Did the Bride Run Off Or Was She Kidnapped?: Veil of Secrets (2018)

What Happened to Kate?

So remember how I started playing that game Desire & Decorum from the app Choices?

I know it has been a while since I reviewed an episode.

Well Choices creates games that are similar to the game design in the film Big. A computer game/book that you read but get to make choices as to what will happen next.

Wow!

You have a mix of film and book storytelling in combo of a video game.

Wow

So last year I playing this one and wanted to renew it for Horrorfest, but I hadn’t finished playing it yet. I ended up doing It Lives in the Woods and decided to save this for this year.

So the story starts off with you, New York reporter, going to visit your best friend/college roommate Katherine O’Malley in Bridgeport as she is getting married!

Time for a wedding!

You haven’t had a chance to spend as much time together recently, so you haven’t even met the fiancé or the other members of the wedding part. But it quickly looks like this wedding will not be a happy affair.

When you get there you discover that she is marrying the supper wealthy Tanner Sterling-he’s seems like a Prince Charming-but his family is awful-looking down and treating Kate bad.

Then there are her “friends” who are horrible! The maid of honor Scarlett Emerson puts down Kate and treats her like dirt as well. Something is not right here.

You also meet lawyer and Scarlett’s brother, Grant Emerson, he’s okay; along with Kate’s brother Flynn-ex-con and dockworker.

Depending on your choice, you either you go out to an impromptu Bachelorette party, but either way you encounter a drunk Kate after at your hotel room later. She is worried about something, but drunk, and before you can get her to say what it is-angry Tanner comes storming in and pulls her away-all she manages to do is pass a note with the word “Ulysseus” on it.

Hmm, I don’t know about this…

The next day you go to the wedding, but when “Here Comes the Bride” plays, no bride walks down the aisle. The bride is missing!!!!

Gone Girl

Has Kate has run off…or has she been kidnapped?

It’s up to you to solve the case! You team up with Flynn and Deputy Naomi Silverhawk. You investigate the clues and have your choice of which romantic interest you desire.

Which way should I choose?

As is ever other choice in the game. Now you will reach the final conclusion either way, but you do have points where you will have to pay with your “diamonds” to investigate to get more information.

Mystery, you say?

So as you start investigating you discover the beautiful town of Bridgeport is straight  out of David Lynch-beautiful on the outside but something rotten under the surface.

Blue Velvet was an interesting movie. One day, I’ll review it, but not today.

Anyways, so time progresses and even though the Tanners are insisting that Kate ran off it is clear that something bad has happened to Kate. As you investigate you discover that the police force is corrupt (except Naomi) and don’t want you investigating:

Tanner was cheating on Kate:

You jerk!

Scarlet hated her guts and has some serious emotional issues:

Tanner’s brother is a total creepazoid:

And his parents do not want them to get married:

Did one of them do something to her? Could it have been more than one person?

Time to get on the case!

But as you continue with the case, you discover a secret so big-it could burn Bridgeport to the ground.

I thought this was an amazing mystery and extremely well done! I enjoyed it so much I have played it multiple times so that I can get every single clue.

If this is your kind of thing, you should play today!

To start Horrorfest VIII from the beginning, go to Count Dracula the Propagator of This Unspeakable Evil Has Disappeared. He Must Be Found and Destroyed!: Horror of Dracula (1958)

For more on Veil of Secrets, go to Kissing the Blarney Stone: 7 More Irish Heroes

For more on Choices, go to Happiness is Having a Library Card: Another 13 of the Best Fictional Libraries

For more on kidnapping, go to Those Men Are Not Going to Stand for Nancy Drew Poking Her Little Nose Into Their Affairs: Nancy Drew, Detective (1938)

For more weddings, go to The Conscripted Seamstress

Cheese Round

So my friend is getting married!

Last year she threw me a “Jane Austen Tea Party Bridal Shower“

This year, she wanted a “Spring Tea Bridal Shower”. She asked me to make a Cheese Round for the party. The original title of the recipe is Christmas Cheese Round from my sister blog, MysteriousEats.wordpress.com. I’ve made it before for our cheese and fruit/movie parties we always have. We love cheese.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup of Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1 Cup of finely chopped Pecans (I used my blender to take care of it)
• 8 0z Cream Cheese Brick
• 1/2 Cup of Chopped Green Onions

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients. Pack into a round or ball.
2. Chill for two hours to overnight.
3. Serve with crackers or bread

The crackers I chose were Milton’s Everything Crackers (the best!), Organic Triscuit Cracked Pepper and Olive Oil, and the Mary’s Gone Crackers Gluten-Free Crackers. All were from the Grocery Outlet, so they are all $1.99.

