Vacation Notice & AMA Post

As you may have gathered from the title, as of yesterday I am free as a bird and my biggest chores for the coming days will be soaking up the sun and reading!!!

                      

However, it also means that I will be absent from the blogging world for the next month or so.

But don't despair! To not make the waiting time unbearable for you, my dear readers, I will be compiling an Ask Me Anything Post.

So if you have any questions you've been dying to ask, this is your chance. Ask anything you like in the comments and I promise to answer them all when I return.

I look forward to reading your questions:-)

Catching Up On Tags

I love being tagged, I really do! However, actually getting around to do the tag is a bit harder for me. Mainly because I need time to formulate the answers in my head and then I forget, and new projects take over.

But after this very, very long post, I should be up to date on my tags.


Sisterhood Of World Bloggers Award

Cordy tagged me with this back in February! Yes, you read that right, February as in 5 months ago. But I told her I would do it, so here goes:

1. Do you have a favourite fictional couple? (If so, why do you like them?)
One of my all time favourites are Margaret and Mr Thornton from North & South. What I particularly love about their love story is that none of them had to change much, their journey was simply to truly get to know the other and not let preconceived ideas get in the way.

                                     

2. If you could have any animal (safely), as a pet you would have a...
A Cheetah!! 
They are so graceful and slender, and a documentary told me that they are the only big cat that can become completely tame, if you get them as infant cubs.

                

3. You get to live in Middle Earth, what race are you a member of?
I'm not familiar with the LOTR universe so I don't know.


4. In an ideal situation (you don't have to worry about living to far from family or money concerns) where would you live? (It can be fictional.)
There are so many places I would love to live. The Scottish Highlands, The English Countryside, Southern Germany and New England are a few that spring to mind.

                

5. Do you have a favourite 'vintage' movie? (As in, filmed before 1960.) What is it?
That is really not a fair question! Movies filmed before 1960 is my new favourite genre! How can I choose only one?
One of my favourites though, is State Fair, I could watch it every day without getting bored.
                 

6. When you were a little kid what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a writer and a housewife.


7. You can be 'the best' in any sport (e.g. gymnastics, curling, synchronised swimming etc.) what do you choose?
I'm don't really consider myself a sporty person. However, one sport I wouldn't mind mastering is Figure Skating. To glide gracefully and confident across the ice must be really something.

                                      

8. List three things that you wish people knew about you but will never ask. (Or just three random things. ;))

I'm gonna list 3 random things.

1. One of my dreams is to get to wear pretty dresses every day.
2. I'm very addicted to soup at the moment.
3. I couldn't live without my bicycle.


9. Share a favourite quote!

                          

10. What is your favourite thing about wintertime? (Besides Christmas.)
The twilight sky! I don't know about other countries, but in Denmark it's the most beautiful thing ever. If you time it right, you can look to one side and see bright day light, and look to the other side and see black darkness. And everything in between is what I like to call A Study in Hues of Blue.

                     

Furthermore, I've been tagged twice with the Liebster Award, once by Abby P and once by Miss March.

Abby's questions:

1. What is your favourite decade of the 20th century and why?

Do you even have to ask? The 1940's all the way! I actually wrote a whole post on why I love that decade, you can read it here. 
Some of the things I absolutely love, are the clothing, the hair, the music and the movies.

                                   

2. Would you rather visit a giant library or a giant museum?

A tough choice. 
I would visit the library, I think.

                   

3. Do you drink soda, and if so, what is your favourite flavor?

I drink it occasionally. 
My favourite is Fanta.


4. Would you rather tour a famous castle or a stunning garden?

A castle! Always a castle!

                  

5. What kind of dancing do you like best? (Ballroom, swing, ballet, etc.)

I would really like to learn ballroom and swing dancing. But I also love watching ballet.

                  

6. Do you have a hope chest? What sort of things do you have in it?

No.
I have my own apartment, so I don't really have a need for one.


7. Have you ever owned/used a typewriter? How about a quill pen?

I had to use a typewriter when writing out checks at work, but all I remember was a crippling fear of mistyping, because then I would have to start all over.
I haven't tried a quill pen.

                  

8. Do you go to the library often, and do you have your library card number memorised?

Why, yes I do. At least a couple of times a month. And yes - I need to use it to get into the library outside the opening hours. (For the only thing that beats being at a library, is being at a library when there's no one around)


9. What is your favourite piece of makeup you own?

My red lipstick. I don't feel properly dressed without it.

                

10. What is your favourite blend of tea, and do you prefer iced or hot?

I love peppermint tea.
And in my opinion the only way to drink tea is hot.

