Thursday Movie Picks-Mrs. Robinsons

This is an interesting suggestion over at Wandering Through The Shelves since there are many women out there who have a good time with a youngin" . I was thinking up movies and chose a very obvious one (Coo..Cooka Choo or however one spells that) and 2 others that seem to fit the bill. It will be interesting to see what everyone else chooses. Here are my 3...

1.THE GRADUATE-1967

This is the obvious choice since Mrs. Robinson is a real character in this film and even brings a familiar quote ("Are you trying to seduce me, Mrs. Robinson") along with a famous image of Dustin Hoffman framed by her leg. Simon and Garfunkel  music  really makes a great mark in this film and sets the tone. Confused graduate, Hoffman has no idea what to do with his life ending up in an affair with his dad's business partner's wife, played by the wonderful Anne Bancroft. It gets even more complicated when he falls for Mrs. Robinson's daughter. This film is, in some ways, of its time when young people did not know what to do with their life, wanting to make love, not war and  placing daisies in the guns pointed at them by the armed guards. The trapped feelings are expressed by the imagery in this film. It has humorous moments filled with angst and the sense of loss.

2. WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE-1993

This is a hidden gem that more people should see especially since Leonardo Di Caprio gave an Oscar nominated performance and, I feel, should have won, playing the mentally challenged young brother to Johnny Depp, the star of the film. The family just lost their dad to suicide  and must look after their morbidly obese mother who never leaves the couch. Depp works for a small grocery store in this small town where he delivers groceries, one being the horny Mary Steenburgen. She initiates an affair with the young Depp who is happy to oblige. He feels frustrated with his life and embarrassed by the size of his mom plus having to care for the family. In enters a young gal, Juliette Lewis and her mom, who are travelling in some RV and are stuck in town for a week. She awakens the free spirit in Depp and helps him and his autistic brother find meaning. See it if you can.

3. THE READER-2008

This is a heavy film but a good one even though it could have been great. It stars Kate Winslet, David Kross and Ralph Fiennes who exceed in this film set before, during and after World war 2. A young Michael meets up with an older woman who helps him when he becomes ill. After he is better, he finds her to thank her and they have an affair where she asks him to read to her. He loves to read to her as they share a romantic summer together only for her to disappear and he does not see or hear from her again. Now grown, the older Michael, in law school, is a spectator to a trial of women prison guards accused of atrocities and see Hanna is among them. He soon finds out Hanna's secret which she would rather hide and be found guilty than have it become public knowledge. We see how his bond to her never leaves even though he never is with her in the biblical sense again. This is well acted and promotes  discussions about the topic at hand plus you see Kate Winslet naked...again.

Which 3 would you choose?

Wandering through the Shelves-The Great Outdoors

It’s too damn hot to be outside..I hate it and can’t wait for 20C since we have been having 36 but feeling like 43C with the humidex. I can’t breathe and I hate it. Ok, I’m done with my rant, this week over at Wandering Through The Shelves, it is all about the great outdoors and I love the outdoors when I can breathe. Oh, sorry, I said I wouldn’t bitch any more. Anyway here are my 3...

1.  THE BEAR-1988

This is a film that had me on the edge of my seat and it was all about a cub who tries to survive the elements, other predators especially Man. I am a huge animal lover and hate Ted Nugent who thinks that killing bears is his god given right....jerk. I don’t like it when I see an animal die even though I do watch rescue shows but this seems to end on a mostly positive note. Where was I? Talk about stream of consciousness! Anyway, to see amazing cinematography along with a bear coming of age, love and friendship, see this film starring Bart the Bear who befriends the cub.

2. THE GREAT OUTDOORS-1988

This is not a fantastic comedy but it’s fun to watch especially with 2 funny comedians, Dan Aykroyd and the wonderful John Candy. John Candy, with his family, rent a cottage to enjoy the great outdoors only to be slightly perturbed when Candy’s brother in law and his family, which includes 2 freaky red haired twins, surprise them. They deal with water-skiing, bats, those freaky twins, raccoons, each other and Bart the bear who gets a bit bald on both ends. I watched it again recently and had a good laugh.

3. THE EDGE-1997

Anthony Hopkins is married to a younger, beautiful model who travel up north, with a photographer, played by Alec Baldwin, and crew in tow, to take in some great outdoors. They are trying to find some mountain man when their small plane crashes in the middle of nowhere. The pilot is killed  which leaves 3 to try to get home dealing with wolves and one very smart but very nasty bear...played by...Bart the bear who was quite scary to say the least! This is thriller that held my attention and made me grit my teeth.  I know that both actors were very impressed with Bart because he was so genial and intelligent. You wouldn't know it from watching  Bart that he was so docile.

