tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9061703708764114912024-03-05T19:44:30.252-08:00Kevin R. MazeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606852835298834121noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-906170370876411491.post-52286422431237052682015-10-06T23:41:00.004-07:002015-10-06T23:41:49.028-07:00Much To Consider in Eli Roth's "The Green Inferno"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCiS_DlrVWlHZtT5jdq2iWxF8zdZ148WNl2Eccj1CyQmSEULFGOdsG5N4OEy9QQ01keRL_dAlW6Yjj5R4QLo7__CXkSt-pGD5ehvu7qchyuop-ttWInK4g9oBOffGjaJNz1TUiMwn_xf1s/s1600/the+green+inferno.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCiS_DlrVWlHZtT5jdq2iWxF8zdZ148WNl2Eccj1CyQmSEULFGOdsG5N4OEy9QQ01keRL_dAlW6Yjj5R4QLo7__CXkSt-pGD5ehvu7qchyuop-ttWInK4g9oBOffGjaJNz1TUiMwn_xf1s/s320/the+green+inferno.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">A
pair of bare feet walk on the green earth, followed by a smaller set of bare
feet. The camera pans up to a middle-aged man and a young boy, both adorned in
tribal jungle dress, walking through the jungle. A loud roar, and the camera
shows us a yellow tractor destroying neighboring trees. These two contrasts of
leaving footprints on the earth open Eli Roth’s <i>The Green Inferno.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Eli Roth is one of the few horror directors who likes to
address social issues while doing it through gut-wrenching, mind-bending horror
and gore. His film <i>The Green Inferno</i>
is no different. Whereas in <i>Hostel I </i>&
<i>II</i>, he explored capitalism vs
morality, here Roth examines activism vs preservation, as exampled against the
backdrop of cannibalism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> Lorenzo Isso plays Justine, a
college freshman who becomes enamored with the older Alejandro (Ariel Levy), an
activist who is raising a group to go to the Amazon rainforest to protest the
destruction of South America’s virgin landscape. The plan is simple: gather
some likeminded people, film the logging company and its militia (yes, militia)
with their camera phones, and shoot the image simultaneously around the world
via satellite.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> In order to sneak in so close to the
logging team they have to get in unseen the best they can. They do this by
acquiring similar looking yellow jumpsuits and hardhats. If they can accomplish
this, these college students from New York will help prevent the destruction of
the South American rainforest and show the world that preservation is worth
facing death. What follows is an intense scene where the viewer wonders if these
activists are ready to lay down their lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> Later the young people are on the
way home in their jet when their only engine on the single-engine plane fails,
and they crash. Soon after, the remaining survivors are captured by an indigenous
tribe who bring the students—still wearing the logging-company yellow jumpsuits—into
their village. Of course, neither the New Yorkers nor the natives speak the
same language, but it doesn’t matter: what is clear is that the tribe is going
to preserve their culture, even at the cost of the lives of these WASP
activists who intended to do the same.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> It’s more than just miscommunication
here, but misperception. Alejandro wants to feel important, like he’s making a
difference, and although Justine comes along, the viewer is a bit unsure if she
wants to go along to make Alejandro happy, if she really wants to make some
change in a region she only reads about, or if she wants to shake the coattails
of her senator father and be her own person. These are all noble ideals.
However, so are all the ideals of young, impressionable college students who
see their whole lives before them, and have to jump now at an opportunity that
may never come again. The tribal village (who we soon learn are cannibals) know
only the life they’ve ever known, and truly want to preserve, and seeing the
latest newcomers wearing the all-too-familiar clothing of those destroying
their civilization only enhances their resolve. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> Roth keeps the intensity goes by
having the tribe painted red, which looks eerily similar to the blood on the
survivors. When it becomes apparent that they are prisoners awaiting their
turns at becoming the next meal, they are faced with desperation in the
possibility of escape or being caught and tortured before being eaten. As
stated earlier the idea here is that this isolated, uncontacted group of
aboriginal people know their days are numbered, but are trying to keep their
way of life. The cannibalism in the film is always aimed at outsiders
threatening their civilization, and never turned at themselves. However, when
the young protagonists arrive in the jungle, things constantly get worse for
them because they really don’t know what they’re doing. They not activists so
much as they are students projecting the idea of activism. If they knew this
was the culture they were preserving, would they have been as ambitious to
undertake this mission? Which one is deadlier: the logging company destroying
countless numbers of precious trees, and hence ecosystems, for money, or a
primitive people who not only approve, but desire the consumption of the flesh
of foreigners who threaten their way of life? Like with Roth’s other films
there is no easy answer, yet instead of just letting us ponder the result, he
shows us in the most graphic, uncomfortable ways that what is at stake does not
have an easy solution. He makes us think. <i>The
Green Inferno</i> is visceral and disturbing just as movies sometimes need to
be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606852835298834121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-906170370876411491.post-57891840242442963602014-12-08T06:46:00.002-08:002014-12-08T06:47:44.271-08:0010 Christmas Movies For People Who Hate Christmas<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Christmas is that time of year when we talk about
giving to others less fortunate, goodwill to others, peace on earth, and then
trample strangers in Wal-Mart for that last toy on the shelf that your kid will
be bored with in an hour. Hollywood has tried to divert us from that trend by offering tons of movies each year about “the real meaning of Christmas,” which is either about
estranged family members coming together, or how the solemn curmudgeon really
has a heart of gold, or kids trying to get their divorced family members together,
or how it’s the time of for miracles. There’s also the latest variation of <i>A Christmas Carol</i>. And there are those
who actually say it’s about the birth of Jesus. </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But what if you’re tired of the usual Christmas
fare? Maybe (gasp!) you don’t even like Christmas. What can you do? Embrace
your inner Scrooge, cry “Bah Humbug!” and try watching one of these Christmas
movies for people who hate Christmas listed in no particular order.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Lethal Weapon</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPAYTss5SL8w7kUXw1ZeeZFt2RF_3Iowp-B62xLl_fHgAxQ-HXRu53cklLBCgWJVDAuGtgXv2_pwOVgsZojh2aYk9PcjoNzU0JXrdqrLj1LcKMdTY8hg7i4TrTXo40sfOaHF2NTFJCAQ9/s1600/Lethal+Weapon.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPAYTss5SL8w7kUXw1ZeeZFt2RF_3Iowp-B62xLl_fHgAxQ-HXRu53cklLBCgWJVDAuGtgXv2_pwOVgsZojh2aYk9PcjoNzU0JXrdqrLj1LcKMdTY8hg7i4TrTXo40sfOaHF2NTFJCAQ9/s1600/Lethal+Weapon.PNG" height="222" width="400" /></a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brenda
Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” plays over the opening credits as we
see the L.A. cityscape at night. Then a half-naked woman jumps to her death and
we’re on the way to meet family man Murtaugh and burned out Riggs for the first
time. This film launched the successful franchise, and features a climactic
bare-hands showdown between Mel Gibson and Gary Busey back when both were not
train wrecks. But the Christmas setting takes a backseat to all the 80s buddy
cop action giving us the chance to witness the glory of a time when cell phones
still came in portable bags.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> <b>
</b></span><!--[endif]--><b>Die Hard</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN45D08bfOnmqYZ6tJRfZa3eycvO78c1T_E_HgZ3KqIywoZUL66ZKg6Ehbq3-s4xhtwKWHZxG7K2cSYd_-4bvlYNJJ9brDcHE8kD7B8piDR7949vIDy2IHeJFqomzQiD6bwLwVJX4m73Hp/s1600/Die+Hard.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN45D08bfOnmqYZ6tJRfZa3eycvO78c1T_E_HgZ3KqIywoZUL66ZKg6Ehbq3-s4xhtwKWHZxG7K2cSYd_-4bvlYNJJ9brDcHE8kD7B8piDR7949vIDy2IHeJFqomzQiD6bwLwVJX4m73Hp/s1600/Die+Hard.PNG" height="175" width="400" /></a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After
Warner Brothers' success with <i>Lethal
Weapon</i> in 1987, Twentieth Century Fox just the next year released this
classic action story about… okay, with four sequels everyone knows what Die
Hard is about. And yes, it’s set at Christmas (also in Los Angeles). Instead of
showcasing Brenda Lee, Bruce Willis arrives at the Nakatomi Building listening
to Run-D.M.C.’s “Christmas in Hollis” (a great Christmas song for people who
don’t like Christmas songs, but that’s another story). There’s plenty of action
and humor in the original flick including Argyle the limo-driver’s last line:
“If this is their idea of Christmas, I gotta be here for New Year’s!”</span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> <b>
</b></span><!--[endif]--><b>Friday After Next</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhMuJ-Lq9y0i7_8pK_GtA29UZNhoserST6RUeCmGBlEm3EfoWKROtpTJmtSy2f7GtwHREsCtb5Dkcp2MEDIX0ZUhyphenhyphenNgrZ8sgn9Z0mvvyiTenMPoUTUAKBI_cuJIgK9d0bjI2hYRdqPvkN/s1600/Friday+After+Next+PIC+2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhMuJ-Lq9y0i7_8pK_GtA29UZNhoserST6RUeCmGBlEm3EfoWKROtpTJmtSy2f7GtwHREsCtb5Dkcp2MEDIX0ZUhyphenhyphenNgrZ8sgn9Z0mvvyiTenMPoUTUAKBI_cuJIgK9d0bjI2hYRdqPvkN/s1600/Friday+After+Next+PIC+2.PNG" height="268" width="400" /></a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Craig and Day Day (Ice Cube and
Mike Epps) are back in this funny sequel to <i>Next
Friday</i>. This time they have their own place and have jobs as mall security
guards. When a burglar dressed as Santa Claus robs them on Christmas Eve they
are determined to catch the criminal and get their stolen property (mainly
their weed). Needless to say, hilarious hijinks ensue. The movie has a
wonderful supporting cast including Terry Crews (<i>The Expendables </i>franchise<i>,
Brooklyn Nine-Nine</i>) as an overly affectionate newly-released ex-con; Katt
Williams as Money Mike, a pimp-ish store owner; and John Witherspoon, who
returns for as Mr. Jones, who helps his brother make barbeque so good it makes
you wanna slap your mama. </span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhgeDcaYheTPMvBR5fMtUYPusvsnzfI1YeXgw8drnhyuAvq-c1DtURDuncV3SCRQdgmL7NJgO3BvQz6gfnqw3-FAkfqvhJ0vJTxyd-YP1HC1aMArNY7tT7csM8NFMk-asct1Z8f6_i5Io/s1600/Silent+Night+Deadly+Night+PIC+3.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhgeDcaYheTPMvBR5fMtUYPusvsnzfI1YeXgw8drnhyuAvq-c1DtURDuncV3SCRQdgmL7NJgO3BvQz6gfnqw3-FAkfqvhJ0vJTxyd-YP1HC1aMArNY7tT7csM8NFMk-asct1Z8f6_i5Io/s1600/Silent+Night+Deadly+Night+PIC+3.PNG" height="190" width="400" /></a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Okay,
this movie really isn’t that good. The most notorious thing about it is that TV
ads for the film were pulled and parents protested outside movie theaters until
the film was pulled after only two weeks. Why? Because the murderer was dressed
like Santa Claus. The TV ads featured Saint Nick with an ax and that was just
too much for some folks. Sure if the killer had a white-painted rubber William
Shatner mask or a hockey mask, that was okay, but they drew the line at Santa.
Yes, things have changed a lot in 30 years. The movie is about a boy left
orphaned after a man dressed as Santa Claus kills his parents. He is put in an
orphanage and snaps so he dresses as Santa Claus and kills people. Strangely, the movie went on to produce a few sequels.</span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> <b>
</b></span><!--[endif]--><b>Silent Night (2012)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFG_LqB-GzydiihQdjX5f_p66okyOB4FqEIF8KQ85rP-IxAVJT19gTz8ZNIcqh0-2pUy3zXmgPeOjekIsFg3rZkfAHQnhGH42nTb-G9nmT805VHjYu9D0R0xOV5FAsgI2EgNTlTpNpVTON/s1600/Silent+Night+2012+PIC+2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFG_LqB-GzydiihQdjX5f_p66okyOB4FqEIF8KQ85rP-IxAVJT19gTz8ZNIcqh0-2pUy3zXmgPeOjekIsFg3rZkfAHQnhGH42nTb-G9nmT805VHjYu9D0R0xOV5FAsgI2EgNTlTpNpVTON/s1600/Silent+Night+2012+PIC+2.PNG" height="181" width="400" /></a></b></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This
killer-at-large-during-Christmas movie is actually pretty good, especially if you
like low-budget horror films and Malcolm <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000532/?ref_=tt_cl_t1"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">McDowell</span></a>.
The story is very familiar: Guy dressed as Santa goes around the town killing
people. However, the focus isn’t on the killer as much as it is about the
deputy (Jaime King) trying to bring him down. McDowell seems like he has a lot
of fun as the town’s sheriff. Donal Logue has a small role as a smart-assed
traveling Santa, which apparently is a profession.</span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Wind Chill (2007)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlpV4f8Te4aUjzgoZigB0K5VlQBfhKtcZnJgQe5wQzNQ28CBkPJFnPYxJY4PI0d3YjqSRkext9WlyK-ifWzFgSSoQa9IrdmLUDfuW_Pa1Eih5o2FWOhHTPt2l8uChU8I7R67Cp1dqaoG3/s1600/Wind+Chill.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlpV4f8Te4aUjzgoZigB0K5VlQBfhKtcZnJgQe5wQzNQ28CBkPJFnPYxJY4PI0d3YjqSRkext9WlyK-ifWzFgSSoQa9IrdmLUDfuW_Pa1Eih5o2FWOhHTPt2l8uChU8I7R67Cp1dqaoG3/s1600/Wind+Chill.PNG" height="223" width="400" /></a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wind
Chill is probably one of the best horror films set at Christmas you will find.
