Thursday Movie Picks-Adaptations

Major issues at work since my work amalgamated with the Toronto office. It's been crazy and now I can't seem to get to my blog and I hope the tech girl can make my personal Google chrome separate from work. I can't remember the password so problem #15. One reason I seemed to have dropped off plus Christmas decorating in the evening. Ok. So enough frustrations,  film adaptations is one huge theme that Wandering Through The Shelves chose and I went all 1930's here so let's see what I chose..

1. LITTLE WOMEN-1933

There are so many versions of this classic book that I wonder which version to use but I went with this great version and Katherine Hepburn as Jo is excellent. We know the story about a mom with 4 daughters who all try to live during the Civil War when their dad is gone to war. The neighbour helps out and so does their son, Laurie. Who decided to get a sex change operation because of his name....oops, sorry, wrong slant to the movie. Anyway poor guy stuck with this name loves Jo, Kate Hepburn, who wants more than just marriage and is an independent soul. Tge sisters all hope to find their own path even tragic Beth. One day I will try to watch all versions. 

2. THE GOOD EARTH-1937

I love this film which won Austrian actress Luise Rainer her second Oscar. She does a brilliant portrayal of this humble wife of a farmer played by Paul Muni  a huge actor of this era, and their life together. Now, it is a huge shame that Anna May Wong, a gifted Asian actress, could not play this role which would have been perfect for her. It is the sign of the times and the prejudice of the day but one should never bkast the actors who make the most out of this role. Luise gives an understated performance and you are drawn into her strength especially when she has a baby during the starving times and her panic when she is caught up in the mob looting a mansion. This is a film worth seeing.

3. WUTHERING HEIGHTS-1939

I fell in lust...re love with Sir Larry Olivier as the tormented Heathcliffe who is an orphan living on the streets and is taken in by a kindly rich man. The man brings Heathcliffe home to meet his 2 kids, mean, nasty son and beautiful wild daughter. The daughter, Cathy, played by Merle Oberon, is a soul mate to Heathcliffe, and they galavant in the moors amongst the heather. One eve, they climb a tree to look into the stately mansion that is having a ball. Well, they are caught and Cathy is injured so is scared for by the son in this wealthy family. Poor gypsy Heathcliffe is tossed away and when Cathy decides to wed Edgar, Hesthcliffr sans her and takes off. The next time you see Heath, he is a wealthy but bitter man who takes over his former home and marries Edgar's sister Isabella. Of course Cathy is never far from his heart and vice versa. These 2 lovers are a poster for what not to do in a relationship and you do want to shake both of them. When I was a kid, I totally freaked out by the ending and my mom had to calm me down...yeah I don't know what was with me but this is true.

Sorry if there are issues with this post since I can't do all I want unless I can get on my blog from work. Anyway, what would be your 3...

Thursday Movie Picks: TV Edition-dystopian or Post Apocalyptic Earth

This week and today, is your American Thanksgiving, The time to give thanks to our families and to the Native Americans before taking their land and herding them onto small strips, just like we did with  the Inuit. Ouch! I felt those knocks on top of my head. What better way to think about Thanksgiving than look at tv and the way earth crumbles after a major cataclysm....yeah, it doesn’t fit but that’s ok. I don’t like these types of shows but I did scrape the barrel and found 3 that, I think, fit. Check out Wandering Through The Shelves and find out which ones they chose. Sorry for being so late, nuts at work, internet problems and general mayhem. Here are my 3...

1. BATTLESTAR GALLACTICA-1978-1979

This is not the good tv remake but the Gallacticashit that I watched because I loved Lorne Greene who played the “father” of the show, Adama. After their planet is destroyed, the last 13 colonies , headed by Ben Cartwright, oops wrong show, tries to keep the last surviving humans including his son, daughter Athena and the good looking guy with feathered hair, Dirk Benedict, alive and make it to Earth. The evil guys have their minions, the Ceylons who look similar to the soldier guys from Star Wars except they have cool looking red lights that flick back and forth. Actually, it reminded me of Pong( yes, I am dating myself). I liked the show, believe it or not, but it’s dumb as shit.

2. V-1983-1984

I watched the original miniseries which was really quite good and then they decided to do the tv series which I watched and just sighed. The 2 leads, who were the heroes,  knew the nice aliens were anything but and the leader appears like she just stepped  off the Dynasty set but she actually is a lizard in disguise..no, not Joan Collins, an actual lizard. They decide to take over earth but underestimate how much we can put on a show! Robert Englund, of Freddie Krueger fame, plays a nice lizard who falls in love with a human....so sweet. Typical fare of mean aliens destroying earth but can’t wipe out the intrepid few all while looking sinister with great 80’s hair.

