Thursday, November 26, 2009

Karloff: Giving Thanks to a Legend

This week, Frankensteinia: The Frankenstein Blog has been hosting The Boris Karloff Blogathon

I planned to take part, but I have been trying to write and complete a novel for this year's NaNoWriMo.

But no excuses. I wanted to post something, and what better day than Thanksgiving to give thanks for the great body of work left to us by such a versatile, talented actor as Boris Karloff!

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From the site: From the Official Jack Pierce DVD, this is the excerpt from the November 20, 1957 episode of THIS IS YOUR LIFE featuring Pierce coming on the show to meet his friend and colleague, Boris Karloff.

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From the site: A vintage TV commercial from the late 1960's with a gleefully menacing Boris Karloff applying various torture techniques to his Ronson Comet lighter! If only Bela Lugosi had survived to co-star and have Boris light his cigar!

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The trailer for one of my favorite Karloff pics, "The Body Snatcher". Boris is GREAT as Cabman Gray. Such an awesome actor.

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Karloff as Cabman John Gray

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Karloff not only gave us great film roles, he also narrated this holiday masterpiece!

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For Halloween Month, I showcased the eerie uploads at the YouTube channel of "monster4josh" - Tales of the Frightened with Karloff!



Check out more HERE!

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Click the pic below for more Karloff!





and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

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Monday, November 23, 2009

Movie Monday - Land of the Lost

Land of the Lost (2009)

[Will Ferrell; Anna Friel; Danny McBride; Jorma Taccone; John Boylan; Matt Lauer]

Plot: On his latest expedition, Dr. Rick Marshall is sucked into a space-time vortex alongside his research assistant and a redneck survivalist. In this alternate universe, the trio make friends with a primate named Chaka, their only ally in a world full of dinosaurs and other fantastic creatures.

My take: Ugh. This movie was just bad. There are a few funny parts and I am sure you saw them in the trailer. Everything else is just blah and boring.

I am a fan of the original show (my review of it is here). And I would have been a fan of a remake that was done well. This changed things that didn't need to be changed and tried to force humor in where it just did not work. Will Ferrel was great as Buddy the Elf, but since then, I have just not found the dude funny.

The sad thing is that the higher budget and the modern effects could have made a Land of the Lost flick that was both true to the original and awesome for today. Sadly, they went and blew the whole thing.

Don't rent it, don't buy it, just avoid it.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Stacking Mugs & Too Much Coffee???

This week's Cup o' Joe:

A cool item you can order as a gift for the holidays (or for yourself):




click pic to go to site

I like them! Well organized and space-saving at the same time.

Even better, they are only $9.99 a set!

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My daughter sent me this list:

SIGNS YOU ARE DRINKING TOO MUCH COFFEE

-You grind your coffee beans in your mouth.

-You sleep with your eyes open.

-You have to watch videos in fast-forward.

-The only time you're standing still is during an earthquake.

-You can take a picture of yourself from ten feet away without using the timer.

-You've worn out your third pair of tennis shoes this week.

-Your eyes stay open when you sneeze.

-You chew on other people's fingernails.

-The nurse needs a scientific calculator to take your pulse.

-You're so jittery that people use your hands to blend their margaritas.

-You can type sixty words per minute with your feet.

-You can jump-start your car without cables.

-You don't sweat, you percolate.

-You walk twenty miles on your treadmill before you realize it's not plugged in.

-You forget to unwrap candy bars before eating them.

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Saturday, November 21, 2009

Fun & Easy Music Meme

Electronic Cerebrectomy posted this meme on Thursday.

I thought it was fun and didn't take too much brain power, since I am still trying to write for NaNoWriMo!

RULES:
1. Put Your iTunes/iPod, Windows Media Player (etc…) on Shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button, and the title of that song is your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS
4. Put any comments in [brackets] after the song name