There are no killers dressed as Santa Claus, no over-the-top bloody
mutilations, no axes or knives although it does use Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’
Around the Christmas Tree” very ominously. So what makes this movie scary? It’s
a psychological thriller that almost literally turns into something else. Emily
Blunt and Ashton Holmes (as “Girl” and “Guy,” respectively) play strangers
sharing a car ride to Delaware from college over Christmas break. By answering
an ad on a public bulletin board, Blunt accepts a drive home from a young man
who knows way more about her than he should. When they turn on a snow-covered
road as a “shortcut”, the two soon find themselves in a situation that finds
them working together to survive, and the snow is the least of their problems.</span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Any Doctor Who Christmas Special</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIh8tlRXlZCY0f-t4YvYfqse7I_N9rBcOrHj9eBUkY1XUcYFRCZdddlg29tAbYsb2_r1RyS2H9k-bYbGhyO6IyBivA1ZFDKrpuTi-VrHj7K_GMVnES51DDyqABq6bDyjlnJGbOhbXA0c05/s1600/Doctor+Who+Christmas.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIh8tlRXlZCY0f-t4YvYfqse7I_N9rBcOrHj9eBUkY1XUcYFRCZdddlg29tAbYsb2_r1RyS2H9k-bYbGhyO6IyBivA1ZFDKrpuTi-VrHj7K_GMVnES51DDyqABq6bDyjlnJGbOhbXA0c05/s1600/Doctor+Who+Christmas.PNG" height="223" width="400" /></a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If <i>Lethal Weapon </i>and<i> Die Hard</i> warned us of staying in L.A. during Christmas, Doctor Who
shares the same trepidation about London. Seriously, the BBC science fiction
series usually has a Christmas episode apart from their usual season run, and
they’re often stand alone episodes so even people who aren’t familiar with the
show shouldn’t feel too lost. You’ll find intrigue, laughs, and even the
occasional good feeling. Past episodes have guest-starred Kylie Minogue, Claire
Skinner, and Michael Gambon. </span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Bad Santa</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzWNQhZFN7svTff2Y_rSZfEi3li0S75kdrrwLHiTeLAA2LO3dNVpyy5N62tgI6MccoE4HKCW8l-re05tsMCaluESvptbXIzO5pz-HY9xwr5d207ctcX0sLqENUnjAk1g2bz735MUkhMmI8/s1600/Bad+Santa.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzWNQhZFN7svTff2Y_rSZfEi3li0S75kdrrwLHiTeLAA2LO3dNVpyy5N62tgI6MccoE4HKCW8l-re05tsMCaluESvptbXIzO5pz-HY9xwr5d207ctcX0sLqENUnjAk1g2bz735MUkhMmI8/s1600/Bad+Santa.PNG" height="265" width="400" /></a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Bad Santa</i> is the perfect movie for this
list. A thief and his accomplice (Billy Bob Thornton and Tony Cox) pose as
Santa Claus and his elf helper targeting department stores during the holidays.
Everything goes well until their latest mark’s security guard suspects them of
their plan. Hilarious and definitely not for kids. Check out the unrated
version, which the DVD’s cover refers to as <i>Badder
Santa</i>.</span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Trading Places</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Ckto2Eqytxu8_ZoyaBffsP14EVU-kG0sfXMGEpt0HsorneWJ9JJJWWH9CLo3kuvhuKz7TMZc5CzP4KdL15mczQiDBKEojxFFQT6y3ZuxMyWpMVHnM1GzxRAQ37KTrzonks-E2e7dOu3h/s1600/Trading+Places.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Ckto2Eqytxu8_ZoyaBffsP14EVU-kG0sfXMGEpt0HsorneWJ9JJJWWH9CLo3kuvhuKz7TMZc5CzP4KdL15mczQiDBKEojxFFQT6y3ZuxMyWpMVHnM1GzxRAQ37KTrzonks-E2e7dOu3h/s1600/Trading+Places.PNG" height="241" width="400" /></a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eddie
Murphy’s second film is a modern spin on the classic <i>Prince and the Pauper</i> theme. Murphy plays a conman who is the
victim of a secret bet between commodities brokers the Duke Brothers (Ralph
Bellamy and Don Ameche) to see if Murphy can be just as successful as brokerage
wunderkind Louis Winthorpe III (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Aykroyd" title="Dan Aykroyd"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Dan Aykroyd</span></a>).
Soon Winthorpe finds out what has happened, and then things really get good.
Although this film is set during Christmas it climaxes over New Year’s, and the
New Year party aboard the train with Murphy, Aykroyd, and Jamie Lee Curtis in
disguises to fool a Duke Brothers spy (Paul Gleason) is not to be missed!
Definitely one of the best films of the 80s.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-stretch: normal;">10.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]--><b>A Christmas Story</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGkupOFOFS8-mdR9FNCJcfm0LUt9Ou7E4N5EraIvrTL1Bz5q5dtDhHyHliVlph62xZROw1WKVdy8PqbyuWlzp4DOD8UhAikxBnH-4e3i7mkclSeKiI9yw1Lf897wZjaswr_Q_ca4cCebk/s1600/A+Christmas+Story+PIC+3.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGkupOFOFS8-mdR9FNCJcfm0LUt9Ou7E4N5EraIvrTL1Bz5q5dtDhHyHliVlph62xZROw1WKVdy8PqbyuWlzp4DOD8UhAikxBnH-4e3i7mkclSeKiI9yw1Lf897wZjaswr_Q_ca4cCebk/s1600/A+Christmas+Story+PIC+3.PNG" height="198" width="400" /></a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Okay,
this may be a somewhat traditional Christmas movie, but you gotta love this
story of little Ralphie, who only wants an official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range
model air rifle. This movie has it all: the Triple-Dog Dare, the Little Orphan
Annie Secret Decoder Ring, the fishnet stocking leg lamp (“It’s a major
award!”), and the trip to see Santa. The movie is based on the novel <i>In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash</i> by
Jean Shepherd, who narrates the film as Ralphie as an adult, and also has a
cameo as a father waiting in the line for Santa who tells Ralphie “the line
ends here. It begins <i>there</i>.” Definitely
a movie to watch during the holidays even if you don’t like Christmas.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606852835298834121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-906170370876411491.post-71527701648733819642011-04-13T13:47:00.000-07:002011-04-15T08:17:45.667-07:00Official "Wisp" Launch!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZEFRznX7h8TQIXPC_ne7mj3y4ultq1TpyB7TgOyahAEXGnzZ8zcsQPdzXbX-0-WS9uYnIIYzJJasrVE-FC5rpTRJMxkCeNcaXmNKQ48tghPvLw2xSc4_XdeVga-m695UO7fUzv5y8011/s1600/final+Wisp+bookcover.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 267px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595175444431053330" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZEFRznX7h8TQIXPC_ne7mj3y4ultq1TpyB7TgOyahAEXGnzZ8zcsQPdzXbX-0-WS9uYnIIYzJJasrVE-FC5rpTRJMxkCeNcaXmNKQ48tghPvLw2xSc4_XdeVga-m695UO7fUzv5y8011/s400/final+Wisp+bookcover.jpg" border="0" /></a> Today, April 13 (yes, the 13th) is the official book release day for my novel <em>Wisp</em>. It is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle, and Barnes & Noble's website (<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/">www.barnesandnoble.com</a>) in NOOK as well as on Smashwords in other ebook formats. So we're having a novel launch party for the rest of the week! Until Friday you can order a print copy of <em>Wisp</em> for only $13.00 INCLUDING shipping!<br /><br />Let me tell you about <em>Wisp</em>: There is a psychotic killer on the loose in Ellerton. Sheriff Stan Murphy and his paranormal journalist nephew Alex Fiedler have their hands full trying to keep the townspeople calm while keeping the city officials satisfied with their progress. And the killer is not stopping. The bodies keep piling up and the physical evidence defies explanation. Something strange is afoot in Ellerton, and Alex isn’t the only one looking at other-worldly answers. Please feel free to comment, or check out my website at <a href="http://www.kevinrmaze.com/">www.kevinrmaze.com</a>. But this special price is only good until Friday, April 15. After that, like a wisp, they're gone...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606852835298834121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-906170370876411491.post-16724317760371218872011-04-08T08:49:00.000-07:002011-04-08T08:53:32.563-07:00A Non-Hiker Goes Hiking, Part 2<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1NRD5kB_-EcN2QFDdVG9i-AEXtta8s_Cmj9CXazIzTAUH7_i7xZ7M4uf81sO1nljoiB57d1dBwm_-qEr8zELpKkz7u3SJ-JZoAQEBCk1tEKnKEpvJ6GeS0i9H80UdERCNIVBo3q2qmDJ/s1600/kev+wine+at+dugger.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1NRD5kB_-EcN2QFDdVG9i-AEXtta8s_Cmj9CXazIzTAUH7_i7xZ7M4uf81sO1nljoiB57d1dBwm_-qEr8zELpKkz7u3SJ-JZoAQEBCk1tEKnKEpvJ6GeS0i9H80UdERCNIVBo3q2qmDJ/s400/kev+wine+at+dugger.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593241402414195010" /></a><br />Before turning in for the night, my sister told me I may hear strange noises outside my tent: squirrels, birds, or some other woodland creature. I slept pretty well inside the tent in my sleeping bag and wool blanket and, kept fairly warm. After the three mile hike earlier in the day, I probably could have slept standing up. But I woke briefly at 3:00 AM and heard… nothing. Absolutely nothing. I live in the city so I am used to hearing distant cars, the occasional siren, a dog barking, something. But here there was nothing; no people, no vehicles, no birds, no wind, just silence. It was eerie. <br /><br />I fell back to sleep and woke again just after 5:00 AM and heard a rustle in the leaves just outside my tent. In fact, it sounded as if it was just by my head. It breaks down like this: Something rustling; thin fabric of the tent; my head. So then my mind starts racing. What if whatever is outside the tent can smell my head through the tent, consider me an interloper, and attacks? Can I move fast enough to escape the slashing paw through the fabric and go for the door by my feet, undo BOTH the screen door zipper and front door zipper, and then escape before I’m eaten alive? Or would I emerge to find the rest of the coyotes waiting for me after having been driven from the tent per their plan? Or would I find the four members of the Manson family armed with their bloody machetes and no backpacks?<br /><br />However, the rustling picked up becoming louder, and then I realized as the sun was coming up that the wind was growing stronger since the mountain was beginning to warm, and the cold and heat started to mingle. Nothing odd, just nature.<br /><br />My brother-in-law had emerged, started a fire, and put a pot of coffee on a portable gas-powered heater. I had never had percolated coffee before, especially in the cool, crisp morning as the sun emerged and slowly poured onto the small town below. I also had no idea that it takes about an hour to prepare so standing atop a tall mountain while waiting for a hot cup o’ joe was a new experience for me. After being assured there was nothing like campfire coffee, we ate our breakfast of orange cranberry nut muffins, dehydrated eggs, and instant (as in just add water) pudding. It was very delicious. And there is nothing like campfire coffee first thing in the morning.<br /><br />Shortly afterward we walked a little ways to what was the true summit, a slightly higher level maybe a hundred yards away where an old ranger outpost once stood. And near there was a little round disc on a stone (so many large stones that I felt like I was in “The Lord of the Rings”!). The disc was placed there by a geological survey confirming the elevation of Dugger Mountain. We were now, officially, on the second highest peak in Alabama. By the way, the first highest peak, Mount Cheaha, could be seen across the other side of the valley below.<br /><br />We went back to the camp and packed up everything we had unpacked the evening before, and kicked dead leaves to cover our tent sites. Leave no footprint, they said. I should mention here briefly about the different types of plant life and insects there. The trip could have been a great nature expedition. Moss covered many of the rocks and fallen trees, much of it either faded or a different type of greenery. There were several purple violets, but the higher we went we saw violets with markings that could only be described as daisies; each petal had a yellow circle near the center with white stripes coming from it. In fact, when I first saw it I thought it was a tiny daisy on the violet. Nope, just the way it looked. There were also green plants that looked like a clover to me, but were purple on the back side. My brother-in-law made the observation of the assorted rocks—can I call them boulders?—that had emerged from the mountain, obvious signs of various stages of formation and development of this particular peak. We had to be careful where we walked; again, we were fortunate to have our hiking poles (which honestly, he didn’t need).<br /><br />We begin our descent down the mountain, which was much quicker than the ascent the previous afternoon. As we hiked down, the weather became warmer, and there seemed to be more insects out. A few flies landed on me on the three miles down and I was surprised to see how big they were; about the size of my thumbnail. They landed and were not intimidated when I shooed them away. We also saw black butterflies with white stripes in the midst of several black moths with white dots; at first glance I thought they too were butterflies until I realized these tiny creatures, no bigger than my fifth fingernail, must have been born that small since butterflies come from caterpillars. There were also many other butterflies and moths, but the insect that amazed me the most was a dung beetle rolling dung (what else?). I’ve seen them on television shows, but did not expect to see any in the Alabama woods.<br /><br />Finally, we reached the bottom and came to the side of the road where our car waited for us. A good sign. The Toyota Camry that had been in front of us was gone. Our car was fine. It had not been stolen or broken into, and we had not been mercilessly killed. Once again, a little more faith in humanity has been restored. And yes, I am embarrassed and ashamed for thinking the worst of those kind people. Maybe that’s why people go hiking. To get away from the hustle-and-bustle of the everyday world and get back to nature, to a simpler way of life. To realize that people are people, and that there’s a world that is cruel and harsh, but also very beautiful and wonderful. It gives us an opportunity to respect nature, respect others, and to test ourselves, to take us beyond our comfort zones and bring us to a place where we can step outside ourselves and be a part of something that existed before we were born and will remain long after we’re gone. To rejuvenate, to reclaim that part within us that lies dormant, thanks to the conveniences of our modern lives. To become one with nature and find what it means to be human.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606852835298834121noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-906170370876411491.post-14348752121932864122011-04-07T13:31:00.000-07:002011-04-07T13:36:19.594-07:00A Non-Hiker Goes Hiking, Part 1<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4ruj9tmbn6D2nEt4EB1IHOT9z_tGFPu9HBhbPTexEWl0DCghT-hxfxYzgx5C_agneK5qylS-N47tNY2JcknHq3z06MITkqX959KVoxhzor03ec6jdSKvQxxK_9DOnACR6A7ZQsVXwYLS/s1600/kev+starting+fire.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4ruj9tmbn6D2nEt4EB1IHOT9z_tGFPu9HBhbPTexEWl0DCghT-hxfxYzgx5C_agneK5qylS-N47tNY2JcknHq3z06MITkqX959KVoxhzor03ec6jdSKvQxxK_9DOnACR6A7ZQsVXwYLS/s400/kev+starting+fire.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592942555020778770" /></a><br />This past weekend I climbed Dugger Mountain, the second highest peak in Alabama. I was invited by my sister and her husband, both experienced hikers, to make the 3 mile hike to the summit. Not sure what to expect, other than a fun time and a sense of accomplishment, I went.<br /><br />Dugger Mountain is in the Talladega National Forest, approximately three and a half hours from Montgomery. My sister said she and her husband hiked it before, and that they love it because nobody else goes there. Perhaps other overnight hikers prefer other places to climb. When we finally got to the bottom of the mountain to begin our ascent we saw two automobiles; one Jeep with two backpackers (and a medium/large sized dog), and a Toyota Camry. My sister told me with a surprised expression that nobody ever comes here, but apparently other people couldn’t resist the beautiful sunny day perfect for a hike.