tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68865225083220495862024-03-13T08:08:56.600-07:00The Lonely AlchemistA blog for Steampunk, Gothic, Victoriana, etc... "The Lonely Alchemist" explores games, art, music, perfumes, fashion, films, and literature. Hot Saucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638542441627417382noreply@blogger.comBlogger138125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886522508322049586.post-40606179802237888212014-12-01T17:12:00.001-08:002014-12-01T17:13:36.378-08:00Movie Monday: "Dirigible Days"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Two years and a bit ago (God, has the blog really be going on that long?!?), we asked you to contribute to the "Dirigible Days" Kickstarter. Well, we've finally gotten around to watching the resulting mini-series, and we're impressed. Head on over to the <a href="http://www.day304.com/dirigibledays.html" target="_blank">website</a> to see the series and support the project!<br />
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Salaam!<br />
The Lonely AlchemistHot Saucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638542441627417382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886522508322049586.post-77378167365569606772014-10-20T18:18:00.000-07:002014-12-01T18:23:18.970-08:00Movie Monday: The Best Witchy FilmsWe've covered vampires and zombies, and now it's the turn of witches! And yeah, we have a really, really big soft spot for campy B movies, so you'll see a lot of that...<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070917/" target="_blank"><u>#10 The Wicker Man</u></a><br />
The original, not the Nicholas Cage debacle. I'm sure this film makes wiccans and pagans everywhere insanely mad, but it's fun; we can't deny that.<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1623288/" target="_blank">#9 ParaNorman</a><br />
This is both a witchcraft and zombie movie (with a healthy dose of ghosts), so it should rightfully have had a shout-out on last week's list too, but this will just have to suffice. For a kid's movie, this gave me the creeps. I can't watch it alone. And I love the small-town feel. It's homey and familiar, despite the undead. And a kid witch fueled by fear rather than dark magic? Love it!<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094332/" target="_blank">#8 The Witches of Eastwick</a><br />
On one hand, I hate this because Jack Nicholson is absolutely revolting in this film. On the other hand, this is a veritable orgy of great actors doing weird, uncomfortable, and amusing things. I only wish it were a little stronger on the girl power, though.<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100944/" target="_blank">#7 The Witches</a><br />
Anjelica Huston. Need I say more?<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051406/" target="_blank">#6 Bell, Book, and Candle</a><br />
It's like "Bewitched," but so much better. This little-known charmer is stuffed with vintage stars who all give spell-bindingly cute performances. (So many puns! We can't stop! Help!)<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120791/" target="_blank">#5 Practical Magic</a><br />
Oh my God, I could kill Goran Visnjic after watching this. What a sick bastard he plays! It's him who's the real terror here, not the witches, and I love that.<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115963/" target="_blank">#4 The Craft</a><br />
There is no need to justify this film being on the list.<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1428538/" target="_blank">#3 Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters</a><br />
I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself. This was my favorite movie of 2013, and I watch it at least once a month. I have a major crush on Jeremy Renner. And Gemma Arterton. And that adorable troll. And Muriel gives me the willies. And even though I'm not usually a fan of major gore, I even loved <i>that</i> in this piece of laughable schlock. This is just my ultimate date night movie. I know, it's weird. Moving on...<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095088/" target="_blank">#2 Elvira, Mistress of the Dark</a><br />
OMG I AM ELVIRA'S BIGGEST FAN EVER AND I WOULD GIVE ANYTHING TO PLAY HER SOMEDAY. And talk about campy B movies: this one has it all! Everything! Seriously! It just doesn't get any better/worse than this. God, I'm just fangirling all over the place, aren't I? I REFUSE TO APOLOGIZE. CASSANDRA PETERSON'S BOOBS WILL BACK ME UP.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You do not mess with the boobs. They are f*cking magical. Remember when her boobs broke that fence? Yeah.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115988/" target="_blank">#1 The Crucible</a><br />
I know, I know, it's a play first and foremost, not a movie. But, damn! "The Crucible" tops the list because of the sheer terror it instills in viewers. This is a true story, people. The evil that humans are capable of... witches have nothing on us. We are frightening creatures. I am sick to my stomach every time I watch this. The brutal, raw truth of humanity's cruelty and small-mindedness makes for a better horror movie than any number of vampires, zombies, witches, or ghouls.<br />
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Have a horrific day!<br />
The Lonely Alchemist Hot Saucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638542441627417382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886522508322049586.post-23899737192613023102014-10-13T17:51:00.000-07:002014-12-01T17:53:51.431-08:00Movie Monday: The Best Undead Films Part 2Zombies!!!<br />
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They're the new fad, hot trend, hip obsession. I even came across a zombie romance novel the other day. Wow. Never expected that... Anyways, here's our favorite zombie movies.<br />
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<u>#10 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060841/" target="_blank">Plague of the Zombies</a></u><br />
It's a classic! I mean, it's in the Hammer collection. You can't have a best-zombie-movie list without this one. For an oldie, it can still give us the chills. Rock on, hippie era zombies.<br />
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<u>#9 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1156398/" target="_blank">Zombieland</a></u><br />
This will undoubtedly be considered a zombie classic in a few decades. It's campy fun, and Woody Harrelson is a genius here, but it's a little over-the-top bloody for me, which is why it's not higher on the list, despite its popularity.<br />
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<u>#8 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1077258/" target="_blank">Planet Terror</a></u><br />
Over-the-top, just like Zombieland, but it's killer fun. Pun intended. (Yes, we think we were clever there.) Plus, it has a machine gun leg on a sexy woman. Hell yeah!<br />
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<u>#7 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1588173/" target="_blank">Warm Bodies</a></u><br />
It's my firm belief that this movie has ignited the newest trend in romantic books and films: the zombie romance. It's going to be big, soon. Maybe even overtake the vampire romance obsession we've had for at least 200 years. There just isn't a cuter young adult love story out there, and "Warm Bodies" beats "Twilight" for romance and fun by about a million miles. I'll take R over Edward any day. Bonus: for a romance, it's surprisingly not even mildly sexist. Win!<br />
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<u>#6 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036027/" target="_blank">I Walked With a Zombie</a></u><br />
Imagine Alfred Hitchcock made a zombie movie. 'Nuf said.<br />
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<u>#5 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077402/" target="_blank">George Romero's zombie trilogy</a></u><br />
Do we really have to defend this choice? Honestly, guys...<br />
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<u>#4 all the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083907/" target="_blank">Evil Dead</a> films (the originals)</u><br />
We're not defending this either. Duh.<br />
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<u>#3 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457572/" target="_blank">Fido</a></u><br />
This is one of my all-time favorite movies. It's so unexpected and touching, with a healthy dose of "... what the hell..." Billy Connolly is surprisingly lovable, which may be due to the fact that the movie doesn't allow him to open his obnoxious foul mouth. Carrie-Anne Moss is the opposite of her character in "The Matrix," and she's still awesome. The whole "zombie is man's best friend" theme had me crying at the end. And that creepy neighbor with his zombie concubine... good stuff, people. Good stuff.<br />
