Movie Masters Game

Last night Zack and I stayed up until 12:30 watching a movie that first came out in 1984. It starred Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita. Still not sure which movie I’m referring to? Perhaps this description from IMDb.com (The Internet Movie Database) will help: A handyman/martial arts master agrees to teach a bullied boy karate and shows him that there is more to the martial art than fighting.

You don’t have to be a Movie Master to know it was...

The Karate Kid

This all reminds me of a game I made up a few years back. I’d read the one sentence movie summery from the TV viewing guide and see who could guess the movie first. I still think it would make a great board game. I'd call it, Movie Masters.

But for now, I’ve made a simple blog-version, for your enjoyment. Just scroll down and play along. See if you are a Movie Master.

Can you guess what this movie is?

1. A reluctant dwarf must play a critical role in protecting a special baby from an evil queen.

Need a hint? Here’s clue number one: It came out in 1988, and was directed by none other than Ron Howard.

Still not sure? Here’s your final clue: It starred Warwick Davis, Joanne Whalley, and Val Kilmer as Madmartigan.

Answer: Willow

If you guessed that without any clues, give yourself 5 points. If you needed one clue, give yourself 3 points. If you needed both clues, you only get 2 points. If you never got the answer, you get a big Goose-egg, but maybe you’ll do better on round number two.

Can you guess what this movie is?

2. Ticket collecting romantic pretends to be engaged to an unconscious man but can't fool his brother.

Here’s clue number one: It came out in 1995.

Here’s clue number two: It starred Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman.

Answer: While You Were Sleeping

Again, take 5 points if you guessed it right away, 3 if you needed a clue, and 2 if you needed both clues. On to round three.

3. A boy who communicates with spirits that don't know they're dead, seeks the help of a disheartened child psychologist.

Clue number one: This was the first big hit for writer/director M. Night Shyamalan.

Clue Number two: It starred Bruce Willis and the brilliant child actor Haley Joel Osment, whose devastating performance as the haunted Cole Sear brought him an Oscar nomination at age 11. (He also played Forest Gump's son five years earlier in 1994.)

Answer: The Sixth Sense

How are you doing? Have you got 15 points? Don’t get too confident. These next ones are a bit harder.

4. A group of kids embark on a wild adventure after finding a pirate treasure map.

Clue number one: This one was written by Steve Spielberg, and came out in 1985.

Clue number two: It starred Corey Feldman as Mouth, Jeff Cohen as Chunk, and Sean Astin as Mikey. Astin was only 14 at the time. He was 30 when the first Lord of the Rings movie came out...playing the part of Sam Gamgee, of course.

Answer: The Goonies

Didn’t think that one was too tough? We'll see how you do on round number 5:

5. A disgraced American boxer retires to Ireland, where he finds love.

Clue number one: This movie, directed by John Ford, first debuted back in 1952, but you can watch it on most classic movie channels each year around St. Patrick’s Day.

Clue number two: It starred John Wayne and the feisty Maureen O’Hara. Their kissing scene was also featured in the hit film ET.

Answer: The Quiet Man

Now they’re really getting tough. Or are they? See if you can guess number 6 without any clues.

6. Musical about two youngsters from rival NYC gangs who fall in love.

Clue number one: It came out in 1961 and starred Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer. (Though neither one of them did their own singing in the film.)

Clue number two: This film is the award winning adaptation of the classic romantic tragedy, Romeo and Juliette. It features music by Leonard Bernstein including “America,” “I Feel Pretty, “and “Somewhere.” (In my opinion one of the saddest songs ever written.)

Answer: West Side Story

Okay. I’ll admit that one was pretty easy. See how you do in round 7.

7. Hijackers seize the plane carrying the President of the United States and his family, but he (an ex-soldier) works from hiding to defeat them.

Clue number one: It came out in 1997.

Clue number two: It starred Harrison Ford.

Answer: Air Force One

So did you get that one? How many clues did you need? Remember, you get 5 points if you can guess it without any help, 3 points if you need a clue, and 2 if you need both clues. A perfect score up to this point would be 35 points. If you’ve got less than 10, you need to zip over to your local movie rental store immediately. But wait! There’s still 3 rounds to go. You might just redeem yourself.

8. When wealthy industrialist Tony Stark is forced to build an armored suit after a life-threatening incident, he ultimately decides to use its technology to fight against evil.

Clue number one: This hit came out in 2008. It's sequel came out last summer. Another sequel is planned for 2013.

