skjam

The Curse of the Cat People (1944) dir. Gunther V. Fritsch

Amy Reed (Ann Carter) lives in Tarrytown, New York, near Sleepy Hollow, with her ship designer father Oliver (Kent Smith) and draft creator mother Alice (Jane Randolph). Amy is a sensitive, imaginative little girl who doesn't get along well with the other children in kindergarten. Though their lives seem happy enough, the house is shadowed by the memory of Oliver's first wife, Irena (Simone Simon) who died under tragic circumstances. Oliver's never fully recovered from that incident, and sees some of Irena's strange beliefs in Amy's imagination. It's as though he's haunted by a ghost.

This movie is a sequel to 1942's Cat People, foisted on producer Val Lewton complete with mandatory title by executives at RKO. He was none too keen on just doing another movie about someone turning into a panther, so this is a completely different story that happens to have several characters returning from the first one.

Amy has a severe rift with the other children when they aren't invited to her birthday party (because Amy put the invitations in a magic hollow tree instead of the official post office mailbox) and is very lonely. She wanders by the spooky old Farren house, where a mysterious voice gifts her with a ring, and a severe-looking woman chases her off.

Jamaican manservant Edward (Sir Lancelot) playfully suggests that her new jewel is a wishing ring, and Amy wishes to have a friend. Seemingly, her wish comes true, even if her parents can't see who she's playing with in the yard.

Told that she must return the ring, Amy goes back to the Farren house with Edward, and meets Julia Farren (Julia Dean) an elderly actress, and her daughter Barbara (Elizabeth Russell). Mrs. Farren is friendly, but a bit delusional--she thinks that the real Barbara died years ago, and this Barbara is an imposter, which has made Barbara bitter to the point of near-madness.

Amy's friend turns out to be Irena, who may be a ghost, or imaginary, cobbled together from pictures Amy's seen and the name her mother mentions. The story never quite specifies. This disturbs Oliver, who reacts badly. On Christmas Night, Amy runs away into a snowstorm, leading to a strange climax.

This movie is certainly not the type of horror story one might expect from the title. There are certainly scary bits, and sad parts, but from Oliver and Alice's perspective, it's more about what happens after you've survived a horror story. Despite what we saw (or think we saw) in the previous movie, Oliver has convinced himself that Irena never actually transformed into a cat, and it was her irrational belief that she would that led to her death. That's why he is disturbed by Amy's bouts of imagination (even when Amy is not in fact imagining things.) He even resorts to saying that she's deliberately lying in an attempt to scare her out of it.

Friendly teacher Miss Callahan (Eve Marsh) explains that imaginary friends are not harmful, but a normal part of child development, and helps Oliver regain his senses. (This scene is one of the reasons this movie is often screened for child psychology students.)

This film is shot well, with good use of lighting and special effects. Ann Carter is an exceptional child actress, and the supporting cast is also excellent. There is genuine suspense.

Content note: A butterfly is crushed, and Amy hits a boy as a result. Suicide is mentioned. Oliver spanks Amy off-screen, and this is treated as a normal, if last resort, punishment. Julia emotionally abuses Barbara due to her delusions.

Overall, this is actually a heartwarming holiday film for certain kinds of families. If you can't take another viewing of It's a Wonderful Life or Miracle on 34th Street, try this one instead.

# Make a post (public, friends-locked, filtered... whatever you're comfortable with) to your LJ. The post should contain your list of ten holiday wishes. The wishes can be anything at all, from simple and fandom-related ("I'd love a Snape/Hermione icon that's just for me") to medium ("I wish for _____ on DVD") to really big ("All I want for Christmas is a new car/computer/house/TV"). The important thing is to make sure these wishes are things you really, truly want.
# If you wish for real life things (not fics or icons), make sure you include some sort of contact info in your post, whether it's your address or just your email address where Santa (or one of his elves) can get in touch with you. Your home address is not required!
# Make sure you post some version of these guidelines in your LJ, or link to the Wishlist community wish_list (it'll be public) so that the holiday joy will spread.

STEP TWO
# Surf around your friends list (or friendsfriends, or just random journals) to see who has posted their list. And now, here's the important part...
# If you see a wish you can grant, and it's in your heart to do so, make someone's wish come true. Sometimes one person's trash is another's treasure, and if you have a leather jacket you don't want or a gift certificate you won't use - or even know where you could get someone's dream purebred Basset Hound for free - do it.
# You needn't spend money on these wishes unless you want to. The point isn't to put people out, it's to provide everyone a chance to be someone else's holiday elf - to spread the joy. Gifts can be made anonymously or not - it's your call. There are no guarantees with this project, and no strings attached. Just... wish, and it might come true. Give and you might receive. You'll have the joy of knowing you made someone's holiday special.

