God Bless,
Sunday, April 29, 2012
200 Followers!
As of yesterday, Elegance of Fashion has 200 Followers! A big thanks to all my followers for following my blog!
God Bless,
God Bless,
Labels:
Milestones
Friday, April 27, 2012
What I just watched...
I believe a great deal of my followers would be thrilled to know that I just viewed during some of my free time...
God Bless,
The Scarlet Pimpernel!
So be prepared to see a review of it soon in some afternoon. I was a poet and you didn't even know it!
(I'll probably post the review on May 7th so I can mainly focus on studying for finals next week).
God Bless,
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Persuasion (1995) Banner
Last night, I made another banner. This banner was suggested by Charity from Austenitis. What do you all think?
God Bless,
God Bless,
Labels:
Banners,
Jane Austen,
Persuasion
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Winner Buttons/Conclusion - Period Drama Advice Event
I present the winner buttons of the Period Drama Advice Event. Congratulations to all of the winners! Here are your buttons, ready to be put up on your blog.
God Bless,
And with this post is the final post for the Period Drama Advice Event! Thank you everyone for participating!
God Bless,
Labels:
Conclusion,
Period Drama Advice Event
Captions Anyone?
Taking a bit of a queue from Miss Dashwood at Sink Me!, I found a picture on my computer that could use some captions!
God Bless,
Just leave a caption in the comments! This is not a contest, but I'll post what comments are left in another post in a couple of days.
And, as always, keep it clean and family friendly!
God Bless,
Labels:
Caption,
Jane Austen,
Pride and Prejudice
Monday, April 23, 2012
Review: Great Expectations (2011)
My dear readers, I know I've been a little irregular in posting reviews, and I am most sorry for it. Things at school have gotten very busy lately, so I haven't had as much time to watch/review period dramas. But don't worry! School will be done for me at the start of May, so I will be back to posting reviews regularly. In the meanwhile, here is a review of the new Great Expectations to tide you over until my next review.
Well, Downton Abbey is over for another year... Now what to watch on Masterpiece Classic? Oh! Great Expectations will be playing soon! And so over a couple of weeks, I sat and watched Great Expectations. I had seen the 90s version starring Ioan Gruffudd and Justine Waddell, but didn't particularly care for it. But I thought I could watch this new version and see how it compares to the 90s version.
Synopsis
Young Pip is invited to the home of Miss Havisham to entertain her and Estella, a orphan that she raised after her fiancee abandoned her on her wedding day. Years later, Pip comes into a great fortune from an unknown benefactor that quickly changes his life. (Synopsis taken from my review of Great Expectations (1999))
Characters
There are some familiar faces in this miniseries that you may have seen in other period dramas. Miss Havisham is played by Gillian Anderson, who is also seen in Bleak House. Herbert Pocket is played by Harry Lloyd, who can been seen in Robin Hood and the recent version of Jane Eyre (and also the recent movie The Iron Lady). Herbert's fiancee, Clara, is played by Perdita Weeks, who was Lydia Bennet in Lost in Austen. And Jaggers is played by David Suchet, who was Melmotte in The Way We Live Now. Other than those faces, the rest of the cast was pretty new to me.
Miss Havisham is portrayed differently in this version of Great Expectations than the other version that I've seen. In the 1999 version, she was portrayed as being fully spiteful and always seeking revenge. In this one, she is still spiteful, but she is also a little insecure. There is a more sympathetic view taken of Miss Havisham in this miniseries. Spoiler Towards the end of the miniseries, Miss Havisham tells Pip that she wanted to hurt him and everyone else and that she was sorry for it and asks for Pip's forgiveness, which Pip grants. Also, the way Miss Havisham died in this miniseries was also different from the 1999 version (and from what I've read/heard, the book also). From what I've seen/heard/read about, in the book Miss Havisham was having an argument with Pip when she stood too close to the fire and caught on fire; even though Pip manages to put out the fire, she still dies from the burns. In this version, her and Pip have a talk (where she asks for his forgiveness) and Pip leaves; Miss Havisham proceeded to take what looked like love letters and her old bouquet, put on her wedding veil and proceeded down the stairs to the fireplace where she individually burns the letters and bouquet and drops them into the fireplace. One of those items happened to land too closely to her and lit her on fire. Pip, walking away outside, turns around to see that something has caught on fire at Satis House and runs back to help where, it is implied, is too late. Not sure how I feel about this interpretation other than I know it is different from the book. To me, it seemed like the film makers got a little artsy with this scene where they could have left the scene alone and do it like it was in the book. End of Spoiler Between this Miss Havisham and the 90s one, I think I like this one a little bit more maybe because I got to see more of her and understand her better.
Along with Miss Havisham, Estella is portrayed softer in this version. Miss Havisham does bring her up to not love, but I think that the way Estella is portrayed, she really does have feelings for Pip in spite of Miss Havisham's harsh upbringing. Estella warns Pip not to return to Satis House because of all the suffering there. Even when she says that she only used Pip, you could tell in her face that she didn't want to and that she felt bad about it. Spoiler Even on the way to her wedding to Drummle, she wants to stop the wedding (probably knowing that she has feelings for Pip and that Drummle would make her very unhappy), but she was forced to go through with it. End of Spoiler So, this Estella was more sympathetic than the other version. This Estella is portrayed as being powerless to everything going on around her. If Estella can be likable, this one was probably the most likable than the other Estella I've seen.
Of all the characters in this Great Expectations, the best character has to be Herbert Pocket. He was probably the most stable out of all the characters: no hidden back story, he cares for other characters, and he has no visible vices. Sure he got into a little fight with Pip when they were younger, but he grew out of it! He was probably my favorite character in the entire miniseries.
