One Good Thing A Day – Project Day 36 – Staying In and Watching Movies

Since I’m still feeling off and it was a chilly/snowy day, I decided to stay in, get as much work done as possible in my clouded state while listening to the “100 best movie soundtracks” which actually cheered me up since it reminded me of lots of great movies like The Pianist, Platoon, Amadeus, Schindler’s List, Shawshank Redemption and so on.

It got us both in the mood to stay in, cuddle up and watch movies -but which ones??? So many to choose from!

For any of you who have not seen the movies mentioned above, please do check them out at IMDB

The Game is On! The Renewed Love of Sherlock Holmes

I am a big Sherlock Holmes fan, even though I have not read all of the novels and short stories yet. The renewed popularity of Sherlock Holmes was sparked by the 2009 movie Sherlock Holmes, starring the charismatic Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. Since the movie came out, there has been a second movie (a third is in talks) and two TV series, Elementary (US) and Sherlock (UK). I’ve seen them all and I’m now curious to watch some of the older shows from the 80’s just to see what they were like.

I love the Guy Ritchie movies and both TV series because they each have their own take on the stories and characters from the original Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stories. The Sherlock movies are both set in the 1880’s like the books, the British TV series Sherlock is a mix of 1800’s and 2000’s fashion styles and sets, and the US series Elementary is set in the 2000’s, though there are many character traits, fashion designs and set pieces that go back to the 1800’s.

I would love to read the whole collection to see which adaptation has elements closest to the original. Of course, I believe Elementary is the farthest from it, especially since there are some strong female characters playing male roles, I think there might be a few things placed as an homage to the original. Personally, I like this modern twist to the story, but there are many people who are appalled by the fact that Dr. Watson in the show is played by a woman.

I’d like to hear your opinions about the movies or shows!  Comment below to let me know what you think.

Do you like the modern styles or prefer to keep to the original stories?

 

Happy Halloween to All!

What are you getting up to this Halloween?

 

We carved pumpkins, roasted the seeds and watched some Halloween movies like Beetlejuice, Nightmare Before Christmas and Brother’s Grimm 😀

Top 5 Games the Whole Family Will Enjoy

There’s no doubt that it can be difficult to keep the kids entertained. If you don’t have the money to visit a theme park or museum this weekend and you can’t stand to sit through one more viewing of Ice Age 4 (you love that stupid squirrel and his acorn, but at 200 viewings and counting you’re about ready to swear off animated features completely), you might be at a loss as to how to keep the whole family entertained on a budget. But the answer is so simple you’ll be surprised you didn’t think of it before: a game night! And here are just a few classics (and classics-in-the-making) that you may want to include in the fun.

Forbidden Island. The current trend in board games centers on the idea of cooperative play. Many adults are already fond of the Pandemic board game, where players work together to stop the spread of disease outbreaks before they can decimate the population. But this is hardly fare for young kids. So if you’re seeking a co-op game for the whole family, try Forbidden Island, where everyone cooperates to rescue priceless artifacts and get on a helicopter before a mythical island sinks into the ocean. If you like this one you might also enjoy Castle Panic, where players band together to defend their castle from a slew of crazy monsters. This one is recommended for ages 10 and up, but it’s simple enough for most school-age kids to participate.

Pictureka. This memory and identification game is easy enough for even young kids to enjoy. With 9 doodle-covered game-board tiles (they’re two sided for extra fun – flip them, turn them, move them around) and a stack of “mission” cards to get you started, you’ll be looking for legs, counting toothpaste tubes, and finding pirate-related pictures all night. While tiny tots may have a hard time competing with older siblings, you might just find that your kids are out-playing you before long. In short, it can be a lot of fun for all ages.

Clue, Jr. There are plenty of classic board games to choose from, with Monopoly and Scrabble topping the list. But not all of them are geared towards the younger set. And those that are often bore the heck out of older kids. Not so with this clue-filled whodunit. Even the junior version will have the whole family guessing the identity of the cake thief (no killers in the Jr. version) right up to the thrilling reveal.

Charades. Who says you need props to get a game going? With charades all you need is your intellect and a willingness to embarrass yourself so that your team can guess the clue you’ve been set to mime. You might need to go online to generate word lists or learn common hand signals (for small words like “a” or “I” or genres like movies and books, for example). But the game itself is simple enough for all to play.

Rock Band. If video games are more your speed, Rock Band is one that the whole family can have fun with. You will need a console (Xbox 360 or PS3) and some special equipment (the mic/drum/guitar kit for the game), but once you’re set up you can spend countless nights getting your money’s worth by jamming out to your favorite tunes. If you get through them all, there are several additional games to consider (Green Day Rock Band, Beatles Rock Band, even Legos Rock Band) and you can always use your Xbox Live account to download new content.

Sarah Danielson is a contributing writer for Download Free Games where you can find educational games for kids and families such as Bookworm Deluxe and Tux Typing.

One Good Thing a Day – Project Day 91 – Grease Sing-A-Long!

In the beginning of June there is going to be a gathering for Grease fans to dress up and sing-a-long to all of their favourites from the movie -I will be there and belting it out with everyone else and I just can’t wait!

I have to plan my outfit -so many choices I don’t know what to wear!

I’ll post photos if I remember to take some. When I’m giddy about something, I tend to forget taking snaps :S