Age of Ultron review

The Avengers:  Age of Ultron

 

Let’s get this out of the way first, I really liked this movie!!!

 

Growing up I was a DC comic fan.  The only Marvel titles I read on a regular basis were Spiderman and Iron Man and that was mostly when I was done reading my DC titles for the month and I needed something until the next month’s issues came out.  This was the 70’s and early 80’s before there were so many titles available.  So most of what I have learned about the Marvel characters has been from the movies.  And all in all, Marvel does an excellent job of transferring their characters to movies.  DC, on the other hand, seems to have trouble with the comic to movie translations but does a great job with translating to TV.  Go figure.

 

What drew me to the first Avengers movie were the characters developed in the films (especially Iron Man and Captain America) and honestly, the fact that it was a comic book movie (I’m a sucker for that kind of thing).  What drew me to this was how much I enjoyed the team developed in the first film.  I liked the way they came together, the way they worked as a team (and didn’t early on) and the spirit.  Oh and the fact that it was a comic book movie, that was another big draw for me.  And it didn’t disappoint.

 

The opening sequence is quite the comic book.  We jump right into a battle, everyone is there doing what they do best, the rather obvious CG gives it the comic book feel and the camaraderie is apparent.  One reason I like the Iron Man movies was the sarcasm of Tony Stark.  Well they capitalize on that with this movie but they allow the rest of the characters to kick in with their own clever banter as well.  It really shows the growth of the group and the comfort of the team as a unit.

 

As always, I won’t go into too many details.  Suffice to say, I sat through the first 45 minutes thinking this is really good but I think I liked the first one better.  Then suddenly, I just didn’t care about the first one, or how much I was enjoying myself because the movie took off and didn’t stop until almost the end.  Lots of action, some might even say t is over the top.  I just enjoyed riding the roller coaster.  I was happy to be invited into that world again and in the end didn’t want to leave.

 

Couple things of note, there is a party scene in this movie that is just wonderful.  Great dialogue, great interaction.  And, to be honest, Ultron has quite the nice butt.  See the movie, tell me I’m wrong.

 

Definitely a film to see IF you like the super hero, comic book genre.  And if you do, a must see on the big screen with an audience.

 

Sadly, I must report, there was no shwarma.

Why I don't reread my blogs before posting them.

Because I'm lazy!

Geekend -- Day 3 -- 2001

Geekend Day 3 2001

 

Sunday starts with getting George to his Mom’s for a few hours and me spending time with my friend.  It was a good start to what seemed to be a great day.

 

I picked the kids up at 3 and headed back to Hollywood, this time to the Cinerama dome. 

Quickly, for those who are unfamiliar with Cinerama, perhaps this excerpt from Wikipedia may help (perhaps not).

 

Cinerama is a widescreen process that originally projected images simultaneously from three synchronized 35 mm projectors onto a huge, deeply curved screen, subtending 146° of arc.^{[clarification needed]} The trademarked process was marketed by the Cinerama corporation. It was the first of a number of novel processes introduced during the 1950s, when the movie industry was reacting to competition from television. Cinerama was presented to the public as a theatrical event, with reserved seating and printed programs, and audience members often dressed in their best attire for the evening.

The Cinerama projection screen, rather than being a continuous surface like most screens, is made of hundreds of individual vertical strips of standard perforated screen material, each about ⁷⁄₈ inch (~22 mm) wide, with each strip angled to face the audience, so as to prevent light scattered from one end of the deeply curved screen from reflecting across the screen and washing out the image on the opposite end.^[1] The display is accompanied by a high-quality, seven-track discrete, directional, surround-sound system.

The original system involved shooting with three synchronized cameras sharing a single shutter. This process was later abandoned in favor of a system using a single camera and 70mm prints. The latter system lost the 146° field of view of the original three-strip system and the resolution was markedly lower. Three-strip Cinerama did not use anamorphic lenses, although two of the systems used to produce the 70mm prints (Ultra Panavision 70 and Super Technirama 70) did employ anamorphics. Later, 35mm anamorphic reduction prints were produced for exhibition in theatres with anamorphic CinemaScope-compatible projection lenses.

Back to me and the kids.  So we get there about an hour early, I figured we’d grab something to eat but ultimately decided a hot dog and popcorn (and maybe candy at the intermission) would suffice.  The kids and I found a place to sit and while they started into their drinks I noticed two very familiar looking people.  I was pretty sure it was Denise and Michael Okuda, two FB friends of mine (who I never met).  Michael is a graphic designer who has worked on just about everything Star Trek for years as well as other movies and TV shows.  There has been some back and forth between Denise and me, but mostly my enjoying their posts about movies, NASA, Star Trek, etc.  So I tell the kids that I recognize those people and maybe I should say Hi.  This, by the way, is well out of my comfort zone.  I am not big on talking to people I don’t know (when I’m out of my element, talking with folks I do know is a challenge), but how often would such a chance occur.  The kids were 'like cool', so I Ieft them to their own devices (well George had his iPod) and went over.

