Benedict Cumberbatch

Can someone please answer this question?

What is the big deal about Benedict Cumberbatch?

So many of my friends love him and it seems just about everyone does. Is it his looks? His acting?

I don't get it. Please explain....

Aunt Polly in the Church

Hands up if you've seen the 1960 version of the movie, Pollyanna, starring Hayley Mills (the best and ONLY version in my book).

Some of the scenes which have taken on new meaning as I became a Christian and gotten older are the ones where Aunt Polly (Jane Wyman) tells Reverend Ford (Karl Malden) what to preach on. It becomes clear that Aunt Polly is part of the Harrington dynasty - a family ruling over the small town named after them. Despite Pollyanna declaring, "She doesn't own the church," it is clear that Reverend Ford is only a figurehead.

 If you've been a Christian for any length of time, you've probably come across an Aunt Polly or two in your congregation - those who are not official leaders, yet have an enormous influence. At church meetings, they announce that they aren't happy with something and use their family ties to try to change it to their liking. "My grandfather started this church," they moan, "Or I started this church."

Well, so what? What does that make you? A queen?

Jesus Christ is the head of the church. He gifts and appoints some to be pastors, teachers and elders, but these people are there to lead His church for HIS glory and the good of His people. Not to get their own way.

I rejoiced at the look of horror on Aunt Polly's face in church when Reverend Ford gets up to the pulpit and DOESN'T preach what she wants him to.

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5 More Movie Scenes Which Made Me Cry

Here are my first five (way back in 2010):

1. Philomena
Philomena's son Anthony is taken away from her.

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2. Pollyanna (1960 version)
The whole town comes to see Pollyanna after her accident.

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3. Marley and Me
Marley dies.




4. The Neverending Story
Artax sinks into the swamp of sadness.




5. Bambi
Bambi's mother is shot.

5 More Scary Movie Villains

Check out my first five and my second five. I couldn't resist adding five more:

1.Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) in The Shining

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2. Vigo the Carpathian (Wilhelm von Homburg) in Ghostbusters II

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3. The killers (it's that horrible mask) in Scream

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4. Gmork (Alan Oppenheimer) in The Neverending Story

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5. The Skeksis in The Dark Crystal

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How Many of These 250 Movies Have You Seen?

I got this off Facebook. The ones I've seen are in bold.