Pip... Not sure what to make of this Pip. I don't particularly care for the way that they made him look (more on that later). The acting was okay, I guess, but it didn't really stand out for me. Comparing this Pip to Ioan Gruffudd's Pip, I would say that they just about tie. Looking back on Ioan Gruffudd's Pip and this Pip, neither of them really made much of an impression on me. I will say that I liked younger Pip better than older Pip. I felt so bad for young Pip: everyone always mistreated him except for Joe Gargery, his sister's husband.
Scenery
Great Expectations is a bleak story, so don't expect the scenery to be very cheery. Many of the scenes were filmed in a greyish overtone, which reflected the tone of the story. The problem with that was that many characters looked extremely pale, like ghosts, in some scenes. I could understand Miss Havisham looking very pale, but not Pip or the other characters (well, maybe Estella, but probably not). My personal opinion is that I didn't care for the grey scenery, but it does fit in with the story.
Satis House was extremely dirty and the film makers made of point of it. There was a lot of mold growing in the house and even puddles? Now, I haven't read Great Expectations, so this could be a accurate portrayal of the house, but it seems to me like there isn't anyone that could live in that house without getting sick. How did Miss Havisham raise Estella there without either of them becoming gravely ill? I am glad that in this adaptation they left out the rats crawling all over the tables like the 1999 version. *Shutters*
Costumes
The costumes were okay. The fashionable ladies wore what looked like 1830s fashions towards the end of the miniseries, which leads me to think that the story took place over about 20 years (starting at 1812 and ending sometime in the 1830s).
Miss Havisham wore the same wedding dress that she had on for years (which is fitting). From the look of her wedding dress, it looks like she was supposed to be married sometime in the early Regency era. But this puts into question what her age really is. If the story starts in 1812 and we assume that Pip and Estella are about 7 and since Miss Havisham adopted Estella shortly after she was abandoned at the alter, I would say that Miss Havisham should have gotten married about 1805, so that would fall in the right era. Now, as for calculating Miss Havisham's age, that might be a little more difficult. If we assume she got married at 20, and we assume that Pip grows up to be about 27 or 28 before getting his inheritance, that would make Miss Havisham 45 by the end of the story (and 27 when the story begins): 27 is extremely young to have white hair, and at 45, she would still be too young to have completely white hair (unless it turned white prematurely when she was in her 20s). If she was an older bride, maybe 28?, that would make her 53 at the end, which is still young to have completely white hair. I guess I'm wondering about how they presented Miss Havisham's age. From the look of her face, she looks fairly young, but haggard, but the white hair makes her look older.
...Anyways! Onto another subject!
I'm sorry, but I have issues with the way Pip and Estella looked. To me, Pip looked too girly and Estella wasn't girly enough. Estella didn't look terrible, but compared to Pip, Pip was the one that looked more girly. I don't know if it was something they did in makeup, but still that vexed me.
Estellas gowns were nice and pretty to look at. I do question some of their accuracy, however. Many of her dresses showed off her entire shoulder. For the 1830s, part of the shoulder was starting to be shown off, but I don't think it was as much as Estella was showing.
Overall: 2.5/5
Well, I know I rated this higher than the 90s version, but I'm still not quite sure which one I liked better. With this one, I felt like I knew the story better, but the other one was a little lighter (did I just say that?). Throughout most of the miniseries, I didn't particularly care for it, but I will say that it did get better towards the end. Content-wise, there is some violence and blood and some suggestive themes. If it was in theaters, it may earn a PG-13 Rating.
Great Expectations is available on DVD and Blu-Ray. It is made up of three one hour long episodes.
Well, Downton Abbey is over for another year... Now what to watch on Masterpiece Classic? Oh! Great Expectations will be playing soon! And so over a couple of weeks, I sat and watched Great Expectations. I had seen the 90s version starring Ioan Gruffudd and Justine Waddell, but didn't particularly care for it. But I thought I could watch this new version and see how it compares to the 90s version.
 |
| DVD Box Art |
Young Pip is invited to the home of Miss Havisham to entertain her and Estella, a orphan that she raised after her fiancee abandoned her on her wedding day. Years later, Pip comes into a great fortune from an unknown benefactor that quickly changes his life. (Synopsis taken from my review of Great Expectations (1999))
Characters
There are some familiar faces in this miniseries that you may have seen in other period dramas. Miss Havisham is played by Gillian Anderson, who is also seen in Bleak House. Herbert Pocket is played by Harry Lloyd, who can been seen in Robin Hood and the recent version of Jane Eyre (and also the recent movie The Iron Lady). Herbert's fiancee, Clara, is played by Perdita Weeks, who was Lydia Bennet in Lost in Austen. And Jaggers is played by David Suchet, who was Melmotte in The Way We Live Now. Other than those faces, the rest of the cast was pretty new to me.