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<u>#2 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072225/" target="_blank">Sugar Hill</a></u><br />
I apologize, but I have a soft spot for blaxploitation films. And "Sugar Hill" delivers exploitation, revenge, and chills with the best of them. Plus, it's nice to see a return to the voodoo zombie story, rather than the zombie plague/virus trope. Zombies were originally associated with voodoo, not mutated viruses, so this is a return to zombie roots.<br />
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<u>#1 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089885/" target="_blank">Re-Animator</a></u><br />
Camp at its best. Forget voodoo zombies and virus-induced zombie plagues. "Re-Animator" is the most chilling dead-people-come-to-life story of them all because it's the closest to reality. The day is closing in when Herbert West's experiments might actually become a medical reality... and a horrific nightmare. This is science turned evil. Welcome to the future. Welcome to the definition of terror. Feel free to scream.<br />
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Honorable mention to "Shaun of the Dead." It's so stuffed full of awesomeness that we couldn't figure out where to put it. It's in a category of its own.<br />
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Check in next week for some witchy films! (Yeah, "The Craft" is gonna make the list.)<br />
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Salaam!<br />
The Lonely Alchemist<br />
<br />Hot Saucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638542441627417382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886522508322049586.post-49157969235082414132014-10-06T16:55:00.000-07:002014-12-01T16:58:08.086-08:00Movie Monday: the best undead films, Part 1<u><b>Part 1: Vampires!</b></u><br />
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Vampires! Vampires! Vampires! We've all been in a rage over vampires for about the last 30 years, and the craze doesn't seem to be going away any time soon. So let's take a look at the 20 best vampire films of all time. (This is subjective of course. This is just a list of the films that we think are the best, but we do have pretty good taste, if I do say so myself.) You will notice that Twilight is not on this list. When The Voodoo Lady and I were brainstorming this, I told her that if she named Twilight as one of her favorite vampire movies, I would book a flight all the way from Perth to Orange County (that's over 9,000 miles) and personally punch her in the face. Thankfully, she doesn't like Twilight. And as it doesn't deserve any more words than we've already given it, let's get on with what we came here to do:<br />
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<u>#20: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0320691/" target="_blank">Underworld</a> saga</u><br />
This is a mega blockbuster series, but it sits at number 20 for us because it's rather cliche. The only reason it's on this list is because this is one of the sleekest, hippest, sexiest portrayals of vampires out there. Yes, it's sexier than Twilight.<br />
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Really, we just like all the leather...<br />
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<u>#19 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089730/" target="_blank">Once Bitten</a></u><br />
This bloodsucking comedy is an adorable watch, and makes it onto this list for three reasons. Lauren Hutton oozes quirky sensuality, and is thus a perfect vampire. Cleavton Little is always, <i>always</i> a joy to behold and he died too young so we love everything he was in. And it's nice to see Jim Carrey in the days before he got obsessed with strange and violent potty humor. He used to be cute and charming. What happened?<br />
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<u>#18: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053802/" target="_blank">Blood and Roses</a></u><br />
<i>Blood and Roses</i> is a strange, gently misogynistic, dreamlike, confusing, and insistently charming film that I love though I can't explain why. It explores the tired idea of an unstable woman becoming or seeming like a vampire due to being jilted or maturing and getting her period. Really, this is the most insulting, ludicrous, lame interpretation of female sexuality, but somehow this film manages to be beautiful. Also, the costumes are to die for. The plot has a few holes, though. I was confused at the end.<br />
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<u>#17 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116367/" target="_blank">From Dusk to Dawn</a></u><br />
It hurts me to put a Robert Rodriguez and/or Quentin Tarantino movie anywhere but in the top 5 of any best films list, but I have to face the fact that, as deliciously campy as this film is and as much as I want to have Tarantino's babies, it is not as captivating nor humorous a depiction of vampirism as some of the other vampy movies out there. But you can't have a vampire movie list without this film, and it's always nice to see Tarantino in front of the camera. He is just as strange there as he is behind the camera!<br />
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<u>#16 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1438176/" target="_blank">Fright Night (2011)</a></u><br />
This is really about as cliche and predictable as vampire movies get, and it is a remake, which means by the usual laws of the universe, the original, and not the remake should be on this list. However, this movie has David Tennant as an alcoholic, tatted-up, sex-addicted, childhood-trauma-suffering, and utterly adorable vampire killer. That alone earns it a spot. Because Tennant is a God. (And only one of us compiling this list is a Dr. Who fan, so don't accuse us of just being fangirls.)<br />
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<u>#15 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054067/" target="_blank">Black Sunday</a></u><br />
It's been about 5 years since I watched this, and I still have nightmares, though I can't by now remember all of the plot. It has something to do with a convicted undead witch and some lovers and a vampire hunter and some other typical stuff. And for the 1960s, it is a gruesome, bloody, terrifying adventure. I cringe when I think about the opening scene...<br />
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I'm also given to understand that this is Tim Burton's favorite horror film, so it gets brownie points for that, of course.<br />
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<u>#14 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1077368/" target="_blank">Dark Shadows (2012)</a></u><br />
Continuing in the Tim Burton vein, we have the lovely Dark Shadows, which critics hated and Burton fans loved. As a depiction of vampires, it and the TV show it was based on are rather original and thus charming, if not spectacular. Johnny Depp makes a wonderful vampire: sexy, scary, quirky, impeccably dressed, a little behind the times. A bit reminiscent of <i>Nosferatu</i>, in fact. And Burton devotees like myself will appreciate this film for its throwback feel to Burton's early films.<br />
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<u>#13 V<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066516/" target="_blank">alerie and Her Week of Wonders</a></u><br />
This might seem at first glance like one of those movies that I bashed up there in <i>Blood and Roses</i>. But somehow it's much more than that, and it's something that you'll only understand if you a) are a woman, and b) watch the movie for yourself. It's not really a vampire movie either, so it shouldn't really deserve a place on this list, but it does have vampires in it, and it's a great film, so therefore it's here.<br />
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<u>#12 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120611/" target="_blank">Blade</a></u><br />
Blade is just fun. With most of the vampire angst replaced with total
badassery, Blade creates a sarcastic and sometimes witty romp through
the gory underworld of seedy vampires. It treads the line between funny and serious well. And we miss the days when Wesley Snipes wasn't a criminal. Note: this listing does not include Blade II and III. They don't make it anywhere close to a top 20 list of vampire films.<br />
