Am I first? Why do I care? But I do!

Hey Chickee. Hope you are surviving the heat. I am not, I should just give up on makeup and hair products completely - the humidity is litterally melting my beauty.

I am hoping to have some very exciting news of my own very soon ;)
Love-Ya - C

I hear you on the bad past few weeks... found out I was the other woman - yeah that sucked.
I have been cheered up by the following:
Flight of the Conchords, Hey Paula, Scott Baio is 45 & Single.... and my friends who feed me beer and vegan chocolate cake that was better than any regular chocolate cake I've ever had. Sorry I don't have any better full-length movie suggestions.

I went out and bought the Lost dvd's season one and two.
Fantastic for losing yourself in.

Bob belly is too dang cute.

I met a guy who actually did that - he turned 65 and started smoking again, and he explained that he was already past his life expectancy, so it was all gravy from there. Lovely gentleman.

Think of ice and anow.

I don't comment on your blog often, but I read it regularly because I love your humor and your wit, I'm home from work today and free from the prying eyes of the I.T. team, so I thought I'd shoot you a comment. Just watched Shooter last night, and I too love me some Marky Wahlberg! There's not much in the new release section of the video stores that fit your spy/action/thriller/drama genre right now, so I recommend Four Brothers (has a couple weepy parts, but lots of Mark Wahlberg, and Tyrese Gibson...also sexy)if you haven't seen it.

Weeds (Showtime's program) is funny...the first season is on DVD and since I dont have SHOtime, I rented and got a kick out of it. I cant wait till the next season comes out.

Stay cool and hope traffic eases up

That yarn is gorgeous!!!!
And, I bet cat hair blends in to it perfectly.

Don't mean to rub it in but here in Ohio (what's round at both ends and high in the middle), the weather is a mild 73 degrees at noon. I hate summer and fall/autumn can't get here fast enough. It's the colors, man. It amazes me that this scenic beauty was here way before cats roamed the earth and before.

Smoke if you got 'em

I hear you on the elections - they start earlier and earlier, cost more and more money so only the rich and well-known already can run and there are hardly any alternatives offered. Really depressing! We should have the British system - 60 days for an election and that's it. Also a vote of no confidence can bring on an election and THAT sure would be an improvement, wouldn't it??

Any way - the yarn's beautiful. Have you watched all the Harry Potter films yet? Not big suspense stuff, but entertaining :)

I hope everything is OK. Last week my dad had scary surgery, this week I am having nonscary but icky surgery. Next week's gotta improve.

Fluffy movies:
King of Hearts (all right, it has a Message, but you can sort of ignore it and just go with the surreal)
The Closet (Gerard Depardieu in a pink cashmere sweater! also, cats! who could ask for more?)
Cousin, Cousine (for anyone who thinks they have marital troubles and/or a weird family)
Tootsie (it's not French! it's the only good farce I know that isn't)
The Birdcage (all right, this is a good farce and only sort of French)

Vive le Bob!

If you want action.. and haven't already seen them.. rent the 24 series. Good stuff, and it will keep you busy for a long time!

Hooray! Laurie's back!
Looove the yarn--and the Bob-belly.

High-vehicle-low-vehicle voyeur story for you-
Back in the long-ago, I had a itty-bitty honda crx with a smoky-clear moon roof. LOVED it. I also had a job that forced me to drive all over creation and back again, with a few costume changes in between from businessy to back-to-college-classes jeans. At that time I found that wearing lacy-top thigh-highs made for easier changes and cheaper costs (one leg ran- I didn't have to trash a whole pair). BUT- the darn things would edge down when i drove my stick-shift!
One day I was racing along the 405 to get to my "businessy" job, and my thigh-high started to edge down. Because comeplete down-wards-edgement would mean a possible snag on the rough edge of something near the floor, I hitched up my skirt and (since i was going a steady rate--and I drive in LA) I started to twitch the darn stocking back up as I went along. Suddenly, I became aware that there was a BIG! HUGE! Semi-truck driving oddly close next to me, keeping the same speed. Puzzled, I glanced up through my SEE-THROUGH MOON ROOF to find the truck driver avidly watching me and my stocking adjustment!!
OMG! I was being drive-by-peeped! I quickly flipped down my skirt hem and hit the gas- leaving the diesel-fueled Lothario as far behind as possible. Err-- I always made sure I kept my adjustments to when I was surrounded by other low-slung cars after that!

I love politics. You might be interested in knowing that the California primary, if you vote in such things, has been moved up to February 5, 2008. So Californians are going to maybe have a say in who the nominees are -- again, should you choose to vote in the primary and wanna feel all important casting your vote for your favorite candidate. But yeah, our political process in this country sort of sucks. But like driving past a car accident, I just cannot turn away from it either.

Hi (waves) good to see/read you again. Turn on the AC and watch "Firefly," the series. Action/adventure/cute guys/cute girls/and funny too! Also, (Joss Whedon fandom geekiness showing through) Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Shiny.

A good Marky-Mark movie is "Four Brothers." You might shed one tear but not at the end. He is the hottest! Guess you'll be hitting Blockbuster on the way home.

Hey Laurie,

We do the Block Buster online (because you can taken them back and get new movies) and we just received disc 1 and 2 of TAKEN a epic mini series by Steven Spielberg. It's good it is Sci-Fi not my norm but it's five decades starting with the Roswell Crash.
Steve Burton - he plays Jason Morgan on General Hospital is in it and for that alone you could sit and drool :)

All the old Paul Newman and Robert Redford movies are good.

I recorded the new Holly Hunter show Grace or something like that it's debut was last night. I'll let you know if it's worth it.

The yarn would make a gorgeous shawl

Laurie, when I need to FORGET my life for a while, I go for old movies--something about the surreal old Hollywood version of reality really takes me away. "An American in Paris" if you like musicals, anything with Bogart if you are wanting something more dramatic. First choice, "The Maltese Falcon". The dialog comes so fast and furious you have to pay attention, and you are sucked right in.

If you haven't seen 'em already - Ocean's 11 and Ocean's 12. Entertaining AND George Clooney.

Also, Casino is excellent. GoodFellas. Dinner Rush. (Mob theme going on here)

Astronaut Farmer was good.

Miss Potter (about Beatrix Potter) was good and not too weepy.

Hey, what about a close up shot of your bookcase(s) so we can see what you read??? Added Bob is a benefit, but I'm nosy & want to compare your bookcase to mine.

I'm a big Jackie Chan and Sean Connery-James Bond fan. My 19 year old son and I had some fabulous mindless, absorbing TV-watching time watching the TV series "Stargate SG-1" on DVD--action, cute guys, and humor all in one.

Me, I get more into escapist fiction reading for easing stress and/or heartache.

If you're not into Harry Potter, go start the first book now. I guarantee you you'll be completely unable to think about any real-life stress or heartache while you're reading--Rowling is that good a writer. Honest.

Also, I love mystery novels--to plagiarize Cynthia Heimel, the combination of coziness and bloodshed is a perfect antidote for heartbreak. My favorite at the moment is by Elizabeth Peters--the Amelia Peabody series. It's set in Egypt in the late 1800s to around WWI, and I delight in Amelia's expressions of lust for her hunky husband. (She talks about "the skill with which he performs his marital duties" and stuff like that). It's set around Amelia and her family of "Egyptologists", and has wonderful characters.

Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett got together on a book called "Good Omens", which is very very funny and all about the end of the world and the coming of the Antichrist. Really.

One cool thing about books, especially paperbacks, is that you can carry them around with you and read them when you have down time. Sort of like knitting, but it's harder to think about your problems when you're reading.

This may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I borrowed a bunch of DVDs from the library, and got completely drawn in to the Agatha Christie "Poirot" mysteries. The period detail and the wonderful character development just sucked me right out of my less-than-nouveau reality. Fun!

Hi Laurie, I promise you will LURVE the following rentals:
The Departed (Marky Mark is in it)
Apocalypto
Prison break, Season One
Arrested Development, any season

Enjoy!!!!!!!
Beth

i've been enjoying "the wire" which was shown on hbo. jimmy mcnulty is *hot*!

plus it's very addictive.

Pure fun but campy movies:
Flash Gordon (love me some Sam J. Jones) - this movie features entire soundtrack by Queen, laughable special effects, Timothy Daltry in a little green Robin Hood-like costume, and other very glittery costumes. Total sci-fi camp!

Better Off Dead - an early John Cusack movie about a high school geek trying to break into the popular clique and get his girlfriend back when unbeknownst to him, the French female foreign exchange student is his soulmate. FUNNY

Drama movies:
Dangerous Liaisons - John Malkovich with long hair and sensuous voice - MMMM good! Not to mention period clothing and lots of deception!

KamaSutra: A Tale of Love - I know, I know, the title sounds like it should be porn, but it is actually an incredibly visually beautiful movie with a very intense love triangle story set in India at the time of the Rajahs. Sad ending, but mesmerizing.

Cartoons:
Winnie the Pooh - nothing like the original Pooh Disney movie.

Horror campiness:
Night of the Demons - full of bad acting and totally high school flavor but sort of subversively witty.

If you want a crap-load of movies that are quasi-mindless, action-y and often laughably corny...go for Bond. All of them. In order. That oughta suck up a couple weeks or so.