Are you male or female?
Crazy for You

Describe yourself!
Freedom

What do people feel when they’re around you?
Beat It

Describe your current relationship.
Sooner or Later

Where would you like to be now?
Just You and Me

How do you feel about love?
One More Chance

What’s your life like?
Satin Sheets

What would you wish for if you had only one wish?
Lonely Comin' Down

Say something wise.
All Apologies

If someone says “Is this okay?” You say,
Bubbly

How would you describe yourself?
Applejack

What do you look for in a guy/girl?
I Will Survive

How do you feel today?
Backwoods Barbie

What is your life’s purpose?
The Best of Me

What is your motto?
Bad

What do your friends think of you?
One Night In Bangkok

What do you think of your parents?
I Just Can't Stop Loving You

What do you think about very often?
La Isla Bonita

What is 2 + 2?
Closing Credits

What do you think of your best friend?
Not Gonna Be The One

What do you think of the person you like?
Rave On

What is your life story?
In My Life

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Manic Monday

What do you think of when you see the person you like?
Deeper Than The Night

What will you dance to at your wedding?
Dirty Diana

What will they play at your funeral?
Endless Summer Nights

What is your hobby/interest?
Love Is Like A Butterfly

What is your biggest fear?
Wild Night

What is your biggest secret?
You Rock My World

What do you think of your friends?
This Used To Be My Playground

Friday, November 20, 2009

“Don’t Label Me” Billboard Campaign

The British Humanist Association has been running various billboards to raise money.

They are unveiling a new campaign tomorrow, to coincide with Universal Children's Day.


click to enlarge

I like it, a lot.

Simple and cute, yet it still gets the point across.

To view their campaign click here.

Other blogs featuring this billboard:

ALPHAVILLE
The Atheist Blogger
Friendly Atheist.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Late

For the man and his wife life is going according to plan. At least, as much as they could plan how life went.

Their oldest child is 25 now, with a good head on his shoulders. He is married to a wonderful woman, moving up the ladder at work and moving into the first home he has to pay the mortgage on.

Their middle child is almost 14, smart, beautiful, funny and infinitely caring. High school is next on her already busy agenda.

Their youngest child is 11 (and a half, don't forget), bright, athletic, with a wacky sense of humor and an empathy for others beyond his years.

Their parents are proud of them all. And also content with their decision to stop at three children.

Unexpectedly, the wife announces to the husband she is late.

How could this be, they wonder. They had long ago taken permanent precautions. This plan was written in pen, not pencil. No erasing. No editing.

Patience, they counsel each other. A fluke. We will wait and see.

The wife doesn't think it is possible anyway, and doesn't want to think about it.

Her husband is surprised to find his mind wandering. The kids are so much older now, they don't need him, at least not in the way little kids need a parent. Independence is what we teach them to strive for, but once they are on that path, we see them walking further and further ahead. And they no longer hold our hands for guidance or safety.

A week passes. Still late.

The wife assumes it is the onset of menopause, not an unplanned pregnancy. We will wait and see, no cause for alarm. She doesn't really want to start all over again, so late in the game. They should be having grandchildren, not more children.

Her husband remembers the good times from the past. Little hands eager to grasp and explore. Little minds eager to learn and expand. Times spent teaching them to speak and walk, not to hush up and sit still. He warms to the thought of a little one. Just one more.

Another week passes. Still late. A test is taken. Negative.

The wife is relieved, of course it is negative. No way it could happen. That time has passed.

Her husband is torn. Part of him is relieved. No more colicky babies, no more teething, no piles of dirty diapers. That time has passed.

No more little ones holding tight to Daddy.

That time has passed.

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Click here for other Theme Thursday posts ---> LATE

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Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Whodunnit?

Last week, Dan Florien over at Unreasonable Faith posted this video.

Watch it one time through, at least.



So, how observant were you?

I failed, miserably!

Pretty cool, though.

Check out this site - DOTHETEST - for another observation short!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Movie Monday - The Hills Run Red

The Hills Run Red (2009)

[Sophie Monk; Tad Hilgenbrink; William Sadler; Janet Montgomery; Alex Wyndham; Ewan Bailey]

Plot: A group of young horror fans go searching for a film that mysteriously vanished years ago but instead find that the demented killer from the movie is real, and he's thrilled to meet fans who will die gruesomely for his art.

I wanted to like this movie. And, rough acting aside, it was an okay film for the most part. But the twists just weighed the whole thing down, too much in my opinion.

An interesting idea, an okay movie. Recommended for horror fans, mainly.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

15 (ish) Things Worth Knowing About Coffee

The Oatmeal had a great post this week:




click the pic to go to the site

They have some interesting and fun facts, presented in a very cool way.

Also at The Oatmeal: The 5 Phases of Caffeine Intake

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Saturday, November 14, 2009

Short Film: Pencil Face

Aunt John over at the great KinderTrauma posted this 3-minute short film, submitted by a reader named Gary B.



How bizarre. I don't know what to make of that.

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Here is information I found:

Director: Christian Simmons

Synopsis: He’ll help you draw, he’ll help you erase; waste not want not… he’s Pencil Face.

Official Selection of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival

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Friday, November 13, 2009

Friday the 13th - Modernized Trailers

Hey all...

Still attempting to write for NaNoWriMo (at 17,109... behind, but not too far), but I wanted to do something today to celebrate Friday the 13th!