                 

11. Do you share your birthday with anyone famous, past or present?

I have no doubt that I do, though I have never checked. 
However, my birthday is the day that the Danish flag was discovered, according to legend, so it's a national flag day.

Miss March's questions:

1. What is your personality type?

I'm an INFP. According to the site I took the test, I'm an idealist (which I disagreed on at first, but after some introspection I realised they knew me better than I did). 

2. What is one of your newest favourite movies? (As in one that you recently found, not necessarily a newly made film.)
Captain America: Civil War. I watched it by myself in the cinema and spent the 2+ hours shifting between a blissful state of awe and full blown fangirling.
                                      

3. Have you ever been prejudiced against a certain movie before watching it, but then after seeing it decided it wasn't so bad?  What movie was it?
Yes, it's been known to happen a few times. 
The most notable cases are Phantom Of The Opera (I didn't get the hype about it. Now it's one of my favourite musicals), Les Miserables (I thought with that title it could only be depressing. I was right, but it's depressing in a good way) and Fried Green Tomatoes (I thought it would be sad, but it turned out to be such a great movie).

                      

4. If you could meet any author in person, who would it be?
Most of my favourite authors are dead, but if that isn't an obstacle I would love to meet Jane Austen. 

                               

5. How many siblings do you have, and where do you fall in the lineup?  (Sorry if that's a rather nosey question.  You may answer it or not as you so choose.)
I have a younger brother, which makes me (you guessed it) the oldest one:)

6. If you could be related to any fictional character (from a movie or a book), who would it be and what relation would they be to you?

7.  What is your favourite household chore, and what is your worst?
My favourite chore is doing laundry, but in particular ironing. (My mom didn't like ironing, so I was glad to do it all.)
My least favourite is probably vacuuming, not because the task in itself is streneous, but because it takes me so long to clear the floor beforehand.

                       

8.  Anne and Diana (from Anne of Green Gables) are a classic example of best friends.  Do you have a best friend, and if so which one of you is more like Anne and which is more like Diana?
Yes I do, and if I have to honest I would describe us both as being Anne:)

9. What was one of the first chapter books you ever read?  (You know, the one that made you feel so proud because you were reading a "big kids' book"!)
The first book I remember reading, was the ending of On The Shores Of Silver Lake, and I know I read Farmer Boy as the next one.

10. What is one of the yummiest, most delicious desserts you can think of at the present moment?
ICE CREAM!!!

                   

11.  If you could be a character in one of your favourite movies, which movie would it be and which character would you choose?
I want to be Peggy Carter! 
The only movie she is in, is Captain America: The First Avenger, so that must be the one (also, it's set in the 40's, so could it be any better?)

                      

There, if you've managed to get this far, I commend you:)
You now know a lot of random things about me.

In turn, will you tell me 3 random things about yourself in the comments?
Consider it my very lazy way of continuing the tag.

Doctor Thorne (2016)

I actually first head of this new series by reading a review of it on Old-Fashioned Charm. It sounded like something I would enjoy, so when my mom casually mentioned that it would be sent on TV, I couldn't believe my luck.

To those of you who hasn't heard of it, here's a brief summary:
Mary Thorne has grown up with her uncle, Doctor Thorne, and they have always had close relations with the Greshams of Greshamsbury Estate. But when she and the son Frank develop feelings for each other his mother is very much against the match, as she wants Frank to "marry money" in order to save the indebted estate. At the same time Mary gets some unexpected news about her parentage.

If I should describe this series in one word it would be: pretty!

Everything is a treat for the eyes; the scenery and the mansions look like like they should be on post cards (and they probably are in real life), and the ladies with their pastel coloured gowns and their flower adorned hairstyles look like they have stepped right out of a painting.

The plot, on the other hand, is predictable almost to a fault. I was not even half ways through the first episode before I knew exactly how everything between Mary and Frank would resolve itself.
Now don't get me wrong, I don't mind knowing from the start who will end up together, but a little suspense in how they will get there is generally preferred.

                                    

While I did enjoy some of the characters - especially Frank and Miss Dunstable, I found most of them to be rather two dimensional and shallow. To be honest, I didn't really get a feel of most of the characters until episode 3, which is a bit too late in a 3 part series.

I just wish that they would have spent more time on the characters so I could get to know their motivations. If they had maybe given the series 2 additional episodes that could have been achieved, and I think I would have enjoyed it more. (Then again, I haven't read the book so I don't know if there is enough plot to fill up 2 more episodes)

                

Content wise there are mentioning of a gentleman seducing a woman and a child born out of wedlock, but that is all.

