Book One of my Dark Throne duology, Balefire, is officially available for pre-order today in Kindle format on Amazon.com!
What's this adventure fantasy about? Here's the description from the back of the book:
Rain’s only goal is survival. All those rumors that the kingdom is on the brink of war, or that Orin Balefire, the ruthless crown prince, aims to usurp the throne… None of it matters, until she steals a magical relic crucial to Orin’s devious plans. Overnight, she shifts from starving refugee to royal target number one.
Aided by Reece Railey, disenchanted captain of Orin’s personal guard, Rain flees for her life.
Though magic has been outlawed for generations, Rain and Reece learn it is far from dead. If they revive the old practices, it will unlock the relic’s secrets and open a path to use magic for great good. But it will also hand Orin the power to plunge the realm into darkness.
And magic, they discover, isn’t just a tool. It has a will of its own.
Hamlette nominated me for this one, so here we go!
The Rules:
Display the award’s official logo somewhere on your blog.
Thank the person who nominated you.
Provide a link to your nominator’s blog.
Answer your nominator’s questions.
Nominate up to 11 bloggers.
Ask your nominees 11 questions.
Notify your nominees by commenting on at least one of their blog posts.
1. What's the first movie you have a memory of watching?
I don't. There were movies playing on television daily growing up. Cinematic images and characters are part of my childhood landscape, but there's no way to pull one out of a hat as the first.
2. Have you ever written a fan letter to a celebrity? (If so, did you get a reply?)
No, never wrote a fan letter.
3. What are the three funniest movies you have ever seen?
It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963), Tropic Thunder (2008), Free Guy (2021)
4. What movie do you really want to change the ending of?
I'm sure I have several, but for the moment, I can't think of any where the ending is the only thing I would change. I just keep thinking of movies where I want to change a lot more.
5. What movie do you wish had a sequel, but it doesn't?
The Man from U.N.C.L.E (2015) and The Lone Ranger (2013)
6. Who were were favorite actor and actress when you were a teen?
David Hedison, didn't have a favorite actress (I had lots of favorite female characters, but not actresses)
7. Who are your favorite actor and actress now?
Ben Mendelsohn, still have lots of favorite female characters, but not actresses
8. Does anyone else in your family love movies?
Everyone.
9. If you could pick an actor/actress to play you in a movie, who would you choose?
Sela Ward
10. Do you ever watch a movie in the theater more than once?
Oh yeah, all the time. Countless movies. Going back to see a movie I love in the theater over and over is one of the great joys in life. Or it used to be. When there were movies worth seeing.
11. Are there any movies coming out in 2024 that you are looking forward to?
The re-release of The Fifth Element (1997) in November. I honestly don't think I could name a single new movie coming out this year. I've gotten so out of touch with movies. I suppose I should go look at a release schedule.
Thanks for nominating me, Hamlette! Fun questions!
I'm saddened by the news today that David Soul has passed on. We all have favorite actors, of course, but we also have some actors who mean a bit more to us. David Soul was one of those. I'll be watching some Starsky & Hutch tonight.
And I just heard Glynis Johns too??? Adding The Court Jester to my list of watching for the day. It's my favorite movie of hers. How I wanted to be her in that role when I was young!
RIP to both. You made my life richer for your movies, shows, and singing.
Boy, my last post was in September. Makes me sad that I'm not here writing about movies anymore. However, when I checked what movies I saw in 2023... it was a downright pathetic list. I saw exactly 4 movies in the theater all year. Three of them were re-releases. Only one was a new movie, and that was Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny... which, while new, is based off something older, so it almost doesn't even count.
The three re-releases were:
The Return of the King
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Love Actually
And that's it. That's the sum total of my theater-going experience in 2023. Is there anything that came out that I regret not going to see? No. There just weren't any new movies besides Indy that appealed enough to go see.
