Movie Monday -- Costumes

Share on movies whose costumes set just the right stage, linking back here at The Bumbles. And don't forget to visit your fellow participants!

Bonnie & Clyde (1967). Meet the best-dressed bad guys of the Depression era.

Bobby (2006). This sincere, earnest movie about the sad day in 1968 when Bobby Kennedy was murdered really isn't very good. But the costumes are entertaining! Check out Mr. and Mrs. Ashton Kutcher in period garb.

A Walk in the Clouds (1995).It should be mandated that Keanu Reeves wear a hat in every movie.

When Die Hard met Pulp Fiction

RED is a thrilling, funny, wholly original shoot-em-up (and blow-em-up) good time. R.E.D. stands for "Retired: Extremely Dangerous," and Bruce Willis plays a retired secret agent who spends his days nurturing an avocado plant instead of assassinating people. He's not adjusting well. Soon he has to defend himself from some very capable, very shady, VERY VIOLENT bad guys and he tracks down his former partners -- John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren -- all also retired, all struggling with their "new normal," and all happy to get back into the action.

It's like Pulp Fiction in that my favorite line of dialog was: "I never thought I'd ever say this again, but I'm getting the pig."

And it's like Die Hard in that, once again, Bruce Willis doesn't have a peaceful Christmas.

Let's set the Wayback Machine

Way ... way ... back. When "My Sweet Lord," "Maggie Mae" and "Knock Three Times" were blasting through the radio speakers and I was a freshman in high school. My oldest friend produced a binder of notes all of her closest buds, including me, wrote to her in those long ago days. I was shocked by how similar today's Gal is to that Gal.

• "I am so bored!" I wrote during class.

• "Those student council bananas tried to collect money from me for a smiley face button!" Clearly profanity wasn't a staple of my vocabulary yet, but I do exhibit a disdain for organized pep and fun that remains to this day.

• "I have to score a radio for tonight. Ann says it's not appropriate but don't care. I have $4 on the game!" Remember, this was before iPods or even Walkmans. I don't know where Ann and I were going, but wherever it was, I was prepared to bring a transistor and put it on the seat beside me. white cord running to a single earpiece. After all, $4 was four hours of babysitting.

• "Giusep is doing his part and Santo is hot. Even Beck. But Kessinger is 0-12!" The starting lineup for the 1971 Cubs: Don Kessinger, Glenn Beckert, Ron Santo and Joe Pepitone, who I had a crush on and called Giuseppe. I guess it's obvious which team's game I had to hear that night.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing: Another 50 Questions Meme, Part Two Indeed!

26. Do you like someone? I like lots of people …

27. The last song you listened to? Sunday Morning by Maroon 5, coincidentally enough

28. What time of day were you born? I was born at the stroke of midnight between November 21 and 22. The stroke of midnight does not exist legally, so the hospital told my mom she had to choose -- 11:59 or 12:01. She was still quite doped up (I was a big baby) and confused about what she was asked, but she chose 12:01, which made it 11/22. Astrologers love this story because I was born on the cusp of a cusp.

29. What’s your favorite number? 7

30. Where did you live in 1987? A three-room apartment on the other side of the tracks from where I live now. It had the most terrific clawfoot bath tub.

31. Are you jealous of anyone? Yes

32. Is anyone jealous of you? Probably

33. Where were you when 9/11 happened? In my living room, tying my shoes, getting ready to run out the door and catch the 8:10 train, when I heard Matt Lauer say the second plane hit and so clearly, the first plane wasn't an accident. I will never forget a moment of that awful morning.

34. What do you do when vending machines steal your money? Feel very frustrated

35. Do you consider yourself kind? I try to be

36. If you had to get a tattoo, where would it be? Left shoulder. No reason, that's just the first location that popped into my mind.

37. If you could be fluent in any other language, what would it be? Spanish. I'm taking lessons in January.

38. Would you move for the person you loved? Yes

39. Are you touchy feely? With critters, certainly, and often with people I care about

40. What’s your life motto? "What man has done, man may do"

41. Name three things that you have on you at all times? Silver band on my left hand, lapis ring on my right hand, and earrings

42. What’s your favourite town/city? Chicago, home of the Cubs, Millennium Park and me

43. What was the last thing you paid for with cash? Train fare ($1.50)

44. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it? My cousin Rosemary, about two weeks ago. I just got a snail mail letter from her yesterday, so she'll also be the next person I write a letter to.

45. Can you change the oil on a car? No. But then, I don't have a car.

46. Your first love: what is the last thing you heard about him/her? He's a born-again tea-partier in Kentucky. Considering his rather dissipated moments I witnessed back in the 1980s, I find this amazing.

47. How far back do you know about your ancestry? Mid-1800s on my paternal grandmother's side.

48. The last time you dressed fancy, what did you wear and why did you dress fancy? I have a low threshold for "fancy," so you may not be impressed. But it was dark slacks, dark blouse and jacket. The occasion was a night at the theater.

49. Does anything hurt on your body right now? I have a painful bruise on my left arm, and no, I have no recollection of how I got it. I'm a natural klutz.

50. Have you been burned by love? Yes. But hasn't everyone?