Miss Havisham is portrayed differently in this version of Great Expectations than the other version that I've seen. In the 1999 version, she was portrayed as being fully spiteful and always seeking revenge. In this one, she is still spiteful, but she is also a little insecure. There is a more sympathetic view taken of Miss Havisham in this miniseries. Spoiler Towards the end of the miniseries, Miss Havisham tells Pip that she wanted to hurt him and everyone else and that she was sorry for it and asks for Pip's forgiveness, which Pip grants. Also, the way Miss Havisham died in this miniseries was also different from the 1999 version (and from what I've read/heard, the book also). From what I've seen/heard/read about, in the book Miss Havisham was having an argument with Pip when she stood too close to the fire and caught on fire; even though Pip manages to put out the fire, she still dies from the burns. In this version, her and Pip have a talk (where she asks for his forgiveness) and Pip leaves; Miss Havisham proceeded to take what looked like love letters and her old bouquet, put on her wedding veil and proceeded down the stairs to the fireplace where she individually burns the letters and bouquet and drops them into the fireplace. One of those items happened to land too closely to her and lit her on fire. Pip, walking away outside, turns around to see that something has caught on fire at Satis House and runs back to help where, it is implied, is too late. Not sure how I feel about this interpretation other than I know it is different from the book. To me, it seemed like the film makers got a little artsy with this scene where they could have left the scene alone and do it like it was in the book. End of Spoiler Between this Miss Havisham and the 90s one, I think I like this one a little bit more maybe because I got to see more of her and understand her better.
 |
| Various Characters from Great Expectations. From Left to Right: Abel Magwitch, Estella Havisham, Miss Havisham, Pip, and Jaggers. |
Of all the characters in this Great Expectations, the best character has to be Herbert Pocket. He was probably the most stable out of all the characters: no hidden back story, he cares for other characters, and he has no visible vices. Sure he got into a little fight with Pip when they were younger, but he grew out of it! He was probably my favorite character in the entire miniseries.
Pip... Not sure what to make of this Pip. I don't particularly care for the way that they made him look (more on that later). The acting was okay, I guess, but it didn't really stand out for me. Comparing this Pip to Ioan Gruffudd's Pip, I would say that they just about tie. Looking back on Ioan Gruffudd's Pip and this Pip, neither of them really made much of an impression on me. I will say that I liked younger Pip better than older Pip. I felt so bad for young Pip: everyone always mistreated him except for Joe Gargery, his sister's husband.
Scenery
Great Expectations is a bleak story, so don't expect the scenery to be very cheery. Many of the scenes were filmed in a greyish overtone, which reflected the tone of the story. The problem with that was that many characters looked extremely pale, like ghosts, in some scenes. I could understand Miss Havisham looking very pale, but not Pip or the other characters (well, maybe Estella, but probably not). My personal opinion is that I didn't care for the grey scenery, but it does fit in with the story.
 |
| Dining Hall of Satis House |
Satis House was extremely dirty and the film makers made of point of it. There was a lot of mold growing in the house and even puddles? Now, I haven't read Great Expectations, so this could be a accurate portrayal of the house, but it seems to me like there isn't anyone that could live in that house without getting sick. How did Miss Havisham raise Estella there without either of them becoming gravely ill? I am glad that in this adaptation they left out the rats crawling all over the tables like the 1999 version. *Shutters*
Costumes
The costumes were okay. The fashionable ladies wore what looked like 1830s fashions towards the end of the miniseries, which leads me to think that the story took place over about 20 years (starting at 1812 and ending sometime in the 1830s).
 |
| Miss Havisham in her wedding dress. |
...Anyways! Onto another subject!
 |
| Estella and Pip after dancing. |
Estellas gowns were nice and pretty to look at. I do question some of their accuracy, however. Many of her dresses showed off her entire shoulder. For the 1830s, part of the shoulder was starting to be shown off, but I don't think it was as much as Estella was showing.
Overall: 2.5/5
Well, I know I rated this higher than the 90s version, but I'm still not quite sure which one I liked better. With this one, I felt like I knew the story better, but the other one was a little lighter (did I just say that?). Throughout most of the miniseries, I didn't particularly care for it, but I will say that it did get better towards the end. Content-wise, there is some violence and blood and some suggestive themes. If it was in theaters, it may earn a PG-13 Rating.
Great Expectations is available on DVD and Blu-Ray. It is made up of three one hour long episodes.
Labels:
Dickens,
Great Expectations,
Miniseries,
Review,
TV,
Victorian Era
Friday, April 20, 2012
New Poll: Tournaments and Such
Hey everyone!
God Bless,
So, since the Period Drama Advice Event has ended, I would like to start up something soon. I am currently planning a event/party (which will remain a secret until I announce it), but I would like to hold another tournament sometime in the future. So I put up a poll at the side bar:
Which Tournament Ideas Would You Be Interested In?
Worst Villain
Young Characters
Historical Characters
Period Drama Couples
Favorite Character from a period drama*
Favorite Character from a period drama*
These were previously requested ideas from other bloggers. Please note that these names for the tournaments are not set in stone: the names themselves may change.
Please feel free to make suggestions for future tournaments! It might not be the next one, but maybe the one after that. Let's see how this works out with the voting.
* For the favorite character from a period drama tournament, it would be a tournament with a bunch of characters from a period drama. It would work like a regular tournament, but all the characters would be from one period drama
* For the favorite character from a period drama tournament, it would be a tournament with a bunch of characters from a period drama. It would work like a regular tournament, but all the characters would be from one period drama
God Bless,
Labels:
Poll,
Tournament
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Even More HTML (Blog Roll Marquee)
When I posted about some HTML help that everyone could use on their blogs, a couple of people expressed interest in a Blog Roll. It may take a minute to load up correctly in the post, but it should work.
Marquee (Blog Roll Style)
Some Notes: Okay, the deal with this blog roll is that it doesn't stop when you hover over it. From the looks of it, Blogger does not allow Javascript code in its posts which you need in order for the roll to stop when you hover over it. You can set the scroll to whatever height (or width even) that you wish (this one is 300) and insert that size number in place of the # where it says height. Scrollamount is the speed at which the marquee is going. This one is going at 3, which seems like a pretty good speed to me. You would replace the # where it says scrollamount with whatever speed you want.
