Thursday Movie Picks-TV Edition-period drama

I can't believe that the A to Z Challenge is 2 days away! One year I will be ahead of the game. The fun thing is I am going to try to wrap the Thursday Movie Picks with that letter on that day. I believe I have accomplished that. Now, this being the end of the month means we are doing TV editions. This week it is all about period drama and I had to think long and hard about what might fit. To find out what the others have chosen, head on over to the brain child of this event, Wandering Through The Shelves. Here are my 3....

1. THE WALTONS-1971-1981

ZZzzzzzzzzz. OK this was a big hit and many people love this show including my hubby but I found it a snore. It is well written and acted but I never got into it and wanted someone to say "Shut the F Up" when everyone was saying goodnight to everyone. It takes place from 1933 to 1946 on Walton's Mountain during the Great Depression and World War 2. It is narrated by a now, much older, John-Boy, played by Richard  (Moley, moley, moley) Thomas (sorry but Austin Powers came out for a second) about his family and the struggles they faced. Zzzzzzz

2. LITTLE OUTHOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE-1974-1983

Ok ...ok...Charles Ingalls and his family did not live in an outhouse but, seriously, he is a lumberman who becomes highly respected in the community who lives in the worst house ever built. The kids sleep in a hay loft with a ladder to get up to. The parents' bedroom is under that. The livingroom/dining room with a shabby table and chairs is where they all sit and Caroline Ingalls disappears to another room to make the dinners. OK joking aside, I loved the books when I was young and I loved the series. It was a lot of fun seeing Laura Ingalls give it to the brat Nellie. There was real heart in this show and humour. I have to say 2 episodes I will never ever forget is the one show when the kids are caught in a blizzard after they are let out of school and the other is when Mary's baby and a family friend are killed in a fire. When she breaks the window trying to get out with the baby in her arms...it was all too realistic and heartbreaking. A great show that I love to watch.

3. DOWNTON ABBEY-2010-2015

OMG_Love it!!! Love this show!! It is well written and so well acted. It is far from boring (when the good looking young Turk dies in Mary's bedroom and she, with her mom and her maid, bring his body back to his room-way too funny) and has so much to deal with from the Titanic disaster at the beginning of the series through WW1 and into the decadent 1920's. The fashion, the style, even the place settings are done as they are supposed to be back in that day. It is meticulous in how a home like this would have functioned. They do take certain liberties because the staff and the upper crust would not have been that friendly but who cares. When season 3 ended, my mouth was agape along with my hubby and our brains exploded because we did not think what happened...happened. Love this show....this is my hubby's favourite show, his "soap opera" as he calls it.

Which period dramas would you choose.

Thursday Movie Picks-Underdog films

We have all felt like the underdog at one time or another and that's why these films appeal to us so much. We root for the people who seem to have everything and everyone against them which we not only see in films but have seen in real life as well. Have you ever felt like the underdog? Head on over to Wandering Through The Shelves to see what the other film buffs have chosen. Now, here are my 3....

1.  MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON-1939

1939 was the best year in movies...books have been written about this year alone, I know because I own 2 and this film is one of the classics. James Stewart gave an Oscar worthy performance as a young senator who idealistically wishes to buy some land for a national boys camp. The problem is that this same land is wanted by a manipulative man who wants it for a dam but is really a graft scheme. The corrupt a-hole has a big senator, much admired, in his pocket. They think the young, innocent senator will be a pushover but they are strongly mistaken. Jean Arthur plays the disillusioned love interest who helps the young senator learn some of the tricks. James Stewart gives one of his best performances here where he actually took swabbed his throat with mercuric chloride (Yikes!) to make his voice hoarse in the climax of the film. It is a must film to see.

2. THE BAD NEWS BEARS-1976

I love this film and it is much better than the remake with Billy Bob Thornton. It Stars Walter Matthau as a drunken has-been who is given the task to shape up these misfit kids into some sort of baseball team. These kids are the typical freaks and geeks who truly suck at the game until they bring in a young gal who has a killer arm and pitches deadly baseballs. He also brings in the juvenile delinquent who is considered the best athlete. This is politically incorrect film, my favourite kind, with some great music from Bizet's Carmen  that just enhances the scenes all the more.

3.  SEABISCUIT-2003

I had no idea about this famous horse until I watched this film. This horse grabbed national headlines during the 1930's  because he was considered an underdog that won many titles. The horse is not the only underdog, Tobey McGuire  is the jockey who is blind in one eye. The Trainer is old and considered beyond his work years and the owner has of Seabiscuit is a lost soul after his son dies. They all find salvation in this horse and the horse finds it in them. The rest of the people, ravaged by years of the Great Depression feel redeemed by this horse. This film deeply touched my heart and really shows how one can never give up.

