Snow Pictures.

In exchange for not having had the time this week to write a review on anything, I'm posting some snow pictures I took today. Enjoy!!


The road looking to the right of our driveway. It's a one-lane ride in the winter.

Ivanhoe Excerpt.

"The assailants have won the barriers, have they not?" said Ivanhoe.

"They have - they have!" exclaimed Rebecca - "and they press the besieged hard upon the outer wall; some plant ladders, some swarm like bees, and endeavour to ascend upon the shoulder of each other - down go stones, beams, and trunks of trees upon their heads, and as fast as they bear the wounded to the rear, fresh men supply their places in the assault - Great God! hast thou given men thine own image, that it should be thus cruelly defaced by the hands of their brethren!"

"Think not of that," said Ivanhoe; "this is no time for such thoughts - Who yield? - who push their way?"

"The ladders are thrown down," replied Rebecca, shuddering; "the soldiers lie grovelling under them like crushed reptiles - The besieged have the better."

"Saint George strike for us!" exclaimed the knight; "do the false yeomen give way?"

"No!" exclaimed Rebecca, "they bear themselves right yeomanly - the Black Knight approaches the postern with his huge axe - the thundering blows which he deals, you may hear them above all the din and shouts of the battle - Stones and beams are hailed down on the bold champion - he regards them no more than if they were thistle-down or feathers!"

"By saint John of Acre," said Ivanhoe, raising himself joyfully on his couch, "methought there was but one man in England that might do such a deed!"

"The postern-gate shakes," continued Rebecca, "it crashes - it is splintered by his blows - they rush in - the outwork is won - Oh, God! - they hurl the defenders from the battlements - they throw them into the moat - Oh men, if ye be indeed men, spare them that can resist no longer!"

"The bridge - the bridge which communicates with the castle - have they won that pass?" exclaimed Ivanhoe.

"No," replied Rebecca, "the Templar has destroyed the plank on which they crossed - few of the defenders escaped with him into the castle - the shrieks and cries which you hear tell the fate of the others - Alas! I see it is still more difficult to look upon victory than upon battle."

New Schedule and Announcements.

This morning I had a few good ideas and have decided to share them. All week, at the back of my mind, I've been brainstorming over what to do with this blog and how to get more followers; I haven't figured out the follower bit yet but the results from the rest of the brainstorm look fairly interesting.

So, here they are!! The new posting schedule first off. On Sundays {if I get on at all, which I might not regularly, it is the Lord's day after all} I will post Bible verses and chapter excerpts; on Wednesdays {I've always liked Wednesdays :)} I'll post any neat or interesting quotes I've come across or excerpts from a favorite book or the current book that I happen to be reading; on Saturdays I'll post either a book or a movie review for your enjoyment. On other days of the week, I'll possibly post a poem I've written or one of my few short stories or maybe even an excerpt from my latest novel; tantalizing tidbits from a writer's work desk!! Or, in my case, the dining room table via my laptop {which is still new, though I have gotten the keys broken in, so to speak ;)}.

Now, here's the bit where you, the followers, come in. First, I've never been very good at forming habits so I might need your help to remind me of the new, above schedule and my promise to post more regularly. :) Second; after scanning the archives, if you don't see your favorite book or movie listed and you'd like a review done on it, or any other book or movie; please, please feel free to request reviews! I sometimes draw blanks when it comes to what to review so requests would be helpful. I must warn you, however, that if the book or movie contains graphic violence {blood and guts squirting out everywhere}, rape or other sexual scenes {even if there's a high amount of kissing or describing how pretty the girl looks in certain clothes}, foul language {especially God's name being taken in vain}, or evolution {it's stupid and unproven, why review it?}, then I won't review the book or movie; chances are good that I won't even read or watch it either, or if I have then I won't review it. My guideline for this can be found at the top of the blog; the verse form Philippians. Other than that, do please request reviews!! :)

And now, for some exciting announcements!! Coming soon will be comparing a book and movie reviews {ya all know how books are made into movies right? Ever wanted a comparison review of them both?}, and multiple-versions reviews {if you've seen any or all of The Christmas Carol films then you'll know what I'm talking about ;)}! And, as a special holiday celebration or acknowledgment or or however ya call it; all December long will be reviews of Christmas movies, both classics and some newer ones!! {Plus, it's not like there's very much else on in December, right?} :)

See? I did have a few pretty good ideas, didn't I? ;)

Newsies Movie Review.

Title: Newsies.
Starring: Christian Bale {Jack Kelly}, David Moscow {David Jacobs}, Luke Edwards {Les Jacobs}, Ele Keats {Sarah Jacobs}, Gabriel Damon {Spot Conlon}, Marty Belafsky {Crutchy}, Bill Pullman {Bryan Denton}, Ann-Margaret {Medda Larkson}, Robert Duvall {Joesph Pulitzer}, Kevin Tighe {Snyder}.
Gene: Musical, Action/Adventure, Family.
Release Date: 1992.
Plot: The newspaper boys of 1899 are a ragged, unruly lot of orphans and poor kids with no leader. One day, as they set about their daily routine of selling papers, the owner of the paper, Joseph Pulitzer, discusses with his chief employees on the very important question of how to get more money. That evening, a solution is found, and the next day, the newsies are outraged when the price of the papers is increased by ten cents {which is a lot to them}.