Looking through my list of movies watched on DVD or streaming that were new to me, the only one that stands out was Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, which I watched on Amazon Prime and absolutely loved. The rest... not so much. Ah well, not every year is going to be a winner on the movie front!
On the series front, I loved Ahsoka. As a fan of Clone Wars and a huge fan of Rebels, this show gave me everything I could have wanted and then some. It built off characters and situations from both shows, but seeing all those things I loved for so long in animated form appear in live action... whoa. It satisfied on every single level and jumped immediately into my all-time top 5 favorite Star Wars movies/shows. My sister and I have watched the later episodes multiple times now, and they just don't get old. This show won't be for everyone. It is definitely a direct continuation of what came in Clone Wars and Rebels. It offers no explanations and assumes viewers know all the characters and why the threat is so big. For viewers without that background, all the things that hyped us up would be pretty meaningless, I suspect.
Here's hoping 2024 has some better movie releases!
Here are my tag answers for Hamlette's Tolkien blog party this year. Follow that link for all the links to all the goodies and posts and delightful entries this year.
1. Rohan or Gondor?
Neither. I'm not fond of open grassland, and that's Rohan; neither am I fond of cities, and that's Gondor.
2. Rivendell or Lothlorien?
Lothlorien. No matter how beautiful it is, the noise of those waterfalls in Rivendell would kill me. I'll take living in the quiet trees where I can catch a glimpse of Celeborn any day over that.
3. Erebor or Moria?
I would have answered Erebor until watching Rings of Power. Now, having seen Moria in its prime, I'd really like more of Moria, please. And more Durin and Disa.
4. Bilbo or Frodo?
Bilbo. Mostly because Martin Freeman made me love the character fiercely.
5. Merry or Pippin?
Merry, cuz he's the Hobbit I most relate to.
6. Galadriel or Elrond?
Elrond, particularly in the Hobbit films.
7. Eomer or Faramir?
In the movies, neither. In the books? Eomer.
8. Fili or Kili?
In the books, neither. In the movies? I love them both! Fili is one of the characters I'm most like, though, so if I have to pick, I'll go with him.
9. Bard or Beorn?
Beorn. Lives alone in one of the prettiest places in Middle Earth, cares for gorgeous horses, guardian.
10. Gandalf the Grey or Gandalf the White?
Gandalf the Grey. Mostly because I like Fellowship and the Hobbit movies better than Return of the King.
I have just heard that one of my favorite sopranos, the great Renata Scotto, has passed away. She was a staple of my growing up, and there are some operas (Suor Angelica, Otello, Manon Lescaut, among others) that I just can't imagine without her voice.
Thank you for a legacy of fantastic opera performances and recordings. R.I.P.
Hamlette the Dame has tagged me with a Sunshine Blogger Award! Thank you! These are always fun because the questions change every time this one goes around.
The Rules
1. Thank the blogger who nominated you in the blog post and link back to their blog.
2. Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you.
3. Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
4. List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or on your blog.
On to the questions:
1. What's the last movie you watched? The Last Run (1971) with George C. Scott. Jerry Goldsmith's score to this movie is one of my all-time favorites, and I've wanted to see the movie for ages. It had a great car chase and some lovely on location scenery. George C. Scott was excellent, the rest of the cast not so much. Not as bad a film as I was expecting based on some reviews, but not one I'd probably watch in its entirety again either.
2. What's the next movie you plan to watch? Unknown. That will get decided spur of the moment next time I want to watch something, or perhaps it will be something the family chooses.
3. What new movie release are you looking forward to? None? I'm actually not even aware of anything coming out for the rest of the year that I want to see. I'm looking forward more to the Ahsoka series than anything in the theater. Oh! I thought of one that I will go see, given that I've seen the rest of the franchise in the theater, and that is Expendables 4. I am looking forward to that!
