Thursday Movie Picks: TV Edition-Horror

 

Wandering through the Shelves is ending the spooky month with TV Horror and, let’s face it there is a lot of horror on tv from all the fish lips on the Housewives of who cares to the T & A of the Bachelor crap. Oh...not that type of horror...ok, well, there are quite a few series out there but I have not seen them. I am finding many of these seem to be so negative and without much hope which I just don’t like, never mind if it has a lot of gore.  Well, I was able to choose 3 and here they are...

1. THE HILARIOUS  HOUSE OF FRIGHTENSTEIN-1971

I grew up watching this with the zany Billy Van playing many roles including the star which was Dracula who loved pizza more than blood.  There was Igor and the Wolfman who played some great songs often dancing to some psychedelic background. You had a vet talking about pets  and a Mad scientist who was an actual professor who studied under Albert Einstein. The biggest coup for this humble Hamilton, Ontario station was getting Vincent Price to introduce the show because he loved kids and thought it was unique. Apparently, Price was a true gentleman who bought beer for the cast and crew and got pictures done with everyone involved and wrote a special message for each person. 

2. FOREVER KNIGHT-1992-1996

This is another Canadian TV Show about a vampire from the 12th century who decides to change his bloody ways and becomes a cop, befriending the morgue doctor who provides him with animal blood plus tries to change him back to a human. She is the only one who knows who he is and also has feelings for him as he does her. The cop also has a female vampire friend who runs a Local nightclub and a frenemy who tries to bring him back to the dark side of his nature. The  current case he is working on, with his goofy partner, brings back memories of years or centuries earlier and the philosophical similarities it has with him today. It is well done and more intelligent than  regular vampire shows.

3. THE DEAD ZONE-2002-2007

Ha! Thought I was going the vampire route but nope, I went the Canadian route because this is a U.S show but it was filmed in Vancouver and the last season was done in Montreal. This is based on a Stephen King novel and earlier film( done in Niagara On The Lake) about a man who was in a car crash and was in a coma for 5 years. When he awakes, life has certainly changed. His mom has died, his fiancée has married and he finds out he has a son. He also can see what will happen when he touches a person and warns them about what he sees. His caretaker is one who knows about his gift and often helps him.  Anthony Michael Hall( the nerdy kid from the 80s John Hughes films). Is really quite good in the lead role and David Ogden Stiers brings panache as a somewhat diabolical character that was his mom’s new husband. I have not yet seen all the episodes but I am getting through them. 

Which 3 would you choose? Oh and a Bugs Bunny Bonus.

Weekly Song Challenge

 

I an sorry for not visiting as much but I have been so tired that I have been sleeping a lot during the day. I’m Even sleeping through Bonanza that is playing on our retro channel. I am feeling a bit better and the pain is a bit better now. 

Jingle, Jangle, Jungle has another slew of themes, well 3, this week and she is taking a hiatus until the new year but I am going to try and keep this going just for me but just have one theme with 3 picks. We shall see. Here are her 3 themes

A SONG WITH A BOY'S NAME IN THE TITLE

A SONG WITH AN ANIMAL IN THE TITLE

A SOBG THAT MENTIONS YOUR FAVOURITE COLOUR

1. DANNY BOY SUNG BY JOHN MCDERMOTT-1992

I always loved this song and posted one with Maureen O'Hara singing this ditty...yes the famous actress. I love John McDermott who is a Canadian legend, sings this song beautifully. I had the pleasure taking my mom and in-laws, with my ex ( we were married at the time) to see him perform and we got pictures too. My mom loved him because he shows great respect to the soldiers. This song was written by Frédéric Weatherly in 1913 set to the traditional Irish melody of Londonderry Air. 

2. A KERRY COW SÙNG BY MAUREEN O'HARA-1961

I wanted to see if Maureen O'Hara sang a song about an animal and she did! This is a cute Irish diddy  which is from Irish folktales. I just think it's fun to listen to. 

3. CARIBBEAN BLUE SUNG BY ENYA- 1991

I decided to do a theme and went the Irish way since I love Celtic and Enya is just a perfect ending. She wrote this and I think it's so pretty besides, I'd live to be in the Caribbean right now ready to swim in its warm waters.

What can you think up?