<br /><br />When we got out of the car, two men and two women, emerged from the woods and went to the Camry. And unlike us, and the couple in the Jeep, they did not have any backpacks or hiking gear. One of the men looked like a wild-eyed Sam Elliott, and the other (I kid you not) looked like Charles Manson, minus the swastika on the forehead. And they began asking us questions like “Where are you hiking? The north trail or the south trail?” “Are you spending the night?” And we’re about to climb three miles straight up with our car parked behind this Camry. By the way, my Kindle was in the car since I’d read stories from it on the way up (which I’ll not bring on an overnight hiking trip again). My sister said it was not unusual for hikers to ask others questions, just that it was unusual for other people to be hiking this mountain when they go. So I, the novice, wondered why these four people came from the woods without any gear and began a barrage of questions. Of course, there were three possibilities: 1) They were going to break into the car, steal my Kindle, and everything else not tied down; 2) They were going to steal the car; or, 3) They were going to follow us up the mountain and kill us all. Let the hike begin!<br /><br />About 30 minutes into the hike—with a 40-50 lb. pack on my back—my left hip started to hurt, but there was still a long way to go. We had hiking poles, which looked like ski poles, and they were invaluable. So we continued our trek with my brother-in-law in front on “snake and spider web patrol”. About halfway up, he stopped, looked behind at us and smiled. “What is it?” I asked. “Snake,” he said. This black and gray snake lay right in the middle of our trail and was not going anywhere. To my untrained eye, I’d say he was about four or five feet long. But the snake did not react. So my brother in law went around it. And then, moments later (several moments later) my sister and I did, too. But the snake did not move, dart, spin, or react in any way. “Just sunning,” my brother-in-law told us.<br /><br />We stopped a few times to catch our breath, drink some water, and eat some GORP for energy. GORP stands for “Granola, Oatmeal, Raisins, and Peanuts,” although ours had banana chips, almonds, coconut, papaya, and raisins. Finally, we reached the top of Dugger Mountain in about two and a half hours where we looked down on a tiny town below and had an almost 360 degree panoramic view (I say almost because trees obscured much of the view. Did I mention this was the wilderness?). We rested a few minutes and then began setting up camp. Remember, you bring with you everything you need (water, food, tent, toilet paper), and leave no sign of it when you leave. We set up our tents (which were blowing away in the cold wind that blows on top of the 2nd highest peak in the state), rolled out our sleeping bags, and gathered wood for a fire. We grabbed only good wood that had fallen down, which means we did not chop down any living trees nor use wet, damp limbs. Therefore, we had to chop limbs from fallen trees using a sharp knife that would make Crocodile Dundee proud (Search “Crocodile Dundee knife” to see the clip if you haven’t seen the movie). This was very exhausting, especially considering I just hiked three miles up a mountain with a sore left hip and then some (yes, I am going to keep saying how far I hiked). We saw four hawks circling above us. Maybe they were vultures. I told them to keep flying because we would be coming back down the mountain! Ironically (or because of this), they flew away.<br /> <br />Finally, it was time to start the fire, which we could not do with a lighter because that just wouldn’t be cool. Instead, we pulled out some cotton balls coated with Vaseline. Why? Because Vaseline is petroleum jelly, and petroleum does what? Yes, it burns. So we laid some kindling in the fire pit my brother-in-law made on a previous excursion, then put a pulled-apart Vaseline-coated cotton ball on top, and whipped out the flint and steel. I’m not joking. They make this flint and steel in an orange plastic box designed for camping. My brother in law, the former fireman, showed me how to use the steel to strike against the flint to spark onto the ball. Once the spark lit the mound, I blew into it to get it going, then added more sticks and—voila!—a campfire. <br /><br />My sister told me this was a luxury trip, which means they brought meat to grill, coucous to warm up, French bread and Alouette cheese, and a bag of wine (which was in a box, but bagged wine is easier to pack than boxed wine). Yep, this made “roughing it” not so rough. Soon, the sun had set and the stars came out on a clear night. Although the trees obscured a lot of the night sky (although many of them had yet to bloom), we could still see several constellations. And while we sat around the campfire, eating our meals and drinking our wine underneath the stars, we heard a howling in the distance. My sister and brother-in-law looked at each other with wide eyes and deep affection, and said, “Coyotes! Oh, we’ve never heard coyotes before!” This was turning into a trip of firsts, but my inexperienced mind wondered, “Where are they? If they’re below us, are they coming up? Or are they in the woods waiting for a snack?” After being assured they would not harm us, and after the meal was over, we turned in for the evening.<br /><br />Did I come home?! To be continued...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606852835298834121noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-906170370876411491.post-70714871206220877592011-03-31T11:50:00.000-07:002011-03-31T12:09:55.231-07:00The End of an Era?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejRucbXRi_x4DTlIYat4HiyHViFe6Z_mespSZAgFy80SHm4ZcBM2DfHgoG-bvPZpSAFSc12bcHpP1alUDWI0kA7_UtmSHUoayXpKjHnLdfns2v_r0Ck7kmMWzeaoD4Y1VwJQwobB9Z3a1/s1600/blockbuster-closing-041210-webjpg-7775ba2fdd8fda15_large.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejRucbXRi_x4DTlIYat4HiyHViFe6Z_mespSZAgFy80SHm4ZcBM2DfHgoG-bvPZpSAFSc12bcHpP1alUDWI0kA7_UtmSHUoayXpKjHnLdfns2v_r0Ck7kmMWzeaoD4Y1VwJQwobB9Z3a1/s400/blockbuster-closing-041210-webjpg-7775ba2fdd8fda15_large.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590319984030924706" /></a><br />The three remaining video stores in Montgomery announced Tuesday they were closing permanently. One of them announced a week ago it was going out of business while the other two would remain open, but that changed Monday when Blockbuster cut the computer systems for all three stores. Now, the capitol city of one of these 50 United States will no longer have a video rental store.<br /><br />My wife and I learned of this yesterday when we decided to rent <em>The Incredible Hulk </em>with Edward Norton. We’d seen it before, it came up in conversation over lunch, so we went across the street when we finished eating only to learn the store was selling everything (cash only). Has Netflix and Redbox put such a stranglehold on the video market as to close physical stores and become the only game in town? On the surface, it would seem so. One of my friends who was a manager at one of the local Blockbusters said he had six paychecks to bounce. The local stores had not ordered any “new” releases in weeks, despite emails and ads announcing they had these movies 28 days before Netflix or Redbox.<br /><br />I currently subscribe to Netflix, and have rented from Redbox, but neither compare with an off-the-cuff decision to rent a movie for the night. Our Netflix plan allows two movies at one time with many available to watch on computer (which doesn’t work for a family). So if we really wanted to watch <em>The Incredible Hulk</em> badly enough, I can put it in my Netflix queue and wait two days after we send one of our current DVDs back. Not a bad deal, except there are movies lined up that we haven’t seen before that we’d rather see instead; if the choice was between either waiting for <em>Hulk</em> or paying $2 for a few days, we’d go with the latter.<br /><br />But that is not a choice now. No longer can we go down the street, see what’s available, and come home with a movie for the night. Instead we have to either plan ahead accordingly (my stepdaughter is out of town every two weeks so some movie time finagling is required) or find a Redbox, which specializes in only new releases with a few exceptions. Is this the future of movie rental stores across the country?<br /><br />It’s amazing how availability and price (Netflix’s queues and price plans, and Redbox’s $1 per night) triumph over immediate satisfaction with a knowledgeable staff. For example, at this writing, two movies, <em>The Tourist </em>and <em>Black Swan</em>, were released on DVD this week. I received an email from Blockbuster today (a perk from joining their Rewards program that I will no longer be able to enjoy although we paid the yearly fee) proudly declaring “We’ve Got It 28 days before Netflix or Redbox!” This time two weeks ago, or even last week, I could go into the store and come home with one of several new releases, and see why these movies were as good (or not as good) as some say they are. Now, we’ll have to wait 28 days, and I can imagine the line will be long. How convenient…<br /><br />But isn’t technology supposed to allow for progress and convenience? Aren’t these options supposed to make things easier? Am I just too spoiled, a product modern American conveniences already in place? I don’t think so. What is the purpose of releasing a movie unless it’s not meant to be seen? Why do you think video stores order so many copies of one title? Because they are aware of the concept of supply and demand. Can a little Redbox do that? There are only so many discs that will fit inside that vending machine. And apparently Netflix struggles with it as well since so many new releases are accompanied by the notice “Very Long Wait.” Ho-hum. Then I guess that’s what we’ll do: wait. <br /><br />However, I for one do not believe everything is worth waiting for. For example, let’s go back to <em>The Tourist </em>and <em>Black Swan</em>. I saw <em>Black Swan </em>in the theater, enjoyed it, and would like to see it again. I heard <em>The Tourist </em>was terrible, but Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie are great actors, so can the movie be that bad? I could rent it and find out… but not today. Not for at least 28 days. Will I want to see it again in about a month? Probably not. I’m not that curious about it. Maybe if it shows up in Redbox’s list, I may spend a buck on it. And there are too many movies in my Netflix queue that I haven’t seen that have priority right now.<br /><br />So if my family would like to unwind with a movie tonight, what’s it going to be? Nothing from Netflix that hasn’t been preordered and sent to my home. Nothing from Redbox unless it’s a new release that seems mildly interesting, but according to their promotional emails, nothing does; and, I won’t be standing outside to see if they happen to have an older release from their slim selection. And I won’t be talking to any store-management friends with any new recommendations or any classic or obscure titles I may have missed. Unfortunately, that is no longer an option.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606852835298834121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-906170370876411491.post-24456309233436167002011-02-25T13:09:00.000-08:002011-02-25T13:15:40.791-08:00The Guru of... Pluto?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiToqQ-hMP2dpJHMXinf9l9zkpipUf3jsC2rmXxCM4TD4m3ImWa4A4H_qSr68HRQXzYoxnw-OJRKVglHMho40JWe5n2Nh3ocCDkCE5Z5SRPHVz0YVjuvgctAI9QIRROwx5A0WkdtGqa2Fpd/s1600/pluto-planet.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 390px; height: 350px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiToqQ-hMP2dpJHMXinf9l9zkpipUf3jsC2rmXxCM4TD4m3ImWa4A4H_qSr68HRQXzYoxnw-OJRKVglHMho40JWe5n2Nh3ocCDkCE5Z5SRPHVz0YVjuvgctAI9QIRROwx5A0WkdtGqa2Fpd/s400/pluto-planet.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577738304260605122" /></a><br />Today I received an email from the website www.getglue.com informing me I had become the “guru” of Pluto. I don’t know how I became a guru, but several months ago I left a quote regarding the former planet where I said, “Dear Pluto, you’ll always be a planet to me.” Apparently, somebody else is pulling for the little guy because now I am the Pluto Guru (which basically means I get some stickers, so that’s cool). So I thought I’d give a little information about our friend, who for 76 years, was this solar system’s ninth planet.<br /><br />Prior to 1930, astronomers theorized there was another planet just beyond the newly-discovered Neptune that also affected the orbit of Uranus. After much searching and comparisons of plates using a machine called a “blink comparator,” “Planet X” was discovered and officially announced on March 13, 1930. Three names were considered: Minerva, Cronos, and Pluto, the last proposed by an eleven-year-old girl named Venetia Burney. Each member of the Lowell Observatory, who made the discovery, voted on the name; Pluto was unanimously the winner. On May 1, 1930, the official announcement was made. Pluto became the ninth planet in our solar system. An unconfirmed rumor says Walt Disney introduced Mickey Mouse’s dog in honor of the new discovery. In 1941, Glenn T. Seaborg kept the tradition of naming elements after planets (uranium, neptunium) and introduced plutonium.<br /><br />The cold, dark planet (aptly named for the Roman god of the underworld) has a thin atmosphere of nitrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide. In 1978, a small satellite was discovered near Pluto. Astronomers have noticed an interesting relationship between Pluto and the satellite called Charon. For example, they are tidally locked to each other (they always present the same face to each other). In 2005, two more satellites—Nix and Hydra—were also discovered.<br /><br />On July 29, 2005, a new “Trans-Plutonian Object” was discovered. Eris was initially called the tenth planet, but there were many who objected to calling it a planet. This led to many in the astronomical community to reevaluate the definition of the term “planet.” In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) stated that a planet is a celestial body that:<br /><br />1. is in orbit around the Sun,<br />2. has sufficient mass to assume hydrostatic equilibrium (a nearly round shape), and<br />3. has "cleared the neighbourhood" around its orbit.<br /><br />According to the definition, Pluto did not meet the third qualification, and was renamed a “dwarf planet” (along with Eris, Ceres, Makemake, and Haumea). The astronomical community has been divided on the issue since the decision became official. Coincidentally, in the same year NASA launched “New Horizons,” a research expedition to learn more about the pla…the dwa… Pluto. It is expected to arrive in 2015.<br /><br />The public has also been vocal in its objection to Pluto’s reclassification. New Mexico’s House of Representatives stated that Pluto will always be a planet while in New Mexican skies, and even designated March 13, 2007 as Pluto Planet Day. In 2009, Illinois passed a similar resolution since Pluto’s discoverer Clyde Tombaugh was born there. Several of us who were raised and taught that there were nine planets in the solar system will have a difficult time of letting go of the little guy. <br /><br />Pluto, you’ll always be a planet to me. <br /><br />(Consulted from Wikipedia.org)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606852835298834121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-906170370876411491.post-64757994093429479182010-10-30T07:59:00.000-07:002010-10-30T08:21:10.146-07:00Look Again...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHA4tfkP-ny1PSRupo7jmFYpVkAFzKX4B27zfoR2SPFnE4eJp4pwf2I5wvWmGJG-jnqzodtLsduYZ9Il6a6GGIq8GnW8-W7J5co3BRM9PgPh1njpSAU1ddyWlqbS3L0bVP0vF3XSK8RfCk/s1600/optical+illusion.bmp"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533856212425516482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHA4tfkP-ny1PSRupo7jmFYpVkAFzKX4B27zfoR2SPFnE4eJp4pwf2I5wvWmGJG-jnqzodtLsduYZ9Il6a6GGIq8GnW8-W7J5co3BRM9PgPh1njpSAU1ddyWlqbS3L0bVP0vF3XSK8RfCk/s400/optical+illusion.bmp" /></a><br /><div>The first time I watched <em>Citizen Kane </em>I cut it off after 15 minutes; the second time I watched it I was mesmerized, and today I consider it my all-time favorite movie. Some of you maybe be wondering why I liked it the second time. Others may be asking why I would even attempt it a second time. After all if I tried it once, why even attempt it again?