The Stuff of Nightmares

On occasion, I have trouble sleeping. The bouts of restlessness are infrequent, but sometime after the sleep returns, I have 1 of 2 recurring nightmares.

The first one that I will mention is basically me versus the Devil. I have never been a religious person, so the notion of God and the Devil was not something I have ever really concerned myself with. Satan was just another monster, or an excuse people used to blame the evil deeds of people on something supernatural.

In my dream, I am sometimes able to escape Old Scratch, but most of the time I am caught. I can sometimes force myself awake after looking into his face (which doesn't look like your typical Satan from the movies but is always different and monstrous) or hearing his voice (a high pitched "soul shattering" almost mechanical whine). In these dreams I am always abandoned by family and friends. There is no help for me, I have no one to turn to. I am left to face whatever it is that happens to me, alone. When I do wake up my body aches, as if I was in a physical fight and I have a headache for the remainder of that day.

In the other dream, I am in love with a woman whose face I am never able to see. She has fair skin, and dark hair (usually short). When I am with her I am blissfully happy, happier than I have ever been. I know that this woman accepts me, flaws and all; she loves me unconditionally. She would do anything for me, and I would do anything for her. We argue, but there is never any malice or vindictiveness. We just want the best for one another and won't allow the other to settle for less. As that feeling of love really washes over me, it is at that point I wake up.

The details of the dream fades, and as the full weight of that realization that "it was all a dream" hits me; I am alone, there is no special woman in my life. The dream was a tease, a lie. There was no happiness, it never existed. And as that truth settles in, it crushes me.

Each and every time.

Earlier this week, I had another issue sleeping, being awake for about 2 days. Sleep finally came (in the form of a few hrs) which is about normal for me. So I know that one of the dreams is coming, if history is any indication.

The question is, which one?

A Disturbance In The Force...

This week a new teaser was released for the seventh movie in the Star Wars trilogy, Episode VII: The Force Awakens. It was a good teaser, doing what teasers are supposed to do, which is elicit excitement for the films release later this year. And pretty much everyone who watched it (if you can believe what you read on the internet and Twitter) was excited. 

My sister had a different perspective on the teaser.

Now, my sister is in her 30's and saw all of the movies in the original trilogy. She did like them, as far as I can remember. My sister also is a film fan, calling Goodfellas, Ghostbusters, Old School and the Christopher Nolan Batman Trilogy among some of her favorites. What follows is our conversation about the new trailer.

Sis: Did you see that they released the new Star Wars trailer?
Me: Yeah, I watched it a few times. I want to see more of the story, but it looks really good!
Sis: Yeah I guess... Did you see Harrison Ford?
Me: Yup. It was cool to see him as Han again.
Sis: He looks old as shit...
Me: (laughing a bit) What?
Sis: They should of put a beard on him or something... cause that muthafuka is old. And there's Chewie, standing next to him lookin' all regular...
Me: Well, are you gonna go see it when it comes out?
Sis: ffffuuuuuuck no. Taj (her son, my nephew) will want to see it and I might just drop him off and go see something else. 
Me: But you saw the other ones...
Sis: I didn't see the last 3 movies.
Me: No, the original 3 were episodes 4, 5 and 6... this is episode 7 so it happens right after Return of the Jedi.
Sis: Junal, I don't care about their lives... Luke all talking about the Force being strong in his family... SHUUUUT UUUUP. Maybe that's why his family dynamic is so jacked up. 

So if you were someone that was searching for a different perspective on the Star Wars hoopla, hopefully that helped.

The Illusion of Ownership

As a fan of many things (animation, film and TV, comics both book and novel) I was once very protective of the things that were adapted in other media. I liked the stories as they were, and when I was told that someone was going to re-make, re-boot or otherwise tamper with something that I liked, I would get a tad incredulous. “How dare they”, I would ask. “Why can’t they just use the story and things like they already are?” But at some point, I got over it and moved on from that line of thinking. Other folks, not so much.

