So am I the only one who's starting to believe that Lost doesn't refer to a bunch of people stranded on an island and is more a refernce to millions of viewers who have been yawning and scratching their heads for the last six weeks as the show became more confusing and pointless? Are we all hoping that the ghosts of ABC executives past who forced David Lynch to wrap up the Laura Palmer murder return with a vengeance and do the same in triplicate to those behind this Gilligan's Island on ecstasy?
There's a huge difference between good storytelling in a serialized show and lazy-ass storytelling in a serialized show. Babylon 5 had a direction and a goal for the 5 years it was on. Even with changes forced upon the creator by various circumstances, he had enough of the story plotted out to be able to shift things around to still have a great story. Here, it just seems as if everything's running on past ratings glories.
The show started off well enough. It set up a good mystery and had an interesting set of characters that we could get involved with (and the flashbacks to life before the crash helped a lot). Season Two expanded things nicely, but as it wore on instead of getting answers, we just kept getting more questions. And some of the off-stage antics didn't mess well with on screen stuff. Characters getting killed off because the actors were difficult behind the scenes is lazy. It ended several storylines that had barely gotten started (Libby & Ana Lucia) regardless of what the creators said. And now with the pointless and silly death of Mr. Eko at the "hands" of the clanking smoke monster, we lose the most interesting (and pretty much last) of the characters who survived in the tail section.
While I haven't decided what I'm doing when the show returns in February (my wife has...I'm pretty sure she's finished), we'll see if I actually remember that its on. I'm hoping that when the show does end it gives us a St. Elsewhere kind of ending cause that's the only thing that's gonna make any sense at this point.
Meanwhile...I find myself changing my viewing habits due to technology and its not always for the better. Take Tivo and other DVRs for example. I can now store a bunch of episodes and then spend a few hours on a weekend watching them back to back. Or I can search out torrent files for things that aren't aired in this country (fully intending to pay for them when they are available over here). And finally, I can watch things in what I consider to be the 21st Century equivalent of bad VHS bootlegs...on my laptop.
NBC had a pretty good show in Kidnapped. First rate cast, well told story. But the ratings weren't there after 3 episodes...luckily, instead of cancelling it entirely, they told the producers to wrap it up in 13 episodes. The show came back in a dead time slot (on Saturdays...anyone else remember when Love Boat & Fantasy Island killed in the ratings on Saturdays) with 2 more episodes. Now it has been banished from network TV altogether and can only be watched streaming on the internet.
I've enjoyed this show enough to want to see how it ends, but the freezing and glitching and small screen video annoys the hell out of me.
And now CBS is giving me the unaired episodes of Smith in the same way.
If this keeps up I may long for that time when a show got cancelled and you never heard from it again EVER! (Anyone know where those unaired second season episodes of What About Joan are?)
That's all for today. I hope to be back in the next few days with some catch up reviews (now that one play is ending and another's beginning I'll have some free time to write). And I will be back next Friday November 17th with a big Bond review...we've already got a babysitter lined up to catch a matinee.
Be seeing you.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Election Day Quandries & Cynicism
While I usually don't get into political issues, I figured it's Election Day and its on my mind...so deal with it...if you don't like my opinions on things of this nature, stop reading now...I have no intention of getting into a debate about any of what I'm about to write.
Our system is broken and we (as a collective) don't seem to give a flying fuck.
When half of the eligible voters don't bother to vote, that's a problem.
When the half that does vote is split almost down the middle by the completely ridiculous concept of parties, that's a problem.
When we turn over our voting to corporations that are attempting to eliminate paper trails and use equipment that is faulty at best (and completely tampered with at worst), that's a problem.
When politicians are career politicians who are not interested in anything but their own power, that's a problem.
When every issue is boiled down to black or white, right or wrong, red or blue, Democrat or Republican, Liberal or Conservative, that's a problem.
We are living in a time where our voting options are not only limited by the quality of the candidate, but by the way they are marketed to us. It's akin to Ford rolling out a new car called the Pinto and using the tag-line "Exploding on the scene!" and no one getting the real message.
I disengaged myself from any political party affiliation after the 2000 election. I consider myself fiscally conservative, but socially liberal. But don't mistake that as an attempt to actually label myself. I refuse to be labelled.
This year, as always, I do my research to find the candidates that I feel comfortable voting FOR. I hate the idea of voting for someone because they're not someone else...but apparently that's the way our system is now inclined and I find myself being forced to do that.
It was pretty easy for me to find candidates here in CT to vote for, with one exception...Senator.
The candidate I wanted to vote for never made it on the ballot because of lies, manipulation and miscommunications on the part of our current Secretary of State (guess who's not getting my vote this year now)...so that leaves me with what?? While I'd prefer that the Senate get turned back over to the Democrats right now, I don't like either Lieberman or Lamont for various reasons. That leaves me with candidates from the Republicans (they're not even backing their candidate, which should say something), the Concerned Citizens Party (as a Jew it's like voting for Nazis), and the Green Party (where I'm currently leaning even though I don't believe in the "we need to bring our troops home now" attitude...regardless of why we're there, we are there, we've made a mess, it's our job to clean it up or set it straight...completely pulling out would make things worse).
I hate that CT election laws prohibit write-in candidates except from an approved list (this year its two Libertarians...which I don't understand as being write-ins if the Libertarian Party is on the ballot in other races...and while I don't have problems voting Libertarian, I only do so if I can find our specific info about the candidate and not just see the same old party line regurgitated). If I want to vote for Lex Luthor for State Senator this year, I should be able to...if only to send a message...but I can't.
I have no idea what I'm gonna do in this category when I step into the booth later today. Maybe I'll decide that it's more important for the Democrats to win than for me to stick to my principals. That would be unfortunate.
Meanwhile, anyone (Republican or Democrat) who hasn't caught the HBO documentary Hacking Democracy should do so. It is rather scary that this seems to be the direction we're heading in. The more technologically advanced we get, the easier we're gonna make it to have elections stolen and never find out about them (there's still no answer from Diebold as to how Al Gore got a negative vote count in one Florida county). Maybe the answer is less technology (paper and pencil can't go wrong...I for one may be going the absentee route once we switch over to the Diebold machines like the one used for the hacking demonstration in the movie).
Well...regardless...it's Election Day. Make sure you vote, whether you think it counts or not...because someday it will count again.
Be seeing you.
Our system is broken and we (as a collective) don't seem to give a flying fuck.
When half of the eligible voters don't bother to vote, that's a problem.
When the half that does vote is split almost down the middle by the completely ridiculous concept of parties, that's a problem.
When we turn over our voting to corporations that are attempting to eliminate paper trails and use equipment that is faulty at best (and completely tampered with at worst), that's a problem.
When politicians are career politicians who are not interested in anything but their own power, that's a problem.
When every issue is boiled down to black or white, right or wrong, red or blue, Democrat or Republican, Liberal or Conservative, that's a problem.
We are living in a time where our voting options are not only limited by the quality of the candidate, but by the way they are marketed to us. It's akin to Ford rolling out a new car called the Pinto and using the tag-line "Exploding on the scene!" and no one getting the real message.
I disengaged myself from any political party affiliation after the 2000 election. I consider myself fiscally conservative, but socially liberal. But don't mistake that as an attempt to actually label myself. I refuse to be labelled.
This year, as always, I do my research to find the candidates that I feel comfortable voting FOR. I hate the idea of voting for someone because they're not someone else...but apparently that's the way our system is now inclined and I find myself being forced to do that.
It was pretty easy for me to find candidates here in CT to vote for, with one exception...Senator.
The candidate I wanted to vote for never made it on the ballot because of lies, manipulation and miscommunications on the part of our current Secretary of State (guess who's not getting my vote this year now)...so that leaves me with what?? While I'd prefer that the Senate get turned back over to the Democrats right now, I don't like either Lieberman or Lamont for various reasons. That leaves me with candidates from the Republicans (they're not even backing their candidate, which should say something), the Concerned Citizens Party (as a Jew it's like voting for Nazis), and the Green Party (where I'm currently leaning even though I don't believe in the "we need to bring our troops home now" attitude...regardless of why we're there, we are there, we've made a mess, it's our job to clean it up or set it straight...completely pulling out would make things worse).
I hate that CT election laws prohibit write-in candidates except from an approved list (this year its two Libertarians...which I don't understand as being write-ins if the Libertarian Party is on the ballot in other races...and while I don't have problems voting Libertarian, I only do so if I can find our specific info about the candidate and not just see the same old party line regurgitated). If I want to vote for Lex Luthor for State Senator this year, I should be able to...if only to send a message...but I can't.
I have no idea what I'm gonna do in this category when I step into the booth later today. Maybe I'll decide that it's more important for the Democrats to win than for me to stick to my principals. That would be unfortunate.
Meanwhile, anyone (Republican or Democrat) who hasn't caught the HBO documentary Hacking Democracy should do so. It is rather scary that this seems to be the direction we're heading in. The more technologically advanced we get, the easier we're gonna make it to have elections stolen and never find out about them (there's still no answer from Diebold as to how Al Gore got a negative vote count in one Florida county). Maybe the answer is less technology (paper and pencil can't go wrong...I for one may be going the absentee route once we switch over to the Diebold machines like the one used for the hacking demonstration in the movie).
Well...regardless...it's Election Day. Make sure you vote, whether you think it counts or not...because someday it will count again.
Be seeing you.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
The New Fall Season So Far
What follows is a rundown of what we're watching these days (or plan to watch) as well as some reviews of new shows (both those that we will continue to watch and those that have been scratched off)
Sundays
The Simpsons/American Dad/Family Guy -- The FOX "Animation Domination" needs a fourth show to make it a real two hour block (cause The War At Home just plain sucks and I don't know how it made it to a second season). The rest of the lineup remains as funny as ever (even if The Simpsons are a bit long in the teeth and American Dad is still finding its feet). They're unfortunately off until the end of the World Series, but we at least got a good taste of them.
Desperate Housewives -- Starts its third season with a nice mystery Now let's hope things stay good instead of devolving into the mess that the end of last season tended towards. I already miss Alfre Woodard who was underused and then arrested by season's end.
Mondays
Prison Break -- Remains a well written and fun show (even if it pushes the logic boundary on occassion -- T-Bag's severed hand comes to mind).
Vanished -- I didn't want to like this show because we're trying to cut back and I figured this would be crap. It isn't quite crap, but it is fun. Its a bad Robert Ludlum novel (imagine if he'd written The DaVinci Code) with decent TV actors running things. It also gets kudos for possibly offing the lead before the halfway point. That takes balls. It returns after baseball on Friday nights (when we'll learn the fate of Agent Kelton)
Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip -- So far, hands down in a tie as the best new show of the season. One minor "stumble" was the end of episode two with the big musical number opening the first live show of Danny & Matt's reign. It wasn't as funny as I wanted it to be (more cute than anything else) based on the descriptions and development leading up to it. But I'll forgive it because everything else about this behind the scenes look at a Saturday Night Live-type show is pitch perfect. Plus episode 3 showed us the actual show in a much better light.
Heroes -- This is the other best new show of the season. While there isn't much new here (a bit too much borrowed from J. Michael Straczynski's wonderful comic book Rising Stars), it's told in a great way and I'm along for the ride wherever its heading. This is one worth investing the time in.
Tuesdays
House M.D. -- Nothing's changed here. It remains a great show.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent -- Anabella Sciorra, Jamey Sheriden and Courtney B. Vance are all gone and have been replaced by Eric Bogosian and Teressa Randle. They don't really add anything to what has become the Logan, Goran & Eames show...but thanfully all of that still works.
Boston Legal -- Okay...this is becoming the strangest show on TV as Denny Crane's dementia seems to be breakingh the fourth wall more and more with comments like "I haven't see you all episode" and "You can't be the new guys, you would have been in the season premiere". I hope all of this is heading somewhere or it's all kind of pointless.
Smith -- Ray Liotta starred in what looks to be the first casualty of the season. He's a normal husband by day and an expert thief with a team by night. Well done, but couldn't CBS have found a different timeslot to try it in. Maybe it would have done better. Oh well.
Eureka -- The Sci Fi Channel's version of Peyton Place has been renewed for a second season to start next summer. Hopefully, we'll have finished watching the first season by then. We enjoy the show a lot, but with everything else right now we've got 7 episodes parked on our Tivo.
Standoff -- Recorded the first three episodes, decided I didn't care, found out my parents really like the show and erased them all. In the end, I just didn't have anything saying "You gotta see this" to me.
Help Me Help You -- Ted Danson returns to TV in this funny sitcom about a therapist with his own problems. Well...the first episode was funny...haven't gotten to episode 2 yet because Tuesday nights are the busiest for shows and it gets recorded in the basement.
Veronica Mars -- Not sure I like what they've done to the theme song...or that they offed Charisma Carpenter in the season premiere (she was not just eye candy)...and it'll be interesting to see how they work Weevil back into the show...but so far, it's a good as it has been and the new mystery (or should that be mysteries) is captivating.
Wednesdays
Criminal Minds -- Let's face it, it's the top notch cast led by Mandy Patinkin that keeps this procedural show even watchable because without them, it'd be just like every other crime drama on TV.
Bones -- While I think the addition of a former flame for Boothe is essentially a shark-jumping tactic, we're still watching -- for now.
Justice -- Still watching this law drama because it's not bad and Lost hadn't started yet. But now that its moving to Mondays after Prison Break, I'll keep watching.
Kidnapped -- Another show I didn't want to like, but found myself engrossed in. It's a better version of Vanished for two reasons. A) We know who's behind it from the start (even if we don't really know who he is or why he's doing it) and B) The A List cast that includes Timothy Hutton, Dana Delany, Jeremy Sisto and Delroy Lindo (whose addition made this feel like Ransom: The TV Series at first, but thankfully it quickly moves away from that). Unfortunately, it is also the first casualty of the season as NBC told the producers to wrap everything up by episode 13, which may work out better for them in the end (unlike Smith which got their notice after this show, but was just cancelled outright). A tighter show for a brief season is better than a long meandering one that will need a new hook to continue further seasons. Moves to Saturdays to die the slow death it doesn't quite deserve.
Lost -- I think The Soup's Joel McHale put it best when saying the new season started and it remains stuck between "Wha??" and "What the hell??" Asking more questions than it has answered, the third season premiere, while cool, is not getting things off to a good start. Let's hope further episodes start answering a few questions.
South Park -- Starts a new run of episodes with a yawn inducing look at online gaming...after episodes skewering more worthy topics, this seemed like a lame start.
Thursdays
Til Death -- Didn't like the pilot much, but stuck around for two more episodes before banishing it forever.
Happy Hour -- see the review for Til Death and subtract an episode. I expect this'll be gone soon after its return from the Baseball hiatus.
My Name Is Earl -- Takes the title of best sitcom on TV with all the other well done ones (like Malcolm in the Middle) having ended.
Shark -- While I like James Woods, this show went the same way as Standoff (see my review of that above).
Six Degrees -- See my review of Shark.
Smallville -- While the quick resolution to last year's cliffhanger was satisfying, I still wanted more. Luckily, that more has come in the form of adding Oliver Queen to an already bursting cast of CD Comics characters. Look for the billionaire to put on his Green Arrow togs and bring back guest heroes from past seasons.
Fridays
Law & Order -- Old and long in the tooth...but still watching.
Doctor Who -- Thankfully, the Sci Fi Channel picked up and aired the 2nd season a lot quicker than the first. This wonderful show should be watched by all and hopefully we'll get the 3rd Season (which airs in the UK in March or April 2007) even sooner (like March or April 2007).
Battlestar Galactica -- While the 3rd Season has just started, I can't say much yet because I'm watching this show in mini marathons...but I expect it to be as good as it has been.