 

I’m not going to give the full transcript of the conversation here.  Suffice it to say, she knew I looked familiar and immediately recognized my name.  We spoke about 2001 and Phantom of the Paradise (I discovered that one of my all time favorites was one of theirs as well).  They happened to be at the big screen viewing of that movie where Paul Williams and Jessica Harper appeared.  I mentioned how I found out about it the day after.  Bummed.  She mentioned 1776 as a favorite and seeing a screening with William Daniels.  I came close to but did not tell her I hadn’t seen the movie but grew up outside of Philadelphia.  They had been at the previous week’s screening of Star Trek 2 and 3 at the Aero in Santa Monica (which I definitely would have been at had I not discovered it was showing an hour before it started, but at the same time found out about the evenings 2001 presentation).  We talked about how George had seen it but not Victoria (2001).  We discussed the Star Trek VI Teaser that they had recently posted and how it brought back fond memories for me as I saw it at a Star Trek marathon back in 1992 (in case I didn’t say it enough back then, thanks Sue for getting me there).  He talked about how that was originally designed for video and I said how it just moved me when I saw it.  I told them about the Flash evening and it ends up that he worked on the pilot of the old Flash.  He said he got a few Star Trek nods into it.  Next time I watch I will need to look for the desk of Captain Pike.  He then said what, to me, was the coolest quote of the chat, possibly the whole weekend.  Regarding working on the Flash:

“Well I was between Star Treks and she wanted a new couch.”

How utterly cool to be able to use the phrase (so nonchalantly) “Well I was between Star Treks” 

I have to say, they were really such nice people and I could have stood there and talked to them a lot longer.  It was really nice to have a discussion with people of similar interests.  But I knew they were catching up with some friends and I had basically abandoned my kids for 10 minutes.  We said our goodbyes, I went to get the kids, and I kicked myself for not asking if I could take a picture with them.

 

We got our food and headed to the theatre and waited for the 5:00 presentation of 2001 in 70 MM Cinerama to begin.  We continued to wait as the theatre packed itself.  We continued to wait as 5:00 passed.  And then 5:15.  And then 5:30.  Finally at 5:45 someone came out an announced that the screening was canceled due to labor disputes with the projectionist.  A mass sigh of disappointment covered the crowd as we left the theatre.  The first thing the kids wanted to do was go home and watch it but alas it was too late.  There was mention that it might be postponed to the following weekend but I didn’t count on that.

 

I have to give it to the theatre though.  The reimbursed the tickets, gave us comps, and reimbursed the concessions (even though we had nothing left).

Even with this, I have to say Geekend was a success.  I had a great time with the kids, saw some really cool stuff, and met some really nice people.  And it really warmed me when the kids seemed genuinely more disappointed in not seeing the movie than I was.  As we made plans for the following weekend to go to see a screening of cartoons (and all you can eat cereal) at the same theatre George and I saw The Flash at, George told me not to get the tickets yet.  He wanted to wait to see when the rescheduling for 2001 would be because he’d rather do that.  Victoria was in complete agreement with him.    Getting misty just thinking about it.  Yep, it was quite a successful Geekend!

Geekend Day 2 The Flash

Geekend – Day 2 – The Flash

 

Day two started out quietly at home.  Breakfast was egg sandwiches with Muenster Cheese and Turkey Bacon.  Lunch, Turkey Tacos.  George had been bugging me about seeing Halloween III (Season of the Witch).  This was really the only one I felt comfortable with him seeing at the tender age of 12.  I coincidentally was up to number 3 in my rewatching so it came at the right time.  Victoria, who had no interest in any of these kinds of movies, told us to go ahead and watch it and she’d watch something else in her room.  It’s not a horrible film but it isn’t that great either.  I am probably going to be reviewing the entire series under separate cover so I will stop there.  We ended up meeting the kids’ mom by her office to drop Victoria off before George and I headed into Hollywood (I have to admit there were a few moments of sensory memory as the only other time I had been to that office was the night of The Event – see The Widowmaker).

 

When the Flash premiered all those years ago I was a bit skeptical.  Flash was my third favorite DC comic (after Batman and Superman).  Loved the stories, loved the villains, hated the outcome of the Crisis on Infinite Universes.  So I was very interested in how this would play out (I couldn’t wait to see the costume condense into that ring).  Well, other than the ring, I was pleasantly surprised.  The casting was great.  John Wesley Shipp carried the character and the show with the right mix of hero and humor.  Really like the supporting cast and just the whole look.  They managed to make a comic book look real, yet still maintain the sense of a comic book.  And, the special effects were truly amazing.  Like in 1978 when I believed a man could fly, I believed he was the fastest man alive.  Also really enjoyed the villains and was pleasantly surprised by Mark Hamill’s performance as the Trickster.  Along the way they added Joyce Hyser in a couple of episodes who I had been in love with since Just One of the Guys.  Didn’t hurt at all.  And then as fast as he came on the scene, Flash disappeared. You can imagine how happy I was when it the show came out on DVD.  Still held up to my memories.  Then the new Flash came out.  What a great show!! And there’s my “old pal” John Wesley Shipp.  Initially it seemed like just a bit of stunt casting but no.  He is the perfect man to play Barry’s dad.  And then I read on Face Book that there will be a 25 year celebration.  I had to go.  I checked with George (who I thought wouldn’t be too excited as he had never seen the original Flash).  He jumped at the chance.

 

The evening did not disappoint.  First, while on line waiting to get in Mr. Shipp passed us and said Hi to the group waiting to see him.  My inner geek started to show itself.  We saw two episodes, both with the Trickster, both with Ms. Hyser.  Wonderful memories started surfacing.  Then the panel came out.  Mr. Shipp, Ms. Hyser (still hot, gotta say), producers, creators, other actors, production guys, and yes, even Mark Hamill (I knew he’d be there, but still . . .The inner geek was out and grinning and laughing and clapping and having such a great time. 