3. MAX HEADROOM-1987-1988

Yeah, one show I really liked and didn’t last because it was quirky, funny and bit the hand that fed them...the networks. We are in the near future, where no tv can ever be shut off, the networks give free TVs to the homeless which is all to control us...hmmmm, in other words, today. Remember, this show was made when it was, basically, just the 3 networks and this show seems to hit a sensitive spot and created a huge furor when it came out. I remember when it was on the News and the computer program was famous, making Matt Fewer (now..who??)famous for his unique style. He plays a doctor whose mug is used for a computer program with a mind of its own. Soon Matt Fewer, his computer program and a few others band together to fight the evil that is network tv. A very unique take on something that is all too real and I watch tv. Today, we don’t even think about the 3 Networks when we have all the cable channels like HBO, Netflix, Hulu, Zulu, Hoohoo, booboo, m.o.u.s.e plus way too many more. If you can watch these original shows, it’s worth checking out.

Since it’s late, I am the walking dead:). On a brighter note, have a very Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy a good movie like Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Thursday Movie Picks-Over a Meal

How often do you have company come over and end up at the kitchen table? It happened all the time at my parents and often with us nowadays and it’s always fun especially when we enjoy the food we are eating. This week’s theme is all about dinner and there are more films than one thinks when it involves a memorable dinner or the chatter over dinner. Check out Wandering Through The Shelves to see what everyone else have chosen, here are my 3...

1. TOM JONES-1963

I need to see this film again because it has been years since I fell in lust for  Albert Finney when he was young and lean and full of mischief especially in this great British comedy about a bastard rogue adopted by a squire. He falls in love with a beautiful, demure gal but is considered unworthy. He gets involved in many adventures including a very lustful dinner scene with a wrench. This scene, no one speaks, but that doesn’t matter because you are fully involved in their lusty style of eating and this scene has been mimicked in many other movies and TV shows since. This is a flat out funny farce that you have to see at least once.

2.  THE BIG NIGHT-1996

This is a hidden gem that I found after I listened to the soundtrack which I love and listen to..on a CD. This takes place in the 1950s about 2 brothers, from Italy, who open up a restaurant that serves excellent food but have hardly any customers because they serve authentic Italian cuisine unlike the very popular place across the street. The jerk owner across the street claims he wants to help and tells them a famous musician is coming to play at their restaurant. The brothers set out to create the best dining experience anyone could think of. This film is funny, sad, quirky and so much more along with terrific acting from Stanley Tucci, Tony Shalhoub, Minnie Driver, Isabella Rossellini and more.

3. AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY- 2013

Talk about one nasty family of misfits headed by the mom of nastiness, Meryl Streep, who is dying of cancer. Her husband, a truly nice man, commits suicide which brings all her children home along with their significant others including her sister who likes to berate her step-son. Julia Roberts plays one of the daughters who has some major issues and actually reminds me of someone I knew. She was/is full of anger, unpleasant and you never wanted to ask how she was doing because it was never good. Anyway, you learn about the family especially at the dinner table when everyone is talking, berating and it is funny. This is a an excellent film and one I was surprised that I liked as much as I did because it takes heavy issues and makes it funny. You feel for all the characters even the nasty ones. Worth taking a look.

So what 3 would you choose?

Busy busy

We got a dumping of snow on Remembrance Day...over a foot but it is slowly melting. To be honest, I thought it was pretty...don't hate me:). It has been crazy at work adjusting to the new amalgamation with Toronto and our internet not working one day. I was happy to make a few cards and hope you like them.

Pink and blue dye ink pad, silver pearl embossing powder, dye cut butterfly, distress inks in greenish and peach colour, happy birthday stamp, peach pastel, cotton swabs, glue, Pearls.

Butterfly Challenge- used peach, pear, periwinkle and pearls.
Happy Little Stampers: anything Goes with Dies


For my cousin who has a birthday coming up. I used peach and a lime green distress ink and spritzed with water, placing the white cardstock into it and drying it before I used the butterfly die cut to cut out the image. I used the butterfly background die cut on the greenish cardstock that has a shimmer which is the background. I took this big flower stamp and stamped it with pink and blue and embossed it with silver pearl and used just the blue dye ink for the saying and embossed it with the silver pearl powder as well. I took a cotton swab to place the pastel chalk around the saying. I adhered everything together to make the card including that pearl string.

