Thursday Movie Picks:TV Edition- 2019 Freshmen Series

I must do a correction from last week....last week’s suggestion for Best Score came from Brittani, a great blogger who loves film and Wandering Through The Shelves chose her suggestion that we talked about last week. This week is all about TV and the new shows of 2019..of which I lack big time and have been searching for anything new that I am watching. I think I found 3 and if they don’t fit...too bad!

1. CORONER

This stars Serinda Swan as Jenny Cooper, as a, well, yes, a coroner who figures out who the killer is...think an updated Quincy but with a hot chick with anxiety issues. I actually find this drama quite good because it deals with the case but it is also character driven and it is a Canadian show. You see how she figures out the cause of death and the murderer in a nice succinct hour (plus you see Toronto in all parts) while trying to deal with her teenage son.

2. PERFECT HARMONY

I hope this lasts because I enjoy this quirky comedy about a disillusioned, grieving widower who ends up in Kentucky and finds “redemption” teaching a bunch of misfit adults how to sing properly. He is a disgraced music professor from Princeton who is teaching the ragtag group of nuts  like the perky gal who is just sunshine and cream. Her deadbeat, bubba ex; a very tall, deep voiced hunk of man, a golly gee Indian minister, a no nonsense maybe husband killer gal and others round out the characters in this funny show. I have a feeling it won’t last.

3. THE ZOO

OK, so this may have appeared the year before but I found it last year and it’s all about the zoo from the Bronx and how they care for their animals and are even part of trying to rehabilitate animals to go back into the wild. I love animal shows and am all for helping animals when they need it. Anyone who kills endangered animals just to make their dicks not seem so, so small ( hear that Trump brats), need to feel how those poor defenceless animals feel meaning, the dickless can go out in a park and I will be there with my high powered rifle, a super scope, night vision goggles and I’ll just wait until they come into range. Oops I got off track, anyway, animals deserve our protection and considering that zoos often have endangered animals and are their only hope of survival, I think zoos are important.

I know we are talking about 2019 but has anyone seen Picard? I just saw the first episode on the Sci-Fi network and I am loving it. Great acting, story, effects...it has it all...forget STD( Star Trek Discovery and yes I know what STD stand for and think it’s apt) and watch Picard.

Which 3 shows have you seen  if you have seen any?

Made 2 cards...Hold Da Phone!

Polar Bear stamp, glossy white paper, midnight blue dye ink, various pretty paper in blues and silver, snowflake embossing pad, blue stickle paint. Border stickers

CHNC-No Sentiment
Animal Friends-Polar Bear
Christmas Crafts All Year Round-Anything Goes
Sparkles Monthly- Winter Blues
The Male Room-It’s Snowing

I made a couple of cards, this one on the weekend, and the other 2 weeks ago. This actually works with that Dolly Parton challenge going around where you take 4 pictures with the top left being Linkdn, top right being Facebook, bottom left, Instagram and bottom right, Tinder( what is Tinder??). Anyways, I had fun making this card because I think the stamp is funny. Where I live, we have had hardly any snow so this polar bear must be in Newfoundland this time.  Hope all of you are having a good week so far.

Fabric, glitter cardstock, ribbon, snowflake die cut, sentiment stamp, dye ink and embossing powder  gem, star stamp, pearl pen

ABC Christmas- A and B for Anything Goes and Bingo which I did the diagonal-die cut, sentiment and ribbon
Crafty Creations-Anything Goes

I made this before I felt icky and decided to use this fabric that came in a gift basket to my work. I glued the fabric on a piece of cardstock and the upper half is a piece of glittery card that I love. I added the sentiment and stars that I stamped and embossed in teal to match the colour of the fabric and finished it off with the snowflake that I glued on with pop up dots. The pearl pen surrounds the die cut where the saying is stamped on

Have a great week until Thursday, if I can think something up for my Movie Picks

Thursday Movie Picks-Film Scores

Can you believe all the snow Newfoundland has received?! Check it out if you have not heard, because they got our Blizzard of ‘77. Last Thursday, I got my flu shot, by Friday I was feeling some pain in my lower back and hips but thought it was all the grocery shopping I did. The weekend, I was toast. I had so much pain I had a hard time in coping and could not sleep and could not move well. I think that it is related to the flu shot...that’s my humble opinion. I feel a tad better this evening which is Tuesday when I am writing this little corner of fun film land. Let's turn to something more fun, I am going to an Oscar party, free , where I will see the red carpet and the Oscars on the big screen...first time ever! I will let you know how it will turn out. Now, Wandering Through The Shelves picked a great theme this week because it is all about film scores and I love scores and no, I am not talking about notches on my belt because there would not be that many, but actual film scores. I could go with the obvious which would be anything from John Williams like Star Wars or Jaws but I went with the Western and Sci-Fi/Fantasy. Here are my 3...

