New Year's Eve Resolution Week Twelve: Gone With The Wind

Today I got to watch the movie of all movies!  An EPIC!  Every movie fan has seen this film a thousand times, and wants to watch it a thousand more.  It's one of those movies that you say you'll just watch a few minutes of and then end up spending the afternoon with Scarlett and Rhett.  It's lovely.  And it has a special place for me, because I put the "O" in David O. Selznick.  ;-)  Look it up.

So again I was on my own for food.  One of the first scenes in GWTW is the barbecue at Twelve Oaks.  Soooo, barbecue it is!  I love barbecue.  And I love the way Scarlett says "barbecue" and how she promises to eat it with EVERYONE.  Well, every man.....  ;-)  Thankfully, it's not hard to make a meat free barbecue!  I got some Morningstar Hickory BBQ Riblets.  These things are amazing!  If you like the McRib from McDonald's, you will love these.  So meat was covered.  Next, side dishes.  It's just me doing this, so I have a bit of a hard time making a batch of something, cause then I have just too much left over.  So I'm afraid I hit the grocery store a bit.  To be honest, I bought way too many side salads.  Ugh.  I ended up only serving one of them, pasta salad, cause that's the one that I really wanted and including the other two was just too much food.  For the curious, they were cole slaw and potato salad.  I also bought some of my favorite chips(Cape Cod, 40% reduced fat - they have to be the reduced fat kind, those are the BEST), but again too much food.  I think I was just too inspired while I was shopping....  ;-)  I did make a nice fresh fruit salad, with grapefruit, oranges, strawberries, lemon juice, brown sugar, and fresh mint.   Then I made corn on the cob, because that's just a staple at barbecues, right?  Then I wanted to take a more Southern route with the rest of the items and went for corn bread and ice tea.  I was thinking about making sweet tea, but to be honest, it grosses me out.  Finally, for dessert, I bought a little thingy of key lime pie.  I choose key lime cause it's a nice fresh summer barbecuey dessert(andit'smyfavorite).  Dinner? Done!

Here's my vegetarian barbecue!  Pasta salad, fruit salad with mint, cornbread, corn on the cob, vegetarian ribs, key lime pie, and iced tea.  All presented on some fabulous depression glass.

Now onto the movie!  This movie is just lush!  It is so beautifully shot.  Even the scenes that are supposed to be somber are just stunning.  The story line is captivating.  It goes up and down and sucks you in.  It's dramatic and funny and even scary at times.  That why it doesn't seem like you are watching a three and a half hour movie.  NOTHING can get me to sit still for that long except for this movie.  The actors are all amazing.  I could not think of a better casting.  Everyone is perfect in their role.  

Vivien Leigh.  The first thing that everyone says about her is how beautiful she is.  And she is. Stunning.  Especially with that fabulous eyebrow of hers.  This time I was paying closer attention.  Her acting.  The way she shifts emotions is incredible.  She goes from warm to cold and back in an instant. Her face is just so expressive.  You watch her steel herself.  It's an amazing gift.

You ever seen anything like this in your life?

Clark.  I've covered my love of Clark Gable before.  This role is different for me though.  It is the quintessential Gable role.  I really saw such a range in him in this role.  I love the way he delivers his lines, I love his roguish smirk, I love his gentleness with Bonnie and Scarlett, I love the way he is captivated by Scarlett's brattiness,  I love his grief when Bonnie dies, I even love his apathy at the end of the movie.  He just goes the full range in this film.  I don't think I've seen him in a better role.  Amazing.

Yep, pretty perfect.

Finally, my girl.  My Favorite.  Hattie McDaniel.  I love her in every role I've ever seen her in.  And the girl can SING.  Omgoodness, she just wails!  In real life she was a very cool lady.  Read up on her.  Especially what she did to her last husband in her will.  SNAP!  In her role as Mammy, she's funny and lovable and just the ultimate friend and mother figure.  You have to love Mammy.  The way she loves her family is very moving.  Especially when Bonnie dies. 

She's so lovely, you just have to love Mammy.