The X-Men comics had been popular for years, well before the films of varying degrees of quality were released. The stories in the comic usually dealt with the X-Men saving the world or universe, bickering among themselves and also dealing with being “different” from the rest of the human race. The comic book’s popularity really took off in the ‘80s, Wolverine being the breakout character. His willingness to kill, and the mystery surrounding his back story made him one of the most popular characters in comics. As a result, it makes sense that Wolverine was brought front and center for the films. He was the focus of all 3 X-Men films, and even got two spin-off movies. But when the first film, X-Men was released fans of the original property had some issues:

“Why was Wolverine not in one of his classic costumes?”  

“Why was Cyclops so short? Shouldn't he be as tall as or taller than Jean Grey?”

“What’s up with Halle Berry’s wig?”

The Lord of the Rings stories had been in print for decades and was considered un-filmable. Many felt that the stories were too dense and the environments could never be reproduced to make a credible movie, let alone a series of them. But in 2001 the first movie of the trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring was released and was very well received at the box office. The movie was praised for its visuals, the acting and just being able to adapt the story so well. But again, folks had some issues.

“Why was the location of the fight with the Ring Wraiths changed?

“Why is Aragorn bitchin’ about the throne?”

“What happened to Tom Babaldi?”

As Hollywood continues to adapt comic books, books and even video games into films, these types of complaints and second guessing will continue to come up a lot. For both of the examples above, the prevailing feeling seems to be if it was in the source material, that adaptation needs to include it as well. Costumes, minor conversations, “if it was in there when I first read it”, they say “then it needs to be there when I go to see your movie. And if it isn't you have ruined my experience and sullied the legacy of the original.”

 All of the complainers have another option, one that some of them seem to rarely exercise; if you are going to watch, then stop complaining. In the end, someone who is enjoying the new work may not care about how the story was told the first time. And if they do, thanks to the internet, they can look it up or just buy it. It is time for fans to accept that these stories don’t “belong” to you. And while the directors and studios may add various bits of “fan service” for the longtime fan, they don’t owe you anything.

But I have no doubt that folks will continue to complain. It’s human nature. After all, here I am complaining about people complaining. It’s the circle of life.

“Catches bullets with his teeth…!?” - Part 1

Back in 1985, the film The Last Dragon was unleashed on an unsuspecting public. No one needed this movie (well, maybe Vanity did… girls gotta eat, I guess) but there it was. Directed by Mike Schultz (yep the same guy that directed Cooley High) the movie follows martial artist Bruce Leroy as he searches for “the master”. During his quest he meets a VJ/singer (remember when "VJ" was a job?) named Laura Charles (played by Vanity)  that he has to protect from a crazy music promoter as well as deal with Sho'nuff, the Shogun of Harlem, who sees Leroy as an obstacle in his quest to be the true martial arts master.

Yeah, this movie had a lot going on.

During a conversation with a co-worker, this movie came up. She feels that Bruce Leroy is one of the great movie martial arts characters. I think she is crazy, but everyone is entitled to their opinion. This began a week long debate about who would win in a fight with Bruce Leroy.

Naturally I thought that this would make a good multi-part blog post.

The Last Dragon had some fight scenes, but was not rife with them. Being that this was the only appearance of Bruce Leroy, you really don't have much to go on. There were maybe 2 legitimate fights featuring Leroy in the film, so it is those scenes that will be used to support/disprove Leroy's status as either a "Master" or just some jerk.

So, without further delay...

Bruce Leroy vs. John Lawrence (from The Karate Kid, 1984)

Bruce Leroy:

This is the best fight in The Last Dragon. It is the climactic fight between Leroy (played by Taimak) and Sho'nuff (played by the late great Julius Carry) for all the marbles, music videos and whatever the hell else they were fighting for. This is the best example of Leroy's skill, so get used to seeing this during however long this series goes. 

Leroy wins, and was only able to do so when he finally got his shit  together and found "the Glow", better known as his self confidence. Mr. Nuff is defeated and Leroy goes on to be annoying another day.