1. THE BIG COUNTRY-1958

This is a big film with big actors, a big expanse because it is the time of all the Vision and scopes..Vista vision...CinemaScope etc.. and it has a big score and it is one of my favourites. The score was composed by J. M who garnered an Oscar nomination for this score which is used throughout the film to great effect. It stars Gregory Peck as a man from the East who comes out west to marry the woman he loves played by pouty Carroll Baker. Little does he know that his quiet bravery is put to the test by the bigness of the people he meets and ends up in the middle of a land war. This is a great film with a deserved acting award going to Burl Ives(the Snowman in Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer) as the one half of the feuding men. Just listen to the opening theme, it gets ya going.

2.  MYSTERIOUS ISLAND-1961

I love Bernard Herrmann who is best known for his collaboration with Hitchcock on Psycho, Vertigo and other Hitchcock films, but he also did some great fantasy films often in pairing with Ray Harryhausen whom I adore for bringing us this film along with the Sinbad films and Jason and the Argonauts. This film starts off during the civil war and men climb into a hot air balloon and become stranded on an island where they soon meet 2 women who survive the sinking of their ship.  They very soon, realize that the animals, on this island, are a bit too big and they could end up being their dinner. Throw in Captain Nemo and you have a good adventure yarn.

3. ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST-1969

How can I not pick Ennio Morricone who never won an Oscar, yet, for his scores and his most famous, arguably, are from the Spaghetti Westerns he collaborated on with Sergio Leone. This film does not star Clint Eastwood but Henry Fonda as one mean son of a bitch plus Charles Bronson, the good guy, Jason Robards as a fun bastard, and Claudia Cardinale as the Lady in the midst of it all. It is a glorious opera of film making that is a must see even if you are not one for Westerns but how can anyone not like a good western.

Which 3 would you choose?

Thursday Movie Picks-2019 Releases

I am writing this on Wednesday, January 15th which marks 2 years since my mom died. I miss her every day and long to hear her wise words which I have not heard in 10 years because of the dementia that took her mind. I can be thankful that she always knew me, she was a spitfire to the end and always gave hugs. I hope she is with daddy and they are enjoying their moments together. Now, on with the show..the Oscars are out and I have seen very, very, very few. I hope to remedy that before February 9th. Why are the Oscars on so early?? Wandering through the Shelves has some great themes this year so check it out. Here are my 3...

1. AVENGERS:ENDGAME-2019

This is the final(so they say) film in the Avengers saga. There will be other films about the players but this is the finale of these films showcasing all the Marvel super heroes from Ironman to Captain America and Dr. Strange. Too bad Deadpool was not in this because he would really shake things up. I have to say, this movie is well acted, has a great plot and keeps the gigantic group of people all together showing them just about equally. It is also surprisingly touching which gave it heart. The evil guy was truly annoying especially his soft way of talking...he was irritating to say the least. Worth watching. Oh yeah, the effects are amazing.

2. DOWNTON ABBEY-2019

Oh yes, this is an excellent film that continues from the great tv show that was on PBS. The Crawley family receive a formal letter that the King and Queen will be visiting their home for one night sending the house into a frenzy. The staff are ready to be on their toes to deal with the royal visit but get their noses out of joint when the King’s stuffy staff come and decide to rule over the home. All the regulars are here along with the great writing, the beautiful setting and the clothes. They should have been up for best costumes in my book.

3.  JUDY-2019

This film got mixed reviews because there isn’t much of a plot and people  felt bored but, to me, they missed the mark of this film because it is a character study of one of the greatest film stars and singers that ever graced the screen, Judy Garland. To say this gal was mixed up is an understatement because she had many layers from loving mother, great singer, addict, volatile, bitter, lonely..the list can go on and on. Renee Zellweger, not a favourite of mine, nails the part of Judy in her last year of her life. She was missing her cues, flubbing lyrics, ridiculed on stage but still carried weight and still wanted to please her audience and love her children. We also see the very young Judy on the set of The Wizard of Oz, when she is first given uppers and downers so she can finish her scenes. Yup, started with this classic.

