tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62731892024-03-18T20:44:10.421-05:00Get It All Down"Get it down, girl.
Get it all down and write as fast as you can."
(Allen Ginsberg)amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09105577120553111913noreply@blogger.comBlogger5114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273189.post-34387605128314292502024-03-18T07:24:00.063-05:002024-03-18T07:24:00.132-05:00when a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiax2GwA06vC26qU1wLILz8YtTnY5az9A7nCkUyhU7jodS2R1amjCPWUeT_XV7nxVgbh0gU4iOMZLtYNCZPn7xYaAC5ES4gFCG2Ikvj4x5zRnmSUDMZkA7gDLNjev8hDDQCXfpQZ95h76O3Tdaz-JP7Ru0aFz4RLXP9dWIssWNBAKpKK4mVFgc3mA/s640/zenh5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="good versus evil, illustrated" border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiax2GwA06vC26qU1wLILz8YtTnY5az9A7nCkUyhU7jodS2R1amjCPWUeT_XV7nxVgbh0gU4iOMZLtYNCZPn7xYaAC5ES4gFCG2Ikvj4x5zRnmSUDMZkA7gDLNjev8hDDQCXfpQZ95h76O3Tdaz-JP7Ru0aFz4RLXP9dWIssWNBAKpKK4mVFgc3mA/w200-h150/zenh5.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>12. <b>Were you ever tempted to consciously choose evil over good? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><i>yes </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">13. <b>Have you ever seriously considered dropping everything and living a simpler life, away from everything? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><i>not exactly, but kind of. After all, I live in the big city now, and the quiet and peaceful country seems really appealing sometimes....<br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">14. <b>Do you have an “unfinished” relationship with anyone?</b> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><i>heck yeah </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">15. <b>Would you ever date someone with a face tattoo?</b> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><i>nope, I don't think I could get over that. Along with yellow cars and, um, private piercings. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">16. <b>What do you think about advertisements that target kids? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjTMlQphe-5UI20gihq6282MLAcNyC_rsI5xZPdfq0X7zCQLu2d5GOyFY7tFSCuz1Fq3FiE2QVudUkPujmZ7iSHLqBxkBY6k6R4KrpYui5kk25Vb_UlorMUYeXWURg1JD689dfLBWQ7cASbgjGf9Hb2zmH4xbAjujMnwFp0IOTNqLjp3cwLHb8iw/s1200/FACEBOOK2-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="frankenstuff hot dogs" border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjTMlQphe-5UI20gihq6282MLAcNyC_rsI5xZPdfq0X7zCQLu2d5GOyFY7tFSCuz1Fq3FiE2QVudUkPujmZ7iSHLqBxkBY6k6R4KrpYui5kk25Vb_UlorMUYeXWURg1JD689dfLBWQ7cASbgjGf9Hb2zmH4xbAjujMnwFp0IOTNqLjp3cwLHb8iw/w200-h105/FACEBOOK2-2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span> </span><i>having grown up on a steady diet of </i>Trix Are For Kids, <i>and</i> Uh Oh, Spaghetti-Os, <i>and even</i> The Marlboro Man, <i>I feel like it's not the hardest thing in the world to withstand. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>Anyway, preventing that will solve what? Will it keep kids from "feeling bad," or facing discrimination, or being vulnerable? Nope. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">17. <b>Are there any people you’d give up your kidney for? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>yup. My family, of course, and another two or so people. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>Someone recently described this as the core group of people you'd take a bullet for. How big is that group? Has it changed, over time?</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>It's scary to think, much less to say, that you're willing to die for someone. It can certainly be misconstrued. To anyone who thinks they might be on my list, please know that I don't </i>want<i> to die for you.</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">18. <b>What’s one thing you’d change about yourself? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><i>only the way I look, think, and act </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">19. <b>Have you fully embraced streaming media, or do you still play it old school?</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_qC9GUhVZJJrvRosm5KPwHV6TSNIhv-IDLq2Sstegt0oYfaDmC1FbtMEHhIIO-DKD47o6y6D5w7LzbbzggmOG6cOcRnIczcnMtA25yKaQDOdIoVXsqf4SWF29YI_n6Cyz8bHyLr9N0wKD1pWdgsxYMeeKIp0FTl7fh-2hfTaru2EF2PxwqzI1A/s1536/o-STAR-TREK-THE-NEXT-GENERATION-BLOOPER-REEL-facebook.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="blooper reels are the best" border="0" data-original-height="1126" data-original-width="1536" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_qC9GUhVZJJrvRosm5KPwHV6TSNIhv-IDLq2Sstegt0oYfaDmC1FbtMEHhIIO-DKD47o6y6D5w7LzbbzggmOG6cOcRnIczcnMtA25yKaQDOdIoVXsqf4SWF29YI_n6Cyz8bHyLr9N0wKD1pWdgsxYMeeKIp0FTl7fh-2hfTaru2EF2PxwqzI1A/w195-h144/o-STAR-TREK-THE-NEXT-GENERATION-BLOOPER-REEL-facebook.jpg" width="195" /></a></div><i><span> </span>I do both, but for video I still prefer DVDs. Why?<br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span><span> </span>• gag reels - I think this kind of unselfconsciousness is a terrific glimpse into the genuine person behind the superhuman actor persona<br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span><span> </span>• other special features, like cast and crew interviews or documentaries<br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span><span> </span>• ease of use/speed of use - no scrolling to find something that sounds interesting<br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span><span> </span>• streaming while working is impossible because internet service in this limestone valley blows </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">20. <b>If you had a year left to live, what would you do? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> <i> </i></span><i>not sure, except that I wouldn't live it out loud like a farewell tour </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">21. <b>What’s the most evil thing you have ever witnessed? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><i>on a mass scale, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Personally, it's being caused pain, deliberately, by someone who convinced me that they were committed to the opposite.</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">[from <a href="https://socialpronow.com/blog/questions-to-get-to-know-someone/">here</a>; the title quotation is by Anthony Burgess, from <i>A Clockwork Orange] </i><br /></div>amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09105577120553111913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273189.post-29678023665829193332024-03-17T07:57:00.000-05:002024-03-17T07:57:00.139-05:00a wolf remains a wolf, even if it has not eaten your sheep<p>A walk through the obscure classics section of the video store....<br /></p><div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif2UyfJ7g5kWROD183H1bBLCXin6drkADWAsmOU87Ma_CeiDwMYnW6M5VpmY8vuEq2Ts1sdNJsVdm39btpLRiCp3B0Gwsm5mLMvZg5BpC3zzSiNlIdr-z_Q6XqBWErlLrDlzwany_GZj73cubbXGA_7cDDShyphenhyphenh3AT4pU4hUxnSWgUNLp3zyGT_ng/s850/blackhole.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Black Hole (1979)" border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="850" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif2UyfJ7g5kWROD183H1bBLCXin6drkADWAsmOU87Ma_CeiDwMYnW6M5VpmY8vuEq2Ts1sdNJsVdm39btpLRiCp3B0Gwsm5mLMvZg5BpC3zzSiNlIdr-z_Q6XqBWErlLrDlzwany_GZj73cubbXGA_7cDDShyphenhyphenh3AT4pU4hUxnSWgUNLp3zyGT_ng/w200-h150/blackhole.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078869/">The Black Hole</a></i> (1979) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">A research vessel finds a missing ship, commanded by a mysterious scientist, on the edge of a black hole.</span>"<br />source: DVD<br />I watched it because: I was on a mini Anthony Perkins run<br />IMDB: 5.9/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1002497-black_hole">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 42% Audience: 45%<br />my IMDB: 4/10</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"A pint cannot hold a quart, Mr. Pizer. If it holds the pint. it's doing the best it can."</i></div><div>MPAA rating: PG</div><div>directed by: Gary Nelson<br /></div><div>my notes: undeniably weird and creepy, at which Maximilian Schell excels. Perkins isn't given much to work with. Robert Forster has the best role, which is telling. <br /></div></div><div>Academy Award nominee:<br />• Best Cinematography—Frank V. Phillips<br />• Best Effects, Visual Effects—Peter Ellenshaw, Art Cruickshank, Eustace Lycett, Danny Lee, Harrison Ellenshaw, Joe Hale<br /></div><div>overall: not recommended except for the campy element<br /></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsELJ_2_dLE3ZidBoZX-FUfChInifJfd7BSVsmvZ-vDAMiyN1Zpg4PeAaQfXjwEChwIoN3YTufaUXzPRonsf-zbZUMRGNSJMOhrDiHmtVYJwAvRhipk85iwfEweOVTKfJZDJO0fYGCPQNWs_WDQHXL6LNQHI4bQSCMEkfZ_FApTzhRu-no9mjAw/s900/conrack.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Conrack (1974)" border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsELJ_2_dLE3ZidBoZX-FUfChInifJfd7BSVsmvZ-vDAMiyN1Zpg4PeAaQfXjwEChwIoN3YTufaUXzPRonsf-zbZUMRGNSJMOhrDiHmtVYJwAvRhipk85iwfEweOVTKfJZDJO0fYGCPQNWs_WDQHXL6LNQHI4bQSCMEkfZ_FApTzhRu-no9mjAw/w133-h200/conrack.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071358/"><i>Conrack</i></a> (1974) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">The
true story of Pat Conroy, a handsome, idealistic Caucasian who is an
elementary-school instructor for a group of poor Black children in an
isolated school.</span>"<br /></div><div>source: DVD<br />I watched it because: it's one of my mom's favorite movies<br />IMDB: 7.3/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/conrack">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 69% Audience: 78%<br />my IMDB: 7/10</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"There ain't a family on this island that hasn't pulled somebody -
somebody - from that river. They fall in that river, they go down, like a
stone."</i></div><div>MPAA rating: PG<br /></div><div>directed by: Martin Ritt<br /></div><div>my notes: to say that this movie is inspiring is to be blind to everything else that's alive here. It's very funny. It's gentle. It's revelatory. It's set in a place unlike anywhere I've ever been, or that I've even heard about. A beautiful place that's both hot and cold at once. It taught me some things, and left me thinking. And Paul Winfield, as Mad Billy, is marvelous.<br /></div><div>overall: strongly recommended</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpzztgKQ1yGrjaVGtBE_WFbu75rC0gyVkAuOjb2Hst7BPT4YW1Tdu_e0fMDFSpD6XI1LkJni-J2lkwrv2a2mkr4foNLKNTvtp_RWjMgXay_9LZY6uHihPRIYn12cY__5xaB0OBpVr3zUlNZrvKbZPj9Lz-7sUAdIDG_Grm3ArEd3iVkKTsHl8Upg/s1200/caine%20mutiny.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Caine Mutiny (1954)" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpzztgKQ1yGrjaVGtBE_WFbu75rC0gyVkAuOjb2Hst7BPT4YW1Tdu_e0fMDFSpD6XI1LkJni-J2lkwrv2a2mkr4foNLKNTvtp_RWjMgXay_9LZY6uHihPRIYn12cY__5xaB0OBpVr3zUlNZrvKbZPj9Lz-7sUAdIDG_Grm3ArEd3iVkKTsHl8Upg/w133-h200/caine%20mutiny.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046816/">The Caine Mutiny</a></i> (1954) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">When
a U.S. Naval captain shows signs of mental instability that jeopardizes
the ship, the first officer is urged to consider relieving him of
command.</span>"<br />source: DVD<br />I watched it because: it's another classic I'd never seen, and I like war movies<br />IMDB: 7.7/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/caine_mutiny">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 93% Audience: 87%<br />my IMDB: 7/10</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"I don't want to upset you </i>too<i> much, but at the moment you have an </i>excellent<i> chance of being hanged."</i></div><div>MPAA rating: NR (TV-PG)<br /></div><div>directed by: Edward Dymtryk<br /></div><div>my notes: this is not the movie that I thought it would be, but it's a good one nonetheless. Humphrey Bogart is terrific as Lt. Cmdr. Queeg--intense, eccentric, and thoughtless. José Ferrar is wonderful as attorney Barney Greenwald. And Van Johnson takes the cake as Lt. Steve Maryk, the unintentional focus.<br /></div></div><div>Academy Award nominee:<br />• Best Picture—Stanley Kramer<br /></div><div>• Best Actor—Bogart<br /></div><div>• Best Supporting Actor—Tom Tully<br /></div><div>• Best Writing, Screenplay—Stanley Roberts<br /></div><div>• Best Sound, Recording—John P. Livadary<br /></div><div>• Best Film Editing—William A. Lyon, Henry Batista<br /></div><div>• Best Music, Score—Max Steiner<br />overall: recommended</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWAk8n_FG46botwCNZ98mz8nQ8dva03v-eoKsSpsPNNfLgUDzc1A7bY4V9fII8iA50to1GfZysa37HpAft8nDTca9uqOSem6IE4aVISg1x13act5Sz9_WpE4mkYyPS0MWOQrAwEKURjR_5j_IsAR0m7-RTUtjhrxBazmvVwBnZWBoKcQJxm9NLfQ/s1440/Wait%20Until%20Dark.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Wait until Dark (1967)" border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="960" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWAk8n_FG46botwCNZ98mz8nQ8dva03v-eoKsSpsPNNfLgUDzc1A7bY4V9fII8iA50to1GfZysa37HpAft8nDTca9uqOSem6IE4aVISg1x13act5Sz9_WpE4mkYyPS0MWOQrAwEKURjR_5j_IsAR0m7-RTUtjhrxBazmvVwBnZWBoKcQJxm9NLfQ/w133-h200/Wait%20Until%20Dark.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062467/"><i>Wait until Dark</i></a> (1967) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">A
recently blinded woman is terrorized by a trio of thugs while they
search for a heroin-stuffed doll they believe is in her apartment.</span>"</div><div>source: DVD<br />I watched it because: I'd never heard of it, but had the opportunity to see it and couldn't resist after reading that Stephen King called it the scariest movie ever made.<br />IMDB: 7.7/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wait_until_dark">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 96% Audience: 91%<br />my IMDB: 7/10</div><div>AFI: <i>100 Years…100 Thrills</i> (2001) #55<br /></div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"'Gloria?'</i></div><div><i><span> </span>'Yeah?'</i></div><div><i><span> '</span>How would you like to do something difficult and terribly dangerous?'</i></div><div><i><span> </span>'I'd love it!'"</i></div><div>MPAA rating: NR (TV-PG)<br /></div><div>directed by: Terence Young<br /></div><div>my notes: scary! I'm really glad I watched it during the day so I could get over the willies before I went to bed. There's something deeply frightening in seeing a blind woman being taunted and abused, especially over a really damned creepy porcelain doll. Ish.<br /></div><div>Academy Award nominee: Best Actress—Audrey Hepburn<br />overall: recommended</div></div><div> </div></div><div><div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4A0J-s_z_xVyg7qXeY9DuryxdljXA3G-Gv_o_dAeXBjAoPTKa-IEfFx-4O366MkWi6nI0jF_3zwYKPmWjbMGZLPBtuQeRN72zxm728NJ4EHWMKpWJ4bw_LS6tUKGRmawwdpg4FKa_7lpUNHhxizn5F1iqzlq8oce-4tTZyX3s3s5HoaCXDKuNw/s794/high%20anxiety.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="High Anxiety (1977)" border="0" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="540" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4A0J-s_z_xVyg7qXeY9DuryxdljXA3G-Gv_o_dAeXBjAoPTKa-IEfFx-4O366MkWi6nI0jF_3zwYKPmWjbMGZLPBtuQeRN72zxm728NJ4EHWMKpWJ4bw_LS6tUKGRmawwdpg4FKa_7lpUNHhxizn5F1iqzlq8oce-4tTZyX3s3s5HoaCXDKuNw/w136-h200/high%20anxiety.jpg" width="136" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076141/">High Anxiety</a></i> (1977) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">A
psychiatrist with intense acrophobia (fear of heights) goes to work for
a mental institution run by doctors who appear to be crazier than their
patients, and have secrets that they are willing to commit murder to
keep.</span>"<br />source: DVD<br />I watched it because: Mel Brooks has done some of my favorite films <i>(Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein)</i><br />IMDB: 6.6/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/high_anxiety">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 75% Audience: 67%<br />my IMDB: 4/10</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"Yes! The woowoo. Perhaps the most significant psychological feminine component known to mankind."</i></div><div>MPAA rating: PG</div><div>directed by: Mel Brooks<br /></div><div>my notes: too frenetic for my taste, and kinda schticky<br /></div><div>overall: not recommended</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6A_Vrd0yH9AwQIzxv0V-qk34Ma6ilr02loXCi9qUrRiXMn7T6jcSPpYlm6QXOL9KFJwSycKhT4t5rJQbyyrOpehyk-QgXReiJWHvrDTzOuUVMz3IZzY-rJf6uuesyVjxurZ-pzOHylYtklow_4zt2ZW4BiBAiQzxNkx1q4TrIvqOaVSK9nFMKTA/s1624/suddenly%20last%20summer.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)" border="0" data-original-height="1624" data-original-width="1134" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6A_Vrd0yH9AwQIzxv0V-qk34Ma6ilr02loXCi9qUrRiXMn7T6jcSPpYlm6QXOL9KFJwSycKhT4t5rJQbyyrOpehyk-QgXReiJWHvrDTzOuUVMz3IZzY-rJf6uuesyVjxurZ-pzOHylYtklow_4zt2ZW4BiBAiQzxNkx1q4TrIvqOaVSK9nFMKTA/w139-h200/suddenly%20last%20summer.jpg" width="139" /></a></div><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053318/">Suddenly, Last Summer</a></i> (1959) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">A surgeon is assigned the case of a young woman whose aunt wants her lobotomized to cover up a family secret.</span>"</div><div>source: DVD<br />I watched it because: I haven't seen much of Elizabeth Taylor's work, nor Montgomery Clift's<br />IMDB: 7.5/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/suddenly_last_summer">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 68% Audience: 83%<br />my IMDB: 5/10</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"Truth is the bottom of a bottomless well."</i></div><div>MPAA rating: approved</div><div>directed by: Joseph L. Mankiewicz<br /></div><div>my notes: based on a Tennessee Williams play, this is a deeply disturbing story. There's no sane person involved. Lies and double meanings and symbols abound. And if you don't get the Venus flytrap reference...you will when it's done. <br /></div></div><div>Academy Award nominee:<br />• Best Actress—Katharine Hepburn<br />• Best Actress—Elizabeth Taylor<br /></div><div>• Best Art Direction - Set Decoration, Black and White—Oliver Messel, William Kellner, Scott Slimon <br /></div><div>overall: only mildly recommended</div><div> </div></div></div><div>[the title quotation is from<i> The Black Hole]</i><br /></div>amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09105577120553111913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273189.post-63842408097874956472024-03-16T07:24:00.052-05:002024-03-16T07:24:00.132-05:00I still recall that moment of looking up and seeing<div style="text-align: left;">A white room and a party going on </div><div style="text-align: left;">and I was standing with some friends </div><div style="text-align: left;">under a large gilt-framed mirror </div><div style="text-align: left;">that tilted slightly forward </div><div style="text-align: left;">over the fireplace. </div><div style="text-align: left;">We were drinking whiskey </div><div style="text-align: left;">and some of us, feeling no pain, </div><div style="text-align: left;">were trying to decide </div><div style="text-align: left;">what precise shade of yellow </div><div style="text-align: left;">the setting sun turned our drinks. </div><div style="text-align: left;">I closed my eyes briefly, </div><div style="text-align: left;">then looked up into the mirror: </div><div style="text-align: left;">a woman in a green dress leaned </div><div style="text-align: left;">against the far wall. </div><div style="text-align: left;">She seemed distracted, </div><div style="text-align: left;">the fingers of one hand </div><div style="text-align: left;">fidgeted with her necklace, </div><div style="text-align: left;">and she was staring into the mirror, </div><div style="text-align: left;">not at me, but past me, into a space </div><div style="text-align: left;">that might be filled by someone </div><div style="text-align: left;">yet to arrive, who at that moment </div><div style="text-align: left;">could be starting the journey </div><div style="text-align: left;">which would lead eventually to her. </div><div style="text-align: left;">Then, suddenly, my friends </div><div style="text-align: left;">said it was time to move on. </div><div style="text-align: left;">This was years ago, </div><div style="text-align: left;">and though I have forgotten </div><div style="text-align: left;">where we went and who we all were, </div><div style="text-align: left;">I still recall that moment of looking up </div><div style="text-align: left;">and seeing the woman stare past me </div><div style="text-align: left;">into a place I could only imagine, </div><div style="text-align: left;">and each time it is with a pang, </div><div style="text-align: left;">as if just then I were stepping </div><div style="text-align: left;">from the depths of the mirror </div><div style="text-align: left;">into that white room, breathless and eager, </div><div style="text-align: left;">only to discover too late </div><div style="text-align: left;">that she is not there. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">[Mark Strand {1934-2014} ‘Mirror’, from <i><a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/762826239">New Selected Poems</a>]</i></div>amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09105577120553111913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273189.post-48725432994330498442024-03-15T07:41:00.167-05:002024-03-15T07:41:00.132-05:00Holmes has one weakness, his insatiable curiosity. If you can arouse that, you can lead him anywhere<p>The best part of watching loads of movies is that I am still continually surprised by what works.<br /></p><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4sfQJkP17Zwxs42idK45OyFXUfFfGr1IL2xvDpH3kFvJmre3ORWzGxUp2OpFuxy1zPeI5cKGV3uzznESVgfgfAteyEiLeLQMOoAHgivHj4Xw0FXZWyya7vREFcmXxOqZYqRFD2DwUBPHgzfPz1RbxjXxL-NBxLpmiJGz0YB-R4Fo6cffgjR-kzw/s1200/lansky.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Lansky (2021)" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="843" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4sfQJkP17Zwxs42idK45OyFXUfFfGr1IL2xvDpH3kFvJmre3ORWzGxUp2OpFuxy1zPeI5cKGV3uzznESVgfgfAteyEiLeLQMOoAHgivHj4Xw0FXZWyya7vREFcmXxOqZYqRFD2DwUBPHgzfPz1RbxjXxL-NBxLpmiJGz0YB-R4Fo6cffgjR-kzw/w141-h200/lansky.jpg" width="141" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5078852/"><i>Lansky</i></a> (2021) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">When
the aging Meyer Lansky is investigated by the Feds, who suspect he has
stashed away millions of dollars over half a century, the retired
gangster reveals the untold truth about his life as the boss of the
National Crime Syndicate.</span>"</div><div>source: Prime<br />I watched it because: I was on a date, and it was mutually agreeable<br />IMDB: 6.2/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lansky_2021">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 62% Audience: 85%<br />my IMDB: 7/10</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"See, I believe this world is made of shades of gray. It's never black or white."</i></div><div>MPAA rating: R</div><div>directed by: Eytan Rockaway<br /></div><div>my notes: Harvey Keitel can be a hard sell, but he overcame himself in becoming Lansky. Sam Worthington (David Stone) reminds me of Matthew Lillard, though the latter is a better actor. This movie, though, is more about the young Lansky (John Magaro), and especially his relationship with Ben (don't call me Bugsy) Siegel, played brilliantly by David Cole - who steals the show. This is an interesting story - and more so if you're familiar with the basic story. I liked it.<br /></div><div>overall: recommended</div></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmn36DJXb8r3dH-ZV0w8XHgBGI2iXDzj76DDSG3LwxYfXwvxZrr4HDlpEC-wPqx6DAdxf1kk5go7d8vKlViWTsqCDzZBG-DpVbcu_68LNFByVL8-zPLFLqUqh71WRsRFJ20GfWFoIlWCLEpT-_TiL35gYl5j2YrbywdqLsDUTLOvKIuP2Bw6XUEw/s1280/suddenly-1954.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Suddenly (1954)" border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="991" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmn36DJXb8r3dH-ZV0w8XHgBGI2iXDzj76DDSG3LwxYfXwvxZrr4HDlpEC-wPqx6DAdxf1kk5go7d8vKlViWTsqCDzZBG-DpVbcu_68LNFByVL8-zPLFLqUqh71WRsRFJ20GfWFoIlWCLEpT-_TiL35gYl5j2YrbywdqLsDUTLOvKIuP2Bw6XUEw/w155-h200/suddenly-1954.jpg" width="155" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047542/">Suddenly</a></i> (1954) - "The President of the United States will be arriving by train in the town
of Suddenly where he plans to then be driven to a nearby lodge. The
Sheriff, Tod Shaw, has everything under control and with the assistance
of the State Police, has set up a reasonable security plan. Soon
however, Shaw is taken prisoner by John Baron in the home of Pop Benson.
Baron and his henchmen gained access to Benson's home by posing as FBI
agents. The house provides perfect line of sight to the train station
and Baron is there for only one reason: to assassinate the President.
