What To Catch on TCM This Week - May 28 - June 2, 2018

Just a few favorites on TCM this week. Hope everyone finds something new or an old favorite to check out this week.

The Best Years of Our Lives - About the struggles of servicemen adjusting to civilian life after serving in World War II. It's a great look at how hard it can be to get back to some sort of normalcy after the endless battles and how everyday life is a battle. Shows why we should value ALL of our servicemen and try to make their lives easier when they come back. Monday, May 28th 3 P.M. MST

Road to Bali - Is one of my favorite Bob Hope movies next to My Favorite Brunette. I loved the Road to movies, I would always watch them with my dad late at night or early on Sunday mornings, but Road to Bali was my favorite, George and Harold once again philandering their way across another performance gig and ending up in a world of trouble because of beautiful woman. This movie wouldn't be made today because of how women are treated in this film, but I'm glad it was made and it's funny as all hell. Who can't watch Bob Hope? Tuesday, May 29th 2:45 P.M. MST

A Night at the Opera - Next to Duck Soup, this is one of the most prolific Marx Brothers movies, Zeppo had just stopped working with his brothers and had become an engineer and theatrical agent. One of the best scenes in the film is the stateroom scene where 15 people end up in a small 3rd class stateroom, you can use your imagination or catch it on Tuesday, May 29th at 2:45 P.M. MST. it's worth the watch, I promise. It's Groucho at his best.


Flipper - Including this one because it was one that my dad used to make us watch, this and Johnny Quest were a Sunday morning favorite. A young boy befriends an injured dolphin and they have a special bond and way of communicating. Thursday, May 31st, 2:30 P.M. MST.

Stage Fright - A woman, secretly in love with her fellow actor helps him to hide after his girlfriend kills her husband and the police are looking for him. Although not one of Hitchcock's most noted films, it's still very well done and keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. Thursday, May 31st, 10:15 P.M. MST.

Executive Suite -  Avery Bullard, president and visionary for the Tredway Corporation has just died in the middle of the street in New York on a trip to meet with investors. Having never named a successor, all of the Tredway executives go to underhanded lengths to be the next president.                                                                                          Friday, May 1st, 10:45 P.M. MST.

Dial M for Murder - Finding out about his wife's affair, tennis champion Tony Wendice, plans to kill her. Grace Kelly is once again a magnet on the screen as the philandering wife who fights off her attacker. If you've ever seen A Perfect Murder with Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow, this is the original that it is based, but this is better, although I really do enjoy A Perfect Murder. Saturday, June 2nd 10:00 A.M. MST.

Birdman of Alcatraz - Based on the real life incarceration of Robert Stroud and his insightfulness of raising and healing birds. Stroud became one of the most renowned ornithologists in the United States. Burt Lancaster gives what is one of his best performances of his career in this film. Saturday, June 2nd 3:15 P.M. MST.

Strangers on a Train - Two men meet on a train and one comes up with the idea to switch murders, both wanting to get rid of dysfunctional people in their lives. One man doesn't take the other seriously and doesn't follow through on his end of the deal and the other man attempts to blackmail him into it. This movie is the basis for Throw Mama from the Train and is another Hitchcock film that dominates TCM this week. Saturday, June 2nd, 8 P.M. MST.

A Few of My Favorite Movies

I wanted to have a little fun and writing about movies is one of my favorite things, (besides watching movies) so from time to time I might put up a list like this just for a little insight into my thought on movies, music etc., or just for fun. If you have any suggestions for a blog post or a list like this please leave it in the comments or send me a Tweet on Twitter at ChristineLarran@twitter.com

Annie Hall - Alvy Singer examines his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Annie Hall, through flashbacks and discussions with the audience. There are so many reasons why this movie is great, the backdrop of New York, the great dialogue and the Diane Keaton of it all. But the reason I like this movie is the story and the heart that Woody Allen shows his audience. Allen tossed in all the real emotions that we go through in relationships and what we feel when it all goes wrong. To me, this film is a masterpiece because it shows how                                                                                               imperfect we all are.

