#6 Great Expectations

Costumes 2
Scenery 1
Dialogue 2
Story line 1

Overall score: Deep Six
I watched this via "watch instantly menu" on Netflix

Oh Blah. Blah Blah Blah. Didn't like the book, Didn't like the movie. I was surprised, given that I have been really liking my Dickens experience, to find this movie such a bomb. I just COULDN'T like Pip, even when played by the total crush-worthy Ioan Gruffud. It was all the bleakness without the hope. All gray, no color. The story did not flow well and the characters were just tepid. How did this get to be a world reknown story? Anyways, if you are following along with me and watching these movies, you can skip this one.

#5 Far from the Madding Crowd

Costumes 3
Scenery 2
Dialoglevue 4
Storyline 4

Overall rating Excellent
I watched this movie on Youtube

A young girl finds her fortune made when a wealthy landowning uncle dies and leaves his farm to her. She decides to run the farm herself which she finds easier than choosing between 3 suitors: a shepherd, a gentleman farmer, and a soldier.

I really enjoyed this movie, although I have no idea why it would be called Far from the Madding Croewd. Seeing this movie made me want to read the book. One thing that bothered me: the main character, a determined, courageous, level headed woman is so confused and has such bad taste in men? How could that be? She could run a farm with apparant ease, but was unable to say no or cut off a bad relationship.
I loved the character of Gabriel, of course. I was also surprising touched at the coffin scene by a character I was prepared to despise! I haven't read much Dickens, but I find I am liking him more and more- his characters are so complex and fantastic. I'll be checking this book out of the library to see if I enjoy it as much as the movie.

#4 Ballet Shoes

Costumes 2
Scenery 2
Dialogue 3
Storyline 3

Overall Good
I watched this movie on Youtube, but the quality wasn't that great

A Bachelor Uncle takes in his neice and her nurse before embarking on a world tour. He ends up bringing home 3 orphan babies for his neice to raise. On his last tour, he goes missing. The neice battles poverty and attempts to nourish each of the girls talents: ballet, acting, and avaition. When things get bad she takes in boarders who help pay bills, but eventually she is faced with selling the only home she's ever known.

This movie is cute and well worth watching. The story is pretty campy, but the love story is cute and the girl's have interesting characters. I would guess that the book is better, or at least more in depth, but this is a fun little film. It is set in 1930's London, and the wedding dress at the end is beautiful!

# 3 Moliere

Costumes 5

Scenery 5

Dialogue 5

Story 4.5 I took off a half point because the morals really are bad for most of the movie!

Over all rating of Excellent

I watched this movie on YouTube

A foolish wealthy man hires an aspiring actor to help him win the heart of his lady love. The wealthy mans wife, an intellegent and neglected woman, begins to see through his plot. And a leechy friend tries to hook up his son with the wealthy man's daughter, against her and her mother's wishes.

This movie being french, I thought for sure there would be a bare breasted love scene in which I would try to fast forward through and feel uncomfortable about reveiwing here. However it was not to be. Although the morals of this movie are questionable throughout the beginning and middle, they resolve satisfactory by the end.

I think anyone can relate to seriously losing their way, then through pain and loss, finding it again. This movie had all the right characters: The noble soul (the wife) the fool (jourdain) the villain (guy with long black hair) and the sort of slimy but warm hearted character we all love(moliere).

I think the story is so sucessful because anyone can realate to the characters. I have been them all so I can sympathise with them all. And I think I liked it so much because in the end, the right choices were made. Things worked out ok. I think Moliere would have been happier had he been able to spend his life with the lady he loved, but because he sacrificed her out of love for her, I'm are thankful he didn't(spend his life with her). She never would have been happy with Moliere, but Moliere made happiness with her husband a possibility.

It is interesting the phases of love portrayed:
Selfish love, Jourdain of himself
Young love, Jourdain's daughter
Passionate love, Moliere and Jourdain's wife
Sacrificial love, Jourdain's wife for her daughter, Moliere's love for Jourdain's wife

I also was intrigued by the idea of comedy in the midst of tragedy. This film did well in portraying that, but I think most of us miss the humor when we are experiencing our own pain and screwups. Can pain, in it's very dramatized essence, be funny?

Interesting.

#2 Where Angels Fear to Tread

You know, we all expect four things in a good period drama: Scenery, Costumes, Dialogue, adn Story, So I'll judge on those three things from one to five, with an over all judgement of : Excellent, Good, So So, and Deep six.

Scenery: 2
Costumes:4
Dialogue: 2
Story: 1
Overall: Deep six

This movie is in the "watch instantly" menu of Netflix.

Storyline: A wealthy english widow, hoping to escape her in-laws tyranny, vacations in Italy. While there with a yong friend, she meets, falls in love with, and marries a poor Italian. When she dies in childbirth, the three forces: english in laws, yong english friend, and italian father all struggle over ownership of the child.

