Wednesday, September 16, 2015

In Which I Relate to You How Certain Movies Make Me Feel (Because I'm Sure You Were Just Dying to Know)


Movies can evoke all sorts of feelings and emotions.  Some give you that cozy, wintry, curl up in a blanket sort of feeling; while others make you want to charge out into the world and make a difference.  They can thrill you, inspire you, make you happy or sad, cause you feelings of annoyance, and even make you downright mad.  There's all sorts. 

And so, just because I feel like being random today, I'm going to give you a few examples of movies I like (or dislike) and how they make me feel.  Because, like I said, I'm sure you've all been dying to know.  (Well, haven't you?) 

Amazing Grace


This movie inspires me.  Totally.  It breaks my heart and puts it back together (and *ahem* makes me want to marry a William Wilberforce).  But not only that.  It inspires me to make a difference in this world.  This world needs people with passion who aren't afraid to speak up.  Who aren't afraid to stand for truth...for righteousness.  I love this movie because it's the story of a man who didn't give up.  He believed in what he was fighting for and it was more important to him than his own comfort, his own health, and his own reputation.  I want to be like that, too.  (And I love how full of hope this movie is.  With God's help we truly can make a difference in this world.)


David Copperfield (1999)


I saw this picture online the other day and this huge wave of nostalgia hit me.  That's how this movie makes me feel, nostalgic.  I must have seen this film a year or so after it's release, when I was around nine-years-old.  It's not the perfect adaption of David Copperfield (I don't think there is a perfect adaption yet, which is a shame) but it has a lot of lovely memories attached to it.  This movie triggered a lot of creative play for me and my siblings.  We became the characters.  (You see David and Dora in that picture above?  Those are really two of my siblings in disguise.  I know them.)  And my oldest sister and I; we would spend hours in our room quoting all the best parts back and forth.  We loved that movie.  And so, even though I now find much to be desired in it (I've read the book and it's much better) I'm still quite fond of this movie. It takes me back to my childhood.  And I have to admit, I have no objections to being taken back to such a happy place as that.


Wives and Daughters


Will I disappoint a great many people if I say that this movie causes me feelings of irritation?  Well, I'm sorry, but it does.  The main point of irritation being that the characters never seem to really come alive.  They're well cast (most of them) and they say all the right lines and do all the right things, but there's just something missing.  All I can say is--for me, personally--they never became real.  I don't know why.  And it's a great pity because I really liked the book and would have so enjoyed watching it played out on screen.  (Also I did not particularly like the casting for Dr. Gibson and Roger.  They just didn't match my mental image of the characters.  Sorry, but it's the truth.)


Pride and Prejudice (1995)


*A peaceful and contented sigh* 

Contentment, yes.  Pride and Prejudice is the kind of movie that makes me feel relaxed and cozy and serenely happy.   Oh!  It's such a beautiful movie.  What more can I say?


Pride and Prejudice (2005)


Makes me feel sarcastic.  In the extreme!  Oh!  The commentary that accompanies this movie--and continues for several hours afterward--is not to be described!   I'm afraid I can be terribly brutal.  My mouth just won't stay shut.  "Their hair!   Now that's regency style, I must say!"   "What?  A PIG?  In the HOUSE?"  "Listening at the keyholes?  Yeah, right!  That's just the way Lizzie would have behaved!  Why, she's as bad as Lydia!"  "Mr. Bingley?  Oh, no!  I can't watch!  I can't watch!!"  "Stop walking around in your night-clothes, everyone!  Please!  That just isn't done!"  "Mr. Darcy, would you please stop saying 'Mrs. Darcy, Mrs. Darcy, Mrs. Darcy.'  You sound like a broken record.  Have a little compassion on my nerves."  Yeah.  You probably didn't want to know how I feel about this movie.  ;)


The Lord of the Rings Trilogy 


Haha!  Alright, so this movie seems like a rather odd one to include in this list, for some reason, but I thought I'd mention it anyway because this film series certainly evokes a lot of emotions in me.  For example: It makes me nostalgic, frustrated, annoyed, happy, delighted, appalled, sad, and sarcastic.  It makes me laugh (in a good way), laugh (in a sarcastic way), sigh contently, and groan dismally.  This movie confuses me somewhat.  I think I like it and then I think I don't...and overall I'll just say "the books are better, but the movies are okay."  :)


The Happiest Millionaire


Oh!  This movie!  This movie makes me feel so happy!  It's just so much fun!  I've watched it many times and I still find it absolutely delightful.  The characters are so good, the music is wonderful, and...yeah...I have to say, it's one of my favorite Disney films.  (Seriously, the last time I watched it I had this silly grin plastered all over my face for the entire first scene!  It was really quite ridiculous.)


Cranford 


Dare I say it?  This movie frustrates me.  It had so much potential...so many characters to do so many good things with...and yet it all seemed to fall so terribly flat.  It was honestly rather boring.  And it's not because I don't like simple, slow-moving plots, because I do.  I guess it was just the same kind of feeling as I had with Wives and Daughters.  In my mind, the characters had all the right ingredients but they never quite lived.  My imagination was always one step ahead and the characters and plotlines never quite caught up.  If that makes any sense.


Random Harvest


This movie makes be both happy and sad.  It's really a rather tragic story...heartbreaking even...but the end!  Oh! Such blissful happiness!  (If you've never seen this movie you should really find it and watch it because it's so lovely.  It's the kind of sad that makes you feel happy...if you know what I mean.)


Well I guess that's all for now.  This really was a pretty random post...but it gave me the opportunity to use some nice pictures, so I'm satisfied.  ;)


Which of these movies have you seen? 
And what are your feelings on them?

