You Can't Take It With You - Saturdazzle Adjacent Post

The past coupla Saturdays I've tried and failed to put out a Team Saturdazzle post. The truth is my Fridays have been frenzied lately and my Saturdays have been swamped. The phrase 20 pounds in a 5-pound bag aptly describes them. My best friend noticed yesterday that yesterday at least until mid to late afternoon was anything but dazzling and told me to stop what I was doing, go home, and spend a quiet evening with my wife. This worked out well for my best friend and my wife as they are the same person.  

So I went home, and we watched a movie together.  The Movie was the 1938 Film: You Can't Take It With You.  I have blogged about it before here,  as the Y entry in "A Month at the Movies" from the  2023 A to Z challenge.  

It did Saturdazzle my weekend right up.  So much so, that I am taking some time on a Sunday to breathe a little and blog a little.  In the A to Z post, I shared the below YouTube video which is a good synopsis and review of the movie.  

 

T.V. in the Background: A Very Brady Christmas 

Two Ways To Film The Same Scene

I just saw this on You Tube and thought it was worth sharing. It makes me want to watch Shop Around the Corner, Good Old Summertime and You Got Mail back to back to back. I have seen the 1940 Jimmy Stewart Classic multiple times. Have never seen Good Old Summertime and believe I have only seen You've Got Mail Once. I really liked this glimpse into the storytelling process of filmmaking.

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Y is for You Cant Take It ...

 A  TO Z Challenge 2023

A Month At The Movies

This year I am copying from a myriad of other A to Z  challengers by reprinting the same synopsis about my theme with every letter.  You can skip over this part if you want to.  

I love movies and have decided to share with you a movie each day that I have enjoyed to one degree or another.  With each entry, I'll give a brief synopsis of the film, share a positive and negative review from Rotten Tomatoes ( a website, I didn't use much at all until preparing for the challenge), discuss its resiliency (the theme of the A to Z challenge this year), and other tidbits like whether the film may appear in my top 100 film list, which I have been revamping this year. I think that's enough in the way of introduction, considering you'll be reading it (hopefully) 1  more time this month.

Film: You Can't Take It With You (1938)

Director: Frank Capra

You Can't Take It With You is your standard issue 1930's screwball comedy with the Frank Capra touch.  The below video does a great job in 9 minutes of recapping and reviewing the film.

The son of a Wall Street banker falls in love with the granddaughter of the person blocking the banker's money-making scheme.  Stars Edward Arnold, Lionel Barrymore, Jimmy Stewart and Jean Arthur.

Positive Tomato: It's one of the most amusing and satisfying pictures to be seen in months, and certain to be an enormous hit with audiences. Edwin Schallert - Los Angeles Times

Negative Tomato: It may be disappointment that any Frank Capra comedy should be heavy and overdone which makes You Can't Take It with You seem such a dud. Otis Ferguson - The New Republic

Resiliency: You Can't Take it with you is the oldest movie on this list.  It is celebrating its 85th anniversary this year. That its themes would still resonate with audiences today shows how resilient film can be.  

Top 100: This is one of those movies that I would tell you I think it would be my the top 100 and then wind up with 125+ films on my list.  It is definitely worthy of consideration and may end up making my actual list.  

A to Z Connection:  This is the third film featuring my favorite director Frank Capra in the challenge along with Arsenic and Old Lace and It's A Wonderful Life.  It is also the 3rd film featuring my favorite actor Jimmy Stewart (It's A Wonderful Life and Vertigo).  Speaking of 3s, it is the third film along with the aforementioned Arsenic and Old Lace and A Man For All Seasons to be adapted from a broadway play. This is the 5th and final Academy Award winner for Best Picture on my list.  The other 4 are A Man For All Seasons, Chariots of Fire, Ordinary People, and The Kings Speech.  The Kings Speech has also been produced on Broadway, but in this case, the play was adapted from the film, not vice-versa.

Next Time: Zoo-Dun-It?

V is For Vertigo

 A to Z Challenge

A Month At The Movies

This year I am copying from a myriad of other A to Z  challengers by reprinting the same synopsis about my theme with every letter.  You can skip over this part if you want to.  