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<u>#11 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117826/" target="_blank">Bordello of Blood</a></u><br />
Why is this on the list, you ask?!? Because it is fucking fun! Yes, I used a swear word and I mean it! There are two great kinds of vampire movies: the serious ones, and the completely not serious ones, and this takes the cake in the not serious department. It's digusting, it's hilarious, it's occasionally insightful, it's got more tits than a lesbian porn movie... well of course it is: it's Tales from the Crypt! It's also got Erika Eleniak. And the skeevy prince from <i>The Princess Bride</i> (with a cowboy accent?!?). Nuf Said.<br />
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<u>#10 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085701/" target="_blank">The Hunger</a></u><br />
Catherine Deneuve. David Bowie. Susan Sarandon.<br />
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Steamy sex.<br />
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Ok, moving on...<br />
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<u>#9 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112896/" target="_blank">Dracula: Dead and Loving It!</a></u><br />
Ok, I know what you're thinking: Mel Brooks is great and occasionally brilliant, but why is this on this list? Four reasons. The actors take their cheesiness very seriously, which makes it all the more fun. The slapstick rivals that of Laurel and Hardy. Leslie Nielson's Dracula is adorably incompetent and pitiable. And Peter MacNicol.<br />
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Need another reason? There's more garlic in this movie than in the entire country of Italy. That deserves an award, right?<br />
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<u>#8 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021814/" target="_blank">Dracula (1931)</a></u><br />
Bela Lugosi is kind-of the go-to name when you talk about iconic Draculas, and this movie certainly is iconic. As one of the early vampire films, it set the stage for what we were to expect from every vampire in the 80 years since its release. Lugosi's brooding, overly dramatic, heavily accented, sexually magnetic, snappy dressing Dracula has been copied and spoofed endlessly (just take the film above, for example). While I think his performance is much too melodramatic, it's undeniable that this film is a gem in the crown of vampire cinema.<br />
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<u>#7 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098577/" target="_blank">Vampire's Kiss</a></u><br />
I was leery to put this one this high on the list, but I really couldn't think of anywhere else to put it. It doesn't belong in the top five, but it's also actually painfully brilliant. It's funny and relatable and just... weird. And we have a passionate nostalgia for Nicholas Cage before he went completely insane, making this film even more bittersweet. (We actually have this theory that Nick is dead and has been replaced with a malfunctioning robot that no one is willing to turn off because he makes Hollywood so much money...) So while we do come out of this film possibly having contracted a personality disorder, it is worth it every time.<br />
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<u>#6 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079073/" target="_blank">Dracula 1979</a></u><br />
Where Bela Lugosi originated the sultry, dangerous Dracula, Frank Langella perfected it. This movie, in terms of story or direction or costuming isn't all that special. It's great, but not awesome. However, Langella's Dracula is about the sexiest thing ever to wet women's panties, and for that alone, this film is here. Even writing about it just --<br />
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Excuse me. I have to go take a cold shower.<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023649/" target="_blank"><u>#5 Vampyr</u></a><br />
The first time you watch this you will probably say, "What the...?"<br />
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Don't worry. That's a perfectly normal reaction. Take our advice and watch it again. This film is slow and odd. It teeters somewhere between excellence and this-is-so-strange-we-have-to-call-it-good. That's why it's in the top five. It's like a vampire. It's inexplicable. It's enigmatic. It's otherworldly.<br />
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<u>#4 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104029/" target="_blank">Cronos</a></u><br />
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<i>Cronos</i> has been unjustly labeled as a cult film, and thus there are those who would say it doesn't deserve to be anywhere near the top five. (Maybe that's because it's got young Ron Pearlman in it. And I'm a cult film groupie, so it's here.) But it's so much more than a cult film is expected to be. Like Vampyr, it's weird and enigmatic. It's not even strictly vampiric. It's just blood-curdlingly odd.<br />
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<a href="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTg0ODkwMzI0NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDc4OTc2OA@@._V1_SX640_SY720_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTg0ODkwMzI0NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDc4OTc2OA@@._V1_SX640_SY720_.jpg" height="200" width="142" /></a> <u>#3 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1545106/" target="_blank">Vamps</a></u><br />
Sometimes you just need a girly, frivolous, mindless romp with plenty of fashion don'ts and rat blood. At those times you watch "Vamps." It's like "Clueless" for twenty-something women with a need for 90s teen nostalgia and Alicia Silverstone's patented quirky adorable-ness.<br />
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Don't judge us. You know she's the sweetest vampire ever.<br />
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Also, Sigourney Weaver massacring an entire Chinese restaurant and then making uppity and mildly racist slurs... needs to be seen to be believed.<br />
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<a href="http://impawards.com/2014/posters/vampire_academy_blood_sisters_ver14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://impawards.com/2014/posters/vampire_academy_blood_sisters_ver14.jpg" height="200" width="135" /></a><u>#2 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1686821/" target="_blank">Vampire Academy</a></u><br />
I'll be honest with you: this one's only this high because of the man candy and girl power. And the angsty anti-romantic ending. We haven't read the books, and have no intention of doing so, but a kick-ass girl power movie with a dark-ish mystery and a love charm that nearly results in an underage sex scene is the perfect movie night. It's just a bonus that there are vampires in this. Plus those awkward homo-erotic moments that probably made every lesbian on the planet cringe... We enjoyed those.<br />
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(We have a weak spot for men with ponytails. Sorry not sorry.)<br />
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<u>#1 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1531901/" target="_blank">Byzantium</a></u><br />I have a hard time justifying putting this at the top of a list of vampire movies, but this one just haunted me. It was dirty yet dreamlike, and disturbingly detached from its subject matter and from reality. It was also a new and unexpected interpretation of the vampire origin story, and was choc full of frustrating sexism. I keep re-watching it, trying to pinpoint why it stuck with me and trying to force it to have a more satisfying, easily wrapped-up-with-a-bow happy ending. I'm left unsatisfied every time. That's the mark of a good vampire movie. It leaves you hungry for more.<br />
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Check back next week for our favorite zombie movies!<br />
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Ciao!<br />
The Lonely AlchemistHot Saucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638542441627417382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886522508322049586.post-29425054026585865822014-06-17T16:58:00.000-07:002014-12-01T16:58:37.198-08:00Poetry Tuesday: "In the Glade" by Cait McKnelly<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Wind sighing, tree limbs swaying
<br />Listen and you will hear the song.
<br />Faint harp playing, the owl crying
<br />Of days that are now long gone.
<br />Moon riding high on a cloud tossed sea
<br />Shining silver in the glade below.
<br />Shadows dancing, moonlight playing
<br />On a dance done long ago.
<br />Hands touching, eyes catching
<br />Shining in the fey touched light.