Saturdays
Legion of Super Heroes -- While I miss Justice League Unlimited and was never a big fan of this team in comic books, I have to admit I'm enjoying the show and getting to know heroes I'm not too familiar with.
The Batman -- This show has always been hit or miss with me. Didn't care much for the first season and some of the reinterpreted characters, but I got used to them and enjoyed the second season more. The third season was a huge step back. Now it seems as if the fourth season is recovering from that stumble with the addition of Robin.
Fantastic Four -- It's not a bad show, but there's nothing great about this cartoon based on "The World's Greatest Super Hero Comic" (as the good is self titled). Don't quite agree with the bitchy characterization of Susan Storm.
That's all for now. Look for upcoming reviews of The Nine, 30 Rock, 20 Good Years and The Knights of Prosperity as well as returns of 24, Scrubs, Medium, The Loop, Monk, Psych, The Dead Zone, Rome, Entourage, and The Sopranos.
Until then...be seeing you.
Sundays
The Simpsons/American Dad/Family Guy -- The FOX "Animation Domination" needs a fourth show to make it a real two hour block (cause The War At Home just plain sucks and I don't know how it made it to a second season). The rest of the lineup remains as funny as ever (even if The Simpsons are a bit long in the teeth and American Dad is still finding its feet). They're unfortunately off until the end of the World Series, but we at least got a good taste of them.
Desperate Housewives -- Starts its third season with a nice mystery Now let's hope things stay good instead of devolving into the mess that the end of last season tended towards. I already miss Alfre Woodard who was underused and then arrested by season's end.
Mondays
Prison Break -- Remains a well written and fun show (even if it pushes the logic boundary on occassion -- T-Bag's severed hand comes to mind).
Vanished -- I didn't want to like this show because we're trying to cut back and I figured this would be crap. It isn't quite crap, but it is fun. Its a bad Robert Ludlum novel (imagine if he'd written The DaVinci Code) with decent TV actors running things. It also gets kudos for possibly offing the lead before the halfway point. That takes balls. It returns after baseball on Friday nights (when we'll learn the fate of Agent Kelton)
Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip -- So far, hands down in a tie as the best new show of the season. One minor "stumble" was the end of episode two with the big musical number opening the first live show of Danny & Matt's reign. It wasn't as funny as I wanted it to be (more cute than anything else) based on the descriptions and development leading up to it. But I'll forgive it because everything else about this behind the scenes look at a Saturday Night Live-type show is pitch perfect. Plus episode 3 showed us the actual show in a much better light.
Heroes -- This is the other best new show of the season. While there isn't much new here (a bit too much borrowed from J. Michael Straczynski's wonderful comic book Rising Stars), it's told in a great way and I'm along for the ride wherever its heading. This is one worth investing the time in.
Tuesdays
House M.D. -- Nothing's changed here. It remains a great show.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent -- Anabella Sciorra, Jamey Sheriden and Courtney B. Vance are all gone and have been replaced by Eric Bogosian and Teressa Randle. They don't really add anything to what has become the Logan, Goran & Eames show...but thanfully all of that still works.
Boston Legal -- Okay...this is becoming the strangest show on TV as Denny Crane's dementia seems to be breakingh the fourth wall more and more with comments like "I haven't see you all episode" and "You can't be the new guys, you would have been in the season premiere". I hope all of this is heading somewhere or it's all kind of pointless.
Smith -- Ray Liotta starred in what looks to be the first casualty of the season. He's a normal husband by day and an expert thief with a team by night. Well done, but couldn't CBS have found a different timeslot to try it in. Maybe it would have done better. Oh well.
Eureka -- The Sci Fi Channel's version of Peyton Place has been renewed for a second season to start next summer. Hopefully, we'll have finished watching the first season by then. We enjoy the show a lot, but with everything else right now we've got 7 episodes parked on our Tivo.
Standoff -- Recorded the first three episodes, decided I didn't care, found out my parents really like the show and erased them all. In the end, I just didn't have anything saying "You gotta see this" to me.
Help Me Help You -- Ted Danson returns to TV in this funny sitcom about a therapist with his own problems. Well...the first episode was funny...haven't gotten to episode 2 yet because Tuesday nights are the busiest for shows and it gets recorded in the basement.
Veronica Mars -- Not sure I like what they've done to the theme song...or that they offed Charisma Carpenter in the season premiere (she was not just eye candy)...and it'll be interesting to see how they work Weevil back into the show...but so far, it's a good as it has been and the new mystery (or should that be mysteries) is captivating.
Wednesdays
Criminal Minds -- Let's face it, it's the top notch cast led by Mandy Patinkin that keeps this procedural show even watchable because without them, it'd be just like every other crime drama on TV.
Bones -- While I think the addition of a former flame for Boothe is essentially a shark-jumping tactic, we're still watching -- for now.
Justice -- Still watching this law drama because it's not bad and Lost hadn't started yet. But now that its moving to Mondays after Prison Break, I'll keep watching.
Kidnapped -- Another show I didn't want to like, but found myself engrossed in. It's a better version of Vanished for two reasons. A) We know who's behind it from the start (even if we don't really know who he is or why he's doing it) and B) The A List cast that includes Timothy Hutton, Dana Delany, Jeremy Sisto and Delroy Lindo (whose addition made this feel like Ransom: The TV Series at first, but thankfully it quickly moves away from that). Unfortunately, it is also the first casualty of the season as NBC told the producers to wrap everything up by episode 13, which may work out better for them in the end (unlike Smith which got their notice after this show, but was just cancelled outright). A tighter show for a brief season is better than a long meandering one that will need a new hook to continue further seasons. Moves to Saturdays to die the slow death it doesn't quite deserve.
Lost -- I think The Soup's Joel McHale put it best when saying the new season started and it remains stuck between "Wha??" and "What the hell??" Asking more questions than it has answered, the third season premiere, while cool, is not getting things off to a good start. Let's hope further episodes start answering a few questions.
South Park -- Starts a new run of episodes with a yawn inducing look at online gaming...after episodes skewering more worthy topics, this seemed like a lame start.
Thursdays
Til Death -- Didn't like the pilot much, but stuck around for two more episodes before banishing it forever.
Happy Hour -- see the review for Til Death and subtract an episode. I expect this'll be gone soon after its return from the Baseball hiatus.
My Name Is Earl -- Takes the title of best sitcom on TV with all the other well done ones (like Malcolm in the Middle) having ended.
Shark -- While I like James Woods, this show went the same way as Standoff (see my review of that above).
Six Degrees -- See my review of Shark.
Smallville -- While the quick resolution to last year's cliffhanger was satisfying, I still wanted more. Luckily, that more has come in the form of adding Oliver Queen to an already bursting cast of CD Comics characters. Look for the billionaire to put on his Green Arrow togs and bring back guest heroes from past seasons.
Fridays
Law & Order -- Old and long in the tooth...but still watching.
Doctor Who -- Thankfully, the Sci Fi Channel picked up and aired the 2nd season a lot quicker than the first. This wonderful show should be watched by all and hopefully we'll get the 3rd Season (which airs in the UK in March or April 2007) even sooner (like March or April 2007).
Battlestar Galactica -- While the 3rd Season has just started, I can't say much yet because I'm watching this show in mini marathons...but I expect it to be as good as it has been.
Saturdays
Legion of Super Heroes -- While I miss Justice League Unlimited and was never a big fan of this team in comic books, I have to admit I'm enjoying the show and getting to know heroes I'm not too familiar with.
The Batman -- This show has always been hit or miss with me. Didn't care much for the first season and some of the reinterpreted characters, but I got used to them and enjoyed the second season more. The third season was a huge step back. Now it seems as if the fourth season is recovering from that stumble with the addition of Robin.
Fantastic Four -- It's not a bad show, but there's nothing great about this cartoon based on "The World's Greatest Super Hero Comic" (as the good is self titled). Don't quite agree with the bitchy characterization of Susan Storm.
That's all for now. Look for upcoming reviews of The Nine, 30 Rock, 20 Good Years and The Knights of Prosperity as well as returns of 24, Scrubs, Medium, The Loop, Monk, Psych, The Dead Zone, Rome, Entourage, and The Sopranos.
Until then...be seeing you.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
That Is Most Definitely Not Cheese!!!
So Malcolm has really started to talk. And by talk I mean say certain words and know exactly what he means. In the midst of his babbling (or one of his bizarre tirades we've taken to calling Hitler Speeches as he's extremely animated and insistant on what he's saying as he uses his arms to punctuate sentences, yet you have no idea what he's saying since he's a 15 month old), we'll get words that he knows...
Mommy (or Mama) and Daddy (or Dada) we've had for a while. And while "fan" was his favorite (and only) word beyond those for a while, we've now replaced it with "apple", "car", "hi", "bye" and "cheese".
He'll also try and repeat things if you ask him to, but he doesn't use any of those words on his own...which has prompted things like "Florida" or "chair"...but today our story is about the word cheese...
Mostly Malcolm eats string cheese and knows that this long cigar shaped item is cheese. And while he's a bit of a cheese snob, as he eats slices of other cheeses we give him as well and knows that they are cheese, it is this long cigar shaped item wrapped in plastic that he mostly identifies with cheese.
So imagine our hilarity when Malcolm was rummaging through one of the bathroom cabinets he can get into (where there's nothing dangerous I might add) and he comes out with a Tampax tampon and proclaims "Cheese" with a big smile on his face as if he's discovered the mother-load of hidden cheese we keep away from him. He then grabbed a second one and proceeded to run around with two tampons, one in each hand, proclaiming "Cheese", "Cheese", "Cheese".
We just had to share.
And while we're sharing, here's a video of Mac doing a Mozart impression.
Be seeing you
Mommy (or Mama) and Daddy (or Dada) we've had for a while. And while "fan" was his favorite (and only) word beyond those for a while, we've now replaced it with "apple", "car", "hi", "bye" and "cheese".
He'll also try and repeat things if you ask him to, but he doesn't use any of those words on his own...which has prompted things like "Florida" or "chair"...but today our story is about the word cheese...
Mostly Malcolm eats string cheese and knows that this long cigar shaped item is cheese. And while he's a bit of a cheese snob, as he eats slices of other cheeses we give him as well and knows that they are cheese, it is this long cigar shaped item wrapped in plastic that he mostly identifies with cheese.
So imagine our hilarity when Malcolm was rummaging through one of the bathroom cabinets he can get into (where there's nothing dangerous I might add) and he comes out with a Tampax tampon and proclaims "Cheese" with a big smile on his face as if he's discovered the mother-load of hidden cheese we keep away from him. He then grabbed a second one and proceeded to run around with two tampons, one in each hand, proclaiming "Cheese", "Cheese", "Cheese".
We just had to share.
And while we're sharing, here's a video of Mac doing a Mozart impression.
Be seeing you
Friday, September 15, 2006
The Rantings of a Very Tired Man
Hey folks,
So...Malcolm has officially learned to climb EVERYTHING in the house...chairs, tables, his high chair...if he can reach it and pull himself up onto it, he will. It's just a matter of weeks (probably days) before we hear that "THUD" in the middle of the night as he plays Steve McQueen in his crib and tries to figure out how to turn the doorknob (he can lock the door from the inside).
So while he's running amuck in the three rooms he's currently penned into, I figured I'd sit down and write before he turns on the most annoying toy in the world (note to self...remove batteries...of course, I've been saying this for the better part of a week now and don't have the energy to find the screw driver to do the job).
Anyway, with the new James Bond film, Casino Royale, opening November 17, I figured it was time to sit through the entire series from start to finish before the new one opens. So starting in the next few days, you should be getting a piece every week looking back at two films at a time. That is if Malcolm hasn't figured out how to shimmy up the drain pipes yet.
Speaking of spies...Time Life Home Video has the exclusive rights to one of my favorite TV comedies, Get Smart, on DVD for one year...and they're going about releasing it the correct way. Unlike most series these days where it seems like we get one season at a time with minimal extras over the course of many months (or years) only to be served up with a "Complete Series" box set in weird packaging with even more extras, Get Smart is being released in mid-November on 25 DVDs with over 9 hours of extras in phone booth packaging. Cool...and if you search around on their site you can find coupons to take some money off the deal. Even at the retail price of $199.99 for all 5 seasons (138 episodes) it's a pretty good bargain.
And my last complaint for the day (as Malcolm starts climbing me and tries to remove another key from my laptop in addition to the "ESC" key), Warner Home Video has created what I'm voting as the WORST package art EVER for their upcoming new special edition DVDs of the Christopher Reeve Superman films. With wonderful poster art that was used on previous releases, they bad photo collage crap things are just plain embarassing. Shame on Warner. Shame shame shame. Hopefully someone will post better alternate covers on line for printing and replacement.
Well...that's all the time we have for today. If you're interested in new pictures of Mac, check out:
http://www.seemegrow.net/gallery/fenster
And click on the latest album where you can see him attempt to escape down our driveway only to split his lip open.
Be seeing you.
So...Malcolm has officially learned to climb EVERYTHING in the house...chairs, tables, his high chair...if he can reach it and pull himself up onto it, he will. It's just a matter of weeks (probably days) before we hear that "THUD" in the middle of the night as he plays Steve McQueen in his crib and tries to figure out how to turn the doorknob (he can lock the door from the inside).
So while he's running amuck in the three rooms he's currently penned into, I figured I'd sit down and write before he turns on the most annoying toy in the world (note to self...remove batteries...of course, I've been saying this for the better part of a week now and don't have the energy to find the screw driver to do the job).
Anyway, with the new James Bond film, Casino Royale, opening November 17, I figured it was time to sit through the entire series from start to finish before the new one opens. So starting in the next few days, you should be getting a piece every week looking back at two films at a time. That is if Malcolm hasn't figured out how to shimmy up the drain pipes yet.
Speaking of spies...Time Life Home Video has the exclusive rights to one of my favorite TV comedies, Get Smart, on DVD for one year...and they're going about releasing it the correct way. Unlike most series these days where it seems like we get one season at a time with minimal extras over the course of many months (or years) only to be served up with a "Complete Series" box set in weird packaging with even more extras, Get Smart is being released in mid-November on 25 DVDs with over 9 hours of extras in phone booth packaging. Cool...and if you search around on their site you can find coupons to take some money off the deal. Even at the retail price of $199.99 for all 5 seasons (138 episodes) it's a pretty good bargain.
And my last complaint for the day (as Malcolm starts climbing me and tries to remove another key from my laptop in addition to the "ESC" key), Warner Home Video has created what I'm voting as the WORST package art EVER for their upcoming new special edition DVDs of the Christopher Reeve Superman films. With wonderful poster art that was used on previous releases, they bad photo collage crap things are just plain embarassing. Shame on Warner. Shame shame shame. Hopefully someone will post better alternate covers on line for printing and replacement.
Well...that's all the time we have for today. If you're interested in new pictures of Mac, check out:
http://www.seemegrow.net/gallery/fenster
And click on the latest album where you can see him attempt to escape down our driveway only to split his lip open.
Be seeing you.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
And They're Off...
So it's now September and the new Fall TV Season is just getting under way...
Here's a look at a few shows that have premiered so far:
Prison Break returns for a second season with the addition of William Fitchner as an FBI agent in charge of the manhunt for the "Fox River Eight". The show remains fun, wild and a bit off in its logic at times. But this is definitely a must see.
The show is followed by Vanished on Monday nights on Fox. I'm not sure about this show. Its about the disappearance of a Senator's wife. So far it seems like a bizarre cross between 24, Lost and quite possibly The Da Vinci Code. I don't want to like it (because I watch too many shows as it is), but there are many things I am liking about it (it's got that Robert Ludlum convoluted political plot I used to love). We'll see how this continues for the next few weeks and if anything airs opposite it that garners more attention from me (like NBC's Heroes...but that doesn't premiere until the end of the month...so this show will have had about 8 or 9 episodes before I make a final decision and by then it may be too late).