I love movies and have decided to share with you a movie each day that I have enjoyed to one degree or another.  With each entry, I'll give a brief synopsis of the film, share a positive and negative review from Rotten Tomatoes ( a website, I didn't use much at all until preparing for the challenge), discuss its resiliency (the theme of the A to Z challenge this year), and other tidbits like whether the film may appear in my top 100 film list, which I have been revamping this year. I think that's enough in the way of introduction, considering you'll be reading it (hopefully) 4  more times this month.

Film: Vertigo (1958)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

By Saul Bass - http://aliceovolk.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/vertigo-1958-usa-movie-poster-art-by-saul-bass-james-stewart-in-alfred-hitchcocks-vertigo1.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25318666

I haven't seen this movie for a while so I went tot he library today and checked it out and am watching it as I make this post.  I've been watching for an over an hour, and am at the point of the movie where the pieces should be coming together but they are not.  

Positive Tomato: One of Hitchcock's finest achievements, layering drama, a love story, adventure, and hair-raising suspense into a psychological murder-mystery that simply has no peers. Mike Massie - Gone With The Twins 

Negative Tomato: Even such a master-craftsman as director Alfred Hitchcock sometimes forgets that more than enough is too much, as he proves in this photogenic San Francisco suspense-mystery, which is still badly in need of the cutter's shears. Clyde Gilmour - Maclean's Magazine

Jimmy Stewart starring in his 4th Alfred Hitchcock film plays a retired detective who is asked by an old friend to protect his wife from herself, but all is not as it seems.  

Leyostone Tube Station

By Mike Quinn, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45941673

I just got to the point of the big plot twist, I had forgotten all about it.  Things are getting interesting, I'm not sure how its going to end.

Resiliency: This movie is a psychological thriller in every sense of the word.  The way the killer operates here is to steal all of Stewart's resiliency.  He is unable to move forward so instead he moves backward.

Top 100: I just finished watching the film , and I am leaning towards the verdict of the negative tomato rather than  the positive one.  I mentioned in a previous review, that I don't know what my #1 Hitchcock film is, well It is not Vertigo.

I was disappointed in the ending.  It made sense and it kept me guessing until the end.  I just didn't like how it played out.  One reason is that Barbara Bel Geddes isn't in the last act of that film and she made every scene she was in so much better by her presence.   Bel Geddes who played the matriarch in the T.V. soap Dallas, plays an interesting role in this movie.  I would have liked to see her utilized more in the film.  Not to say that the star Kim Novak doesn't do a good job, she does.  It's just I fount myself rooting more for Bel Geddes than Novak.

A to Z Connections: This is the second Alfred Hitchcock directed film in the challenge (North by Northwest).  

There are 3 A to Z connections with It's A  Wonderful Life: 

• They both star Jimmy Stewart.
• They both have a scene where Stewart jumps into water to save someone who doesn't need saving.
• Neither did well in their original cinematic runs and over the course of time became more and more well regarded.  They are both in the top 25 of the American Film Institutes (AFI) Top 100 Film List

Next Time: Will there be swans?

I is For It's A Wonderful Life

 A to Z Challenge

A Month At The Movies

Hello and welcome back to A Month at the Movies,  my contribution to the A to Z challenge for 2023.

This year I am copying from a myriad of other A to Z  challengers by reprinting the same synopsis about my theme with every letter.  You can skip over this part if you want to.  

I love movies and have decided to share with you a movie each day that I have enjoyed to one degree or another.  With each entry, I'll give a brief synopsis of the film, share a positive and negative review from Rotten Tomatoes ( a website, I didn't use much at all until preparing for the challenge), discuss its resiliency (the theme of the A to Z challenge this year), and other tidbits like whether the film may appear in my top 100 film list, which I have been revamping this year. I think that's enough in the way of introduction, considering you'll be reading it (hopefully) 17 more times this month.

Film: It's A  Wonderful Life (1946)

Director: Frank Capra

By National Telefilm Associates - Original 1946 film, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18061926

It's A Wonderful Life is a film that needs no introduction. 