Clue number two: It stars the oh-so-handsome Robert Downy Jr. with Gwyneth Paltrow playing the roll of Mr. Stark’s faithful assistant, Pepper Potts.

Answer: Iron Man

Did you get that one? If you’re under the age of 20 you probably did. Here’s one for the older generation.

9. A silent film production company and cast make a difficult transition to sound.

Clue number one: This wonderfully entertaining movie came out way back in 1952...and it's another musical.

Clue number two: It starred Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, and Debbie Reynolds. I'm happy to report, they all did their own singing and dancing. Reynolds was only 18 at the time!

Answer: Singin’ In the Rain

Ready for our final round? I saved the best for last.

10. An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would have been like if he never existed.

Clue number one: This one is from 1946, and features a host of unforgettable characters including Mr. Gower, Sam Wainwright, Violet Bick, as well as Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver.

Clue Number two: Of all the movies Jimmy Stewart starred in, this one was his favorite. Mine too.

Answer: It’s a Wonderful Life

So. How'd you do?

40 - 50 You ARE a Movie Master.

30 - 39 Not bad. You know your movies pretty well.

20 - 29 Oh, boy. I think you've been reading too many books.

< 19 Time to find the nearest Red Box and enjoy some cinema!

Actually, I hope all of you will take a little time this summer to enjoy some great movies. You can start with the 10 movies from this game! They are some of my favorites. Here's that list once again. If there's any on the list you haven't seen, I strongly encourage you to do so. They're fantastic!

Happy movie watching!

1. Willow

2. While You Were Sleeping

3. The Sixth Sense

4. The Goonies

5. The Quiet Man

6. West Side Story

7. Air Force One

8. Iron Man

9. Singin' In the Rain

10. It's a Wonderful Life

And The Karate Kid is pretty good too.

Christmas Outburst

Going to any fun Holiday Parties this year? I am. A week from Tuesday we have our Handbells Christmas Party. I always enjoy that one. Carlotta makes 3 kinds of soup – all wonderful. Rachael brings her festive pineapple platter, and Lorraine brings her homemade candies. Everyone else brings assorted Christmas goodies. I bring the games.

I love making up party games! My games for Tuesday are a surprise, but I can tell you what we played last year: Christmas Outburst.

In the regular Outburst game (by Parker Brothers) teams take turns trying to guess as many of the 10 answers to a given category in 60 seconds as they can. For example, if the category was “Bears” teams might shout out things like “Grizzly,” “Polar,” “Brown” and so on. If those bears are listed on the card (which they are) they get a point for each one.

Outburst is one of our family’s favorite party games, so I thought it might be fun to play Outburst with a Christmas theme. All I had to do was think of some Christmas categories, which I did. Then, for fun, I printed up index cards and put the categories on one side, and picture clues for each on the other. For example, the card with a Partridge in a Pear Tree pictured on one side said “What My true love gave to me…” on the other. This way teams could pick the card they wanted on their turn with a bit of a hint as to what their category might be. The lists of answers I put in a separate 3-ring binder.

Why not play my Christmas Outburst game at your next party! Here are the categories and lists I used. Obviously, you can throw out any you don’t like, or make up some of your own. I’m also including detailed rules at the end.

Enjoy!

Stocking Stuffers

1. Candy/Candy Canes
2. Jewelry
3. Fingernail Polish
4. Toothbrushes
5. Match box Cars
6. Lip Balm / Lip Stick
7. Socks
8. Gift Cards
9. CD’s
10. Cash

Things found in Christmas Gift Baskets

1. Turkey
2. Ham
3. Sausages
4. Jam
5. Crackers
6. Nuts
7. Cookies
8. Cheese
9. Apples
10. Oranges

Christmas Cookie Cutter Shapes

1. Candy Cane
2. Bell
3. Star
4. Snowman
5. Wreath
6. Santa
7. Christmas Tree
8. Man
9. Angel
10. Stocking

Characters from Frank Capra’s Classic Holiday Film: It’s a Wonderful Life

1. George Bailey
2. Mary (Hatch) Bailey
3. Mr. Potter
4. Mr. Gower
5. Sam Wainwright
6. Uncle Billy
7. Harry Bailey
8. Violet
9. Clarence
10. Bert and Ernie

Things People do on Christmas Eve

1. Dress Up
2. Go to Church
3. Kiss under the Mistletoe
4. Travel
5. Last minute Shopping
6. Call Home
7. Watch It’s a Wonderful Life
8. Sing
9. Open Presents
10. Eat

