Episode XI
November - Autumn 2007
Hello All;
The leaves yellow and fall, the breeze turns chill and edged, and I sit here once again to tell you what this world has in store for you. I hope you have been well. I’m going to be plenty busy because of the film festival but I will always have time for you.
Of course, Thanksgiving has passed, or as we call it in the WB Household, Thursday. (We do it on the following Friday.) I hope you all took time out of the day to be thankful for what you have. For me, it’s always an excuse to eat a lot and hang out with family.
I hope you excuse this month’s thinness. Sit down and listen up;
:[ Yesterday, I had to ride the Red Line from end to end to reach the Beverly Arts Center for a screening. Gosh, I miss having a car.... Sometimes.
:[ I haven’t said much about Indiana Jones 4. "‘Cause I don’t have much to say". I’m glad Harrison Ford and Karen Allen are back. Sorry about Connery and don’t care either way about LeBeouf. I am on the wait-and-see boat with this one. "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"? I just don’t know. Next thing you know, they’ll be making another Rambo...
:[ Did you see who they cast as James T. Kirk?! Chris Pine of obscurity-fame. He does not look the part of a young William Shatner. As the site "I Watch Stuff" so eloquently put it: "Too Frat, Not Enough Shat". I do not want some emo-frat boy going all bumbly-mistakey-womanizing on the final frontier. The Young James T. Kirk should know what he wants and what to do the moment he steps on screen and onto the Enterprise. Like Jason Bourne in Space. I think that is why so many fans wanted Matt Damon to play young Kirk. But they did not want Damon in the part, they wanted Jason Bourne. My interest in this one is waning. With the stunt-casting of Nicholas Pegg as Scotty, it really is sliding down fast....
:[ This last Halloween and several before my Bonnie and I noticed the terrible trend of Pimp & Ho Costumes....
(wait for it.... )
...for KIDS!
(wait for it.... )
...for KIDS!
Excuse me, but when did "Pimp" become a good thing? The sadistic abuse of forcing a woman to have sex with strangers so you can make money and not work was never a good thing to emulate. Yet, here we are having our 10-year-old boys dressing up like a asshole jerk who beats a woman because she hasn’t blown a guy in three hours. A Pimp knows nothing about women, or the pleasing of woman, yet guys call each other "pimp" for no other reason than trying to get women to sleep with them? Come on.
And here we are selling chalices inscribed with the word "Ho" on it. What young lady in their right mind would proclaim such a thing. "I’m a prostitute for Pimps to abuse, Yay! I’m Sexy!" What a thing for an 8-year-old girl to say as she goes door-to-door asking for candy. I have noticed a creepy, sexualization of grade school girls in advertising and television, as if they are trying to tell young girls you have nothing to look forward to other than boys trying to have sex with you so you might as well look the part and learn how to cook and take care of creepy, talking Bratz Babies.
I saw a commercial for Nerf, (which was basically, a bunch of boys running around with guns shooting at each other) followed by a Talking baby commercial, and a Bratz Doll dress-up thing. (Have you noticed that Barbie no longer has jobs?) During Saturday morning cartoons we are already teaching kids how to kill, fuck, and procreate. Welcome to the world kids.
:[ Review - Superman - Ultimate Flight:
For Halloween the WB’s went to Six Flags for the Fright Fest. Over the past few visits we’ve been slowly honing our day-long Six Flag visitation skills. We’re getting better. Our very first visit we stayed there from open to close on sheer nerve. Now, it takes some careful planning and lots of Tylenol. Over the years, our Sammie has been dying to ride the Superman ride but was never tall enough, nor I skinny enough, to fit in the seats.
For Halloween the WB’s went to Six Flags for the Fright Fest. Over the past few visits we’ve been slowly honing our day-long Six Flag visitation skills. We’re getting better. Our very first visit we stayed there from open to close on sheer nerve. Now, it takes some careful planning and lots of Tylenol. Over the years, our Sammie has been dying to ride the Superman ride but was never tall enough, nor I skinny enough, to fit in the seats.
That is, until this time.
:[ Views from the Train: Guys
The Business Types - Have you noticed the Business Guy on the platforms, in the crisp shirt (why always blue with a white collar?), red tie, black, square-toe shoes, and gelled hair? Usually pacing and huffing as if his inconvenience will make the trains run on time. Aww. Poor, POOR guy. Muttering "come on" or "fucking trains" and talking loud to some poor sap on his cell phone about the "fucking trains. Come on!" and basically uses being late to act like a jackass.
