rohanaka

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And days o' lang syne ? Happy New Year everybody... Anyone else feel free to start a new one if you like....

That's it, my sister...grab your parachute....we've got to get you aboard that airplane!! (I will make sure you land in a much friendlier TIME...) But PS...I hope they will still have the internet though....we still want you HERE too!!

a little sumthin' sumthin' on "Double Indemnity Ok....a very little because I still maintain that there is not much that can be improved upon w/ what our friend and fellow classmate Molo has already pointed out... So rather than get too specific about the movie itself...maybe I will focus more on the original question... here goes nuttin' Do the women in Double Indemnity (Phyllis) and The Postman Always Rings Twice (Cora) lead the men astray or are the men (Walter Neff and Frank Chambers) willing participants from the beginning? In a word...yes. Now...before it sounds like I am trying to have it both ways here, I would like to state that my personal opinion on any (adult) behavior is that NO ONE can ever make us do ANYTHING that we are not willing participants in from the beginning. (excluding the use of coercive tactics like guns, or other threat of bodily harm, etc) I am trying to say... we are ALL responsible for the choices we make and we cannot use "but she MADE me do it" as an excuse. But having said that...there are times when individuals who might normally behave as perfectly reasonable and responsible human beings sometimes allow themselves to be led astray by their own desire for what they otherwise could not or would not have....and therefore become willing participants in deeds they might not otherwise have committed. Curiosity is a BIG killer of more than cats but it is often the symptom of a greater problem. The REAL issue is "the selfish pursuit by some of what they THINK will make them happy." Everyday people like the ones in our two films choose behavior that will lead them to make bad choices later on because they took a "first step" toward something they thought they wanted, either by a look or a glance, or a "I wonder what would happen if..." And once they choose a path that takes them closer to that "what if" thought, then they have set in play a serious of events that may lead them to a place they never intended to go. NOBODY wants the troubles that surround the pursuit of the object of their illicit desire...but people are often self-blinded by their desire for that object...and therefore become willing participants in scenarios or situations that they really had no intention of pursuing in their pursuit of said object. (is this making sense and have I said the word "pursuit" enough yet?) And sooner or later they are bound to end up asking themselves...."How did I get here?" I imagine that Walter could have asked himself that the last time he saw Phyllis... And eventually (it is always easier to see in hindsight)....the answer can be found by following the little trail of breadcrumbs all the way back to that first though of "what if" that was allowed to grow (or fester) into an action....and then a second action....and so on. Ok...that was a little "sumthin'" alright. Not sure if this is what was required to answer the question or not though.... Just in case.... NOT a bribe...just a little "Happy New Year" gift from a student who wished to remain anonymous!! . :-) Message was edited by: rohanaka

Hiya Wendy... Oh man, Kathy! I am so laughing at the "tale of the groceries".... and I sooo understand! Andrew beat me to the laundry folding later yesterday morning, too. He was taking Alice's clothes and sorting them into piles on her bed. I gently explained (really) that short sleeves and long sleeves go in separate piles because they go into separate drawers in the dresser. He got all irritated and said he was just going to do it his way. I said that he was making extra work for someone (who could that be?) and it would be easier if he just left them in the basket.... no such luck. He has to make every chore into 4 or 5 steps instead of just one - putting stuff AWAY...... HA! I think we could sum up all these stories with just one word....Men!! :-) I actually noticed the man who stands doing nothing at the widows office! It's amazing, because I spent the entire movie looking at the periphery characters.... I just thought that was so funny, he just stands, no words.... nothing. What a hoot that movie is! It really tickled me this time through...... Every time I watch it I see something or think of something else I have never noticed before. No wonder it is my favorite....It should be titled..."The Ever Expandable for Conversation, Thought Provoking, Always Reliable for a Laugh, Quiet Man...but maybe Ford would have thought that a bit too "wordy" :-) Re: They Were Expendable - The only reason I notice "filmmaking" is when I can't watch the movie as I would like to Wow...you are way more capable at picking up stuff like that when you are not giving a film your full attention than I am even if I sit and stare at it over and over again...you got the knack ,kid. :-) The Great Moviemakers of Hollywood's Golden Age That book sounds terrific. Your husband did a good job! I bet you are really enjoying it. you must do what interests you, even if it isn't "popular". It may become the next big thing.... THAT could almost be a bumper sticker! Seriously though the book sounds like a nice insight into the thoughts and motivations behind these guys. I bet it helps understand some of their films even more. Boy, I wish I had been a fly on the wall when most of these movies were made...... Depending on the film, I would likely want to be buzzing along right beside you! Have fun "De-decorating" I am saving THAT chore for tomorrow or Saturday. :-)

I'm watching you ladies. Gulp!! (hangs head in shame and sinks slowly down in chair..thinking to herself...I wonder if Miss Maven is out of chocolates yet???) :-)