My remedy to heartbreaking situations has usually been to find the biggest science fiction/fantasy book I can and bury myself in it for a few days. By the time I'm done, my subconscious has worked through the heartbreak enough for me to actually face it.

The first thing I'd recommend is getting HBO just for the summer to watch "Flight of the Conchords," or at least check them out on YouTube. Hilarious, and an excellent diversion!

The movie recommendations below are not necessarily the best examples of their genres (and most are pretty old), but I just love to stumble on a movie, have no expectations of it at all, and then find myself immersed in that world for a couple of hours. Here are some that kinda hit me that way:

"The Silent Partner" with Elliot Gould (bank robbery);
"Paperhouse" (save this for when you're not weepy; it has some fairly creepy parts, and lots of psychological subtext, but is ultimately about the GIRL being the hero for once--yay!);
"The Hot Rock" with Robert Redford (bank robbery again, but extremely funny);
"Support Your Local Sheriff" with James Garner (to me, one of the funniest movies ever, although I pretty much love Garner in anything).

If you're not averse to subtitles, I'd also recommend "Open Your Eyes" with Eduardo Noriega, one of the most beautiful men I've ever laid eyes on. I literally couldn't stop watching this movie. It was remade as "Vanilla Sky," but the Spanish version is SOOOOO much better. "Mute Witness" is another subtitled one I remember from years ago.

Another subtitled one, definitely not for the faint of heart, is "Audition" from Japan. It has one of the most disturbing scenes ever, but if you have a high squick threshold, it's riveting.

Sorry,
Action movie
Long Kiss Goodnight - Samuel J. Jackson and Geena Davis.

And the series - Dead Like Me - two seasons only of pure dark humor!

Not to harsh your mellow on the smoking when you're 60 thing, but I quit smoking 25 years ago, and I had a cigarette last year, and I was SO SICK. I stayed up nauseated ALL NIGHT. Seriously.

Also, 60 doesn't look nearly as old as you approach it.

I don't rent or watch a whole lot of movies but I've been wanting to my son's to rent "Little Big Man". A Dustin Hoffman western comedy from my teen years, love me some Dustin Mrs. Robinson.

Definitely Little Miss Sunshine. I have to admit it does have a sad part in it (although I may just be overly sensitive from 2 recent losses) but believe me...the funny stuff FAR outweighs the sad. I'm not sure who that little girl is but she's ADORABLE!

To echo an earlier poster, Scott Bayo is 45 and Single is an addictive train wreck of a show. I'm also getting hooked on "Dirty Jobs" - reminds me that no matter how much I hate/bitch about my job, there's worse things I could do.

Lots of things going on in my life so I need a lot of vapid right now. I love the "Rush Hour" movies (great for a laugh), anything by John Hughes (to remind me that the 80's was great for music, not so great for fashion/hair), and my ultimate pick me up "Grease." I flew across the country (Pgh to San Francisco) to see "sing a long Grease". Can't go wrong with a good sing a long.

And (this is hard to admit) but I love cartoons. I'm talking the Saturday morning, hyping all kinds of toys/sugar cereals kind of cartoons. I tell my mom all the cartoons on DVD are for our friends with kids, but I watch them more than the kids come over.

Just a couple of movie suggestions for you and I apologize in advance if you've seen any of these.

1. The Devil Wears Prada--chick flick ,but, a good one!
2. The Prestige -- Hugh Jackman and Christan Bale. And David Bowie, if you can spot him! About a rivalary between two magicians, very good movie!
3. The Illusionist --Edward Norton. Very good movie, about a magician and his long lost love.

Welcome back Laurie!! I have to agree that HP is a great thing to lose yourself in - the final book is so awesome! The Birdcage is always good for a laugh and I could see Remember the Titans 100 times and never get bored. Also, I caught the original Odd Couple movie the other night (Jack Lemon and Walter Matthau) on TCM - very funny!

Aww, your books are organized by color! Love it!

The Princess Bride is my go-to movie for everything. Also, anything Katherine Hepburn ever did.. Bringing Up Baby, The Philadelphia Story, etc.

hey lady, two words Grey Gardens - once you watch that you will see the world in a whole new light. We actually went to a "viewing" at a friends which involved everybdy bringing a cover dish and wearing a "little edie" inspired ensemble. Seriously get this movie...they just turned it into a musical. you must also rent the Good Shephard - CRAZY!!!!
speaking of the elections - I live in Denver and we're having the DNC here and I just heard that you'll need a special permit to get into Downtown...I work downtown (if you've seen pictures of the skyline, I'm in the "cash register" shaped building).

I hope reality becomes not icky for you soon. Sucks when that happens. I like to watch the ancient movies when I am feeling all icky about reality. You know the kind that are only ancient to the young 'uns and have no actual basis in reality or anything vaguely resembling it. Things like Willow and Red Sonja also Conan the Barbarian and The Barbarians. Read the review of that one. It will have you laughing even if you've never seen the movie.
Review: http://www.coldfusionvideo.com/b/barbarians.html

I don't think that Ozark Handspun is yarn -- I think someone's been stealing wigs from drag queens.

The Last of the Mohicans -- some Very Sad Bits, but lots of Daniel Day-Lewis running around with his shirt open.

The Sting -- like thecatsmeow said, Robert Redford and Paul Newman in their prime. Yum.

I may be a philistine, but I liked Jackie Brown better than Pulp Fiction.

Tortilla Soup was a fun remake of Eat Drink Man Woman -- the two movies are very different but both excellent.

Oh -- Three Kings. It's not the comedy it was promoted as, but it's very good. And it has both George Clooney and Marky Mark.

There was a PBS Mystery! series a few years ago called "The Heat of the Sun." Worth looking into.

Note on "Silent Partner" with Elliott Gould: one of The.Scariest.Movies.ever. Not slasher-gory-scary, but psychologically terrifying. On the other hand, it's set in Toronto in the winter, so you could watch it in the broiling heat of summer. With friends.

I HEARTILY agree with Grey Gardens--fascinating stuff. Also, when I was devastated awhile back, I watched soap operas--all of 'em--keep your channel changer in hand. Amazing how you can get in on all the plot lines.

Ok, if you really want to get lost in plot twists for a couple of hours, you should watch these:

Lucky Number Slevin (Josh Hartnett)
Unknown (2006) with James Caviezel & Greg Kinnear

They kept me completely involved from beginning to end!

For being a little kid again: The Black Stallion

Sad ending, great picture: Reds, with Warren Beatty and Diane Keaton as the American leftists John Reed and Louise Bryant, who find out that the Russian Revolution was just a change of administration, from someone in ermine with a crow to someone with a cloth cap and a frayed jacket.

For the whole charm of Hollywood in its heyday:
Singing in the Rain

For that shiver down your spine about what governments can do: Enemy of the State, with Will Smith and Gene Hackman (love the cat's tail toward the end).

For knitters: the Lucy Neatby DVDs.

For the superstitious: The Red Violin. If you don't believe in curses, this will change your mind.

For fun, and lots of theater jokes: Shakespeare in Love

Hi Laurie! You've been on my mind so much and I've been hoping the last week hasn't been too, too horrible. A little bit of horrible ok and normal, we can work with that. I'm glad to hear you are keeping to your no smoking resolution!

On to movies, for those afternoons when I need something fun I turn to comedies: 13 Going on 30, Uptown Girls, Groundhog Day. All safe with no crying. Unless you're particularly gone, but then the comedy comes back and you're ok. One movie that I watch when I do need a good cry is In Her Shoes - the poem about loss always gets me - but the ending is so uplifting.

Also, someone else mentioned Scott Baio is 45 and Single. Love the scenes where he is apologizing to ex-girlfriends, happens A LOT. Very therapeutic TV. :0)

I live in Iowa, and if you think YOU're sick of them, you should try living here for a while. You can't swing a dead pig without hitting a candidate. Frankly, I wish Iowa would give up this "first in the nation" garbage so we could have some peace.

Welcome home.

I Capture the Castle, Really, really good book. Really good movie.

I love the Bob belly photo! I can't believe ya'll have tv in the elevators AND people don't just stay in there and ride up and down all day. I guess CNN isn't that riveting, but still. I could just spend the day watching Anderson Cooper.... He's such a hottie!

Movies I've liked recently include:
* Deja Vu (Denzel!)
* Invincible (Marky Mark!)
* A Good Year (Russell Crowe!)

Quieter, more chick-flick type movies I liked:
* Ladies in Lavender
* Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School
* Glory Road
* Kinky Boots
* Sequins (French, with subtitles)
* Prairie Home Companion

I like to live in a la la land of the past, so TCM is my movie channel of choice, nothing like an old classic to transport you far, far away in times of trouble. But the best entertainment investment I've ever made was the purchase of the entire DVD collection of I Love Lucy. After an episode or two all is well, or at least I've had a good laugh!

Myself, I like movies where stuff blows up! I recommend these: The Hunt for Red October, Independence Day, XXX and XXX: State of the Union, Bone Collector, Sum of All Fears.

If you want a change of pace from action/adventure: Changing Lanes, Seabiscuit, The Mark of Zorro (that's MaRk, not MaSk; it's the 1940 Tyrone Power movie, and he portrays The. Perfect. Man.)

And, BTW, what got me through quitting smoking (and is a great all-around attitude improver, though it didn't do anything good for my thighs) was cashews and Junior Mints.

