Force Awakens More Pondering

The Force Awakens (More Pondering)

 

I think at this point I need to vent to get this off my chest and hopefully out of my head. 

 

I was watching the local news this morning.  The gentleman who is referred to as the entertainment reporter (Sam Rubin, you might remember him as the guy who couldn’t distinguish between Samuel L Jackson and Lawrence Fishbourne a few months back) was at the Critic’s Choice awards.  Well it wasn’t the actual awards yet, it was 6:15 this morning and he was just wandering around the tables.  He was showing us where the various celebrities would be sitting and then got to one and informed us it was for JJ Abrams.  He leaned in towards the camera and in a hushed, almost reverent voice told us that Star Wars was nominated for Best Picture and that often the Critic’s Choice awards make up for the missteps of the Academy.  WHAT?!?!?  I checked to see if I had mysteriously jumped back in time to 1977 but then in 1977, who the heck was JJ Abrams?  This was on the heels, by the way, of the Academy Award nominations yesterday.  After the first 11 were announced, Mr. Rubin came on and mentioned that Star Wars had gotten a lot of nominations.  Those were his words, A Lot!  Of the first 11, Star Wars had gotten 2 nominations.  Hell if there were only two categories, and a movie was nominated in both the term a lot still wouldn’t apply.  I wonder whose ass at Disney is providing the shading for Sam’s nose these days.

 

I’ve said it before and I will say it again, I enjoyed the Force Awakens but it is by no means a great movie; an award winning film.  Gotta be totally honest here, I’m starting to have trouble considering it as a full film.  I read recently that a story has a beginning, a middle, and an end.  This had the middle part down pat, just seemed to be missing a lot of beginning and it just kinda hung there, instead of ending.  Even Fellowship of the Rings, a clear Book 1 of a trilogy, started and ended.  Star Wars (the original) was said to be the first chapter of the 3^rd book of a trilogy had a beginning, middle, and end.

 

I am a diehard Star Wars fan (I am also a Die Hard fan, but that’s a blog of a different color).  As I mentioned before I awaited the opening of the film, I saw it a bunch of times (and yes I have the movie stubs from the first 25 times I saw it).  I could never get enough.  I couldn’t wait to see the Holiday Special (that was a mistake).  I had great discussions for the three years between Empire and Return of the Jedi about who the other was and if Darth Vader (who we knew since 1977 was named such for “Dark Father”) was Luke’s dad.  My big argument was that Vader was suing the force to manipulate Luke, no way he was the dad (but as we said in the 90’s, “Way!”).  I have toys and books and magazines.  Everywhere I’ve lived has been decorated in what I lovingly refer to as “Early American Star Wars.”  I lived and breathed the movies.  They were and are such an important piece of my life.

 

Let’s hold off on the prequels for a few minutes now.

 

So the Force Awakens comes to us with huge fanfare.  But then why are most of the marketing connections tied to the original trilogy?  Darth Vader and Yoda all over the place.  Even Boba Fett.  Well, I love my Star Wars stuff so I’m not complaining, but seemed very strange to me. 

 

I’m not going to resurrect my review again.  Just, as I mentioned and felt on all 4 viewings.  It isn’t Star Wars.  It lacks the heart.  It lacks the originality.  Hell in one flick we visit Tattooine, Hoth, and the forest moon of Endor (never was sure if the planet was Endor and it was one of many moons, this one featuring a forest or if the moon was named Endor and they just said forest moon as they might say the comedy styling’s of Kevin Pollack).  There was a cantina, The Death Star 3 (oh wait, 3.0 bigger, badder and called Starkiller to make the long time fans squirt).  The one thing that wasn’t copied very well, a story.  A real dramatic conflict.  A villain of any strong sense.  Drama.  Oh sorry, I’m reviewing again.

 

The first comment most of my friends and fellow fans made about this movie was some version of “It was better than the prequels.”  So, you hated the prequels and this was better than them.  Not really saying much.  I will admit, I disagree.  I liked the prequels better but then I never hated the prequels, I happened to enjoy them (and had quite long discussions after Clones as to what Sith would be like and how they might show the transformation of Anankin to Vader and how they would hide the fake that they were twins so there was some surprises for those who watched numerically, not chronologically).  And I longed for the battle I had waited to see since 1977 between Obi Wan and a young Darth that caused him to be enclosed in that armor.  But back to the comparison.  It was good; I liked it better than the prequels.   That says so much about the movie.

