I started reviewing films as a way to stay connected to my inner child. That elementary age girl who used to go to the movies with her mother and sister every Tuesday, when the theater had discounted tickets. That same little girl would then be taken to Ruby Tuesday's for dinner and always wanted to discuss the movie.

I remember doing just that in April of 2003 after I had just been taken to see the movie 'Holes'. I ordered my normal bacon cheeseburger and fries while I broke down all of the book to film adaptation differences to my mom while my sister was coloring across the table from me.

Those handful of hours made me so happy and it took me becoming an adult to truly understand why. I love film and television. I love how it can bring people together and essentially force them to speak about what they just watched. No matter if the film is the 'Best Film of the Year' or the worst film that they have ever seen (Remember that art is subjective). Film and television get people talking. No one realizes how much you may miss talking about film with a special someone until you aren't able to speak with them any longer.

One reason I continue to write and share my experiences with different films and television shows is because it reminds me of my father, who passed away unexpectedly in 2021.

When I was a teenager, I wasn't like most teens my age. Meaning, I actually liked spending time with my parents. On weekends when I would spend time with my father, I would always look forward to walking into his dining room and see his wall filled with DVDs.

I would look through them, at times taking as long as an hour to decide what to watch, finally pick a movie and watch it with my dad. After the movie was over, we would talk about what we liked, what we didn't like, the soundtrack, and what we would have done different if we wrote or directed the film. Then we would do the same thing over and over again until it was past midnight. A tradition that remained in place until the day he passed.

While I don't get to spend as much time going to dinner and the movies with my mother as we used to, and I don't get to spend nights at my dad's house anymore, I do watch one of our favorite films on my father's birthday every year. Now it may not be every viewer's favorite but 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' will always have a special place in my heart. I cherish the time that I get to spend now with my mother at the theaters because I spent almost three years not being able to when I moved out of state.

The feeling that I had when I experienced film with my parents is something I wish that everyone would experience at some point in their lifetime. If you have a film that brings you joy like 'Holes' and 'Avengers:Age of Ultron' brings me, please do not hesitate to recommend it to me.

We all could use a little extra joy ♥️