All of these films speak about never giving up and to stick to our dreams no matter what so this is why I end this with this song....

Monday, Monday....Fun Times with Cards

Our weather has been all over the place and it is March which means...typical! We had a huge snowfall last Tuesday which started to melt due to warmer temps and then, Saturday with cold temps and some more snow. Yesterday was warm again but by Wednesday, back to cold...bleccchhhhh.

What's a gal to do...but make cards!

Poinsettia rubber stamp, Gold dye ink, embossing gold powder, tombow markers, scissors, pop up dots, stickers, stickles.

Christmas Card Throwdown-Bright red, Apple green, Pale taupe colour
Crafty Hazelnut Challenge 1-No Patterned Paper
Glitter N Sparkle-Anything Goes

Yes, another Christmas card to get you in the mood...or not:) I stamped the flower on basic white cardstock twice. I coloured the image and then I fussy cut  it out and stuck it onto the linen card stock. I cut out just the flowers from the 2nd stamped image and used pop up dots to give a 3D effect. I added the stickers and the yellow and red stickles for some bling. It's hard to see on this picture and I took this quickly with my I Pad before coming to work.

Rubber Stamp, Green and gold dye ink, Embossing powder(green tinsel), Corner punch, Stickers, Crystals (just glass), Wink of Stella(Gold).

Color Throwdown-Green, Black, Gold/yellow
Butterfly Challenge-Fancy edges/borders and can do mint green
Alphabet Challenge-Anything with Wings

I had fun with green although I wish it was all about money but, alas, it is not. I stamped this image with my multi green dye ink and a bit of gold on the dandelion weed. Let's face it-this image is a weed or the flower I call Deewa:) I embossed it with the green tinsel, punched out the edges, sponged some green along the edges and adhere it to black cardstock and green cardstock. I finished it off with green bling and stickers. The little butterfly was also given some bling with gold wink of stella. WTF is wink of stella? It is a tube that looks a bit like some liquid lipstick but it holds glitter that one can get in different colours. The glitter is subtle which is nice and it comes with its own brush so you just brush it on.

Now I am going to do the A To Z Challenge and it will be about movies once again. I almost didn't do this at the last minute because I am thinking you are bored with my movie talk. I am hoping to showcase not only a movie but do a small highlight with someone associated with the film...we'll see how it goes.

Thursday Movie Picks-Ancient World

As we get closer to Easter, I am reminded of my childhood when certain films were played each year, and still are, on tv, and I would watch these films with my dad and love every minute of it even though these films were quite long.....just like this sentence.  So we are going old, like really old, in time and the films which showcase ancient times is the topic for this week.  I love Gladiator but I'm not choosing this film, but maybe someone else has so head on over to Wandering Through The Shelves to see what the other film buffs have chosen. Here are my 3.....

1. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS-1956

The great Cecil B DeMille actually created this film back in 1923 and, if you have seen this film, he uses some of the same looks from that film in this one. This film has been shown on tv at Easter time every year for decades and I have fond memories of watching this. It tells the story of Moses who was raised by a pharaoh but finds out he is a humble Hebrew who must lead his people to freedom. The chiseled rock, Charlton Heston, plays Moses to great effect. Anne Baxter is a pharaoh queen who loves him, Yul Brynner is the whiny brat who becomes pharaoh and hates Heston's guts and Yvonne DeCarlo ( Lily Munster) plays Moses's wife. There is a cast of thousands in this film and it won an Oscar for special effects for that still great scene of the parting of the Red Sea. Moses is actually more fun when he is the pharaoh to be who could have actually really helped his people if he stayed in power but he decided to grow an amazing beard and raise his hands in the air a lot and became rather ..boring. The people he saves see many amazing things but can be easily swayed to have an orgy around a golden calf after being talked to by Brooklyn accented Edward G. Robinson. Hmmmm, this film was up for many Oscars...a golden statue...hmmmmm,.

2. BEN HUR-1959

Charlton Heston stars as the main character in this long but great film about a wealthy Jewish man who is betrayed by his old friend Messala. As a result, Messala sends Ben Hur on a slave ship where he is one of the oarsmen. When the ship is attacked, he ends up saving the Roman head of that ship and is in return, granted his freedom and is welcomed in his home. Ben Hur comes back home representing his land in the best chariot race ever shown on screen! He finds out his mother and sister have leprosy and do not want to be seen but he finds them. At this time, a man, who once gave him water, is being taken to his death. Remembering that this Carpenter once gave him water, Ben Hur does the same for the Carpenter. This epic was directed by the famous William Wyler who worked on the 1925 film version as an assistant and who had wanted to remake this film for a long time. A great film that one the most awards until tied by that flick I call, the love boat sinking.