John Lawrence:

Mr. Lawrence spent the majority of The Karate Kid beating the crap out of Ralph Macchio's Daniel Larusso for every reason known to man. There is even some debate that Johnny was going to kill Daniel after he was given an unwanted shower by Larusso when Johnny was trying to roll a joint. 

Ah, teenagers.

This video shows a semi-final match between Johnny (William Zabka)  and the poor bastard in his way to that championship, Daryl Vidal. The audio is in Spanish, but we are here to watch, not listen:

There is a reason that scene was less than 2 minutes long: Johnny is efficient.  He struck when an opening presented itself, and proceeded to lay the smack down on that kid like a surgeon. Yeah, Johnny lost in the finals, but that's because this is Hollywood, not real life. 

The Verdict:

Johnny wins easily. As Bruce looks for the Glow the whole time, Johnny is busy dolling out a complete ass whipping in about 3-4 minutes. Johnny doesn't have an issue with self confidence, so he is glowing like a small sun that should be burning Leroy's retinas. After dispatching Bruce Leroy, he then takes Vanity out to a nice dinner and regales her with tales of how he once beat up a kid from New Jersey that thought he could learn Karate from a janitor in a month.

YOU LOSE, LEROY.

NEXT:

Bruce Leroy

VS.

Nico Toscani

And the Nominees are....

September 28th is the deadline to submit nominations for the National Film Registry. Submission is simple, and you can find instructions on how to do this here. Any film that you nominate has to be “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and at least 10 years old. Now as to the culturally, historically or aesthetically significant status of your selection, I believe that is more of a personal thing (as films are a form of art) so the film that you feel fits that criteria, someone else may look at as just pop culture nostalgia or worse. Take a look at the films in the registry and judge for yourself. But I say if there is a film that you feel needs to be preserved, nominate away. You can submit a total of 50 nominations (per year) and since the deadline is so close, the 50 titles I have submitted are located below. I have taken them from a list of films not yet nominated, that can be found here. And yes, I have seen all of these movies, some of them multiple times.

 1. Mark of Zorro (1920)

 2. The Gay Divorcee (1934)

 3. Captain Blood (1935)

 4. After the Thin Man (1936)

 5. Topper (1937)

 6. Harvey (1950)

 7. Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th Century (1953)

 8. Guys and Dolls (1955)

 9. Ali Baba Bunny (1957)

10. The Blob (1958)

11. The Magnificent Seven (1960)

12. The Great Escape (1963)

13. It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)

14. A Shot in the Dark (1964)

15. The Dirty Dozen (1967)

16. A Clockwork Orange (1971)

17. Dirty Harry (1972)

18. Superfly (1972)

19. Serpico (1973)

20. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

21. Marathon Man (1976)

22. Superman (1978)

23. The Warriors (1979)

24. Blues Brothers (1980)

25. Escape from New York (1981)

26. Evil Dead (1981)

27. 48 Hours (1982)

28. Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan (1982)

29. A Christmas Story (1983)

30. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

31. Ghostbusters (1984)

32. Sixteen Candles (1984)

33. The Breakfast Club (1985)

34. Aliens (1986)

35. Top Gun (1986)

36. Lethal Weapon (1987)

37. The Princess Bride (1987)

38. Die Hard (1988)

39. Batman (1989)

40. A Few Good Men (1992)

41. Reservoir Dogs (1992)

42. Jurassic Park (1993)

43. Pulp Fiction (1994)

44. Clerks (1994)

45. Usual Suspects (1995)

46. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

47. Fight Club (1999)

48. South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (1999)

49. The Matrix (1999)

50. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

The Wife

I will soon be celebrating my third wedding anniversary. Oh, I’m sorry if you missed the wedding. I did too. My, how crazy life gets.

I am speaking of my work wife of course (that is her picture on the left). It turns out that I had a previous marriage (that I also had no idea about) that ended when Advanta closed and that particular wife got married for real. But when I last spoke to that former wife, she says that we are still married and the current work wife is just a usurper.

Yes, it does sound ridiculous. Thanks for understanding.

