Tag Archives: movies

Monstrous Me

I am having a Monstrous Monday.

I can explain.

Well, here are a couple of monsters of the human variety, my husband Steve and I.  I was clicking around on my Tablet, hoping to chance on “search the internet” and instead downloaded this.  These were taken last summer at the Great American Irish Festival in Frankfort, NY.  Regular readers may remember that I was there to perform with Mummers Along the Mohawk.

Not exactly monsters.

Here are some of the Mummers, at a rehearsal.  I never got any pictures of us in full costume.

My shape, if I don’t go back on the South Beach Diet.

I thought I would get back to regular monsters with one of our favorite monster movies, The Blob.  Steve McQueen,  what’s not to like?

“I still don’t know why they wanted me in this blog post.”

Regular readers were probably expecting to see Nosferatu. I just love this guy.  The caption references a lite beer commercial from the 1970’s.  A bunch of guys at a bar get into a big argument over what’s best about the beer.

“Tastes great!”  yell half the guys.

“Less filling!” yell the other half.

Then this lone guy says to the camera, “I still don’t know why they wanted me to be in this commercial.”

It makes me laugh to this day.  I suppose that falls under the heading It Takes So Little To Please Some People.  Oh well, at least somebody is pleased on Monstrous Monday.

 

Wuss-out Wednesday With Witches

I can’t wait to put her out again this year!

I was afraid I would have another Blogger’s Sick Day.  Then I thought I could manage a Mid-Week Monsters post.  Unfortunately I made a Monstrous Monday post.  Dare I have too many monsters?  So I thought a Wuss-out Wednesday post would be OK.  Still, pictures always dress up a post.  That was when I thought of Wednesday Witches.  How could I resist?

Today’s first witch is one of our own porch decorations.  We found her at Pumpkin Junction in Sauquoit,  NY.  I will be glad to go there again this year!

Witches love to make shadow puppets.

One problem is that I do not seem to have many pictures of witches in my Media Library.  I must step up my picture game.  Still, who doesn’t love Margaret Hamilton?  Many consider her Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz to be the quintessential hag.

A few members of a scary coven.

This is from Horror Hotel, one of my favorite Halloween movies.  These are truly evil witches, not fun, friendly brew mama’s like the one in the first picture.

I cast a spell on you!

I suppose some of you were making jokes about me being a witch (perhaps spelled with a b) since reading the headline (you know who you are).  Well, this is me at the Ilion Days DooDah Parade in 2018.  It is actually my wizard outfit, but I substituted the witch’s hat, because it was a sunny day and I wanted the brim.

I think Wednesday Witches may become a semi-regular thing.  Any thoughts?

 

Monsters But Very Little Brain

Since Monstrous Monday did not work out, I thought I would indulge in some Mid-Week Monsters.  At least it will not be a Wuss-out Wednesday post.

I love the side-eye.

I open with a shot from The Brain That Wouldn’t Die,  as an ironic comment on the fact that my brain has apparently died.  I blame allergy season.  Yet I hope to bestir my meager brain to some activity, since I have a murder mystery to finish writing (preview of coming attractions).

I like to think I’m one of them.

This is not exactly a monster, except by the axiom that people are the worst monsters, but it seemed appropriate since I just mentioned my murder mystery.  A new season of Deadly Women  starts soon.  I am looking forward to it.

Isn’t she hot?

Here is a deadly woman as well as a monster of the human variety.  It is our friend, Ellen McQueeney in Amy Fisher: The Musical.  This was back in the 1990’s.  We did not see the show but were delighted that Steven’s former classmate starred (please note: NOT his “old classmate”).

THIS is the size of brain I need!

I wanted to end with a monster of the monster variety and was lucky enough to come across The Brain From Planet Arous.  So I begin and end with a brain, having written this entire post without particularly using mine.  See what I did there?

 

Boris Karloff, Can You Help Me Now?

I think we all knew today was going to be Monstrous Monday.  At least, anybody who gives any thought to my silly blog knew it.  Anybody who did not think about it is probably not surprised. No matter.  On with the monsters!

Not exactly a monster movie…

This is from Bedlam, starring the marvelous Boris Karloff.  It is only a monster movie in a people-are-the-worst-monsters sort of way.  It is really an excellent flick.  I highly recommend it.

There’s the Karloff we know and love!

OK, here is a real monster,  two in fact. Bride of Frankenstein is billed as “The Monster Takes a Mate,” but it isn’t really much of a love story.

Who doesn’t love Una O’Connor?

Here is another shot from the same picture, just because I love Una O’Connor.  The other person in the picture is of the monstrous variety, Ernest Thesiger as Dr. Pretorius.

I once had a ‘do like that.

Here is a better view of the lovely Elsa Lanchester.  I love her especially in the introductory scene, as Mary Shelley.  “She is an angel!”

“You were looking for me?”

And here is one more of Karloff looking more like Karloff.  I don’t know what movie it is from.  I had thought Arsenic and Old Lace, but he was not in the movie.  Perhaps it was a publicity shot from the Broadway show.

At last I am over 200 words!  Happy Monday,  everyone!

 

 

Mid-Week Monster Movies

Do I have a feature called Mid-Week Movies?  Looking back, I see I have another post thus titled.  Anyways, we watched two movies tonight and since I got nuthin’ else, here goes.

Full disclosure: sometimes I feel like the Blob, or at least a blob.