3. A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM-1966

I love this film which I consider one of the best comedies and starring many people who used to be in burlesque and vaudeville as comics from Frank Gifford, Phil Silvers, Zero Mostel to the great Buster Keaton. Actually many were blacklisted during the Communist witch hunts from the late 40's and early 50's. Zero plays a slave who is very lazy and wants to be free. When his slave owners leave for the day, their young son is left and Zero finds out he is in love with a virgin. He works out a plan to gain his freedom if he can unite the young man with the virgin. Hijinks ensue through the many dealings and underhanded ploys the slave does to win his freedom. You have a couple of songs, love, lust and Frank Gifford dressed as a virgin. Very funny film that I hope you can see when you get the chance.

Which films would you choose?

Snow Day! yahoo! Card Crazy!

oh me...oh my... I am exclamation point Crazy:) I live in the Niagara Region and we have been socked  with snow and I am loving it. We haven't had hardly any snow this whole winter but Mother Nature decided to give it to us all in one day.  My co-workers and I were worse than kids on Monday because we were all hoping for a snow day and we got our wish. The picture below doesn't really show how snowy it is but this is to continue throughout the night.

I apologize for not visiting on a daily basis with everyone but my friend is going through a divorce and her soon to be ex moved his things out of their home on Saturday. I knew she needed a friend, some wine and Bob Hope. Also, my mom has been sick with bronchitis but she is feeling better now. I worry since she is 89 and has dementia plus she has lost 10 lbs and is not eating as much so ...that is just how it is.

Now on to better news, I made some cards and had a great time in my craft room.  I created a Christmas card and the 4 seasons with the same stamp.

Rubber stamp, dye pads, Die cut, sizzex machine, embossing powder, sticky tape, glitter, wink o Stella.

Happy Little Stampers-DieCuts: Make it Simple
Crafty Hazelnut Christmas Challenge2-AG
Crafty Creations-AG
Christmas Card Throwdown-Sketch Challenge
Alphabet Challenge-Zero Embellishments-does glitter count??
Addicted To Stamps-Holiday
Sparkles Christmas Challenge-Use Silver or Gold

This was quick but I had a fun time creating this card. I used  the tape that I normally use to stick paper together, to create the stripes in glitter. I stamped the image with different dye inks and placed different embossing powders  on the image and heated it up. I put some wink of Stella on the edge of the Die cut and adhered it to the card.

The Four Seasons

Winter

Spring

 Summer

Fall

Rubber stamp, black memento dye ink, sizzex machine, Die cut, prisma pencils, crystals, stickles, wink of Stella, distress inks, colour bursts, pop up dots.

Simon Says: Bit O' Green-My summer card
Stamplorations: CAS/Sky Blue-My Winter Card
Retro Rubber Challenge-AG-My Spring Card-rrcb58
Glitter N' Sparkle-Make It Green-Summer Card
Eclectic Ellapu-Spring is Here-My Spring card
Dream Valley-Lots of Layers-Any of these 4 would work

All of these were fun to create because I wanted to show the same scene but from each season and I hope I did each season justice. The rubber stamp is about a year and half old but one I have t used much so I wanted to have fun with that stamp. The winter stamp is the least coloured but I think it turned out quite well. The spring stamp was fun to put together because I thought of bright colours and I wanted the greens to look bright and New looking. Summer has the deep greens( if one was getting a lot of rain and the grass isn't burnt), using distress inks, with the coral colour one often sees in flowers and finally, autumn is ablaze with colour especially the background which I used, not only distress inks but also colour bursts. So much fun!

Thursday Movie Picks-sequels/reboots/remakes, that has not been done, That You Want To See

In this day and age of sequels( Fast and Furious 65) and reboots and remakes, it's actually refreshing when I see something original. Now this week, I have to think of 3 films I would love to see be redone or have a sequel to. Most of the films I love, I would not want to see anything more. They actually did a sequel to Gone With The Wind starring Timothy Dalton....anyone see it?? I have one film that I would love to see a sequel to while the other 2 I am having fun with. Head on over to the Brain child of TMP, Wandering Through The Shelves, to see what the other film nuts have chosen( I say nuts in the most complementary manner). Here are my 3...

1. HISTORY OF THE WORLD PART 1-1981

I love Mel Brooks and have seen almost all of his films. When I saw this fun film in the theatre and watched a few people walk out at the very beginning while I was laughing so hard I thought I would die, I knew I would love this flick. You travel through time from Ancient Rome to King Louis the 16th( I love my people...Pull! It's Good to be the King!) Madeline Kahn as a sex starved roman queen picking out which stud will be good for her always makes me laugh. So when I saw what would be in History of the World Pat 2, I waited in anticipation for the sequel which never came. I mean, who wouldn't want to see, "Hitler...On Ice!" I am hoping that, one day, a sequel will be made.

