With the holidays upon us and a little down time on the
horizon, I thought it would be good to stock up on my favorite things,
including my top ten holiday movies. So, with little ado, I present you with my
shopping list, in no particular order.
A classic the moment it was released, this
movie asks the age old question, can men and women be friends without sex.
Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan are the stars in this funny movie, but Carrie Fisher
and Bruno Kirby are wonderful secondary characters. Favorite scenes: Meg Ryan and
Billy Crystal in the deli, and the woman (Crystal’s mom) who says, “I’ll have
what she’s having!”; the argument over the wagon wheel coffee table; and, of
course, New Year’s Eve. No spoilers. Go get it and enjoy.
This Christmas classic won Oscars and the
hearts of everyone who watched it. Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed jitterbug
through this film that pulls on your heart strings at every moment. Favorite
scenes: Clarence in his white nightgown, the alternate reality if George had
never been born, the town gathering together to bring their money to George,
and, of course, the littlest daughter’s pronouncement at the end of the film.
Get popcorn and tissues at hand before you start.
3.
Scrooged
Bill Murray plays the biggest jerk in the
world—someone who wasn’t always a bad guy, but who has become blinded by ambition
and success. In this re-telling of A Christmas Carol, Karen Allen plays his old
girlfriend and is spot on with each appearance. Bobcat Goldthwaite reports to
Murray and decides his life is over when Murray fires him at Christmas. Bobcat
shows up at just the right times to provide a detour into insanity. Favorite
scenes: Robert Mitchum trying to convince Murray they need a show with
detective who plays with string to entertain cats, Carol Kane clobbering a very
dense Murray, and the elevator where Murray tells the Grim Reaper, “That may
work with the chicks, but you need to back off, man.” Grab a cocktail and sit
down, just watch out for the eyeballs.
Ralphie is obsessed with getting a Red
Rider BB gun for Christmas, which his mother, father, and everyone else tell
him will put out his eye. Undeterred, he proceeds to make it his mission to
convince them otherwise. Between Ralphie’s friends, his blue-streak cursing
father, and his exasperated mother, anyone with a family can relate to this
film. Favorite scenes: double dog dare you, the father’s pronunciation of
fragile (FRA-JEE-LEE), the LAMP, and Ralphie’s ultimate acquisition and
consequence of owning said gun. Fun for the family, make your kids watch it
with you and tell them they will never, ever, ever have a BB gun. Let the
mayhem begin.
5.
A
Christmas Carol (original version)
The black and white original version is the
one you want to see, not all the wannabees in color and redone with new actors.
This is the one that will give you goosebumps and make you wonder how they did
the special effects without computer animation. Old movie, old techniques, a
message that never goes out of style. Ebenezer Scrooge is as miserly as it gets
in this film—but is capable of change. If he can change, we can, too. Favorite
scenes: Ghost of Christmas Past, the visit to Bob Crachitt’s house where they
bless everyone, including the Scrooge, and the Ghost of Christmas present
showing Scrooge dire consequences of his behaviors. Tiny Tim saying, “God bless
us everyone!” can still choke me up. Have tissues handy.
If not for bad luck, the Griswold family
would have no luck at all. Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo, the nominal heads
of the household, have a beleaguered life. Bad incidents pile up like a train
wreck, authored by their relatives. Their children are dragged along into the
mayhem at the hands of elderly eccentric relatives, a hillbilly cousin from
hell, and neighbors who out yuppie everyone. Favorite scenes: the shaking,
jumping poorly wrapped holiday package; the flying reindeer and lights that
blind the yuppie neighbors; and, Randy Quaid in his bathrobe emptying his RV’s
sewage into the storm drain. Forget the tissues, have an adult beverage and
frequent bathroom breaks unless you wear adult diapers.
7.
