Poltergeist was the first scary movie I ever saw. I will freely admit that I was too sissy to watch it at night (I watched it during the day). I like the “old” scream films with their charming stories of murder and mayhem. Who doesn’t like a plot line that has a mother of a child though to be dead (but wasn’t really) showing up and killing a whole bunch of teenagers that have decided that it’s a really good idea to reopen the summer camp where the psychotic mom thinks her child died. Then in the sequel, have the not dead child kill off the lone survivor of the first movie (who managed to kill his mom) plus a second group of teens that have decided that it’s a really good idea to re-re-open a camp that a child was thought to have drown at (but didn’t) and had another group of teens murdered while planning to re-open it in the first place. Then in the next movie… (well you get the general idea)

All of this has me thinking. Why do the heroes of scary movies make really dumb choices? From their back stories, these people are smart, ambitious, successful, and usually over-sexed. In other words, they’re like pretty much everybody else.  So please explain to me why when the walls bleed or Charlie “disappears” mysteriously they hang around smoking pot, or head to the local library to do historical research, or find a quiet room to have sex in? Much like Shaggy and Scooby, I would high tail it out of there! Nice house, someone else can have it. Charlies gone, lets run and call the cops who have lots of guns.

But no, our heroes are picked of one by one (unless it’s the couple having sex) till someone gets lucky enough to whack the attacker. Oh course staying true to the law of film sequels, they end up failing to do it correctly and the villain shows up again a few years down the road even more ticked off because of the axe that’s been stuck in his head for the last five years. Then all the screaming starts all over again. Maybe they should have just run!

Check out this video. It’s a fun look at what to do if you find yourself in a similar situation to those mentioned above. (Warning some off-color words)

Got a favorite classic horror film? We’re dying to hear from you!

Grumpy Cat

Since the Mayan Apocalypse was a resounding dud I figured that it was time to get back online and start blogging again.

So in the spirit of organizing for the new year, my blogging minions have worked round the clock redesigning the look of Other Side of 40 and tidying up the old posts. They have been also raiding past blogs of mine taking the good bits and defining my blogging domains better!

You will notice (please look up at the banner) there are several new tabs for pages. The Fiction page now has most of the short flash fiction that I have written in one place. Fictional Campfire acts as a portal to that site. And finally Rumpus in My Mind is an introduction to my newest blog and home to all things that are nerdy and geeky.

So there it is! All laid out and organized. A place for everything and everything in its place.

It’s been 15 long months since I’ve blogged with any sort of regularity, and I’m sure it will be many more before the rust is gone. But at least this is a start!

Other Side of 40 is back on the air (or web?)

I have a lot of history films lining the DVD shelf, but these 10 stand out as my favorite historical movies.

So if I can have a fan fare please!

10 The Longest Day – Could also be called the longest movie! Lots of star power in it as well.

9 Battle of Britain – Takes us through the darkest days of the Battle of Britain. It was a lot of work for the makers to find all those airplanes.

8 The Green Zone – Matt Damon is a very convincing soldier in this tale of the war in Iraq. Makes the viewer ask some questions by the end. Jason Isaacs is superb doing what he does best, being the bad guy!

7 Windtalkers – A great tale about the Navajo code talkers and the Battle for Saipan. Nice to see a movie that shows the contributions made by aboriginal soldiers in WW2.

6 A Bridge To Far – Another film full of Hollywood stars. It’s about Operation Market Garden in 1944 and shows how poor planning and intelligence can bring down a plan.

5 The Patriot – Love this one. Brings life to the Revolutionary War and how the militia were part of the army. There’s a lot of Mel killing people and lots of Jason Isaacs being evil!

4 Gettysburg – While I like Glory, I have to go with this film based on one of my writing heroes books “The Killer Angels” by Michael Shaara . I’m also a huge fan of  Gen. Joshua Chamberlain and his defence of Little Round Top. Jeff Daniels has come a long way from Dumb and Dumber!

3 We Were Soldiers – Vietnam is a tough story to tell. Many try to just show the bad parts like the poor leadership or drug use. This film show what was right with the leadership of the Air Cav. It also has Mel in it again (you noticing a theme here?)

2 Saving Private Ryan – Best WW2 film ever. I showed it to my children and asked them to remember it. War is a dirty horrible thing, and this movie shows that!