Hi again Jack...I am back home now and all bundled up (it is SO rotten cold tonight) ...we are such fogies around here...most years it seems our New Years eve more or less runs out about now...pretty exciting aint it?? :-) Just wanted to check in and go back into your post again. I laughed and laughed when you told about how your husband "helps" you w/ the laundry...Now mine actually does help...in fact sometimes he does almost more laundry around here than I do. But now dishes...oh the dishes...when he "helps" with those... lets just say...he "prewashes" them for me... :-) He prefers to "handwash" but they do not always end up as "washed" as I prefer them to be... and I usually end up loading his "handwashings" into the dishwasher anyway...but it is nice of him to try. :-) One thing he DOES do that drives me up the wall (also his way of "helping") is if a table or cabinet gets too "cluttered" he tends to do an "armsweep" and it all ends up in a big jumbled up pile at one end or the other. That's NOT helping!!!! One day I came in and found him moving a bunch of groceries (canned goods etc) that I hadn't put away yet from the afternoon before, and he was taking them from one side of the kitchen to the other. I asked him what was he doing and he said..."Clearing up the mess" And I gently and lovingly (do you see my eyes rolling?) let him know that if that were true then he would have put the groceries IN THE CABINET instead of just moving them from one spot to another. At least where I had them in the beginning....they were not in my way...but after his HELP ....I had to stop and put them away myself so that I could use the area HE decided to clutter up instead.... There are times when I would like to hang a sign on my kitchen door..."NO MAN'S LAND" But...I can't...I love him. What can I say????? :-) I hope you got to watch some TCM today I ended up taping "Fort Apache...I haven't seen it in a long time so was glad to get it on tape and will likely watch sometime this weekend. It hasn't been too long since I saw Stagecoach, so since it came on so early...I decided to let it go this time (I know...shame on me...) And I also more or less missed most of TQM mainly because the short person has had way too much sway over our viewing selections this Christmas break...Kung Fu Panda and Night at the Museum are more important to her right now then Ford films ...but don't worry... I am sure her horizons will be expanded as time goes by. And she has seen TQM before w/ me and we watched the tail end of it today too so it was not a total loss. What I did NOT get to see (or tape) was They Were Expendable....(due to poor planning on my part) But more about that in a minute. Alice watched all of The Quiet Man with me, and thought it was a riot. She especially loved the part where Mary Kate got dragged through the sheep poo in the field and then the big fight scene. She also thought it was funny when Mary Kate was afraid of the thunder ......Kids are so nice, aren't they? I hope I'm not raising a psycho HA! If you are raising a psycho...I am raising a " bossy busybody" because whenever mine watches with me she stands in front of the tv and yells at everybody to tell them "Stop Fighting PEOPLE!!" We only saw the end of TQM today...but she just stood there and said "John Wayne..you DO NOT hit that man!" And then she yelled at Red Will...."MAN!! Stop fighting with John Wayne...that is NOT nice!" She will likely be a chip off the old "Peacemaker" block someday... :-) I love all the little side characters in this film. There are so many of them just filling up the outer edges of the story and sometimes bringing added texture to the moment. Francis Ford is just a hoot in this film...I love the scene at the wedding where he is mimicking Danaher..."So without further eloquence..." The guy w/ the paper is funny too. He just sits there turning pages without a care in the world. One guy that stood out for me a few months ago when I watched was the little guy in the widow's office when Sean and Will are bidding on the cottage trying to "win" it from her. Right there in the same room by the fireplace is this guy...just standing there...for no apparent reason except to hold the carpet down in that spot on the floor. WHO is he? WHY is he there? WHAT is he doing?? Inquiring minds want to know!! :-) Here is a little something I found on F Ford...pretty interesting. He has been in a lot of films and only recently have I began to notice that HE's the guy...as in...OH...the guy in Young Abe Lincoln...or OH...the guy in the Oxbow Incident....etc. He really had a knack for bringing a lot of life and personality to a lot of small roles. http://characteractors.blogspot.com/2008/10/francis-ford.html watched They Were Expendable Now this is my one regret today...in all my goofing off..I forgot to get this one taped...and out of all of the ones on today it was the only one I haven't seen. It is coming on again sometime in the near future though so I will have to do better next time. But in a way it is good that I missed it because now I have your excellent post to refer back to. You always have such a precise and unique way of looking at the technical aspects and the intent behind a lot of the direction and filming of certain movies that really does help put certain shots into better perspective. I know I will be watching with a keener eye thanks to you! Great pics too by the way!! Thanks for posting them. I really enjoyed your post, Wendy. Nice talking to you. And try to go easy on that husband of yours...you do NOT want to get the sheep stuff in that gorgeous long hair of his!!! :-) Well....it is getting close to that time around here...(we are an hour behind you folks) so I think I will go wake up the kidling here in a minute (she's on the couch) so she can bang some pots and pans together (an old family tradition). Happy New Year to one and all! And God's blessing to you, each and every one!!