Things People put on Christmas Trees

1. Stars
2. Angels
3. Lights
4. Ornaments
5. Popcorn Strings
6. Garland
7. Tinsle
8. Christmas Cards
9. Paper Snow Flakes
10. Candy Canes

Things on a Child’s Christmas Wish List

1. Legos
2. A puppy
3. Barbie Dolls
4. Play Station/Guitar Hero
5. Wii
6. Cell phone
7. Digital camera
8. Money
9. Trucks
10. Nerf Guns

Things People do to Stay Warm

1. Turn up the Thermostat
2. Cuddle
3. Light a fire
4. Blow on your hands/fingers
5. Exercise/move
6. Dress in Layers/put on a sweater or coat
7. Drink something hot
8. Put on a Snuggie
9. Take a hot bath/shower
10. Use a Heating Pad/ electric blanket

Things to do during/after a snowstorm

1. Go Sledding
2. Make a snowman
3. Shovel
4. Have a snowball fight
5. Make a snow fort
6. Make snow angels
7. Salt the sidewalks
8. Sleep in/ go back to bed
9. Bake Cookies
10. Listen to the radio for closings and cancelations

Pieces in a Nativity Set

1. Stable/crèche
2. Manger
3. Wiseman
4. Sheep
5. Camel
6. Angel
7. Shepherd
8. Mary
9. Joseph
10. Baby Jesus

Christmas Eve Program Calamities

1. Christmas Tree catches fire
2. Someone trips on the steps
3. Pre-schoolers fall asleep
4. Embarrassing typo in the bulletin
5. Little Girl lifts up her dress
6. Pastor is late or does not arrive
7. Organ won’t play
8. Crying baby disrupts service
9. Someone faints
10. They run out of Christmas Goodie Bags

Animals Often Pictured on Christmas Cards (Includes different kinds of birds)

1. Reindeer
2. Mice
3. Sheep
4. Cardinal
5. Camel
6. Partridge
7. Donkey
8. Dove
9. Polar Bear
10. Penguin

What People Do When Christmas is Over

1. Relax
2. Take down the tree
3. Put away lights/decorations
4. Shop the Sales
5. Play with their new toys
6. Return unwanted gifts
7. Send thank you cards
8. Catch up on sleep
9. Get photos developed
10. Make New Year’s Resolutions / go on a diet

Classic Christmas Movies and TV Specials

1. Miracle on 34^th Dtreet
2. It’s a Wonderful Life
3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
4. Charlie Brown Christmas
5. Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer
6. The Little Drummer Boy
7. White Christmas
8. Santa Claus is Coming to Town
9. Home Alone
10. Frosty the Snowman

Christmas _________________

1. Christmas Card
2. Christmas Tree
3. Christmas Carol
4. Christmas List
5. Christmas Cookies
6. Christmas Present
7. Christmas Party
8. Christmas Eve
9. Christmas Angel
10. Christmas Day

What “My True Love Gave to Me…”

1. Two Turtle Doves
2. Three French Hens
3. Five Golden Rings
4. Six Geese a-laying
5. Seven Swans a-swimming
6. Eight Maids a-milking
7. Nine Ladies Dancing
8. Ten Lord a-leaping
9. Eleven Pipers Piping
10. Twelve drummers drumming

Characters in the Dickens’ Classic: A Christmas Carol

1. Ebenezer Scrooge
2. Bob Cratchit
3. Tiny Tim
4. Ghost of Christmas Past
5. Nephew Fred
6. Ghost of Christmas Present
7. Fannie Scrooge
8. Fezziwig
9. Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
10. Belle

Things Associated with Santa

1. Rudolf
2. Ho! Ho! Ho!
3. Red Suit
4. His Sleigh
5. St. Nicolas
6. Elves
7. The North Pole
8. Chimney
9. Lump of coal
10. His List (naughty or nice)

Christmas Goodies

1. Fruit Cake
2. Sugar Cookies / Cut Out Cookies
3. Fudge
4. Gingerbread Men
5. Almond Bark
6. Peanut Brittle
7. Nuts
8. Spritz Cookies
9. Candy Canes
10. Popcorn Balls

Things People Write about in their Christmas Letters

1. New Job/Promotion
2. Vacations
3. Their Kids
4. The Weather
5. New Home/move
6. New Baby
7. New Grandchild
8. Weddings
9. School Activities
10. Their Pets