Baron has no political agenda and is simply a killer for hire but it's
left to the Sheriff, Benson and Benson's daughter-in-law Ellen to stop
him."</div><div>source: Crackle<br />I watched it because: it's been recommended several times<br />IMDB: 6.8/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1020415-suddenly">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 100% Audience: 63%<br />my IMDB: 6/10</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"'Don't you have any feelings?'</i></div><div><i><span> </span>'No, they were taken outta me by experts.'"</i> </div><div>MPAA rating: NR (TV-PG)<br /></div><div>directed by: Lewis Allen<br /></div><div>my notes: this is a strange movie, with various levels of story going on at once, and not a very clear message. I loved the spunky little kid (played by Kim Charney), and Pop Benson (James Gleason). <br />overall: recommended</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrH2M79OgoT1KITnyi0KRYDOfQFqrYbn1uHv255A1KQrmEdUVvJHNDb90vkpC2_3yn0r8_Zo_j-w7jSjesUeL5dSwtm3I7-gI7KmGeUw4kNUaEOPGUrVVUmK_YiqsCpcYgTONfnYyOLInxtoAFe2nrGIkXvIZP1txL0oojUWLkjF0o7uyRAbmC8w/s1500/bridge%20of%20spies.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Bridge of Spies (2015)" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1057" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrH2M79OgoT1KITnyi0KRYDOfQFqrYbn1uHv255A1KQrmEdUVvJHNDb90vkpC2_3yn0r8_Zo_j-w7jSjesUeL5dSwtm3I7-gI7KmGeUw4kNUaEOPGUrVVUmK_YiqsCpcYgTONfnYyOLInxtoAFe2nrGIkXvIZP1txL0oojUWLkjF0o7uyRAbmC8w/w141-h200/bridge%20of%20spies.jpg" width="141" /></a></div><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3682448/">Bridge of Spies</a></i> (2015) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">During
the Cold War, an American lawyer is recruited to defend an arrested
Soviet spy in court, and then help the CIA facilitate an exchange of the
spy for the Soviet captured American U2 spy plane pilot, Francis Gary
Powers.</span>"</div><div>source: DVD<br />I watched it because: I was on a different date, and it was a natural choice for both of us (first reviewed <a href="https://gerb.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-universal-law-is-that-most.html">here</a>)<br />IMDB: 7.6/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bridge_of_spies">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 91% Audience: 87%<br />my IMDB: 8/10</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"'You're not worried?'</i></div><div><i><span> </span>'Would it help?'"</i></div><div>MPAA rating: PG-13</div><div>directed by: Steven Spielberg<br /></div><div>my notes: maybe I overuse the word 'brilliant', but I think that Mark Rylance, as Rudolf Abel, is extraordinary in this movie. Great all the time, but truly outstanding here as a quiet, intense, subtle man carrying unimaginable weight on his shoulders. <br /></div></div><div>Academy Award winner: Best Supporting Actor—Rylance<br />Academy Award nominee:<br />• Best Picture—Spielberg, Marc Platt, Kristie Macosko Krieger<br /></div><div>• Best Writing, Original Screenplay—Matt Charman, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen<br /></div><div>• Best Music, Original Score—Thomas Newman<br /></div><div>• Best Sound Mixing—Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom, Drew Kunin<br /></div><div>• Best Production Design—Adam Stockhausen (production design), Rena DeAngelo (set decoration), Bernhard Henrich (set decoration)<br />overall: highly recommended</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgey-0P-iRgrG6nXs2XPX90ZD4XOn5xSjxUqqXq1VQ-KX3DAH-Dq_iiW_a0IyrDZdpz7000M-QQjGRXOXrUBZV159kd0OEqk3RVSIGWXHPbuJvo93ZIwZrR0Ddwhkc_a1c-VW0sjEa6GYe3-z3FZpRpgFok8jB_RkPLLhopyqjMmgW3J5QENQjTTA/s600/cape%20fear.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cape Fear (1962)" border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="600" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgey-0P-iRgrG6nXs2XPX90ZD4XOn5xSjxUqqXq1VQ-KX3DAH-Dq_iiW_a0IyrDZdpz7000M-QQjGRXOXrUBZV159kd0OEqk3RVSIGWXHPbuJvo93ZIwZrR0Ddwhkc_a1c-VW0sjEa6GYe3-z3FZpRpgFok8jB_RkPLLhopyqjMmgW3J5QENQjTTA/w200-h161/cape%20fear.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055824/">Cape Fear</a></i> (1962) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">A lawyer's family is stalked by a man he once helped put in jail.</span>"<br />source: Tubi, maybe? Streamed somewhere.<br />I watched it because: I'd seen the remake (reviewed <a href="https://gerb.blogspot.com/2022/08/i-was-very-angry-with-him.html">here</a>)<br />IMDB: 7.7/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1003492-cape_fear">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 96% Audience: 86%<br />my IMDB: 5/10</div><div>AFI: <i>100 Years…100 Thrills</i> (2001) #61<br /></div><div> <span> </span><i>100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains </i>(2003)<i> Villain</i> #28</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"Max Cady, what I like about you is... you're rock bottom. I wouldn't
expect you to understand this, but it's a great comfort for a girl to
know she could not possibly sink any lower."</i></div><div>MPAA rating: passed (TV-PG?!)<br /></div><div>directed by: J. Lee Thompson<br /></div><div>my notes: this is a Gregory-Peck-as-upright-family-man film, which I've seen before, in better stories. It's also Robert Mitchum as the baddest of the bad guys, taking almost dirty pleasure in violence. It feels icky to watch.<br /></div><div>overall: not especially recommended</div></div><div> </div></div><div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_fNep1JA29Hxtrm7AHuT56Pim94Sp4S871lPfZEPePylzdOO0pyBk63qO9SovDwyjjU7eUrZHUDyzgHi8oPSc6AiUlcR1TASHJa_AJwLTVisxzrWl0FTvU67ClDePIMtBanWaR2jPB-29a-UGgZXKxi0YM1ActBgyvgwmhyRY15_nfKOfHZv56Q/s2158/woman%20in%20green.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="The Woman in Green (1945)" border="0" data-original-height="2158" data-original-width="1515" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_fNep1JA29Hxtrm7AHuT56Pim94Sp4S871lPfZEPePylzdOO0pyBk63qO9SovDwyjjU7eUrZHUDyzgHi8oPSc6AiUlcR1TASHJa_AJwLTVisxzrWl0FTvU67ClDePIMtBanWaR2jPB-29a-UGgZXKxi0YM1ActBgyvgwmhyRY15_nfKOfHZv56Q/w141-h200/woman%20in%20green.jpg" width="141" /></a></div><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038259/">The Woman in Green</a></i> (1945) - "Holmes and Watson investigate a series of bizarre and apparently
unconnected murders, and the death of a possible suspect. The trail
leads to a society of hypnotists and a mysterious, glamorous woman. The
fiendish Dr James Moriarty, though reported hanged in Montevideo, is
suspected of being involved."</div><div>source: DVD<br />I watched it because: S. Holmes is one of my heroes<br />IMDB: 6.6/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sherlock_holmes_and_the_woman_in_green">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 100% Audience: 57%<br />my IMDB: 6/10</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"'You mean you're not hypnotized?'</i></div><div><i><span> </span>'Certainly not!'</i></div><div><i><span> </span>'Then get off the wall, you idiot!'"</i></div><div>MPAA rating: approved (TV-PG)<br /></div><div>directed by: Roy William Neill<br /></div><div>my notes: this story is <b>beyond</b> intricate. I had a hard time keeping up, and when I was able to keep up, I was not exactly engrossed. There is a bit about Holmes being hypnotized which is well worth the effort.<br /></div><div>overall: mildly recommended</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLKrqnONx6qjg19MnqjlDZ_bNPDGf9pC2MXj1ppvsh9eIpENBVGqW4x2-ghdzcuVV0BrqU_BD2lSrJ-U28KFHoq2_ChUAiqxWjbxRqxSJEM0uDX_hA6vFf78kNTiUBNugRwP58qabK15x_VAIUS6wYOzxfWJC1HKJXNIv9FG0u6vNB9pKxwfpLSQ/s1466/mrs%20miniver.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mrs. Miniver (1942)" border="0" data-original-height="1466" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLKrqnONx6qjg19MnqjlDZ_bNPDGf9pC2MXj1ppvsh9eIpENBVGqW4x2-ghdzcuVV0BrqU_BD2lSrJ-U28KFHoq2_ChUAiqxWjbxRqxSJEM0uDX_hA6vFf78kNTiUBNugRwP58qabK15x_VAIUS6wYOzxfWJC1HKJXNIv9FG0u6vNB9pKxwfpLSQ/w136-h200/mrs%20miniver.jpg" width="136" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035093/">Mrs. Miniver</a></i> (1942) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">A British family struggles to survive the first months of World War II.</span>"<br />source: DVD<br />I watched it because: it's much acclaimed<br />IMDB: 7.6/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mrs_miniver">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 94% Audience: 84%<br />my IMDB: 8/10</div><div>AFI: <i>100 Years…100 Cheers</i> (2006) #40<br /></div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"I know how comfortable it is to curl up with a nice, fat book full of
big words and think you're going to solve all the problems in the
universe. But you're not, you know. A bit of action is required every
now and then."</i></div><div>MPAA rating: approved (TV-G)<br /></div><div>directed by: William Wyler<br /></div><div>my notes: a marvelous movie, well acted and shot. Terribly sad, romantic, heartwarming, and inspiring.<br /></div></div><div>Academy Award winner:<br />• Best Picture</div><div>• Best Actress—Greer Garson<br /></div><div>• Best Supporting Actress—Teresa Wright<br /></div><div>• Best Director—Wyler</div><div>• Best Writing, Screenplay—George Froeschel, James Hilton, Claudine West, Arthur Wimperis<br /></div><div>• Best Cinematography, Black and White—Joseph Ruttenberg<br />Academy Award nominee:<br />• Best Actor—Walter Pigeon</div><div>• Best Supporting Actor—Henry Travers</div><div>• Best Supporting Actress—May Whitty</div><div>• Best Sound, Recording—Douglas Shearer</div><div>• Best Film Editing—Harold F. Kress</div><div>• Best Effects, Special Effects—A. Arnold Gillespie (photographic), Warren Newcombe (photographic), Douglas Shearer (sound)<br />overall: recommended</div><div> </div></div></div><div>[the title quotation is from <i>The Woman in Green]</i><br /></div>amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09105577120553111913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273189.post-87358609832048083482024-03-14T07:28:00.178-05:002024-03-14T07:28:00.140-05:00the life we receive is not short but we make it so; we are not ill provided but use what we have wastefully<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYrLbFOZaKkqY0MaJfG7X8JBNfxUX_Q0j5U5u08yTn6bsy1lR4JQXG9Q-3-fQjvInq22kAIAunXlYA81LfrbgbXY3Q8giBSmTOsnt1bpKseG7VZp8VpPOehqEvxQhFoam5adUat_ovSxVl0jRZ3luTTSO95sNDrSbQxGo7asigx2V319qDmEDBg/s420/hairextensionsmeme-02-352x420.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="hair extensions - very natural" border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="352" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYrLbFOZaKkqY0MaJfG7X8JBNfxUX_Q0j5U5u08yTn6bsy1lR4JQXG9Q-3-fQjvInq22kAIAunXlYA81LfrbgbXY3Q8giBSmTOsnt1bpKseG7VZp8VpPOehqEvxQhFoam5adUat_ovSxVl0jRZ3luTTSO95sNDrSbQxGo7asigx2V319qDmEDBg/w168-h200/hairextensionsmeme-02-352x420.png" width="168" /></a></div><b>8. What do you think about hair extensions? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>they're nicer now than when they were first used, but I'm still not interested in them for myself. <br /></i><i><span> </span>Frankly, the idea of wearing someone else's hair gives me the willies. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>9. What’s the most “manly” thing about you? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>my taste for action movies, or the width of my shoulders </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>10. Do you think a man should be the provider in a family?</b> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> <i> </i></span><i>substitute the word "the" for "a" and I can agree completely </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>11. How does the idea of giving birth sound to you? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>physically impossible</i> <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>12. Could you ever shave your head? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>sure. I have made a sort of related promise to my hair stylist. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0kAmCZdOtZwZwXW51HJCdw73heIqMONmMT8WeDy_NI0qMgCnBGGX869UMpbBHz7t58UOLysC5f4zCo3MJsfFgYDjoZBnugBnjlvg9EbDzX2_Uof2geLIMRCR2mijDETfqkMRCRLeTF7NfRFEtPFTpB1kDW3v4MqY5kVNxyMvABRAioz3WLKPcA/s1476/1459887917_431.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1476" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0kAmCZdOtZwZwXW51HJCdw73heIqMONmMT8WeDy_NI0qMgCnBGGX869UMpbBHz7t58UOLysC5f4zCo3MJsfFgYDjoZBnugBnjlvg9EbDzX2_Uof2geLIMRCR2mijDETfqkMRCRLeTF7NfRFEtPFTpB1kDW3v4MqY5kVNxyMvABRAioz3WLKPcA/w200-h122/1459887917_431.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>13. Do you have a diary? </b><span> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><i>yup, I have kept journals in an almost unbroken string since becoming an adult. The first several were in spiral-bound notebooks, which are a mess and take up a lot of space. They've been saved as PDFs. Since then, I've used a variety of journals. Some hardcover, some soft. Some spiral, some with glued bindings. Some lined, some blank page - and at least one grid, which turned out to be more distracting than helpful. I mostly use Moleskine Classics (lined) but often receive blank journals as gifts and so I use what I've got. My favorites have a pocket in the back for photos, movie tickets, menus, and so forth, and an elastic band to keep it closed. Lately I've been using the Journal app, which is easy for including pictures (or voice messages, which I'm not doing yet) but cumbersome for long entries. <br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">14. <b>What do you look for in a relationship? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><i>constant companionship, complete agreement on absolutely every topic, and of course continual hand-holding.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>Or just a sarcastic humor congruent with mine. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>15. Do you have a favorite movie franchise? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHcJvpRpqZBiSBKb0NZ-7kqs6yXqQUWQbBOvymVsgpZ_bUrPgB7LJ-o-cSNUscp7kxo_9zlrXDTyEuijp0W_IrDx7zbrgB6pZM2x-YVtjlHycYLDdfMw1N6ZazTlOYVusnbG7mUpY-uBNqXu-UH_w_cQEsd7IjwrneZ_bfAipbp2XugHUnESSyrg/s1280/Thin%20Man1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Myrna Loy, Asta, and William Powell from The Thin Man movies" border="0" data-original-height="1013" data-original-width="1280" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHcJvpRpqZBiSBKb0NZ-7kqs6yXqQUWQbBOvymVsgpZ_bUrPgB7LJ-o-cSNUscp7kxo_9zlrXDTyEuijp0W_IrDx7zbrgB6pZM2x-YVtjlHycYLDdfMw1N6ZazTlOYVusnbG7mUpY-uBNqXu-UH_w_cQEsd7IjwrneZ_bfAipbp2XugHUnESSyrg/w200-h158/Thin%20Man1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span> </span><i>this is a point of contention with a few people in my world! I think that movie franchises tend to be stretched beyond their useful life. The first one is great, the second is good, and the third and beyond are notable only for the continuity of character, not for the quality of the entry. </i>The Thin Man <i>movies with William Powell and Myrna Loy</i> <i>(1934- ).</i> The Expendables <i>(2010- ). Eddie Murphy's best film work in </i>Beverly Hills Cop <i>(1988- )</i> <i>- though I'm keeping my mind open to the fourth entry, due out in July, 2024.</i> Die Hard <i>(1988- ).</i> The Godfather <i>(1972- ).</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>Exceptions to this "rule": the</i> Star Trek <i>films (1966- ),</i> Top Gun <i>(1986/2022), and </i>Red<i> (2010/2013).</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">1. <b>Do fish have dreams? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><i>maybe? I don't know. I guess if I could choose it would be yes. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">2. <b>What if all humans lived underwater? </b><span><b> </b> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span> </span><i>we'd have to adapt gills for breathing in water, and our skin would need to be thicker. Probably some other bits that I haven't thought of, since I spend so little time in water. </i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">[from <a href="https://socialpronow.com/blog/questions-to-get-to-know-someone/">here</a>; the title quotation is by Lucius Annaeus Seneca, from <i>On the Shortness of Life] </i><br /></div>amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09105577120553111913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273189.post-66872718194429716332024-03-13T07:24:00.129-05:002024-03-13T07:24:00.133-05:00I know, I know - you don't give a whoop what I do, but when I do it, you get sore...<p>Next year, I promise to focus on quality rather than quantity in my holiday movie-fest!<br /></p><div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYev3HJqAvVBpQMPbG4RQq-fj3RdS4lJjL9LtbOp2NNjYianBsw5NzeYfVT5VB-LRPgcmiykq-60thPXBbPHVqQ6xciv6tIH0tBXMJJ8Jqx7WHLBhopC8BKlg2fhPVH5MpXeW1DzPQ5MVPw9MJD9Z980RJEdfSybbdxhlpRCF8mM0FWdGGE0wLRg/s750/destined%20at%20christmas.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Destined at Christmas (2022)" border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYev3HJqAvVBpQMPbG4RQq-fj3RdS4lJjL9LtbOp2NNjYianBsw5NzeYfVT5VB-LRPgcmiykq-60thPXBbPHVqQ6xciv6tIH0tBXMJJ8Jqx7WHLBhopC8BKlg2fhPVH5MpXeW1DzPQ5MVPw9MJD9Z980RJEdfSybbdxhlpRCF8mM0FWdGGE0wLRg/w133-h200/destined%20at%20christmas.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21329252/">Destined at Christmas</a></i> (2022) - "<span class="-r4VHC NgXSVB RNNP92 fbl-expandable-text"><span class="_1H6ABQ" style="--expanded-max-height: unset;">Kim
and Theo meet in the midst of Black Friday shopping madness but there's
a definite spark between them. When a power outage causes some panic at
a store, the couple gets separated. With Christmas coming, there should
be plenty of distractions but neither Kim nor Theo can forget the
other. Both yearn to find each other but how with so little information
to go on?</span></span>"<br />source: Freevee (Prime)<br />IMDB: 6.9/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/destined_at_christmas">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 67%<br />my IMDB: 5/10 🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻</div><div><div>MPAA rating: TV-PG</div><div>directed by: Brittany Wiscombe<br /></div><div>my notes: it's a fresher story than a lot of them, with essentially non-stupid characters. But the search goes on for quite a long time, leading the viewer to wonder what kind of desperation leads these two people to be so intent on finding someone who maybe didn't want to be found.<br /></div><div>overall: very mildly recommended</div></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJlTj_1ogOapnKjHdBSmws5asJVYriJO7xFeRmIkuoezKoo-zKGYumMfOGsYhBQaLEGIr6lzsoknNEle-arWpNrVjntiWxoXqssMN9W9M6vYU2dt3jjLx_D2L3FkODZADqcZjc6e-UQR6gKEF_q10EW9pajtz9H3wrGa6TWV_heiknXJ0UU0wKgA/s1333/random%20acts%20of%20christmas.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Random Acts of Christmas (2019)" border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJlTj_1ogOapnKjHdBSmws5asJVYriJO7xFeRmIkuoezKoo-zKGYumMfOGsYhBQaLEGIr6lzsoknNEle-arWpNrVjntiWxoXqssMN9W9M6vYU2dt3jjLx_D2L3FkODZADqcZjc6e-UQR6gKEF_q10EW9pajtz9H3wrGa6TWV_heiknXJ0UU0wKgA/w150-h200/random%20acts%20of%20christmas.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10471748/">Random Acts of Christmas</a></i> (2019) - "While uncovering who is behind the random acts of Christmas popping up
around her city, investigative journalist, Sydney (Erin Cahill) meets a competing reporter, Cole
(Kevin McGarry), who ignites her Christmas spirit and
captures her heart."<br /></div><div>source: Prime, maybe? <br />IMDB: 6.5/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/random_acts_of_christmas">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 71%<br />my IMDB: 3/10 🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻</div><div><div>MPAA rating: TV-G</div><div>directed by: Marita Grabiak<br /></div><div>my notes: again, it's not a terrible idea for a story - but the execution is inherently flawed. For one thing, the characters are uninteresting and unbelievable. Also, it's a completely flawed idea of how media works, and definitely about corporations. (Have these writers ever had a real job, or known someone who did?) <br /></div></div><div>overall: not recommended</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GolsMEYoz8upLcFB9jB72t5F7kaGtksQtfYIdCHO-wUtdrFEUjrYIbQLYAJjxYEWyVMwtdMgIiFXc7qmn2U_dvaNO9s__FVmXNokO2a25453Y5VblN_NHfzp2TsWiXbvnWTB8L9XAKNiZT8zn-23SLJmdN9Y_c0M38nAS9hQhQIh1FzMjvVL0w/s1477/to%20have%20and%20have%20not.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="To Have and Have Not (1944)" border="0" data-original-height="1477" data-original-width="580" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GolsMEYoz8upLcFB9jB72t5F7kaGtksQtfYIdCHO-wUtdrFEUjrYIbQLYAJjxYEWyVMwtdMgIiFXc7qmn2U_dvaNO9s__FVmXNokO2a25453Y5VblN_NHfzp2TsWiXbvnWTB8L9XAKNiZT8zn-23SLJmdN9Y_c0M38nAS9hQhQIh1FzMjvVL0w/w79-h200/to%20have%20and%20have%20not.jpg" width="79" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037382/">To Have and Have Not</a></i> (1944) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">During
World War II, American expatriate Harry Morgan helps transport a French
Resistance leader and his beautiful wife to Martinique while romancing a
sensuous lounge singer.</span>"<br />source: DVD<br />I watched it because: Bogie & Bacall are a cultural phenomenon about which I know nothing, and it's about time I learn<br />IMDB: 7.8/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/to_have_and_have_not">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 94% Audience: 90%<br />my IMDB: 7/10</div><div>AFI: <i>100 Years…100 Passions</i> (2002) #60<br /></div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"'I'm hard to get, Steve. All you have to do is ask me.'</i></div><div><i><span> </span>'You know what you're getting into. It's gonna be rough.'"</i></div><div>MPAA rating: passed</div><div>directed by: Howard Hawks<br /></div><div>my notes: moody, dark, and sexy. I'm starting to understand what all the fuss is about with these two.<br /></div><div>overall: recommended</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiooZ_pZB-0f071EX1VwFPv-9TWO6CI0xxCGpWrWkZqAADQD5rcqH571bA8_GmO8XI8K1D5wqWfbmIljqZ6PURXedsSauLQIiuoT0_Xk9fUaSnkvSNI3PWv9q61gbuquyg3Ox_MLkQNvuEHp0monvnLmnGFY1j4JZkqDN9r_n2BrA6bf4r3V3QM2w/s2048/bullitt.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Bullitt (1968)" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiooZ_pZB-0f071EX1VwFPv-9TWO6CI0xxCGpWrWkZqAADQD5rcqH571bA8_GmO8XI8K1D5wqWfbmIljqZ6PURXedsSauLQIiuoT0_Xk9fUaSnkvSNI3PWv9q61gbuquyg3Ox_MLkQNvuEHp0monvnLmnGFY1j4JZkqDN9r_n2BrA6bf4r3V3QM2w/w133-h200/bullitt.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062765/"><i>Bullitt</i></a> (1968) - "Senator Walter Chalmers is aiming to take down mob boss Pete Ross with
the help of testimony from the criminal's hothead brother Johnny, who is
in protective custody in San Francisco under the watch of police