Kill Bill 2 - Beatrix Kiddo is on the rampage road and her ex-lover/Assassin Boss is the main target. What is there not to like about this movie? Amazing dialogue, story, and beautiful cinematography, Tarantino's version of a Spaghetti Western is by far one of the best revenge movies ever. My favorite reference to Superman is a monologue by David Carradine (Bill), it's true, Superman has to become Clark Kent but he was born Superman.

Seven Samurai- This is my favorite  of Akira Kurosawa's films. Sure there are other's that are just as good if not better, but this is my favorite. This is the movie that so many directors have repeatedly made over as Westerns and action movies, but they fall short of this original. The plot is simple, a farming village is being exploited by bandits that plan to rob them after the villages crops come in, to dissuade them from coming they decide to hire a group of Samurais to protect the village.

Jaws - A great white shark has made the small town of Amity live in terror. Chief Brody has decided to hunt the shark himself with the aid of a young Marine Biologist and a salty fishing captain he sets out to lure the shark out to the ocean, not realizing that is exactly what the shark wants. I probably saw this movie way to young it made a deep impression on me. Jaws is really the movie that made me love movies and want to figure out how to make movies. It was beautifully shot, the plot is intriguing and the characters are some of the most colorful. The actors in this movie work so well together to bring this story to life, you almost want them to be real. I honestly thought when I was a kid that someday I would meet Hooper. Also because of this movie I have never, ever waded out past my shins into the water, it really made an impact on me about what is in the ocean.

Comet- Sam Esmil's directorial debut, Comet is an ethereal movie examining the relationship between Dell and Kimberly. Using flashbacks of conversations and glimpses of parallel universes, showing what Dell really wanted all along and ended up losing.

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind - Based on the life of t.v. game show producer and host Chuck Barris, Confessions  is a memoir of what covert CIA operations Barris says he was involved in. SAm Rockwell is genius as the off the wall but controlled agent that Barris says he was. It's also one of the first movies that George Clooney directed.

The Darjeeling Limited- The Whitman brothers have met up in India at the insistence of oldest brother Francis to have a spiritual journey of sorts, really he's brought them there to see their estranged mother who has been missing since their father's death the year before. Really he just wants them to be a family again. It's a look at a family still reeling after the death of their parent and favorite person. This is my favorite Wes Anderson directed film, maybe because I've had a lot of los in my life or because I like the thought of getting lost in India and finding myself.

Marley- This documentary about the Jamaican born reggae music star is enlightening. It shows a reason and love in life. I like it because of it's message of positivity and creativity.
  
Clerks- Kevin Smith's writing and directing debut, it's a story about lifelong friendship and off the wall customers that two clerks have to deal with in their life. This movie showed me that anything is possible in the world, if a guy could max out his credit cards and go on to have a successful career in movie making than anything is possible.

Stress Is The Worst for Creativity

Lately I have been going through some stress personally and professionally. I think I'm just letting too much get to me and really need to get back to meditating daily and yoga. I've just been so preoccupied with the being stressed rather than focusing on what can unstress me and working. Contrary to what it looks like lately, I love working. It relaxes me and good things come from it. More and more I'm starting to realize that I'm not writing for anyone else but myself. So, everything here is about things I like or am interested in or have a viewpoint on. No matter what this is all my work no one else, so why not just do what I want to do. I like writing about movies, music and politics and maybe some bad poetry and decent short stories. I'm just going to do all of this for me. I need to be a little selfish right now. Life's to crazy and short not to be doing what I want to do. I'd always be wondering what if I had just done what I wanted to do? I'd regret at least not trying to do what I want and I think the saddest thing would be just to not even start.

How SNAP (Food Stamps) Should Really Be Reformed

To read this post go here . Reminder that posts are moving to Patreon, two posts will be public and published here a week. Also the submission deadline has been extended to July 7, 2018.

Photography is My Favorite Mistress

To read this post go here . Reminder that posts are moving to Patreon, two posts will be public and published here a week. Also the submission deadline has been extended to July 7, 2018.