Hi Jack!!!!! What a great post!! I didn't even know it was here until Miss G was kind enough to point it out to me!!! (I never have utilized the old "watch this thread buttona'...so who knows WHEN I would have clicked on here w/ out the heads up! Thanks April!) I will come back and chat more when I have some time as we are about to start our evenings festivities...and I want to give your comments my full attention. I leave you now with a little youtube...It was as close as I could come to finding the pic you wanted w/out some more digging!! (about 5minutes 35 seconds or so....enjoy!) Talk to you later!!! :-) Happy New Year! :-)

I'd be the one crazy passenger begging them to give me a parachute or let me off first! lol! HA! It would just depend on WHEN you were going to end up....I would not want to hit the ground and have a TRex pop out of the bushes and start chasing me! :-)

the one with William Shatner and the "troll" on the airplane (or is that "The Outer Limits"?) Nope...it's The Zone...that one is a favorite too.My husband has always liked the Shatner one, but he actually prefers the version they adapted for The Twilight Zone movie w/ John Lithgow...I am torn...because I like both. But if I had to pick an all time favorite it would be the one w/ Burgess Meredith where he breaks his glasses...that one is so heartbreaking and ironic all at the same time. :-) Time..oh...no pun intended!

The episode on now (Little Girl Lost) is the one that haunted my childhood Sorry to interupt...but thanks for the heads up on the TZ show...we usally do try to catch some of them when they have these marathons as the QT and I have both always been fans. Room for One More and the one w/ Talking Tina have always creeped me out the most... Oh...those two and of course....this one: I think the sister in this one gets my vote for Queen of "Creepy" . :-)

April...I even found one for the Grey Guy...but he'll have to fight the current owner for it first... Oh Grey Guy...I'm sorry....I just couldn't help myself... :-)

HA! We aim to please! Now....if I were to choose a color to match my hair.. Hmmm...mousy brown w/ gray streaks...not good for pastels...Let's see...maybe I will try a contrast color instead...Red has always been good for me...

Your wish is my command...you can have one for now...and wear the other one tomorrow!!

Happy New Year Everyone... Here's a little party already in progress....enjoy!! (If you must drink and drive...Drink sarsparilla! ) :-) Have a safe and happy New Year's Eve...and God's richest blessings to you all in the coming year.

That possum-diet must work That and chasing after Jethro with a switch seems to have done wonders for her...I wonder if the "possum" fat is what has kept her hair so smooth and silky. :-) PS....here's another Granny youtube--quite the little singing sensation....who knew?? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDShGVsvhh0&NR=1 Message was edited by: rohanaka

Here's one to help us ring in the New Year... Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind...

Could it be Granny's special "Spring Tonic"? Well...if she is fresh out of tonic...she could always sing for him...(watch out now...his Lambie might have some competition!!) :-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwTXqwHXLyk

36 "Here in the Auto Shop Class of the Rich and Famous you will learn such important car repair techniques as: Sending your chauffeur on a 3 mile hike to fetch more champagne for you while you wait for a new car to pick you up....And also the proper technique for bawling out the garage attendants for not polishing all the fixtures properly after repairing the vehicle is complete. We'll also be coving such secondary topics as: The sun roof... open or closed? and the ever popular Hood Ornaments..all flash says cash. "

Good idea! (whistling innocently) :-)

Is he a willing participant from the beginning? Yes, I think so I know so...and if there's any doubt for anyone else....all they would need to do to clear that up is to read your post. Very good Molo. You made several of the points I had intended to write myself (eventually) if this conversation ever got started. But now I feel certain there is nothing more I could add to what you've already said so well... and if I did try to come up with anything new it would pale in comparison I am sure...NOW what am I going to do?? :-) (whispering....) Hey April...let's just copy Molo's homework...don't let the teachers know... :-)

Kathy! It's contagious I wish I'd catch it again, because for the life of me the comparisons that seemed to pop so readily into my mind several weeks ago have left me now...I think it must be old age catching up to me... One thing I do think I recall is the scenery and landscape in Laramie and Two Rode Together were very similar in places...but even that memory is a bit fuzzy now...so who knows?? Thanks for the tip on SADDLE THE WIND I will have to check that one out I am starting to get an appreciation for Taylor...I never paid him that much notice before, but after reading so many favorable posts and checking out a few of his films, he is starting to make a nice impression. A solid script by Rod Sterling. THAT is an interesting plus as well as the director you mentioned too.

The movie benefits from some spectacular backgrounds very nice shots, FF.

just ask Liberty Valance I would but...Oh wait...HE's eating dust at the moment!!! (El Sr. Grey esta usted leyendo esto?--I'm sure those are the words to the little Mexican tune that is playing in the cantina...) :-)

Right now, soylent green is purple (oh...I just have to do this...) SO....would that mean that everyone on there...would be.... (drum roll please..) PURPLE PEOPLE EATERS???? :-) (Ok....don't you all start groaning and rolling your eyes at the same time!!) :-)

the ones hiding in the shadows HA!! Totally hidden...except for the little telltale puff of smoke. :-)