lieutenant Frank Bullitt. When a pair of mob hitmen enter the scene,
Bullitt follows their trail through a maze of complications and
double-crosses."</div><div>source: DVD<br />I watched it because: my parents dig Steve McQueen, so I'm trying to see more of his stuff<br />IMDB: 7.4/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bullitt">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 98% Audience: 85%<br />my IMDB: 5/10</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"Play it by the book from now on."</i></div><div>MPAA rating: M/PG</div><div>directed by: Peter Yates<br /></div><div>my notes: meh. I didn't hate it, but it's repetitious and kinda numbing. The car chases are pretty cool.<br /></div></div><div>Academy Award winner: Best Film Editing—Frank P. Keller<br />Academy Award nominee: Best Sound<br />overall: equivocally recommended</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYU2F1NTHL7UB83tT1QFX7mhTJVSaMK347J-J-qXv2Qyv96zKi-WCW6My9OeNZoynGoci3WUmWzkgmxKvJQAfzTX7w5lAmeFnyhYaEJ7WTr94DqRA9BcRXvAlLEqFaxwa2BGrB8qkyj7U-Uk_WEw3qNy8W2txVbs6uKbP60yIEVvsArTTqgH-Uhg/s750/sherlock%20holmes%20and%20the%20secret%20weapon.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942)" border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYU2F1NTHL7UB83tT1QFX7mhTJVSaMK347J-J-qXv2Qyv96zKi-WCW6My9OeNZoynGoci3WUmWzkgmxKvJQAfzTX7w5lAmeFnyhYaEJ7WTr94DqRA9BcRXvAlLEqFaxwa2BGrB8qkyj7U-Uk_WEw3qNy8W2txVbs6uKbP60yIEVvsArTTqgH-Uhg/w133-h200/sherlock%20holmes%20and%20the%20secret%20weapon.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035317/">Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon</a></i> (1942) - "Working for the British government, Sherlock Holmes manages to spirit
Dr. Franz Tobel out of Switzerland and into England before the Gestapo
are able to get to him. Tobel has devised an immensely accurate bomb
site and while he is willing to make it available to the Allies, he
insists on manufacturing it himself. Soon however, he vanishes and it is
left to Homes, assisted by the bumbling Dr. Watson, to decipher a coded
message he left behind. Holmes soon realizes that he is up against his
old nemesis, Professor Moriarty.<span data-reactroot="" style="display: inline-block;"> </span>"<br />source: DVD<br />I watched it because: I adore Sherlock Holmes, in all his guises<br />IMDB: 6.5/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sherlock_holmes_and_the_secret_weapon">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 53%<br />my IMDB: 7/10</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"Brilliant man, Sherlock Holmes. Too bad he was honest."</i></div><div>MPAA rating: approved</div><div>directed by: Roy William Neill<br /></div><div>my notes: this is a particularly good entry in the series. Rathbone is amazing as the great detective, arrogant and obnoxious but never mean. I'm not so fond of Nigel Bruce's Watson, who is irritating and foolish. This story is clever and particularly well-shot.<br /></div><div>overall: recommended</div></div><div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhChKyLh4esO9dtpK6qFvCdjznV_UjHdZPYXbAGPYqU5P-EtPhawpVv1LtTZl7BaqE8U7K5mmdWHedWwOMvZCIeBxZHQ2a8D-5L1zTyQCzgtfB0p-qo2tUYI3mz1nP04Og91Y44ka8A7yhoVSSDtoOokPNlEibGHrU7KWu_5lv1FeZRjs2tqvvzg/s880/goodbye%20again.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Goodbye Again (1961)" border="0" data-original-height="880" data-original-width="580" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhChKyLh4esO9dtpK6qFvCdjznV_UjHdZPYXbAGPYqU5P-EtPhawpVv1LtTZl7BaqE8U7K5mmdWHedWwOMvZCIeBxZHQ2a8D-5L1zTyQCzgtfB0p-qo2tUYI3mz1nP04Og91Y44ka8A7yhoVSSDtoOokPNlEibGHrU7KWu_5lv1FeZRjs2tqvvzg/w132-h200/goodbye%20again.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054936/"><i>Goodbye Again</i></a> (1961) - "In this adaptation of Françoise Sagan's best selling novel, Paula is a
beautiful and successful 40-year-old businesswoman. She is deeply
in love with Roger, her mature consort of five years. Roger is a very
charming gallant who loves Paula but is too selfish to give up the
freedom to be promiscuous. When Paula meets Phillip, the immature 24-year-old son of one of her rich clients, he falls hopelessly in
love with the glamorous, sympathetic older woman and insists that the
age difference will be no barrier to a romance. Paula resists the young
man's persistent advances, but she finally succumbs when Roger initiates
yet another affair with one of his young 'Maisie's. An affair begins, and
society does not approve."</div><div>source: DVD<br />I watched it because: I was curious about Anthony Perkins in a worldly European love story<br />IMDB: 7.0/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/goodbye_again">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 76%<br />my IMDB: 9/10</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"In France, it's different. The French have a logic and a sophistry and a
true sense of drama. </i>J'accuse!<i> Sorry. I accuse. In the name of the
dead, I accuse you of aborting your duty as a human being. I accuse you
of letting love go by. Of neglecting your duty to be happy. Of living on
evasion and subterfuge and resignation. You should be sentenced to
death. You will be sentence to solitude."</i></div><div>MPAA rating: NR <br /></div><div>directed by: Anatole Litvak<br /></div><div>my notes: this is a profoundly sad movie. If that doesn't appeal to you, then you should avoid it. If you like that nuance, though, it's marvelous. Ingrid Bergman is quiet, serene, and gorgeous. Yves Montand is handsome, suave, and morally bankrupt. And Perkins... he's a much better actor than he is stereotyped to have been. <br /></div><div>overall: highly recommended</div></div></div> </div></div></div><div>[the title quotation is from <i>To Have and Have Not]</i><br /></div>amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09105577120553111913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273189.post-89719253217481029952024-03-12T07:25:00.082-05:002024-03-12T07:25:00.252-05:00he loved her, as you can only love someone who is an echo of yourself at your time of deepest sorrow<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-osanUhHvNwKm9xnmMnRMNrQWCpZo1nOlpamNkQLrVew5mdvaw9FCgO_IUDfxJq7omktg7xx5l3DgF0ch9fVPnWHHSppK2BLkG09SFCHhBIidMAxiN4A5dQTmP1WTBWqvRUNMHb3i0O5UQXEvwtnH_UyG3JMhg7fTZM4FpQTPmJ6diusmHxNawg/s1584/weclmewc.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="happy vegetables" border="0" data-original-height="856" data-original-width="1584" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-osanUhHvNwKm9xnmMnRMNrQWCpZo1nOlpamNkQLrVew5mdvaw9FCgO_IUDfxJq7omktg7xx5l3DgF0ch9fVPnWHHSppK2BLkG09SFCHhBIidMAxiN4A5dQTmP1WTBWqvRUNMHb3i0O5UQXEvwtnH_UyG3JMhg7fTZM4FpQTPmJ6diusmHxNawg/w200-h108/weclmewc.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>22. <b>What do you think about vegan activism? <br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><i>I'm far too busy to get active about anything new, thanks </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">23. <b>What’s the biggest personality change you’ve undergone? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><i>people who knew me when I was little thought of me as bright, outgoing, and basically happy. Something changed from college, through grad school, and then law school. No less bright, maybe, but less outgoing and maybe not so basically happy. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">24. <b>Would you steal or beg for food if you were homeless with no money, and working was not an option for some reason?</b> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><i>Well, yeah. Who wouldn't? I'm not going to starve to death on purpose. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">25. <b>Are you concerned about being spied on by a government or a corporate entity? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBs8RNPx_oXYfGfv3ex6s-gZtDeUdFJ13Mrm7CegYS8EG4giPWvnEqqcDVe7Sy4PM0BwlYFGmaJfjVdjvpfArrycwfd_Rua6qFWHuW2EYVwqAGzBBCX_eLVCgZ72YPR96H7hgQCs3gO0pTmUwfwmPSYWfjhuECLPnBISG1s_pjOMSq1HcaHFttiQ/s750/39ib9x.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="spies are everywhere" border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="750" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBs8RNPx_oXYfGfv3ex6s-gZtDeUdFJ13Mrm7CegYS8EG4giPWvnEqqcDVe7Sy4PM0BwlYFGmaJfjVdjvpfArrycwfd_Rua6qFWHuW2EYVwqAGzBBCX_eLVCgZ72YPR96H7hgQCs3gO0pTmUwfwmPSYWfjhuECLPnBISG1s_pjOMSq1HcaHFttiQ/w200-h133/39ib9x.jpg" width="200" /></a></div> </span><i>not exactly, on a daily basis. I'm absolutely sure it happens - just read the news. Every day there's a data breach, inappropriate data collection, and somebody else stepping in to remediate or regulate or punish it. Companies, and government agencies, have no clue what they're collecting, how best to maintain it, how they can permissibly use it, and how to prevent it from being misused. Data is </i>not<i> private, practically speaking. It's only a matter of time until computer systems or stupid/bad/greedy individuals either lose it or sell it or take it.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>All this means that I'm not concerned about it, but I am aware of it and careful about what I share. For instance, I don't participate in loyalty programs or email newsletter memberships or store credit cards. When "required" to enter a phone number online when I'm not a customer, I use a faked random number. Even if it's supposedly intended to save money, loyalty programs are </i>primarily<i> about marketing. I don't need to receive more marketing than I already get. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">26. <b>Do you think death will come easily? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><i>what an awful question! There is no answer that wouldn't be creepy at best. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">27. <b>What do you think about romanticizing crime and debauchery in media?</b> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><i>you mean, like martial arts movies, or books about war, or gangster films? Westerns, rap music, and (especially older) country music? Graphic novels about superheroes who overcome the forces of evil? There's a difference between realistic portrayal—even sympathetic portrayal—and glamorization. Anyway, exposure to these things can help people understand the value of being and doing good. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><center><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="209" src="https://giphy.com/embed/YPPYw0fapmKrho89SX" width="209"></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/ninja-ideia-ideianinja-YPPYw0fapmKrho89SX"><span style="font-size: x-small;">via GIPHY</span></a></p></center>28. <b>What would you do if you realized you have a relationship with a destructive person? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><i>I already do have that sort of relationship, with more than one person. That's part of life, of knowing people who might be different from me but with whom I have something in common that's worth the rest of it. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiI007Ks2vhM85PSK7P2I7-thxgXCY7pTpAFaCOwN7DAQgXQlJPlAKO9__Ei9FfSTxhnOGX1yjAWNRlSUSzrJJZbTOuny4a6F8S-cmPFvr2U-zEzcFsLt8DgEQwH_HqhDnpcjIar5EboT0rwkbb9alA7pMBSkvNqDOYaRcx8nlJgEirUP-xNJB4g/s4032/117EC65F-499D-4107-9EAC-F1616687AF8A2022-08-28_15-38-43_090.JPEG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="the. BEST. card. (2022)" border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiI007Ks2vhM85PSK7P2I7-thxgXCY7pTpAFaCOwN7DAQgXQlJPlAKO9__Ei9FfSTxhnOGX1yjAWNRlSUSzrJJZbTOuny4a6F8S-cmPFvr2U-zEzcFsLt8DgEQwH_HqhDnpcjIar5EboT0rwkbb9alA7pMBSkvNqDOYaRcx8nlJgEirUP-xNJB4g/w140-h186/117EC65F-499D-4107-9EAC-F1616687AF8A2022-08-28_15-38-43_090.JPEG" width="140" /></a></div>29. <b>Do you think any real value can be extracted from shock entertainment such as horror films? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><i>"any real value" made me laugh. Entertainment for entertainment's sake is enough "value" for me. Plenty of people get more entertainment from that than they would from more bucolic things like nature poetry or romance novels. Anyway, who am I to say what is valuable to others?</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">1. <b>Would you want to be present at your child’s birth? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><i>uhm, since I'm female it would (without extreme assistance) not be my choice</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">2. <b>What’s the best birthday gift you ever got? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> <i> </i></span><i>a card. The right words get to me like objects never could. <br /></i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> [from <a href="https://socialpronow.com/blog/questions-to-get-to-know-someone/">here</a>; the title quotation is by Orson Scott Card, from <i>Speaker for the Dead] </i><br /></div>amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09105577120553111913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273189.post-25237528186420423452024-03-11T07:10:00.133-05:002024-03-11T07:10:00.252-05:00those of you who wish to go, go now! Those who wish to sing with me, for the last time, stay<p>Getting close to the end of the Christmas movies! And yet another list of films wherein my assessments don't match the Academy's. <br /></p><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97O4guUn60KWPNUMQLMaVLXXQuKxJHy20zRw93R3R2TYntHOCKjjGU03KYiJkhB3sXOpyOYp1UMr9loRFHghZ-l25uGPbfLMwdALielHUEPmLnDb_raurm1s3rdSfx4t3e1hJokj3GL9CfJa9sHKEGTdng89PHMkQgbzwvK7MC3CoTJK89Ed9jw/s740/love%20me%20or%20leave%20me.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Love Me or Leave Me (1955)" border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97O4guUn60KWPNUMQLMaVLXXQuKxJHy20zRw93R3R2TYntHOCKjjGU03KYiJkhB3sXOpyOYp1UMr9loRFHghZ-l25uGPbfLMwdALielHUEPmLnDb_raurm1s3rdSfx4t3e1hJokj3GL9CfJa9sHKEGTdng89PHMkQgbzwvK7MC3CoTJK89Ed9jw/w135-h200/love%20me%20or%20leave%20me.jpg" width="135" /></a></div><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048317/">Love Me or Leave Me</a></i> (1955) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">A
fictionalized account of the career of jazz singer Ruth Etting and her
tempestuous marriage to gangster Marty Snyder, who helped propel her to
stardom.</span>"</div><div>source: Tubi<br />I watched it because: it's an interesting concept<br />IMDB: 7.1/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/love_me_or_leave_me">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 71% Audience: 75%<br />my IMDB: 1/10<span> </span><b>DNF</b></div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"'Wouldn't that be an awful lot of trouble for you?'</i></div><div><i><span> </span>'There's some trouble a man just doesn't mind getting into.'"</i></div><div>MPAA rating: passed</div><div>directed by: Charles Vidor<br /></div><div>my notes: James Cagney's Marty is an awful, abusive wretch, and Doris Day's Ruth is just <i>not</i> sexy. Even the music didn't do anything for me. Ish.<br /></div></div><div>Academy Award winner: Best Writing, Motion Picture Story—Daniel Fuchs <br />Academy Award nominee:<br />• Best Actor—Cagney</div><div>• Best Writing, Screenplay—Daniel Fuchs, Isobel Lennart<br /></div><div>• Best Sound, Recording—Wesley C. Miller<br /></div><div>• Best Music, Original Song—Nicholas Brodszky, Sammy Cohn, for "I'll Never Stop Loving You"<br /></div><div>• Best Music, Scoring of a Motion Picture—Percy Faith, George Stoll<br />overall: not recommended</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1ZAtJj7KU-8hc-Dzm0mxJHeMlsF82g3kXvpOTHDkZ7D3qLPmQvi3htsb-M53ZCDhx3uBpmpAflirKnDEJSiOl0fE4jsrd_bKBJNZROTC7XhrexHetcTCFqTF8SFTe0tbD9jC9tW_598BbxuUbH9jEF5RRP3nEWMRj6ldZvkr-xDTcTEuMVrT0g/s1027/hurricane.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hurricane (1937)" border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="1027" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1ZAtJj7KU-8hc-Dzm0mxJHeMlsF82g3kXvpOTHDkZ7D3qLPmQvi3htsb-M53ZCDhx3uBpmpAflirKnDEJSiOl0fE4jsrd_bKBJNZROTC7XhrexHetcTCFqTF8SFTe0tbD9jC9tW_598BbxuUbH9jEF5RRP3nEWMRj6ldZvkr-xDTcTEuMVrT0g/w200-h139/hurricane.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029030/">The Hurricane</a></i> (1937) - "On the Island of Manukura, a French colony in the South Seas, joyful
Terangi is a leader among the natives and the first mate of the Katopua,
the tall ship of Captain Nagle. Terangi marries Marama and soon sails
to Tahiti. While in a bar playing with other natives, Terangi is
offended by an alcoholic French racist and he hits him, breaking his
jaw. Despite Captain Nagle's testimony, Terangi is sentenced to six
months of forced labor since the victim had political connections with
the Powers That Be. Captain Nagle asks the Governor Eugene DeLaage to
uses his influence to help Terangi, but the governor refuses. Terangi
unsuccessfully tries to escape from the prison, and each attempt
increases his sentence. Eight years later, he finally escapes and his
jailbreak is celebrated in Manukura. Father Paul finds his canoe and
brings Terangi to the island. But a devastating hurricane also arrives
in the island threatening the dwellers.<span data-reactroot="" style="display: inline-block;"> </span>"</div><div>source: DVD<br />I watched it because: with that wackadoodle description, how could I resist?<br />IMDB: 7.2/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1010242-hurricane">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 68%<br />my IMDB: 7/10</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"A sense of honor in the South Seas is about as useful and often as silly as a silk hat in a hurricane."</i></div><div>MPAA rating: approved</div><div>directed by: John Ford<br /></div><div>my notes: marvelous! It's weird, and happy, and (even in black and white) incredibly beautiful. Dorothy Lamour (Marama) and Jon Hall (Terangi) are terrific, and make a surprising couple. Mary Astor and Raymond Massey as the LeLaage couple are good baddies. Thomas Mitchell's Dr. Kersaint is fun, too.<br /></div></div><div>Academy Award winner: Best Sound, Recording—Thomas T. Moulton<br />Academy Award nominee:<br />• Best Supporting Actor—Mitchell </div><div>• Best Music, Score—Alfred Newman<br />overall: recommended</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCsKuZlKNEaZtzYFXt45LxAMWUlpf3BwZA-JfsAXTkSVLSj2EJUqgzrT9h0jGHxpE86H1xdi-JGcxXnIw28OkzEaiEZVakdqZf246uSk4VE3kC2fZjPfELhw4JnJC5tsQQ1NeHfQ97WO9p8hTmUH1pSCHkiZ0kLOUyxbWmYojGncqT1NDYxMDEOA/s1502/12%20dates%20of%20christmas.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="12 Dates of Christmas (2011)" border="0" data-original-height="1502" data-original-width="1112" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCsKuZlKNEaZtzYFXt45LxAMWUlpf3BwZA-JfsAXTkSVLSj2EJUqgzrT9h0jGHxpE86H1xdi-JGcxXnIw28OkzEaiEZVakdqZf246uSk4VE3kC2fZjPfELhw4JnJC5tsQQ1NeHfQ97WO9p8hTmUH1pSCHkiZ0kLOUyxbWmYojGncqT1NDYxMDEOA/w148-h200/12%20dates%20of%20christmas.jpg" width="148" /></a></div><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1846442/">12 Dates of Christmas</a></i> (2011) - "Unwillingly set up on a blind date with handsome Miles on Christmas Eve,
Kate gets 12 chances to relive the date over and over again until she
sets things right. At first reluctant to give Miles a shot, Kate learns
acceptance from a holiday miracle."</div><div>source: Prime<br />I watched it because: I actually recognized some of the cast!<br />IMDB: 6.3/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/12_dates_of_christmas">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 52%<br />my IMDB: 7/10 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"Reputations are just history in rumor form—you can change it."</i><br /></div><div>MPAA rating: PG</div><div>directed by: James Hayman<br /></div><div>my notes: while this is not an unfamiliar premise for a movie (ahem), it is well executed and clever. The cast is engaging and the ending absolutely justifies the whole endeavor.<br /></div></div><div>Star power: Amy Smart and Mark-Paul Gosselaar<br /></div><div>Santa character: <br />overall: recommended</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO7v1zivay_G928E_Ohj5-UxTQVxuZG7YdaSkDNr3nggAj-8w5YOJL9M9thmBlO2OVAfKv9b2jEAWtseF26_dXZ8HhyphenhyphenKoRuDPJGpjZyQbWq5dPBimoaYG2K_e9w5AkYozF4TLY4ZsyKFzsAFjEn65lDn6Snu0CPtjcHZDPBanL9fKoIV8ypsgW8g/s874/dangerous%20passage.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dangerous Passage (1937)" border="0" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="786" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO7v1zivay_G928E_Ohj5-UxTQVxuZG7YdaSkDNr3nggAj-8w5YOJL9M9thmBlO2OVAfKv9b2jEAWtseF26_dXZ8HhyphenhyphenKoRuDPJGpjZyQbWq5dPBimoaYG2K_e9w5AkYozF4TLY4ZsyKFzsAFjEn65lDn6Snu0CPtjcHZDPBanL9fKoIV8ypsgW8g/w180-h200/dangerous%20passage.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036741/">Dangerous Passage</a></i> (1944) - "While living in Central America, Joe Beck receives word that his
grandfather has passed away and left him $200,000. Beck prepares to
travel to Galveston, Texas to claim his inheritance, with the important
papers that he will need. When he is assaulted soon afterward, he
changes plans and takes a ship leaving that night. Also on board is
Nita, who herself seems to be in a hurry to leave port. Beck receives a
number of veiled threats and warnings, and then is almost killed by an
accident on deck. Beck soon realizes that he is facing two serious
problems: an attempt to defraud him of his inheritance, and another plan
to stop him from finding out what the ship's crew is up to.<span data-reactroot="" style="display: inline-block;"> </span>"<br />source: Prime<br />I watched it because: I had high hopes....<br />IMDB: 5.4/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dangerous_passage">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: N/A%<br />my IMDB: 3/10</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"I've tapped my last tap."</i><br /></div><div>MPAA rating: passed</div><div>directed by: William Berke<br /></div><div>my notes: it's one of those movies that seems to have been made on some kid's movie camera with untrained actors who don't give a flip about the process. Boring!<br /></div><div>overall: not recommended</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGZjx-RAcWwajVcjxDKzIf6kNUsZeaa4j0GkS9XDH591ibQh3HqrHESN2SEzPOM-s3GwblMlDkNKawY_iDfv8CpQVUACjujZhUd7xDAONUIgsOkvkyd_HGtyhNevViGOBxnr8qaPQB1qr_K2auFNL1yDwCf2smJD7u60hwqCpDcaKXG4P5DbC4A/s631/going-my-way-movie-poster.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Going My Way (1944)" border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGZjx-RAcWwajVcjxDKzIf6kNUsZeaa4j0GkS9XDH591ibQh3HqrHESN2SEzPOM-s3GwblMlDkNKawY_iDfv8CpQVUACjujZhUd7xDAONUIgsOkvkyd_HGtyhNevViGOBxnr8qaPQB1qr_K2auFNL1yDwCf2smJD7u60hwqCpDcaKXG4P5DbC4A/w159-h200/going-my-way-movie-poster.jpg" width="159" /></a></div><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036872/">Going My Way</a></i> (1944) - "Youthful Father Chuck O'Malley led a colorful life of sports, song, and
romance before joining the Roman Catholic clergy, but his level gaze and
twinkling eyes make it clear that he knows he made the right choice.