Hey, whatever it takes. Really. BEST of luck!

Laurie, if you haven't watched it already, you've got to try Dead Again with Kenneth Branaugh. Love it! And my other favorite is The Perez Family, although it's more romantic comedy with a twist and cliffhanger.

Just read the other comments, must also chime in and highly recommend Grey Gardens--completely bizarre but compelling, you won't be able to get those 2 women out of your mind, I warn you.

Oh, and that yarn reminds me of some gorgeous stuff I saw at Maryland Sheep & Wool. Here's a picture: http://flickr.com/photos/bloomkitty/488409767/in/set-72157600187288338/ and another one: http://flickr.com/photos/bloomkitty/488409869/in/set-72157600187288338/

Love that stuff! My hands would hurt after awhile, knitting it, but I still love it!

Hello! I know you like to knit, and thought you might be interested in this Ikea hack! :)
http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/2007/07/crafty-trash-bag-holder.html

Keep up the good work with your witty fabulous blog I LOVE IT!

For movies:

"Spy Game" w/ Robert Redford and Brad Pitt - I mean, seriously, how can you go wrong?

ANYTHING w/ John Cusack, but I particularly like "Grosse Pointe Blank" and "High Fidelity."

On TV:

"The Closer" w/ Kyra Sedgwick.

I'm going through a rather sucky period myself so here's to things turning around for both of us!!

P.S. TV in the work elevator? That is just so cool...except I'd probably forget to get off on the right floor if it was the middle of an interesting story.

There's an Atlanta knit shop I don't know about?! I live about 15 minutes from Knitch. This spells trouble...

The Thin Man (and a sequel or two)
Laura

A couple of funny little mysteries. Laura is a bit Film Noirish but not really sad.

Hmmmm, feeling a twinge of yarn envy.

The Bob belly photo is just too flippin' adorable for words. *sigh*

You organize your books by colour!

Hey, for my money, the best mind-rot movie out there is Strictly Ballroom, followed closely by The Fifth Element.

Wow, I clearly don't read your blog enough ... wonderful that you quit smoking. I felt just as you did about the passionate love affair with 'smokey treats.' Cigarettes were my friend for a long time and I also associated smoking with really positive things, like sitting on the back deck smoking and reading a good book, hanging out with friends, etc.

I've been smoke-free now for 1.5 years. You can do it!!

Action-Adventure movies worth renting (these are also the kinds of movies I secretly love to watch):
- National Treasure (closet thing to Indiana Jones in a long time)
- Behind Enemy Lines (who doesn't love a Wilson brother behind enemy lines)
- Changing Lanes (very good movie)
- Proof of Life
- Con Air [do NOT tell anyone I recommended this!]

When I need mind candy, I like to reach for the campy action thrillers. Think anything Chuck Norris or Jackie Chan. Also, The Marine, with that wrestler, John Cena, isn't half bad [my son made me watch it]. There's tons of explosions and great fights. Of course, the first Die Hard movie is always great. Buckaroo Bonzai is hysterically funny and has a lot of action, too.

If you're looking for quality, then the suggestions above won't do, obviously. So, then I'd have to recommend my favorite go-to dramas or action movies: The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Godfather I & II [part III doesn't exist in my world]. If I want to see a tried and true guilty pleasure comedy, there are a few old reliables: Fast Times at Ridgemont High (I saw it while I was in high school), Sixteen Candles, and Moonstruck.

As for TV shows on DVD, I have really been enjoying Veronica Mars, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and 24.

Well, I heard there's something new called Jalapeno Cheetos. And, for mind rot: have you seen Sugar & Spice or Drop Dead Gorgeous?

I recommend The Piano (kinda weepy but amazing score and good ending). Identity cause it's a "just what is going on here!!?!" movie. Unbreakable is good as well if you enjoy comics. And who can go wrong with a Die Hard movie?? Everybody loves some Mr. Willis.

I enjoy television series that are completely opposite from my life i.e. The Sopranos-I'm an office worker with a really quiet family, Sex and the City-I'm countrified and unwaxed...Also movies that do the same thing-Legally Blonde, The Godfather, Tombstone (that ending is a little sad, though), Slapshot...you get the gist. Anything that is the opposite of me is perfect for a mind-dump.

Hey, welcome back to your regularly scheduled life! I love your color coded books under your kitty.

Glad the commute to perdition is done for now. Bob does look pretty dern hot. Yarn is shiney and scrumptious...deconstructed is a cool word for those yarns. Hey - how big are the zukes?

mmmm...movies to float along with...here are the ones I love to watch over and over:
Spy Game - Robert Redford, Brad Pitt
Hunt For Red October - Sean Connery
Independence Day - Will Smith
Enemy of the State - Will Smith, Gene Hackman
Virtuosity - Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington
Crimson Tide - Denzel Washington, Gene Hackman
LA Confidential - Russell Crowe and lots of others
Classics like 'The French Connection', ' are pretty zippy-zoomy blowup too.

I totally second the "Firefly" idea. Great series. I love Joss Whedon!

I also have to say that I love that your books are organized by color. AWESOME!

All the movies I would recommend have already been recommended, but I did find some things to add to MY Netflix list.

By the way, I bought some Revlon Color Stay lipstick. I love, love, love it. DH finally asked me what was different about my face last night. He thought maybe I had gone and had permanent makeup done!

Janet Evanovich has gotten me through some hard times. Do you read her books? Movie-wise I just saw the classic movie 'Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte' this weekend. Bette Davis, Olivia DeHaviland, set in the south and full of suspense. I'm going to watch it again.

More power to you for staying away from old coping mechanisms!

Hi Laurie!
A) It's so great that you're on the internet, sharing your stories. Even the ones about traffic (I feel good about my bicycle).

B) I've been watching all sports movies recently. They all follow the delicious pattern of
new coach - dubious locals - success despite economic/societal problems. Remember the Titans! Coach Carter! Even... Slapshot! Great soundtrack on that last one.
C) I top have been feeling self indulgent, but my bad-for-me choice is sugar, and now I feel rather fizzy inside. Time for beer instead!

Thin Man series, Mystery Science theater (you can download these onto the laptop and watch on the back porch) and oh YES Firefly!!

Nothing wrong with a little Marky Mark in your life.

For books, in addition to the HP series, I'd personally recommend anything by Robertson Davies. The man was BRILLIANT. He could make an otherwise mundane chance meeting into a lush, fabulous discourse. Ditto Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

As for t.v., it's all pretty much mindrot. Mebbe everything VH1, A&E or Discovery channel?

Here's an old one you probably haven't seen: The President's Analyst. Made in 1967, starring a terribly hunky James Coburn, it has some action, many laughs, and some really fabulous lines. Remember: Everyone hates the phone company.

The yarn is FABOO!!!
Bob is Too cute for words!
I WISH the election was THIS November so we did not have to endure another year and 4 months of this baloney.

There's a weird non-hit movie called The Man that is both suspenseful and occasionally funny. There is some sort of awesome chemistry between Samuel L. Jackson, playing a hardass Samuel L. Jackson character, and Eugene Levy playing a bumbling Eugene Levy character. I don't ever remember seeing this playing in theatres, but I caught it on cable on a sick day, and am so glad I did. Check it out.

(No weepy ending!)

You have to see The Marine. It is really really bad mind-rot and made me laugh through the whole thing. Who knew WWE had a film production division? Not me. Anyway, it knows it's all campy cheesy, so that at least helps. Poor Robert Patrick, long way down to that movie. Lots of explosions and over-the-top crap. Fabulous!

I agree with Denise: The Thin Man movies are great. Full of double entendres. Heck, anything with Powell & Loy is funny. "My Man Godfrey" is cute too.

If you're looking for action flix, check out Ben Affleck in "Paycheck". Uma Thurman co-stars. Cool movie.

Most anything Jackie Chan stars is in is funny. Lots of fighting too.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is good. Very little mush. Lots of fighting.

"Frequency" has good twists. Supernatural suspense movie.

For mindless insanity, you can probably rent the Monty Python series boxed set. "Fawlty Towers" is funny as well.

Will post more as I think of them.

Cheers and welcome back, Chickie !

We have a name for what you call Bob Belly: Manudder. There are some great ones on the cats chez nous.

I also love the Bourne movies. I saw Breach and Shooter as well. I am going to recommend Premonition. I saw it last night and liked it. I won't say anything else because I hate when people ruin the plot.

Well, I think Pirates of the Caribbean heals everything, but, I also have a TV recommendation for you. USA summer TV series, spy-themed and actually good: Burn Notice. Check it out.

Totally watch Deja Vu (I think we watched it 3 times before we took it back), and The Interpreter (Sean Penn & Nicole Kidman) is pretty good too.

Bob is definitely hot, hee hee.

Movies: I'm probably not one to recommend movies because I find that I cannot follow the plot of things like the Bourne movies, let alone LOTR or the Harry Potter ones. Two I've really enjoyed: "Little Miss Sunshine" (you've probably seen it) and "Dear Frankie" with Gerard Butler (kinda weepy but in a sweet, Scottish way). This summer seems to be a complete mind-numbber -- I don't know why.

I'm sorry about the commute and all that, but I'm with you on the lovely, lovely zoning out.