After you have the marquee set up the way you want it, you just have to put images in it. Place the code for the blog button inside of the marquee. Make sure you space each button with a <br /> (a line break). Blogger gets rid of the break code in the Edit HTML when you look back at it, so don't fret if the <br /> disappears; it's still there but replaced with a real line break in the code. All that make sense?
If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!
Marquee (Blog Roll Style)
Some Notes: Okay, the deal with this blog roll is that it doesn't stop when you hover over it. From the looks of it, Blogger does not allow Javascript code in its posts which you need in order for the roll to stop when you hover over it. You can set the scroll to whatever height (or width even) that you wish (this one is 300) and insert that size number in place of the # where it says height. Scrollamount is the speed at which the marquee is going. This one is going at 3, which seems like a pretty good speed to me. You would replace the # where it says scrollamount with whatever speed you want.
After you have the marquee set up the way you want it, you just have to put images in it. Place the code for the blog button inside of the marquee. Make sure you space each button with a <br /> (a line break). Blogger gets rid of the break code in the Edit HTML when you look back at it, so don't fret if the <br /> disappears; it's still there but replaced with a real line break in the code. All that make sense?
If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!
God Bless,
Labels:
HTML
Annoying Ladies Mini-Tournament
My good blogging friend, Charity, is hosting an Annoying Ladies Mini-Tournament at her blog Austentits. Head over there and vote for the period drama ladies you find the most annoying!
God Bless,
Labels:
Austenitis,
Tournament
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Letter #4 Poll Closed: Winner Revealed!
The poll for Letter #4 has been closed! Thank you everyone for participating! Here are the results:
God Bless,
21 (44%) |
9 (19%) |
13 (27%) |
9 (19%) |
19 (40%) |
12 (25%) |
Congratulations, Eva Joy (also known as Miss Woodhouse)! Please contact me if you would like a small banner or a button, which period drama character you would want on the banner or button, and whether you would want your name/username or blog name on the button.
And so this concludes the Period Drama Advice Event! Thank you everyone for playing. Winners will receive their buttons within one week in a post
God Bless,
Labels:
Period Drama Advice Event,
Results
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Remembering the Titanic
It was 100 years ago today that the Titanic sank.
If you are interested, there is a new miniseries coming out about the sinking of the Titanic. This new miniseries was written by Julian Fellowes, who created Downton Abbey.
God Bless,
Labels:
Titanic,
Titianic (2012)
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Letter #4 Submissions Closed: Poll Up!
Entries for the final letter of The Period Drama Advice Tournament have closed! Thanks for your entries! Here are the entries for you to vote on!
Mr. Woodhouse (with postscript by Emma Woodhouse) (Emma) by Miss Woodhouse
Isabella Thorpe (Northanger Abbey) by Miss Laurie
Fitzwilliam Darcy (Pride and Prejudice) by Miss Laurie
Tite Barnacle Jr. (Little Dorrit) by Somersaulting Through Life
Marianne Dashwood (Sense and Sensibility) by Somersaulting Through Life
George Wickham (Pride and Prejudice) by Somersaulting Through Life
God Bless,
Labels:
Period Drama Advice Event
Monday, April 9, 2012
Review: Upstairs, Downstairs - Series 2 (1972)
You may have seen a while ago that I started to watch Upstairs Downstairs. Continuing on that, I am reviewing Series 2. You may have remember that I was fairly lukewarm to Series 1, but what did I think of Series 2? Well, read and find out!
Note: This review of Upstairs, Downstairs will contain spoilers from Series 1. If you have not seen Series 1 and do not want to run into spoilers, you may want to wait before you read this review. I suggest that you read my Series 1 review first before watching.
Synopsis
The series Upstairs, Downstairs continues after the marriage of Elizabeth Bellamy and Lawrence Kirbridge, whose marriage has started rocky. Sarah and Captain James Bellamy see each other more seriously. And downstairs, new servants have arrived: Edward the new footman, and Ruby the new kitchen maid.
Characters
The cast from the previous series returns for another series of Upstairs, Downstairs. What I found interesting was that the actor that plays chauffeur Thomas Watkins (John Alderton) was also in Little Dorrit (2008) as Mr. Casby and that he is also married to the actress who plays occasional maid Sarah (Pauline Collins).
Elizabeth Kirbridge (nee Bellamy) is still fairly irritating. She isn't a very sympathetic character even though she does have troubles. She comes off as being too much of a baby at times: she'll sometimes yell at upperhouse parlor maid Rose even though Rose hasn't done anything. She also develops some more scandalous behavior as the series goes on. I felt sorry for Richard Bellamy and Lady Marjorie: they tried to control their daughter, but she just wouldn't be controlled.
Sarah, the under house parlor maid, returns in this series. I really didn't like her for the first series and for a good deal of the second series I didn't care for her much. She was very scandalous and wanted to start a fight whenever someone told her not to do something. She was still scandalous in this series and got herself involved with Captain James Bellamy, Richard and Lady Marjorie's son. She gets a little better as the series goes on, but I still wasn't very fond of her.
Since the start of Series 1, there had been some changes to the staff of 165 Eaton Place. Emily, the kitchen maid, had been replaced by new kitchen maid, Ruby. Alfred, the creepy footman, had been replaced by Edward, a bit of a girl-crazy footman. Even though Edward is a little girl-crazy, he isn't a bad character. He likes to joke a lot, but overall he is likable. Ruby takes a little bit of getting used to, though. Mid-Series, we see the addition of Thomas Watkins, the new chauffeur who once worked for the Kirbridges. He was mostly likable for the first part of the series, but once he came to 165 Eaton Place and got involved with Sarah he got fairly dislikable.
