A Puzzling Post: Spring Flowers

In honor of the arrival of spring and the flowers that are blooming (way ahead of season) in our yard, I have collected pieces of movie posters from 10 films whose titles include the name of a flower.  How many can you name?

Click to enlarge

American Idol/Dancing With the Stars

Interesting week on American Idol.  Glad each contestant sang two songs because the first round certainly showed my age.  Talent is talent, no matter what song they're singing, but it's hard to judge originality and style when I've never heard the songs before.  Round two was much more my cup of tea - or Diet Coke, as the case may be.

I judged it as a three-way tie.  Joshua, Colton and Skylar each received 9 out of 10 points on my personal rating scale.  After Joshua's first song, Dave said, "He just set the standard for every other contestant to try to reach."  His second song, Change is Gonna Come, didn't quite hit his own high mark.

Colton started with a Lady Ga-Ga song that I've heard but wasn't terribly familiar with.  The low notes in the verses were a little off pitch, but the rest was great.  For his second number he chose Earth Wind and Fire's September.  Wow!  Just, WOW!!  The judges, didn't like it, but what do they know?  It was original, it was beautiful, it was Colton.  The consensus at our house - the judges are certifiable, Tom Cruise NUTS!!

I have consistently berated Skylar because she sings basically the same song every week.  While I would still like to hear her try something slower and quieter (even Alice Cooper sings a ballad on occasion), her two choices last night were "different".  Different from what she usually sings, and different from the original.  A reviewer for the New York Times said Skylar sang Lady Ga-ga's Born This Way "in a way that made it sound like her own personal anthem".

Jessica was close behind the leaders, with 8 points.  Hollie held her own, though she may have proven that R&B is not her thing.  My prediction for the bottom two would be Phillip (every song sounds the same and he never makes eye contact) and Elise...poor Elise.  I really WANT to like her, she has great technical skill, but every song leaves me flat.  Oh, except her rendition of Let's Get it On.  Marvin Gaye's version is smooth as butter - hers was vinegar!

Dancing With the Stars held Latin Week.  At the risk of sounding 15, Katherine Jenkins was awesome!  She has a second career as a dancer if that opera thing doesn't pan out.  Also loved Donald, William and Jaleel.  No one, Gavin included, was surprised that he went home.  He's a talented singer and enjoyable, but rhythm escapes him.

But the biggest news?  Little Laura Ingalls got bleeped! :)

The Snow Child

Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart—he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season's first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone—but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees.

This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them.

Frequent readers know that I have no problem with expressing why I dislike a book, and even the good-but-not-great ones are easy enough to discuss.  But when I run across those rare books that are something more, I struggle.  I want so badly to tell every one of you why this book is one of "those" - the books that you don't want to end; the books that change how you think; the books that ring a bell somewhere in your memory; the books that are now part of those memories.  I want to shout, "I love this book and you should, too."  But I have found - usually after I bought up a dozen copies and distributed them to everyone on my Christmas list, even non-readers - that what I love isn't always what everyone else loves. So I'm trying to temper myself.

This story "resonates" (to use the current catch-phrase) with me for several reasons.  First, and foremost, it's about a woman who couldn't have a child.  (If you aren't aware of our battle with infertility, you can read about it here.)  Of course Mabel touches my heart, I know her pain.  Secondly, it has a magical element to it, without going over the top.  And third, it's set in Alaska (it's on my bucket list).

I was especially touched by Mabel's change of attitude about her surroundings and her lot in life.  The Alaskan wilderness changes from a place of fear and loneliness to a place of beauty and comfort - and spot where she belongs.  She learns to accept people as they are, whether it's a brash, overall-wearing woman who doesn't suit Mabel's genteel ideas, or a wisp of a girl who dances through the snow.  She learns to allow people to make their own place in her life, rather than trying to fit them into assigned slots.

The story of Faina is based on a fairy tale and left me with the same sense of enchantment as Cinderella or Snow White, but without the singing mice and dwarfs.  It left me wondering what really happened.  Can it be rationalized and proven?  Or is it a bit of the unexplainable?