Vertigo
Memento
Rear Window
Laura
The Third Man
The Maltese Falcon
North By Northwest
Blue Velvet
Dial M For Murder
The Usual Suspects
Wall-E
Forrest Gump
Amelie
The Notebook
While You Were Sleeping
When Harry Met Sally
Casablanca
Notting Hill
Pretty Woman
Sleepless in Seattle
Lawrence of Arabia
Ben-Hur
Schindler's List
Gone With the Wind
Spartacus
Titanic
All Quiet on the Western Front
Saving Private Ryan
Reds
The Ten Commandments
To Kill a Mockingbird
12 Angry Men
Kramer vs. Kramer
The Verdict
A Few Good Men
Witness For the Prosecution
Anatomy of a Murder
In Cold Blood
A Cry in the Dark
Judgment at Nuremberg
The Big Blue
Rocky
Kingpin
Hoosiers
Bull Durham
Baseketball
Remember the Titans
Raging Bull
Chariots of Fire
Jerry MaguireClose Encounters of the Third Kind
Star Trek
E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial
A Clockwork Orange
The Matrix
Blade Runner
Alien
Terminator 2: Judgement Day
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Back to the Future
The Searchers
High Noon
Shane
Unforgiven
Red River
Brokeback Mountain
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Shanghai Noon
Stagecoach
3:10 To Yuma
Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
Pinnochio
Bambi
The Lion King
Fantasia
Toy Story
Beauty and the Beast
Shrek
Cinderella
Finding Nemo
The Wizard of Oz
Howl's Moving Castle
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
King Kong
Miracle on 34th Street
Field of Dreams
Princess Mononoke
Groundhog Day
Pan's Labyrinth
Big
The Godfather
Goodfellas
The Godfather Part II
White Heat
Bonnie and Clyde
Scarface: The Shame of a Nation
Pulp Fiction
The Public Enemy
Little Caesar
Scarface
Citizen Kane
LA Confidential
Se7en
12 Monkeys
The Da Vinci Code
Minority Report
The Name of the Rose
Along Came a Spider
The Prestige
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Singin' in the Rain
G.I. Blues
Mary Poppins
My Fair Lady
The Sound of Music
The King and I
Grease
Grease II
Moulin Rouge
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Dirty Dancing
Step Up 2: The Streets
Strictly Ballroom
Hairspray
Centre Stage
Stormy Weather
Flashdance
Shall We Dance?
Saturday Night Fever
West Side Story
Napolean Dynamite
10 Things I Hate About You
High School Musical
Fame
Heathers
Pump Up the Volume
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Dead Poets Society
Rushmore
Rebel Without a Cause
How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days
Ghost
Just Like Heaven
Stepmom
Armageddon
The Wedding Planner
Love Actually
Runaway Bride
Bridget Jones' Diary
50 First Dates
300
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Passion of the Christ
Gladiator
Braveheart
The Thin Red Line
2001: A Space Odyssey
Star Wars IV: A New Hope
Clueless
The Breakfast Club
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Teen Wolf
Donnie Darko
American Pie
To Sir, With Love
16 Candles
Dangerous Minds
Boyz n the Hood
The Princess Bride
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Labyrinth
The Chronicles of Narnia
Willow
Van Helsing
The Dark Crystal
Beowulf
Ladyhawke
V For Vendetta
The Dark Knight
Hulk
Iron Man
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Spawn
Daredevil
Barb Wire
The Watchmen
X-Men
Superman
Dark City
Mad Max
Robocop
Gremlins
THX 1138
Starship Troopers
Army of Darkness
Gattaca
Logan's Run
Conan the Barbarian
Psycho
The Shining
Aliens
The Thing
Frankenstein
The Exorcist
Saw
Shaun of the Dead
Resident Evil
Vampire Hunter D
Night of the Living Dead
The Amityville Horror
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Poltergeist
Nightmare on Elm Street
The Ring
The Grudge
Hostel
Halloween
Rosemary's Baby
Pearl Harbour
Memphis Belle
Apocalypse Now
Gallipoli
Enemy at the Gates
Full Metal Jacket
Platoon
Das Boot
Gettysburg
Glory
Get Smart
Blazing Saddles
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Monty Python: The Life of Brian
40-Year-Old Virgin
National Lampoon's Animal House
Ghostbusters
The Man Who Knew Too Little
The Odd Couple
Dr. Strangelove
Tootsie
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
The Naked Gun
Spaceballs
The Birdcage
Coming to America
Meet the Parents
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
Anchorman


How many have you seen?

5 More Scary Movie Villains

Here were my first five, but these ones are also scaaaarrrry!

1.  Mombi (Jean Marsh) in Return to Oz

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 2.  The Child Catcher (Robert Helpmann) in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

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 3.  The Beast (Robby Benson) in Beauty and the Beast
Ok, I know he becomes the good guy, but when he's mean, he's scary.

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4.   T-1000 (Robert Patrick) in Terminator 2: Judgment Day

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5.  Phantom Zone Villains - Zod, Ursa and Non (Terence Stamp, Sarah Douglas and Jack O'Halloran) in Superman II

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First Princess Layer, Now Princess Leia

A few weeks ago, my hen, Princess Layer, died.

Now the real Princess Leia has passed away.

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My dad texted me this morning reckoning my chook dying was an omen.

Everlastings and the Everlasting

Last week I finally pulled my green thumb out and weeded one of my horribly overgrown garden beds.  Our place was starting to look very dero, so it was a job well done.