What To Catch on TCM This Week - May 13 - May 19, 2018

This week on TCM has a plethora of entertainment. From saluting Mothers to dealing with Teenage angst, the week runs the gamut of genres.

Joan Crawford won her only Oscar with the role of Mildred Pierce, a story about a woman that indulges her spoiled and unappreciative daughter. I mean she gives the girl everything that she ever wanted and it's not enough. Their relationship is explored when Mildred's husband is found murdered in her beach house. Sunday, May 13th at 6 P.M. MST. 

Estranged from her husband, Stella Dallas is determined that her daughter will have a better life. In order to solidify her daughter's life, Stella removes herself from it and sets out to make sure that she is happy. Sunday. May 13th at 8 P.M. 

Dr. Peter Blood is forcible thrown into the life of a pirate, when he is wrongly accused of treason against King James II. Errol Flynn's first starring role for Warner Brother's it was the first in a string of swashbuckling roles for Flynn and one of his best roles. Movies like this is where Spielberg got the idea for the Indiana Jones movies, this genre, a little bubble gum, always has great performances and good plot lines to keep the audience engaged. Movies like this help the audience to forget their troubles for awhile. Captain Blood, Monday May 14th at 1:30 P.M. MST. 

Young Charlotte Hollis's married lover was just murdered and everyone assumes that she did it. Flash forward a number of years and Charlotte is a lonely, but very rich spinster living on her father's southern plantation. Hush...,Hush, Sweet Charlotte is Bette Davis's best role. I love her in her other movies like Dark Victory, Jezebel, and Whatever Happened To Baby Jane, but here is where she lays the foundation for the unhinged Jane later on. 10:15 A.M. May 15th. 

The first of The Hardy Family movies A Family Affair lays the groundwork for Mickey Rooney's girl-crazed Andy Hardy. All of The Hardy Family movies will be shown starting at 6 P.M. MST. May 15th and ending at 4:30 P.M. MST, May 16th with Andy Hardy Comes Home. 

By far Mata Hari is one of Garbo's most successful films and one of her best performances, the pre-Code Hollywood film is a classic that stands on Garbo's talents alone. She's beautiful and deceptive in a way that makes you love and hate her. Friday May 18th at 4:15 P.M. MST. 

The Great Escape starring James Garner, Steve McQueen and Richard Attenborough is based on the mass escape from Stalag Luft III in Sagan, Nazi Germany. Changed to add more action for the film, it's based on a fabrication of the escape. James Garner is exceptional in this film, but that could be because I have always been a big Rockford Files fan, love that show.  Saturday, May 19th at 10 A.M. MST. 

Directed by George Cukor, Pat and Mike is a romantic comedy that was written to showcase Katherine Hepburn's athletic and acting abilities. It's a cute film about not giving up on yourself and you can find someone unexpected in the oddest places. Saturday, May 19th at 8 P.M. MST. 

Kowalski is a car delivery driver who recently returned from Vietnam and has nothing to lose, because he's already lost everything. Taking a delivery assignment from Denver to San Francisco, Kowalski makes a bet with his dealer that he can deliver the car by 3 P.M. Sunday afternoon, even though the car is not due for delivery until Monday. The starring role in this movie is the white, Dodge Challenger R/T 426 Hemi. Catch it if you can at 11:30 P.M. MST Saturday, May 19th. 

When It Rains It Pours

This has been quite the weekend/Monday for me. First I had a backed up main drain Thursday night and had to have a plumber out, got it taken care of quickly and thought that was that, then Friday morning I get a call from my mom that there was still water everywhere and it looked like it was coming from the water heater. I rushed home and called my HVAC guy out and he thought it just might be loose from having the main drain clogged, it sometimes happens, well he got there and said no such luck, I needed a whole new water heater, but he couldn't install until Monday but he would turn the water supply off which he did and I could still have hot water for the weekend and it should run itself out. Saturday morning I woke up to more water in my hall, checked on the water supply valve and it was turned off, but it was still running water because the shut off valve was broken, so I had to turn off the water to the whole house and drain the water heater and wet/dry vac the carpet and laundry room all weekend. Finally on Monday I got a new water heater installed and was able to start on my first Patreon blog for Patrons, yah! I got work done!!! That is until my laptop was accidentally knocked over by myself and my niece...now the dang thing won't boot up. I've lost what I was working on. I'm so upset, but I'm hopefully I can get help to recover it. I will have a Patreon post up later tonight, borrowing a desk top in the mean time. I'm going to go sit in a dark cave until then, le sigh.

