|  | | | | I don't usually like to talk about "favourites".
Favourite colours (Yellow), favourite foods (Chinese), favourite coffee (Yuck!).
But today, I'm breaking my personal rule, because I'd like to share with you my favourite three films. Because they're each significant enough to really change your lives in a positive way.
And maybe you'll benefit from that, right now :)
So, in no particular order, here are my top three Hollywood hits...
-- Playing by Hearts
I referenced this great film in my "Falling in Love with Yourself" post. It follows eleven curious individuals each battling with love in Los Angeles.
Some find it, some don't.
But they each benefit in some way. Even if only by their problems.
Very witty. Very thought-provoking. Very deep.
My favourite quote: "What, is that a rhetorical question? Why is my life so complicated? Gee, I don't know. Why is your life so f**king simple?"
Okay, moving on...
-- The Six Degrees of Separation
When two rich New York art dealers are suddenly imposed upon by a young man claiming to know their kids from Harvard, they take him into their lives. He enchants them, no doubt.
But all the time, he's lying.
However, it's not a sinister lie. It's a sweet, innocent lie that begs for their approval. It's a lie that can be instantly forgiven - the sort of lie you almost beg people to deceive you with.
This is one witty, atmospheric film that forced me to fall in love with it after just the first sitting.
My favourite quote: "I read somewhere that everybody on this planet is separated by only six other people. Six degrees of separation between us and everyone else on this planet. The President of the United States, a gondolier in Venice, just fill in the names. I find it extremely comforting that we're so close. I also find it like Chinese water torture, that we're so close because you have to find the right six people to make the right connection... I am bound, you are bound, to everyone on this planet by a trail of six people. "
Moving on one final time...
-- Death on the Nile
As with all of my three films here, "Death on the Nile" was not well-received by critics. It was, madame, a flop.
And yet it remains one of my all-time favourite films.
Whilst not quite as deep as the former two, this classic Peter Ustinov film delivers a big dollop of wit in such a subtle manner that it takes perhaps a half-dozen viewings before you truly begin to understand the hidden humour.
You see, everyone is the film is a CHARACTER...
... Angela Lansbury (incidentally, Ustinov's sister-in-law!), Bette Davis, Mia Farrow, David Niven, Maggie Smith, Jack Warden... it's FULL of fantastically well-developed characters that wrap you straight into the story.
The music is gloriously powerful -- and although it's a traditional "Whodunnit", the ending will definitely surprise those that don't know the story.
For me, this is a "comfort film." I watch it over and over whenever I feel ill. And it never fails as the perfect medicine.
Hilarious - AND great.
Favourite quote (in addition to the French title of this post, from Moliere and quoted by Poirot, meaning "The great ambition of women is to inspire love")...
Jim Ferguson: You damn froggy eavesdropper.
Hercule Poirot: Belgian! Belgian eavesdropper!
* * *
And so, if you trust my taste enough, I'd invite you to rent or buy these movies from Amazon.
You might just surprise yourself...
Enjoy! :)Labels: films, love, ramblings  Thoughts lead to acts.
Acts lead to habits.
Habits lead to character.
And our character will determine our eternal destiny.
In other words: Thoughts determine your reality.
What are you thinking about?
Could you make it more positive?Labels: inspiration, self-development Do you live in NOW time?
There's nothing better than being able to live in the moment.
But how many of us actually live in NOW time?
That is, being totally present in this moment, without letting memories of the past hold us back.
I would imagine very few of us. Certainly, I don't.
Take ten minutes out today. And consider that maybe what you're doing... maybe the patterns you're holding in your mind... are simply just memories.
And maybe you can change your habits, your addictions, your patterns...
... Simply by deciding to.
It's an interesting thought.
They said time is a great teacher...
But remember: It kills all of its students. And it's a terrible beautician too.
So, don't let time get you. Try living in NOW time today -- and just see how you feel.
Be Happy!Labels: inspiration, quotes, self-development A question today: Are you loving yourself enough?
You know, one of my favourite films is "Playing By Hearts".
It received poor reviews, sure. As do most of my top movies.
But there's one description inside the movie that really struck me the first time I heard it.
When Paul (Sean Connery) is explaining away a former love affair to Hannah (Gena Rowlands), he whispers...