Recovering

 

I thought I was smiling here but...nope...hahaaa. This is my spot on the couch resting....and resting. First of all, all went well and I am recovering slowly due to my connective Tissue disorder ( Ehlers-Danlos) so it takes me more time and the pain is there but not as bad as last week. I am walking around and, happily, I can use the stairs to get to the bathroom. Today I finally took a full shower so the houseplants, animals and hubby are all reviving.

I am catching up on stuff I taped and have watched some movies. I have had friends visit which was so nice and hubby us wonderful to me.

Hubby is doing well with his operations as he heals much quicker than the average person but he is behaving. Since hubby got 3 different sets of percasets, once when diagnosed with kidney stones, the next when he left the hospital with the stint in and the 3rd when he had the hernia done, I had a few for the night so I could sleep since my surgeon didn't think I needed it at all. WTF? I am not  drug pusher but I get nadda and hubby gets a slew! I have only taken 1 at a time and that's enough. 

If I hear nothing from the surgeon by the end 9f next week, that will mean the best...the biopsy will be normal. I will see her at the end of Nov to see how I am getting along  but, for now, resting.

Thank you so, so very much for all you prayers, well wishes and concerns over these past 2 months. I can't express how much this has meant to me. It has truly touched my heart. 

Thursday Movie Picks-Horror Comedy

 

I am writing this way ahead which feels really strange. It might mean I am organized. I should be recuperating in bed now, watching movies, reading and looking at my blog :) So the theme this week has a ton of films one can choose from. Wandering Through The Stars came up with another great theme and it will be fun to see what everyone else will choose. Here are my 3...

1. THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES-1946

This is one of my favourite Abbott & Costello films because it is not the usual film these 2 make. Lou Costello is a ghost along with a young pretty ghost who were wrongly accused during the American revolution and were shot for it. The home is bought by a young man who brings his fiancee, her aunt and his psychiatrist, Bud Abbott, to this estate. They soon realize the place is haunted and what they need to do to help the spirits leave this earthly domain. I guess the 2 leads had some falling out which is one of the reasons it led to this famous comedic duo to not be "friends" in the movie and have all these comedic bits not show up as they did in all their other films. It is entertaining and quite fun to sit back and enjoy.

2. THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN-1966

This stars Don Knotts (from the Andy Griffith Show) when he was quite big back in the 1960s who made quite a few films during this timen almost always as some bumbling oaf. I watched this a lot when I was a kid and just re-watched it about a year ago. There are some great character actors in this film with so many having been on Bewitched (like Dick Sargent who played the 2nd Darren in Bewitched). I love the music in this movie along with the eeriness of the home and that organ music! Poor Don is a typesetter for the local newspaper who dreams of hitting it big. Everyone is scared of this one home but scaredy-cat Knotts boasts that he will have no problem staying at the home. This man gets scared seeing dust! He enters the home and no sooner that he pays out his sleeping bag, he hears that organ music, finds a hidden door and shears in a woman's painting that is dripping blood. He runs from the home and tells everyone what he sees but no one believes him except for this one good looking girl who, somehow, has the hots for Don. It is fun and makes you wish they would make more silly movies like this. 

3. YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN-1974

I love Mel Brooks who made this classic film starring Gene Wilder as the nutty Frankenstein who inherits his granddaddy's castle. We meet Madeline Kahn as his fiancee, Marty Feldman as Igor (who steals every scene), Terry Garr as the lovely assistant, Cloris Leachman as Frau Blucher, Kenneth Mars as Inspector Kemp and Peter Boyle as the Monster. This is ideal casting with a great director who loves all the old Hollywood Frankenstein films and must have watched them several times since you can see where Brooks was inspired by. I just watched the first 3 Frankenstein films and started to laugh with the last one because of the Inspector. Cloris Leachman is brilliant as the housekeepr who must have watched Una O'Connor in The Bride of Frankenstein to get some mannerisms down pat. Mel Brooks found the old set and equipment from the original 1931 film and re-used them here, plus he filmed it in black and white which is perfect. Of course Frankenstein builds a monster and the town is ready with pitchforks but just sit back and watch this and have a good laugh.

Sorry for any spelling and grammatical errors. I haven't the time to fix it.

