Tag Archives: Titanic

Sinking Ship Cocktail Glass: You’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat

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Presumably inspired by the Titanic (which also had four smokestacks and sank), this is the Sinking Ship cocktail glass available from FireBox. The $19 drinking vessel has a handblown glass ship inside, so you can pretend you’re Poseidon releasing his wrath upon humanity by swirling the glass to create a whirlpool and making a mess all over the living room carpet.

I’ve heard of a ship in a bottle before, but never a ship in a glass. FireBox suggests mixing a blue curaçao based drink in the vessel and adding a few large ice cubes for Titanic realism or filling the glass with coffee liqueur to resemble an oil spill. Alternatively, fill the glass with red sangria and pretend sharks are having a feeding frenzy.

The borosilicate glass is hand-wash only and comes with a warning to add ice cubes carefully and not just toss them in willy-nilly, because the last thing you want is to break off a jagged piece of glass then accidentally swallow it thinking it’s ice. Speaking from firsthand experience, that can really ruin date night.

Top 10 Best Picture Oscar Winners

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Who doesn’t love watching a good movie? There are so many great films out there, and everyone has a favorite. Each year, when the Academy Awards come around, one movie earns the award of “best picture.” You might not always agree with the choice, but the winning movie usually deserves all its praise. In this list, in honor of the upcoming Academy Awards, I’m going to pick what I think are the ten best picture Oscar winners of all time.
If you don’t see your favorite movie on the list, please leave a comment and let me know what you would have picked instead!

Titanic


In my opinion, Titanic is the greatest film ever created. I have watched it at least twenty times throughout my life, and I’m sure I’ll watch it at least twenty more times. It’s a masterpiece in acting, cinematography, music, special effects, and costume. Who can forget the tragic love story between Jack and Rose? Or the climatic scene where the ship begins to sink? Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet deliver excellent, unforgettable performances, as well as the rest of the cast. Titanic is both a beautiful romance, and an epic disaster film, bringing something for every audience member to love. If you haven’t yet watched this brilliant film, please do yourself a favor and watch it!

The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King


I wish I could include the other two films in this trilogy as well, Fellowship of the Ring, and the Two Towers. When I watch Lord of the Rings, I watch all three as one complete film. It makes for a long day, but my goodness is it always a good day when Lord of the Rings is involved. Though the other two films didn’t win best picture, I can see why Return of the King did. It has everything an amazing film can possibly offer, with some of the most memorable action sequences in cinematic history, and perhaps my favorite soundtrack. Gorgeous landscapes dot the entire film, making it almost seem as if I’m watching a painting brought to life. I could go on speaking about this movie forever.

Driving Miss Daisy


We all love Morgan Freeman, and if you haven’t seen him in this award-winning film, you’re missing out. Exploring the unlikely friendship between a white woman and a black man during the heated racist time period of the 1950s and 60s in the American South, Driving Miss Daisy is a heartwarming, touching film, showing that good can always be found.

Schindler’s List


Schindler’s List is not a film that should be watched multiple times. It’s heart-wrenching, depressing, and dark, yet it is a film that demands to be watched at least once by everyone. Shot entirely in black and white (except for one little scene that I won’t spoil) you’re first impression may be that it will be boring. That is certainly not the case. You won’t be entertained, but you won’t be able to look away from this horrific look into the lives of Jewish concentration camp victims, fighting to stay alive during the Holocaust.

The Sound of Music


“The hills are alive with the sound of music.” One of the opening lines of this warm musical, and part of one of the most unforgettable songs. None of the films on this list are quite as just plain happy as The Sound of Music is. It’s filled with so many catchy, fun songs, and an adorable love story. I can’t get enough of this lovely film, and it sure would be a good one to watch after Schindler’s List. (Both are about World War II.)

The Godfather


I honestly don’t usually like crime films, but I can appreciate The Godfather for the masterpiece it is. Marlon Brando and Al Pacino are some of the most famous names ever, and from their performances in this film, I can see why. Telling the story of a New York mafia family, The Godfather is full of action, entertainment, and family ties.

Rain Man


Tom Cruise plays a selfish, arrogant character named Charlie, while Dustin Hoffman plays his autistic brother, Raymond. When their father dies, he leaves his estate to Raymond, leading Charlie to discover the brother he didn’t know he had and begin to become a better person. It’s a touching film, and both Hoffman and Cruise deliver excellent performances.

