Movie Review: The Christmas Quest Directed by: Dustin Rikert

March 17, 2025 By Leave a Comment


The Christmas Quest
Directed by: Dustin Rikert
Writers: Andrew Gernhard, Marcy Holland, Dustin Rikert
Starring: Lacey Chabert, Kristoffer Polaha, and Derek Ridell
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 4 Stars (8 on IMDB)
Reviewed by Dicentra

An archaeologist, her ex-husband who is a Norse language expert, search for legendary treasure in Iceland during Christmas. Others join the hunt, leading to a thrilling race to secure the treasure before the wrong people obtain it.

Lacey Chabert is one of the unquestioned queens of holiday movies, and her newest Hallmark release, The Christmas Quest, was a charming holiday tale that meshed the best of cozy movies and the Indiana Jones style mystery dynamic. The movie, which also stars Kristoffer Polaha and Derek Ridell, takes the characters on a trip to Iceland to find a hidden treasure before Christmas day.

This is the first time I’ve heard of the legend of the Yule Lads, and it’s such a fun tale. Each of the lads comes down from the mountain on their specific day to enact mischief and collect what they love most (i.e. candles, milk, etc.). They also drop off a potato to children who misbehave (I’m not sure if that’s better or worse than coal, haha) The Yule Lads story such a playful tale compared to some of the other holiday stories around the world, and I loved how the history bridged the gap between Lacey Chabert’s character and her mother (both archaeologists).

I also loved the setting of the story. A lot of Hallmark movies in the past have featured New England settings, but this has Chabert and Polaha traveling to an Icelandic locale. They make their way through the mountains, traverse caves, and even set off booby traps a la Temple of Doom. The Indiana Jones references were not lost on the writers, as the map detailing their travels mirrored the one from the movies and they subtly nodded at some of the most famous scenes.

Overall, The Christmas Quest was an entertaining and exciting movie. I’m excited to see the new creative direction Hallmark seems to be going in, and I’ll definitely be checking out more of their new movies as they release. Check out this movie if you like adventure and romance complete with mystery and folktales.

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Thursday Thoughts: March 13, 2025

March 13, 2025 By 4 Comments

Thursday Thoughts: March 13, 2025

Sometimes my brain just gets tired of thinking “what to fix for dinner”.

I love to experiment so always have some new recipes each week, but if I have some items on hand, I can always throw something together.

I’m also what I call a lazy cook. I prep everything that I can and use it for meals during the week. I wash and cut up lots of veggies, squash, bell peppers, carrots, onion, head lettuce, and baby spinach as an idea.

These become my big salads with chicken and veggies, my stir-frys, my small salads to go with a pizza, my baked potatoes topped with veggies in cheese sauce. Well, the choices are endless. What I don’t use, except for lettuce, goes into the freezer for more stir-frys, soups, quiches, etc.

Here’s my weekend prep:

Firstly, I’m very picky about my produce. So if something looks limp or ugly at the store, I improvise with a different veggie. Anyway, the ones below are my favs.

After shopping:

Wash and cut:
3 or 4 yellow squash in bite-size pieces
3 or 4 zucchini in bite-sized pieces
3 or 4 sweet bell peppers (whatever colors are nice). I vary the colors. It’s good to mix them.
3 or 4 big carrots, wash and peel then cut in carrot stick size for eating with dip.
1 medium onion, peeled and cut in a large dice.
2 heads of iceberg lettuce, not torn or cut. I pull the leaves apart but don’t tear, it will rust from a tear or a knife. After drying in spinner, I wrap tightly in plastic bags making sure all air is out before closing.
Boil 6 hard-boiled eggs, cool and peel and refrigerate.
1 bag of baby spinach (spin dry and store in plastic bag with paper towels)


Tell me some of your “get-ahead” ideas. I can use them. Remember? My brain gets tired 🙂

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Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge for March 12, 2025

March 12, 2025 By 4 Comments

Each Wednesday, Long and Short Reviews hosts a weekly “blog hop”. For more details on how to participate, please click here.

Characters I Want to Meet

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Movie Review: 28 Weeks Later

March 10, 2025 By Leave a Comment

28 Weeks Later
Writers Rowan Joffé, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, and Enrique López Lavigne
Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Rose Byrne, Robert Carlyle
Publisher: 20th Century Fox
Genre: Science Fiction, Horror
Rating: 3 Stars (6 Stars on IMDB)
Reviewed by Astilbe

Six months after the rage virus was inflicted on the population of Great Britain, the US Army helps to secure a small area of London for the survivors to repopulate and start again. But not everything goes according to plan.