<br />Hearts racing, breath sighing
<br />Ancient love is afoot tonight.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Salaam!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Lonely Alchemist </span></span>
Hot Saucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638542441627417382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886522508322049586.post-10053843535948199602014-02-18T17:01:00.000-08:002014-12-01T17:02:26.524-08:00Poetry Tuesday: "Sea Fever" by John Masefield<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUWyP9YH7faaOzfr-znnBPx6q0pUxteDewchQlYVMvK8DfJhHfK8Ph2dfLp_trqGbk8lOqPZNaSej1eynm4JwyMkV6lsrQ9pTDiB6eEQGVXlToOM_jkspihgBx2yfzSP2Bk0FI9bJ7dwa/s640/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUWyP9YH7faaOzfr-znnBPx6q0pUxteDewchQlYVMvK8DfJhHfK8Ph2dfLp_trqGbk8lOqPZNaSej1eynm4JwyMkV6lsrQ9pTDiB6eEQGVXlToOM_jkspihgBx2yfzSP2Bk0FI9bJ7dwa/s640/photo.jpg" height="640" width="464" /> </a></div>
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Ciao! </div>
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The Lonely Alchemist </div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I think, the king was fierce, though young,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">When he proclaimed, “You’ll level <a href="http://www.poetryloverspage.com/poets/akhmatova/#" id="_GPLITA_0" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="Click to Continue > by I Want This">Thebes</a> with ground.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And the old chief perceived this city proud,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">He’d seen in times that are in sagas sung.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Set all to fire! The king listed else</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The towers, the gates, the temples – rich and thriving…</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">But sank in thoughts, and said with lighted face,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“You just provide the Bard Home’s surviving.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Caio!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Lonely Alchemist </span></span>Hot Saucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638542441627417382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886522508322049586.post-9122708255107979532013-09-25T03:12:00.000-07:002013-09-25T03:12:00.286-07:00Word Wednesday: "Epeolatry"<i>Epeolatry</i> means "the worship or love of words." It is derived from the Greek <i>epos</i>, which means "word." The term was apparently coined by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr in 1860. Well, whoever invented it must have had me in mind!<br />
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Salaam!<br />
The Lonely AlchemistHot Saucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638542441627417382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886522508322049586.post-47702399475537492172013-09-17T08:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T08:00:04.403-07:00Poetry Tuesday: "Sonnet 54" by Shakespeare<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ciao!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Lonely Alchemist</div>
<br />Hot Saucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638542441627417382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886522508322049586.post-80598369719428879392013-09-07T08:00:00.000-07:002013-09-07T08:00:00.450-07:00A Quote for Thought<h5 class="uiStreamMessage userContentWrapper" data-ft="{"type":1,"tn":"K"}">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="userContent">"We
gaze continually at the world and it grows dull in our perceptions. Yet
seen from another's vantage point, as if new, it may still take the
breath away." </span></span></span></span></span></h5>
<h5 class="uiStreamMessage userContentWrapper" data-ft="{"type":1,"tn":"K"}">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="userContent">--Dr. Manhattan, <i>Watchmen </i></span></span></span></span></span></h5>
Hot Saucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638542441627417382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886522508322049586.post-53150758999293621842013-08-28T23:53:00.000-07:002013-08-28T23:53:00.547-07:00Word Wednesday: "portmanteau"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSffY_9ob_Z65YrKk-L4ni0IAZ5ncFFccNrR9-0JQV1gx6C2LLF" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSffY_9ob_Z65YrKk-L4ni0IAZ5ncFFccNrR9-0JQV1gx6C2LLF" /></a></div>
Why, oh why, does no one use one of these anymore? Nobody even uses the word, and the world is worse off for it! <i>Portmanteaus</i>, large trunks that open into two equal halves, are a fixture in practically every comedy film from the advent of film up until the 1950s (presumably because you can fit a person inside them), not to mention they're beautifully Victorian. The word comes from the Old French porter ("to carry") and manteau ("cloak").<br />
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I would love to own a portmanteau. It would be the perfect place to pack all my Steampunk costumes and accoutrements, not to mention it would make a lovely antique-ish piece of furniture. Anybody know of any cheap ones for sale, preferably in black leather?<br />
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Ciao!<br />
The Lonely AlchemistHot Saucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638542441627417382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886522508322049586.post-60286938178534035152013-08-20T03:13:00.000-07:002013-08-20T03:13:00.568-07:00Poetry Tuesday: "There By None of Beauty's Daughters..." by George Gordon (Lord) Byron<dl>
<dt>There be
none of Beauty's daughters
</dt>
<dt>With a magic like Thee;
</dt>
<dt>And like music on the waters
</dt>
<dt>Is thy sweet voice to me:
</dt>
<dt>When, as if its sound were causing
</dt>
<dt>The charméd ocean's pausing,
</dt>
<dt>The waves lie still and gleaming,
</dt>
<dt>And the lull'd winds seem dreaming:
</dt>
<dt>And the midnight moon is weaving
</dt>
<dt>Her bright chain o'er the deep,
</dt>
<dt>Whose breast is gently heaving
</dt>
<dt>As an infant's asleep:
</dt>
<dt>So the spirit bows before thee
</dt>
<dt>To <a href="http://www.poetry-archive.com/b/there_be_none_of_beautys_daughters.html#" id="_GPLITA_0" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="Click to Continue > by I Want This">listen</a> and adore thee;
</dt>
<dt>With a full but soft emotion,
</dt>
<dt>Like the swell of Summer's ocean. </dt>
<dt> </dt>
<dt>Ciao!</dt>
<dt>The Lonely Alchemist </dt>
</dl>
Hot Saucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638542441627417382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886522508322049586.post-9327274527534231572013-08-14T23:22:00.000-07:002013-08-14T23:22:00.869-07:00Word Wednesday: "maledicent"As I'm sure you could guess from looking, that today's word, <i>maledicent,</i> has something to do with being bad, like <i>mal</i>eficent, <i>mal</i>efactor, <i>mal</i>practice, etc... In fact, it means "one who is addicted to abusive speech." I can't really think of any good examples of this kind of person in real life. Some characters from "A Bit of Fry & Laurie" sketches come to mind...<br />
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As for the prefix <i>mal</i>, it means "bad, badly or ill," coming from Old French <i>mal</i>, from the Latin adverb <i>male</i>, from <i>malus</i>, meaning "bad."<br />
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Ciao!<br />
The Lonely AlchemistHot Saucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638542441627417382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886522508322049586.post-45672994850892917062013-08-05T08:00:00.000-07:002013-08-05T08:00:05.786-07:00Movie Monday: "Fire and Ice"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's hard to argue against the fact that Ralph Bakshi has a distinct, campy, yet enjoyable style to his films. Well, if you've seen any of his films, that is. Chances are, you haven't. If you have, you are a colossal nerd, and therefore my blood-brother/sister. His animated features are hardly popular anymore (though a few can be found on Netflix and are definitely worth watching), and perhaps couldn't have been called popular in their heyday. They are the epitome of campy, over-sexed, sword-and-sorcery, He-Man style, most definitely outdated (not in a bad way) fantasy, and "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085542/" target="_blank">Fire and Ice</a>" is perhaps the campiest and the sexiest, and to nerds of the adult sci-fi/fantasy sort, it's certainly not outdated.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Larn and Teegra</td></tr>
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"Fire and Ice" tells the stories of Larn, a young warrior whose village is wiped out by the evil sorcerer Nekron of the fortress Icekeep, and Princess Teegra, who is kidnapped by Nekron's minions, the half-ape half-human "subhumans" who seem to thirst for violence and sex. Larn and Teegra, along with the mysterious Darkwolf, attempt to stop Nekron's deadly advance towards Teegra's castle, Firekeep (Fire and Ice, get it? yeah it's simple). Darkwolf is a strange character, and older man whose back-story is never fully explained. It appears that he is a vigilante who is sworn to destroy Nekron and his power-hungry mother, Queen Juliana. The trio has various misadventures through jungles, swamps, and ancient ruins. Teegra and Larn fall in love, of course, as they must, and he rescues her from Nekron's evil. Other than that, I don't want to spoil the ending for you. If you have a Netflix account, I recommend watching the film.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Could she wear any less?</td></tr>
