Going to the Movies

Going to the Movies – Springbok – 1000 pieces

This thrift store puzzle had a HORRIBLE loose and floppy fit, and was so bleeping frustrating that I wanted to set the bleeping thing on fire and chuck it in the bleeping garbage! Bleep! 😡🤬

You couldn’t move two pieces without them falling apart and it was unbelievably frustrating to work with.

Normally Springbok puzzles aren’t loose, many times I’ve had Springbok puzzles with a fit that was too tight and you had to really work at getting the pieces together; neither is fun to work with in my opinion. This one was so frustrating that at times I was almost enraged by how the pieces would crumble apart when you tried to adjust them even just a tiny bit. Grrrr!

The collage image was one I was very excited to put together, you know how I love an interesting collage – it’s my puzzle happy place. Unfortunately the puzzle that this image was attached to made me very, very sad. Very sad indeed. 😭

Regardless, the image was fun to assemble and the family and I all took turns saying how many of the movies we hadn’t seen. Usually with a book cover collage we say how many of the books we’ve read, but with this one most of us have seen almost all the of movies. There are only five movies in this image that I haven’t seen; Weird Science, The Blues Brothers, A Clockwork Orange, Scarface, and Blade Runner.

*Please don’t say, “Oh, but you have to see ______, it’s such an iconic/funny/wonderful, interesting movie”. While I appreciate your opinions, truly, I am very particular about movies and have to be in just the right mood to watch certain genres. And as I get older I find I have much less taste for deep, insightful, upsetting, or thought-provoking movies; entertainment, not introspection is what I’m looking for.*

I’ve chosen three to highlight here because they’re movies that I love and have seen multiple times and can quote from. Ready for some reminiscing?

The Princess Bride is a family favorite, and my entire family can quote extensively from this one. It’s a fabulous movie that I highly recommend if comedy, drama, romance and fun are what you’re looking for. Princess Buttercup, Wesley, Fezzik, Inigo Montoya, Vizzini, Miracle Max, Prince Humperdinck – all amazing characters in a wonderful movie that the whole family can enjoy. There’s only one swear word in the entire movie, and I’ve already told the story of my youngest son yelling out the movie quote at his teacher when he was upset at school. “I want my father back you son of a b*tch!” Oh dear.

Being the comedy nerd that I am, of course I loved Airplane! All the slapstick, the little jokes that you have to pay attention to hear, it’s a fantastically funny movie in my opinion. Barbara Billingsley (Beaver Cleaver’s mom) talking jive, the “drinking problem” of the hero, the little guy visiting the cockpit and talking to the pilot – thinking of all the stupid, ridiculous, naughty, silly jokes really does make me smile.

As a teenager in the 1980s, of course John Hughes movies are on my list of great movies to watch. My whole family loved this movie, and we can quote from this one too. Anthony Michael Hall and Molly Ringwald were fabulous in this one (and who can forget Gedde Watanabe as Long Duk Dong?), and the comedy and one liners are still funny to me today. Sweet, silly, touching – John Hughes knew how to make a great movie.

I wish I’d enjoyed this puzzle more, but the quality left a bit to be desired. 😐

Oh well, at least talking about some of my favorite movies has made me happy.

Soda Fountain In Progress…

Soda Fountain – Buffalo – 1000 pieces

Don’t you love the look of old-timey ads and artwork? Well, I do. They make for more difficult puzzling sometimes, but the end result is worth it in my opinion. I’m loving this one!

This is a thrift store purchase and the quality has been EXCELLENT so far. It’s obvious that it’s been assembled a time or two (it was manufactured in 2010), but there are no bent pieces, no torn or lifting image, and the fit is absolutely amazing. It makes me want to be sure my next puzzle is a Buffalo as well. I know they’re all not going to be the same as far as quality, but this assembly is making me quite happy.

I’m still working on completing all the faces and skin, but it’s getting there and looking really nice. It’s funny how when I look at the picture of what I’ve done so far it seems as though it would be simple to find the missing pieces of this face or that spot; but in reality it ain’t easy at all!

I’m a Pepsi gal myself, but Coca-Cola really does have such great old advertising images. Good thing drinking Coke while I’m puzzling isn’t required. 🥤

The Alchemist’s Home In Progress…

The Alchemist’s Home by Vasilisa Romanenko – eeBoo – 1000 pieces

I’m loving this puzzle that my beautiful daughter gave me for Christmas and although it’s slow going I’m enjoying every bit of it. It’s been quite a while since I’ve put together an eeBoo puzzle, but the image on this one is fantastic and it’s been very entertaining so far.

Just a side note, the “stamp” on the front of the box says that the company is Woman Owned and Mother Run. LOVE THAT!

…Movies In Progress…

Going To The Movies – Springbok – 1000 pieces

I finally got this one sorted and started assembling the edges, but the border is more difficult than anticipated. I admit that I gave up on it for a bit yesterday and had plans to come back and at least get the border done, but life got in the way. As usual.

Then there were plans to get up early this morning and finish the edge before I had to type up today’s post, but sleep got in the way of that one. 💤💤

Hopefully once the border is complete it’ll be a little bit easier!

The Flintstones

The Flintstones – Ravensburger – 1000 pieces

My sweet, beautiful daughter got me this puzzle for my birthday, and she did such a good job picking it out – it was so much fun! It was definitely a Goldilocks puzzle; not too easy, not too challenging – it was just right. Of course I loved it. ❤

Wonderful Ravensburger quality, as usual. The feel of a Ravensburger puzzle massage (running my hands over the completed puzzle) is like no other, it’s so satisfying. Perhaps that’s just my little ritual, but the feel of a great quality puzzle when it’s finished makes me very happy.

Maybe I’m just being pedantic again, but if it’s 3,000,000 BC – how would they know? Wilma is reading a “magazine” with that date on it; but B.C. means before Christ, so how do they know he’ll be born in exactly 3 million years? It’s such a minor detail, I know, but these things jump right out at me and I can’t stop myself from seeing these little, insignificant details and then pointing them out to you. I think it’s the former executive secretary in me, I’m hard-wired to find mistakes.

All the black and white sections were the hardest to do, and the last bits to be assembled. After putting together the colorful scenes I assembled the slightly colored frames, and ended with the grayish sections. I really enjoyed every part of this image, it was VERY entertaining.

Alright, it’s time to reminisce. Anyone watch The Flintstones when it was was a prime time cartoon? How about in reruns during the 70s? The series was no longer being made when I was born, but I remember watching the reruns when I was younger. The theme song has permanent residence in my brain; I think most of my generation could sing it from memory. It’s iconic.

The opening of the show, which changed several times, at one point had the family going to a drive-in restaurant where Fred ordered a slab of dinosaur ribs that tipped over the car when they were brought. Also an iconic image that is forever stuck in the far recesses of my brain. Nostalgia, huh?

This puzzle was so much fun, it is definitely recommended. If it looks like something you’d enjoy – go for it – it gets two Brontosaurus ribs way up!🍖🍖