I have no idea where the work spouse idea came from or how it was that I ended up married. There were no drugs or shotguns involved, and I understand that those are the normal tools used in getting someone to marry. I know for a fact that I have not had sex with either of these women, but I hear that is normal for married folk, so I can’t really site that as a precedent. What I can say is that my current wife situation at least happened gradually.

I first met her during my interview for where I work now. She was very professional in her introduction, and had a nice smile. She only asked me a couple of questions and then she talked... a lot. It was all information about the job, not just idle chit chat. And since she is gorgeous, she could have been telling me I had two hours to live for all I cared.

After I got the job, I learned that she sat right behind me. This would have been great if I had plans to try and “talk” to her, but I had no grand designs on making her mine or anything stupid like that. She was friendly and funny and despite my already knowing several people that worked here it was good to have someone close by that I could ask questions. As the weeks and months went on I got to know her better and began to consider her a friend. We did what friends and co-workers do; spot one another for lunch, grab a soda or something from the vending machine for the other person and take occasional cheap shots when joking around, nothing out of the norm. For the longest time I thought she was dating someone else in the office since they were so close. I had no idea she was seeing someone outside of work. But at some point after I was introduced to the long term boyfriend something happened...

One day she asked me for money to get chips or candy so I gave it her like normal. But instead of just “thanks” it was “thanks honey”. Didn’t really think anything of it but the honey began to be accompanied by I love you then next thing I know the word husband entered the mix. If I bought another woman something and not her I got yelled at in English and Spanish. I had no idea when things changed... and I also learned that there was no way out. It was like I had been inducted into the CIA or the mob... I was in this until my death. If she needs money, she comes over and just puts her hand out. She tells me when she is hungry and I am supposed to fix that. When she wants to go out to get something to eat for breakfast or lunch she comes to my desk and says “come on I’m hungry”. If I am talking or walking with another woman and she sees me she asks (loudly)” what are you doing with that heifer?” Of course, the yelling is just her way of kidding around. I know that she could care less as to whom I talk to, walk with or any of that. I also hope that the way she asks for money is her joking too, because if not I need someone to help de-program me, and quickly.

I suppose that as fake marriages go, things could be worse. But I could still do with less fake sex. If I could get that changed this might be the best marriage ever.

Once It's Out There...

A few years ago, I was asked to help out a friend by doing something that I had never done before.  Now, to say that I was apprehensive was an understatement.  I would be taking (for me at that time) a big chance, putting myself out there in a way that I never had before.  I was opening myself up for all kinds of abuse and judgment, which could have destroyed me. But a friend needed my help, and though I was a terrible person 85% of the time back then, I helped out.  

I agreed to be an actor in his student film.

I have always been a bit of a movie nut, and this was a chance to see things from the other side of the camera, to coin a phrase. It was enlightening. I understood a little better how things worked, and saw how hard it can be. The experience gave me a healthier respect for what my friend Eric did, and also made me want to kill him and his co-director/writer Rob. So, it was a typical movie shoot, from the things I have read.

One of the other friends I worked with on this movie was Ed, who sadly passed away a few years ago. I had known Ed for a few years when we made this movie. He was a bastard at times (so was I), and for all of the years that we knew each other, there were instances that we wanted to kill each other. When I watched the film again, it brought back a lot of memories of him… some good and some not so good, but that’s how life is. But that’s how it is supposed to be with brothers.  He was the other brother that I never wanted, but got anyway.

I post this link to share the movie with folks who haven’t seen it in a while and share it with others that never saw it.  Not like it wasn’t on the internet anyway, plus I feel that the rest of you need to be subjected to the horror that was my “acting”. I’m a bastard that way.

5 Simple Reasons on Why I Will Miss Alison and the other thing…

One of my co-workers will be leaving to continue her education, and have decided to list the reasons why I will miss her. Mostly, this was an exercise to see if I was capable of things like sentiment and compassion…. you will have to be the judge on that, as I don’t think that I am capable of those emotions, at least not traditionally. Oh, and there is also this other thing.

She has a smile that is bright and genuine… it’s terrible. Her smile is like the sun, and it burns my evil soul, but reminds me that I am still human.