Scenery
Most of the scenes were still at 165 Eaton Place, the home of Richard and Lady Marjorie Bellamy. We do get a glimpse of the Kirbridge's new home after they are married, but it is not as nice as 165 Eaton Place. Scenes from the Kirbridge's new home do not last long, however. But we do see scenes from the Bellamy's garage where Thomas works.
Costuming
The costuming still had Edwardian fashions and hadn't changed very much since Series 1. The costumes were still nice, though.
Overall: 3/5
Well, Series 2 picks up a little quicker than Series 1 and is better than Series 1, but it still can't compare to Downton Abbey. The plot of Upstairs, Downstairs is still a little slow, but it's not entirely bad. There is some content in this series: again, nothing is horribly graphic, but there are still some mature scenes. The content almost borders on TV-14... almost. Like Series 1, you may want to view this series of Upstairs Downstairs first before showing it to a young audience (like preteen or young teenagers).
Upstairs Downstairs: Series 2 is available on DVD on its own or as apart of the Complete Collection. It has 13 hour long episodes.
Note: This review of Upstairs, Downstairs will contain spoilers from Series 1. If you have not seen Series 1 and do not want to run into spoilers, you may want to wait before you read this review. I suggest that you read my Series 1 review first before watching.
 |
| Box Art of Series 2 |
The series Upstairs, Downstairs continues after the marriage of Elizabeth Bellamy and Lawrence Kirbridge, whose marriage has started rocky. Sarah and Captain James Bellamy see each other more seriously. And downstairs, new servants have arrived: Edward the new footman, and Ruby the new kitchen maid.
Characters
The cast from the previous series returns for another series of Upstairs, Downstairs. What I found interesting was that the actor that plays chauffeur Thomas Watkins (John Alderton) was also in Little Dorrit (2008) as Mr. Casby and that he is also married to the actress who plays occasional maid Sarah (Pauline Collins).
Elizabeth Kirbridge (nee Bellamy) is still fairly irritating. She isn't a very sympathetic character even though she does have troubles. She comes off as being too much of a baby at times: she'll sometimes yell at upperhouse parlor maid Rose even though Rose hasn't done anything. She also develops some more scandalous behavior as the series goes on. I felt sorry for Richard Bellamy and Lady Marjorie: they tried to control their daughter, but she just wouldn't be controlled.
Sarah, the under house parlor maid, returns in this series. I really didn't like her for the first series and for a good deal of the second series I didn't care for her much. She was very scandalous and wanted to start a fight whenever someone told her not to do something. She was still scandalous in this series and got herself involved with Captain James Bellamy, Richard and Lady Marjorie's son. She gets a little better as the series goes on, but I still wasn't very fond of her.
 |
| Mrs. Bridges cooking. Thomas and Rose look on. |
Since the start of Series 1, there had been some changes to the staff of 165 Eaton Place. Emily, the kitchen maid, had been replaced by new kitchen maid, Ruby. Alfred, the creepy footman, had been replaced by Edward, a bit of a girl-crazy footman. Even though Edward is a little girl-crazy, he isn't a bad character. He likes to joke a lot, but overall he is likable. Ruby takes a little bit of getting used to, though. Mid-Series, we see the addition of Thomas Watkins, the new chauffeur who once worked for the Kirbridges. He was mostly likable for the first part of the series, but once he came to 165 Eaton Place and got involved with Sarah he got fairly dislikable.
Scenery
 |
| Mr. and Mrs. Kirbridge at a party. |
Costuming
The costuming still had Edwardian fashions and hadn't changed very much since Series 1. The costumes were still nice, though.
Overall: 3/5
Well, Series 2 picks up a little quicker than Series 1 and is better than Series 1, but it still can't compare to Downton Abbey. The plot of Upstairs, Downstairs is still a little slow, but it's not entirely bad. There is some content in this series: again, nothing is horribly graphic, but there are still some mature scenes. The content almost borders on TV-14... almost. Like Series 1, you may want to view this series of Upstairs Downstairs first before showing it to a young audience (like preteen or young teenagers).
Upstairs Downstairs: Series 2 is available on DVD on its own or as apart of the Complete Collection. It has 13 hour long episodes.
Labels:
Edwardian Era,
Review,
TV,
TV Series,
Upstairs Downstairs
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Three More Days for Submissions For Letter #4
There are three more days to submit your letter to the Period Drama Advice Event's final letter. Submit your letter here.
God Bless,
Labels:
Period Drama Advice Event
Friday, April 6, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Some Blog HTML
Yep, as promised, I made this little post to help you with some HTML codes.
Some small notes (Please Read):
Some small notes (Please Read):
- In HTML, there are some values that are put in quotation marks. Make sure you leave in the quotation marks where they appear in the code.
- Where there is all caps in the code is where you'll be able to put what ever content you want. So for a URL, it will say in the code INSERT URL HERE; you would delete INSERT URL HERE and put in whatever URL you want.
Labels:
HTML
Letter #4: Period Drama Advice Event
Here is the final letter for the Period Drama Advice Event. We have just received a letter from a Doctor Harrison (Cranford)*
*Note: This letter was originally written by Miss Laurie from Old-Fashioned Charm for the Jane Austen Advice Column that was apart of Jane Austen Week.
