Crushing It by Jen Desmarais is available now!
Physical from Canadian indie bookstores, physical from Indigo, electronic version
The Babysitter: Killer Queen – JenEric Movie Review
How This Works – Read Other Reviews
Hello Cinephiles,
Today we’re talking about the 2020 film The Babysitter: Killer Queen.
Story
I’m impressed with the continuity of feel from the first one. The story is fairly linear and is more of a chase situation, but everything is well set up and a little surreal like the first.
Score: 1
Characters
I love that my complaints from the first one were dealt with in this one. If it was set up the whole time I’m impressed and if not, I’m more impressed because they must have taken audience feedback.
I found the main guy a little whiny and annoying until he took things into his own hands. The new girl felt very much like a tough on the outside girl with a hard past. She played it well and was surprisingly charismatic.
I’m so glad they brought back the old group of killers. They were so entertaining and Robbie Amell was wonderful again. The younger killers were pretty forgettable and didn’t have the charisma or interest of the others.
The dads were just annoying and I could have done without them.
Score: 0.5
Dialogue
Lots of surreal cheesyness but nothing particularly great. Again Amell had the best lines.
Score: 0.5
Visuals and Music
The location shooting was great. The desert is always a great place to highten the weird. As a person who’s grown up around lakes and rivers, seeing a river in a desert was unerving.
I liked that continuity of using Queen for the babysitter and the music was well done overall.
Score: 1
Fun
The movie was fun. Once they got to the first twist it was a lot of fun. I think I like it better than the first. The sex scene was weird. I’m glad I wasn’t watching it with anyone who I’d have to explain that it was a metaphor for sex.
Score: 1
Overall
This was an excellent slasher but an even better sequel. The gore is higher, the twists more twisted, and the surreal action more entertaining. If you liked the first one, this is great.
Final Score: 4 Stars out of 5
Mini MSN Chats 8-10
Here follows the accounts of 2003-version MSN chats between Tommy and Carter, set in the middle of Crushing It as they navigate their long-distance relationship.
Crushing It by Jen Desmarais is available now!
Physical from Canadian indie bookstores, physical from Indigo, electronic version
Week 9 – Monsters Vs Aliens
This week is Monsters Vs Aliens. I really enjoyed this movie and was excited at the idea of including it this month.
Here is the link for the downloadable materials. (I hope this works…please let me know if you have any problems so I can fix it!)
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| elephant toothpaste | Watch movie | draw pumpkin faces | Flex | Carve pumpkin |
Summary of the week
Daily details:
Dance
Ballet and martial arts on alternate days
Music
Singing, listening to different pieces, learning piano, learning guitar
Crochet
The project he is working on (currently he is making himself a poncho)
Basic Information
We talk about the days of the week and play games with the cutouts of the names. We do the same thing with the names of the months of the year. You can find the print-outs here.
Printing words
Download material
Counting objects/math-type activities
Practice counting objects and writing how many of each type –(in download material)
Storytime
Activity
Draw pumpkin faces
Experiment: elephant toothpaste (weblink to experiment) (word doc created in folder)
Pumpkin carving: pick stencil and draw it on pumpkin, help scoop seeds (adult do carving; might want to do this on the weekend to be closer to Halloween)
Next week: Coco
Mario and Luigi
We saw lots of Mario and Luigi costumes, but these were my favourite, thanks to the cute mustaches!
Week 7: Kiki’s Delivery Service Results
This is a favourite. Pegasus assures me he understood everything. He ended up watching it alone, as I had a business meeting during his movie timeslot, which worked out very well for everyone. It was a very short week, due to Thanksgiving on Monday and Can*Con 2023 on Friday.
Dance
I haven’t been doing much formally for this one. I’ll put music on and he’ll dance to it unprompted. (repeated from last week)
Music
He has been diligent about practising his scales and doing the exercise from the book. He also says out loud what the scale letters are as he plays them. He has been actively remembering to keep his elbows tucked and his hand positioning is much improved.
Crochet
I helped him do several blocks of stitches… probably about 6 inches.
Basic Information
We alternated between listening to videos for the days of the week and months of the year (M, W, F), and attempting to put them in order with the pieces of paper (days on Tuesday, months on Thursday). He sang along unprompted. The days of the week song that we’ve been listening to has BEEN REMOVED and I don’t know who made it so we can’t look it up with the wayback machine! Pegasus is very upset about this (as am I). I’ve reached out to Dragon’s Kindergarten teacher in hopes that she has the link, but I haven’t heard back yet. (No news.)
Printing words
He has been improving slowly. I like that I don’t have to fight him to get him to do it. He is very pleased with himself for completing them, and usually writes more words than I ask him to do (I split them up over a couple days because he was overwhelmed that first week). I feel like his printing has improved DRASTICALLY since the first week.
Counting objects/math-type activities
He did much better counting on his own this week. He requested help with a few of the numbers.
Storytime
We continued reading the little French books from last week (from the library). I am getting him to read the small words that he knows, like ‘le’ and ‘la’, and I’m trying to get him to read the bigger words that show up multiple times in the same book.
Activity
Plot and write a short Halloween script – we made a list of ideas, Pegasus just rolling with it. I barely had to guide him. I did help him break it down into scenes.
