Harrison Ford Movie: **** What Lies Beneath (2000)

 This is a very good Halloween/Ghost story.  After taking her daughter, Caitlin (Katharine Towne) to school, Claire Spencer (Michelle Pfeiffer) starts seeing a ghost.  The new neighbors Mary and Warren Feur (Miranda Otto and James Remar) have a love hate relationship, and then the wife disappears so she assumes he has murdered his wife and the ghost if of her.  However when she confronts him, his wife is there.  Her husband, Norman Spencer (Harrison Ford) is not very sympathetic.  She sees a psychiatrist (Joe Morton) who suggests she ask the ghost what it wants.  She and her friend, Jody (Diana Scarwid) try a seance but with limited success.  A woman disappeared a year ago, about the time of Claire's accident.  She slowly becomes convinced that this is the ghost, and it has something to do with her husband.  

If you are into a good fright this is a very good movie.  Harrison Ford is in a different type of role for him.

Halloween Movie :Toy Story of Terror, (2013)

 This is a made for TV short where our toys go to the hotel from hell, or from psycho.  Something is getting the toys at the hotel were the family has stopped for the night.  They discover it is a lizard, who captures toys for the manager of the hotel.  The hotel manager has a thriving E-bay business with the toys the lizards has caught and brought to him.  The toys have to keep Woody (Tom Hanks) from being sent away to a buyer.  Jessie (Joan Cusack) comes to the rescue but she has to face her fear of being in a box.  im Allen portrays Buzz Light Year and Don Rickles provides voice for Mr. Potato Head.  Stephen Tobolowsky portrays the hotel manager, who get his in the end.   

Movie Review: ***The House With a Clock in its Walls

The House with a Clock in its Walls

A fun movie, but I found it lacking just a little.  I think it was that the main character were supposed to be weird, and at times it just came across a little too weird.  Lewis (Owen Vaccaro) goes to live with his uncle(Jack Black) after his parents die in an accident.  He meets his uncle's friend (Cate Blanchett).  Over time Lewis discovers that his uncle and his friend are both involved in magical pursuits, and that there is a clock hidden within the wall s of the house which is counting down, and portends some great tragedy will take place when it does.  At any rate, Lewis starts to learn magic, but is also manipulated by the former owners of the home, Isaac and Selena Izard (Kyle MacLachlan and Renee Goldsberry).  Isaac was involved in an experiment which killed him, and he had apparently killed his wife during the experiment.  However by manipulating the boy, they both reappear with the intent of ending the world where there is war.  It takes all the skills and wit of our little threesome to overcome this evil. 
Great Halloween movie with seed spitting pumpkins--they don't have teeth so can't really hurt you, and other spooky goblins. 

Movie review: ****^Coco (2017)

This movie may be the crowning jewel of the holiday season.  It is a Day of the Dead movie.  This is a holiday in much of Latin America, where the citizens honor their ancestors.  This movie does an excellent job of portraying this day, and the importance of keeping the tradition thriving.  In this film, those who are forgotten cease to exist, and remembering them the continue to exist.  The art work is tremendous in this animated feature.  This movie is about following your dream, but also affording family their proper place and respect.
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and the family depicted with their many ancestors.  It comes to us from Disney and Pixar.
Anthony Gonzalez as Miguel
Gaél Garcia Bernal as Hector
Benjamin Bratt as Ernesto de la Cruz
Alanna Ubach as Mamá Imelda

Picture Book/Halloween Poem: Pumpkin Eye

Pumpkin Eye by Denise Fleming, Henry Hold and Company, New York, 2001.

The pictures in this book are like Halloween.  They are sometimes over large, giving a partial view, sometimes they are blurry and misty, but always they are eerie.  The poem is mostly three syllable statements, like Piece of pie, pumpkin.

Picture Book: The Pumpkin Man from Piney Creek

The Pumpkin man from Piney Creek by Darleen Bailey Beard, illustrated by Laura Kelly, Simon and Schuster for Young Readers, New York, 1995.

This book could be from our local area, where we raise a good percentage of the pumpkins in the United States.  This is a nice story with very nice illustrations.  After selling 100 pumpkins, will there be one left over for Hatie to make a Jack O' lantern.  The pumpkins will bring some needed cash. 
This story has a cute ending, and the illustrations bring the Halloween, pumpkin feel.  I especially like the birds and the pumpkins in the pictures. 

Children's Book Review: Disney's the Haunted House Party

This little book features Donald Duck.  Donald is my favorite Mouseketeer character.  He is invited to a costume party at a haunted house, but Daisy is going with a different duck.  So Huey, Dewey and Louie agree to create some peril so Donald can show himself a hero.  First they come as bats, and Daisy's date runs and hides.  Donald saves the day.  Of course he knows it is his nephews.  then a ghost appears, and Donald again saves the day, and again it is his nephews, but this time Donald didn't know it was them.  He thought they were going to do just one prank.  Fun book if you like the Mouseketeer characters.
  

