Thursday Movie Picks:TV Efition-Rivalries

Merry Christmas and have a great New Year! So, I thought I would get back into the swing of things and ...I didn’t. It’s been crazy between working full time, and all the Christmas stuff to do on top of my pain, my friend  visiting me, blah blah blah, I am behind again. Christmas Day was a day of complete rest and I basically slept. We are not going to my hubby’s sister’s place until Friday because of her work. Saturday, I see my best friend and Sunday I am being treated to a beautiful concert at Hamilton Place with a  Full Viennese concert. I am so looking forward to this. The last post for this year on Wandering Through The Shelves is the tv edition and it is to showcase rivalries. My mind is not working on full throttle but I hope I came up with 3 that work.

1. THE BUGS BUNNY/ROAD RUNNER HOUR-1968-1978

Ok these original cartoons were actually shown with feature films for Warner Bros. MGM had Tom and Jerry, Warner’s had the great Bugs, Elmer, Daffy Wiley E Coyote, Road Runner, Porky Pig, Sylvester, Tweety Bird, LongHorn Egg-horn (is that right??) plus so many more. Many of these cartoons are hilarious since they were actually for adults more than kids (“I Knight thee Cirrhosis of Liver”) but as a kid, I loved them and never thought of them as violent and thought it stupid when they were censored them especially since I am against censorship. Wiley E was always trying to kill and eat the Road Runner but the Road Runner always got the better of him. Actually, Bugs got the better of him as well. Sylvester always tried to eat Tweety Bird and they were both trying to win the affection of Granny along with the bulldog. I think my favourite was the new puppy and Clyde the cat..poor Clyde who loved filing his nails on a filing saw. Love these shows.

2. DYNASTY-198

What can I say about this glossy show which was all about shoulder pads, back stabbing and chewing the scenery. The Carrington Family are filthy rich headed by John Forsythe who married his secretary, Linda Evans. We meet his kids, one good and one smarmy plus their wives, girlfriends and one night stands. Season 2 brings his ex wife, Joan Collins who really knew how to bitch across the scene and bitch slap Linda. A fun and campy soap that I preferred over Dallas.

3. THE DREW CAREY SHOW-1995-2004

I wish this show was more well known because it was funny. It was about Drew Carey who worked in management at a department store who had to deal with his jerk boss and his nemesis,  Mimi, who could give it right back and was nasty. He has 3 good friends, 2 dopey guys and a girl whom he secretly loves. Thre are many antics but they always make it funny. I love that Shirley Jones plays  Carey's mom.

Which tv show can you think up? I will be commenting on my previous post to catch up and vhecki

Thursday Movie Picks-Child Actors Venturing Out of Typecasting

I’m baaack! I didn’t mean to go but I did as you can see from my last post. So, now I am back on track and will talk about child actors who wanted to venture away from their good girl image.check out Wandering Through The Shelves to check out which 3 actors/actresses the fellow film nuts have chosen. Here are my 3....

DEANNA DURBIN

1. CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY-1944

Denana Durbin...who? Without her Universal Pictures would not exist because she saved them from bankruptcy when she appeared as a young, talented gal with a beautiful voice, who sings her way through many pictures along with many great conductors like Leopoldo Stokowski lending a hand. With her happy charm and amazing talent she would save the day. Well, Ms. Durbin wanted to expand her acting talents and stop playing cute little girls who save everything. This is one such film that veered away from her nice image and one that she was, apparently, proud of. I say this because she retired in the late 40s and never looked back, moving to France (by the way, she is a Canadian..Maintoba). She never granted any more interviews, except one back in the early 80's that I would love to see. She disliked talking about her film career and simply refused to look back. Oh yes, the film...She plays a young lady who falls for a real schmuck, played by Gene Kelly, who does not dance or sing in this film! He kills someone and he, along with his domineering mother, blame her. She changes her name and ends up as a "hostess" in some divey bar. It is quite a good film noir and one hard to find but, if you do, it's worth a watch.

ROBERT BLAKE

Yup that's the little rascal who appeared on quite a few Our Gang shorts with Spanky and the Gang.

2. IN COLD BLOOD-1967

Talk about a controversial person to say the least since Robert Blake is one F#^% up person who probably did have a hand in murdering his shrew of a wife-which, her murder, seemed to be right off the pages of Murder, She Wrote or Columbo. Robert Blake started out as Mickey Gubitosi who was cute as a button in the Our Gang series but he wanted more which is where this film comes in. In Cold Blood is a docudrama about the true story of 2 hoodlums who break into a home and end up killing the family all for a measly sum of money. The 2 are caught and we see real insight into the mind of these 2 killers . Robert Blake shines as a troubled hoodlum who shows some regret. Excellently acted by him and John Forsythe as the detective who captures them.