Positive Tomato: Capra remained true to classical Hollywood narrative, conceived and directed here, it is true, with almost hallucinatory skill. The scenes of tenderness are capable of penetrating the armor of even the most skeptical critical mind. Andre Bazin - L'ecran Francais

Original Trailer

Negative Tomato: Capra is an old-time movie craftsman, the master of every trick in the bag, and in many ways he is more at home with the medium than any other Hollywood director. But all of his details give the impression of contrived effect. Manny Farber - The New Republic

By National Telefilm Associates - Screenshot of the movie, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17631672

Resiliency: My favorite moment of resiliency in the movie is when the Bailey's use their wedding gift money to get their Building & Loan customers through the run on the bank. 

Top 100: It's Actually in the Top 1.  It's A Wonderful Life is my favorite movie of all time.  Starring Jimmy Stewart, my favorite actor of all time, and directed by Frank Capra, my favorite director of all time.  

By National Telefilm Associates - Screenshot of the movie, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17596045

A to Z Connection: This is the 2nd movie on my list directed by Frank Capra (Arsenic and Old Lace). 

Next Time: Just a movie about a revolutionary movement. 

The Greatest Show on Earth

January 2022 is in the books,  it's come and gone, it's been there and it's done that; and now it's time to move on.   But before we do, let's review a little.  In January I watched the first of  what will hopefully be 12 movies I have not seen before.   Last year, I wrote this post explaining my process for watching and writing about these movies.  In January I watched a movie that will fit into the 1949-1963 category.

The Greatest Show on Earth won the 1953 Academy Award for Best Picture.  I would give it between 2 and 2 and a half stars.  The movie tells the story of a travelling circus through the eyes of it's performers and audience.  It captures the pageantry of the travelling circus portraying the romance, human drama and hidden stories of the "travelling city" that comprises the circus train.  Cecil B De'Mille directs and Charlton Heston stars as the circus boss and Jimmy Stewart plays a clown on the run from the law.  One theme of this movie is "The Show Must go On".  The perseverance of everyone associated with the circus and the joy that it brings the small towns and cities across America is on constant display.  One thing I liked about this movie is that it's an attempt to be a  love letter to the circus.  I loved the circus when I was a kid and I like the sentiment to celebrate what is now  a bygone era in American history,  One thing I did not like about this movie is that it is a poorly constructed ,overlong love letter to the circus.  Many of the circus scenes could have been totally deleted and the rest could have been cut into 1/4th of their screen time. I think the best audience for this movie would be people who like myself who want to see every Best Picture winner or every Jimmy Stewart film and don't mind that it sometimes makes a spectacle of itself.

W is for Waltons

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The Walton's is a 1970's CBS program about a family  of 7 children their parents and paternal grandparents living in rural Virginia during the depression. Earl Hamner who wrote and narrated the show  and was the person that the character Johm Boy Walton was based on was born in 1923 so would not qualify for this list.  However the actors who portrayed the grandparents Will Geer, and Ellen Corby were alive in 1921 .  

Ellen Corby

Years lived before 1921: Ten 

Years lived after 1921: Seventy-eight

Will Geer

Years lived before 1921: Nineteen

Years lived after 1921: Fifty-seven

Fun fact: Both Geer and Corby were involved in two iconic Christmas programs.  Geer was in the season 2 Christmas episode of 8 is enough where he plays a man who steals all the Bradford's Christmas gifts and tries to pass himself off as Santa Claus co Nicolas.  In It's a Wonderful Life Corby character  is kissed by Jimmy Stewart after only asking for $7.50 during the run on the Building & Loan.  They both were veteran character actors but their portrayal of Zeke and Esther Walton stands out as the role of their lifetimes.  

For more a to z challenge click here.  

S is for Stewart

  

                                                                Jimmy Stewart

                                                                Years lived before 1921: Thirteen

                                                                Years lived after 1932:Seventy-Six

Jimmy Stewart is probably my favorite actor.  This should not be too surprising as It's A Wonderful Life is my favorite film. Stewart played many original characters in his films but was also in a great deal of bio-pics.  Today we are going to look at 3 of those films as all of the titular subjects were also alive in 1921.

Film 1: The Stratton Story (1949)

                                                                Years lived before 1921: Seven

                                                                Years lived after 1921: Sixty-one

Monty Stratton was a pitcher with the the Chicago White Sox in the 1930's. He lost a leg due to a hunting accident.  He learned to pitch while using his prosthetic leg and had a comeback in the minor leagues but never did get back to the big leagues.   