2. SIXTEEN CANDLES-1984

So, Molly Ringworm,  I mean Ringwald was THE gal of the 1980's in the teen movies usually directed by John Hughes. I am not a fan of this chick and always felt she was like those popular gals in high school who thought she was all that....whatever That is. This film is about her turning 16 but, due to her sister's wedding and all the relatives coming in that weekend she turns 16, her parents have forgotten her birthday. She is uprooted from her bedroom and must sleep in her younger brother's bedroom. She also has the love pangs for the hottest guy in school but feels she has no chance while a dorky kid (Anthony Michael Hall) has the hots for her. It's actually a pretty funny film that I do enjoy watching mainly for all the other characters except her. I think my favourite is the Foreign exchange student who is now considered politically incorrect but I don't care...he is funny. Now my sequel, would have Ringworm as the parent with her son turning sweet 16 but she doesn't notice that he has the hots for the most popular boy in school. Her husband, the hot guy, is too stupid to realize she is having an affair with the dorky guy who is a serial killer. Their older daughter is getting married and is a meth addict and the Asian kid comes to back to visit who is now a successful business man and a millionaire. Yes, this would be a comedy

3. THE BREAKFAST CLUB-1985

I think most of us have seen this huge teen coming of age comedy. This was a huge success and started the careers of these kids who became known as the brat pack ( along with Rob Lowe, Gimme Moore, plus others). These  5 kids have to serve detention on a Saturday for things they did that was considered wrong. The teacher looking over them is a dick who loves to do a little power tripping. We get to know these 5 kids -the Brain, the Athlete, the Criminal, the Princess and the Basket Case. We find out more about these kids as human beings not just their titles and why they ended up in detention. Even though I found Judd Nielsen' s character annoying with his poor Me status, I enjoyed how well this was written and how the teens have to deal with all the angst surrounding them. In my sequel, the Princess(Molly Ringworm) lives in a trailer park with her 7 kids while her hubby, the criminal( Judd Nelson) is serving time for armed robbery. The athlete( Emilio Esteves) works as a gas attendant knowing his glory days were when he was in high school. The Brain is now a teacher by day, serial killer by night and the Basket Case is a famous actress who is a millionaire. Yup, it's a comedy.

What films would you like to see again in either as sequel, remake or reboot?

Thursday Movie Picks-On The Run

Another week has passed with the Oscars now done for another year, we have more movies to watch, pick apart, love and hate. This is all about films already seen and you get to pick 3 films that fit the theme present each week by Wandering Through The Shelves.  This week it is all about movies that feature characters on the run. I could pick all Hitchcock films since he loved this theme but I am actually not going Hitchcock at all (Gasp!). Head over to Wandering to see what the others have chosen. here are my 3...

1. BEGGARS OF LIFE-1928

This is a silent film but a great one with Richard Arlen, Wallace Beery and the great Louise Brooks as the main character who is truly on the run. She plays a young girl who kills her guardian in self defense when he attempts to rape her. She takes off and meets up with a hobo who disguises her as a boy and they travel the rails to meet up with a group of hobos in a camp run by Wallace Beery. Beery takes a shine to Louise but he is a brute with heart who helps her and the nice hobo escape. Ya see, this hobo and Louise have fallen in love and wish to be together. Many stunts with the train are performed by Harvey Perry (who slept with Brooks -she thought he was a jerk) a great stuntman back in the day. Brooks also performed some of the stunts and the train derailment is real and the wreckage can still be seen (the Carizzo Gorge in California).

2. GUN CRAZY-1950

A young juvenile delinquent is free and wants to be good. He and his 2 pals go to a carnival where they watch a young female sharpshooter. The young man is smitten and she is with him. They share a love of guns and both are crack shots. They marry and she tells him she will try to be good but soon realizes she loves being bad and pressures her young husband to start robbing banks. This man who is good, trying to be bad, agrees and they hold up banks and stores all over the place and end up in the news. When he sees that she is ready to gun down and grocery store clerk, he stops her and later says he wants to stop but they are on the run from the law and the law wins. Talk about a screwed up love with guns being the phallic symbol. It is a B movie that is much better than many A films out there and the acting of Peggy Cummins as the bad ass gal is excellent.

3. BANDITS-2001

This is not well known but a true gem and a great cast with Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton and Cate Blanchett. If you want crime, romance and humour, this is a perfect movie to watch. 2 friends break out of prison and end up on the run but they also love to rob banks. They are very polite with one being strong and silent and the other, smart and a hypochondriac. They stay overnight at the bank manager's house, keeping them prisoner and the next day, they walk in with the manager and rob the bank. Things turn weird when they kidnap a manager's wife who's husband doesn't really care that she is taken and she becomes thrilled with being part of the team. She first falls for Willis but also falls for Thornton. What will they do? I found this quite funny and entertaining.