 

A brief moment on Mark Hamill.  Before Star Wars came out he was dong a lot of talk shows.  Everyone he talked about how much he loved fantasy and science fiction and how he watched King Kong every day for a week when it was on a local station.  Ho Hum, enough already.  Whatever (Jealous, much?)  I thought he was a good Luke Skywalker.  Never gushed over him.  When I saw him as the Trickster and heard him voicing the Joker, I finally gave him (in my mind) the credit he probably deserved all along.  I actually appreciated watching the growth of the character he played in the Star Wars films.  And major kudos to his appearance in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.  In 2005 I was able to go to the LA premiere of Revenge of the Sith and when he walked past me in the lobby, yep, inner Geek came out.  I mean, c’mon, I was just feet away from Luke Skywalker!!

 

The festivities in Hollywood ended and George and I went home.  Talking most of the way about our experience and how cool it was to see all of those people and hear those great stories.  What a great middle day of the Geekend.

 

Geekend Day One -- Spameless!

“Geek”end – Day 1 Spameless

 

The weekend of April 24 through 26 was dubbed Geekend in the Stickeler household as we had a weekend full of, well, potentially geek stuff to do.  The plan for Friday Night was Spamelot (a musical loosely based on Monty Python’s Holy Grail).  I had seen two professional productions of this and one Little Theatre production (the latter with George) previously.  I was a bit underwhelmed to the performance George and I attended so I had been wanting him to see it again and also take Victoria, as she knew the music but not the show.  Saturday Night was the Flash 25 year Celebration.  A viewing of two episodes and a panel discussion with the star, John Wesley Shipp, as well as a number of actors, actresses, and production folks, most notably (for me) Mark Hamill who portrayed the Trickster.  The weekend was to culminate in a viewing of 2001: A Space Odyssey, seen at the Cineramadome in Hollywood.  Presented in the original 70 mm, Cinerama format.  I’ve seen this movie over 30 times (only once in Cinerama), George has seen it twice (once on Blu Ray and once on the big screen).  I had been wanting Victoria to see it and the opportunity arose on the 26^th.  Weekends don’t get much better than this.

 

Spamelot is an exceptionally funny show.  It mixes the brilliance of Monty Python dialogue with great music (some already in the Monty Python Library and some original for the show).  Presented properly, the dialogue is quick and doesn’t bother explaining the jokes.  That’s why it works.  Presented poorly, the dialogue is slow, the accents are inconsistent, and there are delays waiting for laughs that just don’t always show up.  This presentation was, in my humble opinion, presented poorly.  The first thing I believe the cast of a show like this needs is to “get it.”  They need to be in on the joke.  I didn’t get that sense form this group of actors.  And I don’t think they were necessarily bad actors, just not right for this script.  This with the exception of the actress playing the Lady of the Lake.  She was funny and had a great singing voice (the only role in this play where I think that is really necessary – her range helps the humor).  She was able to hold her own with a group of weak performances without overshadowing.  And honestly, she was awfully cute.

 

The biggest disappointment to me, however wasn’t the performances (or lack thereof) but the rewriting of one of my favorite songs.  There is a point on the play where it is necessary for Arthur and his band of knights to put on a Broadway play.  The problem is twofold.  One, Broadway is more than 1000 years in the future and two, as the song says, “You Won’t Succeed on Broadway if You Don’t Have Any Jews!”  The songs speak of all the things you can try but that you really need the Jews for success.  At one point the melody goes into a take on Hava Nagillah and further in there is a reenactment of the bottle dance from Fiddler on the Roof.  It is a great musical number.  It’s big and over dramatic and funny.  That’s the key, it’s funny.  Well someone at this theatre must have been offended or feared offending so they changed the song to “You Won’t Succeed on Broadway if You Don’t Have any Stars.”  What the Hell???  First off, that’s pretty self explanatory and second, What the Hell?  They did an okay job at rewording it but still . . .   I’ll be honest, I do not find that song offensive.  I find it pretty funny and, in a way, respectful.  But that’s just me.

 

But on the positive side the kids enjoyed themselves and it gave us a chance to do something together.  And it made day two all the more anticipated.

The New Star Wars Trailer

The New Star Wars Trailer

 

 

Most asked question this weekend?  Did you see the new Star Wars trailer?  Well yeah!!

 

Initial reaction, loved it!!  Looks great.  Has a real Star Wars sense to it.  I love the dialogue from Luke and the way it mirrors his lines from Jedi.  I like the look of (is it) Tattooine and the crashed Star Destroyer.  I like seeing Darth Vader, R2D2, Luke’s light saber, the T.I.E. Fighters and X Wings and all the other pieces that bring me back to the Galaxy, long ago and oh so far away.  And then to end it with Han and Chewie.  WOW!

 

I’m an old world Star Wars fan.  I don’t need to know every name and place and actor and character.  I don’t need more than something that whet’s my Star Wars appetite, so I won’t focus on the minutiae.  There are a couple of things that I did notice that I thought I’d mention.