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Part of "Fire and Ice's" charm is the primitive way the story is told. There are long periods of silence, and the characters' vocabularies do seem to be rather reduced. This gives everything a pre-historical tone, as much of the interaction relies on touch and gesticulation. The other part of its charm is in the stereotypical over-sexualization that every sword-and-sorcery film <i>must</i> have. The characters wear so few clothing items that they must all get frostbite when they go the glacier fortress. How they manage to survive a single night in the wilderness in such little clothing is beyond me, but of course they are in good company. I have yet to see an old sword-and-sorcery film where the characters, animated or live, wear more than a bikini's worth of togs. A third reason to love the film is that the heroine is not blond!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Larn and Darkwolf</td></tr>
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Despite the obvious sexism, the relatively predictable plot, and the out-dated feel of "Fire and Ice," it is still one of my favorite animated films. It's both a serious (and simplistic) story about hunger for power, and a fluffy erotic romp. I recommend that you get your hands on it, if you enjoy this sort of genre. Don't watch it around little kids; there's a bit too much sex. And while you're watching "Fire and Ice," why not add some of Bakshi's other films to your watchlist, like "Wizards," "Fritz the Cat," and "Coolworld." (Don't watch these films around kids either. "Fritz the Cat" is pornographic.) Have fun watching, and enjoy this relic of 80s pulp!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Larn and Nekron</td></tr>
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Ciao!<br />
The Lonely AlchemistHot Saucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638542441627417382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886522508322049586.post-63701487855433752422013-08-01T08:00:00.000-07:002013-08-01T08:00:04.360-07:00Steampunk TattoosAs both a lover of Steampunk and a lover of tattoos, it was only a matter of time before I decided to combine my loves. About a year ago, I got my first (of hopefully many) Steampunk tattoo (not my first tattoo, but my first punky one). It's on my left thigh, a nice place for women to get tattoos as it can be easily covered, and it usually ends up looking quite sexy (especially in a bathing suit). Here's a picture, which has rather bad resolution and is upside-down, unfortunately, but I have an awful camera so I hope you'll forgive me (there's a much better photo in my tattoo artist's <a href="http://www.finetattoowork.com/michael2.html" target="_blank">portfolio</a>, on the second row down):<br />
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I already have my next Steampunk tattoo planned. It will be a mechanical Sailor Jerry style swallow. I'm debating whether to do it in rich purple and blue, or traditional brown, grey, and gold (like the koi above). Since I already have a bright blue and purple tattoo on my back, I think I'll go with the copper and metal color scheme.<br />
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When it comes to getting one's love for Steampunk permanently inked on one's body, I am in good company. There are hundreds of photos of Steampunk tattoos on the internet, both very good and very bad. As in everything we do, Steampunks are passionate about our ink; those of us with it, that is. There are people with "mechanical" arms and geared wings and airships and Cthulhu monsters and more.<br />
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT4NmwoiMEN-8iKdzFBxlzICItPgexgy3UurVJlBsO_eNjXVJ1l" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT4NmwoiMEN-8iKdzFBxlzICItPgexgy3UurVJlBsO_eNjXVJ1l" width="200" /></a>It's nice to see that there are a range of styles and colors of Steampunk tattoos as well. Some tattoo enthusiasts go with the old-fashioned black line-work, while others choose a stereotypically brown-and-black Steampunk color palette, and others still, like me, go for a bright rainbow palette. There are Sailor Jerry style outlined tattoos and realistic three dimensional portrait style tattoos. Just like Steampunk costuming and characterization, tattoos vary widely in design and color and placement and defy the greater world's stereotype of Steampunk.<br />
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQyynZPAOWlJ10UhIQul7sUfq-SrjwruAqRW_0tZFtZKUav_lIB6Q" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQyynZPAOWlJ10UhIQul7sUfq-SrjwruAqRW_0tZFtZKUav_lIB6Q" /></a> I've seen Steampunk tattoos criticized widely on the internet with the usual argument of "you're really going to regret that later." (Hint: people who get well-thought-out and well done tattoos never regret them.) It seems like tattoo haters look down on "subculture" and "geek/nerd" tattoos especially harshly, with the opinion that our love for Steampunk will pass as we "grow up," so we shouldn't get our childish pass-times inked on ourselves. (Since when is Steampunk childish? It's always seemed squarely adult to me.) To the haters: boo on you. It's none of your beeswax.<br />
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If you are a tattooed Steampunk, then I say welcome to the club! I only hope you thought out your tattoo well and chose a great artist. And if you're thinking of making your body a permanent Steampunk temple, then more power to you and good luck on the process. If you're interested in more lovely punky tattoos, join the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SteampunkTattoos?fref=ts" target="_blank">Steampunk Tattoo page</a> on facebook. And in the meantime, enjoy these pictures of Victorians and Edwardians with tattoos.<br />
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Hot Saucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638542441627417382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886522508322049586.post-886532918222767772013-07-16T00:00:00.000-07:002013-07-16T00:00:06.437-07:00Poetry Tuesday: "A conversation in the stype of Japanese love poems" by Robin Bonneau<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<u><i>A conversation in the style of Japanese love poems</i></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
I no longer walk in my
garden </div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.5in; text-align: right; text-indent: .5in;">
for the flowers there remind </div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.5in; text-align: right; text-indent: .5in;">
me of your beauty – </div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.5in; text-align: right; text-indent: .5in;">
and increase my sorrow.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I try to think</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
that it was only yesterday you left-</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
but the snow on the trees</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and my tear-stained sleeves</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
do not leave room for excuses.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You have forsaken me.<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
Last night I never
slept.</div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
Watching the smoke
float out my window,</div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
I wondered if it flew
to yours.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Green buds color the hillsides.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I prepare tea and wait hopefully for you.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The tea grows cold.<span style="mso-tab-count: 6;"> </span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
When snow falls on the
mountain tops </div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
I think of you.</div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
Is your sleep also
disturbed </div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
by tender dreams, not
cold?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Why do you not come?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Does snow forbid your passage, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
or other love hold you prisoner?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Send word – I worry.</div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
I gaze in my mirror.</div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
It does not reflect my
love,</div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
only my sadness.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I serve myself sake </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I pour two cups.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then I must drink both cups </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
lest someone suspect my anticipation </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
of your coming.</div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
I say today, that it
was </div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
the cherry blossoms
that </div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
perfumed my sleeves
last night.</div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
But everyone knows it
was you.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The reflection of the rising moon</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
drops like a single tear into the lake.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I understand the lake’s sadness,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
that at each dawn it must</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
give up its luminous lover.</div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
When you come it is
like spring,</div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
but when you leave, I
shiver.</div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
Spring breezes can
bring cold reminders of winter.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The night breeze blows </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
