Spooky Season Scares 4-6

 The Conjuring 2

      To my great delight, I thought this movie was just as good as the first. The children in the movie behave like real kids. They aren't angels or monsters, just kids trying to make sense of things within their scope of experience. There's some scary shit happening, and it doesn't make sense. Did using the spirit board open a gateway? Was the house already haunted when they moved in? 

      In some ways, I preferred this one to the first installment. For one thing, the demographic, 2 girls and 2 boys, mirrored my time with my stepsiblings when we were teens. My younger biological brother preferred to keep to himself. I like the way the siblings are portrayed as close, but realistically so. The recent upheaval of their family seems to have drawn them together, which helped them get through the events of the movie. Everyone in the movie is beautifully flawed and very real. 

      The movie has some great visuals and auditory effects. It doesn't rely heavily on CGI or expensive effects, making it feel all the more real. The breadcrumbing of things to come had me eagerly looking forward to the next film in the series. Well done!

Sinister

      This is a movie I had been meaning to watch for years but never got around to viewing until recently. It had a lot of promise. Ethan Hawke does an excellent job portraying a writer on the verge of losing his shit! Fred Thompson plays an excellent sheriff who doesn't want any of the drama. Then there's Vincent D'Onofrio, who may have been born to play the part of a professor of obscure shit. 

      There are some great visuals in this movie. The boy in the box was especially effective. The ghost children are creepy without being overdone. It's a good movie that feels like it had the potential to be great, but too much was left unexplored or underutilized.

      I would have liked to see more of both the sheriff and the professor. The casting was just too perfect to not warrant more screen time. I especially would have liked to see more of Vincent D'Onofrio's professor exploring the background of the demon.

      In the end, it was a good movie, and I don't regret having watched it. I even made a point to watch the sequel. However, I don't feel like I learned enough about the family to feel anything for them, which left the ending more of a shrug for me.

      

Sinister 2

      I get the feeling that they learned a few things from the first movie and made improvements in the sequel. I definitely felt more of a connection to the characters in this one. Even the ghost children felt more fully realized, horrible little shits that they were. 

      I liked the way they expanded the mythos of the demon and its methods without losing the logical thread. They also didn't rely on jump scares. I hate jump scares because they feel like lazy cinematography. Give me a story that creeps me out for days, not a quick startle that's forgotten by the time my heart rate drops back to normal. (Bit of weird trivia: my normal resting heart rate is 95 - 105 but dropped into the 80s while I was watching horror movies. Nothing makes sense.)

      I enjoyed seeing more of the deputy character. We rarely get to see what the aftermath of a horror movie event is for a secondary character, so this was refreshing. The addition of a mundane secondary villain was another interesting choice. We were given more of a backstory for the family in this movie. I appreciated that none of the characters were willfully stupid. My only real complaint was the lack of the professor and no real explanation. Maybe we need a third movie?

Welcome Spooky Season

I think we have officially moved from Sweaty Season to Spooky Season. Let the celebration begin!

I love horror movies. To be specific, I love haunted house, possession, and occult horror movies. I love all things supernatural, including the show, Supernatural! As Spooky Season begins, I'd like to share my thoughts on some of my favorite horror movies. warning I write how I speak, so there will be spoilers and occasional foul language. /warning

(Also, I never have anything ready on time, so here are 3 to make up for not posting this until the 3rd.)

Poltergeist 1

      I was too young to see Poltergeist when it first came out in theaters. I'm guessing I either saw it on cable at some point or rented it from the video store down the street, in which case I would have been at least 14 when I first saw it. Anyway, I loved this movie! It set the bar for future haunted house movies. There is a logic and structure to the mythos. Things happen in that house for a reason. There is science, there is mysticism, there is sense. The characters are realistic, and I love them for their flaws. They seem like people you may know, rather than two dimensional characters. Well, maybe not Tangina, but I don't know what your social circle looks like.

      I feel like the overall story has stood the test of time. Over 40 years after its release, it still has the ability to frighten me. The visual effects may be a little dated, but the overall visuals of the movie are still damn effective. The story is complete, without any gaping holes. The moral of the story is solid; greed is bad!

Poltergeist 2

      I have been watching a LOT of horror movies lately and my brain likes to compare and see similarities. Anyway, Poltergeist 2 makes me think of the Amityville Horror. Stick with me for a moment. The original haunting in Poltergeist is like the ghosts of the murdered DeFeo family. Was there more than one ghost, or was it just the one little girl? I've only watched two versions of the Amityville Horror recently. Anyway, Poltergeist 2 is more like the history of the house and John Ketcham. The primary difference being that the people who died along with Reverend Kane had initially followed him voluntarily.