Which 3 would you choose?

Bart with his trainer...Bart was a Kodiak Bear

I’m a busy little beaver

Get your heads out of the gutter and stop thinking of Leslie Nielsen from Naked Gun and realize I am talking about my scrapbook. Oh, I’m not showing that yet as it’s not done yet and has been taking up a lot of my time, but I have been making some cards which I am showcasing 2 here today.

Alcohol inks, sun stamp, Red dye ink and Red sparkle embossing powder, cuddlebug, embossing folder, Sizzex machine, corner cut outs, crystals

Penny Black-Summer Colours
Cute Card Thursday-No Patterned paper

My poor friend was told by his partner that he is done with him and  no longer wants to be with him. In less than 2 years, the marriage has ended and in a bad way because when my friend came home from his 3 day tour, a nasty note was left with the wedding ring and a sticky note saying to not try to find him. 2 weeks later, my dear friend was served with lawyer papers demanding half the condo... Oh boy, let the games begin! I decided to create this card for my friend who deserves a little sunshine so what better way than to create summer colours with the fun sun. I dabbed alcohol inks on glossy white paper in nice warm colours and set it aside. I took dye ink pads and placed the colour on craft wipeable sheet, spritzed water on it and placed a basic white papercard onto it to get some nice yellow, golden and orange colour onto the paper. I dried it a bit and dipped it again and then let it completely dry before I stamped and embossed the sun unto it. I fussy cut it out and pieced everything together. I took the border dye cut with the burgandy paper on top and ran it through the sizzex machine to get the border cuts, added some bling and we are done.

Pink shimmer sheer fabric, flower stamp, gold dye ink stamp and gold embossing powder, pastel powders, scissors, ribbon, scizzex machine, dye cut, cuddlebug machine, embossing folder, friend stamp. Glue, glue dots, pop up dots, crystals, pearls

Stamping Sensations-The Earth Laughs in Flowers
Alphabet Challenge-I is for Insect-no Locusts here!
Retro Rubber Challenge-Tic, Tac Toe-I chose Romance, Texture and Ribbon-rrcb116

This card is for my friend’s birthday who loves pink so I used the colour and made it girlie. Those glue dots can be a pain to work with but they work well when you add fabric to a card like I did here. I stamped, embossed and coloured the flowers, that I have had for 6 years, in pastel colours, fuzzy cut them out and stamped it again but just coloured the middle flower and cut that out. I used the pop up dots to raise the flower and, raise the middle flower, again. I put the ribbon around the image, added the dye cut image with the word, friend, on it and that’s it. Since Las Vegas is called a sinful town, it's kind of funny that swarms of locusts have descended on this city.

Hope you like my little creativity

Now a couple of picture from our trip to Quebec.

Hubby's Aunt and Uncle's backyard, although they call it their front yard.

Hubby in his kayak on the Richelieu River

Thursday Movie Picks:TV Edition-Crime Shows

It’s almost the end of July! I can’t believe that the year is half over and I need to make more Christmas Cards:)...did I just say that word?  I had my jolt juice(lidocaine infusion) On Tuesday and was a bit stoned for the day but it helps with my pain. This week, over at Wandering Through The Shelves,  it s tv time and it’s all about crime shows. Let’s see what I have chosen...

1. CSI-2000-2015

This has spawned so many other CSI shows that I thought there would be a CSI Wainfleet...where I grew up, but the only crimes they may find is which hog slept with which cow, anyways, this was quite a good show before it became too full of itself. I liked the original show(in Las Vegas) that started off with the crime and then we see the forensic experts come in, take the evidence, the “Vic”, (my mom hated that term and thought it was disrespectful to the victim...she was right) and within 24-48 hours, they solve the crime. Never mind that nothing happens that fast, that the forensic people, would Never interview the suspects, never mind that it would take months to get all that DNA evidence. Regardless, I enjoyed this one and CSI: New York because I really like Gary Sinese. I watched the Miami one but I always laughed at Carrot top, aka, David Caruso, trying to be cool by saying some quip and then taking his sunglasses off.

2. CASTLE-2009-2016

This is one show I really enjoyed about a famous writer of crime mysteries who works with a police dept after one of the crimes seems to follow one of his novels. The problem is that the author won’t leave and is able to stick around and follow, help and often solve many of the crimes. One of the main reasons is not only his love of crime but his hots for the lead detective. It is often done in a comedic way but there were plenty of times where drama came in especially concerning the murder of the lead detective’s mother. Apparently, the 2 leads disliked each other but it only showed as snappy foreplay and the show didn’t suffer even after the 2 marry.