<br /><br />Maybe it was the reputation that surrounded the movie or the references to it that appeared in other movies and television shows, but something prompted me to want to see it again, to challenge my first impression of it. And because of revisiting it I was greatly rewarded.<br /><br />Rediscovery is an amazing thing. It conquers that little bit of resistance within us, that slight touch of arrogance that we did not know existed and open our eyes and understanding in fresh, unexpected ways. It’s looking at a painting a second time and seeing colors we missed initially, or trying an entrée and tasting flavors we did not taste the first time.<br /><br />Rediscovery is seeing something new in the world even if you’ve seen the same thing before.<br /><br />Here’s another example from a movie: After another viewing of <em>Citizen Kane</em> and adding it to the top of my movie list I watched another well-reputed film called <em>The Third Man</em> that reunited <em>Citizen Kane </em>stars Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten. I pushed play on the VCR and had my expectations challenged. First, the theme music was… well, silly. It sounded like strange carnival music, whatever that sounds like. After a few minutes I realized that Mr. Cotten—not Mr. Welles—was the star of the film. Then the film is halfway over before Orson appeared on screen. Finally, the film ended, but with an unsatisfactory conclusion. Yep, another “classic” did not live up to its hype.<br /><br />Several months passed before I attempted a “<em>Citizen Kane</em>.” Again, something inside me said watch it again. This time I had the experience of knowing that sometimes a movie gets better with a second viewing. The second time I realized how the zither (the instrument that in my ignorance sounded like something from a carnival) added the perfect touch to the feel of the story and of the intriguing cinematography that carries us through post war Vienna (I later discovered the song itself was well-known). Then I realized that Joseph Cotten is perfect as Holly Martins, a writer not of prolific literature or political treatises, but of pulp Westerns. So much is said about the elusive “third man” that when Orson Welles finally appears as the insidious Harry Lime with that sly eye and twisted smile we realize Holly Martins is in over his head. After the mysterious events unfold we come to the haunting end of the film as Martins leaves the city of Vienna, a throwback to his arrival at the beginning. <em>The Third Man </em>is a great film.<br /><br />And it’s even better the third time around.<br /><br />However, some things do not improve upon rediscovery. For another movie example, there is the big-screen movie remake of one of my favorite TV shows as a kid, <em>Lost in Space</em>. I sat in the theater and the action began immediately as the film opened with a dogfight in space. Add a few cameos from the original series, a nod to the original Jupiter 2 spacecraft, state-of-the-art special effects, and an updated interpretation of the characters and story, and you have one happy movie-goer. The revamped theme song over the end credits added the perfect touch. I walked out of the theater loving <em>Lost in Space</em>.<br /><br />I saw it at home on DVD about a year or so later. Maybe it was the smaller screen, maybe it was that I knew the outcome of the movie, maybe it was flaws that went unnoticed upon the initial viewing, but I did not enjoy <em>Lost in Space </em>when I rediscovered it. When I played it a third time I stopped it in the middle of the movie. Today <em>Lost in Space</em> is one of my least favorite movies, if it can indeed be in a list with the words “favorite” and “movies.”<br /><br />Many of our original impressions can be credited to expectations. How do I think this food will taste? What is the artist’s style like? Will the movie be good with this actor? But we should be prepared to have our expectations challenged. We should let the wondrous things within this world reveal themselves to us, and often we must let that happen a second, or even a third, time. Sometimes more. When we hear something we do not agree with sometimes we should ask ourselves why does someone else believe it, what are the points they consider valid. Atticus Finch called it “walking around in someone else’s skin.” Sometimes we can see something new in something we’ve seen before by reexamining it, by reevaluating it, by rediscovering it. A 20-year-old should not think like a child; a 40-year-old should not think like a 20-year-old; years of experience should shape our understanding of the world around us.<br /><br />But sometimes we become too comfortable, too complacent. We stagnate and cease to move forward with our lives, and then wonder why we are in the situations we find ourselves. We often feel trapped, isolated, alone, or confined. Why? Maybe because there is something more to the world we live in than we noticed the first time, mysteries waiting to be revealed. Maybe, to reference another movie, “there’s something there that wasn’t there before.”<br /><br />Let us not be consumed by arrogance and/or ignorance. We may not like or agree with what we rediscover, but at least we will have made the journey, and that is what discovery is all about, knowing something we did not know the first time. Keep searching, keeping looking. Keep moving. There’s something there waiting to be discovered. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606852835298834121noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-906170370876411491.post-5057705630591761462010-03-22T14:47:00.000-07:002010-03-22T18:46:57.007-07:00Fuqua's Finest<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-sdbPP7VKo-t1hQrv056IV9p2k4bAU5Dbk9I8-rtFOdHGKLwOXSuWXhXkvuyCVZ0eej6x5YxayFR9JkHZEv7ZIqICRoUrhZk6Xg_Y2qUaLAAoFwL9HX_UItr3Nh0IedJFhqQeL9Fl-PY4/s1600-h/Brooklyns%2520Finest%2520movie%2520poster.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451582211061953458" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 270px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-sdbPP7VKo-t1hQrv056IV9p2k4bAU5Dbk9I8-rtFOdHGKLwOXSuWXhXkvuyCVZ0eej6x5YxayFR9JkHZEv7ZIqICRoUrhZk6Xg_Y2qUaLAAoFwL9HX_UItr3Nh0IedJFhqQeL9Fl-PY4/s400/Brooklyns%2520Finest%2520movie%2520poster.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div><em>Brooklyn’s Finest</em> debuted at the #8 spot on March 5, 2010. The next week it remained at the #8 spot. The third week of its release it dropped out of the Top 10 as the slots were filled with <em>Alice in Wonderland, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Bounty Hunter, Repo Men, She’s Out of My League,</em> and still<em>, Avatar</em>. This is a travesty. I saw <em>Brooklyn’s Finest</em> three days ago and I can’t stop thinking about it. </div><br /><br /><div><br />The film is directed by Antoine Fuqua, who directed 2001’s <em>Training Day</em>, which garnered an Academy Award for Denzel Washington. In the nine years since Mr. Fuqua has, regrettably, given us some lackluster movies such as <em>Tears of the Sun, King Arthur </em>and <em>Shooter</em>. Only Mr. Fuqua can say why he made these movies after the success of <em>Training Day</em>. But <em>Brooklyn’s Finest</em> is on a level all by itself. It is Antoine Fuqua’s best movie to date, and in my humble opinion, is better than any movie playing in American theaters. Before I discuss what <em>Brooklyn’s Finest</em> is, let me take a few moments to say what it is not. The film is not another rehash of cops and drug dealers, a violent urban drama about how good guys have nothing while bad guys have everything. It goes beyond that and takes no easy way out. </div><br /><br /><div><br />The story focuses on three different cops and the toll that wearing the badge has on their lives. Ethan Hawke is Sal, a narcotics officer with five children and a pregnant wife expecting twins. Their house has wood mold, which threatens the life and lungs of his family, but Sal—a devoted Catholic—cannot even afford back rent, much less a new home to provide for the health of his wife and children. He is tempted beyond temptation to keep some of the drug money he and his team find on their raids. Sal redefines desperate. </div><br /><br /><div><br />Richard Gere plays Eddie, a 22-year veteran street cop, who only has seven days left on the force, and he can’t wait. He rationalizes his time not in years or even weeks, but in days. As he says, a day of robbery, a day of beatings, a day of rape; the cop has 22 years of days. Seven days never seemed so long. The first scene we have of Eddie is morning, when he wakes on his unsheeted mattress and no pillow; he sits up, waits, grabs a revolver, puts it in his mouth and pulls the trigger. Click. One more day on the streets of Brooklyn. </div><br /><br /><div><br />Don Cheadle is Tango, a cop so deep undercover that he has befriended both sides of the warring local drug gangs including Caz (Wesley Snipes), a dealer he met in prison years earlier while doing another undercover job. But Caz saved his life in prison, and Tango feels obliged to keep Caz safe on the streets. But Tango’s bosses want Caz, and if they get him Tango gets a promotion, a substantial raise and a desk job off the streets of Brooklyn. </div><br /><br /><div><br /><em>Brooklyn’s Finest</em> is a violent urban drama, but what separates it from the seemingly endless clones that fill video rental shelves is that nothing is glorified—including the drug dealers—and each character must make moral choices that are not easy. Sal is confronted with the fact that drug money gets caught up in the legal system and doesn't go to the cops who stopped it, who need it, who don’t make enough as public servants to provide for a family. Eddie does his job without thanks, and two decades of confronting the violence of the streets—more than 7,000 days worth—takes its toll physically and emotionally. Tango is torn between doing what is legally right and what is morally right. And by the end of the movie, all three of these cops will end up in the same apartment building in the middle of the night. </div><br /><br /><div><br />Most movies barely have one character as complex as the main characters in this film. This movie offers no easy answers; it does not try to answer them, and in my opinion that’s what makes the film appealing. The movie is exceptional on every level: Acting by Hawke, Gere, Cheadle and Snipes; the screenplay by Michael C. Martin and Fuqua’s direction. In fact, I was reminded several times of <em>Crash </em>(which also featured a wonderful performance by Cheadle), and that film won three Academy Awards including Best Picture of 2006. <em>Brooklyn’s Finest</em> will have been out on DVD several months by the time the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominate films and crew for the “Oscars.” Hopefully, they will remember this one.</div></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606852835298834121noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-906170370876411491.post-9815394716370561012010-01-23T11:43:00.000-08:002010-01-23T11:50:09.168-08:00How to Have a Successful Marriage (God's Way)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dgdvFQCv2LBwWaUu_iJZmaXuyzNhfGvbLeXeE4g_nbaRhoNwu1YQMKvPojwCe30WDdHqtXkf8Hi77DURh9oeRdP8sUVKOeA4lWwXWjT9N5eaxxC_7CQoRsqemhJHZTo1K6XXieb5n7LG/s1600-h/wedding-songs2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430024936301051554" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dgdvFQCv2LBwWaUu_iJZmaXuyzNhfGvbLeXeE4g_nbaRhoNwu1YQMKvPojwCe30WDdHqtXkf8Hi77DURh9oeRdP8sUVKOeA4lWwXWjT9N5eaxxC_7CQoRsqemhJHZTo1K6XXieb5n7LG/s400/wedding-songs2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Marriage According to Ephesians 5:22-33<br /><br />22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.<br /><br />Husbands love this verse. And because translators inserted chapters and verse numbers, certain parts of Scripture are easy to quote, especially when discussing a topic. Sadly, it’s easy to build a teaching or a doctrine and then use one of these handy number breaks as reference. But this entire section was written as one part regarding marriage within the body of believers. The first three verses apply to wives. Let’s examine them and see what the Holy Spirit was leading Paul to say.<br /><br />Wives are to submit to their husbands as to the Lord. Why? Because the husband is head of the wife as Christ is head of the church. And He is the Savior of the body. Let’s examine it this way:<br /><br />Husband = head of wife<br />Christ = head of church<br /><br />There is a parallel at work here. The relationship between man and wife on earth is similar to the relationship between God and believers. This should not be too surprising since Jesus explained the commandments like this:<br /><br />Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12: 29-31)<br /><br />First of all, love God. Once you love God, then you can have the conduit open to love your neighbor, those here on earth.<br /><br />Understanding this structure is crucial to maintaining a Godly marriage. This instruction was for married believers. A man loves God. He has a spiritual relationship with God and is a follower of Jesus Christ. He is obligated to love God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength. Now he can love his fellow human beings. He meets a woman who loves God. She, too, has a spiritual relationship with God and follows Jesus Christ. She loves God with her heart, soul, mind, and strength. She loves her fellow human beings and meets the man. These two have their relationships with God; now, they can live by His Word together, and His plan is that she submits to her husband as she has to God. This is only part of His plan.<br /><br /><br />25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.<br /><br />At first glance this may not seem like much of a commandment. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.” Usually the last part of a sentence is what resonates in our mind, and most men usually say “Of course I would give my life for my wife,” but we forget the first part of the sentence, the reason why giving our lives is even suggested: “Love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church…”<br /><br />How much did Christ love the church? Sure, He gave His life, but much more than that. His entire ministry, His life was for the believers. Everything he did or said was for the glory of God to the people on earth. He wanted people to know who He was, who God was, that they were loved even to the point of death. The last line of verse 25 reminds us that Christ “gave Himself for her.” He gave His life, His entire life on this planet for everyone on it. That’s love. Life until the point of death. Sometimes we think how easy it would be to die for God or our wives, but are we willing to live for God… and our wives? That’s what husbands are commanded to do.<br /><br />The parallels continue in verses 25-29 as we see the relationship between man and wife, and Christ and believers; (1) that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, (2) that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but (3) that she should be holy and without blemish.<br /><br />The husband’s job is help sanctify and purify his wife through the cleansing power of the word just like Jesus. The husband should present her without spot, wrinkle, or any such thing that would defile her. He is to help her stay holy before himself and God.<br /><br />This is the duty of the husband, to live for God and for our wives just like Jesus lived to fulfill the Father’s wish and for his believers. You want to buy a bass boat? How will that benefit your wife? You want to buy a big screen television? What would be the advantage for your wife? You want to stay out a little late with some friends? How will that affect your wife? The role of the husband is to be a servant for the sake of the wife. And if the wife submits to him, he will succeed.<br /><br />This is God’s plan. Genesis 2:18 says “And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” But the man is also to be a helper to the woman. By loving God we can love each other. When husbands and wives love each other—and submit to their respective roles—we draw closer to God.