"I remember hearing you once describe to the children exactly what love was. You explained it beautifully...
"You said that falling in love with someone... was really the process of falling in love with yourself.
"You begin to see yourself through their eyes, and you fall in love with yourself again."
Think about it.
When you're truly in love, most people feel exceptionally happy. And they're happy, because for once, they're in complete acceptance and appreciation of themselves.
They're seeing themselves through the loving eyes of someone else.
So, let me ask. Think of the one person that loves you most -- right now.
And ask yourself:
How do they see you?
How perfect are you through their eyes?
How does that make you feel?
.... Have a great day!Labels: films, inspiration, love, self-development "Life is not measured by its length...
...But by it's depth"
How do you plan to measure yours?Labels: inspiration, quotes Well, as you guessed on the My Writers Circle thread, my mystery guest at Writers FM this week was....
The great Edwina Currie!
She's a woman that has attracted a fair amount of controversy in her time.
Yes, she's feisty. Yes, she's opinionated. But there's no denying that she's an incredibly intelligent lady -- with a whole bundle of stories to tell.
And tell them she did, during our "chat"... which ran over to almost one and a half hours! (Not quite the 40 minutes I'd originally expected!)
During the Writers FM interview, Edwina talked about her affair with former UK PM John Major, her legal mix-up with a leg model, "bum sores", the "big fat John McCririck", Hell's Kitchen -- and more.
Interested?
The interview has just been released and will be played for the first time tomorrow at Writers FM. You can however download a podcast preview right now, by clicking here.
Enjoy -- and thanks for supporting the station!Labels: downloads, radio work I've got some big news for fans of the Writers FM radio station.
Tommorrow, I'm interviewing our highest profile guest so far!
If you live in the UK, you WILL know this person. They've hit the headlines MANY times over the past twenty years -- and published more books than most people have read.
I'm incredibly excited -- and perhaps ever-so-slightly nervous too, as this person has way more broadcasting experience than lil' ol' me.
So who IS this mysterious person?
Stay tuned. The interview will take place tomorrow... and should be live at Writers FM first thing Saturday morning.
Get ready!
(PS. Think you know who I'm talking about? Visit http://www.mywriterscircle.com/index.php?topic=5595.0 and make your guess official!)Labels: radio work A 17-year old home economics student walks into Marks & Spencer.
"I'll have these eggs, please. Oh -- and pass me a packet of cigs!"
The fierce-looking woman behind the counter looks down, suspiciously: "You got ID?" she gruffs.
"Ack. Forget it! I'll just have the cigarettes!"
* * *
Huh?
Yes, it sounds crazy -- but over the Halloween and Bonfire Night period, the police have banned stores from selling EGGS to under 18s.
In Market Harborough, the situation is even more dire.
Both flour AND eggs have been banned. Which means self-sufficient teenagers can wave goodbye to home-made bread or DIY Yorkshire Puddings for a while.
Time to call in Aunt Bessies, methinks.
Unless of course, she's banned too...?Labels: news, ramblings I'm honoured!
Today, a reader of my books sent to me a snapshot from Alexa, the Amazon-owned Web ranking service.
And it showed that my official website, Karl Moore.com officially ranks as the most popular website in my home city of Durham!
It ranks above the famed Durham Cathedral (you know they recorded many of the Harry Potter scenes there, right?), New College, even the City Council.
Wow. I'm impressed!
It also lists as the fourth most popular site in the whole of County Durham. That's pretty busy! And so, a BIG THANKS goes straight out to every single visitor for helping make my site as popular as it is at the moment.
:D Labels: durham Birthday wishes go out to Angela Lansbury today, who today reaches the ripe age of 81 years.
Now if you've never been exposed to Angela's talents, I strongly suggest you head straight to your nearest movie store and rent "Death on the Nile" (if indeed they still have it!).
This 1978 production, which received mere mediocre reviews, is one of my top three films.
It features Angela's brother-in-law, Peter Ustinov... Bette Davis... Mia Farrow... David Niven... Maggie Smith... Jack Warden... and a whole bundle of other big Hollywood names. And it has a mass of underlying humour that you can really only understand once you've watched the film around ten times.
Thankfully, I'm on my 578th playing, so by now, it's nothing short of hillarious.
But you don't need to hire a DVD to figure Angela's talents.