Its The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown (Full Episode)

This is a Charlie Brown Special focusing on Halloween and Linus.  Of course it has all the characters, including Snoopy chasing the Red Baron, and getting shot down, Charlie Brown, who only gets rocks, Lucy who is embarrassed by her brother, Linus, who believes in the Great Pumpkin and gives up his halloween waiting for its arrival, Sally, who loves Linus enough to wait for the Great Pumpkin with him, and Schroeder, whose music touches the emotions, as Snoopy demonstrates.
Loved this show as a kid, and still love it.
There are a couple versions on You Tube

Children's Book Review: Witches Four

Witches Four by: Marc Brown, Parents Magazine Press, New York, 1980.
This tells the story of four good witches, and their conflict with four homeless cats.  The homeless cats adopt the witch's hats as homes, but when the witches come to claim them they are bound to have a conflict.  It is clever how this is resolved.  Overall the pictures in this story were passable, but not remarkable.  The story too is just good enough.

Music Review: Danny Elfman's Music from the Films of Tim Burton

Her is a wonderful presentation from PBS.  I mean this is very good.  This is mostly orchestral, music for many Tim Burton movies including Corpse Bride, batman, Pee Wee Herman, Alice in Wonderland.  Edward Scissorhands we experience a terrific violin solo, and the music box style music for this show is exquisite.  The vocals for the most part are oo's and ah's, until we arrive at "The Nightmare Before Christmas."  In this portion, the composer, who sang the vocals for Jack and for the Boogie Man in the original, sings for the concert.  It is a delight.  He talks about not liking singing in public, but this is just superb.  What wasn't superb as the female vocalizing Sally's song.  I couldn't understand the words.  With the music there are interviews mixed in; with Johnny Depp, Tim Burton and the composer, and a few others.

Musical Review: The Addams Family Musical (1 of 4)

I was turned on to a song from this musical by our Broadway review, and felt it would be nice to see the entire musical.  Warning: In the show a child smokes because he is "stressed."  It also shows too much cleavage and makes a joke of a grandmother wetting herself. Now the bad stuff is out of the way, there is much to enjoy here.  The story is about a young woman growing up, and becoming engaged, and the family dealing with the pressures this creates.  The music is lively, and the actors do very well.  I especially like the characters of the grooms parents.  They are sufficiently hysterical, and part of the story is about them refinding the flame.  In fact this story is about all three couples growing and rekindling their flames.  The song presented at the Broadway review is still probably the one I like best:
Let's live before we die... 
lets laugh before we cry
Let's hold each other tight and die
Let's try before we fail
Let's fly before we bail
Let's keep things black and white and dance!

The dance adds a lot to this song.  Enjoy!!!!!!

Children's Book: The Tailypo: A Ghost Story

The Tailypo: A Ghost Story, told by: Joanna Galdone illustrated by Paul Galdone, Clarion Books, New York, 1977.

This is a ghost story in the true sense of the word, and I could see someone by the campfire telling this story.  Took me a long time to figure out the punch pun at the end,  but I think I finally get it.  Sort of a blah feeling.  I like the illustration of the dogs, and the quilt, but the story is pretty week.

Picture Book Review: Moonlight the Halloween Cat

Moonlight the Halloween Cat by Cynthia Rylant illustrated by Melissa Sweet, Harper Collins Publishers, New York, 2003.
This is a book with very interesting illustrations, and a story line that sort of rambles, and even covers they same ground two or three times.  Ok, Moonlight's favorite day of the year is Halloween.  In terms of the illustrations I really like the cat's eyes.  I really like the pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns.  The artist uses and interesting assortment of orange colors.  I also like the illustrations of the homes.  There are also some very interesting colors here.
Despite the nice illustrations, this book belongs with younger readers than we have here, so I am going to move this book on to grandchildren.

Picture Book Review: Ten Timid Ghosts

This book is by Jennifer O'Connell and published by Scholastic in 2000.  It is a picture counting book with a take on the Ten Little Indians type of poem.  The story is cute but not great, telling about how the ghosts go form being timid (pushed around) to becoming angry and fighting back.  In terms of the pictures I really like the way the ghosts are transparent in many of the pictures.  I imagine that was hard to do.  This is one for the grandkids, as Tony has outgrown this book.

Picture Book: A Very Brave Witch

This is another picture book.  A Very Brave Witch i by Allison McGhee, illustrated by Harry Bliss, Scholastic, New York, 2006.
The story is really pretty lame and really doesn't make since.  A witch mistakes Trick or Treat for Trick a tree and falls off her broom flying around a tree.  It does show that witches and humans can get along.  However Tony pointed out some fun things about the illustrations.  There are many scary creatures, and the witches all dress about the same, and they always ride the broom by straddling it, including the cat.  The fun things Tony pointed out are the hands coming up through a grave and playing catch with itself using a pumpkin; The dragon poofing into a witch; And of course it ends with 'Happy Halloween."
However this book does not make the keeper pile.