<br /><br />The end of Ephesians chapter five, which quotes from Genesis chapter two, sums up the two roles of husband and wife, and why believers should adhere to God’s plan:<br /><br />30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606852835298834121noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-906170370876411491.post-54159062858536247682009-12-29T10:31:00.000-08:002009-12-30T09:39:24.278-08:00What is Avatar?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiDui5jJSetkZMf8Qk2AuQNqJ9nSV7C0JYFWGsbC_hU4rCtFC0tqj76IH_ndbeNmJyliveoFo1llqPec30Z5ZoacK9GgEWzfBxYpdVMz_7nWlrjF2x21LdK8kXYvU3FTNphyBiTDVtLeFo/s1600-h/avatar1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420728200282045058" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 313px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiDui5jJSetkZMf8Qk2AuQNqJ9nSV7C0JYFWGsbC_hU4rCtFC0tqj76IH_ndbeNmJyliveoFo1llqPec30Z5ZoacK9GgEWzfBxYpdVMz_7nWlrjF2x21LdK8kXYvU3FTNphyBiTDVtLeFo/s400/avatar1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>av⋅a⋅tar [av-uh-tahr, av-uh-tahr] –noun<br />1. Hindu Mythology. the descent of a deity to the earth in an incarnate form or some manifest shape; the incarnation of a god.<br />2. an embodiment or personification, as of a principle, attitude, or view of life.<br />3. Computers. a graphical image that represents a person, as on the Internet.<br /><br />Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.<br /><br />Several people have asked me what my impressions of James Cameron’s new movie Avatar. A couple of them have been concerned about a message within the film. One person asked: “Isnt [sic] AVATAR an Envionmentalist(Green) Movie?” Another commented: “How much relation does it has [sic] with the "Gaia worship"? I heard it develops some "mother earth" stuff in it.” There so much to say about Cameron’s 2 hour 40 minute sci-fi spectacle—such as the $278 million dollars it made its first weekend, shattering all previous records; the four-year production schedule—that there is no way it can all be addressed here. Instead, I will offer a brief overview on the movie that everybody is talking about.</div><br /><div><br />First of all, what is an “avatar?” This question is answered above and has more than one meaning. The most common use of the word today is closely associated with the internet; those little icons we put next to our pictures on Facebook, emails, video games, etc. are called avatars. The origin of the word, according to the Random House Dictionary, is a Sanskrit word avatāra, meaning “a passing down,” equiv. to ava (down) + -tāra (a passing over). According to the film’s website, an avatar is “a remotely-controlled biological body that can survive in the lethal air. These avatars are genetically engineered hybrids of human DNA mixed with the DNA from the inhabitants of Pandora… the Na’vi.” </div><br /><div><br />So what happens? Here’s the Internet Movie Data Base’s synopsis: “When his brother is killed in battle, paraplegic Marine Jake Sully decides to take his place in a mission on the distant world of Pandora. There he learns of greedy corporate figurehead Parker Selfridge's intentions of driving off the native humanoid "Na'vi" in order to mine for the precious material scattered throughout their rich woodland. In exchange for the spinal surgery that will fix his legs, Jake gathers intel for the cooperating military unit spearheaded by gung-ho Colonel Quaritch, while simultaneously attempting to infiltrate the Na'vi people with the use of an "avatar" identity. While Jake begins to bond with the native tribe and quickly falls in love with the beautiful alien Neytiri, the restless Colonel moves forward with his ruthless extermination tactics, forcing the soldier to take a stand - and fight back in an epic battle for the fate of Pandora.”</div><br /><div><br />Yes, James Cameron names the planet Pandora. Who was Pandora? According to Greek mythology, she was the first woman. Her name means “all gifted;” she was given gifts by the gods that would make her dangerous yet attractive to men, a name very appropriate to the imaginary home world of the Na’vi. Pandora is probably best known for opening the box that was to remain closed, and releasing all the ills that afflict mankind. The only one that remained was hope.</div><br /><div><br />When watching the movie, I found myself drawing parallels from other films to this one such as <em>Dances with Wolves, the Lord of the Rings, Return of the Jedi, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Star Wars</em> as well as historical and political events. There’s even a love triangle. But that is not to say that Avatar is not an original movie; I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a movie quite like this one, especially in 3D. The technological accomplishments in the film are unparalleled. It is a science fiction movie. It’s a romance movie. It’s an action movie. It’s a sweeping epic. This movie has something to please almost everyone. However, this movie may not be to some people’s liking and for the same reason; because it is open to so many interpretations. Good movies refuse to be pigeon-holed and <em>Avatar</em> is a good movie. It gives us a chance to pull for the underdog, a theme Frank Capra developed in the 1930s. </div><br /><div><br />Is it an Environmentalist movie? Environmentalists may say so. Does it worship Mother Earth (even though it takes place on an imaginary planet millions of light years away)? Some who worship the Earth may say so. As mentioned I found themes similar in Westerns, fantasy films, traditional science fiction, romance movies and the evening news. There are probably more if I considered them, but this is plenty. <em>Avatar</em> is what it is: great entertainment. When Peter Jackson was addressed with several issues regarding production of the filming of his massive <em>Lord of the Rings</em> trilogy, he responded with four words that I would use to summarize <em>Avatar</em>: </div><div><br />“It’s just a movie.”</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606852835298834121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-906170370876411491.post-70672106141506565932009-10-23T07:20:00.000-07:002009-10-23T08:06:48.490-07:00The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVphBEAHKf4WXE8yPTR9zsQwYJbuBAtgPSxjSRCQTXluhXR6atnkTyWBVxM9G1-Ht2UM5SgLcr7Z_91hsGcf3q2oW9hf8SgmhXF35Iy9NgQ47rIhWBfn6zANlHfefc7Bculm-GgzK2GcU/s1600-h/lost+skeleton.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395800731567069506" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVphBEAHKf4WXE8yPTR9zsQwYJbuBAtgPSxjSRCQTXluhXR6atnkTyWBVxM9G1-Ht2UM5SgLcr7Z_91hsGcf3q2oW9hf8SgmhXF35Iy9NgQ47rIhWBfn6zANlHfefc7Bculm-GgzK2GcU/s400/lost+skeleton.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />(Brian Howe, Jennifer Blaire and friend)<br /><br /><br />From the company that brought you "Zombies of Mora Tau" and "Lawrence of Arabia"…<br /><br />Dr. Paul Armstrong (Larry Blamire) is a scientist who likes to do science. He is accompanied by his wife Betty (Fay Masterson), the wife of a scientist, to study a meteor containing the rarest of all radioactive elements, atmosphereum.<br /><br />Dr. Roger Fleming (Brian Howe) is searching for Cadavra Cave in hopes of resurrecting the fabled Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. There is one thing he needs to accomplish his mission: atmosphereum.<br /><br />Aliens Kro-Bar (Andrew Parks) and his wife Lattis (Susan McConnell) from the planet Marva have crash-landed on Earth. Only one thing can restore their ship: atmosphereum.<br /><br />Welcome to director Larry Blamire’s tribute to the horror/science fiction films of the 1950s, Columbia Pictures' <em>The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra</em>. The supreme shock sensation of our time—the day the Earth was disemboweled in terror—was filmed in the miracle of Skeletorama, the new screen wonder of the age! At least, according to the DVD’s cover.<br /><br />Blamire and crew do something that is very difficult to accomplish: act well and appear to act badly. And they are indeed acting like they are acting badly. The cast is experienced: Masterson worked with Stanley Kubrick in <em>Eyes Wide Shut</em>; Howe with Steven Spielberg in <em>Catch Me If You Can</em>; Parks with Mike Newell in <em>Donnie Brasco</em>. Every cheesy line is delivered in perfect time, or sometimes a little late—if that is what the scene calls for.<br /><br /><em>Lost Skeleton</em> captures the feel of those B-movies from the 1950s. It is in black-and-white (shot on digital and converted) with stock movie music from Valentino Productions. Blamire even filmed in famed Bronson Canyon, a section of Los Angeles’ Griffith Park where several movies and TV shows have been filmed including <em>The Searchers, Batman, Star Trek, Killers From Space, Earth vs. The Spider, </em>and<em> Teenagers from Outer Space</em>. And of course, there's the title character, the Lost Skeleton. And yes, you can see the strings. Just like you're supposed to.<br /><br />In addition to the three storylines mentioned above are a loose mutant and a woman made from four different forest animals named Animala (Jennifer Blaire). Of course, Animala is a result of the Transmutatron, which looks eerily like a caulk gun. <em>The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra</em> is a comedy of the rarest order. It is a spoof and yet also an homage. Fans of the genre will appreciate the effort put forth by the cast and crew; it works nicely.<br /><br /><em>Lost Skeleton</em> is available on DVD from Columbia TriStar Pictures, and is chock-full of bonus features that viewers will love: a retro-style trailer, a classic cartoon entitled “Skeleton Frolic,” two audio commentary tracks (one by cast, the other by crew), a Q&A session at the American Cinematheque, a blooper real (in color), and much more.<br /><br />The film is rated PG so younger viewers can enjoy a film that seems like a lost gem from an era of so many bad movies riffed on <em>Mystery Science Theater 3000</em>. This movie needs no riffing; it’s funny enough as it is.<br /><br />Click here to see the 1950s style trailer: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe9Fs10IIk0">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe9Fs10IIk0</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606852835298834121noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-906170370876411491.post-2823362466910365052009-10-15T08:25:00.000-07:002009-10-15T08:42:58.886-07:00The Sound of Silents-- Part 2<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGocwLAVMqTOvpTJzTYig3hWDaldn6gKDwDUylDlr04NQZD9pLp6E-8zKat8-eBGH9-MebDAZqRKygbKD9DqPwqqRWlmwdlD93TlSufloWW62g8ZWHpoGo4O0ZgrgqHmc1qdyznuQFFjIT/s1600-h/safety+last.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392849507227223506" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 296px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGocwLAVMqTOvpTJzTYig3hWDaldn6gKDwDUylDlr04NQZD9pLp6E-8zKat8-eBGH9-MebDAZqRKygbKD9DqPwqqRWlmwdlD93TlSufloWW62g8ZWHpoGo4O0ZgrgqHmc1qdyznuQFFjIT/s400/safety+last.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div>(<em>Safety Last!,</em> 1923)</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>This is Part Two of Two:</div><div></div><br /><div>So much could be said about silent movies that books are still written on the subject; the topic is nowhere near exhausted. Should you watch silent movies? Of course! What kind? Well, what kind of movies do you like? Like movies from the modern era, there are dramas, comedies, romances, westerns, low-key tales and big-budget studio productions, and some are better than others. Some silent films are short running anywhere from 10-20 minutes, many of which are comedies starring Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Charley Chase, the Keystone Kops. </div><div><br />If you’ve never seen a film from the silent era, please expand your cinematic horizons and venture where generations of people before you have gone. But please remember that you’re watching a piece of history, a story for a people who did not have computers or televisions, and radio was still in its infancy. The world was still attracted to photographs, and then pictures began to move. Studios produced these moving pictures to thrill and excite people. Think of silent movies as foreign films because in a sense they are foreign to our modern sensibilities and to our expectations of entertainment. </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><br /><div>Think of yourself not as a 21st century movie watcher familiar with digital downloads, but as an early 20th century person curious about this newfangled invention called moving pictures being shown in movie houses. After all, you know what stage plays are like, but what is this innovative device where a story can have scene changes within the blink of an eye? Where we can see an actor’s expression change as if we standing right in front of him? To move from England to the exotic desert as quickly as a thought, and back again? </div><br /><div>So maybe you’re interested and would like to watch one of these classics from a bygone era. Where to start? Here are some suggestions:<br /><br /><em>The Phantom of the Opera</em> (1925) starring Lon Chaney, the “man of a thousand faces.” One of the earliest versions of the famous story by Gaston Leroux. This movie is still creepy and features a wonderful unmasking scene.<br /><br /><em>Nosferatu</em> (1922), the first film version of <em>Dracula</em>; this movie is a must-see for vampire fans. <em>Nosferatu</em> is hauntingly atmospheric with a rat-like bloodsucker. It still offers chills late at night.<br /><br /><em>The Passion of Joan of Arc</em> (<em>Le Passion de Jeanne d’Arc</em>) (1928): If you want realism in a silent movie, look no further. Director Carl Theodor Dreyer wanted the film so real that the story was based on actual transcripts from the trial of Joan of Arc, the sets were created full size (not just cut-away typically done in the silent era), and none of the actors wore makeup. It was such a grueling experience that Maria Falconetti (Joan) vowed she would never make another movie, and she didn’t. But she gave us one of the best performances in screen history, conveying the passion and soul of Joan of Arc without the use of sound.</div><br /><div><em>Metropolis</em> (1927): This sci-fi film from Fritz Lang is more metaphorical than anything. A subterranean working class toil exhaustingly to provide for the upper class living above ground. A worker from below falls in love with a man from the higher class to lead a revolt. This film is a timeless message of the fight against oppression.<br /><br /><em>Intolerance</em> (1916): We have <em>Gone with the Wind, Ben-Hur, </em>and<em> Titanic</em>, but this film set the stage for every epic film that followed. The movie cost a then unheard of amount of $2,000,000 (roughly $387,000 today) to shoot this film that runs almost 3 hours. The topic is the intolerance of “love’s struggle throughout the ages,” and it intercuts four different time periods: Ancient Babylon, the condemnation of Christ, St. Bartholomew’s Day in 1572 Paris, and modern America. The sets were so massive and influential that part of them were reproduced for the new Kodak Theatre Complex that opened in 2001.<br /><br /><em>The Kid</em> (1921): Charlie Chaplin worked a year to develop this story of a tramp who raises an orphaned baby. Both funny and touching, this movie shows us how unexpected circumstances can transform our lives forever. Wonderfully ageless.<br /><em><br />Sherlock Jr.</em> (1924): Although not nearly as famous as Charlie Chaplin, many people consider Buster Keaton the better talent; much of his humor is based on sight gags as much as slapstick, maybe more. He directed himself in this movie of a film projectionist who wishes to become a detective. When accused of a crime he dreams of catching the culprit like a moving picture hero would. This movie features some of the best visual effects as he literally jumps from scenario to scenario, all decades before the invention of CGI graphics. Amazing and funny.<br /><br /><em>Safety Last!</em> (1923): The third name in the silent film comedy trifecta after Chaplin and Keaton is Harold Lloyd. A country boy working as a clerk in a big city department store devises a way to bring customers into the store: Harold’s friend, a “human fly,” will scale the building, but when he vanishes because he’s secretly a fugitive from the law, Harold must do it himself… with hilariously disastrous results. A true comic classic.