After joining a parish, O'Malley's worldly knowledge helps him connect
with a gang of kids looking for direction and handle the business
details of the church-building fund, winning over his aging,
conventional superior, Father Fitzgibbon.<span data-reactroot="" style="display: inline-block;"> </span>"</div><div>source: DVD<br />I watched it because: some of Bing Crosby's movies are marvelous<br />IMDB: 7.0/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/going_my_way">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 83% Audience: 74%<br />my IMDB: 5/10</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"I'm sure that the way to say what I'd like to say will occur to me after you've gone."</i></div><div>MPAA rating: passed</div><div>directed by: Leo McCarey<br /></div><div>my notes: it's song-y, and dance-ish, and exceedingly Catholic. If you're not of the faith, as indeed I am not, it might be a sore test of patience. Not terrible, but not my favorite.<br /></div></div><div>Academy Award winner:<br />• Best Picture</div><div>• Best Actor—Bing Crosby<br /></div><div>• Best Supporting Actor—Barry Fitzgerald <i>[<span class="ipc-expandableSection__content"><span>Fitzgerald is the
only actor to have received Leading and Supporting Actor nominations for
the same performance. Voting rules were altered shortly after this
occurred to prevent future such instances.]</span></span></i></div><div>• Best Director—McCarey</div><div>• Best Writing, Original Story—McCarey<br /></div><div>• Best Writing, Screenplay—Frank Butler, Frank Cavett<br /></div><div>• Best Music, Original Song—Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke, for "Swinging on a Star"<br />Academy Award nominee:<br />• Best Actor—Fitzgerald</div><div>• Best Cinematography, Black and White—Lionel Linden<br /></div><div>• Best Film Editing—LeRoy Stone<br />overall: recommended</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0gI4Ib-V0do7mi2aedoa9D9vcjbFD-pvwC2T0WYGnKm7FynBrOYJBv5BBOCDWjLXQK1f3SkNbuk70bdrVd2PWEjXt9_LVcUmwzbDeEpN8ryCzxNlxlg4gy4wPc5C9gVkhqRwjTnvDrLntYK5_uW-W0L81DHqJ76mEphyphenhyphenIz3nxAPf9dlnnf7DfA/s500/One-December-Night-2021.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="One December Night (2021)" border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="328" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0gI4Ib-V0do7mi2aedoa9D9vcjbFD-pvwC2T0WYGnKm7FynBrOYJBv5BBOCDWjLXQK1f3SkNbuk70bdrVd2PWEjXt9_LVcUmwzbDeEpN8ryCzxNlxlg4gy4wPc5C9gVkhqRwjTnvDrLntYK5_uW-W0L81DHqJ76mEphyphenhyphenIz3nxAPf9dlnnf7DfA/w131-h200/One-December-Night-2021.jpeg" width="131" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15397946/">One December Night</a></i> (2021) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">Two
music managers must put their history aside to oversee the televised
reunion performances of their rock-star fathers with a fractured past.</span>"<br />source: Prime, maybe? Streamed somewhere.<br />IMDB: 6.9/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/one_december_night">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 60%<br />my IMDB: 4/10 🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻</div><div><div>notable quote: "Let's just deliver one toy at a time, okay?"</div><div>MPAA rating: TV-PG</div><div>directed by: Clare Niederpruem<br /></div><div>my notes: schmaltzy, melodramatic, and trying way too hard. Not really bad, just not personally engaging.<br /></div></div><div>Star Power: Bruce Campbell and Peter Gallagher, with Didi Conn (Frenchy in <i>Grease)</i> as the Santa Character, the waitress Norma<br />overall: not strongly recommended</div><div> </div></div></div></div><div>[the title quotation is from <i>The Hurricane]</i><br /></div>amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09105577120553111913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273189.post-57492886369188537872024-03-10T07:17:00.105-05:002024-03-10T07:17:00.150-05:00one must believe in the possibility of happiness in order to be happy<div style="text-align: left;"><b>2. Do you actively try to avoid negative experiences in life? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>well, yeah - because I'm not a masochist. I don't avoid challenge or complexity and am actually charged up and driven by it. I do avoid stuff that I know will hurt me, without offsetting rewards. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><center><div class="tenor-gif-embed" data-aspect-ratio="1.45349" data-postid="12598847" data-share-method="host" data-width="100%"><a href="https://tenor.com/view/head-in-the-sand-gif-12598847">Head In The Sand GIF</a>from <a href="https://tenor.com/search/head+in+the+sand-gifs">Head In The Sand GIFs</a></div> <script async="" src="https://tenor.com/embed.js" type="text/javascript"></script></center></i> <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKjRUaDJ5S41o07SmaVfvHqaIMP-CDnsLPTVaGvIce4NWH_xM483ahAAcrQuhHqidGvTlwT48AJeaitCUGP_WZc1ArnNgR29SRbPaIoR_Gu_tV1tHGf9BKHaCsvOZpuuz9xy52BY0TOzsc5-CKE9eHKHM7H1SqA1JE3bARFSKGBMef1UavdcETKg/s1600/4df1c98f48a750c9edab1320cc2f9362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="what is happiness?" border="0" data-original-height="1188" data-original-width="1600" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKjRUaDJ5S41o07SmaVfvHqaIMP-CDnsLPTVaGvIce4NWH_xM483ahAAcrQuhHqidGvTlwT48AJeaitCUGP_WZc1ArnNgR29SRbPaIoR_Gu_tV1tHGf9BKHaCsvOZpuuz9xy52BY0TOzsc5-CKE9eHKHM7H1SqA1JE3bARFSKGBMef1UavdcETKg/w200-h149/4df1c98f48a750c9edab1320cc2f9362.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>3. What stops you from being happier? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>incidental things. Annoyances, health issues, money woes. My own trouble with using time wisely - laziness, poorly thought out priorities. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>4. Could you kill to save your own life? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>yes </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>5. Do you believe in a bright future for humanity? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> <i> </i></span><i>this is the kind of question that makes me bad at job interviews. I read it and cringed. What difference would it make, this belief? And what makes humanity's future "bright"? Surely that would mean different things to different people.</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>6. Do you have a purpose guiding you through life? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>nope, I don't have one motto or goal or purpose. What I want and need has changed since I started thinking I had a clue about these things. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHgUzIOXxjp89ryPxLZ1HFF4IL6wKeP_IVmWKksvT0zJkEMZmp5EohbOtUlRGpIYRLBWRtCpidZ75hZVST85MJ_GYrvmLvGp8zOj8bVxi-GkpdH8pi28S76DCmQ-fTVEjBIAF73fvUgDsAemr2QG1ACe_W_t8jxnUY42utGsP02M_BL15gGtwiA/s1000/The-Long-Gray-Line-cover.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Long Gray Line (1989)" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHgUzIOXxjp89ryPxLZ1HFF4IL6wKeP_IVmWKksvT0zJkEMZmp5EohbOtUlRGpIYRLBWRtCpidZ75hZVST85MJ_GYrvmLvGp8zOj8bVxi-GkpdH8pi28S76DCmQ-fTVEjBIAF73fvUgDsAemr2QG1ACe_W_t8jxnUY42utGsP02M_BL15gGtwiA/w116-h175/The-Long-Gray-Line-cover.jpg" width="116" /></a></div><b>7. Do you often go against yourself? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><i>this hits the "ignorance is bliss" button for me, and reminds me of a passage from</i> The Long Gray Line <i>by Rick Atkinson, a micro-study of a group of West Pointers after graduation in 1966. A group is performing a complex swimming exercise which is made more difficult by fighting it; the point of the activity is to realize that relaxing and working with it makes it smoother. One character advises another: "Try to go easier in life." </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>It doesn't mean, take the easy way out. It doesn't mean, don't try. It certainly doesn't mean that challenges aren't worth attempting. The point is that life is hard enough sometimes, so don't make it worse - for yourself, or anyone else. Don't set yourself up to fail. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>8. Share irony from your life.</b><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimJ1nMCFwhU2YpbAMpPYmnLFcN2YaGDzUyE-QTvimorj9cg3Z9V8b4yPIXdEmmSyppQMxI0qfVCOseyWK02F9wcwF15nBY7x2kWWrJn-zUtFFYbbRj71N7Qkhi3ukuPnVD60Mu0Q3DdSQLafuOHWXpd1Z8r1chGHMMY3Fb100ErX2jFLLy5A2BIQ/s538/3lts81.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="processing...processing..." border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="538" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimJ1nMCFwhU2YpbAMpPYmnLFcN2YaGDzUyE-QTvimorj9cg3Z9V8b4yPIXdEmmSyppQMxI0qfVCOseyWK02F9wcwF15nBY7x2kWWrJn-zUtFFYbbRj71N7Qkhi3ukuPnVD60Mu0Q3DdSQLafuOHWXpd1Z8r1chGHMMY3Fb100ErX2jFLLy5A2BIQ/w200-h173/3lts81.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><i><span> </span>• the phrase "hold still" makes me flinch<br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>• being asked to tell a story makes my brain mute</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>• I deeply crave security, but chafe when I get it</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>9. Do you ever think about humans going extinct? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><i>"going extinct" seems unlikely to me. "Fucking things up irretrievably" is much more likely. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>10. Would you be afraid of seeing a psychologist? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>ha! I was married to one. Just seeing one professionally is nothing compared to that. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>11. Do you think violent entertainment causes or prevents real violence? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>yes, both. People who are predisposed to violence can be drawn to violent entertainment, or numbed by it, or inspired by it. People who, on the other hand, are neutral or not disposed to violence can be repelled by such entertainment. I watch a lot of martial arts and war films and haven't yet turned into a big kicker or war-monger. Pretty sure that the issue isn't the entertainment but the person who takes part in it.</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">[from <a href="https://socialpronow.com/blog/questions-to-get-to-know-someone/">here</a>; the title quotation is by Leo Tolstoy, from <i>War and Peace] </i><br /></div>amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09105577120553111913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273189.post-85105461265593700982024-03-09T07:09:00.009-06:002024-03-09T07:09:00.128-06:00you loud-mouthed broad - get out of here!<p>Win some, lose some? When you watch this many movies, some are bound to be stinkers.<br /></p><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxdmiEZwK5S6VgHgqQ23heuCDN37QnBAQncCRKuIhNm1SdhoXT0COdU88LbDzbRq9ZiRaiws_vhKjMao2d05LkxWRRyQzrw37usrJnx0LrQjzvbpBHODBkSDaFN7UPDqp61lLaiEHYDPw2Lcaogr5Ysqa7QKXXSfCzqgyqbtDB4cTdpJ07bMUZA/s635/crime%20of%20passion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Crime of Passion (1956)" border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="548" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxdmiEZwK5S6VgHgqQ23heuCDN37QnBAQncCRKuIhNm1SdhoXT0COdU88LbDzbRq9ZiRaiws_vhKjMao2d05LkxWRRyQzrw37usrJnx0LrQjzvbpBHODBkSDaFN7UPDqp61lLaiEHYDPw2Lcaogr5Ysqa7QKXXSfCzqgyqbtDB4cTdpJ07bMUZA/w161-h186/crime%20of%20passion.jpg" width="161" /></a></div><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050271/">Crime of Passion</a></i> (1956) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">Kathy
leaves the newspaper business to marry homicide detective Bill but is
frustrated by his lack of ambition and the banality of life in the
suburbs. Her drive to advance Bill's career soon takes her down a
dangerous path.</span>"</div><div>source: Tubi<br />I watched it because: Barbara Stanwyck is a favorite - a smart, sarcastic brunette. And, of course, Raymond Burr is impossible to resist.<br />IMDB: 6.4/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1044858-crime_of_passion">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 80% Audience: 34%<br />my IMDB: 7/10</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"Lavender chiffon!"</i><br /></div><div>MPAA rating: approved</div><div>directed by: Gerd Oswald<br /></div><div>my notes: marvelously creepy, this is real noir. Stanwyck's character Kathy is realistically nutso, Sterling Hayden (Bill) is a charming dupe, and Burr's Tony Pope is bluff, genial, and skeezy. This is a good one!<br /></div><div>overall: recommended</div></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEOfzTsO2hz8CUX_x3J0bHTX8rFEF0mAcvIflVGPFKpNvTcAmgo_46g3hssOcuGU27S4LnEba6Aa0MasYfFcQTEzNGxSq-n4K7MmScYsYwEMGKLpEe9nfTgetKjTggdzna31eT0efVYPRfyDJYskbhe2yMbryfcnx9IDkzcphQf4x-_D72o35jwA/s511/baby%20it's%20cold%20outside.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Baby, It's Cold Outside (2004)" border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="353" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEOfzTsO2hz8CUX_x3J0bHTX8rFEF0mAcvIflVGPFKpNvTcAmgo_46g3hssOcuGU27S4LnEba6Aa0MasYfFcQTEzNGxSq-n4K7MmScYsYwEMGKLpEe9nfTgetKjTggdzna31eT0efVYPRfyDJYskbhe2yMbryfcnx9IDkzcphQf4x-_D72o35jwA/w138-h200/baby%20it's%20cold%20outside.jpg" width="138" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1358782/">Baby, It's Cold Outside</a></i> (2004) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">A woman from the tropics meets and marries a man from northern Maine and moves there in winter.</span>"</div><div>source: Tubi<br />I watched it because: I was in hardcore Christmas-movie mode, and trying to see anything that had over 5 stars on IMDB.<br />IMDB: 6.5/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/baby_its_cold_outside">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: N/A%<br />my IMDB: 1/10 🤶🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"'My name is Ylva...'</i></div><div><i><span> </span>'And I'm Inga...'</i></div><div><i><span> </span>'And what's your name?'</i></div><div><i><span> </span>'BEAR!'"</i><br /></div><div>MPAA rating: NR</div><div>directed by: Polly Bennell<br /></div><div>my notes: Trying to be <i>Northern Exposure,</i> and failing miserably. This is a <b>terrible</b> movie! The only good part - by which I mean "the only remotely interesting part" - is Antony the anteater.</div><div>overall: strongly not recommended</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcITz3AN34Bcp3S_ly3fvwQoUpTyVJTGXuuqKfHT_zXir-7ybErRWrF0lbwPecy7zNwsAG_7eaPcEfZdvrXR9WXRLcvABMHXsgLvZaS-TE4SZq4GEVHNiQbHXo7xohji2KE3tP0jR2iqLEpTYM_f5VuOFLVcM8KB19NU2WwEITQ4596RRGnqadcg/s1920/flight%20before%20christmas.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="The Flight Before Christmas (2013)" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcITz3AN34Bcp3S_ly3fvwQoUpTyVJTGXuuqKfHT_zXir-7ybErRWrF0lbwPecy7zNwsAG_7eaPcEfZdvrXR9WXRLcvABMHXsgLvZaS-TE4SZq4GEVHNiQbHXo7xohji2KE3tP0jR2iqLEpTYM_f5VuOFLVcM8KB19NU2WwEITQ4596RRGnqadcg/w200-h113/flight%20before%20christmas.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5231402/">The Flight Before Christmas</a></i> (2013) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">Two
strangers who both happen to be in marketing, share a room at a
bed-and-breakfast when a snowstorm strands their flight in Montana on
Christmas Eve.</span>"</div><div>source: Tubi<br />I watched it because: early in the holiday season, my Skepticism Meter was skewing low<br />IMDB: 5.9/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_flight_before_christmas_2015">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 47%<br />my IMDB: 3/10 🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"The eyes—they never lie."</i><br /></div><div>MPAA rating: TV-PG</div><div>directed by: Peter Sullivan<br /></div><div>my notes: Totally unrealistic. And dumb. And insulting. And insultingly stupidly unrealistic.</div><div>Also, in terms of religion, mortifying simplistic.<br /></div></div><div>Star Power: Mayim Bialik<br />overall: not recommended</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibn_2tPF6smZJJfVmBY_mqixZ7zH8hWutvpHEP_jzs0sNkJB-uRzlu3lWYvoUkNaEl-ulhiPSXDKwNB7Q_759o4nEcGunUd239tYIexzb2RM-84D_I_RvparsQyqYxH5UPSW_h_8KARuucNs6jq8DXEptqKKN81nn3HJE7VQ0DsCPkBWz1MDcihQ/s2048/berserk.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibn_2tPF6smZJJfVmBY_mqixZ7zH8hWutvpHEP_jzs0sNkJB-uRzlu3lWYvoUkNaEl-ulhiPSXDKwNB7Q_759o4nEcGunUd239tYIexzb2RM-84D_I_RvparsQyqYxH5UPSW_h_8KARuucNs6jq8DXEptqKKN81nn3HJE7VQ0DsCPkBWz1MDcihQ/w150-h200/berserk.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061398/">Berserk!</a></i> (1967) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">A scheming circus owner finds her authority challenged when a vicious killer targets the show.</span>"<br />source: Tubi<br />I watched it because: my familiarity with Joan Crawford is limited, and I was looking for a palate-cleanser after a couple of nauseatingly dumb Christmas movies<br />IMDB: 5.3/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/berserk">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 35%<br />my IMDB: 5/10</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"What are you trying to do, ruin my circus?"</i><br /></div><div>MPAA rating: approved</div><div>directed by: Jim O'Connolly<br /></div><div>my notes: Bruno (George Claydon) is the best character. This is a truly insane movie, terribly violent and realistically gory, and also kind of a drug-trip of the surreal. Not to mention, Joan Crawford in a leotard and tights...not so good.</div><div>overall: recommended for campiness only<br /></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6R0sk4c55Gy4UA0r_R8piaXl47jhYmquPS4soP8gvLvSR7Aa2CVYGYKspa5sMgyj8Dqe51MTigmVpGMAPX5xvpRFq3bVha7_RxeM9A8gWX1JocCjcyz4fFs0prhRpQZ9HZX3iUtNT-4QCb0nEFBkHKesS1iCJflvAJpjteuZOO3uXdsp8qKl4Gg/s1500/shoelaces-for-christmas-2018-i-movie-poster.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Shoelaces for Christmas (2018)" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6R0sk4c55Gy4UA0r_R8piaXl47jhYmquPS4soP8gvLvSR7Aa2CVYGYKspa5sMgyj8Dqe51MTigmVpGMAPX5xvpRFq3bVha7_RxeM9A8gWX1JocCjcyz4fFs0prhRpQZ9HZX3iUtNT-4QCb0nEFBkHKesS1iCJflvAJpjteuZOO3uXdsp8qKl4Gg/w133-h200/shoelaces-for-christmas-2018-i-movie-poster.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9134798/"><i>Shoelaces for Christmas</i></a> (2018) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">After
a disagreement with her father, teenager Jennifer inadvertently
stumbles into a local homeless shelter late one evening. Will
volunteering at the shelter teach her to be responsible and
compassionate toward others?</span>"</div><div>source: Tubi<br />I watched it because: I've seen the lead couple, Bailey Chase and Jennifer Morris, in a few other things. <br />IMDB: 6.4/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/shoelaces_for_christmas">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: N/A%<br />my IMDB: 6/10 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄</div><div><div>MPAA rating: TV-PG</div><div>directed by: Craig Clyde<br /></div><div>my notes: The parents <b>created</b> this monster, and then were surprised when it acted monstrously. However, the schmaltz level actually works, and I left it feeling content with my choice.<br /></div><div>overall: recommended for holiday movie marathons only<br /></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>[the title quotation is from <i>Berserk!]</i><br /></div>amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09105577120553111913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273189.post-5212327247579869392024-03-08T07:29:00.021-06:002024-03-08T07:29:00.133-06:00I thought there was time and that there would always be time<div style="text-align: left;">
<p class="MsoNormal">For some time I thought there was time</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">and that there would always be time<br />
for what I had a mind to do<br />
and what I could imagine<br />
going back to and finding it<br />
as I had found it the first time<br />
but by this time I do not know<br />
what I thought when I thought back then</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<span style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">there is no time yet it grows less<br />
there is the sound of rain at night<br />
arriving unknown in the leaves<br />
once without before or after<br />
then I hear the thrush waking<br />
at daybreak singing the new song</span>
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<p class="MsoNormal">[W.S. Merwin {1927-2019} “<a href="https://merwinconservancy.org/2014/03/the-new-song/">The New Song</a>”, from <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/870426371">The Moon before Morning</a>]</p>
<br />
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{page:WordSection</style></p></div>amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09105577120553111913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273189.post-40751456840856677762024-03-07T07:02:00.001-06:002024-03-07T07:02:00.238-06:00don't ever phone if you can possibly come yourself. Don't ever leave if you can stay<p>A mixed bag, from which one learns what not to do....<br /></p><div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFeJ4Q90c6XvMkxoItfUFH-uZL-C1QnSN2yiAA6CxDyVYJb7VQ0m4vw5lBJFupcpMirvmMVxK6AtbKGrOfPFGDBd-UxoYamHlN8ZCnO0igvh5vsxtuxF9HPf7nDQx-W_Uhy2iQCcxFrlNIPlh3Idw4WC3GzEXVI-lfotQBKyJmYZpw5zzTFbpOFw/s2000/Last%20time%20i%20saw%20paris.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFeJ4Q90c6XvMkxoItfUFH-uZL-C1QnSN2yiAA6CxDyVYJb7VQ0m4vw5lBJFupcpMirvmMVxK6AtbKGrOfPFGDBd-UxoYamHlN8ZCnO0igvh5vsxtuxF9HPf7nDQx-W_Uhy2iQCcxFrlNIPlh3Idw4WC3GzEXVI-lfotQBKyJmYZpw5zzTFbpOFw/w133-h200/Last%20time%20i%20saw%20paris.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047162/">The Last Time I Saw Paris</a></i> (1959) - "Charles Wills (Van Johnson) returns to Paris to reminisce about the life he led there
after it was liberated. He worked then for <i>Stars and Stripes</i> when he
met both Marion (Donna Reed) and Helen (Elizabeth Taylor) Ellswirth. He soon married and was happy
staying in Paris after his discharge. While working for a news
organization, Charlie began to write the great novel that would come
between him, his wife, and his daughter (Sandy Descher)."<br />source: Freevee (Prime)<br />I watched it because: my understanding of Elizabeth Taylor movies is pretty shallow<br />IMDB: 6.1/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/last_time_i_saw_paris">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 70% Audience: 49%<br />my IMDB: 5/10</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"'That lady over there. I do say, uh, she gives you the eye.'</i></div><div><i><span> </span>'That one? She's not even smiling at me.'</i></div><div><i><span> </span>'The eye without a smile, is the most dangerous eye.'"</i></div><div>MPAA rating: approved (TV-PG)<br /></div><div>directed by: Richard Brooks<br /></div><div>my notes: pretty people, disaffected and behaving badly. As a morality play, it leaves a lot to be desired.<br /></div><div>overall: not strongly recommended</div></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvl4gsqWtLd5XVpsNB8nF42yANZj-kyR7bOKl1xBZybUDtZrdKEd6-sc6NtcnL8c1yzGsqUxpOYelqXKoM7jEb741S5XmpZzN-BB7nvhW-s6tKB7NJZfLXHihw9AGkzN0nDMacphhDWzAJAhnoN3kHhKaxTjKdHCETGFAM-leyj-CGh6zucjm6w/s1170/christmas%20in%20mississippi.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Christmas in Mississippi (2017)" border="0" data-original-height="1170" data-original-width="780" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvl4gsqWtLd5XVpsNB8nF42yANZj-kyR7bOKl1xBZybUDtZrdKEd6-sc6NtcnL8c1yzGsqUxpOYelqXKoM7jEb741S5XmpZzN-BB7nvhW-s6tKB7NJZfLXHihw9AGkzN0nDMacphhDWzAJAhnoN3kHhKaxTjKdHCETGFAM-leyj-CGh6zucjm6w/w133-h200/christmas%20in%20mississippi.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7621886/">Christmas in Mississippi</a></i> (2017) - "Photographer Holly Logan (Jana Kramer) returns to her hometown of
Gulfport, Mississippi for Christmas. The town is resurrecting their
traditional holiday light show for the first time since a terrible
hurricane struck five years earlier. Holly volunteers to pitch in, but
has second thoughts when she discovers that the festival is run by her
high-school sweetheart Mike (Wes Brown). Now Holly must spend the next
few days with the man who broke her heart. With the help of her
matchmaking mom Caroline (Faith Ford) and Mr. Kriss, the kind man who
will play Santa in the town's celebration, Holly begins to fall in love
with her hometown, and Mike, all over again."<br /></div><div>source: Prime<br />IMDB: 6.4/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/christmas_in_mississippi_directors_cut">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 47%<br />my IMDB: 8/10 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"'I thought I was his pride and joy.'</i></div><div><i><span> </span>'You were. He loved you just as much as he loved this truck.'"</i></div><div>MPAA rating: TV-PG</div><div>directed by: Emily Moss Wilson<br /></div><div>my notes: Genuine relationships and people being decent and kind. I liked it a lot!<br /></div><div>Santa = Mr. Kriss (of course)<br /></div></div><div>Star Power: Faith Ford, Barry Bostwick, Richard Karn...<br />overall: quite recommended</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHFZi0v9LffrrePSoNsduCeiDPhJ85Neod_QvWLG7VYRLS2Twj3AWxcy1nmYyoeZ5cvDkl40twdPlJOkgERnhI9gIrMG_XwNrLdWQqBKddo3dUYp-X5gnZZwOX5x6v4d2L9HKsGBFmAb4nIizvNV0SofqZiXMvWzfMbBSz_U09orUrgN-OuQDIcw/s2838/oklahoma.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Oklahoma! (1955)" border="0" data-original-height="2838" data-original-width="1892" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHFZi0v9LffrrePSoNsduCeiDPhJ85Neod_QvWLG7VYRLS2Twj3AWxcy1nmYyoeZ5cvDkl40twdPlJOkgERnhI9gIrMG_XwNrLdWQqBKddo3dUYp-X5gnZZwOX5x6v4d2L9HKsGBFmAb4nIizvNV0SofqZiXMvWzfMbBSz_U09orUrgN-OuQDIcw/w133-h200/oklahoma.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048445/">Oklahoma!</a></i> (1955) - "In the Oklahoma territory at the turn of the twentieth century, two
young cowboys vie with a violent ranch hand and a traveling peddler for
the hearts of the women they love.<span data-reactroot="" style="display: inline-block;"> </span>"<br />source: Prime<br />I watched it because: I've seen it several times (both this movie and a few stage presentations) - it's one of my favorite musicals!<br />IMDB: 7.0/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/oklahoma">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 86% Audience: 75%<br />my IMDB: 7/10</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"I wanted to marry her when I saw the moonlight shining on the barrel of her father's shotgun."</i></div><div>MPAA rating: G</div><div>directed by: Fred Zinnemann<br /></div><div>my notes: a silly, romantic, strangely inspiring classic. And Rod Steiger, dancing! <br /></div><div>Thing I never noticed before? Will, encouraging Jud's suicide. What. The. <i>Hell?!</i></div><div>Academy Award winner:<br />• Best Sound, Recording—Fred Hynes<br /></div><div>• Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture—Robert Russell, Jay Blackton, Adolph Deutsch<br />Academy Award nominee:<br />• Best Cinematography, Color—Robert Surtees<br /></div><div>• Best Film Editing—Gene Ruggiero, George Boemler<br /></div><div>overall: recommended</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDAZTKVYb3tVhHpaD7NfeBorQCtCt5rFwfcsP8D2pZSQpf_pEDRZkskdeNOb7rYwxRRmIPvMZqa7rGIldG2yzIYfmAMwICi4DXBFdJeotR8oZPGMLe6WtmDMJEkyJb6s2lPAyvOVrMu40wZ_O8aF7JB1BATdZ8tuvTS_ZEIJSbZPHgz63ADiDRg/s721/deck%20the%20halls.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Deck the Halls (2011)" border="0" data-original-height="721" data-original-width="481" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDAZTKVYb3tVhHpaD7NfeBorQCtCt5rFwfcsP8D2pZSQpf_pEDRZkskdeNOb7rYwxRRmIPvMZqa7rGIldG2yzIYfmAMwICi4DXBFdJeotR8oZPGMLe6WtmDMJEkyJb6s2lPAyvOVrMu40wZ_O8aF7JB1BATdZ8tuvTS_ZEIJSbZPHgz63ADiDRg/w133-h200/deck%20the%20halls.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><i>Deck the Halls</i> (2011) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">Detective
Regan Reilly and cleaning-woman-turned-private-eye Alvirah Meehan,
investigate the kidnapping of Regan's father and a young female driver
just before the holidays. The race is on to rescue the pair and get them
home in time for Christmas.</span>"</div><div>source: Prime<br />I watched it because: I thought a Christmas mystery was a nice twist. It turned out to be a mirage. <b>DNF</b><br />IMDB: 5.4/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deck_the_halls_2011">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 40%<br />my IMDB: 1/10 🤶🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻</div><div><div>MPAA rating: TV-PG</div><div>directed by: Ron Underwood<br /></div><div>my notes: not even 10 minutes into this wreck, I called it quits<br /></div></div><div>Star Power: Kathy Najimy<br />overall: not recommended</div></div><div><div><br /></div><div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE6K4DCPzukURRqkG0msQyS-HAKY0NVZtuWHBEY6AtKygIlHHUVqjHW-a1HBtIT5HJ1DY53aUehiOk95gne651-XJ3ZDNTsuTUCwBVEJDto0-5GFzB4pPv_GGeIYYr0E43HCd804Sxvj50wocGqzhp_H56eqtHAakPqzTkejaoeZTqStYXNDf4zg/s1200/christmas%20mail.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Christmas Mail (2010)" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="630" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE6K4DCPzukURRqkG0msQyS-HAKY0NVZtuWHBEY6AtKygIlHHUVqjHW-a1HBtIT5HJ1DY53aUehiOk95gne651-XJ3ZDNTsuTUCwBVEJDto0-5GFzB4pPv_GGeIYYr0E43HCd804Sxvj50wocGqzhp_H56eqtHAakPqzTkejaoeZTqStYXNDf4zg/w105-h200/christmas%20mail.jpg" width="105" /></a></div>Christmas Mail</i> (2010) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">In
this holiday romantic comedy, a mysterious woman who works at the post
office answering Santa's mail captures the heart of a disillusioned