What films would you choose?

weekly Song Challenge

 

It's strange writing these ahead of time but I am trying to be pro-active since i am unsure how i will be feeling after my surgery since I take longer to heal due to my connective tissue disorder. Jingle, Jangle, Jungle came up with 3 more great themes this week and here they are:

A SONG WITH A GIRL'S NAME IN THE TITLE

A SONG WITH THE WORD "UNDER" IN THE TITLE

A SONG WITH THE WORD "CRY" IN THE TITLE

1.  BARBARA ALLEN SUNG BY ART GUNFUNKEL-1973

It is a Scottish ballad from the 16th century that took hold all over Britain and one hears it in many older English films like "A Christmas Carol". I always loved this song even though it is a sad song but it seems to have a wistful, dreamy and very pretty tune. I wanted to find a good rendition of this song and someone, long ago, who owned a classical record store, suggested this version by Art Garfunkel. I bought the CD and am so happy I did because I love Simon and Gunfunkel and always took to Garfunkel more. I think he does the best rendition. 

2. UNDER THE BOARDWALK SUNG BY  THE DRIFTERS-1964

This is the first song that popped into my head and I always loved it for the great vocals. It came out in 1964, my birth year, so it must be great :) This song was written by Kenny Young and Arthur Resnick (I don't know who they are but ok) and I love all the nice nuances they put into the song plus I just love the lead singer's voice, Johnny Moore. 

3. CRYING SUNG BY ROY ORBISON-1961

I know it is Crying and not Cry but this still fits, I think, and it was the first song that came into my little head. It's cool that it came out in 1961 when my brother was born. I know K. D. Lang did a great homage to this song, but it will always be Roy Orbison's song which he co-wrote with Joe Melson. It is brilliant.

So any songs you can think of?

Thursday Movie Picks-Folk/Urban Legend

 

Wandering Through The Shelves picked one of my favourites because I love folk legends whether it be Dracula, Werewolves or, my favourite, Fairy Tales especially the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. They were 2 German brothers who went all over Europe, mainly Germany and Austria, picking up the old folk tales from the people who kept the oral history going. I bet there is some basis of truth in each tale especially the way the bad witches were dealt with like being burned at the stake or wearing red hot iron shoes to dance at Snow White's wedding (I read that when I was a kid and thought, "Good, she was bad."). I love the original Cinderella name was actually Cinderslut. So here are my 3...

1. LA BELLE ET LA BETTE-1946

OK, I know, I know, I picked this more than once but I had to choose it again because it just fits so beautifully. This IS the best rendition of Beauty and the Beast even though I like the animated one but, let's face it, it is Disneyfied. The Story goes that a merchant, losing his ships, is coming home bereft when he remembers that all his youngest daughter wants is a rose. He plucks a rose only for a beast to come forth demanding the man be killed. The man begs for his life and the only thing the Beast will do is accept on condition he send his youngest daughter to him. The man accepts and when he gets home he tells his daughters of the travels. The 2 older daughters are spoiled and idiotic but the youngest is beautiful both inside and out. When she learns what her father promised, she goes to the beast despite her father pleading not to. From that night she arrives onward, the beast asks her the same question, "Will you marry me?" To say Jean Cocteau, the director and core to this film, created a classic is an understatement. The whole picture feels dream like yet sumptuous from the beautiful chateau (Chateau De La Roche Courbon), the food and the fashion which was created by the fashion houses in Paris like Cardin. I just love this film...can ya tell?

2. THE BROTHERS' GRIMM-2005

I do love Terry Gillium movies (I could have done all of his films here, oh well, next time) and this is one that is not considered one of his best but I enjoy it and have watched it more than once. It stars Matt Damon and the great Heath Ledger (I still miss him) as the 2 brothers who are charlatans preying on the ignorant townsfolk who believe in fairy tales. The brothers create the bad demon and then come in a save the day...for money of course. When they come to another town, they notice there are not that many children around and soon learn that not all seems to be ...real, or is it? They decide to find the children and come to the centre of the forest where just about every Grimm Fairy Tale comes into play in this film. I love the banter between the 2  brothers, the make up and the story line even if it misses here and there. It is not really scary even if it has parts that make you sit on the edge. It is worth having a look.