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The Friday the 13th Blog is celebrating all day today with posts on various F13-related subjects. Head on over and check it out!

Here are some modernized trailers they posted, very cool:









Check out more trailers here
or at the YouTube site of the creators, From the Morgue.

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And last, Mamma Voorhees and her little boy.

Mrs. Voorhees & Jason

That is Betsy Palmer (aka Pamela Voorhees) posing with Wickedbeard, a fan in an awesome Jason costume. Very cool!

It is photoshopped (more info here), using a picture taken at a horror convention.

Happy Friday the 13th!

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Thursday, November 12, 2009

Theme Thursday - Telephone

When a Stranger Calls

When a Stranger Calls (1979)

[Charles Durning; Carol Kane; Colleen Dewhurst; Tony Beckley; Ron O'Neal]

Plot: A petrified baby-sitter, a relentlessly ringing telephone and whispered threats set the stage for this suspense-packed, hair-raising chiller. A string of menacing phone calls unnerves baby-sitter Jill, until a compulsive shamus enters the scene to nab the caller -- a deranged killer. Fast-forward seven years … the homicidal maniac returns to ruthlessly torment Jill, who's now a wife and mother herself.

This movie is often remembered for the opening, where the babysitter is terrorized by the menacing phone calls from a stranger. These scenes are intense and hit home, at the time, for lots of young girls and women who had fears of something similar happening for real. And Kane was well cast as a nervous, scared teenage babysitter. Her big eyes can act all by themselves!

It is definitely 'of its time', due to the changes with telephones in the past 30 years. Back then, a line like "the calls are coming from inside the house" was damn scary stuff! Now, not so much.

The middle section of the film is not as well remembered and is really pretty sluggish. Dewhurst, Durning and Beckley are great actors, but the whole thing is just slow and almost boring. Yet it does do its part in showing just how dememented the stranger is, instead of making him a one dimensional killer.

The film picks up once more at the end, seven years later, with the babysitter a mother now herself. I was freaked out the first time I saw it. Good way to end a horror flick!

The film had a sequel, "When a Stranger Calls Back", a 1993 made-for-TV movie. Kane and Durning are back in their roles, this time helping another woman who is going through a somewhat similar experience. Not as great as the original, but it has its own positives, as well.

The original film itself was remade in 2006 as "When a Stranger Calls". This film dumps the slow moving middle section of the original, instead having the entire film focus on babysitter Jill and her night of terror. It was not well received. And, as I said, "the calls coming from inside the house" doesn't have the same scare value when everyone and their stalker uncle has a cell phone!

Here is the trailer for the original film:



I still have a hard time grasping the fact that the movie just celebrated its 30th anniversary!

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Have you checked the children?

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For more Theme Thursday posts, click here ---> Telephone

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Wednesday, November 11, 2009

xkcd: Organ Donation

Hemant @ The Friendly Atheist posted this panel from xkcd:



I like it.

We can all make a difference when we are gone. I won't need my parts, so why not let them go back in 'the bin' for others to use?

:)

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Trick 'r Treat

Okay, I know this is over a week past Halloween, but I FINALLY found a copy of "Trick 'r Treat", so here is my delayed review:

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Trick 'r Treat (2008)

Sam

[Dylan Baker; Rochelle Aytes; Quinn Lord; Lauren Lee Smith; Moneca Delain]

The plot: Stories that overlap and occur on Halloween: An everyday high school principal has a secret life; a college virgin might have just met the guy for her; a group of pre-teens pull a mean prank; a woman who loathes the night has to contend with her holiday-obsessed husband and a man with a secret past meets up a Halloween demon.

I was very careful not to read too much about it, which was hard due to all of the horror/movie bloggers who posted about it and raved over it.

I am happy to say I loved it, too. It is a great potpourri of Halloween goodness. Some of the tales are darker than others, so more humorous, but all are just fun and together they embody what a Halloween night is all about.

TTUnicef

Little Sam, the burlap-masked little kid/demon, is a great addition to the ranks of Halloween icons.

Definitely recommended, for more than just horror movie fans, it is a great flick all around.

So glad I finally got to see it and I can't wait to watch it next October - BEFORE Halloween!



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Monday, November 9, 2009

Moon - A Tenth Daughter of Memory Post

This post is my submission for the current Tenth Daughter of Memory topic, which is 'Moon'.

It is also chapter seven of the novel I am writing for NanNoWriMo.

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Back in his kitchen, Jake tossed the photo down on the table and walked over to the refrigerator. Had he not been so upset, he would have laughed at how cliche the contents of the appliance were.