YUM!

This is the best cheese round/ball or whatever you want to call it that I have ever had. I could eat the whole thing myself.

I recommend it for your next party or tea party.

For more recipes, go to Scottish Oatcakes

For more recipes from Mysterious Eats, go to Carrot Oatmeal Muffins

For more Bridal Showers, go to Jane Austen Bridal Shower

For more Tea Parties, go to My Niece Wanted a Tea Party

It’s All Jane Austen’s Fault

I blame her for my high expectations of men and obsessions that she caused. I mean the men she created are just tooooo perfect!

Mr. Darcy

The many handsome men who have played Mr. Darcy

So here we have a guy that acts like a total jerk, I mean absolutely awful, but then does a complete 360 when he realizes that he was horrible to the girl he loved. Not only does he do everything he can to change Elizabeth’s opinion of him but does everything he can to help her and her family.

Seriously:

I mean look at how he tells her he loves her (I mean past all the your family is horrible stuff)

 

I admire and love you! So romantic!

So romantic!

 Seriously!

For more on Mr. Darcy, go to Mr. Darcy is a Charmer

Colonel Brandon

Here is a guy who loved a girl and lost her to someone else. He loved her so much he was willing to raise her daughter and treat her as his own. He then falls for another girl and watches her fall for another, less worthy of her, but does nothing but try to be her friend through it all. When she is in trouble he is willing to do anything, risk any storm, travel over many miles all for her.

So romantic!

Seriously:

Yes, you are.

For more on Colonel Brandon, go to Let’s Hear It for the Boys

Mr. Knightly

He’s loved Emma for a while but thinks that she deserves more. So instead of saying anything or doing anything he stays content being her friend and helping her through every mess she throws herself into. I mean he travels through any element to be by Emma’s side; he’s better than the post office.

He also likes her for more than just her beauty and charm as he loves her mind. He’s a man of substance and wants a women who can challenge him and his thinking.

Because he knows her father’s delicate state of mind and that he wouldn’t survive without his daughter around, he gives up living at his house and moves in with her. Can you imagine a wealthy guy who’s been used to having everything his way, give up that independence so that he can make his bride and father-in-law happy? Aw, he is sooooooooo romantic!

For more on Mr. Knightly, go to Obviously You Never Met George Knightly

Mr. Tilney

Here is a guy who threw away his inheritance all for Catherine. He loved her so much, he didn’t care that she wasn’t rich, he didn’t care that he would be cut off; all he cared about was making Catherine his wife.

So romantic!

Yep Mr. Tilney is perfect for me. Not only do I think so but it has been confirmed by Buzzfeed.

Click here to find out who your Austen soulmate is.

For more on Mr. Tilney, go to Storybook Ending

Capt. Wentwoth

So here we have a guy who loved this girl so much and had his heartbroken by her. He thought that she broke up with him because he was poor. He has made a huge success of himself, is rich, but has never forgotten her.

He comes on leave and runs into her. He thinks he is over her, but tries to make her jealous by hanging around with other girls. However, he realizes that he still cares for her and when he finds out that  she didn’t dump him because he was poor, he begins to hope again.

Then doing everything he can to win her back and make her dreams come true.

He writes the most absolutely beautiful “let’g get back together” letter ever imaginable.

For more on Capt. Wentworth, go to A Letter of Love

Guys pay attention:

But I haven’t given up hope! Someday…

Just stay calm

For more on Jane Austen, go to For Pessimist, I’m Pretty Optimistic

For more on Pride and Prejudice, go to How to Catch a Man

For more on Sense and Sensibility, go to On the 10th Day ‘Til Christmas

For more on Emma, go to Take a Chill Pill John Knightly

For more on Northanger Abbey, go to Project Runway

For more on Persuasion, go to Part VII: It Was Said One Night

For more bookish posts, go to The Two Times to Be Over

For more quizzes, go to Viva La Révolution

For more of my favorite quotes, go to But It’s Alright

A True Princess

Day 1) Your Favorite Disney Princess

So my favorite princess may be different from what you all were expecting. Forget Aurora, Belle, Cinderella, Elsa, Ana, Merida, etc. This is my favorite Disney princess

Princess Leia

Now before you say anything she is a Disney princess. Disney bought Star Wars so she is a princess!

She is the most AWESOME character and princess ever!!!! She heads a rebellion, willing to sacrifice herself for her friends, country, and beliefs. Even when her home planet is threatened, she still won’t reveal the secrets and allow their destruction. She under goes countless torture, but is able to power through it all.