Friday, September 4, 2015

All Those Lovely Questions


I've been nominated a second time for the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award!


...and I'm positively delighted!   Thanks ever so much, Naomi, for tagging me!  

First off, I guess I'd better mention the rules.  Because, you know, these tags have rules and we must always mention them whether we follow them or not.  *wink*

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you, linking back to their site.
2.  Put the award logo on your blog.
3. Answer the ten questions sent to you.
4. Make up ten new questions for your nominees to answer.
5. Nominate ten other bloggers

There you are.  Now you can all keep a close look out and see which rules I follow and which rules I don't.  Haha!  Though I'm guessing you already have a pretty good idea which ones I'm going to skip.  (Why, yes, of course it will be the last two.  How clever of you.)  Seriously though, I think I won't nominate anyone today, or come up with any new questions, because I did this tag already and I don't want it to get too repetitive for people.

Alright.  Let's begin.


1. Describe your eyes.

(Was that a question, or a command?  :)  No, it's okay.  I will obey.)  Brown.

(By the way, I do not look like this girl.  I just included her because she has brown eyes.  What's wrong with that?)

...Haha.  Okay, I know, that was a pretty lame description.  Let me try again.  My eyes look like...eyes.  (Obviously.)  They're brown--sorry I think I said that already.  They're rather large (or so I assume as my mom used to tease me whenever I'd open them extremely wide that I'd better not let them get any larger or they'd pop out of my head).  They have permanent dark circles under them (which I hope are not too awfully noticeable) on account of my not getting enough sleep.  And they have very distinct little crinkles along the sides when I smile.  (Did I do alright?) 

(Oh, and you don't think I used too many parenthesis, do you?  Because, really, I don't like to overdo things.  (Heehee.))

Moving on...

2. What's the last thing you bought?  (And food doesn't count.)

An LP record of one of my all time favorite singers, Andrew Culverwell.  He is a Christian artist who wrote music mostly during the 70's and 80's.  And his music is SO good...and I mean SOOOO good.  I am currently collecting all of his old albums and hoping to get a record player some day so that I can listen to them--you know, because when you buy music you usually want to listen to it. 

3. Do you keep a diary?  (And do you let people read it, or is it filled with dark secrets?)

I used to keep a diary, but I was never very good at it.  I wrote a few things that would be classified as secret, but mostly I wouldn't wish anyone to read it simply because the writing is so painfully bad.  I do like to share some of my earliest journal entries with my siblings, though, because it's SO much fun to laugh over my atrocious spelling errors.  (For example:  millck [milk], orenj jous [orange juice], holde hanes [hold hands], shoosh [shoes]...I'm not kidding.  It was that bad.)

4. If you could choose, have pink hair for a week, or have one encounter with Blandois from 'Little Dorrit' in the night on a lonely road? (For those of you who haven't read or seen Little Dorrit, Blandois is this horrible character who turns blood into ice. (not literally.))

Okay, well I really liked Olivia's answer over at Meanwhile in Rivendell, but of course I can't steal it, so I'm going to have to go with my original answer.  As Blandois is NOT the kind of person one would like to meet on a lonely road...

(What makes you think I would ever choose to meet up with such an odious man?  You must be joking!)


...I'm afraid I'm going to have to suffer through having pink hair for a week.  Ugh.  BUT WAIT!  First, I'm going to find a very beautiful, and stylish, hat that will completely cover my hair.  Because I simply will not  be seen in public with my hair in such a state.  (Or maybe I will just stay quietly at home until my hair turns brown again.  That's also an option.)
5. What do you imagine I look like?  (I'm curious.)

This is a rather tough one, as I don't have a very distinct mental image of you.  I guess I'd have to say that I imagine you as a girl with dark, wavy hair and a face that is covered with a large red box which reads, "20 Facts about Me."  Haha.  However, if I let my imagination go somewhat further, I'd say--in my mind--you have a very lively sort of face, with a lot of expression, and a huge infectious grin.  I imagine you to be short rather than tall, and very energetic and fond of skipping about the house.  Do I come close in any particulars? 

6. Did you ever believe in Santa Claus?

Never!  And I would have been totally affronted had anyone suspected me of such a thing.  I was far too clever!  Haha! 

7. When do you allow yourself to start listening to Christmas songs?

I don't really allow or disallow.  I just listen to it whenever I feel like it.  Which really isn't that often except around Christmas...though I do play Christmas carols on the piano at random times throughout the year.  Just because.

8. Do you have a pair of pink shoes?  (Because I think I want them.)

Oh, I used to.  They were light pink sandals which I wore for my brother's wedding, but I don't have them anymore.  (Sorry, Naomi.)

9. When you say the word 'brother' in a British accent, do you end up saying 'brotha' or 'brother'?  (Because often when people try out British accents, they make the mistake of doing the latter.)

I'm not sure I've said brother in a British accent all that much...but I think I would tend to say 'brotha'.  Anyway, I hope I would, as that is obviously the correct way.  And I do so like to be correct about things.

10. Which literary character can you mimic the best?

Ach.  I don't know.  I can't think of any.  When I was younger I used to be pretty famous for my impersonation of Mrs. Gummidge from BBC's David Copperfield (1999).  However, I'm not sure if that was because I was actually good at mimicking her, or if my fame simply arose from that fact that it was totally hilarious to see a nine-year-old girl wailing, "I'm a lone lorn creature, Danel, and everything goes contrary with me!  I make the house un-CUMFtable.  Oh, I DO!"  (Boo hoo!)  :)

*****
Well, that's it.  That's the tag.  I followed all the rules...except the ones I didn't...and now I really must be off!

Thanks again, Naomi!  These questions were so much fun to answer!

So long, everyone!