      I love the addition of Taylor. I am sad over the tragedy that led to the lack of Dana Freeling. Otherwise, the casting was great. Julien Beck was the creepiest motherfucker on earth as Reverend Kane. This is definitely a movie that stays with you long after the credits roll.

The Conjuring 1 

      As the 80's were coming to a close, I was looking forward to finally escaping Catholic school. I became interested in the supernatural and occult. Anything I could get my hands on, I would read and reread. My grandmother's neighbor happily gave me some of her new age books and several issues of Fate magazine. That's where I first heard of the Warrens. 

      The first Conjuring movie is the perfect haunted house movie. There's a large family involved, and while they don't all have the same experiences, no one is trying to pretend there's nothing going on. None of the kids involved suffer from Stephen King child character syndrome. You know, when weird shit is going down, but the kids try to solve it themselves without telling any adult anything at all. So, we get to dodge so many annoying horror movie cliches.

      This movie hits all the right points. The alienated kid finds a creepy object and makes friends with a ghost. There's a history of murders on and around the property. The house dates back to the Witch Trials and has ties to a Satanic witch. What more could you ask for? The acting was great. 

Deliver me from The Deliverance

 It took way longer than it should have for me to watch this movie. Lee Daniels’ The Deliverance seemed like it would be right up my alley. I love haunted house and possession movies. The trailer gave me hope for a new spin, as almost every possession movie I’ve seen in the past has been very centered on the Catholic Church.

I also saw a lot of comments n Facebook about the movie that gave the impression that certain things would be a big part of the movie. Unfortunately, all of the hype seemed to be over throw-away lines, minor moments, or intense bits of drama that essentially went nowhere.

The first hour of this movie feels like a 90’s era Lifetime movie being remade by BET. The backstory is shallow and every character is half a stereotype. The movie gives you no one to care about. The main characters don’t feel like fully realized people. The secondary characters are forgettable and bring nothing to the story.

The visual effects and makeup were quality. Visually, the movie did deliver, but that can’t make up for the disjointed and incomplete storytelling, poor dialogue, and overall confusing movie. It’s a work of fiction based on real events, not a documentary, so it could have tied some things up and provided closure or an explanation, rather than the ending that just left me with more questions and frustration.

I have to say, I was disappointed by the movie. I feel the need to go watch a Conjuring movie, or something similar, to make up for this experience. 

Welcoming Autumn

Autumn has always been my favorite season. The long, hot days of Summer are coming to an end. There are fewer and fewer insects pestering you as the days get cooler. The changing colors of the leaves is always a beautiful and welcome sight. It signals that good things are coming. 

This is the time of year when the crock pot and Dutch oven get more use. Steaming pots of stew, chili, or soup waiting to fill your bowl. It's the time of year when I might actually bake my own bread. A warm slice of fresh baked bread with real butter and prosecco jelly is one of the most beautiful and indulgent yet simple things in life. Homemade Pizza-Hut style breadsticks with extra topping and melted garlic butter for dipping, rather than marinara, is another amazing treat that just doesn't hit the same in hot weather.

Another thing that comes along with the changing of the seasons is the beginning of football season. While I've never considered myself a sports fan, at least not since professional wrestling was relabeled sports entertainment, I am a Philadelphian, and, therefore, an Eagles fan. My fiancé, who will likely be mentioned periodically, considers football his religion. Living with him, it was inevitable that I would learn at least a little something about the sport. Actually, it was watching a game alone, years ago while he was at work, and attempting to take notes in my own chaotic shorthand, that led me to genuinely enjoying football. That was the first year I signed up for fantasy football. Since then, I've regularly played in more than one league every year. 

Today, while scrolling through Facebook, I came across several "first day of school" posts by friends and family. That's the biggest thing for me when it comes to this time of year. Since the lead-up to first grade all the way back in 1981, I have gotten excited over back-to-school shopping. It's a great time to pick up art supplies and fun office gadgets. Even though I'm not about to go back to school, my children are grown, and all of my grandchildren have four legs, I love to look at school supplies. 

Every year, since I was a little kid, I have convinced myself that the right notebook, the perfect pen, or a colorful binder, would be the key to me transforming from a chaotic goblin to an elegant and organized elf. Has it ever happened? No, but hope springs eternal.

This year, rather than spend money on someone else's designs, I have decided to offer some of my own. We will soon be adding sets of planner stickers to help you personalize your daily planner. We will also be offering Autumn themed jewelry, magnets, and pins to help you enjoy the colors and spirit of the season. Happy Autumn!