From this review you might have concluded that I didn't like this series at all, which is definitely not the case. Despite all its shortcomings I did enjoy it - especially the visuals. And if you like pretty period drama dresses you shouldn't deprive yourself the experience of watching this.

Without A Clue

It is no secret that the story of Sherlock Holmes has been the object of a myriad of adaptions, reimaginings, and parodies, and in the latter category Without A Clue is definitely one of the best.

           

If you aren't familiar with the movie, let me give you a brief summary:
This is your classical Sherlock Holmes, but with one major difference: Doctor Watson is actually the brains behind it all, and Holmes merely an actor paid to play the role. Watson, very tired of being completely overlooked, decides to fire Holmes and start on his own, but a case of some stolen printing plates that may have national consequences, needs Sherlock Holmes and no one else, so Watson reluctantly decides to take on one last case with Sherlock Holmes.

Does the concept sound hilarious? It is!
And as the roles of Holmes and Watson are taken on by Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley nothing stands in the way of a great movie.

            

I was actually introduced to this movie prior to seeing any "real" adaptions of Sherlock Holmes and it has always been a favourite of mine. 

What makes it truly great isn't just the superb acting but the many funny dialogues, which are very quotable.

           

Sherlock Holmes: What are you doing?
Doctor Watson: Thinking.
Sherlock Holmes: Right. I'm going to think too.
(long pause)
What shall we think about Watson?

Or there's the scene where Holmes is shown a drowned corpse to search for clues.
Sherlock Holmes (poking man with stick): It is my opinion...that he is dead.
Onlookers: Genius!

             

Sherlock Holmes: I'm reminded of the curious case of the Manchurian Mambo.
Dr Watson: I believe that is the Manchurian Mamba
Sherlock Holmes: Mambo, mamba. What's the difference.
Dr Watson: Well, very little, except that one is a deadly poisonous snake while the other is a rather festive Caribbean dance.
Sherlock Holmes (at conclusion of story): As the snake struck at me, I danced out of the way. If it hadn't been for my flawless footwork, I'd be standing here a dead man today.

Apart from these scenes there are plenty of delightful conversations between Holmes and Watson simply overflowing with sarcastic remarks.

          

As for content, there are 2 scenes where the villain kills someone with a knife, but no blood is shown. There is a scene where a man spies on a woman undressing, but she discovers him quickly, and lastly there are a few scenes with a man cross dressing as a woman.

So, as a conclusion: this is a light and extremely funny movie that I am sure you will enjoy if you like Sherlock Holmes.

Inkling Explorations And Roses

                  

It's June, which means a new Inkling Explorations theme.

It's a good one this time!!
The theme is: Roses in books or films.

As Heidi herself mentions, the Anne Of Green Gables series mentions roses quite a lot, so it shouldn't be a surprise that the scene I've chosen comes from one of those books.

More precisely, it comes from Anne's House Of Dreams, and it's the scene where Owen Ford proposes to Leslie.

                  

"This house was builded and consecrated by love," said Owen. "Such houses, MUST exert an influence over those who live in them. And this garden—it is over sixty years old and the history of a thousand hopes and joys is written in its blossoms. Some of those flowers were actually set out by the schoolmaster's bride, and she has been dead for thirty years. Yet they bloom on every summer. Look at those red roses, Leslie—how they queen it over everything else!"

"I love the red roses," said Leslie. "Anne likes the pink ones best, and Gilbert likes the white. But I want the crimson ones. They satisfy some craving in me as no other flower does."

"These roses are very late—they bloom after all the others have gone—and they hold all the warmth and soul of the summer come to fruition," said Owen, plucking some of the glowing, half-opened buds.

"The rose is the flower of love—the world has acclaimed it so for centuries. The pink roses are love hopeful and expectant—the white roses are love dead or forsaken—but the red roses—ah, Leslie, what are the red roses?"

"Love triumphant," said Leslie in a low voice.

"Yes—love triumphant and perfect. Leslie, you know—you understand. I have loved you from the first. And I KNOW you love me—I don't need to ask you. But I want to hear you say it—my darling—my darling!"

Leslie said something in a very low and tremulous voice. Their hands and lips met; it was life's supreme moment for them and as they stood there in the old garden, with its many years of love and delight and sorrow and glory, he crowned her shining hair with the red, red rose of a love triumphant.

Isn't it a sweet scene? Apart from the whole proposal part, I remember that 14 year old me was thrilled to learn about the language of roses, when I read this for the first time.