 

Luke speaks of his family having the force.  I thought it quite interesting that he says, “My father has it.”  Yes, has, not had.  What exactly does he mean by that?  Is it just that Anakin is still part of the living force, or is there something we will be learning?  And who is he talking to?  I’m thinking his niece or nephew.  I’m guessing as he becomes the Obi Wan of the new trilogy and that he has no kids. But he talks about his family as if he is talking to his family.

 

I loved seeing Han and Chewie.  I loved the way they mimicked the publicity still from the original film.  But after numerous viewings I got to thinking about what he is wearing.  He’s older, obviously, and the old pirate outfit just doesn’t seem to fit (literally, it seemed a bit big on him).  I can only imagine the Solo kids being pretty embarrassed about it.  “Dad!! You aren’t going out in that old thing again, are you??”

 

And then my mind wandered on to Chewbacca.  I am assuming at some point before this trilogy he became Uncle Chewie in the Solo household.  And he spent a lot of time with the kids, probably even babysitting.   Now in the politically incorrect 70’s and early 80’s (how I long for those days), no one would give it a second thought.  But now, in the hypersensitivity of the 21^st century, don’t you think people are going to have a problem with Chewie hanging around these kids with no clothes on?  With his junk just out there? 

 

Seriously, in 1977 every bad guy was British and no one said a word.  In 1999 Watto came off with a bit of a New York accent and there was hate speak about him being a stereotypical cheap Jew.  Remember how the Neimodians were supposed to be an insult to Asians and don’t get me started on all the crap about Jar Jar BInks.  And we were nowhere near as sensitive then as we are today.  C’mon, we live n a world where Dr. McCoy (yes I can cross franchises) is viewed as a racist by some because of the way he talked to Spock (pointy eared, green blooded, goblin, etc.)  I can’t believe we are going to let a 7 foot naked male around the kids without any backlash.  And what about Wookiescaping?  Not even going to go there.

 

Of course, I don’t give a shit about all the PC stuff but, as I said, my mind wandered.

 

Gotta tell you, I am looking forward to December and seeing a new entry into what is possibly my favorite film franchise.

 

Yep, gotta say it.  Something that was only said twice in the original.

 

May the Force Be With You!!

How to bring down ISIS!

Sometimes images just pop in my head.  Things I find amusing or interesting or entertaining.  So I'm talking to a friend about some pictures he saw of ISIS or some other terrorist organization transporting weapons.  He tells me that clearly on the side of the missiles you could see the name of the US based defense contractor that manufactured the weapons.  So I say, "You know what would be great?  The first thing that ISIS does when the get or steal these weapons, before they do anything else, they should paint STARK Industries on the side.  Cause that would be really funny."

And I think about this and how funny it would be when these pics show up on the news and there on the side is Stark Industries.  And then I start thinking about Disney (which owns Marvel) and how pissed they'd be (other than the free advertising) and said, "and then Disney would sue them and . . . "  And it comes to me.  They would bring ISIS down in one fell economic swoop.

Of course, I gotta figure out how to get them to paint STARK Industries on those things first.

Barry Manilow

Barry Manilow – His last concert

 

Tuesday, April 14, 2015 was probably the last chance I will ever have to see Barry Manilow in concert.  And oddly, I debated getting tickets.  Way back in 1977, I saw him in concert for the first time.  Let me actually clarify, this was the first concert I had ever been to.  I followed a few years later with The Ramones, Elvis Costello, The B52’s, The A’s, and Blondie (to name a few) as my musical tastes expanded.  My more recent concerts were Glee, Victoria Justice, and Selena Gomez (as my musical tastes, well erupted – would that be the right term?).

 

Back to Barry.  I didn’t really have the cash to splurge on this.  Nor did I have the potential of someone to escort so I figured I’d get nosebleed seats (oddly as I had in 1977) and take Victoria.  I play a lot of different music with the kids and Barry is one of the artists they have become familiar with, so . . .   I gave her a month to decide if she wanted to go which would give me a few weeks to find a companion if she didn’t want to.  Of course she gave me just a week but ultimately I got someone to say yes.  Interestingly, for those of you who have had a chance to read some of my other stuff, it was an old friend who was the inspiration for the character of Geri in my multi chapter story.  I mention this because it ended up she was the perfect person to take to this concert.  She wasn’t too familiar with Manilow but there was something in the music that spoke to our friendship.  But I digress.

 

What a great concert.  He’s 71, but thanks to a lot of work he sure doesn’t look it.  And his voice just hasn’t changed.

He played “All the Time” which is the song I sang to my ex when we got married. The first time I ever heard that song I knew if I ever got married I would sing it to that new Mrs. Stickeler.  He played Weekend in New England, our song for my high school sweetheart and me.  He did some new stuff.  It brought back all kinds of good memories.  What a fun time.

 

I want to single out a couple of highlights.  He took a song from his new album, Dream Duets (where he does duets with famous and no longer living celebrities) which he sang with Judy Garland.  She was on the screen behind him and he sang with her from the stage.  Great melding of voices.  He did a medley of a lot of his older songs (at least 10) starting with One Voice, including I write the Songs and culminating in Looks Like We Made it.  And then he finished the evening with Copacabana.

 

All in all, just a fun night.  And “Geri”, who claims she only knew a few of the songs, seemed to have a really enjoyable time as well.

 

Definitely glad I went. Definitely glad I have a mug, a magnet, a hat, and a t shirt to remember the night.