I've had a packet of everlastings that I've been planning to plant in that garden bed for a while.  Now they have finally been scattered onto the soil and raked in.

The process got me thinking about Matthew 13:1-23.  The only part I was playing in potentially growing everlastings was scattering the seed.  I can't make them grow, only God can do that.  As I scattered, I realised I was scattering over all types of soil....even in the one garden bed.  Some patches are rockier, some would be classed as 'good soil'.  But it isn't up to me to determine which everlastings will grow and which won't.  My role is to scatter the seed.  Years ago, a friend preached a sermon at our old church about how we often view non-Christians with 'Terminator glasses' on.  There is a scene in one of the Terminator movies where the Terminator is naked and needs some clothes.  He scans each potential person with his eyes to determine whether their clothes would fit.  So often we do that with non-Christians.  We size them up before telling them the gospel, trying to decide in advance whether our efforts will be fruitful or a waste of time.  We look at people's lifestyles and decide, No, they're in a de-facto relationship or a homosexual relationship, they won't want to hear about Jesus, because it would make things awkward with their partner if they became a Christian.  

But if we really believe God is sovereign and can transform even the hardest heart, then we will scatter without reservation.

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If I Only Had a Brain from The Wizard of Oz

This is what sleep deprivation does to me...

I could while away the hours, conferrin' with the flowers,
Consultin' with the rain.
And my head I'd be scratchin' while my thoughts were busy hatchin',
If I only had a brain.
I'd unravel every riddle for any individ'le,
In trouble or in pain.
With the thoughts I'd be thinkin',
I could be another Lincoln,
If I only had a brain.
Oh, I could tell you why the ocean's near the shore,
I could think of things I'd never thunk before,
And then I'd sit, and think some more. 
I would not just be a nuffin', my head all full of stuffin',
My heart all full of pain.
I would dance and be merry, life would be a ding-a-derry,
If I only had a brain.

Lyrics from here.

5 More Sequels That Should Never Have Been Made

These were my first five.

1.  The Gods Must Be Crazy III: Crazy Hong Kong

2.  Taken 2

3.  Shrek the Third

4.  Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

5.  Toy Story 2

5 More Sequels Which Were As Good As Or Better Than the Original

Here are my first five.

1.  The Gods Must Be Crazy/The Gods Must Be Crazy II

2.  Terminator/Terminator 2: Judgment Day

3.  Father of the Bride/Father of the Bride: Part II

4.  Shrek/Shrek 2

5.  The Wizard of Oz/Return to Oz

5 Favourite Robin Williams Movies

I'm still shocked and saddened by the death of Robin Williams, believed to be by suicide due to depression.  He was a true comedian and a brilliant actor. It shows that we need to have R U Ok? Day every day and not just once a year. Just because someone has a sense of humour and can make other people laugh, doesn't mean they are immune to depression.

I think I will have a Robin Williams movie fest over the coming weeks. We own the first four of my Top 5.

1. Mrs Doubtfire

2.  Jumanji

3.  Patch Adams

4.  Hook

5.  Aladdin

Which are your five favourite Robin Williams movies?

5 Sequels That Should Never Have Been Made

It's always disappointing when you see a great movie and it's popularity is capitalised on by making a dreadful sequel.  It kind of ruins the original then.

There is no point even considering a sequel if the actors from the original don't want to be a part of it.  It's silly when a couple get together in the first movie, but have broken up by the sequel because one of the actors didn't want to reprise their role.

1.  Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous

2.  Speed 2: Cruise Control

3.  Scream 2

4.  Home Alone 3

5.  The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter

Which do you think were some of the worst movie sequels ever made?

5 Sequels Which Were As Good As Or Better Than the Original

1.  Home Alone/Home Alone 2



























2.  Johnny English/Johnny English Reborn

3.  Beethoven/Beethoven's 2nd

4.  Gremlins/Gremlins 2

5.  Ghostbusters/Ghostbusters 2 

Which movie sequels do you think were as good as or better than the original?