I really liked _The Score_, but y'all have probably seen it already. Love me some well-orchestrated heists. You could always head in the Jackie Chan direction (the subtitled Hong Kong ones, I don't care much for the American stuff). Rumble! In the! Bronx! Not so much on the intrigue side but watch Jackie Chan jump 6 stories! Wooo! There's, uh, some plot too.

Heist.
It's exactly what it says, with a twist. Or five.
By David Mamet, brilliant, brilliant man, with Gene Hackman & DannyDeVito.

For some good laughs, Arrested Development, all three seasons. The humor is unforgettable. Give it a couple of episodes, though, initially it just feels awkward.

My favorite diversions:

Movie: "Out of Sight"--George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, sexiest, most chemistry-laden movie EVAH. Very smart dialogue/cinematography as well.

Guilty pleasure reading: Anything by Pat Conroy. Read over and over.

Enjoy.

A fun, forget-everything-bad-in-the-world movie (a comedy, not an action flick) is "Start the Revolution Without Me", starring Gene Wilder and Donald Sutherland. It's worked for me since my college days (which are way too long ago to even discuss)

The Philadelphia Story. Loved it - it is quite comical in many places. Has a great ending too!

Oh, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Another quite comical scene in a courtroom.

Linda in VA

My Dad had icky scary surgery last week also - quadruple bypass surgery after a heart attack. I'm here in Virginia - he is in Ohio. Thank goodness for phones! Unfortunately, watching Little Children did not lift me out of my worries. I found it kind of icky, but in a "watching a car crash" kind of way.

Linda in VA

On the movie front - Layercake, starring pre-Bond Daniel Craig. Need I say more? Lot's of twists and turns among the low-lifes...

Hey, Laurie.

I hope things turn for you soon.

Thanks for posting the pic of Mr. Bob. Also, I love your books. Travel, travel, travel. (I heart travel) And the very first adult novel I read as a child: Flowers in the Attic.

For complete distraction, you could rent all the seasons of 24. I know it works in my household. I could be completely gone from the house and the husbeast wouldn't even realize until 10:00 when the program ends. :o)

BTW, did you know Marky Mark has a 3rd nipple? You can see it in Shooter.

Hugs to you from across the miles.

Nurse Wendy in Miami

Mark Wahlberg is Marky Mark???? At least you're not totally out of pop culture this reader/commenter is!

I had no idea!

I too like action movies and when I'm bummed...I especially like ones that have females that kick ass. Try The Long Kiss Goodnight (it's bad but good) or I pop in the Alias tv series.

When things are really really bad and I'm ultra low....I break out the Christmas movies. Yep.

hey, do you organize your books by color?

How could I have forgotten Janet Evanovitch? And "Young Frankenstein"?? Cloris Leachman is freakin' hilarious in that, as is everyone else.

"He vas ... my BOYFRIEND!"

Hi Laurie . . . so good to hear from you again. Sigh! As for movies . . . If you'd like to check out films by your faves or genre or whatever, I've found that IMDb.com is an excellent source for background on movies, film stars, celebs of all types. My sister considers me a bit of an 'air-head' because I prefer very base slap-stick when I'm under stress, duress: Stooges, Marx Bros., Laurel and Hardy. Or, I attemp Proust again. Hey, random thought: Bogie and Bacall - "To Have and Not". Wm. Faulkner whas one of the script writers on that one. Ooops, I'm rambling. Audie

Here's some movie ideas:

Guy Ritchie movies: "Snatch" and "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels". If you can handle the accents they are great fun.

The Usual Suspects: One of those 'you can't miss a second of this or you'll have no idea what's going on' movies.

Old Movie: The Quiet Man. This is an old John Wayne romance movie with Maureen O'Hara. Personally my favortie movie. It takes place in Ireland and the scenery is stunning. It is also quite funny in parts.

Goofy but funny: 50 first dates with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. Very cute.

Definitely "Spy Game"

And to tie a couple of things together, do (as Anna-Liza suggested) read "Good Omens" if you haven't already, then watch "Dogma." Not right now, mind you -- not nearly mindless enough.

The Talented Mr. Ripley; The Italian Job; Snatch; Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels; Grosse Point Blank... all adventure/spy/double-cross, all featuring guys you wouldn't mind turning into your personal cabana boys.

Sorry, Audie again - the title was "To Have and Have Not".

The Italian Job! Marky Mark with bonus Seth Green. I have this weird Seth Green fetish.

My recommendations overlap with some of the above, but they're so good, it's worth repeating:

1. Flight of the Conchords (on HBO and some on YouTube). Don't walk, run to this one. Mother-flippin' hilarious.

2. Arrested Development (all three seasons are on DVD now). Start at the beginning, and give it a little bit to get into it. It is re-watchably hilarious.

3. You could always go back and start at the beginning with your beloved Gilmore Girls on DVD. Also, as you know, great to knit to.

4. Very, very hot boys and good dancing in the movie Stomp the Yard (on DVD). There is a sad part at the beginning, though. But, did I mention the hot guys?

5. A really good documentary we saw recently was Sketches of Frank Gehry. Super inspiring for the artist in you.

We'll keep giving you things to help get you through this really hard time. Please keep asking.

Oh, for psychological thrillers - I don't think any of them can beat these two older movies:

1) the Jagged Edge (which I thought far better than Fatal Attraction)
and

2) What's the name of that one where Sigourney Weaver is the agorophobic locked in her house being stalked by a serial killer? And she wears all these fabulous drapey Eileen Fisher type duds?

(For pure clothes-watching, i agree with the recommendation on Devil Wears Prada. I even watched the director's commentary version so that I could hear who the designer was for each outfit!)

Copycat. The Sigourney Weaver movie.

You could download movies and TV shows to a video I-Pod and watch stuff on your commute...or download podcasts, books, etc to a regular I-Pod to listen to en route to work. I like staring out the window, though.

Not really a movie recommendation, but speaking of action heroes:

http://www.chucknorrisfacts.com/

Ooooh, I lurve the part in The Bourne Identity when he takes off his shirt. I can't tell you much else about the movie, but He.Takes.Off.His.Shirt!

Who knew that your readers had such similar taste?!? First, a few echoes of earlier suggestions--

Thin Man Series!!! The pithy conversation is incredible, how come no one talks like that any longer?!?!
Young Frankenstein--my favorite line is "Roll, Roll, Roll in the hay. . . "

I would add--
Auntie Mame (not MAME, the frightening musical version with Lucille Ball who I usually love but NOT in this) -- it is probably my deserted island movie
Animal House--SHOUT!
Transporter/Transporter 2/Italian Job (Jason Stratham. . . nuf said)
Farscape (a scifi channel series with Ben Browder in leather trousers for most of the first season)

I would also highly recommend "Lie Free or Die Hard" for when you are feeling a little less icky and maybe want to get out of the house and sit in a dark cool place for a bit. This is a totally escapist flick--I almost broke my bladder because I did not want to get up in the middle of the film and miss any of the SUV in the elevator shaft excitement!

Take care of yourself. . . I want that little less icky day to come soon!

oh, I'm commenting again because I just read the comments and I strongly DISAGREE with the recommendation to see the Japanese thriller, "Audition" -- I saw it when it first came out and I still have nightmares over that film. JUST TOO DISTURBING.

LOVE the old 70's(?) action/thriller "The Taking of Pelham, 1, 2, 3" with Walter Mathau. Very New York!!

Someone today told me I should see "The Rainmaker" with Hepburn and Lancaster, I think.

And you could always listen to the podcasts I make....(called "DivorcingDaze")

I highly recommend Lost on DVD if you haven't seen the series, but also 24. We just borrowed the first season from the library and got sucked in for almost a full week.

So I need to ask if your books on that bookshelf are arranged by color? :)

Bob is a big cutie!!

Faves: The Freshman (love, love, love that movie). Wonder Boys (ditto)--and here is a sweet little movie that no one knows about: Crossing Delancey. As a matter of fact, think I need to see that one again!

Hello Bob! You are a cutie :)
Man I hope it cools off there soon. I wouldn't want you to spontaneously combust or anything!
Try "Alias" for some great butt-kicking action. Lots of hours worth, and Jennifer Garner is too cool.
side note- my brother & his pregant wife are considering Cooper as their baby name. Their last name is Anderson. I thought this was funny.

Action movie - Ronin. The car chase is a bit too long, but outside that, great flick!

Laurie:

If you're in the mood for some very funny classic comedy films for summer viewing, try the following:

"The Women" (1939) directed by George Cukor. Not a single man is seen or heard during the entire film. Stars Norma Shearer, Rosalind Russell, Joan Crawford (as an evil man stealer), Paulette Goddard, & Marjorie Main. SO catty and silly and fun - be sure to check out the 1939 fashion show in color! This movie is just an over-the-top treat.

"Lover Come Back" (1962)- Doris Day & Rock Hudson (their best film together), Tony Randall & Ann B. Davis (Alice on the Brady Bunch). Just classic!

"Arsenic and Old Lace" (1944)- Cary Grant, Raymond Massey & Peter Lorre. Slapstick fun, especially Uncle Teddy.

"Man's Favorite Sport?" (1964)- Rock Hudson & Paula Prentiss - camping fun, fishing & silliness.

"American Dreamer" (1984) - Tom Conti, JoBeth Williams, Giancarlo Giannini - a really cute, clever, relatively unknown film.

