The teens and I have spent the summer, and now early fall, watching horror movies. We do our research and been lucky so far in picking decent, if not great ones. We’re only asking for entertainment and jump scares “Ready or Not” is a 2019 movie that we didn’t read up on. We’d heard it was fairly good so we took our chances and watched it last night. It is a fast-paced movie that plays into a lot of horror movie tropes, villains are mostly moronic, and you know what the ending is likely to be. All of this said we liked it. It did its job and provided 90 minutes of macabre fun. Its main saving grace is the lead character played by Samara Weaving, an Australian actress and the niece of the great Hugo Weaving. Hugo is well known for the “Matrix” and “Lord of the Rings” trilogies.…
The Night of the Hunter is a 1955 black and white classic that wasn’t as lauded when it originally debuted. The premise is a tough one today let alone in 1955. Based on the novel written by Davis Grubbs, it tells the story of an itinerant preacher, the Reverend Harry Powell, turned serial killer who tries to charm a widow out of $10,000 left to her by her executed husband. Her husband robbed a bank, hid the money, told the secret location to his children, and was later hanged for his crime. He shared a jail cell with Powell who gets released and then pursues his prey, mainly the children. The “preacher” is based on a real-life serial killer by the name of Harry Powers who in reality committed far more heinous crimes. Executed in 1932, he was one of the first men in U.S. history to truly be labeled…
Ever experience the phenomenon where a movie or tv show gets savaged by critics and Youtubers, but you really like it? Where reviewers pick apart plots, performances, timelines, and well really everything about a show? That would give you “Space Force” co-created by Greg Daniels and Steve Carrell who brought us the American version of “The Office”. We thought it was hysterical. Of course, I laugh at Carrell’s expression on award shows. He can be subtle and say so much with a look. In “Space Force” he finds himself in the middle of ridiculous situations and has to play them off like they can be saved. He’s the cheerleading captain for a team which constantly crashes into themselves or the ground yet keep trying. https://youtu.be/l4mY2asIjWk The amount of talent in the cast is amazing: Steve Carrell, Lisa Kudrow, John Malkovich, Jimmy O. Yang, Fred Willard, and more. It’s funny to…
El Orfanato or The Orphanage is a 2007 Spanish film we found one night on Netflix. Listed under “Horror” it is really more of a supernatural ghost story. Both suspenseful and sad and worth watching. The story centers around a young girl, Laura, who lived in an orphanage until one day she is adopted. Leaving the staff and other children behind, she won’t return for 30 years. The film opens with this flashback, and then the story moves to her and her family’s return. Poe in Wonderland is about sharing what we like and it may not always be something happening in the present. We find things all the time that may have been well known to others but new to us. So, a book or movie review on our site is not necessarily going to be a movie that is either upcoming or in theatres now. And, that is…
Happy Birthday to Alice in Wonderland! A day late but nonetheless. Wishing Happy Birthday to the story that began July 4, 1862, on a boating trip with Charles Dodgson and the Liddell sisters. A very merry unbirthday to all of you! https://youtu.be/RdsZT7WKjW8
https://youtu.be/NnjUFPy1AOk Credit: Yolo FevA
https://youtu.be/NWPoSZo1ms0 Video with Soundtrack Credit: Yestervid.com “Sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” The Queen in Through the Looking Glass
Cannot LOVE this black cat on the catwalk enough! Found it on the Facebook page: Les Tenebres. If you like Goth, you will like this page. He is definitely something happy to find during these days around the world with quarantining. The cat is Rover and he has an amazing life you can follow: https://www.facebook.com/withroverallover/videos/2408188372830958/ Instagram@rover_thecat FacebookRover the Cat
On the surface Atlanta, with a population climbing more than 498,000, seems like a big city. In reality, you can go to an art show on a Friday night in an in town neighborhood and run into intersections of people you know. There’s a saying and it goes it may be a big city but it’s really a series of small towns. Different Trains Gallery held a pop up art show at 378 in Candler Park on Friday, January 24th, and they were guaranteed certain success with the ingredients they used. First, 378 is a nice sized gallery space with a downstairs area for performances. Next, the artists they chose were very talented and had good ties to the community along with lots of friends and family who love them. And last but not least, Clay Harper and Kevn Kinney performed. It was cold outside and rained intermittently but no…
I rediscovered a post I’d forgotten as I’ve been researching spooky places and events for our Halloween page. I’d read about Atlanta’s Doll’s Head Trail and had heard about it from friends who love hiking. Tom, my youngest son, and I decided to check it out in early 2018. Photo Credit: UrbanAlice and Jennifer Graham The South River Brick Company has been closed for over 50 years and its days of making bricks from Georgia red clay are long gone, but its abandoned site has not gone unused. We found this little treasure of a place in East Atlanta this past February. I’d seen photos from friends and other hikers online and waited for a good day to explore it. When the land went unused, a collection of house hold items and trash began to accumulate. A local carpenter, Joel Slaton, envisioned the trail as a community art project using…