3.  UNFORGOTTEN-2016-PRESENT

This is a British series that my hubby and I found on PBS mysteries and it is well worth a look. It runs about 8 or so episodes starting off where a skeleton is found. The team, lead by boss, Nicola Walker, is brought in to deal, specifically, with cold cases. We see how they find out who the victim is and soon there are 4 suspects that could have committed the crime. We not only see how the detectives try to solve the case but we follow the boss's life, her right hand man and the lives of the 4 suspects. We become involved in their lives and feel for the victim and their family that must endure the pain of finally knowing what has happened. The last one we watched was chilling to say the least. I can’t wait to see more.

Sorry Colombo..anyhoo, which 3 would you choose?

Thursday Movie Picks-Blockbuster Flops

Wandering Through The Shelves picked a good one this week because it is all about the big budget flops that we see almost every year. Sometimes the films, I find, are pretty good(Adventures of Baron Munchausen) but, often, they are flops for a reason-they are crap! I chose 3 that are all from the 1960's because I have seen them when they come on TV and here they are...

1. CLEOPATRA-1963

Oh That Elizabeth Taylor who was a great choice as Cleo but the backstage antics catapulted the film's costs to over 44 million(almost $375 million today). Liz wanted her special food from a certain restaurant in Hollywood so they shipped it in for her. She started a huge affair with Richard Burton, who played Marc Antony, that created a world wide stir where the Pope condemned them. She also became very ill with pneumonia and almost died. An emergency tracheotomy had to be performed so she could breathe.. There were cast changes, thousands of costumes and changes in location shoots. This film is almost 4 hours long and it drags. Yes, it is all about Cleo's life when she is is presented (rolled in a rug) to Julius Caesar, played by sexy Rexy Harrison. Cleo has an affair with Antony all the while ruling Rome and Egypt before taking her life with an Asp (that's a snake by the way). This film almost bankrupted Fox but was saved by the Sound of Music, which became a huge hit. To be honest, even though, it drags a bit, it's still worth seeing just once, oh, it eventually recouped its cost.

2. DR. DOOLITTLE-1967

Rex Harrison (yup Sexy Rexy) was cast as the lead in this horrible movie about a man who can talk to the animals. It was thought that the best thing was to make this a musical and it sucks especially when they show the Pushme-Pullyou animal..yuck-a Doodle! Dr. Doodie  travels all around and meets up with Samantha Eggar and Anthony Newley(who can sing but I hate his style of singing). It's quite the stupid movie where the Doc, freed from the nut house sets sail to find the elusive pink sea snail...ughhh...watch the Eddie Murphy film instead. Oh it cost 17 million to make(over $128 Million today) but only made 6.2 million (46.7Million). Poor Rex had to deal with bad weather, irate villagers from one of the film locations, and being bitten by many of the animals. Once again, almost bankrupted Fox Studios (they never learn)

3. PAINT YOUR WAGON-1969

I watched a ton of movies on TV when I was young. I wish Movies for a Sunday Afternoon would come back. Anyhoo, This wretched musical, from a Tony Winning Broadway show takes place during the wild west days of mining. 2 men, one old and one young vie for the love of a pretty lass who can't decide whom she loves so she lives with both. They not only mine but rob a stagecoach to kidnap 6 prostitutes to create a boomtown. It stars the non singing Lee Marvin as the old coot, Clint Eastwood(yup!) as the young guy and Jean Seberg as the lassie...none can sing well even though Clint loves music and composes many songs that you hear in his films. The only saving grace for this movie is when the song , "They Call the Wind Mariah" is sung by Harve Presnell and other miners. I recall covering my eyes when Clint sang. Bad weather, Clint having an affair with the mentally unstable Jean Seberg, (who thought she was going to marry him. She had no idea he was having another affair with a bit player as well) and Marvin being drunk most of the time, the budget soared to 20 Million(over $138 million) but only made  ($14.5 million which is $100 Million).

Which 3 films would you choose?

Thursday Movie Picks: Muse

Who doesn’t love to be a muse for someone. I think I would fall over like a piece of cement if someone admitted that I was their muse. Wandering through the Shelves chose this interesting theme and it will be fun to see what everyone else will choose. I have another theme within a theme and here it goes...

