A Wee Murder in My Shop by Fran Stewart

In A Wee  Murder in My Shop Scotshop owner Peggy Winn travels to Scotland to get some authentic wares for her shop. Upon stumbling on an adorable shop (that mysteriously has disappeared the next day) she walks out with a beautiful antique shawl. The shawl is haunted by the ghost of a 14^th century Scotsman that she calls Dirk. When her ex husband is found dead in her shop. Peggy and Dirk must come together to solve the mystery and keep someone else from being killed. It’s fun to see the contrast between Peggy’s modern sensibilities and Dirk’s 14^th century prejudices. It’s a study in contrasts and a great fun to read.

The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is the first in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. As far as I am concerned it is the best one out of the bunch and so it will be the only one I will review on this blog J. Pirates follows the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow and Will Turner, a blacksmith’s apprentice, who are striving for a. revenge against his former colleagues in the case of Jack and saving fair lady Elizabeth Swan in the case of Will. The antagonists is Captain Barbossa and the crew of the Black Pearl. They are cursed by the treasure that they had once sought to find making them basically undead. Orlando Bloom plays Will, and since he was just coming off the Lord of the Rings movies, they made him the star. His performance was eclipsed, however, by Johnny Depp as Jack. Depp plays Jack as this zany, slightly crazy misfit that believes in the right to be a gentleman of fortune. He is great in this role and is the saving grace in the subsequent films.

The movie is based very loosely on the Disney ride Pirates of the Caribbean. Since the movie’s premier, they have stuck Jack in various parts throughout the ride, but a careful view of the movie reveals many scenes that are pre-movie. I challenge you to find them J.

Now just to close. The Hillywood Show’s Tribute to Jack Sparrow because it’s funny!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0PhfbpNu-4

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

Gregor the Overlander is the first in the series about Gregor and his little sister Boots. It is by the same author of the Hunger Games, and quite frankly I think it’s better written. It follows the adventures of Gregor when he discovers the mysterious Underland under his apartment building. Here there are talking giant rats, bats, and cockroaches, all which show up as allies in the series. Gregor learns that he is part of a prophecy that Lord Sandwich, the founding father of the tribe of humans in the Underland, wrote centuries ago. The prophecy demands that he go find his lost father that also fell into the Underland many years ago. It is a fun adventure in a strange and magical land that exists below our own.

Krull (1983)

Krull is one of those movies that’s so silly it’s fun. The events take place on a distant planet where magic is a viable part of life. The Beast soon arrives with his more science-fiction/stormtrooper like army and captures the princess because of an ancient prophecy that whoever she marries will rule the world and their son shall rule the galaxy. It is then up to the prince, her true husband, and an unlikely group of companions to journey to the lair of the Beast before it takes off into outer space. Only then can the prophecy proceed as planned and true love will conquer all. I think my favorite character was the wizard, who is only able to transform himself even though he tries to turn others into geese and such. This is also one of the first movies Liam Neeson was ever in. He plays one of the ex-cons that join with the prince.

The Sword by Deborah Chester*

The Sword is the first book in a trilogy called the Sword, the Ring, and the Chalice. The first part of the story is about the king of Nether, Tobezijan, who is betrayed by his half brother and forced to flee. He hides his children away and escapes with the magical chalice and ring that are his birthright. But trying to flee the horrible spirits that his brother has unleashed, Tobezijan gets stuck in the second world where he can only watch what goes on in the first. Dead, but not really.

The second half of the book is about Tobezijan's son, Dain. Dain doesn't know he is a prince. He only knows that he's half elf and that some people hate him for that. Dain must conquer the foes of his own youth and the foes of his father in order to regain his kingdom. The book is certainly good and worth reading.

A Simple Tune by Nissa Warnings

A Simple Tune is another Lord of the Rings fanfiction one shot. It tells the simple story of Sam humming a piece of a tune that he heard at Rivendell. As happens to the best of us, Sam only remembers one or two words. Legalos helps him by singing to him the rest of the lyrics. I argue that you can also begin to see the friendship developing between Legalos and Gimli in this story. Gimli grumbles that the elves only sing about trees, but he starts quietly singing along as they journey to Mordor. It is a fun and engaging glimpse at one of those moments when the fellowship was just marching along.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/442978/1/A-Simple-Tune

Bewitched (1964-1972)

Bewitched is one of those shows I absolutely loved as a child and when I saw it as an adult, I just thought to myself what really was I thinking? Still if it happens to rerun on TV, it’s total mindless entertainment for a lazy, rainy afternoon.

As an adult one of the things that bugged me was Darrin’s insistence that Samantha use no magic whatsoever. That they had to be “normal.” Hey if I was alone with my sweetie and he could wiggle his nose and clean the house, cook dinner, and wash the dishes? Wiggle away, darling. I understand we needed some tension in the story, and Darrin provided that tension. That and Samantha’s relatives showing up to tell her that she shouldn’t have married Darrin in the first place. I think one of the funniest episodes is when Samantha finds a picture of herself from back in the 1600s and she’s trying to keep it from Darrin because she doesn’t want him to know she’s that old.