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606852835298834121noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-906170370876411491.post-26195004933063915102009-10-14T08:30:00.000-07:002009-10-15T08:43:21.424-07:00The Sound of Silents-- Part 1<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJCNU62b8BQQ_VQEL5OX7cppqrLaRg0n-1A7BgunDYgEiTdzBY7rj3ZEf0m93VTZCkJQ60XaV_5VWc2-OS-tuFz5yyYGUbbOki1xYsgS04k4v6rx7oHrrQ86qpJ_CDy0UR6KWCgAxWnssa/s1600-h/the_passion_of_joan_of_arc.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392480397314196130" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 275px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJCNU62b8BQQ_VQEL5OX7cppqrLaRg0n-1A7BgunDYgEiTdzBY7rj3ZEf0m93VTZCkJQ60XaV_5VWc2-OS-tuFz5yyYGUbbOki1xYsgS04k4v6rx7oHrrQ86qpJ_CDy0UR6KWCgAxWnssa/s400/the_passion_of_joan_of_arc.jpg" border="0" /></a> (<em>The Passion of Joan of Arc</em>, 1928)<br /><div><br /><div>This is Part One of Two:<br /><br /></div><div>In Billy Wilder’s 1950 classic <em>Sunset Boulevard</em>, Norma Desmond, a fading star from the silent era, tells playwright Joe Gillis “We didn’t need dialogue. We had faces!” Those of us in the 21st century find relating to the first films—those shot before the invention of sound—a very difficult task. And for good reason: it’s like comparing apples and oranges. But the films of today bear very little resemblance to the moving pictures of the 1970s or 1940s, much less to those of the early 20th century. How does a viewer of today approach those silent classics? Or do they discard them with the understanding that anything without sound is not worthy of modern viewing?</div><div><br />First of all, any belief that silent films should not be seen because they are too old is a misunderstanding. What is required is a little background in understanding films and filmmakers from about 100 years ago. The biggest mistake we often make is approaching these motion pictures from a bygone time with a modern mindset. Movies reflect the time in which they are made. There is no way around it. Current events affect movies. The films from the 1930s, after the Great Depression and before America’s involvement in World War II, are much different than the motion pictures that were being produced during the 1940s and 1950s, during and after the war. And as technology changes, so do they stories and movies. Imagine trying to film <em>The Matrix</em> in 1979 instead of 1999; that the very idea would exist is doubtful.</div><div><br />So imagine again filming a movie without computers, without color film stock—and without sound other than a theater’s organ accompaniment; these technological marvels simply did not exist yet. Just a few title cards to propel the story, to show dialogue and to clarify the plot. Silent movies are stories told visually. One of the best ways to contrast the dynamics of silent films with modern sound pictures is with the lyrics of the song “With One Look” by Don Black and Christopher Hampton from the musical based on the film <em>Sunset Boulevard</em>:<br /><br />With one look I can break your heart</div><div>With one look I play every part</div><div>I can make your sad heart sing</div><div>With one look you'll know all you need to know</div><div></div><br /><div>With one smile I'm the girl next door</div><div>Or the love that you've hungered for</div><div>When I speak it's with my soul</div><div>I can play any role</div><div></div><br /><div>No words can tell the stories my eyes tell</div><div>Watch me when I frown, you can't write that down</div><div>You know I'm right, it's there in black and white</div><div>When I look your way, you'll hear what I say</div><br /><div></div><div>Yes, with one look I put words to shame</div><div>Just one look sets the screen aflame</div><div>Silent music starts to play</div><div>One tear in my eye makes the whole world cry</div><br /><div>Director D.W. Griffith was the first filmmaker to discover that camera close-ups with little acting could convey more emotion than the histrionic performances borrowed from stage acting. With one look, an actor could show happiness, love, heartache or disdain. The movements of the characters conveyed thought and intention. If a group of men walked slowly around the corner of a barn where a person waited and the leader of the group turned to the others and held his finger to his lips, we know that they were moving in stealth; what he actually said when his lips moved is unimportant. If it was important to the plot, a title card would appear on screen and tell us what he said. Otherwise, their actions are enough because the story was told visually.</div><div></div><br /><div>Next time, Part Two...</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606852835298834121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-906170370876411491.post-49010568449337416172009-10-10T07:52:00.000-07:002009-10-10T08:26:55.833-07:00"What Would Your Character Do?"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7oujm3Xk784e8_EbwSolhE-hkEjnXD1OfXyj3Iu9xbwTw1ehxOtzAYlDZJBQ7Ri7drv048NFjRVT6kmVTMsxsIHM_D8ZpV0OAg2JVZDlQ-P3qTNE_azqeIkBbm-HO55EPzzfzVcfj2llb/s1600-h/11001-WWYCD.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390989929190567106" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 225px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7oujm3Xk784e8_EbwSolhE-hkEjnXD1OfXyj3Iu9xbwTw1ehxOtzAYlDZJBQ7Ri7drv048NFjRVT6kmVTMsxsIHM_D8ZpV0OAg2JVZDlQ-P3qTNE_azqeIkBbm-HO55EPzzfzVcfj2llb/s400/11001-WWYCD.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="color:#000000;">You've created a character you love, but how well do you know her? Do you know how she would act or react in a given situation? You want to make your character's behaviour realistic, but how do you know for sure the result is what she would do and not how you would respond? There is a wonderful book published by Writer's Digest Books called <em>What Would Your Character Do?</em> by Eric Maisel, Ph.D. that can help.</span><br /><span style="color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">"Noted author Eric Maisel draws on his technical knowledge of the craft and his background in psychology to show you how to combine character traits, character psychology, and character development to create realistic, memorable, and mutable characters." (<a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/">http://www.writersdigest.com/</a>)</span><br /><br />The book contains 30 interactive quizzes to help you know more about your characters. The following is just one of the quizzes:<br /><br /><br />Your character is attending an extended-family picnic. This may be the first time you meet any of your character’s relatives, so give yourself adequate time to populate the picnic. Think through what sort of mother and father “made” your character, whether or not your character has siblings, and what the sibling order might be. Are there children, grandparents, important aunts and uncles, and/or important cousins, nephews and nieces? Take your time and begin to understand your character’s extended family. With your book in mind, dream up the right family picnic for yourcharacter to attend, one that will help you learn what you need to know. If you discover that your character’s parents are deceased, will you place the picnic in the past or act as if they are still alive? Will you include the in-laws, if your character is married? Will you narrow the cast down to just your character’s immediate family or will you include distant cousins? Take your time and develop your cast of characters and setting for your picnic.<br /><br />1.What is the first thing your character does upon receiving an invitation to this extended family picnic?<br />a)Think about how she can get out of it?<br />b) Hope that a certain family member won’t be there?<br />c) Look forward to seeing a certain family member?<br />d) Feel unaccountably depressed?<br />e) Call a family member to get the latest gossip?<br />••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••<br />a) Wanting to get out of the picnic is consistent with a character who is part of an extended family with real tensions present and who has decided that avoidance is the better part of valor. </div><div>b) Hoping that a certain family member isn’t in attendance directs us to a specific dynamic between your character and another family member and sets the stage for an explosive or muted picnic conflict.<br />c) Looking forward to seeing a certain family member is consistent with a character who has the capacity to feel love and affection and who is likely in a successful long-term relationship.<br />d) Feeling unaccountably depressed alerts us to the possibility that your character sees herself as an outsider even in her own family.<br />e) Calling a family member to get the latest gossip brings to mind a chatty, enmeshed family where everybody knows—and is into—everybody else’s business.<br />••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••<br />2. On the day of the picnic, does your character:<br />a) Dress carefully?<br />b) Dress eccentrically?<br />c) Wear comfortable clothes?<br />d) Dress sexily?<br />e) Dress shabbily?<br />••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••<br />a) Dressing carefully is consistent with a character who expects to be scrutinized and is feeling anxious and under pressure to perform.<br />b) Dressing eccentrically is consistent with a character who has developed into a free spirit and feels free of her family and their dynamics—or at least would like to believe that about herself.<br />c)Wearing comfortable clothes is consistent with a character who may really be free of family dynamics and doesn’t perceive the picnic as a trial.<br />d) Dressing sexily is consistent with a character who is generally inappropriate, manifests addictive behaviors, and is likely on the grandiose, narcissistic—and depressed—side.<br />e) Dressing shabbily is consistent with a character who may be making a statement about her unworthiness or, alternatively, defiantly showing contempt and animosity for her family.</div><div>•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• </div><div>3. How does your character greet her mother? </div><div>a) With false love and enthusiasm? </div><div>b) With genuine love and enthusiasm? </div><div>c) Coolly? </div><div>d) Carefully? </div><div>e) Perfunctorily? </div><div>••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••</div><div>a) In many rule-bound families, it is the custom to put on a display of love and good cheer with the family matriarch, so such a display suggests a hidden nest of family rules and secrets. </div><div>b) Genuine love and enthusiasm are consistent with a strong, mentally healthy character who has received love in childhood. </div><div>c) Greeting her mother coolly suggests a significant level of hostility and unexpressed issues between mother and child. </div><div>d) Greeting her mother carefully is consistent with a defensive posture caused by receiving regular and repeated criticism and insults. </div><div>e) Greeting her mother perfunctorily is consistent with a distant relationship characterized by a lack of interest as much as a lack of love. </div><div>•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• </div><div>4. How does your character greet her father? </div><div>a) Gruffly? </div><div>b) Coldly? </div><div>c) Hotly? </div><div>d) Defensively? </div><div>e) Indifferently? </div><div>•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• </div><div>a) A gruff greeting, especially between son and father but also between daughter and father, is consistent with a family dynamic of machismo, conventional gender roles, and working-class ethos. </div><div>b) A cold greeting suggests significant hostility and long-held grudges between child and parent.</div><div>c) A hot greeting, especially between daughter and father, suggests sexual dynamics and sexual secrets. </div><div>d) A defensive greeting suggests a history of criticism, rejection, bullying, and perhaps the severest forms of abuse. </div><div>e) An indifferent greeting suggests emotional distancing and a relationship that rises only to the level of civility. </div><div>•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• </div><div>5. How does your character spend her time at the picnic? </div><div>a) Watching? </div><div>b) Catching up? </div><div>c) Getting high? </div><div>d) Conversing with one other family member? </div><div>e) Fulfilling a role? </div><div>•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• </div><div>a) If your character watches, that is consistent with a character who has an intense inner life and who may be a rebel, thinker, and/or artist. </div><div>b) If she spends time catching up with family members, that is consistent with a character who possesses social graces and who knows how to act in social situations—irrespective of what she is actually feeling or thinking. </div><div>c) If your character gets high, that is consistent with a character who is uncomfortable in social situations and may also point to a substance abuse problem. </div><div>d) If your character spends most of her time with one other family member, that suggests that these two characters are confidantes, intimates, or like-minded. </div><div>e) If your character fulfills a role—as hostess, peacekeeper, troublemaker, etc.—that suggests she has trouble with autonomy and independent action. </div><div>•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• </div><div>6. How would you describe the picnic? </div><div>a) Cordial? </div><div>b) Intense? </div><div>c) Boring? </div><div>d) Loving? </div><div>e) Simmering? </div><div>•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• </div><div>a)A cordial picnic suggests the family at least knows how to look like it gets along, whether or not family members really love or like each other. </div><div>b)An intense picnic suggests high drama between at least two family members, perhaps a visiting son and his father or a pregnant daughter and her mother. </div><div>c) A boring picnic suggests a certain kind of family history from which your character may be escaping, for example, a history of conventionality, superficiality, and low aspirations. </div><div>d) A loving picnic suggests a warm, tolerant, good-humored extended family whose ups and down, difficulties, and disagreements do not prevent them from remaining close-knit. </div><div>e) A simmering picnic suggests enduring and shifting family conflicts and high drama in the lives of the family members. </div><div><br /></div><div>Interested? To purchase the book, click here: <a href="http://www.fwbookstore.com/product/149/writing">http://www.fwbookstore.com/product/149/writing</a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606852835298834121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-906170370876411491.post-24922895029905047762009-10-09T12:56:00.000-07:002009-10-09T13:48:24.882-07:00Young Frankenstein<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTViLT4YUR1tNuAPL-ZWj8h3EebfknPfRNBuKTtEA3cmMbizx-fN0U8WA6qNzsujCYOAZ3KHSpxWcPJ3b9z1pa77lSDLSmoC1IIfgj_m32t3gyzIfP25QHfb91FeJTILx6mIgBI8RioLhR/s1600-h/young_frankenstein.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390692027382432418" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 262px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTViLT4YUR1tNuAPL-ZWj8h3EebfknPfRNBuKTtEA3cmMbizx-fN0U8WA6qNzsujCYOAZ3KHSpxWcPJ3b9z1pa77lSDLSmoC1IIfgj_m32t3gyzIfP25QHfb91FeJTILx6mIgBI8RioLhR/s400/young_frankenstein.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I was going to include this title in a previous segment of October Films, but ran out of room so I decided I would put it in Part 4. Then I had a comment from a friend who also suggested I add this one. It deserves its own article.