I can't figure out how to add videos.  They seem to work until I publish them, then it's just a frozen frame.  I'll figure it out eventually.  Anyway, follow this link to watch Hattie singing!  She's awesome!   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QIEuF3AZKQ   

I started early today because the movie was so long.  I had a wonderful afternoon.  Movie was amazing, and I really looked at it a bit more critically this time.  I really let it take me in and show me all it had to offer.  Even though it's the millionth time I've seen it, I got a new appreciation for it.  It's nice when that happens.  And dinner was delicious, but it's hard to go wrong with all those carbs and sugar!  Corn on the cob...if you don't love corn on the cob, you're a sicko.  

How I love Sundays now!

Love, 

Olive

New Year's Resolution Week Eleven: Mr Smith Goes To Washington

Can't believe I'm already at week eleven!  How cool is that?  This week we've got a Frank Capra classic, Mr Smith Goes To Washington.  I haven't seen this in forever!  I remember the basic story line, but the intricacies have vanished from my memory.  So that's good!  I love all of the actors in this, so tonight was going to be fun.

Left on my own for dinner again, but I had an easy time coming up with a theme.  America!  So I decided on a cheeseburger, fries, a chocolate shake, and apple pie.  Real American food!!  And what's more American than apple pie?  I made everything but the shake and the apple pie.  I didn't want to make a whole pie to just eat one piece, so I bought a piece.  I was too lazy to make a milk shake too.  I didn't want to drag out my blender.  Messy!  For the burger I went for my favorite veggie burgers.  Morningstar Grillers!  They are amazing!  I highly recommend them.  Closest veggie burgers to meat that I've found.  For the fries, I just bought a bag of frozen crinkle fries.  Cause they're my favorites.  Pretty easy dinner.

My all American dinner!  No I did not eat all those fries.  Too much!!

This movie is a real feel good movie.  You get to watch and honest likable character save everyone around him.  He doesn't get lost along the way.  It's very patriotic and inspiring.  I loved seeing all of the monuments and hearing the mantra of our country.  I wish people were like this now.  Instead, I think most people will find this movie kinda cheesy.  I find that sad.   

Even Jimmy loves seeing all the monuments!

James Stewart plays wide eyed and innocent so well.  His character is shy and pure and kind.  A perfect Jimmy Stewart role!  He never loses faith, especially in himself.  I love him in this role.  

How can you not just love that pleading sincere expression?

  

Jean Arthur is her usual sassy savvy self.  She plays this character a lot.  She's good at it too!  I find her just lovely and charming.  It's great to watch her jaded character melt.  

Don't you just want to hug her?

This movie is pretty long and can be a bit cheesy by today's standards.  It calls for a certain frame of mind.  You have to give into it to enjoy it.  

Capra has some beautiful and powerful shots.  He really is a great director.  And the sets he used were incredible.

See how powerful Washington is? And how patriotism surrounds and permeates this scene?

You really get the feeling of what Mr Smith is up against in this shot.

They built a full scale Senate chamber at the cost of $100,000.

I was in the right mood for this movie, so I was very happy to watch this tonight.  Dinner was very good.  It's been a long time since I had a cheeseburger.  Too many fries though.  And lets face it, it's not possible to have a bad chocolate shake.  The pie? Meh.  I put lots of whipped cream on it to make it taste a little less blah.  The cheeseburger and shake were the best parts.  I shoulda just had that.

Finally, another plus to this movie?  Baby Dumpling!  I just love this kid.  He was so adorable!

 That's all for this week!

Love,
Olive

New Year's Resolution Week Ten: Swing Time

I've hit week ten!  This week I got to watch another wonderful film.  Swing Time with Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire, and Victor Moore.  This is probably my favorite Fred and Ginger film.  It's just wonderful.  I say that a lot though don't I?  I can't help it.  I love movies.

I was again left on my own for dinner.  I had such a busy week and such a busy weekend, that I was just at a loss this time.  I couldn't come up with anything!  My brain was just fried this week.  It was a great week with lots of fun stuff, I just didn't get a chance to think!  So I'm afraid I'm doing this a little half-ass.  I decided to just do a dinner with things I was craving(and that I could eat).  So I got my favorite pizza(Home Run Inn, baby!), a Snickers bar, and some lemon/lime fizzy water.  Sorry if you were expecting something more exciting, I just didn't have it in me!

Here's my half-ass comfort food dinner!  Pizza, Snickers, and lemon/lime fizzy water.  I did whip out some pretty depression glass and one of my silent film star highball glasses.