Most of us have already been exposed to her motherly manner, typically when ill and bed-ridden, forced to watch mid-afternoon "Murder, She Wrote" repeats.
But you know something?
In my eyes, Angela Lansbury is one of the few remaining true Broadway and television stars -- and today, as she celebrates the grand age of 81 years, she's still going strong.
So, raise a glass with me.
Happy birthday Angela!Labels: birthdays, films It's often hard to imagine that we're living WITHIN history.
For example, have you ever thought of the history of the CD?
I'm being serious.
Today, "Compact Discs" are used everywhere. Modern computers don't even ship with a floppy disc drive.
They seem too "recent" to have a history. And too old to be "new-s".
But how did they come about?
I mean, who came up with the concept? Who brainstormed the name?
Here's something I bet you didn't know...
... The diameter of the CD was based on the original size of a cassette tape!
The diagonal width of a cassette tape was 11.5cm, when the format was introduced back in 1962. That became the new CD width, when the new format was invented in 1979 (although the CD didn't really make it big until the late 80's).
Want to learn more?
Check out "The Compact Disc Story" here:
http://www.exp-math.uni-essen.de/~immink/pdf/cdstory.pdf
And keep reminding yourself... you're living history.
What story will you create for yourself?Labels: factoids, history, inspiration Those were the words I read while sitting by the pool yesterday.
"Let Go and Let God"
They came from "Happiness is Free" by Lester Levenson. And if you really think about them, you'll find these five simple words can have a powerful impact on your life.
So let me ask you...
How many times have you resisted against the flow of life?
If you're like most people, you resist against practically everything!
You resist against the chatty check-out clerk. Against the aggressive driver behind you. Against taxes. Against anger. Against emotions. Against feeling "stuck".
But when was the last time you lived "in the flow"... in "The Zone"... letting life just handle itself?
And when you lived like that, did you find it more empowering... more exciting... more enjoyable?
Maybe you even realized that more synchronicities were occuring to help move your life forward?
Life shouldn't be difficult. If it is, then letting go and letting God is the solution.
So take a few minutes out today and think to yourself... can I "let go" of worrying, of wanting to change the current situation... can I live in the moment, knowing that everything is just perfect as it is... and can I "let God" handle life for me?
It's not as New Age, "hippie"-like or passive as it may sound. And it doesn't matter what religion you may subscribe to.
The word "God" here represents the universal energy that we are all part of. And by surrendering ourselves to that energy, we can enjoy a much more empowering life.
So... Let Go and Let God.
Try it. You might just surprise yourself.Labels: God, inspiration, lester levenson Welcome to my first blog post at KarlBlog.com! You know, it seems rather fitting that I should be writing to you today from the spiritual homeland of Arizona -- Sedona. Why? Well, in recent years, my business has focused more and more on self-development tools, and ultimately, what I believe to be perhaps one of the most important quests one can ever make in life... That is, the quest to know oneself. However, in the world of self-development, everybody has "issues". In fact, if you don't have issues -- and a psychiatrist charging $100 an hour -- then you're simply not "cool". I've spent the past day with Hale Dwoskin, meeting a number of individuals that attend his Sedona Method workshops. And it's fair to say that these individuals have "issues". The first lady to enthusiastically share with the group began: "I stubbed my toe this morning, and I can't help thinking -- does this have a greater meaning? What's the hidden message??" At which point, she burst into tears and began to reveal just how cruel life was being to her. And her foot. It all seemed vaguely familiar. Certainly, her toe trouble may have been hiding a deeper bed of emotions. But could she have raised the issue, simply to enjoy the glory of the attention? Perhaps she wanted to BELIEVE she was the victim of this awfully cruel universe? You know, we all run into blips from time to time. And some of those issues may temporarily SEEM insurmountable. But here's something to consider. What if there were *no* problems at all right now? What if everything were unfolding perfectly, just as it is? Do YOU have an addiction to problems? Maybe you even secretly "want" problems to help warrant your existence? Just give it some thought. And allow yourself to just consider... maybe there are absolutely NO problems right now for you. It might just help open your eyes. Welcome to the blog -- stay tuned, and ensure you subscribe to the newsletter for my latest updates. Bye for now! :) Labels: inspiration, lester levenson, self-development |
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