Snow__________

1. Snow Fort
2. Snow Plow
3. Snowbabies
4. Snow Day
5. Snow Shoes
6. Snow Shovel
7. Snow Cone
8. Snowmobile
9. Snow Board
10. Snowball Fight

Christmas Baby Names

1. Nowelle
2. Jesus
3. Holly
4. Carol
5. Angel
6. Ivy
7. Gabrielle
8. Joseph
9. Claus
10. Mary

A Few of Fraulein Maria’s Favorite Things

1. Raindrops on roses
2. Bright Copper Kettles
3. Brown paper packages tied up with strings
4. Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
5. Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
6. Silver white winters that melt into springs
7. Whiskers on kittens
8. Sleigh bells
9. Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
10. Schnitzel with noodles

Reindeer

1. Dasher
2. Dancer
3. Prancer
4. Vixen
5. Comet
6. Cupid
7. Donner
8. Blitzen
9. Rudolf
10. Clarice

Peanuts Characters

1. Charlie Brown
2. Snoopy
3. Lucy Van Pelt
4. Linus Van Pelt
5. Sally
6. Schroeder
7. Peppermint Patty
8. Marcie
9. Woodstock
10. Pigpen

New Year’s Resolutions

1. Quit Smoking
2. Exercise / get fit
3. Diet / lose weight
4. Spend more time with family
5. Save money
6. Manage Debt / pay off credit cards
7. Stop biting nails
8. Take a vacation
9. Get a better job
10. Be more organized

NOTE: If you own the game Outburst, play the game as usual, but use the above categories and answers instead of the cards provided. If not, read on….

EQUIPMENT:

The categories and answers from above, printed out

A pen or pencil to check off correct answers as you hear them

A 60-second hour-glass, clock with a second hand, or other means to keep time (most cell phones have a stop watch feature that will work)

Scratch paper to keep score on

RULES:

1. Divide players into 2 teams. Since you printed this list you’ll have to be all time reader and not on a team. Sorry.

2. Decide which team starts first.

3. Read the first category. The first team has 60 seconds to guess as many answers as they can, trying to come up with all ten on my list. Your job as reader, is to mark off the ones they get right as they shout them out. It’s not as easy as it sounds, as often everyone is yelling different answers all at once.

4. When time is up say, “I heard…” and read off all the answers they got right. Then say, “I did not hear…” and read whatever’s left. Expect someone to yell, “I said that!” If you believe them, you can check it off as well.

5. Scoring. The team gets one point for each answer on the list that they were able to guess. First team to score 60 points wins (after teams have had an equal number of turns, of course).

Additions and variations:

1. Passing. Each team starts with 3 passes. If team one gets a category they don’t like, they may pass it to team 2. Team 1 will then get a new category, and their opponents must take the category team 1 passed to them on their next turn. Only one pass can be used each turn. When (if) they use up all 3 passes, they may no longer pass.
2. Pictures. Beforehand, write each category on an index card. On the back print, paste, or draw a picture clue for that category .For example, a calendar turned to Jan. 1 would be an appropriate picture for the “New Year’s Resolutions” category. Then place all of the cards, picture side up in the center of the playing area, and let teams pick which category card they want to play without turning the card over to read the category until after they have made their selection.
3. Bonus points. In the boxed game of Outburst, teams roll special dice to get up to 3 bonus points if they got a certain answer right. One dice has numbers 1 -3 on it, and the other has 1 – 10 (it’s a ten-sided die). If they roll a 2 and an 8, that means they get 2 bonus points if they get answer number 8 right. The dice can be rolled before or after their turn. You can do the same type of thing, even if you don’t have the special dice. Just figure out a way for players to pull a number 1 – 10 out of a hat, and a 1-3 out of another hat.
4. We also played this game on Christmas Eve with my family, and on Christmas Day, with my extended family. For fun, I added these two categories:

VeggieTales Characters

1. Bob the Tomato
2. Larry the Cucumber
3. Nebby K. Nezzer
4. Junior Asparagus
5. Archibald Asparagus
6. The French Peas
7. Madame Blueberry
8. Pa Grape
9. Frankencelery
10. Jimmy & Jerry Gourd

Lord of the Ring Characters – not in the fellowship

1. Eomer
2. Saruman
3. Elrond
4. Eowyn
5. Theoden
6. Gollum
7. Arwen
8. Faramir
9. Bilbo Baggins
10. Nazgul / The Witch King / Ringwraith