Picture Book Review: Scaredy-cat, Splat!

Scaredy-cat, Splat!  by Rob Scotton, Harper, New York, 2010.

This is a first for this blog, the review of a picture book.  In this case the author also did the pictures  He points out that this is the fourth of his "Splat" books.  This one has a Halloween theme.  Splat, is a cat, and his illustration is really crazy.  I love his hair.  He is a black cat.  This story is about how Spla,t scared of even a tiny spider, can become the scariest of all the cats in school.  How this happens is really rather funny, because to be honest, Splat's costumes are sort of lame.  

I read this to Tony--who is beyond the picture book stage, but we enjoyed it all the same.  There must be some grandbaby who would love this one.

TV Review: Winnie the Pooh's Halloween Stories

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-mrUwkFYN4
I think Winnie the Pooh stories are a bit predictable.  The group is scared of something, then they mistake one of their number for whatever they are scared of, and then in the end the truth is revealed and the all have a good time.  The cutest part about this show is the honey moon where Pooh and Piglet think they have landed.  I didn't get the bit about the dream; it was too complicated.  A dream of dreaming you're dreaming and you can't go to bed because then you'll dream.  That is the mess Piglet is in.  And a lack of sleep makes everyone crazy.

Book Review: Ghoulish Song

Ghoulish Song by William Alexander, Margeret K. McElderry Books, NY, 2013.
 I picked this book up looking for something Halloweenish.  This book gave me that.  It is about a girl who dies, as she becomes disconnected from her shadow.  She is cast out by her family.  She has to figure out how to get her shadow reattached.  This has to do with a song that her flute insisted on playing.  The song can bring things together, or it can tear them apart. 
I liked this book.  It makes characters of shadows, and asks that we respect them and not trample them through puddles and such.  It also talks about being in harmony, not chasing things away with our negative attitudes.  In doing so the main character Kaite is able to save the day. 

Movie Summary: Halloween Genre Movies

This is Halloween week, and there was an article of scary, none R rated movies in the Deseret News.  This is my list of Halloween worthy movies, all family friendly, I hope.
***** Oz The Great and Powerful 2013  Plenty of witches

****^ Wait Until Dark: 1967 Blind lady who isn't so helpless

****^ The Sixth Sense:  ghost story with a twist

****^ Hitchcock: The making of Psycho About Alfred Hitchcock

****^Twilight Series:Vampire Love stories
http://mmboebillywardle.blogspot.com/2013/09/movie-review-twilight.html
http://mmboebillywardle.blogspot.com/2013/09/novie-review-twilight-2-new-moon.html
http://mmboebillywardle.blogspot.com/2013/09/movie-review-eclipse-twilight-3.html
http://mmboebillywardle.blogspot.com/2013/09/movie-review-breaking-dawn-part-1.html
http://mmboebillywardle.blogspot.com/2013/09/movie-review-breaking-dawn-part-2.html

****^The Ghost and Mr. Chicken: Haunted house visit with Don Knotts' humor

****Red Riding Hood: beautiful use of color

****The Others: Ghosts in the fog. Nicole Kidman

**** What Lies Beneath, Harrison ford and Michelle Pfeiffer

**** The Birds: Alfred Hitchcock suspense thriller

****La Perla: scorpion crawling down a rope gives me the creeps

****Ghost: a ghostly love story Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore

**** Super 8: An "Alien" worthy monster

***^The Village: colorful monsters. Shyamalan

***^ Hotel Transylvania 2, Adam Sandler

***^ Lady in the Water: scary monsters. Shyamalan

***^ Return to Oz: plenty of witches and one that collects heads

***^ Cannary Row: has a breaking a limb scene before "Misery" 

***Nightmare Before Christmas: Jack takes over Christmas

***Practical Magic. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman

*** The Brothers Grimm: con-men caught up in a real witch story. Heath Ledger and Matt Damon

The Haunted Pumpkin of Sleepy Hollow (2013)

**^Goosebumps II Haunted Halloween 2018

 

Music Review: **^Andrew Gold's Halloween Howls

This is a good D.C. for this time of year.  It is available at Manteca Library.  I used **^Andrew Golds' Halloween Howls to help get us in the mood of the season.  I must admit the first time through Tony did not like it saying it scared him.  We didn't get through it, but I later caught him singing the Monster Mash song.  So I decided to try it again telling him we could skip any song he did not like.  This had a better result as we danced to the music through most of the C.D., and then Tony took off making up his own dances and having a good time with it.