The Wizard of Oz

Most of you have already seen The Wizard of Oz, however I'm going to write a post about it because it is one of my favorite movies of all time. The Wizard of Oz was made in 1939 and produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It is based on the book "The Wonderful World of Oz" by L. Frank Baum who unfortunately died twenty years before the movie was released. This movie racked up a few awards such as: Best Original song. It is also ranked among the top ten best movies of all time in various polls.

This movie is about a girl named Dorothy who lives with her Aunty Em, Uncle Henry and three farmers in Kansas. When a unfriendly townswomen called Miss Almira Gulch stops by the farm, Toto, Dorothy's dog, bites her and she proceeds to go to the town sheriff to have Toto killed. Thankfully Toto escapes from miss Gulch and returns to Dorothy. Dorothy, greatly worried about Toto, runs away and encounters a travelling fortune teller, Professor Marvel. He invited her into his wagon offering to tell her fortune. Sneaking a peak at her photo of her and aunty Em, he convinces her to return home by telling her that her aunt has fallen into ill grief. She rushes home but there is a tornado destroying everything in its path. She is unable to open the doors to the storm cellar where her family is therefore she takes shelter inside the house where she is knocked unconscious by a window frame. Dorothy awakens to her house being trapped in the twister where she begins panicking for her life. The house eventually falls back to earth and once outside, she finds her self in a colourful strange village. Soon a floating bubble appears and becomes Glinda, the good with of the north who informs the girl that she has killed the wicked witch of the east. All the munchkins finally come out of hiding to celebrate the witch's death. This celebration is interrupted when the wicked witch of the west appears claiming her sisters ruby slippers. Glinda magically transfers the ruby slippers from the dead witch to Dorothy. Before leaving, the wicked witch of the west threatens Dorothy,frightened, Dorothy wishes to go home. Glinda suggests Dorothy seeks help from the Wizard of Oz in the Emerald city which she can find by following the yellow brick road. On that road she encounters new friends, new problems but mostly the adventure of a life time.

Many details from the book were omitted and altered in the movie. For example, Dorothy's shoes were originally silvered, however they were altered into a ruby to take advantage of the new vivid technicolour process. The opening and closing credits, as well as all the Kansas scenes were filmed in a black & white coloured sepia tone. The rest of the movie took part in the world of Oz where they used three-strip Technicolour. Something I found funny was that it them a week on just finding the right yellow for the brick road. Even though Judy Garland was the vision of Dorothy, there is evidence of negotiation during pre-production for Shirley Temple to play the role of Dorothy. I'm very glad Judy Garland was chosen because her voice is absolutely beautiful, especially singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". Overall this stays one of my favorite movies of all time and I highly suggest watching it even if you already have, watch it again! it'll never get old.

Winner of the poll! Halloween

After a few weeks of having a poll for the best horror movie up, there was a total of 8 votes for "Halloween" which doubles the number of votes for second place, "The Exorcist". Out of the options to vote on, Halloween was my first choice because it's your good ol' classic horror film. Even though it's made in 1978 without all the effects we have today, it still manages to scare me. It definitely keeps you on edge waiting in anticipation for something horrifying. Halloween is directed, produced and scored by John Carpenter, starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie-Lee Curtis (also the mother in "Freaky Friday"). Carpenter sought out to create a film about a psychotic killer that stalked babysitters. The story was originally named "The Babysitter murders", however, it was suggested to name it "Halloween". The movie was given a very low budget which made for a lot of adaptions such as: wardrobe & filming location. Despite the challenges they were forced to face with, they managed to make a fantastic horror film that received $47.3 million in the box office. Halloween was partly influenced by Alfred Hitchcocks "Psycho", on the other hand, Halloween has had many imitators that haven't managed to beat it, only come off as clichés. The plot of the story begins on October 31st 1963 when young Michael Myers stabs his 15 year old sister to death with a large kitchen knife. Michael is soon brought to the Smith's Grove Warren County Sanitarium. 15 years later Michael it is time for Michael's chance in court, however he attacks his child psychiatrist, Loomis and Loomis' partner, Marion. Michael then proceeds to steal Marion's car and escapes. Michael wearing overalls and a mask returns to his hometown where he stalks teenager Laurie Strode and her friends. A major reason for Halloween's success was the musical score, most importantly the main theme. John Carpenter admits the music is one of their strongest assets. Some women believe these slasher movies demonstrate them in a poor way. On the other hand, others argue that the violence against women in slasher movies turns many of them into heroines. Halloween spawned seven sequels and a remake of the movie by Rob Zombie in 2007 and his sequel in 2009. The sequels feature more violence and gore than the original Halloween and they were also given larger budgets. Overall there are a total of 10 Halloween movies, which just goes to show how classic the first Halloween truly is.