My name is Frank Harrison. I am a medical doctor and have recently taken up a new post in the small town of Cranford where I assist the elderly Dr. Morgan by attending some of his numerous patients. Cranford is a bit of an oddity where the women reign supreme (not unlike amazons!), careless of new fashions and fearful of change. I've already had to rid my wardrobe of a particularly handsome red jacket because Dr. Morgan told me the ladies of Cranford would think it fanciful. But on the whole I had found the residents of Cranford very welcoming until today when many things unseen to my eye came to a head. Upon my arrival here one of my first visits was to the vicarage where I met Reverend Hutton and his lovely daughter Miss Sophy Hutton. She is an angel! and I was making strides to ask if I might court her when her young brother Walter fell ill and despite all of the methods of modern medicine I applied soon died. You may well imagine what a rift this caused between the young lady and myself and yet I loved her more each day. Quite a few months later Miss Hutton came to trust me again and I was bold enough to ask her father if I might court her. What happiness when he gave his permission! Our courtship was going on so well until this afternoon while attending the town's May festival, it came to the attention of the whole town that two other ladies felt themselves as good as engaged to me! Miss Tompkinson is a spinsterish young lady who lives with her sister in town and though I have attended her many times for palpitations and other maladies I was never aware of having shown her any other interest than that of a doctor to his patient. Likewise Mrs. Rose, who is my widowed housekeeper, seems to think that I have shown signs of love for her, which I never have done! The worst of the matter was seeing my dear Sophy stricken with horror at my supposed unfaithfulness and see her directed away by her father. I am in a state of shock from which I shall not soon recover! Please tell me dear sir or madam, what am I to do!?!
Desperate for advice,
Dr. Frank Harrison
God Bless,
Labels:
Period Drama Advice Event
Monday, April 2, 2012
HTML post? (Read and Comment, please)
As you may or may not know, I am taking a Web Development class and learning more about HTML, which you may use on your blogs or in your posts. And you may have seen that I like to help others out with HTML coding and what-not. So I was wondering, would you all like a post about some simple HTML codes that you can use on your blogs?
If you do, what kinds of things would you like in the post? I can't promise I'll cover everything that you all suggest, but I certainly can try. I'm not going to code something big like a layout and put it in the post (it can get very complicated and there are so many variations). What I mean are simple things like Text Boxes, Blog Button Code, things like that.
So, would you be interested in a post like this? What would you like to suggest that I put in this post?
God Bless,
If you do, what kinds of things would you like in the post? I can't promise I'll cover everything that you all suggest, but I certainly can try. I'm not going to code something big like a layout and put it in the post (it can get very complicated and there are so many variations). What I mean are simple things like Text Boxes, Blog Button Code, things like that.
So, would you be interested in a post like this? What would you like to suggest that I put in this post?
God Bless,
Review: McLintock! (1963)
Okay, I know. You wouldn't have expected me to review Westerns, but they are technically period dramas. My dad has been a fan of John Wayne for years and he would occasionally show me scenes from different John Wayne movies. I finally watched a John Wayne movie all the way through, and that was McLintock!
Synopsis
George Washington McLintock (also known as G.W.) is the richest man in the town of McLintock. After being away for two years, his estranged wife, Katherine/Kate, returns after living in the capital.
Characters
There are some famous actors/actresses in this movie. Most notably is John Wayne, who plays G.W. Maureen O'hara, who has been in a couple of John Wayne's movies, plays his wife Katherine. Hired hand Devlin Warren is played by John Wayne's real life son, Patrick Wayne. G.W.'s newly hired cook, Mrs. Warren, is played by Yvonne De Carlo, who was also in The Ten Commandments and the TV show The Munsters. There also may have been a number of the cast that were character actors from other Westerns, but I can't say for sure.
There are two levels to this movie. There is a comedic side to it and there's the serious side to it. A good deal of the comedy is slapstick, but there are some funny quotes too. The acting was hilarious where it was supposed to be. Maureen O'hara was hilarious as the feisty Katherine who tried to control everything and would not let anyone outdo her. There were also a variety of town characters that were in the movie for comic relief.
The more serious scenes were about moving the Comanche to a reservation: G.W. translated the Comanche chief's wishes in a moving speech. G.W. also had a good deal of quotes that were moving and "life lesson" quotes (but he also had some funny quotes).
Scenery
The scenery looked nice, but the whole movie was probably a set in a movie studio as a lot of movies at the time were (but I can't say for sure); even if it was filmed on a set, the scenery did look nice. The entire movie took place in the town of McLintock, which in the movie was a working town filled with people who worked with cattle or farmland (picture a Western movie set).
Costuming
I would estimate the year based on the costuming to be sometime in either the late 1890s or the early 1900s. This guess would be based off of Kate's wardrobe since she lived in the capital for a while and would have more access to the current fashions. I probably shouldn't take the costume accuracy too literally since westerns don't necessarily have accurate costuming, but you all know me! The costuming was still very nice. Kate's clothes, since she has been in the city, are more current and fashionable than the rest of the cast members. Becky, her daughter, in contrast to Kate who wore bolder colors for her clothes, had lighter colors, probably since she was young. Most of the men in the movie had work clothes on, though a couple of male characters had fashionable menswear.
Overall: 4/5
I really enjoyed this movie! There's some slapstick and there are some memorable quotes. I honestly don't know why sites have rated this movie TV-14: comparing it to what is rated TV-14 today, there really isn't anything so objectionable that it earns that rating. Honestly, I would rate it TV-PG. There are a couple of fights, but nothing is graphic. Some one in one scene is in public wearing Victorian/Edwardian undergarments (which to today's standards isn't that horrible), and there is some light swearing. Overall, McLintock is an enjoyable film and I would watch it again.
McLintock is available on DVD. It runs for 127 minutes.
 |
| Box Art |
Synopsis
George Washington McLintock (also known as G.W.) is the richest man in the town of McLintock. After being away for two years, his estranged wife, Katherine/Kate, returns after living in the capital.