When Han and Luke come to save her, she turns it around and saves herself. She takes a gun and takes out those troopers herself. Because:

Even after all that she powers through the trauma and leads her people in the next two films. Never afraid to go down there and take care of things herself. She’s s awesome.

She is so awesome! I remember wanting to be her as a kid. I just thought she was the perfect female; strong, powerful, able to hold her own, but at the same time willing to ask and accept help from others. 🙂 I always tried to be just like her, and guess what, I am! Everything it says here is exactly me!

To see who you are go here.

 

So, funny story that I thought I would include here. Now I love Star Wars a whole lot!

I mean this is me:

True story!

 

This is my future, I’m telling ya.

So I never been one of those girls who plans out her wedding. I was always like, why bother? It’s not going to happen anytime soon.

So I decided that I was going to have a Star Wars themed wedding. My dad will dress up like Darth Vader, I can walk down the asile to the Imperial March, etc. And my groom will dress up like Han Solo

Because who doesn’t want to marry this handsome, redeemed bad boy, space-cowboy?

For my dress I could wear something like she does at the end of episode IV or give it my own flair like this:

Because, honestly, who doesn’t want to be Princess Leia?

For more on Star Wars go to Be Like Han

For more on Disney Princesses, go to Disney Lesson

For more on Disney, go to Fashion Show

For more on bad boys, go to At the End of the Rainbow

 

We’re Buying This Dress: Runaway Bride (1999)

Favorite Moment # 8

Runaway Bride (1999)

So many  of you might  find the moment that I choose in this as strange, as there are other more standard romantic scenes, but this one is my favorite.

Ike Graham, (Richard Gere), has written on article on Maggie Carpenter, (Julia Roberts), a “maneater” who has jilted grooms at the altar 6-7 times for the sheer fun of it.

Unfortunately, he got his facts wrong and is out of a job. To redeem his name, he has gone to her hometown to find out the facts; hoping that Maggie will run on fiancé #4.

At first he dislikes Maggie as he is a divorced, bitter, disillusioned about love, and an “unromantic” guy. (Sounds like him and Robert Phillips would be pals). But over time, he starts to develop feelings for her.

Will Maggie continue to run? Or will she finally walk down the aisle?

My favorite romantic moment comes about halfway through the film. Maggie decides that since Ike is going to be following her around anyways asking all kinds of questions, she might as well get some money out of it. She charges him to interview her which Ike agrees to. Maggie is thrilled as it gives her the chance to buy the dress she really wants, but was out of her budget as it is $1000.

Yay!!!

However when she gets there, the dress shop owner, Mrs. Whittenmeyer, doesn’t want to sell it.

“Maggie Carpenter: I’ve changed my mind 
Mrs. Whittenmeyer: This [dress] is a thousand dollars.
Maggie Carpenter: And I have a thousand dollars. 
Mrs. Whittenmeyer: The other one is only three hundred, dear.
Maggie Carpenter: Um…is that dress for sale?  
Mrs. Whittenmeyer: It’s just a lot of money to spend on one of your dresses, Maggie. After all, you only wear them for about ten minutes or so.“

Maggie s heartbroken, realizing that no one believes that she will ever go through with a wedding.

But here’s where the romantic part comes in. Ike becomes furious at Mrs. Whittenmeyer being so cruel:

Ike is not having Maggie be treated this way. He takes the situation into his own hands.

“Ike Graham: [Mrs. Whittenmeyer refuses to sell a wedding gown to Maggie] You sell wedding dresses, right? 
Mrs. Whittenmeyer: Yes, I’ve been selling wedding gowns for thirty-five years. 
Ike Graham: Wonderful! Because we are here to buy one! But not just any one [points to a gown in the window]  She wants “that” one! 
Mrs. Whittenmeyer: It’s a thousand dollars! 
Ike Graham: Listen, Aunt Bea! Conversation has never worked for me, let’s try ‘visual.’  [jumps into the window and pulls the mannequin down, knocking its wig off] We’re buying the dress! And anything else she wants!” 

As there are no pictures or videos of this scene, that I adore so much, I had to take screenshots of the scene and make my own gif. I’m a little rusty, so I apologize for its crudity.

The reason I love this part is not only the take charge attitude Ike has, but this is where I believe Ike starts to really care for Maggie. He realizes how harsh his words were, and how his article is affecting her. He also starts to see that there is more to her than a “maneater”.

So romantic

To start Romance is in the Air from the beginning, go to Boom Box of Love: Say Anything (1989)

For the previous post, go to I Don’t Dance or Sing, Except When I’m With You: Enchanted (2007)

For more Richard Gere, go to Carried Away: An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)

For more Julia Roberts, go to You May Screw Up, but You’re Not a Screw Up: Mystic Pizza (1988)