1. FUNNY FACE-1957

A film starring the exquisite Audrey Hepburn as a young intellectual book store clerk whose store is uprooted by a fashion photo shoot run by famed photographer Dick Avery, played by Fred Astaire. In a photo, he sees the beauty of Hepburn and decides she needs to be his next fashion model. Hepburn agrees because she gets to go to Paris and meet the intellectuals of the day. Of course, there is dancing and singing with Kay Thompson stealing the show. Fred Astaire is based on famed photographer Richard Avedon and Audrey’s is based on Suzy Parker. Audrey Hepburn is one of the most beautiful and elegant ladies to ever grace the screen and when she models the Givenchy fashions especially the red dress when she walks down the steps in the Louvre.

2.  MY FAIR LADY-1964

This is a musical take on Pygmalion which is a great play by George Bernard Shaw and an excellent film from 1938 with Leslie Howard and Wendy Hiller which I prefer to this musical to be honest. This was a famous stage musical starring Rex Harrison as Professor Higgins and Julie Andrews as Eliza but because Julie Andrews was not known to movie audiences, the studio chose Audrey Hepburn. The story is about an arrogant cultured Higgins who is an expert in phonetics who makes a bet with his friend that he can take an ordinary cockney flower girl and pass her off as a duchess at a very elegant party where the King and Queen will attend. We see how he trains Eliza  for the big night and becomes more dependent and caring to her. Audrey was upset that her voice was dubbed by the great Marni Nixon, who dubbed many famous gals ,but the film still is a great take on the play. She may have been too “regal” as the cockney lass and I always wish to know how Julie Andrews would have been..which I know would have been great. By the way, Julie Andrews was nominated for her role in Mary Poppins that came out the same year...Julie won.

3.  PARIS WHEN IT SIZZLES-1964

Yup, Audrey stars as a typist temp sent to William Holden’s apartment to type his book. The problem is that Holden has writer’s block and his agent, played by the great Noel Coward, is putting the pressure on. When Holden see Hepburn he becomes inspired with all these different plots that make fun of many film plot lines including a very campy Dracula theme. Tony Curtis is quite funny as...Tony Curtis who plays more than just a cameo. It’s not the best film, to be honest, but it is still fun to see.

Can you think of any films that fits the theme?

Hubert De Givenchey's Muse...Audrey Hepburn

Wandering Through The Shelves-Parenthood

Wandering Through The Shelves decided to choose Parenthood as the theme for this week. Pick 3 films that match the theme. Well here we go....

1. STELLA DALLAS-1937

This remake (one was done in 1925 which I would love to see) stars the great Barbara Stanwyck as a blousy, uneducated poor woman who wants to climb ahead through any means. Enter hapless John Boles as a wealthy young man saddened to learn his true love married someone else. Who is to pick up the pieces but good ole Stella. He marries (the idiot) Stella and she quickly gets knocked up and has a baby girl. Much to Stella's surprise she has motherly instincts and will do all she can to give her daughter the life she wanted. It's a 4 hanky movie with Barbara Stanwyck playing Stella to the hilt and deservedly, being nominated for an Oscar. It was remade with Bette Midler but this film is much better and it really made me cry..and that takes a lot for me to sob especially the train scene and the ending.

2. PENNY SERENADE-1941

I know I talked about this movie long time ago but I really love this hidden gem that stars Cary Grant as a fast talking huckster  and Irene Dunne as his cherished wife who miscarries after they go through an earthquake. She can no longer have children but decide to adopt and her husband, very reluctantly, agrees. The baby girl captures their heart and  they can't help but watch their baby sleep and shower her with all the love they can give. I love how their friend shows them how to make a diaper...quite funny and sweet. This film also made me cry with some unexpected turns and it is worth a look.

3. FATHER'S LITTLE DIVIDEND-1951

This is one of the earliest genuine sequels to a great film, Father of the Bride, played by the same people-Spencer Tracy as the over-protective dad, Joan Bennett as his loving wife and Elizabeth Taylor as the bride and now a young mom to be.  I love the first movie better but this is another funny movie where their daughter (Taylor) is pregnant and going through all the hormonal changes the 1950's medical teams thought expectant moms go through. Her mom and the in-laws are happy to redecorate their childrens' home but dad Tracy is overly cautious and wondering about all the errors that might happen. I love the scene in the police station. A funny, and entertaining film made poignant by the fact that Elizabeth Taylor had just miscarried due to her bastard first husband (Conrad Hilton) beating her to a pulp.

I am on a 2 week vacation right now so I wrote these ahead of time. We are visiting my hubby's Aunt who lives right on the Richelieu River about an hour south of Montreal. It is really relaxing and beautiful.