4. What TV show(s) have you seen every episode of at least once? Star Trek, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Starsky and Hutch, Highlander, Hercules, Xena, Jack of All Trades, Rejseholdet, Lonesome Dove: the Outlaw Years, Nowhere Man, Firefly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., Earth 2, Young Indiana Jones, Rat Patrol, Burn Notice, The Unusuals, The Magnificent Seven, all the Star Wars series, most of the Marvel series, Time Tunnel, Forever, Almost Human, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, Quantum Leap, Sisters, Once Upon a Time... and so many more.
5. Pirates or vampires? Depends upon the context, but I think I'd prefer a ship full of vampire pirates than either one separately. Now that would be fun.
6. Do you own a camera? Not anymore. I'm just down to using the camera on my cellphone.
7. What's the last thing you did outside? Filled the trash can with yard waste and trundled it down to the street for pickup tomorrow.
8. How far do you live from where you were born? Approx 1300 miles.
9. Have you ever ridden a horse? Yes, and my family owned a horse for many years.
10. What ice cream flavor do you heartily dislike? I'm not an ice cream person, so I really only like vanilla. Even that I eat only rarely, and I usually regret it as soon as I've had it. I suppose ice cream with chunks of stuff in it is probably the worst for me.
11. What was the last thing you ate as a snack? Gluten-free pretzels.
And since I've gone so dormant on this blog, I no longer have many readers. I don't think I even have 11 blogs I could pass this on to anymore!
It's time for the annual Legends of Western Cinema Week blogathon. Check out this link at Hamlette's blog for a round-up of all the links to the various posts. As usual, there is a giveaway and fun games!
Here are my answers to this year's tag questions.
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Stetson -- a favorite hero moment (i.e. highlighting their character and/or making a pivotal decision, etc) Silverado (1985) - Scott Glenn and Danny Glover arming themselves. "This oughta do." Bruce Broughton's magnificent score.
Petticoat -- a favorite heroine moment (ditto) Cora in Quigley Down Under (1990) overcoming her past and protecting the baby from the dingoes.
Canteen -- a favorite scene with a leader/mentor Jackson helping Kid Shelleen prepare and dress for his confrontation with Tim Strawn in Cat Ballou (1965).
Gloves -- a favorite sidekick/friend scene Ride Lonesome - the "you're not going to work for me/you're gonna be a partner" scene between Pernell Roberts and James Coburn.
Canyon -- a favorite western landscape Any landscape in a Western directed by Kevin Costner, because he understands the beauty of the West and shows it in all its glory and color. None of that washed out BS a lot of modern Westerns like to rely on.
Pistol -- a favorite fight scene Big Jake (1971) - Glenn Corbett/Patrick Wayne showdown: "They tell me you killed two men in a fair fight tonight. That true?" "No: three, counting you." It's a very short gunfight, but its one of my favorites. I suppose for fist fights, I'm quite fond of the barroom brawl from the same movie. "But I ain't never been to Nacogdoches!"
Saddle -- a favorite horse / animal in a western Silver, from The Lone Ranger (2013). I mean I named my Husky after him!
Sky -- a favorite ambitious / crazy plan in a western The finale of Cowboys & Aliens (2011). Very ambitious. Very crazy.
Rifle -- a favorite scene with an antagonist End showdown between Richard Boone and John Wayne in Big Jake.
Chuckwagon -- a favorite meal scene "I gotta real dislike of red beans," Jack Palance's character from Chato's Land (1972) during a camp breakfast. Mostly because that line is still quoted around here all the time even though we haven't rewatched the movie since the 1970s. And I agree with his character's sentiments.
Badge -- a favorite scene with peace officers / sheriff Doc Holliday (Jason Robards) confronting Wyatt Earp (James Garner) after Wyatt guns down Warshaw at the corral. Hour of the Gun (1967).
Lariat -- a favorite cattle drive /roundup The end cattle drive in Alvarez Kelly (1966).
Raiders was back on the big screen here last night, so my family went over to catch it. We had a couple family members who had not seen it in the cinema before, so we didn't want to miss the opportunity.