1 Kingdom of Heaven – You have to watch this one several times to get the story! It also features a pilgrim’s guide as a historic primer. Nobody sword fights like Orlando Bloom! Best quote of the movie  - “Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Be brave and upright that God may love thee. Speak the truth always, even if it leads to your death. Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong. That is your oath. [cuffs Balian with the back of his hand] And that’s so you remember it.

Speaking of vacations, (you have to admire how I led you here huh?) here is a story of a childhood summer tradition. With the end of school fast approaching, I thought it would be to honour all the fun and more importantly the trouble we can/did/still-do get into during those wondrous days!

I trust that you will be taking notes while you enjoy this great song from Ray Stevens.

The line – It’s not having what you want, It’s wanting what you’ve got sums it pretty much up. In a world where everything screams “you need this” or “the must have of the year” we can lose perspective. I knew a couple several years ago that chose to do missionary work because they felt that the world was missing the important things. And the thing that sealed the deal? An ad campaign for a product that eliminated static cling.

Sung by Sheryl Crow and from the 2002 album “C’mon C’mon” this weeks Musical Thoughts is “Soak Up The Sun”

Mike thanks for the reminder!

As owners (C of C just fell of the desk with laughter!) we continue to try to get our feline companions to do what we want them to do. As the “real” owners, our cats just stare at us with that “you poor silly human” look on their faces.

Ever heard of the expression “it’s like herding cats”? No? Then please take a moment to watch the following short film.

So what really does go on inside that little furry head? A recent find (undisclosed source, I suspect the CIA) might give us a clue. It appears to be some sort of diary…

DAY 752 – My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while I am forced to eat dry cereal. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope of escape, and the mild satisfaction I get from ruining the occasional piece of furniture. Tomorrow I may eat another houseplant.

DAY 761 – Today my attempt to kill my captors by weaving around their feet while they were walking almost succeeded, must try this at the top of the stairs. In an attempt to disgust and repulse these vile oppressors, I once again induced myself to vomit on their favorite chair… must try this on their bed.

DAY 762 – Slept all day so that I could annoy my captors with sleep depriving, incessant pleas for food at ungodly hours of the night.

DAY 765 – Decapitated a mouse and brought them the headless body, in attempt to make them aware of what I am capable of, and to try to strike fear into their hearts. They only cooed and condescended about what a good little cat I was… Hmmm. Not working according to plan …

DAY 768 – I am finally aware of how sadistic they are. For no good reason I was chosen for the water torture. This time however it included a burning foamy chemical called “shampoo.” What sick minds could invent such a liquid. My only consolation is the piece of thumb still stuck between my teeth.

DAY 771 – There was some sort of gathering of their accomplices. I was placed in solitary throughout the event. However, I could hear the noise and smell the foul odor of the glass tubes they call “beer.” More importantly I overheard that my confinement was due to MY power of “allergies.” Must learn what this is and how to use it to my advantage.

DAY 774 – I am convinced the other captives are flunkies and maybe snitches. The dog is routinely released and seems more than happy to return. He is obviously a half-wit. The Bird on the other hand has got to be an informant. He has mastered their frightful tongue. (something akin to mole speak) and speaks with them regularly. I am certain he reports my every move. Due to his current placement in the metal room his safety is assured. But I can wait, it is only a matter of time…

Taking the above into consideration, you might wonder if your “cute” little fur-ball might be plotting something far more sinister than a hair ball on your pillow. But how can you be sure? Luckily, the all-knowing internet has provided a simple test. Have a look this link and see if any of this seems familiar?

Illustrations by Matthew Inman

This wraps up the Saturday Funnies for this week. I’ll see you next week, just keep an eye on your cat!

I love this song! Yes it’s true! I am a big sap. (I can’t turn in my “guy” card because it would seem that I was never issued one.) By Peter Gabriel and from the movie “Shall We Dance?” I present a special Musical Thoughts.

P.S. – Kate and Will. You guys picked a pretty good day.

For my friend and Love (AKA The Wife of Awesomeness)

When I thought of songs that would fall into this genre, this was the first one to come to mind. I can still remember hearing this song on the radio during my childhood. If you listen to the lyrics, you will see that it is a mystery story set to music. And like all good mysteries it has a neat little twist at the end.

So for this weeks Musical Thoughts, I offer you “The Night The Lights When Out In Georgia” by Reba McEntire.