postal carrier.</span>"<br />source: Prime</div><div>IMDB: 5.3/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/christmas_mail">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 42%<br />my IMDB: 1/10 🤶🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"It's the adults that scare me." </i><br /></div><div>MPAA rating: TV-PG</div><div>directed by: John Murlowski<br /></div><div>my notes: Is it a fantasy? A romance? A farce? Hard to tell. One thing that's patently clear--this is a totally unrealistic portrayal of USPS. <br /></div><div>Scrooge character = Mr. Fuller, the supervisor<br /></div><div>Santa = Sally, the Santa-hat-wearing coworker<br /></div><div>overall: not recommended</div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>[the title quotation is from <i>The Last Time I Saw Paris]</i><br /></div>amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09105577120553111913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273189.post-36215271131300746222024-03-06T07:31:00.046-06:002024-03-06T07:31:00.148-06:00don't explain your philosophy. Embody it<div style="text-align: left;"><b>5. Are some people inherently bad? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><i>yes, though I see the 'inherent' element as the sticky part. Are (some) people bad? Clearly. But, what has made them bad? Are </i>they<i> bad, or is it the choices they've made and the behavior in which they've engaged? </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>I've given this a lot of thought. In one way or another, the question occupied most of my time for a decade or so. In my opinion (based on all that thinking, study, research, and writing) is that it's very easy to conclude that some people are born evil, and that settles it. That leaves the rest of us, those who have ever done anything non-evil, to smugly consider ourselves immune from the affliction. However, it's more complicated than that. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>Each of us has evil inside, at least in the form of temptation. Temptation is relative, of course—what's an intolerable choice for me is acceptable to someone else, and vice versa. (As a side note, this is what keeps me from road raging! Some traffic laws are easily broken, I think. I tend to speed, for instance, and I cruise in the left lane in certain spots because staying in the right lane seems like a death wish. (Hello Janesville, Wisconsin—I'm talking to you!) Others feel that way about the optional nature of blinkers, for instance, or weaving from lane to lane between other cars. Do I have the right to rage about someone else's driving in the rain without their lights on, if I stomp on other laws with impunity? Ah, no.) That philosophy extends to other law-breaking, or even just questionable choices. I don't drink, for instance. Do I believe that drinking is evil, or that it makes a person who does it evil? No. How about using drugs? How about distributing drugs? Same with the use, even excessive, of other substances or activities or choices. That's your problem, not mine.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>This is a rambling answer to a simple question, and I think that it needs to be considered at a deep level. That busts apart the "inherent" aspect. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>6. What is true patriotism? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>I don't have the capacity and perspective to answer that question. I have ideas, but haven't been tested enough to be sure about it.</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>7. Do the ends always justify the means? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>not always, but sometimes. It's possible to be in a seemingly impossible situation, one where any "resolution" will hurt someone - but that pain may be better and preferable to some different kind of pain that comes from not resolving anything. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>8. Does censorship solve the problem it’s trying to solve? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>never. It always causes more problems than it purports to eliminate. Censorship, book-banning, and other limits on what people can say, hear, or think—it's always short-sighted and insulting. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>It's also mean and stupid. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>9. What do you think about the world’s cultures homogenizing? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>and hey, there's another topic that I'm not getting anywhere near! </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>10. Is there anything that’s legal today that should be criminalized? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span> reboots of entertainment that's already been done, with the exception of anything written before 1950</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>11. What do you think about giving money to panhandlers? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>it's a quick answer to a long, involved problem</i> <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>12. If humans ever reached immortality, how do you think they would view us, their mortal predecessors?</b> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>if you had the opportunity to be immortal, what age would you be? I mean, would immortality start at age 18, or 21, or 30, or 50? 75? 100? When would you put on the brakes? And how would you put on the brakes? Fill out an application and submit to the overlords? Simply will it to happen? And what happens when I, who stopped aging at age 20, meet my soulmate, who (previously) chose age 50 instead? Is there some way for me to change my mind and launch myself forward 30 years? Or for them to revert to 20-ness? </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>And how do we deal with the rapidly decreasing resources, the overwhelmed infrastructure, and the lack of the biological imperative to reproduce? Would there be any reason to pair off, to get married, to have children, to form bonds? Or would everything be too easy, and therefore not worth fighting for?</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>The immortality fantasy has more holes than all the cheese in Switzerland. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>13. Do you think the older generation has missed out on not having social media? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>God no, I think that they've been saved from meaningless non-interaction and posing. Social media is a gigantic time-suck that, were it not for the handful of people with whom I only connect there, I would avoid at all cost.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>This blog notwithstanding. Is a blog "social media" anymore? Or is it just a slightly higher-tech vanity than a standard handwritten journal? </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>14. What do you think pushes people towards extreme body modification? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>there's no one thing that "pushes" one there. What makes body mod extreme, anyway? How many piercings is acceptable, and what's the magic number that pushes it over the edge? How many tattoos is too many, or is it a question of where they are located? Perhaps the percentage of skin coverage? Percentage of not-clothing-covered? Or is it, like the Supreme Court's definition of obscenity, that you just know it when you see it? </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">[from <a href="https://socialpronow.com/blog/questions-to-get-to-know-someone/">here</a>; the title quotation is from Epictetus]<br /></div>amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09105577120553111913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273189.post-26696260482768523552024-03-05T07:48:00.114-06:002024-03-05T10:18:22.438-06:00whenever you look like you're not up to anything - you're up to something<p>Christmas movies are like old friends, except the ones that are like the crazy cousins you see once a year and then recall why you don't see them more often.<br /></p><div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2bznChwpoJQTREPW-HDbI2R9auAgu9PLyH2zPb4XJMYl2N3bEsl81RIwhA7bce1BBQ7ghhrL4bX6-Jy8O0HPvO3guOkTdVCEaEHRm6TjOriqowJdW-ohRJFmUeWJ3NlmhQm9rbxLRNgUAp2oLnbS7NS_1gqefMPlAv-OmsNiSBuvWO2R0bd8ow/s1022/man%20who%20invented%20christmas.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017)" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1022" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2bznChwpoJQTREPW-HDbI2R9auAgu9PLyH2zPb4XJMYl2N3bEsl81RIwhA7bce1BBQ7ghhrL4bX6-Jy8O0HPvO3guOkTdVCEaEHRm6TjOriqowJdW-ohRJFmUeWJ3NlmhQm9rbxLRNgUAp2oLnbS7NS_1gqefMPlAv-OmsNiSBuvWO2R0bd8ow/w200-h150/man%20who%20invented%20christmas.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6225520/">The Man Who Invented Christmas</a></i> (2017) - "In 1843, celebrated British novelist Charles Dickens is at a low point
in his career with three flops behind him and expenses piling up
at home. Determined to recover, Dickens decides to write a Christmas
story and self-publish it in less than two months. As Dickens labors
writing on such short notice, his estranged father and mother come to
bunk with him. Still haunted by painful memories of his father ruining
his childhood by his financial irresponsibility, Dickens develops seemingly-unsolvable writer's block. Dickens must face his personal
demons epitomized through his characters, especially in his imagined
conversations with Ebenezer Scrooge. With a looming deadline, Dickens
struggles for inspiration against his frustrations and his characters'
opinions in a literary challenge creating a classic tale that would
define the essential soul of modern Christmas.<span data-reactroot="" style="display: inline-block;"> </span>"<br />source: Prime<br />IMDB: 7.0/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_man_who_invented_christmas">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 79% Audience: 78%<br />my IMDB: 8/10 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"Procrastination is the thief of time, eh?"</i></div><div>MPAA rating: PG</div><div>directed by: Bharat Nalluri<br /></div><div>my notes: OMG, his office! The curving staircase! The books! <i>Swoon.</i></div><div><b>Loved</b> it. There is real character growth here. It's funny, and made me tearful.<br /></div></div><div>Star Power: Christopher Plummer<br />overall: highly recommended</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9s7nOhj0wmFTbPktP_qDqiZykoO7YsqFyObop5poPmDmvQe6c-cIEni29cfUfPw9N2oA7wGkdO_pBZSRyx8Pw20dU6pLK9gW0jcQusIC8WXf299Plk18KWXhCxY62_20ccOzRjBPeBALhi070czjUAosJAMMkYX57esjdYpps64teGD8zbby7NA/s1444/christmas%20retreat.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Christmas Retreat (2022)" border="0" data-original-height="1444" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9s7nOhj0wmFTbPktP_qDqiZykoO7YsqFyObop5poPmDmvQe6c-cIEni29cfUfPw9N2oA7wGkdO_pBZSRyx8Pw20dU6pLK9gW0jcQusIC8WXf299Plk18KWXhCxY62_20ccOzRjBPeBALhi070czjUAosJAMMkYX57esjdYpps64teGD8zbby7NA/w139-h200/christmas%20retreat.jpg" width="139" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21334846/"><i>The Christmas Retreat</i></a> (2022) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">When
Kim's boyfriend breaks up with her instead of proposing, Kim's mom
takes her away to a Christmas Retreat to reconnect with the spirit of
the holiday. There she meets newly unemployed Mark.</span>"<br /></div><div>source: Tubi, maybe?<br />IMDB: 6.1/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_christmas_retreat">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 83%<br />my IMDB: 2/10 🤶🏻🤶🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"'You don't understand. I'm </i><b><u>literally</u></b><i> getting engaged tonight and I'm running late.'</i></div><div><i><span> </span>'I don't see how's that my fault.'"</i></div><div>MPAA rating: NR</div><div>directed by: Jason Bourque<br /></div><div>my notes: awful! Self-absorbed, foolish woman meets self-sacrificing but wooden man, and the rest is the magic of Hallmark, or Lifetime, or whatever created this crap.</div><div>Star power: none<br /></div><div>overall: not recommended</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQVMhJb7YrNKz8SizsLbwIBe3xewJ6SedQCJ7HfxnG_RIgLT437ZglIh3VdLYIs_jvfgZZ0ga7pCJTUIPmBT8oDsiCTeJ5lfv-Lo6NYn9fJ-gZkf9UyLsjnM-BXF0oNBy0bZ7CI72liAbir4GtuYcrMmz99kdYd-O-ugzkvv6aHwtQTPpaJdBzqQ/s1117/love%20affair.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Love Affair (1939)" border="0" data-original-height="858" data-original-width="1117" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQVMhJb7YrNKz8SizsLbwIBe3xewJ6SedQCJ7HfxnG_RIgLT437ZglIh3VdLYIs_jvfgZZ0ga7pCJTUIPmBT8oDsiCTeJ5lfv-Lo6NYn9fJ-gZkf9UyLsjnM-BXF0oNBy0bZ7CI72liAbir4GtuYcrMmz99kdYd-O-ugzkvv6aHwtQTPpaJdBzqQ/w200-h154/love%20affair.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031593/">Love Affair</a></i> (1939) - "A French playboy and an American former nightclub singer fall in love
aboard a ship. They arrange to reunite six months later, after he has
had a chance to earn a decent living.<span data-reactroot="" style="display: inline-block;"> </span>"<br />source: Pluto<br />I watched it because: it's the basis of <i>An Affair to Remember </i>(1957), which I liked <br />IMDB: 7.3/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/love_affair_1939">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 92% Audience: 70%<br />my IMDB: 7/10</div><div><div>notable quote:<i> "If you don't mind, I think I'll take my pride for a walk."</i></div><div>MPAA rating: approved</div><div>directed by: Leo McCarey<br /></div><div>my notes: it's a charming, sad, beautiful story<br /></div></div><div>Academy Award nominee:<br />• Best Picture</div><div>• Best Actress—Irene Dunne<br /></div><div>• Best Supporting Actress—Maria Ouspenskaya<br /></div><div>• Best Writing, Original Story—Mildred Cram, Leo McCarey<br /></div><div>• Best Art Direction—Van Nest Polglase, Alfred Herman<br /></div><div>• Best Music, Original Song—Buddy G. DeSylva, for "Wishing"<br />overall: recommended</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHiBg9Sz9_qVJxWCsO_wSnxGABBSiuFlcPv_nq2YTW3RqZEV851s6SMpIFpRPNJB2NuTqgN_b-9__B_1IjU6fjELqKOjrZbleMSS9ldS1jxxS2p7q4rClytAEyHDd6dM6AGwi4zMldcnhzG5kU5zGBo3-kfTMrRuRtryxHdTXwdEQMHy0ezy_RhA/s900/nestor%20the%20long-eared%20christmas%20donkey.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Nestor, the Long-Eared Donkey (1977)" border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHiBg9Sz9_qVJxWCsO_wSnxGABBSiuFlcPv_nq2YTW3RqZEV851s6SMpIFpRPNJB2NuTqgN_b-9__B_1IjU6fjELqKOjrZbleMSS9ldS1jxxS2p7q4rClytAEyHDd6dM6AGwi4zMldcnhzG5kU5zGBo3-kfTMrRuRtryxHdTXwdEQMHy0ezy_RhA/w133-h200/nestor%20the%20long-eared%20christmas%20donkey.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076448/">Nestor, the Long-Eared Donkey</a></i> (1977) - "Back in the days of the Roman Empire, a small donkey is born with VERY
long ears, that keep getting him into trouble. When his owner throws him
out of the stable in disgust, his mother sacrifices her life to save
him from a blizzard. And, guided only by his guardian cherub (Tilly), he
has to find his rightful place and destiny, somewhere on the road to
Bethlehem.<span data-reactroot="" style="display: inline-block;"> </span>"</div><div>source: DVD<br />I watched it because: it's in a DVD set that I was thinking of offering for sale, so I thought it was about time to see it<br />IMDB: 6.9/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/nestor_the_longeared_christmas_donkey">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 56% Audience: 58%<br />my IMDB: 1/10 🤶🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"What? You never knew Santa had a donkey?"</i></div><div>MPAA rating: TV-G</div><div>directed by: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin, Jr.<br /></div><div>my notes: creepy and depressing! It's claymation (?) about death and animal cruelty. Merry freakin' Christmas!<br /></div><div>overall: not recommended</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSzGMZW6wOmSsgS7-wdsJfEA4PXDCzJTY_mRZfrGZ5eS6lu2zuzaE24PMvwvvjO97BtLks2KO7qMVAxDpQJ8gKiq3rGlrL9LSBfFyVs5zTNSjAfhN9WUbSvtCfjQDr03JJKT2YKvvvzRtQy4ecaVGrnbZqDw4HCg1RoLr_ZU-GZU48sPNuWKinYQ/s900/rudolph's%20shiny%20new%20year.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Rudolph's Shiny New Year (1976)" border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSzGMZW6wOmSsgS7-wdsJfEA4PXDCzJTY_mRZfrGZ5eS6lu2zuzaE24PMvwvvjO97BtLks2KO7qMVAxDpQJ8gKiq3rGlrL9LSBfFyVs5zTNSjAfhN9WUbSvtCfjQDr03JJKT2YKvvvzRtQy4ecaVGrnbZqDw4HCg1RoLr_ZU-GZU48sPNuWKinYQ/w133-h200/rudolph's%20shiny%20new%20year.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073640/">Rudolph's Shiny New Year</a></i> (1976) - "Father Time sends Santa a message telling him that the baby new year,
Happy, is missing. And without the baby new year, it'll remain the old
year forever. But it's foggy and snowing, so Rudolph's the only reindeer
for the job. Rudolph learns that Eon (ugly buzzard) is also searching
for Happy, so that Eon's life will never end. With the help of 1 Million
B.C. and Sir 1023,
and 1776, Rudolph searches through the islands of the Archipelago of
Last Year and races against Eon to ensure a Happy New Year."<br />source: DVD<br />I watched it because: it was also in that set with <i>Nestor</i><br />IMDB: 6.6/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rudolphs_shiny_new_year">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 50% Audience: 51%<br />my IMDB: 4/10 🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"Stop with the 'don't' thoughts. Start with the 'do' thoughts."</i></div><div>MPAA rating: TV-G</div><div>directed by: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin, Jr.<br /></div><div>my notes: creepy! It's centered on bullying and abuse of a baby with big ears. That's so weird!<br /></div><div>overall: not recommended</div></div><div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0wDZPDPAiyQOQpIGPgDTLjMTqep8GBj_Dnme70U13FKZb8qvRbsib4f9BKw52YvMq3pFIwULRcx4uC1JfRxbkKtkNIgkI081jbf_966PHV2H0vjTY7Yxm5_d4q8yh2Iur84FaT7CB_Msv-AY7Pp1ETLBxoet82N1Vcn6_GOZ8GyioO3pKU7AzcA/s1426/year%20without%20a%20santa%20claus.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)" border="0" data-original-height="1426" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0wDZPDPAiyQOQpIGPgDTLjMTqep8GBj_Dnme70U13FKZb8qvRbsib4f9BKw52YvMq3pFIwULRcx4uC1JfRxbkKtkNIgkI081jbf_966PHV2H0vjTY7Yxm5_d4q8yh2Iur84FaT7CB_Msv-AY7Pp1ETLBxoet82N1Vcn6_GOZ8GyioO3pKU7AzcA/w140-h200/year%20without%20a%20santa%20claus.jpg" width="140" /></a></div><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072424/">The Year Without a Santa Claus</a> </i>(1974) - "Mrs. Claus tells us about the time Santa had a bad cold and decided to
take a vacation from Christmas. Two of his elves, Jingle and Jangle
Bells, decided to go out with Vixen to find children to convince Santa
that the Christmas spirit is still important to everybody else. But they
must get past Heat Miser and Snow Miser before they land in Southtown,
USA, where it never snows for Christmas. Heat and Snow can't agree to
let this change, but Mrs. Claus knows their mother, Mother Nature."</div><div>source: DVD<br />I watched it because: y'know, DVD set<br />IMDB: 7.7/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_year_without_a_santa_claus">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 90% Audience: 83%<br />my IMDB: 8/10 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"Well, if I can't have any fun I might as well leave."</i></div><div>MPAA rating: TV-G</div><div>directed by: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin, Jr.<br /></div><div>my notes: wild, uproarious, fun. Part of good childhood memories.<br /></div><div>overall: recommended</div></div></div> </div></div></div><div>[the title quotation is from <i>The Year Without a Santa Claus]</i><br /></div>amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09105577120553111913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273189.post-13594417392104058362024-03-04T07:35:00.075-06:002024-03-04T07:35:00.173-06:00be conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to<div style="text-align: left;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLorsezKA_4Bl7t0blal8Pgl-VjJQBdBxqS7ciuYWhvSJP_GIe3xOLFp7l9u_JdyjuCElpZnPdXcFFXZmwgZSSZrOZ0ttePvWUexsgNJRg3r7i5TIfzSED5-y7wBzqzkG_0uUYC8K56GhON-1vSlVBlDv6X8lDsvyQLwGsbrbOP2APeM-IpkBQbQ/s1024/276190019-seinfled_hygiene_jerry_1024x768_020120100249.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Seinfeld hygiene meme" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLorsezKA_4Bl7t0blal8Pgl-VjJQBdBxqS7ciuYWhvSJP_GIe3xOLFp7l9u_JdyjuCElpZnPdXcFFXZmwgZSSZrOZ0ttePvWUexsgNJRg3r7i5TIfzSED5-y7wBzqzkG_0uUYC8K56GhON-1vSlVBlDv6X8lDsvyQLwGsbrbOP2APeM-IpkBQbQ/w320-h240/276190019-seinfled_hygiene_jerry_1024x768_020120100249.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>18. If someone you knew had a hygiene problem, how would you tell them? <br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>no clue. It hasn't come up for me before, and it seems pretty awkward. I'd need to know someone extremely well before I'd even think of doing something like this! </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>19. Do you mind moving between apartments often?</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>nah, I'm comfortable with it and find it (relatively) easy to move household. I suppose it helps that I'm old and lazy enough now that I would rather pay someone else to do the work than to try and "do it all myself"—which really meant "begging and cajoling everyone I know to strain every muscle and waste a couple days for a paper plate of sloppy joes and effusive (verbal, not monetary) thanks."</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>20. Is there anything besides your phone that you always carry with you? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP8ntr6SP8uBbpWujrc7KZE9_jEkeRJhr9W17xIalylbaGMedUZrLIxGVZa0XGM5Rqt7hhyphenhyphenk5W89HOIcR-bGmgFxUu0X_a6dNBj1SesEzPP0iWHqABNlY2rdA_zH2faRbAMoEGHyIXX-vox9RR1Ktqo6BQoiH7Bpm4SdQm7ZuF1pRXx4gDg8LSNw/s994/101-1011609_dwayne-johnson-fanny-pack-meme-download-dwayne-johnson-3001407464.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson with fanny pack" border="0" data-original-height="994" data-original-width="820" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP8ntr6SP8uBbpWujrc7KZE9_jEkeRJhr9W17xIalylbaGMedUZrLIxGVZa0XGM5Rqt7hhyphenhyphenk5W89HOIcR-bGmgFxUu0X_a6dNBj1SesEzPP0iWHqABNlY2rdA_zH2faRbAMoEGHyIXX-vox9RR1Ktqo6BQoiH7Bpm4SdQm7ZuF1pRXx4gDg8LSNw/w143-h172/101-1011609_dwayne-johnson-fanny-pack-meme-download-dwayne-johnson-3001407464.jpg" width="143" /></a></div> </span><i>phone, keys, wallet, sunglasses (when I drive). When I walk, it's a house key, phone, and sunglasses. I don't love carrying a purse and when I can avoid it, I leave that at home. Unlike several (most?) women, I own few purses—black, brown, red, and tan—and would rather not carry them.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>And, unlike Dwayne Johnson, I don't have a fanny pack. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>21. Do you think the music you listen to affects you on a subconscious level? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>yes, though I accept that it affects me on a conscious level, too. For instance, I still have and listen to CD mixes, since I have a CD player in my car. I keep a handful of CDs in the car at all times, and listen to each a couple of times before swapping them out for another bunch. I know that some of those mixes will remind me of certain people or times in my life. Some of those reminders are happy, and many are bittersweet or outright sad. I accept that immersion into those memories means, to some extent, deliberately plunging myself into those emotions. Avoiding them, though, doesn't make the memories—or the feelings—disappear. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>22. What’s the longest book you ever read? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia0yAvvYJqpFSXwNQqv7b9xSqxIm8HssXLJi5IdGWDvuVOjePKaZtMJIj87HzSz1vylxNpPcKHa7T1_P-7UlDkXd4gMI5ndT-Xx_tLL0CXUe1WwfJEIS44zBNr2evZiCx9igR1QGfyR7W-0nDwnFniw7nq6fils60vnUY3BFTE69MWufqmPIVSIA/s406/9780375422423_p0_v2_s550x406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Three Junes (2002)" border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="262" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia0yAvvYJqpFSXwNQqv7b9xSqxIm8HssXLJi5IdGWDvuVOjePKaZtMJIj87HzSz1vylxNpPcKHa7T1_P-7UlDkXd4gMI5ndT-Xx_tLL0CXUe1WwfJEIS44zBNr2evZiCx9igR1QGfyR7W-0nDwnFniw7nq6fils60vnUY3BFTE69MWufqmPIVSIA/w129-h200/9780375422423_p0_v2_s550x406.jpg" width="129" /></a></div><span> </span>literally or figuratively? There were a few in grad school that were almost too large to be bound in one volume - 1500 pages, prehaps. Literally? It took me a year, at least, to read </i>Three Junes<i> by Julia Glass for the first time. It starts soooooooooooo slow! But once I was really into it, months after starting it and after numerous attempts, I was finally engrossed and couldn't stop until I was through it. Painful irony, for one of my favorite and most remembered books. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>(And the longest audio books, by far, were the George R.R. Martin </i>Song of Ice and Fire<i> series, most in the 40-50 hour range.)</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>23. Do you like carrying cash? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>love it. "It spends like money." </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>24. Do you think that inspiration plays an important role in your line of work?</b> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> <i> </i></span><i>ugh, not at all. My specific path in through the legal field is exceedingly straight and narrow. Two careers ago though, my life as a cataloger was wonderfully creative and packed with puzzles that needed solving. I loved it, and I was </i>really <i>good at it. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>25. What’s the most useful thing you learned at school? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>the rules of evidence. How to write succinctly. How to study, read fast, and take good notes. Chemical nomenclature. Diagramming sentences. Getting along with people, particularly extroverts with low social awareness.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicjiMF9hwTDUc5x7H9vwfj1wB_yXSIlkLwFJp0e_D0SiUshXUstZF5OM1Kvf1ILj35nO3WgV0__dAzZoXRZEHi9tUuiBTzpHcUGrhqbJ1TGcBbaSLkOmZH6TZHg9eervv8OhX8TF7HdU2aUEIg2UfO2XLaRlaaWCs49lDQbdia0bGuDn7hNxaaUQ/s1131/2ir5rr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Yoda learning" border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1131" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicjiMF9hwTDUc5x7H9vwfj1wB_yXSIlkLwFJp0e_D0SiUshXUstZF5OM1Kvf1ILj35nO3WgV0__dAzZoXRZEHi9tUuiBTzpHcUGrhqbJ1TGcBbaSLkOmZH6TZHg9eervv8OhX8TF7HdU2aUEIg2UfO2XLaRlaaWCs49lDQbdia0bGuDn7hNxaaUQ/w320-h141/2ir5rr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></i><b>1. Why are you friends with your best friend?</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>because I stuck my chin out and argued rather than keeping quiet, and wrote a memorable thank you note. And because they sent a thank you note for a thank you note that ended in ellipses.</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>2. Do you know of any schoolmates that went to prison?</b> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><i> to my knowledge, none of my schoolmates (at any level) has been convicted of a felony</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> [from <a href="https://socialpronow.com/blog/questions-to-get-to-know-someone/">here</a>; the title quotation is by David Foster Wallace, from a commencement address at Kenyon College] <br /></div>amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09105577120553111913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273189.post-49642454782955942462024-03-03T07:37:00.113-06:002024-03-03T07:37:00.129-06:00you have such aristocratic eyes, even if they are filled with tears<p>Don't you just wish there were Hallmark movies all year 'round? <br /></p><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXn_DKHHYsvBc9XRX2GOvOqnHR0YBv_M0ouelZumpcSNO5wloc4kMHJ67eQZBvD-2EvyHSxJm00h8NhQKfBKAss60GX352iIkeHu9gRKS34QoeRoqlcDq68fSl8W9OEMYfZz5yzcZ1dccX8aBiz4n6oPvvIl3JlmN4HXIluJWGhb2QkONGQgCTJQ/s1444/santa's%20got%20style.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Santa's Got Style (2022)" border="0" data-original-height="1444" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXn_DKHHYsvBc9XRX2GOvOqnHR0YBv_M0ouelZumpcSNO5wloc4kMHJ67eQZBvD-2EvyHSxJm00h8NhQKfBKAss60GX352iIkeHu9gRKS34QoeRoqlcDq68fSl8W9OEMYfZz5yzcZ1dccX8aBiz4n6oPvvIl3JlmN4HXIluJWGhb2QkONGQgCTJQ/w139-h200/santa's%20got%20style.jpg" width="139" /></a></div><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21945996/">Santa's Got Style</a></i> (2022) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">Madison is a department store executive who takes the idea to hire a
young Santa with fashionable style instead of a classic one. She
can't find the right model until her best friend Ethan decides to be
the Santa of her dreams.</span>"</div><div>source: Tubi<br />IMDB: 5.7/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/santas_got_style">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: N/A%<br />my IMDB: 1/10 🤶🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻 - only because 0 is not possible<br /></div><div><div>MPAA rating: NR</div><div>directed by: Amy Force<br /></div><div>my notes: Plastic, unattractive people who care only about what's on the surface. Plus, they're <i>really</i> irritating. And the costumes, hair, and makeup are beyond the beyond.<br /></div></div><div>Santa character = Matthew, the gay roommate</div><div>overall: not even remotely recommended</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs2I18M5-IBJvvzqEk2CUuG6pzc17GtiN5xuy0LyHtjuJNDzijGy6qmHdxOfAXXPFLpNPC341bSWp1q-L0SkUehEFEl4KF3P7ip8g46B5vMHMKUb0SFSGdAY4EEO4bfkKA6GBWlwbtL4cA2LAkGKcmhs8FiWPy24X5UDrkUqK__B9krmWRHHqkEg/s3000/christmas%20carol.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A Christmas Carol (1984)" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="2000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs2I18M5-IBJvvzqEk2CUuG6pzc17GtiN5xuy0LyHtjuJNDzijGy6qmHdxOfAXXPFLpNPC341bSWp1q-L0SkUehEFEl4KF3P7ip8g46B5vMHMKUb0SFSGdAY4EEO4bfkKA6GBWlwbtL4cA2LAkGKcmhs8FiWPy24X5UDrkUqK__B9krmWRHHqkEg/w133-h200/christmas%20carol.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087056/">A Christmas Carol</a></i> (1984) - "Made-for-television version of the Charles Dickens classic. Ebenezer
Scrooge is a hard-nosed, single-minded businessman in Victorian London.