FEARS

Fear is the greatest paralyzer. My biggest fear is not betting on myself and not doing what I love, writing.

Writing is the one place where I can be myself. I feel free when I write. Forcing myself to write is scary, but I feel like I'm getting to know myself again.

Two of my other biggest fears are failing and not following through and being regretful of not putting in the time and work needed to make my business and writing a success.

Sometimes I put up self  barriers, like I need to clean up my office before I can work, it's Sunday so I have to mow the lawn, the bathroom needs to be cleaned, etc., etc., etc. It amazes me what I come up with to get out of being creative. I sometimes wonder if I'm not afraid of being successful.

I know it's silly, but it feels that way sometimes, like I can't make myself go. The work is right there waiting for me and I make excuses not to get it done. I have no reason why I do it but I want to work on getting down to work and getting shit done.

Then again, I could just have ADHD.

What To Catch on TCM This Week - May 6 - May 12, 2018

This week is an interesting week on TCM. There's a little bit of everything this week, from Sci-Fi to Marlene Dietrich, TCM's Star of the Month, if you can't find something to enjoy on TCM it might be your fault.

First up is Marilyn Monroe in Some Like It Hot on Sunday night, May 6th at 6:00 P.M. MST. Written and directed by Billy Wilder this romantic comedy is an American classic. Jack Lemmon as Jerry/Daphne is comedy genius. To me Lemmon is the reason that I watch this film, sure Monroe is magnificent in this film also, but Lemmon just shines. The way that his character embraces his role of being a woman, made me realize that being myself is so worth it, not being myself cheapens me.

Vacation From Marriage starring Deborah Kerr, is a romance about a couple that are bored with each other until WWII starts and they decide to join in the fight, her a Wren, him the Royal Navy. They both become more independent and what they were missing in the other person in their marriage. It's corky and cute and on May 8th at 3:15 A.M. MST.

Tarzan The Ape Man Series starts off on Tuesday (May 8th) at 6 P.M. MST Everything from the Pre-Code Ape Man to Tarzan and the Lost Safari will be on for 24 hrs. I know that they aren't the greatest films, but they're fun and my dad used to love them.

Marlene Dietrich takes to the screen on May 10th at 6 P.M. MST in  The Blue Angel as Lola Lola , the star of the local cabaret. Simultaneously shot in German and English this film about how love can drive a person insane is also the film that shot Dietrich to world stardom.

Up next is Dietrich in Shanghai Express at 10 P.M. where she plays a "Coaster," or a woman who lives by her wits up and down the China coast. I love the long shots through the train and the beautiful close ups of Dietrich, it has been hailed as one of the most beautifully shot black and white movies ever, for that alone you should check it out.

Blonde Venus is my favorite Marlene Dietrich film. Dietrich plays a wife who goes back to working in the theater to try to save her husband's life when he becomes poisoned by radium. Unfortunately for her husband, she falls in love with a wealthy playboy (played by Cary Grant) who pays for all of her husband's treatment. Dietrich is a flame in this movie. The costumes, makeup and her musical numbers show case all of her talents very well. May 11th at 1:30 A.M.

Freaks is a pre-code horror film about a young trapeze artist who schemes a dwarf into marrying her to get his money. She rejects him and his fellow Freaks at their wedding reception and then he turns on her and his fellow Freaks turn her into the most hideous of beings.  May 11th at 11:30 A.M. MST.

