thoughts-all-sorts-blog

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It's a Wonderful Tag

It’s a Wonderful Tag

Happy Friday Saturday everyone. The weekend draws near is here… I’ve been Tagged by Drew (Drew’s Movie Reviews) and he explains roughly as follows: a Tag is a series of questions that the blogger answers before tagging several more bloggers to answer themselves.  This particular Tag was started by Richard at The Humpo Show. Richard covers all kinds of topics on his blog, from film to music to…

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My childhood hero in Big Jake and The War Wagon

My childhood hero in Big Jake and The War Wagon

John Wayne…the first actor I fell in “love” with. Maybe not so much with the man himself but with the on-screen persona. The larger-than-life cowboy. And maybe not so much love but admiration. The War Wagon (1967) is probably one of the first movies I recall watching. And…I watched it over and over and over and over….at one point I knew most of the dialogue by heart. Here John Wayne plays Taw…

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Musical Notes: Discovering Organists

Musical Notes: Discovering Organists

I absolutely love discovering musicians or bands that I’ve never heard of. And…I love organ music. But big, powerful organ music. When I used to play, the more stops I could pull out and the bigger the chords, the better. There’s nothing quite like an organist’s power kick. While most people associate organ music with dreary church music, it absolutely doesn’t have to be that way. There are some…

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Agnes who?

I have a confession to make. I had no idea who Agnes Moorehead was before In The Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood asked me if I’d like to join the Agnes Moorehead Blogathon. Having become totally addicted to Blogathons and not wanting to let anyone down (and besides, I now knew that Agnes had appeared in How the West Was Won which I’d seen, so…easy-peasy) I agreed. And had sleepless nights ever…

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Girl Week: Augusta, Louise and Mad (The Keeping Room (2014))

Girl Week: Augusta, Louise and Mad (The Keeping Room (2014))

Three women who deserve a spot amongst my Girl Week entries are Augusta, Louise and Mad of the intense The Keeping Room. These three ladies, played by Brit Marling, Hailee Steinfeld and Muna Otaru respectively, are left to defend their home during the American Civil War. The story picks up late during the War until which point they have managed to take care of themselves. This all changes with…

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In a Nutshell: Plunkett & Macleane (1999)

In a Nutshell: Plunkett & Macleane (1999)

It has been ages since I’ve had so much fun watching a movie. The witty dialogue, great acting all accompanied by the perfect mix of music makes this absolutely brilliant. Plunkett, the one with a criminal background, and Macleane, the “socialite” are thrown together by circumstance and so begins their career as the Gentlemen Highwaymen. The plan: through Macleane‘s connections they’ll target the…

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Girl Week: Kat Stratford (10 Things I Hate About You (1999))

Girl Week: Kat Stratford (10 Things I Hate About You (1999))

The third girl (I hope you also feel she’s the main protagonist here) to have a go for Girl Week is Kat Stratford. The shrew of Padua High School. Briefly, the story is that newbie in school Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) wants to date popular Bianca Stratford (Larisa Oleynik) BUT, she is only allowed to date if her unpopular sister Kat (Julia Stiles) dates. And that’s the tricky part. Kat does…

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Girl Week: The Lady (The Quick and the Dead (1995))

Girl Week: The Lady (The Quick and the Dead (1995))

“The Lady”, now that’s a cowgirl. I mean who has such presence that, when riding into a dusty little town, everyone stops to stare? And she hasn’t even done anything yet. Sharon Stone takes on the role of this mysterious stranger who rides into the town of Redemption to enter the Quick Draw Contest. This tournament is held by ruthless and evil mayor Herod (Gene Hackman) who also takes 50c of…

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Girl Week: Selene (Underworld (2003))

Girl Week: Selene (Underworld (2003))

I really thought I’d entered enough Blogathons for the year and then Girl Week 2016 just had to catch my eye didn’t it  ;-) ??? Well…I just couldn’t resist. Here’s a little something different from me (well, some of you may think so anyway*). Coming to mind is Selene (appropriately meaning Moon in Greek) from the Underworld movies. She’s a Death Dealer i.e. she goes out hunting down the Lycans…

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In a Nutshell: North & South (2004)

In a Nutshell: North & South (2004)

Ahhh…just passionate and beautiful and oh soooo romantic. North & South had me right from the beginning. This 4 part mini-series tells the story of southerner Margaret Hale (Daniela Denby-Ashe, at first I didn’t even recognise her as Janey from My Family) who is uprooted by her father and moved to the northern town of Milton. Here she befriends local mill workers and their families, being made…

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Adore...Friendship on a different level...

Adore…Friendship on a different level…

Adore (2013) aka Two Mothers aka Adoration (based on the novel The Grandmothers by Doris Lessing) is uncomfortable and unconventional yet easily one of my favourites (don’t judge me). Let me introduce Lil and Roz: They are neighbours and since girlhood, have been very close friends. That friendship continues to the present day where they are mothers to adult sons, who likewise, are best…

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In a Nutshell: The Immigrant (2013)

In a Nutshell: The Immigrant (2013)

The Immigrant. Hmmm, I’m not sure how I feel about it but I definitely didn’t dislike it. It tells the story of Polish immigrant Ewa Cybulska (Marion Cotillard) who is about to be deported when Bruno Weiss (Joaquin Phoenix) preys on the situation and draws her into the dark world of vaudeville and prostitution. Complicating matters is Orlando the Magician/Emil (Jeremy Renner doing some brilliant…

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Absolutely Magical - Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away

Absolutely Magical – Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away

Cirque du Soleil. Something so magically special. I was hooked when I had the good fortune of seeing O in Las Vegas a number of years back. I loved every moment of this spectacular show and in some way wished it would never end. I did the “touristy” thing and tried to find a DVD but there were only other shows available. Besides, nothing could capture the same atmosphere and feeling as the live…

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In a Nutshell: The Guest (2014)

In a Nutshell: The Guest (2014)

Wheeeeeewwww….I exhale. What a ride. You want something intense? Something that you don’t know where it is heading? Try The Guest. David appears on the Peterson family’s doorstep introducing himself as a former soldier and best friend who served with their late son. Right from this moment you know something is off but you just can’t place it. More than that, I just can’t let on. I can, however,…

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Grace Kelly's Mrs Kane in High Noon

Grace Kelly’s Mrs Kane in High Noon

High Noon (1952). A masterpiece western which I must admit, I appreciate more on viewing it this time round than the first time. It may be one of two reasons: 1) the fact that I know what it is about and so can concentrate on other aspects or 2) the fact that I viewed it with a focus on Grace Kelly for the Grace Kelly Blogathon. Either way, it is still a brilliant movie that has more to it than…

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In a Nutshell: The Grand Seduction (2013)

In a Nutshell: The Grand Seduction (2013)

Looking for something fun and light? The Grand Seduction is perfect. Tickle Head, Newfoundland. A tiny fishing village in dire need of a factory. The catch? They need a resident doctor and they’ve tried for years. So, when Dr. Paul Lewis (Taylor Kitsch) is caught at the airport in possession of cocaine, strings are pulled that this offense will be conveniently overlooked if he goes to Tickle…

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In a Nutshell: Heiter bis Wolkig (2012)

In a Nutshell: Heiter bis Wolkig (2012)

Heiter bis Wolkig (Partly Sunny). Aptly named, this film is about Can (Elyas M’Barek) and Tim (Max Riemelt) who pick up girls by claiming one of them is terminally ill and therefore having only one more wish…you fill in the rest. Most girls fall for this and things seem to go well until Tim meets Marie (Anna Fischer) who’s sister really is ill. As fate would have it, Marie and Tim fall for each…