The King’s Speech

It’s a shame this fantastic movie received an R rating for the use of the “f-word,” a few too many times. It’s not a vulgar film whatsoever, and because of its rating, many people will likely refuse to watch it. If you are one of those people, please don’t refuse. There is nothing offensive in the King’s Speech, it is all about a man attempting to overcome a speech impediment and insecurity. Colin Firth’s performance cannot be missed, for it is spectacular, as are Helena Bonham Carter’s and Geoffrey Rush’s.

Forrest Gump


I can quote probably a dozen different lines from this movie, which makes me think that it has one of the best scripts ever written. The dialogue and acting make this film the masterpiece it is, and I believe it is one of Tom Hank’s greatest performances. Numerous historical events are showcased throughout the film, placing the beloved character of Forrest Gump into them. It makes for sometimes humorous, yet also sometimes somber situations. Forrest Gump shows us that no matter who you are, love is possible to find.

A Beautiful Mind


Partly based on a true story, A Beautiful Mind is a beautiful film. When John Nash develops schizophrenia, we are taken on his journey of finding a way to deal with his crippling illness. Russell Crowe’s performances is haunting and emotional, the struggles his character must deal with seem so real and painful, it’s hard to believe Crowe himself did not suffer from schizophrenia.

Titanic Disaster Model in LEGO: I’m the Minifig of the World!

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Some artists work in clay, some in paint, but I think the ones that work in LEGO probably have the most fun. LEGO Certified Professional builder Ryan McNaught recreated the Titanic’s final moments in this impressively detailed model. This build took about 120,000 bricks and over 250 hours of free time.

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Ryan didn’t do it alone. He had the help of fellow builders Mitchell Kruik and Clay Mellington. When I say detailed, I’m not kidding. This model shows the ship at the moment the hull buckled. It has severed decks, working lights, wreckage debris, freaked out minifig passengers. Everything.

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Awesome job, Ryan, Mitchell and Clay! Check out all of the intricate detail over on Flickr. If James Cameron worked in LEGO, this would be his Titanic.

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[via Brothers Brick via Nerd Approved]

James Cameron Pays Tribute to Titanic Composer James Horner

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James Horner’s work has set the emotional tone for hundreds of films but his legacy is tied to only one director, with who he shared friendship, admiration and accolades for nearly 30 years. This...

Titanic Composer James Horner Dies in Plane Crash

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Oscar-winning film composer James Horner died tragically in a plane crash on Monday. He was 61.The two-seater single engine S312 Tucano, which was owned by Horner, crashed Monday morning in the north...

LEGO Titanic Set Concept Being Reviewed: Let’s Hope It Stays Afloat

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LEGO Ideas member Ssorg must feel like the king of the world these days. After nearly four years, his proposal for a set based on the infamous RMS Titanic has gathered the 10,000 crowd votes required for LEGO to consider releasing it as an official product. Or in this case, products.

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Initially, Ssorg made only two LEGO versions of the ship. The first one is worthy of the ship’s name – it’s 4ft. long and made of about 4,000 pieces. The second version is more manageable at 2ft. long with about 1,250 pieces. But Ssorg realized that most of the approved LEGO Ideas concepts were small and affordable, so last February he uploaded a third and even smaller version of the ship, measuring just a little over 16″ and made of only 750 pieces.

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While the gargantuan ship’s main appeal will be its size and attention to detail, the medium and small models are no less fun to play with, because both ships are designed to easily split lengthwise and crosswise.

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Congratulations Ssorg! I hope LEGO’s review board won’t be the iceberg to your ship. Head to Ssorg’s LEGO Ideas and Flickr pages to see more of his concept ships.

[via Ars Technica]

Titanic Cat Condo: I’m Purring Jack!

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They told Fluffy that it was unsinkable, but nope, this Titanic Cat Condo has hit an iceberg and is sinking very slowly into the carpet. Now poor Fluffy has to wait for all of those women and children to get a lifeboat.

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Captain Whiskers hit an iceberg and now the good ship and mew are going down. I’m sure that history will show that he was high on catnip and distracted by a ball of string. While the ship sank, the band played on, chasing laser pointers, not playing instruments.

This cat condo from the Hollywood Kitty Company is six feet long, four feet tall, and has three interior levels. Your cat can get in through six port holes, oen deck hole, and a gash along the underside thanks to that iceberg. Oh, and it will cost you $2,000(USD).

[via Nag on the Lake via Neatorama]

Downton Abbey invades the Biltmore Estate

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Downton Abbey's about to invade the opulent Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. According to the latest press release from the property, an exhibit with more than 40 costumes from the PBS...