She laughs at many of my antics with a mixture of amusement and contempt. 90% of the time I know that I am on the razor’s edge, and that keeps me honest.

She has always accepted my gifts with equal parts gratitude and terror*; she was happy to get the gifts and afraid what may be coming next. I loved that.

For the better part of working with her, I thought she hated me. While she politely denied my accusation, I still think I was on to something. I like to believe that her hatred of me had some small part in the decision she made to leave and continue her studies.  

She is an amazing woman. I will miss working with her and I wish her the best. I hope that when she reaches the top, she still will take the time to wave hello.

*the gifts in question were lunch, a stuffed dog and a fruit basket. That’s not too terrible, right?

Needing a Dislike Button…

… but first, a quick note: part 2 of THE poem of the 21^st century has been posted here. You can read the first part over there somewhere as well. You're smart, I know you'll find it. Now, on to this week’s post.

While chatting away at work today, the conversation turned to movies. Due to the very real chaos that was taking place in the country due to a tornado outbreak, the movie Twister was brought up. And that is when my co-worked Dave brought up the subject of hating actors or in this case, actresses. Per Dave, he says that he doesn’t hate actors so much, as he is more likely to believe what a man tells him. But a bad actress is the worst. He also brought up how he hates going to the movies (for reasons that I have to say I have never run across) but we will get to those another time.

Per Dave, here are his 3 top hated actresses, in the order that he mentioned them:

3. Joan Cusak – “She is the worst! John Cusak was amazing in the 80’s, and then there she is, ruing all of the movies that she is in.” (I was able to get Dave to say that she wasn’t bad in Grosse Pointe Blank.

2. Helen Hunt – “Oh, my god she’s just terrible. She is so unattractive and untalented… just awful.”

1. Julia Roberts – “She always plays the same part, trying to be innocent or sweet. Bullshit! She’s not nice, and that crap she tries to pull on screen is fooling no one.”

While I cannot say I totally agree with all of Dave’s points (I think Helen Hunt can look ok from certain angles and in certain light), this did bring up a question for me… were there any entertainers that I disliked or hated as much as Dave?

Yeah, I suppose there are.

To remain similar to my co-worker, I will name my top 3 and the reason for it.

3. Terrence Howard – He is always friggin’ crying. For one reason or another there is always a tear running down his damn face. I swear that he was crying during his role in Iron Man too. And there was no reason at all to cry in that movie.  Maybe that’s just how his voice is, always on the verge of breaking. Either way, get him outta here.

2.  Tim Burton – It didn’t start out as dislike. Batman and Edward Scissorhands were fine. But then the movies kept coming and they just all seemed the same; weird, misunderstood and quirky characters being quirky and weird…. got nothing else to show me, Tim? No? Then stop it.  But maybe it wasn't all his fault. Maybe it was the Danny Elfman score that made everything seem the same. Or Johnny Depp always being there.

1. Everyone involved with the Twilight movies/books. – I have never seen the movies or read the books, but the entire concept just annoys the crap outta me. Those books/movies just show that no matter how cool a concept that you have, it can be ruined for no reason at all. Vampires and werewolves, brooding all over the place, whining in high school… isn’t high school terrible enough? Why add that crapfest on top of it? 

So.... yeah.....

I'm back... again.  It has been difficult to get back on this horse, but I am determined to try again.  Why do I keep trying you ask? Mostly because I am an idiot.  But also I just refuse to let something that I actually like to do (like watching movies, stalking Melinda and eating raw quail) fall by the wayside. This return to a regular posting pace (let's say once a month and if there are more frequent posts.... hooray!!) also includes something new... mainly this. 


I will always look to post a rant, rave or opinion on this site (summer movies!... video games!... sports!... books?... random opinions no one has asked me about!), but you will see less short stories. But that is, again, because of this.


And oh yeah, watch this space too...