Other great horror movies

• The Haunting
• Friday the 13th (1980)
  Dawn of the Dead (1978)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
• Psycho
• Nosferatu

The Black Keys & Mother Mother

I've recommended many songs from previous decades so this time I'm going to recommend two really great bands, The Black Keys and Mother Mother. I remember hearing The Black Keys in a cell phone commercial & that's when I fell in love with them. For a bit of background information, they're a Grammy award-winning American blues-rock music duo consisting of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney. I believe Dan, the vocalist and guitarist of the band, has an amazing voice. He contributes a lot to their original sound, furthermore a lot of their material is different from song to song so you really cannot get tired of them. The songs I recommend listening to at fist are: Howlin' For You, Everlasting Light & Tighten Up. Once you get a feel for their music, Sinister Kid & The Only One are really great songs too. Honestly, just buy their entire album "Brothers" every single song is fantastic. In contrast, mother mother is a five-piece Canadian indie rock band. They're originally from Quadra island, however, they are now based in Vancouver :) Guitarist and vocalist Ryan Guldemond came up with the sound for the band and soon recruited his sister Molly, along with a friend from college. The three of them played acoustically until drummer Kenton Loewen and bassist Jeremy Page joined the band. They began to receive high admiration for their work once the Vancouver Province rated Mother Mother in the top 5 bands to look out for in 2007. Originally the band was only called "Mother", when asked about the sudden change in name Dan says "Well, we had to change our name because there are other mothers in the world, besides general maternal figures. Instead of changing the name altogether and losing the steam that we built, we just doubled it up -- just to stay with the continuity.” I think that totally makes sense and I'm also glad they decided to not change it drastically. My favorite song by them right now would have to be "The Stand" because it's strange but very unique. Overall, The Black Keys and Mother Mother are two amazing bands of our own decade.

Here are the websites for the bands:
 http://www.theblackkeys.com
http://mothermothersite.com

Coming out soon! Red Riding Hood

Red Riding Hood is a new movie coming out in theatres on March 11th. As you can see from the title, it's partially based on the folk tale "Little Red Riding Hood". Instead of it being meant as a children's fairytale, the movie takes a dark twist towards a more frightening fantasy during medieval times. Amanda Seyfried plays Valerie, a young woman in the village Daggerhorn. She plans to run away with her lover, Peter, in order to escape an arranged marriage to another man, Henry Lazar. Valerie and Peter's plans come to a halt when Valerie's sister is murdered by a werewolf that has been haunting their village for years. The people have attempted to keep peace with the beast by offering it an animal sacrifice every month. Instead of the beast keeping up his end of the truce, he takes the life of a human. In order to get revenge, the towns people seek aid from a Witchfinder General. Instead of bringing ease to the town, the General informs them that the werewolf is able to take human form by day therefore it could be any one of them. As days progress, as well as the slaughtering, Valerie discovers she has a connection with the beast that draws them together. That obvious connection between them makes Valerie appear both suspect and bait which puts her in great danger. This film is directed by Catherine Hardwicke, also the director of "Twilight". Apparently Catherine had to persuade Amanda to work with her co-star Shiloh who plays Henry. Catherine says "Amanda had met Shiloh before and did not like him, so when I told Amanda I was going to bring him in to audition, she made a face. But she tried it, and they hit it off." It goes to show the bonding that takes place outside of the production in order to create the on screen chemistry that is necessary for great movies. Personally I am very intrigued by the plot of Little Red Riding Hood and even more so the direction Red Riding Hood seems to have headed towards.

Top 10 box office right now:

1. Rango
2. The Adjustment Bureau
3. Beastly
4. Hall Pass
5. Gnomeo & Juliet
6. Unknown
7. Just Go With It
8. The King's Speech
9. I am Number Four
10. Justin Bieber: Never Say Never

1970s music

The 1970s was a decade full of funk, disco, rock including hard rock and punk. Similar to African inspired music, funk typically consists of a groove with rhythm with use of instruments like the electric guitar, election bass and Hammond organ. Artists such as Sly & The Family Stone and the Isley Brothers were very successful in getting radio play. Disco is one of the genres most associated with the 1970s especially in dance clubs with disco divas like Donna Summer. Blondie, the Knack and Devo soon also became associated with disco. The 1970s brought the beginning of hard rock with bands like Alice Cooper and Deep Purple. By the end of the decade, many bands had achieved success in this genre, namely, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Aerosmith. Psychedelic rock had lost popularity in the 1970s with the deaths of Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison. Punk Rock developed during the end of the decade. Bands created fast and hard-edged music with often political anti-establishment lyrics. Bands like The Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Ramones were recognized as a new music movement. In 1978 there was a beginning of a distinct style of Punk Rock that consisted of aggressive beats and screaming lyrics. The movement soon spread through North-America and then internationally. This new style of punk even made parents move their children out of the city and into the suburbs to keep them away from "the new breed of monster". In addition to that, another style was created forming punk together with pop. UK bands like The Buzzcocks and The Undertones combined pop-style music and lyrics with punks fast paced sound and chaotic edge. With punk music came the return of motorcycle jackets and jeans ensemble. There was also a huge craze for safety pins as a fashion statement that soon became the British Punk style. In time tattoos, piercings and metal studs became another element in punk fashion.

