The Best Five

This British sitcom was something my grandma often watched on PBS, so when I saw it was on Netflix I couldn't resist checking it out all these years later.  It is still fun to watch Hyacinth Bucket and the rest of her crazy family.  I also still wonder about her candlelight suppers.  How often does she actually host one?  Anyway, here is a list of my favorite quotes from the show.  Enjoy! 5.  [Hyacinth is startled into the hedge by the barking dog] Onslow: Less noise, you daft bitch! That goes for you as well, dog! 4.  Hyacinth: If there's one thing that distinguishes us from other people, it's the absence of vulgar noises. 3.  Hyacinth: If there's one thing I can't stand, it's snobbery and one-upmanship. People trying to pretend they're superior. Makes it so much harder for those of us who really are. 2.   Hyacinth:   Completely conducive to contemplating cozy charismatic country cottages . 1.  Last but not least: ...

I must confess that I haven't really celebrated Halloween in a while.  I have fond memories of it, but that is what they are:  Memories.  So this post is perhaps an attempt to get into the Halloween spirit.  Am I too early with it?  I don't know.  I know Christmas stuff starts earlier every year, so why not Halloween?  Halloween is, after all, the king of all Holidays -- and I say this as someone who was born on Thanksgiving. (I must say:  Sorry, Martin Luthor King Day, but until people start giving out free candy and dressing up like zombies and pirates to celebrate your dream, your holiday will not be #1). Okay, so the best five things about Halloween? 5.   The Games and Activities For whatever reason, I remember doing the whole bobbing for apples thing, and I only remember doing that once.  Nevertheless, I really enjoyed that.  It was simple yet effective, and easy to set up.  But a much simpler aspect of Halloween i...

1987's movie "The Running Man" may not be the greatest movie of all time, but it still has its share of entertainment value.  For one thing, it is the only Stephen King movie to star Arnold Schwarzenegger (who, before becoming a crappy Governor, was perhaps the king of "guilty pleasure" action movie stars). The rudimentary plot goes like this:  In 2017, America has become a totalitarian police state (not much of a stretch there, right?).  Arnold's character Ben Richards was wrongfully convicted of a helicopter massacre of civilians during a food riot.  Richards escapes, takes a woman named Amber Mendez hostage, but gets caught again after Amber alerts airport security.  Long story short, Richards is offered a chance at clemency by reality show host Damon Killian (played by real life talk show host Richard Dawson), if he is willing to star on The Running Man -- a show wherein "runners" are offered pardons if they can successfully evade various...

This movie is for the boids! (Nyuk nyuk nyuk!) (DON'T LOOK UP MOVIES ON THE INTERNET IF YOU'RE CONCERNED ABOUT SPOILERS. GET IT?  GOT IT? GOOD!) 5.   The Mere Fact That The Bad Guys Are Birds Alfred Hitchcock's " The Birds " is quite the masterpiece.  Not only is it a great horror movie, but it's also a great look into the psychology of its characters, and conveys the fear all of us have of being ganged up on.  The fact that the enemies are birds is a great idea, as birds typically serve no threat to human beings.  In this movie they are not only threatening but downright terrifying.  Just as mysterious are the moments where the birds calm down, seemingly lulled by some unknown force.      Then, when they begin acting up again, it is almost as though they reflect the growing insecurities of the characters -- particularly poignant when people start blaming it all on Tippi Hedron's character Melanie Daniels,who happens to be the stra...

                                            The Best Five Werner Herzog Quotes                                          Consider this a bonus introductory quote. It's a cliché by now to call Werner Herzog a controversial film maker, or a renegade, or crazy, or cruel, or any number of other macho-sounding things.  Still, he seems to fit those roles at times.  Just as importantly, he's made some great movies. I personally haven't seen all of them -- including some of his most influential ones -- but I've seen a decent number of them that I enjoy. In any case, I want to present this list of 5 of the best Werner Herzog quotes (that I could find today).  Each one serves as a snapshot, not only into his life and way of thinking but, strangely, into a ver...

DO NOT LOOK UP MOVIES ON THE INTERNET IF YOU'RE CONCERNED ABOUT SPOILERS. GET IT?  GOT IT? GOOD! Do you like the Friday The 13th movies?  Think about that for a moment.....I'll wait....Okay, I'm glad you thought about it.  Now that the dumb introductory question's out of the way, let's get to the zaniness and carnage!  As you may have guessed, I offer a list of my favorite moments from the Friday the 13th movie series.  Now, these are my  favorite moments, meaning you might have different ones.  Hell, you may not even like what I'll say, but it's supposed to be a free country, so I'll say it anyway.  Here it goes: #5.                          Freddy Vs. Jason It didn't win an Oscar, but you know what?  The writers did about as good a job with it as anyone could reasonably expect.  I also respect how, despite how insistent Friday fans are of Jason's superiority a...