Tuesdays bring us the return of House which remains an amazing show. We also get Standoff which I have recorded but have yet to watch...which may be saying something. If I get around to it, I'll review it.
Wednesdays brings back Bones with a strange cast addition that has made me realize that the show was better when it was just Angel, Bones and her team. The new "boss/old flame" isn't holding me to the show as much (I found myself reading the paper while it was on in the background). Oh well.
This is now followed by Justice...which may as well just be called CSI: L&O as it's just the bastard love child of the CSI franchise and the Law & Order franchise. Coming from Jerry Bruckheimer and starring Victor Garber, this procedural law drama is interesting, but nothing new. I'll watch when I've got nothing else to watch or do. Of course, having it up against Criminal Minds and Lost means I won't be watching it much after the next two episodes...and that's fine by me.
For those of you needing a movie review, here a quick one...if you feel the need to see bad things happen to Lindsey Lohan for about 45 minutes or so, you may get a kick out of Just My Luck. Of course, I should probably get a kick just for having seen this (forgot it was on our Netflix list and somehow I wasn't paying attention when it made it to the top).
Lastly, I find myself watching a lot more news these days to counter the effects of watching too much children's TV. For most of the summer we were watching the same dozen or so episodes of Sesame Street over and over and over and over. You'd think that with 37 years of episodes that PBS could rag something older than 2 years ago out of the vaults. Thankfully, a few weeks ago they started airing new episodes and while we're seeing some repeated segments, the main "street stories" are new...and very funny...the best of these so far has been an amazing "parody" of the Elmo's World segment starring Cookie Monster (right down to the pet cookie in the fish bowl). In spite of easy repetition and unwarranted idiocy from people complaining the show is too liberal (if a six year old comments that there aren't enough white people on this show, then we can complain the show's too liberal...until then, you adults go back to destroying the world and stop complaining about things you have no real knowledge of), the show remains as fresh and as educational as it has ever been.
That's all for today.
Back soon with other things...well...soonish...
Be seeing you.
Here's a look at a few shows that have premiered so far:
Prison Break returns for a second season with the addition of William Fitchner as an FBI agent in charge of the manhunt for the "Fox River Eight". The show remains fun, wild and a bit off in its logic at times. But this is definitely a must see.
The show is followed by Vanished on Monday nights on Fox. I'm not sure about this show. Its about the disappearance of a Senator's wife. So far it seems like a bizarre cross between 24, Lost and quite possibly The Da Vinci Code. I don't want to like it (because I watch too many shows as it is), but there are many things I am liking about it (it's got that Robert Ludlum convoluted political plot I used to love). We'll see how this continues for the next few weeks and if anything airs opposite it that garners more attention from me (like NBC's Heroes...but that doesn't premiere until the end of the month...so this show will have had about 8 or 9 episodes before I make a final decision and by then it may be too late).
Tuesdays bring us the return of House which remains an amazing show. We also get Standoff which I have recorded but have yet to watch...which may be saying something. If I get around to it, I'll review it.
Wednesdays brings back Bones with a strange cast addition that has made me realize that the show was better when it was just Angel, Bones and her team. The new "boss/old flame" isn't holding me to the show as much (I found myself reading the paper while it was on in the background). Oh well.
This is now followed by Justice...which may as well just be called CSI: L&O as it's just the bastard love child of the CSI franchise and the Law & Order franchise. Coming from Jerry Bruckheimer and starring Victor Garber, this procedural law drama is interesting, but nothing new. I'll watch when I've got nothing else to watch or do. Of course, having it up against Criminal Minds and Lost means I won't be watching it much after the next two episodes...and that's fine by me.
For those of you needing a movie review, here a quick one...if you feel the need to see bad things happen to Lindsey Lohan for about 45 minutes or so, you may get a kick out of Just My Luck. Of course, I should probably get a kick just for having seen this (forgot it was on our Netflix list and somehow I wasn't paying attention when it made it to the top).
Lastly, I find myself watching a lot more news these days to counter the effects of watching too much children's TV. For most of the summer we were watching the same dozen or so episodes of Sesame Street over and over and over and over. You'd think that with 37 years of episodes that PBS could rag something older than 2 years ago out of the vaults. Thankfully, a few weeks ago they started airing new episodes and while we're seeing some repeated segments, the main "street stories" are new...and very funny...the best of these so far has been an amazing "parody" of the Elmo's World segment starring Cookie Monster (right down to the pet cookie in the fish bowl). In spite of easy repetition and unwarranted idiocy from people complaining the show is too liberal (if a six year old comments that there aren't enough white people on this show, then we can complain the show's too liberal...until then, you adults go back to destroying the world and stop complaining about things you have no real knowledge of), the show remains as fresh and as educational as it has ever been.
That's all for today.
Back soon with other things...well...soonish...
Be seeing you.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Will Joel Ever Learn?
Sometimes one has to wonder why certain actors make the movie they do.
Take for example Robin Williams. He's both a talented actor and comedian, so one would expect the films he does to have a higher quality to the material. Up until recently he was the star of what I considered to be the worst film EVER made by a Hollywood Studio...Being Human. But I could understand the potential appeal to him taking on a film that tried to tackle the concept of man's existance.
With RV, I have no clue and assume he was either paying the rent or on dealing with substance abuse (yes...this film does explain why he recently checked into rehab).
Just released on DVD, RV is not the worst comedy ever made (that distinction belongs to Date Movie), but it is a pretty pointless waste of time. The film reeks of starting its life as another installment in the popular Vacation series that even Chevy Chase was unwilling to touch. Williams stars as a husband/father who is trying to balance work and family life. When the two come into conflict over a potential vacation, he combines them by renting an RV for the family trip and travelling to a business meeting (without telling his family the real reasons they're doing this). Much hilarity and resentment ensues and in the end everyone realizes the error of their ways...except the viewer who may have just wasted a bit more than an hour and a half of his life.
The only saving grace this film does have is the appearance of Jeff Daniels and Kristen Chenowith as a couple who live in their RV with their family (think hick versions of The Partridge Family). Whenever these two are involved in the story, the film does pick up a bit...but not enough to save the entire endeavor. I expect better from Williams and director Barry Sonnenfeld (The Addams Family and Men in Black). Heck, I expect better from myself....
But I never learn as Scary Movie 4 is almost as bad, but at least here I didn't expect much. There was a time, which seems like long ago, when this type of comedy was not only funny, but well done. Look back at Top Secret, Airplane!, any Mel Brooks film before Robin Hood: Men In Tights and even Airplane II: The Sequel and you'll find well crafted films that are funny and have plots that work. Even the first Scary Movie had what makes this kind of film successful.
This type of film works best when a well-worn plot has been grafted to comedic situations and pop culture gags that naturally come from both the film being parodied and the time the film is being made. Maybe the adverse effects of MTV which has shortened everyone's attention spans beyond believeability has caused this type of comedy to evolve (or devolve) into little more than a string of topical jokes wrapped around some other film. Its like watching a Saturday Night Live sketch that was extended well past the expiration date. And is probably best avoided by everyone (and yet this was still funnier than Date Movie which was made by two of the six writers of this film)...at least until Scary Movie 5 arrives. It's coming...so be afraid, be very afraid.
Lastly, to end on something of a high note...Spike Lee's Inside Man is a well crafted caper film that pits cops versus robbers during a hostage stand-off at a bank. Denzel Washington & Clive Owen play opposing forces in this wonderful film that shouldn't be missed.
Be seeing you.
Take for example Robin Williams. He's both a talented actor and comedian, so one would expect the films he does to have a higher quality to the material. Up until recently he was the star of what I considered to be the worst film EVER made by a Hollywood Studio...Being Human. But I could understand the potential appeal to him taking on a film that tried to tackle the concept of man's existance.
With RV, I have no clue and assume he was either paying the rent or on dealing with substance abuse (yes...this film does explain why he recently checked into rehab).
Just released on DVD, RV is not the worst comedy ever made (that distinction belongs to Date Movie), but it is a pretty pointless waste of time. The film reeks of starting its life as another installment in the popular Vacation series that even Chevy Chase was unwilling to touch. Williams stars as a husband/father who is trying to balance work and family life. When the two come into conflict over a potential vacation, he combines them by renting an RV for the family trip and travelling to a business meeting (without telling his family the real reasons they're doing this). Much hilarity and resentment ensues and in the end everyone realizes the error of their ways...except the viewer who may have just wasted a bit more than an hour and a half of his life.
The only saving grace this film does have is the appearance of Jeff Daniels and Kristen Chenowith as a couple who live in their RV with their family (think hick versions of The Partridge Family). Whenever these two are involved in the story, the film does pick up a bit...but not enough to save the entire endeavor. I expect better from Williams and director Barry Sonnenfeld (The Addams Family and Men in Black). Heck, I expect better from myself....
But I never learn as Scary Movie 4 is almost as bad, but at least here I didn't expect much. There was a time, which seems like long ago, when this type of comedy was not only funny, but well done. Look back at Top Secret, Airplane!, any Mel Brooks film before Robin Hood: Men In Tights and even Airplane II: The Sequel and you'll find well crafted films that are funny and have plots that work. Even the first Scary Movie had what makes this kind of film successful.
This type of film works best when a well-worn plot has been grafted to comedic situations and pop culture gags that naturally come from both the film being parodied and the time the film is being made. Maybe the adverse effects of MTV which has shortened everyone's attention spans beyond believeability has caused this type of comedy to evolve (or devolve) into little more than a string of topical jokes wrapped around some other film. Its like watching a Saturday Night Live sketch that was extended well past the expiration date. And is probably best avoided by everyone (and yet this was still funnier than Date Movie which was made by two of the six writers of this film)...at least until Scary Movie 5 arrives. It's coming...so be afraid, be very afraid.
Lastly, to end on something of a high note...Spike Lee's Inside Man is a well crafted caper film that pits cops versus robbers during a hostage stand-off at a bank. Denzel Washington & Clive Owen play opposing forces in this wonderful film that shouldn't be missed.
Be seeing you.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Let's Go To The Movies
With peace finally coming to the Middle East (I mean it must be peaceful if all the 24 hour news networks can focus every waking moment on a decade old murder case), Tash & I decided to take some time off from child reaering (and work) to go on a date. So we dropped Malcolm off with his grandparents and trekked out to the theater.
When we didn't have a child, we'd go to the movies often. We'd trade off seeing things the other really wanted to see and mix it with things we both wanted to see. Now that we don't go as often, we're a bit more selective about what we do see on the big screen (well...the big screen is a bit of a misnomer as we saw Clerks II on a theater screen that is a bit smaller than the drop down we have at home). Here's a peak at our process:
Here is a list of what was playing on Friday August 18 in our theater-going area (not including things playing at local IMAX Theaters):
Zoom
Scoop
The Devil Wears Prada
World Trade Center
Little Miss Sunshine
Accepted
Material Girls
Snakes on a Plane
Pulse
Barnyard
The Decent
Miami Vice
You, Me and Dupree
Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Step Up
John Tucker Must Die
The Boyton Beach Club
An Inconvenient Truth
Wordplay
Monster House
The Night Listener
Little Man
The Ant Bully
Clerks II
So...let's look at how we came to decide what we saw. We eliminated things we had already seen (Clerks II, The Devil Wears Prada). We then eliminated kids films as we'll catch those on video where Malcolm may get some brief use out of them (so long to The Ant Bully, Monster House and Barnyard). Neither of us felt like seeing comedies from the current "hot" group of "young" comedians (so there'd be no You, Me and Dupree or Talladega Nights or Little Man). Since it was a date night, documentaries were out (Wordplay, An Inconvenient Truth) and Tash doesn't like horror films (Snakes on a Plane, Pulse, The Decent). We both agreed that while we wanted a fun film, we'd catch Pirates of the Caribbean on video like we did with the first one. Wanting a fun film also ruled out World Trade Center (which we both want to see) as well as Miami Vice and The Night Listener.
Now we're left with choices of:
Zoom
Scoop
Little Miss Sunshine
Accepted
Material Girls
Step Up
John Tucker Must Die
The Boyton Beach Club
Neither of us had any interest in Zoom, Material Girls, Step Up (in spite of Kevin Smith's thumbs up when substituting for Roger Ebert) or John Tucker Must Die.
Scoop has gotten mediocre reviews, so it's not "special" enough to warrant a potential theater-going experience.
We had no idea what The Boyton Beach Club was about.
So now we've got it narrowed down to Little Miss Sunshine and Accepted.
We both have an interest in seeing both films at some point. Little Miss Sunshine has that indie appeal we both like and has gotten loads of acclaim. Accepted looks like it could either be funnier than it has any right to be (like Eurotrip) or just terrible (like any other comedy we had already eliminated).
And the winner was...
Accepted (pretty much because Tash wanted to stop off at a store near a particular theater and Little Miss Sunshine wasn't playing at this theater -- even though it has 14 screens).
So...how was Accepted?
It was just what we needed. Sure, the plot is preposterous, but it was very funny (although not as funny as Eurotrip to give an example of another teen comedy of the last few years that looked like it could have been a stupid waste of time and thankfully wasn't).
Justin Long stars as Bartleby Gaines, a loser of a high school senior who has been rejected by all the colleges he applied to. To ward off the inevitable criticism from his parents, he fakes an acceptance letter from a fictional college (South Harmon Institute of Technology) and with the help of some friends (who have also been rejected from everywhere they applied) get another friend to fabricate a website to make it seem legit.
But then things get a bit out of control. Mom & Dad want to see the campus, so he uses the tuition money to rent a building (an abandoned mental institution that they renovate). Then his parents want to meet the dean, so they hire his friend's uncle. And then as a final complication, Bartleby and his friends discover that the website was made to look too legit as hundreds of students who have also been accepted (since acceptance is just a click away) show up for the first day of school
Can Bartleby keep the sham going without getting into real trouble? Will his friend Sherman join them in this endeavour or continue trying to fit in with the frats of a real college? Will the other college's dean get his way and but up the land that S.H.I.T. sits on to build the new entrance for the real school? Will Bartleby get the girl? (No, Yes, No, Of Course)
Sure the film was predictable, but it was fun in its own way. The cast is exteremly likable and very believable as kids who have no real direction (let's face it, Justin Long is almost 30 and he's still playing high school kids...if that isn't an example of not having a direction, I don't know what is). Lewis Black appears as Sherman's Uncle Ben who gets hired to be the Dean of S.H.I.T. and whenever he's on screen, the film becomes something else. What spends most of its time being something of a "lite" version of Animal House surprisingly becomes a biting commentary on the current state of the American educational system.
Fun and a message? What more could anyone ask for?
Maybe you don't need to rush out and catch this in theaters, but don't miss it on video.
So...what will catch in theaters next time? Since we don't know when that will be (aside from November 17 when Casino Royale opens cause there's no fucking way I'm not seeing a new James Bond film opening day in theaters), who knows what we'll choose that will cause people to look at us funny and think we've gone off the deep end (We had a chance to go to the movies and you saw ACCEPTED??)
I'll be back in a few days with some more reviews of DVDs.
Be seeing you.