It was also the first time my sister and I got to see it together in the theater since 1981, when we saw it a ridiculous number of times in the theater with my mom . That made the evening very special for us. We were transported back to that time, eating our necco wafers, knowing every line of dialogue, every note of music, every sound effect, and reveling in all of it.
Raiders of the Lost Ark is not the same movie on the small screen. It's meant to be seen big, and it is so good that way. What a fantastic evening it was at the theater last night!
I wish they were re-releasing the other Indy films prior to the release of the new one, but it appears that is not to be. I have no idea what to think of the new film yet. The glimpses of scenes set back in WWII seem fantastic, the rest... not so much. I guess we'll find out come the end of June how it stacks up!
I know this blog has become mostly inactive these last couple years. A lot of that is because my time at home is limited compared to what it used to be, and in prioritizing what I need to do, this blog just hasn't been one of them. At the same time, I also have not been watching nearly as many classic movies as I used to, so I feel there is little to write about over here.
However, I AM now active on my writing blog, which you can find at cimharas.com. Originally, this blog was designed for my writing, but it transitioned into movie talk, and I ended up separating the two. I write fantasy and science fiction, and I will begin publishing my novels this year. If you're interested in finding out more, sign up for my monthly newsletter at cimharas.com.
As 2022 comes to a close, I looked back over what I had seen this year. I saw five movies in the theater, all big box-office type draws: Spider-Man: No Way Home, Fantastic Beasts 3, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Top Gun: Maverick, and Avatar2. Top Gun: Maverick was the most fun of all of those. The second Doctor Strange movie was my least favorite, and I hate that I have to say that, as the movie involved some of my favorite characters.
I watched well over 100 movies on streaming or DVD or blu-ray this past year. The highlight movie there was Free Guy. I mean, when I discovered it, I watched it six straight nights in a row. Yeah. Just a wee bit of love there. Then I introduced it to family, who fell just as in love (I think they've since watched it more this past year than I have!) Definitely my favorite movie of the year.
Other standouts of the new-to-me films I saw - The Outfit (2022), The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970), and The Beautician and the Beast (1997). Now, there are three different movies for you! Mark Rylance was outstanding in The Outfit.
The real viewing joys for me this year have come from watching series. From older shows, I caught up on all three seasons of Daredevil and really enjoyed it. The fact that Daredevil was going to show up on She-Hulk is what made me watch that series, and it was wacky, light, and fun, particularly that last episode. A nice change of pace from the more serious shows. I learned after the fact that breaking the fourth wall is something she did a lot in the comics, which then made the series even more fun. Ms. Marvel also was surprisingly good, and I enjoyed it as well. Rings of Power appears to be catching a lot of hate, but I don't get it. My mom and I watched the series as it came out, and we both loved it. We loved the characters, the plot, the visuals, the music. It really worked for us, and we can't wait for season 2 to see more.
As much as I enjoyed those, the stand-out series this past year for me were Moon Knight, Kenobi, and Andor. All three pushed just the right buttons and, if forced to rank them, I'd put them as 1- Andor, 2- Moon Knight, 3-Kenobi, all three shows are so head and shoulders above everything else, that they're just about tied for best entertainment of the year for me. I'd watch any one of them any day of the week (and have, LOL). They beat out everything else (except Free Guy!) this year. I'll try to write up reviews of all three soon.
It's time for Hamlette, Olivia, and Heidi's "Legends of Western Cinema Week." And it opens with a tag. Here are my answers...
1) Favorite western focused on a lone hero? Cowboys & Aliens - yes, Jake Lonergan ends up with a lot of help, but he starts alone, ends alone, and does things his way and usually without informing anyone what he's doing throughout. Epitome of a loner.
2) Favorite western focused on a group of compadres? The Professionals
3) Favorite western with a female main character? Cat Ballou - "Cat Ballou. Cat Ballooo-ooo-ou." A movie I grew up with that never gets old.