Film 2: The Glenn Miller Story (1954)

                                                               

                                                               

                                                                            Glenn Miller

                                                               

                                                                Years lived before 1921: Seventeen

                                                                Years lives after 1921: Twenty-three

Glenn Miller was a big band musician and bandleader in the swing era of the 1930's and 1940's before his aircraft disappeared over the English Channel in late 1944.

Fun Fact: June Allyson portrayed both the wife of Glenn Miller in this picture and Monty Stratton in the Stratton story.  She played Stewart's wife in 3 different films.

Film 3: Spirit of St. Louis (1957)

                                                                            Charles Lindbergh 

                                                                            Years Lived Before 1921:19

                                                                            Years lived after 1921: 53

In 1927, Charles Lindbergh made the first solo nonstop flight from New York to Paris in an airplane built for that purpose called the Spirit of St. Louis.  The film tells the story of this event.

A To Z Easter Eggs

 A to Z Archives: S is for Stewart at HSD. We go back 6 years ago today when I wrote about Mr. Stewart in my 2nd go round of the a to z challenge.  For more of the 2021 rendition of the challenge click here.

J is for John and Johnson

I apologize for the tardiness of my J. I was right about to post my Jimmy Stewart post last night when my wife inquired if my Katharine Johnson post was finished. I checked my master list and much to my chagrin I had Stewart moved from J to S to get Katherine Johnson and John Glen into our A to Z orbit. So the good news Stewart's post will be ready when S rolls around later this month. The bad  news is J will be my first late entry of this years challenge and probably not the last.  

Katherine Johnson

                                                                     Years lived before 1921: Three

                                                                     Years lived after 1921: Ninety-nine 

Katherine Johnson (Left) Barack Obama (Center) Willie Mays (Right)

2015 Medal of Freedom ceremony at White House

John Glenn

                                                                           Years lived before 1921: Zero 

                                                                          Years lived after 1921: Ninety-Five

             John Glenn entering Friendship 7.

In 1962, multiple fledgling IBM computers were determining the trajectory of the Friendship 7 from take off to splashdown.  John Glenn who, like many astronauuts of his era, was weary of putting his life in the hands of computing machines, asked that Katherine Johnson do all the calculations manually and said "if she says they're good, then I'm ready to go." The rest is NASA history.

Click here for more of the A to Z Challenge.

                                                    
 

                                            

The nounsense is over

My A to Z Challenge  theme was nouns.

A noun is a person, place or thing.

My people were:

Allen Levi
Dave Ramsey
Frank Thomas
Hank Aaron
King Tut
Minnie Minoso
Nobody
Paul  Konerko
Jimmy Stewart
Bob Wallace

My Places were

Comiskey Park
Debt
Elgin
Illinois
Nowhere
Turkey
Uzbekistan
Virginia
Zoos

My Things were
Bibimbap
Discussions
Giraffe Poop
Jack & Diane
Library
Nothing
Oreos
Quinjet
Ragamuffin
Xanthosis
Yoyo

I enjoyed my time doing a to z blogging.

Here are three things I learned.

1) It is a lot easier to do a to z blogging as a full time home school dad than it is working outside the home.

2) I tried to do two blogs at the same time and had to give up on my  baseball one at U.

3)  Blogging here everyday for a month has gotten me more psyched for blogging than I have been in 2.5 years.  I am actually planning on participating next year in 3 blogs but have already picked my themes and hope to be much more prepared then I was this year.

I am sorry it took me a few weeks to post my thoughts.  But i went to Florida for 1 week right after this ended and it's taken me about a week to get back in the swing of things.

Speaking of road trips I am participating in the a to z road trip .  For more info click here.

S is for Stewart (Person)

I am something of a Jimmy Stewart fanatic.  I have seen many of his movies.  It's a Wonderful Life is my favorite film of all time.  Mr.  Smith goes to Washington is also in my top 10. He was in so many great films.  So when I decided to watch 12 movies  this year that I had never seen before it didn't surprise me that a Stewart film would make the list.  What did surprise me is that it would be a Stewart film I had never heard of before.

Magic Town (1947) is just that. I had a month free trial of  Amazon prime and was looking for a Jimmy Stewart film I had not seen before and when I found Greatest Show on Earth,  which I had heard of previously but never seen,  When I found it was not available I went with Magic Town.
I did a little researching and found that It's A wonderful life (1946 pictured above) and Magic Town  were back to back box office failures for Stewart.