When we didn't have a child, we'd go to the movies often. We'd trade off seeing things the other really wanted to see and mix it with things we both wanted to see. Now that we don't go as often, we're a bit more selective about what we do see on the big screen (well...the big screen is a bit of a misnomer as we saw Clerks II on a theater screen that is a bit smaller than the drop down we have at home). Here's a peak at our process:
Here is a list of what was playing on Friday August 18 in our theater-going area (not including things playing at local IMAX Theaters):
Zoom
Scoop
The Devil Wears Prada
World Trade Center
Little Miss Sunshine
Accepted
Material Girls
Snakes on a Plane
Pulse
Barnyard
The Decent
Miami Vice
You, Me and Dupree
Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Step Up
John Tucker Must Die
The Boyton Beach Club
An Inconvenient Truth
Wordplay
Monster House
The Night Listener
Little Man
The Ant Bully
Clerks II
So...let's look at how we came to decide what we saw. We eliminated things we had already seen (Clerks II, The Devil Wears Prada). We then eliminated kids films as we'll catch those on video where Malcolm may get some brief use out of them (so long to The Ant Bully, Monster House and Barnyard). Neither of us felt like seeing comedies from the current "hot" group of "young" comedians (so there'd be no You, Me and Dupree or Talladega Nights or Little Man). Since it was a date night, documentaries were out (Wordplay, An Inconvenient Truth) and Tash doesn't like horror films (Snakes on a Plane, Pulse, The Decent). We both agreed that while we wanted a fun film, we'd catch Pirates of the Caribbean on video like we did with the first one. Wanting a fun film also ruled out World Trade Center (which we both want to see) as well as Miami Vice and The Night Listener.
Now we're left with choices of:
Zoom
Scoop
Little Miss SunshineAccepted
Material Girls
Step Up
John Tucker Must Die
The Boyton Beach Club
Neither of us had any interest in Zoom, Material Girls, Step Up (in spite of Kevin Smith's thumbs up when substituting for Roger Ebert) or John Tucker Must Die.
Scoop has gotten mediocre reviews, so it's not "special" enough to warrant a potential theater-going experience.
We had no idea what The Boyton Beach Club was about.
So now we've got it narrowed down to Little Miss Sunshine and Accepted.
We both have an interest in seeing both films at some point. Little Miss Sunshine has that indie appeal we both like and has gotten loads of acclaim. Accepted looks like it could either be funnier than it has any right to be (like Eurotrip) or just terrible (like any other comedy we had already eliminated).
And the winner was...
Accepted (pretty much because Tash wanted to stop off at a store near a particular theater and Little Miss Sunshine wasn't playing at this theater -- even though it has 14 screens).
So...how was Accepted?
It was just what we needed. Sure, the plot is preposterous, but it was very funny (although not as funny as Eurotrip to give an example of another teen comedy of the last few years that looked like it could have been a stupid waste of time and thankfully wasn't).
Justin Long stars as Bartleby Gaines, a loser of a high school senior who has been rejected by all the colleges he applied to. To ward off the inevitable criticism from his parents, he fakes an acceptance letter from a fictional college (South Harmon Institute of Technology) and with the help of some friends (who have also been rejected from everywhere they applied) get another friend to fabricate a website to make it seem legit.
But then things get a bit out of control. Mom & Dad want to see the campus, so he uses the tuition money to rent a building (an abandoned mental institution that they renovate). Then his parents want to meet the dean, so they hire his friend's uncle. And then as a final complication, Bartleby and his friends discover that the website was made to look too legit as hundreds of students who have also been accepted (since acceptance is just a click away) show up for the first day of school
Can Bartleby keep the sham going without getting into real trouble? Will his friend Sherman join them in this endeavour or continue trying to fit in with the frats of a real college? Will the other college's dean get his way and but up the land that S.H.I.T. sits on to build the new entrance for the real school? Will Bartleby get the girl? (No, Yes, No, Of Course)
Sure the film was predictable, but it was fun in its own way. The cast is exteremly likable and very believable as kids who have no real direction (let's face it, Justin Long is almost 30 and he's still playing high school kids...if that isn't an example of not having a direction, I don't know what is). Lewis Black appears as Sherman's Uncle Ben who gets hired to be the Dean of S.H.I.T. and whenever he's on screen, the film becomes something else. What spends most of its time being something of a "lite" version of Animal House surprisingly becomes a biting commentary on the current state of the American educational system.
Fun and a message? What more could anyone ask for?
Maybe you don't need to rush out and catch this in theaters, but don't miss it on video.
So...what will catch in theaters next time? Since we don't know when that will be (aside from November 17 when Casino Royale opens cause there's no fucking way I'm not seeing a new James Bond film opening day in theaters), who knows what we'll choose that will cause people to look at us funny and think we've gone off the deep end (We had a chance to go to the movies and you saw ACCEPTED??)
I'll be back in a few days with some more reviews of DVDs.
Be seeing you.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Hippo Birdie 2 Me
So yesterday was my 37th birthday.
Yawn.
I haven't felt so blah about turning a year older in quite some time. What is 37 anyway? I'm that much closer to 40 (I can remember a time when 40 seemed so far away). I've lived longer than my father did (try wrapping your brain around that one...you should be able to say that when you hit 70, not this young). I've survived an aneurysm (again...you should be able to say this much later in life). I've gotten married and had a kid all in the last 5 years (since the aneurysm). And life is pretty good.
And yet, yesterday was just kind of blah.
Don't get me wrong...I had a great day. My wife changed all of the dirty diapers (as I did for her on her birthday recently). She let me sleep late. She was even willing to take the boy out for the day so I could spend it alone doing whatever. But my plans were just to go to Borders (I had a few gift cards that needed using), so I wanted them to come with me (maybe they'd help me use up the gift cards).
I've had my eye on a few things for a while...and I'm realizing that my tastes and desires are changing a bit. When I was younger, I had read most of the Sherlock Holmes stories...but I don't own a copy of the complete works. A few years ago, I noticed an "annotated" hardcover collection that I thought would be fun to own. I've had it sitting in my Amazon.com basket for a while, just kind of waiting until the right time. I thought maybe with the gift cards, the right time was now.
I picked it up. Examined it carefully. And put it back down. I then found a copy of the complete works that was a bit more compact and now as expensive. I picked that up. Examined it. And put it back down.
I have the Jeremy Brett TV versions on DVD and I have the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce movies as well. I haven't read these stories since G-d knows when. Why do I need to own either version? I don't. Is it something I want to share with my son when he's older? Maybe, but we'll burn that bridge if we have to cross it.
I've accumulated a lot of crap over the years. Some of it I still cherish, some I look at and go "why?". Since getting married, my priorities have changed (even moreso since Malcolm arrived). We've been slowly going through all the movies, toys and books and trying to figure out what's worth keeping and what's just going out the door (and onto eBay or getting donated). And I've discovered that what makes us feel good when we're younger, doesn't necessarily still do that when we get older.
So what did I walk out of Borders with:
A few computer magazines
The Jewish Book of Why
If You Can't Say Anything Nice, Say It In Yiddish
The Whole Equation: A History of Hollywood
The Illustrated History of Magic
Toddler 411 (for my wife and I)
Debunking History
Conservatives Without Conscience
The Official Movie Guides for both Superman Returns and Batman Begins (there is still something of a kid in this 37 year old)
A Plush Snuffleupagus (for my son to go with his plush Big Bird)
An interesting grouping, no?
Well...I've got some reading to do. I'll be back in a few days with the usual crap.
Be seeing you.
Yawn.
I haven't felt so blah about turning a year older in quite some time. What is 37 anyway? I'm that much closer to 40 (I can remember a time when 40 seemed so far away). I've lived longer than my father did (try wrapping your brain around that one...you should be able to say that when you hit 70, not this young). I've survived an aneurysm (again...you should be able to say this much later in life). I've gotten married and had a kid all in the last 5 years (since the aneurysm). And life is pretty good.
And yet, yesterday was just kind of blah.
Don't get me wrong...I had a great day. My wife changed all of the dirty diapers (as I did for her on her birthday recently). She let me sleep late. She was even willing to take the boy out for the day so I could spend it alone doing whatever. But my plans were just to go to Borders (I had a few gift cards that needed using), so I wanted them to come with me (maybe they'd help me use up the gift cards).
I've had my eye on a few things for a while...and I'm realizing that my tastes and desires are changing a bit. When I was younger, I had read most of the Sherlock Holmes stories...but I don't own a copy of the complete works. A few years ago, I noticed an "annotated" hardcover collection that I thought would be fun to own. I've had it sitting in my Amazon.com basket for a while, just kind of waiting until the right time. I thought maybe with the gift cards, the right time was now.
I picked it up. Examined it carefully. And put it back down. I then found a copy of the complete works that was a bit more compact and now as expensive. I picked that up. Examined it. And put it back down.
I have the Jeremy Brett TV versions on DVD and I have the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce movies as well. I haven't read these stories since G-d knows when. Why do I need to own either version? I don't. Is it something I want to share with my son when he's older? Maybe, but we'll burn that bridge if we have to cross it.
I've accumulated a lot of crap over the years. Some of it I still cherish, some I look at and go "why?". Since getting married, my priorities have changed (even moreso since Malcolm arrived). We've been slowly going through all the movies, toys and books and trying to figure out what's worth keeping and what's just going out the door (and onto eBay or getting donated). And I've discovered that what makes us feel good when we're younger, doesn't necessarily still do that when we get older.
So what did I walk out of Borders with:
A few computer magazines
The Jewish Book of Why
If You Can't Say Anything Nice, Say It In Yiddish
The Whole Equation: A History of Hollywood
The Illustrated History of Magic
Toddler 411 (for my wife and I)
Debunking History
Conservatives Without Conscience
The Official Movie Guides for both Superman Returns and Batman Begins (there is still something of a kid in this 37 year old)
A Plush Snuffleupagus (for my son to go with his plush Big Bird)
An interesting grouping, no?
Well...I've got some reading to do. I'll be back in a few days with the usual crap.
Be seeing you.
Monday, August 07, 2006
Some DVD Complaints and other things
Before we get to day's movie reviews, I'd like to lodge a couple of complaints.
First is about the concept of "Bonus DVDs" that are exclusive to various chain stores. Normally I don't have an issue with this (you buy Lost Season 1 at Best Buy and get a bonus disc that contains extras not found on the rest of the set), but it has now hit silly preoportions. Tomorrow Prison Break Season 1 arrives on DVD. If you purchase it at Best Buy, you get a disc that contains the "Behind The Walls" featurette which aired on FOX as a recap episode during the break in the season. If you purchase it at Target you get all 26 episodes of the mobile phone spin-off series (which didn't feature any of the main cast and followed Lincoln's son around I believe).
Now while neither of these is a big deal in the greater scheme of things, it is a bit of a pain in the ass for the completist (for the record I'm not getting either version having pre-ordered it for a better price elsewhere). Shame on the studios (Particularly FOX) for this...
And speaking of FOX and DVD complaints...so fans of a series dutifully buy every season as it comes out only to have the company release a complete series box set with even more extras?? That just sucks. They did it with Buffy and they're doing it with M*A*S*H. Following their example it has also happened with Sex and the City (although admittedly the extras are pretty blah) from HBO, and will happen with Alias and Homcicide: Life on the Street (which is also having the Law & Order crossover episodes added for the complete series set).
It's gotta stop folks.
The SciFi Channel will be airing the second season of Doctor Who starting on September 29 from 9 to 11 (They have a marathon that morning of the last 8 episodes of season 1). While it is great the show is airing this soon (hopefully fueling a DVD release sooner as well) and that it is being paired with Battlestar Galactica, It kicks off with "The Christmas Invasion" occupying the entire 2 hour slot (what else will help fill that slot besides more commercials you can shake a stick at is anyone's guess...at least the entire 59 minutes will be shown).
Oh well...lastly, I've got a few movie reviews.
She's The Man -- I have this affinity for Shakespear adaptations and I also like teen comedies (maybe because they remind me of my youth), so I had to check this out as it's Twelfth Night set in a high school. Being from some of the same people who made 10 Things I Hate About You (which was The Taming of the Shrew set in high school), I was expecting something a bit better. While it's not bad, it's more cute than anything else. 10 Things did the Shakespeare in High School bit better and Just One of the Guys did the whole girl trying to pass as a guy in high school bit better. In that film, Joyce Hyser actually looked like she could be a guy. Here, Amanda Bynes looks more like Urkel's white cousin. It's a bit creepy.
Walk The Line -- It took us forever to see this, but it was well worth the wait. Great film about the relationship between Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. Deserved all the accolades it got. Made me download a few Cash songs from iTunes that should be in everyone's collections (even found a great cover of "Heart of Gold" by him).
Bring It On: All Or Nothing -- Universal Home Video has been doing direct to video sequels of some of there lesser popular films for quite some time (Darkman, Tremors, American Pie) with some mixed results. This is the third installment in their cheerleader series Bring It On. The first film was a quirky novelty with a great cast (Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku). The second installment was forgettable (I even had to look up the actual title...Bring It On Again) and one wonders why there is even a third one. Luckily, this time some of the charm is back (and the film doesn't try to take itself too seriously). It's cute if you like fun and mindless movies.
Ultimate Avengers 2 -- Marvel Comics Productions is in the process of bringing four direct to video movies out. We're now halfway through the announced titles and I'm a bit worried. The first film, Ultimate Avengers, was a decent, if toned down, version of their hit comic series, The Ultimates, about a team of super heroes that include reimagined (just slightly) versions of Thor, Iron Man, Captain America and a few others. The problem with the first story was the villains. We get a bunch of aliens with some Nazi connections. But the setup of how the team came together was great. Here we get the return of these aliens and the addition of Black Panther and the whole thing seems a bit warmed over and blah. Hopefully, the new two films will be a bit more exciting as we get single hero stories with Iron Man (coming October 2006) and Doctor Strange (coming February 2007).
That's all for today.
Be seeing you.
First is about the concept of "Bonus DVDs" that are exclusive to various chain stores. Normally I don't have an issue with this (you buy Lost Season 1 at Best Buy and get a bonus disc that contains extras not found on the rest of the set), but it has now hit silly preoportions. Tomorrow Prison Break Season 1 arrives on DVD. If you purchase it at Best Buy, you get a disc that contains the "Behind The Walls" featurette which aired on FOX as a recap episode during the break in the season. If you purchase it at Target you get all 26 episodes of the mobile phone spin-off series (which didn't feature any of the main cast and followed Lincoln's son around I believe).
Now while neither of these is a big deal in the greater scheme of things, it is a bit of a pain in the ass for the completist (for the record I'm not getting either version having pre-ordered it for a better price elsewhere). Shame on the studios (Particularly FOX) for this...
And speaking of FOX and DVD complaints...so fans of a series dutifully buy every season as it comes out only to have the company release a complete series box set with even more extras?? That just sucks. They did it with Buffy and they're doing it with M*A*S*H. Following their example it has also happened with Sex and the City (although admittedly the extras are pretty blah) from HBO, and will happen with Alias and Homcicide: Life on the Street (which is also having the Law & Order crossover episodes added for the complete series set).
It's gotta stop folks.
The SciFi Channel will be airing the second season of Doctor Who starting on September 29 from 9 to 11 (They have a marathon that morning of the last 8 episodes of season 1). While it is great the show is airing this soon (hopefully fueling a DVD release sooner as well) and that it is being paired with Battlestar Galactica, It kicks off with "The Christmas Invasion" occupying the entire 2 hour slot (what else will help fill that slot besides more commercials you can shake a stick at is anyone's guess...at least the entire 59 minutes will be shown).
Oh well...lastly, I've got a few movie reviews.
She's The Man -- I have this affinity for Shakespear adaptations and I also like teen comedies (maybe because they remind me of my youth), so I had to check this out as it's Twelfth Night set in a high school. Being from some of the same people who made 10 Things I Hate About You (which was The Taming of the Shrew set in high school), I was expecting something a bit better. While it's not bad, it's more cute than anything else. 10 Things did the Shakespeare in High School bit better and Just One of the Guys did the whole girl trying to pass as a guy in high school bit better. In that film, Joyce Hyser actually looked like she could be a guy. Here, Amanda Bynes looks more like Urkel's white cousin. It's a bit creepy.
