End of 2023

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!

Happy New Year!

A Tolkien Blog Party Tag for 2023

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.

 

Renata Scotto - 1934-2023

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.

A Sunshine Blogger Award

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!

 

The Legends of Western Cinema Week - Tag answers

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 of the Lost Ark on the big screen... again!

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!