Which 3 would you pick?

Rather than show a picture of my mom, I decided to show a chicken egg she created. It's an actual egg that she cut and placed an angel inside with little stars surrounding the angel. She was a great artist and now she is an angel.

Thursday Movie Picks-Favourite Films of Steven Spielberg

Anyone watch the Golden Globes? Fashion was crazy and they all seem to be loving all over themselves with many not happy at how spot on Ricky Gervais was. He was biting, truthful, uncomfortable for the stars and funny. No one spoke about the Me Too even though Weinstein was appearing in court the next day, no women directors nominated, no Mira Sorvino or Ashley Judd, no minorities well represented and no unison in wearing black. Oh well, the fad is done. Now, on to nicer stuff...it’s all about Spielberg and he is a stellar director, no doubt about it. Some of his most famous adventures are ones I am not really enamoured with( sorry Indiana and E. T) so I am going with still famous choices just  not the most popular. Head on over to Wandering Through The Shelves to see what the others have chosen. Here are my 3...

1. DUEL-1971

This is actually a TV movie starring Dennis Weaver as a family man who is travelling to meet a client  through the desert in his little car, where he passes a slow moving truck driver. This was the wrong thing to do because this truck driver is nuts and so begins a tense and harrowing film about a man being chased by a trucker who is bent on killing him. We never see the trucker but the fear he instills in the businessman is all too real. This is an excellent movie that, thankfully, was on a regular tv network because, today, it would be scooped up by Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime or whatever...see it if you get the chance.

2. EMPIRE OF THE SUN-1987

I think this might be my favourite Spielberg film starring a young Christian Bale as a privileged brat growing up in China who ends up separated from his parents and is taken by the Japanese to one of their prisoner of war camps. Through his eyes, we see how the other British and Americans  try to survive this horrific time. He becomes someone where many depend on since he can scrounge and he even becomes friends with a young Japanese boy. He is enamoured with the head of the American POW’s played by John Malcovich and wants to be one of them not knowing he is much better than they are. This got barely a mention at the Oscars which is a crime in my book.

3. SCHINDLER’S LIST-1993

This is, I believe, his most important work and one that still leaves me speechless at the end. I still remember how everyone just walked out of that film numb, not talking, slowly leaving the theatre. This is based on the true story of Oskar Schindler, a wealthy German who hobnobs with the Nazi elite and is, himself, a member of the Nazi party. When he sees what is truly happening to the Jewish people, he decides to try to save  as many as he can enlisting the help of a Jewish man played brilliantly by Ben Kingsley who should have won the Oscar but was not even nominated. Liam Neesom should have won as well as he gave his heart to this role as a man who must make a list of people he will do his best to save. He does save many and this man is the only German from the Nazi Party buried in Jerusalem on Mount Zion and is highly revered to this day.

Which 3 would you choose?

Thursday Movie Picks-Escape

A new year and a new decade and already bad news where a zoo, in Germany, near Holland, lost  most of their apes-chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas plus their bats and birds. This was caused by people who lit candles in Bags and let them float up. It is banned in Germany but people did it anyway and a few landed on the ape enclosure and bat enclosure and it went up in flames. This is devastating and so sorry to start off with this but it really has upset me. I just hope the individuals are caught and that 2020 will also have this zoo spring back from this devastation, the fires end in Australia and we hear less deranged nuts shooting people and places up. Ok..sorry....this is the start of a new weekly pick of 3 films that follow a theme. This is the brainchild of Wandering Through The Shelves and this week is all about Escape. This is broad ranging but I went with 3 films that just popped into my head and here they are...

1.  I WAS A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG-1932

This film really got under my skin when I saw it and it addressed the deep issues of how mistreated prisoners were and, because of this film, an overhaul was being looked at. A young man gets wrongfully convicted of a crime because of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is convicted for 10 years hard labour but he escapes and becomes a success but married a shrew. It goes on from there and you are taken in by this man’s plight and hope he succeeds. A gritty, realistic film with some fine acting. I need to see this again.

2. THE DEFIANT ONES-1958

This is another great film that I want to see again. It stars Tony Curtis and Sydney Poitier as 2 convicts shackled together when the prison vehicle gets into an accident. They escape but must work together since they are still shackled. They hate each other, mainly due to Curtis’s bigotry, but soon this begins to change as they are not able to escape one another and soon develop a bond and a strong friendship that can’t be torn apart. Well acted with a great plot and character study.