 

That is all

2001 Thoughts

2001 Thoughts

 

In a little over a week I’m going to see 2001: A Space Odyssey for like the 30^th time and it got me thinking about how much I like that movie, and how much is in it.

 

A Facebook friend of mine asked me about the ending and what it all meant so I though it would share mu understanding of the film, and what I got out of it.  First off, if you’ve never seen the movie and ultimately plan to, SPOILER ALERT!!  Second, this is what I’ve discovered over multiple viewings and documentaries and the book and long discussions.  And it’s all about what I got out of it.  I’d be very interested in others thoughts as well. 

Oh, and this is a blog, not an essay (though I wrote one in college about the music in 2001, have to dig it up as I recall at one point comparing the music and scene it covered to an orgasm).  My point being, sometimes I just like a free flow style of writing.

 

I think to get the ending you need to get what the thing is about and especially the meaning of the monoliths seen throughout the film. When we first encounter the monolith it is before man has evolved to, well man.  We see a pre-man society on the brink of extinction.  A Monolith appears (placed by aliens during the night) and it teaches these pre-men how to kill.  By learning how to kill, they survive to ultimately become man as we know it today.  Love the flash forward (of like 2 million years) from the first weapon (an animal bone) to the modern (or when I saw it, future) weapon, a nuclear bomb circling the Earth.

 

There’s an anomaly on the moon that needs to be investigated and we ultimately discover another monolith.  This planted by the aliens (probably like the day after the other was placed on Earth) as a signaling device that man had evolved.  The alarm goes off when the sun hits this monolith for the first time in 2 million years to signal the aliens that these guys have evolved enough to reach the moon, detect an anomaly, and dig it up.  The signal goes off towards Jupiter and so do we, to find who set the alarm in the first place.

 

Great stuff ensues, including a paranoid computer named HAL (I have heard discussions on both sides as to whether HAL was purposely named as it is one back from the letters IBM – for the youngin’s, that was like the only computer people knew back in the day).  We go to Jupiter, lots of people die (2010 explains HAL’s paranoia so I won’t bother here) and ultimately Bowman leaves the ship in a pod and attempts to land on, guess what, another monolith.  His last words are never uttered in the movie but are the first words of 2010, “My God, it’s full of stars.”

 

This monolith is actually a star gate to the aliens’ home world, galaxy, universe, where they came from.  Cool special effects.  A big blinking eye.  And then a hotel room.  Yep, a hotel room.  As Bowman explores the room we see his life pass very quickly before our eyes until we see him as an old man lying on his death bed and what does he see?  Yep another monolith.  He reaches his hand towards it and as the camera pans form the monolith back to Bowman he is but a fetus.  A glowing fetus floating in the room.  A Star child who is then looking over the Earth.  This last scene is the next stage in evolution.  Another step that could only be helped along by the aliens.  In the book we learn a bit more.  We see the Star Child reach out and destroy the orbiting nuclear platforms.  We have been brought full circle.  From the first murder to the elimination of murder (in its grandest scale) and watched over by our next stage of evolution.

 

Now some fun stuff along the way.  The Theme from 2001 as it’s often referred to is actually Richard Strauss’ Also Spake Zarathustra (or Thus Spoke Zarathustra).  The work was based on Nietzsche’s writings of the same name which explore the concept of Pre-Man, Man, and Superman (our next stage of evolution).  Wow, pretty good choice of music and boy it sure sounds like that’s what it’s about.  I finally read Nietzsche’s work a few years ago and all I can say is that I’m glad I wasn’t a Philosophy Major (and I like the music better).

 

So, A Space Odyssey.  A trek.  Named for the book by Homer that featured Odysseus, an archer.  And the main character in the movie is named Bowman.  Hmmmmm.  Side note, on my second leg of my first international round trip the pilot’s name was Bowman and it was on Pan Am.  A coincidence 2001 fans can appreciate.  The movie they showed was Network, but that’s a whole different discussion.

 

The book about the making of the film indicates that there was only one error in the film.  While in zero gravity, there is a character drinking food through a straw and when he stops the food goes back down.  Wouldn’t happen in zero g’s.  True, but I’ve seen a few more.  The most glaring is the one through the viewport on the ship landing on the moon.  Seems to switch to looking upward to seeing the moon’s surface.  Not possible, the viewport faces away from the moon.  Also, the numbering system for the pods seems a bit off.  But this is just nitpicking.  Speaking of the pods, look for one in Watto’s junk yard in The Phantom Menace.

 

I could go on.  The discovery.  Is it a skull and backbone?  A brain and spinal column?  Or is it the sperm cell that leads to the conception of the Star Child?

 

And all the birthdays.  Heywood Floyd’s daughter, Frank Poole, HAL’s birth (mentioned, not seen), the birth of the Star Child.

 

In the star gate sequence there is a white round object that seems to be moving away from something and maybe dissolving or has a tail of some sort.  They accomplished this by dissolving an aspirin in oil.  This scene has lead to what I refer to as “The homunculus in 2001 theory”.  That’s the theory that pretty much states that you can find anything you want in a movie if you are willing to look hard enough.

 

So that’s it.  Just some thoughts on one of my favorite movies.  I’m guessing after my next viewing I may want to share some more thoughts.  It’ll be only the second time I’ve seen it in Cinerama (the mode in which it was meant to be viewed).  And I’m seeing it with the kids.  It’ll be interesting to see George’s take on his third viewing and Victoria’s on her first.