The main difference between the two is that Magic Town is well deserving of it's failure.  It's A Frank Capra like film , which is  not surprising as it was written and directed by long time Capra collaborator Robert Riskin.  The end result of the reteaming of Riskin and Stewart without Capra is expressed quite well in an IMDB review by Mario Gauci ...

"... while the plot is typically original and engaging, somehow it lacks Capra's cinematic expertise in putting over Riskin's ideas: the tone is too often syrupy and sentimental while the  hero isn't made to face formidable villains such as one finds in Capra's work."

Stewart is not at his best in the movie.  His portrayal of a pollster trying to put a magic formula to work, lacks the multilayered nuanced performances he so often achieved. Jimmy Stewart was in many great movies prior to 1947. If you are looking for better Stewart movies from the 40's, you might want to try The Shop Around the Corner or Rope instead of this slightly above average comedy drama.

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HSD Rewind: Newspaper Fried Chicken

I have a little feature on my blog that announces the most frequently viewed post on the blog. I titled it the post of the week. I was surprised over the weekend to find that the most viewed post was a recipe post Amy wrote for Works for me Wednesday 2 years ago. So let's review the taste sensation that's sweeping the nation and get in the (not so) way back machine to

Original Air Date: June 30th, 2009


I have asked my lovely wife to contribute one of my favorite recipes for this special themed edition of WFMW. This dish works for us as a dish to pass at summer cookouts but also makes a great family dinner. Here is the lovely and Talented Mrs. Dad . . .



This is called "newspaper chicken" because we got the recipe from the newspaper. Creative huh.


**NOTE: This is a two-day affair, but well worth it!


Here's how I make it, but there are any number of variations you can make to make it your own. I take 5 lbs of boneless chicken breasts and cut them into small strips or chunks (I get the bag-o-frozen chicken from Aldi.) I cover them in water in a large tupperware bowl and add 1 cup of salt. Yes, one entire cup of salt. I put the cover on it, and shake it a few times, and refrigerate it overnight. Sometimes during the night, if I happen to get up, I shake it a few more times. In the morning, I dump out the salt water and rinse the chicken well. Really well. This brining isn't for flavoring. Then, using the same bowl while the chicken is on a plate or drainer, I put 2 cups of milk (I use skim) in the bowl and 2 tablespoons of vinegar and stir that up (handy dandy buttermilk.) Then return the chicken to the bowl and make sure the chicken is covered. If not, add more milk. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. I like to double dip my chicken because it comes out so crunchy, really good. I put 2 cups of flour, along with 1 tsp of the following: salt, garlic powder, chili powder, and 1/2 tsp of pepper and dry mustard. Mix it really well in a large ziplock bag (I've tried doing it in a bowl, but doesn't work as well.) So you take chicken out of buttermilk and save the buttermilk! Put chicken on a plate. Then with a pair of tongs or "grabbers" put a few pieces of chicken in the flour mixture to coat, then grab with grabbers, drop in buttermilk, and then back into flour mixture.

Place coated chicken on a tray (I use my pampered chef "stackable cooling rack" laid on top of a cookie sheet.) Once all chicken is double coated, let the tray sit in the fridge for another hour. This ensures the coating will stick to the chicken. **Sometimes I do have to make another bag of flour mixture. This double coating is messy, but it really makes for nice, crunchy chicken. After an hour, get a frying pan ready with enough oil to be 1/2 way up the sides of the chicken. I fry it over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, place a few pieces of chicken in the oil. If you're doing it right, as the hot oil is cooking the food, the salt water is coming out of the chicken, therefore, making it a nongreasy affair. Love it. So you fry it on one side for about 4 minutes (try to leave it alone here, don't check it a bunch of times), and the other side for about 4 minutes more. This, of course, varies according to size. Using bone-in chicken will take longer. Now, this is important: do not try to keep the chicken warm to try to serve in an hour or so. Either serve immediately, or allow to cool and either serve cold, or microwave to warm it up. If you try to keep it warm in the oven, it gets gooey, and nobody likes gooey chicken! This chicken also freezes quite well. I usually have enough for a meal right away, leftovers in the fridge, and then some in the freezer for a later meal.