Looking to the Future

The summer movie season is just about over, and I have to say that it has been a tad disappointing.  While I have enjoyed Transformers 3, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 and Thor, I still feel short-changed. I know I still have Captain America and Cowboys & Aliens to look forward to, but this summer just felt kind of... lacking. Summer used to be the go to time for Hollywood, when each week there was a new movie to see. And the movies were blockbusters! Films like Sucker Punch and Battle: Los Angeles would have been locks for a summer release in the past but after seeing them both, moving them to earlier in the year was probably the best move, considering the competition they could have faced.

But with summer films about to ride into the sunset, what's left? Do I just hibernate until next April or May? I say thee... NAY! Here are a few movies that I am looking forward to for the remainder of this year starting with:

August - 

Rise of the Planet of the Apes: When I first heard about this movie I was on the side of "Why in the hell are they doing this!?" But after seeing the trailers, I have to admit that my curiosity has been piqued. Hoping to see some apes kill James Franco in very painful ways.

Colombiana: Zoe Saldana killing guys and looking sexy doing it. Hell, if the movie just had her reading a cereal box to herself, I would still pay $10 to see it.

September - 

The Killer Elite: JASON STATHAM! CLIVE OWEN! Hopefully Robert DeNiro channels the character he played in Ronin and not some of the other crap he has been in lately.

Moneyball: Film based on the book about the Oakland A's manager that puts together a great team on a shoestring budget ("shoestring" by professional sports standards)

The Thing: I'm still on the fence for this.  Liked the original, loved John Carpenter's remake.  This movie is a prequel, not a remake.... I hope it's good. I really do, especially since this wasn't necessary to make.*

December - 

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol: I loved the third one, and from the trailer Brad Bird's live action debut looks pretty good. 

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows: The first one was just plain fun. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law had great chemistry and I am glad to see them return. Also nice to see that Guy Ritchie was more than Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch (not that those films were not great, just nice to see that he can also do a good action film).

* = I know that no movie is truly necessary. But when you decide to make a prequel to a classic movie whose remake is also a classic, there is a lot to live up to.

Thanks to Trailer Addict for the movie trailers

Scorched Earth, TV Style

The network Fall TV schedules are being announced over the next few weeks at the "up fronts", and the television landscape is a-changing. Many shows that were new this season have been cancelled. So many shows have been cut down, it looks like a crime scene. Take a look (new shows this season in bold):

Better With You (ABC)
Breaking In (Fox)
Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
The Cape (NBC)
Chaos (CBS)
Chase (NBC)
The Chicago Code  (Fox)
The Defenders (CBS)
Detroit 1-8-7 (ABC)
The Event (NBC)
Friday Night Lights (NBC)
The Good Guys (Fox)
Human Target (Fox)
Law & Order: Los Angeles (NBC)
Lie to Me (Fox)
Life Unexpected (CW)
Live to Dance (CBS)
Mad Love (CBS)
Medium (CBS)
Mr. Sunshine (ABC)
No Ordinary Family (ABC)
Off the Map (ABC)
Outsourced (NBC)
Perfect Couples (NBC)
Running Wilde (Fox)
$#*! My Dad Says (CBS)
Smallville (CW)
Traffic Light (Fox)
V (ABC)

Yup most of the shows were new this year. And they will be replaced by other shows next year, that may be even worse. Some of the older shows, like the horrible Smallville or the pretty damn good Friday Night Lights, were allowed to actually come to a conclusion before the sets were struck and the lights turned off for good. But there were some other shows that showed promise or were just fun that I am sad to see go: The Good Guys, Human Target, The Chicago Code and even Mr. Sunshine. I think that those shows, even as mid-season replacements or even if moved to different time slots could have found an audience if given more of a chance. By me, they will be missed. It's too bad that everything nowadays is "now now now" not " let's try and help it." Unless your name is Chuck.

Of the returning shows, (you can view the entire list of returning, on the bubble and the dearly departed here) I have to say I was happy to see that Supernatural is coming back. That was a show that I expected nothing from when it debuted, and was more than pleasantly surprised. This was a show that actually got better each year and has been a joy to watch.  Of course all of Fox's animated lineup is returning, though I feel that The Simpsons need to be put down. I feel like they have been slipping a bit each year, and better to go out on top that to overstay your welcome.  sadly, also returning is a ton of reality TV... damn you Real World!!! Damn you to hell!!!

