Search Results for: blog into the woods 1991

Into the Woods (1991)

I have heard many good things about this play over the last several years, and when I saw it on the shelf at my library, I snatched it up. I may have exclaimed, too; it’s all a blur and I don’t quite remember. The DVD is a recording of the play, done with the original Broadway cast, headed up by Bernadette Peters as the witch. Stephen Sondheim did all the music, for which he has been highly praised, and rightly so. The premise is great. We begin with four of the major fairytales. We see Cinderella wishing to go to … Continue reading →

Does Jamie Lynn Spears’ Birth Story Glamourize Teen Pregnancy?

She’s a 17-year-old unmarried mother with a 3-week-old daughter… and she’s famous. Last week actress Jamie Lynn Spears (younger sister of reforming pop star Britney Spears) shared the first pictures of her newborn daughter Maddie Briann Aldridge on the cover of OK! Magazine. The first time mom also shared Maddie’s birth story and after reading it you have to wonder how many teens it inspired to procreate. According to Jamie Lynn, giving birth was a “surreal” and “amazing” experience. And the labor itself was “perfect.” The teen tells the magazine she was induced on the morning of Thursday, June 19th, … Continue reading →

Come Out, Muskrats – Jim Arnosky

This fun children’s picture book is a little bit older than the ones I usually review, published in 1989 which by book standards is pretty ancient. But the rich woodsy colors and nature feel drew me in and well, a good book is a good book, regardless of its age. Plus, it’s also a Reading Rainbow book, and we all know what that means. (That it’s really good.) Our setting is a quiet cove with a red barn nearby, the waters green and still, the rushes nestled up to the banks. It’s late afternoon and the ducks are relaxing and … Continue reading →

Straight Talk (1992)

In the comedy “Straight Talk,” Dolly Parton stars as Shirlee Kenyon, a woman who’s seen some hard times and learned her lessons from them. When her live-in boyfriend announces that he really doesn’t have any intentions of getting married, she realizes that she can do a lot better. Quitting her job as a dance instructor, she packs up and comes to Chicago, where she hits the pavement. But finding a job in the big city isn’t as easy as she thought it would be. Pausing to collect her thoughts on a bridge one day, she digs in her purse and … Continue reading →

Cinderella (1950)

Based on one of the most beloved fairy tales of all time, “Cinderella” is one of Disney’s most beloved masterpiece movies as well. This film has everything – talking mice, a wicked cat, a handsome prince, spells, and a beautiful dress. Disney didn’t miss a trick with this one. We are all familiar with the story, so I’ll be brief in my summary: Cinderella is an orphan, being raised by a wicked step-mother who makes her do all the housework and treats her very unkindly. All the love and attention goes to the step-mother’s own two ugly daughters. One day … Continue reading →

Ever After (1998)

“Ever After” is a smartly written romance that never fails to make me smile (or cry a bit too). It is supposed to be the true story of the servant girl that was the inspiration for the fairy tale “Cinderella.” Danielle De Barbarac (Drew Barrymore) lives with her widowed father in France, around the 1540s. He frequently travels for business leaving young Danielle to fend for herself with help from their trusted servants. After one trip, he returns home with the Baroness Rodmilla De Ghent (played perfectly by Angelica Huston) and her two daughters Jacqueline and Marguerite. He tells Danielle … Continue reading →

Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

It just doesn’t get any better than this – sitting at my computer, sharing with you all the reasons I love certain movies, and getting to relive each magical moment in my mind. “Fiddler on the Roof” caught my heart from the opening credits and has held me tight ever since. A little background on me – I have always been fascinated with Russia and was able to go there as a teenager. “Fiddler” takes place in a pre-Revolutionary Russian Jewish village called Annatefka, a poor, isolated village where the people depend on each other for their welfare. One such … Continue reading →