So onto the film!  I do so adore this movie!  From the plot to the soundtrack to the dancing to the costumes.  Especially the costumes!  Ginger's wardrobe is amazing!  She's already a stunning woman, but in these clothes, she's just dazzling.  She's a diamond.

So stunning!

Fred is his usual charming self.  He's always good and likable.  I always find him even better with Ginger.  She shines and I think is by far the best partner he was ever paired with.  Astaire was just so graceful that everyone looked like a lummox next to him.  Everyone but Ginger.  I really liked him with Eleanor Powell, but I think that is because they danced next to each other, not "with" each other.  She was a very powerful dancer though and she not only kept up with him, but I think she out did him.  He admitted that she was too strong for him as well.

They just melted into each other.

Fred does Mr Bojangles in this film.  It's a beautiful scene.  The visual is so clever and the choreography is wonderful.  It's another one of those "I just don't know how he did it" moments.

See this movie just for this scene.

The script is quick and fun.  You love both characters and just want them to be happy.  It's really charming.  A great light comedy that is just beautiful to look at.  

Lookit these goofballs!  They just make me all squishy!

I had another lovely evening.  Pizza and chocolate are always always good, just like Rogers and Astaire!

Love,

Olive

PS: Sorry this is a bit brief, but like I said, I'm fried and today is daylight savings time, and that always messes me up a bit!  Next week I'll be better, and I've already got dinner figured out.  

  

New Year's Resolution Week Nine: The Bride Of Frankenstein

And here we are at week nine!  This week we delve into horror!  Nice change of pace.  I love all of the Universal monsters.  I've seen this movie many many times, but it's a good one, so I didn't mind.  Not too super excited about it though.

I was left on my own for dinner again, and I was a bit dumbfounded as to what to make for tonight.  Then it came to me!  Bride of Frankenstein...bride...wedding.  Let's have a wedding!  I haven't been to too many weddings, and they were pretty simple, so I figured I'd just mimic what they served.  Salad, bread, steak, potatoes, mixed veggies, champagne, and CAKE!!  Then I grabbed some jordan almonds, cause what wedding is complete with out jordan almonds?  Right?  The only things I had to change were the steak and the champagne.  I found some veggie steaks, different from what I had before.  These were canned and made by a company named Loma Linda.  Then I traded the champagne for sparkling grape juice again. Pretty darned easy.

Here's my wedding feast! Fancy salad, jordan almonds, dinner roll, veggie steak, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies, and CAKE!  Did I mention that I got to eat cake? And ahem, there's also some beautiful depression glass.

So, the movie.  I love sequels, and like I said, I love the Universal Monsters, so this film is right up my alley.  Two loves.  The movie is corny.  The dialog and the acting, pure corn.  It's supposed to be though.  I believe it is one of the first horror comedies(shout out to Lon Chaney's The Monster 1925).  My favorite character is The Bride and Elsa Lanchester is perfect in this role.  Her features are so elegant and they just fit the role so well.  She doesn't have to do much acting honestly, so it's hard to give an opinion.  She mostly screams and hisses.  Even when she is playing Mary Shelley, it's pretty brief.  It's her appearance that stands out to me.  

She's just perfect for this role. Made for it, you might say!  Ugh!  That was bad....

Karloff's Monster is very sympathetic in this film.  He really touched me with is portrayal.  I felt a real connection to The Monster.  His loneliness permeated the film.  Apparently, Karloff didn't think The Monster should speak, but I disagree.  Maybe he shouldn't have spoken as much as he did, but when he reached out and said, "Friend".  It just broke my heart.  I have to say that this is probably the best Karloff acting I've ever seen.  Except maybe How The Grinch Stole Christmas, but since that is one of the most amazing things ever, it's not a fair comparison.  ;-)  

The rejection breaks my heart.  So so good.

I had another wonderful night.  Dinner was very good, but given all of the carbs that were on my plates, how could it not be?  I mean let's be honest!  The veggie steak was a little mushy for my taste.  I like my meat substitutes to be firm!!  But it was ok.  The movie was a lot of fun, and I did notice more about it looking at it with a more critical eye.  I find that rewatching movies brings another perspective to them because what I take away from them all depends on my mood.  

Next week I've got a toughy, and I'm already thinking, but I've got no ideas....  At least the movie will be good for sure!  It's another favorite!

Love, 

Olive