Nobody can run forever.

Surviving the first wave of the undead is anything but easy, but what I like to wonder about when I watch these sorts of films has to do with how the living might rebuild after things have calmed down again. About seven months is enough time to clear out buildings, beef up security, and start thinking about moving survivors back into town.

The military hasn’t always been shown in the best light in the zombie genre, so I was intrigued to see how it would handle the reclamation of London and the return to something that vaguely resembles normal life. People need more than food and water to survive. Having something else to live for is also important, although I’ll leave it up to other viewers to see how needs other than the most basic ones may have been approached in this universe.

One of the unexpectedly funny moments happened in one of the earliest scenes when a few NATO military forces realized that two children had been given clearance to move back into London. Existing in what until quite recently zombie territory wasn’t a problem, apparently, but a preteen and a teenager standing quietly in line were enough to send these hardened soldiers into a panic. I loved the way this scene played around with the audience’s and the soldiers’ expectations of what should and shouldn’t be frightening in a post-zombiepocalypse setting.

I did find myself wishing that some of the gory scenes could have been replaced or rewritten to include more character and plot development. While there were a few exciting twists in those areas later on, exploring those moments in greater detail would have made this a five star film for me. Yes, zombie tales in general are almost certainly going to be bloody and graphic as that comes with the territory, but I need something more substantial mixed in with all of the chomping and chasing in order to keep me hyped up for the next instalment.

With that being said, these developments did make me look at previous scenes in a different light and helped to explain what I originally thought was a massive plot hole involving a character who had some terrible luck in one of the earliest scenes. There’s nothing like being pleasantly surprised as a viewer just when you think you probably have everything figured out, and that’s a big part of the reason why I keep coming back for more.

28 Weeks Later made me wonder what could possibly happen in 28 Years Later!

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Thursday Thoughts: March 6, 2025

March 6, 2025 By 10 Comments

Thursday Thoughts: March 6, 2025

A couple of weeks ago, my older child turned 25!  To celebrate, we got together with my in-laws to have brunch.  While there, I had the most amazing breakfast, which is what leads me to today’s question: what is your favorite breakfast food?

Mine has always been French toast. I don’t know why, but any chance I get, this is what I order.  It’s always so warm, so comforting, and a little bit sweet, which is how I like my breakfast.  I know, it’s weird, but here we are.

So, when I saw cannoli French toast on the menu, I immediately knew what I had to have it.  It came out looking like a small loaf of bread, topped with a mixture of ricotta and mascarpone cheese, pistachios, and chocolate pearls (shoutout to the molecular gastronomy being used here).  Also, maple syrup, but I figured that syrup was rather superfluous when you considered everything else already on this massive meal.

I have to say, it is the best thing I have ever eaten for breakfast.  And that’s even considering the carrot cake pancakes I once had that came with cream cheese frosting.  Yeah, those were good, but this French toast was out of this world.

Of course, when I’m cooking for myself, I tend to take a much simpler approach.  Omelets are a good go-to as they’re quick, easy, and filling.  Waffles are also quick and easy and give you leftovers.  Hint: toss the leftovers into the toaster or toaster oven the next day to crisp them up.  So good.

I’ll also not ever turn down the old standbys – bacon, eggs (sunny-side up, thanks), toast of all kinds, pancakes, and yes, even oatmeal.  I really do love oatmeal, which has gotten me some strange looks over the years.  But it just hits the spot.  Even better is that it’s super customizable, too.  Add your favorite sweetener – brown sugar, honey, maple syrup – and then go crazy.  The possibilities are endless with fruit, nuts, nut butters, you name it.  Oatmeal is a big, blank canvas waiting to be used.  Kind of like an omelet, but better.

So, now that I’ve made myself hungry, what are your favorite breakfast foods?  Is there a restaurant near you that makes something unique that you can’t resist?  I’m curious to see what you’re all into, especially if you’re from outside the US.  Global cuisine is an interest of mine and I always find it interested to see what other countries and cultures eat regularly.

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Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge for March 5, 2025

March 5, 2025 By 1 Comment

Each Wednesday, Long and Short Reviews hosts a weekly “blog hop”. For more details on how to participate, please click here.