Finish script and make background props – Pegasus decided what he wanted each scene to say in dialogue. He has decided to record his voice. I helped him translate. We decided what props he would need, and realized that he didn’t need to make any. (All my writing)
Which Charater Are You? Elizabeth Book 4 edition
The Mystery of the Dancing Lights by Éric Desmarais is available now!
Physical from Canadian indie bookstores, physical from Indigo, electronic version
Haunted Mansion (2023) – JenEric Movie Review
How This Works – Read Other Reviews
Hello Cinephiles,
Today we’re talking about the 2023 film Haunted Mansion.
Story
The story leans heavily into the feel of the ride and it’s expansive lore, but grounds it in a powerful story about grief and loss. It’s well constructed and everything is wrapped up nicely. There are no unwanted surprises, but lots of good ones.
Score: 1
Characters
It’s hard to give a large cast proper character development, but the movie makes sure to give each of them those little moments of depth. The cast is superb and has amazing comedic timing that balances the scary bits really well.
I really like the parallels between the characters growth and how it revolves around grief. It’s easy to forget what makes the idea of real ghosts sad and scary is dealing with our own loss.
Score: 1
Dialogue
They only used the word “Quantum” once in the movie and I’m glad for that.
Beyond that, the dialogue is a wonderful mix of silly, weird, and deeply moving. Each of the characters have their own style and tone, so much so that they could be from different times or movies, but somehow it works.
Score: 1
Visuals and Music
The movie is completely saturated with references to the ride and expanded lore. It’s both glorious and at times makes you spend more effort looking at the backgrounds in fear of missing something. Which might not be an issue for casual viewers. That being said, it’s a beautifully shot movie with great visuals.
The music is a great mixture of New Orleans jazz, creepy music, remixes from the ride, and originals that fall into all three.
Score: 1
Fun
The movie is fun, but we’re all big Haunted Mansion fans in our house. Everyone loved it, despite a few screams. I’m going to want this movie and its soundtrack.
Score: 1
Overall
A must watch for anyone who loves the Haunted Mansion ride or creepy family friendly scares. The movie has heart and depth that is surprising and touching.
Final Score: 5 Stars out of 5*
*A 5 star review doesn’t mean the movie was perfect nor that it is perfect for everyone but it is a movie I believe is as close to perfect as possible.
Discussion Questions for The Mystery of the Dancing Lights
Download the printable Discussion Guide
- Early in the novel we see that Jackie has grown, how is this paralleled by his growth regarding magic? Do either affect his confidence?
- Jack, in 1989, is taken out of his regular school in order to attend a special magic school. He didn’t want to go, do you think his parents made the right choice and why?
- The Aetherborn, who are first introduced in A Case of Synchronicity, play a larger role in this novel. How would you feel if you discovered that some of your classmates were mythical characters brought to life with magic?
- The time loop gives Elizabeth the opportunity to work through the traumatic events of the previous book. Does she use that opportunity? Why or why not?
- When Jack first meets Morgan, he seems to trust her completely. Why do you think that is?
- Elizabeth travels back in time, again, this novel. There are some major differences in how it plays out. How and why do you think that is?
- Each Elizabeth novel relies on imagery of abandoned undergrounds. How does that reflect the theme of a “hidden magical world”?
- We see Jack, in 1989, lose his temper and melt perfect footprints into the rock floor. Do you think you’d have the strength of will to control that sort of power? What would make you lose that control?
- Time loops can be fun. If you were stuck in a loop, what books would you want to read? And what instrument would you want to learn?
- In each novel, Elizabeth succeeds through planning, knowledge, her friends, and luck. Why do you think this combination is more successful than the power or strength of her opponents?
- Suppose this book became a movie or a TV show. Who would you pick to play the roles? What aspects of the book would you want to see more of? What would be the most difficult part of filming?
The Mystery of the Dancing Lights by Éric Desmarais is available now!
Physical from Canadian indie bookstores, physical from Indigo, electronic version
Discussion Questions for Crushing It
Download the printable Discussion Guide
- Crushing It is set in 2003. How would the story be different if it was set in the present day?
- Throughout the book, Tommy is completely unaware of the magical world surrounding him in Westmeath. Do you think it would have changed anything if he had noticed?
- Tommy and his mother are at odds at the beginning of the book. Who do you feel more empathy for? Can you see the other’s point of view?
- Icebreakers are a staple of camps. How do they make you feel? What type do you prefer?
- Do you think Tommy’s reactions and feelings when he realized he was gay were relatable? Have you ever had a crush on someone you didn’t expect? How did you feel and react?
- The technology in Westmeath is much more advanced than it was in real life in 2003. How does this affect the story?
- We only see Carter’s point of view at three points during the book. How would the story have been different if it had been equal parts from his POV?
- Long distance relationships are difficult, but in what ways is it a good thing for Tommy and Carter? How is it a struggle?
- Two themes that tie the book together are music and science. Can you think of more?
- The world isn’t ending in the book. Do you think it being low-stakes, or cosy, is a strength or a weakness?
- Suppose Crushing It became a movie or a TV show. Who would you pick to play the roles? (You can check out my dream casting for ideas) What aspects of the book would you want to see more of? What would be the most difficult part of filming?
Crushing It by Jen Desmarais is available now!
Physical from Canadian indie bookstores, physical from Indigo, electronic version