Walk The Line -- It took us forever to see this, but it was well worth the wait. Great film about the relationship between Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. Deserved all the accolades it got. Made me download a few Cash songs from iTunes that should be in everyone's collections (even found a great cover of "Heart of Gold" by him).
Bring It On: All Or Nothing -- Universal Home Video has been doing direct to video sequels of some of there lesser popular films for quite some time (Darkman, Tremors, American Pie) with some mixed results. This is the third installment in their cheerleader series Bring It On. The first film was a quirky novelty with a great cast (Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku). The second installment was forgettable (I even had to look up the actual title...Bring It On Again) and one wonders why there is even a third one. Luckily, this time some of the charm is back (and the film doesn't try to take itself too seriously). It's cute if you like fun and mindless movies.
Ultimate Avengers 2 -- Marvel Comics Productions is in the process of bringing four direct to video movies out. We're now halfway through the announced titles and I'm a bit worried. The first film, Ultimate Avengers, was a decent, if toned down, version of their hit comic series, The Ultimates, about a team of super heroes that include reimagined (just slightly) versions of Thor, Iron Man, Captain America and a few others. The problem with the first story was the villains. We get a bunch of aliens with some Nazi connections. But the setup of how the team came together was great. Here we get the return of these aliens and the addition of Black Panther and the whole thing seems a bit warmed over and blah. Hopefully, the new two films will be a bit more exciting as we get single hero stories with Iron Man (coming October 2006) and Doctor Strange (coming February 2007).
That's all for today.
Be seeing you.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Playing Catch Up Yet Again
Hey folks,
Sorry it's been a bit longer than I intended, but you know how it is. Life intrudes.
Anyway...let's get right to the chase. Here's a whole bunch of mini reviews to keep you happy and up to date for a while.
The Devil Wears Prada is a funny film in spite of Meryl Streep actually seeming to repeat herself from Death Becomes Her. It can wait until its on DVD though.
The Pink Panther is probably the most useless remake ever made. I don't understand why Steve Martin & Kevin Kline were even involved in this dreck. The only thing funny about it is listening to all the bad French accents. Steve Martin's is outlandish, Kevin Kline's is either non-existant or British and Jean Reno (taking the place of Burt Kwok as a Kato wannabe) who is actually French even sounds like he's doing a bad French accent. When the best part of the film is the opening credit sequence and main title theme, you know you've got a long night ahead of you. Avoid it like the plague.
Clerks II sees Kevin Smith selling out by bringing back Jay & Silent Bob when he said that Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back would be their last appearance. Luckily, it's still a very funny film (not sure how it got an R rating as there's a scene involving a man having sex with a donkey) and utilizes Smith's wonderful gift for dialog and character very well. I only wish it had tied into the Clerks animated series a bit. Still hoping we eventually get that animated feature.
Cold Comfort Farm is an older film (1996) that I finally got around to watching. Based on a classic novel it's very funny. If you like things like Pride & Prejudice then you should also get a kick out of this film.
Transamerica is a great movie that got much deserved acclaim. Felicity Huffman definitely deserved the Oscar she got for her portrayal of a transgendered man. Funny and touching.
Psych joins USA Network's Friday night lineup and is the perfect companion for Monk. It's about a man who helps the police solve crimes with psychic powers. Of course, it's all an act he's just very smart and has a photographic memory. It's a great way to spend a Friday night if you're in.
Eureka airs on Tuesday nights on SciFi and is a fun, quirky new show that is another notch in the network's belt of good programming (unlike their made for TV movies which are pure drivel). A federal marshall stumbles upon a town that houses a whole bunch of geniuses who work for the government creating new technologies. Of course things don't always go right. Plus there's a small arc story (involving stolen technologies and a conspiracy) that seems to be brewing nicely as well. Add it to your watching list.
Who Wants To Be A Super-Hero is a truly bizarre entry in the "reality" show genre. Stan Lee hosts this show where 12 people are competing to become a super hero...well...sort of...if they prove their moral fiber to Stan, they may get a comic book deal and SciFi TV movie out of the deal if they win. So far the characters are just silly for the most part (Cell Phone Girl?? Fat Momma?? Major Victory -- who is actually a DC Comics villain) and the one task so far was hysterical to watch. The heroes had to change into their costumes in public without being seen and then race to a finish line...but what Stan didn't tell them is that there would be a lost girl along the way who needed help. Only 4 of the ten remaining contestants stopped to help (of the original 12 one turned out to be a spy and Stan booted one after the spy revealed the guy was a jackass). It's very surreal and just plain weird, but a hoot to watch.
Doctor Who finished its second season in Britain. David Tennant steps into the role very nicely. He's different enough from Christopher Eccleston while still retaining certain personality traits set in the character when the first season aired. Unfortunately, a few of the stories were a bit clunky...but the return of the Cybermen more than made up for that. See it however you can. DVDs won't be released here in the U.S. until it gets a broadcast (presumably on SciFi), but who knows when that'll happen.
Well...that's all for today. Not sure when I'll be back next...so...
Be seeing you.
Psych
Sorry it's been a bit longer than I intended, but you know how it is. Life intrudes.
Anyway...let's get right to the chase. Here's a whole bunch of mini reviews to keep you happy and up to date for a while.
The Devil Wears Prada is a funny film in spite of Meryl Streep actually seeming to repeat herself from Death Becomes Her. It can wait until its on DVD though.
The Pink Panther is probably the most useless remake ever made. I don't understand why Steve Martin & Kevin Kline were even involved in this dreck. The only thing funny about it is listening to all the bad French accents. Steve Martin's is outlandish, Kevin Kline's is either non-existant or British and Jean Reno (taking the place of Burt Kwok as a Kato wannabe) who is actually French even sounds like he's doing a bad French accent. When the best part of the film is the opening credit sequence and main title theme, you know you've got a long night ahead of you. Avoid it like the plague.
Clerks II sees Kevin Smith selling out by bringing back Jay & Silent Bob when he said that Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back would be their last appearance. Luckily, it's still a very funny film (not sure how it got an R rating as there's a scene involving a man having sex with a donkey) and utilizes Smith's wonderful gift for dialog and character very well. I only wish it had tied into the Clerks animated series a bit. Still hoping we eventually get that animated feature.
Cold Comfort Farm is an older film (1996) that I finally got around to watching. Based on a classic novel it's very funny. If you like things like Pride & Prejudice then you should also get a kick out of this film.
Transamerica is a great movie that got much deserved acclaim. Felicity Huffman definitely deserved the Oscar she got for her portrayal of a transgendered man. Funny and touching.
Psych joins USA Network's Friday night lineup and is the perfect companion for Monk. It's about a man who helps the police solve crimes with psychic powers. Of course, it's all an act he's just very smart and has a photographic memory. It's a great way to spend a Friday night if you're in.
Eureka airs on Tuesday nights on SciFi and is a fun, quirky new show that is another notch in the network's belt of good programming (unlike their made for TV movies which are pure drivel). A federal marshall stumbles upon a town that houses a whole bunch of geniuses who work for the government creating new technologies. Of course things don't always go right. Plus there's a small arc story (involving stolen technologies and a conspiracy) that seems to be brewing nicely as well. Add it to your watching list.
Who Wants To Be A Super-Hero is a truly bizarre entry in the "reality" show genre. Stan Lee hosts this show where 12 people are competing to become a super hero...well...sort of...if they prove their moral fiber to Stan, they may get a comic book deal and SciFi TV movie out of the deal if they win. So far the characters are just silly for the most part (Cell Phone Girl?? Fat Momma?? Major Victory -- who is actually a DC Comics villain) and the one task so far was hysterical to watch. The heroes had to change into their costumes in public without being seen and then race to a finish line...but what Stan didn't tell them is that there would be a lost girl along the way who needed help. Only 4 of the ten remaining contestants stopped to help (of the original 12 one turned out to be a spy and Stan booted one after the spy revealed the guy was a jackass). It's very surreal and just plain weird, but a hoot to watch.
Doctor Who finished its second season in Britain. David Tennant steps into the role very nicely. He's different enough from Christopher Eccleston while still retaining certain personality traits set in the character when the first season aired. Unfortunately, a few of the stories were a bit clunky...but the return of the Cybermen more than made up for that. See it however you can. DVDs won't be released here in the U.S. until it gets a broadcast (presumably on SciFi), but who knows when that'll happen.
Well...that's all for today. Not sure when I'll be back next...so...
Be seeing you.
Psych
Thursday, July 20, 2006
A Short Trip
So we came down to
Departure day brought on a fall that produced a small cut on his forehead. With an appropriately placed bandage, we proceeded to the airport. The last time Mac flew on a plane he was six months old and we were taking a six hour flight to
We got some good advice from some friends. They told us when they “pre-board” people with small children, for one of us to go on with all the stuff and set up shop and the other to keep the kid off the plane until the very end (this way he runs around and burns off energy before having to sit for a long time). This was pretty easy since my mom was flying with us. She and I went on early and had everything set up by the time Mac & Tash got on at the end.
The flight itself was smooth and uneventful (aside from some heavy turbulence passing through a cloud). Malcolm was good (if a bit loud…he can be very vocal when he wants). And one of the flight attendants recognized us from the Christmas trip and commented on how well behaved a flier he was both times. I hope she didn’t jinx it for the return trip.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Desperate Dreams
While my ability to read anything longer than a comic book these days has pretty much evaporated, I still remain a loyal (if somewhat backlogged), Stephen King fan. I plan on bringing his latest (The Cell) with my on our trip to Florida next week. In the meatime, I'm catching up on viewing some stuff that was adapted from his works.
Desperation is an interesting novel by King. Published in 1996 as part of a marketing ploy in which Desperation and The Regulators (billed as a lost Richard Bachman book...Bachman being King's alter ego that was "outed in the 1980s). The two novels shared the same cast, just slightly askew (in one book a character would be a young man, in the other it was an old lady...for example). And like most of King's writing it had a very visual flair to it. I still have the image of the crucified cat burned into my brain (and not just because I'm a dog person who's allergic to cats). And I thought it would eb cool if they ever made one into a film that they could do the other using the same cast.
Anyway...at the end of May, ABC aired a three-hour TV movie version of Desperation directed by the King go-to-guy Mick Garris with an adaptation by KIng himself. The story starts off as a "typical" horror story about a psychotic sheriff who arrests and kills people for undisclosed reasons and evolves into a disertation on the existance of G-d and how "he" operates. The novel was a well crafted and sprawling piece with lots of character devlopment. The TV movie is a bit of a mess.
To make this story work on film it either needed to be a mini-series of about 4 or 6 hours, or an effective boiling down of the essence that ran around 2 hours. This seems to be trying for the latter, but doesn't quite succeed. The best example of this is the use of Matt Frewer as Ralph Carver. I'm a bit of a loss as to why an actor of his calibur took on a role that could have been completely removed from the proceedings without really changing anything. Same with Henry Thomas as Peter Jackson (he's dead within the first ten minutes and we don't really get to know much about him).
The casting works pretty well as Ron Perlman makes a forboding Sheriff Entragian and Tom Skerrit does a good job as the writer who's lost his way. But the story's main focus is young David Carver and Shane Haboucha doesn't quite give us what we need to believe in David as a character. At the end of the day, it's not a bad adaptation of a King novel, but it could have been so much better.
King's novels tend to be such rich tapestries of character and story that they are hard to adapt to film properly (in spite of that cinematic aspect his writing does seem to have). His short stories are another entity entirely. Sleek and direct, most of these are wonderfully crafted tales that are perfect for TV. Which is probably why TNT picked up an eight episode anthology series based on the short story collection Nightmares & Dreamscapes (although a few of the stories come from a couple of his other short story anthologies).
The series kicked off last night with one of my personal favories, Battleground, which finds hired assassin Jason Renshaw (William Hurt) receiving a package after killing the head of a major toy manufacturing company. The package contains twenty little green army men, a couple of jeeps and helicopters for them to ride in and a few other surprises. Needless to say, the army guys are there for revenge and Renshaw spends the night defending his apartment from a tiny invasion force.
Brilliantly directed by Brian Henson and adapted by Richard Christian Matheson this story is perfectly adapted to the screen. Running 11 pages in the original hardcover printing it fills out the 50 minutes of screentime (it ran commercial free on first airing) with a wonderfully suspenseful, dark and witty attitude. Matheson has not only updated the story (it was written in the 70s) to take advantage of modern technologies, he has stripped away all dialog from the original story. The tale doesn't need any exposition...it's all in the visuals and William Hurt is the perfect actor for that job. The effects are impressive for TV.
I haven't had a chance to watch the second episode Crouch End yet, but TNT will be airing two episodes back to back every Wedensday night for 4 weeks. The other six stories are Umney's Last Case, The Fifth Quarter, The Road Virus Heads North, The End of the Whole Mess, Autopsy Room 4 and You Know They Got a Hell of a Band. While it's cool to use Nightmares & Dreamscapes as an overall title, if you go looking for some of the stories you'll find them in other collections. Battleground is from Night Shift and both Autopsy Room 4 and The Road Virus Heads North are contained in Everything's Eventual. Let's hope these do well enough in the ratings to warrant more adaptations (like maybe a proper version of Children of the Corn).
That's all for now. Back next week with...something...
Be seeing you.
Desperation is an interesting novel by King. Published in 1996 as part of a marketing ploy in which Desperation and The Regulators (billed as a lost Richard Bachman book...Bachman being King's alter ego that was "outed in the 1980s). The two novels shared the same cast, just slightly askew (in one book a character would be a young man, in the other it was an old lady...for example). And like most of King's writing it had a very visual flair to it. I still have the image of the crucified cat burned into my brain (and not just because I'm a dog person who's allergic to cats). And I thought it would eb cool if they ever made one into a film that they could do the other using the same cast.
Anyway...at the end of May, ABC aired a three-hour TV movie version of Desperation directed by the King go-to-guy Mick Garris with an adaptation by KIng himself. The story starts off as a "typical" horror story about a psychotic sheriff who arrests and kills people for undisclosed reasons and evolves into a disertation on the existance of G-d and how "he" operates. The novel was a well crafted and sprawling piece with lots of character devlopment. The TV movie is a bit of a mess.
To make this story work on film it either needed to be a mini-series of about 4 or 6 hours, or an effective boiling down of the essence that ran around 2 hours. This seems to be trying for the latter, but doesn't quite succeed. The best example of this is the use of Matt Frewer as Ralph Carver. I'm a bit of a loss as to why an actor of his calibur took on a role that could have been completely removed from the proceedings without really changing anything. Same with Henry Thomas as Peter Jackson (he's dead within the first ten minutes and we don't really get to know much about him).
The casting works pretty well as Ron Perlman makes a forboding Sheriff Entragian and Tom Skerrit does a good job as the writer who's lost his way. But the story's main focus is young David Carver and Shane Haboucha doesn't quite give us what we need to believe in David as a character. At the end of the day, it's not a bad adaptation of a King novel, but it could have been so much better.
King's novels tend to be such rich tapestries of character and story that they are hard to adapt to film properly (in spite of that cinematic aspect his writing does seem to have). His short stories are another entity entirely. Sleek and direct, most of these are wonderfully crafted tales that are perfect for TV. Which is probably why TNT picked up an eight episode anthology series based on the short story collection Nightmares & Dreamscapes (although a few of the stories come from a couple of his other short story anthologies).
The series kicked off last night with one of my personal favories, Battleground, which finds hired assassin Jason Renshaw (William Hurt) receiving a package after killing the head of a major toy manufacturing company. The package contains twenty little green army men, a couple of jeeps and helicopters for them to ride in and a few other surprises. Needless to say, the army guys are there for revenge and Renshaw spends the night defending his apartment from a tiny invasion force.