 

Well, as usual I ramble.  I’m just really bothered by the movie itself and the way it is being admired, in my opinion, without real justification.  Many have compared it to the original.  Other than a bit of a rip off (see above or better yet watch the two back to back), it lacks the heart, the originality, and the spirit of the original.  Wait, I got it, it lacks the force and in this case Han, that IS how the force works.

 

I’m not done yet.  Everyday more comes to mind as I think about it.  Writing this hasn’t given me the release I had hoped for.  Just raised even more issues.

I welcome discussion.  I love talking about Star Wars (even this alternate universe version).  And, like it or not, I will return.

 

On Line Dating Part 4

On Line Dating (Part 4)

 

Well, I think I am finally over the fascination of On Line Dating.  If you have read my previous blogs, you know that I have been pretty much staying on these sites as a form of entertainment.

 

I get at least 10 winks and requests for chats a week.  All o f these women (and there recently have been a few guys, who I don’t follow up with) have seen my profile picture (me in a hat and meatloaf t shirt and me dressed as Groucho) and find me extremely attractive.  Very Handsome.  You name it, I’m it.  Though their profiles say they are from California or Arizona, or other nearby states once I engage them, they are living in Ghana.  When I started this out, they were all in the fashion industry.  Seems Ghana has had its fill of fashion but it is the prime location for nursing schools.  They continue to be living with the parent who hasn’t died (in one case she moved to Nigeria with her Mom as her Dad died under suspicious circumstances and the mother was potentially guilty).  Or with an Uncle or roommate if both parents have died recently.  They’ve all been on the site for just a day or two and are looking for their soul mate.  And in every case, that’s me.  Within 24 hours they call me dear, or love (one girl insisted on calling me king).

My new strategy is to get pictures from them.  Oddly enough in 2 cases they sent me pics that were, well, let’s just say, not even safe for my work.  We end up on Hangouts.  Many want to text but I inform them that my phone is a company phone and I have gotten in trouble for using it for such things in the past.  One girl called me for a video chat but she and I couldn’t hear each other.  It was interesting as there was a video countdown line across the bottom of the screen.  “Well, love, I’d like to see and hear you but I need a new phone!”  Or webcam, or tablet

My internet connection is bad; send me money to pay for better (Ghana not known for strong internet serve).

 

One of my favorites (and this was after a nude shot from her, not me) was a young girl (she claimed 23) who had $900,000 in gold that she needed to transfer but couldn’t afford the documents.  Another had 500,000 pounds that only needed an empty bank account to transfer into.  “Couldn’t you just take one of your accounts and just leave a dollar in it?”  Last night took the cake.  No money, manager was mean, needed money to eat.  When I said no, she told me how she was going to starve.  I said no again and haven’t heard back from her.  Oh shit!!  Maybe she wasn’t a phony.

 

Oh wait, there was one that I told I had only met scammers (didn’t mention that they were neighbors with her in Ghana).  She asked how and I told her they wanted me to send money.  She proceeds to ask how much I sent.  I responded that I was too embarrassed to admit how much (don’t worry, it was nothing) and she continued to probe me for how much I sent.  Amazing.

 

One of my favorites came from Tinder.  She had actually moved to LA FROM Africa recently.  I got them coming and going.

 

Another girl on Tinder (and I think this one was real) told me that she was a struggling student and for $150 Id get the time of my life.  I honestly considered setting up a go fund me page (to raise the $150 and enough for a hotel) with her picture and caption it with “Help me help a struggling student”.  The other from Tinder was a woman who after on and off back and forth for 2 months told me that she wanted to be in a mutually beneficial relationship.  What was that, I enquired.  Seems I pay her an allowance and she takes care of me.  Again, pretty sure this one existed and was serious.

 

But alas, this bores me.  On to Trivia Crack