3. HANSEL AND GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS-2013

OK, this is stupid. I will say that right now..it is dumb but, for some reason, I found it enjoyable despite cutting heads off, stake burnings and all the other fun inquisition stuff.  I watched it just in the past year because, well, nothing better was on and I thought I would give it a go. Hansel and Gretel are a kick ass brother and sister team who kill witches and are damn good at it. In the day and age of  the middle ages, Gretel wears some form fitting leather outfit and Hansel (Hansel??...Hansel??) looks quite cool because he is played by Jeremy Renner after all (be still my heart). They speak like we do today (hahahaaa) and have machine guns(WTF?). Despite this, I enjoyed the banter, the good witch vs bad witch and the look of the film. It is not that scary at all even though there is some good make up with the bad witches oh, and the decapitations. 

Hopefully, my surgery went well and I will be coming home today with some good pain pills and a nice comfy spot to watch TV, read and walk around every day to gain strength. I hope this is the end  of our surgeries but to add a cherry on the top, Saturday our washing machine broke down. Thankfully, we have a great place that will come to fix it. 

Which 3 folk or Urban legend movies can you come up with and they don't have to be scary. 

For your amusement...

Weekly Song Challenge

 

Well, I should be in the hospital recuperating now and...maybe....I can look at my blog. I hope so and i hope I have good pain killers:). The week Jingle, Jangle, Jungle has chosen 3 good themes and here they are:

A SONG ABOUT A CHEATER OR CHEATING

A SONG WITH KISS IN THE TITLE

A SONG WITH FATHER OR DAD IN THE TITLE

1. WHY DON'T YOU DO RIGHT SUNG BY JULIE LONDON-1961

I remember Julie London from the TV show "Emergency" and had no clue about her great musical history and what a vixen she was. She exudes sexy allure without it being slutty unlike Marilyn Monroe, for example. I think this guy is cheating her out of money by gambling and that is a form of cheating in my book. This song was written in 1936 by "Kansas Joe" McCoy and Herb Morand.

2. KISS SUNG BY MARILYN MONROE-1953

Oh Marilyn and your shenanigans! This is from the campy, but great, film "Niagara" filmed right at Niagara Falls where Marilyn plays a bad girl married to an unstable Joseph Cotton but getting her kicks with some other chap. She and her paramour decide to off her hapless husband under the noses of a newlywed couple who can't seem to get away from these 2 nuts. To drive her husband crazy, Marilyn saunters into this fun group and starts singing "Kiss". It does drive men wild:) This song was written for the movie by Haven Gillespie and Lionel Newman.

3. MY HEART BELONGS TO DADDY SUNG BY EARTHA KITT-1953

This song was written by Col Porter back in 1938 and made famous by Mary Martin (Larry Hagman's mom) as she does a little strip tease. This has nothing to do with sweet dad or father but everything to do with a sugar daddy like we see in many Hollywood marriages(um..Dick Van Dyke, Tony Randall). I immediately thought of Eartha Kitt who is brilliant at singing these types of songs without it making it sound cheap and lurid. I love it. 

So which 3 would you choose?

Wandering Through The Shelves: Halloween Edition-School

 

October is upon us and it is still warm outside and we have yet to put the heat on! Hubby is done with his surgeries and mine is coming this Tuesday right after our Canadian Thanksgiving. To be honest I am glad September is over and done with. 

To me, school has always been horrifying:) I never liked school because of being severely bullied but I was never an A student. I still shudder when I see Back To School commercials or hear about tests...blecch. It is not beyond reason that many horror movies were made at school, with many, too stupid to watch. We all know the teens that all get together in one form or another only to be picked off one by one. The horny cheerleader and her football dumbnut, having sex somewhere, get it first followed by a goof you can't wait to get bludgeoned. You have the nerd who often dies as well followed by the token African American. This leaves sensible girl and guy, who is a nice guy, to survive. Sometimes the guy bites the dust before the girl flees and runs, on the main road, crying and screaming and tripping. The murderer wears some mask and is so slow that a turtle can fly past him but not the gal. Oh I do go on....anyway, Wandering Through The Shelves is the host of this weekly series and you should check it out and see all the other choices. Here are my 3...