Inside the door stood a bottle of ketchup, a bottle of mustard and a small glass jar of relish, all cheap, store brand items. Jake couldn't recall the last time he had touched one of them.

Beer made up the majority of items in the rest of the fridge. Two six-packs of the only brand he drank took up the entire top shelf. Below, a small tub of margarine and half a loaf of bread. Below that, a container from the Chinese place. He couldn't recall what was in it or when he had shoved it in here.

Next to it was a bottle of wine, laying on its side.

His eyes stayed on the wine as his hand reached for a beer. Sara had bought it and he could never bring himself to drink it. In fact, he had never even touched it. He let it lay, unopened, undisturbed, aging slowly, waiting.

With a beer in hand, he shut the door.

After using the edge of the counter to knock the cap off the bottle, he turned back to the small table. The sight of the picture he had dropped brought up the anger he had come home with, so instead he walked to the back door and out into the night.

A small set of five stairs led from the door to the walkway in his back yard. He sat on the top step and took a sip. The beer was cold and made him realize how unseasonably warm the air out here was. Much warmer than an early November night ought to be, he thought. Looking into the small yard, he realized it was much brighter than it should be, too.

He could barely make out the grass, which he knew needed mowing. The fallen leaves had covered almost the entire yard. He hadn't thought about raking them up. He mentally added them to his chore list, but wondered if they would still be here come Spring.

Further back, where Sara's old vegetable garden had been, tall weeds stood, dry and dying. They looked odd, he thought, creepy. He turned his gaze slowly upward, searching for the source of this midnight light.

He found it quickly, hovering above the skeletal trees, watching him. The moon, round and full and remarkably huge, with an orange glow that reminded Jake of fire. He sat, sipping his beer, staring at the moon as it stared back.

For so long he had felt alone.

His mother, his friends... They all meant well, but they really didn't understand what he was going through. He had taken to acting when he was with them, to play a role instead of just being himself. Always feeling more alone after spending time with any of them than he did before.

So, he avoided them.

And Gramps was gone. Until Sara came along, Gramps was the one person Jake could talk to, about anything. And even after Sara, he was the only one Jake could talk to about certain things. But Gramps was gone, and Jake still didn't know how to feel about his disappearance from his life.

And then there was Sara. Damn, how he missed her. The guilt rose up inside him, so he sipped the beer to quell it. It didn't help.

He looked up at the moon again. It just hung there, silently watching him. And for a moment, Jake didn't feel so alone.

Then a breeze picked up, causing the dry leaves to dance around the yard. There was a chill in the with the wind, a gentle reminder that this was November, after all.

Jake stood and, holding his beer out in front of him, looked up at the moon once more.

"Thanks for listening." he said. tipping the bottle a bit. Then he downed what was left and placed the empty bottle along the porch ledge, lining it up with all the others.

He stepped back in to his empty home. Alone.

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For more Tenth Daughter of Memory posts, click here ---> Moon

For my page at the NaNoWriMo site, click here ---> Wings1295

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Sunday, November 8, 2009

Cup o' Joe

Out of funnies to share on Sundays, so I am starting something new today.

Since I have a deep love for coffee, I will share something java-related with each "Cup o' Joe" post.

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To kick this feature off:

A Hull coffee mug

Hull Mug

Anyone else remember these?

My parents had a set and I thought they were pretty cool and were (when I was a kid at least) the epitome of "a cup of coffee".

I didn't realize they also made kettles:

Hull Kettle

and pitchers:

Hull Pitcher

Cool, old-world style.

Have a great Sunday everyone!

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Thursday, November 5, 2009

Theme Thursday - Castle

Wanted to write something for this week's Theme Thursday, which is "Castle"

However, I am taking part in the NaNoWriMo again this year, and have been trying to keep my word count up. Still behind, but doing okay.

Here are some pics, at least.

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This is from our 2005 vacation to York Beach, Maine.
Me and my two youngest, having fun building castles in the sand.



A better pic of the kids.
Amazing to me how much older they look today, four short years later.



The castles that came from our time in the sand.
Fun memories.

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I remember the end of one vacation there, sitting in the sand with the castles done, the prospect of heading home and leaving the beach behind for a year looming.

My kids were sad that their creations would be lost forever. I told them not to think of it that way. Think of the the castles as being dissolved back into the sand, patiently waiting for next year. When we returned, we could pull them back up, rebuilding them to stand in the sun once more.

It helped them smile and feel a little better, before the waves came and erased their artwork from the beach.

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For more Theme Thursday posts, click here ---> Castle

For my page at the NaNoWriMo site, click here ---> Wings1295

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