<br />And why not? This movie is a classic, and although the term “classic” has appeared often in this blog series, it is the best word to define this 1974 comedy from director Mel Brooks. </div><div><br />Gene Wilder said he wrote the title down on a sheet of paper: Young Frankenstein; it was so funny he developed the story around it. The story, co-written with Brooks, is about the grandson of Victor von Frankenstein, Frederick, a neurosurgeon who has desperately tried to put the dreaded name of Frankenstein behind him even to the point of pronouncing it “Fronkensteen.” He inherits his grandfather’s castle and before too long finds Victor’s diary describing his work. Eventually, young Frederick realizes that “IT—COULD—WORK!”<br /><br />But Frederick’s going to make sure his creation does not face the same fate as that of his grandfather’s; he’s going to use the brain of esteemed colleague Hans Delbrook. Of course, that doesn’t work out. However, there is a suitable replacement in a brain from an “Abbie Normal.”<br /><br />Perhaps I should back up, particularly for people who (gasp!) have never seen <em>Young Frankenstein</em>. Gene Wilder is Frederick, Teri Garr is Inga, his assistant, and Marty Feldman is Igor (pronounced “Eye-gor”), Frederick’s… assistant (“My grandfather used to work for your grandfather… Of course, the rates have gone up”). And the creature is played by Peter Boyle, probably best known as Frank Barone, Ray Romano’s screen dad from the TV series <em>Everybody Loves Raymond</em>.<br /><br />Brooks shot the movie in black-and-white and based the production design used in James Whale’s 1931 <em>Frankenstein</em>. One way he accomplished this was by acquiring Frankenstein’s original lab equipment from designer Ken Strickfaden. The scene when Frederick sees the secret laboratory for the first time feels like we have jumped back in time. That’s the mark of a great director. In that scene we even hear Victor Frankenstein’s voiceover as if the walls were talking. (However, that was not old audio of Colin Clive from 1931; it was director Mel Brooks.)<br /><br />So the film is basically a comic variation of Universal’s <em>Frankenstein</em> with witty dialogue, sharp sight gags and lots of plain humor. “Stay close to the candles. The stairs can be quite treacherous,” and the candles are not lit. There’s even a song-and-dance number with Frederick and the creature performing “Puttin’ on the Ritz.” <em>Young Frankenstein</em> also has some of the most quotable movie lines of any film: “Help me with the bags.” “Fine. You take the blonde and I’ll the one in the turban!” Or, “Werewolf?” “There wolf. There wolf, there castle.” “Why are you talking that way?” “I thought you wanted to.”<br /><br /><em>Young Frankenstein</em> is a rare film: It is a classic based on a classic. And it works. Even 35 years later, people watching this for the first time fall in love with it. Perhaps it’s because we almost feel like we’ve been transported to the 1930s, following in James Whale’s “vootstops” only to see jokes that are much more recent than that era. It’s a tribute that makes us laugh. And like the original movie it spoofs and honors, it is timeless. It’s a perfect movie for October, or any time of the year.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606852835298834121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-906170370876411491.post-70897390754845092592009-10-08T13:55:00.000-07:002009-10-09T13:00:51.111-07:00Films for October-- Part 3<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6NAbUfJkceR5tXyZ0Nul5R7BuCEI0kRWHpI9Ku3waIA9rIoVdvm6inHT4k4vXtFU0tjcd06AyOFhS1mSAMCbgT7N740SrphmVENRkgK31-tk-plmD1CRbXdMeb2ETLQOIPHvQMtB20YwJ/s1600-h/Bride-of-Frankenstein-The_02.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390336546690760530" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 310px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6NAbUfJkceR5tXyZ0Nul5R7BuCEI0kRWHpI9Ku3waIA9rIoVdvm6inHT4k4vXtFU0tjcd06AyOFhS1mSAMCbgT7N740SrphmVENRkgK31-tk-plmD1CRbXdMeb2ETLQOIPHvQMtB20YwJ/s400/Bride-of-Frankenstein-The_02.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Continuing a blog of dependable classic suspenseful films, this is part 3 in a series on October Films:<br /><br /><em><strong>Shadow of a Doubt</strong></em> (1943): Alfred Hitchcock called this his favorite film. Little Charlie (Teresa Wright) is happy because her favorite uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotten), whom she named after, is coming to visit her in the small town where she lives. But is it possible he is really the hunted serial killer known as the “Merry Widow Murderer?” One of Hitch’s best! </div><div><br /><em><strong>Psycho</strong></em> (1960): Another Hitchcock classic, this one features a woman on the run, a reclusive motel owner and his overbearing mother, and a creepy old house. This movie still has people locking their doors when taking a shower! And Bernard Herrmann’s often-imitated score—using only stringed-instruments—adds the perfect touch to this gem. </div><div><br /><em><strong>Frankenstein</strong></em> (1931): After mentioning the 2004 Hallmark version we would be remiss to not suggest this Universal classic. Not to use the term “classic” too loosely, but this film has great atmosphere as well as Colin Clive as the definitive doctor, Boris Karloff as the definitive creature, and Dwight Frye (<em>Dracula’s</em> Renfield) as Fritz, the good doctor’s hunchbacked assistant. Don’t worry that this movie barely resembles the novel or is only an hour and eleven minutes long; director James Whale uses the time to craft a taut suspenseful movie for all time. </div><div><br /><em><strong>Bride of Frankenstein</strong></em> (1935): Four years later, Universal reunited Whale, Clive and Karloff in this sequel that, in many ways, is superior to the first film. Universal stock player Frye also returns as Karl, a grave robber, and Elsa Lanchester as the title character (and Mary Shelley in a prologue recounting the young lady’s idea for a sequel). </div><div><br /><em><strong>Horror of Dracula</strong></em> (1958): If Universal Studios set the standard for classic horror, then England’s Hammer Films redefined the gothic genre. This film, one of their first and best, is a loose retelling of Bram Stoker’s tale set in Germany with no shortage of colorful sumptuous production values. Peter Cushing is Dr. Van Helsing and Christopher Lee is the count, and both appear in several Hammer movies reprising the same roles. </div><div><br /><em><strong>The Thing</strong></em> (1982): This film is being chosen over its tamer first version for two reasons: (1) Master horror director John Carpenter behind the camera, and (2) this film is closer to John W. Campbell, Jr.’s story “Who Goes There?” about a shape-shifting alien who infiltrates a science research base in the arctic and kills the members one by one. But how do you fight a creature that could be your best friend standing next to you? And who do you trust? The movie keeps the same character names from the story (unlike the first film version, <em>The Thing from Another World</em>, although many feel is vastly superior), but delivers several scary moments although some of them are gory. Not for the faint of heart. But a must-see for fans that like a good story while being scared out of their wits. (Rated R) </div><div><br /><em><strong>Plan 9 From Outer Space</strong></em> (1959): Okay, seriously, how can we discuss classic suspenseful movies and not bring this up? Or, how <strong>could</strong> we bring this up? Arguably one of the worst movies ever made, Ed Wood’s ultimate classic of alien resurrecting the dead has it all: Bela Lugosi (who died two days into filming), a stand-in who covers his face because his forehead was so much like Bela’s, falling cardboard tombstones, pilots who fly without hands on the controls, wooden acting, stock footage, an incoherent police detective, hubcap alien ships dangling from fishing line and corny dialogue. It’s so bad it’s funny. A great cheesefest when in the mood for a late, late movie.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606852835298834121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-906170370876411491.post-36200039741050157922009-10-07T11:47:00.000-07:002009-10-09T13:01:36.756-07:00Films for October-- Part 2<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKCLqXqHd8Bn7eqL9gez-iHFTGKtLGt-SqZdso7JJ2NJODYEwoHOo1xCyiSj-RAtZpMvUGSL3noAbzoiMKyBPuOsWSq-toKEGvRv0O5Wyriawc3AcZ-pT6p-hdcgR-D4-YVyL2nmTf2CV/s1600-h/vertigo3.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389934314993024402" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 264px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKCLqXqHd8Bn7eqL9gez-iHFTGKtLGt-SqZdso7JJ2NJODYEwoHOo1xCyiSj-RAtZpMvUGSL3noAbzoiMKyBPuOsWSq-toKEGvRv0O5Wyriawc3AcZ-pT6p-hdcgR-D4-YVyL2nmTf2CV/s400/vertigo3.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div>This is part 2 in a series on October Films, a look at dependable classic suspenseful films:<br /><br /><em><strong>Dracula</strong></em> (1931): Tod Browning’s classic starring Bela Lugosi stands as THE definitive Dracula movie. It introduced the line “I don’t drink… wine” that did not appear in Bram Stoker’s novel, but appeared in countless incarnations of the Transylvanian count on film. </div><div><br /><em><strong>Frankenstein</strong> </em>(2004): Yep, that date is right. I’ll probably catch flak for it, but as good as James Whale’s 1931 classic was, this 2004 Hallmark (?!) mini-series is the best version of Mary Shelley’s put on film. The 3-hour story captures Shelley’s novel in a way Branagh missed and gives enough time in its 19th century setting to set up the characters. Next thing you know, our well-meaning doctor has slipped to a place beyond his control. Yes, it is available on DVD. Stars William Hurt, Donald Sutherland, Alec Newman (SciFi's <em>Dune </em>and <em>Children of Dune</em>) as Victor Frankenstein and Luke Goss (<em>One Night with the King</em>) as the Monster. </div><div><br /><em><strong>House on Haunted Hill</strong></em> (1959): Another classic remade as a failure. And another William Castle classic. Vincent Price offers $10,000 each to five strangers if they spend the night in his creepy house. And that’s before the credits roll! A fun film to watch with someone late at night. </div><div><br /><em><strong>Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde</strong></em> (1941): There are several versions of this film, but this one is distinctive because of the casting choices. Spencer Tracy as the good doctor and his evil counterpart, Lana Turner (the femme fatale from <em>The Postman Always Rings Twice</em>) as the kind Beatrix Emery and Ingrid Bergman (Ilse from <em>Casablanca</em>) as the fleshly-minded Ivy. But it works, especially in the hands of director Victor Fleming (<em>The Wizard of Oz </em>and<em> Gone with the Wind</em>). </div><div><br /><em><strong>The Stand</strong></em> (1994): Stephen King wrote the screenplay based on his epic novel about an apocalyptic battle between good and evil. Available on DVD and originally shown as a 4-part mini-series, this 6-hour opus has everything: great characters, suspenseful plot and cameos by King, Ed Harris (<em>Needful Things</em>) and Kathy Bates (<em>Misery</em>). (Not rated, but not suitable for the very young) </div><div><br /><em><strong>The Wolf Man</strong></em> (1941): Another Universal classic (like <em>Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy </em>and<em> Creature from the Black Lagoon</em>) about a man who turns into the titular creature. One of the first films to popularize the werewolf, but few later efforts captured the tortured soul like Lon Chaney, Jr. as the tormented Lawrence Talbot. Also stars Claude Rains (<em>Universal’s The Invisible Man</em>), Ralph Bellamy and Bela Lugosi as… Bela.</div><div> </div><div><strong><em>Vertigo</em> </strong>(1958): Considered by many to be Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece, Jimmy Stewart redefines “obsessed” as an ex-cop-turned-private-eye while following the woman who may (or may not) be the reincarnation of her ancestor. Stewart’s character also battles acrophobia (the fear of heights), which naturally, interferes with the case. Great stuff remastered in all its full-color glory. </div><div><br /><em><strong>North by Northwest</strong></em> (1959): One year after <em>Vertigo</em>, Hitch gives us Cary Grant as the “wrong man” in the ultimate mistaken identity story. An ad man is innocently confused for a secret agent and is chased across the country, including one famous scene by a cropduster, and culminating in a chase at Mt. Rushmore. Also includes the lovely Eva Marie Saint, James Mason and a young Martin Landau.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606852835298834121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-906170370876411491.post-30405670584411099722009-10-06T12:16:00.000-07:002009-10-09T13:02:11.639-07:00Films for October-- Part 1<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_kNIbAU__cbNP33V6OHuKevyYky-8zWH3XF93xz6yCH_HVFsW7GOfzfbdCMGu8LXYR7dOBKEE-CURqFTsKcACsCttbeqo9NP040_vvFEJRiNuRkmqWNFhJSBHsA3ip6k7aWT1HDXzT_3/s1600-h/phantom-opera-1925.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389572865770494754" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 275px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 276px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_kNIbAU__cbNP33V6OHuKevyYky-8zWH3XF93xz6yCH_HVFsW7GOfzfbdCMGu8LXYR7dOBKEE-CURqFTsKcACsCttbeqo9NP040_vvFEJRiNuRkmqWNFhJSBHsA3ip6k7aWT1HDXzT_3/s400/phantom-opera-1925.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div>It’s October, a time when leaves change colors, when the weather gets cooler and people get ready for Halloween. Now I don’t celebrate Halloween myself, but I must admit I like suspenseful, scary movies; particularly the classics. I’m not talking about torture porn or bloodfests (basically, very little from the past 10 years). The fun thing about a lot of these movies are that you can watch (most of) them with your family (not the very young, of course, who will probably just get bored since most are in black-and-white). And many of them are playing on Turner Classic Movies this month (<a href="http://www.tcm.com/">http://www.tcm.com/</a>). Check the schedule as well as Netflix and your local video store.</div><div><br /><em><strong>Invasion of the Body Snatchers</strong></em> (1956): This was remade in 1978 and again in 2007 as The Invasion, but nothing can top the original with Kevin McCarthy who, through a bookend framework, explains that aliens are replicating the inhabitants of a small town. One of the best of the 1950’s spook shows. </div><div><br /><em><strong>The Phantom of the Opera</strong></em> (1925): Yes, the silent film with Lon Chaney. Is the phantom psychotic or misunderstood, villain or victim? In this version, he's not the victim. And that unmasking scene still packs a jolt. </div><div><br /><em><strong>Nosferatu</strong> </em>(1922): F.W. Murnau’s haunting classic was the first filmed version of Dracula (and done so without permission of the Stoker estate). Forget about Edward Cullen, Lestat or even Nick Knight; Count Orlock (whom Leonard Maltin calls “the ugliest vampire in film history”) is the reason we still look over our shoulders late at night. </div><div><br /><em><strong>The Blob</strong></em> (1958): Okay, how can you take a movie about a red gelatinous mass terrorizing a city seriously? It’s difficult, but our hero is Steve McQueen in his star-making role in the film whose theme song was written by Burt Bacharach! You could do better, but you could also do much worse. </div><div><br /><em><strong>Cat People</strong></em> (1942): Again, NOT the 1982 remake. This movie delivers some genuine thrills and suspense, mainly due to Nicholas Musuraca’s cinematography and Jacques Tourneur’s direction.</div><div> </div><div></div><div>Part Two coming soon!</div></div></div></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606852835298834121noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-906170370876411491.post-30215836761514537352009-09-28T07:35:00.000-07:002009-09-28T07:53:30.802-07:00Day of AtonementThere's so much to talk about since my last blog: The Gulf Coast Writers Conference, my housesitting trip to Birmingham which was rained out, helping my mom prepare for her trip to Mississippi. But since today is the Day of Atonement I would like to share some thoughts:<br /><br />What does the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) have to do with Believers in Messiah Yeshua/Jesus Christ? It is one of the Feasts of the Lord mentioned in Leviticus 23. In Hebrew, Feasts is <em>moedim</em>, or “appointed times.” The seventh month is called Tishrei (Tish-RAY). Yom Kippur literally means Day of Covering. It is a day of atoning for sins, to cover them, to put them in the past, and to remember what our Savior did for us.