3.  ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ-1979

I am sticking with prison outbreaks, obviously. This is based on a true story starring Clint Eastwood who is a prisoner on the rock who  deals with all sorts of bad asses and decides to escape this unescapable prison. He brings in 2 other men and they slowly figure out an escape plan and it is a doozy! To know more, see the film or watch a documentary on this because this has turned out to be one of the biggest mysteries where many shows have spoken about this. Personally I think they did get away. 

Bonus

THE GREAT ESCAPE-1963

I had to include this great adventure/action film with an all star cast starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, Donald Pleasance( who really was in a POW camp) and Charles Bronson. The German army  Nazis, Gestapo built a camp for all the POW men who are repeat escape offenders. The prisoners end up devising a huge escape from the 3 tunnels they start to dig. Of course, the film is not accurate since the Canadians were big in the real life escape which is not shown but this is a great movie worth seeing.

Which films would you choose?

Sunshine Blogger Award

Well, we are 20 minutes into the new year and I have decided to write this as I was awarded this by the wonderful Armchair Squid. So here are the rules...

I am not going to nominate anyone but if you want to answer my questions afterwards, you can. So here are the questions given that I will answer

1. If you could live one year over again, which year and why? I wouldn’t want to because for every year that I had something nice, I also had something not so nice so I realize that the good, the bad and the ugly is what is meant to be and I don’t really regret anything. I have made some huge blunders and things that I wish I would have chosen differently....maybe. No, not really, I would still make the so called mistakes because it made me grow.

2. If you could learn to be an expert in Something without putting in the work, what would it be? I would love to be a film historian that is asked about films, stars etc...on every  tv special and documentary. I would also love to be an art historian and a travel person like Rick Steves. Either of those 3 or maybe a drunkard.

3. If you could learn a new language instantly, which would you choose? I would choose German...I can speak it a little but I am not fluent. I know people would think French because  I live in Canada but nope, German or that African language where you use that clicking sound all the time.

4.  If you could give one million to charity, which would you choose? The charity of moi. No? Ok, provided 100% would go to the actual charity and not their paycheques etc,,, it would be to help out animals. If I could give the guns to the animals that the dumb ass Trump kids killed, so they could be hunted down, I would.

5. When was your Robert Frost moment a la "2 roads converged in a yellow wood...?" The point is you can't go back and that's true.

But if you could, would you? What is the difference you think it would have made?  I don't think I would but....I would ask my dad more questions  and cherish the moments.

6. Time Travel, where would you go and when? Humm if I couldn't change anything, I would go back to the 1970s and have a good long visit with my parents. I would want to go and visit my mom when.shr was a child to.meet my oma and opal and my great grandparents as well as meet my dad when he was little and meet my grandparents on his side. I might go back to the Titanic and tell everyone not enough life beats...too mean?

7. Who would you want on your fictional bowling team? You get to pick 4. Of course, I would have to pick Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble plus the Invisible Man because he can cheat and Harry Potter because he has that wand of his....no.not that wand you sick buggers.

Am I going to Hell yet?

8. What would you want for your last meal? Chocolate. Something created from the great British Bake off with lots of whipping cream...and more chocolate. This could be  some sex question actually.

Told you I am going to hell.

9. What's your favourite song? One?? Ok "To Dream The Impossible Dream."  Chris DeBurgh, " The Girl With April in her Eyes." "You'll Never Walk Alone." And "I love Big Butts."

10.  Are you and extrovert or an introvert? Believe or not, I have done 4 different personality tests when at conferences and each time I score exactly 50% on each. It depends on my mood but, since I am writing this on New Year's Eve and am drinking alone, I will swing to the left...um I mean to the introvert side.

11. If you came over to my home and I offered you a drink, What would you want me to serve you? Now, mr. Squid creates a new drink about every week so I would love some blue drink but make it creamy. Good luck!

Now here are my 11 questions...

1. Favourite holiday?
2. Favourite colour?
3. Favourite wild animal?
4. Favourite tame animal? Dog, cat, fish, ferret, wombat( I thought of you Liz)
5. Glitter, yes or no?
6. Sparkle from.glitter, gems etc.. yes or no?
7. Favourite colour?
8. Favourite colour combo?
9. Hate lovey/dovey or thrive on it or for it?
10. Love Angels or fairies or that's a no?
11. Love a good drink? Just one, nothing crazy...would it be wine, beer or a mixed drink? My brother loves beer especially a pilsner so what do you like?

Have fun and wishing all of you a beautiful year ahead.