Ingredients at a Glance:

5 lbs boneless chicken breasts
1 cup salt, water to cover chicken
2 cups milk plus 2 TBLS vinegar (or buttermilk if you have it)
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt, garlic powder, chili powder
1/2 tsp pepper and dried mustard
oil for frying

Thanks Amy. She also does a great impression of Jimmy Stewart saying chicken. She is certainly a woman of many talents.

Meanwhile back in 2011. Amy is still a woman of many talents. Today she got a job that she neither applied for nor interviewed for. She merely told some people she wanted it, and bam, it was hers. It's actually her same job just in a different school, one much closer to our house.

So she will be able to get home quicker and make this fantastic chicken. We still love it and hope you will too. If I repost this in ten years time I might have to remind people what a newspaper was.

As with last time I shared this recipe, I am sharing this @ We Are That Family for Works for me Wednesday because (wait for it) Newspaper Chicken works for me. click here to see what works for others who may not have chicken on their mind and be so easily defined.

COH # 279 Top 10 Film Edition.

Hello and welcome to Carnival of Homeschooling #279.

The theme of this week's carnival is movies. Specifically my 10 favorite movies. As I list each of my favorite films from 10th to the first, I will give a mini explanation of why each film made my list and a pertinent quote from each film. I have also asked many of you to participate by sharing some of your favorite or least favorite films.

I asked some of you to share a film that you have seen recently that you have really liked. Catherine Taylor of Petticoat Government says that a good movie she has watched in the past 3 month's is the Bollywood film, Jab We Met. A recent movie I have really enjoyed is the Disney film Tangled. In my opinion the Disney cartoon musicals have gone down a notch since the period that gave us Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin & The Lion King. Tangled is a film worthy to be mentioned with the best of that list. I mention Catherine because her COH submission this week was some musings she had about Tangled. I hope you all enjoy Rapunzel, Unschooler.


This week I asked my daughter, bunny girl aka reader rabbit, to write whether a book that she has been putting daily chapter summaries of in her blog, Bookworms & Bunnies would make a good movie or not. Her response is Ereth's Birthday, The Movie?

Now it's time to get started with my top 10. Before we do, here's The Queen of Carrots from Introducing the World who says "It's a TV show, not a movie, but here's how *Lost* inspired my teaching". Here she is with John Locke Teaches Handwriting.


# 10 The Princess Bride (1987)


I say: "This movie has it all . . . romance, fantasy, action, and laugh after laugh after laugh. Buy two copies so they don't wear out as quickly."


And I Quote: "When I was your age, television was called books." - Grandfather (Peter Falk)

Speaking of which, Read Aloud Dad shares The 3 most important words when reading aloud and they are not "As You Wish!"



As You Wish, it turns out is engraved on our next contributor's wedding ring. Yep Cristina of Home Spun Juggling is a TPB fan as well. Like Read Aloud Dad she also talks about the educational aspect of the relationship between performer and audience. Here she is with Educational Showmanship.

# 9 Miss Potter (2006)


I say: "This biopic of Beatrix Potter was an instant classic in our house. Beautifully filmed, expertly written and excellently acted throughout; without a doubt, Zellweger's finest portrayal."

And I Quote: There's something delicious about writing those first few words of a story. You can never quite tell where they will take you. - Beatrix Potter (Renee Zellweger)

Beatrix Potter spent her summers in the country with her family and those summers were foundational for many of the stories she would later write. This summer Annie Peters of Learn at Every Turn, who says Amelie (2001) is one of her favorite films, will be doing foundational things with her children. She writes about it in Homeschooling During Summer.

Beatrix Potter illustrated her books. Speaking of art, Pamela of Blah, Blah, Blog, posts about Art in El Paso, part of her family's southwestern adventure.

# 8 Marty -1955> I say: "Quite possibly the best screen romance I have ever seen. Ernest Borgnine is uncanny as an aging single butcher looking for his place in life."

And I Quote: You don't like her. My mother don't like her. She's a dog. And I'm a fat, ugly man. Well, all I know is I had a good time last night. I'm gonna have a good time tonight. If we have enough good times together, I'm gonna get down on my knees. I'm gonna beg that girl to marry me. If we make a party on New Year's, I got a date for that party. You don't like her? That's too bad. - Marty Pilletti (Ernest Borgnine)

Margot Keyes of Learning Beyond the Book presents Terrariums. She says her favorite films are those in the Lord of the Ring Trilogy.