Brilliantly directed by Brian Henson and adapted by Richard Christian Matheson this story is perfectly adapted to the screen. Running 11 pages in the original hardcover printing it fills out the 50 minutes of screentime (it ran commercial free on first airing) with a wonderfully suspenseful, dark and witty attitude. Matheson has not only updated the story (it was written in the 70s) to take advantage of modern technologies, he has stripped away all dialog from the original story. The tale doesn't need any exposition...it's all in the visuals and William Hurt is the perfect actor for that job. The effects are impressive for TV.
I haven't had a chance to watch the second episode Crouch End yet, but TNT will be airing two episodes back to back every Wedensday night for 4 weeks. The other six stories are Umney's Last Case, The Fifth Quarter, The Road Virus Heads North, The End of the Whole Mess, Autopsy Room 4 and You Know They Got a Hell of a Band. While it's cool to use Nightmares & Dreamscapes as an overall title, if you go looking for some of the stories you'll find them in other collections. Battleground is from Night Shift and both Autopsy Room 4 and The Road Virus Heads North are contained in Everything's Eventual. Let's hope these do well enough in the ratings to warrant more adaptations (like maybe a proper version of Children of the Corn).
That's all for now. Back next week with...something...
Be seeing you.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Big Mac's First Birthday
For Malcolm's first birthday we decided to have a small gathering of immediate family. This would consist of Malcolm (of course), Tash & I (also of course), four grandparents, two pairings of Aunts & Uncles (one from each side), two cousins (from Tash's side) and a great-grandfather (from my side). Of course, not everyone could make it. Tash's brother & his family live in Burbank, CA and have already made a trip out here this year and it was also their 10th Anniversary, so plans had already been made. My brother's wife had to work late. And Hoppy (my grandfather, Malcolm's great-grandfather) wasn't feeling well.
So it'd be a bit smaller than we hoped, but still nice.
Tash decided the menu: make your own pizzas, a salad and carrot cake for dessert. We asked the photographer who's been chronicling Malcolm's first year to be there so we didn't have to think about taking pictures (more on that later).
We spent the day prepping things. While my father-in-law and I put the finishing touches on the playset (the picture is of us using Malcolm to level the swing...you can get an idea of why the thing took us 5 days aside from rain issues)
Tash spent the time finishing up a matching bib and table cloth for the party as well as putting the finishing touches on the carrot cake (it's an Alton Brown recipe). When we were done with the playset, I showered and cut up vegetables for pizza toppings.
When Lori (the photographer) arrived at 6pm, everyone else who was coming was there...so we started dinner. Unfortunately, Mac was already getting sleepy and he barely made it through dinner (He rubbed pizza sauce in his eyes he was so tired).
With him so tired, we decided it was time to move onto the cake.
We lit the candle and brought it out. Malcolm knew something exciting was happening, but was too tired to really enjoy it. We quickly sang happy birthday and demonstrated how to blow out a candle (something Tash was hoping to practise with him a few times before). Unfortunately, just as the candle went out, Mac reached for the wick and hurt his fingers.
Tash quickly cut a piece of cake (as in true Fenster tradition let's make the mistake of using food for comfort at such an early age), but he just kind of looked at it.
He then proceeded to use the frosting to soothe his sore fingers he burnt on the just extinguished wick.
What's this? Yummy!
Yes...the kid likes cake (well...at least carrot cake)...so much so that when Tash cut a piece for someone and accidentally passed the plate over Mac, he grabbed it and started eating it as well. It then took mommy and both grandmothers to clean him off he made such a mess...and then was up for quite some time because of all the sugar.
So now Malcolm is one year old. He's just over 24 pounds and about 32 inches long (he's gonna be tall). He got some cool presents in addition to the playset that Granny & Grandpa bought him. The one that he wanted to like, but had a hard time with is the talking Elmo doll that Tash & I got him. It can be programmed to say his name and know when his birthday is (though for some reason, even though I programmed it right, the doll thought Malcolm was 2). He wanted to smile and laugh at it, but everytime it spoke he ran away (at least he wasn't running away screaming like he does when I pull out my remote control Daleks).
You can catch more of the birthday photos at http://www.seemegrow.net/gallery/fenster. The new photos should be up in a day or so.
I'll be back in a day or so with other new stuff.
Be seeing you.
So it'd be a bit smaller than we hoped, but still nice.
Tash decided the menu: make your own pizzas, a salad and carrot cake for dessert. We asked the photographer who's been chronicling Malcolm's first year to be there so we didn't have to think about taking pictures (more on that later).
We spent the day prepping things. While my father-in-law and I put the finishing touches on the playset (the picture is of us using Malcolm to level the swing...you can get an idea of why the thing took us 5 days aside from rain issues)
Tash spent the time finishing up a matching bib and table cloth for the party as well as putting the finishing touches on the carrot cake (it's an Alton Brown recipe). When we were done with the playset, I showered and cut up vegetables for pizza toppings.
When Lori (the photographer) arrived at 6pm, everyone else who was coming was there...so we started dinner. Unfortunately, Mac was already getting sleepy and he barely made it through dinner (He rubbed pizza sauce in his eyes he was so tired).
With him so tired, we decided it was time to move onto the cake.
We lit the candle and brought it out. Malcolm knew something exciting was happening, but was too tired to really enjoy it. We quickly sang happy birthday and demonstrated how to blow out a candle (something Tash was hoping to practise with him a few times before). Unfortunately, just as the candle went out, Mac reached for the wick and hurt his fingers.
Tash quickly cut a piece of cake (as in true Fenster tradition let's make the mistake of using food for comfort at such an early age), but he just kind of looked at it.
He then proceeded to use the frosting to soothe his sore fingers he burnt on the just extinguished wick.
What's this? Yummy!
Yes...the kid likes cake (well...at least carrot cake)...so much so that when Tash cut a piece for someone and accidentally passed the plate over Mac, he grabbed it and started eating it as well. It then took mommy and both grandmothers to clean him off he made such a mess...and then was up for quite some time because of all the sugar.
So now Malcolm is one year old. He's just over 24 pounds and about 32 inches long (he's gonna be tall). He got some cool presents in addition to the playset that Granny & Grandpa bought him. The one that he wanted to like, but had a hard time with is the talking Elmo doll that Tash & I got him. It can be programmed to say his name and know when his birthday is (though for some reason, even though I programmed it right, the doll thought Malcolm was 2). He wanted to smile and laugh at it, but everytime it spoke he ran away (at least he wasn't running away screaming like he does when I pull out my remote control Daleks).
You can catch more of the birthday photos at http://www.seemegrow.net/gallery/fenster. The new photos should be up in a day or so.
I'll be back in a day or so with other new stuff.
Be seeing you.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
You'll Believe A Man Can Fly Again
I was nine years old when Superman arrived on the silver screen. When someone asks me what my favorite film is, Superman is one of a dozen that I use as part of my stock "I don't have ONE favorite film" response. I love this movie so much that I've actually sat and just watched the opening credits because they get my blood pumping and the hair on the back of my neck stands up. Between John Williams amazing march (his best piece EVER) and those streaking blue titles flying through the cosmos towards Krypton, I get jazzed watching this wonderfully lyrical film.
Needless to say, I was excited, intrigued and a bit nervous when I heard that Bryan Singer had finally gotten a new movie into production and that it would use the 1978 Richard Donner directed classic as a base for re-energizing the franchise. With a lot of pressure riding on this film, how does it stack up to the original as well as all the comic book adaptations of the last few years. Pretty well if you ask me. It's not perfect, it's not great like the original film, but it is damn good and should easily pave the way for at least a sequel or two.
Putting the events of Superman into a vague past (with room for parts of Superman II and the potential existance or non-existance of Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest For Peace), Superman Returns starts exactly as I would have wanted it to...with John Williams march blaring as we see a full opening credits sequence (how often do you see that in any movie these days) of blue titles streaking towards us against the cosmos. That's enough to get things off on the best foot. Then we quickly discover that Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) has done a stint in prison, is bitter about it and has gotten on with his life by marrying a dying old woman (to inherit her money...which he does right off the bat) and hatching his latest land grab scheme (which is a weak link in the film if you look at it too closely) which involves stealing the crystals from Superman's Fortress of Solitude and using them to create a new continent off the USA's East Coast, destroying much of North America in the process.
Meanwhile, Martha Kent (Eva Marie Saint in what amounts to an extended cameo) is all alone until her son, who has been away for five years, comes hurtling back to Earth. Clark (Brandon Routh) quickly inserts himself back into his old life at The Daily Planet (which is a bit odd that his job is conveniently available as someone else has just died leaving a vacancy). Unfortunately, everyone else...particularly Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) has moved on. She's living with RIchard White (James Marsden) and has a five year old son.
The film plays not just as a "sequel" of sorts, but also as a "remake" of sorts. Luthor's plan is almost exactly the same as it was the first time around (only on a bigger scale). We even have a ditzy girlfriend whom he tends to treat badly in Kitty Kowalski (Parker Posey...who isn't bad here, but the character doesn't hold a candle to Valerine Perrine's Miss Tessmacher). Heck, we even get whole lines of dialog lifted verbatim ("When I was six years old, my father said to me..."). Superman saves an airplane (in a spectacular sequence that seems to follow laws of physics better than most films as the wing rips off when he tries to grab it, the nose crumples when he stops it, etc) and then goes on a spree of stopping crimes in a montage.
There are also plenty of "neat" nods to the original. If you look closely at the pictures on the mantle in the Kent farm house, you'll see Glenn Ford among them. The meteorite that Luthor steals from the museum is labelled as being from "Addis Ababa, 1978". Superman makes a few clothes changes that are very similar in shot and intent...he even says "swell" at one point (prompting a great reaction from Richard White).
The film is a lot of fun, remains as lyrical as the original and has a lot of heart behind it. Brandon Routh steps into the dual roles of Superman & Clark Kent without doing a Christopher Reeve impression, but maintaining that essence Reeve brought to both. Kate Bosworth's Lois Lane is very different from Margot Kidder's, but she works very well as a character and has great chemistry with Routh. Spacey's Luthor is an oddity to me. He's got some of Gene Hackman's qualities, but at the same time I think I've grown so used to the more recent interpretations in other media that it's hard for me to see this as a great continuation. Rather than his new land grab deal, I'd have rather seen that as an excuse for dealing with Superman (which it is to an extent as Lex's new continent is laced with Kryptonite). I guess I was hoping for more in this area.
Which brings us to the most potentially troubling aspect of the film...and you can stop reading now if you don't want spoilers or don't know how to read numbers...and that's Lois' kid Jason. The hints are there from the start that the kid is really Superman's and once we find out the truth it opens up a whole other can of worms. Thankfully, this film doesn't have the kid flying about and saving the day (he's just five) and the one real instance of him displaying any sort of power makes sense in the context of the film. But what do you do with the character in a sequel? It's almost as if the franchise has "jumped the shark" before it even got started again. It's not a horrible aspect in and of itself, just a bit troubling for the future.
This film needs, no deserves, to be seen on the big screen. Superman has always been larger than life and while this film may not be quite Superman, it is as good as Batman Begins and Spider-Man 2. Superman Returns is a good restart to something that could be great.
Meanwhile, on the animated Superman front we get what is a terrible end to something that had been great. The recent animated series (which has been completely released on DVD) is, in my book, the definitive word on Superman as it mixes and matches, almost to perfection, decades and decades of mythology. So, it was natural that with a new movie on the big screen a no-brainer would be a direct to video movie based on this prior success.
So we've got Superman: Brainiac Attacks.
Apparently, no-brains was the operative word. It's not so much that the voices of Luthor and Brainiac have changed from Clancy Brown and Corey Burton to Powers Booth and Lance Henrikson respectively, it's that the characters have been changed so drastically in persoanlity. Luthor is a ruthless businessman who also has loads of scientific accumen. Brainiac is an emotionless recepticle of stolen knowledge. Here, Luthor is like a bad clone of the Joker from the 1960's Batman TV show and Brainiac has more emotion than an after school special.
There are a few positives as Tim Daly and Dana Delany return to voice Superman & Lois and the design of the animation remains top notch, but the negatives outweigh all this. The "movie" is a travesty to the memory of the animated series and flags should have gone up once we saw that Bruce Timm (the master mind behind the recent animated Batman, Superman and Justice League) wasn't involved. Let's hope they do another direct to video movie just to redeem the characters from this one.
Tomorrow...a recap of Malcolm's first birthday.
Be seeing you.
Needless to say, I was excited, intrigued and a bit nervous when I heard that Bryan Singer had finally gotten a new movie into production and that it would use the 1978 Richard Donner directed classic as a base for re-energizing the franchise. With a lot of pressure riding on this film, how does it stack up to the original as well as all the comic book adaptations of the last few years. Pretty well if you ask me. It's not perfect, it's not great like the original film, but it is damn good and should easily pave the way for at least a sequel or two.
Putting the events of Superman into a vague past (with room for parts of Superman II and the potential existance or non-existance of Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest For Peace), Superman Returns starts exactly as I would have wanted it to...with John Williams march blaring as we see a full opening credits sequence (how often do you see that in any movie these days) of blue titles streaking towards us against the cosmos. That's enough to get things off on the best foot. Then we quickly discover that Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) has done a stint in prison, is bitter about it and has gotten on with his life by marrying a dying old woman (to inherit her money...which he does right off the bat) and hatching his latest land grab scheme (which is a weak link in the film if you look at it too closely) which involves stealing the crystals from Superman's Fortress of Solitude and using them to create a new continent off the USA's East Coast, destroying much of North America in the process.
Meanwhile, Martha Kent (Eva Marie Saint in what amounts to an extended cameo) is all alone until her son, who has been away for five years, comes hurtling back to Earth. Clark (Brandon Routh) quickly inserts himself back into his old life at The Daily Planet (which is a bit odd that his job is conveniently available as someone else has just died leaving a vacancy). Unfortunately, everyone else...particularly Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) has moved on. She's living with RIchard White (James Marsden) and has a five year old son.
The film plays not just as a "sequel" of sorts, but also as a "remake" of sorts. Luthor's plan is almost exactly the same as it was the first time around (only on a bigger scale). We even have a ditzy girlfriend whom he tends to treat badly in Kitty Kowalski (Parker Posey...who isn't bad here, but the character doesn't hold a candle to Valerine Perrine's Miss Tessmacher). Heck, we even get whole lines of dialog lifted verbatim ("When I was six years old, my father said to me..."). Superman saves an airplane (in a spectacular sequence that seems to follow laws of physics better than most films as the wing rips off when he tries to grab it, the nose crumples when he stops it, etc) and then goes on a spree of stopping crimes in a montage.
There are also plenty of "neat" nods to the original. If you look closely at the pictures on the mantle in the Kent farm house, you'll see Glenn Ford among them. The meteorite that Luthor steals from the museum is labelled as being from "Addis Ababa, 1978". Superman makes a few clothes changes that are very similar in shot and intent...he even says "swell" at one point (prompting a great reaction from Richard White).
The film is a lot of fun, remains as lyrical as the original and has a lot of heart behind it. Brandon Routh steps into the dual roles of Superman & Clark Kent without doing a Christopher Reeve impression, but maintaining that essence Reeve brought to both. Kate Bosworth's Lois Lane is very different from Margot Kidder's, but she works very well as a character and has great chemistry with Routh. Spacey's Luthor is an oddity to me. He's got some of Gene Hackman's qualities, but at the same time I think I've grown so used to the more recent interpretations in other media that it's hard for me to see this as a great continuation. Rather than his new land grab deal, I'd have rather seen that as an excuse for dealing with Superman (which it is to an extent as Lex's new continent is laced with Kryptonite). I guess I was hoping for more in this area.