My Return, Just In Time for Summer...

First, I would like to say thank you to the guys over at From the Boss's Desk. Reading their excellent blog has prompted me to get off my ass and post something. If you are into film and video games, I urge you to give their blog a look. 

As the summer movie season has begun, please allow me to give you a brief rundown on the films that I am most excited about, and one movie that I saw last night.

Thor:  I have to say that is was pretty friggin' good. The hammer Mjolnir was tossed, Frost Giants were smashed, Loki was tricksy, Sif was hot and Volstagg ate. The entire cast did an excellent job, there was the now traditional after credits teaser and even a cameo appearance by another Avenger. This picture was a good start to the summer season.

Green Lantern: Director Martin Campbell saved James Bond, and I think that he will perform magic with Green Lantern. While this will be another one of those origin movies, the trailer has shown a lot of things that hint they have a grander plan for any future films if this thing franchises out. I am keeping my fingers crossed for a sequel, because I would love to see some of the more recent Lantern stories on the big screen.

X-Men - First Class: I originally hated the idea of this movie. The last couple of X-Films were god awful, and I didn't think this was going to be any better.  But thanks to Layer Cake, Stardust and Kick-Ass, director Matthew Vaughn has earned the benefit of the doubt. The trailers have been better than I have expected, and January Jones is playing Emma Frost. Plus there is Kevin Bacon! An X-Men movie with Kevin Bacon!! If that doesn't say summer movie fun, I don't know what does.

Super 8: I have no idea what the hell is really going on in that movie, but it looks like there is a monster/alien that will be killing folks. Good enough for me. Plus J.J. Abrams has shown me that he is better than the crap fest that was every season of Alias after the second one and that Lost abomination.

Captain America - The First Avenger: Hugo Weaving is playing the Red Skull.  If Pee-Wee Herman were playing Cap, as long as Weaving is the Skull the studio would still have my $10.

Hangover II: I that lightning can strike twice.  The first one was hysterical, but to avoid disappointment, I am keeping my expectations in check.

Transformers - Dark of the Moon: The first Transformers movie was fun, the second one... not so much. The recent trailer looks to have the franchise back on track and if this is the final film (at least directed by Michael Bay) then it appears that things will end on a high note.

Cowboys and Aliens: How can anyone not want to see this? The trailer looks amazing, Harrison Ford looks like he's the bad guy, and how in the hell do cowboys beat aliens in the first place? I have no familiarity to the comic book, graphic novel or whatever that the movie is based on, and have stayed away from it on purpose. I am actually going into the film blind, and could not be happier.

Dad

My father, Craig Dennis Thigpen, passed away on July 13th 2010. I thank him for the memories that he has given me: 

watching Bruce Lee Week with him and my brother... Old English Pizza... my first comic books... introducing me to Doctor Who and Buffy the Vampire Slayer... taking me to see the NBA in it's prime (Magic, Bird and Jordan)... my first NFL game (so what if it was the Falcons?)... teaching me to fight dirty, "helping" us with our school projects... watching him dote on his grandchildren... watching the NCAA tournament and the term "start up the bus"... his catch phrase "the thing about it is"... how proud he looked after my high school graduation... going to Gullifty's... going to Erol's and Movies Unlimited to rent movies for the weekend... the family slide shows with popcorn... the Kappa Bug... going to his office in the PSFS building for the first time... introducing me to Pat Metheny, Miles Davis and John Coltrane... Thursday nights at the supermarket... the horrible video and the "Is this live?" comment... 

I will cherish these memories and many more for the rest of my life. I hope that I made him proud of me, as I was always proud of him. I just wish I had the chance to tell him that, and that I loved him, as I don't think I have told him enough. I know that he knew it, but I wish I got to say it just once more.

Not The, but A List...

We love to list things.  I think we do it so we can have something to argue about.  No matter who compiles it, we flock to the lists and then the debate begins.  “Why wasn’t this person/movie/team included?” “How did person/team/movie make this list?” the arguments go on and one.  Some of these list are very well done (Empire’s 500 Greatest Movies of All Time list comes to mind and can be experienced right here), others not so much (Entertainment Weekly’s various attempts at the same type of list). 