He has no friends, has disowned his only living relative--his nephew
Fred Holywell--and generally treats everyone he meets with extreme
contempt. He hates Christmas, only cares about making money and only
grudgingly gives his clerk Bob Cratchit the day off. However, he is
taught the true meaning and spirit of Christmas by three ghosts who show
him his own past and present--and what the future holds for him if he
doesn't improve his behavior."</div><div>source: Tubi<br />I watched it because: I love the story, and in particular I love this adaptation<br />IMDB: 7.8/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1063489-christmas_carol">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 75%<br />my IMDB: 9/10 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"A waste of time, dancing...."</i><br /></div><div>MPAA rating: PG</div><div>directed by: Clive Donner<br /></div><div>my notes: The snide laughing in the first scene is priceless. I adore this film! (And, to share one awesome tidbit of trivia--in a review online it is reported that "George C. Scott claimed he wanted to play Scrooge as primarily lonely and exhausted rather than miserly."<br />Emmy Award nominee: <span aria-disabled="false" class="ipc-metadata-list-summary-item__li awardCategoryName">Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special—Scott</span><br />overall: highly recommended</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwAXplIUsSueiy3BNe02-Lrt18nBnDDwXc1WQqEAPPGn2xFoWzU8WZ101NFYugfF7EOPS6h-D7CklbWev17O4hyphenhyphen3q2oqnLpo2O_kAtCfHy162J-kSWF3yTwijTPcnIoZqEP92cKJszzq7jHcvCYyPS6rY0TOpcqp6lnQmP8me6vFVfAlyVllJ_RA/s1416/sons%20of%20mistletoe.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="The Sons of Mistletoe (2001)" border="0" data-original-height="1416" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwAXplIUsSueiy3BNe02-Lrt18nBnDDwXc1WQqEAPPGn2xFoWzU8WZ101NFYugfF7EOPS6h-D7CklbWev17O4hyphenhyphen3q2oqnLpo2O_kAtCfHy162J-kSWF3yTwijTPcnIoZqEP92cKJszzq7jHcvCYyPS6rY0TOpcqp6lnQmP8me6vFVfAlyVllJ_RA/w141-h200/sons%20of%20mistletoe.jpg" width="141" /></a></div><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286140/">The Sons of Mistletoe</a></i> (2001) - "<span class="-r4VHC NgXSVB RNNP92 fbl-expandable-text"><span class="_1H6ABQ" style="--expanded-max-height: unset;">A
wealthy benefactor of a boy's orphanage dies suddenly and leaves the
estate to his heiress daughter. When she returns home for the holidays
with no interest in funding the orphanage, the owner and residents must
convince her to change her mind.</span></span> Too late she learns that she has sold a boy's
orphanage run by a gentle man who grew up there."</div><div>source: Tubi<br />IMDB: 6.7/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_sons_of_mistletoe_2001">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 77%<br />my IMDB: 1/10 🤶🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻</div><div><div>MPAA rating: NR</div><div>directed by: Steven Robman<br /></div><div>my notes: dumb, dumb, dumb</div><div>Scrooge character = clearly, the terrible Helen Radke (played by the wooden and horrible Roma Downey)<br /></div></div><div>Santa character = Leo the orphan boy<br /></div><div>Totally improbable at every level<br />overall: not at all recommended - not even for the unintentional lunacy<br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJKISUFpQ5T4xHa8fgfSyFTIXtaXvnlr_36jhQq0JAAGzX8wsoHAJ9c0WWmZS4Z3w9cJaHpHvrWPhwfiORn1c9KePULw-Rz9jvjTNhm8IV2wgMnyZvjPrX-HPXdDjrsRlCEgpBMnAED3u7T6sjpf4wEHkAZcF6AJuO3L2kZqBW2wIrSV8Hsco-Sw/s644/my%20foolish%20heart.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="My Foolish Heart (1949)" border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="457" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJKISUFpQ5T4xHa8fgfSyFTIXtaXvnlr_36jhQq0JAAGzX8wsoHAJ9c0WWmZS4Z3w9cJaHpHvrWPhwfiORn1c9KePULw-Rz9jvjTNhm8IV2wgMnyZvjPrX-HPXdDjrsRlCEgpBMnAED3u7T6sjpf4wEHkAZcF6AJuO3L2kZqBW2wIrSV8Hsco-Sw/w142-h200/my%20foolish%20heart.jpg" width="142" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041672/">My Foolish Heart</a></i> (1949) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">After being visited by an old friend, a woman recalls her true love, the man she met and lost years ago.</span>"<br />source: Prime<br />I watched it because: Dana Andrews is <i>incredibly</i> good looking - and this fits with my noir fascination <br />IMDB: 6.8/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/my_foolish_heart">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 49%<br />my IMDB: 7/10</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"Oh! So </i>that's<i> the way it is!" </i><br /></div><div>MPAA rating: approved</div><div>directed by: Mark Robson<br /></div><div>my notes: a doozy! A great deal more intense than it originally appeared, this movie really packs an emotional wallop. It is surprisingly modern. <br /></div></div><div>Academy Award nominee:<br />• Best <span aria-disabled="false" class="ipc-metadata-list-summary-item__li awardCategoryName">Actress in a Leading Role—Susan Hayward<br /></span></div><div>• Best <span aria-disabled="false" class="ipc-metadata-list-summary-item__li awardCategoryName">Music, Original Song—Victor Young, Ned Washington, for "My Foolish Heart"</span><br />overall: greatly recommended</div><div> </div><div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIkaHXSpUUHvdC8zJC8AiG0C1ami49wZk7XlxpqQAvzlVDgCxBJFwrDYMSEBwlm9MdO5-jvX0I67H48WsfqcBNBfzwY1Owxw-fhGY7TUWptPBH3721xUpXTlYJzJ0kR0RFq3VcKlQ2OucCcTCdIfayMnc8fO1_IH5ipND3lvYHCsRyi357dzvx-A/s1444/very%20country%20christmas.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="A Very Country Christmas (2017)" border="0" data-original-height="1444" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIkaHXSpUUHvdC8zJC8AiG0C1ami49wZk7XlxpqQAvzlVDgCxBJFwrDYMSEBwlm9MdO5-jvX0I67H48WsfqcBNBfzwY1Owxw-fhGY7TUWptPBH3721xUpXTlYJzJ0kR0RFq3VcKlQ2OucCcTCdIfayMnc8fO1_IH5ipND3lvYHCsRyi357dzvx-A/w139-h200/very%20country%20christmas.jpg" width="139" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7001906/"><i>A Very Country Christmas</i></a> (2017) - "Jeanette Williams is a busy single parent, trying to make the best life
for her and her daughter. With no time to follow current celebrity
gossip, Jeanette is unaware of when a Country superstar returns to their
small town to escape the intrusive paparazzi and the chaos of fame. A
chance meeting between the two have them both letting their guards down
and opening their hearts to the possibility of romance."</div><div>source: Prime<br />IMDB: 6.1/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_very_country_christmas">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 31%<br />my IMDB: 1/10 🤶🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻</div><div><div>MPAA rating: PG</div><div>directed by: Justin G. Dyke<br /></div><div>my notes: <b>terrible</b>. Forgettable even as I watched. The best part? The singing is really bad!<br /></div><div>overall: not at all recommended</div></div></div> </div><div><div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq5zWP2vNKmOD1YhgHGcpr8j2CVxNLh_FpucpZ5WWSi9N0eCke-g4YyrM5SgANLrIalSlvRkXnqBIYZrAYWhHnE93bDbQFwiosj7QC_fW4RqipycdXNElbbo9sB9GQXbs3SAlnXBC7Ba3CH32l6X5dbfEkC64vhQGFLUS7HZFEwlYXPnR8bOWZ9Q/s1500/Farewell%20to%20Arms%20(1932).jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A Farewell to Arms (1932)" border="0" data-original-height="1178" data-original-width="1500" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq5zWP2vNKmOD1YhgHGcpr8j2CVxNLh_FpucpZ5WWSi9N0eCke-g4YyrM5SgANLrIalSlvRkXnqBIYZrAYWhHnE93bDbQFwiosj7QC_fW4RqipycdXNElbbo9sB9GQXbs3SAlnXBC7Ba3CH32l6X5dbfEkC64vhQGFLUS7HZFEwlYXPnR8bOWZ9Q/w200-h157/Farewell%20to%20Arms%20(1932).jpg" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022879/">A Farewell to Arms</a></i> (1932) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">An American ambulance driver and an English nurse fall in love in Italy during World War I.</span>"<br />source: Prime<br />I watched it because: Gary Cooper is a favorite, and I'd never seen a Helen Hayes film from this period in her life<br />IMDB: 6.4/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/farewell_to_arms">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 94% Audience: 53%<br />my IMDB: 6/10</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"Tonight, who cares—and tomorrow, who knows?"</i><br /></div><div>MPAA rating: unrated</div><div>directed by: Frank Borzage<br /></div><div>my notes: That's a very, very young Gary Cooper. He was even more adorable as a young man. And Helen Hayes was incredibly fragile and lovely. Still, not a terribly interesting movie. F'ing Hemingway....<br /></div></div><div>Academy Award winner:<br />• Best Cinematography—Charles Lang<br /></div><div>• Best Sound, Recording—Franklin Hansen<br />Academy Award nominee:<br />• Best Picture</div><div>• Best Art Direction—Hans Dreier, Roland Anderson<br />overall: mildly recommended</div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>[the title quotation is from <i>My Foolish Heart]</i><br /></div>amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09105577120553111913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273189.post-4379230312522676882024-03-01T07:27:00.085-06:002024-03-01T07:27:00.248-06:00I love him because he's the kind of a guy that gets drunk on a glass of buttermilk, and I love the way he blushes right up over his ears<p>Every now and then, a movie (or a song, or a book) comes along that really kicks my butt. One of these did that very thing.<br /></p><div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4zqz77l252pUZ23_tjTfU9EwFSbEd73BFb9A_lIfQGfL5E3PoUa2jzQF91j44lrvQS9VDZ2r80WKIs78Zfwnq4W4EXLX26ezTxX_R9Yw5QaVhyphenhyphenhV_hFOsDrfbdpgB_n_4vwz8JsWuORhXMTbkEepTzUdXHJXbz8l_SFNt9l0Mlq7i1G5CH2GBQ/s3000/minions%20rise%20of%20gru.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="2000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4zqz77l252pUZ23_tjTfU9EwFSbEd73BFb9A_lIfQGfL5E3PoUa2jzQF91j44lrvQS9VDZ2r80WKIs78Zfwnq4W4EXLX26ezTxX_R9Yw5QaVhyphenhyphenhV_hFOsDrfbdpgB_n_4vwz8JsWuORhXMTbkEepTzUdXHJXbz8l_SFNt9l0Mlq7i1G5CH2GBQ/w133-h200/minions%20rise%20of%20gru.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5113044/">Minions: The Rise of Gru</a></i> (2022) - "In the heart of the 1970s, amidst a flurry of feathered hair and flared
jeans, Gru (Steve Carell) is growing up in the suburbs. A fanboy of a
supervillain supergroup known as the Vicious 6, Gru hatches a plan to
become evil enough to join them. Luckily, he gets some mayhem-making
back-up from his loyal followers, the Minions. Together, Kevin, Stuart,
Bob, and Otto—a new Minion sporting braces and a desperate need to
please—deploy their skills as they and Gru build their first lair,
experiment with their first weapons, and pull off their first missions.
When the Vicious 6 oust their leader, legendary fighter Wild Knuckles
(Alan Arkin), Gru interviews to become their newest member. It doesn't
go well (to say the least), and only gets worse after Gru outsmarts them
and suddenly finds himself the mortal enemy of the apex of evil. On the
run, Gru will turn to an unlikely source for guidance, Wild Knuckles,
and discover that even bad guys need a little help from their friends."<br />source: Tubi<br />I watched it because: I have a soft spot for these little yellow dudes<br />IMDB: 6.5/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/minions_the_rise_of_gru">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 70% Audience: 89%<br />my IMDB: 6/10</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"Don't cheese me, bro." </i><br /></div><div>MPAA rating: PG</div><div>directed by: Kyle Balda, Brad Ableson, Jonathan del Val<br /></div><div>my notes: It's OK, not great. The vaguely Spanish Minionese gets old. Alan Arkin is the best, though, and the ending makes up for a lot.<br /></div><div>overall: mildly recommended</div></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0eoazo7MJtCrgkPTQXo5cOMvm4cdBA0SMXydfhCivd_ZnSuyxrk9QSmJrOvqv3JkIIKfsqfx0f2S_r-C2iXwCcqpGG-oFFZgiadwuwGPM51jOQCDiPOHYfappxmiHwx9L0V-WXrMAlxFSgoBBKQVONq7oCFPsydS4bF6q2j-XkFTSyQdpHH7fZw/s1407/ball%20of%20fire.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Ball of Fire (1941)" border="0" data-original-height="1407" data-original-width="1080" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0eoazo7MJtCrgkPTQXo5cOMvm4cdBA0SMXydfhCivd_ZnSuyxrk9QSmJrOvqv3JkIIKfsqfx0f2S_r-C2iXwCcqpGG-oFFZgiadwuwGPM51jOQCDiPOHYfappxmiHwx9L0V-WXrMAlxFSgoBBKQVONq7oCFPsydS4bF6q2j-XkFTSyQdpHH7fZw/w154-h200/ball%20of%20fire.jpg" width="154" /></a></div><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033373/">Ball of Fire</a></i> (1941) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">A
group of professors working on a new encyclopedia while living in a
Manhattan mansion take in a mouthy nightclub singer who is wanted by the
police to help bring down her mob boss lover.</span><span aria-disabled="false" aria-label="See full cast and crew" class="ipc-metadata-list-item__label ipc-metadata-list-item__label--btn"></span>"</div><div>source: Tubi<br />I watched it because: I love Gary Cooper, and Barbara Stanwyck is incredibly talented<br />IMDB: 7.7/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ball_of_fire">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 100% Audience: 89%<br />my IMDB: 9/10</div><div>AFI: <i>100 Years…100 Laughs</i> (2000) #92<br /></div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"The only thing I thought I could care for deeply was a correctly constructed sentence." </i><br /></div><div>MPAA rating: approved</div><div>directed by: Howard Hawks<br /></div><div>my notes: wacky, witty, and marvelously well done. Gene Krupa playing drums with matches on a wooden box is <b>mind-blowing</b>. With any luck, the video I'm embedding below will last a while. <br /></div></div><div>Academy Award nominee:<br />• Best <span aria-disabled="false" class="ipc-metadata-list-summary-item__li awardCategoryName">Actress in a Leading Role—Stanwyck</span></div><div>• Best <span aria-disabled="false" class="ipc-metadata-list-summary-item__li awardCategoryName">Writing, Original Story—Thomas Monroe, Billy Wilder<br /></span></div><div>• Best <span aria-disabled="false" class="ipc-metadata-list-summary-item__li awardCategoryName">Sound, Recording—Thomas T. Moulton<br /></span></div><div>• Best <span aria-disabled="false" class="ipc-metadata-list-summary-item__li awardCategoryName">Music, Scoring of a Dramatic Picture—Alfred Newman</span><br />overall: highly recommended</div><div> </div><div><center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H-H6Xt17DMc?si=pE3MKXvb0WgnHdc3" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center> <br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3eaCfPEv7ItT-1L3u57fOxaAz1C8t8h7DD2nJZMneimshGfXFPFImKB46htoXALRVRnvyW4g2knTJqNSPGXHHkgut_1jgtlEtTe1rxodDx_9-_ItEMTPEEHfpkNNfPzfngHMDRspA_Gat6rSgtBYbwecyIksjHhrP5vdKpnMNp-zbLbYtjYUOaA/s768/lucky%20christmas.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lucky Christmas (2011)" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="543" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3eaCfPEv7ItT-1L3u57fOxaAz1C8t8h7DD2nJZMneimshGfXFPFImKB46htoXALRVRnvyW4g2knTJqNSPGXHHkgut_1jgtlEtTe1rxodDx_9-_ItEMTPEEHfpkNNfPzfngHMDRspA_Gat6rSgtBYbwecyIksjHhrP5vdKpnMNp-zbLbYtjYUOaA/w141-h200/lucky%20christmas.jpg" width="141" /></a></div>Lucky Christmas </i>(2011) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">A terminally unlucky single mother wonders if she will ever be lucky as Christmas approaches.</span>"<br />source: Tubi<br />I watched it because: I was fully into "how bad could it get" mode<br />IMDB: 5.5/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lucky_christmas">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 19%<br />my IMDB: 1/10 🤶🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"The lottery will break your heart. Buy something else."</i><br /></div><div>MPAA rating: G</div><div>directed by: Gary Yates<br /></div><div>my notes: EB is in the bottom 10 worst actresses, <b>ever</b>. It's painful to watch her. And—though it's a very mild complaint—Jason Gray-Stafford is too wristy to really be a hockey player.</div><div>overall: not even remotely recommended. Like, if I find out you watched it, I'll track you down and slap you into next week.<br /></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOawgkMe3HkAmoef-q68E8W6uoDFHIsTEWb8GRigA4ZfbEPxsGIsSpAub_onFH7EQTE7rUAxtFKtUkC9EQBHW3IEElBREn0PlFadsQGPXVvVnw2xUPLHvoAp-O6QUEjCQIEnv9QX3uhdEIPJ7EXS5BtUDlGa4ICSi5wfBDoaYv2pQplaEJcPo2Rw/s1000/greg-davies-live-firing-cheeseballs-at-a-dog.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Greg Davies Live: Firing Cheeseballs at a Dog (2011)" border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="1000" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOawgkMe3HkAmoef-q68E8W6uoDFHIsTEWb8GRigA4ZfbEPxsGIsSpAub_onFH7EQTE7rUAxtFKtUkC9EQBHW3IEElBREn0PlFadsQGPXVvVnw2xUPLHvoAp-O6QUEjCQIEnv9QX3uhdEIPJ7EXS5BtUDlGa4ICSi5wfBDoaYv2pQplaEJcPo2Rw/w200-h113/greg-davies-live-firing-cheeseballs-at-a-dog.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2396686/">Greg Davies Live: Firing Cheeseballs at a Dog</a></i> (2011) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">Greg
Davies' hotly anticipated debut stand-up was a smash hit at the 2010
Edinburgh festival. It promises to address every single issue important
to the human race. It lies, but it'll be funny!</span>"</div><div>source: Pluto<br />I watched it because: I love Greg Davies <br />IMDB: 7.7/10 - Rotten Tomatoes: N/A%<br />my IMDB: 8/10</div><div><div>MPAA rating: NR</div><div>directed by: Paul Wheeler<br /></div><div>my notes: every standup is hit or miss. This one's more hit than miss, including the surreal and hysterical title track. <br /></div><div>overall: highly recommended</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>[the title quotation is from <i>Ball of Fire]</i><br /></div>amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09105577120553111913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273189.post-38197882170806553812024-02-29T07:50:00.033-06:002024-02-29T07:50:00.271-06:00grab for what must be beautiful<div style="text-align: left;">Long ago, we used two words </div><div style="text-align: left;">For the worth of a house, a car, </div><div style="text-align: left;">A woman— all the same to men </div><div style="text-align: left;">Who claimed them: things </div><div style="text-align: left;">To be entered, each to suffer </div><div style="text-align: left;">Wear and tear with time, but </div><div style="text-align: left;">Greater than the love for these </div><div style="text-align: left;">Was the strong little grin </div><div style="text-align: left;">One man offered another<br />Saying, <i>You lucky. You got you </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>A big, fine ________________.</i><br />Hard to imagine so many men<br />Waiting on each other to be </div><div style="text-align: left;">Recognized, every crooked </div><div style="text-align: left;">Tooth in our naming mouths </div><div style="text-align: left;">Ready like the syllables </div><div style="text-align: left;">Of a very short sentence, all </div><div style="text-align: left;">Of us crying <i>mine,</i> like babies who </div><div style="text-align: left;">Grab for what must be beautiful<br />Since someone else saw it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">[Jericho Brown {1976- } 'The Legend of Big and Fine', from <i><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/964346525">The Tradition</a>]</i><br /></div>amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09105577120553111913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273189.post-71751886206751952092024-02-28T07:33:00.173-06:002024-02-28T07:33:00.138-06:00it's a good day ... It's a good day to dine<p>...in which I examine the limited possible storylines available to holiday movies.<br /></p><div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKcdE-ltmxakDBGNH7zf-G6vxwVGO66mZQfL1D3YkstBjLhNLLlPglqlIQfea_VyhE8h30wckWmpO_8-Eg9voF3XYQXHQeNsxB0mXI__nXMoCBjckKfyiu7tV2U2yhgfRR2-g0LkZYZBml-cuLjqNuWqoEk4NCZjYM9OGFeKQRuiXuW0Y9yGsvA/s1318/crazy%20for%20christmas%202005.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Crazy for Christmas (2005)" border="0" data-original-height="1318" data-original-width="944" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKcdE-ltmxakDBGNH7zf-G6vxwVGO66mZQfL1D3YkstBjLhNLLlPglqlIQfea_VyhE8h30wckWmpO_8-Eg9voF3XYQXHQeNsxB0mXI__nXMoCBjckKfyiu7tV2U2yhgfRR2-g0LkZYZBml-cuLjqNuWqoEk4NCZjYM9OGFeKQRuiXuW0Y9yGsvA/w143-h200/crazy%20for%20christmas%202005.jpg" width="143" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0479152/">Crazy for Christmas</a></i> (2005) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">Shannon,
a single mother, is forced to chauffeur a wealthy eccentric around town
on Christmas Eve while he gives away cash to complete strangers. When a
reporter pursues the story, a new romance blossoms.</span>"<br />source: Freevee (Prime)<br />IMDB: 6.3/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/crazy-for-christmas">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 35%<br />my IMDB: 3/10 🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"Lighten up, dude—it's Christmas Eve."</i><br /></div><div>MPAA rating: TV-PG</div><div>directed by: Eleanore Lindo<br /></div><div>my notes: The "mom" Shannon talks to her kid like he's a dog. Everyone is angry and awful to each other.<br /></div></div><div>Santa character = Howard Hesseman as Fred Nickells<br />overall: not recommended</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhI2hDYA6iBIqyAkf6awKAUPATXO4qyVLEbjHt0S7Tuc67L1iSnVwih1Vi0710mvm8apGQ-F02Dld1EmpG-_uYVCniCuR2LqzSVfESjm5ZRlQOowaOHVawliMfRRmwJnnRUS-UL7RwvHvfl2Hyqmah_AdgK3hKpWHRw433pkKbKLeCMysasyPq9w/s1280/christmas%20mountain%201981.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Christmas Mountain (1981)" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhI2hDYA6iBIqyAkf6awKAUPATXO4qyVLEbjHt0S7Tuc67L1iSnVwih1Vi0710mvm8apGQ-F02Dld1EmpG-_uYVCniCuR2LqzSVfESjm5ZRlQOowaOHVawliMfRRmwJnnRUS-UL7RwvHvfl2Hyqmah_AdgK3hKpWHRw433pkKbKLeCMysasyPq9w/w200-h113/christmas%20mountain%201981.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080531/">Christmas Mountain</a></i> (1981) - "<span class="kY2IgmnCmOGjharHErah" style="-webkit-line-clamp: 3;"><span>Mark Miller is down-on-his-luck cowboy Gabe Sweet who rides into the town of Lobos just before Christmas.</span></span>"<br /></div><div>source: Tubi<br />IMDB: 6.4/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/christmas_mountain">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: N/A%<br />my IMDB: 7/10 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"You might say I'm a tenderfoot angel."</i><br /></div><div>MPAA rating: G</div><div>directed by: Pierre De Moro<br /></div><div>my notes: a quiet, tender story.<br /></div></div><div>Santa = Slim Pickens<br />overall: recommended</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4O63E9J-xqZSqHVpjdFqTdBP86lm0Bq9slLb0wlI6DdCHBXNMJKlwEYWJokuodp0S2DvHJ4nN3zCHdwYJ6WxCd6pi57UdHAXZM8_8uXV3hoD0SMq7uhIgBw_zon2RdhSy_ARiy3E5ldaWB1DXv6EO-TRhQkql0iYPRsIU2Bb1H3lee0RNHffPww/s960/christmas%20in%20the%20clouds%202001.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Christmas in the Clouds (2001)" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4O63E9J-xqZSqHVpjdFqTdBP86lm0Bq9slLb0wlI6DdCHBXNMJKlwEYWJokuodp0S2DvHJ4nN3zCHdwYJ6WxCd6pi57UdHAXZM8_8uXV3hoD0SMq7uhIgBw_zon2RdhSy_ARiy3E5ldaWB1DXv6EO-TRhQkql0iYPRsIU2Bb1H3lee0RNHffPww/w150-h200/christmas%20in%20the%20clouds%202001.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0221074/">Christmas in the Clouds</a></i> (2001) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">During