 

Thanks for reading and comments are more than welcome.

The Kiss

[Note:  This is a work in progress.  I've kind of hit a block so I thought I woudl share this first draft as is.  Comments, as always, are welcome -- ggg]

The Kiss

 

“Now what are you thinking?”  He watched as the words formed on her lips.  They were spoken lightly, almost soundlessly; with just a small amount of, what was it, seduction?  No, more a sense of knowing than anything else.  He so wanted to move closer, to feel her breath on his skin, the touch of her lips on his.  But he stopped himself.  He couldn’t.  It just wasn’t right.

 

Julie and Andrew had been friends now for close to 4 months.  They were introduced through a mutual friend.  A colleague of his; a member of the same gym for her.  The friend, Jane, thought they would hit it off.  Not as lovers but as friends.  They were two lonely people living in a city of lonely people, but Jane saw a commonality between them.  The commonality of not being common.  Two people in need of, well, a friend.

 

The three met over drinks and as the conversation turned to movies, Jane felt herself back away.  She was never much of a moviegoer but knew that these two were.  Often one or the other would mention wanting to see a new movie and planning to go it alone.  Well, she thought, why not go alone, but with each other.

 

And there were movies.  Dramas for her.  Science Fiction for him.  Comedies for the two of them.  They’d have a light dinner beforehand to discuss expectations and a nice snack after to discuss in more detail.  And to plan for the next.  And they dated.  Not each other, nope, that wouldn’t do.  They had diner dates and beach dates and museum dates, but never movie dates.  That was reserved for their unique friendship.

 

Three months, two weeks and four days after their first movie excursion, an independent love story neither of them were really in the mood to see but both rather enjoyed, was released on Blu Ray.  They decided they needed to get a copy and watch it together.  A nice remembrance of their friendship so far. 

The date was set for Saturday night, Andrew’s apartment.  It seems he had the bigger television.  Andrew would cook (he so wanted to just order a pizza but Julie insisted they be more civil).  Julie agreed to bring the dessert.  And to balance the home cooking, something she made from scratch.  He shopped for all the fixings that go with Linguine with Clam sauce (which amounted to a box of linguine and a jar of sauce) as well as an Italian bread, garlic butter and frozen, microwavable Brussels sprouts.  She bought vanilla ice cream and box of chocolate chip cookies.  Homemade ice cream sandwiches were her specialty.

 

Saturday night arrived.  Andrew got to his cooking and loaded the disc into the player while the pasta boiled.  As he watched the trailer for the movie (he wanted to make sure everything was in working order) he felt compelled to put a candle out on the coffee table in the den. Seemed to fit the mood of the movie and the evening.  There was a sudden twinge in his gut.  Where did his mind just go?  No time to think about it as the kitchen timer buzzed.  The pasta was ready and Julie would be there soon.  He lit the candle, almost mindlessly, and moved into the kitchen to finish preparing dinner.

 

Julie had made the ice cream sandwiches the night before.  She wanted to make sure they were fully frozen for the trip to Andrew’s apartment.  What to wear, there was the question.  She was usually quite casual on their movie dates.  Dates?  Was that really the right word?  They were more like movie club meetings given all the discussion before and afterward.  Julie actually joked once that she felt like they were in a sort of book club but without the wine and they actually see the movies.  Tonight was a bit different.  She had been to Andrew’s apartment before.  Mostly to watch some old movie that hadn’t been in movie theatres since before the Home Video market.  Usually when it had its “re-mastered” release on Blu ray.  She’d wear jeans and a sweatshirt and they’d down a few bowls of popcorn (air popped, not microwaved, they were at the movies for heaven’s sake) with sparkling water or, on some very rare occasions, a beer.

 

But tonight seemed to be different.  They were having dinner.  Well, they’d had dinner before but always at a restaurant before or after a film.  It was a celebration of sorts.  Their first really.  In the few months they’d known each other neither had had a birthday nor were there any major holidays.  So this was, in a sense, a first for them.  She felt an odd twinge in her stomach as she took off the jeans she had been wearing and went to her closet for something different.  Twenty minutes, and three outfits later, she thought she was ready to go.  She had chosen a pair of black cotton pants and a button down blouse decorated in a pink and green floral pattern.  She decided to forgo the flat leather sandals she normally wore for a pair of black open strappy heels.  She liked these especially as they showed off the pedicure she had gotten that morning.  She checked herself in the mirror for what seemed like the tenth time.  She fluffed her hair and adjusted her blouse over her shoulders.  She unbuttoned the third button, opened the shirt a bit more, tilted her head to see herself, and then re-buttoned the third button.  She frowned, considered changing her blouse again, looked at the the time and thought better of it.  If she left right now she would only be 10 minutes late.  She turned from the mirror to stare at her phone.  She considered calling but opted to wait as she turned back to the mirror, leaned forward and gritted her teeth in a strange grimace of a smile to assure she had no lipstick on them.  Though there was none she rubbed her teeth with her right index finger and then ran her tongue across them.  “Oh what the hell, time to go.”  She spoke the words aloud to no one in particular.

While the linguine drained in the colander and the clam sauce warmed on the stove, Andrew placed the plastic package of Brussels sprouts in the microwave.  As he was setting the timer for the necessary 7 minutes, the phone rang.