1. I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF-1957

I tried to find a regular clip using blog youtube but I only found the clip above. It's still pretty cool and shows Michael Landon before Bonanza and Little House On The Prairie. This is a fun flick, one of many done in the 1950s and a bit better than many. I found the special effects pretty cool and those teeth! Michael Landon plays a misunderstood teen (a la James Dean) who gets more than he bargained for when he is bitten by a werewolf and now he becomes one himself. He terrorizes the school but not before you see him in class, gym and listening to the hip songs. 

2. SATAN'S SCHOOL FOR GIRLS-1973

I couldn't upload a video and there are not that many I could find anyway. I haven't seen this since I was a young girl of 10 or so. There were some good and some campy movies that came out back in the day and this is a good, campy film that also stars Kate Jackson and Cheryl Ladd who were on Charlie's Angels. The actual star is Pamela Franklin who does not believe her sister committed suicide and wants to get to the bottom of this. She finds out her sister's sorority is not the squeaky clean image it portrays to be but no one seems to believe her not even the super nice teacher. It is creepy to say the least and I have to watch this again one day.

3. FRIGHT NIGHT-1985

This is a great comedy horror film and much better than the remake. Of course, most of these actors belong to "What the hell happened to them" spot but they are great in their roles. William Ragsdale is a high school student who loves his girlfriend, played by Amanda Bearse(she was on Married With Children) or would love to get into her pants. He also loves watching the campy horror show "Fright Night" with its host, Peter Vincent, introducing the campy movies. Vincent is played hilariously by the great Roddy McDowell who must have watched a few Roger Corman horror films plus the Dracula flicks starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing so he could get his part done just right. Well, good ole Charley Brewster (Ragsdale)gets sidetracked by what he sees next door. He soon learns that all is not right when Jerry Dandridge, played by the sexy Chris Sarandon, and his manservant move in and seem to be moving bodies out. When Charley notices fangs on Jerry who is ready to sink his teeth into a girl, Charley knows he is facing trouble. With Amy and his nerdy sidekick Eddy, he tries to prove Jerry is a vampire even bringing Peter Vincent into his scheme. They go along with him but Peter has a change of heart when he notices Jerry casts no reflection. Very funny but also scary with some great make-up that stands the test of time. It truly is worthy to see. 

So which Halloween school flicks would you choose? 

 

Weekly Song Challenge

 

Late again...story of my life. The good news is that Hubby had his stint taken out on Monday and he is done with his surgeries. He is still peeing out small kidney stones but that is a good thing plus he has no more pain or blood. He is taking it easy...well, for him but I have been telling him not to lift things. His hernia is healing and he is a fast healer which is great. One thing, for all you guys out there...he was not given any anaesthetic when they took the stint out. He asked the doctor how bad the pain level is between 1 to 10 and the doctor replied about a 3. Well, it only was a few seconds but, hubby said he actually went blind for a few seconds...literally. He thinks he was close to passing out from the  pain  when they yanked the stint out from his wee wee. Yuck.

On a brighter note...let's talk music and Jingle, Jangle, Jungle has 3 new themes for this week. I enjoy reading all your comments and love the picks you choose and I do my best to listen to all of them but I am sorry I have not replied. I went for my pre-op yesterday and soon will be my operation. Now, here are the 3 themes:

A SONG WITH LOVE IN THE TITLE

A SONG WITH EYE OR EYES IN THE TITLE

A SONG WITH RIDE IN THE TITLE

1. LOVE IS IN THE AIR SUNG BY JOHN PAUL YOUNG-1978

I think this is just a nice song..a bit Disco, but much better than most of the dreck that comes out today. This song was written by George E Young (no relation to the singer) and Harry Vanda (who knew?!)  It's the first song that popped into my head and that song is what we need right now.

2. ANGEL EYES SUNG BY ABBA-1978

Of course, I will choose ABBA this week because it is a great song that was on their Voulez-Vous album and tour. Beware this man's eyes because they will betray you. We've all been there where we think they are great only to be betrayed by the a-hole. It happens to men too..many times. I still wished I could have seen ABBA on their Voulez-Vous tour.

3. RIDE MY SEE-SAW SUNG BY THE MOODY BLUES-1968

Of course, I will choose The Moody Blues whenever I get a chance. I need to choose from my favourites this week and this is a good one. I have this album and this song, written by John Lodge,  was a big hit back in the day. 

I plan to have my posts written up for at least the next 2 weeks since I will be recuperating. Have a great day!