Suggested 1970s songs

• Hotel California by The Eagles
• American Pie by Don McLean
• Bennie and the Jets by Elton John
• Dancing Queen by Abba
• My Sharona by The Knack
• Heart of Glass by Blondie
• Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin
• Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen

The Rocky Horror Picture Show & 1970s movie recommendations

I recommend The Rocky Horror Picture show because it's definitely strange, one-of-a-kind and you honestly can't help but sing a long. This movie allows audience participation that gives you an amazing cinematic experience, especially at the mid-night showings. Be sure to bring your rice, toast, toilet paper, playing cards, super-soaker and costume. Rating: 7.5/10

The movie begins with a newly engaged couple, Brad & Janet, finding themselves in an isolated area where their car has broken down. Once they go looking for help, they soon end up at the castle of Doctor Frank-N-Furter, a transvestite alien from the planet of Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvania. What Brad & Janet don't know is that it isn't just an ordinary night, Doctor Frank-N-Furter has invited other visitors from his planet to witness his new creation, Rocky Horror. This is the beginning of their very memorable strange journey full of creation, love, hate and the inappropriate.

List of other 1970s movie recommendations

1. 1971: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
2. 1972: Fist of Fury
3. 1972: The Godfather 
4. 1973: American Graffiti
5. 1974: Monty Python & the Holy Grail
6. 1974: Young Frankenstein
7. 1975: Jaws
8. 1977: Saturday Night Fever
9. 1977: Star Wars Episode IV
10. 1979: All that Jazz

Breakfast at Tiffany's & 1960s movie recommendations

I recommend Breakfast at Tiffany's because it is a great classic romance, Audrey Hepburn lights up the screen in her gorgeous sophisticated clothes and it keeps you waiting for what she will do next. This movie shows you can have everything out of barely anything at all. It isn't action packed nor does it have excellent graphics, yet it is definitely a must see movie.
Rating: 7/10

Synopsis: Holly Golighty played by Audrey Hepburn lives on Manhattan's East Side in a partially furnished apartment. She owns a cat with no name, has a bathtub as a couch and is constantly misplacing her door key. She strives towards being a high class socialite with an interest in fashion, jewelery and wild cocktail parties. One day a struggling young writer moves into the apartment building and is soon a part of Holly's life. He becomes quickly intrigued by his beautiful neighbor and also confused by her lifestyle. As he becomes closer to Holly, he uncovers her vulnerability shown while they're alone. This movie is the story of their friends that in time, blossoms into something more.

List of other 1960s movie recommendations

1. 1960: The Apartment
2. 1960: Psycho
3. 1962: Lawrence of Arabia
4. 1962: To Kill a Mockingbird
5. 1965: The Sound of Music
6. 1967: The Jungle Book
7. 1967: The Graduate
8. 1967: To sir, with love
9. 1968: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
10. 1969: Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid

1960s Music

This is a picture of the most popular songs and bands of the 1960s. Rock began to gain it's popularity throughout the 1950s, however it wasn't until the 1960s that Rock & Roll music greatly expanded. There were several different genres of rock in this decade such as progressive rock, surf rock and blues-rock. There was also a gain in popularity of singers that wrote their own music such as The Beatles. The Beatles, as you can see in the picture, broke through to mainstream music in the united states, it was known as "The British Invasion". British blues rock created a distinctive style of rock using the electric guitar. The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin contributed to the British blues rock popularity. The British Invasion helped internationalize Rock & Roll and it also played a major part in the rise of rock groups using guitars and drums. In the early 1960s, the genre surf rock became exceedingly popular with bands like The Beach boys and The Ventures. In the mid-1960s, the genre blues-rock began to take off in popularity as it developed a similar sound to British musicians. Jimi Hendrix was an extremely well known blues-rock artist, as well as ZZ Top who became popular in the 1970s incorporating their southern rock sound. Motown, soul music and funk develop their popularity throughout the decade with artists such as The Marvelettes, James Brown and Aretha Franklin.