I DVR’d The Blob sometime ago, as I usually do when I see it is on TCM.  It is one of our perennial favorites.   Since I am quite ready to begin the Halloween movie watching portion of our year, it was a good choice for tonight.  Oh, who am I kidding?  I am ready to watch Halloween movies at all times.

It’s scary!

To continue with the monster theme (ooh, could this post be Mid-Week Monsters? ), I suggested Little Shop of Horrors, by which I mean the original Roger Corman flick, NOT the musical.  Steven graciously agreed.  That was very nice of him, because in general he is not as big a fan of the cheesy stuff as I am.

My favorite character is Gravis Mushnick.

We are tired after our movie viewing and will probably go to bed soon.  I’m sorry this is not a more riveting description of the evening, but you’ll have that.  At least, with my blog you will.  I guess I’ll close with one more monster picture.

“You were looking for a monster?”

Naturally I wanted to use my favourite,  Nosferatu.  I may even watch that movie again soon.

 

Fun Time on a Sunday

Here is a quick shout-out to Waterfront Grille in Herkimer, NY.  My husband Steven and I were having a delightful time sitting on our deck but eventually decided a change of scenery would be nice.  Hence we headed for 800 Mohawk Street and looked for a seat at the bar.

Steven naturally drank a toast to me.

We sat at the bar and ordered appetizers, my favorite thing to do.

I tried to get a couple more pictures of the wider view.

Through the screen but interesting.

A better view.

I admired a baby a man was holding.  He also had a little girl,  who was very taken with the view.  I tried to get a shot of the family catching Li’l Diamond.

Here they are!

No, here!

Eventually I only wanted a shot if our bartender.

Here are Dawn and Steve.

We had a delightful afternoon.  I hope to visit the  Waterfront Grille again soon.  Perhaps we will even go on a boat cruise. I believe a variety of tours are  available.

 

Post Mummers Post

I knew early on today that it was going to be Wrist to Forehead Sunday.   I felt it in my tired body and dull head.  But I had to revive myself somehow, at least temporarily,  because I had one more performance with Mummers Along the Mohawk.

By the way, we were awesome.  I do not feel egotistical saying it, because I speak as part of a group.  Anyways, as I often observe, there are worse things than having an ego the size of Manhattan (not that I have ever actually measured an ego, mine or otherwise).  But I digress. I hope to make a real post about the Great American Irish Festival and about the Mummers, but now is not the time.

Now is the time to make a fast post, so I do not fall further behind; then I can return to the wine drinking, movie watching portion of the evening.

Oh no! It’s Wrist to Forehead Sunday!

 

The movie we are currently viewing is The Birds, a good Sunday night flick.  Before that we saw Creature from the Haunted Sea, but I do not have any pictures of that in my Media Library and it is not so easy to get pictures when I am on my Tablet.  At least for me.  I suppose others can do it with ease, and there is another reason for me to pose dramatically with the back of one wrist on my forehead.

No, I am not telling you to get out of here! Sheesh!

I wanted to include another picture, so here is one from I Saw What You Did, our selection from two days ago.  I loves me some William Castle!

So I hope this is a sufficient blog post.  My theatrical commitments are done for the time being.  Perhaps I can manage to make some better blog posts.  As always, I hope you’ll stay tuned.

 

Slacker Sunday? Or Cinema? Whatever!

Is Slacker Sunday a thing or does this have to be a Sunday Cinema post?   I don’t know why I’m asking.  This is my blog and I make the rules.  Full disclosure: I have had a couple of drinks.  Judge me if you are so inclined.

We began the relaxing portion of our Sunday out on our deck, enjoying a lovely breeze and watching some laundry flap.  How I love my clothesline and am so grateful to my parents for giving it to me.

Eventually we went back into the house and pu in our DVD of Death on the Nile, one of our star-studded Agatha  Christies (ooh, that autocorrect burns my buns!  “What the” instead of “Agatha”?  And “buns”  instead of “burns”?  What the Hell?).

After Death on the Nile, we enjoyed Rope, an Alfred Hitchcock,  but not one of his more prominent films. Now we are watching The Giant Gila Monster, from our collection of 50 Horror Classics. I can’t say I am particularly enamored of the flick, but I’m the one who picked it.

I feel sorry I can’t share pictures of these movies, but it is not so easy on the Tablet as it is on the laptop.   We all know I am not as technologically adept as one could wish.  However, this is Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  I swoon on my metaphorical chaise lounge and hope for a better post tomorrow.

 

Scream! Scream For Your Lives!

This doesn’t happen to me when I take a nap.

I just finished watching The Tingler after watching The Fatal Hour, which was not the thrill I was hoping for, and a couple of episodes of 20/20 on OWN.

I guess this is going to be a Non-Sequitur Thursday post,  although the title does have something to do with at least the first paragraph (if you don’t get it, watch The Tingler).  That is, I am making a post pretty much just to make a post, so I will blather on for 200 words or so and hit Publish.  At least I will try to be amusing.

I went out adventuring earlier, and had a couple of good ones, at least one of which I hope to write into an article for Mohawk Valley Living magazine (preview of coming attractions).  Then I had a headache and took a nap.  I hoped to get together with my friend Kim,  which no doubt would have made a decent post, but alas, that did not work out.

When it became clear I was home for the night, I poured myself a (second) glass of Pinot Noir and put in a cheesy movie, The Fatal Hour with Boris Karloff.  I don’t have a picture of it, but you are not missing much.   It is not a horror movie,  it is a detective story.  I only stuck with it because it featured an intrepid girl reporter.  I just love an intrepid girl reporter.

Another shot from The Tingler, just to have another illustration.