Elf
If you are not a Will Ferrell fan, you may
not want to add this to your list, because this movie is Ferrell at his
goofiest. And I just watched “Get Hard,” which was completely off the wall, so
be prepared. One Christmas Eve, Santa Claus visits and orphanage. A baby climbs
into his sack and becomes an unwitting stow away to the North Pole. Years
later, the baby now a man called Buddy the Elf, discovers he is not one of the
little people (surprise!) and is informed by his tiny father that he is
adopted. Shocked at first, Buddy decides to search for his real father. He
leaves the North Pole in his green elf suit and heads to New York City. It’s
the Holiday season and he feels right at home. So much so, he becomes a bit of
a problem. Favorite scenes: when he sees a department store Santa and mistakes
him for the REAL Santa; his redecoration of the department where he is employed
as, what else? An ELF; his appearance at
his biological father’s office and insistence that James Caan really is his
dad; and, James Caan taking him home for dinner. Guard your candy jar and stock
up on candy canes.
While technically not a Christmas movie (it
centers on Thanksgiving), this movie puts the focus on a family that knows how
to put the FUN into DYSFUNCTIONAL.
Holly Hunter loses her job and is left alone for Thanksgiving. She decides to
go home and encounters all the reasons she moved far away in the first place.
Her sister is a full on martyr guilt-tripper who believes she is the only
person in the family who cares for their parents. Her brother (played by the
wonderful Robert Downey Junior) is in the closet, and her parents are not
incompetent boobs, as her sister would lead one to believe. Favorite scenes: Hunter’s mishaps driving
home; the brother lying on the floor behind the sofa, hiding from the insanity;
the sister’s frenetic race against aging on the stair climber; and Hunter’s
budding romance with someone who isn’t afraid of crazy. Get comfortable and
watch out for flying food.
9.
Holiday Inn
(original version)
The definitive holiday musical, this movie
celebrates an era we can now only experience through film. With great Christmas
classic songs, Bing Crosby croons, the women swoon, and Fred Astaire taps his
way into your heart. Favorite scenes: The ENTIRE film. Light a fire, grab a
blanket, and curl up with this heartwarming movie.
10.
Miracle
on 34th Street (original version)
Maureen O’Hara plays the tough minded mother
who has raised her daughter not to believe in Santa Claus. However, when the
store where she works employs a kindly old man to play Santa, Macy’s gets a bit
more than they bargained for. When he goes to court to be legally declared the real Santa, it is not just Santa who is
on trial, but the whole notion of human kindness. Favorite scenes: The ENTIRE
film. Hot cocoa and tissues are required to accompany this classic.
Kiss of the Virgin Queen
Kiss of the Jinni Hunter Series
Book Two
Sharon Buchbinder
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Date of Publication: October 14, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-5092-0392-5 Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-5092-0393-2 Digital
ASIN: B015ATFQTA
Number of pages: 300
Word Count: 75K
Cover Artist: Rae Monet
Book Description:
Homeland Security Special Agent Eliana Solomon is on a mission to prevent terrorist attacks. Hard enough to do when the threats are human, almost impossible when it's an evil, shape shifting jinni. Eliana needs help so she calls the sexy and beguiling psychiatrist, Arta Shahani. However, no matter how good he is at his job, the man is on her blacklist. On their last case together, the guy left her for dead.
Arta is stunned when he receives Eliana’s call. Forced to abandon the woman he loves, he now fears she won’t accept his shape-shifting skills as a Persian Lion. Eliana, in the meantime discovers she is a direct descendant of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba with special powers of her own. But will her skill and Arta's be enough to defeat the jinni, or will they lose the love history decreed for them as well as their lives in this battle of good versus evil?
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/4ONWBeBZXlw
Short
intro:
This full length novel is the second in the enthralling new Jinni Hunter series
from award-winning author, Sharon Buchbinder. Edgy and suspenseful, this
paranormal romance series explores diverse cultures and an array of
supernatural beings. Join the Special Agents of the Anomaly Defense Division as
they race to save humanity—and the people they love.
Excerpt:
Chapter One
Summertown,
West Virginia, U.S.A., Present Day
A picturesque
flight over the Appalachian Mountains to Summertown, West Virginia gave Special
Agent Eliana Solomon of the Homeland Security, Science and Technology
Directorate, Anomaly Defense Division time to process the urgent report she’d
received by email. Up until this week, the existence of werewolf packs had been
concealed from the general population. Now reports of the secretive shape
shifters exploded in her inbox. Where had this information been all this time?
Had the government monitored them all along? If so, why had her boss, Bert
Blackfeather, insisted on her obtaining proof of their existence, along with
the jinnis? She’d pry an answer out of that closed mouth man—someday. Right
now, she had a more pressing matter at hand.