Would you like to read about more rose related scenes?
Then be sure to pop over at Heidi's blog and read the other participants' entries.

Seven Brides For Seven Brothers

This is a long awaited post!

I recall wanting to write about this movie almost from my very first day of blogging - and now, 2 and a half years later it is finally happening: my incoherent and fangirly review of Seven Brides For Seven Brothers!!

I recently rewatched the movie for the first time in a while, and as it thoroughly reminded me why this is my favourite musical of all time, that was the final push I needed to write this.

                                    

But first, let us have a summary: In 1850's Oregon, Adam Pontipee decides he wants a wife, so he goes to town one day to find one. To everyone's surprise he meets Millie who agrees to marry him at once and goes off with him to his remote farm.

When they arrive she is very surprised to find Adam has six brothers that he forgot to mention she is also supposed to take care off. After she has gotten over the shock, she decides to help finding them girls of their own. It works only all too well, for suddenly they are all pining away for their girls that they can't visit due to the remoteness of the farm.

To cheer them up Adam suggests that they take inspiration from the ancient Romans and simply kidnap the girls away...

                  

If you haven't picked this up from the context yet, let me tell you one thing before we go any further: in my subjective and very biased opinion Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is the ultimate movie musical of all time!

And what made watching it even better this time, was that I was watching it with a friend who had never seen it before (but she had listened to me ramble about it for years), so not only was I reacquainting myself with all my favourite moments, I was watching it through her eyes too as a first timer!

It is truly one of a few movies where I enjoy every single minute of it!

                  

But why this movie in particular? I will tell you why!

Firstly, the songs! There are 8 original songs which are all brilliant! Not a single miss! That is quite a feat in itself! And none of the songs slow the plot down.
From the funny and catchy "Bless Your Beautiful Hide" to the melancholy "Lonesome Polecat" the songs cover quite the spectrum of emotions. But my all time favourite song of them all will always be the beautiful and dreamy "June Bride."

                 

Secondly, it doesn't have any of that drawn-out-ness that some musicals of this period had. For instance it only has one long dance sequence, but even then that involves a lot of laughs and is in no way boring.

Thirdly it actually has a lot of plot and a lot of humour.

These three facts also means that this is the ideal movie to watch with ones who aren't musical enthusiasts, as they will probably like it too.

Furthermore, the movie has a long list of great characters, who in no small way contributes to the many funny moments and conversations.

The Pontipee brothers in particular bring a lot of laughs.

From Adam, who very sagely explains that being in love is just like having the measles, to Benjamin who thinks offering chewing tobacco is a good way to open a conversation with girls, to Frank who starts a fight every time someone says his real name (it's Frankincense, because his mom couldn't find any F names in the bible).

And then there's Gideon, who is so sweet and adorable, and who I always had a soft spot for.

                  

As for content, I don't really recall any. Some might find the whole ordeal of the men kidnapping the girls a disturbing concept, but to them I will say: the movie obviously doesn't take itself very seriously, so neither should you. And in the movie they were also thoroughly chastised for it.

                   

What more can I say?
All over it's just a wonderful movie!

April & May Period Drama Challenge Tag

            

1. What period dramas did you view in April/May?

I watched Great Expectations, Les Miserables, Doctor Thorne, Into The White and probably a few more that I can't recall right now.


2.Do you prefer to watch period dramas that have a happy ending or a bittersweet ending?

Happy endings, no doubt!
I can appreciate bittersweet endings but the endings might be the factor that decides if a movie becomes a favourite.


3. What media forms do you prefer to use when watching period dramas (i.e. purchased DVD's, rented/borrowed DVD's, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu)?

I don't particularly care as long as I get to watch the movie.


4. Which period drama character's wardrobe would you like to own?

How to choose....I think I would love to own the wardrobe of any Jane Austen character. But Emmas wardrobe in the 2009 version is as near perfection as one can get.


5. What period dramas are you looking forward to viewing in June 2016?

I can hardly decide, mainly because the list is so long.
Due to a clearance sale at the biggest movie store in town, I've aquired a bunch of new period dramas that needs watching, among others the 3 Sissi movies and 4 Sharpe movies. And I still really want to watch The Paradise.


As the Period Drama Challenge is nearing its end and I have only reviewed 3 movies out of 10, I'll just let you know that June is gonna be a very period drama heavy month, mainly consisting of reviews.
So consider yourself warned:)

On a completely different note: I got a new header!

After seeing so many summer themed blogs I was inspired to do the same.
Do you like the result?