4) Favorite western with a POC main character? Silverado - Danny Glover as Mal is one of my favorite parts of this Western, and I adore his father and sister as well.
5) Favorite western with kids in it? Big Jake - all right, only one kid, but I love little Jake and I can't think of any other Western right now with multiple kids in it that I like.
6) Favorite western set somewhere other than the United States? Quigley Down Under - kind of the easy answer on this one, but it is such a good movie, hard not to jump right to it when asked.
7) Favorite "western" that doesn't fit the genre's dictionary definition? Outland (1981) - "High Noon" in space, with Sean Connery as the marshal. Been a fave of mine for years.
8) Favorite funny western? The Frisco Kid - And just in time, a new blu-ray was recently released of this. Can't wait to watch it again!
Starsky and Hutch ran for four seasons from 1975-1979. I was introduced to the show and fell instantly in love sometime in the mid-90s. I had almost all the episodes taped on VHS and re-watched them a lot. Paul Michael Glaser as David Starsky and David Soul as Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson just have that perfect chemistry that makes their partnership as police detectives sparkle. Watching them banter, look out for each other, argue, insult each other's cars, care for each other, pull pranks on Captain Dobey, work with the always cool and smooth Huggy Bear, and outsmart the bad guys just never gets old.
Hutch is still my favorite of the two, but it's impossible not to adore Starsky too. They're true partners, and if you remove one, it would wreck what makes the show so great.
Some episodes are definitely showing their age (beyond the 70's clothes, scenery, and music) with how some subject matter is handled, but the majority of them hold up quite well. And for me, the location filming of late 70's Los Angeles and surrounds is pure comfort food for me. That's when I was a kid growing up there, so seeing places I used to drive by, seeing the particular look of the buildings, cars, homes, etc. as I remember them from growing up, supplies all the nostalgia and warms my heart. Those were good times.
I recently re-watched the entire series, and as I did, I confirmed my favorite episodes. Interestingly, all of these are my favorites from when I originally watched the show. The order of ranking may have changed, but the episodes that first made an impression are me are still the ones to which I gravitate.
So, without further ado:
10. "Satan's Witches"
Starsky and Hutch head up to the mountains for a vacation, only to find the locals in a downright unfriendly mood. This turns out to be because there's a nasty cult who has taken up residence in the woods and they're holding the local sheriff's daughter hostage.
So, this episode makes the list because of the first half. The second half is... okay, and obviously necessary to deal with the actual plot stuff, but the first half is pure gold. It's focus is the vacationing detectives. You see, Hutch is comfortable in the outdoors and can't wait for this vacation; Starsky's a city boy out of his element and freaking out over literally everything... their dialogue and antics are an absolute riot. If the entire episode had been nothing but this, it'd be my number one favorite.
9. "Fatal Charm"
AKA Starsky and Hutch meets Fatal Attraction.
Hutch has a one-night stand with a nurse, but things go south in a big
hurry when she becomes ultra-obsessed with him... to the point of her
trying to murder him when he rejects her.
As if Psycho wasn't
enough to discourage anyone from taking a shower... this episode adds
to that. Still, if you're going to have a dangerous stalker episode,
this one is well-done, and the ending is tense.
8. "The Fix"
Hutch's current girlfriend "belongs" to a mobster, and when he wants her back, he kidnaps Hutch. When beating Hutch up fails to get him to talk, the bad guy (Robert Loggia) strings him out on heroin to get him to spill where she is hiding. Starsky has to find and then get his partner off the drugs, while also catching the bad guys.
Rough stuff, really, but watching Starsky and Huggy Bear help Hutch is always satisfying,
7. "A Body Worth Guarding"
Starsky and Hutch are assigned bodyguard duty for a Russian ballerina targeted for assassination. Hutch falls for her.
Okay, I admit. I mostly love this episode for Hutch's singing, though the rest isn't bad. When Hutch and Anna start to discover they have more in common than they think, and they arm wrestle is quite amusing too. As is her calling Starsky "Starevsky." Hutch's song used to be on youtube, but alas, that's long gone. Now, I can only find the whole episode, though if this let me share it correctly, this video should cue up to his song.