Five days ago,
three nine-year-old werewolf boys and their three eighteen-year-old sisters
went on a birthday expedition in the heavily wooded state wildlife area and
disappeared. By day, local human authorities, volunteers, and bloodhounds
brought in from surrounding jurisdictions combed the forest, the hills, and
caves. By night, pack members ran through the forest using their extraordinary
senses—olfactory, visual, and auditory—to hunt for their missing kin. Divers
also explored the waterways, all to no avail. No clues to the kids’ whereabouts
had been found, not even a backpack—until two this morning.
A night security
guard discovered the boys in the middle of the Adalwolf Winery parking lot.
Slightly bruised and scratched up, but otherwise alive and well, in their human
forms, the youngsters had no
recollection of anything between arriving at the park and waking up in
the parking lot with their back packs under their heads—their five-day-old
lunches untouched.
Rushed to the ER
and examined thoroughly, the boys displayed no evidence of physical abuse. The
blank space in their minds where the memories should have been was inaccessible
to parents and psychologists. If it weren’t for the fact that the three older
girls were still missing, the local authorities wouldn’t continue to press the
boys for information. Over time, their memories could return, but without
ransom notes, calls or clues, the clock was running down for a successful
search and rescue. The local police, state troopers, sheriff’s office, and the
West Virginia Bureau of Investigation feared the operation would soon become a
search and recovery.
The plane
touched down, bounced along the runway, and Eliana’s cell began to vibrate.
“Solomon.”
The gruff voice
of her boss boomed in her ear. “New development in the case.” Blackfeather
paused. “A hiker found one of the missing girls in a culvert near an abandoned
mine. Bites, claw marks. Throat ripped open. Damn thing nearly tore her head
off.”
She shuddered.
“Black bear?”
“Based on the
paw prints around the body, the first responders are saying these weren’t bear
bites. More like a dog—or wolf.”
“Boss, aside
from zoos and wild animal preserves, there are no wolves in the eastern U.S.”
He sighed. “I
stand corrected. Werewolf.”
Her stomach lurched,
and she gripped the armrest so hard her knuckles turned white. Shit. Shit.
Shit. A werewolf attacking one of its own? Why? What the hell was going on?
“West Virginia
Division of Homeland Security has a car waiting for you, fully loaded with
everything you’ll need for the investigation. Get to that scene.” Her boss
clicked off.
Bossy desk
jockey.
A flush of shame
rushed over her. He’d taken on the orphan Anomaly Defense Division of the
Science and Technology Directorate that no one else wanted, along with a
mission no one else supported or believed in. As abrupt and abrasive as he
could be, the Gulf War veteran deserved credit for giving her the opportunity
to pursue what everyone else thought was something out of the tales of The
Arabian Nights: jinnis. With the needed proof of werewolves and jinnis from
Project Aladdin, support surged into the division. A stable funding source made
her jinni hunting work possible So far, it seemed wherever there were
werewolves, there was jinni activity.
This case was no
different. According to the report, relationships between the local humans and
werewolves were more than cordial. They were so intermarried, almost everyone
was family. A large non-denominational wedding facility placed Summertown on an
international list of destination weddings, like Hawaii and Las Vegas, but
specifically for werewolves. A thriving bed and breakfast trade supported the
wedding industry, along with other leisure activities, such as biking, hiking,
white-water rafting, and winery and sightseeing tours. Murder of a werewolf
girl wasn’t just bad for the family, it was bad for the town.
About the Author:
Sharon Buchbinder has been writing fiction since middle school and has the rejection slips to prove it. An RN, she provided health care delivery, became a researcher, association executive, and obtained a PhD in Public Health. When not teaching or writing, she can be found fishing, walking her dogs, or breaking bread and laughing with family and friends in Baltimore, MD and Punta Gorda, FL.
Amazon Author Page http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001IODIE2
Twitter ID @sbuchbinder https://twitter.com/sbuchbinder
Instagram: https://instagram.com/sharon_buchbinder/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sbuchbinder/
Goodreads author page https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4417344.Sharon_Buchbinder
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1 comment:
Thanks for hosting my Queen!
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