There is a lot that sets this movie apart as an original—the all-female cast in an industry where 70 percent of the roles available are for males and Rosalind Russell’s dazzling debut as a comedic genius to name two. But it is a quirky little part in the middle—barely five minutes long—that really stood out for me. In the middle of this 1939 black and white film, they shot an entire fashion show in technicolor and it breaks out on the screen like a scarlet hibiscus bursting forth out of concrete. Since I was watching the movie on the Turner Classic Movie channel, I thought it was simply another of Ted’s attempts to monkey around with a movie classic, but I later found out that was an original feature of the film. It is exactly the kind of nonsensical whimsy you just gotta love in a George Cukor film.

Not my favorite play, either by Shakespeare or anyone else. If this were a modern-day piece, half the characters would be dismissed as obsessive or neurotic, at least two have character disorders, and one is a genuine sociopath. Just your average, everyday mix of the dysfunctional and socially inept. Some of the play is scintillating, but it is also very tedious in places and overall very unpleasant.

These berries grow in the Brazilian rain forest, on the same trees from which they get hearts of palm. Because they are fragile, they are not available fresh outside of the Amazon Basin, but can be bought frozen, in juice, or incorporated into other foods such as sorbets. They are excellent in smoothies and are considered one of the world’s superfoods because they are rich in antioxidants, omega-6, nutrients, and healing properties.

Ellen Burstyn is reason enough to watch this movie. Very well done and very, very disturbing.

I bought this book because it is set in the Houston Heights. I started to read it, but life is w-a-a-a-y too short to spend it reading books as bad as this one.

Poor Cornell Woolrich. Such a master of noir and so often overlooked and forgotten. Most do not know he is the writer behind Hitchcock’s Rear Window, Truffault’s The Bride Wore Black, and others. Worth reading and this book is a good place to get aquainted with his work.

I’m not incredibly superstitious, but every now and again, I find myself tripping over one, which is why I have never gotten around to watching this movie before now: I simply do not believe in giving undue attention to anything having to do with hell. I mean—just consider what happened when I went to see The Exorcist. Or, that is you could consider it were I to tell you about it, except that I am not going to tell you about it so you can’t really give it the consideration it deserves. Except that it really did put me off of movies that glorify demonic activity.

It wasn’t until I saw the preview for Hellboy 2 in the theaters that I realized Guillermo del Toro was responsible for Hellboy 1. And even more than my abhorrence of hell movies is my unabashed admiration for the work of Guillermo del Toro. Sigh! Such a dillemna. After having seen Hellboy, it did not disappoint me in quality. Well crafted and enjoyable with the eternal del Toro struggle between good and evil. Worth putting aside superstitions for.

In Duo-Vision! Entirely cheesy, so early-1970s groovy, and very entertaining in a Psycho-takeoff kind of way. It is a bit of a come-down for Madeleine Sherwood to go from playing all that Tennessee Williams and Alfred Hitchcock (and the Flying Nun, no less!) to this, though.

If you are single and looking for a good reason to be thankful you are single, this is the book for you!

Peter Ustinov is not really what I pictured when I was reading the Agatha Christie books, so it is to his credit that I found him so believable as Poirot. This movie is worth watching for the costumes alone—30s amazing, especially the costumes for the women—but add the scenery and the visuals alone make this a great watch. The storyline is pure Agatha Christie—a good yarn albeit a little hokey and over-acted in places.