the holidays at a ski resort in Utah run by a Native American tribe,
the overworked manager and a widowed woman from the big city overcome
mistaken identities and intrusive guests in their pursuit of romance.</span>"<br />source: Pluto<br />IMDB: 6.4/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1159122-christmas_in_the_clouds">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 68% Audience: 64%<br />my IMDB: 7/10 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"'So, what Nation are you?'</i></div><div><i><span> </span>'I'm a mix: Blackfoot, Salish, Ute and Cree.'</i></div><div><i><span> </span>'Sounds like a law firm!'"</i></div><div>MPAA rating: PG</div><div>directed by: Kate Montgomery<br /></div><div>my notes: this is a charming, gentle, funny, romantic movie.<br /></div></div><div>Santa character = Grammy<br />overall: recommended</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgtZD3GdBH1C3Gjz6aalfd6XBgd_Qgu2IvI0_nHpUAAUZcV6jdt6xkHBByx_dBzad_HZU5qtxETKmRaGosw-Vjzy7hpS0_KJnRhuXAWMhGRc-c8kSu_jmREje5girLG99APupDO4-r3ji6kMsXbiXd1hbCDYPZl7Bs2dK4qv3uys04mCiFUWPbyw/s2560/snowed%20in%20for%20christmas%202021.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Snowed in for Christmas (2021)" border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1772" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgtZD3GdBH1C3Gjz6aalfd6XBgd_Qgu2IvI0_nHpUAAUZcV6jdt6xkHBByx_dBzad_HZU5qtxETKmRaGosw-Vjzy7hpS0_KJnRhuXAWMhGRc-c8kSu_jmREje5girLG99APupDO4-r3ji6kMsXbiXd1hbCDYPZl7Bs2dK4qv3uys04mCiFUWPbyw/w139-h200/snowed%20in%20for%20christmas%202021.jpg" width="139" /></a></div><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14256092/">Snowed in for Christmas</a></i> <i>{Christmas Au Pair}</i> (2021) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">Kaley
is unable to return home for the holidays when a snowstorm derails her
plans. She is determined to teach the girls she watches as an Au Pair
the magic of Christmas.</span>"</div><div>source: Tubi<br />IMDB: 6.1/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/snowed_in_for_christmas">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: N/A%<br />my IMDB: 1/10 🤶🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻</div><div><div>MPAA rating: NR</div><div>directed by: Jason Bourque<br /></div><div>my notes: Caveat: I know no one who's been, nor employed, an au pair.</div><div><span> </span>There is no way that a personal employee could be <i>this</i> much of a bitch, nor any adult male so utterly clueless about basic tasks. This caricature is why women get the rep of "controlling." <br /></div><div><span> </span>These kids are 8 and 10, not toddlers. They exhibit an unreal sense of needy and pathetically awkward (they're not allowed to run when playing? Still believing in Santa?!)</div><div>Santa character(s) = Kaley's parents</div><div>overall: not recommended</div></div></div><div><div><br /></div><div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nHhkjIY4ph4_BrK-xsGGyAeGS9URtEu87tlcuphRZrPElWSyA0qzkVk1uEff_gQL1CACbGefKOFxoqH6X__3P_TotH0uFV-JzWCZA8w9OhO6cw10V6hQbr59hc-lVGH3dLa6HisZTpeC7Fz0zeHzVI4EijRMWdWsBf9S3typezGEpA2aq0vhww/s570/trapped%20in%20paradise%201994.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Trapped in Paradise (1994)" border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nHhkjIY4ph4_BrK-xsGGyAeGS9URtEu87tlcuphRZrPElWSyA0qzkVk1uEff_gQL1CACbGefKOFxoqH6X__3P_TotH0uFV-JzWCZA8w9OhO6cw10V6hQbr59hc-lVGH3dLa6HisZTpeC7Fz0zeHzVI4EijRMWdWsBf9S3typezGEpA2aq0vhww/w141-h200/trapped%20in%20paradise%201994.jpg" width="141" /></a></div>Trapped in Paradise</i> (1994) - "Bill Firpo has managed to stay honest, but can't help but be dragged
into things by his larcenous brothers, the clever Dave and the
kleptomaniac Alvin. When the three find a bank so easy to rob that they
can't resist, the only question is whether or not they can get out of
town before the big snowstorm hits. While the three brothers run around
town with their stolen loot, they are beseiged with the kindness of the
townfolk that might just set them on the path of rightousness."<br />source: Tubi<br />I watched it because: I thought that a Christmas movie with recognizable cast members might be a change for the better<br />IMDB: 5.9/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/trapped_in_paradise">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 10% Audience: 42%<br />my IMDB: 1/10 - <b>DNF</b><br /></div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"You guys are dumber than a box of hair."</i></div><div>MPAA rating: PG-13</div><div>directed by: George Gallo<br /></div><div>my notes: Nicolas Cage made some good movies. This is not one of them.<br /></div><div>overall: not recommended</div></div><div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_GV5jELKV9nGrxkq9uXuQVy4kbASKEpl9NEq4-zrg7v2ocA1ejXhk8Hnk5QnSf1Rp2BIKbOP1cxDATSnJWZmVf-f1SaQfX1_iOEyFJ8Zx6E6k-OvB5GFYpstR0KFouJkz7FVyGUOykt6YnnseuS5wosTtaDaiE5E1D0FQSrDXw7KkDlBiTQ7Kg/s1333/holiday%20for%20love%201996.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="A Holiday for Love (1996)" border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="1000" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_GV5jELKV9nGrxkq9uXuQVy4kbASKEpl9NEq4-zrg7v2ocA1ejXhk8Hnk5QnSf1Rp2BIKbOP1cxDATSnJWZmVf-f1SaQfX1_iOEyFJ8Zx6E6k-OvB5GFYpstR0KFouJkz7FVyGUOykt6YnnseuS5wosTtaDaiE5E1D0FQSrDXw7KkDlBiTQ7Kg/w106-h141/holiday%20for%20love%201996.jpg" width="106" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0137000/"><i>A Holiday for Love</i></a> <i>{Christmas in My Hometown}</i> (1996) - "A man is sent to a small town to assess which of the workers in the
local factory that supplies the town with jobs should get the boot when
the downsizing begins. He gets sidetracked when he falls in love with a
local - a good-looking single mom."<br />source: Tubi<br />I watched it because: after a rough patch, I decided to refine my Christmas movie viewing. The new goal is to shoot for more highly-rated films (on IMDB), preferably those with recognizable and higher-quality leads. (This genre is notorious for being a last-ditch effort by the B-list to get their names out again.)<br />IMDB: 6.4/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/holiday_for_love">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 50%<br />my IMDB: 7/10 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyIMwUa0YOI27Vvz0LI2SUqg8FV9vaERqgRJ25QFHyvr4R7GWz4wqBJVXRZhn9E4aB50KCJFpiw9Y3YiVQZPGm-a8pcLN58D59jIiREtPAndC004h_HkLgqSAja9BE5Et_w3uV7-7hsiJIFBOO1RGOHzkMkYLkFgZszhkae6ROZbdyjHGfugQzSA/s1440/p18729_b_v8_ac.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Christmas in My Hometown (1996)" border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="960" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyIMwUa0YOI27Vvz0LI2SUqg8FV9vaERqgRJ25QFHyvr4R7GWz4wqBJVXRZhn9E4aB50KCJFpiw9Y3YiVQZPGm-a8pcLN58D59jIiREtPAndC004h_HkLgqSAja9BE5Et_w3uV7-7hsiJIFBOO1RGOHzkMkYLkFgZszhkae6ROZbdyjHGfugQzSA/w89-h133/p18729_b_v8_ac.jpg" width="89" /></a></div></div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"Make a fool of yourself."</i><br /></div><div>MPAA rating: NR</div><div>directed by: Jerry London<br /></div><div>my notes: And the Grinch's heart grew 3 sizes.... This is a new treatment of a familiar holiday story. I thought it was nicely freshened up. Antagonists meet under awkward circumstances but manage to redeem themselves in a natural and realistic way. Others get involved as needed to keep the process smoothed out. <br /></div></div><div>Well worth seeing again</div><div>Santa character: the female lead's daughter Noelle (yes, I get it)</div><div>Scrooge character: the entire corporate group at the tractor company <br /></div><div>Star Power: Melissa Gilbert, of <i>Little House on the Prairie</i> fame, and Tim Matheson - prehaps best known for his portrayal of Otter in <i>Animal House.</i><br />overall: recommended</div></div> <div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZoBOgrMZORaH6L1fDzXnKh1do4emNMLodlAuiyUTYgzpxdjPot-0fn_Bldiq2iuKqRWbcxl4SCB1p8DTV5epr6qgZVpJfGC7jS3QMCmTuT8SgSvo5Idxc3kFN7aanLRKDcb6MAQ0cwIJEIf8g1to8IRk2SJqP_UDpGWtnVsvLYQhyphenhyphenRIxnKvzjA/s2146/Scrooge%201935.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Scrooge (1935)" border="0" data-original-height="2146" data-original-width="1460" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZoBOgrMZORaH6L1fDzXnKh1do4emNMLodlAuiyUTYgzpxdjPot-0fn_Bldiq2iuKqRWbcxl4SCB1p8DTV5epr6qgZVpJfGC7jS3QMCmTuT8SgSvo5Idxc3kFN7aanLRKDcb6MAQ0cwIJEIf8g1to8IRk2SJqP_UDpGWtnVsvLYQhyphenhyphenRIxnKvzjA/w136-h200/Scrooge%201935.jpg" width="136" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026972/">Scrooge</a></i> (1935) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">Ebenezer
Scrooge is a mean old miser who wants nothing to do with Christmas. The
Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come visit Scrooge on
Christmas Eve, taking him on a journey into the very spirit and magic of
Christmas itself.</span>"<br />source: Tubi<br />I watched it because: I've seen several other versions, and wanted to try something new<br />IMDB: 6.4/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1018412-scrooge">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 54%<br />my IMDB: 5/10 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"You are a man without pity, without remorse, who weighs everything in the scale of profit and loss."</i><br /></div><div>MPAA rating: PG</div><div>directed by: Henry Edwards<br /></div><div>my notes: decidedly less modern than any other version I've seen, this was a little hard to watch. Moviemaking has changed a lot since 1935. This one is more stark and cold, and a great deal more scary, than any others I've seen. Still and all, it's worth it if only for the comparison.<br />overall: recommended</div></div><div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRrz45f6miP8qGCkWn9PGOmHbnxpFQrWVCys2se81cccDu1I9yBzGynG-bnYahx-Kb31r2_tDJ9ZIumpvoqP-r7I5TpRd-EepRHU5S6HBl1b69tgWktK3UvaKBCAMnXfv5fBBs1X7l6NEPIVZ2jg6a9TOB3IQ5govBNH5CxkrYjKdT1UiPWxXNBg/s713/angel%20of%20pennsylvania%20ave%201996.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="The Angel of Pennsylvania Avenue (1996)" border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="556" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRrz45f6miP8qGCkWn9PGOmHbnxpFQrWVCys2se81cccDu1I9yBzGynG-bnYahx-Kb31r2_tDJ9ZIumpvoqP-r7I5TpRd-EepRHU5S6HBl1b69tgWktK3UvaKBCAMnXfv5fBBs1X7l6NEPIVZ2jg6a9TOB3IQ5govBNH5CxkrYjKdT1UiPWxXNBg/w156-h200/angel%20of%20pennsylvania%20ave%201996.jpg" width="156" /></a></div><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115543/">The Angel of Pennsylvania Avenue</a></i> (1996) - "When an unemployed Detroit man is arrested for a crime he didn't commit,
his three children are determined to get him out of jail in time for
Christmas and they decide to enlist the help of 'the most powerful man
in the world'—President Hoover. En route to the White House, they meet
an array of colorful characters."</div><div>source: Tubi<br />I watched it because: it passed my criteria of a higher IMDB rating than most other Christmas movies + recognizable cast member<br />IMDB: 6.3/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_angel_of_pennsylvania_avenue">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: N/A%<br />my IMDB: 1/10 🤶🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"You've got the makins' of a first rate hobo, boy!"</i><br /></div><div>MPAA rating: TV-PG</div><div>directed by: Robert Ellis Miller<br /></div><div>my notes: insultingly unbelievable from top to bottom. The lead actress, Diana Scarwid, keeps it from being 100% unwatchable.<br /></div><div>Star Power: Robert Urich, who appears in roughly 1/10 of the movie<br /></div><div>overall: not recommended</div></div></div> </div></div></div><div> [the title quotation is from <i>Christmas in the Clouds]</i><br /></div></div></div>amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09105577120553111913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273189.post-14635219004902319162024-02-27T07:26:00.068-06:002024-02-27T07:35:24.765-06:00it would be interesting to know how many great women have had great fathers and husbands behind them<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ0lVQhhpmNgr9o1zdgZf9v_PN0KqtmQikNOp_1IdwpPkDgjkLfjqaDksmQpOU-I58bqheoQP2pfehXZABy1XUNWtKtio2rYIstsjoJTfDBffpXk0C6MZ5Iqk6zqsAZnevJULUrGXfR1Z6dum42IoLAcBzNw155fLCD6t3OEMl4GklUfznC-pswQ/s672/9ec11dfd42d8e0b9c7d5d1d79cdd4487.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="rootin' tootin'" border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="672" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ0lVQhhpmNgr9o1zdgZf9v_PN0KqtmQikNOp_1IdwpPkDgjkLfjqaDksmQpOU-I58bqheoQP2pfehXZABy1XUNWtKtio2rYIstsjoJTfDBffpXk0C6MZ5Iqk6zqsAZnevJULUrGXfR1Z6dum42IoLAcBzNw155fLCD6t3OEMl4GklUfznC-pswQ/w200-h150/9ec11dfd42d8e0b9c7d5d1d79cdd4487.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>13. <b>How do you feel after an argument?</b> <i> </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>there is no one way to feel after an argument. It would depend on with whom I argued, and what about, as well as how it ended. There are too many factors at work there to give a straight answer.</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">14. <b>What’s the craziest thing you did on a dare?</b> <i> </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>the first couple times I glanced at this question, I read it as "date" rather than "dare," which could have been funnier. Alas....</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> It was not precisely a dare, but I was once challenged to a hopping-on-one-foot race with a drunk rugby player, across an icy sidewalk. I won the race (he slipped on the ice and fell into a snowbank within milliseconds) but at high cost. When I realized I'd won, I turned around and threw up my arms in victory - whereupon I lost my balance, struggled to regain it, grabbed for a tree branch, and dislocated my shoulder.</span></i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">15. <b>What made you first feel like a woman? </b><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>acquiring lingerie that was purely aesthetic rather than functional</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">1. <b>What would you think if a guy spent more time on his looks than you? </b><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>I have a strong sense of familiarity with this sort of guy... </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">2. <b>Do you like beards?</b> <i> </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>I'm involved with someone who sometimes grows facial hair, and I love that face regardless of fashion</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="241" src="https://giphy.com/embed/o7oGPYWTS4LGU" width="480"></iframe></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><i><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/beard-o7oGPYWTS4LGU"><span style="font-size: x-small;">via GIPHY</span></a></p></i></div></div>3. <b>What do you think about guys with long hair? </b><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>it's a tough one. I try not to get into absolutes, but personal preference is undoubtedly at play in attraction. I'm really, really not attracted to guys with really long hair, especially not when it's "put up" in a ponytail or a bun.</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV3yIo2fEU49cJOoVX8qcfZkdvh1ew-1BnH5ueIFDqFI8gBRAPYOIfe5LrdtsYGjgeMWP8YlK47yauOUVw4whf_Bfo7MI0Psd6Wid57_TGegW1n33k_iKAz12wzDyMzrS1p2m5w5Dez3_iWvLLBggfwkBXVksAkiSWfj3132Vzmw35n5H69khovA/s580/2iprbz-3703808115.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="test today" border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="580" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV3yIo2fEU49cJOoVX8qcfZkdvh1ew-1BnH5ueIFDqFI8gBRAPYOIfe5LrdtsYGjgeMWP8YlK47yauOUVw4whf_Bfo7MI0Psd6Wid57_TGegW1n33k_iKAz12wzDyMzrS1p2m5w5Dez3_iWvLLBggfwkBXVksAkiSWfj3132Vzmw35n5H69khovA/w200-h173/2iprbz-3703808115.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>4. <b>Did you ever cheat at exams? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span> </span> </b><i>nope. I test pretty well, so exams don't freak me out too much. There were a few homework assignments that were done in more of a collaborative format than intended, and my Chemistry and Physics lab notebooks were almost entirely cribbed from a friend who was a lab assistant. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">5. <b>Did you have many guy friends in school? </b><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>growing up, yes. Less and less over time, though.</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">6. <b>What does it mean to be a woman, to you? </b><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>it means sorting out how to handle being made fun of for hormones that I never asked for. It means spending thousands of dollars over young- and adulthood on personal products that I loathed. It means learning how to live in what is "a man's world" without pretending that it's a hardship, since it's simply reality. All that while wearing high heels and dancing backward, right? </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">7. <b>Would you consider yourself a feminist?</b> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>absolutely not</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">[from <a href="https://socialpronow.com/blog/questions-to-get-to-know-someone/">here</a>; the title quotation is by Dorothy Sayers, from <i>Gaudy Night] </i><br /></div>amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09105577120553111913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273189.post-27440408275705651962024-02-26T07:03:00.037-06:002024-02-26T07:03:00.239-06:00we know how it can all go wrong<div style="text-align: left;">I don't know why I get so cold at ten o'clock, but that's when I'm drawn, </div><div style="text-align: left;">like some sort of nightbird, to our nest upstairs in the flannel sheets, </div><div style="text-align: left;">once the color of pinot noir, now duller, patinaed by the silver </div><div style="text-align: left;">of our skins. I need to pile on the blue blanket, the heavy woolen </div><div style="text-align: left;">one from Ireland, the Broken Star quilt, before I stop </div><div style="text-align: left;">shivering. Sometimes the house itself quivers in the wind.<br />Then you come up, and we arrange ourselves like a nest </div><div style="text-align: left;">of measuring cups. Some of our friends now sleep alone, half </div><div style="text-align: left;">the set missing. I've told you <i>you're not allowed to die first;<br />I don't do numbers checkbook, taxes, bills.</i> My breasts </div><div style="text-align: left;">press into your back; my hand with the numb fingers stretches </div><div style="text-align: left;">over your heart. How lucky we are to have found each other; </div><div style="text-align: left;">what if I hadn't gone to the party that night? The second time </div><div style="text-align: left;">for both of us; we know how it can all go wrong. Even </div><div style="text-align: left;">when I can't sleep, I listen to the hoots and calls </div><div style="text-align: left;">of your breathing, which both keeps me awake </div><div style="text-align: left;">and will be the first thing I'll miss when all the nights </div><div style="text-align: left;">are silent. We know there'll be an <i>afterwards;</i> </div><div style="text-align: left;">we're not that young anymore. I turn, and turn again, </div><div style="text-align: left;">the way a dog circles before he lies down. And though </div><div style="text-align: left;">we can't see them, the stars twirl overhead, each one nested </div><div style="text-align: left;">in the place in space it's supposed to call home.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">[Barbara Crooker {1945- }, 'Owl Hour', from <i><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/881506531">Fire on Her Tongue: An Anthology of Contemporary Women’s Poetry</a>] </i><br /></div>amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09105577120553111913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273189.post-47284872502067150832024-02-24T07:38:00.143-06:002024-02-24T07:38:00.242-06:00I don't wanna be alone when I die<p>Getting deeply into classic movies and holiday movies at the same time has had unexpected results.<br /></p><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENdgIXM9FNeG_u3_EF1pEZxbBJBU50ROvcB4Eiq85Frs1PebqorE7Ry-JcjhWdNE_rUItciI2NI-xt4zFHO5W0puCj4USoRNe747xN_1lSzI5M0crHx2W1j6j8daJHLZVTl9FcR42e1xYuqCqhP7bhpq7yBwtAjWCNb3T3z67boTn-xolGVIsiA/s850/music%20in%20my%20heart%201940.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Music in My Heart (1940)" border="0" data-original-height="669" data-original-width="850" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENdgIXM9FNeG_u3_EF1pEZxbBJBU50ROvcB4Eiq85Frs1PebqorE7Ry-JcjhWdNE_rUItciI2NI-xt4zFHO5W0puCj4USoRNe747xN_1lSzI5M0crHx2W1j6j8daJHLZVTl9FcR42e1xYuqCqhP7bhpq7yBwtAjWCNb3T3z67boTn-xolGVIsiA/w185-h146/music%20in%20my%20heart%201940.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032823/">Music in My Heart</a></i> (1940) - "Hopeful musical understudy Robert Gregory (Tony Martin) is going to be
deported. He’s given a chance to be the lead in a show as long as he
gets on a boat at 12 a.m. His taxi wrecks with another taxi with
passenger Patricia O’Malley (Rita Hayworth) who is racing to meet the same
boat to marry a millionaire (Alan Mowbray). When they both miss the boat,
Patricia takes in Robert and her younger sister (Edith Fellows) tries to play
matchmaker while Robert is avoiding being deported."</div><div>source: DVD<br />I watched it because: it was included in a set of movies that I am offering for sale, so now was my best chance to see it<br />IMDB: 6.0/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/music_in_my_heart">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 14%<br />my IMDB: 6/10</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"'You don't mean...the millionaire publisher? Say, he's got a lot of money!' </i></div><div><i><span> </span>'Most millionaires have....'"</i><br /></div><div>MPAA rating: approved [TV-G]<br /></div><div>directed by: Joseph Santley<br /></div><div>my notes: Rita Hayworth dancing is a revelation! It's charming (But, really - singing "Punchinello" to a dancing monkey?) Edith Fellows as Patricia's younger sister Mary is outstanding.<br /></div></div><div>Academy Award nominee: Best Music, Original Song—Chet Forrest, Bob Wright, for "It's a Blue World"<br />overall: recommended</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQU3hIdnX5PpMPLeBEcgEc2E0ncJ4H347lKeq37pi7U-lxsfymPZW4x09pilLllYcZ6nG35EjOn9xc6M5FW6Xw2KnIoDi-kEilJXcen_eMCXUzAs7210Wc4pGeGbtagBn0k-demWv6JqocmviW9qvmZr0JLmCjRVwVlPThTCJJJhl1h04VqdyCQ/s1500/christmas%20venue%202023.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Christmas Venue (2023)" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQU3hIdnX5PpMPLeBEcgEc2E0ncJ4H347lKeq37pi7U-lxsfymPZW4x09pilLllYcZ6nG35EjOn9xc6M5FW6Xw2KnIoDi-kEilJXcen_eMCXUzAs7210Wc4pGeGbtagBn0k-demWv6JqocmviW9qvmZr0JLmCjRVwVlPThTCJJJhl1h04VqdyCQ/w133-h200/christmas%20venue%202023.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28256240/">The Christmas Venue</a></i> (2023) - "Losing faith in Christmas after a break-up, Cait decides to escape the
city and surprise her father at her family's inn. Upon arrival, she
finds an empty inn and a handsome handyman named Drew who tells her that
her father could be forced to sell because of mounting repairs.