The Business Types - Have you noticed the Business Guy on the platforms, in the crisp shirt (why always blue with a white collar?), red tie, black, square-toe shoes, and gelled hair? Usually pacing and huffing as if his inconvenience will make the trains run on time. Aww. Poor, POOR guy. Muttering "come on" or "fucking trains" and talking loud to some poor sap on his cell phone about the "fucking trains. Come on!" and basically uses being late to act like a jackass.
Here’s the truth of it Sport: Doesn’t matter, Jerkwad. Quit acting like you’re NEEDED RIGHT AWAY. You’re not impressing anyone on the platform like you’re SO IMPORTANT.
Besides, it’s not like when you reach the office balloons and confetti will fall and horns will trumpet your arrival and you can tell everyone ALREADY at their desk (and whom had the foresight to leave for work earlier) that YES, work can FINALLY begin now that YOU’RE THERE. It’s not like the CEO will come down from on high to personally greet you and say "Oh thank GOD you made it Chris! I was ready to shut everything down until you showed up. We were so worried, man, we thought you were dead!"
Face it; when you finally drag ass into the office, no one’s gonna even care that you showed up.
The Greasy Suburban Frat Boy Types - Here they are, dressed like rodeo clowns, wearing Lacoste sneakers, (my God LACOSTE sneakers) hemp necklaces and/or bracelets, long sleeve shirts under green, ratty tees, getting lost on the way to some obscure "way cool" bar on a WEEK NIGHT (Yep, mom and dad pay the Lincoln Town rent), mad that Chuck isn’t meeting them there right away and why should they go to Chuck’s instead of going to the bar right away, and "I hope there are some sluts there" in their greasy gelled hair and glittery cell phone and packs of smokes pulled out before the train stops. As the prophet said, all they have left to offer after high school is date rape and AIDS jokes.
The Film Types - The funny, Afro-ed fat guy? Check. The stupid golf hats? Check. The small, black framed glasses? Check. Used dress coats? Check. Sideburns and/or fuzzy goatees? Check. Talking as if they are smarter than the instructors? Check. Gotta be film students.
:[ And another thing: Business Guy, don’t run across the street into on-coming traffic just because you’re late. (See item above) No job is worth your life. It’s not like the light filing and typing you do is gonna seal the company a major deal. Face it, you’re a glorified secretary with a Manager’s salary. Besides, they’ll only replace you if you were stupid enough to get run-down in traffic. You’re not important enough to the business that you got to risk your life running in front of me in traffic.
Not unless you a fryer at KFC, come to think of it. If you don’t show up the freeze-dried chicken doesn’t get cooked. And if it doesn’t get cooked, it isn’t available to be served. And that makes my Beanies mad. And that is more important....
:[ Three Kingdoms UPDATE:
Just when you thought I was done with this. I went ahead and bough the latest, updated unabridged version for another read. I don’t know. When I read other stuff, I am draw back to Three Kingdoms. It is in two volumes instead of four. Two oversized books but I don’t care. Once I get into them again I will lug them everywhere I go.
Just when you thought I was done with this. I went ahead and bough the latest, updated unabridged version for another read. I don’t know. When I read other stuff, I am draw back to Three Kingdoms. It is in two volumes instead of four. Two oversized books but I don’t care. Once I get into them again I will lug them everywhere I go.
As you now, John Woo (The Killer, A Better Tomorrow) is in the middle of his production of "The Battle fo Red Cliffs" which is an adaptation of some chapters of Three Kingdoms. I am really looking forward to it. Meanwhile, another Three Kingdoms movie is set to be released in December and re-counts the battles of one of my all-time favorite characters, Zhao Zilong, played in the movie by favorite Andy Lau, with Sammo Hung as Zhang Fei and my girls’ new favorite, Maggie Q. A trailer is out here.
:[ I guess we should not complain about eventually paying $3 to ride the el train. We are a society that buys $200 pants, which are not even in new condition.
That will do it for now. I hope you are all well and are enjoying the Holiday Season. Let me know how you are and what you think. Comment away.
Until Next time, my wife says I’m too complain-y.