 

What makes a movie a Christmas movie?

 

 

As I sit here writing this, one of my favorite childhood Christmas movies is playing in the background. The Night They Saved Christmas is a made for TV movie from 1984. I’m old enough to remember the days when “home entertainment center” meant that your floor model console television included a stereo system. This was long before streaming services, before DVDs, VHS tapes, even before most people had cable television and the dozens, not hundreds, of channels that came with it. With most people having access to fewer than a dozen channels, made for TV movies and holiday specials were considered an EVENT.

 

It's a given that any movie that includes “Christmas” in the title would automatically be considered a Christmas movie. The same can be said for keywords like “Santa”, “elves”, “reindeer”, “sleigh”, or “North Pole”. For some people, any movie where that is set during the Christmas season is considered a Christmas movie.  That’s where the argument for movies like Gremlins, Die Hard, and Trading Places being considered Christmas movies comes from.

 

Every household has their “must see” list of Christmas movies. For our household, the top four “must see” movies are White Christmas, Trading Places, Die Hard, and A Christmas Story. Over the years, other movies have been added, like the Christmas Chronicles, some version of A Christmas Carol, and Emmett Otter’s Jug Band Christmas. That’s not to discount the Christmas Specials like all the Rankin and Bass Holiday Specials, Muppet Specials, and Peanuts specials.

 

Over the years, some movies cycle in as others cycle out of rotation. A Christmas Story will always play on loop on Christmas Day until we switch to the sequel.

 

This year we’ve already watched White Christmas, and Trading Places from our “must see” list. We added a couple of violent movies with Violent Night and Santa’s Slay.

It ultimately comes down to what sort of movies make it feel like Christmas for you. Are you a Hallmark movie lover? Do you prefer comedies like Elf or Home Alone? Do you go for classics, new movies, just movies from a certain point in your life? What’s your favorite Christmas movie?

Let's talk about books

 I have always loved reading. From the days as a young child when my father read to me and taught me to read, to the far too many days I was too ill to do more than lie in bed and read, the written word has been a safe place, and a book a welcome companion.*1 I have no idea what book I first read on my own, but the first book I memorized was 'In a People House' by Dr. Seuss. After my parents divorced, there wasn't anyone to read to me every night, and less money to spend on books. Thankfully, there was the Free Library of Philadelphia, where I found a seemingly endless array of books in which to lose myself.

My first, and most egregious, overdue book was 'Charlie Needs a New Cloak' by Tomie DePaola back when I was in 2nd grade. I believe this may have been the origin point for both my intense anxiety, as well as my absolute love of crafting. Forty years later, I'm still finding every opportunity possible to read and craft. *2

The most recent book I finished was 'Wrong Place Wrong Time' by Gillian McAllister. This book wasn't exactly my typical read. I had recently joined a crafting and book club on FB, and this was August's book, so I gave it a shot. I picked it up at the local library and finished it in under a week. Not to give anything away, but it was a little confusing at points, but everything made sense in the end. As a parent, I found the concept of the book very thought provoking. While I doubt I will read this title again, I would definitely read more of Gillian McAllister's work.

Currently, I am reading 'The Last Lie Told' by Debra Webb. This is the first book in the Finlay O'Sullivan series. While not one of my top genres, I think of books like this as time fillers. That's not to take anything away from the author's work, it just means that I use these books to fill time while waiting for appointments or before bed, but I don't get so sucked in to the story that I lose all track of time. Since this is the start of a series, I look forward to getting to know these characters for at least two more novels.

The next book on my "to be read" list is a COMPLETE departure, as I don't usually read romance novels. Well, I don't read romance unless it's funny, *3 supernatural, *4 or both. *5 I pre-ordered this book to support a friend. It doesn't only take a village to raise a child, it takes a village to support dreams, efforts, and small enterprise. I'll be sure to post a review after I've read it.

My favorite book is 'The Swordswoman' by Jessica Amanda Salmonson. I stumbled across this book over thirty years ago on the bargain book rack of my local grocery store. I discovered many great books on that rack over the few years the store kept it, including the Endworld series by David L. Robbins, but this book quickly became a favorite and still sits at the top of my list. Erin Wyler/Erin of Thar is such a relatable character in a wholly unrelatable situation. I read my original paperback copy so many times that the cover came off. Recently, I purchased a hardcover copy so that I can keep this book in my rotation for many years to come.

*1 May the ghost of Sister Carmella never ask me to diagram that sentence. 

*2 I did eventually pay my library fine.

*3 for example, anything by Janet Evanovich

*4 anything by Michele Bardsley

*5 like the Undead series by MaryJanice Davidson