Luckily, Cait's friend is a wedding planner and one of her client's
venues fell through. With Drew's help, Cait quickly puts together a plan
to host the couple for Christmas and persuade them to have their
wedding there."</div><div>source: Pluto<br />IMDB: 5.2/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_christmas_venue">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: N/A%<br />my IMDB: 3/10 🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"So, so much love." </i><br /></div><div>MPAA rating: NR</div><div>directed by: Vincenzo Conrorio<br /></div><div>my notes: Trite and stereotyped. The male lead, Drew (James Liddell) is weirdly intense, like a creepy stalker pretending to be A Nice Guy. The female lead, Cait (Jessy Holtermann) is just plain mean. There are a number of stupidly contrived fake romance(s) - no chemistry anywhere!</div><div>Santa character = Rick Montgomery, Jr., the hokey hippy Dad Phil, is an <i>awful</i> actor<br /></div><div>Scrooge character = Steven the Brit (Jamie Craib) is too obnoxious to be believed. <br /></div></div><div>overall: not recommended except to appreciate the godawfulness<br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3h7BSQIq435HKInr0RpD9t9WPJS8MF_Po5f5_mVblrvbL_Yolj1eKYj5qEQGWcraF0LVlKIySTklwzCBzaQRwkgyuNfURlZnwGpgYlAKm_xYbdvJtB3zogyMfdCtDY4ssAG8zDigoO2J2EMd7Zw-u4wy2YRE0Faz7ZfRRPixajeYBzcUpumq3zQ/s1000/i'll%20be%20home%20for%20christmas%202016.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="I'll Be Home for Christmas (2016)" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="666" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3h7BSQIq435HKInr0RpD9t9WPJS8MF_Po5f5_mVblrvbL_Yolj1eKYj5qEQGWcraF0LVlKIySTklwzCBzaQRwkgyuNfURlZnwGpgYlAKm_xYbdvJtB3zogyMfdCtDY4ssAG8zDigoO2J2EMd7Zw-u4wy2YRE0Faz7ZfRRPixajeYBzcUpumq3zQ/w133-h200/i'll%20be%20home%20for%20christmas%202016.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5860940/"><i>I'll Be Home for Christmas</i></a> (2016) - "<span class="sc-466bb6c-1 dWufeH" data-testid="plot-l" role="presentation">Jackie
Foster (Mena Suvari), is a dynamic Assistant District Attorney and single
mom. But when Jackie's estranged dad, Jack (James Brolin), a gruff retired
police officer, unexpectedly shows up at her door, they will be forced
to confront old wounds.</span>"</div><div>source: Pluto? Not sure. <br />IMDB: 6.1/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ill_be_home_for_christmas_2016">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 36%<br />my IMDB: 8/10 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"A little crazy can be a good thing." </i><br /></div><div>MPAA rating: TV-G</div><div>directed by: James Brolin<br /></div><div>my notes: Giselle Eisenberg as Gracie Foster is the star of this show. Just the right combination of sass and heart, she shines onscreen and brings out something special in this already nice and heartwarming movie.<br /></div><div>Santa character = John Reardon as Mike Kelly<br /></div></div><div>Star Power: James Brolin, Mena Suvari<br />overall: highly recommended</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmPRSSsCTLOhkPYZHv82e5GYUUcTx-TKlZV7ufWRImNV3W0beED5sesPYP2IbD8DHfvd1s-2BIIdAyoZH7SQO1RRfzyUrHlHyityfbVrGW4mfuGke3UN_HftHansAjAnOKmu_9MuvCFNI4CIznIU4iIiu5K_B04oYSwCuFjvsOIeMx8kgXJ89wZA/s640/noel%202004.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Noel (2004)" border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="432" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmPRSSsCTLOhkPYZHv82e5GYUUcTx-TKlZV7ufWRImNV3W0beED5sesPYP2IbD8DHfvd1s-2BIIdAyoZH7SQO1RRfzyUrHlHyityfbVrGW4mfuGke3UN_HftHansAjAnOKmu_9MuvCFNI4CIznIU4iIiu5K_B04oYSwCuFjvsOIeMx8kgXJ89wZA/w135-h200/noel%202004.jpg" width="135" /></a></div><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0383534/">Noel</a></i> (2004) - "Christmas Eve in New York, and the lonely divorced publisher, Rose
Collins, needs a miracle to improve the health of her mother, interned
in a hospital with Alzheimer's. She feels sorry for another patient and
meets his visitor. Meanwhile, Nina Vasquez breaks her engagement with
her beloved fiancé Mike due to his suffocating jealousy, but misses him.
Mike is stalked by a stranger, bartender Artie Venzuela. The poor Jules
arranges to spend Christmas Eve in the hospital, where he spent the
best Christmas of his life when he was a teenager. The lives of some of
these characters cross with others along the night.<span data-reactroot="" style="display: inline-block;"> </span>"<br />source: Freevee (Prime)<br />I watched it because: with actual stars, it seemed like a good bet.<br />IMDB: 6.1/10 - <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/noel">Rotten Tomatoes</a>: Tomatometer: 28% Audience: 48%<br />my IMDB: 4/10 🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻</div><div><div>notable quote: <i>"...your life matters; you've touched other people's lives in ways you don't even realize."</i></div><div>MPAA rating: PG</div><div>directed by: Chazz Palminteri<br /></div><div>my notes: Almost overwhelmingly sad & bleak. The Penelope Cruz & Paul Walker storyline is unpleasant. Some characters (The hand-breaker?!) are inexplicable and awful. There is a <b>totally</b> inappropriate psychiatrist, who breaches ethics like they're nothing at all. </div><div>Santa character = Robin Williams, Alan Arkin, Susan Sarandon (depending)</div><div>overall: not recommended</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>[the title quotation is from <i>Noel]</i><br /></div>amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09105577120553111913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273189.post-90853036877166977002024-02-23T07:17:00.034-06:002024-02-23T07:17:00.240-06:00strewn so inattentively across life<div style="text-align: left;">... And the way one can find oneself strewn </div><div style="text-align: left;">so inattentively across life, across time.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Those who touch us, those whom we touch, </div><div style="text-align: left;">we hold them or we let them go </div><div style="text-align: left;">as though it were such a small matter.</div><div style="text-align: left;">How even know in truth how much </div><div style="text-align: left;">of mind should be memory, no less </div><div style="text-align: left;">what portion of self should be others </div><div style="text-align: left;">rather than self? Across life, across time, </div><div style="text-align: left;">as though it were such a small matter.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">[C.K. Williams {1936-2015}, "5", from 'Lessons' in <i><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/492548427">The Singing</a>]</i><br /></div>amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09105577120553111913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273189.post-83895667309982680182024-02-22T07:39:00.083-06:002024-02-22T07:39:00.251-06:00maybe that's what a person's personality is: the difference between the inside and outside<div style="text-align: left;">I am (notoriously) a big fan of personality tests. Whether they are technically, scientifically accurate, they absolutely reveal something new, and in a new way. That in itself is valuable.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Today, I took the big 5 test, currently available <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/personality-quiz/">here</a>. "There are a couple of things that make it...different. First,
the Big Five doesn’t put people into neat personality 'types,' because
that’s not how personalities really work. Instead, the quiz gives you a
score on five different traits: extraversion, agreeableness,
conscientiousness, negative emotionality and openness to experience. For
each of those traits, you’re graded on a scale from 0 to 100, depending
on how strongly you associate with that trait. So, for example, this
quiz won’t tell you whether you’re an extravert or an introvert—instead, it tells you your propensity toward extraversion. Every trait
is graded on a spectrum, with a few people far out on the extremes and a
lot of people in the middle."</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI9TFRK6viJ0w9-bzl8W8fsxu2Ia5PYXa6V6ffEFgRRQOa9s6bsJ2rgnmFetd7dGwhUkXb-akhiKnGBIJkwC4nIxTWPMxVHDxXi-Z5Cx2oTBVDQYw2wykqqCZy_Ah0jwrTRlEOb1Hy-HOYZN5k6yC5h3N_8ZdhBDeb6fPMbo9-66EP8F1_JqXkvA/s1586/big5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1086" data-original-width="1586" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI9TFRK6viJ0w9-bzl8W8fsxu2Ia5PYXa6V6ffEFgRRQOa9s6bsJ2rgnmFetd7dGwhUkXb-akhiKnGBIJkwC4nIxTWPMxVHDxXi-Z5Cx2oTBVDQYw2wykqqCZy_Ah0jwrTRlEOb1Hy-HOYZN5k6yC5h3N_8ZdhBDeb6fPMbo9-66EP8F1_JqXkvA/s320/big5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> </div><div style="text-align: left;">"<span class="bold bucket"><b>High openness to experience:</b> </span>You’ve
probably tried on several personal styles and hobbies during your life,
and your curious brain is actively seeking new things to explore. Your
identity may be flexible and open to change, but you’re likely to find
success in careers that value that—the arts, for instance. Don’t trap
yourself in a 'Theater Kid' box, though. People with high openness also
do well in careers that involve investigation and discovery. They might
become scientists, lawyers or investigative journalists—basically
weaponizing their intellectual curiosity and willingness to try new
things and explore new ideas. Be aware, though, that dangerous drugs are
among the things you’re more likely to be willing to try. Substance use
disorders are a serious risk."</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmwL1frK88SvI8o8lVMpbsBsJcd0x4npI8ebdV8FN5bLDrnQHiGO_pWnpuCQqXQjGiwf1i-9KWzcSEdT7xOElndHfSOBNq1PwRbloI-Xi9NLQy0Ni3vJAVQdAeCHi5ppmu3fE-xXE-Zk0_dssCuUrano8tcRxaCh3NU_fEDUCXhASAtDlq2lNNg/s1492/openness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="1492" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmwL1frK88SvI8o8lVMpbsBsJcd0x4npI8ebdV8FN5bLDrnQHiGO_pWnpuCQqXQjGiwf1i-9KWzcSEdT7xOElndHfSOBNq1PwRbloI-Xi9NLQy0Ni3vJAVQdAeCHi5ppmu3fE-xXE-Zk0_dssCuUrano8tcRxaCh3NU_fEDUCXhASAtDlq2lNNg/s320/openness.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">"<span class="bold bucket"><b>Moderate agreeableness:</b> </span>You have to be
pretty danged un-agreeable to truly count as a low agreeableness person.
A lot of the outcomes that correlate with low agreeableness, like being
chronically bullied (or bullying) or having a criminal record, don’t
kick in until someone’s score is down in the 10th percentile. So even
though all the Big Five traits operate on a spectrum—with the people
in the middle tending to experience a little of what both poles feel to
the extreme—the population of people who count as 'moderately
agreeable' is particularly large. (It’s just that some of you may have a
little less tendency toward empathy, compassion and trust of your
fellow human beings than others.) You’re no goody-goody, but you’re also
not what the professionals might refer to as 'a selfish jerk.'"</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOTM5BN0gCUnEz3n3Zb3FfmRz-oR2uSw7FNVf4FWzfZsILfOEumi8oofHoqca3d8wO1aqNcQTAS0yzMKLWlA2RcismkW6z927iJJ1i91FXrMckD3_hv7l7bUdyW3zPKfW9chqcEZvDZrfH57zTr9FwzhiqWp9KULEb8-1HA8RsksBUPxs_ytmPnw/s1516/agreeableness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="820" data-original-width="1516" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOTM5BN0gCUnEz3n3Zb3FfmRz-oR2uSw7FNVf4FWzfZsILfOEumi8oofHoqca3d8wO1aqNcQTAS0yzMKLWlA2RcismkW6z927iJJ1i91FXrMckD3_hv7l7bUdyW3zPKfW9chqcEZvDZrfH57zTr9FwzhiqWp9KULEb8-1HA8RsksBUPxs_ytmPnw/s320/agreeableness.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">"<span class="bold bucket"><b>Moderate conscientiousness:</b> </span>The highly
conscientious are detail-oriented goal-setters who dot their i’s, cross
their t’s and keep detailed spreadsheets of all the times they did that.
They tend to do well at work, be productive at home and lean toward
being religious. People with low conscientiousness, on the other hand,
are slovenly types who smoke and drink and tend to not finish the chores
they said they’d get done. There are benefits and drawbacks to people
on both ends of the spectrum, but if we had to choose a roommate, we’d
pick you—someone in the middle."</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYxGy01M84FPGHrnkfpGxQydfxP89LoRvZVHQFgnw_uAeWYAZ1OwgvglT7FkHDczHLObp7kgk6u5FUQ1f_4Qeu1tAZApzLGPGX8Gjy3jnrf77i4_ZJasyw2X1Pc1249TEhh8Cd3_KXLwYoDLs_l2g2OVYiy8EB8foW9zRaACFfuxMRKz4tXzbFA/s1496/CONSCIENTIOUSNESS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="1496" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYxGy01M84FPGHrnkfpGxQydfxP89LoRvZVHQFgnw_uAeWYAZ1OwgvglT7FkHDczHLObp7kgk6u5FUQ1f_4Qeu1tAZApzLGPGX8Gjy3jnrf77i4_ZJasyw2X1Pc1249TEhh8Cd3_KXLwYoDLs_l2g2OVYiy8EB8foW9zRaACFfuxMRKz4tXzbFA/s320/CONSCIENTIOUSNESS.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="bold bucket"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="bold bucket">"<b>High negative emotionality:</b> </span>Conflict in
relationships doesn’t have to be inherently destructive, and thank
goodness for that, because your tendency toward anger, frustration and
anxiety means your relationships probably have plenty of tension. What’s
more, you’re likely carrying that predisposition toward conflict with
you from relationship to relationship. The good news is that other parts
of your personality affect relationship quality, too. Nobody is only
one trait. For example, higher scores on extraversion are correlated
with satisfying marriages, so a person with high negative emotionality
and high extraversion might have a very different relationship history
than someone high in negative emotionality and low in extraversion."</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXsM_ZVYQqHX6srIXNZTAq2wC85ZlOtW2IKSUktbWGf1pnEuxZvdlYeHYqi7gAw0cqeQNjZ7qT6Dm3S_QejqnyLKTPdvE6-SauEWmRNl9M_98W74pWnxkikJbwk9XnuPo1t_Rv6A-KtqLKFeAZS2lVX4k2ivKJ4JnWLJtX1LmfhGx4pdcvSXlIOg/s1454/NEGATIVE%20EMOTIONALITY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="858" data-original-width="1454" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXsM_ZVYQqHX6srIXNZTAq2wC85ZlOtW2IKSUktbWGf1pnEuxZvdlYeHYqi7gAw0cqeQNjZ7qT6Dm3S_QejqnyLKTPdvE6-SauEWmRNl9M_98W74pWnxkikJbwk9XnuPo1t_Rv6A-KtqLKFeAZS2lVX4k2ivKJ4JnWLJtX1LmfhGx4pdcvSXlIOg/s320/NEGATIVE%20EMOTIONALITY.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">"<span class="bold bucket"><b>Low extraversion:</b> </span>We live in a society
that generally values and rewards extraversion, and that can make life
tough for a more withdrawn person. Science tends to emphasize the downer
aspects of your personality—you probably have difficulty making
friends and finding people to date, for instance. You might also have a
low opinion of your own looks. But being an introvert isn’t all bad.
Some scientists think low extraversion has protected humans from disease—you can't pick up a bug from people if you avoid people. And one study even found a lower prevalence of extraversion in places where contagious diseases
were historically common. One of the best bits of advice for the less
extraverted is to find spaces where they get to live the way they want
and where their personalities are valued. That’s probably why being less
extraverted is correlated with choosing, and excelling at, jobs that
require working alone. And there is a higher prevalence of introverts in the American West. Have you considered a career in ranching?"</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnW_UcZlADDA62WGUzvBWKzA3MahT-PjjkkEEv1cvp-G1hRvsDs0oeryrDrOqwrrntJjw1oWVeXd9j3dyqsE6FyOlGdVSgDtcSQQSj_Ov1HiAFfMsl-KdojzNeFEdVpyBVNG_gfQKnubPmP8w8HWlFkduxtIC2uQ2fY9G5d-jT7bCeiNKPF13CcQ/s1556/EXTRAVERSION.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="836" data-original-width="1556" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnW_UcZlADDA62WGUzvBWKzA3MahT-PjjkkEEv1cvp-G1hRvsDs0oeryrDrOqwrrntJjw1oWVeXd9j3dyqsE6FyOlGdVSgDtcSQQSj_Ov1HiAFfMsl-KdojzNeFEdVpyBVNG_gfQKnubPmP8w8HWlFkduxtIC2uQ2fY9G5d-jT7bCeiNKPF13CcQ/s320/EXTRAVERSION.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">[the title quotation is by Jonathan Safran Foer, from <i>Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close]</i><br /></div>amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09105577120553111913noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273189.post-85062782673428603222024-02-21T07:34:00.121-06:002024-02-21T07:52:00.390-06:00you could, I don't know, rob a bank or hop a freight train or tell everybody what you really think of them<div style="text-align: left;">8. <b>Were you afraid of going to the dentist as a kid? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmIjWiTkMK6okVsJdjwHgJ-6rW08Yc8nWhCs_EyYQ2rL3lPnGmh8yNz6TMtuPFTxxuIjqkNdXd9Q7j1wD2tiYavxegds4fFAFVFql5U5JdWMfHfltBGyGr1OFIPakSwJIPr82hijIKJQ5H7_9PJvkL2Rc31HY0-Jne7q1czaBdXzv6raUv8w1fQ/s480/zjsb5.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="360" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmIjWiTkMK6okVsJdjwHgJ-6rW08Yc8nWhCs_EyYQ2rL3lPnGmh8yNz6TMtuPFTxxuIjqkNdXd9Q7j1wD2tiYavxegds4fFAFVFql5U5JdWMfHfltBGyGr1OFIPakSwJIPr82hijIKJQ5H7_9PJvkL2Rc31HY0-Jne7q1czaBdXzv6raUv8w1fQ/w150-h200/zjsb5.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span> </span>not at all! My dentist could talk like Donald Duck. He had a treasure chest of toys for good patients. And his office was in a very old building with an elevator. In my hometown, elevators were not exactly thick on the ground, so getting to ride in one was incredibly special. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">
<script async="" src="https://tenor.com/embed.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
9. <b>Which song would be like a window into your soul? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>there is no one song that defines me. That's like saying I'm always in the same mood, always doing the same thing, and always wanting to feel the same feelings. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>At the moment, what song opens the view to my soul? Try </i>Relax<i>, by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">10. <b>How’s your health? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><i> just fine - how 'bout you?</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">11. <b>What was the most intense physical pain you’ve ever experienced? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><i>surgical drain removal. Even typing those words makes me shudder and my stomach turn. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcIlOlvG_veb4W40qDp4HGwfKxwJjqeX2N2SJeTiN3yYXV2XuIQrJxoWiB-q2kx9Gnr3dURRy89EyS01AntltmYrtaOx7jDt6yjZDG9-Uhxi4c1dfKhQtTreafBLSvqkRM5ibYts2SumcMDNBtFHSQOqsrtZguurABk1LBCP5zTSkP2gFcZW3gkA/s1074/christian-memes-4-5cbf05debd365__700.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Question Everything!" border="0" data-original-height="1074" data-original-width="700" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcIlOlvG_veb4W40qDp4HGwfKxwJjqeX2N2SJeTiN3yYXV2XuIQrJxoWiB-q2kx9Gnr3dURRy89EyS01AntltmYrtaOx7jDt6yjZDG9-Uhxi4c1dfKhQtTreafBLSvqkRM5ibYts2SumcMDNBtFHSQOqsrtZguurABk1LBCP5zTSkP2gFcZW3gkA/w138-h210/christian-memes-4-5cbf05debd365__700.jpg" width="138" /></a></div>12. <b>Is there any religion that appeals to you, which you’re not a part of? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>there are bits and bobs of almost every religion in my own personal set of beliefs, which are diffuse and frequently changing </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">13. <b>What’s your focus in life right now? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> <span> </span>Well, I found out this morning that I need to buy a new garage door. For those not in the know, garage doors have increased in price exponentially since COVID. Since, y'know, the cost of metal and insulation is dependent on healthy respiration? Therefore, for the time being I am parked outside my garage, waiting for the arrival of my new door and installation thereof. And of course eagerly awaiting the $2000 bill.</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">14. <b>When was the last time you created something just for the fun of it? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><i>I made dinner last night, which was plenty of fun </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">15. <b>Do you have any memories from kindergarten? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEios4wMGmc4aULdNpa3HwHwQMwGNj_4ZEwQvuirRQ1EAvOtvTw1HcjrZTcIDXrBAsofPALNVJKT9eoAyJ4bsz4gnQiNVIpiBdAwEI8TtvcEe4YvTuSxCauPUb8swP0xie2RWxGPzxqexMMaJdiCKO6P8hWm_6SAxcAcJWbRlWkP1XUJ6mswq7302Q/s666/1ga0by.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="666" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEios4wMGmc4aULdNpa3HwHwQMwGNj_4ZEwQvuirRQ1EAvOtvTw1HcjrZTcIDXrBAsofPALNVJKT9eoAyJ4bsz4gnQiNVIpiBdAwEI8TtvcEe4YvTuSxCauPUb8swP0xie2RWxGPzxqexMMaJdiCKO6P8hWm_6SAxcAcJWbRlWkP1XUJ6mswq7302Q/w200-h150/1ga0by.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><i><span> </span>sure! I was BFFs with a girl named Jennifer. She's slightly more outgoing than I am, and I relied on her to make first contact with others, and estimate whether we should know them and make friends. She was there for me on my two big traumas that year—first, when I accidentally spilled my (incredibly precious) half-pint of chocolate milk on the teacher's desk (I can remember literally crying on her shoulder), and second, when given the super grown up task of raising the projection screen, I lost my grip on the pull-cord and it flew up with such force that the (rolled) screen fell off the wall with a bang that was heard throughout the land. I was terrified. No one was killed, thank goodness, and I lived to be given further tasks.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>Also, the first day of school was my 5th birthday. That's a memory. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">16. <b>Have you ever wanted to hop on a random train and see where it gets you?</b> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><i>nope </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">17. <b>As a kid, were you ever punished for doing exactly as you were told to? </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span> </span>not that I recall. My parents were pretty straight-forward about expectations and discipline. One of my siblings was especially dense about the spirit v. the letter of the law, though, and they got in trouble more than once for following the rules but not in the intended fashion. Doofus. </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">[from <a href="https://socialpronow.com/blog/questions-to-get-to-know-someone/">here</a>; the title quotation is by Lev Grossman, from <i>Summer Days and Summer Nights] </i><br /></div>amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09105577120553111913noreply@blogger.com0