my sadness away with the blossoms.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Why does the moonlight </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
not betray the tears on my sleeves?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Because they have dried.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You are beside me.<br />
<br />
<br />
Ciao!<br />
The Lonely Alchemist </div>
<br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]-->Hot Saucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638542441627417382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886522508322049586.post-46487667453560358452013-07-05T08:00:00.000-07:002013-07-06T18:09:22.921-07:00Poe Week: Poe's Fashion (sort of...)In case you've never thought about it, here is a short (tongue-in-cheek) guide to the fashions of Edgar Allan Poe's day. To create the appropriately flouncy, feminine, helpless look of a woman from the Gothic romances of Poe's mind:<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRBBPtWVD99MITdVIHiS2lWQthiuNfhwDvESlSB138GZXuZDms7ew" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRBBPtWVD99MITdVIHiS2lWQthiuNfhwDvESlSB138GZXuZDms7ew" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">accentuate your sloping shoulders</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSQne8wgJvez_K1vTgAjBegVmvQcm28hrUNmOnSHV-quJzzpWRq" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSQne8wgJvez_K1vTgAjBegVmvQcm28hrUNmOnSHV-quJzzpWRq" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">minimize your waist</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.koshka-the-cat.com/plates/godeys1874.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://www.koshka-the-cat.com/plates/godeys1874.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">bare your shoulders and collarbone at every appropriate opportunity</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRzNcyvRIhn56Bl-lcUHjt6l08MQANfosrin1oCN2tPzLobQuYJdw" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRzNcyvRIhn56Bl-lcUHjt6l08MQANfosrin1oCN2tPzLobQuYJdw" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">work the bonnet style</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/30/1853_outerwear.jpg/200px-1853_outerwear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/30/1853_outerwear.jpg/200px-1853_outerwear.jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">have as many ruffles and flowers on your dress as possible, as this will make you more helpless (and unable to move)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
And for the men, here's your guide to evincing the paranoid, perhaps drunk, and hopefully masculine look of Poe's men:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://yesteryearsnews.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/1840s-fashion-men-women.jpg?w=450" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="234" src="http://yesteryearsnews.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/1840s-fashion-men-women.jpg?w=450" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a waist-minimizing vest that accentuates your chest is a must</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTzBQBfC0-v5_FNWkqXDkFF2LFI5FkdgJAYALlv7TwzmU_30oBQ" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTzBQBfC0-v5_FNWkqXDkFF2LFI5FkdgJAYALlv7TwzmU_30oBQ" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">carry a cane; it makes you dapper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa284/Satorarepo/GentlemenFashion_Oct1830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa284/Satorarepo/GentlemenFashion_Oct1830.jpg" width="277" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">tie your cravat with aplomb so as to cover your whole neck and make it look muscular</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://threadforthought.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Dandies-c.-1840s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://threadforthought.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Dandies-c.-1840s.jpg" width="203" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">if you absolutely must express your personality, wear exciting pants</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRHeNYsDFTpbxudNJmHQBB29EI86WKOmlPckcjdRoBUroZcEvQb" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRHeNYsDFTpbxudNJmHQBB29EI86WKOmlPckcjdRoBUroZcEvQb" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">never be without a hat (especially if you are wearing exciting pants)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Well, I hope that explains everything perfectly... ;)<br />
<br />
Au revoir!<br />
The Lonely AlchemistHot Saucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638542441627417382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886522508322049586.post-83025928226073577392013-07-04T00:00:00.000-07:002013-07-04T00:00:06.159-07:00Poe Week: That's Poe-posterous! (the internet's best Poe jokes)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/5118174464/hC225603C/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/5118174464/hC225603C/" width="359" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQGwrn30WlmxH8ZECxz1yQnOtzEwSzw8juCVMcUZC6Ws82FTVv3uQ" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQGwrn30WlmxH8ZECxz1yQnOtzEwSzw8juCVMcUZC6Ws82FTVv3uQ" width="159" /></a><a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTsJWYjBrdk7M3PR8LzhhRp8q5W9yG4vnr-lu9IFQjgCjO8gGVK" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTsJWYjBrdk7M3PR8LzhhRp8q5W9yG4vnr-lu9IFQjgCjO8gGVK" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/192x/ab/65/27/ab6527364a7f62122bdc437079602dc9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/192x/ab/65/27/ab6527364a7f62122bdc437079602dc9.jpg" width="175" /></a><a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSMQg92wSwuKr2GbUZyXSDPgedH2OVmf78ZoBZaoneyqKAd6K_y" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSMQg92wSwuKr2GbUZyXSDPgedH2OVmf78ZoBZaoneyqKAd6K_y" width="140" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://media-cache-ak1.pinimg.com/236x/d6/ad/3f/d6ad3f2ed300849fd8a562081c03c905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="http://media-cache-ak1.pinimg.com/236x/d6/ad/3f/d6ad3f2ed300849fd8a562081c03c905.jpg" width="222" /></a><a href="http://media-cache-ec2.pinimg.com/236x/eb/1f/c7/eb1fc7c743e17c4faac5ac8a86ae7e4d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="http://media-cache-ec2.pinimg.com/236x/eb/1f/c7/eb1fc7c743e17c4faac5ac8a86ae7e4d.jpg" width="156" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
And perhaps the only piece of humor Poe ever wrote (he wrote it to pay his tavern bill):<br />
<br />
<div class="stanza">
"Fill with mingled cream and amber<br />
<div class="i2">
I will drain that glass again.</div>
Such hilarious visions clamber<br />
<div class="i2">
Through the chamber of my brain —</div>
Quaintest thoughts — queerest fancies<br />
<div class="i2">
Come to life and fade away;</div>
What care I how time advances?<br />
<div class="i2">
I am drinking ale today."</div>
<div class="i2">
<br /></div>
<div class="i2">
Ciao!</div>
<div class="i2">
The Lonely Alchemist </div>
</div>
Hot Saucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638542441627417382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886522508322049586.post-55207260159472692522013-07-03T00:00:00.000-07:002013-07-03T00:00:00.373-07:00Poe Week: Word WednesdayEdgar Allan Poe was fond of what we would consider to be obscure vocabulary. He was highly educated with an enormous vocabulary (compared to modern writers) and knowledge of many languages. These are just a few of the words he used that nobody seems to use anymore (alas). Just for fun, try to use one in conversation today!<br />
<br />
abeyance - suspension of activity<br />
abstruse - hard to understand<br />
acrid - sharp and unpleasant in scent or flavor<br />
amatory - relating to expressing sexual love<br />
bagatelle - short piano piece<br />
beldame - old woman<br />
cassock - long cloak worn by clergy<br />
charnel - room or building in which bodies are deposited<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
dint - by force of/because of<br />
disinter - dig up a body<br />
eidolon - the astral double of a living being<br />
eclat - ostentatious desplay<br />
ennui - boredom<br />
epigram - a witty saying<br />
escritoire - a writing desk<br />
fetid - having an offensive smell<br />
fustian - excessively embellished<br />
gendarme - a police officer<br />
girting - encircling<br />
ichor - a thin watery discharge<br />
immolation - to be killed as a sacrifice (in fire)<br />
impunity - freedom from punishment<br />
laconic - of very few words, concise<br />
lethe - the river of forgetfulness that flows through Hades<br />
mendicants - homeless beggars<br />
moiety - a bit of something, half of something<br />
non-plussed - perplexed<br />
occiput - the rear of the skull<br />
pall - the heavy cloth draped over a coffin<br />
palliative - reducing the severity of an illness<br />
quaff - to drink deeply<br />
raconteur - a good story teller<br />
recusant - one who refuses to accept authority<br />
stertorous - characterized by a loud gasping noise<br />
taper - candle<br />
trepanning - primitive brain surgery where a hole is drilled in the skull to reduce cranial pressure<br />
torpid - numb<br />
vestige - a visible sign left by something<br />
viand - item of food<br />
wan - pallid, faint, in poor health<br />
wont - a habitual way of doing something (noun)<br />
<br />
<br />
Ciao!<br />
The Lonely AlchemistHot Saucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638542441627417382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886522508322049586.post-3296696535003574252013-07-02T08:00:00.000-07:002013-07-02T08:00:03.637-07:00Poe Week: Poetry Tuesday: "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjE7L4eU1vLdRZyp13qSZJDR2XS7V2b9eTxhyR68uFUoL4KRmkY2JVaPepFFY0vpJcu98NydOf-Cuz-uQUxoGoK1Su0xhiSv9wBHrJMYeZ4HRFqytxLzr5sd7E7a6Exu7E4ffbVZ1aK4D/s400/00+00+Dungeon+header+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe" border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjE7L4eU1vLdRZyp13qSZJDR2XS7V2b9eTxhyR68uFUoL4KRmkY2JVaPepFFY0vpJcu98NydOf-Cuz-uQUxoGoK1Su0xhiSv9wBHrJMYeZ4HRFqytxLzr5sd7E7a6Exu7E4ffbVZ1aK4D/s400/00+00+Dungeon+header+2.jpg" title="Raven" width="400" /></a></div>