Movie Reviews

Our movie viewing has dropped drastically in the last year since we moved to a town without a theater.  The nearest theater is 28 miles from our house; to get more than two options we have to travel to St. Joe, MO, which is about 50 miles.  Not a big deal - we can make it a date night and eat out, or make a Wal-Mart or Home Depot run while we're at it - but still not as convenient as having a theater three blocks away like we did before.  However, we've gone twice recently - and here's what we thought:

The Hunger Games - We have both read all three books and loved them, which actually made us a little concerned about the movie living up to the books.  Although we would have to agree that the books are still better, this movie came as close as possible.  Naturally there were some things that had to be left out or glossed over so that the movie didn't last 6 hours.  The biggest of these being Katniss's relationship with Gale.  Honestly, as it was done, there was no reason to even have Gale in the movie.  They didn't capture the Gale/Katniss connection or the conflict she felt over having to pretend to love Peeta, knowing that Gale was watching on TV.  

The flashback scenes were fine for those who already knew the story, but otherwise confusing (I confirmed this by asking several viewers who had not read the books).  I also didn't care for the jumpy camera style.  I know it's the new fad on TV and movies, but I find it annoying - but that's a personal thing.

Other than those small things, the movie was a success.  The violence was as gore-less as possible while still conveying how savage the "game" was.  The set design was gorgeous and the casting was excellent.  Wish there had been more of Woody Harrelson, just because he was fun to watch, and because that part of the plot was largely untold.  

We give it the old Siskel and Ebert Thumbs Up for both readers and non-readers.

Titanic: 3D - We didn't see this movie the first time around and selected it this time mostly for the novelty of 3D than for any attraction to the story.  However, it being the 100th anniversary of the voyage of the Titanic, I'm glad we saw it.  Amanda saw it with us and I'm sure it made a historic event much more real for her.  

For me, at least, the love story took a back seat to the greater story of the ship itself, and the ways people react in a crisis - from the vanity and self-preservation of the "upper class" to the total generosity and selflessness of the band who continued to play and try to calm passengers as the ship sank.  

As for the "new" technology of 3D movies - It looked a lot like something I saw in a ViewMaster in 1967.  It was more of a distraction than an enhancement.  Over all it was a thumbs up for the historical value, but so-so otherwise.

The Read-A-Thon is Coming . . .

It's time for another Read-A-Thon.  Stack up the books, put snacks on the grocery list, get a sitter, banish the hubby to the garage . . . whatever you need to do to prepare for 24 hours of reading.  The fun begins at 7:00 a.m. Central Time, Saturday, April 21st.

My sister, Teri, will be joining me and we are co-sponsoring the "Weird Sisters" mini-challenge.

I learned after my first read-a-thon, that I'm too old for all-nighters, so my plan is to read from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.  I usually try to read a ways into the night, but we have tickets to "Gershwin - Here to Stay" and I don't want to miss it - even for reading.

Sign up here if you want to read along.

Dancin' and Singin' - A Little Behind the Beat

I'm way behind on blogging.  As a matter of fact, I'm behind on most things, but I take that "better late than never" thing pretty seriously, so here's what I thought about last week's Reality TV:

American Idol: 


Once again, Joshua left me speechless.  Loved the song choice, loved the interpretation, loved the showmanship, I probably love the way this kid ties his shoes. Joshua is my pick to win it all!

Colton has more genuine musical talent that most on this show in any year.  Didn't care for this song, but loved the way he performed it.  Jessica has more talent than she realizes, yet her songs just seem to fall flat.  This is a recording:  Amazing voice, needs more personality and expression.  Hollie had her best performance of the year and the judges can just bite me.

Elise - ok; Skylar - same song, different week; Phillip - blah

I was shocked at the voting results and totally agreed with the judges to save Jessica.

Dancing With the Stars:  Most of the salient details escape me at the moment (should really write posts as soon as the show's over) but I do remember that Sherri Shepherd went home, which is sad because she's so likeable, but probably still the right choice.  In other news, Donald Driver did an awesome Paso; Jaleel White continues to amaze me; And Melissa Gilbert is a drama queen.

Hallelujah! He is Risen!

He is not here; He has risen, just as He said
- Matthew 28:6

We wish a joyous Easter to each of you!

Image chosen in memory of Wanda Ballenger 1949-2004