Atomic Fangirl

With The Crown, Downton Abbey, Poldark and so many other period pieces available on streaming, I can’t be the only one who’s got a jones for seeing something on the big screen.  Well, how about Queen Victoria?  I’m in, are you?  Because I’ve got passes for Victoria and Abdul, a film based on the real-life friendship between Queen Victoria and a clerk from India.  Synopsis!

The extraordinary true story of an unexpected friendship in the later years of Queen Victoria’s (Academy Award winner Judi Dench) remarkable rule. When Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal), a young clerk, travels from India to participate in the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, he is surprised to find favor with the Queen herself. As the Queen questions the constrictions of her long-held position, the two forge an unlikely and devoted alliance with a loyalty to one another that her household and inner circle all attempt to destroy. As the friendship deepens, the Queen begins to see a changing world through new eyes and joyfully reclaims her humanity.

Personally, I’d watch Judi Dench read the phone book, but this looks like a very interesting story.  Plus, Queen Victoria was such an incredibly interesting person, it’s always a treat to see more about her.  Let’s go!

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Tennis.  I love watching it, but I can’t play it to save my life.  But there sure are folks who can…and the real push for tennis came with the “Battle of the Sexes”, a match between tennis professionals Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King.  So, of course, there’s a film about the event.  And I can’t wait.  Synopsis!

In the wake of the sexual revolution and the rise of the women’s movement, the 1973 tennis match between women’s World #1 Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and ex-men’s-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) was billed as the BATTLE OF THE SEXES and became one of the most watched televised sports events of all time, reaching 90 million viewers around the world. As the rivalry between King and Riggs kicked into high gear, off-court each was fighting more personal and complex battles. The fiercely private King was not only championing for equality, but also struggling to come to terms with her own sexuality, as her friendship with Marilyn Barnett (Andrea Riseborough) developed. And Riggs, one of the first self-made media-age celebrities, wrestled with his gambling demons, at the expense of his family and wife Priscilla (Elisabeth Shue). Together, Billie and Bobby served up a cultural spectacle that resonated far beyond the tennis court, sparking discussions in bedrooms and boardrooms that continue to reverberate today.

Gotta admit it’s downright spooky how Stone and Carell look so similar to their real-life counterparts in this film!  Ready?  Let’s go… Continue reading →

I don’t know about you, but I’m already stoked that Halloween is coming.  Yes, next month.  The end of next month.  But it’s so close you can taste the PSL, amirite?  (Seriously, pumpkin spice everything is already here.  You know what to do.)

So I’ve been streaming horror movies like crazy, gearing up for my yearly “31 in 31” in October…but I’ve also got passes to some spooky.  Passes to Friend Request, in fact.  Which may make you re-think your social media presence… Synopsis!

Popular college student Laura (Alycia Debnam-Carey) has tons of friends, both on Facebook and IRL. She graciously accepts social outcast Marina’s (Liesl Ahlers) online friend request, until Marina crosses the line and Laura unfriends her. To everyone’s shock, Marina takes her own life in a ritual meant to torment Laura, which appears in a video posted on Laura’s profile. Even though it wasn’t Laura who posted the video, or other creepy content that begins appearing on her page, her Facebook friend count begins to dwindle as a result. When her real-life friends start dying mysterious, cruel deaths, Laura must figure out how to break the deadly curse before it’s too late.

Ready?  Let’s go!

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