Characters
There are some famous actors/actresses in this movie. Most notably is John Wayne, who plays G.W. Maureen O'hara, who has been in a couple of John Wayne's movies, plays his wife Katherine. Hired hand Devlin Warren is played by John Wayne's real life son, Patrick Wayne. G.W.'s newly hired cook, Mrs. Warren, is played by Yvonne De Carlo, who was also in The Ten Commandments and the TV show The Munsters. There also may have been a number of the cast that were character actors from other Westerns, but I can't say for sure.
 |
| One of the slapstick scenes ended in a mud fight in which Katherine gets involved. |
The more serious scenes were about moving the Comanche to a reservation: G.W. translated the Comanche chief's wishes in a moving speech. G.W. also had a good deal of quotes that were moving and "life lesson" quotes (but he also had some funny quotes).
Scenery
 |
| G.W. at his ranch. |
 |
| Becky McLintock |
I would estimate the year based on the costuming to be sometime in either the late 1890s or the early 1900s. This guess would be based off of Kate's wardrobe since she lived in the capital for a while and would have more access to the current fashions. I probably shouldn't take the costume accuracy too literally since westerns don't necessarily have accurate costuming, but you all know me! The costuming was still very nice. Kate's clothes, since she has been in the city, are more current and fashionable than the rest of the cast members. Becky, her daughter, in contrast to Kate who wore bolder colors for her clothes, had lighter colors, probably since she was young. Most of the men in the movie had work clothes on, though a couple of male characters had fashionable menswear.
Overall: 4/5
I really enjoyed this movie! There's some slapstick and there are some memorable quotes. I honestly don't know why sites have rated this movie TV-14: comparing it to what is rated TV-14 today, there really isn't anything so objectionable that it earns that rating. Honestly, I would rate it TV-PG. There are a couple of fights, but nothing is graphic. Some one in one scene is in public wearing Victorian/Edwardian undergarments (which to today's standards isn't that horrible), and there is some light swearing. Overall, McLintock is an enjoyable film and I would watch it again.
McLintock is available on DVD. It runs for 127 minutes.
Labels:
Edwardian Era,
McLintock,
Review,
Western
Letter #3 Poll Close: Results
10 (40%) |
3 (12%) |
4 (16%) |
18 (72%) |
10 (40%) |
7 (28%) |
Congratulations, Miss Dashwood! Please contact me if you would like a small banner or a button, which period drama character you would want on the banner or button, and whether you would want your name/username or blog name on the button.
Letter #4 (the final letter!) will be revealed tomorrow!
God Bless,
Labels:
Results
I've Been Tagged! (Everyone who wants to answer tagged!)
Like the title says, I've been tagged! This tag came to me from Elizabeth from The Endless Road and from Charity from Austenitis.
Here are the rules.
1. Post these rules
2. Post 11 random things about yourself (optional)
3. Answer the questions the tagger posted for you in their post.
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5. Go to their blog and tell them that they have been tagged.
So, I've posted the rules.
11 Random Things about Myself.
Elizabeth's Questions
1. Which to genre do you prefer historical fiction, a regular novel, or fantasy?
If Historical Fiction includes Jane Austen, then historical fiction. If it doesn't and it really is a book written recently that takes place in the past, then a regular novel.
2. How do you feel about all these new E-readers? (nooks, kindles)
I have mixed feelings about them. I have had tablets that do other things besides act as an eReader (like surf the internet, check Facebook, check on my blog, etc.), but neither of them were pure eReaders. On the one hand, if you read through a lot of books or if you travel a lot and don't want to carry all those books, then the eReader may be a good investment. On the other hand, there's nothing like a good physical book that you can actually touch (refer to cartoon above). I also don't like how the eReader has taken out so many good bookstores. I used to enjoy going into Borders, but since they got into the eReader market too late they went out of business. Barnes and Noble may still do okay since they have their Nook station set up in their stores, but I miss the old bookstore chains.
3. Do you play and instrument? If so what instrument?
Years ago, I used to play the flute. I played it for about five years regularly, but got out of the habit. Currently, I am learning how to play the piano.
4. Is there an instrument that you don't play, but wish you could?
Other than I wish to play the piano better than I do now, maybe violin?
5. What are some of your favorite musicians?
I really don't have favorite musicians. I like different kinds of music, but don't specifically have a favorite musician. A lot of the music I listen to are oldies songs (let's face it, most of today's music isn't very good) and some classical or soundtrack music.
6. Do you prefer white chocolate of milk/dark chocolate?
But I like both! But probably milk chocolate, though.
7. What is your favorite month?
May is a pleasant month. It's warm outside without being really hot.
8. If you had the chance to go to 5 countries what countries would they be?
Definitely England. Then maybe Italy. Ireland wouldn't be too bad either. Japan would be interesting. Maybe Tahiti?
9. Are you a country or a city person? Or a little of both?
I live near a city, but I wouldn't want to live deep within a city: far too busy for me. But I wouldn't want to live somewhere too far away from a city. I guess I'm somewhere in the middle, so a little of both.
10. Who is your favorite character from Narnia?
For the record, I've never read any of the Narnia books, but I did see the first two movies (not the third, though). But in the movies, I probably like Peter and Susan the best.
11. What is your favorite kind of cookie?
I love those mint chocolate cookies that Panera sells sometimes!
Charity's Questions
And if you happened to tag me and I didn't mention you, I'm most sorry. A lot has been going on this week, so I haven't been reading blogs like I ought.
11 New Questions (Warning: Random Questions Ahead)
God Bless,
Here are the rules.
1. Post these rules
2. Post 11 random things about yourself (optional)
3. Answer the questions the tagger posted for you in their post.
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5. Go to their blog and tell them that they have been tagged.