Master thief and playboy Edward Pierce plans to steal a monthly shipment of gold from the London Folkstone train. He gathers a pickpocket, his mistress, chauffeur and a train guard to help him and they attempt The Great Train Robbery. This film is Sean Connery at his finest. May 11th at 6 P.M. MST.

Katherine Hepburn stars as Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine allowed out of prison for the holidays to try to get her husband King Henry II to allow their oldest son, the future King Richard the Lionhearted to ascend to the throne. It is a beautifully shot movie, with an excellent cast. The Lion in Winter is on May 12th at 3:30 P.M. 

Another Lemmon favorite is The Fortune Cookie. It's one of Lemmon's first pairings with Walter Matthau and it's hilarious. Lemmon plays a cameraman that gets hurt by a football player and Matthau plays his underhanded brother and lawyer "Whiplash Willie." Thinking that he has come across the case of all cases that will set him up for life, unfortunately his client isn't as injured as he hopes he his. Matthau is great at his scamming role, which he partially uses when he plays Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple. This entertaining and fun film is on Saturday May 12th at 6 P.M. MST. 

A Little More About Reckless Press

I just wanted to release the submission guidelines for any authors and artists that may want to submit during the submission time frame. 

Reckless Press, LTD.

Submission Guidelines

Anthology Submissions:

Must be an original piece of work not published before. Must be in the genre that is being accepted for the issue. The genre for the first issue is Sci-Fi.

Short Stories must be in 12-point font, Times New Roman and 4-12 pages long. Must include title page with authors first and last name, address, page and word count in the right-hand corner. No erotica, we do not accept erotica.

  

Art Work for cover art consideration must be pencil, pen, crayon, and oil pastels. Drawing software can be used as well. Must be original art work (cannot depict a superhero). 4 color art, you can send in the original or a copy, 8x12 only. If you would like your art work returned, please send an SASE. We are looking for interesting Sci-Fi drawings, think 1950’s Sci-Fi style.

There is a $10 entry fee that will go toward printing and editing fees for the anthology. Submissions that are accepted into the anthology, will give the author a chance to submit a manuscript for publication consideration, a copy of the anthology and a 10% discount on additional copies of the anthology. Artists get a copy of the anthology, a chance to submit a manuscript (if they are also a writer), or a chance to submit art for an art book and a 10% discount on additional copies of the anthology. Also artists could get a chance to work on other projects, like cover art for future books, t-shirts, podcast logos, etc. 

Why give us your hard earned $10 just for a chance to be accepted and published in our anthology? Your $10 will go to help artists get recognized and will go to help the community (in the future there will be a contest with prizes, but being the first year and that funds are being raised to get started, I'm going to wait and start next year).

5% of the profits from the sale of this anthology will be going to a charity to be decided later, I'm thinking of picking four charities and then having Patrons and authors vote on the one that they like the most and think would help the community. 

Submissions begin May 8, 2018 and end June 30, 2018 Midnight MST.

Starting Over

I really didn't want to do this and had wanted to start on Friday, but it is what it is. I'm starting my 100 Days of Writing from May 1 and it will go to Sunday August 12, 2018. I wanted to start last Friday but then thought that starting at the beginning of the month was a better idea.

I will be moving over all of my writing to my Patreon page (Reckless) on May 6th. I will have 2 blogs per week that will be public I will also start taking Sci-Fi Story submissions on May 8th and in order to submit you will have to be a Patron at the $10 level. I may also expand this on our website when that goes public so that you can just submit there. After you become a Patron I will email you where to send your submission. I'm very excited to see what kinds of Sci-Fi people are writing and what everyone is thinking. I hope that you find my writing equally as intriguing or at least want to see what happens with this project. If you want a refresher about Reckless Press you can read my earlier post Here

I know that as of late that my writing/posting has been sporadic but now that deadlines and production schedules have been put in place postings will be regular. I really want my business to succeed and I need to focus on this more than all the external stuff with my day job. I really appreciate everyone who gives my writing a passing glance and takes the time to read what I write, thank you so much for sticking with me while I get this all together.