“Hey there,” Julie’s voice was unmistakable. “I’m running a few minutes late.  Sorry about that.  Did you want me to stop and,” she paused, considering what she was going to ask, “Uhm, pick up a bottle of wine on my way over?”  She rushed the words to get them out.  Why was she suddenly feeling uncomfortable?

 

Andrew smiled and his expression cam through the phone.  “No, that’s okay.  I’ve actually got a bottle of ‘White Zinfandel chillin’ on some ice right now.’”  They both laughed.  It was a line from the movie they were about to see.  He said it in the same faked southern accent the male lead of the movie faked when he delivered it in the movie.  “Seriously, though,” his voice softened almost unnoticeably, “I did get a bottle just for this occasion.”  He felt a warmth in his cheeks.

 

“Okay, great!  I’m on my way.”

 

On her way, that gives me about 10 more minutes.  He set the microwave and turned down the already low flame under the pot of sauce.  He made his way to the den to check on the place settings he had arranged on the coffee table.  Where normally they would rest their feet, there were two placemats.  Each in the shape and design of a movie clapboard.  He had picked these up years ago at a rundown souvenir shop he found while making his first pilgrimage to Hollywood.  They had remained in a box in the back of his closet, waiting for just the right moment.  A fork, a knife, a spoon and a wine glass completed the settings.  In the middle of the table sat the candle, just starting to burn down, and a bucket of ice with an open bottle of wine, wrapped in a towel.  The table looked fine.  He moved on to the bedroom and especially the floor length mirror to check himself out. 

 

He had already decided khaki pants instead of the jeans and a Hawaiian shirt of mostly blues.  Earlier that evening he replaced his sneakers with a more comfortable and slightly better looking pair of off white canvas shoes, no socks.  He breathed into his hand to check his breath.  Just a slight minty scent from the mouthwash he swished and rinsed three times about an hour ago.  He looked at himself again.  Checked and found his zipper was up. Leaned in and smiled to make sure nothing was on or between his teeth.  He picked up a brush from the end table next to his bed and ran it through his recently groomed hair.  He smelled under his arms.  Though there was no noticeable odor he went to the bathroom, which was adjacent to the bedroom, and reapplied deodorant, sprayed cologne in the air in front of him and walked through it.

 

The microwave buzzer went off.  He rinsed his hands in the sink and then returned to the kitchen, looking over the den once again as he passed through.  Everything seemed in order.  His stomach twinged again.  Why was he feeling nervous?

 

He opened the microwave, almost burned his fingers attempting to pick up the bag of Brussels sprouts and dropped it on the floor.  This, he realized, is why they suggest waiting 90 seconds before opening the bag.  He grabbed a towel off the counter and picked up the bag which had fortunately not been damaged.  He lifted the lid of the pot on the stove and was greeted with just enough steam to fog his glasses.  As they cleared he saw the sauce, slightly bubbling.  He replaced the lid and turned the burner off.  He reached up to the cabinet above the counter and removed two plates, placing them on the counter.  He thought back to when he first saw the apartment and his reaction to the kitchen.  What would possess someone to take the doors off the cabinets (all were open air except for the floor to ceiling pantry)?  After living with it for less than a week he was more impressed than anything else by the design.  He took down a bowl and proceeded to empty the contents of the bag of Brussels sprouts into it.  As usual with these things, it seemed to him that there wasn’t enough for the two f them but he figured they could make do.  As he was taking the butter out of the refrigerator, the doorbell rang.  He placed the butter next to the Italian bread he had sliced earlier and left on the wooden chopping board.  He wiped his hands with a towel as he called toward the door, “Give me a second.  Be right there.”  He checked his zipper again and scanned the den one more time as he headed to the door.

 

“Wow!”  Andrew couldn’t have stopped the word from leaving his lips if he tried.  He had never seen Julie looking like this, not even when they first met.  He, without thinking of what he was doing, let his eyes scan her from the top of her head to the tips of her red polished toes.  And then back up again.

 

“Uhm, excuse me,” Julie wasn’t sure how to react.  She held the faux Tupperware container out to hand to him.  “You wanna take this?  It’s cold.”

 

This broke his trance, barely.  “Sure.” He took it from her.  It was colder than he originally thought and he almost lost his grip.  “Does this need to go in the freezer?  Not sure I can fit this whole thing.”

“No, it’ll be fine for at least the next 45 minutes or so.  You may want to put it in the refrigerator if you have room.”  She walked past him as he stood seemingly cemented to the spot, only turning his head to follow her.  “Oh, I love the placemats.”

This brought him back to the moment.  “Thanks,” he said as he closed the door and headed to the kitchen,” I got them on my first trip to Hollywood.  Some sleazy souvenir place.  Got them and a set of glasses with a picture of the Chinese Theatre on them.  Which broke in my luggage before I got home.”  This last a bit under his breath with just a hint of anger.

 

“I didn’t know you’ve been to Hollywood.”  She seemed impressed.

 

“Yep, three times.”  This a bit louder as he had his head in the refrigerator trying to find a place for the dessert. 

“Wow, that’s pretty cool.  I’ve always wanted to go.  What’s it like?”  The refrigerator door closed.

“Much nicer the last two times.  The first time I was there it was kinda dirty but they’ve done a bunch to clean it up.  Please, sit down.”  She had been standing, bending slightly over the table and examining its contents.  She sat on the couch that faced the TV and reached toward the wine bottle.