"What's Up, Doc?" (1972) - Ryan O'Neil, Barbra Streisand & Madeline Kahn - hilariously funny - still makes me laugh out loud!

"Foul Play" (1978) - Chevy Chase & Goldie Hawn - also for side-splitting laughing out loud! (Dudley Moore still makes the funniest perv ever!)

"With Six You Get Eggroll" (1968)- Doris Day & Brian Keith - look out for a very young & clean cut George Carlin, also Barbara Hershey, Jamie Farr & William Christopher (from MASH), and of course Alice Ghostly & Pat Carroll. One of my absolute favorites!!

"Yours, Mine & Ours" (1968) - Henry Fonda, Lucille Ball, & a very young Tim Matheson. The original, not the remake.

Happy viewing! Save me some popcorn!

Hot here in E. Washington; smoke from the forest fires will arrive soon- yum. My ancient cat spends her days motionless behind the chair till it cools off at 9 pm.

A couple of fun movies- Holes and Millions (PG kids' movies, but with something for adults) The latter is a bit more serious and has weepy moments, but a good fantasy/reality ending

Marnie- Hitchcock.

Some movie suggestions, in no particular order:
1) Local Hero - small-scale weirdness in a wee Scots town proposed for a big American oil refinery. Ignore the stupid subplot about Burt Lancaster and focus on charming accents saying funny things. Amazing score by Mark Knopfler.
2) The Professional - a very young Natalie Portman becomes the ward (& apprentice?) of hitman Jean Reno. Also features Gary Oldman.
3) The first Die Hard, also the current one.
4) Layer Cake - A pre-007 Daniel Craig, as a career criminal who appears to have his life organized perfectly.
5) The Long Good Friday - tight British gangster movie from early 80s, first time I saw either Bob Hoskins or Helen Mirren, and still the reason I'll watch either of them in anything. A very young Pierce Brosnan has a small role.
6) Ghostbusters - who doesn't love this one!??!?!
7) Canadian Bacon - this movie did not do well at the box office, but the Canadian jokes are hilarious and the cast is terrific - John Candy, Rhea Perlman, many many others.
8) Bon Cop Bad Cop - fantastic Canadian detective buddy movie, again I think you'll get most of the Canadian jokes and overall it's just a darned good movie.
9) The Score - excellent heist movie, cast reads like an acting class: DeNiro, Brando, Angela Bassett, and the ever-talented Edward Norton.
10) The first Fantastic Four movie - way better than you'd expect and funnier, too!
11) American History X - not exactly light entertainment, but extremely well written & acted
12) Animal House - cuz you've forgotten how funny John Belushi really was
13) The Jagged Edge - to remind everyone what a terrific actor Jeff Bridges is
14) The Big Lebowski - ditto, also has John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore, John Turturo, Peter Stormare and Philip Seymour Hoffman - what's not to like?!?!
15) Lock Stock & 2 Smoking Barrels - forget Snatch, even tho the Brad Pitt role is compelling, essentially Guy Ritchie made the same movie twice and the first one was better
16) The Usual Suspects - omg I could not actually get over that they put this cast together - even when you've seen it multiple times, you have to pay attn or you miss the twists
17) A Few Good Men - omg again with the great cast, even people who aren't normally my taste are good in this movie. Dialogue by Aaron Sorkin which is enuf just by itself.
18) Ronin - terrific French caper movie with DeNiro and Jean Reno.
19) Terrific guilty pleasure action movies, not exactly art cinema shall we say - Con Air, and The Rock.
20) With apologies to the reader who mentioned it above, forget The Birdcage. Yes, even with Nathan Lane and Robin Williams. Rent the film it was based on - La Cage aux Folles - more bite, more funny, more everything. (Kinda like choosing Priscilla Queen of the Desert, over To Julie Newman Thanks for Everthing Wong Foo)
21) Firefly - the series, then rent the movie Serenity.
22) The Maltese Falcon - my alltime fave Bogie film (Casablanca has a category all its own and does not fit your current specs AT ALL).

OK, I'll shut up now.

Back with one more- Volver, with Penelope Cruz. Subtitles. Mostly women, very good and funny.

Since you brought up elections - I have to recommend Election. Matthew Brodrick, Reese Witherspoon, dark comedy about high school election shenanigans.

And since you brought up cigarettes, have you seen 200 Cigarettes? Interweaving stories centering around new years eve. It's a cute indie comedy.

Finally, for a different kind of "thriller", give Adaptation a try. Charlie Kaufman is one crazy dude, but I love his movies.

Good luck escaping reality!

Off topic, but are your books color coded in the Bob's belly photo?

Ditto on Four Brothers!! It also has some delicious Terrence Howard meat in it that ALWAYS makes me hungry!! (forgive me for the inappropriateness but when it comes to TH I can't help myself)

Grey Gardens is great. It'll show you that crazy women can also come from up north. It's like a car crash; you don't want to look but you can't help yourself. Seriously.

Smooches to you and the kids!!

I recently watched 'The Nine Queens', Argentinian film which is quite funny and has a very good ending - it's about a con trick so you have to concentrate too, which is good.

Have you seen 'Thank You for Smoking'? It made me laugh a lot.

And 'The Women' (1939), like Janice says, is fab.

I like 'Swingers', and it does have a positive ending.

'Inside Man' keeps your attention and has the divine Denzel in it.

'State and Main' is good fun, has lots of terrific one-liners.

And I'm too scared to watch 'Audition'.

I hope things pick up for you soon. Apples will grow again.

The best "popcorn and wine" movie is "Joe vs. the Volcano". Tom Hanks & Meg Ryan. Trust me, it's magic, but you have to get past the first 20 minutes, which are *terrible*. Tom Hanks calls this his "drug movie", and claims not to remember much of it. Still, it will restore your faith in all things happy, warm and wacky.

Also try a small bowl of that popcorn sprinkled with confectioner's sugar. It's beyond-words wonderful!

Some good fun movies with "happy endings" are the original "Yours, Mine, and Ours" with Lucille Ball, Henry Fonda, and a very young Tim Matheson, "The Quiet Man" with a young John Wayne and Catherine O'Hara (more romance and humor than typical John Wayne), "Sabrina" with Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn, "Caddyshack" with Chevy Chase and Bill Murray.

In TV, I love Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe. The one where he shears the alpaca AND one of the camera men just cracked me up!

Ooh, delurking because I can't resist a good movie question!

I assume you've already seen The Departed and Casino Royale, the best recent thriller-type movies? For some slightly older ones you may have missed, how about:

1. Unleashed (more unusual martial arts-type movie; Jet Li's great)

2. Lucky Number Slevin (which someone else also mentioned; a fun one)

3. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (has a darkly twisted sense of humor)

4. Cellular (maybe 10 people saw this movie, but it's an entertaining 2 hours)

And I heartily endorse the other people's recommendations for Firefly / Serenity and for American Dreamer. Saw the latter about 5 times as a teenager and loved it then! And if you're branching out into other genres, the best "chick flick" I've seen in ages was Music & Lyrics, with Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant. I must admit to a tear or two at the end, but only in the sappy happy sense of course....

If you branch out into novels, I'd also second the Janet Evanovich nomination. Read her whole series after a bad New Jersey breakup, and they were soooo cheering. Jennifer Cruisie is fun too, especially "Bet Me."

P.S. to pyewacket: There is nothing strange about a Seth Green fetish!!!

Eye of the Needle with Donald Sutherland. Ken Follett book made into a movie. Excellent and Donald is sexy AND Canadian.

White Palace with James Spader and Susan Sarandon. Doesn't follow the intrigue movie criteria, but it's an oldie but goodie.

I vote for Gilmore Girls. I need to start watching those. I'm in the middle of a Kill Bill run. Tonight is part 2. Sometimes you just need to see a woman KICKING everyone's butt.

That yarn is beautiful...good luck finding a project for it. I'm sure whatever you pick will be great.

I love me some Godzilla movies.

I've got most of them on DVD.

And I'm talking the old ones... man in a rubber suit thing.

And pretty much anything with Bruce Willis.

Welcome back... we missed ya!
.

Pretty yarn! Pretty Bob Belly!

cars on fire on the side of I-285 in Hotlanta? no problem - get some brats and the local radio helicopter and they call it a Car-b-Que!

or if you're a foodie francais, you could call it L'auto flambé

hooray for the bus!

Have you seen the movie "Sneakers" with Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Dan Aykroyd, River Phoenix to name a few.

IT is so much fun to watch

p.s. did you see Taxi with THE BEST FEMALE ACTRESS ON THE PLANET Queen Latifah? SO funny, lots of things blow up, goofy good guys vs. hottie chick bad guys, great movie!

OK. I've got to weigh in on the movies. I've seen at least two Mamet films mentioned -- Heist and State & Main. I love Mamet's stuff and so would have to add Spartan and The Spanish Prisoner. And maybe The Winslow Boy.

I should probably stop now since I could go on for days. I mean I have rated over 2000 movies on my Netflix accounts and there was a time during which I watched at least 200 movies a year.

oh, and "Midnight Run" with Charles Grodin and Robert de Niro. Hilarious.