6. "Shootout"
Starsky and Hutch head to a restaurant to grab dinner, only to find themselvesin the middle of a hit on a mob boss.
Starsky gets shot! Hutch has to out think the bad guys while in the middle of being held hostage. Well done, tense, but with time to get to know a little bit about the other hostages. Love it! Albert Paulsen is one of the hitmen, and I always enjoy seeing actors from Combat! pop up in this show.
5. "Survival"
To prevent Hutch from testifying, the bad guy has him run off the road in the hills, leaving Starsky to find his partner before the car crash or the bad guys do him in.
I have a thing for people trapped with time running out. Throw in a WWII veteran who thinks the war is still going on and a smart
kid who's a ham radio operator, the bad guy realizing he failed to kill Hutch in the crash and heading out to finish the job, and there's an awful lot going on in the
episode. I'm always amused when Michael Jackson (the talk show host, not the pop singer) is playing on Hutch's car radio. His voice is so familiar from the past when my dad used to listen to him.
4. "The Psychic"
When a girl is kidnapped and held for ransom, and the traditional police methods end up failing, Starsky and Hutch convince a psychic to help them.
I love this one most for the "mad dash" scene, where Hutch has to sprint from payphone to payphone downtown at the whim of a psychotic kidnapper, but it's a solid episode. The bad guys play for keeps, and the last half with time running out for the kidnapped girl is very tense.
3. "Gillian"
Hutch falls for Gillian, not knowing she's really working as a prostitute. When she attempts to leave that life to start a new one with Hutch, the gangsters she works for refuse to let that happen.
Mike Kellin (another Combat! alum) and Sylvia Sidney (!) as his mother (!) are the bad guys in this, and I love that. Doodles Weaver also has a small part, and it's a delight to see someone whose voice I grew up with (from all those Spike Jones records). This is no spoiler, because everyone knows love stories on old episodic televisions series never end with a happily ever after. It's just a given. You couldn't tie your main character down back then. This show is no exception, but it handles it really really well, and the fact that it's a relationship I really want to work out just makes the episode even better. Starsky trying to protect Hutch is always a bonus.
2. "Vendetta"
Starsky and Hutch investigate some brutal beatings and murders, which leads to the bad guy responsible targeting Hutch and everything he loves.
Oh, how I love this episode. A quite dark one, with twisted characters and unexpected violent moments. The main bad guy, Arty Solkin (played by Stefan Gierasch), is an unlikely adversary on the surface, so full of weird quirks. He's half-pathetic, half-threatening. The actor does an absolutely fabulous job of bringing him to life and making Solkin feel real and original, more so than many characters throughout the show. The unexpected moments shocked the heck out of me when I first saw this episode, one in particular.
1. "Tap Dancing Her Way Right Back into Your Hearts"
Starsky and Hutch go undercover at a dance studio to stop a blackmail ring.
Perhaps an unlikely choice for number one, but it's the one I've watched more than any other. I adore this episode. I even used to have it on audio tape (taped off the video, LOL) and I used to listen to it in my car while driving. I never did that with any other episodes from this show.
It's got a lot of humor, which always appeals to me. Starsky and Hutch undercover as a Latin dance instructor (Starsky) and a wealthy rancher taking dance lessons (Hutch) never ceases to amuse me. The dialogue, the part when they foil a robbery at a grocery store while dressed in their undercover outfits, "no one can dip like Ramone," Hutch is ridiculously attractive in his Texas cattle rancher outfit, particularly the morning after, ahem. Where "Vendetta" is super tense, this one is lighter and full of delightful silliness. This episode simply makes me happy all the way around.
Other eps super close to making the top ten... "A Coffin for Starsky," "Murder at Sea," "Bloodbath," "The Game.," "Murder Ward," and "Deckwatch,"