KURT RUSSELL

How many of you knew Kurt Russell was a child actor for Disney movies? He was cute as a button...and still is. I remember him in Gilligan's Island playing "Boy"  as well as on Lost In Space. People knew him as the cute Disney kid so he wanted to break from this mold..and does he ever! We all know his more recent films with Quinton Tarantino and his relationship with Goldie Hawn but he has done many films from Comedies to some great westerns. He was also great as Elvis and won accolades playing him in the late 1970s but he chose something darker to distance himself from Disney. Here is the film I choose...

3. THE DEADLY TOWER-1975

This is a TV movie but an excellent film starring Russell as the disturbed Charles Whitman who, after killing his wife and mother, walked up the Tower at the university of Texas, barricaded himself in and started shooting people walking down below. This is a true story and it was shocking in the day because it was rare to hear of someone doing this...not like today. He gave an excellent performance and won accolades for his acting. 

which 3 would you choose?

Over at Wandering Through The Shelves, another movie week. I apologize for disappearing as I didn’t think that would happen but my friend from Vancouver came for a visit and he didn’t leave until Thursday. I actually met him in good ole Hogtown, aka, Toronto, and we had lots of fun.  This week it is super long titles and, if you can recall, I screwed up early in the year and gave my 3 way back then. I can't recall which theme I was supposed to do so I am showcasing some pics I took when in Toronto. I have also been busy with decorating as it takes me a while to get the house Christmasfied. I hope to be back now even though I am baking and still gave to so the tree. On with some pics..

This is from the distillery where the Christmas market was on and it was so nice. Finally, we are catching up to Germany and Austria who have these markets for centuries.

The lobby in the Fancy and beautiful Royal York . The 2 story facade all lit up is made from real gingerbread. 

This winter wonderland was at Ontsrio Place and it was great! We went in the last hour which worked as we saw everything without the throngs of people with their screaming kids.

Freaky fish that lives in the Great Lakes...who knew? We went to Rupkey's Aquarium and it is worth seeing! I am not a fish person but this was cool to see.

This was a huge and deep fish tank. I was gobsmacked by how large this was.

This lobster is truly this blue

You could stand on a moving walk and watch all these fish plus some sharks swimming right over you.

Ok we may look stoned but we were freezing spending a nice day in Niagara On The Lake. So I hope I didn't bore you with my picks I promise to be back in blog land. Take care and Happy 3rd week of Advent.

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

Christmas Cards

 
Stamp, tombow markers, black dye ink, black glitter embossing powder, glitter pen, Crystals, glossy accents

Cute Card Thursday- Festive
Happy Little Stampers: Christmas- Bah Humbug
Animal Friends- Reindeer, moose
Sparkles Christmas- Santa


I was thinking of my friend who doesn't love Christmas and loves to go far away and warm at this time. I took some cardstock that reminded me of Florida along with the markers to color in the stamped image. After colouring the image, I used special scissors to cut it out and a needle pick to poke holes all along the edge. I used glitter on the tree because many in the hot places usoie white trees or coloured ones instead of the great green. Santa decided to wear his light purple outfit to take off and gave some fun in South Beach. I also used the glossy accents on the pinks ornaments and the bows on the reindeer.

Embossing folder in holly, branch punch, reindeer stamp, pastel chalk, red piece left over, stickers.

Happy Little Stampers- CAS- Tis The Season
Winter Wonderland- holly and/or ivy
ABC Christmas- Wreath
Simon Says- Anything Goes
Crafty Creations- Anything Goes
CNHC- Reindeer


This  is a quick and easy card. I have a circle punch which I used in the top part of white cardstock. I took a pencil to lightly circle in the inside so j knew where to stamp the little reindeer head. I erased the pencil lines after I stamped the head in apricot brown dye ink. I used green glitter pen to color the holly leaves she is wearing...Vixen always needs to look good. I place the front part of the card in the embossing folder and rolled it through the cuddle bug for that embossed look. I punched a ton of those leaves in red and green and glued them in a wreath pattern. Added the red card piece and the gold saying sticker and bell in the wreath. So how many of you have tons of card pieces? I can't throw them out, it feels so wrong.

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?