<br /><br />Three things that are commanded on Yom Kippur:<br />1. “Afflict your souls”<br />2. “Do no manner of work”<br />3. “Offer an offering of fire”<br /><br />1. <u>What does it mean to “afflict your souls?”:<br /></u>According to Jewish tradition the phrase “afflict your souls” means to fast. How do we get “fast” from “afflict your souls”? From the Bible, of course! See Isaiah 58: 3-7.<br />2. <u>“Do no manner of work”:</u> This day is a day of rest, to focus on God and his redeeming work, to purge the sin from our lives and begin the next year focused on Him.<br />3. <u>“Offer an offering of fire”:</u> This part was designed for the tabernacle and temple worship when the people would bring a fire offering. Since there’s no temple, and we have a better sacrifice, we cannot bring an offering of fire.<br /><br />A better sacrifice?<br /><br />"Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with <strong>better sacrifices</strong> than these. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year [only on Yom Kippur] with blood of another— He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, <strong>He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself</strong>."--Hebrews 9: 23-26<br /><br />Jesus is our High Priest AND our sin offering.<br /><br />"And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after <strong>He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever</strong>, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool." -- Hebrews 10: 11-13<br /><br />Happy Yom Kippur!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606852835298834121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-906170370876411491.post-38996864559276968352009-09-20T20:40:00.001-07:002009-09-20T20:59:26.414-07:00Quick bug storyThis is a little too much to post as a Facebook status, but the website is experiencing trouble and won't let me post this as a Note. So here it is on the blog:<br /><br />Just a little while ago I took some trash out to the garbage can. The corner of the house is dark and when I opened the lid I felt two bugs hit me. I thought "Uh-oh! I ran into a spider web!" I went back inside and immediately told Ellen what happened, that I think I ran into a spider web, is anything on me?<br /><br />Okay, first of all let me say that Ellen is terrified of bugs and I am the designated bug killer in the family. I wear size 14 shoes so I have no problem with squishing the little guys and hearing the little "pop" underneath my sneakers! (Too graphic? Sorry...)<br /><br />So when I ask her if she sees anything, she starts screaming! After 11 years I know it's not fake play screaming, but the "There's something there" screaming! She's doing the typical girlie screaming where she's fanning her hands really quickly as if she's trying to shake something off them, and she emitting a high-pitched yell! I take that as a yes.<br /><br />But now <em>I'm</em> starting to panic! And it's all in sloooow-motion. It only lasted about a second: One thousand one; one second. But of course, it more like: What is it? (<em>One...</em>) A Black Widow? A Brown Recluse? (<em>Thou...</em>) Is it going to bite me and inject me with it's venom?! (<em>...sand...</em>) What is it?! Why won't you get it off?! Is it going to bite me now?! (<em>One...) </em>Don't just stand there! Help me!!<br /><br />Ellen got her bravery on and slapped my arm a couple of times knocking the critter off. "Step on it! Step on it!" You don't have to tell me twice! I stepped on it, and then I asked her, "What was it?"<br /><br />"A praying mantis."<br /><br />A praying mantis? That's it? I could have released the thing back outside. After all, it's not like it was going to try to mate with <em>me </em>and bite <em>my </em>head off. But still I didn't know what it was; I stepped first and asked questions later like any man would do.<br /><br />But Ellen did a very brave thing. She swiped at the bug with her bare hands, alleviating the threat. Way to go Ellen!<br /><br />I hope she responds to this because I would like to hear her version of events. One thing she said was that right before she swatted at it, it turned it's head and looked at her. Yeah, that would be kinda creepy...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606852835298834121noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-906170370876411491.post-66113369534323779332009-09-18T08:30:00.000-07:002009-09-18T11:31:54.904-07:00Embracing EvilToday I have a few thoughts regarding vampires. I do not have a lot of time or space to say everything I'd like, but just a few things. For one, ever since I was a little kid I enjoyed vampire movies (please follow me here and reserve any judgment until the end). There are several that even today stand out in my mind: <em>Dracula, Fright Night, The Lost Boys, Nosferatu</em> (both versions). But the I can't get into the newer stuff particularly <em>Twilight</em> and Sookie Sackhouse (<em>True Blood</em>), which I believe were ushered in by the <em>Interview With The Vampire</em> movie adaptation in the 1990s. Some people would say that Believers shouldn't watch anything with vampires, period. But there's something about people fighting a diabolical creature, an epic struggle of good versus evil, and seeing the seemingly invinclible monster defeated.<br /><br />That's it! Film critic Leonard Maltin calls the vampire in 1922's <em>Nosferatu</em> "the ugliest vampire in film history." This first (and unauthorized) film version of Dracula scared many people because of the rat-like creature. He is thin, bald, has two long sharp close-set fangs jutting out from his mouth, and long, claw-like fingers with sharp nails. In fact, the 1979 German remake explains the vampire's arrival as the cause of the great Plague. (Okay, stay with me here.)<br /><br />That's what's so wonderful about <em>Dracula</em>, that eerily filmed 1931 Universal classic starring Bela Lugosi. Who can forget that accent? "I don't drink... vine." The movie still knows how to hold an audience, and imagine what it did to those post-Depression moviegoers investing their hard earned coins to see this charming deceptive creature prey on the unsuspecting! They probably wanted to yell at Renfield (Jonathan Harker in the novel): "Get out of there! He's going to bite you!"<br /><br />And that's the difference. The vampires of old were threats. Death incarnate. Evil personified. Countless works have been written on the Christian symbolism in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, the book that popularized the vampire myth. The power of the Cross, the burning of holy water and sunlight, and of course, the drinking of blood. The Bible cautions us not to drink blood because the blood is the life. The vampire is a symbol of the devil. He gets his strength from people not believing he is this evil thing. He is undead. There is no life for him, but he is immortal; however, he can only retain his immortality by taking the lifeforce within the living. He can take an unsuspecting life walking outside among the world, but must be invited into one's home before he can attack there. And once the invitation is given it cannot be revoked.<br /><br />Today's vampire culture is the exact opposite of Stoker's original vision. The vampire is a misunderstood outcast who only wants to find a place in this world. The vampire protagonist is not evil, although his enemies are and usually for personal reasons. Crosses have no effect. Holy water only makes him wet. He will attack in someone's home if he so chooses. Sunlight seems to still be a factor, although some modern stories have "daywalkers," vampires who are not even affected by sunlight.<br /><br />In other words, they are saying the devil is not really evil. The great vampire stories of old contain innocent people whose lives are threatened by demonic beasts. Today, these creatures are the innocent victims, who only want acceptance and love... and blood. Do not invite them in! There is a wonderful new novel addressing the idea of a vampire who does evil, but thinks he's doing good. Unlike most stories today, this one does not shy away from this troubling issue, but tackles it head on in a grippingly suspenseful way: <a href="http://www.thejudgingnovel.com/">http://www.thejudgingnovel.com/</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606852835298834121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-906170370876411491.post-58003258674463069662009-09-15T14:58:00.000-07:002009-09-16T18:57:05.909-07:00Minors allowed!For some thoughts on minor characters I would like to begin by quoting James Scott Bell*: "Supporting players should serve one of two purposes in a story. They either help or hinder the main character. They are allies or irritants."<br />Mr. Bell hit the nail on the head particularly referring to them as "supporting players". Think of the Academy Awards, affectionately called "the Oscars." There's a category for Best Supporting Actor (or more precisely, Best Actor in a Supporting Role). Let's take a look at last year's winner Heath Ledger for his role as the Joker in <em>The Dark Knight.</em> What would the story be without the Joker? Pretty boring, right? The Joker was an "irritant" (and that is an understatement). But then again consider the character of Harvey Dent played by Aaron Eckhart. Dent is a minor character who begins as an ally who helps and then becomes an irritant that hinders. (According to <a href="http://www.imdb.com/">http://www.imdb.com/</a>, the film grossed $533,316,061 so I'm taking a chance that you've seen this movie). Minor characters do not have to stay one way or the other.<br />What about Sam Gerard, played by Tommy Lee Jones (another Academy Award winner for Best Actor in a Supporting Role), the relentless U.S. marshal who pursues Dr. Richard Kimble in <em>The Fugitive</em>. Is he an ally or irritant? To Dr. Kimble, he is an irritant. Remember that the minor character must help or hinder <u>the main character</u>. That he is a law enforcement officer chasing an escaped criminal does not matter. The story is about a wrongfully accused man trying to find his wife's killer and prove his innocence.<br />Minor characters who are an ally can add something special to a story, too. Take Sam, the hobbit from <em>The Lord of the Rings</em> who stays with Frodo from the lush green Shire to the rocky fires of Mount Doom. In <em>The Fellowship of the Ring</em>, Frodo agrees to destroy the One Ring. By the end of <em>The Return of the King</em>, Sam is just as much as part of the journey as his master. Frodo would not have made it without Sam, who ends up literally carrying him.<br />And what would <em>Casablanca</em> be without Sam (Dooley Wilson)? Sam keeps Rick (Humphrey Bogart) in check. He was with Rick in Paris and he went with him to Casablanca. He remembers Ilsa, when the Nazis invaded Paris and when Rick stood in the rain reading the letter that Ilsa wrote telling him she would not be leaving with him. Sam is Rick's partner, confidant and friend. Without Sam, Rick's Cafe Americain would just be another saloon.<br />Have fun with your minor characters! To quote Mr. Bell one more time regarding allies and irritants: "If they aren't one or the other, what are they doing in the story except taking up space?"<br /><br />*James Scott Bell, "Write Great Fiction: Revision & Self-Editing", Writer's Digest BooksAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606852835298834121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-906170370876411491.post-23162222544845554502009-09-14T19:25:00.000-07:002009-09-14T20:17:12.396-07:00LegendHere's something I wrote last year I thought I'd share. Some thoughts on the 1985 movie <em>Legend</em>:<br /><br />Some movies stand the test of time. Some do not. As a teenager growing up in the 80’s, one of my favorite movies was 1985’s <em>Legend</em> with Tom Cruise and Mia (Ferris Bueller’s girlfriend) Sara. Maybe it was the way director Ridley Scott brought his fantasy world to life with real unicorns and magical creatures. After all, I had been a fan of Scott’s since <em>Alien</em>, who went on to direct one of the all-time scifi classics, <em>Blade Runner</em>. Maybe it was seeing an unrecognizable Tim Curry as the devil-like Darkness. Or maybe it was just seeing Mia Sara grace the screen again (sigh).<br />So imagine my excitement when it was announced several years ago when Legend was coming to DVD. What a great way to relive a little nostalgia! So when I finally rented it, I wondered one thing: Did the movie really suck that bad when it was first released? Seriously, this movie reached such a state of suckdom that this viewer had never seen! What happened? Had my tastes changed so much? Were other movies of the 80’s that bad? Was <em>Blade Runner</em> not the apex of cinema I thought it was? Was <em>Amadeus</em> all pomp and no circumstance? What about <em>Ferris Bueller’s Day Off</em>? What did all of this mean?<br />Maybe it means that people’s tastes change. After all, the movie did not do well at the box office. But could it have changed that much? I watched the movie on VHS over and over as a teen, and never got tired of it. I watched it on DVD as an adult and couldn’t stand it. I don’t think I finished it! What happened to the great fantasy movie I loved? I understand that every fantasy movie cannot be on par with <em>The Lord of the Rings</em> or Harry Potter, but I would almost watch <em>Quest of the Delta Knights</em> without the MST3K gang before sitting through <em>Legend</em> again.<br />In case you’ve never seen it the movie is basically about who can have the longest and silkiest hair: Tom Cruise or Ms. Sara. Tom Cruise seems like he’s going to win the prize since he’s Tom Cruise (even in the 80’s), but of course, my vote is for Mia Sara since she already played the part previously in the aforementioned <em>Ferris Bueller’s Day Off</em>.<br />And the versatile Tim Curry wears more makeup here than he did in <em>The Rocky Horror Picture Show</em>, which should tell you immediately that you’re going to be in for a bumpy ride. And to make matters worse, he does not even sing. There’s also some unicorns, which will make a brief appearance a few years later in Ridley Scott’s older film <em>Blade Runner</em> (?). [Note: Scott added some stock footage of <em>Legend</em> into the “Director’s Cut” and “Final Cut” of <em>Blade Runner</em> because it was cheaper than taping those horns onto new horses]. There’s also some ugly dwarves running around like demented munchkins doing some… demented munchkin stuff. As a matter of fact, Billy Barty did play one of the dwarves…<br />The movie also had some interesting music by Tangerine Dream. Or Jerry Goldsmith. Actually, it depends on which version you see. Tangerine Dream did the score for the American version while Goldsmith did the music for the European version. They actually did the same thing with the actors. In the United States, the film <em>Legend</em> starred (just in case you forgot) Tom Cruise, Mia Sara and Tim Curry while in Europe the film starred Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley Kilmer and Warwick Davis and was called <em>Willow</em>. And actually, it too starred Billy Barty. Really.<br />The DVD is billed as <em>Legend: Ultimate Edition</em>. What’s ultimate about it? It takes an 89 minute film and drags it out to 114 minutes (that’s 25 extra minutes!!). Recap: Good versus evil, Darkness loses, Tom Cruise is the star, Mia Sara has the hair.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606852835298834121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-906170370876411491.post-27305530608126473992009-09-14T15:17:00.000-07:002009-09-14T19:16:31.288-07:00We are live!Well, after much time and deliberation the blog is up! I'll be writing about my novel <em>Shadow Man</em>, about writing in general, about movies, about pretty much anything. If you have comments, I'd be interested in reading them!<br /><br />I'm working on finalizing my proposal for <em>Shadow Man</em>. And there's just FOUR more days until the Gulf Coast Writers Conference!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03606852835298834121noreply@blogger.com0