Let's see. My favorite movies are The Great Race, funny, swashbuckly; The Italien Job, the original with Michael Caine(yum) and the greatest get-away on film; Noises Off, especially if you ever worked in the theater. My husband and I worked for the same little theater in Birmingham and nearly fell in the floor laughing at this one. We recognized every character in the film as someone we had worked with. I don't think we heard a work of the dialog we were so busy laughing! Also there's Second-hand Lion which is sweet; Where Eagles Dare, a great WWII flick; as is Battle of the Bulge, A Bridge too Far; and Battle of Britian. Although the last might be a little say. Victoire is go, a WWII about a prisoner of war escape during a soccer game in Paris. It is uplifting in the best way. Saving Grace with Tom Conti is a great little movie about the Pope running away from Rome to a little village in the mountains of Italy. It is a really soul-stirring story, one I try to watch when really done in. That's all for now. I share your sorrow. We lost our third cat, WallBaby, Sunday morning. She was old but a sweetie. Her name came from the fact that, when she was born, her mom dropped her down the wall between the kitchen and the powder room. Michael had to knock holes in the wall in the powder room to find her. She was never really well and always small but we'll miss her.
Bye from Ann Carpenter and the five remaining furr persons in Dallas, Texas

Let's see. My favorite movies are The Great Race, funny, swashbuckly; The Italien Job, the original with Michael Caine(yum) and the greatest get-away on film; Noises Off, especially if you ever worked in the theater. My husband and I worked for the same little theater in Birmingham and nearly fell in the floor laughing at this one. We recognized every character in the film as someone we had worked with. I don't think we heard a work of the dialog we were so busy laughing! Also there's Second-hand Lion which is sweet; Where Eagles Dare, a great WWII flick; as is Battle of the Bulge, A Bridge too Far; and Battle of Britian. Although the last might be a little say. Victoire is go, a WWII about a prisoner of war escape during a soccer game in Paris. It is uplifting in the best way. Saving Grace with Tom Conti is a great little movie about the Pope running away from Rome to a little village in the mountains of Italy. It is a really soul-stirring story, one I try to watch when really done in. That's all for now. I share your sorrow. We lost our third cat, WallBaby, Sunday morning. She was old but a sweetie. Her name came from the fact that, when she was born, her mom dropped her down the wall between the kitchen and the powder room. Michael had to knock holes in the wall in the powder room to find her. She was never really well and always small but we'll miss her.
Bye from Ann Carpenter and the five remaining furr persons in Dallas, Texas

Oh I watched Breach this weekend. It was great. I love all the Bourne movies too. Another movie I love just for plain old escapism is Demolition Man with Sandra Bullock, Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes. Oh a really good suspenseful movie, The Gift with Cate Blanchett, Keanu, Katie Holmes, Greg Kinnear. It was written by Billy Bob Thornton, based on his mother, she was a psychic I think I read somewhere. Oh and what about the classic, Rear Window with Jimmy Stewart? One of my all time favorites.

If you really want some good escapism, how about Buffy the Vampire Slayer--the tv series on DVD? Lots of fun and tough girls kicking some Vamp booty!

More movie recommendations (this is fun!)

Waiting for Guffman
This is Spinal Tap
The Big Lebowski
The Shawshank Redemption
Pulp Fiction
and
A Fish Called Wanda (my sentimental favorite--one of my favorite memories of my dear departed mother/best friend is watching her laugh at this movie, harder than anyone, anywhere, has ever laughed at anything--a beautiful thing)

Take care, sweetie.

I am so sick of the election already, too! There has to be some backlash to this ridiculously early start time. Too many talking heads makes American public apathetic.

I've been meaning to comment for a while but this is my first time. Awesome blog, cats, humor, and knitting. I got similar yarn from Ozark Handspun to try to reverse engineer it and make it myself, someday, when I am less lazy. Right now I think I'll just drink and spin my Shetland from the yarn on hooves outside.

Keep up the great blog! I hope you get to stop commuting soon.

Not that you need any more but here's my movie recommendations:

Comedy: Galaxy Quest; Psych (USA series)

Foreign: About Martha (German, just made into an American version with what's her face and that guy... shoot) and i LOVE Monsiour Ibrahim... Omar Sharif is wonderful!

Enjoy!

"Man's Favorite Sport?" is definitely a funny movie !!

The monster movies, pre-1960, are also great. Especially the Universal monsters. Wolfman, Dracula, Frankenstein... MUSTN'T forget "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein". A classic campy movie. Also, check out "The Ghostbreakers" with Bob Hope & Paulette Goddard. Ooooooh ! Johnny Weismueller (msp ?) as Tarzan is a personal favorite. Can watch them over and over and over...

Throw in some Andy Griffith Show episodes featuring Ernest T. Bass and your brain will be mush by Friday. ; )

Cheers. Again.

Me again...

Too bad you're not close. I'd let you borrow my CARY GRANT collection. Love me some Cary Grant, too.

Oh, geesh. If you like Bruce Willis - Sin City. All the Die Hards, if you've somehow missed 'em. The Fifth Element (campy SF with kinda weird suspense). And for funny, Willis and James Garner (playing Tom Mix and Wyatt Earp respectively) in Sunset, where Earp comes to Hollywood to advise on a Mix movie in the 20's, and they both get involved in a murder mystery. Foreign action, try out The Seven Samurai, then Yojimbo and Sanjuro (subtitled versions, *not* dubbed). These are the originals on which they based the spaghetti Westerns The Magnificent 7, For a Fistful of Dollars, and A Few Dollars More - but the Japanese versions are *much* better. Plus Toshiro Mifune (Shogun's Lord Toronaga) - one of the stars in the first, the lead in the other two - was a fantastic actor. Quirky Canadian humor with gorgeous Paul Gross of Due South, get Men In Brooms. Or the TV series Due South, if you can find it; one seriously hilarious/suspenseful show that pokes fun at both Americans and Canadians. (Have I mentioned Paul Gross is gorgeous?) Or try the *TV* Highlander: The Series, with drop-dead-gorgeous Adrian Paul, plus joining later, Peter Wingfield. Immortals! Sword fights! More fun than the Highlander movies! Plus some skin now and then. ;) And as I don't have cable, I'm loving the first season of HBO's Rome out on DVD - 2nd season coming out August 7th.

If you like Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books, try Donna Andrews' Meg Lansing mystery series - in order: Murder With Peacocks; Murder With Puffins; Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos; Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon; We'll Always Have Parrots: Owls Well That Ends Well; No Nest For The Wicket; and coming soon, The Penguin Who Knew Too Much. Crazy Virginian family (extreme croquet?!), mystery and romance - absolutely hilarious.

Kick-ass murder mysteries set in 2050's NY - Nora Roberts writing as J.D. Robb, the "In Death" series starring Lt. Eve Dallas - *great*, chilling mysteries, and the gorgeous Roarke ain't to be sneezed at. And there's a bunch of 'em, they'll keep you occupied a while.

For action-adventure-romance, Suzanne Brockmann's Navy SEAL books - her Tall, Dark & Dangerous series, and the even better Troubleshooters series. ::thud::

Some classic action-adventure, try Peter O'Donnel;'s Modesty Blaise series. Modesty would seduce Bond, then kick his ass, and her sidekick Willie Garvin would shred the remainder. Just watch you're getting the actual novels, not the graphic novels. Modesty started out as a UK comic strip, so they've brought those in graphic novels. Which are probably good, but unless you're hot on graphic novels... I dunno, I've only read the books - and they're wonderful, over-the-top thrillers.

Wups, typo on last par above - it's Peter O'Donnell, 2 L's!

okay i went to knitch and perused a bit....saw the nifty stitch corkers! do you have these things? do they work? do the cats leave them alone? here's the page: http://tinyurl.com/ytwyqy
i was wondering if you still make your hats and scarves and stuff for charities...am thinking of sending to the afghans(sp?)for afghans...their email said they need baby stuff for a hospital, ect. and their shipment gets sent off in september sometime.
baby socks, hats & mittens, and vests and gloves, hats, scarves for children. if you go to the site and look at the pics of the folks they have sent to, you can see what they have and what they obviously dont... very moving.
btw: if i were your neighbor, we would be like the old tv sitcom with eve arden and.....oh geez i forget her name. anyway, they were good neighbors who roam in and out of their houses and such. i am going to have to go google to find out that show now! i was a lil kid when it was on.
i would also feed and love your kitties while you were out and about traveling....
too bad you will never get to meet and know me, nor i you...other than your blog.
keep on girl, we all seem to love your journalling!

I highly recommend "Casino Royale" with the sexiest Bond ever- Daniel Craig!!! And he's been booked for two more- woohoo!!

Wow, so many good movies, I might not get anything done again all summer!!!

Here's what's on my DVR right now, "Invincible" yes, with my main man Marky Mark! "The Guardian" with Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher, a great pair!

Can't wait to see the next Bourne movie, the first two were great! As were all THREE of the Ocean's, these are two series my husband and I agree on, but for very different reasons... Matt Damon to be specific!

Love some flashbacks like "Good Will Hunting", most of the "Star Wars" are pretty good, (I like Episode 3 the best of the new ones), "Pretty Woman" is something I could watch every day, "Crazy/Beautiful" is a good one to make you realize there are people out there stranger than yourself (at least I think so!).