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Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,<br />
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,<br />
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,<br />
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.<br />
`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -<br />
Only this, and nothing more.'<br />
<br />
Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,<br />
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.<br />
Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrow<br />
From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore -<br />
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore -<br />
Nameless here for evermore.<br />
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And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain<br />
Thrilled me - filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;<br />
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating<br />
`'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door -<br />
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door; -<br />
This it is, and nothing more,'<br />
<br />
Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,<br />
`Sir,' said I, `or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;<br />
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,<br />
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,<br />
That I scarce was sure I heard you' - here I opened wide the door; -<br />
Darkness there, and nothing more.<br />
<br />
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,<br />
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;<br />
But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token,<br />
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, `Lenore!'<br />
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, `Lenore!'<br />
Merely this and nothing more.<br />
<br />
Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,<br />
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.<br />
`Surely,' said I, `surely that is something at my window lattice;<br />
Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore -<br />
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; -<br />
'Tis the wind and nothing more!'<br />
<br />
Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,<br />
In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore.<br />
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;<br />
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door -<br />
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door -<br />
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.<br />
<br />
Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,<br />
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,<br />
`Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,' I said, `art sure no craven.<br />
Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the nightly shore -<br />
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!'<br />
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'<br />
<br />
Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,<br />
Though its answer little meaning - little relevancy bore;<br />
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being<br />
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door -<br />
Bird or beast above the sculptured bust above his chamber door,<br />
With such name as `Nevermore.'<br />
<br />
But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only,<br />
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.<br />
Nothing further then he uttered - not a feather then he fluttered -<br />
Till I scarcely more than muttered `Other friends have flown before -<br />
On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.'<br />
Then the bird said, `Nevermore.'<br />
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Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,<br />
`Doubtless,' said I, `what it utters is its only stock and store,<br />
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful disaster<br />
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore -<br />
Till the dirges of his hope that melancholy burden bore<br />
Of "Never-nevermore."'<br />
<br />
But the raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling,<br />
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust and door;<br />
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking<br />
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore -<br />
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore<br />
Meant in croaking `Nevermore.'<br />
<br />
This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing<br />
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core;<br />
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining<br />
On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o'er,<br />
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o'er,<br />
<i>She</i> shall press, ah, nevermore!<br />
<br />
Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer<br />
Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.<br />
`Wretch,' I cried, `thy God hath lent thee - by these angels he has sent thee<br />
Respite - respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore!<br />
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!'<br />
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'<br />
<br />
`Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil! -<br />
Whether tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,<br />
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted -<br />
On this home by horror haunted - tell me truly, I implore -<br />
Is there - <i>is</i> there balm in Gilead? - tell me - tell me, I implore!'<br />
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'<br />
<br />
`Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil!<br />
By that Heaven that bends above us - by that God we both adore -<br />
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,<br />
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels named Lenore -<br />
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels named Lenore?'<br />
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'<br />
<br />
`Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked upstarting -<br />
`Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!<br />
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!<br />
Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!<br />
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!'<br />
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'<br />
<br />
And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting<br />
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;<br />
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,<br />
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;<br />
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor<br />
Shall be lifted - nevermore!Hot Saucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638542441627417382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886522508322049586.post-57505710356990976472013-07-01T07:30:00.000-07:002013-07-01T07:30:00.131-07:00Poe Week: Movie MondayEdgar Allan Poe wrote with a very distinct and elegant brand of horror and suspense, and no one is better qualified to bring his works to screen than the inimitable Vincent Price, with his articulate, subtly sinister villains and flamboyant "heroes." During his long reign as the king of suspense, Price starred in 7 films directed by the king of B horror movies himself, Roger Corman, that were loosely based on Poe's works. (The cycle encompassed 8 films, but Price was absent from the cast of <i>The Premature Burial</i>.) So let's take a look at the "collaborations" between these masters.<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053925/" target="_blank">House of Usher</a>: based on The Fall of the House of Usher, this film stars Price as the ill-fated titular character. While much of the film is true to Poe's story, the writers added a touch of romantic intrigue and turned Price into a conniving possessive villain, rather than the neurotic depressed character of the story to keep the movie audience interested. The movie is short, barely over an hour, and the acting is as good as can be expected from an early Corman film (so it's moderately good). Poe would probably have approved of Price's portrayal of Roderick Usher, despite the differences from the story. Our rating: 3 out of 5 stars.<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055304/" target="_blank">The Pit and the Pendulum</a>: now this one has very little to do with the original story. The writers added a whole caboodle of torture devices and scenarios that weren't in the story, as well as another unnecessary romance. Here we see the true Corman coming through, as he takes Poe's blood and terror to a whole other level, and Corman blood is always entertaining. While Poe would probably have been dismayed by the gory sensationalism given to his work in lieu of psychological suspense, this is still a really fun watch and it moves surprisingly fast for an old film. Our rating: 4 out of 5 stars.<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056368/" target="_blank">The Premature Burial</a>: this doesn't star Price so it's missing a lot of charisma, but for a die-hard Poe fan who feels obligated to watch all adaptations of Poe's works, it's still worth a look. It's actually fairly similar to the short story, and keeps the same frenetic neurotic feel. Our rating 2 out of 5 stars.