Jack "Cowboy" Kelly is unanimously looked to as the leader of the boys, as they crowd around him, hoping for a way to deal with this latest problem. Inspired by the recent trolley strike and being naturally inclined to the wilder side of life, Jack promptly suggests the newsies form a union and go on strike. David, a new boy whom Jack has befriended, is opposed to this plan, but when he sees how for it everyone is, he becomes the brain behind the strike, and Jack becomes it's voice. Jack rallys the boys and David, then the group sets out to spread the word all over New York; when a key player, Spot Conlon of Brooklyn, doesn't throw his lot in at once, it's David's turn to rally the troops and his co-leader. The boys attract the attention of Denton, a reporter for a different newspaper, and he starts out to cover the story but ends up becoming one of the boys' few allies in their struggle against the powerful. The whole thing almost comes undone when Jack is arrested and threatened by the newspaper owner; when his friends are put in jeopardy because of his decision, Jack reverts to his true self and rescues them in fine style, and together, they come up with the final blow to the newspaper men that wins their battle.
Likes/Dislikes: The music and dancing are very well done and very moving, the villains are convincing and the heroes are noble, inspiring one to reach higher for what one believes in. About the only dislike I can mention is a kiss at the end of the movie which seemed a bit overdone, and some families might not like all the violence in the film; fist fights every which way, and boys being knocked out by the police in one scene. All ends well, however, and no one dies.
Rating: PG, and I completely agree with this rating.
Date Report Written: November 7th, 2010.

How to Train Your Dragon Movie Review.

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Title: How to Train Your Dragon.

Starring: Jay Baruchel {Hiccup}, Gerard Butler {Stoick}, Craig Ferguson {Gobber}, America Ferrare {Astrid}, Jonah Hill {Snotlout}, Christopher Mintz-Plasse {Fishlegs}, T.J. Miller {Tuffnut}, and Kristen Wiig {Ruffnut}.

Gene: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Animation.

Release Dates: Theatrical: March 26^th, 2010; DVD: October 2010.

Plot: Vikings have always and will always be known for their ferocity in battle, their gigantic muscular proportions, their fierce personalities and their big red beards. However, this family-friendly movie will make the Vikings known for their ability to make you laugh {now that they’re all dead and the threat of being carried off by one is severely lessened}.

How to Train Your Dragon takes us back in time to an imaginary island inhabited by Vikings who do the classic Viking things: raid, pillage, plunder, make weapons, break weapons, play catch-the-spear with their children, build big ships and carry on the general existence of Vikings. However, there is one small difference: instead of normal pests, they have dragons who swoop down in great flocks and carry off their sheep and cattle. The Vikings, being a breed of tough warriors, enjoy battling with the scaly, annoying lizards. All except for Hiccup that is. Different from all the other Vikings in muscle mass and thinking {“brains over brawn my dears”}, Hiccup dreams of one day killing one of the elusive, feared Night Furies; black dragons who, under cover of darkness, swoop down and burn the village but never carry off any sheep. When his father {who is head of the Viking village by the way}, and the rest of the villagers are distracted during one hectic night-attack of the dragons, Hiccup sneaks out and, using a contraption of his own invention, shoots a Night Fury.

When nobody believes him when he says he shot it, Hiccup runs out the backdoor of his house and goes looking for his catch; finding the dragon alive but helplessly tangled up in a mass of ropes, Hiccup raises his little knife to end the dragon’s life in hopes of gaining respect from his father and fellow Vikings. Looking into the dragon’s eyes, he sees something that causes him to change his mind and release the dragon who, surprisingly, doesn’t kill him. Stoick, Hiccup’s father, believes that if they find the dragons’ nest and destroy it, then the continuous attacks upon the village will cease, so he enrolls his troublesome son in dragon training school and sets sail for the dragons’ island. Hiccup, meanwhile, begins to swap his time between dragon training where he is suppose to learn how to kill dragons, and dragon training, where he befriends Toothless, the Night Fury he shot down, and learns to ride said dragon.

When Hiccup’s secret double-life is discovered by Astrid, the tough Viking girl he secretly has a crush on, he doesn’t think too much of it; but when, in fine, dramatic style, the rest of the village and his father learn his secret, Hiccup’s world comes crashing down around his head. When he’s at his lowest point, Astrid asks him what he’s going to do, and, suddenly getting inspired as he replies, Hiccup says, “Something stupid and something crazy,” before running off to put his plan into action. Meanwhile, Stoick and his men have taken the captive Toothless to his island in hopes of destroying the dragons once and for all, but they encounter something none of them ever thought even existed before and Stoick finally learns what his son has been trying to tell, and, how much Hiccup really means to him.

Likes/Dislikes: A very well drawn film, with good, fun music, and well developed characters. The voice talents were well chosen and Toothless’ animated facial expressions set my family and I to laughing. Hiccup and his father have communication difficulties between them, but thankfully, Hiccup doesn’t lie to his father and they become fast friends at the end. Hiccup’s fellow classmates, Fishlegs, Tuffnut, Ruffnut, Snotlout, and Astrid are also very funny and provide good sidekicks. All in all, a good, clean, funny family movie that I highly recommend.

Rating: PG; I’d say a G but some younger children might not like the big dragon’s ferocity.

Date Report Written: October 29, 2010.

Explanation {sorta}.

I know I haven't posted anything lately; I haven't had time to write a review but this week, I'll do better and will, for sure, have something to say.

I posted a poll at the bottom of the blog but I noticed that not too many people noticed it; either I should put it in a different location, or I need more followers! Any suggestions on that? :) God bless!!