I am a TV fanatic and love most movies I see, so I hope you find somewhere to lose the icky stuff and get yourself ready for the next great chapter in your life, even if it won't start until after the elections, this is getting so ridiculous!!!!!!

Paycheck. Ben Affleck, but still.

Love you dear. Take care.

re the election: "I'm sick and tired of, year after year, having to choose between the lesser of who cares?". A quote from "West Wing", first four seasons (only) and my TV recommendation. It was never the same after Rob Lowe and Aaron Sorkin left.

Oh, "Boston Legal", for quirk with brains.

"Next Stop Wonderland" with the wonderful Hope Davis
"Sliding Doors" wih Paltrow and John Hannah (the Scot from Four Weddings)
"Cinderella Man" to see all of Russell Crowe's talent at once in a compelling story

"Spirit of St. Louis" for the charm of Jimmy Stewart and the ultimate can-do story (my favorite film ever).

i'm all for "suspension of Icky Reality" for a while.

movies: lots of my favs are listed already. here's a couple more.

the ocean's 11, 12, and soon to be out 13

bruce willis' die hard series

serenity, the movie from the TV show firefly (both excellent)

TV shows:

la femme nikita (the spy show alas copied ;D)

grey's anatomy

the shield (gritty cop show)

battlestar galactica (the new one)

prison break (season 1 is out and season 2 will be out in sept.)

enjoy!

I was known to knit in front of an open fridge door when we lived in the tropics - can't recommend it - some idiot always comes along and drips beer of yoghurt in your hair while they're putting it away!

See if you can get the Australian film Kenny - for a bit of amusing realism! Cheers

hey girlie girl,

You are the only person I know who arranges her reading matter by COLOR! So Nordstrom-y! You have it all over that sad old Dewey guy. Muy purty!

Anyways, I don't know if you like comedy, but if you do, you must borrow or rent the "Arrested Development" series. It is binge-worthy, truly!

And if you're looking for something easy to keep your hands busy, check out the hemp market bag pattern on knitty:
http://knitty.com/ISSUEsummer07/PATTeverlasting.html

so cute~

My offical recommendation:
Sneakers
A spy movie (kinda) with brains. And Robert Redford. And Sidney Poitier. And River Phoenix (cute cute cute and not dead). And Dan Aykroyd (who ya gonna call?). And David Strathairn (which might not be how you spell his name).
Don't you all want to run out and rent this movie RIGHT NOW?
:)

Er, that's OFFICIAL, and in no way resembles offal or fecal or poo of any sort.

Sure hope the Doldrums move along there - there's nothing to see here. I'm tempted to print out your comments in case I need a movie recommendation some time! But here's one I hadn't seen: COLD COMFORT FARM! It's a hilarious Brit comedy about a young girl (about 1930s, I'd say) who, finding herself orphaned (not traumatic or sad) decides to palm herself off on some relatives. It's a delight - in fact, my first introduction to it was as an audio book (during a painful-and-blind period; I even loved it THEN). Then I got the film - and finally bought the regular book to READ. Just plain ol' entertainment. In fact, I think I'll read/watch/listen to it again! Also - that's SOME YARN, I can't WAIT to see what you can turn it into!

Laurie - if you're needing escapism . . . try Mel Brooks. Blazing Sadles. Space Balls. The Producers (original). Good for 90 - 120 minutes of non-stop gufaws (or out-loud belly laughs if you add wine!).

I just have to say... organizing books by color is something that has never crossed my reality before... Interesting.

I love the yarn. I'm glad you can stop some. But the real question is, are your books sorted by color?

If you're looking for action and adventure: battlestar gallactica (the recent version) , a cute australian film "the dish", and really all of Baz Luhrman's films, "Strictly Ballroom" being the best (and not sad!), which really leads to the whole dance movie genre, of which "Bring it On" is faboo. Not a sad note in the bunch :) "Mad Max" is always one for the oldies but goodies too. I'm all for post-apocalpytic as long as they don't get too sappy.

Poochy Bob Belly! Must! Poke! Gently!

I'd say stay away from Firefly/Serenity if you are trying to stay away from movies that would make you cry. My god, those were tearjerkers for me, plus torture scenes and icky icky horrible things happening. I loved them dearly, but very much not the movies I'd turn to when wrestling with Heavy Life Things. I'd be bawling my eyes out.

Ditto the reccomendations for "Auntie Mame", "The Women", "Blazing Saddles". I'd add "Trading Places" as a movie that always makes me giggle. Plus "A Fish Called Wanda", "Dave", "Circle of Friends", but especially: "Strictly Ballroom".
Definitely feel-good movie, that last one!

Hey, um, CAP? You like those "Deadliest Catch" guys, right? They're coming to my neighborhood this weekend!

http://www.seafoodfest.org/2007/ent.shtml

Shall I get an autograph for ya? :)

I love action/adventure/spy/intrigue too. Try these:
The Truth About Charlie (Mark Wahlberg),
High Crimes,
Mercury Rising,
Collateral,
Enemy of the State,
Murder at 1600,
Absolute Power,
In the Line of Fire,
Enough,
Cellular,
Narrow Margin,
Negotiator,
The Firm

For suspend-your-disbelief popcorn action movies, I'd have to recommend Transformer and Transformer 2, starring bald British sophisticate Jason Statham. You'll gasp as he rips his shirt off to wrestle in oil for no apparent reason, and you'll find it hard to suspend your disbelief as he chases a bus with a boat.

Have a good night in!

Try "Shallow Grave"- very, very, VERY bad people.

I LOVE that your books are sorted by color! What I am surprised about is that I am not the only retentive-ish person who noticed...I am NOT alone :)

My favorite movies this year are
Stranger Than Fiction
Hitch Hikers Guide to the Universe
Lord of the Rings (any of them :) )
Last King of Scotland
The Number 23
... just to name a few.

Enjoy

The Train-staring at Burt Lancaster never hurt anyone fab WWII suspense
Sunset Blvd-Hey it starts with a dead body floating in the pool and just gets better from there
The Third Man-Orsen Welles Joseph Cotten
Touch Of Evil-Orsen and Joseph again, Charlton Heston (as a Mexican!) Marlena Dietrich, Zsa Zsa Gabor (wild mix great movie)
Go get Leonard Maltin movie guides there's even one for movies prior to 1960 go to the back start looking up Jimmy Cagney Humphrey Bogart Burt Lancaster Robert Mitchum Edward G Robinson, start looking for 3 & 4 Star movies Figure out the old Gangster movies and Fab Film Noir (the home of stylish suspense) and Hitchcock of course. TCM is a goldmine you just need a reference book to guide you thru

I really liked Inside Man (I wanted Clive Owen to be Bond, but am VERY happy with D Craig).
I agree re Transformer, but wasn't so keen on #2, and I love the Modesty Blaise books and am collecting the "graphic novels" too - actually a compilation of all the original strip cartoons which appeared in the London Evening Standard in the last century.
Last time I was poorly, I read through every single Dick Francis book, one after another (but not in date order!) and found it just the thing. Not sure if it would work for a poorly heart - I was temporarily immobile, which I think did make the difference.
Have also been enjoying old Star Trek lately. You could do a drinking game - every time poor Capt Kirk is forced to kiss a beautiful maiden, or whenever Spock raises an eyebrow....
You can send the hot weather over here to England BTW. Dry up some of this rain.
Feel better soon.

Try James Bond. Or Charade, with Audrey Hepburn.

I also like Withnail & I. Nothing happens, and Richard E Grant looks awful. But you have to love a film where one of the main characters yells "I must have some booze. I demand to have some booze." You can play a drinking game with Withnail too, but it's not recommended. Drink what he drinks through the film.

Other good films. Bugsy Malone. Grease. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Oooh. And see if you can get hold of Dr Who with David Tennant. Yum.

~x~

I really enjoyed Mr. and Mrs. Smith with Brad Pitt and Angelia.

It was really funny and action packed.

That is simply beautiful yarn. It is! Up here in Michigan it's only around 80 degrees for highs this summer (Night time lows around 60) so, being the fore-thoughtful Dutch girl that I am, I started a new pair of socks this week. Really! And my girlfriends all laughed at me. Wait until October; they won't be laughing then!

And they are cotton socks, afterall. I'm not crazy enough to knit with wool in July. I think.

Try the Count of Monte Cristo with James Caviezel. Really great period piece with sufficient adventure/angst/revenge/passion and a happy ending.

and I see you arrange your books by color. nice.

Bossy needs to know: Are your books on that shelf arranged in order of their Hue?

That obligatory contemplative Me Time was one thing (ok, the only thing) I loved about my 2-hour-each-way commute into NYC when I lived in CT. Now that my commute is only 45 minutes (and a much busier 45 minutes, what with having to take a bus and two trains, rather than just one train), I sometimes actually miss having so much uninterrupted quiet time. I don't miss getting home so late or getting up so early, though.

There's a fun, British, early Clive Owen movie called "Greenfingers" that's worth checking out (did I mention Clive Owen?) It's about a group of British felons whose progressive prison warden sets them to gardening to rehabilitate them and they end up competing in the Chelsea Flower Show.

be careful looking out bus windows. i once saw a guy...um...how to put this delicately...there is no delicate way...jerking off...IN HIS MOVING TRUCK!!! i stopped looking out bus windows on that day (okay, i didn't really, but if i saw a light blue, older model chevy truck i looked away)

If possible, get your hands on the Navy CIS seasons. It is a fabulous show; I have spent countless hours watching the same episodes again and again. The characters are lovable (I don't even think I have a favourite - that's a first!) and the plots are great; suspense and crime and comedy all rolled into one! Get it. Getitgetitgetitgetitgetit. Now. :P

Also. The movie 'Wedding Crashers' with Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, if that kind of movie does it for you. I have never laughed that loudly in the cinema. Ever.