Water, blue powders and white pearl powder, stickers, sleigh die cut, Crystals

Cute Card Thursday- festive
Alphabet blog- Quick & Easy
Sparkles Monthly- It's Beginning to look a Lot Like Christmas
Happy Little Stampers- CAS-Tis The Season

I had this sleigh in black velvet hanging around for a long time and finally used it. I took a white cardstock and had fun with these powders that you just tap the dust onto the paper and spritz with water and watch the colors explode, I was not injured in the process:). Once dried, I added it to other coloured cardstock, gold and purple. I glued the sleigh in place and took a star sticker on top of some scrap paper, cut it out and glued it on and stuck on more stars, the saying and glued some Crystals in the corners.

Angel stamp, glitter markers, sizzex machine, poinsettia die cut, stickers.

The Fairy and the Unicorn- anything Goes
Stamping Sensations- red, green & gold
Addicted to Stamps- markers
CHNC- Glitter

I hope this is ok for the Fairy and the Unicorn since an angel can be magical. I had this scrap piece where I had cut a poinsettia before and had the remains left around so I used it on this card and adhered it to the upper left corner. I cut out a new poinsettia and embossed it with the cuddle bug. I stamped my Angel in gold, coloured her in glitter markers and fussy cut her out, placed her on the card with pop up dots and added stickers colouring the insides with red and green glitter markers. I love this angel stamp

2 types of Gold metallic paint, white pearl paint, black and white paper pieces, cuddlebug, embossing pad, Angel stamp, brush, gold dye ink, stickers, glitter.

Crafty Creations- anything Goes
Penny Black- Christmas
Dream Valley Challenges-Your favourite Colour Combo

My mom loved gold, black and white so I thought of her when making this card since this was her favourite colour combo. I stamped the angel in gold and embossed her in gold embossing powder and coloured her with gold and white pearl. I took all those strips of papers and used the embossing folder, glued them in place and brushed on the gold to make the embossing stand out. I have no gold paper so I took 2 types of gold around the edge for a frame...all sone!

Thursday Movie Picks- Politics

Politics and religion are 2 areas one should not talk about...unless you are my husband who strikes up a conversation while waiting in the grocery line. I decided to go with 3 films starring 3 men that I love and would easily swoon for. Man, I sound like I just got off some Gone With The Wind set. I realize there are some political films I still have to see like All The President’s Men and there are many others that could be considered escape thrillers, spies or horror, but I tried to stick to politics so let’s see what happens when we visit Wandering Through The Shelves. Here are my 3...

1. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON-1939

Yes, I love Jimmy Stewart who is brilliant here as a young, naive senator who learns, the hard way, how the senate and the house really work. The people who made him a senator thought they were getting a stooge, boy, did they underestimate this man with truth, honour and conviction on his side. A great film led by Stewart, Jean Arthur as his jaded secretary, Thomas Mitchell as a jaded reporter with Claude Rains as a puppet senator ruled by the money man, Edward Arnold.

2. DAVE- 1993

I love..lust..love Kevin Kline who plays the doppelgänger of the President of the United States for some quick functions when the President would rather play footsies with some secretary. When the President suffers a severe stroke, the young, idealistic doppelgänger is asked to play the President for a lot longer. This guy decides to finally balance the budget and set some acts in motion which will only help the peopled of the United States. He has no idea how some in the white house ant to manipulate him to do their own bidding but they, equally, have no idea what a decent, honourable man can do to them.

3. LINCOLN-2012

This stars, be still my heart, Daniel Day Lewis as President Lincoln, my favourite President, who is dealing with the senators and the House while also dealing with the Civil War. He is not naive but he is idealistic and has great honour while trying to circumnavigate all the political double dealings and corruption. Brilliantly acted by Lewis who can out-act Meryl Streep with his little pinky and this is just one more film where he shows how great an actor he is. Love this film that also has Sally Fields as Mary Todd Lincoln and Tommy Lee Jones as the upstart Thaddeus Stevens.

What 3 films would you choose? Hey, Bro..Have you seen Bulworth yet?

Thursday Movie Picks- Scientists

I am feeling better!! Yippee ta ya yeah.... I am still being cautious but amazing what a tooth issue can do. This all seems to be geared to science which is the topic this week from Wandering Through The Shelves....scientists actually. So, without further adieu, here are my 3 which I may have chosen before but, who cares:)...

1. THE INVISIBLE MAN-1933

I actually saw the horrible remake before I saw this gem that stars the great Claude Rains as a scientist who invents invisibility but becomes insane due to this invention. His girlfriend, played by Gloria Stuart, of the blecchhh Titanic Movie, is beside herself while the cops are trying to capture him. This film is quite funny actually and the effects are really very good considering when it was made. Claude Rains became a star after this film was released even though you never see him until the end. He is one of my favourite actors.

2. JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH-1959

This is one of my all time favourite movies that I watched every time it came on tv, this and "What’s Up Doc" which is another of my favs. It stars one of my favourite actors, James Mason, as a professor who comes across a find from an old scientist who made it to the centre of the earth. He decides to find the way as well so, along with his assistant, played by Pat, "white shoes", Boone they head off to Iceland. A colleague Of his, who trying to take the credit and one up the good Professor, is murdered. This does not stop the man's widow from wanting to go along with them so they head towards the volcano along with their right hand man, Hans, and his pet duck, Gertrud. Unbeknownst to them they are followed by a descendant of the long dead scientist. The music is excellent, not Pat Boone, but Bernard Herrmann, The art direction is excellent and gotta love those lizards representing dinosaurs.

3. THE IMITATION GAME-2014

This is an excellent film based on the real life event and a man who is one of the main reasons the second world war ended in victory- Alan Turing. This film does not contain super heroes like Ironman or blow ‘em up flicks like Fast and furious 54, but it involves a difficult but gifted man who is the reason for the modern computer and the reason the Nazi Enigma code was cracked. He has a great team that help him, despite their issues with him, and end up respecting him. Benedict Cumberbatch is superb as Turing and he should have won the Oscar instead of that irritating Eddie Redmayne. You want to see an intelligent film, that grabs your attention from the get go, see this film.

What 3 films would you choose?

Thursday Movie Picks: TV Edition-Horror

Ooh..boogedy, boogedy, today is Halloween and I am going to see Carrie on the big screen this evening and, strangely enough, I’m looking forward to this. It is supposed to be a cold and rainy night so quite sucky for the kids but I hope it won’t be as bad as the weathermen are saying. We used to get tons of kids but now we get less than 40 so I expect even less this year. Now, on to TV and horror of which I watch little because I am just not into a lot of negativity which seems to be the in thing nowadays and I am one for some hope. Wandering through the Shelves comes up with a different theme each week so head on over to see what everyone else has chosen. Here are my 3...

1. THE ADDAMS FAMILY-1964-1966

Ahh... we are talking one strange family who delight in all things slightly evil from enjoying pain, having a dead garden and and letting a disembodied hand almost steal the show. Gomez, very wealthy and weird, loves his beautiful wife, Morticia. He gets lustful whenever she starts speaking French. Their 2 children, Wednesday and Pugsley are not the type of kids who like cuddling especially since Wednesday tries to kill her brother. Uncle Fester is loveably insane while Grandma likes to boil things. Lurch, their butler, rarely talks but looms over everything as he groans. You have Thing, the hand, Cousin It...a hairy being plus other strange nuts. It was a fun albeit creepy show that spawned a successful movie and sequels and now a new animated film.

2. THE MUNSTERS-1964-1966

A hardworking man, Herman, takes care of his beautiful wife, Lily, who, on occasion, sings some beautiful songs, and their young son who deals with school. Her father lives with them who brings Herman into some hair-brained schemes because the dad, although sweet isn’t the brightest knob. Their ugly cousin, Marilyn, lives with them and so does their pet in a moody mansion. Oh, yes, the dad is Frankenstein, his wife and her dad, vampires, their son is a werewolf and their ugly cousin is actually a beautiful blond who looks like the rest of us. Oh and their pet, who lives under the stairs is a prehistoric beast that breathes fire. This is my favourite which I loved more than the Addams Family even though The Addams Family gets more recognition. This family was loving and sweet and had no idea they were different plus who doesn’t love their kick ass car as well as the opening music from this show. They made a movie, in colour, which was just as hokey but I love it.

3. GRIMM-2011-2017

I guess this is my most horrific tv show pick but I really enjoyed it because, despite some ugly scenes, there was humour and a sense of family and hope. There is a detective who finds out he is a Grimm, someone who can see the real life “monsters”  who live among us. His German ancestors used to seek out these monsters a kill them using all sorts of tools but he decides to understand their side and not just whack off their head. He gets help from a wolf in human clothing who has sworn off his bloody ways and is a vegetarian and, together, along with Det. Burkhardt’s partner, investigate all sorts of strange murders. The detective has a loving fiancée, an understanding boss, who hides his own demons, plus other characters that help and hinder his life throughout the series. I love fairy tales and enjoyed how they brought in many old stories and tales like the 3 Bears, witches and even the chupacabra.

Now which 3 would you choose?