Which brings us to the most potentially troubling aspect of the film...and you can stop reading now if you don't want spoilers or don't know how to read numbers...and that's Lois' kid Jason. The hints are there from the start that the kid is really Superman's and once we find out the truth it opens up a whole other can of worms. Thankfully, this film doesn't have the kid flying about and saving the day (he's just five) and the one real instance of him displaying any sort of power makes sense in the context of the film. But what do you do with the character in a sequel? It's almost as if the franchise has "jumped the shark" before it even got started again. It's not a horrible aspect in and of itself, just a bit troubling for the future.
This film needs, no deserves, to be seen on the big screen. Superman has always been larger than life and while this film may not be quite Superman, it is as good as Batman Begins and Spider-Man 2. Superman Returns is a good restart to something that could be great.
Meanwhile, on the animated Superman front we get what is a terrible end to something that had been great. The recent animated series (which has been completely released on DVD) is, in my book, the definitive word on Superman as it mixes and matches, almost to perfection, decades and decades of mythology. So, it was natural that with a new movie on the big screen a no-brainer would be a direct to video movie based on this prior success.
So we've got Superman: Brainiac Attacks.
Apparently, no-brains was the operative word. It's not so much that the voices of Luthor and Brainiac have changed from Clancy Brown and Corey Burton to Powers Booth and Lance Henrikson respectively, it's that the characters have been changed so drastically in persoanlity. Luthor is a ruthless businessman who also has loads of scientific accumen. Brainiac is an emotionless recepticle of stolen knowledge. Here, Luthor is like a bad clone of the Joker from the 1960's Batman TV show and Brainiac has more emotion than an after school special.
There are a few positives as Tim Daly and Dana Delany return to voice Superman & Lois and the design of the animation remains top notch, but the negatives outweigh all this. The "movie" is a travesty to the memory of the animated series and flags should have gone up once we saw that Bruce Timm (the master mind behind the recent animated Batman, Superman and Justice League) wasn't involved. Let's hope they do another direct to video movie just to redeem the characters from this one.
Tomorrow...a recap of Malcolm's first birthday.
Be seeing you.
So We Live On A Hill...
A while ago my mom told us that she wanted to buy Malcolm a swingset for his birthday. Not being sure what a one year old needs a playset for, but knowing full well how my mom operates, we started researching these things to find something we would want in our backyard that would suit our needs.
Many factors went into making this decision. Play value was important because we wanted Mac, future siblings and potential friends of theirs to have fun on the structure. Flexibility was important because we wanted to be able to add things or change things over the years as the kids got older. Lack of maintenence was important because I didn't feel like having to constant ly clean or sand, stain or weatherproof anything. And most important were safety issues in two areas: I wanted to feel safe that kids wouldn't get splinters (assuming we went with wood) or injured easily and I wanted to know that I (being the big person that I am) would feel safe and comfortable on the structure (meaning would it hold my weight without feeling like it would collapse).
We looked at everything out there from plastic to metal to different wood materials...from cheap to expensive. And at the end of the day found a company called Cedarworks that intriuged us. Their set was going to be a bit more expensive than we had anticipated but it looked like the benefits would be worth it. Unfortunately, they only sell direct from their headquarters in Rockport, Maine and we wanted to see a set in person. Now, while they do have a program where they'll call up costumers who own one of their sets and ask them if they'd be willing to let potential new customers see one closer to home, we decided it would be fun to take Malcolm on a road trip for a few days.
I won't bore you with the details of our three day trip to Rockport. It was fun and exhausting and Mac did very well in the car and in the hotels we stayed at. But the results of the trip were that we bought a playset from Cedarworks after spending a while at their offices looking at sets and then designing something from scratch that would fit our needs, concerns and more importantly, our backyard (of course, while we were there all Malcolm wanted to do was eat the small stones on the ground around the models they had set up).
By the time we were headed to Rockport, I had become convinced that this soon-to-be one year old would get some major use out of this playset as he's constantly on the move and loves climbing things (and has enjoyed being in swings when we put him in them). So now all we had to do was sit back and wait for delivery. We did decide to forgo the installation fee because I'm pretty good atfollowing instructions when they're detailed enough to tell you the right tools and all the materials are provided and also because my father-in-law, who has been building things for quite some time in his spare time, was on his way.
We had discussed with Cedarworks that we have a steep driveway and that there would be a large motor home in our steep driveway when the set was delivered. They said they would request a small truck from the shipping company they use so that the truck could get up the driveway. The day before delivery, when the shipping company called to cofirm, Natasha again explained the situation and requested a small truck. Of course, when the giant 18 wheeler pulled into our cul-de-sac on Thursday June 22 I knew it was going to be the start of a long process.
The truck driver, Natasha and myself proceeded to walk the 21 boxes up from the bottom of our driveway and store them in the garage (we had just gotten our cars back in the garage not more than a month ago once all the stuff we had been storing from construction had been put back where it belonged). The plan was to assemble small pieces in the garage and then move them to the backyard which is up another steep hill (our house is located smack in the middle of a giant hill that is laden with many rocks...in fact, the middle of our backyard is a giant sloping rock...luckily there is a relatively flat area at the top of the hill which was where the set would be located when done).
Friday June 23 was overcast and threatening rain, but my father (who was also on hand to help, despite still recovering from shoulder surgery), my father-in-law and myself decided to start and get as far as we could. Five and a half hours later (and many trips up and down the hill from the garage to the flat part of the backyard) we were exhausted and had almost reached my goal of finishing the main support structure (what Cedarworks refers to as a gazebo...it's a two level playdeck with a canvas covering). All that was left was to put on the canvas top and the flag, but we stopped for the day as it finally started to rain.
Saturday, June 24, it rained. And it rained. And it rained. After being cooper up all day, and during a brief stop in the deluge, my father-in-law and I put on the canvas top and flag. It then started pouring again, so we quit while we were ahead having finished my initial goal.
Sunday June 25, it was overcast and threatening rain again. And of course, the ground was saturated. But I was determined to get this thing done, come hell or high water (both of which seemed just around the corner) before Malcolm's birthday on Tuesday June 27. So we started back on work with the installation of the swing section (consisting of an overhead ladder the swings hang from and a slanted ladder that supports the side not connected to the play structure). Luckily, just as we had gotten to the step where we had to raise the two structures into place, a job which would take more than two people (in spite of my thinking it wouldn't based on the instructional video that came with the set where two small and skinny people got this monstrosity into place) my dad and a couple of his friends arrived. Now while this was great timing on their part, it was rather headcahe inducing as now instead of it being me with my instuction manual and my father-in-law with his ideas on doing things a bit different, we now had a contractor and another guy who builds things (thankfully my dad, who normally has his own opinions on how things should be done, kept his mouth shut). So after much debate (okay...arguing) and my insisting that we at least look at the instructions, the five of us got the damn thing in place. And then we quit for a while (plus it started raining again).
My father-in-law and I did go back later to anchor the whole structure. Of course, this being New England and us having a giant rock in the middle of our backyard, we did hit rock a few times trying to drive the stakes through the support bars. After doing a test swing (with me as the subject) we needed to anchor it a bit better, so Tash and her father went and bought some rebar to drive through and into the ground. Tash & I are satisfied that the structure is stable enough for kids (as now only the far corner of the slant ladder's stabilizer bar moves ever so slightly when either of us are swinging...so adults be warned...don't swing too high).
On Monday June 26, under threat of more rain, we started to assemble the lower play deck that would connect to the larger gazebo. Unfortunately, here is where we discovered our location was not exactly as level as we thought. The smaller deck is angled a bit into the larger one. It's not a big deal, just looked a bit odd as we were assembling things. Completion was called off on account of exhaustion. If I never have to go up that hill again, it'll be too soon.
Tuesday June 27 is Malcolm's first birthday and I am DETERMINED to finish. Thankfully, the sun came out for a bit. I worked feverishly alone for a bit, then with Tash and then again with my father-in-law. We finished the lower deck, put on the entrance ramp, the booster step from the lower deck to the upper deck, added the slide, hung the swings and put up the extra safety fences.
During Mac's party, we took him up the hill (my ten thousandth trip in five days) and put him on the swing and slide. He didn't seem to enjoy it much. We're hoping that if he sees other kids having fun on it, he'll get a bit more excited about it (he seems to perk up about things when he's around older kids as he loves trying to keep up with them).
So we'll see...maybe a one-year-old doesn't need a playset like this, but at least its something he'll eventually get some use out of. And it was a great bonding experience for me and my father-in-law. And I definitely got plenty of exercise. At the end of the day, I can say with confidence and pride that I built something. Of course, a Lego set would have been cheaper and would not have been as tiring.
I'll be back next time with my Superman review...
Be seeing you.
Many factors went into making this decision. Play value was important because we wanted Mac, future siblings and potential friends of theirs to have fun on the structure. Flexibility was important because we wanted to be able to add things or change things over the years as the kids got older. Lack of maintenence was important because I didn't feel like having to constant ly clean or sand, stain or weatherproof anything. And most important were safety issues in two areas: I wanted to feel safe that kids wouldn't get splinters (assuming we went with wood) or injured easily and I wanted to know that I (being the big person that I am) would feel safe and comfortable on the structure (meaning would it hold my weight without feeling like it would collapse).
We looked at everything out there from plastic to metal to different wood materials...from cheap to expensive. And at the end of the day found a company called Cedarworks that intriuged us. Their set was going to be a bit more expensive than we had anticipated but it looked like the benefits would be worth it. Unfortunately, they only sell direct from their headquarters in Rockport, Maine and we wanted to see a set in person. Now, while they do have a program where they'll call up costumers who own one of their sets and ask them if they'd be willing to let potential new customers see one closer to home, we decided it would be fun to take Malcolm on a road trip for a few days.
I won't bore you with the details of our three day trip to Rockport. It was fun and exhausting and Mac did very well in the car and in the hotels we stayed at. But the results of the trip were that we bought a playset from Cedarworks after spending a while at their offices looking at sets and then designing something from scratch that would fit our needs, concerns and more importantly, our backyard (of course, while we were there all Malcolm wanted to do was eat the small stones on the ground around the models they had set up).
By the time we were headed to Rockport, I had become convinced that this soon-to-be one year old would get some major use out of this playset as he's constantly on the move and loves climbing things (and has enjoyed being in swings when we put him in them). So now all we had to do was sit back and wait for delivery. We did decide to forgo the installation fee because I'm pretty good atfollowing instructions when they're detailed enough to tell you the right tools and all the materials are provided and also because my father-in-law, who has been building things for quite some time in his spare time, was on his way.
We had discussed with Cedarworks that we have a steep driveway and that there would be a large motor home in our steep driveway when the set was delivered. They said they would request a small truck from the shipping company they use so that the truck could get up the driveway. The day before delivery, when the shipping company called to cofirm, Natasha again explained the situation and requested a small truck. Of course, when the giant 18 wheeler pulled into our cul-de-sac on Thursday June 22 I knew it was going to be the start of a long process.
The truck driver, Natasha and myself proceeded to walk the 21 boxes up from the bottom of our driveway and store them in the garage (we had just gotten our cars back in the garage not more than a month ago once all the stuff we had been storing from construction had been put back where it belonged). The plan was to assemble small pieces in the garage and then move them to the backyard which is up another steep hill (our house is located smack in the middle of a giant hill that is laden with many rocks...in fact, the middle of our backyard is a giant sloping rock...luckily there is a relatively flat area at the top of the hill which was where the set would be located when done).
Friday June 23 was overcast and threatening rain, but my father (who was also on hand to help, despite still recovering from shoulder surgery), my father-in-law and myself decided to start and get as far as we could. Five and a half hours later (and many trips up and down the hill from the garage to the flat part of the backyard) we were exhausted and had almost reached my goal of finishing the main support structure (what Cedarworks refers to as a gazebo...it's a two level playdeck with a canvas covering). All that was left was to put on the canvas top and the flag, but we stopped for the day as it finally started to rain.
Saturday, June 24, it rained. And it rained. And it rained. After being cooper up all day, and during a brief stop in the deluge, my father-in-law and I put on the canvas top and flag. It then started pouring again, so we quit while we were ahead having finished my initial goal.
Sunday June 25, it was overcast and threatening rain again. And of course, the ground was saturated. But I was determined to get this thing done, come hell or high water (both of which seemed just around the corner) before Malcolm's birthday on Tuesday June 27. So we started back on work with the installation of the swing section (consisting of an overhead ladder the swings hang from and a slanted ladder that supports the side not connected to the play structure). Luckily, just as we had gotten to the step where we had to raise the two structures into place, a job which would take more than two people (in spite of my thinking it wouldn't based on the instructional video that came with the set where two small and skinny people got this monstrosity into place) my dad and a couple of his friends arrived. Now while this was great timing on their part, it was rather headcahe inducing as now instead of it being me with my instuction manual and my father-in-law with his ideas on doing things a bit different, we now had a contractor and another guy who builds things (thankfully my dad, who normally has his own opinions on how things should be done, kept his mouth shut). So after much debate (okay...arguing) and my insisting that we at least look at the instructions, the five of us got the damn thing in place. And then we quit for a while (plus it started raining again).
My father-in-law and I did go back later to anchor the whole structure. Of course, this being New England and us having a giant rock in the middle of our backyard, we did hit rock a few times trying to drive the stakes through the support bars. After doing a test swing (with me as the subject) we needed to anchor it a bit better, so Tash and her father went and bought some rebar to drive through and into the ground. Tash & I are satisfied that the structure is stable enough for kids (as now only the far corner of the slant ladder's stabilizer bar moves ever so slightly when either of us are swinging...so adults be warned...don't swing too high).
On Monday June 26, under threat of more rain, we started to assemble the lower play deck that would connect to the larger gazebo. Unfortunately, here is where we discovered our location was not exactly as level as we thought. The smaller deck is angled a bit into the larger one. It's not a big deal, just looked a bit odd as we were assembling things. Completion was called off on account of exhaustion. If I never have to go up that hill again, it'll be too soon.
Tuesday June 27 is Malcolm's first birthday and I am DETERMINED to finish. Thankfully, the sun came out for a bit. I worked feverishly alone for a bit, then with Tash and then again with my father-in-law. We finished the lower deck, put on the entrance ramp, the booster step from the lower deck to the upper deck, added the slide, hung the swings and put up the extra safety fences.
During Mac's party, we took him up the hill (my ten thousandth trip in five days) and put him on the swing and slide. He didn't seem to enjoy it much. We're hoping that if he sees other kids having fun on it, he'll get a bit more excited about it (he seems to perk up about things when he's around older kids as he loves trying to keep up with them).
So we'll see...maybe a one-year-old doesn't need a playset like this, but at least its something he'll eventually get some use out of. And it was a great bonding experience for me and my father-in-law. And I definitely got plenty of exercise. At the end of the day, I can say with confidence and pride that I built something. Of course, a Lego set would have been cheaper and would not have been as tiring.
I'll be back next time with my Superman review...
Be seeing you.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Wrestling The Octopus
What a strange, crazy, fun, long, short, fast, tiring, amazing year it has been.
Malcolm is turning one today. It feels like barely yesterday when we were calling the nurse in to show us how to change a diaper properly after opening it up and discovering this black, tar-like substance...or I could hold Malcolm completely resting on my forearm...or he couldn't even roll over on his own...
Now he walks (like a drunken sailor most of the time), he talks (pretty much the same way, but with even less understanding) and he gets into everything (especially the cabinets we've been too lazy to figure out what to do with...we've labelled these "The Forbidden Cabinets of Doom" and usually just scoot him away with a terse "No" that rarely works).
He's proud of the one word he knows and can say with confidence, even when he's somewhat wrong. The word is fan and he knows it's the thing on the ceiling that creates wind...but you can also blow in his face to get him to say the word or show him the lights and he'll also say it (we're working hard on explaining the difference).