1. A new job. I have a dozen year's experience in customer service, and an excellent phone voice.

2. For all soldiers to come home safe and sound from the wars. My most worried-about soldier made it back, but there's still so many out there.

3. Mix CDs! I am good with regular or MP3 CDs. If you're not in the US, or you happen to know a good local band, I'd like at least one track to be from a homegrown musician. If you want to know more about my tastes, or have a theme suggested, ask in the comments.

4. LJ/DW icons--take a look at my interests and build something from there.

5. Podfic or Fanart of my fanfics!

6. Something off my Amazon wishlist: http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/3TV5UMA84N51R (Gently used is a-ok.)

7. If you are already on LinkedIn, I could use more contacts. (Be sure to mention LJ.

8. Non-US candy. Yum!

9. Fanfics for pulp characters or Golden Age superheroes. Gen by preference; romance is okay if it isn't the main plot of the story.

10. Goodreads friends: Check my booklist so far here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4401570-skjam?shelf=read

( Contact info )

Happy Holidays!

# Make a post (public, friends-locked, filtered... whatever you're comfortable with) to your LJ. The post should contain your list of ten holiday wishes. The wishes can be anything at all, from simple and fandom-related ("I'd love a Snape/Hermione icon that's just for me") to medium ("I wish for _____ on DVD") to really big ("All I want for Christmas is a new car/computer/house/TV"). The important thing is to make sure these wishes are things you really, truly want.
# If you wish for real life things (not fics or icons), make sure you include some sort of contact info in your post, whether it's your address or just your email address where Santa (or one of his elves) can get in touch with you. Your home address is not required!
# Make sure you post some version of these guidelines in your LJ, or link to the Wishlist community wish_list (it'll be public) so that the holiday joy will spread.

STEP TWO
# Surf around your friends list (or friendsfriends, or just random journals) to see who has posted their list. And now, here's the important part...
# If you see a wish you can grant, and it's in your heart to do so, make someone's wish come true. Sometimes one person's trash is another's treasure, and if you have a leather jacket you don't want or a gift certificate you won't use - or even know where you could get someone's dream purebred Basset Hound for free - do it.
# You needn't spend money on these wishes unless you want to. The point isn't to put people out, it's to provide everyone a chance to be someone else's holiday elf - to spread the joy. Gifts can be made anonymously or not - it's your call. There are no guarantees with this project, and no strings attached. Just... wish, and it might come true. Give and you might receive. You'll have the joy of knowing you made someone's holiday special.

1. Good/better health for my family, friends and co-workers.

2. For all soldiers to come home safe and sound from the wars. My most worried-about soldier made it back, but there's sill so many out there.

3. Mix CDs! I am good with regular or MP3 CDs, but since I am on pokey dialup, downloading is not so good for me. If you're not in the US, or you happen to know a good local band, I'd like at least one track to be from a homegrown musician. If you want to know more about my tastes, or have a theme suggested, ask in the comments.

4. LJ/DW icons--take a look at my interests and build something from there.

5. Podfic or Fanart of my fanfics!

6. Something off my Amazon wishlist: http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/3TV5UMA84N51R (Gently used is a-ok.)

7. Zynga gamecards so I can bribe my way to victory. :-P

8. Non-US candy. Yum!

9. Fanfics for pulp characters or Golden Age superheroes. Gen by preference; romance is okay if it isn't the main plot of the story.

10. Goodreads friends: Check my booklist so far here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4401570-skjam?shelf=read

( Contact info )

Happy Holidays!

Christmas happened. It was good to see the family again, and much fun was had. The gift I gave out that seemed the most awesome was a volume of Amerlia Rules for the youngest niece. She was already halfway through when it came time for her to leave.

They'd changed the bus schedules so my bus back to the Cities left about noon; the folks and I had brunch in the Banning Junction cafe. Sadly, it seems that business is down, and that part of the restaurant is now closed and looking for someone to rent.

Snow and cold continue to dominate the weather.

I missed getting a room in the Sheraton for ConVergence; the room committee has acknowledged my request for a Sofitel room, but no guarantees, and I won't find out for a while if it took. I do have a room for Anime Detour though.

Work is tolerable. My supervisor went to Nicaragua for a couple of weeks and brought back souvenirs; I'll be regifting the coffee.

Oh, and back to Christmas for the moment, I sent out all the wishlist items, finally. I hope everyone got them okay. I was very pleased with several mix CDs, some candy, books and so forth. Thanks, internet!