<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056552/" target="_blank">Tales of Terror</a>: this is by far my favorite film adaptation of Poe's works. Tales of Terror combines four short stories ("Morella," "The Black Cat," "The Cask of Amontillado," and "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar") into three short films, which keep the same kind of tension and mood as Poe's stories, making them a closer adaptation than the other full length films. Starring Price, Peter Lorre, and Basil Rathbone, all kings of horror and suspense, as well as other famous actors of the day, this is a star studded masterpiece of vintage terror. If you never watch another Poe adaptation, at least watch this one. You won't regret it. Our rating: 5 out of 5 stars.<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057449/" target="_blank">The Raven</a>: based very, very loosely on the poem of the same name, <i>The Raven</i> is more black comedy and farce than terror and suspense. I don't even know what to make of it. I've watched it twice, and I still can't think what possessed the writers to adapt the poem in this way. The plot is tenuous but mildly entertaining, and if you watch it you'll get to see what Jack Nicholson looked like when he was young and handsome and couldn't act his way out of a paper bag. And you'll get to see Boris Karloff make an utter fool of himself. And I'm not really convinced that's a good thing. Our rating: 2 out of 5 stars.<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057128/" target="_blank">The Haunted Palace</a>: <i>The Haunted Palace</i> isn't based on a Poe story at all; it's based on an H. P. Lovecraft story and merely borrows its title from Poe. I haven't watched it. If you have, give us a recommendation in the comments!<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058333/" target="_blank">The Masque of the Red Death</a>: I don't know what to make of this movie. I'm still not sure what the plot was. I know that it was supposed to be like the story, but... I'm confused. There's a lot of lavish scenery and costumes, but even Price seems confused by this script. There is a despotic, out-of-touch prince, and there is a masque, and there is the Red Death, but everything in-between is a blur. Is that some class warfare I saw for a moment there? Who knows. Watch it for yourself and see if you can figure out how close this film is to the story. Our rating: 2 out of 5 stars.<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059821/" target="_blank">The Tomb of Ligeia</a>: based on "Ligeia," this film's modicum of brilliance lies in its frustrating suspense. I spent the whole 81 minutes desperately wanting to see what was going on, but just like the story, we only see snippets from the point of view of the narrator, Price. The main gist of the story is intact in the film, and it's cool to see the same actress playing both ill-fated wives, though this device is by now quite common in supernatural movies. Our rating: 3 out of 5 stars.<br />
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For an almost complete list of Poe's works and life in film and TV, check <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe_in_television_and_film" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Ciao!<br />
The Lonely AlchemistHot Saucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638542441627417382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886522508322049586.post-47467265689152293502013-06-29T00:00:00.000-07:002013-06-29T00:00:09.781-07:00Welcome to Poe Week!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Edgar Allan Poe is the undisputed master of Gothic fiction and poetry and perhaps the most well known American author of the Victorian era, so here at The Lonely Alchemist we celebrate him with Poe Week on the first week of July! Every post this week will have a healthy dose of Poe, from his most famous poem to his short stories to his life and times. On Monday the 1st, check in to see our reviews of the best and worst movie adaptations of Poe's stories, on Tuesday read (or re-read!) his famous "The Raven," on Wednesday brush up your vocabulary with some of Poe's most obscure words, on Thursday enjoy a collection of the cheekiest Poe jokes and cartoons and find out where you can read Poe for free on the internet, and on Friday finish off your Poe week with an exploration of Gothic fashion. On Saturday, keep your eyes peeled for a special surprise Poe post (or Poest) that you won't want to miss! Join us every day for you Poe-licious fix!<br />
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Caio!<br />
The Lonely AlchemistHot Saucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638542441627417382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886522508322049586.post-22389187968279824862013-06-28T01:33:00.000-07:002013-06-28T01:34:16.070-07:00Let's give a cheer for marriage!In case you don't follow the news, or aren't American, or are American but live in a hole or something, DOMA, the Defence of Marriage Act that legalized marriage discrimination against gays and lesbians, was overturned by the United States supreme court on June 26th. And in case you didn't know, this is a huge deal for gays and bisexuals in America. It is just one more step towards marriage equality everywhere, and I can tell you that my Facebook was blowing up yesterday with all the happiness from my gay and straight friends alike. Now this doesn't mean that suddenly gay marriage is legal all over the United States. But it is still progress, and I salute those supreme court justices who stood 5 to 4 against it. If you are against gay marriage, I'm sorry for you and your bigotry, which I'm sure makes you quite unhappy. You should probably stop reading this post, and don't bother to comment and spread your bigotry. I will not publish your comment. But if you are for equality and progress, then please join me in celebrating this victory with an appreciation of all marriage. Below are some of the internet's best wedding pictures, from gay and straight couples. Enjoy!<br />
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The Lonely AlchemistHot Saucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638542441627417382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886522508322049586.post-25204375351620394382013-06-28T00:39:00.000-07:002013-06-28T00:39:35.214-07:00Brunch fit for a king!When I set out to make breakfast this morning, I was only going to whip up some scrambled eggs with the left-over bacon rinds from last night's pasta carbonara. But when I looked into the fridge, I was inevitably captivated by all the other bits and pieces that needed to be cooked up before they went bad. So I ended up making a lavish brunch that just tasted heavenly! And because I love you so much, dear readers, I am now happy to share with you the recipe for one of the most delicious meals you'll ever eat.<br />
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<b><i>Omelet with carrots in remoulade sauce and nutella raspberry sandwiches (serves 2):</i></b><br />
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Omelet:<br />
4 eggs, whipped together<br />
1/2 of a yellow or sweet onion, diced<br />
3 stalks of celery, diced<br />
1/2 cup of bacon or other meat, diced<br />
3/4 cup shredded cheese (I used mild white cheddar)<br />
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Pre-cook the celery, onions, and meat to your taste. The veggies should cook well in the bacon grease. Remove from skillet. Next, make the omelets. Fill each with veg and meat filling, and sprinkle with cheese. Garnish omelets with any extra filling and cheese. If you like, you can season the egg mixture with salt and pepper, but I find that the meat and cheese with probably be salty enough to satisfy you.<br />
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Carrots in low-fat remoulade:<br />
as many carrots as you like, sliced<br />
1/3 cup non-fat yoghurt<br />
1 t mustard<br />
dash pickle juice<br />
dash lemon juice <br />
dash Worcestershire sauce<br />
dash garlic <br />
1/2 t cayenne pepper<br />
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Cook the carrots in the skillet for about 6 min. so they are still a bit crunchy. To make the remoulade sauce, simply mix all the ingredients together and let sit for a few minutes so the flavors mingle. If you don't have the ingredients for remoulade, the cajun mixed spices that can be found at any grocery store will work well. Serve carrots warmed, and spoon sauce onto them.<br />
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Nutella raspberry sandwiches:<br />
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2 slices bread<br />
nutella<br />
fresh raspberries<br />
powdered sugar<br />
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Spread bread with Nutella and top with raspberries and powdered sugar. For hot sandwiches, brush with butter and toast in a panini press or warm in a skillet.<br />
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Enjoy your brunch!<br />
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Ciao!<br />
The Lonely AlchemistHot Saucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638542441627417382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6886522508322049586.post-54099473166130064252013-06-25T08:00:00.000-07:002013-06-25T08:00:03.155-07:00Disney gets Steampunked (again)There are hordes of artists (most of them on deviantArt) who have given their favorite Disney characters a Steampunk spin. Just Google "steampunk disney" and see what you get. There's some really great re-imaginings out there. Even Disney itself came out with some limited edition Steampunk-ish art and doodads recently. But my favorite (so far) punkified Disney characters are from deviantArtist <a href="http://mecaniquefairy.deviantart.com/gallery/42472678" target="_blank">MecaniqueFairy</a>. She's a genius. Here are some of my favorites:<br />
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Ciao!<br />
The Lonely AlchemistHot Saucyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11638542441627417382noreply@blogger.com0