Sarah presents Titanic Unit Study (revisited) posted at Small World. She says: "Our newly revised unit study on the Titanic, includes a link to our field trip to the Titanic Museum"

#7 Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)


I say "This is the best adventure movie I have ever seen! Errol Flynn gives an amazing performance in this quintessential swashbuckler. This movie has it all, action, comedy, romance pathos and the best musical score I have ever heard."

And I Quote: Now, this forest is wide. It can shelter and clothe and feed a band of good, determined men - good swordsmen, good archers, good fighters. Men, if you're willing to fight for our people, I want you! Are you with me? - Robin Hood (Errol Flynn)

Speaking of Action movies, Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the favorite movies of our next contributor. Here is Alicia Arnold of Daily Creativity with Encouraging a sense of play
builds creativity skills for life.

Lisa presents Extraordinary Living posted at Golden Grasses.

# 6 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)


I say: ""The perfect fish out of water comedy. Stewart is fantastic as an honorary senator who accidentally stumbles on corruption."

And I Quote: Liberty's too precious a thing to be buried in books, Miss Saunders. Men should hold it up in front of them every single day of their lives and say: I'm free to think and to speak. My ancestors couldn't, I can, and my children will. Boys ought to grow up remembering that. - Jefferson Smith (Jimmy Stewart)

Mr. Smith isn't the only one who goes to Washington. Robin Phillips recently went and now presents Your Library of Congress and Homeschooling: History and So Much More posted at Crack the Egg.

Her post reminded me of our families special adventure at the Library of Congress last year. Me and the two bigs went into a special meeting with a children's literature specialist and we saw this one of a kind manuscript from children's author Jame's Marshall.































Meanwhile back at the Carnival, Aneri Kärkkäinen of Cats Meow shares why she takes care of her daughter in Why I Take Care of My Own Daughter.

Nebby talks about a kind of field trip she likes in Children's Museum Alternative: Something Positive posted at Letters from Nebby.

# 5 Chariots of Fire (1981)


I say: "Excellent story of two runners in the 1924 Olympic Games. Understated Epic showing the dichotomy of faith and self determination."

And I Quote: You came to see a race today. To see someone win. It happened to be me. But I want you to do more than just watch a race. I want you to take part in it. I want to compare faith to running in a race. . . .

. . . I have no formula for winning the race. Everyone runs in her own way, or his own way. And where does the power come from, to see the race to its end? From within. Jesus said, "Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. If with all your hearts, you truly seek me, you shall ever surely find me." If you commit yourself to the love of Christ, then that is how you run a straight race. - Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson)

One of the movies two featured characters, Eric Little became a missionary to China after his olympic success. Our next article comes fromMichelle Sweeney of Yours Faithfully who began her daughters education by teaching her @ home while living in China. One of her least favorite movies is my #10 favorite, Princess Bride. She, like my wife and possibly 3 other people on the planet don't understand all the hype. But don't judge her until you've walked a mile in her cardboard sandals.

Happy Elf Mom of Homeschool and Etc. has found that chess can cost you practically nothing, which makes it the perfect homeschool elective. In Homeschool Chess Lessons, she discusses some nearly-free resources for teaching the game. She also says that a movie she has watched and enjoyed recently is Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993) , A chess movie, naturally!


# 4 Cassablanca (1942)


I say: "This movie is worthy of all the hype. Intrigue, romance, a deep cynicism and a fierce patriotism woven together amid great star performances from Bogart and Bergman."

And I Quote: And what if you track down these men and kill them, what if you killed all of us? From every corner of Europe, hundreds, thousands would rise up to take our places. Even Nazis can't kill that fast. - Victor Laszlo (Paul Henried)

Nancy of Sage Parnassus doesn't just "loaf " around home educating all day as she illustrates quite nicely in Hominus Vis - The Strength of Man.

Mary Arnold presents Three Reasons To Attend Your State Homeschool Convention This Year! - Blogs - Parent Community and Forum posted at Parent Community and Forum.
Enjoy!

