Monday Movie Meme – Up in Flames

Tex Gilligan, a Vietnam War veteran, is overwhelmed with the thought that he could lose his home to the wildfires. He is staying at a Red Cross shelter at Yavapai Community college. Photo by Talia Frenkel/American Red CrossIf you’re anything like me, a certain series of unfortunate events such as tornadoes, hurricanes and even earthquakes are usually what come to mind when hearing or reading the term “disaster.” The fact of the matter, however, is that there are many catastrophic events that occur more often than what we would normally consider being disastrous.

If the food, shelter, emergency medical services and related care provided by the American Red Cross serve as any indication, multi-vehicle pile-ups on the highway, house fires and long-term power outages caused by winter snowstorms are just as devastating for families and individuals as those natural disasters.

So the theme for this week’s Monday Movie Meme is shaped by the tireless work of the Red Cross – an organization on call 24/7, responding to “everyday” incidents that are often overlooked by the rest of us, yet, claim lives and injure people like any other disaster: Up in Flames.

Share on your blog or in the comments section, movies featuring scenes involving fire damage to inanimate objects. Here are my selections for this week’s Up in Flames theme.

Backdraft

Several buildings are set ablaze in this action crime drama starring Kurt Russell, William Baldwin, Robert DeNiro and Donald Sutherland. Truth be told – this classic 90s movie is what first put Russell on my radar.

The Outsiders

Two poverty stricken teenagers rescue children from a burning church in this crime drama starring C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Diane Lane, Tom Cruise and many more notable actors.

Waiting to Exhale

A grieving and furious housewife torches her husband’s car in this romantic comedy drama starring Angela Bassett, Michael Beach and Whitney Houston.

What movies involving objects damaged by fire would YOU add to this list?

Monday Movie Meme - Magic Pills

So far during the Monday Movie Meme, we’ve covered smoking scenes and people injecting themselves with one substance or another. Thus, the theme for this week -- which is heavily influenced by allergy season that has reared its stuffy head, by the way – comes as no surprise: Magic Pills.

Share on your blog or in the comments section, movies featuring scenes where people are taking pills. This can include just about any type of pill -- prescription drugs, over-the-counter vitamins or related items, and drugs that are not on the market. Any type of medicine or recreational items is good to go, so long as they it is used in pill form during the movie(s) you pick. Here are my selections for this week’s Magic Pills theme.

Limitless

A struggling writer pays a dangerous price for popping pills that enable him to be all he can be, in this psychological thriller starring Bradley Cooper and Robert DeNiro.

Bad Boys II

Ecstasy is flowing like a river – in nightclubs, “fat doughs”(watch the movie, already!) and on boats affiliated with Klan members, in this action film starring Will Smith, Martin Lawrence and Joe Pantoliano.

And here I thought I could come up with more titles but, unfortunately, my mind draws a blank beyond these two aforementioned flicks.

What movies have YOU seen that include scenes where people are taking pills?

Monday Movie Meme – Talking Toys

Today, the Monday Movie Meme is back with a theme that you could ask your children for help with, if needed. Share on your blog or in the comments section, movies featuring talking toys.

Here are my selections for this week’s Monday Movie Meme.

Child’s Play

A Good-Guy doll named Chucky not only talks, he’s also sarcastic; like a bad ass kid who needs more than a time-out to get his act together, in this horror thriller film starring Catherine Hicks.

Toy Story

All sorts of toys including dolls, action figures and stuffed animals talk to each other in hopes of devising a plan to not get left behind in this animated film starring Tim Allen and Tom Hanks.

What movies have YOU watched that feature talking toys?