Free For All Fridays – Dahlia DeWinters

Horror Movie Review – Exhibit A

Title: Exhibit A Genre: Thriller/Horror – Found Footage Synopsis: The timely story of a normal family disintegrating under financial pressure, eventually driven to the unimaginable. We witness the terrifying events unfold through daughter Judith’s video camera, which subsequently becomes Exhibit A. I watched this movie on the recommendation of Overthinking Horror Films. For some reason, I really enjoy “found footage” horror films and was looking for something that was found footage but wasn’t littered with profanity and super shaky cam. I mean, the jitter cam is fine, but when it’s 80 percent of the movie, it’s more annoying than atmospheric. I’d seen Exhibit A in my travels through the websites that listed found footage, but never really paused to examine it more closely. First of all, it’s a British film and either I didn’t want to fight with the accents, or the description didn’t grab me. However, since I trust… Continued

5 Favorites Friday, Blogging, Free For All Fridays

5 Favorite Classic Christmas Songs

Season’s Greetings! I enjoy Christmas. I love being with my family on the long stretch of holiday between Christmas and New Year’s. The cold, the snow, and the good food, (natch). It’s a wonderful time of year. The after-Christmas sales can’t be beat either. One of the things I like most about the season is music. As a self-proclaimed music geek, I’ve played in orchestras and sung in a few chorus and choirs in my time, and the best music was always the winter music. Right now, I’m going to invite you to participate in the spirit of the season and check out my five favorite classic Christmas songs. Little Drummer Boy – Version: The Harry Simeone Chorale The voices in this arrangement are so soft and lovely, how could anyone not be affected by this music, I don’t know. The message is so apt to Christmas too: “I am

Free For All Fridays, Music, Uncategorized

My Top 3 Favorite Versions of Danny Boy

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! In celebration of the day, I’d like to take a moment to wish you all the luck of the Irish and I tip my cap to you. May you have warm words on a cold evening, A full moon on a dark night, And the road downhill all the way to your door. There’s nothing I like more in classical/traditional music than a lovely Irish tenor. Tenors in general are the neglected vocal part. It tears me apart when the altos are recruited to sing tenor. The timbre can be so very different. Well, before I have a flashback and lapse into musically technical terms, let me give you what you came here for. Danny Boy: Placido Domingo & Itzhak Perlman Domingo has a pleasant timbre and his phrasing. I feel that this version is a little rushed, as Danny Boy, to

Free For All Fridays, Screen Time, Uncategorized

Summer Series Watch – The Wire

Keepin the devil down in the hole. I decided to take the time this summer to watch The Wire. Yes. I’m way late. Too late to be really relevant, but I had read so much about how great the series was that I had to take the time to at least watch the first season. And of course, I have to give you my opinion about it, because that’s what the Internet is for…giving opinions. I’ve seen The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Boardwalk Empire and I’m currently watching Better Call Saul, Narcos (Netflix) and Stranger Things (Netflix). That’s my street cred for series. I watched a bit of Hell on Wheels, until it got kinda spotty and I watched the first season of The Walking Dead before I decided the graphic novel was better. Mad Men and Dexter never really appealed to me. But back to The Wire. The first season

Free For All Fridays, Uncategorized

I Don't Binge Watch Shows…and Here's Why

I’ve seen all over social media about how people are planning to order in and binge watch this show or that show on Netflix (my viewing poison of choice) or from their bulging DVR lists. Take it from me, I love some television. I will watch Mountain Monsters, Law and Order (The Lenny Briscoe years), Finding Bigfoot (you know they’re just thisclose to finding Bigfoot, right?) River Monsters and an occasional Tosh.0. But I don’t binge watch. It drives me nuts. Being a detailed oriented person, I tend to notice details and the underlying structure of things. Take Law and Order for instance. The show follows a consistent pattern most times you see it. It’s comforting, knowing what’s coming next, but yet still being entertained by the writing. Most shows, however don’t stand up to that scrutiny. One show I watched on Netflix was so fascinating to me I kept

Free For All Fridays, Uncategorized

5 Fandom Friday – My Five Gateway Fandoms

Color me super excited! I am so pleased to throw my blog in the link-up with The Nerdy Girlie and Super Space Chick for this Friday’s topic – Five Gateway Fandoms. Now, if you’ve read my blog, you know that I like a looooot of stuff. But, even little Dahlia had her predilections (I love that word) and exquisite tastes. Which of course, were the gateway to even more predilections and super exquisite tastes. So sit back, dear reader, and find out what made me what I am today! 1. Girl Rockers – Joan Jett and Pat Benatar Back when I was a wee impressionable one, they didn’t have a lot of ladies to identify with. Sure there was Babs and a folk singer or two, but the roof was really raised when Joan Jett and the Blackhearts hit the scene with “I Love Rock and Roll” and “I Hate