My verdict: Deep six worthy. The story was so slow and plodding I had to break it up into two parts to finish it. I love Helena Bonham Carter, but even she could not save this film. The story could have been good, told differently and in half the time, but I was left with the feeling that watching this was a waste of time.
However, there was some interesting points: The widow was trying to find freedom, and thought that marrying a young "boy" that she could control was her vehicle to that freedom. Is our future happiness really in our hands? If she had made a better choice of lovers, would she have truly found what she was looking for? I think she would have been happier a rich widow on her own, but I don't know if the times would have allowed that for her. She did not want to be controlled by anyone, and trying to escape her own culture and family circle simply made her more wretched. Funny how as soon as she had thrown off all the typical "constraints" of her society, she wanted back in to that same society, just in a different culture.
Are we happier with what is familiar and accepted? And is marraige truly a method of creating joy in life, or does it intensify the difficulty and sacrifice of life?
Look out for the extremely awkward milk scene.

I'm affirmed in my choice....

We are dog people, Ron and I. For the rest of our lives, we will have dogs. It's just a given. So when my old darling Barney was showing his age, we thought we should get another dog to help me through Barney's death. We also thought that since we would always have dogs, we might as well have good dogs, handpicked-for-character dogs, rather than the crap shoot of pound dogs. And then we decided to pick a dog breed that we would want more of in the world.
We landed on the miniature schnauzer. What I love: their looks, their gameness- they are a go anywhere do anything breed, their mellowness in the house (yes they want to sit on your lap, but they aren't the crotch sniffing pawers like, say, a lab), the fact that they like you and aren't afraid to show it. (unlike dear departed Barney, whose greatest show of affection was to come sit at your feet, stink up your personal space, and leave after about 3 minutes.)
What I didn't know about Schnauzers is that they are AWESOME kid dogs. Who knew? And how did these dogs get their yapping ankle biting status?
Anyways, Tilly's first litter came January 1st. New Year's Day. She had them all alone in her kennel as we were out all day with friends. (I know, I know, leaving her all alone in her time of need! GUILTY. However I didn't know she was going to pop that day! )
Tilly, I am not in love with. She barks. She is codependant. She is unsure of strangers in the house. However she redeemed herself by being an awesome mother. Totally awesome.
Here are her pups. They were SO cute, and so much fun. They are all in good homes here in Meeteetse!

#1 Princess Caraboo

Characters: Female lead is so so on acting ability, the one who carries it all is Gutch, the male lead. He's awesome.
Sex scenes: none, thank goodness
Story line: creative, good story, held my interest right to the end
Cinematography: typical 80's washed out color. But check out that bed!

This movie I actually had to put on my playlist for Netflix. I couldn't find it anywhere to watch for free, go figure!
I remember watching this when I was a teenager and loving it. Re-watching it, I have to say the plot line was very creative and interesting, but the love story is, sorry Gutch, implausible. The older I get the less imagination I have for the " I know I love you after three meetings" story lines. They just won't make it: He picks his nose! She lies about eating the last of the Doritos! How can three meetings prepare them for those kind of issues?
The story is excellent though, and made even better in that it is true. I'm too lazy to actually research how much of it is true, but it's definitly uplifting to think it could of happened!
This movie is a cupcake: light, sweet, No effort to eat. Two thumbs up.

What to watch when you have no TV.

To be honest, having no TV is pretty awesome. I am a closet TV addict, and if we had cable I'm pretty sure my children would grow up with out their mother. I can spend HOURS on HGTV alone! We do have a TV and VCR/DVD thing to play movies on, but most of the time I watch TV on the computer. My faves are House, Project Runway, and until I finished the last episode of the last season last night, the Australian show called "McLeod's Daughters." And, I have to include this. I'm sorry for those of you that have a picture of a highly intellectual Faith in your mind (Mom? Mom? that's still you, right?) but I love, have loved, and will always love America's Next Top Model.
Ahhhh. Feels good to get that off my chest.

So anyways.... I was wandering around on Youtube last night and there was this list of period drama movies. we're talking 300 period drama movies. Now, you will never convince me that "Pirates of the Caribbean" is a period drama, but she had lots of movies I had never seen before, and some that I have seen and love. So I made a list and for the next 50 days will try and watch one period drama a day and reveiw it here! If I can't watch it for free on Youtube or Netflix then I'll have to bypass it, but I think this will be really fun! Let's go to the movies!
Watch along with me and post your comments! I'd love to hear what you think!

Another post about poop...

You know how young moms are always obsessively talking about their kids' poop? I usually try to avoid that merry go round, but here's one I have to tell:

The other day LB was playing outside by himself. I went outside to check on him:
"Wat're you doing LB?"
"I pooped Mama."
"Oh you did? Where?"
"I show you!"
He was really excited about showing me and took off towards the big pines that line the highway in front. Now in our side yard, there are aformentioned pines, right next to a walled drop off bordered by the sidewalk and the highway. When you are standing on the side walk, the wall reaches to about eyelevel, and then stretches into lawn. This is an important fact- the person standing on the lawn by the wall is at the perfect eye height for passing motorists.
LB takes me past (Oh no, Oh no thinks the mortified mother) the pines. There before me is the deed, right on top of the wall. Basically LB gave every passing driver a show he or she will never forget.
"I think maybe it's time you came inside now, LB."