Day: September 30, 2009

Words Behind the Pictures Challenge- Fast Times at Ridgemont High

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When Michael posted about this challenge I knew I had to try it.  I love reading and I love movies, so the challenge was a good fit.  This month we had to read the screenplay and watch the movie and the chosen subject was Fast Times at Ridgemont High.  I was not excited.  I was just a few years too young to have seen this movie when it came out and have really only seen enough scenes here and there to know it was not something I’d like.  Anyway, on to the challenge…

The Screenplay

Michael provided the screenplay on his blog and I read it on one sitting last Friday at my computer.  This was my first screenplay and my first experience reading anything that long on my computer and I liked the first, but didn’t necessarily enjoy reading it on my computer screen.  It was relatively short, so it wasn’t too bad.

This screenplay was really the bare bones of the movie making process and I enjoyed reading it in that initial stage.  The description was so minimal that the sky’s the limit as far as your imagination goes.  I can’t really say I loved the story.  It had the stoner, the experienced girl, the use sex as a weapon girl, the shy boy, the solid older brother, but none of them were that recognizable to me.  Which leads me to

 The Movie

I totally loved watching the script come to life.  The great cast and setting and additions to the script all made the movie fun.  And truly, Sean Penn as Spicoli was the best thing about the movie.

They did change some things from the script.  Instead of using Carls Jr. and McDonalds’s they changed the fast food places to generic names.  Why do they do that?  And the abortion clinic scene was a bit different, in the movie they chose not to show that she was scared.  And when the girls were discussing sex by the pool I actually thought the script was more funny.

I liked the movie way more than I thought I would and if not for this challenge I don’t know if I ever would have sat down to watch it.  And I loved seeing the progression from script to movie.  This was a good challenge.  Why not join us next month by visiting A Few Minutes with Michael?

Death Takes the Cake, by Melinda Wells

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Death Takes the Cake by Melinda Wells: Book CoverFinished 9-29-09, rating 4/5, mystery, pub.2009

Book 2 in the Della Cooks Mystery series.

“With what I’ve got planned, you’re going to be the Miss America of Cake!”

I felt a sharp intake of breath.  “No.  Absolutely not.  I won’t wear a bathing suit on television!”

He eyed me speculatively.  “What’s the problem?  You still look good.”

Still…

“If I hadn’t read your TV bio, I wouldn’t have guessed you’re in your forties,” Addison said.  “Maybe late thirties- but you should think about doing a little glamorizing.”

Chapter 1

Della is a 47-year-old widower with a cable tv cooking show, her own cooking school, and a new venture to sell her fudge to the masses.  Her life is already busy, but when her boss tells her she’ll be baking in a reality show with a $25,000 prize she knows it could help her pay off some of her debts.  Until she learns it is being sponsored by Reggi-Mixx, the most awful cake mixes on the market and owned by her old college nemesis, Regina Davis.

The competition begins and as soon as Della shows up to her test kitchen she discovers Reggie, face down in a bowl of batter, dead.  She is a suspect, but only until the police find a more likely one, the husband of her best friend, Liddy. 

Della’s standard poodle, Tuffy and rescue kitty, Emma are there to provide support, as is her boyfriend NDM, who has now been elevated to being called his given name, Nicholas.  All of her friends are back and this is a perfect continuation of the series.  Della is still awesome and the mystery is a good one with real consequences for her and Liddy.

I actually enjoyed the cooking in this one a little more and there are recipes in the back.  You can see how to make those holiday fruitcakes edible and learn how to make an awful cake mix taste good with Della’s Orange Dreamsicle Cake.  One of the other reality show contestants is a Mary Kay consultant and I should note that we are not all quite so…pink.

I want to thank Melinda for sending me a copy of her book.  I loved it!

My review of book 1 here.