# 3 Ordinary People (1980)



I say: "Redford's directorial debut is possibly best film of my generation. Hutton, Hirsch, Moore, and Sutherland have breakout performances. This film works because it is so real!"

And I Quote : Happy! Ward, you tell me the meaning of happy. But first you better make sure your kids are good and safe, that they haven't fallen of a horse, been hit by a car, or drown in that swimming pool you're so proud of! - Beth Jarrett (Mary Tyler Moore)

Mental health is one of the key issues of Ordinary People. Sherry of Large Family Mothering talks about maintaining hers in Homeschooling Sanity. Sherry, a big fan of Ben Hur (1959), says this as an introduction: After raising 6 of our 15 children, I thought it might be helpful to share what I have learned through research (and trial and error) about homeschooling methods for the large family.

Linda Dobson presents Why Do So Many Parents Think They Can’t Homeschool Their Children? posted at PARENT AT THE HELM. Perhaps they feel they have to be A Miracle Worker, which by the way is Linda's favorite film.

# 2 The Muppet Movie (1979)

I say "The question is not why is this on my list, it is why is it not on yours? This is pure entertainment fun for the whole family. Mel Brooks is hilarious in mad scientist cameo."

And I Quote: [to audience] I hope you appreciate that I'm doing all my own stunts. - Kermit The Frog (Himself)

After something muppetational, you may need something motivational . So, Nancy Flanders shares 10 steps to succesfully homeschool your special needs child at Parenting Squad.

Jamie presents The Future of Homeschooling posted at Faith and a Full House... She says homeschoolig is huge, but what about our future?

That's a good questin Jamie. But the better question would be: What is my favorite movie of all time?

And my # 1 favorite movie of all time . . .

It's A Wonderful Life (1946)

I say "Simply put the best film of all time. Definitely worth watching anytime of the year. Capra and Stewart at their finest."

And I Quote: Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you're talking about... they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didn't think so. - George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart)

Barbara Frank presents Preparing Our Kids for a Challenging Future, Part 4: College is a Tool, Not a Goal posted at Barbara Frank. She says "The idea that every homeschooled young person can and should go to college makes no sense in light of the changes in our economy." She also adds that One of her favorite movies of all time is The Talk of the Town (1942),which features Jimmy Stewart's Mr. Smith/s co-star Jean Arthur.

Susan Ryan, who hosted last week's Carnival and likes the movie To Kill A Mockingbird (1962 ), presents Science Observation Opportunities for Kids and Other Interested Parties posted at Corn and Oil.

I made some changes to my top 10 list in preparation for this carnival. In order to fit in Marty, Miss Potter and Robin Hood, I had to remove 3 movies that had been in my top 10 for a long time. This means Singing In the Rain (1952) fell to # 11. It was agonizing to take it out. It is one of Read Aloud Dad's favorites as well. (It must be a Dad thing.) I like it because it is the best studio musical ever. It has a perfect blend of music, comedy, dancing and romance.

Misty presents Free High School Math and everything else you ever wanted to learn posted at Homeschool Bytes. She says her kids enoying meshing Khan University's free math videos with their daily math lessons. She says it's an amazing resource.

In a virtual tie with Singing in the Rain would be The Sound of Music (1965). This movie is so good it would work without the songs. The production is lavish but also very accessible. Hands down best film adaptation of a Broadway work.


Also dropping out from the top 10 is Braveheart (1995). The story of William Wallace is beautifully rendered and has an evocative score. It's amazing how an Australian can make my Irish/German heart embrace a zeal for Scottish patriotism.

I'd like to thank everyone who particiapted in this week's carnival. I would like to especially thank the Cate Family @ Why Homeschool for doing such a great job week in and week out of supporting the revolving host of the carnival. They also provide us with our last post of the carnival entited Homeschooling and Foster Care Part I. Janine writes about some of the issues of doing foster care and homeschooling.

Several of the participants this week, including the Cates are nominees in The Circle of Mom's Top 25 Homeschooling Blogs contest. You can vote or even add your own blog by clicking on the link. For this carnival I have created a special blog roll for all this week's participants. Hang around, or stop by again and check out some of these great blogs.

Next weeks carnival will be held at Dewey's Treehouse. For more info on how to submit an article click here, or submit through blog carnival.