Monthly Archives: October 2015
Movies in Bed: Monster House
Post by Mark T. Locker.
With Halloween just around the corner, I have to up my game trying to find a movie that is “scary” but isn’t so scary that my seven-year-old can’t watch it. Basically, he has to be assured that everything will be okay in the end. I know, I know, the kid’s got too much empathy. Well, we watched Monster House this past weekend and managed to fit the bill nicely.
Thirteen-year-old DJ lives across the street from a crabby old man, the classic “Get off my lawn!” type, the kind of guy who takes your ball if it lands in your yard and won’t give it back. Well one day while DJ and his friend Chowder are playing ball, the basketball lands in Old Man Nebbercracker’s yard but this time DJ decides to get it back. The resulting confrontation leads the old man to have a heart attack and to be taken off in an ambulance.
With the old man gone, strange things begin to happen. The house eats the basketball. The house eats an obnoxious teenager after luring him in with a kite he lost there as a child. Since no reasonable adult would believe them, DJ, Chowder, and their new friend Jenny take it upon themselves to take out the house. But what they discover inside changes their whole perception of what is happening.
Kind of scary, kind of funny, and full of action, this is a great movie for sensitive kids who insist they want something “scary” to watch this Halloween. The characters are fine, there’s nothing too offensive going on and it’s just scary enough to give a couple good scares without the risk of nightmares.
Bedroom Design: Polka-Dotted Decor in a Bedroom
Post by Tracy Kaler.
When we talk about décor, polka dots usually sound juvenile. But in all honesty, they can be as mature and sophisticated as you need them to be. Polka dots work well on walls, as a fabric print, and even in area rugs. As a fan of dots myself, I’m fond of the following bedrooms, each of which has been graced with polka dots.
This polka-dotted ceiling looks like wall covering, doesn’t it? Well, it’s not. The renter of this California apartment placed gold polka dot removable decals on three sides of the ceiling. That’s a more practical option than a permanent wallpaper.
This otherwise plain bedroom gets a punch of pattern with polka dots on pillows. If you’ll notice, a small piece of dotted art hangs above the nightstand as well.
This colorful bedroom uses dots on Roman shades, a large bolster pillow, and the vibrant area rug. The space should be overkill but the varying sizes of polka dots –– small on the windows, medium on the pillow, and large on the floor –– work nicely.
This space screams sophistication. Large black dots decorate the walls of the London bedroom, which feels like a luxury hotel suite. Modern photography and the right amount of texture complete the upscale design.
This handsome Austin bedroom comes with a small dose of polka dots on the accent throw at the foot of the bed. The color palette, use of pattern, and furniture selections give the bedroom a retro look.
Would you consider using polka dots in your bedroom?
Movies in Bed: The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
Post by Mark T. Locker.
As a lover of the season of Halloween, our family is always on the hunt for fun, spooky movies. The problem is they have to be bearable for an easily frightened (but VERY arbitrarily frightened) seven-year-old. So we decided to dust off our copy of the 1949 Disney classic interpretation of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving. Inexplicably, Disney packaged it with “The Adventures of Mr. Toad” which is based on The Wind in the Willows which is rather un-spooky.
So the first forty minutes of this movie I was begging my kid to let me skip ahead. But he wouldn’t relent. It wasn’t awful; it just wasn’t what I had come here to watch. My kid loved it. Mr. Toad gets himself into some trouble and his sprawling estate is given over to the criminal weasel gang and Mr. Toad is imprisoned. Conspiracies are uncovered and Toad and his friends fight to right the wrongs done to him. Somehow all of this must relate to the ride at Disneyland, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. What that relationship is, I do not know.
Then, quite suddenly, we are transported from 1908 England to upstate New York in 1790. We all know Ichabod Crane: the gangly, food-obsessed new schoolteacher in Sleepy Hollow. Ichabod is in love with the lovely Katrina. So is Brom. After many thwarted attempts to garner her attention away from Ichabod, Brom hatches a plan. Knowing that Ichabod is a highly superstitious man, he tells a terrifying story about the legend of the Headless Horseman who roams the land searching for his head. Ichabod is frightened and on his way home sees shapes and hears eerie sounds in everything. Suddenly, a figure on a horse rears up before him! It’s the Headless Horseman! A frightening chase ensues. The next day, all they find is a smashed pumpkin and Ichabod’s hat. He is never seen in Sleepy Hollow again.
Pretty darned harmless cartoon, only about 2o minutes long, this Halloween classic is sure to provide chills to kids without much worry for nightmares. They can watch it while the grown-ups finish the half-gutted pumpkins!