-in. Jae-in and her son, Ki-dong.

My thoughts: This is a cute and funny movie with one of the most adorable child stars I’ve seen in a while. Seriously, Wang Seok-hyeon is great as 6-year-old Ki-dong.

There are some touching moments, some slightly cringe-worthy moments, but mostly this is a fun and heartwarming movie.

One of the best scenes: When they’re in the police station. That was good.

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Or watch it on Amazon. (Currently available free for Amazon Prime members.)