Movies that suspend time (and reality, if seen from my point of view which is that I imagine myself as the hot chick that either Pierce or Matt are boning): Rounders (Matt Damon and Ed Norton play a lot of cards and look HOT) and Thomas Crown Affair (Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo look HOT).

Go.

It's so good to have you "back". Your "hot links" were hysterically funny :-)

All the Hitchick movies make time stop around you. Rope is my very favorite. Very, very favorite.

At this time of summer in the South, I put my collection of mountaintop photos and snowscapes on my computer screen saver. Sigh.

As for movie/TV escapism? I can watch Star Trek for hours on end (good excuse to knit, too). I always turn to sci-fi when I'm down. For some odd reason I also like Mafia movies, especially the Godfather series, when I'm depressed, and they successfully distract me. I remember how grateful I was to find "Mob Week" on the cable shortly after my Dad died. I stayed in front of the TV for days.

My favorite stress-relief movies are martial arts movies. Bruce Lee! Jackie Chan! Uma Kills Bill! Yeah! I think, subconsciouly, that I insert the person/situation I am angry at into the person/people getting a well-deserved ass-kicking!

Okay- a Marky-Mark football movie that was really really good but no one has mentioned here is "Unbreakable." Not weepy at all- and lots of hunky naked Marky-Mark

You want real brain mush? Serious brain mush? Get the "Walker, Texas Ranger" DVDs (I can't believe I just said this- shhhh!)
Walker always gets the bad guys- there is always fighting and some wham-bam. Every year when I go home and visit dad we watch a little "Walker."

A favorite of mine- "Speed" and both "Rush Hour" movies

"Babe" will make you smile and maybe cry with happiness? Best talking animal movie ever

Great foreign film? "Motorcycle diaries" and "Volver"- Great movie about women and their lives, and Penelope Cruz is amazing- Both are in spanish with subtitles.

Final if you want some

damn computer posted before i was ready- so
finally, if you want some good TV- get "The office" first see the british version (two seasons and a special) and then see the american version. So funny its painful- painful, painful, but you can't look away.

Yes (Movies):

1. Inside Man
2. The Italian Job
3. Sneakers
4. Spiderman 2
5. The Departed
6. Boogie Nights
7. The Illusionist
8. The first Pirates of the Caribbean (ONLY)
9. The Talented Mr. Ripley
10. The Usual Suspects
11. Defending Your Life
12. Stranger Than Fiction
13. Galaxy Quest

Yes (TV):

1. Freaks and Geeks
2. Friday Night Lights
3. Arrested Development

No:

1. Premonition
2. Pulp Fiction
3. Grey Gardens
4. American History X
5. Shawshank Redemption

I do not recommend disturbing, sad, or stupid ending (Premonition) movies to someone in despair. I cried so hard about Roy. My kitty Grover Bean just days later was diagnosed with renal insufficiency. I now have to give him daily hydration injections under his skin, which he takes like a trooper. But it's all so sad. I am really, really sorry for your loss, Laurie.

wendy

I have been *so* debating about asking you to say something about my blog on your site. (I read your blog every day and tell everyone I know to read it...and they DO!) Naturally, when I read today that you (gasp!) "could use some frantic right now," I assumed that it was a sign from the interweb goddess to contact you immediately. After all, my blog is about knitting, charity, AND I have a cat!!! (If you mention me, I will post a picture of said cat.)

Love,
Deb

P.S. I wish I'd been you when I was your age. You are the funniest, sweetest, most real writer ever. Thanks for the daily inspiration.

Check out:

Best In Show

and

A Mighty Wind

I laughed my ass off at those two movies !
(I wish... Wouldn't that be great if I could ?!?)

I forgot "The Replacements," a movie that was WAY better than it should have been. And "Sense and Sensibility"--the one with Alan Rickman (and just a few other fine actors). I just love Alan Rickman.

You should check out an old movie "Arsenic and Old Lace" with Cary Grant. It's one of my favorites.. Carey Grant was a Funny Dude!

Also "Mr. Blandings builds his dream house" and "The Philadelphia Story" both with Cary Grant.... Can you tell I kinda sorta like cary grant just a tiny bit?

One more thing.. is a comment a comment if it's this far down in the comments??

Ok, some of these have been mentioned before, but consider it an extra VOTE! Get it? Elections? ha ha, not funny!
*The Italian Job (new one)
*Sneakers (just saw for the first time--LOVED it!)
*Oceans 11 (old and new) & Oceans 12
*His Girl Friday (talkaboutyourrapidfiredialogue!)
*Gross Pointe Blank (I will never sit with my back to the door now!)
*Quiz Show (Ralph Fiennes, need I say more?)
*Dirty Dozen (gritty bad guys fight really bad guys)
*anything with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers(did you know she used to live in my hometown of Foat Wuth Texas?)(long before I was born, of course!!)
*America's Sweethearts (more John Cusack hilarity)
*Palm Beach Story (or anything directed by Preston Sturges)
*The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (ahh, Technicolor!)

Anyways...love your blog! Laugh till I snort; very embarrassing. We tend to hibernate from about now till October--SC is hot and sticky!--so lots of time for old movies and knitting and jigsaw puzzles and watching the cats shed. Hey, it's a hobby!

I liked Shooter, hadn't heard much about it beforehand. Watched Zodiac yesterday, and enjoyed it. Mark Ruffalo, good acting, what more can I ask for?

Ayep ayep on the Firefly series (Serenity, the movie that wrapped up the series is not quite as good if you ask me but worth watching to round out the experience), State and Main (but hello, I live in Vermit), and Inside Man. I'm watching The Closer (first season) ala Netflix and hot dang - I'm loving it (Kyra plays a Southern GA girl). French Kiss is still my favorite movie, and you can't beat Jumpin' Jack Flash and Beverly Hills Cop for some 80s humor. Just saw Breach and was more impressed than I thought I would be (but how can you not be impressed with Chris Cooper?) and Shooter is in my queue.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. It's the best, cracks me up everytime. My sister just caught it on tv the other day. (while I was at work and she was home being retired)

Here are my favorite watch over and over again movies...

Pride and Prejudice (it is nice and LONG!)
Lord of the Rings (really long!)
All the Harry Potters (long again!)
Anne of Green Gables/Avonlea (long!)

For a great short movie I like
That thing you do
The cutting edge
Bridget Jones 1 and 2

Even though it's not a spy-intrigue etc. kind of thing- I enthusiastically second (third? fourth?) Weeds- hard to describe its genre, but it's a hoot in so many ways. Also, for the long con, can't beat Nine Queens (subtitled, I think, but worth it). And I saw Black Snake Moan recently- not at all what I expected, and really really good- even had some redemption in the end!

Movies I consider "must-see":
Red Rock West
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
The Lord of the Rings trilogy
Crash (the weird uber-creepy one from 1996, not the one with the same name from 2004)
Secretary
The Oh in Ohio
Sunset Boulevard
Roman Holiday
Tank Girl

Some of these are fun, some just bizarre, and some I can watch repeatedly and always find new wonders. Then again, I'm a bit odd with my taste in movies, so you might hate all of these.

There are so many (I have over 350 movies in my collection, so...)

oh- yeah- and the Firefly suggestion is great too-I just love that series. And after your done with it (too short- it was just too short!) you can watch the movie they made- Serendipity.

Bob is adorable. I love his pink padding under his feet, it looks just like my red headed female tabby. She has a crush on Bob, you know... although she is probably more outgoing than Bob is as he seems (per your description) to be a bit shy. What a handsome cat he is though! :-)

I've been to Knitch!! My best friend (who doesn't knit) was with me the first time, she said my eyes lit up like a little kid in a candy store :-)

You have a TV in your elevator??? Only in LA. As far as movies that make you forget, any Indiana Jones movie, how abt Beverly Hills Cop with Eddie Murphy? I like the Bourne series too. There is also one with Gene Hackman and Will Smith that was good. Cant think of the name though....I like the romantic comedies like Sweet Home Alabama, Murphy's Romance, Legally Blonde, While You Were Sleeping. I agree, it has to be happy and nobody dies (except bad guys). Oh and Ocean's Eleven is good too. Lots of good looking men to drool over in that one!! Elliot Gould!!
;-)

Along the action movie front, The Rundown is fun. No Mark Wahlberg, but still a good few hours of suspended disbelief.

Another movie recommendation -- Saving Grace with Brenda Blethyn. Hilarious. I like to think of it as a kind of twisted companion piece to Greenfingers.

Bring out some classics. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is one of my favorites. Have to fix spaghetti and garlic bread first to eat while you watch that. For humor, if you've never seen My Cousin Vinnie, it is a must see.

'kay, I second a lot of these recommendations and got some great ideas for some new ones for me. But you gotta do the Thin Man movies! Nick and Nora! and she knits too!

I recommend for now:
any of the