So, I've posted the rules.
11 Random Things about Myself.
- I'm never good about posting random facts about myself.
- I enjoy taking nice pictures with my camera I got a few years ago for my birthday.
- I tend to dislike most modern books from recent years. Don't get me wrong, there are some I like, but a lot of them that I had to read for school I didn't like at all.
- I'm waiting for Downton Abbey: Series 3. (Why hasn't it aired yet?!)
- I do enjoy sci-fi movies/TV shows. There are some that are just funny.
- I like and dislike computer programming at the same time. Writing out the programs is fun, but when you get to the end and nothing works then it's not fun anymore... (HTML is a little different; it's easier to figure out what's wrong with the HTML code than with a programming language code)
- I've been thinking about making "movie posters" as graphics to put up on here. What do you think?
- I'm almost at 200 followers! W00t!
- I've begun to take an interest in millinery (hat making).
- For fabric, I like shopping at Jo-Ann Fabrics (love that they give out lots of coupons!)
- I'm currently watching Upstairs, Downstairs; I'm at Series 4 now: will definitely review Series 2 and 3 soon.
Elizabeth's Questions
1. Which to genre do you prefer historical fiction, a regular novel, or fantasy?
If Historical Fiction includes Jane Austen, then historical fiction. If it doesn't and it really is a book written recently that takes place in the past, then a regular novel.
2. How do you feel about all these new E-readers? (nooks, kindles)
I have mixed feelings about them. I have had tablets that do other things besides act as an eReader (like surf the internet, check Facebook, check on my blog, etc.), but neither of them were pure eReaders. On the one hand, if you read through a lot of books or if you travel a lot and don't want to carry all those books, then the eReader may be a good investment. On the other hand, there's nothing like a good physical book that you can actually touch (refer to cartoon above). I also don't like how the eReader has taken out so many good bookstores. I used to enjoy going into Borders, but since they got into the eReader market too late they went out of business. Barnes and Noble may still do okay since they have their Nook station set up in their stores, but I miss the old bookstore chains.
3. Do you play and instrument? If so what instrument?
Years ago, I used to play the flute. I played it for about five years regularly, but got out of the habit. Currently, I am learning how to play the piano.
4. Is there an instrument that you don't play, but wish you could?
Other than I wish to play the piano better than I do now, maybe violin?
5. What are some of your favorite musicians?
I really don't have favorite musicians. I like different kinds of music, but don't specifically have a favorite musician. A lot of the music I listen to are oldies songs (let's face it, most of today's music isn't very good) and some classical or soundtrack music.
6. Do you prefer white chocolate of milk/dark chocolate?
But I like both! But probably milk chocolate, though.
7. What is your favorite month?
May is a pleasant month. It's warm outside without being really hot.
8. If you had the chance to go to 5 countries what countries would they be?
Definitely England. Then maybe Italy. Ireland wouldn't be too bad either. Japan would be interesting. Maybe Tahiti?
9. Are you a country or a city person? Or a little of both?
I live near a city, but I wouldn't want to live deep within a city: far too busy for me. But I wouldn't want to live somewhere too far away from a city. I guess I'm somewhere in the middle, so a little of both.
10. Who is your favorite character from Narnia?
For the record, I've never read any of the Narnia books, but I did see the first two movies (not the third, though). But in the movies, I probably like Peter and Susan the best.
11. What is your favorite kind of cookie?
I love those mint chocolate cookies that Panera sells sometimes!
Charity's Questions
1. What’s your favorite breakfast food?
I order breakfast frequently at restaurants, so I'd have to say two eggs over easy with bacon (or sausage links), toast, and hash browns!
2. What’s your favorite book by Jane Austen?
Pride and Prejudice
3. What’s your favorite period drama?
Well, Pride and Prejudice (1995). Non-Jane Austen period drama, I'd have to say Downton Abbey.
4. What’s your favorite book by a more modern author?
I did like Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (It's very good, but it's a bit violent)
5. What’s your favorite kind of chip?
Regular, plain potato chips.
6. What’s your favorite fast food restaurant?
If Panera counts as fast food, I'll say Panera. If not, then Panda Express.
7. What’s your favorite classic book not by Jane Austen?
ARGGGH! I really need to read other books! Well, it's probably not my favorite, but I did like The Scarlet Letter. I did like what I read of Little Dorrit, though.
8. What’s your favorite Jane Austen film adaption?
Pride and Prejudice (1995)
9. What’s your favorite movie soundtrack?
I know it's not a movie, but I just can't get enough of the Downton Abbey soundtrack.
10. What’s your favorite place to read?
Somewhere quiet, whether at school or home.
11. What’s your favorite thing to blog about?
I like to review period dramas a lot, but I also enjoy holding blog party.
And if you happened to tag me and I didn't mention you, I'm most sorry. A lot has been going on this week, so I haven't been reading blogs like I ought.
11 New Questions (Warning: Random Questions Ahead)
- What do you like to put in a sandwich?
- What are your top three favorite eras for period dramas?
- What would happen if two characters from two different period dramas (you pick) traded places?
- You're stranded on a desert island with a TV and a DVD player. Which movies do you bring to keep yourself entertained.
- What are your least favorite secondary characters in period dramas?
- Okay, they're often called the best author in all of English Literature. Who's better: Jane Austen or Shakespeare?
- Cookies or Brownies?
- If you were to rematch couples from books/period dramas so that a lady from one book would marry a man from another period drama, who would you match? (Pick three)
- Favorite Period Drama Actor?
- Favorite Period Drama Actress?
- What's your favorite soup?
And I'll tag anyone who would like to answer these questions!
God Bless,
Labels:
Tag
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)