For hobby stuff, I have been "liveblogging" the Republic movie serial "Zorro's Fighting Legion" over on the TV Tropes website. Take a look: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/lb_i.php?lb_id=12921152820B27780100&i_id=12921152820I27781900&p=1

Have sent out quite a few of the surprises for the folks on holiday_wishes and wish_list. I know at least a few of them have arrived because the recepients have said so, and one definitely did not. (Gonna have to look into that.)

Need to wrap the presents I'm giving family members, and figure out who I've got left to shop for. My parents have asked for giving to a good cause this year, so that one's easy.

Made a couple of posts on Scans Daily, which is having a big December event.

Work goes okay.

Still trying to lose weight. Valiantly resisting my usual habit of buying cartons of egg nog and drinking them at a single sitting, but man I love egg nog. Exercise getting even harder to get around to with onset of snow, ice and frigid air.

Have received one package so far this season, I know who it's from and approximately what it might be, but am saving opening it for a little closer to Christmas. Also, my brother's family holiday letter.

Hope all of you are as well as can be expected, and keeping warm.

# Make a post (public, friends-locked, filtered... whatever you're comfortable with) to your LJ. The post should contain your list of ten holiday wishes. The wishes can be anything at all, from simple and fandom-related ("I'd love a Snape/Hermione icon that's just for me") to medium ("I wish for _____ on DVD") to really big ("All I want for Christmas is a new car/computer/house/TV"). The important thing is to make sure these wishes are things you really, truly want.
# If you wish for real life things (not fics or icons), make sure you include some sort of contact info in your post, whether it's your address or just your email address where Santa (or one of his elves) can get in touch with you. Your home address is not required!
# Make sure you post some version of these guidelines in your LJ, or link to the Wishlist community (it'll be public) so that the holiday joy will spread.

STEP TWO
# Surf around your friends list (or friendsfriends, or just random journals) to see who has posted their list. And now, here's the important part...
# If you see a wish you can grant, and it's in your heart to do so, make someone's wish come true. Sometimes one person's trash is another's treasure, and if you have a leather jacket you don't want or a gift certificate you won't use - or even know where you could get someone's dream purebred Basset Hound for free - do it.
# You needn't spend money on these wishes unless you want to. The point isn't to put people out, it's to provide everyone a chance to be someone else's holiday elf - to spread the joy. Gifts can be made anonymously or not - it's your call. There are no guarantees with this project, and no strings attached. Just... wish, and it might come true. Give and you might receive. You'll have the joy of knowing you made someone's holiday special.

1. Good/better health for my family, friends and co-workers.

2. For all soldiers to come home safe and sound from the wars. My most worried-about soldier made it back, but there's sill so many out there.

3. Mix CDs! I am good with regular or MP3 CDs, but since I am on pokey dialup, downloading is not so good for me. If you're not in the US, or you happen to know a good local band, I'd like at least one track to be from a homegrown musician. If you want to know more about my tastes, or have a theme suggested, ask in the comments.

4. LJ/DW icons--take a look at my interests and build something from there.

5. Podfic or Fanart of my fanfics!

6. Something off my Amazon wishlist: http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/3TV5UMA84N51R (Gently used is a-ok.)

7. Pre-1985 British comics of any genre, not including 2000 AD. (I had most of those.)

8. Non-US candy. Yum!

9. Fanfics for pulp characters or Golden Age superheroes. Gen by preference; romance is okay if it isn't the main plot of the story.

10. Heroclix and similar-sized gaming miniatures. Especially pulp-suitable ones as that's the genre I am GMing these days.

PM me for my snailmail if you need it.

By the by, I am hitting the big 5-0 in late June, so if you're all wishlisted out right now, perhaps you could come back to this entry in six months?

I had today off unexpectedly, as one of the people who had the day decided they weren't going out of town after all, and I was next on the waitlist.

Good thing too, as I have never seen so many places close so early on Christmas Eve. Several of them without even a note saying they were closing early--including Subway!

Coming home, I discovered that due to the heavy snow, the Christmas celebration for my family is pushed back to next Friday. :-{ Fortunately, thanks to my internet friends, I have some presents to open tomorrow anyway. Maybe I'll take in the new Sherlock Holmes movie, though the previews made it look a little too focused on sex humor for my tastes. And I'll be able to hit Target for their post Xmas candy sale on Saturday.

Yeah, I'm a little disappointed, but not as much as one of my co-workers, who wasn't able to go home to California for the first time in twenty years due to a really bad set of circumstances.

Speaking of co-workers, we finally got an address to send cards to Nicole; she's still too weak for visitors though, apparently.

Oh, and one last package made it to the post office today! Thanks, greenhawk! Looking forward to seeing what's inside.