A Book I’m Nervous to Read, and why.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Things Characters Have Said

March 4, 2025 By 34 Comments


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

This week let’s take a look at some things characters have said about happiness. Our world needs more happiness in it!

1. “There’s nothing like deep breaths after laughing that hard. Nothing in the world like a sore stomach for the right reasons.”
― Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

 

2. “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien

 

3. “I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, “This is what it is to be happy.”
― Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

 

4. “It’s been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will.”
― Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

 

5. “I must learn to be content with being happier than I deserve.”
― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

 

6. “And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon.”
― Edward Lear, The Owl and the Pussycat

 

7. “I know that’s what people say– you’ll get over it. I’d say it, too. But I know it’s not true. Oh, youll be happy again, never fear. But you won’t forget. Every time you fall in love it will be because something in the man reminds you of him.”
― Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

 

8. “Laughter is poison to fear.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

 

9. We should always make time for the things we like. If we don’t, we might forget how to be happy.”
― T.J. Klune, The House in the Cerulean Sea

 

10. “The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same.”
― Carlos Castaneda

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Movie Review: Nosferatu

March 3, 2025 By Leave a Comment



Nosferatu
Writers: Robert Eggers, Henrik Galeen, Bram Stoker
Director: Robert Eggers
Starring: Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Bill Skarsgard
Publisher: Focus Features, Universal Pictures
Genre: dark fantasy, supernatural horror, vampire horror, horror
Rating 4 stars (8 stars on IMDB)
Review by Cholla

A gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake.

Vampires have fascinated me since I was a kid.  I often say it all started with Count von Count on Sesame Street and spiraled out of control from there.  When I saw there was a new version of Nosferatu coming to the big screen, I knew it was something I needed to see.

The cinematography is simply amazing.  Beautiful landscapes, creepy old castle rooms, just everything is so well shot and lighted.  You can feel the difference when the scenes shift between life as usual in Wisburg and the ominous foreboding of Count Orlok’s castle.

In addition, the acting is excellent.  Lily-Rose Depp’s fear and helplessness are palpable, especially when she awakes from one of her many nightmares.  The possession scenes are terrifying as you can see and feel her helplessness in the grip of the mysterious Orlok.  Bill Skarsgard’s portrayal of Orlok is creepy, giving the character a real presence in every scene.  My favorite, however, was Willem Dafoe as the professor.  He’s both highly intelligent and completely nutty in this role, and it works so well.

While I know that the original Nosferatu was an unauthorized adaptation of Dracula, I was still surprised by how much it borrowed from the original source material.  In that sense, it made Nosferatu feel very familiar, while still being different enough to hold my attention.  The main difference is that in Dracula, you have a solid and driving plot.  Which is something that Nosferatu lacked.  There is a story there, and it’s enjoyable on its own, but it’s not as fully realized as it could have been.  However, the excellent acting and filming techniques are enough to make up for the more basic plot, in my opinion.

Nosferatu is a new and exciting take on an old classic.  It’s very atmospheric and creepy, although not scary.  I’d recommend it to any lover of vampire lore.

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Book of the Month Poll ~ Which book do you think is best based on the review?

February 28, 2025 By Leave a Comment

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Thursday Thoughts: February 27, 2025

February 27, 2025 By 14 Comments

Welcome to Thursday Thoughts.  A place for you to read what I’m thinking about and add your own thoughts into the mix (please comment… I hate to hang out here alone!).

Today, I’m thinking about kitchen gadgets.

I love to cook; it’s one of my favorite past times, to be honest.  Finding new recipes to feed the one remaining kid I have at home is a weekly challenge that I eagerly accept.  I’m also prone to falling into the trap of wanting–and sometimes buying–cutesy kitchen gadgets.  My favorite one, however, is one that was given to me: a vampire garlic crusher.  It’s ridiculous, but I love it and use it whenever I need to mash up a clove or two.  And considering I have Romanian garlic growing in my yard right now, this summer ought to be fun.

When I stumbled across this fun quiz, I knew I had to take it.

Ever wonder what clever kitchen gadget you are?  Now you can find out, here.

My result didn’t surprise me much and it did make me laugh, so that’s a bonus.

I mean, I do love me some pizza.

What about you?  Do you have any fun or silly kitchen gadgets you love?  Take the quiz in the link above and let us know your results in the comments.  I’m excited to see what other crazy things are out there to potentially add to my kitchen.

 

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