Its also amazing watching his reactions to both new and old foods. He hates broccoli. When he was smaller and still being spoon fed, we'd give it to him mashed up and he ate it no problem. Now we give him a floret and it immediately becomes part of the floor. We've even tried wrapping it in turkey. He just unwraps it, shoves the turkey in his mouth and tosses the offending green on the floor.
It seems like just yesterday he and I would wake up early Saturday mornings (well...he'd wake me up early) and we'd go down and watch the previous night's Battlestar Galactica while mommy slept late after a long night of feedings. Now, he has pretty much nothing to do with "adult" TV. If we're watching something and he's in the room, he'll pretty much ignore the TV and play by himself. He does like his TV shows, however.
It kind of amazes me how children's TV programming has changed since I was a kid watching the first episode of Sesame Street all those years ago. Even that show has changed. It's become a bit more regimented as you know the show's format doesn't really change from day to day (Elmo's World is always on 45 minutes in). And while I may get sick of seeing the same segments over and over (I'm constantly having to remove the Journey To Ernie theme from my head on a daily basis...that is if I'm not singing it to calm Mac during a crying session), I do learn new things on occassion (did you know that Cookie Monster's real name may have been Sid...he mentioned it in a song about the time when he was a baby before he ever ate Cookies).
Other shows he enjoys are Between The Lions (a great show about reading), Go Baby (an innocuous and short show about a baby that's rather appropriate for Mac's age), Little Einsteins (a weird Disney Channel show that is rather enjoyable), Higgleytown Heroes (a weird show I don't get at all...what's with the squirrel on the kid's head all the time) and The Wiggles (who seem to dress as if they're the official band of Starfleet...I keep expecting the guy in the red shirt to be vaporized by a rock monster any minute).
We are doing our best to keep his TV viewing to a minimum (heck...we don't really need another me in the house), but sometimes when you're exhausted from being awake earlier than you want, or having to chase him away from Forbidden Cabinets of Doom, or from trying to change the poopiest diaper EVER while all he wants to do is flip over and stand up and toss clothes on the floor (or put his hands in the diaper as you're trying to reomve it), the TV becomes an easy crutch to keep him occupied...of course knowing this is half the battle of controlling it better.
Anyway...it's been an amazing and wonderful and exhausting year. Sometimes I miss my "old" life (where we could easily go see friends in shows or go to see whatever movie we wanted whenever we wanted), but I wouldn't want it back if I had to trade him in to get it. Being a parent is awesome...even though at this stage you've got to wrestle an octopus just to get a clean diaper on him (or to give him his first haircut...which was off because once his hair was short we thought Malcolm had been switched with another baby he looked so different....of course as soon as he started babbling about that non-existant fan on the ceiling we knew he was still ours).
If you want to see how Malcolm's grown over the last year check out:
http://www.seemegrow.net/gallery/fenster
You can even see how tired we are at times...but we're happy.
How could we not be?
Next....Superman Returns...
Be seeing you.
Malcolm is turning one today. It feels like barely yesterday when we were calling the nurse in to show us how to change a diaper properly after opening it up and discovering this black, tar-like substance...or I could hold Malcolm completely resting on my forearm...or he couldn't even roll over on his own...
Now he walks (like a drunken sailor most of the time), he talks (pretty much the same way, but with even less understanding) and he gets into everything (especially the cabinets we've been too lazy to figure out what to do with...we've labelled these "The Forbidden Cabinets of Doom" and usually just scoot him away with a terse "No" that rarely works).
He's proud of the one word he knows and can say with confidence, even when he's somewhat wrong. The word is fan and he knows it's the thing on the ceiling that creates wind...but you can also blow in his face to get him to say the word or show him the lights and he'll also say it (we're working hard on explaining the difference).
Its also amazing watching his reactions to both new and old foods. He hates broccoli. When he was smaller and still being spoon fed, we'd give it to him mashed up and he ate it no problem. Now we give him a floret and it immediately becomes part of the floor. We've even tried wrapping it in turkey. He just unwraps it, shoves the turkey in his mouth and tosses the offending green on the floor.
It seems like just yesterday he and I would wake up early Saturday mornings (well...he'd wake me up early) and we'd go down and watch the previous night's Battlestar Galactica while mommy slept late after a long night of feedings. Now, he has pretty much nothing to do with "adult" TV. If we're watching something and he's in the room, he'll pretty much ignore the TV and play by himself. He does like his TV shows, however.
It kind of amazes me how children's TV programming has changed since I was a kid watching the first episode of Sesame Street all those years ago. Even that show has changed. It's become a bit more regimented as you know the show's format doesn't really change from day to day (Elmo's World is always on 45 minutes in). And while I may get sick of seeing the same segments over and over (I'm constantly having to remove the Journey To Ernie theme from my head on a daily basis...that is if I'm not singing it to calm Mac during a crying session), I do learn new things on occassion (did you know that Cookie Monster's real name may have been Sid...he mentioned it in a song about the time when he was a baby before he ever ate Cookies).
Other shows he enjoys are Between The Lions (a great show about reading), Go Baby (an innocuous and short show about a baby that's rather appropriate for Mac's age), Little Einsteins (a weird Disney Channel show that is rather enjoyable), Higgleytown Heroes (a weird show I don't get at all...what's with the squirrel on the kid's head all the time) and The Wiggles (who seem to dress as if they're the official band of Starfleet...I keep expecting the guy in the red shirt to be vaporized by a rock monster any minute).
We are doing our best to keep his TV viewing to a minimum (heck...we don't really need another me in the house), but sometimes when you're exhausted from being awake earlier than you want, or having to chase him away from Forbidden Cabinets of Doom, or from trying to change the poopiest diaper EVER while all he wants to do is flip over and stand up and toss clothes on the floor (or put his hands in the diaper as you're trying to reomve it), the TV becomes an easy crutch to keep him occupied...of course knowing this is half the battle of controlling it better.
Anyway...it's been an amazing and wonderful and exhausting year. Sometimes I miss my "old" life (where we could easily go see friends in shows or go to see whatever movie we wanted whenever we wanted), but I wouldn't want it back if I had to trade him in to get it. Being a parent is awesome...even though at this stage you've got to wrestle an octopus just to get a clean diaper on him (or to give him his first haircut...which was off because once his hair was short we thought Malcolm had been switched with another baby he looked so different....of course as soon as he started babbling about that non-existant fan on the ceiling we knew he was still ours).
If you want to see how Malcolm's grown over the last year check out:
http://www.seemegrow.net/gallery/fenster
You can even see how tired we are at times...but we're happy.
How could we not be?
Next....Superman Returns...
Be seeing you.
Friday, June 16, 2006
A Mess O' Mutants & Other Movies
I've found a posted my reviews for the first two X-Men movies in anticipation of reviewing the latest entry in the series X-Men: The Last Stand. This third film is not horrible, but it doesn't live up to the first two for a variety of reasons.
I think it's rather obvious that the folks at Fox were a bit miffed that director Bryan Singer jumped the X ship to commandeer Warner's Superman Returns. If they were that attached to Singer, they would have waited (and probably should have) for him to be free. Instead they seem to have raced into production in an effort to not only beat the man of steel to the silver screen, but to throw in almost everything that Singer has talked about using from the comics and not having gotten around to yet.
The third film starts off with a flashback to when Professor X and Magneto first encountered a young Jean Grey. Through the use of CGI, we are shown that Patrick Stewart is not too old to play Captain Picard again. Then the "plot" starts. We see Wolverine and Storm training with the younger members (Iceman, Colossus, Rogue and Kitty Pryde) in the Danger Room (a holographic simulator...and take that Singer...you couldn't work it in to the first two films, but here it is...ever so briefly) against a Sentinel (a giant mutant hunting robot...another thing Singer talked about using...take that again...of course, we barely see it...only a severed head and glowing lights are really seen...after all, it's not really in the budget). And then we move on...
A depressed Cyclops is still mourning Jean's death. But he hears her voice and runs off to Alkalai Lake where she died to discover that she's still alive (Ahhh...the whole Resurrection of Phoenix storyline from the comics...minus all the aliens and such...another slap at Singer). But she's unstable and evil now, so she kills Cyclops before Storm and Wolverine arrive to take her home (where she can do more damage).
Meanwhile, a cure has been found for the X gene that cuases mutations. Multi-billionaire Warren Worthington II has been trying to "fix" his son ever since he grew wings (hey...it's Angel...yet another slap at Singer). This pisses off Magneto who gathers up other mutants who don't like the idea of being "cured" (including Jean Grey after she disintegrates Professor X) and then a giant battle ensues and the movie ends (but not before a scene at the end of the final credits which was so obvious in its set up earlier in the film it's not even funny...guess which character who "died" is still "alive" but can now be played by someone else).
The film is workman-like at best as it tackles way too many things. The look of the film is a mess. The script is all over the place. The only thing holding the film together is the acting (it's like watching a Cliff Notes version of 40 years of X-Men stories as acted by The Royal Shakespeare Company). Worth seeing once, but the repeat value that the first two films had is nowhere to be seen.
Capote is a gripping and fascinating film that deserves all the accolades it got. Don't have much more to say beyond that it would have made the top 5 of last year had I seen it in time.
Date Movie claims to be from two of the six writers of Scary Movie. If it is, its from the two that know nothing about comedy. There's an art to doing parody films. The good ones take the plot of a real film and then hang other pop culture refernces and funny jokes off of it. The bad ones turn out like this waste of time. Really...I've seen a lot of bad movies...and I rarely place movies onto my "Worst of All Time" List...but this one rises to the top of that list. It's badly written, badly executed and just plain bad. I always thought Alyson Hannigan could be a great comedic lead. If one were judging by this film alone, you'd think she could barely breathe let alone act or do comedy.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith turns out to be a fun film. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie play a marriec ouple who don't really know much about each other. Turns out that they're both paid assassins and now they've essentially been pitted (pun intended) against each other. The leads have great chemistry and the action is just over the top enough to keep everything moving at a nice pace.
Debbie Does Dallas: Uncovered is a documentary that at first glance is like Inside Deep Throat, but turns out to be more like an episode of A Current Affair. The earlier, and better, film tackled the making of a classic porn film in relation to First Amendment issues. This one starts off in attempt to document how the film (and the pron industry) changed the lives of those involved. The problem is that the lead disappeared in the mid 80s (rumor has it she died, but many of the participants involved feel she just changed her life around and doesn't want to be found) and most of the other female leads have moved on and refused to be interviewed. So we're left watching middle aged men talk about porn. I used to own a video store where I could watch that on an almost daily basis. Luckily at 48 minutes it's little more than a blip on the radar.
The Ringer is an odd comedy starring the usually obnoxious Johnny Knoxville as a man who tries to rig the Special Olympics. This should be an odious concept (like when Cartman did it on South Park), but since Knoxville's character is doing this under duress and the friend he makes are so likeable, the film comes off rather sweet until the unrealistic ending (he still gets the girl even after a big "reveal" scene that should have had ended with him being lynched by a mob).
The Squid and the Whale is a well acted, well written small story about a family coping with divorce and change. Worth watching.
That's all for today...it was mostly catch up/clean out (there'll be a few more of these over the next couple of days). The next big (and up-to-date) piece will be published on June 27 (all about one year as a father) and another on June 28 (Superman Returns).
Be seeing you.
I think it's rather obvious that the folks at Fox were a bit miffed that director Bryan Singer jumped the X ship to commandeer Warner's Superman Returns. If they were that attached to Singer, they would have waited (and probably should have) for him to be free. Instead they seem to have raced into production in an effort to not only beat the man of steel to the silver screen, but to throw in almost everything that Singer has talked about using from the comics and not having gotten around to yet.
The third film starts off with a flashback to when Professor X and Magneto first encountered a young Jean Grey. Through the use of CGI, we are shown that Patrick Stewart is not too old to play Captain Picard again. Then the "plot" starts. We see Wolverine and Storm training with the younger members (Iceman, Colossus, Rogue and Kitty Pryde) in the Danger Room (a holographic simulator...and take that Singer...you couldn't work it in to the first two films, but here it is...ever so briefly) against a Sentinel (a giant mutant hunting robot...another thing Singer talked about using...take that again...of course, we barely see it...only a severed head and glowing lights are really seen...after all, it's not really in the budget). And then we move on...
A depressed Cyclops is still mourning Jean's death. But he hears her voice and runs off to Alkalai Lake where she died to discover that she's still alive (Ahhh...the whole Resurrection of Phoenix storyline from the comics...minus all the aliens and such...another slap at Singer). But she's unstable and evil now, so she kills Cyclops before Storm and Wolverine arrive to take her home (where she can do more damage).
Meanwhile, a cure has been found for the X gene that cuases mutations. Multi-billionaire Warren Worthington II has been trying to "fix" his son ever since he grew wings (hey...it's Angel...yet another slap at Singer). This pisses off Magneto who gathers up other mutants who don't like the idea of being "cured" (including Jean Grey after she disintegrates Professor X) and then a giant battle ensues and the movie ends (but not before a scene at the end of the final credits which was so obvious in its set up earlier in the film it's not even funny...guess which character who "died" is still "alive" but can now be played by someone else).
The film is workman-like at best as it tackles way too many things. The look of the film is a mess. The script is all over the place. The only thing holding the film together is the acting (it's like watching a Cliff Notes version of 40 years of X-Men stories as acted by The Royal Shakespeare Company). Worth seeing once, but the repeat value that the first two films had is nowhere to be seen.
Capote is a gripping and fascinating film that deserves all the accolades it got. Don't have much more to say beyond that it would have made the top 5 of last year had I seen it in time.
Date Movie claims to be from two of the six writers of Scary Movie. If it is, its from the two that know nothing about comedy. There's an art to doing parody films. The good ones take the plot of a real film and then hang other pop culture refernces and funny jokes off of it. The bad ones turn out like this waste of time. Really...I've seen a lot of bad movies...and I rarely place movies onto my "Worst of All Time" List...but this one rises to the top of that list. It's badly written, badly executed and just plain bad. I always thought Alyson Hannigan could be a great comedic lead. If one were judging by this film alone, you'd think she could barely breathe let alone act or do comedy.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith turns out to be a fun film. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie play a marriec ouple who don't really know much about each other. Turns out that they're both paid assassins and now they've essentially been pitted (pun intended) against each other. The leads have great chemistry and the action is just over the top enough to keep everything moving at a nice pace.
Debbie Does Dallas: Uncovered is a documentary that at first glance is like Inside Deep Throat, but turns out to be more like an episode of A Current Affair. The earlier, and better, film tackled the making of a classic porn film in relation to First Amendment issues. This one starts off in attempt to document how the film (and the pron industry) changed the lives of those involved. The problem is that the lead disappeared in the mid 80s (rumor has it she died, but many of the participants involved feel she just changed her life around and doesn't want to be found) and most of the other female leads have moved on and refused to be interviewed. So we're left watching middle aged men talk about porn. I used to own a video store where I could watch that on an almost daily basis. Luckily at 48 minutes it's little more than a blip on the radar.
The Ringer is an odd comedy starring the usually obnoxious Johnny Knoxville as a man who tries to rig the Special Olympics. This should be an odious concept (like when Cartman did it on South Park), but since Knoxville's character is doing this under duress and the friend he makes are so likeable, the film comes off rather sweet until the unrealistic ending (he still gets the girl even after a big "reveal" scene that should have had ended with him being lynched by a mob).
The Squid and the Whale is a well acted, well written small story about a family coping with divorce and change. Worth watching.
That's all for today...it was mostly catch up/clean out (there'll be a few more of these over the next couple of days). The next big (and up-to-date) piece will be published on June 27 (all about one year as a father) and another on June 28 (Superman Returns).
Be seeing you.
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