I had a subscription to EW once, and I hated it.  They seem more interested in making nice with the actors and studios than actually giving you any real information on anything interesting.  The potential for great things is there, but just has never been realized.  It’s too bad.  I think that they could be the US equivalent of Empire if they really tried, but it will never happen. EW's most recent list is at least interesting.  EW has listed (according to them) The100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years.  The characters are from movies, TV and video games.  Why did they do this?  Your guess is as good as mine.  You can buy a copy of EW to read the reasoning behind the list (then tell me because I refuse to buy the magazine) or view the entire list here.  Here is the top 20:

20. Ally McBeal from Ally McBeal
19. Morpheus from The Matrix series
18. Sue Sylvester from Glee
17. Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider franchise
16. Bridget Jones from the Bridget Jones series
15. Shrek from the Shrek series
14. Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski from The Big Lebowski
13. Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean series
12. Fox Mulder and Dana Scully from The X-Files
11. Cosmo Kramer from Seinfeld
10. SpongeBob SquarePants from SpongeBob SquarePants
9. Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City
8. Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs and its sequels
7. Edward Scissorhands from Edward Scissorhands
6. Rachel Green from Friends
5. The Joker from The Dark Knight
4. Tony Soprano from The Sopranos
3. Buffy from Buffy the Vampire Slayer
2. Harry Potter from the Harry Potter series
1. Homer Simpson from The Simpsons

Wax on, Take off the Jacket...

But first…

The Empire Strikes Back turned 30 this month.  I can remember going to see it for the first time, how excited that I was.  I was trying hard to imagine what would happen, trying to put together what I saw in the previews into some type of coherence, to give me a clue as to what to expect.  What I got was so much more, and it was one of the best movie going experiences of my young life.

Saying all of that, I am not one of the people that took Star Wars as a religion or swear by the original 3 movies as the Greatest Trilogy of All Time.  I would say that Empire is the best of the series (and I am including all six films), but the best trilogy of films is something open to debate.  I just wanted to acknowledge Empire’s anniversary.

The remake/reboot train in Hollywood is still barreling down the track, and next up  is The Karate Kid.  The original movie was released back in 1984 (and the name The Karate Kid is a trademark of DC comics for the character of the same name for those who didn't know) and can basically be described as Rocky Jr.  The plot revolves around a boy forced to move from New Jersey to California with his mom, and while trying to adjust to life in his new surroundings he falls in love with a girl that as an ex boyfriend that has a black belt and bad attitude.  The bully and his friends proceed to beat up on our young hero until a janitor proficient in the martial arts takes pity on the hero and trains him.  This culminates in a battle between hero and bully in a local martial arts tournament.  If you can’t see how this movie ends, there is just no help for you.

The new version sees the lead character move to China.  So this kid looks like he will be a true fish out of water, having to deal with not only new surroundings but also a new culture.  He too gets beat up by bullies, and is saved then trained by a guy that looks to be a janitor as well.  There are also scenes of a tournament in this film as well.  Again, if you cannot see how this is going to end…

It has been 26 years since the original, and that means that there is a whole generation of kids that have no idea who Ralph Macchio/Daniel-san is.  It is possible that the parents who remember the original fondly will show it to their kids before or after seeing the new one, but I doubt that will happen.  Fans of the first will see some similarities in the training (“Put on the jacket/Take off the jacket” as opposed to “Wax on/Wax off”).  There will be a kid getting beat up by other kids for reasons that only make sense to other kids (usually the bullies).  There will be some type of message that you can take away from the film at the end.  But beyond those things, I am sure that this movie will make its mark in its own way, maybe not distancing itself from the original but doing something to establish itself as “new” somehow.  I wish it the best. 

If this movie does well, there will be even more remakes/reboots on the horizon.  It will just become a question of whether a film is too "sacred" to be touched.  And in Hollywood, there is no such thing as sacred.