“You really did go all out.”  She turned the bottle to read the label.  “’White Zinfandel’” she quoted, raising her voice and taking on a slightly southern accent, “’I do not understand why they don’t call it pink’” she covered her mouth and giggled to herself, imitating the female lead.  Andrew smiled as he sat down on the loveseat perpendicular to the couch Julie occupied.

“Shall I pour?”  He took the bottle from Julie’s hand.  Their fingers touched for a brief second.  Butterflies attacked his stomach as he pulled the bottle away, a bit too quickly.  “Uh, sorry,” he said for no apparent reason.

Glee Finale

This morning I watched the final 2 hours of Glee recorded last night.  It was quite an experience.  Then, just as I was turning on the news, Victoria came in and we watched it together. Victoria and I, and actually the whole family, watched Glee religiously for the first season and a half. As story lines dealt more with sex and high school promiscuoity, the children no longer watched and ultimately I watched myself.

I loved this show from the beginning. Being a bit of an outcast in high school, I could identify with the students who were the first to join the Glee Club. As the club filled out, it was nice to see how the students each represented a certain type of person we've all seen and been during those three (or four) traumatic years of growing up.  Plus I thought Rachael was hot. I found myself in the guise of Mr. Schuster, the student who had the dream but never followed its path. Oddly the kids identified me with Artie.  For the sense of humor, I believe.  And my then wife, she said I was most like Kurt. No clue on that one.   I liked the stories, the characters, the humor (especially how it made fun of itself, great writing) and the music through season one. Honestly it gave me a new respect for Journey's music, I previously didn't have (sorry Sue, I shoukd have paid more attention).

Season two carried on the same feelings as the characters grew. I'd moved my eye from Rachael to Santana. The music was different. The stories got a bit more serious and alas, a bit more mature for my kids, still aged in single digits. The new characters were positive additions.  Especially Blaine and Coach Beast.  Kurt's dad began to appear more and honestly the best episodes featured him. There was just something honest about how he was portrayed as the father of an openly gay high schooler. And then I got to see Glee in concert. Too much fun.

As the seasons continued, Glee lost something. There was no longer the same heart to it. It lost that feeling of representing a microcosm of high school.  Students graduated and we followed them instead of the basis of the show, the GLEE club. A friend of mine remarked at one point that he was okay with the representation of the gay students but when the percentage of gay characters was the same as straight characters it started losing something. And no, this friend is not homophobic. It reminded me of what I consider the fall of Ellen DeGeneres' show.  It wasn't the fact that she came out.  That was brilliant. It was that from that point on, every show focused on her coming out. The show was never about her sexuality and suddenly that's all it was about. Lost its soul. Perhaps, jumped the shark?

New characters were added but they were much more homogeneous than the original group. Somewhere, I think in season four, my son George told me all Glee was about anymore was gay marriage and federal funding of the arts.  I can only guess he heard someone say that cause he wasn't watching the show and though, as his Dad I have to admit he's a genius, he's just not that smart.

I continued to watch. And purchase the CD's.  Often I'd let the DVR capture five or six episodes before attempting to reluctantly catch up. It was losing its, Gleeness for me.

On a side note, the kids and I watched all of the Glee Project episodes. Thoroughly enjoyed them. Didn't always agree with the winners but fun to watch. Wish some of THAT music was downloadable.

Then the final season started. I made sure I was caught up for it. Thankfully it started much later in the year so I could. I watched the first episode and, guess what?  I laughed, I got misty, I felt like I was watching the first season all over again.  They had backed up over the shark and found that spark they had let out of the bottle.  I couldn't put my finger on this new found love for the show until watching a couple of the episodes. But it was there.  Sue Sylvester was back in all her glory. That character, and her interactions with the others, held much of what made Glee, Glee. There was a new "found self deprecating humor, often peaking over the 4th wall, that was smartly written and flawlessly executed (most often by the wonderful Jane Lynch). But the biggest thing, it was once again about a group of people, not individuals.  These are the things that I firmly believe made the show work and in a rare instance for a TV show, they returned in the end. I adored every episode. And I laughed, and I got misty, and I sang along.

The finale captured what the final season did.  It captured the best of what was Glee. The first hour of back story told us very little new stuff. Just filled in some holes and mostly enabled the second hour to close the story arc.

I'll be honest.  I was looking forward to it all being a nightmare of Sue's, or a fantasy of Becky's.  I know we've seen that before, but Glee always had that sense of irony and parody about it. But what we did see worked so well for me.

I teared up a few times. Sue's song to Will.  Rachael's speech. Mercedes' departure.  I loved what became of Sue.  I wasn't too happy about Rachael and Jesse, but, that's just me. And that final gathering of the cast was perfect. The perfect ending to this wonderful show.  Sure, I would have liked a different song. Perhaps Don't Stop Believing or Loser Like Me but I was happy to see that wonderful group of characters and actors together on stage together.  To quota a totally different musical, "Together Again, for the First Time."   That's okay, they brilliantly quoted Man of La Mancha. I just wish they spent more time showing each of the old cast.  And would have liked to have seen Stephen Tobolowsky as well.

All in all, I loved you Glee. And I will miss you!

every now and then it's fun to Google yourself

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5518794/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

http://www.zmdb.org/person/7990-Gregg_Stickeler.htm


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